On and on the road does go, down into the world below.....

[demonqueen]

Who: Everybody who signed up here.
When: Saturday night, the dark hour
Where: Azuchi castle, the Gemini district
Summary: Exploring a haunted castle. Because that always goes well.
Warnings: Spooky castle, crazy lady, ghosts.... That's really it.

Here, have some mood music.


[There is a new addition to the Gemini district. History nerds Students of Japanese history may even recognize it. This seven story castle was once home to Oda Nobunaga, and was the site of his downfall. Whether you recognize it or not, the castle is still an impressive sight. The gleaming white walls contrast sharply with theblue tiled roof and the decorations of red and gold. It's a beautiful example of Sengoku period architecture.

Most of the time, anyway. Those who catch sight of it in the dark hour will find the castle a dilapidated ruin. Damage from a battle long gone by leaves ugly marks on the once pristine walls and now the structure seems to loom threateningly over the river.  The doors have been almost completely destroyed, so there's no obstacle to keep you from entering.

If you come close, a dark presence can be felt within bringing with it a sense of foreboding. But there's something else too. A strange sound echoing from the castle. If you listen closely, it sounds like.... crying? The mournful sobs of a ghost perhaps?  This definitely looks like a good spot for ghosts to hang out. Also demons, probably....

Whether you're here because you're curious, adventurous, lost, or for any other reason, it looks like you're not the only one who came to check this place out...]


{{OOC: Okay, here's how this is going to work. This thread starts right before you enter the castle, when you see everyone else. (You all mystically arrived at roughly the same time because reasons.) Progress through the castle as you see fit. I'll threadjack in with developments, demons, and flavor text when necessary. Any ooc questions can either be put into comments or PMed to this journal. }} 

Comments

[terminally_clever]

I think the appropriate term here would be hitodama.

[Calling Krabby out again, Fumi points at the group of floating ghostly fireballs.]

This is most likely the method of their regeneration. We need to prevent the souls from returning to their bodies.

[That's a good enough indication of what her Persona needs to do, so there's another torrent of bubbles headed directly toward the group of wayward souls.]

[demonqueen]

That does the trick, with the hitodama fading away after taking the slightest bit of damage. With the soldiers finally gone, the castle falls into silence.

Sharp eyed characters will notice the soldiers have dropped a few things. Some wooden dolls and a small golden charm in the shape of a mantis. [OOC: You guys got super lucky on item drop rolls. So there's one rare drop. It's pretty nifty, so I'll let you guys hash out who gets it.]

But anyone less concerned with that may notice something else. It's gotten awfully quiet. The sobbing has stopped....

[darkens]

The soldiers defeated and gone at last, Hoshi notices the gleam of the golden mantis and crouches down to inspect the loot. She doesn't make any grabs or stuff anything in her pocket, just picks up the charm and one of the dolls, turning them over in her hands.

"They left these behind. Dolls...?" She holds up the items for the others to see, frowning. Strange things for a bunch of ghosts to drop, certainly. "One for each of us, I suppose. And a charm. It looks valuable."

[genkibot]

[Tachikoma raises her hand up with a slight hop.]

Oh! Oh! Can I have a doll?! Pleeeeease!

[otakuro]

"Ooh. Random drops."

He had gotten used to demons leaving nothing behind but Macca and Magnetite, honestly. Atsuro picks up two of the dolls, passing one over to Tachikoma.

"...Not sure they really fit with the decor, though."

He takes a glance around the room now that they weren't in imminent danger of being hacked to pieces. "Where to next? ...The crying's stopped."

[unbroken_chain]

Kotoha raises one hand.

"Can I have the charm?"

[terminally_clever]

I'm not seeing any objections. Feel free.

[Fumi stops for a moment after answering Kotoha, listening for any strange sounds from upstairs and hearing none.]

It sounds like the sobbing has stopped. We should move with caution from this point on - it's very likely our presence has been noticed.

[Dismissing Krabby for the time being, Fumi keeps her cell phone out, as most of her defensive abilities are tied to the demon summoning program.]

Let's go.

[Taking point, she briskly strides up the stairs to the next level of the castle, motioning for the others to follow.]

[darkens]

Hoshi eyes the charm for a moment, shrugs, and tosses it to Kotoha. It's not really her style, anyway — too shiny. The doll in her hand, however, gets quietly slipped into her pocket.

"Upward and onward, then," she replies, quickly following Fumi up the stairs.

[demonqueen]

The next floor is mostly empty, except for a few skulls on the floor. Close examination will reveal them to be hollowed out and fashioned into largely ineffective wine glasses.

But you guys are probably looking at something else. Suspended from the ceiling is a large shadowy mass that looks almost like a spider. The figure of a woman can be seen partially submerged in it. Her eyes open.

"Why...? Why do you.... disturb me?"

The shadows suddenly part, releasing her. She falls to the ground unceremoniously, but the shadows form arms, lifting her to her feet. She looks over the group with glazed eyes, giving the impression of looking through rather than at you.

"Are you looking... for my brother?"

[unbroken_chain]

Well that's not creepy at all. No sir. Kotoha stops inspecting the golden charm and shoves it into her bag as she speaks up.

"I don't know about anyone else here, but I don't actually know who your brother is."

A slight pause as she considers something.

"Anyway, if that was you crying, is there anything I can do to make you feel better? Would you like some milk or something?"

[terminally_clever]

[Brother. Well, that solves their earlier conundrum. Were this Nohime, she would have said husband. Were it Hosokawa Gracia, she would have said father. As it is, there's only one woman on Fumi's short list who could be protecting or searching for her brother in Azuchi Castle specifically.]

...Lady Oichi, I presume.

[otakuro]

"......I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the sobbing centuries-old ghost probably isn't craving dairy products."

Perhaps Fumi's suggestions were more on the ball.

"A-Ah... We didn't realize anyone was still in here. Our apologies, Lady Oichi. Is your brother... around?"

If she said 'yes', the plan was to run like the wind because heck if he was facing the ghost of Nobunaga in battle.

[darkens]

"Milk...?"

Hoshi gives Kotoha a blank look before turning to Oichi. Fumi's guess seemed to be the most logical one, especially with the mention of a brother.

"Forgive us for the intrusion, Lady Oichi," she says, bowing her head respectfully. "We only wanted to take a look around the castle."

[genkibot]

Right! The castle showed up recently, so we thought we'd come and explore!

So are you a ghost then? Did you die here? Do you need some help to pass on or would you like to stay around? What's being a ghost like? What was the Sengoku period really like? Did you know you're in history books now? Can you leave this place? If you can, you should come take a look at the city! Oh, I'm Tachikoma, by the way!

[demonqueen]

Her eyes shift to Kotaha first. Let's see.... trains animals, kind, and offered her a drink. To Oichi's mind, this can only be Matsu. So her gaze is gentle.

"Thank you....but I would not trouble you, Lady Matsu..."

She looks over the rest of the group, but chooses to ignore most of what they're saying. Too many questions, too many people. And she still isn't sure what they want. And anyway, her attention is always derailed by the mention of her brother, so her focus is largely on Atsuro. Because that's a good question. Where is her brother? Nobunaga is always whispering into her mind, telling her things, commanding her to destroy his enemies and bring suffering to the land. It's only now that she realizes she can't hear his voice anymore. The other voices are still intact but his... it's gone. And she hasn't seen Lord Happy all day. Which means....

"Brother is.... gone... I cannot hear him..."

With her distress climbing, the shadows at her feet begin to writhe.

"Lord Happy... he has left me as well.... I have......... been abandoned. Again."

She seems near tears again. And the shadows around her are growing larger, and hands begin lashing out from the walls, floor, and ceiling. They don't seem to be targeting anything specific though, but rather just striking randomly.

"What have I... done wrong?"

[unbroken_chain]

Yeah whoa. Kotoha is just going to wave the others down.

"Guys? Stand back, I've got this."

As she takes in the shadow hands flailing about, Kotoha rotates her neck and hops from foot to foot a few times, limbering up. As she moves forward through the shadows at a brisk pace, she dodges the various shadowy limbs with a series of pirouettes, culminating in a jeté-like leap to Oichi's side.

"Okay, first of all, you haven't done anything wrong, you hear me?"

With that, she reaches into her bag and draws out a bottle of milk, placing it directly in Oichi's hand.

"And second, you're no trouble at all. You know I'm always willing to help you, Oichi."

Kotoha is not above capitalizing on the fact that Oichi has mistaken her for someone else.

[otakuro]

Well, they were going to die. Atsuro makes a mental note to go on these kinds of adventures alone when he makes it the afterlife. Maybe with a Person that knows how to teleport him home when the going got tough. The shadowy hands are enough to stun him into silence for a few moments, a state that is exacerbated by Kotoha's flamboyant behavior.

...Wait why did she even have a bottle of milk with her that stuff went bad in like six hours out of the refrigerator.

So many questions alas but they would never be answered because he would be dismembered by ghost hands.

[demonqueen]

'You haven't done anything wrong.' Those are the magic words. Oichi focuses on Matsu Kotoha with a sorrowful expression, but her eyes have the tiniest bit of hope in them.

"I... I try to do as I'm told. But still... they always leave me..."

The shadows are calming down. The hands have stopped lashing out and most of them disappear. The shadow arms closest to Oichi are still there, however, and one of them helpfully takes the milk from her. It'll... just hold that for a second. She takes no notice of any of this though.

"What.... what shall I do?"

[terminally_clever]

Meanwhile, in Fumi's head.

Kotoha's doing just fine, so she's just watching this unfold for the time being. She's got her cell phone in hand in case things go pear-shaped, but for the moment it seems they're safe.

[unbroken_chain]

Kotoha smiles encouragingly.

"Well, instead of doing what you're told, why not do what makes you happy? Happiness is something everyone has the right to find, after all!"

With that, she enfolds Oichi's hand in both of her own and looks her directly in the eyes.

"And if you ever think it's too far off, or you can't figure out where to look, I'll help you search, I promise!"

[genkibot]

[Tachikoma has oddly kept quiet for a bit. Maybe because she recognizes Oichi has only really been listening to Kotoha at the moment. Still, it shouldn't be surprising it wouldn't last.]

I can help too! You should come take a look at the city! There's so many neat things about it, and I'm sure we could find something you'll like!

Like ice cream! Ice cream is pretty great! Have you tried it before?

[demonqueen]

"Happiness...?"

That's a first for Oichi, and she says the word as if she doesn't quite understand what it means. No one, not ever, has suggested that she could be happy. Or that she had any right to be. Lord Happy perhaps came the closest when he said she didn't have to fight anymore, but that isn't the same thing. Happy...

She wouldn't even know where to begin looking. She looks away, unable to deal with such genuine concern. Because she knows. The shadows whisper it to her. Soon she will fail. Soon she will be cast aside. It is only ever a matter of time.

"I am.... undeserving of such kindness, Lady Matsu."

Tachikoma's words may have been ignored completely. Except for the mention of 'ice-cream.'

"I have never heard of.... iced cream...."

But perhaps there's a more important point in those words.

"Can I truly leave this castle? Undefended? Brother will be cross with me...."

Again. He's always cross with her. And with everyone else too, honestly.

[unbroken_chain]

Kotoha waves one arm at Tachikoma. Shush, she's got this.

"Oichi, it's not about deserving or undeserving. I'm kind to you because I want to be."

Her brother, huh...okay, time to bluff. Even more. Kotoha may not be particularly aware of who Oichi's brother is, but she was listening to everyone else talk about him. And then there's the fact that nobody was particularly surprised when his castle was filled with angry, murderous ghosts, which, frankly? Say a lot about the guy.

"You know what he's like. He'll be cross no matter what, won't he?"

Kotoha flashes Oichi a conspiratorial little grin.

"If you leave, though, you'll have your friends with you if he shows up, right? Wouldn't that be better than being alone here?"