ximilia - inbox

[mendo]

// 桂 (kei)

TEXT • AUDIO • VIDEO

XIMILIA

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text ↪ un: 朱

[blackfire]

Shikamaru.

（ shikaku and fugaku would sometimes play shogi together in the evenings, before the kyuubi's attack, before the uchiha were relocated to the village outskirts and their fate sealed by this ostracization. he used to stand nearby and watch, eyes darting between the pieces as they were laid down or moved almost too fast to follow. shikaku won most nights, but it was not for lack of his own father's intelligence.

itachi remembers his mother giving him a red envelope of ryō to deliver after the boy's oshichiya, which he carried to the nara compound, sasuke slung across his chest and sleeping fitfully.

they never spoke — their academy years had no overlap, and sasuke did not have friends outside the uchiha — but word of the man who had orchestrated kakuzu and hidan's defeat made its way to the akatsuki just the same. itachi had recognized him in passing and is certain he was recognized in turn, but they did not speak. instead, he reaches out via text — while he is certain the man is already imagining a thousand strategies where he may need to fight the sharingan, itachi is done raising his hand to the shinobi of konoha.

of the eight new ids added since the new arrivals, only one is a shogi reference. ）

Attached is a document detailing my findings here thus far, an assessment of the two missions I was not yet present for, and the one in which I participated. Please make use of this information.

（ will he think it a trap? most likely. but how he chooses to react to it will be telling. attached but imagine it's written by itachi, oop. ）

[mendo]

[ he expected one of them to make the first move from the moment he laid eyes on him in the station. considering what it represents for uchiha itachi to be here, fully alive from the looks of it, he can only surmise that he must be from the past — a possibility that has been confirmed by the flexibility of time in which people are brought to this place. then, he would need to assess his threat level towards him, now that they're both sequestered together in this almost impossible space.

although he has never encountered itachi in person, shikamaru has read his file. he has also heard about his contribution to the great war by naruto, which has given him some credence — even though it isn't much by his standards. he isn't willing to trust him based on what naruto has told him but he has no intentions of treating him like an outright enemy either. at least not until he can confirm what his objective for being here is.

staring at the kanji 朱, he doesn't respond to him immediately, opening up the attachment instead. ]

Is this meant to be an extension of your goodwill?

[blackfire]

Would imagining it thusly make it more palpable for you?

text ↪ un: 朱

[blackfire]

（ this happens about a week after their fateful kitchen encounter. he has no desire to interact with shikamaru more than absolutely necessary, but there is one more thing he wishes to say — ）

The personal goals I mentioned in the mission files can vary considerably. Some of them seem to involve betraying or lying to teammates, and many include caveats that you are not to tell others what you are doing to legitimize the sense of betrayal.

In the interest of keeping our position with the other members of the crew secure, you have my blanket permission to betray, injure or lie to me as you see fit short of death for the duration of our stay aboard the Ximilia.

（ it's not about being a martyr. it's about strategy. they need the others to trust and rely on them, and most will not be capable of the clear-minded objectivity that will be necessary to complete their goals.

he doesn't expect shikamaru to reciprocate — itachi is the more experienced with the mechanics of the missions, has the benefit of being familiar with a considerable percentage of the crew. this is his move to make. ）

[mendo]

[ waylt ]

You couldn't have started with a hi first?

[blackfire]

（ after a

very long moment ）

Hello.

（ being an asshole just sort of runs in the family. ）

action;

[blackfire]

（ in the evening of the 30th, shikamaru gets a knock on his door.

who could it possibly be? ）

[mendo]

[ honestly, only one person would knock on his door at this point.

it doesn't make it any less confounding though. ]

Hey. [ 10/10 was not expecting him to pay a visit to his room like ever. ]

[blackfire]

Hello.

（ he offers a greeting only because shikamaru had reprimanded him the last time he had not given one, but it's clear it only serves as a vanguard for his true purpose in being here. ）

I requested a medical textbook from our world. If you are already versed in its techniques, I apologize for the intrusion. If not, I would recommend you avail yourself of it.

（ he holds the book out for shikamaru to study it. he's already memorized its contents, and although the knowledge contained within these pages is presently more theory than practice, he is certain of his ability to do at least the very basic techniques. ）

text ↪ un: 朱 (jan 3rd)

[blackfire]

If you have not found adequate training partners aboard the Ximilia, I am available.

（ ominous... ）

[mendo]

[ ...... ]

I'll give it some thought.

[ he wasn't looking for a training partner, but well— he will keep this offer on the backburner for now. ]

I'd much rather have a decent shogi partner. [ is that an invitation? maybe. ]

[blackfire]

（ ... ）

I have not met anyone here that plays.

text ↪ un: 朱

[blackfire]

（ the night after the bandit attack, shikamaru gets a rather... brief message. ）

Open your window.

（ the 'why' becomes readily apparent — there is a juvenile crow with feathers still growing in perched just outside shikamaru's room. it cocks its head to one side and will, if allowed, come directly inside. ）

[mendo]

[ ... ]

what is this?

[blackfire]

One of my summons.

Please keep it close if you intend to do anything dangerous. It can be used for communication purposes should the earpieces fail during a critical moment. It will obey you.

I will also be able to track you as long as it is aware of your location.

（ he used them often for reconnaissance and the like, able to see through their eyes. he's certain shikamaru can guess at their utility, but the fact is — his feelings towards the leaf shinobi are complicated at best. even though the bandits earlier were no match for a jōnin, the altercation had alerted him to a distinct discomfort with standing by while shikamaru fought. he had several contingencies he could have fallen back on if the skirmish had gone poorly, but upon examining his own feelings on the matter, he would have broken his cover in a moment had it seemed like the tide of the fight required it. a dangerous thing for a spy.

all his life has been dedicated to protecting konoha — given that permanent death can occur on missions, he has no desire to deprive his village of one of its greatest minds. he has made peace with the knowledge he would sacrifice almost anything to amend his regret, but he is done having the blood of his comrades on his hands. he would not, he has realized, kill shikamaru to save the uchiha. the man he needs to become to be worthy of that changed fate cannot be one who allows his allies to come to harm. ）

are you tired of me living here yet

[blackfire]

（ after bones' post, whenever shikamaru returns to his room for the evening he will find a small cloth pouch with a handful of food pills in them on the nightstand. if shikamaru happened to have set any traps in his room — they're still very much active. #s-rankninjathings???

as shinobi, they're both well accustomed to going without, and they both feel the same responsibility to the civilians here. he suspects shikamaru will be far more likely to hand them out to those he deems in need than use them himself, but itachi's intent on making sure the option exists regardless. ）

never

[mendo]

[ there is only one person he knows who would go out of his way to sneak into his room and leave him food pills.

as grateful as he is for the gesture, he doesn't find it necessary. ]

Is this the part where I sneak into your room and leave you my ration?

good bc im mad comfy

[blackfire]

If you're up to the challenge, be my guest.

（ how much do you trust your ninja skills, shikamaru. ）

i'm sorry

[construing]

[ the evening's second delivery requires a signature to complete the transaction.

which results in a not ominous at all message— ] Look out your window

[ —and gwen clinging to the exterior of the building like a creeper. as soon as she's spotted, she waves 🙋🏼‍♀️ ]

don't be

[mendo]

[ waylt gwen ]

What are you doing? [ is he staring at her pointedly from the window? yes. yes, he is. ]

[construing]

[ 😘 ]

Wow. I come all this way and this is the greeting I get? Rude, man.

[ she shakes her head in profound disappointment. ]

text — un: the.doctor ; some time post-bandit invasion

[lateness]

mr pineapple!

if you're staying at the saloon i hope you're all right

some rather enthusiastic hooligans just ran through

[mendo]

[ mr. pineapple......

he has a name, you know. ]

I took care of them. [ he wasn't in the saloon at the time; rather, he was above it, but they made enough noise to warrant him checking it out. ]

text ↪ un: 朱

[blackfire]

How many earth jutsu do you know?

[mendo]

What are you thinking?

[ yeah, he just answered his question with a question. ]