A Crossing of Paths (Sharaku)

Akumu would simply nod at Sharaku’s words regarding being lost or getting lost with something. While one could go on for days with that one, Akumu was not one to go in useless circles and so without much trouble, the issue of loops and lost paths was easily dismissed as the conversation decided to settle on persona and shadows.

“They are similar because they are in fact the same in a way. The only true difference is that a shadow is its own thing, while a persona is an extension of whoever or whatever gave birth to it. When taken at base value though, personas are a type of shadow. A beneficial parasite to some and a death wish to others,” Akumu said as he folded his arms lightly in thought before he was looking up at the other with a light nod.

“That is true. One doesn’t need either to cause much chaos in the worlds, but some love power and so will always seek the weaker to serve them. These pieces make the board quite a headache to play on,” Akumu responded back as he watched the other, taking note how the other seemed to speak of the shadow control issue as if he had some experience with such matters. Curious. Were those eyes really telling the truth then? Was this one a shadow….or a tamer of the beasts? It was a possibility, but one that Akumu only pondered rather than pried into so quickly.

In any case, the thoughts would shift as Akumu was knocked off guard with the man’s answer to his question. It was definitely not expected, but the shock reaction seemed to cause the man across from the attendant some confusion too. Maybe it had been an over-reaction, but what was to be expected when the other had seemed a bit reluctant to answer things clearly before?

In any case, Akumu would tilt his head lightly at the other’s words before nodding a bit.

“Ah. Just like before then. The board has changed,” the old attendant said before he blinked, refocusing on the other. “So…can I conclude from your statement that you can control shadows? Is that what allows you to pass so easily between here and over there?”

The question was calm and straight forward as Akumu watched the other. He didn’t expect any form of answer and would not pry for any other information should the other react negatively to the words. Whatever resulted from that was left in the air as the old attendant's attention turned to the doll who had decided to open a shrine and use the gift it was given to decorate its home.

As the doll went about doing that, the man who watched it seem confused.

“It has opened a shrine in hopes that more will pray to it and leave it gifts. The more a spirit is recognize, the more power it gains and in turn the more it can help or hinder others. Luckily, this one is on the good side,” Akumu said to give the other a little bit of information on what the creature was doing; however how well the male took to this was yet to be seen. In the end did it really matter?

“Hmm..then what would you suggest is the best description? Is there one?” Akumu responded back to the other's words curiously.

Akumu remained with his head leaned against his hand as he listened to the other explain how he already knew that shadows and personas were similar and perhaps even the same thing in some fashion. He said the shadow wass more individualistic, hmm?

“I would say the persona are more well tame than the shadow; however, I would think that like any beast a shadow would turn on its master at a whim unless said person played by its way of thinking. The weak bow to the strong. While one may argue due to the way some shadows behave this is not true, at their core they follow this simple hierarchy. If they did not then they would constantly eliminate themselves rather than work together like they do. As far as species go, I do not think that matters. As long as one shows greater strength than the shadows they bow. The human and shadow relationship is no different,” Akumu said to the other in calm tones. He would fall silent pondering this strange hierarchy the shadows had before he was asking his question to the other.

To this, Akumu could feel rather than see the change in the other. On one hand, the question seemed to hit a subject the man did not wish to speak of, but on the other hand it was as if he had been expecting the question. After all, he had opened the topic up by speaking did he not? In any case, the answer in turn was short, sweet and to the point. To this, Akumu simply nodded his head casually not seeming to phased by this fact.

“I think multiple is playing with the fire too much. They would surely bite you in time. However, I can’t see how one would be much easier. Quite the handful, yes?” Akumu said treading where he walked carefully. He didn’t want to offend the man, but he could not deny his curiosity. So it was with caution that Akumu poked about this subject, bracing for any sudden changes from the other.

Regardless of what happened due to the poking, the old attendant would eventually look from the man that seemed even more confused when it came to shrines to the humming Jester on the table. When he was asked a question, the old attendant smiled.

“It starts at its home to gather the strength it needs to move and prompt itself elsewhere. Keep in mind this Jester is quite small. It wouldn’t be able to rush out so easily, so it talks with the elders to find the right path to build its shrine on out there,” Akumu said easily enough. “Your earring is the only proof that it needed that it could get more to give to itself and its shrine. A bit of leverage to please the stubborn elders, if you will,” The old attendant let out a small chuckle before he was becoming quiet as the other let out a light hum in response to words the old attendant had spoken.

In response, Akumu closed his eyes as he pondered the words that followed the hum.

“Perhaps so, but I have seen a few simply drift with the tide. There was nothing to gain or lose for them, so they played the game by simply drifting along. Ironically, these drifters out lasted the ones that gambled so much to play life’s game in the first place. I will admit drifters are uncommon, but when one is spotted beware. They have no soul anymore to spare any longer,” Akumu responded back softly before his eyes reopened and landed on the other with an even gaze.

“Perhaps it is because they feel betrayed, You say you control a shadow and others command Persona? They see you as one of their own in a sense, but different and hostile. So they attack the foreign substance. No matter how strong it is. They search for a particular type of being. One most like them to bow to. When they find that type, they don’t care about species. They bow. Makes sense?” Akumu said doing what he could to clear up his words, but he wasn’t sure if he was becoming more confusing or not.

In any case, when the subject came back to the man and his ability to control shadows, Akumu had carefully prod for more information and by some miracle got some more. The man before him remained vague with the details, but Akumu did not mind. He respected the other’s privacy and so did not make a fuss as he listen to what was said.

“It was forced upon you, hmm? I am sorry to hear Fate has burden you with such, but it appears you bear your burden well enough,” Akumu said as he looked the other up and down casual. “You are sane and of good health. Impressive considering close proximity with shadows is often…unhealthy.”

The attendant gave the light compliment out easily enough as he watched the other calmly until the subject veered towards the shrine the jester had put up. To the man’s blank stare and words, the old attendant chuckled lightly.

“The best way to understand is to visit the shrines of the spirits and experience their power for yourself,” Akumu said with a light nod as he let the rest of that subject drop. Honestly, words could never explain a thing that had to simply be experienced to believed, but he wondered how such experience would effect the skeptical man before him. Hmph.

"Mmm. They are much like the undead, but to feel safe some are willing to become exactly that and drift along. Soulless, but still standing when the passionate ones fall or vanish," Akumu said as he closed his eyes, pondering how many would fall if the situation of the other world got out hand. How many would float? Would Fate allow any to stand?

Akumu would keep an even gaze on the other, his light smile turning into a pleased smirk at the other’s words. While he was easily confused, the other was certainly quite clever. He didn’t miss the contradictions in words or the illogical way that the hierarchy worked. However, there were some things that were debatable in what he said.

“Well let’s examine that, shall we?” Akumu said as he leaned back. “I think the relationship is similar to humans and animals and spirits. Everyone of us are different and while we have a tendency to stick with those of similar feathers, the hierarchy is quite similar. Take a dog for example. It is a different species than a human, but over time the humans have made them submit to them through training and breeding. So in turn one can do the same with a shadow who works on similar, but more chaotic patterns. A dog submits to the master due to recognizing the owner as the alpha dog in the home, and so shadows and spirits will do the same over time. The thing that tames them become less foreign and so they don’t attack. The more power you have at your back the better you can tame…most of the time.

“The ones that attack the weak are untamed and like any predator attacks what it sees as an easy meal. While the lower ranks appear to not care for what is before them, there have been times when they would scatter to the wind if they felt something was more powerful than them. At other times, they willingly come to those they have gotten accustomed too or sees as their superior regardless if it was shadow, animal, or man. My data may be dated since what I speak of came from a while back, but the study seems to hold true even to the present day unless shadows have evolved so much that new research must be done upon them,” the old attendant said as he watched the other. While it was true he was simply an attendant bound by chains, his task had allowed him to dig slightly further into things than others. Thus his knowledge on the study of shadows was a bit more vast than the ordinary attendant. He had both witnessed and read about such happenings in the past. Still the other had some valid points that made the study even more fascinating to dig into. Perhaps the equation had changed over time. Perhaps what was now known needed to be re-evaluated. Akumu would have to see.

When the other chuckled under his breath at the comment regarding his well-being in regards to the shadows, Akumu would tilt his head lightly as he heard the other words.

“How about sharing a space with one or being in direct contact with one daily?” the other said in response to the issue of closeness to a shadow. The closeness was an extreme sure, but one that had been pulled from a study long ago. Most subjects that shared a space with the shadow were driven close to the edge and if one had to be in contact with one daily, the mind slowly gave out to the shadow’s chaos when subjects were too weak to handle them…or so the books said. Still it would be interesting to see what this one had to offer on such a matter. Again the board had probably changed.

When it came to the subject of shrines, the old attendant shook his head lightly at the response as he kept the smile upon his face. He didn’t say anything in response to the short phrase finding it quite unnecessary to do so. If the man wished to learn, he may visit the shrines, but if it was not up his alley, then this was a polite way of saying no. In the end, it was the other’s choice and Akumu was not in the business of persuading others to do anything. He simply made suggestions here and there. The choice was up to the individual.

“If only those that chose to float had your spirit to go forward. I would have to agree your path is more appealing, but what do you say to those that have given up what souls they have in order to believe they can escape death time and time again? Can you really change them?” Akumu asked as he gave the other a light smile of understanding. Drifting was no way of living that was for sure, but the price people paid just to avoid death was…quite disturbing at times.

Was the explanation perhaps too long for the other? Or perhaps the other had simply zoned out after becoming disinterested. It was true Akumu made his explanations thorough…too thorough at times he had to admit, but when it came to certain things he wanted to make sure that the other party understood his views. Otherwise, pointless arguments would occur and quiet honestly, the old attendant did not want that. That would become tiresome and annoying on another level.

In any case, as the other took a moment to concentrate, Akumu waited patiently enough, his eyes drifting from the man before him to the Jester who had become silent in its shrine. It was in deep prayer now, so perhaps one of the higher spirits had taken notice of its request and was now considering it. A comforting thought that lasted for only a few seconds before blue eyes glanced up at the other as he spoke.

“Mmm. Perhaps so, but it can be achieved. However, it seems we do not have such tamers of that nature any more. Either that or the shadows have a new sort of leader that enhances their aggressiveness and thus makes them impossible to tame in the old fashion ways,” Akumu said with a light nod at the other.

The calm nod would eventually become a light tilt of the head as the other seemed perplexed by other words spoken by the attendant regarding the shadows and being in contact with them. The old attendant wasn’t quite sure what the other was thinking, but a small smile of amusement would appear when the other ask his question.

“Fun? I am not so sure the ones that were put through that would agree. According to records, 24/7 interaction was never a good thing. Those were the ones that went mad,” Akumu said easily enough before his eyes narrowed lightly at the other. “Of course like myself, much of the information I contain seems outdated. Perhaps you can shed a bit more clarity on the matter, hmm?” the old attendant said before becoming silent for a moment to see what the other would do.

Whatever came of that, things eventually shifted to the matter of the drifters in the world. As Akumu listened to the other, he smiled quite pleased with the answer.

“My. My. You are a rarity amongst your kind. You are the first to give such a well balanced answer. Most of the time people would either fight against such a notion, believing forcing the floaters into action is the right choice or simply joining them is the best. I am glad to see there is one that can still see a more sound path than the other two,” Akumu said his voice calm despite how impressed he was with the other. Humans were indeed full of surprises still.

Akumu would listen to the man’s words carefully with a light smile on his face as his mind both agreed and disagreed with things that were said however, instead of countering anything this time around, the old attendant would fold his arms and fall into quiet thought. This man was interesting and his opinions on the things that were brought up entertaining enough to take interest in. While the man would suggest that Akumu speak to others to find the whole truth and that he was not that special, Akumu’s eyes would close as he gave a light nod to the other.

“A meeting with various individual would indeed broaden the horizons, but I wonder how far I could get with that,” he would agree with Sharaku on that point, but wouldn’t say much else before the man was standing up with a light sigh. As the other stood, Akumu mimicked the actions as he stayed on his side of the table.

“I thank you for humoring me. I think most would’ve been chased away by such talk,” Akumu said and then nodding at Sharaku he would bow to the other.

“Untl Fate reunites us then. Farewell, Sharaku,” the attendant would say his voice slowly fading out as the room around Sharaku collapsed and began to disappear until the man was left in a realitively small and ababandon building. There was no physical traces of the strange place that had resided there not too long ago, but there was still a trace of the tear there that could only be caught by those sensitive to such things,

Exit. Thread has ended.