The Day of Thunder

Naraku mulled over the translated contents of the scroll. The contents had been translated but the questions it had raised were themselves an enigma to be cracked.

Feeling himself tired and uncentered, he decided to do a few breathing exercises hoping it would help him find his focus.

---

D4 ME | Meditation | 4k3 ⇒ 20 (TN: 20)

'Nother meditatin' Crab, Akutou thinks as he wanders by. Gotta be some kinda sign.

So he makes his own attempt at the exercise.

He is very centered, all of a sudden--and with no light-headedness, either!

~~~~~
Meditation 32, https://sakkaku.org/r/11771
Recovers 1 VP
Sakkaku is a smartass.

Naraku finally opens his eyes and notices Akutou. Initially he moves to approach him, but he thinks otherwise when he notices he too is deep in meditation. He'd wait until the man finished.

It's not a long wait.

"Seems a pop'lar pasttime anymore," Akutou says. "Anyway, didja eat yet? Been sleepin' alright?"

"You know... I have to say I've been sleeping excellently since we arrived here," he admitted. "Which is exactly the opposite of what I had before coming here. Hardly much time to have shut-eye when you are alone in the wild hunting monsters. The traps did help but it was always that light sleep."

"How about you Otomo-san?"

He fails to mention that one of those sleeping sessions was actually through the aid of heavy psychotropic narcotics.

"Gen'rally good," Akutou replies. "A bit odd not relocatin' ev'ry night or two. I might get plum lazy!"

He laughs.

"I guess I could move m' tent, but that't be silly, really."

He sighs.

"Anymore, I feel silly 'nough wi'out addin' t' it. Still ain't sure what I'm doin' here, other'n enjoyin' good cookin'."

The Otomo's comment provokes a laugh from the Crab "I get what you mean. I've been sleeping between the Imperial Camp and the Crab Clan constantly. Spend sufficient time in the field and it's like you need to wanderlust."

"Guess I'll eventually have to settle once my father retires. Can't be the Hiruma daimyo without actually holding what passes for court in Kyuden Hiruma," he grins. "Not much in the sense of arts and music but sure a lot of hunting and carving. Get yourself a pair of nice moose horns."

"Haven't hunted them," Akutou says. "Haven't been up t' Crab lands, really. Didn't figure I'd be too welcome there, y' know."

He shakes his head.

"An' I'm no big import'nt guy, neither. Been lucky t' be allowed t' do most anythin', really."

"A hunter of your caliber is always welcome in the lands of the Hiruma," he stated. "I said it once and I'll say it again. Any sort of bad blood between clans can wait until we solve whatever storm is brewing."

He chuckled at his comments "You're someone who has fought besides me and a great tracker. Also you spot better trapping positions than me, so there's that. I think if anything, we are lucky to have you"

Akutou snorts a laugh.

"I'll keep it in mind, then," he says.

"Still," he continues, "it's a bit intimidatin' t' be around s' many as're s' far 'bove me. Not jus' you, an' not just th' Young Lord, but folks as lead families an' even th' Princess. T' have 'er lift me up...weren't s' many as saw it, damn few back home'd believe it."

"Shinsei," saying the name felt wrong after what transpired today "made his calls far and wide across the Empire. Some of those that joined felt beckoned to come, others had already answered his calls before and lastly, some like me, just stumbled across this village."

"My father is Hida-no-Kami's right hand man but before that he was a hunter of no particular renown. He was skilled and resourceful but he was neither a priest nor a person of high status, he was just someone that through the sheer magnitude of his will and skills managed to carve a place for himself," he reassured him. "You remind me of my father at times Otomo-san."

He looks at the Otomo before letting out a snort

"You do need to work on your cold gazes and judgemental frowns though."

Akutou shoots Naraku a curious look at the comment about his father.

Then he grins.

Then he contorts his face into a parody of a judgmental stare. Notably, he closes an eye to do so.

He gives a grunt that sounds vaguely condemnatory.

Naraku laughs at his impression.

"Atta boy, a few more days of that, a few more grunts, and you just might become heir of the Hiruma family."

He looks at the Otomo

"What about you, how are your lands? I must say I've never visited anything else than the lands of the Crab. I've heard about the ocean you have down there. A seawater lake that varies from being furious and calm?"

Akutou's face blanches at the mention of the ocean.

"I don't...do much...thataway anymore," he stammers out. "F'r th' most part, I beat th' boundaries west in th' Stag lands. Hills an' scrub an' such. Good f'r huntin', good f'r folks as more're less wanna be left 'lone. Fishin's alright, too.

"Get a good year, th' flowers on th' hills're somethin' t' see, though. Get t' some places y' can't tell where th' land ends an' th' sunset sky b'gins."

He sighs.

"I hope it's a good year."

If Naraku noticed him blanching he made no visible display, merely nodding at his words.

"That sounds lovely. The Hiruma lands are pretty similar, sprawling hillside dotted with thick forests. Elk, moose and deer sprouting like mushrooms wherever you might go. Big brown bears too, though they are surprisingly skittish as long as they are without cubs," he smiles." I used to go play in one of the forests near Kyuden Hiruma together with my twin. She would actually skip around and try to pet the animals whilst I... picked nettles and poison ivy to teach a lesson to some seniors. "

"Let's just say my foray into poisons started with playful pranks as creating a nettle and poison ivy balm to improve the undergarments of some of my more rowdy seniors," he laughed remembering that this action had obtained him a sly smirk from his father.

A look of understand as he says he hopes the next year is good. He places a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in reassurance.

"Don't hope, know. The next year will be amazing. How could it not be when Jigoku will be defeated?"

Ryoshun Nao wandered into camp, looking around for any gathering of samurai. Seeing Naraku and Akutou she moved in their direction. Along the way, she motioned for any others she saw to join them.

Otaku sets down the bucket of well water she was carrying to follow, catching the urgency in Nao’s gesture. “What is it, Ryoshun-san?”

Near Otaku, Satsuki was calling on her last reserves to create two wards.

Hopefully people would sleep safer tonight.


-------------
D4 Mid-Evening. Casting Ward of Purity (2nd recovered Void slot). +1k0 Nadare's Insight | 8k4 ⇒ 30 (TN: 15)

D4 Mid-Evening. Casting Ward of Purity (3rd recovered Void slot). +1k0 Nadare's Insight | 8k4 ⇒ 34 (TN: 15)

Makime was around camp as well, having spent time inspecting the defenses and wards. Even the stoic Lioness looked weary given the exhaustion of the day.

Her eyes were drawn to the frantic Bat, she arrived just behind Otaku.

""Shiba Kumori and I were visiting the headwoman, Chouri, and something happened." she explained as they approached the others.