That throbbing beat takes your breath away

[heavenly_earth]

Characters: Neji, Tenten, and Hanabi
Location: Shopping District- Mall
Rating: G
Time: November 22nd, early evening
Description: Hanabi and Tenten need new clothes, Neji offers to take them shopping. It's as good a time as any for a discussion or two as well.

Comments

[underspinning]

To say Tenten had a conflicting opinion on Lain was a huge understatement. Bold seemed to have a distaste for her just for existing and being Neji's friend and teammate, and that hardly sat well with Tenten. She was pretty angry, but since then she cooled off. She doesn't like Bold in the slightest, but she's willing to work with her and make amends. Just because she doesn't like her now doesn't mean she'll not like her in the future, and this is for Neji's and Team Guy's sake. Normal Lain seems to be introverted and insecure. The last part really bothers Tenten, a lot. On the other hand, she seemed nice and respectful. Tenten in the end decided to call out the insecurity for now and try to make her more confident in the future

[usedforcepalm]

Hanabi arrived about a minute after Tenten. Part of her was relieved that Lain wasn't there. She wasn't very close with Neji and she barely knew Tenten, but at least they were familiar and not treating her with hostility. Although it had only really been Bold that was hostile, and Hanabi could understand why. The other girl's words had said a lot more than she probably meant them to. As his Weapon, Lain automatically had a bond with Neji. But it was more than that, considering she referred to him the same way Hanabi did. As a family member. Bold's jealous and rude behaviour was a little like a cornered animal baring its teeth because it was scared.

Hanabi hoped she'd be able to resolve things with Neji's Weapon. She wasn't about to avoid her only family member here and one of the only people she even knew at all in Death City. In fact, she was going to take Tenten's suggestion and join the expanded Team Gai that included the Kazekage, Hatake Kakashi and Lain, as long as she was welcome to train with them

[heavenly_earth]

Neji offered both of them a faint smile and a nod. "Of course. It's also an opportunity that will allow me to answer any additional questions you have." A bit of an understatement, really.

He gestures to the door for them to leave by and takes the lead once outside. It's getting colder, he notes, as the sky darkens toward evening and resolves to make sure they all have jackets by the time they're ready to leave.

"Lain would also like me to extend an invitation to you for dinner once we return. Normal is a very good cook, but I believe she'll understand if you choose not to stay."

[underspinning]

"I have a lot of questions." Tenten doesn't smile back at him. It's more of a serious observation, rather than a faint smile

[usedforcepalm]

Hanabi's clothing, on the other hand, was less suited to the weather. Her shirt was sleeveless and more suited to the temperate climates of Konoha. Her matching pants were durable but also not well suited to the cooler air. There were already goosebumps forming on her arms, although thankfully it wasn't cold enough to make her shiver just yet.

"That's nice of her," said Hanabi. "I'll come."

Food would be good, and they were all living in the Casualty Communal anyhow. If Bold started getting confrontational and behaved rudely, there was the option of bowing out early. She doubted Neji would hold it against her if she decided to leave a little earlier to go to her room and get some sleep. And if the evening went well, she could offer to help wash the dishes or at least clear the table.

She had a lot of questions, but she decided she'd let Tenten ask all of hers first. Some of their questions might be the same anyhow.

[heavenly_earth]

Neji nodded, understanding his teammate's apprehension was likely due to Lain. "I'll do my best to placate her should Bold begin to look aggressive." He hoped that their discussion had been enough to curb her temper toward them too. He didn't doubt that a simple snip from Tenten had the potential to set her off again, though he'd warned her of that eventuality too

[underspinning]

Likely? Tenten's apprehension is because of Lain. "Good enough for me. I'm not going to take it from a little girl, especially when it involves you or the rest of the team." She hopes so too. Though Tenten wouldn't show it, she will dedicate everything she has to Lain. Just as much as she'd dedicate to Lee or Guy. She's a member of the Team and she accepted that. So being instigated by Lain is something that's far from pleasing. Tenten would be willing to cooperate, and chances are she'd be tough on Lain but she wouldn't be mean. If Bold did insult her, she definitely would taunt back

[usedforcepalm]

Hanabi listened to Neji's explanation of Lain and her personalities. It seemed strange, but after what Lain had told her about being captured by the Witches, if there was one person the girl would feel she could trust at that point, it would be Neji. Keeping what Roy Mustang told her about resonance in mind...well. She was just going to have to do her best to be nice to both Lain and Bold. It was much easier to be nice to Lain, who all in all seemed like a sweet girl and similar to Hinata. Bold would require more patience, but she'd given up on being rude and simply disconnected the conversation when Hanabi didn't show any anger

[heavenly_earth]

Neji smiled at the gesture, relieved in part because he didn't have anything to offer his younger cousin, and nodded. "It should be warmer inside anyway." he amended, leading the way inside.

"As for Lain, I don't know why she has three personalities, but what I do know about her world would be difficult to explain and even harder to believe. For the moment, let's find you both some clothing."

There were shops everywhere, a good number of them named in the same regulation as anywhere else in the city- correlated in some fashion with death in a pattern he still didn't understand the appeal of. He could only haphazardly guess it was the idea of the being Shibusen called Shinigami-sama and he occasionally wondered about the true nature of the city

[underspinning]

"Neji, I've been kidnapped from home and been enlisted to fight in a war by some box. Lee and the Kazekage are involved in a relationship, and Guy-sensei is not in spandex. I think I'll be able to believe almost anything you guys tell me." She did have a point. There's been so much craziness in the last couple of days, that really anything isn't far from being automatically disbelieved. I mean, if her little coping side-thought that this is a dream is to be believed, then anything she learns about Lain could just be disregarded anyways, right?

Regardless, Tenten does take in the note of all of the names of the shop and how they all seem to have a theme related to death, "These people are really big on dying here. That's reassuring" She quips and looks around, still noting the names of everything

[usedforcepalm]

"Neither will I," said Hanabi. She made a mental list of things she thought she would need. A few pairs of underwear, definitely. A coat or thick sweater, for sure. At least one other shirt and another pair of pants so that she'd have things to wear when she was washing her clothing. Those were the things she needed. She wouldn't pick out anything else unless Neji insisted.

Most things didn't really catch Hanabi's attention either, but she paused by the window of one store and took a second look at a store with a black and purple hooded sweatshirt on display. It looked warm, and aside from a front pocket, she could see there were a couple of more discreet smaller pockets.

"Can we go in here, please?"

[heavenly_earth]

Neji smiled humorlessly and shrugged, moving to peer through a few windows. "In that case, Lain is a type of God in her world," he remarked casually, idly catching sight of a few glimmering accessories in the next shop over. It looked crowded with women crooning over gems with apparent envy.

The Jounin turned from his brief appraisal of the jewelry store and redirected his attention to the window pane that had caught his young cousin's attention. He nodded, gesturing for them to move inside ahead of him.

"Of course. Something like that would likely be suitable for this winter."

[underspinning]

"Her world has some serious problems with their choices in deities." She's nearly been drowned by what best may be described as blue sushi brought to life. That doesn't even phase her. The women crooning over the jewelry garners more interest from Tenten who just gives them a brief eye roll. Gems won't ever get you anywhere so why even wear them in the first place.

Tenten follows Hanabi into the store, using her sharp eye to scan the store for anything remotely oriental. Tenten's patience with the availability of the outfits was wearing rather thin. Everywhere her eye glazed it was more modern day, tight and restricting trash.

"There's something I can use. I wonder if it even comes in my size..." She could tell none of the jackets on that rack would fit her by her amazing analytical prowess. When she does get closer to the coats for Hanabi, Tenten will just be scanning for other coats. For the first time in her life, fashion was a chore.