The Antique Shop and Shrine Guardian (Safi/Open)

Humans. They were strange things no? Full of emotions and secrets that were sometimes hidden and sometimes right on the surface. Of the many years Oki had spent studying various shadows and other things under the watchful eye of scientists and their cats, the being had never found anything quite as interesting to watch as these creatures. A thing it suppose at one point it was and perhaps even mimicked; however, outside of mimicking looks and what it could remember here and there, Oki wondered just how human it was. It had emotions and could think on a higher level than some, but did that make it human or something that posed to be a human?

It was hard to say and even harder to figure out as Oki eyes simply closed its eyes as it shook its head when its guest missed the meaning behind the small smile and said his words. The reaction mimicked amusement with a slight hint of disappointment there, but at the same time, Oki did not seem to be hurt by the action at all as it chuckled lightly.

“We do say so,” the being replied in a soft playful tone. It was a light jab at the other, but considering how well the other had been taking the pokes up until Oki figured one more would do nothing to harm anything.

In any case, after the comment was spoken, Oki took to drinking the hot tea without noticing the burn of the liquid upon its lips. Sure, it understood the liquid was hot, but outside of slight discomfort, the liquid did not really do much except bring a comfortable warmth to the being who drank the liquid. While it was drinking the tea, the being got distract by a moth that had decided to come into the house thanks to the doors being open. Following the moth came the fox who was hunting it down. The fox moved carefully around the pair as its prey flew further into the house. As Oki watched the fox and moth disappear further down the hall and into the gloom, it would pause only briefly in the drinking of tea. It was in this brief pause that the being felt the other’s eyes upon it.

“Hm?”

The being let out the light sound as its eyes narrowed and it turned to the other just in time to see the quizzical expression upon the other face. Watching the other quietly to see if he would ask a question, the being waited patiently for the man to speak what was on his mind; however, after a moment, the other seemed to simply let whatever was bothering him go. Disappointing, but expected from this man that seemed to be all about brushing things off and going with the flow. Ah well. Oki could respect that well enough.

When the subject turned to creating excuses and Oki had answered back, it watched the other give it an amused stare as the corner of his lips twitched slightly as if the man were trying not to laugh or something. When the other spoke, Oki’s observant gaze shifted as it chuckled lightly.

“Yes. By definition excuses are a cloak to hide many things and in the end quite silly to request,” it responded back equally playful as it took on an expression of mock offense to the next words it heard.

“Oki make up reasons and excuses? Why would we do that when it so much easier to be plain?” the being asked being slightly dramatic showing it was still playing, but it was not so playful it would spill its tea, but then seeming to settle once more its eyes narrowed to small slits at it gave the other a Cheshire Cat grin.

“Or is Sharaku suggesting Oki should behave differently, hmm?” the being asked playful as ever as it watched the other taking notes of shifts in energy in the air that made Oki wonder just how honest Sharaku was being with the way he felt right now.

Silence and a side-ways glance. Oho? Had Oki perhaps struck a nerve with this one with its response to the vagueness or was this another one of Sharaku’s methods of avoiding certain topics? Perhaps if Oki was more comfortable with the other and was for certain that the male wouldn’t be harmful to itself, maybe it would’ve prodded the gent for answers; however, still being strangers, Oki resisted urge to examine the behavior any further. Besides there were other things occurring that put the thought of examining Sharaku further on hold.

Like for example, the entrance of the moth and Sasha (the fox). Not really concerned about the fox breaking anything as it moved inside, Oki had to wonder how long the moth could outrun Sasha; however, before it could sink its mind into the various outcomes revolving around that subject, the being was pulled back to reality as its sensed the eyes of its guest upon it. Curious as to what had happen to result in such an action from the other, Oki had turned and with a light sound made its inquiry of the other, but just like before the man remain as quiet as ever choosing not to express what was on his mind. As disappointing as this was to the being, it did nothing to suggest that it was hurt by the action as it instead turned to being playful as the other began to question it about excuses.

The conversation had started off playful enough; however, as Oki responded back and asked its own questions, the being finally found itself up against a true wall as the other responded back to its question in a fashion that Oki was not sure how to translate. As a result of the look and words, Oki’s grin faded as it tilted its head first one way and then the other as it study the pretty face and took in the words.

Was he angry, annoyed, or was he just done playing? Oki couldn’t tell and the look only further confused it. As a result of not knowing what to do, it automatically slipped back into its older ways when faced with an unreadable scientist.

Losing most of its playfulness, it head would lower as it looked up at the other with serious and alert eyes. Upon its lips was a smile, but the smile was obliviously fake. At this point it was just a practiced action and nothing more.

“What is that you wish us to do then to make you more comfortable?” Oki asked its voice softer with a hint of submissiveness to it. The behavior was strange indeed, but it was something that Oki naturally did when it could not form a logic solution to the problem. Its guest was fun, but very difficult to figure out.

It did not know what was wrong or right with this one, so instead of continuing a game that could potential have a negative effect on the fun they had thus far, Oki chose a neutral road. Upon this road, the being could still easily adapt, but in a different fashion. It was now watching more carefully for boundaries, so unless the other flat out told it what not to do and what to do, the being would remain friendly, but cautious of this strange fellow. It wasn’t trying to form enemies here.

Oki remained watching its guest with slight submission as it awaited the words or actions that would come from the man before it. The being could calculate that the man wouldn’t do much, but at the same time it was not sure what the man would do. It wasn’t the fact that they were strangers that made the being so unsure. It was the man’s vagueness. While Oki was good at reading things (with the exception of cats) and people on a normal day, the being had to admit that Sharaku was probably the most difficult thing it had to deal with in years.

Most humans were black and white with a bit of grey here and there, but this gent? Not so easy to read, so the being had played along until it seemingly got in trouble for being playful. As it continued to watch the other, it thought for a second that it was about to be yelled at or scolded when it saw the other furrow his eyebrows and attempt to speak, his tone flat before trailing off and frowning.

Oh dear….had it really upset the man? It had no intention of doing that, but what did one do with one that did not give any true signs of boundaries? At the frown, Oki’s light smile would remain as a cloud passed over its eyes as it prepared for the worst case scenario. It honestly did not wish to chase away or cause conflict with a stranger it seemingly was getting along with. It certainly would be depressing and frustrating if that had occurred so suddenly; however, when the other spoke again, Oki took in the words, but did not respond as it continued to observe the other with a calm stare for a moment as it tried to process what it was hearing.

Leave it?

Cannot do anything about it?

What did this mean?

Still processing this, Oki would eventually blink as it shifted back in its spot as its eyes narrowed, the smile gone as it listened to the other’s second set of words and actions. Beyond help…heh. If only he knew how ironic those words were when said to Oki.

Once again, Oki would remain silent and unreadable as it nodded lightly at the other.

“If you say so,” Oki would respond back in a soft tone devoid of playfulness as it watched the other still a bit unsure of him. Then looking down at the remainder of the tea it had in its cup, Oki would swish it around a bit watching as some of the tea leaves shifted in the liquid for a moment. Casually, its eyes drifted over briefly to the tea and the other’s hand taking note he had not drank any. Perhaps his guest did not like tea after all and only took the offer to be polite. Hmph. Interesting, but nothing Oki would make a fuss about as its eyes lowered once more and went back to watching the tea leaves in its cup as it quietly tried to recompose itself after the confusing loop it had just been thrown from its very odd guest.

Oki remained quiet as it tried to collect itself once more as it marked where a clear boundary was for this man. Was Oki hurt? Not really. It would take more than what had just occurred to upset the being in any normal sense of the word; however, it was confused and in turn had shifted into a sort of reboot mode as it did what it could to adapt to its suddenly changing guest.

Change. It wasn’t unusual to the being. It never expected things to stay the same. It was just in some cases (such as this one), it took some time for Oki to bounce back from running into a barrier. The recovery time was a slight hint that despite all its friendliness and acting, Oki was in the end a being that was very much out of touch with the social realm and society. It did not always know what was appropriate to do or how to translate certain gestures correctly. So when it ran out of things to turn to for reference, it became quiet and more observant instead.

Remaining slightly submissive to the other, Oki only gave a light nod to the other’s response taking note of the smile, but not returning one back as it watched the other carefully. Not really finding a need to speak out against the other’s wishes, Oki remained silent taking notes here and there. Perhaps what the other had said was a touchy subject not proper for strangers and even if Oki was greedy for information it knew when it needed to wait to get to the treasure that hid in the fog. And wait it would.

As its eye drifted to the tea it had left in its cup Oki would swirl the liquid a bit at first in thought, but then quickly becoming amused by the shifting tea leaves, it would shift the cup again as its expression remained unreadable. The being would’ve continued to play with the tea, if it hadn’t been distracted by movement from its guest.

Green eyes would slid to the side watching as the other finally lifted his tea and…Eh?

Oki’s face would shift into one of mild shock as its eyebrows rose and it tilted its head as its guest chugged down the liquid in his cup. Quite amazed that someone would do such a thing (outside of itself), Oki wondered if perhaps the other had a high tolerance for pain like itself or maybe the tea was cool enough now to drink. Although, it had to wonder about the later part. The liquid still gave off a bit of steam… Hmmm…

Still the move was both impressive and worrisome; however, before Oki could get stuck with its wandering thoughts about Sharaku, the man opened the door for conversation once more with a simple question.

Blinking and shaking away the earlier shock, Oki looked its guest up and down for a second with a thoughtful frown before it closed its eyes and shook its head as a small amused smile crossed its face once more.

“Negative,” it would respond back to the other in quiet tones. “We were just wondering why Shaku drank his tea so fast. Did you want another cup, or are you perhaps in a hurry to leave?”

Oki reopened its eyes as it kept its head tilted at its guest observing the other as it seemed to go back to its normal state….and not seem too concerned it had changed the other’s name a bit in the process of speaking. It was not a matter of being a rude or forgetful that this occurred. It was simply Oki being Oki.

Oki watched the other with a light smile upon its lips. A light snort that turned into a light burst of laughter that lasted a few seconds before the being’s face was settling into a grin as it looked over at the other. The previous air of gloom was gone and Oki right back to its usual self as it watched the other with amusement.

“I see. So Shaku does things because he is bored,” the being concluded as it looked at the old cracked ceiling thoughtfully for a moment before it was looking back at the other. “It makes sense logically, but honestly, Shaku is the first that Oki has witnessed to drink hot tea that way. I guess new things are still in abundance these days,” the being said its eyes narrowing with delight for a few seconds before the expression was relaxing as it heard the answer to its offer.

“Heh. Fair enough,” the other said and then held out its hand for the cup the other had. “Well, let’s us have what is ours then. Perhaps if boredom comes up again and you’ll reconsider the offer of more, hmm?” the being said with a light smile not really poking at the man as it just remained itself. The smile would last for a while before fading slightly as the being noticed the movement from the other. Tilting its head one and then the other, Oki blinked at the Sharaku as curiosity filled it once more.

“Yes?” it asked wondering what was on the other’s mind, but not exactly expecting much of an answer from the man. Still, this one had a way of surprising the being, so who knew what may happen?

Amusement. That was what had caused Oki’s laughing fit from earlier; however, in the face of the situation and how the words had been spoken, the action from Oki was indeed an odd one. So it was no surprise that confusion is what the being got from the other in return. Despite this, Oki was not phased for it did not always act in line with what was appropriate for situations. In any case, the laughter was a double bladed action. While it was out place, it had dispelled the earlier gloom around Oki as the being settled and came to its conclusion about Sharaku doing things due to boredom.

As it heard the other’s response back, Oki eyes narrowed with curiosity.

“Explain to Oki then what you mean,” the being said, the request gentle enough to not seem like a command. The man didn’t have to explain, but Oki being what it was often sought out missing information for its data base. If bored did not mean to be tired of doing nothing, then what else did it mean? Had it not updated its data bases enough to include the alternate meanings of the word? Hmmm…Maybe not, but perhaps Sharaku would be kind enough to fix the problem for the being and if not? Meh, It would hurt nothing. After all, the difference in understanding the term was a small distraction and nothing more in this case.

Regardless of what sort of answer it got, Oki would eventually lean back as it heard the other’s response to tea drinking. While it had simply been stating the facts rather than trying to start an argument, what caught the being’s interest was what had been said about itself. To this, Oki gave the other a blank look for a moment and then blinking, reached up and rubbed the back of its head with its free hand as it looked off to the side with a sheepish smile on its face.

“Hehe. No. No. There is nothing wrong with the action. Just not usual for Oki to observe. Most sit around and enjoy the tea instead of rush through it, so it was a bit surprising is all,” the being responded back in words that seemed honest enough, but hid much as it did what it could to not respond to its own actions with the tea. The being was sure the avoidance wouldn’t go unnoticed, but maybe if Oki was reading the guy right this one wouldn’t go poking into other’s business after just meeting. Sharaku seemed to be the kind of fellow to avoid that, but then again…Oki has been wrong about folks in the past, so who knew what would happen as a result of this?

In any case, the awkward moment would only last for a bit before Oki was requesting the cup back and making its proposition to the other about a second round of tea in a light hearted fashion. As the other obeyed and handed over the cup, Oki took note of the huff as it took the empty cup in hand. As it balanced the cup, the being pulled a face of mock shock and horror as it looked Sharaku up and down as if he had lost his mind.

“Free? You do not think you haven’t paid too much already for one cup of tea? Is not dealing with us more than enough suffering for tea?” it said…only half-joking. Seriously. Anyone who could stay as long as Sharaku did around Oki was more than deserving of more than just tea. No. No. Tea was the least it could offer for such great company. The guy truly did not realize how impressive what he was doing was, especially on a first meeting.

Impressiveness aside, when Oki caught the odd behavior from the other and questioned it, the being found itself pleasantly surprised when the other answered; however, the expression it gave was more quizzical than shocked as its eyes brows rose slightly and it tilted its head at the other.

“Hm?” Oki began a bit perplexed as it carefully searched its mind, going backwards through what had been said before it found where the error had occurred. Blinking a few times at its own slip up, the being frowned slightly as it ponder this.

“We don’t know why the error occurred, but we believe the reason it continued was because no input for correction was made and so the error was seen as correct,” Oki answered the question giving feedback in a logical manner as it was conditioned to do. Then looking up at the other, the being spoke again.

“Which do you prefer? Shaku or Sharaku?” it asked as it smiled lightly at its guest.

Outside, the sun began to set lower in the sky turning the clouds from light orange to red as it continued sink lower and lower on horizon. Inside ,the house became gloomier as lanterns on the wall began to light themselves to provide light to ward off the growing shadows.

Silence and full attention. That is what Oki gave Sharaku as it asked for an explanation to words that had been spoken. While the request might’ve been strange, in its own territory and quite comfortable with its guest, Oki was showing just a hint of what it truly was. At its core, the being gathered information in any way possible, so when it didn’t understand something or couldn’t find a comparison in its memory bank, the being requested information up front. The other party had the right to deny the being the information or said party could even lie; however, whatever was said or done Oki would listen and watch taking notes before looking for other sources to compare the new information to. The subject of boredom was no different.

Even as the request took the other off guard, Oki would remain calmly balancing the tea cups in its hands as it waited patiently to see what the other said or did. As usual it did not expect much excitement on the man’s part, so when the indifferent response came later, Oki absorbed it before lowering its eyes to the ground and processing what it had heard.

“So Shaku was tired of holding the tea and so to get rid of the problem drank the warm tea quickly, so the cup could be taken….” it mumbled the process out as it remained in a slight daze as it analyzed the action. It made logical sense, so it could not question that; however, when it came to not having a reason to do things, Oki’s eyes would return to the other as a smile appeared back on its lips.

“Heh. Shaku does not see a need to justify himself, yes? Interesting if true. That would definitely make you a rare gem in the world,” Oki said in tones laced with a bit of amusement. The amusement would still been there when the other asked what was so enjoyable about dragging out tea time.

To this Oki was quiet for a moment as it took a few seconds to analyze the question taking note of how the other used the word enjoyable when he spoke.

“I suppose ‘enjoyable’ is much like the word ‘bored’. There are many forms of it and then there are no forms of it. As for a point to the whole thing, hmmm…” Oki paused as it looked at the ceiling thinking of a solution. When it found one it looked back at its guest.

“There is no point. Oki believes like many things humans do, it may be a show to amuse themselves rather than actually mean something…or at least that is what we have observed,” Oki said calmly as it gave a shrug of its own. Enjoying things. Boredom. Happiness….all of these were mysteries of human nature that Oki had yet to find all the answers to, so sharing on facet of the truth with another was enough for Oki. If the other had any words to add on, then the being would listen. If not, then there would be a slight silence between them before Oki was letting out a light “Ah. I see” to the other’s words regarding payment.

The playfulness from earlier had subsided once more as the being left the words as they were. It did not pry into the other’s words too much. No it was not looking to open that can of worms yet. Not when they were still strangers. Perhaps if more meetings were to occur Oki would become more bold and questions such things, but today was not that day.

In any case, when the subject changed to the way Oki had said Sharaku’s name, the being had to pause for a moment to actually figure out exactly what the other was talking about. When it found its error, Oki wasn’t embarrassed or in panic mode for committing the error. The being remained calm, admitted its fault, and then asked which name the other preferred. While it was true this would make Oki seem like a machine of some sort, this behavior was simply old habit. While the being tried hard to keep itself “normal”, when it became comfortable and no one bothered to correct it Oki had the habit of simply being itself and not caring what the world thought of it.

While the being was not sure what Sharaku thought of it, Oki was glad this one didn’t seem very judgmental. A fresh of breath air in a world full of judges. This was something worthy of some respect. Perhaps it was this trait of the man that allowed Oki to be pretty honest with him. Sure it did not share all its cards with the other, but at the same time it wasn’t hiding anything either.

When the other spoke in response to the question, Oki watched the other for a moment and then quite unexpectedly it turned its back on the man as it drifted into the steadily deepening gloom of the house as outside the sun continue to set.

The lanterns within the house provided a small bit of light that steadily grew as the place became darker. The house was quiet for a while the only sounds being the light clinking of glasses being sat down in a sink of some sort. A moment silence would reign again over the house before Oki appeared once more and sat down on the slight rise that led into the main house.

“Will Shaku be staying to see the spirits come out?” Oki asked as it looked at the other calmly. It was a strange question, but in a nutshell Oki was offering Sharaku a place to stay for the night if need be. While it was true they were strangers, Oki was not one to chase away good company or turn anyone out to the dark if it had space for them to stay in. Sure some things would need to be shuffled about, but Oki did not mind this much.

Stranger or not, Sharaku was an interesting subject to study. While the being would not invade privacy to gain what it sought, it was also true that there was a slight bit of danger of taking Oki’s kindness too easily. If one wasn’t carefully, Oki could easily keep an interesting subject with it for a long while or until its interesting aspect had run out.

However, the offer here was different in one aspect. In the past, Oki would not leave room for an escape for its prey, but now…now it did as it watched the other with its cat like eyes that remained bright within the gloom.

Oki had talked and Sharaku had listened. It appeared the man had no input upon what was being said. A problem? Not really. Oki didn’t mind the listener or the talker. What mattered to the being were actions more so than words…and this man had definitely shown more than he had said.

Sharaku was a difficult man to figure out. Whether he liked Oki or hated it was a thing left up to debate, but also a subject that Oki was not too concerned about examining further. Much like the man, Oki wasn’t here to worry about opinions no matter how much it mimicked the odd ways humans behaved. It was true, it had its limits in some areas and if one were to really upset Oki, the being could genuinely show it; however, outside of some small moments that had caused the being to become a bit more like its older self, this one hadn’t gotten under its skin much. Just confused it here and there is all.

The conversation was enjoyable enough and the pleasure factor high enough that the man had gained a small bit of respect from the old being. As far as dislike or like went, well Oki would have to figure that out in time. Right now the man had left it pleased enough to give the other a chance to back out of an offer that could’ve been a trap; however, the way Oki phrased the offer made it hard to understand.

When the other stated this, Oki would smile lightly as it closed its eyes and shook its head before it stood up. This one and his various ways of avoiding questions and missing the point. Heh. It was an interesting trait that made the man that much more attractive in Oki’s eyes. Mmm..this man was indeed an interesting subject worth observing in its natural territory. Yes, Oki would let this one be free.

Getting on its tippy toes, Oki would stretch quietly before it let itself relax and reopened its green eyes as it moved forward and towards Sharaku. As the being pass close by the man the loose fabric of its clothing would brush against the other as the being moved; however, Oki did not appear to notice this as it moved towards the open door and spoke.

“The lanterns have begun to come on signaling the darkness’s coming; however, before full darkness falls something quite fascinating happens,” Oki said as it gestured for Sharaku to come with it as it moved back down the open hallways and back out into the open area of graves.

Here the stone lanterns' flames had to began to glow faintly around the old tombs. Stopping before the graves, Oki would look towards the sky gauging from its shade the time before it leveled its eyes with the earth again and turned slightly to look at its guest.

“We arrived on time. Watch the graves for a moment and you’ll see what Oki speaks of,” the being said with a smile before falling silent once more.

As the sounds of crickets filled the cool area and the sky above steadily got darker, the cracks around the old tombs began to come alive with movement as a strange thing occurred. From the various cracks, odd blue and black butterflies began to pull themselves out and take to the air. Their colors were bright and seemed almost to glow as they flew around the pair before flying upward and towards the steadily darkening sky above.

The sight was one that Oki had seen tons of times, but still found comforting even if the occurrence could not be explained. The butterfly spirits appeared everyday at the same time. They were a constant that kept Oki’s world balance. While the being usually watched this event alone, it was kind of nice sharing it with another. Perhaps this was fate's way of signalling something, no?

Staying quiet for a moment, Oki would raise one gloved hand allowing one of the odd colored butterflies to land gently upon it.


As the creature rested upon its hand, Oki would observe it quietly with a thoughtful smile upon its lips before speaking once more.

“Oki wonders if it would bother Mr. Shaku to meet again down the road with us,” Oki said softly, the words more of a question than a statement as it kept its eyes on the butterfly upon it rather than its guest as it waited for a reply should one occur.