D4 EA: To think about what is to come (Expecting)

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi found herself sitting under a small enclosed shelter area over looking the city as the rain pounded around her. She had been running over the entirety of the Castle all morning and getting things in place. She was nervous, her stomach a bag of knots as something, something supernatural was happening in the lands.

Two different dreams. The painting. Hearing Allul twice.

Something was wrong. But she thought, chewing on her lip as she hacked at a bit of wood trying to whittle and brooded on what she was trying to build a larger picture in her head. She needed to think, she needed to make sure people were safe.

Fuck, what am I going to do...She cursed in her head.

((Pursing hobby. Whitting the wood. + three strife regained.))

[Shika Nesshin]

Nesshin walks by,--and why not, since he lives here? Seeing Koi, though, he pauses, and he starts to smile because he does enjoy seeing her--the more of her, the better. But seeing the expression on her face, he grows somewhat concerned, and he approaches her with a bow.

His impulse to make things better through levity, his indomitable playfulness, gets the better of him, of course, and he quips "I'd hate to know what the wood's done to make you attack it so, Kaikoga-san." But his tone takes the sting out of his bantering words as he indulges his passion at her, and he adds "Tell me what's wrong" as he takes a seat, himself.

Notably, the rain doesn't bother him in the least. Outdoorsman and all.

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi blinked for a moment lost in the deconstruction of the wood, whittling blade in hand wielding it like a Matsu berserker with sharp broad strikes at the moment she was just taking wood off of the piece so that she can shape it to what she needed it, it had no real form or shape to it. Stopping Koi looked up at Neeshin with a smile that could vanquish the rainclouds, and grey skies in a moment - weaker men might even go weak at the knees.

"Hello, Neeshin-kun.." She actually blushed. "I thought you were avoiding me, I have missed you." She said, having only just seen him this morning but her brain was a bit all over the place at the moment. She motioned to the seat next to her, and scooted over some.

"This? Ney, I am working on something for a friend I just need to get the wood to a manageable size so that I can work on it but it involves removing layers which is good when you are thinking on something." Koi said, grimly after a second. "I need to talk to you about something."

[Shika Nesshin]

Nesshin cannot help but smile in return.

"Avoid you? No," he says. "Get caught up in other things? Yes; it's a busy time for us all. And I thought you might like to meet a few other people, as well." He grins. "Gotta know that you're getting the best, right?"

Nesshin leans forward, hands on his thighs. "What'd you need to talk about?"

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi laughed warmly, and cocked her head thinking about last night. "Perhaps there is truth in that, still I enjoy spending time with you. You make me happier, more than perhaps anyone has ever made me happy. I just wanted to apologies for my behaviour the last time we spoke, I know that can be off putting to men seeing someone turn into a pile of tears on the floor. Gomen, I am sorry for that."

Koi nodded and kept chipping at the wood slowly as she thought about her words. "Something is happening in this city, I think and I've got a bad feeling about it. In the past days I have been investigating the Kyuden Shika regarding dreams, and the connection to the supernatural in the city like we investigated previously when you met me that night." She paused and thought before just being direct about it. "I have learned the land of this city, as you mentioned is quite thin. I have learned there are two major locations of powers that effect Yume-do here - the temple which provides dreams that are prophetic in nature and the Cedar trees in the garden which protects from bad dreams if slept under."

"Twice now, I have dreamt in the temple and have had two occasions where Yume-do have revealed to me dreams I know are more than your traditional dreams. Twice they have reflected something potentially menacing to one of the Imperials, and the last one last night revealed to me something about the Painting in the hall that has change from previously. In my vision, the painting moved and seemed to be connected to Seppun Unsei in some way..."

She stopped and touched her vitiligo. "I wouldn't be taking this so seriously if I hadn't heard the voice of Allul the baku spirit that saved me when I was younger and gave me this mark. It spoke to me twice. Both dreams connected to this Seppun."

Chewing on her lip this time Koi said. "I spoke with Pei Pei-sama about the paintings when I first arrived, she gave me a warning about the individual in that painting and now I think back, I think it's an omen. "

[Shika Nesshin]

Nesshin's brows rise.

"I'm acquainted with Seppun Unsei," he says, "and I rather like them; I'd be worried were something to happen to them. And, more generally, this is my home; if there is a threat to it, I want it stopped--and I want to help stop it. Tell me more, and tell me what I can do."

All playfulness is gone from him as he speaks; this is a serious matter, and he takes it seriously. "What did Pei-Pei-sama say, as well, please?"

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi leant forward and pressed her fingers together after putting the wood away, as she thought.

"Firstly, I suppose I should tell the dreams I've had." She said softly, and closed her eyes. "I remember awakening in darkness to an unpleasant, familiar sound. I desperately wanted to be away from that darkness and sound, and so in my dream I spread beautiful moth wings and flew into the air. High above the emerald lands, with the warmth of Lady Sun feeling like love from the Heavens themselves against my back. But I kept flying farther and father south, and as night began to come, I flew over the Aokami Forest, to see a grand arrangement of lanterns."

Koi was not telling a story, there was no real grandstanding she was telling it how she recalled it. Perhaps a little, but it was how her brain remembered things. "I saw lanterns of all colors and all sizes, from bright Phoenix orange to dark Unicorn purple. I felt the joy of these lanterns drawing me in. But off to the side, there was one small lantern that gave me the opposite feeling. Chrysanthemum hued, it rested next to a very large crimson lantern."

"It was then the baku that I know spoke to me, the first time he had spoken to me since I was a child -" She closed her eyes really allowing her mind to unfold the puzzle carefully, she had unfolded a story for years to do someone elses was hard but to do her own where she felt comfortable was not so hard at times. "I said - The star of luck will bring you only misfortune. Fly as you will between the others, but that one will only sear your wings. I awoke after that."

Koi went quiet for a spell as she thought. "I did not take at the time the crimson lantern resting next to the lantern of the Imperial for that it represented Scorpion. A very large Scorpion presence."

Koi held out two fingers. "Dream two, this was yesterday. I woke upon the castle wall, my back pressed flat against it."

She sat quietly as she recalled the very real dream now. "I was holding this white carination my hand but I couldn't smell it, but nearby a lot of other flowers could carry their scent to me but were trodden on. I looked down the hallway and didn't need to turning my head to see a Unicorn samurai-ko and Seppun Unsei talking in front of a portrait of a woman - the same portrait that is still there. The portrait seemed to be looking down at the Unicorn with desire in it's eyes."

Koi said softly. "They spoke to one another. The Unicorn wished that something interesting would happen to them."

"The Seppun replied, that they were the interesting thing happening to them. The Unicorn suddenly spins around, as if looking for something as she replied: "What was that?" The Seppun didn't know and dismissed it as the Wind. The Unicorn agreed, but it was at that time the Unsei-sama and the portrait smiled at one another exactly."

She said softly, and chewed her lip. "At that time, I heard Allul again come to me and whisper remember little moth." the familiar voice of her friend said, "Those unwilling to look past themselves are blind."

She took a deep breath before shuddering as she thought about the painting. "I went to the painting earlier, and the picture of the Scorpion had changed she isn't there anymore." She bit her thumb. "Pei Pei said: It is a wonderful thing when Benten and Musubi are in harmony...She mentioned something about finding wedded bliss to one the desires but she than said however, dishonoring Musubi to chase after 'Benten' is a foolish foolish thing indeed. Each of Shosuro Yoriko's victims learned what folly that truly was, at the cost of their own lives. And so, as you walk through the castle halls, my hope is that she reminds you that it is Musubi to whom your devotion should be paid, not Benten."

"She said this in a manner I believe to holding something quite serious." She said softly. "Do you know of the paintings? The story begin them?" She asked uncertain, as she knows not everyone is into art. "As to what to do, I do not know. I am going to approach the Emerald Magistrate after this and raise this with him. From there, I plan to keep an eye on those in the Inn tonight with Kitsu-sama and see if we can find any connection to it and Seppun Unsei.."

Koi chewed her lip before realising she had torn the inside of her cheek tasting blood. "We need to be careful, Neeshin-san, I dont think raising it with the Seppun is a good idea just yet. I am still processing some information gained earlier today regarding the painting itself...The Water kami was quite...heavy with information."

((Waiting for a spell reply from DM))

[Shika Nesshin]

"I know about the paintings," Nesshin says. "I've regarded them, in fact, conversing about them with one of the other guests here. His take on them was quite scathing; mine was...more in line with what I believe you know of me."

He shakes his head.

"Perhaps you ought to bring this to the Lord Shika, though, rather than Doji-bugyo. Or at least in addition to him."

Because this is going to be bad if it gets far out, Nesshin thinks. And we cannot have that shit.

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi paused for a moment, and chewed her lip still as she thought. "I am not sure. The paintings are not magical in origin except there was petals found under the painting."

"I want to go to your Shika-dono but I do not want to go without all the facts. I need to learn more, I'd ideally like to learn more about the Shosuro, the painter of the pieces and potentially about the Seppun. Maybe this Unicorn...ano...Unicorn Kheree-sama?" She turned to Neeshin. "I never met them before but I immediately recognised them."

Koi shook her hands together. "Give me 1 day, let me get my facts straight and find some further information out and we go first thing tomorrow morning? Together."

[Shika Nesshin]

Nesshin clasps her hands in his. "Together. And I shall look forward to hearing what you find, truly."

Because I will not have threats to my home.