Darth Bambi
Junior Member
Toshi was genuinely surprised when the blue haired boy violently shoved him away with a shout of “Don’t touch me!” The reaction seemed excessive and more than a little out of left field considering that it had been meant as nothing but a friendly gesture. But, then, as Who stammered an apology and began reassembling his metal, Toshi actually stopped to think for a change.
Toshi knew that he could be impulsive. A deep thinker he was not. He rather frequently made snap decisions, doing things on the spur of the moment because they sounded like the most interesting choice or simply the easiest. It made him an unpredictable opponent in a fight, but it wasn’t always conducive to dealing with people. However, when he actually bothered to put his brain to use he could be remarkably perceptive, and there was a lot of common sense in that thick skull when he slowed down for a minute or two.
As he caught his balance he glimpsed a look of something on Who’s face that he made him hesitate and rethink what he was doing. He had thought that Who was just unsure of himself and needed some encouragement. Even people with amazing powers like his could fail to see their own worth or be uncertain about just what they could do. What Toshi saw was genuine fear, though, a fear that he recognized from growing up in the temple.
That hunched in posture, the way Who’s eye’s constantly darted about- hyper vigilant -the way he jumped at every little thing, the way he reacted when Toshi had touched him; it all spoke of one thing to Toshi. Who had been abused, and badly. Toshi didn’t know the story but too many episodes of dealing with runaway women and children that had come to the temple in search of sanctuary from spouses or parents or whatever had trained Toshi to recognize the effects when he saw it.
As Toshi watched, Who collected his things and himself and floated over to Where Toshi was standing. “G… Get on”, he said, gesturing at one of the plates that he had kept out to apparently use to give Toshi a ride. That was really thoughtful of him, and Toshi gave him a smile, although he didn’t take the offer. “Thanks a lot, but I’d rather walk”, he said as he wiggled his toes in the dirt. “I can’t feel what might be trying to sneak up on us if I’m not on the ground.”
He smiled again, hoping that the other boy would understand. “Two things before we do this. First, I’m sorry about touching you without permission.” He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed by his own behavior. “That… I was just being friendly, but it wasn’t right and I know it. Sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise.” He hesitated as he thought about the best way to put things. He could tell that Who was genuinely scared of going into the woods and he didn’t want to accidentally insult Who with by sounding like he was calling his new team mate calling him a coward or whatever. That wasn’t his intent at all. Carefully considering his words before just blurting them out wasn’t Toshi’s forte, though, so he had to put extra care into how he framed his words as he said, “And, second… Let’s not do this. I was being stupidly impulsive like I usually am when I suggested we go into the forest. I mean I still wouldn’t mind doing it. It sounds like a lark. But, I can tell that you really don’t like the idea and you’re just going along with it because, I don't know... You’re trying to keep me from getting hurt by doing something stupid, maybe? I don’t want you risking yourself over my stupid idea, so let’s just call it off and go get some lunch or something.”
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