The Day of Thunder

Being the imperial librarian and having gone into Jigoku and back presumably gave Jiyo Sora-sama only hell of an insight over what might be happening now.

It is why Wu Zhe had sent a formal invitation to the man. That might annoy him...but it was important. Sitting on the front porch while Shou was busy stalking a butterfly, he waited.

Sora arrived, in the full regalia of a cranky middle-aged man who hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.

Truly, he cut a resplendent figure, from the bags under his eyes to the worn leather boots on his feet.

But he gave the Dragon a friendly bow. His friendship with Wu meant he was inclined to give the long-vanished daimyo's family the ebnefit of the doubt, and Zhe in particular was known to him.

And besides, the guy had cheese!

"Wu-san. Restful evening?"

Wu Zhe was somewhat amazed at the display, never quite having seen something like this.

He rose and bowed low

"I did, though I was told I am among the lucky ones. Did you have a restful sleep yourself?"

"Not a wink, Wu-san, not a wink. It may not be my first sleepless night, but they do not improve with repetition."

That drew some concern

''I heard some person might have dispersed some kava at the dance last night. It is not very potent but mixed with the energy of the party and the troubles of Yume-Jigoku it probably did not help. I hope tonight might serve you better.''

he paused

''If not then I can help you meditate...'' he grimaced ''...or get you into a food coma.''

"I doubt very much it was the kava. I think our enemy senses the coming confrontation and seeks to strike at us any way it can. We are, after all, a threat."

''That is a very real possibility.'' he admitted ''It will not get better but that also means we are heading in the right direction.''

He then turned to go inside

''Please come in, would you like something to eat or drink?''

"An unfair question from a man I know has access to cheese..."

He grinned ''Cheese for your wisdom and experience then?''

"I am ill-equipped to refuse, but the joke's on you if you think I have any wisdom... experience, yes."

''Ah, I do think you have something to teach us. It might bring back bad memories but it could help what is coming"

With that he let the older man in and followed to prepare a proper seating

''Lady Chouri should be here soon. I have told her you were passing by. I should have some thenthuk soup if you are hungry or I can just prepare a selection of cheese''

"Oh, just a nibble, Wu-san. It would be most vexing if I were unable to get into my armor, after all..."

As though on cue, the woman herself slides the door open. She smiles gently and chuckles a little. "There's a real risk there. The cheese is delicious."

Then she bowed deeply to Sora. "You must be Jiyo Sora-sama. It's an honor to meet you. I'm Chouri... well, as you probably heard last night." She rises with a smile.

"I had indeed gathered as much, Chouri-san. And please, no 'sama' here."

He bowed in return.

"I leave excessive formality to others."

He smiles wide before going to the kitchen

''I will prepare something we can share''

He would come back a few minutes later

''Please, lady Chouri, could you tell him about your discoveries. Jiyo-sama might have additional insight''

Understanding lit up Chouri's eyes. "Ah, I see! There's enough that I'm not sure where to start with that. Did you have something you were thinking about specifically?"

''Perhaps you could talk to him about the tribe that was living here?'

She nodded. "The Kisaki. We still haven't found a lot on them, even living on their old site. Supposedly, having visions of the future was fairly common among the tribe, as common as something like that ever is. I did my best to track them down, since I was looking for something that might help with the nightmare problem."

"Would you know about that tribe, Jiyo-sama?"

"Not much. And what seems to have happened to them?"

Sora's own oracular eye was something he didn't entirely trust within the unnatural fog, but he still had an intent look around.