Heavenfall

Shinjo smiled sadly. "Of course I will. I'll be sad, and it will hurt to have to prepare for whatever Jigoku will turn him into, but I will survive and move forward. For the Empire, the Clan, us, and our children."

"Bayushi is an extremely practical man, and has a strong commitment to those who earn his loyalty," she said after a moment's thought. "Shiba is his twin, so him becoming Emperor was probably a best-case scenario in Bayushi's eyes. He's also extremely perceptive. He and Shiba assessed that something...

She nodded. "He's a bit mysterious, even to us, but I will answer what I can."

She listened quietly as he spoke, nodding a little. She chuckled a bit at herself. "You make me realize how silly I'm being. I did let my pride get in my way. I was overconfident. I suppose I should speak with her." She smiled at him. "As usual, you help me see things more clearly. It's not a bad th...

"... I don't know. I was mostly frustrated," she sighed and leaned into him. "It doesn't change that I couldn't."

"I guess... I didn't really think about my limits until now."

She nodded and sighed, looking down at one hand. "... I couldn't do it."

Shinjo sat on a fallen log, staring off into the forests surrounding the Nezumi city, mind on the scene with the Seidou woman earlier in the morning.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't knock her out. How? Had she really become so weak with the onset of mortality, or had she always been?

Shinjo nodded and shifted her grip on the hammer, swinging it for center of mass before abruptly shifting it to aim for the head. Attack, 2 raises for Feint, TN 30 : 10d10o10k10+2 52 The wood of the hammer cracked and bent as it made impact, the weakness of the wood softening the blow for a loose de...

Shinjo smiled at his apologetically. "Sorry..."

Then she looked to Satone and nodded to the exterior. "Let's go outside for this."

He nodded. That confirmed some of what Unmei had hoped. "If such open acceptance is maintained and encouraged, you may shillsk find more take greater interest in you and your clans. Do you have a personal opinion in regard to spirits?" "I'm interested in them. I like exploring and meeting new peopl...

Shinjo looked to Hantei. "Brother, could you give her your blessing, please?"

Shinjo sighed. "Fine. Knocking you out it is. I will make sure it's measured. Let's step outside."

"Indeed... Great care must be taken." "I think they would have had more to worry about if some of my other siblings had ascended." She politely refrained from mentioning which ones. "Shiba is more interested in learning about other denizens of the spirit realms than acting against them. Indeed, his ...

She nodded. "We will wait on that, then."

She turned to Hanzou. "You spoke up. Speak your piece, Hanzou-san."

She nodded seriously. "I understand. I will put out the call for more volunteers on night watches."

Shinjo's brows furrow. "There was a formal rotation." Her fingers tap rapidly on the tabletop. "They didn't report anything the other night."

"Of course. Please, speak your piece. We will address each issue one at a time," she said, settling down across from Phi.

Shinjo soon emerges from the tent, surprised to see so many people. "Hello... Why don't you all come in and have a seat?" She held the flap open for them.

"I'd want to know what roll you would like to play before I start," she replied, following his movements with her own.

"I could knock you out with one strike, but I would rather not reduce your head to a fine mist," she noted. "So I propose I... or both of us... demonstrate our prowess on some of the local rocks instead. We both hit one and check the result. Simple enough."