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yeahhhhh, he'll do that. better you than me, kiddo. finn's had like, bottomless energy since he was a little baby. some dude's kidnapped him for it once.
[ Long story, they didn't need to get into that. ]
how'd he trick you into that one? his birthday?
[ Long story, they didn't need to get into that. ]
how'd he trick you into that one? his birthday?
[ k...idnapped...............
you know what? maybe he shouldn't ask. ]
no, but i'm pretty sure he would have done that too
it's for the task i'm supposed to be doing this mission
i had to follow someone's orders for 24 hours
should've realized it wasn't a good sign when he was way too happy to accept...
you know what? maybe he shouldn't ask. ]
no, but i'm pretty sure he would have done that too
it's for the task i'm supposed to be doing this mission
i had to follow someone's orders for 24 hours
should've realized it wasn't a good sign when he was way too happy to accept...
（ on the seventh day, he seeks solace in silence. an open space beneath starlight, a small fire made of tiny dried branches and bits of moss, and the slow roast of one of the little silvery minnow-like fish in the pond.
the last time gwen had been separated from them, little pieces of venom had remained with him. spiders tucked away inside pouches and pockets, shaken out of his hair at odd intervals. now, there is nothing. no sense of her at all, her network ID unregistered. it feels almost like an omen, and he aches with the loss. being alone is selfish of him, when he knows wei wuxian will need him — but itachi knows he would not be especially fit company for him tonight.
for a long time, it seems like the fire holds his attention entire. he sits seiza, hands on his thighs — unmoving, but less the way people refrain from motion and more the way water does, a sense of inimitable current beneath the almost impersonal pose. stars spin overhead, the smell of roasting fish saturates the air. gwen is gone, and this world may have seen the last of its seasons, but for tonight all is calm. it is enough. it can be nothing else but enough.
there is no telling how long he was aware of the presence of another — his self-recrimination would state not nearly as long as he should have been — but after a broad swath of heartbeats — ）
You may join me, if you're hungry.
the last time gwen had been separated from them, little pieces of venom had remained with him. spiders tucked away inside pouches and pockets, shaken out of his hair at odd intervals. now, there is nothing. no sense of her at all, her network ID unregistered. it feels almost like an omen, and he aches with the loss. being alone is selfish of him, when he knows wei wuxian will need him — but itachi knows he would not be especially fit company for him tonight.
for a long time, it seems like the fire holds his attention entire. he sits seiza, hands on his thighs — unmoving, but less the way people refrain from motion and more the way water does, a sense of inimitable current beneath the almost impersonal pose. stars spin overhead, the smell of roasting fish saturates the air. gwen is gone, and this world may have seen the last of its seasons, but for tonight all is calm. it is enough. it can be nothing else but enough.
there is no telling how long he was aware of the presence of another — his self-recrimination would state not nearly as long as he should have been — but after a broad swath of heartbeats — ）
You may join me, if you're hungry.
hehe. yeah, he's big on helping out. gotta warn you now, if that's not your speed, you should probably keep your distance from him.
[ For all it may sound like this is for Iris's benefit, and intentionally so, Jake's motives are a little more self-serving. Finn's investment (overinvestment) in other people had gotten him into trouble before. Trouble that took him years to get over. Now, for the first time, Finn actually had peers around... human ones, to boot. All the years of longing to find his people had finally born fruit, and Jake was lying if the idea didn't terrify him a little.
The people in your imagination were a lot less likely to disappoint you. ]
he gets attached quick.
[ For all it may sound like this is for Iris's benefit, and intentionally so, Jake's motives are a little more self-serving. Finn's investment (overinvestment) in other people had gotten him into trouble before. Trouble that took him years to get over. Now, for the first time, Finn actually had peers around... human ones, to boot. All the years of longing to find his people had finally born fruit, and Jake was lying if the idea didn't terrify him a little.
The people in your imagination were a lot less likely to disappoint you. ]
he gets attached quick.
[ if iris is surprised or put off by the sudden shift in tone of this conversation, he makes no indication of it. of course he hadn't really been mad at finn for making him hike, he knew he could have always stopped it if he wanted, but he's sure someone like jake, who's no stranger to jokes and pranks, didn't genuinely believe all his bellyaching... so he has to assume this is coming from some place else.
iris doesn't have siblings. he wishes he did, sometimes. but even in his wildest dreams, he never imagined someone caring for him as much as jake clearly cares for finn.
he's glad finn has that. ]
can't really blame him, you know?
i'm pretty great
[ maybe if they weren't here... maybe if they were back in seattle, in a world that knows what iris is and condemns him for it... he likes to think if that were the case, he wouldn't have let it get this far anyway.
he hopes it's okay to be a little selfish for now. ]
but i'll keep that in mind, jake
thanks
iris doesn't have siblings. he wishes he did, sometimes. but even in his wildest dreams, he never imagined someone caring for him as much as jake clearly cares for finn.
he's glad finn has that. ]
can't really blame him, you know?
i'm pretty great
[ maybe if they weren't here... maybe if they were back in seattle, in a world that knows what iris is and condemns him for it... he likes to think if that were the case, he wouldn't have let it get this far anyway.
he hopes it's okay to be a little selfish for now. ]
but i'll keep that in mind, jake
thanks
[ The sun was already dipped low behind the trees when Jake awoke to the smell of distantly roasting fish. His body was stretched into a vine, twining around the trunk of the tree he'd chosen as an anchor for a day of rest and dropping eaves. There wasn't much activity in this particular stretch of forest, but that suited Jake fine. The solitude allowed his mind to wander, passing the time by cataloguing his desires and discarding them one by one. He must have dozed off.
Jake blinks into the darkness of the clearing, nose and empty gut working together to draw him down from the tree and back to his preferred doggy shape. Trotting through the forest on all fours, nose raised in the air, Jake follows the scent until it leads him to the distant glow of a campfire just ahead. Jake approaches with care, pads of his feet hitting against the soft grass as he makes his slow advance. You could never be too careful in unfamiliar woods.
Though apparently Jake wasn't careful enough. The invitation both surprises and encourages him, stepping out from where he'd been observing the scene with a quick shake. The man in question was an Orber, that was obvious just from looking at him. But then, what was he doing all the way out here? ]
Seriously? Thanks, man. [ Jake steps over to the fire, sitting in front of it. The warmth was particularly attractive after a day spent slowly gathering dew in his fur. ] Smells great.
Jake blinks into the darkness of the clearing, nose and empty gut working together to draw him down from the tree and back to his preferred doggy shape. Trotting through the forest on all fours, nose raised in the air, Jake follows the scent until it leads him to the distant glow of a campfire just ahead. Jake approaches with care, pads of his feet hitting against the soft grass as he makes his slow advance. You could never be too careful in unfamiliar woods.
Though apparently Jake wasn't careful enough. The invitation both surprises and encourages him, stepping out from where he'd been observing the scene with a quick shake. The man in question was an Orber, that was obvious just from looking at him. But then, what was he doing all the way out here? ]
Seriously? Thanks, man. [ Jake steps over to the fire, sitting in front of it. The warmth was particularly attractive after a day spent slowly gathering dew in his fur. ] Smells great.
（ if the visitor being a dog holds any grand mystery to him, he keeps it to himself. hadn't wei wuxian said...? hm, in any case.
he doesn't speak again until the fish has been decently cooked, and then he cuts pieces from where it's speared through. he always brings supplies with him — the window of mission preparedness being ten minutes doesn't seem to have affected him at all — which means he has both rice and small tin plates, as well as a small teapot that smells like fragrant sencha. he portions out the food — kakashi's dogs never had any difficulty with human cuisine, so he does not forego the rice — and then gives the dog a rather curious look. ）
My apologies. On the ground, or...?
he doesn't speak again until the fish has been decently cooked, and then he cuts pieces from where it's speared through. he always brings supplies with him — the window of mission preparedness being ten minutes doesn't seem to have affected him at all — which means he has both rice and small tin plates, as well as a small teapot that smells like fragrant sencha. he portions out the food — kakashi's dogs never had any difficulty with human cuisine, so he does not forego the rice — and then gives the dog a rather curious look. ）
My apologies. On the ground, or...?
[ Iris would be right on all counts, the impersonalization of text giving the boy a glimpse into Jake he might not otherwise allow if he had access to the helpful disguise that tone of voice and a grinning expression could provide. It was a joke, was meant as one, except for in all the ways it wasn't.
Just one of the many ways things got complicated when people grew up. Jake fires off a quick response, as if subconsciously detecting the inadvertent shift in tone he'd kicked off. Time to course correct. ]
oh trust me, i know all about how great he thinks you are. hope your ears haven't been burning too bad.
anyway, my advice? rolled up newspaper. works every time.
Just one of the many ways things got complicated when people grew up. Jake fires off a quick response, as if subconsciously detecting the inadvertent shift in tone he'd kicked off. Time to course correct. ]
oh trust me, i know all about how great he thinks you are. hope your ears haven't been burning too bad.
anyway, my advice? rolled up newspaper. works every time.
[ The spread is nice and, Jake's pleased to see, familiar. He enjoyed the local Hivawei cuisine plenty; their seedcakes and mushroom tea had become a particular favorite. But still, there was only so much vegetarian fare a dog could stomach before he started craving meat.
In the time between his arrival and Itachi's question, Jake had begun to doze lightly by the fire. He was well and truly warmed now, coat fluffed from the dry air. He perks immediately at the question, hunger not letting him sleep too deeply. ]
However you want, but I'll take a bowl if you've got it.
In the time between his arrival and Itachi's question, Jake had begun to doze lightly by the fire. He was well and truly warmed now, coat fluffed from the dry air. He perks immediately at the question, hunger not letting him sleep too deeply. ]
However you want, but I'll take a bowl if you've got it.
One moment.
（ his hand drops to a pouch at his thigh, and he pulls out a small scroll. he usually keeps one on his person that has a variety of rather mundane instruments, he unfurls the scroll and presses his hand down on one of the symbols — an application of chakra produces a bowl in a little puff of smoke.
this is clearly a perfectly normal thing for him, because he fills it, and keeps the plate for himself.
the bowl is set very politely down in the dog's immediate vicinity. ）
I did not have much in the way of seasoning. My apologies if it's somewhat bland.
（ just a little salt and pepper. while he generally brings food supplies — he had always brought soldier pills along, but badrock had necessitated a shift of his priorities — he doesn't usually trouble himself about non-essential luxuries. ）
（ his hand drops to a pouch at his thigh, and he pulls out a small scroll. he usually keeps one on his person that has a variety of rather mundane instruments, he unfurls the scroll and presses his hand down on one of the symbols — an application of chakra produces a bowl in a little puff of smoke.
this is clearly a perfectly normal thing for him, because he fills it, and keeps the plate for himself.
the bowl is set very politely down in the dog's immediate vicinity. ）
I did not have much in the way of seasoning. My apologies if it's somewhat bland.
（ just a little salt and pepper. while he generally brings food supplies — he had always brought soldier pills along, but badrock had necessitated a shift of his priorities — he doesn't usually trouble himself about non-essential luxuries. ）
[ Magic -- or what looked like magic -- wasn't unheard of at all in Jake's world. Heck, for most of his life, the dog thought he was magic. Recent developments proved that to not be the case, but there's a certain familiarity with the conjuring. It didn't line up perfectly with Jake's experience with wizards, but the multiverse was a big place.
His tail begins to wag immediately, diving into the food face first with a gusto that spoke to Jake's canine nature. ]
S'coo. [ Jake manages around a mouthful of fish and rice. Some chili may have been nice, but Jake actually didn't have much to complain about. The fish was fatty and fresh, lending the entire meal a pleasant richness. ] You ain't baf wit' an open flame, bud.
[ Jake swallows, bowl already half cleared. He sits back on his hind legs, abandoning his face first approach to eat the rest of the meal with his paw. ]
What're you doing out here?
His tail begins to wag immediately, diving into the food face first with a gusto that spoke to Jake's canine nature. ]
S'coo. [ Jake manages around a mouthful of fish and rice. Some chili may have been nice, but Jake actually didn't have much to complain about. The fish was fatty and fresh, lending the entire meal a pleasant richness. ] You ain't baf wit' an open flame, bud.
[ Jake swallows, bowl already half cleared. He sits back on his hind legs, abandoning his face first approach to eat the rest of the meal with his paw. ]
What're you doing out here?
（ ew, compliments. he says nothing to it — instead choosing to eat his own food silently, nothing but the crackle of sap and the uncouth sounds of a dog chewing. ）
Mm. I just wished to experience the world on my own.
（ it's a poetic answer that doesn't quite explain the truth of it — pervasive melancholy has settled in him, and he simply wished to surrender his existence to the broader awareness of the sky. ）
Mm. I just wished to experience the world on my own.
（ it's a poetic answer that doesn't quite explain the truth of it — pervasive melancholy has settled in him, and he simply wished to surrender his existence to the broader awareness of the sky. ）
[ Fortunately (or unfortunately), Jake takes the silence as a companionable one. He stuffs another handful of rice into his mouth, listening to Itachi's answer when it comes through maybe a few moments too late to be completely natural. ]
Oh yeah? Why?
[ The wistful open-endedness in Itachi's words is either lost on Jake, or he's studiously ignoring it. It's anyone's guess. ]
Oh yeah? Why?
[ The wistful open-endedness in Itachi's words is either lost on Jake, or he's studiously ignoring it. It's anyone's guess. ]
It would be a shame not to know what we can in the time it has left.
（ perhaps it is easier to speak to a dog than to a person. he has always had an affinity for animals — from the cats allied with his own clan, to kakashi's dogs and his own crows. ）
This may be the last time someone walks these fields and groves.
（ perhaps it is easier to speak to a dog than to a person. he has always had an affinity for animals — from the cats allied with his own clan, to kakashi's dogs and his own crows. ）
This may be the last time someone walks these fields and groves.
[ The sentiment is one Jake resonates with, almost as much as the scent of frying fish that lured him here in the first place. It's hard not to, when he'd spent an entire day wrapped around a tree and listening to the wind roll through the leaves above him. It wasn't the only thing Jake hoped to overhear, no, but the last gasps of this planet were as compelling to him as whispered secrets on the lips of his fellow Orbers or the local Hivawei.
Dogs were good listeners. Most of the time, anyway.
There's a note of understanding in Jake's eyes as he glances up from the bowl towards the young man, illuminated by firelight. ]
And? [ He scrapes his paw around the now empty bowl, gathering up the few errant grains of rice remaining. ] How's it strike you, bud?
Dogs were good listeners. Most of the time, anyway.
There's a note of understanding in Jake's eyes as he glances up from the bowl towards the young man, illuminated by firelight. ]
And? [ He scrapes his paw around the now empty bowl, gathering up the few errant grains of rice remaining. ] How's it strike you, bud?
Edited 2023-03-18 02:35 (UTC)
[ In a different moment, Jake might've had something to say everything that came after Itachi's name. An enthusiastic boooo, boring to the first followed up by an equally enthusiastic absolutely, yes, right now to the second. But Jake doesn't say those things. Instead, Jake is jumping to his feet, recognition sparking in his large puppy eyes. ]
You--you're the guy!
[ Sorry Itachi. A dog has now enthusiastically jumped into your lap, paws thrown up around your shoulders. Just be glad he's not licking your face. ]
I could kiss you, ya nut! [ Seriously, be really glad. ] I was wondering when you'd show your grumpy little face!
You--you're the guy!
[ Sorry Itachi. A dog has now enthusiastically jumped into your lap, paws thrown up around your shoulders. Just be glad he's not licking your face. ]
I could kiss you, ya nut! [ Seriously, be really glad. ] I was wondering when you'd show your grumpy little face!
[ Touchy, that was one of the words Finn used. Prickly. Like a cactus of a person. Jake just sits up on the log, looking around with an amused look on his face. If Itachi thought he was going to be so easily dissuaded, he had another thing coming. ]
Awww, c'mon, man! [ Jake laughs, turning around on the log. ] I wasn't gonna bite ya!
[ The young man had a uniquely... absent scent, something Jake found extremely peculiar now that he bothered to notice it. Still, the dog raises his nose up anyway, hoping for an indication which way he should turn. ]
Awww, c'mon, man! [ Jake laughs, turning around on the log. ] I wasn't gonna bite ya!
[ The young man had a uniquely... absent scent, something Jake found extremely peculiar now that he bothered to notice it. Still, the dog raises his nose up anyway, hoping for an indication which way he should turn. ]
（ meanwhile he's like 300 meters away up a tree because speed feats just do be like that. he's crouched down, using balance more than chakra to root himself solidly in place as he just. observes from a distance, eyes red with the sharp catherine wheel of the sharingan, narrowed on the creature. when it speaks, a frown tugs one corner of his mouth down.
it wasn't the possibility of attack that made him retreat. hardly that — if he felt endangered he would have simply defended himself. it was more the unexpected overture of ... whatever that was.
affection. appreciation, perhaps? but why? he cannot think of anyone he knows who has expressed any camaraderie with a dog, much less one who would be anything other than tolerant to him.
finally, he opts to send a clone back, forming the seals and dividing his chakra into a second being. as whole and hale as he is — though it will dissipate if damaged. the clone makes its suspicious way towards the dog as itachi watches, his jaw set. the clone resembles itachi exactly in every way, and when it gets close to the ring of firelight it says: ）
I'm not concerned with being bitten. Who are you?
it wasn't the possibility of attack that made him retreat. hardly that — if he felt endangered he would have simply defended himself. it was more the unexpected overture of ... whatever that was.
affection. appreciation, perhaps? but why? he cannot think of anyone he knows who has expressed any camaraderie with a dog, much less one who would be anything other than tolerant to him.
finally, he opts to send a clone back, forming the seals and dividing his chakra into a second being. as whole and hale as he is — though it will dissipate if damaged. the clone makes its suspicious way towards the dog as itachi watches, his jaw set. the clone resembles itachi exactly in every way, and when it gets close to the ring of firelight it says: ）
I'm not concerned with being bitten. Who are you?
[ Finn made no mention of powers, and even if he had there was no telling if Jake would remember the specifics. he hops down from the log, taking a more conciliatory approach towards the skittish man. Finn really wasn't kidding, was he? ]
I'm Jake. [ The dog gestures to himself with great purpose, and there's a pause to follow. The sign of recognition he's waiting for never comes. Okay, so maybe Finn never mentioned him. Disappointing, but hardly a deterrent. ] Finn's brother!
[ Wait, there were two Finns, weren't there? Time to be even more specific. ]
The Finn you nearly got yourself smoked saving, dude! That's my kid brother!
[ He holds out his arms, assuming that should make the rest fall into place quite neatly. Of course he should expect Jake be happy to see him, right? He saved his little brother's life, the kid who had been Jake's whole world for his almost his entire life. The significance should be obvious! ]
I'm Jake. [ The dog gestures to himself with great purpose, and there's a pause to follow. The sign of recognition he's waiting for never comes. Okay, so maybe Finn never mentioned him. Disappointing, but hardly a deterrent. ] Finn's brother!
[ Wait, there were two Finns, weren't there? Time to be even more specific. ]
The Finn you nearly got yourself smoked saving, dude! That's my kid brother!
[ He holds out his arms, assuming that should make the rest fall into place quite neatly. Of course he should expect Jake be happy to see him, right? He saved his little brother's life, the kid who had been Jake's whole world for his almost his entire life. The significance should be obvious! ]
Edited 2023-03-18 03:40 (UTC)
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