Petals and Noodles [Inokai]

Top notch self assurance and undefeatable determination, the Yamanaka near always gave off the air of such things. No relaxed posture of slouched shoulders and hands in her pockets, just standing tall and ready to take life on. Or… well. Maybe she looked like a conceited bitch. All in the eye of the beholder. For the Yamanaka, she didn’t much think of herself as much as where lunch might be had. Having her own training session in the morning and wanting to wander from the clan compound, her mind was relaxed than one might have imagined. Blissfully just carrying through thoughts rather than heavily weighing the options of where she might take the next hour or so to eat and take the day in.

If she had been going through such processes, she might have missed the Hyuuga. A long time friend that she had known since before the Academy. A little nearer to her brother’s age than her own, but still somehow stolen into a misbalanced friendship between the two. The Yamanaka would have found him readily, hard to miss the familiar posture and gait of one of the few people she held as a friend. Not greeted, but her course would have shifted in his direction. The pale-eyed boy eventually seeing her as well and lifting a hand in greeting to wave at her, voice alight with joy and calling out to her ever so obviously and loudly. There would have been a light twitch to her expression, something akin to a wince. She didn’t exactly love attention to be thrown at her due to someone calling her name. But… it was hardly a huge deal.

Two paths diverge in a wood, but it wouldn’t be today that the two different youths would separate. Rather, she’d lift her own hand in greeting, a subtle gesture that she recognized him and welcomed his presence. The two striding towards the other but her waiting to speak until closer. A slight nod of her head towards the way she had originally been intending. Food. And if all hints were met, she’d be walking alongside her friend and casting a look down towards him.

“Busy morning. I thought I’d take a break from the clan grounds and eat. I’ll join you?”


There was absolutely no way he wasn’t going for food, right? Obviously it was possible but… if she knew Ren, he’d basically cancel whatever plans he had in order to chase the notion of food. And food with her? She guessed that probably made him a little more convinced. She liked to think that wasn’t arrogance talking, for maybe she found things a little more appealing with him around. Despite his lazy attitude and blinding glow of his never ending smile.

“I frustrated my brother today. His training ended early… But I got a few hours in myself. Were you at least somewhat productive?”

Gaze had turned ahead by then, assuming he hadn’t shrugged her off to go where he wanted alone. But she still paid attention, always did.

While it probably shouldn’t have been surprising that he nodded his head so aggressively and energetically towards her asking for them to eat together, there was still the slightest hint of relief. No one liked to go into something being wrong, or having expectations fall short. So even a simple victory such as this was sweet in its own way. Though. There would have been a sideways glance his way with a soft raise of an eyebrow. He’ll join her? If her memory was correct, she had specifically requested they remain together in a way that put him in the leadership position. She’ll join him. And then she didn’t have to pick where to go… A decision that was annoying in its own way. Ren could run into the crowd and find whatever his gut drooled for. She thought of cleanliness, price, product, serving size, peak serving hours…

“When aren’t you eating? Prodigy’s choice. Find us a place, your grace.”

A joke. But delivered as dry as they came. Near as serious as she always was with perhaps the twitch of a curve to the corner of her mouth that could have simply been a trick of the eye. She understood how bloodlines worked. How clans could be set up with the heir coming from the family’s Head. She hoped… That Ren would take it more seriously someday. Sometimes she let him go with the excuse that he was young, they both were, still kids. But even kids can die…

Nope. Didn’t want to think about that. And was easily able to be pulled from it by the grinning idiot beside her. A sigh escaping her lips anyway. Her brother… probably a lot more like Ren than herself. “If you train wrong then you learn it wrong. Then you fail when it matters most.” A little more tension in her jaw with her lips pressed together. Maybe that’s what happened to dad… She never really knew, none of them did. The specifics of what happened had never been released, just death in the line of duty. Honorable. Because that helped their loss, somehow.

Ren did though. He always did. Despite how he could absolutely drive her up a wall with his antics, carefree attitude, and damn laziness, he still helped. Things were calmer with him in some strange way. Instead of her mind focusing on death or failure, he tugged her out with his stupid, smug voice. He trained for a half hour. He absolutely got a look for that, a very decisive and incredulous look of disappointment and maybe even disbelief.

“Remind yourself how to breathe again? Must have been a tough half hour.”

Another joke but still just as dry. She was hardly irritated that he got up to do something when he so rarely did. Proud of him maybe, though he would have to try a lot harder to ever get that out of her. They needed food though. And if he hadn’t gotten them into one soon he’d be sure to get a little nudge.

“Trying to eat today would be nice, don’t you think?”

As if it were a real question. But if it had truly taken them that long and wandered, the little jab would exist to prod him to pick.

An incredulous look towards her friend, knowing full well that him ‘always eating’ was only partial exaggeration. He would have something in his hands at all time if possible, throwing in small portions or snacks even while he trained. There’d be a roll of her eyes and attention returned ahead. She could comment, she always had something… But why linger on it? The smiling idiot could think he won with his nonsense logic. For what it was worth, anything could be right ‘in a sense.’ It just depended on how much one wanted to twist their view in order to make it seem right.

It was likely her fault they were moving without a destination. She knew that Ren could be distracted by any little this or that which came across his attention. But despite that, she wanted to spend time with him too. It was a little more relaxing, somewhat. He at least turned her mind less negative place. It was hard focusing so much on how wrong he was about things! She should have bit back about her brother. His point that mistakes could facilitate improvement. No shit. What did he think she had been doing? Her brother made mistakes and she would move to correct them. She nearly had to rub at her temples from the migraine forming. Only figuratively… Thankfully Ren’s ridiculous behavior switched from one thing to another that she didn’t actually have to worry about his points. He very much always looked at the silver lining. While she watched out for the storm clouds.

There was a ghost of a smirk. One that definitely probably didn’t exist. Realizing he might have actually quit after a half hour… All because he couldn’t learn the jutsu quite yet? “Good thing you can’t learn from mistakes and improve because of it.” Dull voice as always, but sneaking a look to him. Using his words against him, even if they could only be applied loosely. He technically wasn’t making a mistake. But could one not learn from effort? A better point would have been that he should have just focused on something else… besides eating..

But eventually things would settle back into food, what she intended in the first place. Prodding him and him overreacting. Ha… So they were off and she would follow him. Trying not to distract too much overall since he might just end up walking right past it. Wait.

“Fifty this month? Ren… You’re going to be the fattest Hyuuga….”

They really both should realize that... Inokai just more often than him. He was younger though, she'd give him that. And it wasn't like he verbalized it anyway. She chastised him for his lackadaisical nature and he'd be awkward. It was what it was. They'd get there. Or something.. Maybe they were both decent reminders of the other side of the coin. While his return to her wasn't too encouraging, she'd more or less just shrug it off. He'd work harder.. probably? But she couldn't worry too much on it. It wasn't her job to walk Ren by the hand to success. She had much too much riding just on her own.

As far as the food went, maybe that was just as frustrating for the young woman. Ren had his way about going through things with a joyous heart and a lack of stress. He ate too much, he lazed about too much, he was basically the embodiment of Sloth.... and he felt no guilt. She didn't understand it and never would, or at least she didn't think so. His carefree answer was all the more exasperating. Maybe he'd be the fattest Hyuuga? She hadn't even meant it as in comparison to others in his clan... just that if he ate at this constant and insane rate that he would be a massive individual to rival those of the Akimichi... Inokai showing the greatest amounts of restraint not to shake her head in disappiontment at him. Mom or not. Fifty times visiting a place in a month....

There was something that had Inokai focus on him all the more curiously though. It always got that reaction. Despite her staring ahead, paying attention to where they were going, and even making sure they both got in and a place to sit side by side, Inokai had her eye on Ren. He spoke of his mother as if she were still there. As if there were no great loss. It was always so... weird. At least to her. She missed her own father greatly, felt as though that loss had torn apart the world she had known and changed everything from that point on. Well, it definitely had. She was sure Ren losing his mother had the same effect. Yet... she never quite understood how he could speak of her so easily. It was something she desperately wanted.

Which might have been why the two were so close. He helped her after her father's death. Maybe even 'guided' was the correct word.
But whatever. Taking her seat and eyes finally leaving her happy go lucky friend, she'd greet the man and order. As always, she was simple and to the point, even passing off the order in a rather odd way for her. Ren would pick hers. The man of the shop was more eager to get to the young Hyuuga anyway. No doubt he was the highlight of the man's business by all the ryo spent there. But as usual, people were drawn to the Hyuuga for his personality as well.

"It's almost like you've been here before."

The dry humor of the girl certainly didn't hold the light notes of teasing, but he'd know her intentions by now. Little prods, amusement, their own connection. Spoken after the man of the shop pulled away, of course. Up until then being a rather silent onlooker. A faint turn of her head to her companion, a soft tilt along with it, she'd give him a more full once over.

"Maybe you're fat now. We'll train together sometime soon, it's been too long."

It was almost like it was a threat. And for the poor Hyuuga, maybe it was.