April Bonding

[sleight_of_hand]

WHO: Tohru Adachi and open (unless noted).
WHERE: Heropa unless noted.
WHEN: Through the month of April.
WHAT: Adachi's not sure how to deal with how his life is changing. Shenanigans ensue.
WARNINGS: Severe physical injury possible in one prompt; will be updated as needed.

[ Mornings | Working Out | Viktor, Revan ]
[ Adachi was forcing himself to start waking up early, getting up in time to join Viktor for his first workout of the day. It was just another step toward working on improving himself, but not only that, it gave him time for other things he wanted to do. ]

[ Once he was done with Viktor, he was heading out for the outskirts of town, to the abandoned railroad bridge he used to visit when Riza was still around. He rarely saw people come out there, so it was a nice place to try and get back into practice with judo. It... really doesn't take him long to realize just how out of practice he is. He only manages a couple days of this on his own, before he's calling up Revan to help him out. ]

[ Geeze, why couldn't he just admit he was bad at this from the get-go instead of waste time? This was such a pain... ]

[ Afternoons | Work and Apples | Various Cities ]
[ Through out the course of the month, Adachi slowly starts lightening his case load, in an effort to try and take a break. He needed it after the blow up at the end of last month, but more than that, he realized he was overworking himself by taking just about every case that he could find. He wasn't hurting for money, even with bribing the ice rink owner every month. He just needed to manage himself a little better, and he wouldn't have to worry about anything. ]

[ One thing he did have to pay attention to was the apple issue. Unlike Dooku, he didn't want to think about the possibility of chemicals being involved, so Adachi was just hoping it was a new imPort that didn't know how to control his powers. He's going around asking vendors for information, but he's just getting the same information that the Minority Report had to offer. He let out a groan after he was done with the last one, very nearly stabbing his notepad with his pen. ]

This would be a lot easier if I could just go to a government source and ask...

[ Dooku, you really do thrive on making his life more annoying. ]

[ Nights | Skating ]
[ Adachi knew his private time at the rink at night would be cut down once he got the skaters those passes, but it... was worth it, as far as he was concerned. He doesn't really get on the ice himself when they're there; he's pretty adamant about them letting have their time, since they're the ones that will actually participate in competitions and such. He's content sitting back and watching, or letting the sounds of them working serve as background noise as he picks away at some work. ]

[ When they're not there, Adachi's sure to get some practice in himself. He's working hard at the basics, to the point where he's wobbling around less and actually almost looks like he knows what he's doing. Of course, he can only tolerate doing the same thing for so long... ]

[ Wild Card ]
[ If you have an idea for Adachi outside of the options here, feel free to post a starter, or contact me for a separate starter. ]

Comments

[exsithstential]

[Not having a job, or political agenda, or really a life, sort of leaves you with an open calendar. So despite his own interest in experiencing Adachi's martial techniques, he really had no reason not to go.

At least this way he could feel a little useful.

He arrives shortly after he receives the call, making all due haste with his Force enhanced speed. However when he approaches the bridge he is composed, hands folded underneath the loose sleeves of his tunic as he gracefully strides along the tracks. ]

Quite the auspicious location to spar. [Approval softly lit on his face as he steps confidently onto the bridge.] I sense you are no stranger to this place.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi glanced around as Revan approached; wow, that was fast. He had fully expected to be in for a wait. ]

Hey; and yeah, I've been coming here since I arrived. It's quiet out here.

[ He stood up from the bridge, brushing himself off. ]

Sorry, what I remember of judo is kinda... not that great. I think we're going to end up kinda faking it as we go.

[exsithstential]

Nothing to worry about. I'm sure I can get the gist of it.

[Revan stops a few meters short of Adachi, a comfortable space for them to both prepare without feeling wary of the other.]

Then we can work on filling those gaps with something else, perhaps?

[He smirks, somewhat mischievously.]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi leaned back a little, something between wary and amused crossing his face. ]

Something about the way you said that has me worried.

[ He shook his head after a moment, relaxing a little. He was still feeling a bit loose from his workout that morning, but that didn't keep him from working his shoulder's anyway. ]

So... from what I remember from the lectures, judo is all about leverage and balance. Basically, outwitting the big guy even though you're small and not as strong.

[ Three guesses why string bean, five-foot-seven Adachi went with this instead of karate. ]

[exsithstential]

I'm sure you'll be fine. [He nods with his eyes closed.]

Turning your opponent's strength and size against them. Very sensible.

[Especially if you were in a universe with multiple species of various size and builds.

Keeping his posture loose, he pulls his hands out of his sleeves and presents them out to his teacher palms up --submitting to his instruction.]

How would you like begin?

[sleight_of_hand]

Ah...

[ Adachi felt a nervous tick hit his neck, though he managed to resist the urge to rub at it for once. He felt so unprepared and lost; he wasn't a teacher, or someone that anyone would go to for advice, so to willingly throw himself into that role was ridiculous and also something he didn't know how to handle, not to mention for something he just breezed through so he could get his badge and never worry about it again. ]

[ It was a moment before he let out a breath, trying to relax. No, he did remember this shit; it was something that stuck with you, even if you didn't really focus on it. He just needed to let himself remember and stop freaking out, right? ]

The important thing is posture; you're not going for power moves, but to set your opponent off balance, so being able to anticipate what they're going to do is important. All postures, even when you're in motion, are focused on maintaining your center of gravity.

[ He shook himself out, before finding himself easily falling into a basic natural standing posture. Hunh, he really did remember this stuff... He raised a hand toward his face, tapping near his eyes. ]

Your eyes are always focused on an opponents hips, or just a bit above. Being able to read the motions through that allows you to anticipate when they're going to be off balance. Any higher, you can't see what's going on below. Any lower, and you throw off your own center of gravity.

[ ...just like skating. Hunh. ]

[exsithstential]

[If it's any comfort to Adachi, Revan is the perfect student. Attentive, patient, and understanding of his teacher's position.]

The hips? Interesting...

[Revan peers at Adachi's (completely platonic of course) while he settles into his ready posture, trying to see just what he meant.

Not using your eyes to predict your enemy was Jedi training 101, so any reliance on body motions is a bit of a foreign concept. Yet not unreasonable. Center of gravity was mandatory to maintain good form. And tracking that could give you a distinct advantage.

...If one had to.]

Please, a demonstration. [He draws both of his hands up to his chest, fingers straight.] Have me take an offensive stance, and point out what you're looking for.

[fourlevels]

[ The first morning it happened, Viktor pulls out of the stretch he was doing with a surprised expression. ]

Tohru? I wasn't expecting you for another two hours.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi had a sheepish smile on his face, rubbing at the back of his neck. He still looked like he didn't have nearly enough coffee yet; hopefully he would get used to this. ]

S-sorry, I hope it's okay. I'm picking up a few other things here and there, so I needed to shove my schedule around.

[fourlevels]

Mmm, it's fine, it's fine. It was just a surprise that's all. Are you actually going to be able to stay awake?

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi hunched his shoulders, lookimg sheepish. ]

Hopefully the workout will work better than the caffine.

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor chuckles, bending over to finish his hamstring stretch. ]

I'll make sure to carry you back if you do end up falling back asleep.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi nearly sputtered at the mental image, already feeling his face heat up. Geeze, it was too early for this. ]

[ He dropped in to follow along with Viktor's stretches, letting our a grunt as something let out a satisfying pop, sending a mini jolt through his system. Oh this was going to be fun getting used to. ]

How're the others doing?

4/7, 6 PM

[purple_reign]

[Inanna is, of course, right on time for the date. They've dressed conservatively...or at least they think it's conservative. To anyone else, however, a garish purple suit with zebra print accents in a soft, robin blue color, is anything but conservative. Maybe it's the white shirt they've paired it with that they think is inconspicuous??

Anyone passing by on the street outside of Adachi's building will be able to see them manifest from thin air, preceded only by a cloud of purple and white stardust. The glittering cloud is still settling around them when they knock firmly on the door.]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Though his shopping trip had helped calm Adachi's nerves, right now Adachi was a nervous wreck. Sleeping in and missing his morning workout hadn't helped, trying to focus on work didn't help, and he was pretty sure if he attempted anything that required a modicum of physical skill, he would just end up falling on his face. Instead, he spent the day fidgeting with his phone, making sure his new suit was okay, coming up with a million disaster scenarios, trying to read the news, fussing over his suit again... ]

[ By the time he had showered, dressed, and actually made an effort to tame his hair, he was surprised his wasn't soaked through from a nervous sweat. What was he doing? Was he going to survive this? Probably not. This was all Viktor's fault. If he never met him, he could just keep going on being blissfully ignorant. That was so much easier that-- ]

[ When the firm knock came on the door, Adachi very nearly jumped clear out of his skin. Oh god, it was time, wasn't it? He stared at himself in the mirror a moment, taking a deep breath to at least attempt to steady his frayed nerves, before going to answer it. ]

[ ...he was definitely not expecting this. ]

[ He stared in mute, wide-eyed surprise for a long moment, taking in the over the top, ridiculous suit worn by the just as over the top person standing in front of him. And dammit, why was there more glitter around? He already had enough of it in his mailbox! ]

I...Inanna-san?

[ His voice came out an almost timid squeak, enough that it made him wince. Wow, he was already sounding like an idiot. ]

[purple_reign]

Tohru, my dear. [Inanna's voice is a rich, sultry purr. It sounds the way one might expect silk feel, sensual without trying to be.

Their smile is warm and inviting though, without any sense of expectation to it. They simply look pleased to see him, and entirely unphased by how started he looks. It's a reaction they've had a year to get used to; that look of amazement while people try to understand just what it is they're seeing.]

Are you still interested in coming out with me tonight? I promise, no hard feelings if you've changed your mind.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ ...was it bad that his first thought was this guy's voice sounded not safe for work? Probably, but at least some of his sense of humor was still active. Either he wasn't as nervous as he thought he was, or just getting confirmation of who he had been set up with had made him calm down a bit. It was a moment before a smile tugged at his lips; they kind of reminded him of a visual kei artist, which made them all the more unexpected. Seriously, how did that Porter find people like this? ]

N-no, I haven't. Sorry, I just... I was just surprised.

[ He shuffled forward a bit, moving to leave the apartment. ]

[purple_reign]

[Their smile turns star-bright, and Inanna steps aside to give Adachi room to step out, offering their arm to him once he's on the porch.]

How would you like to travel? I thought I could take us on a flight, but if heights are a problem for you...I'd be happy to call a car.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi fumbled slightly as they offered him an arm, not sure what to do with it. What, was he being treated like the lady here, being escorted around town by a gentleman? He wasn't even sure if he was dealing with a man! Yeah, they looked very man-ish, but... gah; too complicated for his brain to process right now. ]

F-flight?

[ Yeah, focus on that. That was much more important. ]

wildcard!

[hellosirs]

[ In retrospect, Angus thought to himself, he probably should have contacted Mr. Adachi on the tablet of farspeech before showing up at his office out of the blue. Calling him in advance and setting up a formal appointment would save him from potentially awkward questions like 'how did you even find out where my office is?' (Angus was very good at investigating, he had his ways!), or 'shouldn't you be at your internship, or failing that, enrolled in school?'

Regardless of all that, Mr. Adachi had technically invited him to come visit his practice, once things had settled down. He'd just be getting a surprise visit rather than a scheduled one. Angus stared at the door for a few moments, drew himself up to his full height, and finally knocked sharply on the door before stepping inside. ]

Hello? Mr. Adachi? It's Angus McDonald, boy detective? You said to come see you when I was all settled in, and I think I'm pretty firmly settled in now! Are you here?

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Hopefully Angus wasn't expecting anything huge and dramatic, because Adachi's office... is just his room in Heropa #30. He was seated on his bed, nose buried in the middle of paperwork, and his head snapped up at the knock. By the time Angus opened the door, it looked like he was reaching for something... in the empty air? Adachi's had dropped immediately, a bit of a sheepish smile coming to his face. ]

Oh, hey kid! I was starting to think you got ported out.

[ Adachi's room/office was best described as an organized mess, and judging from the amount of containers stacked around, it drove him nuts that "mess" was involved at all. There was a typewriter on a desk along one wall, but other than that, not much else that stood out, especially for someone that had lived there for over a year. ]

[hellosirs]

[ ... Okay, yeah, this was a little anticlimactic, but it would be very impolite to judge, especially when Angus had no idea what the rental prices for offices were like in Heropa. Angus's bedroom back home looked a bit like an office too, he'd probably been the only ten-year-old kid in Faerun with a filing cabinet set up next to his desk. ]

No sir! It just took a little while to figure out how to use the map on the farspeech tablet.

[ His eyes are already roaming around the bedroom, taking in all the little details and mentally filing them away for later examination. The typewriter in particular gets a curious look before he straightens up, businesslike, and adjusts his glasses. ]

I'm sorry, I should have called ahead of time, I hope I'm not interrupting anything.

...I did not get this tag. Rude DW.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ The only other thing worthy of note in the room, other than the half open, sparsely populated closet, was what looked like some kind of display board that might have had wheels at one point, but they had been taken off, leaving it standing squished up against a wall by the desk. Whatever was on it was covered by a cloth, though the faint lines of paper and thumbtacks could be seen just barely creasing the fabric. ]

Nah, don't worry about it. I needed a break anyway.

[ He sat back, pulling his glasses off, almost immediately squinting. If he kept up doing actual work like this and all the reading that came with it, he was going to end up needing the things permanently. That would be so disastrous... ]

[ He waved a hand toward the chair by the desk, the only other seating in the room. ]

Have a seat, kid.

DW, why do you do these things

[hellosirs]

[ Well, the display board is definitely curious, but it would be rude to start snooping around Mr. Adachi's office, especially since he's given Angus no reason to be suspicious of him. He just takes note of the board (and the notes underneath it... was he plotting out things on a map, or investigating some kind of conspiracy theory?), filing it away next to the rest of the stuff in his apartment. ]

Yessir!

[ Angus hurries over to the chair and takes a seat, settling his backpack in his lap. His posture is attentive and ramrod straight, like he's attending a university lecture, though he's short enough that his feet don't quite touch the ground. He even kicks his feet a little bit, before he seems to realize what he's doing and stops himself. ]

Can I ask what you were working on?

Because it enjoys our misery? XP

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi let out a faint noise, glancing down at the work he had been doing, before he shrugged lightly. Well, if the kid was a detective, and maybe working with him eventually, he didn't see the problem with it. He handed the documents over, showing that it was a simple money laundering case. Adachi had worked out most of the math, judging from the scribbles all over, though there seemed to be some things he missed, or just hadn't gotten to yet. ]

I've mostly been serving the native population; not many other imPorts need my services.

[ He paused a moment, studying the kid. ]

D'ya end up trying to talk to the cops over where you're at?