[Open] Quiet Contemplation

[a_touch_of_rose]

The most beautiful flowers are those no man shall ever see.

The redhead was sitting on a bench near the stone-and-glass landmark of the village, a pretty black parasol patterned in red, abstract swirls held open to protect her from the light drizzle. Her posture said that she was deep in thought, from the way she traced idle patterns on the gourd at her feet with her free hand.

It hadn't surprised her to wake up alone, but that note... Gaara was fairly certain it had been left by Uchiha Sasuke, but the why eluded her. What had he meant by that, anyway? He was honestly a confusing person, and she didn't quite know what to make of him.

Aside from that, her head was quiet. Occasionally, she caught the murmurings of her tenant, but this close to the full moon, she should have been inundated with his inane grumbling. Instead, she received only stray comments, and most were relatively tame. It seemed, after his encounter with Sasuke, he didn't want to cause too much trouble. She'd even been allowed to sleep...

Slowly, the rain faded to the barest mist and, as the sun peaked out, a small cluster of bright flowers unfurled near her feet. She stared at them quietly, once again recalling that note.

...she was so confused...

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[a_touch_of_rose]

She watched him as he sat, poised to catch him in case he fell, but he seemed to make it to the floor on his own and she was able to relax. She lifted the cup to her lips, sipping quietly, and murmured her thanks to the prompt waitress - but waved the woman off when she reached for the teapot. She doubted Itachi would read too much into it if she poured his tea for him.

Gaara managed it gracefully despite the fact that she was on her sixth teapot - some of the staff were giving her awed looks - and pushed a plate of dango at him. "The tea is meant to be somewhat potent, I think," she replied calmly, nibbling her own skewer of dango.

[itachi_san]

He accepted a stick of dango, and took a small bite. It was good, so he anticipated that the tea, potent or not, was likely going to be good too.

He really had no idea what she meant by 'potent,' though until he picked up his cup and took a sip. It tasted... very strange. It was strong, that was for sure. And bitter. So much so, that he coughed as it went down.

[a_touch_of_rose]

It was actually some of the best dango she'd had - there was a small tea shop on the road between Konoha and Suna that had the best, but this was a close second. Gaara could only eat sweets with tea, where the bitterness and the sweetness melded nicely.

She gave Itachi a concerned look when he began coughing, immediately offering him a napkin and very lightly patting his back. "Are you all right...?"

[itachi_san]

"You... weren't kidding..." he coughed again. "when you... said the tea... was strong..."

He took another sip, wondering how the flavor had taken him so strongly by surprise. It had just as sharp of a bite this time too, and he actually dropped the cup.

[a_touch_of_rose]

"I rarely 'kid'," was the dry response.

She caught the cup, though, and set it aside, eyeing him over the rim of her own as she drained it like it was water. "Perhaps you should try something milder?" she suggested. It hadn't occurred to her that he didn't know there was liquor in this tea, in all honesty, since it'd said it quite clearly on the sign.

[itachi_san]

"Gotcha now..." he slumped into her before he even realized he slumped into her.

And for the record, his eyesight had already deteriorated to the point where reading was an almost impossible challenge. Whatever was on that sign, save for the big words of 'tea house' out front, he completely missed.

[a_touch_of_rose]

"Wha-?" she began, then stiffened as soon as his weight settled against her. This was - she had no idea what to do about this. At last she sighed and shifted, carefully so that he didn't fall. "...two sips and you are already like this...?"

She shook her head, downed her cup, and waved the waitress over. "May I try the hibiscus blend, and have a glass of water for my...friend?" she asked politely. The woman nodded and left, returning soon with water for Itachi and a new pot of tea for Gaara.

This one was apparently a lot stronger, though, because even she blinked at the first sip. "Hm."

[itachi_san]

"Already... like what?" he mumbled, leaning completely against her now.

[a_touch_of_rose]

Okay, she gets no personal space, what. The question made her blink, though, and she elaborate with, "...you seem somewhat inebriated, Itachi-san." The second cup of the hibiscus blend went the way of the first and - ah. There was the familiar sense of warmth. Her cheeks were probably just a tad bit pink now.

[itachi_san]

Well, he wasn't leaning on her, per se. It just happened to be the direction in which he slumped. Set him upright, and he may slump in just about any direction, and probably laugh about it. But as of right now?

"... Funny..." he giggled through a grin. He'd had tea, not sake! What was Gaara even thinking? "You sand folks... silly..."

[a_touch_of_rose]

Which was precisely why she hadn't sat him back up. For all she knew, he'd slump back and hit his head and she'd be blamed. It was easier to just leave him be.

..except that he was giggling at her, and that was just weird. She was a little affronted at being called 'silly', too, but in the end she just quietly sipped her tea.

By the fourth cup the cumulative effects finally hit her and she blinked down at the table, cheek warm. Apparently the hibiscus blend had been just what she'd needed.

[itachi_san]

What wasn't there to giggle about? Her hair was red. Her chakra was really really bright. The sky was blue. Itachi was... really drunk.

He hiccuped a little as he tried to sit up on his own, only to fall face first into her lap.

[a_touch_of_rose]

...her red hair was funny to him? Ouch. Gaara would definitely agree that her companion was drunk, though.

Particularly when he fell in her lap. Now, under normal circumstances, she would have immediately pushed him away. But right now she was feeling pleasantly relaxed, and warm, and...

"...you have nice hair." She petted it idly.

Guess who else is a little drunk...

[itachi_san]

Itachi giggled at that. He felt kind of like a cat with someone scratching behind his ears. And he answered appropriately with a 'meow' and something that sounded vaguely like a 'purr' until it turned not so vaguely into a cough.

[a_touch_of_rose]

Oh dear. No, Itachi, don't meow-

Too late, Gaara's already giggling quietly. It wasn't not a bad sound, actually, though it was pretty rare to hear. She kept petting him, though, lightly tucking that long hair behind his ear.

Even in this state she can tell that the cough is bad, though, and she carefully shifted him so that she could pat his back.

[itachi_san]

It was as if they were brewing catnip or something.

It was almost impossible to tell whether Itachi was laughing gleefully or wheezing as he gasped for air. (He was still meowing, regardless...) But the fact that she could feel every ridge of his spine from under that shirt helped explain how he got so very drunk so very fast.

[a_touch_of_rose]

Yeah, that probably had something to do with it. Gaara, due to her relatively decent upbringing, was a relatively healthy weight, curvy and slender, muscled. But the factor working the most in her favor was Shukaku, who apparently absorbed alcohol like a sponge.

She downed the rest of her fifth cup of hibiscus tea, poured the rest of the pot into the cut, and drank that as well. And now she was very warm, and still petting Itachi. His hair, his cheek, his neck~

She got very touchy-feely when she was drunk. >__>

[itachi_san]

And he'd pretty much curled up in her lap, awkwardly draped in a face-down position that only drunkenness could have produced. One foot was up by her shoulder. His head was under the table. And an arm had somehow wrapped itself around a leg.

"You're... soft..." he giggled, playing with the edge of her shoe like a cat would a piece of string.