Scene #1659: Investigation at a Shrine

Owner	Pose
Phantom	Pikarigaoka. When Chiyo showed Rei the drawing that Phan Phan had done of the shrine maiden (it's up to Chiyo if she shared that a fairy did the drawing), Rei was able to place the head dress as part of a shrine on the western suburbs of Tokyo. Around since before the Edo era, the Shrine is on the outskirts of town - it takes a train trip on the Oedo line to reach Pikarigaoka and then a walk from there. The shrine itself sits in a quite little field - the land around it is undeveloped farm land. Being out the outskirts, it's peaceful parks clash with the urban sprawl reaching out to it, but they have not quite yet intermingeled. Beneath the large blue gate outside of the shrine, there's a small temple. It's a bit smaller than Hikawa Shrine, but it's enough for it to be manned around the clock. Outside of the shrine, a young girl, just into her teens, dressed similarly to the girl in the picture is sweeping the rocks. But it's easy to tell she's not the same. This girl has long hair, and the one in the drawing was decidely in a bob.
Rei Hino	"The headdress is really unique --" Rei stated as she stepped off the train platform, turning to look to Chiyo. "My grandfather used to know the priest out here, before he retired. He was old before my grandfather was a young man." she gives a slight smile. She had changed from her miko robes and hakama to a civillian skirt and summer shirt, and was wearing sunglasses and a hat to keep the sun out of her face and eyes. Rei Hino is the one who burns! "So -- what are you looking for the shrine for?" she asks conversationally as they draw towards the shrine, and she spots the miko in the familiar act of sweeping.
Chiyo Sakai	"Thank you for helping me with this, Rei-san. I really didn't know who else I could ask about this." Chiyo has the drawing with her, as well as her phone having taken a photo of it in case something happens to the actual drawing. It's neatly stored (for now) inside a clear plastic divider sleeve of the sort one would find in a three ring binder. Sometimes school supplies came in handy after all. Her own attire was similarily casual. A sun dress with a very light knit sweater over to cover her arms so that she didn't get burnt. No sunglasses here, though, as she was perfectly fine with just a long brimmed gardening style hat. The question though? Well that just earns a small shake of her head. "To be honest I'm not entirely sure yet. You know how some mahou have mascots? Myself and a couple of others found this mascot without a memory, and he drew this picture. All I can think of is that perhaps we might be able to find the girl he belongs to." A crinkle of her nose comes as she adds, "He disapeared after the 'sun' incident. I just want to make sure. If there's someone out there that needs help and no one was looking I'd feel awful." Thankfully it seems there was a miko here though the hopeful gaze that Chiyo fixes on her turns to a hesitant one as she doesn't resemble the girl at all. "... Do shrines typically have multiple miko?" She asks Rei quietly.
Phantom	The quiet swish of the broom from the miko is pleasant and monotonous. Rei knows it well. It's a great way to clear your thoughts and focus with the continous work. However, as she hears the footsteps of the approaching pair, she glances up and offers a polite smile. "Hello!" she greets warmly, her hands resting on the broom. "We do not usually have visitors this time of day, so welcome!" She is not wearing a head dress, so it's hard to tell if she's the same girl, but the eye color is wrong too. The girl in the drawing had grey eyes. This girl's are blue.
Rei Hino	"Well, when it comes to shrines, I don't imagine there's a lot of other students at Radiant Heart who know more than I do." she suggests with a wry smile to Chiyo. She comes up to the Miko, and gives a respectful bow. "It's a pleasure to visit. My name is Rei Hino -- I'm a miko over at the Hikawa Shrine." she introduces herself, and motions to Chiyo. "This is my friend Chiyo Sakai. We recently came across a picture of a miko wearing a headdress that is pretty unique to your shrine." she explains gently, and purses her lips slightly "We were hoping someone here might know her."
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai is just a bit relieved when Rei steps up to make introductions. While she could do it, she really wasn't sure where to start in the first place. As the introductions are given she bows as well respectfully with one hand reaching up to keep her hat in place when she feels it start to slip. "Pleased to meet you." With the little explanation given she reaches into the bag slung at her side to pull out the drawing. "I know it's just a drawn portrait," is offered apologetically. "Is she familiar at all?"
Phantom	Clapping her hands together, the miko offers a bow to her fellow miko, both members of a sacred soroity in the grand scheme of things. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Hino-san!" she offers. "I am Onaga Miho." Though when there is a mention of the headdress, her eyes narrow in thought. There's another bright smile to Chiyo when she takes out the drawing. The girl studies it for a moment, lips pursed together and then her eyes widen with recognition. "Oh. You're here about the Legend of the Lost Miko!" she offers brightly. Picking up the broom in her hands, she gestures. "Come inside, you can meet with my Ojiisan, he knows the story better than I do. I just get to act as her at this year's rememberence. But I'm wearing a wig. Not cutting my hair that short." she says with a small giggle as she turns to lead the way within. It's a short trip to the small office that serves for the office of the shrine and Onaga knocks on the door. "Grandfather, I have a couple of guests that want to know about the lost miko! Do you have time to tell the story?" The man, in his late 50s, glances up and gestures. "Oh, I always have time for a story, granddaughter. Please, show them in."
Rei Hino	"A lost miko?" Rei questions, and turns to Chiyo. Well. That sounds bad. Her dark eyes narrow as she breathes out, hands curling lightly at her sides before she steps forward and follows Miho into the shrine proper, pausing a moment at the edge to steady herself. Different mikos serve different kami, after all, and you're not just going into someone's workplace -- it's Someone's home. "Good afternoon, Oji-sama." Rei bows demurely to the old man. "Thank you for agreeing to see us."
Chiyo Sakai	"Legend of...?" Chiyo repeats as she shares a rather concerned glance with Rei. A lost miko was worrisome, but for something to become a 'legend' it meant it was a rather old situation. For now she carefully holds onto the drawing clutching it between her hands while she steps into the shrine as well. To the sides. She knew not to walk the center. There's no pause for her like with Rei though she halfway wonders if she ought to given her powers came from Sanbo-Kojin. She was no miko but ... Maybe she ought to show a bit more respect in his name. When they're led to the office she bows in kind without hesitation. She may not be raised as a miko but she was raised by her grandfather. She knew how to act properly. "Hello, Oji-sama. Thank you for your time. We'd love to hear about the Lost Miko."
Phantom	"They mentioned the headdress, Ojiisan! And she's a miko as well." A pause. "I didn't ask what shrine. I'm sorry." the miko explains, which causes the old man to ah softly. "Yes, yes, it is rather distinct." he says, waving off his granddaughter's slip in not asking more questions. "Can you go get some refreshment for our guests, please?" The miko gives a bow of her head and turns to head off. The Ojiisan sighs. "She's spirited. She's going to do well." But, he returns his attention back to the situation before him. Opening a drawer, he reaches in and takes out a pair of boxes. "The Legend of the Lost Miko." he explains, as he opens up one box and withdraws a headdress. Chiyo and Rei will recognize it immediately as looking like the same headdress in the drawing. "This is a replica of the headdress." "The story begins with a miko. A teen, much like you..." he gestures to Rei, "...who was very devout to her diety." "The diety would talk to her often, and she felt a special closeness to him." He draws in a breath. "One day, a great darkness overtook the shrine."
Rei Hino	Hikawa. In the city." Rei replies, and gives a gentle smile as she looks to the headress. It is spot on for the one in the picture, though her eyes narrow a moment. "A great darkness overtook the shrine? ... was she...?" she trails off, half to herself in consideration. She purses her lips, her hand coming to her chin.
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai looks from the head dress that was withdrawn from the box, to the drawing in her hand. It's regarded a moment with a slow nod of apparent affirmation. "It's the same," she whispers quietly to herself. She will possibly bring it up to the old man in a few moments, but she knew better than to interrupt the story of an elder. Usually they liked talking. Interruptions not so much. Or maybe that was just her own Ojiisan being grumpy. Returning her gaze to the man before her she listens intently. "What happened?"
Phantom	"As the darkness descened over the city, the miko prayed to her diety. She gave him her heart and promise for him to arrive. And he... miraculously appeared." the Ojiisan explains. "And he provided her with powers with a special token that they were able to use together to drive back the darkness and capture it. It was a great battle. The miko shined in her role as she fought. She won the day with her diety's help." The shrine's miko arrives with tea for the grandfater, and ramune for the two girls. "Oh, this is the good part of the story!" she says eagerly, ready to sit down and listen in. "Don't you have sweeping to do?" her grandfather reminds her. "Oh. Right. Poo." the girl responds, as she heads back off, a little sulky that she didn't get out of work for at least a little bit. Returning his attention to the two girls, he pauses. "Where was I... right. The end of the battle. The evil was defeated. And in the aftermath, the miko declared that the diety was the love of her heart and she wanted to spend forever with him." "The diety rejected her romantic love. It was okay for them to be friends, but they could never have a romance." he said. "The miko's heart broke. Angry and rejected, the darkness, which was so close to defeat, reached out to her. Said that he would provide her with a world where there would be no love. That if she could not have the love of her diety, then noone will have love. In her sadness, he accepted her offer and destroyed the token the diety gave her before she was taken away." With that, he opens the other box. Inside? A bracer. A wrist grip with a bow. Five gems of different colors set in the middle of the bow, though they are all dark and inert. A heart-shaped device beneath it that has been shattered. One doesn't have to look hard to recognize a henshin device.
Rei Hino	"The grief of a broken heart is a heavy pain to feel..." Rei states with understanding, and she purses her lips, listening to the story that the old man was sharing. She did give a slight, apologetic smile to the other miko, and then her attention turns back as the other box was opened. No, she didn't have to look very hard at all, but it's obvious that she recognizes what the 'token' was.
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai flashes an understanding grin over toward the granddaughter attempting to get out of chores just a bit. While she wasn't really in any similar position, she knew that sometimes it was nice to distract her own ojiisan and just enjoy company and stories instead of having to run off to deal with Yet Another Chore. The setting of a shrine was far larger than the shop they owned though, so it was easier to at least be in the same space as one another. Here the expanse of the shrine meant running around no doubt. Still her attention shifts back to the storyteller at this point listening with a growing frown. Broken hearts. She could understand that quite well even if she never quite got to the point of love. A crush was still hard. Full on love? Ouch. Then the token is taken out and put on display which causes her to freeze with a quick hiss of air sucked between her teeth. Eyes widening a bit she just stares at it while her fingers grip the cellophane sleeved drawing tighter earning a noisy crinkle. "How... How long ago was this, Ojiisan?" She asks quietly.
Phantom	"The power of the heart... it is a power that few understand." the Shrine master admits as he lifts the pretty cure device out of the box and sets it on the desk so the two girls can get a better look at it. "When it is full of joy, there is nothing that it cannot accomplish. When it is broken - there is nothing it cannot destroy." He lets out a small sigh. But, Chiyo asks her question, and he ohs. "I suppose I should have led with that!" he admits with a small look of chagrin. "If the legend is true? This happened before the Edo Era." Which means three centuries ago, or longer. "We hold an annual festival to it in the fall. To remind young hearts of the dangers of reaching for something that may not be returned. We do not know what happened to the miko. But according to legend? In her heartache, she turned against the diety, and was placed in charge of the darkness's army. The waged war on the world, trying to make everyone miserable and rule it all. But they were captured and sealed in a box. Noone knows what happened to that box. But again, the lesson is - if you allow your heart to hurt too much, you will find it locked away in it's own despair." The shrine master looks between the two girls, waiting to see if they have further questions.
Rei Hino	It is a power that few understand, fewer can wield. Rei frowns a moment as she listens to the story, her hands folded in her lap and paying rapt attention. "It makes more sense that your signature matsuri is this celebration and warning -- do you have any record of what the miko's name might have been?" Rei questions, already formulating a possible idea in her head as she raises her dark eyes to the old man, her eyebrows knitting slightly as she tightens her grip, knuckles turning white.
Chiyo Sakai	"Ah," Chiyo responds as she feels her knees suddenly turn a little weak. Her weight wobbles a moment until she locks her knees ensuring she isn't going to do something as silly as tip over. She was stronger than that, even if the years stated were something that was far greater than she had even begun to fear. A generation or two, perhaps, she could have seen. Generations though? Hundreds of years? She still had that drawing she had been carrying, and now it feels like the biggest red flag in the world. "I recently met someone who had lost their memory, and they drew this picture of a miko. I thought perhaps they might be a relative or someone that could help us find him again but--" Here she chuckles, a bit nervously. Sheepish? Maybe she just felt embarassed. "Maybe they live nearby and visited this festival often. Or it was important to them somehow." Which was sad in it's own right given the message of the festival! Her head dips respectfully toward the man while Rei asks further questions, and she slips the drawing away into her bag again not trusting herself to ask anything else at this point.
Phantom	"There was a fire here several years ago. Unfortunately, most of the information from that time was destroyed or damaged." the ojiisan admits with a bit of sadness, but Rei gets a smile. "Thank you. Perhaps you will attend when it is held again in the fall." comes his polite offer to her. But as the drawing is offered, he gets a thoughtful look. Standing up, he heads over to the door, quiet as can be. Why? Because when he suddenly opens it, Onaga almost falls into his arms, as much as she had been leaning against the door to listen. "Onaga!" he chides. "Go get me this file..." he writes down a number and hands it to her. "I'll decide what you'll be doing for punishment for eavesdropping later." The miko eeps slightly and scuttles off, paper in hand. He returns to his seat before the two girls. "While most of the files and records were destroyed, a few relics remain from the time. One of them is what we based the miko on our story from." he explains as finally she returns with a leatherbound book. "Here you are!" she offers cheerfully, setting it down with that 'please don't make me do extra chores' smile. There's a glance at the miko, and then he opens the book, turning a few pages. "Ah, here we go." Turning the book, he has it face the pair. It's a drawing in ink. Well done and beautifully scripted. But it's also damaged. Heavily. But in what can be seen is a shrine maiden if full miko clothing. And the face is a near match for the crayon drawing. Only part of the artist's name's kanji is visible. Not enough to give a name.
Rei Hino	"'Bu'?" Rei begins, and she frowns a moment. Not enough to go on really to look into fire -- but if it was fire that destroyed a shrine? Maybe she could work with that? It was her element of choice, after all. "I will mark my calendar and be sure to be here among the visitors to pay deep respects, thank you Ojisama." she replies, giving a bow of her head, and then a small smile. "Don't be too hard on Onaga-san, she welcomed us very nicely when we arrived, and I'm sure she's just as curious as we are." she adds gently, trying to sound both sage and kind, when on the inside she was rather frustrated at an almost dead end. It's like pulling at threads and expecting a sweater to pop out, she supposes.
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai hesitates with a bit of uncertainty when the old man stands to catch the miko eavesdropping. Moreso when he requests another book to be brought out. The drawing there causes her to finally let out a rush of breath with a soft, "Ah that's..." The same. Exactly the same. Whoever had drawn the one she had then definitely knew this miko that had gone bad. And the 'person' who had drawn it was one of those fairy mascots she'd seen many other mahou with. Given the story she has a few thoughts on it but few were good so far. "That's amazing. Thank you for letting us see this." A smile is offered as she hides her uncertainty behind politeness. "I'll stop by as well. I'm sure it's amazing," she remarks honestly. "I don't go to enough festivals as it is, and this one has a very good story to tell." Finally she glances back toward Rei seeing her frustration there. She reaches out to lightly place a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some consolation that they had hit an apparent dead-end, before she inquires, "Is there anything else you can think of? Otherwise, I think we've probably taken up enough of your time for today."
Phantom	"It was a delight to share the story with you." he offers as he moves to close the book back up. But pauses. "Yes. Actually. There is one more piece of information that I can share with you." the Ojiisan tells the pair. "As I said, the fallen miko and her army were locked away in a box." Placing the henshin device back in the box, he closes it. And turns it to the girls. It's a wooden chest, with gold trim. A knob sits on top. And the lock is a heart with six gems, a smaller heart on the inside with a cross, and a white and gold bow beneath it. "This is a replica of the box that they were supposedly captured in." he explains to the pair. "It was supposedly passed to a nearby Kingdom for safe keeping, but that is also part of the legend."
Rei Hino	Rei takes a deep breath and then lets it out. She uncurls her hands, and gives a look to Chiyo, giving a small nod. And then the box comes out. She narrows her eyes again, and this time there appears to be connections made -- but she keeps her thoughts close to her own heart. "And what would have happened if the box was opened?" she asks, dark eyes darting up tot he old man's.
Chiyo Sakai	"Based on the legend," Chiyo reasons reaching up to touch her chin lightly in thought. "It would release the dark kingdom's influence on the world again, wouldn't it? And back then a neighboring kingdom wouldn't give many options as to where it was sent. Unless they just meant another city?" Pausing she stops and clears her throat. "Sorry. It really is a good legend," she admits. She does regard the box with a thoughtful eye. "It looks very similar to the artifact from before."
Phantom	"We only know that the box was removed from the shrine before the fire. What happened to it after that?" the old man gives a shrug of his shoulders. "But the records show that the kingdom that did most of it's trade with this shrine at the time was the Blue Sky Kingdom." he adds for the pair. As Rei and Chiyo muse over what would happen if the box is opened. "I would assume that to be true - though I cannot verify that one way or the other. There is nothing in the files about it. Are you seeking the box?" he asks the pair, a lift of a brow in new thought of what to think of the two.
Rei Hino	Rei looks to Chiyo meaningfully, and then back to the old man before them, and her head dips slightly. "The Blue Sky Kingdom..." she states thoughtfully, and brings her hand back to her chin as she weighs options. "Does that sound familiar to you, Chiyo-san?"
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai purses her lips in thought. Blue Sky Kingdom. Blue Sky. Rei's question earns a small shake of her head. "No, but I also wasn't expecting to really hear about this legend being so old. It's not really familiar to me." When the man suggests they were seeking the box this causes Chiyo to look surprised. That really wasn't their original intention. It just seemed to be what little information she had was leading them toward. "Oh, I hadn't thought about that. It's just... This is all a lot of new information. I guess I was trying to just fill in the blanks a bit." There were still so many questions that weren't answered and now she was frankly a bit worried about the whole 'dark kingdom' situation. She had heard of a 'dark kingdom' before after all related to Usagi, and Rei's group. This sounded different or at least was of a different angle than she had heard before. With a glance downward she considers only to shake her head. "Maybe. I think there's a lot to think about to begin with. If we do find anything more out though we'll be sure to share what we find out with you. It's the least we could do." We. Had it become a we? She looks uncertainly to Rei not sure how much interest she has in continuing this exploration herself. Being here was just a favor to her after all. "Thank you for coming with me today, Rei-san."
Phantom	"Be careful if you seek the box. I was told when I was the child, that it will show you your truest self if you looked into it." the old man says as he rises from his seat. "Thank you for both coming, but I have an appointment soon to get my back straightened. My grand-daughter will be glad to show you out." And he lifts his voice. "Make sure you give them a token of the shrine!" The miko arrives to escort the two girls out and presents them with a small glamour mirror compact, the outside a replica of the damaged one. "Thank you for coming!"
Rei Hino	Rei smiles, and bows to the old man before leaving. To her fellow miko, she also bows as she accepts a token of the shrine, and then takes out a small box of chocolates. "For helping us out." she states to the other teen with a small smile, and then she looks to Chiyo as they begin to make their way back to the rail station. "I'm happy to help, Chiyo." she replies with a small smile, and then in consideration. "I could try to divine more information with sacred fire -- but I'm not sure how well that'd go if the shrine she was attached to burned." she explains, and then turns her gaze back to Chiyo. "But I would be happy to try."
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai bows again before turning to head out along with Rei. The token is accepted and she regards it with fingertips tracing over the surface a long moment before slipping it reverently away into her purse for now. Something to think about indeed. "We can give that a try, Rei. This has led to way more questions than I had before. If that fairy knew this miko, where has he been all this time? Was the box opened recently? There's so many possibilities." A deep sigh is let out... And her head jerks up again. "Oh. Unrelated to this, but do you know of any shrines to Sanbo-Kojin-sama? I get my powers from him so I should probably go pay my respects some time."
Rei Hino	"The Kami of the hearth?" Rei questions, and she raises her eyebrows "I know the big one is in Osaka... but there may be some smaller shrines closer to the school. Let me check with my grandfather; he may know the best ones to go to." Rei confirms with a small smile. "You're probably not going to want to hike Mount Homan." she shares conspiritially, and then offers another box of chocolate to Chiyo.