Room 504, Thursday Late Evening

[intraspective]

It had been a day of being out-of-sorts (more like most of the week, really) and Ino wasn't sure why and that had left her in a bit of a mood where all she really wanted was to… do exactly what she was doing.

Which was sitting on the floor in the middle of her room and carefully taking care of her plants—trimming what needed to be trimmed, watering what needed to be watered—while talking softly to them.

They were, perhaps, some of her dearest confidants. They could never betray her secrets, however silly some of them were. They could not judge her.

Right then, when her mood was sliding between peevish and… blah, it was enough for her to do this. Hair loose, piled on the floor behind her and blue eyes soft as she inspected some of the Sun's Glory she had growing.

Zack	After their talk on the beach, Zack had contented himself to just... hang around. Angeal was here for him, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to be the one to play puppy today, not straying from his mentor's side for anything. Which was why he'd pretty much insisted that Angeal come up with him into the dorms, to his room. He'd struggled through a moment of being completely shamefaced as he put the Buster Sword into the weapons locker, but it had to be done, and then he'd led Angeal up to the fifth floor. He didn't open the door all of the way just yet when he got to their room. "Hey, Ino?"
Ino	The story she'd been telling the Sun's Glory cut off abruptly as she leaned back to peer at Zack and raise an eyebrow at the partly opened door. With him blocking it. Hmmm. "Yeees?"
Zack	"I.. Uh. I have some company, if that's okay? I mean, I understand if it isn't and if maybe you just want space but he doesn't really have anywhere to go and him being here is kind of my fault anyhow and I really, really didn't expect this and can we come in?" Zack had rambling issues. And it was entirely possible that the hand that was holding the door-frame was trembling, just slightly.
Angeal	"Zack, I'm perfectly capable of sleeping outside," a voice rumbled from the hallway. The weather was warm, and he hated to impose on Zack's roommate sight unseen.
Zack	What Angeal couldn't see, from his stunning view of Zack's backside there, was that on the other side of the door? Zack was totally abusing his desperate puppy-eyes privileges, and pretty much filling his quota for the next year or twelve. What he could see if he was looking would be the hand, reaching back into the hallway and flopping about desperately in what Zack hoped would be taken as the universal sign for nonononono, stay for just a minute please please please please pleeeeeeeeease? Zack had very expressive body parts.
Ino	… … … … If Ino's eyebrows (which had shot up at the sound of an unfamiliar man's voice and Zack's rambling) could have gone any higher? They would be. And using puppy eyes like that was totally unfair. "You can come in," she said, with a sigh that was three parts amused and one part gently tolerant. "Mind the plants, please. I was working." Ino gently set the Sun's Glory down and began carefully sorting the plants she'd spread over the floor to talk to back to their normal places.
Angeal	"We'll be careful," Angeal promised, following Zack into the room and offering the girl a solemn bow of his head. "I appreciate your hospitality, but it's unnecessary. We'll be out of your hair shortly, so you can work." And so Zack didn't accidentally hurt the plants. Puppies were excitable.
Ino	Puppies were excitable. But Zack was her puppy and so any damage he did was dealt with both affection and loving exasperation. And the way Zack's face crumpled at the man's words made up her mind. Who would--a SOLDIER uniform, a hairstyle that Zack had taken to attempting, in his own way. She had the most peculiar feeling that she knew who this was. "It's no problem," she said, getting to her feet smoothly. Hair a blonde, blonde curtain that brushed nearly to her knees, one eye covered by it. "I was finishing up." That was a lie, but a seamless, harmless one. "I can't really let you sleep outside," she continued blithely. "So you'll have to make do here. It's green enough, at least, don't you think," a pause, so slight that only someone looking for it would notice, "Angeal?"
Angeal	Angeal raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't bother commenting. If she knew who he was, there wasn't much else that needed to be said. "If you're sure your plants will survive," he said noncommittally. "We've slept in worse circumstances than 'outside.'" And, well, he'd been dead for a few months. That too.
Zack	Zack was now completely torn between clinging to Angeal, and clinging to and kissing Ino until they both went dizzy and fell onto the floor and never moved again and-- Actually, that would be bad. So, he stood there in the doorway, awkward and desperate and confused and still a little shocked, and he nodded. "I've been staying here with Ino and the plants for a long time, now," he shared. "I haven't ki-ruined any yet." Killed was a bad word, today. Killed was practically a swear word, today. Zack was going to proceed to take a swift and sudden seat on the edge of the bed. The two beds that were pushed together. The sleeping surface, there. It was probably kind of obvious at this point that they were not just roomies, huh? Zack was having difficulties breathing.
Ino	Something in her eyes hardened very slightly. That was cruel to say, when Zack was right there. Ino firmly throttled her temper, glad that Zack speaking gave her time to think of words to say. She would not start a fight, not with a dead man. Not with Zack being Zack and the dead man being Angeal. "I swear, it's not a problem," she said, keeping her voice light. A smile on her face. She was good at that. "They can handle a guest." A grin flitted about her lips. "They're pretty, but they're tough. Please, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable." Stick around. And she'd just... well, she'd been going to continue putting her plants back in order, but instead found herself drifting over to Zack on silent feet to brush her fingers against his arm. Breathing was good. She was here. Angeal was here. It could only be a good day, couldn't it be?
Zack	Zack sighed and flopped sideways until his shoulder bumped against Ino's. Okay. It was okay. Angeal had gotten the invite to stay, and he wasn't going anywhere, wasn't about to flit off again just so that Zack could be stuck standing there grabbing at feathers and thin air. It was okay. "We have two beds," he mumbled. "Can move one, you can take it. S'not a problem, you can stay as long as you want, okay?" Please?
Angeal	"It seems a shame to pull them apart," Angeal teased, as he sat down in the nearest chair. Plenty of SOLDIERs had girlfriends. The job didn't care much about your personal life. The only thing remarkable (and therefore, amusing) about it was that Zack was apparently expecting a lecture on the subject. "Ino, was it?" he asked, looking at the blonde girl again. Cute.
Ino	Ino flushed slightly, but didn't move away from Zack as she studied the man curiously. "Yes sir." Her lips twitched--she hadn't meant to call him that, but taking it back would only make her look ridiculous. "If you're really insistent, you can sleep on the floor." Flippant. Impish. She was teasing and her grin said so. He was--intimidating. Ino had never taken the quiet route while feeling intimidated.
Angeal	And spunky. She'd be good for Zack. "I don't know," he rumbled. "I'm a pretty light sleeper." Which was solely designed to make Zack's brain implode. It was cute, watching the puppy flail.
Zack	It was going to take a moment for Zack's brain to wrap around the implications of that statement. Insert Jeopardy theme song here. ... And now Zack was blushing. A lot. "He can have a bed, really. If anyone needs the floor, I'll take it." Or he could sleep in the same bed as Ino, in an extra-squishy configuration that he hoped Mr. Light-Sleeper wouldn't stay up all night staring at, or something.
Ino	"You won't sleep on the floor," she said, elbowing Zack though colour was high in her cheeks as well. Ino refused to concede that it was a blush. "It's just sleeping." She arched an eyebrow at Angeal. He wouldn't have a problem with that, Ino hoped. "You'll have to move the one you haven't picked up before though, Zack," she continued. "The other one won't last another attempt, I don't think."
Angeal	"I could move it," Angeal offered. "It's on account of me that the beds are getting separated, after all." No objections here. It felt strange, calmly discussing sleeping arrangements in a dormitory. "Dare I ask what happened the last time, Zack?"
Zack	Zack was going to blush a little more, now. But blushing and fidgeting meant that he wasn't freaking out, so, really, this was a big step up for him! "She didn't think I could lift it," Zack explained, still kind of mumbly but for completely different reasons, now. "So I did." ... "From one side, mostly." Beds were not made for that.
Ino	"Yes," she said, eyes dancing with laughter. "You certainly showed me." Absolutely! Ino's smile went a bit soft. "You guys hungry? I haven't eaten," well, not for a few hours, "and I can grab a few things while you're rearranging the room." She certainly wasn't going to volunteer for that. Not when she had two big, strong SOLDIERs at her disposal. That it would give them more time to talk, well, that was part of it yes.
Angeal	"It's probably best if you're not here," Angeal said, "in case we knock over more plants, and have to pretend we didn't. I wouldn't mind food -- anything you're having is fine." Time to talk with Zack was, naturally, a shiny bonus.
Zack	Zack was slowly coming to the realization that he hadn't eaten much of anything all day, and proceeded to scratch at the back of his head sheepishly as he nodded his agreement. "I'm so not picky," he replied. Which translated mostly to, 'I would like something veggie-based but you already know that,' yes. "We'll have the room rearranged in no time!"
Ino	"Don't break anything," she said, amused. And just going to press a quick kiss to Zack's cheek before she stood, gave them both a look at that said anything broken would be noticed, and left. Laughing softly.
Angeal	Angeal nodded approvingly at her back before turning his attention to his protege once more. "Should I demonstrate the correct way to move a bed?"
Zack	Zack gave Angeal a wry grin, pushing himself to his feet again, doing a quick few squats as a warm-up, and then making his way to the head of the bed. "If I'm doing anything wrong, you can totally smack me," he decided. And there, that was his trademark puppy smile pure and simple, back from the dead for what was possibly the first time since April. "Or you can go grab the other end." The sooner they rearranged the room, the sooner they could just sit down and talk some more.

[NFI in that establishy sort of way, and preplayed with the fantabulous puppy_fair and marvellous firstclasshonor/the_merriest.]