The Day of Thunder

Satsuki had slept peacefully through the night, undisturbed by dreams of falling or other subjects of dream-logic. The sun hadn't come up yet when she stepped outside her tent, but the sky was sort of getting brighter on the horizon, indicated that it was still a bit of time before dawn.

Back inside the tent, she rinsed and washed herself off from the night, then dressed quickly. The tent-flap was fixed open to air out the cramped space, and she began the work of starting her campfire.

Soon enough, the fire was going, and breakfast was under way. Not that she was an amazing cook, but she made do with what she had packed with her.


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D1 Late Night. Fluff Craft: Cooking for breakfast | 4k4 ⇒ 19 (TN: 15)

On the other hand, this was the first time Reiko Ohta had experienced this persistent of insomnia since an unfortunate camping trip where monkeys had made off with her food pack and she'd tried foraging for the first real time. Thus she found herself out in the fog, looking back at a day of graveyards, nightmares, and a rollercoaster of emotions. But her head still wasn't in a right place; Something had persisted, whether the vertigo of the nightmares, the euphoria of the festival, or some combination. And so she'd found someone else with insomnia and managed to procure herself some sake.

Thus things were when a hungry Spider wandered toward a campfire that smelled quite good. She wasn't drunk or carrying an open bottle around or anything like that. But Ohta was cradling the clay jug to her like it was some precious thing, looking tired and unsteady as she sniffed and looked around like a raccoon approaching a cornetto that someone has carelessly left out on their window sill.

The smell of cooking wasn't something exotic or refined, but rather the familiar and almost cozy scent of simple homemade meal; congee. Once rice had spread across the Empire, many different ways of preparing it had popped up as well. And a porridge of sorts was both easy and not very costly to make.

Satsuki was taking notes with charcoal on parchment while stirring the pot with her free hand, and noticed something moving in the fog's twilight. "... Hm? Good morning?" she asked, then saw a more familiar shape. "Oh, Ohta was it? You're an early riser." The Dragon woman gave a smile in greeting.

It was probably annoying how calm and rested she looked. Even with her hair still unbrushed, pulled back into a messy bun.

There were many things to annoy Ohta right now; Someone being calm was not one of them, fortunately.

"Oh, good..." She looked past Satsuki towards the lightening the Togashi woman had spotted, "...morning I suppose, yes. I've not slept I'm afraid. Nightmares."

Looking down from the eastern horizon to Satsuki to the pot, she spotted the steam rising from it, "That explains people starting to get up I suppose, even if it's still mostly dark. I had hoped the light would wait a bit longer and I could maybe try some drink and food to help settle my mind, but it's a bit late to be looking around for food. Or so I thought."

She sighed and sat down on the ground, nearby but not close, seiza with her feet tucked under her and the jug set on the ground. "I had thought to go out to the wilderness nearby with my bow, maybe try to hunt or forage, both tire myself out more and get something to settle my stomach at once, but I still don't trust the area around here enough to do that on my own. Not after yesterday..."

"Hmm," she nodded and rolled together the parchment, placing the piece of charcoal in the middle of the roll, "I wouldn't recommend hunting in these parts in the dark. I think many might still be feeling the effects of the party last night, and who knows what's in the mist."

With a smile, Satsuki gestured for Ohta to sit closer. "Come, come. It's still a bit before the congee is ready to be eaten, but you can warm up by the fire. I find something light to eat and warm helps find rest these days. Nightmares are all around us too. Did you have a good time at the festival at least?"

Sora had utterly failed to get to sleep, but nor did he intrude on the conversation.

Instead, he was sitting up in his tent.

Meditating

[OOC: It's where he is and what he's doing in this timeslot, but pay him no mind ]

Ohta did scoot closer, pulling the jug of shochu with her as she slid on the slightly damp grass, "The festival? Unusually so. Maybe it was just a relief after the stressful day or the long trip or something, but I don't think I've had so much amusement from a simple festival since I was a little girl. I met some very interesting people, played some games of skill, ate some dango... I think I even danced for a bit."

She smiled wryly, "Honestly, I'm not sure what came over me. But it was probably a good thing. The Teacher DID remind us to leave anxieties behind a bit and to not let them cloud our mind, and the festivities certainly relieved most of that. If only I hadn't gone to that graveyard afterwards, maybe I wouldn't have had those nightmares..."

"Sounds like a good time," she remarked with a nod and added some spices to the congee that made it smell sweet and savory. For a moment as she stirred, she closed her eyes and took a calming breath it seemed. Just something about the way she was so calmly poised considering the circumstances, and the rhythmic comfort of her breathing, was... somehow refreshing*.

Thinking of the graveyard made her shudder. "I don't really like graveyards myself... why would you go there at night, if you don't mind me asking?"


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* = Ohta regains 1 Void Point, per To The Last Breath kiho. She can only benefit from this Kiho one more time before sleeping and regaining Void the natural way.
D1 Late Night. Meditation/Void to active Kiho as a Complex Action (To The Last Breath) | 6k3 ⇒ 23 (TN: 15)

"Rumors, mostly. I did find valuable information going there, so it wasn't a total loss, certainly. Even if I found more mysteries too; Two steps forward, one step back, as it were."

Ohta held the jug closer to the fire; She preferred she shochu warmed anyways, and it seemed foolish not to take the opportunity. Especially since Satsuki seemed to be engrossed in what she was doing.

"Oh?" the green eyes of the Kami-child looked at Ohta curiously. "What manner of information and mysteries did you find then?"

"Ah... well... if you mean while I was at the graveyard, I met a man named Jiyo Sora. He told me about how the spirits seemed restless and malevolent there. As well as how the fun I had at the festivities was due to some sort of euphoric chemical. A poisoning, all-be-it a not too harmful one."

Ohta frowned softly, "I can't believe I missed it myself; I'm usually so well trained in spotting things being off. But the gentleman said he and Makime-sama would take care of it, so I suppose I'm not needed."

Satsuki frowned slightly, nodding. "Yeah, I... didn't notice it either until it was too late. One of the Crab elders I was with identified it as something called 'kava'? It's not something I've heard of before."

"Feels kind of off to me to dose a party with a stimulant-drug. At least to me."

"I suppose. I know some tribes took stimulants for religious purposes in the past... maybe someone is just really old fashioned? Either way, I've not seen any harmful side effects in anyone. Though it does make one feel slightly violated, since it's not like they asked permission. Always important."

As Ohta said this she pulled the jug of alcohol back and poured herself a steaming cup.

"Some did, and some still do. I suppose as long as it isn't harmless, but it's harder to tell how a reaction will be when applied to a crowd like that." A more controlled environment would be ready to see to anyone having an adverse reaction... what if Nao had reacted poorly to that too?! "But yeah, agreed. A heads-up would've been nice, but I suppose we all kind of suddenly showed up here at their doorstep."

Satsuki didn't comment on the imbibing of alcohol, and how that often interfered with restful sleep. Ohta was an adult and she wasn't the boss of her. "Would you care for a bowl of congee perhaps? I'm no amazing cook, but it's warm and filling."

"Hm? Oh, I couldn't, not if you made yourself a meal. Unless you made too much for yourself."

Which she suspected was the case, considering the pot over the fire. But it seemed only polite to ask. Or at least it seemed like that at the time.

"I didn't, but it wouldn't be right to not share. We're in this place together now until the day of destiny comes, and..." she looked at Ohta with a lightly concerned smile. "You shouldn't drink so much on an empty stomach. It upsets the balance of your chi, and sleep will be even harder for you to find. I think you need this more than I do."

Ohta paused briefly in lifting the cup to her lips, thinking a moment then lowering it back to her lap.

"I am a doctor you know. ...but I suppose I don't know about how things effect my Chi very much. I was more trying to... Well, warm and forgetful I suppose. The warnings, the sensations of falling, the flashes of dreams, the voice of that girl..."

Trailing off she set the cup down with a sigh, "No, you're right; If I'm going to sleep, I'm going to have to take care of myself, no matter what's actually happening. Not just seek temporary relief."

Reaching out, she took the outstretched bowl two hands, bowing her head a tiny bit in thanks before sitting back again more comfortably. She took a few small bites and nodded, eating slowly since it was still steaming, "Though with the sun coming up like this, not sure I should be falling asleep if I don't soon; It feels wrong to miss any information forthcoming, and any further festivities. I trust there not a be a repeat of earlier, and either way it WAS a learning experience. In a couple ways."

Satsuki was fine with serving Ohta bowl of congee, topped with some pickled vegetables. All in all, the contents of the meal would be easy on the Spider's stomach after drinking and lack of sleep.

"Every day is a learning experience, yeah? It's funny to think about sometimes, that while the Kami seem so mighty and impressive, they spent their first years in our Realm having to learn. Mom told me that some of the Kami found snow fascinating in their first decade, because it doesn't snow in Tengoku."

Chuckling, she realised that she was rambling again. "Ah, anyway. Not all learning experiences are pleasant. Like being drugged at a festival. It really isn't helping the vibe of this village and the people here, if I'm being honest. Just feels... wrong."

"I mean, for a village to pop up so quickly from people wandering here, in a place where an entire tribe was and disappeared, and just so happens to be where the Teacher chooses to gather everyone... Well, maybe it is wrong, or maybe it's special. I'm not sure I can decide yet. It's not NORMAL though, either way."

She paused and ate a small bite, chewing the pickles thoughtfully, "...this is pretty good, really. Did you teach yourself to cook then, Togashi-sama?"

"In the span of five years, yeah? A village pretty off the map, with pretty good supplies it seems. The local herbalist had a very well-stocked garden, but I'm not enough of an expert to see what might've been out of the ordinary there." She cocked her head to the side in thought, crossing her arms slightly. "But if they went here because they didn't want to be part of any of the clans, or the Empire, then they're awfully friendly and inviting... perhaps I expected more trepidation and wariness when so many different samurai show up?"

Satsuki wasn't sure, even as she was speaking her thoughts out loud. A part of her didn't trust this village or its residents, while another part of her thought them innocent caught in the crossfire. It was possible both were true, from a certain point of view.

"Oh, mostly out of necessity, traveling up here from the Crane lands. Genji is a fine enough hunter but not so good at cooking, and Hikaru... well, the Crane don't really teach that, I suppose. A friend of mine some years ago did teach me a few tricks though, so I figured I might as well cook for our little traveling group."