Let's try that again...

[evillurks]

Now that he's growing accustomed to having her as a true agent again, Myra's recovery in her own world puts The Shadow slightly short-handed. He finds his own wheezing a severe liability whenever stealth is needed, forcing him to rely on other agents for quiet investigations. The alternate solution, and one he struggles to uphold, is to be supremely diligent in taking care of himself except when he truly needs to take to the streets firsthand. The restriction grates on his nerves, and coordinating agents to do some of the footwork takes up more time.
He is careful, following the unexpected incident in ancient Japan, and he is also busy. The drug market has gone fairly quiet, but there is a definite gradual increase in violent crime. Arresting the individuals involved seems to have no impact on this slow crescendo. The network is spread wide and thin, scratching the ground for clues. After a matter of days, The Shadow has done all he can do about the matter. Once again he must wait, sift the city through his agents, and hope some vital puzzle piece comes to light. On this break from work he recalls a social obligation. A morning outing has him arriving at the Rettigue apartment with sake and scotch. The place has been abandoned the past few days, but that means there's no paperwork to tidy. The grand spaces and spartan furnishings should make it a comfortable place for a blind man to visit.

When the sake is warm and the cups set out, he sends off an invitation, and then laughs quietly at his own unfamiliar attempt at hospitality.

Comments

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

There's a low chuckle from Ichi as he holds his cup.

"Consider it payment for your help." It seems he's finally figured out a way to return the debt. "There, settled?"

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

It may be fortunate that the eyeroll is lost on Ichi. "If that makes you feel better, yes." He refills his own tumbler with scotch and settles back, but allows himself a few minutes of pause. His thinking is beginning to feel uncustomarily relaxed, and while the sensation is pleasant, it also triggers a sense of wariness in the back of his mind. "I wonder if I should try to learn with a no-dachi or something. A katana is a large weapon to carry on the streets. I'm already loaded down with two to four automatics and pocketfuls of assorted equipment." He is simply thinking aloud, for the moment.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"Small items are just as useful. I could focus on those instead. Many of the same techniques carry over." Ichi's used any strange assortment of items for self defense, ranging from simple tantos, to chopsticks and hairpins, if the situation is dire enough.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

"I sometimes carry a knife, but it's more of a hunting knife. Useful for prying open windows and doors or cutting wires and rope as much as for fighting. I suppose I could bring the whole arsenal along wherever we choose to practice, and experiment with what I've got." He won't be teaching Ichi how to fire a gun, of course, since that's more of a sight-based weapon. "If you're in need of additional weaponry, I've got some to spare."

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"A knife is good for anything. Bring what you usually have, and we'll see if we can't make use of it." He rattles his cane sword briefly. "And we'll work with proper weapons too. Because Heaven knows you're not a force enough to be reckoned with already." Ichi muses for a moment, resting his cane upright against his shoulder. "If you have your own sword, that would be helpful. Otherwise, I can always get one." He gives a chuckle. "I'll convince some hot-shot to bet his."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

There is the hint of a chuckle in his voice. "That's not necessary, I do have a katana, it's just not very well used." He feels some mild embarrassment over this, since such a thing should be properly and respectfully maintained, but he has so many weapons and so much to do that those that are used less often tend to be neglected.

"You haven't seen what I'm up against in my own world, though. It's not always unskilled thugs." He gives a softly rattling sigh, but the faint buzz of the scotch prevents him from being too maudlin over things, for the moment.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"I'd be lucky to see anything in your world, Shadow-san." Ichi runs his hand along the cane in thought. The comment is not meant to be rude, he's simply stating that he thinks The Shadow's world is beyond his understanding. "You said you're up against guns. I've faced one or two at a time, but a whole gang armed with them, honestly is a terrifying thought for a man like me. I'll teach you whatever I can, but I don't know how it will help against enemies like that."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

The Shadow lets the correction slide. "Guns are by necessity used by sight... there's a flash at the end of the barrel when a gun fires, more visible the darker the conditions are. I can pick targets that I can't see any other way, but my own shooting reveals my position. It's not an easy game. But I know my way around a shot-out. It's close quarters and stealth that calls for real skill, and any tricks you can teach me to deal with that will help. If I can take out guards up close and quietly, that can help me avoid mass shoot-outs." He sips the scotch, slowing down now. "My enemies are still just men, especially when they're alone in the dark."

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

Ichi finishes his cup of sake and holds it as he sets his hand on the table, carefully playing with it. His thick hands are dexterous. He thinks on the comments about guns.

"I'll do my best. And perhaps I can work with that sharp hearing of yours too." He reaches into his sleeve, there's a brief rattle and then he slaps his hand down on the table. "It's a trick I learned to help tune my ears. Everything I teach you will be based on what I hear, so I don't see how it would hurt to work with it." There's a wry smile and he mumbles. "Even." Lifting his hand, he shows two dice, and that his guess is correct that they add up to an even number. Cho-han, a gambling dice game of evens and odds, is an iconic pastime of the yakuza that's still popular in The Shadow's era.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

Despite equally impressive skills in a fight, they make an interesting physical contrast. The Shadow leans forward to watch, and absently drums his own long, tapered, bony fingers on the tabletop once. "Hm. I'm not ordinarily a gambling man, or at least not that kind..." He's been known to gamble with his own life, but that's another matter entirely.

Taking another long gulp of scotch, he sets the tumbler down and closes his eyes. "Again." The Shadow's head tilts slightly as he prepares to listen for the discrepancies in sound. It seems worth a try, although there are moments he worries over the dulling of senses that unavoidably comes with age. His keen eyesight is not quite what it was, and the sense of smell is harder to gauge. So many men lose their hearing later in life. Such anxieties gnaw at him in private moments. Today his senses will be put to the test.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"It's my favorite pastime." Ichi rattles the dice in his hand again before slapping them back down on the table.

"Game!" He announces in the proper command that requests a guess to be made. He'll wait for The Shadow to decide before he announces that he's heard the dice fall as odd.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

"You can't expect me to have the hang of it yet, I've only heard them once! Oh... Even." It is simply a guess, as he is more focused on holding the sound in mind for comparison with the result. Neither does he bother to look, trusting Ichi's skill to give an accurate result. "Surely all dice don't sound the same?"

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

Ichi grins as he lifts his hand.

"Odd. And no, they don't sound the same, but you listen a few times, and you can start to tell which is which." He lowers his head as he picks the dice back up. He realizes the game wasn't fair, but he's glad to hear The Shadow is willing to take the technique seriously. Most tend to scoff. "Takes a couple wrong guesses to learn what a set sounds like, but I don't bet until I get them figured out. Here." He rattles the dice again, putting them on the table but takes his hand away. "Take a few rolls. I figure if I can explain the differences I hear, and compare it to what you hear, we can get some basics out of the way, so the training will be more effective."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

The Shadow is no stranger to such training, which might be unconventional in the West. His night vision is good, but he has also practiced swordsmanship and martial arts blindfolded, and the concept is not new to him. He rolls the dice individually, listening with eyes closed and opening them to check, until he has an idea of the subtle differences in all six sides. Together is more difficult, because although he has no trouble with the rapid mental calculations to add them up, he finds the distinct sounds harder to pick out when they land together.

After several minutes of experimentation, a bony hand presses the dice back into Ichi's. A heavy ring slides and brushes against his fingertips. "I'm not betting money against you, I'd lose, and my currency wouldn't be any good in your world, but I'll give it another go."

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"I don't gamble against friends, anyways." Ichi grins as he accepts the dice and gives them a shake. "We'll play a few games, find what we find, and we can go from there when you have the time." Ichi's not used to someone being as astute as The Shadow, so he's not going to draw the small experiment out any longer than a few rolls. He just wants to get an idea of how much The Shadow does hear, so he can figure out how much he can describe his own experiences, to help with the training. He rattles the dice, and slaps them on the table, an ear turned towards them.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

Frowning in concentration, The Shadow is also bent low over the table, head tilted and eyes closed. He analyzes the sounds, finding yet another challenge in the difference of their falling across the table from him instead of beneath his own hand. His quiet tone rings with uncertainty. "Even?" He is ready to learn, and to find he has made a wrong guess would be no bruise to his ego.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

Ichi's smile is very telling.

"Even." He repeats the motion, noting that this roll is even again. He's not just taking notes during this either, he's genuinely enjoying the game. One of his many vices, and he finds an extra enjoyment from it when he's had a few drinks especially.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

The Shadow never opens his eyes to see the smile, but he's pleased enough with the result. His focus is entirely focused on listening to the dice, pushing all else to the periphery of thought. There is a longer pause this time as he doubts his guess, but it's a correct Even again. This is no game for him, but he enjoys testing himself and straining his senses to their utmost. The atmosphere in the room almost seems to grow somehow sharper, crisp and tense.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"Even." For Ichi, this state of awareness is not something he feels can choose to relax from, but he can sense the feeling of intense concentration from the direction of the quiet Shadow. Ichi rolls again. Odd.

"Game!" He repeats the command, his voice is quieter, but still as demanding as any proud dealer.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

The force of his focus seems to weigh on the air in the room, as if his presence were some living mass that fills all the available space. Again he takes a long moment to answer, hesitating as he replays the sound and tries to pick out the dice from each other. If they knock against each other in landing, or land almost simultaneously, the sounds are incredibly difficult for him to decipher. He lacks Ichi's experience.

"Is... it odd?" Even as the last word is spoken, his PINpoint beeps softly with a message. So intense is his concentration on the dice, he jumps slightly and bangs his knee into the low table, making the glasses and bottles clink dangerously.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

Ichi's eyelids flutter at The Shadow's reaction to the sound as he snappily reaches out for the glassware, bringing a quick halt to their loud clatter.

"You alright?"

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

The Shadow hisses in pain as he pulls the device out of his pocket. "Fine... just caught off-guard." He sounds annoyed at himself for it, into the bargain. There is the quiet clicking of buttons as he calls up the message, a moment of quiet while he reads, and then he tosses the device aside. "Just a report from one of my agents. Not an immediately useful one either, unfortunately."

Nothing seems to have quite fallen, and the only item to take any damage is his knee. "Sorry for the interruption..."

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

Ichi takes the sake bottle when he lets go of everything, and pours a little more into his cup, not quite filling it. He picks up the dice as he fills his cup though, and holds the faces up towards The Shadow, showing the sum.

"It was odd." He offers the bottle to The Shadow. "And don't worry about it. As far as interruptions go, it could have been worse." He sips at his sake with a grin.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

"Hm. You didn't hit the table." He rubs his knee ruefully, but simply sets the sake bottle down in favour of his tumbler. There's still a swallow of scotch left in it, and he takes it in one gulp as consolation for his bruising. "I should have warned you I'm never off the job, but I invited you because I don't expect anything to come up. My agents are in the field looking for information, but at the moment I've reached a dead end." He sighs, coughs, and puts the empty glass down. "So I'm accurate, but it takes so much focus someone could walk up behind me without my noticing."

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"But your hearing is still impressive." He's also an amazingly fast study, but Ichi has a hunch that The Shadow is already very aware of this fact, and feels there is little point in mentioning it. "I'll only be asking that kind of concentration while I'm explaining the techniques. After that, do whatever works best for you, whether its translating it into what you see, or something else. I don't think we'll lose much in translation." It's a relief to Ichi to know that The Shadow can grasp the way he 'sees'; it should help when he explains certain things that he hears. Ichi takes the dice from the table and returns them to his sleeve, the coins there jingling gently as he arranges the small assortment of items he keeps tucked in his clothing to keep the dice from falling out.