Autumn, October 1st (Backdated) - As one tale ends, another begins

[zenoh]

Intro - Closed:

[ Ayame arrived in Genessia quietly; making no hassles and just calmly followed the breadcrumbs left for her by the authorities of this world. She listened to the hologram, read the pamphlet, and even went to the welcoming company office to get herself sorted out. It wasn't her intention to go to this world in particular. She was simply jumping from one random universe to another and ended up here. Her first impression wasn't muddied by the cold dampness of the Bay, and the sight of a peaceful modern city was enough to put a weary smile on her face. Dressed in her kimono-esque battle uniform with arms clad in armored bracers, and armed with a sword at her side, Ayame felt out of place and just want to get changing to something more comfortable. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, prepping herself for a new beginning. ]

Video - Memoria Park/Shrine:

[ After getting changed to some civilian clothes and checking in at a hotel, Ayame decided to go for some fresh air with nothing but her purse in hand and her necklace she got from the Bay complimenting her overall look. She spent all day and afternoon in Genessia City, getting a feel of the place. Taking pictures of flowers and trees at the garden park, that Gothic temple, then going to the grocery store and checking out the library. Ayame's excitement for this new world, apart from her inability to sleep, made her compelled to go outside once again right after dinnertime.

Ayame ended up seeing a Shinto shrine in the city, much to her bewilderment. She's always had a complicated relationship with her "religion" given how she was brought up. She simply looked at the shrine itself, not bothering to ring the bell or offer a prayer. She wandered around the grounds until she ended up at the Memoria Park nearby, seeing the marble slab with all the names carved neatly in the stone. Ayame looks at the names, reads them in her mind until she found a name that gave her pause: Troy Dantes.

A gasp and a moment later, the puzzled Ayame took a moment to get her bearings while reading the name over and over again. Is this even the same guy she knows? Granted, Troy wasn't a close friend of hers yet, but he made a good impression enough for her to know and respect him. It was nagging at her mind. While it was likely this is a different man, there was also the slight chance that this is him. After all, she was drawn to this world against her will, who is to say someone else from her world was taken the same way? There was only one way to find out...

Taking her comm device, Ayame hesitated for a minute as her mind began being flooded with what-ifs and anxious thoughts of having to put herself out there for others to see. But it was the only way to get this out of her head. She chose the video option and places her device on a flat surface. ]

Hello? Good evening. Pardon me for asking, but does the name "Troy Dantes" mean anything to any of you? It's the name of someone I knew from my world, I only want to know if it is the same person. Please, if you have known him, I would like to confirm if this is the same man I know of.

[ Her body language was polite and calm despite how befuddled she was at the revelation. It may not seem like a big deal to many, but if this meant two people from her world have been taken here, who is to say there weren't (or aren't) more from the same place. ]

Comments

[Action]

[koishi_komeiji]

Koishi didn't normally hang out at the shrine, but she went there occasionally. It reminded her some of home, even if the purity of the area was somewhat irritating to her. The routines of those who cared for it were so predictable though that she couldn't help but find it relaxing... And it was always exciting when something new and different happened. Brightening immediately the little youkai took to the air, drifting forward to greet the new person... and stopped. Her aura was off-putting. Powerful and somewhat familiar. Better to take this slow.

Relying on her unconscious nature to keep her hidden, she followed Ayame into the Memorial Park, drifting up and sitting on a tree branch. For now she was simply watching, head slightly tilted and third eye swaying gently from side to side. She was carefully maintaining her cloak, though not as aggressively as she did when she was in active danger. Still, it was better to be more cautious than not.

Troy... Hm. Wasn't he...? Koishi furrowed her brow in thought, her power slipping very slightly. Who was he? Wasn't it that... Her memory was so fuzzy and its been a long time. He was the one who went to the mountain with her. And Sis too. Right? Right!

[zenoh]

[ Feeling odd presences around is a normal part of Ayame's life ever since she was young. So much that she's learned to shut them out. But ever since the incident that poisoned her, she had been unable to shut out any unwanted "ringing" that her Resonance powers can sense. That and she had a few drinks before coming here. The complimentary booze from the hotel was too tempting to ignore.

Though ignore is what she did when she was speaking through the video phone, ignoring those strange feelings of being watched until it was time to leave. Saying goodbye to the people who responded to her video, Ayame acted like nothing was bothering her. She looked to the tree branch where she could feel the anomaly the most, almost leering at the "empty space" that occupied it. ]

If you wanted to talk, we can now. Let's just get this over with, please. I have an appointment I'd rather not be late for.

[koishi_komeiji]

Koishi just listened quietly, smiling softly to herself and kicking her feet a little bit. It wasn't long before the little youkai began zoning out, looking up at the birds, around at the tree, reaching up to pull off a leaf. She blinked. Wait...

She looked back down at the woman again, focusing. She had been noticed? She was being talked to? Another blink. Yes. She was looking straight at her! The little youkai relaxed her power some, her form sharpening and allowing Ayame's mind to more easily acknowledge her presence.

"You saw the altered state of emptiness occupying this space. You're very interesting, miss. I was here chasing rabbits and I saw you come over here and I followed." She slipped out of the tree and landed lightly, her third eye bobbing merrily. She drifted slowly into the air until she was about eye level. "Hello there! I'm Koishi Komeiji! I'm a satori youkai. It's very nice to meet you."

[zenoh]

[ Ayame didn't know what to say to that, and she was puzzled at the yokai's blinking. A part of her didn't like that there's a yokai in this world too, even though they exist in many realities as she's witnessed through experience going from one universe to another. But that is her main gripe about it. Ayame just wants as little reminders of her world in here as she could get.

Though it was unfair of her to be annoyed by the little satori by simply existing. She sighs ]

Thank you? I guess? A--

[ Ayame's words were cut short. Ayame's frowning eyes turned to a wider one of curious surprise as Koishi floated towards her. ]

I- It's nice to meet you as well, Koishi. Though I suppose you're a little adorable for a satori.

[koishi_komeiji]

Koishi leaned forward, very much in Ayame's bubble, her third eye drifting forward and nudging her shoulder gently. She seemed to be examining the woman, using her thumb to tilt her hat up and back. At least she seemed friendly enough, though her blank presence was disturbing. It made it hard to tell, but she certainly was a satori. But there was something wrong with her aspects. It was like her very nature had been fragmented.

Though this didn't seem to actually result in any distress on her part, oddly enough.

"You seem to know what a satori is Miss. That's good. I don't meet many people who know. Most of them haven't even ever heard of youkai." She brightened. "I like you. You seem like a very smart human. But it seems strange to me. Satori youkai look like me and my sister where I'm from. Apparently they look different in other worlds... But I'm me and I'm a satori!"

[zenoh]

[ Ayame felt the oddity of Koishi's nature from her "tune" or "aura", but didn't pay any mind to it as the little yokai's personality and the thought of getting that free drink from Gale is high priority in Ayame's mind at the moment. Regardless, she listened to Koishi, feeling a tinge of regret for almost being a little hard on the girl, satori or not. Yokai can look and be different from world to world, as is the case with humans, so she can buy that claim from Koishi ]

Is that so? Well, if that is how you and your sister look like then I have no complaints.

[ Ayame eases up even as Koishi is awfully close to her, briefly curling a corner of her lip and brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Yokai have been part of her life for a long time that they're like people or pets to her - depending on their level of sapience. ]

I'm sorry if I seemed cold to you at first. Old habits have made me overly defensive...

Let's start over. Since you have given me your name, let me introduce myself; my name is Ayame Sasaki, I was raised in a clan closely associated with yokai.

[ Koishi may have already overheard it from her video conversations. Ayame wasn't aware that Koishi wasn't paying attention for the most part, but still wanted to formally introduce herself. ]

[koishi_komeiji]

"It's okay. I'm kind of used to it. Most people can't see me a good bit of the time anyway so I just get ignored." She WAS difficult to focus on. "And that's a really pretty name Miss. But I have a hard time associating names with people so I'm just going to call you 'Miss' for now, okay?"

She was absolutely all smiles, her third eye drifting back and bobbing up and down a little bit. The artery over her shoulder looped itself into a makeshift heart. "I'm not surprised you're associated with youkai. You have an energy about you that I recognized. It made me a little nervous at first so I didn't introduce myself sooner. I'm sorry about that. But you seem really nice and I don't sense any bad intention from you so I'm not nervous at all anymore!"

Come to think of it, Koishi hadn't commented on or repeated any of Ayame's thoughts as of yet...

"I bet Sis would think you're great too! She's really cranky a lot of the time but she's actually really really sweet."

[zenoh]

[ Koishi talks a lot, for sure. Ayame couldn't think of anything to say since she feels Koishi is already doing all the talking for her. But that's what she feels like towards anyone energetic anyway. She felt like this towards Troy in the past too. ]

Oh? I wouldn't be opposed to meeting her someday. After all, we are, all of us, here for a long time.

[ Ayame isn't really the type to hide anything in her thoughts. What she thinks of saying, she says. Reading into her mind would be a good way for her to not like someone. Still, she remembers her appointment with Gale in After Life, so she takes a step forward. Her heels clacked against the pavement before she turns with a gentle expression towards Koishi. She needs to leave, but she didn't want to leave the poor girl alone so abruptly. Especially since Koishi said most people ignore her. ]

Listen, Koishi, I have to be ready for a meeting. What do you think of taking a stroll with me?

[koishi_komeiji]

"Yay!" She twirled in the air, reaching up to catch her hat before it flew off. "I'm sure she'll love you! She's such a wonderful person and a sweetheart!" This statement coming from a satori youkai about another satori youkai. Though, to be fair, Koishi seemed very sweet herself.

Though a satori youkai can't exactly turn off their mind reading. It was simply another sense they had, as natural as sight and smell. And while they were known for echoing thoughts at the time of thinking, they also weren't known for spreading people's secrets or going out of their way to maliciously and indirectly cause harm.

"Oh? Sure! What kin of appointment is it? Is it something fun?" Though, Koishi clearly hadn't done any of the sort.

[zenoh]

I'm meeting with a friend of a friend, he invited me over to Nova City for a drink. So it should be interesting in the least.

[ Ayame picks up her purse from the bench, sliding her thumb on the leather strap on her shoulder before nodding to Koishi. ]

My friend who was here before. His name is on that wall. Have you met him? His name is Troy Dantes if you haven't heard me mention it earlier.

[ Ayame is still aware that Koishi is bad with names like the yokai said, so she showed him a picture of Troy on her own phone. The Troy that Ayame knows is older than the Troy who was here, but he doesn't seem to age so he looks exactly the same as the one Koishi met briefly ]