[Open]

[kagenonadeshiko]

Who: Ayumu Yamazaki and you!
What: Returning from the dead
When: May 2 - 4
Warnings: Possible mentions of violence and death . Also adding a reminder that Ayumu won't remember meeting your character previously in game and may react to physical contact with violence.


A. May 2nd; early morning; Vesta's temple

[Ayumu opens her eyes to an unfamiliar room, her alarm lessening only slightly at the sight of folding screens and paper lanterns. She sits up in her futon, taking careful stock of her surroundings. Prior to her death, this bedroom had been her private sanctuary and now it's simply a location she's never seen before.

Confusing memories rise briefly to the front of her mind - sweeping on a veranda, crying in front of Toshi, and talking about the mission and other strange words Ayumu didn't understand very well outside context. It's all too puzzling to think about now, especially when she doesn't know where she is.

Had Masuya's men knocked her out and taken her to another location? Ayumu doesn't remember such an event happening but how else could she travel from her target's shop to somewhere else without noticing.

After listening first for the sound of her captors, Ayumu eases out of the futon, as nude as she'd been in Masuya's shop. She doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger so she looks around for a garment to wear. Once she finds a blue yukata, she slips into it and pads to the door, still listening for footsteps. Again, she doesn't hear anything so she proceeds out of the room but not before snatching a hairpin along the way. For now, she'll use it to put up her hair but should someone threaten her, she'll quickly turn it into a weapon instead.

Her footsteps are silent in the corridor. Any shinki coming out of their rooms or visitors to her temple might round a corner and get a sudden surprise.]



B. May 3rd; Takamagahara

[Once affairs at home are settled, Ayumu ventures outside the villa to explore her surroundings. It still looks unfamiliar to her and she finds it hard to believe that she's ever truly been here before. Some of the temples are beautiful, others are simply strange, but none of them stir up any memories. However, she does stop to admire some flowers outside one of the temples. What lovely little blooms.

Whether you're a forgotten friend or acquaintance who's been concerned about her disappearance or someone she hasn't met before, feel free to approach her.]



C. May 4th; the Near Shore

[The next day, Ayumu decides to visit the Near Shore. Just as she had the first time she'd come to this place, she's simply wandering around, studying the changes the modern age have brought to the country she'd left behind. Once again, Japan is a bizarre, alien place to her eyes with its Western architecture and oddly dressed residents. Curiously, none of the people passing her by seem to notice her though she does catch a couple of children staring in her direction now and then.

Finally, her path crosses with a stray cat. It's a thin, scruffy little thing with orange fur and big eyes, not much more than a kitten, really. Ayumu stops to kneel beside it, reaching out to stroke its fur. The poor little thing needs a bath, desperately, and probably a few solid meals.]

Oh, hello there, little one.

[The cat walks right up to her outstretched hand, rubbing its head against her palm and purring loudly. Someone's a little attention starved. Ayumu chuckles to herself and busies herself with petting the cat, seemingly oblivious to all else.]


D. Wildcard

[If you have an idea, feel free to ping or PM me!]

Comments

B!

[koukai_kirai]

[The last two days are a bit of a blur.]

[He can't remember much of the morning of the first, much of anything from before Leo called and all but confirmed the worst of the suspicions that he'd been trying to fend off since she fell off the map with no explanation. After that was a familiar feeling -- the turning in his stomach, the colors running out of the world, the chorus in his head of why didn't you do something, why weren't you there, you let this happen again...]

[For two days, he's been all over the Far Shore, chasing every scrap of a lead he can get about Axel's rampage -- trying to figure out where she was, trying to find something.]

[(Something to bury, maybe, but damn it, at least something. Can't he at least do that much for her?)]

[So it comes as a bit of a shock to him when, on his way out of his own shrine in the morning, he sees her walking up the path towards it.]

[He stops dead in his tracks, looking sleep-deprived, slightly more ruffled than usual... and very much like he's seeing a ghost. Again.]

...Ayumu?

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Until this moment, Ayumu had come to the conclusion that her memory of their conversation on the veranda had simply been an odd but very vivid dream. How else could she come to terms with an impossible conversation in a place she'd never been before? Yet here he is right before her eyes once more with that absurdly short haircut. Unless this, too, is a dream. None of this situation feels quite real to her, even after a day has passed.

Whatever that other memory's about, Ayumu's not one for heartfelt, emotional reunions so she simply looks at him, taking in his weariness with a critical eye, and points back the way Toshi came.]

Whatever it is can wait. You look like you're about to keel over. Back inside. You need rest.

[Her tone's as brisk, even a little bossy, but it's nothing no one back home hasn't heard. And she means it. Whatever mess is going on can be sorted out soon enough. Right now, she's more concerned about him looking like he's about to drop from exhaustion any minute now.]

[koukai_kirai]

[Oh, no. It's not going to be that easy for her right now. Hijikata marches right up to her, ignoring her gesture as completely as her spoken orders.]

Where in the Hell have you been the last few days? Your shinki had no idea where you'd gone, you didn't contact anyone, Souji's been worried sick...

[Yes. Souji has been fussing. Hijikata, obviously, has been perfectly fine and not at all too worried to rest or eat properly.]

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Such a vehement reaction actually gives Ayumu pause. She lowers her hand to her side and for a split second she looks softer, more vulnerable. When she speaks now, her voice is much quieter, clearly the one of a subordinate in the presence of her superior. So she simply shares what little information she's been able to gather.]

I don't know. I don't remember anything before waking up yesterday morning. Before that, I was standing in Masuya's shop. You're the first person I've seen that I recognize. Others seem to have met me before. I don't understand it.

[Despite her words, her demeanor is perfectly calm, disciplined, as if she was simply giving one of her reports.]

I don't know this place and I thought you were a dream until now. So Souji is here...

[She frowns a bit, clearly puzzled. He'd said as much before.]

[spes_phthisica]

[Souji has made a habit of wandering around Takamagahara, in between meeting friends and doing duties at the temple, simply because he enjoys exploring the other temples and the gardens surrounding them. He knows his God can reach him, should he need him, and it's probably good to get acquainted with more people around the place.

But... there is something a lot more listless about the way he wanders around, stopping every now and again to stare at something or other, as if he's forgotten where he's going. Of course he'd found out what happened too, it wasn't as if Hijikata was going to keep it a secret from him - and he couldn't have, anyway, with the way he'd been fretting. He's been acting as if it's all his fault, somehow, and Souji isn't sure how to make him see that it isn't. As much as possible, he'd tried to tone down his own grief, frustration, his regrets, because he doesn't want Hijikata to think that's his fault too.

But that doesn't mean that they're not there, or that when he suddenly catches a glimpse of Ayumu, it doesn't knock all the air out of him. He doesn't wait until he can call out to her, doesn't question her presence, doesn't even hesitate. Instead he's running as fast as he can, all but throwing himself at her and wrapping his arms around her as if he's afraid to let her go.]

...Ayunee-sama. [It's a bit muffled against her clothes, and sounds more like a whimper than an actual word.]

[kagenonadeshiko]

[And just as he doesn't question her presence, Ayumu doesn't question his embrace. She simply wraps her arms around him in return, holding him close in a way that wouldn't be out of place with a younger sibling or her own son. She strokes his hair soothingly, pressing a soft, motherly kiss to his temple as if it's the most natural thing for her do in the world.

So much has been confusing her the past couple of days but this, this doesn't. This is a familiar comfort. She just stands there, letting him cling to her and pets his hair, without the slightest care of who might see. Ayumu owes him that much.]

Souji, I'm sorry I went away. It won't happen again, 'kay?

[She's left him twice already and she's determined to not let it happen a third time.]

[spes_phthisica]

[If he'd had his memories, perhaps this would feel more strange, because the parameters they acted within had out of necessity been different back home, for so many reasons. But without any memory of that, all Souji knows is how to act on his impulses, on how he feels, and Ayumu had quickly become a fixed and steady point in a world that is still new and overwhelming to him. She's a safe space, a source of kindness and affection, but also of unwavering strength - and she's important to the person he cares about the most, too.

Speaking of... He finally looks up, a red mark on his cheek from where it's rubbed against her clothes, blinking just a little too fast.]

Have you seen Hijikata-san? [He doesn't even notice his slip there.] He's been so scared for you ever since you went away. He's not sleeping or eating properly, and I worry about him. [That's as close to reproach as she'll get from him. Mostly he's just genuinely concerned.]

C~

[noli_oblivisci]

[Psyche's boots clapped lightly against the pavement as she glanced around for a speck of orange fur.

[She'd seen the cat a bit earlier. It had beautiful colouring but, even at a distance, Psyche could tell it didn't look like it'd been in the best shape. As she'd approached, however, it'd run off through a fence. After rounding the corner and checking the streetway, a small, genuine smile crossed her face as she spotted its tail, and she started calling out to the cat...and then she blinked as she saw the woman who was with the cat. The woman was dressed differently from the last time they met but Psyche knew her face. The spark of recognition was clear in Psyche's eyes as she said]

Oh-hey. It's been a while.

[kagenonadeshiko]

[The woman's footsteps are easy to detect and Ayumu glances up curiously at the newcomer. Aside from her gaze lingering on the woman's lovely red hair, Ayumu's expression is blandly polite, as it'd be with any non-threatening stranger that approached her on the street.

It's clear that the redhead recognizes her so they must have met before. Had they been friends? Acquaintances? Enemies seems unlikely given the way she's smiling. Even so, Ayumu's unwilling to reveal the state of her memory just yet, not until she has a clearer idea of what their relationship had been.]

Oh, hello. I suppose it has been. How are you?

[noli_oblivisci]

Not horrible, I guess? Things have been...eventful, but that seems to be the standard with this place.

[Between the normal ayakashi problems, the rogue god, and the fiery ayakashi recently. She was getting used to the idea of that, though, between other things. Such as, the fact animals were among the living beings that actually see them. The cat eyed her a bit warily, pressing closer into Yumi's touch, and Psyche felt a stab of self-consciousness. She slowly knelt down anyway, trying to look non-threatening, as she said]

He seems to like you a lot. Is he yours?

B

[minogame]

( Urashima spends a lot of time wandering around Takamagahara. He's a directionless shinki these days ever since his god left. Not that he minds because he's met a lot of really kind and good people in the Far Shore since. But he's never seen Ayumu before and he watches curiously for a moment to see what it is she's looking at. Oh, the flowers...? )

They're really pretty, aren't they?

[kagenonadeshiko]

They are! I wonder what kind they are.

[She turns to the boy with a cheerful smile.]

Beautiful day, isn't it? The weather's so nice today!

[minogame]

Hmm... I don't know.

( He's a sword spirit, not a nature spirit! But they really are pretty. )

It's really nice today, though! ( That much he does know. ) ... Is this your temple?

C

[theunluckygirl]

[Taking a foray into the near shore was an Experience, that's for sure. Being a shinki meant she didn't know when or where she was from, but given her general bewilderment at everything so modern, she had to conclude that she hadn't a clue what these things were when she was alive either.

But she can't dwell on that idea, of course, and instead sticks to trying to orient herself with the strange new land. She sticks out like a sore thumb with her own old-fashioned dress, western features, and blonde hair, but it's a little comforting to know she's almost literally invisible.

She's noticed the kitten hanging around and after a few minutes spent observing, Jennifer went to the nearest store to grab a can of tuna (was tuna good for cats? She had no idea, but it as fish and something was better than nothing so??). It had taken a little more workthan she would've liked to get someone's attention to help her get what she needed, and to get the tuna can open, but when she returns she's surprised to see someone else with the cat.

She stands there awkwardly, tuna can, little cup, and water bottle held clumsily in her hands and wonders what to do.]

U-um...? Excuse me, miss...? [She didn't want to be rude and interrupt, but...]

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Ayumu looks up from the cat, a little surprised at being noticed. For a second, it's hard not to stare at the girl. She hasn't seen very many Westerners in her life and this girl clearly isn't Japanese. Nor do her clothes look like anything she's seen people wearing. After a moment, she notices what she's holding then smiles with dawning understanding.]

Oh, hello! Is this your cat?

[It's more to strike up conversation than anything. Ayumu's pretty sure the cat's a stray with no one to take care of him.]

[theunluckygirl]

[Ayumu seems friendly enough, and Jennifer relaxes somewhat at the greeting, offering a small smile of her own in return.]

Oh, no, but... [She hesitates, looking at the things in her arms like she's not sure if she should be embarrassed or not.] I couldn't leave it alone, so... Is it not yours' either?

[Jennifer moves to the other side of the kitten, crouching down to place the can down. The kitten seems to abandon everything in favor of food and she can't help but laugh a little.] He must have been so hungry. Poor thing.

B!

[okitactless]

[He'd learned about her death secondhand.

It stirs up mixed feelings within him, to know that he'd spent weeks by her side, and yet he hadn't been there at the most crucial of moments. But-- he's not hers anymore, and by his own admission, he never truly felt like he was. He could've been with her as a friend, but that would've meant leaving his god's side, and with so many factors and variables floating around, it's difficult to figure out how he feels about it.

He's heard about the memory loss, too, and that's even more disconcerting. How is he supposed to act around her, knowing she won't remember any of the struggles they'd faced together, that even if he'd burst in screaming "I told you so!" about nora, she wouldn't understand him?

Well. He can still check in on her. And just like with Otegine, he can still tell her they were once friends. And if he thanks her for everything she did for him... maybe he won't have to go into the hard details.

He brings a plate of mochi when he stops by, dyed pink and decorated with little flowers on top. His sword his by his side, as it always his, and the haori remains around his shoulders, but his hair down, mostly because it's easier to hide his face if need be.]

Ayumu-san? [He makes sure not to startle her when he approaches, calling out well before he gets too close.] Are you busy?

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Ayumu turns to greet him, eyes widening slightly at the sight of him. There's that familiar haori and it's a relief to see it once again, if a bit surprising considering what Toshi had told her about having to change the uniforms. There's no immediate flash of recognition but she smiles at him cheerfully enough. How can she not? The resemblance to Souji is remarkable and as much as she tried to keep it under wraps in their world, she's always had a soft spot for him.]

Oh, hello. Ah, no, I'm not too busy. Just enjoying the fresh air.

[Her eyes shift to the plate of mochi with critical interest. She eyes them rather intently, much like a teacher grading a student's work. The color is a bit odd but not unpleasant and the flowers are a nice touch. All in all, the mochi had nice presentation.]

How are you...?

[She trails off a little, not quite sure what his name is. Ayumu assumes they'd known each other before. If she'd been alone in this place for months, she would have definitely been drawn to that haori. Assuming he wasn't a new arrival.]

[okitactless]

Yamato no Kami Yasusada. [He plops down to his knees to set the plate down and offer her a bow. It's a little too deep for just a greeting--or maybe that's just apology written into the lines of his body, the hints of nervousness and sorrow in his bright eyes when he looks at her again.] I'm, um, Commander-kun's shinki. Mórrígan-sama's.

[Not once has he ever hesitated to declare that, even when he fought with Axel and insisted that he, too, served Ayumu. His uncertainty right now is extremely telling--or it would've been, had she possessed her memories.]

I'm glad you're safe and here again, Ayumu-san. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner.

A!

[gekkodaze]

[ It's quick, when Satoshi comes out of his room. He was going to spend the day and look for Ayumu, which is why he wanted to get up early. He couldn't change without her...But when he left his room, there she was. He blinked slowly before exclaiming loudly and hugging her. ]

Ayumu! You're home!

[kagenonadeshiko]

[And before she can get more than a few paces from the bedroom, Ayumu is suddenly hugged by an unfamiliar child. Had it been someone taller and older, they may have go gotten a broken arm for their trouble. But since it's someone so young, Ayumu's able to relax her guard ever so slightly.]

I am? Why do you say that?

[It's so rare to hear her sound so hesitant and uncertain. There's no flash of recognition in her eyes when she looks at him, only troubled concern. Masuya's stronghold is no place for a child, especially one who appears to be an ordinary boy. His clothing might be strange to her eyes, but children are children.]

What is this place?

[gekkodaze]

It's your temple! You're Vesta! A god! [ Satoshi pulled back and tilted his head. ]

You were gone for awhile and I was looking for you every day...it was really hard, especially since I couldn't transform into my other form.

A

[fingerbangs]

[Yusuke's a heavy sleeper, but it loses some of its enjoyment when it's not something he actually needs. Plus, he still feels kind of responsible for the kid since Ayumu still hasn't made an appearance. What a welcome to the life of a shinki for him.

But still, he figures he can make somewhat edible food so he stumbles out of his room, yawning wide enough that his eyes close and stretching. Though he's not expecting to see Ayumu when he opens his eyes.]

Huh.

[The words of the truly observant there.]

When you'd get back?

[kagenonadeshiko]

[The boy looks to be younger than her but he's certainly old enough to walk the warrior's path. He doesn't appear to be an immediate threat but it's better not to let down her guard. Lulling opponents into a false sense of security before moving against them is a useful strategy, and she's not falling for the same trick twice.

Even so, it's better to play along in hopes of getting more information about her whereabouts.]

Last night.

[That's all she offers for now. To wake up in a strange futon, she must have been placed there sometime during the night.]

[fingerbangs]

[He scratches his back before turning away from her to head to the kitchen. He doesn't notice anything off or weird with her words or actions. And, you know, he hasn't had any reason to view her as any sort of threat to him. Just his nice benefactor.]

Weird. You must've been quiet when you snuck back in. You should really check in with the brat. He was worried about what happened to you.