May Bonding

[sleight_of_hand]

WHO: Tohru Adachi; open unless noted.
WHERE: Heropa unless noted.
WHEN: The month of May.
WHAT: Adachi had a brief visit back home, and he's taking it as well as one would expect.
WARNINGS: Mentions of police brutality, bodily injury in one thread; other warnings to come.

[ Returning Home | Heropa Porter | OTA ]
[ Number Eighty-two, inspection! Against the wall! ]

[ The words were still echoing in his head, even as he stumbled out of the porter at Cape Canaveral, his knees buckling and nearly dropping him onto the floor. The people tending to the porter seemed to understand why he reacted the way he did, at least one of the aids did. She was on him pretty quickly, holding him up and asking him questions. Did he need water? Coffee? Anything? He shook his head at her frantic questions, mumbling that he just wanted to go home. ]

[ It felt like forever before they finally let him port back to Heropa, during which time he somehow managed to keep standing on his feet, insisting that he was fine, that nothing was wrong, he just wanted to go home and rest. He managed to keep himself going until he got through the porter and to Heropa, managing to get outside where he thought he was alone... before he clutched at his stomach, zooming for a nearby bush to throw up. ]

[ He was an idiot. He was a fucking idiot. It may have just been for a day, but being back home, being back in prison where he was stripped of everything he was to the point where he was just a number that the bullshit cops could punch around when they felt like it. He had gotten so used to being able to live, to have his second chance, that-- ]

Fuck.

[ Stress Relief | Heropa Ice Rink | Viktor ]
[ The thought of going to his usual spot outside of the city to let Magatsu Izanagi tear stuff up had crossed his mind, but Adachi couldn't find the heart for it. He thought of going to a bar and drink until he got a visit from the Bad Ideas Fairy, but he didn't think his liver could stand that much drinking. So the only other option he had that could at least be productive with the emotions he was going through was to go skating. ]

[ He was pushing himself, and it was probably obvious to anyone that had been around on the ice that he was doing it while injured. He didn't care, though; he was getting used to ignoring people while being aware of them, skating around them as he tried to focus on practicing the basics. Once people started to empty out, Adachi switched it up, starting to work on the spins he had yet to actually complete without falling over. Of course, this led to him wiping out again, and again, and again... ]

[ Adachi was trying for the umpteenth time as the sky outside started to darken, not really noticing that there wasn't anyone left on the ice, nor that he had an audience of one at that point. He could feel his stomach ache, the bruising stretching out on his skin and making everything hurt worse than it was already. It made it hard to concentrate, so of course he wiped out again, flopping almost uselessly onto the ice. ]

[ He let out a frustrated groan as he stared up at the ceiling, before pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. ]

[ Wipe Out | Heropa Ice Rink | Yuuri ]
[ "Don't skate beyond what you're ready for." "You need to learn how to walk before you can run." ]

[ Was Adachi going to listen? Nope; the moment he woke up the next day, he could already feel stressed out, and no matter how hard he tried to focus on work, focus on getting back into his usual rhythm, but he couldn't do it. He gave up after a couple hours of trying, gathering his things and heading right to the rink. ]

[ And he just skated. And skated. And skated; not caring how many times he wiped out, or hurt himself. He just got back up on his feet and kept going. ]

[ By the time Yuuri got to the rink, it was just the old owner there, kicked back in the skate rental booth like he usually was. He glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow, before waving toward the rink. ]

Good. Glad you're here. Watching him wipe out is only entertaining for a few hours.

[ Can't Keep Me Down | All Cities | OTA ]
[ The moment Adachi is let out of the hospital, he's just moving. He may not have been able to work out or skate anymore, but he had things to do. He needed to find a coach for himself, he had cases to finish up and move along so he could get paid, he had an apprentice he needed to work with and set him off on some of his own jobs. ]

[ There was no way he could keep dwelling on going back home for a day. Even though he was hobbling around with a crutch under his arm and an air cast on his foot, he couldn't keep stagnating in one spot. ]

[ Adachi can be found all over the porter cities, investigating, researching, and documenting what he can for his work. Though he's hobbling around as best he can, he does have to sit down more frequently, or catch a cab when he can't walk as far as he needs to. It's frustrating, but he's doing what he can to just keep moving forward. ]

[ Wildcard ]
[ Got something you want to thread with Adachi? Either post a top level, or poke me on plurk. ]

Comments

[fourlevels]

[ There's a voice that floats up from the barrier, soft like the speaker is speaking normally though it carried clearly over the ice. ]

Are you done punishing yourself now?

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi took a moment to catch his breath before he attempted speaking, before letting his head fall to the side, toward the direction Viktor's voice was coming from. ]

What punishment? J-just practicing, 'ya know?

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor unfolds the arms he had across his chest while he was watching, slowly making his way to the barrier opening. His tone is still quiet and mild, even if the next words are biting. ]

If you're going to try and convince me, me, the five-time consecutive World Champion, that that was anything resembling practice, I might have to disown you as a friend, Tohru.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi let out a grunt that might have been an apology at that, finally rolling over to get up, only to nearly double over all over again as pain in his stomach flared. He let out another grunt, an arm flinging around his stomach as the other struggled to keep himself up, exhaustion making him rattle all over. ]

C-can't blame a guy for tryin'.

[fourlevels]

[ Seeing him double-over causes Viktor to speed up, hastily shucking his blade guards before hurrying across the ice. He stops at the last possible second before running into Adachi, causing ice chips and scrapes to fly. Barely a moment later he's both of his knees trying to support him, all trace of that calm, collected tone replaced by something far more worried. ]

What happened, Tohru? You were missing for a day and you show back up like this?

Heropa Porter

[dun_moch]

[The universe hates Tohru Adachi.

Evidence: everything that has happened to him or that he has done up to now.

Further evidence: guess who just happens to be passing by the Heropa Porter when Adachi is throwing up in a bush? And with his ability to sense emotional distress fully restored, too.]

My goodness, Adachi. Are you all right?

[That deep, sympathetic voice, that carefully-crafted expression of concern, that bare hint of a smile curling one corner of the Count's mouth... maybe Adachi was better off in prison?]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ The universe definitely hated him. Adachi let out a groan at the familiar voice, pushing himself back up to his feet despite the fact that he much rather wanted to just go back through the porter and off to another city as fast as he could. Instead, he just adjusted his tie, making it look like he totally hadn't been puking his guts out before. ]

Wha-- me? I'm fine, heh... just a bit sick, that's all. Just about to head home and rest.

[ He really missed being able to lie effectively, he really did. ]

[dun_moch]

[Dooku casts a meaningful glance at the bush Adachi has just soiled. His face still looks concerned, but his eyes say bullshit.]

More than a bit sick. Please, permit me to escort you home. You shouldn't be alone in this state.

You can consider it repayment for your kind assistance with my research last month.

[This is what you get, Adachi. This is what you get.]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Oh hell no. Adachi waved a hand insistently, taking a step back. ]

N-no, that's okay! I'm fine, really! I can make it; it's just down the street.

last prompt heropa

[h2no]

[adachi is just hobblin' along as the prompt says, minding his own goddamn business when suddenly there's a loud laugh nearby. it's archie. he's seen adachi, and is specifically laughing at his misfortune.

he ends up bent over, wheezing, then holds up a finger. archie quickly pulls his phone out and takes a picture of adachi, presumably looking very annoyed/miserable then starts laughing again, only harder.]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Annoyed is definitely accurate. He let out an irritable noise as he swung himself around, fixing a bland look on the loud, muscle-headed idiot. ]

Problem?

[h2no]

Do I sound like I got one?

[archie takes another picture.]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi shot a rude finger up just before the camera clicked. Deal with it, Archie. ]

WIPE OUT

[nextlevel]

[ Yuuri had been ready for a nice quiet practice session. He hadn't been expecting Adachi to be here - or to see him pick himself up again and again. It ... kind of reminds him of himself, in fact. That reminder is still somewhat discomforting, given he still feels rather awkward around the detective ...

But now he just feels kind of sad. And sympathetic. ]

A few hours? How long has he been here?

[sleight_of_hand]

[ The old man frowned, shrugging his shoulders. ]

Think he came in with the afternoon crowd or somethin'. Been doin' stuff he got no business doin' ever since.

[ As if to emphasize the point, Adachi chose that moment to launch himself into a spin. It was embarrassing -- sloppy and reeked of someone that was trying to teach themselves moves that they weren't ready for at all. It didn't take long for the expected result, and Adachi just managed to get his hands up before his face hit the ice. He was right back up in the next moment, moving to gain speed to try again, not even aware of the fact that he was being watched by more than one set of eyes. ]

[ The owner, meanwhile, just let out a sigh. ]

[nextlevel]

[ Ohhh boy. Now he really feels bad ... He shakes his head a bit and moves to put on his skates. ]

I'll take care of him.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi, meanwhile, still hadn't realized Yuuri had shown up, or how late he had been going at this again. He was too focused on what he was doing; right now it was the only thing he could think about that didn't lead to him thinking about home. But maybe... he was going about this the wrong way? Maybe spins were harder than they looked, and that was why he was having trouble; he didn't quite understand the physics behind them, because they worked differently than they looked. ]

[ ...if that was the case, then would the physics behind a jump be easier for him to try? It was kind of crazy, and he could already hear Viktor yelling at him, but... hell with it! What did he have to lose?! ]

[ He let out a determined noise, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself to gain speed. He'd studied enough and watched enough videos on Bluetube. He could mimic this no problem! He could totally do this! ]

[ ...only he totally couldn't. ]

[ It was a miracle he managed to even get up in the air, not to mention the lame attempt at a rotation that didn't even get all the way through before he came down hard on his foot. It buckled immediately, his leg twisting oddly as he tumbled to the ice, his momentum sending him sliding along his side for a short distance before he stopped and stilled. ]

[lempereur]

[ Yusuke had settled into his new job easier than anticipated. Concept art for a video game company...that sort of objective-based art was something he normally found boring, but the collaborative aspect was new to him, and anything but dull. He was butting heads (politely, firmly) with a coworker about the merits of capes in fantasy settings when his communicator went off.

Constellation.

He slipped the device back into his pocket discretely despite the pounding in his chest. (And eventually, gave in to his supervisor's demands for a capeless protagonist - if this company goes under, let the record show that Yusuke told them so.)

But the second he was off the clock, he whipped it back out, and fired off a text to Adachi at light speed. ]

I'm in. We should meet.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Thankfully, Adachi's work allowed him to drop what he was doing when he got text messages like these. He let out a faint, "Yes," when he got the text, pack up the documents he was working on before texting back. ]

Heropa outskirts.
Abandoned train tracks.
Head north from there until you get to a clearing.
You'll know it when you see it.

[ Said clearing was Adachi's training place when he first arrived in America. He took Viktor there to give him some insight on the kind of person he used to be, and how far he'd come since he first arrived. It was as great a place as any to meet up and not have to worry about nosy people around. ]

[ Adachi was waiting for Yusuke by the time he would have the chance to arrive, leaning up against the remains of a tree that was very recently uprooted. He had thankfully gotten his cast removed earlier that day, and while traversing the terrain had been a little difficult, he was happy to be free of the damn thing. ]

[lempereur]

[ Discussing illicit business by abandoned train tracks? Sounds like a gangster movie, but Adachi knew this place better than he did, so Yusuke texted back to let him know he was on his way. And may or may not have swiped a fancy pen from work to take with him. He's a true menace to society.

Just as the man said, he knew it when he saw it. There was a sort of somber quiet to the place, contorted trees struggling to adapt to man made changes, showing their roots for passerby...fitting. ]

You're looking better. I'm glad.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi smiled faintly at that, tapping his foot against the ground. ]

Yeah. Still gotta take it easy, but I'll be back up to usual soon.

[ And then he'll be able to hit the pavement harder than he had been, and -- more importantly -- get back on the ice again. ]

[ His expression turned serious shortly after, pulling a notepad and pen out of his suit jacket pocket. ]

What code name did they give you?

Some time, in Maurtia

[pummelgranite]

[ It shouldn't be difficult for a detective to notice when he's being followed. If he's any kind of observant, that should be second nature. The problem will be when he tries to identify any kind of actual evidence that he's being followed, or watched. He doesn't seem to have any specific person following him. There's not really anything tangible around him that seems out of place. It will all be intuition, an instinct in his gut that demands he stay on an even tighter edge than normal. Surely, it must just be the past few weeks getting to him.

Right? ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ With crap going on with the Constellation lately, Adachi's even more on edge than usual already, and this? This wasn't helping. He was taking extra precautions not to be alone at any point, especially in Maurtia, where the feeling was at it's strongest. ]

[ Of course that wasn't going to last; he ended up stuck there late, investigating a money laundering case well into the late hours. By the time he was able to head to the porter and start home, there was barely anyone around, and he ended up hurrying as fast as he could through the streets, that uneasy feeling not helping his nerves. ]

[pummelgranite]

[ And what's kinda probably even worse is that for some reason, the street lights seem to be dimming as he walks.

No, not the lights dimming, it's like the darkness is becoming thicker, less penetrable, like every shadow is becoming opaque. It seems like it will be pitch black before he reaches the end of the block. ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ ...not good, not good, not good. ]

[ Adachi bolted down the street, trying not to freak out. Shadows and darkness creeping up on him? Never mind the Constellation; the knew what shit like that meant on his world, and he did not want to be caught up in it. ]