qjiro

[qjiro]

though there was little doubt to begin with , this strange man's inability to recognize him confirms ojiro's suspicions . indeed , he surely isn't from here . so why is he here now ?

ah -- and to go unacknowledged ... he should probably view that as an insult , right ? he doesn't care about this man beyond ensuring he isn't a threat , but ... the importance of appearances has certainly been drilled into his head .

" you would enter a domain without learning to recognize its royal family ? "

The 8th arched an eyebrow at him. "I am called the 8th or Nanashi if you prefer that name." He kept his eye focused on the man in front of him. "And whom do I have the pleasure of talking too?" He asked his voice eeriely calm as if no emotion had ever gripped it.

[qjiro]

Q! 💜🤍

[qjiro]

he can't -- and really wouldn't want to -- complain . phainon's bargaining skills have been a sincere boon to trash tribe's non - existent budget , so if the man is having fun , q won't stop him . that said , he gets the feeling that there might be something more to this ... and there's not much they have the money for right this second anyway , so :

" you bored ? "

@bonescribes liked for a starter .

" honestly , i don't mind running errands . that said, is there anything you're out of or wanting that i can't add to the list ? it wouldn't be trouble, q. you'd actually be doing me a favor . also i'm having fun haggling with the shop owners. can't say they feel the same about me though. " how to admit he's restless without admitting he's restless ?

[qjiro]

what ... is a credit ? q's brows furrow and he puts a finger to his chin , trying to make sense of ... everything . a new place with the same name , using a different currency ... what does any of this mean ? where is he , really ? ( and perhaps more importantly : how does he get back to where he came from ? )

" anything is fine . " he'd feel bad for choosing when he's already relying on her to pay . " if there's something you would prefer ... "

Kane—? That's a currency she hasn't heard of before, and as far as she's aware, one that wouldn't be recognized anywhere. That, and he certainly doesn't resemble the Pacaem appearance-wise, there's always the possibility he could be an android of some kind. (Then again, even they used the same currency that everyone else did...)

❝Everyone tends to use credits instead of kane, and I'm not sure if there's even an exchange rate for that type of currency. Really, I don't mind footing the bill.❞ (It's not as if money's an issue for her, either.) ❝Is there anything in particular you're hungry for? Even though this might be Neo-Tokyo, we've got food from all over the world here!❞

[qjiro]

the things we do won't be forgiven by everyone . q knows that better than anyone , and it's ... oddly a comfort . he doesn't deserve to still be living freely , doing as he pleases , so at least he can take solace in the knowledge that there will be people to hold him accountable for that transgression . but for as much as that brings him comfort , q knows it isn't enough . someone responsible for so much suffering can't go un - punished ... even if he has a job to do .

q doesn't want his attempt to make up for his past to absolve him of his sins . he wants to right his wrongs and he wants to be punished as he deserves , greedy man that he is .

" i'm still ojiro otori ... even if i hide behind the name of q . " it's a conclusion that he's come to recently : that even if he had no choice , his identity is nothing more than a barrier -- something to cower behind . now that he's back in neo - chiyoda , watching more and more people suffer due to his mistakes , he has to face up to that fact . " i still did what i did . i made those choices . "

it's a wretched dichotomy . for as much as q feels this firmly , he also truly cares for the trash tribe ; treasures what they've built together and the progress they've made . he wants to see them all flourish . he wants to be there for them .

he doesn't think he can reconcile these two wants .

" i think they should fault me . i wish they would , and yet ... i don't want to lose them , either . "

q blinks , mouth opening a bit . something seems to have occurred to him .

" i think i might be scared . "

𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒, 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐇𝐄'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 giving himself the same consideration, the same leeway, that he's giving others. It's a bad habit she's more than well aware of, if only because it's a matter of course to him, at this point. He was always held to a different standard than others, and so he defaults to treating himself the same way, even when there's no one else left who would weigh him or his actions so unfairly.

Her poor, dear Ojiro-sama.

"As long as it's an ask and not a demand, I think it's alright." Hinagiku is someone who feels all of her emotions deeply. It's one of her greatest faults as a ninja, but- she thinks- one of her greatest strengths as a person. It's something that's allowed her to try and understand their Master, whether he intended to ever have his own emotions considered or not. "In the end, though, I think people will feel how they feel, and you have to deal with things accordingly. If that means they don't trust you anymore then... well."

A helpless shrug, as she moves to rinse off the knife and cutting board, then shifts toward the stove to begin heating up a pan.

"Sometimes, the things we do... won't be forgiven by everyone, and that's okay. As long as you keep trying to be good, to be better than you were... I don't think anyone can fault you."

Carefully she partitions out an appropriate portion of rice, readies eggs and vegetables for the stir fry, and then rinses her hands again, and carefully, carefully, sets a calloused hand against Q's cheek. It's a brief, fleeting touch, barely-there and warm, mindful of his tolerance for having his space invaded. Then she's back to the stove, not looking at him, but angled so he knows her attention is still mostly his.

"You know I don't. And I don't think your new friends do either... they trust the person you are now. The person you were forced to be before is... someone else now, isn't he?"

[qjiro]

actually you know how kuronaka passes out every time he has a Memory Incident(TM)

[qjiro]

some notes on my portrayal of q after the release of chapters 4 & 5 (there are spoilers here obviously):

q is aware of the fact that he has died. he also knows that he has forgotten something important about his identity due to this. he does not know what he's forgotten and kazuki is not keen on telling him.

he's suffering from a bit of identity crisis, knowing that the revivification process involves creating an entirely new body. is he the real q? and if not, who is he really? his thoughts are MUCH more complicated than that but ill be writing a whole meta post some other time

he's been kinda hovering over yo lately. after seeing him Be Like That, q is really worried about him.

q is capable of getting his memories back. he doesnt know how (and neither do i lol), but it is technically possible, as shown by yo slowly regaining HIS memories.

post chapter-5, he's much more reserved and closed-off. for a lot of reasons, most of which are identity related (and some of which are kazuki related). he's going through it rn.

[qjiro]

i hvave so much to say

[qjiro]

I'LL TAKE YOUR HEART and take it apart—-- then YOUR BODY will always BE MINE.

ind. T9 multimuse ft. kazuki. by FRAN. ; ind. Q of T9. by BONES.

[qjiro]

bend over

kazuki .... someone might see .....

[qjiro]

there's no immediate need to be suspicious , but ojiro nonetheless feels misgivings welling up in his chest . this man's clothes are undoubtedly abnormal , but is that really what's setting his instincts off ? no ... maybe it's the look in his eye . whatever it is , this man isn't like the rest of the unimportant bodies populating chiyoda . he's different .

the young prince greets him with a suspicious glare .

" who are you ? "

This verison of tokyo was much different from what he had usually seen in other worlds. He was currently writting in his black tome about all things he currently seeing in this verison of the land. He writing down a few notes as leaned against the wall of building. It was night time in the city as writing his notes. He only stopped when stopped the other man.

The 8th was dressed strangely. He looked like some kind of priest with black robes on but, no holy symbol on him. He had black eye patch wrapped around his head that covered half his face. He had short brown hair and single brown eye.

The 8th didn't say anything but, felt that this one of those fated encounter. His single simply watched the other as he came around the corner.

@qjiro for the starter call. (for your anime era)

[qjiro]

@paramythas: "Nii-san, pull for me." Nagi's slow drawl sounds above Q's head as arms come down over it, offering out his phone in front of his eyes. Far too close to be either legible or reasonable. "Spare some of that triple-S rank luck for the rest of us."

q squints as hard as he can , but it doesn't help much . even if he could see the screen clearly , though , would it really help ? it's not like he knows anything about the games nagi plays . he's at least learned what pull means , but he doesn't know what triple - s rank luck is supposed to be -- or how he allegedly has it .

" don't think my luck is above average . "

he swipes randomly at the screen . hopefully that accomplishes something .

[qjiro]

✱˚｡⋆ ↪ 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊.    (  a collection of various  location prompts centered around time & weather.  feel free to adjust as desired.  )

[ 1AM ] the stoop of a brightly lit psychic shop, pondering haven from the rain. [ 2AM ] the [ lobby / room ] of a run-down motel during a tumultuous storm. [ 3AM ] a dark graveyard thick with petrichor, well beyond visiting hours. [ 4AM ] an empty, rusty gas station nearly flooding with rainwater. [ 5AM ] a cabin in the frozen woods, large fire raging under the hearth. [ 6AM ] a bus stop hazily lit by the rising sun, earth smelling of petrichor. [ 7AM ] a crowded coffee shop, patrons in a rush to escape the morning rain. [ 8AM ] a serene camping site overlooking a valley, air humid & fresh. [ 9AM ] a diner smelling of breakfast food as rain patters on the window. [ 10AM ] a walled-in garden full of flowers, just as the afternoon heat sets in. [ 11AM ] an empty public playground, equipment hot from the sun. [ 12PM ] the middle of a sweltering outdoors shopping center. [ 1PM ] the side of the highway after your car breaks down from the heat. [ 2PM ] a bustling farmer's market ripe with produce, unhindered by the rain. [ 3PM ] a city sidewalk gloomy with mist & countless puddles. [ 4PM ] the forested perimeter of a vast lake, cold from snow melt. [ 5PM ] a [ restaurant / diner ], interior lights flickering under a fierce storm. [ 6PM ] a car interior, passengers stuck on a dangerously snowy & dark road. [ 7PM ] an outdoors event as the heat backs off, full of laughter & live music. [ 8PM ] the long queue of a club, impatient patrons stuck in the rain. [ 9PM ] the threshold of an apartment, knocking to be let out of the hailstorm. [ 10PM ] a windy beach past public hours, grains of sand mimicking the stars. [ 11PM ] the backseat of a car parked in the pouring rain on a lonely road. [ 12AM ] a pier on the cold, misty waterfront as fireworks are let off.

[qjiro]

friend . master . soulmate . the words loop in q's mind so rapidly his head aches . why does ichinosuke think this ? he couldn't possibly have forgotten something so clearly important ... could he ? there must be some kind of a mistake . q's chest feels tight . is it tight because somewhere , deep down , he knows that assumption is wrong ?

it feels as though there is a wall in his mind . a huge , imposing concrete wall with signs all over it begging him to stay away . KEEP OUT .

... so he does . he practically runs from it , especially when the opportunity to distract himself arrives in the form of ichinosuke's crisis . ( he shouldn't be grateful for giving the poor man a panic attack . he shouldn't . but some sick , frightened part of him is glad to have the excuse to run away from his own mind . how despicable . how weak . )

" i ... ichinosuke . " he gets closer . not too close , but closer . ( he doesn't really know what to do . ) " can you hear me ? focus on my voice . " his words naturally come out as a command ; master to servant . q's mind refuses to acknowledge this . " you're going to hurt yourself like this . can you grab my hands instead ? "

im not ojiro . it was as if it was a mean joke that seem to hit the ninja in the chest . the mere matters of his heart , his fragile heart having a sudden crack inch in it . what did he mean ? he is ojiro ! he is ! he took his name back , the name that had plague his dear friend ! his soulmate who had went to against the world to reclaim what had been that of fear ! so why ? so why is he saying such things ? please . please dont do this . hes begging you ojiro , please .

❝ surely you jest ? i beg of the , please . i served you all my life . i know so much about you , you know so much about me ! where we com from , what we fight for ! did we not take the pact of vowel to be there for one another ? a pact that bounded our souls to be in twine through thick && thin ? you are my friend . my master . my platonic soul mate . . . ❞

the ninja trails off keeping his eyes squared straight to ojiro 's eyes . he even told him what happened to the middle of the siblings . how . . . who can he not remember who he is - who HE IS ? he felt his breathing start to pick up . he felt that he no matter what he was doing , the air was not staying . constricted . untamed - like he can not breath . was this the first time he ever had a panic attack ? no . no . he remembers having one such a long time ago . . . oh it was such a long time ago when he did . . .

ichinosuke just couldnt believe it , gripping his two hands in his black && red locks he clutched them tightly as he breath heavy . he felt sick to his skin - how . how can you handle SOMETHING like this ? you cant . you CANT . not when someone you care about claims they dont remember you . they dont remember && it was like his brain was shutting off from it . he was shutting down from it .

[qjiro]

that kuronaka is lying is evident -- q is only left to wonder why . or maybe that isn't the right place to start ? the point isn't that she won't tell the truth ; it's that there is a truth to be told ... or something like that . ( he's really terrible at this . there are so many better candidates to comfort her right now , and yet when he heard about yakumo's fate , he'd still come running . )

" you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to , so ... you don't have to lie , either . i just want to help if i can . i'm ... sorry i wasn't there . "

@qjiro | 11 for a comforting starter -- for yo! :3

"I'm fine, Mr.Q."

Unconvincing words, considering that deep-seated frown on Kuronaka's face refuses to leave. She hopes that he won't ask further— that he'll stop asking about her condition since defeating Minato City's number. She hopes that he won't ask about the face he's making, thinking about how he sacrificed himself. She hopes that he'll leave her to rot in her feelings.

As much as Q is her friend— one of her few friends, really, considering how little she remembers— she hardly knows him. Kazuki and Q both aren't the types to make others privy to sensitive information. Kuronaka could count the things she knows about Q on one hand. In fact...

He likes plants, penguins, cucumbers, Mr.Kazuki...

...Nope. She can't recall anything else. Why should she even consider talking feelings right now?

"I'm fine," is repeated like she's trying to convince herself. She's fine. She really is fine. Kuronaka is fine. Sometimes, people... deserve to die.

[qjiro]

q raises himself up , staring quietly at himself for awhile , amazed by what the angel has accomplished . he flexes his fingers ; squeezes his hand into a fist ... everything seems to be in order . it's incredible .

" i am , but ... i don't want that to erase my wrongdoings . "

It doesn't take the archangel that much longer to fully heal the rest of Q's wounds, and once they do, they sit back and rest their hands on their lap. He's free to leave, if he'd like, and there isn't anything that will prevent him from doing so.

❝Are you atoning for your sins, or actively trying to do better? I would think that the answer you give me for that will say more than anything else.❞

[qjiro]

he's thankfully distracted from his embarrassment by the woman's kind offer -- q is quick to shake his head in response . with everything she's already doing , letting her pay for his food would be too much , wouldn't it ? " there's no need . i have enough kane to get by . just showing me to the restaurant is more than enough . "

❝Hotel it is, then! I've got some places in mind that would love to put you up for a few weeks, or even a few months, depending on how long you take to get your bearings.❞

The Protector would have started to lead him to one of the many hotels that would let her stay there for a while. (Sometimes, it pays to be the hero...) However, there's a blink that follows the sound she hears from him and she can't resist giggling a little.

❝—after some food, of course. Don't worry, I'm pretty hungry myself. Is there anything in particular you'd like? It'll be my treat.❞