Day 135 | But I have promises to keep...

[yinyangfox]

Who: Seimei and ???
Open: Open
When: Day 135 - ???
Where: The Skyway
What: The town onmyoji is trekking out further than ever before. What he hopes to find is anyone's guess, but what he hopes to do is speak with anything that will listen and find anyone that may need help.
Format: Prose or bracket spam.
Warnings: None. Yet.



He had told who he needed to tell, posted a letter on the monument, and set out with light provisions to begin his pilgrimage of sorts.

Once upon a time Seimei's duties included exponentially more than he did now in the Bastion. while he enjoyed a more sedentary lifestyle, his sympathy for things not human had been eating at him for months. The more he watched people come in to the Bastion, the more he puzzled over the fate of creatures in the Skyway.

He disliked having to kill the monsters for any reason, even when they attacked him of their own accord without any provocation. Something made them that way. He intended to find out, from their point of view, what that was. If it were even possible. He did at least have the forethought to make numerous binding spells which he kept on his person. If he could not find someone to speak to in a civil manner, he could always capture one.

He simply hoped it never came to that and would be satisfied with the simplest communication with the most base of creatures. Squirts, Peckers - he may even risk Gasfellas. Better still if he could recover the young or unborn yet to be corrupted.

In the meanwhile, he searched ruins and flatlands, climbed broken towers and made sure no place was left unchecked in the even that survivors were trapped or injured. Even if he had to cut his trip sort, saving a life was no less noble than his true cause.

In the course of his trip, should he happen across anyone else adventuring from the Bastion in search of goods or shards, he was not at all unwilling to share a meal, a camp or few words.

He simply had to try, else he was squandering the gift his mother had given him.

Comments

[earthandpine]

Rosethorn didn't tell Briar where she was going or why. Her boy is protective of her ever since he nearly lost her, and she knows he'd insist on coming along. She's careful, hoarding her power in case of need and making sure she doesn't wind up at an altitude that makes her gasp for air. Rosethorn knows she's more important to her foster children than the shards she's after, but she wants Briar's shakkan for him.

She has to admit that she's curious after hearing tales of monsters that are more plant than creature. Not curious or foolhardy enough to seek them out, but if she found any she'd try to talk before even considering attacking.

Living Circle requires that even if her own plant magic didn't. There are battle mages within the ranks of the temple's dedicate initiates, of course, but they act in defense only. Sworn to help any innocent in need, Rosethorn would rather make medicines than fight, however effective she is in battle.

She looks ill-equipped for her excursion on the Skyway. A small pack, no visible weapons aside from the belt knife at her waist, and deep green Earth Temple robes whose black hems mark her as a mage only to those familiar with her religion.

In her quest for shards, Rosethorn catches sight of someone else who seems to be looking for something. She walks that way and tries to ignore the feeling of sudden connection to roots in each new section the ground as it appears in front of her, disconcerting to a plant mage. "What are you out looking for?" she asks once she's within earshot.

[yinyangfox]

Pacing about the area, which looked to have once been a personal library, Seimei had tried to find anything worth bringing home on his return visit, setting things aside. Everything was too damaged to be of much use, but he did find some drapery fabric he thought Kaoru might be able to do something with and was rolling it into a bundle to tuck away safely when someone called out.

"Purpose, I suppose, if I were to be unnecessarily vague and melodramatic," he replied with a smile, adjusting his tall hat after inclining his head in a small bow.

"Anything worth taking back while I travel out. eventually I intend to speak with some of the creatures of the Skyway, provided they'll give me the chance. And you, madam? Seeking anything in particular or simply doing your daily duty to clean up the Skyway and make it safer for those after you?"

[earthandpine]

She snorts at that, appreciative of the fact that at least he's self aware. Rosethorn can relate, though. The farms here are self-sustaining, and Briar had medicines well in hand when she arrived. She never does well without something to do with herself. "Everybody needs that, the more so when most of us were taken from whatever we were originally doing with ourselves."

Rosethorn returns the nod with one of her own before answering his question. "Shards. I want something from home for my boy. I also heard about plant monsters, and while I'm not foolish enough to go looking for trouble, I do wonder if I'd be able to speak to them." She's never met a plant that didn't like her. Rosethorn gets on well with all vegetation.

[yinyangfox]

"Shards, hm?" he mused, turning a reaching around into one of his sleeves, withdrawing a small satchel. A flick of the wrist tossed it in her direction. "Take those. I am bound to find more while out here. It is a long journey ahead of me and a long journey back. I will doubtless recoup my investment," he remarked, casting his glance overhead at the large, colorful bird circling there. It was only a days collection, perhaps forty or so shards. Hardly a loss or grand courtesy, but it was a gesture of generosity from a virtual stranger.

He frowned when she mentioned the plants, however, gaze returning to the woman with a measure of concern.

"Be wary of what you speak to out here, madam. We ran afoul of some very nasty foliage not long ago. The stuff of nightmares, and I do try to abstain from dramatics when expressing a genuine warning. Please be careful, for you son's sake?" he offered, tilting his head and arching a brow. "A plant that can turn people against one another is a dangerous thing. It would be unwise to approach something like that alone."

[earthandpine]

The generosity is a pleasant surprise, and she catches the bag, weighing it in a hand before tucking it into her pack. "Thank you very much. I'd be glad to offer medicine or other help with plants if you need any in the future." She'd do it regardless of whether he gave her anything, of course, but Rosethorn wants to make the offer clear.

"It turned people against each other? How? Was it hallucinogenic, or did it magically or otherwise alter their judgement and motivations?" Curiosity comes before reassurance. "I did say I'm not about to go looking for trouble. I would like a better understanding of them, though."

[yinyangfox]

Seimei was neither disappointed nor surprised at her reaction and merely smiled softly with mild amusement. Reaching up to press a finger thoughtfully to his lips, he nodded in consideration.

"Hallucinogenic, but possibly magically induced. The victims made susceptible to the magic through the poisonous pollen. That would be the only reasonable explanation for a shared hallucination. We could see each other, but not what the other was seeing. It knocked us unconscious and we were not aware we were asleep. If you are struck by the plant's attack you may be lost to us, madam."

[earthandpine]

"Briar and I both have naturally decreased susceptibility to most plant-based substances. A tea that induces sleep in other people is no more than mildly calming for us, for instance." It's certainly possible to affect them with plant based toxins or treatments, but it often takes extra effort.

She tilts her head in thought. "I already said I'd be careful and try to avoid them. If I find any, though, I will try talking to them before rushing to defend myself."

[yinyangfox]

He blinked, chuckling softly and turning away, hands folding into his sleeves.

"If occurs to me that you must sound very much to me as I must have sounded to those in the Bastion whom I told what I was planning. So I should respect what you say, lest I make a hypocrite of myself. if you say you will be safe and well, then I can only trust your word. Madam, I wish you the best of luck."

[earthandpine]

She grins. "I had noticed the parallel. What made you decide to try and talk to them?"

It doesn't seem to be a common attitude from what she's seen so far. Most people worry about their own safety first, or, more frequently, that of their friends, before extending the same courtesy to their attackers.

[yinyangfox]

"To the creatures of the Skyway? There was no decision. It simply had to be done and I was the one to do it," he replied, expression somber. "Before all of this, it was my position in life and the kingdom to speak with the spirits and beasts. I am gifted with the ability to speak to all things that have a voice. Even the plants, should they have a will to converse with me," he offered, tilting his head slowly.

"If I can speak to creatures here and better understand them, I have a duty and responsibility to do so. If I neglect this, then what sort of person would that make me? Certainly no one worth my companion's affection or the trust of my friends, if I am not willing to do what is within my power to help."

[earthandpine]

Interesting. The ability is one unfamiliar to her, but the attitude accompanying it makes her homesick for her temple. Living Circle's requirements of its dedicates are similar in some respects. "Is it a religious vocation or just a desire to use your skill and talent for good?"

She'll come back to the talking to plants part, because that's interesting. Rosethorn has never met anyone but ambient plant mages with that power.

[yinyangfox]

"Both, I suppose. I am an onmyoji. As it has been described to me by others who are unfamiliar with the term it is similar to a mage and a priest at the same time? Most of my peers are entirely human, however, and not capable of the things I can do specifically. My ability to speak to spirits at the like was granted to me by my mother. In order to muster the same skill a human would have to work very hard with very little reward, I am afraid."

He nodded slightly, looking past Rosethorn towards the light of the Bastion for a moment until he turned away.

"I have always been a sort of ambassador between two worlds. This is no different."

[earthandpine]

"I'm a mage and an earth temple dedicate of Living Circle, though I only understand plants, not spirits and animals." She's just fine with that. Rosethorn likes being a green mage, although it's sometimes maddeningly frustrating to be limited as a healer to what can be done with medicine. She can heal plants with a touch of magic, and use plants to heal humans, but Rosethorn is helpless against any disease without the necessary formula to treat it.

"A human would have to work much harder? I had thought you were human."

[yinyangfox]

"I can speak to anything that can speak for itself in its core. Somthing does not need to have a voice for it to speak, as I'm sure you're well aware," the onmyoji replied with a soft smile. It was pleasant to speak with someone without an abrasive tone who was also moderately aware of what he described.

"Ah. No. Hm," he trailed off, curious and amused by how casually he offered up these details when not too long ago they were all jealously protected secrets.

"I am only half human. My looks are very human, but the heart of me is...not."