text; un: taka

[retsuden]

[ There has been a great deal of things that Sasuke has learned about in the few weeks he's been here just from talking to new people. All of them have been extremely confusing concepts, like therapy and the idea that people take care of children when they don't have anyone else to take care of them.

Some of these conversations where he's learned things have ended in more questions than answers. He could ask for more clarification from the few he's already made contact with, but the more possible answers he can get, the better. He thinks.

He hopes.

This could be a mistake. ]

How would you suggest someone improve their communication skills?

If your go to response is "talk to people", spare me. I'm only interested in more thorough answers.

Comments

[unphase]

Mmm. I remember mother telling me something like that, just before she relied on the Legion to do the work of trained soldiers again.

Here seems...odd. I'm reserving judgement.

[retsuden]

Mm. Do you fight?

[unphase]

I do. Back home, I was part of something called the Legion. We were given jobs that the regular military couldn't handle.

[retsuden]

Do you generally undertrain your military? I would think they should be able to handle any jobs.

[unphase]

No, but they can't handle things like two Darkseids or Mordru the Merciless escaping and trying to rampage through the galaxy. Most of the military are baseline human with no special powers. The Legion isn't. All of us can do something out of the ordinary.

[retsuden]

Mm... In my world, you can only advance as a shinobi if you have the baseline of chakra abilities required to handle any possible fight. Some are more powerful than others, naturally, and we start with low-rank missions to build strength, but we would expect even a genin to be able to ultimately fight against our strongest threats in a war.

[ Not that it hadn't ended up coming down to Team 7 to do it all anyway, but that's not the point, probably. ]

It's strange how differently these things become across worlds.

[unphase]

...chakras. Val mentioned those when he was training me. But, may I ask what a genin is? The word's not quite translating right.

[she knows the feeling. who was expected to win an unwinnable war against sentient machines? the Legion was. and the aforementioned two Darkseids? also the Legion. they'd saved the galaxy more times than she had fingers and toes and they still weren't given any real recognition or support]

It is. I don't know why. But...how old are you?

[retsuden]

It's the lowest ranking for a ninja, given to those who have just graduated from the Training Academy. You have to pass an exam to advance. Genin become chuunin who can then become jonin, the highest ranking that one can achieve unless they aim to become the head of the village.

I'm 19.

[unphase]

You're a ninja? That's...so amazing. Outside of my frame of reference entirely. Though, I still would like to train and or fight, given the chance.

One year older than me. How long have you been at it?

[retsuden]

So people keep saying. If you wish to train with a partner while you're here, I tend to do so frequently.

I graduated from the Academy when I was 12.

[unphase]

All right, I'll look forward to it. I definitely need to be able to fight better since my powers are being weird.

Twelve? Wow. That's a lot to expect. And people gave me a hard time because the age of majority where I'm from is fourteen.

[retsuden]

Weird?

[ He shrugs slightly. ] It didn't feel like a lot when it was what we knew. I'd been training for much longer. I came from a family of shinobis and it was expected of us to be the best there was.

[unphase]

Yes. I can phase through all kinds of solid matter, everyone on my planet can do that. But ever since I came, I haven't been able to do it. I see the layering of the dimensions and where I'm supposed to go, but I just can't seem to do it.

Ah. Familial expectations. And the expectations one places on oneself as a result. [she says with the tone of one who knows exactly how those can be, although her requirements were to lie and cheat and double-deal to grow more and more power and prestige]

[retsuden]

Perhaps the blood powers they've given us are manifesting in a way that hinders your natural abilities. I'm told that we can learn to better control them the longer we are here.

[ Not that he really wants to find out, but. That's life. ]

Luckily, it was what I was good at.

[unphase]

...maybe? I guess that could be it. And oh, sweet Mistress, don't say longer. I was at another place for longer. After a while, I felt like I'd seen and experienced everything the other place had to offer.

[then she went home for three years and everything fell apart]

That's fortunate. Not everyone can say that their skills and their avocation match well.

[retsuden]

Other place? [ He sounds genuinely curious, and then remembers what most others have referred when they say that. ] Were you in the dream world?

(CW: Duplicity)

[unphase]

Yes. There was another place. Another world. [she takes a deep breath and lets it out in a sigh] It was awful. They...assigned me a role to be a third-class citizen in the eyes of everyone. And they'd drug us to act crazy and or sleep with whomever crossed your path. I hated it, every moment of it, and I'm so glad I'm gone. Even if this isn't home, not yet.

[retsuden]

[ At first he didn't think there was such a big deal in having to sleep next to someone, but then his brain actually connects the difference that people usually mean when they sleep with someone as opposed to just sleeping beside someone.

Excuse him while his face turns slightly pink at the thought, though he manages to keep his face mostly even. ]

I... I'm sorry. That sounds like an absolutely horrible place to be trapped. I'm glad you were able to break free of it, even if you aren't completely free.

(CW: underage)

[unphase]

[that part hadn't been the worst. she'd slept with her boyfriend back home quite a while ago. the worst part was no longer trusting her own instincts and decisions after having been drugged so many times along with having to meekly accept being treated like a lesser being. that, she only went along with because she'd been afraid that one of her other friends would be punished for her actions.

and her gaze is rather on the frank side. by now, she's a married woman with a son back home]

It was. For far too many reasons. But, I'm gone. That place has no hold over me anymore. I'm not expecting this one to be any kinder, but at least I can defend myself without being arrested here.

[retsuden]

Small blessings.

[ A part of him wants to pry more, to know how a place justified arresting people for trying to stick up for themselves, but he feels like he doesn't know her well enough for such questions yet. Not when the place was clearly troubling for her.

He's quiet for a second, before he realizes he missed an important step in all this. ]

... I'm Sasuke.

[unphase]

Yes. I'll take what I can get.

[someday, she'll wake up, look in the mirror, and not expect to see that line down her throat, marking her as lesser than. someday, she'll be able to relax her guard. but not today.

I'm Tinya. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sasuke. Really, it is.