frostythehitman

[ eep.

ahmi flinches naturally, as people do, her wrist in his grip, but when she looks to him again— she's not frightened. she's still wide eyed and focused and!! and!! ]

Relieving you. Can you move your arm now? In a full circle, back and forth?

[ how does it feel?

truth is, it's a lot less tense, and tons less painful. ]

[ He lets go as soon as he sees the flinch. He hopes she didn't think he was about to attack her, although the truth is, he was. Even if she doesn't look scared now, the thought passes through his mind anyway and he feels bad.

Still, though. He gives her a skeptical look. Of course he can move his arm in a circle, he's always been able to, what is she--

Oh my god. He tries it and now it's so...easy and painless to move his arm. He didn't think it was a problem at all before, it felt fine, but apparently his definition of "fine" was messed up for...god, he doesn't even know how long.

The awe is clear on his face. ]

What did you...how did you do that?

[ he’s going to

plot twist

turn the spoon to james. here comes the train, james. ]

I'm not saying to beat me up
I still have to work on the fighting part
I'm meeting up with Anna too, to work on that
I need someone who won't come at me the same way over and over again so I can figure out this 'use your other senses' thing

okay
so you're asking me to beat you up in a variety of different ways while you're totally blind
i gotta ask again
are you really sure you want this
because what you're really asking for here is a trip to the hospital

[ ah, yes. ease. well-being. this is everything ahmi lives for, and the smile that comes to her lips and melts her heart like hot butter is upfront for james to see. she’s glad. she’s so glad.

and with that, she lifts all of her fingers and curls and uncurls them all one after another. ]

I aligned you. Part of you. [ she gestures, it’s still gentle at best, but for him to sit on a cushion nearby. ] And I can do the rest. I promise to keep to your shoulders, this time. Or go as far as you please.

[ Okay, that's it. He could keep up the game of chicken while Eren was threatening to eat that godforsaken spoonful himself. But with the threat of it going into his mouth? Oh hell no. James plunges his hand straight into the ice cream.

Play with fire, and you're gonna get burned, Eren. ]

omg i'm not saying to knock me out
just... give me something to work with!

[ James crosses his arms and hunches his shoulders inwards, guarded. He looks at the cushion, and he looks at the rest of this place. This new age hippie yoga mom place. He's absolutely furious that the lady who runs this place actually did something to help. He doesn't want to give this quack shop any validity.

Especially not if she's gonna grin like that at him. Even if it isn't smug, it feels like it. Like she's bested him somehow. James Barnes does not want to lose!

...he does, however, want more of that feeling. Or rather, lack of it. Even if it still doesn't feel explicitly painful elsewhere in his shoulders, the contrast in the one spot where it used to be versus where it still is really makes him think.

Eventually he sits down on the cushion, but he doesn't look happy about it. He mumbles stubbornly. ]

Just shoulders.

okay fine i'll try and go easy on you
but if you end up getting seriously hurt it's not my fault okay
you asked for it

[ Even though he will still feel absolutely terrible about it and think it's his fault ANYWAY. ]

[ oh no it’s on now.

there goes the ice cream. and you know where his ice cream is going? he’s flinging the spoon. he’s catapulting the spoonful right at james.

this is war. ]

Just shoulders.

[ and so ahmi goes and grabs the rest for the new client’s face. it’s cleaned, sanitized and smells like flowers. once he leans over, she’ll be giving james’ shoulders the time of their lives. ]

You seem to use your arms a lot, James.

thanks james! i really appreciate this.
are you free tomorrow afternoon?

[ As soon as he sees Eren fling the spoon, James pitches the chunk of ice cream in his hand right for Eren's face like it's a baseball.

Sure, he may get a face full of iced spaghetti, and it's foul, but it was well worth it to take the hit if it means Eren gets hit too. ]

[ Oh no this is weird. He hates this. His face is smashed against what looks like a toilet seat. A toilet seat that's been heavily perfumed.

He's probably not making this easier for Ahmi, because now he's tense in such a weird situation. ]

Yeah well, so does literally everyone. Not sure why that's a surprise.

sure
i get out of work at 2 so any time after that

[ this is it. this is how this ends. he can feel ice hit his face and sweetness touching his lips, invading his mouth. at long last, he does not merely throw the spaghetti bowl into james’ face. he takes a handful of it and tries to thrust it onto him. like two grown adult men usually do in a shared house.

this is their life ]

Drop your arms. I will not pull them off.

[ she says this, playing, but continuing the massage from top to bottom of the shoulders. exercises to make them feel like jell-o. ]

You use yours for force, though. For impact, for muscle. Your back— [ lets put something else in place. while it doesn’t crack, it does feel like it’s in a proper place, now. ] It is very important to be at its finest shape.

how about 3?

though, we probably can't do this at the rec center or in the park... people might get the wrong idea...

[ He grunts when he feels something else snap into place. Again--not painful, just a very weird sensation followed by what seems like lightness. ]

Well, force is all I'm really good at. So it's not like I can avoid it.

[ Whether he means avoid using force, or avoid screwing up his back or whatever else she's messing around with over there, it's unclear. Although really, he kind of means both. ]

[ At the same moment that Eren starts shoving the pasta at him, James goes in for another handful of ice cream and drives it towards Eren's mouth too--this time hopefully with better aim.

It better have better aim and actually get him fully in the mouth, because that would at least make this foul mouthful of ice creamed pasta worth it. ]

we can go to another area
like pesgare
that one's supposed to be real quiet
or we can just go find a dirty alleyway no one wants to walk down and do it there
your choice

a dirty alleyway sounds like a good way to check if my tetanus is up to date

so i vote pesgare

then i'll meet you at 3 at pesgare

[ and lo and behold, that's exactly where he'll be at 3, as promised! ]

[Rinka spots him as she walks down the dock. A back pack containing her batons and a scarf to use as a blindfold is on her back (along with water and snacks~).]

Hey James! Do you know which boat goes to Pesgare?

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