The Park, Wednesday Morning

[battlewithstyle]

It was quite the sight, really. Mitsutada stood in the grass dressed in his suit and armor, a wooden training bokken in his hands, going through the motions and forms of his own particular fighting style. The emphasis was, as always, on the style and less on the fighting. He wasn't quite working up a sweat, because that would be unsightly. Mitsutada was absolutely doing this to look cool in public, and he would gladly admit that fact.

His own sword lay at his hip, still sheathed. He didn't quite want to look like a madman swinging an actual sword in public, after all.

[ooc: Open place, open post!]

Comments

[vdistinctive]

Eliot was on his way through the park with Val, but had to stop to watch a moment when he saw the swordsman.

"Ain't familiar with that particular style," he noted. "Based on Medieval Japanese, right?"

[battlewithstyle]

"Sengoku era, yes," Mitsutada said, pausing in his forms. "Mainly based on the style of Lord Date Masamune, the one-eyed dragon." He tapped his eyepatch with his free, gloved hand. "I feel a particular... bond, with him."

He smiled smugly. He thought himself so clever to be upfront but also coy about his background.

[vdistinctive]

"Suspect there ain't a few who feel that way," Eliot said, assuming this guy was just a really big military history nerd. "Always been more partial to Hanzō, myself, but I ain't really studied that era too closely." He just really liked the sword Nate had gotten him.

He offered Mitsutada his hand. "Name's Eliot Spencer. Take it you're new 'round these parts?"

[battlewithstyle]

"Mitsutada," he introduced, being slightly more careful with a man who knew at least some about Japan. Saying your name is 'Candlestick Cutter' would be a little odd. He took Eliot's offered hand for a shake. "It seems most are able to rightly point me out as someone new here. I must stick out like a sore thumb."

He dressed like an armored butler, had an eyepatch, and generally made a show of himself. He tried to stick out like a sore thumb. The fanciest of sore thumbs.

[vdistinctive]

Yeah, but around here the thing that really made him stand out was "we haven't seen you around before". Sorry dude. "Armored butler" wasn't really all that weird by Fandom's standards.

(Anthropomorphic sword, on the other hand. . . . But that, of course, he wasn't broadcasting. And honestly, there was a spaceship attending classes as a student.)

"Mitsutada," Eliot repeated, making sure he got the pronunciation right. "Nice to meet you. What brings you to Fandom?"

[battlewithstyle]

"Visiting from Japan," he lied with a nonchalant shrug. "Or as much as one visits when they move in and plan to stay for a while. I used to cook for a..." He trailed off momentarily as he'd totally not thought ahead in this sudden cover story. "A boarding house for men of all ages. But I decided to move on."

Just your average chef man with a sword, nothing to see here...

[vdistinctive]

My, what a distinctive pause. Eliot decided not to comment. "That so. I'm a fair hand in the kitchen myself. Even run the local diner. What sort of cooking do you do?"

[battlewithstyle]

"Typically the kind that keeps lots of people fed without too much fuss," Mitsutada explained. "When the Tanto are hungry they get cranky."

"Children," he corrected himself. "My English is a little rough, sorry."

Yes please pay no attention to the fact he just said he cooked for short swords.

[vdistinctive]

"Don't worry about it," Eliot said, waving a hand. "I got a passing familiarity with Japanese. Can't say I've heard that slang before, though." Because that was obviously the only explanation for calling children short swords. "I like it."

[battlewithstyle]

"It's from the future," Mitsutada said, which was only sort of a lie. "I come from 2205, though it's not quite as futuristic as you'd think. I don't have any lasers, for example."

"At least, no one where I'm from."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot shook his head. "Those things are overrated anyway. Give me steel and fists any day. How long you plannin' to spend here in the past, then?"

[battlewithstyle]

"I like the way you think," Mitsutada agreed. "As for how long I am staying here, right now it's indefinitely, assuming I can find a job. I don't suppose you could use a chef at your diner?"

[vdistinctive]

Eliot took a moment to think, then nodded slowly. "I think I do have a slot or two left on the roster. Made the last guy I hired make an audition meal though, so I should probably put you through the same thing."

[battlewithstyle]

"That seems only fair. You currently only have my word on my ability to cook," Mitsutada said. "You would hardly hire someone without making sure they could follow through. I will gladly audition. It will be like how Lord Date used to cook for his guests."

He was just going to keep name dropping him.

[vdistinctive]

". . . Sure, just like that." Eliot shook his head. "Man, I've hired people to work for me just because they looked vaguely lost and I felt sorry for 'em." Kanan. "Swing by on Monday and show us what you've got. Lord knows Cookie needs all the help he can get."

Mostly from a "mental health professional" perspective, but Luke's NPC cook never said no to letting someone else run the kitchen every now and then, either.

[battlewithstyle]

"Everyone I have met here has been so incredibly generous," Mitsutada remarked. "And you are no different. I am very grateful to have encountered you today."

He slid his bokken into his belt, next to his actual sword, then bowed slightly. "Thank you."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot dipped politely forward in return. "No problem. Welcome to Fandom, man."