Strangers in Familiar Places [Sekai]

by **Shouta** on October 18th, 2013, 8:54 pm

Thirty-Fifth day of Fall, 513 A.V.
Nyka, Noon.

The Mother City bustled healthily around him, though everyone was careful not to accidentally bump him. A monk of the Sharp Blades was not one to be shrugged off. Shouta tried to return the respect the people showed him. Bullying them had no worth to him, for they were not monks. They were not competition. He painted the protective sigils onto the stone walls of homes today. An Acolyte had stopped him in the Headquarters and told him they were a bit short handed for their shift, and needed a few more hands. What was a novice to say but yes?

He was in a narrow ally between two houses, not to say it was not well traveled, for it connected two main streets. But the passersby would always wait politely for him to pause in his work and let them through. He was not agitated by this, for like him, they all had work to do. And if he failed to complete the sigil, he could always finish it tonight on his regular shift.

The red pain shone dully in the sunlight. A red skull with hollow, eery eyes staring out at the patrons of the alleyway. Nykans said such horrible images keep the terrors of the Aperture away. Monks kept the terrors of the Aperture away, but Shouta liked the idea of the ritual. It was relaxing and who knew, perhaps it did keep evil out of the homes? He would not know, he was usually walking the streets looking for evil at night.

He adjusted the kusarigama hug around his neck and cracked his knuckles. Sighing, he dipped his brush in pain once more and began to paint the jawline of the skull. Diligence was as much part of the monks life as combat. He should just be thankful he was not on duty at the Cursed Bridge.

by **Sekai** on October 19th, 2013, 12:59 am

Voiding garbage, voiding garbage. It seemed like that was how every morning started for Sekai. Basically becoming routine now, as she continued to walk around her now familiar path to hit as many parts of the city as possible, in the most time efficient. However, she does seem to have a string of bad luck. Tripped over unnoticed garbage, scraping her hands, almost voiding a cat. The only good side of her luck, was that she hasn't been attacked by any of the native Nykans around. That wasn't to say she wasn't receiving hostile glares from every one of them. I truly wonder. Why do the residents of this city hate newcomers?.

While pondering over that question, and standing up after voiding garbage, she turned around, and widened her eyes. She finally noticed a monk nearby, drawing what appears to be a skull, out of suspiciously red paint, she panicked, with a rather cute "Uwaaa?!", that she will most definitely forever deny ever voicing.

by **Shouta** on October 19th, 2013, 2:04 am

“Uwaaa?” The noise was unfamiliar to Shouta’s ears. He frowned and turned from the sigil he was painting to face the face that let loose the noise. It was a small woman, her hair was so light it looked white to Shouta’s eyes. Her diminutive figure seemed almost like she was a child, but seemed to be older. Clearly, she was foreign.

“Never seen a protection sigil have you? They are all over Nyka if you just look.” Shouta told her, gesturing to the skull with his brush. He brushed dark hair out of his face and revealed a rather handsome visage marred by a stern, unforgiving look of indifference. His close lipped mouth looked as if it had not smiled in a very long time. From his neck hung the chained kama and fox-head weight that was his kusarigama. The sharp blade caught the light and projected the sun’s vibrance through the alleyway periodically.

“Foreign, are you?” He asked, it really wasn’t even a question. But Shouta saw no reason not to strive at politeness when she had not really done anything wrong.

by **Sekai** on October 23rd, 2013, 2:49 am

Smile more. It'll compliment your face nicely., the very strange and sudden thought that flashed very briefly through Sekai's mind, as she had a good look at the man. Aside from the clothing of a monk -which terrified her to no end-, the man seemed indifferent to her. Remembering that she was asked a question, relating to the drawing he was making -Protection Sigil?-, she quickly recomposed herself, before nodding. "My eyes are usually on the ground, or other people's line of sight. Normally I don't have the luxury to admire sigils.", was her answer, with a simple flat tone, with a subtle hint of fear entwined within, made more obvious as her gaze had averted from the man, to the weapon on his neck. Kusarigama...hook and slash, single target weapon., she analyzed, before her thoughts were interrupted by the question with the obvious answer.

"Foreign? Oh, I mean, yes. Yes I am foreign.", Sekai quickly spoke, unknowingly giving a redundant answer. One could not really learn about obvious questions and sarcasm through books, after all.

by **Shouta** on October 24th, 2013, 1:43 am

The matter-of-fact asocial air of the girl left Shouta disconcerted and feeling mild pity for her. He was not a particularly social and flamboyant person, but she seemed entirely too emotionless for a normal girl. His interest was peaked where he was accustomed to ignoring the hubbub of the district in favor of silence and reflection. Perhaps he just yearned for a conversation?

The girl was seriously lacking in a rich part of the Nykan history if she did not know of the protection sigils! Here was a common bit of Nykan lore that had it’s roots in the very birth of the city, the Aperture. The crack in the ground had been the reason the Celestials built Nyka here, and it had provided for the city ever since, though still presented an ever present threat of danger. The things inside the Aperture were among the vilest and terrible in Mizahar.

“See these symbols ward the hungers of those things that come from within the Aperture.” Shouta said, taking on an air of historical excitement. “They keep such things as Marrow Dogs and Greenwing Flyers from people’s homes.” Shouta faltered as he remembered the glowing green wings of those particular denizens of the darkness. They had been vicious and durable in their onslaught. The protection sigils had not kept the Flyers from him then, but he had not been safely inside a home.

He tried to convey the importance of such tasks as keeping the symbols clear and fresh. “The things of the Aperture grow bold at night, and sometimes come hunting here, in Nyka.” He gestured around him with the palms of his hands. The city looked all the part ignorant of the dangers within it’s own walls. The sun shone, and the people went about their daily life as if without a care for monsters. But it was not their job to care, it was his. “These glyphs and symbols make the monsters ignore the homes,thus keeping them out on the streets so monks can kill them.”

by **Sekai** on October 25th, 2013, 2:03 am

Sekai tilted her head ever so slightly as she was given new I formation that she never learnt of before. "Marrow Dogs? Greenwing Flyers? If I may ask, what sort of creatures are those? Are there any books about them?", she asked with a curious tone. Even after all the books she's read, or stories she has listened to, none mentioned anything about these new creatures. Perhaps she should buy a book at some point during her stay here.

Looking back at the protection sigil -Looks more like a mark for death, drawn in blood...-, she continued her questions in response to the man's explanation about the use of said sigils. "So, these protection sigils, they ward of the creatures from the depths of the...Aperture? How so? Many a person ignore warnings, and endeavor upon risky journeys, so why would mindless creatures heed symbols?", was the flat question. It seemed that today was one of the better days for Sekai, in terms of control and mastery over her emotions and feelings.

by **Shouta** on October 25th, 2013, 6:13 pm

The flurry of inquiries had him caught off guard. The small girl seemed more studious than any others he had seen of her…general size. Looking back on it, Shouta hadn’t read about any of this old lore in any books. It was simply common knowledge amongst the monks of the Celestial Seat. And he had obviously seen the Marrow Dogs and Greenwing Flyers in person. Come to think of it, he had just assumed the sigils worked. He had actually seen a flock of Flyers break into the basement of a terrified family once. But he remembered the runes carved into their home were faded and worn. Any power that resided there was probably long gone with negligence. But he decided against informing this girl of that.

“Yes, Marrow Dogs and Greenwings are both things from the Aperture. Hungry things and dangerous in their own special ways.” He stopped to pull the brown sleeve of his robe up and show her a forearm burned from the acidic touch of the Flyer. “The kiss of the Flyer is never forgotten. As for books…” He tried to seem like the type who liked to read, but he had no idea if there were books about the monsters of the Aperture. There has to be some writing about them, right?

“Well, as for books you might want to check the Halls of the Robes? Closest thing we have to a library I do believe.” He said helpfully. “But I didn’t catch your name, miss.” He inquired, making a point of asking as he had a habit of forgetting to when speaking to strangers. He shifted his weight and leant against a brick wall with one hand as he let a smithy through. The man’s arms were laden with heavy bars of metal and it was a tight fit, even for a slim monk like Shouta.

by **Sekai** on October 26th, 2013, 3:44 am

Sekai listened intently, as the mono gave his explanation of the strange Marrow Dogs, and acidic Greenwings. "Ah, so a city built on such a dangerous place, more for a religious idea, or belief, over logical plans.", she mulled over her opinion with a quiet voice. Her attention was grabbed, as the monk pulled back his sleeve, and showed the acidic burn given to him by a Greenwing. Acidic burns, most likely of a high concentration. How do these animals survive their own lethality?, she thought, making a mental note of the question, as she was told where she could find something similar to a library. Perhaps she could find her answers there.

As the smithy walked through the alleyway, Sekai only bent her knees slightly, utilizing her small stature, with the steel bars passing over her head. However, her thoughts were interrupted by the monk asking for her name. "Eh? My name?...it's Sekai...what about yours?", she muttered softly, her gaze now on the floor. She wasn't used to be important, or being asked questions, ever since the death of her parents.

by **Shouta** on October 26th, 2013, 10:41 pm

Sekai. So now the girl had a name to go with her quirky personality. She seemed to be even less prone to socialization than he was. Her voice was almost nonexistent as she muttered her name to him, gazing down. He was forced to lean forward to hear it clearly. “I am called Shouta of the Crane and Fox, a monk of the Sharp Blades.” He straightened and glanced back at the sigil. It was nearly finished.

“Here let me finish my work and I will take you to the Halls of the Robes.” He offered. Something about this girl made him feel a connection of some sort. Perhaps because she seemed as lost in this place as he had felt before? His past was an ever present cloud in his life, and it controlled his emotions as a rider controlled a steed. His heart was prone to pity those who seemed astray, and Sekai seemed a bit lost now. “We can look together.”

Without waiting for a response he turned back to the skull, one arm holding his brush, the other pressed lightly against the dusty brick of the wall. Nyka was like a well made blade, both beautiful and deadly. He hoped he would be able to show this girl a bit of both aspects of his home today.

As more people passed by their tiny alley Shouta hurried his work to finishing and set the brush back into the bucket. Motioning for Sekai to follow he stepped back out into the brighter light of the open street. “The Celestial District houses the Halls, and it is this way.” Though his face was far from showing any indication of happiness, unbeknownst to him, his eyes shifted from a dark purple to a lighter blue.

by **Sekai** on October 30th, 2013, 1:46 am

"...Crane and Fox...I have never heard of that style.", Sekai said, her eyes on the monk now, but it was obvious that she wasn't really looking at Shouta, and her mind was elsewhere, as her eyes were unfocused. Her attention was brought back, as the man offered to bring her to the Hall of Robes, and to look for a book about Nyka together. She thought for a moment, before nodding in agreement, although it seemed the man went back to his work without waiting for a response. "So...this is what it feels like...to have a companion...it's not a bad feeling...", Sekai muttered softly, at a volume that most would not hear unless they were paying attention. While watching the monk finish the sigil, she carefully watched how the man seemed to draw, with accurate strokes, with paint that was red as blood, all the while thinking At least I think that's glue and...rose pigments?.

When the man was finished his drawing, and had set down the brush, Sekai looked up, and nearly jumped at the completed sigil of -What the petch?! Are you trying to scare monsters or other people with those bloody skulls?!- protection. Seeing the monk motion for her to follow him, Sekai quickly walked to catch up, pausing a little to allow her eyes to readjust to the brighter lights of the shadowless street. Walking behind the monk, she kept shifting her eyes around, wary of the Nykans walking about. Seeing a few not-so-friendly glares, she averted her gaze back to the ground. "How long have you been here for? Or we're you born here?", she finally asked, with a very small amount of caution audible within her words.