mathisradical | Match 8

[ He notices her almost as soon as she stops to watch, but he doesn't stop playing for another few moments. Finally, when the ball comes flying back at him, he catches it instead of hitting it. He turns to look at her, wearing his razor-sharp grin. ]

Yanno, they say that pictures last longer.

H-huh?

N-no, I mean! Picturs.... pictures probably can't capture how well you were, um... D-don't let me interrupt, I'm not trying to be rude!

[ His grin widens. It's a good thing he doesn't hate you. If he did, there'd be a lot more mocking going on. ]

You wanna give it a try? [ He holds out his racket. ] You were pretty good at bowlin'. Maybe you'll be good at this, too.

H-huh? M-me?

A-are you sure? I mean... to tell the truth, I don't even know the first thing about tennis... just that it's fun to watch.

[ He raises an eyebrow. ] Who the fuck else would I be talkin' to?

It's easy to do. All y'gotta do for now is hit the ball back and forth. Clear the net, and we'll talk about specifics later.

Well, I... I'd really like to learn to play tennis, so um...

Okay! I'll give it my best shot, then! um... Is using your racket really okay, though?

[ If she's any good, he'll recruit her for the Mayfield tennis team he eventually plans on starting. He's not just getting a good time out of this. ]

I have three of 'em. [ He played tennis on a national level team back at home. Everyone had at least three rackets.

He crosses the courts to get another one from his tennis bag and a couple of balls as well. ]

Don't worry, sugar. I'll go easy on you.

Three?

O-okay... but I'm going to try to catch on quick, so... so don't hold back too much!

[ She's obviously never been on the bad end of one of his pranks.

He flashes her a grin. ]

If you insist. You ready? [ He bounces a ball against the court a couple of times. ]

Yup!

I'm ready when you are!

[ He bounces the ball a few more times before tossing it into the air and hitting it over the net. It's a gentle serve, not one he'd use if he were playing against someone who knew what they were doing. And certainly not one he'd use if he were in a tournament back at home. ]

Ah---!! I... I got it!

Good job. [ Another easy hit across the net. ] Keep it up.

Oh! S-sorry! I missed it!

It's fine. You were doin' good. Better than a lot of people I've seen. [ He doesn't bother to retrieve the ball. He just pulls another one out of his pocket. ] You wanna keep goin'?

[ Walking to a tennis court anywhere almost seemed like a natural motor response for Yagyuu. Or perhaps it was a hidden desire; but, obviously, he mused, not hidden well enough.

Once he stepped on the court, however, his usual perfectly placed expression falters temporarily. It was like seeing double. Literally. Except, Yagyuu realizes he's not exactly dressed the part.

He pushes up his wired framed glasses in his usual manner (even if they're not truly his) before approaching the other. ]

Niou-kun.

[ It's been forever. Nearly three months is forever, when you're Niou. It's been forever since he's heard that voice, heard his name said like that, heard that tone, but he recognizes it immediately. He recognizes it like he's heard it just seconds before.

He catches the ball as it flies back toward him and turns on his heals. He masks his look of shock, so the only traces of it are his slightly wide eyes.

He tries to come up with something to say. What do you say to your best friend after not seeing them for three months?

Finally, he smirks his usual smirk. ]

Yo, Partner.

[ He smiles his usual polite smile, except it has a bit of an edge. A bit that shows it may be more genuine than he leads on. When he speaks, the tone is soft, as always, but curt and proper. After all, a gentleman has no holidays, even in a hell hole like this. And he supposed, some things never change. ]

What a coincidence to see you here. [ Obviously it has multiple meaning, all of which even he finds terribly hard to interpret and lay out. A brief pause before- ] How's your condition?

Where else would you find me? [ His words hold a bit of a challenge. Most of the things he says to Yagyuu do, after all. He takes a brief moment to try to dig under the first layer of that sentence and find the rest of it.

He shrugs, bouncing the ball against the court once. ] Y'know. Same old same old. [ He's as well as he can be with everything that's happened. But this is a topic he'd rather not breech, so he drives the conversation somewhere else. ] How long have you been here?

Nowhere, I suppose. Your diligence knows no bounds, after all. [ It's hard to gauge how serious Yagyuu is or if that comment was meant to be sincere or sarcastic. But, he assumed Niou knew the answer. Though, Yagyuu supposed he made it easy enough.

As easy as finding the quirk in Niou's quick topic change, anyway. And though it was something of concern, he respected his partner's wishes; opting to "go with the flow." ] As expected of you. But, I haven't been here long. You could say I'm one of the newer additions to the neighborhood. [ There was, however, absolutely no humor in his voice this time around. ]

[ Niou certainly wasn't going to talk about it here of all places. The Rec Center always has people passing through. A lot of people spent all of their free time here. Maybe later, or maybe never.

Niou's smirk stays firmly in place. ] Where're you stayin' at? [ Another safe question. He'll drag this out as long as Yagyuu allows him to. Stay with easy topics, their usual banter, nothing emotionally tiring. He'll put the conversation off as long as possible. ]

[ Yagyuu, of course, allows it. It was against his morals to go back on his words - even if they were inner words. However, he keeps his eyes fixed on Niou, regardless, trying to grasp the depth of the situation through his actions. ] Hastings Boulevard.

And you? [ There might have been traces of concern somewhere in his 'safe questions.' ]

Williams Road. [ He's quiet for a second, trying to organize his mind into sections. Which questions are safe, which aren't, which are stupid, and which will give something away. After a moment of debating, he decides on one. Are you stuck with a bunch of fuckin' drones? 'Cos that shit sucks.

[ He understands the gist of the situation. He's grasped that much. But, there were so many gaps and details. ] I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, however, it appears I'm living with two others - who have wills of their own. [ But, how good their intentions are, only time will tell. All he knows is that his drone mother was killed on Day One. ]

[ Niou nods, and instead of going through the trouble of finding a new question, of driving to a different topic, he holds out his racket. Unlike Yagyuu, he has all his tennis stuff in his possession, including his uniform, which he's wearing, and his extra rackets. ]

Wanna rally some? God knows I haven't had a good game since- [ He almost slips. He almost mentions Marui. A sore topic he doesn't want to touch. But he catches himself, almost without missing a beat. But he's sure Yagyuu notices anyway. ] I've gotten here.

[ The pause, naturally, doesn't go undetected. He's known Niou for far too long to ignorantly let it pass by unnoticed, regardless of the fact that he ignores it purposely; respecting Niou's temporary boundaries.

There was something Yagyuu came into full conclusion, however and that was that the gravity of the situation seemed beyond him. Both of "him," even. ] Was I ever one to deny your offerings? [ He says it calmly, as if indirectly trying to ease the others nerves (and perhaps his own). It was the least he could do. ]

I'd be much obliged, Niou-kun. [ And there's a trace of a phantom of a smile on his lips. ]

[ Niou's smirk dissolves half-way into a smile, a look that might look strange on others, but is strangely fitting for him. He knows that playing tennis with Yagyuu will give him the sense that things are normal. It'll make him believe, even if it's just for a little bit, that they're back at home, playing at the courts after everyone else has gone home. Like old times.

He tosses the racket to his partner and goes over to a bench to grab another one of his own. He tosses the tennis ball that's in his hand to Yagyuu, too. ]

You serve.

[ It actually wasn't that unusual to use Niou's racket (since they did it as often and not often as they switched). It was strangely and equally therapeutic as playing in itself. He holds in in his hand, flicking his wrist a bit and getting his hand warmed up to the texture.

It hasn't even been a week and yet... ] Duly noted. [ He catches the ball promptly in his hand and walks to his side of the court, behind the line. He bounces the ball a couple of times, eyes fixed on Niou. ] Shall we begin?

[ Niou walks to his own side of the court, grinning at the anticipation. He'd played Marui often enough before he was droned for good, but there's nothing like playing somebody you know as well as you know yourself, if not better. Playing Yagyuu was always exciting. It never got old.

He spreads his arms out wide, his grin arrogant now, and raises a challenging eyebrow. ]

Come at me, Partner.

[ Yagyuu also can't deny the excitement bubbling up somewhere in his chest, even if it was completely masked over by his usual visage. There was just something about playing Niou... Something about playing tennis with the person who inspired you (or coerced you, perhaps one in the same) that made it infinitely more vivid. He closes his eyes momentarily as he bends his knees, once he feels the timing is right, he opens his eyes and delivers his serve.

And he feels like he can breathe again and that his breath is clear and even for the first time since arriving in this hell hole. ]

[ Just like he'd never left home, Niou falls easily into the familiar patter of playing Yagyuu. The usual banter, the moves he knows as well as he knows his own. It's all like they're back in Japan, back at Rikkai, and nothing bad ever happened. Like Niou hadn't been trying not to die. Like it hadn't been three months since he saw Yagyuu.

Like most of their rallies, neither of them win. Like usual, one of them (Niou, in this case) calls the game to a close before they can get too far into a tie break. It's getting late, there's still a lot to talk about, and Niou's getting tired anyway. ]

[Crowe is also the sort to head to the rec center when he has a free moment. He's walking past, also looking quite exhausted, but that's never stopped him from hitting the gym before. He stops, and waits for a break to speak up.]

Hey, Niou.

[ Niou turns and grins a more muted version of his razor-like grin. ] Yo. Glad to see you're not dead after all those fuckin' zombies.

[Crowe leans against the fence of the court, threading his fingers through it. He smiles halfheartedly.] Not sure how, but yeah, I made it. You too then?

[ Niou bounces a tennis ball against the court. ] Still livin' and breathin'. [ His grin softens into a smirk. ] Back at home, I used to think zombie apocalypses would be fuckin' sweet. Now I feel like I'm eatin' my words.

I guess if you see enough movies about it, you think, "I can handle them." But that's not the case...

[He lets out a shaky sigh.] I'm glad it's over. That was a rough few days.

[ Niou nods, completely in agreement on his end. ]

Iunno about you, but when shit goes down, tennis is a nice stress reliever. [ He holds out his racket. ] Too busy for a rally?

[ A nice stress reliever, and it'll help him forget about Marui being permanently droned. ]

I was coming here to do something anyway. Tennis sounds good.

[He'll come on in, and grab himself a racket.] I've been practicing a bit, but I doubt I'm much of a challenge, yet.

Dude, I've been playin' against a wall for nearly an hour. I'm sure you'll be more of a challenge than it.

[ He crosses over the court to grab another racket from a bench before taking his place at one end of the court. ]

You wanna serve, or do you want me to?

Well I hope so.

I've been practicing, so I'd like to try.

[He serves pretty well! Crowe's got some surprisngly strong arms on him.]

[ Niou seems pleased! He lets out a low whistle as he hits it back. ]

You're better than you were last time.

[ Oh look, Niou's praising somebody who isn't a pretty girl! ]

[Then he must be doing very well! Crowe grins.] Thanks. Good to know the practice is paying off.

Just don't start slackin'. It's the death of all tennis players.

Match 8

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Fffft, deleted the first attempt at the comment because of HTML fail. /o\

That's fine~! >u<

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