寒露

[singlemilletgrain]

One might expect Shu to be participating in the Harvest Festival festivities. After all. That's... her expectation, in some sense. Not simply her job, but the reason for her existence. However, there were times when one needed to take on multiple roles, as unpleasant as some of them may be. And her other role, for a thousand years...

is the keeper of lost souls.

The Collapsals (that was a Sami term - the Yanese had a different term for the demons, but Esthere language mapped more closely onto non-Yanese words, she had found) and their incursions had been held at bay by Shu's powers for so long, she had almost forgotten what it was like not to have a heavy fraction of her power leached constantly from her into the land. Vice-versa... after a year in this place, it was good to have a reminder of the perils that still awaited at home.

Shu spends much of the following weeks in the research facility, cleaning up bodies, putting down monstrosities, praying, burning incense. On the gates outside the laboratory, she has spent many hours tying ribbons to the bars. One ribbon for each soul devoured by the disgraceful experiments conducted within. Though their flesh had been corrupted, their beings, she trusted, would return to the earth once flesh had been purged.

Not that she knew of 'being' outside flesh. But the people of all lands believed so fervently in such a thing, surely it must exist. And if it did not...

Then she, if no one else, would remember, such that they lived on.

Comments

[purplexing]

He knows, which is why he's set those parameters- so he won't have an excuse to avoid it again. Because he doesn't know how hard the Empire will come down on them, what stops they'll pull if they wait until everything is over, how many more will die and who all might become collateral. But at least if Innistis is under their control, then it'll be easier to go to where Donnie knew home to be, without having to worry about Imperial patrols.

That's as far as he allows himself to think, trying to yank his thoughts off of the what-if's. He nods at Shu.

"Please..."

[singlemilletgrain]

Don't make that face, Donnie. Shu has to close her eyes briefly and assume a philosophically wise and distant expression, like a sort of matronly Buddha - mostly to give herself time to dispel her fantasies of reaching out and pulling both of his cheeks like mochi.

Ah... youth.

...
...
...

Alright, that was possibly too long.

"Of course, Donnie. No matter what you require, I shall be there."

((This seems like a natural spot to close if you would like to! But I'm also happy to continue and segue into a different topic, let me know!))

[purplexing]

((OOC: gbo;efjj Oh Shu. I think that's a good closing though, yes!))