TERRACE Draft - Day 1

[lucetimods]

Who: All Draftees
What: Arrival at TERRACE
When: The first day, from 8AM to the wee hours of the night
Where: TERRACE!
Summary: Information post here
Rating: Varies on thread, please mark explicit material.

This post covers the first day, before the attack. Remember, characters here are not expecting an attack and are under the impression they will be going to Region 1 to fight. During this day, draftees will be restricted to T6 and T7 and not permitted access to other areas.

Be sure to tag this post appropriately: [canon] character name

Comments

[16autumnroad]

[Chouji wasn't able to find Shikamaru just before leaving for the draft, and he feels some amount of relief when he catches a glimpse of the familiar face in the barracks. It's not like his best friend to disappear prior to something so important.]

Shikamaru!

[That relief fades into concern, though, when he gets close enough to really look at Shikamaru. His clothes are a mess, and he was outfitted well the last time Chouji saw him. Then, as Chouji closes he last few yards between them... is Shikamaru shorter?]

What happened?

[endgames]

[TWO INCHES. Shikamaru hasn't noted it yet - his whole life, he and Chouji have always been about or near to the same height. Being fresh from the showers, the missing scars on his abdomen struck him harder, their absence bringing some Luceti memories to the surface.

By the time Chouji's found him, he's asked around and made better sense of things, but he's pretty irritable. That visibly fades to relief the second he sees who it is. A familiar face - a face from home - is a welcome sight right now.]

Chouji... [Sorry if that question needs repeating. He's uncharacteristically at a loss.] Hey.

[16autumnroad]

[Chouji is still sensitive about how much he's missed. He couldn't forget the visible reminders of it even if he tried, and one of them has just vanished. Shikamaru looks the way Chouji remembers him looking, without the subtle differences wrought by over two years in Luceti.

Shikamaru being back to normal is cause for alarm rather than relief, though. Something big must have happened. His lack of response confirms this.

Chouji puts his hands on Shikamaru's shoulders before repeating the question.]

What happened?

[endgames]

[That's the question he's been asking himself since he got here. Faced with it out loud, though, he's forced to come to an answer about it.]

...the revival of the Ten-Tails. That's what you didn't say before. Wasn't it?

[I went back.]

[16autumnroad]

[Chouji's eyes widen, and he stops and stares for a minute.]

...Among other things.

[If he hadn't had this conversation with Sakura upon his arrival, he wouldn't know what to say to Shikamaru right now. Since he already figured out a way to compare timelines without giving away too much, though...]

I told you that I gained back all the weight I lost, right? I got an extra boost of chakra from someone with plenty to spare. Did you?

[Shikamaru has experienced the war now, but is he from as far along as Chouji is? Does he know about his dad? Chouji isn't sure he wants to hear the answer.]

[endgames]

[Shikamaru nods, seeming to focus. He raises a hand, staring at it as if the appearance around it might change.]

I still have it. I can feel it, although it seems inaccessible currently. [He thinks to all the things he learned in Luceti. It feels like there's an inventory in his brain he never knew was there, but that's just the effects of going home and forgetting it, he supposes.] It's probably something to do with a Shift.

[But that's not what Chouji was wondering, he knows.]

Lee's kicks pack a lotta power, too.

[16autumnroad]

[Chouji doesn't flinch, but inhales sharply and closes his eyes for a second. They're on a draft now, it's no better a time to address personal loss than it was back in the war. He answers as soon as he can manage it. Chouji won't make Shikamaru remind him twice. That's the bare minimum he can do for his friend right now.]

Yeah, they do. We shouldn't be surprised by how strong Lee is anymore, though.

[He'll ask about other things just to give them both something to latch onto until they can deal with the important things.]

A Shift? Is the rest of your chakra still accessible?

[endgames]

Mm. [He opts to showcase that in actions instead of words: beneath his feet, his shadow flickers sharply in another direction before returning to its natural state.]

[16autumnroad]

Good. [Even if they're prepared for Shifters and fighting without jutsu, losing that advantage entirely could tip the balance against them.]

Are you all set on weapons? I know you're armed, but how well? [Practicalities. That should keep both of them grounded. Chouji needs it almost as much as he thinks Shikamaru must. And if Shikamaru lost his preparation time or is coming in having already used a fair amount of his arsenal, Chouji will gladly share.]

[endgames]

[Shikamaru sighs, looking annoyed again.]

I was fortunate to get the clothes on my back, man. [Everything he prepared last night before the draft? Gone. He doesn't even have the weapons he had on him in the war.] I've heard there's an extensive armory here, however. If I remember right, you can also make requests.

[16autumnroad]

To start with, at least. [Chouji pulls out a handful of kunai and offers them to Shikamaru. Shikamaru may notice the sword Chouji is now carrying, too.]

I got some extras from Sokka before we left.

[endgames]

[Shikamaru takes them with a nod, and a muttered 'thank you'. He eyes that sword as he's putting them away.]

He give you that too?

[16autumnroad]

Lent it to me, yeah.

[Chouji frowns, and Shikamaru knows him well enough to catch signs of nervousness when he continues. The idea of the Shifters still makes Chouji distinctly uncomfortable.] I'm not used to needing quite so many weapons, but I figured I should have them this time.

[endgames]

[He smirks a little to himself.]

Not sure it suits you. Where's that confidence from before?

[16autumnroad]

[Chouji will see that smirk and raise you a smile of his own.]

Still here, when it comes to jutsu, and I'm sure I'll manage even without them.

[a pause] You're probably right about the sword, though. Good thing it's just a loan. [Really, it's an insurance policy in case he manages to run out of kunai and run into a Shifter who nullifies his jutsu. Chouji doesn't plan on using the sword too much, but one significant non-projectile weapon seemed like a good idea.]

[endgames]

Shoulda gotten a staff, man. I could see you with that. Like your old man.

[His grin widens. It didn't hurt to say that until the words were already out.]

[16autumnroad]

[Chouji's breath catches for a second, but he forces himself to keep smiling.]

You're right. I did mention staffs, but I took what was offered. It was last minute, after all.

Once I return the sword I'll see about finding something that suits me better.

[endgames]

[He breathes out slowly through the nose. More than words could describe at this moment, he's grateful Chouji didn't take the bait from that.]

Good plan. [He lightly slaps his friend on the back of the shoulder.] That should do fine, until then. These things typically last under a week if I remember it right...

[16autumnroad]

[Still watching Shikamaru even more closely than usual, he doesn't miss the reaction. He stifles the impulse to try and offer comfort or support, knowing they wouldn't be welcomed now.

The hand on his shoulder tells him he said the right thing. Good. Shikamaru has enough to deal with already. Chouji doesn't need to hear the same order twice.]

I only have standard training with either weapon, plus what I can build off of seeing other people's techniques. [And he carefully avoids any specific mention of his father.] It doesn't make too much of a difference for now. Especially if it's only a week.

After I have time to train, that's a different story.

[endgames]

I've asked around. [He had different questions at the time, but that's beside the point. He looks about the room with a suspicious air.] We're not shipping out for Region 1 until tomorrow. A day isn't much, but some practice is better than none.

[16autumnroad]

I'll take advantage of it, then. [The grin at the promise of time to train switches to a disapproving grimace.] I can't use up too much energy though. The food here is terrible.

[He'll eat what he has to, of course, and it won't keep him from working hard. He does mean what he says about the food, though, and he'd rather save the provisions he brought for when he may need them more.]

[endgames]

Yeah? [He shakes his head.] I haven't made it as far as the mess hall yet.

[16autumnroad]

It's nothing to look forward to, unfortunately.

...If you let me know before you want dinner tonight, I'll try getting into the kitchens to make something better. [Because he's already tried that once, Shikamaru, with a brand new accomplice friend. Obviously breaking into the kitchens is the best solution to terrible mess hall food.]

[endgames]

[He nearly says something about not feeling an appetite. The words are swallowed in an affectionate smirk.]

You'll be doing that even if I don't.

[16autumnroad]

Probably. I did for a little while earlier, but I had help then.

[He smiles.]

I made a new friend.