（ which is his polite, faintly amused rebuff. he gave you your answer!! stop asking for more!! ）
Please leave them on the desk. While I am certain you took care of them, I have my own maintenance routine I prefer. As for your axe —
（ he reaches for a scroll, and as it's too big for the desk he stands gracefully and flips it open, laying it out across the bed. it has a series of symbols in black ink, and he gestures to a blank spot near the middle. ）
I can be. And you can be cagey, I don't really care. [ she is curious, but she also isn't going to push. the potential of skills that can leave you blind are in fact mildly concerning, but he clearly doesn't want to talk about it. ]
[ she moves to return his things to the desk as requested; they are in fact clear of the blood, not that he can evidently see it, but she also knows wanting to take care of your own weapons, so she doesn't care about that either. ]
[ next she comes to the bed, peering down at the scroll before setting the axe in the blank spot. ] It's there. Can you tell?
（ cagey it is. she knows enough about him already, enough to make him distinctly uncomfortable. he passes his hand over where she's set the axe down, and he nods faintly, and then makes the seal with one hand and at the same time, pushes the axe down into it. it disappears in a puff of white smoke, leaving the kanji for fuinjutsu in the heart of the scroll. ）
Keep the scroll with you. （ he has no interest in becoming a packhorse for others, they can carry their own damn things. ） It will be rendered useless if I leave this place or die, so consider it extraneous if such a thing happens.
[ fortunately for itachi, while andy might know a lot about him she isn't a blabbermouth and her curiosity is born mostly out of "this is new wtf" rather than "i must know everything about this secretive ninja man." and she knows she can be just as cagey, so she gets it. ]
[ which is why when she watches him seal up her axe, it's simply because it's fascinating. ]
Let's hope dead isn't one of the options. [ a beat, as she picks up the scroll and tucks it on her person. ] But thanks. It'll be good to have it for a back up next time.
You do not strike me as a hopeful person in that way, Andy-san.
（ his first impression of her is on a battlefield. there are things one carries, and no one who has seen that manner of war holds onto much hope where death is concerned. ）
（ he was thinking more pragmatist, but that little teasing question gives away more than she might expect. he cants his head faintly. ）
Are you a cynic?
（ he rarely troubles himself with direct questions. most of what he is curious about, when it comes to personally held beliefs, can be inferred through a variety of fringe questions that don't reveal much of his own curiosity. however, from the start they have both been somewhat blunt with each other. a pleasant cadence to have in an acquaintance — it cuts out the unnecessary chaff.
in answer to her question, he moves about his room with the precision of someone considerably less blind than himself, stopping at a small cabinet. a box of tea is pulled out and held for her to inspect. ）
[ she grins, faintly. ] Now you're getting personal, Itachi.
[ pragmatist would be more accurate, if he'd asked. a realist in a lot of ways, her idealism beaten down over and over into embers. ]
[ andy isn't surprised by how easily he moves around the room, given the extent of his skills and general awareness. the fact that he recognizes the tea box could mean he is also meticulously organized. ]
Gyokuro sounds good. [ quynh always did love green tea. ]
（ he hears more than sees the grin, and his mouth quirks faintly at the corners — on anyone else it would barely be a nuance to their expression, on itachi it's practically a smirk. ）
My sincerest apologies, Andy-san. I wouldn't wish to pry.
（ he would, actually, but he won't. he takes the tea back to the desk, where the same cabinet yields a pot and two small, clay cups, as well as a small electric kettle. generally, he would use a jutsu to create and heat water — it is as much a part of his life as breathing — but even light chakra use has a tendency now to leave him with a migraine so severe that being anything but unconscious is an act of masochism.
instead, he fills the kettle in the sink and clicks it on. due to some technological advent of the ship, he knows it will not take long. in the interim, he washes out the tea pot with warm water, his motions carrying a faint element of ritual to them. it is not a full ceremony, but he enjoys the quiet simplicity of something known by rote just the same. ）
[ congratulations, itachi, you earn one (1) small chuckle at the response, because of course he wants to pry, but he won't because that's not really how they vibe. ]
I suppose I can accept your apology.
[ she watches him move around the room, not really caring that he can likely feel her eyes on him. he goes through the motions with a familiarity that's almost pleasant to watch, and given the way tea seems to be his offer of choice, it makes sense that it would be a process ingrained. ]
Do you have a favorite tea? [ a beat. ] Unless that's a personal question. [ she is half teasing. ]
（ does he sound sarcastic? perhaps a little. she's one of the only people on the station that would understand what he meant if he were to, in a bleak deadpan, switch to calling her andy-sama. ）
Gyokuro is my favourite, as it happens. But there is no form of tea I have tried that I actively dislike.
（ someone please introduce this man to boba tbqh, because he would vibe with it. once his inner traditionalist snob piped down, anyway. ）
[ oh man she got a sarcasm. consider her further delighted. she doesn't quite laugh again, but her amusement deepens and it lingers in her tone. ]
I'm a merciful god. [ just a casual callback to their first encounter. ]
What about ice tea? I hear the real purists hate that shit. [ which means andy loves it. give her all the sugary sweet teas. boba included. she will get itachi hooked on boba one day, just wait. ]
（ his exhalation may seem only that, if one isn't mindful of the slight hitch to it that marks it as amusement. merciful god indeed. ）
I cannot say I have ever tried it iced.
（ cold, yes — he's seen too many people starve in too many nations to have any stomach for wasting food of any sort, but ice is the sort of things that you can really only get easily in metropolitan centres, and he has spent much of his life away from places with functioning electrical grids. the kekkei genkai necessary to create ice is rare, and not a transferrable skill even for one with the sharingan. ）
I would not be averse.
（ he is certainly a purist, but he is not so closed off to new experience as all that, either. ）
[ since getting together for tea is evidently becoming their thing. she'd say she'll supply it, but it's not like the kitchen stock is hers. her first request for viveca: please give me a dunkin donuts large sweetened iced tea with 5 liquid sugars so i can send itachi into a coma. ]
I like it, but it's a topic of hot debate among some avid tea drinkers. I guess it's pretty new in the grand scheme of tea.
[ she curls her fingers around it, enjoying the warmth. ]
Not pure enough a tea maybe? I never really paid that much attention. [ keeping up with what's cool or not in food trends is the least likely candidate for andy's attention of time trends. ]
（ which is acceptable and normal, but now he rather suspects he'll enjoy it. slowly, he picks his way back to his futon on the floor and takes a graceful seat, sinking down cross-legged. ）
（ he falls silent following that assertion. he is exhausted, and while her company does not wear thin on him — she is easy to exist around — he has lost his taste for conversation.
she seems aware of it, at least. they drink their tea in companionable silence, and when they are finished she excuses herself, leaving him to his rest. ）
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
（ which is his polite, faintly amused rebuff. he gave you your answer!! stop asking for more!! ）
Please leave them on the desk. While I am certain you took care of them, I have my own maintenance routine I prefer. As for your axe —
（ he reaches for a scroll, and as it's too big for the desk he stands gracefully and flips it open, laying it out across the bed. it has a series of symbols in black ink, and he gestures to a blank spot near the middle. ）
Lay it there.
no subject
[ she moves to return his things to the desk as requested; they are in fact clear of the blood, not that he can evidently see it, but she also knows wanting to take care of your own weapons, so she doesn't care about that either. ]
[ next she comes to the bed, peering down at the scroll before setting the axe in the blank spot. ] It's there. Can you tell?
no subject
（ cagey it is. she knows enough about him already, enough to make him distinctly uncomfortable. he passes his hand over where she's set the axe down, and he nods faintly, and then makes the seal with one hand and at the same time, pushes the axe down into it. it disappears in a puff of white smoke, leaving the kanji for fuinjutsu in the heart of the scroll. ）
Keep the scroll with you. （ he has no interest in becoming a packhorse for others, they can carry their own damn things. ） It will be rendered useless if I leave this place or die, so consider it extraneous if such a thing happens.
no subject
[ which is why when she watches him seal up her axe, it's simply because it's fascinating. ]
Let's hope dead isn't one of the options. [ a beat, as she picks up the scroll and tucks it on her person. ] But thanks. It'll be good to have it for a back up next time.
no subject
（ his first impression of her is on a battlefield. there are things one carries, and no one who has seen that manner of war holds onto much hope where death is concerned. ）
Would you like tea?
no subject
Depends. Is it that one brew I liked?
no subject
Are you a cynic?
（ he rarely troubles himself with direct questions. most of what he is curious about, when it comes to personally held beliefs, can be inferred through a variety of fringe questions that don't reveal much of his own curiosity. however, from the start they have both been somewhat blunt with each other. a pleasant cadence to have in an acquaintance — it cuts out the unnecessary chaff.
in answer to her question, he moves about his room with the precision of someone considerably less blind than himself, stopping at a small cabinet. a box of tea is pulled out and held for her to inspect. ）
Gyokuro. I was feeling indulgent.
no subject
[ pragmatist would be more accurate, if he'd asked. a realist in a lot of ways, her idealism beaten down over and over into embers. ]
[ andy isn't surprised by how easily he moves around the room, given the extent of his skills and general awareness. the fact that he recognizes the tea box could mean he is also meticulously organized. ]
Gyokuro sounds good. [ quynh always did love green tea. ]
no subject
My sincerest apologies, Andy-san. I wouldn't wish to pry.
（ he would, actually, but he won't. he takes the tea back to the desk, where the same cabinet yields a pot and two small, clay cups, as well as a small electric kettle. generally, he would use a jutsu to create and heat water — it is as much a part of his life as breathing — but even light chakra use has a tendency now to leave him with a migraine so severe that being anything but unconscious is an act of masochism.
instead, he fills the kettle in the sink and clicks it on. due to some technological advent of the ship, he knows it will not take long. in the interim, he washes out the tea pot with warm water, his motions carrying a faint element of ritual to them. it is not a full ceremony, but he enjoys the quiet simplicity of something known by rote just the same. ）
no subject
I suppose I can accept your apology.
[ she watches him move around the room, not really caring that he can likely feel her eyes on him. he goes through the motions with a familiarity that's almost pleasant to watch, and given the way tea seems to be his offer of choice, it makes sense that it would be a process ingrained. ]
Do you have a favorite tea? [ a beat. ] Unless that's a personal question. [ she is half teasing. ]
no subject
（ does he sound sarcastic? perhaps a little. she's one of the only people on the station that would understand what he meant if he were to, in a bleak deadpan, switch to calling her andy-sama. ）
Gyokuro is my favourite, as it happens. But there is no form of tea I have tried that I actively dislike.
（ someone please introduce this man to boba tbqh, because he would vibe with it. once his inner traditionalist snob piped down, anyway. ）
no subject
I'm a merciful god. [ just a casual callback to their first encounter. ]
What about ice tea? I hear the real purists hate that shit. [ which means andy loves it. give her all the sugary sweet teas. boba included. she will get itachi hooked on boba one day, just wait. ]
no subject
I cannot say I have ever tried it iced.
（ cold, yes — he's seen too many people starve in too many nations to have any stomach for wasting food of any sort, but ice is the sort of things that you can really only get easily in metropolitan centres, and he has spent much of his life away from places with functioning electrical grids. the kekkei genkai necessary to create ice is rare, and not a transferrable skill even for one with the sharingan. ）
I would not be averse.
（ he is certainly a purist, but he is not so closed off to new experience as all that, either. ）
no subject
[ since getting together for tea is evidently becoming their thing. she'd say she'll supply it, but it's not like the kitchen stock is hers. her first request for viveca: please give me a dunkin donuts large sweetened iced tea with 5 liquid sugars so i can send itachi into a coma. ]
I like it, but it's a topic of hot debate among some avid tea drinkers. I guess it's pretty new in the grand scheme of tea.
no subject
What makes it controversial?
（ he's definitely not thinking the problem is that it's sweet. more that it's oddly brewed, perhaps? ）
no subject
Not pure enough a tea maybe? I never really paid that much attention. [ keeping up with what's cool or not in food trends is the least likely candidate for andy's attention of time trends. ]
But they can be overly sweet.
no subject
（ which is acceptable and normal, but now he rather suspects he'll enjoy it. slowly, he picks his way back to his futon on the floor and takes a graceful seat, sinking down cross-legged. ）
Perhaps once we are back from the mission.
no subject
[ but tea purists get weird about tea. andy simply does not vibe with food purity. she takes a long sip from her cup, enjoying this brew. ]
I'll see what I can do. Maybe they'll have some tea to bring back next time.
[ she doesn't think the orbers would appreciate snake tea. ]
no subject
she seems aware of it, at least. they drink their tea in companionable silence, and when they are finished she excuses herself, leaving him to his rest. ）