Ah, there they were. Finally. Wearing twinned idiot grins as they walked in and looking as if they were holding their own private counsel of juvenile absurdity, prince and princess of the court jesters.Ā
Slipping a mute sigh of exasperation into his cup as he sipped, Orochimaru eyed them with a jaundiced expression touched with the impatience of being made to wait in one of his absolute least favorite places as they approached.Ā
It wasnāt as if he didnāt have a sense of humor. He did. It was just that his particular brand of it ran rather too easily and cheerfully along the lines of the dark and grotesque to have many truly able to appreciate it. Heād had more than his fair desert-dry comments sail over their heads without so much as a glimmer of understanding, at least on Jiraiyaās part. Heād caught Tsunade smirk at a few of them only to catch herself and shake it off as if afraid that by sharing even a small taste of darkness would somehow turn her into a fellow grim, book-clutching loner who delighted in offending the moral majority as often as possible. But sheād always occupied a special place between them, a distinct grey area balanced between Yin and Yang, never quite falling one way or the other. Instead she seemed to absorb and reflect the energy of whichever teammate whose company she happened to favor that day; shining with lightness and laughter if it was Jiraiya, sober and thoughtful if it was with him.Ā
And judging by the wide smile of imminent mischief stretching across her lips at the moment, it was looking to be a more Jiraiya-influenced sort of day.Ā
āSo good of you to show up,ā he deadpanned as they slid into their seats, the slow lifting of his cup radiating a serene venom.Ā āI hope I wasnāt imposing on your schedule.āĀ
Her words were all he needed. The night was already looking well with his current tease planned. It would be so easy to ruffle the snake into an indignant fit considering how much of a pedestal he placed himself on. Anyone that turned their nose up to a basic human function was bound to receive their own wealth of teasing if Jiraiya had a say in it.
Sitting down in one of the open seats, a grin slid easily onto his face.Ā āOh, of course not. We simply wanted to give you time to become acquainted with the atmosphere.ā
Oh, his teases would be terrible, poking Orochimaru in every sore spot years of something almost called friendship had taught him. The manās impatience kept his temper simmering when he was made to wait and how much worse it would get with the implication that it had been on purpose. Though it wasnāt true, Jiraiya couldnāt resist the temptation.
Taking his own cup, he moved a toast up for both his companions and took that first sip. Smooth, as Tsunade would enjoy, and warm to fit Orochimaru. Jiraiya simply found happiness in their presence, though the remaining ideas of his current work remained flitting around in his periphery.Ā
Beginning conversation with that would put an abrupt end to their night and thus ruin his chance to win a bit off Tsunade. He wouldnāt, no matter how much he was tempted, until he knew it would rile the reaction he wanted. And besides -- the two had been severely outspoken in their opinions of his hobby. To discuss plot and character development when they both believed it to be nothing more than derived male fantasy with a pretentious clout would start yet another iteration of the same argument Jiraiya had become weary of. He was writing because he enjoyed it and their distaste robbed him of that joy -- he had long learned to use it as a taunt than come to them for anything that might be useful.
āSurprised to see you drinking, Orochi.ā Would he react again to the nickname? Jiraiya almost hoped he would, but he ignored it in favor of nudging the woman next to him. āTsunade didnāt think you actually would.ā
@senjutsunadeā @thenagarajaā
