Open to all~

[awokentospring]

Characters: Rock Lee and YOU!! ♥
Location: Shibusen City Park
Rating: G to ?? (depends on the language of who stops by)
Time: mid-afternoon, April 17th
Description: Lee is still down from Gai-sensei and others disappearing earlier in the month. He needs some cheering up, or maybe just someone to distract him.


Lee sat on a park bench with his communicator in his hand. He wasn't looking at the device but rather out over the large park where some happy owners were playing with their dogs. Even then, Lee's gaze wasn't on anyone in particular. His round, dark, orb-like eyes remained fixed and mostly unblinking.

For a teenager who was often full of energy and shouting proclamations of youth, he looked rather somber. The fresh breath of spring was in the air, but for Rock Lee it was hardly a day to celebrate. With his sensei gone, along with Kakashi, several of his friends before them, and now even Temeraire, Lee just felt listless.

Comments

[this_is_keron]

Somewhere not too far from where Lee was sitting there was a strange brown tent with eyes painted on one of the sides. There was a large tarp spread out beside it.

After a moment, Giroro steps out with some of the weapons he'd managed to buy with the money he saved up so far cradled in his arms.

Giroro walked over to lay the weapons out in a row before straightening back up...and stopped. For a moment he thought he was looking at Gai, but he was gone, wasn't he?

A closer look and Giroro realized it really wasn't Gai, though the kid looked like he could be related.

He also looked like he had a lot on his mind.

"Hn, instead of just sitting there you should do something useful." With that, Giroro was sitting himself down on a piece of rubble he had dragged over earlier, using it as a chair.

Because, of course, Giroro can't just come out and ask what's wrong.

[awokentospring]

Oh. There appeared to be a little frog person addressing him. That wasn't something Lee had expected, though it certainly got his attention. He offered the brown frog person a light smile, and while his voice was bright his eyes did not light with their usual spark.

"If you would like my assistance, I would be glad to help, frog-san!" Lee stood up and moved over to Giroro's spread, placing his communicator into his vest pocket as he hunkered down close.

[this_is_keron]

On one hand, Giroro was loathe to let anyone else help him clean his weapons (he will need to rely on them in combat!), but on the other hand...

He tosses a rag at the kid. "Hn. Do what you want." He reached for one of the guns, then paused, "And I'm not a frog."

[awokentospring]

Lucky for Giroro Lee was very careful and deft around weaponry. He had learned very early on how to treat every type of weapon with proper respect. It came from having a weapon's master as a close teammate.

Picking up one of the blades in the frog-like person's arsenal, Lee carefully began to polish it to brightness. Though his eyebrows lifted at the second comment. "Oh. I am sorry. Forgive me for the assumption."

He eyed the creature curiously. "Though... if you are not a frog, what would you be then, sir?"

[punches]

Distractions? Sakura could do that much at least. It had been a rough time for a lot of the remaining Konoha members and she found that they really had just been sticking to themselves. That needed to change, but how? Sakura never found herself as a leader type, nor the kind of person who was considered decent in encouraging others. Team Seven had always been that way, hadn't it? Between her frustration with Naruto, his frustration in return with Sasuke, and Sasuke's frustration with both of them. Not to mention Sai and their team leaders. Honestly, it felt refreshing in a sense to have to seek out other allies in Death City.

When she happened upon someone familiar though? It took her by surprise, but once the initial shock passed, he'd find company plopping down right in front of him.

"Hey, snap out of it." Not much of an encouraging remark, but it mustered from good intent. "You're not on watch or anything, so you can move around a little."

[awokentospring]

[Lee didn't expect bubblegum pink hair and a familiar face to stumble upon him today. He blinked his round eyes up at her, then pulled back and out of his slouch.

Was he worrying her? Probably. He rarely sat this still. Neji would be proud, if not for his lack of focus.]

"I do not really feel like moving." [He sighed. An unusual sound coming from Lee.] "I am not doing well in expressing my Spirit of Fire, am I?"

[punches]

No, no he wasn't. Sakura discovered herself growing low of energy just by witnessing him so dispirited, but what could she do other than offer him company?

"Sometimes a flame can burn just as hot even if it's tiny." Besides, she swore to herself, she wouldn't let it be snuffed out. "So don't concern yourself with that."

Geez, the task started to look a lot more difficult than she originally anticipated. If her presence couldn't get him up and about, what could?

"I haven't had a good spar in a while." Time to set the bait out.

[awokentospring]

[He felt like he should be concerned. Gai had always said he needed to shine his brightest especially in the worst of times, but now...]

"I know, but..." [Why was it so hard to work up his enthusiasm?

Sakura's off-handed comment did have Lee's ears perking up, however. She hadn't had a good spar? As much of a foul mood he was in, someone else's needs easily outweighed his own in his mind and he stood abruptly.] "If you would like, I would not mind sparring with you, Sakura-chan!"

[aiursfavoredson]

Tassadar needed time for his meditation, Hidden within the park, he had allowed his mind to travel through thought and memories of days gone by, along with the future in this world. Pulling himself out from his meditation, the templar got to his feet. His large form began heading back out towards the city.

He stopped, however, at the sight of the a familiar figure just a little further off. Tassadar's movements came to a halt as he turned to face the somber human. "En Taro Adun, Rock Lee."

[awokentospring]

Lee turned his head and blinked up at the large alien. He hadn't seen much of the Templar (or anyone else, really) since Gai's disappearance over a week ago. Had it really been that long? Lee felt so out of it.

"Hello, Tassadar-san," Lee sighed after a pause. He mentally shook himself. There was no excuse for rudeness, even if he wasn't in the best mood.

Lee attempted a smile. "How have you been since our last mission?"

[aiursfavoredson]

There appeared to be something weighing on the young human's mind. Something that the templar could guess at from what had transpired within the city over the last human week or so. It was something that he understood far too well, with all things considered, and perhaps that was why Tassadar changed his path and began heading over to where Lee was.

"The war seems to have taken a pause since then, my friend," Tasssadar said in return. Glancing down at his young companion, the templar murmured, "And you? Your thoughts appear heavy."

[awokentospring]

"That is good..." Wars. They seemed to follow just about everyone here. That was what Lee tried to console himself with. Gai had just been returned to fight in the war back home. And Lee remained here... to fight in this war while he was still required by BREW.

Lee's lips came together in a pouty frown. Heavy sounded about right. "I am... coping."

Or maybe he wasn't. Coping seemed to indicate dealing with a situation, but Lee was stuck in stasis and had little to do about it. He sighed softly. He knew what was wrong, but there was no fixing it. "... I miss my sensei. I have never been away from his side for long except when on missions. And even then, at least I know that he would be returning home to me after."

hope this is okay?

[doc_holi]

Holiday didn't like not being busy. She had been used to going nonstop for the last five more like eight years, not even taking any vacation or sick days from her insane job. A calm and boring day was one in which she didn't have the threat of being eaten by some sort of monster.

While Death City wasn't exactly boring, Holiday was still trying to get in the groove of things. She had decided to finally start seeking out a job in this city that wasn't volunteer or just missions, but until she was actually hired she still had to keep herself busy. Thanks to Six, that time went to training.

So Holiday is jogging along in the park by herself this evening, in a track suit that she bought because of Liz's insist that she get some sort of casual clothes. Her pace slowed when she caught sight of the dogs... She really wanted some sort of pet. If only they could have won that stupid goldfish at the carnival.

Holiday catches sight of a young man sitting on a bench not too far away, looking at the dogs, too... Though his interest doesn't seem to be in them. Best to give some words of passing and leave him be rather than be rude and ignore him. "They look well trained, don't they?"

of course! :D

[awokentospring]

Lee glanced up at a woman who seemed to have been in the middle of her work-out. He enjoyed training, so to see more of Death City's citizens moving about in ways to improve themselves did his heart a bit of good. But her words were centered on the dogs, so he turned his attention back to them before answering.

"I am... really not sure." He scratched at his head, though his hair fell neatly back into place; one of the advantages of having his hair in the bowl cut. He thought back to what he knew of dog training back home. "If I could see how well they did in summoning techniques or at scenting blood trails, then perhaps I could make a better estimate of their abilities."

Not that he was any expert on ninken. That was more Kakashi's department, and the Team 7 sensei had very recently been returned home by BREW.

[doc_holi]

... "Summoning?" Holiday looked back to the dogs and owners. They seemed to come back when called so-... Well, okay, she didn't mean that well trained.

"They seem good enough for pets, at least. I wouldn't mind getting one of my own."

Okay, now she was just fishing for conversation. He really must have been lost in thought.

[awokentospring]

"From what I have heard, the dogs here cannot make contracts to be summoned quite like they could at home." Lee's brows furrowed. He had never considered owning a dog before. They required a lot of time and he was so devoted to training, he would feel bad if his habits made him negligent. He did have some pets, though!

Turning to the woman with a small smile, he chuckled. "I have some mini turtles! They are wonderful pets! But I am certain a dog would also be good if you wanted to go out on a fast run with your pet."

Now that he thought of it, he hadn't been encouraging his pets to do much exercise. They did swim a lot but... His voice turned thoughtful. "Perhaps I should take my turtles on a walk next time I come to the park."

Omg hi, I'm just gonna tag in here? ;w;

[kuriboh_boy]

Judai had been spending a lot of time recently just roaming about. With the inability to just travel like he had been for so long, he was feeling the need to just walk around a little more than normal. Plus, seeing the new sights in this city was nearly as exciting as catching every plane or train he could afford and making his way around the world.

He was just wandering by a park when he actually noticed Lee. Something about the boy seemed off, though Judai didn't know what mostly because he didn't know him at all. All the same, he felt drawn to sit next to him suddenly, speaking as he did so.

"Hey! You look pretty down. This is a pretty weird place to be... y'know... sad at." He gestured to the park vaguely before grinning at his new companion.

please do~ :3c

[awokentospring]

Lee looked up at the friendly face offering him a smile and probably what would be a cheerful conversation. Lee knew better than to be rude, so he attempted to pull himself together to answer. Sadly, he couldn't quite engage his usual enthusiasm.

"I suppose I am down," he said as he straightened back in his seat. He glanced across the park, then back to the boy beside him. "This place reminds me the most of home. At least there is some greenery here."

He reached up and scratched at his neck. "Where would you think someone sad should be?"

[kuriboh_boy]

Glancing around the park, Judai found himself agreeing that it was really nice. And he guessed it was pretty calming too. Not that he ever really looked for calming places to spend time himself.

He perked up again at the question and scratched his cheek, almost sheepishly. "I tend to keep to myself when I'm sad. I guess I'm just not used to seeing someone sad out in the open like this."

Moving his hand, he started to tap his chin instead. "But I think I can understand why you're here." He paused and tilted his head at the other boy. "'Cause you're homesick, right?" It wasn't that he was trying to shove it in the boy's face, he just wasn't always good at picking up on cues, so he was trying to make sure he'd figured it out right...

LATER~

[heavenly_earth]

As evening fell, Neji stationed himself nearby the residential areas of his district to keep watch for a reappearance of the reported criminal in the city.

It was unlikely he'd appear, much less try to harm anyone if he had any shred of sense, but it was Neji's job to protect the people within the city and specifically, within his Zone, so the Jounin sequestered himself away on a low rooftop- visible from the street if anyone bothered to look up- and counted on the shadows of the darker hours to conceal him entirely.

A C-rank mission equivalent, it was still the closest to his usual line of work that he'd managed to get in awhile, and so Neji settled in for the night to wait. Leaning back, Neji closed his eyes and let his spectrum narrow down to black, white, and colored souls, stilling when a familiar green soul was poised to pass below.

[awokentospring]

Lee had been contemplating several things in the park. Mostly he had been thinking about his lost sensei, but now that he had been given a chance to get a little of that angst out of his system his sort-of partner was at the forefront of his mind. Perhaps that was why he felt a slight pull to look up at just the right time. He caught a glimpse of the person he was thinking about, and immediately Lee dropped all plans of returning home or searching for food and moved to get closer.

A normal person would think to go inside the building and take the stairs. Not a shinobi, and certainly not Rock Lee.

Glancing about for a solution, Lee's eyes passed over all the resources he had available to him and his quick mind formed a plan. Getting a running start, Lee jumped up on a trashcan, leaped to the opposite wall of the alley, and, using that momentum, parkour-style vaulted up and across to the rooftop where Neji sat. Hardly having broke a sweat, Lee moved to sit nearby his teammate.

"Neji, we need to talk," he began simply, his gaze open and earnest.

[heavenly_earth]

Neji's jaw clenched, cursing himself for his oversight. He could leave, but that wouldn't solve anything. Instead he simply kept his eyes forward, appearing focused on everything other than his teammate and tentative partner.

"I'm working," he said flatly. "Ensuring the district remains secure, now that there's no one else for the evening shift."

If you don't mind a late thread...

[vintage_magic]

Lily hadn’t intended to return to the park after lunch—there were things to be done at the shop if she were to get it open in the next week—but now that she had hired Kanji, she really needed to address her current money problems. Namely, by tracking down Lezard and seeing if he would agree to another mission. And she always seemed to run into that magical nuisance in the park.

But he was nowhere to be found this afternoon and the witch was about to give up and go back to the shop when she noticed the familiar green spandex and bowl haircut. Approaching from behind and not realizing her mistake, she called out, “Hi, Gai. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

Late threads are A-OK :D

[awokentospring]

Lee's body seized at being addressed as the one person he was currently moping over. He should have expected it, seeing as he dressed exactly the same as his sensei and even wore a matching bowlcut. Miserably, he reached up to wipe at his face, then turned around with a forced smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I apologize, Miss, but my sensei has returned home for the time being." He swallowed back a lump in his throat and nodded to her. "I appreciate that you would check on him, however! Thank you for your kindness, Miss."

[vintage_magic]

Lily blinked in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry. You looked like him from behind!" Now that she had a closer look, she realized this person was much younger than Gai although there was quite a resemblance. "Your sensei?" There's an uncertainty to her Texas accented voice. Was that some kind of foreign term for a relative? Gai wasn't old enough to have a teenage son, was he? She had assumed he was about her age.

"Huh. That BREW contraption sent him back? When was this?" She supposed that explained was why she hadn't seen him for a while. And being a bit of a technophobe who rarely used the network, she had missed the announcement.