[Four months have passed since his arrival, and reaching that landmark has made him realise that he isn't going anywhere, anytime soon.

Things are changing, slowly, but right now his plans all come down to one problem- a lack of income.]

I'm looking for employment, what do people have on offer?

I'd give a resume, though I doubt it would be relevant unless there is a pressing need to hire those with combat training.

[This is Itachi attempting a bit of holiday spirit. And if he's going to be doing this, he might as well let those see it who might get a kick out of it. Apparently this holiday is a big deal for a lot of the inhabitants here.

He adjusts the image so that his sweater is clearly visible and even flips the lights on.]

I understand why people would be irritated with having their coats turned into something they didn't expect recently, but if not for that I find this particular tradition somewhat charming.

[This is not a cursed sweater. He actually picked it out himself.]

[He blinks the lights again.]

[The audio function abruptly turns on, and captures Gaara speaking in mid-sentence.]

-truly be functional? Violence is not conducive for bonds of this nature. For civilians, even less so, compared to shinobi.

[Even though Gaara is the leader of an entire village there are still things he doesn't understand. Like relationships. Especially relationships.]

In spite of his defection, and their attempts to harm each other after the fact, they have still maintained their ties…

[A brief pause, and then he recounts.] Earlier, you mentioned that they dine together frequently. This activity isn’t exclusively exchanged between couples, correct? Naruto and I have done so as well, but we are not romantically involved.

[There's the sound of shifting as Kakashi puts his hands into his pockets.]

Naruto is not the sort to give up so easily. [Something Gaara knows well.] Especially on another person he has a bond with.

[After not having bonds for most of his life, giving one up is just not something Naruto's willing to do.] I said nothing of them dining together. Merely that Naruto is often found at Sasuke's residence, eating.

[That, he does, although it sounds like they have a great deal of lost time to account for, given the distance between them, back in their world.]

It must be mutual, on some level. If Sasuke placed no value on Naruto’s life, then he would seek his death. Does Sasuke bear an emotional attachment toward him, then?

[That is a more complicated and difficult question. If asked Sasuke might say he didn't. Last time they were together they went at each other like they were going to kill each other. But even then he believes there was still a bond between them.]

If he didn't have one then he wouldn't acknowledge Naruto's existence. [Even when seeking Itachi's death, there was still an emotional attachment - though it was one of hatred.]

Mmm.

[After that noise of agreement, Gaara releases a low grunt as he folds his arms over his chest. He shifts uncomfortably for a moment, before finally getting out the most difficult question on his mind.]

…How does one determine if he is worthy of receiving love? Whether or not he is capable of pursuing this particular type of bond?

[ so, texting still isn't Lily's favorite way of communicating to the public masses- she's still getting used to it, and she's sure there would be nothing more embarrassing than releasing a string of typos onto the network. so. this message is very carefully being typed!! not too slowly, but she rereads it twice over before sending this first bit out. SO IMPORTANT. ]

While I am usually an advocate of researching and learning new things on my own time, in light of recent events, I've decided there's really no reason why I should feel shy about the few questions I've had as of late regarding the use of runic magic in the city. Memorizing patterns hasn’t been a problem, the basic principles behind this particular kind of magic is something I've been studying for a few years now, back home, but there are some differences in the magic here that I would love to have cleared up, if there is anyone here that might know:

1: For runes used in combat ( both offensive and defensive runes ), is there a way to avoid using a "weapon" to activate said runes? Something non-contact, perhaps, that could still transfer the power of the runes onto the intended target.

[ yes, Lily is asking for suggestions of some kind of non-violent... weapon. don't you judge her. she and James are actually trying to come up with a rune to make that possible already, but, hey. if somebody’s got it now, she’d like to know

speaking of james. if anyone notices a subtle change in type from here on it, it’s because a certain husband has appeared and has noticed just how long it takes his wife to type on these bracelet things. it’s still coming from the bracelet of ‘lily potter’, but she’s no longer the one typing. thank merlin.]

2) would anyone be interested in practicing rune combat? at hogwarts (the school where we learned how to use magic back home) we had a duelling club, which was essentially a place we could meet and learn different strategies and tactics. it gave us a chance for some kind of experience outside of books and essays (though some people here preferred that. how? I have no bloody idea)


also, I do hope you lot will forgive lils here about the weapon bit. she’s not too keen on the idea, since we didn’t need much more than our wands back home. the fact they’re all but useless here is harder for her to deal with than the rest of us. we’re not all that stubborn about the idea.

she’s brilliant with her pen, but not so much the sword. [ get it? get it? he’s so clever. ] if anyone’s interested, the dueling would most likely happen when there aren’t creatures after our hearts. just for safety purposes. and for the whole not being able to talk bit. drop us a line if you know anything.

[ because someone needs to go and tease a certain someone about not being able to type, little miss perfect can’t even figure out a keyboard ]

( action - Hel's shrine )

[video]

[Later in the day, Itachi will be sitting in his apartment, a slight frown on his face. He addresses the network for the first time. It would have to be for a question like this, of course...]

Is this city usually filled with so much... [What's the best word to use here...] song?