[Aikawa comes to. He's lying on ground that feels like compressed dirt and leaves, dressed in clothing that might be a little strange to him. Dawn appears to be on its way, though the air is heavy with the feeling of an oncoming rain. Barring the light of a halved moon overhead, it's a thin darkness that feels like it could be broken at any moment.
There's a knapsack next to where he'd been lying, which looks to be a little clearing tucked away in a thicket of bushes and bramble. In almost all directions, a dark forest sprawls outward, seemingly endless. It's silent and still, save for the chirp of insects and the occasional croak of a frog.
The only thing visible in the area he's sitting is a large, wooden building set with its back toward another slope of trees, which appear to lead in the direction of a mountain that looms just barely visible in the distance. It doesn't seem like anyone is around. From where he is, he likely won't be able to pick out many details.
the first thing he does is just lie there for a while. Staring up at the sky and the forest leaves above him and wondering to himself 'what the fuck'. Not this shit again. Except the 'not this shit again' isn't about it being a CYOA, it's about him waking up in weird places.
Anyway he'll slowly sit up and rub his head a little, just a tiny bit annoyed -- removing his mask briefly just to shake out and check that there's no dirt lodged up in it, only to realise... it is not his mask. What the fuck is this?
... ]
What the fuck?
[ WHAT THE FUCK. Well he'll just kind of grab at the knapsack then, what is in this? ]
Anyway, knapsack! His knapsack is kind of heavy. Once he's opened it up, he'll find a piece of paper inside, a bag of silver coins, some folded paperwork, and a key. The paper is small, and the writing on it is easily visible. It says, in a shaky and blotchy hand:]
Captain,
The body lies east of the watcher's nest, toward the far side of the field. You may want to wait until rainfall, or it will sniff you out.
I will be waiting for you in Tama. Please bring our Commander home.
As Aikawa is reading and the moonlight shifts through clouds overhead, his eye might catch something glinting from the foliage nearby.]
Well, why not. He'll keep this. Do his current clothes have pockets btw? He is looking over this... huh. Well, he doesn't know which way is east, but maybe... maybe something will tell him eventually...
Such as this piece of glinting whatever. Suppose he'll just... wear this new mask around his neck for now as he gets up off the ground proper, and will start heading towards this foliage. Peekaboo??? What are you. ]
[He does have pockets, good work Aikawa's pockets. He can stash his fresh and nice money away in there if he wants.
There are two things in the foliage when he goes to rummage around, though! One is a shovel, propped up against the tree. It's Aikawa-sized for convenience so it's not like sweet Aikawa has to go digging around with a little toothpick.
There's also a sheathed sword on the ground, the size of an oodachi. Another bigass item, just for Aikawa! Wow. Almost like they're his belongings to begin with.]
[ Wowie! He will keep the key on his person just in case, and the note for easy access, but keep the coins inside the knapsack before tucking that away.
You really could've let me just , but thank you for giving him a MASSIVE shovel. But wowie again! So much loot! He misses his knife but he supposes this will do, even though this isn't his normal style.
He huffs a little to himself. Well, he has no idea what's going on, but based on his ridiculous clothes, it might be one of those adventures... though he doesn't understand why he's alone, this time. It's good to stay equipped with defensive materials though so he'll stick the shovel handle in his obi so it can hang from there, and hoist this oodachi-sized bastard sword. ]
Oof -- ! This is why I keep it light and simple -- !
[ IT BIG. Okay, now he will look around... can he see any path that he can follow? ]
[i was nice to aikawa this time but next time...... next time...
There is indeed a path! In the moonlight, he'll be able to see from his little circle of shrubbery that there's a trail leading from his side of the woods over toward the wooden building, which rests inside of a large clearing.
The building itself is set somewhat far back, closer to the woods on the opposite side of the clearing. To its left, there's an enormous field of dirt, with what looks to be a fence lining its perimeter. One sole watch tower stands between the field and the building.
A distant rumble of thunder rolls in from overhead, though the clouds aren't thick enough to indicate it will rain just yet.]
[ Clenches my fist... I WANNA DIG............. but Aikawa isn't the type to go around doing stupid things first over objectives when the situation feels kinda serious. So he'll kinda toddle down this trail... and looks at this building. Hmm. ]
Hello?
[ ...He'll walk over to the home and knock on the door. ]
The first thing he'll notice once he gets closer is that the wooden building probably doesn't look very home-like. In fact, it's very large and seems unusually fortified, like the barracks of an army. The barracks of an army whose door he sure just knocked on!
There's some noise from deep within the hall, and what sounds like someone's voice. Light begins to seep through the cracks between the wood, and before long, the door swings open. It reveals a young man whose countenance is stern, holding a small candle in one hand. The other rests against the hilt of the blade at his side. Even in the middle of the night, he's dressed crisply in what appears to be a military uniform. His eyes narrow at the sight of this WEIRD DUDE IN A WEIRD MASK though.]
...You intended to seek out the camp?
[He asks in a way that implies he's, like. Not entirely sure. Spies are weird? Maybe that's what's happening here?? Bro he's an intern.]
[Fortunately Aikawa is large enough that the wholeass oodachi fits behind his back pretty well, even though this soldier is literally just standing there like (eyes narrow) about this entire situation. Maybe this is an... enemy spy??? But, like. What kind of spy would do this? Isn't this so obviously weird that anyone would give it a second glance? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of trying to be sneaky?? But maybe that's the true spy technique! Oh damn, this guy might be high level...
Is how this soldier's thoughts are carrying on. His expression is serious, but his brain is empty.
Unfortunately for Aikawa, his suspicion levels are high enough that he does have the braincell to ask one thing, moving his hand from his sword to hold it out.]
[ Yeah he's very weird mister sir-san. Sometimes you should just accept that people are weird and maybe harmless even though he's 6'8" and therefore guaranteed to be like twice of your height if this manga were realistic.
He waits patiently while the guy plays 4D chess. And very innocently: ]
[This man shoulda been the actor sent out to get Virgo honestly...]
—Kidnapped?! [LIKE, WHAT. First of all who would kidnap a bozo that looks like this, and second of all. HUH.
Though it does seem to make sense to Kronk, for some reason. He opens the door a little more, and from the crack, Aikawa will be able to see that it does indeed look like barracks on the inside, too! Though the front area that he's currently looking into is more like an office space. There's another soldier sitting at a low table off to the side, who appears to periodically be giving the front door his attention, but otherwise the interior of the building seems empty up on this end.]
[ He does a tiny wave hello. Hi soldier sir I am a normal guy. ]
I don't know, I just kind of woke up in the middle of the forest over there, maybe about ten, fifteen minutes ago?
[ POINTS WHERE HE CAME FROM. ]
And I just followed the path here. Can you guide me to the nearest town or city or whatever? I think the sooner I can get back, the probably better. What is this anyway, like... some kind of station?
[Kuronku-dono, sixth of his line, squints out toward the forest in order to get a better look at where this dude came from but it's pretty far back!! Also, the moonlight has almost completely been obscured thanks to the rainclouds which have continued to gather throughout all of this. It looks like it might rain at any moment.]
If you've been kidnapped, then you need to make a report!
[The soldier says this somewhat incredulously, and perhaps he is rethinking his idea that this guy is some sort of masterful spy. This guy seems more like a dingdong, if he doesn't even know to report his kidnappers. Geez!]
This is the barracks of the New Government Force's Ijichi-dono's unit, and the nearest town is three ri away. You won't make it to their police before the rain hits. You should file your report here, first.
Okay Kronk is stupid but unfortunately he's not stupid enough that his alarm bells aren't entirely triggered by this, considering that 1) said "pile of dirt" is the execution ground of high profile enemies and 2) Tama happens to be the hometown of one of the high profile enemies that they recently executed there. SIR.
The suspicious look that had somewhat abated is back in full force, but! He thinks to himself, damn. Maybe I can be the sneaky one now.]
...Alright then, sir. If you'd please come with me, I'll show you to the paperwork that you'll need to file.
[Rudely, he doesn't even address those other questions. Wow. Instead, he just opens the door wider and gestures Aikawa in.]
[THERE'S GONNA BE NO END TO BULLYING THE AMNESIACS AROUND HERE. The soldier just gives Aikawa an incredulous look, before gesturing with his free hand more emphatically.]
[He can lean and peer, yes! There only appears to be that one dude who seems more or less wrapped up in his own paperwork, and this guy who's impatiently standing to the side of the door and waiting for Aikawa to come in.
With the door open more widely, it's clear that this front area is something of an office, with a few low tables and desks with piles of paper and maps. Candles keep it all decently lit, and since the windows are drawn shut for the encroaching storm, they maintain steady light rather than flickering.]
[Welcome to the lowass ceilings of the 1860s Japan wow why is this guy so HUGE ACTUALLY. Now that his entire towering frame is in here, the soldier sitting at the table glances over with a furrowed brow like "what". The ceiling is tragically not Aikawa-sized, unlike his trusty shovel (where did that even go actually) and sword, which means he's definitely going to be doing some neck gymnastics to escape just having his head bust through the roof.
The soldier leading him over toward a desk at the side makes a bit of a baffled face at that comment, though.]
I'll grab another candle, if you need one. [He simply doesn't know that it's not Aikawa's eyesight, it's their own olde tech.
Anyway he's also leaning over to rummage through the top drawer of that desk, pulling out a stack of some fancy official-looking paperwork and gesturing for Aikawa to take a seat in an uncomfortable and small-looking wooden chair.]
We'll need you to fill this out fully. Remember as much as you can from those travel papers.
[Unless stopped, he'll turn after that, presumably to go get that extra candle.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
TAILS
There's a knapsack next to where he'd been lying, which looks to be a little clearing tucked away in a thicket of bushes and bramble. In almost all directions, a dark forest sprawls outward, seemingly endless. It's silent and still, save for the chirp of insects and the occasional croak of a frog.
The only thing visible in the area he's sitting is a large, wooden building set with its back toward another slope of trees, which appear to lead in the direction of a mountain that looms just barely visible in the distance. It doesn't seem like anyone is around. From where he is, he likely won't be able to pick out many details.
What first, lad?]
no subject
the first thing he does is just lie there for a while. Staring up at the sky and the forest leaves above him and wondering to himself 'what the fuck'. Not this shit again. Except the 'not this shit again' isn't about it being a CYOA, it's about him waking up in weird places.
Anyway he'll slowly sit up and rub his head a little, just a tiny bit annoyed -- removing his mask briefly just to shake out and check that there's no dirt lodged up in it, only to realise... it is not his mask. What the fuck is this?
... ]
What the fuck?
[ WHAT THE FUCK. Well he'll just kind of grab at the knapsack then, what is in this? ]
no subject
Anyway, knapsack! His knapsack is kind of heavy. Once he's opened it up, he'll find a piece of paper inside, a bag of silver coins, some folded paperwork, and a key. The paper is small, and the writing on it is easily visible. It says, in a shaky and blotchy hand:]
Captain,
The body lies east of the watcher's nest, toward the far side of the field. You may want to wait until rainfall, or it will sniff you out.
I will be waiting for you in Tama. Please bring our Commander home.
As Aikawa is reading and the moonlight shifts through clouds overhead, his eye might catch something glinting from the foliage nearby.]
no subject
Money.
Well, why not. He'll keep this. Do his current clothes have pockets btw? He is looking over this... huh. Well, he doesn't know which way is east, but maybe... maybe something will tell him eventually...
Such as this piece of glinting whatever. Suppose he'll just... wear this new mask around his neck for now as he gets up off the ground proper, and will start heading towards this foliage. Peekaboo??? What are you. ]
no subject
There are two things in the foliage when he goes to rummage around, though! One is a shovel, propped up against the tree. It's Aikawa-sized for convenience so it's not like sweet Aikawa has to go digging around with a little toothpick.
There's also a sheathed sword on the ground, the size of an oodachi. Another bigass item, just for Aikawa! Wow. Almost like they're his belongings to begin with.]
no subject
You really could've let me just
He huffs a little to himself. Well, he has no idea what's going on, but based on his ridiculous clothes, it might be one of those adventures... though he doesn't understand why he's alone, this time. It's good to stay equipped with defensive materials though so he'll stick the shovel handle in his obi so it can hang from there, and hoist this oodachi-sized bastard sword. ]
Oof -- ! This is why I keep it light and simple -- !
[ IT BIG. Okay, now he will look around... can he see any path that he can follow? ]
no subject
There is indeed a path! In the moonlight, he'll be able to see from his little circle of shrubbery that there's a trail leading from his side of the woods over toward the wooden building, which rests inside of a large clearing.
The building itself is set somewhat far back, closer to the woods on the opposite side of the clearing. To its left, there's an enormous field of dirt, with what looks to be a fence lining its perimeter. One sole watch tower stands between the field and the building.
A distant rumble of thunder rolls in from overhead, though the clouds aren't thick enough to indicate it will rain just yet.]
no subject
Hello?
[ ...He'll walk over to the home and knock on the door. ]
no subject
The first thing he'll notice once he gets closer is that the wooden building probably doesn't look very home-like. In fact, it's very large and seems unusually fortified, like the barracks of an army. The barracks of an army whose door he sure just knocked on!
There's some noise from deep within the hall, and what sounds like someone's voice. Light begins to seep through the cracks between the wood, and before long, the door swings open. It reveals a young man whose countenance is stern, holding a small candle in one hand. The other rests against the hilt of the blade at his side. Even in the middle of the night, he's dressed crisply in what appears to be a military uniform. His eyes narrow at the sight of this WEIRD DUDE IN A WEIRD MASK though.]
...You intended to seek out the camp?
[He asks in a way that implies he's, like. Not entirely sure. Spies are weird? Maybe that's what's happening here?? Bro he's an intern.]
no subject
...
...
...
Yyyyyyyyyyyes?
[ He looks down at himself and hides the big ol' sword behind his back. ]
...I'm gonna be honest, I just woke up in the middle of the woods. Uh, can I get some directions? Like, which way is east?
no subject
Is how this soldier's thoughts are carrying on. His expression is serious, but his brain is empty.
Unfortunately for Aikawa, his suspicion levels are high enough that he does have the braincell to ask one thing, moving his hand from his sword to hold it out.]
I'll have to see your travel papers first.
no subject
He waits patiently while the guy plays 4D chess. And very innocently: ]
My wha-huh hah?
no subject
Your travel papers. [As if repeating that will help???] You must have them, if you've even ended up this far into this area.
no subject
[ THE BULLSHITTING BEGINS NOW EXCEPT IT'S NOT REALLY BULLSHITTING ]
no subject
—Kidnapped?! [LIKE, WHAT. First of all who would kidnap a bozo that looks like this, and second of all. HUH.
Though it does seem to make sense to Kronk, for some reason. He opens the door a little more, and from the crack, Aikawa will be able to see that it does indeed look like barracks on the inside, too! Though the front area that he's currently looking into is more like an office space. There's another soldier sitting at a low table off to the side, who appears to periodically be giving the front door his attention, but otherwise the interior of the building seems empty up on this end.]
By who?! Just now?
no subject
I don't know, I just kind of woke up in the middle of the forest over there, maybe about ten, fifteen minutes ago?
[ POINTS WHERE HE CAME FROM. ]
And I just followed the path here. Can you guide me to the nearest town or city or whatever? I think the sooner I can get back, the probably better. What is this anyway, like... some kind of station?
no subject
If you've been kidnapped, then you need to make a report!
[The soldier says this somewhat incredulously, and perhaps he is rethinking his idea that this guy is some sort of masterful spy. This guy seems more like a dingdong, if he doesn't even know to report his kidnappers. Geez!]
This is the barracks of the New Government Force's Ijichi-dono's unit, and the nearest town is three ri away. You won't make it to their police before the rain hits. You should file your report here, first.
no subject
[ Technically not NOT true? ]
By the way, what's with the pile of dirt over there?
Also do you know a place called Tama? It's... uhh, the only name I remember!
no subject
Okay Kronk is stupid but unfortunately he's not stupid enough that his alarm bells aren't entirely triggered by this, considering that 1) said "pile of dirt" is the execution ground of high profile enemies and 2) Tama happens to be the hometown of one of the high profile enemies that they recently executed there. SIR.
The suspicious look that had somewhat abated is back in full force, but! He thinks to himself, damn. Maybe I can be the sneaky one now.]
...Alright then, sir. If you'd please come with me, I'll show you to the paperwork that you'll need to file.
[Rudely, he doesn't even address those other questions. Wow. Instead, he just opens the door wider and gestures Aikawa in.]
no subject
[ STOP ]
no subject
I can answer your questions inside, sir.
no subject
Well, if shit goes south, he only sees two...
He's leaning to the side a little and peering in, can he see anyone else first? He's being subtle and at least looking like he'll comply. ]
no subject
With the door open more widely, it's clear that this front area is something of an office, with a few low tables and desks with piles of paper and maps. Candles keep it all decently lit, and since the windows are drawn shut for the encroaching storm, they maintain steady light rather than flickering.]
This way, please.
no subject
[ Okie he will enter, exsqueeze me sir as he will kinda waddle in. ]
Dark in here, huh!
[ Stop dissing their ye olde technology. ]
So...?
no subject
The soldier leading him over toward a desk at the side makes a bit of a baffled face at that comment, though.]
I'll grab another candle, if you need one. [He simply doesn't know that it's not Aikawa's eyesight, it's their own olde tech.
Anyway he's also leaning over to rummage through the top drawer of that desk, pulling out a stack of some fancy official-looking paperwork and gesturing for Aikawa to take a seat in an uncomfortable and small-looking wooden chair.]
We'll need you to fill this out fully. Remember as much as you can from those travel papers.
[Unless stopped, he'll turn after that, presumably to go get that extra candle.]
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