The Day of Thunder

Are you kids going around and sniffing innocent Lion samurai again?

*gets the broom*

"I am surprised that one of the gods hasn't ridden through here and claimed you yet. They seem to have a fondness for that sort of thing." A pause. "The village, that is. Not you, yourself. I don't think they actually do that."

Having escaped from a crowd of admirers, Soju makes her way over to Ai and Sora. "I hope you enjoyed the performance," she says, her mirth fading as she notices Sora's eye and makes a warding gesture.

She turned toward the voice and looked him over, then returned his bow, causing the small bones on her dress to clatter softly. "Hello. Nice mask."

"Of course." Sujo smiles warmly. "I have only been a part of this new Empire for a few years, so many of the smaller details surrounding religious customs are new to me. Thank you for the explanation."

"Oh, that makes sense." Sujo seems to suddenly think of something. "If you don't mind me asking, why does a shrine to Inari need to be off-limits to visitors? I was under the impression that she was rather down-to-earth and welcoming, as far as gods went."

Sujo smiles warmly at the crowd as they express their enjoyment of the song. As they quiet down, she flashes a smile at Ai and waves in her direction. "Alright, this last one I'm going to sing this afternoon is dedicated to the lovely Nanzi Ai, who has been very kind to me since arriving in this vil...

Soju inclines her head. "Thank you. I shall inform my associates of your wishes."

Her tone turns more casual. "Speaking of the shrine, I was hoping that you could tell me more about it?"

Soju considers her words carefully. "Yes... we believe those voices may be spirits... or something similar enough. Out of concern for your villagers, we were hoping that you might help us quietly protect your villager against such spirits." She smiles warmly. "Nothing intrusive, mind you, merely per...

Soju wasn't, as a rule, all that fond of the Scorpion Clan or how they did things. This meeting, for instance. A secret node hidden in her blankets, when a simple 'hey, Sujo, we're gonna have a meeting over there in an hour' would have sufficed. Nevertheless, she was at the river where indicated, ho...

Soju stepped forward and raised her arms upwards, quieting the crowd. "This first song is one dear to my heart," she explains, lowering her arms back down to her sides. "It's a rather new one, but I think you will enjoy jt." She closed her eyes, centered herself, and began to sing. "With just a look...

Soju takes the offered seat and spends a moment looking out over the village. "Chouri," she finally said, "myself and q few of the others have some concerns regarding spirits that haunt this village. Have you had any issues with these things before?"

"Yes, I am one of the performers. Haka Soju. I believe someone among the Scorpion sent you a letter." Soju moved closer, the bones on her dress clattering softly. "I had hoped to discuss some matters of spiritual health with you."

After finishing her breakfast, Soju decided to follow up on her suggestions to Huan and take some preemptive measures to help protect the village. That, of course, meant going through the headwoman, which brought Soju to her doorstep. She wasn't entirely certain just what she could accomplish on her...

Soju nods to Nozomi, and winces slight as Ai hits an off-note in her performance. Still, she smiles supportively and applauds when she finishes. Motioning to the musicians, she steps forward and addresses the crowd. "Thank you all for coming here tonight! It is a lively festival, and the Scorpion Cl...

"Yes. A conversation for another day, or perhaps the middle of the night. Not here." It would almost certainly have not suited the sorts of scene that they were in. "But I'm glad to hear that there's some more happy tunes. It'd be interesting to hear those tonight, so I am looking forward to that."...

She gave her a careful look at Soju, taking in the bone fetishes while she did, her lips thinning. "You know the songs of the Shoji then?" She chuckled darkly. "Tell me. What sorts of happy songs do they have in the Shoji? The only one of that tribe i ever knew had a ... curious sense for what was ...

"They have their ways. I will probably never truly understand. I'm just a hunter myself who started a new path once upon a time. I don't think I've ever heard the songs of the Scorpion, so this will be new." The hikari had never been big on music. Too much noise attracted predators. "After today, y...

She chuckled mirthlessly. "I think others will say the quiet parts about gloom and doom out loud soon enough without me. Let's hope not tonight. Nothing wrong with a little celebration now and again." Her eyes brightened a little. "And good. I'll look forward to it. My own musical talents are ... b...