#◈ ╱ ⅈⅈ. ˊ may those who defy their fate be granted glory.

[fatedefy]

⦋ ‵ you people are crazy. ʹ ⦌   @heroeswove laments.   the sheer amusement of it causes a single muscle at the corner of neji's mouth to twitch upward,    the suggestion of a smile on an otherwise implacable countenance.   by now he's well aware of the perceived insanity that was his team's work ethic,   their drive for excellence often regarded as excessive even amongst the most dedicated of their peers.   whatever marveling critiques were levied at them do little to sway his mind against their hard regimen,   though. probing, instead, at the dormant superiority complex he had suppressed so long ago   ⸻   preening inwardly to know that few others could keep up.     ‵    i assure you that training from before dawn to midday is quite sane when you consider the results.    i wonder what you'll think when i say i even get up two hours earlier to practice my own techniques ... in any case, you're welcome to join us, naruto. 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝘩𝑎𝑛𝑑-𝑡𝑜-𝘩𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑦, so i'd encourage it.   ʹ 

the battle of the labyrinth starters     /     ACCEPTING.

[fatedefy]

   𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒃 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, meditative concentration splintered by the light tapping of slippered feet against the engawa walkway outside his room connecting the immensity of the hyūga compound in about the only meaningful way both main and branch houses would ever twine.    neji recognizes the chakra signature tied to the person traversing these hollowed halls,    the essence of it haunting him still with guilt for a rage misplaced;    although her presence in this section of their family's estate was surprising enough,    the thought that she would be searching for him seemed all the more ludicrous.    (  though she had long-since cleansed him of his misgivings,    the shame of his actions,    he suspects,    would never dissipate.   )

as such, he expects the footsteps would pass his screen door by,    and the lonely comfort of silence he has become so accustomed to throughout his desolate youth would enshroud him once more.     a bandaged palm reaches for the cup of tea he had just poured himself before it trembles,    stuttering in place as the chime of the bell he had placed outside his door for   (  nonexistent   )   visitors to summon him with beckons him to answer.   gracefully,   he unfurls from his kneeled position,  long strides swift as they approach the shadow beyond the paper partition.     neji slides open the door,     prized sight gazing into it's mirror image framed by the delicate nervousness of his cousin's face.

  ‵  i’m here because we need your help.    ʹ     @byakugano breathes out after a beat.

neji's renowned speed fails him for a moment,     pausing longer than would have been warranted as he idled by the door wrestling his surprise.     a ripple of disappointment disturbs the clarity of her energy,     jolting enough awareness back into the genius to prompt him to step aside and beckon her into the unnatural sterility of the humble room afforded to him.     ‵    you have it.    ʹ     he acquiesces to her plea quietly,   a peculiar lilt in his monotonous lull emphasizing the notion that he would offer his abilities without question only because it was she that had asked.   he motions for her to take a seat at the small kotatsu with frayed edges placed centerfold within the contained space while he procures another teacup and sets it before her.     retaking his kneeling position across from her,     he pours the previously steeped tea from the ornate teapot set between them into her cup.     ‵    i have much to atone for with you ...    ʹ'

everything everywhere all at once prompts / accepting

[fatedefy]

⦋ ‵ As long as you're up, you can help me plant these. ʹ ⦌  @greatgospell offers.   neji immediately hesitates to respond,    behavior uncharacteristic to his usual directness save for when his cool judgement was split.   on the one hand,   her affinity for gardening intrigued him;   the serenity it seemed to evoke called upon the quiet rage in his soul,   willing it to extinguish if only for the duration of a evening spent in the company of flowers.   on the other, a questioning of his worthiness for such a thing grounded in a deep understanding of his strength and weaknesses.    (   and, perhaps, the nascent yet fundamentally human fear of trying something new and not being good at it borne of innate perfectionism ᅳ though he would never admit as much.   )   his touch was ruinous,   could it truly cultivate life ?   he contemplates it further,   stuck in place until her jovial gaze, amused yet expectant, cuts through his analysis.   then neji's body seems to move on it's own accord,   taking him forward to kneel by her side before his mind had fully made up to do so.   despite the fact he felt far out of his depth,   he was resolved to try.    ‵    ... where ᅳ how should i start ?   ʹ 

the battle of the labyrinth starters     /     ACCEPTING.