Himegatari

[yasha]

Stories from the daily lives of regular Himeyans.

You probably never asked for this.

[yasha]

Sept 24, 2017, 19:30
Shidarekawa Air Hub, Shidarekawa

Five months. Exactly five months ago, she jumped from a plane onto the devastated city of Uppsala. For five months, the Himeyan Defense Service worked tirelessly alongside East Moreland, Achkaerin, the Iwi and Lodja to get a ruined city back on its feet. And now, the first Himeyan boots to touch Nordic soil were the last ones to come home. Juri Ashikaga and the rest of Jin-Dai company thanked the Nordic air crew one-by-one with what Norse they had learned during their deployment, then pouring out into the terminal building. While her comrades ran off to reunite with their families who were eagerly waiting for them, Juri wandered off to find something to eat, half her battledress being worn around her waist. She was almost craving a proper Nordic meal; cheese, potatoes and rye bread weren't the kinds of things you'd ever find on a Himeyan dinner table, but they were oddly satisfying she found after eating them every other day.

"Oi, Juri!" She stopped to see who it was. "Send me those pictures we took together later!" Misogi Akazaka said, turning his attention back to his young son. "For sure, you're bringing your own damn camera next time we deploy though!" she teased before hurrying along into one of the sakadai[1] in the terminal building; a proper hot meal was just a few meters away. Ordering something, taking a Bykrestani beer and having a seat in the corner, Juri pulled out her phone to take a look at the pictures she took during deployment, plenty of them were Himeyan and Achkaerinese troops pissing around at base. She didn't take pictures of Uppsala itself. Seeing that place made her sad; so she focused on what good she made out of it instead.

"Ofuyaki!" one of the chefs called out from the counter, prompting Juri to go up and fetch it. The signature dish of Ofumitsu, a miserable town to live in, but the dish still gave her fond memories. "Wait until one of those Nords try this." she thought to herself; fried rice paper, steamed ribs and chili peppers were probably as alien to the Ålanders as goat cheese was to her. Before she could find the ₭₭10 to pay, the chef said to her "For you, it's free. After seeing what happened over there, least we can do is give you a meal." Not wanting to be rude, she bowed her head to the chef before returning to her table with her food.

Sept 24, 2017, 21:00
21-68 Chinju-Fuuka, Shidarekawa

Autumn in Himeyama was an almost magical thing, almost exclusive to the Horn of Ardia, the famous Ghost Tree's leaves would turn white and fly free with the slightest breeze; dancing for hours above the Myōga suburbs before landing gently on the ground. Seeing them in Ura-Ishinaru as a child prompted Yua Ashikaga to begin growing one of her own while she still lived in Ofumitsu, and now it was taller than her, planted in her block's communal back yard.

Having completed her two hour run to inner Shidarekawa and back, Yua used whatever energy she had left to leap up the stairs to her front door and slide inside. Making an excessively loud and exaggerated sigh, she threw her running shoes off to the side and went to brew some tea. While looking for her little jar with the looseleaf stuff in it, she scanned all the pictures she had in her kitchen, all the friends she's made while abroad. "Hm, I'm due to call you again sometime soon, aren't I?" she thought out loud while remembering that night in Alexandus Prime, the Kraviks doctor she kept in touch with after he mangled his hand sliding down a telephone wire. "You too... The hell are you even?" she continued, staring at a photo of her and the sister that disappeared from her life. "Saeko you idiot, at least let us know you're safe..."

Grabbing her tea and about to go sit in the back yard to cool down in the autumn breeze, the doorbell almost made her jump. "Who is going around ringing doorbells this late!?" she complained to herself, infuriated over almost spilling her tea. Swinging the door open she immediately began ranting "What do you think you're doing at this hour!? You should be lucky I wasn't in bed! Why I oughtta..."

"Who ever told you this is how you address your elder sister..?

Yua took a moment to comprehend what she was seeing.

"Eh!? Juri!?" Yua began to stammer, comically frightened by her massive elder sister who stood at 5'11. "That's elder sister Juri to you!" she teased. "I got back from Nya Åland this evening and felt like coming to visit before I went back to Ura-Rokkō." "I hope you didn't scare the locals too much!" Yua joked back as the two went in for a hug. "Glad I came back in time for fall, even the exotic tropical landscape of dust and concrete in Uppsala gets a bit boring after awhile." Juri said in just about the most sarcastic tone she could muster. "Hah, I bet! Why don't you get changed out of that uniform and we'll talk a bit outside?" Yua said, leading Juri upstairs to a spare room.

1.

A traditional Himeyan-style restaurant where buying a meal permits you to take however much of whatever liquor lines the walls, they operate on the basis of trust that you won't take a drink without buying food first, and that after you're finished eating, you'll move onto a bar if you are to continue drinking. They wouldn't have been a centuries-old thing if Himeyans didn't honour this.

[yasha]

Nov 21, 2017, 15:03
Shinonome Family Residence in Exile, Southern Lodja

A warm breeze brushed against Junko's back, her eyes locked to the ornate carpet she sat upon, jade and bright pink swirled into fantastic patterns saturated its surface, lotus flowers and the many great animals of her homeland made way for stylized depictions of the three Shishin gods: Tsurazi, Goddess of the Stars. Kogara, Goddess of the Skies. Ikoda, God of the Sun. Their blessings would be upon her this day. Hushed murmurs occasionally stirred up and then died down from behind her, as the scattered nobility of the former Principality of Himekuno had once again reunited; obliged by tradition to witness the coronation of the next heir to the Himeyan throne, Junko Shinonome. "Shall we begin?" a voice called, from above her head.

"It is time." Junko commanded, raising her head up. "May the gods be our witness." she sternly announced, silencing the prattle of the nobles behind her. She carefully slid off the ornate robe that concealed much of her figure, letting it gently land on the ground. Doing so, she revealed her arms and back to them, intricate, colourful tattoos covered her body, the collage of Shishin symbolism, Himeyan-style calligraphy and national symbols stopped only when it reached her wrists and neck, concealing them while wearing traditional clothing. The young woman standing over her laid three masks down in front of her, and took a fine knife out from a small furnace placed just off to the side. "Before we are allowed to call you the Princess of Himekuno, the Gods require you announce in whose name you shall reign in. Have you meditated this?" the young woman asked inquisitively. Junko gave a small nod, prompting the young woman to sit down in front of her.

"The Gods know my choice, and they have accepted it." Junko announced, not so much directed at the young woman positioned directly in front of her as it was at the nobles behind her. "In the name of Kogara, Goddess of the Skies, Regent of Courage, Regent of Change, Regent of Ambition, I pledge my reign to, for the hope of peace and happiness in Himekuno." she proudly continued. "Very well, please don the mask of Kogara."

Junko complied, carefully placing the silver mask over her face and then fastening it with a delicate mechanism at the back. The mask was sinister in its purpose, it had no slots for the eyes, the wearer was blind while wearing it; there was no slot of the mouth either. There was however, a small slot that ran perpendicular to the nose and then down the cheek, too fine to see in or out. "You understand that you must not show weakness here, this pain is the beginning of a lifetime as the leader of the Principality of Himekuno, to falter now is to be unfit to rule." the young woman sternly explained, to which Junko slowly nodded her head. "Then, Kogara, please bear witness!" she loudly announced. Junko could hear something metallic sliding around by her feet; she swallowed hard and grit her teeth. The small crowd behind them all shouted "Chikara!" in unison ceremonially as something burned through her skin, quickly running across her cheekbone and then down her cheek towards her jawline. Junko knew she was to keep completely still throughout the excruciatingly painful process, as failure to do so would leave the ceremonial scar crooked, and would render her unfit to lead. Instead, she managed a shallow pant through her nose until the hot blade exited her skin; at which point the young woman ripped the mask off of Junko and tipped her head back, splashing her with ice water repeatedly. "No longer shall you be known as Junko Shinonome, for you are now Princess Junko of Himekuno." the young woman announced, causing Junko to tilt her head forwards to face her.

The woman got up and disappeared into the mansion, leaving Junko to dry herself off and discretely apply some medicine to the painful cut, ensuring the audience wouldn't see. She breathed deeply as the medicine slowly took away some of the sting and the warm breeze returned to comfort her. When the young woman returned, it was with a large golden ring, far too big to wear on one's finger, or even wrist without it falling off, as well as a sky blue traditional dress. Hastily she assisted in putting the dress on Junko, and then intricately wove her hair around the jewel-encrusted golden ring, letting it sit tight against the back of her head. "Bow before the Princess reigning and the Gods in heaven!" the young woman commanded the audience as Junko turned around the face them, by the time her body was pointed towards them, they were all in a deep bow, as if determined to never get up again. "Rise." Junko commanded them, to which they all rose to their feet; heads still pointed downwards in respect. "May the Gods keep you safe in your return." she continued, dismissing them to do whatever was necessary at the estate before returning to hiding around Mundus. The young woman dropped her stern exterior at that moment. "Your Divine Majesty, within the week we shall contact our scouts around the world, it is necessary to begin preparations to find a spouse as soon as possible."

With that, the young woman continued to brief Junko on her new duties and necessary steps to take to secure the survival of the royal family.