The Day of Thunder

[Anjing]

"Boooooo! Boooo Shinsei! Booooo! Get out here or I'm coming in."

Anjing takes a swig from her gourd before waving her sign.

"You nearly put one of mine in the ground little man, expect you to come out and make that right. And if there's a demon in you it better pray the world ends before I lost my temper."

She raises her sign again.

[Akodo Kenji]

Kenji wasn't sure what he had expected when Anjing said they should make a racket to try and draw the Donkey out. This was certainly not it though. I mean she had even taken the time to make a sign, and in doing so prove she had very fine penmanship!

Sadly, Kenji had not come so prepared. But the next time he would certainly know better. Still, he did join in as best you could.

"Booooo Booo Shinsei! Leading us to this twice damned place and not having the courage." He avoided using balls. "To come out of hiding and get what's coming too you!"

"Booo! Booo!"

[Anjing]

Kenji wasn't sure what he had expected when Anjing said they should make a racket to try and draw the Donkey out. This was certainly not it though. I mean she had even taken the time to make a sign, and in doing so prove she had very fine penmanship!

Sadly, Kenji had not come so prepared. But the next time he would certainly know better. Still, he did join in as best you could.

"Booooo Booo Shinsei! Leading us to this twice damned place and not having the courage." He avoided using balls. "To come out of hiding and get what's coming too you!"

"Booo! Booo!"

"Yeah! You're getting it now!"
Anjing claps Kenji on the shoulder.

"Thrice damned at least! This village is the most cursed place I've ever been! Every part of it is cursed and half of the curses are trying to kill us."
She waves the sign angrily through the mist.
"So come out and explain that too!"

She offers Kenji the gourd. "Got to keep hydrated if you want to yell all day."

[Akodo Kenji]

"Yeah! You're getting it now!"
Anjing claps Kenji on the shoulder.

"Thrice damned at least! This village is the most cursed place I've ever been! Every part of it is cursed and half of the curses are trying to kill us."
She waves the sign angrily through the mist.
"So come out and explain that too!"

She offers Kenji the gourd. "Got to keep hydrated if you want to yell all day."

"Thanks." Kenji took the gourd from Anjing and took a drink before passing it back to the older crab woman. Hopefully it was water.

"Yeah!" He agreed. "Or are you just some sort of charlatan that was possessed by a Demon all along!"

"Using tricks to lure us here because you're too cowardly to pick an open field."

"I'd call you a Donkey, but Donkey's don't deserve that kind of disrespect!"

[Anjing]

Snip

It was not water, but on the plus side, Kenji's mouth was now thoroughly disinfected.

"Oh Charlatan, I like that."
Turning to the shrine.
"You charlatan! You carried that stone everywhere and then used the strength to punch Ayako in the face! Matsu too!"
She waves her sign in great arcs that causes the fog to swirl even more than it already was.

"Made us look bad in front of Sugri! I told him you were our wise teacher and now he's going to tell stories about the time you put someone through a tree."
She continues berating the distant shrine before gesturing to Kenji.

"There's some more cut wood if you'd like to make your own sign dear, something with a bit of fire in it."

[Akodo Kenji]

Snip

Well, it could be worse, and he should be fine as long as he didn't drink too much. Still the complement did get a smile from Kenji.

"Should Just call you dung beetle! As that big old rock, you carried is likely just solidified feces!" Kenji said, continuing on his earlier line of thought before hearing what Anjing said about leftover scrap wood.

"You know, a sign would be a good idea." He admitted after a moment. "I'll be right back after I finish." And with that he walked to the wood pile and started his construction.

[Anjing]

Well, it could be worse, and he should be fine as long as he didn't drink too much. Still the complement did get a smile from Kenji.

"Should Just call you dung beetle! As that big old rock, you carried is likely just solidified feces!" Kenji said, continuing on his earlier line of thought before hearing what Anjing said about leftover scrap wood.

"You know, a sign would be a good idea." He admitted after a moment. "I'll be right back after I finish." And with that he walked to the wood pile and started his construction.

Anjing watched Kenji start construction of a sign to call out Shinsei. 'He's a good boy'

She shoots the Shrine another glare. What was the name of that monk girl? Sukuna? She probably hadn't been possessed by a demon. Maybe there should be a monk sisterhood, much more simple.

"Booooo!" And she continues her haranguing.

[Akodo Kenji]

Anjing watched Kenji start construction of a sign to call out Shinsei. 'He's a good boy'

She shoots the Shrine another glare. What was the name of that monk girl? Sukuna? She probably hadn't been possessed by a demon. Maybe there should be a monk sisterhood, much more simple.

"Booooo!" And she continues her haranguing.

"Booooooo!" Kenji Joined in as he arrived back carrying his own sign. It wasn't as finely made as Anjing's but it should do the job.



Glancing at the older woman to get the rhythm of proper sign wielding, he nodded to himself a few times before starting to swing it around in a similar fashion. "Come down here and face what's coming!" He called pitching his voice so it would carry.

[Anjing]

"Booooooo!" Kenji Joined in as he arrived back carrying his own sign. It wasn't as finely made as Anjing's but it should do the job.



Glancing at the older woman to get the rhythm of proper sign wielding, he nodded to himself a few times before starting to swing it around in a similar fashion. "Come down here and face what's coming!" He called pitching his voice so it would carry.

Anjing grinned, Kenji's sign was beautiful.

"We say! Not Shinsei! We say! Not Shinsei! We say! Not Shinsei!"

After a minutes she takes a break, looking quite energised.
"Ha! That'll show 'em. You got a talent for this Kenji, born griper."

More sign waving. "Can't believe Shinsei actually brought us together to share our feelings like this, it really is liberating."

[Akodo Kenji]

Anjing grinned, Kenji's sign was beautiful.

"We say! Not Shinsei! We say! Not Shinsei! We say! Not Shinsei!"

After a minutes she takes a break, looking quite energised.
"Ha! That'll show 'em. You got a talent for this Kenji, born griper."

More sign waving. "Can't believe Shinsei actually brought us together to share our feelings like this, it really is liberating."

"We say! Not Shinsei! We say! Not Shinsei!" Kenji joined in on the chant, it was a good one after all. He'd have to remember it for if he came back.

As they moved to take a short break, he offered the crab a smile. "Thank you Lady Anjing, but I'd have never thought to try this sort of thing without your guidance. So, I appreciate the lesson!"

The later comment got a nod before he added. "Yeah, something like this really does bring people together, I wish some others would come by and join in. It would be a good team building exercise I think."

[Anjing]

"We say! Not Shinsei! We say! Not Shinsei!" Kenji joined in on the chant, it was a good one after all. He'd have to remember it for if he came back.

As they moved to take a short break, he offered the crab a smile. "Thank you Lady Anjing, but I'd have never thought to try this sort of thing without your guidance. So, I appreciate the lesson!"

The later comment got a nod before he added. "Yeah, something like this really does bring people together, I wish some others would come by and join in. It would be a good team building exercise I think."

"Of course! People these days, they spend all their time hiding what they feel and refusing to say what they think. Wound tighter than a drum some of them."

She whirled her sign around happily.
"Now, there's a bit of that you need to do as a leader. When someone messes up you thank them for trying, when they forget to do something you call it a learning experience. But other than that I reckon people shouldn't be bottled up all the time."

Pensively.
"Bet Makime would have some good sign ideas, but not sure she'd ever be a sign waiver."

[Akodo Kenji]

"Yeah, you aren't wrong about that." Kenji agreed. "Even if you got to be like that most of the time, you got to know when to let loose some and have a drink and relax at the very least."

As the lesson continued, he nodded. "Yeah, I guess it's no good just jumping down the throat of someone who did their best all the time. You need to be able to marshal your expectations and encourage them to do better." Of course, that might not be what she was saying. "Though I've always been told it's important to uphold discipline too."

At the mention of Lady Makime he nodded. "Yeah, I can see her making some good signs too. But she'd likely leave the waiving to people like me and you. Not exactly her way of doing things. Far as I've seen"

"Do you think Lady Matsu would be a good sign waiver?" Kenji asked a moment later.

[Anjing]

"Do you think Lady Matsu would be a good sign waiver?" Kenji asked a moment later.

"You've see how tall she is, and you know the sort of language she prefers. Matsu is a born sign waiver. I might not always approve of what she might wave, but I wouldn't get in the way of her waving it. Speaking of-" Anjing gives her sign another pump.

"-We need another slogan, something catchy that will stick in his head, rattle around in there for a bit. Now, I don't know what annoys demons, but I bet it's not too different to what would annoy most humans."

Taking a deep breath:

"Na Na Na Na
Na Na Na Na
Hey Hey Ey
Shinsei!

Na Na-"

And so she continued, glancing at Kenji. "You try one, something that will get stuck in the ear."

[Matsu]

"A good what now?" She arrived, as if on cue. Her arms were folded across her chest, regarding the signs from Lady Anjing and the Akodo. Then looking off to the shrine, and then back to the signs.

"My handwriting is shit." She confessed, before standing tall. Her hands around her mouth to add extra emphasis.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeey Shinseiiiiiiiiii," she cried out at the top of her lungs, "Come out and plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" It wad a full on backwoods holler. The kind that the Noriaki used when intimidating those they were planning on terrorising.

[Akodo Kenji]

Lady Matsu certainly did prove that she was a good yeller, even if not the best writer and sign maker, and with a respectful nod at her yelling he said. "Well, if you have something you want written down, I can do it for you."

But he had another task to finish first and he at least had to give it his best.

"Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Whoa oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

Shinsei, Shinsei, can’t you see
All your cowardice is enraging me.

Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Whoa oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

You used to be someone that teached.
but now you're hiding where none can reach.

Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Whoa oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

You preached wisdom that sounded fine
now you're a demon's concubine.

Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Whoa oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh"

[Anjing]

"Oh my Matsu, now that was impressive. I could feel the energy there."

Raising her voice. "See? She's ready for round 2 and this time Matsu won't be holding back just because you're a short little guy."
Dropping her voice for the other two. "Nobody likes being called a short little guy, not if they're more than four years old anyway."

Kenji's chant gets a nod and an enthusiastic accompaniment on the 'Whoa, oh, oh, oh'.

"Demon concubine? Now that is simply brutal, excellent word smithing."

Anjing turns to look at the temple.
"Doubtless he is seething, coping and seething."

[Akodo Kenji]

"I know I'd be by this point." Kenji replied with a form nod. Though there still didn't seem any sort of response or movement from the other side of the fog. "But Shinpunch might have a bit thicker skin then me."

He had yet to come marching down after all.

[Matsu]

"Or the Demonrider is smarter than we think, and won't be provoked to a fight not of their choosing." She mused, pondering the Shrine in the distance.

"Better demon than me. One of our insults and I'd have come barreling out awingin'."

[Akodo Kenji]

"I don't think you would make a very good demon anyways Lady Matsu." Kenji observed. "Because as I understand it demons are cowardly creatures that would drop their loyalties at the drop of a hat. They have no concept of honor or duty and would make any choice necessary to save their life.'

"Nor can you trust their words as they lie like they are born to it and deceive without reason or purpose."

He glanced at the tall woman. "And while I can't say I know you all that well Lady Matsu, I'm sure none of those fit you."

[Makime]

"He's not coming out." Makime made her way up the path, "We have a bigger problem."

She stopped and looked at the others, her train of thought interrupted, "...I suppose that is one way to taunt a man. Shin-punch, Kenji? I fear Lady Anjing is a bad influence."

The Lioness shook her head, "No matter. The situation has changed. I spoke to the traitor and she mentioned that the only ones who may enter the shrine before the ritual allows...are the Harbinger, her 'Beloved' which I can only assume is the Champion Shinsei mentioned when he still had most of his brain working. And those who have been possessed by the Harbinger, which I do not believe is a stretch to include the Champion as well."