Arron and Trexx

Chapter 37

Third person pov

Just as Shikamaru had predicted, Benji's wasn't crowded in the least. Only two people were present, both there on their own. One was a student hunched over his work, and the other a woman enjoying a nice cup of coffee and some lunch. Shikamaru seemed satisfied by this, and they all squeezed into a booth, Arron on the end so she could be between both Shikamaru and Trexx.

"So Arron, what kinds of foods do you like?" Ino asked. She felt bad about what had happened earlier. She wished she'd known it would upset Arron. Then she never would have said it, or anything relating to her appearance in the least! She just wanted to be friends with the girl. Or at least be somewhat liked. Ish. Ino didn't know.

Arron shrugged weakly. Her diet growing up hadn't been all that widespread. Bread was something she'd had often, as well as plain white rice. She'd recently found herself quite enjoying anything with beef or pork in it. Soups were the easiest. Her jaw still ached a little anytime she had to chew something tough.

"Hello!" A voice chirped. Arron just about jumped out of her skin as a woman seemed to appear out of nowhere, a bright yellow apron on, and a stack of menus in hand. "I'm Kimi! I'll be taking your orders today. Here are your menus. Our specials today are Makizushi with a side of miso soup!" She handed out the menus. Trexx took Arron's for her. The waitress seemed unfazed by him.

"Thank you." Asuma said with a smile. 

"It's my pleasure!" The woman said cheerfully. "Does anyone know what they want to drink?"

"Water for me, please." Shikamaru said. Arron nudged him lightly, ducking her head. "Ah, and for her too."

"I'll have the same." Ino said smoothly.

"Cider for me." Asuma requested.

"Mm, me too! That sound delicious." Choji grinned, eyes shining. 

"Cup." Trexx grumbled.

"I'll have those right out to you! Please look over your menus and take your time deciding what you'd like to eat!" The waitress smiled before rushing off, disappearing back into the kitchen. Everyone opened their menus upon his disappearance, and a light chatter about what everyone was going to order sparked. Shikamaru tried to figure out what Arron wanted, but she just kept nudging him. It was a clear indication that she was planning to get whatever he got. He tried to think of things she liked.

Arron shifted in her seat slightly, glancing around. The two other people present payed them no mind, which was good. The waitress had seemed fairly nice. A little too peppy for Arron's taste, but not too threatening. Arron was confident Trexx would be able to eat her before she did anything.

"I'm thinking I'll have Beef Udon. What do you think, Arron?" Shikamaru asked. Arron nodded in agreement. That sounded good, she had to admit. Shikamaru nodded back, closing the menu. Ino chose a salad as she usually did, and Choji immediately went for the wings. Asuma decided on a plate of spicy chicken kabobs with grilled onions and peppers. 

The waitress returned and took their orders, seeming peppier than before. "Will that be all?" She asked, gazing at each one of them individually. Arron briefly glanced up, her dark eyes meeting her much lighter blue ones for a split second. She looked down immediately after, her body tensing as though expecting some sort of backlash for looking someone in the eyes. It never came. The woman turned to Trexx. "What about you?"

Trexx seemed to think about it for a minute. He'd already devoured his cup. "Rusty nail." I nodded. "Rebar, concrete, wrench... sprinkles."

Arron watched curiously as the waitress dutifully scribbled it all down, nodding with all seriousness. Trexx seemed satisfied by this, giving a dutiful nod to the woman. She gave an equally-serious one back. "I'm on it. I'll have your orders right out to you."

She disappeared, and the chatter returned.

"So Arron, what's it like living with Shikamaru? Is he really lazy?" Ino wanted to socialize with Arron and get to know her. Shikamaru seemed like a safe topic. It wasn't related to her past as far as Ino knew, and she seemed to like the Nara enough. Nonetheless, she still watched Arron's expression. The first sign of distress would most definitely send Ino backpedaling like her life depended on it.

Arron shrugged again, glancing at Shikamaru. "Well, living with Arron is nice. I enjoy the company. And she doesn't nag nearly as much as mom does." Shikamaru shrugged lazily, leaning back. Arron nodded in agreement. Asuma chuckled at them.

"Yeah, Arron sleeps on a cot in his room." Choji recalled. "She's got a pretty cozy setup goin' on."

"I'm glad to hear it!" Asuma said. It wasn't hard to miss the underlying sadness in his tone. He gazed at Arron with a longing sort of look. He clearly remembered the days when she was a little girl, and he clearly knew somewhat of who she was underneath all her fear and anxiety. Shikamaru hoped she'd warm up to him soon. It clearly hurt that she wasn't comfortable even looking at him. 

"Oh yeah, did you enjoy training today? You didn't get too bored, right?" Ino didn't want to mention the shadows. It was something that might upset Arron if she knew they'd all seen.

Arron nodded, turning to look at Shikamaru. She met his eyes with such ease, it saddened Asuma. He was glad she had someone. He just... he wished she hadn't gone through what she had. 

"That's good." Shikamaru grinned. "What about you, Trexx?" He was careful to involve the shadowy figure. He tended to eat kitchen appliances when he was angry, and his mother was going to lose it if took out another toaster.

"Bored. Too much sun. Want puppies." 

"Please tell me he doesn't eat small furry animals." Choji seemed horrified. Trexx shook his head.

"He doesn't. I think he just wants to pet it." Shikamaru looked to Trexx, who nodded. Arron lowered her head even more, brushing some more hair behind her ear. This was alright, right?