retellers | AUDIENCE: SHIRO

Don't like or care about people that much.

[ lovely. ]

That's the unfortunate thing: people have this habit of making you care about them, even if you don't want to. It's happened to me so many times before, so I guess it's my turn to be the one to bother the 'tsuntsun' one.

[Does this mean Shiro is going to constantly pester Wolf?

Yes. Yes it does.]

Everyone keeps saying that. I don't know what it means.

[ the sheer exasperation in their tone. what the fuck is a tsundere ]

'Tsuntsun' means being grumpy, and is like the opposite of 'deredere', which means being affectionate. Sometimes you might hear it combined as 'tsundere', which means someone who is grumpy at first but gets affectionate as you get to know them.

...actually that might be accurate here. Is that accurate for you, Wolf?

No.

[ they sound so offended? they don't explain how this is inaccurate to them, possibly because they have been Read ]

And part of that description is-- no one likes everyone right off the bat when meeting them.

Of course not, that's why you spend time talking to each other and getting to know each other. Part of becoming friends is growing that trust, little by little.

Here, I'll start us off on this friend-building exercise: My family is me, my sons, and the three other priests we live with. The other priests and I have been friends for decades, and they're all like uncles to Rin and Yukio.

[That's where he pauses, waiting to see what Wolf says.]

[ ... well, wolf does listen. ]

... That's nice, I guess?

[ they seem supremely awkward about this ]

[Wolf is a good listener. And it's okay if it's awkward, they'll get it eventually.]

It is pretty nice, yeah.

So now you share something about yourself. It doesn't have to be super-personal or anything, so long as it's something I don't already know. Even something like a favorite food or hobby is fine.

Even if I wanted to share something personal, I couldn't. Don't remember.

[ well, they're back to being tired. ]

But I'm... good with a sword.

[ good job, wolf. ]

[Tired or not, they're Trying, and that's what's important.]

See? Not so hard, yeah? But a sword, that's pretty interesting. Do you do training here or anything?

Mostly in the castle, but yeah. Don't want to get rusty.

I know a thing or two about swords myself. It's not my best area, but I'm good enough at it to be a sparring partner, if you ever wanna try. Though you'll have to lend me a sword for it.

Can't. We can't conjure up weapons at all. Since you guys weren't supposed to fight or kill each other.

[ dryly. ]

Not even if we do it in the castle, or use practice swords, or something?

... Might be able to pull off a wooden sword?

[ they sound. so unsure. ]

If it's too much to ask of the Realm we could always do something else too. We could kid it up and just grab big sticks from the forest or something.

... Do kids do that?

Oh yeah, all the time. How do you think they learn how to play-fight before they're old enough for training?

C'mon, let's go over to the woods. I'll show you how to do it.

I don't know. Grab a bat?

[ but after a second they sigh and move along to the woods, apparently accepting their fate ]

Bats are dangerous like a sword, you can brain someone pretty hard with them.

[I'm so sorry Wolf. Thnx for being a champ.

For his part, Shiro is looking on the ground for big sticks. He's not about to break them off of the trees.]

[ Wolf is not about ... to help. but: ]

Try hard enough, and you can brain someone with a stick, too.

You could, but it's harder to do. Especially with sticks off the ground. Most of 'em will break before someone's head does.

[Wolf will get handed a stick that's about 4 feet long, once Shiro finds one and snaps off the smaller, excess branches. It's all bent like a stick would be, though. Actually fighting with it will be a challenge.]

[ wolf reluctantly takes it, looking at it pensively ]

Maybe I just knew more destructive kids.

[ or maybe they had no friends as a child. they whip the branch once of twice-- their stance is practiced, and they twirl it after ]

Maybe. Though if you did, you can't remember, yeah?

[By the time Wolf is done getting into his stance, Shiro has finished preparing his own stick. He takes a stance as well, and his is consistent with someone used to using a katana. He might favor guns, but he still had to do sword training too.]

First one to break their stick or yield loses?

Definitely gonna be the former. [ Wolf's hand flexes on the stick when they say this, not acknowledging, Shiro, mocking their amnesia, wow, ] Ready when you are.

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lionson - 2020-10-07 02:43 (UTC) - Expand