It was a sunny winter afternoon in Kyoto as Kago walked through, looking for a place to eat. It had been a few days since he had tried to save Kosana within the Daimyo's tomb. Despite the fact that there was nothing that he could have done to stop the mysterious cave in that had occurred the incident still stuck with Kago. Barely saying a word since the incident, Kago had become even more withdrawn and nervous than usual. Despite promising that he would bring Kosana back safe, Kago had failed miserably.

Shivering as he moved through the streets, Kago resisted the urge to scratch the rash on his left arm. Keeping his head down as he moved, Kago only raised his head when he thought he saw a suitable place to eat.

Run! Dash! Charge! Shiver!

The sun was shining! The day was beautiful! Breath fogged in the cold wintery air! How marvelous! How intriguing! How utterly enrapturing! He giggled stupidly, and blew more air out into the world.

He was in the middle of the road. Sitting, cross-legged. Rocking, ever so slightly. A grin that left little room for the rest of his face split his features. It was a good day. Traffic moved around him. Veered and steered about him. Nearly ran over him. Angry words were shouted. Fists were shaken. Breath fogged in the air.

It was a good day.

Walked through the streets subtly and soon arrived at a sake cart, he would then ask the man manning it how much a bottle of Cherry blossom infused sake was and he retorted, "That would be 30 yen per bottle sir.", would then buy a single bottle as he continued along his way sipping on the bottle slowly every now and again. His aim here? Nothing, just simply a brisk walk to occupy him.

The hustle and bustle of the afternoon surely brought in a slew of people looking for a wondrous meal at the Tokugawa restaurant. The waitress, unfortunately Curnain, was frantically running back and forth with a tray of food, some tea, and other wide array of delicacies for those whom ordered it. Luckily, however, practice had provided her with the skills to remember who wished for what, and how to carefully get around lugging a tray full of either dirty dishes or dishes with meals.

Today, she was pondering about how she had recently acquired that unique gift: seal of physicality. It had been a while, sure, that she had offered to take the job at the Academy, but she still felt unbearably awful to up and leave her family's workplace. She couldn't imagine how her parents would get by without her... unless they hired a new worker to take her job. Her parents respectively cooked, and managed the restaurant, while Curnain was to act as the waitress, clean, sometimes cook, and handle whatever little chore that came after.

Still, the ongoing thought had naught an effect with her active job at the moment, thankfully.

Continuing to stare downward as he navigated through the streets, Kago tried unsuccessfully to block out his surroundings. Failing at this, Kago heard yells and confusedly looked around for the cause of them. Noticing people move around something in the middle of the road, Kago realized that something was Nod.

Doing his best not to burst into tears at yet another reminder of his failure, Kago looked for any building to get away from Nod. Moving into the first suitable building, Kago noticed that it was a crowded restraunt. Despite wanting to be alone while he ate, Kago couldn't face Nod again and be reminded of his failure. Looking around as he waited to be seated, Kago began to think about what he should eat.

The sun, and cold weather; could anyone else see the paradox presenting itself to Kyoto this wintry afternoon? Roused from his slumber by the unconscious realization that his newly-met acquaintance had departed, Noctis Fulminata now roamed the streets of Kyoto, his alizarin hair still seeming to smolder even in the contradictory light of the pale sun. T'was tragic, however, that said hair was contorted into all kinds of disrepair; what was it that the humans called it? Bed-hair? Well, no one else would be able to see the tangled mess sitting royally atop his cranium thanks to the perks of being an all-together spiritual being.

Strolling between the blissfully ignorant humans, as time-consuming as it was, began to bore him soon; and so, with his body -- or rather his soul -- itching to acquaint itself with some form of entertainment, Noctis ducked into a quaint establishment, a restaurant inhabited by humans, and, by the intriguing twinge of anomaly present in the atmosphere, spiritual beings like himself.

Oh goody.

He himself had become bored and so also happened to head or rather gravitate towards the same restaurant as the others. In truth once arriving near it, he vaguely felt two familiar reiatsu signatures, and one of them he thought he recognized as his friend, Noctis. And so he would enter and look around haphazardly as the place was average in size but packed. Mayhaps someone would notice him? Mayhaps not. Anyone who was spiritually aware that gazed upon his figure may have been intrigued, slightly encouraged, or calmed, as he had that certain great general/person, air about him.

Aha! Foggy breath! Plumes and billows! Clouds of the stuff! Marvelous!

But lo! What is this? A face! Glimpsed through the fog! Full of familiarity and recognition! And scar tissue... Half full of scar tissue. >.>

And if memory was not full of lies and deceit, the owner of said face had a handful of dirt. Precious dirt. Perfect dirt. His dirt. Time to reclaim what was lent! Sudden shot to standing position! Determined scowl! Purposeful march! Nothing would stand between him and his dirt! Nothing-!

BrrglgurgllurgleGrrrrooooaaaan.

A pause. A sheepish grin. Maybe... maybe food could stand in the way. Dirt would understand, surely? And familiar faces were always ready to part with some food, if only to rid themselves of a dirty, smelly blacksmith/beggar. Yay!

SPOILER: Click to show

Genkumaru, just a reminder about the reiatsu sensing skill level; and yours being at zero. In the future, please be aware, thanks.

Her mother, who assumed the role of hostess and 'guide' to the tables and seatings of new guests, some of which were Kago, followed by the other humanoid beings such as Noctis, Genkumaru and lastly Nod. Each were respectively placed around the average, yet packed restaurant; and, in order of which those had arrived, Curnain busily found her way to Kago, which she gave a bright smile and had even waved, greeting him cheerily. "Good morning, Kago! It's Kago, right? How are you...?" She handed him a menu, asking with a concerned look, considering he looked a little down in the dumps. She didn't know why, but surely hoped she could brighten his day! Whether or not he would reply, at the moment she hadn't paid attention to those whom had entered, but was indicated by her mother the seating arrangement in which she had to fulfill the request of those people sitting at those tables. Noctis would be next, then Genkumaru and Nod.

She gave the child some time to respond, then posed the question. "Can I start you off with something to drink? Tea, water, or something else in mind?" She took out a pad and paper, ready to jot down notes of his order.

Barely aware of his surroundings as he was led to a table, Kago barely managed to stutter out a thank you before the hostess left for some of the other customers. Staring at the table, Kago gave a nervous jump when he heard someone say his name. Nervously looking at Curnain, Kago vaguely recognized her from the academy.

Barely managing to give a nod to answer her question, it would be obvious to Curnain that there was definitely something wrong with Kago. His eyes were still red after crying a bit earlier, he had several bandages on his arm where he had gotten that rash and his expression showed that he was devastated about what happened earlier. "W-w-w-water p-please." Kago stammered out, sounding like he was on the verge of sobbing.

Yuya sauntered into the restaurant, her hands clasped behind her back as she entered. Her head turned slightly as she panned about the area, eyeballing each patron before her, even if only for a moment. Her lips parted, with every intent of speaking. However, no words came forth. She was utterly speechless. As shy as she generally was, this didn't surprise herself even in the slightest. Standing there by the door, her body seemingly frozen, unable to move. It was as if all eyes were on her, or that's how it seemed to her at least.

Yuya sighed lightly before hanging her head, her eyes shut tight. Hoping the no one would notice her if she stood perfectly still. That she could slip out unnoticed.

Her own words buzzed about in her head as she thought to herself. "Why did I even bother? I knew this wouldn't work.."

The hunt was on! Or... or the stalk. Or something...

Regardless! Whatever it was, it was on!

Eyes peered over the edge of tables. Or, table. Singular. They peered! Studied! Wandered! Blinked! They were so busy! So many things to look at! Imaginary, magnificent things! How could one focus?! Oh, woe! Shut them tight! Block it out! Pause. Think. Question, "Winken! Blinken! What... what were we doing here? Hmmm? Oh! Right! Yes! Fooooood! Thank you, Wink- What? No, Blinken. No. That's just silly. Why would they want money? They're not real. What could they possibly need money for?" A shake of the head. A chuckle.

Suddenly! More recognition! The Beast! What horror! It was menacing The Burnt One! Whatever would he do? He must save it! But how? ... Distraction! Yes! Heroic pose, extended arm, pointing with authority!

"AVAST! Ye Beast! Unhand yon Burnt One!"

Curnain, upon further inspection of her 'customer' and prospective student at the academy, tilted her head and frowned in utter worry at his face -- besides the frown, the child's eyes were red and their lids were puffy and swollen, indicative that he was crying, likely. Even when the child spoke, he could barely utter the word, even though he was shy. All in all, the young woman could tell something was wrong, and gave a quick, but meaningful glance at her mother to address the others that had arrived, as she went to gather water into a glass for the boy.

Her mother would approach Noctis, asking the trivial questions of what he would like to drink, perhaps eat if he had already prepared his decision.

Meanwhile, Curnain was relatively quick to serve Kago, having returned at a swift pace to gently place down the glass of ice, cold water in front of the child. Though, instead of leaving just yet to attend to other customers, she sat down beside Kago, alarmed at the sudden shout and point [she assumed it was directed at her] toward her face, in which she blinked irregularly, glanced around and then pointed to herself; people of the restaurant likely diverting their attention from the newcomer Shimizu to the waitress, who had seemingly done something wrong. "Me? Uh... Kago, what's the matter? You look a little down." She slyly recovered, hoping those customers would return to their meals, and perhaps Nod would back down, assuming he was addressing this 'Beast' title at her. She didn't do anything wrong!

Noctis had found himself a little niche to rest in; a small, circular table near the rear of the restaurant. From there, he did nothing really, sans for systematically scouring the area, waiting to see which one of the humanoid bodies within the restaurant would acknowledge his presence, and thus prove his theory that there were spiritually aware beings in the vicinity.

Unable to focus on the contents of the menu, Kago's thoughts instead drifted back to what had happened. Unconsciously scratching the bandages that were over his rash, Kago remembered the relieved look on the woman's face when he told her that he would help. He had felt good about doing the right thing and he had been sure that he would somehow succeed. But then one by one everyone abandoned him and Kago found himself alone. Before he even had a chance to press onwards, Kago was driven out by the cave-in and as a result of his cowardice and weakness he had let that girl die. It was all his fault.

Going back into reality when the water was place in front of him, Kago looked at Curnain. "T-t-t-thank y-y-you." Kago squeaked out. Taken by suprise both by Curnain sitting next to him and Nod shouting at them, Kago noticed that everyone was staring at him. Putting his head on top of his arms so his face was concealed by both the arms and the table, Kago resisted the urge to cry. Why did everyone have to stare at him and his failures? Why couldn't they just leave him alone? Caught up in his attempts to find some type of sanctuary in his mind, Kago tuned out Curnain and everyone else in the shop and didn't respond to her question.

Quickly caught sight of Noctis and waived towards him as he made his way towards him. His mind now at ease and happy, as per chance he was not the only spirit in the room. As he bound his way over he listened to the comotion going on but didn't care much as he was more interested in his friend.

As he bound closer he would say to Noctis,"Hey there pal, been a little hasn't it?", he would have poised the question joyfully and with a smile, he himself enjoyed to see a friend here, he would then ask, "Can I sit mate?".

SPOILER: Click to show

You have 48 hours to post or you'll be exited.

Hmmmm. The situation seemed to have changed. Things were not as they appeared! The Burnt One was being... consoled? His first instinct was trickery. It had to be. There was no other explanation. Or, perhaps, had he misjudged the Beast? Was it not a bloodthirsty, vicious killing machine? Mayhaps it was just misunderstood. The outstretched arm fell to his side. He sat heavily.

He would ponder on these strange new developments.

SPOILER: Click to show

I forgot I was in this thread. Really sorry about that.

Yuya's eyes opened slowly, her head raising back to it's previous position. No one had taken notice of her...staying silent had actually worked? All she could do was stand there, a look of awe sprawled across her face. A light sigh escaped her lips as they curled into a small grin. She panned about a bit, taking in each person within the area. Her eyes caught sight of an open table as she glanced down to her left."Well, I have been on my feet for a while..and a rest would be nice.." While she mouthed the words, the sound of her voice would be far too soft for those about to hear her.

Without giving it anymore thought, she dropped down into of the chair at the table. Her legs crossed underneath, her elbows would rest a top the table as she used her arms to prop herself up. Seeing as she wasn't causing a disturbance, she didn't see why she couldn't stay for a bit.

SPOILER: Click to show

You have 24 hours to post or you'll be exited.

SPOILER: Click to show

Totally forgot that Noctis has no gigai, meaning Curnain's mother wouldn't be able to see him, I presume; so you can just omit that from my previous post. Apologies!

Actually, her mother went to resume to her hosting duties, seating the customers appropriately based on first-come-first-serve.

Curnain noticed his unconscious, almost compulsive and obsessive scratching against the bandages of his arm, blinking; and when he seemingly tuned out by digging his head into his arms, Curnain rose from her chair, deciding it was best to get back to work. He seemed extremely flustered, especially with everyone glancing over at the table, so perhaps he needed some time to cool down by himself. "I'll be back later." She muttered softly, even if he was shutting the world out at this very moment.

Instead, she felt the need to approach Nod, who was causing commotion and ruckus, likely ruining meals and moods for the customers, as well as starting a scene. She cleared her throat as she approached the crazy fellow, before asking. "So, is there anything I can get you? Or are you trying to make my job even more difficult than what it is?" She spoke, as her mother blinked as she witnessed the one woman seat herself at a table; though, technically, since the flow of incoming customers had died out, and the young woman was the only one left unseated, her mother shrugged and helped tend to other tables.

Unresponsive was Curnain left the table, Kago continued to remain with his head on top of his arms. Trying desperately to find some form of sanctuary even if it would be in his mind, Kago had unsuccessful results. He could feel the gazes boring into him from all sides. They were always there, staring at him and accusing him. They knew about his cowardice. They knew that he could have done more. They knew just as well as his father did that he was worthless. That was why he was burned and why he was abandoned.

Curling up even more in the face of this onslaught, Kago began to repeatedly mutter under his breath, "Go away. Please go away. Go away." Hoping that everyone would stop staring at him and leave him alone.

SPOILER: Click to show

Each of you has approximately 24 hours to post or you will be exited from the thread.

Sat down and waited for his turn to be served, catching site of the waitress his eyes widened, remembering her as the beauty he had saved from a hollow before. He smiled and laughed slightly as he said, "I must be lucky today! A beautiful lost crush, and my new ally all in one place? Amazing!", his boisterous spirit was quite different then his normal mood, but this place, was comfortable, and felt lively and that seemed to rub off on him.

Nothing had transpired yet to hold Noctis' attention. He rose from the spot where he had settled and set out to explore more of what Southern Japan had to offer. If anything happened, surely his new found ally would inform him of such.

SPOILER: Click to show

Noctis exited as per the activity rules. I believe your current post order is Curnain, Kago, Genkumaru, Nod, then Yuya based on the last couple of rounds and Gen was the last to post.

SPOILER: Click to show

You have 24 hours to post before you are exited as per the activity rules on posting when in a thread.

As I have had to post in this thread so many times and I'd have to be exiting not one, but two people this round, please consider this thread completely ended. Everyone has 10 Stats they may allot as compensation. Post for placement.

All of it into Reiatsu Skill please and thanks.

5 to Weapon Skill, 5 to Speed Skill for Yuya.
Please and thank you~

Huh. Guess I should have posted before going home for the weekend. Darn.

10 to... speed, please and thanks.