The Day of Thunder

[Bayushi Norikage]

Norikage had come out to the Imperial camp, the only place he'd ever seen the coot who gave the speech at the start of this whole swiftly unravelling mess. Shinsei, the little teacher, the prophet, master of the Tao, whatever. Some guy who has seen and heard a lot.

He's supposed to be a guide, so let's see him guide.

The Scorpion scuttled about the camp, peeking into and around tents, but being inconspicuous about that in particular. He didn't want run afoul of people thinking he was here scouting the place for nefarious purposes. Wouldn't be good to be in that situation.

So just fucking ask, you idiot.

He found a yojimbo of some manner or another. "Oi, samurai-sama, you seen Shinsei-sensei around?"

[Shinsei]

"Shinsei-sensei. Hm." The little teacher paused for s moment. "Shinsei-sensei, Shinsei-sensei, Shinsei-sensei. The more I say it, the weirder it sounds. Maybe we should just stick with sama." A slight inclination of the head towards Norikage. "I am that grave offense to the tongue. You have need of me?"

[Bayushi Norikage]

Makes sense, didn't really get a look at him and I got the abridged briefing later.

"Yeah", he said. Then he shook the tired off and became present again, after a beat passed where he somehow expected the monk to say more to his answer. "I"m Bayushi Norikage. Can we talk somewhere private? I have some questions." His mouth quirked beneath his mask. "I imagine you've been a dream analyst all morning, but I'll have to ask you for it again."

[Shinsei]

Shinsei gave a slow, tired nod and gestured towards the edge of the Imperial encampment. "I find the farther you are from the kitchen area, the less interested people are in listening to you." Once enough distance had been crossed, the monk seated himself on a familiar looking rock and turned to regard Norikage.

"Now then, dreams. What manner seems to be plaguing you in particular?"

[Bayushi Norikage]

"Well to be as unlike myself as possible, I'll skip to the important part", he said, likely only amusing himself. "I think the thing, what you called the Harbinger, spoke to me last night."

[Shinsei]

Shinsei blinked slowly in response to that. "Well that's not fantastic news. Not like we've had much of anything else of late. Did this result in a full conversation, or were you simply hearing words spoken without speaking back to them?"

[Bayushi Norikage]

He scratched the back of his head. "Well...yeah, a conversation...", he chuckled in spite of it. "It was uh...polite? It debated with me about humans a little, told me we grasp at Tengoku for such little gains. I told it they weren't exactly making friends and influencing people with all the terror and doom. It answered it is pushing us, something about making us better, or finding our true worth. Something like that. I know that doesn't make much sense, but that's what happened."

[Shinsei]

"Hmm." Shinsei considered that concept for a moment. "Norikage-sama, tell me. If you were here for a miai and the prospective spouse you were looking to betroth yourself to kept doing terrible things to make you a better, more suitable husband, how exactly would you find yourself reacting to that?"

[Bayushi Norikage]

"Past experience tells me horrible things made me who I am, and I'm not happy with the outcome so far", the Scorpion replied. "Of course, some good has come of it, but that's me changing things, not others making demands. So...I would do what I could to make distance, or if that didn't work just tell them I'm not interested."

It seemed simple, clear cut. Of course, if they offered him something he saw as worthwhile he might listen for a little bit longer. >.>

[Shinsei]

"That is because those demands would truly be a test, but only of how far you are willing to bend in order to obtain what's on offer. Whatever the Harbinger spoke of...there is likely more to it. I would, however, like to know precisely what was said in this dream, if you can recall in detail."

[Bayushi Norikage]

"It started off with it asking me why I was seeking what I can't understand", Norikage said. "After than we cordially introduced ourselves as idiots who care about what happens in this village." A nod, trying to remember. "The dream was...well, everyone was dead. All the samurai, it claimed they fought it so it killed them, it sounded like that was regrettable...maybe, like it did it because they didn't understand it." A chuckle. "Assholes are always using that excuse. So anyway, it shows me Han-Hei, the ronin, who I'd been traveling with. With all the dead around, I was looking to see if she was among them. It made a big deal out of it, saying she wasn't really what it was after and offered her back to me as a gift...or something." he shook his head. "In the end, despite me telling it that humans are their best when they're at peace, and that the empire has made us more than simple greedy raiders, the Harbinger insisted humans cannot realize their true potential on their own, and cannot even conceptualize their true selves on their own."

Norikage scowled a little. "I explained how the heaven's wisdom through the emperor has made humans more, but it said we accept the corruption of Tengoku and the tyranny of the heavens for such little gains. Either way, I think humans make each other realize their own potential, but I wasn't able to say that at the time. Anyway, I asked what it was after, and what it meant, it mentioned fear as a tool for maximum effect, and then I woke."

He shuddered slightly. "Kinda shit that I remember it all so clearly, dreams shouldn't hang in the mind this long."

[Shinsei]

Shinsei pursed his lips. "With the boundary so thin in this place, it isn't surprising that such things could linger for so long after the fact. The realm of evil likely knows that to be the case for its all, and seeks to use that to its advantage." He paused, mulling over the words. "Fear and confusion. Both keep the mind off center. You say it offered you someone? Han-hei? Any idea as to why that might be?"

[Bayushi Norikage]

"A way to keep her safe, somewhat", he explained. "It said I would be able to tell if she was in danger and how to find her." A pause.

"That's my duty here." He didn't mince words, and felt Shinsei would know what that meant and also implied.

[Shinsei]

"That disturbingly implies that the Harbinger has close knowledge of her location, or could obtain it with some confidence." Shinsei stopped to think, though the act of concentration seemed to take a lot of his energy from him.

[Bayushi Norikage]

"Possibly", he allowed. Though he would just assume a whole damn spirit realm could obtain that information easily anyway. "So other than the point you'd just brought up, what do you make of it all?"

[Shinsei]

"More of Jigoku's obsession with mankind on display, certainly. The way it seems more interested in enticing than fighting." He narrowed his eyes as be thought, but seemed to really struggle with whatever words were trying to come to the front. After a moment he stopped straining so much. "It taxes me in ways I can scarcely predict.."

[Bayushi Norikage]

He cocked his head to the side. "So even you aren't doing so well, huh? Shame, that. If you need to complain you have non-judgment standing right in front of you."

[Shinsei]

Shinsei thought about that for a moment, then sighed. "I feel like someone plucked out my eyes, dropped them in salt, did things best not mentioned in polite company then put them back without brushing them off."

[Bayushi Norikage]

"So you're limited on what you can see, and distracted by the pressure.". He grunted. "What could help?"

[Shinsei]

"Nothing I currently have the luxury of indulging, though it does feel slightly better having said that aloud, so thank you."