ximilialog | station downtime catchall for oct/nov

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[You know that thing where you can feel someone staring at the back of your head? ...Well, that's kind of a myth actually, there's no scientific evidence that anyone who's not a magic ninja can do that, but still. Sometimes you just pick up A Vibe, and Shinjiro just so happens to get a random prickle of unease which gives him the impulse to look behind him.

He finds a man lurking behind him, staring ... at him? Or perhaps the water boiling on the stove behind him, though Shinjiro is unsure if it is because the man would like to use the stove himself or for some other reason.

He slowly pauses in rolling a ball of dough between his hands to meet the other man's eyes.]

Uh...hey. What's up?

[This is definitely not awkward or anything.]

( finn had mentioned the rationing, and the man barnes the inventory. itachi's interest in food is incidental more than anything — he recognizes that, while healing, he will need a higher caloric intake than is his custom, but he doesn't have a vested interest in the taste of what he consumes. in times of scarcity he cannot afford to be picky.

he had drifted to the kitchens like a ghost, intending to see what was available without much aim beyond a plain meal to sustain him. the younger man's presence had not caught him off guard — the population here is such that one assumes close contact will at times be inevitable — but what he is preparing draws his attention.

when the younger man turns to address him, itachi inclines his head faintly. good instincts. )

My apologies.

( a brief flicker of those red eyes to the dough being molded between the stranger's hands. part of him wants to ask, but he does not excel at social presumption at the best of times. instead — )

It seems the ration list has been misplaced. Have you seen it?

[Shinjiro watches the other man a moment, not quite assessingly, but curious. You don't typically stare at some guy in silence because you're trying to find something irrelevant to what they're doing. Still. He tends to follow the policy of not getting into other people's business, because that usually means they won't get in yours.]

Nah. Might try around the fridge, somewhere.

[That seems like a logical place to keep it, anyway. Considering a lot of food is stored there.

Still. For all his grouchy and generally avoidant attitude, Shinjiro is nothing if not a fussy mother hen, and so he doesn't immediately turn back around and return to his task. Instead:]

Why, hungry?

That was where I expected it to be, from my conversations with others.

（ the implication being: he's looked and it wasn't to be found. his vision is deteriorated badly enough that missing it was a possibility were he not relying on the sharingan. he has taken care, not to allow others to see that his eyes are not naturally red.

he debates the question, head canted faintly to one side. hungry? no — he has been hungry, remembers well the way it seems to gnaw into your core like a wound. instead, he is merely acting on the knowledge that he requires nutrition to heal — his right arm is bandaged to its fingertips, though he does not seem to be treating it as one does a wound. ）

No. I thought I would take something to my room.

（ it's politely conversant rather than dismissive. ）

Oh. [That was his best guess, alas.] There was a Halloween party few days ago, I guess it got lost in the shuffle.

[He shrugs, setting the dough back on the cutting board and picking up another to roll between his hands.]

There's a guy on the network that keeps track of shit like that, if you want to ask him. Think he made a post about it pretty recently.

[Shinjiro doesn't comment on the man's arm, though it doesn't go unnoticed. If he's taking something back to his room to eat later, then it's best for it to be something that doesn't need to be reheated, and it would probably help to have something that's not particularly difficult to eat with one hand.

All of this careful consideration for a complete stranger is nowhere in the vicinity of voiced. Shinjiro has an Image (TM) to uphold, okay. Instead:]

Saw onigiri in the fridge earlier. [Deliberately casual, as though he did not in fact make said fuckin' onigiri.] Probably the least messy option.

Edited (bleh repeated word) 2021-11-05 15:36 (UTC)

Barnes.

（ an acknowledgement, mostly, that he knows who the man is inferring. ）

We've spoken. I will ask.

（ onigiri — that marks this boy as the first to speak of something he is culturally familiar with. the addition about the mess does make him curl his fingers in against his palm. it's an astute observation to make, that his motion may be inhibited — and a thoughtful offer.

he doesn't shift from his position. instead, curiously — ）

Did you make it?

（ he is obviously capable in the kitchen. ）

[There's a slight flinch to his shoulders at the question. He hadn't expected to be called on it, honestly. Shinjiro debates the merits of deflecting or lying, but -- well, he's been caught already, hasn't he? There's dough in his hands, a pot of water boiling on the stove, a mixing bowl with the glaze for the dango sitting off to the left.

He looks back to the dough, body language carrying a tinge of something like embarrassment.]

Yeah. [. . .] Passes the time between missions.

[He definitely doesn't deliberately make more than he can eat so there are leftovers for other people, and he certainly hasn't noticed people having preferences for certain foods and leaving them in the fridge to be found, or anything. It's just something he does entirely for himself out of boredom and no other reason.]

Edited 2021-11-06 02:40 (UTC)

（ the flinch doesn't go unnoticed, but it does go unremarked upon. it seems as if he's prodded without intention at a wound, his own jagged edges catching on the cracks in someone else. ）

A noble pastime. I'm sure the people here appreciate your efforts.

（ silent as a shadow, he moves to the indicated fridge. there is a generous platter of onigiri, but he selects only one gingerly and steps back. he is accustomed to going without, and there are children here to consider. it's already neatly wrapped, so he tucks it into the pouch on his thigh, the better to leave his hands free. with one hand damaged, he would sooner not occupy the other unnecessarily. ）

Thank you.

（ he inclines his head politely, and then turns to leave. he will save the question of dango for another time, perhaps. ）

[Shinjiro almost seems to shrink from the compliment, all but radiating his Do Not Perceive Me vibes. He sure hopes people are not aware enough of his efforts to be appreciating them, anyway. One time a girl told him he was a kind person and he all but ran away.

So, really, he'd be perfectly willing to let Itachi go along on his merry fellow stoic way, but he can't help but notice that the guy only takes one. It is none of his business, and yet, he can't quite squash the part of him that has the urge to fuss.]

--Hey wait. At least take a few with you so you don't have to come back awhile. That's barely enough for a snack, let alone a meal.

（ itachi isn't prone to things as inelegant as hesitation, but he sets one foot down midstride, and turns halfly to look over his shoulder at the boy. what a pair they must seem — one with sticky rice flour patterned along his palms, one stealing away into the evening with onigiri hidden away like a prize.

the concern — for it can be nothing else — is. unusual. it reminds him of rōkoku no sato, perhaps, of the boys in the village there, who insisted he was kind when they knew nothing of him beyond the red of his eyes. ）

I do not require much sustenance. Given how cautious we must be without our supplies, it seems foolish to take more than what is needed.

（ his tone is firm, but there's a gentleness there. it's not a rebuff, exactly, just the reality of the place they're in. ）

[Shinjiro huffs, unconvinced by the other man's explanation.]

There's a difference between "not starving to death" and "properly fed."

[He knows even a handful of onigiri won't exactly comprise proper nutrition, but ... this feels like part of a pattern.]

There's new supply drops each month. We ain't even close to runnin' short.

[A pause. Ah, fuck it.]

...You especially shouldn't be goin' hungry when you're hurt.

Will you be satisfied if I take more?

（ arguing would be foolish. the boy has that sense about him — he does not wish to discourage the act of caring for others, for all that it is wasted on him. ）

Tch....it ain't about me.

[You canNOT call him out like this, Itachi. He flusters immediately, gaze shifting away as his shoulders tighten inwards.]

If that were true, you would be satisfied with my own understanding and knowledge of my own body and needs.

（ absolutely zero mercy. ）

However, I understand what it is like to be concerned for one's allies given the stakes set for us. We must all be at our best if we are to accomplish our goals. Therefore, if it will set you at ease, I will take more.

[Why this.]

Look, I knew a guy who thought nutrition was putting protein powder all over everything, okay? Just 'cause someone says they got that shit covered doesn't always mean they do.

[He realizes how intensely hypocritical this is but he will never admit it on pain of death.]

...Anyway, it's a good idea to eat more, so you should.

[But not because he said so okay. ~~He's hopeless.~~]

Edited (i can words) 2021-11-21 03:43 (UTC)

（ nts: never tell this boy about ninja food pills. itachi simply inclines his head faintly, then: ）

Very well.

（ so, a return to the fridge. he takes another two (2!!) of the onigiri in their wrappers, and adds them to the pouch on his thigh.

to the rest, though — ）

If the dango is to share, I would like to request one when they are finished.

（ it's sort of a formal, stiffly made request. he does not ask for things like this, generally, but perhaps it will make the boy happy to know those efforts are not going to waste. ）

[Good idea on the food pills tbh, he would be grumpy about it.

The request catches him by surprise, though. And honestly -- he's a little embarrassed about getting asked directly, because Shinjiro is the type of person who does things quietly, to be of use but hopefully unnoticed. But Itachi had already caught him here, and he's not exactly planning to eat them all himself. So he nods, albeit a little awkwardly.]

Sure, yeah.

[A beat.]

...You wanna help make 'em?

[That sounds better than just being watched while he's doing it or searching for the man later.]

（ well, someone hasn't seen him cook... ）

Certainly. So long as you don't mind that they may be imperfect.

（ one usable hand does tend to make dough rolling difficult, although he's enough of a perfectionist to manage it. he could always make a clone. ）

[Itachi actually gets a very teenage eyeroll here.]

S'fine. They're to eat, not put in a museum or somethin'.

( what is it even like not to be an overachiever? don't know her tbqh. )

Very well.

( so, he washes his... hand at the sink. idly, )

Do you object to the usage of powers or abilities?

[Alas he is talking to an actual high-school dropout here. Not that Shinjiro doesn't take some pride in doing a good job, because cooking is his one non-punching-related skill, but if it tastes good the rest doesn't matter much in his opinion.

The question draws Shinjiro's glance, though. He raises an eyebrow faintly.]

...You wanna use magic to cook?

[Man...he still isn't used to people just being able to use their powers so casually, in their regular daily lives. Personas weren't really practical for that kind of thing even for people who didn't have to worry about sudden rampages bringing down entire buildings on people's heads.

He shrugs, after a moment.]

Sure, I guess.

（ it isn't his first encounter with someone who thinks to call what he does magic. he doesn't correct the boy, instead as he forms the one-handed seal for the summoning of a shadow clone.

perhaps this, too, is calculated. a sacrificial piece pushed forward on the board to gauge reaction and interest.

he takes no issue with anyone knowing that he is not a 'baseline' human. he cannot be ordinary — he has no concept of how. however, while he sees no need to conceal the simpler things he can do, things that would be in the common arsenal of most ninja above the rank of chūnin, there is a reason he has not spoken on genjutsu, nor permitted anyone to see him without the sharingan active in his eyes. it is easier to intimate the red as natural than it is to explain why they can change — he is so accustomed to the constant drain on his chakra that it barely registers at all.

the clone comes into existence with a telltale pop and a puff of smoke that dissipates quickly. itachi takes one of the bowls of dough — partitioned by its colouring — and sets about in coordination with the clone to roll the dough out into balls. despite his protest that they would be imperfect, he is far too concerned with the minutiae of precision for them to be anything else. ）

I understand there is significant variance among the Ximilia's residents regarding those from worlds with 'powers' and those without.

[Despite his initial surprise, he is a little curious what this man intends to do, and he glances over -- expecting to see something like floating dough arranging itself in the air or something based on the kinds of magic he's seen around the station and in the previous planets before. When Shinjiro realizes what Itachi is actually doing, though, he looks a little embarrassed again, albeit for a different reason than before.]

Oh...for your hand.

[He feels a tiny bit bad; he should've thought of a task the man could do one-handed. Too bad the water was set to boil and the glaze prepared already. But he lets Itachi shift the conversation.]

Yeah. Nobody can do anything like that in the Japan I'm from.

[Slightly...conveniently worded, there. His world does have powers, among a somewhat select few, but Personas are not something he talks too much about. And he is absolutely not comfortable explaining why he wouldn't be willing to demonstrate, if Itachi asked. Easier to imply he just doesn't have any, and neither did anyone else.]

S'pretty cool. Like something outta an anime.

[Fourth walling, what fourth walling. All the walls are intact in Ba Sing Se.]

Edited (i couldn't resist lol) 2021-11-21 06:07 (UTC)

（ whatever An Anime^TM is...

the clone is identical to him in every respect, including the damage done to his right arm, thus why he couldn't simply delegate the duty entirely to a clone. still, he works in perfect concert with it, the resulting balls gently deposited on a tray beside the boiling water. he has not had much hand in cooking since he was a young boy at his mother's side, and weapons training quickly overtook that small sliver of free time allotted there, and so does not trust himself to handle much beyond this small thing. ）

It's a common skill of my world.

（ common, unremarkable. ）

[Honestly, it's impressive to see the man work in tandem with his clone. The actions are so seamless it is truly as though Itachi simply created an extra limb for his own body, as opposed to one outside of it.

Shinjiro almost gets distracted just watching him, but he manages to carefully takes the balls as they are made and places them within the boiling water as he fetches a strainer to pick them up with and another pan of water (iced, this time) to transfer them to when they are finished cooking.]

Must be pretty convenient. People joke where I'm from about not bein' able to be in two places at once.

It has its uses.

（ he says that with calm neutrality, and as the last of the dough is rolled into neat, oddly perfect shapes he performs the release seal. the clone disappears in a puff of smoke, and itachi retreats to stand a respectful distance from shinjiro as the dough cooks off. ）

I am certain there are skills or technologies known to your world I would find equally convenient.

Eh, maybe.

[He shrugs a shoulder as he puts the finishing touches on the dango, sticking in the skewers and pouring on the sweet glaze. Once they're done, as promised ... he hands Itachi a plate. With two skewers, and an expression that's just daring Itachi to give one back. There's plenty left sir, please just take it.]

It mostly just an average modern earth world, though, like the other ones around here.

[Except for, well, the Dark Hour and Personas. But he wouldn't really categorize those as convenient.]

station downtime catchall for oct/nov

shinji & erik 10/16

shinji & itachi - dango

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god the holiday season + dissertation stuff killed me dead im SO sorry for the late again

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