awashlogs | Event Ten.

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Event Ten.

Little Willie, mean as hell,
Pushed his sister in a well.
Mother said, while drawing water,
"My, it's hard to raise a daughter."

t's pretty dark and miserable down in the well. The cavernous area feels much larger than a well should be, bodies milling about in the darkness and knee deep, frigid water. So you're here -- and you're not alone, and the only way out appears to be the thin circle of sunlight from above, the opening of the well.

(And elsewhere, in the Town, everyone's waking up to gifts of various usefulness, but hopefully they remember to check the well today even so!)

What now?

Welcome to Awash's tenth event log, and the intro log for this month, everyone! All new characters have found themselves waking in the well in the middle of the Town. Hopefully they can get a hand out! For more information, please go here!

Meanwhile, the current characters have some new gifts.

If there are any questions, please ask them here, and have fun! Thank you!

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[Maybe it's why Sasuke offered Nico the opportunity to tell him the tale at his own pace. It's easier that way. He knows.

Carefully, Sasuke reaches out and down to open his palm at Nico and the figurine, wondering if the boy will allow him to hold it and inspect it. If so, his gaze is simply scrutinizing for the details, nothing more.] Hm.

It reminds me of something at home. [It makes him think of Hokage Rock. The faces of all the former Hokage and current Hokage carved into the stone overlooking the village.]

What does he look like?

[ Before he encouraged Reyna, Nico had been content to not talk about it with anyone. He doesn't want to have said that to her and not follow his own advice.

It shows just how much he trusts Sasuke already that he places the figurine in the man's hand. This is the only physical object he has left of Bianca - something she was never able to deliver herself. ]

Home? You have figures of important people? [ Technically this is part of a game Nico used to play... that he collected.

The question has the teen looking up at Sasuke and he hums quietly. ] A little bit like you, I guess.

[ Huh, maybe that's why Nico seems to trust him so much already. ]

[While turning the figurine gently over in his fingers, his eye skips across to Nico at the comparison. There's a curious, strange look in his eyes, as if he wants Nico to elaborate--physically? in personality?--but he actually doesn't ask anything about why or how.

Finished, he lowers his hand again and offers the figurine cradled in his palm back to Nico for safe keeping. Just an idol, it seemed like really, but holding it, the weight of it.

Perhaps something with enough memento it's mystical.]

Hokage Rock. The leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, the Hokage. It's an esteemed position. All of the Hokage have their face carved into the mountain which overlooks our village, starting with the first.

There's seven now. [A pause.

Sasuke's voice is surprisingly gentle. Maybe it's the previous wanting to ask without asking.] Do you dislike him? Your father.

[ If asked, he'd just say both. Though Sasuke might have that vibe of being deadly, it isn't quite to the extent as his father. Hades wants to appear powerful and dangerous where as it's more subtle with the ninja. Then Hades has black hair and eyes, pale skin, wears dark clothing - though some of the details are a bit different. He's like walking death.

Once the tiny statue is back in his hands, he tucks it into his coat pocket where he usually keeps it. Not exactly the safest place but this way it's with him.

He listens as Sasuke describes his world's version of Mount Rushmore... only it sounds more crowded. ]

Seven faces and they haven't run out of mountain yet? Must be a big mountain. [ A slight joke. ] So is the Hokage position passed down from parent to child?

[ Some cultures do things that way but not all of them so he's curious.

Then Sasuke asks about Nico's feelings on his father. ] Not really, mostly he just frustrates me sometimes. And he helps me out in his own way. Most of the gods and goddesses don't interact with their kids whereas mine keeps a room for me in his palace whenever I visit.

[The joke gets the first bit of a smile out of him.] It is a big mountain. [Admitted in a way he knows Nico was pulling his leg, but he wanted to clarify it was, in fact, large enough for seven faces.

The second smile is... kinder, fainter, and it comes when Nico talks about his father. It's enough for Sasuke to know Hades is probably not Literally The Worst, and... well, Sasuke can appreciate that, being who he is, what kind of father he's been.

An understanding between dads who try their best the best they can.] Fathers can be frustrating. [He is, too.]

A Hokage is chosen by the retiring Hokage, and they are usually a student. If something has happened to the existing Hokage before a successor is chosen, then a successor is selected by the daimyo of our country. This choice goes through many councils for approval.

The Hokage is someone who is both the strongest ninja and the one who understands how to protect our village. The one who knows what it truly means to be a ninja.

Sometimes, people in the same family can become Hokage at different times. The current Hokage, Naruto--his father was the Fourth Hokage.

[ Idly he wonders what they intend to do when they run out of room on the mountain. Will new one have to move to the backside? That would be unfair. He kind of wants to complain that having those faces look down at them all of the time must be weird but knows from experience that the gods do watch them sometimes.

There are some things that Nico has a hard time accepting about his father such as they way he washed away their memories five years ago leaving him with hardly any memories of his mother or how Hades tried to lock him away when everyone else was getting ready for war. (Forget the fact that Nico was about Sarada's age at the time.) But he can at least accept that it was his father's way of protecting him. Nico figures he's allowed to disagree or dislike it - that he's not alone in feeling that way sometimes.

Breathes out a sigh. ] I wish he was less frustrating about some things.

[ As Sasuke talks, he listens quietly to the explanation. It's definitely an interesting way of doing things but understanable. For a village of ninja, picking the strongest and one who understands seems like the way to go. Also makes sense that some bloodlines might be stronger than others.

But there's something more interesting than the way Hokage are chosen. ]

Naruto... You said that name earlier. [ Spoken with curiosity but Nico doesn't outright ask who that person is to Sasuke. ]

[Having not spent much time in the village over the last ten years, much less spent time with Sarada, Sasuke wonders if she thinks the same thing about him. This isn't the first (or the last) time he'll consider her and their relationship.

Does she wish he would be less frustrating? "Papa, you're too strict. Papa, are you leaving again?"] Yes. Naruto, the loser. Usuratonkachi.

Always a thorn in my side. [He looks away, back toward the window, but whether or not he's avoiding Nico's gaze or reminiscing about Naruto, it's uncertain. Maybe both.] ...And my one true friend. [He's not sure if he's ever said this to anyone, not since the day he swore neither of them would leave the Valley.]

It was his dream to become Hokage ever since he was a boy. He finally did, that stupid halfwit.

[ According to Nico and every other person he knows (which mostly includes demigods, gods and the even more powerful titans) the answer is yes. Though the quantity of frustration varies with each family, along with what kids do about it.

As Sasuke describes this Naruto person, to Nico the man sounds both fond and yet exhasperated. A feeling he can relate to. He also sort of figures that Sasuke probably doesn't want this spread around town which Nico can and will honor. ]

The guy attached himself to you and wouldn't give up on being your friend. [ Nico sounds very certain about this. Even though the ninja calls Naruto all sorts of names, he might not approve of others doing the same and the teen is filing that information away in case he ever meets the guy. ]

He's not here?

[The lack of answer to the first comment is very telling on Sasuke's part. An unspoken agreement; Naruto was a leech, always attached. Even after Sasuke tried so hard to get them to hate him... and most did, even Sakura more than likely, a little, in her own way.

But Naruto? Naruto had been an idiot, never giving up on him. On their friendship. He won't ever be able to repay such a debt. In the end, he is more hurt because he knows he never deserved that sort of kindness.

Not after the things he did.] He's not.

It isn't good for a Hokage to leave the people of the village unexpectedly. He should be there, for everyone and for our families.

[ Nico was one of those kids who felt unwanted at camp and therefore pushed everyone away until one day some guy just told him he was wrong. Who said he wanted Nico around. It may have taken four years and a lot of heartache but he found a place he wanted to be.

So he gets it. Having someone attach themselves, who kept following him or going out of their way to find him - Nico's pretty sure it saved his life.

A bit of a scoff. ]

Should be doesn't always mean he will be. It's not like I asked to be kidnapped by a well. Somehow I doubt whatever brought us here cares about where we should be.

If he comes, he comes. I just meant I'm not upset he isn't here.

[He may be... a teensy, tiny bit upset. Not a lot. An iota upset. It's fine. He's fine. It's not like he needs Naruto or anything stupid like that anyway. He spent ten years running dimensions for traces of Kaguya. He can handle this? one simple? thing?

His eye drops down toward Nico's laptop again.] A figure, pomegranate seeds, and--that. [He nods his head. The scroll.]

What is it for?

I get the feeling it's more complicated than that.

[ Like Sasuke would be comforted by having the other around and maybe doesn't like the idea that the guy's so far out of reach but also knows that Naruto is needed elsewhere so he's glad the other man isn't here. Or maybe after having known the blond for so long, Sasuke would be just fine being on his own and it's just Nico projecting his own feelings on the ninja.

Thankfully he doesn't have to dwell on the thought too long because they've moved on to the last object Nico had in his pockets. ]

It's a message sent by an idiot who sacrificed himself and then came back to life. I look at it whenever I want to get angry.

Edited 2018-09-21 03:42 (UTC)

[The answer isn't what he's expecting. He had been looking serious, thinking it may be something like the technique scrolls from his world. Full of secrets, full of abilities. But no. Nico gives him another explanation.

It's so surprising that an amused smile turns the corners of his lips up a little more than normal. It sounds... like something he'd say, honestly. Probably about Naruto, since no one else was Naruto's level of idiot.]

It must say something pretty stupid. [Naruto.] Does it work?

[ Most things that might contain secrets or abilities are either lost in time somewhere or kept behind glass in some museum. Nico may not be a kid born in the age of technology but even he didn't use scrolls for writing when he was little.

The question actually makes him pause. ] It did before I got here. Not sure if it does now.

[ Without prompting, unfolding it onto the floor and as soon as he does a flickering hologram appeared on the surface of the parchment paper. It's the image of a teenage boy with dark wispy hair, mischievious grin and short statue - though the hologram is only three inches tall so it might be hard to tell if one didn't know Leo Valdez. Then he starts talking.

“Hey, guys!” Leo spread his arms for a hug. “Sorry to leave you like that. Bad news: I died. Good news: I got better! I had to go rescue Calypso. We’re both fine now. We’re taking Festus to—” The image guttered like a flame in a strong breeze, disrupting Leo’s voice. “Back as soon as—” Static. “Cook tacos when—” More static. “¡Vaya con queso! Love ya!” The image winked out.

That's it. That's the whole message. Even now Nico's scowling a little at the blank scroll. ] I had this for almost six months before he turned back up at Camp. And when he did get back, I had everyone line up so they could hit him.

[Hmm.

When the scroll’s hologram is finished, when Nico is finished, one of the most surprising things ever happens. If not for all the rest of the weird shit that goes on in this town’s little world, it may have been one of the most surprising things to happen to date for sure.

Sasuke laughs.

It’s not loud or long, but it is wholly amused and very genuine, and it echoes through the room out into the hall. The corner of his eye crinkles, and his mouth, though not open wide, smiles with the motion. He doesn't try to hide it or excuse it, and he doesn’t bring any attention to the fact it happen. It just does.]

And everyone hit him?

[The story is... familiar in its essence. It reminds him very much of his school days, of Team 7 and his peers, of the Uzumakis. Even the newest one, his pupil. Boruto. Thanks for the laugh, Nico. He needed it.]

[ The laugh is so surprising that Nico's head jerks up from the scroll to look at Sasuke. Granted, he's only known the man not even a day but something tells him that the ninja doesn't laugh like that very often.

Well, it's nice. Both in the sense that the guy is amused and that he can still laugh like that even after whatever his life must have thrown at him. Gives Nico hope for his own future.

He folds it back up carefully, not wanting to rip it even if technically the scroll isn't needed now that Nico's been able to hit Leo. ]

Or kicked or did whatever they felt was proper punishment. Then told Leo that he could expect the same treatment down at our ally's camp too. Everyone everywhere who knows him wants to hit him for what he did.

[ Does it matter that Leo saved the whole world by sacrificing himself along with their enemy? Nope. His friends and allies all wanted their turn. ]

[Sasuke's expression is muted, but fond. So this is how they had all been when they were young. He hadn't noticed it at the time, but then again, what kids ever do?]

It sounds as if you all are fighting the battle we had to fight, too. One we never had a hand in at all. One passed down to us from the very beginning.

It's good you have friends.

People you can rely on, even when they decide to be stupid. [His voice is much softer than the surprised laugh from before. It sounds strangely experienced, that he's speaking from somewhere personal.] Even the ones you think you hate.

Don't ever take them for granted.

[ They're kids, it's basically part of who they are at this age. Giant balls of semi-unstable emotions. ]

Basically. Great-grandma decided she didn't like any of her grandkids or great-grandkids and decided she wanted to get rid of them all. She was going to wipe the earth clean and start over with just her kids and chosen few. Considering she is the earth - it would have been easy for her to do.

[ If this were Nico of six months ago, he would believe himself to not have any friends at all. Friending was hard for him. Still is. ]

I'm trying not to. I'm not very good at it though - the whole friend thing.

That’s okay. You aren’t the only one, I’m sure. The friends who will mean the most will come to you when the time is right.

[He won’t say he’s one of the others that has a hard time making friends. He always did. Itms probably obvious just how he carries himself, how he acts. It takes someone like Naruto to be his friend. Mostly.

Turning, he moves around Nico on the floor and stops on the other side by the door. He glances back down.]

Are you hungry?

[ What Sasuke says makes sense to Nico. In ways others haven't quite gotten through to him before. Maybe because he wasn't ready to hear it or wasn't ready to take a risk. He has known some people for a couple of years but they've only recently become friends or moved on from whatever lay between them.

For now, he doesn't say anything in response and just lets the words soak in.

Then the ninja is moving and asking another question. A relatively simple one in comparison to the others and right now he's glad his appetite came back in full-force several months ago. ]

I could eat.

Edited 2018-09-22 00:40 (UTC)

Alright. I’ll be right back. [Instead of using the “stay here,” he tries another method:] Keep an eye on my things for me.

[Figuring Nico would be as safe in the room as anywhere else in this weird place, Sasuke leaves. He actually walks again through the house, from the room to the front door. It opens, then it shuts.

The garden is close enough for him to get to in several seconds with how fast he is, disappearing and reappearing here and there in different places along the way. Not teleporting. Almost like hopping. If Nico happens to get up and look out the window, this he can see happen unobscured.

In the garden he has a look around. The plants are familiar, and he’s glad. He only takes enough for the two of them, no leftovers. One onion, maybe three mushrooms, two potatoes. An apple they can split. He’s gone maybe ten minutes. Pretty fast. Very ninja.

Nico can hear him return again through the door, hear him in the kitchen moving around. If he gets curious enough to come look.]

[ That is a good method for Nico, even if he knows it's basically just another way of telling him to stay put while the other goes out and does stuff. That he's essentially put in charge of watching over a bunch of objects - not even a babysitting job.

Nico doesn't actually move from his spot on the floor of Sasuke's room but instead hooks his laptop up to the socket and spends those few minutes scrolling through the top posts. Though the one that catches his attention the most is the mysterious quest poster. That and that something has happened recently.

When the front door does open again, he hesitates to leave the room in case it's actually Sasuke's roommate coming back. Only when the noises start in the kitchen does he close the laptop and get to his feet. Pulling off his jacket and placing it on top of the computer. Just in case, he doesn't leave his sword behind before making his way to where the noises are.

For someone who wasn't trained as a ninja, Nico actually moves through the house with the stealth of one without even trying. Hesitating just a moment at the entrance to the kitchen to confirm that it is indeed Sasuke then entering the room fully. ]

Can I help? [ He eyes the collection of foods brought back. Looks like they'll be having a lot of vegetables.

Without the big bulky jacket on, Nico looks skinnier and smaller but yet fairly muscular for a teen. Part of some vicious looking scars may be peeking out from under the sleeves of his t-shirt that are clearly bigger than what is visible. ]

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Event Ten.

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