Konohagakure no Sato, Thursday Evening (Fandom Time) / Jan. 4th (Konoha Time)

[intraspective]

Ino laughed.

Perched up on a wooden fence, elbows on her knees and her chin propped up in her hands, she watched with bright, rested, eyes as Zack was walked again through the basic steps to walk up a tree.

It was a skill, truly, that wasn't usually taught to those who hadn't gone through the Academy, but her father had decreed that he was going to learn a few things, or so help him, and while she was supportive in the sense that she'd give him theory…

Well, when it came to watching his practical attempts, Ino tended to dissolve into giggles. (Truly, he wasn't doing so badly for someone who, a week and a half ago hadn't known chakra from dirt, but…)

"You've got to keep your eyes open while moving," she called helpfully, before cracking up again.

[NFB, for ze puppy, mmm gratuitous timewarpiness.]

Comments

[intraspective]

Zack began to run and her father shook his head, mouthing at her 'An idiot! Idiot!' and Ino cracked up laughing again.

"Walk back down," Inoichi ordered, hands on his hips. "And then walk back up. This is an exercise in control and stability against gravity, not how fast you can run."

Ino bit her lip and grinned. Walking down was harder--because gravity was a helpful enemy.

[puppy_fair]

Little bits of bark went flying as Zack skidded to a stop, and then turned himself around. His hair was hanging in his face, but that was nothing new. And the height didn't bother him at all. The tricky bit was going to be--

Yep, he took a step and all but thudded forward against the tree as gravity took hold. Okay. That wasn't so bad. It just meant that he'd have to move a little more stiffly, maybe. He certainly had the body strength to manage it. Another step, feeling kind of like a stiff-legged scarecrow as he did so. Maybe a rusty mech or something, as his other foot thumped onto the trunk.

Step number three? Still not so bad.

It was about step number four that he felt his feet slipping, and before his brain could catch up with his body's reaction, he launched himself off the tree in a jump, cartwheeling mid-air so that he could land it properly.

... Fifty feet down.

Thank goodness for SOLDIER.

"... I guess you want me to do that again, huh?"

[intraspective]

A raised eyebrow and a glance at the tree was Inoichi's answer. (That'd be a 'yes', Zack.)

Ino glanced at her watch and smiled. Well, he should have time enough to try at least once more before it was time to drag him away from her father for a few hours.

"It gets easier," Ino called helpfully.

[puppy_fair]

"Yeah, I bet," Zack called back, laughing a little as he set on up the tree all over again.

This time, he took it more seriously, actually taking his lumps and walking up the tree, trying to get a feel for the way gravity was working so that when he turned around again, he wouldn't find himself taking flying leaps just to keep from skidding all the way down.

This time, he managed the trip both ways. Except for that part at the very bottom, where he had to go from standing sideways to right-side-up all over again. Stepping off the tree was more than a bit of a stumble, arms cartwheeling like mad so that he didn't actually land on his face again.

He was going to blame the fact that his only experience in getting down from the tree again had involved him landing on his bum.

[intraspective]

Ino clapped, grinning at him brightly.

Inoichi nodded. "Better," he said, "we'll practice more later."

Then he was gone in a swirl of smoke and leaves and Ino wriggled her fingers at Zack, beckoning him. He could come over! Give her a kiss!

[puppy_fair]

Mission Accomplished!

... Oh, over there! Zack could do that, sore behind at all!

He grinned as he made his way over to join her at the fence.

"I will never, ever look at ninjas the same way again," he announced, before leaning over to claim a kiss. It was his victory smooch, for making it up and down the tree without falling, even if he'd only managed it just once.

[intraspective]

Mmmmm kisses.

She grinned at him, placing one hand on his chest for balance (not that she needed it) and wrinkled her nose. “Dare I ask how you’ll view them now?”

[puppy_fair]

"Way, waaaay more coordinated than me, for one," Zack laughed. "I don't think I did too bad though, did I? Do you think?"

... Maybe it would be best not to answer that honestly, Ino.

[intraspective]

She leaned forward for another kiss.

“You’re learning,” was Ino’s response. She felt that was a nice and safe one. “I think Dad’s warming to you.”

[puppy_fair]

"Yeah?" Zack laughed a little, happy to claim kiss number two. "I was starting to wonder, with all the throwing his arms into the air that he was doing. I was half expecting him to start pulling hair out if I fell again."

[intraspective]

“He didn’t yell,” she pointed out lightly. “And he kept explaining. Totally an indication that he doesn’t hate you.”

Or that he was willing to put up with a damn great deal for her. Either of which made Ino feel warm and gooey inside.

[puppy_fair]

Zack tilted his head thoughtfully for a few seconds, musing on that one. Inoichi was starting to seem more and more like Angeal when Ino explained things like that to him. He wasn't entirely certain what he thought of that.

"Does he train people often?"

[intraspective]

“I don’t know how much actual trainin’ he does,” she admitted, wriggling closer so she could snake her arms around him.

Shut up. She was still a bit clingy.

“But he heads up the Intel. specialists and so I figure he’s got to do a good bit of it…?"

[puppy_fair]

"Intel? Like the Turks?"

Which went to show just how much Zack knew about the Turks. And about Konoha. Unless he was being willfully dense again. It was always so difficult to tell, with Zack.

"I bet he doesn't have to teach many of them how to walk up tree trunks."

[intraspective]

“A bit like the Turks,” she said, lifting her shoulders in a shrug. However he was thinking about it, that was a good enough description for her to work with. “And no, walking up trees is a lot more… basic… than what he normally teaches.”

[puppy_fair]

"I kind of felt like a little kid messing up on my alphabet, every time I fell," Zack admitted. "How old did you say you were when you learned that?"

[intraspective]

"Me?" she blinked at him. "Probably 'bout ten or eleven--all shinobi learn it by thirteen 'cause it's a skill generally taught by our sensei, but those from shinobi families tend to learn it sooner."

It was, after all, a very basic skill.

[puppy_fair]

Zack nodded a little, sighing, though he was still wearing a small smile. The smile, of course, was a fixture. But the fact that it was there... hey, that was nice.

"So, I was a little kid messing up my alphabet," he laughed. In all fairness, he wasn't a little kid anymore, and he still messed that up, though. "It figures, I guess."

[intraspective]

Ino gave him an almost apologetic shrug. “You’re still doin’ pretty good for someone who ain’t been trainin’ in this stuff since they were five.”

She offered him a grin. “Walk with me?”

[puppy_fair]

Zack laughed and shrugged too, before holding out his hand to help her down from her fencepost.

"Sure," he replied. "To anywhere in particular?"

[intraspective]

She didn’t take that hand—though she tried to soften that with a quick kiss to his cheek—and hopped off the fence.

“I was thinking over by the Hokage Monument,” Ino admitted.

[puppy_fair]

"The big heads in the rock?" Zack blinked, glanced up toward the mountainside (it was difficult to miss), and then grinned. Hey, he was easy. "Well, you're the one who knows how to get around this place, so lead on!"

Zack was kidding nobody. He picked up on the ways that the streets and walkways wove about as if he'd been given a map or something. What he lacked in walking-up-trees ability, he at least partially managed to make up in half-decent directional sense.

[intraspective]

“You know they’re more than heads on a rock,” she said, but she was laughing as she started that way. “Besides, if the little birdie that gave me a tip today is right, we might see something iiinteresting that way.”

And that little birdie would have accurate information in this case…

[puppy_fair]

Zack kept easy pace with Ino, stretching his arms out and then clasping his hands behind his head.

"I didn't know you could talk to birds, too," he chuckled. "Do I get any hints about interesting things, at all?"

[intraspective]

“Figurative birds,” she said, with a laugh. “And nooope. No hints at all!”