( text | un: butcher )

[cheapbastard]

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?

Comments

[cheapbastard]

I can function without but it warms my heart that you're lookin' out for me. Really makes me feel good.

( he's teasing and it's probably obvious. he presses a hand to his chest and taps it before snickering and shaking his head. )

No, I'm good without it. I just like a nice drink every so often when I'm not getting tossed around by blokes with bandages on their arms.

[blackfire]

（ he glances down at the bandages as if they are an alien thing, and the fingers of his right hand are briefly flexed in against his palm. ）

It does not hinder me.

（ which is not what the man said, but it's what he focuses on. he did not anticipate being given an opportunity to heal from those injuries — death was the only acceptable outcome of a gambit nearly a decade old. ）

[cheapbastard]

Good.

( billy's eyes flick down to the bandages and he eyes it before shrugging. )

Get well soon and all that shit. There's my good deed for the day.

[blackfire]

（ if u think that's bad billy then u should hear about ninja tuberculosis.

but the sentiment is a strange one, and itachi honestly has no idea what to make of it given the man's rough demeanour and earlier hostility. he doesn't recall anyone in his life ever telling him to get well soon, even as a child sustaining injuries on missions, the greater sentiment always seemed to be disappointment that he'd been injured at all.

itachi is not one for idle or unnecessary conversation, but he is never speechless, just silent. that, however, causes a delicate crease of faint surprise in his brow, there and gone near-instantly with the discipline of one well accustomed to schooling his reactions. ）

Hm.

（ hm^TM ）

Your name is Butcher?

[cheapbastard]

That's my last name.

( so yes, that is his name. )

First name's Billy.

( he gives itachi a quick salute before stepping forward and offering his hand in a rare show manners. he does have them. sometimes. )

You can call me whatever the fuck you want.

[blackfire]

（ handshakes are a common thing in the shinobi world. a way to show you aren't holding weapons. they are usually done somewhat differently — a clasp at the forearm instead — but the same principles apply, and he has adapted.

the left hand. hm.

he holds out his as well, and shakes. his grip is firm, his hands are rough and broadly calloused, but he has very few scars. fights did not generally come that close to him, and have not since he was a child. the injuries he bears now are unusual, to say the least. ）

Very well.

（ billy will henceforth be 'billy-san', because familiarity's for rubes. ）

My name is Itachi.

（ no last name. a deliberate choice. ）

[cheapbastard]

Itachi.

( whatever, he can work with that. billy gives his hand a shake before letting go and nodding. )

Thanks for the fight. Nice to know that not everyone's completely fucking useless on this station.

[blackfire]

The others may surprise you.

（ it's mildly said, more a gentle reminder than any species of reprimand. then: ）

Now, if you'll excuse me.

（ he gives the man a respectful nod, but — he's got things to do. other places to be. and, frankly, this fight has exhausted him more than he would care to admit. he's weaker than expected, and he sort of wants to lock himself in a small room before the overpowering urge to cough isn't something he can fight out of sheer force of will.

so on that note, unless billy says anything further, he'll turn to go. ）