Still here, just...less able to post. GF's mom is kinda in a coma, and I have added "being there for her" to the list of responsibilities of late.
I don't like hospitals.
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Taki rolls his eyes ever so slightly at Inoue's comment about ancestry, but says nothing, walking along with the others. "I was simply following the storm, as is my wont, in honor of the fortune of my temple. Usually the thunder leads me to someone I could help. I had hoped it was the woman fighting the bear, but as we were too late...perhaps it is one of you?"
Taki looks to see if anywhere in the room, on the woman, or on any samurai as a witness present is wearing anything religious, or there are any atlers present.
Taki clears his throat ever so slightly and steps behind and to the side of Ryuk. "Indeed, the Fortune of Thunder was with us as we fought to save the woman's life, sadly too late. I am a monk of His order, and I can say it is only divine providence that we together came upon her in the first place, or it would likely be another presenting far more bodies to you this eve, ours among them."
As the time passes, Taki tries to clear his mind and wait patiently for their hosts, but the trouble of the situation is distracting to him. He strands up and stretches his bones when they are called forth, and stands quietly off to the side as the ronin testify, offering silent nods to Hikonaga's story at key points.
Taki raises an eyebrow at his new ronin associates. "I agree with Inoue san. The right thing to do is tell them, regardless of the risk. Our honor is at stake if we do not, even if our lives are not."
Taki quietly trudges on with the others, keeping his thoughts to himself as they approach the castle. He hangs back, and lets the ronin do the majority of the talking.
Taki looks around, eyes widened at the scene of carnage as the others start to put things together and gather clues. "By the ancestors, what happened here?!" He shudders slightly, and his muscles tense. "There's something unnatural in the air."
Taki sits quietly while the shujenja consults the kami, wishing he too were born with the gift to speak with the elements. He decided to await their decision before proceeding.
Taki nods to Hikogana. "I can stay and guard the body, and perform the prayers, if you would like. The word of a monk is not as valuable as that of a samurai, anyway."
Taki nods to the others. "Of course, Ryuk-sama. I simply meant to prepare the pyre. What do we do with the body in the meantime? We do not wish to have a passer-by defile it." He furrows his brow. Ugh. Some monk I am. Can't even keep a body safe, but I can kick someone if they touch it, I guess...
Taki actually had a restful sleep on the cold floor of the temple. He'd experienced far worse, and dry was dry after all. Upon awakening he listens quietly to the others until a question is asked. "I'm afraid I don't know much of direction, my lord. I simply follow the sound of the storm in the distance, and go where it's fortune takes me, most days. I do believe your plan is a wise one, however." Taki sighs, and looks to the Shujenja present. "Should we not build a funeral pyre for her m'lord? In case...well...you know..."
"I go to aid a woman being mauled by a bear, and you want it to be about helping you instead of her? What kind of monk are you, again?" Taki's eyes, just briefly, flicker for a moment with annoyance, and his fist clenches tightly, but he smiles through it. "Forgiveness, lord. I am the foolish kind, it appears." That was foolish, you know. Hold your damn temper. Wisdom in harsh words is worth a thousand lies from a pleasant tongue. His temper held back, Taki's hands relax. He looks to Inoue. "I will help move the body, my lord." He moves to carefully help heft the woman into the temple, and after she is carefully placed, he sighs and quietly tries to clear his mind.
Unfortunately, he's just unable to focus, and he finds himself thinking about this situation. If they're ronin, and the Lions just want to end this quick, it won't take them but one lazy samurai to get us all in a lot of trouble here. A handful of ronin and one monk won't be worth the time of a man without honor.
Taki smiles, and nods to the samurai. "You are right, Hikogama-sama. I was a fool to think you'd help me in favor of a samurai woman, lord. Forgive my presumptuousness." He nods ot the shujenja that healed him after the binding. "Both of you are great men to path up a humble monk like myself." He squeezes his eyes after this point and begins to focus on the spirits around him for a moment. Within a moment he feels the rain flowing into and through his body.
Almost as you watch the wounds left on his body begin to close, leaving feint scars across his body.
Taki smiles, spitting out another mouthful of blood. "I saw your sword drawn, my lord. You threw your life out to help mine. You have assisted me well." He coughs, and sighs. "A little meditation will do me well, I believe...and if not I would pray ministrations of the priests among us." He limps back to the shack and begins to close his eyes. "Of course, I find it a bit easier to let the spirits flow through my body when the blood flows out, so I would be grateful for bindings."
Taki manages to roll a bit with the bear's attack, but it's pretty clear it ripped a good chunk out of his flesh with it's attack. Still, he manages to hold himself upright, trying to interpose himself between the bear and it's previous victim, the unknown woman. He spits out a mouthful of blood and ducks low, before hopping up with a spinning uppercut aimed at the bear's sensitive nose, taking a huge risk as he comes that close to the beast's mouth.
Takishiro's eyes open immediately from his meditation at the sound of thunder. He springs to his feet with catlike reflexes, and is out the door before a word passes his lips. His eyes narrow as he watches the woman facing the beast before him, but his footsteps do not slow, they do not falter. He leaps over the woman with a flying kick aimed directly at the face of the great beast, and as you watch, his entire body seems to glow a bright orange, like iron being held upon the blacksmith's forge. Despite the rain pouring down upon him, each drop erupts into steam upon contact with the stripped down monk, and the man who burns but is not consumed by the heat is indeed a sight to see.
"It has been eventful, Inoue-sama. The work of a monk is never done, and with the poor recent harvests...well, I have preceded over more funerals than births and weddings of late, I'm afraid. I follow the sound of the thunder, where it takes me, and do what I can." His smile seems genuine, though there's a pain in his eyes from the memories he speaks of. "But what do you tell a grieving mother when her child passes because the crop was flooded out by the rain, and there's only so much food to go around? The truth that he goes to join his ancestors is only so much of a comfort, when the mother knows it will be years before she sees him again. Will he be an adult in the land of our blessed ancestors by the time she joins him? Will she even recognize him?" He sighs, and shakes his head. "Words only go so far, so I help tend the weeds of the garden, or till the soil, give whatever offering this body can provide, so the little food they have left is not choked away. Sometimes they give me with a bowl of soup before I move on, or a coin to buy my next meal, and for these things, I am blessed among men."
Taki bows from his kneeling position to Hikonaga. "Greetings Hionaga-sama, and Senno-sama. As I told the other lords, call me should you need my services my lords." Little more is said, and he closes his eyes, listening to the sound of the wind, rain, and occasional thunder. He begins to contemplate the spirits around him, and the wisdom of Shinsei.
The monk bows to the others, and looks to Inoue, raising an eyebrow in the direction of the shrine, as if to silently ask if he should comment on it. He smiles slightly. "My lord, it will be a blessing to hear your musical gift." He turns and returns to the comment of the newcomer. "As I am sure you know, Ryuk-sama, for your blood and teaching I'm sure are far greater than my own I am sure, this shrine is quite ancient, and dedicated to the elements themselves. Sadly, I, in my limited knowledge, do not know which in particular. I am sure they will carry your honorable prayers to your noble father and mother, Ryuk-sama, for such is great duty of a son." Taki follows example of the others and begins to remove his outer garments, wringing them as best he can near the entrance before laying them out after all the others have done so. "I am honored by the company of four samurai. My name is Takishiro, should any of you wish to call upon my services while we await the water spirit's blessing to finish." He smiles, and lowers his eyes. You never know with ronin, Taki. Sometimes they take their lack of status among clan samurai out on those below themselves. If it were one I could easily defend myself, perhaps even two, but should I raise hand against one in front of others, I'd surely be cut down. Best to play it safe.
The young monk's ears perk up at the sound of other sandals entering the room, and his eyes immediately lock on the wakazishi of one, and daisho of the other two in the temple with him. Either samurai, or bandits who have stolen from samurai. Be careful with either, Taki. He gives a pleasant smile, and bows to the others. "Greetings, my lords." It's all the words he offers, for Taki does not wish to insult his social superiors. More than a few of the scars on his back were a result of learning that lesson when he was a teenager, just under a decade ago. Being ill informed of social etiquette, he learned quickly it was easier to say little than to say what was correct. He looks around the simple building's bare walls and smiles. He'd slept in shacks more ramshackle than this many a time. The fortunes have blessed us, it seems. He digs in his simple satchel and opens it, and shakes his head. I don't know why I was expecting anything else. There were two zeni then, too. The monk takes one of his two small coins and says a small prayer to the fortune, preparing to offer it at the shrine.
As I recall, most monks and shujenja are friendly towards one another. Monks perform most of the religious ceremonies - weddings, funerals, etc - for the peasants, while shujenja perform them for the samurai. Occasionally one will do the other's societal job when the other is not available, IIRC.
The young man walks slowly, and with determined purpose as the rain falls upon his freshly shaven head. He can feel the water bead and roll down his face, and he smiles as he hears the rolling thunder in the distance. His footsteps take him along the barely trodden path towards the shrine in the distance, and a slight smile forms on the face of the young scarred warrior. The Son of Thunder has lead me to a respite from this weather, it seems, the young man thinks to himself. He's lean, wearing tattered rags, his body covered with scars; some of battle, many self-inflicted, in particular on his wrists it seems as if he has branded himself with the sign of the fortune Osano-Wo. A gurgling continues in his lean hard stomach, but it is a sound that the warrior-priest is used to. He's lived the last few months on a combination of charity and pittance for any work he's been able to scour, so something as simple as basic hunger is only a step along a path he's walked almost to it's mortal end before, especially in these tough times. He stops outside of the temple and uses his bo to strike the mud from his sandals as best he can, and says a small prayer before taking a step up towards the building in quiet contemplation.
Character put together, and checking in here. Do any of us want to already have an established relationship or past associations with one another?
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