vatheon | when the heavens opened

Who: Akechi Mitsuhide and anyone.
Where: The abandoned village on the island.
When: Daytime.
Style: Starting in prose, but follow on as you wish. ♥
Status: Open!

~

It rained.

Mitsuhide had wandered the village for some time, the purple parasol he held keeping his head dry. There was no particular aim to this wandering. He simply went wherever his legs took him, listening to the rain and his own thoughts as he did so.

There was almost too much to dwell on right now. His head was full of regrets, guilt and sadness, dulled only slightly by that quiet strength he didn't know he had. That Hideyoshi's presence in Vatheon, and the force of the man's hatred, hadn't sent him into a state worse than this was a testament to that strength, as well as the steps he had taken since first being brought to the enchanted city.

Still...

After something like an hour he stopped beside one of the abandoned houses. It had a porch that would serve as shelter, and so he stepped upon it and dropped his parasol.

Glancing down, it became evident that the bottom of his hakama was soaked through.

Mitsuhide sighed.

"To be expected... I was foolish to come up here today," he said, looking back up and across the village. At least the view was beautiful; there was something appealing (if lonely) about heavy rain.

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Mitsuhide did not repeat his question, though the lack of an answer made him wonder. The way someone looked was not always a good indication of how they felt. There were plenty of souls who could smile and laugh when their hearts were broken, their shoulder heavy.

"The rain," he said, quietly. "Foolish as it is, there is peace in a land under heavy rain."

That was not all there was to it, of course. That same peace brought a sense of loneliness, of isolation, and sometimes Mitsuhide needed that... or perhaps it was more because he felt he deserved it.

He dipped his head briefly.

"Forgive me if I disturbed you."

The words of the man struck him as far too true -- that heavy rain would, despite the darkness it brought, almost force peace unto a land by driving the people into their shelters. The outside world was often empty during such times.

A frown threatened to spill, but Walter maintained an even face.

"I came up here of my own accord."

Suffice it to say, Walter hardly saw it as Mitsuhide having disturbed him when he'd decided to walk up and answer. And though he wasn't light on his subconscious judgment, the seeming understanding of the man provoked fewer negative thoughts.

On the verge of staring, there was a pregnant pause before he continued, "How long have you been here?"

It was more a demand than a question, but a question regardless. And although the wording was vague, his emphasis on "here" implied Vatheon as a whole. There was something he wished to make clear.

Mitsuhide picked up on that implication. He tilted his head, thoughtful for a moment and unsure why it was being asked, but after a moment decided it did not matter why.

"Well over a year and a half, now," he said. "There remain only a handful of souls who have been here longer than I."

The young samurai had watched so many come and go now, befriended many and lost most. Such was the way of the city. But he and his Lord Motochika had remained, never leaving, remaining within the security Vatheon offered them. Here Mitsuhide had something to live for; a future.

He knew it could vanish at any moment, but still...

Walter had expected several months or thereabouts, and although the statement did not come as much of a surprise, it was somewhat alarming with the sheer duration of the man's stay. A year, in retrospect, was not long at all, but it sounded it.

Nevertheless, it worked for him.

"Is this weather unusual?" he asked still in that tone bordering on demanding, this time with his hand held out inquisitively. After all, that was all Walter knew of in the art of questioning. Not that he was in search of another method.

"This island has known nothing but clear skies, until now."

Mitsuhide's gaze shifted, so he was looking out at the rain again.

"So... yes. I would say this is unusual. The only rain I have seen before now in this place has been literally within Vatheon. The result of a curse."

Walter, on the other hand, maintained his gaze on Mitsuhide, pondering what that answer meant. A curse. If he recalled correctly, one curse held the typical duration of a week.

"Then this could be over within a week."

A pity.

The young samurai looked thoughtful for a moment, thinking. Eventually he spoke, slowly and with care.

"I am not so sure. If it were a curse, I think it is likely it would affect the city as well."

Mitsuhide bowed his head.

"It would be a blessing, to continue having some varied weather up here."

Not one for unnecessary words, he fell silent. With a more typical folk of the land, he might have preferred that the varied weather cease in favor of perpetual spring. On the other hand, people were all same to Walter.

"But the rain won't last," he said at last while turning away, to the aforementioned rain and toward which he took a step.

Indeed, the rain would let up later in the day or the day after. Curse or no, it wouldn't stick around in the short term.

"Do you intend to stay there the whole time?"

when the heavens opened

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