新陰流

Yagyuu Tajima-no-Kami Munenori Citizen Delta

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

lunarchained:

Despite slurping the noodles in a manner that was likely off-putting to watch, the vampiress listened closely. Stiff guy, as expected… or maybe not? She narrowly avoided making a complete mess, but some of the soup still stuck to her face. “Hmmm… Ronin?” Samurai without lord, was it? Was it bad not to have one? 

He looked a bit down about it, now she felt a little bad for bringing it up. Maybe she had been a little too nosy after all… After a bit of quiet, she raised her voice again, this time more careful in her tone.

“Do you want to find a new lord to serve under then?“ Something to give purpose? Would that work with his beliefs? That was actually quite interesting, different after all and where they stopped being alike. Again cheerier, the princess blonde smiled. “Ehhh I’m sure someone like that exists here. Someone who needs a friendly and cool samurai like you Mr… …what was it again, Gramps?” Dot, dot, dot. She hadn’t introduced herself either, right. “Oh right, I’m Arcueid. Arc’s fine too~. ”

     In response to Arcueid repeating the word he had uttered was a grunt of confirmation.

The silence that followed gave him time once more to take in the sounds surrounding the two. His meal carefully prepared with the chopping of vegetables, the slicing of meat, the stirring of broth and the pouring of soup was pleasing to the ear.

Perhaps this wasn’t so bad. ... But as he paid attention to his surroundings, so too did he to the True Ancestor’s following words, noting the slight shift in tone as she spoke up again.

“... I wonder if that’s so,” Munenori speaks, musing over her words internally. “It would be welcoming... but I wonder how many here would be in need of such a service. I know not of the people here-- not quite yet, at any rate...”

“Arcueid? ... A strange, but nice name. I am Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami Munenori... however, you may call me whatever you wish. Saber would be fine, as well.”

     A pause... and he smirks, just a little again-- just as his own noodles arrive.

“‘Friendly and cool’... hmhm. Thank you for the kind words, Lady Arc.”

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

tarasqued:

     “…Ah-” She blinks down at the box.

     “I told you I wasn’t staring at them because of that…” Nonetheless, Martha looks a bit happy as she accepts the chocolates. Wasting food is worse than gluttony, right? Right?

     “If you are certain, then, I guess there is no helping it~? You have my gratitude.” She pauses. “Youre a Servant, right? I don’t think we’ve met… You can call me Martha, by the way. Just Martha.”

“You said it yourself, did you not? Wasting food is a terrible thing.”

     The response is immediate, but good humored-- despite what his flat tone would suggest, at any rate. He did little to hide the very faint semblance of a smile on his features, however.

But only for a moment does Munenori let it show-- as once he continues, disappears.

“... I am, indeed, a Servant,” the Saber-class Servant exclaims, a slight nod of the head. “I am Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami Munenori... simply Munenori is fine, however, Lady Martha. There’s no need to thank me, either... but, you are welcome.”

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

tarasqued:

     “Oh. I see.” He did look a bit old to be given chocolates. Then again, isn’t that what everyone’s into these days?

     “I meant before that… Before all this.” She waves a hand with a sigh. “It was nice to see everyone smiling and exchanging gifts with hearts full… Even if the only one I got was a practical joke – but it matters not!” The slight annoyance in her voice hints otherwise, but she dismisses it quick.

     “No – seriously, I wasn’t looking at them like that… But, wasting food is such a terrible thing, too…”

“... Mm. Truthfully, I had not even noticed such an event had transpired until after it had already passed,” Munenori admits with a small shrug, voice impassive. He had heard it was coming, of course-- but never knew the date. It didn’t matter much, though.

But even a Servant like this seemed to care about it, he noticed. How curious.

As such, with that in mind, the man pauses for a moment, closing his eyes as Martha finishes speaking... before opening his eyes and lifting the chocolate box up to offer to the Saint.

“What was it, now...? ... Ah, yes. Happy Valentines Day, then.”

“If you do not feel like eating it, give it to someone else.”

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

tarasqued:

     “–Heh?!”

     “That’s not what I was staring for!” Defensive for being caught looking so intensely at another person’s meal, Martha inhales quickly to regain composure. “I just was thinking how nice a holiday Valentine’s turned out to be… You should eat it, if it was something given to you in earnest.”

“...” He simply stares, not flinching to the Saint’s grand reaction that probably would have turned heads from those around them. “You misunderstand. I bought these myself.”

     Her words did almost illicit a snort from Munenori, however.

“Monsters and people in strange garments rampaging are not what I would consider nice for a holiday, either.” It certainly was no Setsubun, anyways. “... But with that aside. Do you not want these at all? You looked quite enamored.”

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

anglerfishnabe:

It’s Ogata’s turn to give a laugh, if a bit dry one.

“ Well, I suppose there was something like that. “

Ogata glimpses at the older man briefly. 

“ …..the treaty terms weren’t generous. That glory granted us no reparations or territorial gains. Many are displeased with the situation. “

“... So there was.” His features dim-- returning to his usual flat expression. It should have been expected, he would suppose. Internal conflicts come with their own costs-- but oversees ones are far greater with theirs. Such was war’s price. “Mm. A reasonable feeling.”

“And such feelings of resentment can only be kept tepid for so long. I would not be surprised if any of your fellow comrades have had difficulties in keeping quiet on the matter, then. ... A warrior is still a warrior, after all.”

     And hollow victories, no matter how glamorous, were hardly filling for most.

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

     With all that had been going on, the elderly Servant had completely overlooked some manner of holiday had come around. But, the mention of chocolate made him somewhat curious-- so he had purchased some. However... after trying one bite... it was no good. Far too sweet.

With a dissatisfied look, the man stares at the box... before looking to his right, at the person sitting besides him-- obviously staring at the lavish chocolate he was holding.

“... You may have it, if you like. The entire box, that is.”

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

     He had done little to acquire money in this place. Besides what he was given upon arriving, the man had only done some meager jobs, such as offering protection to those would needed it and the like-- never plentiful, but out of necessity.

He didn’t need to eat, and had no interest in most frivolous desires.

But, what he had purchased was something he felt more than comfortable working for. A blade of thin, yet powerful steel-- indeed, a katana. A true one to finally replace the wooden weapon he had carried, which had at the very least served it’s purpose well. Though the one he had purchased was meager, the elderly Servant had desired to properly test it.

And finally, he received his wish.

With a rigid stance, blade sheathed, the man set his arm at it’s hilt-- and within almost an instant had flashed forward with a single cleave, enough to leave a monster behind him in pieces.

“Are you unharmed? They move quick-- let not your senses remain dull.”

     Although his tone was slow and calm, a dull sense of viciousness just barely hid within his gaze as he looked upon who he had just assisted. He was enjoying himself, just a tad.

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

anglerfishnabe:

“ Arquebus….. “

His tone has slight scoff to it but even so…. Although in the modern world such weapon is but a decoration in the museum shelves Ogata would have wanted to take a look at one regardless.

“ Well, you do need to start somewhere after all. “

Ogata sits down his eyes settling at the flames before him. The fish is slowly getting ready by his foot.

“ Japanese-Russo War. “

“ It lasted for about year and half and ended to our win. “

     The other’s reaction is obvious, but he is not particularly offended. Most would react in a way when confronted with such ancient relics. Even blades have evolved quite a bit, after all.

But at the end of the day, it was the owner of the weapon whose actions counted more than the weapon itself, normally. Their skill, their cunning, their mind-- that is what dominates a battle. Even sheer force has it’s limits in terms of function, at times.

“Japanese-Russo... a battle against those from the north. Hm.”

“Hah.”

     A rare laugh-- he couldn’t help it.

“A fight against the Europeans, culminating in our success... though I was not there to witness it, I cannot help but feel some sense of pride.” It was an odd feeling, to be sure. “There is more pride to be found there than in any of the wars against our own kin that I beheld during my time, at any rate... mmm.”

     The clashes with the armies of the West, and of course the Shimabara Rebellion stil were fresh in his mind. Particularly that of Shimabara and Sekigahara.

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

lunarchained:

Her interlaced fingers parted and she made raised a finger. “Even if you aren’t human and don’t need nutrition, you still should try it. You don’t indulge much, do you? Is that against your codex or why not? A new taste can be a s good as a new joy.“  This samurai fellow surely didn’t seem to be the joyful kind but neither was he full of sorrow… he just was. Now that she thought about it like that, it reminded her of her own ways back then. 

“Or do you think that doing so would be kind of an impurity?“ Distraction from purpose. Unneeded emotions. She herself didn’t know what it’d lead to, that she allowed herself to be tainted. Setting that heavy question between them, she waited intently for a reply while sitting down and taking her chop sticks. Breathing in the smell one more time, she took them apart and fumbled a bit in getting the hold right to grab the noodles with them.

     Her words were direct and shot true, he couldn’t deny that. At a glance, Arcueid could tell that much from him... let alone that he wasn’t human. What manner of being she was did little to drive his curiosity, however-- it didn’t particularly matter. She wasn’t an enemy, per say. But it was abundantly clear that she was much wiser than her mannerisms would suggest.

Closing his eyes, the sound of cooking utensils and fumbling chopsticks dominated his surroundings as he ruminated over her words. ... An odd fate, meeting this woman.

“Nosy, aren’t you?” A reply made in jest, despite his flat tone. “But you are not wrong. About trying new things, and my beliefs-- though you not know of them. Unnecessary things are simply that. Unnecessary.”

     ... But, with a sigh, the man continues.

“And yet, my own existence here is similar. Unnecessary. Meaningless. Bound by no lord, nor by any order. As if I were but a wayward ronin. ... Hmph.”

“... Perhaps, at least with this sort of pleasure, I should allow myself to indulge a little then indeed,” Munenori mutters, growing silent once more... before addressing the chef yet again, already placing money down once more. “I’ll have what she’s having.”

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

^w^

That is not a physically plausible face. There is not even a nose. I have no idea what you are trying to convey in such a bizarrely nose-less state. Do not ‘^W^’ me ever again.

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

komoriko:

“I’m glad it didn’t take a lot of convincing to do…” A sigh of relief does little justice to her real feelings. Avoiding trouble is by far, one of her greatest joys. Any complicated matter that demanded more than 1% of her energy deserved nothing but her hate. 

“Umm, well… it’s fine if others doubt my existence. I’m not a fan of public greetings.”  She’d prefer holing up again than be in presence of someone. Thankfully her hands nervously shaking weren’t particularly obvious, her social limit was about to break in any instant. Why can’t she return to chat rooms and Tw*tter !? 

“Oh, Mune-chan! My, what an honour. You speak like that of yourself but isn’t that cool? Even a yokai like myself can recognise how awesome that is.”

     ‘Not a fan of public greetings’, she said. ... True, that certainly fits the image built upon by her legend. She was like a ghost, seldom seen and often scaring those who sought her out. And yet, here she was, with the face of a young woman. An attempt to blend in, perhaps?

He had his doubts her natural form looked too similar to this-- but he had never particularly seen any sort of being like her during his lifetime, anyways. So what did he know?

Nevertheless, it was a good front-- no doubt indeed her intention. ... However, despite all that, her clothing was extravagant enough to confuse her for royalty. It felt like a contradiction.

That aside... ‘Mune-chan’...? He did say anything, but...

“The honor is mine, milady. I do not find such a thing to be ‘chilled’ as you say, however. It is an uncomfortable feeling, not being bound by a lord...”

“In most cases, being delegated to a ronin is shameful. But in this case, it simply feels strange. I suppose that may sound odd for one such as yourself, but as a samurai, it is simply natural. It is neither cool... nor frozen.”

     He had yet to notice the other’s rising awkwardness-- rather, Munenori was certain she was trying to curry over his favor with some pleasantries. ... That said... ‘cool’...? What?

[titaniumfighter-blog]

@kenzenichinyo // asked for some healing

🌸 — Seated on a bench, Sakura was watching the snow as it softly fell upon the city. Gloved hands occasionally rubbing hr bare arms, she really wished she had her coat,and sighed. Her tows were cold as well. She should have started to walk back to her housing, but didn’t want to move - it was so..peaceful.

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

     With a simply decorated oil-paper umbrella in hand, Munenori made his way through the park-- the snow softly landing on his parasol as he made his way through. Warm enough in his deep brown haori, the elder samurai couldn’t help but find the sight to be beautiful.

Mostly untouched snow amidst the trees and flowers, frozen over ponds-- a rare sight of tranquility within this city’s otherwise busy and bustling streets.

Deciding to take a break from his decidedly long walk-- this had already been the fifth park the man had visited-- Munenori silently takes a seat on the same bench as the rose-haired ninja, exhaling quietly to himself. He glances at the other once-- before simply gazing outwards.

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

lunarchained:

She observed the pearls of sweat forming on the chef’s face with a held-back giggle, a wide grin in its place as her eyes shifted between both. She wasn’t aware that this was intimidating at all for one party, so she found it just funny.

At his prompt, she beamed. “Thanks! ❤” But what was the difference between Ramen and… Ramen. Arc glanced at the chalkboard with her finger tipping against her chin. All of it looked good, peaking past the counter at the plates being prepared. “I’ll take the Classic variation.”

Classic should be fine, since this was her first time eating it. “What about yourself? Are you not getting anything? Might as well treat yourself.” 

     Taking a seat onto a bench already prepared for the chef’s customers, an exhale quietly passing from the elderly Servant, Munenori lets Arc go about her business for the moment, letting himself grow comfortable on the relatively comfortable wooden seat.

But still, it was soon after that she would address him, as was inevitable.

“I have no need to eat-- nor am I particularly hungry to begin with.”

“... Though, I am curious. This ‘ramen’ is not something I’ve seen before,” the Servant muses, thinking of soba and other similar noodle-based meals during his time. ‘Ramen’ “I will consider it, after seeing how yours turns out. For now...”

     Gently opening the satchel in his hands, he merely pays the chef.

“This should cover the costs, I believe.”

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

ninjaenthusiast:

     At first, Shinobu is quiet, still as a statue untouched for centuries. His teeth grind beneath the skin of his jaw. If anyone were to look at him properly they may think he was upset, but the reality could not be any further from it.

     Really, he was just SO happy…! For this cool warrior man to suddenly invite him out to shops – even if it was for necessities – was kind of like a fun outing between f… f…. f——

     “Friends…?”

     –AH!

     Even if it was just a whisper, he didn’t mean for that to actually come out his mouth. “–I, I mean, I will! I will lead the way! I will not fail you!”

     …He takes off running.

“...”

     What did he say? Something about ‘friends’? ... He’s not sure where the boy got that from. With a sigh, Munenori begins to follow suit-- at his own pace, of course. Given Shinobu’s condition, he was certain the boy would wear himself out rather soon.

He would have preferred the other to simply walk, but it seemed against his nature.

What an odd boy.

Taking his time to follow, Munenori eventually catches up-- be it due to the other indeed growing tired, or simply pausing to wait for him.

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

anglerfishnabe:

“ Yes, I only know couple of old men that still use katana. Big names back in the day… “ Ogata says as he chops off the fish’s head.

“ We do use guntou for close range combat though. You’ve seen my gun, you can whack someone on the head with it but with shooting you do need your minimum distance. “

He places the fish on stick, drilling it to the ground right next to the fire. Briefly he gets up to rinse his hands.

“ I’m a specialized sharpshooter, picked up my grandfather’s gun when I was a kid you see… Not everyone is as good as me but everyone in the war has a gun. It’s most basic equipment there is.  “

He gestures towards the bb gun, modeled much like the original Type 38.

“ That one isn’t exactly a real deal though. “

“Hou, is that so...”

     The prevalence of the blade disappearing and leading it’s way to the gun for use in military pursuits to such an extent-- truly, he was not surprised at all. Guns had certainly proven their use in combat during the Sengoku period-- and as technology advanced, so too would reliability.

Although he knew little of the gun in Ogata’s hands, he could tell it seemed much more reliable. Munenori couldn’t even see the matchlock, if it even had one still.

“The use of an arquebus in combat had grown popular, in my time...”

     It had practically dominated the battlefield, especially in overseas wars.

“As such, that they have stuck around and have been developed as such is natural,” Munenori nods. “I cannot even imagine what your war looked like.”

“Though, no matter what weapon, the amount of blood shed never changes. War is war, after all. ... So tell me. Which war came to your time, then?”

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

princessleague:

Well now, that was a bit of a lengthy name the man had going on– the kind Haruka didn’t know whether to call him Yagyu, or Munenori– she reckoned the rest of it was more of a title, so…

‘Yagyu-san… is it?’ No disrespecting the elders by using their first name on her end. ‘Thank you… I mean it. But I think my uncle is no longer around. That he’s…’

That he was gone from the city, like many others came and went. The terrifying way folk would be around one day, and then the next their beds would be left empty, without so much as a hint of warmth to remember them by.

Looking down, Haruka used her bangs to shield the fact she started tearing up a little, and it was only after catching said tear with the length of her digit that she looked back to the man with a fabricated smile painted to her features.

‘What do you do, Yagyu-san? As in your abilities!’ 

     So she already had thought that far? ... He’d say nothing in regards to it.

It would be for the best, he supposed. He could feel for Haruka, however-- though his expression wouldn’t show it, remaining impassive and cool. That’s simply just how he was.

“... Yagyu-san is fine,” states the samurai, “And I am a samurai. Though in this place, as I am not bound to any lord, I am nothing but a ronin.”

“With that said... my abilities? ... Above all, my strengths lie within the art of the blade. Swordsmanship. Though, I know well of politics, strategy, and literature as well... and what of you, Sawamura-san? What are your abilities?”

     Continuing the conversation in this manner was for the best-- perhaps being enough to take the other’s mind off her concerns, at least for the time given to him to guide her through this place.

[kenzenichinyo-blog]

komoriko:

Oh, no. Even from the beginning she was already being suspected of something. But his years of experience were far greater than her own, despite her real age. She spent her life holed up, while he definitively did not. That was as much as she can tell. Not even the power of the internet could save her right now.

“It is MY castle! I’ve been there for centuries, now that there is no one... I can for sure call it mine.” Everybody that had claimed Himeji their own never accepted the yokai included in the construction but she was there first, her leeching should not be judged! 

“Of course you were not aware of me, only the bravest dared peeking at my tower. I lived in the walls, alone and secluded of the world.” Which was fairly bothersome but their fear truly kept them properly behaved – specially when giving them special gifts. “I am Osakabe-hime, if that may help… clarify this misunderstanding, oji-chan.”

“... Osakabe-hime?”

     Color him genuinely surprised.

While fairy tales weren’t things he often read, it was natural that he had heard the story of the monster lurking in Himeji Castle. It was a tale mentioned to him once by the late Shogun-- Tokugawa Iemitsu, as he recalled-- during a visit to the castle one day.

Of course, as a Servant, his knowledge of others would have greatly expanded as well. Had it not been so, perhaps he would have forgotten such an otherwise trivial legend to him.

“... I know better, being a Servant, to doubt such a claim.”

“Even still. I had never particularly believed you even existed,” the man admits with a hand raising to rest on his chin in contemplation. “At any rate... I ought to believe in your words now. Therefore, I apologize for the disrespect, Milady.”

     Performing a typically old-fashioned and deep bow, the man goes silent for a moment. This girl-- was a shapeshifting monster. So for her to appear in this form could have been an attempt to catch the man off guard... of course, that wouldn’t happen. As such, he’d play along.

And if she attempted to strike, Munenori would move first.

“I shall introduce myself in turn, if it please you. I am Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami Munenori. As I am now, I’m but a mere ronin. Address me as you wish, milady.”