( OPEN ) MAY CATCH ALL

[cranekin]

WHO: Tsurumaru and you
WHAT: Sword lore, revisiting an old home, holidays, and shenanigans
WHERE: around Kyoto & Tokyo
WHEN: May
WARNINGS: N/A for now


source

catch-all for the month, open to using tdm prompts, setting up starters, etc.
if you would like an original starter or have your own idea, hit me up yosakoi | discord: diejoubus

Comments

[keihatsu]

I'm aware of this shrine's history. It's among the many I've visited in my youth.

[ She was one of those children. Not that those prayers did anything, which lead her to ask ]

Do you actually believe in them? The kami.

[ Gods are complicated in her world. ]

[cranekin]

Eh?! Really!? (Wait, this is amazing news?) What a surprise!

(Don't mind him getting a little more in her space because he's so excited,)

What was it like!? Did you get to see the festivals?

(He'll answer the kami question in a minute. This is more important.)

[keihatsu]

[ Shizuka just leans back with her face turning sour at this invasion of space. She grunts at him a little as a warning. ]

Nothing special. Just another festival with music, food, and swordsmanship demonstrations.

[ She says, reductive in her view of this shrine's unique festivals. She couldn't appreciate them as they were. The presence of her father in anything back then just sucked the joy out everything. ]

[cranekin]

(He's not afraid... he's too excited and he lingers for just a moment before pulling back,)

So someone else here remembers...!

(Despite her mood, he's clearly pleased. This is good news for him. It's truly made his day.)

I'm glad. It's easier to remember when someone else shares the memory.

(Because it's hard being the only one to remember.)

[keihatsu]

[ She grumpily groans at him, feeling her ego be bruised by his lack of fear of her. But on some level, it was nice to be seen as a person and not the evil person she was. She gives him a pass, letting his excitement rub off on her. ]

I don't remember much. But it was when I was able to cut 19 hard tatami mats in one strike.

[ Weird flex, but okay. ]

[cranekin]

Eh? 19 tatami?!

(Wait...)

How old were you?

[keihatsu]

14.

[ She wonders if he means that in a good or bad way. Shizuka definitely topped the world record, but to someone like her cutting 19 tatami mats clean off isn't really a major feat even at 14. She glances aside, waiting on him clarifying whether he thinks she did great or not... ]

[cranekin]

What?! Seriously!?

(He makes a sound, just mouthing "wow" with his mouth and crosses his arms,)

That's really impressive. I don't think I know any grown men who can do that!

(And here she is doing it when she's just 14...)

[keihatsu]

Really?

[ Is he messing with her again? No, it seems like an honest thing to say. So she decides to take it at face value with a clear of her throat, so she can focus more on the task at hand. ]

Hm, I suppose it's something worth being proud of. Perhaps in the future, I get to best that number with you as a witness.

[cranekin]

Me?

(He lets out a light laugh and shakes his head,)

I don't think so. I was taken from here many years ago. (Despite his smile, there's an edge to his voice, something bitter and sharp,) I've only been back a few times since the Edo era.