Satoshi sees that the group of merrymaking individuals still have not noticed him. They continue down the street with rowdy attitudes set on celebration. It has been almost ten minutes since his brother set out to discover what was going on with the spirit.
Inside, Kichiro goes unnoticed as he moves to get a closer look at the spirit. Unlike the other spirits that he had known back home, this one seems lesser. Its form while holding a human shape, seemed uncertain at random times, the edges becoming hazy and indistinct, the clothing more of a suggestion of a style half-remembered. What had been an uncertainty before, was now certain. This was no spirit.
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In his hiding place, Kichiro tries to figure out what it possibly could be.
Silently wishing he'd listened to more old stories and such, he grasps for ideas of what to do next. He's not going to just attack it, whatever it is, if he even could with how insubstantial it seems. Should he... talk to it?
He weighs the idea in his mind for a bit. It seems... risky, to say the least, but what else is he going to do? Sit here and stare until something happens?
Pushing aside all the thoughts of why this is a bad idea, Kichiro shifts to his true kitsune form--figuring he's not been seen around here, so it's as good a disguise as any. Then he steps out of the shadows.
"You seem... lost," he says, trying to project confidence. "What are you doing here?"
Satoshi begins to grow restless. Now he was starting to worry, slightly. Ten minutes wasn't THAT long, but he would have expected at least some sign... okay, or perhaps expected that things would have gone south by now. But what to do about it?
Cautiously, Satoshi scans the bathhouse, eyeing it for potential means of ingress. Perhaps a place where the wall was short and he could scale it with his equipment?
While the hour is getting towards late, it is not late enough that the onsen has closed its doors— not yet at least. Getting in unseen would be a more difficult task, as it was very likely that a disturbance such as a harmful spirit would have some effect on the patrons of the establishment. Maybe they could not see it? Maybe there was something that kept them from being harmed? Then why would the employee not have the same safety? It could be something about them? Was it an ancestor spirit? There were so many possibilities...
Inside, Kichiro noticed that it did not react like a normal spirit. It remained slightly slouched in the posture it had, staring off in the direction it had been for seconds longer before it seemed to react. its head turned towards Kichiro relatively normally, taking seconds before the body followed as it would. Another double handful of seconds before its focus changed, and even then that was slow, and a bit incomplete. The slack-jawed expression did not change, but its eyes were wholly white, the whole figure colored as if by a mist with only hints of color.
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Kichiro tenses. What had he gotten himself into? What was this being?
He tries to think of anything he knows about spirits. They... often linger because they have unfinished business, right? "What do you need? Is there something you need to do?" he asks, though at this point he's starting to wonder if it can answer.
There is a flicker of something on its face, something that might have been approaching comprehension. Instead it seems to cast about, its focus roaming as if seeking something, but never really focused anywhere that might be considered to be "looking" at Kichiro. Still, it was sudden when its head tilted and one hand shot out towards him, curled in a vague approximation of a claw. The uncertain haze aided the lack of definition on the limb, and as it did, a moan emanated from that hanging mouth, stirring something in Kichiro. It was something primal, something that provoked fear, and spoke to the unnatural-ness that was just on the edge of the living world.
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Kichiro turns tail and runs back the way he came, nothing in his mind but getting as far from that sight as possible.
Fleeing the room, Kichiro speeds down the adjoining hallways and is in the common room before he even realizes it. Not that stopping there was even a thought, leaving the patrons that remained confused and startled at someone beelining through there and out the door of the establishment. The cool of the night air allows some collecting of his wits, but his feet have other ideas, picking a direction for him. Halfway down the street with enough distance between him and the bath house, he finally is able to snap out of the panic that gripped him, That had to be some sort of power that ghost had, most likely.
Satoshi hears the commotion seconds before he spots his brother bursting out of the front door, several voices raised in the wake of a very fast retreat, and the owner trying to calm things down. Whatever scared him did so quite well, as he is partly down the street when his composure returns. Inside, the commotion calms a little, but there are a couple of heads that look outside, their expressions perplexed.
Satoshi starts from his reverie, before hustling over in the direction Kichiro. He hoped nothing terrible had happened to cause him to run like that, but certainly wasn't going to leave him alone either way. Hopefully he hadn't lost control and bitten someone or anything like that...
"Are... are you okay? Do we need to start running away or something?"
Kichiro slows, breathing heavily. After a few moments he walks over to a bit more private spot than the middle of the street, waving his brother to follow.
"It was a... ghost, I guess? It did something and I just..." He shudders. "It's like it just poured fear straight into me or something. All I could think about was running. It was... strange, though. It hardly seemed to know what it was doing, barely reacted to me talking to it. I don't know if it even meant to do what it did."
Satoshi wished he knew more about ghosts. As it was, that wasn't exactly his area of expertise.
"I... don't really know enough about hauntings. Or how to exorcise ghosts. Maybe we could try talking to a cleric or something? Though, if the bathhouse people haven't done anything about it, maybe it's not doing any real harm?"
Kichiro frowns thoughtfully, his tails swishing behind him. "I don't think it's safe, if it can cause fear like that. And there were the bruises, too. But talking to a priest is probably a good idea? We could look around for one now?"
Satoshi nodded. "Well, it shouldn't be too hard. Just need to find a shrine... one that isn't abandoned like the one we saw on the way here. I wonder if that has something to do with it?"
"I thought that was just because the season was only starting here," Kichiro says. "Anyway, I do think we should look for a priest."
Unless Satoshi has more to say, he'll lead out in searching for a likely priest.
There seems to be no notable reaction from the onsen, or more specifically the patrons in the common area. Your ears do catch some confused tones, and vague snippets of what might be placating words, but little else of note. The manager does stick their head out of the doorway to look the perpetrator, but seems to realize that would bring unwanted attention and ducks back in as quickly as they looked out, shaking their head as if to dismiss the whole thing. Shortly therafter, a cheer can be heard from the inn, and things settle back to normal.
Night is just beginning as the siblings begin to search for a likely priest that might be able to help. Sounds and smells of strains of music, the sharp tang of alcohol, and various grilled foods and soups are part of the coming chill of the night. There are a few shrines from what you noted earlier in your walk about the town, however. The temple to Irori can always be found with the customary sand pits for practicing combat, Kofusachi has a temple that is rather open, with something going on that seemed slightly busy, but not with a rowdy clientele. You also recall seeing the symbol of Daikitsu on a building in the outer area of the city, but there may be one or two more in a place that has not been seen yet.
"Uh... the only one I really recognize is Daikitsu," Kichiro says after they go over the list. "...I guess we could start there?"
"At least it looks like we didn't cause too much fuss..."
Satoshi didn't know that much in-depth about religion. But he did at least know which gods were which.
"Um well... I suppose if we think we will need to fight the spirit Irori would be the first choice, but maybe we could try looking for a Daikitsu priest first since they might be better at investigation... and might be happier about... well us being kitsune. But probably any good priest would work... what do you think?"
"We might as well start with Daikitsu," Kichiro states. "They were... over here, right?"
He leads the way to where he thought he saw the symbol.
Navigating to the shrine of Daikitsu is as simple as travelling back to the beginning of the market area in this inner area, where the wooden symbol of a nine-tailed fox on a nine-sided plaque is easily spotted from the first plaza. The signature gate marks the entrance, and it sits firmly ensconced in what could be considered the market district proper. At this early hour of the night, there are still lanterns lit, though it likely will not be too much longer before the keeper comes to put them out for the night. Kichiro can smell the oil burning in the lantersn, clean and fragrant, and the wood is carefully oiled with pine oil, also relatively fresh and clean.
The shrine itself is a reflection of the market district, it appears, not any grander than the shops nearby. It does seem well cared for in the state of the materials and its appearance, however. Nothing seems unkempt about it in comparison to the shrine in comparison to the one of Qi Zhong outside of the town, and the area around it is somewhat spacious within its borders, enough space for a couple wagons to park or smaller stalls to be set up before the shrine proper.
Kichiro hesitantly walks to the entrance of the shrine. "Umm... hello?"
Satoshi follows his brother, as ever somewhat too anxious about the prospect of conversing with new people to speak up first very quickly.
"Oh, one moment!", the two of you hear a male voice from somewhere around the corner of the shrine.
Shortly after, the sound of footsteps can be heard approaching, their gait confident and calm. As he sees you, a polite but cheerful smile grows on the face of this keeper, given in greeting and apology for the delay, his eyes almost squinting closed briefly. He is of average height, though his build and posture suggests that at least some of his time is not spent being idle— of what you can see that is not covered by the reddish orange one-shoulder robes. His eyes look between the two of you as they settle onto Kichiro in front, guessing that he was the one that had called out as a hand briefly brushes his chin and the neatly kept chin goatee. "Pardons, I was not expecting visitors at this time today— how may this humble Koten be of assistance?"
Though he does have an air of humility, it is nowhere near the amount he is feigning, the hint of a twinkle in his eye just about right for what might be expected from a keeper of this shrine. His hands are clasped near the wide black cloth belt, and Kichiro can smell the remnants of his dinner, some sort of noodle soup with pickled vegetables.
TheHungerstirs,pacinglikewaitingstalkinglurking...
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Kichiro gives the priest a respectful bow while trying to ignore the Hunger. "We, uh... well, we were at the onsen, and I noticed something strange, and started looking around, and uh, found some kind of... ghost? I don't really know exactly what it was, but it had some kind of power that terrified me so badly I didn't stop running until I was halfway down the street, and I also noticed the lady at the desk was hiding some bruises..."
He trails off, realizing he's been rambling.
There was a slight frown as the priest received the information, stilling as they tried to recall specifics regarding spirits that might show up like Kichiro mentioned. "That, is concerning. Having something like that at an onsen is not good. Worse, if it is attacking others." Reaching a conclusion, they nodded, and looked at the two of them. "I cannot do anything about it tonight, but I will go tomorrow, and do what I can. Thank you for bringing it to my attention."
He straightened and the smile returns, appreciative with a hint of resolve underneath. "The Lady smile upon you for aiding us. May this humble servant be of any assistance to the two of you in particular?" While it was getting late, the temple was still open to visitors, and as such, the regular services were available, if needed.
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Satoshi bows respectfully if a bit nervously.
"Th-Thank you for helping with this. I don't know much about what to do with spirits... though maybe I should try to learn something."
He leaves it to Kichiro if he wants to bring up any... other problems.
"Thank you, I... don't think there's anything else," Kichiro says.
Sure, maybe he could have asked about the Hunger, but... well, how likely was it that he'd help instead of thinking he was a danger?
Satoshi expressing a desire to learn brought a smile back to the face of the priest, his eyes crinkling in appreciation of the recognition of a lack and seeking to correct that. "A desire to know is always good. Seeking without heed of the cost is when it becomes harmful. If you wish to learn, I have some scrolls that you might read when you visit."
Kichiro hedging against saying anything did not dim the smile, but Koten did nod in understanding. "That is fiiine~", they said, drawing out the "I" jovially. "If something does arrive that perhaps I may be able to be of aid, you know where to find me." A hand raised in the gesture of a blessing, giving a customary parting. "May your efforts produce good."
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Kichiro flinches slightly at the priest's farewell. He sure hoped his efforts could produce good instead of evil.
After a moment he realizes he's been silent for an awkwardly long time. "Thank you. I'll... maybe I'll take you up on that."
He turns and, unless his brother says something, leaves.
As they walk back towards the inn they've rented rooms in, Kichiro asks his brother, "Do you think there's any reason to stay here for long? We could maybe work and save up some money..."
Satoshi thought a moment.
"Ummm... we might want to stay a day or two and do a few jobs, earn enough money to stock up on supplies? But probably not too long. Might be best to go before things get too busy here."
Kichiro nods. "That sounds like a good plan. Well, let's get some rest and go to work in the morning?"
"Sounds good to me. Today has been busy enough, it'd be nice to just make some things to sell."
Aside from the occasional gawker at the traveling creation that Satoshi made, it is easy enough to retire to your room, and sleep well. For the both of you, rising at the dawn or just before is still habit, reinforced by travel on the road, and the movement of others is something that also reminds you that they day is about to start. Work lies ahead, and being able to focus on something in relative safety was a welcome change. You can feel yourselves relaxing into the repetition, if just a little.
The town is getting more and more lively by the day, with more working coming closer to completion, as the weather steadily improves. There is a growing anticipation for the start of the season, and it seems the whole town feels it.
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Kichiro's sleep that night is restless, filled with vague dreams of monsters and blood. Blood that's not his, and monsters that flee from him...
He feels... strange when he awakens. Something's different, but he can't quite put a finger on it. Shaking the feeling off he has breakfast with his brother.
"So, I figure I'll just go back and work more where I was working... what about you?" he asks.
After two days of being in the town, the two of you are starting to become quite familiar with the rhythm of the town itself waking up. Granted, you can just barely hear the revelry into the late hours, and it only quiets just a few hours before light starts to brighten the sky. Then comes the sounds of footsteps, creaking wood, the kitchen being readied, the sound of a broom at the front, and the smell of food being prepared, followed by the scent of tea being steeped beyond where it needed to be.
At this point of the morning, there are a few people that stop by for breakfast before heading to their next destination, which is usually work for the majority. The sounds of friendly conversations or exchanges inside the inn and out accompany the creak of wagons passing, shutters being opened, and that unique smell of sunshine marking the day. It is typically expected for work to start once the sun is fully visible, and it tends to wrap up as the day starts to cool around here.
Kichiro heads out for a day's work. On his way back, he hesitates a moment. Should he... go back to the priest?
He debates for a moment, then returns to the shrine they'd gone to before. He looks for the priest... Koten, right? Once he finds him, he says, "Umm... hello again. There... might actually be something I need help with."
Satoshi heads out to... actually do some alchemy work. He has many ideas, but isn't really sure which of them will be helpful right now, and so decides it might be better to hold off until he does. He's just not sure what he'd actually need a flamethrower for at the moment, and that might be awkward to explain carrying. He does check up on his vehicle and touch it up some to make sure it stays in good shape along the way; it wouldn't be any good to let the alchemical components go bad.
(With Kichiro)
The work day goes well, the physical fatigue just enough to be satisfying against the cold mist that blew with the idle wind on occasion, the Hunger has not stopped. It is always there as an undercurrent, coming and going by some determination that is not quite understood, but stays as just that. It is something to consider as his footsteps return along the path to the shrine, seeing a few more people here today at this time, rather than the later hour that they had visited previously.
Koten is not hard to find, directions given cordially by one of the younger attendants finds him tidying up around the outer shrine, sweeping the pathway clear. Looking up with a welcome smile, they stopped sweeping, and nodded. "Well, hello again, and for one of the ones that helped identify a definite concern, what can this humble Koten do for you?"
(With Satoshi)
Work is simple enough that only part of his attention needs to be on what he is creating, though his boss does have a short list of things that are his tasks— mostly menial things that are quickly accomplished along with some simple creations mostly associated with the work around town. Glue, some glaze for pottery, and some oil refining for wood. The maintenance of the vehicle is what garners the most attention, with bystanders looking on in awe before drifting off to whatever their day demanded along with questions both valid and inane from onlookers impressed by the creation.
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Kichiro swallows nervously and starts talking. "Well... umm... could we talk somewhere a bit private?"
Assuming Koten agrees, once they get somewhere they won't be overheard he begins, "I'm from a little village in the Forest of Spirits... and there were these old ruins in the forest. We weren't supposed to get close to them, but... well... I went in them. And I'm not really sure what happened, because next thing I knew my brother was dragging me out and I felt terrible, but then... then..."
He shudders, and his words start coming in hurried, jumbled spurts. "I started... I started feeling hungry around people, like I can smell how tasty your lungs would be, and it's... it's... I talked to Chieko, the priestess in Miumi, and she wasn't sure she could help, so she said to maybe go talk to her mentor in Sakakabe, and that's where we're going, but maybe... maybe you might be able to help?"
Satoshi was happy to be being useful, but at the same time didn't feel that he was really needed for more than a day or two. At least the pay would be useful for restocking food and water.
Answering questions about his contraption was another matter. Talking about it to one or two like-minded tinkerers was one thing. He was always happy to do that. Dealing with a crowd of random people was another. Soon enough once the maintenance was done Satoshi found himself quickly retreating to a quieter part of the workshop, and then eventually scampering off to find Kichiro.
(With Kichiro)
To his credit, Koten does not seem alarmed, like Kichiro would suddenly eat him or become some beast, but there is a bit of a frown on his face as he thinks somewhat hard about what he has been told. His eyes move as if he was finding and discarding ideas, turning them over to see which ones fit the best. A shake of his head comes as the monk looks at Kichiro, a puzzle before him. "There are a lot of possibilities, but none quite so certain yet. These ruins that you found... were there any details, carvings, or artworks that could hint at the purpose for that place?"
A huff of a sigh illustrated the slight frustration that Koten felt about not being able to immediately help, and he looked to the mountains, in the direction of the Forest of Spirits, as if there was an answer to be found in the horizon, or the mountains.
Kichiro does catch the change in his demeanor when he seems to double-take at something, focusing on something that was a short ways away.
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Kichiro sighs. "There were, but... I don't really remember them. My brother pulled me out, he remembers things better. I can get him...?"
"...it may be best that you do that", the monk replied, agreeing to the suggestion that Kichiro find Satoshi. [b]"This land has a long history, and perhaps even more so for the Forest of Spirits." Koten did smile, warmth and encouragement conveyed in that gesture. "I will be here when the two of you return."
Satoshi, as it turned out, was just fine with an excuse to get away from staring crowds. Once he was done with the things that actually needed to get finished, he was quick to hurry over to the shrine.
"I... don't really remember that time as well as I would like. There was a lot of writing and stuff on the walls, and I couldn't actually read it, and I was really starting to panic, until some of it started making sense and then... um... I kind of was out of it for a bit. I got a recipe for a potion out of it somehow that seems to help, but trying to look at things again didn't help any. It was all some language I don't know, and half of it was missing anyway."
Kichiro sighs. He'd been glad he could find his brother so quickly, but he's not really surprised Satoshi doesn't know much more than him. They'd been over it before, after all.
"That is not much. I see why your destination lies further ahead." The expression on his face was that of regretful understanding even as there was contemplation about what could have done something like that. "Even as concepts, hunger and alchemy are not enough— there a good many that would count those among their powers, from lesser to greater." There, he pauses before curiosity drives his next comment. "Tell me, have serpents been any part of what you have experienced?" Something in his expression or his tone implies that it is more than just an idle thought.
"Serpents?" Kichiro asks, thoughtfully. He frowns, then shakes his head. "I... don't think so? There's been... well... my tail split recently," he waves the limb in question, "And when I shapeshift there's... well..."
His voice drops slightly as his gaze grows distant. "Four feet, a split horn... thunder rolls in the distance... the scent of liver sets my mouth to watering... I crouch low, padding forward quietly towards my prey..."
Kichiro trails off for a moment, then shakes himself, blinking, looking around. "What...?"
Satoshi fidgeted nervously.
"Um, well... at least that might be a clue? Do you need any help? I do have a dose of the Tincture ready if you need it."
He shifted his weight from foot to foot. Something still felt a bit odd.
"I do kind of feel like there should be something I can do. There has to be a way to beat this... whatever it is..." The relentless march of Progress and Invention can overcome any foe, given time... "I just need to find it. Or maybe make it? I haven't really felt anything like... serpents either. I have been having some weird ideas of things I could build recently though... unless dreaming about contraptions for spraying alchemist's fire is normal for alchemists? I kind of get the impression it's not that unusual... maybe?"