Room 504, Friday Evening

[intraspective]

After talking to Hurley, Ino was glad to wander back to the room she shared with Zack—that was still weird to her, that she couldn’t say it was just her room anymore—and collapse on her bed.

Yay. A week gone by and she hadn’t—been weird and issuey at people other than... well, Bod had gotten a bit, but he hadn’t seemed to care and Ino just... wasn’t going to push that. All right, fine, and so on. She was fine.

Repression was probably bad, yes. Ino closed her eyes briefly, then sat up and stared at the open door. She should shut it. But that seemed like far too much work and instead she fumbled for one of her notebooks. A pen.

If she was thinking, she didn’t have to think.

It made sense to her.

[Open door, open post.]

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[intraspective]

"You know," she said thoughtfully. "I think you might be right."

Bravo, Triela!

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

She looked around for a moment, then turned to Ino.

"Whose things?"

[intraspective]

Ino closed her notebook and propped her chin in one hand.

"Guess."

It was a challenge!

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela considered. "Do I get to rifle through things, or is this one of those look-but-don't-touch situations?"

[intraspective]

"Look but don't touch," she said promptly. The room wasn't that much different, not really. But there were changes.

A few notebooks with different writing on them. Another hairbrush hanging around on the desk. A cage for a gerbil--a few toys in it, some bedding and extra gerbil food. An open hamster ball sitting on top of Kusanagi's terrarium (Kusanagi was Thrilled, really), scattered socks that were too large to be Ino's. A closet door half open that showed a lot more black than Ino ever wore. Hair gel that she didn't use by her hair products. Two deodorants. Two toothbrushes. A few materia--that looked like solidly coloured marbles--scattered about.

Only one bed being used. The other was mostly taken over by plants, still.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

It was the bed that tipped Triela off, but she'd been trained to be thorough. She looked over everything she could see that was different. The new hairbrush could provide clues for length and color. Socks could provide approximate shoe size as well as fashion choices.

The gerbil paraphernalia suggested the sort of personality that went for pets.

"Male. Dark haired. Tends to dress darkly." Well, relatively speaking. "Taller than you." Oh, yeah, brilliant deduction on that one Triela. Next she'd be saying that people were taller than she was herself.

"Want to give me a hint?" Not that she needed it, but: thorough.

[intraspective]

"He's got the brightest smile in the world," Ino said, eyes softening slightly.

... That was totally a useful hint, right?

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela sighed in soft amusement. "Uh oh. I know that tone of voice." And that look.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Do I need to have a sit-down where I threaten to break something important if he hurts you?"

As if: A) Ino couldn't handle that herself, or B) Triela could do much to Zach without a really well-planned ambush of some sort.

[intraspective]

"You could give him that talk," she said, grinning and blushing a bit but not denying anything. "It would make him flail."

And amuse her, definitely.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela couldn't help but smile at that hint of color in Ino's cheeks. "You're happy."

That wasn't a question. But it was clearly something Triela approved of.

[intraspective]

Something, an unnamed quality, leeched out of her face.

"He's the best part of my life right now," she said quietly. "He makes me happy."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

That subtle shift in expression drew a frown from Triela.

"So... what else is up?" And did Ino want to talk about it?

[intraspective]

"Bad trip back home," she said flatly. But she was talking, see? And gesturing for Triela to come and sit down if she wanted.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela nodded. She... yeah. She got that.

She moved over closer to Ino and sat down. Then she turned her attention to Ino. They could talk about that trip, or something else, or not at all. Triela was there for whatever Ino needed.

[intraspective]

Triela was... Triela. They had their major differences but they also got each other in some very important ways.

"I don't have a team anymore," she said, still in that same flat carefully controlled voice. "Because I chose keeping them alive over supporting their plans for revenge."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

That was... not good. From what Triela knew about Ino's team, and how much it meant to her...

"You officially don't have a team, or..." Official was better. Because it was hard to stop a group from meeting if they wanted to. But when decided they were through with you...

That was different. And way worse.

[intraspective]

"Unofficially."

It hurt. It burned. Ino fiddled with her notebook.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Oh."

What did you say to that?

"That sucks."

Apparently, if you were Triela, you stated the obvious.

[intraspective]

"Yeah," she said softly. "It does. I--I'm waiting reassignment. Hokage-sama knows about the break."

And wouldn't force a team that broken to try and accomplish a mission. That would be a death sentence for the team.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

At least Triela knew not to ask if there was anything she could do.

"You kept them alive, though?" she asked. Not that Ino had been unclear on that point, or anything, but it was a way to remind her.

[intraspective]

"I did." Ino looked up at Triela. "I'd do it again if it meant that. But it's still--it--they called me traitor."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"And are you?" Somehow Triela doubted that Ino could even contemplate treachery. It just... well, it wasn't Ino.

[intraspective]

"My sensei's last order was for me to look after them. I did."

She shook her head.

"I'm--not a traitor. Not by my village. But by them..."

Maybe she was.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela lifted an eyebrow. "Would going over the details help, or..."

She rather suspected that Ino's teammates, well, former teammates, were just being idiots about whatever was going on. Ino didn't betray people she cared about.

At least not without an extremely compelling reason like orders from higher-up.

[intraspective]

"We were sent out after two extremely dangerous targets," she recited. "Asuma-sensei was on one squad, with one of my teammates, I and another were on a different squad. Asuma-sensei's team found the targets, called for back up and engaged. We got there too late. I--I couldn't heal him."

"They wanted revenge. I said I was in." Ino's eyes were steady. "And then I took the whole plan to Hokage-sama and ratted them out to keep them alive."