[OPEN] working like a member of society

[kikuichi]

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.

Got your own scenario? Bring it here. Hit me up via PMs/Sonica. I'm open to writing up custom starters, just let me know!]

Comments

[kikuichi]

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.]

[kaientai]

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. ]

[kikuichi]

[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.]

[kaientai]

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. ]

[kikuichi]

[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?]

[kaientai]

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.

[kikuichi]

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?

[kaientai]

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.

[kikuichi]

[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?

[kaientai]

Well, it only sounds that way when you lay it all out to explain it. It's not all that grand in practise, I promise.

[ he prefers it here despite the difficulties — he can do things his own way again. ]

And I hope so! I know we work for different people but I would like to think that at the end of the day we'll have a common goal.

[kikuichi]

I'll take your word for it!

[It's long enough, and Sakamoto Ryouma seems trustworthy enough to give his name to. Better do it on his terms, instead of an inconvenient moment. Norimune looks at Ryouma with a smile.]

I look forward to working with you, Sakamoto Ryouma. I'm aware that I'm pretty late with my introduction...

[It's not an accident. Sometimes he want to see how far they can go before someone asks for his name. Or he offers his own.]

... I'm Ichimonji Norimune, one of Hizen's comrades as you may guess. Other than that, I'm usually an retired old man.

[kaientai]

[ ryouma has a habit of getting into a discussion with people for a long time and forgetting about things like introductions, so he doesn't mind that it's late in coming.

considering he could have been literally anyone, ryouma had no particular expectations about who he was speaking to. it takes him a second for the wheel to spin round in his mind until it clicks. ]

Oh! Well!

[ now see, he has to pause and take an even better look at him now. ryouma has no shame about anything when you get right down to it. ]

Interesting! So... you're quite a bit older than Hizen then, right? You must have a lot of experience spending so long around all sorts of different people then, right?

[ he's very excited about this for you, norimune... ]

[kikuichi]

[He doesn't mind. Norimune knows exactly how he looks; most people would reach their own assumptions based on his attire and his symbols.]

That's right! I've seen plenty of people over the years, although a good number of them were spent in the courts.

[The joy of being the first rotational blacksmith's earliest creation under the emperor.]

But I did get move away from the courts after a point.

[Considering the nature of his existence, Norimune's keeping his answers general and open.]