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（ she isn't terribly hungry, but she knows that she should eat. it's just going to be a drain on her energy and chakra if she doesn't. still, she doesn't have a real reason to decline that isn't petulant or easily overridden by rationality.

she carries the little tin to her small table, and gestures for fukawa to sit in one of the two chairs there. ）

You must've put a lot of work into this... （ she says, as she sits down. she doesn't quite open the tin yet, but at least she's put it close to hand. ） I didn't even know you knew where I lived.

（ figuring it out wouldn't have been hard, but it speaks to a certain determination and skill... almost things better suited to a shinobi. ）

[Well, she's not getting told off for being presumptuous. Or pushy. It's a small victory but she'll take it.

Fukawa slides silently into her seat, awash with worries of a new kind. Was Sakura allergic to anything? Did she hate sweets? Did she prefer salty snacks? Would anything in the tin remind her of a dearly departed grandmother and send her into a fit of teeth-gnashing anguish?

Also, she's being called out as a low key creep.]

Oh, yeah, um. Haha.

[Clears her throat, she does not have years of stalking experience following hot boys around. You're the creepy one!

Moving along.]

It was all from one shop anyway. Don't make a huge d-deal about it. [Baka.] I don't recognize all of th-these snacks but a lot of them are very typical for Christmas.

Uh — do you have that h-holiday? Where you're from?

（ it's not the first time she's heard christmas mentioned, nor associated with the strong coldfront and the snow, but sakura shakes her head faintly as she nudges the lid off the tin. normally, she'd pick through them to see if anything directly caught her attention, but now nimble fingers just creep across whatever is nearest — some sort of caramel? and she lifts it in its little wrapper and brings it over to her side of the table.

noticing fukawa dodging that question about finding her residence? absolutely. but... it's not like it was malicious, and sakura isn't actually bothered by her knowing. ）

You could have asked, you know. I would have told you outright, saved you the trouble.

（ it's not quite chiding, just. fukawa really isn't used to doing friendship the easy way, huh? she exhales, reaching up to push her hair back from her face. the tie she usually uses is... somewhere, and she hasn't been able to bring herself to care too much about it, unusual for someone so meticulous.

a nibble is taken of the little chocolate. you know, it's not bad? ）

We have the Rinne festival. I think it might be similar...

[She watches Sakura fish the candy out with too keen an eye. Okay, so caramel is her favourite? Salty and sweet? Though she didn't spend a lot of time looking for it, just sort of plucked it out thoughtlessly. Perhaps her appetite isn't there yet, or she's just humoring her out of pity.

Fukawa's fists clench beneath the table. All right. It's a candidate at least. She can adjust the rankings later, once she's gathered more data. If she's going to get another crack at friendship, she will not screw it up.

Mostly.]

Ghh—I, I-I just wasn't sure! [That she would give her the address, or that she'd be welcome at the door? It only occurs to her now that it may have looked insane to just show up announced. Idiot.] I don't know, maybe you were h-hiding where you lived for secret spy reasons!

[They both know that's bullshit. But whatever, fine, she'll just ask first next time, it shouldn't have been a big deal. It's her own fault for disappearing in the first place.

Fukawa, who has was only slowly getting comfortable eating in front of people again, plucks her own sweet from the edge. A wee shortbread cookie, not too sweet. It had been a variety pack, to maximize the chances of having something the other girl might like. Baked goods, candies, and chocolates all in miniature, a paper guide tucked into the lid. She doesn't dig in right away, watching how the pink hair falls as Sakura makes to brush it into place. Her first bite is small and pensive. She barely tastes it.]

Yeah? If it's about g-gift-giving then probably. [She takes another bite. It's quite crumbly, she has to hold a hand in front of her face for propriety.] I don't really celebrate those sort of things, but some of the decorations are pretty.

It's just a lot about time with f-family. Or, um, friends. [She glances away.] Some religious stuff b-but nothing I follow. It's all k-kind of silly, isn't it? People just making up a special day and inventing a bunch of arbitrary traditions just to st-stave off the emptiness of existence.

[There's a beat.]

Did you need help with your hair again?

（ perhaps a bit dryly — ）

If I was hiding where I lived for 'secret spy reasons', do you really think you would have found me?

（ come on. do you think she doesn't know how to duck a tail, that's like, first year genin stuff!! she blows out a breath, and then: ）

The Rinne festival used to be to celebrate the lives of those we've lost. These days, there is definitely some gift-giving, but... I'd say it's more about family and friends.

（ but it's not like stygia has a calendar, much less one that would align with her world. the fact that it's cold and snowy doesn't mean it's the same. the question about her hair catches her off-guard, and she tucks it almost self-consciously behind her ears. ）

Does it look that bad?

（ groan... she probably does need a shower... ）

.........

[You've got her there.

Awkwardly clearing her throat, moving right along then!]

Used to be, huh? [She finishes her cookie and clears her mouth of crumbs.] I guess everything w-warps over time eventually.

[It's inevitable, really. As the broader populations shift beliefs so the traditions tend to shift with them. It makes her wonder what kind of place her own world will become now. The global population has been culled so thoroughly, and what remains has such tight ties to technology. If history has anything to say about it, they'll either turn to stauncher religions from fear, or invent some new beliefs, be it philosophical or mythic, and muddle their way through there.

She can't decide how she feels about that. Maybe now she doesn't have to. The living world isn't her business any longer.]

No. You're just fussing with it. [Her mouth quirks.] Though I wasn't lying earlier. You really just holed up in here and wasted away, haven't you?

（ she snorts, altogether a rather inelegant and unladylike sound. takes another bite of her little caramel. her stomach isn't quite in open revolt, although she acknowledges that she probably shouldn't be putting pure sugar into her system when she's been running on several days of soldier pills. ）

No, I've been in the Wasteland. （ we don't talk about the labyrinth... ） I actually just got back last night.

You what?

[Jeez, no wonder she looks so rough. Fukawa leans forward, brows knotted together in worry.]

What the hell, that's practially suicidal! How long w-were you out there?

About a week.

（ clarifying that it's not really dangerous at all for her and sasuke, especially given what they were doing... that would just further what fukawa already knows, so instead she says nothing on the subject. ）

It's all right, I wasn't injured or anything.

Seriously?!

[She'd been gone for a week and Fukawa had no idea. None! She could have tripped on a rock and impaled herself on a stalagmite, or gotten massacred by wild beasts! And Fukawa would have been over here wringing her hands like an idiot, hauling sweets to a door no one would ever answer again.]

Ugh, you're so damn reckless! It's annoying. What if you had b-been injured, and no one was there to come look for you?

（ her fingers twitch, just a little, as she reaches for another of the sweets. that the other woman's comments come from a place of concern is the only reason she doesn't just immediately lose her temper, but frayed thin as she is it's hard to keep holding on. she does not reply for a moment, instead choosing to select another candy from the tray, some sort of clump of marshmallows in a peanut-butter sugary mess? it immediately gets all over her fingers as she pulls it apart. ）

It wasn't reckless. I know what I'm doing, Fukawa. Please leave it at that.

[This isn't very reassuring. Fukawa's left grumbling under her breath and slouching in her seat.]

B-being capable isn't the same as being invincible.

[There's a hulking girl with the very same name who could have attested to that. A thought that drags her mood to lower depths. If Oogami ever showed up here...

Her appetite has been wiped out. Fukawa pushes the sweets further to other girl and folds her arms over her chest.]

At least leave a note next time.

（ she sighs, pops the rest of the weird sticky marshmallow peanut mess into her mouth and then goes to wash her hands at the sink. ）

I didn't say I was invincible. I said I wasn't reckless.

（ though, with sasuke's susano'o... they basically would be invincible, as long as their chakra didn't run out. but... that's also only a viable option as long as he cares to save her life. ）

But you're right. If I go somewhere dangerous again, I'll let you know.

[The pouting isn't completely assuaged. When Sakura rises to rinse her hands Fukawa feels a twinge of fright. Perhaps she has outstayed her welcome. Maybe she pried too much. Or something wretched did happen and she doesn't trust Fukawa with the terrible truth.

And yet, all the admonishment she gets is a soft surrender. Fukawa twists in her chair. Takes the other girl in proper, worrying the bottom of her lip.]

All right, [She says at last.] Just don't expect to fix everything yourself, either.

[This place was packed with heroes, kings, mystics, knights and (self-proclaimed) demi-gods. After the amount of people that broke in and broke out of the Gallows, Fukawa's sure there are numbskulls enough to cover most emergencies. It shouldn't all be on one young girl's shoulders.]

Edited (Spelling ) 2022-12-18 21:40 (UTC)

I don't. Trust me on that one. This was just... something personal to me.

（ and she doesn't really want to talk about it any more. she dries her hands and comes back to the table. ）

Hey, do you want to get out of here for a bit? I've been staring at this pile of books for hours, it's probably a good idea for me to get some air.

[There's nothing much she can say to that. It's troublesome, though. If it was personal, could it have been about someone else? Someone she was close to?

Fukawa looks back to the tin of sweets, feeling quite queasy. She couldn't say why. Was it jealousy? That Sakura might have another friend? That that friend had someone who'd go looking for them? Or was it the lingering threat of vanishing? People could die at any time. You didn't have to go slinking into the Labyrinth to meet terrible fates.

It could just be the simplest threat of all: loss itself, in all its cold degrees.

Stupid. She barely knows this girl, especially compared to Komaru. They've spent time together but they haven't told each other anything significant. They're still hiding themselves away, and that's not what true friendship is. A̦̟̠n̙̠͜d̝̻͍ y̦̞͜o̻͙u͍͇͙'̼͙͔r̦̞e͖͎ j͔̻̠u̡͙͔s̠̦t͉̞͍ s͇͎͜q̡̦̠u̦̘͔i͓̙̪r̢͇͕m̢͎͔i̺̺̺n͍̙g͚̟͜ t̡͎͇h̠̺i͇̦̟n̡͚͇k͎͓͉i̫͙̺n̙̪͜g̦̟̻ a̡̞̦b̡͔̺o̪̠͎u̝̪͙t͔̪͜ w̦̺̺h̦͙͜a̡̡̻t̘͕͓ s̪̝̞h͚͉̦e̘̪͙'̢͉͇l̢̢͓l̼̫͇ s͓͖a͉͔̦y̡͚̦,͓͇͉ a͉͎̻r͔̝͖e̦͓͔n͓̺'͎͎͙t͕̺̼ y̘̼͔o̡͇͍u̘̝?͖͖̼]

Eh? [She blinks up, grateful for the interjection. Though she has to rewind the words before she can make sense of them.] Oh. Um. Okay? It's c-cold out.

[She rises from her chair with a frown.]

R-really cold. Like, bathing in dry ice, cold. Do you have a decent coat?

Yeah, mine should be all right.

（ it's easy enough to dig out her coat — it's long, coloured a soft deep red, and gloves and mitts to go along with it. shinobi — especially those trained in chakra control — tend not to be quite as bothered by the cold as everyone else, able to circulate energy more precisely to necessary areas, but she's still from the land of fire, and certainly accustomed to warmer climes. ）

What about you? Do you need anything extra? I have another set of gloves if your hands are cold.

Um.

[She gives it a think. This cold was hopeless, you couldn't shake it for real unless you snuggled up next to someone. Even then it was barely a reprieve.]

I d-don't know how much good it'll do, but sure. [She moves slowly, reclaiming her winter accoutrements with ginger grips.] I think this weather is another c-curse or something.

Edited 2022-12-22 05:39 (UTC)

Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be a curse.

（ the sarcasm is heavy and irate, done even as she pulls on her coat and tucks a scarf around her neck. on her way back to fukawa with the second pair of gloves, she steals another candy out of the tin, and then puts the lid back on to keep everything fresh. ）

This place could try not being the worst for a day, huh? Here. （ she holds out the pair of gloves, simple black, for fukawa to take. ） We'll figure something out.

[The bleak commentary actually draws a smile from her. She's so used to Sakura's even-keel composure. It's refreshing to see her irritated for a change.

As long as its not at her of course.]

I don't think it's capable of anything else. Though, I'd r-rather die in a blizzard than a volcanic explosion. [She takes the gloves with a slight nod, slipping them on to fit under her thick woolen mittens. She rezips her coat and steps into her boots.]

It's a lot easier to b-bear if you stay in close contact, unfortunately. B-but, I don't mind with you. Not if you don't mind.

That's not a bad choice. Freezing to death is actually one of the less painful ways to die.

（ and she's been close enough to dying in lava that she is pretty sure she knows what her preference would be. but it's probably also telling of her mental state that she's gone from casual disparagement of their surroundings to supremely blasé facts about death and dying.

she tugs a fuzzy toque with a pink pom on over her hair, and gives fukawa a firm nod. ）

I don't mind at all. Shall we?

[She glances at her sidelong.] If the d-doctor says so, I guess it must be.

[Kinda morbid there. That's her territory.

She waits for the hat to get tugged in place (pom-poms...so cute...) before shyly winding her arm through Sakura's. The mittens are too thick to get a good grip on anything with, and they'll be warmer this way. Besides, it's nice. Just being near her.

As they edge through the door her mouth feels dry as paper. It can't be blamed on the winter wind just yet. She's also too antsy to look the other girl in the eye. What's with these jitters all of a sudden?]

So. Wh-what would you say is the most painful way to die? If you d-don't count torture, that is.

（ she tugs fukawa in a little closer, more an indication that it's okay to be close than otherwise, and then off they go! the cold air steals her breath from the moment they step through the door, and the effects of the chill are instantaneous, she can feel her nose going numb, which makes her huff and lift her free gloved hand to breathe into.

morbidity aside, she does know the answer to that, and continues quietly — ）

The most painful... mm, that depends on several factors. Immolation is deeply unpleasant, but the size of the fire and any accelerants have an impact. Assuming a slower fire, and enough oxygen present in the environment that you won't lose consciousness from hypoxia... You feel everything until a third and fourth degree burn, at which point your nerves are too damaged to relay a pain response.

[The subtle tug gives her a little tickle of pride. Sure there were external conditions at play, but even under duress, wasn't it nice to feel wanted? Fukawa allows herself to nestle closer and for the first time feels grateful for the shitty weather. If they don't become a conjoined icicle before the evening jaunt is over, she can count this as a highlight of the month.]

I th-thought it might be that. [Equally quiet, equally pensive. She didn't get to see that particular execution. Heard about it later, saw bits from the recordings. Maybe it was a mercy that there was a sudden twist. At least a collision would have been immediate and final, not the slow dissolution of flesh on the body.

She grimaces. Of the punishments she'd witnessed?]

I think stoning could be worse. If it's not s-something strong enough to kill you quickly.

（ stoning isn't in and of itself something most shinobi would need to be cautious of — more a method of execution in iwagakure than anything used directly on a battlefield. she's seen some truly creative uses of earth jutsu, especially in the war, but they just don't utilize methods like that, whereas if you're caught out by someone who specializes in fire... the only fuel a fire technique needs is your own clothing. amaterasu, not even that. ）

I almost feel like that would fall under torture. There's no reason to stone someone to death except to prolong the pain of their passing.

（ what a wonderful conversation they're having, as they shuffle off down the street. there aren't many people out — it's late, and between that and the cruel temperature, she imagines most people don't see a point. but it is nice, to get out of her little apartment, to be in someone's company. fukawa nestles in against her, and sakura smiles faintly to herself as she makes room to accommodate the other girl. ）

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skips order for mistletoes

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