Second Floor Common Room [Sunday Evening]

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

Ned wasn't baking tonight. He had a pie he'd baked earlier but it was half gone and so was he...in the sleep sense. He hadn't meant to fall into a light doze in the common room, all sprawled out on one of the chairs with the half eaten pie on his lap. It'd just happened.

He'd taken the words 'lazy Sunday' to the next level it would seem. The television was on low, not that Ned was paying attention.

[Despite appearances, common room is open. He's a light sleeper so he'll wake up if he hears noise but feel free to try and take the pie or not wake him.]

Comments

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata had, in all honesty, just come down to see if they had grapefruit juice in the fridge as both the third and fourth floors were sadly bereft of it.

She didn't notice Ned, but Yei most certainly did, and the kitten bounded over to sniff at and try to chew on Ned's pant leg.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

It took Ned a minute to realize that the tugging wasn't in one of his dreams. He blinked his eyes open and looked around blearily.

"Hi kitty," he mumbled sleepily.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Yei purred and pawed at leg. Wasn't she just wonderful? He should pick her up and tell her so.

Hinata paused, and glanced back over her shoulder. "A-Ano," she said, flushing at her lapse in checking the room thoroughly before entering. "S-Sorry to w-wake you."

Yei, it should be known, wasn't sorry at all.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep," he said and rubbed his eyes, trying to focus. "It's okay. Your cat's friendly."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She supposed that it might be rude to flee now that she'd obtained the glass of juice she'd wanted and she tried a smile.

"She l-likes attention," Hinata said fondly. "Her n-name is Yei."

And Yei wanted pettings! She mewed beseechingly while Hinata stifled a grin.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

Ned got hip to Yei wanting attention and carefully moved the pie off of him so he could lean down and let Yei sniff at his fingers.

"I'm Ned," he said conversationally. "Good thing I didn't bring my dog down here. Digby hasn't met many cats."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, fingers! She sniffed at them curiously, before attempting to lick them. And purring, of course.

"Y-Yei doesn't mind t-them," she offered. "H-Hoshi-san has o-one and t-they get along w-well enough in the s-same room. It is n-nice to meet you, I a-am Hinata."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Digby's a pretty big dog," he said, smiling slightly at the kitten's attention. "Nice to meet you. Do you stay on the second floor too?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

That got a shake of her head. "F-Fourth," Hinata admitted. "B-But there's a d-dreadul lack of grapefruit juice on b-both the fourth and the t-third floors tonight."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"At least that means I haven't been completely unobservant and haven't noticed," he said and laughed. "I live down the hall. I don't have any grapefruit juice in my room either."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"I w-wouldn't like to be so unobservant e-either," she admitted, laughing softly. "E-Especially not as I've been h-here since the s-start of summer. A-And I found s-some here."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Me too," he said and gave Yei a few strokes. "How's it been for you? The time here and all."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"I'm e-enjoying it," Hinata said, as Yei wriggled and purred happily. "It's q-quite different from home. And you? A-Are you liking it?"

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Most of it," he said, quietly laughing. "I could do without randomly changing into a girl but it's not too bad. Better than where I was."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"I c-console myself that I was, a-at least, m-myself as a b-boy rather t-than in s-someone else's b-body," Hinata confessed.

And Yei was just going to try and pounce on his shoe now.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

Ned shook his shoe a bit, letting the cat tug at his laces. "I was completely different. Never seen the girl's body before and probably never will again. It's way too different for me."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

That got a soft laugh. "Hopefully i-it will not h-happen, changing g-genders again, I m-mean." And the other meaning Hinata was going to ignore, oh yes. "T-Though you s-seem to have come out of it w-well enough."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I did okay," he said and nodded. "Probably wouldn't be out in the common room if I hadn't. I'm pretty good at hiding when the mood hits."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"So a-am I," Hinata said. "T-Though it's easier if you d-do not have people a-attempting to make you s-socialize."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I have someone like that," he said fondly. "But she doesn't force me. Just encourages."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata grinned slightly. "I d-don't mind it w-when they do," she admitted. "B-Because it m-means they c-care even if it makes m-me uncomfortable to go o-out where there's a l-lot of people."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, same here," Ned said, nodding. "Even if there's encouragement, I avoid big crowds. I get too nervous and there's just...too many people around."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She had to agree with that. "T-Too many people, and e-even if they a-aren't talking to y-you, or l-looking at you, you s-still feel like it..."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, definitely," he said quietly. "Hard to be social when you're used to be alone or, at least, left alone."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She bowed her head. "O-Or simply when t-those more important than y-you expect you to be someone y-you are not."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," he agree, nodding again. "I'd ask if you went to Longburrow and I just didn't notice you but it was a boy's school and I'm not that unobservant. Sounds like a similar background though. Sounds familiar."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"N-No boys s-school for me," she said, laughing softly. "I w-went to the Academy, i-in Konoha."

Which, really, meant she was a ninja. But Hinata didn't expect him to know that.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Is Konoha in Hawaii?" Ned guessed rather lamely. He didn't want to assume other world right off, though.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She shook her head slightly, smiling reassuringly. "A d-different universe e-entirely. It's a v-village in the Fire Country. Ino-san w-was in my c-class back home."

Ino-san, Hinata assumed, knew everyone.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Oh, Ino!" Ned said, smiling at the familiar name. "I know her. I didn't know you guys were from the same place."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"W-We did j-just meet," she reminded him gently. "B-But yes, s-since we were s-small."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Well, I don't think she mentioned it either is what I meant...more meant," he said and winced. "Sorry. Good to have a friend around though. Or, at least a familiar face."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"It's n-no problem," she said, flushing. "M-My misunderstanding, I'm a-afraid."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I think that was on both of us," he assured her quickly. "I'm used to messing up so don't worry. We can just blame me."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"P-Perhaps we c-can blame no one," she suggested.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Or we could do that," he said with a little laugh. "We're good at this socialism thing, aren't we?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"W-We're trying," she amended, having to giggle a bit at that.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Practice makes perfect?" Ned suggested lightly.