The New Winds

Arriving early in the day to the city, his first stop was not to an Inn or to see anyone he might know. Instead he visited the temple. The last time he had a purification ritual was a few days earlier at a roadside shrine tended by a solitary monk devoted to Koshin. The opportunity to pay his respects to Amaterasu and be purified in her sight was a welcome change. He already felt like he had been polluted by Yume-do over the past few days and he wished to have his spirit cleansed.

First things first, though. He offered a few coins to the temple and then moved to an idol of the Sun goddess to offer appropriate, proper and sincere prayers of thanks for his safe travels under her sight and guidance. After that was finished however, he sought out one of the monks or priests that maintained the temple to request assistance with a ritual of purification.

----

-2 zeni given to the temple

It didn’t take long for someone to approach Yotsuo after he has finished his offering.

“Lady Sun shine upon you today, Kuni-San. Are you in need of something?”

He bows respectfully to the approaching attendant and rises. "May she shine upon you as well. I was hoping that I might request a ritual of purification to cleanse my spirit."

“Of course, we are here to ensure all under her light are card for. To best serve you, please describe what ails you, and why you feel the need to be cleansed?”

"I have a rare ability allowing me to project my spirit into different spirit realms. When I do so my soul is touched by the realms that I travel to, carrying that influence with me. My nightly travels to Yume-do are thus a bit more active and involved than most people. For that reason I have myself spiritually cleansed as often as I can, usually at least daily, to limit the influence of those realms on me," he explains. "This helps to ensure that effects of the different spirit realms do not accumulate over time and follow me back to Ningen-do."

"Ah. I see. Very well then, please come. "

The monk begins to slowly shuffle along through the temple, leading Yotsuo to a private area set aside to help individuals in need of personal matters. He lights an incense and directs Yotsuo to sit.

"Please, can you share with me the last travel you have made, so I can best direct Lady Sun to cleanse you?"

"Since my last purification four days ago, I have spent at least some time in Yume-do. But yesterday, I also reached out to Chikushudo to speak with an inu spirit friend I have there," he explains.

The monk nods and then begins turning a handle which opens a series of shutters in the rooms ceiling, allowing beams of sunlight to enter.

"Please, sit so you are in the middle of all the beams of her light and I will begin"

Yotsuo moved to the middle of Amaterasu's light and assumed seiza sitting position. He raised his closed eyes to her gaze for a moment before lowering his head to the floor in prostration then rising once more to his original position.

The monk takes up some prayer beads and stands behind Yotsuo. He begins a quiet chant over him and performs the ceremony, burning different incense and plants as offerings and wafting some of the smoke over Yotsuo. When he is finished, he wafts the smoke away, allowing the Kuni to bask in the suns light for some time in silence.

After spending some time simply allowing the warmth of Amaterasu to surround him Yotsuo rises once more. He bows to his fellow monk and rises. "Thank you for your assistance. I greatly appreciate it. As I said earlier, I will likely return each day to remove any lingering influence of Yume-do or any other realms I may have visited the day before. Maintaining my spiritual purity is a very important aspect of using my ability."

"Certainly, Kuni-sama. The Light of Lady Sun is always here. We look forward to your visits."

He bows and shows Yotsuo out of the private room.

With the ritual finished, Yotsuo decides to wander the complex and appreciate the beauty of the different representations of Amaterasu and the favor of the heavens that this place holds.

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OOC: Feel free to jump in

While some of her friends would likely be arriving during the early hours of the morning, she suspected most would be arriving later and closer to mid-day. So instead of heading straight for the Inn those not housed at the Academy would be staying at, she went to the temple to greet the morning and Lady Sun herself as she rose. Nobuko partook in the meditations and prayers alongside the monks, treated as any guest would - though she had become something of a regular sight in the last few weeks since returning to Tsuma in preparation for the tournament.

After the daily, morning devotions, she quietly thanked those who led them and began to wander the temple while she still had some time. She would need to quickly return to have her clothing changed to something extravagantly presentable to greet her friends at the Inn, but for now it was only her hair that looked like it belonged in the highest of Courts. Her robes were only just shy of that distinction.

When she spotted Yotsuo, her face lit up in a free smile she didn't bother to bring under control. They were only marginally public, nothing worth the worry when it came to a perfect On.

"Kuni-san, have you had rice today?" she greeted him with a bow, hands folded in front of her and eyes sparkling. "I expected many faces to return with the onset of the Tournament, but yours is the first from Hirosaka. it is a most pleasant sight to be met with this morning."

Being greeted by the smiling Otomo, he bowed in return. "Lady Sun shine upon you, Otomo-sama. I have not yet had rice," he says with a slight smile. "But I will soon once I check in at the Inn. You are the first I have seen from Hiroasaka as well, and I am happy to see you again. I've just arrived in the city a few hours ago."

"I would have thought, with the early hour, that you arrived last night so as not to have to travel in the dark," she replied with a soft laugh, "But I suppose the dark of the night is nothing to you in that regard. I dislike such travel and all the tricks the shadows on roads only lit so often play upon my sight. Did you arrive with others of your clan, by chance? A raven of some specific color, perhaps?"

"I did not. I traveled here with a courtier that has come to observe the tournament. I spent most of my time since Hirosaka in Kuni lands, furthering my education," he replies. "What about you? Did you travel here with others from the school?"

She shook her head, "No. I have conducted my schooling since I was a small child in the halls of the Kakita Academy. I train within it's halls under the watchful eyes of the artisans who craft the fine swords their duelists wield. Though I am trained to craft them, it has never been my focus as an artist. Tsuma has been my second home for most of my life."

Nobuko lifted a hand to cover her mouth as she giggled, "Though, one could say I traveled back with Doji Sakura-san just after we left Hirosaka. Since we have both studied here for so long."

"Ah, I hadn't realized," he replied with a nod. "Then you will feel at home and comfortable here for the tournament. That seems like it would be nice. Though it's probably good that this tournament isn't held in Crab lands. There would probably be too much drinking, arguing and brawling for most people's tastes."

"I expect it would be quite a difference," she agreed, having never actually taken part in anything so rowdy. Though she'd watched a few plays with such scenes depicted and well, Kokyou's trip had been a bit rougher than she'd expected. "But yes, I do have very comfortable rooms here. I except your accommodations will be equally as fitting. The Crane are nothing if not hospitable when hosting guests. You should not feel too out of place, I suspect, once you've settled in with the others of your clan. The Inns and sake houses, I've heard, can get very loud."