Sakura arrived to the Sanctuary, clutching tons of stuff (okay, one stuff), ready to discuss with Kioku, awaiting the others as well.

Dai was not long in arriving offering a friendly nod to Sakura.

Sumiko had arrived soon after, giving the two a smile and a bow.

"Good afternoon mina-san. I hope you are both well?"

Kiyoshi, with the Detective clinging to his back, walked up to join the others, greeting them with a quick bow.

Kioku, having received a message about their success the day before (or so the GM assumes!), meets the group with an almost childlike smile and a very respectful bow at the entrance of the Spine Drake Centre. She invites you to a meeting room inside, similar to the one you were in before. A window opens to a garden where some Spine Drakes are playing, or training, with some of the other staff, but the sounds coming from outside are barely audible - you expect the same to happen with your words while you're inside.

"Minasan... first of all, I thank all of you with all my heart. It's hard to say how much this means to me", she says, looking at the Rainbow Olm sample on a table close to all of you. "You said there were... issues, though, ne?"

Dai, having taken a seat, nods but leaves it to one of the more spiritually literate to properly explain matters.

"We encountered a number of spirits, Soshi-sama, who appeared to be connected to the samples." Kiyoshi explained.

Kitsune Kiyoshi wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 24, 2022 4:48 pm

"We encountered a number of spirits, Soshi-sama, who appeared to be connected to the samples." Kiyoshi explained.

She takes her hand to her chin, thoughtful. "Hm. I see..." She looks at the sample. "They weren't the... more usual spirits found in the Desolation, then?"

"They were pretty eerie, and well...scary. Lots of bugs and moths." Sakura offered helpfully. "And the lab was definitely haunted. We managed to get out, thankfully."

She eyed the sample. "Though beware Soshi-sama, as the samples we found seemed to be cursed, including that one."

"There were spirits who had most likely been in the lab when they died." He passed her the recording he'd made. "I haven't watched it, so I don't know if the recording worked. But, this is for you."

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 24, 2022 5:04 pm

"They were pretty eerie, and well...scary. Lots of bugs and moths." Sakura offered helpfully. "And the lab was definitely haunted. We managed to get out, thankfully."

She eyed the sample. "Though beware Soshi-sama, as the samples we found seemed to be cursed, including that one."

"The bugs and moths were normal... well, normal for the Desolation. But the lab definitely had other spirits and they did seem linked to the samples."

Kitsune Kiyoshi wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 24, 2022 5:06 pm

"There were spirits who had most likely been in the lab when they died." He passed her the recording he'd made. "I haven't watched it, so I don't know if the recording worked. But, this is for you."

Dai, also, presents a datadisk, "And these are your personal files that I was able to salvage... yours and Omoi's. Uh... there's also a slideshow of your videos with her but we'll get to that."

"The bugs and moths, as well as the large creature we saw as we left, are creatures of Gaki-Do. I don't believe what happened in the lab was Gaki-Do related however, it doesn't fit how creatures of Gaki-Do act. That seemed more like paranormal than anything spirit realm related. When we touched the other samples, what came out seemed to be...well, based on what the creatures held within the samples would do."

Sumiko unpacked her bag, putting a different sample on the table - the silk one.

"Upon touching this previously for example, I was attacked by some manner of ghostly spiritual spider, so cursed also. That it took the form of a creature involved in its creation I find incredibly suspicious."

Dai nods, "I'm not so sure suspicious is the right word. They seemed angry at their extinction, especially as it felt like many blamed humans for it... likely with some merit. I just wonder if their taunts were directed at us as individuals or as representatives of our species."

She looks at Sakura, seemingly worried, some of that wistfulness you've all seen so often returing for a moment, but she quickly shrugs it off, looking at the sample.

"...Cursed? I suppose with all the presence of Gaki-do in the area it should be expected... but"

She takes a single step toward the table with the sample, but soon stops. Kiyoshi's words hit... something inside her.

"Spirits who... had been in the laboratory?"

She takes the recording carefully, then the datadisk Dai presents. Looks at them, slowly, thoughtfully.

She hears Sumiko and Dai's conversation, but her mind seems to be elsewhere.

She goes pale for a moment, but soon, shaking her head slightly, seems to contrl herself. She turns to them both. "So... the spirits there, they weren't the usual ones. But... they... weren't Gaki, then? Or... at least not all of them?"

"What you just said, Dai-san... they said they were angry at their extinction?"

She falls silent. Thinks. "... hungering for life, maybe..." Then, looking at them. "They could be Gaki... Angry at their fate, hungry for the life ripped away from them. But they being tied to the samples... how exactly, I wonder...?"

I... just hope not all of them were Gaki...", she says, somewhat sad.

She looks at the recording again, then at the samples.

"My thanks for warning me about the curse, minasan. Have you... done any further studying of the sample so far, by any chance? And you mentioned other samples, Susumu-san?"

Sumiko shook her head.

"I suspect with enough time the ghosts that haunt the lab will be fully corrupted by the essence of Gaki-Do, so something must be done in the very near future to resolve the spiritual imbalance that haunts that area."

She looked to the sample she had put on the table.

"There were six samples, I wasn't able to bring back all six. I know Utaku-sama also collected some. As for work on them? I haven't done anything at all, as I don't believe even with my research ability I could do this alone. The curse is more spiritual in nature, it would require assistance from a priest to fully cleanse it."

She looked back at Kioku, smiling.

"There are two priests here, between the five of us we could attempt to cleanse this one and if it works we know the procedure for the others right?"

"I have managed to remove the curse from this sample with the help of a friendly priestess."

Sakura put forward her blacksilk sample. "I believe it can be developed into the product it was intended." She hesitated. "The Rainbow Ohm, though might have a more powerful curse on it.

"I know only a little of the spirit realms and their denizens." Kiyoshi spoke up. "Too little to be of much assistance with the curses, I'm afraid. However, the spirits we encountered didn't all appear to be the same. Most seemed angry and menacing, but only threatened us directly once we acquired the samples and when we began to leave. One, we were able to reason with. One, seemed happier in the end and left us."

"I'm sorry, Soshi-sama, I don't know what's happened to her. But, we told her we would bring the olm back. I will help with that in any way I can."

"If need be, I know of someone who might be able to help, for some method of compensation, of course. Favors owed perhaps." She sort of let it out.

The researcher heard Sumiko's words attentively, then answers shaking her head slightly. "With the laboratory in the middle of the Desolation, I very much doubt there is anything we could do, at least in the near future..." Another slight shake, then she looks at the sample again.

"So... you've secured other samples. And" she looks at Sakura "you succeeded in dealing with the curse in one of them already, then?" A slight smile, thankful. "I'm glad to hear that." She thinks for a moment then asks. "During your work, Hotaru-san, did your friend mention anything more specific she noticed about the curse? It might help us here if so."

In a lower voice. "As I said in our last meeting, recovering this" - She points to the Rainbow Olm sample - "was my main concern. Depending on what else you found, the Sanctuary and I might be thankful if you return it. We worked with other rare species..." she says, thoughtful.

But then she hears Kiyoshi's words, and her train of thought is completely lost.

What happened to Her.

The word resonated inside her head.

"She... seemed happy, you said, Kitsune-san?" A smile grows on her lips, first weak, doubtful, then slowly taking over her face. A tear starts welling up on one eye, and she's unable to contain it.

She looks at the recording again.

Play

An echo from the past wrote:
Omoi
"Oh, so she can bring them back?" She looks at Kiyoshi, pleading eyes. "Could... could I leave a message to her, then? Could... could you tell her I miss her? And... ask her to bring them back if she can? I... would like that very much. And... I would like... to see her one more time..."

The flow of tears continues through an otherwise contained face. Her attempts to control them can only go so far.

The voice of hope wrote:
Omoi
"Okaasan, I... I love you very much, you know that? I... I hope I can see you again!"

She closes her eyes. The smile you see on her face is purer than any emotion any of you have ever seen on her face, even though the acute pain of missing her daughter is still palpable. "I love you too, Omoi-chan. I love you so very much!", you might hear her whisper.

She looks at the Datadisk Dai gave her, wipes her face with the back of her hand and puts it into a pocket. She's clearly glad for all you've done... but there are pressing matters.

"Kitsune-san. Dai-san. Minasan. I... really can't thank you enough.", she says, her voice trembling with contained emotion. She looks at the sample again. "Hotaru-san... you said the curse in this one might be stronger. Anything your experience with the sample you and your friend worked in might help before we set to this?"

Dai nods at the thanks and speaks softly in return, "The slideshow on the disk... it's running on the lab systems as well for as long as they stay active. She's able to watch it too. So you can watch it together even if you can't be with one another. I think it helps anchor her in who she was instead of the influence of the area... but I'm not a priest."