At long last...

[sunshinenpcs]

The NPC Meme



I'm sure someone knows their names...

Welcome to the NPC meme! This meme has certain special rules and functions unlike many other memes! In this meme, the NPC journal isn't just encouraged, it's how you play. Or, at least...how someone involved in the thread does.

The premise is simple: You post your character to lure in some characters who aren't currently being played, and someone else brings in the NPC journal with their interpretation of that character. You play a thread! CR gaps filled!

Alternatively, if you have a character you might be interested in playing in the capacity of an NPC (such as a character you don't want to app, and thus put in a test drive, for one reason or another) then post a top level for that NPC.

Currently played characters may tag out only to NPC top level comments, not to each other. NPC characters could tag to anyone. However, since threads in this meme are eligible for AC (and therefore game canon), it's best for NPCs to tag current characters, rather than other NPCs.

Steps/Rules

1: Post a top level with either your character or an NPC you'd like to play for the meme (Using the NPC account!) - If you're looking for someone specific to tag you, be sure to include it in the top level somewhere so people know to bring them.

2: With your characters, tag out to NPC top-levels or wait for an NPC to tag you. With NPCs, tag out to top level 'current' character threads, or respond to characters that tag your NPC of choice.

3: Thread things that can't yet be played out, or might never be able to be played out!

4: When playing an NPC, since you'll be using the NPC account to do it, don't forget to track the thread with one of your own accounts! (If you have a paid, at least. For free accounts, it's still recommended that you track at least the entire post so you don't miss anything!)

Comments

Tae-san | Konohagakure

[sunshinenpcs]

(Notes: Proprietor of the Oolong Dragon tea house, retired kunoichi and Yamato's landlady) Her little cat had gone away behind his mask again, but not before dropping off his rent and for that she was grateful, because it meant a chance to get her shipment orders in early for the month. The floors were swept, the china and silver polished and the first kettle of water on for the morning customers. The hour was early, before dawn, but Tae-san was fed and ready for the day; choosing to settle in her favorite corner of the shop and fuss over her balance and stock book until she was needed to serve. The fresh scent of tea and sweet tang of dumplings was surely enough to beckon her fellow early risers for a rest stop.

tae-sannnn my home gurlll

[scarecrowboy]

Kakashi had been on his typical rounds that morning, visiting those places he visited once every few weeks, and had found himself on tea alley without really thinking about it. His feet often had the habit of pushing him toward comfort before he realised he was in need of it, and apparently Yamato was the comfort he didn't know he needed today.

Yamato, however, was out. Kakashi loitered by his door for a few minutes, scaled the roof to peek in his skylight, and only when he'd managed to wedge his window open and take a look around for himself did he decide Yamato was definitely absent at that current time. With a dejected grunt, he shifted the bottle of sake he'd brought with him better into his arms, and trundled downstairs to leave through an actual door this time.

That's when he almost bumped into the small figure that darted out in front of him to mop at a table, and he took a few steps backward to steady himself.

"Ah," he said when he noticed that he recognised her face as the woman who had knocked on Yamato's door early one morning - his landlady. "Sorry about that.."

[sunshinenpcs]

"Oh, it's you! Nice to see you with some clothes on this time, dear. If you're looking for my little cat, he's gone away, two weeks if I heard correctly."

She bustled about his tall frame, dusting and wiping down the tables as if wasn't taking up any space at all while she chatted.

"You're welcome to take some tea though, if you have a free moment. I was just about the refresh the pot."

The morning had been happily busy and Tae-san was down one kettle full of water and over half the steamed buns; good business always put her in a talkative mood.

[scarecrowboy]

Kakashi pressed his lips togther under the mask. Oh god, he'd forgotten; forgotten that the last time he'd met this woman he'd opened the door from Yamato's apartment and greeted her inquiries dressed in nothing but his underwear with a copy of Icha Icha infront of his face.

... Not the best impression he could have made.

Flushing dark, he made a funny high noise that sounded like a creaking door, and was about to decline her offer when he spotted the steamed buns and the steadily boiling water..... He hadn't eaten yet, he supposed sticking around at least to clear his name and assure this nice old lady he wasn't some strange pervert was the least he could do.

"Sure.." he said, taking a seat near to the main counter. "I'm.. sorry about the way we met. I'm usually much better at first impressions."

[sunshinenpcs]

Tae-san waved him off as she saw to kettle, taking up a cloth and lifting the brass monstrosity with more strength than her tiny frame suggested and filling a row of smaller teapots, before setting it back onto it's burner.

"Oh don't mind that, dear, I've seen it all before."

She gave him a serene smile and arranged a pot, cup and two steamed buns on the table before him.

"Besides, my little cat is very fond of you and it's not like you made a racket the whole night. No harm done!"

The smile turned toothy and she helpfully poured Kakashi's first cut, before seeing to cleaning down the tables beside him.

[scarecrowboy]

Kakashi dipped his head in thanks, and hooked a finger in his mask to lower it so that he could drink- and then he realised what she'd said. It was probably a good thing he didn't have a mouthful of tea, or he might have spat it everywhere at that assumption.

"Ah, I.. Nothing happened..!" he assured her, hands raised to deflect any inclination that anything like that had happened. "He was very drunk, and I was well on my way, too- I thought it safer to stay than try and find my way home, I was just-.." Any explanation was probably lost, and Kakashi fidgeted slightly, unsure whether he wanted to stay here or just scarper right now and save himself more embarrassment.

[sunshinenpcs]

Tae-san stopped mid scrub and regarded him with the kind of look one would expect from a member of the interrogation unit, weighing Kakashi's honesty before tapping her chin with a free finger and peering at the ceiling.

"My, my, that is a shame.. Well! At least he has a good friend looking out for him, those are often in short supply and my boy is certainly deserving of them."

She gave a decisive nod, as if Kakashi had passed some kind of test and continued with her work, humming cheerfully as she did so.

[scarecrowboy]

A shame?... Kakashi swallowed at that recognition, and took a long moment to cradle his piping-hot cup before lowering his mask and taking the smallest sip. The tea was excellent; warming and perfectly brewed, and so very smooth that it might have inspired a more paranoid ninja into thinking that it was drugged. He closed his eyes, exhaled through his nose and let out a soft hum of comfort.

"I think I owe him a little attention," Kakashi murmured once he'd remembered how to speak again. "I've been away for some time."

[sunshinenpcs]

Tables mopped and shop set to rights again, Tae-san gave Kakashi his moment of privacy before fetching her own cup and settling on a stool at his elbow. She peered at him over said cup as she took a sip, weighing and adding knowledge in her head before nodding.

"Few people pass by this way to see him, but if you're that Captain of his, then I'd say you're right." She fluttered a hand, drink balanced in the crook of her elbow "There's too much uncertainty floating around to be leaving years worth of gaps between people, especially Shinobi."

[scarecrowboy]

"Mm, I'm not proud of it.." Kakashi hunched his shoulders a little, his mask pooled under his chin and his visible eye cast downward, making him look old and tired. "I'm not proud of a lot of things I've done since I met him, but hopefully I'm on my way toward making up for it."

Guilt was evident in his frame, clear shame radiating from him. He wasn't sure why he was being so open with this old woman, but something about her was comforting him enough to open up-- something almost parental?

[sunshinenpcs]

A sympathetic smile touched her lips and Tae-san reached out to gently pat Kakashi's arm, before retracting it to cradle her cup.

"Well now, I haven't seen that look in a good many years..It must be something passed on from father to son after all."

There was a twinkle in here eye, veering him away carefully from such low thoughts; people made mistakes and as long as amends were being made, she had no argument.

[scarecrowboy]

Kakashi's frame softened, and he looked up at the old woman in front of him with an incredulous look. His visible eye widened as he estimated her age, did some quick mathematics and--

"You knew my father?"

[sunshinenpcs]

Her smile took on a conspiratorial shade as she sipped her tea, posture straight as she ruminated for far longer than necessary before responding.

"Oh yes. Sakumo Hatake was often a bundle of nerves at this very table, but expectant fathers are like that you see, so many worries and too many thoughts in that sharp mind of his."

Tae-san set her cup down, taking her time to refill their cups from the small pot and regarding the glazed surface with a distant but overly fond look.

"Funny how those same thoughts melt away when the bundle arrives.. Had the loveliest smile, that man did.. So very proud."

[scarecrowboy]

With his mask still down, Kakashi's surprise was clear in his expression, and with a slow exhale he noted that some of the tension in his spine was slowly unwinding.. He didn't speak to many people about his father - let alone someone who actually knew him - and this situation both unnerved and excited him. "He sat here?" Kakashi asked dumbly, then swallowed. "I.. don't know much about how he was before, or when I was young. I don't remember much." I don't like to remember much, is what he should have said. Memories hurt.

[tenten_san]

It had been a long mission. They all were starting to be. But after four years of working as a team - of putting the time in to perfecting their dynamics and formations - it was a hard thing to ever replace the well-oiled machine that became Team Gai. And it was becoming strikingly clear that Tenten's expectations needed to be reevaluated and adjusted if she was to be taking on more missions without them.

After all, it was a required skill of every shinobi to anticipate the unexpected, and for them to react accordingly for maximum success. The kunoichi would need to remember that not everyone could be as capable as Neji, or as resilient as Lee. Or the next mission could very well be her last.

All the same, if there was one thing she could always count on after a hard assignment, it was good tea and some hours of peace at her favorite little teashop. So Tenten had been glad when she found herself strolling down a familiar street. And ecstatically excited to see that Old Lady Tae-san had decided to open the shop so early.

"And here I thought I would have to camp out at your front door for another hour."

[sunshinenpcs]

The extra money would certainly help this month, business had been a little slow and with the weather souring the way it was.. Her ruminations were cut short by a familiar voice and oh wasn't that just a sight for sore eyes.

"If it isn't my bright girl. Hello, Tenten, dear!"

Tae-san levered herself up from her spot at the table and closed the distance to clasp the young kunoichi about the waist in a tight hug.

"Oh, sleeping in is for people that feel their age. What can I get you for breakfast?"

[tenten_san]

It was always a bit of an embarrassment to be resigned to such a nickname, even from someone as sweet and kind as Tae-san. Tenten had never been much of one to draw attention to herself, so to be fully recognized (even in jest and good humour) each and every time she entered the shop... well. It was always something that she needed to adjust to. But given that the kunoichi had all but fully given the spunky little shopowner the role of 'cool grandma' in her life, most days, it was perfectly alright.

"I've been meaning to drop by; I know it's been a while." But between missions and adding do her skillset in preparation for Jounin Exams, it was unavoidable. "How about we start off with some kabusecha?"

[sunshinenpcs]

Tae-san made shushing noises, turning her nose up at the pleasantries "Oh none of that now, you're busy enough for three people and that is far more important than making my tables untidy!"
There was a smile on her lips, humor edging the bluntness of her words, but each one was truthful; she loved when her dear ones dropped by, but the village came first and she was more than happy to be a place they came back to because they needed it, not because they felt they had to.

She shuffled off, gesturing to Ten-ten's usual table as she went "Anyway, take a seat, dear, the kettle's about ready."

[tenten_san]

"Well, I wouldn't say for three." Although, she supposed that Tae-san wasn't too far off. But it was how she had always functioned under the guidance of Maito Gai and the rest of her squad. The drive and motivation in Team Gai was really a thing of beauty to behold, once Tenten had the time to actually take a step back from all its glory. There were some days where she wondered just how the three of them even managed to survive this long. "But I think I manage well enough."

She took a seat without question, finding a home at the long table towards the back as the faint smell of the tea started to drift out from the kitchen. It was familiar. It was comforting. And if she allowed herself to settle on the truth of the matter, Tenten could admit to herself that it felt every bit like coming home. "I'll try not to untidy your tables too much, as always."

[sunshinenpcs]

The arrangement of a tray was a moments work and soon enough, Tae-san was bustling back over, serving up a steaming beaker of fresh tea and surreptitiously setting down a plateful of dumplings; young shinobi needed their strength after all.

"Even if you did, I wouldn't hold it against you."

It was said with a fond smile as she took a seat across from TenTen, dusting off her kimono and neatly folding her hands as she did so.

"Now then, how's that Sensei of yours and your two boys, hmm?"

[tenten_san]

She shouldn't have been surprised about the plate, really. It never failed that each and every time Tenten stopped in, the old lady managed to sneak in an extra bit of food or treat for her. And once the offer had been given, it as a suicide mission to ever attempt to refuse it. So it was with a soft sigh and a resigning smile that the young kunoichi accepted the cup of tea. And promptly plucked a dumpling from the top of the pile to politely nibble on while they conversed.

"They're doing fine," she replied, a soft chuckle flowing beautifully from her lips, "Neji's been really busy since he became a Jounin so I hardly get to see him any more, but I know Lee's been working hard, as usual. We both have, actually... Got some catching up to do, after all."

[sunshinenpcs]

"Good! That's what I like to hear. You should bring them all by for dinner soon, give you all some space and privacy to catch up."

It was something she liked to do, especially with such a boisterous team; often the tea shop kept odd hours, but in the evenings when business tapered off, it was nice to fill it with sound and laughter into the night.

"What about your training, hmm? I thought I heard rumors of the next trials coming up.."

[tenten_san]

"That... would be great if I could, but..." And there was split second of a moment where Tenten's smile just did not quite reach her eyes. One that passed almost just as quickly as it appeared. But for a trained kunoichi - old or new alike - it would have been long enough. "We haven't actually been able to be together as a team for a while now."

A few months, actually. But Tae-san didn't need to know that much... if she didn't know already. Shifting her eyes up at the old tea owner with some skepticism, the kunoichi doubted the elder's obliviousness. Because Tenten would not put it past the former soldier to keep her finger in every little bit of news that filtered through the streets of the village. People talked, after all. And what better place for loose tongues than an unassuming teashop?

And speaking of rumours...

"Ah, yes. I did hear that too." And here, she feigned a sort of regretful look as she took up another dumpling to chew. "Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be anywhere near ready by then."

[sunshinenpcs]

She pressed her elbows into the table, weight forward as she eye'd the young shinobi. So the whispers had been true then. Tae-san never actively sought out gossip, but she had an uncanny habit of being in the right place at just the right to hear what she needed; something left over from her career in Intel, but she did like to keep an eye out for her favourites and Tenten most certainly was that.

Clearly she saw all she needed from the closer inspection and sat back, nose turned up at the idea of a broken team.

"Then now's the perfect time to collar all three of them! It's a busy life, no doubt about that, but there's no excuse for letting ties fade, especially one's as strong as your team."

Tae-san nodded decisively, as if it was all that was needed to be said and changed the subject.

"Well best you set to your training, my bright girl! That sword isn't going to wield itself you know."

[tenten_san]

It was not necessarily that their squad was broken, only busy. Team Gai were nothing if not gluttons for work, there was no secret in that. Even from their Genin days, it became apparent that all three students and their instructor valued and almost craved having more work than they likely had the time for. Because for them, there was always room for improvement. There was always a place for opportunity to be of use. It was just unfortunate that, lately, being of use and improving meant that they could not do it as a unit.

But at the idea and suggestion, Tenten could only give a soft chuckle of amusement. Because it was as if Tae-san had a wonderful knack for voicing every single thought she had on the matter. "It's not that I haven't tried. But everyone's busy, myself included. Usually it's Gai dealing with personal issues, or Neji especially being summoned away on a last-minute mission."

Of which he would try to make up an excuse that only left her even more suspicious over the nature of them.

"And then there's Lee, always training himself straight into a hospital bed..." Truth be told, though, she would not have her boys any other way. It was who they were and the things that made Tenten fall in love with the dynamics of their team. There was no unit in existence that could contest how well they all worked together. At least, it had been that way, once. She was not so confident in that belief now. "So I've just been trying to keep myself busy, studying up on seals. And I've considered looking for someone to help train me more on Suiton."