awashlogs | (no subject)

WHO: All Might and you!
WHERE: He is...... HERE. Wherever here is.
WHEN: Mid-September, pre-event
WHAT: All Might returns from a solo venture into the woods. Both prompts are open!
WARNINGS: None yet

1.

[If you go down to the edge of the woods today, you can see this huge muscled man emerging from the trees, with a chest carried seemingly effortlessly over his shoulder. Some of his clothes are torn, slightly bloodied, and -- are those burn marks? -- but otherwise he seems unhurt. He stops when he catches the eye of anyone looking his way, bright grin in place.]

Ah! You must be wondering what I'm doing? I am here... retrieving an incredibly heavy chest from the woods!

[After that booming proclamation, he sets the chest down on the grass with an equally loud thud and crouches down to inspect it more closely. On the surface he barely seems fazed by his injuries, although those who know to look for it might notice the strain behind his ever-present smile. Briefly, he glances over his shoulder.]

--Hey. Do you know if anyone around here is good with lockpicks? [Asks the giant who could just smash the lock with his fists. Huh.]

[At some point after he's found a safe place to store the (for now, apparently unopenable) chest, All Might finds a place to slink off out of muscle from and lick his wounds. He overdid it in the forest, spending more time in there than he would have liked. Only time will tell whether it was worth it or not, but he's come to accept that kind of gamble is part of trying to continue hero work with ever-fading strength.

Deciding he'd rather be alone, his wanderings take him to the Bluo district, where he stops by the canal, gazing out at the water. A view like this feels nostalgic, at least a little. He turns his gaze up to the sky, mumbling to himself:]

Master... I wonder if you'd really be so disappointed in me.

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[He's silent for a long moment as he considers that question.]

I don't know. She wasn't alive to witness most of the things she talked about. She was a kind person, but she always chided me where I fell short...

[He stares down at his hands, balling one into a fist. Even if she wasn't real, it doesn't mean the things she said weren't true.]

[ He glances over. Usually when he gives advice like this it's to children. Then again humans have much shorter life spans. It's funny how often he's reminded of Emizel in this town. ]

I don't know what she said. But if you believe she was right, then you have a choice to make.

You have a life ahead of you. Will you accept that falling short is all you can do? Or will you try to better yourself?

[He closes his eyes. Until recently, 'you have a life ahead of you' simply didn't seem true. One way or another, his time is running out, and part of him still believes that. Yet, when he thinks of Izuku...

He runs a hand through his unruly hair and sighs.]

I still have things left to do, even if I can't make up for the things I've failed at.

Everyone has things they failed at. But failure is only the stepping stone to progress.

There you have it. Make certain you do those things with all your effort. Don't look back on it and say you have regrets.

[The stranger's right, and not for the first time, he's startled to find that the Symbol of Peace, the bringer of hope and happiness to all, is starting to rely more and more on others to remind him to hold onto hope. Ironic, he thinks.]

... Yeah, thanks. [He rubs his neck, looking from the water back to Valvatorez.] Sorry for being vague... It's a complicated situation.

Hm... I don't pretend to completely understand humans. [Because he's never been one, and he's only really spent time with... two.]

As complicated as it might be, shouldering a burden all on your own is foolish. There is always strengths in the bonds you make with others. [That's how he feels. After all, camaraderie got him so far after he stopped drinking human blood. There's power in friends.]

[Again with the 'humans' stuff...?]

I understand that. [He's had this lecture a hundred times before. And yet he chooses not to burden others anyway, because that's his role.] Still, it's not something I can discuss openly, for a number of reasons.

[He's not one.

Val looks out into the gray ocean and considers it. Something that's difficult to talk about... Even so...]

If you can't discuss it openly, don't you have people who know about whatever it is? Are you able to rely on them?

Hmm... No, I don't think so. There's someone who knows, but they're under enough pressure without my burdens adding to it.

[He waves it off, dismissive.] Really, it's fine. I'm used to this. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?

Alright. What would you like to know?

Introductions are a good start, right? I'd at least like to know who to be grateful to. [A lopsided smile.] Call me Toshinori.

My name is Valvatorez.

I don't think I told you anything you didn't already know deep down.

Sometimes we need other people to point things out for us, even if they're obvious.

So... I don't know. Thanks for listening, Valvatorez.

I'll be here to listen if you need it. Even if you don't want to share everything.

Not out in the docks, of course. Just in the town.