[There's a bare beat of a pause before Sakyou lifts the opposite hand from the shoulder Mandricardo is leaning against, gently cradling the side of his head. His touch is light as a feather and soft as the look on his face; a stark contrast to the sharp spike of bloodlust he feels.
Likewise, his words are quiet, despite the intensity of the fury behind them. He's done it before and he would do it again, twisting flesh into something unrecognizable and lashing out mercilessly in his hatred and rage.]
It would be a good thing, to make such a person regret existing in this world.
[There's a little flicker of something else in his emotions which is harder to pin down, but seems vaguely discomforted. His gaze drops toward his side, where the sword rests ever-present at his hip.]
...But I agree. We cannot carry on like this indefinitely.
[His feelings nestle, like a bird out from the storm angrily settling into some wooden groove in a tree out from the rain. Still stewing in his emotions, but a little less all over the place.]
[He also glances towards that sword. Swords are important things. Mandricardo sought a sword, obtained it, and then died with it in his hands.]
[And Sakyou's sword...]
...Your sword. [He glances at it again.] Was it made to cut down demons?
[They sure do have to end it at some point! Sakyou is in agreement, his tempestuous emotions barely settling even as Mandricardo's do. At least they're less complex now; mostly just the anger he nearly always feels, along with the usual Negative Vibes that come along with people dying and feeling like you're helplessly running up against a wall about it.
Though when Mandricardo addresses his sword, those emotions shift again. The brief unsettled vibe increases, along with something close to agitation. Despite the careful control he has over his expression, it's clear he's very discomforted and unhappy. His gaze flicks away from the blade, shifting out toward the trees ahead of them. The barely-there touch against the side of Mandricardo's head lifts a little.
He hesitates, tension pitching his shoulders up.]
...No, it wasn't. [...] This sword is not my own. Rather than being made to cut down demons, I believe it is a demonic entity.
[There's concern now that rises, cuts through the fog of negativity and despair. He reaches out, as if its just magnets in a action - to grasp the other's hand to squeeze, to reassure.]
[There's no judgement, just curiosity and worry for Sakyou. To kill demons but having a demon at one's side...]
[Sakyou's gaze remains averted even through the reassurance, though he doesn't pull his hand away or try to move away himself. Had this been any earlier, he would likely have avoided the subject entirely, but...
Well. Hiding things probably won't do anyone much good in the long run, here. So, with a sigh that doesn't really allow any of his tension to abate:]
A demon against anything. ...My sword - my actual sword, Hotarumaru - is the one that I used up until very recently. That is the sword entrusted to me by my father, and the one that has cut down every demon in my path. [HOO there's a big surge of guilt there, but he tamps down on it pretty quickly. Then, quietly and simply:] Muramasa is a demon blade that rivals the gods. It would fell anything that it desires to see dead.
[Which is everything! Demon swords are wild. Anyway that'll probably be good for whenever they come across whoever the fuck is responsible for this, at least(????)!]
[A sword by his father...? Some familiarity flickers across Mandricardo's face, a gut-deep stabbing of reminded sorrow.]
...My father also had a sword that I searched for, high and wide. That was stolen from his corpse.
[That he eventually stole back. But of course, this is different - he's merely echoing the feelings deep inside. The name "Muramasa" seems familiar. Something in a history book, perhaps. A sword maker? He doesn't know the details.]
[Wow Mandricardo truly does not catch a break... There's a pang of upset when he hears about the looting - about the quest to retrieve what should have stayed with that family in the first place.]
...Is it something you were able to find again, in the end?
[For as little as it could have ultimately done, given a sword won't bring the dead back to life.
Then, a note of discomfort, a little guilt once more.]
Even those with knowledge would likely have thought very little of it. It seems more like a ridiculous legend than anything.
Sakyou just frowns at literally all of that, though.]
But...?
[Just a gentle prompting; he doesn't seem like he'll push if Mandricardo doesn't want to continue speaking. Anyway, at the last bit, the discomforted vibes Only Increase, but with it this time comes a healthy dose of agitation and a fair amount of trepidation.]
...I - don't believe I've seen what it's fully capable of yet. But I have an idea.
But ah. Hm. Welp. So that was the blade he'd fetched back... He sure knows how painful it is to lose while relying on a sword passed down from your father! Wow. There's a wave of empathy, a little sorrow, and a thin line of anger on Mandricardo's behalf that cuts through it. Always, always angry.]
...It's a painful thing, to lose something you only just got back. To lose it in such a way.
[And a sentimental object is basically a stand-in for dead people, damn.]
Is there any way for you to get it back now? Or has it been lost...?
[Also don't worry for him get that worry away. Sakyou just shakes his head.]
[He's quiet for a few seconds, because he knows NOTHING AT ALL about the way Mandricardo's weird freakish f/go being works. But...]
...I hope that you're able to find and meet those conditions, then. I hope that you can obtain it again someday.
[If nothing else, Mandricardo deserves that. To keep what little he can of his father.
Anyway good question! Terrible question. Sakyou's radiating vibes that indicates he very much does not want to touch upon this subject, but... Well. He glances down toward the sword again, brow furrowed.]
I don't know. [HE DOESN'T KNOW SHIT.] But I've been held in its sway before, and remember very little of that time. [...] I intend to destroy it before returning.
There's a little bit of lingering softness for a moment though, for the possibility of Mandricardo receiving the sword he's missing.
But yeah, haha! Funny. Demon swords are wild. Sakyou purses his lips, quiet for a second before aiming for something a little more reassuring, he hopes.]
I believe it's possible. For the time being, its voice holds no power; it isn't a threat.
[That may be reassuring, but still - that worry lingers, before transforming into a sort of determination. He can't help it. He's always felt protective over Sakyou, and now, especially...]
[It's his immediate reflex to turn help away, to run, to make it so no one else has to get involved in his messy business. ...But even Sakyou isn't stupid enough to think he can take on something like Muramasa on his own.]
...I may.
[Quiet, careful.]
But it's something we can discuss later.
[Mandricardo lost is wholeass boyfriend, after all.]
[He's glad that Sakyou is open for help. He can't imagine it, having something like that hanging over one's shoulders, thinking that one has to deal with it on their own to keep other's safe.]
[I'ts why, despite everything he's learned about Sakyou, he can't help but admire it. That deep down, he just wants to keep people out of harm's way.]
[He reaches over to gently brush his fingers against the back of the other's hand, trying to be reassuring.]
[Sometimes you just gotta admit you can't beat a god by yourself, probably. Though honestly, a fair part of that might have stemmed from realizing here in this place just how helpless someone can be when up against something that can puppet the body and alter the mind. Terrible!
There's a little bit of a pause, but he turns his hand over after a second, letting his fingers ease against Mandricardo's palm.]
Thank you. I do still need a weapon here and I'd rather not use vouchers selfishly, so...
[No destroying Muramasa until he's freed from vouchies saving hell, which probably won't be until they're freed from whatever this place is. It's too risky, with the amount of people who turn up gravely injured.]
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Likewise, his words are quiet, despite the intensity of the fury behind them. He's done it before and he would do it again, twisting flesh into something unrecognizable and lashing out mercilessly in his hatred and rage.]
It would be a good thing, to make such a person regret existing in this world.
[There's a little flicker of something else in his emotions which is harder to pin down, but seems vaguely discomforted. His gaze drops toward his side, where the sword rests ever-present at his hip.]
...But I agree. We cannot carry on like this indefinitely.
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[His feelings nestle, like a bird out from the storm angrily settling into some wooden groove in a tree out from the rain. Still stewing in his emotions, but a little less all over the place.]
[He also glances towards that sword. Swords are important things. Mandricardo sought a sword, obtained it, and then died with it in his hands.]
[And Sakyou's sword...]
...Your sword. [He glances at it again.] Was it made to cut down demons?
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Though when Mandricardo addresses his sword, those emotions shift again. The brief unsettled vibe increases, along with something close to agitation. Despite the careful control he has over his expression, it's clear he's very discomforted and unhappy. His gaze flicks away from the blade, shifting out toward the trees ahead of them. The barely-there touch against the side of Mandricardo's head lifts a little.
He hesitates, tension pitching his shoulders up.]
...No, it wasn't. [...] This sword is not my own. Rather than being made to cut down demons, I believe it is a demonic entity.
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[There's no judgement, just curiosity and worry for Sakyou. To kill demons but having a demon at one's side...]
A demonic entity? A demon against demons...?
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Well. Hiding things probably won't do anyone much good in the long run, here. So, with a sigh that doesn't really allow any of his tension to abate:]
A demon against anything. ...My sword - my actual sword, Hotarumaru - is the one that I used up until very recently. That is the sword entrusted to me by my father, and the one that has cut down every demon in my path. [HOO there's a big surge of guilt there, but he tamps down on it pretty quickly. Then, quietly and simply:] Muramasa is a demon blade that rivals the gods. It would fell anything that it desires to see dead.
[Which is everything! Demon swords are wild. Anyway that'll probably be good for whenever they come across whoever the fuck is responsible for this, at least(????)!]
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...My father also had a sword that I searched for, high and wide. That was stolen from his corpse.
[That he eventually stole back. But of course, this is different - he's merely echoing the feelings deep inside. The name "Muramasa" seems familiar. Something in a history book, perhaps. A sword maker? He doesn't know the details.]
Did...did your father know what it was?
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...Is it something you were able to find again, in the end?
[For as little as it could have ultimately done, given a sword won't bring the dead back to life.
Then, a note of discomfort, a little guilt once more.]
Even those with knowledge would likely have thought very little of it. It seems more like a ridiculous legend than anything.
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[It wasn't right. He took an oath to get it back properly, and here he just stole it, like a dog would pick up a bone.]
But...I'm guessin' you've seen its power for yourself. You know what power it holds.
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Sakyou just frowns at literally all of that, though.]
But...?
[Just a gentle prompting; he doesn't seem like he'll push if Mandricardo doesn't want to continue speaking. Anyway, at the last bit, the discomforted vibes Only Increase, but with it this time comes a healthy dose of agitation and a fair amount of trepidation.]
...I - don't believe I've seen what it's fully capable of yet. But I have an idea.
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But then...well, you saw it. I had it in my possession, used, it and then got killed in a duel that wasn't even against the man who killed my father.
[WHICH IS. A SORE VERY SORE SPOT]
[And now the discomfort is matched with Mandricardo's concern, heightening. He's worried for Sakyou. Worried about what this means.]
And...what does it mean?
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But ah. Hm. Welp. So that was the blade he'd fetched back... He sure knows how painful it is to lose while relying on a sword passed down from your father! Wow. There's a wave of empathy, a little sorrow, and a thin line of anger on Mandricardo's behalf that cuts through it. Always, always angry.]
...It's a painful thing, to lose something you only just got back. To lose it in such a way.
[And a sentimental object is basically a stand-in for dead people, damn.]
Is there any way for you to get it back now? Or has it been lost...?
[Also don't worry for him get that worry away. Sakyou just shakes his head.]
It's nothing to worry about here.
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[Maybe a different Servant Class, maybe he just needs to do something right, anything right.]
[He doesn't know.]
[And sorry, the worry isn't going away.]
But when you're not here? When you're back to where you should be? Is it...going to eat your soul, or something?
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...I hope that you're able to find and meet those conditions, then. I hope that you can obtain it again someday.
[If nothing else, Mandricardo deserves that. To keep what little he can of his father.
Anyway good question! Terrible question. Sakyou's radiating vibes that indicates he very much does not want to touch upon this subject, but... Well. He glances down toward the sword again, brow furrowed.]
I don't know. [HE DOESN'T KNOW SHIT.] But I've been held in its sway before, and remember very little of that time. [...] I intend to destroy it before returning.
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[me looking at fate/go like give me summer mandi right now k thanks]
It's...sway?
[Oh. Oh no. Now things are startling to settle into place. About why, exactly, Sakyou is so reluctant to let anyone on his path.]
C-Can we do it? Can we make that happen, here?
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There's a little bit of lingering softness for a moment though, for the possibility of Mandricardo receiving the sword he's missing.
But yeah, haha! Funny. Demon swords are wild. Sakyou purses his lips, quiet for a second before aiming for something a little more reassuring, he hopes.]
I believe it's possible. For the time being, its voice holds no power; it isn't a threat.
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Do you need help with that?
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...I may.
[Quiet, careful.]
But it's something we can discuss later.
[Mandricardo lost is wholeass boyfriend, after all.]
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[He's glad that Sakyou is open for help. He can't imagine it, having something like that hanging over one's shoulders, thinking that one has to deal with it on their own to keep other's safe.]
[I'ts why, despite everything he's learned about Sakyou, he can't help but admire it. That deep down, he just wants to keep people out of harm's way.]
[He reaches over to gently brush his fingers against the back of the other's hand, trying to be reassuring.]
Whenever you feel you're ready.
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There's a little bit of a pause, but he turns his hand over after a second, letting his fingers ease against Mandricardo's palm.]
Thank you. I do still need a weapon here and I'd rather not use vouchers selfishly, so...
[No destroying Muramasa until he's freed from vouchies saving hell, which probably won't be until they're freed from whatever this place is. It's too risky, with the amount of people who turn up gravely injured.]