disingenuous | kashuu catchall

[ She looks faintly amused. ]

You care.

[DON'T CALL HIM OUT SO BLUNTLY. He just huffs about it, setting his hands on his hips...]

Well—! It's my job, y'know? A sword's duty is to protect. I don't want any of you guys getting hurt on my watch.

[Famous last words in a murdergame.]

[ She laughs softly. The way he blusters is kind of sweet. ]

You do share that with each other, don't you. [ With the other swords, she means. ] I hope you don't have to worry too much about that.

[ But her trust is low, and this is a murdergame. ]

I've had to wrangle people who're way more of a pain in the ass than half of the guys here, at least.

[His own team was a handful... In any case, things seem more or less okay for now among these particular masses, which he's grateful for.]

But, yeah! Any sword's gonna wanna protect people, I think. Even the suuuper prickly, super antisocial ones who're like- [CLEARS HIS THROAT and then clearly does an impression of someone:] I'm not here to make friends.

Are you a leader of a team of swords, too?

[ Or is it more like babysitter status, to go with accommodating elder swords or whatnot.

She can't help but smile at his impression. ]

It sounds like your friend and Estinien would get along.

I was captain of the first unit for a while. [Said with a little note of pride! It's a pretty big position, after all.] But aruji switches captains and team members out all the time... I've been dispatched on a solo mission for a while now, anyway.

[No one to captain... He is the lone sword in a sea of backup dancers.]

--Oh, you're totally right! That guy's so cut and dried no-nonsense... Real prickly!

[ She doesn't know what an aruji is, but she can make a guess. ]

You must be trusted to be assigned on a solo mission.

[ Kashuu, are you lonely.... ]

He was about to defenestrate himself rather than talk to people in the mansion.

[Kashuu is always lonely, that's his secret.]

Yep! I'm one of the oldest members of our citadel, so it's kinda up to me to take on these sorts of tasks.

[He's proud and he sounds it, but truly, being on solo missions while the plot moves on without you is A Lot... But anyway time to immediately look amused about that prickly lad.]

God, right? Talking to him was like pulling teeth! He got a little better when we were talking about his fighting style, though.

You have seniority.

[ Kashuu.... come back to the plot....

All she can tell from the profiles is that swords are Old. ]

He's a soldier type to the core. I'm not surprised.

[I, AKI, WISH HE WOULD.]

Something like that! There were swords there before me and a ton are way older, but, y'know...

[He does indeed have some seniority, somehow. Good work, Kashuu, you lil first unit captain you.]

But yeah, that describes him pretty well, huh? I guess there are gonna be types like that no matter where you go.

Wouldn't you come across many of them?

[ Being a sword. ]

We do run into a lot, yep. But there are as many types of people who pick up swords as there are who do anything else, y'know?

[Some captains to the core, some dudes who just wanna eat sweets and mow hay...]

Anyone who needs to protect themselves or someone else. Or...

[ Well, she can think of many other types, but she thought swords with their ages would be picked up by those who'd try to keep their weapons in better shape. ]

[laughtrack]

There's a lot of that too, for sure! Then there are some people just like collecting swords, others that use us as status symbols, or value us for historical value, or like the art of the craftsmanship...

[Just counting off on his fingers as he goes.]

[ Roxana doesn't know shit about Touken Ranbu. She's learning a lot today. ]

I understand. You don't need to go on.

[ In some ways, she isn't so different from a sword, she thinks. In other ways, she knows just how different she is. ]

Is it better for you to have a human body?

[She's being inducted into the sword knowledge club... But he just nods! No hesitation at all with that one.]

Oh, totally! If it's just my sword body, I can't really do anything on my own, 'cuz I can't interact with the human world. Like this, we can wield ourselves without any humans getting injured. [And also super importantly:] We can also go where we want and see what we want, touch things, eat things, wear things... It's nice, y'know?

[ She really is. The things she's learning from all three swords this week.... incredible.

She smiles, but her eyes are dark and distant. ]

It is. The freedom that comes with being able to go wherever you want, to touch whatever you want, to eat whatever you want - it's unmatched. I'm happy for you. It's very fortunate that you can do more.

[ To be able to be more than just a tool or weapon. ]

[A few years out of several hundred is a drop in the bucket, but it sure does feel great. That said, he's giving her a little bit of a curious look! He knows enough about human expressions to pick up on that distance, even if he's nowhere near savvy enough to figure out where it might stem from.]

Mm... Thanks. It'd be great if it was something everyone could experience, even if it's just once, or just for a little while, y'know?

[ She sees that curious look and doesn't acknowledge it. ]

Yes, but I think freedom is different for everyone.

kashuu catchall

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