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Tweak says, "It's big, heavy, and wood."

Okita Souji 沖田総司 (kumichousouji) wrote in mirage_rpg,
@ 2008-06-12 00:24:00

Entry tags:

arrival, complete, day 2, golem, okita souji

Who: Okita Souji and OTA (and/or golem)
What: Arrival
When: Day 2, midday
Where: Outside, in a field
Status: Complete
Rating: PG (subject to change)

It was too warm. That, in and of itself wasn't entirely unusual - at least, not recently. Souji was no longer surprised to wake up and find that he was either too hot or too cold, and rarely feeling 'just right', no matter what he might say to the contrary. Regardless, this felt too warm in a manner of that made him, in his half-awake and not really wanting to stir state, think 'weather'. And that was unusual (particularly as one didn't tend to immediately think of weather when in their room, unless it was raining, or some such similar occurrence). The weather at this time of year was usually quite pleasant, and had been for the last few days, particularly in the mornings. Opening his eyes, he found himself led on grass, rather than staring at the rather a-typical browns and associated earthy colours that were prominent in his room. Hurriedly getting to his feet, Souji stood, staring at his surroundings with a mixture of amazement and confusion.

Realising he was fully dressed (he was also wondering about that, but it paled somewhat in significance next to the overbearing question of 'where was he?') his hand immediately travelled to his waist, resting on the hilt of a sword. At least, he thought, he had those. There was absolutely no chance that the Choushuu or anyone who aimed to go against the Shogunate had been involved. Expression shifting into a thoughtful frown, he took stock of his surroundings. He couldn't see any other people, but he could see a building some distance away from him. For a moment, Souji debated whether or not it would be a good idea to approach it (it didn't look Japanese, which was the most concerning factor. What were the chances of foreigners being involved in whatever this was?)

After a few moments, and seeing little else that might be able to provide answers, Souji began walking in the direction of the building. He supposed if nothing else, he didn't doubt his ability to be able to take whatever might be thrown at him, regardless of his health (and, in truth, he felt pretty good; he had slept quite well, and he really wasn't fond of sitting around and doing nothing).

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kumichousouji
2008-06-12 11:26 am UTC (link)

Souji slowed slightly once he spotted someone walking towards him. Eyes narrowing, he frowned as they drew closer to each other. The other guy seemed- Souji wasn't sure what he seemed, beyond the fact that there appeared to be something wrong with his skin. As they stopped opposite one another, Souji stared in a wide eyed fashion at the figure - he would have said man, but his skin appeared to have the texture of stone. As if remembering himself and his manners, Souji bowed before speaking. "Shinsengumi, Okita Souji".

Gaze running over the man for a brief moment, Souji averted his gaze, directing it once again towards the building in the distance - whatever it was that ailed this man (or, indeed, whatever he was), it was rude to stare. It briefly occurred to Souji that he may be a demon. If that were the case... Glancing back at him, Souji gave a slight, flickering smile. If that were the case, it would be dealt with in due course. He hoped he didn't have the kind of luck that he would encounter a demon, but one never knew. He didn't know of any tales that told of demon's that looked like men made of stone, however.

"Could you tell me where I am?" He asked, making no move to continue walking - again, it would be rude, and besides, he had a chance to have his question answered, and he wasn't going to pass that opportunity up.

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mirage_npc
2008-06-12 05:24 pm UTC (link)

The golem was in fact, made of wood. His skin had the same texture as the bark on a tree. If it could be called skin. The astonishing thing was not that the man was made of wood, it was the detail with which he was made. Down to each eyelash and fingernail the man was perfection. If he hadn't been made of wood, he would have been a handsome young human.

As it was, he was a golem. He didn't speak, and he didn't think. He could answer questions that were direct with a nod or shake of his head, but as he did not posess anything inside other than wood, he had no vocal chords and could not speak. Indirect questions went unanswered. The golem watched the man bow and then glance over him for a moment before asking that indirect question.

Instead of answering, the golem beckoned to him, and turned, waiting for him to follow. The stone slab would tell him all he needed to know for now. It would tell him where he was, what would be expected of him while he was here and what he could expect. Many others had questions that weren't on the stone, but only those who had been here longer than a few days could answer those questions. And not even very well at that. It was like being kidnapped, and thrown into a cell underground. There was no way out, no idea where this planet was in relation to others, and no idea what would happen to the people that had been left behind.

An understandably disturbing situation. But the golem would offer no sympathy.

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kumichousouji
2008-06-12 08:09 pm UTC (link)

As he looked closer, Souji realised he'd been mistaken; it wasn't stone. It appeared to be wood. Whatever the case, he certainly hadn't heard of - nor, of course, seen - anyone like that before. At the lack of an answer, however, he paused, expression tightening for a moment before relaxing slightly, entertaining the brief thought that perhaps the 'man' in front of him was a mute. He'd personally never come across one before, but he'd heard of them - people who couldn't or wouldn't talk for whatever reason. Since the man seemed to understand him to some degree, he definitely had some intelligence, although how much was therefore debatable. At the beckoning motion, Souji momentarily debated how wise it would be to follow, before deciding that it might not do him any harm; he was outside, in an open area. That would be fine for as long as there weren't many people. If there were, he wouldn't have any where to go, nor find shelter, a factor which would be especially difficult as he didn't have any idea where he was. If the person in front of him wasn't foe (and he had no intention of running whichever way it turned out to be), then finding himself somewhere inside and perhaps with more answers would be the wiser choice.

Having faith in his own skill and ability to hold his own and protect himself, and his ability to adequately reason and weigh up a situation, Souji followed the figure with few noticeable qualms. It would, of course, have been nicer if the guy would talk. Casting him a sideways glance, Souji hesitated for a moment before speaking again, his tone somewhat light and almost forcibly cheery. "So, you don't talk? Or is it just the question. It might be something you don't want to answer. If you've brought me here against my will, then one way of trying to ensure I don't escape is making sure I don't know where I am in relation to anywhere else", he commented, turning his head to watch the man for any reaction. He didn't bother to add that if that were the case, it wouldn't make any difference; he would find a way out of here, that was certain.

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mirage_npc
2008-06-13 11:23 am UTC (link)

When the young man began to follow, the golem walked with more purpose toward the gathering of buildings in the center of the resort. Unfortunately, there was no small talk as the brute didn't speak. But, the walk was not too long. They arrived shortly in the courtyard between the housing buildings and the main building.

The golem strode toward the stone plaque set into the side of the building and pointed to it. Stepping back to allow the young man to read, the golem crossed his arms over his suit clad chest and waited for him to finish. There would be questions, but unless posed in yes or no form, the golem would answer none of them.

Standing stock still, staring at nothing, the Golem waited for the Japanese man to read the tablet. When it looked as if he were finished, the golem held out the shiny platinum key. For some reason, it was human instinct to take what was offered, and the golem waited for the young man to take the key from his outstretched hand.

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kumichousouji
2008-06-13 12:36 pm UTC (link)

As they walked, Souji found his attention captivated by the architecture of the place; it was unlike anything he had ever seen - in Edo, Kyoto, anywhere. It both amazed and concerned him. He wondered why the buildings were constructed as they were; everyone had the dual concern of fires, earthquakes and of typhoons, yet the structure of this buildings implied that they weren't bothered with such matters. Why? It seemed idiotic to pay little attention to such a fact.

As the golem came to a stop, Souji took stock of his surroundings before taking stock of the plaque being pointed at. Gaze shifting towards the golem, Souji paused for a moment before reading it. After reading it through once, Souji glanced towards the the ground, a frown present on his face. After a moment, he re-read the plaque. 'Mirage'. He was familiar with the word, but not in the context. It wasn't the name of any place he was aware of, and it certainly wouldn't be written as such if it were a place elsewhere, outside of Japan*. But then, the pronunciation...

"Mirage", he stated, as if testing the pronunciation. "Where is it? It's not... This isn't anywhere near Kyoto? Edo?" Souji gestured with a hand at the golems clothes. "Western clothing. Are you with the Dutch? The Christian foreigners who want to try and change Japan, speaking of a God and Devil that have no place in Japan". He fell silent, turning away from the golem, staring at the words. "You don't even speak. This could be a tale, told from mother to child. Telling her son about the 'evil' foreigners who come to Japan, or the strangely-dressed demons who save townsfolk from the Wolves of Mibu". He let out a short laugh, before shaking his head.

If he were quite frank, he wasn't sure what he thought of the situation; it was strange. It would have defied belief had he not been experiencing it. 'The Planet'. A planet ...Couldn't take people, couldn't distribute them elsewhere. "'You will not kill'", he repeated, a brief smile passing his features. "It seems interesting that someone... Something would bring a Shinsengumi if he is not allowed to kill. If this is to be my home-" Not for long, though. He didn't plan on staying here any longer than necessary. He briefly entertained the thought that he had taken an incredibly bad turn for the worst in the night, and that this was some kind of fever induced hallucination. "Then it makes me somewhat redundant".

Turning back to face the golem, whom Souji presumed was one of 'the Planet's' assistants, he looked at the proffered key. Meeting the golem's eyes, Souji's expression flickered for a moment before taking it from him. If the thing couldn't talk, then only actions were left.

((ooc: So Souji understands the meaning of the name, [I'm presuming the plaque appears in whatever language the person speaks?], he would read it in it's kanji form, with the pronunciation of 'mirage' as furigana, if that's ok.))

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mirage_npc
2008-06-14 07:04 pm UTC (link)

As Souji finished reading the plaque and began to speak, the golem shook his head to the question. And another shake of the head to the second and third questions. Other than those simple movements, the golem continued to stand still, waiting for Souji to come to terms and take the key.

When the key was taken, the golem turned again and headed for the housing unit that had been indicated on the key. C. Lengthy strides took the wooden man into the unit and down the hall to room 150. Stopping in the middle of the hall across from the door, the golem pointed to it.

When the samurai put his key in the door and opened it, he would discover a room tailored to his needs, created out of his own mind. All the room's furnishings and contents would be ones he wanted.

Without lingering too much longer after the key was turned in the lock, the golem bowed slightly and turned on his heel. Leaving the newest arrival in the hall alone to find his own answers.

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