Tsume pulled herself to her feet, muscles beginning to stiffen once she'd sat down. The false burn of chakra was beginning to turn stale. She had none of her own left to call on, long burned out by exhaustion, freezing, burning, injuries -- jutsu. She summoned what energy was wearing thin and forced it into her shoulder, bolstering ligaments and muscles, firming the joint. Asuma was kind enough to move away, giving her space as he gathered his belt and pouches from the pile of their things.

In the room he'd made for her, she climbed laboriously down onto the bench, and from there to the floor. She stood for a moment, watching Asuma assemble his gear, feeling just a little sad that the loose canvas shirt covered him so completely. Not that the lashes were pretty, but the muscles had made for nice eye-candy.

Before, she'd hadn't had time to be looking. But now she did, and he was dressed. She dropped her jaw open, amused by her own thoughts, tail breezing back and forth behind her.

Asuma glanced back, one eyebrow quirking. He was getting better at speaking canine -- or she was just really obvious.

"Nothing," Tsume said, padding up to him and glancing through their things. Soldier pill -- maybe in another hour. She didn't want to screw up whatever was going on at Kuromaru's end. It wasn't normally something she had to worry about, but... well, nothing was as it should be, if she was in this form and they were both alive.

Assuming he was alive. She would know if he weren't, surely. Her chakra would bleed away and not cycle back, so --

So none of this was helpful to think about. She dragged her mind away and glanced at Asuma as he stood, sliding weapons into pouches. "There is some good news about all this," she said, tail whisking again. "I think you managed to have that moon-eyed tattoo on your back removed." Her jaw dropped in another grin.