five-word sentences. | @ninjastrike​

   ( HE ISN’T SO FATALISTIC as to agree in earnest. very few things, in his experience, are irreversible, and even then, genji is a testament to the fact some inevitabilities can be defied. if there is no going back, it is for a lack of trying, and jesse isn’t one for complacency. )

   ❛ bueno, si tú lo dices. ❜ ( it’s a murmured quip, his sarcasm dry and self-indulgent, private. jesse feeds a bore brush through the barrel of his gun, lets the rod twist freely in his cracked palm and runs his tongue over the days old scab on his lip. a mistake, maybe. he dips another cleaning patch in solvent, sweeping it over the back edge of the cylinder. ) ❛ but ya sure act like you ain’t never been kissed before. ❜

ninjastrike:

            it bothers him just exactly how much it  peeves  him to find that the other seems to have no pride to show whatsoever,  effortlessly sidestepping the landmine that had been lying in wait  :  and perhaps some part of genji had purposefully  put  it there,  perhaps some part of him wanted nothing more than to have something against which to test his blade and the sharpness of this anger that coats his tongue and  refuses  to leave him be.  the harsh   ————   no,  not harsh.  as much as he would like to presume as such and worsen his impression of the other he is also  not  unseeing  of the blind spot in his own pride,  and slowly lowers his head.

            he inhales,  the softest of breaths,  and releases it just as quiet.  green  :  what a strange word with a stranger connotation.  it was in a different time that he had learned the nuances of the english language  (  a different time,  a different  life  :  he had adored american movies once with their bright colors and curled vowels,  now walking beside a man who seems the remnant piece of a history  too  that genji had loved.  indeed,  life works in mysterious ways  ).  he however does not bring voice to his curiosity,  buries it  deep  beneath  to ruminate over another time as he follows after.           ❛   nor i you.  if there is anything you wish to know,  ask and i will answer as best i can.   ❜          the words taste foreign to his tongue but he does not back away.

  ( IF HE WERE HONEST, jesse might admit he hadn’t thought they’d get this far — that is, if the opportunity genji offers can even qualify as progress. this is nothing more than a first step for most, and it’s almost pathetic to consider the barest lull in hostilities a cornerstone in their brief partnership, he knows, but when jesse recalls where they stood just moments ago, tensions flaring at an alarming clip, he can’t quite bring himself to look a gift horse in the mouth. )

  ❛ —— well, ❜ ( his tongue is easier wetted with vitriol than benign interest, quickest when serving up persiflage, hot-blooded and stinging. he’s lost momentum, and while that’s just another symptom of one infinitesimal victory, he reminds himself, jesse can’t help feeling embarrassed, almost. put on the spot. he hadn’t counted on opening up a dialogue here, and it shows in a furtive moistening of his lips, in the hand which kneads the back of his neck. ) ❛ you, uh, normally work alone? ❜

✎ = speaking in a different language. | @ninjastrike​ 

   ( HE’S UNSURE IF THOSE THOUGHTS are meant to be private when he hears them. it’s a peculiar kind of white noise, like angela’s quiet murmurings when she’s busy reviewing her doctor’s notes in dampened german, and jesse’s left trying to bounce cotton balls off the med bay ceiling until she finally acknowledges him in their common tongue, diagnosis ready.

     of the languages he speaks, japanese isn’t one of them. he’s never had a need for it, has never come in contact with it so flushly as he has lately, rubbing proverbial elbows with the enigmatic young man beside him. jesse wonders, half-heartedly, if that should change. )

   ❛ —— ¿no habla español, correcto? ❜ ( he asks over the thrum of a stilted laugh, after a moment’s passed and he can still hear the remnants of genji’s voice playing upon his ears and revealing an inevitable nothing. )  ❛ anyhow, can’t say i understood a lick of that. hope it wasn’t too important. ❜

i told u you didnt have to resend this ohy mgf od
but still wtf,,, thank you so much,, i honestly appreciate the feedback and am equally grateful for your thoughts bc you also?? helped me get the kinks out of how i conceptualize the pre-game timeline. not to mention, i’ve had a blast hashing out mc/cree’s dynamic with black/watch gen/ji??? i love being able to explore different interpretations with folks and you provide such an orderly wealth of insight into gen/ji’s character that it’s v easy to play off of. 

ninjastrike:

            he wields silence as heavy as his blade and several times  more  sharpened,  holding point in the relative quietness that his mind is able to offer.  regardless of the insincerity that is inspired by the current conversation and company,  he has no adverse or vile opinions in regards to blackwatch that many seem to hold  (  and many more seem to expect him to  share  )  and actively shares in a decent amount of respect for the functionality of a group such as this.  his … past  associations  had something similar in terms of an undercover black operation and it is no surprise to see overwatch share in the hiding of their metaphorical  dirt.

            it is on the tip of his tongue to offer some of his observations and thoughts but the  casual  disregard  catches him by the reign of his pride and tugs at it hard.  his eyes narrow by their own accord and he slants his head towards the other with the  barest  tinge  of insult laced in his voice  :  but enough for there to be no doubt as to the full offence that is being taken.           ❛   …  you think to  train  me  ?  you are not as amusing as you think you are.   ❜

   ❛ GLAD WE AGREE i’m amusin’, ❜ ( he replies coolly, refusing to feed the nascent animosity burgeoning within his charge with equal vigor, genji’s hackles all but raised after an indelicate turn of phrase. it was unwise, he reviews, to word it as such, but jesse neglects an apology, instead opting for an opportunity to read his partner’s reaction, to gauge his pride and see how well-deserving it is down the line. ) ❛ but fact is, you’re green. and i ain’t talkin’ about those fancy lights’a yours, neither. ❜

   ( he runs the pad of his thumb along the long bristles on his chin, eyes sidling between the brightly limned slat on genji’s helmet to the sword peeking over his shoulders. ) ❛ now, ‘m not sayin’ you’re not skilled or just as capable of killin’ a man dead as the rest of us, but there’s protocol i got every intention of learnin’ ya. it ain’t optional. ❜ ( if it were, maybe he wouldn’t be running a fool’s errand tonight, trading barbs with the new guy and locked in the command seat, ineffectual. jesse reclaims his attention from genji’s person, looking sated by the appraisal, if unimpressed, and continues towards the objective. )

    ❛ ‘course, i never did get a decent briefing on ya. maybe you’ve been with blackwatch longer’n i have. who knows. ❜

FIRST THREE IN MY INBOX GET KISSES/DISSES | @ninjastrike​

   ❛ STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD this one before —— ❜

   ( he doesn’t pull punches anymore. jesse likes to think it’s a mutual understanding they’ve reached, that their skins are as thick as the chromed metals and leathers they wear, resistant to a solid potshot or two, words wrought out of boredom these days just as often as they are out of spite. it’s a mixture of both, in jesse’s case; running his mouth gives him something to do while he waits for his prosthetic to come in. helps him blow off the steam that churns and surges to blistering every day he’s stuck playing second fiddle as the new guy takes point. takes his role, his spot. angela had told him to keep his mind active, and lately, jesse exploits the ambiguity.

     genji’s attitude singes. it’s cold to the point of burning, ruthlessly absent. untouchable. most days, jesse thinks a conversation with him is nothing more than a prolonged match of chicken: how long can he make it before his patience blisters, ruptures wide open and aches for the attention of someone who might actually give a damn.

     jesse doesn’t pull punches anymore, but sometimes he doesn’t have the energy for the wind up anyway. the wisecracks come out bland, half-hearted as the one that’s tumbled out of his unperked mouth. he’d always meant to say something sooner, but when jesse’s callused fingers wrap themselves around the ribbon streaming from genji’s headpiece, he’s thinking the design is flawed. his thumb smooths an inch of the cascade and now he knows the material is revoltingly soft to the touch as well. deceptive, considering what it’s attached to.

     he’s anticipating losing his remaining arm too, and that’s just fine at this point — torbjorn already has his measurements, and angela’s requested even more of his blood type be kept in storage. so when he yanks on the cloth, swiftly and with force, jesse is expecting worse than when his lip collides with the keen edge of genji’s visor, skin splitting between the ridge of his teeth behind it and the metal ahead. the blood burns warm as it wells out of the burst, and it’s only when he pulls away, neck craning stiffly, that jesse realizes he’s hurt. he sees it in the spate of red along the visor, feels his teeth grow sore.

     his hand rises immediately to wipe the blood from his chin, knuckles dampening, collecting color. his brow creases deep, gaze drifting towards unreadable as it lingers downward, but a quiet, dark humor picks up in jesse’s voice. )

   ❛ —— but you’re a right pain in the tail, kid. ❜

ninjastrike:

            he makes  no  secret  of his fatalistic allegiances  (  or the lack thereof  )  and has it on good assurance that there is nothing worse anyone can do to him now that he has  not  already  made to contemplate himself.  there is  no  hiding  the displeasure caught in every curve and edge of his being even as his visor keeps the complete of his countenance  hidden  away  and out of sight from any unwanted scrutiny  :  and surely there  will  be  scrutiny,  for all intents and purpose he is nothing more than a machine who attempts to  walk  among  the humans.

            ❛   i do not.   ❜          feel  like  sharing,  that is.  he is not here to make friends,  nor does he care to,  and the less he knows about any member of blackwatch before his  expiry  date  (  a crass term,  certainly,  but a very apt one at that  )  the better and  easier  it will be to leave this behind him once the time comes.  he notes the  irritating  clanging of the other’s boots with some disdain but brings it no voice,  instead content to divert his attention to the  task  at hand.           ❛   the mission is our  primary  objective.   ❜

   ❛ DON’T NEED TO tell me twice. ❜

   ( it goes for both comments. jesse isn’t keen on shoehorning himself into a stranger’s good graces when it’s likely to get himself sliced fine as lunchmeat. he knows who his friends are, he knows who his allies are, and he knows he’ll be watching his own back tonight when his company inspires no sense of ease or complacency. probably for the best, jesse thinks, to be kept on his toes. after all, he’s been spoiled by his senior officers these past how many years — reliable, all of them, and too upstanding to let him fail. this is but his turn in their saddle. he’s just trying not to grab the horn. )

    ❛ shouldn’t be too hard, anyhow. ain’t fort knox we’re breaking into. ❜ ( he reviews his mental notes on the debriefing. hostiles likely — guards — but not in great number. he’d spent most of the ride to their destination considering whether he’d approach with a heavy hand or a soft touch, and still isn’t settled on the issue. shadows cling hard and thick to the hollows of the gunslinger’s eyes, redoubled by the severe tilt of a hat brim, and jesse supposes he’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it. or, better yet, he’ll follow his partner’s lead. ) ❛ truth be told, case looked like a one man job, cover-to-cover. but, i‘m guessin’ the almighty powers that be figured we might as well get ya trained while we’re at it. two birds, n’ all that. ❜

ninjastrike:

              it is an insistent thing,  this  unsettling  itch  that crawls beneath his skin  (  metal sheen and solid steel,  it is no longer the body he knows  )  with all the tenderness of a  thistle  brush  :  and his apparent companion makes is no less difficult to contain the  building frustration  coiled  within,  curtailed only by a  sworn  oath  that chains him as heavy as the poison that sets upon his tongue.  his will is no longer that of his own,  his body caught on  two  fronts  ———   and through it all he falls under the custody of  blackwatch,  as wretched as the name implies,  and at the behest of a man who looks for all the world like a remnant of a  forgotten  past.

             ❛   do not assume you  know  me.   ❜          the words are stale yet soft - spoken,  a quiet murmur that speaks of  background  thunder.

    ( THE KID’S LUCKY his supervisor isn’t jack, or gabriel, or ana even. backtalk never was something they took well to back in the day, not from greenhorns or basketcase punks in strange getup. jesse bites back a wry comment about how insubordination is grounds for latrine duty back at base, ultimately doubting genji’s permanence [ if not his commitment ] as an agent, and chews over whether or not he wants to light up again. )

   ❛ believe me, knowing ya ‘s the furthest thing from my mind. ❜ ( he snorts, gracelessly, wit just bold enough to distract himself from the challenge in genji’s voice, spurs clinking with his passing strides. they’ll get nowhere engaging in power plays this early in the assignment, and as much as jesse is glad to trade ineffectual commands and jabs with the man, he has no interest in extending any part of this mission past its due. ) ❛ half the time, assumptions are all we got in blackwatch. wouldn’t take ‘em too personal ‘less you particularly feel like sharin’. ❜

@ninjastrike

   ❛ — LET’S GET A MOVE ON. ❜ ( the clock is running. a day since the initial debriefing, and jesse still isn’t pleased with the mission details. he attempts to mask it best he can, but the carry of his shoulders verges on taut, gloved thumbs hooked sharp along the insider of his belt like his hands are predisposed to fists tonight. more so than usual, at least. can’t be helped. he extinguishes a cigarette beneath a pivoting heel unceremoniously, nods once towards the hit location and cracks his neck. ) ❛ sooner we get this done, faster i get back to a hot meal. don’t reckon that means much t’ you, all things considered, but time’s a-wastin’. ❜