Fantasy 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵

[Sign]

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[Sign]

Weather & Time of day

Snow // 50 ℉ (10℃) // Morning . . . . Evening . . . . Night

Season

Winter

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[Sign]

Special Events

This is the place where special events will occur throughout the island. So far, this is still under construction! But soon, there will be a little snow festival where tourists and villagers alike go around in these shops where the kids can pretend to be any gods/yokai that they like (such as them wearing their outfits, mask, kinda like Halloween).

ARC 1: The Guardians and the Gods

Miss Koizumi-san had stumbled upon the shrine just a couple of hours ago in a hidden area deep into the island. With her prayers, the Gods above were in a debate whether or not they should give all of the Guardians access to their ability to see the Gods again. With her kind and sincere words, the Gods decided to give the human race one more chance, hoping that there will be no greed or trouble occurring. Since then, the guardians have stumbled around in the village of Kiroko the biggest on the island where the majority of the tourists and villagers are staying in. The Gods in the trial seemingly are interested in what is going to go on around here (the snow festival is being set up) and this is where they all will stumble upon each other. Everyone is placed at the village of Kiroko right now, so you may post now!

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[Pepsionne]

location

Waterfall Shrine

role

The Shinigami

mentions

N/A

牧暗黒 Maki Ankoku

Ankoku shifted against the hard bark of the branch he was seated upon, resting his back against the thick trunk that it stemmed from. Weak rays from the morning sun filtered in through the bare branches, laying streaks of light across his face. The gentle warmth helped to fight against the cold bite of winter. He could feel the rough texture of the bark digging into his kimono jacket, the surface creating a bumpy and uneven pressure against his spine. He closed his eyes, drowning his senses within the shrill cries of birds in the surrounding forest. He hated this time of year, everything reminded him of the smothering silence and emptiness of death. The only benefit to the barren branches that twisted like broken arms into the sky was how easily they allowed the morning choir of the forest’s birds to soar clear through the air for miles. The spot Ankoku was currently seated in was one of his favorites in the winter time. The droning call of birds mixed with the gentle roar of the waterfall close by were the loudest sounds he could find at this time of year, making it the only place he could actually get some sleep in. The two sounds seemed to fill his brain to the brim, leaving no room for the intrusive thoughts that itched to dominate his mind.

It had been a rough morning, the roughest he had been dealt in awhile. A grieving family had visited his shrine to pray for the safe passage of a loved one. It must have been a hard loss to the community, there were neighbors and family friends present as well, something he hadn't seen in years. The echoing sounds of wails still burned in his mind. Some of them showed their loss openly, while others held their faces in the plastic expression of barely contained grief. The small family had lost their youngest to a disease that accompanied the arrival of cold weather. Ankoku had stood off to the side, watching their heartbroken prayers fracture the calm morning around them. The soft clouds of his breath misting in the freezing air obscured their figures in a translucent film as they bowed on their knees before the shrine. They looked like an illusion. Ankoku had wished they were. The little boy’s spirit had hid behind his kimono while he watched his family pray. The God could feel the confusion and pain that filled the spirit as he looked onward, unsure of where he was supposed to go from there. "What a lonely feeling," Ankoku had thought to himself, watching the smoking tails of burning incense curl like a serpent into the air.

The Shinigami swallowed hard, opening his eyes to avoid thinking about it further. The area that led to the abandoned shrine stood silently in the distance, alone, empty. Ankoku’s features twisted into a bitter look. He had managed to fool himself into thinking that with the approach of the snow festival, he’d actually be able to find momentary relief from the presence of death. Given the infectious joy that had flooded the village, he had even gone so far as to imagine that he’d be able to have a small taste of all the amusement everyone seemed to share. He was wrong, of course. Death would always be there underneath it all, lying in wait to pull someone under in its suffocating silence. He of all people knew that best.

He figured most of the other Gods had chosen to snoop around the village given the recent increase in commotion. Until this morning, Ankoku had planned to do the same, but the blindside of his duties as Shinigami had left him reeling in his thoughts. He felt a pit of jealousy lodge itself in his chest. Ankoku wondered if any of the other gods understood how it felt to grow familiar with the way cries rang through their shrine walls, instead of laughter or hope. He doubted it. Their followers visited their shrines because they wanted to, because they chose to. Not because fear led them forward with a cold, gripping hand. For a second, he wondered what it would be like to be Nuuju, to have a popular shrine bustling with happy young couples or groups of friends anxiously excited to pray about the fate in their lives. The thought brought a nauseating tightness to his throat.

Ankoku pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers and let out an elongated sigh, allowing the bitterness to ooze from his body like hissing steam. He titled his head against the trunk behind him, feeling the sharpness of it catch in his hair. He closed his eyes again, hoping some sleep would do well to drown out the cold chill of the afterlife clinging to his skin. He could still hear the frightened breathing of the little spirit as he guided him to the other side. The meager sound had become cacophonous in the hollow vastness of the afterworld. Ankoku set his jaw tight. Couldn't these damn birds sing any louder?

He was at the edge of his consciousness, so close to falling in the warm waters of sleep when a jarring, grating caw sounded from the branch above him. The sudden sound paired with the equally loud movement from the crow’s manic flap of wings sent Ankoku into startled panic. He shot upright, losing his balance and nearly flying off the branch towards the ground below. Flakes of bark rained down in his panicked fumble of flailing limbs.

Ankoku’s expression twisted into that of exasperation while he clung to the side of the branch, breathing heavily. When he asked for the birds to cry louder, that wasn’t exactly what he meant. The fabric of his hakama pants hung down into the open air below and his chest pressed into the sharp bark as he clung to it haphazardly. He had barely managed to save himself from an uncomfortable fall, although he ended up looking rather—ungodly while doing it. He stole a glance back to the shrine to double check that no one had seen the pathetic fumble, when his expression froze. He could’ve sworn he saw a figure moving about the shrine in the distance. Was it a lost spirit? The shrine he was located at hadn’t been visited in years—decades even, so it couldn’t have possibly been a person. Right?

Ankoku slithered out from the tree with curiosity. Once making contact with the ground he straightened up his kimono and hair to knock out any loose bark that had become tangled within. He walked out from the surrounding vegetation into the main grounds of the shrine that stood hidden by the waterfall. He peeked around tentatively, hoping to catch the familiar wispy form or echoing sound that hinted at a spirit close by. Now up close, the shrine looked just as abandoned as it had been for decades. Ankoku knew he was running low on sleep, but had his mind really slipped this far?

coded by natasha.

 

[Sign]

scroll

Tengu God

Ukita

mood

entertained

outfit

navy-blue/white yukata w/ white robe

location

restaurant

interactions

none atm

tags

meep.

Crowds of human beings were huddled together in a small pathway that could barely fit a two-way lane. On Ukita's right side, the crowd walked in front of him, and on his left, others faced the white-haired God with their back. Ukita strolled around the city leisurely with both of his hands behind his back staying right in the middle while he possessed the ability to have some free time on his hands. Small specks of snow quietly fell down from the sky, endless as if. It was cold, but not cold enough for the villagers and tourists alike to be excited about an upcoming event that seemed to be going on. A female lady who had a pink-blossom hairpin pinned in her hair had the biggest eyes ever. Her shining, bright brown eyes glistening at the sight of a shrine up ahead as she pointed to the area with her right arm. Tugging her boyfriend's yukata (Ukita had suggested) with her left, her right index finger raised up and down in excitement.

"It's here! This is the place I've been telling you about!" With the girlfriend's excited exclamation, the boyfriend raised one of his eyebrows, seemingly skeptical about her obsession with the enmusubi no kami. Though it sounded like he wanted to say something to her, only thin air came out of his mouth, getting dragged along by his girlfriend towards the shrine. Ukita watched the two take off down the street. Ukita was feeling a bit bad for the boyfriend, but more important than that, he felt bad for Nuuju for being too popular among humankind.

"I guess it's kind of hard being popular around here" Ukita sarcastically remarked, strolling down the pathway. Along the lines, there was a large, dark wooden building. The Japanese-styled wood had aged, but plenty of customers came in and out of the entrance. A woman dressed in a yellow Yukata with a white butterfly pattern greeted the customers, bowing to them while she moved a strand of hair to the back of her ears, continuing to bow to the customers to welcome them and then back up.

"Wouldn't that hurt your back, young miss?" He casually said to himself. He walked into the restaurant, bowing to her back to pay her respect. All of a sudden, a teacup flew towards Ukita's way, barely dodging it due to his reflexes as his eyes widened in surprise. Four men sat around a small table, barely enough to fit the four to them.

"Ah, yah. I saw those stupid bandits out there. I told ya that it wasn't worth the trade!" One exclaimed. He was a bigger, chubbier man, and his shirt was wet from all of the rice wine that was poured all over the table. The other three looked similar-- big stomachs that were, for sure, filled with alcohol and food with a long beard on their faces.

"Oh hoo. This should be interesting." Ukita uttered softly, sitting on a vacant table in front of the men.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[kakemha]

メガミ カミーヤマ

megumi kamiyama

location

tavern

tags

Sign

Waking up at an ungodly early hour was something that had became part of Megumi's routine, so that's what she did today. She decided to get up and start the process of getting ready. After her shower, she walked in her house to her closet with all her kimonos, she picked one up and grabbed her bandages and started to wrap her arms and thighs tightly. The scars today were worse, they were fresh from yesterday. Her parents had sent her on a long route to get to a shrine quite a ways from their house, the shrine of the Shinigami. Her mother had informed her that her aunt had passed away, but Megumi never really knew her so she wasn't crying at all. As usual on her way there, the usual village residents started to whisper and look, she never knew what they were saying. Then the occasional tourist or two, asked her for a picture, even though they did it so often, it still got under her skin. So safe to say with the long trip and all the people around her, that day was just full of stress.

Back to the present, Megumi was done wrapping her arms and thighs and now she was getting ready to put on her kimono. She had done this alone for many many years now, it's become second nature to her. She knew she'd have to help her mother put on her kimono as well, since her joints weren't what they used to be when Megumi was younger. She finally finished putting it on and decided to practice cooking and make breakfast. The amazing smells of a Japanese breakfast filled the house, from what people could see, she was getting better at cooking. Luckily her parents woke up right when she finished plating all the food and had set it on the dining table. "Good morning!" She greeted sweetly. "Well good morning Megumi, looks like you've gotten the hang of what we taught you." Her mother said to her while they both sat down, ready to eat. Once Megumi was seated, they started to eat. Afterwards, she helped her mother change and before she went out to go visit the shrine her parents told her that she had to pick something up for them at the local tavern. With that in mind, Megumi set out for the shrine then the tavern.

Her shrine visit was like any other. She greeted familiar faced there, but today she decided to help out the staff a little, by helping them clean around the shrine for a little while. Once she finished, she said her goodbyes and last prayers, and set out for the tavern. It was a pretty nice walk there, the village was preparing for the snow festival after all. She needed to ask her parents if she would be performing another ceremony that year. Although if she would, it would be her first one where she had to do it alone, since she turned 18 and adults were supposed to do ceremonies alone, or rather be the main planner of the ceremonies, that's what her parents taught her anyway. Anyway, Megumi finally reached the tavern and walked up to the entrance. She bowed to the woman welcoming guests in and thanked her. She entered the tavern and it seemed pretty lively to her, it always was when she passed it on the street occasionally. Her family had been friends with the owner of this tavern for some time, perks of being a well-known family here she guessed. She noticed she was feeling quite hungry, she contemplated whether or not she should eat here or not. She had brought money with her so, she decided that she's splurge a little.

She walked up to the counter, but of course when she entered the tavern most people started whispering and talking, she paid it no mind. "Good morning! I'm Kamiyama Megumi, from the Kamiyama household." She greeted the person at the counter. "I'm here to pick up something on behalf of my parents." She explained. "Oh and also, I'll take two piece of your Dorayaki, if you don't mind." She smiled. The person behind the counter nodded and she walked to go find a table. She passed a group of loud men sitting around a table. She looked at the table in front of them, checking to see if it was vacant. It, unfortunately, was not. She walked up to the table where a man wearing navy blue and white clothing. She bowed slightly and asked, "Excuse me sir, but may I sit with you, there aren't any vacant tables available at the moment." Megumi explained, awaiting the man's reply. She noticed more people started staring at her, although she wasn't so sure why.

code by @Nano

 

[eyyliner]

L

Shinigami shrine

M

Playful

O

Outfit Link

JUNYA
' JUN '
IKEDA

JUNYA IKEDA — 池田 純矢

Junya Ikeda gave a rather undignified sigh as he stood from where he had bent, rubbing at his tail bone through the layers of cloth he now wore. Snow clung to the ends of his robes. Calloused fingers shifted to brush away ice, ignoring the shockingly-cold impact that suddenly rippled along the top of his head.

"Momo," He sighed, patience lacing his tone as he turned his gaze up to his little sister. Her face was flushed, giggling to herself as bits of the snow she had thrown clung to her brother's head. He stood, flicking his hair as he murmured, "I told you we weren't going to play in the snow right now."

His sister pouted her lips, skipping over before she was throwing herself to grasp at his legs.

"I wanna play!" Her voice was muffled, her cheeks puffed as she bunched into his side.

Junya glanced about their front yard, ignoring her small tantrum for the moment. He had meant to get them away from their house before she tried hitting him with a snowball; yet, it seemed he had been entirely unsuccessful in that endeavor. Shooting his sister another glance, an idea had him biting his bottom lip to contain his amusement.

Strong arms shot forward, locking around the young girl as she let out a delighted squeal. Easily raising her above his head, he held her firmly until he felt her sit on his shoulders. Leaving one hand to press to her back, he turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eyes.

"You said you wanted to visit some shrines today," He reminded her gently, knowing she would listen to his next words. "And now that I don't have to work the land, we get to spend time together. It would both do us some good to go out and have fun today."

Momo nodded, wrapping her arms around the top of his head.

"I want to visit all of them," She said, her tone laced with determination.

Junya chuckled.

"All of them?" He asked, moving to the side of their home where some dried flowers hung. Removing the string with his free hand, he slipped the dried plants into his pocket before continuing on the path. "Well, let's see which one you want to visit first. There's the—"

"I want to go pray to the god of uh... I don't remember but he's the one who guided mommy after she got too sick to stay here," Momo murmured, pressing her cheek to his head.

Junya blinked, digesting her request, before asking, "You want to visit the Shinigami shrine?"

Her small head nodded, fingers tightening in his hair.

"Yeah. He was nice to mommy when she left so I want to give him flowers," Her voice wavered, a little forlorn before she asked, "You'll take us, right?"

Junya had been gearing up to turn down the girl, perturbed with the idea. However, as he noticed the quiver in her voice, he knew he couldn't say no with a clean conscious.

"Let's hope he doesn't mind the dried flowers," Junya sighed.

The walk was a long one. With the amount of snow and the distance between his home and the shrine, it wore him out more than he had expected. As the two crested the hill that lead down the path, he sank down into the snow to let Momo crawl from his back.

The girl had no problem dashing off ahead of him.

"Momo!" He snapped, a little too late as she disappeared around the curve of the road.

Hurrying his steps, it took him a few minutes to find the shrine. A swell of relief filled him when he noticed there was a complete lack of mourners gathered there; a lot of people tended to visit in regards to their deceased relatives. He didn't want his sister or himself to be labeled as even stranger than they already had been.

As he casually began to walk towards the shrine, he peered inside to see his sister nowhere in sight.

Concern had him hurriedly rounding the small building, his brows furrowed.

"Mo—oof!" Junya huffed as a snowball exploded in his face, sending him onto his backside in the snow.

A swell of laughter filled the air as Momo ran from the trees towards him, launching herself onto his stomach with another bout of giggles.

"Momo!" He snapped, trying his best to keep his voice stern; but, her laughter had him dissolving into chortles.

"I got you~" She crowed, brushing a bit of snow from his face with cold fingers. "You looked so shocked, I can't believe I got you!"

Junya huffed, holding her at arm's length as he sat himself up. The cold had already begun to creep into his clothes, the snow melting where it found heat.

"You got ten seconds," He told her, watching as her eyes widened and lips pursing in surprise. "Before I start throwing snow too."

Momo squealed as she clambered to her feet, gathering her skirts in her hands as she began to dash towards the trees.

"No, no," She giggled, shaking her head hurriedly. "I was just playing. Don't throw snowballs at me!"

Junya sent her a mock-glare before he shrugged, falling back into the snow and fanning his arms out.

He didn't lift his head as his sister approached, riffling through his pockets to find the flowers he had grabbed at home. He watched as she took a step back, a softer smile on her face.

"You look dead," She mused, giggling again.

"I am," He nodded sagely before he remembered this wasn't the smartest place to joke.

"But," He added quickly, gesturing his hand towards the shrine that was several yards away now. "If you give the Shinigami our flowers, I'm sure he'll be nice enough to spare me for now."

Momo smiled, pulling the flowers closer to her chest.

"Just remember how to be respectful," He warned her as she walked by, flowers still held close. "Don't do anything bad, okay?"

"Okay!" Her little voice was filled with cheer as she moved closer to the shrine, leaving her older brother to sit up and watch her from where he had been sprawled.

mentions: to be added.

© pasta

 

[Cosmos]

Kyubi No Kitsune
location: tavern
tags: Sign kakemha

Haruko had been busying herself with her usual routine of wandering the village before finding a place to settle and watch those that went by, mind wandering aimlessly until she found someone interesting enough to follow about in perhaps childish hope they would suddenly see her. Though recently the Kitsune's attention had been caught up in the preparations for some sort of festival. Or at least that is what she had gathered in between the conversations of tourists passing by. Though she had to admit a celebration of this frigid weather was a concept she couldn't fully gather, alas yet another thing to add to her long list of 'Topics to bring up with a human in future'. The name still needed- some work.

Reaching an arm towards the sky the previously relaxed form of the Kitsune moved its way into a stretch, arching her back briefly with a sigh of discontent, tail flickering once before returning to its resting position. Pushing herself up and off from the stone wall she had been resting, sandal-clad feet landing softly on the lightly snow-covered path below her. Ready to move on to another less crowded spot before the flash of a familiar navy-blue and white outfitted figure passed by the crowds of those heading seemingly eagerly to Nuuju's shrine.

"Oh?~ Well then, it seems today will be interesting after all" Haru's ears pushed back slightly in anticipation as she made her way to the location she had last seen the fellow deity, moving through crowds with an ease and grace one gets only after more than a handful of years at practice when those you are trying to avoid can't actually see you. Casting a glance about the place it took a minute of subtle searching to find which building he had presumably entered. Finally stumbling upon the nearby restaurant, catching a glimpse of the Tengu God's outfit she was quickly to make her way in, waving overly eagerly to the other with a wolfish grin, "Yaho!~" she let out in greeting with her usual level of disregard to the other elder gods status, smirking playfully as she made her way over, tail wrapped around herself as to not accidently have it stepped on-- An occurrence that admittedly happened far too often inside busy places, especially where alcohol was concerned.

Making her way to the table she froze for only a second at seeing a young woman take a seat beside him, her face seemed familiar to Haru but she couldn't exactly place it. It wasn't all too uncommon for people to sit down at the same table of the unseen gods, but for a moment she was almost sure the woman had asked him for permission. Shaking off the brief confusion she too grabbed a seat, graceful as always as she crossed one leg over the other, leaning an elbow onto the table as her ears twitched cheerfully, "So, Ukita-- What brings you to this place today? It's unusual to see you in a place of alcohol, finally come around to the idea of drinking with me?~" she teased playfully, ignoring the other woman purely out of habit, after all, it wasn't like she could hear them.
__

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[Life.]

NuujuThe color that decorates the petals of spider lilies or the hue that shines on women with painted lips, red. The same color that glistened off the surface of strings that decorated the land. These strings of various lengths stretched across the surface, some tangled in the branches of trees, others gracefully dancing in the air, but most were overlapping one another, creating a scene of beauty in chaos. At the end of each string was an individual human and a string had two points of existence. The goal, bring the ends of the string to meet together, only then would it fade away into a clear thread that disappears with time.

Even as snow clung onto the surface of the earth, the vibrant hue of red stood out against the bright, white scenery. However, it was only visible to a single individual. A slim, feminine figure with a bright, shining, red robe that coated her body but emphasized her rich, black hair and pale, porcelain skin. Her light--near white--jade, greenish eyes dulled to a darker shade as they shifted over from the sky down to the ground where she observed at least a dozen humans milling about. An intense aura exuded from the women as she stood tall in front of her shrine. There would have been an empowering, admirable demeanor to the goddess had she not a scowl contorting her beautiful face. However, it continued to deepen the more time passed along the day. At some point, a spell of soft words that verbalized her discontentment were being spoken under her breath as her hands pulled a string here and untwisted another elsewhere. It was a constant flow of pleas, wishes, and prayers from patrons of residents and visitors alike as their desires converged to a similar wish, love. But this meant an increasing burden of responsibilities and commitment to her duty.

The days had been growing longer as time has been approaching a special day, a snow festival celebrated by the village. With festivities comes people and with people comes wishes and with wishes comes stress. Sure Nuuju may have otherworldly abilities and endless energy being supplied to her from the beliefs of patrons, but this did not stop the goddess from grumbling the whole time she was on the job.

"And with all my heart, I pray, that I find my true love by the time the festival starts."

"Oh how original," there was a soft snort that followed after Nuuju's remark as she bent down and reached for the string that floated around the young man. The resistance to feel excitement from the cliché statement cracked a smile on her face. Her fingers slid across the surface of the thread first, admiring its beauty still despite having seen thousands upon thousands of strings, but early on Nuuju noticed that each string was unique whether it was in shade, tension, or shape of the wrap. A loose pattern for the wraps made the string appear longer compared to some strings around it. However, this didn't change the goddess' determination. Like a string player, Nuuju plucked the string first, testing its tension. There was hardly any resistance from the string as it swayed from side to side mimicking the movements of a snake. Her smile dropped to a small frown as she clasped her hand onto the string with a tight grip and closed her eyes.

At first, darkness was all she could see in her vision, then suddenly small streaks of light began shooting past here, soon all gradually elongating to larger lengths. The number of lights increased to the point that it appeared as though she was flying down a tunnel. But similar to real world tunnels, there was an end to greet her. For this young man, at the end of string, Nuuju captured an image of a young woman. She had a welcoming smile and soft, brown eyes. The woman was standing at the entrance of what appeared to be a local forge shop with a field of flowers in the background of the infrastructure. This field, however, resembled the one in the village of Kiroko. Just as Nuuju was gathering this last bit of intel, the vision vanished. She opened her eyes once more to find herself back at her shrine, facing the young man whose string she held onto. "You are a lucky boy. Your true love fortunately lives in this village."

There was no benefit nor purpose in speaking the words out loud, however, Nuuju hopelessly believed that one day her patrons would be able to hear her words. Nothing else in the world matched the light that sparkled in people's eyes when thoughts of their loved one crossed their minds or the silly smile that arose from the warmth that flooded into their hearts. To have the ability to bring that to people, it was the best part of her duties. She tried to use this compensate on the fact that not only were the red strings of fate visible to her but the countdown for people's lives that loomed over them. Those numbers that ticked away mocked the goddess. While she could find happiness for people, sometimes she was under a time constraint. Other times she moved too slow for a patron's clock and witnessed as they passed on without ever meeting the other end of their string.

A sigh shot out from between her lips as she stretched her arms up to the sky as a way to brush off the stress and dark thoughts that it brought along with it.

With the discovery of the young man's end of his string, Nuuju decided that a break was well-earned. She looked over his string once more, memorizing the details of its features to help her recognize it for later when she would try to bring both ends together. Once satisfied, the goddess released the thread and closed her eyes once more only to quickly open them back up. What once looked like a sea of red blanketing the surface of the earth now was gone from her view. The faint numbers that continuously counted down remained however. There was no escape from that.

A break. Nuuju had decided on that, but the following step was posing as a challenge for the goddess. She had no ideas on what to do for her so called "break." This left her to default to her a spot she usually frequents, the River of Dreams. It was the perfect place for her to enjoy some peace and quiet. Eager to feel at ease, the goddess began making her way over to the stream, her movements graceful and nimble as she danced around humans, jumped down steps, and glided across ground.

 

[Mqueserasera]

Shigure Fujioka
Mentions: Haruko Cosmos
Interactions: Nuuju Life.

Bundles of hoes, rakes, sickles. Piles them up, snuck them in. Sacks of grains, sweet potatoes, smelled dried fruits, neatly in one corner, stacked up. The horse didn’t move? The harness couldn’t fit? Bent it here, force it there, now it moved.

“This one’s the last,” said the aged man, his muscles rough, red-faced.

“The last!” repeated Shigure Fujioka. Forearms bulged with strength as his knees bent, heaving up one end of a pine chest to the cart's height. Held it up, slid it in.

Now the old man could release his breath. He beamed, the sort of one who had just done with the worst of the day.

“You are one big help,” he said, slapping the cart’s floor.

“So you're really leaving for the city for good?” asked Shigure, breathed out. The house they had just emptied seemed lonely by the untended field. “I can’t see how the city is so much better than here.”

“You'll understand when you have a woman and kids of your own. It’s rough out here, in Kyoto, there might be a future yet for my boy. Now, they are all waiting for me at my sister’s house, I better off going. Here, for your trouble.”

Shigure shrugged. “Keep it, old man. Treat me to something next time.”

“There won’t be a next.” His freckled hands pressed some coins in Shigure’s palm. Then he climbed on his cart and drove off. Until the snow-covered road had carried him around a distant corner, Shigure stood watching, hands on his hips. He thought of how in recent years more people had left for the city for a better life. And here during festival times, city people would pour in, seeking, in their wondered thoughts, a better place to rest their year-long troubles, dropping them in the shrines’ offering boxes.

Which one has the good life anyway? Shigure wondered as he fixed his disheveled clothes. The cold was creeping in, but he had on no coat, only a worn yukata and the warmth of hard labor to keep him from freezing. He dropped the coins in his inner pockets, didn’t bother to count them, and scurried back to the village.

He swung his head left and right, taking in with childlike joy the festiveness in the air. Here and there people’s steps seemed to be taken with more glee, more energized, and full of purpose. In every house with a busy husband fixing the front door, or putting up a stand, or a housewife drawing water, or hulling rice, he would stop and jested and offered his strength, his excess energy. The merry time filled him so, and he didn’t get tired.

As he passed the local restaurant, an attractive thought paused him: with the coins he’d just earned, he might have a sizable meal. But it was merely thought, he had not the appetite. Only an hour before the old man had treated him to a hearty meal. And while a drink could warm him up, he would rather save the coins to buy his mother something. But what? The old woman would never tell him what she wanted. Maybe he could ask Yuriko to come up with something.

As the wandering thought of his female friend passed, he threw one last glance at the restaurant, only to catch a glimpse of a woman eagerly disappearing inside. So quick he couldn’t quite make out the woman’s features. It lasted precisely a dropped heartbeat, and yet his feet were dragged, chained, burdened. When the heart beat again it drummed. He couldn’t tell who that was. Someone he knew? Couldn’t be, her garb was strange: fur-like texture from the obi down, or perhaps a fur coat, was not the fashion around these parts.

Shigure shook his head, he’d probably exerted too much strength, and now his body was acting up. Strange, colorful tourists were no strange sight during this time of the year. Many of them were peculiar, some scary, some regarded him with curious looks, but usually, Shigure wasn’t bothered by them. Sometimes he would even act as a guide for some clueless tourists. It wasn’t like him to get worked up about someone’s appearance.

A while down the path, Shigure realized that it was taking him to the Enmusubi shrine. And it’d been a while since he’d last been there too, so he wandered back in town, bought some rice cakes, and returned. With the pack hot in his arms, Shigure walked more briskly, he even whistled. It’d never occurred to him that all of the deities might not like rice cakes with red bean paste filling as much as he did. It is entirely impossible to him that the flawless deities would not approve of his favorite food.

A strange sight stunned him. Someone so strange, so foreign-looking was coming from the opposite direction. The kimono’s redness made sharp contrast to the snow she walked on, no, not walking but as if she did float by, so gracefully and effortless the falling flakes seemed clumsy in her presence.

Shigure felt exactly like he had encountered a ghost, though the woman paid him no heed. She glided past him, treating him no more than another passer-by, or a dumb trunk by the road.

Instinctively, he followed after the woman. She moved with a destination, heading in one single direction, unlike a ghost. The longer he followed, the more she puzzled him, or rather it was the villagers’ behavior. She evaded them, danced around them as needed, the people would not give way. They ignored her seemingly. He couldn’t wrap his head around this idea. During his entire life in this village, there was never someone so impressionable, haunting. It was unthinkable they didn’t notice. If she was really a ghost, he swallowed. But curiosity got the better of him. Clutching the pack of rice cakes closer to his chest, Shigure kept walking. And eventually, as the woman had taken no notice of the people, not the villagers, not him, making Shigure felt as if he himself was the ghost, he took his steps bolder, and closing the distance between them.

 

[Stitches and Patchwork]

Yuriko Koizumi

Location: The God’s Trial | Interactions: Ankoku Maki [ Pepsionne ]

It was a quiet day in the forest. With most activity centered within the Village of Kiroko, the forest was left in a certain peaceful silence unique to nature. A certain quietness that was only interrupted by the occasional chirp from a bird hidden among the branches of the looming tree or patter of wildlife racing across the forest floor, which currently blanketed in a thin sporty layer of white snow. All while snowflakes fell gently upon the landscape, adding to the serene scene.

And it was such tranquility that made Yuriko’s presence an evident intrusion on such peace.

Her sandals crunched against the snow in rapid succession. Her shallow breathing echoed, every exhale releasing a plume of smoky hot air, disturbing the cold that surrounded her. Her shamisen that was attached to a leathery strap of a fabric she sewed together wrapped around her body lightly thumped against her back with every stride, creating dull musical tones in reply. Even visually, although she was draped in darker and more muted greens, grays, and purples for the winter, she appeared noisy. A blur of color disturbing the peaceful snowy white landscape as she created a cacophony of uproar and tumult with seemingly every step she took with startled birds releasing a screech instead of a chirp as she raced by with frightened animals scrambling to exit her path.

But Yuriko paid no mind to it. No. The fact that she was making quite a racket and ruining what was formerly a peaceful scene did not seem to occur in her mind. Rather, her focus was fixated on something not even in her line of sight, even though her gaze was trained straight forward. No, what she was focused on finding was a small distance away. At least, she believed it was, whispered assurances that it was this direction and she should spot it any moment now leaving her lips as she raced through the forest.

Only for the sound of running water to silence her as the raven-haired girl's pace seemed to simply quicken somehow. Exhaustion was drowned out by adrenaline as Yuriko arrived at the edge of a cliff. Beyond the cliff, one could see a series of plateaus, each varying in height, color, and shape. All though were surrounding a lake below that was being fed water by a great waterfall hanging over one of the plateaus as river taking its contents away to the ocean was hidden between a pair of other plateaus. It was a grand sight, seeming to have been made to be a majestic exhibition of nature’s grandeur.

Yet even when faced with this beautiful sight, Yuriko's thoughts revolved around something else as her onyx-colored eyes looked downwards and fixated on a pathway along the cliff’s edge, providing a route to something below. It was narrow, covered by dense underbrush. Easily missed. But the memories of discovering and traveling down the hidden route just this morning lit the path up for Yuriko like lights and signs decorating the roads of the village of Kuriko as she was quick to notice it, plunging into the undergrowth without hesitation.

The rustling of branches and cries and chirps of startled animals filled the air as Yuriko pushed through the underbrush, trudging through with a stubborn ambition to get through. A stubborn ambition to find that subject of interest. The answer to the questions that were currently rampant through her head. Nothing could stop her at this rate. At least that is what it seemed like until the sudden caw of a crow was enough to warrant Yuriko to freeze in place before looking over her shoulder, assuming the crow was still some distance away. Still. She hadn't seen many crows on the island, making the caw still quite the mysterious surprise. Especially when considering how the crow could be seen as a symbol of... death.

Well, that was coincidental! As soon as the doubts. fears, and exhaustion came flooding in, Yuriko found herself quickly batting them away as though these thoughts and sensations were simply flies, temporarily deterring her from the task at hand as Yuriko shook her head and continued forward, her messy black curls bouncing with a certain determination as reassurances such as "Just a coincidence", "Perhaps they migrate her for the winter", "Could be interesting to see one" now joined the pants leaving her lips. Well that was until she saw it. Or at least a part of it.

The smallest glimpse of a curved roof that seemed to be made of pine or cedar, decorated with faded paint. Yet however small it was, it was enough to warrant Yuriko to break into a sprint as she burst out from the dense undergrowth of the forgotten path into a shady clearing at the base of waterfall. And there is stood. Just hidden behind the large waterfall with a broken pathway made up currently scattered stones leading across the water to it. A small faded shrine. The very thing she was searching for. Standing in the same place she left in the morning.

It… it was really still here.

As though under a trance, Yuriko walked towards it, her gaze only leaving it when she traveled across the stones that once made a part of the bridge that led to it, every step being a leap of faith as she skipped between them only to land right in front of the shrine. And in slow strides, Yuriko walked towards it, hesitating when she arrived at the entrance as though at any moment, it will disappear into a cloud of fog. Yet, she managed to step in and place a hand on the wall, feeling the cold scratchy sensation of wood press against her palm.

… so it truly was still here.

Yuriko felt a wave of disappointment and relief sweep over her before welling up inside her, the conflicting feelings confusing her as much as they did still her as the girl stood in the temple, silence for once as she gazed at the altar before her, her brow furrowed. She could still envision this morning’s events now which still felt like a story that her grandpa would tell her when she was young and in the city.

She found this place just this morning when she was collecting some timber, an errand that she found often filled up most of her schedule, leading her to use it as an excuse to explore such wonders such as the structure she stood in. A shrine that not even some of the more elderly guardians like Goya-san, one of the oldest guardians in the village who took her in and trained her, had never mentioned. She was planning to ask, but decided it would only be respectable as a temple guardian to at least clean and set up the altar and send a prayer to the gods. Only for something that Yuriko was often told could only happen in the tales of old.

As soon as the last words of prayer drifted from her lips, Yuriko’s vision was suddenly obscured by a bright light. And before she could even react, she heard a voice, loud and sudden, whose words seemed to be etched in her head.

“Seek inside your heart. Find your true path.”

Yuriko had heard many stories. Folktales and myths of heroes sent on their journeys by meetings with divine beings. Now Yuriko was not saying that she was some hero being sent on some grand quest although that would be rather amazing. No. But she was certain that some encounter like that could no be simply a figment of her imagination or simple strange occurrence. No. Something has changed. There had to be.

So Yuriko ran back to the village, racing through the snow without much thought nor hesitation. And with little reason to one may say but she was certain something happened. Something was altered. Different. Yet after arriving in the village, nothing appeared to have changed. Everyone was simply carrying on their daily activities, regarding life and her the same. No new face. No new happenings. Nothing. But… that couldn’t be the case. No event like the one she experienced can happen without reason.

That was when her thoughts arrived at the prospect that the shrine may not even be there when she returned. Like all such mystical things in folklore, there was always the possibility that it could have disappeared, vanished as soon as she ran off into the forest. Yes it would decrease the feasibility of her story in the eyes of others like the other guardians such as Megumi but… at least it would grant Yuriko the contentment of having discovered something… fantastical. So she ran back. Only to end up where she stood now. Inside the shrine which still was there. Unable to understand what truly happened to her the last time she was here.

Yuriko sighed from exasperation, trying to work this strange puzzle that has taken over her thoughts, as she gazed at the floor, her brow now furrowed in thought. She knew what happened was nothing out of her imagination. It was real. Just… hard to understand. But… maybe that was the issue? Perhaps she was searching too hard for the answers. That if she just let things happened, maybe the answers would unveil themselves. After all, not all stories had the hero racing throughout the land searching for answers to such divine interventions. Some simply well… lived. And let things occur. And so perhaps… she should do that.

Upon coming to this revelation, Yuriko’s expression brightened, a wide smile forming and stretching across her features as ideas assembled together to form the simple plan, bringing in a new burst of hope for fantastical events to come. Yes! That’s it! She simply needed to carry on as normal! Follow her heart! Seek inside it as the voice had said! And right now her heart was saying that…

she should probably go back to the village.

She did sort of leave in such a hurry after dropping off the timber that she doubted Goya-san was exactly pleased with her at the moment.

Yuriko looked over her shoulder, seeing the path that lay before her and sighing, the waves of exhaustion finally hitting her at full force as her shoulders slumped and body seemed to hunch over. But as soon as she processed such tiredness, Yuriko found herself quick to attempt to deny it, shaking her head and straightening up her posture once again with a determined huff. She could do this. Just one more walk back. Nothing too bad!

With a bright smile, Yuriko briskly brushed the light layer of snowflakes that coated her kimono off, “preparing” herself for the journey as she turned around to face the view outside once again. She got briefly distracted by the red imprints on her palm, realizing how deeply she must have pressed her nails into her skin as she was running. Though the observation elicited a chuckle from her more than anything.

“Guess they’re sharper than I thought,” Yuriko remarked to herself, jokingly imagining using her nails as a weapon now. Only to find herself freezing up when she turned her attention to the view in front of her. Specifically, to the fact that she was not alone. Her expression shrunk from a smile to a wide-eyed look of surprise as she saw it or rather… him. A man, peeking around some of the vegetation around the shrine. He was obscured by the shadows so Yuriko could not view his features very clearly but one thing was for certain… he was there.

Excited curiosity instantly sparked inside of Yuriko like a match being lit as she gazed at him as though she had just spotted a shooting star, thoughts and questions running rampant in her head like a whirlwind.

“Um… Hello there sir!” Yuriko suddenly piped up, taking a step forward but not fully approaching, as if trying to confirm that the man before her was truly real before she made any other movements. Nonetheless, she still tried to seem friendly, a smile forming on her features once more as she made a small wave to him, her movements swift and brimming with the certain excited energy that filled her at the moment.​

 

[Pepsionne]

location

God’s Trial Shrine

role

The Shinigami

interacts

Stitches and Patchwork

牧暗黒 Maki Ankoku

Ankoku scratched his head as he searched through the perimeter of the shrine. His footsteps sounded with softened thumps in the cushiony layer of snow that coated the ground. He could have sworn he had seen a bright streak of color flitting around the shrine earlier and he refused to believe he had devolved far enough in mental clarity that he was now seeing things. Yet, his search til this point had left him with nothing. Maybe it was denial, maybe it was pride, regardless, he had become intent on proving what he saw to be true. He was now stalking outside in the perimeter, shuffling through the vegetation that grew there. The panicked yelp the man let out at hearing another voice strike the air felt like it had been ripped from his throat involuntarily. Ankoku gripped his chest in gasping fear as he turned to locate the source of the sound. Oh, it was just—a human.

His grey eyes lit up automatically as he took in her figure, pleasantly surprised at the person he saw before him. So he hadn’t imagined it after all, she was the one he had spotted earlier. The colors of her kimono were loud against the drab whites and greys that the shrine was encased in; a bold contrast even to Ankoku himself, who was dressed in nearly all black attire. Her rosy cheeks flushed with the warm color of life, eyes glittering with exercise as warm clouds misted away from every exhale. She stood out so starkly against the parts of winter he hated most. She simply looked—alive. The gentle step she had taken had even been full of sound and excitement, whatever she had strapped to her back contributing to the overall orchestra that were her movements.

Ankoku turned to look around after confirming the woman as the source of the sound, his instinctive reflexes commanding his train of thought to locate the addressee of her greeting next. Only—there was no one around, just the two of them. He turned back to look at the young woman who waited respectfully for a response, flinching at the friendly smile that adorned her face. It was as if she was saying, yes, you, silly.

The Shinigami’s mouth opened but no sound came out. He pointed one finger at his chest stupidly. “I-“ he started, expression frozen in shock. He whipped his gaze around the shrine in disbelief of what was unfolding around him. There really was no one else she could have been addressing, she really could see him. When he brought his eyes to settle over the woman once more, he tried again. “You—“ Ankoku’s dark brows furrowed heavily before a strike of clarity bolted through his system. An impish grin slid across his features, the god’s eyes becoming mischievous with amusement. “Why, you’ve done something pretty extraordinary, haven’t you?”

Ankoku moved closer to the woman, his footsteps a soft crunch in the snow. He draped his body languidly over one of the stone lanterns that adorned the perimeter of the shrine. “After all, it’s not everyday that an aspiring guardian is blessed by the presence of the great God of Wealth himself,” he winked. As soon as the bold declaration slipped from the Shinigami’s mouth, a crow cried loudly in one of the surrounding trees as if to mock him. Liar. Ankoku let out a soft tsk sound, his gaze narrowing in the direction of the bird. Didn’t they have a nest to build somewhere?

“I go by many names, some acceptable forms would be Kamisama, Kami-San, Great Lord Kami, His Benevolence, the Great and Honorable Kamisama,” he gestured with a rolling of his hand. “Anything along those lines, really, I applaud creativity.”

Ankoku rested his cheek in the crook of his hand, tilting his head sideways as he observed the young guardian before him. “And who, may I ask, has the honor of being in my presence?” He quirked a dark eyebrow at the woman, the expression on his features clearly showing his amusement. Any semblance of his groveling or bitter agony had been cast from his person, almost as if the events from earlier that morning hadn’t even happened.

coded by natasha.

 

[Sign]

scroll

Tengu God

Ukita

mood

entertained

outfit

navy-blue/white yukata w/ white robe

location

restaurant

interactions

Haruko, Megumi

tags

kakemha Cosmos

Ukita had his hands on the table, leaning on his right hand as he casually watched the man in front of him. A soft, spoken female voice could be heard behind Ukita, while the man continued to stare straight at the drunken men's stupid actions.
"Good morning! I'm Kamiyama Megumi, from the Kamiyama household. I'm here to pick up something on behalf of my parents"
Kamiyama household? There was a ring to the name, "Kamiyama" that made Ukita catch his attention as he turned his head around to look at the owner of the voice. Long, black silken hair caught Ukita's eyes, as her petite figure walked towards Ukita's way. The drunkards bragged about their "adventures" and how "rich" they were, enough to buy themselves gold and silver, taking out a silver pocket watch that glistened.

Occupied by braggarts, the female's voice began to sound like she was standing next to him, his eyes never wavering from the entertainment right in front of him. "Excuse me sir, but may I sit with you, there aren't any vacant tables available at the moment"

"Hm. Why does it sound like she was asking him a question, but then that couldn't be true. It's been ages since a human being could talk to a God, and for sure she wouldn't be talking to him...right?

He slowly turned his head to her, raising his right eyebrow with a perplexed expression on his face. "Nah, you can't be talking to me." He responded back to her, shrugging it off as he put his right elbow on the table. Leaning on his right palm, he continued to observe. "Still, it's not like I bite anyway, young lady. There's no one else sitting here."

All of a sudden, there was another voice that popped out of nowhere. At the least, he knew who this person was.

"Yaho!~" Haruko let out with a grin on her face. The kitsune was waving at him, trying to catch his attention while Ukita shook his head. Without a disregard to even ask him if the seat was occupied or not, she casually slipped down to a seat next to him and asked Ukita a bold question--- which was usual for her.

He shook his head, grinning at her while his eyes were never away from the drunken men in front of him this time. He pointed with his fingers, "Don't you see that there's entertainment bound to happen soon?" He replied. It was rather odd that the human female next to him spoke towards him, but maybe she was trying to speak to the drunken men? Maybe the superior was far different than their intentions.

"Say, Haruko." He added on, looking back at her. "Did you see that weird light that flashed earlier? Wasn't it an odd thing?" He added on, wondering what had happened.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[kakemha]

メガミ カミーヤマ

megumi kamiyama

location

tavern

tags

Sign Cosmos

Megumi took a seat at the man's approval, although she was surprised her his response to her question. It was quite rude to just dismiss her as she was clearly speaking to him. She would remark about his comment after she got settled. She sat in her seat and fixed the wisteria hair pin in her hair since she noticed that it was coming loose. But since it was the one thing holding her hair up in a bun, she would have to remove it, letting her hair flow down before she could fix it back up again. She took out a small pouch from her kimono and set it on the table. She opened it and if anyone looked inside it, they would see a small first aid kit, some hair pieces and pins, and a small comb. She removed the comb from within the pouch and placed it back in her kimono sleeve, after she closed it. As she was about to remove her pin, she looked down at her lap so she was able to reach her hair easier and her bandages wouldn't show.

As Megumi removed the wisteria hair pin, letting her long black hair flow around her face, she heard a female voice greeting the man sitting across from her, well she assumed she was. She took the comb and ran it through her hair, still without looking up. She was listening in on their conversation, but not interfering or inserting herself in that conversation. It wasn't until the man asked the question about a weird light. She had experienced it while she was cooking breakfast, but dismissed it since Megumi thought it was because she had just woken up a few minutes prior. But now she was second guessing that experience. She finished combing her hair and grabbed the wisteria pin in her left hand and grabbed all her hair in her right hand. While trying to put it up into a bun, she closed her eyes and responded to the man's question. "I experienced something like that earlier this day actually."

She looked up and opened her eyes as she was about to put the pin into her bun that her right hand was holding together, and what she saw shocked her. She let go of her hair and it flowed down her back once more and her wisteria pin fell to the floor as her jaw opened slightly. She saw a woman with a tail and white hair. Luckily, the tavern was quite busy that no one had noticed her shocked state. Megumi glanced at the man once more and something clicked in her brain. "You look like the Tengu god." She said in a shaky breath at the man and looked over at the woman again. "And you, look like the Kitsune." She said in the same manner. Before she could react again, one of the drunken had picked up her pin from the floor and placed his hand on her thigh. "Looks like you dropped something, Kamiyama." He said in a pretty slurred voice. Anyone that could see Megumi, saw that she was visibly uncomfortable but if anyone knew her personality, they would know she would be to scared or polite to say anything. She saw a server with her Dorayaki, she hoped he would do something about the drunken man beside her, or someone would help her.

code by @Nano