[closed] Oh damn, you must've got one of them combustible heads

[ghostpepper]

Where: A ramen place near Uzushio's administrative building
When: July 10, ~8:30pm
Notes: Karin and Kushina talking over a birthday dinner of ramen.

While she finally got caught up on everything from the Chuunin exams, she was more distracted than usual that afternoon. She would have loved to leave early on her birthday, but she had taken a lot of time away for the duration of the Chuunin Exams. Sure she had come back during some of the break between the second and third exams, but more had continued to build up until her actual return. On top of that, her post-lunch walk had been cut short when she ran into a new visitor from a village she didn't even know existed. And he had been waiting for her niece of all people, an old friend from before Kushina had found her.. A shinobi raised in Kusagakure now in this Otogakure? Did they work like Amegakure? Some things didn't add up. As soon as she had dismissed him to her niece's custody, she wrote to Obito, asking what he knew.

The last paper she had was a report from ANBU Headquarters about a newer recruit that needed field practice in escorting a VIP. So she penned and sealed a quick note saying she could take the week of 13th to do that. Once it was sent off with her assistant, she sorted everything away and checked the time. Almost half-past eight... Crap.

She killed the lights and left her office. She noted that it looked like everyone else had already left as she bolted down the stairs. Once she was out of the building, she kept her eyes peeled for her niece. She already knew where they were going for dinner since she really didn't feel like cooking.

Comments

[sensethis]

She'd said good-bye to Peter a while ago. She felt better now having talked to him. It was funny she'd felt the most relaxed in years these last couple months, happier too. Despite the lingering terror of how her talk with Kushina would go, she was in a mostly good mood when she parked herself against the wall of the administrative building to wait for her aunt. She'd said 8 and she was there for ten of.

Except her aunt was late.

The minutes ticked by and her good mood was starting crack a little at the edges. That terror from earlier coming back as the minutes ticked by. Her aunt was late on purpose, she had to be, just wanted to make her sweat because she didn't mention his appearance in May. The idea of possibly running and hiding was just starting to look like a really nice option when Kushina exited.

"Auntie," she says it glumly not moving away from the wall.

[ghostpepper]

"Sorry! I only had a few last-minute papers that landed on my desk and I thought I'd be done with them sooner."

She stretched her arms over her head, leaning back slightly.

"I don't really feel like cooking tonight, so we're going to the ramen stand between here and the docks. My treat." She took another look at her niece who hadn't really moved. "You okay, Karin?"

[sensethis]

She shakes her head, the explanation making tons more sense than what she was thinking. Village leaders always have paperwork magically appear on their desks at the least opportune moment.

"Nervous." And the fact that she's actually admitting it should say plenty. She's actually sort of expecting a very loud lecture about following procedure. "So ramen, Naruto and Uncle are probably at Ichiraku right now doing the same thing."

[ghostpepper]

"Nervous?" She looked confused for a moment, then it came back. All that paperwork had driven it from her mind. But now that she was thinking about it, she remembered the calm dinner interrogation she had planned.

"Ahhh, right. And they might be. I did tell them to celebrate without me before we left, but to be ready for a party on my next visit. C'mon, let's see if there's room for us."

She waved her hand as she started off in the direction of the stand.

[sensethis]

"Right." Seriously her aunt forgot after sort of stressing how bad it was she'd withheld the information. Maybe she should have expected as much, but she wishes she hadn't said anything to remind her. Another day or two before having the talk would have been nice.

Silent, Karin followed along as they made their way to the stand. Sighing she catches up so that she's walking alongside Kushina. "He's not dangerous you know. When we were children I was always protecting him from bullies and stuff." What the hell she may as well just sort of start. She wanted her aunt to like him, to understand why for her it barely crossed her mind to report his presence at the edge of the village. It wasn't like he'd changed immensely since childhood, though she had expected that he'd be taller than her by now.

[ghostpepper]

She would've remembered eventually, so it was probably for the better that Karin reminded her. The longer it had to stew, the more of a mess there might've been, birthday dinner or not.

"Even if he didn't look it-- which he didn't-- I had to be sure. I have a duty to protect this village, Karin, and I've seen what happens when shinobi look at another shinobi and decide that they don't seem dangerous. It usually didn't end well for the one making the judgment. And I know there isn't a war on now, but..."

She paused a few feet outside the stall and lowered her voice.

"Things are getting tense. There are shinobi going missing in a lot of different countries over misinformation. I'm thankful we haven't lost anyone here, but it's always a possibility a client will lie to get a cheaper mission or some unknown element will come up that no one expected. Just a few days ago, I got a message from Obito that looked like it had gone out to every Konoha shinobi. Apparently some of his shinobi were withholding information on their reports. I don't want that to start here."

She sighed and ran a hand over her head. The whole village leader thing was really stressful. It was a wonder her hair didn't show a speck of grey yet. Her voice came back to normal volume as she pulled back a curtain at the entrance, letting Karin go in first.

"And you're both teenagers now. If he came here on his own, he can take care of himself a lot better than when you were kids."

[sensethis]

She knows this, has known it for years. Instead of meeting her aunts gaze she stares at her feet as she walks, shoulders slumped. She knows also that her aunt isn’t giving her a lecture to bore her. It’s as much a reminder to learn from the mistakes of others as it is meant to be cautionary. The safety of the village would always have to come first if it was going to thrive.

It’s the way Kushina sounds worried that has Karin looking up to meet the older kunoichi’s gaze. She’s heard the rumors, though she’s pretty sure her sensei has been trying to keep them a secret from her teammates so as not to scare them. Fact was, Karin counted herself among the lucky few to not receive an assignment that was mis-contracted. Not yet, there was still time considering how few of her missions lent to her actually leaving the village.

She reaches out, to reassure but stops midway and drops her arm. She isn’t sure that she can help her aunt with this problem. Not entirely. “I would never intentionally withhold information vital to the safety of the village.” Not that her words will excuse how she didn’t mention Peter but it’s a fact of her life in Uzu, it’s her home and she would protect it fiercely from anyone.

“Maybe, but it won’t change that I feel like I have to protect him.” She murmurs as she passes to enter the stall. Selecting a seat with two empty one’s on either side she smiled at the owner as she waited for her aunt to join her. Her gaze scanning the few customers having a late meal for any nosey rumor mongers who would love to hear whatever Karin and Kushina spoke of over a public meal.

[ghostpepper]

Kushina plunked down on Karin's left, eyes skimming over the others there. They had all nodded politely or waved to her before going back to their food or waiting for it. She gave them all a little wave before turning her eyes to the menu posted. The price of leading a village, everyone knew who you were and many would love to be a fly on your wall. She would wait before discussing anything else remotely sensitive. The owner set a bowl down in front of someone down the far end before coming over to take their orders.

"Shio ramen, please."

[sensethis]

Studying the menu a moment, Karin shrugs and holds up two fingers to indicate she would have what her aunt is. There isn’t anything else on the menu tonight that’s screaming order me; to be honest she wasn’t feeling entirely hungry at present. If it weren’t a tradition of sorts she’d ask if they could skip the meal and just go home for the night.

[ghostpepper]

Once the owner headed of to put in their orders with his cook, Kushina turned to Karin to attempt some, hopefully lighter, conversation.

"How's your arm doing today? Any better?"

She knew she asked almost every day, but she couldn't help it.

[sensethis]

Rubbing at her broken arm, she shrugged. “It’s okay, itches or aches sometimes. A couple more weeks and it should be all healed if all goes well.”

It’s nice that her aunt asks, a little annoying sometimes, but nice. Sometimes when it’s just the two of them in Uzu she can almost hear her mother asking when Kushina talks. When the owner comes back flags him over and asks for a cup of tea apologizing for not doing so when she ordered her ramen.

[ghostpepper]

"Having your arm stuck in that thing for so long, I guess it would itch," she said, propping her chin up on her hand. She thought for a minute, studying the cast as she did. She kept forgetting how long it took to heal broken bones normally. Having to wear a cast for months must be nothing short of suffering...

"Is there room to stick anything between your arm and cast if it itches? Something long and skinny like a pencil or a... a chopstick?"

Her eyes fell on the cup full of pairs sitting on the raised counter in front of them.

[sensethis]

She tilts her head and glances at the cup full of chopsticks. She hadn't tried a chopstick. Pencils failed to really help, the eraser always seemed to make the itch worse if she used it too much. "I'll give the chopsticks a try next time. Pencils just make it worse."

It's then that the owner comes back with her cup of tea, she picks it up and blows on it a moment before taking a sip. "I can't wait for the cast to come off. Sixteen more days, maybe less. It's getting boring watching my teammates practice and not be able to participate in more than laps."