Mystery of Moon Dance Village! [Closed]

[Hirosame]

Hiro had decided to stay behind after his other quest here in Moon Dance village, trying to learn more about how and why the people here came to be. This was the middle of the English continent, right? So, what was an oriental village doing here? While he tried to extort the people for information, he found out that not even they knew what caused them to be there. It was all a mystery to absolutely everybody involved. The only information that Hiro had was that the people of this land had written their past in old, unreadable scriptures, locked away inside the shrine atop the forested hill. He wanted to know more. He wanted to understand this place, and all it held for him. It was at the moment he heard about this that he went ahead and called Saeko, asking her to put up a request for someone to join him here in this place. He'd pay them well, if a Scholar could come and find out the secrets behind this town. Saeko did so begrudgingly, since she didn't like getting up and doing things without Hiro being the one to take care of the dirty work.

Either way, the job was done, and Hiro had almost immediately gotten a response from somebody, who stated that they could help the monk out. It was indeed a Scholar, who went by the name of Lavinia. Saeko threw a fit, since the person who accepted was a female, and Saeko wasn't a big fan of Hiro parading around with girls that he doesn't even know. As far as she was concerned, the only girls Hiro was allowed to be with were Caer, Capsule, and Saeko herself, since she knew all of them already. Hiro chuckled a bit at the sentiment, since he and Saeko weren't even a thing. He actually only thought of her mostly as a sister, but every now and again, the thought would cross his mind. He wouldn't mind it, but he just didn't want to hurt Saeko, should things go awry. Neither of them had a place to run away to, since both were trapped here. Besides, he's content as it is, and she seems to be as well. Anyways, getting back on topic, here was Hiro, waiting inside the oriental village, waiting for this girl to show up. She'd probably show up sooner or later, since it was night time now.

The Moon Spirit hovering above the city was even more curious to the monk, since it glowed like the moon at all times of the night. As soon as the sun sets, or gets low enough behind the trees of the surrounding forest, the spirit awakens to shed light on the village. It was an amazingly beautiful place, for sure, but he wanted to know more. The Sakura tree he was sitting below blew petals around him, as the wind picked up through the branches. The blossoms fluttered around him, dancing about him as he sat below the tree. There was also the Sakura spirit to keep in mind, which was the secondary purpose of the shrine in the hilltop shrine. It housed the largest Sakura tree in the village, and the wind blowing through it in the night was said to be the most beautiful thing, when it was bathed in the light of the Moon Spirit. This town... Hiro wouldn't mind living here, if he had the choice. He might actually just make Apocrypha's first guild home here, or nearby here. Or, maybe a home for himself in this town. Yeah, that would be sweet. He leaned back against the tree, waiting for the Scholar to arrive through the oriental archway entrance. Until then, he let his mind flow freely with the breeze, moving with the cherry blossom petals. Such a beautiful place...

[641 Words]

[Lavinia]

Lavinia was nervous as she headed to a village called Moon Dance Village out in the Sarum Frontier. She had been asked to do a job at this remote village, specifically, to find out why such a village is located so far from where it would originate. Lavinia found the job posted on the Bulletin Board by the Parliament building, it was posted by a adventure named Saeko. It said it required a Scholar to decipher old scriptures from a shrine and that you would be meeting a adventure called Hirosame.  Lavinia thought it was kind of odd that the person called Hirosame didn't post the job himself, but she shortly came to the conclusion that he was probably at this village and asked Saeko to post on his behalf. This was Lavina's first official job for someone who wasn't a friend, she didn't count the potions she made for Kitty as official since it was just kind of lucky that she got to make them for her. She was kind of worried the task would be to much for her, that her skill as a Scholar wouldn't be sufficient and that she'd waste Hirosame's time. She was also excited, if she succeeded, she'd start building a name for herself among others who weren't her friends. She hoped maybe this was the start of more opportunities for work and further learning, the latter being the more important part to Lavinia.

Finally arriving to at the village's entrance, which was indicated by the traditional archway found in this type of Village. Lavinia looked onto the village in awe, a giant glowing white light floating above the town, casting its protective light over its inhabitants was its most striking and unusual feature. The shrine on top of the hill was also breath taking in the light, Lavinia wondered what the shrine was for, but she also didn't want to ruin the surprise, that was half the fun. As she walked through the dark pathways through the village Lavinia recognized the trees that scattered throughout, Sakura trees, she didn't know much about them, one thing she did know is that they were beautiful when in bloom. As she continued to stroll through the village, she made note of how surprisingly active the villagers are at night. It wasn't anything like back in the real world, but people were still out attending to things. She continued towards the center of the village where she'd assumed this Hirosame would be waiting, as she got closer she saw someone waiting under a Sakura tree, she could only assume it was who she was looking for. From afar the man looked young, maybe very early twenties, had red hair and his character possibly was from Japan, which would explain such interest in this village. It looked like he was wearing cloth armor, but not the kind a caster would wear, so going by her knowledge he had to be a monk. As she approached him her nervousness grew as she tried to hide it with a friendly wave of her left hand as she got even closer. She was hoping to hide it so they could keep this on a some what professional level, "Excuse me, are you Hirosame?" she said softly "I'm Lavinia, nice to meet you." she continued but now smiling at him. This must be him she thought, its the only person in the village who it makes sense would request such a thing.

Word Count: 580
Tagged: Hirosame

[Hirosame]

Hiro had eventually fixed his posture so that he was in a meditative stance while sitting, as incorrect wording as that is. However, it just felt natural to him. The monk closed his eyes, and let the soft breeze of the village, and dancing scent of the Sakura blossoms float around him. It was a fairly warm Springtime night as well, the temperature a soothing 71 degrees, only brought down by a degree with the wind. This town was so peaceful. It was so beautiful. It was perfect. He felt even more at home and at ease than back in the Blackbourne mansion, where he had spent a majority of his 18 years of life. He was always so curious about how the other half of the world lived. Not so much about America, but the oriental lands where he was truly from. But, this brought about thoughts of his parents, which were faceless to the young man by now, and soured the mood. So, he tried to shift his mind so that he wasn't thinking about his should-have-been family, and more about the landscape he wasn't able to see, and the world he could have experienced. This calmed him down.

After another 15 minutes of calm meditation beneath the Sakura tree, Hiro began to hear muttering from the people around him. Sure, he had been greeted in the same fashion, but since he had been here in the village for a few days now, he had gotten to know the people, and they had gotten to know him. Saeko was a bit mad about this, but she ultimately decided that she'd go ahead and join the monk out there in the village sometime soon. Saeko hated travel, but she had heard so much about this new place that she had to go see it for herself, no matter what. This was, however, beside the point for now. Someone had just entered the village, which caused him to open his eyes, and watch the approaching female. He stood up and prepped himself a bit to greet the female, which he could only assume was Lavinia. Waiting for her to walk over, he thought about the village again, and looked up at the Moon Spirit. Turning back down to face he girl, she introduced herself, and he nodded in quick response.

"Yeah, that's me." Hiro said, with a slight chuckle. He nodded again. "Just call me Hiro, it's easier that way. Everybody already does, anyways." Closing his eyes in a kind smile, he continued. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lavinia." He opened his eyes again, and pointed up. "I assume you've already looked at the Moon Spirit up above. This is the namesake of the town, Moon Dance Village. However, this isn't the only thing that resides here." He pointed over to the shrine, in particular, the large tree behind it. "That's what the locals call the Sakura Spirit, which is where they placed their shrine to pray to the two spirits. I don't know much more than that." Returning his gaze to the girl, he smiled again. "Which is precisely why you're here. I'd like to know more about this village, since it's so wonderful here, but there's a problem with things as they are." He paused for a moment, and looked around at the villagers, who were still looking at the girl who had just arrived. He waved his hand as if to show the girl that she shouldn't pay any mind to the people, as they were still getting used to seeing outsiders.

"So, the problem here is that the history of the village is written out on scrolls that only the elders are allowed to see. However, one of the elders recently passed away, and the other elder, Elder Yamamoto, is blind, and cannot read or write." He pretty much summed up the problem there, but continued on anyways. "Since you're a Scholar, I was hoping you could help me out in finding out more about this village, using the scrolls. Elder Yamamoto has agreed to let us look in the scrolls, and learn more about their culture and heritage here. It's a great honor, one that I don't think either of us should pass up." Hiro began to walk towards the shrine. "Elder Yamamoto is waiting for us in the shrine, with books and such explaining the language of their people, as if it were written out for people like us to be able to read and understand. However, it takes the higher learning capability of a Scholar to understand, so hopefully we'll get some info out of this." He stopped and turned back around, smiling to the girl. "And there's no reason for you to be nervous. I won't hurt you." He pointed to her left hand, indicating that it was shaking a bit when she waved to him. He continued on towards the shrine.

[821 Words]

[Lavinia]

Lavinia listened to Hiro's words carefully with obvious interest, she has seen the remarkable Moon Spirit. Following his hand pointing at the shine, from this point of view the shine was just as visually appealing as the rest of the village. Lavinia nodded in understanding as Hiro explained the situation, Lavinia wondered how a beautiful place like this could have any problems and how a Scholar would be able to fix it. "Problem?" she asked as she looked around at the villagers who were still gawking at her and then continued. "What kind of problem could a amazing place like this have?" she contined looking at Hiro quiet curious since she could not come to any conclusion itself. As Hiro continued explaining the situation to her, Lavinia began to feel even more nervous. He wanted her to read some sort of old scroll in a language only the Elders knew, this scared Lavinia as she didn't know any other languages and didn't know how she as a Scholar would be able to read them. "I agree, it is a great honor and I'm never one to pass up learning something new." she said as she took a few quick steps to catch up to Hiro so they were walking side by side. "How are you going to do this? I study monsters, not the languages of other races..." she asked herself starting to get worried now. As he continued her gaze drifted to the ground in front of her hoping she has what it takes to complete what Hiro is asking of her.

As Hiro turned around and explained he wont hurt her Lavinia's blushed a little bit at how transparent she is to this adventure she barely knows. "W-well, I don't think you'll hurt me" she said quietly in a unsure voice. Lavinia knew, if he wanted to could crush her like a bug under ones boot. But Hiro gave off this sort of feeling to Lavinia, one that said he could be trusted, trusted more so than most adventures. "I'm just worried I wont live up to the expectations. I've never done something like this before." she continued at first looking at Hiro, her gaze drifting to the ground as she finished the statement. Lavinia really didn't know what to say after that that could maybe reassure Hiro, her first client, that she would succeed so she went with the next best thing to her, asking questions. "Why are we so special that we are gaining access to this sort of information? Don't they trust their own village members with it? I assume there are no other Elder's who can read these scrolls. Do you know why? Like wouldn't they have grandsons whom are learning this sort of thing?" she asked as she walked beside Hiro, depending upon his answers Lavinia would have more questions for him, after all her curiosity isn't something she can easily control.

Word Count: 489
Tagged: Hirosame

[Hirosame]

Hiro chuckled a bit at Lavinia's worry. It wasn't really something to be worked up over. This kind of a job could take a long time, but he was more than certain that the Scholar could pull it off. She seemed more than competent enough, so Hiro himself wasn't worried at all. "You'll be fine." Hiro said, directed at the girl's concern. "This won't be to hard, I don't imagine." A few moments later, Lavinia brought about some pretty sound questions, in that she didn't know anything herself yet, so it would probably be something that he would have to explain either way. "Well, as for us gaining the knowledge, I've been here for a few days already, doing things to earn the trust of the people. A few days ago, me and a group of like 3 other people, and a boar, came here on a quest to bring back a small child of the recently deceased village elder, and then help purify the town." He paused for a moment, only to chuckle a bit at Tobin and his mount, and how silly they both looked. His smile stayed there, but the monk began to look down in remorse.

"The Elder who passed away, the young boy's grandfather, was killed by bandits on the way back to the village." Hiro clenched his fist. "His grandson is still broken up over it." A small tear appeared on his cheek, away from Lavinia, so she wouldn't see it. Hiro took a deep breath, and exhaled, before continuing. "In any case, though, this leaves only the one elder, Elder Yamamoto. The elder sent me and another person from a few days ago out to go kill some monsters that were causing problems nearby, yesterday. Kitty left after we were all done, but I was still kind of curious, so I stuck around a bit longer." Hiro put his arms up over his head, and continued to walk forward. "That's why I'm still here today. And, since I've been helping the village a lot recently, they're allowing me to find out more about their history. Like I said before, it's an amazing honor." They had begun to walk up the steps towards the shrine. It was a good distance away from the center of the town, but it was a scenic view once you got up to the top. On the way, Hiro turned around and looked at the peaceful village.

Sakura trees surrounded the village, and there was one larger one in the center. This point was high enough by now to be able to see over the trees, to the plains from which they both should have come through to get here. It was a remarkable sight, to say the least. Hiro wanted to stay there forever, just to look, but he had a job to do. They were almost up to the shrine, where Elder Yamamoto was waiting for them, and it wasn't a good idea to keep the elderly waiting. Japanese proverbs and all that kind of thing. So, Hiro turned back around, after a good half a minute of staring at the scenery. Sakura trees followed the steps up to the shrine, and behind the shrine was the largest tree, the Sakura Spirit. Hiro walked up into the shrine, and bowed. "Elder Yamamoto, I'm here with the Scholar." Hiro made a motion for Lavinia to bow as well, as it was just plain courtesy in this land. There was some rustling in a different room nearby, and finally, the shadow of a figure started to come into sight, but not too long afterwards, a frying pan was thrown across the room, and clocked Hiro in the head.

A short, elderly woman, holding a katana, walked out into the main part of the house. She hobbled on a cane in her other hand, wobbling her way out into the main part of the shrine. "WHO ARE YOU?! GIRL SCOUTS?! I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOUR DAMN COOKIES!!" This is Elder Yamamoto, beloved wife of the late Elder. She has fits where she is moderately senile at times, but she usually snaps back to reality shortly after having left it. She is also blind, but her skill as a warrior is unmatched. Hiro had fallen over backwards, holding his forehead. "Elder Yamamoto, it's me! Hiro! And I brought the Scholar with me!" Elder Yamamoto gave a questioning look, before returning to her senses. Her face turned calm and peaceful, as she returned the katana to its sheath: her cane. Yeah, Elder Yamamoto has a Cane-Sword. She's cool like that. "Well, you only needed to say so, young Monk." Elder Yamamoto said, laughing in a cheerful elderly-woman laugh. She started to poke her cane around to find the Scholar. "Now, where is the young boy?"

Before long, Elder Yamamoto had found the Scholar, but was surprised to find what she did. "Oh..." She muttered, and looked up to Lavinia. "Transvestite?" She said, calmly, with a naive smile on her face. Hiro turned around quickly, a bit of blush appearing on his face. "E-E-Elder Yamamoto, Lavinia's a girl!" Elder Yamamoto had placed a hand directly on Lavinia's chest, but kept her hand there for a few more seconds. After a moment of further groping, Elder Yamamoto took a step back. "Oh, so it is." She proclaimed. "Well, if you're the Scholar, the books should be over on the shelf." Yamamoto pointed towards a large stack of books on the ground, that seemed to go up even taller than Yamamoto was. "All you need to know are in those books. Once you've learned our language, come to me, and I'll let you read the scroll." Yamamoto left the room, hobbling back into her study behind a curtain of beads. Hiro let out a sigh of relief when she left, and stood back up, looking over at Lavinia.

"Sorry about that, Lavinia." Hiro spoke, scratching the back of his head. "Elder's blind, so she can't really tell what you look like without placing a hand on you." Hiro shivered a bit, remembering how Yamamoto had found out what he looked like. He wrapped his arms around himself, and shuddered a bit more. "Cold Granny Hands on your face..." He was scarred from that, but Elder Yamamoto was a wonderful woman. Hiro returned to normal a few moments later, turning to his companion once again. "She had accepted her husband's death more readily than anybody else, and has since been living on without worry. She's a lot stronger than she lets off." Hiro then walked over to the large stack of books nearby, and put his hand atop them. "Well, looks like we both have some reading we need to do. Might as well get started." Hiro picked up one of the books from the top, and began to read it. It was in English? How could this be? His question was soon answered when he looked at the cover. It was titled, "Reading Our Native Language For Dummies" with a picture of Elder Yamamoto copying the man from the For Dummies series. Hiro cringed a bit, and started to look through it.

[1198 Words]

[Lavinia]

Lavinia shrugged her shoulders at Hiro's words of encouragement, she wasn't as sure as he was. It wasn't that she didn't have confidence in her skill, she didn't have confidence in her untested skill as a Scholar yet. Lavinia listened to Hiro's long explanation carefully, trying not to miss a single detail since any of it could be useful. As he continued she detected a hint of remorse in his voice, she assumed it was because even with his limited time here he has become attached to these people. Hiro mentioning Kitty caught Lavinia's attention and she stopped dead in her tracks and just looked at Hiro in surprise. She knew it was the same Kitty that she knew so well as a grin appeared on her face oddly lit. "Yeah, so I heard. I wish she invited me along. The way she said it, it sounded like fun." she said laughing at the end as she started walking again.

As the two climbed the stairs Lavinia sees Hiro turn and looked over the village. She turned and looked over the village like Hiro and the words escape her lips before she could stop them. "It really is a beautiful place... Wouldn't be a bad spot for a date..." she says softly with a smile. As soon as she said it she realized what it must sound like to Hiro and began to blush. "N-no, no, that didn't come out right." she stammered as she tried to explain what she meant. "I mean... this would be a nice place for Kitty to bring her friend to on a date." she said quietly.

As she followed Hiro up into the shrine he announced their presence and bowed, Lavinia knew this was a custom from Japan so she did as well. Gasping as the pan hit Hiro in the head Lavinia looked over at him in concern, no matter how high his level was that still should have hurt. Seeing an elderly woman holding a katana Lavinia is tempted to summon her golem encase the woman attacks them for whatever reason. Kneeling down to Hiro's side she watches the woman carefully, causiously, Hiro gave no indication that this place was dangerous but this turn of events is saying otherwise. "Are you okay?" she whispers keeping her eyes on the elderly woman, her face evident of the causion she has toward this woman. As she watched the Elder relax and smile Lavinia let her guard down a bit as she began to poke the air with her cane trying to find Lavinia. Resisting the urge to side step out of the way of the cane Yamamoto finally made contact and found her. "No, I'm a..." she was cut off by Yamamoto questioning if she was a transvestite because her hand was now resting on her chest. Lavinia sqeeked, turned as red as a stop sign but was to shocked to move away from the hand. For what seemed like an eternity for Lavinia Yamamoto finally removed her hand and pointed to a large stack of books explaining that they are the books they would need.

Lavinia signed as Yamamoto left the room, leaving just Lavinia and Hiro to sort through the stack of books. "Its... fine..." she says wishing to put the incident behind them. She listened to Hiro talk and was glad he wasn't the quiet type, although it would make things go quicker, she didn't really mind. Picking up several of the books Lavinia inspected the covers of several of them before snatching up a few. She took her books and placed them on a neat stack just off to the side and unhooked her cloak pulling it over her shoulder into a semi messy folded bunch of cloth. She placed it down beside the books and sat down plucking a book from the top. She opened it "This is going to take all night" she thought and begin reading.

Word Count: 659
Tagged:Hirosame

[Hirosame]

Hiro was glad that Lavinia was so calm and accepting. Sure, they had a ton of reading they needed to do, but it would get done as soon as they could if they got to work right away. So, Hiro began with Yamamoto's beginner lessons book. Despite there being a large stack of books, they were rather short. And the lettering was rather large font, as if someone used Size 3 Verdana font for all their writing, specifically in a post on some kind of a forum. It'd be pretty easy to read, but it all depended on if the author kept your attention or not. Like, if the author, could, say, not get distracted for half an hour while writing doing some kind of a beatbox thing. Yeah, that'd be a good way to tell if the author was going to keep your attention or not. If the author can't keep their own attention on the things they were writing about or not, then one might deem it unnecessary to read what they're writing. Perhaps this was the key to figuring out people. Read how they write. Maybe. Not sure. But, back to the topic at hand. Which is, of course, reading.

Hiro found himself struggling a bit when it came to reading and understanding this new language, even though things were all outlined out for him. He had a severe lack of knowledge when it came to these things, or a lack of ability to learn. Perhaps Lavinia was having a bit better luck than he was. Either way, though, his mind began to wander. He imagined himself sailing in the air, clouds rushing by him as he flew, all the while a real chilled out song is playing in his mind. Hiro opened his eyes in his vision, and saw the ground so far below, and the clouds as he went by. He could see his shadow every once in a while when he passed over a cloud, and the clone of himself, embedded in the fluff, looked just like he did when he had first started to play this game. His clothes looked just like his street clothes, and his glasses were on. Suddenly, he started to shift slowly towards the earth, to a house on the hill, nearby a small lake. Hiro's vision blurred, and he found himself standing in front of his own home, back in the real world. What was this...?

Hiro opened the door, taking a step inside. There was nobody else there, as far as he could tell. Taking a few more steps, the layout of the house looked exactly as it had been branded in his mind. Having lived on that home for so long, he could almost walk through it blindfolded. The only place he probably couldn't do that was in his sister's room. He decided to head up the stairs to that room, to see if she was in there. There was no movement around him, as he dashed to his sibling's room. He burst open the door, and called out her name, but when he looked inside, all he saw was her empty room. Well, it wasn't empty. A vision of Elder Yamamoto was standing there. She was standing where his sister normally sat and studied at. She was smiling gently, and walked over to the boy. "This is a place where your heart yearns to be, yet cannot be, young monk." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. At that moment, her form shifted into that of his sister. Hiro's eyes widened, and shock overcame him. "I'm not your sister, Hiro, but I can see what she looks like." Elder Yamamoto said, with his sister's voice. "This is the power that the Sakura Spirit has given me: Sight, into the Inner Mind." Hiro was dumbfounded. He could barely move. Just then, his parents appeared in the vision, as did his actual parents, who had left him alone in Japan.

Evan walked back to her desk, and sat down, writing in her notebook. The visions slowly drifted away as if they were sand in the desert. Hiro extended his arm, trying to reach out for them, but snapped back to reality at that time. He had been standing and holding the book before, reading it. But, now the book was on the ground at his feet. His eyes still wide and looking down at the floor, he snapped his attention to Elder Yamamoto, who was brushing the floor nearby. She was looking over at him, smiling, and then returned to the room she was in before. His gaze never left where she was standing, and his mouth remained agape in awe. What was this power from the tree? How was this possible? Without thinking, he walked towards Elder Yamamoto's room, and opened the curtain of beads that lead into the room. But, when he got in there, she was gone. Hiro looked around the room, to see if she was in a different part of the room, but she wasn't. Hiro walked back into the main room, where Lavinia was, and sat down. He needed to think over what had just happened, and wait for Elder Yamamoto to come back.


[874 Words]

[Lavinia]

Much to Lavinia's surprise reading these books didn't take her long. In this world she was a much faster reader than what she was back in the real world. It didn't make sense really, she was always a quick study, but just how fast she seemed to pick up and understand the various new concepts in this world was strange. As she flipped through the pages her eyes started to glow faintly, similarly to when she would cast Evaluate on a target. She found a new sense of fascination and understanding as she flipped the pages, but it wasn't enough. Lavinia may be just starting to understand the very basics of this language but it wont be enough to complete the task Hiro has set out for her, plus shes curious now. So she'll see this to the end.

Lavinia was now almost done with her first book as she heard the book that Hiro was holding hit the floor. Looking over at him and his actions afterwards was odd "Is everything okay?" she asked looking at him through the corner of her eyes. It was weird, this behavior, Lavinia considered he had a flash back of some kind but without knowing Hiro's past it was just speculation. The next option, could it be the influence of the Moon Spirit lighting the village? Lavinia didn't know, she could guess though, maybe the answer is within this pile of books. Lavinia closed the book with careful enthusiasm, she didn't want to damage it since she thought they might be rather old. She smiles as she puts the book off to her side, starting the pile that will hopefully grow into a large one. "One down, that went a lot quicker than I thought." she said as she sits up on her knees and reaches out for another book to continue. Grabbing one from the stack she takes it and falls back to her sitting position, it would have probably easier to just get up and take a book but meh. Opening this new book Lavinia skims the first few pages looking at the index. It covers more of the basic compounents of a language. Looking up at Hiro Lavinia sighs "It's getting late, if you want you can go get some sleep." she says softly with a smile.

Word Count: 387
Tagged: Hirosame

[Hirosame]

The elder was gone from sight for long enough for Hiro to figure that she probably wouldn't show up for a little while. It would probably serve to his benefit to ask the elder about the experience he had just witnessed the next time she is free to talk. However, that wouldn't be right now, probably. That being the case, he should probably have returned his attention to the Scholar nearby him, whom he had asked to come along. While it wasn't he himself who asked her to come along, it was still a fact that, by proxy, she was invited to come because of him. But, he just couldn't shake the thought from his head about the, what felt like, flashback. He knew that it wasn't real, even slightly, but the fact that the elder mimicked his sister's voice, and knew absolutely everything about the interior of his home, bewildered him. She probably had no idea what the hell even half of the things inside the house were, since it was almost all modern-day tech. But, the fact that it was all perfectly simulated from within the game itself astounded him to oblivion. It even shocked him...

Lavinia's voice ringing in his ears caused him to wake up from the pseudo-trance he was put under while thinking. Hiro turned to face the girl, who looked to be absolutely enthralled in what she was reading, having received only a slight shift in her eyesight through the corner of her eyes. It didn't really bother him that the girl was so busy. Hiro knelt down and picked up the book at his feet, the one he was reading earlier, and held it in his hands for a moment. Then, it hit him: Why try and learn the language, when the elder could pull the same kind of maneuver to just show them how to read, within the mind and past of the ones who wish to read? Maybe that will cut down on the time it'll take to learn the history of the village. Who knows? It might backfire entirely, and end up showing rather embarrassing scenes from the memories of both the adventurers. It also might work out just fine. It was something that he was more than willing to take the chance doing. Although Hiro recognized the fact that Lavinia was trying to let him get some sleep, should he need it, he instead walked over towards the Sakura Spirit tree.

The petals danced all around the monk, as he left the building. The Sakura's branches blew with the gentle gracing of the wind, sending the flower-like objects fluttering down. The wind blew Hiro's hair a bit, and the entire area seemed to be as calm as could be. Inhaling some of the fresh, petal-scented air through his nostrils, he let the world around him slow down as it did just a few minutes ago. Unbeknownst to him, however, he wasn't the one who was going to be seeing a vision. Elder Yamamoto watched the monk from afar, but immersed herself into the mind of the Summoner who had joined him. Perhaps if this other person here understood the power of the Sakura Spirit, and the effect it can have for scholars, like the Elder herself, then maybe they would, too, bring along with them the majesty of this village's heritage. This was because the Elder is older than anyone knows. She's much older than one could guess, as well. And, she was the one who created the village. For, the truth behind the Elder is just as astonishing as the gifts she shares with people. Through and through, the Elder is not human. Elder Yamamoto is the spirit of the Great Sakura Tree.

[625 Words]

((OOC: *puts a hand atop Silly's head* You didn't give me a lot to go off of, so don't be upset with the size of the post. Anyways, you're free to write whatever you want in the next thread, as it will be delving into your character's past. Hiro will not be able to see what goes on. Also, assume that Elder Yamamoto will not speak to you in your trance when you post. Trust me: I know what I'm doing~))

[Lavinia]

Knowledge, a wonderful yet horrible thing. Lavinia flipped a page, a few moments later she flipped again, she was flying through the second book. She was starting to understand the language in its very basic form now. She would probably be able to understand a few words here and there now. She sighed as she flipped another page and then all of a sudden, it felt like the bottom of her mind just fell out of her skull. Her vision swirled and she found herself standing in a house she didn't recognize, it was familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it. She couldn't speak, but she could move, walk, through this familiar place. Not being able to speak scared Lavinia for a moment, but it past the instant Lavinia walked into a room of the house that resembled a living room. A tv on the stand, coffee table in the middle, couch and chairs for sitting with a little girl sitting on the floor. The sight of the little girl made Lavinia's skin try to leap off of her body, the little girl was her. She was standing in her home, the one she lived in with her parents when she was a child. Her vision swirled again and she found herself watching a women happily playing with the little girl from before, as Lavinia watched them for a brief moment it felt like someone hit her in the chest with a sledge hammer. No one actually did of course, it was the guilt, the remorse of being alive when her parents were not. She never told another soul this, that for many many years she wished she didn't survive that night, that she wished she would have bled to death and save herself from experiencing the next nine years of her life. This wish has since faded, mostly, thanks to her new foster family that actually made her feel like a part of their family. Lavinia wrapped her arms across her chest hugging herself tightly as she felt tears start to form at the edge of her eyes. The world swirled again and she found herself standing in a child's bedroom, her bedroom. The little girl reading a book in a small childs rocking chair, the sound of screaming caught her attention as she stood up and looked out her door. Her parents were fighting over a gun, the majority of their words unintelligible the words sex, her, why and kill were the only words Lavinia could understand. She didn't know why, maybe this was only what was recorded in her mind or maybe this is what the Elder wanted her to hear, who knows. Then the world flashed and a loud bang filled the house, her father was now dead. The little girl started to walk down the hall towards her mother, she asked what that noise was and then after seeing her father ask why everything was so red. Her mother didn't answer, by this point Lavinia couldn't breath, she was panicking, she knew what was happening now. She knew she was watching the worst part of her life unfold before her eyes as if she was there. Her mother smiled and raised the gun taking aim at the little girl, Lavinia despite being unable to breath screamed for the little girl to run, but nothing came out of her mouth. Bang went the gun and time seemed freeze, the little girl turned to Lavinia. By this point in the memory Lavinia was panicked and tearing heavily, the little girl opened her mouth and the Elders voice was what came out of it. "Be careful what you wish for young Scholar. Knowledge is a double edged sword... just a piece of advise." the girl says and the world twists back to the real world. What Lavinia, no what Sarah wished for all of her life was to know why her parents were dead. Her father sleeping with another woman, her mother killing him, herself and almost killing Sarah in the process was just to much. It was beyond the young girls wildest imaginings, it had completely unhinged her. Still sitting in her original place Lavinia's face flushed red, tears flowing down her cheeks falling onto the pages of the book. "What the neep was that?" she whispers looking around and finds no one. "Hirosame! I just... had some kind of flashback, a vision." she calls out placing the book on the floor and attempting to push herself to her feet. However, the effect of seeing her past has made her weak and shaky as she falls to her knees. WORD COUNT:768 TAGS:Hirosame NOTES:...

[Hirosame]

Perhaps it was Hiro's imagination, playing tricks on him, but he could swear he saw some sort of figure in the wind, as the petals danced around and around. He wasn't sure what exactly it was, but all he could tell was that it wasn't anything he'd seen before. He took a few more steps out into the opening, watching the way the wind blew the branches. It was as if it were telling a story to him. He could hear a faint voice, telling him to sit down before the tree, and close his eyes. As he continued forward, the voice became fainter, but the message it provided was still there. Hiro sat down before the tree, and looked up to the top of it, which he couldn't very well see at this moment. Turning his attention back to the tree's base and bark, it began to shift in front of him slightly. Hiro began to close his eyes, envisioning the tree, and the wind picked up around him, making a soft swirling vortex around him. The wind carried his mind to a far off place, filled with Sakura trees and pagoda-styled buildings. He was witnessing he birth of this tree, and soon after, the village.

His mind followed a small seedling being brought onto a ship by a young woman, who was being cast out of the village on a boat, all on her own. She did not look evil, but the villagers who sent her off did not have sorrowful expressions. Rather, they were quite spiteful. The woman traveled the ocean for many weeks, fishing for food as she went along. She seemed to have some kind of mystical power, that she could transform the ocean water into drinking water, which she split between herself and the seedling that she brought with her in a clay pot, filled with soil. Without many other problems on the water, she reached a stretch of land, finally, and began to walk. She walked for many thousands of miles, fending off the elements of the new land before her. She landed in what most would recognize as India, and began her long trek westward. Eventually, she found a channel between the continent and an island. Forging a raft, she forded herself over it, leading to the land known as England. The woman was now old and weary, having found a safe, secluded place deep within a forest. She planted her seedling, which had become a Sakura Sapling by now, in the forest.

She cared for the tree for a few years, before finally deciding that it was just about her time. Placing her hand on the small tree, the woman vanished, seeming to have been absorbed by the tree. She wished to watch over the tree as a spirit, to ensure that her journey was not in vain. Soon after, other spirits began to mingle with the Sakura tree as it grew, and the land became more and more a sanctuary of sorts for wayward souls, looking for a place to rest. One of which was the Moon Spirit, after having fallen from its place in the sky, and having been reclaimed by a new moon. Finally looking for a place to rest, the Moon Spirit found the Sakura tree and its spiritual guardian. It decided that this place was somewhere it could be useful, after its time was done, and decided to linger, casting light on the dark forest floor at night. It wasn't long after this that some humans, presumably from the same place as the woman, arrived. One of their elders came up to the tree, placed her hand on it, and began to speak with the Sakura spirit. The humans were allowed to form a village there, where they were provided safety and protection, as they were outcasts from their own home, like the tree.

This is the history of Moon Dance Village. The Moon spirit watches over the humans, while the humans celebrate the Sakura tree with ritualistic dances, hence the name. The humans, spirits, and animals live here in harmony, until one evil spirit began to appear. It multiplied, and formed into Oni on the outskirts of the village. This is why the village is no longer the safe haven it was meant to be, as the local animals and spirits have taken a dark turn. While most are either effected or immune, some of the immune have begun to distrust humans, and often proceed with caution around them. Replications of the fallen sun, Amaterasu, are most known for this, in the area, but aren't immediately hostile to the humans. Hiro opened his eyes once again, having seen all of this play out before him. So, this is the history of the village, then? This is how the village came to be? Another small vision flashed before his eyes, as the four adventurers came to this land, bringing with them the elder's grandson, just a few days before. Hiro's fight against the Oni with Amaterasu and Kitty the day before flashed for a moment, and a mysterious man greeted them with a warm smile before introducing himself. This land was... Beautiful. Hiro slowly turned to Lavinia, wondering if she shared the vision.

[877 Words]

((OOC: I'm so sorry that it took me forever to post, Silly. D: Life hasn't been quite nice to me lately, so I've had to take care of things before I could get almost any down time. But, I posted now, and I hope you enjoy what I wrote. ^-^;;))

[Lavinia]

One last try and Lavinia was on her feet, looking around the room once more, still not a soul. Lavinia tries to make sense of the flash back, vision or whatever that just was that she saw but it didn't make sense. Why would she see a vision of her parents in this world, when they've been dead for almost eleven years? How did the source of the vision know more about her own past than she did? Lavinia couldn't make sense of this mess, but then it clicks, Hirosame might be able to. Looking around she finds several rooms and looks in each of them. First one, no one, second no one, all of the rooms, empty. She wonders if he's outside and heads for the entrance they originally entered in. Standing in the entrance Lavinia sees Hiro walk over and sit below the sakura tree, as she takes a few steps toward him a vortex of wind surrounds Lavinia as the world blurs into another vision. This time it wasn't her past, but the villages and how it came to be. A woman, with a gift cast from her village because of her gift. She traveled far with what Lavinia supposed was a seedling of a sakura tree, Lavinia recognized the lands known as India and eventually England where she planted the seedling that has now become a sapling. As the vision comes to an end, Lavinia is just as confused as before. Lavinia resumed walking towards Hiro as she presumes he is no longer seeing the vision as well. Standing in front of him Lavinia is no longer crying, but her face is still flush and wet from the tears, its obvious she was crying to anyone who cared to look. Hiro turning around to look at her Lavinia looks at him hoping he had answers. "W-w-what is going on, what are these visions from?" she asks unsteadily, the emotional situation still overwhelming her slightly. If this village was able to unlock the fate of her parents from the depth of her memory, what else was it capable of? WORD COUNT:352 TAGS:Hirosame NOTES:It's kinda short, but you didn't give me much to go off on. :)

[Hirosame]

Hiro could tell that Lavinia was crying about something, but thought that tact would dictate that he doesn't ask about it. What she saw in her vision, should she have had one to herself, is her own business. Hiro had not right to bother someone else about what they saw. Except, in this case. Lavinia seemed to have seen exactly what he just saw. Attempting to regain his composure, Hiro put a hand to his chin, thinking. "Perhaps that was the entire story of the village, and how it came to be, through the eyes of the Sakura Spirit." He walked a little ahead, still caught in thought. "The woman in the vision, at the beginning, who carried the tree sapling must be Elder Yamamoto. The woman became part of the tree, and lived on through it. Which means, Elder Yamamoto is the very essence of this village. Elder Yamamoto is the Sakura Tree Spirit." Having restated the obvious, there should be something that they can draw on from that, that will link these things together. Just then, his mind clicked a little bit, since he had no audio to go off of.

"That must be it." He said to himself, taking his hand from his chin and looking up a little ways. He turned back to Lavinia, with a definitive grin on his face. "Here's how it went down: Elder Yamamoto, back when she was young, and still human, was forced out of the village by an angry mob, and sent to roam the world! She was forced to bring that tree with her as an extra punishment, so that the woman would learn just how valuable life is. Perhaps the elder was a murderer back in the day, and was finally caught. She could use magic, so she couldn't be killed. Then they decided to banish her from the land, and she was sent across the world! When she got here, she thought she could atone for her sins, by creating a new place for people to live. Eventually, more villagers, who were also murderers, were also banished, and they happened upon this land as well, on accident! Seeing the tree and moon spirits, they decided to live here, as if guided by some mysterious fate." Hiro clapped his hands together, and brandished a triumphant smile. "That must be it!"

Not a moment later, a ladle flew through the air as quick as a falcon, and placed itself harshly into the back of the Monk's skull. Falling over after the impact of the improvised weapon, Elder Yamamoto walked out, and shook her head angrily. "NO, YOU STUPID SHITHEAD!! YOU'VE GOT IT COMPLETELY WRONG!!" The elder walked up, picked up the ladle, and bashed Hiro over the head a few times. "Maybe hitting you in the head a few more times will knock the stupid out of you!" She exclaimed. After a few moments, she stopped drumming on the red-shaded numskull, and stood back up. She sighed loudly, and turned to Lavinia. "I left on my own accord, to explore the world. My tree was just a possession of mine. And the people who came here were the same as me: They wanted to explore!" Throwing a dirty look to the monk on the ground, the elder grunted and started back towards the shrine. A few steps later, she stopped, and turned around, with a small smile on her face. Hiro was just standing up, rubbing the back of his head, when he noticed her kind grin.

"The power from this village is my own, gathered from years of waiting and harvest." With that, the elder went back inside, leaving the two to their own devices. A slightly confused look on his face, Hiro crossed his arms and pouted a bit. "Geez, why's the old geezer gotta throw shit at me, anyways?" He said, grumpily under his breath. A few seconds later, the ladle flew with great force from the kitchen once again, but Hiro dodged it just in time. Throwing a snarky smirk back at where the ladle had come from, he was too late to notice the frying pan that was following closely behind the ladle. Smack! Right into his face. Having been completely bowled over by the final flying object, Hiro landed flat on his back, a dazed expression in his eyes. Elder Yamamoto came back out, and picked up the utensil and pan, looking down at the boy, with a smirk of her own. "Future Sight is a lovely thing, you little bastard." Laughing triumphantly herself, Elder Yamamoto walked back inside. Hiro, rubbing the front of his face, grunted. A fresh, red mark was covering his face, in the shape of the frying pan. Without turning to Lavinia, he said abruptly. "Say. Nothing." His face turning red from embarrassment, he continued to look at the door, angrily. He sighed, let the moment pass, and looked slightly concernedly towards his companion. "You alright? It looked like you were crying or something." Returning his gaze to the door, he continued. "You don't have to tell me, though. I'm just some guy you met today. Just wanna make sure you're alright." He was legitimately concerned, but would leave it alone if she requested.

[875 Words]

[Lavinia]

Lavinia used Hirosame's focus on explaining the vision as an chance to recompose herself. Rubbing her eyes and cheeks with her hands to remove any moisture that remained Lavinia did her best to push the emotional whirlwind back under control, all the while listening to Hirosame's explanation. Lavinia agreed with the monks assessment about the second vision nodding as he spoke. "So, if she was one of the original... But the Elder's can still die... Some form of memory manipulation?" she says slowly piecing the whole thought together as she said it. It made sense at least for a theory. Despite the Elders age, this village must have been founded several hundred years ago, so being the original Elder is out of the question. So Lavinia thought, when someone became an Elder they were given the memories and powers of the original, she wondered if the vision would have been a man if the Elder showing them was also a man. So if this is true, they may all believe they are the original, sounds like it would make for... Interesting dinner conversations. The biggest factor of evidence for this theory was Lavinia's first vision of her parents. The Elder could not have any knowledge about her past, even more so about the particular happenings of it that even Lavinia didn't remember until she saw it during the vision. But then Hirosame had another grand idea, one that was completely out there and outlandish, it was so ridiculous it made Lavinia laugh a bit. The Elder must have agreed because was now assaulting the monks head with a ladle and telling him how stupid he is. The sight of the whole thing was just hilarious and it showed on Lavinia's face with a wide amused grin. Lavinia looked at the Elder as she turned and started speaking to Lavinia, she nodded in reply and watched the Elder go back inside but before Lavinia had a chance to answer Hirosame's question the ladle came flying back at Hirosame's head, but fortunately he dodged it. Lavinia was highly amused by the situation before Hirosame and the Elder, she was very glad she wasn't in his shoes right now. Unfortunately for him, dodging the ladle meant getting smashed in the face with a frying pan. She gasped as it hit him and watched the Elder come and retrieve her cooking ware. As she continued to watch with amusement and concern for her friend his words made her laugh and she couldn't resist teasing him a bit. "I think she likes you." she says giggling. "You are okay though?" she says looking at him then back to the door where the Elder went, looking for any potential flying hazards. Lavinia stares down at the floor as Hirosame brings up her condition. She thinks quietly for a moment, deciding if she should tell him or not as the now reawakened memory fights for her attention. "I saw... She showed me something I wanted to know all my life. Now I regret having learnt what it actually was." she says softly turning her gaze up to her friend. Giving Hirosame a convincing smile she says "I'm fine though, thank you for asking. You two cheered me up actually." and turn turns her gaze on the near by Sakura tree. WORD COUNT:553 TAGS:Hirosame NOTES:...

[Hirosame]

Hiro was a bit glad that Lavinia had cheered up just a bit, enough to the point that she was no longer looking like she was just crying. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." He said with a chuckle, in response to her semi-worried question. But, what he didn't expect from her was to actually hear what was bothering the girl. A slightly surprised expression formed on his face, and he was taken just a little aback by it, but not enough to make a noticeable fuss over it. This girl had some history that she didn't even know about? So, perhaps the spirit of the tree could see into things that not even the adventurers themselves had experienced. This gave him more of a shocked mindset than before, but once again, enough to cover it up. As the girl finished her statement, she acknowledged the fact that she was cheered up by Hiro and the Elder. While that, in and of itself, was relieving, there was still the matter that this girl had something that she wished she didn't know. Especially what she had just seen. Hiro couldn't imagine what she saw, nor could he ask. As he turned his gaze to the tree, following Lavinia's, he figured it wasn't his place to ask.

However, everything happens for a reason. Hiro was a firm believer in that mentality. If he should die in this world, there's a reason for why it is important to know in the future. So, maybe the thing she saw hurts her for now, but will turn into something that she will be glad to know then. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. While that may not quite apply in this world for right now, it might be useful at some point in the future. Perhaps when Lavinia goes back to the other world, she'll be able to make use of the knowledge she learned here. But, the future won't be here just because someone wills it to be. It will come at its own pace, in its own way. Of course, everybody's going to be forced into it at some point, but it would serve us all well to prepare for it as best as we can. But, all the existential bullshit aside, the tree stood tall and proud, as it had been for centuries. Hiro finally understood the origins of this town. He knew everything that he wanted to know. The monsters in the area, the people, and now, the history behind it all. What more did he want from here? Only one thing: Diplomacy between the adventurers and this village.

But, he'd worry about that later. He figured it wouldn't be nice to pry into Lavinia's life any more than he had already, so he just turned to her with a smile on his face. "Thanks for your help today, Lavinia." He began, nodding to her as he spoke. "I'm grateful for how much you helped me today, and I'd like to add you as a friend. I'd love to do a quest or something sometime!" Hiro opened up the menu, and sent the invitation over to her. With that, he turned and started to walk away, giving her a wave as he walked. "Until next time!" He called out, leaving the clearing, and entering the shrine once again. He saw the Elder out of the corner of his eye, and turned to her. She was smiling as he was walking away, to which he smiled in return. He nodded, not that she could see it, and continued to leave. Hiro planned to stay in the village a few more days now, though, and attempt to solidify things before much longer. The people would likely be happy about that. Adventurers would probably enjoy having an oriental-themed area to access, too, since most people here didn't get to live in Japan or anything of the sort. But, that would come later. For now, he wanted to make everybody as happy as they can be, by coexisting together. It would benefit everybody, so there should be no harm in it. With this thought in mind, he walked back to the inn he was staying at.

Hiro sat on the bed that he was provided later on that night, when a sudden ringing began to sound in his ear. He opened the interface, and found the source of it was a telepathy call from Saeko. Hiro answered it, tired but happily. "Hey Saeko." He spoke. She wasn't talking very loud, as it sounded like she woke up in her sleep and just wanted to talk. Hiro smiled a bit at what she was saying. "Nah, things are fine here. You didn't need to call me just to make sure things are fine." A slight pause, then he continued. "Need I remind you that I stay up this late on a daily basis? How else am I gonna carry your drunk ass home after a night on the town? I need to be used to this kind of thing by now." A disgruntled sigh could be heard from the other end of the conversation, but it went back to the quiet talk. "You get some sleep, Saeko. Sounds like you've been bored all day." After a couple more little chuckles, Saeko agreed to get more sleep. "Good night, Saeko." He said, before taking his hand away from his ear. He then shuffled underneath the bed covers, and laid there for a few moments, before his eyelids got heavy. Maybe he wasn't as good at staying up as he thought he was. Oh well, the night was here. Might as well get some sleep. He's got more work to do soon, anyways.

[955 Words]