Night 46: Greenhouse

[toobothersome.livejournal.com]

[from here]

Despite the black and starless sky overhead, the air inside the greenhouse seemed to feel warmer than it did during the day. Shikamaru didn't like the smell: something sickly-sweet like rotting flowers, and he switched on his own flashlight despite the need to conserve batteries. Aside from the scent, though, everything seemed normal in the artificial light, and a quick sweep of the room showed no visible beings. He started down a row of plants that had pulled their petals shut against the night sky, and he was inexplicably but strongly reminded of the greenhouses he'd walked through at home.

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[tsunagari.livejournal.com]

This was a simple mission, and as such required simple actions that could be handled through gesture alone by properly skilled ninja. There was no reason to speak and possibly attract attention in a place where fighting would become difficult. There were too many places for unfriendly creatures to hide here, and he kept his ears open.

A nod forward signaled their next movement. The equipment was stored in the back, and there should be more than enough metal for what they needed. Shikamaru could take the opportunity to arm himself as well, if that was necessary. Trowels were awkward weapons, but they'd do in a pinch.

He stopped in front of the supply shed, tucking his larger blade away in order to draw his kunai. As he cracked the lock open with as little noise as possible, he realized that he hadn't thought to grab a pillowcase before he left his room. They'd simply have to improvise with his sweatshirt if need be.

[toobothersome.livejournal.com]

Shikamaru followed, casting the beam of his flashlight around the enclosed space and finding nothing but gardening implements. Good.

"I don't know what kind of metal the guy wants," he said as he started examining tools either placed on shelves or hanging from walls. "I figure the stronger the better, but I'd rather not stand around clanging things together to find out." He was used to the smoothness of weaponry, and a lot of this stuff seemed rusted or covered in dirt. If they covered this gardening junk in school, he hadn't been paying much attention. Tending flowers was a woman's job, anyway.

[tsunagari.livejournal.com]

Sai undid the sweatshirt from around his waist and tied the sleeves firmly so that the hole at the top was sealed off. It would hold things well enough until they could get back to the room. "Grab anything. It will be fine." He didn't think it needed being said, and he hoped to complete this mission with as little noise as possible. They weren't amateurs. If an alchemist could create weapons out of rusted pipes, then these tools should suffice just as well.

He set each item quickly but gently into the makeshift bag. Dumping them in would just alert anything in the greenhouse or the yard beyond. When it had reached an amount that was just starting to get on the heavy side, Sai held out a hand to halt the placement of any more. If they carried too much, it would just hinder them.

[toobothersome.livejournal.com]

Sai clearly knew what he was doing, and Shikamaru didn't see any reason to interrupt. He obeyed the orders, taking small shovels from wall hooks and a few coils of wire presumably used to hold vines to their trellises. The plastic coating might make them useless, but metal was metal, and he figured that carrying too much sharp stuff might be a danger as well.

When Sai stopped him from adding any more, Shikamaru again ran the beam of his flashlight over the shelves, seeming very slightly uneasy as he checked for anything else of use. "I don't know the alchemist's room number," he said. This conversation was starting to sound like one gigantic list of things he didn't know, wasn't it? "Unless you know it, we should store the stuff and just ask Kakashi tomorrow. He's the one directly dealing with this person."

[tsunagari.livejournal.com]

These were matters that should be discussed once they were back in the building, as far as Sai was concerned, but if Shikamaru wanted answers now then he would oblige. He kept his tone lower than the other ninja's, barely above a whisper. "I had no intention of trying to find the alchemist's room tonight. We will return to mine." His, because it was as good of a meeting place as any other and because he hadn't been moved once to another since he'd arrived. That could mean very little, but he was going to rely on it for now.

He handled the sweatshirt with much care, as any bit of jostling would cause the metal within to clank about, and shut the doors to the shed. He would say nothing else until they'd reached the building unless it was absolutely necessary.

[toobothersome.livejournal.com]

Back to the main building, then. Shikamaru pushed open the door with his free hand and headed back into the dim night.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/796990.html?thread=64699710#t64699710)]