ratsoftobruk | Open Post

None taken! I'd be surprised if it were.

[ Pleasantly surprised, but still. ]

On the other hand, you may need to, someday. I almost think it'd be— [ he pauses, evidently searching for a word— ] reckless, almost, to never try it.

A little more reckless to try it, I think.

[She unrolls the sutra a little further, lifting part of it up and busying herself with examining it.]

Is that how you'd prefer to go, if I decide to kill you?

[ He laughs. ]

I guess it'd be fitting, wouldn't it? And good practice. I don't know. It'd be more exciting to throw me to tigers, I'd think. Do whatever you want.

I'd look into it, but I haven't seen a tiger around this area in ages. [Sounds genuinely disappointed, like this is something that's been annoying her for a while and she's been waiting for an opportunity to complain about it.] It's a shame, we're down to wolves and deer.

[As she talks, she lifts Muten up and drapes it across her shoulder, over the top of Kouten. It feels like there should be some sort of reaction to this, some hum of energy or tension, but it's just a pile of paper.]

[ The tension is his, but no energy; there's still nothing in the place he used to draw power from. He smiles as he watches her, charmed. Like it's a toy, some object of curiosity that no one else can tell her what to do with: he'd been the same when he was nineteen. ]

You don't even know how you're going to use it, and you're playing with it.

A girl's not allowed to play dress up? [Like she's not pushing middle age.] They'll have to get used to each other sooner or later.

[ She smoothes out Muten, running the green edge between her fingers. Play nicely, children.]

You don't have to wear them one on top of the other to do that. Why don't you try invoking them at the same time? Not seriously, like you're really going to do something, just—open them up, you know. A little bit.

[Wow, she's a little insulted by the lack of effort and obscuration put into that attempt at being a bad influence. She settles on being amused.]

You think I should? It sounds dangerous.

Edited 2017-03-07 22:15 (UTC)

[ He flicks her a fast, cool glance, at odds with the chiding humor of his voice. ]

You said this'd be interesting! It sounds like you're still working things out for yourself. Let's talk about Hassan again. [ He's just gonna not wait for an argument: ] Have you known each other a long time?

[He doesn't get to be annoyed with her, he's the piece of shit here. She's a perfect, innocent angel and he's a jerk for trying to lure her down the path of fun irresponsibility.]

Honestly, what you described sounds pretty boring.

[And possibly something she's already been playing around with, but Ukoku doesn't need to know that.]

We've known each other since training.[Sharak is going to beat the crap out of Hassan later, but she keeps her tone light.] If you keep this up, I'm going to start to think you're the infatuated one. Do you want to know his favourite flower too?

No, no. There's no point if I can't get him any, right? I think they say it's better to be direct about these things, anyway. I'll just ask him if he doesn't mind an old guy thinking he's cute.

[ He's really going to do this though. These games are reaching weird levels of abstraction. Sorry, Hassan. ]

[Hassan is less than ten feet away and can probably hear every word of this. Probably wondering what he did to deserve this (he knows what he did).]

You know you're only a few years older than us, right? [It's not like she's Genjo.] Don't be so hard on yourself, you have plenty of time to find love still.

[In a jail cell, with barely half a dozen people to talk to.]

Edited 2017-03-08 13:29 (UTC)

That's good advice! I'll have to remember that.

[ In the meantime, he gets to his feet and ambles over to the door, all slow and casual, to find out if he can actually see Hassan out there.

Also to find out if it's unlocked. ]

[It is unlocked, because Hassan has to be able to dive into the room as quickly as possible on a moment's notice. He isn't visible through the tiny window, which doesn't offer great POV. If Ukoku tries to open the door, it'll open about an inch before slamming shut again quickly, as if yanked away from his grip by someone with strong arms and a hat.]

Oi, cut that shit out. You'll scare him.

[ He absolutely tries to open the door—not to go anywhere (there's no hope of that); just to say hello. It's not nice to shout at someone through a little window.

But Hassan likes to be shouted at, evidently. ]

Yeah! I have a weak heart, Hassan!

[ He turns to shuffle back over to Sharak. This time he sits down next to her instead of across from her. Hi. ]

Do you think he'll slam the door in your face when you try to leave now?

[There's something that sounds like a mumbled "both of you can go to hell" from the right side of the door. Sharak ignores this and only raises an eyebrow when Ukoku sits next to her. That's a weird change, but whatever.]

I doubt it. [Unless he remembers he's owed a beating and wants a head start running away.] He takes his work seriously, don't mind him.

[Except, annoyingly, it seems like that's off the table now. Oh, well, she can adapt for that.]

I don't mind him at all! It's good, it's a respectable trait. [ He raises his voice— ] Right, Hassan? [ Hassan brought this on himself by not giving up. Anyway, here's something out of the blue: ]

Could you tell me what it's been like outside? At night.

[That is out of the blue. Sharak tilts her head back, looking at Ukoku through the corner of her eye.]

At night? Clear skies, lots of stars. We're hoping for some rain soon.

[ Clear skies. He nods, not looking at her, eating his rice. ]

What's the moon phase?—Please.

[ Not that it matters, of course; it's just a habit. He was too out of it to notice during the trip across India. He can't remember recognizing the difference between night and day, or the passing of time, much less anything specific. ]

[It's trivial information and it shouldn't cost her anything to impart it. It's just a rock in the sky.]

Why?

[Out of everything he could ask, why that?]

[ His answer is patient: ]

Because I can't go outside, and I'm trying to imagine the sky.

[ How's that for weird honesty? (It's not completely honest honesty, but it's fine.) ]

Hm. [Sharak leans back and looks up at the ceiling, as if she can see the sky from here.]

Just guess then. Maybe it's gibbous tonight.

[ He nods again, as if he'd expected something like that.

There's a good five-second interval before he laughs. ]

Or—there is no world outside of this room and that hallway, and there is no sky, and there is no moon. Right?

[ There is no moon. It's a good sequence of words. There is no moon, there is no moon. Ukoku tips his near-empty rice bowl on its edge with a thin finger. ]

You caught us. The boys and I have been camped out by the door in dead silence for the past month.

[What an emotionally stable, completely sane man she's addressing. Though this isn't that unusual for monks, honestly. Sharak taps a sharp fingernail on the edge of the bowl.]

Rice has to grow somewhere and it's not inside your own head.

Well, it'd follow that I'm imagining the rice, yeah? I'm imagining you insisting that it's real. Hassan doesn't exist right now.

[ He's bringing Hassan back into this so as not to be rude, naturally. ]

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