A comforting failure (Open, Grounds)

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

He's never been very good at taking advice. Even from the people he'd grown close to, even from Kusuriyuri, he's just never been able to take someone else giving him pointers, no matter how necessary, on how he might make his life a little bit easier.

But he recognized the necessity, and decided to supplement good advice with doing something he sucked at even more.



There were still targets set up near the lake from the last time Yukimura had arranged an informal archery butt, and Kurama was there now, with knives, shuriken, two different kinds of bow, and what would have been too many arrows for some people, but he knew his weaknesses well enough to know half of them would get broken or lost, and the other half he'd set on fire or throw into the lake when he was done.

He chose projectiles for two reasons. First, and more important, because his aim was 100% accurate with anything that wasn't a bow and he needed the assurance that he at least could brag (internally) about something. Second, he needed to recalibrate his vision to make up for the lack of his right eye. He could feel it growing back slowly, an aching itch in the socket he longed to scratch at, which annoyed him even more that he couldn't.

The knives and shuriken sailed far off target for the first few tries, but after a little while the closest target was almost black with them. Satisfied, he set them aside for now. Working on a target only 50 yards away was, to say the least, rather humiliating, but he supposed part of this exercise was to learn actual humility and not the mock-humble face he put on when he was really just sublimely pissed off.

I'm two thousand plus another half Gods damned years old, he thought furiously, the arrow he'd loosed falling pitifully to his feet less than a yard away. He grabbed another, which sailed wide over the target. The third he had to dodge at the last second before it went right through the top of his head.

It was going to be a long day.


_{((OOC: Hecklers and cheerleaders would be most welcome.))}

Comments

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

Kuronue blinked.

Well, he hadn't thought of it that way. "You calling me a gold digger, you bitch?" he asked, raising one eyebrow and mostly unable to hide his smirk.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"Only a little," Kurama said, holding his thumb and forefinger apart by about an inch. but then they grew further apart, and further, until both hands were making a gap out as far as he could stretch his arms. "A tiny bit, is all."

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

He narrowed his eyes. "Bastard," he grunted, kicking his shin. "It wasn't intentional..."

Maybe.

Who knew, really. Certainly not him. He made not thinking about things into a bit of an art form.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

He snorted and slid off his perch. "It's too cold out here, and these icy glares you're giving me isn't helping. Not to mention all the abuse," he added with a little pout.

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

"You're asking for them," he said, flailing a little.

"Where do you want to go then, if you don't want to get high and don't want to kill things. Do you not want to drink as well?" An eyebrow went up.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"Inside, and we'll see from there. And," he shot Kuronue a mischievous look. "I didn't say I don't want to do those things, just that they might not be the best idea." He lifted an eyebrow. Kuronue was always very good at convincing him to commit mischief.

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

"Our brand of fun is usually determined by how many laws it breaks to participate said activities," he said, musing aloud. "I'm sure we could find something reasonably illegal to suit your needs."

And then a wonderful idea occurred.

"Say," he began. "I had been looking at the water supply in the kitchen... and some spells which may or may not have the ability to cause mind altering effects on the general populace..." It had been far too long since his last prank, after all.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

Kurama looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, slowly, a grin started to pull across his face. It was so deliciously clever he couldn't resist.

"You have an evil little mind, Kuronue. I like that."

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

"Well there had to be some reason you stuck with me for so long," he said, smiling a little.


He nudged Kurama with an elbow. "Thoughts on what kind of mind altering effects would be nice. I haven't been able to decide, myself."

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"Personality switch," he said immediately. "Or something along those lines. Or hell, we could do like the chocolate and toss a different spell into each pipe, running different curses throughout the school. Take a bath here and you're suddenly five. A drink there and you're 100 feet tall."

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

He laughed somewhat maniacally, he paused for a moment to give Kurama an affectionate hug. "Oh, this is why I love your mind," he said, rubbing his knuckles into Kurama's head.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"Which is why you're trying to dig it out, with your bony knuckles," Kurama grunted, returning the hug, put following with a poke to the side. "Heh, Inari did say I needed to start acting more like a fox. What better way than this?"

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

He clung to Kurama, shifted around until he could jump on his back, forcing Kurama to piggy-back him. He couldn't help but grin widely. "I think I can help you please your god...goddess...in this matter," he said proudly.

He pointed forward. "Lead the way, noble steed!"

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"Agh! God, when did you get so fat?" Kurama growled, not even remotely struggling under Kuronue's weight. He took a few exaggerated stumbles forward, then started running full-tilt towards the school. "ONWARD. FOR GLORY."

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

"FAT?" he yelled indignant.

He pulled on some of Kurama's hair, then held on for dear life, swearing. The only bad thing about being carried was that he couldn't chose where he was going.

"I'm not FAT!" he continued, once he had a better grip on Kurama's shoulders. He huffed.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"You're a LARDASS," Kurama shouted back, careening madly though the doors to the school. If they ran into anything, it was Kuro's fault for picking a ride that could only see half of the road.

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

"AM NOT," he screamed, ducking and trying not to get clotheslined on something coming from Kurama's blindspot.

"Where are we going?" he asked, frowning.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"I thought you were the one driving this rig," Kurama growled back. He was just letting his feet go wherever, waiting for Kuro's input. As it happened, he was making an unintentional beeline for the staircases.

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

He huffed. "Alright then, uuh...kitchen I guess. Or dungeon. We need pipelines."

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

Kurama skidded and did an abrupt about-face, heading down towards the dungeon. It was closer, and the Elves always kept a wary eye on the kitchens. "Got spells ready?"

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

Making a positive sound Kuronue reached up and plucked his wand from his hair. "Are we going to do a drive-by?" he asked, giggling a little.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

Even better. He grabbed his wand from its holster at his hip. "See how many pipes we can get in an hour, then off to lunch?"

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

Kuronue's face just about split in half. He squirmed his way off Kurama's back and brandished his wand like a great thing of evil.

"Race you?" he challenged, twirling his wand a little.