Konohagakure no Sato -- Sunday Early Evening

[intraspective]

Ino was just glad, all things considered, that the rain wasn't sheeting down on them and the sky was a brilliant red overhead with the sunset--there'd been no way to check that out before coming and umbrella's weren't really used much by, well, ninja.

Or by SOLDIER members, she was pretty sure, considering Zack still... didn't seem to own coat. It was cold, geez.

The forest rustled with the wind and the hard-packed dirt road they were on was clearly well used. Ino grinned over her shoulder at him. "It's just a bit further, and we'll be to the gates. You've got your papers on you, yeah?"

Because if not, they were going to have a problem. And Ino would kick Zack in the shins.

[NFB due to distance, and for the SOLDIER with her!]

Comments

[puppy_fair]

"Well, Midgar is," Zack laughed, shrugging his shoulders as he ran along after her. "But then, Midgar isn't exactly populated by ninjas, either. This is more like the fort on Mount Tamblin, but there's a whole village behind the walls, not just a military fort."

See Zack. See Zack ramble. Ramble, Zack, ramble!

[intraspective]

Ramble more, Zack!

"You ain't going to see our forts," she laughed, opening the door and gesturing for him to go on in. "Even if you walked right by 'em."

"Tamblin just an outpost or something, then?"

[puppy_fair]

"I guess so," Zack replied, shrugging his shoulders as he peered inside. It smelled like food, and therefore Zack was grinning even more. And fidgeting. And kinda rocking on his heels. It was no wonder the dishes at Fina got irritated with him so quickly. "I mean, it was. But it was a major strategic point for Wutai, until they let me at it, so..."

Shrug. It wasn't so much of an outpost, anymore. There had been explosives involved, and all.

"Much smaller than this, that's for sure."

[intraspective]

"I'd be weirded out if a fort was bigger than our city," Ino said, rolling her eyes behind him and slipping around him to enter the restaurant and get a table for two.

[puppy_fair]

"I think I probably would have really had my work cut out for me if they'd asked me to occupy a city on my own," Zack noted. That wasn't to say that he couldn't do it, of course. He'd probably be less thrilled about it, though. "It smells awesome in here."

Like food!

[intraspective]

"I think you're just hungry," she laughed, sliding into the seat she was shown to. "Do you think you could, though?"

Because that was rather a huge call for anyone, she thought.

[puppy_fair]

Zack gave his shoulders a lopsided sort of shrug, glancing around for something that maybe resembled a menu... That he wouldn't be able to read, anyhow.

"I think, physically, I probably could," he decided. "But I can't really imagine any point where ShinRa would order me to do something quite like that. My job is to take out monsters and trained warriors, you know? Handling the rest of it, civilian resistance and stuff like that, would be left for the infantry, more likely."

The cannon fodder of ShinRa Electric Power Company.

[intraspective]

Ino was just realizing that non-reading thing and snickered as he looked around.

"Um," she said, as water and menus (yes, unreadable to Zack), "maybe I should order for you?"

One of everything?

[puppy_fair]

Zack needed to take a moment. To stare at all of the pretty squiggly things on the paper in front of him. In complete and total awe.

And confusion.

"Maaaaybe that would be a good idea," he agreed. "Please?"

[intraspective]

"No problem!" she laughed. "I'd be a poor hostess if I couldn't even do that. You got any preferences on anything? Things you don't like?"

[puppy_fair]

"The dishes at Fina had me eating snails," Zack shared, because that was about the weirdest thing he could imagine eating, yes. "Really, if you tell me it's good, I'll give it a try!"

Be nice. Don't order the natto.

[intraspective]

Ino's eyes danced with amusement as she glanced down at the menu and contemplated that.

"Hmmm," she said, "how hungry you feeling?"

[puppy_fair]

"Just about hungry enough to eat a whole chocobo," Zack laughed. "If you'll believe that."

Perhaps the 'just about' were the key words, there. Zack could not, contrary to his appetite's apparent belief, eat an entire chocobo in one sitting.

[intraspective]

Ino was used to boys with big appetites, but seriously, she was pretty sure that was way too much.

That didn't stop her from rattling off several different things for him to try when the server came to take their order though. Well, if he didn't eat it all, she could always take it home after all.

Her dad would eat it.

"I should make you guess what it all is," she said, leaning back in her chair. "And see how long it takes you." She could keep score! Count! Something!

[puppy_fair]

"The dishes make me do that, sometimes," Zack mused, pursing his lips and leaning his head back to inspect the ceiling. It was all... ceilingy! "Which is hardly fair. Some of the stuff they serve at Fina doesn't even exist on my world."

[intraspective]

"They have a lot more candy on Fandom than they do in my world?" Ino offered a bit sheepishly. "Like, a lot more types?"

"What sort of stuff do they have that Midgar don't?"

[puppy_fair]

"Well, for starters," Zack noted, "we don't really eat frogs' legs on Gaia. Because you never, uh... Know who it might be."

Frog legs on the menu in Gongaga would be a bad idea. And possibly a felony. And also, really, really weird.

A lot.

[intraspective]

"Who it might be?" Ino asked, pretty sure she could make a guess about where that was going but...

Ewww.

[puppy_fair]

Zack cracked a lopsided sort of grin, there.

"Remember me telling you about why we wear white capes and carry remedies when going through the woods around Gongaga?"

[intraspective]

"Because of the being turned into frog thing, yeah?" Ino had vaguely hoped that was a joke or something.

Because, really? Frogs?

[puppy_fair]

Really. Frogs.

"Being a frog is only a little more mortifying than being struck with a Mini spell and finding yourself stuck at three inches tall," Zack shared, conversationally.

This was all totally just the norm, back home. Seriously.

[intraspective]

...

"How long are you stuck that way?" Ino asked, blinking at him.

[puppy_fair]

"Until it wears off or you take a Remedy," Zack replied. "Anywhere from a few hours to overnight. Sleeping it off is probably your best bet."

If Zack ever found himself the same size as Mr. Winkles, he'd probably learn first-hand exactly how dangerous the gerbil who was munching on sunflower seeds in his pocket really was.

[intraspective]

"That'd be the best thing ever for a spy though," she said, bouncing at that. "The places you could wriggle into!"

And the number of ways you could die, Ino.

[puppy_fair]

"It'd kinda suck to get stepped on. Or eaten by a cat."

Not that Zack had ever been chased by a cat while stuck in mini status, no. But there were things that people talked about sometimes, okay??

"But so long as you stayed out of the way, I guess it would be awesome for that. And, I mean, it isn't like mini leaves you helpless. You can still cast magic that way, after all. Not like being a frog, where you can't use magic, you can just beat on things."

With wee, teeny froggy fists.