Those Who Wander

[froststepper]

Soft breeze caressed the weakly waving flags of the ships waiting in the port. The Sea itself was at peace, so the waves only sllightly swayed the anchored ships. Bustling docks were filled with people coming and going about their business. Seagulls screamed over the fishermen, dock workers and other people, making the Port of Kobe teeming with life. One large fishing ship was looking a place to unload its haul. Once the suitable docking spot was found, ropes were thrown to be tied, and last duties of the crew began, before the desereved shore-leave.

As the crew started their work, one man departed the ship, seemingly out of place amongst the fishermen. Humoungous man, face covered by brass mask, wearing grey robe stepped down ship with large polearm hoisted on his shoulder. The blade of the weapon was covered by leather sheathe, and something was hanging from the tip of it. A bag dripping of water, like a leaking water jug.
"Bernard-sama! Once again, thanks for everything." Man called Bernard turned to look at the ship one last time, seeing the captain of the ship on its deck. His smile wasn't covered by the mask, and he lifted his bandaged arm for final good bye.
"Go with the God, Hirafumi-san." He shouted back with soft, gentle voice. His Japanese was heavily accented, and he spoke in a slow candour, like he had to search for usable words. Their first discussions were done in Korean, but in the 2 weeks, Bernard had got the basics of the language down.
"I hope you find what you seek here." Captain smiled, and turned to return to his duties.
"So do I." Bernard said to particularly nobody. He turned his back and started making his way out of the docks. People gave him way, partly out of wariness of his large size, partly for other reasons. Bernard wasn't sure where to go from here. He wasn't accustomed to this country or its culture, and the captain of the ship had given him only the basic rundown how this nation operated.
"First things first, I need to eat." He thought to himself. Worrying about things is easier with full stomach. Then the next order of business would be to find a guide for himself.

[mermalaide]

Grandpa Goro decided to send her out a few hours  to pick up a few things. Why he could not just have them sent to the temple was beyond her, but there she was, in plain clothes, wandering about Kyoto, by the docks. Some of the people stared a little at her. But it was fairly normal. After all, she wore something very western in it's sensibilities, though, admittedly neo-Victorian finery was a tad odd, even for western clothing. She wore a frilly navy and white dress, with the university blazer thrown over that, and black polished boots. Her long hair pinned up in a ribboned pony-tail. The sound of her Kagura Suzu jingled, muffled in her bag. You could never walk about unarmed, though, she found herself carrying her naginata less for trips like this.

Her stomach made the worst growl and she realized that it had been a bit since she had had anything last. So, the first order of business was to find tea and food, Grandpa would have to wait a little. As she walked she saw a little bit of a commotion. A big foreign fellow seemed to be looking about. People were staring at him somewhat as well. Was he lost? Perhaps she could walk over and help. He seemed to be wearing a big mask made of brass and carrying a massive sword on his shoulder. He kind of looked like a cross between a knight and an oni, which piqued her curiosity.

"Excuse me sir, you aren't lost are you?" She hoped that he could speak Japanese, or this would be a lot less helpful than she had anticipated. Her English.. well it was okay. Enough to read fairytales mostly. Maybe there was an English class she could take where she went. Though, again that wouldn't help now.

[froststepper]

Bernard turned to face the voice addressing him, his one eye fixating to the eyes of the stranger. She seemed local, but somehow out of place amongst the surounding people. Partly due to her attire, but she also didn't seem like someone who would frequent port for work.
"I wouldn't call myself lost, miss. I know where I am. Just not how the where is. I'm simply a..." His accented speech waned, as he tried to find a correct word from his memory. He set the handle of his weapon on the ground, and started to rummage the satchel on his side with his bandaged hand. He pulled out a thick book, that seemed to be dictionary from Korean to Japanese. Seemingly unphased by the awkwardness, he started flipping pages, until he found the correct word.
"... wanderer. Not knowing where is where doesn't make me lost." Despite heavy accent, his speech was clear, and structually sound.
"I would not turn down aid in helping me understand how one operates here. For instance, who to report this to?" He pointed a sack hanging from his weapon. The jute sack was still slowly dripping water.
"Suppose the word for these here are yokai. The fishermen called it "Umibozu." Its kin attacked the ship during the storm." The way he talked about sea-borne demons was bordering disinterest, as if dealing with them was a day to day experience.
"More importantly, food aboard ship wasnt exactly filling, and two weeks at the Sea is no simple task for first timer. You wouldn't happen to know a place to eat around here?" Warm smile followed the words, which wasn't made any less convincing by the scars and scabs visible around the part of the face his mask didn't cover.

[mermalaide]

"So a pilgrim then?" She tried to meet him in the middle. "Yokai are one word for it, I think in your speak, they translate to demon, there are also yurei, which are ghosts. Some yokai are friendly, but a good deal are not. No yurei are really friendly." There were a few foreigners that came to help out with yokai or visit the country in general. "A sea-priest, Umibozu! Grandpa says that they come up on ships at night to sink them. They do not like tobacco, from what I have heard." She had never seen one up close, only had seen wood block paintings of them. This was an actual head. She looked at it, just surprised. "Well if there is a bounty on them, you could try the Yokai Hunter's Guild, as long as there is a tavern, there is a bounty board." She had to think for a minute about the sword. "You don't have to register your sword, because people need to protect themselves, it's only if you have a gun I think." Tatsu whipped out her phone and was already looking it up, as well as the tavern nearest for a bounty board.

"Oh! Where are my manners! My name is Tatsu Soma. She said her first name first, as she believed it was a custom with Westerners. "Do you have a phone, or maybe a map? If not, I can get you one to mark on. It will help you find your way around better." She didn't mind helping out. Not in the least. The world is a better place when one showed kindness and hospitality. "Also, I do now a few places around here to eat. It depends on what you like, there's a bit of everything, but, if you have been on a boat, you probably haven't had fresh vegetables or meat in a while. The taverns have food, and there are food stalls, but there's a great family restaurant near here. I can walk you to the tavern for your bounty and show you to food."

She only had to pick up her grandfather's things, so it couldn't hurt to stop and help. There were plenty of people wandering to and fro purchasing things for meals and buying sundries. She started to show the way to the tavern, which was up the street. She would stay to help with language and help him find something good. "Most of the people at the tavern speak Japanese, and maybe Korean. I have seen a few speak English, but not many." The building looked like a teahouse and was a little rowdy. Tatsu had never actually been inside one, but she had walked past a few. She swallowed hard and went to open the door for him. Inside, people were chatting about, drinking, and there was an elderly man tending to both a bounty board and a counter.

He look surprised to see Tatsu, up until he looked over the man with her, and the head now dripping onto the floor of the tavern.

[froststepper]

The upside of the mask covering ones face was that certain expressions weren't visible. Bernards brows rose out of sheer volume of expression young lady gave him in order to help. Some words she used were unfamiliar to him, which made the well intended explanation somewhat unhelpful. He could tell the lady introducing herself as Tatsu Soma had good heart, which wasn't something to be taken for granted. If anything, his journey had taught him that at least.
"Bernard." He introduced himself, and bowed in polite manner. The eastern manner of polite greetings suited him more than better. People tended to get tense if they had to touch him, so handshakes weren't exactly his forte.
"I do not have phone, and I haven't had time to aquire map." He figured it wouldn't be necessary to explain to her that he didn't own a phone due to manner of his vows.
"Beggars can't be choosers. I'm curious what kind of food local would recommend, so lead the way." He smiled. 

Following Soma in the bustling district filled with sounds of life, and smells of different foods and ingredients, Bernard took in everything his senses could take. Though most people seemed to busy with their own life to notice him, some naturally did, and  were naturally wary. Some due his appearance, but some obviously could tell what ailed him. He wondered if the girl knew, or if she simply didn't know?
"I should be fine with Japanese, if the people are patient. I could use language I already know, but then I wouldn't learn." He shrugged. He had talent for language, and had always felt using the new language was the greatest learning experience. He still required the language dictionary, but he expected to not need it in few weeks.
Inside the tavern, Bernard turned his head slowly around, and saw an old man behind the counter. He leaned towards Tatsu as he asked:
"I presume he is the one I should discuss about this?" He asked and pointed at the bag.

[mermalaide]

"Ah, Bernard! Okay!" She would tuck that away into memory. When he had leaned to her again and had asked, she nodded. "Oh! You could also probably get a few maps here, now that I think of it." She didn't wander away, she stayed right where he could ask for help. But, there were indeed maps on the counter, as well as pamphlets. Some were about Yokai that the Tavern and the Shinto Shrine network handed out for free. She took a few that she thought were useful, like the ones regarding services for travelers and laws. There was also a printout of what was on the board for the day.

The shop keeper raised an eyebrow, wondering why a collage girl was here with a massive foreigner, but he was used to all kinds of chaos and generally his it with a tired sigh. "What can I get you folks?" He had a little bit of an accent, maybe an Osakan one from what Tatsu could tell. "My friend here just arrived and has something that might be a bounty. So we wanted to check it, and also maybe get him a guild card." If he had one of those, he could probably get Yokai hunter services most places. "Oh and a map." There were plain maps, which somewhat helped but the one that Tatsu had picked up was a detailed guidebook. In it there were monsters, their habits, and where to find the ones that were on the bounty board daily. There were also some sections for Tokyo and Kyoto. It was a good book. "That isn't free."

"I know." She gave him a bright smile and put enough money on the counter for it. He was obliged to give her a bookmark as well. "Thank you. Bernard-san, you should show him the Umibozu." She motioned for him and made sure to give it a bit of a berth. It was starting to smell a little, but mostly of the sea, and was, oddly still dripping, even though they had walked a bit. "Well, haven't seen one of those in a while. We have had a problem with them recently. The port authority has an active bounty on them." He patter the bin on the counter that also served to weigh in stuff when it needed to. A few folks craned their necks to see. A rowdy man gave a thumbs up. "Hey that's at least a C rank Horikoshi!" The old man looked annoyed and took his time to fill everything out.

"This looks like a medium Umibozu. We never find small ones, it's either medium or really large, and good luck carrying that." He went over to a small laptop on the counter and started tapping away. He brought up the application so he could get the man a card, and get him paid. "This is a rank C, no slouch if you ask me. The payout for this fellow is 500,000 yen." This would be the equivalent of 500 dollars. "Miss, why don't you help your friend fill this out?" He turned the laptop to her. "This should be easy to do. You just tell me what to type and I will write it, and if you don't understand, I will help." She did type his name down as she could. It was just basic stuff. Name, age, weapon, where you were from, ect. "We also put a picture on the card too, so let me know when you have that filled out."

[froststepper]

Bernard detached the sack from his polearm, and opened it on the table. Large, mishapen skull that looked vaguely human kept dripping water, as the old man inspected it.
"It was indeed accompanied by several small ones. The fishing ship I was aboard on was about 3 days sail away from here, when they boarded the ship. Tried dragging the crew in to the sea. I cut down 4 of the small ones, but once I cut down this one, others fled. Only have proof of this one though." Bernard recounted the events of his voyage to the man. The way he discussed killing yokai had a calm, almost clinical. He also didn't mention that the one place on the table tried to drag him to the sea as well. Unfortunately for the graceless being, Bernard was the wrong person to do that to. He did wonder how large the big ones were?

He snapped out of the thought when he realised Tatsu was starting to help him sign for a guild of some kind. He raised his bandaged hands up in a manner that signaled slowing things down a tad.
"I'm afraid that this isn't simple matter. I cannot join organisations if they aren't in accordance of my order." As he spoke, he pulled a crest from his satchel, that had green cross on white background, with the motto under it: "En Guerre et en Paix."
"I'm aware my order might not be jurisdiction here, and I have no intention going against rules of the land. That being said, I do not know enough about this guild to know if I can join it with good conscience." His tone was almost apologetic, but it was clear this was not a matter he could or would compromise on."
"If you're not in a hurry, or inconvinienced, would you be willing to break bread with me and explain things in better detail? I'll pay for your food, of course."

[mermalaide]

The man at the counter listen and tried to explain a little better. "The guild is more to register yokai and slayers in the country, as well as a means to pay them. We do not take part in giving orders to the hunters, nor do we interfere in their personal lives or beliefs. It's also a way for people to contact a hunter or leave messages for them, we do somewhat of a mail and message service for them free of charge." There were a lot of different people that had signed up here, some of them sitting there in the pub.

"I can explain more, I do not mind as it's slow now. I think I can have one of our cooks bring out some sandwiches." It wasn't much but it would be something for the time being. He marked the head down and put it in cold storage for the time being. Then he came around the side and brought them and the laptop over to the empty side of the tavern, which was a lot less rowdy. "I see that you are Christian sir? We do have a handful that are members too. They get letters from the church here regularly. Sometimes orders from their orders. It varies. " He signaled one of the waitstaff, which was a woman that was about Tatsu's age over, and quietly asked her to bring sandwiches, chips, and cold drinks. "Our group is a safe place for everyone to meet up, get information and be incompliance with Japan's government. I assume you brought him here Miss?" He was looking at Tatsu.

"I did. He looked like he needed resources. And, I will admit, I wanted to get him here before he got lost or something happened. Japan is fairly safe, but if you don't know what is safe and what isn't you could get into trouble." She looked a little concerned. "I work at the Zuishin-in temple and attend Abe no Seimei University under their priestess course." She bowed her head lightly and politely. "My name is Soma Tatsu."

"So you do not know this man personally." She shook her head. "He just got here." From hearing what Bernard had recounted about the sea monks and about meeting Tatsu, this man was either blessed by the foreign God, or had the devil's luck. He did not know which. But he chuckled. "Well then, Bernard-san, let me be the second to welcome you to Japan. Lunch is on us here at the guild, you as well Miss Tatsu. Think of us as a place you can come in out of the cold a bit between jobs, a place where you can safely meet comrades and contacts, or supplies. We are so much more than a place to turn in severed heads."

[froststepper]

Bernard listened to mans explanation of the guild intently. He was somewhat surprised how there could have been a goverment affiliated organisation that led foreigners into its ranks. Hence he first assumed Guild was some sort of mercenary organisation. Neutral organisation doing such work seemed somewhat weird. On the other hand, on his travels he had witnessed less organised forms of same thing. In Myanmar, he was asked by village elder had asked him to destroy something called "Pan-kike Belu." Local goverment was either unwilling or unhelpful to deal with it. Villager tried to pay him with all the wealth they had, but he had insisted they would be less generous. Not only did his vows of poverty stop him, he wouldn't have been able to take from already ailing people.

“Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” Proverbs 11:4

He followed the man and Tatsu to the table, and seated.
"I am indeed Christian, good sir. I'm also a member of the Order of St. Lazarus. Knightly order serving the Vatican. My order has a bit more free reign to wander, compared to other orders." What he didn't mention was the reason for this. Most members of the order didn't live for long, so most chose the errant path of moving place to place, destroying evil where they could. There was no point in trying to stop dead men walking.
"So the Church handles contracts through the Guild? I take it we have very minor precence here then. Vatican would have the resources, so I assume them not having established their own precence means the reasons are political?" This wasnt all that uncommon in his experience. Even within Europe, Vatican wasn't the only one with power, so they couldn't do as they pleased. Less so in non-Christian region. He had bit of difficulties treading in Syria, Pakistan and India due to their regulations of who can fight demons in their lands.

"Yes, young Tatsu here is my good Samaritan." He smiled at her as he said this with his warm demeanor, which wasn't diminished by his appearance. His expression darkened a bit when he was given unreserved hospitality by the inn keeper. He was silent a bit, before asking
"Are you certain your other guests aren't bothered by my... condition?" 

[mermalaide]

"The Church has placed a few, the government has, and so have private citizens. We don't discriminate, we take all bounties. Someone will pick them up no matter how big or small. But, some bounties might sit for a bit, depending on who wants to take them." He did his best to explain. "The Japanese government and the founders of our guild wanted to make sure that hunters were following the law and had resources, regardless of affiliation. It's also a way to the government here to keep track of armed people roaming through the country, Gouma dens, yokai out breaks you name it. The heads that you all collect are also studied and some are, if possible used for medicine. We do a lot here." He wanted to make sure that Bernard got the full picture. That and having someone new to the country get set loose to just figure it out was pretty terrible hospitality. It would have also been stupid from a security stand point.

He had to think about what he knew about the church as well. "They are small, but they do have a presence. We have a few members that are part of the church, but hunters go out pretty far. I can try to get ahold of someone for you. Maybe ask a few other members if they have seen Sister Agnes or Father Dorian lately." Those were the only two that came to mind but he was sure their were others.

"Well.." He said softly. "You aren't the first person to wander through with that. We have had cursed people too. Now there are some facilities can't use for health reasons, like the baths, but we can try to find something to accommodate your condition. Don't expect anyone to shake hands though." He gave a rusty old laugh. Tatsu thought to herself for a moment. She wondered if they had something to spare for Bernard, like maybe a private quarters or something. There was an old bath on the unused courtyard that she had been trying to fix up. "If they can't I will try. I am sure Grandpa will know something. He has been practicing medicine for a while. You will have somewhere to stay while your find your church." She gave him a smile.

"Oh, before I forget. If you have abilities, of a paranormal or supernatural nature, you must register with city Hall, they will give you a pass to get around as identification. You have to show that at every train or bus you hop on in Japan."

[froststepper]

"I would appreciate being in contact with local congregation. It would make reporting to my order easier." The answer pretty much confirmed his assumption of the current state of the Vatican influence in the island. They had operations, but not enough influence to make their own faction have jurisdiction here.

Bernards brow furrowed under the mask as the people with his ailment was mentioned. He wasn't sure if the inn keeper noticed the implication in his words, when mentioned "cursed people" in the same breath. Either way, Bernard wasn't offended by it. 
"I appreciate the kindness, but I am fully aware how my condition would be harsh to accomodate. If there are more people with sickness here, I suspect I can reside with them. Volunteering to help them might be enough for me to get roof under my head." He had seen many leper-colonies in his travels, and stayed with them when he had to stay in one place for extended periods of time. The Order gave him the knowledge to help himself, and others by extension.

"I would call them divine, but I suspect you don't share that notion." Bernard answered with wry smile.
"But why is it required for travel? I understand guilds interest in that sort of thing, but the City?" Though he asked, he already suspected to know why. The fact that there were so many systems to counter monstrosities in country implied there were also people with powers like he had. And with abundance of power, so was the abundance of misuse of it.

[mermalaide]

"I hope you understand that I am making a difference between people like yourself with an illness, versus folks that have been cursed. Both can make it difficult to navigate Japan, but for the most part, you will find that people are at the very least polite." Tatsu had to think about what the two men were discussing, she tried to remember if she had seen Colonies of people that had the same issue as Bernard, but she didn't remember seeing anyone. Maybe one old ninjas that had been badly burned by a kerosene lamp.

The older man, Kenji pushed back his greying hair. "If I can find your friend what he needs and give you an address, do you think you can take him to it?" He looked at Tatsu, not with sternness, but a tired understanding. He saw so many people come through these doors. "I.. I think so. We can figure it out from the map I just bought. And I can take a car back to my home if its far." She swallowed hard. She would definitely have to let her grandfather know. "Wait here and eat. I will do some digging. And you," Kenji says to Bernard, "fill that out. I want you to have money and access to transportation, you can't get on any without it." He sighed and got up, wandering back behind the counter and looking through what looked like a ledger.

"He seems really kind. Like somebody that worries about everyone." She shook her head, speaking softly. "He does." A woman came with two big plates, warm roast beef on soft bread, which had a bit of steam too it. There were potato chips and what looked like cold bottles of soda. "Sorry to keep you both waiting." She put plates down, and tried to be respectful but still give a bit of space. "I came from nothing and he took me in. Most of the people are cast-offs here. He might be a nosy old guy, but he tries." She had a scar on the side of her face. It looked like an old knife wound. The scar was faded but it marred a face that had been very lovely. Tatsu had thought she was older when they came in, but now that she looked, she wasn't so sure. The white of her hair could have been trauma.

"Don't waste."

She heard someone call to her from the kitchen and sprinted. "Thank you for the food. From the person that made it, to the people that grew it.." It was a soft prayer of thanks. It wasn't a Christian one, but it was a thankful one at the very least. Tatsu bit into the sandwich first, and her eyes got wide. "Oh! There is peppery horseradish!" It was a look of happiness and pain all in one. A peppery root with the beef was pretty good! The sodas seemed to maybe be a root beer. "I hope he finds something. I haven't been very much help so far Bernard, I am very sorry." In the background, Kenji seemed to find something and was scribbling furiously. He seemed to find something that he could call on the phone about and was calling and asking questions now.

[froststepper]

"There was no ill will given, so I will take none as such." Bernard answered honestly. He had been called many things while travelling, for his ailment was notorious in its severity, and great deal of superstition was connected to it. Even he had supposed he was cursed, when he was diagnosed. The fact of the matter was alot more complicated.
"I appreciate all the aid you've offered me. I implore you to not extend it to the point of inconvinience, though." He nodded as he was asked to fill the forms. It was relatively fast considering the residence info and contact information were blank. Odd in modern time, but not for those who took monk-vows.

When the promised meal arrived, he nodded a thanks for the lady. Then he crossed his fingers, and pressed his forehead against his hands. His silent prayer was different from Tatsus, but comparison was unfair. His dated back centuries, kept traditions and oaths dedicated to one faith. Hers were on the spot, brief, but her heart was in the right place.
"Nonsense. Had you not led me here, I might have wandered for days before finding assistance. Do not sell your kindness short, for it is not as common as you think it is." He said before biting to the bread. Simple, nourishing food after sea faring was like finding an oasis in the desert. His monk vows would have banned him from eating meat, but his Orders pilgrimage ws comparable to a crusade, and in time of war, it was permitted. His crusade was against the horrors of the world, for he had might to combat them. 

"You seem very knowledgable about these, "yokais." If you don't mind me asking, am I to understand some of them are seen benevolent here? In my travels, I've mostly come across the kind that preys on man. Is there a way to know the difference, or should I treat everything as a threat until proven otherwise?"

[mermalaide]

"Well I work for a local temple as a shrine maiden, I try hard to help people I come across.I really want people to have a good experience here. I love my country and town. We do have many yokai about. Some are friendly and live and work with people." She took a chip and crunched. There was a followup sip of cold root beer which was wonderful, both salty and sweet. "They tend to be right out in the open, and have IDs and work permits just like anyone. Typically friendly ones will be Kitsune, Tengu, and Tanuki. The unfriendly ones are pretty direct usually, like Oni and wild beasts. Typically, there is a bounty put on hostile yokai. They rarely have papers or ID." She tried to think. "The oni especially are pretty up front about hurting people or eating them. Gaki as well. But there are ones like Nekomata, or Jurogumo that can be friendly or dangerous, and it can be tricky to tell."

Tatsu thought back to her encounter with Ayane. She was adorable and friendly, though, she did curse that Karen woman, it was not undeserved. But there was the potential there. She got the impression that it would be difficult for Bernard, who seemed more structured in black and white. "I think that sometimes it can be tricky, but the ones that are fairly good seem to want to communicate and put forth the effort to be helpful." Maybe it was cliche but the bad ones always seemed to either attack or try to lure you. She took her senses somewhat for granted but it was likely hard for a lot of people to help.

Kenji came back over with a few papers. " I couldn't get a hold of Father Dorian. But his assistant said he was in the neighborhood, so you could head over. Sister Agnes is out in the field right now." He handed over the papers that he found. This had an address for the father's and a printout of yokai from the bounty board. "Do you have those other papers for me?" He looked over what was there so far. We can take a pic in a second, you two eat and I will process everything, including your payment while you wait."

[froststepper]

As Tatsu spoke, Bernard took a notebook from his bag, and wrote down things he found important. This was more than enough for him to go on, or at least help him know what to ask. Umibozu thing was prety obvious when it comes to malevolent presense, but he had learned long ago that things are rarely as simple as they seem. He smiled at Tatsus attempt to generalise the yokai behavior, for he could sense he had some sort of personal stake on the matter. Of what kind, he couldn't guess, and didn't find it to be his business.
"Of their fruit you shall know them. My purpose is to help the helpless, young Tatsu. My blade will not swing if it doesn't have to." He said reassuringly.
"And I know not to judge by look. With my ailment, it would be foolish."

Innkeeper returned with the information who to turn to.
"I thank you for your kindness, and hospitality. I hope I can return it one day." He said with solemn tone. As he handed the paperwork he filled to the innkeep, he told they needed Bernards photograph.
"Is it an issue if I wear my mask on the picture? My visage isn't exactly comfortable for most people to see, and I do not want to disturb people more than necessary." Bernard asked with colorless tone. He wasn't uneasy about his appearance, but he knew most people would be affected by it.