high_seas | caught in the spider's web

Who: The crew of the Koumyou.
Where: The island of Kumonosu.
When: 3rd May-10th May.
What: After a few days of peace, it becomes apparent that something's not quite right. The ruined mansion in this place almost seems to be calling people to it...
Warnings: Potentially disturbing topics and violence. Will add further warnings as they become necessary!
Style: As you wish.
Status: Closed, unless you happen to be in the area.

***

It's not noticable at first.

The locals, who show a remarkable sense of kindness and generosity to their visitors, have spoken of a curse and the importance of the many shrines dotted around the island on many occasions, but it's easy enough to dismiss that as mere legend. After all, Komonosu is very peaceful and every single one of its inhabitants will greet you with a smile.

Except, after a little while, one will notice that this isn't true. There are some residents who bear battle scars and a haunted look in their features, some who mumble and look afraid, and whispers that some of those all-important shrines have been damaged.

Then, perhaps, you begin to feel a call. That abandoned and ruined mansion, out in one of the forests... it's strange, but the compulsion to go there grows and grows in one's heart. Especially if you have known battle. What's going on? Perhaps the curse is real, but one won't find out without entering that dark and forboding place...

[OOC: Please date all thread headers, and note if they are open or closed. Thanks! ♥]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Mitsuhide had felt an uncomfortable something mere hours into stepping onto Kumonosu, but it had not been hard to ignore at first. Nothing more than an itch at the back of his mind was not exactly the most urgent of feelings, was it? Besides, there had been trading to tend to and ship repairs to make.

Now, though... two days into their stay here, Mitsuhide finds himself in a patch of forest overlooking the mansion he has been warned about frequently by the locals. He has climbed up into a particularly sturdy tree and taken a seat on the branch, which gives him a good few of the ruin beneath him.

Well. If ruin it can still be called. Because to Mitsuhide's eyes it seems, if not in perfect condition, quite habitable right now. It's hard to know what to make of that fact, considering the local's descriptions of it as a 'complete wreck.'

Mitsuhide knows how to feel about it, at least. Uneasy is not a strong enough word, but it's all that comes to mind as he stares down at the building and curls the fingers of his free hand against his lap. He wants to go inside. He really, really wants to go inside and make sense of the feelings currently gnawing away at his heart. They are opening up still painful wounds and bringing all of the hurt and guilt the young samurai carries with him right to the surface. It's a relentless assault, too, one which Mitsuhide is finding incredibly hard to deal with. But inside there, perhaps, he can... he can...

Can do what?

Mitsuhide shakes his head, closes his eyes and tightens his hand into a fist. He has to resist this urge. It's illogical, it makes no sense and bears no promise. What is he thinking of, even coming here?

It was inevitable that Motochika would find his way to the mansion after the way that the locals spoke of it, even without its supernatural draw -- though that is his primary motivation. Unlike Mitsuhide, Motochika's way of dealing with his restlessness and unease is confrontation. He chooses to follow the pull.

Having travelled independently of Mitsuhide, Motochika does not notice his lover perched in a tree when he arrives on scene. He strides towards the main entrance of the mansion without pause and stops a short distance from it, then cocks his head and swings his shamisen down from its position resting on his shoulder to brace it upright upon the ground. He scrutinises the mansion's exterior soberly.

"Hmm. This is no ruin..." he voices, as he contemplates the wisdom of entering.

Will Mitsuhide forgive him the risk?

'Better that I discuss the prospect with him first,' he concludes, resisting the temptation to be reckless. That does not mean he cannot take a preliminary look at the area. He cannot ignore the sense of boding that currently plagues him.

Mitsuhide's eyes open when he hears the footsteps; when he sees Lord Motochika he does not immediately jump down and pursue him, though the desire to do so is strong. Instead, for a moment, Mitsuhide merely watches his lover.

It doesn't take much to conclude that Motochika has been drawn to the mansion too, but whether the draw was down to feelings or mere curiousity, it's impossible to tell. Mitsuhide hopes it is the latter, even if that reality would annoy him a little (he's never going to approve of endangering one's self for that kind of reason). Motochika being uneasy would be strange, unsettling, worrying... Mitsuhide worries over the other man more than any other. Everything that happened on Mount Tennou has left something in his heart that has never gone away.

Somehow, the urge the enter the mansion grows stronger.

Biting his lip briefly, Mitsuhide jumps down from his tree and calls out softly to Motochika, only just loud enough to be heard.

"My Lord, I did not expect to see you here..."

Mitsuhide' voice, even when so soft, has a way of immediately demanding Motochika's attention -- that is the impact Mitsuhide has upon him. Keeping one hand on the head of his shamisen to keep it balanced, he turns to face Mitsuhide, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I could say the same to you," he remarks with affection, glancing between Mitsuhide and their surroundings as he pieces together his lover's sudden arrival. "We seem to have followed the same course."

His gaze lingers on Mitsuhide's expression, searching: there is a note to Mitsuhide's tone that makes him look for clues in his lover's open face.

"I was just thinking of you."

"Perhaps those thoughts summoned me here."

There is humour in the remark, though any trace of it quickly fades from Mitsuhide's face and voice. He turns to face the mansion, looking upon it with something of a grim expression.

What kind of power lives in this place? The locals have not been specific, beyond warning them away from it.

"The locals speak ill of this place, but it's been on my mind since we first arrived. Even before we heard of it, I felt its pull on some level... I fear going in may do us ill, Lord Motochika, but I cannot bring myself to turn away from its door."

Motochika absorbs the graveness in Mitsuhide's demeanour and the gravity of Mitsuhide's words, the brief smirk brought about by Mitsuhide's tease swiftly straightening out. He returns his shamisen to its former position braced over his shoulder and closes the distance between them, stopping directly infront of his lover.

The mansion looms at his back, but he focuses only on Mitsuhide.

"We have two options: we resist the compulsion that we feel and leave together, or we confront its draw and face the consequences together."

Together is the point he won't compromise on. He can sense that Mitsuhide's mood is one that requires his company to soothe. He inclines his chin.

"I won't deny that I have been tempted to explore this mansion, but the mere thought of causing you distress restrains me."

Though it is a persistent itch at the back of his mind, the pull is nothing compared to his desire to see Mitsuhide's wishes attended.

Mitsuhide looks more troubled than before at those comments. To care for one another, to protect one another, to work as a unit. These things are all part of being in a relationship with someone, something this world has taught him well. But he has seen what Motochika is willing to do for him, and right now, the fear that causes only seems to be getting worse.

Raising both hands, Mitsuhide cups Motochika's face briefly.

"You should not make your choice based on my wishes alone, Lord Motochika."

The hands drop, along with Mitsuhide's gaze. He shakes his head, knowing this is only going to go one way. It's painfully inevitable, isn't it?

"It is clear you won't let me go in alone, and I... I cannot deny that for all the danger, it is something I feel I have to do. Something inside my mind just won't let the matter go, Lord Motochika."

Unlike anyone else, Gakupo felt nothing odd or off about the atmosphere of the island. True, everyone was very kind to them, and that he saw some residents look as if they had seen and been through a lot, but other than that? It didn't seem any more off than that. He had been curious about the mansion, though, and decided to see what it looked like.

It took some walking, and a detour to the smaller shrines, which a few were in a poor state and he didn't touch, before arriving at the mansion. From the outside, it looked like any other abandoned mansion but it seemed creepy enough that he wouldn't even bother to venture in. That is, not until he saw someone from their crew go in. He only saw a glimpse of similar clothing, but he was sure that whomever just closed the door behind them was from the Koumyou.

Why would they go in there?

Gakupo crossed his arms, pondering if he should go in after them while analyzing the mansion from outside.

caught in the spider's web

Mitsuhide, 3rd May, Open

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May 3rd; OPEN