City stroll

[evillurks]

The Shadow arrives at Ichi's apartment by the door, rather than by PINpoint, and his knock is distinctly different from that of Chaz Walters. He is quick to greet Ichi once the door is open, however, trusting the other man to recognize his voice. "Afternoon. Feeling recovered from yesterday?" There is quiet amusement in his tone. He carries two canes, his own with the ebony eagle's head, and another wrapped in paper. Ichi will have a proper red-tipped white cane for the city streets, and the old man has even brought him a pair of dark sunglasses.

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[evillurks.livejournal.com]

His footsteps are silent on the hard floor, but suddenly there is the quiet, looming feel of The Shadow at his back. He does not push him in any way, merely waits patiently behind Ichi while he tries to take in the surge of sounds. At once he has both cut off any chance of escape, but also made himself a protective presence.

Car horns beep, engines roar, there is some distant staccato noise of road work, and of course the yells and curses and conversations of the people. If he listens carefully however, he may be able to pick out familiar phrases of English;
"I'll meet you later then!"
"Watch where you're goin' buddy!"
"Hot dogs!"
Mingled with the smells of exhaust and concrete, subtly familiar scents that sometimes cling to The Shadow's work clothes, there are also perfumes, sweat, and something unfamiliar but undeniably food wafting deliciously on the air.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

Thankfully, the glasses now serve to hide the most obvious signs of a wince to anyone simply passing by. He lets the door close, and takes a hissing breath, sighing. He can feel The Shadow blocking his escape route, and he has half a mind to swing at him with a cane, simply to alleviate the trapped feeling it gives him. He's feeling defensive, on edge, and his usual reaction is to either get out of the situation, or lash out. Neither is an option here.

He utters a low, frustrated swear in Japanese as he sets his hand on the door again, and shoves it open.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

Even from behind, The Shadow can tell how tense he is, and already anticipated that sense of being overwhelmed. Were Ichi to take a swing at him now, it would simply be lightly intercepted. He can feel the fear that underlies the blind man's body language.

"It's only sound, and scents. No one here means you any harm." This time he speaks in English, but pitched low and quiet in a way that somehow cuts through all the background noise. His voice carries a calm the din outside cannot vanquish.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"Only sound and smell. Have a big light put in your eyes and say it's just light." Ichi snorts quietly, irritated, as he forces himself out onto the pavement, the cane tapping down. He's thankful for the quieter break as he hears it hit the hard ground, and he pulls the cane in close, to keep any other pedestrians from tripping on it. He reaches back, verifying the location of the door, and that it's closed. He takes a breath, the air in his chest is tight from the odd smells, the scent of gasoline fumes and ozone burning his unaccustomed senses.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

The Shadow moves to his side once they're out of the building, keeping a wary eye out for the things Ichi can't. This is certainly not the quietest street in Manhattan, but it's very far from the busiest, as well. After a few moments of quiet while Ichi orients himself, The Shadow murmurs back in Japanese, "I have. It's usually followed by shooting. That won't be the case here."

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

((ARGH! Ten days later, I'm so sorry for the immense time between posts, but I'm back and good to keep going.))

"Good to know." He nods, his head swiveling about as he tries to pinpoint sounds as best he can in the din. He's trying to decide what he can tune out for the moment, he's been to busy, loud cities before, but the new sounds are difficult to determine if he should ignore them, or be aware.

After a minute, he gives a rather loud sneeze, the fumes getting to his sensitive nose.

"Sorry." He sniffles, before tapping the hard cement with his cane twice in nervous fidgeting. "We go walking now?" He summons a nervous smile, swinging the tip of his cane only so far as his own feet.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

((I'm just glad to see you back! I know things have been busy for you.))

"Yes, I'll tell you when to turn." He seems willing to let Ichi take things at his own pace, but this may be only because he can see that he's trying to adapt as quickly as possible. The sounds of the cars are a near constant, and each one is subtly different.

Watching him sneeze, The Shadow has a brief moment of worry that too much exposure to the city runs the risk of dulling Ichi's senses, but there's not much to be done about it. He's managed to keep his own senses sharp despite decades in the city and the subtle damages of old age, and even his could not match Ichi's from the start. A moment later a man passes by them smoking a cigar, and The Shadow gives a few rattling coughs in response, ending in a wheeze. There are times the city is hard on him, too.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

The cigar is foreign, but the burning smell of leaves is not something new, in fact Ichi gives the air a second sniff just before The Shadow starts coughing. He tilts a worried ear toward him. Still, that scent of cigar gives him a better clue which way people are walking. He swings his cane out cautiously, before turning to walk in the opposite direction of the cigar smell. He doesn't want to follow something that's going to bother The Shadow, and distract his own senses.

"We start this way?"

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

There was certainly a time The Shadow smoked regularly himself, and the scent doesn't bother him in the least. Unfortunately his lungs themselves are no longer in the shape to handle it, and the temporary collapse of one lung has left him with the occasional twinge of pain and a cough that he will likely have to put up with for the rest of his life. He considers himself lucky, in retrospect, to have escaped cancer or emphysema.

"That's fine. We'll circle the neighbourhood a little." He winces and gives a last cough, recovering. Once Ichi has had a little time wandering the streets, he intends to aim him in the direction of the close-by Central Park, with its open spaces and greenery that will allow him to relax some.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"Okay." He keeps a slower, but reasonable pace, the hard cement underneath his feet and the ridges in the sidewalk mark the passage of distance as his cane swings gently before him. To all appearances, he seems to be completely used to the length and weight of the cane as he walks along.

"Tell me about the things we pass. It will help with the sounds and smells."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

Speaking in Japanese is no guarantee they won't be overheard and understood, but it seems unlikely. He'd prefer not to have the majority around them notice that he's introducing Ichi to the modern world. "Lots of cars, there's a road to your right, but we're on the sidewalk, which is slightly raised and designated for pedestrians..." He falls into step beside Ichi, curtailing his strides a little to match the ambling pace. "English is the major language here, but people from all over come to New York, so you may hear others. People who do smoke usually prefer cigarettes or cigars, tobacco rolled in paper, although there are a few pipes around. That was a cigar we passed before." He pauses at the distant boom of punk rock from somewhere ahead and across the street.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

He perks an ear, but continues walking, a nervous smile on his face. It was so much, all so new, but it was slowly starting to become novel, rather than something to be feared. An ear briefly turns his head as a woman in heels walks by, and he seems confused.

"What about the people? I hear some, they talk like Chaz." Another turned acknowledgment of a talking couple they pass. He motions to an ear with his free hand. "Not all of them. I used to place people by their accent back home. I'm going to have to learn the new ones for English."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

"Walters is from Brooklyn, but that's just another part of the city. There's... too many to explain right now. I can give you a sampling later, and a raised map. You'd better have some geography lessons." Accents and foreign languages are second nature to The Shadow, so he can give quite a thorough lesson. "That couple sounded like they're visiting from Massachusetts, possibly Boston. Turn left ahead." They're reaching the end of the block, and he assumes Ichi will be able to tell by sound where the building ends and the corner opens up, but he's close by his elbow if that's not the case...

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

Indeed, Ichi's intuition and hearing allow him to make the turn at a natural pace.

"A raised map?" He smiles. "I walk all over the countryside back home, I learn my way around by walking, but a map would be nice." Already he's building a mental map of what he can distinguish around him. He muses a moment at the description of the accents.

"Brooklyn." He does his best to sound out the name, making a note to mention it to Chaz. She might be able to help him learn a thing or two about the place, without bothering The Shadow again.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

"And don't go trying to place my accent, I've traveled too much..." He eyes a motorcycle weaving its way up the street between cars. The engine is significantly louder than that of the other vehicles, and a few people curse at the rider as he swerves around their bumpers.

"I've been distracted, and neglecting your teaching. Raised maps of the world are easier to find than maps of smaller areas, like New York itself, but there are resources for the blind. In the meantime, you might try walking this area on your own, later, to make yourself more familiar with it."

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"With everyone here, it makes you easy to pick out." With The Shadow's command of languages however, Ichi certainly believes it within the man's power to take on an accent as easily as the disguises he speaks of. An ear easily follows the whine of the motorcycle, but he's also focused on The Shadow's words. There's a lot of auditory stimulation, and Ichi's beginning to enjoy the challenge that the multitasking is creating.

"I won't wander too far, but I will do just that. There's a lot here, it will be a while before I start to get used to hearing so many voices speaking English."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

The Shadow's command of not only accents but languages is perhaps one of his greatest skills of all, but he is not inclined to show off. His default is a muddle that comes off as vaguely European to American ears.

There is a constant babble of voices, of course, and some music sounds at once both quiet and close, trailing from the headphones of passers-by. Myriad barks on the far side of the street herald a professional dog-walker, and in all the tumult likely the most familiar part is the catalogue of curses, thanks to Chaz.

"If you follow the route we're taking today, you should be fine, we're just circling the block your building is on. And you will get used to it... but you'd better keep visiting home, too. You'd be surprised how easy it is to forget your first language when you're immersed in another."

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"It will be nice to go home occasionally. Our'busy' is a little different, and it's nice to be able to go back to simple things." He's grown a greater appreciation for the simpler life he used to live before stumbling into the Nexus, even if he does love the newness of everything currently around him. "I can roll in a little mud, and walk until my sandals wear through." He chuckles. "And then come back here, clean up, and speak another language." He is starting to find this all amusing the more he's exposed to New York.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

"Busy?" That single word carries a smirk. The Shadow's version of busy would run most people into the ground. "I should trade places with you for a vacation." He offers to refill Ichi's glass with a quiet clink of the bottle. "But the pace of life in New York is hectic even by modern standards for the rest of the world."

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"You should." He laughs brightly. "You could visit a temple. When I've had enough, I find a temple and stay there for a few days. I'll do chores, anything the Priests need help with." Ichi seems to be adjusting well to the noisy city as he pauses a moment before taking a small sidestep toward The Shadow, avoiding a dog that pulls on its master's leash.

"A dog's a dog, no matter how many ways you try to clean him up." He speaks lowly, but with a tone of amusement.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

"Mm, there are working dogs, trained to act as guides for the blind. I'm not sure you'd want that to worry about that, though. I'm not sure what you'd do with him when you're in your world." He sidesteps as well, without really thinking about it, his thoughts drifting briefly elsewhere.

The sigh is a quiet one, but heavy all the same. "That... might not be such a bad idea." It wouldn't be the home sanctuary he feels he has lost, but there are times he feels he has had more than enough and needs some peace.

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"I'm don't really like dogs, anyways." He'd been chased and barked at by enough to annoy him for years to come already.

At the sigh from The Shadow, Ichi reaches out, setting a careful hand on the man's shoulder. The motion is almost uncertain, as if he doesn't trust his own ears to correctly pinpoint The Shadow's location in space.

"With a heart like that, it's tempting to send you now." He gives a strong, reassuring squeeze before letting his hand drop back to his side. "Next time I'm home, I'll look for a nice place, and keep away so I don't bring trouble." He smiles at himself for that.

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

The Shadow gives a simple nod of acceptance, although of course it goes unseen. It's easy enough to let it go, as he trusts Ichi to learn his way around the modern world even without canine aid. Already he's making excellent progress.

He is not expecting the pat on the shoulder, and gives his companion a raised eyebrow, forcing a wry smile. "I don't know when I'd have time anyway. There's no need to hurry on my account. I can rest when I'm dead."

[blind-masseur.livejournal.com]

"That's a terrible time to relax, my friend." He grumped, though there's an attempt to make his words a bit lighthearted. "We are supposed to get everything we can out of this life. A little time in prayer and meditation will only give you more energy to meet challenges ahead."

[evillurks.livejournal.com]

Even in the chaotic sounds of the street, Ichi may detect a quiet wheezing huff. It's an ambiguous sound, perhaps part amusement, part dismissal. "Are we? If I lived life for myself, those around me would suffer. But... your point is a good one. I'll try to find a break." It's a vague kind of promise. Getting The Shadow to relax is never an easy task.

"Turn the next corner, too. We're circling the building." The sound of a skateboard turns his head briefly, but the teenager on it is no one they know.