dysproslogs | Open: Liangyu's Request, Getting in Trouble Around Town, and Training

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Open: Liangyu's Request, Getting in Trouble Around Town, and Training

Who: Mikado Ryuugamne and You!
What: Catch-all log for interactions with Mikado, both mission and otherwise. Anyone is welcome!
When: Variable! Current-ish, if you need a specific date, name one in your thread.
Where: Around town. I'll toss up a couple setting options, so just choose one.
Rating: PG, one would think.

1) Liangyu's Request

Mikado's excitement throughout the entire "mission" was quite apparent: in fact, he's practically bouncing before, during, and after Liangy's talk. He doesn't bother trying to hide how excited he is about it, despite the fact that people might think him nerdy. He does want to learn as much as possible about the world he's in, and he also enjoys just learning anything he can.

After the talk, he can be found sitting down outside, already poring over the book he was given, his eyes wide and his entire attention on it. Feel free to approach him, call him a nerd, pick on him, or even nerd-gasm with him about how exciting learning about culture is!

2) Exercise time

Despite arriving injured and continually being banged up since then, Mikado is constantly training. Not just inside the fighter's guild, but outside it as well. He's determined to become a better fighter, but that requires more than just learning to use a weapon. He's never had good stamina, and now he's determined to work on that.

This is why he can be found around town, anywhere he can find space that isn't crowded. It's kind of a funny sight: the boy runs for a few steps, then walks for a few, then starts jogging again in a dogged attempt to keep moving. Approach him with training tips, laughter, or sympathy for his pain!

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Mikado has been working hard, all the time that he's been here. He's always covered in bangs, bruises, and cuts from training, and he never seems to stop, no matter how tired or beaten up he gets.

It takes time to make real progress, however, and he's not really a trained fighter yet, or anywhere near it.

So perhaps it was a bad idea to get into the middle of a squabble between natives. Two rough-looking men are standing in an alley, both bigger and stronger than Mikado himself. They'd been fighting among themselves, but Mikado had stepped automatically, without realizing that he'd done something stupid.

Perhaps the sword he was now wearing had made him too bold, even though he wasn't at all sure he could use it in a real fight.

Whatever it was, he is now backing away from men who are currently focusing all their anger on him, both his hands raised and his expression quite frightened. He's ready to bolt any moment, but he's not sure he can outrun them either, so instead he's still desperately trying to talk them down.

"Look, I'm really sorry! I didn't realize what I was getting into the middle of, so if you'll please just... I can just go on my way..."

Edited 2013-05-23 18:05 (UTC)

Wataru was just exploring, really, but when he spots the two men and the scrawny teen he realizes right away that there must be trouble. You didn't need to work with the Highlanders to be able to figure out that much.

He straightens his back and squares his shoulders, spending a second steeling himself before walking in. Already he's looking for possible escape routes - it's not exactly the most heroic option, but without the power of his Brave's Sword to rely on, taking on two guys like this probably isn't a feasible option. Sometimes you need to know when to cut it and run so you don't Game Over, right? Right.

"What seems to be the trouble here?" He tries to make himself as authoritative as he can. Ever since coming here, he's become very aware that few people expect much from him due to his age, and his past as a Traveler means nothing to them. But he's hoping that the fact that he's wearing the Seven Titans gear despite his age will inspire them to take him at least a little more seriously.

"You should probably not get involved..."

Mikado says the words automatically, even though it isn't necessarily the best idea for him. He doesn't want someone else getting hurt just because he's poked his nose in where it doesn't belong, and he doesn't know if the newcomer is any better prepared to deal with a fight than he is.

Still, he finds himself stepping toward the stranger, though he isn't sure if his goal is to be protected or to protect the other.

The two men don't seem terribly impressed either. The larger of the two takes a step forward just as Mikado steps back. "The trouble is children who can't mind their business."

He almost brings up his left arm to show his Highlander's band out of habit, but stops himself just in time. Instead, he keeps his voice level:

"Actually, it is my business. I'm part of the Seven Titans; I don't want to see any trouble around here, and I'm sure none of my companions want to hear about this, either."

Internally, he's trying to remain calm, to not let his hand sneak up to the hilt of his Brave's Sword - although it's quite visible already, hanging at his side as always. If it comes to it, he can draw it quickly enough, but he's not about to start anything on his own.

"Some brat like you isn't-" starts the man who had spoken before, but the other one tilts his head, eyeing the sword the boy is carrying. He seems to obviously be reconsidering the situation now, and takes a step back, as if to say he isn't interested in any further trouble.

Mikado figures that is about the best chance they are going to get, and offers a small polite bow in the man's direction.

"It looks like it'd be best for everyone just to go their separate ways in that case, don't you think?"

He uses the movement to take another step closer to his rescuer, though he is trying to be subtle about it.

[OOC: I am failing at NPCs right now, so feel free to do something with them if you want.]

Edited (also failing at tenses arg ) 2013-05-27 15:07 (UTC)

((Got it!))

Wataru gives a confident smile. "Thanks for being so cooperative. Great citizens like you make our work a lot easier."

He reaches a hand out to grab Mikado's, holding on tightly to make sure he doesn't try to make a break for it. And given he's gotten used to swinging a sword around in Vision as of late, it's a pretty tough grip. "Of course, I'll give this guy a... talk about it, too."

Although the men are still clearly annoyed, the promise of Mikado getting some kind of punishment does seem to satisfy them somewhat. Before they can ponder over whether or not they still want to administer it themselves, Wataru takes the opportunity to drag the teen out, his voice harsh. "Alright, c'mon!"

Mikado doesn't think that he's actually in trouble. He could be wrong about that, of course, and he's going to be careful either way. Still, he's fairly certain that if he's going to get a talk at all, it will be literally that and not the implied beating or punishment.

Still, his expression is rather serious and a little stressed out as he's dragged out. He make a show of muttering about it, though there's nothing really intelligible the sounds, at first.

After a moment, once he thinks they're out of earshot, he draws in a deep breath and says, "Ahhhh I need to learn to mind my own business..."

"No kidding! I thought those guys were really going to attack you!" He keeps his voice low, and only barely turns to Mikado as he continues walking. Yeah, he's probably not in for even a talk at this rate. "Just what did you do?"

"Ah, well..."

Mikado is quite embarrassed about it, really. "They were arguing about something very stupid involving a financial error, and I figured I'd help. I mean, because obviously they were both wrong about it, and not having any luck figuring it out. And I was walking behind them and just... piped up before I realized it."

He laughs, a little awkwardly.

"If I'd thought about it, I would have held my tongue, but I just wasn't thinking. I forget sometimes I'm not at home, where... I know a lot more people."

Wataru just shakes his head. "You should probably get used to it quickly. It might be tough at first, but things are a lot different here than what you're used to. If you don't adjust fast, you could get in some serious trouble."

The way he talks about it, he... seems to have had experience with this sort of thing.

Wataru turns a corner abruptly, but releases Mikado's hand now that they're on a different street. "I think... this should probably be far enough."

"Thank you," Mikado says, quietly. He's both grateful for the concern and for the rescue, really. He isn't sure what to say about his situation, or what he was doing at home that makes him want to be involved in things that are out of his league, so he winds up not saying anything at all, at first.

Then he gives another awkward little laugh. "So you're part of the Seven Titans? That must be really interesting. I guess you'll get to do a lot of helping people, won't you?"

"Well, yeah. It's kind of what I'm used to doing, though." He gives a small, wry smile. They weren't exactly like the Highlanders, but it was close enough that he didn't have a very hard time making the switch. Of course, he also wasn't entirely a fully-fledged member at this point, but...

"What about you? Did you join a guild, too?" He looks over Mikado's clothes, trying to identify them.

"Ahh..."

This is the hard part, in a way. Mikado doesn't want to be judged or laughed at. He could probably lie about his guild, but that seems like a good way to get killed if he's found out, and not a good way to make friends or allies. It makes him miss being at home and being part of the only gang that didn't wear colors, where no one ever knew who was a member.

He doesn't look up as he speaks.

"Well, actually, I joined the Ugly Jackal."

He still can't say the name of the fighter's guild without a chuckle. It's just a silly name, he thinks. Then again, he named a gang at home after 'doing nothing', so maybe he shouldn't talk.

He blinks a couple of times. The Ugly Jackal... wasn't that--

"You mean... the fighters' guild?"

He's aware that his jaw has dropped open, but he can't quite bring himself to shut his mouth again. This guy had joined up with the fighters? But he's so...

So... not fighter material. Is this guy really going to be okay?

"I know what it sounds like," Mikado says quickly. He does, after all. It's not like he has some romanticized view of himself as some kind of super-masculine warrior type. He shrugs his thin shoulders, offered a shy smile.

"It was like that at home too. I was involved in things I probably shouldn't have been, and got in over my head and got hurt. But I don't want to just avoid the issue, so I thought instead I would train to get stronger."

The reason why it was the fighters instead of the warriors is a little more complicated, but he's hoping not to be asked about that.

"You got hurt back then, but you're still going to join the Jackals...?"

He's... really wondering if this is a good idea.

"Well, training will probably help and all, but... What exactly were you getting involved in?"

"Ah, that's..."

Should he really tell a stranger something like that? Back home his place in the Dollars is a secret, though Shizuo had known that he was a member to approach him. Then again, so had a few other people. They just hadn't known who exactly he was, except for Aoba and Izaya.

Mikado sighs, his expression thoughtful, and finally gives in.

"A gang war."

...

"A what."

This guy? In a gang war? Really? They had the same definition of "gang war" here, right? Well, no matter what, those words should still mean pretty much the same thing...

...

And yet, it's not making the slightest bit more sense to Wataru.

"Ah, I didn't start it on purpose. Or really start it at all, I guess, though it was my actions that caused it to escalate the way it did, so I had to take responsibility."

Mikado is already realizing that he probably shouldn't have said anything, but there's no point in lying about it here. He flushes and shifts from one foot to the other awkwardly.

"At home, right before coming here, I decided that course of action I had to take to end that war, so since I'm here instead, I should at least become stronger in preparation for that. That's what I decided."

Wataru listens, his expression changing from baffled to a more thoughtful look. Well, when he puts it like that, it sounds like Mikado's on the right track at least.

"I can see where you're coming from if it's like that. Fighting isn't really as glamorous as the movies or games, but sometimes you just have no other choice." It was something he'd reluctantly had to learn while on his journey, after all.

Mikado laughs a little awkwardly, a blush coming to his cheeks.

"I didn't realize that at first. When I first came to the city and saw violence firsthand, it wasn't anything like what I had expected. There's no glamour at all in it, and it's dirty and scary and ugly. I barely managed to stand my ground at all. Did you feel that way, the first time you encountered violence?"

It seems obvious the other boy has, after all.

"Definitely. Normally it's no problem to walk through a creepy cave in a video game, but when you have to do it in real life..." He shudders a bit at the thought. "Skeletons are way scarier in person. Especially when you don't even know the first thing about how to fight back."

He'd been incredibly lucky that the Brave's Sword had its own way of helping him out with that.

"SKELETONS?"

Mikado's eyes go very wide at that. Of course, at first he's just thinking skeletons like he's seen in museums, regular old dead people. That's kind of weird, but not really scary. But then the boy says he was fighting them, and that's just... "You mean like UNDEAD ONES?"

He shakes his head, suddenly quite grateful. "I-I only had to deal with gangsters. Well, and a fairy, but she was on my side mostly, so..."

Edited 2013-06-19 14:59 (UTC)

Wataru nods, looking rather unhappy at the thought. "There was this old priest who got together a cult of followers, and... Well, let's just say the followers still had to work for him even after he'd died." He shakes his head sadly.

"But wait... You saw a fairy? A real one? Even I've never gotten to do that!"

"I did! She's a dullahan, and she's really nice." He's very excited to get to talk about his friend. "She rides a motorcycle instead of a coach most of the time, but he can still turn into a coach when he wants to, I've seen it! And she can spread her shadow everywhere, and do all kinds of amazing things..."

He pauses. "But her story is a little sad too. She can't find her head. I was trying to help her, but the girl we thought had it... didn't. So I'm not sure if she'll find it. At least she has her freedom though... I can't imagine having to work for someone even after you died. So you were setting them free, right?"

They had both been on a quest for knowledge of this place so it had been little surprise to see Mikado here. The boy's giddy excitement was not mirrored in Haytham's demeanor. He was more calm and measured during the meeting, listening to everything that was said and injecting his own questions into the conversation when ever one came to mind. The answers for him however were less than what he was hoping for. Still, perhaps something could be made of them.
Haytham did not mind music but he was no musician. The copper from the quest could be useful for something but the write-up on the music meant very little really. So it was a curiosity when he stepped from the doorway and into the small yard outside to see the eager boy studying away as he was.

“You must have a great interest in the arts?”

"Not exactly."

Mikado smiled up at the man, taking a second to put together the face and name and voice in his mind. He had met a great many people in this world, but so far he was doing a good job at remembering most of them, at least. And Haytham had been quite kind to him.

He gave a friendly little wave rather than bowing, trying to stay informal since he'd been laughed at a time or two for his formality toward even those not in positions of power.

"I think they're interesting, but mostly for what they tell you about people and the world they live in. For example..."

He flipped through the book a little, found an appropriate page, and pursed his lips as he read it quickly.

"This says that during a certain time period, songs about love that couldn't be consummated became popular. When you think about that, it means that there were reasons people couldn't be together, and then you have to think about what those reasons were. Racial or cultural differences? Class differences? Music can tell you a lot about what life in a certain time or place is like."

The wave was greeting enough. He likely wouldn't have fully understood the bow any better than those people who had laughed at Mikado's formality anyway. They were used in England to demonstrate respect of course but not really to the level that the Japanese used them.

"Then this place holds the same history as any other. Songs and stories of love and loss are popular in nearly every age. People are drawn together and then torn apart, due to family affiliations, uncertainty, war... I'm not surprised to hear that cycle has continued here."

And yes, racial and class differences as well. Haytham had seen similiar stories play out before. The class system of England was really very strict. You had to be born into a proper family, had to associate with the proper people... Had he not been pulled here even Haytham would find himself in a relationship broken by cultural differences and his deep desire to change the world into the kind of ordered place he believed would bring peace. But, for now at least the relationship he had with Ziio held. They even found themselves allies in the same guild.

"Do you read sheet music? I believe there are actually a few songs in the book, towards the back."

"I can, but I'm not incredibly musically talented or anything. I just learned at school," Mikado said, sounding almost apologetic about it. He wasn't particularly extraordinarily talented at anything, so he felt awkward saying that he knew a lot about it, even if he could read it. Still, he felt a need to expand on what he'd been saying.

"I think that's why I like talking about music though. Because even if the worlds are a lot different, it shows you how much the people are the same, when you look at the themes. The same emotions come through, and it..."

He paused, turned the book over in his hands, as if cherishing it.

"Those types of things can make you feel more at home, wherever you are. To know that someone else has felt that same way you do. There are even songs about feeling displaced, like we feel now."

"Still that is more than some can do. It might even help you in your study of that book."
There was no need to be modest or apologetic about possessing a skill especially one that in this circumstance could only be useful.

Haytham's jaw tighten slightly as Mikado spoke. Whereas the similarities filled the boy with a sense of familiarity even hope perhaps, for Haytham it brought more of a feeling of dread. He had thought in this very structured society some of those human failings might have been overcome. The more he heard of this place the less likely it seemed that they were really any better off than than had been at home.

"I imagine some comfort might be gained from that feeling of fraternity and shared experiences. However, also observe that there seems to be far more music based on loss, betrayal, and conflict then there is based on peace and common understanding. This place may be a bit too much like the one we found ourselves pulled away from."

Mikado's expression, which had held excitement and curiosity when they started speaking, suddenly became far too serious. Stopping to think those things over was perhaps not the best idea, even if it had to be done once in a while. Thinking about life at home was a very dangerous thing: he might have to face things that he'd been too busy to consider all the implications of while they were happening.

The choices he had made might weigh on him too much if he let them.

He didn't look at Haytham as he spoke.

"I don't think I would be able to believe in a world that was any different. If I had come to a place where there was no fighting, no danger, no betrayal, I might have thought I was merely dreaming after all. Or that somewhere there was an underbelly I had simply not found yet.

At least here all I had to do was turn down the right alley, instead of peeling back layers of false smiles to reach it."

He might not have understood anything Mikado had gone through on his world but at least, unlike some of the others here, the boy was not nearly as naive. Mikado didn't know this, but that was something Haytham looked for in allies. People who could see beyond what they were told and search out what was real... even if the reality could be painful.

"How can you be so certain there are no 'false smiles' here?"

There was a certain temptation to turn his head and smile at the man, at that. Mikado ignored it, because he was trying to make a more honest connection. There wasn't any need for the violence he'd acted out before leaving his own world: this man had done nothing to deserve either pain or lies from him.

"I know there are. That's the kind of thing you'll find anywhere. But it's better not to be so surrounded by it that you forget to be careful, don't you think?"

"I agree entirely. It is much better to be certain where a person stands rather than rely upon their good nature as a guide."

There was nothing more dangerous than a false smile yet so many people fell for that, or as Mikado had warned... surrounded themselves with people like that. They were dooming themselves for a fall.

"Well, as nice as it is to find some one of like-mind I should allow you to return to your studies."

Mikado smiled up at the man, considering those words. He wondered what this man would think of him, if he told him the truth. About the people around him at home, who smiled and aimed to destroy him. About his own smiles, like the one he wore when he "signed" the deal with Aoba's blood.

No, he wouldn't say any of that, not yet.

"I do thank you for stopping to talk to me. You're very kind."

Unlike those people he was more used to Haytham did not pretend to like people and there would be no false smiles from him. The boy had impressed him with his knowledge of human nature but that was all. Haytham deemed it too soon for compliments and flattery so he barely acknowledge the compliment leveled at him and did not offer one in return. They did not know enough about each other for there to be anything deeper but maybe it time that situation would change.

"We are both searching for a greater understanding of this world. It is only natural that we should speak on occasion."

With that he took his leave. This mission had really brought more questions to mind than answers and he wouldn't discover the truth of this place by standing around chatting.

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Open: Liangyu's Request, Getting in Trouble Around Town, and Training

Thread for Wataru!

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