caughtinanetwork | THREE | [video] | A plan what is a plan

[Eek. This is exactly what he was worried about. Hideyoshi likes talk, the more you talk the less likely you are to end up in several not-necessarily-matching pieces...]

All right. [He draws himself straight and as tall as he can.] Up on the island, then, in two hours' time. I'll try to give you an exercise!

[Not in Gorthan's experience.]

Very well. I will meet you by the elevator.

[And sure enough, Gorthan will show up at the appointed time. He had a bit of a hard time choosing what to wear; it certainly bothers him that he doesn't have his battle armor here in Vatheon. Then again, the weapons are blunt... perhaps no particular protection will be necessary at all. All he has managed to find in his size is a brown leather armor, which seems pretty light and basic until one notices the shoulder guards, completely covered in long and pointy metal studs. What.

In any case, he's carrying the two spears, as promised. His eyes are fierce and burning with eagerness. He really wants to get this thing started as soon as possible.]

[Hideyoshi, for his part, comes armored as well, though his is the golden mail that he arrived in the city with. On top of being quite fancy, it's real armor - and he is more glad for that than he's going to say. He's not done any fighting in his more than a month in the city, but he has done a lot of eating, and he knows that he'll be feeling both.

He's gone soft, if he's honest about it. A bit of whacking around by an alien demon conqueror is just what he needs. Good old Gorthan.]

Oh - you did get a spear, [he stretches and cranes his neck to get a good look on it even as the other approaches, noting, even more than the weapon, Gorthan's posture and expression. Oh dear heavens.] Thanks!

It's blunt, as I showed you. As such, your armor is likely unnecessary.

[But he smiles regardless, as he offers Hideyoshi the spear he just made from materials that are more or less readily available from, say, a walk in the forest. It's a craft he's pretty good at, and he'll be glad to explain why.]

Even so, I am glad you decided to wear it. It is a dazzling sight.

Now.

[Already brandishing his spear and readying himself, he takes several steps back with his eyes fixed on Hideyoshi. Again, for an old alien, he's very eager.]

Tell me when you're ready.

[Because normally, he would start by attacking without a warning. But he has enough common sense to realize that a) his sparring partner wouldn't be to happy about that, b) it doesn't even make sense in a practice duel.]

[Dazzling is exactly the word that Hideyoshi would have used, and he grins at it even as he takes the spear, turns it in his hands, judges its weight and balance and reach. He feels fairly confident with it from the get-go - he'd fought with a lot of plain sticks and spears before rank afforded him something nicer. So it isn't long before he, too, is stepping back a little and assuming a more ready pose. Maybe he's a little bit eager himself, now.]

Nice, [he hums, halfway honest praise, halfway stalling and dragging out the wait. Even in a practice duel he likes his opponents impatient and irritated and more likely to slip in their hurry.] Very nice... all right. [At last he braces his feet and stands ready to defend himself.]

Take your best shot!

[Ah, it seems like Gorthan will have to attack first after all. Very well.]

Can a man in such a rich armor wield a weapon so simple and ancestral? We will soon see.

[As he talks, he makes the spear spin 360 degrees in one hand. He's already pretty familiar with this one. When he begins his charge, it's powerful and fast - while his body is massive and muscular from the waist up, his legs are slim and quick, and Gorthan's webbed feet, naked as they touch the ground, don't seem to be an impediment at all.]

[Hideyoshi would have laughed at that maybe-taunt, if he had the time for it. If Gorthan knew... but then maybe everyone iss better off with him not knowing. And he hasn't the time, anyway - the alien warrior is quicker than he expected, and his own dodge not as elegant as it might have been. Fat and lazy. I knew it!

He resents this discovery, and it drives him to unusual seriousness. Having slipped aside from Gorthan's blow with hardly an inch to spare, he tries to slip back in again, around, and get behind Gorthan to whack the back of that impressive alien head. He'd be utterly confident in this move at any other time. Now he's not so sure at all. But that is only a reason to try harder.]

[Gorthan is quick to turn around and shift to the side before Hideyoshi's blow hits. He dodges only barely - he recognizes that his opponent is impressively fast himself. And while he admires that, he seems very, very upset at his opponent right now.]

From the back? Have you no honor, Hideyoshi?

[Gorthan's attacks are very much frontal. He will now repeatedly try jabbing his spear at Hideyoshi's chest and neck.]

Not much, I'm afraid.

[The answer comes lightly despite Gorthan's affront. Hideyoshi is good at talking his way out of disagreements like this, but his fighting style belays any excuses he might make. Honor is all good and nice for powerfully muscled big-shots with proper weapons. Scrawny little peasants who have to make do with sticks for most of their lives learn different rules, or those lives stay woefully short.]

Woah! [He slips under the first jab, sidesteps the second, whacks at Gorthan's ribs under the third, then overbalances and takes the last right under the collarbone. Good thing he's armored, but it's still a winding, bruising hit that sends him reeling back.] Oww! That was not nice!

[Gorthan smirks.]

But it had none of your underhandedness.

[He's actually going to play nice, however. After he's hit Hideyoshi, he'll pause, simply standing in front of him as he waits for him to recover and start the next attack. For a moment, he even seems to wonder if Hideyoshi is alright, before deciding that he is. After all, according to Gorthan's logic, individuals from the past are much sturdier than those of the present.]

[Hideyoshi is quite grateful for this chance to catch his breath - and is, naturally, not beyond making more of a fuss over it than he needs to. It doesn't feel like there is blood under his armor, at least. Just a deep bruise. For now.]

Hey now. [He waves his spear at Gorthan like a wagging finger.] When you're shorter than everyone else, you have to be under-something. [It's his only excuse, but he considers it a perfectly good one.]

You can't tell me you've gotten where you have by fighting fair all the time!

You're wrong, Hideyoshi! I...

[He swings his spear to block Hideyoshi's. But once that's done, his blue eyes widen a little. There's suddenly a vacant stare, unfocused on what surrounds the alien.

Yes. Fighting fair... not something he did very often during his rise to power. In his younger days, by means of a sly ruse, he crushed the brave Ekdon, the only individual he could have said to have something in common with... He briefly wonders if there could be any chance that the Commander is still alive, somewhere. On the off chance that he were, and they met, what would Gorthan say to him...?

... Of course, the fact that Gorthan is suddenly spacing out means that his guard is lowered, and it would be a perfect moment for Hideyoshi to strike.]

[Lowered guards, indeed. Hideyoshi knows what this means, this sudden distraction, he'd seen it time and time again - he'd hit some mark. Hardly even on purpose! There's something brilliant about seeing Gorthan even slightly off his balance. He will remember this.

But better to be careful. The last thing he wants is for Gorthan to get the impression that some weakness of his is being noted, even if that's exactly what is happening. So he doesn't hesitate for more than a heartbeat before, true to form, lashing right at the unguarded alien. He's nice enough to use the butt of the spear, but still plants it right in the middle of Gorthan's stomach, a fierce blow meant to knock all the air out of him.]

[And at that, Gorthan loses his balance and falls backwards, his massive back hitting the ground with a thud.

He inwardly scolds himself. He should have known better.

He uses his arms to sit himself up, but doesn't seem inclined to stand yet, instead looking up at Hideyoshi.]

... As I told you, I am old.

[Success! It's always a rush to knock down a bigger opponent, but this time Hideyoshi manages not to grin too widely. He steps forward instead, and offers Gorthan a hand - a perfectly casual gesture, not meant as any sting to the other's honor. He'd have done it to anyone.]

Mm. And I'm short. Nothing to do about it but to work harder. [He shakes his head, then drops it a little, apologetic.] Not that that was a fair hit.

[Instead of taking Hideyoshi's hand right away, Gorthan looks at it perplexedly for a few moments. That's not a gesture commonly seen on Evron. He sighs.]

Except that my efforts to work harder, as you say, will become more and more useless over time. Whereas yours won't.

[It's not often that he admits he's way past his prime. That said, he will finally take Hideyoshi's hand. He closes his eyes as he does so, as if this were something meaningful and solemn.]

And one day I'll be short and old.

[It sounds like a joke, but it's softly spoken. He understands that Gorthan is giving him something here, and thinks that he even understands what. He's obligated to give something in return.]

Come on, up! You won't change the things you can change by focusing on the things you can't. [Hideyoshi has never been one for particular philosophizing, but he has a few truisms and this is one.] And the older the head, the more tricks it's got in it!

[Gorthan blinks a little. The thing about simple, common-sense wisdom is that it gets him absolutely every time. A lot of Zartas' work is exactly that...

In fact, he will mutter a few incomprehensible words that are more or less mean what Hideyoshi just said, except as written by Zartas and in their original language, Evronian.

Once he's on his feet again and he's released Hideyoshi's hand, he swings his spear in the air again; it's not an attack, it's just a way of letting him know he's not down for the count yet.]

I admire you, Hideyoshi. As you say, your body may not favor you; and yet, you have the heart, mind and spirit of a true leader.

Now. Refresh my memory.

[He points his spear at Hideyoshi, then.]

What is it that stands between you and power?

[Just for a moment, Hideyoshi tenses. Words in a strange language - for all he knows, he'd just gone too far, and Gorthan is activating some crazy spell or power or what-have-you that will blow his head off. Stranger things have happened in Vatheon, haven't they? On a fairly regular basis.

But no - not, he hasn't misjudged now, he never does. He knows people. Apparently aliens are people too. Slowly, he grins instead.]

Oh, pish. [Being flattered like this happens rarely enough for it to never get old, so his humility is less sincere than usual.] You have to... [but he trails off, staring at the pointed spear.

That, again.]

Well. That's a forward kind of question, [he says, turning his own spear in his hand and knowing he'll be accused of stalling any moment now.] In what order do you want them - alphabetical, geographical...?

[Gorthan's smile gains an amused edge. He's still pointing his spear at Hideyoshi.]

In the order you think most appropriate. Why, with any luck, your situation will remind me of one I may have experienced myself.

[Because while he would have gotten absolutely nowhere without Zondag's help (and even if he's technically a duck), he was no sitting duck during Evron's power vacuum years himself.]

Oho, fair enough!

[It was him who talked about old heads and tricks after all. Hideyoshi finds himself giving an answering grin. Maybe... this is why he looks for allies, after all, it's what allies are for. And he's going to have to trust someone, someday.]

The truth is, it's only been two weeks in my world. [It almost shocks him when he remembers that.] I only just got my lord's killer. Now the clan is going to meet about the succession, and there'll be talk, and talk, and talk... [he shakes his head.]

Lord Nobunaga had some powerful generals. Niwa, Shibata, Tokugawa... everyone'll be saying they're entitled to something.

[So the worlds Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi are from are similar, but different...? Unless Hideyoshi is from Mitsuhide's future, in which case... Ah, that is not particularly important right now, is it.]

Sadly, I am very familiar with how a power vacuum works.

[Because he participated in causing one, though it was a huge conspiracy that didn't involve just him. But that's not something he's about to say to anyone.]

You must take advantage of the chaos to step up, form alliances that will allow you to emerge victorious, and crush all who oppose you. Your lord's memory deserves no less. From within the black, inscrutable depths of the universe, his shadow still watches you, Hideyoshi. Make him proud.

[He obviously can't talk like this to Mitsuhide. Um.]

[It's funny, how this deciding to trust someone thing works. To anyone else, Hideyoshi might have replied with a smile and a dismissive hand wave, I know. But the truth is that nothing about it is obvious. Gorthan speaks from experience, and all he speaks from is crazy plans thought up late at night by a peasant boy with dreams too big.

And he's never been one for philosophizing, or poetry. But he thinks about those black, inscrutable depths of the universe, and yes - he can believe that Nobunaga is there, and watching.

He almost shivers, just a little.]

Well. I'll have no choice but to, [he says, and it doesn't come off a joke even though he tries.] None of the rest of them ever understood what it's all about. Someone's got to...

Your lord must have been an exceptional individual. I can just imagine him.

[Because it's not like anyone else has ever told Gorthan about Nobunaga, *cough*.]

Not very well-liked, perhaps, by peasants and by the weak of heart. But as the great Zartas, the Beacon, so well exemplifies in his theatrical masterpiece, The Way of the Warrior, what else but ruthlessness is needed to grease the gears of the machine of history?

Am I correct in my assumptions so far, Hideyoshi?

[Yes. The Way of the Warrior. That is how it is called.]

[The machine of history... yes, that sounds quite like something Nobunaga might have said. Hideyoshi's eyes mist over slightly, just for a moment, before he smiles again. It's an unusually wistful expression this time.]

Spot on. [He nods.] I think they'd have gotten along, my lord and your Zartas.

[He shrugs a little then.] Lord Nobunaga did what needed doing. Others tried - sure, they tried. But only he succeeded.

THREE | [video] | A plan what is a plan

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May I just say that this log is mind-blowingly awesome

Ah, it is. <3

... and now I am so sorry for taking forever ><

I was busy with finals until today myself, so it's alright!

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