jigokulogs | [OPEN] working like a member of society

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[OPEN] working like a member of society

Who ⬤ Norimune and you!
What ⬤ April catch-all. Underground investigations/patrols go!
When ⬤ Throughout April.
Where ⬤ Underground, as well as around the city.
Content Warnings ⬤ N/A, will update as necessary.

► Free Entertainment? (Underground)
[While it's normally not his first choice, the assassination and the intrigue roused his curiosity. It's enough for Norimune to put in more effort than usual, and why he didn't complain when he's assigned to patrol the underground sewers. At least in front of his superiors, anyway.

Because once he start his patrol, Norimune remembered why he didn't want to come here. Why? The underground, and the sewer system, was rather dreary and also gross. He really hopes he find something entertaining, even a fight between the other factions.

While on his patrol, either alone or with a fellow Enma partner, Norimune's hearing pick up a sound and he quicken his pace. Will he find the culprits (unlikely)? Or even something else, like a skirmish fight (quite likely)?]

... Oho.

[His eyes lighten up, once he got a glimpse at the source of the sounds. It's... a fight between Shuten and Tamamo members! And he's not stopping them!]

► Investigating Deeper (Underground)
[His patrol route eventually lead him down towards the deeper levels, where the doors towards various rooms would need a keycard. He doesn't have any, but it's always worth checking for potential clues.]

... Hm?

[Norimune walks over to examine the doors closer. He's taking his phone out to take photos, as well as he can down here. Photos of the area, as well as the doors and the walls nearby.]

It's a lot cleaner than I expected.

[Whether he's with a partner or sensing someone's approach, he turns to face them with his phone in his hand. And take their photo as well.]

Oooh, I got a good one!

[Norimune do his work properly, truly, but he can have fun while he's at it.]

► Wild Card
[Norimune is in the Department of the Enma, if anyone want to deal with that, such as fellow Enma people.

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Sonica. I'm open to writing up custom starters, just let me know!]

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Oh, I'd love to go back outside. It's been rather stuffy and dreary down here.

[He take a step closer, putting his phone away. Mostly so he can properly look at the other man, without anything distracting him. He's getting a slightly better look at the man's sword.]

Unfortunately, I can't leave just yet. I'm still on my shift.

[Norimune doesn't spend that much time with that sword, but seeing it at this man's hip did tug at his mind. Along with Hizen's words... the sword must be Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki.]

... Say, can I ask you something?

Ah. Well, that's too bad. Hope they're compensating you well enough for your diligence, at least.

[ shift suggests that his suspicions were correct — he's probably dealing with someone from the department of the enma. surprisingly, not as stuffy and boring as he'd expected, but then the lost souls conscripted for that purpose are probably just as diverse as any other; he shouldn't go assuming. ]

Hm? Don't see why not...

If it's up to me, I rather go back to my retirement. But I guess a little work isn't bad sometimes. A bigger salary would be nice, too.

[At least this is potentially intriguing. It beats endless paperwork on a desktop.

Hizen specifically mention this about the man's name, and it seems like a good idea to respect it. Mainly for his comrade's sake than anything else. He's smiling when he asks his question.]

You're Rider, aren't you?

I'd say you look a little young to be retired, so you're either very lucky or older than you look...

[ magic or simply not human, he wonders. ryouma is reasonably sure this isn't just some servant he hasn't met — mostly because when he's met others like himself here he can sense it even with the limitations on some of his abilities. ]

Hah, should I be worried that you know me?

[ he's joking, mostly because he knows he hasn't done anything that would make him a person of interest. ]

I'd would say I'm fortunate.

[When it comes to his retirement, anyway. His role outside of his family is another thing, when the whims of fate and humans speak louder.]

Nope, nope. I heard about you from a good friend. I'm sure you can guess, Rider.

[Who would tell this person about Rider...?]

Hoh, are you someone like Hizen then?

[ mostly because he's almost certain izō makes every attempt to not talk about him as much as possible so it's an incredibly easy process of elimination. and hadn't hizen mentioned there was someone else before..? ]

Uhahaha! Yes, you can say that.

[At least Ryouma figured it out. Norimune preferred it over dropping Hizen's name first. It's simpler, and he knows Ryouma's aware of what they are.

If it's a stranger, someone else, he would simply excuse himself by being mistaken.]

I've been curious about meeting you, I just never expected us to meet down here.

[It's too dreary for a first meeting.]

[ ryouma points at himself like someone who is routinely surprised that people want to meet him. because he is. ]

Really?

[ he brightens when he realises he has an opportunity to get a little more information that he probably isn't going to get out of hizen any time soon (or ever?). it might also help to get to know someone affiliated with the enma, if only to try and get an idea what the lost souls might be thinking; he's fairly certain everything the enma has to say about anything officially has been covered in the memos he struggles to read through to the end. they're very dry! ]

I'm not so good at sitting around waiting for news to come to me. Much rather do it myself and see what's what.

[He likes that look. Sometimes, it's nice to surprise people.]

Yes, really.

[Since he haven't seen Ryouma around, it's a safe guess to assume the man is in another faction. Which one, though? Tamamo, Shuten, or Sutoku... Maybe not Shuten, otherwise Hizen would might have reported this sooner.

He nods in approval.]

That's good. You never know what kind of secret lurks around here.

[If there's any. But he's starting to see glimpses of Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki in Ryouma.]

Mm, and I suppose that's what you're looking for?

[ secrets, he means, since this is a chance encounter and all. he was a little on his guard before but now that they're just chatting he's settled back into a relaxed state and his body language reflects that. ]

This is still technically Kappa territory, isn't it? Just getting the lay of the land.

Me? I'd love to stumble across them.

[Unofficially, that's his stance. This entire case have the potential to be interesting. He opens his fan—showing the floral patterns on it—and lightly fanning himself. This guy does have a fair number of floral patterns on his clothes.]

It is, and I'm just patrolling around and keeping an eye out down here. Maybe the secrets are mundane, maybe it's related to other situations.

[Such as the assassination.]

[ ryouma is admittedly intrigued and being the poor liar he is, doesn't exactly try to hide that he's looking. he'd figured out who hizen was but that hadn't been difficult between his attitude and his glaring and his crest. but this one? ryouma had once been just a nerd who was very interested in swords until he realised how they couldn't compare to ships. ~~sorry, he doesn't make the rules.~~ ]

Oh, good to know. I'd like to keep it that way. I know a lot of people are just looking forward to getting back to work.

[ but he doesn't want to make this stiff and business-like and he wants to know more than just matters related to their arbitrary assignments to their factions. ]

I gotta say, I'm a little curious what you've been told about me.

[ ... maybe more than a little. ]

Yes, and I hope we wrap this up for them as soon as possible.

[It's the least he can do after his "chat" with one of the kappa. Will that one forgive him or not? He doesn't really care, though.

He chuckles before glancing down at Ryouma's sword.]

Mostly some common stories about yourself. I happen to overhear some of them from him on occasions.

[It's not Hizen, but... Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki.]

"Him"?

[ oh wait, it's happening again. ryouma follows where he's looking and can't help but look a little proud. he restrains himself only because he doesn't want this to make this worse for hizen somehow. ]

Ah... Hizen has mentioned "that guy" a few times as well.

[ he hesitates but ryouma being ryouma he can't contain himself and has to ask. he also ends up getting closer at some point (when did that happen?) but of course, he's no more threatening than he has been unless his excited, interested energy is a threat. ]

What's he like? I can't exactly ask Hizen because I don't want him to get the wrong idea but it's impossible to not be curious! You understand, don't you? So, I have to ask!

Uhahaha! Right here? I don't think this is a good place to chat in. I prefer somewhere nicer, maybe with some tea?

[This place is too dreary and dirty to gossip in! Well, technically, it's rather clean? It's not as dirty or stained like other areas the steam touched.]

But young Mutsunokami is a bright and friendly one. He's always a joy to listen to, whenever we're in the same spot by chance.

[Their Citadel is big, with numerous swords inhabiting its halls and land. Between their own biases and differing shifts, everyone spent their time differently together.]

Well, if that's a suggestion and you have a place in mind I'll treat you, how's that?

[ he wouldn't mind getting out of this place for a bit himself, especially if he might get some answers to some of these questions. ]

It doesn't surprise me that he has that sort of attitude. Hizen is so like Izō, I bet that's one reason he gets irritated.

[ maybe he shouldn't find it endearing, but he does. ]

Ooh, I'd happily take up on your offer. I know some place I'd go to after my usual shifts.

[Usually places that's not far from the Kaigo no Bou. Ah, the thought of visiting some of them after his shift down here is so alluring.]

Oh? I heard Okada Izo is here, I bet it's easy to see the similarities between them.

[Like many of their comrades, Hizen's heavily influenced by his old master's stories. Maybe one day, he'll meet the man himself.]

Well, alright then!

[ he gestures for norimune to lead the way; ryouma will keep up just fine. he's also hoping he'll get a better look at the weapon he's carrying, seeing as ryouma has no idea who he's dealing with. it could be someone extra famous! ]

It's true, Izō is here. We're both originally from the same world but he ended up in another place before he and a lot of other people got brought here instead. It's pretty lucky, I think. When I first met Hizen I thought he was just Izō from another world... he only told me who he really was 'cause he got sick of me thinking he was Izō! They're alike enough that the same words come out of them in the same way sometimes, but I'm starting to get used to picking up on what's uniquely Hizen hehe.

[ he won't say hizen is meaner ~~even if that's true~~, but it's like learning the idiosyncracies of a new cat. ]

[Norimune is still, technically, on his patrol. But he didn't reveal any specific orders on how to proceed with it. So he didn't mind letting Ryouma follow along. Just more chances for him to chat with the man himself!

The lighting in the underground isn't the best. Norimune's sheathed blade seems rather ornate, but there's probably a certain vibe to it...]

Another world? That sounds like he'd have quite a tale to tell. Although, I suspect he might be as bad with words like Hizen.

[He chuckles, as he went back to examining the area he was taking pictures of. Unlike the other areas touched by the steam, this area is... distinctively missing the steam marks. Like it's recently cleaned...]

I'm not surprised that happened. Some of us might resemble our old masters in many ways, but we still have our own unique quirks.

["Some" of them. Norimune doesn't think he can count himself among those numbers.]

I'll admit I don't fully understand how that works. Servants are more or less their stories given form...

[ in ryouma's case, he's both a little more and a little less than the average servant but he's speaking in generalisations anyway. ]

Hizen was a treasure of the Sakamoto family for a long time but I suppose nothing very interesting happened in all that time, huh? So Izō really had the most impression on him and that makes sense, but that's probably not true for all of you given the way of things in history. But I guess you get a bit more say in it? I guess if you aren't careful all of this can be a bit of a headache...

[ he doesn't mind following and chatting either, especially since he was down here looking around anyway and now he doesn't have to worry about sneaking around. perks of making friendly acquaintances in the department, he supposes. ]

[He wonder how much to say. Since Ryouma's aware of them, some things can be cleverly speculated at. Norimune wouldn't have to confirm those, just other, more safer topics.]

Haha, indeed. Many of us served different masters over the years, many or few. The most memorable, lasting stories likely shaped us more than quiet, nondescript years.

[There might be the occasional exceptions. But in the most broad, general way... it's true.

Oh, "get a bit more say in it"? He's quiet for a moment.]

Hm, it's ultimately humans who passed down the stories. As well as creating us for certain purposes. I imagine you can see how it is.

[He's not stating it out loud, but leave the implication hanging. After all, what are swords made for?]

Right. But still, you're your own people, is what I mean. The way you're individually shaped by your experiences varies...

[ ryouma maybe, just maybe has a lot of feelings about this topic. or sword boys as a concept. it's hard for him to define. ~~and he's not lonely or anything. not existentially or otherwise. quit perceiving him!!~~ what little he'd gotten out of hizen that felt familiar stuck in his mind — mostly because as a counter guardian his experience isn't even relatable to that of most other servants. he's deeply curious about the person in front of him, but the added bonus of getting to know hizen better is also very nice. ]

Ah, sorry! I've done a lot of thinking about this, I suppose. Hizen couldn't say more at the time but I got the feeling your mission or purpose isn't all that different from mine. In most instances, Servants are ultimately tools used by humans for a certain purpose as well.

Haha, perhaps. The idea of that is pretty to me. Everyone else have their own opinion on it.

[Being their own people. Such a concept would normally be inconceivable for the Touken Danshi. Normally, anyway. He have observed how different his comrades acted and think back home...

That, and he won't speak for Hizen. Ryouma may or may not get to hear his comrade's thoughts in this place.]

I did hear a little from Hizen. I can say our mission is somewhat similiar, that's all.

[Even without orders, he see no reason to freely speak about it. There's no point, and no one else here can do anything about it... Except for maybe the faction leaders. He recall his own contract with the Enma.

It might be another thing if Hizen ever choose to speak...]

Can you tell me more about Servants and all that? Or is it something you can't say?

Oh, sure. It's nothing very secret as much as it can be complicated sometimes. Servants are essentially a complex form of magical familiar. We're summoned for a purpose, often to fight on the behalf of human mages. I'm a little different because I have no Master but the World.

[ as bitter as he is about his work as a counter guardian sometimes, that always makes him smile a little. ]

I'm who shows up to keep humanity from meeting its untimely end. Used to make me wonder why I'm here but then I realised it doesn't matter anyway. I'm still going to do what I feel is best.

[He's listening carefully. It's not hard for him to follow. Maybe the context is different, but he understand certain parts. Being summoned by humans, and being tasked to help humanity.]

Oh my, the World? That's certain rather grand to me, seeing as I'm a simple sword.

[Ichimonji Norimune isn't a simple sword. But those values are given to him by humanity.]

I have similiar thoughts, given that I have a Master back home. Fortunately, they're not here. So for the time being, I'm doing what I can here. [He smiles.] And maybe we'll work together along the way?

[OPEN] working like a member of society

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