Ah, you've spoken to Knightley-san? Without him -- and not to mention your admirable leader -- I suspect I'd be in the ward next to you.
[ Or dead. ]
Well, chin up. With luck, by the time you're back on your feet, the local press will have found a different target to latch onto. I don't know if they've managed to penetrate the walls of the hospital, but they surely have been tenacious out here.
[ Yeah he is about as enthused about this development as Cloud is. ]
i could say the same. without toraguma, i'd probably be dead. be glad you aren't here, it sucks. higher ward means i haven't had to deal with the reporters - yet.
[ One of the many benefits of the executive ward. ]
I understand, believe me. I was in and out of hospitals when I was little. It never was any more fun the second time. I did have my friends talking my ears off to pass the time, that helped.
[ ... ]
What happened down there? Toraguma hasn't said much [ i.e. much besides variations of [EXTENDED CENSOR BLEEP] ] but your team must have dispelled the "heart" of the curse.
there's been plenty of people talking my ear off since i got in the hospital, don't worry.
as for what happened - we were trapped in some magical maze, once we actually got down there. we eventually managed to stumble upon those soldiers from the night parade. they weren't people - they were clay figures. just like the haniwa. after we cut through those, we found the 'heart', yeah. none of us could get close, even with the incense.
so...i decided to make a run for it, while everyone else cleared the way, or helped me protect myself as best i could.
[ There's a long pause here. Well, it's not like Minato doesn't already know Cloud's got some stuff to work through. ]
i don't really remember anything after that. i started hallucinating as soon as i hit the worst part of the curse. i managed to stab it with the scarlet knife we'd gotten - and i heard a weird voice. i think i blacked out after that. the next clear memory i have is waking up in the hospital.
The Night Parade? Are you sure? But what does that mean? Was the Daitengu meant to die after all? Or were they meant to think it was the Enma arranging for their death? Or
I'm sorry, I shouldn't burden you with speculation while you're recuperating. It sounds like you truly had a close call.
Our group saw the being... I suppose I've been thinking of it as "the mastermind". [ Too many mystery novels. ] It had the Enma staked and chained at his desk. But I suspect we couldn't get close to it for the same reason as you.
I tried to replay the film I took of it, given we couldn't look at it directly, but it's all distorted. And I'm not so naive as to think we dispelled it forever.
as sure as i can be, not having been there. but we found figures clad in black wielding firearms matching the night parade assailants. they were haniwa underneath.
and it's not like i can do anything other than speculate right now, so don't worry about it. i'd rather be doing something than nothing. if they were outfitted in enma gear - i guess they were supposed to be enforcers for the enma. but it feels like killing the daitengu would have been too chaotic for the enma's tastes, based on what we know. which might mean we're looking at some sort of deal gone sour? if these were haniwa and the haniwa were under control of 'the mastermind'. ...i don't know. it's hard to say.
[ ...Ah, right, the footage, he had nearly forgotten- ]
if you want to compare what we saw, i still have the footage we took of our excursion. i can send it along to you, if you want to see what you can do with it. i don't really have a good head for this sort of thing. that said - i did get a promotion for my 'close call'. so if we need someone to clean all the footage up when we get a look at it - i might be able to leverage sutoku's tech-heads. the kappa, i mean. better than letting it sit and gather dust.
Me neither. I only came to this city after the Daitengu had "died", but I've heard bits and pieces.
A deal between who, though? You can't mean to suggest... Perhaps they were simply seeding distrust between Sutoku and Enma? But then why not between the other factions too? Though now I think of it, if they wanted instability they needn't bother, with the ongoing turf war...
Is there a way to replicate footage, if it doesn't take too long? We have film where I come from, and I'm learning what I can now, but it isn't anything like this technology. If so, I can see what can be found from a copy of yours, while you take a copy of mine to your side.
[ A pause. Cloud mentioned his hallucinations... but in Minato's experience, there's always a seed of truth in them. ]
The voice you heard, when you attacked the heart. Do you remember what it said?
that's my thought, too. with the turf war, shuten and tamamo would be occupied. so sow distrust between enma and sutoku, and suddenly everyone's at each other's throats. though, why the enma needed haniwa soldiers before this - i don't know.
[ He has guesses. Guesses informed by the fact he was literally a corporate soldier. But he doesn't really want to voice them. ]
yeah, it should be easy enough to get a copy of the footage to you, and get a copy of your footage. the tech isn't my strong suit but i know the basics. that might be the best approach, too. gets as many eyes on it as we can. it might take an afternoon, though.
'they can't save you'. i'm guessing that voice wasn't just in my head.
[ It's the only reason he can think of that Minato would ask, after all. ]
Do you really believe the haniwa originated with the Enma? That seems like a dangerous claim, even in this medium. I think we should be careful who sees this.
I'll come visit as soon as I can to make the exchange, then. Is there anything you'd like? Books, snacks? A daring escape plan?
... I see. That's the same thing it said to us, before it was banished. Before that, it also greeted us as though it knew we were coming. I can't imagine what it wants, or what it thinks it's warning us against... but I would again advise caution.
not all of them. but those soldiers were... different. they're haniwa but they were made to look like people. i don't know. you're right, we should be careful. talk about it more in person, if nothing else.
a daring escape plan would be great. seriously, though. books. maybe anything you find interesting. who knew executive suites could be boring.
so... it knew we were coming, it's trying to warn us, it apparently knows who we are - vaguely, at least, when the whole lost souls thing was supposedly an accident. at least that's what i heard from others. who the hell are we dealing with? and why are they so interested in us?
[ That's the extent of what he's willing to say to that, though he can easily conjure the mental image of pulling open a soldier's helmet and seeing the blank haniwa eyes. It's not a comforting mental image.]
[ Anyway, Cloud should prepare to get shlocky-ass Barsoom/John Carter of Mars novels whenever Mina shows up. I have no idea if A Princess of Mars made it across the pond to Japan in that time but I want to believe. It's either this or Hercule Poirot, chum!! ]
Well. It could simply be warning us of its own approach. Though I must say bringing a city to such a monstrous standstill is one way of announcing your presence... Anyway, the speculation I heard was that the yokai who choose to reside in Jigoku-cho agree to live under the Judge Arbiter's rule, no? And so it stands to follow there must be those tribes who balked at bowing to Lord Enma or joining the Daitengu's alliance. If so, perhaps the sight of strangers from other lands welcomed, while their tribes are not, is enough to feed their ire.
[ Frankly, Cloud would be welcome for the distraction. And given all the snooping he's been doing... Poirot would be almost comically on point for the kind of books to be getting him. We're in a weird-ass mystery novel of our own, Minato!! ]
that's not a bad point. but that leaves a very strange and open question. why would the judge be dealing with these people from the outside to the point of... well. to the point of finding the soldiers we found? causing that much chaos doesn't seem the department's style, not when they're about trying to preserve the order. so why would he have trusted someone who didn't want to be ruled by him...?
[ More speculation. But he couldn't help it. The Haniwa Soldiers were a great big flashing neon sign as if to draw the question forward: What was the relationship between this supposed mastermind and the Enma?]
[ NO!! I LOOKED IT UP ONLY ONE POIROT BOOK WAS PUBLISHED AT THE TIME MINA'S FROM though I guess there's no restriction on him finding the later books when Minato goes looking now. Apparently there's a series of early police-procedural lit by J. E. Preston Muddock that was published in the Strand Magazine alongside Conan Doyle and I literally only know this because of a footnote in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. sven please shoot me. ]
I don't know... It feels like a road too far to point fingers yet. We don't know who those soldiers really belonged to, only that they were contained in the basement, right?
[ translation Cloud please shhh with the open accusations he's begging you ]
When you're feeling better, perhaps see if you have any contacts besides the kappa who might be able to help decipher this puzzle? You mentioned a Tamamo friend? After all, as a Sutoku, information brokering is meant to be your specialty, not mine! Though of course I will try to do what I can.
i'm not claiming anyone was responsible for anything. just that there's a connection there.
[ Look, there is only so much he can do from bed!! ]
yeah, i have a friend in tamamo - aerith. she's been doing her own investigating. we can probably compare notes. she's been investigating other angles. i'm not going to make you do my legwork, but if you find anything, sent it along.
and if i find anything by the time you do come say hello, i'll let you know in person.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2022-07-06 02:56 am (UTC)[ Or dead. ]
Well, chin up. With luck, by the time you're back on your feet, the local press will have found a different target to latch onto. I don't know if they've managed to penetrate the walls of the hospital, but they surely have been tenacious out here.
[ Yeah he is about as enthused about this development as Cloud is. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-06 03:07 am (UTC)without toraguma, i'd probably be dead.
be glad you aren't here, it sucks.
higher ward means i haven't had to deal with the reporters - yet.
[ One of the many benefits of the executive ward. ]
but honestly, the inaction might do me in faster.
[ He's so goddamn bored, Minato. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-06 08:15 am (UTC)[ ... ]
What happened down there? Toraguma hasn't said much [ i.e. much besides variations of [EXTENDED CENSOR BLEEP] ] but your team must have dispelled the "heart" of the curse.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-06 06:33 pm (UTC)as for what happened -
we were trapped in some magical maze, once we actually got down there.
we eventually managed to stumble upon those soldiers from the night parade.
they weren't people - they were clay figures. just like the haniwa.
after we cut through those, we found the 'heart', yeah.
none of us could get close, even with the incense.
so...i decided to make a run for it, while everyone else cleared the way, or helped me protect myself as best i could.
[ There's a long pause here. Well, it's not like Minato doesn't already know Cloud's got some stuff to work through. ]
i don't really remember anything after that.
i started hallucinating as soon as i hit the worst part of the curse.
i managed to stab it with the scarlet knife we'd gotten -
and i heard a weird voice. i think i blacked out after that.
the next clear memory i have is waking up in the hospital.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-07 10:45 pm (UTC)But what does that mean? Was the Daitengu meant to die after all?
Or were they meant to think it was the Enma arranging for their death? Or
I'm sorry, I shouldn't burden you with speculation while you're recuperating. It sounds like you truly had a close call.
Our group saw the being... I suppose I've been thinking of it as "the mastermind". [ Too many mystery novels. ] It had the Enma staked and chained at his desk. But I suspect we couldn't get close to it for the same reason as you.
I tried to replay the film I took of it, given we couldn't look at it directly, but it's all distorted. And I'm not so naive as to think we dispelled it forever.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-08 12:21 am (UTC)but we found figures clad in black wielding firearms matching the night parade assailants.
they were haniwa underneath.
and it's not like i can do anything other than speculate right now, so don't worry about it.
i'd rather be doing something than nothing.
if they were outfitted in enma gear - i guess they were supposed to be enforcers for the enma.
but it feels like killing the daitengu would have been too chaotic for the enma's tastes, based on what we know.
which might mean we're looking at some sort of deal gone sour? if these were haniwa and the haniwa were under control of 'the mastermind'.
...i don't know. it's hard to say.
[ ...Ah, right, the footage, he had nearly forgotten- ]
if you want to compare what we saw, i still have the footage we took of our excursion.
i can send it along to you, if you want to see what you can do with it.
i don't really have a good head for this sort of thing.
that said - i did get a promotion for my 'close call'.
so if we need someone to clean all the footage up when we get a look at it - i might be able to leverage sutoku's tech-heads.
the kappa, i mean.
better than letting it sit and gather dust.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-08 08:37 am (UTC)A deal between who, though? You can't mean to suggest...
Perhaps they were simply seeding distrust between Sutoku and Enma? But then why not between the other factions too?
Though now I think of it, if they wanted instability they needn't bother, with the ongoing turf war...
Is there a way to replicate footage, if it doesn't take too long? We have film where I come from, and I'm learning what I can now, but it isn't anything like this technology. If so, I can see what can be found from a copy of yours, while you take a copy of mine to your side.
[ A pause. Cloud mentioned his hallucinations... but in Minato's experience, there's always a seed of truth in them. ]
The voice you heard, when you attacked the heart. Do you remember what it said?
no subject
Date: 2022-07-08 08:46 am (UTC)with the turf war, shuten and tamamo would be occupied.
so sow distrust between enma and sutoku, and suddenly everyone's at each other's throats.
though, why the enma needed haniwa soldiers before this - i don't know.
[ He has guesses. Guesses informed by the fact he was literally a corporate soldier. But he doesn't really want to voice them. ]
yeah, it should be easy enough to get a copy of the footage to you, and get a copy of your footage.
the tech isn't my strong suit but i know the basics.
that might be the best approach, too. gets as many eyes on it as we can.
it might take an afternoon, though.
'they can't save you'.
i'm guessing that voice wasn't just in my head.
[ It's the only reason he can think of that Minato would ask, after all. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-09 04:19 am (UTC)That seems like a dangerous claim, even in this medium.
I think we should be careful who sees this.
I'll come visit as soon as I can to make the exchange, then.
Is there anything you'd like? Books, snacks? A daring escape plan?
... I see.
That's the same thing it said to us, before it was banished.
Before that, it also greeted us as though it knew we were coming.
I can't imagine what it wants, or what it thinks it's warning us against... but I would again advise caution.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-09 07:32 am (UTC)they're haniwa but they were made to look like people.
i don't know.
you're right, we should be careful. talk about it more in person, if nothing else.
a daring escape plan would be great.
seriously, though. books. maybe anything you find interesting. who knew executive suites could be boring.
so... it knew we were coming, it's trying to warn us, it apparently knows who we are - vaguely, at least, when the whole lost souls thing was supposedly an accident.
at least that's what i heard from others.
who the hell are we dealing with? and why are they so interested in us?
no subject
Date: 2022-07-10 08:55 am (UTC)[ That's the extent of what he's willing to say to that, though he can easily conjure the mental image of pulling open a soldier's helmet and seeing the blank haniwa eyes. It's not a comforting mental image.]
[ Anyway, Cloud should prepare to get shlocky-ass Barsoom/John Carter of Mars novels whenever Mina shows up. I have no idea if A Princess of Mars made it across the pond to Japan in that time but I want to believe. It's either this or Hercule Poirot, chum!! ]
Well. It could simply be warning us of its own approach.
Though I must say bringing a city to such a monstrous standstill is one way of announcing your presence...
Anyway, the speculation I heard was that the yokai who choose to reside in Jigoku-cho agree to live under the Judge Arbiter's rule, no? And so it stands to follow there must be those tribes who balked at bowing to Lord Enma or joining the Daitengu's alliance.
If so, perhaps the sight of strangers from other lands welcomed, while their tribes are not, is enough to feed their ire.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-11 06:35 am (UTC)that's not a bad point.
but that leaves a very strange and open question.
why would the judge be dealing with these people from the outside to the point of... well.
to the point of finding the soldiers we found?
causing that much chaos doesn't seem the department's style,
not when they're about trying to preserve the order.
so why would he have trusted someone who didn't want to be ruled by him...?
[ More speculation. But he couldn't help it. The Haniwa Soldiers were a great big flashing neon sign as if to draw the question forward: What was the relationship between this supposed mastermind and the Enma? ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-13 04:09 pm (UTC)I don't know...
It feels like a road too far to point fingers yet. We don't know who those soldiers really belonged to, only that they were contained in the basement, right?
[ translation Cloud please shhh with the open accusations he's begging you ]
When you're feeling better, perhaps see if you have any contacts besides the kappa who might be able to help decipher this puzzle? You mentioned a Tamamo friend?
After all, as a Sutoku, information brokering is meant to be your specialty, not mine!
Though of course I will try to do what I can.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-13 09:25 pm (UTC)just that there's a connection there.
[ Look, there is only so much he can do from bed!! ]
yeah, i have a friend in tamamo - aerith. she's been doing her own investigating.
we can probably compare notes. she's been investigating other angles.
i'm not going to make you do my legwork, but if you find anything, sent it along.
and if i find anything by the time you do come say hello, i'll let you know in person.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-14 10:05 am (UTC)I'll visit as soon as I can. Take care, Strife-san.