awashlogs | Event Ten.

[ Nico just stands there at the bottom of the well, watching this man run straight up the wall as though he were moving on a horizontal surface rather than a vertical one. Clearly this guy is not normal - well, at least not a regular mortal.

Also, it seems like he just left everyone else behind for a moment. Which is fine. Nico's used to that.

He's already considering his own options for getting out when Sasuke's head reappears over the edge and informs him that it's clear up top. Seems like the man was scouting ahead for danger, though he could have said something first. Nico shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket and shrugs idly. ]

I'll manage.

[ Luckily the well is filled with darkness and shadows so Nico has his pick of them to move through. One instant he's there and the next, he looks like the kid is absorbed into the darkness completely. Then he steps out of Sasuke's shadow up at the top of the well.

Nico looks pale but it's hard to say if he always appears that way or not. It wasn't much of a jump via shadow travel and he'd been alone so it isn't nearly as draining but he does stumble a bit with the first step. ]

Someone should stick a ladder or rope nearby if that well is the entrance to this place. [ Now at the top, he takes in their surroundings - the colorless trees and foliage. Nico frowns. ] Where ever this place is.

[The ability is surprising--not in that it exists, but that it's used, that Sasuke doesn't know Nico well enough yet to expect it. The energy from the well is gone, and then it's behind him.

A Nara clan technique?

Sasuke turns to look back, the movement easy but with enough rigidity to say there's some caution to it. The single dark eye studies Nico for a long moment before darting away to follow Nico's gaze to the surrounding area.

In a way, he had thought something was affecting his eyes when he came out of the well, and he's glad that isn't the case. No color, huh. Odd.]

I've never seen this place before. There's a board nearby with things attached to it.

[ Even though he clearly has a weapon at his side, Nico makes no motion to go for it. Doesn't attempt to attack despite having reappeared so close to Sasuke. It was simply the best place to emerge from the shadows around here.

Nico doesn't have any sort of headband that makes him as a ninja from any land.

He only glances at the man to see that Sasuke is about as colorful as he is... the two of them seem to fit right in with this place even with the hint of color Nico can see through the trees. ]

Me either but the world's a big place. [ Though who knows if they're even in the same world. At the mention of a board, he seeks it out from afar but it's impossible to see from this distance. ]

Might as well go see what it says. [ Without waiting, he starts heading for it. ]

[The two of them don't particular stick out, but maybe that's the oddest thing about them. They got the memo on color coordination with the setting.

Quietly, without reluctance, Sasuke falls in line behind Nico to head for the board. Not overwhelmingly big, but sturdy, and it seems newly made. Sasuke can't be sure this fact hints at much.

Somewhere behind and to the side of Nico, he stops to survey the papers put on the board. The way things read... very organized. The handwritings are different. Multiple people. Organizations have been set up as if there's a town in motion. Reassuring? He doesn't know.]

It seems as if there are those already here who can tell us more.

[ Here's hoping that their color coordination doesn't have others mistaking them as residents of this somewhat colorless town. Especially since neither of them know much about this place

If Nico seems nervous to have this man behind him, it doesn't show. He just traipses close enough to be able to read the signs. Which aren't really signs but just pieces of paper stuck to the wooden board. A bulletin board.

While there's plenty of stuff on the board, it doesn't really tell them a whole lot of information. The map at least gives them a name to the town... which Nico has never heard of before. ]

The real question here is are they native to this town or are they others like us?

[Carefully, Sasuke gives a studious squint at the sheet of paper with the people and the list of abilities on it. None of the names are anyone he recognizes. No Naruto, none of their children, no Sakura, Hinata, Konohamaru, Gaara, anyone.]

Stay here. I'll be right back.

[The cloak flares gently as he turns, but his feet don't even lift off the ground before he suddenly vanishes. It's not teleportation, only an immense showcase of speed. The image of him blurs, and then he's gone.

If Nico looks, he can be spotted when he pauses before a nearby building only to vanish between there and the rooftops. Then he disappears once more.

He's missing for ten minutes at most before, surprisingly, returning to the board to see if Nico had hung around. Coming back has less unintentional flare: he jumps down from one of the roofs and walks the rest of the way to the center at a steady, sure gait. He doesn't seem roughed up--that's good.]

[ There aren't any names Nico recognizes either but it doesn't mean someone isn't there. Demigods don't exactly go around advertising their abilities even if it looks like a lot of others are doing it. Though he's sure that if Will was here, he would absolutely have his healing ability listed. ]

Hm.

[ It's about the only response Sasuke gets before the man is suddenly just gone. He catches sight of the other briefly before the other is gone entirely.

While he doesn't idly hang around the board the entire ten minutes, Nico doesn't wander very far. He goes back to the well to make sure no one else needs help out and also roaming the surrounding area in hopes of getting a feel for the place.

In the time Sasuke is away, Nico can't sense anything. No restless spirits or bodies in the vicinity - which could be both good or bad. Certainly he won't be getting any answers from the dead around here.

Then when the man starts heading back, he returns to the sign. ]

You look intact, though that could mean either you didn't get attacked or you're just good enough to avoid getting hit.

[They meet in the middle by the board, ending how they began. Sasuke nods quickly and gently in greeting.]

A ninja is never seen. [There's no smile on his face, but there's a bit of humor in his voice.] The rest of the people here are like us, from what I can tell.

I haven't seen anyone I recognize. The few people I saw resembled us. The well could possibly be a dimensional technique... but it would require a great deal of power to transfer so many.

[ While he hadn't been entirely sure that Sasuke would be back, it's nice to see that he did exactly that he said he would. ]

Huh, I should've trained to be a ninja instead. [ Instead of what, Nico doesn't elaborate. ] Don't know if I should be glad that we're not alone here.

Even if they resemble us, they could still be natives. [ Since Sasuke didn't see anyone familiar and neither has Nico, it's hard to tell. He turns to look back at the well with a thoughtful expession. ] I know a few beings powerful enough to pull it off but somehow I doubt it was them. They usually give us some vague prophecy we're supposed to fulfill before sending us out to potentially die.

I doubt they're natives. There's color, unlike the rest of this place.

[To which Sasuke raises his visible eye and peers out across the circle of the center of town. Splotches of color dotted the areas he searched briefly. He can't exactly tell if the color is returning or leaving, but based on the size of the monochrome, he's going to guess it must be returning.

His gaze falls back to Nico at the mention of beings with such strength. Hm.]

"Prophecy"? You work for these beings?

[ For a moment there's just silence and staring... then Nico looks over Sasuke before glancing down at himself. Yeaaah, that doesn't help much. ]

So basically if anyone's going to get mistaken for colorless natives, it's us?

[ The humor is so dry that it's practically brittle, but it's there in the faint upward curve of his lips. ] I guess this is what I get for turning down the bright orange t-shirts that were being handed out back home.

[ This time the sarcasm is more tangible, because there absolutely was orange t-shirts and Nico was not about to start going around wearing them. Way too bright for his tastes.

A heavy, somewhat weary sigh. ]

When the options are to work for them or stand back and let the world end, yeah I choose to align myself with the powerful beings who gives us cryptic messages to work with. [ Nico looks away from Sasuke. ] Doesn't help that my dad is one of those beings.

[Very slowly and deliberately, Sasuke looks down at himself. What? Hm. Is it really so bad he prefers a lot of black and grey or white and very muted purples? Let him live his best goth dad life, Nico. Damn.

The corners of his lips twitch, but he doesn’t smile exactly when he glances back up. The humor dies away after a moment, and he instead frowns gently at Nico’s explanation.]

It must be hard. [He sounds sincere rather than patronizing.] Is he a shadow being? Your abilities utilized shadows like a clan I know from home. They aren’t powerful beings, though. Just ninja.

[ Look, Nico can't exactly judge Sasuke's wardrobe choices considering he has even less color... no muted purple for this kid. He'd try to go the rest of his life without wearing a bunch of color if possible.

When he shrugs, it's clear there's a tension in his shoulders that states it isn't as easy as he might make it sound. A tightness in his jaw as he thinks of the past fights they've been in and the people they've lost. Nico has seen three wars in his fifteen years - perhaps not all exactly on a grand world-wide scale and come out the other side alive. ]

We get by. [ Brief thoughtful silence as he debates how much he wants to tell Sasuke. Obviously the man is not an ordinary human... or even an average ninja. Perhaps more like one out of a comic book or fairytale. ] He's not a shadow being -- more like a god. A few thousand years ago he became the god of the Underworld... the afterlife.

[ Not everyone would recognize the term Underworld. ] My shadow abilities are just part of a larger skill set.

[If this news surprises Sasuke in any way, he makes no indication of it. He doesn't appear to be shocked or bewildered--he must be use to gods, or either things resembling gods, beings with a lot of power and prestige.

And maybe even kids with a large skill set.] I see.

I don't know you, and I'm not familiar with your world. Our afterlife is called the Pure Land. With that in mind, I'm not sure why I would be here if it was your gods tampering with your life and duty.

What was the last thing you were doing before coming here?

[ The lack of reaction from Sasuke is either because he's not thrown off by what Nico just said - that maybe he's used to pretty powerful beings or just trained to not react. Hard to say considering he knows the man is a ninja.

He also doesn't ask about other aspects of Nico's abilities. ]

Something tells me this isn't the work of one of my gods, they don't tend to involve mortals in their problems. Not to this extent anyway.

[ Normally the gods just get their kids to do the dirty work for them. ]

I was at camp, waiting to hear about the team that got sent out to deal with the problem we were having and cleaning up after the last disaster that dropped into our laps. Normal stuff.

[His and Nico's last standing don't appear to have any correlation as far as he can tell. He's not sure if this is good or bad.]

It seems we should focus less on how we got here and more on how to leave even if they may turn out to be the same both ways.

[It'll save them the trouble of sitting around postulating, he thinks. His dark eye settles on Nico momentarily.] You were exploring. Did you find anything? [The town seems rather devoid of much except what it seems others have gathered or built.]

[ Nico doesn't ask the last thing Sasuke was doing because it probably isn't why they were brought here. ]

We should also focus on surviving in this place until we do find out how to leave. Who knows what dangers might be around.

[ It won't do either of them any good if they die before finding a way home. ] Does a feeling to go that way count as finding something? [ Nico motions to where there's a series of red (and gray) brick houses away from the water. ]

[Sasuke seems surprised by Nico's declaration, but pleasantly so. When he left to search, he felt it too, stronger. Going over the roof of the buildings, it swelled inside of him, called him. He hadn't ever felt much like it, honestly, and it was both strange and worrying.

But hearing Nico claim the same... Maybe it's something affecting all of them.

Lifting his head, Sasuke follows Nico's indication toward the houses. The string piercing him through the center isn't tugged in that direction.] It does. [He looks at Nico again.]

If you want to explore, I'll go with you. I feel it, too, but not in that direction.

[ Honestly, Nico is just hoping that following this urge doesn't land him in the middle of some sort of dangerous situation. Already things here are weird and put him on edge. Only the knowledge that Sasuke had been in the well too is enough for him to not be completely wary of the man.

As much as he likes to claim that he can look after himself even if someone or something did attack, he's reluctant to go into what's clearly the town alone.

Going together would be smarter even if he has no idea what sort of skills this man has... or even what the man's name is yet. Nico could shadow-travel away from danger but won't be in any shape to protect himself after making a second jump in a single day. ]

We should stick together until we know the town's relatively safe. Or that the feeling isn't leading us into a trap. [ Maybe the feeling is trying to separate them and honestly, Nico dislikes just going along with that very thought. ]

[It's funny, Nico reminds him a lot of himself when he was the same age. The corners of his lips just barely rise.] No rushing off into danger with nothing but your fists and your determination?

No trusting the feeling of a mysterious town because it may be leading you to answers or riches? [A little teasing is all.] Not bad. [Sasuke's right arm breeches the cloak and motions in the direction Nico indicated, as if to say for Nico to lead the way.]

I'll be right behind you.

[ Clearly Sasuke knows someone who would do those exact things and so does Nico. Quite a few someones, actually. He looks at the man with a curious look before raising his shoulders in a casual shrug. ] My dad may be the god of the Underworld but I'm not eager to become a permanent resident there yet.

If you're looking for one those idiot heroes who rush into potential danger with no plan, I'll introduce you to some of my friends if they ever show up. [ While Nico has done stupid dangerous things, he does try to be more careful than others. Fortunately this is one of the situations where he can avoid risking his life. But with the knowledge that the man is coming along, the demigod turns towards the Ruga district and starts heading in. ]

I suppose we should do the social thing and introduce ourselves. [ There's voice urging him to be polite and it sounds an awful lot like Will. ] My name is Nico di Angelo.

You don't have to introduce me. [Nico goes, and Sasuke falls in behind to follow along, pace steady and easy.] I know a bunch of heroic morons, but one of them, by far, is enough to make a hundred put together.

[His eye settles on Nico carefully, gaze considering and clinical. Studying. Nico isn't an average teenager. Sasuke could already tell solely from the energy. Different. Pieces of it... ancient. But being the son of a god?

Definitely not average.] Sasuke Uchiha. [The way Nico sets it up--familiar. He knows what it's like to be shit at pleasantries, and he doesn't suffer Nico for it.]

[ If Nico seems worried to have Sasuke at his back, it doesn't show in his body language. Instead he focuses on the conversation and following the feeling that's leading him further away from the well. ] Babysitting them must be a full-time job at times.

[ As they walk and Nico is eyed from behind, his own gaze is moving around their surroundings. Making sure that nothing darts out in front of them maybe or perhaps searching for something else entirely. He can't sense anything out of ordinary about this particular place; no overwhelming amounts of restless dead to indicate that there was a war here. Not unusual for the middle of a town. ]

Nice to meet you, I guess. Not sure if creepy, colorless town is supposed to count as a good meeting situation but it could be worse.

Mm. [Maybe he actually has two. Boruto's not much better in the rush-in-without-thinking department. The apple never falls far from the tree, does it? Sasuke isn't sure whether dutiful teaching will ever trump hard genetics.

Boruto should have a little tact by the end, however. Hopefully.] I think we have a long road ahead of us, not to discourage you. [His eye finally leaves Nico, and he also scans the area as they walk. The only difference is he activates the sharingan, using both it and the rinnegan to see what's visible.

Illusions, traps, unnatural chakra. Everything is--normal? If this place could be called normal at all.]

Do you sense anything?

[ If anyone is the sort to rush in, it would be both Percy and Jason. Luckily they also have girlfriends who attempt to slow them down and make them think it through. So far they've managed to survive even if only by the skin of their teeth at times.

A thoughtful hum. ] Story of my life, honestly. Even if the road isn't long, it tends to be filled with things wanting to kill us. [ True enough for any demigod. As long as Nico makes it back in time to help out with whatever world-ending events are happening, he won't complain too much.

Their wandering leads them to a brick structure that's actually colored and Nico stops outside of it. Stares up at the building with intense scrutiny. ]

It seems like my trail ends here. [ There's no one in it currently though it is occupied by one individual. ]

i

hello fellow hot topic son

hello hot topic dad

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