NOCT OVERFLOW

[swordhardy]

OVERFLOW & EVENTS

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[formant]

( he knows he should have asked, or maybe just gone and bought one himself, but... aizawa had mentioned that he should look into getting a knife, and lifting one of the multiple dozen which had increasingly populated the apartment as the weeks went by had seemed to be simpler and easier. shinsou also hadn't met the knives' official owner yet, so frontloading an introduction with an imposition of whether or not he could borrow something of his had seemed not only unwieldy but rude.

...probably less rude than just making the assumption of taking something, but... again, he really hadn't thought that he would notice.

apparently there is very little that would escape the guy's notice when it came to these blades, though — it had been mostly hidden, to the point where shinsou could barely pick it out before rokurou extracts it and expertly flips it into the air and then into his waiting hand. shinsou raises one eyebrow and remains silent, the line of his gazing redirecting as he displays the knife and indicates characteristics that shinsou hadn't even given a second thought until this point. he had picked it because it hadn't seemed like the typical blade someone would keep on hand with the intention of self-defense; he specifically doesn't want to use it or any other bladed weapon to hurt someone, but rather to cut things in a capture or rescue situation.

for a moment, shinsou seems cowed; he had been under the impression that the steady progress of their apartment's transformation into an armory had been a side-effect of lack of organization, but it's painfully obvious now that it was the exact opposite case, if anything. with the deftness of his handling and comprehension of his analysis, it's taken less than a minute for shinsou to get the idea that this guy really knows these weapons. from what his fascination originates and for what end that expertise is applied are still mysteries, but... shinsou can't help but be impressed by a person clearly in their element.

the metal of the blade flashes in the light as it flips through the air once more, and after its caught between rokurou's fingers, shinsou watches it for a moment, considering. then he mutely reaches up to take the handle — any expert's eyes would see that he has a dearth of experience in handling it, but he is neither hesitant nor hedging in the way that he does. he doesn't respond at first, and it seems he might not respond at all — but then he speaks up, voicing a concern that had started to nag at him ever since he had explained the aspects of this particular knife. ) I need it to be able to cut cloth. ( which should be easy enough... ) But, ( as he speaks, his free hand lifts to his neck, where the capture cloth usually would be — he doesn't have it on him, so he just ends up hooking his fingertips into the collar of his shirt. ) The cloth's made of carbon fiber and this special metal alloy...

( even if this Sakai Takayuki did the job, it might get dulled quickly over time. that, or it might snap. the capture cloth was a strange support item.

far more slowly and carefully than rokurou had done, shinsou takes hold of the blade between bandaged fingers and offers him back the handle. ) Do you know what kind of knife would be best for something like that?

[swordhardy]

Carbon fiber is about ten times stronger than steel, if it's high quality. I'd say that also depends on the other elements in the alloy, aside from carbon. I could guess, since there are five common alloying elements usually used in weapons, but it would be easier to judge knowing the exact materials.

[ Chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, manganese, nickel ... steel too, of course, but the better your materials the more expensive they are. He doesn't know Guanshan's roommate, but he looks young—would he have the money and access to materials like vanadium or chromium? He's not even quite sure of the availability of many materials either, this world still brand new to him.

Knife offered back, Rokurou reaches for it, fingers brushing Shinsou's briefly as he reaches for the handle instead of the blade. ]

But I can tell you now that this would probably break after a few uses. [ or, more likely, dull so much that it would be worthless; for a blade, it's basically death either way. ] You might end up wasting time trying to pierce the cloth, too. Other styles of blade would save you a few seconds.

[ A few seconds can mean the difference between life or death—someone else's, your own. He might not know the circumstances, but that's simply where his mind goes: the effectiveness, strategy, possible outcomes for situations that haven't even happened yet. He might not have known the earth was flat or understand abstract art, but he does know battle.

After tucking the hilt of the blade into the band of his sweats and leaving the blade flat against his abdomen (not safe, children, don't carry your knives like this at home), the daemon rubs his own neck too. For all he knows the kid is just a really nicely built tailor. ]

Diamond is the first thing that comes to mind. A good smith can make a diamond coated blade that would never wear down. [ but diamond is also quite expensive, and from he's seen here, less a material for weapons and more for adornment of the wealthy—and would they be pissed, considering it some kind of cannibalism of their rock people? ] Tungsten carbide would be great, but a flint knife might be worth a try since it's more accessible.

[ Between his excellent mood born from talking about knives and compounds and the siren's call of soft purple downy fluff, Rokurou reaches out once more. Not to take anything—he pats his palm against the top of Shinsou's head, giving his hair a ruffle. ]

I didn't know Guanshan's roommate was interested in blades. If you have questions, I'll help you out anytime. [ rub rub rub............. this is the best, so floof. ] I train every morning from six to ten, but you can text me. 'Rokurou Rangetsu'—I'm guessing he hasn't told you much about me.

[formant]

( was shinsou expecting a sudden crash course in metallurgy? not particularly. his expression is blank and only slightly slack as rokurou begins to explain, but as he continues, his attention focuses to a point — he's a great listener and a quick learner, and he's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth when it comes to someone going out of their way to explain something in detail. his own memory probably won't preserve every word in metaphorical amber, but he is certain to hold onto the highlights. )

I don't know much about the alloy itself... Sorry. I just know it's very strong.

( strong enough to keep even the brawniest mutant-type quirk users locked down, at the very least.

he relinquishes the blade back to its owner, nodding silently. he'd suspected as much, and he didn't really want to go ruining something that wasn't his.

speaking of ruining something that wasn't his: the capture cloth he'd been using while here wasn't his either; rather, it was occasionally on loan from his mentor, so he could keep up with his training. he's hoping against hope there's some way he can get his own back, so until then much of this is moot. aizawa had said that keeping a knife on oneself was important for a variety of reasons, and to cut off a section of the capture cloth to keep someone restrained while continuing to act was just one. but considering the nature of the cloth, shinsou thought it'd be smart to base the requirements of the blade on the sternest thing it might be required to do.

it doesn't seem like an answer that can be found here and now. perhaps shinsou can bother his mentor's capture cloth again and show it to rokurou and see what he thinks — from then on out, it would be a matter of what is actually feasible to buy around here (what is possible to buy around here? he finds himself thinking about the cannibalizing of gems and metals to forge these weapons as well). that and, of course, getting his own capture cloth so he wouldn't feel guilty about having to cut it, if it came down to it.

wherever this train of thought might've been trundling toward, it is jarred off-track at the hand that comes to rest on the crown of his head, tousling his hair in a way that, while not unpleasant, either makes him feel like a kid or a dog, and neither are particularly flattering. despite this, he doesn't swat his hand away just yet — this rokurou rangetsu has been helpful, despite their untoward introduction nearly giving him a heart attack a few minutes ago, so he puts up with it for now. )

I hate to disappoint you, ( he says in his usual low deadpan, ) but it's not a personal interest. My teacher said I should get one. Just in case. ( a short pause. ) But, ( there's something leading in that, and he lets it hang for a moment as he puts his thoughts together, then continuing, ) if I'm going to keep a weapon, I feel like I should know how to use it properly... if you're offering to help, I'd take you up on that.

( so serious... )

I, uh... asked about all of the knives. And he said something like, "don't you say another damn thing about any knives," ( and though the pitch, timbre, and perhaps diction are off, shinsou's imitation of guanshan here is surprisingly accurate here, at least in cadence alone, ) so I... didn't ask any further.

( a beat. ) I'm Shinsou Hitoshi.

[swordhardy]

Hoooho. [ there's a short bark of laughter at Shinsou's impression, the daemon's brow scrunching up as goosebumps flush across his naked arms and chest in sharp pavlovian response to that familiar thuggish cadence, ] That sent chills down my spine. Spot on.

[ He's heard that particular line probably about sixty thousand times since they met—which is somehow going on four years now. In fact, he's almost surprised that Guanshan didn't kick down the door before just to tell him to shut the fuck up about swords and their materials. They talk about basically everything and anything, but Rokurou's love of blades has always been something of a sore nerve (bless mgs for dealing with his special interest for this long, he's a saint in dropcrotch joggers). ]

It's either that or, [ switching up his own smooth with a hint of rasp tone, the daemon leans in heavily to thin out his voice and exaggerate diction, ] Shut t'fuck up about swords, m'tired'a heaaaaarin' that shiiiiit.

[ Ahhhhh, nothing quite like robustly making fun of someone behind their back.

Knowing better than to molest Shinsou's hair forever, Rokurou draws his hand back, not looking too upset about the fact that the question hadn't been born of fledgling sword love. A little disappointed, maybe, but he's long since passed the point of taking whatever he can get. He's snapping up the scraps, here. ]

Well, Shinsou Hitoshi, I can respect that. If you have a weapon, you should know how to use it properly. Care shouldn't go overlooked, either.

[ A surprisingly diligent and serious man despite looking like a jockass himbo... and he's perfectly serious when he says it, nodding his head for emphasis. ]

I'm happy to help whenever it comes to knives. [ yeah.... it's obvious from the deepening rasp coloring his tone that he's still happy; if he had a tail, it would be tagging. ] Now, I'd say I've disturbed enough of your night.

[ Sure, crawling into someone's bed without an invitation may be something he would do, but not with someone he doesn't know at all. He hadn't even been drinking last night, not having a particular taste for the piss beer that Guanshan favors over quality drinks, like a fine sake or a nice wine. Ugh. Poor guy, he already knows that Mgs is going to make him try that garbage swill if he hasn't already.

Flashing another smile, Rokurou turns on his heel to head out and back to the bed he actually belongs in— ]

Good night.

[formant]

( shinsou laughs under his breath, and he seems to have the reflex to suppress it; his shoulders round and his head falls into his hand so he can cover his mouth. it lasts only for a moment, and then he straightens up and regards rokurou with a smile that's only somewhat crooked. ) Means a lot, coming from someone so well-learned in the subject.

( the subject... of mocking guanshan when he's asleep less than fifteen or twenty feet away, give or take a few walls.

he runs a hand through his hair once rokurou's has vacated it (as if there was anything to fix — it's not like there's any rhyme or reason to the way his hair is, anyway). he's relieved that he doesn't seem too broken up about the fact that he's not really willing to go into the fine details of smithing and the applications of various bladed weapons (not on personal impetus, at least). though if his baseline is guanshan, a professional interest is certainly better than the stop-dead dearth of any interest at all.

for shinsou, it's about responsibility. he wouldn't be able to accept accidentally hurting someone (or himself, for that matter) with a weapon he carried but had never bothered to get proficient with. but he's not the type to run from that sort of thing — if anything, he would pursue it with a dogged tenacity that verged on self-destructive. there's a reason he tended to be a walking billboard of minor injuries; his hands often a collage of multiple bandages covering the cuts and abrasions he got from training with the capture cloth. he knew expertise (and callouses) would come with time; for now, shinsou put in the time and the work. )

Well, Rokurou Rangetsu - I'll be sure to ask when I need it, then. ( though, without his own capture cloth, he's probably back to the drawing board for now. he might cross-reference his teacher's recommendations before reaching back out, as well...

he nods, reminded of the early hour by a curtain of exhaustion that shifts and then falls over him. )

'Night.

( said before the door swings shut and then clicks closed. shinsou pauses a moment, then topples back over into bed. he extinguishes the lamp on the bedside table, and he tries to salvage whatever sleep he can from the rest of the early morning. )