awashlogs | [closed] June Catch-All

Don't announce it, or too many people will speak up. Save it, and see who you can help from there.

[Guren drops his hand quietly, watching Mutsu as he continues. Right... If he thinks of anything, he'll definitely ask him. He's not so selfless as to ignore that option. If he or someone else needs something, it's the first thing he'll do.

But right now... new clothes aren't a necessity, and he can't think of anything specifically to help this place, now that everyone has their wishes granted.]

You might need it, too. Later on.

I guess that'll make the wish better if we wait.

(Fine. He'll agree to this.)

... What'd you get?

A suitcase full of those drugs.

[He rubs his arm, thinking about it.] I asked for as much as I could get.

A whole suitcase? That sure is a lot of--

Drugs?!

(G U R E N???)

Haha.

[He liked that reaction? With his short little laugh.]

Drugs. I need them, so don't worry about it.

Ya need--? That's a problem!

(Drugs?? Like opium? Or what are people using these days? ~~What are people using in 2205~~.)

It's a problem solved. I was out.

[He definitely could explain that they're for controlling his demon, but this is way funnier. Maybe in a bit...]

We're talking about an addiction here!

(Guren, you're ruining this image he had? He thought he knew your type???)

What kind of boring guy are ya?!

[BUT HIS FACE IS WORTH IT... alright, alright. He laughs, finally, bringing a hand down to rest at the hilt of his sword.]

They're drugs to help me control the demon in my sword. Did I ever tell you about that?

( Don't say that so casually? Mutsu's getting whiplash from this whole conversation. Control the demon in his sword? That actually isn't all that strange considering Mutsu's line of work. )

... Like some cursed sword?

( He gets it. Maybe. Kind of. )

Yeah. A black demon series weapon.

[He draws it now, just so Mutsu can get a look at it. A black katana, with an unnatural looking red stripe down the center. Considering Mutsu, maybe he can tell this isn't a normal sword now that it's drawn, since it takes drawing the sword to release its power. Partially.

Guren is stronger automatically just from holding it like this.]

I made a contract with the demon inside. My willpower was strong enough that I wasn't taken over and killed, so I can borrow power from it. The more power you borrow, the more you risk losing your humanity, if you don't control yourself.

A possession type demon is normally more aggressive than the others, anyway, but a black demon series makes it even worse. The drugs just help with that.

( As soon as Guren draws it, Mutsu decides he doesn't like it. He's a sword spirit and on his missions to preserve the past, he'd fought more than his fair share of corrupt swords. Cursed swords are usually corrupt swords, swords that desire something so strongly, so selfishly, they'll do anything to make their desires come true. It warps them, corrupts them, even changing those who wield them... this is his first time seeing one at another person's side. He's heard of it before-- usually swords planted by the Revisionist Army to manipulate humans.

His hand instinctively shoots for the sword at his side and while he doesn't draw it, he's ready and his body is tense. He's focused more on the sword itself than Guren as he speaks. A human making a contract with a demon sword? He isn't surprised in the slightest to hear the conditions, )

You chose that? ( He's judging. Even if he can understand why a human might be tempted by power, he's judging. ) Did ya know what you were getting yourself into?

( Was this some sort of a trick? )

...No.

[Rest easy with that, at least. He can see that it's making Mutsu uneasy, and so he moves to slide his sword back away, letting that energy fade away. Mahiru giggles in the back of Guren's mind, but only Guren can hear it.]

I guess you can say I was forced into being an experiment. Now, the whole army uses weapons like these. They're the only ones that can leave lasting harm on vampires. Recruits these days get to choose to sign up knowing the risks.

[Mostly... Some people still don't. Like twisted families like the Hiiragis. On top of that, living in a post apocalyptic world made your options limited.]

( He's still on edge, even after Guren puts it away. Just knowing it's there makes him uneasy, )

A whole army?

( What kind of hecked up world? Is this some sort of messed up timeline? Ugh. But Guren's given him some explanation and so... it's only fair he should give some of his own? )

Where I'm from... it's too dangerous for humans to fight. At least, humans don't fight on the frontlines anymore. We have these sages-- humans with the power to grant life-- and they summon spirits like me from swords. ( This sounds really weird but it's his life. ) The enemy we're fighting does the same thing but the spirits they summon... they're all messed up. Twisted and corrupt, using people instead of the other way around.

It's my job to help get rid of 'em before they hurt people. ( There's more to it than that but it isn't relevant right now. ) That thing. ( That sword by Guren's side. ) D'ya really need it?

( Because he'd break it if it were up to him alone. )

...I didn't realize you were a spirit.

[He blinks, like he's considering that, and while Mutsu talks, his hand covers the hilt of his sword protectively. It doesn't need it. No matter how many times he tried to get rid of it at first, it followed him.]

I need it. If I don't have this power, I can't save everyone. [Unfortunately.] And... the demon inside of this is already connected with my heart. This sword would return to me no matter what, even if it seemed to be destroyed. [Since it's happened before, he can only assume it would again.]

This demon... was someone that I knew, before. She was human, like me, and her research into all of this turned her into a demon, so I had to kill her and seal her into this sword. Her human personality was already dead. This demon isn't her at all. It's my fault that she became like that, and I couldn't save her. I have to make things right with the rest of the world, or humanity will be wiped out.

[He's sharing more than he thought he would with Mutsu, let alone anyone, but... the words come easily, talking to a spirit. Somehow.]

'Cause my master did a real good job summoning me.

( He doesn't know why some swords manifest as grotesque spirits and others appear like himself and the other touken danshi. Someone must be going out of their way to summon some real damaged spirits but his master was kind and careful, making sure that when he manifested, he was in his best condition, )

With that kind of power you can hurt a lot of people too. Maybe even someone ya really love.

( But the despite the spirit in his sword being more than just a spirit but an actual demon... he protects his sword and keeps it close to him. Is it really that precious? Can even a corrupt sword be loved? )

... What's her name?

Not if I'm in control.

[Which he strongly believes he is, despite being actually possessed half of the time. Haha! Anyway.] The girl's name was Mahiru Hiiragi.

[Just because he wants it clear that this sword is not that girl. The demon is different. The demon is the one that was chasing him all that time, the one who injected him with his own, tried to make him kill his friends, and left Mahiru to cry afterwards and beg Guren to kill her before she lost all of her humanity.

He's quiet for a second, thinking on that.]

The demon is Mahiru-no-yo.

( He's skeptical. He makes no effort to hide the way he raises a brow at Guren when he insists he's in control. Humans are strong and he's always impressed by what they can do but spirits are tricky. )

I'm watching ya.

( Guren? Or Mahiru-no-yo? Both? Hand still on his sword, he lowers himself, kneeling over to be more at level with the sword at Guren's waist, )

I don't care if ya keep coming back. I'll break ya a hundred times if I gotta. ( Looking up at Guren. He doesn't trust that sword! But for now... he'll let it go. This world is different from his own and there are different rules here. He'll figure them out for now. ) How long are these drugs gonna last you?

[ He. He doesn’t know how to respond to this!! It’s endearing, but also embarrassing, and even if Mahiru is cooing that Guren’s friends are so cute, can’t he fight him so she can feel it, he ignores the voice. It’s the drug that allows him to do this so easily.

So, he focuses only on that question. ]

I don’t know. It’s kind of as needed. [ And he’s been needing it more and more. ] But, I got by for the three months here on just five syringes. Like I said, I’m in control. [ no,,, he’s not,,, ]

You’re a good guy, but you don’t have to waste your time worrying about me.

( Maybe if he was the saniwa he could hear Mahiru but all he gets is silence and he takes that as a point understood. Yeah, you better understand! If Guren can keep control of it for now, then he'll accept it... for now. Accept is a strong word, though. Maybe "tolerate" is a better one and even then, that's pushing it. )

I'll do what I want with my time. ( Indignant, ) And ya know.

( Right back at that sword, )

If someone takes care of their sword, you're s'posed to take care of 'em back so don't be ungrateful. ( This is a very serious conversation. ) That's just basic decency.

( THIS IS SERIOUS, DON'T JUDGE HIM. )

[Please stop talking to his hip. He brings his palm to his face, pressing it there and sighing.]

You're just making her louder. It's a pain, cut it out.

Then tell her to knock it off.

( Okay, okay, but fine. He'll make one more face at his sword and straight his back, leveling with Guren again properly, )

... Can ya hear her?

( Because Mutsu sure didn't hear anything. )

I do.

[But telling the source is easier!! Still. He drops his hand from his face.] I'm the only one who can. The demon is more than in the sword, since we have a contract. It's connected to me, and it can use memories and illusions to tempt my desire.

That's why you have to have strong willpower to wield a weapon like this.

( Using memories and illusions to tempt desire... The past is already a complicated thing to deal with. Going back in time repeatedly to relive old memories and resist the temptation to make things different is exhausting but at least he has some control over when he decides to confront those things. Missions are temporary, they come and go. Surely, if he wasn't feeling up to task, the saniwa would understand if he declined (not that he ever would). Having your own personal demon with you at all times, bringing those things back, though? )

I don't like this. ( None of it. ) No one's strong all the time.

( No one. Not any of Mutsu's masters, no human Mutsu has ever met. Even spirits can be vulnerable. Has Guren ever had a moment of weakness? )

[closed] June Catch-All

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