Kyuden Shika

"No, it apparently cannot. Empire full of madness. But even saying that, you stand on an inconceivably large wall among warriors of another clan in defiance of a spirit realm that would consume us all. Even normal can sound insane when spoken out loud," he said with a shrug.

"When you put it that way it does sound unbelievable. Doesn't change much of the fact that even just trying to figure out the weather's issues leads people on a chase for a spirit now." She grumbled.

He takes a good long swig. "Normal for each of us can be madness for everyone else. Some people play with spirits, other people marry goats... or should. In the end we're all going to end up in the same place. May as well enjoy the crazy on the way there."

"I thought not everyone ended up in the same place? Some go to Toshigoku. Some end up in other realms. Some end up stuck here. Unpleasant. All of it."

"True, but on the way there we make a stop by Emma-O. Some get multiple stops there after retries at Ningen-do. But Taiko seems to like hanging out with me here. Otherwise he'd be in Yomi and hanging out with his friends that made it there," he says with a chuckle. "So it can't be all bad."

"Unless he's trapped and can't move on. Or can't because he's got business to deal with here still." She offered. "Some Kuni told me that was the most common issues with spirits. Just still had things to do."

"Top of that list... hang around me all day," he says with a smirk. "Not the most exciting thing in the world when you're a ghost hanging around a bureaucrat filing paperwork most days. Perhaps I'm a torture for something he did wrong in life?" He laughs at the thought of being the karmic torment for someone else. Soyokaze might actually agree with that sentiment.

"An amusing thought but would it be a torture to both. Maybe you did something that needed punishing in your past life and he did something that needed punishing even further in the afterlife. Doubly so for him since he can't come back until he moves on."

"Maybe that's the case." He takes another drink. "But honestly, he helps me out more than he annoys me so probably not."

"Spirit that helps? Doesn't sound right but if it works then don't fix it I suppose. Common mantra for most that most end up ignoring anyway."