So, your bloodline is tied to this specific school of...I guess it's probably Onmyoudo as well. Spiritual magic from our homeland, if the term is too archaic. Miko and Kannushi both used to practice that sort of thing. [Psychometry included, though Rei wasn't get good with that, herself. Not yet, anyway.]
That's actually sort of fascinating. Where exactly is this mountain? What prefecture?
Most of the miko are long gone now, and the shrines and the mountain sort of... fell into disrepair. [She hesitates and clarifies, a tad reluctantly (if only because it always sounds a bit crazy to say, though she's found most people accept it more readily here).] Cursed. The whole mountain was cursed. Anyway, I'm afraid I don't know a whole lot about it except what I've been able to find out on my own.
It's called Mt. Hikami, in Gifu Prefecture. [And possibly supposed to be Takayama?? It's a little unclear, thanks fatal frame.] I don't think you'd know it-- I haven't met anyone who does, I think it might exist only in my world. It's...a pretty infamous suicide spot now...
Cursed. [Rei mouths the word quietly, listening to the tale with some contemplation. That tracked, when something traumatic happened around a temple, the kami in the area usually lashed out or grew dark, and that made suicides a pretty common thing in those areas. In a rural area where that was the main shrine? That made even more sense.]
I'm not familiar with it, no. Gifu prefecture isn't a place I've really been to though. It's hard to travel outside Kanto all that often, right now.
[Given school, graduation, random monster attacks...]
It sounds, forgive me for saying it, like an interesting mystery. I...know it might sound strange and probably a little morbid, but I'm the outsider and that sort of thing is what I deal with regularly. [She lets herself shrug.]
You're still learning about your powers? May I ask what you've learned to do?
[The corner of her mouth twitches, a hint of a smile and she shakes her head] It's alright, i think it's interesting too. I'd been unraveling the mystery when I arrived here. I was going to try and break the curse, but... [She spreads her hands to indicate the place around her. 'Then I came here.']
It's interesting. I liked learning about the mountain and its history, the religion and the rituals... I don't know if it had an official name, but it revolved heavily around the water of the area. [Yuri doesn't talk about it too much normally, but Rei's someone who might actually understand it all better than most of Yuri's other friends. It's nice to open up to someone about it all, ad Yuri realizes just how much she's been dying (haha) to talk to someone about it.]
They're called kagemi and mitori. Hisoka--my teacher--her powers were weaker than mine, but she knew the kagemi techniques enough to pass on teaching them to me. I guess it's basically the same thing as psychometry-- being able to see an objects secrets by handling them and all. But I can also use an object to track who or what it belongs to. Hisoka made a business out of finding lost items and people using it. Even if I just have a picture of someone, I can track them down.
Mitori is... [Yuri trails off uncertainly, plucking at some loose strings in the blankets, eyes darting over the patterns for a distraction. At length she continues, tone reluctant] A bit like reading minds. Well, I say 'a bit,' but... I can read someone's thoughts, their emotions... Their memories. I have to touch them though, I can't do a true 'mitori' yet [i.e. actually just 'glancing' with her eyes alone] but it's what helped me with the spirits there. Touching a spirit lets me exorcise them, while also taking on their memories-- their sins and their secrets and everything. Their pain. I take that on, and then they can move on.
...It's what the miko on the mountain did. They'd watch people commit suicide and take on that pain so their souls could 'properly return to the water.' A way to die on their own terms without the stigma of suicide.
[Well, that's all well and good then. Rei can appreciate the other girl's curiosity, and it honestly only raises her esteem for Yuri. She smiles all the more warmly as the other seems to really open up, grateful for that. A lot of people seemed to want to close themselves off here, but it was clear that she had made an impact (hah) on Yuri, even though they'd only known one another for an hour or two of real time. She can even understand the reluctance, and absolutely relate to Yuri in that way.
And because of that, Rei reaches out to touch the hand playing with the blankets, opening the channel to her own emotional state. It's calm, collected, even a little bit pleased. This hadn't been so bad, after all.]
Shadow-Reading and Glancing, if I remember the English words right? Or does it use different kanji? [But setting that aside, Rei shifts her attention on the ceiling, laying back down on the bed to study the lines in it. A focusing exercise, to recenter herself. Because Yuri, she thinks, might be the first person to really understand what it's like to be Rei as a child.]
You don't need to worry about anything from me, Yuri. I...can read emotions and surface thoughts as well. Memories too, sometimes, but only if the subject is willing. It's, ah...difficult at times, isn't it? [For the first time, she seems to crack, eyes a little tired, almost haunted.] I couldn't control it when I was a child. I still can't, sometimes, unless I transform. It used to give me terrible migraines. And nobody liked being around me. Heh. Except birds.
[She shakes her head, eyes flicking back to Yuri's face.] It sounds like those shrine maidens were very, very brave, and incredibly selfless. Like you. It's...noble.
No, that's right. [She had the potential to do a true glance, she knew that much; Ouse had all but confirmed it. It was... scary. Before coming to this place, she hadn't wanted it at all despite Hisoka's reassurances and guidance. She wanted to be normal again, to get her friends back, her life back.
Here, she'd been training it on her own, taking jobs tracking lost items for people, all on her own. She was actively trying to use these powers now, to help the people she's come to call her friends.]
I'm still learning to control it too. When... When my powers first appeared, suddenly I could hear what people were thinking-- what they were really thinking and feeling about me. I... pushed away everyone. I Was so scared. I dropped out of school and ran away... [And fully intended on taking her own life just to make it all stop, but she doesn't go into that part. So she understands, really understands, and gives Rei's hand a comforting squeeze.
Yuri shakes her head.] It's different now. People don't think I'm so strange here-- compared to a lot of other people, I'm practically normal again. [She smiles thinly, like it's a joke (because it sort of is, sort of isn't).
Brave? Selfless? Noble? Yuri's eyes go wide and she blushes furiously, shaking her head] That's not-- I was just-- [Just doing a brave and selfless thing by taking on all those ghosts' pain?] It was... the right thing to do. I could help, so of course I would...
Well, yes. Here, even I'm fairly normal. [It is a joke, but honestly it's not a very good one, if Rei's smile is any indication. She accepted her duty years ago, and found purpose and a reason to use those powers, but it seems like Yuri didn't. Not until now, in Cerealia.]
And see, that's the kind of thing a noble, selfless person would say. I know a lot of people with powers like ours. And a lot of people wouldn't do that. I saw what you were willing to do. You were ready to take in all those ghosts, and...I suppose experience all those deaths...and you didn't ask for a thing in return.
[Rei leans closer, embracing Yuri a little bit more tightly.]
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no subject
That's actually sort of fascinating. Where exactly is this mountain? What prefecture?
no subject
It's called Mt. Hikami, in Gifu Prefecture. [And possibly supposed to be Takayama?? It's a little unclear, thanks fatal frame.] I don't think you'd know it-- I haven't met anyone who does, I think it might exist only in my world. It's...a pretty infamous suicide spot now...
no subject
I'm not familiar with it, no. Gifu prefecture isn't a place I've really been to though. It's hard to travel outside Kanto all that often, right now.
[Given school, graduation, random monster attacks...]
It sounds, forgive me for saying it, like an interesting mystery. I...know it might sound strange and probably a little morbid, but I'm the outsider and that sort of thing is what I deal with regularly. [She lets herself shrug.]
You're still learning about your powers? May I ask what you've learned to do?
no subject
It's interesting. I liked learning about the mountain and its history, the religion and the rituals... I don't know if it had an official name, but it revolved heavily around the water of the area. [Yuri doesn't talk about it too much normally, but Rei's someone who might actually understand it all better than most of Yuri's other friends. It's nice to open up to someone about it all, ad Yuri realizes just how much she's been dying (haha) to talk to someone about it.]
They're called kagemi and mitori. Hisoka--my teacher--her powers were weaker than mine, but she knew the kagemi techniques enough to pass on teaching them to me. I guess it's basically the same thing as psychometry-- being able to see an objects secrets by handling them and all. But I can also use an object to track who or what it belongs to. Hisoka made a business out of finding lost items and people using it. Even if I just have a picture of someone, I can track them down.
Mitori is... [Yuri trails off uncertainly, plucking at some loose strings in the blankets, eyes darting over the patterns for a distraction. At length she continues, tone reluctant] A bit like reading minds. Well, I say 'a bit,' but... I can read someone's thoughts, their emotions... Their memories. I have to touch them though, I can't do a true 'mitori' yet [i.e. actually just 'glancing' with her eyes alone] but it's what helped me with the spirits there. Touching a spirit lets me exorcise them, while also taking on their memories-- their sins and their secrets and everything. Their pain. I take that on, and then they can move on.
...It's what the miko on the mountain did. They'd watch people commit suicide and take on that pain so their souls could 'properly return to the water.' A way to die on their own terms without the stigma of suicide.
no subject
And because of that, Rei reaches out to touch the hand playing with the blankets, opening the channel to her own emotional state. It's calm, collected, even a little bit pleased. This hadn't been so bad, after all.]
Shadow-Reading and Glancing, if I remember the English words right? Or does it use different kanji? [But setting that aside, Rei shifts her attention on the ceiling, laying back down on the bed to study the lines in it. A focusing exercise, to recenter herself. Because Yuri, she thinks, might be the first person to really understand what it's like to be Rei as a child.]
You don't need to worry about anything from me, Yuri. I...can read emotions and surface thoughts as well. Memories too, sometimes, but only if the subject is willing. It's, ah...difficult at times, isn't it? [For the first time, she seems to crack, eyes a little tired, almost haunted.] I couldn't control it when I was a child. I still can't, sometimes, unless I transform. It used to give me terrible migraines. And nobody liked being around me. Heh. Except birds.
[She shakes her head, eyes flicking back to Yuri's face.] It sounds like those shrine maidens were very, very brave, and incredibly selfless. Like you. It's...noble.
no subject
Here, she'd been training it on her own, taking jobs tracking lost items for people, all on her own. She was actively trying to use these powers now, to help the people she's come to call her friends.]
I'm still learning to control it too. When... When my powers first appeared, suddenly I could hear what people were thinking-- what they were really thinking and feeling about me. I... pushed away everyone. I Was so scared. I dropped out of school and ran away... [And fully intended on taking her own life just to make it all stop, but she doesn't go into that part. So she understands, really understands, and gives Rei's hand a comforting squeeze.
Yuri shakes her head.] It's different now. People don't think I'm so strange here-- compared to a lot of other people, I'm practically normal again. [She smiles thinly, like it's a joke (because it sort of is, sort of isn't).
Brave? Selfless? Noble? Yuri's eyes go wide and she blushes furiously, shaking her head] That's not-- I was just-- [Just doing a brave and selfless thing by taking on all those ghosts' pain?] It was... the right thing to do. I could help, so of course I would...
no subject
And see, that's the kind of thing a noble, selfless person would say. I know a lot of people with powers like ours. And a lot of people wouldn't do that. I saw what you were willing to do. You were ready to take in all those ghosts, and...I suppose experience all those deaths...and you didn't ask for a thing in return.
[Rei leans closer, embracing Yuri a little bit more tightly.]
That's the textbook definition of selfless.