13th Scroll

[kirinofen]

[So after seeing Shouryuu for the April 1st curse and having his memories messed with during the last curse, Enki is feeling a strong pang of homesickness. Thus he's gone to Xanadu because it reminds him more of En. He's resting underneath the cherry blossom tree with Yokuhi, his nyokai.

And he's sound asleep beside her.]

[[open for action and

Comments

[foxfacades]

[Rao had, in spite of herself, become almost fond of Xanadu. It was similar enough to her own world that it reminded her of the future she had planned for it - and would return to carry out, dammit. She can see Enki from here, and Yokuhi too, and although the strange-looking creature surprises her, it doesn't frighten her. So she slowly approaches the nyokai, trying to appear nonthreatening.]

[kirinofen]

[The nyokai turns her head and gives the woman a curious look. She studies her for a moment as if trying to decide whether or not she's a threat. Then she smiles and touches Enki's shoulder. This wakes him up almost instantly.]

Huh...? Oh...

[foxfacades]

[Smiles calmly a short distance away, not wishing to crowd Yokuhi.]

Hello, Rokuta. I'm sorry if I've disturbed you.

[kirinofen]

[It takes him a moment to place who she is and when he does he smiles brightly.] Oh! Hi Rao! No, you didn't disturb me. I was just resting.

[foxfacades]

[Walks a little closer, looking at the cherry blossom tree almost nostalgically.]

I hope it was a good rest. You looked so peaceful, like you were dreaming of something special.

[kirinofen]

[He chuckles at that statement, following her gaze to the tree.]

I guess. I was dreaming about home... It was nice. [He sighs.] I'm feeling a little homesick.

[foxfacades]

[She catches a falling petal, cupping it in her hands gently.]

I know that feeling. This place reminds me of my world....we had these kinds of trees there too.

[kirinofen]

Really? So did we... We have a lot of them at Shadowlore Palace. [He leans back where he sits and rests against the tree's trunk.] They were nice to sleep in.

[foxfacades]

The cursed mist in my city made all of ours wither, but before that they were so beautiful. [She turns her back to him, hiding fists that ruthlessly crush the petal from view, her voice still calm.] Your palace sounds like a wonderful place.

[kirinofen]

Cursed mist...?

Ah... Yeah, it is. It didn't use to be, but thanks to the current king the kingdom has been peaceful and wealthy for five hundred years.

[foxfacades]

.....monsters conjured it to sap the city's inhabitants of their energy. They wanted to make the people easy targets for their evil.

Do people live so very long in your world?

[kirinofen]

[He frowns, looking very worried at the mention of people being harmed.] That's terrible! I hope you can find a way to get rid of it.

Only if their sennin. Kirin are mostly immortal and when the ruler accepts the pact, they become immortal as well. Other people can be made immortal by others with the sennin status. That isn't it say we aren't capable of being killed, though.

[foxfacades]

I was trying to protect the city with my holy powers, but it was difficult, very difficult....without the Fox Rods there's little hope. [She tears the petal into pieces and lets the wind carry them away.]

Is it especially difficult? Because I would assume that there would be some protection to go with immortality to keep the chosen from being assassinated like regular people.

[kirinofen]

[He tilts his head and catches sight of the torn pieces of the blossom floating away.] I see... Any chance you can find it?

Hm... I suppose it is. You have to use a certain type of weapon and kill them in a certain way. Being immortal means you'll live a long life without growing old, getting sick or dying from those things. It doesn't mean you won't still die, though.

[foxfacades]

A deity was kind enough to agree to help me search the ship that had held them as cargo when it sank, but then I was taken here. [Her shoulders slump for a moment, but then she seems to shake whatever it is off and turns around to smile unconvincingly at Rokuta again.] Just bad timing, I suppose.

To live without growing old......people used to think I was immortal because my "beauty" seemed to never fade. But actually having such a long lifespan sounds wonderful. I mean, think of all the good one could accomplish in all those years.

[kirinofen]

A deity, really? That's pretty lucky. With a deity helping you should have them in no time. When you get home, that is. [He feels a pang of sympathy for her saying that. He can understand exactly how she feels, especially right now. He returns the smile, trying to see cheerful for her sake.] Yeah, but don't worry. You'll work it out and everything will be okay.

[He chuckles at that and can't help thinking how Shouryuu would absolutely love this woman for... obvious reasons.] That's why rulers gain immortality. If they're good rulers, then they sit on the throne for a long time and the kingdom keeps prospering. In my world when there's no ruler, the kingdom suffers from youma attacks and natural disasters. So it's good to keep a ruler on the throne as long as possible.