[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... this is really weird and really awkward, but can you fashion up a bunch of tiny swords and axes for me? im sending you some 3d print stuff that should be to scale. Attached to the message would be a bunch of really strange, very nasty looking weapons that would, for all intents and purposes, be very ugly to anyone with an eye for design. It was a little faux pas to modify her army like this, but plastic for her was just not doing it. She needed something that looked a bit more real to her. Such was her goal of making a traitor legion. There were a few traitor marines, a few daemons, and a small amount of guardsmen in this new army she was building, but she wanted to be flexible enough for when she went toe to toe with Enma. While not a diehard Chaos fan, she at least could appreciate a few of their sects, and the army she was building was meant to upfront and violent. The guns were whatever to her, but she wanted to bring something new to the table with the melee component. It would definitely be a surprise for Enma once she fixed bayonets and charged into his army...assuming he did something normal that is. Masao Ando

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[Masao Ando]

Odd. In all her time as a weaponsmith she had never received a request quite like this one. She looked over the message once more, examining the tiny weapons up close in great detail. They were all so... Crude and impractical. Skulls were certainly a design choice, but the amount of detail on these weapons were a little too much. It was to the point that at a glance, she knew that the aesthetics would compromise the actual practicality of wielding such a sword, not to mention the size of them. Had Jun somehow typed it in wrong, or was she arming a band of mice to bring with her into war?

''Kanjo-san, your request is a trivial one to me, I can have them done posthaste. However, I have some inquiries about your order, when do you have the time to meet up for a conversation? I will be at my workshop most of the day, but I can close up temporarily to come meet you somewhere as well.''

And sent.

Tiny swords and axes? Somehow she thought repairing spoons for Khepri was going to be the weirdest request she ever got from another student. She wasn't expecting this, let alone from Junsuina Kanjo who always seemed so serious, dedicated and steadfast. Sure, she may lack some confidence now and then, but none of that showed on the battlefield. She would know since she had witnessed several of Jun's sports festival matches. Really, it was a shame Jun didn't carry a sword, otherwise she would be happy to make one for a warrior as skilled as her.

Sitting there staring at the attached pictures some more, she opened her text messages to Enma.

''I was just asked to fashion a myriad of tiny weapons. I think Kanjo-san either made a mistake, or she's gearing up ants to go to war.''

She smiled as she sent the message, figuring Enma would find it humorous too.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Jun pulled out her phone, raising an eyebrow. Jun shrugged; it wasn't like this was some big secret. She wrote back: im in the middle of getting something done as quick as possible, having to prime a bunch of models. could you come by the tabletop room this afternoon? promise the request will make more sense when you get here. And make sense it would. Later, when Masao managed to get there, she'd find Jun sitting at a table with hobby knives and glue, an air brush and what looked to be primer. After carefully getting something into the proper position Jun would glue together some strange abomination and look up, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, hi!" she looked down again, looking a little embarrassed. "I'd stand up, but uh. I can't move just yet. Glue hasn't dried. C'mon over, lemme show you why I need those weapons!" Before Jun would be a small army of figurines; some would be human shaped and have guns, others would be heavily armored, and others still would be demonic looking. Nasty business, really. "I'm techincally doing something against tourny rules, but this army is more to better introduce people to the game. Well, as an opponent...a guy named Enma expressed interest in learning to play, so I'm throwing together something ad hoc for him to face against. The weapons are for some of the melee units I'm putting together." Masao Ando

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[Masao Ando]

She looked at her phone as it buzzed with a new message.

''Certainly. See you this afternoon.''

With that settled she got back to work. She had a project to finish and turn in by the end of the week and this steel wasn't going to hammer itself.

''Greetings, Kanjo-san.'' She only caught a glance of what Jun was actually doing. It was rude not to look at the person she was talking to after all. ''I trust that you are well?'' She didn't look like she was on one of her highs again, and there were no mice but instead tiny figurines. ''Yes, please do enlighten me.'' She gave the miniatures a curious look once more as she walked closer. ''I did not know that one of your hobbies was idolatry. I do not mean to sound judgmental, but at a glance it looks like you are worshipping demons or some other form of monster.''

Oh, a game.

Of course it was a game, how could she be so stupid?

She felt a little embarrassed but didn't let it show. She was much more intrigued anyway. Games were usually played with cards or dice, and while board games had game pieces, she had never seen anything this detailed or grotesque before. ''Enma-kun expressed interest in this game?'' She asked thoughtfully, completely letting it slip that she referred to him not just by first name, but with an honorific that indicated they knew each other well and were close. ''So these miniature swords and axes you wanted me to forge, they were meant for tiny warriors in a game, no, for a duel with Enma Arashi.'' She was probably getting it somewhat right. ''So in a duel of the small ones, how do you play? Do you use your quirks to make them move, or are they remote controlled?''

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... "Io-what now?" Getting the sense that the daemon she was currently working on was stable enough to not fall apart, she set it down with the rest of the figures. "I tend to stick to the Imperium, if I'm being honest. I really like their sense of duty and honor. Minus the Inquisition. They kinda suck. Chaos is only fun if I'm playing Khorne, mostly because I feel like I can throw my units at my opponent without repercussions. You can make some good strats, especially if your opponent doesn't know what they're doing..." The honorific Masao used had gone over her head; part of her brain registered the closeness, but Jun wasn't a people person. It wouldn't hit her until much later. "He did. He thought I was some kinda nationalist when I showed him a prop I made, and after I explained he seemed interested." She dusted her hands, smiling. "And it's a tabletop war game. The only thing we use to control the field are the dice and our brains. There's a lotta rules and stuff that let you do different things." She points at some of the figures, namely the daemon looking ones. "The swords are for these guys. I don't have much experience painting on metal, let alone how to attach it to models, but I've been trying to branch out a little. I was hoping you could help." Masao Ando

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[Masao Ando]

''Duty and honor you say?'' She took another look at the figurines. ''Their aesthetic sensibilities are impractical, but perhaps the devil is in the detail. Do they appear this way because they were designed with looks over practical function in mind, or is it because their armor is foreign?'' She took another look, then looked over at Jun. ''Or dare I even say, alien. Our human minds may not be able to comprehend how every little part moves until we see it in action. Perhaps part of the joy is imagining how they might move in the first place.'' She didn't realize it herself, but she was launching into an absolutely legendary ramble the likes of which she almost never did. Not about hobbies, anyway. ''What makes you scorn the Inquisition, Kanjo-san?''

Just when she thought she was starting to follow what was going on, Jun threw another curveball at her. ''The Chaos character is named Corn? I don't suppose his superpowers are food related?'' She crossed her arms and gave a tiny smile as Jun continued and it all started coming together. ''A duel of the boards and minds. You acted with the swiftness of a leader and the wisdom of an elder when you contacted me. If you are to hope to defeat a foe as formidable as Enma-kun in battle, my weapons might just be able to tip the scales in your favor.'' She took a step back and put her hand on her own chest, taking a respectful bow. ''I accept your request for help, Kanjo-san. I seldom work with materials this small, and I am rather interested to learn more about these little creatures.'' Assuming Jun was fine with it, she would take a seat next to her or across from her, wherever it made the most sense for Jun's little workstation.

''Kanjo-san, may I ask, what is your first impression of Enma?'' Was her boyfriend making good first impressions? She had to know.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... "Well, these guys in particular are Chaos worshippers," Jun says, indicating the units. "I'd say they're the bad guys of the setting, but uh...there's no real 'good guys' in the universe. 'Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim darkness of the far future there is only war.' It's kinda the mainstay quote of the franchise." She even deepened her voice to put a level of gravitas on the quote. "Oh my gosh, the Inquisition is everything wrong with the Imperium! Everyone worships the God Emperor, and they're the ones who are the brutal enforcers of it. Their job is to protect the Imperium intellectually from foreign ideals, which makes a bit of sense because of how Chaos as a whole is, which is neurotic and insanity. However, the way the Inquisition deals with this is through purges, exterminatus, and copious amounts of burning promethium. And anything that isn't killed gets sterilized and thrown into work camps. That's not the proper way to deal with ideas! OH, and to make matters worse, everything is heresy to them! They're fanatics and awful and I hate them and anyone who builds an army around them is awful on top of it." It was clear that Jun was passionate about her feelings regarding them. She moved over a little to let Masao sit down, and reaching over she picked up one of the already primed figures. "Opposite. Khorne is the Chaos god of blood, death, and combat. His worshippers are all about causing general mayhem and death. But they at least won't stab you in the back. Unless you're running from them, then they might." She was oddly cheerful explaining such atrocities. "Enma? He's a little off, but I think you have to be in order to go to school here. Very stiff. I get the vibe that he's wanting to live up to the ideal version of a samurai, which...I don't think is good, when you consider them in a historical context, but I don't think that makes him a bad guy for it." Masao Ando

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[Masao Ando]

''A world without a side of good.'' She said thoughtfully as she digested all the lore Jun was feeding her with a morbid curiosity. Back home there had never been time for hobbies, hell, if her father was here now he would probably insult both her and Jun, but critically, he wasn't. ''How very bleak.'' She smirked at Jun putting in the extra effort when quoting the setting. ''It is fortunate for us then, that this is merely a game.''

She continued listening to Jun and her expression, although subtle because of how little she tended to emote, soured a little at the grim details of the Inquisition's deeds. ''I did not know you liked such ghastly fiction, Kanjo-san.'' She tried to sound like she wasn't judging her, just shocked at the revelation that the relatively shy and hardworking girl she knew could get engrossed in something like this. Come to think of it, this whole thing, wasn't it more of a masculine hobby than a feminine one? Maybe labels like masculine or feminine ultimately didn't matter too much when it came to ones hobbies. Had she been overthinking about what she should do to get more in touch with who she really was?

''In other words, worshippers of 'Corn' are cowards. Stabbing one's enemy in the back is something only a criminal would resort to. True heroes face their enemies head-on.'' She said, getting a little passionate herself. When Jun started answering her question about Enma, she couldn't help but smile. ''Historically, samurai are glorified, and we seldom shine a light on their bad deeds. However, Enma's family embodies different ideals adjacent to the samurai of old. They are alike, and yet, also different.'' She looked down at the figurines, the smile staying on her face. ''I am relieved he is making a good impression. I want Enma to get along with the same people that I do.''

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Jun was going to say something regarding the setting, but paused. "Cowards? Far from it. They dive headlong into battle, hacking and slaughtering they can get their hands on. They really like fighting. Or...I guess it's more accurate to say they really like killing. Any fanatic could do a lot of damage if you hand them a knife and point them in a direction." Ultimately Jun shrugged. "It's...well, fiction is fiction. The setting is a Western port, but if you dig in the right corners of Japanese media you can find equally disturbing things. It's just that with 80k the entire theme is a constant and unending war. When you look at it from the most low-powered lens you can find it's awful and grizzly, but when you start to narrow focus you see something different. Desperate last stands, untold acts of bravery, sacrifice and hard decisions...broadly, the setting is unappealing, but its the small building blocks that really drive home a compelling narrative." She looked over, smiling. "Sorry, I tend to look at narratives over mechanics with games and stuff like that. I'm a sucker for a good story." She'd start to paint one of the figures, one that had guns over swords. "Ah, so the reimagined idea? I guess that makes sense, the samurai of old were uh. Less than noble..." It did make Jun think a little less of Enma, but that was just her personal bias. Objectively, she could say that Enma was a good person and did things for the greater good. "I haven't spoken with him since that first day, though. I think, after this first skirmish we have, I might try to convince him to do a more collaborative thing. He seemed kinda artsy and had an appreciation for weapons. I might get his thoughts on prop ideas for work..." She paused. "I'd have to pay him, though. I guess that's a sacrifice I'd be willing to make. Would mean I would have to cut back on all this, though." enma

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[Masao Ando]

''I suppose the definition of cowards was one I assigned them too hastily. Something like scoundrels would be more apt given the description you have given. If such a force existed in our reality, surely they would be classified as villains based on the behavior you have described.'' Then again, it was a setting devoid of the light of good. What a ghastly thought. Was Jun a pessimist? Surely not, was it just the aesthetics that had attracted her to this setting in the first place?

''No, while I may appear to judge you for your tastes, it is far from the truth.'' She thought about how to best explain it without coming across as a total dweeb. ''My upbringing was rather strict and I did not have time for hobbies such as this. Truth be told, I do not have that many and I fear that it makes me unrelatable, or worse, a boring girlfriend. I admire how you can take such an interest in the little things.'' She looked at the figurines again. ''I wish to find something similar, something I can get interested in that does not involve heroism, that does not involve training or smithing weapons with which to vanquish evil.''

She never even realized, but as she watched Jun paint those figures it dawned on her just how small they were. Wasn't it impossible to see all the little details? Jun must have had a keen eye and a steady hand to not only make it look so effortless, but have painted so many. ''Indeed. Digging into history most people were. All the more reason for us to strive to be different, better. We cannot change the past, but we can shape the present and the future.'' She smiled when Jun mentioned wanting to hang out with him again. ''Your approach would be most effective, he is a poet and an artist at heart although he may not look it at first glance.'' The next line however, confused her. ''Pay him? What for, are you commissioning something from him too?'' She quickly added onto her own response. ''...I am doing this free of charge, by the way. Same as if you had commissioned me for a sword of your own.''

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... "I'd say they're more zealous, but...that describes almost all the factions in this game." Jun set down one gunman and picked up another. "See, I only bring up pay because I work for Rising Phoenix as a prop and set designer. I get paid, so if I enlist his help-" She stopped, something that Masao said triggering something as she turned her head and stared. "Girlfriend?!" She set down the figure and her brush, leaning forward. It all made sense now: her concern, the casualness which she talked about Enma, the open admission. "You're dating?! How? Why? How the heck did you find the time for that? Is it working out? How is it working out? Is it impeding your studies at all?" And she'd continue to rattle off any and all questions she could think of in short order until Masao stopped her. Despite what High Jun thought, when sober she seemed to be a little less inclined to date based on some of her questions and attitude. Masao Ando

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[Masao Ando]

''A world of war and fighting, it is no wonder the franchise is named the way that it is.'' She supposed there was merit to that. Rather than go out and fight real fights, in this game you could fight fictional ones and not have to risk your own life in the process. She listened to Jun explain her reasoning on pay because of her part time job, but before she could finish her point she seemed shocked about the fact that her and Enma was dating.

''Yeah.'' She was a bit surprised herself at Jun's reaction. ''Th-That's a lot of questions, I will try to answer all of them. Um...'' She started getting a bit embarrassed thinking and talking about it. ''We met by chance here at campus, then we started training together and he asked me out on a date.'' She smiled apologetically. ''I realized I have feelings for him, so... It honestly does not take up as much time in my day and week as I thought it would, I still have time for my duties as a student and a hero-to-be. I suppose it feels different when it is someone you really like.'' Realizing that there would be no end to the questions she quickly tried to pivot the conversation back to what Jun was talking about. ''Um, Kanjo-san, you were mentioning something about your job at Rising Phoenix? I believe you were making a point related to the weapons you wanted me to craft for your army.''

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... For a long time didn't even consider the dating option, and the fact more and more people around her were getting into that world was weird to her. Much as she could, she didn't want to slap Yaoyao will a million questions, and Masao was the kind of person to never even approach the subject. Like Jun. At least, that was Jun's impression, and lo and behold she was wrong! She hated being wrong! Hence why she needed to understand. "I don't mean to detract from you in any way, but like...you just didn't seem like the type to date someone. All focused and stuff." Shoot, was she being insensitive again? It sounded like it to Jun. "Sorry...I don't ever plan to date so like...I have to ask all these things. "Um, right. So, Phoenix and my commission for you are different. Rising Phoenix is a modeling agency that I will not elaborate on how I got hired there, but I help beautify the place up, help create and manage sets for their shoots, and occasionally make props. And any work I end up outsourcing I'd feel bad for not compensating in some way. So...yeah." Masao Ando

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