The Day of Thunder

[Kaiu Tai]

is the bracing tonic tea in your cup.

Tai hums quietly as she pokes the fire, a wakeful tune to coax a bit more heat in this constant damp. How did the village keep everything from rotting? She was sure her tent would need a week to dry, and more to clean and mend after this...if there was an after. She dips her cup into the simmering pot of bark and herbs, cupping the warm earthenware in her hands, she wonders if there's any change at all after last night's celebration. Probably not, it was only the beginning of festivities, and not much ritualwise.

[Anjing]

is the bracing tonic tea in your cup.

Tai hums quietly as she pokes the fire, a wakeful tune to coax a bit more heat in this constant damp. How did the village keep everything from rotting? She was sure her tent would need a week to dry, and more to clean and mend after this...if there was an after. She dips her cup into the simmering pot of bark and herbs, cupping the warm earthenware in her hands, she wonders if there's any change at all after last night's celebration. Probably not, it was only the beginning of festivities, and not much ritualwise.

A short distance away Anjing steps out of her tent with an absolutely thunderous expression, deep bags lingering below her eyes.
She curses and swipes at the persistent and now warm fog before stomping over to where Kai was making tea.

She grunts something that sounded vaguely like 'morning' before kneeling down and breathing in the pungent aroma.

[Kaiu Tai]

"Mornin'. Though it's hard to tell with this fog. Could be noon." She bends to pick up another mug. Rough clay that looked like they'd traveled with revelers from last night's party. Rinsed already. Holding it out she adds, "tea? Good for the head after that stuff they were smokin' through the market last night."

[Anjing]

"Mornin'. Though it's hard to tell with this fog. Could be noon." She bends to pick up another mug. Rough clay that looked like they'd traveled with revelers from last night's party. Rinsed already. Holding it out she adds, "tea? Good for the head after that stuff they were smokin' through the market last night."

Another grunt, probably 'thanks' as she accepts the mug.

"What was that? Messed with my head something fierce. Tossed and turned all night."
She rubs an eye with her knuckle.
"Reminded me of when the kids were young."

Eyeing the wise woman. "You get any sleep?"

[Kaiu Tai]

Another grunt, probably 'thanks' as she accepts the mug.

"What was that? Messed with my head something fierce. Tossed and turned all night."
She rubs an eye with her knuckle.
"Reminded me of when the kids were young."

Eyeing the wise woman. "You get any sleep?"

"Kava. Usually a bit of a boost to an afternoon. Figured someone thought the celebration needed the energy." There's a long, thoughtful sip of her tea. "or some part of this festival involves keepin' folks up all night...or maybe just away from dreams?" She grimaces, "balls, I don't wish those years of almost no sleep on anyone our age."

"Slept like a rock myself. Helped to take a bit after the festivities to ground myself and organize thoughts." She scoops up a mug of the concoction to pass over. "But you'll definitely want the tea. I'll see if the spirits want to help it along. Ought to be easy with all this water around, but...spirits seem odd here, like a lot of things."

[Anjing]

"Kava. Usually a bit of a boost to an afternoon. Figured someone thought the celebration needed the energy." There's a long, thoughtful sip of her tea. "or some part of this festival involves keepin' folks up all night...or maybe just away from dreams?" She grimaces, "balls, I don't wish those years of almost no sleep on anyone our age."

"Slept like a rock myself. Helped to take a bit after the festivities to ground myself and organize thoughts." She scoops up a mug of the concoction to pass over. "But you'll definitely want the tea. I'll see if the spirits want to help it along. Ought to be easy with all this water around, but...spirits seem odd here, like a lot of things."

"Kava? Strange. Might have asked us first." She shoots the village a glare before taking the concoction.
"Leave that sort of stuff to the kids. I'm not gonna spend all night grinding on someone, my back hurts."

With a sincere thanks she tips back the bitter tea, brow furrowing slightly at the taste as she starts to drink.

[Kaiu Tai]

"Kava? Strange. Might have asked us first." She shoots the village a glare before taking the concoction.
"Leave that sort of stuff to the kids. I'm not gonna spend all night grinding on someone, my back hurts."

With a sincere thanks she tips back the bitter tea, brow furrowing slightly at the taste as she starts to drink.

There's a snort as Tai pulls her small stone knife. "Fair enough. The kids seemed as into it as you'd expect. I'll stomp around a good ritual dance, but that wasn't what they were hoppin' to." She notes the grimace and adds, "bitter helps wake you and stoke some fire in all this wet. Have to ask at the village for some honey if you want sweeter."

She presses the knife's tip to the back of one arm with a slow, rhythmic 'shhh, shhh,' sort of chant, letting the blood well up a bit as she settles the knife across one knee. Dipping a finger into her tea, then pressing it to the blood, she says, "hold still a minute," before reaching to press that fingerprint of blood against the daimyo's breastbone at heart level with a long exhalation as she encourages the sluggish spirits to balance out what the kava's excess fire has done.

*************
Rejuvenating Vapors to counter the fatigue. D2 EM: Rejuvenating Vapors ML2, TN 15, causing 2 wounds | 5k3 ⇒ 26 (TN: 15) Does not replace Void.

[Anjing]

There's a snort as Tai pulls her small stone knife. "Fair enough. The kids seemed as into it as you'd expect. I'll stomp around a good ritual dance, but that wasn't what they were hoppin' to." She notes the grimace and adds, "bitter helps wake you and stoke some fire in all this wet. Have to ask at the village for some honey if you want sweeter."

She presses the knife's tip to the back of one arm with a slow, rhythmic 'shhh, shhh,' sort of chant, letting the blood well up a bit as she settles the knife across one knee. Dipping a finger into her tea, then pressing it to the blood, she says, "hold still a minute," before reaching to press that fingerprint of blood against the daimyo's breastbone at heart level with a long exhalation as she encourages the sluggish spirits to balance out what the kava's excess fire has done.

*************
Rejuvenating Vapors to counter the fatigue. D2 EM: Rejuvenating Vapors ML2, TN 15, causing 2 wounds | 5k3 ⇒ 26 (TN: 15) Does not replace Void.

Anjing closes her eyes for a second, feeling muscles she hadn't even realised were clenched tight slowly relax, the haze of fatigue lifts leaving her tired, but focused.

"Thank you, Tai. Feel like you know me better than myself after all these years, poor you."
She takes another sip of the potent brew (that's how you know it's proper medicine).
"I owe you for this, I'll make dinner tonight then? See if I can scrounge up some supplies so we can have something half decent.

Now that she could get beyond the immediacy of 'head hurt, sleep bad' the daimyo started turning her thoughts to the day.
"Guess we're one day closer to the final battle. Anything strike you about it?"

[Kaiu Tai]

Anjing closes her eyes for a second, feeling muscles she hadn't even realised were clenched tight slowly relax, the haze of fatigue lifts leaving her tired, but focused.

"Thank you, Tai. Feel like you know me better than myself after all these years, poor you."
She takes another sip of the potent brew (that's how you know it's proper medicine).
"I owe you for this, I'll make dinner tonight then? See if I can scrounge up some supplies so we can have something half decent.

Now that she could get beyond the immediacy of 'head hurt, sleep bad' the daimyo started turning her thoughts to the day.
"Guess we're one day closer to the final battle. Anything strike you about it?"

"Only your elemental balance and chi, Anjing. Happy to leave what's in folks' heads all to them." She thanks the knife as she cleans it before tucking it away once more. A small cloth pressed to the cut will stop the bleeding quickly. And her own tea is still warm.

It gives her a moment to think about the battle and this place. "I know we have stories of sacrifice holdin' back disaster. But those are the disasters of this realm. Those who walked up Wuzhi mountain and did not come back down. The fisherman and his boat, dammin' the spring flood of the Year that Skipped Spring. Hana Who Became a Wall." The litany could be much, much longer. Sacrifice was woven throughout the Seidou, and most of the tribes that had become this Empire.

"With other realms the tales involve bargainin' and trickery. Less sacrifice...but some. The folks of some of those realms put some stock in it. And none of such all out war." Tai sips and sighs and reaches through her memory of tales. "But this little monk speaks of destiny, and the fallen once-gods and their children seem to put some stock in the stories...though not all of them. There was a lot of disdain for him in the crowd. And the Lion woman didn't much like the thought of pitting 9 against a whole realm. Can't blame her."

"I think this place is very, very strange. And we should plan for this fight to happen...whether or not it will be won by champions, or sacrifice, or not at all. If it *doesn't* happen...well we got some more gray hair for no reason. Better than not plannin' and just gettin' rolled over."

[Anjing]

Snip

Anjing smiles at the memory.
"Makime has never been afraid to make her opinions known. Shinsei got off lightly I reckon. We spoke later that night, plans were made. If we fail, the passes to the north are open. Maybe we can evacuate who we can."

She sits back on her heels, still nursing the warm bitter drink.

"But for now we focus on what we can control? Mmmhm, sensible. The right decision, although it irks me." Thinking back with a frown. "In all those stories things got pretty bad before they got better again. Makes me worried about the next few days, what things are going to look like before the selection is made. Are we going to face hordes of monsters? Or worse, more of those stupid parties."

She finds herself clutching her mug much too hard and consciously relaxes her grip.
"They have evidently not put me in a festive mood. Even as I find myself trying to humour the little man and turn my thoughts to happiness and comradery."

A thought.
"I actually did meet a monk yesterday, an honest and forthright young woman wearing normal clothes with no interest in anything but her duties and a little sake. Very sensible, too skinny of course but otherwise a good girl. Reminded me that there are decent strangers out there."
Looking over at Tai.

"Meet anyone I wouldn't want to punch in the face?"

[Kaiu Tai]

snip

A worried look passes through the dark on dark eyes, "aye, they get bad before better. Ought to work around to wardin' the camp a bit before sleep tonight. And there should be watches, I think." Her grin's a bit lopsided "Long's some of you aren't sleepin' anyway, may as well keep an eye out."

"Wouldn't mind meetin' your decent monk there." She sips her own tea with a sigh of satisfaction. Accept the small joys every moment in an uncertain life. "Myself, met your Dragon niece and her Bat cousin. The latter is way too damn young to be here, oh, and has that fallin' disease. Remember Manami's youngest? Just freeze up and lose the world for a bit?"

"Oh, and don't drink at the river. Pair of Haka campin' there warned me that the villagers say it'll cause you to forget. Hopin' to examine that later today. Tae-soo and Ha-yeong...second one is also too damn young for this. But they seem like good sorts, and those attuned to the water spirits can usually convince 'em to heal folks up. So...good to have around about now, neh?"

"So you actually met that Shinsei before? Was he always so slow?"

[Anjing]

Snip

"Ha, smart. Channel that insomnia into something useful. I'll see it done. The camp will be better guarded, even if the guards might be a little less humorous about it.
She exchanges Sukuna's details (25, skinny but with some muscle and weird red hair) with Tai as she listens to what the wise woman had been up to.

"Tssk, a child with the falling sickness, here? It's a miracle she made it this far. Maybe we can treat her like we did with Manami? Lots of support, make sure she has enough food, have a sibling keep an eye on her."
Another future issue she'd add to the pile.

"Oh but you met Satsuki? I thought you two would get along, her approach to the spirits is...wholly different, but she has her own wisdom and sees much."
The note about the river is filed away, along with a further question on how on earth a river could do that, what spirits lurked within.

"The way I hear it, as a young man Shinsei was fast, always riding about everywhere and trying to do everyone and everything. Looks like age has mellowed him out a little, or maybe he's just sleeping as badly as the rest of us."

[Kaiu Tai]

snip

"Seems likely, he was barely awake on that stone and seemed hard pressed to stay engaged with questions a bit." She shrugs.

"But yep. Satsuki's a good sort. And fire an' earth can be a powerful combination, as any volcano will show us." Tai grins, "I think we'll get along well enough. Gathering up later today with her and the child, the Haka, and someone Satsuki knows who's been portal hunting. See if the lot of us can get some answers from the spirits of the place that shed some light on what's going on here with all the fog and strangeness."

She stares into the fire for a long few moments, keeping her eyes on the endlessly shifting flames as she asks, "you're not expectin' to be some destined Champion, are you? I'm no Xia to carry that back properly."

[Anjing]

Snip

"Be nice if at least the spirits could speak plain. But I might as well ask a river to flow uphill. Let me know if you get any answers."
She goes quiet at Tai's question, staring into the fire for a few long moments.

"Not expecting anything, there's plenty Crab here, good people. Destiny will make its choice and then we'll just have to live with it. Could easily be one of the younger generation, give them a new story of their own, so they don't have to listen to us tell ours over and over again."
She leaves unsaid the implication that any tale would probably be posthumous.

"I reckon you'd find a way to carry it. You remember plenty of wisdom in that head of yours, just...swap a little out for this story?"

[Kaiu Tai]

snip

"hmm. Not sure what shape this head'll be in next week." The cup turns and turns in scarred, stubby fingers. "Think I might start carvin' it so folks can remember how it goes." Optimistically assuming there will be someone's hands to finish out the tale.

"Hopefully, I'll know more about the spiritual setup here at at least tomorrow. Not sure how much it helps, but it sure feels better than walking forward blind in this fog."

[Anjing]

"hmm. Not sure what shape this head'll be in next week." The cup turns and turns in scarred, stubby fingers. "Think I might start carvin' it so folks can remember how it goes." Optimistically assuming there will be someone's hands to finish out the tale.

"Hopefully, I'll know more about the spiritual setup here at at least tomorrow. Not sure how much it helps, but it sure feels better than walking forward blind in this fog."

"A stone record? That will be a lot of carving. But it keeps the hands busy, that's a use in itself."

She takes another deep drink of the bitter tea, resisting the urge to make a face.
"The damn stuff has to be coming from somewhere. Might give us a lead on where the enemy is lurking, if not in the homes of the villagers."
Raising an eyebrow. "What do you make of them anyway? I keep getting reminded of that village on the border that kept wanting to have visitors for dinner."

[Kaiu Tai]

snip

Tai nods. "Yep. Won't be as pretty as if there were more time, but I think it'd be of some use."

"With them makin' it harder for folks to sleep? And generally somehow managin' to survive in this endless fog? With the river you can't drink from?" She pauses..."which border though?" It was weird to have to ask that question, probably. But there'd been things at both ends of the Empire that later generations were probably going to think they'd made up.

[Anjing]

Tai nods. "Yep. Won't be as pretty as if there were more time, but I think it'd be of some use."

"With them makin' it harder for folks to sleep? And generally somehow managin' to survive in this endless fog? With the river you can't drink from?" She pauses..."which border though?" It was weird to have to ask that question, probably. But there'd been things at both ends of the Empire that later generations were probably going to think they'd made up.

"North, the southern village weren't cannibals, they were just skinning people to appease a demon."
Anjing frowns.
"At least I think they were, lots of screaming curses during that fight. Can't imagine skinning anyone is ever a good idea, but folks got desperate those years."
A slight smile, they were awful, but they had been good times too.

"Same sense of place, right? Like the people are just a little too fine with everything? A little too happy. Frankly nobody should be happy now days."

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai nods. "Not entirely sure what ritual they thought they were up to down there. There were lots of horrible ones out among the scattered villages. You sacrifice to offer the spirits power to aid you, to affect the world. But it's a willin' sacrifice. Maybe that's a rule of the world so the spirits of air don't simply choke everyone and take that energy to themselves."

She lifts the cup in both hands to drink, then pours the last bit and floating dregs to the ground. "Demons though. They're not of this world. Not the same rules. Maybe unwillin' death is fine for them."

"But yeah, the place feels kinda like that other one. Hopin' folks will settle in, join the festivities..and? We're not gettin' fattened up in the same sense, but I'm not entirely sure they're all hopin' to end the trouble we've lived under thes past few years." She dips into the brew again. "You get a chance to talk to any of 'em?"

[Anjing]

"But yeah, the place feels kinda like that other one. Hopin' folks will settle in, join the festivities..and? We're not gettin' fattened up in the same sense, but I'm not entirely sure they're all hopin' to end the trouble we've lived under thes past few years." She dips into the brew again. "You get a chance to talk to any of 'em?"

"Not really." Anjing glances over at the village.
"Just trying to practice this compassion and friendship thing, so that probably meant not yelling at the villagers...not matter how much they might deserve it. Maybe after we save the world? Oh that would be a nice note to end on, a really happy ending."

She's now grinning at the village as she finishes her cup, even the drugs, the bitterest of dregs!
"I heard there's another part of the festival today so I suppose I'll turn up for that too. Apparently we might get to hit something? Might be more promising that a drugged up dance festival."