[Video][Action]

[orangeoutlaw]

[Ace is standing on the street, holding the handle of a wagon he's procured from somewhere]

Yo.

So I did some checking and the Puppy Prison is just a name. It's not really that free a place but I think maybe dogs would feel better having a home of their own and friendly faces-- so if you know of any roaming free or were keeping some and didn't know what to do with them, let me know and I'll pick them up.

I'll take your dogs too if you want, Coby. You're a good guy for taking them in but I was just messing with your head and seeing if you would do it. You're not supposed to be that good of a Marine you know. It's gross. [said all with a flat inflection]

Otherwise contact me any time day or night.

[waves at the camera and cuts the feed]

[Ace can be found in every city, picking up dogs to put in his wagon or the dogs following at his heels. He doesn't seem in the best of moods but he's not apparently angry either so that's a good sign, isn't it?]

Comments

[orangeoutlaw]

[he nods about the cities, but he's seen all kinds so it's nothing new to him]

Hm, that's a weird isn't it? Why are we here... Marco would say it's because he pulled strings... But I don't know... Maybe there is no why. Maybe it's just 'because'.

[beforethedarkness]

[ Sasuke doesn't answer, instead just humming and looking ahead. Maybe it can be seen as petulant, but honestly he's deep in thought. It isn't just the world that's different... It's how Hinata looked at him, like she'd seen a ghost. A ghost of something... Terrible.

He can't help feeling bothered by it. ]

[orangeoutlaw]

You look like you're bothered by something.

[tweaks his ear just to be a pest]

Don't take things so seriously.

[beforethedarkness]

[ asdfjkl; Hard swat to his hand and another glare for Ace. Damn, he needs to keep his guard up better than that... ]

It's none of your business if I am or not.

[orangeoutlaw]

I'm making it my business. Too bad. What's got you so down anyway? This place isn't that bad.

[beforethedarkness]

[ He grunts at that, rubbing his ear absently as he looks ahead. ]

... It's not this place.

[orangeoutlaw]

Something happen at home?

[beforethedarkness]

No. Something happened here.

[ Frowning... ]

... Someone else from home is here. She's... Older. Almost three years if I had to guess.

[ Maybe that's enough to get the fire guy to stop asking? ]

[orangeoutlaw]

Oh yeah? Is she hot? [Ace no]

[he coughs]

So I bet she told you something or has become something that's totally screwed over your world view, right?

[because that seems to happen to him continually around here]

[beforethedarkness]

I don't know. She refused to say anything. But the way she looked at me...

[ Twitching. Apparently he's completely ignoring the question of if she's hot or not, like he'd know... ]

... We're supposed to be allies, but that look she gave me wasn't one you'd greet a comrade with.

[ It wasn't even neutral. Just what the hell... What had happened with Hinata? Why was she looking at him like that...? ]

[orangeoutlaw]

Hmm

[man, that was a rough one. He credits Sasuke with enough that he didn't misinterpret the look but there's a million things that could mean. What it does mean Ace can't even guess not knowing anything about anything]

Give it time. Maybe she's just surprised to see you for whatever reason. Coming here isn't exactly normal after all.

[beforethedarkness]

... No. It's not.

[ He falls silent again, once more becoming pensive. Honestly he doesn't even know why he told Ace that much, even if he tried to keep the language as neutral as possible to avoid giving too much away about himself or his village. Anything about him, really. ]

[orangeoutlaw]

[quiet quiet and more quiet. If this kid brooded any more he'd lay eggs]

Well... what's she like?

[beforethedarkness]

I only know what she was like before, it could have changed by now.

Before, she was shy, quiet, and kept to herself. She had a crush on an idiot. I don't know how she's changed by now.

[orangeoutlaw]

Shy... quiet... [he scratches his chin] Recently arrived you said?

[beforethedarkness]

Yeah, she did.

Why, did you run into her?

[orangeoutlaw]

I may have hit on her. She's pretty cute.

[beforethedarkness]

She's also only got eyes for a complete moron. You're wasting your time.