Evergreen Library || Thursday Afternoon || @Letter Bee@Savo@Sync@Conscripts Romani departed without saying anything to the group, which surprised Mer. Wishing him a hasty goodbye, she was interrupted by Alex, who’d started on another tirade of sorts. While she agreed with the ideas behind his points, she didn’t always agree with the points themselves. His reminder about the study session, however, prompted her to check the time on her phone, and she was relieved to find that she hadn’t run overtime in the library.
At this point, Romani returned to the table, surprising her when he down to whisper in her ear. His words, though, offered comfort, acting as a token of support passed her way, and she received the latte with a smile.
“Thank you, Romani. Take care too,” she said, waving as he left. The latte was warm in her hands, reminding her that even though others doubted her, it was possible for her to keep standing up for what she believed was right. In this case, that meant giving Mikhail some final words of support to help him set the record straight before she left to join her study group.
“Alex, Mikhail’s not lying about his past. He brought proof. Here,” Mer said, sliding the newspaper clippings she’d gotten from Mikhail towards the center of the table. On top was a headline with a picture of his young self, most likely a leaked press photo published for views rather than news. Below that were more shots from different angles, each another piece depicting the event’s public coverage.
But, pictures aside, Alex did have a point: How could she be sure Mikhail had honest intentions if he’d resorted to manipulation? The truth was a reliable weapon of persuasion, and while its effectiveness varied based on the audience, Mikhail’s lack of subtlety when it came to underhanded tactics made his case feel suspicious. Despite this, Mer had wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, and that didn’t change now. Mikhail had lived a hard life, much harder than her own, and she felt that it was only fair for her to try and lift what burden she could. Because she couldn’t lift much, she’d requested the help of Philip, and though she couldn’t fault him either way, she hoped he’d give Mikhail the benefit of the doubt like she did.
Her eyes fell onto a neutral point on the table as she thought over how she could communicate her final thoughts. On one hand, she didn’t want to hurt Mikhail by admitting that even she had doubts; on the other, Alex had valid points, and she knew from experience that ignoring them would only serve to rile him up when he was now close to settling down. What she needed to do, then, was continue to support Mikhail but maintain a stance supported by reasonable opinions. The last thing she wanted was for Alex and Mikhail to end on bad terms, and though that seemed likely at the moment, she wanted to do what she could to lessen their anger.
“I think Mikhail deserves the benefit of the doubt here. What he’s trying to do is for the greater good, not for personal gain. While his reasons might be personal, his goal is bigger than himself, and that’s admirable,” she said, alternating her gaze from Alex to Philip before she settled on Mikhail. “I want to help, but I don’t think I can do much, which is why I’m asking Philip to help instead. I’m not sure I can do more, but good luck, Mikhail. I really do hope you find someone who can help.”
With that, she wished Mikhail and Philip goodbye, packing up her notes and heading out behind Alex. The latte was still warm in her hands, and she wondered if she’d done enough to deserve such a kind gesture.
Mid-morning || Land of Fire: Konohagakure — Kawaguchi Household Kazuhiko listened to Koharu with interest, nodding here and there as he cross-referenced what she said with what he knew about her family. Since he’d met her uncle, Osamu, the other day and seen a snippet of their relationship, it made sense for her to be excited to receive a sword with a history like that. Her uncle was her hero or something along those lines, Kazuhiko figured. Though he had no real “heroes,” giving the default answer of the Hokage when asked, he understood that others tended to find figures they looked up to, pushing themselves harder to be like their idol.
As for the details of how the clan trained in kenjutsu, he compared it to his training in taijutsu: Just as the Wakahisa had a disposition for kenjutsu due to the possible applications of their ice, the Taketori favored taijutsu because it meshed well with possible utilizations of their dojutsu. While his clan also had levels of improvement people rose through, they were much looser than Koharu’s, perhaps because of the Wakahisa’s samurai roots. The act of focusing on kenjutsu rather than their kekkai genkai first was similar to the Taketori preference to hone their use of their chakra nature before their dojutsu. Again, though, the reasons differed—the Wakahisa using the kata as a vehicle to train control of their kekkai genkai and the Taketori favoring ninjutsu to knock out enemies disabled by their dojutsu—their methods were similar, proving again that the organizational system most clans operated on was a universal one, though with variations. Kazuhiko was half-tempted to ask Natsuko about her clan’s training system as well, but a glance at his currently less talkative teammate showed that she’d completely lost interest in the conversation, having moved onto watching Azumi cook out of boredom. At this point, though, he didn’t even bat an eye at the sight, instead focusing his full attention back on Koharu without a word.
When Koharu brought up her lack of control with her ice, it was clear that she had some insecurities about it, but Kazuhiko was relieved to see that she wasn’t as bothered by it as she might once have been. She continued, saying that she’d make the team proud and that she’d be open to an alliance.
At the mention of the latter, Kazuhiko’s eyes widened, but he quickly recovered with a gentle smile. “You’ll find an ally in the Taketori as well. As will Natsuko,” he said, catching the eyes of his still-surprised teammate as she tried to understand what the conversation had turned into.
“Um, thanks you two, but I’m not the heir, okay? I’d sooner become a missing-nin than try to climb that social ladder,” Natsuko joked, her laugh a bit off-beat. “But you can bet I’ll be there to fly-kick anyone who’s threatening either of you.”
Looking at her, Kazuhiko decided not to pursue the topic, choosing to nod instead. Then, deciding he needed to change the topic, he figured he’d take a page from Natsuko’s book, for once, because she was pretty good at doing just that.
“And Koharu, you’re a great teammate. My best teammate, actually.”
Natsuko’s jaw dropped. He shrugged, which seemed to throw her out of her shock.
“That is so not—”
And, right on time, Minoru called for lunch.
Natsuko Rinha
Noon || Land of Fire: Konohagakure — Kawaguchi Household “Mochi really is the best,” Natsuko said, sighing in contentment as she popped the last piece of mochi into her mouth and chewed. Across the table, Kazuhiko stared at her with a pointedly flat glare, but she easily avoided eye contact with him, instead looking to Azumi and Minoru.
“Minoru-sensei, Azumi-san, can we step out for a bit? We’ll be back in an hour or two. We’ve barely spent any time together outside of missions and training, with these two’s heir schedules.”
She pouted. “Please?”
Then, at the first sign of weakness—or hesitation, because they were pretty much the same thing in her eyes—she leaped to her feet, a grin on her lips as she looped her arm through Koharu’s and looked to Kazuhiko, whose gaze was shooting wildly between everyone at the table.
“C’mon, Kazu!” she said, skipping towards the door with Koharu in tow. When she didn’t hear two sets of footsteps behind her, she turned around, catching Kazuhiko give Koharu a near-imperceptible nod as he dashed deeper into the house.
“Bathroom!” came echoing out from where he disappeared, and Natsuko frowned, looking to Koharu.
“I swear he’s acting all funny. What’s with him today?”
“Alright!” Natsuko repeated, her grin returning full force as she attempted to loop her arm through his as well. He easily dodged out of the way, tsking, and Natsuko flashed him a pout before she returned to grinning.
“Let’s go let’s go let’s go!” she said, practically bursting out the door. Dragging Koharu down the street—or however long she managed to hold onto her—Natsuko led the way through town, taking turns she’d memorized off a map the night prior. Judging by the worried expressions on her teammates’ faces, they were about a hair’s breadth away from asking her where she was leading them, but if they asked her only reply would be a casual “to adventure!”
Eventually, she led them down a road that faded into light-trodden grass that soon opened up into a village-side courtyard with sparse patches of grass on one side and dirt on the other. On the barren side were various wooden logs that had been embedded in the earth, some with branch stumps and some without to act as training posts. Most importantly, though, on the dirt field stood four figures, three of which were sparring with the posts while the final, noticeably taller one watched from a short distance, their black robe contrasting sharply with their pink-brown hair.
“Mariko-san!” Natsuko called, waving at the grey-haired girl in their midst, who turned around when her name was called to reveal near-white eyes. “Team Six has arrived!”
“Natsuko! Hello!” Mariko called back, waving as she walked over with the rest of her team. Her Byakugan flashed on briefly, the corners other eyes tightening into lines, but then she immediately relaxed her vision, a smile on her lips.
“Isn’t this rather rude, Kazuhiko?” she asked once they closed the distance.
Natsuko snapped out of staring at her teammates—both of whom were significantly taller than her—to glance between Kazuhiko and Mariko. At this point, Kazuhiko seemed rather uncomfortable, having set his jaw with a tight smile.
“Sorry, I didn’t know we were coming to see you, Mariko,” he said.
“Hm.” Mariko’s smile widened. “I suppose Natsuko’s responsible for this surprise on your part?”
Kazuhiko nodded. Natsuko crossed her arms.
“Will someone please explain what’s going on?”
Kazuhiko looked to Koharu. “Koharu, um, do you mind—”
Wind Release:
Gale Palm: a technique where the user increases the velocity or density of wind to form a powerful gale capable of knocking over a person.
Dark Release:
Kusunemasu [Needs Practice]: A basic technique that allows a Rinha to absorb chakra from others and use it as their own. They can do this through direct physical contact or from a distance (Limits: distance-restrained, more concentration required without direct contact)
Kazuhiko Taketori
Early Afternoon || Land of Fire: Konohagakure — Kawaguchi Household Kazuhiko stepped out of the bathroom, making his way to the kitchen with a sheepish smile.
“Minoru sensei, Azumi-san, sorry for forcing you both to play along with that. Natsuko can be very… pushy at times. I actually wanted to come today to apologize for yesterday,” he said, bowing. “Please forgive my father’s behavior. He’s a bit judgemental, especially about Hyuga since the Taketori… haven’t been getting along with them.”
He bowed lower, sinking to a near right angle. “Please forgive him, and please forgive me.”
Lightning Release:
Thunder: creates arcs of lightning that the user can direct towards a target.
Thunderbolt [Needs Practice]: creates arcs of lightning that can hit multiple targets at once.
Lightning Strike [Needs Practice]: creates a strong arc of lightning that can hit multiple close targets or be extended to hit a faraway one.
Lightning Clone Technique: creates a tangible clone that is dispelled with very little damage and cannot perform jutsu. The clone will also dispel if enough time passes.
Wet Caverns || Day 3: Late Morning Eryn followed the Onix along as it dug, watching in amazement as it repelled the wild Sableye with ease. Having pulled out her Pokedex to identify the wild ghost-type through the darkness, Eryn noted the genders of her wild companions, wondering whether Onix could see in the dark. Since they often lived in caves, that made sense, but who was to say they didn’t navigate by touch rather than sight? Her Pokedex noted that there was a magnet in the Onix’s brain, but that only helped with directionality, not sight, so perhaps Onix, Diglett, and all of the other burrowing Pokemon had evolved ways to make up for the darkness.
On the subject of seeing in the dark, Eryn realized that she had a dark-type in her team, and she turned around to look at Eri. For now, she’d had the Zorua disguise himself as a human, so it wouldn’t do to ask whether he could see in the dark. As such, Eryn shelved the thought for later and continued, admiring the Onix as she walked. While she could think of many reasons why she wanted the rock-type on her team, she could also see the reasons the Onix may have against his capture. For one, this was his territory—the tunnels where other wilds like Diglett lived, protected by the Onix’s strength. If she removed the Onix, there would be no one to protect his domain from the Zubat and Gravelers.
Eryn stared at the Onix as it dug through the wall and into the sun, this time wondering whether there were other Onix in these tunnels. With her time running out, having been provided with an exit by her unlikely help, she had to decide whether asking was worth the Onix’s ire. Having an Onix as a friend was pretty sweet, and—depending on how generous he was feeling—she could ask for his help should she return and go adventuring in the cavern. On the other hand, though, she really did want an Onix, so in a way there was no decision to be made.
“Thanks for the exit, Onix. I’d honestly still be wandering in there without you. But, before I leave, is there any chance you or another Onix you know would be up for an adventure with a trainer?”
Eryn smiled sheepishly. “Now, I know you might be busy protecting your tunnel, with the number of different Pokemon living in it, but I’m a trainer and my trainer senses say an Onix would be pretty awesome to train. I’m not specifically asking you to come with me but… I’d be pretty happy about it if it were you in particular.”
She shifted Dei in her arms, aware that both he and Eri were now watching intently, each for different reasons, but she pushed on. “That said, I’d understand if you refused. I wanna say I’d be open to proving myself, but my Pokemon are a little weak as-is. If you would prefer me to prove it through combat, well, I’ll be back in a day or so to take you on.”
Meeting the Onix’s eyes with determination, Eryn waited for him to respond.
Having gotten her answer, she nodded, grinning. “Alright. That’s fair. Either way, thank you for everything, and thank you too, Diglett. Keep being adorable, and watch this Onix for me, would you? I’m gonna come back in a day or two and show him that he should have just agreed.”
Then, with a final wave and a casual remark to Eri to note the Diglett and Onix’s forms—because who knew the limits to his shapeshifting powers—Eryn put Dei down and set off out the makeshift exit and towards what was assumably Lakewatch Town, intending to make a beeline for the Pokemon Center. After all, Tula wasn't going to heal herself, and she missed holding her cutest Pokemon.
Actions: Followed the Onix to the exit he made then (after wondering whether Zorua can see in the dark) proceeded to proposition the Onix about joining her team. If he didn’t, either wanting her to prove herself or just flat-out denying her, Eryn would try and move onto Lakewatch Town and heal her Pokemon, chatting up a few locals while she's at it. If he did agree to lead her somewhere (or agree to join her team, but I don’t think he would haha) Eryn would of course follow.
@Alamantus@Vertigo “There’s a key here! But we need a hook for fishing,” Pebs said, getting back on her feet. “It has some sort of metal ring on it, but we don’t have a hook.”
Glancing at the table, Pebs walked over to it to look the items over again. Tool-wise, there was a pair of pliers with a built-in wire-stripping edge, and she set that aside to stow away or use depending. There were wires, which she pushed near the pliers, and batteries that she put together and pushed aside as well. What was left was the speaker and the sizable miniature pick-up truck, which she set about examining. She rolled the speakers over in her hand, looking for somewhere to place batteries or connect wires to. Then, after setting down the speakers, she moved onto the miniature truck, looking it over for any hidden compartments or otherwise. It was fairly big, so was there something inside?
Drain cover (how thick, how is it secured, how big are the holes)
Evergreen Library || Thursday Afternoon || @Letter Bee@Savo@LetMeDoStuff@Sync@Conscripts Just as Mikhail started apologizing, a brown-blonde boy arrived, Mer recognizing him by his height and hair. If she remembered correctly, his name was Laurence, and they’d shared a philosophy class last year. However, since she’d chosen psychology over philosophy, they didn't share any classes this year, so she was surprised to see him now despite having never talked to him. While she didn’t understand the cryptic phrase he’d led with, she understood the rest, and she looked to check if Mikhail was okay with Laurence listening along. It was his past and pursuit, after all, and Mer was relieved when he responded by introducing himself. If more people got roped into the conversation, perhaps Mikhail would feel less of a need to ask for help from her specifically. After all, she’d given all the reasons she could, and at this point she was left with hoping he saw the sense in her words.
Soon enough, though, another person announced their arrival, and Mer was unhappily surprised to find that she recognized him. Alex—a familiar face, and an expected one, given that their biology study group was slated to meet up in a bit. He was, unfortunately, also one of the two people Mikhail had given nicknames to, and Mer hoped he hadn’t overheard. As he continued, however, it became clear that he had, and her eyes widened when he stated that he didn’t know why she was dating Mikhail. Glancing at Mikhail, then back at Alex, Mer found herself unable to find words to clear the situation up, but when Alex continued, proving that he had indeed overheard the nicknames, she cringed, deciding it’d be better to stay silent until he finished.
When Alex accused Mikhail of manipulating her, and she again did a double-take to Mikhail. The encounter had felt a little forced at times, but manipulation? That was a harsh word, and Mikhail had cited his reasons. For now, Mer wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, and an opinion from Alex, who’d misunderstood portions of the conversation, didn’t seem like something she should take to heart.
His choice of words for Mikhail also made her wince, and it dawned on her that perhaps Alex was the worst person to overhear all this. Her fears were confirmed when Mikhail spoke again, his language also taking a turn for the worse. While she was relieved to hear him clear up the dating situation, explaining the real sequence of events for everyone to hear, she was a bit stunned to hear the scope of his plan. Since when was she to purchase lab rats, and if Britain’s best doctors and scientists had failed to make an antidote, why did he expect her to do what they couldn’t?
Mikhail’s last jibe at Alex also made her wince, but Mer was distracted by Laurence producing a pair of glasses. Putting them on, he addressed the table in a way that stunned her. Was he playing a part? Where was the hidden camera?
Still, she was glad that he took control of the conversation, doing his best to diffuse the tension and clear the air. Alex did need to be called out, as did Mikhail, and though Laurence’s choice of words for Mikhail was rather unkind, Mer appreciated the sentiment. Then, as he tied it all off with thoughts Mer could agree with, Mer’s attention was called again to someone arriving, identifying himself as Romani from Laurence’s philosophy class. Feeling bad for him as he realized his mistake midway through, Mer watched as Laurence addressed him, then turned to address her, much to her surprise.
“Yep, nice to meet you!” she said, her voice pitching oddly when multiple sets of eyes turned to her. Given that she wasn’t about speak despite being spoken to multiple times during the past ten minutes, she realized that perhaps calling attention to herself wasn’t the best idea, but thankfully the arrival of yet another person distracted everyone from that. This time, it was a boy in a suit and tie rather than a school uniform, suggesting that he was probably a St. Paul’s student. Like any reasonable person, he’d come to inform the group that they were beginning to become a public nuisance, and Mer was horrified to note that she was part of that group.
Surprisingly—or not—it was Mikhail that jumped on the newcomer, recognizing the boy as Philip and piling on praise to him. By the way Mikhail addressed him before admitting his own attempts at flattery, Mer found herself glancing at Alex, reconsidering his words. Okay, so perhaps Mikhail had resorted to some manipulation, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d had a hard life. It showed the lengths he as willing to go to fulfill his mission, however hopeless it might be, and even if she couldn’t respect or understand his means and motives, Mer admired his persistence. More importantly, though, Mikhail’s words indicated that Philip was a much better candidate than her to help, and she immediately focused on him, hoping to help Mikhail’s case.
While his final jab at Alex didn’t help his cause since Laurence had already mitigated the situation earlier, Mer looked past it to Philip, who seemed like a person of reason. Perhaps he would agree with her, and perhaps he wouldn’t. Either way, she felt that she should try.
“Um, Philip, was it? I’m Merja, or Mer. Mikhail approached me first about making the antidote, and while it does sound impossible, I think you’re the most fit out of any of us to try. I’m not sure whether using lab rats would be considered animal abuse,” she said, giving Mikhail a meaningful look before turning back to Philip, “but I think Mikhail’s cause is a good one. So, please, could you consider helping him?”
Freddie’s Apartment || 9:00 AM || @Jasper19 A holler from a room over woke Tony from his sleep, and he sat up groggily, his mouth dry and his head aching. As he took in the apartment around him, his memory of crashing on the couch falling into place along with the other pieces of the previous night, he saw Freddie rush past him, calling for him to lock the door.
“You got it!” he called back, then winced, a hand going up to his head to stabilize himself. Then, raking it through his hair, he yawned loudly, padding his way over to the kitchen. His own place was a bit out of the way, being between the town and the closest park, so Freddie’s place was naturally the next best thing. That is, of course, discounting the presence of his parents’ place, which he disliked staying over at, even if he was heading there now.
In the kitchen, he poured himself a glass of water, wincing and blinking a few times before he downed it. Then, stashing it in the sink, he made his way to the bathroom to swish his mouth, splash his face, and brush his hair back with his fingers, before headin out, locking Freddie’s door behind him. After unlocking his bike, he rode the few blocks home, waving to his dad when he pulled up.
“Yo, pops!” he called.
Benjamin Carter, or simply Ben, as he preferred, was the local plumber who’d taught Tony everything he knew about pipes and drains. Currently, he was exiting his truck, acknowledging Tony’s arrival by calling Tony’s name. With a flannel shirt tucked into a worn pair of jeans and a belt to hold it all in place over his still-growing beer belly, Ben looked as old as he was: well into his middle ages and faintly irked by whoever was unfortunate enough to call him early this morning.
Parking his bike in the garage, Tony walked over to Ben, taking what wrenches and tools he was handed. If he had his wrenches and screws straight, it seemed like someone’s backyard faucet had sprung a leak.
“You fix it up, Dad?” he asked, dropping the tools into a spare bucket and hefting that.
Ben snorted. “Of course, who do you take me for? Now, I won’t say no to free money, but there’s something to be said about learning to change your own garden hose. Leaking for over a month—unbelievable.”
Shaking his head, Ben led the way into the garage, setting tools and buckets where they were supposed to go. “So, how’d the show go? Any attendance?”
“Three songs, small crowd. Wednesday nights are hardly busy.”
Tony shrugged, handing Ben another wrench. “So, Danny’s coming home tonight, huh?”
Ben grunted but didn’t otherwise respond, instead continuing to busy himself with the few tools he’d yet to organize.
“Been a while since Dan’s been home. Is Mom gonna cook her famous seafood chowder for dinner?”
Again Tony’s words were met with a grunt, prompting him to fall silent as Ben finished sorting the rest of the tools. While Tony knew better than to push the subject with his father, staying quiet never sat right with him. His brother, Daniel, was visiting home, and their father’s open lack of enthusiasm annoyed him. Would it hurt for Ben to just pretend to be happy for a night?
“Right, I’ll go check on Mom,” Tony said, setting the last tool onto the workbench and heading inside. When he opened the door, Tony was greeted by the warm aroma of melted butter and pancakes from his childhood, and his mother appeared around the corner with a plate almost immediately.
“Oh, Tony! Welcome home!” Mary said, cheerily hugging Tony with one hand while managing to balance the plate in her other. “Sit, sit! And have some pancakes. You haven’t eaten, have you?”
“Nope, been waiting for your pancakes, Mom,” he said, sitting and picking up his fork and knife.“You eat yet?”
“I’ll eat in a bit. No, eat, eat, I’ll go get another plate, and—Ben! Ben! Breakfast!” Main Street || 11:00 AM It was while biking back from the grocery store, a bag of last-minute essentials his mother had requested on hand, that Tony’s phone rang. Pulling over, he checked the screen—Jake—and picked up.
“Hey Jake, what’s up?”
“Tony, my man, I can’t find that bass guitar. You have it with you?”
Tony felt a spike of alarm as his mind rushed through last night’s events. “No, I don’t. I must have—damn it. I must have left it at Redcap.”
“The bar? Tony, bro, that guitar cost me good money. I can’t be losing that thing.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Tony said, glancing down at the bag he was carrying. It was light enough. “I’ll head to Redcap now. Call you when I find it.”
“Alright, man. I’ll be waiting,” Jake said, hanging up.
Pocketing his phone, Tony swung his bike around, riding back down the street towards last night’s venue. Redcap usually opened in the evening to serve burgers and beer, but maybe he’d get lucky and catch some cook or bartend heading in to prep. His mom needed the ingredients, but they were mostly seasonings, and Jake’s guitar was expensive. Though he’d lent it to Tony for free, Tony didn’t like the thought of losing it since neither of them had a hundred bucks just sitting around. So, priorities in place, to Redcap it was.
Remram
Achronum
