The Reflection of the Feathers [Action]

[smokesmushi]

[As much as Ginko would love to sit down and experiment with the journal in order to understand it, after seeing the strange options available when flipping it open, there's a few more pressing things on his mind. He's grateful that whoever (or whatever) saw fit to place wings on him and unclothe him also saw fit to leave his clothes by his side with conveniently cut and seamed holes for his new appendages... but he still needed to locate the rest of his belongings. The mushi stored in his box were extremely rare and extremely dangerous, more often than not. Let alone the absence of his mushi tobacco.

But as he made his way into town, he was finding several warning signs. In the forest, he saw almost no life. No mushi anywhere. And glancing at the general population, it seemed as though everyone present was definitely not Japanese, though he did recognize quite a few faces as being Japanese. Still, the diversity in the people was a bit startling; he wasn't quite used to fitting in so well, or even better than others.

Still, more important than familiarizing himself with the locals was finding his box. He'll be pausing to eavesdrop, peeking into shops, et cetera, and he'll see some people with strange symptoms, but... none quite match the mushi he had in his possession.]


((OOC: Feel free to catch Ginko coming in from the forest or as he's wandering through town. If your character has some strange supernatural thing about them, hit up my permissions post to clue me in on anything that he could pick up on - usually it's a visual or auditory clue that normal humans can't see.))

Comments

[wildsaber]

Uh, a little. Mostly I just watched other people do it. The seeds I planted won't sprout for a while.

[Tag... along? He's just going back to his house, to try with the front row of dirt again. The prospect of having someone watch him makes him anxious, but he's too nice to say no over something so small.]

Are you sure you want to come? I mean, it's not exactly exciting work.

[smokesmushi]

I've been getting an earful of information today, so I could use a moment to decompress.

[wildsaber]

Oh... yeah, I get that.

[He smiles in sympathy and readjusts his grip on the little plant. He turns and walks, though he makes sure that Ginko is following him first.]

It's down this road a bit.

So, are you a new-- uh, New Feather?

[smokesmushi]

If by that you mean that I'm new to this world, yes. I am. Call me Ginko.

[wildsaber]

[He's heard weirder names. He can join Luke in the 'my name is literal' corner. He smiles more, obviously a friendly type, even if he's socially awkward.]

I'm Luke. Nice to meet you. [He inclines his head a little.] There's a lot of stuff to learn, but you don't need to know it all right away. I was pretty overwhelmed, too.

[smokesmushi]

I'm at least grateful there's a guide with all of the information easily at hand. That certainly makes it easier.

[wildsaber]

[You mean the guide that Luke basically ignored?]

When I showed up, I got left out in the snow in some pajamas or something. That was fun.

[smokesmushi]

Heh. I guess I came in on a good season.

[wildsaber]

[His wings ruffle in agitation as he remembers.]

The Malnosso have a bad sense of humor.

[smokesmushi]

Oh? From what I understand, it's not the Malnosso that bring us here in the first place.

[wildsaber]

Oh... right. [His friends glossed over some details and he's kind of bad at them in the first place.]

Still, they're responsible for a lot of what happens. They're definitely not our friends. I bet they're the ones who leave people outside the village. I mean, someone had to mug me and take all my stuff, and someone had to put these things on...

[He fluffs his wings again.]

[smokesmushi]

The guide has stated that there's other enclosures, so I'm assuming they're moved to wherever is closest... or perhaps aren't grabbed quickly enough. By the mysterious means of our arrival, I suppose not all things cross at the same time. The clothes on my back were with me, but the box I carried on it was not.

I'm curious what the world itself is attempting to achieve by bringing this myriad of life here. Or perhaps assuming intention is already overstating what's happening.

[wildsaber]

Ah... I guess that could be it. [Personally he likes the mugger theory.]

I don't know, but that doesn't give anyone the right to experiment on us.

[smokesmushi]

No, you're certainly right about that.

[He wouldn't disagree on that point, even if he can strangely understand the Malnosso's perspective on all of this. Perhaps the experiments were their attempts to understand what the world is seeing in the living things that it's bringing in? Although the alternative in mere morbid curiosity is also well within the realm of what most humans would do, so he won't out-rule that, either.]

If you happen to see a square wooden medicine box, that would be mine. Ideally, it has all of my belongings inside of it - none of which should be touched.

[wildsaber]

A medicine box?

[Huh, he hasn't seen one of those in a while.]

Are you a merchant?

[smokesmushi]

Not a merchant, no. I'm a Mushishi. I travel from place to place to help people deal with invasive species.

[wildsaber]

[There's a couple new things he's never heard of. He hopes Gin doesn't mind a couple questions-- it's a little bit of a walk, after all.]

... What's an invasive species?

[smokesmushi]

[Most people scorn a less-than-informed question like that, but Ginko doesn't seem to skip a beat in responding, carrying no judging or smug tone.]

An invasive species is a species of creatures that are in an environment that they don't belong in. They're harmful to the natural balance of the area.

[wildsaber]

[He's grateful for that-- he really is just like a child in terms of knowledge. No time for invasive species discussions when you're saving the world.]

They don't have trouble? I mean, what about different... habitats and stuff?

[smokesmushi]

[All that matters is that you've got time now - and Ginko will talk your ear off so long as you're listening.]

It's not so much that they don't have troubles. The habitat that they belong in is the habitat that the species evolved into. A frog is going to fit in a swampy area properly; there are predators there that can eat the frogs and keep them under control, and the frogs act as a means of control for bugs and small fish. At the same token, the prey that the frog species naturally eats is also somewhat able to resist frogs... maybe they breed in huge quantities to guarantee that some will survive, perhaps they've evolved a defense mechanism.

But if the frog ends up in a different habitat, that environment may have no predators that can eat the frog. The frog and its descendants dominate the area. The prey they begin feeding on doesn't have the same means of defending itself like the prey from the frog's natural habitat, so the frogs are able to eat even more. Other animals native to that habitat begin to starve. Just by the frog species' presence, the environment changes radically. Things that don't seem connected are connected... the prey animals may be important for the plants' survival strategies, so the plants soon die as well.

Life is a very interconnected web, and even a small infestation can create big issues. Mushi in particular are very determined to live, and will attach themselves to anyone or anything in order to get what they need to survive. It's my job to move them or deal with them as necessary, to make sure that they aren't interfering with each other, the environment, or humans too heavily.