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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!]

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[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?

[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.]

[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.]

[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.]

Edited 2016-10-06 05:55 (UTC)

[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.]

[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.]

[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.]

[Ayumu's so used to hearing that name from Souji's lips, it doesn't strike her the least bit out of the ordinary. For a second, her mouth quirks up slightly in amusement. Oh, Souji worried himself sick? It's exactly as she'd suspected. Toshi's been running himself ragged again.

She smiles down at him.]

Don't worry. We've already spoken and he knows I'm here. I'm sure you've been doing the best you can for him.

[It's always seemed that way to her for as long as she's known Souji.]

He's very lucky to have you looking out for him!

[Souji nods, for a moment not quite able to speak past the lump in his throat. He'd tried, he really had, to make things better for Hijikata, to soothe his feelings at least somewhat. But while he definitely has an instinct for it, he doesn't have the experience and the knowledge he'd had the first time this happened - doesn't know that this isn't the first time. So he can't tell for sure what it is about this that haunts Hijikata so deeply, and it's hard to save someone from something when you don't know what it is.]

Good. I'm glad. He really cares about you so much, and I think... I think he blamed himself, and I didn't know what to- [No, this isn't about him.] I'm glad you're safe. I care about you too.

[Although it doesn't really answer the question of what had happened, not really. He frowns, and then asks:] Where did you go?

[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.

[Embracing her would be a little too much. She's not the type to react well to that sort of affection, and he's not close to her in the same personal sort of way as he is to Kondou, or Ichimura, or Souji.]

[Still, he reaches his hands out for her shoulders, needing for a moment to just... feel, if she'll let him, that she's there, safe and sound and in one piece.]

You were here for months before I arrived. You don't remember any of that?

[That's... an unfortunate loss of whatever intelligence she'd gathered, but honestly, he'll be grumpy about that later. Right now, looking after her is more important.]

...Come inside and sit down. We don't have to talk in the middle of the street.

[She does let him. It's grounding and comforting. Maybe they aren't close but he's all she remembers of this place and to her knowledge, a day ago she'd been trapped behind enemy lines. For all Ayumu knows for certain at this moment, this place, too, could be enemy territory. So when he invites her inside, she simply nods in agreement.]

Masuya is.. gone, right? And his men... I remember us speaking about it but that's all. And your hair, it's because of the uniforms? They changed.

[It's unusual to hear her sound so young and uncertain but he's her commander, if she can't lower her guard with her comrades, even just a little, then there's no one she can trust.]

[It's startling, seeing her so... lost. He's sure that she could fake a state like this easily, sure that she has to get men to pity her and let down their defenses, and equally sure that she wouldn't to him. If anything, if he were in her place, he imagines he'd do his best not to show much in the way of emotion in front of him...]

[But it makes sense to be shaken up, if she really does feel as if she came straight here from Masuya's. As he did before, he reacts to the man's name -- but this time, he skips over most of the anger, his expression softening slightly as he squeezes her shoulder a little.]

He's gone. I dealt with him personally.

[He turns, beginning to lead her into the shrine -- past the wooden torii, past the empty stables and yabusame grounds and main shrine building, up into the gardens and towards the residential buildings and dojo.]

And that's right. It was about four years after what you'd remember.

I'm not sure. It seems I've forgotten some things, including where I went and why. But I'm sure it wasn't your fault or Hijikata-san's.

[Another gentle stroke of his hair. She truly can't fathom a situation in which either of them could be blamed. It's obvious to her that neither of them had any part in whatever it was that had happen from the way they both reacted to her disappearance. Not that she would have suspected them, anyway.]

I care about you, too, Souji. Both of you and I'm glad to see you both as well as can be expected.

[Unknown to either of them, the first time Ayumu had found herself in this place, she had locked down her true feelings and kept them hidden. But now, she simply follows Toshi, allowing him to lead her to safety. If there's any sort of safety to be found in this place, she doesn't doubt it'd be with him.]

Kyoto was saved. I remember you telling me that.

[After a moment, she asks, glancing around at her surroundings.]

Toshi, is this your home?

That's right.

[He glances back at her as he leads her through the garden, and offers up a small, tired, perhaps slightly self-deprecating smile.]

And it is. The shrine of Hachiman.

[It's still strange to think about, but... it's not a bad role for him, all things considered. A bit larger than life, perhaps, but not really all that different from what he's always aspired to be.]

There's the shrine building, there's the one where Souji and I are living, and the one past that one is a dojo. It's a little bit much space for just the two of us, but I shouldn't complain about that too much.

It's nice here. Hachiman suits you.

[It is a big place just for the two of them. The temple she'd woken up in had seemed big, too, but it's not nearly this large. It certainly looks a good deal more comfortable here, too. Ayumu can only imagine that she must have been desperate for familiarity before to try so hard to redecorate a Western building in a traditional Japanese style.]

Is it hard to keep clean?

[It looks like an awful lot of work for just two people to manage alone. And well, cleaning isn't really their area of expertise, is it?]

[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?

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?

( 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?

Oh, no... He's a stray. But I'm thinking of taking him home with me if I can. Poor little thing looks like he needs someone to take care of him.

[She keeps petting the cat, continue to let him purr up a storm in her arms. He really would be a welcome addition to the temple, she thinks.]

Cute little darling, isn't he?

[Then she turns her attention to the first part of what the other woman said.]

It seems like an eventful place.

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!

He is. If you got the tangles out of his fur, washed out the dirt, and fed him up a little he'd probably look really handsome.

[Though even now, with his terrible state, he looked cute enough she looked at him with genuinely adoration. She slowly untied one of her ribbons and, like at the cat cafe, dangled it loosely in front of him with a tempting, playful sway. As she did, she replied]

Well, yeah...I mean, we never did find out what exactly happened at the school for one. Then there was Sho. [A dark flicker briefly appeared in her eyes.] Then there was that weird, fiery ayakashi storming around a few days ago. And apparently we can't even have a picnic without something happening.

[Even if the food had been nice before the fires broke out.]

[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...]

[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?

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