Sight for sore eyes [C]

[Ram]

The noise of what was clearly ceramics falling to the ground had Mika snap to attention and glare straight in the direction of the noise. Tatsu rushed ahead to see what may have caused it but from the air in that direction, there was no mistake in who was the culprit. "You," she hissed in annoyance. Knowing that her 'guests' are still here, she couldn't deal with that hooligan the usual way. The girl pinched the bridge of her nose and took a few breaths. She practiced a bit on what to say during the ride back to the shrine that she'll have to explain who the hell he is... without scaring off what visitors that even showed up today. Ah, right. Mika told Tatsu and Ryo that there was a 'groundskeeper' of sorts on the mountain. That'll have to do for now and ironing out the rest as she goes. Nothing too elaborate for a difficult lie to cover. The easier to have memorized the better.

Soon after she came to a conclusion did Ryo rush in and ahead of them. Mika could spot a hazy silhouette of a disturbed air around him. That odd vision. Mika closed her eyes once and stepped forward around Tatsu and Ryo to try to keep her voice controlled from outright yelling at him but there was a clear grit in her teeth. Never mind how valuable or what that pot used to be for the moment. Staring at the oddities of aura around them is a distraction when there was this pitiful snake in front of her. The girl's head looked to the hastily gathered pot shards and to Orochi. What the hell was he--- ya know what, hold that thought. "Seems an introduction is in order," she glared at Orochi to dare him to mess up what she's about to say next. A hand turned with a palm downward to motion to the boy's crouched figure for Ryo and Tatsu. "This is the fellow groundskeeper of the shrine. Orochi. He was present to assist the previous caretaker and has been living on the mountain for some time now." She said and then turned to Orochi. "These two are guests from the school. Tatsu and Ryo." Making it clear that they're not here for business. "Now with that said, don't tell me that pot was really important to the previous attendant." Mika could only pray that wasn't expensive or some relic that got smashed. Can never tell with older items.

[gman]

The pot shards where not sliding together as they should. Even after grabbing a piece and licking it, it would not stick back together. Well he was up shit creek without a paddle. He heard the door creak, meaning someone else was in here now, but that didn't matter now. The new people could be Yokai for all he cared but this damn pot being broke shot up to the biggest problem he could have. Turning his head to see the woman behind him he struggled to find something to say with this disaster on his mind. He said nothing to the woman, and even to the man who busted through the door frame to throw more words his way. He wasn't paying very much attention to him or her. Damn this pot to hell! He was just getting the taste of field mouse out of his palate with the oatmeal that shrine maiden made. Thinking of it this was their fault! If they had not showed up and forced him to eavesdrop on them then the pot would have still been in one piece! A familiar figure was barely visible behind the huge guy hogging the space near the door frame. She was here and she wanted to know what happened, or thats what he thought she wanted to know. He was so far up in his own head space that he really wasn't hearing what anyone else was saying. He could only do what he felt like would get him out scott free. Bolting past the woman and under the man's legs he slithered up and behind Mika with a quickness much like a snake. Hunched over to her eye level he pointed at the woman. "She did it! I watched! I was sitting in there and when she bolted in the pot fell over! Smashed into a bunch of pieces!" 
The new pair would be able to get a better look, and well smell of the lowly groundskeeper. Old patchy clothes, bandaged head to toe, a sick smell that alike of vinegar left out in the hot sun. With long unkempt black hair blowing in the gentle mountain breeze. "They broke it not me!" He told on himself a bit, the desperation was palpable in his wavering voice. He was very unpractised in using his words to get what he wanted. Ryo would notice the swords on his hip as he yowled lies at Mika. His unseen snakes would also be pointing and hissing accusingly towards the unknown pair. 

[mermalaide]

When Ryo moved in between them, she was still. She could see the clench of his jaw when he spoke to the other man. He didn't look angry but he looked like a big wall. The Great Wall of Ryo. Mika's footsteps soon came and well, she had looked a little more than angry, but, more than that, composed. Tatsu shivered a little. Mika began to explain that he was the groundskeeper and give a bit of an introduction.

"Oh. I see." For some reason, Tatsu got the impression that Mika had not only nothing to fear, but this groundskeeper had better mind his Ps and Qs. "Oro-chi?" She tilted her head. "Like the story?" Possibly. Although, he reminded her more of a monkey man, like from Journey to the West. Or a mountain Tengu, though she supposed that her old history teacher, Yamabuki-san would not have like that comparison, not one bit. Mika introduced them and she looked from both Mika to Ryo trying to gauge their responses.

Tatsu paid Orochi no mind as he pointed at her. She felt his finger, and something else swirling about him. She did feel somewhat badly for him, the groundskeeper looked kind of feral. She knelt back down, looking at the shattered pot while he did this. She felt a warm impression on her shoulder, that same soft, reassuring squeeze that she had felt so many times.

"Kinsurugi."

It was a soft reply that cut through the accusation. She took out a handkerchief and started to carefully gather the pieces, looking over everything to make sure she didn't miss a fragment. "No sense crying over broken pot? Or was it something else?" Huh. The light that was at her shoulder spread about her a bit, making her feel a bit warmer. It was the way she felt at prayer sometimes. Tatsu refused to give him a rebuttal but she did look at him kindly. "It's okay. We can fix it, and if not, then, well, I am sure we can find something even better."

She ties up the broken shards in the square of fabric. "If we can get some super glue, we can fit everything back together, and we I get home I will ask Gramps if I can barrow his Kinsurugi kit." The mark of Ryujin always was there on her, but she tried to soften what she knew sometimes poked out as dragon-like. She didn't want anyone to feel afraid, one new friend was already freaking out a little.

"Are you hungry Orochi?" She looked up from her bundle and smiled. "I have a little lunch left in my bag. if you have a seat there, you could have it." She motioned to a spot on the porch there. After wards, she rested a warm hand on Ryo's arm. "I think that noise scared everybody. It should be okay." She spoke quietly before turning to Mika a bit. "Could I put this down on the table for a bit? I think I got every piece. I should be able to fix it."

[Umbraflamma]

Ryo locked eyes with the "person" before him. He smelled, and had the coutnenance of soemone from a fantasy book seeking something "precious." There was a profound sense of wrongness in the person before him, however he didnt quite set off ryo's danger instincts. felt something akin to disgust and nausea sure, but its not like he should be a dick to someone with a skin condition. Perhaps this was the groundskeeper she spoke off, ryo chose to believe he was cursed soemhow so he traded guarding the shrine for treatment for his curse or some such. it made sense, and mika seemed rather unphased.

As mike spoke out to explain ryo's guard dropped the titan of a man taking a less agressive stance. he was about to offer his hand in greeting when the strange man seemed to hiss at him and moved between his legs. Before ryo could react he was cowering behind mika. Blame for the pot mattered not, however he saw a chance to build some level of rapport. "Oh, my mistake." ryo said giving a nervous smile, he had reacted to the sound of the breakage and couldnt have possibly been involved in the breakage as he arrived last but frankly a chance to deescalate would be worth it. "I'm sure i could replace it if needed, or at least provide some funds or labor to cover for the loss incurred. I sometimes forget my weight, and knock things over from just walking past them." his eyes closed and his hand was in front of im in the universal gesture of apology. "orochi, that is an odd name." he said as he leaned back allowing tatsu to pass him and investigate the breakage. "we should have some food here and there, do you have a fridge here or any way to store food long term?" he asked mika.

"Well its good to know that you have a protector out here Ajibana-san." he said as he noted the blades at orochi's side. The cowering fool act was an act, ryo knew that much, if he had wanted to kill any of them they would either already be dead, or he would be hard pressed to defend them. Though he acted as if he were a coward, the fact was that none of the muscles necessary to fight relaxed, he was ready to switch from retreat and avoidance to attack at a moments notice. and if orochi looked at ryo carefully he would notice the same, even as he took a less aggressive stance he was still fimly planted and ready to recieve an attack. If oroichi was able to determine how much blood one had shed before from a glance at stance and body language he would know that ryo positively reeked with the stain of blood and offal. even if he physically smelled normal.

As she rested a hand on ryo's arm his whole countenance seemed to uncoil, like a spring losing it's tension. "I was planning to come by from time to time to help with some heavy lifting and repair work anyway." he shrugged, "I think we can all be if not friends, at the very least acquintances with a positive relationship, yeah?"

[Ram]

The speed at which he slithered and hid behind her made the hair on her neck stand. “Too close. Too close,” she uttered in annoyance to his pitiful cover story. For a moment to see Orochi so desperate, Mika was thankful to handle him with her usual gloves on as she swatted the air above his head. Her vision spying those nasty little snakes of his aura all chiming in with their hissing and head bobbing at the temple guests. “I was with them so it HAD to be you,” Mika chided. Her molars grinding at her guests kind notions to feed him. Guess he is only skin and bones under those bandages but this was spoiling the messy cretan. What got her even more bitter was Ryo pointing out how well of a guard he is. Seeing his swords on him, Mika grumbled and avoided overly praising the rat. “When necessary he can be but I’ve been setting up measures for this place.”

Tatsu went ahead to collect the pieces and spoke something about the technique of gold repairing. Not sure the previous owner had a stock of gold to repair with but if that’s what the girl wanted to do then it’s better than throwing the pot out. Mika didn’t feel right to throw away things belonging to the previous keeper. “You … go do that,” the miko sighed and turned to look at Tatsu. A strange hazy mirage seemed to hang over the other shrine maiden briefly. It was only for a second but the impression was enough that there was a watcher on her. So long as they don’t make a mess then it’s fine, or so Mika wished to be. Ryo seemed to be on a mission to defuse whatever trouble Orochi was trying to stir but did have some points.

“There is something of a cold storage but it’s not a large one to store large meats or the like. Having someone to contact for repairs would be a blessing. I’ve mostly cook porridge as per the training meals I gained in Ise. If there were meats, we do have the means to cook them, just not the purchase yet.” She explained with a side eye to Orochi. “Are you done acting that way? There are chicken skewers in the kitchen.” The ones she left warming by the stove meant for Orochi than throwing away the food. If Tatsu was more than open to feed Orochi then so be it. Maybe this would teach Orochi to not mess with guests.

“If there is some mutual benefits in this cooperation, I would not be opposed to the notion so long as it too benefits my shrine.” Mika agreed on those terms to meet her mentor’s expectations.

[gman]

It became clear that he was fighting a losing battle with his poorly thought out deception. Though in his defence it was the best thing he could come up with in such a short amount of time. Though it seemed like the broken pot issue seemed to come and pass as quickly as it arose. Taking a step away from Mika as he heard her statement through her clenched teeth Orochi got a better look at these newcomers. The new lady was pretty and spoke softly, he could not gleam much else from her, and he wasn't trying too. The Titan of a man was bigger than Orochi anticipated. He looked much more like a Yokai than a man. Sure he had all the features of a person, but something was off. 
He had spent much time watching Yokai and even more fighting them. The air around the Titan was abhorrent, like a Oni fresh after a slaughter, but there was nary a blood stain on the guy. 
The tension in the air was thick as Orochi felt more like a dog facing down another dog, one waiting for the other to make their first move, even if he did have a pleasant disposition on his face something about that Titan screamed to Orochi that he should attack him before this guy had a chance to do the same to him. 

That was until the tension was deflated with a ice cold glance from the Miko. "Im not acting any sort of way!" Orochi said looked over the pair, both having a comment on his name. "Thats what they call me, though i haven't heard a story with the name before." There was an honest truth to that, though it was not owing to him not hearing that story in particular, but due to the fact that he didn't hear many stories, and well the fact he could barely even read. Not many books to be found out in the wilds either. Then like a mask slipping any thought or notion that Orochi was hostile vanished into thin air. "You all have food? You should have said so to start! Where is it all?!" He began badgering them like he hadn't spent a good while spying on them. Being informed about not only food but meat none the less Orochi bolted into the main house to collect his prize. Running in and collecting his prize he then ran out to the porch where the pretty woman told him to sit for even more food. If lying got him this much of a meal then he thought to himself he should do it more often. Waiving over at Mika and Ryo to come over he would Begin speaking to them as he sat where he was told to sit. He then spoke to them in-between bites with a mouth full of food. 
"Good to know you are here to help. For a second there i thought that you were." Eiji paused as he popped the second skewer into his mouth and liberated it of any meat as if it where a bone. "Y'know part of that" He stopped again this time to swallow a bit of food whole, and not opening his mouth till he finished chewing. 

[mermalaide]

She saw Ryo relax a little, offering an olive branch. It would be okay. People were just startled. But it would be fine. "Maybe having a few visitors is just what this place needs anyway." When she knew he would be okay, Tatsu let go. She gave him a soft smile and turned to go back into the main house of the shrine where they had come from.

"Alright. I will be right back." She took the wrapped pot and put it on the table. Inside she went back to her bag and dug out the wrapped onigiri she had saved. She forgot about the canned drink that she had in the bottom of the bag, so that would be offered too. She saw him bolt for the meat, which gave her a laugh. You couldn't beat the taste of a fresh skewer. She followed him out and offered the salmon onigiri and what looked like a can of cola. "I forgot I had the drink. You can have that too." Tatsu didn't know what he meant, but that was okay. He was protective of the place and Mika, so the temple itself wasn't so deserted, which would have been a lot to deal with alone. She found a spot to sit on the porch. "Orochi.. I think I only remember two stories it's in." She tilted her head in recollection. "One was a story about Susanoo and his journey to find Amaterasu. And the other was the Nihon Shoki, which is supposed to be this ancient account of how Japan came to be." Japanese myths and fairytales. "A creation myth."

A little bit of breeze ruffled her bangs. "They conflict on if he is a dragon or a snake, but he had eight heads, an eight forked tail, red eyes...and it was big enough that cypress trees were growing on it's back as it crawled along on it's belly!" It reminded her of a Greek Hydra fused with a snake. She looked at Mika,"We have some extra vegetables from the back garden, I can bring some the next time we come. Gramps grew a lot of extra green beans and squash this year. And, the pods are easy to dry and plant for next time. Word of warning though, they take over where every you plant them, but you can pick them almost every other day until the season is done." It would be hard to have to haul everything up the steps, maybe some foods could be here. That was a thought. There was also the mountain. Though she hadn't know quite what was around here. But maybe there was a library book or site that would know. The gears in her mind turned a little.

"So, what should we do next? I the commotion we were putting stuff down, but I forgot what we were actually doing." She looked a little embarrassed by that.

[Umbraflamma]

Ryo's gaze was returned in Orochi's during their tense standoff they were like two dogs ready to go at each other's throat, but there was a fatigue, a weariness in Ryo's gaze. Less like he was actually less capable, but more of onw who had grown tired of fighting. like an old scarred pit dog. 

His stance shifted as Orochi made off for the food. glad to know he was so easily diffused. When she mentioned eating naught but porridge he grimaced. He had lived in lean times too. "Hey, if you have a stove or something i can come by sometime and cook a meal for you all." he said as he hoped his generosity would not sound like pity, "IF we're going to do some repairs we should put together a large meal since we will be expending a lot of energy." he said. "I can keep an ear to the ground for any second hand freezers. They might need a bit of elbow grease, but its better than going without and far cheaper than new. You'd be surprised the kinds of things people would try to toss rather than fix." 

he shook his head as orochi started eating as if he was starving. "Well, here's hoping your situation grows more fortunate as we start getting this place up to snuff." he said with a nod. He grabbed one of the onigiri, and took a seat at the nearest most comfortable location that looked acceptable. There was a haggard tired look to him, one that went beyond physical fatigue.

[Ram]

Not acting huh? Mika tilted her head a fraction with an accusation glare of disbelief till the mood shifted. Even Mika was sighing as Orochi scampered away. Her hand fanned away the air where Orochi and is aura of sneaky snakes used to be. Tatsu went on to bring out more snacks of the rice balls and a drink which encouraged Orochi to a more childish mood to beckon her and Ryo over. Seeing Orochi spoiled for food he didn't deserve at least kept him out of trouble for the most part. Mika moved over and sat on the edges with a space between her and Orochi while Ryo made himself comfortable nearby to complete the ensemble.

Her guests seem to be making themselves quiet at home. Mika listened to Tatsu providing more meal options to even sharing a garden supply. Let alone propose a garden here at the shrine. The miko dared to wonder if maintaining a full garden would be worth the effort in what divided time she had. Didn't gardens take daily maintenance for upkeep? Her eyes turned away to consider a location that could be close to the main house but away from the main walking paths of the shrine so it was out of the way and more personal. "There is a stove," Mika replied to Ryo who suddenly wanted to be a chef which made Mika raise a brow on the sudden want. Not as though Mika really hired a new addition of caretakers and housekeepers to the shrine. She tugged at the cuffs of her school uniform. Clearly more money was required, and Mika was ready to charge when Orochi dared to utter something that made her suddenly scoot over to his side, grab a handkerchief from her uniform pocket, and slapped it over Orochi's mouth.

"Look at you now. Careful speaking with your mouth full less you spill anything," Mika chided with a rather firm clench of her fingers like grabbing a dog by his snout. "Allow me to wipe your mouth for you." The miko's hand firmly scrubbed Orochi's face in an attempt to further dig in that he shouldn't mistake these 'guests' to be related to her other line of work. Quickly she had to come up with a distraction to play off of, so she gave her best explanation for Tatsu and Ryo.

"What he meant to say was being part of Ise. Though by what you both are saying, it appears the shrine requires more futons... or some hostel as the rate my guests seem to be after hiking this far," she remarked that the small abode of barely two suddenly gained a need to have extensions added to the shrine. Is... that even allowed? Mika wondered what her mentor and the people at Ise would think to these modifications. More than anything was Mika becoming a touch concerned that the shrine was becoming an inn somehow.

[gman]

With a quick scoot and now a a hand over his mouth Orochi felt as though he may have to bite the Miko's hand to get her to let go, though her icy stare felt like it was going right through him. 
Messaged received, He nodded along with Mika and her explanation as a show of understanding. Waiting for her to let go of his face he laid the wooden skewers next to him. No more talking about those guys, and why bother? There was much more pressing business to attend too. The pretty woman was handing out some food and a drink. Without a hint of tact he swiped the items from the woman and immediately went to work on them it was hard to even say if he even chewed that  rice ball. After swallowing that whole he of course would need something to drink, but instead of cracking open the can she gave him he turned it onto its side then proceeded to bite hard into its side. His teeth punctured the can easily. 
The cola sprayed and hissed as it drenched the bandages around his face as he quickly liberated the cola from its tin prison in no time flat. When he was done with it instead of just tossing it on the ground like he did with most of his trash he instead opted to stash it in his robes. For what reason? Well he figured it would go nice with his collection of other cans.  
Listening to the woman it made Orochi wonder why his dad called him that. Well out in public anyway. "Odd story. I dont think i believe that!" He bellowed, it was really unclear if he was referring to her or the story itself, but he was already moving on to a different subject. The big guy said he hoped his situation got better. "Well hell i don't see how it can get any better. I got some food. Can't get better than that." He said as fell backwards laying down on the porch. Though the guy's demeanour seemed off. If he was as big as he was why didn't he carry himself better?  Looking back over to Mika he stretched his arms out and let out a yawn. "Could always let em sleep out in the woods if you're talking about letting folks stay over night." He asked her as he laid sprawled out.