Week 9 | Wednesday Morning

[okuri]

[ Yoite had come to the park to think and sort the thoughts in his head. For once they weren't completely overwhelming, even if they were confusing. He tosses his shuriken from hand to hand as he walks, not paying much attention to the environment around him.]

Comments

[takanome]

[The park is a place without too many people, great if thoughts are posing a problem. The worn basketball court is a smooth surface, at least relative to the grass, allowing the basketball to roll across it in a linear way. Near the area marked in front of the basket, the ball begins to bounce in place, about four times before rising in an arc towards the net. It bounces off the backboard and the rim before finally falling through, a rough swish sounding against the strings.]

[okuri]

[ The erratic behavior of the basketball catches his eye right away-- he had been looking out for things like this since talking to Charlotte on Monday. It's clearly not her though, as she didn't seem like the type to like sports, or activity really.

But it's been a long time, and it doesn't click for Yoite right away on who it could be. He walks over to the ball regardless, thinking.]

Good Morning.

[takanome]

[As the ball falls out of the basket, it can only bounce wildly once before succumbing to a normalizing dribbling force - wobbly at first, like someone had to rush to get it for some reason. A small blade of unruly grass is flattened nearby as the anomalous presence tilts slightly, settling on a position that faces Yoite much better.

The sun seems brighter everywhere else.]

[okuri]

[ He does his best to look where he thinks the presence is, and with the sunlight as a cue he probably doesn't do that bad of a job.]

I don't have a pen on me. [Maybe he should carry one from now on.]

Can you tell me who you are?

[takanome]

[The basketball bounces back up a little higher and then spins in place, like on a fingertip. Then there's an indentation in a nearby patch of snow - wet streaks, split up like sneaker treads, form letters on the blacktop.]

It's not obvious to Yoi-chan of all people?

1/2

[okuri]

[ Yoite freezes and his heart skips a beat. Like the pink gloves, there was only one person who called him such a thing but-- it had been 8 long weeks since they had last talked.

It had been so long that he hadn't even entertained the notion of being able to talk to Takao.]

[okuri]

[ There's a mix of emotions he's feeling: surprise, relief, and even a little bit of embarrassment. Like Monday he's also a bit too flustered to form words properly, but he was never very good at talking anyway.]

Takao!

It's been a long time... [ Said of course as "久しぶり", in the stilted way Yoite says greetings and goodbyes.]

[takanome]

[Takao is really heartened to hear him say it - on the regular he's been imagining similar stiff words from his friends and family, rivals and teammates, if he ever sees them again. To hear so much emotion from Yoite after living off hints of bitterness about carelessness in culprits for a couple months now - he shouldn't be happy to cause Yoite so much pain, but the arrow found its way around his neck for a reason. He wishes he could just really be there without all this trouble, and expresses that effusively--]

I've missed you!!

[会いたかったぜ forms quick and exuberant, with joyful stomps for the dakuten on the end. With this settled the following writing can be smaller, more precise.]

Wish you could have just stayed later at the party we crashed lol

[okuri]

...I don't like things like that. [ A beat.] Sorry. [ It's weird communicating like this, but it still feels almost like it did before. Yoite had talked to a lot of people after Takao died, but not one of them matched his exuberance, even if it was restricted to writing at the moment.]

I...I'm sorry about what happened. [ It was something he had never gotten to say, because he still feels at least a bit responsible for Takao's death. Even though it seemed like so long ago, he hadn't forgotten.]

[takanome]

The drinking is pretty du

[The basketball falls to the ground with a squish as Yoite says sorry. He's so quick to correct that the dakuten in janai is omitted.]

NOT YOI-CHAN'S FAULT

[The emotions in this area waver into big wobbly hiragana; Charlotte of all people has proven to Takao through her actions that he has to take responsibility more.]

My bad

[The difficult kanji of motive is too much for him at the moment; he gives up after three strokes and sketches a clock instead.]

I couldn't stay

[okuri]

[He jumps back a bit as the basketball falls-- it really wasn't his intention to upset Takao, it was just something he felt like he needed to say.]

... [ The only response Yoite has is to nod, like with Charlotte he doesn't think it's prudent to argue when they're communicating like this. Besides, there's something else he's been wanting to say too.]

I liked- I like talking to you. [ Like his previous statement, it's something he's wanted to say for a long time. Even back then he appreciated their conversations, he just didn't know how to express it properly then.]

[takanome]

[And now Takao is experiencing positive emotions. It's been so long since he's felt this happy, definitely not at any prior point in the village, he very briefly forgets how to react, and his feet shuffle faintly, making meaningless indentations on the ground that are just slightly larger than his sneakers.]

Thanks!! I think you're cool too

To hang out with

[He's started to run out of space on this side, though the first words are already an incoherent mess, flat puddles over the court. Takao takes a couple steps backwards to pick up the basketball and scope out a second area while the first one dries out.]

[okuri]

[ It's a relief to say that after so long. Still at the compliment he shakes his head, though he stops himself from verbally expressing any disagreement. A lot had changed in 8 weeks, but his view of himself wasn't really one of them.

He tilts his head curiously as he watches the basketball move and he follows along to wherever it stops.]

You have a lot of energy. [ Maybe because it had been so long? Yoite's just the slightest bit concerned given what happened when Charlotte decided to display more complicated actions.]

[takanome]

Can't help it
So much fun

[Though Takao does still feel the strain of keeping his sentences short - if he wrote the typical scope of "tangents" and "like, seriously" he would be totally wiped by now.

So his next question isn't expressed in words. His feet shift on the ground again (a more rapacious tapping) as the basketball is gently tossed up once, lands back in his invisible hands, and then offered to Yoite.]

[okuri]

[ Yoite frowns at the reply, but quickly shifts to being confused after being offered the basketball.

He takes it, then just kind of stares at it for a bit.]

...what do you want me to do with it?

[takanome]

[There's a pause for about five whole seconds as Takao internally debates if a game with Yoite would be entirely fair.

He settles on this: The ball is thrown out, at the space a foot to the left of Yoite - missing him entirely if he stays still, but fairly easy to catch if he moves.]

[okuri]

[ Of course he's catching the ball, it's a natural instinct to him when he's thrown something. For how sick he is, his agility is still intact, even if it's restricted to only short bursts at this point.]

I don't understand. [ But he should make an effort at least, and he tries to throw the ball back. It's a bit hard to do considering he doesn't really know where to aim exactly, but the throw isn't that bad.]

[takanome]

[Takao catches the pass well enough, and the ball is light in his hands. He sends it back faster, a one bounce pass that springs back up from the ground right towards Yoite, but makes no athletic action after that.]

Playing you would be so sweet but neither of us can like this lol

[The strokes are getting smaller, spread out so the overall structure of the symbol is still mostly the same.]

[okuri]

[ He catches it again, though doesn't throw it back immediately this time.]

I don't play sports like this. [ And he looks a bit sad because it reminds him of playing with Tsukasa, and he doesn't want to think about that. After a few seconds he does throw the ball back, but with less force than before.]