The Day of Thunder

"They seem to have picked up and left many years ago," she explained. "It didn't look like they were in a hurry, so... They might have found what they were looking for and left. Or joined the Kami."

Sora cocked his head to the side.

"Left where, I wonder?"

She simply shrugged. "I haven't been able to leave to be able to track down any remnants. Because they had writing, I suspect they may have been part of the Isawa Tribe at one point. Maybe they went back?"

Sora racked his brain, trying to recall if he'd heard anything of the Kisaki among the many IOsawa who had joined the Imperial Familes as the family of the same name...

"I met a man once, a younger member of the Isawa family, who called himself Kisaki. Nervous sort. Didn't say much. Probably too young to have come from here originally, but maybe a descendant..."

So that part of the story, at least, seemed to check out. A bit.

Chouri perked up at that. "Interesting. I wish I could speak with him, but it will have to wait until after the festival, sadly."

"Yes, the Festival. Curious business. Won't deny smacking the crap out of that effigy felt good, but I'm not sure incarnating our fears in this time and place, even in scarecrow form, was the safest choice..."

"It would be less safe to let them fester," she said, shaking her head. "We've seen where that leads."

"If this Festival in any way related to the graveyard?"

She shook her head. "The graveyard is acting up again, I take it?"

He nodded in the affirmative.

"So despite your only having been here since these troubles with dreams began, the graveyard hasn't always been like that?"

"It sometimes wakes up when it's almost festival time," she explained. "It tends to quiet down afterward."

"Well then, you'll be pleased to know it's right on schedule. Maybe we should have one of the shugenja here examine it..."

She nodded. "If you'd like. It might be nice if it would quiet down for good."

"I'll see who I can get to look into it."

"Worst case, things do get less strange here once the festival is finished," she said. "With so many people this time... Maybe it will quiet things down for good."