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

[by137.livejournal.com]

"Shouldn't it, like, permeate through every aspect of your life and stuff like that?"

[intraspective]

Ino gave him a Look that said very clearly 'Oh yeah, riiiight'.

[by137.livejournal.com]

"You mean it isn't? I totally thought it was supposed to be a way of life, or some shit. Like in all those old samurai movies. Live and die by the sword, and stuff."

[intraspective]

Ino was still Looking at him like he'd lost his mind. "No," she said finally, "that'd be for crazy people like Master Skywalker and his 'must live up in temples and have no emotions whatsoever' illogic."

[by137.livejournal.com]

"Well," A.J. stated, ducking his head slightly as he sneaked Ino's braid back into his hands and started undoing it again, "I live and die by my paintbrush, you know, so watch you you call crazy, there."

[intraspective]

"But you are crazy," Ino informed him, "it's just a cuter kind of crazy than Master Skywalker's."

[by137.livejournal.com]

"Awwwww," A.J. said with excessive melting in his voice, from beaming so much, "you think I'm cute."

[intraspective]

She rolled her eyes, grinning. "So what if I do?" Ino said, "Don't let it go to your head."

[by137.livejournal.com]

"I won't," A.J. said, and, really, he might act like it did, but it wouldn't. "Still, it is rather nice to hear, y'know."

[intraspective]

"Everyone likes compliments," Ino said, "and I suck at hiding my opinion on things so, yeah. Take it as I said then. I meant it."

[by137.livejournal.com]

And that earned Ino a sudden light hug from behind. "And you're a total sweetheart," he said. "A short-tempered and easily angried one, but still a sweetheart."

[intraspective]

That would be Ino blushing furiously as he hugged her. "I am not," she muttered, embarrassed, "you've got to be joking."

[by137.livejournal.com]

"I am not joking," A.J. insisted with a chuckle. "You totally are short-tempered, you admitted it yourself."

[intraspective]

Yeah, Ino was still blushing. "Not that!" Ino knew she had a short-temper. "I wasn't protesting that!"

[by137.livejournal.com]

And A.J. was still chuckling. "No? The easily angered part, then?"

[intraspective]

"A.J.! You know what I mean!"

[by137.livejournal.com]

"I have no idea," he grinned, "what you're talking about, honestly! What did I say?"

[intraspective]

"I'm not sweet," she told him, with a little foot stomp to express her opinion of this, "not even if you say so."

[by137.livejournal.com]

"So you're calling me a liar?" A.J. counted, with a pout, even though he knew Ino couldn't see it from where she was.

[intraspective]

"I'm not sweet!" Ino protested again, side-stepping the whole liar thing.

[by137.livejournal.com]

"Well, I didn't say that," A.J. pointed out, if she was going to play it like that. "I said you were a sweetheart. They're...slightly different."

[intraspective]

"How so?" The expression on her face would probably say it all if he could see it.

[by137.livejournal.com]

"Well, with one, it's like..." It was very quickly that A.J. trailed off, mouth quirked slightly with a complete lack of thought processes, and he sighed. "Okay, maybe they are pretty much the same, but they're still true. You're letting me play with your hair. That's sweet. And you said I'm cute. Also sweet."

[intraspective]

"The hair playing is entirely selfish on my part - I like having it played with - and you are cute. It's obvious. I don't get how that makes me sweet."

[by137.livejournal.com]

"How about," A.J. said, with a slightly overdramatic sigh, "we just say it's subjective, then? And you are, because I think you are. But I won't tell anyone if you, apparently, want to keep it a secret."