[plotboard] Time for some bonding!

[TyDie]

To say that the young Senju was depressed about the events of the test his jounin mentor had put between he and his team a few days ago was an understatement. The boy was a total wreck for the past few days, both because of how badly they had failed and because of Hanako's decisive rejection of him. Sure, he wasn't the most polite kid in the village, but he liked to think that he was a decent guy at the very least. To be so thoroughly put down... it really dealt a blow to his pride. Today however, he would make an attempt at reconnecting with the team.

Not Hanako of course, he still wasn't sure how that would go and he didn't want to delve further down the rabbit hole until he had some idea of how to handle that situation. No, today he would meet with Nikuya and try to connect with her on a more personal level. Of course, he was still the type to make the crude remarks, and would no doubt be compelled to come on to Niku at some point, but to him that was just part of bonding. Her personality was great, she seemed like a sweet girl with a drive to excel... but he couldn't ignore that her body was on point, especially with all that taijutsu training. The washboard stomach, the toned legs, and the tight... -ass-ets.

Yeah, he was gonna try his best to shake off his funk. He had to.

And so he walked his way over to Nikuya's house at around eleven AM in the morning, the location of which he had learned from Fanho. He'd then knock on the door and wait patiently for her or someone else to answer.

[Servant]

The Inken residence didn't have a lot of visitors so when a knock was heard, Sakki, Niku's mother, rushed the door to see who'd come to visit them. She presumed that it was Niku's grandfather, as he was the only person who regularly stopped by to check in on the two ladies, though she certainly hoped she was wrong. A handsome man here to sweep me off my feet would be nice, though a rich one would do, she mused as she reached the door. She stopped before opening it, taking a moment to run her fingers through her hair, making sure none of it was sticking up crazily, and then she patted down her skirt, making sure it wasn't wrinkled or flipped up anywhere. Better safe than sorry, first impressions and all, she thought, reaching for the door.

Sakki was surprised to a see a young man, seemingly aged similarly to her own daughter. "Yes?" Her tone and demeanor was obviously displeased, as if she'd been hoping for someone else. Too young to do any sweeping and too poor to take care of me, she bemused her rotten luck.

[TyDie]

Jin would bow before the older woman, making sure to take in her figure as he did so, though obviously much more subtly than he normally would. This was no doubt Niku's mom, and he instantly realized where his teammate got her looks from. "Good morning ma'am, My name is Senju, Jinsai. I'm looking for Niku, we're teammates and I was hoping to spend some time with her, get to know her a little better... For teamwork purposes." It was only at the end that he realized he was basically describing a date, so he felt the need to state that this was a team thing.

Of course, who knew for sure if it was or not.

[Servant]

The woman seemed to be completely uninterested, simply turning after Jin finished. "Niku! She then left Jin at the door, with it open, as she meandered back to the kitchen where she'd been sipping an 'adult drink'. Niku came bounding around a corner, coming to see what her mother was so excited about. She saw Jin through the doorway and slid to a stop at the door. "Jin! It's good to see you, did I miss a Team 7 meeting or something? Oh no, does Fanho hate me now?!" While she asked that question, she also slipped her boots on that were by the door. Whatever Jin was here for, she doubted they'd be staying for long. "Going out Mom," she called back to the kitchen before stepping through the door, closing it behind her.

"Where we going?!" she asked, a little more excitement than was necessary.

[TyDie]

Jin's face lit up a little when Niku showed up at the door; he was always happy to see one of his teammates, and not just because of how they looked. But she suddenly got worried that she had missed something, and he quickly set the record straight. "Nonono, nothing like that Niku! I just figured i'd come by and see about getting to know you better. After all, we're teammates. It only seems right that we should strive to build a stronger relationship between us, right?" He didn't mean for it to come out like some kind of romance, he was mostly referring to the idea of being better friends with more sync between them for the purpose of being a stronger team.

But Niku could take what she said how she wanted to.

Once the two were out of the house, Niku asked where they were going... and honestly, Jin wasn't sure at first. "Huh... Hadn't really thought about it to be honest. I've got nothing to do really, so i'm open to just about anything. We could go grab an early lunch, my treat?" Jin walked beside the girl with his head turned to look at her while he spoke. Thankfully, the road ahead of them was mostly clear, so he wasn't in any danger of bumping into anything. He watched how her hand did in fact sit comfortably on one of her blades... It was such an odd little quirk, but at the same time he couldn't help but find it kind of cute. He actually didn't have his staff with him today, he didn't figure he'd have any need of it. After all, he wasn't aiming to spar or anything... Not today anyways.

[Servant]

Niku was relieved to find out that she hadn't missed a team meeting and, thus, wasn't in trouble with Fanho. She didn't think of herself as absent minded, so she was pretty sure she hadn't forgotten something, but maybe some information got lost in delivery or translation or something. She agreed with Jin that they 'should strive for a stronger relationship', its kind of what the Will of Fire is all about. Hanako didn't seem to care much about it, but Niku was glad that her and Jin felt the same way at least.

"Oooh, like a date; I'm down," Niku teased, regarding Jin's suggestion of an early lunch. She was particularly pleased that he was paying, almost made it seem romantic. "First dates are for getting to know each other, so it only seems right. Dont'cha think?" She asked, looking towards him. Unlike Jin, Niku looked back and forth between the path in front of her and Jin's face.

After a moment, Niku turned back to Jin, a slight frown on her face. For the few moments that they'd been in each other's company, Niku had forgotten about what had transpired the day before. When her mind had a moment rest, it came back to her and she felt the urge to apologize. "Hey, I'm really sorry 'bout what happened with Hanako. Before the test. I really thought she had the hots for ya... Now I feel bad cause I ruined it for both of you."

[TyDie]

Jin let out a small laugh as Niku teased him about their 'date', and he was pleased to continue her line of thought, whether it was genuine or not. "Well of course! You can only learn so much as a teammate you know? At some point you gotta get personal." He put some extra emphasis on the last word, and gave Niku a little nudge with his elbow as part of it. He wasn't even sure himself how he meant for this meetup to go, but so far at least he was having fun with it. That was something right?

Niku turned serious for a moment and brought up what had gone down that day with the Bell Test... what Hanako had said about him. He grimaced a little as she brought it up, the sting of Hanako's words still fresh in his mind. "Nah, it's not your fault Niku. It wouldn't be fair for me to blame you for it. Hanako hasn't liked me from the start, she just thinks i'm a perv who spends his time ogling women and making crude remarks. But well, then again, that was the first impression I gave I guess." He couldn't really blame Hanako either for how she felt about him... He knew next to nothing about the Hyuuga, but the rumors were true at least;

They were stuck up, pompous, no fun having people.

"Don't let it get to you Niku, that's just how Hanako was raised I guess. It's how the Hyuuga are raised. Senju, we're not like that with all the strict rules and regulations. We're not worried about being with another Senju or anything like that, but the Hyuuga apparently are. Oh well, her loss right?" He finally ended with a smirk as he clearly thought he was the catch of the day, or at least he was trying to fool himself into thinking that. Finally, the two arrived at a neat little hole in the wall place: Ichirou's Shack. Despite the word 'Shack', the place seemed pretty nice and well kept. Behind the main counter was a pretty hostess, black hair cascading down to her chest and a beautiful Kimono with Red, Pink and white colors.

"Good morning Jinsai." "Good morning to you too hun." The woman merely rolled her eyes at his remark, clearly something she dealt with on the regular with Jin. She had learned that it was harmless flirting on his end however, and she simply waived it off. "And a good morning to you as well ma'am. Does Jin finally have a girlfriend? You should probably stop with the flirting with me then, shouldn't you?" Jin was a little flabbergasted at the woman's remark, stammering for a second before catching himself. "H-h-hey now, Manami, that's... That's a low blow." He got a little grumpy with the now identified hostess, though clearly it was all in fun.

Manami merely giggled, a hand over her mouth, before grabbing two menus and leading the two to a table next to a window. "Enjoy yourself, especially you. He doesn't normally bring people here, thinks of it as his 'little oasis'." "MANAMI!" the woman just giggled again before returning to her counter, leaving the two genin alone. "Heh, sorry about all that. I know the people here. Good family friends. But trust me, the food here is incredible."

[Servant]

Niku enjoyed the atmosphere with Jin as they walked somewhere of his choosing. It was light and fun where words weren't nearly as important as the emotions behind them. It was a nice change from the norm, for Niku at least. As the atmosphere turned to the more serious, Niku listened as Jin claimed that it hadn't been her fault. He almost seems to blame himself, she mused when Jin referred to the first impression he'd given Hanako. In a way, it made Niku think of the impressions she leaves on people. Maybe that's why Hanako doesn't like me either crossed her mind as they walked. Then, Jin placed the blame for Hanako's mean-spirited remarks onto the clan and people that raised her.

"That's right its her loss! You're a great guy!" Despite not really knowing Jin all that well, Niku honestly believed that he was a good guy and that any lady would be lucky to have him. If Fanho doesn't start showing me a little more affection, Jin would be a suitable option, she mused, staring a little too long at his face. That was when they arrived at Ichirou's, pulling Niku's attention to hostess in a kimono. She seems nice, Niku thought as Jin turned his charm on her. Unlike Hanako, she didn't bite Jin's head off. Niku couldn't help but giggle, a little in embarrassment and a little because Manami was teasing Jin about having a girlfriend.

"Incredible happens to be my favorite type of food," she said, a grin spread across her face. She glanced at the menu for a moment before speaking up, "So was she serious about you not bringing people here? Seems like such a nice place," she leaned in close to ensure no one else heard what she was about to say "and you should be able to get a discount since the owners are family friends," Her volume returned to normal as she finished her statement, "so you should bring everyone here!"

[TyDie]

Honestly, her saying that he was a great guy really helped to make him feel a lot better about himself. Funny how such a simple compliment could turn someone's whole mood around, all he could really do was smile a big toothy grin in response, scratching the back of his head in mild embarrassment. Something tells me she wouldn't be saying all those nice things if I mentioned how much I love looking at her ass... He was doing his damndest to keep his crude comments to himself, still having trouble with such things after Hanako's rejection of him. Not to mention the last thing he wanted to do was make things awkward between him and both of his teammates. Team 7 would be doomed if there was no chance of teamwork between them.

Jin picked up his menu and began perusing it for whatever he was feeling in the mood for, and after a few moments Niku asked her question about this place. "Yeah, she was right about that actually. I normally come here alone or with my sisters, I like the calm atmosphere and i'm afraid of it getting too popular to be honest! I'd hate to lose this Oasis of mine. And as for the discount, I actually choose to pay full price, and I also drop nice tips here too. I figure since i'm being selfish about bringing people here, I should do what I can to help them out right? Plus, their prices are pretty fair as it is, I'd feel bad getting a discount."

He would lower his voice when talking about the discount too, since she seemed embarrassed about it. He had been offered discounts numerous times by the owner and his daughter, the hostess. But every time, despite his flirts and such, he made sure to pay them well for their service. A moment later, Manami came by with a pot of hot green tea and two cups, setting a cup before each genin and pouring them some tea before setting the pot in the middle of the table. "What would you two like today?"

"I'll keep it simple today I think. A bowl of Miso soup, and a bowl of steak fried rice. I had a big breakfast." Manami happily jotted down his order on a pen and paper, then turned her attention to Niku. "And what would you like ma'am?" Once Niku had given her order to Manami, the woman would take a small bow before heading back to the kitchen to inform Ichirou of their order. Once again alone, Jin would smile at Niku as he thought of where to take the conversation.

"So Niku... why swords hm? Don't get me wrong, you're a pro with those blades of yours, but did anything else appeal to you before Iaido? Maybe ninjutsu or something?"

[Servant]

Niku looked to Jin as he explained his practice of not bringing people here, except his sisters. This was the first Niku'd heard about Jin's family. Having lost her own father, Niku was sometimes hesitant to ask people about their family, as she knew the question alone could drudge up some tough memories. Of course, Niku's memories of her father only came from the stories her mother and grandfather had told her, so maybe that made it easier or maybe not. After Jin explained his reasoning behind never utilizing a discount, despite it being offered, Niku spoke up, "See, you are a good guy."

When Minami came by with tea, Niku turned her attention back to the menu in front of her; she didn't want to take too long and hold everyone up. She tried to be quick as she heard Jin make his order. Then Manami asked what she wanted. Without looking up from the menu, "Can I get..." Her voice trailed off, clearly still weighing her options. "... an order of chicken tempura and a bowl of chicken fried rice." Niku looked up for the first time, a smile on her face. "Oh, and Miso soup sounds good too, please." Once Manami left, Niku was excited about the food; she hadn't realized that she was hungry but the glorious smells were reminding her. She looked to Jin as he began speaking to her.

"My grandfather taught me Iaido," Niku started, before realizing how that could be taken. "He still teaches me Iaido. It's just something I've always done, you know? I respect him, he's way better with a sword than me and I want to honor him by becoming stronger. I could have focused a little more in the Academy on ninjutsu, kinda wish I had, but I don't want my grandfather's teachings to go to waste." She said, worried that her words were a tad too honest for a first date. "What about you? You fight with a bo just cause it goes well with Senju jutsu?" She asked Jin, her head tilted a little to the side.

[TyDie]

Although he didn't realize it, Niku's compliment had brought an ever so slight blush to his cheeks... It wasn't often that he was treated so well by a member of the opposite sex, although he wouldn't admit that it was usually warranted treatment given his general dealings with women. Still, it was a nice chance of pace, and one he definitely appreciated. Her order was only slightly bigger than his, no doubt she hadn't had a decent breakfast if he had to guess. After all, there was no way she could keep up that incredible figure and eat like that... unless she was super devoted to training. Which, given her skills, was entirely possible actually.

His thoughts trailed off as she answered his question, explaining that she had been taught by her grandfather in the ways of the blade. Why not her father? Doesn't this sort of thing get passed down the generations? Why did it skip one then? The thoughts went through his head for a moment, but he decided it was best not to pry. There was potential for a lot of bad memories there, divorce and death among the worst of the worst. He didn't want to ruin the day with that.

So instead he simply nodded and smiled. "That's actually super interesting, especially in comparison to my reasons! Like I said during our first meeting, I basically just grabbed a stick and kicked the ass of someone bullying my sisters with it. I sorta blacked out to be honest... but from what I was told afterwards by Ayame, I was a natural. It wasn't even a properly fashioned staff or anything, just a random tree branch that happened to be about 4 feet long or so. But it got the job done! Haven't had any troubles with that guy since, I think he's afraid of me! Haha." He laughed about the beating he had given the guy who had been so mean to his sisters... he didn't consider himself a cruel person, but he wasn't about to act like the kid didn't deserve what he got. Jin definitely believed in Karma, and that day karma took the form of a stick in Jin's hands being swung at that kid's stupid face.

"You know, it really makes me sound like an asshole when I put it that way... The guy was being really mean though. He had purposely crushed some flowers that my sisters were admiring, laughed at them, and then pushed them down. I'm not normally an angry kid, but you don't mess with my family, especially not my sisters." He took a sip of green tea, the feel of the hot liquid running down his throat helping to keep him energized and alert. After all, the kid had been up for a good long while, since about 7 AM. The fatigue wasn't too clear, but it was definitely there. "But the bo does work well with Mokuton. I'm not too experienced with all that yet, in fact i'd say i'm pretty much just as 'good' at ninjutsu as you are. I put most of my focus in learning how to properly use my staff, the ninjutsu stuff came waaaaay later. It's the most recent addition to my skills actually. But hey, that's part of what being teammates is supposed to be about right? We should push each other towards getting better at ninjutsu!"

He smiled and winked at her as he made his statement about what teammates were for, as he was clearly enjoying Niku's company and was partly looking for an excuse to spend more time with her at a later date. Not that he needed to push for a reason of course, they were teammates; that was reason enough.

[Servant]

As soon as Jin mentioned their first meeting, Niku recalled the story of Jin helping his sisters with a makeshift bo. Regardless, she listened as Jin retold the story that she'd asked about. She felt a little silly for asking a question that she already knew the answer to, but she tried to ignore those feelings and listen to Jin. She couldn't help but giggle a little to herself as thoughts ran through her mind: What if Jin had picked up a chair, would he be the best chair ninja Konoha's ever seen? She sipped her green tea, pleased with the slight taste of honey as she listened to Jin explain how the person had mistreated his sisters and why he deserved a beating. He then quickly transitioned into the two of them working together to improve their ninjutsu capabilities. Niku smiled as he said that, "You're right! I've definitely got a bit to learn in that category." She laughed at her own statement, believing it to be a drastic understatement.

She blushed a little as Jin winked at her. "I actually had an idea for a jutsu the other morning, but I haven't been able to make it work yet. If we got better, I'm sure it'd be a piece of cake," she admitted, as evidence that they did indeed need to continue to improve in that area. "Mind if I back up though? You keep saying sisters, plural. How many do you have? I'm an only child, so I always feel like those with siblings have a cool experience that I can only get vicariously." It was true she was an only child, but that was because her father died before she was born. That seemed like too sad a situation to bring up, so Niku purposely left it out, for another time.

[TyDie]

Jin happily nodded in agreement with the idea of the two shinobi getting better at ninjutsu together, but he also took notice of the girl's blush at his wink. Huh, was she actually cool with it? He wondered what else she'd be cool with... maybe he could be a little more open with his thoughts with her? Eh, probably not that far... He was still too afraid of rejection. Still, he was happy to talk about shinobi stuff with her. "Yep! I have a few ideas for jutsu myself, got all kinds of wood stuff figured out in my head that i need to put into practice some day. We'll push each other forward so we can both learn what we wanna know!"

Their food arrived just a few moments after Jin finished speaking, the various dishes with food being placed in front of them as well as a pair of chopsticks for each genin. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask." "Will do Manami, thanks a lot!" She simply bowed and smiled to the two shinobi before walking back to her counter, grabbing a few things and walking into the kitchen again. "Such a sweetheart... believe it or not she's only 17. We played when we were kids now and then... But anyways, Sisters, right!"

Jin would first lift the Miso soup bowl to his mouth and take a drink of the hot liquid before he set it down, swallowed, and moved on to speak on the matter of his family. "I have two sisters, twins; Ayame and Minako. They're both 12, born only a couple years after me... I'm pretty protective of them, as you can tell!" He scratched the back of his head in mild embarrassment, giggling a little to himself before continuing. "Neither of them is interested in the shinobi life, says it's too violent for them. But they still help me out by picking herbs and stuff to help me relax or take care of muscle soreness and bruising. It's really cute actually... I see some other people end up as bitter rivals with their siblings and I just don't know how that could ever happen. I love those girls, y'know?"

He paused a moment, realizing that he might be bragging at this point... Niku had said she had no siblings, and he couldn't help but wonder if that meant he was rubbing it in at this point. "That's not to say we don't fight though, everyone has their spats. Hell, sometimes I wonder if maybe being an only child would've been easier. But I mean, I think that's just a case of thinking the grass is greener on the other side. Wanting what you don't have and all that." He took another sip of his tea to punctuate, enjoying the slightly bitter, earthy taste which was heavily offset by the sweet honey Manami had put into it. That woman could brew some tea, some of the best he had ever had in all of Konoha. And considering Konoha was actually well known for their Tea due to their alliance and trade agreement with Tea Country, that was a hell of a compliment.

"... Alright I gotta ask, how in the world do you stay in such good shape Niku? I get it, you practice with the sword a lot, and taijutsu really helps keep the body in tip top shape. I'm no exception to that, but I mean... holy hell girl. What's your secret to looking so damn good?" He wanted to kick himself for saying it before he even finished... But it was a wonder he had managed to go this long without saying something about it. It was like a tick, something in his brain where he just couldn't stop himself after a certain point. He was a flirt, he loved to admire the beauty of the female sex, and there was just no getting around that.

[Servant]

Niku had never had someone pushing her to become better. Even her grandfather had never filled that role; after accidentally pushing Niku's father away from sword life, he'd decided to teach those who asked. Niku had asked, and continually showed up to learn more and be coached. He had never forced her into anything, nor provided the motivation to get stronger. Niku had always provided that on her own, so when Jin suggested "pushing each other forward" the idea initially seemed weird. The more Niku considered it though, having someone to hold me accountable when I don't feel up to working hard could be quite beneficial. Everyone has lazy days, afterall.

Niku was nodding in approval of the idea as Manami showed up with their food. She thanked Manami before she left, before looking over the scrumptious food in front of her. She used the chop sticks to grab a bite of chicken as Jin spoke about his and Manami's past. Manami seemed like a nice lady and Niku was somewhere curious about their shared path, but Jin went back to answering her question about his sisters so she just tried to focus on what Jin was saying. She slid some fried rice into her mouth as he spoke about them and being protective of them. The food is really good, she mused as she listened about Ayame and Minako. "I bet you love them, they sound precious!"

Niku was both happy for Jin and slightly saddened at the same time, I might find a man someday and then I'll know that love, but I'll never be able to know the love of a sibling. She'd been told that teammates can become like siblings and she'd heard that as you get older you 'pick' your family, so she was aware that at some point later in life she may come to know a love similar to that between siblings, but she also knew it was only similar to and not exactly the same. The curse of an only child. Niku looked up from her food and thoughts as Jin began talking about the fights he got into with his sisters. She could tell he was trying to make her feel better about her curiosity with siblings and she didn't mind. It is nice of him to try.

Niku was glad that she didn't have any tea or soup in her mouth when Jin asked her about her body because she was sure it'd have gone everywhere if it had been in her mouth. Her blush was sincere, but she took a moment, placing her chop sticks down in her rice before answering. "Naughty Jin," she responded, her normal color returning and a mischievous grin on her face. "It really is mostly just taijutsu and speed training: lots of running, I guess. But I will admit, the training does make my ass look great. Just hope my higher portions..." she said, gesturing her bust "will get bigger soon. Then I'd be a real knockout!"

[TyDie]

Jin couldn't help but smirk and laugh at Niku's obvious embarrassment in relation to his line of questioning... Truth be told, he was fairly confident that he was about to receive a slap at the least. Not that he was complaining about being wrong, he was very pleased that his assumptions weren't correct. Although he hadn't expected her to actually answer him... He ended up choking on his soup a moment as she made mention of her more... womanly features. He hacked a few moments, holding up a hand to let her know that he was okay and she didn't have to assist him with his choking.

When he regained his composure, he finally managed a response. "Goodness girl, you're gonna kill me with that!" He smiled and laughed at his remark, clearly a jest and not an actual complaint. "But hey, the important part is to just be happy with yourself. I'm not gonna say one way or another how you should look, that's all up to you. Personally, I think you look great, bust or no bust. Believe me, there are a fair share of men out there who are far more interested in, uh, your 'ass' as you so elegantly put it." He didn't have the courage to say that, while Jin was attracted to all manner of female beauty, he himself was one of those who preferred the hips and the backside. And she was absolutely correct in her assessment... It did in fact look great.

Well, at least i'm not 0 for 2. Hanako, at least in terms of flirting or more, is probably a lost cause. But Niku at the least is more than happy to go back and forth with the flirting. Whether anything comes of it or not, I could look her over all day... He actually caught himself staring as his thoughts ran rampant, and suddenly snapped to with a slight blush. He tried to cover up his minor embarrassment with another drink of his tea, then he thought... how do I keep this interaction going? Maybe not today, he didn't want to take up all of her time of course, but...

"Whadaya say you and I do some cooperative training tomorrow Niku? Show off our individual taijutsu skills, maybe even a friendly spar to prepare ourselves for the next team meeting." There, not only would he get to spend more time getting to know Niku, but they'd also be able to work together to improve. He really wanted to wipe that smug grin off of Fanho's face one day... He wanted to dangle that bell right in front of him, just to rub it in. Not that he thought Fanho was a bad guy or anything, but damn he wanted to show his sensei just how good he was.

[Servant]

Niku didn't mind the physical conversation; it had just surprised her at first. In truth, Niku had spent a lot of time working on her body, so she was pretty proud of it. Of course, she hadn't worked on it to look good, that was simply a nice side effect, but one she still appreciated. If she had spent all her time working on ninjutsu, then she'd appreciate remarks suggesting she was good at it. She giggled at Jin's response to her comment and then again at his comment about killing him. She liked this, there wasn't any pressure; she just felt comfortable with Jin like she could be herself and he wouldn't dislike her for it.

Jin then went on to explain that men have different preferences and that she would surely fall into someone's desired body type, things that Niku had, of course, heard before. You get a lot of stern lectures when you insert yourself romantically into people's lives, she realized. Of course, the young kunoichi usually ignored the advice given, but that didn't mean she refused to listen. In fact, she was actually a pretty good listener, however, she had a bad habit of twisting what people said to fit her own ambitions. Niku, caught in her own thoughts, didn't notice Jin's staring or embarrassment of having been staring.

When he mentioned training, she perked up a little, listening to his proposal. "We definitely need to train together to increase our teamwork, but what about Hanako? Won't she feel left out if we become an awesome couple and leave her dangling in the wind?" While her words could definitely be construed as referencing some sort of romantic connection, she was really going for something more akin to 'dynamic duo' which has a decidedly different connotation to it. "I mean, I know its kind of weird between you two. Me too, with her, I mean. I think she might hate me. But I still'd hate to exclude her for being honest with us, ya know? Of course, if she doesn't want to, then I'm not going to make her, but we're still a team." Niku felt bad for defending Hanako, because she had been particularly cruel, but she wasn't ready to give up on her. She did show a capacity for teamwork during the Bell Test; maybe not right away, but eventually, she mused, trying to convince herself that Hanako deserved another chance as much as any of them.

[TyDie]

Jin was, of course, expecting their Hyuuga partner to come up at some point during all this. It was inevitable after all, the two of them hanging out together, eventually the conversation would go towards the absent member of their team. He just wasn't sure Niku would like the answer Jin had to give about her. "Well of course, I want to bring her into this... But I don't think she's going to want to. Not yet anyway. My plan is to approach her later, after getting a little one on one with you i'll figure out where she stands. I'm not trying to be team leader here though, I just wanna get a feel for both of you by yourselves first, ya get me?"

Hanako was still proving to be the odd man out in their little team, which was funny considering in all actuality she was probably the better of the three. No doubt he'd have to reach out to her soon, before their next team meeting... but he was admittedly scared. Scared she'd just get mad at him again, tell him something else that would just end up upsetting him or making him feel like shit. He just wasn't ready to face that fear, not yet, and these thoughts were pretty clear on his face as he explained the situation to Niku.

"How about we go through with this one by ourselves, learn the ins and outs of each others methods, since we obviously have natural compatibility. We'll get Hanako involved afterwards, deal?" Jin extended a hand towards Niku, hoping for a handshake to seal the deal. It wasnt a necessary formality by any means, but it'd be nice to show a little comradery between the two.

[Servant]

Niku gave Jin a sideways glance as if she suspected him of something. "Oh I get you. You're trying to keep us separated so you can have two girlfriends. I'm on to your two-timing ways," she proclaimed, her tone and subsequent giggle indicating that she was simply kidding. She wanted this team to work and if Jin had a plan to bring the three individuals together as a cohesive team, then Niku wasn't going to get in his way. She looked to Jin's face, quickly realizing that he wasn't yet ready to approach Hanako again. To be fair, Niku didn't blame him and she wasn't sure she was ready for such an interaction yet either.

Then Jin suggested increasing their own teamwork before attempting to incorporate Hanako into the mix. It wasn't a bad suggestion and, at the moment, seemed like it may be the most effective way to build the team up. She moved her hand to Jin's saying "Deal," as she took his hand in hers. With a slight squeeze and shake, she completed the handshake, pulling her own hand back from Jin's. "Think we should tell Fanho or just surprise him with our new and improved teamwork? We may be engaged, but that doesn't mean I want to take it easy on him. Besides, the best relationships are based on respect, so..." a grin crossed her lips. "I've got to earn his respect with a good ol' fashion asskicking."

With that, the two shared a laugh before finishing up their food. Small talk continued for a couple minutes longer before the two shinobi got up, waved good bye to Manami, their waitress, and headed out the door. They'd left her a pretty decent tip, as they'd both enjoyed their meal, the company, and the waitress. Only time would tell what would happen with the two shinobi and their futures.