cold winds but warm hands [Mission; Valley Girls]

Itazura's Mission Arc

Stop the Poison!:

Stop the Presents!:

Take the Star!:

silent snowflakes fall,
blanketing the world in white,
yet each one a gem

In all honesty, Ume thought the summoning scroll was a joke. Surrounded by tiny houses in temperatures cold enough to give Shimon-ji a run for its money, it became quickly clear that it was entirely serious, and that the joke was on HER.

Her monastic robes were designed for cold temperatures, true, but these were intended to be worn inside. She wasn’t even wearing boots at the moment. Her feet protested the current climate with a twinge of pain from the bare ice.

She was over a century old, but she still had the patience of a nineteen year old. A huff blew past her lips, fogging up the lenses of her glasses with a cloud of steam from the temperature disparity.

Her gaze turned back to the letter slash summoning scroll. Perhaps a reread would do her some good. The contents, however, had completely changed. Now they outlined tasks, and more interestingly, rewards. She didn’t appreciate this at all, but she had nobody to blame for this predicament but herself.

Ume let loose a heavy sigh, utilizing the Surface Walking technique to at least stay on top of the snow before frostbite could get the better of her. Perhaps others had been trapped in the same predicament? Regardless, she made her way towards the detailed location. It was a ways away, and mentioned the possibility of resistance.

She personally hoped not.

Biting back saliva, she shook her head and kept an eye out for any familiar- or unfamiliar- faces.

[WC: 263]
[Total WC: 263]

When Akemi had initially come across a letter addressed to his actual real name, he'd been absolutely terrified. He hadn't told anyone his name was Akemi in... Years. He'd almost skipped over it at first, curious as to the contents of the letter. Then he had to double-take as he realized the significance of how the letter was addressed; whoever it came from - this "Itazura" - was knowledgeable. They were also powerful, or deluded, considering the fact that they claimed to have a seal capable of teleporting him to an entirely different country. Moon Country... Akemi felt like he may have briefly travelled through it on his way to the Eastern Continent, but he couldn't be sure. Was it safe?

In a bizarre display of impulsiveness, he decided that there was no harm in attempting to activate the seal. First things first, though, he should probably prepare a bit. He didn't have a lot of personal possessions anymore having lost most of them in his travels - which was a good thing since he didn't really have the space to store them in his current accommodation in Shimon-ji. Regardless, he made sure to get dressed in a thick long-sleeve top and his favorite pair of trousers that had lots of pockets in them. He strapped his Heaven's Sorrow Ninjato onto his back and with that, he was prepared.

With no further way to procrastinate, Akemi activated the seal on the letter and was subject to a brief disorientating darkness.

When his vision cleared, the dark-haired boy had to blink and shield his eyes as the reflections from the snow caused a vast contrast from the somewhat dark interiors of Shimon-ji. As his eyes adjusted, more and more of the world around him came into view; was that a gate made out of candy canes and peppermints? He blinked, thoroughly confused, and looked around once more, spotting the one person he'd spoken to in recent times.

"Ume!" He called out, happy to see someone he recognized.

WC: 333