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Who ⬤ Hizen Tadahiro & you
What ⬤ Catchall for May & June
When ⬤ May
Where ⬤ See prompts
Content Warnings ⬤ N/A for now

SUBSTORY 1: MOON MEDICINE

(It was just mochi. How dangerous could mochi be? There's a reason why mochi is up high on Hizens' list of favorite foods and it's because mochi has never done him wrong.

… Yeah, this definitely isn't his brightest moment and in his defense, he never pretended to be particularly smart.

It's a warm, sunny spring day but Hizen is bundled up in his hoodie and a scarf. No matter what does, he can't fight off this chill and even being out in the sun isn't helping. Desperate, he tries to buy a hot drink from a vending machine if only so he can have something to warm his hands with and

it just takes his money without giving him anything. He tries one more time and gets the exact same result! He can be found sticking his arm up the slot, shaking the machine, or punching it. Sensitive to being watched, he turns his head to see you. Yes, you and snaps, teeth chattering,)

What?! (He's defensive,) Stop looking!

(And please don't perceive the fact that he's literally shaking while he yells at you.)

SUBSTORY 2: VEND ME A DREAM

(They had to retrieve a photograph of a certain host and then bring a hitobashira some takoyaki from a particular vendor that required waiting in an obscenely long line that never seemed to move. After getting the takoyaki, they had to go to a cafe and find a kitsune who was actually a very offended tanuki who asked them if they tried the vending machine alley on the other side of the city. When they get to the alley, they find a strange vending machine in the place that should have had the vending machine they were looking for. It looks like it's been replaced with one that just gives ominous mystery items instead.

His body is small and can only hold so much frustration before he explodes. He lets out a yell when he sees the vending machine,)

Aaaaaaaah! (He kicks at it which makes it beep and flicker,) Where the hell is it?!

(An entire floor full of vending machines and the right one isn't even here.

Maybe you were already with Hizen on his quest. Or maybe you were also led to the hall of vending machines. Or you just heard about this weird place and want to try your luck for unrelated reasons.)

SUBSTORY 4: HANIWHAT?

(He isn't the most sensitive person, even back home when he knows what to look out for. It's easy for most things to slip past him if he isn't paying attention, especially in Jigoku-cho where there are so many things happening, a strange occurrence here and there can be overlooked. But these dolls are strange. He isn't an expert on them but he recognizes them for what they are. They're old; far beyond in his time or knowledge. At first, he hadn't thought much of them but the more he noticed them, the more uncomfortable he became.

These things just feel bad to him. They make him uncomfortable and put him on edge and when he hears that the Enma are calling for them, he's relieved. Good riddance. He has no idea what they're up to but it isn't going to be his problem.

But everyone is so nosy. Everyone wants to push their luck and see what they are. They touch them, they move them around, they treat them roughly, and it just makes him feel anxious. When he sees you checking one out, he snaps,)

Oi. Leave it alone.

(He's clearly irritated,)

You're gonna get in trouble if you keep messing with it.

GENERAL: SHUTEN TERRITORY

(Hizen can be found checking out some of the weapons stores in Shuten territory. He isn't looking for a new weapon— he's perfectly content with his own sword, thank you very much. But when your true form is your sword, weapon maintenance is important. He's shopping for oil, cloth, and other things to take care of himself and he's also asking around to see if anyone can recommend a good smith but no one really wants to give out their source. Instead, they keep trying to sell him a new sword,)

I told ya already, I'm not interested.

(Yeah, but they really don't want to give out their suppliers. It's bad for business, you know?)

I don't give a shit about that. I'm just looking for a guy that can fix things.

(Well, if your sword is broken then might they recommend this one here? It's quite popular with the new recruits—)

I'm not broke!

(Kind of a weird thing to yell but yeah.)

OPEN TOP LEVELS

I'll be adding more top-levels and linking them here so they don't end up lost in the other comments,

⟡ Post-Intro Mingle: (It's raining, it's pouring)

WILDCARD

❀ If you have another idea for a prompt or would like to plot anything out, let me know
❀ Plotting comment here
❀ contact; eski | discord: eski#9874 | PM

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[Ahhh, shaved ice, truly the best part of enjoying a summer day at the beach!! Matoba had been looking forward to this ever since the Daitengu had announced the gathering, as one of the few summer activities listed that he was actually interested in purely for his own reasons.]

[It shouldn't surprise him to see the familiar red and black scruffy head waiting in front of the chilly treat cart, but he pauses a moment as he approaches before smiling to himself privately, and being a little more delicate in his step as he approaches from behind.]

Cherry and lemon..... Excellent classic choices, Hizen-kun. [He speaks as soon as he's within Hizen's sphere of personal space, leaning over just enough to look into the glass sneezeguard to see the flavors available, pondering his own selection.] Shall I also get cherry? Or perhaps watermelon, or Hawaiian... Hm hm hm, I wonder...

(The thing about sand is that it's much quieter than other surfaces? It muffles everyone's presence and while he can sense that someone is approaching, he doesn't recognize it until it's too late. He bristles visibly from surprise and turns quickly to look at him,)

I didn't ask for your opinion...!

(He says as he'S taking his order from the yuki onna. He was ready to eat by himself but oh well...)

Why are you asking me?

(Just get what you want, Matoba???)

Of course you did not.

[He replies as it is the most obvious thing in the world!] Oh, just wondering, you know. Well obviously you prefer cherry of that list, or you would not have ordered it yourself, hm?

[Matoba steps up to the cart to smile cheerfully at the yuki-onna (at the treats themselves, really), and holds up a finger.] One watermelon.

...To start. [He takes out his coin wallet to pay.] There is a whole day ahead of us. I'm sure I'll have time to try the others. [Matoba is going to order so many ices?? Where does it all go.]

[And now, it's his time to wait for his treat. But don't think he's going to let you walk away from this conversation, Hizen- no no, he's going to keep going.] By the by, aren't you worried... the water? [His eye trails down Hizen's body, and then towards the beach shore.] Salt and sand is very corrosive, isn't it...?

(Stop, now he's feeling self conscious about his choices now...

He also just feels uncomfortable being watched like this. As usual, his sword is, in fact, by his side. Honestly, it would be weird to see him without it.)

... This body's fine. (His human form, that is,) It's basically human. Just gotta be careful with my sword.

(Which he, unfortunately, doesn't feel comfortable not keepign with him at all times in hell.)

[That's the mindgame... Yes, even over shaved ice!!]

[Matoba watches as Hizen shifts under his gaze, feeling a tug of satisfaction at the discomfort (fear), and turns his attention back to Hizen's eyes as he replies.]

Oh, even with saltwater? It might be fake, but I wonder if it could still be purified...

...Just kidding. [Tehe] Yes, that seems awfully inconvenient, but I suppose there's nothing to be done when you are a tsukumogami. To be separated would be quite risky.

[He glances back as the yuki-onna finishes up his shaved ice, and changes the subject quickly enough to one again shove past any annoyance from Hizen.] I have been thinking about our last conversation. About "Hizen", that is.

(Please stop finding joy in his discomfort, Matoba. He's just an anxious and depressed sword boy that hates being perceived.

Instead of stressing, he chooses to just shove a spoonful of ice in his mouth. Eating always makes him feel better. It can't let him down now. The fact that he has to eat it before it all melts is just something else to focus on. He doesn't need to confirm what Matoba already knows. Being separated from his sword would be risky. COnsidering it's his true form, if something were to happen to it, he could be in trouble. His silence should be enough to let Matoba know he's right.

As for that last point though... he needs a moment to finish eating a another spoonful of ice,)

... What're you talking about?

(Why is

Matoba

thinking about him............)

[bugs bunny no dot jpg]

[Matoba simply smiles as he receives his own frozen treat, and Hizen remains silent in the wake of his observation. Very well, then; it was just a little joke to throw him off, anyway, but he does hope he'll be careful of the risks....]

Hm? Do you not remember? [He pauses to spoon the first delicious mouthful of sweet ice into his mouth, and makes an expression that is purely and transparently genuine satisfaction. He just loves sweets.....]

[After a moment to savor his first bite, he adds in archaic Kumamoto-ben as he scoops another mouthful into his face,]

...Ah, y'don't remember? I was kinda disappointed that y'couldn't tell me any gossip that would have been good to hold over the clans or ayakashi back home, but I'm kind of surprised that you're from a place like'at. In some ways, feels even more rural than Kyushu.

[It gives him a childlike appearance to speak so overly casually, while scooping shaved ice into his face, looking so content with himself; something totally unlike the collected clanhead's aura he normally gave off. Just as quickly, he adds more properly,]

Well, Kumamoto Castle and the strategic Western position of the region meant they flourished, I suppose. Even for commoner clans like the Matoba.

[He shovels another scoop of ice into his mouth.] What was Shikoku like, back then?

(Ah, Matoba does that thing again where he switches how he speaks and it surprises him once more. Things like this always catch his attention, making him a little more alert as if he's back on an assignment or in some sort of briefing to prepare for one if only so he can blend in better.

He can also tell where the conversation is beginning to go and... well, considering the circumstances under their last meeting, he can only assume he must have let loose more than he thought. Enough for his accent to slip through, definitely. Not enough to completely give it away? Talking about home is complicated though if only because he can guess where the conversation may go next and that is where the feelings become more complicated,)

... It's a small. (Smaller than Kyushu.) A lot of fisherman and a lot of farmers. (Poorer people in society.) A few people on top and a bunch at the bottom.

(Which checks out! The island has historically been one of the poorer ones. It's one of the main factors that led to so many revolutionaries coming from the area; all tired of being abused by society and desperate and eager for something better even if it meant going to extreme methods.)

Well, that certainly sounds like the past, [Matoba cheerfully replies, and scoops another big mouthful of ice into his mouth, then licks the spoon.] That's right, Shikoku has so many orchards and rice fields, doesn't it... It seems quite scenic.

[He digs his spoon back into the mountain of ice.]

You know, I don't really know a great deal about the exorcist clans in Shikoku. Have you never run into them, there? I don't suppose you have any interesting stories to tell me about them. [His smile is sort of mean-spirited.]

...Kidding. I doubt Sightless samurai would have been interacting much with the shrinekeepers or sorcerers, like we were. You are from long after the era of freely-roaming monsters like Shuten-douji, aren't you?

(It is scenic. As poor as their domain had been and as humble as they had all had to live, he can still feel pride for Tosa. Even if that mission had been painful, the sight of their castle and the streets of the town below it had made him nostalgic. When he thinks about the view at Katsurahama, he's maybe even a little proud.

But he knows Matoba doesn't want to hear any of that. He finds himself looking when Matoba continues speaking and proves it. This means he misses the smile but he can still feel his feeling. He doesn't care about where Hizen is from unless it's useful.

... But even if Hizen knew, he doesn't think he would share it with someone as ambitious as Matoba.

The yuki-onna owner clears her throat, signaling for them to move away from her small stand so other customers can see the front and Hizen obliges. He has his own place under an umbrella not too far. He'll focus on enjoying his ice a little more before replying (because he figures Matoba would follow. He's interested in something so of course, he will.).)

None of my masters cared about those things. (Spirits, the monsters, anything superatural.) Had enough to worry about in Tosa than things no one could see.

(Like you know. Just trying to live.)

That's usually how it goes. That isn't really a problem; humans should stay that way.

[A statement that could invite a lot of suspicion and speculative questions, but he knows Hizen's not that type, which is why he can say something like that. Matoba follows after Hizen as he wanders off, not because the yuki-onna has dismissed them, and stands to the side of Hizen's umbrella to eat his own ice. Frowning at the umbrella, and then the heavy sun above (false as it was), he turns his eyes back down to his ice.]

[A shadow-like familiar, slender and silent and soulless, springs up from the ground beside him, and opens his familiar bullseye-patterned parasol to shade him from the false sun. He knows Hizen has never seen it. He does not explain it.]

Tosa... [Matoba Seiji is no expert in non-exorcist history; he's no trivia buff. But he does know what Tosa was famous for. Maybe it's fresher in his mind, because he's been speaking to the man- what little man he may be- just recently.]

[He looks at Hizen, spoon between his lips and barely muffling a smile.] How many masters have you had, Hizen-kun?

(He looks over at the shadow. He's never seen it before but given how it acts and his own experiences as a spirit and in Jigoku, he can fill in the blanks. Some sort of familiar that serves Matoba. Interesting to note but not enough to make a huge deal out of. He simply files it away for now under "things to be aware of" when dealing with Matoba Seiji.)

Enough.

(Several masters, really. A generation or two with the Sakamoto, Ryouma, Izo, and now he has his current situation where he serves both the government and a single master.)

Not all of 'em matter.

[The clipped response, he thinks, tells him what he wanted to know. That certainly puts a new perspective on things, doesn't it?]

[If Hizen is connected to him, then he will have to proceed much more carefully than before. He's glad that he at least found out before it became a problem, but still... How irritating, to have a complication like that.]

Now, now, that's not very nice, is it? [Matoba smiles his cheery and annoying smile at Hizen, and gestures at him with his spoon as he makes his point.] Surely one's Master, who polished and took care of you throughout the years, deserves a little more credit than that?

I guess I wouldn't really know. [Would he?] Do swords enjoy being used, Hizen-kun?

Don't tell me how to feel.

(It's short and gruff. He doesn't know what Matoba is trying to get at exactly right now but he knows how he feels about his story and he knows he isn't wrong to feel the way he does (maybe). But one master most certainly did not take care of him through the years.)

...

("Do swords enjoy being used, Hizen-kun?" He doesn't like that question coming from Matoba who tends to remind him of that man.)

... By our masters.

(He only wants to be useful to his master. He doesn't care about anyone else.)

[What an interesting mood he's in. Matoba grins, chewing on a mouthful of snow, and thinks on that answer.]

Well then, I'm sure Toraguma has a lot of work for you. [Matoba shifts to lean further into the shade of his parasol; the shiki, without prompting, moves with him to keep the parasol overhead.] With everything that's going on below.

Silly as it all is. All this scuffling over infrastructure at the first opportunity...

[On the surface, at least. He's heard some interesting things about what the kappa were really guarding down there. But the Daitengu had let it happen, so... what were they looking for? Waiting for?] ...At least you won't be bored.

(He sure does have work to do, Matoba... and he focuses more on his shaved ice because he'd rather not give any information about anything going on with Toraguma or the clan. He's a loyal sword boy.)

It's all a pain in the ass.

(All of the fighting and random ways to show off their pride and... stuff. He'd rather be bored, he thinks. At least then he can just relax.)

... Why d'ya care so much?

(Care probably isn't the right word but Hizen knows Matoba's interest in him and everything isn't exactly normal, friendly interest.)

About current events? [He knows that isn't what he's asking. Still, Matoba keeps his eye pinned on Hizen, in that discomforting way he does when he already knows the answer to what he is asking.] Because that territory belongs to us. It was stolen illegally by the Enma, after his attempt on our leader's life, and then was left behind for you dogs to fight over like scraps.

We will get it back, someday. But your Boss is probably lucky that you lot aren't the type to question things. None of you have even wondered why it is you're scrapping over something that seems so worthless, have you.

[It isn't kind, but it's what he observes. His eye slides off of Hizen again, and back to his delicious treat.]

Oh, well. That will all be figured out very soon.

(That isn't what he meant but he never expected a real answer from Matoba.)

Didn't think you'd care so much. Getting attached to that chicken?

(The Daitengu. He means the Daitengu. Also is it surprising to anyone that Hizen is a rude little shit when he's not on some sort of job or something where he needs to behave...)

... It doesn't matter to me. Knowing wouldn't stop 'em from ordering us around.

(Hizen just follows orders, whoops. Just let him eat his ice.)

[Hizen receives a flat, bemused stare from Matoba in reference to the chicken; he gets it quickly enough, but-- still--] Chicken, [He repeats, eyebrow lifting.]

[The sword is a comedian. Matoba's mouth curls, and he stuffs some icy treat into it to keep from laughing.]

Do you think I get attached to such things? [He asks genuinely, because he's fairly certain Hizen knows better.] We each have our orders.

However, it is possible to follow orders and also have ...extra-curricular interests, Hizen-kun.

I don't believe for a moment that you have nothing outside of your orders, loyal as you are.

(The chicken!!! He refuses to perceive the faction leaders as real until he has to! He'd never say some of his nicknames to them in person but still!!! Names make things real! They mean you have some connection! And he doesn't want that!!

This conversation is taking a familiar turn. It's one he's had with other people before whether it was direct or passive. Mutsunokami, sensei, the other wakizashi spirits, and even the saniwa had suggested similar things. He's quiet and scoops at ice that is practically slush at this point,)

... Got nothing.

(He doesn't. He really doesn't. He keeps himself busy with all of his jobs-- these stupid tasks he has to do and running errands for everyone else. He works until he's tired and hungry. When he's hungry, he eats. When he's tired, he sleep. And then he wakes up and does it all again.)

I wasn't summoned to have fun. Or brought here to have a good time.

(He... really hasn't found other interests. Unless eating andd drinking is one but he considers those more like satisfying his needs as someone with a human form now. Hm.)

Is that so?

[Matoba watches him thoughtfully for a long moment; there's another one of those strange expressions on his face again, with a smile that isn't real.]

Do you think you are not free to do so?

...

(This isn't the direction he'd imagined a conversation with Matoba going and he wonders if he should change what he might have thought about him before. He's quiet for a moment, really considering for a moment.

He knows he's free to. Mutsunokami has his photography and all of his other interests. Sensei has his experiments and research. There are other touken danshi with interests in things like fashion and cooking and even... stranger desires. But they all have things they're good at. They all have better characters than him. They aren't gloomy and mean or awkward like him (he's very self-aware).)

... No one would believe me if I said so.

What a foolish thing to say.

[Matoba's eyes drop to his ice with a dry scoff, dismissing what he sees as an excuse. He chips away at the ice in his bowl.]

You see, Hizen-kun, I can get away with so many things because my clan's reputation is not known to the ayakashi here. It's quite convenient to me. [He scoops a bite of ice into his mouth, chewing delightedly as he continues,] I can take advantage of so many who will be useful to my plans.

[Hizen included, of course, it goes without saying. But he's said the same before; it wasn't like Hizen didn't already know what sort of person he was, so admitting it doesn't matter.]

However, the same applies to you. If you choose it, there are surely not too many people present who will know or care about your reputation enough to prevent you from doing things you would otherwise not be able to do. You do not seem to be like me. I choose to continue to operate as I have, because it benefits me. [Sort of. It benefits the clan, his future heirs, and that was-- enough, for him--] As a tool, surely you feel that you must continue your function. I'd expect a clan like yours will make use of you, as well.

But as long as it does not interfere with the purpose that has been assigned to you, there is no reason not to partake in any manner of indulgences that pique your interest.

[Like, for example, sweets. Videogames. Or cats. Cats are good.]

(Things he absolutely doesn't expect to hear from Matoba and yet... when he says it, it sure does sound like something he would say. Focusing on himself is awkward though. He still can't really do it and its not something that is going to change over night or even in a few days. There's centuries of baggage to unload and it's going to be a process to get him there.

But something does catch his attention through everything Matoba says and he wonders if he should ask it. It looks like he could ask something right now but ultimately, he bites down on his tongue. Asking Matoba "then what do you want?" feels like opening the door to his own desires and he isn't ready to do that just yet.

Instead, he's quiet, looking down at his ice slush in contemplative silence. He might not say anything but Matoba should be able to get the impression that Hizen heard everything he said. Really listened and is considering it all and how it fits in with his own philosophies and beliefs. Matoba is right enough that Hizen isn't going to try to argue against it.)

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