Active [Taeko - The Republic] The Aftermath

[Maxxob]

​

The small village of Taeko, nestled in the eastern reaches of The Republic and precariously close to the contested border with the East Empire, lay beneath the gentle wash of twilight, its thatched roofs and narrow, winding paths wrapped in the soft glow of lanterns. It was a humble village, a place where the earth’s bounty and the toil of its beastkin inhabitants kept life simple, though often challenging. The architecture was modest yet charming, with wooden structures adorned by paper lanterns and bamboo fences. In this hour of celebration, Taeko’s typically quiet air was broken by the joyful voices and laughter of villagers who finally felt a fleeting peace.

A makeshift feast had been laid out, no grand banquet but an earnest display of hospitality: rice balls and fresh vegetables. The low but spirited notes of a bamboo flute added a lilting melody to the air as families and friends reunited, emotions spilling freely in embraces and tears. For now, fear had subsided, and hope had kindled in the hearts of Taeko’s people.

Yoshiro

​

At the edge of the gathering stood Yoshiro, the village elder. A wise, elderly goat beastkin with a thick gray beard and weary eyes, Yoshiro watched the joyous reunions with a warm, quiet smile. His hands rested on his simple wooden cane, scarred and knotted from years of hard use, while his bent back and wrinkled face told tales of decades spent enduring and leading. Tonight, however, the perpetual furrow of worry in his brow had softened, replaced by a rare glint of peace.

Yui
​

From the strange, metallic vehicle—the “car” the villagers still whispered about with a mix of curiosity and apprehension—Yui, a young wolf girl with bright amber eyes, bounded out. She spotted her parents instantly: a broad-shouldered wolf beastkin man with graying fur at his temples and a slender woman with soft, silver hair and kind eyes. For a heartbeat, they simply looked at each other across the short distance, as though needing to confirm it was real. Then Yui bolted forward, leaping into her mother’s arms, the force of her embrace nearly knocking the woman over.

The three of them held each other tightly, as if fearful that loosening their grasp would dissolve their reunion into a cruel dream. Yui buried her face in her mother’s shoulder, her small frame shuddering with the quiet sobs of relief. Her father, who was usually so stoic, brushed his large hand over her head, his own eyes gleaming with unshed tears. He exchanged a look with his wife, one that spoke of gratitude, love, and a promise to never let go again.

Around them, villagers paused to watch, their own eyes misting with shared joy. There was a collective understanding here—a bond deepened by the shared loss and hardship they had all experienced. Tonight, under the watchful stars and lanterns swaying in the breeze, Taeko was a place of healing and celebration.

 

[Gwen_Temi]

Minashigo no Ōkami

​

Taeko almost seemed like a different village upon their triumphant return.

The captives had been returned to their homes and The Archbishop's staff was nestled safely in the back of Vincent's car. Decorations hung all throughout the streets. Music filled the air. The scent of fresh food filled her nostrils, though The Wolf did find herself lamenting the lack of meat. Still, the words that she'd shared with the others lingered in the back of her mind, even now.

"There is still much to be done here..." Okami said to the others as she surveyed the area. They already knew her thoughts on the current state of the village. No need to repeat herself, "But I don't see how one night of celebration will hurt anything. Besides..."

The whole scene made her smile. Elder Yoshiro seemed at peace. Families held each other; just happy to see absent faces once again. Some were dancing. Others would feast. Children were wrestling in the streets. There were-

"You're a cheater! A filthy cheater!"

The Ronin's sights flickered over towards the sound of the voice. A bunch of beastkin, men and woman alike, gathered around a table playing cards. One, what appeared to be a chicken-man, was rather upset about an unfortunate round; standing and leaning over the table as he shouted. His attention seemed to be focused on a pig-man who'd taken up a defensive posture despite a lingering smirk on his face. The rest of the table seemed to find amusement in the engagement; smiling and snickering to themselves as they turned away from the chicken in some feeble attempt to conceal the humor they derived from his pain.

"What?" the pig replied.

"No, don't sit there and act like you didn't just pull a card out of your sleeve."

"Now, when would I have done that?"

"When you saw that you had a losing hand!"

"I didn't cheat, Marty!"

"Yes, you did!"

"Well, then why did no one else see me slip this card?"

"Y'all saw him cheating, right?"

The struggle of the bystanders intensified tenfold. Smiles stretched from ear to ear. Snickers grew louder. Many fought with all their might to contain a thunderous laughter that might've drawn the wrath of the vengeful cock in their direction.

"You guys did see him cheating, right?"

...

"Um, n-no?"

"No."

"Not really."

"I... didn't really see-"

"Oh, the hell with you people. You know, I'm starting to think-"

Okami's attention began to drift away from the group until she met eyes with one of the beastmen sitting opposite the chicken at the table.. A bull-man waving her down with a huge bottle of sake in one hand and an open seat between them. With one leg, he pushed the seat out from under the table, then gestured for her to come sit. After a moment of hesitation, she shrugged her shoulders.

"We can plan for the future of Taeko in the morning. Don't hesitate to come and get me if you need me. But, in the meantime," she said to the group as she made her way over to the vacant seat, "There's no better way to honor the locals than to enjoy the festivities that they've arranged for us, is there?"

 

[NachoGod]

Hezekiah Gale
​

As he walked Hezekiah grumbled under his breath. He Had only been up about an hour and a half and was still feeling last nights hangover as he began to see the village of Taeko peek up over the horizon. “At least that old hustlers directions were accurate.” He would complain as he took another glance at the contract in his hand. In short…it had signed his services to some rebel leader or something by the name of Yukan. His signature was right there at the bottom just above the man who wrote it up, Mr.Gensai.

After about another ten minutes or so of walking Hezekiah would reach the edge of the town and would immediately notice the festive atmosphere. “Some kind of celebration huh?” He would mumble as he wandered a bit further into the town. Scanning the crowds looking for the beast man who he would be working for, all he had was a picture that he saw just the one tim but that was sufficient. For better or worse Hezekiah was unable to forget a face…even if he wanted too.

Having no real leads yet and not spotting this Yukan immediately Hezekiah would decide perhaps a drink or two would help, at least it would help his morning headache for the time being. Who knows maybe he would find someone who knew the person he needed to find. So he meandered towards the local tavern, walking past a table where a bunch of people were playing cards…tempting as it was, Hezekiah barely had enough coin for the drink he knew he didn’t have the coin for a game of cards. So he walked on past the table and to the nearby booth with a simple “excuse me” to a few folks in the crowd before making it to the booth and asking “You got anything to drink? Something a bit strong.”

 

[Karcen]

Katja Galinka
languages: common

​

Katja was just pleased to watch the villagers be reunited and be happy. They had come through a dark period, but what was the lesson they might take from it? That they needed to be stronger? That violence solved their problems? That outsiders were dangerous? Katja did not know and part of her was saddened that likely peace was not in any lesson the village would learn. The idea that her actions might have made the world an ever so slightly harsher place was saddning. She wished for a kinder gentler world for everyone. Well for now a greater foe had been sent away at a minor cost of perhaps making this place less peaceful.

Katha did wonder why she had been sent here, why this world when hers was in so much need. She could only trust it was God's plan, that she would one day find the reason. Right now as she had told Yukan she was just a wanderer just doing as she felt was right. Right now in the present Katja has another diffrent worry, her clothes were destroyed. Well not destroyed, but soaked with now stiff and somehow still sticky blood. She also had a massive hole though it right over her stomach. She could celebrate but well she was honestly not one for parties and the discomfort from the blood woukd only get worse.

" Elder I am sorry to ask but where does the village do their laundry. I need to wash my habit? " she asked the elderly goat. She needed to either wash her clothes or get new ones before she couId do anything else.

 

[Maverick Six]

Vincent
Interaction: Maxxob @Spoiled Bread
Equipped Titles: Human [Mundane], Novice Tinkerer, Novice Blacksmith, Isekai, Mechanic
Language Key: Common | %Analog% |

"Let's go, Vince. Show us your drifting skill."

"Buckle Up." A hand reached across Yui. And he placed a seatbelt her form with a subtle click. The cigarette in his mouth was stuffed in an ash tray. Rolling down a window, Vince flicked his cigarette out of the car. After all, there was a kid here. It was then tossed out. The car moved ahead of the group ever so slightly before pedal was put to metal.

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

A plume of dust was kicked up in the air before Vince, Rei and Yui would momentarily disappear. The sound of his car would become more and more distant as his vehicle picked up speed away from the group, careening down the dirt path without ever tiring. Both Yui and Vince would feel themselves pressed into Vince's seat. Rei in the open trunk, would feel the scepter up against her tail, her body blocking it and everything else mostly from falling out. Thankfully, he didn't bring much for this trip. He was expecting to ferry the wounded or to ferry corpses. But there none of such people to ferry. Despite the victory today, he knew that wasn't always the case


Coming up on a turn, Vince began to turn....before shifting the wheel abruptly in the other direction. Weight was directed to the front of the car. The vehicle began span and pivoted, tearing up dirt. With the hand break up, he began to slid around the corner and steering all the while.

SKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Lacking the familiar sound of asphalt, the car only kicked up dirt along the path -- tire tracks forming along the road as if to say "Vince was here." Soon however, the handbrake was released. And he went along the straight of the path and towards the village.

Vince's approach was as loud as when he first appeared the village that day. This time however, he wasn't really alone. Yoshiro was probably going to be one of the first to see Vince appearing in his metal carriage before coming to a halt. He reached to unbuckle Yui -- reached over to the door and simply...let her go. The car would open and soon Yui would fly out to her mom and pop.

A small smile appeared on Vince's face. He could have gone over to say something, but chose not to. Felt a bit wrong to do so. "Man, barely even know these people and hardly feels real." He says. It was a strange feeling for it to go so smoothly. There was still a lot to do but even this small victory was going to be something he'd remembered.

Given his past, he was all too accustomed to finding hostages who were worse for ware -- abused at the hands of monsters who saw them as nothing more than replenishable blood dolls, toys and sometimes who saw fit to turn them into mind-fucked versions of themselves. Yet it would be here that he would feel like...a hero? Like something out of a story book. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if he was in one.

As he got out the car, he crossed his arms and stared on taking a moment to watch. He saw no need interrupt. No need to introduce himself. No need for a thank you. The sight of them had been enough. Let the kid have her fun and spend some quality time with her family. He was off to go do things that weren't really in her place.

The festivities began not too soon after. The car had been put away. And a now a fresh cigarette had taken the place off the one he'd disposed of in the beginning. On Vincent's exhausted mind was one thing and it wasn't for kids: Drink. He'd thought about tapping into the bottle of Hennesy he kept tucked away in his car. But it felt wrong when he was in a foreign land. Whenever it was he left the Republic, he had no idea when he was going to tap into it's food and drink again.

The food made him think he was going to be eating real lean. It looked like he was going on a diet. Yet having skipped every meal, he began to gorge himself on as much rice, vegetables and soy sauce as he could, with a side of Miso soup and finally....drink.

"Don't mind if I do." He said simply to Okami -- he wasn't specific about wanting to be followed or to be alone. Though he appeared he wanted a whole bottle for himself pawning some of the local BeastYen currency off for it. While Vince might have been able to get some for free, the Beast man was all too happy to sell it.

"Sake right?" He takes a bottle and pour himself a club, offering a few Rykes in exchange.

"Ya know." Vince leaned close to one beastman. Yet he started speaking obnoxiously loudly, almost as though to assuredly. "You know, something tells me your elder ain't been braggin' enough." He says, as he takes a drink, loosening up more and more by the second. "That thing appeared outta thin air right before. Then it started raising his hand and chanting to do something to him. No doubt to take him away. Or worse. Yet -- there he was looking the creature straight in the eye. Sure we took it out. But we were hiding in the trees and shit. Him? Oh, he was standing out in the open, mean mugging the thing. Can't say I've ever seen much braver than that." The tale was rattled off to the beastman to make something of an urban myth. He snickered at the thought that it might spread and how it might twist as different mouths told it. But part of him wanted to toast to the old goat himself.

He looked left and right, wondering where that old goat was, as well as a bit of the group in general. Okami seemed to hang out with the gamblers. Katja appeared to not be the most well suited for parties. Go figure. He wouldn't be surprised if some others turned in. It'd been a long day and a long night. And for him, it'd be only longer -- as he found himself in the thick of festivities with one question in mind.

Where is everyone?