tabularasa_rp | Volleyball League Practice Catch-all

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Volleyball League Practice Catch-all

Who: primarily those who signed up to participate in the Void’s new volleyball league, but anyone and everyone is welcome!
What: volleyball practice for the new Void volleyball league
Where: the underground gymnasium
When: early December
Content Warnings: none yet, but will update if necessary!

((ooc: this log is gonna be used for a few practice sessions, as well as a practice game and other such things! Iwaizumi will be sharing his knowledge with everyone and acting as a coach of sorts until the practice game, so feel free to use the TLs to interact with him, or make your own TLs under the sections to start your own threads with your teammates or others participating! also, if you are not a player but want to be in the audience or are playing another role, feel free to make TLs reflecting that! everyone is welcome (walk/ins included!) If you have questions or want to plot, feel free to add me on Plurk at

pantheraliam))

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[Iwaizumi sucks in a sharp breath as he realizes just how little he actually wants to be in the position to have to explain this to anyone, let alone a kid he barely knows.]

It’s not a dream.

You probably won’t believe me, and it’ll feel like one for a long time. [It still does to him and he’s been here at least a month by his own estimation.] It isn’t.

You’re in a place called the, uh...[He frowns, scratches a bit at the back of his head. Nope, this is no fun at all.] A lot of people call it the Void. It doesn’t...really have a name.

Doesn’t really have much of anything. [Hinata isn’t imagining it if he sounds bitter when he says that.]

[The more Iwaizumi says, the wider Shouyou's eyes get. And though he's silent through the explanation, the disbelief written all over his face says enough on its own.

At the end of it, he does what any person would do in this situation and pinches himself hard.]

Ow! [Okay, he definitely felt that. Shouyou rubs at the stinging patch of skin, the dreamy calm he'd held onto since he got here abruptly evaporating.

Panic sets in as everything hits him all at once. Shouyou grabs onto Iwaizumi's shirt, with a gasp.] But--but!! I'm supposed to be in Tokyo with my team! We have a match today! What do I do?!

[Iwaizumi winces as he watches Hinata’s panic set in. Normally, he’d shove the kid right off of him for grabbing him like that, but instead he just stands with his arms at his sides and looks away. There’s a stab of pain in his chest - of course this kid would be panicking. Iwaizumi knows all too well what it’s like to have a chance at Nationals ripped away, but to actually earn a spot and then end up transported to a whole other universe? He swallows down a lump in his throat for the poor kid.]

I wish I knew the answer to that, kid. I don’t. [Hell, he’s not even sure whether or not time is passing at home while the two of them are stuck here, nor if people have realized they’re missing or are looking for them. It’s a painful uncertainty to have.

[It does occur to him that it sounds as though Hinata has come in from a different time - he was already at Nationals when he was brought here? Iwaizumi puts a pin in the thought to ask about later - there’d probably be no point right now.]

Look. [He gently takes Hinata’s hands and tries to pry them off his shirt.] There’s nothing that can be done about it right now, okay? So you have to calm down. Having a meltdown isn’t going to help anything.

[Not that he’s one to talk - he’s had about 100 since coming here, but God, he really doesn’t want to see this kid start crying.]

[It should probably occur to Shouyou that panicking about Nationals to Iwaizumi could be considered cruel, when Shouyou's team was the one who's knocked them out of the running in the first place. It'll hit him later, once he's had a chance to calm down. But right now, to his teenaged mind, there's nothing more important than Nationals. How could he be here when he's worked so hard to be able to support his team there?]

No. [Swallowing hard, Shouyou lets go of Iwaizumi and begins backing away. He's learned to think things through on the court by now, thanks to all those days spent being the camp's ball boy. None of that training has accounted for something like this.] There has to be some way I can get back to Tokyo from here.

[Iwaizumi's right, though. Having a meltdown isn't going to help. He's not going to just sit down and cry. He's going to go looking for the answers himself.

Shouyou turns on his heels and heads toward the gym's door in a daze.]

Hey—-

[Oh no you don’t. Iwaizumi runs right after Hinata to grab him by his collar and yank him back. Why? Maybe because he doesn’t want this dumb kid wandering off and getting lost in the meat subways, maybe because he doesn’t want a piece of home to leave so quickly, maybe because it irritates him that Hinata clearly isn’t listening when Iwaizumi knows what the hell he’s talking about!]

Are you even listening to me, you little twerp?! Don’t you think if there was a way out I would have found it by now? It’s over!

[Harsh, he realizes, and maybe there’s a bit of pent up emotion being let out on poor Hinata right now, but Iwaizumi can’t really help it.]

I know it sucks and it hurts and it doesn’t make sense, but this is the way shit is now for us and you’re just gonna get lost trying to find your way back! There is no way back!

[Wasn’t he just telling Hinata not to have a meltdown? Oh well.]

You don't know that! [When Shouyou whirls around to face him again, there's a fire in his eyes that wasn't there before. It isn't at all fair to take his fears and frustration out on Iwaizumi, but right now, all he knows is that Seijoh's ace is the closest thing to home while keeping him from getting home, too.]

If we got here somehow, there has to be a way we can get out, too!

[Any other time, Shouyou might've actually found this exciting. Being transported to a whole new place... that's exciting, isn't it? Just like the video games that he and Kenma like so much. And the place even comes with all the volleyball equipment he needs!

But he's supposed to be at Nationals, and that means he's been here less than an hour and he hates it already.]

So what, you think I just gave up the second I got here? Then you don’t know shit about me, kid! Not a goddamn thing!

[He let’s go of his collar then, a little too quickly, and not without a bit of a shove, which may cause Hinata to stumble, but he doesn’t care.]

I may not have a Nationals match to get back to, but I have friends, I have a home. [His voice cracks just a little on that word - “home”.] I’m not some punk who’ll just take whatever he gets told and stop trying! I’ve been trying! And I’m telling you that we haven’t got it figured out yet! None of us!

There’s more than just me here, you know. We’re all from different places and none of us can get back home. You aren’t fucking special!

[You aren't special. Those are words Shouyou's had more than enough to get used to, heard way too often recently. Back home, on the Nationals court, those words would've rolled off his back like water, only made him all the more hungry to prove everyone wrong. Here, when he's still reeling from the idea that the only Nationals game he'd played is his last, they get under his skin and itch like nothing else. That little shove from Iwaizumi is all it takes to set him off.]

I know that! [With a snarl, Shouyou lunges forward, grabbing Iwaizumi's collar this time. He bares his teeth, looking every bit like the feral monster Tendou had called him.]

What does being special have to do with any of this?! I don't know you or anyone else here! Am I supposed to just trust you and accept that there's nothing I can do?!

[He’s gotta say, of all the things Iwaizumi might have been expecting to come of this, getting grabbed wasn’t one of them. It’s enough to momentarily break him out of his little fit, eyes going slightly wide as Hinata faces him with bared teeth.

[It makes sense that he’d be mad - of course it makes sense that he’d be mad, and no, he doesn’t have any reason to trust him, but...

[Iwaizumi again places his hands on top of Hinata’s, again gently tries to pry him off. His voice is quiet when he speaks again, and his eyes are cast to the floor.]

You’ve got no reason to trust me, kid. But I’m trying to help you. I really am.

[He looks at Hinata again then, and his eyes have a fire burning in them too - it’s just a little harder to see, dulled by a month of fruitless effort. He wouldn’t be able to express how much he wishes Hinata were right even if he wanted to, but this kid has something Iwa’s barely holding onto now - hope.]

Let me tell you what I know at least. That can only help you, right?

Let go of me, kid. I’m not here to fight with you.

[At first, Shouyou refuses to let go, his fight instincts going haywire with nowhere to really direct his anger. Then, as Iwaizumi speaks to him in that softer tone, his hands just as gentle against Shouyou's, he finds himself slumping tiredly. He lets Iwaizumi tug his hands away.]

Fine. [Though he doesn't look like he's about to lunge at Iwaizumi again, the wariness is still there in his eyes. The stubborn set of his mouth says he still isn't convinced, but he's willing to listen, and that's a start.]

What's going on?

Come on with me. [Iwaizumi says, glancing around a bit at the gym, hoping they haven’t caused too much of a scene (wouldn’t want another one of those).] There’s a locker room over that way. We’ll talk there.

[And with that he steps away from Hinata, gestures toward the locker room door, and then starts making his way in that direction, hoping the kid will follow without too much trouble.]

[After a second of hesitation, Shouyou trails after him. To anyone unfamiliar with them, the scene isn't an odd one: two high school boys in clothes meant for sports, heading into a locker room. To anyone who is, Shouyou's heavy silence as they walk is a dead giveaway.

Once they're in the locker room, Shouyou sits on one of the wooden benches, dropping his bag to the ground. Then, he looks up at Iwaizumi expectantly, his gaze sharp enough to cut. Okay, we're here, his eyes say. Now talk.]

[Iwaizumi takes in a heavy breath, returning Hinata’s sharp look with one his own as he takes a seat on the bench a few feet away from him - really, it’s nothing in comparison though. The way Hinata stares at Iwaizumi is enough to threaten his body with chills. What is with this little freak?]

Alright. Now don’t go running for the door again as soon as I open my mouth again, got it? [His tone is firm, but he doesn’t wait for Hinata to acknowledge it.]

We’re in a place called the Void - the people here call it the Void, like I said, but it’s all half-done. It doesn’t really have a name.

It’s a place made from our memories - the buildings, the animals, even shit like the weather and the sky. [He gestures around the locker room then, his eyes still firmly holding Hinata’s gaze.]

This gym is from mine.

There are a whole bunch of people here from all sorts of worlds, and not just humans. There are aliens, robots, even dragons - and no, I’m not crazy. You’ll see them for yourself soon enough.

[He takes another deep breath then as his eyes finally drop to the bench between them.]

I’ve been here for I don’t know how long. At least a month I’m guessing. Time doesn’t work here like it should. [His eyes go back up to Hinata then.] You’re the first person that I can tell comes from where I come from, and sure as hell the only one I’ve seen before.

You and me. That’s it.

[This--all of this--isn't exactly what Shouyou wants to hear, considering he's essentially stuck here, if he's understanding Iwaizumi correctly.

And yet, something in his anger seems to dissolve, two main emotions conflicting inside him for a second before leaving behind a look of childish awe, like he hadn't just been glaring at Iwaizumi just now.]

There are dragons here? [It's asked softly, voice hushed, like the answer might change if he raises his voice.] And aliens?

[And then the frown returns, not quite as severe as it was minutes ago.]

Wait...a month? That can't be right. If you've been missing that long, we would've heard something by now!

[Listen, dragons are exciting (Oikawa would probably be more jazzed about the aliens), so Iwaizumi doesn’t really judge Hinata for shifting gears (though he does abandon that terrifying vigor pretty quickly), but when he makes his final point, something clicks for Iwa and his eyes go a little wide.]

Wait—- Then you haven’t? [Miyagi is a small place. This kid is right - surely there would have been a missing persons case put together by now if—-

[If what? If time were still moving back home without him? It had to be, right? Then again...]

Hey. Listen for a minute. You said you were taken from a Nationals match, right? [Oof. He hopes bringing that back up won’t ignite this weirdo’s little flame again. He moves on from the statement quickly.] That doesn’t seem right either.

When I showed up, you were getting ready to face off with Shiratorizawa and that bastard Ushiwaka. The timeline doesn’t make sense, right?

[So then it is true. That means—- Ugh, his head hurts.]

Hold on, kid. This could be good news.

[Now, Shouyou might not have the patience for math, but even he can see that things don't add up here, like Iwaizumi's pointed out.]

But the Shiratorizawa match was at the end of October. It's January now! Or...it was for me. And I saw Kindaichi and Kunimi just a couple weeks ago... There's no way they would've kept quiet about this!

[He groans, burying his hands in his hair.]

None of this makes sense! Does this mean no one's going to notice if we're gone?!

You’re not getting it, kid. [Not the full extent of it anyway. Iwaizumi tries to reestablish eye contact, to connect with this kid long enough that he can make him understand.]

If time back home isn’t moving on without us, then that means no one’s missing us, and we’re not missing out. [Get it yet? That means he won’t be wasting his last few months of high school trapped in another dimension while Oikawa goes nuts looking for him and/or thinking he’s abandoned him, and for Hinata, that means...] Wouldn’t that make your Nationals match safe, kid?

You’re right. If I were missing, you would have heard about it, which means I’m not and neither are you. Get it?

[He does get it. He really does. It's just taking a little longer to sink in because it seems too good to be true.

Shouyou scoots closer, sliding across the bench to close the distance between them. This time, when he reaches out, it's tentative, searching for comfort rather than confrontation.]

You...really think that? [He stares up at Iwaizumi, painful hope written all over his face.] It's... that easy. No one's gonna freak out about us being gone. And... I'll get a chance to stand on that court again?

Edited (words are hard) 2020-12-12 02:44 (UTC)

[Iwaizumi’s face reflects painful hope right back at Hinata, though he probably does a better job at hiding it. He doesn’t try to pry the kid away this time, only sighs.]

I hope so, kid. I mean that, I really do.

[Because yes, this kid is part of the team that took away his chance at Nationals, and no, he doesn’t know him, but he does know how it feels to be trapped here, how hopeless and terrifying and overwhelming it was at first, and it continues to be. He doesn’t hold any ill will toward Hinata in this moment - if anything, he just wants to make this transition easier for him, as painless as possible.]

You got a name, Number 10?

I’m Seijoh’s ace, like you said. [It’s hard to catch, just barely there, but Hinata isn’t imagining things if he can hear a slight wavering in Iwaizumi’s voice when he says that.] Hajime Iwaizumi.

It's Hinata! Shouyou Hinata!

[Even if Iwaizumi isn't positive about the way time works in this place, it's enough to give Shouyou hope. Enough to calm the storm that's been raging in him since he first thought he'd lost his chance at seeing the rest of Nationals through with his team. It's something he can cling onto.

And apparently, it's enough to make all the wariness finally retreat, leaving just the pep that Iwaizumi had probably expected from the beginning. Though, that bright smile dims when he catches that waver in Iwaizumi's voice and other implications begin to sink in.]

Oh. Iwaizumi-san... that means you've been here by yourself this whole time.

[Iwaizumi flusters a little at the response, a stubborn frown overtaking his face.]

Yeah, what of it? [He doesn’t mean to sound defensive, but try as he might to hold himself together, it’s almost impossible to hide the emotion behind his eyes as he speaks.

[He’s been alone, yes, and it’s been hard - beyond hard. Truth be told, even though he doesn’t know this kid, even though all this kid really is to him is Karasuno’s Number 10, seeing him immediately ignited such an overwhelming spark of hope in him that Iwaizumi now feels like he’s about to crumble with relief. He turns his face away when his eyes start stinging, and stubbornly (and quickly), runs a hand over them, forcing a lump down in his throat.

[He has to suck in a sharp breath before turning back, face steeled again, expression hard, but...soft all the same, somehow.]

Like I said, it’s just you and me now, so...

We oughta stick together, okay?

[It feels more like a plea for Hinata not to leave him, because he’s the closest thing he has to home, but he hope that desperation doesn’t show through.]

I can show you where I stay. And you’re welcome to it if you want.

[In that moment, Iwaizumi easily cements himself into Shouyou's life, becoming a fixture that Shouyou is all too grateful for after the scare he's just had. His family nor his teammates might not be here with him, but Iwaizumi's proven himself to be just as reliable, just as kind in the face of Shouyou's temper.]

Nothing... it's like you said. We should stick together. [It's a simple answer for such a complicated situation. But Shouyou feels a pang as he watches Iwaizumi struggle with his emotions, feeling terrible about having likely made everything worse.

Tentatively, he reaches for Iwaizumi again, just a light, sincere press of his hands around the ace's for a moment. It's only fair that he give some comfort back, when Iwaizumi's done his best to talk Shouyou around.]

If we stick together, that means neither of us will be alone. [Anymore, like Iwaizumi's been for the last month.]

[Iwaizumi let’s his hands rest in Shoyo’s for only a moment before his pride makes him pull them away again and cast his eyes off toward the wall. Even so, he nods. He can’t deny the value of that, not being alone. It’s not as if he hasn’t made friends since coming here, and it’s not as if he doesn’t care for them, but having someone from home, it’s just...different.

[He turns back to Hinata, expression even but unable to force a smile.]

Come on, then. Let me show you around. It’s a lot to take in at first, but you’ll need to know how to get from place to place.

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Volleyball League Practice Catch-all

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