| [Apr. 8th, 2017|08:51 pm] |
Ginta laughed. “That sounds like him. Poisoners always go straight to adulterating their enemies’ food and beverages.” He kicked off the wall, spinning the chair in a slow pirouette. “This isn’t a problem you have to solve by yourself, rookie. People like Kuroda… well, let’s just say they end up drinking a lot of piss. You know what you can do though? Help me make sure Genma has a good time tonight. Let’s go find Usagi. She’ll be delighted with any excuse to drag your officers out for dancing.”
Ryouma offered a hand and pulled Ginta to his feet. “What?” he said. “Worried you won’t be lure enough?”
“Like I said before, I know I can get Genma to come, but Raidou might need a little extra persuasion. He probably owes Usagi something she can hold over his head if she has to.” It was delightful watching the wheels spin rapidly behind Ryouma’s eyes, as he tried to decide whether there was meaning underneath Ginta’s meaning. Which of course there was. Speculation, anyway. He wouldn’t blame Usagi if she’d sampled those waters.
Before it could turn into a renewed discussion about fraternization and boundaries, Ginta broke the sound block jutsu and swung out into the hall again, leading Ryouma through ANBU’s confusing corridors until they got to Team Thirteen’s office. Abe and Kasumi weren’t around, but Usagi was squinting at a requisition report for the quartermaster, eyeballing it like it had done something suspicious. Her hair was pulled back, with a mist of red strands backlit by her desk lamp.
“Tell the QM we need six dozen kunai, a cask of Tohouku sake, and a mochi pounding machine, Hokage’s orders.” Ginta said. He lounged against the doorframe and grinned at Usagi. “Look who I found wandering around outside Intel. Poor thing’s been being debriefed for days.”
Usagi greeted Ryouma with delight. “Tall guy! What, they couldn’t find your belt buckle?”
“They didn’t even look,” Ryouma complained.
“Injustice on injustice,” Ginta said. “And wasting opportunities. Someone should really talk to them. Guess we’ll have to pick up Intel’s slack.” He waltzed into the office, slowing to trail his hand over the bare wood of Eizo’s empty desk, before he plonked himself down on his own.
It was going to take more than a week to stop hoping to see the musclebound backbone of Team Thirteen sitting at that desk.
Usagi caught his eye and very gently spun the dark steel pen she’d been writing with over her knuckles. She’d taken it from Eizo’s desk their first day back in the office. He’d held strong opinions about the correct way to fill out forms, and that pen had been part of it.
“I got you a date,” Ginta said, letting Eizo’s ghost go for the moment. “Kurenai and Uchiha Satomi will go dancing with us, but only if you promise to come.”
Usagi’s eyebrows arched sardonically. “The day I need matchmaking help from you, Sakamoto…” She finished processing what Ginta’d said, and her expression turned thoughtful. “Kurenai and Satomi?”
“And,” Ginta confirmed. “And Tousaki here was right there. He said Team Six promised to go out clubbing, so we agreed we’d all go. But then it turns out he actually only got Hatake to agree. Want to come help us convince Raidou and Genma to come, too?”
Usagi’s brown eyes lit with amusement. “I see. Bait me with beautiful women so I’ll help blackmail my friend and his poor lieutenant into gratuitous entertainment, you squirrelly little bastard.”
Ginta grinned, acknowledging the compliment.
She dropped the pen on her desk, arched her back over her chair in a glorious stretch, and grinned back. “Deal, but you’re both buying me drinks.” |
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