[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Jun really should have taken a break, but for her there was no such thing. Not with her schedule. Or so she told herself as she sat on the bench, the massive prop laid out next to her. This was an ambitious project that she had to enlist Kei's help with; she would get Ana's, but she would just make the actual weapon, which while feasible was not practical nor safe for what she needed it for. She had in her possession a chainsword. At least, a very realistic looking replica. Jun had enlisted Kei's help to get the base of it done. There were electronics on it that she had no knowledge of how it worked, but getting that finished was half the battle. The other half was getting all the details right. She was immensely grateful for his help, and she'd have to get him something nice once she got her next paycheck, but the weapon was finished. It sounded like a chainsword, it had a little smoke generator to emulate exhaust, it felt like a chainsword, and it was possibly her greatest work to date. And that was saying a lot. Although she had to keep reminding herself she couldn't take full credit. Either way, this bench was nice considering she spent almost all night working on it. She'd have to figure out a way to get it in one piece to Rising Phoenix without something going wrong. enma

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[enma]

Enma didn't go anywhere without Raiju as a student. To keep a more reasonable appearance, he kept it wrapped in a grey cloth that was very plain as to not make others uncomfortable (and avoid unwanted attention). It was a part of the Journey, his bond to his grandfather's blade was unique. What was to paint upon the blade would yet to be seen, making him an outlier in the painters that have come from Inkheart. His father used Inkheart to brand his sporting goods and he didn't even know what his grandfather would manifest landscapes on canvasses.

Enma was a born warrior. It also meant that he was born to appreciate weaponry of very unique craft. Now, he was not very aware of cultures such as those wrapped up in video games or movies, so this added a level of naivety to his amazement. In particular, the naive reaction to a student carrying what looked to be a vicious-looking sword that could help spread justice VERY effectively. A cut through villainy that would make a man weep.

Uncharacteristically seemingly, he approached the person moving through the campus with the look of a killer. "Apologies, do you have a moment to let me admire your sword?"

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Jun looked over at the guy that approached her, and her first thought was, Oh Emperor, this guy's weird. The second thought was a little more reasonable. She hefted the weapon up, something that looked like it could easily surpass 100lbs. She was a little hesitant to let someone else handle this piece, especially with all the work she and Kei put into it. Heck, she had just barely finished weathering the thing! "Uh, I mean. You can look, but don't touch. I made it to be as solid as possible, but it's more of a showpiece. I don't think I'll do something quite this complex again." As Enma goes to inspect more indepth, he'd find something odd about the "weapon". While it looked to be made of steel, it would only be about skin-deep. Some other material made up its construction. enma

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[enma]

The oddity and marvelous unique nature of the sword had captivated Enma. He hadn't seen anything like it before. All his life, he had learned the history of the weapons employed by samurai and shinobi of the Arashi clan that his grandfather revered. Yet, this wondrous contraption was a completely new idea he had never thought of. The sword would be perfect for tearing through the toughest of armors, the silkiest of clothes and the toughest of skins.

The villain-cleansing it could do filled his heart with unusual excitement. Instead of excitement showing on his face, a hardened intensity would make it look as if he just had high blood pressure. "I promise, I will be careful if you let me hold it." When the person clarified that it was for show, it disappointed the swordsman. Sighing and slinking back, he looked at them with sad eyes. "Why do you have such a piece for show? It looks like it would be very useful...as an environmental tool."

Sure, environmental. Not cleaving the worst of humans that would have left their own stain on the world otherwise. Snapping out of the stupor that was admiring the weapon, the grim-looking Enma bowed in apology. "I do apologize for the abrupt intrusion. Arashi Enma, Second-Year, Department of Heroes." Awkwardly introducing himself as if he felt bad for skipping a necessary formality, he raised back and looked tense as ever.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Normally, Jun would be reserved and even a little shy regarding her hobbies. This particular piece was a labor of love, and she was quite curious how Auden would have it show up during a shoot. However, something about Enma's comment stirred something within her. Hopping up on the bench, she hefted the sword up and pointed it at him. "Environmental tool?!" She took hold of the ripcord, yanking it as the piece came to life. A deep engine noise came from the handle, miniature speakers blaring the noise of the chainsword as little smoke generators in the back started spewing small clouds of simulated exhaust. "This is a weapon only the proudest of Astartes would wield! The preferred weapon for those that wish to slaughter xenos scum and heretics alike!" She held down the "throttle", the teeth of the blade beginning to move along its length. "Foolish mortal! Such a piece is hand crafted by the Emperor himself and- WOAH!" Dealing with the sword, not to mention her own lacking sense of balance due to exhaustion, caused her to start teetering over. There was no doubt in Jun's mind that she was going to fall, and she was perfectly okay with that. What she wasn't okay with was letting the sword hit the ground. In a bid to save it, she twisted to toss it at Enma, hoping and praying that he would catch it. "SAVE IT, EIGHTEEN HOURS WENT INTO THIS!" enma

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[enma]

Enma didn't know what to make of the abrupt commentary, but marveled at the machinations of the sword. His hands were clamming at the prospect of holding it, but not because of fear...but excitement. They wanted it so bad. He wanted to feel the steel vibrating and the destructive power it wielded. Was it even legal to use something like this sword in the field? A question that was not his responsibility to answer.

As for what the person said, it made him tense up and dart his eyes around. Strange looks met them as Enma had no idea what the person was referring to. "Uh, I...I would be careful about spreading nationalism around like that. We're going to be heroes, we have to be careful!" Enma knew Xenos meant Alien and Heretics usually referred to non-believers or blasphemers. To experience that there, so suddenly, felt controversial. Was it bad to associate with this person?

"Even I don't feel great about that sentiment. I mean, there's due process and there's an abundance of resources..." Sweating a bit, Enma rubbed the back of his head. When suddenly Jun began to fall, the nerves washed away and steeled seriousness replaced them. Dashing forward and catching the sword at remarkable speeds, Enma slid and not as gracefully stopped Jun's head from hitting the ground by...

Grabbing a handful of hair. The sword was completely okay, Jun's hair being pulled by gravity might've hurt. While the sword was indeed heavy and dense, the vibrations felt amazing and he could wield it with enough practice. Resting the backside on his shoulder, he looked down at Jun plainly. "It's manageable weight, though I'm used to a sword that is a twentieth of the weight." He really only cared about the sword at the moment, Jun hadn't even introduced herself and that was okay with him.

The sword was as wonderful as he thought.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... There were worse things that falling face-first into the ground. Like having her hair grabbed in such a crass manner that not only hurt like crazy, but drove her desire to get away from someone incredibly hard. It wasn't Momo-levels of bad, but panic still welled up within her. "No touch!" scrambling away, Jun got out of Enma's grasp and pulled the band that kept her hair up, letting it cascade around her shoulders. "Don't...please don't...I don't like touch," she says, taking several deep breaths to get her nerves under control. Drawing her hair back, she started to put it back up in its ponytail as she let the adrenaline settle a little. At the very least, she was alert now. "Sorry, it's all from a game I play. The sword's a prop for a photo shoot at the modeling agency I work at. I dunno what my boss has planned, he just said make something big and mean looking. This was the first thing that came to mind." She sighed, letting her arms relax by her sides as she offered a polite bow. Junsuina Kanjo, I'm a third year with the department of heroes." She straightened out, eyeing the weapon nervously. "It's really a collaboration. I'm good at working with plastics and paints and making mundane objects look ancient or metal like, but I had to enlist a friend in the support department for the electronics. I found a video on the internet that went through the process of making an actual working chainsword, but...I'm not a smith. Or work with metal. And the teeth can't be sharp for safety reasons." enma

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[enma]

The response to the touch was anxiety-inducing and so sudden. Enma had stopped Jun from cracking her head open, yet she was so apprehensive. Blinking, he offered the sword back to her. Perplexed, he wasn't sure if he needed to be worried for her or sorry for his actions. "I will respect your boundaries in the future, but you almost fell head-first into the ground." He apologized but couldn't get over the conflict on if he did the right thing or not.

People were complicated. Thankfully, she dispelled any thought that there was a terrifyingly confident nationalist in front of him. Explaining it was homage to something she enjoyed, he could appreciate it. His aspirational hero name was Helsing, which wasn't entirely fitting to his being but was in homage to Dracula. "Chainsaws aren't sharp anyways. To clarify, I was strictly thinking of how it could benefit lumberjacks."

In the purest sense, this was a lie. He thought about fighting with it, but regretted the impulse immediately. Something like that sword was "cool" in concept, but a terrible idea for any hero to wield. A villain would be more likely. "Regardless, I admire it. I must be on my way, have a good day Kanjo-senpai." Nodding, Enma began to walk straight as an arrow towards his destination. That destination?

An exit, given Junsuina didn't prod him further.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Jun shrugged. "I've died before. I can manage a bump to the head." She needed to stop being casual with that fact, but as morbid as it was she couldn't let that experience have a hold of her. "And uh, this wouldn't be beneficial to lumberjacks in all seriousness! Chainsaws already exist for the profession, and replacing it with a chainsword would be pretty useless! That, and these teeth are designed more to slash and cut through armor, not wood!" After a moment though Jun smiled, holding the weapon up. "Really? I mean, it is a collaborative effort, Kei Hada helped with some of the more intricate parts and- Hey, w-wait a minute!" She moved to step in front of him, hefting the weapon on her shoulder as she held a hand up. "You had an interest in it a second ago! Do...do you know about 80k? I've been trying to find people to play with on campus, but it's kinda hard, and the local game stores are filled with unsavory types and Inquisition players and generally bad sports who don't like it when a girl beats them, and well you seem like the artsy type in a weird way, and uh..." she petered out, running out of things to say. enma

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[enma]

Maybe Enma's suppressed bloodlust was going to be a bit too evident if he argued the point further. It was an improvised excuse, so there was no need for him to continue it and he just respectfully nodded along. Maybe it was true, but if he wanted to lean into his lie, he could have argued how he could use it like a chainsaw-axe combination. It wouldn't hold water, so he preferred to keep his mouth shut.

As she stopped him, she started mentioning a particular game that had Enma asking himself if it was a board game or a video game. He's heard of people playing very extensive board games and he's heard of video games, but he's never had the joy of either. For video games, his father and grandfather always said how bad they were for the brain, so he stuck to literature. "No I've never--"

She mentioned he was the artsy type. With great intensity in his crimson eyes, he would look directly at her. "Who told you? I'm not an artist, I don't know where this lie was propagated. Don't tell a soul." Uncharacteristically fast-speaking out of anxiety, colorful blotches appeared on his balled hands. Clearing his throat and coughing into his hand, he looked at it and hid them. "Anyways, I have not played this '80k'. I'm more of a reader, but it seems there are some interesting designs inspired by this...video game? I am intrigued."

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Jun was taken aback by his comment. Did she hit the nail on the head? Was her gut feeling off? Was she crazy? She seemed a little uncomfortable at first, but after a moment he had done possibly the worst thing in the world: he had given her a green light. With a sparkle in her eyes she took a deep breath: "So there are some video games of it, but it's really a table top war game with lotsa rulebooks, cause there's rules for the basics of the game and then rules for different factions and armies and then there's also lore books and novels, and probably one of the cooler things about this game is the figures are basically models that you have to build and paint yourself, so there's a lotta really cool ways to customize your army, or kitbash some stuff out, or just make a certain factions that's really cool, like for instance-" She had to stop and take in a deep breath as she had just given Enma a massive information dump. Unfortunately, she had made herself lightheaded in the process and wobbled. She catches herself, but has to pause. "Woah..." enma

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[enma]

Despite the apprehensive approach Enma had with socializing with others, he knew that resilience was necessary and connections even more so. Nodding along at the explanation, there was a surprising revelation in all of this: there was a game with well-defined rules about war. His immediate thought upon Jun finishing came out almost as quickly as it manifested, "Is it anything like Shogi?" His grandfather taught him that war-game and he loved it. While video games were frowned upon, there was freedom to be had being at U.A.U.

Clutching his cloth-wrapped katana close to him, gulping, mustering ALL the courage he had in him, he asked, "Would you teach me this war game? I'm not great with people, but I am intrigued and willing to try." This may be the biggest regret of his life, but the passion over it had to be respected and he loved a chance to flex his tactical muscle. With a keen mind comes a keen warrior, as said by Papa Arashi.

Seeing Jun get light-headed, he instinctively jerked but stopped himself as he remembered she did not want to be touched. "You're really passionate. I respect that. I have my passions, but I'm not very modern." Clutching his pearls so to speak, more specifically his sword, he anticipated Jun's acceptance or denial.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Jun thought for a moment, piecing together his questions. They weren't unreasonable, and something about him felt archaic. Which she was admittedly used to being from Osaka. "It's like Shogi...except a lot more complicated. You gotta bring a measuring tape to the table, if that makes any sense." It was truly hard to explain how the game worked without explaining how the game worked. "I've got some things to do and catch up on in the next few days. How about I teach you how to play this weekend? I can take up some space in the common room, and I have three armies with me. Not anything more, though, I'd have to go to Osaka to get the others. Well, most. I've got a game going on with my dad technically that we have to play over text." She also nodded her head. "I get that. I grew up in Osaka, so not a whole lot really takes place there. Unless you drive up to Kyoto, but that's more like old people town." enma

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[enma]

This game was like Shogi but even MORE complicated? Enma was hiding it, but he felt his body tense from excitement to learn it. War games that had rules were up his alley, especially if he could be a master strategist. He was constantly re-reading the Art of War and wanted something with more depth to the field that was a shogi board. Nodding along to the explanation, Enma put one hand's fist down like a drum into the other hand's palm.

"I'm convinced. I must learn this game. I respect your time Kanjo-san, so not for today. We will need to arrange a good time, what is an appropriate amount to set aside for learning? Are there books I can study?" Efficient, but very much a rearing hyper-fixation that is ready to ram into existence. As an unwitting neuro-divergent person, Enma was ready to commit time to reading through as much educational books on the subject as he needed.

As for Kyoto, he could not fault Junsuina from deeming it as such. His grandfather lived there while his father was based in Tokyo and there was a clear energy difference. The historic importance of Kyoto was undeniable, but historic places were often populated by the elderly. Once Junsuina let him know where to find the bit of reading he would have to do, he would prepare to leave for certain. "It was nice meeting you, I apologize again for making you uncomfortable initially, Kanjo-san." He would give a friendly bow as a sign of respect.

"I can tell you're strong from holding the sword, so as an extension of teaching me a new war game, I would like to have someone to push me in training."

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... She blinked. She didn't exactly feel very strong, but then again the prop lent to that illusion. "Ah, I actually rely more on speed and strategy in combat. I'm uh...not very imposing. I try to find other solutions to win over brute force alone..." It was probably why she liked 80k as she did. It involved a lot of thinking, preparation, and the maximum use of her equipment. "I wouldn't mind sparring with you, though! I've sparred with plenty of underclassmen, so wouldn't be too different." Clearing her throat, she decided to circle back. "I can at least lend you the core rulebooks. They give ou the basics, but you'll also need to select factions and build an army, and there's a lot that goes into working things out there. But one step at a time! The core books should at least give you a nice baseline." And then a shrug. "And uh, you also didn't know about the whole touch thing. It's nothing personal, just...something I can't deal with..." enma

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