2026-02-11: The Dragon Line of Okinawa
- Log: The Dragon Line of Okinawa
- Cast: Yua Ijuuin, Hiroto Nakamura, Remi Ryuuja, Miho Ijuuin
- Where: Tamagusuku Castle Ruins, Okinawa
- OOC Date: 2026-02-11
- IC Date: Mon, Sep 24 2012
- Summary: Miho, Yua, Hiroto and Remi take a trip to Okinawa while the heat from killing Rokuro dies down. The first thing Yua does is drag them all on a pilgrimage, but Miho's done her reading. Here, they find one of the sacred Dragon Lines... and for the second time, Miho absorbs it into herself. Can she take this power from the New World Order unchallenged? And is that really a good thing for everyone else...?
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvb4SUdFjrY Florence + The Machine - The Old Religion
Yua's pilgrimage -- kami-ugami -- is a thing she has been planning for some time. It's helpful: it means that the schools aren't completely taken aback, when she reports she's leaving for a few days. (And she's... a little uncomfortable with the idea of using it as a cover for something like being accessory to murder; more than her pregnancy demands, she strives for moderation, this time of the year. But what can she do? It's for the sake of her son.)
Yuna Ooshiro, Yua's mother, and her son Yuken will welcome Hiroto's family to the now absolutely hopping town of Kukojima -- a place which has gone from less than two hundred residents to almost a thousand, over the past few years. (And Yua is shocked, seeing her sleepy hometown has become a tourist attraction.) There, they will meet Yurika Ooshiro, the venerable noro priestess of Kukojima Shrine, and her attendants and daughters, Hayu and Riyuko... who stress the need for them to not wander off, with strict instructions on the identification and avoidance of certain sanctified sites.
Prayer to the utaki, on Kukojima island, is a thing done on the beach; there are signs warning people away from the inner workings of the site. "Only Grandmother may tend the utaki," Yua explained, to her friends. "And she's decreed that our grove is not a place where normal people can go."
(If Yurika is bothered by anything, recently... she doesn't let on.)
Yuna is a total space case, the sort of woman who is described purely through pronouns; regardless, she's a kind woman, and she encourages Hiroto's family to try goya chanpuru, while they're there. (A bitter melon stir-fry, cooked up with firm tofu. It's a strange dish for a lot of mainlanders, but just as she promises, it's delicious!) She advised Yua to be more tege -- to chill out -- but Yua was anxious to begin her pilgrimage in earnest. ("The mainland makes you hurry far too much," Yuna had fussed. "Oh, always in a hurry, hurry... by our standards, you're still early...!")
A proper pilgrimage visits many sites -- though Yuna is happy to host Hiroto's family, while Hiroto, Remi, and Miho follow Yua on a ferry out to a more central part of Okinawa, because they have a lot of walking to do. They're headed to Naha, now -- and all the castles that area hosts.
As is tradition, they begin at the stone gate, Sonohyan Utaki, beside Shuri Castle; their long day consists of visiting fourteen sacred sites. By the time they approach the ruins of Tamagusuku Castle, nestled in the hills overlooking the ocean, the sun is setting over the sea. The sky is painted in streaks of red and purple; the gibbous moon shines over an archway carved into the very stone of the mountain, as it rises to take the sun's place.
With night soon falling, and a considerable trek still to the nearest hotel, there's no one here by now...
"Most people start their pilgrimage much earlier in the day than we did," Yua explains, a touch apologetically. (And just a little out of breath. This is a trek she used to make every year, but... for the last four years... well, on top of that, she's walking for two, now.) "But it's nice that no one's here, right...?" She smiles, as she treks up the stone path towards the hills and the castle; they haven't always had the luxury of walking on a paved road, throughout all this. "... Amamikyo built this castle, you know? Our Creator Goddess. She came from Niraikanai, to Sefa-utaki, and once she came here she built this place... this isn't all she built, but it's a very special place, to us. A very powerful place..."
It could almost be an organic part of the landscape, now, for all it's in ruins. But in the stark, staggering colours of the sunset -- echoed in the red and yellow and purple of Yua's traditional ryuso, her dujin and kakan -- it's clear even to the mainlanders amongst them that Yua speaks the truth, as they walk towards the castle.
<Pose Tracker> Hiroto Nakamura has posed.
Hiroto Nakamura has grown to get used to unexpected change. His job relies him to be on the move in a moment's notice. His alliance with Miho, Yua, and Remi is dangerous, though, so when he was told he should take his family to Okinawa temporarily, he was frustrated. He knew the costs... he just hoped they wouldn't touch them.
He does not voice this.
The Nakamura family are staying in Kukojima. His wife Reina offers to help where she can, a strong-willed, charmingly confident, and quick-witted but otherwise respectful woman. She may be the guest, but still wants to be useful.
She did not understand why Hiroto was insistent they go on a 'family vacation'. She continues to wonder 'what the hell is going on with him' as he continues to lie, show secrecy, and refuse intimacy.
But she trusted him nonetheless, and pulled the kids out of school for a few days to do so.
His children, Nana and Keiwa, are also confident. Nana, at 14, is cocky, but follows the rules about the sites to a T. Keiwa, 8, is more diligent and respectful, even asking questions about the things he tastes and learns.
Hiroto, meanwhile, knows they're there for a pilgrimage. He knows they're there because a man died, and they have work to do.
He listens as they reach the stone path towards the hills and castle, not really out of breath, an athletic enough person to handle the walking in his slacks and dress shirt, a nice fit suitable for a pilgrimage in a hot place.
"Okinawa is beautiful," Hiroto says with a glance around. "It's a shame we're not here on a true vacation. I appreciate your call nonetheless."
He's looking for more than just beauty, though. Threat vectors, snipers, anyone who could have known ahead of time what they were doing and be hunting them. In this line of work, it serves to be paranoid.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
There are some very good reasons to get out of town and let the heat die down. Luckily her work schedule is a bit more... flexible, so getting away in a hurry isn't an issue.
She is, honestly, quite curious to learn more about Yua's traditions and beliefs--she had the realization a while ago that she didn't know as much about her friend as she probably should. (Though to be fair, she'd have had four more years to work on that if certain things hadn't disrupted her life.)
Accordingly, she's been asking lots of quiet, respectful questions, trying to learn more and to be a gracious guest. She will also happily indulge in the local food--it would be a shame to visit and not indulge in the unique cuisine.
Like goat! (She's had goat before.)
For the walking itself, however, she has opted for layers. A light green sleeveless top under a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and loose khaki slacks--enough to look stylish, but all in breathable fabrics so she doesn't suffocate. And that allows her to adjust as she goes along so she can keep warm later in the night, thanks to her temperature regulation foibles. She's wearing a pair of sensible walking shoes and a large straw hat, as well as shades, and her hair is secured back in a ponytail.
She's got a small backpack on, with some essentials: sunscreen, wallet, Evoker, and a folded up thick jacket for the nighttime, when she'll most likely want the extra layers.
Aside from adjusting for the heat, she handles the walking quite well--she's used to long days of patrolling in supernatural spaces hunting Shadows. This is a breeze, and far more relaxing, by comparison.
Yua apologizes, and Remi offers her a smile. "It is quite alright, dear. There is rather a lot going on, yes? We shall manage--I am far more concerned with how you are handling things."
"It is," she agrees quietly with Hiroto. He appreciates the call... "Is your family settling in okay?" she asks. She's still got mixed feelings about the man, but she's trying, okay?
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho would prefer that the NWO doesn't touch Hiroto's family. ...But she can make no guarantees; the Order will do as it wills, and she can't control that. This is the lesson she has learned.
She is thus somewhat subdued on the trip over here, and still quiet through the pilgrimage. She is not brooding, precisely. It is good to see Yua's family, even! But she is thoughtful much of the time.
Miho had smiled at Yuna. "We will try to take our time," she assured her.
But the castles... Yes, the traditions. Miho is interested in these traditions for their own sake, but there is another reason she came; she sensed the presence of something...
It may be near.
For now, though, the moon is up, and night is falling.
Miho is always there to help Yua walk, though; to offer an arm to make it easier. That's normal, isn't it? For her part, Miho is not in traditional attire--it is not her place--but she is in fine attire, a nice blouse over fitted slacks. It's not particularly feminine, but it's not outright male clothing, either. She wears red, obviously. Red and black.
"I agree," Miho says with Hiroto. "It would be nice to come here for leisure. ...Perhaps we could learn from 'tege'," she says, "And enjoy things more."
She is also paranoid--that is, watchful. No, paranoid. But it's fine.
"It is nice that we're alone. It means we can appreciate the place better."
"Hmm... the castle of a goddess..."
"I have researched this place," she says. "To learn about this goddess's story."
She also wonders about Hiroto's family. "I do apologize for the suddenness of this requirement. I had thought... it might be less abrupt."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
Yuken is thirteen years old, and he makes quick friends with Nana -- and Keiwa, because he knows what it's like to be the little brother. He shows them around Kukojima Elementary and Middle School, the place where his mother works as a teacher, and tells them all about how he's sure they'll build a High School on the island now they have so many neighbours...!!
(As things were before, they were lucky to have the one school, and even that combined all the grades into a single schoolhouse. 'Elementary and Middle School'... it's something you'd only see out here in the sticks, right?)
And Yuna will be glad for Reina's help. After a morning with her visitors, Reina will soon find herself employing her housewife knowledge in the classroom! Hey, don't you need qualifications to be here?! No, Kukojima still doesn't have the population density to care about that. She's tasked with helping young children play with paints as they learn their colours and shapes, as at the other side of the room, Yuna teaches literature to a group of kids which definitely aren't all in the same grade. Some of the older middle-schoolers are even helping out!!
Kukojima is really a beautiful place, so long as you don't go where the signs tell you not to go... but it's beautiful on the bigger islands, too. You wouldn't know that the land behind Tamagusuku Castle is a golf course, now; it all looks beautifully untouched.
"I was away from home for a long time!" Yua exclaims, with a bit of a huff. "I can't believe how big it's got... it's twice, three times... no, five times as big!" She throws out her hands; they brush at the branches of trees growing here, at either side of the well-trodden path. "I wonder how everyone gets jobs...? Oh, though I guess now there's more people, there's more shops, too..."
She has her Evoker on her in a bag of tricks, of course; there's a first-aid kit in there, too. With extra bandages, just in case Miho needs them! She does take Miho's good arm, though, as she walks. "I'm okay," she assures Remi, smiling to her. (She has answered her questions as well as she can; she might be rather seji-daka, these days, which is how her people refer to the kind of sensitivity which grasps her, but she's not part of the priestesshood herself. Still... Yua knows an awful lot about those old ways, doesn't she? It's because the women of her line have served as priestesses for the village for many years, she says.) "It's really hot, but I'm tough...!" (Hot?! Even in clothing designed for the heat?!)
"It's hard to be tege on the mainland," she sighs, looking to Miho. "I feel all out of place coming back home after being away so long..." Has she forgotten how to take it easy?! "But you looked it up, Mimi? That's great," she smiles, to her.
"Nishiyama-san called us and told us to come," she explains, with remorse, to Hiroto. "Well, we knew it would happen eventually, but... we didn't plan for it to be so soon. It's even more important to pray when my soul is heavy..." She trails off, her gaze dropping. "... ah, I'm sorry. I don't do the kinds of things you and Mimi do... I guess it feels a lot more normal to protect yourself when you do it a lot."
Kill people, she means.
The wooden steps leading up to the castle gates are far more modern -- installed for the convenience of the modern pilgrim or tourist. The place it leads to is an ancient stone wall, covered in moss; stone steps still survive, here. The gate itself seems hewn from the stone of the hill, eternal and strong; it is the only major feature which survives.
As the moonlight strikes it, it feels more precious, still.
No wonder Yua bows her head, when she reaches it...
<Pose Tracker> Hiroto Nakamura has posed.
Hiroto nods to Remi. "I think so," he says about his family. "They'll make do. I just despise the lies."
But they are necessary.
He hums thoughtfully about 'tege', before tilting his head to Miho. "It would have been trivial to not give me this chance, so it is fine." That's not really how it works, but that's how *Hiroto* works, genuinely thankful.
Yua gets a sympathetic nod. "It feels more normal, yes. But it should not. The fact this has become ordinary for us is..."
He trails off. It's stressful, for sure.
As they reach the gate, he bows his head as he sees Yua do so, trying to at least be respectful. He's read up on anything he needs to know about practices in the abstract, so that he doesn't make a fool of himself.
"To last this long... what a testament," Whereto says about the gate. He's a bit in awe. He likes old things!
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi is also watchful--she always is, even though logically she knows the odds of being accosted out here should be low. ('Should' is doing a lot of work, and old habits die hard regardless.)
Miho is always at Yua's side... but Remi can't help but linger close by, as well. This may be a bit awkward on Remi's part, but... it's hard to shut off the protective conditioning.
Miho says she has researched this place. "Do tell, dear," she says, with open curiosity. "I imagine it should prove quite fascinating."
She looks to Yua. "It is rather astonishing, is it not? How much change a few years can bring?" she comments quietly. Yua may not be a priestess but Remi will relish chatting about her culture all the same. "That you are, dear... as for me, I do believe I'm catching a chill."
A shiver runs through her body as she walks, and she starts to unroll her sleeves and button up her shirt. How she can shiver in the sweltering summer heat might be a mystery, but she doesn't seem to suffer as she stops to remove her jacket and slip it on. It doesn't stop them entirely, but it does reduce them, at least.
"It would be far more easy to 'tege' if I could enjoy the beach properly," Remi grouses quietly. The sand and the sun and yet it still may not be fully enough to be comfortable.
Hiroto despises the lies. "Yes... they do become rather difficult to track, after a while, do they not?" She is silent for a moment as she keeps walking. "... one more chain that binds us, then," is her quiet reflection a moment later.
Remi bows her head when she sees Yua do so. "Yes, it is quite remarkable," she agrees with Hiroto.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
It is easy for most people to miss, but Miho is very tired. She was up most of the night; she had to rest as best she could in transit. And now, walking. She's still injured, as well, arm in a sling as her body heals from her wound. She is lucky the bone wasn't impacted further.
But Yua says she's okay, and isn't that what counts?
Hiroto despies the lies; and he says that it would have been trivial... "I see. Well, I won't argue. Thank you all the same."
"You aren't out of place, I think," Miho says gently. "You are simply rushed by the pace of our life. Given the chance, you could slow down." She smiles back, though it's a little wan. "Of course. It's important to you." And when she was researching, she found it--what she thought might be the answer to one of her questions.
But Yua speaks with remorse... Hm. "It's good," Miho says, "That it's difficult for you. As he says. When it becomes easy, something has changed. ...I would prefer to protect you from that, as well."
She doesn't immediately share her research; instead she says, "I think... there may be something to see, in a moment."
Instead, she says listens to Yua and Remi. Remi is catching a chill. "Unfortunate. we will return somewhere warmer when we can."
A chain...
Miho, too, bows her head in respect. "Indeed so..."
"Ah," Miho says. "Do you feel it...?"
"It is not quite the time of year," she says. "But..."
"This is a place of power," Miho comments. "This, we knew. But I think..."
She steps forward, towards the gate, raising a hand to something unseen, touching something invisible.
"...Yes," she says. "This is it."
"O Sacred Dragon, I greet your presence," Miho says. "We witness you." She bows, once.
"...Feel it," she says. "The power of the Dragon Line."
"It comes... here."
and indeed--there is a heat there from the gate, now, more than warmth.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"They said some people started pushing for more migration," Yua explains, to Remi, of the changes back home. "Saying things like, 'find your new tropical life'!... there are a lot of mainlanders in Kukojima, now. I'm really surprised... but if they're embracing our way of life, they're welcome, don't you think? Haa... but I suppose I'm embracing mainlander life, too..." She turns her face up, to smile to Miho, again. (She's not just staying close to her to make sure she doesn't fall.) "Maybe we could stand to slow down... but it's hard, right? Mouuu... sorry the beach isn't fun for you, Recchi," she adds, glancing back to the woman nearby.
"But... we couldn't leave you!" Yua insists, shaking her head, when Hiroto talks about the chance Miho gave him. "What if they lashed out at you since they couldn't reach us...? No way, no way!" And what about Shiryuu? Oh, Shiryuu's been informed. He's a ninja; his entire existence is laying low.
(And what about Kimitake? He has another role entirely, arguably the most dangerous of all: he volunteered to stay behind and speak to their good characters.)
"It's okay," Yua assures Hiroto, of the sins crawling on his back, though her smile's uneasy. She didn't kill him, but she let him die... "I don't want to do something like that," she admits, quietly, to Miho. "I was... really scared."
Still... there's something to see. As Yua prays, Miho poses her question; and she completes her thoughts, to the Gods, before she raises her head. "Mimi...?" She asks, looking to her. "What do you feel, Mimi...?"
Miho might not be Uchinaanchu, but perhaps she is still seji-daka, in her own bond with Yua. Yua's Grandmother saw it in her, years ago... and now.
"The Sacred Dragon... a Dragon Line is here?!" Yua gasps, as she steps up, beside Miho; bowing, herself, in turn. "But, how? I've visited this place every year in my youth -- and we never...!"
<Pose Tracker> Hiroto Nakamura has posed.
"They do," Hiroto agrees with Remi. She's cold... the NWO experiments truly are insidious, to affect them body, mind, and spirit.
Miho thanks him, and he tilts his head. Why is *he* being thanked? Oh well. He'll take it!
Yua though, says they couldn't have left him to get lashed out at. "I appreciate that, once more."
But as Miho feels something, and the Dragon Line is detected, Hiroto pauses.
"What are you feeling? Is this similar to the Chinese concept?"
Even so, he joins the others in their bowing as he feels that heat, because it's polite. He's a very polite man, even if he is mildly surprised this might be real.
He's only been a supernatural hitman for a little bit, cut him some slack.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi has been keeping an eye on Miho, as well. She understands that this is rather a lot to put one's self through on such a short time frame... hopefully, between herself and Hiroto, the two of them can see that both Miho and Yua are cared for, should something happen.
"It is quite alright, dear," Remi says to Miho. She tugs on her jacket a little. "I did plan ahead... I suspect I'll be zipping this up before too long, but I shall endure, in the meantime."
"I see," Remi says to Yua, of migration. "I suppose that will be delightful, then, to have more partake." She hopes that's how it works out, at least. "Mmm... I suppose you are, Yua-chan... but I happen to not find it such a strange thing, to embrace two ways of life... France and Japan are quite different, after all."
Remi chuckles quietly, "It is not at all your fault, dear... perhaps some day I shall wear a swimsuit anyway, chill be damned."
"Perhaps some day we shall break these bonds," she muses quietly to Hiroto. That was something else they had both expressed that dreadful night, in their own ways.
"Something to see...?" Remi frowns a little. "Dragon Line...? Dear, what are you..." She doesn't have the oh-so-sensitive senses of Yua, but her own are still sharp, and she gasps as she steps forward, reaching a hand out to feel that heat. "Mon dieu..."
She is instantly tense--this is something unknown, and her mind is primed to read danger in the unknown.
Yua doesn't understand, and Remi looks at the space sadly. "Yes, Yua-chan... but what is true of us now that was not true four years ago?"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Migration... Hmmm. "Yes. If they're willing to adapt, then I'm sure they should be welcome," Miho says. "You do the same for the mainland. You keep your own ways, but also come to understand ours. ...Those who move here should try to understand yours, as well." A radical idea for Miho's family--but well, she's known Yua since her school days.
"It is difficult," she admits, "When no one else will slow down with you."
And indeed--"We do not abandon our allies. It would be unseemly."
"It's normal to be scared of such things," Miho tells Yua. But...
Yes. There is something.
Miho would be interested in Remi's talk of France, another time. Even the talk of swimsuits. ...Certainly of breaking bonds. But now, she focuses.
"When Chizuru Ishigami brought Wang Long fortunetelling to Sumaru," Miho says, "She began to awaken certain powers. Ordinarily, it would be impossible for normal people to sense the Dragon Lines. ...But we are no longer ordinary people--and they are 'brighter' than they were, now."
She nods to Remi. "Yes," she says, "It is the very same concept," to Hiroto. "And I..."
"Would you all stand watch?" Miho says.
"I will attune to its power, that we might receive aid in our future endeavors."
She steps forward, into the entryway--and closes her eyes, bowing her head.
What is next is between her and the gods, one assumes.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
Hiroto appreciates Yua; Yua appreciates Hiroto, in turn. And Remi also knows what it's like to live with two different cultures, just as she's come to understand the Japanese way for Miho's sake. But...
Yua is scared of death, of killing, but what she does not fear so much is the power of the Gods. "Don't be scared," she urges Remi, gently. And to Hiroto: "It's just powerful... it won't hurt us."
Miho explains the powers Chizuru is awakening. "Then... even in the places we once knew, the Dragon Lines are rising...?" They're shining brighter... bright enough to be seen, even in familiar places.
"I'll protect you," she promises Miho, then.
Miho, who is gifted with the Dragon's power...
<Pose Tracker> Hiroto Nakamura has posed.
Hiroto nods to Remi, but then Miho is busy. She asks them to stand watch, so he takes a position near Yua and Remi, eyes scanning strongly for enemies.. Chizuru Ishigami... interesting.
"Then I will trust in the power," Hiroto asides to Yua, as she says it won't hurt them.
That's not who he's afraid of hurting them, nonetheless.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
"Miho has the right of it," Remi muses softly, as Miho says that migrating should adapt to Okinawa's ways.
She will talk Miho's ear off about France if allowed--but indeed, they can save that talk for later.
"So this is tied to that...?" Remi asks, with a frown. "Has she intentionally brought this about?" Miho asks them to stand watch. Remi gives a reflexive, "Acknowledged" before she silently shrugs off her bag to remove her Evoker and a small knife, standing by with both ready.
"Miho, do you know what this will do?" She can't exactly gainsay or stop Miho... but she can still ask. Being informed is part of how she protects others.
She looks to Yua, as she urges... "I cannot be scared, dear... but I am wary," she notes. "If we do not know what this will do..." But then again, not knowing what this will do means she can't exactly act, either, just be ready.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho will be protected; by Yua, by Hiroto, and by Remi. She doesn't answer the other things immediately; instead...
She prays. Or perhaps meditates. It's hard to say exactly what she does, except that that 'heat' settles on her shoulders, a warmth localized on Miho herself. She opens her eyes, and they are, for a bare instant: scarlet red.
Then she blinks, and the effect fades.
The whole process takes long enough to be awkward, but not so long as to be difficult on everyone. And then...
Miho smiles. "I've done it before," she tells Remi. "Once, in London."
A step away from the gate, but she looks back, and bows again. "I thank you," she says, showing appropriate deference.
"It is as you say," she says to Yua. "In places that once seemed ordinary, the Dragon Lines rise."
"I believe it is intentional," Miho says. "The Order seeks to use them. ...But if I am attuned to them, then i can use that power, as well. It may be... important, later."
"But..."
She sags a little, "It seems that took a bit more out of me than I imagined it might..."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"It's okay," Yua assures Remi. "We've done it before." In London, Miho explains. And she doesn't quite seem to ease her misgivings with the inexact wording she uses, but...
She doesn't draw her Evoker. That's not what she's watching for. Instead, she turns her own prayers to the world around her; to bid the world to embrace Miho, rather than turning her and her strength away. To watch, for any abjurations the world might issue -- but today, there are none.
"Then we must search for them with new eyes," Yua insists, as she steps forward to slip an arm around Miho. "Mimi..."
She's stronger than she looks, though most of it's in her legs. "You okay...? Even if you're sensitive, that's a lot of power... mouuu, but you drew it into yourself because it's less risky than me taking it on when I've got Hiroki, right...?"
She places her other hand onto Miho's good arm, steadying her. "They know you, now... so I'm sure they'll be expecting you. Let's rest here a while... then we can go to the hotel, okay? I'll make sure they take us, so..."
<Pose Tracker> Hiroto Nakamura has posed.
Hiroto watches with keen eyes as Miho takes in that heat, and as her eyes turn red. Something certainly happened... power.
As she comes to, and tells them the goal... he considers. He hasn't worked with Miho long. He doesn't know if he *completely* trusts her, especially with what the voice in his head may say. But...
To be chained by a kind handler or a cruel one, he knows his decision, until he can be truly free.
"I'll let you know if I hear anything in the future. We will have to be faster than the Order in such a thing."
"Rest sounds good," he says in support of Yua's thoughts. He'll keep watch until they leave, if it comes to that.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi is tense, as she waits, watching with narrowed, alert eyes. She takes notice of that red, but doesn't comment on it for the moment. "In London... I see." Yua's assurances don't exactly settle her nerves, either.
But the lines rising is intentional... "N'est-ce pas? And praytell... what does 'attuning' to these Dragon Lines do, exactly?" She's still suspicious. She has to be.
She can't let herself be complacent, or people might come to harm.
She sighs. "Yes, you have had quite an ordeal... perhaps it would be best if we paused for the night." She inclines her head towards Yua. "Yes. Rest; you ahve done enough for now." After a moment she adds, "... do not forget, that we can also share your burden."
Even if she doesn't completely trust what this burden is, yet, she trusts Miho.
She will also keep watch with Hiroto, though... she may put her Evoker and knife away, at least.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
It is perhaps not completely reassuring, no. With new eyes, though. "Thank you," Miho says to Hiroto. "We will. Thus far, I have managed; I do not know if they realize that I can use this power for myself, as well as them..." She's thoughtful, "But it is best to assume that if they do not, they will learn it in time."
She looks to Remi, and shakes her head. "I can draw upon their power for greater works--perhaps for help in the True World. And..."
"I can imbue it in something. I intend to try it on a sword."
But it was an ordeal. "I'm all right," she tells Yua, but does lean on her, despite her best efforts. "That's correct. ...And because I am the one who Sees, it is my responsibility..."
"But I'll remember that," she tells Remi. "Thank you. You have helped a great deal."
"This is what I suspected might be here," she explains. "After this... we can continue Yua's pilgrimage, but there is no need for you both to accompany us if you'd like to spend time with your family, Nakamura-san."
She smiles at Remi. "Perhaps we can get something to eat when we go home. And get you someplace warmer."
For now, though...
Rest.
She notes though, "But it was lucky it was easy, this time. There were more obstacles in London... and no one has yet appeared to contest us."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Thank you," Yua smiles, to Hiroto. "I know we kind of dragged you into this... but I appreciate it, you know?"
She looks to Remi, then. "This place 'knows' Mimi, now," she says. "Both times, it has been a place where spirits dwell... where that Power has collected, where Mimi could call it to rise up." And what does that do? That explanation, she leaves to Miho.
But Miho insists that it's her responsibility, and Yua's expression softens. "I know," Yua smiles, gently. "The Dragon's calling to you... right? You can't just ignore spirits when they call... they'll make their wishes known, one way or another."
She laughs, turning to the others, in the moonlight. "It's okay!" She assures them. "We've walked the pilgrimage already! But I'd like to spend another day or two here... I just want to rest a little." She wants Miho to rest, a little. "Would that be okay...?"
For tonight, at least, it's best for them to make it to the hotel and sleep; it's already night-time, after all.
And when Yua explains that her mainlander friends were attending the pilgrimage with her, the hotel staff will certainly be understanding enough to find them a room.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
"To steal power from the Order... is a most dangerous game," Remi comments, quietly. "... but perhaps we have no choice but to play it. Fature will not favor the reserved, after all."
She nods to Yua, as she explains of spirits. "I see... one more mystery of this world to reckon with, then..." And Miho explains. Greater works... and to imbue it. "I see... such a thing may prove useful, then."
"Of course. You are my dear friend, after all."
Miho tells them they can turn back, and Remi tuts softly. "Miho, while you are formidable, you are injured. I will not leave you or yua-chan's side. And worry not about me..." Remi zips up her jacket, bundling up. "I shall manage." She smiles, gently, to Yua. "That is more than fine, dear." She will go with them to the hotel, and offer her respects...
But she lingers, for a moment, at the place Miho had communed with the spirits. She is not scared, she can't be. But she can still be uneasy.
"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio," she murmurs to herself. "Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
But she only lingers a moment before she hastens to catch up to Miho and Yua. A Knight must attend her charges, after all.