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blackjackkent · 2 months

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random thought, feel free to ignore- but i wonder, considering the similarity in location, if the "selunite enclave outside the city" aylin and isobel mentioned would be hector's monastery in this worldstate?

HOLY SHIT. \o/

Hang on, I need to drop everything and roll with this idea because I love it. You just made my whole evening.

------

"Father Enric!"

The young acolyte is breathing hard as he comes to a stop inside the small chapel on the north end of Silverlight Monastery.

Enric, startled from his prayers, looks up with a raised eyebrow, then slowly, painfully shifts himself to his feet. (Age is telling on him, after all these years, despite all the training and discipline to which he has devoted his life.) "Calm yourself, Jakob," he says gently, keeping his voice deliberately calm in the face of the younger man's agitation. "Speak softly and without heat. What is it?"

In truth, he can guess. Another sally by the Absolutists - that terrible cult that has risen from the south. They have made three attacks against the monastery thus far, and the walls have held against their arrows and battering rams-- but not without damage, and not without casualty to the monks and clerics within.

The last attack was only three days ago, he thinks bleakly. We are not ready for another so soon.

But Jakob's news surprises him - it is not that at all.

"Two visitors on the road, Father Abbot, sir," the boy says. He is trying to maintain his composure but failing-- there is fear in his expression, and also a sort of perplexed excitement. "They come alone, but armed. One of them is an aasimar, father, and Brother Lloyd on the wall says that where the moonlight touched her, she glowed like a beacon!"

Enric's eyes widen. He reaches out to put a hand on Jakob's shoulder. "See that they are brought to my office at once. And wake someone in the kitchens."

-----

An hour or so later, there is a soft knock at his office door.

"Come in." He turns from where he is standing by the window, and finds himself meeting the eyes of a woman some three or four inches taller than he himself.

She puts an arm across her chest, bows respectfully. "In the name of the Lady we both serve, I greet you, Father Abbot," she says gravely.

Her eyes are so pale as to be almost white, and her skin to match, shot through with lines of gold like a piece of mended pottery. The wings at her back would likely stretch the width of the small office if she extended them, but one is furled at her back and the other wrapped around the shoulders of a smaller and rather exhausted-looking human woman, who is leaned up against the aasimar's side as if huddled against a tree in a storm.

"And I you," Enric answers, inclining his head politely. "You are--" He hesitates. "I hope you will forgive the presumption, but I hope my guess is correct. Are you the Dame Aylin that once walked these lands as our lady's right hand?"

She smiles slowly. "I am. It may be told by the moonlight upon my sword and the righteous fire within my heart."

Enric allows himself the briefest flash of pride at the monastery's record-keeping; even to the armor she wears, she looks exactly as the histories describe her. But that pride is almost lost in a much greater wave of emotion that is pure awe, for Dame Aylin (those same histories say) is the daughter of Selune herself. She has not been seen in the flesh for over a century. The last records of her are in letters from Moonrise before that cursed place fell to darkness.

"You honor us with your presence at Silverlight," he says. He starts to kneel, but she shakes her head impatiently, reaches out and takes him by the arm.

"We have come to aid your fight," she says briskly. "For we have seen the darkness of the Absolute face to face, and know the struggle that has set upon you these many weeks. My darling Isobel and I shall be the sword and shield of my mother on your behalf."

The human at Aylin's side -- Isobel? -- smiles wearily. "After a night's rest, I should hope," she murmurs, then adds to Enric, "We have come many leagues in a short time, that we might be of service to you."

Enric's practiced self-control is serving him well here -- but only with difficulty. The urge to simply gape in astonishment at the two new arrivals is considerable. "To stand at your side against this evil is a blessing none of us would have dreamed of," he says softly. "We would gladly accept, and offer you in return all that is ours in sustenance and shelter."

Aylin looks pleased. "A bargain it is, then," she says. Lifting one eyebrow, she studies Enric thoughtfully for a moment. "I see shades of him in you, most certainly - the shades which would have been passed by a lifetime's teaching. I am sure you are the man Hector has often spoken of. Enric of Trielta."

Enric is so startled that for a moment his self-control slips utterly. And though some of the surprise is at hearing this divine creature utter his name, more is for the source she mentions for her knowledge.

"Hector?" he asks. His eyebrows lift in sudden urgent question. "Forgive me-- do you speak of Hector Carlisle?"

Twin smiles flash onto the faces of both women at the name. "She does indeed," Isobel says.

"Hector is alive?" Even Enric himself is a little surprised at the rush of joy that goes through him at the news. "We all thought-- when the attack came upon the city, that terrible ship... we thought he must be dead. He was only in the market long enough to purchase supplies, but he never came back..."

"I can assure you," Aylin says, "Hector has not only climbed from the pit of that ship but triumphed over forces the likes of which we may all fervently hope you can never comprehend. You should be deeply proud to call him brother."

"As I am, and have been, and will be. Moonmaiden be praised... you are truly a bearer of all the best of news."

A flash of something that might be humor goes through the aasimar's eyes. "Should you expect anything else of Dame Aylin?" she says, raising one eyebrow.

"I--" He blinks, stammering uncertainly.

"My love jests," Isobel says, a little dryly. "It is hard to tell sometimes, I know."

Aylin makes a soft snorting noise but does not dispute the statement.

"But what she says of Hector is true," the human goes on. "He saved us both from a deep darkness at Moonrise Towers, after a century of loss, and has gone on to the city to face down the heart of the Absolute. I will not tell you his story while he still remains to perhaps one day tell you himself... but I will say that he speaks of you, of this place, every day-- with loyalty and gratitude."

She hesitates, then adds delicately, "You may, I suspect, not quite recognize him as the man who left, when he returns again."

That is a sobering thought, and Enric has to pause to consider it for a while before answering. "If he has faced the darkness so closely as you say, it would be foolish of me to expect it," he says finally. "But I cannot express how much it gladdens me to hear that he lives. He has been greatly missed, these last months."

He gestures to the chairs in front of his desk. "Please. Sit. I will have food and drink brought, and I hope you will tell me more of what you have seen, and what still lies ahead to do."

#bjk plays baldur's gate 3 #hector carlisle #drabble #bg3 fic #bg3 fanfic #dame aylin #bg3 aylin #bg3 isobel #monk tav #this was such a good idea ahhhhhhhhh #tysm for the message! :D i know it wasn't necessarily meant as a prompt but i took it as one haha #gave enric from my “the center cannot hold” fic a promotion bc it's been like forty years now XD #saved me from coming up with a new name :P #headcanon: maybe in hector's worldstate enric shows up with aylin and isobel at the final battle XD #we'll see if i remember to mention it when we get there

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yore-donatsu · 1 year

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🐱💜🤖📱🥰

#Overwatch 2 #OW #Ramattra #The Husbanbot #Ramacat #kittybot #Crossover #dead cells #DC the King #King Conrard #My headcanon #AU #The legend says that this photo was very successful #At Rama's expense #All the omnics monks have seen the photo #Mondatta and Zenyatta annoyed him by calling him Ramacat for several weeks #And Conrard was careful to keep a low profile during these few weeks >P

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rayjayoo · 2 years

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here be my lmk sona/oc, based off of the black handed spider monkey!

currently, he goes by “ray” :))

#ray art #lmk sona #lmk oc #lmk oc art #lego monkie kid #monkie kid #lmk #i’ll go more in depth with future art but gist of him is that he was born from a very strong storm and the fallen branch of a maple tree #which resulted in a little baby monkey demon with immensely powerful wind magic :D #the wind magic is important to take note of #especially with his backstory :)))#he’s also known for his shapeshifting abilities #mans likes shapeshifting a lot :P #got a few more monke ocs i need to design so look forward to those hopefully >:]#ive oh so hilariously nicknamed this group the “atla squad” and you’ll see why despite them not being related to atla in any way KEKW

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t3chborb · 18 days

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I totally did not forget to post this for 2 weeks-

ANYWAY-

Another clay Ram orb done :) Wandering monk skin this time.

Well, that was the intention, anyway.

I happened to have this sick metallic bronze paint laying around, wanted an excuse to use it, so I slapped it here, thinking heeeey it's fiiiiiiine, it's dark enough to match the skin...

... It isn't dark enough to match the skin, and looks like the gold weapon version of both monk skins instead LMAO

Either way, I'm not complaining, it's a cute lil orb, how could I complain :P

#Borb's Scribbles #Overwatch #Ramattra #if you mistook this for a “zenyatta base skin orb with pink rings instead of blue for some reason” i wouldn't blame you #i never noticed how similar the monk skin orb is to zen's ow1 base skin orbs #and it's a pretty neat connecting factor between the characters tbh #i promise this is the monk skin ram orb not a zen orb LMAO #the small carving details are different enough between the 2 though good luck noticing that at a distance :P

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mr-stottlemonk · 2 months

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😭😭 leland says no SO VERY OFTEN on monk's behalf. how many times has he gone straight up, "yeahhh, no, my husband-boyfriend is not doing that for you" but ends up being tagged along when monk says yes anyway :D.

#monk 2002 #adrian monk #stottlemonk #leland stottlemeyer #stottlemeyer x monk #monk tv: s08e04 #mr. monk is someone else #saying no to monk is like #I M P O S S I B L E #for him #poor poor leland. wrapped around his finger. no way to escape 🎶#save this man #in midnightcowboy1969's words:#monk whipped

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chaotic-tired-bastard · 2 months

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Hi !!

I'm such a big fan of your artworks, especially Rozin. (They just mean so much to me, I can't get them out of my mind..) and I would love to ask you this,, What are your thoughts that Rokus' companions in the novel are both Gyatso and Sozin? I would love to see how their characters to be fleshed out and what they were like before especially Sozin. I'm simply so filled with ectasy and excitement for his upcoming book since he's one of my favorites aside from Aang and Kuruk.

Hiiii thank you so much! I’m so glad that you enjoy my art, it always makes me so happy when people tell me that :)

But also I am SO GLAD that you brought this up because there’s so much POTENTIAL THERE. Roku’s gonna be dealing with Sozin, his best friend from childhood, and Gyatso, who is described as a bit of a nuisance but we all know they’re gonna be besties. There’s the potential for an interesting dynamic- Roku's past life as Sozin's BFF competing/conflicting with his new life as the Avatar. There's also Sozin fighting to stay Roku’s friend, his past fighting to stay in the present, and Gyatso being as lovable as he is, the future slowly becoming the present and pushing the past farther back. I foresee some jealousy on Sozin’s side mayhaps, and maybe some frustration on Gyatso’s side because “Why is this Fire Prince being so MEAN TO ME I’m LITERALLY the AVATAR’S BFF!!” I can't get my thoughts in order rn because I have been doing Work and my brain is Dead but I understand and share in your excitement 100% :)

but the idea of jelly Sozin was actually was so juicy that I wrote a lil thing about it I hope you don't mind :)

“And here is your room,” Sozin said with a smile, pushing open the door and revealing the inside with a grand sweep of his arm. “I made sure nobody came in and moved around all of your stuff; the dust on the floor is 100% natural!”

“Wow, thanks,” Roku scoffed, unable to keep a smile off of his own face. “I’m so glad. Thank you, Sozin, I do appreciate the gesture.”

“Right…” Sozin’s smile softened and he peered up at Roku through his eyelashes, his cheeks darkening. He’s always been the shorter one, and he seemed even shorter now that Roku had hit yet another growth spurt. “You know, I really missed you. I’m glad you’re home,” he said quietly, as if he was afraid that someone would overhear.

Roku bowed his head so he could look down at his best friend, a similarly soft smile on his lips. “I missed you too,” he whispered back. “It’s weird not seeing your dumb face every day.”

Sozin turned away, worrying his lower lip between his teeth, his grip tightening on Roku’s door. “Roku, I-”

“Wow, this place is awesome!” Gyatso crowed, narrowly missing bowling Roku over as he basically crashed into his back. “Hey, do I get a room too? Is it near Roku’s? Oooh can it be near that little pond I saw earlier? It’s got these turtle-ducks and-”

Sozin’s eyebrow ticked and he shot Gyatso a look that Roku had dubbed the ‘annoying teacher’ look when they were younger, reserved for prissy professors obsessed with dates. “Yes, I will see to it that you are given appropriate housing,” he forced through gritted teeth, removing his hand from Roku’s door and holding it behind his back. Roku tilted his head minutely, surprised—what had caused his mood to change so drastically?

“Cool!” Gyatso stopped using Roku as a wall and poked his head inside of his room, his eyes wide. “Woah, is this your room, Roku? It’s so fancy!”

Roku sighed, bringing a hand up to rub at his temples. Great Agni, Gyatso, calm down for once in your life. “I’m sorry, Gyatso can be very energetic. You come to love it, though. Now, what were you going to say?” He prompted, returning a smile to his face.

Sozin’s face froze and his shoulders tightened. “I… nevermind. It was stupid. I’m glad you’re back, Roku, and I’ll see you later,” he replied curtly. Then he turned around and walked off, one of his hands curled into a tight fist behind his back as the other gripped his wrist.

#and anon you are so valid in having Aang Roku and Kuruk as your fav Avatars ILY /p #answers from the pit #ATLA #Avatar: The Last Airbender #Roku #Avatar Roku #Sozin #Fire Lord Sozin #Gyatso #Monk Gyatso #Rozin #(implied)

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shoecrabs · 4 months

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i honestly don't think anyone will care but I keep brainrotting over the idea of a pjo/rainworld au

I've turned the Seven into funky slimy cats dealing w concepts far beyond their comprehensions lmao

#my brainrots have mutated more than 5p's structure send help 💀#i present you: slugcat au where the gods are iterators #(names + abilities pending)#the big 3 kids are purposed organisms and the rest “natural” slugcats #Frank (The Juggernaut) is the chief of the clan and has to deal with these random ahh weirdos (the 3) rocking up #he's honeslty like Gourmand with less cooking skills and more endurance lmao- just a muscle powerhouse fit into a slimy rodent body #Jason (The Turbine)'s retired from being a Messenger and has no clue what to do with his life now (he becomes a scholar later on)#he's a centipede/wing hybrid and can electrocute anything he grabs given enough pips + can double jump (to handle Pipeyard lol pray for him #Percy (The Navigator) wonders off to explore since his creator didn't really HAVE plans for him other than occasional missions #he's honestly just colour swapped Rivulet with less spear skills (but can aim and throw them really well under water)#Hazel (The Martyr/Apostate) pulling a power move and refusing to die lol #she escaped the void & probably does everything to keep herself bound to the cycle in fear of getting dragged back #she doesn't have anything really special that i can think of other than actually dealing damage with debris and being able to wall climb #Annabeth (The Weaver) as lookout for ancient research and really good at building ladders/utilising the landscape. the most basic scug tbh #she can also take spears off of walls p easily and probably has a grapple worm friend #Piper (The Mimic/Paradigm? names r hard) being able to copy plant toxins/abilities. does most damage up close & is mostly a herbivore #like eating sporepuffs for a smokescreen. cherrybombs to scare off/stun into unconsciousness. lilypucks/slime mold to glow and etc #Leo (The Artillerist) as a scrawny little guy with explosives. fast but physically weak. he has to rely on his int and makes the clans tool #basically Arti/Monk mix without double jump but able to reassemble Iterator parts (jesus i had to Work to not accidentally copy her design)#Festus is a lizard!! he's probably a stupidly big Yellow and is our beloved. he got saved by Artillerist and followed him ever since :)#alternatively: an au where Leo just ends up in rw and insults 5p (who is confused on how an ancient survived and why he's Like That)#pjo #rain world

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mushroomwriter · 2 months

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MONK 1x01 Mr. Monk Meets the Candidate

#monkedit #tvedit #monk usa #monk 2002 #tvarchive #cinemapix #usersource #filmtvcentral #filmtvdaily #smallscreensource #Monk #Adrian Monk #Sharona Fleming #Monk 1x01 #monk p #myedit #monkmoments #id in alt text

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lollybliz · 2 years

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No you don't understand your honor I love him

#P L E A S E #MONK👏WIZARD👏MULTICLASS #shikanoin heizou #heizou #genshin heizou #i love him already i am in so much trouble #genshin #tiktok #melee catalyst melee catalyst melee catalyst melee catalyst melee catalyst melee catalyst #-kicks from big meaty legs-#looK AT H I M #/im gonna make a team out of backflippers just for the hell of it istg/#xingqiu heizou thoma... diluc can get a pass cus its a front flip and i like pyro resonance.#the little hops at the end of the charged attacks i c a n t

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midnightcowboy1969 · 1 month

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my monk genderbending fic which i do want to continue is an exploration of Leland's own sexuality, a way for me to express my own discomfort with gendered expectations, and me being horny and that's sorta beautiful I think

#again i'd like an alternate universe episode in which Monk's a lady #it would work because the show does emasculate monk for his perceived femininity due to 2000s misogyny #which stems from being unable to separate femininity from womanhood #but i don't mind #because its like hell yeah that is my girl my wife #but i am critical of it #but i think about mrs. monk (adrian) p-word every day ;)#I can have several thoughts in my brain at the same time

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madmarchhare · 1 year

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I have failed to give you updates on my other stories as I took a break from them, as my brain skipped tracks onto another story I had to get down. So here is an expert in an early-ish part of that one.

It is set in 1908 norther Japan. This is a small excerpt a while after the characters have already been introduced. I hope you all enjoy it. It is called :

The Monk and the Traveller

“I shall come with you to the next town then, I have some letters to send among other things,” he declared, moving to collect all of his belongings back into his rucksack. Cherry spun round to look at Collier, a flustered expression on his face.

“W-why?!” Cherry managed to force out, at a near total loss for words. Collier swung the now packed rucksack back over his shoulder, next to his Lee Speed and Type 35, taking a moment to adjust them then strode forward, ahead of the monk.

“Not everything needs a reason my good sir! Often just being mildly interesting is enough!” he called back in a boisterous yet sagely tone, Cherry staring after the whirlwind that had just blew past him. He took a second to grumble then stormed forward to the man. Even if his company could be… interesting, he was more likely to get a bed and a meal. Collier marched forward at a confident pace, not a single item on his person rattling, near silent as he strode forward a talent he had learned on his travels. It unnerved the monk. Cherry regarded the man oddly, like one would a spirit that had sat beside you for a meal.

“By they way, Cherry,” Collier began in a curious tone, thinning rain pattering off his bucket hat, “why do you dress like a Shinto priest despite being Buddhist?” Cherry looked up at him with a plain expression, less surprised the foreigner knew the difference than he might’ve been before.

“My-the leader of my temple decided to change our vestments and some our rituals to more closely match Shinto traditions around the time the government began to favour it over Buddhism. He thought it would make our temple more appealing to officials and the locals… He was right for the most part, annoyingly,” Cherry explained drolly, a note of annoyance in his voice as he begrudgingly acknowledged the plans’ success. Or more accurately that that man’s plan succeeded. Collier looked at him with an interested but respectful expression, deciding not to pry in his acquaintances life so soon.

“What about you?” Cherry queried in a sober tone, Collier looking back at him with an enquiring expression, “How do you know so much about Buddhism and Shintoism? You are a foreigner after all,” he finished bluntly, glancing back at the man as the rain finally died away, abandoning the light breeze that had accompanied it.

Collier wore an easy expression, one that seemed to say ‘oh is that all’, “I often spend time in the Raj for hunting and other things. I spent a while at some of the old Buddhist temples and monasteries to learn their teachings. Though I went to other ones as well, I spent some time with Islamists for about a year and two with the Sikhs up in the North-west frontier. I cannot encourage you enough to travel there. Beauty beyond dreams…” Collier trailed off wistfully, staring out ahead of him as he walked, holding his hands behind his back as Cherry looked at the traveller with a stunned expression. “As for Shintoism,” he brusquely resumed, “I came here to Japan a while ago, just after your war with Russia. I mostly stayed in Hokkaido and southern Karafuto[1] hunting with the Ainu, but I also learnt a bit about the Shinto faith from a temple further north. Though I should add that I learn most of Japanese before the trip, just enough to get by,” he added flippantly taking a long stride to get past a small stream that had cut across the path, its source likely having flooded due to the rain. Cherry looked at Collier with a bewildered expression as the hunter outpaced him, leaving the monk to watch the back of his head, or more aptly his hat.

He was strange. That was what Cherry decided, influenced by his sour disposition against the man. He followed on nonetheless, he saw no reason to put much effort in avoiding the man. The journey was not long now, and having traveling companion with loose purse strings could be helpful. Especially considering how the monk was nearly always skint. The sky was grey for a while, exhausted rainclouds lingering in the sky like a now silent orchestra. When the sky broke out into sun, around quarter to eleven, the forest glowed with beauty. Though, it had been so before as well.

Collier’s eyes would dance between flowers and trees glittering from the dew like a child in a sweetshop, grinning as he saw animals busy past. He stopped every so often to pull out a book to jot something down or sketch as he observed some odd bit of flora or fauna. Cherry would begrudgingly wait nearby, taking a moment to pray, occasionally hearing the other man mumble to himself in English as he worked, along with one or two other languages he couldn’t identify. Other times he would walk while he jotted down shorthand notes, not that Cherry could read them.

He spoke in long, drawn out tangents about various animals or other things, denoting how he had seen them when he was out hunting or had gone out specifically for them. He rambled about this that and otherwise while the monk occasionally chimed in, mostly tuning the man out when he spoke. And yet, so much of the journey was silent, the golden atmosphere shining under the summer sun. It was in this silence that Cherry noticed another thing about Collier, how he seemed a presence near you. Distinct and clear. Yet, he walked silently, indeed none of his equipment rattled or made a distinct noise, bar from the swish of fabric or his deliberate steps, somehow light despite his heavy boots and height. He had the presence of a hunter, even as he stood by you smiling like you were a decades old companion, he felt like a hare watched by a kitsune.[2]

They walked for a long while until they came close to the town, encountering a pair of young men with nets draped over their shoulders, one walking barefoot while the other wore sandals. Both wore plain yukata’s the one who wore sandals having his much more finely adjusted.

“Good morning my dear sirs,” Cherry declared, bowing to them as he offered a prayer to them, Collier smiling at them as he tipped his hat to the two men, who bowed in response, the barefooted man ducking out of it before the other and staring at Collier curiously. “I am currently traveling in hope to bring aid and enlightenment to myself and any I may meet. I am looking for Aisuge, am I correct in assuming it is this way?” gesturing with his staff as he smiled at the men, a wide Cheshire cat grin once again fixed on his face.

The man in sandals nodded, pointing down the path before he spoke, “yes, if you just follow this path, you will find it shortly,” he instructed, his words stilted as if he had trouble talking, though his face seemed quite intelligent.

“Thank you for your kindness, may the Buddha bless your endeavours,” Cherry bade them, a grace like that of a priest surrounding him as he did, bowing as he offered them a prayer. He spun and continued down the path determinedly while Collier stopped to talk to the, as he discovered, fisherman. Cherry walked on while Collier chatted to the two men about fishing spots, and what they recommended as certain baits for the area or where waterfowl tended to be. The town was much larger than the last one, the streets being paved and a few western style buildings rising out of construction sites, though not many. He smiled and waived at a few people as he passed, offering brusque but sincere prayers to them as he dashed to the post office, near single minded in his search.

He found it after a while, a rather small building made of wood constructed in a western style, comparatively new compared to the buildings that pressed against it on either side. A post man was walking out of the entrance as Cherry approached, tipping his hat to greet the Monk, rushing off to his deliveries. He pushed open the door and walked in, the clerk looking up from the newspaper he was reading with a surprised expression. He was a young man dressed in a postman’s uniform, a dark blue hakama with white kanji characters on it denoting his job, a white scarf pattered with flowers at the tips wrapped around his neck seemingly his own personal touch. His hair was done in a bowl-cut but with a trimmed back fringe, pitch black like ink. “Good afternoon,” he muttered weakly, offering a nervous smile to Cherry.

“Good afternoon,” Cherry replied kindly, smiling at the man with a look of zen on his face, “do you have any mail for a Nekomata Sakuranbou?”[3] He leaned over the man as he asked, a pensive smile pulled over his features.

The clerk seemed to settle down, and nodded jerkily, “yes, I do believe we have some mail for that name. I was wondering why the address was so strange,” he replied, rifling through a assortment of letters then picking one out, “but I suppose a wandering monk wouldn’t have one would he…?” he trailed off weakly, smiling at his own joke. His voice was frail, thin, seemingly straining just to be audible though he smiled at Cherry. His face then shifted into a harder expressions he pulled the letter away, almost shielding it with his person, “you are Nekomata-san? Aren’t you?” he questioned sternly squinting at the monk.

Cherry smiled at him still, rolling his eyes underneath his eyelids, “yes, I am, why else would I ask for that name?” Cherry responded, forcing his words to sound sweet, cocking his head at the man while he gripped his hands together, balancing his staff in the crook of his arm.

“You could want to know his information so that you could rob him,” the clerk offered innocently, Cherry cursing that the man didn’t get that the question was rhetorical, “or you could be trying to steal his identity, or wanting to curse him for despoiling the shrine you work at… Or you could be a yokai!” the young man cried excitedly, smiling giddily.

“I am not a yokai! I am a monk!” Cherry snapped indignantly, waiving his staff at the young man, who flinched back in response.

“A tanuki then? Though you being a Nekomata would be more obvious…” he again muttered weakly, still recoiled like a frightened cat, his arms splayed ahead of him.

“No!” Cherry again snapped, then calming down and sighing, “I’m just here for my mail please, I’m not a yokai, I am the Nekomata the letter is mean for,” he droned exhaustedly, wanting to move past the charade quickly.

The young man blinked then relaxed, “oh, yeah sure,” holding the letter out for the monk who quickly snatched it from his hands and tore it open, pouring over it quickly, panic in his eyes. Then he saw a specific line on the letter and visible slackened, his face relaxing significantly as he read on at a more leisurely pace. When he finished the letter he lowered it, a relived expression on his face as he tucked it into the sleeve of his robe.

“They’re alright,” he muttered serenely, smiling to himself as he turned back around to the clerk, now back by his desk. “Do you happen to have a piece of paper? I need to send a reply,” Cherry asked levelly, smiling slightly at the man.

The clerk flustered for a moment, “oh, yes, sure,” he babbled quickly, sifting through shelves to grab a piece of writing paper and an envelope before shoving the former towards the holy man.

“Thank you,” Cherry replied dignifiedly, drawing the piece of paper closer while he pulled out a yatate[4] from his belt, a beautiful piece made of shakudō[5], the metal having darkened into a deep black-indigo colour. He opened it and withdrew the brush from it, the smoking-pipe shaped piece holding it in its neck, and snapped open the lid of the ink box with his little finger before he pressed the brush’s bristles into the oil-damp cotton that was sat inside it. He pulled the genkō yōshi[6] paper under his pen and began writing.Cherry’s witing was somewhat scruffy, often taking liberties in how he would form kanji or katanaka where he assumed the letters recipient would know what he meant. His prose, however, was not lacking. The words he wrote were quite eloquent, though he flip-flopped between formality and closeness depending on who he mentioned in the letter. He finished after a moment, washing and drying the brush before slotting it back into its compartment and snapping shut the ink box before hiding it back around his belt.

“Please may you deliver this,” pressing the paper towards the clerk who was ready with an envelope, “to Nekomata __ , they live at the Buddhist temple near Yamagata. If you can’t find it, give the letter to Akisei Makoto, he’ll get it to her,” he instructed dully, seemingly used to giving these orders.

The clerk flashed a cheeky smile at his customer, “a letter to a fiancé or wife?” he asked slyly, but received a look of horror and disgust from the monk in response.

“It’s for my Onee-san[7],” he responded insulted, seeming to cringe away from the clerk.

“Ah, sorry,” the clerk blurted out flustered, looking somewhat hurt at his won joke reception regardless. He sealed the letter in an envelope and pulled stamp from a drawer in his desk, “Alright, that’ll be six yen,” the clerk declared, moving the stamp and letter towards Cherry, though keeping his hands on both. The skint monk looked at him silently for a moment, before shifting his staff to his other hand.

“My dear sir,” he began darkly bowing his back to he was closer to eye-level with the man, “I have neglected to inform you until now, but I believe you may be possessed by a spirit,” he fabricated, though the other man seemed to twitch at that, his scarf fluttering from the movement longer than it should’ve, though Cherry decided to put it aside for the moment. “But, I am more than willing and qualified to aid you. I simply need six yen to begin the exorcism,” he finished grandly, again his eyes being caught by the scarf around the clerk’s neck, now seemingly tighter than before. The clerk tugged at the scarf with one finger nervously while he smiled at Cherry, and uneasy smile on his face.

“N-no, I’m fine, thank you,” he replied, stammering slightly.

“Are you sure?” Cherry replied in slight surprise. Though how much of it was a show was anyone’s guess.

“Yes! I’m quite fine, but I don’t mind paying for your stamp! It’ll be delivered as soon as the postman comes back,” he babbled out nervously, squirming in his own clothes under the monk’s gaze. Cherry looked slightly perturbed in response, narrowing his eyes at the man to study him further.

“Very well… But, I must insist that you call for me if you need help with spirits or if you simply wish to talk,” the monk offered sincerely, a stern faced look on his face.

“Thank you for the offer, Nekomata-san,” he called back nervously as the monk moved to leave, chuckling slightly, “I’ll, uh, keep it in mind.”

“Thank you…” Cherry began to say as he left, trailing off as he came to the unknown of the clerks name.

“Okade,” the clerk blurted out, trying to rush out the monk.

“Okade-san, again I am more than willing to help. May you find great fortune,” he called as he spun to leave, waving to Okade with one hand as he gave his blessing. Okade stared out after the Buddhist as he left, placing a shaking hand on his scarf which shifted under his touch.

Cherry strode calmly out of the post office, glancing down at a cluster of young children who were playing near the patio’s edge. When the first one spotted him his face twisted into the shock horror of a student seeing their teacher outside of class, turning tale and running before he even considered telling his friends. A few other boys looked up, taking on similar looks and dashing away like petty thieves who spotted a policeman. They abandoned the rest.

“Children seem to take after sparrows”, Cherry muttered to himself, sauntering over to the remaining boys, along with one girl who had not been warned. He loomed over them watching what game they were playing. Marbles, it seemed. They had quite a few, ranging from dull clay to beautiful pattered glass. After a moment, the girl seemed to notice the shadow that now hung over them and looked up at Cherry, the other boys looking up as well. They all again stiffened, worried they would be told off or cursed.

“Who’s winning?” Cherry asked simply, a deadpan expression on his face, bar a slight smile at the corner of his lips. They looked perplexed at first but seemed to brighten up once they realized he was not there to scold them.

“I am!” the girl piped up in a boisterous tone, smiling a widely, revealing a pair of missing teeth, one on the left of her top jaw, the other on the right of her bottom jaw. One of the other boys, this one with shirt cropped hair, turned to her with an irate expression.

“That’s because you’re cheating! I’m winning really!” the boy accused her, looking up confidently as he finished his retort.

“No I am not!” the girl snapped shoving her face into the boys with a snarling expression.

“Yes you are!” the boy disputed. They continued on returning shots to each other as if passing a ball while the other boys looked at them boredly, likely having seen the performance multiple times before.

[1] Japanese name for Sakhalin, an island to the North of the Japanese Island of Hokkaido and to the East of the Russian region of Siberia around Vladivostok. Fully controlled by Russia after the Second World War.

[2] Kitsune, a type of Japanese Yokai (Spirit or monster), that looks like a fox. Some may have multiple tails.

[3] Cherry’s full name. Sakuranbou, his given name, means Cherry, which he prefers to be called. But, in Kanji it literally means ‘a deranged monk’. Nekomata, his family name, means ‘Cat Spirit’.

[4] A portable Japanese writing implement

[5]

[6]

[7] A Japanese honorific used to refer to ones older sister, or a female friend you are friendly with, with their permission.

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