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Entry tags:

[ open (& some closed) ]

who: Eichi & OPEN, Eichi & Líadan (closed), Eichi & Gladiolus (closed)
what: Open log prompt, and then some closed threads for catch-all purposes!
when: Early May (any date)
where: Various
warnings: None

(OPEN) Throwing Knives

[For as much as Eichi wanted to continue his life like normal, singing and performing and growing just like that, he knew that things would never be the same here as they were back home. There was too much that was different here, and rather than sit in his apartment and let everyone else do everything, he wanted to be able to go out and see things for himself. He wanted to know what was going on.

That's why he'd agreed to training in the first place, and that had only led to embarrassment and hospitalization. His body wasn't made for this. So how was he supposed to do anything? That shame led him to the river now, to a quiet spot where he thinks no one would bother coming. Swiping at air only makes him tired, and so he's carved out a little target in a tree and is taking his time throwing his daggers at it.

Surprisingly, a fair amount of them do hit their mark, but they slide uselessly against the tree rather than sticking in like he was hoping. He's so lost in this, and he's not made for fighting at all, so if anyone comes to close, they might find a dagger flying past them and towards his marked tree before he calls out in surprised worry. Either that, or he's busy picking up the few of them from the tree and footsteps make him fumble and knick his own finger.]

(OPEN) General

[Eichi is a performer at 4 different night clubs, and also frequently tries to get out and do anything he can, so he can be found just about anywhere! Feel free to make up any scenario with running into him at his work or on the street, or message me at

nipponpon or zlos#3826 on discord to plot something! I can always make us a personalized starter, too. c:]

Closed to Líadan

[Finally, they were able to get out and do something. There had been the show the night before, and Eichi was certainly excited to see his friend there and supporting him, but this was entirely different. He could relax and do something he wasn't used to himself. This was the sort of fun he enjoyed, casually looking through shops and recommending things for each other, and experiencing this sort of "normal" life.

It's why he's so pleased when he pushes a whole formed outfit at Líadan, gesturing towards the dressing rooms with his free hand.]

Closed to Gladiolus

[That festival was still going on. Eichi had gone to it already, seen all there was to see, and now he didn't even want to go out for very long, worried that the lanterns would remind him of how separated he was from everyone else. Things were entirely different, and as casual as he wanted to be about death, he was still worried about his own.

These thoughts have him pacing his room a couple of times before he settles to lean against the wall shared with Gladio, considering for a moment. His neighbor was home enough during this hour, for one reason or another. Eichi wasn't actually sure— had he gone to that festival at all? Maybe he shouldn't bother him. Maybe he should stay on his own and find something to do...

But he really can't stand that thought, right now, so instead, he knocks a few times against the wall his back is leaning against, waiting for a reply.]

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...Did I?

[He can't imagine how or when, let alone what that something important might be. But he passes the kunai over, watching Sasuke's expression with clear curiosity.] What was that?

That whether it's a short life or a long life, the suffering in it is temporary and what remains after is your real mark on the world. In the end... it's what you do, not how much time you're given, that matters.

[Oh. That's so genuinely surprising to hear from Sasuke of all people, somehow, that Eichi is caught off guard. His cheeks color slightly, and he tries to hide it with a humble glance down and a short laugh. That's what he tries each day of his life to live by, so to hear that he reminded someone of something like that is a big compliment.

If he were less genuinely embarrassed, he'd be able to joke this off and tell Sasuke he was going to blush. But since he already is, he's going to brush it off.]

I don't really know how you were able to gather something like that from our moments together, but I appreciate it all the same. [All he did was faceplant uselessly and drunkenly harass his friend because he was upset he wasn't remembered... But anyway. He clears his throat.]

If you could show me how to throw it properly, I'd appreciate it.

[ It's impossible for eyes as sharp as his to miss flushed cheeks but he actively avoids trying to diagnose the cause. It's just better that way for him. Historically. ]

I feel like that's already obvious. [ And yet he's not elaborating, instead taking that kunai from Eichi and purposefully demonstrating his grip. ] You'll want to position your fingers like this. Make sure your wrist doesn't remain rigid.

Do you need it shown to you left-handed? That's how you were throwing.

[Yeah, just don't ask, it's better that way. And it fades quickly. Now, Eichi is busy trying to hold up his right hand to match the hold in mid air, but his fingers clearly have trouble working individually and together in certain instances. At the question, Eichi raises his own left hand, as well, trying to mirror the grip and having a fair amount of trouble as well.]

If you don't mind. I'm left-handed, so it can be a little difficult to match with things like this. [Learning to write sure was a bitch. He just signs his name in English and it works with the style he goes for anyway.]

[ He nods without complaint about the inconvenience; he's the one that offered, after all. His first order of business is to pass over the kunai in his hand, freeing it up for a flash of hand seals that are almost too quick to be seen. A tendril of smoke curls around the left side of his body, then, dissipating in the air only to reveal what appears to be a fully functional arm where one hadn't existed before.

It even moves on its own, freeing up another kunai with a more overt showing of the proper, now left-handed hold he has on it. ] Mimic it.

You can even do something like that...?

[Eichi can't even hide his amazement at that. He was thinking that Sasuke would just show him how to hold it, but this is way too impressive. It actually makes him feel a little silly— why is he bothering with showing someone like him this simple thing?

But he can't act like that when it's being shown to him like this. He just focuses, blinking down at his own hand and shifting to mimic the hold. He's actually used to watching videos on repeat for hundreds of times and then performing perfectly without ever practicing once himself, so something like mimicking he can do great.]

Like this?

[ Sasuke watches in silence as Eichi indeed copies his movements, having a certain affinity for mimicry as well... but adapting a stolen skill into something specific to that individual is what he considers true talent, ready to see if his new pupil has that kind of skill. ]

Aa. However, I'd apply more pressure with my thumb than you are. Are you capable of sustaining that kind of grip? If not, you'll need to train or adjust.

There may be some days where I'd be able to, but there would be more where I couldn't. Training wouldn't be able to help with that, so I suppose I should adjust...? I wonder just how I should do that.

[Adjust. How does he adjust something when he doesn't even know what's right? For now, he gets used to the hold how Sasuke showed him. How it feels, how it must logically work. He's actually really good with that, too, but his useless body is going to give him trouble here. So while he thinks of how to adjust that, shifting his thumb this way or that or editing the hold just slightly—]

Does it relieve you to have someone here that you know from home? [His eyes are still between the kunai while he asks.]

[ Sasuke adjusts his own grip absently as Eichi tries to puzzle out his own, unable to keep himself from trying to solve this little dilemma at the same time. This is what's always interested him about fighting, outside of tangential desires for approval, recognition, and dominance, and when is the last time he even had a real challenge? Two years now, at least.

His hand stills when Eichi asks the question, however, unable to fight back the instinctual wariness that comes with it. ] ... that's sudden. If you're asking it that way, though...

No, it doesn't.

[Ah, there's that defensive wall, and he almost regrets trying to speak more than he needed to. Almost.]

I have no one here from my own home, myself, but it's always felt like a relief when I've met people who can recall that spaceship I was stuck on previously. When there are people like you and Houzuki-kun, I become a little worried... But then, it may be better for the both of you. You have a direct path home.

[Finally, he thinks he has a solution to his less than perfect grip, and gestures with it to Sasuke to evaluate. His thumb is moved a little to work more with the rest of his fingers, but he's not sure if holding it like this will actually hinder anything he's trying to do.]

I've been wondering if similarly, I shouldn't be hoping that someone I recognize from home appears, since it would be less safe for them to be here.

"People like us"? I see, those that you believe have forgotten things.

[ It's obvious from his tone that Sasuke is still critical of the theory, but he doesn't elaborate. There's too much he still doesn't know about Eichi's true intentions and about the method of their arrival here in the first place. One mystery at a time.

For now he reaches over, though, fingers guiding two of Eichi's further apart to give him a more secure and adaptable grip. ] It would be selfish of you to want anyone you know to arrive if this place is less violent than your home. With Suigetsu, at least this is a better alternative.

...It's more that I don't know how else to refer to it.

[He blinks down at his hand now that it's been shifted, testing its weight, seeing how he can angle his wrist with it. Before he even tries throwing anything, he wants to get the hold right. He's a perfectionist.]

If it makes you uncomfortable, I'm sorry. For all I've bothered Houzuki-kun, too— I don't know what to think of that place. All I know is that it felt a little colder to not be recognized.

[So that's as close as he's going to get to saying he's afraid or lonely or upset about any of that. Now, he's just gripping too hard at this kunai, and forces himself to relax the grip a little more. He'd adjusted for this, right, there, that's better.]

Um, to throw it, can I see an example as well?

To call it "colder" when it's out of our control is a little idiotic. [ Right, this is still Sasuke, though as usual the words have no malice behind them. More a calm statement of what he believes to be true than anything else. ]

But I suppose that's natural. The anger or sadness brought about by things like loneliness, disregard, or hurt... They're regularly oxymoronically understandable and illogical. [ He stops himself, however, realizing that he's getting carried away with himself. ] ... that may be too abstruse.

[ Ugh... he shakes his head, then, glancing again at Eichi's grip before raising his own kunai. He's slow as he goes through the motion of drawing his hand back and then extending it for a throw, repeating this two more times before speeding it up for an actual throw. Expectedly it lodges itself dead center in the target, sinking in a solid inch or two. ]

What a harshly honest person you are. I have to admire that.

[He's only following this silly kunai lesson more and more, determinedly paying attention to every detail. If he compares it to a dance, to steps, to any time in the hospital or too ill to practice, then he can get the motion down. It's just managing to put it into practice.]

I wouldn't say it's abstruse. And I didn't mean to say colder as if you had any hand in it. Your words now are cold, but they're a slap to the face to bring me back to this reality. Failing to recognize me... it has nothing to do with you at all, does it?

Still, regardless of intention or anything else, I was bothered. Not by you, but by the circumstances. There are some things I'll never understand now, and all of that effort, for as little distance as it got me, is gone now with a simple "restart" button that shouldn't exist in real life.

[He throws it with surprising force for someone like him, even if it's nothing close to the level of a ninja, and manages to lodge it into the wood at the bottom of the circled target. He doesn't seem satisfied by it, even if it's heavy improvement.]

...I'm saying too much, aren't I? It might be best to just ignore everything I'm saying now, since I'm a little unsettled by recent news and everything else.

[ The look on Eichi's face is what interests him most, and not even when he's speaking. It's that expression of discontentment after his markedly improved throw that catches Sasuke's attention instead. After all, that's a marker of his determination and that's always something that the shinobi admires despite himself. ]

"All of that effort"? Hm. [ He's moving forward to again retrieve their weapons, grabbing both this time in order to return one to Eichi. ]

Recent news about what?

[All of that effort. He just lets that sit without explanation, accepting the kunai back with a quiet thank you as he looks to it. His hand finds the same grip again in just a moment of shifting, since he's memorized it so thoroughly, and then he looks back to the tree.]

I've heard from someone who was on that spaceship with me that while most people here can find a way home through that portal. That "direct path" I mentioned, you know? But since we felt "displaced" on that spaceship, the first place they believe we'd return to is there, rather than our own homes.

I'd rather not go back, since I almost died a couple of times, and at the end there were a handful of people who I was certain were going to form a mob at me. Even Uchiha-kun questioned me, after all.

[He's really taking his time winding up for this throw because he was so dissatisfied with the last one. He needs to think it through in his head first.]

... firstly, you shouldn't say "even". I'm a critical, suspicious, and unkind person. You shouldn't allow the fact that I was questioning you to discourage you. [ Yeah. This is helpful, surely. Let him just move on to the next topic. ]

If this place works based upon mental perceptions of dissatisfaction, then you have more power than you're giving yourself credit for.

Think about your real home as often as you can. Think about your place there, and how you belong. You could alter the place that you return to after all. [ Taking his own advice sounds impossible. ]

I have to spell things like this out to you, don't I? I said "even" because despite those truths you just said, Uchiha-kun was one of my closest chances at having a friend.

[He knows it is sad that that's so, and so he thinks he can stop there and have that be self-explanatory. He throws the kunai, and even with another jump in improvement, there's not even a bit of satisfaction still.]

Hearing your words now sounds like "just keep hoping and wait around," you know? Even if I know that's all I should physically do, that's not what I want to do. I'd like to find a way to be more proactive in all of this.

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