citylogs | [ open ] what was that?

WHO: Akihiko (

mazios) & you!
WHAT: a boy wanders around the city a bit
WHERE: art gallery, park, grocery store, anywhere else
WHEN: throughout the month of december
WARNINGS: canon related death in the art gallery prompt but otherwise nothing else

art gallery.

[ Akihiko should have expected this. At least that's what he thinks as he stands in front of a landscape painting of a familiar alleyway, with a splattering of blood across the ground and a few empty bullet casings. The art gallery has helpfully titled this painting Best Friends and Akihiko isn't too jazzed about it.

You can find him, standing in front of the painting, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed, looking for all intents and purposes like he wants to fight the damn thing. But, of course, fighting a painting is stupid and he is not stupid (debatable). ]

park.

[ Every morning, Akihiko can be found going for a run around the park. Even as it gets colder, you'll still be able to find him going for his run. He might add a scarf and a beanie to his gym clothes but otherwise he stays cozy in a track suit.

If you're someone who is typically also in the park most mornings, he might give a wave or stop and say hi. He's trying his best to get acclimated to the city so, a friendly face goes a long way. Stop and say hi, why don'tcha! ]

shopping.

[ One thing he's getting used to doing as well is doing his shopping here. It's a little strange, not having to pay for stuff, and he's used to penny pinching his way through groceries and making the most efficient purchases possible.

Which is why today, he'll be stuck in front of the frozen meats, looking a little bit sick to his stomach. Why? Because there's no prices on the damn meats! ]

How are... you supposed to know what to choose?

[ He just wanted to purchase some protein. :( ]

wildcard.

[ none of these prompts work but still wanna tag akihiko? feel free to make something up or shoot me a pm at mazios! ]

( also apologies to those i've dropped some threads with. life hit the fan and i had to do an inbox refresh to get back on track. 🥲 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Daniel can also be spotted in the park during the mornings. Usually a little early in the morning, considering he often goes there before opening up the diner and all, but he's there often enough that Akihiko could have spotted him there before - and that's even aside from them having met in the dinner before, back when Akihiko was newer.

So the man certainly doesn't seem to mind when the other stops to say hi. Daniel will even give him a friendly smile in return, looking the other's training gear up and down for a moment before looking at Akihiko's face once more. ]

So you enjoy other kinds of training aside from just pure boxing, huh?

[ Daniel is a friendly face to Akihiko and seeing him exist beyond the diner was nice, so he doesn't hesitate to say hello after seeing him at the park for a few days in a row. Looks like their routines overlap and that's... a strange comfort for Akihiko. Normalcy during the bizarre.

He's stopped to say hello and looks a little sheepish when Daniel points out his training. He rubs the back of his neck before nodding. ]

Yeah. I mean, to be really good at what you do, shouldn't you be well-rounded? Sure, I box, but skipping leg day won't help me either.

True, true.

[ The man easily agrees, the smile lingering on his face when he nods at Akihiko. It's not like Daniel hasn't done jogging before as part of his training for tournaments back home, after all. ]

I guess that instead means I'm learning you're pretty serious about this stuff. [ Sports. Boxing. Athletics. Take your pick, Akihiko - Daniel is kind of generally speaking about all of those here. ] We didn't exactly talk about it for a long time before, so I wasn't sure if boxing was a minor or a major hobby for you.

[ Akihiko nods at that and feels maybe a touch embarrassed because it's been a long time since he's had to genuinely explain his desire to fight to someone else. It feels different here, with what the whole being kidnapped thing. Fighting for their lives... he's done that before plenty of times in Tartarus but there was always an end. There's no real end here in the City. ]

I just want to become stronger, whatever it takes. Boxing made sense when I was in middle school and trying to figure out what club to join that would bring me to that goal. Then I became a champion and kept winning, got promoted to captain of the team and just kept pushing myself to fight harder and better.

[ He shrugs and rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. ]

It... means a lot to me to be strong, for my loved ones. To be able to be strong enough to protect them as well. So it's part hobby for sure, but it's also my overall goal in life.

[ .. oh, Akihiko.

If anyone knows why this sort of thing isn't embarrassing at all, it's Daniel "the old man formerly known as the Karate Kid" LaRusso. ]

Yeah. Sometimes that happens, huh?

[ See? Just look at the way he smiles as he says that. Like it's somehow something very relatable, even though to other people it might just be super niche.. ]

You start something like that, and then it spirals out of control just a little bit.. [ Not in a bad way, though.

Not necessarily. ]

I think that's a great goal though. Just as long as you're not pushing yourself too hard.

[ There's a comfort in that. He doesn't think he's ever met an adult who sees what he's doing with his life and gets it. So, he feels a little... surprised but warm over Daniel's response, the feeling of real acknowledgement settling over him and making him feel good.

So, Akihiko's shoulders relax a little and he gives a small smile. ]

Just a little bit, yeah.

[ But not in a bad way indeed. ]

I'm not. I don't think so at least. A lot of my friends, they're not as committed as me so sometimes they poke fun but being an athlete... it means a lot to me. That drive to push forward and be better, nothing beats it.

[ A pause, he considers. ]

Do you... I guess "also fight" doesn't make a lot of sense, but you seem like you get it, what it's like.

[ Leaving the opening there for Daniel to explain more about himself. ]

Nah, that's actually more on the money than you'd imagine.

[ There's a little bit of shame in the way he says it. Mostly because while it's true that Daniel does fight, he's not sure if he can fully compare himself to Akihiko's noble speech and not feel like he's inflating his own ego a little bit..

Still, it seems like he's not bothering to hold back an explanation. It seems like Akihiko might understand better than most, after all. Especially better than most other people his age. ]

I run a karate dojo back home. I teach kids how to defend themselves. It's mostly since I want to see everyone protected, so.. [ He pauses, then shrugs a little. ] It's not so different, right?

[ open ] what was that?

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