thebastion | A stroll through the gardens... ( Day 69 )

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A stroll through the gardens... ( Day 69 )

Who: Seimei and anyone/everyone else he happens across.
When: Day 69
Where: All about the Bastion.
What: Familiarizing himself with the denizens.
Format: Action
Warnings: None likely.

[ Having decided against taking up residence in the apartments and bowing out as gracefully as possible, Seimei had elected to sleep under a tree, leaning back against the bark, expression serene. He was untroubled, it seemed, by his plight and the plight of others. Just another obstacle to overcome. Rising early - so far as he could judge time - before anyone else appeared to be wandering about, the onmyoji decided to spend his time exploring, pacing the perimeter of the Bastion and fanning himself idly with his tessen as he hummed a nameless tune.

Without any particular purpose or direction, he eventually begins a spiraling path in towards the center, stopping on occasion to watch the horizon, inspect a plant or, if possible, gather an idle person to walk with him with the intention of learning about the Bastion, but more importantly, about them. He has a deep curiosity and need for knowledge, and while he would be loathe to admit it, he enjoyed socializing. Without the social stigmas of his birth and occupation that he faced in Heian Kyoto, it doesn't seem unlikely that he could make friends here.

That, and he wanted to distract himself from the inevitable need to accept that he would likely never again see Hiromasa, the only friend he had ever really known.

So it is, without any particular direction, Seimei sets to explore and socialize, unperturbed by race, gender or species. After all, at the end of the day, who was he to judge?

Each person he comes across is cordially greeted and invited to walk with him. ]

Anou, sumimasen.

[ He began every time, offering a polite bow and smiling behind the curve of his paper fan. ]

I am Abe no Seimei. I only arrived yesterday and was wondering if you would have a moment to speak.

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[ He chuckles softly, covering his mouth with a satiny sleeve as he does, eyes squinting in a fox-faced expression that screamed mischief more than malice. Collecting himself, he bows with more grace and formality than before. ]

Abe no Seimei, author of the Senji Ryakketsu, head of the Onmyoryo and I am told, a most extraordinary onmyoji.

[ He rises, cocking a brow and offering a vulpine smile. ]

Very little escapes my attention. More importantly, very little demands it. It is a sincere pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Okumura.

... just... Rin. Please.

[She wasn't uncomfortable, but his behavior was slightly off-putting. Like he knew more about her than she knew about herself with just a glance.

It was unnerving, to say the least.

And onmyoji wasn't a completely unfamiliar term, since exorcists employed demon hunters from all walks of life. Her and Bon were living proof of that.]

I'm... nothin' special. Even if I am a demon.

[And that is a total lie]

That is a false representation of oneself, if ever I heard one. Everyone is special - especially people like you.

[ And I, he could add, but doesn't. He tended to keep himself mysterious, throwing others off with brutal honesty one moment and frustrating cryptics the next. ]

And you said it yourself, only half. Hardly anything to go up in arms about, isn't it? I imagine in a situation like this its considerably helpful. You're hardy and strong, and no doubt dependable in a pinch. I for one am grateful for your presence.

[ He remarks pleasantly, flipping open his fan and flapping it lightly beneath his face, the faint perfume filling the space between them. ]

So tell me, Lady Rin, what is your opinion of the situation. Do you believe the world has ended? Is this some punishment, or a second chance, hm?

[Again with the 'lady' thing. It made her scowl, but she held her tongue and set the box she had been carrying this time around on the ground, trying to not visibly wrinkle her nose.]

I ain't really some one to ask 'bout that. I'm just tryin' to survive, same as the rest of us.

[More like she didn't want to think about it, but if pressed about it she would have leaned more towards the 'world destroyed' option.]

Everyone has an opinion about everything - an unfortunate fact of life. However, if you feel uncomfortable sharing yours, I won't press you.

[ He smiles and offers a small bow of his head in acquiescence. Rising, he closes his fan and tucks it into a sleeve, arching a brow at Rin. ]

I admit, you're actually the first true half-demon I've ever encountered. It is something of an exciting thing for me. If you have a few moments, perhaps you would join me for a short walk? Indulge my curiosity and, if you like, indulge your own. I bear no animosity towards you and would be honored to share your time.

[A lot of things were making her uncomfortable, but again, she wasn't about to tell him to screw off just because he was asking questions. Even she wasn't stubborn enough to refuse getting along with a survivor just for some odd feelings she was getting from him.]

... lemmie go put this down.

[And with that she wandered off, vanishing in to the kitchen with her load and returning empty handed.]

Alright. I'm all yours, Seimei-san.

Are you? How interesting...

[ He remarks with a slow smirk and arched brow. Nodding lightly, the onmyoji gestures forward and begins walking, hands folding into his sleeves. ]

As a gesture of good faith, why don't you ask me something first? I promise you on my honor, I will answer you truthfully, whatever you query.

[That could be a dangerous move, Seimei. Rin stares at the man with a scowl tugging at the corner of her lips before asking something that's been bothering her from the start.]

What are you?

That depends entirely on who you ask, or in what context you're asking. However, since I did promise...

My mother was Kuzu-no-Ha. Much like you, I am half-human. A yokai mother and a human father.

[ He tilts his head, arching a brow expectantly. ]

You have never head the name Abe no Seimei? I am uncertain how I feel about that. While I do not consider myself particularly arrogant, I do find that to be something of a blow to my ego. A Japan devoid of Abe no Seimei? How tragic...

... funny, that sounded like an ego.

[Sorry, Seimei, if you're going to deal with Rin, you're going to have to deal with Rin's snark, too.

Though it doesn't last long, any semblance of a smirk fading quickly.]

When this all happened it was 2011, if that tells you anythin'. And... well I ain't all that smart, I can't sit still and learn from a book very well so if you're in history anywhere chances are I missed it.

I do know what an Onmyoji is, though.

[ He laughed in reply, a delighted sound, no hurt or animosity in it. he genuinely enjoyed the banter. ]

I never said I didn't have an ego. Everyone does. But you're right. I am glad you know what I am in particular. You do not know Lady Kuzunoha? There was a shrine in Shinoda, in Settsu province...?

[ The onmyoji trailed off, searching Rin's face before looking away and sighing softly, trying to hide his disappointment. ]

Perhaps in the future, people no longer respect shrines?

Can't argue with that.

[His disappointment, surprisingly, made her feeling bad about even bringing it up. She fidgeted, her tail lowering to sway closer to the ground with the end curled in to a fluffy spiral.]

It's... not like that. People still respect shrines. M-maybe not as much as they used to, but they're still there. They're used in festivals a lot.

... bet you anythin' my friend knows who she is. Or hell, anyone in my class. Like I said, I'm just... not smart. There's a lotta stuff I don't know.

There is a distinct difference between not smart, and not educated. [ Seimei remarked, tilting his head to regard Rin from the corner of his vision. Turning his head fully to face her, the onmyoji smiles, appreciative of her attempt, however clumsy, to reassure him. ]

It is disappointing to find that shrines are merely an amusement later on. I suppose it was inevitable. With man's constant growth, the power of the unknown weakens and human arrogance devours all, casting a shadow over what was once beautiful and magical. A pity the people of your generation will not experience the wonder of living parallel to the world of demons and spirits. No doubt the creatures are reduced to villains by the time you are born, hm? Tragic.

[ Seimei shakes his head and dusts himself off ineffectually, finding his center once again. ]

Unfortunate talk. We should find something else to discuss that doesn't demand we think of what was, and what will never be. Walk with me, and tell me about yourself, won't you? I promise, no sneaky onmyoji tricks. I will even let you carry my ofuda, if it makes you more comfortable.

['not educated' earned a sudden reddening of Rin's face, and something close to a pout tugging at her lips. Of course she wasn't educated, she barely paid attention in school and dropped out before even trying for high school entry.

Granted the Academy had all but eradicated that, but it didn't change that she was... well, pretty damn dim.]

... actually...

[What he wanted to hear from her and what he had questioned on went hand in hand, oddly enough. She shook her head to the offer for the ofuda, and started walking again.]

I am a demon. ... half, but still. And that class I was talkin' about? It's a cram school for exorcists, run by the Order of the Knights of True Cross.

You're right about them bein' kinda... turned in to villains, more or less, but there are ones that cause trouble, y'know? But not all of 'em. That cat with the two tails? He's a Cait Sidhe named Kuro, and he's my familiar. He was my adopted dad's familiar, before me.

Assiah is still uhm... [what was that word he used?] parallel to Gehenna, but it's only people with mashou that can see demons. Your average guy walkin' down the street ain't gonna know that there's a whole 'nother world connected to ours, but it's there.

[ He walked alongside her, listening thoughtfully before raising a brow with a smile. ]

There are differences. Demon is more of a blanket term, really. What you are isn't specifically a demon in the sense that we use in Heian Kyoto. the term must have changed over time. There are different yokai: henge, oni, and you are half akuma. I am half henge. Together we are both yokai, both half demon.

I do not recognize these terms "Assiah" and "Gehenna", but I understand the principle. In the Heian period, many people can see demons if they want to be seen, but humans do not have the sight on their own. It seems the same is true in the future, only there are less people making the effort to police the thin lines.

[ He sighs softly, arching a brow and shaking his head. ]

You may not think so, but I sympathize with you. I sincerely do. Straddling the worlds is never easy. Even less so when you have external evidence, like yourself. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you. Look at me; I merely evoke the visage of a fox, I do not even really look like one, yet I regularly dealt with the accusations of others. More than once I have longed to run the forest paths with my mother, but I am forever forbidden that world. Now, I do not even know if that world exists. All of us, displaced. All of us together, yet very much alone.

... I didn't know that. We don't really... talk about the differences. A demon is a demon, it's just the breed that gets named. But... I guess that makes sense.

[Though would he be saying that, if he knew who her father was?]

Assiah, Earth. Gehenna, Hell. That's the terms exorcists use anyway.

[His next comment caused her to pull a face, lips pursing tight.]

Did you know from the start, though... ?

What you were? Absolutely. That is part of what I am. I see everything for what it truly is. Sometimes I don't immediately understand, or sometimes I don't really know why it matters, but I can always sense the truth under the lie or the face behind the mask. In Heian Kyoto my abilities are very valuable, as demons tend towards mischief that is distressing to humans. I doubt that has changed much by your time. [ He remarks with a faint smirk, feet keeping a steady, patient pace. ]

You could have hidden everything about yourself, and I still would have known, Lady Rin, but it has nothing to do with your inability to blend, and everything to do with my inability to look the other way. I cannot close my eyes to the truth. I can, however, keep secrets. I am very good at that, in fact. So if there is any reason you would wish to hide, in this new world, then I will respectfully maintain silence on my knowledge.

Yeah, well... I didn't always know. I was raised as a human, by a human, with a father and a sister who knew the truth and didn't tell me until it was already too late.

[She doesn't hate them for it; she understands now why they did what they did, but it still hurts, no matter how much she accepts it.

That much shows on her face. Even if she tried to lie, her expressions also betrayed her true feelings more often than not.]

There's no point in hidin' it anymore, but... thank you.

No thanks required, Lady Rin. I can see it troubles you. I imagine it would. There is a lot of negativity suggested by an akuma bloodline. However, it is how you conduct yourself, and the choices you make, that define you as a person. Not your blood. You may be driven to extremes, or drawn to certain things - sometimes possessed of overpowering urges that you fall victim to. These things are all subject to choice. Who you want to be is more important than who you are. If you want to be human, and you choose to live as one, then you have a human heart and no one has the power to change that. No matter what anyone says or does, Lady Rin, you are what you choose to be. Even if you sometimes fail to completely control your urges, it is your ability to feel remorse that separates you from anything evil.

[ He smiled softly, facing forward as they walked, hands folded into his sleeves. ]

I think you might need to hear that. My mother told me that, the last time I saw her.

[She wished she could believe that. She wished she could believe him, but as similar as they were, Rin had a much different life from Seimei, and her experiences had shaped her in to a very different kind of half-demon.]

It... it ain't like that for me, though. Way I see it... I ain't either anymore. Not human, not demon. And all I can do is keep movin' forward, and back home that was becomin' an exorcist so I could become stronger, and so no one else would ever die for me again.

But here... I'unno what that means.

[She stopped walking, head down, fingers clutching at her arm and digging in hard enough to make her skin welt red.]

I just know I gotta protect people here, too, and none of that depends on me bein' human or demon.

Lady Rin... [ He tilts his head slightly, arching a brow in Rin's direction and smiling reassuringly.] Perhaps I should point out that this is not the life you lead before. Everything that shaped you before is not nearly as relevant. In this place, for those reasons, you are able to live completely free of who you were.

This is not your world or my world. This is a new place. A blank slate. The only thing in this place that can hold you back from changing your life is yourself. You would be wise to take that into consideration. Any internal pain that you suffer is your own making. You are bound by chains of your own creation, because no one else is here to judge you but yourself.

... that's... that's true. Yeah.

[It didn't completely alleviate her worries, and it might not ever get rid of them completely, but she did feel better about who she was, and her current state of being.

That was something to be grateful for.]

Thank you, Seimei-san. And I'm sorry for bein' so difficult earlier...

Difficult? My friend, you have no idea what difficult is, in the life of an onmyoji. Then again, perhaps you do. It is my understanding you were training to be an exorcist, one of the many duties of being an onmyoji. If you are fretting over an incomplete education, I would be more than happy to teach you. Slowly. On your own time, in ways that you may better understand.

[ He offers a warm smile in lieu of a hug; unfortunately he is from a time where physical touch is considerably less appropriate in anything other than an intimate relationship. He wants to comfort her, certainly, but is stifled by etiquette and propriety. At the least his expression, with dark eyes and a gentle smile, hopefully suggests what he cannot make himself do for fear of grievous insult. ]

I do not think you are not smart, Lady Rin. I simply think that classrooms and lectures are too much for a free-spirit to endure. Whenever curiosity guides you, I will happily teach you anything you wish to know. I will not, of course, be able to teach you what you would necessarily learn in a "modern" classroom, but I suppose a "classical" education never hurt anyone. Besides, I bet you the way we did things in Heian Kyoto were considerably more universal, elegant and effective. It was a matter of daily life for us.

[She wasn't going to fault him for that. As ignorant as Rin could be, she wasn't completely without understanding of other people. She could tell from the start that Seimei was the refined type, and not the kind of person that was about to go around hugging girls having a mild existential crisis.]

Eheh... w-well I'm not really worried 'bout learnin' much anymore... except maybe pickin' up sword training again. I mean it's more about surviving now anyway, innit?

Still... nice to hear some one not actually get all over my case for not bein' smart.

You keep saying you aren't smart. [ He sighs, shaking his head and continuing on their casual walk. ]

I do not believe you. I think that circumstances in your life may have driven you to believe that, but you are likely more clever than you give yourself credit for. Either way, I respect your decision. even so, please do no hesitate to come and talk, from time to time. so far....you are the only person I can make any connection with. I feel like a dusty relic with some of these people. Or at the very least, a bizarre oddity to be an amusement, more than a serious and respected individual.

Edited 2013-06-03 02:57 (UTC)

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