awashlogs | [ SEPTEMBER CATCH-ALL ] we will welcome summer’s ghost.

[ dextera doesn’t think much about the types of swords other than the most basic—and even then, his swords are more a construction of pipes than a forged blade, so he doesn’t have more than a rudimentary understanding of the differences between a katana or a broadsword. he only knows what he’s held in his hand. ]

Heh heh.

[ he’s different with a weapon, though. they both are.

so he holds up three fingers, offering mutsunokami a countdown to begin properly. even if mutsu played dirty before, dextera is going to trust that he’ll at least abide by a system this time. ]

( Ugh, why do you have to do a countdown, Dex... He was definitely ready to move but as soon as he sees those fingers, he holds back, waiting because while he's a punk, he's also got his honor and he isn't going to be that blatant about striking out of turn. As soon as the countdown ends, it's all over, though!! He's ready to go and as soon as the last finger goes down, he moves in quick, aiming for a wide horizontal slash! He's pretty heavy handed and not one to hold back but it's an open attack and easy enough to respond to! )

[ that is easy to respond to.

dextera’s no master swordsman, and he has no trained technique, but he’s not without his experience. when he has a magical sword on his side as well, it makes fights in the neuro tower much easier. ]

Ngh!

[ dextera pulls back from the slash with a little grunt, and as soon as mutsu’s arm has given him just enough of an opening, he moves forward. the nice thing about the way his swords work is that they run on his power. whacking someone with a hunk of metal hurts anyway, of course, but the sword glows in dextera’s hand. with the way it radiates heat and light, it doesn’t actually have to connect with mutsunokami to “hit” him.

he strikes. ]

( Except when your opponent is a sword tsukumogami, every strike hits "him" in a fight. By his very nature as a supernatural being, he's able to endure more than the average human and after all of these years fighting, he's gotten used to the feeling of being struck by steel after every hit.

But this is different. He can feel the warmth from Dextera's weapon more immediately and his brow furrows, wondering what exactly this means. It's almost enough to distract him from his actual opponent but he manages to keep his head in the game. Dextera is able to hold off the attack easily enough which is something he expected. When he moves in to strike, Mutsu parries as he steps back, trying to knock Dextera's momentum upward to create an opening, and follows up quickly to strike at his side. )

[ for all the times that a meta-being has slammed into him from the front or back or side, dextera has miraculously managed to never let go of his sword—and that’s not going to change now.

he does end up with an strange grip, though, trying to parry mutsunokami’s strike at his side. his only saving grace is that he’s ambidextrous, and he manages to block it… for some measure of blocking, anyway. it hits his own sword in such a way that the pipes resonate up his arm, and he shudders. he felt that one in his bones! ]

Ggh…

[ it doesn’t change the fact that his sword is glowing, radiating power whether it’s hitting or being hit. using his weapon as a makeshift shield at this odd angle, he just throws his weight into pushing mutsu with his shoulder. ]

( It's a strange sword and Mutsu finds himself becoming more and more curious about it. Isn't it heavy? Bulky? What's the best sort of style for a weapon like that? But now isn't the time to let his curiosity get the best of him and he stays on the offense. He has Dextera playing defense and he isn't going to let up!!! Moving for another strike, fast and direct, aiming again for Dextera's side, he finds his sword clashing right with Dextera's sword.

Like a shield, huh? It's not something a simple katana can do easily and he finds himself putting too much of his own force behind an attack that ultimately does nothing but bounce off Dextera's blade with a loud clang. (A shock runs through his body, he feels it down in his very core, and it makes him feel all the more alert-- he felt that!)

He's still regaining his momentum when Dextera suddenly rams into him. It's easy to throw Mutsu off but he's a seasoned enough fighter that he finds himself reacting instinctively, sword swinging widely a one handed downward diagonal slash. Though controlled, it's still much wider than his previous attack (more akin to his first one, even) and Dextera can probably exploit the opening before Mutsu can really recover full control of himself. )

[ dextera could exploit the opening, but guren had him pinned when he forced dextera to do some training—his endurance is bad. he’s not exhausted already, but he just doesn’t have the reflexes to continue an assault on a human partner without needing to take a break.

so mutusnokami pushes him back with that slash, dextera’s feet stumbling back over the dusty ground.

it’s a lull for both of them, in any case, and dextera uses the chance to right the grip on his sword—although mutsu did manage to cut the wide sleeve of his coat, and it’ll need some repairs later, no blood has been drawn yet. ]

Hah…

[ a big sigh, as he charges his sword for what’s inevitably, obviously telegraphed as a big attack. ]

( It's a welcome break in their fight. He can tell that Dextera is lacking in places but he more than makes up for it in other areas. That weapon of his hits heavy and is durable, taking a lot more of Mutsu's energy to deal with. Every class against his sword is particularly jarring in a way he hasn't felt in a long time and it's just a good thing that Mutsu himself is an experienced enough fighter than he has enough stamina to spare with these harsh attacks.

His eyes narrow, focusing on the cut in Dextera's sleeve. Hmm, a little close there, wasn't he? He doesn't actually want to hurt Dextera but when you practice with real weapons, you're going to have real injuries. The fact that he's been pushed to get so close to a real attack is really proof of Dextera's skill and strength. What's more.... there's something about Dextera's sword. There's that strange energy coming from it as their fight goes on, he becomes more and more curious about it. What's that energy? Why is glowing? It's really interesting....

Dextera sighs, obviously building up for something and Mutsu braces himself. It's more dangerous to dodge these attacks, leaving openings in your escape so he holds his ground, sword raised to catch the attack-- but it's going to be heavy, he knows it and he knows this is something he's not going to really hold off for long. His sword is more delicate than his human body, after all. )

[ in many ways, dextera is just a normal man trying to get through an impossible task. he’s learned how to punch and kick and swing and fight, but he’s average in many of the ways that matter. it’s the power of purification that makes him able to defend himself at all, and it’s purification that charges his sword now.

with the effects of the sword as they are, his purification amplifies them until it’s practically humming with that compelling, bewitching energy.

dextera knows what the sword does, by now, but guren was quite reserved about what the effects actually look and feel like. he brings his sword down on mutsunokami’s, the purification immediately dispersing up and down the metal of his katana. dextera can even feel some of the blowback in his hands, gripping the hilt, but he’s immune to his own power. ]

( Something is happening and he can feel it. Whatever it is, it's thrilling and he really can't help but look forward to Dextera's strike. As much as he claims to be a pacifist, at his center, he really does enjoy a good fight. Even in the face of Dextera's strike, he can't help but smile, ready to return it with one of his own. Honestly, the fact that it's glowing with energy doesn't even bother him because he's used to fighting enemies with all sorts of ominous auras and the like.

But maybe he should have been more worried. He'd gotten too relaxed but in his defense, he hadn't expected this.

Swords clash and he flinches, gritting his teeth and feeling that attack right down to his very bone. He'd already been prepared for it so it's just a matter of instinctively trying to push Dextera off of him so he can counter with his own--

Ah.

Mid-step, just when he's ready to charge forward, he falters, seemingly tripping over his own feet. His sword is still raised to attack, ready to go! But his eyes are focused not on his opponent exactly but... his sword. Really, this isn't too unusual! It's important to keep track of the weapon's movements as well as his opponent's but he's more preoccupied with something else. He's never seen a sword like that before. He's never seen those colors or any sort of style like that.

His heart begins to race in his chest, faster than it had before and he can feel his blood rush. Just a moment ago, he'd been ready to attack but now, he finds himself wanting to switch tactics, )

Again.

( Hit him again because

that felt

good........??? )

[ this is a painfully familiar reaction, but luckily, dextera knows what that means this time. he does recall, with some discomfort, the way the collector told him that he liked the feeling of dextera hitting him—but he can’t lose focus for too long thinking about the masochism of people he knows from home. ]

Ah…

[ dextera grips the sword tighter, and although he doesn’t yet recharge it, the damage is done. just as before, the jorogumo’s influence does exactly what it did in life, and dextera can really almost feel her satisfaction pulsing from the core of the crystal. spreading through the sword like this, although he’s unaffected, he can touch it more directly.

so, with the quickest of reluctant pauses, he draws his sword back and strikes out again—fast this time, rather than heavy. ]

( At least he still tries to defend himself. He's charmed but he hasn't lost all sense of self preservation. Again, he catches the attack with his blade but it isn't the same as before. Before, it had felt more defensive, always pushing back and meeting Dextera's blade with a resistance but this time around, it feels weaker because it is.

Again, he feels the strike shake him right down to his bone and somewhere, it's enough that, somewhere, in the back of his mind, there's a thought that tells him this is bad. His sword is his true form and anything that happens to it reflects on his human body. If he acts carelessly in battle, he can be hurt without his opponent ever touching his human body-- like now. At least this attack wasn't as strong but it's still enough to trigger a reaction, especially with his guard down like this. He winces, raising one hand to his cheek where a cut has suddenly manifested despite never being hit.

That voice in the back of his head is louder. Don't get hit, be careful-- )

Why....

( Why is he just standing here? Why can't he take his eyes off Dextera's sword? He shakes his head, trying to regain his focus. This is still a fight and he can't just let himself get hit and yet... Stop being stupid. Putting one foot in front of the other, he half heartedly raises his blade in a vertical slash but his movement isn't nearly as tight as it had been before. He has to fight back, he knows that, but he can't bring himself to actually meet Dextera's blade so his attack will fall short.

That's not right. How did he miss that badly? Where did all of his fighting spirit go? It's confusing and it would probably be easy to disarm him while he's caught up in figuring out what's going on. )

[ the more mutsunokami’s movements begin to falter, the longer those lapses in response become, the less dextera feels like taking advantage of it. the sword is magical. that’s half the job done for him, when the effect hits—if mutsu were an enemy proper, dextera would take the opening to strike him dead and save himself. since this is just a friendly spar, and dextera still doesn’t have much of an instinct for things with codes of honor and unofficial rules, what he simply does is…

back off. ]

…?

[ with guren, he kept his reactions close to his chest, perfectly in check no matter how passionately intrigued he was by the sword. on mutsunokami, that interest is easier to see, but more worrying because of it. eventually, it did wear off on guren, but dextera doesn’t want to stick around and see if he can extend those effects. ]

Resign?

( His eyes follow the sword still and it takes him a half second to realize what exactly has happened. It's like waking up from a dream but not completely and he looks surprised, also backing off and lowers his sword.

One hand reaches to touch the cut on his cheek and he frowns, making a point to look away from Dextera's sword but eventually being drawn back to it. The fight is over but his heart is still racing-- not as fast as it had been earlier but still fast enough that he can tell something is different. )

... What kind of sword is that?

( He can't quite shake off how curious he is. To be fair, he's also a naturally curious spirit )

[ dextera doesn’t know how the cut could have happened. no part of his sword is sharp enough to do that damage, and he doesn’t think any debris was kicked up to hurt mutsu in that particular, precise way. of course, he doesn’t understand the details of mutsunokami’s form or his relationship to the sword that is him.

he doesn’t yet put away the sword, since guren ended up just following it with his eyes to dextera’s back anyway, but it does mean he’s one hand down for signing. he has to keep it simple. ]

Magic.

( It's hard to keep focused on Dextera's signing hand when his eyes are so drawn to Dextera's sword but he tries his best to focus, brows knit together in concentration as he tries to read.

Magic. It explains something but not everything. There are still questions here. )

What kind of magic?

( Coming just a little bit closer because that's clearly going to help him understand the magic better? )

[ she is a beautiful sword, by someone’s standards of beautiful. like the jorogumo herself, dextera’s sword is long and thin with a deep black chitinous covering, accented in places by bright yellow and a warm, rich orange. thick strands of hair wrap around and off it in places like ribbons, but they’re so well-maintained that they’re more appealing than disgusting.

especially in cases like mutsunokami’s. ]

…

[ how does he explain this… ]

Bewitching?

( Okay but is that hair? He feels like he should be weirded out... in fact, there's a nagging feeling that just keeps growing that he should be finding all of this more weirder by the minute. Even if he's slow to break free from the sword's charms, the effects are wearing off. )

Bewitching?

(

Wait a second )

( Heart racing, blood rushing, thoughts circling back to the same thing, eyes stuck--

Whispering, )

... Is this love?

[ that’s not the reaction dextera expected, and it’s lucky that he’s not the type to laugh at someone over a dramatic reaction like that. he does, however, seem confused by it. ]

…

[ it’s kind of love… but kind of isn’t. he nods. ]

( And like that, his cheeks turn a bright red! It's almost like he's going to become his actual hexcode!!! He looks like he's about to yell something but he shuts his mouth, making a point to look away and trying to not look too flustered, )

No way!

( Ah.... he can't stop looking at it, though? It's getting easier to look away and he's looking away for longer periods of time, but he just keeps coming back. )

There's no way!

( Barking loudly...... )

[ dextera doesn’t really know what to do with a reaction like this. mutsunokami seems flustered beyond belief, but surely he can tell the difference between this magical infatuation and real love. it’s not the same. is it?

…he’s not actually sure. ]

Ah…

[ carefully, gently, he holds out the sword. does mutsu want to touch her? ]

( Maybe he could tell if he'd experienced love like that before... Alas, this is his first time getting that heart racing, blood rushing, butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling since he's been summoned so really, this is a whole new sensation to him. Thanks, Dex.

He side eyes Dextera's sword, trying to not look like he wants to get closer or anything but he can't help it. What's happening?? He really wants to touch it!!! And he reaches out, giving it...

a pat... and another one... Hmmm. Just leave him alone like this for a little while until it wears off, okay. )

It's interesting. ( As embarrassed as he is, he's not upset! ) You can mess someone up real good with this...

( Speaking of getting messed up, though! He pulls his hand away and touches his face again, looking down at his own sword this time and raises it, turning it over in his hand. It doesn't look too bad! Luckily he's not just an ordinary sword anymore so he can take more than a few hits but he'd let his guard get down here, hadn't he? It doesn't take him long to find a scratch on his blade and he taps it with his finger, )

... Ya got me.

[ guren wanted to hold her for a good long while, too, even when dextera was wheezing and being chased by a goose that had also been well-charmed by the sword. it’s useful, but he has to be careful about the things that get effected by it. ]

…?

[ it’s weird to notice the scratch and match it to the mark on mutsunokami’s cheek. they’re connected that intimately, are they? ]

“You”? [ as he points to the blade, while still looking at mutsu. ]

( Yup, still touching Dextera's sword too.... he'll let go eventually! )

That's right. ( He holds out his own sword for Dextera to see, ) This body's nice and all that but this here's the real me. I'm connected to it still.

( So he feels eeeeeeverything. )

[ SEPTEMBER CATCH-ALL ] we will welcome summer’s ghost.

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