006. Text/Action for Violet City

[ardent]

[TEXT]

[Today's post is a bit different, the usual video completely absent; he's not been much in the mood for talking to others lately.

However, there are reasons why he thinks he probably should. So text it is.]

As much as we don't always understand or like it very much, the experiences we've had in this place are things to be cherished, I think. It's a good opportunity that we've been given, to meet others we might never have known and share ideas that we might never have come across otherwise.

I feel very blessed to have met all of you. If I haven't spoken to you, then I want to eventually; I'm sure there are things we can learn from one another, if given the opportunity. I still haven't found what it is I'm supposed to do with myself here - but I don't think that stagnation is acceptable, either. For now, I think "working on making things right" is a satisfactory goal, and one that I need to keep in mind more often, maybe.

Either way, I hope that today is a good and productive day for you - and if not, that tomorrow will be better.

[...it's a little subdued and Not Exactly Okay - by Ishimaru's usual standards, anyway - but he sends it anyway; it's just something he's needed to get out there, really.

Somebody's dealing with his first sudden-disappearance-from-Johto experience over here; it's not going too well, but he's trying to get back on track the only way he really knows how.]


[ACTION]

[Ishimaru's been making himself scarce lately; he's used the few days he's had since turning twenty to throw himself into being a complete workaholic, and while that's been good for replenishing what he's spent (and he's been spending much more than usual over the last couple of weeks, something he's been feeling intensely guilty about), there have been other abovementioned reasons for his radio silence and general avoidance of everyone.

But he's off today and the streets of Violet City are welcome, even if he does seem a bit jittery. He's out of his normal uniform, for one thing, and it's still something he's completely unused to - the military-style boots are the same, of course, but he's got black pants on under them, the stiff ones he usually uses for travelling purposes despite the fact that he's doing nothing of the sort just now; as for the rest...he has no idea where Naegi even found the thing in Johto, but he is currently +1 trendy-as-hell hoodie, white with red and black accents and more zippers than he knows what to do with. He still feels more than a bit out-of-place wearing it, but it's something he could get used to. Maybe. The hood's dropped back over his shoulders; it seems to be...weirdly weighted down by something, and if he's seen at the right moment, there's what's undeniably some sort of cat in there, peeking out over his shoulder. Meowth, from the look of it. A very, very runty one, but a Meowth regardless.

Of course, he's got other reasons for the nerves, apparently; he comes to a stop outside the local bar, looking up at it in the way that one does when they know they have absolutely no reason for going in there and are probably going to get thrown out because...well, god only knows why. It's a ridiculous notion, especially given that no one here seems to care about the local drinking age, if one even exists; Oowada had taken him in there shortly after his birthday, and he's come back frequently since, immediately after he's off work. Which wouldn't be too weird - he can do as he pleases, after all - if he didn't get off work in the middle of the afternoon.

Clearly, it's five o'clock somewhere.

However, once he slips inside, he's actually not interested in drinking; what's got his attention is the billiards table in the back room. That's where he goes immediately, setting the Meowth down on one of the nearby stools before picking one of the cue sticks off the back wall. It's not high-quality (nor is the table, really) but he's not going to complain; it's just for the sake of amusing himself, anyway. He'd noticed the setup when he'd come in here the first time, with Oowada; he hadn't played then, but it's what he's been coming back for.

Pool is geometry, when it comes down to it - geometry and physics, all angles and force and arcs; even so, he's still not sure where he picked up how to play. It's just something he knows how to do; if he were to dwell on it for long enough, he'd likely think that it's something he doesn't remember due to the incident in the school. But for now, he doesn't want to think; he racks up easily, and when he shoots, the break is a clean one.]

Comments

action;

[freshprints]

[It's pure chance, really, that has Kirigiri spotting Ishimaru slipping into the local drinking establishment; a simple case of happening to be in the right place and precisely the right time, and finding the sight of someone hesitating in front of the doors odd enough to look twice and realize that oh, it's her classmate, and more importantly it's quite possibly her classmate least likely to be going in to such an establishment in the first place.

The problem here is, there's no way to follow him in without ultimately being noticed — she'll stick out like a sore thumb in a place like that, and if her appearance alone doesn't do it, then remarks from other patrons almost certainly will — and that might create the opening for another spat about her actions and tendencies. She might have to deal with mistaken accusations that she's following him, or watching him, or something equally troublesome; in the grand scheme of things, it's probably nothing anyway, and maybe it's not worth her time.

But no, there's something that's nagging at her, and she can't put her finger on what it is, and that's ultimately why she decides to follow him in — to alleviate that annoying feeling.

She's really not sure what she's expecting, but pool isn't it.

She breezes through the bar the same way she carries herself in every other situation — like she belongs, like she owns it, like she has every right to be here and anyone who might question her is so obviously wrong that there's no point in even deigning to acknowledge them. But she doesn't approach the table itself; no, she hangs back near the stools (and the cat) and hovers like she always does, waiting to be noticed and using the time in between to figure out what she's even doing here in the first place.]

action;

[ardent]

[...well, technically speaking, she is both watching and following. Just not constantly. But accusations of watching and following wouldn't be inaccurate.

However, that is neither here nor there and while he's pacing the length of the table there's something that catches his eye - a splash of color, a motion from the cat that's looking a bit fascinated with that somewhat nonsensical braid, and any accusations he might have made are slung completely out the window in favor of his gaze darting away and focusing high, somewhere between her head and the ceiling, and he fidgets a bit with the stick before making himself stop, his grip tightening.]

Ah, Kirigiri-kun! I didn't see you there - have you been here long?

[Text]

[thevveribest]

are you evven serious right noww
i mean sure there are wworse places wwe could be but wwhatevver
methinks youre puttin too much stock in this wwhole bein here thing bein a blessin
its really not so bloody amazin and great

[Text]

[ardent]

That depends on where you came from, I think. At any rate, of course I'm serious - I wouldn't be saying this sort of thing otherwise.

[text]

[soundmind]

[...]

Are you okay?

[text]

[ardent]

[...Ah. Hey there, Maka; not exactly backwards about coming forwards, are you.]

Yes, of course - just a bit tired from the week, I guess.

And you? Have you been well?

text;

[capax_infiniti]

We are the sum of our experiences, positive and negative. Each little detail adds up into the whole picture of who we area. Being able to see this for what it is and to enjoy the process rather than simply aiming for the end and ignoring everything that happens along the way is something of an acquired skill.

text;

[ardent]

Yes, of course; I'm not arguing any of that. I'm not going to just ignore everything that's happened to me before coming here; the process hasn't been anything I'd say I can "enjoy," either. It's more complicated than that.

Text

[strongestoftheturks]

...Thanks.

[It's been awhile since they've spoken, haven't they? Yet Rude's been bumping into Ishimaru's friends quite often. Makes him wonder if Ishimaru's anywhere closer to bridging the gap between his world and this one. Ishimaru himself seems a bit...different. No shouty video and just sombre text? What calls for this situation?]

Everything ok?

Text

[ardent]

[Huh. So it has, actually; the last month has been absolutely insane.]

I think so, yes. It's been a longer week than usual, that's all.

And you, have you been well?

[text]

[quickattackjack]

_{[Poor kid.]}

In my years of being here, I haven't discovered an exact purpose for this strange situation we're all in. However, it's what we do with what has happened to us that is most important and I think you've made a good choice.

[text]

[ardent]

[He'll be okay, just because he generally has to be okay. It's just been kind of a hard little while.

That said, how do you always know what he needs to hear because that is uncanny as hell, good sir.]

I've always believed that, too - that it isn't what's happened, but what can be done with it. After all, both punishments and rewards can teach something if done right; both are meant to set us on the path to being the best we can be.

It's just weird not having a proper goal, I guess. I've always had one before, and now that I don't, it's hard to know what to do with myself.

[ACTION]

[diamondo]

[Is that...

Yes, that does appear to be Ishimaru in a trendy hoodie.

That appears to be Ishimaru in a trendy hoodie entering the bar.

Clearly someone needs to investigate this incredibly odd sight, and that person is Mondo! This is totally not an excuse to go into the bar and get a drink, nope. Even though that's exactly what he does once he enters.

Now with +1 beer, Mondo joins Ishimaru at the pool table, watching him for a moment before taking a seat on a stool. He's not very good at pool, but he's clearly going to watch Ishimaru.]

Hey, kyoudai. I didn't know you played pool!

[He even seems to be pretty good at it!]

[ardent]

[...KYOUDAI WHAT HAS HE TOLD YOU ABOUT DOING THAT...NINJA THING YOU DO. JFC YOU'RE MASSIVE HOW ARE YOU SO STEALTHY -

...anyway. Ishimaru is quick to jump up from where he's been setting up a shot, promptly fiddling with the stick a bit in one of his hands before seeming to realize what he's doing and making himself stop. He's still clearly feeling a bit...weirdly guilty about this, though he's trying to act reasonably casual.]

I...don't, really - I just saw the table in here when we came in a few days ago, and I've been playing some once in a while since then.

[...okay, he's doing really badly at it but he's trying.]

[video]

[lieutenantantichrist]

[That note sounds way too much like the kinds of things people write before they go off to do something drastic.]

Hey, kid. You sound kind of funny. You okay?

[text]

[ardent]

Yes, of course; I've just been thinking about a few things, that's all. It's been a good week for that, I guess.

It's nothing to worry about, though.

[video]

[topoftheclass]

That's a hopeful way of looking at it. I think.

[text]

[ardent]

I tend to prefer seeing the positive side of things, rather than dwelling on the negative. Dwelling for too long tends to get in the way of progress, I think - we need to keep our gazes trained forward and our eyes on the horizon, if we actually want to reach that horizon ourselves!

text;

[timelymaid]

i think thats a really lovely sentiment!!! :)

text;

[ardent]

Thank you, Megido-kun; it's been a while, hasn't it?

Have you been well?

[action]

[crystalballer]

[When everyone else is off at work, Hagakure needs something to do to stave off his boredom. He could go train his Pokemon, but he's just not in the mood for that kind of effort so he drags himself to the bar to see if he can find anything cheap to drink. His recently-hatched Abra is along for the ride on his shoulder.

Once inside, he gets himself all settled to enjoy a drink and the bar atmosphere...when he notices someone familiar over by the billiards table. He almost writes the person off as just a stranger who looks familiar, but that changes when he sees the perfectly-laced military boots. After that, the short hair and piercing red eyes don't seem so coincidental. ... Yeah.

But what the hell is that hoodie.

He slides back out of his chair and wanders over to his classmate, offering a wave as he gets closer.]

This is the last place I would've expected to see you, Ishimaru-chi. Same can be said about that getup. I didn't know you were so good at camouflage!

[action] - 1/2

[ardent]

[...Wow, Hagakure from right out of nowhere, hello. It probably says something about his focus on the game that he failed to notice his classmate's entrance - whatever blending Ishimaru is managing, the same can't exactly be said for Hagakure. ...or, well, Hagakure's hair, if we're going to be totally honest and straightforward. Blending in is not exactly a thing that hair like that does.

As it stands, however, he jumps a bit at being addressed; he sort of fiddles with the pool cue as he straightens up, trying to find something to do with his hands, but thankfully Hagakure's statements are the sort that manage to get his attention before he gets too worked up.]

Camouflage...? But I'm not...

[Just. Have you. Have you seen the hoodie he is wearing.]

[ardent]

[...and that's when it seems to click and oh - ]

Ah, right, right - very funny, Hagakure-kun! It's something Naegi-kun gave me, not something I would have picked out for myself, but I think it's nice anyway!

[well that wasn't awkward at all SO CAN HE DODGE THE STATEMENT ABOUT THE BAR]

[neededlassie]

[Shaun spends more time reading over the message over and over again than he usually spends on exam questions. He agrees with everything written there - he's been here almost a whole year, now, and he's met a lot of people he never wants to forget when he goes home. But he's never spoken to this person before.

But then again, they said that didn't matter, didn't they?

His mind made up, he starts with a small reply.]

For some people I think being here is a lot better than what they have going on back home.

I've met lots of people here from other worlds and stuff who have never even heard of where I'm from. I think making new friends is part of what this place is about.

[He hesitates, not hitting send just yet.]

But when someone leaves who was your friend, it hurts because you don't know if you'll see them again. But you've got the memories of the time you spent with them here, so it's kind of like they never really totally leave.

I hope you have a good day too. :)

[ardent]

I know several people where that's the case, actually - that being here is better than being back in their own world. But if anything, that just means this place is even more of a blessing; I'm grateful it exists, for people like that.

I haven't been here very long, I guess, not when compared to some of the others. (I've heard that some have been here for years...?) But I've recently lost someone I considered close - he returned home. It's been difficult. But the memories thing - that's a good point! It's a good way to look at it, I think.

As for having a good day - I'm doing what I can. It's just a matter of keeping one's head up, eyes trained forward!

[superordinary]

[ So a protagonist walks into a bar...look, man, that's exactly what happens. Normally he wouldn't enter a place like that because he doesn't exactly have a good reason to be there when he's too young to drink, but seeing Ishimaru step inside makes him change his mind. He's going to Azalea soon and he'd much rather inform Ishimaru about it in person than over the PokéGear. Plus, this get way he can get a free-time event in the process. Maybe they can bond over their hoodies now or something. ]

Ishimaru-kun?

[ You now have +1 protag. He doesn't know how to play pool but he doesn't mind watching. ]

[ardent]

[...oh dear lord.

Ishimaru is quick to jump up from where he'd been leaning forward over the table, setting up another shot; he seems almost a bit nervous about it all, like he's been caught somewhere he really shouldn't be, and he fiddles with the cue stick for a moment before making himself stop.]

Ah, Naegi-kun! I...it's been a few days since I've seen you last!

[...smooth.]