| [Mar. 13th, 2009|12:16 am] |
Asuma snorted a laugh and paused in the doorway of the first restaurant Ginta looked more than twice at. A quick flickering glance inside, weighing and measuring people against exits, was an instinct so old he didn't have to think about it. "I could insult your mother and proposition your sister, if you had one. Or ask how much you charge by the hour."
Ginta's eyebrows swept up, framing an ironic smile. "Can you do all three at once?"
Asuma held the door open. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." He angled a suggestive glance at the pretty red-headed barrista behind the counter (who wasn't quite close enough to hear the conversation), and followed Ginta into the restaurant's cool interior. Comfortable looking booths lined the walls, just secluded enough to afford the illusion of privacy. He picked one at random. "I can also show you which gesture means 'I hope your donkey explodes, foreign pigdog'. And if you ever visit a border town in Suna's southern desert, never insult a man's mustache - he'll probably be forgiven for trying to kill you."
Ginta laughed, attracting a lazy grin from the waiter who swanned over with just enough of a hip-swing for Ginta's blue eyes to flicker sideways. Asuma offered a smile just shy of flirty (it always paid to be nice to to the people who handled your food), and accepted a menu. The waiter's attention didn't stray much from Ginta's equally languid grin; Asuma made a mental note to teach one of them how to say you, me, and an alley? in Sea Country slang before breakfast was over. Ginta could probably use the wind-down.
"Oh - and this is the greeting they use in Deragashi Port, down in Tea Country. Just make sure you don't bend your thumb, or you'll end up saying you like it backwards on a camel. They have this amazingly succinct sign-language..."
As the conversation swept up and Ginta joined in, trading stories of foreign lands and the occasional diplomatic incident, Asuma felt something finally wake up, warm up, and relax behind his ribcage. It wasn't exactly what he'd expected from his second day in ANBU. But then again...
Yeah. Fighting words and dirty talk seemed just about right. |
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