Kunai the 18th: [Video/Action Vermillion]

[itsjustdust]

[The feed clicked on, and for the first time in months everyone got a view of an orange and dark blue clad shinobi. His goggles were off his face, and his headband was nowhere on his head, likely because he was trying to scrub something off of the metal plate and had it in his lap, but otherwise he looked well enough, a bit bigger, lankier, but otherwise, fine.

Some people would be able to note he looked much more at peace too, under his irritation.]

Okay, enough is enough!

I mean it.

I fall out of contact for a few weeks, and what happens? Everyone up and decides to go home! Let me tell you something. I am so not thrilled by this.

So I don't care if we fought last we talked, or haven't spoken in months for no good reason, or anything like that. If you recognize me, come say hello to me because I would like to know who is left around here.

Okay?

This is stupid, and I apologize right now in a blanket 'yeah I get it, it's my fault too' for any and everything that might've kept us from talking.

But, seriously.

Hello and I want to talk to everyone, okay?

Comments

[video]

[neurotoxined]

Well, look who it is. Nice to see that you're still here.

[...it's dry as ever and she's got a bit of an odd expression going on - somewhere between smirking and kind of baring teeth - but at least it's something. Not nearly as pointed as it could have been, anyway.]

It's been a while.

[video]

[itsjustdust]

[He stared at the screen for a moment, stunned. Then, she got the most brilliant smile ever.]

Caroline-hime! You're here! You're back!

[The enthusiasm faded a little after a beat.]

A lot happened since I last saw you. Have you been back long? I think I missed your grand entrance.

[video]

[neurotoxined]

[Look, she's not even that annoyed at the honorific there. Just for you.

She's hanging out in the usual Nondescript Room, so she doesn't see a problem with having the video on; she's got a makeshift drafting table that she's got set up so the lighting's a bit strange, glinting off those thin wire-rimmed glasses she usually has on, but it's a decent night for talking, all things considered, and she's not too distracted.]

Not too long. Three or four days at the most. And it wasn't so much "grand" as it was annoyed, because from what I've heard this is at least my third time back.

video

[saxsongs]

Still here, even if I slept for two weeks straight. Hi.

video

[itsjustdust]

Ren! Hiya. Did you end up with a head full of new memories like some people do?

video

[saxsongs]

Yeah, I did. Which is a good thing, in many ways.

[He's been awfully cheerful ever since waking up, that's for sure.]

So... dare I ask why you fell out of contact for weeks?

video; prepare yourself for ~*~introspection~*~

[ghostpepper]

[It had felt like a long time since she had seen Obito around. They had definitely last parted on a sour note, with Kushina learning about what he would apparently grow up to be and her... dropping more spoilers on him than she meant to. Needless to say, the group splitting and the mutual departure from Blackthorn had been welcome and the space helped soothe the damage.

But seeing him on the network again brought all the memories and emotions back. There was a part of her that was still bitter and hurting. And yet... Most of her could only still think of him as her husband's student. The brave and loyal ninja who put his friends above himself. A kid she would've been proud to call her son.

And then on playing the message, she heard the call-out. "I don't care if we fought last we talked, haven't spoken in months for no good reason, or anything like that." Sure this could probably apply to some of her family, but there had been a pretty blatant break between them. Kushina had coped by throwing herself into focusing on her family, traveling, training, working, meeting other people... Basically avoiding any contact with Obito who... Hadn't done anything to hurt her. Not yet, by his timeline.

She flipped around, just skimming over a few other posts, but always flipping back to Obito's message. Several times she had her finger hovering the button that would allow her to do a voice reply before she changed her mind. Her mind changed one final time on listening to one of the other conversations. And maybe having Kyuubi stare her down with the same look her gave her on their first night together in Blackthorn, complete with a paw on her arm, was the final push to bring her finger down on the button. Except she hit video instead of voice. So Obito gets a view from next to her. She looks down at her 'gear once in a while while she talks, but her attention's divided between it and yet another sewing project that I haven't decided on what it is yet.]

...How've you been?

[Okay, it's not a "hello" but it's something.]

[Video]

[itsjustdust]

[He'd been hopeful, on some level, that she would call him... but the part of him that had been burned just a few too many times had been stomping it down. It meant that he was maybe a little too grateful, a little too intense for a moment when he first answered her reply.]

Kushina-nee...

[He cleared his throat, mentally throttling himself to not be a completely pathetic moron at her.]

I've had better months... but a lot worse ones too.

[Video]

[ghostpepper]

[Her heart ached a little at his address for her. Had she missed it? Maybe a little, but she doesn't say. Her eyes close for a moment, the needle in her hand pausing before continuing to slide in and out of the fabric.]

Are you gonna be alright?

[Video] Keyword.

[uncagedforjustamoment]

[....Don't shout at him through the 'gear, he gets enough shouting.

....

Unamused face of a Hyuuga, right here.]

Hello, Obito.

[Pause.]

Is Inuzuka with you?

[Video]

[itsjustdust]

[Clearly it wasn't aimed at you! You actually talk to him pretty regularly!]

Yeah, he followed me out here. I think that Hosenka has a crush. Not sure how I feel about that.

Where are you at anyway?

[Video]

[uncagedforjustamoment]

[He scoffs.]

Don't allow Inuzuka to be a poor influence on Hosenka. [One like Inuzuka is bad enough.] At the inn. [Meditite peeks over his shoulder and beams at the camera, apparently recognizing Obito's voice.] Where are you? The Pokecenter? [Because there's food they need, Obito.]

[video]

[lieutenantantichrist]

[Here's a grumpy face to say hello.]

Where the hell've you been?

[video]

[itsjustdust]

Sulking. You?

[He didn't look repentant about it either.]

[video]

[lieutenantantichrist]

You sulked. For fuckin' weeks.

Christ, and I thought teenagers who weren't ninjas were bad.

What's it look like? I'm still stuck here.

[Video]

[beforethedarkness]

... I'm still here.

[Still trying to think over a lot of things, but he's there and responding at least. That has to be a little bit of a good sign, right Obito?]

[Video]

[itsjustdust]

[Okay that was kind of a huge relief.]

Okay good.

Have you been doing alright?

[Video]

[beforethedarkness]

I've apparently been glitching out for a few weeks and woke up out of it recently. Other than that I'm fine.

[video]

[usedwrench]

[...Oh, everyone decided to go home again? Winry stopped counting at one point, when over 15 of her friends went home around the same time and she sure hasn't counted anyone after that.]

Still here and I still recognize you, so... Hello. Life's been pretty normal, met a friend from home -- but she went back about as soon as she got here. You?

[video]

[itsjustdust]

Hiding from people from home, and apparently I up and missed a bunch of friends leaving because of it.

Thus the shout out.

It's no good to avoid people or something just because you're afraid you'll be hurt, yeah?

[video]

[usedwrench]

Ohhh... Sorry to hear that, though they'd probably still be -- not here, even if you hadn't been hiding.

[Still. Sucks that someone's hiding and can't spend time with them before they leave.]

Honestly? I was kept in the dark about too much stuff happening to my friends, when I was younger. But things happened and things changed. Now I rather talk things through right away instead of avoiding anyone or anything.

[Short version? Yeah, it's not good for you or anyone.]

vidoe;

[cakelover]

Ahhhhh, there you are, Obi-chan! Where'd you get to?

I'm still here, ne!

video;

[itsjustdust]

Mitsukuni! You were one of the ones I was worried about.

I'm glad you're still here though. I've been... sulking about.

As you can see, I decided I was done with that.

text;

[punches]

[ She really shouldn't be contacting him, but Naruto's grief towards him was not something in her own mind. At least she's respectable enough to use text as to not give away their location. That way he can't be too sour with her. ]

You could just use the PokeGear to see the list of who all remains in this place.

[ SO HELPFUL. ]

text;

[itsjustdust]

I could, but that wouldn't really answer my question, yeah? Thank you for contacting me though.