Office hours [all day]

[sith_happened]

Anakin arrived a little late to work today: traffic coming through town had been a mess, and he'd almost had to start fights with three different little old ladies aggravating shoppers.

He put down his bag of decorations--lights and tinsel (stupid tinsel), bows and greenery--and began decorating his office.

And then taking pictures to send to Rory's phone. He had a promise to keep, after all.

The door was open. Holiday music was definitely not playing.

Comments

[sith_happened]

"It was a test of our patience and team building skills," Anakin said with a small smile. "We weren't exactly sewn together at the hip, though. Obi-Wan went on missions without me plenty of times."

[sith_happened]

"I promised Rory," he replied, blushing.

[solo_sword]

"That you'd..." She sort of wanted him just to say it. She could see what he was doing.

[sith_happened]

"Make my office shiny and full of holiday crap," Anakin muttered.

[solo_sword]

Jaina grinned. "Did she say it like that?"

[intraspective]

"That's a bit better," she conceded. "Though I get the teamwork thing. My team back home is one of the best in it."

[sith_happened]

"Not exactly like that, no," Anakin admitted.

[sith_happened]

"How many members to your team?" Anakin asked.

[intraspective]

"Three Genin, and a Jounin," Ino said, smiling. "So four. Standard four-person squad."

[sith_happened]

"I'm afraid I'm going to need definitions of those words," Anakin admitted with a small smile.

[solo_sword]

"I like it better your way. Why does she care what your office looks like?" she wondered.

[intraspective]

She flushed a bit. "Sorry. Genin is the lowest rank of ninja, just above Academy student. It pretty much means 'apprentice ninja'. Chuunin's the middle rank, kinda like 'journeyman ninja', and Jounin's like 'master ninja'. So a standard team right out of the Academy is going to have three apprentices and a master. My team currently has two apprentices, one journeyman, and a master. Or two Genin, a Chuunin, and a Jounin."

[sith_happened]

"She cares," he said with a little shrug, "and it makes her happy. It doesn't have to be up long."

Anakin was such a soft touch.

[solo_sword]

"Meaning good thing I came today 'cause tomorrow it's gone?" she guessed.

[sith_happened]

"And you're a Genin?" Anakin asked.

[sith_happened]

He smirked. "That would be wrong."

Didn't mean it hadn't crossed his mind.

[intraspective]

Ino flushed. "Yeah," she admitted. "Probably wouldn't be, if I was back home all the time. But that's my choice, I guess. I wanted to come here, so I can't blame anyone else."

[sith_happened]

"You're learning different things here," Anakin replied, "lessons that don't fit under your traditional guidelines." He smiled. "Fandom made me a better person, if a less traditional Jedi."

[solo_sword]

"Saturday?"

[sith_happened]

"Probably," he said. "She didn't set a time limit on it..."

[solo_sword]

"Then I'd say you're in the clear." She was her father's daughter.

[intraspective]

"Mmmm."

Which was a big load of noncommittal. With stubbornly determined blandly neutral emotions.

"Who knows?"

[sith_happened]

"I'll be sure to blame you if I get caught," Anakin teased.

[sith_happened]

"Want to try that again with some actual emotions involved?" Anakin asked, cocking up an eyebrow.

[solo_sword]

"Sure, blame the granddaughter. That'll go over well."