feonixe | voicetesting ver 1.0

[DOO DOO DOO tragic end plus beginnings go here.

It was stressful, waiting. And it was unexpected, the way he went. But now here she is, waiting just outside the entrance to the forge, because Mitsutada has been destroyed. But that was the equivalent of death, and that he potentially wouldn't remember her at all. All of which saddened her. But it would be fine if she could hope? Or at least see him again, just to see him well and healthy again.

And all this time, she was thinking: "What am I even doing here." It won't be the same, but if she could...

Shaking her head, she pushed away such thoughts and looked into the forge to see what was happening.]

[ The Saniwa spent a good amount of time inside the forge - a lot longer than the rest. And when she comes out, her walk is brisk - and she pulls Viernam aside once she sees her.

I'm sorry. You'll have to be prepared.

And then she leaves in a swirl of miko robes, scattering cherry blossom petals in her wake.

The forge goes quiet for a good few minutes, while the sword inside processes everything that he has been told. Then the screen door opens, and a lean dark-haired man steps out - purple eyes sharp and acute as he takes in his surroundings.

He doesn't seem to notice her. ]

[Vietnam still wouldn't be able to tell what to expect from the Saniwa's words alone. What was she preparing for? Is he gone? Did he forget?

If it was that, she's prepared, she considered the possibility. Perhaps that's why the Saniwa was in there for so long. Fine, she can deal.

But the curiosity is still killing her, and she decided to enter the forge. Well, she would have if not for the door opening and she was standing right in front of Mitsutada.

He's well, he's okay, the Saniwa managed to bring him back. This was all she needed, and it took everything to hold back her emotions before she accidentally overwhelmed him.]

Mitsu--...

[She trails off, not because he didn't seen to notice her, or that he was looking around. Rather, he wasn't quite Mitsutada. He had both of his eyes intact, and they were both purple.

...What's happening?]

[ He is different. Even the way he holds himself is different - a stance more formal and alert, with one hand resting on tr hilt of his true form. A stance of a guardian, someone ever watchful of the surroundings and ready to strike at any moment.

When she speaks, he turns immediately to watch her much like a hawk. But then, there is a sliver of confusion across his blank expression. ]

You know me?

[ She called his family name. ]

Who are you?

[The only thing the same about him would be his physically appearance, save for the two good eyes and the colour. But everything else? He holds himself differently, he looks at her differently. At least, even more different to when they first met. And then when he speaks, it's not the type of "cool" that Mitsutada was famous for; it was slightly icy.]

Ah... [He doesn't remember her (expected). What she didn't expect was all of this, so it's really taking a huge toll on her. And she's pretty sure he wouldn't appreciate being said that she knew his other version a little more intimately than he would like.]

I know you. Or of you, whichever you prefer. My name is Vietnam. In a way, I am Japan's younger sister.

[She didn't expect it to feel so heavy, reintroducing herself like that.]

[ If this was the Mitsutada of the future, he would have been able to pick up the change in her tone, ask her what was wrong even when he didn't know her at all.

But this isn't, and this is him from seven hundred years past, a time when he still bore the banner of the Demon King. So all she receives is a slight nod of acknowledgement in return. ]

I have no name.

[ Save for his maker's name, but he can't use it while Jikkyu is flaunting it everywhere like a metaphorical crown. ]

I am of the Osafune school. Oda Nobunaga is my master.

[ Not 'was', because he still remembers serving just a few days ago, before the vague long sleep that he interpreted to be his spirit traveling through time. ]

Edited 2015-05-13 08:47 (UTC)

[She definitely picked up on that, since he just went right ahead and acknowledged her like a guest. None of that Team Mom business that he did even when they barely knew each other.

He's rigid, and from what he mentioned, he is the sword of Oda Nobunaga, not Date Masamune. So this is a younger Mitsutada, who has no name, because Shokudaikiri came from Masamune. He told her that much.

Well, now she understood why the Saniwa told her to be prepared. She was definitely not prepared for this at all. She wouldn't even have thought that the one to come back was this one.]

I see...then it is nice to meet you, again. [She bows her head politely.] I mean, I called you Mitsutada, but what name would you prefer for me to use?

[ That has him staring for a few seconds. The full brunt of his attention is on her, purple gaze unnaturally bright. ]

... Do I need a name?

[ Nobunaga never used one, because he always picked out his swords himself and knew each my heart. Jikkyu was so named after a vanquished opponent. Others were already named before they came into the possession of the Oda house. For nameless blades like him, they would only receive one after doing something remarkable or worth remembering as a name.

For him, he had none. While he did serve in many battles, there was nothing outstanding. ]

Edited 2015-05-13 09:15 (UTC)

[Whoever said his future self had a sharp gaze? Take that back right now, this one has looks that can seriously kill a person.

That's an interesting question though, as swords get named as they go. Although she's in a similar position: most countries change their names all the time. It's not uncommon. Being nameless is strange for them, but not so much for swords.]

Ah...well, I'll need something to call you by.

[If he preferred something else, in any case.]

[ He is a tool meant for killing, after all. Why would anyone expect any less? ]

Why would you want to call me?

[ She is not his master, so he has little idea of what she would want with him. Admire his true form, maybe, but objects do not need to be named to be indicated.

Basically, this one has a harder time grasping the implications of being sentient than the other. ]

[And with that, she knows he's also definitely a freshly sentient being. Someone who still considers himself an item rather than something with emotion.

Saniwa, it would've helped if you just told her! But it's too late to say that now, and she has to go through this calmly and neatly. Also how is she meant to answer this. Technically, to him, they've only just met.]

Because why not? It is the start of getting to know each other.

[ He is quiet for a while more, thinking about her words. 'Why not' is not all that convincing a reason, because it makes little sense to him and is not part of his duty - but then again, his master often did things with seemingly no rhyme or reason. As his sword, perhaps he should emulate that as well. ]

You can call me the nameless one.

[ He supposes it works, because that's what he is. He doubts that there are other unnamed swords here, because other masters often jumped at a chance to name their blades.

The Demon King didn't. ]

[There's no reason needed, it's much simpler than that. It is only just because, and not of why. But he doesn't know that yet when his life is still about duty.

She's beginning to see now how much of an impact the changes in is life made.]

Nameless One. [It's a little sad, actually. He doesn't really pride himself on his name in the future, but it's something he has, and he selects the other part of his name, Mitsutada, and uses it willingly. Right now, it's like he didn't really make his own decisions.

At least he's humble.]

If that is what you choose, then that is what I will call you. [It will take some time getting used to it, though.]

[ That seems to satisfy whatever human naming convention there is - it's a little ironic, actually, that his name describes the fact that he has no name - but he supposes it is another one of the paradoxes of sentience. Something that he does not see the need to give too much thought towards. ]

Is that all?

[ This is not said with impatience. Rather, he really is asking if there is something else he should do before excusing himself.

Humans really are strange. ]

[That seemed to be fine so far, but it solves nothing else. She wonders if she should accompany him when it comes to meeting the other swords, having them see that this was not the sword they knew, but she knows it is not her place.]

That is all for now.

[It is best to give him some time to take in what is happening to him.]

( Losing Mitsutada had been hard on everyone, especially the saniwa who had had felt responsible for the loss. They'd tried to go about their days as usual and eventually, a sense of normalcy did return to the citadel. Being sent out to the front lines no longer brought on a sense of cautious dread and the swords were able to charge into battle as they had before.

As for the saniwa, days had been spent in the forge, trying to bring back a lost comrade. In the process, they'd made many other, new friends which had contributed to the new spirit in the citadel. They were all given their greetings, welcomed into the group, and looked out for but the saniwa always returned to the forge in due time. For as long as the saniwa worked, Mutsunokami hovered nearb. As the saniwa's first sword and chosen secretary, it was his duty to look out for their master.

The day Mitsutada returned had been a lot less celebratory than he-- anyone-- had expected. Of course, they'd made the best of the situation. This was no different than welcoming any other sword for the first time. Welcome home, Mitsutada... who isn't Mitsutada.

Fast forward to today! It's a slow day, with Mutsunokami taking a break from the front lines. Today, it was time for other groups to take the lead. He doesn't mind! After all, he was never much of a warrior's sword to begin with and he much rather preferred to take it easy when he could.

... But the day seems even slower when he's spending it with Nameless Mitsutada. Mutsunokami tries, he really does, but it's difficult being familiar with someone who still regards you as a stranger. Ah... maybe if he got to know him a little better as he is now instead of trying to treat him as he was before? Yes, that seems like a good idea and so, Mutsunokami sits across from him, legs crossed, hands holding onto his ankles, and... watching Mitsutada carefully.

He's practically staring. Rude. )

Edited 2015-05-13 14:40 (UTC)

[ There really doesn't seem to be any need to continue, so he just offers her a nod and leaves.

And the days went by. Even if this is a younger version of Mitsutada, there are still some traits that he shared with his future self. For one, he fell into the rhythm of work easily - watching the others intently as they did internal affairs, then picking up the same skills on the fly through his detailed observations. He too, is very careful, and soon he began to take on the same housekeeping role as he did previously. Quietly clearing things that others missed, waking up early to train when others might have lain in for a bit longer.

But there are differences, of course. For one, he never participated in social gatherings anymore, merely watching from the edge or in a corner. And his fighting style has also changed as well - more precise, more forceful, more deadly.

Some swords avoided him, some did not. But he doesn't seem to mind nor care.

It's another day off in the Citadel, and most of the swords are gathered in the courtyard for some social time. His previous self would have joined them all in the circle lot by a campfire, but now he only watches - leaning against the wall next to the screen door with an unreadable expression. ]

[She wasn't sure if she should go see him so soon. There must be a lot for him to take in, finding out that all this time his friends were with another version of him. Or, did they tell him at all? She wouldn't be sure. Perhaps she should speak to Hasebe about this. Ookurikara would not be able to help her now, but she did wonder about his condition. This is the Mitsutada that only those of Oda's regime knew.

The less she thought about it, the better, and she sucked it up and went to visit. It was explained to her that it was their day off, so they were spending it outside by a campfire. However, when she arrived, she saw that Mitsutada was all alone, just next to the door. He was the same as she remembered, just some days ago.

She approaches.]

Hello, Nameless One.

[ He has given thought about that 'other self' of his - strange to know that you somehow had amnesia and forgot a good two-thirds of his life, but he had little desire to become what he could have been. What mattered most was the present, and he would fulfil his duty with what he had on hand.

When she calls out to him, there is still a two-second pause before he responds. ]

You called for me?

[ Quiet, but still with that strong confidence he had before. ]

[No time like the present, as many would say. Even if in his case, it was special. He seems so withdrawn, none of that carefree will. Nor did he try, or think to try.

And it was the same silent attitude he gave her, that almost reminded her, just a little bit, of Ookurikara. But then he spoke.

For a moment, she remembered him as he was, or will be. Strong and confident. He's just a little quiet. But it's still the same Mitsutada.]

I did, it is good to see you again. Are you going to join in?

[ It's complicated, really.

Waking up remembering little except for serving under his first master in a human form, being told that you were now seven hundred years in the future, tasked to fight those who would change history. He could take all of that in stride, because he expected his duty to change, and he did not expect Nobunaga to live forever. What perplexed him was the fact that he had apparently lived before, a different man with more memories, that dying had given him some sort of amnesia - and yet, he did not feel any gap in his recollections. Everyone kept talking about how he used to be, which was frustrating to some extent - because that Mitsutada is not him, and would most likely not be, since there was no way to bring back what he supposedly forgot.

So he did what he always remembers doing, throwing himself back into work to prevent those thoughts from coming back to haunt him. Learning old skills again and putting them into practice, that was how he spent his days.

Even if he doesn't really show it, he is grateful to Mutsu for some extent. The uchigatana did not harp too much on his previous incarnations' deeds, and did not ask too many irrelevant questions. That in itself was very helpful.

And now that they both have a day off together, it was inevitable that they would end up in the same room. Two can sort of play at this game, even if he didn't know it was a game in the first place. He returns Mutsu's attention with his own unwavering purple gaze, sharp but not threatening.

This continues for about a minute before he finally says something. ]

... yes?

[ It did feel strange at times to him, to be so out of sync with everyone else. The Saniwa did try her best to explain to everyone what had happened, and that drew different responses from the other swords. Distaste from Hachisuka, who doubted his identity, and some measure of pity from the rest. The tantous (especially Gokotai) had varying degrees of apprehension at first, but they adjusted after he resumed doing what his previous self always did around the Citadel. While he did spend more time with Hasebe now, there was also some form of repair going on with regards to his relationship with his former best friend. As reticent as he is now, he is still very responsible - and that included picking up things that he had left undone.

He considers her question briefly before answering. ]

No. [ And then: ] Is it necessary?

[ Because as much as the others tried, he just didn't fit in. He had lost so much. ]

[Lapis never dealt well with failure, so when her negligence causes Mitsutada to be destroyed, she can only throw herself into the forge in an attempt to stop herself becoming overwhelmed by the guilt. She doesn't sleep much, and when she isn't in the forge, she's tending to the others - the thought of actually looking after herself not really dawning on her. Plus she's worked under harsher conditions, so this is nothing, really. She had already failed as a saniwa by letting Mitsutada be destroyed, so she has to try to atone for that.

But maybe it's because she used powers that she shouldn't have, used the abilities from what she was before, but Mitsutada wasn't like Mitsutada. Both in appearance and how he acted, even if he still looked a bit like Mitsutada. It brings an awful knot of hope and guilt in the pit of her stomach, but she manages to keep herself as calm as usual, explaining what was happening and who she is. It was all rather awkward, but she and the others still welcomed him.

At least now, after a couple of weeks, things were starting to settle back into something almost normal. While her failure still stung, she decided that the best thing to do was to try to get to know this new sword better, rather than continually thinking of him as Mitsutada. There was still the issue of a name though; since he didn't really give her one, she would need to think of one but it has to be important, rather than something she just randomly thinks up. But for now, she wants to try to get to know him better and since today is a quiet day, Lapis was doing one of her usual habits of feeding the swords way too much sugar (her other habits being singing and dancing while dragging one of the others to join in), which eventually leads her to peeking her head into the room he's in.]

... Are you busy?

( To be fair, Mutsu was never one to stay stuck in the past. Certainly, he missed his old friend but missing someone doesn't bring them back. Second chances were not things he'd be accustomed to prior to arriving at the citadel and even now, second chances were not guaranteed. All of those hours the saniwa had put into the forge for this Mitsutada was proof of how they close they could have been to never having another chance at all if they'd given up a day or two earlier...

If he'd heard Mitsutada at all, it doesn't seem to register. He's too busy focusing on the guy in front of him. After a moment, he rocks forward and then back and then sits up straight as if he has a purpose, )

I was just thinking...! ( About something very serious. ) If ya're from when ya say ya are... that means I'm older than ya now, right?

( Second youngest sword in Citadel. Asking the important questions. )

[ If he thought anything of the existence of his previous self, he did little to show it. Unlike the other Mitsutada, who showed his emotions and opinions freely without restraint; this one never mentions anything unless absolutely necessary. He merely watched the others quietly, observing - but unlike Horikawa, he kept what he saw to himself as well.

When Lapis comes to see him, he is seated on his bed, polishing his true form carefully with a cloth. However, he waits until he can set it aside before looking up. ]

No. Do you need me for anything?

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I lied about sleeping

WELL NOW

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