005. those countryside roads to somewhere

[takasugi]

( weeks spent gathering non-perishables and their personal items into boxes couldn't have prepared them for what was about to happen.

it occurs in a flash, like a plant's tendril reaching out to seed a new life in something.

the sea vanishes, their epic on the high seas punctuated by a change in pressure. like when a whale breeches or dives with something inside it's mouth, it's an almost unimaginably long pause. their watery landscape transforms into an empty void, pieces of a plane that simply don't exist in the mind, and if one were to stay here, it could easily drive them mad. humans were never made to shift between realities and witness such emptiness, after all, and before takasugi can even think to figure out how shouin's soul might be contributing to this, everything tilts. the world about them flips to a new chapter filled with light, darkness, and stars, and if one blinks, it all becomes clear that everything is floating, floating without a sky to touch the pitch-black remnants of the rippling universe below, and—

a blink of the eyes next reveals that everything they've known has come to change.

the arahabaki mk. ii on the water is gone, and only rolling hills remain.

in the distance, a couple women tend to a small, cultivated field off a well-worn path, meticulously monitoring the water that'll birth life into their crop. the town is green and vulnerable under the piercing blue of the bright spring sky, with a quieter vibe compared to the larger towns that boast all the hustle and bustle of city life. a few open tea houses welcome visitors, inviting them to pause on their journey as they seek bigger opportunities in this new era of industrialization, but most importantly, as the members of 3kon might notice: some of the citizens here are sporting animal ears of various types, and no one acts like each other is worser than wear for it. )

Comments

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[takasugi]

Sure. More importantly, could you stop flirting like that in front of—

( but the auditory texture of TAKASUGI's dialogue, oft buzzing with noise, is interrupted by a stomp of feet and a much larger voice waving at them.

it's an older man wearing indigo hemp cloth, with his shoulders wrapped in something a bit nicer than the usual farmer's fabric. this town is at a crossroads of development, nestled between the wave of coming development and the need to stay a smaller inlet for travelers to rest their feet. he fits a hand on his hip, gradually routing the other in a closed fist against his back to tap it. it's a gesture to ease any discomfort than anything else, suggesting he's well past middle age and approaching elderly.

"you folks don't exactly seem like you're from further down, but i think i got the gist of what's going on from your friend. you're looking for a place to stay on your way back to the city, right? well, i'd be more than happy to help shelter a couple of performers, long as your 'aidoru' talents or... whatever he said you ought to put on to entertain us are up to scratch. is that some sort of new age kabuki? just be sure to make it on time tonight, and your rooms will follow."

it's a meandering sort of declaration, with a finger pointing shaky into the distance behind him towards an old two-story dwelling fitted with brick stairs, and... )