130bladeworks | open post, cuts ribbon to musebox proudly

[The Citadel is huge, so it's a good thing they have all the time in the world to dick around.

--Well, no, they don't. But the point is, it's a free day. There will be absolutely no work done at all. Unless you want to or something. If you do, you're pretty weird.

The dojo is always open for sparring and practice. If there's any sparring errand you've slacked on, now's the chance to make up! The horse stables are also full of activity, whether the horses are being tended to or rode around-- be careful not to let them trample the fields, though, which is full of rice sprouts and budding cabbage. The lake in front of the saniwa(s)' room has tiny frogs jumping about, and you could catch them in the palm of your hand.

The kitchen is full of food, if you're volunteering to make lunch or have decided that meal time cannot possibly come any later and you simply must prepare something before you die from starvation. While there has been a considerable effort made to make the Citadel look as homely as possible to the swords which come from Japan's past, there's speckles of technology here and there.

The TV room is a good example, with a huge screen sitting on top of a few console systems. Don't break them, you'll only be getting this luxury once. Take turns and play nice. The swords may also find themselves tending the fields with water sprinklers and hoses instead of watering cans, for instance, or heating up some leftover pie in the fridge instead of making another one from scratch since there's technology to preserve food well over a week. The armory and smithy are definitely a little bit more modern than they'd be back in the past, though much is still made by hand-- nothing beats the fine work of a master. Perhaps you'll have a few new friends today, or you want to try creating a cute little soldier spirits to ~~die for you~~ accompany you in battle. Make sure they enter the orb completely, or else it'll turn brown and crack.

Or perhaps you're one of the unlucky swords still stuck in the repair room, sword body still being re-smelted and fixed. Hope the saniwa is good at making you all shiny. If you want to skip all that waiting, perhaps you can try to use a helper token... but they're all in the saniwa's room! Guess you've got to use that Camouflage stat...

But if you truly cannot bear with staying in the Citadel, the time device the saniwa(s) have isn't locked away. You can go on sorties or expeditions to fill your time with something productive.

Just a warning: don't change the past. You won't succeed.

...You could always try, though.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The pudgy horses are the cutest...! And they're spirits, so they don't shit like real horses. (Is that a pro or a con? It depends on what kind of person you are.)]

Not bad! Alright, hold these two too. [One's silver, and another is also gold. The silver one will make tiny soldiers holding shields to appear, and the gold one has soldiers with small katanas of their own on them.]

Mhm, I've been here for a long time. [He also feels like Futsu-no-Mitama is a name he should remember. An important name, a... sacred one, but he can't.] Has the saniwa sent you on any sorties yet?

[With a little bit of fiddling and arrangement, he gets to grips with the new troops: okay, he still can't get over the adorableness of it all.

He's not the sort to try and rub his status in anyone's face if they don't realise. So instead, he just shakes his head at the question-]

Nah. I've only really been... y'know, here a coupla days. [Still wrapping his head around the whole thing, that's for sure.] But dammit, I can't wait to get out 'n get fighting!

[Well, they're all here serving the same ~glorious mission~, so maybe it'll come up one day. For now, Namazuo just lets the name roll around on his tongue and become a bit more familiar.]

Hmm... you know, I think the saniwa should be fine with us visiting some of the places with less interference from the Retrograding Army!

[So yes, he can teach you about formations and stuff! Even though they'll only get to fight the weaker green ones, but w/e.]

Ya mean, just to get some practice in before I get involved in somethin' bigger?

[Giving an enthusiastic nod, here. Best news he's heard all day. ...Apart from the whole 'getting cute little buddies' bit, but it's still some stiff competition.]

Sounds like a plan to me!

[There's a fistpump at that, too. Let's do this.]

That's right! [The cute buddies will protect you, so you don't need to worry about injury, too. Since they're gold and silver, they should survive a small sortie.

The horses are either enjoying the break or itching to move their legs, and Namazuo picks out the feistier ones. Are you good with horse-riding? Well, you kinda have to be now.]

We're going on a sortie! To... Aizu.

[The first step to sortie is to lead your horse to the time machine.]

Works for me.

[Futsu's got vague memories of being carried on horseback, in amongst the general cloudy mess that his early memories are, but this is certainly ... kind of different.
Ah, well. He'll get used to it quickly enough, he hopes. Assuming the horse is okay with it too... and he's not entirely sure on that point. Not too great with animals, here, and it's generally being a spot surly at him...

However, the look at the time machine's enough to distract him from his steed's bad mood for a moment.]

So this is it, huh? Get this thing doing what it does 'n... we're back in time.

[... Even if it's still very much the future for him.]

[Namazuo vaguely remembers the Meiji Restoration-- and by that, he means as a prize sword of the Shogunal forces, locked away from actual use. Never collecting dust because he was handled so carefully, but also never seeing the sun.

(It's better than seeing flames.)]

Mhm. Are you ready?

[The time machine activates.]

Hey, watch the ground.

[His tone is slightly playful, and not at all panicked-- if Futsu really does watch the ground, he'll spot the matted floors receding, before being replaced by abundant greenery, flowers literally sprouting up at their feet.

You literally watch time just fly right past you, and when you look ahead, it's all blue skies.]

[Futsu'd sympathise. Stuck in the middle of a shrine isn't the best place to see the passage of time from, that's for sure... one century (or even millennium) looks much the same as another from in there.

Still. He's out, now, he's here: and there's a look of sheer amazement on his face as the ground underneath him shifts and changes.]

Oh, yeah! Now this is more like it!

[He looks up into the sky in wonder and smiles in awe. It's been too damn long.]

[Once upon a time, Namazuo was a naginata, and then made into the wakizashi of the Toushirou. Maybe he would have more memories of the sky from then, but--]

Right? Let's go! There should be an enemy squad or two ahead.

[Their eyes will glow green-- they are the weakest. It'll be a good test to see how many of them Futsu can hit at once. (Normally 1, but 3 for oodachi and 'all of them' for a naginata.)]

Heh. I see 'em.

[His expression's confident, then determined. The long blade's pulled from his scabbard: Futsu looks at himself for a bit, then at the troops he can see - and charges with a wild yell. With a blade as big as he is, subtlety isn't really something he goes in for...

Three down: how many to go?

He falls back slightly and gives Namazuo a grin.]

[With Namazuo's ~~OP mobility stat~~ quick feet, he's done with another one by the time Futsu lays down the dirt. Two more-- he can hit only one at a time, so when Futsu turns back, he looks towards the other enemy and nods.

--And also throws in a grin, once he realizes Futsu's smiling.]

Attack!

[Namazuo runs out to the enemy tantou before throwing dirt in its eyes-- that's cheating?!-- and rushing behind it to jam his sword right into the spine.]

[Psh. If this is fighting to keep the timeline safe, Futsu's not going to complain at a little fighting dirty...

He charges back in on the signal - far outpaced by Namazuo, true, but making quick enough work of whatever comes into his wider range.

This is more like it.]

Come and get it!

[Namazuo's offed his--]

[--But the last enemy doesn't seem to think of surrender as an option, and tries to aim at Futsu's knees and to duck a blow if Futsu isn't quick enough to react.

Is he?]

[It's a close one, and if Futsu hadn't had that bit of help with him, he'd have taken the hit. He dodges, but it's enough to throw his aim off; he curses as he winds up for another swing instead, getting his momentum back.]

Ngh- you little...!

[He'll hit this time, and at least the enemy goes down immediately. Namazuo rushes over just before it hits the ground, dissolving into nothing.]

Are you alright?

[Namazuo's voice sounds a lot cuter when he isn't fighting.]

[He nods, taking a moment to gather his composure again and recover.]

Yeah, I'm fine. Gimme a second.

[There's life in this old blade yet, even if he isn't the quickest thing around.]

open post, cuts ribbon to musebox proudly

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