Manners and Management

Suigetsu hummed. He did not look up. He was fiddling with his chopsticks at lightning speed, flicking them between his fingers in an esoteric pattern.

She thought about reaching out and snatching them away, but she refrained. She straightened her back and re-adjusted the napkin on her lap. "Why did you  ask me that?" Her tone was cooly polite, not at all affected.

He ducked his head. "I thought you seemed to look forward to him coming. I could have been wrong."

"You were wrong," Karin snapped. She crumpled the napkin in her fist and then tried to smooth it out again. "I'm just hungry, and they're late."

Suigetsu was not quite stupid enough to say whatever he was thinking. He did not make any eye contact. 

The moment ticked on, the conversation died. They still couldn't even order drinks while they waited. She let out a sigh, long and annoyed. Annoyed! She was so annoyed. 

Annoyed enough that she wasn't being totally fair, she grudgingly admitted to herself. Two months ago, she had pegged Gaara as an absolute creep. There was something seriously wrong with him. Just being in the same house had set up the hair on the back of her neck and made her wary and pissed off. 

It was becoming clear that had been some kind of aberration, though. He'd changed a lot, and he'd changed fast. Suigetsu was off base, but she didn't totally hate him or anything. She could see that he was pretty smart, and he was strong. 

He was still really fucking weird, though. But at least he listened and learned when she told him to put the lid back on the natto or to stop dripping all over the bathroom floor. Unlike other people, who left puddles everywhere.

"This whole country is so damned soggy," Karin said, mutinously.

Suigetsu gave her a wary look. 

"Family dinner," the madwoman sang as she pulled out a chair. 

Karin jumped. "Could you make sound when you stalk in?" she snapped.

Aiko looked surprised. "It wouldn't be stalking," she protested. "But also, I don't stalk lately. I appear." She furrowed her brows. "I should stalk more. Utakata, make-"

"A note, yes," he said, sounding endlessly weary. He entered the room visibly, because he was a semi normal human being. His footsteps made a squelch when he stepped on the enormous puddle that some jackass had made when he'd come into the restaurant. Gaara was at Utakata's heels, but he carefully sidestepped the water. He had been dissuaded from his awful sandy entrances into carpeted rooms. He was capable of learning, change, and growth! He actually listened to her.

That didn't mean she thought he was cute. She felt mad all  over again.

Karin glowered at the table, unwilling to give Suigetsu any satisfaction of seeing her look at Gaara. She didn't want to reinforce his stupid ideas. 

"Apologies for our lateness," Gaara said, because he was the only one with any manners. She had made certain of that. 

He'd made an effort, so she had to lift her head. "Apology accepted." She looked at Aiko. "Can we order drinks now?"

"You could have done that at any time," Aiko said cheerfully. "Don't stand on ceremony, puppy."

Puppy? Honestly.

"Why are you so weird?" Karin asked, feeling a little defeated. How could she socialize these feral boys if she was being undermined at every turn? She didn't wait for an answer, instead turning to Suigetsu and Gaara in turn. "She's lying, you have to wait until every guest is present before ordering." 

"I concur," Utakata said. "Gaara, do not listen to your mother."

He looked troubled. A cute line formed between the space where he ought to have eyebrows- god, he was weird too, she reminded herself. "I understand," Gaara said obediently.