Scion – Rada Campaign Guest Appearance – Part 5
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 Aug 29th 2008
I just had the nicest conversation with Carina! We’re currently on our way to the next of our meetings with the various upset youkai in town, and I’d kinda put some distances between myself and the rest of Storm’s group so that I could call Tabby and see how the shikome were doing; they’d gotten a little out of control a few hours earlier, and I wanted to make sure there weren’t any relapses. But I’ll get to that later. As I put away my cell phone, Carina came up to me to talk.
It turns out she wants my help to make her more attractive. For some reason, she doesn’t think she’s very beautiful and wants to make herself more appealing, especially for Sam. Plus, she likes how Sam’s been more laid back since I’ve been around, and wants to know how I do it. ^_^ Well, even though I’m not that fond of Sam right now, Carina deserves to be happy. And she also deserves to have more confidence in herself and her beauty, because she is beautiful.
So basically I’m doing The Breakfast Club thing with her. By the time I’m done, her beauty will shine. ^_^ We’re going to a great luxury spa I know of in Hakone once we finish up here. That’ll give me a chance to give her a makeover and some good advice. ^_^ Maneki’s going with us so that she and Carina can bond and learn from each other, and I’m also going to invite Hinako so that she can meet Maneki. After all, Maneki needs to network with more of her own kind, so putting her in touch with Hinako (and Ryu-no-Maru) is a good idea. It’s going to be so much fun! I just wish Echo could be there with us. *sigh* She’s going to be so jealous. >_<
Anyway, let me fill you in on the details of what Storm’s group and I have been up to in the aftermath of taking down Daitokuji’s operations. I think I mentioned that the local youkai were pretty pissed off about Daitokuji’s operations, and they were taking their anger out on the innocent people in the area. So we had to go negotiate with them to reestablish the peace that has thrived for years between Oita-ken’s youkai and humans. At last, something I’m really good at! ^_^
Of course, thanks to a rare fit of misbehavior from my shikome, I couldn’t join them for the beginning of the negotiations. Don’t worry. Nothing terrible happened. I mean, Sophie didn’t eat anyone, and Kaori didn’t turn a restaurant full of women into shikome or anything. Mostly they just decided to start an impromptu dance party in the street. I’m pretty sure Emilie got Steph to start the whole thing, and probably got away with it because Steph’s the one we normally don’t have to worry about.
Anyway, there was some property damage, mostly from my girls dancing on people’s cars, but nothing too bad. Even so, I gave my girls a stern scolding. Robin actually did a good job of helping Tabby and me get things back in order, and I didn’t have any trouble smoothing things over with the locals. Most of them seemed more shocked than angry anyway. And I’m pretty sure some of those repressed Japanese guys secretly enjoyed seeing as bunch of hot gaijin girls dancing in the street. ^_^
Once that was dealt with, I left Tabby in charge of the shikome while Sera, Keiko and I met back up with Storms’ group. While I’d been gone, they’d dealt with a pathetic attempt by a group of Tanuki to frighten the locals by combining their illusion powers with a disguise straight out of a cartoon. Then they visited a local warehouse where a nuri-botoke (the youkai of a neglected Buddha statue…sort of like a dingy Buddha with his eyeballs sagging out of their sockets) who called himself “Uirii Wanka” (Willy Wonka? That guy can’t be serious!) had amassed piles of candy and was giving orders to a gang of hitotsume-kozou (bald, one-eyed, child-like youkai). I got the impression he was just having fun more than acting out his anger, but he did give Storm and the others some names and locations for the more influential (or dangerous) youkai in the area.
The first was Togo. You know, Togo from Shikoku, the azuki-arai (bean-washer youkai) who saved our asses by giving Ray that magical bean that helped him defeat the shinigami when it appeared on the Mountain of Resurrection. I caught up with Storm’s group shortly after they’d introduced themselves to Togo (and nearly scared the poor guy to death…you know how easily spooked he is). Of course, Togo wasn’t really angry at much of anything, but he knew exactly where to find the youkai who were, so he was a good first step toward tracking them down. And it was nice to see him again. ^_^
After consulting with Togo, the group decided to seek out Rakushinpu first. She’s a type of goblin spider known as a jorougumo. Jorougumo are “black widow” types. They take the forms of beautiful women in order to mate with men, and once the mating is done, they eat them. Like many jorougumo, Rakushinpu dwelt in a lake.
On our way to the lake, though, we ran across one of Togo’s friends, a konaki-jiji (obnoxious little youkai that look like helpless babies but turn into giant old men when you try to pick them up) named Taro. I don’t think Togo’s friend liked it much when Storm took the wind out of his sails by picking him up easily even after he became the size of a car. ^_^ The sight of Storm hoisting a gigantic, diaper-clad old man was a little disconcerting…but Taro was basically harmless, and we moved on with no incident.
Our encounter with Rakushinpu was considerably tenser. She was in her lake, her colorful spider’s body just below the surface so that all a casual observer could see was from the waist up. When we arrived, she seemed to be bathing, and was singing a beautiful song. I wish I’d had my recording equipment there so that I could have recorded it for a Goa trance mix. *sigh* Anyway, she was gorgeous, almost as gorgeous as I am. I called out a polite greeting using her real name, and she courteously agreed to speak to us…though her gaze very quickly settled hungrily on Jacob. I guess I can’t blame her. He is handsome, and he’s sweet too, if a bit uptight (but then again, he is Mr. Middle-American).
Given my talent for these sorts of things, my knowledge of Japanese, and my familiarity with youkai, I handled the negotiations with Rakushinpu. Like many of the youkai, she blamed the humans for breaking the treaties that had kept peace between them for so many years, and didn’t care that it was Daitokuji, not the locals, who had broken the treaty. I understood where she was coming from; I mean, that’s how these things work. But Jacob and Storm seemed a little perturbed by her view of things.
Cesar kept asking if he could kill her and be done with things. I patiently explained to him that no, he couldn’t. She represented an important part of the local balance between life and death, natural and supernatural, youkai and human. She serves a purpose here, keeping mortals (in this case lustful men) in line through fear of the things that lurk in the dark. She also kills and eats some of the blatantly malicious creatures that prowl the area, which ultimately makes the place a lot safer. I personally totally understand Rakushinpu and where she fits in the local “ecology.” She’s important. Whether or not Cesar actually understood my explanation…I don’t know. But at least he seemed to (reluctantly) accept it..
Rakushinpu was actually extremely reasonable! I quite liked her. I mean, she did make Jacob and a few of the others a little uneasy, but then again, so do I. ^_^ She wasn’t really eager to accept limits on her behavior again, but she understood the need to reestablish a sort of balance and order between herself and the mortals. So she agreed to only “go hunting” on the four nights a year when the seasons changed. In return, mortals would not spoil the land like Daitokuji had.
The only tricky part of the deal was negotiating her other demand. See, as I’ve already implied, she took an immediate liking to Jacob, and at first demanded that he sleep with her to seal the deal. She even promised not to eat him when she was done, and I felt certain that her promise was sincere. But, naturally, Jacob wasn’t really willing to meet her demand. Poor guy. He really got put on the spot…and I got the definite impression that this wouldn’t have been the first time he’d slept with someone for political reasons. I’ll need to keep that in mind…it could be useful in the future.
Anyway, after a bit of negotiation, which included an offer from Storm to “sacrifice” himself in Jacob’s stead (that’s a son a of Zeus for you ^_^), we were able to reach a compromise. Interestingly, Rakushinpu wasn’t all that interested in Storm, which kinda surprised me since what she’s really after is her mate’s virility, of course. But since the issue seemed to be something of a deal breaker, she ended up revoking her demand for Jacob. Instead, she made an alternative offer. When his eldest son comes of age, he must be told that if he wants, he can come and mate with Rakushinpu, who will not harm him in anyway. If he does so, then she will bless him and his family. If he doesn’t seek out Rakushinpu, then there’s no ill effect.
Jacob was willing to accept that. After all, no ill should come of it, and it’s his son’s choice to go to Rakushinpu. I didn’t detect any duplicity in Rakushinpu’s demeanor, and she’ll be bound by her oaths just like the rest of us, so we all agreed and I sealed Rakushinpu’s contract with a simple Shinto ceremony, calling upon the kami of her lake to witness the oath.
Our next stop was the airport. We had to go there to calm down a pair of nopperabo named Ren and Toshie who were literally haunting the bathrooms, scaring people at every opportunity. That sort of vindictive behavior had to stop if we were going to settle things between the youkai and the humans…though I really liked what they were doing. It was really spooky (well, it would be for most humans, anyway). It kinda reminded me of a scene from Ju-on, or any number of other Japanese horror flicks.
As we approached the airport, however, Keiko suddenly freaked out, hid behind me, and began primping her hair and smoothing out her clothes. Her on-again-off-again lover, Oda (the servant of Izanagi we met in Shikoku) was there! ^_^ Once we got her looking her best, Keiko practically threw herself at Oda. I think all of her recent issues (not to mention her tendency to conceal her emotions) must have reached a breaking point because she was as openly affectionate as I’ve ever seen her. It was definitely a “get a hotel” situation. But it was so nice to see her happy and excited again for a change, and Oda seemed pleased too. I think they make a wonderful couple.
Naturally, I gave Keiko the rest of the day off. Hell, I gave her the rest of the trip off. She really needs Oda right now, and I’m just happy to see the two of them together again.
Now if I could just meet their daughter. That is one reason I came to Japan…
Storm’s group…especially Jacob, Carina, and Storm, watched all of this with a mixture of confusion and amusement. Keiko’s been the very image of stern propriety since they’ve met her (I mean, that’s her natural state of being, after all ^_^), so her sudden shift in behavior must have seemed really bipolar to them. ^_^ Personally, I think Helena could learn a lot from Keiko. I mean, they do have their similarities in demeanor. If only Helena could learn to let go every once in awhile like Keiko did with Oda, she’d be a lot happier. And so would Cesar. ♥ ^_^ ♥
Anyway, once Keiko and Oda had left, we tracked down Ren and Toshie. The ladies (me and Sera included) investigated the ladies’ room, while the guys checked out the men’s room. Actually, I think Cesar waited outside. I guess he didn’t want to seem “gay” for going into the restroom with Sam, Storm, and Jacob. Gods, it’s so much easier being a woman and not having to worry about all that machismo crap. Of course, being bisexual helps too. ^_^ In any event, you know Cesar. By the time we’d found Ren and Toshie he’d become pals with a couple of Japanese salarymen singing karaoke in the airport bar.
Upon entering the ladies’ room, Helena, Maneki, Sera, Carina, and I were faced with creepy, flickering lights. Toshie slowly, threateningly emerged from one of the stalls with her hair covering her face, and when she raised her face so that we could see it, it was blank and featureless…and unnerving. At least, that’s how Maneki described it. I didn’t actually see it all. Ummm…I kinda got distracted by the mirror. I mean, I saw a few hairs out of place and took the opportunity to preen myself a bit before remembering that we had more important things to worry about. Gods, I’d hate to think I’m becoming narcissistic. I know I struggle with vanity, but not narcissism. Echo would be really upset if that were the case…given her experiences with Narcissus.
That aside, Toshie stopped the act pretty quickly when we didn’t react. The fact that Sera was with us, faceless, probably helped. We explained our concerns with Toshie, basically telling her the crisis had been resolved and it was time to go home and stop spooking people at the airport. She agreed, but we had to talk to Ren too.
Oh, I did converse briefly with Helena about her clothes before we left the restroom. I guess my fit of self-consciousness in front of the mirror got me thinking about it. Anyway, I offered to help her find some clothes that were more “fun” and interesting. I mean, the pants-suits she normally wears are quite fetching on her, but they imply a certain…dull…quality. They say, “I’m all business and I don’t have time for petty things like emotions.” Even if that is a pretty accurate description, it’s depressing. Trust me, I’m a goth. I know depressing. Helena needs to loosen up a little sometimes.
Anyway, she was pretty negative about my suggestions, so I said something like, “Come on Helena, there has to be something you like other than Cesar!” It was about then that the others left the restroom in a hurry. Helena turned bright red. I think she wanted to stammer out some sort of reply, but she never quite managed it. Instead, she stormed out of the bathroom with her fists clenched at her sides. Not the response I hoped for, but it’s a step in the right direction. ^_^ Still, she was awfully uncomfortable around Cesar for the next hour or so. *sigh* Hmmm. Maybe if I really did try to seduce Cesar (I wouldn’t take it all the way, of course), it would make Helena jealous enough to admit her feelings? Either that or she’d try to kill me…though I’m not too worried about that. I’ve had to deal with Anna after all. >_<
On the other hand, Helena is much more intelligent than Anna, and therefore much more dangerous…
Wait, I’m totally getting off track. And besides, I like Helena. I want to help her, not piss her off. >_<
So…while all that was going on, the guys found Ren, and he was…less accommodating than Toshie. It’s not that he was unwilling to talk to us. It’s just that, like Rakushinpu, he felt that the humans owed him and the other youkai an apology, and insisted that the town elders (like a Shinto priest or something) come and formally apologize before he’d go home and stop scaring people.
That’s when Storm surprised us all by executing a perfect Japanese bow while offering a fluent apology in Japanese. It was impressive. I was particularly stunned by his willingness to show humility when necessary. That’s the mark of a great leader. And Ren was impressed too. He grudgingly accepted Storm’s apology in lieu of that of the town elders. Even so, I offered to speak to the town’s priests and see if they wouldn’t be willing to apologize as well. After all, it can’t hurt.
With that, Ren and Toshie were satisfied, and agreed to stop scaring people in the airport and return home. Despite Ren’s obstinacy, I think they were both really glad to settle back into a more “normal” routine. Still, I’m a bit worried about their relationship. I need to talk to both of them more to see if marriage really is right for them. And if it is, I should work to help convinced Ren to “do the honorable thing” and tie the knot with the woman who loves him. The work of the goth love goddess is never done! ^_^
So now we’re off to visit a group of kitsune led by a kitsune named Nadoka. As a group, they’re not only angry, but also quite dangerous, so it will be…interesting. I’ll report more later! ^_^