的場静司 | Matoba Seiji (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
worldbent) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
jigokulogs2022-04-18 06:17 pm
worldbent) wrote in jigokulogs2022-04-18 06:17 pm
OPEN ➸ Two ⦿ Circles
Who ⬤ Matoba Seiji and you! with mixed OTA/limited prompts
What ⬤ The first attack of the Matoba curse, selling charms, and various business™
When ⬤ Between the 2nd and 3rd weeks of April, roughly (more than a week after Night Parade, before the Daitengu's funeral, basically)
Where ⬤ Sutoku territory
Content Warnings ⬤ Violence/blood likely from first prompt, will warn for anything specific in tag headers!
A1 ➸ FIRST STRIKE - limited to the first 3 tag-ins, new CR for now please!
[(OOC; Before tagging in to these prompts, please read through this information and feel free to ask questions there or via PM! I will be NPCing the attacker for these threads.)]
[Despite the Daitengu's untimely demise and the uncertainty surrounding the Alliance, Sutoku territory was back to business as usual for the most part by the week after the Night Parade. The streets are bustling with shoppers and workers like nothing untoward had even occurred, and although everyone remains suspicious behind closed doors, few seem to be on much of a high alert.]
[...Which is likely why none of the youkai around you blink an eye at the stumbling, muttering Kawatengu pushing past people on the sidewalk and menacingly growling. He's probably just had too much to drink- that's the most likely excuse, right? Even though it's the middle of the afternoon, but in big cities like this you learn to keep to yourself and not worry much about weirdos on the street around you.]
[Except that if you look at him closely, his right eye is blotted out as if possessed by something, and if you have any supernatural senses at all you can just barely feel something awful and malicious emanating from him. Too late, it becomes obvious that he's not just shambling about randomly- he has a target, and the black-haired man walking a few paces in front of you both seems to have no idea what's coming when the Tengu lunges forward with a nasty hiss--]
RiGHt...EYe......
A2 ➸ What the hell was THAT - OTA!
[After the sudden scuffle that erupts in the middle of the street, something black and hideous like a huge mass of sludge erupted out from the mouth of a Tengu and lashed itself away through the street, scrambling up the side of a brick building and slithering off to parts unknown. Whatever that thing was, it just attacked a man on the street in broad daylight, and to the spiritually sensitive had an oppressively awful, malicious aura that may be unlike anything you've felt. Youkai are left knocked back on the sidewalk in the wake of its escape, and some were sent scrambling to get away.]
[The man who was attacked, however, seems more calm than anyone. He ignores the panic of the youkai around him, and even the Tengu that's now left knocked out cold on the sidewalk. Instead, he seems to take notice your stare first and simply smiles- wiping away whatever blood was drawn from him in the scuffle with little concern.]
I do apologize for the commotion. It's probably not used to big cities like this.
--
B1 ➸ Souvenir Shop - OTA!
[With great power came great... opportunities. Or so he'd been told by the Tengu Elders upon being granted back both his spiritual senses, and his ability to create protective charms. Opportunities, in this case, meant a job offer to help mass-produce the tacky little souvenir good-luck charms sold at the gates of the Tengu Temple for any desperate enough for luck that they would even buy a trinket for their troubles.]
[Well, far be it for Matoba to judge a good scam. It was excellent business and a good dog and pony show for the weak and Sightless, both in the human realm and this one.]
[Since the Night Parade had just gone by and no-doubt plenty of festival goers had drawn bad to terrible luck in the Hadaka, there was plenty of business, which meant that Matoba had plenty to do as he sat manning a stall, carefully inking charms on strips of paper to go in the bright little pouches lining the counter. When he notices his new customer, he glances up, and flashes you a bright and cheerful smile.]
In need of a bit of luck?
B2 ➸ Protection Racket - Open to Sutoku Alliance and those with Spiritual Senses
[If he recognizes you as an ally, or if you're the spiritually sensitive sort, he might notice that you're unlikely to be tricked by these useless little trinkets- but that just meant that he had an opportunity to do a little... under the table business. His eye will then sharpen on you, and he gestures you away from the pouches.]
Not those ones. I have something else for you.
--
[ooc; questions/plotting/etc! Hit me up via PM or![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
kitsoru!]
What ⬤ The first attack of the Matoba curse, selling charms, and various business™
When ⬤ Between the 2nd and 3rd weeks of April, roughly (more than a week after Night Parade, before the Daitengu's funeral, basically)
Where ⬤ Sutoku territory
Content Warnings ⬤ Violence/blood likely from first prompt, will warn for anything specific in tag headers!
A1 ➸ FIRST STRIKE - limited to the first 3 tag-ins, new CR for now please!
[(OOC; Before tagging in to these prompts, please read through this information and feel free to ask questions there or via PM! I will be NPCing the attacker for these threads.)]
[Despite the Daitengu's untimely demise and the uncertainty surrounding the Alliance, Sutoku territory was back to business as usual for the most part by the week after the Night Parade. The streets are bustling with shoppers and workers like nothing untoward had even occurred, and although everyone remains suspicious behind closed doors, few seem to be on much of a high alert.]
[...Which is likely why none of the youkai around you blink an eye at the stumbling, muttering Kawatengu pushing past people on the sidewalk and menacingly growling. He's probably just had too much to drink- that's the most likely excuse, right? Even though it's the middle of the afternoon, but in big cities like this you learn to keep to yourself and not worry much about weirdos on the street around you.]
[Except that if you look at him closely, his right eye is blotted out as if possessed by something, and if you have any supernatural senses at all you can just barely feel something awful and malicious emanating from him. Too late, it becomes obvious that he's not just shambling about randomly- he has a target, and the black-haired man walking a few paces in front of you both seems to have no idea what's coming when the Tengu lunges forward with a nasty hiss--]
RiGHt...EYe......
A2 ➸ What the hell was THAT - OTA!
[After the sudden scuffle that erupts in the middle of the street, something black and hideous like a huge mass of sludge erupted out from the mouth of a Tengu and lashed itself away through the street, scrambling up the side of a brick building and slithering off to parts unknown. Whatever that thing was, it just attacked a man on the street in broad daylight, and to the spiritually sensitive had an oppressively awful, malicious aura that may be unlike anything you've felt. Youkai are left knocked back on the sidewalk in the wake of its escape, and some were sent scrambling to get away.]
[The man who was attacked, however, seems more calm than anyone. He ignores the panic of the youkai around him, and even the Tengu that's now left knocked out cold on the sidewalk. Instead, he seems to take notice your stare first and simply smiles- wiping away whatever blood was drawn from him in the scuffle with little concern.]
I do apologize for the commotion. It's probably not used to big cities like this.
--
B1 ➸ Souvenir Shop - OTA!
[With great power came great... opportunities. Or so he'd been told by the Tengu Elders upon being granted back both his spiritual senses, and his ability to create protective charms. Opportunities, in this case, meant a job offer to help mass-produce the tacky little souvenir good-luck charms sold at the gates of the Tengu Temple for any desperate enough for luck that they would even buy a trinket for their troubles.]
[Well, far be it for Matoba to judge a good scam. It was excellent business and a good dog and pony show for the weak and Sightless, both in the human realm and this one.]
[Since the Night Parade had just gone by and no-doubt plenty of festival goers had drawn bad to terrible luck in the Hadaka, there was plenty of business, which meant that Matoba had plenty to do as he sat manning a stall, carefully inking charms on strips of paper to go in the bright little pouches lining the counter. When he notices his new customer, he glances up, and flashes you a bright and cheerful smile.]
In need of a bit of luck?
B2 ➸ Protection Racket - Open to Sutoku Alliance and those with Spiritual Senses
[If he recognizes you as an ally, or if you're the spiritually sensitive sort, he might notice that you're unlikely to be tricked by these useless little trinkets- but that just meant that he had an opportunity to do a little... under the table business. His eye will then sharpen on you, and he gestures you away from the pouches.]
Not those ones. I have something else for you.
--
[ooc; questions/plotting/etc! Hit me up via PM or
A2
It's something that immediately alerts him and for just a moment, he wonders if the enemy has somehow found its way into the city. No, this doesn't feel exactly right, though. It's lacking that distinct, distorted pressure that comes from space and time being twisted because of them. Since he regained his senses he's certain he'd be able to tell the difference. This is something else.
He goes to investigate. He knows it's going to be trouble but he can't help it. Call it a sense of duty or something. He arrives just in time to watch something emerge from the body of a tengu.
Possession? He wonders and he starts to chase it until it scurries up the wall of a building. There's no real way to follow it up like that. He'd never be able to catch up with it by just climbing on whatever he can to. No, it's going to escape and he stops short, looking back at it's former-host-slash-victim and sees--)
... You.
(The exorcist. Matoba.)
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[Matoba is poised as ever, but even though that thing has scurried away, there's a trace of it hanging in the air- it's centered on Matoba.]
[Whatever prickling sensation Hizen may have gotten from his eye before, it's easy to make the connection between its oppressive, disgusting presence just now and the unseeable thread that connects it to Matoba's eye. He smiles, wrapping a bandage over the cuts in his arm like he's trimming roses, and tilts his head in greeting.]
Were you going to follow it? I don't recommend it.
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(Not Hizen-kun. Because his priorities are definitely in order.
The silence means he was definitely going to follow it and he doesn't at all seem bothered by however strong it might have been. His eyes narrow and he watches Matoba. It's his first time meeting him since he regained his strength and ability to sense things. The feeling is a lot more clear now, instead of that fuzzy, vaguely uncomfortable feeling he had before.
He begins to walk over... and kneels down to check on the unconscious tengu.)
... What was that?
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[Matoba's smile doesn't fade, and he doesn't say it kindly. In addition to whatever connection there might be with his eye and that monster, there was another sensation that had perhaps been muffled by the power of the ayakashi before that carefully and precisely makes itself known to punctuate Matoba's reply. It was cold, and powerful, and yet with a sensation like burning, an aura that couldn't possibly belong to an ayakashi.]
I did mention to you the curse that seeks my eye, right? ...I guess I can understand if you forgot, considering how busy we were after that. [Getting shot and all.] When my power was unsealed, it seems it was able to find me once again.
Unfortunate that one got drawn into it, but it is what it is. [Just a bit of collateral. But it definitely explained the wariness of spirits to draw near him, the instinctual warning Hizen's senses were screaming at him.]
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(Being able to call him -kun is a right. There's no deep reason for his response. He's just prickly.
He looks over the tengu. They look like they're alive, just unconscious and well... he can't just leave him in the middle of the street? Hizen might be a prickly punk but he isn't a complete and total jerk. He knows better than to ask for help too so he's just going to lean down and begin the process of relocating them... out of the way. No where special. Just out of the way.
He's still listening to Matoba, though. So that was it?)
You don't seem worried.
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[Watching Hizen drag the unconscious Tengu out of the middle of the sidewalk, he folds his arms in his kimono and makes no motion to help. It's sort of a funny sight- the tengu wasn't very large, but Hizen was particularly scrawny.]
After all, I'm used to it. [He explains, watching the movement.] I have been the head of the clan for a few years now, and its schedule is fairly regular. In fact, coming here is the first time I have ever noticed any disruption... Although perhaps because of that, it will attempt to make up for lost time. I should be wary of that. [Now that he thinks of it. He rubs his chin.]
I'm sure it isn't your first time coming in contact with a curse?
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He drags him over to the side, against the wall of a store and glares at the owner who is already glaring at him. Well, it's not like he can make anyone leave him alone or something. Hizen has done as much as he's willing to for this tengu.)
...
(Is it his first time dealing with a curse, he doesn't say right away before admitting briefly,)
've heard stories. (He hasn't dealt with an explicit curse personally because--) ... I usually do different work.
(Curses require careful thought and specific actions. Hizen is more direct with his duties. He leaves the complicated things to others while he simply kills.)
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[It's not just that Matoba is assuming he's a simpleton, but-- well, he isn't sure exactly what sort of function Hizen served, but as a sword, it seems reasonable to assume he has only faced "human" opponents in his time. As a spirit, though...]
[Matoba doesn't seem worried about the tengu either- apart from the fact that it's Matoba, even if he wanted to do something, there wasn't much to be done. Either he would wake up, or he wouldn't.]
I only got a few nicks this time, but I will have to be careful. [Matoba frowns at his sleeve. His arm was caught by the tengu's claws.] I don't have the rest of my clan to aid me in misdirecting its attacks, and in a crowded city like this, there is a lot more potential for collateral damage than out in the country where I live.
For it to only have come back around now... It must be connected to the "reward" which I received.
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He glances at Matoba's arm. It seems fine? But he isn't going to confirm for himself. If Matoba isn't on the ground bleeding or dying, he's fine. Quality healthcare from Hizen Tadahiro.
He does feel like he is... learning something about Matoba right now though; a better understanding of this curse he hadn't bothered to care about before. And something something so Matoba is a country boy which, if Hizen was a nicer and more social person, he'd be interested. But he isn't.
What's most important is what Matoba says about his reward,)
... Your eye.
(Because like Matoba, he's also received a gift of power. Or rather, had something returned to him. Not that he really needed it to before to be able to sense how bad it felt. But he can tell that whatever Matoba received, it has something to do with that eye.)
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[And honestly- Hizen's 'just a scratch' attitude wasn't too different from Matoba's. Not that he would show weakness before a spirit, anyway.]
My eyes, to be precise. Ah, well even that is not technically accurate...
[Matoba raises a thoughtful finger to his chin, and then- in a flash, a practiced release that was as natural to him as exhaling, his aura sharpens and expands like a sudden shockwave, nothing less than blunt show of power towards Hizen.]
[It felt good, being able to stretch his wings again so to speak. It's gone, recessed away again as soon as it had come, kicking up a mild whirlwind around him in its wake that tussles his long bangs over his eye covering.]
...After all, spiritual prowess is not limited to just one's ability to "see", as we have learned in this very realm, hm? [He smiles, then settles his eye on Hizen's sword- his body, dragging his eye over it as one might drag a finger over a surface in examining its texture or form.] ......But after a month or two of being stifled, it is refreshing to be able to See, once more....
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He waits for Matoba to explain. If he's going to explain. He's interacted enough with him to know that this asshole just says what he wants to when he feels like it and there isn't much he can do to make him speak. And of course, instead of just saying, he demonstrates.
In response, he only raises a brow. It isn't a sensation he's unused to feeling and coming from Matoba, it isn't surprising but he can see what he's gained. So he's more like an exorcist now and--)
You're stronger.
(Not as weak as he was before. He doesn't mind the exacting look Matoba gives his sword. He'd rather it be that form than this one, after all. It's a pretty typical sword! Like Hizen himself, it's dark-- black lacquer and a polished bronze pommel and guard. It's definitely the nicest thing he owns and is in far better condition than his human form is. If Matoba has an eye for value, he might pick up on the fact that the sword is a little too nice for someone as grungy as Hizen. Though plain, it looks expensive. Definitely not on the same level as say, the higher lords and elites but definitely something that would belong to a family with some money.)
Good for you.
(He doesn't sound too excited. But that's just how he is.)
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[To both comments. Matoba smiles cheerfully at Hizen's stone-faced reception of his demonstration. In the end, it didn't really matter whether Hizen made any show or comment to his power or not: what mattered, and they both knew this, was that it meant that he could now do what he had previously only made mention of.]
[But then, speaking of which, he had made some little offers, hadn't he?]
[Matoba gestures towards Hizen's 'body'.] That's right.... You haven't been injured, have you? [Really injured. He isn't talking about the little shots and scratches and whatever else to his spirit's form. Matoba slips his hand into his sleeve, and tugs out a strip of paper. He holds it out pinched between two fingers, in the space between them.] I made an offer to you before, didn't I?
See if you can touch this, without harm.
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... No.
(And he wonders why he would bring that up now. It feels ominous to him and he narrows his eyes, suspicious.
Ah. He understands now but he isn't any less suspicious. Things usually come with prices and Matoba has made it quite clear that his services aren't free. And yet, he offers the talisman as promised before...
He approaches Matoba but keeps an eye on him as if trying to see if there's some other meaning to all of this. He doesn't trust anyone. He looks down at it, studying the writing to see if he can make sense of it and then glances at Matoba once more to make sure this isn't a trick...
And reaches out to touch it and waits
for nothing to happen.)
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[Matoba doesn't move a muscle as Hizen approaches like a nervy cat, keeping calm and steady and casual. He wasn't lying, and there was no reason to be on guard- but he knew the moods and handling of wounded animals and monsters.]
[He also doesn't know for certain how Hizen will react to the talisman.]
...Good. It seems that you can handle this one, then. [Matoba draws the talisman back again, and then gestures towards Hizen's sheath.] Shall I apply it? It should be useful, to a reckless one such as yourself.
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It seems the talisman is meant to be good, though. Or at least, not bad but something about Matoba's question makes him frown. His grip on his sword tightens. The only ones who have ever been allowed to touch it were the ones who summoned him. For a sword tsukumogami, trusting someone near his true form is personal.)
... Do you have to?
(As in, does Matoba have to be the one thath does it? It isn't like the saniwa's charms that he can just take and carry for himself?)
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[That was his prerogative, though.]
Not necessarily, but the protection is a little greater than a charm. [He shrugs his shoulders and simply holds the dangling talisman out for him.] Whatever you wish to do with it, that is your business. Consider it payment for your assistance, the previous time. [You know... The one with the swords and the fighting.]
--Ah, speaking of previous, you wouldn't happen to have that on you, now would you?
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(He's quiet, considering the explanation and looking at the talisman once more. Hesitantly, he brings his sword up in front of him. If his palms were open, it would look like he was presenting it to him with both hands but instead, he holds on firmly. He'll let Matoba apply it but he won't say anything about it.
It's already a big deal to him. He doesn't want to make it an even bigger one.
Instead, he focuses on the question,)
Mhm. (He nods. He still carries it around with him out of spite, as a reminder to not let himself get caught vulnerable or weak again.) Yeah.
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[Oh???]
[Matoba pauses subtly, mentally, as Hizen draws his sword from its place at his side and presents it to Matoba, a development he had not anticipated after the first rejection. Perhaps he should have, he thinks to himself- he didn't have that strong of a will, and just a little needling and a little of an open hand always seemed enough.]
[He doesn't allow any of it to show on his face, but this was good. This was very good...... Slowly but surely, he was bringing this spirit ever closer to......]
Shall I? [Matoba raises two fingers before himself, and the talisman in the other palm. Quietly, he begins muttering a chant, drawing power into the talisman and welling over Hizen's sword. Being that it was his body, he could probably feel it even more acutely- the power of purification, that one different writing in the spelltag or a different chant, and it could be a spell with the power to dispel the sword entirely.]
[Luckily, this time, Matoba was telling the truth.]
[He turns his palm over and smooths the talisman over the sheath with a motion that seems to glue it down with power, attaching and wrapping itself over him. It felt like a sturdy cast, or a bandage- a protective layer that would keep his body from harm should something seek to crack it.]
...If you are attacked directly, this should prevent any major damage, [He explains, ending the spell and dissipating the rest of the energy.] For a while. But don't get too reckless- something much more powerful will still likely break through.
[Matoba tilts his head with his little smile, as if to say 'all done', and then gestures.] I would like to take a second look, if you don't mind. [With his true eyes.]
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He doesn't say a word as Matoba does his work. He can feel something form inside him-- a tight feeling in the pit of his stomach that both makes him want to scream but also keeps it closed. If he was more aware of his feelings, he'd have the word for this. He'd know how to handle it. Instead, all he can do is silently endure his discomfort in front of someone else.
(Anxious. The word for this feeling is anxious.)
The magic he feels isn't totally unlike the saniwa's. He's familiar with what purification feels like and it isn't his first time feeling someone else's power fill him but Matoba feels more like power than the Saniwa's care.
(As he thought. Even with the offer of protection, he dislikes being handled by others.)
He's relieved when the spell ends and he turns his sword over to study it. Despite his discomfort, he can still feel the spell's effect. It's a good spell. He can't deny that and for someone who values strength like Hizen, he can certainly appreciate it. )
Got it. I'll be careful. (Not to waste it on a stupid moment. He remembers his manners,) ... Thanks.
(It's as awkward as one would expect. He returns his sword to his side, where it feels safer. Where he feels better. In turn, he reaches into his pocket and retrieves the same bullet as before. Matoba's lucky he has it on him if only because others have been trying to gather information (Hizen included).)
Can you see it better now?
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[He can feel moreso than see the coil of tension in Hizen, the fear, and it settles something in him. Good. He understood, then, what Matoba was- what he could do to him, now, if he fell from the exorcist's graces. He wouldn't have to worry about this one getting any ideas.]
[Watching Hizen test the feel of the spell, he seems satisfied by it- following that anxiousness- and so at least Matoba has proven that he has kept to his word and applied the spell as promised. A little more trust, each time...]
[But that was only laying the groundwork for more of this. This is the sort of thing that the spirit would be useful for... Matoba's eye draws across the bullet as it is drawn out again, and the difference is almost immediate.]
Why is it... [That color. Matoba pauses mentally for a moment, almost questioning if either of them should be touching it bare-handed- but he was fine the last time, wasn't he? So Matoba reaches out to take it again, and this time, he can feel what pulses beneath.]
[It reminds him of that beautiful kimono... The one whose brilliant, blood-red color was only enhanced by the threads of gold woven into it in floral patterns, the fine craftsmanship of some long-gone ayakashi maker. The one which others saw as only a rag in the wind, or a pale red, or even the muted dark crimson that Natori had seen. Even that much had been exciting, back then.]
[The bullet was some sort of metal, but certainly not any sort that human eyes have likely laid upon for hundreds of years, not to his knowledge. It gleamed like freshly spilled blood, a deep red with some sort of power emanating from it. What sort of power...he has no idea what the origin could be, whether it was something crafted by the gods or mined from the deepest reaches of Hell. But he knows that it is special, like an ancient instrument of sealing, or destruction. If he could find one that someone would part with.....]
... [He hands it back to Hizen wordlessly.] I see. Thank you. [The silkiness of his voice doesn't betray anything, but Hizen can probably feel it in the excitement of his thrumming blood, in his aura. He smiles, that same, cheerful smile that's not fooling anyone.] I'm glad I was able to see it again.
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Matoba saw something. Felt something. That much was obvious.)
... What was it? (And so Matoba doesn't try to play it off, he follows up pointedly,) You're in a good mood.
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[Matoba says it silkily, eye lidded with calm. He's entirely serious- for it to have shot through Matoba without particularly ill effect, he isn't surprised. It didn't seem like something intended to target humans.]
[But Hizen...] This came out of you, did it not? I wonder...
[Was it that Hizen was more powerful than he anticipated? Or something else. Hmmm...]
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Don't get crazy ideas.
(Shoving the bullet back in his pocket. He doesn't really know what Matoba is thinking but the whole energy here is bad.)
Got enough of those spreading around this place.
(TOO MANY PEOPLE IN HELL TRYING TO GET THINGS DONE.)
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[It's teasing, but he chuckles softly, just barely audible under his breath.] Not to worry, Hizen-kun. I'm not yet powerful enough for that.
[For the crazy ideas, or for making use of that bullet? Hm.]
[Call it Matoba being surprisingly "humble"... But realistically, it was the truth. He still had much more power to amass, and of his own to unseal, before he could go around making good on any thoughts like that.]
I'm grateful that you let me see it again. Do be careful with it, though; there's no being certain what power it might hold. [Or who might come after him for it.]
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(Again. It sounds so patronizing coming from Matoba. He doesn't like it. And yet with each correction... he has a little less bite. Let him gradually become resigned to the term.)
Tch. (Arms crossed, grumbling,) Coming from you, it all sounds insincere...
Whatever. (He's letting it go,) I can take care of myself but what about you.
(A glance back at the building he'd lost the monster at,)
Aren't you worried about it coming back later?
(Like, in the same day?)
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