There's no motivation

[number_one_coward]

Characters: Nara Shikamaru and OPEN
When: April 11th
Where: Some vague spot in Nesreca that isn't the apartment building. >_>
Rating: PG for possible coarse language.
Summary: Another shinobi arrives and isn't ready to risk the network yet. Help him out?


Shikamaru blinked warily at his surroundings, crouched nervously inside the entrance of a crumbling building, fingers gripping tight to the odd device he’d found stowed away in his pocket. He figured it had to be some sort of communication device, taking the buttons and hole-placements into account, but there was no way he was going to fiddle with unfamiliar equipment just yet. Not when he had no idea who might answer his call.

Because this wasn’t right. This wasn’t Konoha. Not by a long shot.

He’d been walking through the the village, intent on what promised to be an impressive lunch at the Akimichi compound, and then suddenly he was here. Stranded in a decimated city, the ruins of which didn’t resemble Konoha (or any other place he could think of) in the slightest... which he supposed should have been something of a comfort, but the abrupt change in location was doing little to help along such reasonable thinking. Clenched fingers and the quiet mutter of “Kai!” had done nothing to set his situation right, and now he was left with only the desolate landscape stretching out before him and the panicked flurry of his own thoughts.

What was this? Just a dream? It seemed so real, the light spattering of rain against his skin and the sound of gravel crunching beneath his sandals. Was he... going crazy? No, there was no need for that. He had to calm down. He wasn’t dreaming and he wasn’t in Konoha, but as long as he kept thinking rationally, he could find an explanation.

Poking his head out from his impromptu hiding place, he carefully started to edge his way outside, eyes wide and taking in everything even as he reached out hesitantly with his chakra, feeling for any signs of life. Part of him was tempted to try and wait this out. To keep out of sight until he could get his bearings, but if someone had meant to get the drop on him? They would have already.

Comments

[number_one_coward]

He waits for her to finish so he can follow, using the chance to take in his surroundings once more.

"... Who're you, anyway?"

[pencilpremonition]

"My name's Becca, what about you?" she asked, smiling kindly as she headed towards the apartment building. She seemed nervous about being on the move, but she wasn't trained in any sort of fighting enough to know how to properly keep an eye on her surroundings, so her nerves were just hindering her.

[number_one_coward]

His slouch said otherwise, but the boy kept up a constant sweep of their surroundings as they moved. Figured that it would take this sort of displacement to really set his training to work.

"Shikamaru."

[pencilpremonition]

"Shi...ka...ma...ru.... God that's weird. No offence. Where are you from?" she asked curiously.

[number_one_coward]

He shot her a sideways glace, grumpy.

"Konohagakure."

[pencilpremonition]

She didn't even try to pronounce that one, just boggled at the tongue-twister of a name. "Uhh...is that...in China?"

[number_one_coward]

"Never heard of China."

[pencilpremonition]

"Oh, you're not from Earth, then. Remember what I said about parallel universes?" she said, grinning amusedly.

[number_one_coward]

"Yeah. Still sounds like a lot of crap."

[pencilpremonition]

"Yeah, well," she countered with a shrug. "Wait till you start meeting people with tails and other crazy stuff."

[number_one_coward]

"Troublesome..."

He kicks at the gravel beneath them as they walk, looking off into the distance.

"How far is the building?" Because he wants a base. He wants a safe place to huddle and start working things out.

[pencilpremonition]

"Not far. See? It's right there," she answered, reaching out to point out the building they were headed for.

[number_one_coward]

He glanced forward, taking in the state of the building as compared to the rest of the city around them. At least it was standing.

"Looks like a mess."

[pencilpremonition]

"Yep, most of this place is," she said with a shrug, then headed inside and held the door open for him. "Do you know where you're staying yet?"

[number_one_coward]

She earned herself a strange look, holding the door like that, but he stepped inside anyway.

"How would I know that?"

[pencilpremonition]

"Libitina assigns us rooms. You might need to make a post on the network for her to reply to," she offered, letting the door close behind him. "But it's warm in the common room, and that helps."

[number_one_coward]

Sure, he would get right on that. Put out a message on the network to draw the attention of their ghostly captor. Yeah.

"I guess."

[pencilpremonition]

She watched him, taking note of his uncertainty, and offered him a gentle smile. He was about her brother's age, and she couldn't help but want to protect him because of that, even though she had a sinking feeling that wasn't necessary. "You can stay with me, if you'd rather."