"Don't worry about it, Midori," Shikamaru said. "Playing Ninja is a bit of trouble anyway, and with so little time to do it in we wouldn't finish it really. We can just sit back, and relax."<br/><br/>Choji, meanwhile, had stuttered out a few thank-yous and taken the offered food. He seemed to enjoy them, and kept glancing over at Midori every now and again.<br/><br/>The pair sat quietly, one munching delightedly on the food. Shikamaru let his head lay back, watching the clouds. He didn't feel the urge to say anything, given that he had thought over the possible conversations. "Hey, where are you from?" Didn't matter, she lived in Konoha now. "Hey, why'd you choose to become a ninja?" Same reasons most everyone did. Family tradition, hope for a cool career, dedication to the village. "Do you like living here?" Didn't really matter. If she didn't she'd leave. He also thought of torturing Choji a bit, but figured it wouldn't be worth the effort, since he hadn't gotten much of a reaction for his earlier poke.<br/><br/>"So, where you come from, how much did you learn? Are you playing catch-up or is the review old news for you?" Choji asked, perhaps lacking a little tact.<br/><br/>"Chakra theory is challenging for some," Shikamaru said, subtly excluding himself from that 'some'. "Iruka-sensei is pretty good about keeping people up-to-date on all the lessons, though, if asked. If you're having trouble, you should talk to him."<br/><br/>Shikamaru let his mind wander after offering that little piece of advice. Soon, time was up and they all had to return to class.<br/><br/>"Hey, you could sit with us; I think there's an empty space, right Shikamaru?"<br/><br/>"Huh? I don't know.