thenearshore | Strategy Games [close]

Entry tags:

Strategy Games [close]

Who: Leo and Hijikata
What: Shogi lessons, discussions of shinki, and Hijikata's Painfully Obvious Crush on Souji
When: June 20th, after Leo's shinki have basically ruined the week.
Where: Hachiman's temple
Summary: Saix is causing problems, Niles is staying at his boyfriend's, Leo needs some stress relief, and Takumi keeps kicking his ass at shogi. Time to find someone both not absolutely bonkers and can probably help Leo with shogi.

[Leo was going to refrain from hiding in Aymeric's wine cellar for now, despite really wanting to hide in Aymeric's wine cellar. What had he done to deserve this? True, he didn't expect anything different from Niles, but why did he have to have a berserker shinki and Niles?

He needed a break, but the next game he and Takumi were supposed to play was shogi and Leo was not in the mood to lose to Takumi again so he was out of the question.

So he went to Hijikata's. True, if the man was any good at shogi he'd likely kick Leo's ass but playing against someone who wasn't Takumi would give Leo a chance to learn more strategies, and anyway he hadn't seen the other man in a while. This was a good excuse for a visit.

Once at the temple, he begins looking for him and letting the quiet of the temple soothe his ravaged nerves]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He does. One day he will get this right.]

And you? It's almost painfully obvious how much he means to you, Hijikata.

[Hijikata makes no effort to deny it. He might play it a little closer to the chest around the older gods who represent the Heavens, or keep private matters to himself with strangers, but Leo's a friend, and a clever enough one that lying to him too transparently would feel like an undeserved insult.]

Enough for me to be patient. I've waited for him before.

[He shrugs, and works on unstopping the bottle of umeshuu.]

Have you told him that? I realize that as a man who isn't in love or even actively looking to fall in love my advice may not mean much, but in two different timelines of the events from home I am married with a son--Forrest--so apparently I am not as utterly hopeless as I always figured I'd be.

[He sighs, picking up a cup and filling it, then holding it out to Leo.]

Hard to know how to, without coming too close to the Secret. I don't think he's about to mistake me for the sort to fall in love quickly, so it feels like showing my hand too early would raise some questions.

[Leo takes it with a small bow.]

Thank you. How long have you two been here again? Months?

Three months.

[He fills the second cup, raising it slightly.]

We arrived towards the end of cherry blossom season, close to when I first met you.

Oh right, the drunk cherry blossoms.

[He mimics Hijikata before taking a sip of his wine.

Wow. Was not expecting that. Still drinkable, though]

I would think that's plenty of time to at least start discussing it. You wouldn't have to mention knowing him before, would you?

Seems rushed to me. I'm not exactly the damned 'romantic type.'

[He takes a sip of his drink, then waves to the game board, now that it's set up properly.]

Black moves first.

[Leo lets the conversation drop for a moment so he can move and hopefully not screw himself over this early.]

Then what do you call the looks you keep sending his way?

[Going second means having the advantage of being able to think during his opponent's initial turn, to sketch out a few options depending on what Leo does. He's pleasantly surprised by the opening move he chooses, but takes only a moment to make his own first move in response.]

An exception.

Just admit it, Hijikata. You're in love with Souji and probably have been since long before your deaths.

[And Leo makes his second move, a very amateur one. He's still thinking in terms of chess it seems]

I don't recall denying that.

[He slides another piece forward -- chosen less to give himself the long-term advantage, and more to give Leo a chance to notice the danger he just put himself in. He's got plenty of time to recover from it, of course, but Hijikata's interested in seeing if he'll be able to adapt on the fly.]

Everything else you've said seems to.

[Leo does realize he may have made a poor move and tries to make up for it with a slightly better move this time]

It's almost like you don't want to admit it.

[Leo may be pleased to note that Hijikata takes slightly longer to move this time. He may be less pleased to note that it's far less immediately clear than before what the intent of the move was.]

Not particularly. Believe me, if there's one thing in my life I'm not ashamed of, it's Souji.

Edited 2017-03-01 01:08 (UTC)

[Dammit. Leo's next move is thankfully not a bad one, but it's clear he has no idea what the hell he's doing]

I didn't say ashamed. Why would anyone be ashamed of being in love? Reluctant to admit it, now, that's not all unheard of.

[Hijikata hums a little bit, sipping at his drink as he considers his next move.]

I had a few years to be reluctant about that. Not much point, after this long.

[He reaches out at length, with another hard to decipher move.]

Then why be so now? You are obviously in love with him, I'm fairly certain he's in love with you or at least close to it, and you're both here.

[He is so screwed, isn't he? His next move is completely random--and he tries to move one of the knights illegally, not really thinking.]

As long as he's happy, I'm content. I don't need to push this to be anything too particular. What's got you so concerned with it all of a sudden?

[He pauses, then adds:]

Can't move that there.

Huh--oh. Wrong game.

[Leo adjusts his move]

Partially Niles apparently having someone he wants me to meet--which likely means he's found a boyfriend or a girlfriend and not just someone he sleeps with, knowing him--and partially a post the other day on the BBS that interested me.

[Hm. Not a bad move.]

Let me guess. The one from the shinki worried about being attracted to their god?

[He saw that one, too. He's quiet for a moment, then moves again, leaving a rather conspicuous weakness in his front line this time.]

[Leo doesn't seem to notice the opening, instead making another move. He's planning to set it up so he can take the opening and create a second one]

Yes. I told them the same thing I've told you, just without my name attached since the older gods are bastards about that sort of thing and I don't enjoy being watched.

[Hijikata scoffs softly at the mention of the older gods. He likes a few of them well enough, but when it comes to their attitudes on things like this...]

They're too rigid about this kind of thing. It's a nuisance.

[And nothing more. Nothing he's going to let prevent him from holding on to one of the best things in his life.]

They are. They don't want to accept that we're human and therefore can make our own decisions about what's right and what's wrong, and I see nothing wrong with a god and his shinki being in love.

[And then, jokingly:]

Maybe not get married. I think that may violate some master/retainer etiquette.

[He lets out a soft snort of laughter at that thought, because, well, it's absurd, isn't it?]

There might be a slight problem with that besides our ranks. Souji is a man, you know.

Yes, and? That's a problem?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject