★★★☆☆ week 2. sunday. ishikirimaru.

[haw]

[ i spelled that right on my first try without even checking i am a fuckin legend

anyway. catch majima in the armory the morning after trial, doing stretches and warmups while waiting for a certain sword. he's so spry that hardly anyone would believe he'd been drinking himself into oblivion last night... what impressive metabolism he has.

even without turning around, he somehow knows when his sparring partner arrives. ]

So what'll it be today, Ishikiri-han?

[ . . . he's a respectful man, yes, but fuck you i'm not typing that whole thing out every time either. ]

Comments

[ritualization]

[stab stab stab swords are definitely happening here

but this isn't a side ishikirimaru shows often, and it only intensifies with time and especially with every strike majima actually manages to land on him. there's a spark of what might actually be anger in his eyes when he's cut, and it makes him lash back even harder-- while he started off a little more cautious, a little less willing to actually try to harm majima and a lot more defensive... that fades. by the end of it he attacks with just as much intent.

right up until there's a moment where he presses the attack instead of defending, ending up with his blade pointed at majima's throat and majima's pointed wherever, i'm not his mom & that's your decision, but equally fight ending. at first, he doesn't move--

but he'll be the first to withdraw, doing so cautiously just in case majima decides he is not down to do the same.]

[haw]

[ it's cliche and dramatic as fuck but we're goin full horny for this thread so of course majima has his sword at ishi's throat, his stance a near mirror of his partner's. i also feel it's pertinent to mention that at some point majima probably threw off his shirt because #aesthetic? but also it's not like they have a dry cleaning service here...

at the end of their battle, he doesn't mind that he's covered in shallow wounds letting blood, that there are bruises marking his bare inked skin from defending against blunt blows, that this is gonna hurt like hell in the morning. as ishi lowers his sword, so does majima, letting it go to clatter onto the floor. he pants laboriously as he meets ishi's eyes with his one, and through the fatigue, adrenaline, and pain...

there's a spark of overwhelming respect—nay, admiration, as his face twists into a grin. ]

Holy shit.

[ritualization]

Likewise. You're better than I thought.

[it doesn't take long at all for ishi's demeanor to shift back to its usual steady calm, as if in a single breath he lets out all of it and returns to his usual self-- but it's certainly not all gone. there's still a bit of light in his eyes that wasn't there before, he can still feel the adrenaline in his blood. it doesn't hurt now, much as he knows it will later; the pain's still dulled, heartrate faster than he'll allow to show as he wipes his sword on one long sleeve and sheathes it again. it takes more effort than he'd admit to, in order to force his breathing into something more steady.

should he regret trying to provoke majima into fighting exactly like that? probably. does he? not right now.]

I would say I'll be able to rest more easily after that, if I didn't know how sore I'll be later.

[haw]

I got lotsa shit I gotta take care of back home, an' I'm dead set on comin' out of this competition on top...

[ it's starting to visibly take a toll on him, especially as his cuts begin to turn an angry red. a normal person in his current condition shouldn't be conscious, let alone be moving, but somehow, he lumbers over to ishi and places a sturdy hand on the sword's shoulder. ]

But ya know? If shit hits the fan for me on the way, at least I'll go out happy, knowin' I got to fight someone like you.

[ritualization]

It's a shame that none of my other companions were brought here, then. I am actually one of the less battle-inclined among us; I'm certain you would get along very well with several of the others, if this was enough to let you pass in peace.

[ishi gives that hand on his shoulder a little pat, before he goes to pick up the sword that majima let drop onto the floor, wiping it clean as well.]

You should show this a bit more respect, by the way.

[just going to drop a sword, right in front of a sword's salad?]

But before cleaning these-- come. We should attend to your injuries as well; I will not be responsible if you allow any to get infected,

[haw]

Ah... yeah, ya would take that personally, huh. [ he straightens up and lifts his hand off ishi's shoulder to run it through his hair... awkward. ] My bad.

[ at ishi's insistence to tend to him, though, he seems to recover some of his fortitude to at least attempt to pass on the offer. ]

Ya don't need to go outta your way. I'm a grown man who knew what he was gettin' into, I can take care of myself.

[ritualization]

[yes, he sure would-- but he just smiles placidly as always. he may in fact be doing that to lay on the guilt trip slightly more.

there are more important things to worry about, though, and he carefully sets the sword aside.]

You are a grown man who, I expect, will still have some difficulty reaching the cuts on his back.

[and he just gestures for majima to follow him, they are going to the first aid supplies.]

If nothing else, extra hands will make it easier.

[haw]

[ ishi's guilt tactics will not work on this sad mafia man... his persistence will, though. he's about to protest again when ishi physically puts himself in the way of the room's exit, which just makes him sigh wearily. ]

Ya straight up aren't gonna let me leave otherwise, huh? Fine, fine, if ya really insist...

[ he's whining, yeah, but he's being compliant. give him some credit for that much! ]

[ritualization]

You catch on quickly.

[ishi nods as he leads the way, and we are just going to like, skip the walk there. they have the things now, and ishi wastes little time wetting a cloth to clean off majima's back first.]

This may sting a bit, but I expect you're no stranger to that. Please hold still.

[haw]

Even my brand of dumb's got its limits, ya know.

[ he's perfectly motionless as ishi begins the cleaning process, no flinching or hissing to be had. now that he has a closeup of majima's skin, ishi may notice his back tattoo helps to cover up a lot of nasty scars. remnants of bruises, cuts, lashes, and more cover his entire body.

majima goro has had a pretty rough life. ]

Trust me, it'll take a lot more than some water an' disinfectant to get me to start squealin'.

[ritualization]

Mm, you would be surprised. Some of the others ought to be perfectly used to battle by now, but you should hear them complain when our doctor gets a hold of them afterward...

[he laughs under his breath at the thought, moving on to dab disinfectant onto each of those cuts; those marks definitely don't go unnoticed, but neither will ishi bring them up on his own. everyone has a past, and it's generally their own business.]

[haw]

[ he kinda snorts, because he's more than used to weenies like that... and, well, if ishi won't mention his scars, then... neither will majima! good shit!! in that case, he'll follow up with a different line of small talk... ]

Soooo... I'm sure ya get tired of this question, but, uh. How does the whole sword-in-a-human-body thing work?

[ritualization]

[SORRY FOR YOUR BACKSTORY COCKBLOCK ANDIE HE'S A POLITE MAN]

Ah, that...

[he pauses in his work, thinking about how much he wants to say about this-- but eventually he decides that he may as well, after that fight. if majima is someone more like what he knows, he minds sharing a little less.]

It's a little less that I am in a human body, and more that this body is a manifestation of me-- how I would have looked if I were always human, I assume. Normally, I would still be able to feel through my blade, and this body would be injured if it were damaged.