maskormenacelogs | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

WHO: Sakuma & Open
WHERE: Heropa and Nonah
WHEN: All of April (except the 1st)
WHAT: Catch-all for the month
WARNINGS: TBD
NOTES: Brackets or prose, I'll match whatever you prefer. Closed starters in comments. Open prompts below the cut. Don't see a prompt that works for you? Feel free to write your own or hit me up so we can plot something specific together!

a. AFTER SCHOOL IS OVER
LATE AFTERNOON & EARLY EVENING DURING THE WEEK IN NONAH

[The irony of being exPorted for the entire duration of 'April Fool's Day' hadn't eluded Sakuma, but to say he found any amusement at all in the timing would have been a gross miscalculation of his patience. He recognized that he was fortunate not to have been absent any longer than he already was, and that he was more fortunate still to have made his way back to his friends' sides at all, but knowing the undue stress his disappearance would have caused both Kidou and Genda...

Well, he didn't feel very lucky. Instead, even though there was nothing he could do to change the past and there'd been no way he could have stopped the Porter from playing its tricks, he felt guilty. Like, somehow, he'd let down the two people who mattered most to him here in this world or even back home. They didn't see it that way, of course. Neither one would have ever blamed him for something that only the AI in the Porter could control, but it was a weight Sakuma nevertheless carried around with him the entire first day back. And yet, that same weight allowed him to appreciate the silver linings that miraculously still existed.

Having been Ported out on the weekend, he was given plenty of time to mentally readjust so that, by the time Monday rolled back around, he was no longer distracted at school and seemed, outwardly at least, as if everything was fine.

Which wasn't to say that his disappearance hadn't changed anything, because it had, but it was surprising to him that none of the ways that things were different were actually bad. They were simply...ways that he had to get used to, which seemed a common enough experience among imPorts, and one they each had to come to terms with on their own. And his method of accomplishing that was to keep busy and find ways to be productive in his spare time.

When he wasn't at school, working, or practicing his soccer, he had a brand new ability to get a handle on, and he couldn't think of a more discreet way to practice using it, or a better time, than on his way to the Porter in Nonah after school had finally let out.

He was cautious as he followed different people around, focused on keeping his distance and testing his range — perhaps even too focused. For he seemed almost to have forgotten that as an imPort, and as someone who's appearance wasn't 'ordinary' by any means, he still stood out more than he would have liked...]

b. SHOOT FOR YOUR GOALS
THROUGHOUT THE WEEK AND BEFORE DARK AROUND HEROPA

[For all the ways in which this world was awful, one of the most glaring and intolerable was its idea of soccer. The sport, insofar as Sakuma knew it, was teeming with life and energy, and while the soccer that people played here wasn't dead, it also wasn't alive in the same way, either. He was able to play with his peers at school, but he was constantly reminded of the differences in the levels of their abilities.

He had to be mindful of the strength of his kicks and, perhaps worst of all, he couldn't even use any hissatsu. The advantage his techniques would give him wouldn't be fair to the other players, for one. And for another, he didn't want to endanger anybody or ruin what fun everyone else found in such a simple activity.

Being forced to hold back wasn't simple, however. Especially when Sakuma remembered that he'd been about to take on the world with his team in the FFI tournament. Curricular soccer wasn't just a huge step down from that, it was a gigantic plummet into a pit that seemed bottomless, and not one he was convinced there was a way out of, either. At least, not as long as he remained here in this world. So few people from home were here, not even enough to make up half a team. But, depressing as that was, it wasn't any reason to let himself wither. Being unable to play his soccer at school didn't mean he couldn't play at all, or that he couldn't practice. And after the invasion of anachronisms last month, Sakuma realized now more than ever how important it would be to keep his skills sharp.

There were plenty of places to practice around Heropa, especially with its weather so much warmer than Nonah's had ever been. And so, when Sakuma couldn't be found in his own backyard at Heropa 032, he'd take to the park or to empty parking lots behind large plazas to practice individual skill and control, kicking around a ball summoned by a sound most people wouldn't ever expect to hear in the heart of Florida.]

c. OUT OF THE CONCRETE JUNGLE AND INTO THE ZOO
ANYTIME DURING THE DAY ON THE WEEKEND IN EITHER HEROPA OR NONAH

[Every now and again Sakuma behaved the way a teenage boy was expected, and while he never completely forgot about the things that worried him, he found it easier to give himself a temporary reprieve from worldly concerns when he visited the zoo. There, surrounded more by animals than people, or at least capable of tuning out the human ambiance, he seemed infinitely more at ease.

Unsurprisingly, he spent most of his time watching the penguins either from the indoor viewing area where their underwater antics could be watched more closely, or from a platform outside that allowed spectators to better take in the whole of the group as they waddled around or slid about on their bellies. When he wasn't there, however, he could be found observing any number of the sea life performances, contentedly watching puffins swim, polar bears play, or seeing precisely why everyone was making such a big fuss over watching animated movies on the new 4D theater.

He absolutely could not be found browsing through everything penguin that filled the souvenir shop, from mugs to postcards, key chains to hats, and t-shirts to plush stuffed animals.

...except he could totally be found there, quietly pondering to himself how much or how little he could afford to buy. At least, when he thought nobody he knew might be looking!]

Threaded | Flat

[Every morning when Sakuma rises and heads to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Kidou, Genda, and him, he's reminded of just how low supplies in their home have gotten. Between the establishing of their personal curfew, still needing to go to school, and needing to work in order to support themselves, none of them have found the necessary time to run any errands.

Or perhaps it's that they haven't even tried?

Following the still recent string of murders that occurred in Maurtia Falls and Heropa, the anachronism invasion, and his own temporary Port-Out, the idea of being separated for any length of time isn't one that seems to sit well with the trio. There was safety in being huddled together beneath the same roof, in hiding away from the world beyond their front door as often as they could while still maintaining an appearance of normalcy.

But how much longer could they really keep that up?

Sakuma knows and loathes the answer simultaneously. If they want something more than a scant helping of rice for dinner, shopping needs to get done today. And if he wants to talk with Genda when it's just the two of them, he'll find no better opportunity than asking the other boy to help him bring home items from the store. With Riku next door should anything go wrong, and Kidou still being able to contact Genda and him in case of emergency, he should feel more confident leaving Kidou on his own. But he doesn't. He still worries, knowing full well that Kidou won't use the time alone to get any of the rest he needs, but will instead preoccupy himself with things that will only increase his already too heavy burden.

Unfortunately, that's just how it has to be for now. Asking anyone else to intervene and watch Kidou would betray his trust, and if there's one thing Sakuma fears more than leaving his captain alone, it's doing anything that might further upset the relationship Genda and he have with him. Maybe once things are back to normal he can chance being more forward, but until then? All he can do is continue to be cautious.

After collecting his wallet and a light spring jacket, he heads to Genda's room and knocks lightly on the door...]

You're pretty good.

[The voice is gentle, coming from around the corner, hands in his pockets and bag slung around his wrist. Groceries for Ulvida, mostly, as she'd asked him to pick some up on his way home from the cafe he often visited to grab treats for her. It wasn't often he saw someone freely playing soccer--the game was popular, but not nearly as central to the world as it was in his own.

It was nice to see someone just as into it as he was other than Kidou or Ken or Ulvida. But of the three of them, he was the striker at heart, and knew most of all what it meant to be limited by this world's idea of soccer. Not being able to put your everything into a shot was almost painful, his heart just wanting to show his love through the sport as much as he could.

Soccer felt...hollow. He'd accepted it for what it was, but there was no denying that it was an empty shell of what it could be.

Brushing his red hair out of his eyes, he steps closer, the figure looking a little ...familiar. He knows this isn't someone he's played soccer against, but at the same time.

He knows that hair...that eyepatch.]

...

[A pause overtakes him for a moment, stopping him in his tracks.]

Are you...?

[Penguins aren't the only creatures at the zoo that Sakuma loves to visit and watch, even if they are by far the ones that hold his attention the longest. As such, if one doesn't happen by their habitat or if he should happen to lose track of time, it's easy to miss that he was ever at the zoo at all. But some days he'll wander around and peek in on the other exhibits, particularly if it means not having to stray very far from any of the aquatic animals.

By now, most of the zoos employees are familiar with him, but there are always a few new faces depending on which day he has free to visit, and the time. And considering that he's still very new, having only spent one month in this world so far, it's no wonder he hasn't run into Lapis here.

And no surprise that when he does, his reaction is that of unguarded surprise. Infinitely quieter than the squawk he'd emitted during their first encounter, his sneakers still betray his presence as he comes to a sudden stop near the guardrail separating spectators from sea lions.

Maybe if he hightails it out of there fast enough she won't even know he was there.]

[It's exhausting having to worry about so much all the time, and being so powerless to affect or change the worst things in their lives, but one thing Sakuma has the power to influence for the better are his teammates spirits. Knowing them like he does, he knows that both Kidou and Genda are overworked and underplayed. None of them have had much time for recreation lately, and they've spent even less quality time together that wasn't instigated by one crises or another.

Making movie night that much more necessary.

He'd gotten the idea after the Swear-In, but until now hadn't really found an opportunity to implement it. But with all three of them home at the same time, and the fridge and pantry both relatively stocked once again, it seems as good a night as they'll get to curl up on the sofa and forget about politics, war, and dangerous imPorts — by focusing on penguins instead.

After making some popcorn (a bag he splits into three small bowls, one for each of them) and corralling his teammates into the living room, Sakuma sets Happy Feet to play and takes a seat at one end of the sofa.]

[This particular park in Heropa, especially in the afternoon, tends to get a little crowded. In particular, it gets crowded with a very little party -- that is to say, it's the practice grounds for a local junior soccer league, a gaggle of children ranging between the ages of six and eleven running onto the grass and congregating around a few adults, one of whom is obviously an imPort, to anyone who's come to notice the signs, by the shock of bright blue hair crowning her head.

It's that same blue-haired woman who steers the children out of Sakuma's way most of the week, giving him a slight bow of acknowledgement should their eyes meet, making the effort to give the boy enough room to play as he wishes without putting anybody in harm's way.

However, by the end of the week, the little kids have waited enough. They want to see that soccer up close, and it's in the early afternoon of Friday that some of them break off from the group during a rest period, standing at the edge of the field Sakuma is at and admiring. When Reina, the blue-haired woman (one of their coaches) approaches to get them back to the herd, one of the younger ones points in Sakuma's direction and pipes up cheerfully and loudly,]

Coach! Do you know him? He kicks the ball almost just like you, you know? It lights up and make big noises and everything -- just like you and the other guys' hiss-hiss-- hissatwos!

[Riku's in the gift shop himself. He wasn't really planning on stopping, but then he thought maybe Naminé or Aerith might like something, and then he'd gotten completely sidetracked.... it didn't matter now, really. The animal categories don't seem to be in any particular order -- he's looking at leopard gecko things for Naminé when there's movement at his peripheral and he turns, curious.

This is Kidou's friend, he remembers. Sakuma. The boy who had looked at him with such defiance, determined to protect his friend as he was. They hadn't really interacted at all since then, and Riku feels a little awkward thinking about it now, but... the best way to get rid of awkwardness is to dispel it yourself, right?

And also: penguins? Hadn't Kidou also...?]

... Hi.

[It's the fourth time this week she's heard the sound, and quite frankly, her curiosity is getting the better of her. One of the windows of the house overlooks just a little bit of their neighbor's backyard, and she's taken to lingering next to that window, hoping for some indication of just what in the world they're up to.

The better (and less nosy) thing to do would be to go next door to visit and politely voice her concerns that something might be wrong. It's just a matter of...figuring out how to word those concerns. Naminé ponders over this the whole time she makes a batch of sugar cookies, takes the short walk over, and even as she knocks on the door, loud enough that hopefully whoever is in the backyard can hear her.]

Hello? Is anyone in?

Threaded | Flat

CLOSED to GENDA

B

CLOSED to LAPIS

CLOSED to TEIKOKU

B;

c

shoot for your goals;