"I will miss him terribly." the young man admitted, pressing his hand to his chest. "I will miss... this feeling. This sense of unity. And the dreams. You should sleep well tonight Shiba-san, for the Gilded King will watch over your dreams." he promised, his voice full of conviction. "If I have to go, I will take his tenets to the stars. Of course I cannot worship him... but I will take what I have learned with me. Show people the way, if I can. If I cannot.." Saneyuki frowned again. "Then I will keep all this to my heart." he reached to touch one of the scrolls.

"Shiba-san mentioned that she had a sibling. Does Shiba-san think that she might be interested in meeting Gilded King? We are trying to help as many as we can, but many in the city doubt us." There was a pang of lament in his voice. "We could do so much more if people were less afraid."
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Lying through his teeth: 7d10o10k4 31 Investigation / perception to figure out that he is not feeling what Moriko is feeling.

Moriko nodded earnestly, it was about what she expected, "still, it won't be the same, will it?" Something gnawed at the back of her mind, a growing doubt, uncertainty, something she couldn't put her finger on, so she ignored it. "Hoshi-chan?" the girl's brow furrowed as she felt a pang of jealousy. The older twin. The smarter twin. The proper twin. The better twin. Of course he wants her.

Plastering on a fake smile, "I'm sure she'll be curious once I tell her about this evening." She felt herself about to say that Hoshiko was as brave an any samurai, but that would be such an odd thing to say, why did I think that?

"No, no it won't." Saneyuki admitted wistfully. "But perhaps my work here is done. Perhaps I can serve the elders better elsewhere." The sect owned its lands, paying meager taxes to the lord governor according to the ninety year old documents that dictated the lands that belonged to the shrine. In a way, Sanyuki was a vassal to the governor of Asakaze, even if very little was expected of him. The Phoenix allowed the seemingly harmless sect to exist as they had no reason to change the contract. "I would lie if I claimed that I wasn't nervous. But, of course there is the chance that I marry someone willing to stay here." The grey gentle eyes turned to Moriko. "I would love to teach my children our ways. Teach them to love this land as I do."

"Then next time, bring her along, by all means." he noted, leaning closer again. "We are here to help everyone as long as they come to us with their hearts open. "

Moriko's heart fluttered, "I would very much like to remain here. To show my children the paths that I rambled on when I was their age. To show them the secret places I found, to teach them to love the forests and streams the way I do," she gushed.

"Yes, I see Shiba-san understands." Saneyuki nodded emphatically. "There is something right in that, isn't there? To teach what you know to your children, to show them the ways so that they can live a good life." He was leaning closer still, Moriko perhaps able to smell the scent of incense clinging to his hair. "You do love the wilds, don't you?"

She breathed deeply, the scent of incense was intoxicating. This was the second time she'd visited the Shrine and both times had left her feeling somewhat hazy, almost drunk. She could chalk it up to the atmosphere, the ritual, the incense, but mostly she wanted to believe that some part of that was the attractive monk with his gentle eyes and voice that seemed to come from a place of dreaming.

"Yes," she breathed the answer. Asakaze was beautiful, especially at night, when the bio-luminescent fungi shimmered and glowed. It was almost romantic, if deadly.

Saneyuki felt drawn to Moriko, reaching towards her but letting his hand drop as was proper. "See. You do know our lord. He is the land. Without him, there would be no life here - at least not as we know it. Surely someone capable of something so terrible and beautiful is divine." he whispered, working to indoctrinate Moriko - to make her believe that his sect had all the answers. That she could find peace here, if she wanted to. "Even if your fate is to walk among the stars, I am sure you will carry Asakaze in your heart." His grey eyes, full of compassion were so very close.

Poor little Moriko. The priest's words were captivating, the intoxication of the Gilded King's ritual had left her weak. She had initially come to the shrine because she was vulnerable, uncertain, and Saneyuki's words probed her frailties with an accuracy that would make a Scorpion blush. I could be happy here, of course I could, she mused, I could serve something greater than just the Clan. The almost drunken pull she felt towards the attractive priest seemed like a divine gift, as if the Fortunes had placed her in Saneyuki's path.

The priest shuffled closer to Moriko, pressing his forehead against hers. His skin was warm, his breath tickling her skin. It did not take long before his hand found its way among her curls, his fingers slowly untangling her curls. "Relax..." he murmured. "You have nothing to worry about you. The Fortunes will watch over you tonight."

Being twins, a high degree of physical contact had been permitted between Moriko and Hoshiko, and the priest's touch did not exactly startle her, letting her eyes close as their foreheads touched. She murmured wordlessly, enjoying the closeness she missed, feeling her weariness pull at her, "of course, Asako-sama."

"Good. You must be tired. It has been a long day." he murmured, pressing his hand on her shoulder. "You should sleep now." Unless Moriko resisted, Saneyki would gently lay her to the bed, covering her up. "Sleep well, Shiba-san. The Fortunes watch over you." the soft words echoed in the room, the young priest stroking Moriko's hair. "Sleep well."

He was right, Moriko was tired. She didn't fight, though she fidgeted a little, getting comfortable. "Thank you, Asako-sama. I hope that you sleep well, also."

Saneyuki would stroke Moriko's hair until she fell asleep, then stand up and leave the room. He would later return, climb into the other bed, eventually finding sleep himself as well.