ghostpepper | 1 Crushed Tomato

[The video kicks on first to show a partially-rolled up and dirty white shirt. (Are those blood stains?!) The stomach below it has faint scarring in the shape of what could be a large circle, or maybe a semi-circle. At any rate, the video pans up after a few seconds over the shirt, hitting a wall of bright red hair at the shoulders. Dried blood long-since turned brown stained her chin and mouth. Then the full, filthy face of a very alive and pissed off Kushina Uzumaki.]

Is this some kind of a joke?! I woke up in a room that isn't mine with some woman claiming to be my mother who looks about my age shoving a bag of stuff in my hands. My husband is missing, my baby is missing, my chakra is missing. But that's not the best part, ya know! Some guy shoved this thing on me!

[She turns the video down toward a Vulpix that's staring up at her with innocent brown eyes. It lets out a happy cry and attempts to nuzzle up against Kushina's leg. But the video-- and Kushina-- move away from it quickly. When the video comes back up, her hair is flowing out at every angle around her quickly reddening face.]

If I ever find the guy who gave this to me again, I'm gonna kill him, y'know!! What a sick joke! So someone tell me how to get rid of this thing!

[Bonus Action Option Edit!]

[Anyone else who might have been wandering around New Bark Town probably had the ~~honor~~ ~~misfortune~~ pleasure of spotting a particular redhead fuming over her starting partner. Or perhaps browsing one of the manuals Minato had forwarded to her over the Pokegear, occasionally nudging the Vulpix away with her foot, while she waited for him to arrive. Do you dare approach?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Kushina-nee don't bring kitchens into it. He's sorry for all the messes okay? HE IS!!]

Hahaha... no. He's trying really hard to be interesting and it's just... not... working.

[Still, guess where you're not going once Kushina brings all her sass and swag up to Blackthorn? Three guesses and the first two don't count. She remembers.]

Have you tried telling him topics you're interested in? Maybe that would make his lectures... not boring.

[Hey! He's been making god awful coffee of death for Sensei since the guy got here when they're in one place. That's in a kitchen!]

...That's how we got to trees instead of rocks Kushina-nee.

[Okay fine, maybe she'll reconsider for the first few days. 8|

ALSO LOOK AT HER EYEBROW TWITCH. sob why don't I have a good icon for this face...]

Tried just telling him to stop talking? Or make him stop talking?

[It's better than any other hangover cure Sensei's ever found, he mentioned once...]

Kushina-nee... he talks inside my HEAD.

THEN PUNCH HIM, YA KNOW!

[Does she care it's a Pokemon that has more powers than he does here? n o p e]

[He looks aghast.]

I'm not punching him just for being a socially awkward kid. Kushina-nee, that'd be like punching Kakashi in the head when he's trying to be nice.

Heh, sorry... I got a little carried away.

[Gut reaction out of indignation on his part. SOB...]

But if you guys are all traveling together, isn't there anyone else for him to talk to?

Kushina-nee, the other pokemon do pretty much punch him in the head. Not all of them! But... enough that he's a little shy.

[Now she kinda feels bad. ...Kinda.]

I have an idea! Maybe he'd like talking to the fox they gave me. That'll keep it out of my hair and keep yours from constant lectures! Right?!

Your fox would have to be out for that to work. They can't communicate through the ball. [He paused a beat.]

...What species of fox anyway?

One with more tails than I'd like...

[ALL THE BITTERNESS IN HER TONE. CAN YOU TASTE IT OVER THE POKEGEAR?]

Vulp- HEY! [Suddenly have the gear moving away from Obito as he fumbles to grab at it, then suddenly have it flipped around to show someone else entirely, who almost presses his nose to the screen in curiosity.]

Henge, you give that back right now or no berries next time I get some!

Henge...? You can't tell me this kid's one of these Pokemon things...

[This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder...]

[There's a tussle, then a very canine yelp from the green eyed figure before he turned back to his normal form, which had a whole lot of black fur as Obito, looking grumpy, turned the camera back on him.]

He'd be my fox type [His tone was deadpan.] He's really fond of pretending to be human, made up that face himself.

That's... actually really clever.

[Her admiration of Henge's skill is kinda dampened by her long-term grudge against anything remotely fox-like. But it only has one tail and is mostly black with some red. Nowhere near the full on red-orange shade her own fox has. So at least it doesn't come out as grudging as it could have?]

I still think he can talk, but he hasn't been willing to talk to me so... [He's giving the pokemon such a stern face over the top of the gear right now.]

Edited 2013-07-25 05:34 (UTC)

Hm... have you considered leaving a recording on him? Or maybe ask other people if he talks to them.

I've asked around, but he hasn't spoken to anyone I know. He likes to vanish in cities and events though so who knows who he's talking to then.

On the other hand, recording devices... I... don't think he's stupid enough to not-notice.

Maybe just give him this thing for a day?

[She jabs a finger at the screen, which... only results in temporarily blocking the camera. But maybe the pointing direction will make her point clear?]

......

.........

While an option are you sure that's a good idea?

Maybe you just need to give him a chance.

[Says the filthy hypocrite...]

[Yeah, see, he's just going to give you this are you joking with me stare okay? Right. Because yeah.... no.]

Kushina-nee. I think you need to sit in the shade.

[Wow rude. She's just tossing around ideas.]

Then do you have any better ideas?

[He was just concerned for your health okay?!]

Well... no... but I think he'll talk to me eventually!

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[Video] ...making a note to find any art of a moderately annoyed Kushina

[Video] ...because she has that setting?