The Day of Thunder

[Isawa Kyosei]

Kyosei had woken, still feeling a little groggy from all the fuss the day before. After a quick meal and wash, he started moving around. His healing skills were solely limited to calling on the spirits, so he left those hurt to proper healers. Instead, he was looking for other survivors to get their stories. Or, in one case, re-issue an invitation.

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

Yoshitsune Ayako was also up and about that morning, looking around the camp to count noses among the Crab contingent and what few villagers made it out with the samurai.

"Good morning, Isawa-san," she offered to Kyosei as they crossed paths.

[Saru Shang]

In the early days of their stay at Blue Lotus Village, many would have considered the Imperial campgrounds to be a war camp of sorts. However, that would pale in comparison to an actual war camp with a legion of warriors! That's not something she expected during her stay, much less being at the edge of the end of the world.

Which was now averted, of course.

Shang would be wandering the grounds, trying to take the least muddy path and probably not doing a good job of it until she happened on some familiar face. "Good morning Isawa-san. And see as well Crab-san. This one is Shang of the Saru, I think I've seen you at the village in passing."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Good morning Isawa-san. And see as well Crab-san. This one is Shang of the Saru, I think I've seen you at the village in passing."

"Good morning, Saru-san," the Crab said with a polite bow. "I'm called Yoshitsune Ayako. I believe I met your cousin Ranmaru earlier. How did the Dragon fare during the, ahh, recent events?"

[Saru Shang]

Shang mustered a small smile at the question, "I could only speak for myself on the matter but I think well. We might be trying to account for who we have in the camp but I can say that I have at least seen Satsuki and Ranmaru at the camp. The setup here isn't quite the same hospitality that we've...enjoyed at the village. I suppose moving troops are a bit more mundane than rituals and celebrations."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Considering the alternative, the hospitality is good enough for me," Ayako said with a wry smile. "I'm glad to hear your other clan-mates made it out. I hope the villagers survived - I don't think most of them were part of the evil thing that we were fighting. But with the big magic that happened, I'm not sure what became of Blue Lotus Village itself."

[Isawa Kyosei]

Kyosei nodded to the others, giving a short bow as each came closer. "Kyosei, of the Isawa. I too am curious about the physical remnants of the village. I heard there were scrolls and other writings I never got the chance to see. But, there were other concerns last eve - people needed to be gotten out first. Things... don't matter as much in the end."

[Saru Shang]

"The whole incident seemed like a bit of a blur, now that I think about it, not unlike waking up from a dream and trying to piece together what happened. Well, you remember most of it but I suspect that the finer details were more felt than remembered, if that makes sense. I would imagine that some of them are among us. It was real, what happened, right?" She questioned with narrowed eyes.

"Oh! That's right. The scrolls..." she murmured, just having remembered them. "Hm. If the village didn't exist anymore, I suppose any history from it might be just as useful now. Still! I would imagine they would be of great use to you, Isawa-san."

[Isawa Kyosei]

"As one of my duties is travelling gatherer of books and scrolls for the Imperial Library system, hai, they would be.Oh, thinking of, have you had any further inclinations on the invitation to travel with one of my caravans?"

[Saru Shang]

"The invitation! Sorry, Isawa-san, I've been meaning to get back to you about that. As you know, the last few days have been rather hectic as you might have experienced and I have been meaning to get back to you before the whole Day of Thunder landed before us. Still, it felt like it's been weeks since our conversation when it was just a few days! Your offer is most generous but unfortunately, I'll have to decline the offer. I've been given the role of chronicler by Lady Matsu," she said with a chuckle. "That's not the official title but I'll say so."

[Isawa Kyosei]

"Oh? Chronicler? Sounds interesting. Might I ask, what are you chronicling? And, is there any chance it can be copied to the Imperial Library system?"

[Saru Shang]

Shang laughed lightly at the question and waved off a dismissive hand in jest. "I don't know if my work will be so important that it will see itself in the library system but I did hear that the library was looking for material to fill? If so, I'll gladly submit my copies by runner whenever I get the chance! As to what, well, I'm not too sure myself. There are some things that are expected, like a run-in with bandits and settling the still unsettled land around the Spider's territory under the light of the Empire. I think after this experience, we'll just have to keep an open mind on what potential things that undiscovered pockets of the land will still bring us. Well, hopefully not another dream village but something else?"

[Isawa Kyosei]

Kyosei nodded, then smiled. "Actually, another dream village could be interesting, now that the challenge of this one has been finished..."

[Saru Shang]

Shang let out a small shrug with a sigh. "If I happen to stumble onto another dream village, it may be too soon...but I suppose now that the infernal forces have been pushed back and the land seems to be at least cleansed of its influence, maybe another dream village would look much different than the one we've been to. I could imagine that it would at least feel different if we didn't know that it was going to be the front lines of the end of the world. Maybe something whimsical will come out of it, as proper dreams ought to be."

[Isawa Kyosei]

"Or even something serious, but not so high-stakes. A lot of the issues this time were not knowing what to expect, or how the attack would come, but knowing it was coming. And it's severity and high level of consequences if things were... well, screwed up."

[Saru Shang]

She gave a few nods on that note. "It managed to work itself out, thankfully, or we won't be having this conversation. To be honest, I could scarcely conjure up in my thoughts what the world would have looked like if things had gone wrong. However, I think I'd rather concentrate on the future when the path before us isn't so mired with doom. Evil still exists, of course, but I suppose we're just at the mercy of each other, mostly. What are our horizons now?"

[Isawa Kyosei]

Kyosei smiles again. "Our horizons are as they have often been, though few realize it - as far as we can walk. If only the effort is put in."

[Saru Shang]

Shang agreed wholeheartedly on the matter. "Yes, but we can't deny that there were a lot of clouds on that horizon in the last few years, perhaps so much that they were even blocking what the path ahead looked like. The whole uncertainty is if we were even long for this realm or destined to be swallowed up by another. However, now the skies are a little more clear, the possibilities open, even if the destination remains always far away and a little unclear. I'm only agreeing with you here, of course! It's just that this might look more daunting to some but certainly ever more hopeful than before."

[Isawa Kyosei]

"Hope... hope can be a rare thing. That we, all the people of the Empire have it now, it is a time of marvels. Much greater ones than the spirits or even the little gods can offer. That is a good message. I will try to spread it, as I travel. And perhaps have others that travel and can spread it, too."

[Saru Shang]

"Despite having gone through a lot here, I think being back on the dirt road will do for us all. We might not be Thunders but perhaps we can consider our role here to be the ones spreading this hope to others in the Empire. I wouldn't say that our will will be greater than the little gods but let's just see what is found on the other side of our horizon! I wish you the best of luck in this endeavour, and I am to do the same. And of course, safe travels, Isawa-san."