A Night of One-Hundred Tales!

[faithfulflame]

Who: Rei Hino, Tsuzuki Asato, and ANYONE who wants to join in!
What: A Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, or telling ghost stories!
When: October 29th in the evening
Where: Tsukino Shrine
Summary: Rei and Tsuzuki decide to invite people to share ghost stories to celebrate Halloween. There will be food and drinks, and the ghostly interlopers are kept at bay by the shrine's wards to give people a break from hauntings. Turn up and share stories, or listen to them.
Rating: PG-13 at the worst, depending on the story!

It had taken quite a bit of work, but as night fell everything seemed as perfect as they could manage it. The andon were lit, the chairs were arranged in the courtyard, and the wind-screens were in place to keep everyone warm. Rei had thrown open the shrine doors and set out braziers to warm participants, stoking them with embers from the temple's main flames. Food had been laid out, snacks, coolers of cold drinks, and even thermoses of hot water for warm ones. They even had a mirror sitting on the steps of the shrine, reflecting light into the courtyard. Not the most traditional way of doing things, but it's what they had to work with.

The shrine wasn't large enough to house a crowd of more than ten or twelve people inside, but if the crowd was small enough they could move indoors. Everything was set up for a night of storytelling, casual fun, and a little bit of relief from the ghostly visitors that were assailing the villagers.

Guests start arriving around twilight, and Rei can't help but smile as they get underway. This was hopefully going to be a good time for everyone involved.

(OOC: Feel free to assume Tsuzuki or Rei made an announcement about the party. For those not familiar, the goal of a Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai is to share stories with other people. Each time a story is finished, one andon (small lantern) is extinguished and the room steadily gets darker. Feel free to have your character post a story of their own in a comment, and discuss to discuss what's been narrated. Linn and I would love to have characters share ghost stories from all sorts of worlds, scary or silly. I hope you guys enjoy this!)

Comments

[faithfulflame]

[Rei returns Tsuzuki's smile with one of her own as she sweeps up some stuff into a small pile. Easier to pick up that way]

I did too. I'm glad we thought to do it, really. It makes things feel a bit more like home, rather than being somewhere...strange.

[idealism]

[Teamwork! Besides, if they do it this way it will take less time to clean up.]

Yes, exactly. Just because they took us away from home doesn't mean they can take home away from us as easily.

When he said that I thought immediately of Firefly

[faithfulflame]

[Rei's smile warms up a bit, and she nods in agreement once more]

Of course. We can't let them take away who we are. This is part of who we are. Not just as people from Japan, but people with a spiritual nature.

FIREFLY <3 aww man that's a big compliment

[idealism]

[Something about how she says it, or perhaps the tone of her voice, reminds Tsuzuki inexplicably of his sister. His eyes darken to a deep purple as his smile turns more genuine. He's really, really glad he's met her when he did.]

Mhm. It would be a real shame to forget.

Take my love, take my land...

[faithfulflame]

Yes, it would.

[Rei notes the change in his expression, and raises an eyebrow. It seems rude to ask, but thinks he might want her to.]

Is something wrong?

I don't care, I'm still free ~

[idealism]

[He hesitates.]

Do you have a big family back home?

^_^

[faithfulflame]

No. I've got my Grandfather. And I don't speak to my father.

[That's it, really. But when she says the word father, her tongue curls contemptuously.]

[idealism]

[He honestly didn't expect an answer like that. His eyes widen, before he finally catches himself.]

Why not?

[faithfulflame]

[Rei turns away, scowling at the thought]

He's too busy for family. I'd rather not talk about him right now.

Why do you want to know about my family?

[idealism]

I see.

[She sounds so angry. Whatever happened between her and her father, it must have really hurt her.]

You made me think of mine, that is all. So I got curious.

[faithfulflame]

Oh?

[It's really all she can say, but she turns back to face him, letting out a sigh.]

Sorry...I didn't mean to take it out on you.

[idealism]

No, no. It's okay.

[He means that. Rei wasn't terribly curt, so it's water under the bridge as far as he's concerned.]

I'm sorry your dad's disappointed you. You deserve a good one.

[faithfulflame]

It's not your fault.

[Rei attempts to change the subject, obviously slightly uncomfortable]</small? How do I remind you of your family?

[idealism]

[He'll gladly let her change the subject since it seems to be too personal. Tsuzuki still files it away in the back of his mind. Maybe he'll find more out about her family later. He shuffles some paper together and puts it away.]

You remind me a little of my sister. She had a strong spirit, too.

[faithfulflame]

Your sister?

[Rei gives him a surprised look. That's a new one]

How so? And what was she like?

[idealism]

She had a strong heart. Much stronger than me, as we grew up.

[He means it as a compliment, although perhaps it doesn't come out that way.]

And she taught me so much. Even though she wasn't that much older than me, I felt like she knew as much as a grown-up.

[faithfulflame]

Oh.

[She takes it as a compliment, honestly.]

And...I remind you of her how?

[idealism]

[The floor is starting to look clean. Tsuzuki smiles to himself, brushing the dust off of his pants-leg as he gets up.]

You have a strong heart, Rei.

[faithfulflame]

[Rei watches him for a long moment, not saying anything. Tsuzuki was a decent man, he'd proven that. So for the first time since they'd started working, she smiled genuinely, and without reservation. One hand reached out for his arm and she looked him squarely in the eye]

Thank you, Tsuzuki-san. You're a kind man.

[idealism]

[Tsuzuki's eyes widens. He gets the feeling that Rei doesn't give out compliments easily, which makes her comment all the sweeter. After holding her gaze long enough that it was apparent that he doesn't take her words lightly, Tsuzuki ducks his head bashfully for a moment, patting her hand.]

...Thank you.

[faithfulflame]

[She pulls back and nods, giving him a long look before shifting her weight and dropping the last of the trash into a shrine's garbage can.]

I think we're done here for the night. Thank you again for the help.

[She pauses, smiling]

It's a bit late...would you mind walking me home?

[idealism]

[He was smiling before, but now he's smiling warmly. It's so important to reminded that you're useful, and lately Tsuzuki's felt a little out of place. Realizing that it's okay to be protective of her, he nods weakly, closing his eyes. It's good to be able to do normal things again, like walking friends home.]

Of course. I'd be delighted to.