Room 504, Thursday Early Evening

[intraspective]

Ino was currently sitting cross-legged on her bed, already in her pajamas, and brushing her hair out. Scattered on her bed were several other combs and various clips and hair ties.

It had been a pretty awesome week. All her classes were fun and now she was pretty much free until Monday to do whatever she wanted. At the moment though Ino was pretty content just to be brushing her hair, humming under her breath, while idly wondering if A.J. would show up like they'd arranged on Saturday.

The door was open.

[Open!]

Comments

[intraspective]

"I wouldn't be letting you play with it if I didn't love it." She pointed out, while smiling.

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"Well, you could just be really nice, and that's why," A.J. reasoned lightly.

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"Mmmmm. I'm always nice - until someone makes me mad."

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"When isn't someone making you mad?" A.J. asked, taking the chance because he had taken up the brush and was brushing out Ino's hair. You couldn't get mad at someone who was so nicely brushing out your hair, right? And, if you could, well, he had a brush to defend himself with.

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"I'm not always mad!" Ino objected, "I spend whole days perfectly happy about everything sometimes!"

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"Oh, really?" A.J. asked, unable to keep from laughing a little. "Whole days? Several at a time, even? I don't believe it."

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"I can so!" She protested, "It just has to work out right!"

And maybe she was exaggerating a little.

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"Now that is a challenge I want to see you take," A.J. commented, setting the brush aside to start on his second braid. "You, being happy...consistently...for a few days in a row."

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...

"How many days?" Ino asked warily, wondering if she could just lock herself up in her room. Anathema wouldn't mind bringing her food, right?

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That? Made A.J. grin. "A few," he said. "So that's three, usually. Four if you want bonus points."

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"Four then." Ino said firmly. "Starting when?"

One day she'd learn to back down from a challenge. Today was not that day.

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"Starting tomorrow, of course."

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Well, she's off to a good start anyway...

"I'll do it," Ino said, then paused. "How do I prove it though?"

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"Well," A.J. said thoughtfully, "you can't. Not really. So I'll just have to trust you to be a good, honest person that wouldn't lie to me. But I will be checking a few sources to see how you're doing. It's not like we all don't have the same friends or anything, you know. They'll let me know if they sense any non-happiness."

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"And there's radio." Ino said ruefully. "I'm so doomed."

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"Mwa ha ha," A.J. did his best evil laugh, which sounded barely evil at all. "We should make up some terms and conditions. What do you want if you win? And what do I get when you totally fail?"

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"...when I fail?"

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"You're the one who said you're doomed, not me," A.J. bit his lip against a laugh that he felt would have been poorly timed at this point. "You'll just have to prove me wrong, now, won't you?"

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"I'll totally prove you wrong." She told him loftily, while resisting the urge to stomp on one of his feet. "I don't fail."

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"Let's hope not, after talk like that."

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"What do I get if I win though?" Ino wondered. "That much good behaviour totally deserves an award."

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"The reassurance that I will never doubt you again?" A.J. offered. He sucked at thinking of things like this.

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"Another picture?" Ino wheedled.

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"That's all? Just another picture?"

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"Well," Ino amended, "a really big picture?"