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[ghost_bait]

After Lirath, Miku had tried her best to keep from being too far underfoot. So, she'd retreated to the Meiji Shrine. Sitting on the steps, and turning her hairpin in her hands, an abandoned broom at her side, Miku tried to think of ways to be more useful. She even had prayed a bit, but it seemed as if the Emperor and Empress were concerned with

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[carrieswar]

Jr. made his way through the city. A small bundle of clothes were draped over one arm that was held up next to his ribs, a set of guns (different from the two holstered at his sides) resting atop of them, giving the obvious impression that he was going somewhere for a while. He held his omnicomm in his hands in a great balancing act against the items he held, starting to type something out.

But he wouldn't finish typing whatever it was he was typing when he spotted the shrine out of the corner of his eye. Slowly lowering the omnicomm, he stared for a moment before deciding to get a closer look. Was this a legit Japanese shrine, or one of the many replicas on planets across the star systems? Spotting Miku working away, he was at least glad there was someone there to ask about it.

[ghost_bait]

Miku stopped sweeping for a moment and turned to watch Jr.'s procession up the steps to the temple complex. The red hair had thrown her off, but the size of the person coming up the stairs was too small to be Steve. When he arrived she bowed politely, "Hello."

[carrieswar]

"Hey," he greeted with a wave of his free hand and a smile. "I don't think we've properly met yet." After all, he didn't want to just wander around checking things out and asking questions without an actual introduction. "I'm Gaignun Jr."

[ghost_bait]

Miku kept herself bowed as she introduced herself, "I am Miku Hinasaki. It's very nice to meet you." She straightened. "What brings you here? Are you Japanese, too?"

[carrieswar]

"You, too!"

Jr. shook his head lightly, and then a slower, longer look around as he spoke. "I'm not, but I was just passing by." He gave a very gentle move of his occupied arm to emphasize. "Moving. But this place looks really nice! Is it from your home...?"

[ghost_bait]

"It's from Japan, but I don't know if it's specifically from my Earth's Japan," Miku explained. Though, she reasoned, perhaps there would be many more horrible things happening around the shrine if it were indeed from her Japan.

"Whenever I explain it like that, it's confusing. So, I suppose the shorter answer is "I don't know."" Miku laughed gently, and held her broom closer. "Why are you moving down to the City?" After months of being on the ship, Miku was finally used to the way her bed kind of pulsed, or how her plantsuit throbbed minutely.

[carrieswar]

Jr. laughed with her. "Nah, I get what you mean! Being here for a while, you kind of get used to the whole 'but my universe doesn't have that!' thing. Is it really from Japan Japan, though?" Actual structures from Lost Jerusalem were things Jr. had never seen with his own eyes. Items, artifacts and things people could actually take from planet he could get his hands on through auctions, but not buildings.

"I got invited by a friend of mine," he added after the eager questions of Earth-related things. "And to be honest, the idea of having an actual room again sounds more than nice!"

[ghost_bait]

Miku looked back at the complex and nodded, "Yes, it definitely is. I don't go into the special areas though - I'm not a priestess - but I definitely feel at peace here." At least, she had recognized anything on it that spoke of ALIEN JAPANS anywhere in the areas she'd cleaned.

"I guess you're right about the rooms," she agreed. "But I've gotten used to my little room now. Even if it is alive. It's about the same size as my room where I used to live." She was a simple creature with simple needs, after all.

[carrieswar]

"Awesome! I've never really seen any genuine buildings from Earth before..." he had grown semi-used to using that name instead of Lost Jerusalem, mainly to skip the questions that seemed to always arise when he did - the name did sound somewhat ominous if one thought about it. "Especially legit shrines from Japan! I wonder which one it is... it's hard to tell when you're actually at it compared to pictures."

Jr. shifted slightly, adjusting the pile of stuff in his arms. "Yeah, I was getting use to it too. I can't say I've been used to confined spaces over recent years, so I guess I've also been self-spoiled a bit before coming here. Heheh."

[ghost_bait]

"It's the Meiji Shrine," Miku explained. "Emperor Meiji and his wife did many things for the Japanese people during the Restoration." And her family had always sort of supported that era as the best.

"I'm sorry, that sounds really boring." Miku pointed to the other buildings in the temple complex, "I've been here before, so that's how I know."

[carrieswar]

"Boring? No way!" Jr. grinned widely. "I've read about that shrine before! If this is really it ... oh man. Nobody'd ever believe me back home."

He turned his gaze back to Miku. And her broom. "Do you work here usually?"

[ghost_bait]

She shook her head, "No, usually, I'm the Head of the Magical Department's assistant. This I do because it makes me happy."

[carrieswar]

"Ah, I get what you mean. I mean, I like Security and all, but it's more a job than a hobby or something that can help me relax. But the Magical Department's still cool - so you can do that kind of thing?"

[ghost_bait]

"Sort of," Miku said, trying to think of how to word it easily. "I'm not really magical, though. I can just see into the past of people and things, mostly. And exorcise ghosts. So, generally useless things." She smiled. "Cargn-sensei-- That is, Brother Cargn, is teaching me to use my abilities more effectively, but it's slow-going."

[carrieswar]

"Into ... the past?" That was both interesting, and unsettling - mainly because even though Jr.'s past always had a way of coming up and dancing around for everybody to see, he tended to really not prefer to broadcast it. "Sounds like a kind of psychic-supernatural thing going on. I wouldn't call abilities like that useless, though." A small pause. "Annoying sometimes, maybe."

[ghost_bait]

Miku nodded, "It is. I've gotten much better, though! It used to be very hard for me to not hear things that other people couldn't, or see them. Now it is a bit like putting on blinders and earplugs, though I know I can remove them if I want to." Though it was easier now to explain what she could do, there was a little hint of trepidation in her voice, left over from long, long years of hiding it as best as she could.

"Maybe some day I'll be useful, but not right now. People don't really need spirit mediums."