(closed) march catchall

[tealeafs]

Who: Ange (entreats), Chizuru (tealeafs), Daniel (miyagimagic) and various others.
What: March shenanigans.
When: During all of March.
Where: Locations vary.

Content Warnings: Nothing right now, specific warnings will be in headers when they come up.

( starters in the comments! if you want to plot anything with me, feel free to either pm the journal or contact me at queeningsquare, i'm always open to new ideas and threads! )

Comments

[miyagimagic]

Well, I.. [ .. for a moment Daniel seems to just be thinking of how to word this, a frown forming on the man's face as he glances back at the bonsai for a moment.

But when he's speaking up, he's definitely looking at Robby again. ]

You get that I'm not exactly fond of the idea of a demon like that being upset with you, right..? I'm kind of worried about you being around him. Not that I'm saying you should stop, just.. [ .. Daniel lets out a sigh that sounds a little defeated. It feels so dumb, telling Robby he's worried about him. Like he doesn't say it all the time already, like it isn't obvious. Like he doesn't constantly worry about the boy when there's so many things here that are dangerous or hurtful.

It's a useless thing to say, and yet Daniel can't help himself. Maybe it's due to what Robby said only a moment before that. Thinking about relationships - thinking about himself - in terms of usefulness. Daniel gets why it's practical here, but.. it still sits inside of him that upsets his heart.

Robby is so much more than his usefulness. ]

I just don't want you to get in over your head. [ I don't want you to get hurt. ] But if you're confident about all this, then I'll trust you.

[strongroots]

[ Robby gets it. How couldn't he, when they're talking about something that killed his dad? But plenty of others killed his dad--not demons, though some might apply the title to Darth Maul. He could try and reassure Mister LaRusso, that he was only making guesses than coming from a place of certainty, but--it doesn't really change much. Robby was still figuring out Paimon.

...and regardless of the risk, he wanted to be there for Peter. Despite the unsavoury taste on the back of his tongue at the thought of Paimon, of what he and Luna did: what if something happened to Peter? What if he stopped feeling like a person who belonged?

What if anything happened to him is the thought that drives him back to Paimon, that makes him unable to promise anything to Mister LaRusso. Quiet, thoughtful. Looking back over to the man as he says: ]

...I want to talk to my dad about it. I don't want him not to know. [ ... ] He should know.

[ He didn't want secrets between them, unintentional or otherwise. ]

[miyagimagic]

[ He does think it's rather telling that Robby doesn't address anything he just said directly. But on the other hand - it's not like Daniel is going to force him when Robby must have enough thoughts circulating around in his head in the first place.

Daniel will just do what he can. See what he can do to help Peter with the demon. Keep an even closer eye on Robby, to make sure not more bad stuff happens to him - his thoughts like a silent vow in his heart. ]

Alright. [ He instead answers, focusing on the things Robby does say out loud here, nodding as he puts down the clippers for the moment. ] I don't think you have to worry about your father minding it.

[ In the sense that Robby would be helping something that killed Johnny, that is. After all, Johnny just has.. such a weird relationship to this death stuff. It's the thing that set all of this in motion in the first place, the thing that first started wringing out Robby's heart.

Maybe that's why Daniel addresses it so briefly before moving on to the next point, like he doesn't want Robby to linger on it either. ]

He'll probably just worry about you the way I do.

[ It might be a little generous towards Johnny, but it's not like Daniel believes Johnny doesn't care.

It's just that it's-- well, it's Johnny. ]

[strongroots]

[ put you on read, Daniel, got your message, loud and clear, etc.

There is something pitiful about his dad not having a problem--like Robby wants it to be more difficult than that, and he does. He's not eager to talk to his dad about this, but he's not eager to talk to his dad about any part of this. About any death, like he hasn't gone through the discussion once already.

Will it be any different a second time? Robby ducks his head than give Mister LaRusso any look as his mind thinks about his dad's reaction. A good thing then, that Mister LaRusso doesn't give much pause, that Robby can sit on the thought of them both being concerned, and this time give the man more of a trying smile, though it's more a pull of his mouth than anything shapely. ]

I'll be careful, [ he promise this time. Whatever that can really account for. ] If we want to help Peter, we...have to help all parts of him.

[ But he's said plenty about that, and there's something else Robby wants to add, or just acknowledge: ] I know it's weird.

[ But it's Peter, the thing said, and left unsaid. ]

[miyagimagic]

[ Daniel can't help but pull a bit of a face in light of that last remark, adding: ]

At this point anything being weird is just about the last thing I'm worried about. [ There's an attempt at humor in it, at least, if not faint.. Because they can both acknowledge how weird that is, in turn. All these things keep happening around them that just aren't supposed to happen in real life, and yet.. There it all is, just happening anyway.

When Daniel is concerned enough about the potential things Paimon could do, it being weird - which it still definitely is - doesn't feel as important anymore. ]

But you're right. [ He won't deny that, the faint attempt at humor sliding out of his voice. ] I'm not planning on just giving up on Peter either.

[ It's not even been a question. It's never been, even when Peter sat there imagining that Daniel would kick him out of Miyagi-do over the entire demon thing. ]

So I'll see what I can do too. Even when it comes to the demon. [ He'd rather avoid demonic interactions, sure, but-- part of being a (karate) dad is that you sometimes have to make a few sacrifices for the sake of your (karate) kids, right. ] Let's handle this together, alright?

[ Because Daniel would hate for that huge burden to only be on Robby's shoulders. ]

[strongroots]

[ Robby won't press on the topic of meeting the demon, or interacting with it. That's for Mister LaRusso to think about, and it'd be bizarre to go back on. Maybe it's better, not stepping into a situation intentionally. A situation that Robby hadn't entirely done so--didn't know the full picture--but he can't deny he didn't always know Paimon wasn't human.

He messed around with a demon and found out--that the demon helped kill his dad. Cool.

So all Robby can do is give Mister LaRusso a nod, rubbing the palms of his hands together in nothing more than a restless action. There was nothing that could be done or said to make any of this easier, but it would have to become so, in time. To live with the demon in their lives like Peter had to.

He sighs, more of a huff, but it's not relieving or relaxing. ]

I'll talk to Peter later about it. I'll talk to Paimon after I talk with my dad. [ ...whenever he'll do that. Because he sure as hell isn't in the mood for that, either. ] I guess that's...it.

[ What else was there? Now, they just had to move forward, as strange as it is. Because he's sharing this with Mister LaRusso at all? Revealing how little he actually had planned, winging it with a few talks. ]

[miyagimagic]

[ Sounds like there's a lot of at least semi-heavy talks in Robby's future, huh. And it's not like there's anything Daniel can do to help with that. It's one of those things where a kid has to do some things by themselves, even though Daniel would absolutely love to take that burden off the shoulders of the kids he cares for.

Right now he can't do much more than show support for the boy though. So he steps over until he's right in front of Robby, and then leans over to press a hand against his shoulder. Firm, but reassuring, a small smile on Daniel's face. ]

We'll make it work.

[ Even if Daniel still has a lot to figure out too. About Paimon - and what he can do if the demon does rears its head in the middle of the dojo, or what he can do to help Peter in general.

With a lack of anything concrete right now though, Daniel doesn't mention it. Instead he keeps looking at Robby, the look in his eyes softening further. ]

.. you want to work on one of the bonsai for a bit? It might help to clear your head a little. [ Especially when there's got to be so much going on up there for Robby right now. There's got to have been a lot going on there for a while now.

And sometimes you just need to take a moment to slow down. It's why Daniel was here working on the bonsai in the first place. ]

[strongroots]

[ Most times, it was all about waiting, and the inevitable. There was nothing that anyone could do for Robby, when it was his choice, his decision. Other than running from it, which, he's done plenty of that already (and look how much it's blown up in his face--or was that inevitable?), and going any longer wasn't going to make things better.

Nevertheless, he gives Mister LaRusso something of a smile as he comes over to rest that reassuring hand on him. Considers the following offer (is he going to manage not to muck it up right now?) with his heart indifferent, but-- ] Sure.

[ He could give it a go. Robby stands up on his feet, asking which one still needed work on to go over to.

Visualise your future, and make it real--right? ]

[miyagimagic]

[ When Robby stands up, the hand leaning on the other's shoulder changes into an arm slung across both shoulders, hand resting on the opposite upper arm so he can press Robby into his side, like a sideways hug. It helps Daniel guide the boy over towards the right bonsai that could use a bit of trimming anyway, and it also allows him to give Robby a faint extra moment of comfort before he lets go again when Robby is standing in front of the right bonsai, Daniel quickly producing another set of small clippers for the boy.

Daniel doesn't say anything. He just gives Robby a last smile before returning to the bonsai he himself was working on, letting the air instead fill with the soft sound of branches being snipped.

Sometimes you don't need more words. Sometimes you just need calm, or you just need time. ]