ic inbox

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INBOX TEXT ► un: jueyun chili

AUDIO ► call: "Hello, this is Chongyun. Please leave a note and I will respond as quickly as possible."

VIDEO ► facetime

ACTION ► [ a small mailbox with a rusty latch, with the characters 重云 scribbled across the front plate in neat handwriting; the worn old door has #19 blazed across its wood, in a building just off one of the main streets in Tamamo territory. ]

code credit

Comments

[worldbent]

No, I do not just mean clients. I also mean allies, those you employ, and even one's superiors.

Chongyun-kun, the other night, something occurred to me. I understand that your condition has made it somewhat difficult for spirits to approach you until now, and so you may have been fortunate not to encounter this in the past. However, given the situation we are all now in, it would be best if you were to learn this lesson quickly:

Any weakness you show towards another is one that an ayakashi will take advantage of. If you and Xingqiu-kun are business partners, then there is no need to be concerned. However, if you were to be honest with yourself, it seems to be a little more than that, wouldn't you say?

[Matoba Seiji has never censored himself before, and he's not about to start, even if it's to call out teenagers. Then again, in his eyes- Chongyun is not a child. He is a practicing exorcist, and innocence was not something to concern oneself with, for an exorcist.]

You find yourselves now on opposite sides of an ayakashi's whims. An open heart is a liability that our ilk cannot afford. I would like to see you succeed, so I hope you will not mind my unsolicited advice. Please give it some consideration.

[cutcloud]

[ Master Matoba ... what a kind man. Chongyun has to pause for a moment, overwhelmed by emotion at this display of concern from the elder exorcist. It might not be something he agrees with—his friendship with Xingqiu is solid, not even Hell itself can come between them much less an evil spirit—but he's touched.

He's totally overlooking the comment of his relationship with Xingqiu being "something more" because of that. That's a whole can of something he's barely begun to understand, anyway. ]

I see ... I understand. I will think about this. It's true that I have not had to deal with the meddling of spirits in my affairs. I don't want them to have an advantage.

Is this something you have experienced yourself, Master Matoba?

[worldbent]

[It's a good sign at least that Chongyun seems to be taking it seriously. Good. Then perhaps it wasn't testing the limits of his influence to bring this topic up for discussion....]

Yes, often enough. Ayakashi and rivals who bear grudges against my clan are often looking for opportunities to take advantage of any weaknesses we may have, so I have long learned to maintain a close watch on anything that may be perceived as exploitable.

[People. Emotions. Whatever that was- many years of self-disciplined training and lessons learned had built him this way. He had always been determined that he would leave no gaps in his armor.]

I have told you about the ayakashi which chases after my right eye, haven't I? That one can be quite shrewd in how it attacks, sometimes. Just one small gap can make all the difference. As the head of my clan, I cannot allow any mistakes.

[cutcloud]

I understand. I know well that responsibility can't be taken lightly. I truly appreciate your guidance... I will certainly give it consideration. My heart is something the spirits must not be allowed to touch.

If you don't mind my asking ... that spirit, the one after your eye — has it followed you here?

[worldbent]

I'm very glad that you are giving this the weight of consideration it is due. I have seen far too many exorcists fall because they could not guard themselves properly.

Well, it is unusually late, since you mention it. I have not seen any signs of its attacks just yet, but I do try to remain vigilant. It may be drawn to me again, thanks to my recent [...] acquisition.

[Even the Tengu elders had thought it prudent to warn him of the danger he faced, after summoning him to undo the seal on his spiritual power. As if he didn't know. He can't help recalling to himself their unnerved expressions, and chuckling to himself.]

[Good. Let them be afraid. The ayakashi that had ruled over him is dead. His contract has yet to be inherited.]

[cutcloud]

Rest assured, I have no plans to fall to anyone.

I see. I'm not sure how your spirit operates, but I will also stay vigilant for anything that seems suspicious. I have been doing research on the various elements of this Hell, as well as recording the different spirits I come across. If there is anything I should keep an eye out for, please let me know.

[worldbent]

Happy to hear it.

As for any particular identifiers, it does tend to keep to itself outside of its attempts to strike. However, there is one way that I am always able to identify it without fail.

Beware of any spirits missing their right eye.

[cutcloud]

Understood. I will stay vigilant for any suspicious missing right eyes.

... It will not appear as a spirit with just one eye? I have seen several like that. I have also seen some with several eyes, more than ten.

[worldbent]

You know, it's never actually taken the form of another spirit before- only human-like ones. Its normal form is quite ugly, a large black mass with only eyes and a mouth. Its right eye is always missing, nonetheless.

But I suspect due to its fixation on its missing eye, it may only choose forms with two eyes like itself. Malignant ayakashi are quite single-minded that way.

[cutcloud]

Yes, that's true, isn't it? Of course, one must be careful even if they aren't known for being particularly clever. One day there might be one that's more sensible than the rest.

Especially where we are now — I imagine the spirits have an advantage when in solely yin territory. It's their realm, after all.

[worldbent]

One can never be too careful, that's true.

I have begun to observe the effects of this realm on certain types of magic. I believe there are some techniques which may benefit from our locale, but it's difficult to test with us all the way we currently are.

Hopefully, that will change soon.

[cutcloud]

I agree. I've never relied too much on tools because one cannot become truly proficient without vigorous training, but having my thaumaturgy suppressed has been frustrating.

Especially after the night parade. I'm still not sure how those men managed to escape... is it because I couldn't properly see their spells, or was it something else?

[worldbent]

[Ah, those assassins..... That was a finding that Matoba had learned the answer to, but was it wise to give away some of Sutoku's ability that way? No, he decides; that was something to keep to his chest, for now.]

It's difficult to say. I noticed no trace of magic from them either, but it would be difficult to confirm that unless we crossed paths once more.

To be honest, it is more concerning if it was not magic.

[cutcloud]

Yes. I've been advised by the medics to take a few more days of rest, but after that I'm going to investigate further.

[worldbent]

[...There was one thing he had learned about the assassins and their weaponry, wasn't there? Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give a small hint, even though he had not managed to investigate it further yet, with his unsealed powers.]

If I might suggest- if you manage to come across one of the bullets used by the assassins, I was able to inspect one not long after the attack. At that time, I was not able to determine its provenance, but it had the sensation of something that was not made by mortal means.

Perhaps that would be an avenue to investigate.

[cutcloud]

Understood. Thank you, Master Matoba. I will add that to the list.

[worldbent]

Happy hunting, Chongyun-kun.

[cutcloud]