Nakamura is in the middle of District Five of the West Rukongai. It is run by the noble clan the Hi and their vassals. This is also secretly known as a safe haven for all shinki who are seeking the protection of a clan. Regardless of previous clan affiliation or stray (nora) status most shinki are welcome to come here for refuge, to live, and to even train.
The town itself has rickshaws for transit and is very walkable. There are shops and a few theaters that have movies, plays, and concerts. The library is growing in popularity as well. The town is considered a safe place to live with its own police force and a civic center. There is hot and cold running water, electricity, and a proper sewage system. The Hi have spared no expense on making this place as pleasant a stay as possible.
The outer grounds of Hotarubi Castle are open to the public and the family in charge of the care of the village allows the public to use it as a park. On the outer grounds is a shrine dedicated to Hinokami.
Hotarubi Castle itself. This is where the Hi Clan and their guests reside.
Elninio shifts in the uncomfortable wheelchair. Maybe she should have just let the Vice-captain continue to hold her. Though she had not wanted to make him carry her any longer than necessary. El wonders for only a second as to why the one vassal was not in the meeting with the others but decides it was not important. At least not at the moment. She then hugs her nephew back when he walks over to hug her. "I almost wish I were." She says softly in reply to everyone thinking she was dead. She takes a deep breath and smiles to take any sting out of her words. She glares at the vassals who are present when they become rowdy but says nothing for the moment. Elninio then looks over at the Vassal that had been taking care of her affairs while she was gone. He had been one of the few who had not called for Dotsu to be harmed. She could see that her old friend and adviser who was trying hard to disguise tears that were threatening to pour. She was pleased that he had not joined in the talk of fools with his comrades. "Sasuga-Kun I have missed you and everyone." She then looks over at Dotsu. "Vice-Captain Dotsu thank you for helping me get home. And sorry for dragging you into the madhouse of the Hi clan." El then looked at the healer who came to fix her up. "Sasuga can we talk without the vassals later?" Though she did not have to protect Dotsu and Kanda as she would have in her father and brother reins. There was still something she needed to tell him about.
word count 282 x 2 = 564
Eighth Diviner
Tai wanted us to move here
Tai Mao
Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 12:00 am
Sasuga calmly listens and nods. He looks thoughtful and taps his chin with his fan. "You know, this is fairly unprecedented, but honestly ... this might not be such a terrible thing ... perhaps ..." He holds out his hand and his tablet is handed to him by a bleach blonde woman who had walked over with it. She smiles at him and Kanda bows to her politely. "Thank you, Michiko-chan," he says to her and then a few cursory taps and swipes. "Ah, yes, Kesato Dotsu, Vice Captain of Sixth. Exemplary service record, I must say. Good for you, young man." He locks the screen and tucks it into his robes. "Alright, so what I see here is an opportunity. As far as I am concerned the damage is done and really, I do not see any reason for any real negative consequences. However, I must ask you to keep what you know secret. This is an ancient secret held by only a few families. Though there used to be a lot more of us before the days of the Great Purge. Still, that is a history that you can probably get out of Kanda since she lived it first hand and therefore is a far more reliable source of information on that matter." He looks over at Kanda and places a hand on her shoulder as though he senses her anxiety and discomfort. "Kanda-san, do not fret over this. Though, I will say this, I do not plan on disconnecting you two since that might actually be a good way for you two to keep this secret since you both will have motivation to maintain the taboo. In all honesty, I do prefer to limit how many outsiders find out, but since it is you who did it, I will trust that you knew what you were doing. Even if you didn't ... consider it a natural consequence. That said, should things go sideways between the two of you or a reason serious enough to happen, then I will dissolve the chain. You two are bonded now. Good luck to you." He turns to Elninio and smiles at his aunt. "Certainly, Obasan. We have much to catch up on. Yorokobi should be in his clinic. Though do tread lightly. He just lost his wife." He turns toward the vassals, "And you lot. We are going to talk about the matter of you speaking out of turn when they leave. I do not take counsel from you, as you well know. Your only job is to administer the needs of the village. If I want counsel I will talk to the family heads." He turns back to them all, "As for earlier, my apologies for their hotheadedness earlier. Some of them are old and set in their ways, but this is not the fuedal era any longer." Michiko smiles at them and says, "I'll see to them getting what they need, Sasuga-kun." She smiles sweetly as Sasuga kisses her cheek and then heads to the elevator. "I am glad to get out of that dry meeting anyway. It was mostly about infrastructure and other things like that. Quite dull. Besides, ever since he put in a recording device, I have not needed to transcribe notes until after meetings. This way please. Kenji, do please go sponge somewhere else in the shiro." Kenji grins at her broadly and waves everybody off. "I'll be headed back to my rooms. Later!" However, since there was only one elevator, he was in it with them. Kanda sighs and softly whispers to Dotsu and Elninio, "Well, that went better than I expected."
"So exactly why is this bond such a secrecy? What exactly could make this such a treasure that it could lead to such drastic measures that your family has placed on them now." Now understanding some of what's happening and receiving reassurance nothing would happen to the both of them, Dotsu responded to the head who spoke about an opportunity for him. Of course, by asking, he was asking respectfully through his sternness usually gives off the wrong impression. He knew Kanda can attest to this.
Dotsu gave a slight head bow at the apology for the older generation's actions. "No need, Had to deal with the Kuchiki family older generation of shenanigans when I first joined the company.'"
After Elninio parts for medical treatment and a long rest in her quarters, Kanda leads Dotsu to where they can get something to eat and order for supplies. "I think you deserve a more in depth explanation," she says as she sits out on one of the balconies while she awaits for one of the servants to get things together for them. It's not that they are that far away from the seireitei at this point, but that they have been traveling quite a while and it never hurt to get some stuff from home while it is an option. "See that village? It has been under the Hi family's control since before the unification of the Soul Society. Its name is Nakamura." She pauses to sip on the cup of hot tea she had been given. Dotsu had also been given some tea as well as a meal for them to enjoy. "The surviving shinki live here, Dotsu. This place is their sanctuary for so long as they stay here. So that is why they are so protective." She sighs and shakes her head. "I am getting ahead of myself." She stares down into her cup as old memories and wounds open up in her mind. "You may or may not be aware of how the shinigami came about. Our story isn't too far off. Most souls simply ebb and flow through the soul cycle, achieving no greatness nor wonders. Then there are those who were blessed with power. People like you, sir. You trained to become a shinigami. I was born a shinki to a shinki woman and a human soul ... about ... I hesitate to admit my age, but what the hell, why not? I am over twenty five hundred years old. Old enough to remember Captain Yamamoto as a brash and quite dominate young man. Not that I have ever met him myself. Shinki mostly kept to themselves, maintaining balance and dealing with the dire threat of mononoke and ayakashi. The shinki are an ancient people, born from Hinokami's will and forge. We say we are forge born or forged to indicate whether we were born or became shinki. Our leaders, a select few, are capable of granting shinki powers to souls here. And for a while, things worked out ..." She pauses as a sad and pained expression crosses her eyes and she draws a breath as though what she is about to say is painful. "The shinigami were determining their purpose and protecting souls from corruption and purifying impure spirits that we now refer to as hollows. Shinki used to call them hungry ghosts - as you can probably imagine why. Then the wars and societal collapses happened on Earth. This created a great deal of regrets, attachments, and anger in the recently deceased and the number of hollows hit record numbers." She frowns. "It got really bad and we joined them in the fight." She sighs and furrows her brow as her hands tremble, causing ripples in her tea. "Upon discovering that we were capable of being living weapons they began to partner with us - at first - however ... the warlords betrayed us. It started with promises that we would be treated equal, but then they began to force us into bonding with them." She looks down at Hakuba as it sits in a stand nearby. "You know, that's why I always ask her permission and treat her like an equal ..." She sighs and continues on, "Well, as you can imagine, being mistreated and treated like objects caused many to rebel. The Shinki Rebellion immediately resulted in The Great Purge. Many were slaughtered. Lucky ones escaped and hid. There were still some powerful lords among us. Five great clans took dominance, including the clan responsible for the more priestly duty of the shrines and temple. I lost my mother to The Great Purge when my father, fearing reprisal, turned her in. I ... wound up killing my partner thanks to a power build up. I used to be a lot stronger back then. I was known as The Shamaness of Wrath and nobody escaped my rage ... until ... Lord Hi Yato found me and helped me to overcome the damage caused by the curse." She sighs once more and looks up at him. "It took a purification ceremony and I do not mean a splash of water and shaking of wands. I mean I was closed into a barrier and the signs of becoming an ayakashi were purged from me piece by piece by white flames. I was reforged and given a home here." She looks at Dotsu and hopes that this is not too difficult to believe or accept. "It has been a long time, but trust has not been built up yet. We have taken to hiding in plain sight. Our seals are hidden or easily explained away as tattoos. I have probably about twelve tattoos including my shinki seal. As a shinki I have the power to lend my power to somebody else. We are bonded by that ceremony I did, thanks to my miswording of the spell. It is something that we will need to learn how to work out together. Lady Hi Elninio gave me a command and without realizing what I was doing, I took it far too literally without thinking it through. I wanted to do what was right. Perhaps ... perhaps this can be a good thing like his honor said." Kanda's mouth is now drawn in a wistful expression as she looks down at her food that is now getting cold. Her stomach betrays her and rumbles quietly, so she begins to eat. "I am so sorry for dragging you into this," she says softly.
If there was one thing Dotsu never would have accounted for, is the knowledge of such oppression and history that Kanda would have to had gone through. Looking over in the direction he was given, just imagining what he thought could've been like had the shinigami feeling some type of way for the moment. "You've witnessed a lot, suffered too. It is no question of how members of your family can remain 'hostile.' Quite frankly, I don't blame them, nor can I say I disagree." Lifting up his cup to taste a small amount of his tea. His eyes made mental images of the details in Kanda's words, her facial expressions, her body posture and movements. He took keen attention to how he naturally responded to things like this. Learning of her family's abilities was interesting to say the least. Something truly worth exploring. "Twelve tattoos, twelve partners including myself. Please. No more apologies, they are no longer necessary. The way I see it, especially after learning about you and your family, nothing really has changed since you joined my division. Actually, it only enhanced the meaning behind my decree as a Vice Captain and future Captain; To help elevate and protect you as if you were my own blood." He actually quite enjoyed the taste of their tea. He may have to return simply for that very reason.
"So now that this ritual bond has been placed, it would make sense and become apparent that you accompany me a lot more on missions as well as become my training partner. If what you say is true, then our synchronization must become the very best to ever exist in history. At least that is what our goal should be." He declared, only slightly giving her a dead cold glare to her eyes before shutting them to revert back to his tea. Never really being one to actually show much care off face alone but his words were genuine truly believes in what he says. Perhaps she may be right, maybe that moment was meant to happen. Only one way to find out honestly.
XXXRin walked towards the castle in the center of the district. A determined expression of ill humor furrowed her normally delicate brow. Blind eyes, pale and reflective, stared up at the walls of the manor. Not at the building itself, but the reishi within. The Hi family. There were already allegations that they were responsible for the deaths of several Sanada Clan members as well as her best friend and adoptive brother. Today, Rin came not as an ambassador of peace; Rin came as an agent of justice.
Her sandals scraped against the stones beneath her feet as she walked up the steps leading to the castle, pushing open the doors effortlessly into the public grounds. Several guests were milling about, their unclouded gazes turning to affix upon the dark-haired captain of the seventh division. "Stand aside." Were the only two words she uttered, the command a whisper that bellied a quiet fury.
Moving through the now vacant courtyard, she moved into the inner complex. A sneer raised her lip into a silent snarl as she moved past a guard, the young man knowing better than to stop her at this moment in time. The scent of exorbitant incense filled her nostrils, the sound of rustling silk filled her ears; A testament to the corpulent decadence this family abided in.
"Attention! Members of the Hi family..." Her hand already resting upon the decorated pommel of her blade. "..you are all under arrest by the power of the seventh division, peace-keepers of the Seretei and Rukongai. Your family is connected to murders committed upon the Sanada Clan.." She paused for several seconds to let her ringing words sink in.
"...The Hi family is hereby under investigation in relation to said murders."
Word count: 290
Saucy Goblin
Greedy Punk
Offline
Sir_Viliulfo
Offline
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:27 pm
Ellerose Kylendor
Reiatsu 150 | Speed 20 | Strength 10 | Defense 30 | Stamina 10 | Intelligence 20 | Spiritual Power 60 Kylendor walked up to the castle, his captain having told him to head here to provide back up for the captain of the 7th, who had come alone to arrest the Hi. Not that, given his amount of training, he would be much help. Especially not to one of the famed Akagi sword saints. He looks around the village as he walks through, hand on his sword. All he knew about recent events is 4 people were murdered, two of which were captains, and the only clue was a Hi Clan crest found at the site of the first murder. He finally finds Captain Akagi in the castle itself, declaring the family under arrest and that they were going to be questioned. Kylendor stands behind her and to the side, feeling almost like he was there for nothing but show.
Health 200/200 | Spirit Energy 95/95 | Clarity 25 | Movement Speed 20
Word Count for Post: 140 * 2.5 = 350 Word Count Total for Character: 350
Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2021 10:17 am
A servant greets them with a polite bow. "I will go tell Lord Sasuga that you have arrived." She walks to the door only for it to open with Sasuga himself exiting it in a funeral suit. "I heard from my office. Thank you, Mizu. Tell the rest of the staff to expect being questioned as well. I would hardly expect you to be excluded." Upon seeing the worried look on her face his stern expression softens slightly and he continues, "I will not allow this to affect your pay. You will still be compensated for your duties." He then turns his attention to everybody present, speaking loudly and authoritatively, "Anybody who resists these men or fails to answer them honestly will not receive any legal protection and I will not attempt to save you. Do not besmirch our honor. If I find out that one of you is responsible for killing my grandfather ... rest assured, there will be nothing to protect you from my wrath. If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear." He walks over to the Seventh Division Captain, paying little attention to the Ellerose, whose presence is as welcome as a wart, but certainly not unexpected. Of course one of them would find a reason to inject themselves into this situation. That said, his most recent attempts at arranging a truce with that family was thwarted, and not by his clan this time. It just was down to pure incompatibility of his son and the Ellerose in mind. "Sasuga Hi, semi retired judge, head of this clan." He hands over his work tablet and phone. "It is my responsibility to tend to the order of things as much as possible. If you believe that even I am not above reproach, then it is my duty to cooperate with your inquiry. That said, please ensure that you do not harm my wife or five year old daughter. I am going in peace. The village should have enough administrative set up to tend to itself for a few days without us."
XXXRin let Kylendor handle any items that were being forfeited by the family, the man who introduced himself as the head of the family initially handing the blind girl two devices. Though she coild perceive his spiritual energy, she had no idea what it was that she was being given. Even more curious was that he was introducing himself with his personal name before his family. "I am Akagi Rin, captain of the seventh division. None of your people will be harmed so long as you cooperate." She spoke, bowing her head only slightly. Her eyes never flickered closed, the pale orbs with milky irises staring off into the distance as she turned to Kylendor.
"Ellerose, can you please secure a room for questioning?" She asked, a bit of her typical demeanor shining through the dark, stormy cloud that hung around her brow. The air around her felt lighter, the pressure low and the smell of rain filled the air. As if a storm was just brewing on the horizon. "I would like to conduct interviews with each member of the household. Someone here has a connection to the murders." Her delicate fingers never left the pommel of her blade, the tassel that swung freely near the ornate hilt brushing against her captain haori.
"Judge Hi, your family is in no danger from us. So long as they are innocent, they will not be harmed." Her words were calm, like the surface of a glassy lake, but the tone was not as light as it normally was. There was a great turbulemce beneath that calm demeanor. Someone had killed noble family members as well as several high-ranking members of thirteen divisions. People very close to her.
Word count: 290 + 286 * 1.6 = 747
Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2021 1:37 pm
Ellerose Kylendor
Reiatsu 150 | Speed 20 | Strength 10 | Defense 30 | Stamina 10 | Intelligence 20 | Spiritual Power 60 Kylendor listens as the head of the Hi clan himself appeared and spoke to them. He does notice the clan head pretty much ignore his presence, which he is fine with. He doesn’t really want to be here himself, but orders are orders. He held the items Captain Akagi indicated him to take. When the Captain told him to find a room, he nodded in acknowledgement and headed down the hall, looking in rooms to find one with a decent amount of space and that was fairly open. He didn’t feel like being part of an investigation in a cramped room with little room to move. When he finds one, he notes how he got there and then returns to where the Captain and clan head are. “I found a suitable room, if you would follow me Captain Akagi and Clan Head Hi.” He gives each a bow as he addresses them, then leads the way to the room.
Health 200/200 | Spirit Energy 95/95 | Clarity 25 | Movement Speed 20
Word Count for Post: 159 * 3.5 = 557 Word Count Total for Character: 907
Sitting in said room at a table is a young woman with bleach blond hair and a swollen abdomen that clearly shows that she'll likely deliver within a month. She is listening to music through headphones as she taps away on a laptop. Without looking up she remarks, "I'll be finished in a moment. Saibankan Solomon-sama says that he will take my husband's docket until he's ready to return to work, though it seems that some of the cases will need to be referred higher up the chain as we could have expected." She closes the laptop and turns off the headset, pushing them forward to their honored 'guests.' She stands up and gives a slight bow to the two visitors and stands by her husband who gives her a warm smile and gently says, "My Aisuruhito." While traditionally most of his social status and generation would not be so openly affectionate, he is clearly head over heels for her. Turning toward Rin and Kylendor, he introduces her, "This is my wife Aika." A small child pokes her head out from under the table cloth where she had been playing. Sasuga reaches down and helps her stand up. "We have guests, Mimi-chan. Be on your best behavior and Papa will give you a treat," he says softly with a smile. Clearly this little one has her daddy wrapped around her delicate little finger. The little one looks up at him and smiles brightly at the offer of a reward for good behavior if she were to hold up her end of the bargain. He returns his attention to the two and waves his hand. "While everybody makes their way inside, would either of you care for some tea or sake? I would be a terrible host if I did not at least offer you some refreshments since I have a feeling that this could take a while - even with us at such reduced numbers after a bad string of assassinations and those who fell in the wars." He looks at Kylendor and then sighs, "And for another very good reason that I will not go into here. This is no time for bitterness. Certainly not toward one who was likely uninvolved in the whole affair. Terrible it is to be accused of something when one is innocent of the matter. Is it not, Ellerose-san?"
XXXRin bowed softly to the judge's wife, and lower to the small child behind her. A delicate smile spread across her soft lips as her pale eyes focused on the child's general direction. "You have a great future ahead of you, I am sure." Rin spoke quietly to the child, her gaze focused on the nebula of swirling energy that was a far off mote. It was distant in the flow, but merely farther down in the current. "I will refrain Judge Hi." Rin said with a wave of a hand as she walked around the desk to stand. She leaves the chair open for the obviously pregnant woman, twirling it so it sat nearby.
"Ellerose, would you be so kind as to search the remaining manor while I conduct the questioning?" She asked, her head swiveling in Kylendor's direction. She was noticeably softer in her tone to him, clearly unperturbed by the judge's veiled accusations. Kylendor likely wasn't even in Soul Society for what he was talking about. Rin turned back to face Sasuga, a purely ornamental gesture; Rin's acts of looking towards those she was addressing was simply to keep others from being perturbed, she found that when she was facing those she was directly speaking to it helped them be more comfortable with her lack of sight. "Judge Hi, I will begin conducting the interviews. Please, submit to me the first person for questioning."
Word count: 747+ 237 * 2.7 = 1386
Saucy Goblin
Greedy Punk
Offline
Sir_Viliulfo
Offline
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2021 10:10 am
Ellerose Kylendor
Reiatsu 150 | Speed 20 | Strength 10 | Defense 30 | Stamina 10 | Intelligence 20 | Spiritual Power 60 Kylendor gives a subtle smile as the small child is shown attention, and at the kindness the Clan Head shows his wife. He had never known his mother. He got a feeling his father only ever associated with her to continue his bloodline, and for no actual personal feelings. Shaking his head slightly to dislodge these unimportant thoughts, his focus goes back to the matter at hand. He catches the end of what the Clan Head says. “I have no idea what you speak of. I personally have never been accused of anything that I was innocent of. My clan has been hated for the actions of an ancestor, but it has never led me to be personally accused for anything.” It is then that Captain Akagi addresses him. “Of course Captain Akagi. I will report back with anything I find.” And with that, Kylendor steps out of the room to look around the estate, pulling a pencil and small notebook out of his clothes to take notes on what he finds. He starts with the rooms closest and proceeds outwards from there.
Health 200/200 | Spirit Energy 95/95 | Clarity 25 | Movement Speed 20
Word Count for Post: 183 * 3.6 = 659 Word Count Total for Character: 1,566
