InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "INTO MY BASE FOR FOODENINGS?"

Ikeda Kiriko | 池田妃凛子 (apathyisboring) wrote in disappear_rpg,
@ 2010-01-10 17:55:00

Entry tags:

open thread, renju

Obon Obon Obon Obon Obon
WHO: Everyone
WHAT: Obon
WHERE: The Shrine
WHEN: Obon
WHY: It's Obon!

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GRAVE CLEANING

giantfruitbyday
2010-01-11 12:31 am UTC (link)

Maeko was, she liked to think, a dutiful granddaughter. Every year since she'd started school she'd walked up this same path just as the air started to cool in the evening with the wooden bucket and bags filled with offerings and cleaned graves and arranged flowers and burned incence and spoken to people she'd never meet in her maiden tongue (maiden hands? The phrase didn't quite fit). Then she'd go home and light lamps in the appartment and put out a small feast and be careful not to let the whole thing burn down and generally succeed.

And as the years passed she'd stopped struggling under the weight and having to leave the bags behind and run back for them before someone took them or dragging the bucket along, losing most of the water before she reached the graves. Her arrangements of the flowers were still nothign appoaching artistic but they were carefully calculated, not haphazardly placed wherever. She didn't catch her fingertips or the sleeve of her yukata with the matches any more when she tried to light incence, nor did she lose flames to the wind over and over again until she ran out of matches. She didn't knock over lamps or accidentally make the wrong sign and change the whole meaning of the word and apologise over and over and spend the rest of August fretting over whether she'd caused offense because it was difficult to read someone's body language when they didn't have any.

She was, all in all, now pretty good at going through a festival she really had no right to be in.

She placed the bucket down by her grandfather's grave and started to work.

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Re: GRAVE CLEANING

zealousemperor
2010-01-11 12:40 am UTC (link)

A rather tall man could be seen walking through the graveyard with his own bucket and bags, as well as, oddly enough, a sake bottle. Quite honestly, he doubted this was what he was supposed to do, but he had been coming down here for years now. He wasn't sure why (he never appreciated tradition or religion), but it just felt like something he should do. No one else could do it, and he doubted that his friend would appreciate spending Obon alone, so...

With his black hair and loose, dark clothing, it was rather hard to tell who he was. That was, of course, the point. He wasn't sure why he was hiding his identity. Maybe he just got tired of people staring at him and wanted an excuse to change, just once. Maybe he just wanted to make sure no one could know who he was doing this for. Either way...

Kanaye Satou blinked a bit as he approached his ex, briefly wondering what she was up to before noticing she was doing the same thing he was. Before he could help himself, he said "Maeko-san?"

Whoops.

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Re: GRAVE CLEANING

giantfruitbyday
2010-01-11 12:58 am UTC (link)

Kneeling by the graves was uncomfortable and her yukata was going to get dirty. She always forgot to bring something to kneel on. Every year she reminded herself to bring something next year. And every year she forgot. At least she hadn't spilled any water this year, it would just be dust that could be easily brushed away.

She altered the flowers again and again, trying to work out if they looked passable this time. When she was adressed she excused herself in sign and looked up.

"...sorry, do I- oh, senpai?" Even with the benefit of having seen Kanaye with dark hair earlier when they visited Kou she didn't quite recognise him instantly. She used the disturbance as an excuse to stand, brushing off her knees. "Hello."

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Re: GRAVE CLEANING

zealousemperor
2010-01-11 01:04 am UTC (link)

Kanaye felt extremely out of place. For one, his hair was dyed. And two? He was wearing the most covering clothing he could find, which was a trench coat and pants. His hair was messed up, and he was walking as quickly as he could. In comparison to Maeko, who was wearing what she was supposed to be wearing...

He shook his head and smiled. "Hello, Maeko-san. Dutiful and hard working as always, eh?" Checking the names on the graves, he noticed a distinct lack of "Akuba." "You're grandparents, eh?"

Realizing that she probably don't want to talk about it, he briefly panicked. "Uh, I'm sorry. I'm sure their deaths were very hard on you, and it was obvious. Sorry."

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Re: GRAVE CLEANING -

giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 01:21 am UTC

Re: GRAVE CLEANING -

zealousemperor, 2010-01-11 01:28 am UTC

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giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 01:42 am UTC

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zealousemperor, 2010-01-11 01:47 am UTC

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giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 03:53 am UTC

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zealousemperor, 2010-01-11 04:10 am UTC

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giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 04:25 am UTC

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zealousemperor, 2010-01-11 04:31 am UTC

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giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 04:41 am UTC

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zealousemperor, 2010-01-11 04:45 am UTC

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giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 04:54 am UTC

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zealousemperor, 2010-01-11 05:14 am UTC

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giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 05:18 am UTC

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zealousemperor, 2010-01-11 05:22 am UTC

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giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 05:31 am UTC

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zealousemperor, 2010-01-11 05:35 am UTC

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giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 05:54 am UTC

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zealousemperor, 2010-01-11 06:00 am UTC

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giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 06:09 am UTC

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zealousemperor, 2010-01-11 06:12 am UTC

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giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 06:24 am UTC

Re: GRAVE CLEANING -

zealousemperor, 2010-01-11 06:27 am UTC

Re: GRAVE CLEANING -

giantfruitbyday, 2010-01-11 04:30 pm UTC

pinksunbeam
2010-01-11 01:12 am UTC (link)

Misaki looked around at the people in their kimonos heading to the graves of their family and she watched quietly as they made their way to the cemetaries where they would be setting offerings to the dead. She wasn't sure how her grandfather would see her, her grandmother was in Tokyo right now with her family, while Misaki's family was staying in Iburi. She knew that her father's mother was buried here, but that she had never known her grandfather on his side. Perhapes it was like her brother said, he just couldn't take being a dad and left. She liked to think that maybe it was that he got lost and couldn't come back to her father.

Obon was a time of refelection for her. She knew that her mother would have left with her father to go to Tokyo, and that Tomoko and Shizuka were dealing with her grandmother's grave there. She wondered if anyone was visiting Kei-kun's grave, or Amori-sensei's. Kei-kun, she was sure was being tended to by his family, but Amori...

Misaki drew a breath and looked at her brother, "Hikaru-nii, I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back. Can I take some of those flowers?"

"If you want, just be sure to get back by two okay? I need to go check on Shizuka and Tomako." He told her and she nodded. Taking the flowers Misaki made her way to the graveyard and started to look through the rows of graves for the name of the late gym teacher. Peering around she noticed Maeko talking to someone, but feeling a bit awkward at the moment, Misaki quickly moved past them and continued her hunt for Amori's grave.

Perhaps, in doing this, she could at least say she was sorry for not being that great of a student to him, and thank him for at least trying to protect them.

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pinksunbeam
2010-01-11 06:27 am UTC (link)

Leaving the flowers on the side, saying a fast prayer Misaki headed off to find her brother and sister. Tomako was near the graves when she passed by and walked up to her.

"You look like death wormed over you," he joked and blinked when there was no laugh replied. Sighing he put his arm around her shoulder. "Neechan, look, it's over okay. Life goes on. You'll make other friends."

"I don't want to just make other friends I want..." Misaki blinked, "She was special to me Tomoko. I honestly..."

"Welll why didn't you tell her about it before?" he asked and she shrugged. "Come on now, you and I both know why you did."

"I'm not a monster," she muttered and he looked at her oddly.

"I never said you were," Tomoko squeezed her again and shook his head. "You're thinking to hard. Look we can go to the festival, didn't you say you were going to stop by a party or something."

"For a bit yes," Misaki sighed and looked at him. "Tomoko, do...do I fall in love to much?"

Oh boy, He thought and rubbed his neck. Answering this question in a grave yard was a good thing. If she killed him, he had it easy to be cremated and laid to rest. Slowly he nodded and Misaki stared at him.

"You crush to easily, you flit from one person to another. You never seem serious about it at all, and that hurts. Not only that but you can be very self focused when you want to, always worried about what other people are going to think of you and how you act. You're a doormat Niichan, you always have been. You clung to Maeko because you thought that she was a strong person, that's all that it was, a passing infatuation with her. Don't bother with her, move on, find something worth keeping."

"She was worth keeping," Misaki glared at him, "Take it back it wasn't an infatuation."

"It wasn't a friendship. Was it," he spat back and she looked away. "Look if you want something real with her, find some other friends, discover the things that you like, that you feel happy doing. Then...go and talk to her. Till then, don't. The only way to make real friends is by being with people that genuinely understand you and that you can care for."

He reached down and took her hand, "Now come on. Say something to obaasan. She's probably waiting for your prayer too."

Misaki gave a slow nod, and walked with him head down.

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Introspection 1

lotus_beyond
2010-01-11 01:32 am UTC (link)

So many graves, none of them hers.

Far from the bustle of the festival proper, Renju walked amidst the graves at the shrine. Unlike the many others around her, she bore no bucket and scoop for grave cleaning, no offerings of cucumber and eggplant, none of the flowers or incense whose scent filled the heavy August air. It was simply her and the sutra she repeated in a whisper--the Urabonkyo, which she'd read over and over, committed to memory while she'd made her preparations for the festival, and while she'd lit the mukaebi at the entrance to the dorm, the closest thing to a home she had these days. (Should she? She'd wondered that briefly at the time, the thought stopping her hand. If it was meant to guide them, then surely she wouldn't want to make them lose their way. Eventually, she'd decided that the symbolic value of the gesture was the most important part and carried on.)

Her family, both sides, had asked her to return to Fukuoka. It was the only time she'd heard from most of them since shortly after her parents had passed, and most of them seemed awkward on the phone, hesitant to speak to her (they'd offered their condolences after the funeral, she'd responded coldly when she'd responded at all, and they'd drifted away). It was hatsubon now, though, the first Obon since they'd died; surely she'd want to return to their graves for at least a few days to pay her respects. They'd pay her way, they'd bring her there, and it wasn't as if she had anything else occupying her time, right? (They had no way of knowing, of course. She could never tell them.)

And she'd considered it. It wasn't a matter of the effort involved. Mokuren had gone to the land of the hungry ghosts to bring food to his mother, after all; a three-day trip to Fukuoka was trivial. And Kozue had gone with her family, so it wasn't as though she had the excuse of "needing to stay around just in case", either.

No, it was neither of those things that made her politely decline each time she was asked. That emotion that should've been there when she thought of them simply wasn't.

"Mokuren daikyuu higou taikyuu." Mokuren called out and wept sorrowfully. Meanwhile, her eyes were dry, her lips moving in patterns still foreign to her.

So many graves, none of them hers.

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	canhasurpencils 2010-01-11 01:48 am UTC (link)
	In his small appartment, Seiji placed a small offering of what food he could afford and a convenience store bouquet before a binder of medical papers and a box of medicine bottles, each one polished until it practically glowed. Anna slept soundly on her heated rock as her little brother lay on the floor and watched the candles shrink. (Reply to this)

ofmanydevices
2010-01-11 03:41 pm UTC (link)

Tom was standing out at the edge of the graveyard watching everyone. He felt a bit like an outsider. The truth was members of his family actually were buried in Iburi, his father had been born here after all. But for Tom, the holiday didn't really mean much. He paid little heed to most of the holidays.

Instead of doing any kind of grave cleaning, Tom was watching in case something happened. It seemed like as good a time as any for the killer to strike. And on top of it all, his friends might need someont to talk to.

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zealousemperor
2010-01-11 10:06 pm UTC (link)

Kanaye wandered around the shrine grounds, looking very uncomfortable. It was one thing to look out of place as compared to one person. Now? He was the only one not dressed in some sort of yukata or kimono. People were looking at him weirdly. Kanaye imagined how much worse the stares were be if he didn't dye his hair...

Shaking his head, he wandered around for something to do until Maeko showed up. If she did, at all.

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sakurabamasami
2010-01-11 10:45 pm UTC (link)

Masami would normally return to Sendai for Obon. However, as it turned out this year her father had been sent overseas on business, and her mother had gone along so instead she was staying in Iburi. Not like her parents cared to observe the holiday anyway. They didn't really care much about anything besides work, but Masami would've been happy to be able to properly observe the holiday. As it was she was just stuck working at the shrine. At least it was something to do.

Masami had spent most of the day being sent back and forth on various errands for the shrine, and finally had finished them all. With nothing better to do, she just set herself to sweeping near the torii gate in front of the shrine.

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	backstageprince 2010-01-13 06:59 pm UTC (link)
	Fuyuki was walking along with his bucket from the graves of his aunt and uncle when he passed by the torii gate. He took a moment to say a small prayer when he glanced up and smiled seeing Masami. "Sakuraba-san, good afternoon, or is it evening yet? I haven't checke the time. How are you?" Fuyuki smiled cheerfully. (Reply to this) (Parent)

giantfruitbyday
2010-01-11 10:56 pm UTC (link)

'Errands all done, I'll be right there.'

'Right there', as it turned out, was a slight exaggeration. Because geta were difficult to walk in and the yukata was difficult to walk in and leaving the appartment block had involved falling down the stairs and dropping her phone and the battery coming out and having to look for the battery and reset the clock.

Phone reassembled, Maeko decended what remained of the stairs and set off toward the shrine as quickly as she dared to move in the geta. She made it without further incident, other than difficulties getting across roads that were filled with cars moving at a snail's pace but refusing to stop, and looked around for Kanaye.

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zealousemperor
2010-01-11 11:05 pm UTC (link)

Kanaye didn't honestly expect to hear from Maeko. He expected calling her Maeko-chan would cause her to think he was hitting on her. He was, of course, but she didn't need to know that. After waiting a bit and thinking she was lying to him, he noticed her and walked over, smiling.

"Yo, Maeko-san!" He said, laughing. "Sorry for the -chan, earlier. I should've asked. Speaking of which, can I call you Maeko-chan? I call all of my female friends that!" All three of them.

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giantfruitbyday
2010-01-11 11:15 pm UTC (link)

"Ah, senpai!" She really should have been able to pick him out from the crowd more easily, if not because they had at one point been dating then because he stuck out. Ah well. "Sorry I'm late, I didn't realize quite how bad the traffic would be. It was nearly impossible to cross the roads."

She thought and then nodded. "I guess it's okay if you use it for everyone."