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]

Ichi manages, through luck, to pick up one foot as the sound of sliding reaches his ears, but the other foot, still planted and providing forward momentum, is caught squarely by The Shadow's cane and it easily throws Ichi off balance. He instinctively clutches his cane to his chest with both hands, as he performs a moderately impressive acrobatic of turning his fall so that he lands on his back. He's ready to block any incoming strokes from above, but the landing on the hard floor takes some of the strength from him as he sucks in a gasping breath. As soon as he can, he sits up, cane raised.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

The Shadow rolls to his feet once he's slid past, wheezing a little himself. He takes in Ichi's pose on the floor, rises from his crouch, and approaches without making an effort to mask his breathing or footsteps. A large, slightly gnarled hand reaches for the blind man's, and he begins to speak, then gives a rattling cough. After a moment he tries again, bracing himself to haul Ichi to his feet. "I think... we each need a last drink to recover." There is good humour in his voice, but it will be a few minutes more before his breathing settles down.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

At the disarming footsteps, Ichi relaxes, letting go of his cane with one hand and grabbing onto The Shadow's. He tries to use his cane, more than The Shadow to get up, but the added effort is helpful. He leans on the cane a bit as he catches his breath, and smiles.

"I think, I have to agree, Shadow-san." Ichi straightens up, stretching his back slightly and turning towards the table. Before he starts walking towards it though, he ducks his head and turns towards The Shadow slightly. "I didn't irritate your breathing too much, I hope?" He sounds honestly apologetic.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

The Shadow is strong enough to pull him up, but any assistance eases the stress on his knees and lungs. He lets Ichi go once he's steadily on his feet, and rests briefly on the cane. "I'm fine." He coughs, rattlingly, and rummages in his pockets. "Cumulative damage. I'm an old man, that's all." He sounds mildly annoyed about it, and there is a strange, brief hissing noise combined with a deeper wheezing breath. He's not comfortable with the little inhalers the Clinics have given him, but Ichi can't see, and that lessens his embarrassment.

He swings the cane once, harmlessly, as he follows to the sofa. "That was instructive..." He leans the cane against the couch, and pours the last of the sake for Ichi, and more scotch for himself. The sake has cooled by now, unfortunately.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

To be honest, Ichi doesn't care at this point if the sake is cold or piping hot. He gladly accepts it and drowns the aches from the sparring. With the adrenaline wearing off, he notes an ache in his arm, and feels the bandage. The bloody spot has grown slightly, but not much. He slides a finger under the bandage and shrugs as he feels some warmth beneath it, and wipes his hand on the bandage.

"Heh, retribution for bringing your wheeze back." He kneels before the table and refills his cup. There's one more drink left in the bottle. He sips a bit more reserved at the second cup. "That was the most fun I've had in a while, Shadow-san. I hope you enjoyed it?"

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

Scotch is equally useful for driving away the complaints of his knees. There's still enough for a couple of glasses in that bottle, since it's substantially larger, but it will keep for another time.

The Shadow gives a whispery chuckle that echoes and rattles in the huge living room. He's sounded better, but he's nowhere near as badly off as he was after their prolonged battle in Ichi's world. "I did. I'd be willing to go another round sometime, when we've both recovered." He takes an appreciative swallow of scotch and a deeper wheeze of air. "I could send you off with some clean bandages, if you want."

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

He smiles at the whispering laugh and sips at the sake.

"I'll bring a pair of practice swords, then. They're cheap, and easy to come by. It'll be a proper sparring." Tossing the last small swallow of alcohol, he gives a satisfied sigh and then nods, setting his hand on the dressed wound. "As for the bandages, I'd appreciate it."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

"Wait here, I've got a good first-aid kit..." He gulps the last of his own drink, stands, and fetches a sizable box from the bathroom. Ichi can hear the weight of the thing when it gently clanks onto the tabletop. Naturally it contains, in addition to the usual things, local anesthetic and needles and thread, tweezers for picking out bullets or other foreign objects, and an eclectic assortment of Chinese herbs and ointments. He has duplicate kits hidden away in his other apartments as well as the Sanctum. There is the sound of rummaging, small noises hinting at the odd contents. "I can give you something to take along and put on it periodically, to prevent infection. The sooner you heal, the sooner you can teach me more."

Bandages and a small bottle are pressed lightly into Ichi's hand. "Ah... the cap is a twist-off..." It occurs to him belatedly how foreign that might be.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

Ichi gives an amused tilt of his head as he sets the bandages down on the table and gives a brief exploration of the cap with his fingers. A bit hesitantly, he pinches the cap, and successfully turns it the right direction. He gives an amused chuckle.

"That, was luck." He sets the opened bottle on the table and works at taking off the old bandage. The wound appears a bit red from bleeding and being irritated, but for the most part, it doesn't look infected. Ichi ducks his head and gives another chuckle. "I just, um, rub it on?" He picks up the bottle and mimes scooping out the contents.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

"It's a thick liquid, you might dab it on with a piece of the old bandage..." The Shadow watches, but hesitates to come around the table and take over from him. He'd take that as an insult, were their positions reversed, and assumes Ichi would feel the same. At the very least this salved doesn't smell too bad, and it's in a glass bottle hand-labeled in Chinese writing. The twist-cap is the only aspect that will be truly out of place in Ichi's world.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

Ichi picks up the old bandage, ripping off a small piece and doing as The Shadow suggests. He gives his arm a curious sniff as he begins to put on the new dressing and laughs gently.

"This I don't mind." He diligently finishes wrapping the wound and recaps the bottle, screwing it back on. He picks up the old bandages and rolls them neatly before stuffing the roll in the front of his shirt. He'll dispose of them himself. "Shadow-san, thank you for your hospitality."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

"Thank you for a few new tricks and a sparring session." He smiles faintly, and shuts the first-aid kit with a click. "Keep that bottle. You can use it whenever you change bandages." Chinatown is not far, after all, and he can always get more.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"Ah, thank you, Shadow-san." Ichi gives a bow and tucks the bottle away. He reaches out and gives the sake bottle a quick shake with a smile. "It's cold, but we can split it. One drink left."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

On the one hand, he'd like to be ready and alert should anything come up in his work, but on the other hand it's been a very long time since he had friendly drinks with anyone. Decades, in fact. He leans forward and finds his abandoned sake cup. "You're a bad influence." His voice carries a smirk.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"So I'm told." Ichi gives a hearty laugh as he pours enough to fill half of The Shadow's cup, and then finishes the rest by tipping it into his own. He raises it, and nods to The Shadow. "Heh, bottoms up." He raises the cup and drinks down the sake, savoring it as he smiles, leaning his head back so he faces the ceiling. Without the adrenaline to offset the alcohol now, he appears mildly inebriated, and rather pleased at the fact. "That's damn good sake."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

A constitution that has handled various poisons and other drugs is not easily swayed by mere alcohol, but The Shadow's head is swimming slightly. He takes slightly longer to finish his drink, sipping it, but is amused by Ichi's current state. "I hope you have a short walk to a bed, wherever you're PINpointing back to." At the very least he'll have a cane to guide him there and steady his walking.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

Not depending on sight, makes for a significant lack of 'beer goggles'. And the cane definitely helps.

"I was on my way out of town. There's a nice little temple I can spend the night at, not far from where I was. Am, uh, will be." He seems amused at the uncertainty with which he finds the terms. With a grin, he pulls out his cloth purse and rummages in it, finding the PINpoint and plunking it onto the table as he ties the cloth back up. "Enjoy yourself, Shadow-san. It's a good night to relax."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

"Good. And... thank you. I'm not used to relaxing. I'm no good at it." He is amused, but the combination of sake and scotch has him feeling very comfortable just sitting down, watching nothing in particular. It's a rare moment his mind is not humming with things to do.

"Keep safe." He means it, but he does not doubt Ichi's skill with the blade, even slightly potted.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"I'm happy to work on that too, you know." He gives a quick laugh and then quiets, to an honest, kindly tone.

"Keep safe." Ichi stands in his bow-legged posture, and gives a proper parting bow, before he picks up the PINpoint. "Go." He speaks at it while holding down one of the only buttons on the face, and disappears.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

The Shadow rolls his eyes, bemused, but he's not looking to make this sort of relaxation a habit. His work demands he keep sharp as much of the time as is humanly possible. Sometimes it even demands the superhuman, and he does his best to live up to it.

He watches Ichi go with a nod, and gazes thoughtfully at the space he has vacated for some time. Washing the cups can wait for later. For the moment, he is content to relish the unfamiliar sensation of being truly relaxed.