1 Dinner and Puppets [Kensaku, or Invite][No-Kill] Sun Apr 29, 2018 3:42 pm
Niala
D-rank
If it wasn’t for my amazing family you’re absolutely right that’s what I’d do.
She wasn’t entirely sure where the thought came from, but there it was nonetheless: her brother had definitely hit the nail on the head. If things were slightly different, if her family were not the amazing and loving people that they were, she probably would have moved right on in to the library without a second thought. There were a multitude of littles nooks and crannies, closets and small rooms that went empty and unused all the time. In fact, she could imagine making herself quite the comfortable place there if she truly wanted to. But, she didn’t, because she couldn’t stand the idea of being away from her family - it was one of the reasons after all that she never bothered moving out on her own even though both her and her twin were now considered adults under the eyes of the law and could easily make enough money to support themselves on missions alone. But no, it was an idea, a fantasy, that she would never try and reach for even though it crossed her mind from time to time.
Such a delicious meal. This is another reason I never think of moving out.
Niala was more than capable of cooking - in fact it was a pastime her and her mother often did quite a lot together when her mother was off from the hospital. It was also a task that Niala did on her own on the night’s her mother stayed late so that she could be sure her brother, father, and mother would come home to a hot and delicious meal on the table. She didn’t mind in the slightest, in fact she rather enjoyed it. However, no matter how well she followed her mother’s recipes, no matter how many times she measured multiple times to ensure the amount of ingredients were correct, she never quite got the food - in her opinion at least - to taste quite as good as their mother’s did. On the numerous occasions she had brought this tidbit of information up to their mother Hanae had simply laughed and told her she was imagining things, often saying that Niala’s own cooking was equal to her own and would likely one day become superior. Niala didn’t buy it, as she knew what her own food was lacking: a mother’s love.
I never understood it when I was younger, but now I do.
The hug from their father before sitting down was returned just the same, a smile forming across her face almost instantly. It was a routine, one she remembered from as long back as she could think of. It was something she didn’t understand the hidden reasoning behind when she was younger, but something that she now did given she too was a shinobi. It was an act of love, a lasting reminder that would be there in case anything bad were to happen. This hug however came with an extra squeeze: he too had been worried apparently when she hadn’t come home in time - though Genki hid his concerns far more than Hanae did.
So, with her bowl of rice and plate of broccoli and beef in front of her she felt her stomach growl once more as she picked up her eating utensils. A piece of broccoli and a bit of beef were picked up and plopped as politely as possible in her mouth, chewed and swallowed, before being followed by a bit of rice. “I might even go back for thirds…”, Niala commented, pausing between bites of food in response to her brother’s comment and their parents chuckling. There was definitely no need for them to worry tonight: she had no intentions of eating like a bird.
I’m starving and this food is so good.
Niala became completely silent as she ate, focused on getting the food in her mouth in as mannerly a way as possible, but as quickly as possible. Even as she did she didn’t miss the worried glance thrown her way by Hanae, or the way that Genki looked over at her as well: she could only assume that the pair had been having a conversation about her before her and her brother came home. Yet, even still she didn’t ask, figuring they would tell her what was wrong in their own time, and she wouldn’t have to wait long before her father spoke up, “Niala, how are you coming along with your puppet? I haven’t seen you working on it in a while… Is something the matter?”
Niala found herself pausing in mid bite, blinking several times before lowering the food back down to her plate that had almost been to her mouth and turning her gaze onto their father. “Oh… no. Nothing’s wrong! I’m just waiting for more of the metal I need for my puppets claws.”, she explained with a smile before picking up some more beef and brocolli and taking a bite while keeping her blue hues on Genki. She watched as their father relaxed immediately - clearly he had been worried she had lost interest in her puppet altogether with how immersed she had been lately at the library- before turning his gaze onto Kensaku. “And what about you, son? How’s yours coming along?”, Genki inquired, leaving Niala to continue eating in peace.
Word Count: 940