3.0 - week three

[afflictionmods]

WEEK THREE

Last night might have been exhausting for any number of reasons - maybe it was the emotional

toll of dealing with those ghosts, or maybe you stayed up too late after watching Jim Shrok. Who knows, but Saturday is over, even if some of you haven’t quite left it behind and half spirits that are still hanging on, tethered to you and weighing you down…

But that’s not going to stop a new week from starting. There’s no breaks in an eight week course.

There’s very little fanfare to the start of your third week of the course, though it does seem like the fog has lifted even more. It’s a bit more of a trek down the abandoned streets of Estelline, but surely a mile is walkable? Or you could grab a bike or try to hotwire one of those cars in the mall parking lot… Whatever you plan to do this week is up to you. All you know is you've got some new locations to explore.

As always, Florence and Lorelei are available.

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

TASK LIST


( OOC Note: Luci, Mutsu, and Mae will each receive a small roomba! Congrats on the successful egg drop. It's a tiny little friend that cleans extra well, though this also means its trash compartment is a little smaller so it'll need to be cleaned more often. )

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

[tosa]

Something like that! We don't always see eye to eye about everything but we all gotta goal!

(He nods to himself,)

None of us would wanna let the master down. We owe a whole lot to them, y'know? Woudn't have this form or nothing without 'em.

[selfconcept]

Do they like... wield you or something?

[ Do the swords disappear when they appear in humanoid form? Are they separated from the sword?? This is so complicated for Hien. ]

Wait, if you're a contract worker, then why do you have a master--

[ Oh.

Hmmmm. ]

[tosa]

Nah, they don't gotta when I gotta body to do it myself. Ain't no one really use a sword in ages anyway.

(Their master would probably be squishy.)

Well, they're the one I gotta contract with!

[selfconcept]

So what does the master do? Do they just make your form like this from the sword and then tell you what to do?

[ It seems to be a good relationship, from how happy Mutsu seems to be though. ]

[tosa]

Hm...

(What's the best way to explain this? It's not that he feels like he really needs to hide it but he's also not really the type to fuss about these sorts of details.)

Before, I was alive but not really living. My master gave me a life and something to do with it. I help 'em out and they take care of me. It's not a bad deal.

[selfconcept]

[ So like... Mutsu was a stray puppy. Tracks. ]

Yeah, I'd say that's a pretty sweet deal, even. It's nice to know that your master takes care of you too. If they didn't, you probably wouldn't be like this right now.

[tosa]

(Well, more like a forgotten puppy by the time the saniwa summoned him. Nothing special and just a piece of metal in a collection.)

Yeah... I've only had two real masters. The one that gave me this body is my second one. The way I am now's 'cause of my first one, though. I've been real lucky to have 'em both.

(And he means it. He's very fond of both Ryouma and his saniwa. Just thinking about them makes him feel warm and like he could do anything.)

1/2

[selfconcept]

[ Hien can feel the sincerity in Mutsu's words and it makes his withered heart warm just a tad, which is an accomplishment considering everything else. He reaches over to pat Mutsu's head. ]

Yeah. Real lucky. I'm glad you got to have that kind of experience though.

[ Cute... ]

[selfconcept]

[ Wait. Wait a second— ]

That soda guy is your master?

[ Huh???? ]

[tosa]

(Thank you for the head pat, it makes him feel very warm,)

Soda guy...? Oh, ya mean Ryouma?! Yeah! He was my first one.

[selfconcept]

[ Hien continues petting him. ]

I see...

[ ... ]

I can see that. You two are a little alike. Kinda.

[tosa]

Ya think?!

(This actually excites him,)

To tell the truth, he's a li'l different from the master I knew but... he's still Ryouma to me.

[selfconcept]

It's nice to see someone having so much faith in their master.

[ Mutsu is a puppy. Confirmed. Just look at him. He gives off so much happy vibes. ]

It's hard to see that nowadays.

[tosa]

(He is actually a dragon but you know... valid.

It feels like there's something more here and he pauses for just a second, wondering if it's best to continue before asking,)

What d'ya usually see, Hien?

[selfconcept]

Power imbalance. Broken mutual trust. A cycle of not meeting the needs of the subordinate, so they turn on their master... that sort of thing. Maybe people just don't know how to treat others better.

[tosa]

(Oh. He deflates a little if only so he can try to match how much more serious that all sounds because... well, )

Yeah, I get it.

(He nods.)

'S not like I don't know but I've been pretty lucky and only had to hear about about it from others. What about you?

(Is he speaking from observation or experience?)

[selfconcept]

I don't have a master.

[ No hesitation. ]

And I never will.

[tosa]

(Oh, that sounded very absolute and even though Mutsu has a master and he's quite happy to have one, he understands that isn't how most people live their lives,)

Mhm. I'm real happy for ya. I'm real happy with my master but... people are s'posed to live a more free life.

[selfconcept]

If it makes you happy, I don't see what's wrong with living like that for you. We all got our preferences and stuff.

[ He pats Mutsu's head again. ]

[tosa]

(It's time for Hien to get a head pat of his own,)

Everyone's got things that make 'em happy. It ain't the same for everyone but that doesn't make it wrong. Just means we gotta think of everyone when we try to make the world better.

[selfconcept]

[ Oh.

:<

He will accept the headpat then. Thank you. ]

Yeah. There's no absolute solution to everything, but there sure are general ones that could fit most.

[ Ugh. The headpat was nice, but he shakes his head. ]

I forgot I need to go find someone. Thanks, Mutsu. I feel like I learned a lot about you.