synflux | unlimited forge works.

[ So Shirou has a keen interest in swords. Going to the forge is only natural for him. After his last mission, he decided to get better weapons. The best way to address that issue is to go to an expert. Shirou believes that Muramasa's skill with forgery is top-class.

He finds his eyes wandering around the forge. It's a lot bigger than he expected. This place is surprisingly well maintained. ]

So this is the forge. I wonder if Muramasa's here. Honestly, I don't know what to think of that guy. He doesn't seem like a bad person, though.

[His eyes wander around the forge.]

I came here for a sword. Is anyone here?

Edited 2025-09-07 21:36 (UTC)

[ After the trip to Sendai and its surprisingly cold climate, it would have been more of a comfort to return to the warmth of the forge were it not for the hot weather in Kyoto. It's almost enough to make Yuta want to go back north again. Almost. Because the forge feels far more like home than his hometown does now and, heat aside, returning home does feel good after all that strange semi-nostalgic melancholia.

Even if the hot weather means going back and forth to get more water and cold refreshments a bit more often. Yuta's just returning with some when he catches the familiar voice calling out, speaking in that distinctly different tone that clues him in before the words themselves do. His pace picks up eagerly to carry him back inside in time to offer a cheerful greeting. ]

Oh, Emiya-kun! Welcome to the forge!

[It's probably not unusual for Yuta to be around the forge. Many people visit this place. Shirou's still getting accustomed to everything, however. His eyes wander around the room and then he sees Yuta. ]

Hey! I hope you're doing well.

[He offers Yuta a wrapped lunchbox. Inside, there's a variety of healthy Japanese style foods.]

Please take this.

[ Has anyone ever noticed Muramasa's tendency to move throughout the forge without making a single sound? No sign of his presence, there one moment and gone the next. Even those attuned to the impressive spiritual presence of a Servant have an impossible time keeping track of his location — with his A ranked Territory Creation skill, the barrier surrounding his forge makes everything inside it his own domain.

Which means he can be very sneaky, entirely by accident.

It's in the moment both the boys are focused on Shirou's offered gift that Muramasa appears in the doorway behind his vessel, with his usual shirtless appearance and the haori carelessly thrown over his shoulders. ]

So you came after all.

[ After their conversation two months earlier, he's not surprised that the boy wants a blade... but to look at Shirou in the flesh, he can see more than just their shared face. Whatever thoughts he might have about his vessel and his karma are carefully hidden behind a neutral expression, broken only briefly by Muramasa closing his at the sight, before he steps fully into the work room like he owns the place.

(Because he does.) ]

Likewise!

[ It comes out a happy chime as Yuta sets the bucket he was carrying down and hurries over to greet their guest proper, fully intending to bow and go through the motions, only to be met by the wrapped lunchbox held out to him before he can. A blink of surprise and then the grocery bag containing his latest acquisition of cold beverages from the nearest vending machine is hastily moved to the crook of his elbow, freeing up his hands so he can accept Shirou's generous gift with both of them, surprise already shifting to delight. ]

Thank you, that's very kind of you! You didn't have to—

[ As used as Yuta is to his master's sudden appearances inside of the forge—because it's impossible not to have noticed that tendency of his given that Yuta has fallen victim to the inevitable startling it evokes many times—his anxious, high-strung nature is still cause for a slight jolt and a slightly more abrupt end to his sentence.

The look he shoots over Shirou's shoulder at Muramasa carries the start of something mildly put-upon, but it doesn't get the chance to truly manifest as such. He sees Muramasa's reaction to seeing Shirou and it's such a subtle thing, but for Muramasa to have to close his eyes like that even briefly... Yuta, from his own experience using Karmic Eye, knows it has to be bad and it makes his heart promptly sink. He can't help the way his gaze darts from Muramasa to Shirou and then back again, expression on the precipice of falling at the realization. Why is it that the kindest people always seem to suffer the most? It's so unfair.

He catches himself before his brows can knit together to form a worried frown, grasping for something to cover up the slip-up. ]

Ah shishou, I'm home. [ Blurting out the first thing that comes to mind is their standard greeting whenever Yuta leaves the forge and returns again (because it is home to him) before he finds firmer footing and recovers, cheer forcefully slotted back into place. ] Look what Emiya-kun brought!

[ Okay, so seeing Muramasa in person is completely different from what he'd imagined. It's very uncanny. This is just like looking at yourself in the mirror.

He wonders if twins share this many similarities with each other. Shirou stops in his tracks. ]

I don't think I'll get used to this.

[He awkwardly sighs and tries to take in a deep breath. Whenever Shirou tries to regain his composure, he finds himself stammering over his words.]

Isn't it strange for you too?

Welcome back, Yuta.

[ Greeting his apprentice on return is second nature now, offered up as a reminder that while Yuta may sleep in the dorms on base most nights, he is always welcome in Muramasa's smithy. Even with others here, Muramasa doesn't hold back with his affection, giving Yuta a friendly clap on the shoulder and leaning on him as he leans in to see what exactly, the two are looking at — and to get a closer look at Shirou in person. What a strange picture they must paint. Perfectly identical physically, with all the differences being stuck with their clothing or mannerisms. ]

Not like it is for you, I bet. I've been a copy this whole time, and I'm used to it, by now.

[ It never fails to elicit a smile and a pang of warmth to hear the greeting no matter how many times they've exchanged it by now; the reminder refuses to lose its novel luster to a boy who has not truly had a safe space to call home for the majority of his life. Equally, the easy intrusion upon his personal space is expected and warmly received if the way Yuta leans into the touch, anticipatory and accepting, is any indication. His stance is shifting only slightly to accommodate the added weight now resting against him as his hands work to unwrap the lunchbox and reveal its contents for them both to see.

The enthusiasm is a little bit stifled by Shirou's reaction, awkward uncertainty at the general situation creeping in when this is something his mediating presence can't really resolve or make easier. Shirou's discomfort is entirely understandable. It has to be exceedingly weird. Yuta can't really imagine himself in the same situation and would have no idea how to react if he were in Shirou's shoes either. Glancing between them, they just look like identical twins to him though. Uncannily similar in appearance, yes, but Yuta can tell the differences by virtue of knowing Muramasa as well as he does - it's there in the way they carry themselves, in how expressions sit on their faces, how they move and speak. ]

Maybe you can think of it like finding a long lost twin...?

[ He offers uncertainly. For all the strangeness, that's something that could be seen as a positive thing? Maybe? They're both kind people and finding unexpected family (or something akin to it) can be a boon. ]

That's one way you can put it! Well, if we're supposed to be twins wouldnt that make Muramasa the older brother?

[Shirou makes a face of visible shock. No one's ever going to buy the idea that they're the same age. Muramasa's way too grumpy and he acts older too. ]

He's clearly older than both of us combined, Yuta.

[His tone comes off as somewhat blunt. That's just how he is sometimes. Shirou can be surprisingly frank.]

[ Hey. Hold on. Why is he being called out like this? This is his smithy. Shouldn't he be getting some goddamn respect in here? And from his own damn vessel, too... And just like that, he drops his hand from Yuta's shoulder to reach out and flick Shirou in the ear. Not at a Servant's full strength, but hard enough that it likely stings. ]

None of that, you little punk. Vessel or not, that doesn't mean you get a free pass on cheek in my own damn smithy.

[ Sure, Shirou might have brought that elaborate bento (now forgotten in Yuta's hands), but some things he just won't tolerate...

(So, maybe this is a little weird for Muramasa, just like it is for Shirou, and maybe that's manifesting itself in this first face to face meeting with some aggression, just like their first conversation on the network had started out.) ]

Edited 2025-09-28 04:53 (UTC)

[ It's a little surprising to hear Shirou be quite that blunt and it catches Yuta off guard, his surprise manifesting in a hard blink and a slightly bemused stare that leaves him too distracted to stop Muramasa when the swordsmith reaches over to flick Shirou's ear. Yuta's reaction is immediate then. ]

Shishou.

[ Spoken in that familiar admonishing tone that makes the words "be nice" redundant, heavily implied in the emphasis on the syllables. Shirou brought over such a nice bento and he... isn't technically wrong. (Muramasa is old.) The chagrined disapproval of his reproach doesn't last long at all when Yuta can't quite keep the welling amusement from seeping through, glancing between them again. ]

I think you could pass as twins just fine like this, actually.

[ They're already arguing in a similar way siblings would. ]

Alright, I'll take it back then.

[ Even if Shirou thinks on the contrary, it wouldn't do him any good to argue with Muramasa. He's right. This is his forge so Shirou should be a little more respectful. ]

Having a twin might not be all that bad. I mostly grew up as an only child and had to take care of all the responsibilities myself. Maybe I could depend on you both more.

[ That's something he'll put into consideration. ]

unlimited forge works.

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no shirts!! action 9/09

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