Re: Rice wine and spirits (io)

Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:17 am

Yamato’s words would quickly change direction. The man seemed to have a prodigious mind, but was also prodigiously adept at changing that kind to different tracks. Asahi internally wondered if that ever led the man astray on his investigations. He’d have to ask Yasahiro about this man next they met up. “No need to repay me, it’s my pleasure.” Asahi would say with a nod at Yamato’s declaration at returning his favor for the sake. In truth sharing sake was what it was best for, so he felt little in the way of giving up some to company. “I don’t think it’s exactly genjutsu, though I’m fairly unpracticed. Maybe in a past life I’d have enjoyed such a skill, but in this one, I think not. Spirits, ghosts, demons, I think it has something to do with the plane on witch they inhabit. So it’s not so much they attack our bodies on this plane but our spirit on another….if that makes sense? It’s one of the theories in the books I’ve read anyway, and it seems to make enough sense to be practical to me.” He’d shrug again.

Opening his mouth to continue on spiritual theory, he closed it again as his drinking partner continued in. He touched on samurai training, shinobi training, and then had switched to tea all in barely a breath. A little dizzy Asahi wasn’t sure which question to answer first, but thankfully he was given an out. “Ahhhh well my favorites…..”. His eyes would go to stare at a point well beyond the material as he considered. “The sweetest of Kukicha, Shincha obviously at the start of the season, and mecha, so you really know you are drinking it, and you?“. He’d wait and let Yamato express his own favorite varieties. The three types that Asahi had named for his personality, the sweetest of teas, the freshest of teas, and the most flavorful, each bold in their own way. His own fashion and charisma often reflected these and his choice of drink had followed suit.

“We make some here and import some. The tea house has some game board tables, along with the bathhouse. Again you must come by very soon so that we can indulge upon each others company again!” He’d smile, his words genuine. As he smiled and the words of tea hung in the air a gentle rustle blew through the graveyard, each of the tags alighting in a ghostly green light before transitioning to a full rain water blue. Their flames just barely flickering, the paper turned to ash. Where the center tags had been a figure seemed to stand up. It was that of an old man, whizzened with age, weather, and work. His face was that of most discontent, though he bowed low to grab the sake Asahi had transitioned there. In his hand the ghost of a cup would appear, and he’d take a drink.

Asahi would down his own cup finishing it off. “Do you know the two girls in the castle?” The questions as said with authority and clearly. The ghost turned looking at the two men. It’s form almost like that of a heat wave, yet the features could be seen.

“Wut castle?” The ghost would gruff in an accent unfamiliar to Asahi’s ears. It would take another drink, sitting on its grave stone wiping his brow as though he’d been in a field at work. Asahi would say a few words, their syllabus like that of a song but an unfamiliar language to any who hadn’t studied ancient prayers. “Ain’t know nuffin bout castles.” The spirit would reiterate.

Sighing Asahi would look disappointed before smiling once again. “O well then….nighty night.” He’d wave at the ghost declaiming a 7 syllabus word. With that the spirit would vanish as if smoke against a strong wind. The lights vanishing from the ashes of the burnt away tags, the night becoming several degrees warmer.

“Anyway, where were we?” Asahi would say smiling as though nothing had happened.

TWC - 3485

Wed Dec 22, 2021 11:00 am

A past life. The idea amused Yamato. "Do you believe in past lives, Asahi, or is it just a way of speaking?". He was smiling. The sake must have been finally affecting his brain. "I wouldn’t normally ask but, you know… Spirits, past lives… There seem to be some overlap. Forgive me if I’m being ignorant.". He took another sip from his sake. "You know, Asahi… For a random strikeout in a haunted cemetery, this has been a pretty delightful night so far...". He looked around to see if there was any spirit activity going on. There was none at the moment.

What was even more interesting to the Yamanaka, was hearing about Asahi’s list of teas, all of which sounded delicious just from description alone. "All of that sounds wonderful, Asahi. I must admit, the last two towns I stayed had awful climates for growing anything… All of the tea I used to drink were stale imports, and nothing too fancy. The exotic ones didn’t survive the trips to those towns, as far as I know. I realize now that I’ve grown basic taste in tea out of necessity, and should broaden my horizons now that I have the chance. Even more reason to visit your shop as soon as possible. Also, you don’t know this, but games are a favourite hobby of mine.". Yamato smiled. This was an odd place to make friends, but Yamato felt drawn to Asahi. The interest in tea, the love of games, the want of a peaceful place, even their sense of style seemed to be in common. Was there a chance… They were twins? No, he was not a Yamanaka. Yamato realized he was advancing through the stages of his drunkenness.

He was just about to answer Asahi’s questions about the girls in the castle, when he became aware of the apparition that had joined them. Yamato watched in shock as the ghost and Asahi engaged in a short conversation. He did not know the rules of talking to spirits, so he let Asahi lead the interrogation for this once. With the ghost disappearing after a sudden farewell, Yamato spoke again. "That was… Astonishing… Sorry, that was my first time seeing a ghost. Wow. Also they were a lot more casual than I expected, to be honest. And you… I can sense an experienced interrogator. Been doing this a long time? I have lots of experience… All with living beings. I’ll try to be more useful next time. A lot of interrogation techniques work better with two people, after all.". Yamato raised another glass with an overwhelmed expression, and took a sip. "The girls in the castle… What’s that about, if you don’t mind me asking?".

Post WC: 454
Total WC: 3484

Wed Dec 22, 2021 11:02 pm

“Of course I do.” He would say in response to the question about past lives. “I believe it fully unless we are very bad or very good many times, we return to the cycle. I appreciate not all believe this, but I do with a certainty. These are afterimages or snapshots of what was, though I don’t think that means they deserve any less respect.” He’d say all this with a certainty and a smile. His beliefs where his own, cemented into his very core. These ideas helped him on the hard days, and comforted him on the good ones as well. Spiritualism was well taught to any Yagami, and though not all took to it as he had, it had always made perfect sense from the first time his grandmother had explained it.

The events of the seance would occur and go, leaving Yamato with an astonished look. It didn’t last long as the man plunged into his impressions on the matter. Asahi enjoyed the man’s company. It wasn’t often he met someone who maintained their level of talkativeness for this long in his company. He often felt he dominated conversations until eventually they ended. This one however seemed to continue without any discourse. He asked of his experiences, the initial impression, and his own willingness to assist. With the man’s meticulous note taking there was little doubt that he could prove a useful asset during these escapades. The paperwork was in motion already for Asahi to attempt to bring his hobby to a more concrete place, perhaps if Yamato wasn’t in it for the money he could offer him some part time work. He’d file it away at the back of his mind, something to remember for a different night.

“A few, I’m not as practiced at seances, or this bit.” He’d wave his hand at where the spirit came from. “My grandmother was a fair shake better, but I have her books and I’m working on it. For me though, I’ve always been very sensitive to them. Feeling them, finding them, drawing them out on purpose though.” With this he’d give a little shrug, “we’ll still a work in progress, glad this one could go so well, though a perfect summoning wouldn’t have burnt away the tags.” A slight annoyance, he could of course redraw them, but still what a waste of paper. “I’ll keep that in mind, it never hurts to have a partner.” He’d say at his companions offer to aid him.

“Ahh well, I’m not sure…..”. His eyes would go distant for a moment as his brain worked. He wasn’t sure how much to explain, his new friends tendency to ask many questions and take many notes meant it was unlikely to be a short story, and he could feel with the vanishing of the ghost and the build up of the sake that his physical reserves were depleted. “I think I saw something unusual…..even for spirits. A work in progress, though when I know more perhaps…..can I call on you to come with me? I might have Yasahiro as well, it would make the process easier.” He had known he’d want Yasahiro who at least had minimal training. Though he knew his cousin didn’t keep up with it, he hoped the man’s spiritual awareness had at least kept some of its neural pathways to perform correctly under ritual.

He’d refill his own cup and Yamato’s emptying the bottle. He’d replace the bottle in his satchel. Around them the night air would come more alive as the dead moved on the living filled the gap. Insects and frogs, an owl in the distant gave its own addition to the chorus. He’d smoke on his pipe for a moment. Listening to the night air. “There is a bathhouse and a bar, all in the same area as the tea shop you know. So, a place for all sorts of fun when you do make it to visit.” He would say with a smile. He’d rest a bit longer, finish his glass, then sleep was on the horizon.

TWC - 4167

Fri Dec 24, 2021 7:40 am

Yamato would have enjoyed this conversation on any day, but the moment was perfect as he was also at the exact right amount of drunkenness for it. "Interesting. So you believe if we’re too good, or too bad, we are cut off from this cycle? Erased from existence completely? I honestly choose not to think of death too much, as I find it distracting from living. But if I do admit to myself, I think I believe in - or maybe ‘believe’ isn’t right but ‘hope’? I hope for a more romantic afterlife. Not another cycle, but… A final retirement. That maybe we live to find out what we love, so that we can have it in the afterlife? Like, our life determines what’s beyond? We reap what we sow?". Yamato chuckled with the last line, realizing the accidental pun. He took another sip. "So you’re saying Asahi, that you don’t believe that these ghosts, these apparitions are sentient? They are just… Echoes of yesterday? But couldn’t there be different types of ghosts, spirits, whatever? If you’re saying you believe in the ‘cycle’, couldn’t there be some spirits that are waiting for their next cycle still, or fighting against the current? Stuck somehow, unable to start again? After all, why not?". Yamato had lived a life where he had to think about practicality first. Spirituality always came last with all the work he had to do to survive in the political landscapes he had been a part of. If he wasn’t always working at full capacity, his position would have been pulled out from under him, given to someone else whose entire life was their work. If his eyes weren’t always open, always watching both his front and back for snakes, his life would have ended many times over. Maybe he would have been able to confirm what afterlife was like for Asahi, if that had been the case.

All of the talk about life, death and ghosts was a bit gloomy for Yamato’s taste, but somehow even the atmosphere of this silent graveyard was being lifted up by the honest, calming aura emanating from Asahi. Yamato had never before been in the presence of someone that had garnered such awe from him in such a short time. Maybe his expectations from shinobi had also changed since he arrived in Tanbo. In the previous villages he had resided in, only one type of shinobi was ever showcased as the person to look up to: the one that was the strongest. Whether that meant the weirdest, most complex Ninjutsu the details of which flew over Yamato’s head, secret places that were ruled by the shinobi, or just good old physical prowess; the powerful was the influential. Yamato much preferred the current atmosphere in Tanbo. Everybody seemed to be looking for their own niche, with the joint goal of bettering the place. There had been very little clashing of egos, claiming of territory, or conflicts of interest so far. There were glimpses of people trying to take advantage of this situation, but that’s where Yamato came in. Whether it was this Cotton-eyed Joe or someone else, Yamato was going to do his best to out the few corrupt ones hiding among the village of good folk with good intentions.

After the seance, Yamato was blindsided by Asahi once more, this time by his humility. "You’re not well-practiced?" he asked with his eyebrows high, "I never would have guessed. You handle yourself pretty well, at least in the eyes of this admitted novice. Also… Your grandmother’s notes? So you could say this is the family business? I would love to see these notes in detail, when I visit your shop. If they’re a family or trade secret, I understand of course.". Yamato was clearly a fan of notes himself. He was also the kind of person to take any chance to study anything. This topic, however, could hardly be called ‘anything’. It was a field Yamato hadn’t scratched the surface of in his worldly travels and research. It was unfamiliar, alien. Needless to say, the topic, detached from that unfamiliarity was highly interesting by itself to begin with. The implications of what these apparitions could be were both cohesive with what Yamato already knew about chakra, and how life worked; and also overwhelmingly complicated.

Shortly after came the answer to another one of Yamato’s questions. One he had been eagerly awaiting the response to, as Asahi had laid the bait so elegantly for him to fall for. He had hinted at a couple of beings (it wouldn’t have been a stretch to imagine they were ghosts by the rest of their conversation) and had said little more about them. Yamato was curious why Asahi would have singled them out like that, unlike any other ghost. His mind had been racing, trying to imagine who they were and why Asahi had brought them up specifically when he finally spoke. The answer brought out mixed reactions in Yamato’s heart. It seemed Asahi had little more detail to share. But that only made the situation more mysterious, and thus more enticing for Yamato. Not only that, he explicitly invited Yamato to join him in the investigation. "Of course, Asahi. I would love nothing more than to join you in this quest. It sounds a thousand times more interesting than the work I had been doing lately - not to take it for granted. But this situation with the spirits… I want to study and understand everything about this town better, and it seems to me that the greatest mysteries of it lie deep in this particular rabbit hole.". Yamato had been so swept up by the offer that Asahi mentioning Yasahiro flew by Yamato’s mind. Having a chance to finally meet the kage would have been the most important part of any other invitation, but this was different. Yamato was truly invested in Asahi’s quest, which he was now being made a partner in. Well, in his mind anyway.

Asahi poured them each a final cup, emptying the bottle. Yamato raised it to Asahi, and took a sip. He could feel his body slowly shutting down. This interaction had been more than worthwhile for the already-exhausted Yamato to extend his day, but his muscles were starting to disobey his will to remain in the cemetery. "You mean Taika’s? I’ve been there, just recently in fact. Nice little place." He yawned, closing his mouth with the back of his right hand. Sleep was getting the better of him, it seemed. "Sorry." he apologized for yawning. He did not know if that was looked upon as disrespectful or not, in this town. In the major cities he had worked in, any sign of weakness was frowned upon. He hoped Tanbo was different. "So… What’s the plan?" Yamato then asked Asahi, "The tags were burned - does that mean the night’s seance is over?". He waited for an answer, while taking slow sips from his cup.

Post WC: 1164
Total WC: 4648

Fri Dec 24, 2021 10:27 pm

“I think it all very complex..”. Asahi would say, joy radiating from his person. It had been a very long time since someone had taken such interest in his hobbies. Sure skme showed interest but it often wained quickly, and though Yasahiro would often lend an ear he contributed very little to the craft. Spiritual theory, the philosophy of the metaphysical, it was all very complex stuff with very little ways to test it. So oftentimes people considered it not worth the effort, but for Asahi it was everything. “Have you ever heard of the term providence? It’s a theory of existing outside time and space, while also being part of the present timeline. A difficult concept to understand, even I sometimes am not sure I fully understand if. I think it could play in.” He’d take a sip, thinking of how to frame his next response. “There certainly are more types. These though.” At this he’d wave towards where the apparition had been, “are afterimages. Demons, phantasms, lost spirits etc I do think they exist. I’ll have to lend you a book or two so you can think for yourself.” He’d smile thinking back to the few scrolls and books he had left.

They were among his most prized possessions, but that wouldn’t stop him from sharing to those who desires a per suit of knowledge. Like the drink and tobacco he enjoyed, Asahi enjoyed partaking in activities of the mind. Life was about living, and indulging on many aspects of life, at least in his opinion to make it worth if. He’d laugh at Yamatos surprise at Asahi’s own humbleness. Though in truth he was better practiced than he’d let on, he’d seen his grandmother work through rites and rituals he had no business even attempting yet. So in truth he believed himself a novice even if intermediate was more suitable a title. “The Yagami are known for two things. Producing samurai, and producing spiritualists. Ideally together, to look beyond the physical and create better warriors. I often joke Yasahiro is my sword and I his spirit, and together…..we make one true Yagami.” He’d wink and smile. “It’s a life king and who knows maybe after that journey. I’d never pretend I have journeyed far enough, but that’s what makes it ever so fun.”

He’d cheers Yamato at his interest in their research. He would be more than happy to bring the man along. It never hurt to have another warm body when ghost hunting, if anything just so they could bring the supplies. Yamato had seen the ghost so he must have at least the tiniest of spiritual awareness. He’d give a low yawn at the same time his companion did. “I think…..we call it a night.” Asahi would say carefully collecting all that he’d brought. He’d continue talking as he picked up the tags, brushing the ashes into a separate small leather bag he had brought with him. “Come by tomorrow, say maybe early afternoon? I’ll prepare a tea ceremony for you, and I’ll bring the books by.”

He’d have gathered everything and stood in front of Yamato. Reaching out he’d make to shake the man’s hand. “Until…..we’ll later today then.” He’d give another beaming smile, and exit the graveyard. Puffing on the pipe as he walked. The sake not changing his gait at all. It had been a pleasant evening, one he would remember fondly for many years to come.

Exit
TWC - 4742

Claims
Dustless bewildering cover 3750 due to 25% discount
Elemental detection 750 due to 25% discount

The rest of the words can go to the winds

Sat Dec 25, 2021 10:40 am

Yamato listened to all of Asahi’s words carefully. The night was clearly approaching an end. The mixture of the closure of it all and the exhaustion that was catching up with Yamato made him unable to keep up with the conversation as excitedly and energetically as before, but it seemed to be the same case for Asahi. Still, Yamato once again took notes of everything Asahi told him about his theories about the ghosts. "I will have to see these books, indeed, Asahi. Excuse my inability to express, at my exhausted state, how excited I truly am. Thank you for accepting me into your expedition.".

He helped Asahi gather the mess they had made with the bottles and the now-burnt tags. He finally shook the hand Asahi offered. "Thank you again. It was an honor to meet you. Until next time.". He left the cemetery with Asahi, their ways branching out after a short while. It had been a truly wonderful night, that Yamato ended with a smile on his face.

Post WC: 171
Total WC: 4819

Exit, Claiming:

48 Stats: 38 to Vigor, 10 to Chakra
1500WC for B-Rank Hair Needle Senbon
1500WC for B-Rank Psychic Weapon Manipulation
1750WC for B-Rank Touch Explosive
69WC left. Nice.

Sat Dec 25, 2021 8:44 pm

Approved!