isleofavalon | May catch-all

Entry tags:

May catch-all

🧙 WHO: Gokudera and absolutely anyone
⚔️️ WHAT: Mid-May catch all (training and other stuff that comes up)
🕒 WHEN: Mid... May? Before the event
🗺️ WHERE: Multiple places
⚠️ WARNINGS: violence, mentions of past sexual slavery, language

A. Training Grounds

Larry is sitting out in the middle of the training field, blowing bubbles to contain lit sticks of dynamite Gokudera is throwing into the air. Gokudera has discovered he has elemental magic and is working on what he can with wind, trying to push the bubble back towards his familiar, or up safely away from them both. He’s not successfully done either, and has just been creating useless gusts. The dynamite explodes in the bubble, the bubble pops, and knocks him down. This is getting very very tiresome, and his gusts don’t seem to be getting any stronger or going where he thinks he’s aiming them.

“Fuck... why isn’t it working?” He glares and pushes himself back up.

B. The Red Spring

No new arrivals from Namimori, it seems. Gokudera had spent the day watching new arrivals climb the cliff, wondering if he’d see someone from home. The journey back had been familiar and helped somewhat to clear his mind. But he’s been looking forward to bathing in the Red Spring. He feels partially new to Avalon after his reawakening, gone for years, and his body aged and scarred, when he’d apparently never left Camelot. Anyone who recognizes Gokudera from last month or any time prior will see the difference. Those who responded to his network post will already understand. But for those who have never met him, he’s acting very much like a new arrival.

The teenager lowers into the spring, the trunks he’s wearing keep him decent, but there is nothing to hide the vivid burn scars and long tally-marks down his back. There’s a black leather half-choke collar about his neck, and occasionally, there is a glow from beneath it, against the skin of his neck that looks like it’s burned many times over. Despite the fact that there is electricity attached to his neck, he fully submerges for a moment, then surfaces and decides he’ll play with the more illusory side of his light magic.

If you are unlucky enough to be anywhere near him, he’ll walk right up and offer you his entire left arm. It’s not real. It’s a smoke bomb, a prank, but hey, as far as your character should be able to tell, he just took off his arm and is handing it to you.

“Hey can you watch this for me? Thanks.” And then he’ll be getting out of the water so his familiar can be amused.

C. Wildcard! Seriously. Do whatever.

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I just need to remember that I'm free. Habits... the ones I've picked up are hard to break.

[The PTSD is real. Gokudera accepts the work-in-progress crown and then moves a little closer to show Midoriya how he makes them. He uses his fingernail to cut a small slit in the stem, then take the stem of another flower and pulls it through until it can't go any further.]

You keep going until it is as long as you want. If you want it to be fuller, you can make it extra long and wrap it so it will be more flower-to-chain, see? I'm not sure how to make the end connect to finish it off, though...

[Izuku's expression softens and he looks down at the work Gokudera does.]

Habits are harder to break than they are to make them. Yeah. I think taking it one day at a time and letting yourself learn who you are again is good. I'm glad you're here, Gokudera-san.

[He thinks that Avalon is probably a safe enough place for him to do that.]

I guess it's a bit like learning something like this. Keep going, even if you don't know where the end is?

[He smiles sheepishly. Then he reaches out to tuck a few more blooms into the crown to make it fuller.]

Eventually, it'll be a good crown.

[Eventually, things will get better.]

[Gokudera keeps making the chain longer as he listens, then gives a little scoff and a hint of a smile.]

Please, you hardly know me.

[But he knows enough.]

It's good you're around, too.

[He means to thank Midoriya, but instead offers the longer-than-functional crown over to his friend. There are some faeries ooing and awing over it.]

[There is a small sweatdrop but Izuku smiles and nods.]

Ahhah... You said that to me once before too.

[But he still means it, that it's nice getting to know Gokudera!]

Thanks.

[The faeries are the ones who take the crown and then try to put it on Izuku's head. With the green hair it looks pretty appropriate.]

Does it look ... okay?

Well, it's the truth.

[A soft sigh and a moment where he reflects on apologizing.]

But how could you when we haven't gotten to know each other? I suppose you know more about now than before. Is it something you'd like to keep happening?

[Gokudera turns his eyes on that crown and then follows the green of the chain through hair and to Midoriya's face. There's a half second where he stares too long, then bows his head some. It's really hard to control himself and everything that was once so typical. It makes a nice interaction like this into something he will reflect and over-analyze later.]

Y-yeah... it's good.

[Very good, Midoriya. Gokudera would even say he looks 'cute'.]

[Izuku is looking up at the faeries start to pluck and adjust at his hair. The green locks coming out in curly spikes through the flower crown which makes it look pretty good! He really looks like a potted plant now. He doesn't quite notice the moment that Gokudera looks but he glances at him and feels himself smiling, a little shy about it.]

Yeah, I would like to get to know more about you, Gokudera-san. I wouldn't mind that. There's not many things that are interesting about me, but... I wouldn't mind talking to you more often.

[One of the fairies settles in his hair like a throne and giggles with a note of music at Gokudera's unsaid words.]

I owe you one for helping me with the crown, then.

I'm sure there's plenty that's interesting... [Even if they aren't about Midoriya, it helps to know aspirations of the people he interacts with... What their home worlds are like, things they want to accomplish on Avalon.]

You don't. I didn't even know how to finish it.

[He looks at that giggling fairy and his face blushes some. There's something about the fae that put him on edge, but he's not upset.]

Do you usually follow quests in this world? Are you hoping to become a knight, or is it just more a means for income?

[He reaches up to fiddle with the flower crown, setting it to sit better so it doesn't fall off.]

It's really not that bad...!

[He shrugs quickly and then wonders...]

Ah- Yeah, I've been working on quests for a few months now. It's a lot like working at work studies back home so I don't mind the work. I want to get a knighthood-!

[Okay, he might be a little sparkly at the idea. He really wants to be a knight. How cool is that? Now he's going to sound like a nerd-]

Being a knight would be a lot like being a hero too- I want to do my part to help Camelot...!

Right, but it could be better. It's not something to owe a debt for.

[Gokudera thinks it looks perfect, especially with the fairy enjoying the spot atop Midoriya's head.]

Oh yeah? So were your work studies a lot like running errands? I take on quests every now and then...

[When he's not busy offering tutoring for school, or coasting off his award money, or modeling. Mostly, it's just quests.]

You'd have to follow what the King says, though. What if you don't agree with his orders?

[Gokudera would rather be more independent and he could do without any recognition. He's not so interested in knighthood. Doing good is just that, and he knows he should without expecting anyone to ever notice or mention him.]

[Izuku supposes that owing someone back for a flower crown is pretty silly. Still, he's kind of just grateful for the companionship.

He nods slightly, wondering about that...]

My work studies were actually hero work. I'm studying to be a pro hero back home so a lot of our internship work and case studies have to do with working around the city. Helping out, keeping an eye on crime levels, helping the police... Things like that. So it is a lot like working on quests in a way.

[As for his knighthood that he's interested in?]

Which is why I'm interested in becoming a knight too. It's a lot like being a hero in this world, ne? While I'm still learning about who King Arthur is, I do think he's trying to do what's best for everyone. And being a knight might give me a chance to help out there too. I just want to do my best. Maybe I can take what I learn here back home with me.

[Hearing 'work with the police' is not comforting, but... this is not either of their home worlds. So... it's alright so long as the Vongola doesn't get too much power in Avalon. Honestly, it's easy to lay low without Reborn and all of his fame and his push over the Tenth. Gokudera merely hums in his acknowledgment and seeming agreement with Midoriya's explanation.]

Seems like that power could be used poorly. Or maybe it's just too political... I've had enough of that. I'll side with my boss over the King any day.

[There's nothing wrong with being loyal elsewhere. So long as Gokudera isn't hurting anyone.]

Politics are one thing, but yeah. I think that's fair.

[The little fairy in his hair has started to make tiny braids out of his short green hair. Izuki doesn't notice this.]

I just think that most worlds need something like that. Someone to help.

[He only hurts people as an act of defense. More often than most, he ends up hurting himself and pushing more people away with his bad attitude than actually hurting them.]

I'm not saying the King is bad or anything...

[He starts to braid some long grass, following what the fairy is doing and glancing up on occasion to see if there is some trick to it.]

But if has power over his knights and uses that for some gain that ultimately puts us in a dangerous position... I can't say I'd side with that. I agree with an organization made of the off-worlders to protect them. There are knights that are his after all. [So he wonders how much power they have and just how loyal to the King they are. Gokudera isn't loyal to him, but then... he's never really got along with authority figures.]

I think an organization of off-worlders is a good idea. But at the same time, I've met one of the knights and they did talk about protecting the people that are here. From what I know of the king in the books I've read he's always been the type of leader to think of his people first.

[But Izuku nods.]

... I know it might not be the same as the books I've read. And that there's still more that we should all learn about this world and that we should be careful what we're doing and who we're trusting. But I still think that becoming a knight would be a good idea for me. I want to make my own judgments but I want to be able to protect people with a smile, if the title helps me get there, then I want to be able to do it.

[He really is lawful good.]

[Gokudera offers an accepting hum and looks on at the fairy before he starts to make a new daisy chain. He worries that the mafia might get in the way of this friendship, but at the same time... they aren't a bad family. They aren't entirely good, either, but... they're far from lawful.

Tsuna would keep it just, though.]

That's admirable. I wonder if my boss would be interested in a title like that...

[The morally gray area... Sometimes that's just how it is. And Izuki believes in putting so much justice and right in the world. Izuku wouldn't know how to feel.]

What's your boss like?

He's very kind and has a lot of charisma. But he's the kind of humble person you wouldn't know if you saw him how strong or important he is.

[Gokudera sounds so so proud. He adores his boss.]

[The sun is starting to set... And the little fairy on Izuku's head yawns softly. It's probably time to head back soon.]

Ahah... That sounds like one of my teachers. He was the same way, you'd never know how strong he is at a first glance.

[He looks up.]

Maybe we should head back soon?

I think he's around my age. Maybe a bit younger, if you consider all the time-travel I've done.

[Gokudera gets up and puts the chain about his neck, right against his collar. He offers a hand up to the other teenager and gives an agreeing hum.]

Yeah. I shouldn't make him worry.

[Because Tsuna is absolutely the type, and with good reason. Gokudera regularly gets himself in trouble.]

[He smiles and takes the hand, standing up! He pats some of the grass from his pants and nods.]

Yeah, maybe you could tell me about that sometime.

[A younger boss! And putting two and two together about Gokudera and Tsuna. For now, time to head back!]

Alright, let's get back to the city.

[With that, they set off!]

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May catch-all

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