thehometree | Glimmer, glitter, shine...

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Glimmer, glitter, shine...

One by one, new adventurers now arrive in the Tree. As one gain wings and rises to the second floor, another light brings in the next person. Soon, a steady stream of people from all kinds of worlds, times and realities come to join the others. Whether confused, angry, excited or scared, your arrival is welcomed with nothing but joy as the fireflies and glow worms descend to greet their new friends.

The Tree offers no explanation and no reason, but the truth is undeniable.

As you will soon realize, it isn't easy to be tiny.

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Yoshitsugu dipped his head briefly in response to the greeting, glancing over the young woman in front of him before making a response. Young was the key word here; her apparent composure considering the situation was especially impressive considering the age she seemed to be.

"Perhaps," he said eventually, tone even and calm. "I have yet to see any clues about the location of this place."

A pause, and then Yoshitsugu added:

"It is not my homeland."

Something of a charitable clarification by his standards, but he had his reasons for it.

Well, this person was at least wearing something familiar... somewhat familiar. A little ~~Koei~~ overelaborate, but definitely Japanese. "I think we would need to explore outside to know that, but it might be hard to gain sufficient perspective at this size," she said. He seemed to be remarkably calm, which was nice.

"My name is Hououji Fuu," she said, bowing. "May I ask yours?"

"It will also be extremely dangerous," Yoshitsugu pointed out, his tone matter-of-fact. "No doubt that there will be countless dangers and threats to our life beyond this tree."

That probably didn't need to be said, but he said it nonetheless. Just like everything else about the situation it didn't seem to bother him, per se; it was what it was. Accepting what was before you and dealing with it as it came was the sensible approach.

In response to her introduction he bowed ever so lightly himself.

"Ōtani Yoshitsugu."

"Indeed, even the most everyday things will become deadly perils," Fuu said. "I wouldn't like to meet an ant at this size." And ants would be met on any sort of tree. Not to mention spiders, praying mantises, birds....

But the name he gave distracted her from that train of thought. Otoni... Yoshitsugu? She knew that name, she was sure of it. "It's very nice to meet you," she said, trying to place it--history, the Edo Period.

Her first thought, however, was that he had been named after Otoni Yoshitsugu. Traveling to different worlds was one thing, but time was something wholly other. "Is this your first time in another world, Otoni-san?"

"The weather as well. Wind, rain and snow all become dangerous to the small."

Flying outside the tree would probably be impossible in many circumstances, come to think of it; who would wish to risk their wings disintegrating or growing heavy under a drop of moisture?

Yoshitsugu's own wings fluttered a little as he considered the problem for a second, before he directed his attention to Fuu's question.

"Assuming this is one, yes. The concept of other worlds is explored somewhat in myth and legend, but with the exception of those stories I have had no reason to believe travelling between any differing 'worlds' was something that was possible."

He met her gaze.

"You speak as though it is not your first time."

Fuu wondered how conscious Otoni was of the wing-fluttering and if she had made any such gestures herself without realizing it--amazing, really, the magic that allowed them to control these new limbs. She nodded in agreement.

"Making a list of some kind would be helpful... as for possibilities, short while ago, I didn't think that being shrunk to a few centimeters was one," Fuu said, cupping her face in one hand. "But you're right, I have been to another world before, strange as it may sound--this is not so unusual to me."

Yoshitsugu huffed, quiet and amused... though a certain level of interest showed in his eyes. The mix of souls drawn into this tree was unusual, perhaps, beyond the situation itself.

"You are experienced with more strangeness than most your age would be accustomed to, then."

He leans down to pick something up from the floor; his saihai, though the baton really is much larger than your usual. With one flick of the weapon something manifests. It's a dragonfly, or perhaps mayfly, crafted from purple light, which fades after a second or two.

Notably? Its wings were almost a perfect match for Yoshitsugu's own (aside from the colour).

"More so than I."

Fuu's eyes widened at the sight of Otoni's saihai. She had only ever seen one in a museum. That one certainly had not given off any insect-shaped lights. Her eyes flicked to his wings, which showed the same colors.

"Perhaps what we count as strange are quite different things," she said. "I've never seen a saihai that can do that before."

"It acts only as a focus for my own, innate power. That is but one manifestation of it."

Explaining musou would be far too much work, but it was a true enough statement. He lowered the baton to his side again.

"Though this saihai one is, indeed, very unique in many respects. Most strategists would not be able to user theirs as a weapon."

And probably no other had a long concealed blade in the handle, either, but Yoshitsugu wasn't about to show that feature off right now. Its use as a club was obvious enough, though.

So he was named after Otoni Yoshitsugu and he was a wizard. Today was filled with wonders. "I see..." Possibly better than he assumed.

Strategist. What... a coincidence. "I hope you weren't pulled away from the middle of a battle, Otoni-san." Fuu touched her cheek nervously, wondering if that would be too much like prying. "But it is good to have a weapon here, I think, and to think strategically."

"Oh, I was pulled from the end of a battle."

He taps the saihai into his free hand, sounding nonchalant.

"Nobody left on those plains expects me to return, and coming here interrupts nothing."

Mitsunari might still have some hope that Yoshitsugu and Sakon will turn up out of nowhere, but that naive fool never could stop his emotions from overruling his sense.

(Though Yoshitsugu is perhaps the bigger fool for finding himself so moved by that emotion; enough to knowingly give his life for Mitsunari's sake).

"I can live here without a concern."

That was a very... unusual set of statements, and almost ambiguous. But Fuu couldn't think of any good implications for it was the end of the battle and nobody expects me to return.

...Otani Yoshitsugu had died in battle, hadn't he? He had killed himself! But he had been a very sick man, if she remembered correctly, leprosy, unable to walk. This Otani was standing tall and strong. (Which was even more unusual if he was dead.) And he had magic... but... she couldn't exactly ask things like what year is it? or who commanded your side?

"I... think I understand," she said quietly. She didn't know how to react. He seemed entirely unbothered by his situation, either being dead or resurrected, or maybe pulled just before his life ended.

"Do you?"

A blunt challenge, though it wasn't spoken forcefully. Yoshitsugu accepted his fate, after all; he wasn't concerned about anyone asking questions regarding his past, but neither was he about to provoke anyone into doing so... well.

That wasn't entirely true.

"Hououji Fuu... what do you intend to do in this place?"

Fuu went a little pink. As calm as Otani seemed about the whole situation, she didn't want to be blunt in turn and speak her conclusions aloud. "I don't think it's my business." This was... entirely strange. It would be too much of a coincidence for these to be two different Otanis, both dying in battle. But just as clearly, the Otani Yoshitsugu she'd learned about in school didn't use magic or go around hitting people with his saihai.

Unless perhaps the historians had missed several very important details.

In any case... his second question provoked just as much thought as the first. What would she do? She had never considered that this would happen a second time. "I... am not sure yet," she admitted. "Find out why we are here and by whose hand... and what they want to accomplish." She brought her hand to her lips, fingers clenched tight. "The whole truth of it."

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Glimmer, glitter, shine...

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