How have we never talked? (Nao)

[Koty Hura]

A typical Tuesday afternoon found one Koty Hura quietly reflecting on things at Hammel. Despite going to class ever day, cooking his meals as usual, training, meditating, even sending some emails back and forth between himself and his father, Koty felt like.. he'd been on autopilot. Like despite having been around for the past several months, he hadn't actively been doing anything. A small part of him wondered if this was what a dissociative fugue felt like, but then a larger part of him figured that perhaps this had something to do with routine here.. how very casual everything was here in America compared to how it had been in Japan and at Eisei. Maybe he'd simply become complacent.. stopped looking for new things for the most part. Since Dante had left (be it for better or worse) Koty had been.. 'reclusive' might be an adequate word. The combination of his becoming more used to his new environment, the winter months making getting outside more difficult, and the hurt of losing.. whatever Dante might have been... Yes. That's what Koty would blame for his sudden realization. And he would take active steps to rectify that situation starting.... well, why not now?

So freshly focused and contemplative, Koty hopped off of his bed with the intention of taking a walk in the cool spring air. Before he'd even reached his door, Koty had roughly planned out his journey, on which he would try to see things he'd been glancing over and notice things he'd been taking for granted. Give himself a bit of fresh perspective on his situation and his surroundings. He would walk over to the cafeteria, then out toward the fields and finally take a stroll the long way around the courtyard on his way back.. Only when he closed his door and glanced out at the common room Koty realized he was attempting to take a much too broad approach to his new perspective. He aught to start right here.. with someone that he'd seen dozens and dozens of times but.. to his knowledge never spoken more than a word of greeting to. One of his dorm mates. A younger boy who he believed was called 'Nao'.

Yeah. Yeah, this was a much more appropriate way to go about things. Find something closer to home that's new, and use that to constantly remind yourself to.. seek out new things or further your knowledge on things you take advantage of every day. So with a light shrug, Koty stepped in front of the meandering younger (also Asian) boy, slipping on his fine grey cotton gloves and offering the boy his hand in greeting.

Sure, it might be a little strange to have someone who you would ordinarily give a halfhearted nod to.. stop you in your tracks while you were enjoying some pocky.. especially one dressed like Koty was, in a grey sweatpants and a white tee.. making him look like he was either about to do yoga or about to go jogging.. but at this point Koty didn't particularly care. He offered Nao a hand to shake and stood there like a good neighbor aught to. "Good afternoon. It.. has rather suddenly come to my intention that we have lived within feet of each other for months now and I do not believe I even know your full name. I am Koty Hura, and while it is notably belated, it is nice to meet you. I believe I have heard you addressed as 'Nao'?"

Bam. Introductions 101. Find person, offer handshake to person, offer verbal introduction to person. Hope that conversation topic makes itself known, or that your new acquaintance is generous with their pocky.

[Deleted]

To address the simple question of how these two roommates had never had a chance to speak to each other after over six months of living together, it was simple. Nao was a very quiet and private person. As quiet and as meek as a mouse, one might never realize that he was even there save for the few friends he brought over for study sessions. Otherwise, the boy mostly just kept to his room while he was occupying the dorms. Outside the dorms, Nao stuck mainly to the computer labs, the library, cafeteria, and most often, the training rooms.

Nao had noticed Koty in sensei’s self-defense course, but the other boy always seemed difficult to approach. Xun, too, however was difficult to approach as well at first. Then there were the friendly type who seemed to like to do nothing but talk, like Brooke, the demented girl, and Mathis, the boy who gave him food.

Then again, Nao also didn’t connect very often with the rest of his roommates either. He had once gotten to share a small meal with the short boy(which was amazing that there was a boy shorter than him, even though he was younger), and the remaining, Naozumi never had a reason to interact nor did he seem interested in doing so.

Considering everything, Nao was surprised when Koty had approached him whilst the young boy enjoyed his chocolate biscuit treat. The hand offered to him….Nao looked down at it, curious at it’s intent. Was the other boy asking for a share of his pocky? If that were the case, then Nao would be happy to share, but there wasn’t too much left. Naozumi didn’t have to wonder for long, however, as Koty explained himself. Nao looked up at the taller boy. “I’m Naozumi Makiguchi,” he said, short and to the point. He nodded shallowly. “It’s nice to meet you.” Naozumi offered his own hand to shake, the grip being loose, yet he didn’t shy away from it.

What else? Nao held up his package of treats. “Would you like some?” Nao wasn’t too keen on sharing, but it was the nice thing to do.

[Koty Hura]

Koty blinked twice when Nao offered him some pocky, then grinned. He reached over and gently took a single stick. It must have been months since Koty had tasted the unique yumminess that was Pocky. He stared at it for a moment before taking half a step back, bringing his hands together, and giving Nao a small bow. ["Your offer is most appreciated, Makiguchi-san."] Of course, half of the asian duded around here didn't speak anything but English, and the rest of them were split between Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, and a handful of other languages. So Koty followed up his bit of Japanese with plain and simple English. "Thank you, Nao. I have not had Pocky.. I believe since I stepped foot on American soil."

Months ago, yeah. Probably approaching a year. Koty suddenly wondered if he'd had a birthday and forgotten about it. How old was he again? Blah, distraction was bad. Get to know something about Nao. 'So are you from Japan' wasn't a very good question. Oh well. Why not the typical meta question, then? "So, I wear these gloves to avoid skin-to-skin contact with others because I am a tactile telepath.. Might I inquire as to what ability has brought you to Hammel, Nao?"

Giving the shorter boy ample time to speak, Koty chomped down on the stick of Pocky he'd been offered, instantly both reminiscent and disappointed by the stuff.. Yup. Definitely Pocky. Awesome and yet pretty plain at the same time. Good stuff.

[Deleted]

Nao would have to agree with Koty about the satisfying dullness of the pocky snack. It was the kind where you had to have a lot of to truly be satisfied by it. That’s why Nao tended to buy it in bulk…or rather, he had his mom buy it in bulk and she sent it over in home-care packages, each and every one of them appreciated more than the last. There were few places out in this secluded town where one could find an acceptable variety of pocky. There were tons of places in San Francisco.

Naozumi nodded, adding a slight bow in his shoulders. [“You’re welcome,”] he returned the courtesy. Nao cocked his head as he pulled more pocky from the package. “You’re from Japan, right? Whereabouts?” There were some other Japanese students here, but Nao had the same issue as Koty and found that most of them were from other parts of Asia.

Nao smiled slightly. “I run fast. They call it super speed.” But that made him sound like some sort of super hero when, in fact, he was just a 15-year-old boy. Koty’s ability seemed a lot more interesting than Nao’s though. “What does it mean to be a tactile telepath?” He hadn’t been at the school long, so there were still so many unique powers he was unused to.

[Koty Hura]

When Nao had replied in what sounded like fluent Japanese, Koty had paused and blinked. So there were others aside from himself and Meian-sensei. Good to know. As for where Koty was from.. "My mother was a scientist and worked at a lab very near Eisai. I could have walked if I wanted, but I took the bus most days." Of course, it might be a little silly that Koty assume Nao know where Eisai was. There was no telling how long he'd been in America or if he'd manifested here or there.. But Koty was quite happy to have met another Japanese speaker, and so that possibility zipped right over his head.

"Super speed? Ah. I would likely have not taken the bus as often." He removed one glove, the pocky resting in his mouth like a candy straw. "It is very similar to regular remote telepathy, only my abilities require me to come into direct contact with the skin of the person whom I wish to connect with. Even these thin gloves are enough to prevent accidental contact. I could show you, if you wish." And Koty held out the now un-gloved hand toward Nao. "My ability to connect telepathically is above average.. I assume because of the physical link required.. but I am also perhaps more susceptible to psychic overload than many telepaths. If my guard is not up and I brush against someone experiencing an emotional extreme, I am liable to be overwhelmed by whatever their surface thoughts or emotions are. For the moment, my guard is up. I do not believe either of us would be in any danger whatsoever if you wished to experience what I do."

If Nao did choose to touch Koty's hand, he would soon hear something akin to his own internal monologue say in Koty's voice, "It is a useful ability, this. I would imagine yours is similar." ..If Nao wasn't weirded out and allowed the connection to remain, he would experience a bit of Koty's imagination for a moment.. Koty imagining how awesome it felt to be able to run super fast.. leap huge distances.. feel the wind and the g-forces.. even a brief impression of running around a curved wall, his body parallel with the ground like it was a banked turn.

[Deleted]

Nao didn’t notice the pause in Koty when he replied. Nao had assumed that with a name like Hura(which he’d heard during Meian-sensei’s class) that he might be Japanese. But then again, Naozumi had also responded properly when their other roommate(who did not appear to be of Asian descent of any sort) greeted Naozumi in Korean. Though Korean was not one of the languages Nao was strong in. He may know a few phrases, but that was his limit so far. “Oh,” was all Nao said in response to Koty’s explanation. He waited a short moment before continuing. “My family is from Okinawa, but we moved to San Jose when I was six,” he offered. It was only fair, right? Koty told Nao where he was from, so Nao should tell Koty the same.

“Nor would I,” he replied with a slight smile. Back in California, Nao had to walk to school because it was close enough to not take a bus, but it was still far enough that he found it mildly inconvenient, especially considering his challenges in finding direction.

Tactile telepathy sounded very interesting as Koty explained it. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to experience it, however. “So it won’t hurt?” he asked. Nao wasn’t particularly afraid of getting hurt from it, he just wanted to know what to expect. He tentatively reached out to Koty’s offered hand, slowly, until they finally touched.

Nao blinked as he heard the voice in his head. But then, suddenly, was met with a unnamable fear and pulled his hand away. He gripped his hand with his other and stared a moment before snapping back and realizing how incredibly rude he was being. “Sorry!” he urged, hoping he hadn’t offended the other boy. Nao tried to collect his thoughts. “Um…I guess my ability is useful. I can get to classes faster when I’m late.” Which he supposed was useful, but Nao wouldn’t be running behind so often if he didn’t have his power to fall back on.

[Koty Hura]

The fear was something that Koty could easily enough sense while the connection was intact, and he would have withdrawn his own hand to avoid aggravating the situation any further. Nao's apology would be met with a straight face and the no-longer-touching hand waved in a dismissive gesture. "You have no need to apologize. You are at no risk, but I would not ask that you maintain a connection that causes you distress. Such a thing would be both selfish and pointless." Just because he hadn't transferred the feelings he imagined super speed came with didn't mean Koty didn't imagine them anyway.. especially when getting to classes faster had been mentioned.

In fact, on that note, Koty's subconscious dragged up the memory of when he'd met Meian-sensei for the first time.. followed him to the training room. He'd been shorter than.. had a difficult time keeping up with the man. "Is your speed a difficult thing to train or to master?" One would imagine that physical abilities would be the easiest ones to train and master.. but then again, Koty had never imagined telepathy, especially of the tactile variety, would be difficult to master. Hence a question instead of an accusation. There were likely a bunch of small things involved that could go wrong when one's body was pushed that degree past the ordinary limits. Inertia and momentum and.. physics.. Also, if Nao's eyes didn't operate at super speed and his reaction times weren't decreased to match, it would be quite dangerous to run anywhere but an open area..

Koty pondered for several moments, then allowed a tiny shrug to himself, muttering something about how the grass always seems greener on the other side.

[Deleted]

Nao wasn’t even certain what about the connection had startled him to pulling back. There wasn’t anything inherently scary about what he was seeing….maybe it was more he was afraid of what Koty might see? It wasn’t that Nao had many secrets…well he had things that people didn’t know about him, but that was just because he wasn’t much of a talker. But…maybe he was just being insecure? That maybe Koty would find out something that would make him distance himself from Nao. Like finding out that Nao was gay…and had a huge crush on his…best friend(it still sounded strange saying that) Raylaigh.

Nao was probably just thinking too much about it…

“It’s okay,” he replied, still rubbing his hand nervously. “It’s easy to go fast and in a straight line. It’s hard to think at that speed, however. And if I’m not careful, I can hyperextend my joints from moving too fast.” While he had the ability to move quickly, his body didn’t always have the endurance to keep up and hold together. He was lucky that he already had a lot of the basic movement training required to compensate, thanks to his aikido practice.

Nao took another stick of pocky and bit down on it.

[Koty Hura]

"Hyper extension?" What a mundane and completely obvious flaw to super speed. The ability to go fast, but with the extra speed an extra risk. Koty had never had a hyper extended or dislocated joint.. but the sound of either thing didn't make him want to find out what they felt like. Having one's brain almost hemorrhage from psychic overload was plenty bad without taking away the physical ability to walk. "That.. seems like something that evolution would have ironed out had we evolved into these abilities rather than simply manifesting into them. I hope that you manage to avoid that sort of side-effect. I cannot imagine that hyper extending anything is pleasant. I can only relate in that overworking my mind is not pleasant.."

But meditation helped.. Maybe martial arts helped as well? Nao was in Meian-sensei's self-defense class as we ll. "I believe I have seen you several times in the self-defense class Meian-sensei provides. I believe our practiced styles are different." Which just made it even worse that Koty had never said a word to Nao. He was in at least that class with him, and payed enough attention to notice that the boy didn't practice ju-jitsu. "I am not sure that such training aids you, but if there is any chance my knowledge would benefit you I would be more than willing to share what I am able." Nao seemed both very interesting and also.. somewhat difficult to talk to. Koty figured he himself might be difficult to talk to on occasion.. what with his habit of saying nothing, then talking longer than most people would in order to articulate.. but Nao was different.

--There was one thing Koty might be able to offer, though, that Nao could appreciate. "Forgive me for switching topics so abruptly, but how often do you enjoy an authentic Japanese meal? I cook for myself often and seldom have anyone to share with or who can appreciate the effort I put in to making my meals."

[Deleted]

Was that a rhetorical question? Nao furrowed his eyebrows slightly forward in confusion, unsure of how to respond to that other than providing a shallow nod to confirm Koty’s question/statement. Nao had had a few injuries in the past, though it was nothing more than a sprain at the very worst or a pulled muscle. Recently he had a bad twist of his ankle as a result of a bad fall while he was using his power during a spur of the moment race. “I think so too. But unfortunately I’ve had a few problems.” Like tripping and running into things. “But I think that might just be my own fault.” Since he was so absent minded.

He nodded again. “Yes, I practice aikido. I’ve been practicing for about five years now.” Koty was right, though. The training helped. But somehow it seemed like he had to learn how to move all over again. He had some forms and waza which he had down to perfection at normal speeds. The fortunate thin about that was that he could take it slow from there and slowly increase his speed so he can get those committed to muscle memory. “I’m always willing to learn something new, however.” Xun was already teaching him wushu, so what was another art?

The offer of food got his attention, more so than the rest of the conversation. His eyes seemed to light up at the notion. “I actually don’t cook well.” And he didn’t often have much money. “So it’s been since I left home that I last had it.” If Koty was willing to share his meals with Nao, then he’d be eternally grateful.

[Koty Hura]

Ahh, that look that one didn't have to be a telepath in order to completely understand. One's eyes lighting up at the mention of authentic Japanese food. Then there was at least that. Something to work on. A way to perhaps make sure seeing Nao wasn't a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence. Bribe the boy with food.

Martial arts and food. If that was all it took, Koty and Nao would be good friends. Maybe it was.. maybe it could be. Only one way to find out. "Oh, I have some leftovers from breakfast if Pocky fails to satisfy your hunger." On that note, Koty stepped away, heading for the mini fridge in his room. He didn't specifically ask for Nao to join him, but perhaps the fact that Koty kept talking would be enough. "I have practiced Ju Jitsu, Tai Kwan Do, and some Karate.. as well as the mixed style that Meian-sensei has taught for years. I am most proficient in Ju Jitsu, but I would imagine Tai Kwan Do would be most beneficial to you." There was a lot of leg usage in TKD, after all.

Whether or not Nao had followed, Koty would soon enough present the boy with a small platter, giving Nao a small bow. "I am usually more fond of nigiri, but one of the local shops procured some very good seaweed. These are salmon, egg, tofu, and pickled eggplant. I also have some.. not-as-good miso soup.. and if you appreciate sour plums I have several." There was plenty more where these pieces had come from.. This was planned to be Koty's mid-morning snack. Pickled eggplant rolls, while not a common thing, had come from Koty trying to combine and dress up one of Vincent's favorites.. Pickled veggies.. and he'd found that he rather liked it.. and so kept making it. Everything else, though, was fairly typical.

Koty offered Nao the small platter and stood back.. Koty wasn't the best cook, but he could give many people not trained in culinary arts a run for their money. --As long as it didn't involve ground beef. Koty simply.. had bad luck with ground beef. Hamburgers, meat-in spaghetti sauce.. they just never came out right.

[Deleted]

If you ever wanted Naozumi to do something, then you should always bribe him with food. He would take anything, there were few things that the 15-year-old wouldn’t eat. Especially if it was Japanese food. He so rarely got to eat it now that he was at Hammel and the next time he expected to have it pure and authentic was when he went home for the summer and his family took him back to Okinawa for their annual vacation. He was often wondering if the school would allow it, because the dates were typically stared and ended on days when school was in session, from June to August. He supposed he would hear word of that soon, as his family made the arrangements with their extended family, the airlines, and the school officials.

“Thank you,” he said. Oh, it was Ju-jitsu, Tai Kwan Do, and Karate. “Those sound interesting. I’ve only ever practiced aikido.” He paused. No that wasn’t quite true. “Actually, Xun, another student of Meian-sensei’s class, has offered to teach me wushu. I’m very much looking forward to it.” Chinese martial arts was a lot different than Japanese. “Perhaps we could all learn from each other.” One thing that Nao had come across over the years is that there was a frequent…arrogance among different practitioners of various martial arts, many of then believing that one was better than the other. One thing his Shihan had taught him was that whenever you enter a classroom, you always do so with an empty cup. That is the mindset of a student, always eager to learn something new, and all martial artists were students. It was the foolish person who believed they had nothing further to learn.

“Mmm…I agree. I always enjoyed nigiri most as well.” He remembered going to some places back in California, on rare occasions of course, and had always enjoyed the taste of the fish far more than than the taste of the garnishes placed upon the rolls. “Which shops?” he asked, although it wasn’t like he could afford to go out and obtain these ingredients at his leisure. Nao’s eyes widened as they laid upon the line of sushi. “Thank you,” he said once again, taking one of the pieces up between two fingers. The might not have been any soy sauce, but he didn’t need it. “Mmmm,” he hummed as the taste hit his pallet. It wasn’t the best he’d ever had, but it was familiar enough to evoke a nostalgic feeling. “This is really good.”

[Koty Hura]

Which shops? ...Uh.. that was actually a really good question. "I have no idea. It is on the far side of Pilot Ridge. I never noticed the name. I saw Japanese writing and investigated and.. have never even looked at the name." Maybe it wasn't such a sin.. Japanese writing in Vermont was enough of a reason for someone from the island to go inside. The words Koty had seen were 'beer', 'authentic', and 'fresh'.. and he'd known there would be something inside worth buying.

"I could show you if you wished.. but I am better with directions by feel than written or spoken. I would offer to show you indirectly, but I would not wish to prompt another.. unanticipated reaction to my ability. We could schedule a day to shop if you wish?" Hopefully Nao was reasonable and would understand that Koty wasn't trying to take him on a date.. Hopefully. Because otherwise Koty himself might have to consider why he'd just let slip what sounded slightly like asking one out on a date and his head would probably start hurting. He just wanted someone to hang out with. It was probably still too soon after .. whatever Dante could have been.

But getting back off of more shaded thoughts, Koty glanced back up at Nao and let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Anyway.. As your schedule allows, I would be happy to show you what forms I have working knowledge of. Or I would be equally happy to invite you to accompany me to one of the local sushi bars. I have found few students that share my passion for nigiri."

[Deleted]

Nao could understand. When he saw a random spot of kanji around this town, he too had to stop and find out what it was. Most of the time it turned out to be a half-assed restaurant. Then again, it wasn’t like Nao had a lot of money to be able to spend at all of the novelty places everywhere. “I think I’d like that.” It was always better to to know that a place is good from the beginning than risk wasting what little money you had in search of something. If Nao inspected every place that looked authentic, then he would never have any money for food. “I’m not so good in taking directions, so I think it would be best if we went together, too.”

Nao’s mind was the furthest thing from this being a date. On the one hand, Nao still had his sights set on his friend Ray. Things were…happening with that, weren’t they? No, they were just….who knew. On the other hand, while Koty was nice and one of the more polite people he’d met so far at Hammel, he wasn’t Nao’s type. Call him picky, but Nao had already determined that he didn’t really go for those of his own ethnicity much. They’d have to get closer for it to be a consideration, if it got to that point at all.

“That’d be great,” he said with a spark of interest. “I’m in the school dojo almost every day. I’m sure I can arrange something that works. And I’d be nice to get out and share some time with someone who shares my family’s culture.” Because it was something he hadn’t experienced since he’d left home several months back. Nao was, to say the least, homesick. “I’d like to talk more.” A smile, a noticeable smile, was finally coaxed from Nao’s lips. This was a good meeting so far.

[Koty Hura]

Huh. A smile. It hadn't occurred to Koty up until this point but Nao had yet to actually smile in any way during their conversation. In fact, now that Koty thought about it.. he likely hadn't smiled either. Maybe a grin had slipped at some point, but an actual smile? Doubtful.. And someone who was into martial arts, nigiri, and wanted to talk more... that was worth a smile about, wasn't it? So Koty as well allowed a small smile to ease across his features. "I am glad to have.. ended the silence between us, then. I will be heading into early next week. If you are available you are more then welcome to accompany me. Lunch will be my treat and you are encouraged to eat your fill. In the meantime, I often have leftovers.. I occasionally offer them to Meian-sensei but given his somewhat full schedule, you are welcome to a portion of what I cook. My efforts may not provide the experience one can get at a reasonable establishment, but I often find them preferable to cafeteria food."

Assuming that Nao had finished what was on the platter Koty had offered him a short time ago, Koty would take it back and move to put it away. "I had intended on taking a walk.. You are welcome to accompany me but under no pressure whatsoever, Nao."