[D9 LN] Late Watch

[Taochusu]

Continuing his rounds deep into the dark of night, the large hunter makes his way around the camp, keeping as alert as he can.

D9 LN, Investigation / Perception: 5d10o10k3 24

[Nozomi]

Her own eyes were alert to the possibility of danger as well, focusing specifically on the possibility something might attack the camp this late. Lurking quietly on a rock, she caught sight of the big guy. Who couldn't. The man was a massive wall of meat that would have made an ogre proud. She gave him a nod as she caught sight of him, just glad folks were taking the suggestion to keep up the rotations.

"Anything to report right now?"

[Taochusu]

Lumbering was the natural gait of anyone that size. Just had to be that way to conserve energy. But he was also conciously not sneaking. He knew others were and so he let them be the shadows while he was the deterrent.

"Nah. Just curious animals acting in an animal way. Nothing being strange or threatening."

[Nozomi]

Hey, serving as the bait had its definite place right now. She was the second hammer to his anvil if anything came at them that wasn't just a chattering monkey or the like. She snorted and looked out into the dark. "This place makes me more and more paranoid by the day," she muttered, grunting and settling back. "It was Taochusu, right? I'm pretty sure I heard that name somewhere along the line."

[Taochusu]

"Yep. And you were Phi. We were in that nasty swamp with the mind controlling," he said with a nod.

[Nozomi]

"Oh right... yes, that." She made a face behind her veil and sighed, trying to stay relaxed. That whole thing had set her on edge for days now, especially after the bog hags had basically revealed how they'd gotten into this camp by implication. Thankfully they were gone now, and good riddance to ugly skinriders.

"I apologize. Between the girl, that one man and the swamp, my mind was not where it should have been that night."

[Taochusu]

"Nobody had their mind in the right place there, or they wouldn't have been there. No need to apologise for helping save folks that had an even harder time of it," he replies with a nod. "Someone could have died if anyone there had not been."

[Nozomi]

"Or worse," she grunted and nodded. "And you came out just fine, which is good. I think... I think most of us had an idea what wee were getting into, but we didn't really know what that meant in the end. I damned well hope folks are starting to let it settle into their thick skulls that we're not on some pleasure barge riding down the river to rescue this guy." She snorted and shook her head.

"Honestly, I think they're getting it... slowly. Let's just hope not too slowly."

[Taochusu]

"I mean, I know I didn't really get the danger of this evil realm. But at the same time, to me it's just more danger. Not going to start acting like there isn't any. Always gotta be on guard for sudden danger in the wild and be as prepared as you can. Only way to deal with the things you don't expect is to prepare for everything you do and be ready to act."

[Nanzi]

"That is all anyone can ask, to be prepared and ready for evil when it rises," Nanzi said stepping into the light.

[Taochusu]

Taochusu nods to the guy. "Don't personally have a whole lot of experience with evil. A little with some ruthless bandits, but many of them are more desperate than evil. Won't stop me from fighting it though. Don't get experience without doing something."

[Nanzi]

Taochusu nods to the guy. "Don't personally have a whole lot of experience with evil. A little with some ruthless bandits, but many of them are more desperate than evil. Won't stop me from fighting it though. Don't get experience without doing something."

"Well there is the evil of man and then there is the evil that simply is, the corrupting effect that exists to corrupt," he said to the large man.

"It is the latter that we face. As far as Nanzi is concerned you are all heroes simply for coming forward."

[Nozomi]

"This is definitely beyond my personal experience, not that I'm about to back down at all." She went a little rigid when Nanzi came into view, relaxing a second later and nodding towards him. "We're in this far, we're going to finish the job." She was feeling better, too, after having had a talk with Shinsei. She wasn't really entirely out of her fears, but it helped to have admitted them to someone, anyone, since this wasn't a place where admitting fear was really wise.

[Taochusu]

"Well, no matter where the evil comes from, still has to be stopped to protect the people it would hurt. May be a different type from the evil of men, but neither one can be ignored," he replies. "And we won't learn to fight it properly without facing it."

[Nanzi]

"Nanzi is heartened that both of you are so eager to face the unknown, not many would do so without consideration of reward," he said to them.

"That is the essence of service, to act as samurai."

[Nozomi]

"Well, no matter where the evil comes from, still has to be stopped to protect the people it would hurt. May be a different type from the evil of men, but neither one can be ignored," he replies. "And we won't learn to fight it properly without facing it."

"That might be one of the smarter things anyone's ever said since we started this mad little journey," she snorted out and nodded towards Taochusu. "We really can't know how to fight it if we don't have someone face it. Not loving being the guinea pig for figuring out how a skinrider works, but ... when we get back, we can make sure people know because there's bound to be more of those."

"Nanzi is heartened that both of you are so eager to face the unknown, not many would do so without consideration of reward," he said to them.

"That is the essence of service, to act as samurai."

She tried not to roll her eyes and managed to succeed. This isn't service. It's bloody well survival. If these things get into the empire do you think those lowlanders will be able to handle them? I don't think so. "A Hikaru doesn't let fear take over," said the girl who'd been balling her eyes out only about eight hours before now on the world's first monk's shoulders. "And I'm sure you're not going to quit until this damned thing's done either."

She would give Nanzi this. the man was no coward. She could respect that.

[Nanzi]

"Courage is not disregarding fear but pushing through it to do their Duty despite the fear," Nanzi replied.

"The Hikaru said it well."

[Taochusu]

"Facing the unknown is what wanderers do every day. You learn to look forward to it, or you go mad dealing with it. Every day I wake up and wonder if it will be my last day, but I also wonder what new things I will see. We may face a great number of dangers and I'm not afraid to do so. In return, I get the chance to see things that I never did before. Like the waterfall earlier, and it's colorful lights in the pool below. I only thought those appeared in the sky with rain before today," he said with a smile. "Even if this evil kills or takes me, I got to see that. Even if it destroys me, I got to meet a lot of good people on this trip. That's all I really need to be content with my choice."

[Nozomi]

She chuckled and looked over at Taochusu dryly and pointed a finger. "You, big guy, have got to talk to Koyama one of these days. You sound kind of like that old bastard," she said. Mentally, adding without the accent. For as much as they were both Hikaru, his highland accent dwarfed both she and Sora's by so many leagues. It was kind of funny sometimes. "That man will chase after the wind until the day he dies looking for a new horizon."

[Nanzi]

“Shinjo-ue is a good man, hard drinker and never backs down from what he feels is right. Nanzi is proud to call Godling Koyama as friend. We do not always see things in the same way but Nanzi has no doubt where he stands,” he said with a chuckle.

“Nanzi may doubt what he says but you njod a few times and just muddle through; same-same.”

To the bigger man he said, “If you needed that to be content there are safer places to see new vistas and there are good people in every part of the Empire. No the folks here are cut from a different tree, they crave danger but also have a sense of what is just.”