[it's one of the rare days this month where the clouds have been more forgiving, and she can hope that things dry out a tiny bit. still, the air feels damp, and coming back from checking on one of her patients, Emily's wondering if she shouldn't go try and see the Forest Spirit, for the usual attention and taking care of the shrine. there's time, if she decides for it, but a glimpse of someone quite tall is in her peripheral vision, and she stills.
an old reflex that has her turn, that sends a spike through her heart. the Black Guard, here? it's not impossible, but she had merely disregarded the thought as unlikely. but it's nothing like the game here. their lives were different, and she had changed as well. this she tells herself as she's quietly stepping backwards, as if she intended to slink away-
her foot hits a crate left on the sidewalk, and the contents start to angrily shake, a clatter of glass bottles and who knows what else. whatever's upset, it's loud.]
[And faster than one would have expected, said Black Guard is stomping over, with a purposeful, almost furious pace, feet splashing in the puddles. The umbrella is gripped tightly in his hand, but he uses his foot to stomp down onto the crate, hard, keeping it on it.]
Hey. Settle down.
[The crate gives a furious rattle, but then, as if sensing Fan Wujiu's true presence...does settle down.]
That's better. [And then, turning to Emily--]
Be more careful. [He doesn't seem to recognize her or react?]
[this is suspiciously kind of him. almost too much so. she knows enough to know that Bi'an is the crueler one, that in that case she'd probably have had to ask Hibiki for back up. Wujiu, by contrast, isn't immediately striking out. but she doesn't consider that to be an immediate sign to lower her guard.
rather, she eyes him carefully, adjusting the shawl around her shoulders.]
...I didn't realize you had arrived in this city, Wujiu Fan.
[He blinks, and suddenly he realizes that he knows the woman. It took him a bit--his focus hasn't been great here.]
Doctor. [He awkwardly bows, more as a reflex than out of any real respect to her. Most wouldn't realize that Wujiu has a streak of politeness, even if it's rough.]
I've only been here about a week. [That's right, the Seer had mentioned her being here, hadn't he?]
[it doesn't help, likely, that for however close to her she tucks them, she still has her newfound wings. his bow is met with a nod of her head, and she won't relax, but she will look up at him carefully.]
That would explain things. I've been rather busy this past week, so I hadn't noticed comings and goings.
[one deep breath.]
Forgive me for being frank, but may I assume, in the absence of the game, that I can speak to you as you are?
[not as a hunter, not as Wu Chang, but as Fan Wujiu.]
[It takes him a moment to understand what she's saying, his brow furrowing--but he catches onto it quickly. After all, he remembers the caution of the other two Survivors as well.]
Right. Yeah. I'm...we're not in the Manor now, so.
[He'd loved the thrill of the hunt, sure, loved it even more when he was cheering for Bi'an, or hearing that sweet voice encouraging him in turn, the ghost of slim hands clapping in glee as he swung through a pallet to the injured Survivor on the other side...but he hadn't lived for it like other Hunters had.
He blinks, brings himself back.]
I won't attack you. [If you don't give me a reason to doesn't need to be said.]
[not that a hunter has much to fear from a survivor, save being stunned and harassed enough to be agitated. but it is a acknowledgement that she won't make his life more troublesome than it is. if they can hold to this agreement, then all will be well. that was all she needed to consider things fine.]
I've been in this city nigh on six months, so if you have any burning questions, it's only fair to offer myself as a resource.
Hah--! [He's polite, yeah, but not that polite, and the thought that he'd have to fear an attack from the woman before him--so much smaller, so much more fragile--drags that harsh, amused bark out of him.
But...six months. His expression turns somber.]
Have you seen...others...pass through here? [He'd heard accounts from the Seer and the Mercenary both, but if she'd been here a while, then...?]
...There's a place nearby that'll suit our purposes. Come along, then.
[not the apartments. not her place - it's not his fault, and she'd have opened up her doors were he an emergency patient or one who made an appointment, it's the simple fact of the matter that she's cold, and would rather get warmer sooner. if he'll follow, she'll soon take a sharp turn to go up a staircase on the exterior of a building, up to its second story. a lit sign is in the window, proclaiming it open - the blinds are drawn.
entering it, the place is as snugly warm as a living room, and it's revealed to be a bookshop. the shelves are lined with a variety of titles on the wooden shelves, a few comfortable chairs can be glimpsed off to one side, and a little bell rings overhead at anyone's arrival. the person behind the main counter has their back turned, and as they look to see who it is, their form shifts - from a badger into a young man with glasses and a nervous expression.
Emily simply raises a hand in greeting, and heads for the chairs.]
[He follows easily enough, his pace brisk. He only glances briefly at the proprietor of the bookstore... that is, until the young man (badger?) tries to reach for the umbrella in Wujiu's arms, meaning to put it into the umbrella rack. That earns him a sharp snarl, harsh enough that it could take years off one's life.
And then Wujiu is sitting down across from her, knees awkwardly angled up due to the sheer length of his legs. He fixes his golden gaze on her, neck craned forward.]
[poor Shinobu, he yelps and stammers an apology, practically scurrying away to a different part of the store. Emily can only shake her head - she'll have to apologize for Wujiu later. she wishes it was the elder badger who was out, he'd not even have blinked.
but here they are, and she rests her hands on her lap, having set her bag aside.]
First, tell me how much you already know, Mr. Fan. About us sharing ourselves with youkai, why we're here - I don't wish to waste your time by repeating things.
[What he knows...He puts his fingertips to the side of his head, furrowing his brows lightly. Even when they were alive, Bi'an and Wujiu never had to really say much to each other in order to communicate; being in one body and one mind, that made it even easier.
Touka...is not like that. He has to make an effort to consult him, to put their knowledge together.]
That they need us to live, and we need them. That we can channel their powers...if they let us.
[Yeah, you don't overdo it you can. Least I can offer.]
It wasn't always like this, but the world's coming apart at the seams, and the shrines might give us answers. Is that about right?
That's the general shape of it. We - those of us with these masks - need to restore the shrines if we want a hope of this place not forgetting itself entirely.
[one of her hands creeps to brush against the mask that hangs at her waist, a motion hidden in her shifting in her chair to get more comfortable. if they want to speak, they can - but they hold back for the moment.]
So far, there are two that we've seen to. The Forest Spirit, and the Farm Spirit - they've been glad for our help, and offered aid for all we went through and fought past in restoring them. And the third is the Lake Spirit. She's the reason we had a time of unnatural rain, and right now we have to determine how best to help her in her current state.
How did you help the others, then? Can't they help out with the Lake Spirit?
[Perhaps he'd be able to understand more if he had his powers--at the very least, he'd be able to get a better read on things; not by their words or actions, but by the essence of their souls.]
And what about the Onmyoji walking around? Are they here to help, too?
The onmyouji nearly got a good number of us killed.
[but using the masked as fodder seemed to be a habit of theirs, judging by their requests...]
They put a spell on the Farm Spirit, and made her bloodthirsty. Whoever they are, they're strong enough as a group to control a goddess, and they don't care who gets hurt in the way of their goals. Or perhaps we're just expendable, as outsiders. Whatever their "help" could be...
[bitterness has crept into her tone, her expression, and she pauses, touching her hand to her sternum. Hibiki's agitation as they dwell on this is bound to keep affecting her, and Emily has to take a deep breath.]
I don't know if the other shrines can help the Lake Spirit. We gave them strength through certain offerings, but it wasn't the same both times. They might be as lost as we are, frankly - and we may be the ones capable of interfering because we're not from here.
[she's thought on this quite a bit, as much as she's kept opinions to herself. survival came first and foremost, but beyond that?]
Yes, easily. You can go to their shrines, and simply ask. I recommend bringing something, or at the least making sure the area is kept up when you go. Their continued strength is aided with our prayers and actions, after all.
[for her own sake, she's glad he can't sense guilt now. the strange void of dreams the Lake Spirit had drawn them into had pulled certain things too close to the surface again, and it was only with time they'd be buried. to have it so near - her lies were her own to keep.]
Will you want to be shown the way to where they are?
I will. If you can tell me anything possible about talking to them, I'd appreciate it.
[As a child, he'd made more of a mess at the temple than anything else, out of spite, but now...well, he's sure he knows how to upkeep a holy place. Or he'll learn. Rough around the edges he may be, but he's got a surprising amount of discipline.]
Admittedly, I have more experience when it comes to the Forest Spirit, since she is patron to my youkai. There's a man I know who has more information about the Farm Spirit - he might be willing to share what he knows, if I ask.
[if she phrases it as a favor for a favor, Majima might be more inclined to help out. at the least, she knows his respect for that shrine well.]
Helping to heal the shrines is enough of an exchange for me. It benefits us all in the end.
[that said, however:]
I'm in active practice in this city, so if you find yourself ill or injured, please feel free to contact me. Though I hope you aren't in need of my services so soon.
[where he's staying, a few days after their fight, a bag appears outside the front door. in it, there's some sandwiches, as well as an amount of medical supplies - enough to fix his face, and then some. there's also a plastic vial filled with an amount of a familiar faintly yellow liquid - one with a particular herbal scent.
[Wujiu's been inside for the most part, keeping to himself, occasionally having to lie down against the pounding of his head, the claws coming from within him. Sometimes he talks to himself, murmuring in two different voices.
It's on a slightly better day that he pokes his head out to see the bag. Curious, he opens it, but it doesn't click until he unscrews the vial and sniffs it. That smell comes back to him, along with the hot fury that had accompanied his first time tasting that.
He stares at it for a long time, debating, but then raises it to his lips. For a bit...he'll cut back his confusion just for a bit.
[frankly, she'd expected him to simply take the assortment with no words said. perhaps toss the antidote. it wasn't something she expected to be thanked for or ever acknowledged - it was simply something she did on impulse while she debated telling the others that she'd fought Wujiu at all. they would worry, ask what happened and why.
she can't expect them to feel the same way she does, where she can't hold a clouded mind against him.]
[it's only marginally less graceful than if he would have been talking face to face. He actually can say the thanks instead of blurting out the second part first at least.
Call it presumptuous, but I didn't know if you'd have any first aid supplies in your apartment. As for the medicine, better to have it and not need it than to need and not have. The rains haven't stopped, after all.
i'll use it since i know it's yours. [It had worked, after all. And it's not that he'll definitely use it, but...well, he knows it's not some sort of trick, at least. It's a gut instinct, but he has a feeling she wouldn't poison him.] did you make the sandwiches yourself?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
may.
Date: 2021-05-22 08:32 pm (UTC)an old reflex that has her turn, that sends a spike through her heart. the Black Guard, here? it's not impossible, but she had merely disregarded the thought as unlikely. but it's nothing like the game here. their lives were different, and she had changed as well. this she tells herself as she's quietly stepping backwards, as if she intended to slink away-
her foot hits a crate left on the sidewalk, and the contents start to angrily shake, a clatter of glass bottles and who knows what else. whatever's upset, it's loud.]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 01:44 am (UTC)Hey. Settle down.
[The crate gives a furious rattle, but then, as if sensing Fan Wujiu's true presence...does settle down.]
That's better. [And then, turning to Emily--]
Be more careful. [He doesn't seem to recognize her or react?]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 03:40 am (UTC)rather, she eyes him carefully, adjusting the shawl around her shoulders.]
...I didn't realize you had arrived in this city, Wujiu Fan.
[better to be direct with it.]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 04:50 am (UTC)[He blinks, and suddenly he realizes that he knows the woman. It took him a bit--his focus hasn't been great here.]
Doctor. [He awkwardly bows, more as a reflex than out of any real respect to her. Most wouldn't realize that Wujiu has a streak of politeness, even if it's rough.]
I've only been here about a week. [That's right, the Seer had mentioned her being here, hadn't he?]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 05:34 am (UTC)That would explain things. I've been rather busy this past week, so I hadn't noticed comings and goings.
[one deep breath.]
Forgive me for being frank, but may I assume, in the absence of the game, that I can speak to you as you are?
[not as a hunter, not as Wu Chang, but as Fan Wujiu.]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 05:39 am (UTC)Right. Yeah. I'm...we're not in the Manor now, so.
[He'd loved the thrill of the hunt, sure, loved it even more when he was cheering for Bi'an, or hearing that sweet voice encouraging him in turn, the ghost of slim hands clapping in glee as he swung through a pallet to the injured Survivor on the other side...but he hadn't lived for it like other Hunters had.
He blinks, brings himself back.]
I won't attack you. [If you don't give me a reason to doesn't need to be said.]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 07:01 am (UTC)[not that a hunter has much to fear from a survivor, save being stunned and harassed enough to be agitated. but it is a acknowledgement that she won't make his life more troublesome than it is. if they can hold to this agreement, then all will be well. that was all she needed to consider things fine.]
I've been in this city nigh on six months, so if you have any burning questions, it's only fair to offer myself as a resource.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 07:07 am (UTC)[He's polite, yeah, but not that polite, and the thought that he'd have to fear an attack from the woman before him--so much smaller, so much more fragile--drags that harsh, amused bark out of him.
But...six months. His expression turns somber.]
Have you seen...others...pass through here? [He'd heard accounts from the Seer and the Mercenary both, but if she'd been here a while, then...?]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 07:34 am (UTC)[Naib and Eli. she wonders if they know.]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 07:42 am (UTC)[All wrong, all not the ones he wants. Damn. He hunches his shoulders, clicking his tongue, before evening out again.]
...Do you know anything about the shrines? Or the ones in red walking around? [The Onmyoji...]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 07:47 am (UTC)[she can feel Hibiki turning around in her chest, and she bids them be still for a moment.]
Because to explain it all, we'll need more time than can be procured standing around and waiting for the rain to come back.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 08:02 am (UTC)You busy now? [He can find things out on his own okay, but he really is no investigator... and especially because--]
I don't know if I trust them. [He can't put it into words, but he can, in a sense, smell it.]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 10:57 am (UTC)[not the apartments. not her place - it's not his fault, and she'd have opened up her doors were he an emergency patient or one who made an appointment, it's the simple fact of the matter that she's cold, and would rather get warmer sooner. if he'll follow, she'll soon take a sharp turn to go up a staircase on the exterior of a building, up to its second story. a lit sign is in the window, proclaiming it open - the blinds are drawn.
entering it, the place is as snugly warm as a living room, and it's revealed to be a bookshop. the shelves are lined with a variety of titles on the wooden shelves, a few comfortable chairs can be glimpsed off to one side, and a little bell rings overhead at anyone's arrival. the person behind the main counter has their back turned, and as they look to see who it is, their form shifts - from a badger into a young man with glasses and a nervous expression.
Emily simply raises a hand in greeting, and heads for the chairs.]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 11:31 am (UTC)And then Wujiu is sitting down across from her, knees awkwardly angled up due to the sheer length of his legs. He fixes his golden gaze on her, neck craned forward.]
Well?
[Not said rudely, just... gruffly.]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-24 03:54 am (UTC)but here they are, and she rests her hands on her lap, having set her bag aside.]
First, tell me how much you already know, Mr. Fan. About us sharing ourselves with youkai, why we're here - I don't wish to waste your time by repeating things.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-24 05:58 am (UTC)Touka...is not like that. He has to make an effort to consult him, to put their knowledge together.]
That they need us to live, and we need them. That we can channel their powers...if they let us.
[Yeah, you don't overdo it you can. Least I can offer.]
It wasn't always like this, but the world's coming apart at the seams, and the shrines might give us answers. Is that about right?
no subject
Date: 2021-05-24 07:20 am (UTC)[one of her hands creeps to brush against the mask that hangs at her waist, a motion hidden in her shifting in her chair to get more comfortable. if they want to speak, they can - but they hold back for the moment.]
So far, there are two that we've seen to. The Forest Spirit, and the Farm Spirit - they've been glad for our help, and offered aid for all we went through and fought past in restoring them. And the third is the Lake Spirit. She's the reason we had a time of unnatural rain, and right now we have to determine how best to help her in her current state.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-24 09:38 am (UTC)[Perhaps he'd be able to understand more if he had his powers--at the very least, he'd be able to get a better read on things; not by their words or actions, but by the essence of their souls.]
And what about the Onmyoji walking around? Are they here to help, too?
no subject
Date: 2021-05-24 10:23 am (UTC)[but using the masked as fodder seemed to be a habit of theirs, judging by their requests...]
They put a spell on the Farm Spirit, and made her bloodthirsty. Whoever they are, they're strong enough as a group to control a goddess, and they don't care who gets hurt in the way of their goals. Or perhaps we're just expendable, as outsiders. Whatever their "help" could be...
[bitterness has crept into her tone, her expression, and she pauses, touching her hand to her sternum. Hibiki's agitation as they dwell on this is bound to keep affecting her, and Emily has to take a deep breath.]
I don't know if the other shrines can help the Lake Spirit. We gave them strength through certain offerings, but it wasn't the same both times. They might be as lost as we are, frankly - and we may be the ones capable of interfering because we're not from here.
[she's thought on this quite a bit, as much as she's kept opinions to herself. survival came first and foremost, but beyond that?]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-27 01:05 am (UTC)[His eyes narrow, and he glares into nothing...then looks up at her.]
The Seer says he gives offerings to the shrine. You talk about asking for help. Is there a way for me to talk to the Shrine spirits, too?
no subject
Date: 2021-05-27 10:26 am (UTC)[for her own sake, she's glad he can't sense guilt now. the strange void of dreams the Lake Spirit had drawn them into had pulled certain things too close to the surface again, and it was only with time they'd be buried. to have it so near - her lies were her own to keep.]
Will you want to be shown the way to where they are?
no subject
Date: 2021-05-27 04:29 pm (UTC)[As a child, he'd made more of a mess at the temple than anything else, out of spite, but now...well, he's sure he knows how to upkeep a holy place. Or he'll learn. Rough around the edges he may be, but he's got a surprising amount of discipline.]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-29 04:25 am (UTC)[if she phrases it as a favor for a favor, Majima might be more inclined to help out. at the least, she knows his respect for that shrine well.]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-29 05:33 am (UTC)[Any information at all. Anything. Anything that would get him closer.
...there is no such thing, however, as taking without giving. He knows that. And though his goal is single minded...
If there is anything I may do for you in my abilities, let me know.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-29 07:10 pm (UTC)[that said, however:]
I'm in active practice in this city, so if you find yourself ill or injured, please feel free to contact me. Though I hope you aren't in need of my services so soon.
june.
Date: 2021-06-22 07:47 am (UTC)there is no note with the delivery.]
no subject
Date: 2021-06-22 08:57 am (UTC)It's on a slightly better day that he pokes his head out to see the bag. Curious, he opens it, but it doesn't click until he unscrews the vial and sniffs it. That smell comes back to him, along with the hot fury that had accompanied his first time tasting that.
He stares at it for a long time, debating, but then raises it to his lips. For a bit...he'll cut back his confusion just for a bit.
She'll be getting a message a little later]
did you leave those things by my door?
no subject
Date: 2021-06-22 09:09 am (UTC)[frankly, she'd expected him to simply take the assortment with no words said. perhaps toss the antidote. it wasn't something she expected to be thanked for or ever acknowledged - it was simply something she did on impulse while she debated telling the others that she'd fought Wujiu at all. they would worry, ask what happened and why.
she can't expect them to feel the same way she does, where she can't hold a clouded mind against him.]
no subject
Date: 2021-06-22 09:21 am (UTC)this is the medicine you gave me right ?
no subject
Date: 2021-06-22 09:31 am (UTC)[it would be easy for a stray youkai to burrow into it, after all.]
no subject
Date: 2021-06-22 09:35 am (UTC)why?
[it's only marginally less graceful than if he would have been talking face to face. He actually can say the thanks instead of blurting out the second part first at least.
no subject
Date: 2021-06-22 09:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-22 01:47 pm (UTC)[It had worked, after all. And it's not that he'll definitely use it, but...well, he knows it's not some sort of trick, at least. It's a gut instinct, but he has a feeling she wouldn't poison him.]
did you make the sandwiches yourself?
no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 02:53 am (UTC)[a transparent lie, but she's offering him an excuse to take.]
Received seven minutes later
Date: 2021-06-23 03:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 03:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 03:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 03:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 03:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 03:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 04:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 04:12 am (UTC)However, I know you are not a regular human.
no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 04:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 04:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 04:30 am (UTC)then there's no problem right? there's two of us, and we're doing a lot.
no subject
Date: 2021-06-23 04:40 am (UTC)