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[ 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.

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[ This is something that Flynn has spent a LOT of time thinking about, so he actually has a thorough answer. ]

It depends largely on what sort of thing you're trying to communicate. Are you trying to befriend people? Convince them to listen to what you have to say? Establish yourself as an authority, or communicate a specific message clearly?

I'm not interested in establishing authority. I suppose befriending people. Or more importantly, strengthening friendships that you may already have.

[ Of course it's the thing Flynn can't seem to manage, either. He can make friends, certainly, and he can get people to listen to him, but deepening friendships—talking honestly about the really important things—is the one thing Flynn is still trying to figure out. ]

That's something I struggle with as well. It's hard for a number of reasons, I think. My friend here, Kaeya, said it very well: that the important things are often the hardest to talk about, because the stakes are high, but it is talking about those things that deepen friendships. You have to trust people with yourself and the things you think, and that's very difficult.

Which is why my best friend and I usually end up arguing instead of talking.

Cross-reference contacts, consider their motivations, your leverage, and always have an alternative information source so that you can head off a lie.

What would be considered the important things?

[ He's trying to think of things Sakura or Naruto don't know about him, but he's coming up short. He's still pretty sure he's sucked at talking to them on most occasions, though. Con...sider...ing...

Maybe those relationships are too complicated to think about in this context. ]

My closest friend always tends to argue with me as well, but it's mostly because he's an idiot.

Hi!! You don't know me, and I don't know you, but I have to say that it's pretty brave to just go out there and ask something like this. Maybe you're better at this than you're giving yourself credit for!

What's the hardest for you about communicating? That might be a good place to start!

This makes sense and has been successful with missions, but has failed to help in conversation with others who are more... emotional.

I don't see how asking for assistance with something that seems to be more necessary in this place than it is back home is brave. It's just logical.

[ ................................................. That question. Give him a minute. Or five. ]

Talking.

Oh, buddy. It is logical!! But the number of people, guys especially [ Maybe one particular guy he's thinking of ] never want to ask for help about anything! They're all huff huff I'm a guy I can figure it out for myself.
And you know what???? They can't!!!!!!!!
So that's why I think it's cool that you're asking. Good for you!!!!!

Alright, so what about talking is difficult? Is it that you don't know what to say, or you can't make your mouth say what your brain wants to say, or something else?

Perhaps that's just the nature of true close friendship! My best friend is also sometimes like that. I have begun to define the important things as the things you're afraid of bringing up. Like bravery, in a way. The way that true bravery isn't actually doing risky things for the sake of saying you did them, but swallowing your fear and standing strong in the face of the odds.

Not to put communication in such stark terms, but, I hope you understand where I'm going with that? If you don't, please sign me up for any communication lessons you happen to receive.

Practice. It sounds stupid, but look in a mirror and try to hold a conversation with yourself. Write down random subjects on pieces of paper, randomly pick one, and try to figure out how to make a conversation out of it.

That's basically what I used to do. It teaches yourself what other people might be looking for in an organic conversation while teaching you where you are stumbling.

That has worked well for me in certain contexts, but does it work with the sort of deep interpersonal communication as well?

It does. I think.

[ Comparing anything that he has to use for battle is probably actually the best route possible, honestly. ]

I suppose there aren't any easy steps in how to get better at talking about those things.

It's a common misconception that logic and emotion are different languages. If you know where an emotion originates, you can [manipulate] understand it and [get what you want] reach a common ground.

Likely not. It seems like the kind of thing that requires practice, like any skill, which also probably means being uncomfortable for a while. That does not mean it's not worth pursuing. It may be even more worth pursuing, for that.

For what it's worth, I'm finding you quite easy to communicate with.

Not really, but in order to get to deep interpersonal communication skills it is wise to start with the absolute basics. Master them. Then go up to the next stage which would require different techniques to focus on.

Like learning to use a sword. First you have to be able to use the basic forms in your sleep, and then you can use combat artes. Only, naturally, for conversational skills rather than combat-related ones?

[ Listen at his heart he's a dumb jock still he can't help it. ]

[ There's a lot here to digest but one of the most important things is: ] Why are you using so many exclamation points?

[ Focus, Sasuke. ]

I don't like it. Particularly when I feel there's nothing to say.

[ AKA: When there is definitely supposed to be something he should say, but he's not interested in it and then suddenly someone is pissed at him :| ]

You're right. It does sound stupid.

[ But thus far, this guy hasn't really steered him wrong in providing valuable information. So he's also inclined to actually probably try it even if he's pretty sure he'll hate EVERY SECOND. ]

What if it doesn't work?

[ This sounds like something Itachi would say and is thus the first thing that makes any sense to him. Go figure. ]

How do you figure out where it originates when it's not your own emotion?

[ This is not the first time he's heard that since getting here and it's making him very confused. ]

Something is different in me since I arrived here and I can't put my finger on it. I normally don't reach out to others and I find starting and maintaining conversation pointless, but I've felt more inclined towards all three in the past few weeks.

It's unsettling.

[ That sounds terrifyingly familiar. Flynn winces in something like sympathy. ]

It could be related to your blood. My second month here, I was consumed by an extremely uncharacteristic fear. Nothing I did made it go way, but as the month waned, so did the feeling.

Or, perhaps, you're just looking for friendship. There's nothing wrong with that.

[ Oh. That... makes so much more sense. Sasuke knew it couldn't possibly be that he changed that much in two years living in the woods in extreme hermit mode. ]

I doubt it, I've never really cared about having friends. [ ....... MMMPH, THAT'S A LIE AND HE KNOWS IT. He owes it to Naruto to not perpetuate that belief about himself. ] Or I guess... I cared. But I've never sought it out.

[ That sounds so much like someone else Flynn knows that he has to stop for a moment, exchange a look with the dog sitting on the couch beside him. ]

May I ask why not? Out of curiousity, mostly.

[ He's so used to everyone just knowing that it throws him for a moment. He could just say he doesn't like how difficult it is, but the entire point of this post was to get better at talking, and Flynn himself said that forming and deepening friendships meant talking about the things that weren't always so great, right? It's not hard for him, necessarily, but he's seen how it's hard for other people to hear. ~~Read? Whatever.~~

S i g h. ]

It's complicated and takes some time to explain. A warning in case it makes you want to retract your question.

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