Heavenfall

Though what Jin had learned was vital to share swiftly it could wait long enough for basic decorum. As such the daimyo did not barge in to the tent of his lady but the afternoon sun found him announcing himself outside of it. Scratching at the door with his good hand.

"Shinjo, it is Jin. I have an important matter to speak of. May I enter? And, if not now, then when should I return?"

A familiar figure also approached.

He'd meant to give the Emperor's greetings to his siblings earlier, but everyone had been so damned busy...

Well, well, well.

He waited, allowing his friend to receive a reply before directly intruding.

Jin nods as he sees the other man approach, "Sora. It is likely good that you are here as well since you can bring news back to Shiba assuming we make it out of this."

"Hell, I'll send back one of the injured or someone who loses their nerve with a letter if it comes to that. Especially since it sounds important."

Jin nods, "I believe it is. Perhaps related to our current endeavor and perhaps a threat yet on the horizon."

"Then it's a good thing I had some social niceties to bring me here."

A pause.

"I met some of your followers. Quite a wide-eyed bunch you've assembled"

He sounded amused.

Jin can't help but grin despite his earlier concern, "I wish I could have convinced them to stay behind. I dread seeing any of that wonder and innocence crushed by what we must face ahead of us. But a teacher needs to know when it is time to let the student choose their own path."

"Might be just as well."

He sighed.

"I have similar thoughts about the kids- I hate to think of them coming up against the ugly crap this world has on offer. Still, you know how it goes- shield the young too much, and they'll never grow tough enough to handle things when we're gone."

In truth Jin really didn't know, his own upbringing having held little shielding at all, but he nodded before returning to his original worries, "Have you visited the standing stone in the woods yet?"

"I have not. I did pop by the abandoned watchpost, though.. Anything to worry about there?"

Jin shakes his head, "Not an immediate threat. It is where I learned of what brings me here. The spirit of the stone told my a tale, in its manner, but spirits of earth and stone are not very talkative. I wondered if perhaps your vision might see something that mine would not."

"It's not always the most reliable, but I could certainly check it out. Although if this a matter of the past... my eye generally doesn't bring that up. Or is this about a thing that might happen?"

"Apparently both. The standing stone is apparently a record of a past race, or races - that part wasn't entirely clear, a marker of a great war they fought. But the stone said the war had been fought before that and before that again... and that it would be fought again within the lifespan of a man."

"Well, I'll have to go see what I can see. Might be I can find some pieces that match gaps in what you have."

"It would be appreciated. Perhaps it is related to this and is the fate if we fail and their brother is lost. But it may be even if we win there is a greater battle yet ahead and, if so, we need to be prepared."

"There's always a battle ahead, my friend. But I'm glad you've turned up some signs of this one. This 'empire' is, like most newborns, a fragile thing."

"True, but few battles that echo through the ages repeating again and again. I am glad my curiosity won out - the time and patience needed to speak with stone means it is not something I often undertake."

The former Hikaru chuckled.

"Funny, you always struck me as the patient type. But if it's... cyclical... yes, I think I'll go give this marker a look once we're done here."

Jin laughs a little, "I am but have you ever waited for a mountain to decide which way it wants to move? The spirits of earth have lived from the day the stone was formed until today. The way they view the world, and time, is often alien to us."

"Well, I'm just glad somebody can talk to them. There's a lot to know out there, and given the limitations of our senses and lifespans..."