jigokulogs | ( closed ) i'm the wound you tried to hide

(It is truly just a random hotel in the middle of the city and it just happened to be on the nicer end. It's fine. The desk staff look over at the two and whisper to each other. Are they guests? They don't recall either of them checking in this morning or on the last shift...

It doesn't matter. Hizen's priority is Shylock. If others want to talk then let them. )

Water...? Or--

(Shylock leans forward and Hizen's hand reaches to grab a hold of his free hand then. He gives it an anxious squeeze and tries to )

You're in pain. (He's trying to keep focused, stay calm. Now isn't the time to lose his cool,) There's gotta be something. Anything...

[ shylock can only shake his head. there really is nothing he can do... not on his own, at least. nonhumans they may be, they can't be any more different. ]

Just... Hold me, Hizen. Stay...

[ even in complete duress, he still has the gall to say words like that. it's appropriate for a hotel stay, what can he say. the hotel staff does ring them in though, letting hizen know that a nice spot on a high enough floor is vacant. a perfect view for a friend who's seemingly burning to death, tbh. ]

(He can't help but glare at the hotel staff when they come. Can't they see he's busy? Unless they have something helpful to say or do, he doesn't care what they want-- ah. A room. His look softens only just slightly and he looks back at Shylock.)

Can ya move? (He gives Shylock's hand a squeeze,) I'll help ya. You can try to rest... or... or somethin`.

(And he will help Shylock to the elevator, carrying much of the weight on his shoulders, mindful to not strain Shylock more than he needs to. All the way up to the room, where he doesn't even care to check out the view or anything else in the room. He just wants to set Shylock down and... and he doesn't know? He holds his hand like Shylock had wanted him to but it just feels useless.)

[ how the staff even allowed a guy with a burning heart stay in their hotel is beyond shylock's comprehension, but he'll give them a large tip for accepting him in despite that. for now though, he'll focus on getting on his feet and be guided along by hizen, the burning in his heart seeming to intensify the further up they go on the elevator.

once he's collapsed on the bed, shylock tries his best not to curl in or put himself in a compromising position that'll set the sheets on fire. wouldn't want to make hizen pay for extra fees, after all. ]

I'm... I'm resting.

[ he gives hizen's hand a very tight squeeze, wincing at the pain in his heart. he kinda feels bad? that there's nothing hizen can do in this situation, but in a way it is kind of cute to see him this helpless. it's a look like no other. ]

Just give it time... My affliction will just. Die out on its own.

[ so just wait, and wait. hizen will soon see that the fire is slowly dying down, and he's free to place his hand on it if he wants until he completely vanishes. oddly enough it did not burn a hole through his clothes, but there is a heavily singed portion on his breast, right where his heart is. ]

(It's a hotel in youkai hell. Surely they get customers just as strange if not stranger.

Useless useless useless he's so useless right now and returns the squeeze. He's holding on tight, absolutely anxious, and doesn't let go of the wizard. As Shylock struggles through the pain, he tries to make it as comfortable as possible. It's awkward but he reaches out to keep Shylock's hair out of his face and just... tries to stay calm.

Panicking won't help. In situations like this, it's... it's important to be a reliable figure. Yes, this is what he's learned from his time on the battlefield, at least. Be a steady source until help comes or... time runs its course. And that's what Shylock had said he'd needed, right? Time.

The fire dies down and with it, some of Hizen's anxiety. He sits up, more alert, wondering if this is his chance. Can he finally do something? He reaches his free hand out over Shylock's chest, feeling the flames weaken. He lowers his hand carefully as the flames grow smaller, trying to smother and bat away at the embers.

Interesting. Despite the strength earlier, he'd expected to see Shylock's clothes damaged but... there's nothing. The more he thinks about it now, it makes sense that it would be a magic flame or something. Not once had the fire spread... it just burned in place.

Quietly,)

Hey.

(And again, he fixes Shylock's hair awkwardly,)

... Shylock?

[ give him a moment to find his voice after that ordeal. shylock's expression then relaxes, breathing in and out despite the acrid smell of burning, then looks up to hizen with a weak smile. ]

Hizen...

[ hold on, let him just. reach his hand up to brush away the flyaway hair from hizen's forehead, fingers tracing down to cup his poor cheek. he'll explain in a while, just -- let him have this too. even now he still can't resist giving a rise out of this sword? his reactions just now are very cute. very nice. isn't it wonderful to be experiencing multitudes of emotions? it is undeniable proof that they're alive at this very moment. ]

This is the second time you saved me. Thank you.

Edited 2022-08-27 12:23 (UTC)

(He doesn't move. He's entirely too focused on making sure Shylock is well. Really well. The way he smiles up at him makes his heart pang and he feels so damned tired now that the worst seems to have passed.)

Shut up. (He doesn't want to hear it. This--) This ain't about me.

(And he gets up from Shylock's bedside and runs to the bathroom. There's the sound of running water and when he returns, he has a wet washcloth, cool with water and places it to his forehead.)

How d'ya feel? (He places a hand just above Shylock's heart, feeling for any residual warmth and places the cloth over that next.) I dunno what... Tell me... what t'do.

[ it's not as though he's running a fever after that, right? but maybe hizen is just acting upon his instincts anyway. it's natural to cool something down with water.

shylock once again shakes his head, careful not to let the washcloth fall from his forehead. he'll let hizen fuss over him this one time, for his own indulgence. ]

I'm serious, Hizen. There's nothing you could do, because the phenomenon you saw just now was my affliction. It was a curse given to us by the Great Calamity.

[ --ah, that's right. he hadn't explained to hizen about that in detail, had he? ]

(Thank you for letting him fuss, Shylock, because it does help Hizen feel like he has more control of the situation and that, in turn, makes him feel less stressed.)

A curse...?

(Spoken with a quiet gasp and he frowns. That would explain the unnatural flame. He'd already figured it was magic of some sort but to be an actual curse? Who would do that? Or... the Great Calamity? That would make it a "what" then, right? He won't ask for Shylock to explain but it's obvious that he's confused and would very much like one.)

Mhm.

[ he nods. yes, it's his turn to impart some lore and knowledge to hizen here. how exciting...! ]

But first, will you do me a favor and prop me up properly on the headboard? Fufu, playacting sick does have its appeal, as I've discovered just now.

[ why did he have to say that out loud, though... ]

Quit playin`.

(He isn't acting. He was really in a lot of pain and that's going to take the wind out of anyone. It had really worried Hizen and even now, he still feels anxious for Shylock which is why he obliges and helps him up.)

I'm not.

[ he smiles widely. jeez. ]

Now, first thing's first -- is the moon on your world relevant to you in some way?

(His immediate first thought is... Mikazuki Munechika but while he might be aesthetically connected to the moon and very fond of referring to it, Hizen knows he isn't the moon.

He shakes his head,)

Not really.

(He doesn't understand how the moon really ties into all of this, though.)

There's a guy who talks about it a lot.... but he's just some annoying old guy.

Did you think of him as weird? Crazy? Insane?

[ it's always guys like that who have a certain obsession with the moon, huh. it's called "lunacy" for a reason. ]

He's just annoying... can't answer anything right, always wandering off. Just an annoying old man.

(He doesn't really have anything against him though. He knwos Mikazuki is a reliable and powerful sword. Still...)

What's this gotta do with everything?

[ yes yes, he's getting to that. ]

The moon, you see, is also known as the Great Calamity in our world. Every year it attempts to destroy our world, so it is up to the chosen Sage's Wizards to combat it and help solve the strange phenomena that it left in the aftermath of our fight.

[ shylock then looses one button of his shirt, tugging at a collar and showing off the lily crest over his heart. ]

This is proof that I've been chosen to fight. It has been around... seven hundred years, I think. Since I was chosen.

[ he couldn't remember the exact year, of course. but this does given hizen an idea of sorts on how old shylock truly is. ]

(Chosen by a sage to fight a great calamity. He'd mentioned... something kind of like that before, hadn't he? He'd mentioned a sage and he'd mentioned fighting but he'd never imagined the thing they'd be fighting would be... the moon. Something like that sounds impressive. Perhaps more impressive than traveling through time.

As far as Hizen thinks, traveling through time and fighting the revisionist army is an unnatural phenomenon. It's something that should have never come into being in the first place. The moon, however, is a natural thing. The moon is a constant thing, a fact of nature, and imagining something like that to be a cause of disaster feels... well, it feels wrong. )

...

(He's never been a talkative person so even if he doesn't speak right now, he tries to look like hes' really listening. His attention is on Shylock. He looks at the crest over his heart-- over where the fire had been...? It's only now that he finally says something.)

Seven hundred...

(A long time. It's longer than Hizen has even been around. He can't imagine fighting for that long and he frowns at Shylock. There's a question he wants to ask but he bites back his tongue.

Is... Shylock tired? Doesn't that get tiring?)

I'm older than that, for the record.

[ he points out, as if he could read hizen's mind. as if it wasn't a big deal. because fighting the same moon over and over and yielding the same results is something that he's used to it by now. they can only ward off the moon for another year, not completely destroy it. ]

Isn't it similar to your situation from where you're from? We're both fighting for humanity. Although in our case, most humans would rather turn up their noses at us and then shower us with praise a second later.

[ he chuckles. ] They simply won't understand. But you do, don't you?

...

(Fighting for humanity.

He doesn't speak but his silence should be answer enough. He's never been much of a talker. He never really says more than he needs to and he's good at keeping secrets. That said, he's always quick to tell people when they're wrong or have the wrong idea about him. Not saying anything... is enough to let Shylock know that he's right.)

As long as they're useful, they'll keep you. (He can understand what Shylock means.) Even if they don't love you.

(So even wizard can be tossed away when they're no longer considered useful to people... the worst of human nature goes that far. )

But you keep fighting for 'em anyway...

(He doesn't get it. Or rather, he doesn't like to think about it. )

We have no choice. It is our world too, after all.

[ and that's all there is to it. in a way he's relieved that hizen understand the sentiment -- it only proves how inhuman they are, but it's not necessarily a bad thing.

not at all. ]

Is it the same for you as well? You did have human handlers, once upon a time.

'S not like anyone knew about us back then. Most people couldn't see us before...

(Hizen isn't without understanding. If anything, he understands his past situations very well. Ryouma didn't know his sword was aware when he passed it on. Izou didn't know he was never really alone when he carried his sword at his side. Takechi had no way of knowing when he threw away Izou, he threw away two souls. It's why instead of holding a grudge, he carries grief instead and anxiety instead. )

And now's just the same like before. Only difference is people can see us now.

(Being summoned after centuries of nothingness. The sudden sense of being aware and in the world again is the same as before. Feeling the weight of his new humanity on a new form was different, though. This time around is different from the last but--)

I'm a sword. (Not a real human.) I do what I'm s'posed to do.

(And if humans want him to fight, he will.)

Is it truly the same, though...

[ they aren't the only nonhumans in this world, and those ones may not share the same jaded worldviews as these two. that's the great thing of being alive, of finding beauty in each and every thing. ]

But I see what you mean. Instead of the moon and whichever mysterious force you swords are fighting for, we are currently fighting off whichever is attacking us from the outside. Add our own inner demons, and it's a neverending war amongst ourselves.

[ he sighs, and melts into the pillow behind him. ]

That's a thought that I'll one day wish to expound upon, should I wish to remember this. [ his crappy attention span........... ] I shall think of a way to repay you, Hizen. Financially, of course. I didn't think you're the type to take someone to a hotel first thing, hm?

[ and there he goes to being a teasing shit again. but it's all in good fun, and shylock knows it. ]

I'll remind ya.

(Maybe. No promises. But it's something he feels like he should also have to explain someday so... it can be a promise for both of them.

Still sitting on the edge of the bed, he places his hands in his lap and looks away. The teasing is effective. He's embarrassed but more than anything, he feels... relieved that Shylock is better. Seems better? He doesn't really know because all of this feels so strange to him. He isn't sure what to make of it but he wants to believe things are better.)

Ya said somewhere safe and we were in the middle of the city... (Far from their homes, no where to really go except a public business or office. This place was private, secure, and he trusted in himself ot keep Shylock safe. Mumbling,) Not like there was a whole lotta choice...

Just... don't think about it. If ya get better then... it's worth it...

(Or something. He's never cared too much about money beyond needing what he needed to live. He doesn't even have to live comfortably.)

[ they'll cross that bridge when they get to it. judging from the swankiness of the hotel at the last minute, shylock can tell that hizen has a lot of money to toss around but only keeping them for rainy days. and sure was raining wizards just now!

shylock nods, and he further settles into the bed until his head rest on a pillow. ]

I'll focus on getting some rest, for now.

[ the edges of his eyes crinkle at hizen. ]

Will we talk more more later?

( closed ) i'm the wound you tried to hide

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