The Day of Thunder

[Anjing]

"Sometimes to fix problems. Sometimes to fix themselves. Gods can become lost in their path just as mortals can and sometimes need to relearn lessons as well. Some live out a full life as a mortal before returning to the heavens but others do ascend once their task is complete."

He grins, "I had heard the tale though not quite given such a description. It was learning of these, more literal, descents that I realized that our gods must not be one and the same. We would have some sign if so many had gone missing and nor do yours tell of any other lives, to my understanding, except that which they lived in the heavens."

"Definitely different gods, I am not sure if my husband has ever seen your land, much less been worshiped in it."
She looks up, but the fog and tree cover is impenetrable.

"There must be different heavens with the gods divided up between them. It is probably quite crowded up there, although maybe less so now."
Anjing resolved to ask Hida if he'd ever met any of these southern gods before.

"It would be a frightful for your gods to come crashing down in a foreign land. Although, I suppose they weren't really our gods until they landed, it can be hard to work out which came first."

[Sugri]

"Definitely different gods, I am not sure if my husband has ever seen your land, much less been worshiped in it."
She looks up, but the fog and tree cover is impenetrable.

"There must be different heavens with the gods divided up between them. It is probably quite crowded up there, although maybe less so now."
Anjing resolved to ask Hida if he'd ever met any of these southern gods before.

"It would be a frightful for your gods to come crashing down in a foreign land. Although, I suppose they weren't really our gods until they landed, it can be hard to work out which came first."

"It certainly raises questions I had not thought to ask before. I am very glad I successfully made the journey now while the stories are still young and told by those who lived them. It can be easy, perhaps even tempting, to write off someone else's legends as just tall tales but that is hard to do when you are speaking to the spouse of one of those gods."

[Anjing]

"It certainly raises questions I had not thought to ask before. I am very glad I successfully made the journey now while the stories are still young and told by those who lived them. It can be easy, perhaps even tempting, to write off someone else's legends as just tall tales but that is hard to do when you are speaking to the spouse of one of those gods."

"Harder still if you meet one. Come by Kyuden Hida when you visit and you can ask the man your questions. He is even taller than the tales."
Anjing smiles, her eyes a little sad.

"He is a good man, one who loves his family dearly. But humans...it's hard for him, for so long his siblings and parents were all he knew. The first bonds are always the deepest."

[Sugri]

"Harder still if you meet one. Come by Kyuden Hida when you visit and you can ask the man your questions. He is even taller than the tales."
Anjing smiles, her eyes a little sad.

"He is a good man, one who loves his family dearly. But humans...it's hard for him, for so long his siblings and parents were all he knew. The first bonds are always the deepest."

"Another tempting invitation. You do me a great honor. And I imagine it must be hard for them and for those among mortals who are close to them. I know how difficult I found your lands at first and, as much as out cultures and traditions might differ, we are still of the same mortal breed having known the same needs and desires. The adjustment of those who were in the heavens up until the moment they fell must be immense indeed. Even if their role was as stewards to this world they did not expect to be within it."

[Anjing]

"Another tempting invitation. You do me a great honor. And I imagine it must be hard for them and for those among mortals who are close to them. I know how difficult I found your lands at first and, as much as out cultures and traditions might differ, we are still of the same mortal breed having known the same needs and desires. The adjustment of those who were in the heavens up until the moment they fell must be immense indeed. Even if their role was as stewards to this world they did not expect to be within it."

"Mmmhm." She frowns. "A fair point. Although you did not end up ruling the land."
She sighs quietly, turning to peer through the fog and trees.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this. But destiny can alter everything in the blink of an eye and set us on a new path, and we just have to survive. It's important to remember it wasn't supposed to be like this for them either."

Another careful look around to make sure they were undisturbed and she continues moving ahead again.
"And I can understand them a little, I know what it's like to never be able to go back home."

[Sugri]

"Mmmhm." She frowns. "A fair point. Although you did not end up ruling the land."
She sighs quietly, turning to peer through the fog and trees.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this. But destiny can alter everything in the blink of an eye and set us on a new path, and we just have to survive. It's important to remember it wasn't supposed to be like this for them either."

Another careful look around to make sure they were undisturbed and she continues moving ahead again.
"And I can understand them a little, I know what it's like to never be able to go back home."

His mind pondered for a moment the fact that it is always impossible to return to a place for no place remains constant and what you left is not what you return to. But he was certain her point was more literal and that opining such thoughts would be neither fitting nor appreciated.

"I am sorry to hear that though I hope you have found new things to take joy in instead that help make up the loss."

[Anjing]

His mind pondered for a moment the fact that it is always impossible to return to a place for no place remains constant and what you left is not what you return to. But he was certain her point was more literal and that opining such thoughts would be neither fitting nor appreciated.

"I am sorry to hear that though I hope you have found new things to take joy in instead that help make up the loss."

"Much like my husband when he fell, my family traveled with me. I take joy in seeing them not just survive, but thrive. We have made a new home together. It blunts the loss somewhat."
She shifts her tetsubo to the opposite shoulder.

"Do you miss your home?"

[Sugri]

"Much like my husband when he fell, my family traveled with me. I take joy in seeing them not just survive, but thrive. We have made a new home together. It blunts the loss somewhat."
She shifts her tetsubo to the opposite shoulder.

"Do you miss your home?"

"My training focused on eschewing attachments..." He grins, "But I would never claim unearned perfection and all students fall short of ideals. I do not yet long to return but, yes, there are certainly things I miss. The scent of certain flowers, debating with friends, proper tea spices...."

[Anjing]

"My training focused on eschewing attachments..." He grins, "But I would never claim unearned perfection and all students fall short of ideals. I do not yet long to return but, yes, there are certainly things I miss. The scent of certain flowers, debating with friends, proper tea spices...."

"Eschewing attachments." From Anjing's tone, she takes a very dim view of that altogether.

"Fortunes, you cannot get good tea up here. I have to brew every pot twice as strong to even get some sensation. Sounds like it's even harder if the spices don't exist at all."
She takes a moment to wag a finger at him.
"Sounds like you still have some attachments to eschew. But there's no rush I think. Did you leave behind family?"

[Sugri]

"Eschewing attachments." From Anjing's tone, she takes a very dim view of that altogether.

"Fortunes, you cannot get good tea up here. I have to brew every pot twice as strong to even get some sensation. Sounds like it's even harder if the spices don't exist at all."
She takes a moment to wag a finger at him.
"Sounds like you still have some attachments to eschew. But there's no rush I think. Did you leave behind family?"

"Not for this trip. I left my parents and siblings when I entered the gurukula as a youth. Ah, gurukula, um... I guess dojo is the closest term though not quite right. Monastery maybe but that's not really it either. But it is the place where those of us gather under a guru to learn and to train. It does not require a vow of celibacy, or anything of the sort, but it was distant from the nearest towns and villages and, while I found close friends among my peers, none ended up a lover."

[Anjing]

"Not for this trip. I left my parents and siblings when I entered the gurukula as a youth. Ah, gurukula, um... I guess dojo is the closest term though not quite right. Monastery maybe but that's not really it either. But it is the place where those of us gather under a guru to learn and to train. It does not require a vow of celibacy, or anything of the sort, but it was distant from the nearest towns and villages and, while I found close friends among my peers, none ended up a lover."

"Ah, no vow of celibacy? I can see the attraction of Shinsei and his school then. He is a famed lover in the empire, as a young man he had many a dramatic tryst."

The two scrambles over some rocks in a deep gully, as a small stream trickles below them.

"Well there is still time for you yet. You have a mustache, you can handle yourself, and you have some good stories to tell. Many good traits."
Her grin was by now rather devilish.

[Sugri]

"Ah, no vow of celibacy? I can see the attraction of Shinsei and his school then. He is a famed lover in the empire, as a young man he had many a dramatic tryst."

The two scrambles over some rocks in a deep gully, as a small stream trickles below them.

"Well there is still time for you yet. You have a mustache, you can handle yourself, and you have some good stories to tell. Many good traits."
Her grin was by now rather devilish.

He can't help but laugh, "A warrior and a flatterer. Maybe they'll make a courtier of you yet."

[Anjing]

He can't help but laugh, "A warrior and a flatterer. Maybe they'll make a courtier of you yet."

"Merely a tease. I can't imagine myself as a courtier, but life has required me to...adapt. Allow people to finish speaking their nonsense before cutting them off, spend hours reading reports written by imbeciles. That sort of thing."

She rolls her shoulders, embracing the here and now.
"Duty calls to us all, I am glad I did not have to spend my last years singing storage requests."

[Sugri]

"Merely a tease. I can't imagine myself as a courtier, but life has required me to...adapt. Allow people to finish speaking their nonsense before cutting them off, spend hours reading reports written by imbeciles. That sort of thing."

She rolls her shoulders, embracing the here and now.
"Duty calls to us all, I am glad I did not have to spend my last years singing storage requests."

He scoffs slightly, "I am sure you have many more years left." The sobers a little, "Well, as long as there are many more years left. So I suppose we shall have to ensure there are."

[Anjing]

He scoffs slightly, "I am sure you have many more years left." The sobers a little, "Well, as long as there are many more years left. So I suppose we shall have to ensure there are."

"Many years of toil and duty, if there is a world to toil in. A comforting thought."
They start scrambling up the other side of the gully.

"I take comfort in the world not having ended yet, despite apparently many previous cycles. Everyone found a way before."

[Sugri]

"Many years of toil and duty, if there is a world to toil in. A comforting thought."
They start scrambling up the other side of the gully.

"I take comfort in the world not having ended yet, despite apparently many previous cycles. Everyone found a way before."

"Well... not everyone. Let's hope that Shilah never decides to take such steps again."

[Anjing]

"Well... not everyone. Let's hope that Shilah never decides to take such steps again."

Pause. "Wait....what?"

[Sugri]

Pause. "Wait....what?"

"Oh, I assumed the tale would have reached your people since these lands were also spared. Many, many lifetimes ago. When the Invinda, my people, were not yet united and, blind to the proper order, still squabbled among themselves over land there was an empire to our west. Greater and more majestic than ours even is now, if legends hold any truth, and its inhabitants were said to be the children of Shilah, the sun. But they grew arrogant and ambitious and imprisoned their mother seeking to steal her power. However some of the mortals who served, or more likely were enslaved, by these children worked against their masters and saw Shilah freed. In her anger and wrath she scoured the land clean, from border to border, until only desert sand remained. Some of those servants survived and are now the people of the sands while those lands untouched by her anger eventually grew into their own. Our kingdoms, the Nagah who were replaced eventually by the rat-kin, and now it seems your own as well."

[Anjing]

"Oh, I assumed the tale would have reached your people since these lands were also spared. Many, many lifetimes ago. When the Invinda, my people, were not yet united and, blind to the proper order, still squabbled among themselves over land there was an empire to our west. Greater and more majestic than ours even is now, if legends hold any truth, and its inhabitants were said to be the children of Shilah, the sun. But they grew arrogant and ambitious and imprisoned their mother seeking to steal her power. However some of the mortals who served, or more likely were enslaved, by these children worked against their masters and saw Shilah freed. In her anger and wrath she scoured the land clean, from border to border, until only desert sand remained. Some of those servants survived and are now the people of the sands while those lands untouched by her anger eventually grew into their own. Our kingdoms, the Nagah who were replaced eventually by the rat-kin, and now it seems your own as well."

Anjing just looks at him.
"So the sun could just obliterate the entire land??? Lady Amaterasu isn't that vengeful. If you make the right prayers."
Wondering aloud.
"Sounds like maybe freeing that particular Lady Sun just led to more suffering. Tssk, and now you have given me another worry to preoccupy my timr."

[Sugri]

Anjing just looks at him.
"So the sun could just obliterate the entire land??? Lady Amaterasu isn't that vengeful. If you make the right prayers."
Wondering aloud.
"Sounds like maybe freeing that particular Lady Sun just led to more suffering. Tssk, and now you have given me another worry to preoccupy my timr."

"My apologies. Hopefully you are right that this sun and these children will tell a different tale. There is not much purpose to repeating it, after all, though sometimes our failings do cause such things to happen."