Heavenfall

"The identity of a potential Thunder is a dangerous one, certainly, but those around her also know, and are capable of responding in kind, but that is not what I meant." He sighed, wondering how many others may have missed the true sacrifices. "Shinjo wasn't just injured, she was lamed. Jigoku took ...

"The cycle repeats, so it would perhaps be dormant for a long enough time following its culmination to no longer be a direct issue of mine. But we do not know what manner of war it wages against us yet. Have you yet considered the damage inflicted upon us in exchange for that doorway?"

"I have reason to believe it thinks ill of me, yes. Though I cannot name the source for obvious reasons."

"I do, but such is a difficult thing to achieve believably, and begs the assumption that those beholden to Jigoku would fall for such a ploy. Sadly, I am not convinced that this would be the case. You are referring to tactics which work fine against the mind of a human, but it is not a human whose i...

"I am afraid that the more dramatically I disappear, the more conspicuous I would make myself. People would look, and question, and search. It may even be what my enemy wants, to have my guidance removed from the empire long enough to make their move. I appreciate your concern, but the danger does n...

"You might think I'd already considered such a thing, but I will not ignore advice given on such an important matter. I understand how important it would be to prepare for such an eventuality. If you have suggestions, I am open to them. Minimizing who I am... that alone would be difficult. I am a kn...

Shinsei cleared his throat briefly. "No, that's quite descriptive enough." That had been a particularly active night... "What conclusions would you draw from this particular... revelation, let's say?"

Shinsei placed a hand on Phi- no, Nozomi's shoulder, and nodded at her words. "If tomorrow looks like it might become a lesser day than today, then we can work to change it." Seeing as few people seemed interested in following the announcement, Shinsei himself stood to add to Nozomi's words. "When f...

That seemed to surprise Shinsei for a bit, but he broke his own awkward silence with a laugh and a nod. "Yes, indeed, she has made a very fine point of telling me that I can't spend all my life hiding up on that mountain, looking for gods and godlike mortals, and forsaking those who care about me ba...

Shinsei was quiet for a moment. "As understand it, the technique that I used opens oneself up to interpretation at the same time that you interpret another. Everyone else likely saw something of me as I viewed them in turn, so what you witnessed was not necessarily oracular, but an interpretation of...

Shinsei bowed as well and smiled that way he liked to do at times. "Yes, the empire as a whole will be shaped by all the hands which labor within it, not just yours. I shall find it very interesting to see the results."

And with that, Shinsei and his companion made their way from the room.

/exit

"It likely will, to some degree, but not wholly on Nanzi's terms. Never forget that as a samurai he is vassal to his lord, just as those samurai he commands are vassal to him. It is the line of Shiba who decide what shape the empire will take, not the line of Nanzi." Shinsei bowed, and turned to mak...

Shinsei's smile grew thin, having expected something like this to come up at some point. "It is true that not all can be great, for if everyone is, what then does the term mean? But while not everyone can be great, anyone is capable. On that, I believe, we will never agree, and I have come to accept...

Shinsei's eyes sparkled at that. "Immortality? That would be something indeed, would it not? But, even if I had discovered such a thing, I would not hedge my bets solely into myself. I intend to see if the technique can be taught to others. If I can learn it, why should only I have access?" Granted ...

"Great men are subject to mistakes, just like the rest of us. We cannot fault them for that, for it is the way in which they allow those mistakes to define their further actions that speaks the loudest." He sighed briefly. "On the surface yes, I can see the cause for confusion, but I chose nothing, ...

"That the realm can suffer such losses comfortably, at least by outward appearances, is at the very least troubling. We play against an ancient opponent with a great deal more experience than we possess. We shall need to be quite surprising to prevail." Shinsei took in Nanzi's questions with a sombe...

"I know nothing for certain about the whims of Jigoku." He swept his hand at the game board before Nanzi by way of example. "War is not so different from a game of strategy. You can learn from your opponent, guess their moves, their motives, and strive for victory. But until the game is finished, th...

Having very much decided that traveling with Phi was where he wanted his life to be, Shinsei was among those assembled, enjoying his meal and sitting not too far away from her. When she stood and gathered everyone's attention, however, he did pause in mild surprise, wondering what it was she was pla...

"I have a fair bit of time for now, ask away." Shinsei sat upon the cushion, but couldn't quite seem to get comfortable.

"I always enjoy my discussions with Shiba, so one concerning this library could be quite interesting indeed." Shinsei pursed his lips at the mention of the war, taking another sip of tea to gather his thoughts and decide what exactly he would say about it. "Sometime within our lives. One, perhaps tw...