Heavenfall

After a good day, restful compared to the last month, Kyosei managed to find the room he was staying in, and hoped he would be meeting the one he invited. He worried over the man. And over what the man saw.

Shinsei arrived without much fuss, bird upon his shoulder, and his usual demeanor in place, minus perhaps a bit of the grumpiness he'd had originally upon arriving here so many days ago.

Then again, he'd been traveling non stop for over a month now, so he was entitled.

When he arrived, he nodded briefly to Kyosei. "Greetings, Kyosei of the Isawa. You wished to speak with me?"

"Greetings. Have you had some non-trail food yet?"

"I have, and it was absolutely divine. How about yourself?"

"For lunch. It was amazing, I agree."

Taking a seat, Kyosei waves to a cushion not far away. "I had some questions, and your answers may lead to other points. If you have a little time, of course."

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

When you were looking at each, to examine them to go into the depths, did all of those you looked into also get a vision? For I, who have never been terribly oracularly inclined, saw something. I saw you, on the top of a tall mountain, looking around. Others, also, like the Kami, and their mates, were also on the mountains, and you could see them, quite clearly. Others of us, however, were on the ground, far below you. We could see you, but it seemed a poor angle to see us. As though you could only see some part of us."

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 my own soul." He placed a hand over his own chest for emphasis. "You may have seen my search for the Thunders, or perhaps those closest to me, whom I know well enough to see clearly, and those who I know not very well, making them hazy and indistinct. Interpretation of the soul is far from an exact science."

"That could be. And, that all of those on mountains had great destinies, I can believe that. But, something else I could tell. Which is, everyone on those mountains was easy to see, and to find. Ah, I wouldn't mention this, save I heard rumors of some... well, my tent wasn't too far from yours the night you returned with Phi. I had a nightmare that woke me that night, and, well, I heard some things. And, then later, there was some talk, though it was jumbled as many things are, of difficulty between you and her. So, my thought was... perhaps you need to figure out how to come down from that mountain, when it is needed."

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 back down on level earth. I do appreciate the advice, I intend to take it to heart. Do tell me though..." He looked at Kyosei from beneath the shadows of his hood. "What... exactly did you hear?"

"I have been mated for several years. There are certain sounds that are... distinctive, when a man and a woman spend time together to slake the physical needs. Even when they are trying to be quiet. Need I be more explicit?"

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?"

"You wish to spend time with her. It might be dangerous to spend time with her - for her, and any children that might result. Especially if you are not completely successful in your quest to come. But, there are also ways for you, and her, and any little ones, to hide. And not all require you to change who you are. Most, however, require you to learn to lower yourself, to not be obvious and up front."

"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 known factor, and cannot disappear entirely, I'm sure you realize."

[GM note: if Kyosei gets too close to the truth in this thread he may end up with a dark secret]

"But, you could disappear dramatically, then a follower, one that follows the truths you reveal could appear. Particularly if he did so in an out of the way place. Alternately, you could move to the edge of nowhere. Build yourself a life on the edge of the wilds." He takes a deep sigh. "I hear that Chusu lands are empty."

"Or, do the first, but in the largest city you can find. It is easy to find someone that doesn't belong in a small town. In a large city? It is very hard. Or, become someone that is clearly not Shinsei, because he asks questions, instead of answering them." Kyosei shrugs. "I could come up with ideas all day. But, which of them might appeal to you, that is between you and Phi. Oh, I suppose you could also travel, leave the Empire, see the rest of the world."

"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 not change no matter which path I take. I intend to remain on the move, ever vigilant. To never quite remain in the same place for very long, that may be the best defense of all."

"Hmm. Joining the tribe of, uh, Ryoko's? So, you would move with them? Otherwise, sounds... difficult. And when I said disappear, I was thinking more in a way that left others thinking you were dead, not just vanished. They wouldn't look, because they would 'know' Shinsei was dead. This new guy? Oh, he got to hear a lesson or two, and now he's continuing the path! As long as you trained others in the same methods, or as near as can be done, you would just fit their mental preconceptions. Does that make sense?"

"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 ire I have drawn upon myself."

"Do you feel you have already drawn it's ire? Any more than the rest of us that went have?"

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