Fantasy Ikigai

[piichivy]

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[div class=all][div class=title][div class=h1]Xiāoyīn
location ✾ town
tags ✾ Muroo Akito ; Gozu[/div][/div][div class=hold][div class=dia][/div][div class=icon][/div][/div][div class=box][div class=scroll]----The wisteria-haired man seemed to take much time looking at carpet-haired peach Mizuha. Of course, she had nothing to say and no easy way of asking the man anything on his identity, so the woman took to taking note of his appearance in hopes of determining it through good old-fashioned inductive reasoning.

----This would have been fine, except for the fact that she has never been able to see any of their features up close.

----Nevertheless, she noted that his eyes were, hm. Was it more light blue¹ or sky blue? She decided on light blue for now. Unfortunately, the two both had unkempt hair, both very close to the color of wisterias. She'll refer to this one as wisteria-haired for now and assign a different color to the other one should she ever come across him.

----Noticeably, Wisteria-Hair stood with a rather admirable posture. Perhaps with a bit of fine-tuning, maybe pushing back his shoulders, he'd make a nice dancer. For a moment, she considered giving him her own fan, just to see. She didn't of course, that'd be unrefined of her.

----She was just observing the curious nature of his scarf when he asked, "This is Nishimura Mizuha?"

----Startled, she blinked and snapped her gaze back to the man's eyes. (Ah, were they aqua blue instead?) She gave no other sign of her surprise however and instead, gave a steady nod.

----"—but why has such a childish prank been overlooked?" Why, indeed? If it had been Lord Nishimura's intention, then...

----It couldn't have been his intention, she thought, unknowingly mouthing the words. If such actions were out of character for Lord Nishimura, then the act would not be of his doing. That led to a third party then.

----She ran through the possibilities in her head. It could be of Lady Mizuha's doing and that in truth, she did not want to be found. It could also be the work of another onmyōji, one of the Nishimura's clan in order to intercept the documents. This onmyōji would then be seeking to be rid of the Nishimura girl. But why? Ransom money? But the clan had not received any ransom note. Getting rid of competition? She did not know the ways of their clan, but as the youngest and a female, Mizuha would not seem to be the most threatening of opponents. And, if anything, the clan as a whole would find it more beneficial to them to marry off the lass to cement ties between clans.

----The last possible culprit would be an Ayakashi. Her kidnapper? His cohorts?

----"I am Akito..." the man started. Oh no, introductions. "—while this is Gozu." Oh no, he was taller.

----"Introductions have come late, but who might you be? Do you belong to one of the Eleven Clans?"

----She was silent. Well, of course she'd be. No, she was silent, as in, she was evaluating this information she was given and thinking of a way to respond. His name was Akito. Okay. She did not remember the names of the two wisteria haired men however, so that did not help much in distinguishing them, aside from tossing away the nickname of Wisteria-Hair. Tora or Muroo? Muroo or Tora?

----Akito was certainly from one of the two. Or, she could be wrong and he could be from an entirely different clan. Nevertheless, he spoke with a tinge of proudness and that would certainly be the reason for his posture. He didn't say which however. Should she mention hers, then? Ah, if he was going to be discreet, she shall as well.

----It might have been easier to reveal it. She had her signet ring tied on a cord around her neck. Revealing it would also reveal her muteness, and she wouldn't have to attempt to explain such to him.

----Well, she did not wish to reveal it either. For the time being, she'd prefer if he remained ignorant that she was the "pitiful Zhang girl".

----She instead chose to nod once more, and pulled up her sleeve. She ran out of paper.

----Xiāoyīn hoped that the katakana scrawled on her arm was legible. It wasn't quite the way to pronounce her name, but it was close enough.

「シアオイン」
—​

notes
¹Xiāoyīn is thinking in traditional Japanese colors.
(references: 1 2)
[/div][/div][div class=credit]code: piichivy [/div][/div]

 

[s e v e n]

Akiyama Misaki
​

逆境で咲く花は、最も希少で美しいものです​

Now she's done it.

At first, Misaki did not move, or perhaps she wriggled as that's what fire does. It was as though she was trying to send a message of 'nothing to see here folks, just a massive floating fire ball doing natural fire things'. She then turned around, noticing that regardless of where she's facing, no one could tell anyway. She watched the crowd before her, in particular a perplexed looking purple haired male at the center who she assumed to be the one who had spoken to her. The female yokai made a mental count of the number of people, still contemplating whether or not she'd make a quick dash for it. As she had learned, most confrontations mean trouble. It had been a while since she met people who could see her, however, and the slightest bit of interaction actually made her quite joyful.

Think before you act, or was it act before you think? In the span of a milli of seconds, the flame yokai zoomed inches away from the purple haired male's face, unsure if she should shift back to her usual form just yet. In the end, Misaki decided against it. "I'm not lost! Why would you think I'm lost?" she asked, before falling into contemplation. Wait, was she lost? She was quite sure that this was her village. Did she get the signs mixed up again? She suppressed a groan. No wonder things seemed a bit different.

She zoomed away again, this time circling the male for a bit before returning to face him once more. "You're. . . " she pondered slightly. "You're an onmyouji, aren't you? And, uh, your friends too? Or do they just think you're talking to thin air right now?"

Of course, she needn't really ask the question. It was either one thing or the other after all. This time, Misaki hesitated, backing away from the group of strangers, casting her gaze left and right anxiously. Another saying was curiosity killed the cat, and she was quite sure she did not get this one wrong. Oh dear.

"You're not. . . going to hurt me, are you?"

location: village | mentions: ppl next to shig i guess| interactions: shigeru Aster​

X X X X X X X X X Xcode: s e v e n

X

秋
山
美
咲

​

 

[Aster]

s h i g e n o r i . t o r a

Shigeru could only blink and hope that the yokai didn't have any malicious intent when it suddenly flew to his face, so quickly he barely had time to react.

"Ah, I'm sorry. You must be new here then," he offered a smile and maybe would've extended a hand as well but even he had enough common sense than to shake a flaming fireball spirit. "I'm Shigeru and yes, I'm an onmyouji."

He introduced himself earnestly, hoping the yokai would follow suit, "What about you, yokai-san?"

When new yokai came to Ametsuchi, it was an onmyouji's job to ensure that everything stays under control. Most which venture are usually lost or mean no harm when they do plan to stay. Shigeru found it was much easier for him to befriend them and convince them to live peaceful lives in the human worlds, lest they have to resort to chasing them back to Ukiyou.

"Oh, and this is Kaede," Shigeru added when the genbu male stepped out of the ramen shop with him. The look of surprise crossed his face when the last question was asked. He denied it quickly.

"No, we won't. We're good onmyoujis, only here to preserve the peace. Ah, speaking of which," Shigeru pulled out the paper with Mizuha's missing details and showed it to the floating yokai, "We're looking for this girl named Nishimura Mizuha. Have you seen her?" he asked. There was no harm trying his luck when he can.

location: Town | mentions: None | interactions: Misaki s e v e n

 

[fluticasone]

fluticasone

Gozu found himself amused by the entire exchange between his partner and the woman, choosing to remain silent for once. It was rare to hear Akito curbing his natural instinct to sound like he was presiding over court. He vaguely wished he had his mask on. It was always amusing to see how other omnyouji would react to it. Akito's own reaction was still the best by far, but he had to say that Shui's attempt at hitting him with a pan was a close second. Correction: she did hit him. He just didn't feel it.

Pale green eyes unbashedly stared at the omnyouji with interest, attempting to recall if they'd met before in any clan meeting. Unsurprisingly, nothing came to mind. He was even better than Akito at running away from the more political side that came with his status. He'd probably gone to around five of those meetings, staying to the end for only two of them. He wasn't even sure why he'd bothered trying.

As Akito asked for her name, the oni saw her hesitation. Interesting. He also noted that Akito had left out of surname completely. Apparently neither side wasn't quite trusting the other with all the information. In his partner's defense, he could understand not wanting to be recognized as the stuck-up cursed Muroo leader. But the fact the woman was also been reluctant to share her name called at his curiosity.

When she finally nodded as if coming to a decision, Gozu found himself coming closer to studying the scribbling on her skin. "Shi-a-o-i-n." He turned to his partner, his eyes asking a different question from the one he voiced. "How do you say that?" Is she mute or does she just not want to speak? He didn't doubt he'd understand. They'd spent so much time together that they'd begun being able to hold conversations with just looks.

He stepped away as Akito answered both questions. She had only said yes that she was from one of the eleven, but did not confirm which clan she belonged to. By Gozu's book, that automatically pegged her as suspicious. Not that they were any better with their introduction, but he knew for a fact that they were Muroo. Or rather, Akito was. Gozu was the weapon attached.

"Back to topic, does it really matter whether or not it looks like Mizuha? She's still missing; you can compare questionable depictions of her later."

 

[Aster]

c o l l a b

Prying the child's hands away from her, Kohime shot Shui a look for help. The both of them knew the ritual song and dance to open a temporary rift to send lost yokai home, but that would require Shui's approval and skill. Even with her partner was willing to help, Kohime wasn't entirely sure if Shui had brought the tools necessary to open the rift.

Shui had, in fact, brought her Suzu. She found herself thanking her husband for his foresight, despite his absence. That was something she knew she lacked as an onmyouji, but she simply wasn’t built for planning ahead. And regardless of whether or not she had brought the instrument, she’d have found a way to send her home. Shui was weak to a child’s tears, whether there were human or yokai.

Once Kohime had extricated herself from the yokai’s grasp, the brunette knelt to eye level and met the girl’s gaze. If one didn’t know better, they would think she was human. But even in her limited abilities, there was something intangible sometimes with the way yokai were. It didn’t necessarily have anything to do with their physical attributes; it was something she wanted to ponder on some other time.

Having temporarily forgotten their company, Shui focused on the immediate task that had presented itself before her. Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. Children were easily spooked, and she presumed young yokai were no exception to this, even if what spooked them differed. “My partner, the cute Amabiko beside me, can send you home. See this?” Reaching to her left, she pulled the bell wand out of the cushioned bag she kept at her waist. “With this, and a bit of song and dance, you can go back.”

Though it didn’t look like the child wholly trusted her since Shui was no yokai, it didn’t appear as if she would run away screaming. She’d have much preferred another onmyouji who could guide the child, but neither of the two with them at the moment had any experience in such matters.

She looked around; the road following the river path was deserted at the moment, but there was no telling who could come up at any moment. Shui would prefer somewhere more private. Her lips thin until she finally comes to a decision. “Kohime, how about behind the old fisherman’s hut there?” It wasn’t the most secret of places, but it was better than being out in open.

Shui’s comforting words held the motherly touch needed for the yokai child to calm her crying down to sniffling. It was just so her to take reign of the situation perfectly and Kohime couldn’t have been more proud to have her as her partner.

Nodding in agreement, Kohime made a brisk explanation to Haruhi and Nagisa as the group split with Nagisa joining Haruhi in with the search. Tracing the river back to a dusty old hut, the trio lingered in the shadows away from the eyes of judging man. When they deemed the place appropriate, Kohime took a slow inhale before sharply whistling a soundless note with her index finger and her thumb. Within moments two plush-sized goldfish came swimming down from the sky, invisible to the human eye but ever present to the three.

They swam around the lost oni child while the Amabiko switched back to her yokai form, finding it easier to open rifts when her spiritual powers isn’t held limited by the laws of Ametsuchi.

With another exhale, she opened her mouth and sang one clear and definite note which started the procession of notes to began the song. Just the first note alone left a shiver down the listeners’ backs and her melodious voice began to caress the atmosphere around them, almost coaxing the invisible barriers between the realms to soften.

The two goldfish made popping sounds with their mouths, creating a tempo and beat to the song, adding harmony to Kohime’s melody. If it was the singer and musician’s job to melt the barriers, than it was the dancer’s job to carve them a way.

The delicate tinkle of bells cut through the melody, at first sounding like cacophony against the music, but eventually melding into the song. The sound reverberated as it moved with Shui’s fluid movements, each gesture peeling away another layer between Ukiyou and Ametsuchi. Though her eyes remained closed, she was aware of everything around her. She could hear each breath Kohime took and feel the moment the yokai took its first instinctive step forward as if answering a call.

Sweat dripped down her forehead, but she did not break form. The act of opening the small rift was at the higher end of the limits of her abilities. Though difficult, she could do it. She would just have to persevere.

Then she felt it. There was a sudden release of pressure, as if a great weight had been released from her shoulders. As her bells sounded one last time, she opened her eyes and met the young yokai’s gaze. In understanding, the yokai bowed her head, saying thank you as she ran through the small rift. With another movement and chime from her bells, the portal closed. Only then did she allow herself to relax, letting the final notes of Kohime’s song soothe her tense mind. She finishes the dance, then bows in both respect and thanks to her partner.

“Thanks for that, Kohime. I strained you a bit for that one.” She found an old bench behind the hut and sat, leaning against the wooden wall. “I wonder how she wound up here. There shouldn’t be rifts in this area. It’s in such close proximity to the Zhang estate.” A frown began to form on her lips, her crimson eyes appearing troubled by the idea. “We should try and find it after we find some clues on Mizuha.”

Even after years of partnership, Kohime is still just as impressed with Shui’s performance as the first time she had met her. Her eyes smiled as their little request was complete and just as the small yokai left through the rift, Kohime did something very unlike her: she looked away from Shui’s dance, just in time to catch another rift within the rift they had made.

It was obvious to anyone who was peering into the portal. Ukiyou had a different coloring, a different atmosphere, a different vibe compared to Ametsuchi. Inside that world was another tear somewhere in its violet-colored skies, and in that tear were blue skies identical to the one where Kohime was at. There were sakura trees and a red column which looked like one of those pillars found at temples. Standing in-between the trees and the pillars was a familiar white-haired yokai and standing at his side was a girl. Her head barely reached his shoulders and her long raven hair blew in the wind.

In those few seconds, Kohime saw them talking. The girl looked troubled by something the yokai was saying, but she nodded before turning her back. The yokai placed a hand on her shoulder and led her away, but not before turning around and locking gazes with Kohime. Just like that, the portals closed, leaving the Amabiko stunned.

That was Koubei, Kohime thought unable to link the sinister smile she saw on that yokai’s face to the wise, fatherly figure she knew. No, it couldn’t be him. Koubei didn’t… he wouldn’t…

Why was he with Nishimura Mizuha?

There was no mistaken the girl was her, despite her not really remembering what she looked like. It was a gut feeling, a very strong one.

She turned to Shui, matching her frown with her own.

“I think I know where Mizuha is.”

Location: Town | Mentions: None | Interactions: Shui fluticasone

 

[Makomin]

NOBU x KASSH

nobu takahashi & Kasshoku Collab
town | shigeru & misaki | Aster & s e v e n

‘Find Nishimura Mizuha’

That was the task given. One would think it was an easy fit for an Ayakashi, especially an Inugami (dog-spirit).

Even if Kaashoku's powers did somehow enable him the exact location of an individual, let alone one with the influence of a Yokai's trickery, he was practically given nothing to work with, said for an image of her. Even then the elders of the respective clans have found that they were swapped out for images of girls that were not of Mizuha herself (maybe they were but none of them knew for sure). Nishimura Mizuha was a guarded individual. On the rare occasion in which the clans met up for their annual meetings or emergency get-togethers, Mizuha was never really seen, having always been opted out of such gatherings. It could be because she was relatively younger than most of them there. Or maybe another reason altogether.

On his padded feet, the canine gave a small sigh while walking down the road. The most he could do now was try and find something that could possibly lead to the child. He wanted to finish this quick. The faster this was over, the less he would have to think about the possibility of having an unwanted encounter. Yet, the only lead the Inugami had right now was the presence of an Ayakashi that were nearby. And all he was doing was roaming around the area where he could sense them.

“If only there had been more of a description or if I could somehow get something she had held before...” The shiba inu muttered under his breath. Getting a bit lost in thoughts, he didn’t notice the figure standing nearby. There was an audible gasp. The dog whipped his head around at the sound.

“Mommy, the dog talked!” A little boy gestured enthusiastically at him while running towards his mother nearby.

Ah, just a child. He let out a breath of relief and continued on his way as the two humans interacted. He was becoming impatient yet again. A problem he had realised, yet has never been able to overcome. He needed to focus. He had to admit, it has been awhile since he had roamed somewhere on his own. He was appreciating the solitude. Having a contract with someone like him would make most people introverted. That was how he felt.

-----​

With the snap of his fingers, crates after crates alongside shipment goods that were stored in various boxes were moved from the side of a door and into a moving vehicle. Nobu Takahashi begin to count the coins that were handed him a few moments ago to ensure the promised amount was given, nothing more and nothing less.

"You think I'm cheating ya'?" A man that was a few inches shorter than Nobu asked in a gruff voice.

Almost as though he was pondering the male's question, the brunet gave a side grin before stuffing them back into his drawstring bag.

"50 coins, as promised. It's been a pleasure dealing business with you," Nobu replied, completely ignoring his client's question before gesturing to the moving vehicle that was fully loaded with goods, "It'll take about a week to reach the city and entrance will be tax-free." He ended the exchange with a salute before making his way west into the village area.

The man he had just met up with was a mere local fruits vendor that just started out. He had hopes of transporting his produce to another city with no added tax-measures and handling fees of such. His train of thoughts were disrupted when he noted a familiar figure that was seated on the side of the road. Nobu couldn't help but grin as he made his way to the animal before patting his head almost playfully, "Miss me, Kassh?"

All that replied him was his usual stoic expression. Even in his dog form, the Takahashi could make out the usual deadpan look in his eyes and the unimpressed feature. Nevertheless, Nobu continued his speech, "Speaking of missing, I heard that that girl we're looking for was spotted around her favourite candy store. Someone told me that she was following a white-haired figure. They couldn't see him well but I figure it could be the guy who did this is."

It was an interesting fit. Nobu had questioned his father who handed him the task to find Mizuha why her bounty was rather low, considering she was indeed an important member of the Nishimura clan. Or rather, important enough to have people not see her very often due to being guarded so well. But then again, the job was handed to the rest of the clans and not even to the authorities. He wondered whether her worth was low for a clan member because of the clan connections or whether it was because she wasn't that important.

Pushing that thought aside, he turned to Kassh and was about to suggest to make a move to the candy store when he witnessed an exchanged between a rather tall male in a yukata and a...fireball? He was sure that it was some kind of Ayakashi of sorts. He was about to turn away when he heard the mention of a Mizuha Nishimura. Raising his eyebrows, he gestured to Kassh before making his way to the two of them.

"I apologise if I am intruding but are you talking about the missing Nishimura clan member? We-" Nobu asked before gesturing to Kassh who was still in his Shiba Inu form before continuing, "Are looking for her too."

 

[Aster]

s h i g e n o r i . t o r a

Shigeru couldn't help but pale as Kaede suddenly jerked forward, his mouth opening in his usual biting motion towards the fireball. He doesn't comment on how strange it looks when he does it in his human form, the violet-head was simply too appalled to even react. He watched in horror as the genbu's head snaps back when it hits against an invisible barrier constructed on reflex by Sachi.

A loud audible, "oops" was heard and Shigeru reacted a second too late, catching Kaede as he stumbled backwards, a bruise forming in the center of his forehead.

"Kaede! What were you trying to do?" he little more than yelled, frantically turning to poor Misaki who looks traumatized for a fireball. "I'm so sorry on behalf of my partner. Kaede, apologize!" he scolded, bowing whilst pushing Kaede's head down in an apologetic bow as well.

It was then the two others made their appearance. Their voices cause Shigeru to look up and he nodded.

"Yes, we regretfully... have no leads at the moment," he confessed, glancing down at the dog. Was that a yokai or a real dog? "I hope you two have found something."

location: Town | mentions: None | interactions: Kaede, Sachi A Murder Of Corviknight Misaki s e v e n Kashuu Agestoth Nobu Makomin

 

[s e v e n]

Akiyama Misaki​

At first, the yokai could not help but hesitate. After all, she had only met this guy, and could it be possible that there were tricks up his sleeve? Yet, before she could even think further, her mind works on instinct and blurts out before she even had the chance to stop it. "Misaki," the fireball murmured. He seemed like a decent enough person after all. Onmyouji.

"How you do," she nodded casually towards the other male approaching them. When being shown the paper, Misaki zoomed forward, almost too forward. Her flames brushed just inches away from the surface of the parchment. The yokai narrowed her gaze, pondering slightly. She could've sworn the girl seemed familiar, but again, Misaki was never proud of her memory capabilities. "Hmm. . .I'm not too sure. . .A friend of yours?"

Soon more company began to join in, much to Misaki's delight and yet at the same time making her nervous. Boy, it was clearly one of the most social interaction she's been doing in a whole week, and she was just here for a few minutes. Upon hearing that the newcomer knew of the missing girl, Misaki perked up, snapping her gaze towards them and-

"Shiba-tan!" Misaki gasped, about to nyoom towards the apparent shiba inu, a surprising turn of event took place. With a squeak, Misaki jerked back, almost dashing a meter away from the pack.

"Down Bessie," she scolded rather weakly. Her breath hitched, and if horror couldn't show in her expression, perhaps her rapid shaking could. Slowly she began to waver, sinking towards the ground, and with a final spark, the flames perished.

Snap.

Suddenly the flames came rushing back up, the blue tongues flickering wildly and rising up and up. Eventually it stopped, and once it tuned down once again, the flames left the figure of a female yokai. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders, kimono draping down and sweeping the ground below. When she reopened her eyes, it was the exact shade of her flames.

"Are you insane? That was my head you almost bit off!" However, when she saw the apologetic look upon Kaede's face, she couldn't push it. "Well. . . I guess it's fine. My head's still intact. . . and all that. . .I hope your tastebuds are-" she pouted slightly, which did not last long as a grin quickly returned over her face.

That's right. The day had been significantly more interesting after all, now that she met a crowd. A quite unique one at that. Imagine the possibilities! "Hey, if you're searching for this Nishisashimi-chan, may I tag along? I-I am a decent company, I promise you!"

Aster A Murder Of Corviknight Makomin

 

[A Murder Of Corviknight]

Though the force of the barrier didn’t really hurt as much it was startling. Kind of like getting a blast of air blown up your nose (don’t ask why he’s familiar with the sensation, he lives with Tora) rather than something like smacking into a brick wall. The quiet shattering noise of the barrier was also disorienting. Enough for Kaede to not scoot out of the way when Shigeru pushed his head down in an apologetic bow. His only semi-verbal reaction being a disgruntled noise. It wasn’t his fault that he assumed there was danger. What else was he supposed to think of a flying ball of fire?

“Sorry, Kaede-san. It’s...a reflex,” Sachi said with a small apologetic smile as she pat his arm. She does not explain that habit came from years of keeping clan children out of trouble. She doesn’t know the genbu well enough to know if he would take offense from it or not. She’s never experienced tongue burn from a fire but she figures it would have been a terrible experience, ayakashi or not. Instead she quietly adds, “She was probably overexcited. Harmless. And you definitely scared her quite a bit.”

Thankfully, that did manage to pull a guilty looking expression (though one that still looked slight mulish if you squinted but Sachi brushed it off as a trick of light).

While briefly debating on whether not she had to give him a snack in apology, her attention was drawn back up by Misaki’s question. Request? Perhaps she was lonely? Or bored. Yokai, as Sachi learned throughout the years, did all sorts of things when they were bored. At least she was friendly.

“Of course. The more help the merrier, no? You can even take the opportunity to get to know Kaede-san better,” she answered chirpily, ignoring the incredulous look that Kaede shot her. Honestly, Kaede probably just needs more yokai friends because she has yet to see any and clearly his social skills were lacking. Shigeru, sweet as he was, would likely not be much help in that department. Neither would Sasame or Meiko, now that Sachi really thought about it. So it was clearly up to Sachi to help, right? Isn’t that what good friends do?

“You startled him, you see. But he’s a good ki-...person. And he’s very sorry about the bad first impression.”

------------------​

NAME. Miyamoto Sachiko // Kaede
OBJECTIVE. Kaede will have friends and be functional adult (says Sachi)
MOOD. Help! Screams Kaede internally
NOTES. sorry for the wait asodifuaosdifu I’m crying I missed my punchline *sobs*
TAGGED. Aster s e v e n Agestoth Makomin

 

[Nano]

Akito had experienced his fair share of awkward silences. It was only natural when forced to face obstinate clan elders at every waking hour. This onmyouji, however, seemed to take her oath of silence to an extreme. It could have been passed off as being shy, but the gears seen turning in that head promptly punted that possibility to the moon. Fortunately, she was at least willing to (finally) provide them with a name. Unfortunately, it wasn’t one he recognized.

“Shi-a-o-i-n?” he repeated after Gozu. The unfamiliar combination of syllables tumbled off his tongue clumsily, though it didn’t take long for him to recover. Making quick work of the rough syllabary, Akito soon produced a much more sensible name to answer his partner: “‘Xiāoyīn,’ if my patchwork isn’t wrong.” At the same time, he shrugged. He hadn’t missed Gozu’s unspoken question. However, both knew it was a question better left unasked. And if there was some disturbing reason behind her silence (possible, considering that she left out her family name), no thank you.

Either way, he could tell that Gozu had already marked her as suspicious. Not that Akito wasn’t, but as long as the girl didn’t have some evil masterplan to overthrow the Nishimura Clan, he didn’t see it as much of an issue. He hoped.

With his partner’s urging to get back on track, Akito flicked the documents in his hand, clearly exasperated. “The picture itself may not matter, but it’s still concerning to think that the Nishimura Clan’s important files might be being managed by some h-” he coughed before completing his sentence. “Halfwit,” someone close like his partner would have already guessed. To outsiders, he could only hope that they’d interpret it differently. Who knows how long the elders would lecture him for if they caught him insulting others in public. With fingers crossed, he continued awkwardly. “-someone half-asleep while on the job.”

Akito’s opalescent eyes gave the documents yet another once-over. Incompetence or not, what did worry him the most was the description of “a white-haired Yokai bearing large horns.” It couldn’t be… No. There wasn’t a reason for such a yokai to cross over to Ametsuchi. Regardless, it was best to quit wasting time in case the yokai had intentions of forming a contract. Even Akito had been constantly prevented from forming one until the age of seventeen, so it wasn’t something he was too keen on thinking about for a child barely two-thirds of that age. They had to shift gears.

His attention flicked back towards Gozu. “Looks like none of the humans here have much information. We should try asking the yokai nearby on the way to the temple.” Though he was about to bow to signal his leave, Akito quickly extended an invitation instead. “Miss Xiāoyīn, will you be joining us?” He didn’t know if she naturally had the sight like he did nor did it see as if she was a contractee, but if she was sent to search for Mizuha, then she must have some tricks up her sleeve. On the other hand, her secrecy was beginning to bug him slightly. It couldn’t hurt to keep an eye on her just for a bit.

He just prayed that all this didn’t result in another cartload of paperwork again.

---​

tags
gozu -- zhāng xiāoyīn

fluticasone piichivy

code by nano

Nano

 

[piichivy]

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[div class=all][div class=title][div class=h1]Xiāoyīn
location ✾ town
tags ✾ Muroo Akito ; Gozu[/div][/div][div class=hold][div class=dia][/div][div class=icon][/div][/div][div class=box][div class=scroll]----Xiāoyīn became acutely aware of the taller man's—Gozu's—gaze. For a moment she stared straight back at him in the eye, before returning her focus back to Wis—Akito. It seemed as though they too, were attempting to discern identities. No matter. Xiāoyīn decided she would not be fazed by this, shifting her shoulders as she reworked her posture. She decided on a more lax stance, less noble and more humble, but not afraid by any means.

----It was more of a tactical decision, if anything. From what Xiāoyīn could tell, Akito seemed to like acting with a bit of authority, though restrained. That, and well, she was no stranger to men who had a certain distaste for confident, proud women. Of course, she had not been around Akito enough to know his own stance on that, but playing to men's egos was a rather easy way to benefit in this world. With that in mind, she lowered her gaze, breaking eye contact.

----Xiāoyīn's impassive expression broke into a thin, subdued smile as they attempted to patch together her name. Admittedly, she could've written the kanji instead, though then it would be a matter of which reading and she wouldn't want them to start calling her "Kyōin" or "Fukune". (The latter option, though unorthodox, would've been a cute nickname had she been a child.) Akito was the first to piece it together, and she gave a short nod to confirm.

----Gozu had pegged her doodle as rather irrelevant and the more irrational side of Xiāoyīn was tempted to frown. She had thought she did rather well on that drawing and she even gave up her last sheet of paper for it. Of course, she wasn't that childish, and the man was correct—Lady Mizuha was indeed still missing. And Akito had brought up a valid point: the documents were susceptible to scrutiny—possibly invalidated if they may have been tampered with. Xiāoyīn was close to grinning in amusement though, noticing Akito's awkward self-correction, though of course, she liked to think she had good self control, which she indeed, did.

----She began looking through the documents again, searching for any other sign of tampering. It seemed the text had been printed, which didn't say much. If the documents were indeed faulty however, the culprit must have had an incredible amount of swiftness. Xiāoyīn didn't think it'd be easy replacing whole chunks of text character by character.

----She noticed the rather obviously blank backside of the scrolls. Oh.

----Why didn't she notice that sooner?

----Either way, she now had a writing surface that was undoubtedly a better surface than her arm. She couldn't be wasteful with it though. No more Mizuha drawings it seems.

----“Looks like none of the humans here have much information. We should try asking the yokai nearby on the way to the temple,” Akito had said, and Xiāoyīn looked up from her musings.

----“Miss Xiāoyīn, will you be joining us?” the invitation rang in her head. She played with the idea for a bit. It could be helpful to her, seeing as she did not have a contract with an ayakashi yet. She may have to work on her social skills however, though such development would likely be beneficial to her in other professional situations.

----Biting her tongue, she managed a fairly friendly looking smile and nodded. Well, she thought the smile would be friendly. Or enthusiastic looking. Perhaps it was polite. She wasn't sure how it ended up, now that she thought more about it.
[/div][/div][div class=credit]code: piichivy [/div][/div]

 

[Agestoth]

KASSHOKU

✯✯✯​

location: town

interactions: (shigeru Aster ) (nobu Makomin )

Kasshoku narrowed his eyes at the purple haired man- though it was hard to tell in his dog form. Could this guy be trusted? Nobu just approached him right after hearing the name "Mizuha". The dog sighed. Sometimes he couldn't tell if he was too cautious or if his contractor was too easy going.

He took a few steps to hide himself behind Nobu. Even though it wasn't much, he still preferred his privacy when he shifted. After a quick flash of light, he stepped back out from behind his contract holder in human form. He had soft orange hair with deep blue eyes. He was just a tad taller than average and lean wearing a blue yukata and a yellow obi. On his hip was a katana that seemed well taken care of. This way, it would be easier to interact with people and get his point across should he have any.

Hopefully.

He could also defend if they were to try anything. The Inugami spoke.

"I have only been searching areas with high yokai presence and have found nothing". Though his expression was flat, he was guarded. His shoulders were slightly tense. He did not know if the info he had received on Mizuha could be shared. He would leave that up to his contract holder. He returned his focus to the man in front of him.

"I am Kasshoku," he gave a quick glance over the stranger "And you are"?

Code by apolla ​

​

 

[Aster]

s h i g e n o r i . t o r a

Shigeru nodded, adding approval to Sachiko's reply to Misaki's reply. While he was a bit worried that their group was growing into a huddled crowd, he could only smile wryly and hope that none of the villagers give them weird looks. Being onmyoujis was already a titled which garnered much wariness and indifference; and he found it strange to find that same look in the shiba inu's visage.

When the dog moved and transformed behind the brunet, surprise was unmistakable. "So it wasn't an ordinary dog in the end," Shigeru thought, a bit ruefully.

"I'm Shigeru from the Tora clan. This is my partner Kaede," he gestured at the long haired ikemen next to him. Another round of introductions had his smile grow stiff. It had only been a few mere moments since he last introduced himself and it seemed it was inevitable that he'd run into other onmyoujis with everyone out looking for Mizuha.

"We didn't see her as we were walking over here too. Maybe she's near central north?" Shigeru suggested, knowing that yokais tend to populate locations further from human civilization. If Kashuu had checked there, that would've meant most of the east section was already scouted.

As they made their way over, out of curiosity, Shigeru asked, "Hey, since you're an... Inugami right? Are you able to track things by scent?" While he didn't ask his question directly, the implication was loud and clear.

location: Town | mentions: Kashuu Agestoth | interactions: Kaede A Murder Of Corviknight Misaki s e v e n

 

[Makomin]

NOBU-TASHI

town | shigeru & misaki & kassh |
Aster & s e v e n & Agestoth

What an impressive lot, Nobu told himself as he witnessed the exchange between the fireball and the purple-haired male. It seemed as though the male was more of a peacemaker than a troublemaker. On the other hand, the fireball lived up to its form, rather snappy he might add but that didn't really make a difference to him. Nobu and Kassh had to find Nishimura Mizuha and return her safely. After that, he could wander wherever he wished.

"I go by Nobu. Lovely to be acquainted," the brunet greeted with a small smile before gesturing to his now transformed partner, "if you couldn't tell, Kassh is my partner." He then folded his arms before thinking. It certainly would help if the five of them band together and looked for the girl instead of going off on their own. Sharing information would be vital to quickening their process of finding the girl. He doubted they were to harm the girl in any way, especially Shigeru considering he mentioned being a part of the Tora clan.

"I spoke to a local or two and one pointed out that they last saw a younger girl that roughly matched her description near a candy store of sorts. She looked she was rather familiar with the place so I'm guessing she frequents it often," Nobu said before adding, "another mentioned they saw Mizuha making her way alongside a white-haired individual. Whether it was a human or onmyouji is unclear."

He then turned to the fireball who had just turned to a lady before asking politely, "What's your name, miss?" She could be of great use in her other form. Since she was able to levitate or fly, he assumed, it would be rather conducive if she could be their eyes for what they couldn't see. Or rather, a higher vantage point on view was a plus they could definitely work with.

 

[Aster]

k o h i m e

Confusion was justified. Kohime's sudden outburst was a surprise, even to herself but it was not like her to lie about such a matter. Granted, Shui had still asked the amabiko how she got such information and with a struggle for words, the ravenhead explained how she had seen a glimpse of multiple tears in the worlds, one leading to Koubei and Mizuha.

"I think they were at a temple. Fujin Temple?" Kohime pieced, her feet matching the inexplicable unease in her chest. It was a foreboding franticness, similar to the feelings she felt when Shui was in danger. She didn't like it at all. Her fast walk eventually grew into a slow jog, which broke into a run when Shui's urgency kicked in too.

"I don't like what I'm hearing," Shui confessed as they ran towards the temple. She wore that worried motherly look that made Kohime's heart ache. "I just hope she doesn't try to do something... rash."

The words 'like form a contract' were unsaid but heard loud and clear.

Kohime could only gulp and when her steps were unable to meet Shui's (she curses her short legs), she reverts back to her yokai form and calls upon Kingyo with a loud shrill whistle. A giant goldfish, the size of a fully grown inu shiba descends from the sky and with a hop, Kohime sits herself upon its back and directs its path towards the temple.

As they were running, they spy some familiar faces in discussion. Kohime perks at the sight of Gozu (Aster lowkey does too) and if it weren't for circumstances, she would've loved to stay and chat with the A-rank yokai. Strong yokai within the province was rare, if not few. Bonded ones were like gems found one in a million.

Location: Town | Mentions: Gozu, Akito Nano Xiaoyin piichivy | Interactions: Shui fluticasone

 

[Nano]

A sigh escaped from Akito’s lips. Even by their 6th (attempted) interrogation, the answers to their questions continued to elude them. The smaller ones seemed to flee the moment he spoke to them, while others seemed more interested in poking out answers to their own curiosities. As for those who faced him properly, they didn’t appear to know much more than the information that the trio had already learned from the flyers. At this rate, there was only one yokai in this area that he could ask-

“Gotcha! Now carry me!”

As if right on cue, the spirit in question swung in right from the tree above. This time, she had landed square on Gozu’s back. Why the oni hadn’t bothered to dodge her assault was beyond Akito, but at least it made things convenient.

“Kiriha,” Akito said in bland recognition of the youkai’s presence. She was an akadenchu, a C-rank spirit that hung around only to cause mischief. However, her love of stories and habit of piggybacking off of anyone and everyone made her a filter of all sorts of rumors. It was likely that she also already knew the reason why they were here.

He cut to the chase. “Is there anything you’ve heard about ‘Nishimura Mizuha’ concerning a supposedly white-haired youkai?”

At this, the raccoon dog (who was still hanging off of Gozu’s neck) giggled. “I figured you’d drop by for that. Oh, the person doing the “dropping by” was actually me, wasn’t it?” She paused, as if waiting for some sort of response. When she observed only an apathetic gaze, she shrugged her shoulders and moved on. “I recently saw a certain spirit making its way to Fujin Temple with a child. Who knows? Maybe that’s your little Mizuha.”

Kiriha’s information didn’t add much to what they already knew, but the importance of it was that now they knew for sure that Mizuha was at Fujin Temple. The sly smile that played on her lips, however, made him dread her next words. “By the way, is the name ‘Koubei’ familiar to you?”

“Gozu, let’s go.” His voice betrayed not a quaver of panic, yet the near-commandeering tone confirmed that Akito had understood the meaning behind the akadenchu’s comment. Koubei was a hakutaku. A hakutaku was an A-rank youkai whilst Mizuha was barely of age. Even an apprentice would know why that was a dangerous combination.

They had barely moved the distance of one jo before running into another familiar face: Kohime. Following right behind her was the Zhang Clan’s Liu Shui. Akito, Gozu, and Xiāoyīn had certainly been noticed by the duo, but from their lack of formal recognition and them heading in the direction of the temple, he quickly inferred that they, too, had realized who it was that had taken Mizuha.

Akito merely nodded his head to pardon his intrusion. They were right: there was no time for formalities.

---​

tags
gozu -- xiāoyīn -- shui -- kohime

fluticasone piichivy Aster

code by nano

Nano

 

[Agestoth]

KASSHOKU

✯✯✯​

location: town

interactions: (shigeru Aster ) (nobu Makomin )

'Central North'.

Kasshoku made a quick note of that and turned toward the direction. The one area that had not been checked by any of them should be the place. He replied offhandedly to the Tora, not even bothering to face the man anymore. He was still on guard, though. His hand poised defensively over his sword.

"Yes, I can track things by scent. I would need a scent to track, however. It would also be best if there is confirmation that it is her scent I am tracking or we would end up tracking the wrong person. Say you blindfolded me and gave me a daisy. If I had never smelled it before and no one tells me what it is, it is merely a scent without a name". Kasshoku lowers his head a bit and thinks;

'...and quite honestly, this ability has lead me off track a few times because of false leads'. He immediately regains his stance and continues.

"If you posess an item that has belonged to her or if you are sure she has come into contact with it, I can track her. But for now;" Kasshoku begins walking, eager to get this done. He calls out behind him to his contract holder.

"We should head for Central North".

Code by apolla ​

​