cultmirror | Don’t give up, skeleton!

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Don’t give up, skeleton!

I have good news and ill.

First, Hosts cannot be returned to their original selves. They are lost forever.
However, I was told that as Vessels, there may be hope to rescue even those of us who have Succumbed.

Secondly, has anyone encountered the three-eyed bird?
I spoke with him. He was Three.

He tried to tell me of rituals and Two's remaining fragment. It seems he's unable to communicate for very long.

T_O'S FRAG__NTS: O_E MO_E LEFT
I H_VE THR_E RI_UALS N_EDED
FO_R, Y_U NEE_ US.

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[ Hmm. This actually explained a lot. Yet -- ]

One moment... you said that some don't know what they'll make of themselves at your age? How old are you?

[ He'd... just assumed Megumi was an adult. Perhaps he shouldn't have...? ]

[ Given how much some societies adultify their teenagers, Megumi figures the mistake is an easy one to make. ]

Fifteen.

I see. Where I'm from, that'd be a little old for an apprentice.

[ His guess had been a few years older. Well, not far off, at least. Maybe it was how responsible Megumi seemed. ]

But then... conflict has a way of cutting things short.

One of the hallmarks of a peaceful and stable society seems to be letting children grow up more slowly, in general.

[ Which also points to some unfortunate truths about jujutsu society and its propensity for child endangerment smack in the middle of the modern first world, alas. ]

It sounds... nice.

[ You know, for other people. ]

I doubt I would have much place in such society.

[ Or even his own society, depending on who one asked. The window of opportunity had long closed for Ironeye to be employed at (literal) accounts payable. One might say that Ironeye had little choice in how he'd ended up in his profession, which was true. One might also say that he derived distinct satisfaction out of doing it well, which was also true. ]

Yet, even with such peace and stability, it seems not all were happy.

There's always still things happening under the surface. I don't know if it's possible to really have peace.

[ Human nature is kind of bad for it, given all the shit lurking just below the veneer of civility. And given that the curses he deals with are made from pure negative human emotion, he feels pretty qualified to make that statement. ]

Some things never change.

[ He didn't really begrudge human nature, though. It was what it was. ]

However, Miss Mafuyu has been teaching me a little about ceremonial archery. Apparently, peace found in chaos is peace all the same.

[ And if there was hope for him, perhaps there was hope for others, too. ]

Mafuyu-san's got a lot of talents, huh. [ She's a better medic than he is, her English is flawless, and also archery? What can't she do... ]

Finding peace in chaos isn't easy, either.

I find the art to be useful in that regard. Any study of martial combat might offer similar ability to defend oneself. But an archer must remain at a slight remove, and watch over their comrades.

To maintain calm and perspective even in heated battle is an essential skill.

[ Wow, someone got talkative all of a sudden. Comparatively, anyway. What a nerd. ]

Yeah, that makes sense. It's...easier to stay calm at a distance, at least for me. [ Quite possibly because fighting at range means he's doing what he's best at. Getting up close and going hand to hand always frays his nerves a little, given that he's less of a match -- no slouch, certainly, but he's been surrounded by martial prodigies. Good luck stacking up to someone like Maki. ]

That reminds me. That magic you used earlier is quite unlike the type I'm familiar with.

...What does 'Gama' mean?

[ He still remembered that part, apparently. ]

The magic I've been using here has a lot of similarities with the kind I used in my own world, so I've been using the same incantations and getting...mostly similar effects, but not identical.

At home I summon spirits using the shadows as a medium, but here, I'm using the shadows directly to do things I'd normally have a shikigami do. Gama is a toad spirit that can restrain opponents with his tongue.

Ah. You are a spirit caller. One of my colleagues summoned the souls of the departed. None of the rest of us could wield her claws, save as blunt instrument.

[ A pause. ]

When we ran into each other earlier... you did not seem to have a secondary weapon?

I use weapons sometimes...but the way I cast, I need to keep my hands free.

[ His cursed technique is heavier on hand seals than most, although he knows that working down to one-handed gestures ought to be possible, even if he's not there yet. Jujutsu is subtraction; the better you are, the more components you can trim away.

As good as he is for his age, he's still a first-year. ]

[ ?

??? ]

Then your hands serve as your catalyst. Part of your practice must be taking good care of them.

[ Yes, that's what he got out of this. Megumi, were you properly doing your stretches? ]

Yeah, basically. I'm okay with weapons, but they really don't play to my strengths.

[ Not that his cousin will take that as an excuse, so she continues pounding him to force him into getting better. ]

I understand. If you'd ever like to practice with them, I'm a fair hand at most.

For now, I ought not take up more of your time.

[ Was it possible to bow over the Murmur? If it was, he'd be doing it, but in lieu of that, Megumi would have to accept some polite sensation of gratitude. ]

Thanks again for the information. I'll get it added to everything.

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Don’t give up, skeleton!

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good place to wrap for Dec stuff?

yes!