I Can See Clearly Now

Summer 2021, Week 4

Friday evening

Hartshorne, The Heights

Uncle

Uncle slips the large bag off his back as he approaches the decrepit building. It was an isolated spot, with the building being so run down that it was unlikely anyone was inside and the entrance being at the end of an alleyway making for a sort of chokepoint before reaching his position. It wasn't normally his first choice of place to settle down for the night, but it was one of the safest places he knew of on this side of the border with the Wards.   Setting the bag down nearby, he takes a seat on the steps leading up to the doorway and pulls out the Kazeshini Muramasa. He begins sharpening the blade while he rests, an act that had become a habit for him when sitting somewhere alone. "I swear this world's goin' ta shit. Watchin' the world burn in meh old age is a whole lot more depressin' than I thought it'd be" he says to no one in particular as he checks the blade's edge halfway through the process. Even when alone, he can't help but voice his thoughts out loud.  

Conspiratus

"Then why not make a change yourself?" a distorted voice calls out from behind Uncle. The robed figure it belonged to was leaning with their arms crossed against a wall near the door, as if they had been there all along. "You've got the talents and you've certainly got the time."   As the figure speaks they have their eyes closed and focus their hearing on a familiar sound.
thump, thump
thump, thump

[En. | Senses: x1 Normal, -3 EP (12/15)]

 

Uncle

The reaction is swift as Uncle spins around while rising to his feet, brandishing the blade still in his hand at whoever it was that had snuck up on him. "Who the hell 're you?" he questions the figure while maintaining a defensive stance.  

Conspiratus

thump, thump
thump, thump
No change. He's still calm, even after being caught off guard?   "We'll get to who I am in due time, right now I'd rather focus on who you are. Though I'm sorry if I startled you, it was necessary to a certain degree. You could say this is a sort of interview and I needed to test you in a few ways."  

Uncle

"Interview? What're ya tryin' ta hire me for? I'm just an old man."  

Conspiratus

thump, thump
thump, thump   "Oh you are so much more than that.." the voice responds, the figure still leaning against the wall. "How you reacted to my presence here speaks volumes on its own, but what I've dug up so far only further shows that you are more than meets the eye. And trust me when I say that more meets my eyes than most. You say you are just an old man, but you've been an old man for longer than I've been alive." The figure reaches into the robe and pulls out a photograph with a weighted clip attached to it, tossing it towards Uncle. The picture showed someone who looked like Uncle working on a farm. "That was taken in 1983, nearly 40 years ago, and yet you look as if you haven't aged more than 10 at most."   thump, thump
thump, thump  

Uncle

"That could be anyone," he says, looking at the image on the ground. "People who look like that're a dime a dozen if ya look hard enough in Tejas, what exactly 're ya tryin'a say?" He didn't lower his sword, if anything the picture only made him more on guard. Still, it wasn't the first person to come looking for a connection to his past, and likely wouldn't be the last if he continues with his current lifestyle.  

Conspiratus

Thump, Thump
Thump, Thump
Still calm? Hmm There was indeed a change in the old man's heart rate but not enough for the figure to notice it.   "I never said anything about Texas, Uncle." his voice comes through unchanged this time as he places a hand on the mask and begins to remove it as he speaks.  

James Smith

"But that's what they called the man in that photo as well. Uncle. Could be a coincidence but I've been given so many reasons to believe otherwise."   THUMPTHUMP
Opening his eyes causes his power to fade, but he just barely catches the spike in the sound as he does. Strange..  

Uncle

The old man finally lowers his blade while raising an eyebrow in confusion. "James..?"  

James Smith

"That's right, Uncle, the poor old orphan boy you've had your eye on has dug up your secret."  

Uncle

Wordlessly, the swordsman returns to his seat and resumes sharpening his blade.  

James Smith

"I never thought that the old man occasionally resting on my property would turn out to be someone like Sakamoto Hatsuharu, the man famous in Japan as the Eternal Swordsman. But I suppose that's by design, you've done everything you could to detach yourself from that name. It took a lot of work to make the connections.."  

Uncle

"An' yet ya still went diggin', didn'tcha kid." he finally responds, almost sounding disappointed.  

James Smith

"After hearing of what you can do from a friend who saw it first hand outside the Frog, I couldn't stop looking for more information. I needed to know who you really were. I have lofty ambitions, and if I'm to make them a reality I need useful people by my side that I can trust with my life- nay, with more than my life. My Legacy."  

Uncle

"What kinda ambitions do ya have that require an old swordsman past his prime? Surely you can find better."  

James Smith

"Again, you sell yourself short. You never actually peaked physically, you plateaued; You are still in your prime despite your looks, are you not? And not only are you known as a master of your craft but the man who gave you that blade taught you more than swordplay.."  

Uncle

Stopping again, this time sheathing the blade, he turns to look back at James without getting back up. "What gives you that idea?"  

James Smith

"What more proof do I need than your reaction time and flawless technique as demonstrated just moments ago? You flipped your forward direction, rose to your feet, and assumed a fighting stance all in a single fluid motion and you did so like a trained soldier would. No one past their prime could still move so precisely at such speeds. Without knowledge of your past and true age it would be easy to mistake it for a different ability altogether, but I know better." He stands up straight and makes his way closer to Uncle. "Why keep fighting the truth? Did you not say this depresses you, this world we live in? Because that is my ambition, to change this world for the better. So I'll ask you again, Uncle; Why not help make a change?" he says, extending an arm for a handshake.  

Uncle

He stared back at the man before him, clearly able to see the conviction he had as if it were written across his face. Finally, he takes the hand that is offered to him and shakes it. He couldn't explain it to you if he tried, but it was almost as if he acted on impulse. "It'll be a pain in the ass, a lot more effort an' dedication than I'm known for.."  

James Smith

"... But that's why you'll be part of a team. Here, let me show you both what you can do, and what I can do in one single action." he says, hand still gripping onto Uncles as he taps into his power. After a few moments he can feel himself growing tired, a clear sign of success.

[Int. - Power Absorption: x1 Strenuous, x1 Minor, -16 EP (9/25)]

 

Uncle

He pulls away as he feels his senses change, the new power activating on its own in the hands of an untrained user and showing him the world more clearly than he ever had before. The details in the walls, the floor, the man in front of him, all of it was almost overwhelming. "What.. what is this?"

[En. - Senses (Granted): x1 Minor, -1 EP (8/25)]

 

James Smith

"That's how I've seen the world in recent months, Old Man, I see the detail in everything. Isn't it frightening? To see the world for what it truly is?" Without missing a beat he suddenly pulls out a knife and slashes it across his palm, to Uncle's surprise, but before the man can react the wound begins to close. Not scab over, but fully seal up without so much of a mark left behind. Then he takes the knife and plunges it into his hand, quickly removing it again. Uncle flinches at the impact, but by the time he is looking back at the wound it has already begun to heal. James looks to be in severe pain as this happens, but his body seems to will itself back together and after enough time this wound, too, is gone as if it never occurred.

[Ind. - Self Healing (Copied): x1 Minor, x1 Normal, -4 EP (11/15)]

 

Uncle

"How..-"  

James Smith

"This is your power, Uncle. I thought so for some time now, and now I know that I was right. You have two forces that are healing you from within, you truly are the Eternal Swordsman. And beyond my senses, this is my true power. To give, and to receive. Do you see now why I must do what I can? I have been given the means to pursue my dreams, and so I must fulfill that promise. I will change this world, but I cannot do that alone.."  

Uncle

For some time the old man did not respond, struggling to take in all of this information and make sense of it all. Seconds pass by in silence as Uncle's gaze remains locked on nothing in particular, and then finally he lifts his head and looks back at James again. "... What do ya need me to do?"