Rice wine and spirits (io)

Sun Dec 12, 2021 6:25 am

Midnight, the witching hour, that time when the fabric of the living world and is sheer with that of the great beyond.  When ghosts and ghouls have more power, and their influence is at its heaviest,  those with the powers to sense such apparitions will oft use this time to perform their darkest rituals with the brightest of results.  Above, the stars shone bright, while the moon hung heavy.  Appearing to be closer to Earth than normal, clouds vacant to ensure a clear view.  The brisk air signifies the changing of seasons, with but a light breeze to send goose flesh down one’s arms, should they be bared to the elements.

At odds with these mystical thoughts was Asahi Yagami.  Sitting on a well weathered head stone, he was gently humming to himself.  Currently in a teal and lavender kimono tied with a contrasting crimson sash, wooden clogs resting on the grass.  His ninjato was propped against the headstone, unlikely to be needed.  Hair tied up in chopsticks, and left hand holding a honey sucker he’d bought earlier in the day to his mouth.  In his right hand he held a book on spiritualism, including different spirit tags both to invite and ward off ghosts that may be lurking in the area.  Well worn, it was one of the few items he had stolen from the Yagami compound upon his and his cousin Yasahiro’s night time escape.  The pages where dry, and cracked in places.  The ink well worn, with writing written in, in an attempt to keep the knowledge on the page and not in the ethereal plane.

The twin spirits of the main castle had yet to show themselves again, and though he had questioned many, none as of yet had given him a satisfactory answer.  Some had described one or the other as retainers from long ago, but they weren’t of the same time.  Ghosts becoming friends and side along apparitions was a rarity if not an absurdity.  Ghosts could haunt the same place sure, but the haunting a we’re done in more of a parallel than an intersection.  Deciding midnight amongst the dead was the best time to research such a conundrum, Asahi had left for the graveyard, to consider.

The graveyard was several hundred meters outside the village proper.  A dry slick of land that was uphill from the rice paddy fields, ensuring the corpses of the past didn’t arrive in the dinner of the future.  Still, he felt the whole thing a bit unsanitary.  Rows of the graves shown, some with stone markings, others with weathered wood.  It was in a sad state, one that showed the freshly dead received their attention due but the ones of the past like their bodies had rotted from memories of those still around.

The grave he rested on was weathered to a point of unreadability, so he felt it to be a perfect spot.  He had a seat and the spirit had the warmth of the living nearby to warm itself.  The chattering of crickets and Trea frogs played chorus for the night time study.  Across the headstone a jacket that had been discarded for the time being.

Turning he’d lay the book gently on the headstone, and remove a brush and ink.  He’d begin drawing on a bit of paper that he had brought with him.  Matching the signs within the book to complete the spirit tag.  His fingers soon became washed in the black ink, and looking down he wondered if that would much matter.  Was the magic in the ritual or in the words…….a question he’d never had a satisfactory answer to.  He’d repeat this process 7 times, until he had 7 tags.  Rolling the honey sucker in his mouth he’s consider his work…..so engrossed the world around him continued to spin without his notice…..

TWC - 641

Sun Dec 12, 2021 1:50 pm

Yamato Tanaka
Post WC: 534
Total WC: 534

AP:

200/200

The silence. The dark. Maybe this was just how it always for was villagers. Maybe it was natural, it was the middle night after all. But it still felt weird for Yamato, who had been a city dweller his whole life. In the big cities he had resided in previously, even the darkest time of the night the streets would be lit up by street lights. There would always be some people walking around, drinking, working.. Not in Tanbo. Tanbo slept. It was odd. It wasn’t however, all bad. The sky was full of stars at these hours. Even though he was looking at the same sky as he was when he lived in Kirigakure, the sight Yamato’s eyes were beholding was anything but alike. Even though he could tend to get nostalgic to his days in Suna and Kiri, trading streetlamps for starlight was a surprise benefit. When he made up his mind to relocate to somewhere small like this, never had it crossed his mind that he would end up finding so many small things to love.

The starry night was one of course and it would have been no surprise to anyone who knew Yamato even by association, that he enjoyed the silence quite a bit as well. The work he was doing here was simpler, sure, and maybe less fulfilling for now, but Yamato had a vision for this town. He wanted to protect the things he had fallen in love with while elevating the place to a status worthy of his qualities. Spoil this town with riches worthy of its scenery. Tonight, however, he could hardly pay attention to the beauty of it all. It had been a long day. He dragged the carcass of a giant wolf far enough away from the crops not to draw any harmful animals or insects that way, but still let the remains be reclaimed by nature. He brushed his gloves off. It did not help with his sanitation at all. He was drenched in blood, dust and mud all over. His suit hardly registered as white now. He headed back towards the village. He was considerably far from the residential area. He tried not to think of how long the road ahead was, and just started walking.

The graveyard just happened to be in Yamato's way. And there was movement inside. At this time of the night. Yamato knew the ways of some corrupted ninja that would harvest bodies for creating wretched amalgamations of others. In Tanbo? He just couldn't comprehend someone would have such an aim and target such a small village. He approached the figure who was doing something Yamato couldn’t quite make out. Their face was turned to the other direction. “Hi? Can I help you?” Yamato asked, but his image might have been seen as anything but helpful. A man covered in blood and mud in the middle of the night approaching someone from behind? It wasn’t exactly the greatest way to break the ice. He noted the book that was sitting on one of the gravestones. This was a weird picture all around. Yamato hoped to resolve this matter fast so he could go back and sleep.

Sun Dec 12, 2021 6:36 pm

Giving the honey sucker one last roll around his mouth, Asahi would lay down the brush.  Black flecks in contrast with his white skin.  A ghost making tags for ghost, an interesting concept to be certain.  The brush would roll from the headstone, splatting ink across the grass as it did.  With a frown he’d bend low, retrieving the instrument, just as a voice caught him off guard.  He’d bolt upright, sending the bottle of ink and brush flying and splattering himself.  The black sending a rather chaotic piece of art across the teal and lavendar.

Inwardly sighing he would turn, to see a man standing behind him.  For his own look, he was also splattered.  It was a contrast as Asahi sought to find a semblance of living amongst the dead with his handiwork, while the fellow before him had found death in the living and was marked for it.  Filth covered the man, and in the darkness it was difficult to tell what exactly it consisted of.  Blood, mud, both……Asahi felt his fingers twitch ever so slightly towards the ninjato that leaned nearby.  Still his strength was in words then swords, so it was better to start there.

“Ummm I don’t think so, but it looks like you could use some help.  Are you injured, or have you been doing some injuring?”  He would say in a jovial sing song voice.  He hadn’t expected visitors of the solid variety, and though spirits of malcontent were possible he again hadn’t been expecting them if the more corporeal kind.  In the distance a low howl started and then picked up steam as others joined in.  Asahi thought it to be a mournful sound, having no knowledge or understanding of its origin.

Assuming there was no aggressive forces and an explanation that was satisfactory was given, Asahi would relax.  Even stepping to the side to show the 7 tags that had thankfully remained unmarred by the spilling ink-fall.  “Names Asahi Yagami, and spiritualism is my game!”  He would say with a twinkle in his eye.  Inviting the other man to look at his handiwork.  “Trying to see if I can persuade any of our ancestors to chat…..well not my ancestors, but…..you know,…” he’d wave his arms around at the surrounding area, “ancestors……you know?“. Still smiling he’d snatch up the tags.  The man had come so surely he wished to help.  Not giving it much thought he’d walk up and hand Yamato 4 tags.  “Care to place these at the 4 corners of the cemetery?  You’re a peach.”  He’d finish just assuming that the man would be happy to assist.  He had offered after all.

TWC - 1084

Mon Dec 13, 2021 3:12 pm

Yamato Tanaka
Post WC: 411
Total WC: 945

AP:

200/200

‘Are you injured, or have you been doing some injuring?’. Yamato did not expect the blunt question. "A bit of both. Wolf. Big one. Yamato Tanaka, D-Ranked officer of Tanbogakure.". He tapped the headband wrapped around his right arm. "By the way. I know we just met but let me give you a branding tip. When you have two rhyming words in your catchphrase, you should go for it. ‘Asahi Yagami is my name, and SPIRITS are my game.’. Like that.". Yamato did a fairly bad impression of Asahi based on limited interaction. He realized it only after finishing the sentence, and hoped that his impression was so bad that Asahi wouldn’t realize it was an impression at all, and not be offended. "Also, the emphasis on SPIRITS really brings it out in my humble opinion. It is not a usual occupation field after all, you should say it loudly and proudly. Wait...". It seemed Yamato’s brain put marketing issues so upfront that he had missed not one but two elephants. "Did you say SPIRITS? Also did you say YAGAMI? Like… The Kage?". He looked at the person in front of him. Yamato had not met Yasahiro Yagami yet, so he didn’t know what their leader looked like, "Are you twins?".

He coughed forcefully to smooth and lower his voice, and dust some of the dirt off of himself in an attempt to try to make a better impression, now that he knew the person he was speaking to might have had an important spot in the hierarchy of this little town. "Regardless. I did mean it when I said ‘at your service.’. I can’t say I’m an expert in the field of spirits, but I’ll be glad to help wherever I can.". Yamato took the four tags Asahi gave him, and following the orders precisely, placed them in the four corners of the graveyard (after, of course, examining them thoroughly). ‘I’m a peach?’ he thought to himself while circulating around the cemetery, ‘I hope that’s a good thing. Peaches… Are fuzzy? Peaches… Are full of nutrients? Peaches are natural? Peaches… get promotions? No, that can’t be right. Oh no. Peaches don’t get promotions. I must do something.’ He came back breathing heavily. "Please don’t judge my cardio. I’m not at the top of my game tonight. I placed the tags. What next? Do we just wait until someone decides to visit us? Or de we call out to anyone specific?".

Mon Dec 13, 2021 11:00 pm

"Kage?" Asahi had to roll the term around in his head a few times to understand what the newcomer was talking about. The word had even thrown from his mind the mess of wolves. "O you mean Yasahiro!" He would say with a twinkling laugh. People always perked up at the name, though for the life of him he could not understand why. Yasahiro was his beloved cousin of course, a man to be treasured and protected whenever possible. However, he was still a rather surly grump of a lug that hardly deserved the voices of intrigue that the name often got when he introduced himself. "Twins......" A serious face would cross across his brow as he thought if the man wished to insult him. Cousins they may be, but it would be a ghastly day when the two of them looked akin. Then however, he burst out laughing at the though of Yasahiro's own face if he was to be called the twin of Asahi. In truth the joke the man had made earlier was all but lost due to the even funnier one that undoubtedly had been unintended.

The laughter at odds with the dead filled the night for far longer than was appropriate. However, eventually it subsided, and he was able to return to speech. "No, no........no." He would say with an emphasis on the last no. "We are but beloved cousins. Two sakura blossoms at opposite ends of the branch......though I'm not sure if his has bloomed all the way." He would finish with another girlish laugh at his own jest. If Yamato had met Yasahiro then this meeting would be odd to be sure as the differences far outstripped the similarities in the Yagami line. Should Asahi be his first Yagami encountered, then his impression of Yasahiro was going to be far off if he based it off this graveyard galivant.

At the second offer of aid, Asahi was already well prepared to take the man up on it. Having already moved to hand him the spirit tags. Yamato did well, or at least he followed instructions. Which of course, under Asahi's guidance was all the same thing. While he placed the tags in the four corners of the graveyard Asahi placed the three he had remaining into a triangular configuration. In-between the three points was a singular headstone. It was difficult to tell what was written on the warn stone, but it was clear that whoever it had been had died a long time ago, and had died very young. Though sadder in the instance their lives had been cut short, Asahi had oft preferred the company of child spirits. They rarely had lost their sense of fun, and though they had the right to be bitter ghosts, it was rare to find a bitter child spirit. That was reserved for the adults of which ironically life had ruined their death.

"Mayhaps the spirits simply wished to borrow the breath of the living......wooooooo" He would say in an ethereal tone, wiggling his fingers in a very comical manner. Often times those who wished to perform seances were so droll and serious, Asahi had always assumed the spirits preferred his more light hearted approach. After all, it had to be rather boring being dead. "No they won't come just because we are here. Not unless we were very lucky. We made a home, and we fortified the leylines, much like a builder crafts walls. Now however.....we have to give them a welcome home invitation." He would turn smiling to Yamato. He did not know how much of a believer his new random friend was, but if he had any intuition he would know that Asahi believed every word he said. Sitting in the grave moss, he would pat the ground for Yamato. "We gotta wait for it to charge." He would say as though this was an obvious thing. "I don't think I have seen you around the village, been here long?" He would ask, even though he himself had only been around for a handful of weeks.

TWC - 1767

Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:06 am

Yamato Tanaka
Post WC: 348
Total WC: 1293

AP:

200/200

Yamato chuckled as Asahi’s laughter echoed through the graveyard. "Oh, my bad." the Yamanaka answered, "I haven’t had the opportunity to meet Yasahiro yet, so your appearance may in fact be nothing alike. I was just making an educated guess. I’m not sure if you know this, but it’s a peculiar statistic, people who have twins seem to be more likely to end up Kage. No one knows why.". Yamato was glad the mood was friendlier now. He had worried he would make things awkward with his introduction. "Although, wait. Two sakura leaves on the same branch would have the exact same genetic code. You know, like identical twins. Your metaphors are misleading, Asahi.". Yamato hoped he had not overstepped the line, "I hope my bluntness is not coming off like disrespect. I mean anything but.".

He listened to the remainder of Asahi’s words and explanations. All this spirit stuff… It was new for Yamato. Unfamiliar. He would have believed whatever Asahi was telling him, even if he was lying about everything. Hopefully he wasn’t. What would have been the motive, after all? "It’s extraordinary how much Tanbo showed me I yet had to learn. I never would have considered the possibility of… Whatever you call what we’re doing. I’m glad to be a part of it. I guess that also answers your question. Yes, I have come over to Tanbo fairly recently. Although, I have become rather committed to this town despite my short time here. I’m hoping I can lend my expertise in certain fields to grow it. Loyal to your vision, of course, but I believe I can aid in fields you might not have considered, or elevate the rate at which Tanbo grows… Sorry.". Yamato smiled after realizing what he had done. "It’s… A habit. I promise not to talk business all evening, or try to sell my capabilities. I’m sincerely here to learn first. What about you? I have a very limited knowledge of Tanbo’s history. Are you and Yasahiro recent arrivals in the grand history, or were you here since the beginning?".

Thu Dec 16, 2021 12:08 am

“Is that true?” He’d ask one the twin comments. He’d never heard such a thing but now that it was said, it did feel like a fact that could not be argued. Brothers in fact….almost always became kage…….chalking it up to a spiritual possession of metaphysical knowledge he’d shrug. “Maybe my metaphors are misleading, but I’ll be honest, I barely know what metaphors are. I skipped most of my grammar lessons growing up, too this day I can’t tell the difference between to and too or their use.” He’d give another little shrug. This guy was clearly disrespectful even though he said he wasn’t trying to be, though if it wasn’t on purpose then perhaps it didn’t count? Asahi started to feel a headache coming on.

Reaching in his kimono he took out two bottles. One bottle being full of a sweet juice he’d picked up the village, the second being a bottle of premium sake he’d purchase today. Another swish of the hands and three small porcelain glasses where in his hand. He’d offered Yasahiro the gift of coming out tonight, though his cousin rarely joined him on these outings. Still hope springs eternal, so he was always prepared. In the first cup he placed the juice, which he put in the center where the tags converged, an offering. The other two glasses he poured generous amounts of sake almost sloshing over before handing one to Yamato and taking a drink of his, prompting the first refill. He left the bottle open and between the two men so his companion could easily grab it should he need.

He listened to Yamato’s story, of his dedication to the village, yet he hadn’t spoke to Yasahiro yet. Seemed a bit odd, and a more skilled and expierenced shinobi might have questioned it. But Asahi felt he could trust the man, for existential reasons that he couldn’t explain. Besides, Asahi was not a skilled or Experienced shinobi. “No I’ve only been here for a short time. Couples weeks maybe?” He’d say as if it was a question. Clearly showing how little he knew , or how fast time flies. “Yasahiro has been here much longer. We got split up on our travels, and it took me longer to find him than expected but………here we are.” He’d gesture around to indicate the surrounding area.

He’d take another drink, even though he’s been taking sips as he talked. Looking at the tags. He was starting to feel a stirring, though it wasn’t ready yet. “So, where do you come from, where do you plan to go? O have you met cotton eyed Joe? He runs the fish market, great guy, great halibut if you like fish!”

TWC - 2219

Fri Dec 17, 2021 9:03 am

Yamato Tanaka
Post WC: 557
Total WC: 1850

AP:

200/200

Yamato humbly bowed before taking a sip from Asahi’s gift. He nodded as the alcohol hit him and locked up the muscles of his face, stopping him from thanking Asahi before he had started speaking again. Listening to his words, Yamato subtly pulled out a small notebook and a pen. "Cotton-eyed Joe, you say?". He noted the name down. This could have been a hint, even a breakthrough. He had been getting leads in the case of drug smuggling into Tanbo, and this Cotton-eyed Joe was now Yamato’s number one suspect. Owning a shop would have been a great cover, after all, being able to use it as a front to your nefarious activities. Surely no other shop owner if not Cotton-eyed Joe, of course. Everyone else must have been trusted, well-established business owners that had their papers in order. "I can’t say I’ve met him yet." Yamato continued, "I will make sure… To grant him a visit.". Yamato of course had to do intensive research as to how much a fish market usually earned over a year, see the variables that effected it, and which applied to Tanbo, and compare the numbers to see if Cotton-eyed Joe’s numbers added up. Yamato had a gut feeling it didn’t. ‘Cotton-eyed Joe’. The name sounded evil. "So… Is his eye… Cotton? How does that work? Why not get a transplant? Those seem fairly ordinary these days. They must be affordable, though I never really looked into it myself. Why even put cotton in, and not remain one-eyed?".

It then hit him. He had met a man with one eye already. Well, all the men he had met had at least one eye, but only one of them had just one. The man that he had stumbled upon while drunk. Yamato barely had a recollection of the evening. He remembered the man approaching his table, being jealous of Yamato’s previous accomplishments, then being beaten by the Yamanaka rather heavily at chess (despite Yamato giving up both of his knights and both of his bishops). That man. He must have been Cotton-eyed Joe, hiding his cotton eye with a band. It all added up. Yamato was onto him. Further investigation, however, had to wait. "I will visit him alright, Asahi." he repeated in a deeper tone. He shook off his focus, "Oh. Excuse me, I got hyper-focused as usual, and forgot to address all you’ve said. I… I come from all over, really. As for where I am headed… Nowhere. I plan to remain as long as Tanbo will have me. Judged by my worst behaviour, I’m useful. By my best, I dare say I’m invaluable. But… There I go endorsing myself again. What about you, Asahi? Where are you from? What brought you here? Yasahiro, or is there more to the story?".

A sound of rattling echoed throughout the graveyard. Yamato’s body locked up very briefly. Asahi might not have known why, until Yamato bended down, reached his ankle and pulled up his trouser’s leg to reveal several fresh cuts that bled down his shoe. "Was this one of your friends?" Yamato asked, still slightly in pain. The bottle Asahi had placed in between the two men got knocked down by a force Yamato could not see nor sense. He raised an eyebrow, and looked up at Asahi for instructions.

Sat Dec 18, 2021 3:01 am

Asahi was not sure what to make of Yamato, other than the man must really love fish. After all, his interest in Cotton Eye Joe the fishmonger had taken on a hyper focused undertone. To cement this just as he thought that, the man admitted that he had a tendency to get hyper focused on certain things and then once again apologized for trying to sell himself. Thinking on the subject he wished to be helpful. “You know, I’m not sure how he got the name, or what that eye is made of….he’s always got a patch.” He’d say thinking. He thought he’d once heard he’d hooked it while fishing but without knowing for sure he hated to say the man’s business. “I think you should pay him a visit…..you know I do think something has smelt fishy down there, and I don’t mean the catch of the day, if you know what I mean…”.

He’d lean in conspiratorially, taking a sip. “I think he might be up to something…..something big.” Of course what he would have continued to say was he felt like the monger was trying to horn in on the fruit vendors and create a monopoly on groceries for the town, but he never got a chance. This harmless omission would certainly never come up again, and no innocence would suffer because of this conversation. Yea, there was no way any of this could come together to anything untoward.

As he was about to clear things up, however a sudden pulse of energy and a rustle occurred. Snatching the bottle before it could spill he hadn’t even had time to explain his own being here or Yasahiro’s. Yamato would lift his pants leg and reveal some cuts that looked none to shallow. A slight frown, and then he took a drink straight from the bottle. “I think…..the graves have shifted. And who I thought was under there, isn’t.” He’d say thinking. Walking over he’d empty the cups and replace the juice with the sake. The rustling would stop, and the graveyard became silent as……well a graveyard.

Turning he’d return to his seat. In that amount of time two things occurred, the glasses he’d filled with sake would mysteriously be empty, and a light wind would blow colder than any northern wind, the feeling of icy fingertips gently stoking down both shinobi’s spine, and then the scratches that had been on Yamato’s legs would vanish, a ghost of a wound. “It’s kind of like, genjutsu. Mostly spirits can’t touch or hurt us physically……but that doesn’t mean they can’t be nasty, isn’t that right you grumpy old bastard!” His last comment was directed towards the gravestone with empty glasses. A chuckle that came from somewhere and nowhere filled their ears ever so slightly as each tag seemed to have its ink burn blue for a moment before going out.

“But where we’re we….” He’d say refilling Yamatos cup no matter how much he had or hadn’t drank. “Samurai trained in all honesty, me and Yas, but we left it awhile back. Just needed something new, something different. Made our way together for the most part. Separated for a couple months and recently back. That’s all the story for now, I’m happy to fulfill my little hobby here and work in the local tea shop. Come by, I’ll give you a discount!” He’d say slapping Yamato on the back as friends would do. Even if Asahi had a tendency to be a little more loose lipped than he should, Yasahiro’s secrets would stay with him.

TWC - 2814

Mon Dec 20, 2021 11:32 am

Yamato was a man who kept note-taking seriously. Too seriously, at times. This was likely one of those. As Asahi kept speaking about the man called Cotton-eyed Joe, the Yamanaka jotted down every single detail. Not just every word that the Kage’s cousin had uttered about the sketchy fisherman, but the inflection he had on every syllable, where he looked when he said certain sentences, his body posture. Every. Single. Detail. The speech was short. Far too short for Yamato’s liking when he was taking statements, or notes in general. But regardless of its duration, it did come with a bombshell. Cotton-eyed Joe wore an eyepatch. Just like Halle. Could this have been a coincidence? There was a slight chance, of course. But it would have been just so convenient for this small town to have two people who had eyepatches, and for the whole town not to be talking about that fact. It was the sort of thing that Yamato assumed would always come up in everyday conversation. ‘Good morning, can I have two eggs and a block of cheese please?’. ‘Well, yes of course sir. And hey, did you know? We had one person in our town who had an eyepatch over one eye, and another person with that exact same description just moved into town!’. It would have been unavoidable. Only one person with an eyepatch, now that was normal enough to slip by.

Just thinking about how the situation might have been a coincidence brought up another memory that alcohol had hidden well in Yamato’s mind. When Yamato and Halle had met, Halle had gone out of his way to tell Yamato that correlation was not causation. It did not even make sense in context why a stranger would be butting in on Yamato’s accurate retelling of his past life like that. The genius must have been seeding plants into the Yamanaka’s mind. He must have suspected a detective of Yamato’s calibre would have eventually found out about this lead. His secondary alias, his fake persona: Cotton-eyed Joe. It made Yamato wonder, was Halle even his real name? No. They… They had played chess together. There was no way Halle would have lied to Yamato about his name. Halle was a suspect in this case, but Yamato hoped deep within his heart this was just a misunderstanding. Although, the correlation-causation sentence echoed within the Yamanaka’s mind far louder than his inner thoughts trying to comfort himself. Could Halle have been hiding his true identity - or at the very least his true intentions in Tanbo? Could he have been the snake Yamato was looking for in this hellscape of tall grass? If he was truly planting seeds of manipulation into Yamato’s mind, what else had served the same purpose? Was anything the one-eyed man had said genuine? Did he lose to Yamato in chess on purpose? So that Yamato would underestimate his abilities? Was he actually a master at darts? Was he even drinking alcohol like Yamato, or drinking water and pretending he was getting drunk to break down the Yamanaka’s guards while keeping his mental state in the right position to manipulate him elegantly? Did he even have a needle sword? A needle sword? Yamato ran through the memory again, this time sober. Really? A needle sword? Yamato had fallen for such a blatant lie?

Yamato was visibly frustrated, almost furious. "You idiot, Yamato! The needle isn’t real." he muttered under his breath, but it was still loud enough for Asahi to hear in the empty graveyard. Asahi, the ever-helpful, also pointed out to him that something smelt fishy down in Cotton-eyed Joe’s store. He then further clarified he did not mean fish. This must have been another hint. What gave fishes their smell was the bacteria that gathered in their bodies after they were killed. This happened to be the same kind of bacteria that could be found in some human organs… Including… Livers. One of the most popular things to be sold in the black market, due to its use in DNA transplants. Yamato had heard some rumors, he had even suspected Asahi in front of him, when he first saw a figure hanging out in the cemetery in the middle of the night. Suddenly, every sketchy activity Yamato was suspecting and investigating was pointing in the same direction. The direction of this Cotton-eyed Joe.

Whatever ‘big’ thing could Cotton-eyed Joe have been planning? It looked like he was getting away with everything anyway. For now. Yamato was adamant he would set things clear soon. He turned a few pages back in his notebook. The page had an amateurishly-drawn picture of Yamato and Halle. He put his other hand on the page, as his heart started pounding faster. ‘Please let the culmination of my research be wrong, for once.’ he thought to himself as he shut his notebook down swiftly, and held it against his chest. Coming back to reality once more, he finally put it away, until further note-taking would be needed. (Further note-taking, when Yamato was involved, was always about to be needed.)

Yamato then made eye contact with Asahi again. "Oh yeah." he pointed at the man, "I should tell you, there’s a chance the man might be a ghost. Anyway, that’s unrelated. Don’t let me distract us from our real mission. Spirits.". The ‘attack’ happened only a few seconds later. The blood around Yamato’s leg kept dripping as Asahi explained his theories on the matter. "Just illusions?" Yamato raised his fingers to look at the blood in his hand. "It hurts. It smells and seems real.". He touched his scar. It stung. "It hurts when I touch. Are you sure they can’t hurt us? Or are they really, really good at illusions?". He stood up from the ground. "Maybe we could offer something in return if they agreed to speak to us? I don’t know. Do ghosts want anything that isn’t like… Possessing us, haunting us, killing us, tormenting us otherwise?". Yamato took a sip from his cup that Asahi had just refilled. He bowed gently to thank the man. "I’ll pay you back for this some time, I promise." he said softly, as they returned to their conversation. "Oh? I have never met someone with formal samurai training before. If you know enough about our training to compare, is the experience different from shinobi? If not, we could both be teaching the other about something. Also, a tea shop? I would love to visit, regardless of the discount. Sounds like just my thing. So, tea is your hobby? You must tell me more. I indulge in it myself, while reading books, playing chess and shogi… You name it. I can’t say I’m that knowledgeable though. You make it here, or bring it from farther places?". All of a sudden, all the thoughts of Cotton-eyed Joe and the spirits had left Yamato’s mind. He was now focused on Asahi’s tea journey, and that journey alone. "Okay. Name your top three types of three, and I’ll name mine. You go first.".

Post WC: 1180
Total WC: 3030

Rice wine and spirits (io)

Rice wine and spirits (io)

Re: Rice wine and spirits (io)

Re: Rice wine and spirits (io)

Re: Rice wine and spirits (io)

Re: Rice wine and spirits (io)

Re: Rice wine and spirits (io)

Re: Rice wine and spirits (io)

Re: Rice wine and spirits (io)

Re: Rice wine and spirits (io)

Re: Rice wine and spirits (io)