soul_logs | Training time! [OPEN]

Entry tags:

Training time! [OPEN]

Characters: OPEN
Location: Training grounds near the park. Part of it’s an obstacle course, too.
Rating: Gen, hopefully.
Time: Morning, October 28 and various dates
Description: Training time. This happens every morning, 6am to 9am, but are mostly handwaved. Your character should know about it, one way or another. A log is put up every month or two, but you are free to assume that your characters attend every morning if they want to. Today's training will double for either days. Coordination post here.

Breakdown of batches and groups are as follows:
Batch 1: Beginners under the age of fifteen. Taught by Prussia, Celty and Fakir.
Batch 2: Adult beginners. Under Ping (Mulan), Saber, Might Gai.
Batch 3: Intermediate fighters, for sparring with each other. Overseen by Germany. Please see list of random sparrers.
Batch 4: Experienced fighters, for sparring with each other. Overseen by Germany. Please see list of random sparrers.
Weapon transformation: How to Change into Your Weapon Form. Spirit, Yuuri, China.
Soul Perception: If you still don’t know by now-- Any of the Soul Perception people. Azusa.
Partner training: How to Work Together as Partners. Kazu. Genesis. Tassadar and Nataku. Maka and Soul.
Weapons handling training: Rock Lee.
Shooting range: How to shoot things 101. Train Heartnet.
Medics: All the medical people.
Audience: Because some people just want to watch.
Watch: An area closed off to the Watch members who need any sort of special training.
Feel free to throw up new threads for characters, especially those who want to try their partnership. Breakfast is served as usual!

For training via sparring, batches 3 and 4:
~~Date Masamune~~ Kojurou
Saber
Itachi Uchiha
Might Gai
Selendis
Various NPCs (also available upon request)

Partner vs partner sparring is also good!

Misc threads will include FAQ thread and breakfast eating thread.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[has to reign himself in a little from the automatic unfavorable reaction to whatever Rei might have brought for them. It's going to take a while for him to trust her around Tsuna, but it wasn't an impossible task. It was going to take a lot more than helping them with resonating for the first time and sandwiches afterward, though.

Slowly (reluctantly), he starts to unbind their connection, pulling away just a little, safely enough so that it won't be quite so abrupt when Tsuna lets go and he transforms back. The transformation itself definitely wasn't the hardest part of this exercise.]

Yes, Tenth! Just let go when you're ready. Don't worry about me.

[ It takes Tsuna a moment to respond to Gokudera's soul pulling from his own. It isn't a feeling he finds relief in; even if it is tiring, this resonating thing, it's also something Tsuna has never in his life felt before. And being this close to his best friend- It's calming in ways that he could never fully explain, even if given all the words in the world to use. An indescribable feeling of connection and familiarity.

After a few moments of taking his time (excessively) to pull back from the connection, he finally sets Gokudera back down again, stuffs his hands into his pockets, and waits. The loss of the resonation echoes in his chest and makes him wish this entire practice wasn't so exhausting the first time. ]

Are you alright, Gokudera-kun?

[being separate again oddly feels like he's lost a limb. There's an extension of himself that he'd gotten so used to having in such a short amount of time, that the loss of it, the loss of that connection to Tsuna's soul, feels strange and almost unnatural. Trying to shake it off, he focuses on what his normal, human form is like, imagines everything back in its proper place, and transforms back. Blinking a few times, he looks down at his hands a moment, as though checking to be sure everything was back in the proper place. It's all he can do to keep from just reaching out for Tsuna.

Curling his hands into loose fists, he looks up again, puts on a smile (slightly weary around the edges) and nods.]

Yeah, I'm fine. We should probably eat something to recover our strength.

[ There's the moment in between Gokudera being a Weapon and being himself that Tsuna realizes just how strange this entire situation is. He comes from a world of dying will flames, box animals, and people that can see endless other universes; but not a place where people turn to weapons, or where resonation is something normal. And yet he can't bring himself to feel too thrown off by it all. After all, his home includes things like magical bullets and cursed baby hit-men who are in the mafia. So this- It's just another weird thing to add on to the last year or two of his life.

The difference is that this resonating thing puts him in a place that he's never reached before and allows him to be close to Gokudera in ways that he never thought possible. Even after such a brief moment of letting their souls resonate, he's fairly sure he's never had this much trust in another person. ]

Mm! I think that's the best idea I've heard so far today.

[ He shifts a bit, nervous, before barely nudging his arm against Gokudera's. It might not be the same as resonating, not even close, but it at least slightly makes up for the loss. ]

[freezes for a second when Tsuna brushes against him, wondering if somehow the young Vongola boss had read his mind. But then again, that intuition often came in handy, and he just relaxes again, expression softening around the edges. No small part of him wants to hurry up and regain their strength so they can try resonating again, and eventually they'd have to start training for battles. Perhaps afterward they could try tackling a mission...and actually contributing to the supposed "war effort" here.

He lets one of his hands relax, brushing fingertips casually against Tsuna's wrist in response before taking a step forward.]

Let's eat, then.

[ It helps, slightly, to have that physical presence immediately after the resonating is over, and Tsuna's smile is ever present. He follows Gokudera, walks beside him to Rei, and plops himself down on the patch of grass near the food. The sun feels nice, and even though the weather is much warmer than home, it's a rather welcome feeling. He misses the summer and how much easier everything seemed to be back then.

That aside, and not wanting to ruin the remaining good feelings from the training, his smile brightens just a little. Bad feelings weren't necessary; not right now. ]

Thanks for bringing food, Rei..! [ She reminded him more of his mom every time they spoke, it was almost uncanny. ]

You don't have to thank me. [She didn't bring any of herself, but she takes a seat on one side of Tsuna and stretches her legs out]

I assumed you growing boys would be hungry after that. I know I was, after my first resonation. [And she's not sure what Tsuna knows, so why not give him a little lesson?]

As a meister you'll have an extra ability to use in battle. It's different for every person, though it's usually connected to something back home. [She shifts a little and eyes them both, as if to make sure they're both eating]

For example, my ability is called Soul Sixth Sense. I can sense where a battle's been fought, how many have died, and how many souls or kishin eggs were eaten.

[gives the food she brought a dubious look, taking a small bite hurriedly before Tsuna does as though to test for poison. It. Seems passable anyway. As long as it was all right for Tsuna, he would try to keep down the scathing comments that are rising in his throat.

He's...hungrier than he thought he'd be, finishing everything that Rei brought for them. Mumbling a begrudging 'thank you,' he pulls his knees up to his chest, resting his forearms on them loosely. Perhaps recovery would take a little bit more than just some food.

Listening to Rei's description of her Meister ability, he frowns, then scoffs at her.]

What good does it do you to know that during a battle?

[ Tsuna eats, taking his time, only to notice that Rei isn't eating. He waits for her to finish speaking before scooting over to her and offering the container to her. ]

You should eat, too..! You look pretty tired, Rei. [ But never the less, he thinks about what she said, and does his best not to look phased by Gokudera's biting tone. It's unusual to hear it, really. Even the way he speaks to Yamamoto isn't so hostile, despite their strange friendship.

Still- He has hope that, one day, maybe Gokudera can come to enjoy Rei's company as he does. Even if it takes some time. A lot of time. ]

E-Eaten!? [ Tsuna has no idea what a kishin egg is, or why someone would eat them, but he can't imagine it's a good thing- ]

[The offer surprises her, eyes going wide. Rei flounders a moment, not sure what to do before she dutifully takes a small bite, just to please him. He really is a kind boy and she offers hi ma warm smile]

Ah, do I? I don't sleep much, or very well. So I suppose it can't be helped.

[But Gokudera's question just gets an unamused look from her] My skills lie in information retrieval, not so much in actual fighting. I don't have the strength for it. But I've a good memory for details and a steady hand with a camera.

Besides, if I can figure out how long ago a soul was eaten by a Kishin Egg, I can use the information to track the thing down. And that sounds fairly useful to me. [Her tone is calm and cool. Did the temperature seem to drop like 20 degrees or what?

But she turns back to Tsuna and warms her tone again, reach out to pat Tsuna's head]

A kishin egg is what we fight against; they kill humans and eat their souls. Once defeated, a Weapon--like Gokudera--eats the soul of the kishin egg. It helps the meister and weapon team become stronger.

[he's about to reach for Rei's wrist, grab it or slap it away because dammit, Tsuna isn't a child and it's irritating to watch her treat him like that and all the constant head-patting--

--however the sudden information that he will have to eat the soul of something stops him dead in his tracks.]

Oi! Hold on a sec - I have to eat those things souls?!

[clearly someone didn't pay full attention to how these mission operation things work.]

[ Yeah, that's rather alarming to Tsuna as well, which is probably why he immediately turns to stare at Gokudera with wide-eyes. Although it's fairly clear Gokudera had no idea of this information, either. ]

You- That's-! [ Tsuna is completely speechless. Because while on one hand, why would anyone want to eat the soul of something, but on the other- If it makes them stronger as a team, isn't that a good thing? Regardless of either fact; he doesn't want Gokudera doing anything he doesn't want to. ] D-Does he have to?

Well. [She folds her hands in her lap, not quite expecting to have to explain this much.]

If Gokudera wants to become stronger then he has to. The more Kishin Egg Souls a weapon eats the stronger they become. If he wants to become a... I think the general term is just 'Death Scythe'-- but they're the most powerful individuals here in Death City. You have to eat 99 Kishin Egg Souls and one witch soul.

If you leave the soul alone, I think it just comes back? [But she's not actually sure] I haven't heard of any pair just leaving a soul after defeating the Kishin Egg, so I can't tell you for sure. But as far as I know it's a necessity.

[She is just so calm about this. I mean really. Nothing really shocks her anymore] You can ask Spirit if you want to know more-- he's a Death Scythe.

[they've both encountered some very strange things in their own world - people infused with the mysterious box weapons in their bodies, the dying will flames, hitman babies and curses and other bizarre things. But consuming a soul? Even if it is supposed to help him grow stronger, the whole concept seems so...barbaric, like a throwback to tribes in certain places that would eat parts of their enemies to gain their strength. It made him a little sick to think about it, and the thought shows on his face.]

What happens to the soul once I eat it?

[ Tsuna can't bring himself to look at either of them, and focuses on his lap, resting his food there. It's one thing to fight in a war. He's done it enough in his life, hasn't he? Fought battles that were forced on him and his friends. Battles that have caused so much suffering and loss. He's done it, seen it all, experienced war and pain and loss. Defeat. Has learned to keep hope through the worst times.

But this feels different, somehow. Because at home they can make it through anything, when they're all together. But here? Here, they aren't all together, separated, kept apart. And here it's the risk of losing your soul.

He doesn't really want to think about the risk. ]

[It's one of those times it's a good thing Rei couldn't read thoughts, because Tsuna's would have left her very bitter indeed. She had no one. Everyone in her world--everyone she'd loved and cared for--was dead. And largely, she believed, because of her.

But she focuses her solemn gaze on Gokudera to address him directly] That I can't say. Meisters can't eat the souls of the Kishin. I'm not sure why--possibly because we'll become Kishin ourselves if we do. That's how a kishin egg is formed--a human killing and eating the soul of another human. [And possibly some other things, but that's as much as she knows about it.

She looks to Tsuna then who's been so quiet and lowers her voice to a quiet, comforting level] Tsuna? Are you alright? [She glances to Gokduera then, expression concerned and wondering if Tsuna was alright. Because even if they don't like each other much he still knows Tsuna better than she would.]

[listens, not quite looking Rei in the eye, but his jaw clenches at the description. In the end it was one human eating another human's soul. Just because it may change into a kishin egg, in the end, it sounded like that was two souls combined. Two human souls. Maybe it would have been easier to take if a kishin egg was just some kind of random monster of this world with little consequence. But no. It was two souls compounded together.]

So what makes it any better for me to eat that soul. Kishin eggs are at least two human souls together. How does it make me better than the thing we're supposed to be fighting against?

[he doesn't have to look to see what could be bothering Tsuna. This whole thing is a pretty shitty deal, as far as he's concerned, and the idea of eating souls and fighting a battle that has little to do with them - honestly he isn't very surprised by Tsuna's silence.]

[ Gokudera voices most of the thoughts that had caused Tsuna's rather abrupt silence. Not only were they meant to do things that were comparable to what the enemy did, but they were putting themselves at risk at the same time. As much as Tsuna wanted to go home, he didn't want Gokudera or himself or any of their friends to turn into whatever it was they were meant to be pushing back against. Even still- If fighting this war and winning meant keeping his precious people safe and going home to finish what was happening with the Shimon, he couldn't really argue, could he?

As terrified as Tsuna was, he wasn't entirely sure he could stand on the side lines like he used to. Not anymore.

He takes a deep breath, exhales slowly, looks up at Gokudera, and finally smiles just a little. ]

I think that we should do what Rei said and talk to Spirit about it. It, er, probably isn't fair to make Rei answer all our questions about this, right?

[Rei just shrugs--to her it doesn't mean anything. Perhaps, maybe, her thoughts would change if she was the one having to eat the soul. But, after everything she's gone through, it's hard to say.

She simply sits back some and looks between the two quietly.] Things like this...Don't bother me as much as they probably should. While I understand that it must seem strange and sick and wrong, this is a different world with different traditions and feelings regarding manners such as this. That doesn't excuse it, of course, but it's something to keep in mind. What revolts you now is something they've lived with and dealt with all their lives.

[She glances to Tsuna again and has to resist the urge to pull the boy to her. She doesn't like it. Them fighting; children fighting in this war that shouldn't be happening at all. But some of the other meisters eagerly fighting that were naturally of this world were even younger than they are.

Rei takes a deep breath and closes her eyes lightly] I don't mind answering the questions, but I can only give you what I know. You have to ask others if you want to know more or cross-reference my information. [Because she doesn't have Miku anymore to do those sorts of things for her--and for a moment Rei looks pained at the sudden memory of her assistant and lost best friend.]

...You don't have to fight, of course. You're free to just live your life as best you can and wait to go home. There are a few who do that, and no one could blame you for wanting to.

[just sits quietly for a few minutes. Even if eating souls is "the tradition of this world," it isn't his tradition, and that doesn't make his reservations about it go away. If it was what they had to do to get home, in the end he would do it; if it was the only way to help Tsuna, he'd do it. But the idea right now is almost nauseating.

Finally he turns to Tsuna, unable to smile quite yet.]

If you want to talk to Spirit, Tenth, we can do that.

[he doesn't want to make Tsuna fight if he's against it. But now they can partner together, and have the option of fighting after a little more training, if that was ultimately what they had to do.]

[ For the most part, Tsuna just wants to stretch out on the grass and fall asleep, maybe (hopefully) wake up back home. He knows how unlikely it is, but he's only now realizing just how exhausted he feels. One war to another, right?

He sighs. The idea of not fighting would be nice, if he knew that he would be okay with sitting by and letting himself wait for the war to be over. But he can't. Tsuna knows in the deepest part of him that he wouldn't be able to do that. He can't wait for other people to protect his friends; it doesn't work that way.

The war, ultimately, isn't the problem. It's the souls. ]

Mm. Maybe we can both talk to him over the network later, after training is done.

[ He glances up at Rei and smiles. ] Thanks for all your help, and for answering all our questions.

[She watches this being handled quietly and shakes her head when Tsuna addresses her, smiling faintly]

You're welcome. I don't mind it-- I know what it's like to wake up some place so strange and new with no one to turn to for help.

You're lucky--both of you. [She looks to Gokudera then, her smile a touch bitter] You have people here you know from your own world, who you can go to and relate to. Your friends.

I'm a little jealous, to be honest. [But she grins and laughs so quickly after that it might have been a joke.

Still, she lays back on the grass then, closing her eyes to just enjoy the feeling of the sun on her face.] It's good to ask questions. You can't learn anything if you don't.

[he's not looking at her, doesn't notice the bitterness in her smile or any hint of it in her tone, his thoughts elsewhere. Eating souls. Eating them. It sounded completely barbaric. Insane. Mostly he wanted nothing to do with it, but if that was their only way home...

He shakes his head. Tsuna is now his first priority. His safety, his happiness, as it ever has been. No matter what happens, so long as he can protect Tsuna, help him find a way home, nothing else really mattered.]

[ Tsuna watches Gokudera rather closely, focuses on him while trying to still pay attention to what Rei says. He knows how this new information is affecting him, so it must be ten times worse for Gokudera if he hadn't known, either. So while he wouldn't mind spending more time around Rei, he realizes that there's probably very little chance of anything else getting done when it comes to training. At least for today.

So he takes a moment to finish eating, not wanting to be rude, before giving Gokudera a very light nudge. Tsuna smiles at Rei, trying not to look as troubled as he might feel right now. ]

Mm, I know it would be difficult without people from home around. But..! At least you have friends here, right? People to depend on. [ Tsuna realizes that it isn't the same; people from home are different than people you would meet there, no matter how close you might become. ]

I-I think that Gokudera-kun and I might go try to find Spirit. [ Which, really, they probably won't. But Tsuna doesn't want to be rude and leave without explanation, and he hopes that Rei realizes he needs to try and talk Gokudera out of whatever slump he's digging himself into. ]

[Her face betrays nothing as she inclines her head in recognition. She won't bother answering the first part, because really it's not different for her except that everyone back home is dead and Rei really has nothing and no one to go back to.]

Alright; be careful and try not to push yourself so hard for today. Contact me any time if you have any questions. I'll always make myself available for you.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject