Room 504, Saturday Evening

[intraspective]

Ino had woken up at her normal ridiculous hour, freezing, and taken a long look outside before deciding that her clinic shift could go screw itself because Ino? Ino was not going outside in a blizzard. Even if, she'd realized as she'd hauled more blankets on to her bed and crawled back under the covers, the clinic probably had power and was warm. Clinics had things like back up generators and stuff, right? Eh, not worth the odds of getting lost and dying, no.

When she woke up a few hours later—warmer, but then enough blankets to drown in helped with that—Ino peeked out and swore when she realized what she really should have realized before. Her poor plants! It was funny how that got her out of her nest of blankets faster than anything else had as she went to work tacking up blankets over the window and wishing like anything that she had some way to keep her plants warm.

Poking her nose out the hall said that it was even worse out there and she shut her door tight and the shoved blankets at the bottom of it to keep any cold air from getting in. Then she went digging through her kit that she dragged around on missions and came up with a few glow sticks—snapping them got her some light, and if it was green light, well, it was better than nothing. Even if it was an absolute bitch to read by.

So, Ino spent her nibbling on chocolate and granola bars (she had ration bars but Ino was saving those for if this went on for longer than a day or two) alternately reading by glow stick and exercising because that got the blood moving and she could pretend she wasn't cold for a bit and fussing over her plants.

And hiding. But seriously, she was from the Fire Country. Snow and cold were not her friends. Ino curled up in about twelve blankets with another granola bar, another glow stick, and the play she'd picked up in Gaia.

Today sucked.

[Closed door but open post, yes.]

Comments

[puppy_fair]

"Sometimes," Zack replied, "big secrets are big secrets because they're a matter of life-and-death, or worse. You don't just trust stuff like that with people that you've just met in a classroom, even if you have known them for a while."

He sighed. This body heat thing was nice.

"They're civilians. You never know when they might turn around and tell it to someone else."

[intraspective]

"He said that that was why everyone had to share their secrets--so it put us on an even standing," Ino said, maybe snuggling just a tiny bit.

She would utterly deny it. She was cold and that was her story. Though the fire made a nice bit of warmth, yes.

"But not all secrets are equal, you know? And so people might decide that they were willing to have their secret outed if it meant telling people 'bout the other person's secret."

[puppy_fair]

Zack nodded his agreement at that, frowning a little more.

"That's pretty much it. If someone's deepest secret is something like how they stole a pack of gum at the store and they liked it..." He shrugged. "There are people like that. Who live completely normal lives, who don't have anything huge and dark looming over their heads all of the time. Anything I would tell them would be way too big for most people."

Even puppies had secrets, when they were puppies with a body count.

[intraspective]

"Do I count as most people?" she asked, a teasing lilt in her voice as she peered up at him. "But yeah--I don't talk 'bout some things much 'cause people here ain't going to be able to just deal with it."

[puppy_fair]

He shot her a sideways look, his lips quirked into a lopsided, playful little smile right back.

"You are so not most people. You're too short for that."

He was totally bracing himself to be smacked for that, yes.

[intraspective]

It was more of a shove than a smack, but Ino's squeak of outrage was the same either way.

"Hey! It's not my fault you're too tall!"

[puppy_fair]

"And I'm only sixteen," Zack laughed, swaying a little with the shove, "so I've got a few more years of growing left to do!"

Helpful, Zack!

[intraspective]

"I'm only sixteen too!" she protested, poking at his side. "I can totally grow more."

No way would she catch up to him, mind, but wishful thinking was allowed.

[puppy_fair]

"Don't forget to eat your spinach?" Zack gave her a little bump with his shoulder, laughing softly. "In all fairness, pretty much everyone is shorter than I am, around here."

Except for, like, Cable. Cable was just a touch taller than Zack's 6'3", yes.

[intraspective]

Whereas Ino was five foot nothing on the dot. Ah well.

"Spinach is good in salads," she giggled, resting her head against him absently. "Just wish I was a tiny bit taller, come on."

She would be, given a year or two. Ino was going to end up at a grand height of 5'3" one day.

[puppy_fair]

"We could get you some really, really tall shoes?"

Don't laugh, Zack. Don't. Resist! You can do it!

[intraspective]

"So I could beat you over the head with their sharp pointy heels?" Ino asked, smirking. "'Cause I would. I am awesome at my height. Just--taller would be a bit nice too. Dad's tall and Mom ain't short either, it's unfair."

[puppy_fair]

"Well, if you really want, I could start walking around on my knees," Zack laughed. He couldn't resist anymore. Laughter was mandatory. "We'd just about be able to see eye-to-eye, then."

[intraspective]

"Maybe I'll get you to do it for a day," she teased. "And video tape it. You going up the stairs on your knees, no hands allowed! Things like that!"

[puppy_fair]

And now, gods help him, Zack was considering this.

"Can I use my elbows?"

[intraspective]

Ino hummed thoughtfully. "Each elbow can only be used twice on each flight of stairs?"

That sounded fair to her but she was the one who was going to be laughing her head off, so...

[puppy_fair]

"Deal!"

... What, Zack?

"Once the weather is back to normal, so that I'm not slogging through snow-drifts up to my nose, then. I'll spend a whole day on my knees, just for you!"

[intraspective]

Ino blinked at him.

Seriously?

She burst into delighted giggles. "You'll have to let me know so I can tape it," Ino said, beaming. "And if there's anything you want me to do for you?"

Because, well, he was going to look like an absolute idiot all day just for her. She could totally do something for him.

[puppy_fair]

"I guess I'll have to think of something," Zack replied, grinning at her merrily. "I'm sure that won't be too hard, right?"

[intraspective]

She eyed him. Dubiously.

"And you're just going to leave me in anticipation?"

[puppy_fair]

"Well...." Zack leaned his head back, looking at the ceiling. "If I manage to pull it off, I suppose you would have to pay me back somehow..."

He perked, holding one finger into the air.

"I know! How about one date?"

[intraspective]

Ino blinked and glanced sideways at him.

"A date?" she echoed.

[puppy_fair]

See Zack. See Zack grin sideways at Ino.

"Well, why not? Dinner, or a movie, or another trip to Midgar to kill monsters, or something like that?"

Zack Fair: Hopeless romantic.

[intraspective]

"Killing monsters is a date now?" she asked, looking mock-pouty. "So I can't just beg for another trip whenever I want?"

Pffft, he was romantic enough for her.

"We could go to the onsen or something," Ino suggested.

[puppy_fair]

"What's an onsen?"

Please, nevermind that Zack had probably been by the thing about a million times since he'd gotten to the island, running laps around the place.hea