Author Topic: Act - White  (Read 59012 times)

Offline Hanako Tachibana

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Act - White
« on: November 28, 2012, 10:51:22 PM »
It has been a couple of days since the thing with the Witch of Black Cats.  Things seem to be pretty much normal, though; you haven't been contacted or anything.

Nanashi, today is your first day of work at Lunar Goods.  Spider, didn't the owner of the Bakeneko Bar & Grill ask you for something today?



Fate rolls, everybody.  One fate roll per Aiki chit.
Girls do their best now and are preparing. Please wait warmly until it is ready.

Offline DonQuixote

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2012, 10:57:05 PM »
I head over to the Bakeneko Bistro.  I still feel embarrassed every time I come in.  I mean, who forgets to pay?  Honestly!
“Hast thou not felt in forest gloom, as gloaming falls on dark-some dells, when comes a whisper, hum and hiss; savage growling sounds a-near, dazzling flashes around thee flicker, whirring waxes and fills thine ears: has thou not felt then grisly horrors that grip thee and hold thee?”

Offline FelyxZephyr

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2012, 11:14:11 PM »
Nanashi Awakens.  The past couple of days have seen him in a huge fuss attempting to track down any new information on this 'Tenjin Temple', even with the contacts he's been able to make since he arrived here in Kyouto, he has been unable to find the right thread to lead him to the truth. 

He had weird dreams the night before, but can't remember them, but he thinks that Koto may have been there.  The offending sun is responsible for waking him up and he wipes the sleep from his eyes before quickly eating and zipping over to the store. 

Running has become second nature to him ever since he ran that marathon with his sensei on his shoulders.  It might not have been so bad if his sensei wasn't also performing his morning workout whilst being carried, which included bench pressing barbells that Nanashi didn't ask the weight of.  Though it is hard to say whether that or the jumping jacks were worse.

While mindlessly running, Nanashi pulls out his Strawberry.  He's gone through it a few times and it kinda reminds him of his Huckleberrry from back home.  He has not, as of yet explored one strange function.  He clicks the 'RS' button, while dodging over a passing cat. 
Magic do what you will

Offline DonQuixote

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2012, 11:15:43 PM »
(click to show/hide)
“Hast thou not felt in forest gloom, as gloaming falls on dark-some dells, when comes a whisper, hum and hiss; savage growling sounds a-near, dazzling flashes around thee flicker, whirring waxes and fills thine ears: has thou not felt then grisly horrors that grip thee and hold thee?”

Offline Hanako Tachibana

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #4 on: November 29, 2012, 01:09:06 PM »
Nanashi's Story
The RS icon opens into a rather nice looking web browser.  Its smart phone sized, so its a bit difficult to deal with, but a browser is a browser.

Spider's Story
You arrive at the Bakeneko Bed & Breakfast without much event.  No one is miffed at you or anything for not paying that one time; most of the regulars have outstanding tabs, and getting sucked into other dimensions in between receiving one's meal and paying happens more often than one might think.  This time it isn't a waitress but the chef who greets you.

"Ah, Spider-san.  Good timing.  I've got some stuff out back that I was wondering if I could get you to take to Lunar Goods.  I'll pay you, of course."
Girls do their best now and are preparing. Please wait warmly until it is ready.

Offline FelyxZephyr

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #5 on: November 29, 2012, 11:08:41 PM »
Nanashi enters "Tenjin Shrine" into any sort of search bar he can find
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Offline Hanako Tachibana

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2012, 11:11:50 PM »
Couple of hits for "shrine," couple of hits for "tenjin," couple of hits for what looks like porn, a link for Tooryanse, some stuff in languages you don't know, other stuff, you know the drill.
Girls do their best now and are preparing. Please wait warmly until it is ready.

Offline DonQuixote

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #7 on: November 29, 2012, 11:54:56 PM »
I give the chef my best bow.  It's not great, but I'm still working on it.

"Of course.  What do you need?"
« Last Edit: November 29, 2012, 11:56:54 PM by DonQuixote »
“Hast thou not felt in forest gloom, as gloaming falls on dark-some dells, when comes a whisper, hum and hiss; savage growling sounds a-near, dazzling flashes around thee flicker, whirring waxes and fills thine ears: has thou not felt then grisly horrors that grip thee and hold thee?”

Offline Hanako Tachibana

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2012, 10:49:56 AM »
"Great!  Right this way then."

The chef leads you out back.  That's... that's a pretty big box.

"Taking care of that with your armour will be easy, right?  Tell me when you're done~"

The chef waves and walks back into the cafeteria.
Girls do their best now and are preparing. Please wait warmly until it is ready.

Offline DonQuixote

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2012, 12:08:54 PM »
I consider the box.  Really, really consider it.  I look at it from multiple angles, kneel down next to it and press my ear to it, and rap my knuckles on it experimentally.

Backing up a bit, I consider the box some more.  It is pretty large, but maybe it's something really light.  Like feathers.

I walk up to the box, spit on my hands, and rub them together.  Squatting in front of the box, I grab it and attempt to straighten up--lifting with my knees, of course, not my back.

Abject failure.

Yep.  I'm going to need the armour for this.

...hoo boy.  This is going to take some explaining.  Jorougumo won't like it.  Not one bit.  After the time that I drunkenly jammed a sake bottle into the helmet and declared that I was combining with the bottle to become Sake-Spider, she's been adamant that I may not wear the armour into any establishment that sells alcohol of any kind.  It seemed like a bit of an overreaction at the time, but the Koto later explained that they'd been getting numerous complaints--from the "My Sensei is the Best in the Old Capital THROW" incident to the "My sake is the sake that will pierce the ceiling" event--that ostensibly justified the restriction.

I really can't see any other way of moving the damn thing.  Guess it's time to go ask permission.

I pop into the delicatessen to inform the chef that I'm going to go fetch my armor, then head over to the Artificer's Guild, desperately attempting to come up with a convincing argument on the way.
“Hast thou not felt in forest gloom, as gloaming falls on dark-some dells, when comes a whisper, hum and hiss; savage growling sounds a-near, dazzling flashes around thee flicker, whirring waxes and fills thine ears: has thou not felt then grisly horrors that grip thee and hold thee?”

Offline FelyxZephyr

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #10 on: December 01, 2012, 12:30:55 AM »
Nanashi absent mindedly clicks on the 'Tooryanse' link, not knowing what it is
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Offline Hanako Tachibana

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #11 on: December 01, 2012, 12:54:24 AM »
It appears to be some sort of Japanese children’s song.

Quote from: Tooryanse
You may go in, you may enter
    Which way is this narrow pathway?
This is the narrow pathway of the Tenjin shrine
    Please allow me to go through
Those without good reason shall not pass
    To celebrate the 7th birthday of this child
    We've come to dedicate our offering
Going in may be easy, but returning would be scary
It's scary, but
You may go in, You may pass through

It probably sounds more song-like in Japanese.
Girls do their best now and are preparing. Please wait warmly until it is ready.

Offline FelyxZephyr

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #12 on: December 01, 2012, 12:56:32 AM »
Nanashi visibly frowns as he comes to a stop on a rooftop to reread the text.

He types in "Tooryanse" to the search bar and continues moving
Magic do what you will

Offline DonQuixote

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #13 on: December 01, 2012, 01:13:38 AM »
"Hey, Jorougumo," I call out as I enter the Guild.  "I'm going to be taking the armour over to the Bakeneko Café.  They need help moving a box.  That all right?"
“Hast thou not felt in forest gloom, as gloaming falls on dark-some dells, when comes a whisper, hum and hiss; savage growling sounds a-near, dazzling flashes around thee flicker, whirring waxes and fills thine ears: has thou not felt then grisly horrors that grip thee and hold thee?”

Offline Hanako Tachibana

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #14 on: December 01, 2012, 01:14:58 AM »
"Huh, sure.  Go ahead."
Girls do their best now and are preparing. Please wait warmly until it is ready.

Offline DonQuixote

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #15 on: December 01, 2012, 01:18:05 AM »
Hrm.  I guess she's starting to consider me as somewhat responsible!  I probably shouldn't get a pet any time soon, but at least I have the autonomy to take my walking engine of destruction out to restaurants without supervision.

...I can't really think of any circumstances in which this could possibly be necessary, but it could come up.

Clad in my metallic exoskeleton, I tromp back to the Bakeneko Diner.  Popping my head into the kitchen, I ask the chef for some quick directions to Lunar Goods, then return the box.

I consider the box carefully.  "Fool me once, shame on me," I mutter, before squatting down next to it and attempting to lift--with my knees, not my back.
“Hast thou not felt in forest gloom, as gloaming falls on dark-some dells, when comes a whisper, hum and hiss; savage growling sounds a-near, dazzling flashes around thee flicker, whirring waxes and fills thine ears: has thou not felt then grisly horrors that grip thee and hold thee?”

Offline Hanako Tachibana

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #16 on: December 01, 2012, 06:15:17 PM »
Spider's Story
You lift it without much difficulty.  Aren't armour exoskeletons nice?

Nanashi's Story
Quote from: Wikilunia
"Tōryanse" (通りゃんせ) is the name of the traditional Japanese children's tune (warabe uta). Meaning : This is the way to "Tenjin, the Lord of the Heavenly Good," you may go through this narrow way with your reason to pass in, but on the returning way to the gate, will you be able to pass though? The other words, "Enter by the narrow gate."

There are many theories to the origin of the song, but all agree that it is a portrayal of an exchange between a civilian and a guard manning some sort of a checkpoint — at Kawagoe Castle according to one theory. In the old days when infant mortality was high, people celebrated when a child survived to reach the age of 7 (as well as 3 and 5; see Shichi-Go-San), and ordinary people were only allowed to visit the shrine within the castle compound for special occasions.

This particular warabe uta is sung as part of a traditional game where two children facing each other link their hands to form an arch 'checkpoint,' and the remaining children walk through underneath in a line (and back round again in circles). The child who happens to be under the arch when the song finishes is then 'caught.'
Girls do their best now and are preparing. Please wait warmly until it is ready.

Offline DonQuixote

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #17 on: December 01, 2012, 06:26:09 PM »
I test the weight of the box carefully, making sure I have a good hold on it, then head over to Lunar Goods.
“Hast thou not felt in forest gloom, as gloaming falls on dark-some dells, when comes a whisper, hum and hiss; savage growling sounds a-near, dazzling flashes around thee flicker, whirring waxes and fills thine ears: has thou not felt then grisly horrors that grip thee and hold thee?”

Offline FelyxZephyr

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #18 on: December 01, 2012, 07:06:55 PM »
Nanashi nods to nobody in particular.  Unfortunately, the small amount of knowledge that he just received is only the tip of the Tenjin iceberg, so to speak.  He feels that it is safe to presume that The Tenshin temple that was spoken of that night is not the actual temple spoken of in the song, but how should he know?  With all his connections, he doesn't really talk much to 3, 5, and 7-year-olds.  Perhaps the temple still exists, if it has a physical manifestation.  But if it did, it would be far easier to tell, since it should be located on maps or at least known well.  It must be a code word for SOMEthing...  but what?  It must be a code word for something.

Nanashi exits the program and checks his phone, rushing to get to the shop.
Magic do what you will

Offline Hanako Tachibana

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Re: Act - White
« Reply #19 on: December 01, 2012, 07:11:58 PM »
You arrive at Lunar Goods with no further incident.  As you open the door to the shop, you are greeted by a hug.

"Yay!  It is Nanan-chan~  I am glad you are here~  I am looking forward to working alongside you~"
Girls do their best now and are preparing. Please wait warmly until it is ready.