piratejournal | fourth glance from the crow's nest -- sound/action to crew

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fourth glance from the crow's nest -- sound/action to crew

[Itachi is sitting on the rails of the ship - rather precariously, though nothing out of the ordinary for a ninja. He has some carefully drawn out notes and tables on a separate piece of paper from his journal, which he has open in his lap, and in his hands he's holding a hand-crafted pan flute.

He plays a few notes, not really a song, most of which are carried away by the wind. Frowning, the ninja looks over the paper again and tests out the notes a few more times.

It will continue like this for a while, as he purposefully lets the journal pick up the sound.]

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[With her interest in music, it's not long before the notes catch her attention. It might not be a song, but.. it is nice to hear someone practicing with an instrument!]

Please don't get discouraged, they can take a while to master. Is it a new instrument for you?

It is. I've never played an instrument before.

[Normally he wouldn't be broadcasting anything like this either, but at the moment he doesn't know of any other way to record his progress so that he can hear it from a different perspective later.]

Mmm. That's a weird song. [yep] Does it have any words?

No. No it does not.

I hadn't planned on adding any either.

Can I make up some? [it should be awesome and you should let him do it]

That's... not really necessary.

[a.k.a. Please don't.]

That's no fun. Change your mind. [he can do it anyway but it wouldn't be the same]

[Well. That's very straightforward.]

Is it upsetting to you, not being able to sing along?

No. I just wanna do it. [he's a pirate]

I can't really stop you if you're that for it. Unless I simply stopped playing, of course.

It's your music. It's important right?

There are far more important things than my ability to play an instrument. I enjoy it, but it's still a hobby.

[He hears the sound of the flute before he sees his brother, and he has to blink a few times when he puts the two together.]

... I didn't know you were into music.

[He stops, looking up at his brother and actually seeming slightly self-conscious for a moment.]

I enjoy it... I haven't ever done anything with it.

[Is that embarrassment on his brother's face? Sasuke stares for a moment before deciding that it's probably not; he's never known Itachi to be embarrassed. Surprised, maybe, but that's all.]

It gives you something to do when we're just sailing, I guess.

It does.

Though, don't worry. It won't distract me from my duties.

[Because that would be a concern, after all.]

[He snorts, inelegant, and waves a dismissive hand.]

Even with our numbers down, there isn't enough to do when we have smooth sailing for any hobbies to be a problem.

[A nod. Still, he felt it needed to be said.]

I'm sorry I can't offer any proper songs yet. If it becomes an annoyance, I will take it elsewhere.

[Sasuke surprises himself with something that feels almost like amusement at Itachi's insistence on deference in this case, mouth quirking a little.]

I'll be sure to let you know if it becomes annoying.

[Had that been a silly thing to say? Perhaps. He hides slight embarrassment better this time, his expression mirroring Sasuke's.]

I'm sure you will. As will most of the crew.

Yeah, most those guys aren't the kind to keep quiet about something like that. [He still sounds a little bit amused.]

No, they are not. [Draco especially.]

[He glances down at his journal.]

I didn't know of any other way to record myself at the moment, and I thought that might help me as a practiced. I suppose it will get annoying to others, though. Perhaps I'll simply compare at milestones.

[Is it really a concern of Itachi's? Sasuke gives him a long look.]

Who cares if it annoys them? Everyone else has hobbies to pass the time when we're just sailing.

I would prefer to keep a low profile, not become known for less-than-musical intermissions.

[who wants attention?]

Brother, have you heard some of the people who use the journals? You'd have to do way more than play a flute to stand out from that crowd.

... You're right, of course.

But I'll keep it minimal all the same.

[Itachi, after all, is not a social creature.]

If that's what you want. [He's still more amused than anything else by Itachi's reticence about this hobby.]

... What do you, ah... What do you think? Of the instrument choice, I mean.

[He gestures to it.]

It was fairly inexpensive, and the craftsmanship seemed decent.

[What did he think? Sasuke answers on instinct -- without thinking:]

I wouldn't know anything about musical instruments except as weapons.

Have you used an instrument as a weapon?

[The comment has Itachi honestly curious.]

[Foot in mouth. Sasuke hesitates, then figures he doesn't need to say too much.]

Not personally, but I've seen them used by others. There are sound-based ninjutsu.

Ah, of course. Musical genjutsu has been known to be very effective at gripping the mind. It's not particularly common, though. I wouldn't mind seeing it in action.

[Even if he doesn't like the idea of it being used to hurt others overall.]

Genjutsu is common. There were a few sound ninjutsu I saw as well.

[Seeing it in action -- Sasuke's expression grows dubious.]

Some musical talent helps when it comes to using jutsu like that ... it wasn't something I worked on replicating.

Oh, no, of course not. It was meant as a general statement, not that I wanted you to demonstrate.

[It certainly isn't for everyone. Though it might be easier on the system than the shock the Sharingan has a tendency to cause.]

[He's feeling like maybe he should have picked it up, maybe, but Sasuke's grasp on genjutsu has always been about tricks in immediate combat rather than the full sensory experience that sound genjutsu mostly creates.]

... I don't use much genjutsu in general. It's probably an area to work on.

No? The Sharingan gives those of our bloodline a natural advantage with it. Still, branching out is good.

[He can't help but wonder if Sasuke avoided it simply because he hadn't. Itachi preferred to end encounters non-violently if possible.]

It's convenient when it comes to detecting genjutsu, but using it wasn't my preference.

[Partially because it requires more patience and time than Sasuke usually has before he engages in a fight, and partially because there doesn't seem to be much need for it beyond the occasional use to get information. Obito -- Tobi, then -- had commented on the quality of Sasuke's Tsukuyomi, and Sasuke hadn't much cared.

He doesn't think about his own memories of the Tsukuyomi, what genjutsu means in his mind. It's just not that practical with his fighting style. He should branch out.]

[Just a nod, then. Whatever works best for his brother works best for him. Despite how talented they can be with it, not every Uchiha focused on genjutsu. If they had, they would have been more difficult to defeat than they already were.

It's simply not everyone's specialty. Aside from that, he's well aware of how his own use of it on Sasuke might have affected him - even not knowing what he'd do later.]

Sometimes just being good at detecting and breaking them is enough.

No, I should work on it more.

If even Draco can continue his studies here, I don't have any excuses. [And it'll give him something new to do, especially on the slower sailing days.]

Do you believe you were making excuses?

[Not his business, not his question to ask. Still, he's always curious when it comes to Sasuke, and what his brother wants to accomplish.]

Here? [It's an odd question to consider. Sasuke's always taken his training with dead seriousness, but has he been making excuses to avoid genjutsu?

No, he decides. Definitely not something he'd do.]

No, it just wasn't a habit. And it's not like there's anyone around except you to practice on. [He's pretty sure Itachi doesn't want to spent however many hours a day dealing with genjutsu training.]

Understandable.

[And with Itachi here, he'd been able to handle any needed genjutsu anyway.]

... You can still practice with me, if you want.

[He has to crack a bit of a grin at the offer, tone amused.]

You really want to train with me in genjutsu? I guess it'd kill some of the time at sea.

If you want to train, and you need a living opponent or training partner, then I'm likely your best choice.

[Their ninja options are limited after all.

That grin drags a small smile out of him as well.]

Unless you had someone else in mind.

No, there's no one else here who would work.

[He'd just never thought of learning genjutsu from his brother -- learning anything except at the other end of a fight, really, or at the very least in the middle of one.

Maybe it's a little bizarre, but the thought of learning from his own brother how to use the minds of opponents against them like weapons in their own right is almost childishly exciting. He reins his expression in with force.]

So -- yeah, I'd like that.

We'll have to set aside time for that, then.

[They have enough of it between islands.]

I can't promise I'll be the best of teachers, but I will certainly try.

Heh, I'm used to dealing with unique teaching styles. It'll be fine.

[To say the least.]

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fourth glance from the crow's nest -- sound/action to crew

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