VOICE MAIL

[inspirethefire]

"This is Hajime Tanaka. I'm sorry to have missed you. Leave a message. Call for me if necessary!"

((Voice mail or texts. His phone is deliberately cheap and low-tech; he doesn't do e-mail, and generally prefers face-to-face whenever possible.))

Comments

[inspirethefire]

[It wasn't working, he could see it wasn't, but it had to. He just needed Kiyotaka to see, to understand all he had left to him.]

By seeing it as an opportunity. You've built yourself so far with the support of the schools left behind you, but this is your chance to expand beyond those boundaries you were raised upon! You're now free of the restraints the system put on you, and you can pursue justice in whatsoever way you see fit!

[He just needed a little bit of a push. A little bit of shared motivation, just a bit of that faith Hajime had in him. Just... to stoke the fire a little bit...]

Trust in yourself, in the knowledge and experience that got you this far, and see where your gut takes you! Take this opportunity, and explore your freedom as Kiyotaka Ishimaru, a man who defines himself!

[forgetbeam]

[Freedom.

Now there was thing he never thought he'd truly experience (beyond the sweet privilege to leave this school and go outside whenever he wanted). It never used to bother him - rules and regulations kept people safe and sound, and routine and responsibility kept him busy enough to keep his mind from wandering down any dark paths. But with all the free time he had now, he could only spend so much rehashing the same textbook lessons again and again before he became frustrated.

But he was going about it all wrong. He really should make the most of this newfound freedom...

But not as Kiyotaka Ishimaru. That man was dead, the life taken from him along with his duties. He would redefine himself, reinvent himself, and leave behind everything that held him back before - including that name. Ishimaru... a name only fitting for someone who fell from grace in foolish naivete. It was time to break that chain.]

I'm free...

[He bowed his head, repeating the words like a mantra until they could become a part of his very soul.]

I'm free... I'm free, I'm free, I'm free...

I'm...

[completeamalgam]

[And he threw his head back with a scream.]

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

[inspirethefire]

[Yes, yes! Finally, the flames were rising, catching, that confidence rising up the way Hajime had known they would--well, okay, maybe a little different, but it was like he'd known, Ishimaru just needed to find a different w

[inspirethefire]

[what]

[inspirethefire]

[WHAT]

I...Ishi...maru...?

[completeamalgam]

[What a rush. He felt more alive than he had in days-- no, since even before the revolution. This was the feeling he remembered from Hope's Peak, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. And he would rise again here, burning brighter than ever! Gone were the days of fretting over duties and public appearances. He had nothing more to lose.

He really was free, and it felt great.]

You're right!! What am I doing wasting my time moping around?!

[inspirethefire]

Y...yes, right, but...

[Holy balls, he's never seen a spirit go nuclear like that. Hajime squints a moment against the sheer blinding brightness of the insane inferno before him. That... that's definitely not supposed to happen, what's... going on...]

Maybe you should... compose yourself, a moment, I, uh....

[completeamalgam]

What're you talking about?! I'm composed... The exact picture of composition!!

Now get outta my way. I've got this freedom to explore, just like you said!

[inspirethefire]

[Hajime steps in front of the door on reflex.]

N-no, I... think we should definitely sit and talk a little longer, Ishimaru.

[completeamalgam]

[Hajime that is pretty much the opposite of what he just told you to do. Come on, man, get it together.]

There's nothing left to talk about! Move your ass!

[inspirethefire]

[He is so not getting it together he is freaking out real bad]

There are so many things to talk about, we can talk for a long time! About our feelings. I'm interested in your feelings, Ishimaru, they're so much... not like the ones you had a moment ago.

[completeamalgam]

Feelings?! You're going soft! Those never got anybody anywhere!

[inspirethefire]

That, that's definitely not true, like at all. What--

[ Okay no time to get serious. Deep breath, straight back. ]

You're talking like a completely different person! Come to your senses!

[completeamalgam]

From now on, I am a different person! A man who defines myself, right?! I'm not an embodiment of duty anymore! I'm me!

[He's just gotta figure out who 'me' is. EXCUSE HIM, HAJIME, but his patience is gone now so he's just gonna. Shove his way to the door.]

[inspirethefire]

[Hajime's too stunned by the shove to try and get in his way again. It all feels too surreal, too messed up to be something that actually is happening. No one had ever warned him against something like this happening.

Ishimaru was surely the most stable and strong spirit he'd ever seen, and Hajime had barely touched it. What had he missed? How could he have screwed up so badly?!]

[completeamalgam]

[He jerks the door open with almost enough force to rip it off its hinges, or at least it seems like it. On the way out, he leans on the doorframe and tosses a grin over his shoulder.]

Thanks for the pick-me-up!

[AAAND... HE'S.... GONE. Brace yourself for the sexual tension of the days to come, Hajime.]

[inspirethefire]

[And then Hajime had the weirdest boner]

You don't have a visualosities for me to spam, so

[completeamalgam]