The Day of Thunder

[Nanzi Ai]

"Was that you playin' last night?" Akutou asks. "I got carried away doin' other things, so I didn't see, but what I heard sounded good."

“Yes, I am not sure what came over.. Much of that was experimental works of Doji Nujabes… he does some interesting things. Anyway, yes,” she said with a nod.

[Otomo Akutou]

“Yes, I am not sure what came over.. Much of that was experimental works of Doji Nujabes… he does some interesting things. Anyway, yes,” she said with a nod.

"Can't improve without tryin' new things," Akutou says.

[Ryoshun Yukara]

"I tried both last night", he admitted, hanging his head slightly. Then he let out a breath and sat up straight. "Tonight though, I will conquer sleep. Worrying about me will only stress you and I couldn't be forgiven for making you gray haired before your time."

She hid a chuckle behind her hand, but then offered a friendly pat on the shoulder. "I am fine. I am well, even."

Gazing at the crowd, she shook her head, and then looked back at Norikage, "If you need help tonight, I can teach you some mantras, perhaps. We will get through this nightmare as a team, ne?"

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

“What did you write on your slip? If you don’t mind me askin’…” She asked the Crab.

"Lots of things," Ayako admitted. "There's just so much going on, I couldn't decide on just one. So to be on the safe side I wrote down everything I could think of. I know that's not exactly what the villagers had in mind, but I figured it couldn't hurt, and I could use the extra spiritual protection."

[Shiba Kumori]

"Lots of things," Ayako admitted. "There's just so much going on, I couldn't decide on just one. So to be on the safe side I wrote down everything I could think of. I know that's not exactly what the villagers had in mind, but I figured it couldn't hurt, and I could use the extra spiritual protection."

She smiled at the woman’s enthusiasm.

“Seems like a good strategy. We can probably use all the help we can get, right?”

[Nanzi Ai]

"Can't improve without tryin' new things," Akutou says.

"And what new things have you tried, Otomo-san?" she asked warmly.

[Jiyo Sora]

"Lots of things," Ayako admitted. "There's just so much going on, I couldn't decide on just one. So to be on the safe side I wrote down everything I could think of. I know that's not exactly what the villagers had in mind, but I figured it couldn't hurt, and I could use the extra spiritual protection."

"Informal as the ritual seems to be, nobody seems to have minded too much..."

[Otomo Akutou]

"And what new things have you tried, Otomo-san?" she asked warmly.

"Ha'n't been a lot here yet," Akutou admits. "Did find I've still got some skills as used t' come in handy, though," he adds. "Such as this'n," and he successfully makes a coin appear in his hand as if from nowhere.

"Used t' be I c'd bring in 'nough coin f'r a hot meal doin' this."

He snorts a laugh.

"Used t' be I needed t' do that."

[Nanzi Ai]

"Why would you need to earn money?" she said with confusion.

[Bayushi Norikage]

She hid a chuckle behind her hand, but then offered a friendly pat on the shoulder. "I am fine. I am well, even."

Gazing at the crowd, she shook her head, and then looked back at Norikage, "If you need help tonight, I can teach you some mantras, perhaps. We will get through this nightmare as a team, ne?"

"This isn't the first time I've lost sleep, but if you like the idea of helping me I can't say I'm against it", he told her, giving her a roguish grin.

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

“Seems like a good strategy. We can probably use all the help we can get, right?”

"Yes. The more help the spirits can give us, the better," Ayako said with a nod.

"Informal as the ritual seems to be, nobody seems to have minded too much..."

"I guess it's to calm our nerves as much as anything else," she admitted. "I'm sure it'll end up giving us more confidence when we fight something nastier than a straw man."

[Otomo Akutou]

"Why would you need to earn money?" she said with confusion.

"Not ev'rybody's born inta kind families," Akutou says. "An' not ev'ry home's good t' kids as ain't theirs."

[Ryoshun Yukara]

"This isn't the first time I've lost sleep, but if you like the idea of helping me I can't say I'm against it", he told her, giving her a roguish grin.

"I will happily share mantras for peace, and I will happily preach, if my voice can lull you into slumber as my master did for me."

Was that a joke?

She seemed rather straight faced while she said it.

[Shiba Kumori]

"I guess it's to calm our nerves as much as anything else," she admitted. "I'm sure it'll end up giving us more confidence when we fight something nastier than a straw man."

“You have the bearing of someone who has some experience fighting things tougher than a straw man.” She remarked.

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

“You have the bearing of someone who has some experience fighting things tougher than a straw man.” She remarked.

Ayako ducked her head modestly. "I've been in a couple fights," she admitted. "I'm not afraid of battle. In fact, I kind of wish this new enemy was something you could just beat by force of arms; that'd be a much more straightforward fight. From what the revered teacher said, though, I suppose it won't be quite that easy."

[Togashi Satsuki]

Satsuki joined the growing group of people who had finished their effigy and ritual of purification, seeming to be a little lost in thought as she still observed the rites being performed.

Without saying anything, the young Dragon took out her writing material and began jotting down notes.


(PM if approached please )

[Shiba Kumori]

Ayako ducked her head modestly. "I've been in a couple fights," she admitted. "I'm not afraid of battle. In fact, I kind of wish this new enemy was something you could just beat by force of arms; that'd be a much more straightforward fight. From what the revered teacher said, though, I suppose it won't be quite that easy."

“Yeah… a lot more mind games it seems.” She said with a nod.

“Luckily we were all kids once… And had mothers deploy similar tactics.” She smiled.

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

“Yeah… a lot more mind games it seems.” She said with a nod.

“Luckily we were all kids once… And had mothers deploy similar tactics.” She smiled.

"My mother wasn't like that," Ayako protested. "She had her rules and if you didn't obey them, you got switched, and that was that. Yours was different, I guess?"

[Bayushi Norikage]

"I will happily share mantras for peace, and I will happily preach, if my voice can lull you into slumber as my master did for me."

Was that a joke?

She seemed rather straight faced while she said it.

Norikage laughed, not because the joke was bleeding edge comedy, but someone as apparently humorless as Yukara making an in joke pleased him.

"I like lullabies much better", he told her, leaning. "Falling to sleep relaxed instead of bored is a blessing."

[Ryoshun Yukara]

Norikage laughed, not because the joke was bleeding edge comedy, but someone as apparently humorless as Yukara making an in joke pleased him.

"I like lullabies much better", he told her, leaning. "Falling to sleep relaxed instead of bored is a blessing."

"I am afraid I cannot remember many... and not the words."

She sounded genuinely sorry about that. Casting him a sideways glance, she added, "If it helps, however, I am willing to try." Her voice had an odd quality to it. As if she felt more certain of something than before, less the voice of one lost or drifting. Her husky alto had more timbre, perhaps. Some infusion of confidence she had lacked.