Room 504, Monday Evening
Ino was brushing out her hair, humming idly to herself while reviewing her notes, when her phone rang.
"Yo!" Ino answered cheerfully when she picked up the phone. A beat. "Dad! Hi! What’s up?"
He told her. Her face shut down, her eyes narrowed, and the mechanical pencil she’d been fiddling with idly snapped abruptly.
“Repeat that.” And, because this was her dad: “Please.” It still wasn’t much of a request, though. Luckily, he was just as blunt as she was. Even while he scolded her for her rudeness.
Better blunt than dancing around the subject though the injustice of it stung. Ino bit back the gut reaction of ‘it’s not fair!’, shut up, and listened. And if her notebook was being shredded, well, at least it wasn’t one of the important ones? She didn’t need that paper. It served far better as something to take her mood out on anyway.
"So, what-," Ino switched to Japanese, //what’s going to happen with my training? We were waiting until I hit Chuunin to--//
He interrupted her. And talked. And talked. And--oh.
Ino chewed on her lower lip. //So it’s just the rank, then? Being held back. Not the work.// She didn’t like it. She hated parts of it. She... kinda loved some of it too. Ino didn’t know. Her stomach flip-flopped as her mood cycled through disappointment and a bit of-excitement.
And worry. Ino wasn’t stupid. //Why?//
She shook her head at his snarky answer. //Why the focus on our skills if not rank? What’s going on back home?//
Nothing, he answered, ...yet. Just a precaution. Was she going to kick up a storm or would she rather sulk?
//Hell yes,// Ino retorted, //biggest storm ever.//
As if she’d say no to training. Not ever.
A pause.
//What about the pay?//
That made him laugh. Ino was smiling slightly when they ended the conversation, though her fingers were still shredding the remains of her notebook. Clicking the phone off, she tossed it over her shoulder to land on her pillow, and tugged sharply at her hair.
Ugh. How was she supposed to focus now? Ino fidgeted and wondered if maybe she ought to go out and run a bit. Something. Anything.
Instead, she flopped back on her bed and buried her head under her pillow, torn notes around her, and fingers grabbing her phone but not dialling any number. She didn’t know what to say, or who to say it to, or... anything.
Sigh.
[Half open door, open post, sure.]
"Yo!" Ino answered cheerfully when she picked up the phone. A beat. "Dad! Hi! What’s up?"
He told her. Her face shut down, her eyes narrowed, and the mechanical pencil she’d been fiddling with idly snapped abruptly.
“Repeat that.” And, because this was her dad: “Please.” It still wasn’t much of a request, though. Luckily, he was just as blunt as she was. Even while he scolded her for her rudeness.
Better blunt than dancing around the subject though the injustice of it stung. Ino bit back the gut reaction of ‘it’s not fair!’, shut up, and listened. And if her notebook was being shredded, well, at least it wasn’t one of the important ones? She didn’t need that paper. It served far better as something to take her mood out on anyway.
"So, what-," Ino switched to Japanese, //what’s going to happen with my training? We were waiting until I hit Chuunin to--//
He interrupted her. And talked. And talked. And--oh.
Ino chewed on her lower lip. //So it’s just the rank, then? Being held back. Not the work.// She didn’t like it. She hated parts of it. She... kinda loved some of it too. Ino didn’t know. Her stomach flip-flopped as her mood cycled through disappointment and a bit of-excitement.
And worry. Ino wasn’t stupid. //Why?//
She shook her head at his snarky answer. //Why the focus on our skills if not rank? What’s going on back home?//
Nothing, he answered, ...yet. Just a precaution. Was she going to kick up a storm or would she rather sulk?
//Hell yes,// Ino retorted, //biggest storm ever.//
As if she’d say no to training. Not ever.
A pause.
//What about the pay?//
That made him laugh. Ino was smiling slightly when they ended the conversation, though her fingers were still shredding the remains of her notebook. Clicking the phone off, she tossed it over her shoulder to land on her pillow, and tugged sharply at her hair.
Ugh. How was she supposed to focus now? Ino fidgeted and wondered if maybe she ought to go out and run a bit. Something. Anything.
Instead, she flopped back on her bed and buried her head under her pillow, torn notes around her, and fingers grabbing her phone but not dialling any number. She didn’t know what to say, or who to say it to, or... anything.
Sigh.
[Half open door, open post, sure.]