text; @CURSE

[gimu]

hello.

i have several questions for the outsider populace and i require truthful answers.

1. what are your abilities in battle?
2. what is your estimation of your skill with your own abilities?
3. who are you?
4. what was your proudest moment?
5. what was your weakest?

answer as you see fit. i’m not your boss.

[ this isn’t how one goes about making work acquaintances but it’s direct, it’s simple, and choso can’t be bothered to care if it meets industry standard. ]

Comments

[hitokiller]

( ... oh. ohhh. it hits him with such clarity now that the next text transmits unpolished, untethered. )

you think tha
t's funny?
how's a guy like you askin' for the truth when he can't even name himself first?

[gimu]

you have a brain computer, you can look it up. [ says the guy who has heretofore neglected to do that very thing, and continues to do so. or not so? he just no do. ]

i'm choso. i do blood things. hello.

[hitokiller]

we all got a brain computer

( if texts could come in huffy... )

choso, huh
i do blood stuff too
spillin' blood, that is
is this some kinda get-along exercise they baited ya into?

( he can't remember how many they've had at this point. they're all running together. )

[gimu]

congrats.

i bet my blood stuff is better.
no one baited me. i want to know for my own sake.

[hitokiller]

wh—

( what is this, a spat between children? nevermind that he started this. )

o-oh, yeah?
and what's knowin' our "weakest" moment gonna do for ya?

( because he don't trust like that. )

[gimu]

i don't know. i put it in at first out of curiosity of who would actually answer.

now i'm not so sure. maybe i'm looking for something like mine. isn't that what people do?

[hitokiller]

( ...... )

not everybody
if anything, sharin' stuff like that's too personal for most

[gimu]

without a doubt.
but some of them have enough trust to say. now i have a responsibility to hold that trust.

all that aside, i take it you're a swordsman of enough perceived skill to toss it around like that

[hitokiller]

( a "responsibility", huh. how serious. )

right on
the name's izou
tosa's okada izou
a manslayer folks here used t'fear

( here, being neo tokyo. )

[gimu]

[ he expects to come up blank on this, but it's surprising when the name sparks recognition, no matter how small. huh. ]

really? nice.

[ serious and an understater. ]

[hitokiller]

nice? that's it?
......
ugh, whatever
how 'bout givin' me something in return for that info
like, choso? you ain't got any fancy titles or anything for bein' so sure of yourself?

[gimu]

oh you wanted more.
that's impressive actually. i wasn't sure what to expect so a figure out of legend is exceeding the expectations i didn't have. i look forward to seeing your skills myself. [ just like that, huh? ]

just choso. i am the eldest of ten siblings. if i were to hold a title, it would be Onii-san. [ does thought have weight? does brain text crowd and crush? if it could, that one word would be meteoric. ]

[hitokiller]

( oh.

... well, that's more like it. this is the first person to actually look him up, and there's a small swell of pride in his chest. )

alright then, onii-san
and i'll wait to see what this "blood stuff" you're so proud of looks like on my end

[gimu]

[ that onii-san there earns izou far more points than is warranted for any one man ]

one day, or the next time i see you.

[ why does that sound like such a threat… ]