Ultana Whelen - Silver Gate Academy Highschool Building, Classroom 4-A
It's been just about 2 weeks since the whole 'vampire' and the 'castle' incident that happened at school. Surprisingly, with how fast things went back to normal, it's almost like nothing happened. Whether it's from people thinking it was a dream, the teacher's covering it up or just that nobody really cared, who knows. That Ruthven guy at the end made it seem like it wasn't the end, so it's probably likely they'll see him again. While excited for another fight, she's still not getting any closer to finding what she came here for. With a sigh, she got out of bed and left for class.
Today's lesson was with Instructor Utsumi regarding Arcanis' primary elements. With Ultana getting her sleeping schedule back under order, she was all revved up and ready to go as it was a class she was particularly excited for. While her talents mainly leaned toward the physical side of things, Ultana was definitely looking forward to improving her magic skills if she was ever going to become a proper spell knight. Or for when I find them. Out of the 4 spellbooks regarding Royal Magic that the teacher handed out, she was particularly interested in the ones for Fire and Earth. Naturally
There was still a few more minutes left in class, so she decided to comb through the spellbooks until the teacher spoke back up to inform them of their upcoming school trip to Kyoto. Apparently it used to be Japan's former capital almost 200 years ago before it moved to it's current city. She'd hear of what the city was like from the students who been there before or at least know of it and eventually piqued her interest. It was a city that had a lot of history to it.....especially of the yokai variety. It was a trip she was definitely excited about, especially going to all the shrines and dojos. She was especially interested in the dojos and being able to improve her swordsmanship.
The teacher handed out a form in regards to room assignments for the hotel they'll be staying at while in Kyoto. A max of 4 people, huh? There wasn't many people she really interacted with, so she wasn't sure there was a point to filling it out. But then again.... Glancing around the classroom, Ultana's eyes eventually stopped at Asta's seat. Hmm, might as well ask to see what she thinks about it. Could be fun. Once the bell rang and the class officially wrapped up, she packed up her spellbooks into her back and made her way over to Asta's seat.
"Hey Asta, in regards to the trip, interested in sharing a room?" Granted they just met and to anyone who heard about their 'little' spar in the fields not to long ago, they might find this quite bizarre but if there was anyone she'd room up with, it'd be Asta. It would definitely be interested, especially when going to the dojos. Who knows, maybe they'll get to finish their 'spar'. Ultana's grinning was probably giving people the wrong idea, not that she was aware of it.
Otis was a diligent young man, but it was lessons like that which truly tested him. The eight elements of Arcanis? The reality of a life spent where magical energies were tangible and affected the environment? He had fought hard to stay focused on Utsumi’s lecture as the professor found it apt to cover topics that children understood intrinsically back home, but in the end, the Strigidae found his mind wandering, and he slipped his notes from natural sciences out of his bag, only tangentially listening to Utsumi as he reviewed geology and fossilization. The last month and a half in Earth had been rather enlightening, really, and the sheer amount of books that the library contained on all sorts of subjects was enjoyable too. A part of him couldn’t understand it, really, how so many others could be disinterested in mathematics or history. It was fascinating, really, comparing differences in technological and societal developments between the two worlds, as well as how Earth and Arcanis even understood territory differently; one formed political borders through war and negotiation, while the other settled it largely through differences in elemental affects.
Meanwhile, it felt as if he had already learned basically everything that the good professor was covering in this particular class, barring the specifics of the spellbooks that he used. Perhaps Otis’s education was unbalanced while he was still studying in the capital, but it felt like all the magic theory he had studied in anticipation for higher education at Silver Gate Academy was now backfiring spectacularly by making him bored as hell during his actual lessons. Wasn’t too bad of a thing though. The amount of ‘extra’ review time that he had for magical theory meant he could memorize a couple more spells in his spare time, and the few cultural notes on what Earth-denizens interpreted the arcane energies around them as was pretty charming too.
Still felt like something he could find in a well-produced Youtube video though. Sometimes, Otis really did wonder if he wouldn’t have been better off using his tuition to fund a globe-trotting adventure instead. Alas, the ‘mundane’ education in Silver Gate Academy was his fetters, keeping him locked in place. Otis sighed, rubbed his eyes, then realized that class was over. A form sat before him and he cocked his head to the side, confused about the connotations of all this. Consent for…what, exactly? He stared at it a bit longer, before shrugging. Confusion was never anything that bothered him for long, not when he could just ask someone else. He slid his notes back into his leather bag, swept his shawl off his chair and back onto his shoulder, before striding over to Koyuki, one of the smarter students in his class, who also fulfilled the requirement of being of the nation of Japan.
“Hey, Ko,” Otis said, golden eyes locking onto her own. “What did Utsumi say at the end? Kyoto’s the old capital, yes? How long’s the trip? You know any interesting places there? Or places to eat, even? Seidoujima’s alright, but not very traditional. How’s the nightlife there? You’ve been there, right? Wanna room up? I’ll be your alibi if you’ll be mine. Talking about if there’s a curfew. Did he say anything about a curfew?”
Today's lesson was about the primary elements of Arcanis. Their teacher explained it all very elegantly, though Lady nor Aurelius were paying attention. Lectures on magic and the elements that comprise it were very important especially to Aurelius but, each seemed to be more focused on different agendas. These agendas would become apparent the moment that the teacher mentioned the school trip that the class would be taking to Kyoto. For Aurelius, this meant he could check on the dojos that resided in Kyoto. For Lady, she would finally be able to explore the world that always dreamed of. Eventually forms were passed around and they were told about the hotel arrangements. Everyone would be grouped into teams of 4 which meant they would have to pick who would be good fits. Lady already had an idea in mind the moment that the teacher gave them time to talk. Lady stood from her desk like a bat out of hell before waltzing over to Koyuki's desk. She gave a cute twirl and wink, placing her hands on the fox's spirit's desk.
"You are the absolutely cutest little thing I've ever seen." Lady's voice was joyous and her smile was huge, "We HAVE to hang out during this trip..or ya know, in general." For a second, she glanced at Otis, giving him a grin.
Aurelius, on the other hand, had not spoken a word to anyone. His mind raced at the thought of meeting those that could help him grow within Kyoto. Whoever he ended up in a group with was okay with him, as long as they weren't idiots. Lady could be a handful but, that whole spiel would handle itself. His eyes slowly scanned the classroom at the many choices.
"Maybe this won't be bad at all." Aurelius non-chantly spoke, folding his arms.
Silver Gate Academy Highschool Building, Classroom 4-A (Interacting with @ERode and @Kal-El)
Two weeks had gone by like a breeze after the incident at the ice castle. Classes continued normally without any explanation of what had happened, not even to the students involved. If it were not for the brief discussion she had with Icarus to confirm the events that had transpired, Koyuki may as well have believed it to be an awful nightmare that just so happened to have used up her spiritual energies. If the teachers at the Academy found it inappropriate to disclose such alarming matters to the students to not cause panic, the fox spirit supposed she can cooperate and keep her lips sealed for the time being.
The magic class lesson for the day piqued the silver haired girl's interest, keeping her occupied with diligently taking down notes with occasional nods of her head. She was particularly interested with the Royal Fire and Royal Earth spells, taking a mental reminder to review them at her dorm room later. As Utsumi seemed to be ending the class, Koyuki stretched her arms up and gave off a satisfied sigh after a fruitful class time of learning.
Fox ears perked at the mention of a trip to Kyoto, her hometown! It hadn't been too long since she left to study in Silver Gate Academy, so she wasn't necessarily homesick but the thought of touring around with her classmates made the fox spirit's tails swish in excitement behind her. Well, except for the fact that Kirizanto was one of the advisors."So this is what they call a class fee-ld tu-rip!" Lifting up the form in her hand, Koyuki scanned the piece of paper with a lit up expression upon her face until a classmate approached her desk.
It took a moment for Koyuki to realize that 'Ko' referred to her, but just as that realization struck, she was bombarded with question after another to the point the fox spirit stared at him in awe for a second. How the blond boy inquired simultaneously in one piece without as much as a pause for breath was a feat of some sort, she thought, before processing what had been asked. "Hey um, Otis I presume? Forgive me if I may not have really caught all your questions but yes, Kyoto is the old capital and it's where I had been raised, so I'm quite familiar with some places! ....Mostly just the mountains and shrine areas, actually." It was true that she lived in Kyoto for over a century but exposing herself to the public in the city areas was highly recommended against, except for the few times she slipped out after transforming into passing visitors but those trips never ended well.
A mischievous grin adorned her lips as she whispered in reply, "I'm quite curious to venture out into the cities as well, you have yourself a deal if we're in agreement! But we must be cautious of Kirizanto, his disciplinary actions are..." The flashbacks of the countless times she had gotten in trouble for trespassing gave shivers down her spine.
As the fox spirit calmed her nerves from the fearful thoughts of the professor, another student approached the desk with a charming intro. The girl tossed her silver strands behind her in a confident manner with a smile, "Hehe, I appreciate your kind compliment! Correct me if I'm wrong but, you're Lady? If you would like, you can join our room group and sneak out to the cities with us." Koyuki ended her statement in a hushed tone.
Learned Royal Fire and Royal Earth spells! Spent 4 points Current skill points: 2/8
Silvergate Academy|Highschool Building|Classroom 4-A
Rigorous mental conditioning attuned to the vastness of selection never cease to amaze Tsurara. The degree of comprehensive coolness of Utsumi-sensei's teachings absolutely was too wet and dry within her whimsical mind, how could anyone learn a spell and invest only on the strut of intelligence? Only Tsurara and only her, with all her crazy game analogy and relentless training for the past month. A lesson like Arcanis was a piece of cake according to Tsurara's cold shredding savage analysis, plus Utsumi was rather cool.
The fresh chi girl coldly observed her surroundings as class was dismissed, most of the Arcanis were unfit to her repertoire except for Water Arcanis because of cool synergies ought to be made. Tsurara was rather dismayed as the class ended, she wished to behold more of the handsome teacher, Utsumi, nonetheless it was fun while it lasted, her disappointment extended to how little options the form provided. At least in her cold opinion, whatever the reason, Kyoto and Exorcists weren't a good sign to Tsurara regardless how civilized they are now compared to Ancient Japan. In spite the dismay, she brushed it off while she frivolously combed her hair at the same time, Tsurara's hair was waist-length, straight and silky, pony-tailed style.
—It was cool
Suddenly, a group of boys approached Tsurara who was wooing her with their weird antics and indiscriminate T-posing declaration love and gifting of unwanted items like chocolates and boquet of flowers. Tsurara gazed upon her troublesome male classmates that successfully caught her attention much to her annoyance, without any hesitation, she bluntly rejected them, "It's not within my intent to igloo pieces when it gets out of hand, I highly encourage everyone to focus on the upcoming event than clown around, I won't mind hanging out if you boys behave yourselves ~"Her words unsuccessfully just encouraged them when they were meant to be discouraged. "We won't disappoint you Todoroki! You will always be forever in our hearts and whatever you need, we offer it upon your altar! Princess Todoroki! Hip-hop hooray!"
Well, that sucked, Tsurara moved out of their way by dropping her on purpose.Oopsie~ snowman~ I dropped my pen, which of you boys can fetch it for me? My rewards are penetratively heaven sent upon the moon, if you know what I mean?" Tsurara threw her own outside the window and those foolish simps rushed in no time.
Tsurara approached a group that piqued her interest."Pardon me for the intrusion~! I think it's cool to venture out without anyone's notice...like a magnificent fox."Smiling with unpredictability and aura gleaming of supernatural beauty, her magnificent beauty and cutesy singly phrasing unintentionally struck hearts.
For someone so disinclined to learning magic- Or really, any form of higher education that didn't require repetition or brute force- Lorelai found that these classes on the finer points of magic served better as a relaxing story time. It was a touch ironic she chose to imbibe the hidden truths of the world like a child does fairy tales, but they fueled her desire to get out of the classroom and improve her martial skills. Her body practically hummed in its seat, having gone beyond recovering from her encounter under the blood moon.
She'd made a substantial breakthrough and itched to put it to use, her own shadow a poor substitute to a target who could think and react. Looking at her permission slip, it struck her that this might be a great opportunity to get her spoils forged into a proper weapon and get someone to break it in on. But before that, they did have to sort out who they'd be rooming with.
Naturally she found her eye drawn to the commotion of everyone fawning over Koyuki, her fluffy ears white triangles of hippieness personified that made the Dutch-Japanese girl strain to keep her hands from reaching out to pet them. That way lay inescapable depredation and endless petting! To save herself from that tempatation and the further enticement of the Yuki-onna getting awfully close to skinship, Lorelai quickly approached the least lily-like person in the room.
"Aurelius, do you want to room with me?!" The blonde asked, head bouncing and setting her heavy braid to thrash like a snake in the midst of swallowing it's meal. Her eyes sparkled with intensity, focusing entirely on the Pendragon heir with her hands clasped together over her school bag. "I don't snore and I wake up super early, so you can sleep in while I get my morning routine in. It'll be dandy."
Ranks 1 & 2- Follow Up: Allows the user to chain two or more techniques together in a single action, depending on level (maximum level 3 with 4 techniques chained together). They can be consecutive or simultaneous. Total Cost: 4 Skill Points.
Kyoto, the city of tradition, history, mysticism and culture, as far as Japan went, Kyoto was considered by many as the most Japanese city. It's idyllic shrines, castles, mixed with the urbanisation seen in many cities of Japan gives it the unique touch of a fusion of culture and urban society. The city was on the cusp of summer as there was a tizzy in the air among the population. It was June after all, and for Kyoto, June through to August was the season of festivals, some even going back to back. There was no shortage of a festival to attend while here in Kyoto.
Unfortunately however the enticing outdoors and interesting cityscape these students could see out the window, served only to be a groaning reminder of why they were here. Yet they bore with it through the promise of free time after today.
"So welcome, to the 2nd Japan Arcanis Alliance Conference, hosted by the Kyoto Mystics Alliance. Those attending today are from places far and wide around Japan. As you know, there is an effort to bring Arcanis and Earth closer together in unity, and harmony...",
The speech bore on for awhile. Some students were a bit too tired from the trip to the hotel and then immediately having to make their way here. The stage of the conference hall had what many are to be believed very important people. Most of which were adults, or very old men, but only one stood out among them, which was a young girl sitting in the center of the rows. It was strange that she would not be mentioned having such an important position, but everyone was a bit too bored to really question it.
"... in particular the academy known as Silver Gate has been making good progress over the last two decades. This conference we hold every year starting from last year is to help those interested in the craft and practice of magic here in Japan to get to know..."
The general point was understood already, the droning seemed to knock a few of the less interested students to sleep already. Kuuto and Utsumi for some reason seemed rather dauntless to this seemingly effective sleep spell of sorts.
"...so we'd like to introduce the head of the Fujiwara Clan who has been working with Arcanis practitioners, to help us understand the benefits of cooperation. Please, give a warm welcome to Motsumine no Fujiwara"
Taking the stage in a complete set of onmyouji gear, the long hat, the white robes, he appeared as if out of a tapestry depicting such figures in Japanese feudal courts. He wasn't the only one dressed this way, those sitting down along the stage wore such things in a variety of styles to represent their schools of exorcism, in fact it came to the attention of some that there were new interested persons this year. Blacksmiths in particular.
"Yes, thank you. I would like to speak today in regards to the equipment that I have made use of from Arcanis", he began. Motsumine was a rather well-done up person, his face was clean, sharp, and eyes that seemed to laugh and scrutinize all at once, and an everpresent slight smile.
"The iron of our world has served us well for generations, and our smiths are the best I could ever ask for, but as our country has faced many trials, so too did our weaponry. When faced with inferior iron, we created the tachi. When the opportunity showed itself, we used the superior iron found on western soil. In the midst of war, we even borrowed the technology of our enemies at the time. Today I ask that we do no different, for you see, the materials of weapons and equipment I have found in Arcanis are among the most effective I have ever had the pleasure to use", he waved a hand as a curtain behind him revealed a set of swords. Those of Arcanis present today might instantly recognize their unique stylings. Motsumine took one of the swords, a gleaming straight sword with a golden edge boxing in a bright silver body.
"I am sure we are familiar with the properties of silver, being able to cut away the impure and corrupted, but what if I told you that within Arcanis lay an even better silver? This sword I hold here is made from Indranite, this is an impressive metal that mere presence can keep the wearer safe from demonic disruption",
There were some murmurs among the blacksmiths, looking to each other and giving some kind of reaction. It was a mix of interest and skepticism.
"So today I have invited many blacksmiths who would be willing to heed my call, to inspect these weapons. I also have invited investors from Arcanis who sit among the crowd today should my esteemed craftsmen wish to purchase some material to try out. I surely hope that my actions today would create a foundation where both our worlds become stronger", there was an applause following his bow, signifying the end of his speech. As he concluded his time on stage he headed back to his seat, letting the host return.
"Thank you Motsumine no Fujiwara! I will also surely be interested in seeing what comes of this. Now onto our next guest...", the rest of the conference was not quite as interesting as Motsumine's speech. Many of them were about relations, the issue on handling both demons and yokai, as they had some differences as well as similarities.
One Hour Later
As soon as the conference ended, people were free to walk around and speak with the guests. Before that though... Motsumine had approached the class group as Kuuto was telling everyone what they were allowed to do while here.
"It is rare to see you, heir of Kirizanto. Perhaps you are here on business?", Kuuto turned to see Motsumine.
"School business. I see you haven't done anything about your showmanship",
"Please, you say that as if it were a bad thing. Think of it, perhaps you would rather a better blade than your family's flimsy demon cutting swords. As effective as they are, you find yourself with a new one every other day", Kuuto looked down in thought, and after a moment he turned back.
"True, perhaps a better weapon would serve me better, but it will be one crafted by our family", Motsumine laughed lightly.
"Yes of course, the pride of our traditions are what keeps our arts alive is it not? All the better to help those arts evolve even further", he waved his paper fan lightly. Despite the somewhat hostile nature of Kuuto and his unwavering frown, it seems the two seemed to enjoy the conversation somewhat.
"Now then Motsumine, surely you have better to do than talk to a teacher. Perhaps it'd be more productive to speak with potential investors", Motsumine laughed heartily, waving a fan lightly as he did.
"Come now, surely I am afforded a conversation with an old friend after so many years! Perhaps you would even have interesting stories to tell, which I would prefer over talking about numbers and trade", Kuuto just pressed his forehead as he looked away a bit, sighing then turning back.
"Fine, but it'll be later. I'm sure we still have some business for the day before we can relax", he gave in. Motsumine's fan snapped back closed in a distinct clap.
"Excellent! I shall contact you thereafter! We have many things to discuss, why I believe it may be a good chance to show you a new tea set I had obtained! Well then, do not let me keep you", Kuuto nodded as Motsumine began walking away. An interesting man to be sure.
Kuuto turned back to the class,
"Alright, so for today we're going to be going around to the various shrines around Kyoto owned by exorcist families. Though that will be after lunch. Until lunch time, you may go around the centre and look at the stands people have setup", he was referring to something akin to employment expos, which was indeed something that was setup in the next hall.
Over the rest of the day...
The rest of the day went by rather quickly, the class went from shrine to shrine, all of them quite large, and were introduced to the many styles of exorcism that existed and were crafted by the various families. They even had time to visit some blacksmiths who were headquartered here in Kyoto, and even went by Kuuto's family house, during which he was mysteriously absent.
Utsumi though for a majority found himself explaining to students the many types of exorcism that existed, at least the ones besides the one they were taught in class. He went into some detail about western style exorcism, as well as what he knew about Arcanis style. Though it was not a classroom setting, so unfortunately there were no books to distribute during this.
Eventually though, everyone would retire to the hotel. Only a select few people realized some people were missing, but when they asked Kuuto or Utsumi about them, they simply said they were on extra-curricular activities, and really, no more than that. As no one could get anything about the missing people out of them, most just went off to do their own thing. At the very least it seemed the two knew what was going on...
The young fox girl wandered the expo place to place. For her, the only worry she had was to make it back to the meeting place in time for lunch, which was a perfectly good reason as any to get back in time. But out of the corner of her eye she spotted someone, a courtesan, back turned, smoking a pipe, disappearing amidst the crowd of the forum. There was an alluring sense to her, but not in the way of attraction, but deep in her being she felt a connection to this person. And so she pursued.
As she sprinted around, some of the people she brushed past stepping back in surprise, and some even telling her to be careful, she turned a corner around the hall as a haze obscured her vision, as soon she took but one more step, the entire area around her was but gray smoke. With no recourse other than to keep moving, backwards, forwards, left or right, none of it seemed to matter. The feeling of panic combined with curiosity filled her as she walked into the smoke, and pretty soon... She found herself standing within a new place.
The pink ethereal blossoms that lined the air around her and the pathway before her almost beckoned her forward, the eternally dark sky above with a full white moon... She was no longer in Kyoto, so she felt.
Todoroki Tsurara
As lunchtime arrived, the lady of ice found herself fatigued by the heat of summer. While the inside of the hall was just fine, it was when lunchtime had come, and beyond when she began to feel her race's limits under the blazing Kyoto sun. Truly, a yuki-onna was not suited for such an environment. Comes to mind the story of a yuki-onna that simply disappeared when she entered hot water. Though no such event has occured for her specific kind, one cannot help but feel such fears may come to pass.
She eventually found a nice place under the shade upon a bench, eating shaved ice as she sat there. Time passed as lunch time was almost over, but it felt as if the shaved ice wasn't enough, and the tiredness and lack of energy began to set in, a fate locked as soon as she began to rest, and just like that she began to doze off. Even if only for a moment.
As she opened her eyes, she was greeted with what felt slightly familiar... Eiseikato.
Jhackson Micheal Mason
Mason kept with his classmates for the majority, in fact he almost felt at home among all these employment-expo-like stands. He would notice a bunch of them weren't just here to represent, but also to recruit, and as a result might notice that it wasn't just their school that was here, there were a few others too. As a result, he safely was untouched throughout until lunch.
In the middle of lunch he had to go to the restroom in the park, but as soon as he emerged from it, there were some men in various suits and sunglasses with a mean look, surrounding him.
"Wait so this the kid?", were they Yakuza? It didn't seem Mason had any room to run except back into the bathroom but somehow a few emerged behind him.
"Just nab him and go, we'll explain everything later", before Mason could react had had a bag put over his head and felt himself being dragged off. Try as he might, he couldn't struggle, but somehow about these guys didn't seem human.
Sure enough... He would have the bag removed from his head as he found hismelf flanked by some goons. Nervously, he would take the ride, not knowing where he was being taken...
After what seemed a few minutes, he would be ushered out, "go on kid get out!", despite the rough words, they didn't handle him too roughly, though as he turned his head towards the outside of the car, he would notice it's ethereal beauty first and foremost, before then realizing this was not a crimelord's estate at all.
Icarus Ochre
The fire bird boy strode around the various stands curiously as he browsed the... Many methods to which he could be snuffed from this world. A strange thought to have but it was one that he had, being a slightly lackadaisical boy with a bit too many thoughts sometimes. Though as he went along he noticed something strange... A small fire bird. A very small one. No one else seemed to be able to see it but it flitted around him as if beckoning him to follow before it led him around the area for a bit.
As Icarus followed it, turning a corner, he suddenly found himself looking at a shrine entrance, a big torii gate acting like a portal between the expo hall and... The shrine. The small fire bird beckoned him to follow as it went deeper in. Look behind him he might, and notice that no one else noticed this was here... Still, this was such a curious event that he could not help but step through, and as soon as he did the entire area changed. The shrine extended further out, disappearing beyond a long winding street as ethereal pink petals fell over an eternal night sky...
The days following Aresvius' nighttime rampage passed by quickly and in monotone. While JM wouldn't say he was opposed to the rote, it nonetheless served as a reminder that he was not the academic type. The young man was eager to learn, he really was, but his inability to garner much interest in the droning of his teachers save a few key moments kept him from making rapid progress.
Fortunately, he could say that his time in the classroom was not totally fruitless. He had managed to retain some of his lessons, and he could confidently say that he was top of his class when it came to P.E. - overall, he could be doing better, but the curriculum wasn't too hard on him yet...
"At least, I think it's not?"
It was a testament to how out of depth he was that he couldn't even tell if he even was. The last few months had seen him put more effort into his studying than he had his entire life, and he was finding himself constantly regretting not putting effort into it before. Nothing came to him naturally at all. Still he had no choice but to push on; he had committed himself to this, and scum as he was, he wouldn't lower himself to the cowardice of backing off from a commitment.
And so May turned to June, and the scheduled field trip to Kyoto had come. JM had to admit, even he was a little excited: going to new places was always fun for him. He could do without having to go as a group, he wasn't really close to anyone in class after all, but nevertheless, it was all expenses paid, and lodging was at a swanky hotel. Far better accommodations than what he was used to during his truant romps across the country back then.
He decided to get some souvenirs for the twins. They were overdue a present from him anyway. Naturally, he found himself kidnapped by fucking yakuza on the way to the loo. Fucking hell.
As JM attempted to struggle against his captors, he found himself reassessing his situation. These guys were too strong to be run-of-the-mill gangsters. Something about them felt off too... it reminded him of his old man, and oh boy did that send chills down his spine.
Which made their relatively gentle treatment of him strange, in contrast to the way they spoke. These guys didn't feel as antagonistic as they ought to have been. That was his first inkling of something abnormal being afoot before he was shoved out of the car and now face to face with what definitely wasn't the HQ of a yakuza family.
Ghostly pink flower petals floated in seeming perpetuity against the backdrop of a night sky that he knew should have been shining with the light of day. There was a ghostly beauty that he found himself appreciating for one moment, before the reality of the situation set in, and the half-kapre found himself ripping out a feral snarl as he rounded to his captors behind him, hand curled and ready to ignite at his command.
"Nice place you got here. Mind fucking explaining before I do something stupid for everyone involved?"
Threatening your captors. Probably not the smartest thing to do in the world, but he did warn them he was going to do something stupid. Might as well give them a preview, right?
Ultana Whelen - Kyoto International Conference Center
Thanks to the long and dreadfully boring conference, Ultana was able to get in a good nap before the lecture was over. Their teacher, Kuuto, then proceeded to inform them of what they were doing during the first day of the trip. Ultana was wide awake by this point, eager to finally be able to go to the shrines. While she never paid full attention to Exorcism in class, she was definitely was eager to learn about their fighting styles and their history.
The one shrine she was really excited to see was the one ran by the Fujiwara clan. She was definitely eager to see their styles in action, especially the Overflowing Flame style. Now that she was well rested, all she has to do is wait.
Eiseikato is the place where yōkai roam freely, a place of boundless freedom or so they say. Tsurara regained most her energy from earlier, but even then, her illusion expired as her real form is exposed to the yōkai land. She took a moment to walk view and walk about her surroundings, truly this place struck familiarity as if it is home.
The palish-blue skinned Yuki-Onna could do nothing more than just vibe in the capital. She deduced that her classmates are also nowhere to be found and started formulating theories, whether or not it's abduction or the will of the gods, the real answer has yet to reveal itself. Tsurara sighed and keeps an open mind, eager to know what lies ahead of her. At the very least, she's satisfied to not maintain a disguise.
Tsurara's piercing icy blue eyes gazed upon the horizons."This is interesting."
The trip to Kyoto was spent with Lorelai's face all but pressed to the windows of their bus, ogling the sights with a vocal amazement that made her look ever more the stranger in a foreign land her European ancestry portrayed her as. It made her fortunate then that she hadn't brought a camera, clumsily forgotten along with the neon teal fanny pack she'd gotten to carry it, lost beneath a discarded pillowcase as she ran from her room to make it to the field trip departure point promptly.
All this went to say she was a starry eyed youth taking in the conference with an almost undue reverence for the speakers, especially the smiths for which she went out of her way to hound down when they had a moment to roam. She made a memorable sight, lugging a lacquered box under her arm and showing to various masters of their craft to see if any had an interest in working on it. This in turn lead to a great many disappointments, what with smith's on the hunt for bulk orders of a more commercial variety, and not the pet projects of students with minimal funds and social graces.
Yet being nothing if not persistent, the Dutch-Japanese student had come upon a man whose name no longer elicited the same glee in the buyers as it had in Lorelai, a descendant of Muramasa himself now interested in re-forging the broken magic-annulling sword into something she could use! Just the thought of it had her absolutely giddy everywhere she went afterwards, bouncing on the balls of her feet throughout the entire tour through various schools of exorcism.
It's all so....COOL! She cried out internally, actually far too distracted daydreaming to really take to heart any of the talk. Comforted by her own use of the basics of talismans and not really feeling an affinity for magic like some others did, they all pleasantly went in one ear and out the other.
The snowy-looking fox stepped around almost excitedly as she wandered through the ethereal streets. As she entered the town proper she noticed something odd about the residents. Not a single one was human. Was it the smell that gave it away, or that there was literally a walking umbrella passing her by, or a towering Oni wearing a fancy suit with sunglasses? The residents aside, there appeared to be a number of stalls and bustling restaurants and souvenir stores, and amidst the bustling she got an idea for what kind of place this was.
A town of yokai, such a prospect seemed to be quite exciting for her. How and why was she here? She immediately stopped caring as soon as she stepped in here. Despite her status as a yokai, the existence of such a city was unknown to her. However, it appeared as if her enjoyment was going to be cut short, the same familiar haze swept past her nose, unseen yet ever-present. Her eyes panned around, before settling upon the stairs leading further into the city. At the very end and atop the hill stood a towering building.
She climbed the steps in what appeared to be a trance, and as the building came into better focus, the initial interpretation of it being a castle quickly faded as she realized. This was an Inn. What was however, more interesting to her was that all the women who worked here were for the most part, kitsune like herself.
Her focus though was immediately grabbed yet again by the scent from earlier, the same one that had led her here, and following that scent she entered. The working ladies seemed to notice her but did nothing to stop her, even if it appeared as if she had walked into a staff-only area. As she rose staircase by staircase, where she would normally be fraught with fatigue, she would find herself being pulled in and climbing beyond her ability, until she finally reached the top.
She ascended the final steps, turning her head to the end of the room as she was met with a gorgeous view of the town she was in just now. A fan-shaped window adorned with with red and gold, the walls to the sides lined with various tapestries and fine kimono, with an empty centre, though seated in front of that window was a lady. Her back was turned to Koyuki, who walked closer, still drawn by the haze, but she now could see where it came from. The pipe that the lady smoked. She wore a kimono, slightly let down to expose a bit of her upper back, black hair tied up in an elaborate Oiran hairstyle, adorned with golden ornaments and pieces. As Koyuki's gaze moved around, she would notice tails coming out underneath the large arrangement of silks wrapped around her bottom half. Her eyes counted... One... Two... Three... Six... There were nine tails.
Being a Kitsune herself, she knew what this meant. But as soon as she stepped at the end of the room, barely past the paper doors.
"Bow"
Koyuki immediately bowed down, her face but inches from the ground.
"I see, so I was right... What is it you call yourself now, Koyuki...? An adorable name, one well-picked", she seemed to almost laugh, but Koyuki could not tell given her pose.
"My my, four tails already? You have been busy haven't you? How promising... Hm, but I sense confusion from you... Very well. I will allow you one question before I continue", the stern request was rather strong-handed. Koyuki would have to pick her question carefully.
Tsurara walked the streets, naked, or relatively so. As such she got looks from a lot of the yokai. While it was not strange for yokai to reveal their true forms, it was rather rare for ones with feminine beauty to do so. It was a strange sight seeing monsters of all kinds make catcalls to the Yuki-Onna, but soon the pattering of footsteps began to become louder before Tsurara felt indignant pain as her ear was pulled.
As she was turned around she looked into the eyes of a woman with such a cold expression, she herself as a yokai of ice froze inside too. Without a word she was dragged off by the ear by this woman. She wore a blue done-up Kimono depicting a tundra and a clear blue sky, all proper, white hair in a braid and bun combination with bright adornments, which stood out even more with her white hair, and most of all, her silver, cold eyes.
Next thing Tsurara knew, she was ushered into a house, as she entered, a group of women all in a similar outfit and setup to her bowed and greeted her.
"Welcome back, Lady Yukiano"
Now identified as Lady Yukiano, she stepped towards the stairs, but when she noticed Tsurara was not following she turned, "what are you standing there for? Follow me", the atmosphere did not allow her to defy her, not to mention she felt it too... This woman was also a Yuki-Onna, all the way down to her touch.
Pretty soon the two were seated in front of some freshly brewed tea, across from each other. The room they were in was decorated quite nicely, flower arrangement, calligraphy, some other minimalist decoration such as a vase, nothing extravagant.
"Now then... Tsurara... It appears I may have much to teach you. I am Yukiano Tsukihara. Your mother... Is an old acquaintance, and now I see why she was so concerned. Have you no decency child? To bare yourself before anyone, such filth", she sipped her tea and breathed as naturally as she dished out insult after insult.
"What would people think of Yuki-Onna if you did something like that. How do you expect to be married doing such things? I am sure we have our wild years, but this is... Beyond wild", her sharp eyes did not seem to approve of Tsurara.
"One week... Will barely be enough, I would be lucky to even make you half-way respectable by then", she sighed before putting her cup back down.
"All of that aside, I am obligated to be informing you of what is happening. No, you do not have a choice", she pulled out some papers and slid them over to Tsurara. It was her application form for the school trip, but also a second was stapled to it, signing her up to a Yokai training program. There was an extra note here too whose handwriting she noticed. It was her mother's. "Please make her into a respectable woman".
"If I did not owe your mother anything I would have refused. I can hardly believe you two are related let alone being mother and daughter... Now then. There is much to learn. First... Your mother paid for this kimono herself, so you may keep it beyond your week training here", she clapped twice, the paper doors opened as two ladies holding a kimono were there, which she presumed was the one. It had a snowflake pattern amidst a sunset. And before she knew it, she was dragged off and forced into a new and rather unfamiliar attire.
As Mason was being led through town being surrounded by an entourage of thugs, he began to notice something... There's monsters, everywhere, he looked right and left, and there were monsters straight out of storybooks. In fact after a few minutes he noticed that his entourage increased in size, grew horns, and changed skin color. They were oni.
He had no idea what was happening but there was amidst this, no time to enjoy the ethereal and unique scenery this town offered. Pretty soon, he was ushered into a building just off the side, though it had a traditional look on the outside, it looked like an office building on the inside. He briefly read as he entered a plaque at the far end saying "Koujou". The way everything was styled was just like Yakuza as he'd seen in movies and anime and... Anything else he had time to get his hands on. It seemed one of them noticed his nervousness.
"Heh, don't worry kid, we're not here to gut you or anything, we're just having you meet our boss", the one who spoke though he also had horns like the others, did not tower as much, and his eyes had a golden glint to them too even visible underneath his sunglasses. He had short golden hair and a constant confident smile with small fangs.
Pretty soon Mason did see the boss, as assured. He was sat inside a traditional Japanese room, at the far end sitting there like a daimyo was what would safely be assumed to be the boss. The biggest oni in the room, large, towering, with skin red like blood, wearing oversized sunglasses for his large self, and wearing an elaborate haori like a cape.
"Ehhh, so you're the one I was told about eh? A half-demon, strength type...", he seemed to be reading from some documents, which in his huge hands were... Almost comical.
"Oh I see, so that's why you're here. A foreign type too even, that's interestin', but you match Oni so well you sure your dad or somethin' wasn't one? Haha! Fire attribute too that's amazing... Hmmmmm. But bein' half... Oh right you must be wonderin' why you're here then", the big man handed a sheet to his assistant who sat beside him, who then quickly scuttled up to Mason to hand it to him.
As Mason read what was on the sheet he recognized it as his form for applying for the trip. But there was another page stapled to it. It was a page signing him up for a Yokai training program, along with a note... "As Yokai cannot learn exorcism safely, you have been submitted to this unique program lasting around one week. Signed, Kirizanto Kuuto". The biggest surprise though was... The person that made that note, but now he kinda got the picture.
"So that's the deal. This program is... Ordained by Lady Kuzunoha who rules this little place. To make sure Yokai do not eventually die out with urban developments, she has made a program requiring many of us to take in... Apprentices for a week. Teach'em what it means to be Yokai... Or... Somethin' like that I dunno this stuff's not my strength. Anyway, welcome kid, to the Koujou Clan. We're a clan of Oni who also operate as part of a Yakuza family in the world you know", he introduced.
"I've already figured out who will be your senpai for your program. Back there, Yuzaki!"
"Sir!", it was the guy with golden eyes again. He bowed as he was addressed.
"He's all yours",
"Yessir! Mason was your name right? I hope we get along!" Likewise, Mason found himself bowing as he did too.
"Awright, now that's settled, ya got any questions before I get back to... My business?"
As he stepped into the shrine's grounds, he began to notice the ethereal night around him. Almost glowing pink sakura petals amidst a dark navy blue sky adorned with only a single full moon. The stone pavement in front of him was clean and even, swept only by the pink petals of this strange place he was in. Being that of Arcanis, nothing here was familiar to him, yet he felt something similar to that which were called "yokai" in this world. His focus was brought back as the flitter of flame brushed past his sight, the flame bird that led him here, then flew further in towards the shrine, wistfully fluttering about before disappearing beyond the doors.
Icarus found himself sliding those same doors open within some moments, only to be greeted by a man sitting by a table. From what he could tell the center was a game board, using black and white pebbles, and sitting across was a phantom that took the shape of the man, yet was lined with flames.
"Ah, so you have finally come... Or rather, you arrived pretty quickly. Please... Take a seat", he stated, and as he did the flame phantom disappeared.
"So, have you ever played Go? Ah why am I asking of course not. I have already foreseen such afterall", though he was right, there was something about him that was kind of irritating. He had a clean look about him, and was dressed like that of an onmyoudo, like the exorcists back in the conference he saw, but this man did not appear to be an exorcist.
"Here, I shall give you some guidance", he made what appeared like a seal with his hand. For a brief moment, symbols appeared around his hand written from flame, before conjuring yet another fire bird that circled Icarus before settling on his shoulder. As he looked at it, somehow the rules of Go became clear to him.
"It's temporary, and you will forget once that bird is gone, but we can now play. I will try to go easy on you", for some reason, Icarus felt he was not going to.
He was right. He was promptly defeated in what he understood thanks to the little firebird, a very fast game. The man then clicked his fingers, causing the board to clean itself and start a game anew.
"I suppose you must be wondering why you're here", he began, starting yet another game. Icarus felt compelled to make a move too and keep playing, there was nothing else to do and... It seemed rude not to.
"I am Hinoyama Kikutori, a... Suzaku. A fire phoenix much like yourself, but I have never had the pleasure of meeting such until today", his next move was quite aggressive.
"The place you find yourself in is my shrine here in Eiseikato, a wandering city so to speak. It drifts between rifts in the world's planes of existence going from place to place around Japan. You are here because... Oh an opening", he took it rather eagerly. He seemed to be enjoying himself.
"Ahem... So you are here because you have been signed up for a little program the Lady Kuzunoha runs here for young yokai, or... In your case, demons is the term you use", he made another seal with his hand, a little different to before, but the effect was same, though this time it conjured some papers in front of Icarus. He saw his application for the school trip, but attached was another page that detailed this... Program. "He is talented at magic, but I feel he needs guidance from one of his own", was a note from Utsumi.
"That is the situation. This little program takes place over 5 days, and daresay it would be preferable over being surrounded by people who can erase your existence no? In any case... Looks like I win again", this man really was a bit irritating.
"Hmhm, I can feel your bubbling frustration, so perhaps we shall not play another. Instead I shall be teaching you my arts. I had taken this position to be your tutor without any prior thought only wishing to see a 'phoenix' in person, but now that I am here, I realize I actually had no plans for your development, so I shall simply teach you my arts", his arts...? Kikutori opened his palm, and in a few moments a bright and revitalizing flame flickered in his hand.
"We may be a bit different, but the undying and rebirth aspect of our fires are... The same so to speak, and so I can teach you that which I have learned. Flames that do not die, even in the face of the coldest water or the most powerful exorcist. Sounds like a worthwhile study does it not?"
Utsumi emerged from the front doors of the traditional Japanese inn with what appeared to be some paperwork, reading as he stepped outside. He was not accompanied by anyone, from today on was the student's responsibility. Some brushed past him wanting to go sightseeing, which was perfectly within their rights, however he was concerned that they chose to do that on the first day. One of the requirements was to visit any of the prior places, or to be doing in-field research, as they called it. Any form of productive sightseeing, so to speak, one that would further one's own abilities, even if it was just going around and documenting the shrines.
"Well, I don't have to worry about those who are at Eiseikato... And, I expected a few here to be a bit out of focus but they'd already headed out with purpose. I suppose I've been too judgemental of some of my own students... Ahh, that's no good Utsumi, an accurate assessment is what you always aim for, it's not good to be thinking that way", he mumbled to himself.
"Talking to yourself again I see", the bespectacled teacher turned around and standing there was Kuuto, he had his coat worn, rather than hanging off his shoulders.
"My my, I thought you were just going to be here as a teacher, but it seems there were other matters weren't there?"
"Murder case, due to the nature of it I was put on as it's prosecutor, curse that Motsumine... He knew something was up in this city", Kuuto didn't seem too happy about it... Was it possible he really just wanted to relax? Utsumi adjusted his glasses.
"Well, given how Eiseikato is here too, it may not be a coincidence. It often avoids Kyoto unless a big event is meant to occur. Too many exorcists living here, too big a risk to visit just because they wanted to", Kuuto just sighed and walked past Utsumi.
"I'll be back before dinner, send out your little bird scouts and tell me what you can learn about the city",
"Alright, well then, have a good day at work", and with that Kuuto left.
"Now then... I suppose that would be wise, I do want to keep an eye on the students too afterall", he clicked his fingers and with that, a flock of blue glowing birds burst from him, before disappear amidst the great blue sky.
The Kirizanto blacksmith's forge was kept on the grounds of the household, the procedures to get in here were rather strict, characteristic of their teacher who Otis had expected to be accompanying them. However, it came to the class as a surprise that following up with these places was up to them. They were also given special badges to show they were part of the school and part of this program, to which he showed the guards.
The Kirizanto estate was a rather modest place compared to some other areas she had walked past, situated deep in the eastern forests of Kyoto. It's an estate with large zen gardens surrounding a single large estate, it had few attendants and there were some clan members here practicing their art too. One or two other classmates were spotted there as well. After some time walking through the estate he finally found himself in their forge.
It was small, the class all visited just yesterday so he was familiar. It had all the traditional tools and so forth. Already tending the furnace was the old man he saw yesterday, and by the looks of things, Otis was the only one here to learn the forging style.
"I am Kirizanto Ishinari, the head smith of the Kirizanto family and successor to the style. So you're here to learn our ways of forging are ya? Trust me it isn't too fancy, if you know how to forge katana, you're already halfway done here. The key to our way is the inscriptions, made by the first generation of my family. But, you can't just use anything to etch them, a chisel that's appropriately blessed, and made from the right material, any iron found from places thick with oni and yokai such as at the top of mountains, or recently, meteorites, will do. Such materials conduct magical and spiritual energy very well", he explained.
"This one here is a few hundred years old, such materials have become rare, and I attended the conference today in search of substitutes from Arcanis... Well, anyway I'm sure you're not here to listen to an old man ramble on, first thing you will learn today is the patterns to etch. Take any old chisel and I'll make you some blades you can practice on", he put his current chisel down, before grabbing one from the wall and throwing it softly at the young bird boy. Hopefully he can catch it.
"The way of the Overflowing Flame is to flood the battlefield with flames, but the trick is to not overcommit, rather, the flames we flood the field with are not lethal. Using the haze of the fire and the confusion of our enemies, we exploit any opening we find in the chaos. Our objective is to cause fear within those who embody fear, the greatest practitioners of this art are the flashiest of us, but it is a fine art to balance flashiness with efficiency, for you see, it is a common misstep to..."
It was no good, Ultana was beginning to fall asleep. There were more than just a few of her classmates here and it seems they felt the same thing. Flashiness they said, but there was nothing flashy about their lesson.
"And then... Hm?" the room was suddenly flooded with fire, the class was absolutely jolted awake by this maelstrom of fire, the center stage in front of them was instantly engulfed in flames as even the lecturer was surprised, before appearing before them was Motsumine himself. He was dressed differently, which wasn't a surprise, yesterday was a ceremony, unlike today.
"I sensed people were falling asleep in my own estate, I had to come and take a look", it was unclear if he could actually sense that or he was joking.
"I knew I should've made my schedule clear today to teach this class, Master Urayama you do have a talent for putting people to sleep, as good as you are at our arts", he then turned back to the class.
"Then a special lesson today for all of you, I can't be here long, so I will quickly impart you to practice any of the skills you wish. Don't worry, I've already placed wards all around this room to contain any possible damage that might happen", he flipped his wrist a moment as some talismans of his were pulled out at the ready. Those who were studied in the Fujiwara arts might recognize them as containment, sealing, and defensive seals.
"Ah yes, your scrolls and study material, feel free to experiment them immediately", he stated, making a hand seal with his other free hand, causing a scroll to appear in front of every student.
Lorelai was sat in the modest blacksmith's hut, accompanied only by the blacksmith himself, a rather young lad with a serious scowl, and his younger sister, who seemed to be amazed at Lorelai. It appears she had never met a foreigner before.
"The material is surprisingly brittle... Perhaps... Hmmm no, it's luster is in that same material... Maybe I could... Yes, that could work", the boy's name was Muramasa Kenjo, the Muramasa family had once made fine blades, so fine and so full of bloodlust they were considered cursed or demon blades. Now though, not so much. However with such little material, none of the other blacksmiths at the expo seemed interested, but when this boy saw it... There was a certain glint in his eyes.
"Truly though, this material is curious and it's properties interfering with magic are astounding. Those other smiths were not interested because there was not enough, but I see that this is incredibly rare material. Any weapon made from this will be more than helpful to it's wielder... Though, with this much, I'm afraid only a spear will do", ah, right, he didn't know Lorelai used a spear anyways.
"If that is alright, how would you like it? I can make a naginata, or a yari. I'm afraid if I use too much ordinary steel to make it into a sword, it will lose it's abilities", it was amazing he could understand that just from inspecting the material. No tests required...
"I'm quite eager, if this turns out good, then you can tell all about who made your weapon, and perhaps I'll finally get my name out there... Perhaps I had said it before, but my dream is to make the Muramasa name more than just an old legend of demon blades".
Aurelius and his accompaniment Lady didn't find any of the presented teachings to be really interesting, so today they elected to go sightseeing. Something about a small shrine up in the mountains interested him, so that's where he went. It was a pretty standard tourist affair, the lush green forests of Japan with the occasional small shrine and some Inari shrines as they ascended, the long staircase with torii gates too, was rather atmospheric.
They spent some time just enjoying the tourist attractions, souvenir shops, food stalls, and so on, rather quiet up here all things considered, but soon they ran into something that piqued Aurelius' interest.
"There you are, Akimoto",
"I won that duel fair and square, and more importantly, the deal was if I won you'd drop the debt",
"Shut up! That's not how it was supposed to go, I'm ruined if I don't get that money back", he had more than a few men with him. The man in the red yukata and straw hat just sighed.
"Alright fine, but bringing a few extra bodies won't help, but if it makes you feel more confident, maybe you'll do better this time",
"You...! Kill him!", the men charged forth, raising their weapons, whether it be clubs or bats or whatever else they could find. The man in red though did not draw the two blades set upon his hip. Instead he picked up an old stick laying next to him, kicking it up and wielding it. No one's eyes could follow completely where he had struck. The first men when down, appearing to have only taken one hit, then the second, third... Until they were crumpled upon the ground. Aurelius could look over the bodies, and it appeared as if each one had taken several blows, yet... He only saw one.
"Goddamnit! If I don't kill you they'll kill me!", the panicked man pulled out a pistol from his person, in his frantic state he fired rather quickly, three shots. In that instant they expected to see the red man take a bullet or two, but by the time Aurelius' eyes looked back to him, the man had drawn his sword, with it held up high in one hand to his side. The sounds of some metal falling onto the stone pavement was heard as Aurelius spotted a bullet roll towards him. It was cut clean in half down the middle.
Akimoto relaxed himself as the man stumbled backwards, not believing what he just saw, then scrambling to get up again to run.
"I-I'll! I'll be back! You hear me?! You'll pay for this!", and with that, he was gone.
Finally, Ultana was at the showcase at the Estate of the Fujiwara clan for the showcase of their exorcism arts.....However, it seemed an ole foe shown himself before everyone. The dreaded foe of the conference from earlier, boredom! Man! These Fujiwara clan guys sure know how to put one to sleep! She complained in her mind until a blast of fire managed to wake her up completely. To the rescue, ironically, was the head of the clan, the man who spoke at the conference, Motsumine no Fujiwara.
Admittingly, he was definitely an improvement over the old man in terms in terms of the ability to put one to sleep. It's a good thing he decided to step in and get straight to the point as to what everyone came here for. A detailed explanation is nice and all but long winded lectures like the old man's will only make things worse. Glad to get things rolling, she was eager to check out their Overflowing Flame technique.
After making her choice in skill, Motsumine did a hand seal with his free hand and soon everyone found a scroll appear out of nowhere before them. With no hesitation at all, Ultana pulls her weapon out. Excited to get started, maybe a bit too excited, she begans going over the scroll. Thankfully with all those protection seals that were put up, she won't have to worry about her 'eagerness' causing a bunch of problems......again.
"No, no, really, you're hair is just as lovely." Lorelai tittered, her expression bright and carefree as Muramasa Kenjo's sister fawned over her all the unguarded enthusiasm of youthful innocence. A feeling the blonde was all too happy to mirror, nearly losing herself in such isle pleasantries were there not the tantalizing prospect that had brought her to the Smith's home, that being the re-forging of the shattered sword into a usable form.
It struck her as being odd that no one had taken an interest in working with such exotic material, but then again, the same feature's Kenjo's sister found intriguing, others took with a measure of disdain even the dense Dutch-Japanese could not be entirely ignorant of. That the De Windt blood had bred blonde for centuries didn't make her any less Japanese in her upbringing and speech!
"Oh, a Naginata sounds nice, but I've trained a lot in spears that can thrust and pivot between slashing and stabbing. Maybe something like a Yari would work better...yeah, a Muramasa Yari!" She replied to the intense young smith, inwardly bemused he was just as honest and outgoing as his sister in spite of his severe nature, bearing his passion with flinty eyes and muscles taut with the urge to hammer it into a new form. Taking hold of a hand from each Muramasa she let loose a cheer, "We'll make you're work famous, and then everyone visiting Kyoto will have to make the Musamasa forges a must see destiantion!"
Icarus had been drawn into a world far beyond his own before, and while this shift had been no less dramatic, it had somewhat fewer alien features on the other side. This place was practically homey compared to the discovery of modern Earthly construction techniques. The little firebird had drawn him here away from the humans, but perhaps that was the intent.
After all, the exposition for the student body at large had focused on exorcism, and the tour seemed a bit, well, targeted wasn't really a nice word, but it wasn't so much inaccurate. Meeting another firebird, apparently a "suzaku", well at least it wasn't yet another exorcist or a blacksmith hawking wares designed specifically for exorcists. The game was odd, and he was quite sure the older youkai was simply using it to distract him; he had been given a rundown on the rules, but that wasn't really enough to really know how to play, certainly not against someone with experience.
"I'm still not really sure what is going on with all of this." Icarus began, trying to figure out just how to talk to this person. They were a strange yokai, but he had the distinct impression that he and Hinoyama would not get along very well. The suzaku seemed a bit flighty and very, very forward. But at least he wasn't infuriatingly reserved. So there was that nice contrast from actual home. But he was just a child again here. Someone who needed about a hundred more years of maturity. "I don't know a thing about a lot of the things you're talking about, but I did come across to learn from this world, so I'd be honored to learn what you're willing to teach me. Maybe I can share a bit about my home too?"
Strict was good; even though he was aware of the allowances for poor etiquette that came with being an other-worlder, Otis hadn’t spent two weeks prior to coming to Earth soaking in Japanese culture just to end up a cultural barbarian at the end of it. In his usual outfit of tawny brown and patterned reds, he strode through the estate with purpose, having committed the layout of the estate by heart since yesterday. Esoteric runes of demon destruction weren’t so common in Arcanis, not when paladins and clerics in the capital city were capable of utilizing holy magic without preparation, but learning more techniques was never a bad thing, and honestly, Otis wasn’t so interested in the other forms of forging.
After all, bullets that needed to be used more than once were no longer bullets.
“Good morning. I'm Otis Tan Arillo,” Otis called out crisply, eyes flickering about the forge. No one else from the class was there, but it was to be expected. There were so few in the class to begin with, and so many different options to appeal to everyone else. “I don’t know how to make Japanese longswords. But inscriptions are good. That’s what I’m here for. Why meteorites though? Are there yokai in space? Or is it about height? Tried mining in Mt Everest yet? Hrm…” Absentmindedly, Otis caught the chisel, grazing his thumb against the sturdy, sharp edge. It was symmetrical. Nice. His nose twitched, taking in the sharp scent of old metal.
“Why look for substitutes in Arcanis? Do your chisels break down as quickly as your Japanese longswords? Or is this all experimentation? Do different chisels of different metals make different effects?”
Even when the instruction began properly, the questions didn't stop, sometimes shooting out in a sharp burst, other times in a deluge of curiousity. He wasn't going to be here in Kyoto for long, after all, so Otis had to maximize on his knowledge-gathering while he could.
Shame that Ko disappeared though. Now he had no co-conspirator for post-curfew exploration.
The new scenery before her raised the fox maiden's heart from excitement, what was this place? How did she get here? There was so much to see and her curiosity must be sated at once! But before Koyuki could take another step to who-knows-where, the haze that lead her to this town in the first place carried her feet towards the towering building atop a hill. She couldn't explain why but it felt as though the haze was calling to her and leading her to where she must go.
By the time Koyuki snapped out of the trance like state from the haze, she stood before a mysterious and elegant lady with fox tails like hers. Not a moment after her arrival, as if her words were a form of spell, the young fox was suddenly made to bow down to the fox mistress. The number of tails alone could tell how much powerful the other kitsune was, how effortless it seemed for her to have another obey her command was proof of it, or at least that's what Koyuki thought. Intimidating aura emanated from the lady but there was something about her that felt familiar...
"Really? That is your question?", the lady took a puff of her pipe, before exhaling almost contemptuously, there was a feeling that she wasn't impressed whatsoever. The pause before she said yet another line was uncomfortable, the air in the room was still, with only the smoke from her pipe mysteriously moving more than it feels like it should.
"I suppose it was my mistake to offer, but yes. You were a poor soul I happened to take pity on, no more”, she waved her pipe just a little bit before what appeared to be a contract appearing in front of her, along with her application form for the school trip.
“Starting today you will be working at this inn. Not forever though mind you, but for a week. You have some power, it seems, which is convenient. However, you have not proven your control”, she began.
“Throughout your time working here you will be learning control. Many of the duties at this inn make use of our kind’s abilities. Illusions can be helpful to those who need respite you see. You start work at tonight’s shift. You have but a few hours to get dressed and learn this inn’s ways. Good luck. I may have a reward for you if you do your best. I am not a wholly cruel mistress afterall… Oh yes, remember to call me by title. ‘Okami’. I’ll not accept any other while you are working here”, whether or not Koyuki had more to say, it appears it was not her place to say or do. The beautiful nine tailed fox did a slight wave with her hand as two mature women kitsune appeared behind and beside Koyuki, before promptly dragging her out of the room, no doubt to put her into their uniform.
The man named Hinoyama clapped his hands together, the white garb he wore fluttering just for a moment as upon the sound of the clap, the game board in front of Icarus disappeared. He had a rather delighted look on his face.
“Wonderful! Yes yes of course that’s why I agreed to the Lady’s program to begin with! Hmhm! Now then… Perhaps you can start by telling me about life over there, oh! And the food, maybe your pastimes? I hope it isn’t too obvious, but I am a sucker for board games you see!”, there was an almost childish curiosity that possessed Hinoyama. This otherwise sharp-looking man with an irritatingly confident-looking gaze and face was leaned forward resting on his hands like some dainty schoolgirl about to gossip.
“Ah… But of course, I am also quite interested in ‘phoenixes’. Such beings exist in this world too, but they are vastly different from what you are it appears. For example, they never take a human form… Rather disappointing really. So please, do tell me about your kind too”, his demeanor changed for just a moment. This man wore his emotions on his sleeve, so it appeared, yet he seemed no stranger to hiding things in those selfsame sleeves.
“You ask too many questions!”, he snapped. Almost not missing a beat as he hammered away at steel at a relaxed pace. There was a kind of silence as Otis stood there awkwardly clutching the chisel almost waiting for an answer. About to give up, the old man broke the silence,
“... Yes that’s correct, different chisels produce different effects. A normal chisel might at best produce weak inscriptions, but better tools can infuse more power…”, he stopped for a bit as he seemed to pull the small blade out of the forge, then cooling it. He then moved over to put it into a small pile alongside a few other small blades, around the size of a tanto.
“Feel free to take any of these and practice… You can keep whatever you successfully make”, he turned back to his forge and began preparing another blade.
“Meteorite in high enough quantity is exceedingly rare, you may get pebbles from time to time but that wouldn’t be enough for even a nail… So I have been interested in substitutes from Arcanis. Unlike here, Arcanis is a land filled with magical power, finding suitable substitutes should not be hard… I may even find some new techniques and possible inscriptions with different materials”, he explained.
Despite his prickly voice and demeanor, he seemed to share some kind of interest in materials that Otis did. Regardless, the exchanges repeated in this way. Otis would ask a few too many questions too quickly, only to be cut down… And then have all of them answered.
The lesson for Overflowing Flame went rather… Chaotically. True, no damage made it out of that room, but Motsumine himself seemed to almost be laughing as students let out flame spell after flame spell engulfing the entire room in flames. It was fun to be sure, and those who were able to get started benefited greatly from just being able to try it out. Eventually though he had everyone calm down and practice the main seals for Overflowing Flame in a structured way.
By the end of the lesson, Ultana’s face felt the warm breeze of the outdoor summer air of Kyoto, which by comparison to where she just was, was quite cool. With this all being said and done she was now free to explore Kyoto for a bit. As she walked out of the Fujiwara estate, she heard talk of Kiyomizu shrine. A famous spot they say?
SKILL POINT DISTRIBUTION
REMINDER: Your Yokai Skill which you'll gain soon is free, so the points you obtain here can be used for whatever you please. @Amaterasu (5 skill points) @Takumi Enishi (5 skill points) @Ginnungagap (5 skill points) @TheHangedMan (5 skill points)
NOTE: The lesson you just attended/skill you learned will be given free. HOWEVER, every Major Skill you gain after your first in the arc must be paid for. @ERode (5 skill points) @Lonewolf685 (5 skill points, you also still have your free Major Skill) @I-Am-X (5 skill points) @Kal-El (5 skill points)
Being a tourist spot, it was expectedly lively and crowded. Recognizing people from their class, Ultana and Lorelai were first to group together, then came Asta, Helena, then soon Otis was actually dragged into the group almost involuntarily. Rodrick also showed up, it seems he and Helena were to meet here with other classmates but they misinterpreted their relationship as romantic, and tried to set them up alone.
The view from the Kiyomizu Shrine was excellent, spanning over a large forest as they stood on essentially a gigantic balcony. The lush greenery below contrasted with the brilliant blue sky created a pleasant summer scenery with the buzz of cicadas in the background.
“Hm, the air out here is excellent. Compared to the smell of the sea in Seidoujima, the lush forest is more familiar to me”, Rodrick seemed to be enjoying himself, all things considered.
“I wonder if there’s a spot where I could set up tea…”, Helena pondered while looking around, but based on her expression it appears she was a little disheartened to get such a spot in the immediate area. Meanwhile a little behind her, Asta was waving a fan almost frantically standing beside Ultana. It seems she was not used to the heat, though considering her country of origin it was not a big surprise.
It was an eventuality that they grabbed drinks from a vending machine on the premises and found a place to relax and take photos. It wasn’t uncommon that they got tourists to ask them to help take their photos too. The atmosphere overall was rather nice, and the souvenirs offered a little something to remember the experience by.
As the group moved along the temple, they bumped into a young girl, she crashed into the group and proceeded to try to hide between them.
“S-sorry! Just… Please pretend I’m with you guys for a bit…!”, her hair was long, dark, topped by a brown messenger hat, wearing a denim pleated skirt with suspenders over a fluffy white blouse. Up ahead, the group could see a few people moving around as if they were looking for someone, after maybe a dozen seconds, they were gone. Peeking out from the group, the girl saw that the coast was clear.
“Ahhhh, thank you! It’s so hard to have fun if I’m being babysat like that… Oh! I’m so sorry to intrude! I am Kaganomiya Seirin! I uh, hope I had not been intruding. I-if that was the case, then I can just go…”, the way she spoke was overly formal, suggesting she was from a well-to-do family. Was it possible the people looking for her were just her bodyguards…? In any case… Those who had good eyes like Otis would recognize her. She was the girl at the conference yesterday on the stage, sitting there like decoration. That day though, she was too far away to see her fair features in proper unless you had eyes like a bird of prey.
So much transpired and digest, Tsurara recalled her mother about a traditional vows of being a good wife. An inevitable fate for her kind, the Yuki-Onna meekly complied to her mother's cohort. The clothes were also uncomfortable, this is the first time she wears clothes and it felt against her will.
Marriage, vows and all kinds of adulting. Tsurara knew her fate to be but she hates it. She wanted to test her strength because her philosophy goes against everything that transpired instantly. The only way is to comply to her senior Yuki-Onna whether she likes it or not. Tsurara inhaled and exhaled, it's true that she spent time with her father more than her mother, which explains her ineptness in women laws of her kind, she treads around her senior's nerves.
"So once my training is complete, then what? If I'm just gonna get married against my will then screw it, that I'd normally say. Whoever I will get married too, I will make sure they submit. You probably are agitated from my reluctance that I'm emitting right now, the very tradition I ought to reject. Say, if I refuse? Haha, just kidding. Let's get started then." @Sho Minazuki
