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[paperpusher]

Please leave a message after the beep.

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✩ please don't leave curses on the answering machine ✩

Comments

[paperpusher]

[Whatever the delay was the first time, it's been resolved; Matoba gets another doll back in the time he'd expect it'd take to write and send one off.]

I don't, but it's not the first time I've heard something along those lines. That we agreed to be here and lost the memory of it.

[worldbent]

If that's the case, losing the memory was likely a part of the contract as well.

That reminds me. There are tales that enslaving an ayakashi by its true name can force it to forget the memories of its previous life. I wonder if that's true for humans, as well?

[Can Natori feel the feigned smile as he reads that?]

[paperpusher]

[There's a slight delay in his reply, though it's a short one. Maybe the doll just got lost for a minute.]

I've met someone who knew of something like that in his home world-- where you could cause harm just by knowing a person's name. He didn't seem to think the same power was at play here, but it's still something to consider.

The skeleton claimed it got through my wards because it's a "function," not a "malignant spirit."

[worldbent]

[Hoh?]

I would like to know if it serves this "Admin" or not. If it doesn't, then there's only one option left, isn't there?

No matter where you travel in this village, the aura remains constant. I presume my finding is the same for you, correct?

[paperpusher]

Something about it felt familiar, but I can't place where I've sensed it before. It might have been from the Admin or one of the other people in charge, but it could be that other presence here.

Have you heard about "the Silence" [written out in katakana, the way they'd refer to ayakashi] yet?

[worldbent]

[Natori had felt their presences already? He would like to know precisely how he knew the name to put to it- had he met them in person, perhaps? But that can wait.]

[He's far more interested in... this ayakashi.]

So that's its name? No, I haven't heard the details.

[paperpusher]

Again, if you'd use your phone, you probably would have. Though maybe it's better you didn't; so many people discussing it drew its attention. We try to avoid saying its name.

It possesses residents, making them more susceptible to violence and negative emotions, which it then feeds off of. Once it's strong enough, the person becomes infectious and is able to pass the possession along to other people. If someone's possessed, they develop a purple mark that's supposed to look like this:

[Here he draws it as it was described to him, like a pair of mirrored S's.]

That said, you can pick up on it just by walking by someone if it hasn't been sealed.

[worldbent]

Sounds like a pretty standard possession case. If it's strong enough to have influence over the entire island, it's likely safe to assume that it's too powerful to be exorcised off the bat.

With regards to those it's possessing, however. It still can only be sealed, not exorcised? Where does the mark of possession generally develop- over the heart?

[Matoba figures that although he's sensed its presence all over the island already, he'd notice if passing by a particularly strong case of possession. He ought to repurify the cottage and keep himself prepared when he goes out, just in case.]

[paperpusher]

It's only been sealed so far because that's what we could guarantee we could do safely. The first attempt to purify it was by a jujutsushi trained in the Catholic tradition, and his misstep nearly caused the boy to get taken over completely. We'd need to really prepare for anything before attempting a complete exorcism of the person involved. No one's been able to locate the ayakashi itself, only sense its presence in those it successfully infects.

The mark seems to be able to appear anywhere-- neck, hand, arm, etc. It grows larger the stronger its hold on the person becomes.

[worldbent]

Sounds like you're wasting your time with amateurs, then.

[Not an un-Natori-like thing to do. He's not surprised, just disappointed.]

One casualty is surely a shame, but comparatively, stopping the spread ought to take precedence. I see that your softness is holding you back once again, Natori.

Noted. I'll be looking into the matters myself.

[paperpusher]

You do that, then. Let us know when you've defeated it.