Heavenfall

"Why is that?" She asks, curious.

"On principle, if nothing else." He was quiet for a time, staring off into space as if remembering something distant. "But it isn't a large stretch to assume the issues we face if the realm claims one of the divine."

"Issues like what?" Haka runs her fingers through her white hair, working out the kinks and tangles. "One less sky person in the world?"

Shinsei fixed Haka with a stare, for all the good it did. "A divine avatar of Jigoku, among other things. The realm of evil corrupts all it touches. It would have a formidable force with any of the fallen ones, but the one we're to rescue? He still possesses the divine spark, as Hantei does. The damage he could do is far, far worse."

"So why are all of the sky people not with us? This is the biggest danger in the world, right?"

She makes a vague motion in the direction that might be south. "Why are all of their followers not here with the group, moving to stop this?"

"For the same reason we march in the first place; to stop the spread of Jigoku's influence. Imagine taking back the fallen Kami only to lose every other one in the attempt. Such would be a very pointless victory. We strike a fine balance between just enough to succeed but not enough to cripple ourselves with failure, should our efforts be futile." That many others simply didn't want to come was also possible, but Shinsei's spoken thoughts were likely the more valid ones.

Haka isn't convinced, and her expression shows it, but she let's the matter drop without further argument. "This one hopes that the people who planned this expedition are very skilled," she finally settles upon.

"You and I share that hope. I'm here to lend what aid that I'm able to, but my concerns for this journey will not cease until well after it is finished." Shinsei looks Haka over once, suddenly curious. "What is it, exactly, that brings you along on this expedition, if I may ask?"

Haka smirks. "This one needed to leave her village for a time, and while she was traveling, she learned of an expedition south and joined. It is good that she did; nobody here seems to know much about spirits or ghosts."

"It does seem to be a relatively lacking experience among those gathered. One wonders at the oversight necessary to create that particular issue." Shinsei shook his head slowly. "Which naturally implies that spirits and ghosts are your area of expertise. We're lucky to have you along."

"It shall be seen. If the group encounters no ghosts or spirits, then this one is merely slowing people down." Haka didn't seem overly upset at the prospect.

"There is always a chance that this one will die horribly, as well! It is very interesting." She taps a finger thoughtfully against her chin. "The others I have spoken with seem to have few troubles with ghosts. If Haka dies this far from the forest, perhaps her spirit will move on instead of lingering? That would be very interesting indeed."

"Ah... yes, I suppose it would be interesting to die horribly and somehow not leave a ghost behind." Shinsei was starting to take on a tone of voice Haka was likely very familiar with. "How many ghosts have you dealt with, for it to be so interesting not to be encountering them?"

"Hard to tell," Haka admits. "Dozens? This one is unsure how many of those are the same ghost that she has encountered multiple times."

There's a pause. "Also, this one has been haunted by the same ghost for the past decade or so. It is quite tiresome."

"That's a long time to spend around someone involuntarily. Has this spirit explain their fascination with you? Or does it just jump out of nowhere and ghost you?" Though a generally spiritual man, Shinsei wasn't precisely an expert on hauntings and the like.

"Someone said this one's name whole it was nearby." She sighs. "This one fed it to keep it docile, lest it turn its attentions toward the village. It is somewhat frustrating."

"Fed it? What do you mean by that?" Shinsei was starting to grow concerned about this spirit, as he only knew of one kind that had a desire to be fed.

"Blood. That is what most ghosts want." She makes a vague gesture to the north. "The hungry ones, at least. The quiet ghosts tend to be looking or waiting for someone, and they generally don't cause too much trouble if one pretends it is not there."

"Hmm, I see. And this one following you is one of the hungry ones it appears. Does it make itself known with any sense of regularity, or is it more random in its appearances?" This topic was, in a way, rather fascinating, and Shinsei's curiosity had been piqued.

"It becomes more agitated the longer it goes without feeding. At first it will be just sounds, then it will pull on this one's braids or scratch her with claws... she tries to avoid feeding it too much when alone, but around others, better to keep it fed and docile."

"Is it capable of harming others when agitated, or is it simply a much larger problem for you during these times?" Shinsei took a moment to adjust his positive on the rock, as one of his legs had begun falling asleep.