♥ 8th Flower Picked

[floralogy]

[Action;]

Oh goodness, it's so cold!

[There's a shriek that follows that and the intense shielding of oneself from the falling snow. Ino trains her eyes around her surroundings. It's obvious she's in the forest, but where exactly? Grumbling, she focuses on staying warm, at least as warm as she can get when she's dressed for a humid forest.]

It's really typical of this place to send you on a mission to a perfectly humid jungle only to dump you back into a freezing forest.

[Ino rambles, teeth starting to chatter amid the frigid air. A certain location looks different when covered in snow but she hasn't been in this place for two years not to know her way around. Two years, Ino recalls, come to think of it, this is my third winter in this place.

She sighs, her expression falling a little, as she focuses on finding her way to the village. Probably by the time she does reach its outskirts, she's freezing and looking ready to fall any moment.]

[Voice; much later]

So, I'm back.

[The voice behind this post, which obviously belongs to Ino, is tired and a little hoarse from sneezing a lot.]

If anyone ever needs me, I'll be available next week.

Or the week after that.

Or the week after that.

[There's a long sigh.]

I think I won't be going on any missions for a while.

[Not that she can promise that, but a long hot bubble bath and some well-deserved rest and relaxation for days are probably in order.]

Comments

[floralogy]

[Once Sakura offers the coat to her, Ino wears it around her securely.]

Thanks. [There's a soft smile on her red face.] What in the world are you doing out here, by the way?

[medicalpunch]

Training. [She shrugs it off with a slight laugh.] I guess it's a good thing I came out this way today! They really like sticking us in awful situations, don't they?

[floralogy]

They do. They really do. I can still remember how you arrived and how Tenten first arrived.

[Sakura being dumped in the freezing lake and Tenten getting stuck inside a store wall. Yeah, compared to those, Ino's lucky.]

[medicalpunch]

Oh, don't remind me! [And then she got dumped in the water a second time... at least that was in summer.]

Ah! Speaking of Tenten... she got sent home for a little bit while you were gone. Now she's back and doesn't remeber anything about being here before. Just so you know before you run into her. [Which is an awful thing, but she figures it's better for Ino to hear it now.]

[floralogy]

Oh, I'm actually still here when she arrived. I talked to her a little then left for the mission the next day.

[It was a short conversation that involved some pretty sensitive stuff.]

Is she settling okay, though? She was very annoyed last I talked to her.

[And she has every right, too!]

[medicalpunch]

Oh, you were? Well, that's good...

[It makes her so sad to think about, though. Having a friend return without any memory of this place...

Well, it happened to her, too, and no one's made her feel that badly about it, but on this side, she's sad that Tenten's now missing memories of things they've all done as a group.

... Though now she's also missing memories of being someone else and married to Naruto. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.]

[floralogy]

[And Ino will take notice of that particular train of thought.]

Good thing that she doesn't remember being married to Naruto, huh?

[medicalpunch]

Haha, that's true! I bet there's some things we'd all like to forget...

[Like being married to Ino's teammate. Let's not discuss that. Ever.]

[floralogy]

You can say that again.

[She rolls her eyes, instantly remembering kissing Kiba and believing he's her soulmate or whatever. It seems like a blessing in disguise he's not here anymore because now he can't rub it in.]

This place likes to play matchmaker more often than I do.

[medicalpunch]

And that's really saying something, isn't it?

Though so far Ino hasn't tried too hard with her. Good thing, huh?]

[floralogy]

Yeah, of course. Oftentimes, I'm disappointed that I don't have to do anything to fix you guys up with someone. I mean look at you with Shikamaru.

[Oops, did she just bring it up? Yes, yes, she did.]

[medicalpunch]

[She just had to go there, didn't she?]

What's there to look at? There's nothing going on between him and me. [And there's a little growl in her voice when she says it.]

[floralogy]

[What are best friends for?]

Do you want me to fix that for you?

[You know, turn nothing into something?]

[medicalpunch]

Why would I want that? There's nothing there. He's not someone I'm interested in.

[Except that she can't forget what it was like being married to him. Having him put all his thought and planning that was so much still him into romancing her. And also the other things. Marital Activities.]

If you want to set him up with someone, try somebody else.

[She sure is being overly defensive.]

[floralogy]

Alright, chill. You don't have to be so defensive.

[There, she calls you out on that now. No need to be so worked up on this, best friend. She feels you.]

Anyway, I think he's already interested on Temari. [Then, with a playful wink:] Don't tell him I told you that.

[medicalpunch]

I'm not being defensive.

[Totally not. Not even a little.]

Temari? Hah. Even Naruto knows there's something there. He's figured they were dating for a couple years now. [Which is overstating the case, but it's Naruto, that comes with the territory.]

[floralogy]

Well, they're not exactly dating already. More like Mister Smooth Move is being not so smooth when it comes to these things.

[He's just interested. If he actually went as far as asking her out is a different matter entirely.]

[medicalpunch]

Well, I didn't say they were. Just that Naruto's thought so. But - hah. Nice to see the genius being the awkward one for once, huh?

[floralogy]

I guess you really can't have it all, you know?

[She giggles a little as she shakes her head.]

There are just some things you can't solve by a mere strategy or by having the IQ of a genius.

[medicalpunch]

And she's not the sort of person you'd want to make a misstep with, I don't think. [Sakura laughs too, shaking her head.]

Good luck to him on that score.