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! ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[ For a thief with an eye for treasure, Kay almost sits on the sword before she notices it on the sofa. She doesn't, which is the important thing, and before long she's carefully tugged it out of the cushions to examine. ]

Huh. It looked like a replica, but this is the real deal... Who leaves a sword lying around?

[ Should she take it to Lost and Found? Is there a Lost and Found? Should she just accept that sometimes you find free swords lying around and take it? Hmm.... ]

[ Gareki just happened to be shopping for some food, too. He needs those vitamins that only fruits and vegetables can give him. He didn't expect to be wearing it. So yeah, he's going to want compensation. Gareki won't even ask.

He takes what he wants.

And the culprit seems to have done most of his shopping already. Gareki's basket is relatively empty aside from some meat that he bought. Now that he feels sticky and gross, the boy doesn't feel like walking around to pick things out himself. Luckily, this sharply-dressed stranger has a basket that seems to be pretty filled up with all of the essentials. Gareki is going to proceed to dump the contents of his own shopping basket into it and picks it up. ]

I'm taking this.

Edited 2015-04-23 13:04 (UTC)

[ Indeed, this sword is the real deal. Forged by the founder of the Osafune school of swordsmiths nearly a millenia ago, destroyed once and reformed again.

The sword doesn't seem to be any different from a normal ('normal') sword when Kay starts examining it... that is, until her fingers eventually brush against the steel of the blade. Assuming she had, like any sensible person, pulled it out by the hilt.

The blade trembles slightly, letting out a faint note as if it had been struck by a tuning fork. There is no further response from the sword until about half a minute later - there is a flash of bright blue-tinted light beside her - ]

Wait! Please don't touch me!

[ - which fades to reveal a man much taller than she is, and much more flustered than she is.

Yes, he just said 'me'. ]

Edited (icon) 2015-04-23 13:24 (UTC)

Maybe I'll-- gyaah! [ He doesn't stay the more flustered party for long, as his sudden appearance has her backpedalling, hitting the backs of her legs against the sofa, and promptly toppling onto the seat with 'him' clutched tight in one flailing hand. Sheathed, at least, or she'd be less a few fingers. ]

Where did you come from? [ wait wait more importantly, she's clearly just found the owner of the sword. He's 100% a cosplayer. ] That outfit is amazing! Did you make it yourself? Ah, of course! This is yours. Here!

[ It's good that his sword form did slip back into its sheath - because not only would it deprive Kay of a few fingers, it would also gave him the very peculiar and mostly uncomfortable sensation of being touched somewhere inside his chest. Another downside to having two bodies - sometimes, sensory dissonance does happen. ]

Thank you. [ Mitsutada takes himself from Kay with an all-too audible sigh, clipping the sheath back onto his belt and trying to banish the sheer embarrassment of the past half-minute from his countenance. Though her questions come a bit too fast for him to answer all at once, so his reply comes after a pause. ]

I come from Japan, of course! And yes, I made my clothes myself. [ Said with a good hint of pride. None of the other swords bar Horikawa can make such a claim...! ]

That's so cool. It must have taken you ages. Oh! I made mine too- what do you think? [ when she asked 'where' she'd meant 'just then'... but honestly, she figures it doesn't really matter in the long run, when there's a fellow enthusiast to chat to. She gets back onto her feet and twirls for him, eager for the opinion of someone who's clearly a master cosplayer. ]

[ Luckily for Gareki, Mitsutada spaces out for approximately two more seconds before snapping back to reality, flustered expression now unleashed full-force across his face. ]

Wait...! [ This is possibly the first time he has ever cursed his battlefield reflexes, but that can't be helped right now - the victim of the flyaway melon is now fleeing with his groceries.

Of course, he doesn't quite expect Gareki to actually stop, so he takes off after the man.

Except it then occurs to him that he doesn't actually have anything prepared to say to this fellow. God, this is so uncool.

NOTHING IS GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN WHY THIS. ]

Edited 2015-04-23 13:44 (UTC)

[SUDDEN CONVERSATIONS. Romana is still trying to get her bearings in this place herself, so she does hang around long enough for Mitsutada to shuffle on over. Being easily intimidated, though, she can't help but squeak and jerk back a little when he speaks up... But, thankfully for the eardrums of everyone on the street, she isn't startled enough to shriek. Small blessings.

She slowly looks to the little cleaner droid, then back to him.]

It's. Uh. [It looks like something out of a shitty sci-fi novel, but she's not going to say that.] Some kind of a robot... I think.

[> applauds with an impressed expression

Because as you do. Not even minding the embarrassed feelings that this guy (??? he also feels like Kousetsu does, in the non-human sense of it, interesting) might be giving off, because emotion sensing. Naoki's toting a basket with various ingredients in it, preparing for some baking tomorrow, but he didn't expect a display like this with grocery shopping. What an interesting day.

And he was even thankfully missed by melon parts.]

Edited 2015-04-23 13:52 (UTC)

[ Did she just... call him... cool???

Just... let him bask in that for a few moments, would you. Of course, it doesn't occur to him at all that sudden manifestations might be strange. It's what all the swords do, so he just swiftly moves on with the conversation.

He inspects her clothes with a discerning eye, and after a few moments his smile brightens. ]

It's good! [ Especially compared to his fellow swords, who can't even mend to save their lives... ] I like your coordination.

Edited 2015-04-23 14:22 (UTC)

[ The sudden jerk doesn't escape him, and he makes a mental note to speak softer to this lady. He doesn't want to intimidate people unnecessarily, after all... though her answer quickly resolves his expression into a thoughtful frown. ]

A robot? So it is not a human?

[ Please pardon this guy from Ye Olde Japan. He doesn't know about this technology thing. ]

Uh, no...

[She squints and tries to get a better look at the droid.]

I don't think it is, anyway. But it was probably made by humans. [Unless, of course, they've made robots that are programmed to make other robots, in which case that's sort of scary and they'll probably have to rebel against their mechanical overlords soon enough.]

[ That certainly is something he hasn't been expecting. Applause? For him? Could it actually be genuine, and not cynical, as one would applaud a magnificent screwup?

His one-eyed gaze falls onto Naoki, and he manages to subtly rearrange his flustered expression into something less constipated. ]

Uh, hey. [ no that came out weird, quickly change subject ] None of that got on you, did it?

[ He's already cringing at what he'd need to clean it up... not that it's tough for a ~~housewife~~ experienced sword like him, but it is totally embarrassing. ]

Edited 2015-04-23 14:21 (UTC)

[He is actually legitimately impressed that he did that on a dime... though thoroughly amused at the same time.]

Nope, I'm safe. Melon debris free. [He spreads his free hand to demonstrate, before glancing down at the mess on the floor.

--at least there're robots for that, who're probably puttering their way now.]

Made by humans, huh... [ Much like how he was forged by a swordsmith, too. And yet... it unsettles him. It moves, but it... it has no soul. It feels so wrong. ]

Looks like a tin can. [ He mutters this to himself under his breath, before continuing the conversation. ] It's not alive, but it can still... do things.

[ No shit, Sherlock - but it is something that very much bothers him. ]

Are these things common 'round this parts?

Yeah, humans make weird things sometimes...

[She says that like she isn't human. She's not, in the strictest sense of the word, but she's trying not to make that too obvious so after a moment she follows it up with a quick addendum.] ...I guess we're just pretty weird.

[As to his question, she shrugs.]

I've seen a couple of them already, but I haven't been here that long, so who knows?

[ Well, at least he wouldn't have to clean Naoki's clothes - not that the other wears a lot of it in the first place. He doesn't seem disturbed by Naoki's lack of a shirt - in fact, the robots now coming down the aisle draw a more negative reaction from him. It's just a slight frown, but his posture tenses ever so slightly - because they just don't sit right with him. ]

Ah, that's good, then. Sorry about that. [ Mitsutada means it, genuinely. Sure, it might have been a good display of his excellent swordsmanship - but it is embarrassing. And he hasn't even paid for that melon yet. ]

I should pay for that too, shouldn't I. [ There is no manager coming to apprehend him, so he just backs away a little from the approaching droids. They are efficient, sweeping up the melon pulp quickly - one seems to act as a portable bin, scuttling away while its compatriots start drying the floor. He just watches, like how one would watch a dance of snakes - very interested, perhaps a little admiring, but still cautious. ]

Edited 2015-04-23 14:34 (UTC)

[ He doesn't comment on it, but only because he isn't human either - most of the people he know aren't human too, so he just treats it as an expected fact of life. ]

I see, thanks. [ For answering his questions, he means. ] I've known people who are sort of similar, except a lot less [ and he says this without hesitation ] dead.

[ And then his brain kind of catches onto the fact that she is new, too, possibly like everyone else. ]

How're you holding up, Miss?

[ That's how you address young women, right? ]

[Accidents happen or so Shin-Ah is led to believe. This truly was a magnificent accident to watch, the robot trying to be helpful and the stranger reacting as if someone had throw weaponry at him.

As the poor, innocent watermelon goes splat on the floor, a chunk breaks off and merrily rolls closer to Shin-Ah's feet. He stares at it for a moment before bending down and picking it up as well as the melon part it escaped from.

He's about to offer the mess that is the melon to Mitsutada but it seems the squirrel hidden in his fur piece has other plans. Happily, Ao climbs along Shin-Ah's arm and sinks her teeth into the fleshy part of the melon.

...Well then. There goes any hope left for that melon.]

You're welcome.

[But, wow, "A lot less dead." That has Romana looking from him to the droid again with a somewhat more disturbed expression. That - is a robot, right? It's not some kind of walking corpse? To a tsukumogami they might be one and the same but she doesn't know that.]

Uh...

[Oh, thank god, a distraction.]

I'm... managing. [She shouldn't be here. If Earth really was destroyed by those aliens, that means the people she represents are dead, and it shouldn't be possible for her to be here even if they had managed to extract her code or whatever the explanation had been.] It's a lot to take in all at once.

[She should probably introduce herself.]

...the name's Marietta Vargas. What's yours?

[While the sight of a sword just being stuck in a sofa is pretty odd, Lapis ends up wandering over to it because of what she can sense from it. Her sixth-sense is pretty damn powerful, so she can only just... squint at it for a moment, having crouched down a bit by the sofa to get a look. It's a very nice sword, but there's just something about it...

It's after a few moments of slowly increasing squinting that Lapis realizes that whatever this is she's sensing, it's confusing. So she stands up straight, her fingers brushing against the steel curiously to see if anything happens, before she reaches to pull it out from the sofa to get a closer look. At least she makes sure she's careful about it.]

No worries.

[Apology accepted, so to speak, but he doesn't have anything to apologise for. Naoki smiles at him and side-steps around robots, looking at them with a leery eye for another reason. Stopping by Mitsutada, he lifts a shoulder in a helpless shrug.]

Maybe. Though, for now, we should get outta here and let them do their thing. [...] Sometimes these guys can get a bit on the insulting side. [The amount of vitriol in some of these hunks of metal is downright astonishing.]

[If there is one person who tends to poke his nose into places it might no belong, it's Pharos. Up and about and exploring places, it seems like today is a good day to stumble upon lost things.

Or treasured swords.

It's as if his eye is drawn towards the sword, carelessly placed between two cushions as it is. There is something about it he can't place his finger on but something like that as to have an owner. ...Maybe a new arrival left their sword behind by accident? If so, returning it to its owner would be prudent.

Curiously, Pharos approaches and reaches out to touch the sword.]

[ holy shit. holy shit.

that is one nice-looking sword. even with his limited knowledge, it looks like something that was made by the people of Mizuho-- very well-made, especially. even without looking at the blade, he can tell the quality is superb and it leave Lloyd appalled that someone would just leave their sword here like this.

the only thing that disappoints him is that there aren't two of these. ]

Did someone leave this? [ he considers taking it to a lost-and-found, but… it wouldn't hurt to at least look at it first, right? ]

[Nice does stare for a little bit, and he puts his hands in his pockets as he sidesteps the melon pulp. He wasn't just going to let himself get that stuff all over him...]

I don't really think melons are that life threatening.

[Thank you for the commentary nobody asked for, Nice.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 8

001

a;

c

YO

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

b

c;

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

c

no subject

A

no subject

a

a!

c;