(Expecting)

While heading past the farmlands made Mumei decidedly nervous, she'd set these plans days ago and hoped that the Otori's senses might reach farther than her own and warn them if any danger drew near. She's brought her UV goggles for the ride, though they've just been perched atop her head for the ride so far. Hiroki seemed pleased to see her and pleased to get out after the rain, even if Mumei could have done without the hideously sticky heat.

Somewhere above the two, a raker slept, curled around a fungal stalk Well able to smell the beast, the small lizards had evacuated the location earlier, with only small insects skittering on the ground. A small reddish snake clung to a wobbly mushroom, its belly bloated. All in all, it was a normal day in the blueish hell surrounding the city.

Asako Mal-Chin rode more or less comfortably on Snow Whisper. It was kind of wonderful getting to explore like this, on his own otori. He had one holorecorder strapped to his shoulder to help record the trip.

"You know...I love these birds, and the mushrooms are neat. But I'm really starting to like the idea of getting back to recycled air that I can't wring out." She reaches forward making twisting motions in the humid blue air, creating small eddies. Hiroki's beautiful blue feathers were muted in the fading light and unpleasant fog.

She points to some of the truly giant mushrooms. "I think the pollen clouds we ran into came from ones like that. I hope these guys are able to outrun it. I'd imagine so, since they're native and all."

Mal-Chin calls back, "Yeah. I've pretty much learned to trust them when they want to be away from something, unless duty says otherwise."

He's sweating, certainly, but better used to the humidity. "It's the smell, really, that reminds you that even being born here, we weren't native to the planet."

"Yeah. Is that something they're worldcrafting away over time?" She wondered what this world would look like after a few more centuries of human habitation and meddling. Assuming the things they'd learned at the shrine didn't kill everyone in some awful fashion.

Speaking of which. "Do you know anything about the folks out at the Mori shrine, Asako-sama?"

A small shake of his head, "No, I've never really had much interest. There's probably some who have more of an understanding of their beliefs, but I'm more traditional." He pauses a moment, "Monks of Fukurokujin think I'm blessed, based on the study they did back at the dojo."

"Blessed? Oh, by that Fortune?" It's her assumption, though she's not sure how it pertains to the other information. But...Asako. The ones she's met traveling always seemed to have waaaay more facts in hand than they could comfortably jam in a sentence or two. You could get some fascinating data dumps by winding them up with enough caffeine and asking what their favorite era of study was and why.

"Was communing up here the other day, and just...I'm kind of worried about what they're up to. The kami are kind of...ominous about the rites up there." But maybe he knew more about tangential topics, like... "Know anything about things that can tap and drain a person's connection to the Void?

He blinks in thought. "Hmm."

A frown grows. "Something not of this realm. I can't think of any creature or poison that would do it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, that's similar to other opinions, so I guess we're going with that." She sighs. "I'm not entirely sure, but best we can tell, the kami out here think they' re doing rituals up there that involve something that's tapping into that connection and isn't too far from...something big happening."

It does occur to her that it's kind of a big ask of a Phoenix, and local to boot, to figure their own shugenja didn't have a handle on the whole thing. She shrugs apologetically. "s'got me worried, you know? But it can be hard to really figure out what the spirits are talking about. They don't think like people do."

"Hai." He frowns a bit more. "That is worrisome."

He urges Snow Whisper to stop.

"And the first I've heard of it..." He gets out his communicator, then pauses. "I'm not even certain who I should inform, not knowing just what to inform them of. Could you go over it again?"

"Yeah...that was definitely a problem we had. Who's going to listen to a couple of minor clanners and a Spider, right? And when I messaged the shrine in Shiro Shiokaze, they sounded like they had no idea what I was talking about...or I triggered some kind of keyword related automatic message." Mumei sighs, bringing Hiroki around to face the other riding pair. "I'm thinking you want the long answer, right?"

A brief nod of agreement. "It'll help me know who to notify. And that it comes from someone of a clan who are also stewards of this planet, it should help."

On hand on Hiroki's neck, as the bird scratched at the ground, Mumei settles in. "Ok, so Shiba Moriko-sama and Shiba Hoshiko-sama and I were chatting, and Shiba Moriko-sama had been to the shrine a few times, and to a ritual that she remembered only vaguely. It all sounded a little strange. People shouldn't be drained after a ritual if they weren't involved in the invocations, at least among the Osprey, that's how they work. Maybe Isawa have rituals that draw from the non-shugenja present?" But that sounded just a little close to darker things, and she steere away from that path.

"And that might not have meant much, but on my first day here, I was communing with the kami, who said that the world would whisper to people in their dreams if they'd listen, but that the man-thing and woman-thing wouldn't listen. And that last bit sounded like a bit of a warning." She frowns as Hiroki dances sideways a bit in boredom at this standing around.

"So, several of us went up to the shrine to commune with the elemental spirits that are quite strong there. They spoke of a yellow king from another realm...that sounds like Chikushudo." Concentrating, she recites.



"That's the best translation I have of the spirit speech. The air spirits indicated that those in the ritual somehow 'feed' this king with nothing and everything...which sounds like the Void, yes?" She lets Hiroki jog around the other pair for a moment. "And maybe we wouldn't be too worried about all of that, but the kami of the earth were pretty clear that 'the people of the planet should flee, for while the planet yet slumbers, it will soon awaken.'"

Pausing once more in front of Mai-chin, she spreads her hands before her palms up. "And that is what I know. We kind of suspect the upcoming festival might be spiritually significant to the cult, and thus when this awakening might be about to occur."

Mal-Chin nods, then reaches up and taps his holo-recorder. "You okay if I share that story with the daughter of the governor?"

She takes a long breath. "Yeah...yeah. Worst that happens is I get kicked out for causing trouble, right?" Granted, that's a thought that now gives her very serious pause.

But compared to everyone being eaten by Chikushudo-powered dinosaurs? Yeah...her happiness kind of took a back seat to basic survival.

"Good. Thank you." He looks up at the sky a moment, then pieces together a short message.



"I trust Chiruha-sama; I don't know that either of us have dealt with something this threatening, but at minimum it's something that is causing a current problem to you and our guests." He pauses a moment. "Apologies, it is not that I don't believe you, but that what you're talking about is above my experience. What I do know is how to negotiate our way through our bureaucracy."

Mumei nods, swinging Hiroki around pace side by side once again. "No...I understand. I'm used to the sometimes fickle voices of the kami being discounted as not terribly official, and..." OK, she doesn't want to say that the governor has set things such that she doubts he'd place a lot of weight on such testimony. "well, no solid evidence, and no idea who all is involved with the sect here. I really appreciate a local voice taking up the warning where it might do some good."

A brief nod. "We'll likely need testimony or more direct knowledge of the threat in order to get authority to act, but it felt very wrong to say nothing at all."