[log][Moving In Day][Neji,Sai][closed]
Characters: Neji, Sai
Rating: G
Summary: Neji learns quite a lot about his new roommate on his first day in his new apartment and despairs over his lack of hobbies.
Note: This takes place at least two weeks after the Anko and Gaara log.
Neji had notified the landlord two weeks ago- the day after they'd been told their rent was going up- of his plans to room with Sai, and had been met with no objections. He'd been spending the two weeks since gather up and pack all his belongings. His dishes, bedsheets, books, clothing, small appliances, and computer had to be put away into three cardboard boxes, two suitcases, and a laptop bag.
And now he was finished. He stood back and examined his handiwork: save for a few small pieces of furniture, this was everything he owned. And it was all going upstairs to someplace new... and the truly pathetic part was that this was the most exciting thing to happen to him in years.
Oh well. The point of this wasn't to be exciting, it was to save him some rent money. So Neji locked up his apartment, and went upstairs and down the the hallway to apartment number three. It was afternoon, and Sai was most likely at home... and they'd been planning this for a while besides. Neji knocked at the door and waited.
Sai was indeed home. He was doing a handstand against the wall. He was exercising his arms while utilizing his balance by lifting himself up and down in what looked to be a handstand push-up. Sai had completed most of his other exercises already (push ups, crunches, lunges, and so on) when he heard a knock on the door. Flipping himself over, he stood up and grabbed his towel to wipe off the excess sweat on his body and face. Sai felt too grimy and warm to put on his shirt now so he just grabbed his shirt as he looked through the peephole. Seeing that it was Neji, Sai answered the door.
"Hello. Please excuse my state of undress." He said to Neji, lifting up his shirt in his hand as an explanation. " I was exercising."
Neji blinked quizzically. "Ah... yes. I finished packing my things, so whenever you're ready we can start moving them up here." And here he had been worrying about their waking hours being complimentary and keeping the place clean... he hoped that Sai wasn't the type to walk around the apartment naked. Much as he wanted to get to know his new roommate, some lines were not meant to be crossed.
"I am free now," Sai replied. "I can help you move in now if you like." Sai was looking forward to the new living arrangement. It is a new experience and he hopes that it would be a positive one. The amount of things he would learn about relationships will also be quite substantial.
"All right... just follow me. It's downstairs." Neji waited for Sai to lock the apartment, and then went back down the stairs. He privately wondered if the planned "improvements" would include repairs to the stairwell, or at least a new coat of paint... the whole place was admittedly a little shabby. "It's really not much, but we don't have to move it all out today if you've got plans."
Upon reached Neji's door, the Hyuuga unlocked it and went inside. "Well, come inside... and just grab a box, I suppose," he said, picking up a large suitcase for himself.
"I am free all day. I will help you settle in." Sai nodded. He chose the bigger box and picked up a smaller one to stack on top, together they were a manageable weight. It would save them one extra trip. As they transported all of Neji's things to Sai's apartment, they did not speak very much except for a few mumbles about what to take and a small grunt in affirmation. After five trips, they were finished and by then it was already turning to dusk.
They stood there awkwardly after Sai placed the last box onto the floor of Neji's new room. After a pause, Sai remembered his manners. "Would you like something to drink?" He began to walk into the living room, stepping over a few of the boxes that had overflowed out of Neji's room. Sai glanced out their balcony window and saw that dusk has fully set in. The lights of the apartments from across the street were becoming more prominent now. Their own apartment was becoming quite shadowed, so he clicked on a few miscellaneous lamps in the apartment. As he reached the kitchen, he remembered that he has not eaten since this morning and he knew Neji did not have anything since the afternoon. "Perhaps we should have dinner as new roommates as well. I can help you unpack afterward if you would like," Sai said as he reached for two glasses.
"I can unpack it all myself... but thank you. And just water for me." Being used to living alone, Neji was accustomed to everything he owned being where he left it: if he didn't put everything away himself he knew he'd end up losing track of something important. Not that there were many places to lose things... the room was fairly small and had only one small closet and a single bed. The only other furniture Neji had was a folding end-table in one of his boxes that he'd been using to set his laptop on... he'd been planning to get a real desk but that would have to wait.
"Dinner would be all right... did you have someplace in mind?"
"We can eat here." Sai said. He handed a glass of water to Neji and began to take out some of his old pots and pans. "I hope you do not mind. I currently do not have the funds to go out to eat." He turned on the stove, frowning mentally when it did not light after a few tries. "I believe I am not a particularly bad cook." He opened the fridge and took out some eggs, sausage he had bought from the market, and left over rice and vegetable stir-fry he made the night before. Sai drizzled oil onto the pan and once it was hot enough, dumped in the eggs to fry. As the eggs were frying, Sai began to cut up the sausage. "Are you particular about your food?"
Neji took a sip of his water. "Whatever you're making is fine... as long as it's not too spicy." He went into the kitchen and watched as Sai began to cook... this guy was full of surprises. He decided that since Sai was being generous enough to cook their dinner, he should make himself useful as well. "Where do you keep the plates and things?"
"The plates are on the shelf there and the forks are in the drawer underneath." Sai paused in cutting up the sausages to remove the eggs from the heat. Sai then wiped his oily hands on a cloth and pulled a larger pan from off of the shelf. He poured oil into the pan and turned on the heat on the second burner. He had spent the first week of his experience living by himself watching a government approved cooking show. Cooking was relatively simple, as he was just basically combining things together how the cooking show instructed to do so. He had some issues the first few days by putting in too much oil or putting the wrong things together(peanut butter and fish, while very nice by themselves, were absolutely horrible cooked together) but he quickly learned what he prefered. However, to make it a bit easier on himself, Sai mostly ate vegetables that required little or no preparation.
Once the oil in the larger pan was hot enough to dance and bubble slightly, Sai grabbed the rice and vegetables and dumped them into the pan. A sizzle and a large puff of smoke rose as the rice and vegetables sizzled in the oil. Sai grabbed a spoon and began to stir the pan's contents together. Once the rice and vegetables were relatively mixed, Sai reached over and added the cut up sausage and then the eggs. He added some salt and sugar for flavoring. Soon it was quickly coming together and resembled a impromptu fried rice dish. Sai folded the rice once more before letting the rice sit in the pan to become crunchy underneath. As he waited for the fried rice to finish up, Sai mentally pulled together some basic questions to ask Neji so that there could be a steady flow of conversation. This was one of the tips in the books he had read in preparation for Neji moving in.
"Do you have any favourite foods?"
Neji thought about this for a moment; it was surprisingly difficult to come up with an answer. "Not really... when I was a kid I just ate whatever my family gave me to eat, and when I came here I would eat whatever they were serving at school or the orphanage." The Hyuuga realized that once he began earning his own way, he was not going to be able to rely on others for food... which meant he was going to have to learn to cook.
"I was the same as a child." Sai nodded, reaching for the plates Neji had taken out to plate the rice. He poured the left over into a bowl to save for later, as there was enough to last well into the next two or three days. He placed a plate on the counter where they will be eating in front of Neji with a spoon and one in beside Neji for himself. Sai turned off the stove and sat down next to Neji. He hesitated to begin eating and instead stared at Neji, waiting for him to take the first bite.
Neji scooped up a small amount of the fried rice, took a bite and chewed it slowly. "It's... good." He took another bite, this time pausing to enjoy the taste of the meat and vegetables. It was so simple, and yet so much better than the meals he was used to. "Where did you learn to cook, Sai?"
Sai smiled his smile. "A cooking show." He took a bite himself, noting that it was a bit too salty for his taste and that next time he should try adding a little bit more sugar. He did not try to ask questions any more as he was used to eating his food in silence. He was not sure if his new roommate was used to the opposite but by judging by how little Neji had said all day, Sai was confident that Neji was perfectly fine to eat in silence. Besides, this gave time for Sai to think up more questions to ask.
Neji arched an eyebrow. "Really? I've never watched much TV... but I suppose it's good for something." For nearly his whole life, he had been discouraged from watching television; both his family and his teachers had warned of the negative effects it had on a person's intellect, which put a damper on any curiosity he might have had about it.
His new roommate seemed to be full of surprises... and certainly more interesting than most people in this godforsaken city, Neji thought. "So... what else do you do, then?"
Sai wiped his mouth with a napkin. It was a tough question to answer because of the multitude of possible answers he could give. "Many things." He said finally. Sai decided to choose the most friendly to list. "I draw, paint, and I...dance." Sai took a bite of his rice, chewing contemplatively. "And you? What do you do?"
The question was equally difficult for Neji, not because of the choices but the lack of them. Up until now his life in Celo revolved around going to school so he could get a job, so he could earn money, so he'd be able to afford his rent and meals and other necessary things... he had existed for the sole purpose of continuing to exist, had never bothered to form close relationships with anyone, because once you got to know someone in this place they'd be gone the next day. He had known these things, but he had always felt that it was Celo's fault, that the gilded cage of the White District had exerted its power over him and was holding him back.
But Sai, in spite of his oddities, seemed to have thing he enjoyed, things beyond the necessary. He enjoyed life, in spite of his circumstances, and Neji could no longer ignore the fact that it wasn't Celo... it was him.
"I..." Neji could not for the life of him think how to say everything he was thinking, without sounding like some sort of shut-in or hermit... which, he now realized, he was, "I exist." He laughed quietly, hoping that Sai would take it as a joke. "Kind of pathetic, right?"
"No, not at all." Sai replied, smiling his smile. "Existing is the most honest thing a person can say they do." He finished his food and was now leisurely sipping his water. "I hope you are comfortable here."
Neji arched an eyebrow... the comment had been oddly astute. "I am, thank you." Swallowing one last bite of rice, Neji stood up and took his bowl to the sink to wash it out and put it back in the cupboard. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go get settled into my room before I go to bed... I'll see you in the morning. And thank you for the meal."
Sai nodded and gave his new roommate his smile. "I will see you in the morning then." He cleaned up the kitchen and went to bed after an hour of sketching. This is the beginning of something quite interesting.
Rating: G
Summary: Neji learns quite a lot about his new roommate on his first day in his new apartment and despairs over his lack of hobbies.
Note: This takes place at least two weeks after the Anko and Gaara log.
Neji had notified the landlord two weeks ago- the day after they'd been told their rent was going up- of his plans to room with Sai, and had been met with no objections. He'd been spending the two weeks since gather up and pack all his belongings. His dishes, bedsheets, books, clothing, small appliances, and computer had to be put away into three cardboard boxes, two suitcases, and a laptop bag.
And now he was finished. He stood back and examined his handiwork: save for a few small pieces of furniture, this was everything he owned. And it was all going upstairs to someplace new... and the truly pathetic part was that this was the most exciting thing to happen to him in years.
Oh well. The point of this wasn't to be exciting, it was to save him some rent money. So Neji locked up his apartment, and went upstairs and down the the hallway to apartment number three. It was afternoon, and Sai was most likely at home... and they'd been planning this for a while besides. Neji knocked at the door and waited.
Sai was indeed home. He was doing a handstand against the wall. He was exercising his arms while utilizing his balance by lifting himself up and down in what looked to be a handstand push-up. Sai had completed most of his other exercises already (push ups, crunches, lunges, and so on) when he heard a knock on the door. Flipping himself over, he stood up and grabbed his towel to wipe off the excess sweat on his body and face. Sai felt too grimy and warm to put on his shirt now so he just grabbed his shirt as he looked through the peephole. Seeing that it was Neji, Sai answered the door.
"Hello. Please excuse my state of undress." He said to Neji, lifting up his shirt in his hand as an explanation. " I was exercising."
Neji blinked quizzically. "Ah... yes. I finished packing my things, so whenever you're ready we can start moving them up here." And here he had been worrying about their waking hours being complimentary and keeping the place clean... he hoped that Sai wasn't the type to walk around the apartment naked. Much as he wanted to get to know his new roommate, some lines were not meant to be crossed.
"I am free now," Sai replied. "I can help you move in now if you like." Sai was looking forward to the new living arrangement. It is a new experience and he hopes that it would be a positive one. The amount of things he would learn about relationships will also be quite substantial.
"All right... just follow me. It's downstairs." Neji waited for Sai to lock the apartment, and then went back down the stairs. He privately wondered if the planned "improvements" would include repairs to the stairwell, or at least a new coat of paint... the whole place was admittedly a little shabby. "It's really not much, but we don't have to move it all out today if you've got plans."
Upon reached Neji's door, the Hyuuga unlocked it and went inside. "Well, come inside... and just grab a box, I suppose," he said, picking up a large suitcase for himself.
"I am free all day. I will help you settle in." Sai nodded. He chose the bigger box and picked up a smaller one to stack on top, together they were a manageable weight. It would save them one extra trip. As they transported all of Neji's things to Sai's apartment, they did not speak very much except for a few mumbles about what to take and a small grunt in affirmation. After five trips, they were finished and by then it was already turning to dusk.
They stood there awkwardly after Sai placed the last box onto the floor of Neji's new room. After a pause, Sai remembered his manners. "Would you like something to drink?" He began to walk into the living room, stepping over a few of the boxes that had overflowed out of Neji's room. Sai glanced out their balcony window and saw that dusk has fully set in. The lights of the apartments from across the street were becoming more prominent now. Their own apartment was becoming quite shadowed, so he clicked on a few miscellaneous lamps in the apartment. As he reached the kitchen, he remembered that he has not eaten since this morning and he knew Neji did not have anything since the afternoon. "Perhaps we should have dinner as new roommates as well. I can help you unpack afterward if you would like," Sai said as he reached for two glasses.
"I can unpack it all myself... but thank you. And just water for me." Being used to living alone, Neji was accustomed to everything he owned being where he left it: if he didn't put everything away himself he knew he'd end up losing track of something important. Not that there were many places to lose things... the room was fairly small and had only one small closet and a single bed. The only other furniture Neji had was a folding end-table in one of his boxes that he'd been using to set his laptop on... he'd been planning to get a real desk but that would have to wait.
"Dinner would be all right... did you have someplace in mind?"
"We can eat here." Sai said. He handed a glass of water to Neji and began to take out some of his old pots and pans. "I hope you do not mind. I currently do not have the funds to go out to eat." He turned on the stove, frowning mentally when it did not light after a few tries. "I believe I am not a particularly bad cook." He opened the fridge and took out some eggs, sausage he had bought from the market, and left over rice and vegetable stir-fry he made the night before. Sai drizzled oil onto the pan and once it was hot enough, dumped in the eggs to fry. As the eggs were frying, Sai began to cut up the sausage. "Are you particular about your food?"
Neji took a sip of his water. "Whatever you're making is fine... as long as it's not too spicy." He went into the kitchen and watched as Sai began to cook... this guy was full of surprises. He decided that since Sai was being generous enough to cook their dinner, he should make himself useful as well. "Where do you keep the plates and things?"
"The plates are on the shelf there and the forks are in the drawer underneath." Sai paused in cutting up the sausages to remove the eggs from the heat. Sai then wiped his oily hands on a cloth and pulled a larger pan from off of the shelf. He poured oil into the pan and turned on the heat on the second burner. He had spent the first week of his experience living by himself watching a government approved cooking show. Cooking was relatively simple, as he was just basically combining things together how the cooking show instructed to do so. He had some issues the first few days by putting in too much oil or putting the wrong things together(peanut butter and fish, while very nice by themselves, were absolutely horrible cooked together) but he quickly learned what he prefered. However, to make it a bit easier on himself, Sai mostly ate vegetables that required little or no preparation.
Once the oil in the larger pan was hot enough to dance and bubble slightly, Sai grabbed the rice and vegetables and dumped them into the pan. A sizzle and a large puff of smoke rose as the rice and vegetables sizzled in the oil. Sai grabbed a spoon and began to stir the pan's contents together. Once the rice and vegetables were relatively mixed, Sai reached over and added the cut up sausage and then the eggs. He added some salt and sugar for flavoring. Soon it was quickly coming together and resembled a impromptu fried rice dish. Sai folded the rice once more before letting the rice sit in the pan to become crunchy underneath. As he waited for the fried rice to finish up, Sai mentally pulled together some basic questions to ask Neji so that there could be a steady flow of conversation. This was one of the tips in the books he had read in preparation for Neji moving in.
"Do you have any favourite foods?"
Neji thought about this for a moment; it was surprisingly difficult to come up with an answer. "Not really... when I was a kid I just ate whatever my family gave me to eat, and when I came here I would eat whatever they were serving at school or the orphanage." The Hyuuga realized that once he began earning his own way, he was not going to be able to rely on others for food... which meant he was going to have to learn to cook.
"I was the same as a child." Sai nodded, reaching for the plates Neji had taken out to plate the rice. He poured the left over into a bowl to save for later, as there was enough to last well into the next two or three days. He placed a plate on the counter where they will be eating in front of Neji with a spoon and one in beside Neji for himself. Sai turned off the stove and sat down next to Neji. He hesitated to begin eating and instead stared at Neji, waiting for him to take the first bite.
Neji scooped up a small amount of the fried rice, took a bite and chewed it slowly. "It's... good." He took another bite, this time pausing to enjoy the taste of the meat and vegetables. It was so simple, and yet so much better than the meals he was used to. "Where did you learn to cook, Sai?"
Sai smiled his smile. "A cooking show." He took a bite himself, noting that it was a bit too salty for his taste and that next time he should try adding a little bit more sugar. He did not try to ask questions any more as he was used to eating his food in silence. He was not sure if his new roommate was used to the opposite but by judging by how little Neji had said all day, Sai was confident that Neji was perfectly fine to eat in silence. Besides, this gave time for Sai to think up more questions to ask.
Neji arched an eyebrow. "Really? I've never watched much TV... but I suppose it's good for something." For nearly his whole life, he had been discouraged from watching television; both his family and his teachers had warned of the negative effects it had on a person's intellect, which put a damper on any curiosity he might have had about it.
His new roommate seemed to be full of surprises... and certainly more interesting than most people in this godforsaken city, Neji thought. "So... what else do you do, then?"
Sai wiped his mouth with a napkin. It was a tough question to answer because of the multitude of possible answers he could give. "Many things." He said finally. Sai decided to choose the most friendly to list. "I draw, paint, and I...dance." Sai took a bite of his rice, chewing contemplatively. "And you? What do you do?"
The question was equally difficult for Neji, not because of the choices but the lack of them. Up until now his life in Celo revolved around going to school so he could get a job, so he could earn money, so he'd be able to afford his rent and meals and other necessary things... he had existed for the sole purpose of continuing to exist, had never bothered to form close relationships with anyone, because once you got to know someone in this place they'd be gone the next day. He had known these things, but he had always felt that it was Celo's fault, that the gilded cage of the White District had exerted its power over him and was holding him back.
But Sai, in spite of his oddities, seemed to have thing he enjoyed, things beyond the necessary. He enjoyed life, in spite of his circumstances, and Neji could no longer ignore the fact that it wasn't Celo... it was him.
"I..." Neji could not for the life of him think how to say everything he was thinking, without sounding like some sort of shut-in or hermit... which, he now realized, he was, "I exist." He laughed quietly, hoping that Sai would take it as a joke. "Kind of pathetic, right?"
"No, not at all." Sai replied, smiling his smile. "Existing is the most honest thing a person can say they do." He finished his food and was now leisurely sipping his water. "I hope you are comfortable here."
Neji arched an eyebrow... the comment had been oddly astute. "I am, thank you." Swallowing one last bite of rice, Neji stood up and took his bowl to the sink to wash it out and put it back in the cupboard. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go get settled into my room before I go to bed... I'll see you in the morning. And thank you for the meal."
Sai nodded and gave his new roommate his smile. "I will see you in the morning then." He cleaned up the kitchen and went to bed after an hour of sketching. This is the beginning of something quite interesting.