ximilia | ( text | un: butcher )

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( text | un: butcher )

yeah, all right, i'm new here. please send your welcome wagon baskets of cookies to my room. i'm hungry.

( but that wasn't the reason he was putting himself out there now. he didn't really want to talk to this lot but seems like that was gonna have to be something he does.

so, he's making it happen. )

what i'm gettin from this place is that i can't go back to where i was, this place is in fuckin' space and those are actual fuckin' stars out there, and you lot like to get fucked up drunk sometimes.

( yes, he'd seen that post of yours, newton. seen it and he was going to remember it for the rest of his life. )

so, since you lot are so ready to offer up advice, i got two things:

one, where can i get a fuckin' good drink?
two, where can i punch the shit out of something? or someone. volunteers? i'm definitely taking volunteers. come on, everyone's so helpful here, right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

oh, ain't you an eager one?
don't even wanna get to know each other first?
must be antsy.

( but fine. )

coupla hours work for you, mate?

（ neither eager nor antsy, simply straightforward — which doesn't bear addressing. instead: ）

Yes.

I will be there.

we bringin weapons or just hands?
just so i can prepare
get into my zone.

There are weapons in the training room available for our use should we require them.

I do not intend to bring my own.

right, then.
i'll meet you there.
don't be late.
i might take it personally

I will not.

（ taking things personally is a luxury he doesn't have, most days. ） Look for the man with long hair — I will be dressed in dark colours.

（ much of his free time has been spent thus far in the training room — he would likely be there whether or not the man was on time. whenever his opponent arrives, he will find itachi taking up space in one corner of the vast room, going through a series of kata that resemble jūjutsu just enough to be familiar.

he looks up upon the man's entry to the space, and upon seeing signs of recognition he will gesture him over.

he is still healing, the damage to his leg and lungs significant enough it merits caution, but none of that caution lives in his easy posture or his steady hands. his eyes are a vivid crimson, they give casual observation to his intended opponent. ）

Do you wish to exchange names?

（ never necessary for a fight, but a man that calls himself 'butcher' may have other ideas. ）

( all right, looks like this shit was happening. eventually, billy does make his way down to the training room, having taken a little bit of time to wander around and to find his way.

but, he did not get lost and he would never, ever admit that maybe he had.

he was here now, stepping into the room and looking around. when he spots the man who he'd been speaking with, he points. )

Man with the long hair, right? It's a good look for you.

（ he inclines his head faintly — acknowledgement of the compliment more than either gratitude or a sense of being made off-kilter by it. ）

It serves me.

（ ultimately, appearance is irrelevant. his hair is long because it is habitual, because it reminds him of his mother, because there was precious little else but a tattered sense of self he could take from konoha when he left his past burn down to ash behind him. ）

Do you consider yourself to be a baseline human?

（ it seems only polite to ask, given the motley assortment here. he can fight against a normal human as an equal if he must. ）

( you're one to get right to the point, ain't ya? okay, billy can roll with that. he shrugs his jacket off and tosses it aside, leaving him in jeans and a very loud hawaiian shirt that he treasures so don't rip it. )

Baseline human? You mean do I got powers?

( he looks offended at the mere thought. )

Yeah, guess so. Why, you're not one? You somethin' else?

（ if 'cut to the chase' were a person rather than a phrase...

the offense writ plain in his expression is interesting. he files it away, but takes none of his own at the implication therein. ）

I am human. However, in my world, humans can be born with the ability to manipulate innate energies within themselves. This energy can be applied offensively, defensively or for healing. Most with these abilities are trained from birth to utilize them in defense of their nation and their people.

（ there are other uses, of course, but that is the explanation distilled to its simplest form, and itachi is too cautious by far with information to offer more than that unless pressed. itachi's gaze sweeps up and meets billy's, unflinching. anyone who is aware of the dangers of the sharingan would not be so bold as to allow him eye contact, but he has no intention of using it here. ）

Does that trouble you?

The fuck does that mean manipulate energies?

( why did billy always end up around people with some kind of power? couldn't he just fight someone who would break his nose with their fists? )

You gonna shoot shit from your eyes or something? Because if that's the case, yes, that fucking does trouble me.

It means what I stated.

（ his tone is even, matter-of-fact. ）

We have chakra — energy — pathways in our bodies, like a nervous system. Concentrating on utilizing it can result in such things as the creation and control of elements, for instance.

（ la la la, ignoring that comment about eyes, la la ）

My style of combat does not necessitate such things — however, you are welcome to find another partner if you suspect I will be unfair.

No, no, it's fine.

( he just has a thing about guys that shoot shit from their eyes. he doesn't mind throwing down with them but he just wanted to know.

so, he raises his hands and nods. )

You gonna warm up? Stretch and shit?

I've been here for some time.

（ not waiting for the other man — he would have been here regardless. itachi is very dedicated to the upkeep of his skills, now beyond even death. kisame used to chide him — itachi-san, you work too hard in what he now expects may have been genuine concern for his wellbeing.

but then, sharks can smell blood, can't they? ）

I have no objection to you warming up.

You mean here as in this room or here as in on this station?

( he rolls his shoulders and then his neck before he steps closer and nods. )

Because I just got here. Not my ideal vacation but hey, a free ride in space for a little while be a bit fun.

( little does he know... )

I have been training for several hours.

( he is, therefore, ready to go. the burn in his thigh is no more than a reminder of the blade of a fuuma shuriken. )

I am new to the station as well.

Several hours? Damn, overachiever.

( but he gestures with his fingers, the universal 'bring it on' sign that says he's ready. )

Guess I gotta catch the fuck up, huh?

( let's see if he's able to do that before he gets knocked down. )

（ billy you don't know the half of it. 'overachiever' may as well be his middle name — but determination can be isolating. it necessitates leaving much behind in pursuit of your goals.

it's no business of his if the man wishes to simply get to business. however, itachi will exercise caution where his opponent seems disinclined. ）

Before we begin — name your conditions by which the fight ends.

（ first blood, perhaps, or something more dire. ）

( he almost says 'death' just to see what kind of reaction he gets but bites his tongue at the last minute. probably shouldn't do that in case this guy takes him seriously. )

Can't get up for a count of ten?

( because billy knows he bleeds easily so first blood would probably be his loss. )

That seems pretty fair, yeah?

Very well. I accept.

（ he gives a polite bow — in lieu of the konoha-specific gesture before a bout — and then drops back into an easy taijutsu stance. the man had gestured to him to begin just moments ago and likely that still stands. when you are uncertain of another's abilities, it is often better to be passive, let them come to you, and learn.

and so, itachi obliges him.

his right arm is heavily bandaged, yet that is the one he leads with — indicating either left-handed dominance or ambidexterity — as he steps in close and makes a right-handed open-palm strike at the man's chest. there is more speed than strength to it, whether it's blocked or lands it will not do more than lightly tag. ）

( while billy likes to talk a big talk, he actually does know how to fight. maybe not in the same way as this bloke but he does and he's more than willing to show it.

when he steps in, billy steps back and manages to block the blow before he barrels in and tries to throw a jab at the other man's chin, trying to jar him enough that he steps back. )

（ someone who immediately goes for the face is likely accustomed to trying to — needing to, more specifically — end fights quickly. itachi shifts his weight to his back leg and lets the momentum carry him just beyond the range of that punch. his preference will mostly be to dodge — he is still too badly damaged to have any desire to take a direct blow unless there is no other choice.

still, by the gust of focused air that grazes his cheek, there's an impressive amount of power behind it for someone who for all intents and purposes is normal. he's clearly had considerable training, the sort one gets from a fight rather than meted out on a dojo mat. itachi, by contrast, moves with all the calm fluidity of a dancer, every action, every motion deliberate.

he pivots on his back heel into a crescent kick, aimed at the man's side. ）

( when it comes to fighting, billy's used to people who go full bore front and center. he hasn't dealt with a lot of people that use kicks and other graceful abilities.

so, the kick catches him but he manages to absorb it as best he can (though, it does fuckin' hurt) and he steps backward only to pivor forward again to try and drive his fist into itachi's gut. )

（ and on it goes. blows thrown and avoided — one lands a glancing blow on his cheek when he was half a heartbeat too slow.

(sloppy. he would have gotten killed for that, back home.)

for a normal human, his opponent lasts longer than he'd anticipated, but ultimately it does draw to a close. itachi's breathing is somewhat harder than normal, and his chest clenches around every inhalation like a fist. he can taste blood, acrid and rotten at the back of his throat, and he smothers a cough that feels like his diaphragm lurching upwards. a delicate thumb swipes at the blood that's gathered on his lower lip in a fine mist from the very act of breathing.

(he's pushing himself too hard, he thinks. but it barely feels like hard enough.)

he palms the blood off surreptitiously against the black fabric of his shoulder, and then he offers out his hand to help the other man back to his feet. ）

( billy's used to ending up on his back. he's used to getting beaten up but his strength is that he's resilient and he comes right back.

that or he carries a big fucking gun to take out the other person. but he doesn't have the gun here so he's on his back, sore and aching, and laughing around a split lit.

when itachi offers his hand, billy stares at it for a few seconds. he doesn't even know if this guy should be offering that considering how hard he'd been sucking wind but billy takes it anyway and hefts himself up. )

Not bad.

( no, it was better than that. )

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