driftfleet | dreams in digital

[Manji’s room may be surprisingly calm to the people who know him. A little run down shack next to a slow, lazy flowing river. The weather is that of a warm summer day. The type of day where you just want to find a sunny spot in the grass to take a nap.

Manji sits out on a rock near some freshly chopped wood. Some who have met Manji in the will notice that he has both of his arms in this dream. He’s currently sharpening one of his blades and he looks up when you arrive.] There you are. I could use a hand here. [He waves his hand at some nearby items.] Hand me that there.

[Most of these items don’t actually look like they’re for cleaning swords at all, but Manji is still pointing at one of them. He doesn't seem to notice that what he is pointing at is useless to him with this task. Which one will your character pick up?]

A pinwheel
A length of chain (CW: Mention of experimentation, death and violence)
An intricate painted mask (CW: Violence, blood, and death)
A little plastic sun (CW: Violence and blood)
A few small knives designed to be held between fingers
A vile of poison (CW: Blood)
An expensive looking hair pin (CW: violence, blood, severed limbs)
A double bladed dagger (CW: Blood and violence)
A paper ball (CW: Beheading, violence, blood)

OOC: Please note that Blade of the Immortal is a very violent manga series. So when I mention violence in the content warning that is not to be taken lightly.

[Tim will roll his eyes at Manji's order but still look at what he's indicating. Would it kill him to ask politely? His eye is drawn to the intricately painted mask and he picks it up to inspect the craftsmanship]

[Manji reaches forward to take it but he as he does the beautiful mask in your hand morphs into the face of a young woman passed out in your lap. Her face lovingly painted just like the mask. Except it isn't paint on her face; it's blood. You instantly know that her name is Rin and that she is the only one in your world who matters. Yet, here she was again foolishly throwing herself into danger way over her head, but that's part of her charm isn't it?

You look over at the long haired man, the artist responsible for this, as he comes back into the room. The man Rin told you was one of the ones there when her parents were murdered, but had changed her mind for revenge when she saw he had a young son living with him now. Briefly you wonder if this attempt on her life will change her mind. Probably not.] Make up to meet the maker, huh?

Yeah. Something like that. [Comes his reply.]

You got a good kid. You got talent you can turn into cash. [You don't even realise it, but you hold Rin a little tighter to your chest in a protective manner.] Why steal the life from a girl who ain't got nothing at all? [He doesn't answer, but you think you know. He can't help himself.

Instead he changes the subject to ask why you carry a blade. Waxing poetic about the nature of revenge and it's endless circle.] If it was just my problem I could grit my teeth and bear it. But sons, friends, parents, brothers... once they get in the mix, I can't keep my blade sheathed. Yeah, maybe the folk I kill have problems of their own, but if it comes down to their problems versus my problems I'm not going to hesitate. I mean, if that sort of thing bug you, you shouldn't be running around squawking about vengeance.

[As he speaks you lay Rin carefully on the ground. She looks so peaceful asleep like that and you smile down at her.] Yeah. She shouldn't.

[Then man does something strange. He starts moving some of the heavy furniture around the room. At first you can't fathom in the slightest what he's doing until he speaks again.] Hey, Manji. I'm building our ring. Mind giving me a hand here, pal?

[Curious you give a hand to move the heavy items in the room into a weird sort of ring. It's then that he explains the reasoning for it all.] The fact is there are no swords in this place. The boy might have found them, see? So if it's blades you want all I got is your little girl's dagger. [He pulls Rin's dagger out of his kimono.] So to make up for that I've set the stage in my favor. Now, a prediction. With this one dagger I will dissect you.

[You find amusement in this as the fighting starts. He has a point though, the field is in his favor. Your long blades just end up clanging against the obstacles in your way. You both pause as you come to the conclusion that you're both holding back. You throw your large collection of swords out the window leaving you with just a small dagger in your hand. They were useless to you anyway and this way you can match your opponent on even ground. The artist just laughs.] Honest, upright, and a fool. You and the girl both. You know for me, this life I'm living is the real artifice. Once I've killed you both and throw your bodies in the river I'll just tell my boy that she went home. I won't even bat an eye. After all, if I don't keep up the lie I'll lose the most important thing in my life. So I can never let you win.

[The fight continues, but this time you gain the upper hand as you take out a hidden second dagger out of your kimono and jam it into artist's leg. He rushes forward and you block his dagger with your own. Catching it on the tiny hilt on the blade, but he's so much faster than you. You've let your speed dull with your immortality making fighting nearly pointless so he's able to duck down faster than you can react and sink his blade into your side.

The pain is instant as you can feel something rupture. He continues through with the attack by throwing his whole weight into you, dragging the blade in deeper as you both fall to the floor. He manages to get on top of you and you're pinned between the two dressers with your stomach bleeding. He seems surprised as he looks down at you.] Damn it, Manji! You're the guy who killed ten Itto-Ryu! No way you're weaker than me. [You simply smile back up at him. Unable to admit out loud that you're struggling with the idea of turning his son into an orphan, but he seems to know anyway.] Well shit, you two really are alike. [He sinks his dagger in deep into your chest before pulling it sharply across in the opposite direction of the first cut and you scream out in pain.] Sorry, my friend, but I am out of time. You'll just have to let me finish you off. [He slashes Rin's dagger across your stomach once more before pulling it out and placing the blade against your throat. The one spot where a fatal wound actually means fatal. Even for you.] Now die.

[The blade digs in, but before it can get past the point of no return one of those dressers topples over and Rin throws her whole body into it in order to knock it over. The pressure on the blade vanishes and you rip it out as the worms quickly move in to stop the bleeding.

The memory fades out as you struggle to get out from under the crushing weight as your ears fill with the sound of Rin gasping in pain. The last thought that is not your own before you return fully to your body is: that asshole better not touch her.]

Thanks. [Manji continues to clean his blade as if nothing happened. The mask has been returned to the pile of items.] Can you hand me that next? [Manji indicates to another item that seems to call out to Tim to pick it up. Or maybe it's the mask again?]

[Tim just spends a moment look back at the mask. That-that was a lot to take in and he takes a moment to go over what he just saw and whether he even wants to reach for anything more.

But in the end, he reaches out to pick up the expensive hairpin]

[Tim has apparently picked a very interesting memory as the shack vanishes into a narrow dark alleyway. The typical alleyway where someone might sneak off to for a bit of dirty fun. Which it looks like Manji is just about to get started on. His hand already down the front of a beautiful woman mostly hidden by a robe. Their faces lean in close as Manji goes for a kiss, but right before their lips meet he grins while his fingers close around what they really had been searching for.

Quickly Manji pulls out the small dagger from her clothes with a victorious smile. She tries to give some sort of self defense excuse, but Manji isn't buying it. A quick taste of the blade tells him instantly that it's coated in poison and so he calls her bluff. By threatening her with her own dagger Manji gets the woman to admit a young samurai with narrow eyes and long haired paid her to kill him. It's that moment that Manji realizes that he has no idea what Anotsu, Rin's ultimate target, even looks like. Was that him? Eh. Probably.

He shoves her to the ground as she rattles off another excuse.] Forgive me, sir! He put twenty ryo in my hands! A woman such as I could work a lifetime and never see so much!

[Manji is unmoved.] If money is more important to you than you life, that's your friggin' business. You get it? You do something like this, you got to expect to get cut in two! [With a scoff Manji turns to leave.] Well shit, no point in killing armatures. Besides, I got people waiting for me. I'm out of here.

[Manji moves to leave the woman behind. Hoping to get back before Rin notices he was gone at all when suddenly there's an odd noise quickly followed by a sharp pain to his arm. He spins back around and this time the woman has shed her cloak and stands with a weapon in her hands. Perhaps Tim has met Makie during his short time on the fleet, but here her hair is a bit longer.]

Excuse me, I should have introduced myself before. I am Makie Otono-Tachibana by pledge of honor with Kagehisa Anotus swords-woman of the Itto-Ryu.

[Manji takes a quick glance at his bleeding arm. It was nothing that the worms wouldn't be able to heal. With a smile he takes a hidden blade out of that sleeve.] Heh, that's damn polite of you. If we're both pros then there's no point in playing around. [He wants her to know he's going to be serious. He doesn't want her to hold back. Manji can tell there's a grace to her body, but there's something still off about this woman. Something he can't quite put his finger on just yet.] Let's go for it!

Then resign yourself to your fate. [She lets one end of her three section weapon fall from loose fingers before rushing forward.

Manji leaps forward with his own long sword in hand to meet her. The way she moves and swings that cumbersome looking weapon tells him that this is someone with a lot of skill and practice behind her. She very nearly takes off the top of his head before tripping on a stray piece of wood in the alleyway. Manji stares in a amazement. Did she just-- did she really just fall? No, something really wasn't feeling right about this fight.

Makie swings out with her blade and it takes almost no effort to block the attack. She leaps back and tries again, but Manji doesn't even need to try to block. The blade getting stuck in another piece of wood. With little sympathy Manji strikes out violently with his foot and kicks her out of the alleyway finishing the fight by pointing his sword at her face.] Don't move. [She lays there looking unconcerned and that's when Manji figures out what didn't feel right about this. Was she trying to die? With a sigh he runs a hand through his hair.] You didn't even check out the battlefield! Either you didn't give it your best, or that was your best. Either way- [He looks back down at her before snarling out loudly in anger.] -Idiots who can't fight should keep their swords sheathed you damn fool!

I said it before and I'll say it again. Anyone who takes up the sword can't complain when they get cut down. Is that how you want to die!? If that's the best you can do with a sword then you'd better stick with being a whore!

[Manji turns and casually rests his long sword across his shoulder as he walks away.] Damn, is this Itto-Ryu really so low on talent they gotta use someone like her? [And yet... something still didn't sit quite right.

The scene fades as Manji walks away.]

Great. Done with this one. [Manji sets his katana aside and pull out a sickle bladed weapon. It's dirty and covered in old blood.] Can you hand me that? [Once more he'll point at whatever item Tim is most drawn too. For some reason needing it to help him clean this item.]

Manji | Blade of the Immortal

Re: Manji | Blade of the Immortal

CW: Fighting, mention of blood

Re: CW: Fighting, mention of blood

no subject

no subject

CW: Fighting, mention of blood

Re: CW: Fighting, mention of blood

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

CW Beheading, violence, blood

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject