Need the warnings [Open RP]

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Kiyoshi Tayu had spent most of his life in Stone, except when he traveled as a youth. His favorite space was the Shrine of the Gods. It was here where he worshiped daily. Now that he was in semi retirement he could come here more often.

"Hear me oh Gods. Forgive my Stone Brothers who do not believe you!" Kiyoshi would say, bowing slightly to the Shrine. He would lay out a blanket and sit upon it. His black robe would be stretched upon his massive belly and his beard reached to his naval. His bald head would glint in the sun light.

He closed his eyes and began to meditate, occasionally making an ohm sound. He would appeal to the gods. He had to for their approval was necessary. Then ext step must be made and he would lead people to their glory. His puppets rattled in his pocket somewhere. They were pleased.

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[Kazehi Ryu]

It had been many years since Ryu had stepped foot within the Shrine, after his father died, the towering man had taken up training his religion, feeling that the Old Gods had no use for weak and self-loathing flesh. These days, even with the molten creature burrowed within his system, Ryu felt that the balance of his Body and Spirit were being reached slowly; that he was able to approach the Shrine without fear of disapproval from the monks and priests who were supposed to be the "Voices" of the Old Gods.

The towering man entered silently, wearing the same black garments that were marked only by muted, dark grey embroidery that would break up the shape of his outline in deep shade. He was made for battle, but the functional appearance of being able to lay an ambush was as valuable a tactic as facing an opponent head on; each had their worth and Ryu often practiced both. His long hair reflected black in the candle light, dark enough that it threw back small glints of light while his dark red skin from long hours in the sun became all the darker. He moved quietly not only out of habit, but out of respect for those who meditated in the near silence of the Shrine. Settling down beside a man nearly a foot shorter than himself with a bald pate and massive beard, Ryu closed his own eyes and began meditation as well; though without the pull towards humming out the sutra words of power connected to the major points of the body.

If he'd taken the time to contemplate the man beside him, they were quite a sight nearly opposite each other in appearance in all but size. But, this was hardly the place to make such observations; it was here that the souls of men and women came to seek guidance from their Gods; the shape of the mortal coil or the look mattered not. It was the Spirit that counted within these walls, as his father had always said. Perhaps there was merit in such statements, Ryu had no way or reason to judge.

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[Kishiko Nagisa]

As Kiyoshi meditated, he heard the soft noise of creeping feet. He casually opened one eye to see who was near him and found what looked like a shinobi. He was impossibly tall and seemed to radiate power. Oh this was a shinobi all right. Even his casual attire suggested that he was ready for anything. Not many shinobi come to the shrine. They were forged to be instruments to kill. Kiyoshi understood. It took him a while to balance his own faith and being a shinobi. However, when you have vengeance on your side, things like that became easier.

Kiyoshi opened both eyes and shifted his weight around to face the newcomer. He made enough noise to show that he was moving.

If the man opened his eyes, Kiyoshi would look into them, a smile on his face.

"You are a new face here. I am Kiyoshi Tayu. You might have heard my moniker "The Mad Monk" floating around. I used to be well known in the shinobi world until my semi retirement. But this is about you, not me. You came to the shrine today. What is it you are seeking?"

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

Ryu cracked his eyes open slightly at the sound of movement, more out of habit than anything else; sometimes that was the pain about being trained for combat there was no real moment of peace even at a serene location. Every new sound was possibly something or someone that decided to take offense at your existence; which was a paranoid way to look at things but sometimes it kept people alive. The towering man hadn't made it through thirty-two years by being complacent. His violet-blue orbs locked on the monk who now faced him slightly, beginning a small tirade of observation. Ryu didn't answer for a moment, he knew the man would give him some time to decide his answer; decisions of one's life weren't always made lightly even in the most comfortable of situations. "Direction. Guidance. A decision on how to view myself." He had turned to look forward, opening his eyes as he spoke then turned to look at the monk who listened politely. Chewing on the thought, a monk would have no bias or shouldn't at least. They were there to offer guidance and for some, absolution. But that's not what Ryu was looking for when he came here for self-reflection.

He took a deep breath and did something he rarely did. He talked about himself, and started by carefully unwrapping the white bandages that hid the monstrous left arm he bore. "Two years ago, I took tenure from the village to go seek out rare crystals and components for tinkering. I used to craft minor jewelry as a hobby when my father died to occupy the time between training and missions; calmed my mind." He wriggled side to side, his eyes flickering around the entire area to be sure they were alone for a moment; his heart rate skyrocketed as adrenaline launched into his system. This was something he'd kept to himself and didn't wish any more people than needed to know what lay beyond the lie of 'severe burns' that he armored himself with. "I wound up finding a cavern, it was beautiful. As if the entirety of it were a massive geode waiting to surface so the world could see the splendor; and that's where I," The arm felt as though it were surging with burning tingles at the shoulder where his flesh changed to the rocky scales and obsidian colored spines, causing him to flinch as he pulled the arm out of his kimono' sleeve to show it to the monk. It was all dark grey, cool magmatic stone with rounded down spines of glossy black that reflected the light on the conical surface like dazzling stars; at the tips of his fingers were talons of the same color that distorted the fingers slightly and made the hand look much more like the claw of a creature than any man.

He shoved the sensation away and fought down the roaring in his head stubbornly. "found a creature. It was unintentional that I woke it; I had no idea what I stumbled across but a glorious crystal that radiated such heat. Though it was something of beauty, as I attempted to study and extract it the...thing...that it was bound to awoke. I fought it, actually, I would have died in that cavern if I hadn't got lucky when I knocked the crystal off the beast and drove it to step on it." Ryu's throat felt parched, talking about the incident left a bad taste in his mouth. "Though, I suppose the truth is that I did die, I should have. Before I could get out while the creature went berserk and started to crumble I fell and started to burn. I didn't want to die, neither did it. The creature it-" He took a deep breath, not trying to be dramatic about it but his shoulder felt like it was on fire all over again. "I apologize. Painful to think of and relive. It burrowed into my system and I was too weak to stop it. I haven't told anyone for two years, hidden the shame I carry behind an even more shameful lie. I'm no danger to my village and don't wish to be seen as such. This...weakness and burden is a part of me now but I feel as though I cannot move forward, that it is too heavy to bear in secret." He wrapped the arm quickly, with easy and practiced motions that had become habitual for the last two years, and promptly shoved the arm into the sleeve as hastily as he could manage without tearing the material. "I don't feel anything, though I can move it. I have been 'rehabilitating' it so that I can grip things without shattering them and to make sure I can keep it hidden I file down the points of the spines and talons every day but by next morning they're sharp as ever."

He sighed, ran the fingers of his right hand through his dark hair and stared at the shrine for a moment before looking at the monk again, though he had to force himself to look the man in the eyes despite the shame he felt, as though he would be damned for what he was and not be seen as anything more than a walking disaster waiting to go off. "So, I seek direction. I've lived in Stone all my life and would do anything in Her defense from others as well as myself. But; how do I tell this to a village gone mad? How do I show them that I would do anything for them and would protect the people with my life?" He stared at the monk, the stoic mask dissolved into genuine confusion; the towering man looked at the elder monk like just another lost soul not knowing the path forward to a better tomorrow and to a better self.


{dundun duuuuuun~ let there be plot}

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Kiyoshi listened to the tale, and what a tale it was, intentily. What he found was a dangerous beast that not only killed him but saved him. Curious. Oh but he was now stronger! Kiyoshi knew this but did this young man?

"Oh you underestimate how much I Have seen in my life. Don't let anyone know this, but I am actually 70 years old! I have been a shinobi for 50 years. As such , I have seen a lot. I have fought a lot. The fatc you survived is amazing. I have lost many men and women to darker things. Your story reminds me of how the first human was made! Excuse me I have to use a demonstration."

Kiyoshi let some chakra strings escape his finger tips and they slithered into his pocket where four small humanoid puppets appeared, as did a little egg looking thing, that three puppets climbed into.

"Time was the first and most powerful God. He was lonely, so he split a rock and from the rock, three things came out" The little puppet that was not in the rock/egg hit the rock and out came three puppets. One was light, one was dark and one was brown. "From the rock came a human, the God Life, and the God Death. Life and Death came from a stone and you were both alive and dead while dealing with stone. I see your arm as a gift from the Gods themselves! We come from stone and you are part stone! You can use that power to help Stone! Just means you have to be careful around your allies but imagine going all out against your enemies. You can spread the glory of Stone and show them that Stone is still a bedrock of talent." Kiyoshi's eyes got full of excitement and he was genuinely happy. Look at this budding power before him who could kill the non believers so easily! All he needed was some training and he would be a great instrument to kill for the Gods. "This old man's advice is to embrace that part of you. It is only a weakness if you let it be a weakness! Goodness knows my age could be a weakness. I use it as a way to let my enemies underestimate me!" Kiyoshi laughed and his puppets looked like they were laughing too, clinking and clanking around. Oh how glorious this news was. Another shinobi evolving before him. Soon he would be unstoppable, Kiyoshi knew. He could smell potential and he could sense the chakra coming form it. Oh it would be grand.

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

What the monk offered was allegory; Ryu’s eyes narrowed slightly while he contemplated the meaning behind this. He could barely control the arm, but he was working on that; he hadn’t allowed himself to tap into the river of molten potential that was the creature’s energy, instead just shoving the creature as far from his perceptions as he could. Yet it was always there. The monk believed in Ryu’s strength, and not just for the fact that the beast was in him perhaps. Mulling this over, the towering man chewed on the inside of his bottom lip thoughtfully and looked at the left hand hidden behind bandages; sure the monk could be accepting but would others feel the same way?
One way to find out.

Ryu was ashamed to admit it but perhaps he was showing more weakness by hiding the appendage away with lies. It was something he had overcome, something he’d lived through despite the creature making him its host. Looking at the fingers, he found they were clenched in a tight fist before him, the stone flesh grating together faintly with the tension in the arm. ”Perhaps. It will take time and training. I’ll master it and use it to protect Stone.” He nodded, resolute. He had thought of this before but was daunted by the attempt of interacting with people bearing an arm he couldn’t quite control. Master the beast, master the arm?

He felt a ripple through the arm and could hear the snarl of defiance and the burning sting increased. This too would be a long road it seemed. He lowered the arm after the effort of unclenching the digits and looked back at the monk. ”Thank you. You have given me much to think about, and a monumental task. Remastering myself.” He had indeed mastered himself many years ago, before the creature, and perhaps the old monk was correct in that the Gods had given him something more now. He battled the titan once, he could do so again! This time, however it would be on his own territory; but the one thing that still weighed on his mind was if he could face the rest of the village.

He let a rumbling sigh escape him as he turned to face the shrine. Their suspicion, he’d have to bear it; no, he would gladly bear it. ”I will come here more often. Perhaps the Gods will see my efforts and smile upon them.” He rose to his feet smoothly, reaching into his kimono to slide the left arm out of the sleeve and tugged the bandages off. When he would encounter people, he wouldn’t hide the arm. It brought a small sense of panic that made his heart slam against his ribs, but he took a breath and forced himself back into a clam state. Sliding the limb back into place under his clothing, the mismatched look of his limbs made him feel awkward but as he lifted his arms at the elbows to stare at the backs of his hands. His hands.

The left arm was his, he would have to believe that, have to enforce that. It was no great revelation that Kiyoshi offered, but a kick in the right direction. Much of this had already been on his mind in the last few months, but the monk offered an extra voice of reason and allowed Ryu to shed his doubts.

[MFT]

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

The monk smiled at the man's reaction. There was a seed of hope planted in there. Oh he would go far, so long as he remembered himself.

" A stone may be fractured, changed, or shaped, but the stone is still stone. You are still yourself, at your core. Those who fear change are doomed to be stuck in the past. This relates to you and to others. I am a puppet master, regardless of my retirement status. I could hide behind my retirement but then I would have no fun! I would not have met you. Ho ho, you need not be so glum. Life gives us many directions and you have the Strength of Stone in you. You will do well to remember that your strength comes from a God! No demon can match that. Strength was said to be made of Stone, so it is appropriate you have such an arm. This old man gets a side eye for being so old but once people see my puppets dance in battle, oh they change their tune quite quick! Go dance on the battlefield and dance for Stone."

Kiyoshi stood up and placed his puppets in his pockets. In a goofy fashion, he would show off some of his elegance by dancing, hopping from one foot to another, but never faltering. He would skip and move his arms. Others began to look at him but he did not care.

"Ho ho come and dance. Enjoy the presence of being here among the Gods. Be here in the now! That is the first step to greatness!" Regardless if Ryu joined, Kiyoshi would continue his dance.

Some monks joined him while some looked away, embarrassed. The Mad Monk may be mad, but he was groovin to his own beat.

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[Kazehi Ryu]

The old man was strange and boisterous, but he did have a strength of his own; individuality. Despite being a monk, he believed in the Gods as well as himself having found a middle ground of his faith and belief of what he could accomplish. Ryu simply nodded, he had no words to respond with, he felt that none would be appropriate enough to match the confidence that the monk spoke with. As he watched the old man go and do so dancing, Ryu waited a moment before giving a shrug; he didn’t quite dance as the monk did, instead he danced through some of the forms his father taught him; slapping his palms against striking points of his body as they came up or out; knees, the sides of his feet, elbows. He whirled and bounced with a slight grin; the beat of the people following after the monk was chaotic but it was the thrum of life. Many lives, many tempos, but all of them coming together.

It was a good day, and maybe years down the road he would look back on this as he danced his way from the temple and split off from the group to head out to start his training he would be able to say that a Mad Monk gave Kazehi Ryu the confidence to carry on no matter what with the Strength of Stone.

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