[D12ME] Starry stories (Expecting)

[Moto Mitsuki]

For the first time in days, the sky was fully clear. It was almost disturbing, so used had Mitsuki become to the clouds being a fixture there.

The presence of water could still be felt through the land though, the earth a muddy mess, every plant, rock, horse, person dripping wet.

The thick, family-size, carpet she had set up on the clearing's ground was an oasis of dryness in this world (at least on its upper side). Then only liquid allowed on it was the water within Mitsuki's own body and the ink of her writing case.

Under the stars, looked over by her gods, Mitsuki wrote the story of her people.

[Kitsu Murato]

He was sharing the open sky with someone other than Bai. He hadn't realized how much he wished to do so with her until the opportunity presented itself. But then, he didn't mind sharing it with Mitsuki. They may not have become as close as he had originally thought they might but he still appreciated spending time with her.

"Good evening once more Moto-san. A beautiful night for it," he says with a smile.

[Moto Mitsuki]

"Good evening Kitsu-san.

Indeed. The spirits are kind to offer us some respite at the soon-to-be dawn of the end.

Would you consider that your time in Deer lands was fruitful? Both regarding and regardless of marriage?"

[Kitsu Murato]

"I would say so, though it's a difficult thing to gauge the intangible. Certainly helping to disperse a gaki and sending it back to it's realm was helpful in that regard however. If nothing else I have helped protect Utaku-san from that creature making the trip worth it from that perspective."

"But my opinion also would be that I have enjoyed my time getting to know people here. Strangely enough, I somehow feel like I have failed a bit however. Even though we traveled here together, I ended up probably a bit closer with Bayarama-san, and have acted to protect Utaku-san. But I did not spend enough time with you I think, at least not after arriving. A shame, as I have found our limited time together interesting and lovely."

[Moto Mitsuki]

"As we discussed previously, some things simply aren't meant to be. Destiny decided to split our paths at some point, and since then we have been walking different ways."

Her lips twisted:

"I also might have been shunning all contacts with the Lion for some time after that Matsu guy tried to arrange a match for me, time enough to pretend the accident just didn't happen. Otherwise, in the present context, I would have been forced to request reparation for that insult. And it didn't feel right to shame all your clan for the tactlessness of a single one of its soldiers."

Please don't prove me wrong for having been nice.

"I think I've heard more versions about the gaki story than there are people in town. Mind giving me your own? You and Kuni-sama were leading the charge against it from my understanding... But I still have no idea what 'it' was."

[Kitsu Murato]

He nods at that. "Well, if you had come to me, I would have slapped some sense into him... or at least tried. I imagine you are speaking of Ishioka-san since I saw him try and fail to arrange connections with others as well. Nakodo is not a likely duty in his future," he says, in all seriousness.

"I know that I am not the one that offered insult, and an apology from me is not the same. But I am sorry that one of my clansmen did so. I will speak with and strongly urge him to offer reparation for the insult if he has not done so already."

He bows his head to her, very respectfully and in apology. After which he turns to the topic of the Gaki.

"It was some sort of gaki that... hmm... it had a unique nature. It was feeding off of desire in the hearts of those it affected. But to start from the beginning, Kitsuki Hajime, Kuni Yasu and I were trying to locate a rain spirit that had been causing the non-stop downpours since we arrived. Hoping to potentially ease it's wrath or ask it to move on. In the process of the small ritual between the three of us I experienced a... deafening inundation of spiritual activity within miles of our location. In the process I located the rain spirit, but also happened to notice something evil at the inn. We changed our target immediately and rushed to find it so that we might prevent it from hurting anyone.

After a mishap with Renjiro-neko and Renjiro-san it was finally found that there was a gaki present in one of the participants rooms, tied to her. Kuni Yasu, Shosuro Hikimasu, Kaikoga Koi and my self were guided in a ritual set up by Kitsu Tsugumasa, where each represented a different element. It was Yasu-san's Earth and my Void that seemed to be most effective in banishing the creature. Though there is no guarantee it will not return, so it should be noted that Utaku Kheree should be monitored spiritually in case it does try to attach itself to her again. As far as Yasu could tell, the jade that Utaku-san carried was unaffected as it might be by worse evils, so she has not been spiritually contaminated in that way."

[Moto Mitsuki]

"So the evil spirit left the Renjiro child alone – or was it the Renjiro cat – to try to possess Kheree? It might have ride on her deep connection to the realm of animals, though that's but a guess.

As for the rain spirit – Ame-kun is it? – we're several persons to have encounter them. They seemed more playful than anything else, through they mentioned a seemingly more wrathful 'dad', and dropped hints they were coming from the Mantis Islands. So said dad might be Osano-Wo. Or not. It's not like spirits are in any obligation to tell the truth, or to hint at the truth.

Was Shika Pei-Pei involved in any of these incidents? There are rumors she is the Deer chief shugenja, and she skipped today's event, so that she was taking care of any of the two spirits is not impossible. Especially as, well, it's not raining anymore."

[Kitsu Murato]

"The gaki which never attached to Renjiro, cat or child, as far as I know. But the cat and child are connected to each other. And the gaki has already been taking care of for now, so I don't think that Shika Pei Pei was doing anything related to that. She was possibly dealing with the rain spirit though."

[Moto Mitsuki]

"New mysteries to add to the pile then. The Deer sure love to keep their secrets... or at least to pose as mysterious people in a mysterious forest.

Though they totally stole that one from the Fox."

[Kitsu Murato]

"Mysterious forests... I have to say that the spiritual nature does live up here. I had a trickster imitate me and cause lascivious rumors before almost killing a friend, helped banish a gaki, and heard the voices of more spirits than I have ever heard in my life in just a single oppressive moment. In two weeks? That's an impressive amount of spirit activity for any bureaucrat to be personally involved in." He smirked at that.