(D7, LA) Meditations on Marriage

[Kuni Yasu]

Just as I start to seriously to doubt it.

Yasu nods. "With the sun through the rain, I think I'll stick to something more hopeful, then. And a bit personal."

Her hands absently smooth at the fabric across her lap. "So the Tai... the corruption of the Shadowlands is irreversible save in some very heroic tales. And for much of our history, it was unstoppable. Once touched by it, its growth was inevitable. Those whose earth was strong could resist longer, but..." She shrugs slightly.

"Then research found a particular lotus, grown in sacred pools, could be infused with the protective power of jade...everything protective comes back to jade. Someone in whom the ..corruption is not too far advanced, can suppress and greatly slow its advance with meditation, careful living, and regular use of a tea made of those leaves." She pauses for a long and quiet moment. "What we don't know, is how far a soul can be corrupted before it cannot escape descent into Jigoku upon death, nor weather dying while it is suppressed with this tea will free one to find Meido instead, or... Well, there's a lot we still don't know about those finer points of how corruption affects the soul's journey across cycles of death and rebirth."

[Kitsu Murato]

He nods at that. "Interesting. You know... I don't think many think about this, and personally I find it difficult to deal with how emotional it can be... but when I see a person pass away, if they do not immediately pass to Meido for judgement I see them emerge into the place between life and death. Most do not do so, but those that are troubled do. I wonder if the corruption would be something I'd be able to see in those moments," he says. "Perhaps provide an answer or two that is not so easily seen by others."

[Kuni Yasu]

Yasu nods once, taking a moment to breathe while cracks widen. "There have been those who could see, if not the same as you since I think such gifts vary, at least something like that. Those who are past the stage where the tea does much good have souls obviously changed. Before that, it's harder to know." Her hands lift, almost as if holding things, weighing them in her hands. "Where's the balance point? Because, well...there's something to choosing your death while you can still just slip back to the cycle. And even with a few able to see, it's hard to have them there just at that moment, or see where they slip off to...it's all.."

Her hands drop back to her lap. "My mom drinks this tea. She...remains because there is always work to do, and she can still serve it." There's a steady solid cadence to her words, a matter-of-factness. "That's not...unique. Most Crab stand at least that close to corruption. Will lose at least one loved soul to Jigoku."

She starts a little, gaze returning from the distance it had traveled. "But I said this was a hopeful topic, and it is. Many use it to come to terms with choosing when to die with their souls still...probably...returning to the cycle. And many use it to continue vital work, knowing what they're sacrificing. It offers that time and ability to chose."

[Kitsu Murato]

"Many hold on to this life very strongly. I often think about it actually. I think fear of death may be the jealousy of Ningen-do, it's control, like Hitsu or Satsugai. And likely the weakest of the controls of the realms, with how willing some can be to die for their beliefs."

"It would not be an easy decision to make though. Leaving behind all you care about because of something you have no control over. We may be reborn in the next life, but it is no comfort in the fact that we won't remember this life in the next."

[Kuni Yasu]

"That does seem like Ningen-do is...far weaker than many realms to have to press that kind of thought on people rather than a true sort of control. Which fits, since we know it has very little ability to hold most. The way it confers mortality just...constrains the directions in which a soul can leave, but does nothing to keep the body from slipping between realms wherever there's a portal." The academic discussion is easy to slip into, even as it feels mildly odd to do with someone not wearing similar face paint to hers.

There's a soft smile. "I guess some would care about not remembering, it's more the leaving behind I think. And..." The smile doesn't really vanish, but it dims a bit as she concentrates on acceptable words. "So, there's work that's just too risky, too prone to expose one to corruption to do...usually. But if one's soul is already damaged? It's work only they can do, that might be valuable, might learn something to better protect others." There's a huff of breath. "Kind of a common end for us. There's...a lot fewer Kuni in Yomi, or even Meido, than you'd expect. Least that's what I'm told."

[Kitsu Murato]

"I'll ask the next visitor from Yomi that I meet," he says with a smile. "But I would be willing to bet that those that aren't taken by Jigoku would be more likely to end up cleansed and serving the heavens in the afterlife. After all, those that serve the interests of Tengoku so fervently must earn the favor of heaven more frequently than those that simply fight for the mortal realm and themselves." It certainly made sense in his mind. There was nothing that one could do if Jigoku got a firm grasp, but being willing to risk such in the defense of all other realms? That seemed worthy of being honored in the afterlife.

[Kuni Yasu]

"It would be nice to think so." Yasu says quietly. "Perhaps the celestial courts judge that fight more honorably than our clumsy mortal ones do. I don't think many believe that's the case." Their duty wasn't about that possible reward.

Curious, she asks, "how often do you run across spirits of Yomi, or other realms for that matter? Not being able to see them, I only deal with those that make themselves known, which I assume isn't nearly all of them."

[Kitsu Murato]

"In a large enough castle complex, I may see a handful each day. And my home is one of the most expansive castle complexes in the empire that has people trained for regularly interacting and calling upon the ancestors. So they are almost constantly present. Many are just regularly there and I recognize them as another regular acquaintance, but not all," he explained. Then thought about it.

"The congregation of such spirits kind of keeps the others away. Most of the negative spirits crop up in villages and towns in the surrounding area."

[Kuni Yasu]

She listens with interest, "That sounds so crowded, the castle, I mean. Do you prefer it there, or out...well, what do you call your rounds to deal with those other spirits?"

"Do you have a sense that the ancestral ones actively keep others away...or is their mere presence enough to turn aside such things?" There's a definite sense of considering how, or if, that sort of interaction could be used to any advantage.

[Kitsu Murato]

"The castle is absolutely massive. I have not been to a larger one in Lion lands and my father has said that in size it compares favorably with imperial castles, though not as opulent. It doesn't feel crowded to me. It houses the army responsible for the borders with both the Unicorn and Dragon, as well as the army of Akodo students there."

"I don't really do rounds myself. When a team is formed to deal with a threat, I am simply added to them from time to time. A few missions per year, half a dozen or more."

He thinks a bit on the next question, considering the spiritual presence.

"I suspect that the spirits present make it difficult for malicious spirits to hold any power or sway there, plus the wards set by our Shugenja."