(D6, LA) Bureaucrat-do, Way of the Papercut

[Kitsu Murato]

"Perhaps one day, but I suspect that the tales of Sodan Senzo calling upon ancestors from yomi and getting a response are likely a bit more exciting," he says with a chuckle.

"But ghost stories tend to be among my favorite to tell, since I have survived some pretty crazy ones. That is where most of my scars come from, and they tend to be some odd scars."

[Moshi Shizuka]

"Oh?" Shizuka asked, canting her head slightly. From this new vantage point, she tried to catch sight of someone of these aforementioned scars.

"I do enjoy a good story, Kitsu-san. Perhaps you would share one of your your best with me?"

[Kitsu Murato]

"If you are interested," he says with a nod. "I've told about the doll that grows hair, and the living tatami recently to others. How about..." he pulls open the front of his kimono slightly revealing a hand print that looks like it had claws that seems to have been burned into his chest, "... the burning gaki?"

"That one was a violent creature. We had a request to respond to something killing people and leaving behind burnt out husks. We arrived in the village where the reports were coming from, and found a small hut smoldering, learning that it had destroyed an entire family in the time it took us to arrive. Like many spirits, it was not obviously visible at all times, but when it prepared to attack it would leave behind charred footprints according to the local reports. Using that, we were able to identify a general direction to where it made a lair for itself."

"There was a small burned out area in an orchard that had regrown. recently but left behind a charred and twisted quince tree. It had not been expecting to be found quite so easily I imagine. It looked directly into my eyes and knew that I was the one that could see it among my companions. We used a special type of string from time to time that will stick to unseen spirits in order to allow priests to identify and locate them, but as soon as the string hit the gaki it burned away. So I had to direct the others verbally. It was not going well, as it moved in close circles around me making it very difficult to track it's movement, and it didn't leave visible scorch marks in a place that was already scorched."

"Finally I was able to draw it in to attack me, giving notification to the others that it would be upon me in moments. It jumped on me, pressing me to the ground with a single hand, and prepared to devour me. But because of the burning flesh it was leaving on my chest, it gave the two priests with me the opportunity to place a binding on it, trapping it and binding it to the burnt tree so that it could not leave. The tree had a warding shrine put up around it, but the gaki has still not been removed as far as I know. I believe they are studying it even now."

[Moshi Shizuka]

"Oh!" While no wilting maiden, even Shizuka had to cover her mouth with a sleeve to hide her shock at that story. "Such a valiant act, Kitsu-san. Truly selfless of you to bear such wounds in the name of duty."

Recomposing herself, Shizuka continued, "Would that I should never have to be tried in a manner as you were in that tale. But, should such a time come for me, I will certainly do my best to remember your story and draw strength and resilience from it."

[Kitsu Murato]

"I'm not usually in danger like that, honestly. I spend much more time just processing paperwork in a room with a few others bureaucrats. But I get assigned to groups sent to handle spiritual threats if they don't know what they're dealing with or know they will have difficulty locating a spirit. Which means they tend not to need me for the issues that aren't dangerous. My eyes are a bit different from most other Kitsu with pureblood since I can't speak with the kami but I can speak much more freely with other spirits," he explained.

[Moshi Shizuka]

"Fascinating. That is the gift of your family's lineage, isn't it?" A thoughtful expression settled upon Shizuka. "That your family would entrust such a valuable thing to the decisions of the Shika is a sign of great faith, eh?"

[Kitsu Murato]

"Actually I am an anomaly. The vast majority with eyes like mine are Shugenja, and our eyes take time and training to figure out. I never required training and my eyes see in a different way. But I also don't hear the kami," he says. "My gifts fly in the face of the traditional gifts of my family."

"They also do some other things too. Like shift colors with strong emotions. They can become white with anger, brown with sadness, red with... passion. They always keep a base orange tint though."

[Moshi Shizuka]

"Truly fascinating! Though, I can imagine it must be a burden to literally have one's feelings written upon their face in such a way." Shizuka mused, "So many spend years perfecting their on, so they may present the proper face in all situations. And yet to have one's own eyes show your feelings despite all that."

"You do not find it a burden in your duties?"

[Kitsu Murato]

"No. It is only when I feel a certain emotion very strongly, and in the moment. If it's something you'd want to observe you would need to push. Otherwise, my eyes would be a bit red right now," he says with a smirk. "Since your presence and proximity is enough to inspire passion."

[Moshi Shizuka]

"My, I would not imagine I could have such an effect on someone." Shizuka's tone was certainly playful enough, "Truly, you do credit to your school's august reputation, to convey such things openly and with such meaning."