endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2009-08-16 08:01 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2009-08-16 08:01 pm
Entry tags:
Log: Nix Making Friends the Hard Way
Title: Making Friends the Hard Way
Type: RP log
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Momochi Zabuza
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Log originally posted up January 08, 2009 for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
nixcore RP comm.
Dedicated to: Zabuza. Because this has been the ONLY Zabuza player that I've come across in my RP career.
With another turn of the screw, she secured the positioning of the lights and easily slid in the color filter that the director had asked for. Red, of course, to off-set the regular lighting. And once that was in place, it was a simple matter of positioning the last of the furniture.
One step at a time, Tenten descended down the ladder with ease. Something she had done a thousand and one times by now as one of the leading workers in the set department, although that was certainly not a big comment on her construction skills. At least not in be beginning. She simply needed the extra money in between costume projects. Still, the many opportunities did extremely well to improve her experience on the matter. And more experience meant more projects.
Pushing the couch into place in between the side table, the young woman gave a soft sigh and cleanly wiped the small mist of sweat from her forehead. The clock on the far wall read 12:54 PM. A good time to stop for lunch before starting work on those costume assignments. The usual routine, one that had been working rather well for Tenten during the past few months. And one that she did not intend to change if it could be helped. So, it was with one last look around, she slipped off her gloves and tossed them onto the nearest work table on her way out, heading straight for the worker's lounge for a well-earned break.
The elevator was slow.
He'd never felt so lazy in years - who takes the elevator to the second floor anyways? The stairs would be a lot quicker, an generally lacked that irritating yet catchy background music. Unfortunately, according to the girl at the dentist's office, stairs were just one of the many things that would most likely make Zabuza's mouth start to bleed profusely again after that "doctor" had made a stupid mistake involving a drill. And as badass as it seemed to spit out blood on command, sadly it hurt like a vicious bitch.
Not like he would admit it though. He was just pissed off that he had been too doped up to do any damage in return.
Zabuza glanced towards the clock on the wall and muttered out a few curses. He hoped this Tenten woman wouldn't throw a fit that he was taking so long. Then again, she hadn't exactly specified a time, so he couldn't really be blamed...
An obnoxious dinging noise signaled that his ride was finally here. He stepped in quickly, hoping that he was somewhat on time.
After another glance at the clock over her shoulder, she easily slipped the earbuds of her iPod into place and turned it on with a flick of her thumb, the loud stream of music drowning out any outside noises while Tenten entered the lounge. Empty as usual, everyone else having taken their lunch break earlier while she had chosen to continue on until her part was over. It was, perhaps, better that way. At least where she was concerned. The transition between set and costume was made more smoothly that way. However, it also distanced her from the other employees who worked in the department.
No matter, she supposed. Her schedule kept Tenten busy enough to bypass any immediate need to befriend them. And none of them were going to great lengths to befriend her. So the relative balance of the department was safe.
The sight of the full pot of tea - complete with sticky-note - was enough to tell her that Zabuza had yet to show up. Understandably, Tenten was still hopeful, though. Especially since she had never specified when was a good time for him to come by for the herbal remedy. Hence the separate pot still steaming and warm with its medicinal properties perfectly preserved. When he was ready to ease the ache, Zabuza would show. Until then, she would simply sip her coffee, take her breaks, and keep an eye out for him in between projects for both departments.
Luckily for him, the elevator was deserted when he got in. Seeing as how no one was around, Zabuza allowed himself to rub his jaw tenderly, wincing slightly at the touch. He growled a bit in annoyance and tried to concentrate on something else, though it proved to be rather difficult due to the fact that elevators rarely carried much of anything noteworthy inside.
As soon as the large metal doors slid open he hurried out, already feeling a bit claustrophobic. God, if this miracle tea shit didn't work...
He walked rather fast down the hall, somehow thinking that maybe it would make up for not being there at a usual break time. Stepping into the room however, made him think that he wasn't in as much trouble as he first thought. A brunette woman was alone in the room, a full pot of tea nearby - as long as he didn't make her wait too long, he should be in the clear.
"...Tenten I assume?"
As was a usual sight on the second floor, Tenten was too wrapped up in the music blaring through her earbuds. Too busy bouncing lightly to the beat of the song to notice anyone else entering the room. She had expected everyone else to be working after all. And the young woman was more than comfortable with drifting off into her own little world while everyone else saw it fit to continue on around her. Without her.
So it was a bit of a shock when she turned from the counter, coffee cup in hand, to find a man she had never met standing there. Watching. Waiting. "Oh, geez -- !"
She nearly dropped the cup from the physical jump that her body made, which would have resulted in a very messy clean-up. But only a few droplets were able to escape past the paper lip before Tenten managed to still herself, pressing a hand to her chest in hopes of stopping the quick beating of her heart as well. "Warn a girl before you're gonna do that."
Not a very good impression at all, she thought as she pulled out the earbuds, an embarrassed smile slowly forming across her face. And even as she spoke again in a more polite manner, Tenten was already kneeling down to try and wipe up little spots of coffee from the floor. "Uh...can I help you?"
It was hard not to smirk at the situation. Here he was, all bent out of shape because he thought he was the one who would end up doing something stupid. Due to the immense pain brought on by smiling though, he had to settle for a slight twitch of the lips. Feeling much more relaxed now, Zabuza casually sauntered over towards the counter, stopping as his eyes caught sight of the sticky-note on the pot.
"...yeah. Got a cup?" He turned his head back to startled young woman. Reaching over, he grabbed a roll of paper towel next to the sink and shoved it towards her. It wasn't exactly a "why hello there, so wonderful to meet you!", but it was the closest thing to a nice gesture he could think of at the moment.
Truthfully, he was still trying to avoid a nasty argument about why he was so damn late, but she didn't need to know that.
"Oh! Thank you." A nod of thanks and a small smile was given as Tenten accepted the roll of towels from the stranger. And with as much effort as she could, the young woman tried not to do anything that would further her embarrassment. "Uh -- yeah, sorry. Right there next to the coffee."
Well, at the very least, that was a nice ice breaker, she mused, standing up to toss the stained napkin into the trash nearby, Nothing like humiliating yourself to ease a first meeting.
Carefully stepping around him, Tenten ripped off another piece of paper towel and held it under the faucet just long enough to get it damp. That done, she dropped it on the floor and proceeded to clean up the rest of the mess with the toe of her shoe. Nothing like a sticky floor and sticky shoes to spoil the work environment. "I promise, I'm not usually this...jumpy."
"Hm. Is that so?" Zabuza simply shrugged and turned back to the counter. With his cup in hand, he moved towards the tea pot, peeling off the note to get a better look. "...Well now that you can hear me, I'm gonna go out on a limb and take it that you're the one who invited me here then?" After shoving the slip of paper into his pocket he began to help himself to the pot, only turning his head back to the brunette when he thought she was done cleaning up.
Personally, Zabuza hated when people looked at him when he messed up. Whether she felt the same or not wasn't really that important.
If asked, Tenten would have said that she did not mind people watching or laughing whenever she made mistakes. They were inevitable and simply a part of life. Everyone made them. Everyone learned from them. Just as long as she was able to laugh at herself as well, things would be alright in the end. At least, that was the standpoint she liked to take on the matter.
"Heh, yeah," she responded with a grin, bending down to pick up the wet napkin and throw that into the trash as well, "When you work for set and costume, being jumpy is viewed as a pretty big disadvantage for the job."
All that done, Tenten finally took the time to regard the other. A little above average height, medium build. And hopefully a forgiving sense of humor after witnessing her less than graceful display. Because people could be exceptionally cruel if they wished to be. But it was only after listening to his inquiry and observing his actions that the pieces finally fell into place.
"Oh, so you're Zabuza," came her revelation, taking the opportunity to lean against the counter on the other side of the pot, "I was starting to wonder when you'd show up."
He scowled slighty as he put the pot back, having hoped his timing wouldn't be brought up. "Yeah, Well, I didn't exactly have a specific time to go by, you know" he muttered as he turned back to get a better look at the girl now that she wasn't jumping around or cleaning. Brown hair pulled back in buns, slim, medium height...rather pretty, though it was unfortunate about her dance moves. Oh well.
Zabuza nodded lightly at her, repeating his earlier unheard words, "So you are Tenten then?" He looked down at the hot liquid in his cup, narrowing his eyes a bit. "...tell me, do I have to add anything to this stuff or will it miraculously heal me on it's own?"
Nonchalantly, she gave a simple shrug to his comment, quipping in an easy response of, "You never asked." A bit childish, perhaps. But it was, in her eyes, the truth. "But that's why I brought the separate pot: so that it'd stay warm for when you did show up." And softly, Tenten scoffed to herself before adding in a more joking manner, "But yeah, I'm Tenten, local denizen and klutz of the second floor employee lounge, apparently."
She would have held out her hand for him to take, but thought better of it after catching what seemed like a look of skepticism and possibly caution in regards to the tea. A common reaction as far as Tenten had seen. But at the very least, Zabuza was willing to try it.
Taking up the cup of coffee she had placed on the counter before, the young woman took a tentative sip before reaching over for a packet of artificial sweetener -- sugar was a far better choice, but there was none within sight -- to add into her drink. "Some people like to drink it with sugar and/or creme for flavor, but as far as the properties, no, you don't have to put anything in it."
After giving the tea another wary glance, he shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Well, you do your job well if that's the case." Raising the cup to his lips, Zabuza took a swig and immediately had to repress the urge to to spit it all out as it hit his tongue.
Fuck, that shit was HOT!
Refusing to show weakness, he just bit his lip, clenched his fist around the cup and took another sip.
At that, she grinned into her coffee and glanced at him over the lip of the cup. "Yeah well, what's the point of being a klutz if you're not good at it, right?" Taking another sip, Tenten took a moment to let the... flavor flow over her taste buds. Granted, it was not the best coffee in the world and it took some effort not to make a face at the bitter aftertaste that came when she swallowed it down. But it had been far worse in the past. "And... in my defense, you did catch me off-guard."
With a calm and careful eye, the young woman watched Zabuza take his first sip of the tea. And for the briefest of moments, his muscles seemed to twitch and clench in an unreadable way. She had certainly never seen that sort of reaction before, and Tenten could not help but furrow her brows a little at it. "Are... you ok?"
"...Fantastic." Zabuza muttered before setting the cup back on the counter. "Can't say the same for your tea though." He wiped the back of hand over his mouth quickly as if to get rid of any hint of the foul bitterness of the tea on it. It was nasty - the fact that his tastebuds were temporarily out of order had absolutely nothing to do with it, really.
He didn't bother taking another sip after that. Instead he just turned around and headed towards one of the couches nearby, flopping down and taking up as much room as he wanted as though he owned the place.
In spite of herself and being unsure about how he would react, Tenten could not help but snicker a bit at the other's reaction to the taste. It was one she had seen often, although to varying degrees. As with most medicinal remedies, flavor was sacrificed for effectiveness. And whether he would admit to it now, or deny it all later, the tea never failed to help.
Taking a moment to think over the situation, she took up the forgotten cup and meandered over towards the couches as well, though refrained from taking a seat just yet. There was a good chance that things would go wrong, but at the very least, Tenten would take the chance. "Well, that's why I said that people usually add in sugar or creme to make it taste better." Here, she scoffed softly and continued. "What'd you expect? Vanilla and cinnamon? Besides, it wasn't meant to taste good."
Lifting the cup of coffee to her lips, Tenten sipped at her coffee and let that thought roll around his mind for a moment before attempting to build on the momentum of her argument. "Even cold medicine tastes terrible, but that doesn't mean they still don't do the job." And with a few steps, she set his discarded cup on the table in front of him, wisps of heat still radiating from the warm tea. "And if you want that toothache to go away fast, one cup a day is the minimum dose."
He narrowed his eyes at her and took a quick glance back at the drink "Is that so? Because I gotta say, I think you just lack the ability to make tea taste good." Smirking slightly as he reached back to the table and picked the cup up again, he sniffed at the aroma, made a face, and put it back down again. "...I'll say this though, when drinking that shit my mind was definitely far from my teeth, that's for sure."
Casually he propped a foot up on the coffee table and looked around the room for anything else that might catch his attention. Anything other than fast-working, yet horrendously foul-tasting medicinal tea anyways. Seeing nothing like that, Zabuza just grunted and turned his head back to Tenten, "The fuck is there to do around here? Besides making the worst tea ever I mean."
He was trying her patience, intentionally if Tenten had to take a guess about it. But after years of working at a Chinese restaurant of all places and dealing with unruly customers, it was something she was perfectly capable of handling. A wounded pride would get her nothing but more resistance and cause for Zabuza to continue his taunts. So, instead of lashing back, the young woman merely shrugged in a nonchalant sort of manner. "Fine. If you're not man enough to suffer through a few seconds of bitter tea, then I guess you'll just have to be man enough to live through the pain of your toothache. It's too bad too. You look better without a bloody mouth."
Here, she paused for a moment, both to let him react to her words and to mull over her next course of action. Now would have been a good time to pick up the cup of tea and simply pour it down the drain with the rest of the pot. And she might have done so under different circumstances. As it stood, Tenten simply went back into the worker's lounge to make another pot of coffee. A better pot of coffee.
Tenten's casual reaction to his words caused Zabuza to scowl once again. Even though she was clearly using a textbook example of reverse psycology, the muscles under his eye twitched slightly in response to being insulted. He was, after all, a man, and therefore any comments meant to injure his pride would undoubtedly do intended harm. Mentally, he cursed at her for putting him in this situation and growled darkly as she walked away from him.
As his mouth gave a frustrating familiar ache along with the tangy taste of blood - god dammit that woman had gotten him worked up! - Zabuza quickly shot his hand out to grab the cup that was still sitting in front of him. The weird smell was still there, and the water still looked a color that water generally wasn't supposed to be. Not to mention the stuff floating around in there looked rather...unsettling.
But fuck it. She called him a pussy.
Without another word he raised the cup and drank down every last heinous drop. After that, he had to use just about every ounce of will in him to not make a face, instead opting to bite down on his lip slightly. Oh that klutzy bitch was going to get it...
It was a strategy that never failed: attack a person's pride and they would go to great lengths to prove the accusations wrong. And nothing was more important to a man than their own ego. At least that was what Tenten had learned through the years while growing up alongside them. Never one to exactly fall in line to what was expected of a woman, she would often find herself in the company of men. It was with them that she held more common interest with. And while it was not a stretch for her to be feminine from time to time -- costume and fashion aside -- hanging with the guys just seemed like a better fit. The fact that it helped with her mental warfare was just a nice bonus to the package.
So Tenten could only smirk lightly with a small level of satisfaction when she heard the low growl of anger, though she made no attempts to acknowledge it. Bruised pride. Bitter tea. Aching tooth. Bloody mouth. From her standpoint, he had suffered enough without the added ridicule. Instead, while going through the motions of making another pot of coffee, the young woman decided to answer the last of Zabuza's previous inquiries. "As for what there is to do around here, work might be an option. This is a company after all. We do have jobs to do."
Zabuza's initial response was to just glare at nothing in particular as he threw the empty cup at the trashcan near by. He only opened his mouth again because he figured if he didn't, she'd think she'd gotten the better of him or something ridiculous like that. "Is that right? Contrary to belief, I DO work here too you know." ...klutzy bitch.
Craning his head back slightly, he eyed Tenten while her back was turned and frowned. "Unless you happen to be talking about one of those odd jobs that pay. Then I'd consider listening."
Since there was no sounds of water splashing against the plastic, or the soft gurgle of liquid seeping towards the bottom of the trash receptacle, Tenten could only assume that Zabuza had emptied out his cup before tossing it away. And that was enough of a win in her book. Certainly, she quite possibly could have made an potential enemy that day, or at the very least a constant annoyance to plague the rest of her days at Nixcore. But in the end, her intentions had been fruitful. And that was compensation enough for the trouble that might come if the young woman's actions.
Keeping her gaze focused in front of her, Tenten set the filter into place with a quiet click and poured a pot-full of water into the appropriate slot before turning the coffee maker on. "I'm sure the set department would be happy to have all the help they could get. There's been a virus going around and we have been a little short-staffed lately." Her task done, she glanced over the curve of her shoulder curiously. "How are you with basic construction?"
"Probably more useful than half the shitwads on your staff." He met her eyes with his own, staring back intensely as though daring her to suggest anything different. He wasn't really lying either...after all, he'd worked at a construction yard for a while a few years ago. And okay, maybe he hadn't exactly seen what the people working with Tenten could do, but that really didn't matter in his opinion. He could do better.
The klutzy bitch wouldn't be able to call him a pussy again - there was no way in hell he'd give her the chance a second time. There was just a few things he needed to know first. Still keeping his gaze locked on her, Zabuza smirked.
"How much you gonna pay me, and when do I start?"
Without hesitation or fear of his intimidation tactics, Tenten met Zabuza's gaze and held it, facing it down like she would any challenge that was presented to her. Because he needed to know that despite her cheerful and friendly disposition towards him, the young woman was more than capable of holding her own. She was not the pushover he seemed to view her as.
When she felt that the moment of silent confrontation had passed, Tenten decided to take advantage of their close proximity to get another look at him. His height would certainly be an advantage. And from this distance it was easy to see that he definitely had the muscles for the job, hidden under a seemingly average frame. Yes, he would be a good addition to the set staff, temporary or otherwise.
"I wouldn't doubt that," Tenten commented, flashing him a grin of her own before turning back to the fresh pot of coffee and the rich aroma that slowly filled the lounge. "But you're gonna have to discuss payment and the rest of it with the Department Manager. Lanky guy in a shirt and tie that looks like he hasn't picked up a weight in at least a decade? Goes by the name of Gabe?"
The fact that Tenten hadn't backed down yet made Zabuza both annoyed and impressed. Annoyed because she was making things difficult for him, what with her insults and insinuations, but impressed since it was rare for someone to actually have the balls to stand up him once in awhile. Not that she had balls that is.But then again this WAS Nixcore, and stranger things wouldn't have shocked him... He looked her over once again but failed to see anything that would have turned anyone besides gay men off.
Slightly relieved, he shook his head and stood up. As he walked closer to the girl, he reached for another cup on the surface behind her, responding in an impassive voice. "Doesn't ring a bell." Pouring the coffee, he eyed it a little suspiciously. He was still wary about any drinks Tenten made, no matter how deceptively good they smelled. "So where do I find this guy?"
Granted, the tea was not the most spectacular drink in the world. But there was hardly a soul in Nixcore who knew their way around a coffee bean better than Tenten. For the past two years when she had been attending school down in San Diego, the young woman made a living as a server at a well-established cafe. With a good portion of the nation addicted to the warm and caffeinated drink, everything she ever needed to know about coffee was slowly ingrained into her mind until they became second nature. So when she had caught the wary look Zabuza gave his steaming cup of coffee, Tenten had taken a small offense. But no sooner had the feeling prickled at her conscious, it was forgotten. The brew would speak for itself and her pride would remain in tact.
"I'm not surprised. The only time Gabe shows his face around here is to give his orders and assign duties for the next project." Taking up the pot, she poured herself a cup as well before continuing. "Other than that, he mostly stays in his bat-cave of an office just around the corner."
Shuffling to the side to give him more room, she leaned back casually against the counter and took a careful sip. A quick glance to the clock hanging on the wall told her that break time was almost over. Time to get back to work where a few dozen outfits were already waiting for her attention in the costume department. Just as well, she thought. As entertaining as it might have been, the both of them could not spend the rest of the day in the employee lounge sipping coffee.
"Oh. He's probably jerkin' it or something then." Carefully, he took a slow drink from the cup, a slight surprised expression ghosting over his face for a moment as the taste really hit him. The rich darkness of it all instantly covered up any lingering aftertaste of the bitter tea, causing Zabuza to take another sip without even realizing it. Okay, so maybe the bitch could make a decent cup of coffee. Big whoop.
It wasn't until he noticed her glance at the clock that he realized just how much time they'd wasted bitching around up here. Did having silent conflicts about tea and ego really take that long? It didn't matter in the least to him, he had today off surprisingly, but Miss Coffee Expert over there probably had to get back to doing whatever it was she did to pay the bills. Sucks to be her. "Well, as fun as this has been, I got shit to do." Taking another quick drink before leaving, he chucked the cup away as 'gracefully' as before. "Later Klutz. It's been interesting."
Tenten snerked softly at his comment, believing that Zabuza may have guessed right about what the department manager did in his solitude - or at least that was everyone else said when the man was nowhere to be found. But perhaps that was too much information to discuss with one who she had only met that day. After all, if he was as serious as he seemed about picking up a temporary job in the set department, there would another opportunity to talk and continue the light banter the seemed to have.
Instead, the young woman turned and set her cup on the counter for a moment, moving to take a hold of the handle of the tea pot simmering beside the coffee maker. "Well, we do work at a porn industry. It wouldn't exactly be difficult to find... inspiration." And even as she spoke, the young woman was pouring the remainder of the remedy into the thermos she had used to bring it into work that morning. And moving quickly before he could flee the scene without it.
"Hey!" she called out with a final turn of the cap so that nothing spilled. Then Tenten was tossing the container to him, leaving him little to no opportunity to decline. On this, she would not negotiate. And as the last few words slipped easily out of her mouth, she was already putting in the earbuds of her iPod, music still blaring to drown out any sort of protest he might have given. "Remember: at least one cup a day. Chase it with something if it'll make the experience more tolerant, but... just try it."
Zabuza spun around and managed to catch the thermos without fail. The crude reply that was about to make itself known died in his throat when he realized she wasn't even going to hear it. He frowned and glared at her retreating form for a moment before turning and walking out of the room, pausing only for a moment. "...No promises." She couldn't be serious. Like he'd actually willingly put that crap back in his mouth. What a laugh.
Though...a few minutes later, as he was waiting for that ancient goddamn elevator, Zabuza's lips curved up ever so slightly. At least today had been somewhat interesting. His mouth hurt a little less, and he might be able to scrape together a couple extra bucks now - Cameraman weren't exactly paid incredibly after all. He almost looked forward to talking with the gutsy bitch again too. Almost.
But once he slipped the cap off of the thermos out of boredom while he waited, that thought was stamped out immediately.
Type: RP log
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Momochi Zabuza
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Log originally posted up January 08, 2009 for the
nixcore RP comm. Dedicated to: Zabuza. Because this has been the ONLY Zabuza player that I've come across in my RP career.
With another turn of the screw, she secured the positioning of the lights and easily slid in the color filter that the director had asked for. Red, of course, to off-set the regular lighting. And once that was in place, it was a simple matter of positioning the last of the furniture.
One step at a time, Tenten descended down the ladder with ease. Something she had done a thousand and one times by now as one of the leading workers in the set department, although that was certainly not a big comment on her construction skills. At least not in be beginning. She simply needed the extra money in between costume projects. Still, the many opportunities did extremely well to improve her experience on the matter. And more experience meant more projects.
Pushing the couch into place in between the side table, the young woman gave a soft sigh and cleanly wiped the small mist of sweat from her forehead. The clock on the far wall read 12:54 PM. A good time to stop for lunch before starting work on those costume assignments. The usual routine, one that had been working rather well for Tenten during the past few months. And one that she did not intend to change if it could be helped. So, it was with one last look around, she slipped off her gloves and tossed them onto the nearest work table on her way out, heading straight for the worker's lounge for a well-earned break.
The elevator was slow.
He'd never felt so lazy in years - who takes the elevator to the second floor anyways? The stairs would be a lot quicker, an generally lacked that irritating yet catchy background music. Unfortunately, according to the girl at the dentist's office, stairs were just one of the many things that would most likely make Zabuza's mouth start to bleed profusely again after that "doctor" had made a stupid mistake involving a drill. And as badass as it seemed to spit out blood on command, sadly it hurt like a vicious bitch.
Not like he would admit it though. He was just pissed off that he had been too doped up to do any damage in return.
Zabuza glanced towards the clock on the wall and muttered out a few curses. He hoped this Tenten woman wouldn't throw a fit that he was taking so long. Then again, she hadn't exactly specified a time, so he couldn't really be blamed...
An obnoxious dinging noise signaled that his ride was finally here. He stepped in quickly, hoping that he was somewhat on time.
After another glance at the clock over her shoulder, she easily slipped the earbuds of her iPod into place and turned it on with a flick of her thumb, the loud stream of music drowning out any outside noises while Tenten entered the lounge. Empty as usual, everyone else having taken their lunch break earlier while she had chosen to continue on until her part was over. It was, perhaps, better that way. At least where she was concerned. The transition between set and costume was made more smoothly that way. However, it also distanced her from the other employees who worked in the department.
No matter, she supposed. Her schedule kept Tenten busy enough to bypass any immediate need to befriend them. And none of them were going to great lengths to befriend her. So the relative balance of the department was safe.
The sight of the full pot of tea - complete with sticky-note - was enough to tell her that Zabuza had yet to show up. Understandably, Tenten was still hopeful, though. Especially since she had never specified when was a good time for him to come by for the herbal remedy. Hence the separate pot still steaming and warm with its medicinal properties perfectly preserved. When he was ready to ease the ache, Zabuza would show. Until then, she would simply sip her coffee, take her breaks, and keep an eye out for him in between projects for both departments.
Luckily for him, the elevator was deserted when he got in. Seeing as how no one was around, Zabuza allowed himself to rub his jaw tenderly, wincing slightly at the touch. He growled a bit in annoyance and tried to concentrate on something else, though it proved to be rather difficult due to the fact that elevators rarely carried much of anything noteworthy inside.
As soon as the large metal doors slid open he hurried out, already feeling a bit claustrophobic. God, if this miracle tea shit didn't work...
He walked rather fast down the hall, somehow thinking that maybe it would make up for not being there at a usual break time. Stepping into the room however, made him think that he wasn't in as much trouble as he first thought. A brunette woman was alone in the room, a full pot of tea nearby - as long as he didn't make her wait too long, he should be in the clear.
"...Tenten I assume?"
As was a usual sight on the second floor, Tenten was too wrapped up in the music blaring through her earbuds. Too busy bouncing lightly to the beat of the song to notice anyone else entering the room. She had expected everyone else to be working after all. And the young woman was more than comfortable with drifting off into her own little world while everyone else saw it fit to continue on around her. Without her.
So it was a bit of a shock when she turned from the counter, coffee cup in hand, to find a man she had never met standing there. Watching. Waiting. "Oh, geez -- !"
She nearly dropped the cup from the physical jump that her body made, which would have resulted in a very messy clean-up. But only a few droplets were able to escape past the paper lip before Tenten managed to still herself, pressing a hand to her chest in hopes of stopping the quick beating of her heart as well. "Warn a girl before you're gonna do that."
Not a very good impression at all, she thought as she pulled out the earbuds, an embarrassed smile slowly forming across her face. And even as she spoke again in a more polite manner, Tenten was already kneeling down to try and wipe up little spots of coffee from the floor. "Uh...can I help you?"
It was hard not to smirk at the situation. Here he was, all bent out of shape because he thought he was the one who would end up doing something stupid. Due to the immense pain brought on by smiling though, he had to settle for a slight twitch of the lips. Feeling much more relaxed now, Zabuza casually sauntered over towards the counter, stopping as his eyes caught sight of the sticky-note on the pot.
"...yeah. Got a cup?" He turned his head back to startled young woman. Reaching over, he grabbed a roll of paper towel next to the sink and shoved it towards her. It wasn't exactly a "why hello there, so wonderful to meet you!", but it was the closest thing to a nice gesture he could think of at the moment.
Truthfully, he was still trying to avoid a nasty argument about why he was so damn late, but she didn't need to know that.
"Oh! Thank you." A nod of thanks and a small smile was given as Tenten accepted the roll of towels from the stranger. And with as much effort as she could, the young woman tried not to do anything that would further her embarrassment. "Uh -- yeah, sorry. Right there next to the coffee."
Well, at the very least, that was a nice ice breaker, she mused, standing up to toss the stained napkin into the trash nearby, Nothing like humiliating yourself to ease a first meeting.
Carefully stepping around him, Tenten ripped off another piece of paper towel and held it under the faucet just long enough to get it damp. That done, she dropped it on the floor and proceeded to clean up the rest of the mess with the toe of her shoe. Nothing like a sticky floor and sticky shoes to spoil the work environment. "I promise, I'm not usually this...jumpy."
"Hm. Is that so?" Zabuza simply shrugged and turned back to the counter. With his cup in hand, he moved towards the tea pot, peeling off the note to get a better look. "...Well now that you can hear me, I'm gonna go out on a limb and take it that you're the one who invited me here then?" After shoving the slip of paper into his pocket he began to help himself to the pot, only turning his head back to the brunette when he thought she was done cleaning up.
Personally, Zabuza hated when people looked at him when he messed up. Whether she felt the same or not wasn't really that important.
If asked, Tenten would have said that she did not mind people watching or laughing whenever she made mistakes. They were inevitable and simply a part of life. Everyone made them. Everyone learned from them. Just as long as she was able to laugh at herself as well, things would be alright in the end. At least, that was the standpoint she liked to take on the matter.
"Heh, yeah," she responded with a grin, bending down to pick up the wet napkin and throw that into the trash as well, "When you work for set and costume, being jumpy is viewed as a pretty big disadvantage for the job."
All that done, Tenten finally took the time to regard the other. A little above average height, medium build. And hopefully a forgiving sense of humor after witnessing her less than graceful display. Because people could be exceptionally cruel if they wished to be. But it was only after listening to his inquiry and observing his actions that the pieces finally fell into place.
"Oh, so you're Zabuza," came her revelation, taking the opportunity to lean against the counter on the other side of the pot, "I was starting to wonder when you'd show up."
He scowled slighty as he put the pot back, having hoped his timing wouldn't be brought up. "Yeah, Well, I didn't exactly have a specific time to go by, you know" he muttered as he turned back to get a better look at the girl now that she wasn't jumping around or cleaning. Brown hair pulled back in buns, slim, medium height...rather pretty, though it was unfortunate about her dance moves. Oh well.
Zabuza nodded lightly at her, repeating his earlier unheard words, "So you are Tenten then?" He looked down at the hot liquid in his cup, narrowing his eyes a bit. "...tell me, do I have to add anything to this stuff or will it miraculously heal me on it's own?"
Nonchalantly, she gave a simple shrug to his comment, quipping in an easy response of, "You never asked." A bit childish, perhaps. But it was, in her eyes, the truth. "But that's why I brought the separate pot: so that it'd stay warm for when you did show up." And softly, Tenten scoffed to herself before adding in a more joking manner, "But yeah, I'm Tenten, local denizen and klutz of the second floor employee lounge, apparently."
She would have held out her hand for him to take, but thought better of it after catching what seemed like a look of skepticism and possibly caution in regards to the tea. A common reaction as far as Tenten had seen. But at the very least, Zabuza was willing to try it.
Taking up the cup of coffee she had placed on the counter before, the young woman took a tentative sip before reaching over for a packet of artificial sweetener -- sugar was a far better choice, but there was none within sight -- to add into her drink. "Some people like to drink it with sugar and/or creme for flavor, but as far as the properties, no, you don't have to put anything in it."
After giving the tea another wary glance, he shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Well, you do your job well if that's the case." Raising the cup to his lips, Zabuza took a swig and immediately had to repress the urge to to spit it all out as it hit his tongue.
Fuck, that shit was HOT!
Refusing to show weakness, he just bit his lip, clenched his fist around the cup and took another sip.
At that, she grinned into her coffee and glanced at him over the lip of the cup. "Yeah well, what's the point of being a klutz if you're not good at it, right?" Taking another sip, Tenten took a moment to let the... flavor flow over her taste buds. Granted, it was not the best coffee in the world and it took some effort not to make a face at the bitter aftertaste that came when she swallowed it down. But it had been far worse in the past. "And... in my defense, you did catch me off-guard."
With a calm and careful eye, the young woman watched Zabuza take his first sip of the tea. And for the briefest of moments, his muscles seemed to twitch and clench in an unreadable way. She had certainly never seen that sort of reaction before, and Tenten could not help but furrow her brows a little at it. "Are... you ok?"
"...Fantastic." Zabuza muttered before setting the cup back on the counter. "Can't say the same for your tea though." He wiped the back of hand over his mouth quickly as if to get rid of any hint of the foul bitterness of the tea on it. It was nasty - the fact that his tastebuds were temporarily out of order had absolutely nothing to do with it, really.
He didn't bother taking another sip after that. Instead he just turned around and headed towards one of the couches nearby, flopping down and taking up as much room as he wanted as though he owned the place.
In spite of herself and being unsure about how he would react, Tenten could not help but snicker a bit at the other's reaction to the taste. It was one she had seen often, although to varying degrees. As with most medicinal remedies, flavor was sacrificed for effectiveness. And whether he would admit to it now, or deny it all later, the tea never failed to help.
Taking a moment to think over the situation, she took up the forgotten cup and meandered over towards the couches as well, though refrained from taking a seat just yet. There was a good chance that things would go wrong, but at the very least, Tenten would take the chance. "Well, that's why I said that people usually add in sugar or creme to make it taste better." Here, she scoffed softly and continued. "What'd you expect? Vanilla and cinnamon? Besides, it wasn't meant to taste good."
Lifting the cup of coffee to her lips, Tenten sipped at her coffee and let that thought roll around his mind for a moment before attempting to build on the momentum of her argument. "Even cold medicine tastes terrible, but that doesn't mean they still don't do the job." And with a few steps, she set his discarded cup on the table in front of him, wisps of heat still radiating from the warm tea. "And if you want that toothache to go away fast, one cup a day is the minimum dose."
He narrowed his eyes at her and took a quick glance back at the drink "Is that so? Because I gotta say, I think you just lack the ability to make tea taste good." Smirking slightly as he reached back to the table and picked the cup up again, he sniffed at the aroma, made a face, and put it back down again. "...I'll say this though, when drinking that shit my mind was definitely far from my teeth, that's for sure."
Casually he propped a foot up on the coffee table and looked around the room for anything else that might catch his attention. Anything other than fast-working, yet horrendously foul-tasting medicinal tea anyways. Seeing nothing like that, Zabuza just grunted and turned his head back to Tenten, "The fuck is there to do around here? Besides making the worst tea ever I mean."
He was trying her patience, intentionally if Tenten had to take a guess about it. But after years of working at a Chinese restaurant of all places and dealing with unruly customers, it was something she was perfectly capable of handling. A wounded pride would get her nothing but more resistance and cause for Zabuza to continue his taunts. So, instead of lashing back, the young woman merely shrugged in a nonchalant sort of manner. "Fine. If you're not man enough to suffer through a few seconds of bitter tea, then I guess you'll just have to be man enough to live through the pain of your toothache. It's too bad too. You look better without a bloody mouth."
Here, she paused for a moment, both to let him react to her words and to mull over her next course of action. Now would have been a good time to pick up the cup of tea and simply pour it down the drain with the rest of the pot. And she might have done so under different circumstances. As it stood, Tenten simply went back into the worker's lounge to make another pot of coffee. A better pot of coffee.
Tenten's casual reaction to his words caused Zabuza to scowl once again. Even though she was clearly using a textbook example of reverse psycology, the muscles under his eye twitched slightly in response to being insulted. He was, after all, a man, and therefore any comments meant to injure his pride would undoubtedly do intended harm. Mentally, he cursed at her for putting him in this situation and growled darkly as she walked away from him.
As his mouth gave a frustrating familiar ache along with the tangy taste of blood - god dammit that woman had gotten him worked up! - Zabuza quickly shot his hand out to grab the cup that was still sitting in front of him. The weird smell was still there, and the water still looked a color that water generally wasn't supposed to be. Not to mention the stuff floating around in there looked rather...unsettling.
But fuck it. She called him a pussy.
Without another word he raised the cup and drank down every last heinous drop. After that, he had to use just about every ounce of will in him to not make a face, instead opting to bite down on his lip slightly. Oh that klutzy bitch was going to get it...
It was a strategy that never failed: attack a person's pride and they would go to great lengths to prove the accusations wrong. And nothing was more important to a man than their own ego. At least that was what Tenten had learned through the years while growing up alongside them. Never one to exactly fall in line to what was expected of a woman, she would often find herself in the company of men. It was with them that she held more common interest with. And while it was not a stretch for her to be feminine from time to time -- costume and fashion aside -- hanging with the guys just seemed like a better fit. The fact that it helped with her mental warfare was just a nice bonus to the package.
So Tenten could only smirk lightly with a small level of satisfaction when she heard the low growl of anger, though she made no attempts to acknowledge it. Bruised pride. Bitter tea. Aching tooth. Bloody mouth. From her standpoint, he had suffered enough without the added ridicule. Instead, while going through the motions of making another pot of coffee, the young woman decided to answer the last of Zabuza's previous inquiries. "As for what there is to do around here, work might be an option. This is a company after all. We do have jobs to do."
Zabuza's initial response was to just glare at nothing in particular as he threw the empty cup at the trashcan near by. He only opened his mouth again because he figured if he didn't, she'd think she'd gotten the better of him or something ridiculous like that. "Is that right? Contrary to belief, I DO work here too you know." ...klutzy bitch.
Craning his head back slightly, he eyed Tenten while her back was turned and frowned. "Unless you happen to be talking about one of those odd jobs that pay. Then I'd consider listening."
Since there was no sounds of water splashing against the plastic, or the soft gurgle of liquid seeping towards the bottom of the trash receptacle, Tenten could only assume that Zabuza had emptied out his cup before tossing it away. And that was enough of a win in her book. Certainly, she quite possibly could have made an potential enemy that day, or at the very least a constant annoyance to plague the rest of her days at Nixcore. But in the end, her intentions had been fruitful. And that was compensation enough for the trouble that might come if the young woman's actions.
Keeping her gaze focused in front of her, Tenten set the filter into place with a quiet click and poured a pot-full of water into the appropriate slot before turning the coffee maker on. "I'm sure the set department would be happy to have all the help they could get. There's been a virus going around and we have been a little short-staffed lately." Her task done, she glanced over the curve of her shoulder curiously. "How are you with basic construction?"
"Probably more useful than half the shitwads on your staff." He met her eyes with his own, staring back intensely as though daring her to suggest anything different. He wasn't really lying either...after all, he'd worked at a construction yard for a while a few years ago. And okay, maybe he hadn't exactly seen what the people working with Tenten could do, but that really didn't matter in his opinion. He could do better.
The klutzy bitch wouldn't be able to call him a pussy again - there was no way in hell he'd give her the chance a second time. There was just a few things he needed to know first. Still keeping his gaze locked on her, Zabuza smirked.
"How much you gonna pay me, and when do I start?"
Without hesitation or fear of his intimidation tactics, Tenten met Zabuza's gaze and held it, facing it down like she would any challenge that was presented to her. Because he needed to know that despite her cheerful and friendly disposition towards him, the young woman was more than capable of holding her own. She was not the pushover he seemed to view her as.
When she felt that the moment of silent confrontation had passed, Tenten decided to take advantage of their close proximity to get another look at him. His height would certainly be an advantage. And from this distance it was easy to see that he definitely had the muscles for the job, hidden under a seemingly average frame. Yes, he would be a good addition to the set staff, temporary or otherwise.
"I wouldn't doubt that," Tenten commented, flashing him a grin of her own before turning back to the fresh pot of coffee and the rich aroma that slowly filled the lounge. "But you're gonna have to discuss payment and the rest of it with the Department Manager. Lanky guy in a shirt and tie that looks like he hasn't picked up a weight in at least a decade? Goes by the name of Gabe?"
The fact that Tenten hadn't backed down yet made Zabuza both annoyed and impressed. Annoyed because she was making things difficult for him, what with her insults and insinuations, but impressed since it was rare for someone to actually have the balls to stand up him once in awhile. Not that she had balls that is.
Slightly relieved, he shook his head and stood up. As he walked closer to the girl, he reached for another cup on the surface behind her, responding in an impassive voice. "Doesn't ring a bell." Pouring the coffee, he eyed it a little suspiciously. He was still wary about any drinks Tenten made, no matter how deceptively good they smelled. "So where do I find this guy?"
Granted, the tea was not the most spectacular drink in the world. But there was hardly a soul in Nixcore who knew their way around a coffee bean better than Tenten. For the past two years when she had been attending school down in San Diego, the young woman made a living as a server at a well-established cafe. With a good portion of the nation addicted to the warm and caffeinated drink, everything she ever needed to know about coffee was slowly ingrained into her mind until they became second nature. So when she had caught the wary look Zabuza gave his steaming cup of coffee, Tenten had taken a small offense. But no sooner had the feeling prickled at her conscious, it was forgotten. The brew would speak for itself and her pride would remain in tact.
"I'm not surprised. The only time Gabe shows his face around here is to give his orders and assign duties for the next project." Taking up the pot, she poured herself a cup as well before continuing. "Other than that, he mostly stays in his bat-cave of an office just around the corner."
Shuffling to the side to give him more room, she leaned back casually against the counter and took a careful sip. A quick glance to the clock hanging on the wall told her that break time was almost over. Time to get back to work where a few dozen outfits were already waiting for her attention in the costume department. Just as well, she thought. As entertaining as it might have been, the both of them could not spend the rest of the day in the employee lounge sipping coffee.
"Oh. He's probably jerkin' it or something then." Carefully, he took a slow drink from the cup, a slight surprised expression ghosting over his face for a moment as the taste really hit him. The rich darkness of it all instantly covered up any lingering aftertaste of the bitter tea, causing Zabuza to take another sip without even realizing it. Okay, so maybe the bitch could make a decent cup of coffee. Big whoop.
It wasn't until he noticed her glance at the clock that he realized just how much time they'd wasted bitching around up here. Did having silent conflicts about tea and ego really take that long? It didn't matter in the least to him, he had today off surprisingly, but Miss Coffee Expert over there probably had to get back to doing whatever it was she did to pay the bills. Sucks to be her. "Well, as fun as this has been, I got shit to do." Taking another quick drink before leaving, he chucked the cup away as 'gracefully' as before. "Later Klutz. It's been interesting."
Tenten snerked softly at his comment, believing that Zabuza may have guessed right about what the department manager did in his solitude - or at least that was everyone else said when the man was nowhere to be found. But perhaps that was too much information to discuss with one who she had only met that day. After all, if he was as serious as he seemed about picking up a temporary job in the set department, there would another opportunity to talk and continue the light banter the seemed to have.
Instead, the young woman turned and set her cup on the counter for a moment, moving to take a hold of the handle of the tea pot simmering beside the coffee maker. "Well, we do work at a porn industry. It wouldn't exactly be difficult to find... inspiration." And even as she spoke, the young woman was pouring the remainder of the remedy into the thermos she had used to bring it into work that morning. And moving quickly before he could flee the scene without it.
"Hey!" she called out with a final turn of the cap so that nothing spilled. Then Tenten was tossing the container to him, leaving him little to no opportunity to decline. On this, she would not negotiate. And as the last few words slipped easily out of her mouth, she was already putting in the earbuds of her iPod, music still blaring to drown out any sort of protest he might have given. "Remember: at least one cup a day. Chase it with something if it'll make the experience more tolerant, but... just try it."
Zabuza spun around and managed to catch the thermos without fail. The crude reply that was about to make itself known died in his throat when he realized she wasn't even going to hear it. He frowned and glared at her retreating form for a moment before turning and walking out of the room, pausing only for a moment. "...No promises." She couldn't be serious. Like he'd actually willingly put that crap back in his mouth. What a laugh.
Though...a few minutes later, as he was waiting for that ancient goddamn elevator, Zabuza's lips curved up ever so slightly. At least today had been somewhat interesting. His mouth hurt a little less, and he might be able to scrape together a couple extra bucks now - Cameraman weren't exactly paid incredibly after all. He almost looked forward to talking with the gutsy bitch again too. Almost.
But once he slipped the cap off of the thermos out of boredom while he waited, that thought was stamped out immediately.