Not so Ordinary World

[Kwokinator]

"Bah," he smirks at Urui, taunting. "You think I'd listen to you?"

Frowning slightly at her eating noises, he swats her arm lightly, "Dammit, have some table manners!  People outside the temple can probably hear you chewing on that carrot!"

[Liddo-kun]

Urui shrugs off your scolding, wearing a most nettlesome grin.  "You need a skirt to go with the attitude, Mom."  Spying Shia getting up with her tray of food, "Why don't you go help her, loverboy."

So saying sends you on your way with suggestive winks and a few elbow shots to your ribs.  Despite her actions, deep down, she was a very gentle flower of a girl who was hiding under her rough, steel-plated exterior.

Urui reaches across the table for a tall mug of frothy beer and downs it in a swirl down the vaccum of her gullet.  Wiping away the foam mustache from around her mouth with her sleeve, she lets out a manly belch to pronounce the close of yet another delightful meal.

Very, very deep down.

[Kwokinator]

"Hey, not a word from the peanut gallery," he says as he glares back at the nina girl.

"Here, lemme help with that," he held out his arms towards Shia in a gesture to take over carrying her tray of food.

[Liddo-kun]

Shia blinks.  She seems surprised and befuddled at your offer initially and seems to hesitate, but relents, giving you her tray.  "You don't have to really do that, you know?" she tells you, leading you to where to deposit the plates.

You can see Urui from the corner of your eye, still seated and waving her arms in enthusiastic encouragement at your efforts as you walk off.

[Kwokinator]

"Not like I'm doing anything," Maki shrugs as he follows Shia's lead, mentally noting how much the ninja girl seem to like to meddle. "So I might as well..."

"So, err..." he hesitates. "You still mad at me?"

[Liddo-kun]

"I wasn't mad," Shia tells you giving you a look.  Her tone and posture is a bit tighter than usual when she replies to you, giving you doubts.

She lets out a breath to relax, softening her features.  "I wasn't mad," she tries again, sounding more natural this time.  "I was just..." she mentally fishes for the right term, "...tired or something.  Sorry."

You soon come to a communal sink where other dishes are stacked atop each other.  The trays are being piled on the countertop adjacent, to your left.  There seems to be some semblance of order here - dishes and utensils getting their own little stacks amid the soapy water.

[Kwokinator]

"If it's something I said," Maki sighs, disbelieving Shia's flimsy excuse. "Then I'm sorry.  I didn't know you were going to take it badly."

"Do we do our own dishes here?" he asks, changing the subject as it is evident that she doesn't yet want to talk about whatever it is that disturbed her. "

[Liddo-kun]

Shia grasps the change of subject eagerly.  "No.  We each take turns unless someone gets assigned dish duty for punishment," she tells you with a chuckle.

"Not funny," you hear someone say from behind you.

[Kwokinator]

"Oh?  So who's getting punished with dish duty this time?" he says as he turns to look at the source of the voice.

[Liddo-kun]

There's a guy about your age, sporting a tied down rag around his head and donning an apron - not by choice you can tell, just from his demeanor alone.  He's fairly tall, about your height, maybe an inch or two more, but carries a more muscular build than you, which you note with a jealous eye.

"I just knew you'd earn yourself kitchen duty again," Shia tells him, amusement apparent in her voice.  The boy frowns.

Crossing his arms across his aproned chest, "It's not like I did anything--"

"Which is why you're scrubbing dishes," Shia interjects, earning a growl.

Catching herself, Shia turns to you.  "Maki, this is Gaira."  She then repeats the same, introducing you to him.

[Kwokinator]

"I'm Maki Taguchi," he introduces himself, extending himself, despite being slightly jealous of the guy in front of him, idly wondering how long it might take him to get that kind of build. "Nice to meet you."

"So what earned you kitchen duty, exactly?"

[Liddo-kun]

"Likewise."  Gaira gives you a strong, firm handshake before recanting his tale.  "Oh, the slave drivers just feel like picking on me," he tells you in a woebegone manner, trying to earn your sympathies.

Shia snorts at the claim, wearing a mask of jaded disbelief.  "Keep that up and they'll hit you with more chores, Gai."

"Hmm.  Probably," Gaira admits, swiftly taking a sponge in hand and getting himself elbow deep in soapy water as he tackles the dishes.

[Kwokinator]

"Sounds like Shia doesn't believe you," he grins at the seemingly friendly Gaira. "So I'd be inclined to disbelieve your claim about the slave drivers too."

[Liddo-kun]

"Mmm.  Probably the wise choice," Gaira tells you, wearing a wide grin as he looks at you over his shoulder.  Turning back to pick at a particularly stubborn stain.  "In most cases," he ammends.

[Kwokinator]

"So what'd he do anyway?" Maki turns to ask Shia, curious.