[Log] Meet the Hyuuga [Hyuuga family plus Kiba]
[Backdated to um...a few weeks ago, I think.]
Hinaji was quite nervous, to say the least. It wasn't like his family didn't know Kiba, but somehow this seemed...much different. Perhaps because she'd never really been this far into the compound before. Perhaps because she was sitting beside him at dinner and his mother was fully knowledeable about the fact he was going with her.
Either way, the situation didn't make the usually tense dinner-time any more bearable.
Hanabi and Nejiko's presences sure didn't help, either.
Hanabi wasn't in a particularly good mood today, having spent the start of it stuck in lessons on Clan Protocol (namely, this time, how to set about dealing with bloodshed within the clan. Hanabi had commented, rather acerbically, that if anybody in the clan was liable to "pull an Itachi" it was probably going to be him). But he was doing his best for his brother's sake. And for Kiba's. And even for Nejiko's.
His mother, he rightly presumed, could deal with all of this perfectly well without support.
Their food had been presented a few minutes ago, and conversation had been stilted and awkward under the care of the 'adults'. Hinaji was... shyer and flightier than ever. Nejiko was sullen and broody as she always was. Kiba was trying to talk (she did that talking thing oh so well...) but with this lot for company and the formal setting of the Hyuuga's Dining Hall he could see it wasn't quite carrying. Hiashiko, his mother, was herself: silently eyeing and blatantly appraising everything going on around her.
Hanabi rolled his eyes inwardly and realized it was up to the 'little one' of the table to put his repetitive and ingrained training in Dinner Table Ethics and Practice into use.
"Kiba-san," he began, using a more formal title out of respect to the setting. "How is Akako-san faring lately? I haven't seen her in a long while."
Kiba had come to a desicion.
She had decided that this was a very bad idea.
For a little while she had tried talking, but had eventually stopped because it was pointless and only making her feel, well, stupid. The only reason she had done this had been for Hinaji and as important was he was to her, this was definitely bad. Over the years she'd become accustomed to those white eyes, but with so many staring at her, it wasn't exactly easy. She'd even lost her appetite, which was damn near impossible to do. Warily almost, eyes flicked to Hanabi as he spoke to her. This was a safe topic though and she was a little relieved that Hanabi had brought it up.
Hopefully she wouldn't screw THIS up.
"She's good," Kiba answered, eyes flicking back briefly; Akako had been left outside for the sake of ease, to help keep Enka happy and out from underfoot. "She's been real good lately."
The Inuzuka wanted to add in that Akako would probably like to see him, but decided against it in the end. She didn't need to get him in trouble or anything like that and who knew what the elders of the clan would think.
Nejiko wasn't so much 'sullen' and 'broody' as 'impatient' and 'deep in thought'. Impatient because she really despised these formal dinners, and most of the other family members had those carefully neutral looks that pretty much screamed disapproval while they held their tongues. Not that they could say much about it. Since Hinaji was no longer Heir (or main, for that matter), he could choose to consort pretty much with whomever he chose. Interesting, really, how she had considered herself so caged by her birth, when in reality, she had possessed more freedom than her more-nobly born cousins. Humbling, too.
Her thoughts were divided between keeping abreast of the dinner while not thinking about the 'bug in her ear' that Hanabi had planted. She felt foolish for giving his comments regarding herself and Tentsuke more thought than they deserved-- and yet they occasionally proved difficult to ignore. Especially with Hanabi right there as a reminder of their little conversation. Better that she focus on other issues, such as the progress with Kiba (the Inuzuka was improving with their training; slowly, but any improvement was an improvement) as well as her own training in the broadsword style with Tentsuke.
...No, don't think about Tentsuke now. And don't focus on Hinaji, he has enough with the rest of them staring too intently. (Hanabi, she didn't even consider.) So she remained silent, and listened, and thought about speaking to Leigh for some taijutsu workouts.
Hiashiko had thought that having Kiba over to eat dinner here would have been less awkward with the rest of the family. If it had been simply her, her son, and the Inuzuka girl, it would probably have been uncomfortable for everyone, and only heightened by the fact that it would undoubtedly seem like a bizarre sort of interview. But as the time wore on, it became increasingly clear to Hiashiko that a more intimate setting would have at least eliminated the spectators.
She was relieved that Hanabi seemed to have remembered earlier lessons she gave to him concerning etiquette (he had appeared particularly bored with it the day she taught him, which was saying quite a bit considering how well he controlled his expressions). The topic was innocent enough, though hardly likely to last more than a few minutes between just the two of them. There could hardly been much substance to a discussion about a dog ninken, particularly if just the two of them were involved.
At least Kiba had left it her outside the compound. The mental image of the dog trying to get inside this room was rather unsettling. And there was shedding to consider.
Hinaji didn't mind so much that Hanabi's question would result in a two-way, quick conversation. He was just glad someone was talking. He really wanted his family to get along with--he doubted "like" would ever happen--Kiba, and at least he could view this as a start.
"Enka was happy to see her, I think," he added quietly, glancing between the two speakers. "I'm not sure if she remembered Akako or not though..."
...The atmosphere in the room had to lighten up, right? Eventually?
Hanabi nodded politely and took a small bite of his food (acidiously checked for bits of peanuts and bits of spider) as his eyes tracked imperceptably between Hinaji and Kiba. Honestly, was this the best they could do with the topic? How about training? How about any adventures they'd had? Did none of them know how to extrapolate a conversation out of a question? Bloood hell, tell this poor boy he wasn't going to have to sit through thousands of unbearble dinners like this in his career as Clan Head.
He was careful only to roll his eyes internally as he took a small sip of his water. Or to say outloud that he was positive the two dogs were having more interesting conversation than the humans in this room were.
"Akako-san is difficult to forget," he remarked, eyes shifting to his mother with a silent plea of 'say something' in the undertone of his words.
She saw the look Hanabi gave her and silently agreed that the dog, while not the most engaging of subjects, was at least decidedly neutral. Ah, but to keep the conversation around it neutral, that would be the important part.
Asking about how much the dog shed probably wasn't a very good idea.
"I remember seeing Akako-san when she was a puppy," Hiashiko remarked during her next pause between bites. "Her growth since then has been prodigious. Is that normal, in your clan?"
She might have to thank Hanabi later. Maybe
Lightly, Kiba shook her head to Hiashiko, in response to her question. "No, it's actually not that normal anymore. She's about the size of Da's dog Kuro and Kuro is much, much older. She's even bigger then niisan's dogs. In the past, when there was still some wolf blood in them, they were typically that big but... not now. If I really traced her lineage back, I could probably figure out where the size comes from. It's simply... never presented itself as something I needed to do."
A glance was sent Hanabi's way and she grinned, just slightly. "... and she is hard to forget, and even harder to hide. It can make certain missions a little difficult at times."
"It makes for interesting training, that is certain," Nejiko commented. "Akako does not simply move differently, she perceives, reacts, and thinks differently. Considering she is not human, that is to be expected, though factoring it in makes for interesting times." Challenging was perhaps the better word. She could herself perceive the differences between the two and not consider them one entity, but designing training to accommodate for both and be effective took no small amount of work. Perhaps she should discuss with Kureno-sensei how he managed when Kiba was a genin and Akako much, much smaller.
Hinaji was a bit surprised to see where the conversation had taken itself, but he was just as relieved that people were talking. Just because the subject matter was strange for dinner didn't matter. Except he knew the subject couldn't last--how much could they talk about Akako before it became strange(...er)?
"...I've always liked having her around, especially on missions. A fourth member of the cell helps a lot." Because in essence that was what Akako was, and no one was going to convince him otherwise.
"Also, um...could someone pass the salt please...?"
Torn between relief that somebody was saying something and annoyance at the fact that the conversation wasn't exactly stellar, Hanabi passed his big brother the salt. Not really something a Main family member should do for a Branch (according to his tutors anyway) but Hanabi most certainly did not care.
"I suppose it's a significant advantage to have Akako-san around," he remarked. "But then. every clan has it's special advantages. It makes us distinct and useful. I suppose it's why Konoha is considered the most powerful of the ninja villages, we have the greatest variety."
Who would have thought her ninken would have been actual good conversation? Kiba would have to tell her later.
Setting her eating utensils down, she nodded faintly to Nejiko's assesment. "Some people forget that, and see her as just a dog, and a fyzzy lap warmer. She's not though, she can think and feel and act just like any human... she just sees everything differently. And if you remember that, she is a great extra member to have on a team, can even make up for another member. However, if you don't treat her like another cell member, it makes things twice as difficult at certain times."
Kiba's head cocked faintly at Hanabi's words and she nodded in sort of agreement. She was sure sheer size had to do with it, but decided that didn't need to be brought up for now.
The dog seemed a rather neutral--though quickly thinning--topic. Though a better one wasn't coming to mind very readily. Should she try to move the conversation on, or should she risk letting it falter and die?
Hiashiko listened to the younger generation talk while she ate her food. Perhaps she had been too eager to repair her relationship with Hinaji (what was the quality of their relationship anyway?) that she had agreed to letting him bring his . . . girlfriend to dinner.
She would need to talk to him about that.
"Your teams have been working together, haven't they?" Hiashiko asked. "How is that going?"
"It's...going well. Tentsuke-san has been pushing me far. He's a good teacher." If Hinaji's bruises spoke for anything, he was. He was exhausted and drained by the end of their training sessions but he always felt better for them. Sensei had chosen well when he'd put team Gaia in charge.
However, even with the subject change the night continued to drag on, and Hinaji found himself stealing more and more glances from Kiba. It was obvious no one was comfortable with this setup, but none of them knew how to get out of it. Small talk had never been the Hyuuga's strongpoint and it showed now. After over half an hour of it they were all going to go crazy.
What should we do...? he silently asked Kiba, hoping maybe she (or even Hanabi, he was good at reading people) could help him find a way out of this disaster.
Hanabi was seriously considering faking an allerigic reaction to get them all out of there. Hell, maybe not even faking... but alas, that was probably a trick to be used very rarely during his career as a statesman or whatever. There had to be a better way to get out of this, to get all of them out of this.
Everybody had managed to eat their food, everybody had more or less done the done thing, and Hanabi was content to play minature Moses and lead his people the hell out this desert land.
Luckily he had help. Akako was a very clever nin dog, and Hanabi had noticed two things about her and Kiba.
1) Having an animal companion meant you had a very different way of getting your mission accomplished.
2) That way was only effective if nobody appreciated you had it.
Sure Haruhi and Hiroki were cute as all hell, but Hanabi had been secretly training them rather singlemindedly and now that training came in handy. A first test of their abilities 'in the field' so to speak. He made a small handgesture under the table and didn't have to check or listen for the silent padding of little ninja kitty feet as his kittens skittered along the floor and silently out the door.
When they promptly began screaming their little kitten heads off as though something was eating them alive. Hanabi looked to his mother quickly.
"Excuse me, everybody," he said quickly, pushing up to his feet. "I'm very sorry but I have to check on my kittens," and with that he made his way out the door and then, once he spotted the two of them sitting fluffy and fine and yowling horrifically he winked quietly at them and then went back to stick his head in the Dining Hall.
"Kiba-san, could you come help me?" he asked. Hn, this was a cunning idea. Kiba could get out of there too, but Hinaji would have to fend for himself.
Kiba had nodded to Hiashiko's question, but hadn't answered. Nejiko was there and saying she was absolutely crazy probably wouldn't have gone over well. Granted, she was a good crazy, but still crazy and Kiba was still annoyed by the whole get rid of you ninken on the first day thing. So she'd remained quiet and conversation had quickly headed towards strange all over again. Hinaji's glances were pleading to she had no idea what to do. Her own look back towards him was slightly apologetic, if brief; Hyuuga read body language, she didn't want to give too much away and-
Holy heck, what was dying outside?!
The Inuzuka actually jerked slightly at the sudden yowling, turning her head around towards the sound. There was a slow blink as Hanabi darted out (lucky him) and then came back in... asking for her?
Huh. Lucky her too.
Glancing at Hinaji, she murmured an 'excuse me' and then moved after Hanabi. The yowling as actually sort of hurting her ears and she rubbed one ear as she followed after the younger Hyuuga. Even Akako had come to investigate, letting Enka follow her but ready to stop the small puppy from running into the dining room and causing trouble; she didn't want Hinaji in trouble either.
"What's up, Hanabi?" She asked, puzzled.
Hanabi made a subtle 'shh' motion with his finger and they trekked down the hall to where the two dogs were bemusedly watching the two little kittens scream loud enough to bring the roof down as though it was a contest. Hanabi beamed at them both and knelt down next to them, motioning for Kiba to do the same as he tugged them into a little alcove.
"We're up," he answered at last. "And out of there, thank god, here - pretend I'm taking advantage of your veterinary knowledge." Hanabi smirked slightly and signalled to Haruhi and Hiroki... and the two of them began to tone it down slowly but surely.
"Sorry I couldn't save Hinaji too, but I figured I'd do the chivalrous thing, ne?" he whispered, petting Haruhi's little white head and tickling Hiroki's patched chin.
Nejiko watched the two of them escape leave with envy. She did not outwardly react except to glance at first Hiashiko-sama, then to Hinaji. She herself lacked an excuse sufficient reason to excuse herself from the table, so all she could do was sit there. Hinaji, however, had the chance to leave as well, obstinately to make sure that everything was all right (as Hanabi-sama hadn't returned). Take it, she silently urged.
Hinaji watched on in curiosity as first his brother and then friend--girlfriend, he reminded himself, there was a distinction now--left. He frowned slightly, trying to see them beyond the door but unable to, and just barely managed to catch his cousin's look as he settled back in his chair.
"Um...i-if you'll excuse me..." He bowed his head to his mother before standing, being as slow and polite as he possibly could. "I think I should go and help them."
...Perhaps not the best excuse, but it would have to work. Or at least, he left fast enough that there really wasn't much of a choice.
Nejiko took it upon herself to break the resulting silence. She drew in a breath and turned to her aunt--
"Hiashiko-sama, would you pass the salt, please?"
Hinaji was quite nervous, to say the least. It wasn't like his family didn't know Kiba, but somehow this seemed...much different. Perhaps because she'd never really been this far into the compound before. Perhaps because she was sitting beside him at dinner and his mother was fully knowledeable about the fact he was going with her.
Either way, the situation didn't make the usually tense dinner-time any more bearable.
Hanabi and Nejiko's presences sure didn't help, either.
Hanabi wasn't in a particularly good mood today, having spent the start of it stuck in lessons on Clan Protocol (namely, this time, how to set about dealing with bloodshed within the clan. Hanabi had commented, rather acerbically, that if anybody in the clan was liable to "pull an Itachi" it was probably going to be him). But he was doing his best for his brother's sake. And for Kiba's. And even for Nejiko's.
His mother, he rightly presumed, could deal with all of this perfectly well without support.
Their food had been presented a few minutes ago, and conversation had been stilted and awkward under the care of the 'adults'. Hinaji was... shyer and flightier than ever. Nejiko was sullen and broody as she always was. Kiba was trying to talk (she did that talking thing oh so well...) but with this lot for company and the formal setting of the Hyuuga's Dining Hall he could see it wasn't quite carrying. Hiashiko, his mother, was herself: silently eyeing and blatantly appraising everything going on around her.
Hanabi rolled his eyes inwardly and realized it was up to the 'little one' of the table to put his repetitive and ingrained training in Dinner Table Ethics and Practice into use.
"Kiba-san," he began, using a more formal title out of respect to the setting. "How is Akako-san faring lately? I haven't seen her in a long while."
Kiba had come to a desicion.
She had decided that this was a very bad idea.
For a little while she had tried talking, but had eventually stopped because it was pointless and only making her feel, well, stupid. The only reason she had done this had been for Hinaji and as important was he was to her, this was definitely bad. Over the years she'd become accustomed to those white eyes, but with so many staring at her, it wasn't exactly easy. She'd even lost her appetite, which was damn near impossible to do. Warily almost, eyes flicked to Hanabi as he spoke to her. This was a safe topic though and she was a little relieved that Hanabi had brought it up.
Hopefully she wouldn't screw THIS up.
"She's good," Kiba answered, eyes flicking back briefly; Akako had been left outside for the sake of ease, to help keep Enka happy and out from underfoot. "She's been real good lately."
The Inuzuka wanted to add in that Akako would probably like to see him, but decided against it in the end. She didn't need to get him in trouble or anything like that and who knew what the elders of the clan would think.
Nejiko wasn't so much 'sullen' and 'broody' as 'impatient' and 'deep in thought'. Impatient because she really despised these formal dinners, and most of the other family members had those carefully neutral looks that pretty much screamed disapproval while they held their tongues. Not that they could say much about it. Since Hinaji was no longer Heir (or main, for that matter), he could choose to consort pretty much with whomever he chose. Interesting, really, how she had considered herself so caged by her birth, when in reality, she had possessed more freedom than her more-nobly born cousins. Humbling, too.
Her thoughts were divided between keeping abreast of the dinner while not thinking about the 'bug in her ear' that Hanabi had planted. She felt foolish for giving his comments regarding herself and Tentsuke more thought than they deserved-- and yet they occasionally proved difficult to ignore. Especially with Hanabi right there as a reminder of their little conversation. Better that she focus on other issues, such as the progress with Kiba (the Inuzuka was improving with their training; slowly, but any improvement was an improvement) as well as her own training in the broadsword style with Tentsuke.
...No, don't think about Tentsuke now. And don't focus on Hinaji, he has enough with the rest of them staring too intently. (Hanabi, she didn't even consider.) So she remained silent, and listened, and thought about speaking to Leigh for some taijutsu workouts.
Hiashiko had thought that having Kiba over to eat dinner here would have been less awkward with the rest of the family. If it had been simply her, her son, and the Inuzuka girl, it would probably have been uncomfortable for everyone, and only heightened by the fact that it would undoubtedly seem like a bizarre sort of interview. But as the time wore on, it became increasingly clear to Hiashiko that a more intimate setting would have at least eliminated the spectators.
She was relieved that Hanabi seemed to have remembered earlier lessons she gave to him concerning etiquette (he had appeared particularly bored with it the day she taught him, which was saying quite a bit considering how well he controlled his expressions). The topic was innocent enough, though hardly likely to last more than a few minutes between just the two of them. There could hardly been much substance to a discussion about a dog ninken, particularly if just the two of them were involved.
At least Kiba had left it her outside the compound. The mental image of the dog trying to get inside this room was rather unsettling. And there was shedding to consider.
Hinaji didn't mind so much that Hanabi's question would result in a two-way, quick conversation. He was just glad someone was talking. He really wanted his family to get along with--he doubted "like" would ever happen--Kiba, and at least he could view this as a start.
"Enka was happy to see her, I think," he added quietly, glancing between the two speakers. "I'm not sure if she remembered Akako or not though..."
...The atmosphere in the room had to lighten up, right? Eventually?
Hanabi nodded politely and took a small bite of his food (acidiously checked for bits of peanuts and bits of spider) as his eyes tracked imperceptably between Hinaji and Kiba. Honestly, was this the best they could do with the topic? How about training? How about any adventures they'd had? Did none of them know how to extrapolate a conversation out of a question? Bloood hell, tell this poor boy he wasn't going to have to sit through thousands of unbearble dinners like this in his career as Clan Head.
He was careful only to roll his eyes internally as he took a small sip of his water. Or to say outloud that he was positive the two dogs were having more interesting conversation than the humans in this room were.
"Akako-san is difficult to forget," he remarked, eyes shifting to his mother with a silent plea of 'say something' in the undertone of his words.
She saw the look Hanabi gave her and silently agreed that the dog, while not the most engaging of subjects, was at least decidedly neutral. Ah, but to keep the conversation around it neutral, that would be the important part.
Asking about how much the dog shed probably wasn't a very good idea.
"I remember seeing Akako-san when she was a puppy," Hiashiko remarked during her next pause between bites. "Her growth since then has been prodigious. Is that normal, in your clan?"
She might have to thank Hanabi later. Maybe
Lightly, Kiba shook her head to Hiashiko, in response to her question. "No, it's actually not that normal anymore. She's about the size of Da's dog Kuro and Kuro is much, much older. She's even bigger then niisan's dogs. In the past, when there was still some wolf blood in them, they were typically that big but... not now. If I really traced her lineage back, I could probably figure out where the size comes from. It's simply... never presented itself as something I needed to do."
A glance was sent Hanabi's way and she grinned, just slightly. "... and she is hard to forget, and even harder to hide. It can make certain missions a little difficult at times."
"It makes for interesting training, that is certain," Nejiko commented. "Akako does not simply move differently, she perceives, reacts, and thinks differently. Considering she is not human, that is to be expected, though factoring it in makes for interesting times." Challenging was perhaps the better word. She could herself perceive the differences between the two and not consider them one entity, but designing training to accommodate for both and be effective took no small amount of work. Perhaps she should discuss with Kureno-sensei how he managed when Kiba was a genin and Akako much, much smaller.
Hinaji was a bit surprised to see where the conversation had taken itself, but he was just as relieved that people were talking. Just because the subject matter was strange for dinner didn't matter. Except he knew the subject couldn't last--how much could they talk about Akako before it became strange(...er)?
"...I've always liked having her around, especially on missions. A fourth member of the cell helps a lot." Because in essence that was what Akako was, and no one was going to convince him otherwise.
"Also, um...could someone pass the salt please...?"
Torn between relief that somebody was saying something and annoyance at the fact that the conversation wasn't exactly stellar, Hanabi passed his big brother the salt. Not really something a Main family member should do for a Branch (according to his tutors anyway) but Hanabi most certainly did not care.
"I suppose it's a significant advantage to have Akako-san around," he remarked. "But then. every clan has it's special advantages. It makes us distinct and useful. I suppose it's why Konoha is considered the most powerful of the ninja villages, we have the greatest variety."
Who would have thought her ninken would have been actual good conversation? Kiba would have to tell her later.
Setting her eating utensils down, she nodded faintly to Nejiko's assesment. "Some people forget that, and see her as just a dog, and a fyzzy lap warmer. She's not though, she can think and feel and act just like any human... she just sees everything differently. And if you remember that, she is a great extra member to have on a team, can even make up for another member. However, if you don't treat her like another cell member, it makes things twice as difficult at certain times."
Kiba's head cocked faintly at Hanabi's words and she nodded in sort of agreement. She was sure sheer size had to do with it, but decided that didn't need to be brought up for now.
The dog seemed a rather neutral--though quickly thinning--topic. Though a better one wasn't coming to mind very readily. Should she try to move the conversation on, or should she risk letting it falter and die?
Hiashiko listened to the younger generation talk while she ate her food. Perhaps she had been too eager to repair her relationship with Hinaji (what was the quality of their relationship anyway?) that she had agreed to letting him bring his . . . girlfriend to dinner.
She would need to talk to him about that.
"Your teams have been working together, haven't they?" Hiashiko asked. "How is that going?"
"It's...going well. Tentsuke-san has been pushing me far. He's a good teacher." If Hinaji's bruises spoke for anything, he was. He was exhausted and drained by the end of their training sessions but he always felt better for them. Sensei had chosen well when he'd put team Gaia in charge.
However, even with the subject change the night continued to drag on, and Hinaji found himself stealing more and more glances from Kiba. It was obvious no one was comfortable with this setup, but none of them knew how to get out of it. Small talk had never been the Hyuuga's strongpoint and it showed now. After over half an hour of it they were all going to go crazy.
What should we do...? he silently asked Kiba, hoping maybe she (or even Hanabi, he was good at reading people) could help him find a way out of this disaster.
Hanabi was seriously considering faking an allerigic reaction to get them all out of there. Hell, maybe not even faking... but alas, that was probably a trick to be used very rarely during his career as a statesman or whatever. There had to be a better way to get out of this, to get all of them out of this.
Everybody had managed to eat their food, everybody had more or less done the done thing, and Hanabi was content to play minature Moses and lead his people the hell out this desert land.
Luckily he had help. Akako was a very clever nin dog, and Hanabi had noticed two things about her and Kiba.
1) Having an animal companion meant you had a very different way of getting your mission accomplished.
2) That way was only effective if nobody appreciated you had it.
Sure Haruhi and Hiroki were cute as all hell, but Hanabi had been secretly training them rather singlemindedly and now that training came in handy. A first test of their abilities 'in the field' so to speak. He made a small handgesture under the table and didn't have to check or listen for the silent padding of little ninja kitty feet as his kittens skittered along the floor and silently out the door.
When they promptly began screaming their little kitten heads off as though something was eating them alive. Hanabi looked to his mother quickly.
"Excuse me, everybody," he said quickly, pushing up to his feet. "I'm very sorry but I have to check on my kittens," and with that he made his way out the door and then, once he spotted the two of them sitting fluffy and fine and yowling horrifically he winked quietly at them and then went back to stick his head in the Dining Hall.
"Kiba-san, could you come help me?" he asked. Hn, this was a cunning idea. Kiba could get out of there too, but Hinaji would have to fend for himself.
Kiba had nodded to Hiashiko's question, but hadn't answered. Nejiko was there and saying she was absolutely crazy probably wouldn't have gone over well. Granted, she was a good crazy, but still crazy and Kiba was still annoyed by the whole get rid of you ninken on the first day thing. So she'd remained quiet and conversation had quickly headed towards strange all over again. Hinaji's glances were pleading to she had no idea what to do. Her own look back towards him was slightly apologetic, if brief; Hyuuga read body language, she didn't want to give too much away and-
Holy heck, what was dying outside?!
The Inuzuka actually jerked slightly at the sudden yowling, turning her head around towards the sound. There was a slow blink as Hanabi darted out (lucky him) and then came back in... asking for her?
Huh. Lucky her too.
Glancing at Hinaji, she murmured an 'excuse me' and then moved after Hanabi. The yowling as actually sort of hurting her ears and she rubbed one ear as she followed after the younger Hyuuga. Even Akako had come to investigate, letting Enka follow her but ready to stop the small puppy from running into the dining room and causing trouble; she didn't want Hinaji in trouble either.
"What's up, Hanabi?" She asked, puzzled.
Hanabi made a subtle 'shh' motion with his finger and they trekked down the hall to where the two dogs were bemusedly watching the two little kittens scream loud enough to bring the roof down as though it was a contest. Hanabi beamed at them both and knelt down next to them, motioning for Kiba to do the same as he tugged them into a little alcove.
"We're up," he answered at last. "And out of there, thank god, here - pretend I'm taking advantage of your veterinary knowledge." Hanabi smirked slightly and signalled to Haruhi and Hiroki... and the two of them began to tone it down slowly but surely.
"Sorry I couldn't save Hinaji too, but I figured I'd do the chivalrous thing, ne?" he whispered, petting Haruhi's little white head and tickling Hiroki's patched chin.
Nejiko watched the two of them escape leave with envy. She did not outwardly react except to glance at first Hiashiko-sama, then to Hinaji. She herself lacked an excuse sufficient reason to excuse herself from the table, so all she could do was sit there. Hinaji, however, had the chance to leave as well, obstinately to make sure that everything was all right (as Hanabi-sama hadn't returned). Take it, she silently urged.
Hinaji watched on in curiosity as first his brother and then friend--girlfriend, he reminded himself, there was a distinction now--left. He frowned slightly, trying to see them beyond the door but unable to, and just barely managed to catch his cousin's look as he settled back in his chair.
"Um...i-if you'll excuse me..." He bowed his head to his mother before standing, being as slow and polite as he possibly could. "I think I should go and help them."
...Perhaps not the best excuse, but it would have to work. Or at least, he left fast enough that there really wasn't much of a choice.
Nejiko took it upon herself to break the resulting silence. She drew in a breath and turned to her aunt--
"Hiashiko-sama, would you pass the salt, please?"