estoria | 001

Entry tags:

001

Who: Mitsutada (

candlecutterpikachu) and you!
When: ICly 12/23 - 12/24
Where: ViViD centre, all around Cerealia
What: Dumb chuuni sword doing dumb things. Also, gratuitous amounts of 'cool' sprinkled over everything.
Rating/Warning: None yet, will edit as needed!

a; - shiny sword not actually looking for an owner (12/23)

[ Being a sword spirit has its benefits.

Firstly, you get a backup life of sorts. Even if your human form gets wrecked to literal pieces, you will be fine as long as your true form stays intact. Sure, it takes time to regenerate all that spiritual energy, but it is doable. Secondly, you don't age, and can live millennia if the circumstances are right. As long as you aren't broken, of course... which apparently is what had happened for the second time. Because, yknow, his world is supposedly gone. Which he isn't going to think about right now, not only because it means he failed in his purpose a second time, but also because one can't really process things very quickly if they have been reverted back to an inanimate object.

(Of course, he still thinks it's all just some strange dream. Everything that they fought for can't be gone just like this.)

You see, the problem with having a weapon as a true form is that sometimes code retrievers don't quite finish the job. Sure, he passed the introductory ViViD level without difficulty - but that was in his human form, which is ultimately temporary. Which means they didn't render it when it comes to actually letting him out into the colony.

The end result is that a sword has somehow ended up slotted between two cushions on one of the ViViD centre's lounge sofas. An attendant had stared at it inside the terminal for a good few minutes before deciding that the booth should be vacated as soon as possible - thus the sword being chucked out and jammed it into the seats, perhaps under some assumption that its owner would come by to pick it up. But it has been quite some time since it was placed there - if only for the very simple reason that the person in question is the sword itself.

To the untrained eye, the sword is a very well-kept one, polished until it shines with the cold brilliance of steel. To the trained eye, the sword would be quite the work of art, hilt and guard forged in an archaic style perhaps centuries past. And to the spiritually-sensitive eye, it would also carry the ethereal quality of having something possibly superimposed over its form.

Still, it is a very shiny (and expensive) sword. Will you claim it for yourself, or pick it up just to see if it is real? ]

b; - tin cans are not friends (12/23)

[ It took some time - a good amount of time, in fact - but he did eventually learn what had happened. (Or, as he would put it, what they told everyone had happened.) It's still a lot to absorb all at once, especially given that the purpose of his second life is to protect his world from those that were threatening to destroy it - but he supposes its not something he can change immediately. So into the backburner it goes, the thought crumpled up and tossed aside into a metaphorical wastepaper basket for perusal a long, long time later.

With that out of the way, more pressing issues begin to surface. Sure, he had been given money and a room (awfully nice of them, he thinks), but that money isn't going to last forever. The Saniwa never charged them, but this place would - so he needed to earn his keep.

You might find him perusing notices tacked into lampposts and walls, or lingering outside shops to read their displays. If there is a job board setup anywhere, he will be taking down notes with good 'ol pen and paper from the ViViD centre.

If you look mostly human and happen to remain in his vicinity for some amount of time, he would be sliding over before lowering his voice to address you - as how one might have a hushed conversation in the vicinity of a particularly large lion. ]

Hey. Do you know what that is?

[ 'That', being the innocuous-looking cleaning droid puttering away on the nearby pavement. It doesn't look suspicious, but the way he squints subtly seems to suggest otherwise. ]

c; - accidental melon ambushes (12/24)

[ Honestly, it's almost refreshing to start on simple chores like these. He still doesn't want to think about what happened the previous day, and there is work to be done - after catching up with the two Samonjis here, he had fallen back into some semblance of old routine. Cleaning, tidying and cooking, what he has always done for the others - but before he can do the third, he needs to buy ingredients first.

So here he is inside one of the neighborhood supermarkets, inspecting vegetables with the close scrutiny of a kitchen veteran. He keeps up a faint running monologue under his breath, muttering some form of commentary about the things that he comes across. He makes a pass on the not-quite-potatoes and bizarrely coloured spinach, picks a bit at the ten billion varieties of cheese, before ending up in front of a shelf full of fruits.

Rather unfortunately for him, one of the attendant droids seems to have caught on to his voiced thought about melons, and tries to bring one over from a shelf. Except its wheels get caught on one of the displays, and the melon goes flying -

- he draws in a flash, sensing the round projectile as it enters his field of vision - and the fruit is cleanly bisected, both halves sliding along the floor with varying proportions of pulp in tow.

Whoops.

If it isn't already evident by the look of sheer horror rapidly spreading across his face, this is something beyond embarrassing.

It is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, something uncool.

Hopefully the fruit didn't splatter you when it made its landing. Will you: ]

> Leave the guy with the eyepatch be for now while he tries to grapple with his terrible mistake
> Laugh
> Stare
> Demand compensation
> Attempt to steal the bisected melon
> Attempt to steal the shopping basket (why)
> Attempt to steal the sword (WHY)
> ???

d; - choose your own adventure

[ Throw me anything and I'll roll with it! ]

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[No, no, don't think about it too hard. They're just rude. Programmed rude. How does that even work--

Naoki glances down at his basket, and then nods.] Ju--uuust about. I just need...

[He sidesteps around him, scanning some of the fruits before finding a good package of strawberries.] ...these.

[ He's still reeling over the sheer terrible that had elapsed just a minute ago, and thinking about such important Existential Questions is a good distraction. Not that he isn't already dancing around one very good Existential Question, the one of whether his world actually still existed - but that one is so very not important right now, not when he is busy being suitably impressed by Naoki's eye for food.

Being able to pick quality out from not-so-quality is a very important skill, okay? ]

Nice. What're you making?

[ He doesn't get to see strawberries often, but at lest he knows about them. Fruit salad? Garnish? Snacks for the kids? ]

Edited 2015-04-24 01:32 (UTC)

A cake. These're gonna be the topping for it.

[Naoki gives him a conspiratorial smile.]

It's a surprise for someone, so try not to mention that you've seen me here. [But no, he's joking, and besides they've only met. Mitsutada hasn't even gotten his name from him yet, though his appearance is distinctive... enough... He starts to walk, heading toward the checkout.]

[ Well, that's certainly a secret that he can keep... if needed, anyway. He doesn't have any intentions to let a potentially important event get wrecked or something.

But it's cake, and that says something about this guy. He's got style.

He keeps easy pace with Naoki, posture relaxing as they walk along. ]

Man, that sounds great. [ Whoever it's for, he's sure it'll be nice. ] You're a chef, too?

[ Could it be that he's found a fellow patron of the culinary arts? ]

Edited (lmfao i'm so sorry for my grammar) 2015-04-24 14:15 (UTC)

[Style, Mitsutada you're giving him too much credit...]

"Chef"... Nah, not exactly.

[Naoki's glancing curiously over (and up as well, tbh, this guy's tall so many people here are tall) at him as they walk.] I've just been cooking and baking things ever since I was a kid. [That aside--] You're one?

[ Nah, Naoki's the one giving him too much credit here. For someone who claims (and looks reasonably) cool, Mitsutada has got a rather strange set of priorities.

But anyway. He's still suitably impressed, though. ]

Not by profession, no. [ So they're kind of in the same boat here. ] I just cook a lot for my friends.

[They are in the same boat... Naoki nods slowly.]

Cooking for friends can be pretty satisfying itself, huh? [He's gotten more of a chance to do it here; after all, some of his recent gifts to others were hand-made cupcakes and such.

It's not a bad feeling at all...]

Yeah, it is. Definitely. Especially if they enjoy it. [ Making everyone happy is a good thing, and food's the easiest way to do that. He's taken on the job of chef in the Citadel, and has never regretted it since. ]

Oh yeah - what's your name?

[ It's occurred to him right now that they... actually haven't introduced each other. ]

[Naoki's expression softens juuust a little at the thought of it, because he'd like it if this cake of his will be enjoyed-- Oops, mind back to the present, thinking about that later.]

Naoki. Naoki Kashima.

And you?

[ That sounds like a Japanese name, so he notes it down. He's pretty sure Naoki isn't... quite completely human, but his spirit sense isn't as acute as some of the others, so he just doesn't comment on it.

Instead, he offers his hand to Naoki for a handshake. ]

Shokudaikiri Mitsutada. I'm the sword of Date Masamune. Nice to meet you, Naoki-kun.

[ Yep, he's on casual first-name basis already. Hopefully you're not too averse to that. ]

[He'd certainly be right-- there's no getting around that he doesn't feel human. It's... complicated...

But first name basis he can do. Though that being said. That's a long name he has. And calling him Shokudaikiri is a bit...]

So that means you're a pretty famous sword, [is what he notes, lightly impressed again as he takes the offered hand.] Can I just call you Mitsutada?

[ Well, this certainly is a human(?) with absolutely no expression of shock at that proclamation. It's almost refreshing to not have people prod him and/or ask him questions.

Mitsutada's grip is firm but not painful, and he shakes Naoki's hand briefly before letting go. ]

Just that would be fine. I'd prefer if you used my last name. [ Because calling him candlestick-slasher is still some kind of uncool. ]

Do you know who my master was?

[He's had experience with you swordy types-- that and even if this was his first time meeting one, it honestly takes... a lot to really throw him.

Past experiences.]

Date Masamune? 'Course. We've learned about him in history. [...and besides that, there're quite a few modern adaptations of him and his history out there. Even though they aren't always (or are barely) accurate to history.]

[ Hearing that his master is still remembered is certainly something very reassuring to him. Masamune is very important to Mitsutada, and the sword even went as far as to imitate his master's signature accessory. Though that imitation turned into became a necessity when he was summoned after dying once - but that is a story for some other day. ]

That's great. [ This is said with evident pride and a good dash of nostalgia. ] He did many impressive things, I'm glad everyone still remembers him.

[ Just let him fanboy for a bit inside. ]

[Naoki's quirking a grin at that--]

He's pretty important to you, huh? [It's interesting, hearing how swords thought of their masters. Naoki's never had an opportunity for something like this before, as many strange things as he's gone through in the past.]

Important's a bit of an understatement, really.

[ This he says with a good dose of nostalgia. Masamune means more than just that to him. He was the one who gave Mitsutada his sense of self - because tsukumogami don't just rely on existing more than a century to become self-aware, they also need a significant event in their existence to give them something to form their identities around.

For him, it was the time he spent with his most famous owner that did it. Masamune gave him not only his name, but a purpose to become sentient for. ]

I haven't seen him in ages. [ Because as much as he wished otherwise, he wasn't with the Date anymore in his master's twilight years. But maybe that was for the best. ] Maybe I'll run into him again here.

[ He says it as if it was just an idle thought - which it is, mostly. But he can't deny that he does hope. ]

[Naoki watches him and takes in the emotions that he can sense--]

Hopefully you will. There's a chance, right?

[Given how this place is, how it can take from all kinds of places, from times or otherwise. Even the same person, but slightly different universes... He thinks of Raidou before shaking the memory of it out of his head.]

If Date Masamune showed up here, even I'd like to run into him.

[ To that, he just tilts his head. They've reached the checkout counter, so he punctuates their conversation here and there to address the cashier as necessary. ]

It is interesting how this place pulls people from all worlds and times. I've heard that the Shinsengumi are about as well. [ Though by interesting, he also means suspicious. And then: ]

You're from Japan, right? Which year?

2004. [As he goes about paying at another cash, he's still talking to him. Some (or most) of the cashiers are probably robots, it'll be fine.]

Mine's probably another one of those different version of Japan. Alternate universes, that kind of thing.

[He's yet to meet another person who knew what a "Vortex World" was.]

[ 2004... well, isn't that the supposed cusp of future modernity. It's a little strange, to have this sort of time dissonance - because the last thing he remembered was dying in the flames of 1923, and then fast-forwarding to 2205 when he was reborn again. ]

Yeah, I've heard. I'm from 2205, though time itself is fluid where I work as. [ Jumping through time chasing after the Retrograding Army... Then, Naoki probably came from one of the other times.

Maybe a time which they failed to save. ]

There's a lot of those alternate universes out there, aren't they?

[Naoki's eyebrow quirks in surprise. 2205... That's a good ways away from his own time, isn't it. It's not unbelievable at all, but still something of a shock.]

Fluid?

[He picks up his bag of groceries once it's all packed up, moving to step away from the cash to wait for Mitsutada.]

And there are, but... I heard about there being a lot of other worlds and universes out there back where I was from.

Yeah, fluid. [ There was probably some better word for this, but he doesn't quite know which to use. Languages, man. ] I time-travel regularly as part of my job, so it's kind of like journeying through the sea of time with your base anchored at 2205, that sort of thing.

[ Not to get into personal timelines and all... there's also the fact of him actually being dead, but he isn't going to think about that right now.

He waits until the cashier checks out his things before rejoining Naoki outside. ]

Really? I thought it was some fancy new-age theory that ended up being proven right.

[ No, everything is new to you only because you're still mentally stuck in the 1900s. ]

Edited 2015-05-02 19:00 (UTC)

[Ah, time-travel regularly. Of course. Naoki's seen and experienced enough that hearing these things don't faze him as much as it would the regular person...] I get it.

[Naoki shifts to start walking once he's joined.]

Before what happened to my world, it was a theory... but after, that's when I was told about the innumerable other worlds and universes out there.

Edited 2015-05-02 23:46 (UTC)

[ They are roughly headed back to the same area, so he sees no reason to leave.

What Naoki says interests him, though. While there are alternate timelines, his job is to prevent them from happening. Or something like that, because the laws of time and space are never clear, even to the saniwas who pulled them out from the sea of spirits from which they all arise. ]

You don't mean what they tried to tell us with that card picture show, right?

[ Because obviously, that's not true? ]

[Pff--

Naoki's snort seems to say the same... who could believe all of that stuff they were blathering on about? Worlds destroyed, so on and so forth? Code? While there's a shred of possibility there, it doesn't mean he's willing to believe them.

He knows better by now about accepting right away what everyone says. And anyway, there's still the question of why aliens would already target a world that'd already been destroyed-- as it is for him.]

No, not that. I learned about what I did a while before I ever wound up here.

Edited 2015-05-05 14:42 (UTC)

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candlecutterpikachu - 2015-05-06 13:52 (UTC) - Expand

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