Catharsis: The Shrine of Singing Frogs! (Open)
Sept 17, 2016 4:48:43 GMT
Post by amitybaldwin on Sept 17, 2016 4:48:43 GMT
To the common outsider, the woman was fierce and unapproachable, yet calm and collected. She did her duties without question and worked hard to maintain her own shrine. The Shrine was something she worked hard to earn, and worked hard to maintain.
The woman known as Keiko Kawashiki continued her duties as a responsible shrine maiden would. She helped people who visited, kept the offering box readily available, and kept the grounds clean and secure for all visitors, both human and animal. It was especially welcoming of frogs, the home-made pounds and lily pads meant for them specifically. The frogs were a comfort for her, since their singing at night would help lull her to sleep.
To the common outsider, the woman was fierce and unapproachable, yet calm and collected, simply sweeping the main path to her shrine. But on the inside, she was getting eaten up with anxiety. It's already been several weeks since her daughters disappearance, and already she was beginning to doubt the local authorities in their ability to find her missing daughter. The only thing anyone could agree with was that it was an apparent kidnapping. The mess her room was left in the day she disappeared was proof of that. If it wasn't for the potential chance that she would have gotten a call or even her daughter coming home, Keiko would have closed up shop and looked for her daughter herself. Even a call from a potential kidnapper demanding hostage pay would have been relieving. The she'd know who to lash out at.
As things were, she was beginning to wonder if there was any hope.
Gods... if you're listening today... The anxiety is killing me... I need something, a sign, a piece of hope, something to tell me that my daughter will be alright and will come home safe. Please, give me something...
"Ex-excuse me..."
The voice nearly caught her off guard. She looked up and noticed a very small girl, dark skinned, and looking very out of place. More than that, she spoke in English. A tourist?
"Um... forgive me if I'm being rude," said the tourist girl, still in English, "My name is Amity Baldwin, and I was hoping I could talk to a... Keiko Kawashiki?"
Keiko's eyes went wide at the girl mentioning a name she recognize. Her daughter had a friend by that name, an online friend. Now she remembered, her online friend was going to be part of the transfer school program, and Lucero was planning on spending time with her. Of all the times for her online friend to appear?
No, maybe this was meant to be. She could tell just by looking at Amity that the little girl was dying of concern. She must be looking for Lucero too. Was this suppose to be the answer the Gods would give her?
I don't know what you're planning, Gods, Keiko thought to herself, But I'll follow your lead...
"Hello," Keiko replied in Japanese, "Welcome to the Kawashiki Shrine. How may I be of assistance?" Amity's look of confusion left Keiko in equal confusion. Surely Amity knew some Japanese since she was in such close contact with Lucero, right?
"Um... which way to the bathroom?" said Amity in the only line of Japanese she knew.
That was everything Keiko needed to know.
Gods, if this is some kind of joke, I swear, I will invoke Amaterasu's wrath on all divinity involved...
At least Amity seemed to have come up with a solution. Her phone very awkwardly allowed her to write in Japanese using a translator.
"Sorry, not much of a Japanese talker..." said the written message. Amity held out her hand gently, as though expecting Keiko to take it. Thankfully Keiko figured out what to do.
"It's fine. Be lucky I'm one of those adults that actually knows how to use those new phones." she wrote back as a joke. She could tell that Amity needed the tension breaker. As Keiko handed the phone back to Amity, she looked up to see if there would be anyone else who would arrive. If they did, they would have to take priority. She couldn't afford to waste time on a tourist who couldn't speak the local language. It was cruel, yes, but she needed to keep her business going.
The woman known as Keiko Kawashiki continued her duties as a responsible shrine maiden would. She helped people who visited, kept the offering box readily available, and kept the grounds clean and secure for all visitors, both human and animal. It was especially welcoming of frogs, the home-made pounds and lily pads meant for them specifically. The frogs were a comfort for her, since their singing at night would help lull her to sleep.
To the common outsider, the woman was fierce and unapproachable, yet calm and collected, simply sweeping the main path to her shrine. But on the inside, she was getting eaten up with anxiety. It's already been several weeks since her daughters disappearance, and already she was beginning to doubt the local authorities in their ability to find her missing daughter. The only thing anyone could agree with was that it was an apparent kidnapping. The mess her room was left in the day she disappeared was proof of that. If it wasn't for the potential chance that she would have gotten a call or even her daughter coming home, Keiko would have closed up shop and looked for her daughter herself. Even a call from a potential kidnapper demanding hostage pay would have been relieving. The she'd know who to lash out at.
As things were, she was beginning to wonder if there was any hope.
Gods... if you're listening today... The anxiety is killing me... I need something, a sign, a piece of hope, something to tell me that my daughter will be alright and will come home safe. Please, give me something...
"Ex-excuse me..."
The voice nearly caught her off guard. She looked up and noticed a very small girl, dark skinned, and looking very out of place. More than that, she spoke in English. A tourist?
"Um... forgive me if I'm being rude," said the tourist girl, still in English, "My name is Amity Baldwin, and I was hoping I could talk to a... Keiko Kawashiki?"
Keiko's eyes went wide at the girl mentioning a name she recognize. Her daughter had a friend by that name, an online friend. Now she remembered, her online friend was going to be part of the transfer school program, and Lucero was planning on spending time with her. Of all the times for her online friend to appear?
No, maybe this was meant to be. She could tell just by looking at Amity that the little girl was dying of concern. She must be looking for Lucero too. Was this suppose to be the answer the Gods would give her?
I don't know what you're planning, Gods, Keiko thought to herself, But I'll follow your lead...
"Hello," Keiko replied in Japanese, "Welcome to the Kawashiki Shrine. How may I be of assistance?" Amity's look of confusion left Keiko in equal confusion. Surely Amity knew some Japanese since she was in such close contact with Lucero, right?
"Um... which way to the bathroom?" said Amity in the only line of Japanese she knew.
That was everything Keiko needed to know.
Gods, if this is some kind of joke, I swear, I will invoke Amaterasu's wrath on all divinity involved...
At least Amity seemed to have come up with a solution. Her phone very awkwardly allowed her to write in Japanese using a translator.
"Sorry, not much of a Japanese talker..." said the written message. Amity held out her hand gently, as though expecting Keiko to take it. Thankfully Keiko figured out what to do.
"It's fine. Be lucky I'm one of those adults that actually knows how to use those new phones." she wrote back as a joke. She could tell that Amity needed the tension breaker. As Keiko handed the phone back to Amity, she looked up to see if there would be anyone else who would arrive. If they did, they would have to take priority. She couldn't afford to waste time on a tourist who couldn't speak the local language. It was cruel, yes, but she needed to keep her business going.