Scion – Petro Campaign – Downtime 7
This account was originally found on Livejournal, I am not the original author—I am just a fan of the journal and have found reading it on livejournal clunky to navigate and rife with errors/instability (such as having to refresh multiple times due to the page in questions becoming unavailable often requiring multiple refreshes. The original post can be found here, published by DJ-Yomi, and was published on May 2nd 2009
As usual, there’s no rest for the weary. It’s been an interesting couple of months since the whole Pika Don thing. That’s not a complaint, just an observation. Aside from a few minor issues, the past couple of months have been a lot of fun! ^_^ Keiko and Oda’s house will be finished in another week or so, and Miko’s shrine-home was just completed a few days ago. Everyone’s doing well, and there have even been a few new additions to the entourage.
So let’s see. First off, there’s Miko. She’s such a sweetie now! I love her to death. She’s found her niche here among us on Red Mountain quite nicely. She spends a lot her time in my company, but she also hangs out with the others as well. Everyone, it seems, has taken a liking to her, though her relationship with Keiko is still a little weird given how radically it changed when she was purified. It took Echo a while to get used to the fact that Miko doesn’t want to kill her anymore, and she still gets a little huffy every now and then when I refer to Miko as my other half (which is understandable), but she adores Miko too, so she doesn’t stay grumpy long. ^_^
Oh, and remember the necklace dark Miko made for me as a token of her love awhile back? Well, I showed it to the new and improved Miko and reminded her of what it signified between us. She liked it, and seemed to sense its importance. We made an informal ceremony of her giving it to me again. This pleased the necklace’s kami, which has never been happy that I didn’t wholeheartedly accept it as a token of love before, when Miko’s intentions, though sincere, were not a pure as they are now.
It turns out Miko has prophetic dreams sometimes, though she doesn’t necessarily know what they mean. I need to have her talk with Adam; he has a lot of experience interpreting such things. She dreamt of something terrible happening before she was turned into a shikome, though she can no longer remember exactly what those dreams were. And now she says she keeps dreaming of Echo sprouting flowers, and of me kissing Amaterasu. I’m not sure what to make of all that (well, the Echo stuff, anyway), but I asked Fukuda-san about it and he believes the dream of Echo might mean she’s on the verge of transforming into something new and different….maybe some sort of fusion between the nature spirits of the Greeks (what she is now) and a Shinto kami. It would make sense, given the way she’s become entwined in my legend.
And as for Amaterasu, she did come by to visit. ^_^ I think she enjoyed meeting Rose, though she was, as usual, her refined, aloof self. I know Amaterasu’s attracted to me – moreso than she’d like to be. But I’m beginning to get the feeling she’s accepted that. Still, I’m curious what the future has in store for us. I decided to shake things up a bit and see if I couldn’t figure out more of where she was coming from, and so, prompted by Miko and her dreams, I kissed Amaterasu just to see what would happen. She…uh…responded in kind, but then said that the time for that might come someday, but not now. Gods, I respect her sense of discretion so much! Anyway, the kiss told me what I wanted to know. Interesting…
The kiss led into an interesting discussion about my potential role among the Amatsukami. Amaterasu didn’t say much, but she did imply that I could easily become her shadow, the dualistic compliment to her light. Some say that Mikaboshi is her shadow, but if so he’s a corrupt shadow, and what Amaterasu wants—what she needs—is a pure shadow, one fit to be her complimentary opposite. But of course I’d have to become pure, which is another issue for me altogether right now…
Anyway, enough about that.
One of the first things I did when I got home was summon Oiwa. Not only did I want her to meet her little sister Rose, I also wanted to ask how things were in Yomi. First off, Oiwa adored Rose and was so glad to spend time with the family. ^_^ I got some really sweet pictures. She was practically glued to my side while she was here. I get the feeling she’s a little jealous of Miko. ^_^
And as for Yomi…well, let’s just say I haven’t been back since we slew Pika Don. My mother has apparently sealed herself inside the palace and refuses to see anyone. And the Black Mother is furious over the loss of Miko, and Oiwa warned me that going to see her wasn’t a good idea. She’s not planning to kill me, but you know how volatile shikome can be.
In short, Oiwa says that while I won’t be turned away or harmed in Yomi (which is good ^_^), I’m likely to receive a very cold welcome for the time being (which is bad >_<). Hell, I even wrote Miyako to see if she could give me any more insight on mother’s attitude right now. Her response simply read, “Way to betray mother, bitch. Fuck you.” *sigh* Well, if she didn’t hate me before, she does now. >_<
So, things on the Yomi front are pretty much how I thought they’d be. T_T
On the home front, things have been interesting. There’s been a little drama, but nothing too severe. The worst thing was a discussion I had with Kimiyo. She still hates Keiko because she feels Keiko wronged Sera (those two are really tight). She refuses to forgive Keiko and I’m afraid it will cause problems. I tried to get her to understand that her cold, calculating grudge could actually hurt Sera’s fragile but improving mental state, but she wouldn’t listen. Anyway, I tried to talk this out with Kimiyo, and the reaction was…cold and bitter. To be honest, I lost my temper during the conversation. Kimiyo left pretty upset too, and I talked to her in a calmer frame of mind later. I don’t think I really got through to her. She still holds a grudge against Keiko even if she won’t quite admit it. I guess it’ll just take time.
Quinn was a bit depressed when we got back. It seemed like all of her relationships were falling through, so she was awfully lonely. With a baby on the way, she really feels a need for connection. And there was developing sexual tension between her and Echo, which was awkward. I mean, Quinn, Dahlia, Keiko, Sera, Kimiyo…they’re my best friends. I don’t even think of them as possible lovers, and don’t want to. Anyway, Quinn talked to me about it. She really wants to be with Pierre. I mean, she is bearing his child. She asked if she should approach Pierre and Elisa about joining their family. After all, she’s been taking care of Alandra a lot lately, and Pierre will certainly want to be a father to Quinn’s child. I said go for it.
I admit, I knew Pierre would be up for it, but I was kinda surprised that Elisa agreed. Surprised, but thrilled! ^_^ They’ve agreed to share Pierre. And of course they’ll help raise each others’ children, which is something they both enjoy. Elisa is so wonderful. But it’s a good thing they’re staying in Pierre’s mansion here on Red Mountain, because I don’t think I could afford to have Quinn move to Trinidad!
Aside from that, there haven’t been many problems among my followers. I did end up sending Audrey to counseling with Fukuda-san, the priest of Amaterasu who is basically like a father to me. See, Like Tabby, Audrey has more-or-less been a mistress to both Echo and me, but, quite frankly, that arrangement never really pleased me. Sure, Audrey’s great in bed, but for me, our sexual relationship was really little more than a way to maintain control and influence over her. And I just didn’t think that was fair to her. Audrey definitely has issues. I know she felt that her worth to me was defined by sex, and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. So basically I cut her off.
Well, she still sleeps with Echo, but I’m no longer sleeping with her, and never intend to again. She needs to learn that she can have value to others—to me—outside of sex. She needs to be treated better than that and to have more confidence in herself. She need to see herself as a person and not an object. So even though this has been kind of a tough blow for Audrey, she’ll end up better off because of it. And Fukuda-san’s counseling is already paying off. In time, maybe I can live up to my promise to help her overcome the demons of her past. This is a big first step. ^_^
It also helps me clean up my love life a little…though I guess that’s all pretty relative. ^_^
As for my other shikome, all is well. Tabby’s treating the others better after our talk and Audrey’s proving to be astoundingly good and managing the others. As promised, I took Sophie out clubbing a few nights after our return to Boston. It was just the two of us, and we had a great time. ^_^ It was really nice just to cut loose for awhile. A few fans bugged us throughout the night, but Sophie ate that up. She enjoyed being seen with me. And I was happy to make her feel special. She certainly deserves it. And afterward, we hit the seedier streets of the city until we were assaulted by a would-be rapist, whom Sophie killed and ate. It was my little gift to her. ^_^
Looking outward a bit, I checked in on Hinako, but she’s still dealing with the Chiaki trauma, so she’s not really speaking to anyone right now. Poor girl. What am I going to do with her? >_<
Next, having learned about my half-sister Miki whom Adam discovered in Chicago, I decided to pay her a visit and bequeath to her the doll I got from our undead sibling in Shikoku. Adam’s description of Miki, while lacking character, was pretty accurate. She’s an extremely intelligent woman whose inquisitive nature and almost amoral perspective make her an excellent, if disturbing scientist. She’s studying specters and seems to have made a lot of progress nn exploring their secrets. It’s information we can use against the titans, for certain, but it’s dangerous research all the same. What really worries me is that Miki actually has a “sedated” and disabled shinigami in captivity (given to her by our mother following the recent attack on Yomi, actually). O_O She’s been studying it, especially its scythe. Talk about scary. There’s no doubt that Miki needs to be watched, but I don’t’ think she means any harm. She’s just sincerely curious, and unfortunately doesn’t really have any moral scruples.
The staff at the hospital where she works respects her but fears her. If they’d ever seen her true appearance, they’d be even more frightened; she’s kinda terrifying. In scrubs she’s can pass for human, but her torso and lower face are basically skinless, revealing her organs, muscles, and skeleton. And she keeps the ghosts of children in dolls that act as her servants. They more-or-less worship her and don’t seem to be suffering, so I don’t see any real harm in that. And she doesn’t seem to be doing any harm to normal ghosts, only specters, so I think it’s best to leave her be for now, and apparently Adam agrees with me.
Basically, though, she struck me as a bit lonely. She really enjoyed talking to me while I was there despite her social awkwardness, and she often spoke of her affection for Helena (though I did counsel her to give up on hopes for that relationship). She desperately wants to find romance (with another woman), so I promised to help hook her up with someone. Let’s hope I can find Ms. Right for her. ^_^
One other thing…she seemed really curious about how our mother appeared to me, because to her, Izanami is always a radiant older woman who, though aged, still bears the echoes of her youthful beauty. Weird. I’ve never seen mom appear like that. She always looks like a withered old Japanese woman or a decaying corpse when she meets with me. I wonder why she looks different for Miki? Could it have anything to do with the reason she seemed averse to my meeting Miki?
Anyway, I was only in Chocago a day or two for some shows after meeting with Miki, and shortly after returning to Boston, I was off again to visit Suchette. She’s doing well. She seems to be doing a good job of keeping her subjects in line. I asked if she needed help dealing with the ones who are falling to the titans, but she seemed to have a handle on things. Still, I brought up the idea of contacting the Vampire King. I mean, that shouldn’t be too hard for me if he really is David Bowie. Suchette seemed a bit anxious about that. I think she’s frightened of him or what he might do. I don’t know if she fears he’s fallen to the titans or if there’s something else going on. She did say I could try and find him if I wanted…it just made her nervous.
Oh yeah, another note about Suchette. She really likes scion blood. She was almost jittery in anticipation of being able to drink mine again, like it was a drug or something. I’m a little worried about that. Having her addicted to scion blood isn’t good for either of us. Even so, for the time being I don’t mind letting her drink a bit when I see her, but the situation definitely requires monitoring. I don’t want my friend to become dangerous to other scions, and while I believe Suchette has enough sense to find safer and less confrontational solutions to the problem, it’s still a risk.
So, a lot’s been going on. But I haven’t even gotten to a couple of the biggest things. Maybe the most important thing that’s happened to me aside from getting to know Miko again is Feng Yi. You know, Emma-O’s daughter whom I met and befriended in Di Yu. We really hit it off in Di Yu. And I promised we’d get together once the Pika Don thing was over. So we did.
She flew in and stayed for about a week. And I have to say, I have never really met anyone I can identify with so easily. We have so much in common and so much to teach each other. She gets me in ways no one else ever has. In short, we became very close very quickly. ^_^ We spent a lot of time just exploring the darkness, “cutting off” our ability to see in the dark and letting it enshroud us and listening to music or talking or sharing childhood secrets. Feng Yi helped me get in touch with my own darkness in ways I never have before! In beautiful, soothing ways. Like me, she sees the darkness not as something bad and evil, but as something precious and comforting. Something good. She helped me experience darkness as a form of purity. Not as something that hides necessarily, but something that reveals things that would otherwise go unnoticed by forcing you to rely on senses other than sight. *sigh* I can’t even express how empowering it was! ^___^
In return, I tried to help Feng Yi deal with her own anger: anger over the rape of Nanjing and the death of many of her mortal relatives at the hands of the Japanese, over the way her father is treated by the rest of the Celestial Bureacracy, and over so many other things. It’s an issue she’s dealt with for a long time, but I was able to help soothe some of that anger. She’ll always struggle with it, but at least I’m helping her learn to deal with it. Like I said, we have a lot to learn from each other.
And, as the week went on I started to realize just how drawn to Feng Yi I was. It was obvious that she had the hots for me from the outset, and spending a lot of time whispering together in the darkness didn’t help. It was really only a matter of time before we became intimate. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to ask Echo about it first, and she was cool with it as long as I was able to share Feng Yi with her (that’s really how we work…we don’t accept any partner who can’t be shared between us).
So Feng Yi’s my lover now (and I’m hers, though of course she’s welcome to explore relationships with guys, if she wants. ^_^ I kinda envy that). We had a wonderful time throughout the rest of the week, and our intimacy opened avenues of conversation that only deepened our friendship. We spent a long time talking about how we’d run the perfect Underworld and again found we had a lot in common. We’re heading toward godhood…I suppose it’s fitting we begin to think about these things. And who knows, maybe there’s some potential for us to work together on that in the future… ^_^
As an aside, I had Miko make a beautiful necklace with a small flower pendant made of human bone for Feng Yi and sent it to Feng Yi along with an affectionate letter a few weeks aft6er she returned home. Miko’s craftsmanship is exquisite. She makes the most beautiful jewelry, and I thought the symbol of the bone flower (which is what Feng Yi’s name means) would mean a lot. Feng Yi loved it. ^___^
You know, my relationship with Feng Yi got me thinking about my love life, and I realized two things. The first was how naïve I really was back when Echo and I were starting to have issues just before my last tour. I was demanding monogamy, and Echo told me that as a goddess, monogamy would be more or less impossible and that I might as well get used to having lovers on the side. I didn’t want to accept that back then, but, obviously, I’ve taken to the idea now. I guess I’ve matured as a goddess a bit. The fact is, there are a lot of people I’m attracted to, but I don’t want to become intimately involved with them. There are a few, though, that I feel really drawn to. I can’t really explain it. I just feel so close to them that I can’t help but express that closeness—that love—with sexual intimacy. That’s how it was with Tabby, and so much more so with Feng Yi. But Persephone and Audrey…they were different. I somehow fell into those relationships when I shouldn’t have. I didn’t really love them, so I feel like I betrayed my principles. I don’t want to make the same mistake again.
It’s a good thing Echo doesn’t mind exploring other lovers, as long as we share. Being married to a nymph has its advantages. ^_^
Honestly, I feel the need for that sort of intimacy with Miko. I have for a long time, ever since she first tried to seduce me and failed. And I know she desires that connection too. There’s a lot of sexual tension between her, Echo, and me right now. But I can’t bring myself to express my affection like that. I’m still tainted, and I don’t want to soil Miko again with that taint, even if she doesn’t mind and can easily purify herself afterward.
…
Anyway, enough of my personal reflections. I’m still trying to figure myself out, I guess. I don’t know if I ever will, but every little bit helps. ^_^
I guess the last big news to cover is that three new girls have joined my crew, bringing my entourage up to fifteen (plus Miko and Echo, of course). They’re mortals. I chose them from among a number of candidate scouted by Kimiyo as possible elite shikome. I might even turn them eventually, depending on how things play out with Yomi and the Black Mother. But I wanted to go ahead and draw them into the fold, regardless of whether I make them shikome or not, simply because they struck me as particularly compelling devotees. Yeah, all three are devoted to me and my music, but not in the oddly conformist way that most fans follow. They’re individuals who revere me and my art in their own way. So I decided to employ them, not as promoters or anything like that (I have plenty of those), but as personal servants.
See, I’ve always been self-promoted and self-financed. I publish my music under my own label, which has been really successful. But as my music has increased in popularity (it’s even been used in a few soundtracks!) I’ve begun to sign on a few other independent artists, people who share my approach to art and music and who want a producer who really understands and supports their art.
And one of the first people to sign with we is Brand, my male vocalist. He’s been working with me for a long time now, but he feels the need to branch out on his own. He’s come to feel overshadowed by me, Dahlia, Quinn…and needs to make his own art. I’m sad to see him go. He’s so wonderful to work with! But we’ll collaborate again in the future, and in the meantime I’m more than happy to support his music projects!
Anyway, with all of that going on, managing the business angle of things is demanding more and more of Keiko and Sera’s time. Meanwhile, Dahlia, Quinn, and Kimiyo have a lot of responsibilities working with my promoters and such (and Quinn’s pretty much on leave right now as she prepares for the birth of her child). So business is booming, but it means my girls are busier than ever! As a result, I need people to help out around the estate and to fill in the gaps left as the others take on new duties. I can’t really rely on the shikome for that…they’re basically roadies and bodyguards, after all. So I needed someone more reliable.
So enter Ophelia, Mercy, and Sadako, all big fans of mine.
Ophelia Gessel is a perky German goth from Munich who previously worked as a photographer and catalog model. I do a lot of my own photography, but it’s nice to have an assistant, especially now that I’m doing more studio shoots. Plus, she can do product photography for my merchandise, and can take exclusive photos at shows and such. She’s also good with websites, so she’ll be helping maintain mine. She’s really energetic, has a great attitude, and loves creepy things as much as she loves having fun. In the past, she was something of a loner, which had a lot more to do with her sense of independence and unwillingness to bow to the desires of her peers than it did any real desire to be alone. She’s getting along with the rest of us just fine and seems to have taken to her new life in my entourage with all the joie de vivre that made her such an appealing find for me.
Mercedes Leroux (who prefers to be called Mercy) is a nurse from Paris. Her public face has always been that of a caring nurse, albeit one with a pretty obvious alternative lifestyle. And in fact she is a caring nurse who really does her best to tend to those in her care. That’s why I’ve hired her as a sort of nanny to help Echo take care of Rose (gods know my dear wife needs all the help she can get ^_^). Of course, she can also be pretty cruel to people she feels deserve to suffer, and I know for a fact that she’s euthanized at least two patients. One was a father who had been stabbed by his daughter after years of physically and sexually abusing her, and the other a known drug dealer and pimp who had been badly injured in a gang fight. When not at work, Mercy spent a lot of time in Paris’s darker clubs and she really enjoys costume fetish sex (her favorite being the nurse, naturally ^_^). She’s already learned her way around the clubs here in Boston.
Finally, there’s Sadako Yasuhara. I picked her up in Tokyo. She’ll be helping out with whatever else I need, mostly running errands, keeping up the house, and serving as my driver when I need one (I really don’t mind driving myself in most cases). Sadako’s got attitude, I’ll hand her that. She’s an admitted J-goth with a lot of friends in the Harajuku crowd, but she doesn’t share the rest of the subculture’s obsession with androgynous men and goth Lolita style. No, she’s into fast cars and faster motorcycles. She used to work as a race queen, so she’s no stranger to putting herself on display. In fact, she enjoys getting a rise out of men.. She’s also a devotee of the occult with an interest in Western, Buddhist, and Shinto witchcraft. She sounds complex, but she actually comes across as a pretty straightforward, non-nonsense sort. Audrey’s set her sights on Sada-kun, but she’ll have her work cut out for her in seducing her. Sadako’s completely straight and willful enough not to give in to Audrey’s advances easily (they have become friends, though).
Anyway, the three of them seem to be working out pretty well. I’m not sure if I’ll turn them into shikome in the long run or not. They all have the makings of elites, and they’re aware that they have the potential to become more than they are…and I’ve already granted them a sort of limited immortality using my mastery over life and death. But who knows what I’ll do. I suppose it all depends on which path my future takes.
And that remains to be seen. I feel I’m at a very significant crossroads. Has the time come for me to remove the taint the seethes within me and become pure again? Or does fate still have some purpose for this taint, and can it, in fact, be the weapon that fate has implied it can be?
I’m not sure.
Anyway, I suppose that’s enough for now. Keiko and Oda’s wedding is coming up next week, so I’ll be busy until after that’s over. By the next time I post, those two lovebirds should at long last be happily wed!