Strokes of Genius, Wednesday

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Headphones in and music cranking, Katchoo had her easel set up in the middle of the shop's checkout area and was just messing around today, trying a few odd things with the brushes and paints as they occurred to her, just to see how they would work.

It had her in . . . a fairly good mood, actually, although she was highly distracted.

[OOC: Per availability notice, possibility of Extreme SP until evening is high. D: 737 coming out of the sky, oh, won't you take me down to Memphis on an OCD-free ride?]

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[intraspective]

It vaguely occurred to her that this was a pattern, and should probably be altered so she didn't sink into bad habits.

But. Well. When else was she supposed to go and bug her?

"Katina~!" Ino carolled.

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"But you know it's true, you only want me when I get over you," Katchoo was raspily singing along with Lindsey Buckingham over her headphones. "First you love me, and -- GEEZ, INO!"

It wasn't that Ino had actually snuck up on her; she'd just been That Engrossed in what she was doing.

At least it might be entertaining?

[[Fair warning, new person is here now so probably in half an hour or so I'm gonna be sloooooooooow until later, most likely. :(]]

[intraspective]

Hilarious!

Ino stared. "You were singing! I saw you!"

A beat.

"And enjoying it!" Glee.

[SP is loverly omg!]

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Well, crap, this was payback for her taking time out to go to the park and laugh that one time, huh? Katchoo took out one of her earbuds and glowered mildly at Ino. "Yeah, well, it wasn't in front of other people until you showed up," she grumbled in a not-even-remotely convincing jibe.

[intraspective]

Her grin widened. "You should keep singing," Ino said brightly, "we could have a duet," because it'd be far more hilarious for her than for Katina, "if you'd like!"

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"I'm not playin' Sonny to anyone's Cher," Katchoo retorted good-naturedly. (You know, for a Katchoo value of good-natured.)

[intraspective]

"I have no idea who those people are," Ino said, with a laugh. "But, awww, the meaning is clear enough. So mean."

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Katchoo smirked faintly. "What, do I strike you as a nice person?"

[intraspective]

"Hmmm," Ino pretended to think about that. "Nicer than you'd probably like people to think."

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"Well, dammit, don't tell them that," Katchoo griped playfully. "God knows I can't keep you away any more."

[intraspective]

Ino stuck her tongue out at Katina.

"Colder, too," she added, almost absently.

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"Say what?" Katchoo raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?"

[intraspective]

Ino grinned, and shrugged her shoulders. "Did you want to take it as a compliment? It's all the same to me!"

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"Why the hell not?" Katchoo peered at her. "Your bouncing is almost aggressive today."

[intraspective]

That got another shrug, this one slightly irritable. "Better than moping, or raging, right?"

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And now Katchoo's eyebrow went up in something that could actually be described as concern. "Depends on if there's something to mope or rage about."

It was a pretty diplomatic answer; those were her go-to options, after all.

[intraspective]

She kicked her feet out in a way that looked almost idle, but would hurt quite a bit had she had someone to kick at the moment.

Her voice was deliberately bland, "Try: boyfriend dumping me 'cause he had to go home and fight a war and won't be coming back ever."

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Katchoo yanked the second earbud out of her ear. "He did what? Geez!"

[intraspective]

"Broke up with me," she repeated. "So he could fight a war. And he won't be coming back."

...

Ino wasn't any more fond of those facts now than she'd been on Sunday, really.

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"Well, shit," Katchoo said in a tone most people would use to say I'm sorry, so for her it amounted to about the same thing. And that was guys for you, she thought, but didn't actually say.

She set her brush down on the easel, put the palette aside, and perched on the edge of the counter -- the edge Ino didn't usually claim. "I don't have any ice cream and weepy movies to offer but you don't strike me as the type."

[intraspective]

"I don't like movies," she said absently, because that really wasn't important. "I'm dealing. I'm just, I guess, a bit off this week. Spent most of Sunday night and Monday out in my garden, that helped."

A rueful hitch of a shoulder. "Plants don't much care if you shriek and rage, and they don't say anything at all." And they didn't care if she cried, but well.

Tears were a weakness.

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Katchoo wouldn't ask if she cried, anyway. And while she actually felt bad for Ino, it was just a sad fact of life that Ino wasn't the one person who might actually get a hug from her for this.

If it had been Francine in this situation . . . well, Katchoo didn't know what she'd do, honestly.

"That count as talking to 'em?" she asked instead.

[intraspective]

"Who knows?" she said. "They don't mind, at least. And I didn't hurt any of them, so they've got no complaints."

Luckily, Ino hadn't been expecting a hug from Katina then.

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Katchoo nodded slowly. "I won't throw you out of here, y'know." Not that she ever did, but usually she wasn't likely to make that clear.

[intraspective]

Ino blinked.

"When did I say you would?"

Though it was good to hear.

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Katchoo's shoulders rose and fell slightly in a gesture of feigned nonchalance. "Hey, y'know. Just gettin' that out there."

[intraspective]

Ino smiled, tilting her head back to stare up at the ceiling. "Good to know," she said.

A bit of a grin. "Almost as good as ice cream, even."

Better, actually.