Prelude (Shouhei & ????)

The Park was a great place to relax in the central area, At the moment travel to Central was allowed due to the Coming Festival this would allow other people to come look around get used to navigating the area, and allow those that wished to set up shops, to get the paperwork squared away and approved and gave them time to set up and prepare for the festival.

One thing that was quite the common sight in central, the Presence of a Waddle-dee, these little Creatures seemed to be absolutely everywhere, running little errands and cleaning and preparing the place for the Festival along with people who where doing the same. In the Park however The Waddle-dee's seemed to be taking their time off, likely being told to go rest or go play as normally the little spirits would work till they were quite tired and told to rest by a Waddle-doo. But in the Park groups of them  could be seen sitting in the grass with others, napping under trees and tending to flowers or simply running around playing with other Waddle-dee's.

And among the Multitudes of Waddle-dee's wandering about, there were a few Waddle-doo's keeping a protective eye over them, to make sure the people that showed up to play with the Waddle-dee's were not being mean to them.


It would be in the middle of the park that an old man was sitting petting a Waddle-dee and giving food to a few others and gently humming a tune to them.

As for Shouhei Kagawa, his trip through the park was to walk off his upcoming anxiety.  Little changed since his train ride to Central with his Sensei, Ichika Kurosawa.  Once they had booked their hotel rooms Shouhei found his feet taking him through the crowded streets, eventually leading to the more placid park.  Clove cigarette clenched between his teeth, its sweet yet harsh aroma wafted in the air, accompanied by the sounds of playful Spirits.

Unexpectedly a dog sauntered up to Shouhei, yipping at him and wagging its tail furiously.  His amber eyes looked on curiously- the dog had no collar, yet seemed to be mindful of people- more than likely not a stray.  Then again it could have just been a stray well-handled by the generosity of strangers, like it was trying to push on Shouhei right now.

“...Go on then, I ain’t buyin’ ya a meal ‘til ya show me ya don’t have an owner,” Shouhei ruffled the top of the dog’s head and chuckled.  

In response the mutt barked and lightly trotted ahead of him, occasionally taking a glance back to see if Shouhei had followed.  So there the pair continued, traveling deeper into the park, as Waddle-dees and Doos came and went in their path.  The dog and the Spirits would chirp to each other occasionally in a language Shouhei could never understand; he figured they were exchanging greetings in passing.

Finally the dog came to an elderly man surrounded by and feeding the Spirits, humming a gentle tune.  It yipped pleasantly and patiently as it sat beside the stranger, awaiting its turn to be fed too.

“...’Scuse me, old fella, this here dog’s yours?” Inquired Shouhei as he strolled up to his elder, puffing along his clove cigarette.

The old man smiled as he gently pets a waddle-dee, then the dog ran over and sat next to him "oh hello there.. where did you?..." he was just saying before a voice called out as a young man walked up and the old man smiled though before he could ask about the dog the young man did and he changed what he was going to say "ah I see... sadly no this dog doesn't belong to me, though if it is here at this park... Hmmm?" he took a moment to look the dog over smiling a bit before sitting back up and chuckling

"Ah I see now... this one belongs to someone,... but is being walked by a waddle-dee... since the Waddle-dee is with it the person must have felt safe leaving it without it's collar... after all Waddle-dee's are rather responsible little creatures.. but then... where is the Waddle-dee... AH there he is... right there see? the one with the dog bowl" The man had started to look around and once he spotted the odd Waddle-dee he pointed to it, it was already heading towards them with a dog bowl full of food and once it got over to them it placed the bowl down and the dog started to enjoy the food.

"There we go... all's right with the world... the dog probably seemed hungry so he must have left it here with the other Waddle-dee's to go get it something to eat... very good work little one" the old man said to the spirit gently petting it on the head and getting a salute back from the Waddle-dee.

Lookign up to Shouhei he smiled a bit "Ah I don't recognize you.. you must be here for the festival hmm? Tell me if you don't mind spending some time talking to an old man that is, how are you finding things here in central? On the Festival itself?" he asked kindly a gentle smile on his lips as he picked up another Waddle-dee and started to pet it.

Shouhei simply nodded to the pup’s reunion with its walker- although he for sure couldn’t understand neither dog nor Spirit- either way his obligation to feed or take care of the dog ended.  While the old man seemed particularly friendly, Shouhei did mind sharing his business to a stranger.  Some small talk wouldn’t hurt, however.

“...I ain’t been here long, so I can’t say.  Been here once or twice before, so I ain’t expectin’ nothin’ wildly different.”  Admitted Shouhei, as he took a long drag of his cigarette.  “And what’s your deal, old timer.  Ya here jus’ to feed these Spirits?  Ask random passerbys what they think’a this festival?”

The old man smiled as he picked up a Waddle-dee and gently pets it as he looks to the young man waiting for his replay, and as he did he simply just enjoyed the company of the Waddle-dee's and the Waddle-doo that had accompanied them, and as the young man replied the old man nodded slowly as he listened, placing the Waddle-dee down and picking up a different one and petting it next, "Ah yes these Festivals are much the same yet very different" he said with a nod as he continued to change Waddle-dee's he was petting, it was rather clear he was trying to make sure the Waddle-dee's were all getting some time being Petted and the Waddle-dee's seemed to be patiently waiting for their turns but milling about and generally being quite pleasant little things.

The old man smiled a bit at the question "I enjoy Spending time with the Waddle-dee's and the Waddle-doo's they are quite interesting creatures, they are very kind, always willing to help those that are kind to them, and they will put themselves in harms way to protect those that can't protect themselves.. and I feel spending some time to show my Appreciation is the least I can do, also.. they are awfully cute" he said with a chuckle as put the one he was petting down and picked up another waddle-dee and started to pet it, "As for me asking, I am old, I can't make the Journey out to the other Districts even if I wanted to, so the Festival is a good way to ask people how things are fairing in the other districts, I like to know their thoughts as well, after all one view can often get very little of a grander picture of things don't you think?" he asked with a gentle smile. "Well... it's also that my Extended Family... well.. I lost them long ago.. that isn't to say you look like any of them, but talking to others from other places.. I will not lie.. it fills a hole in my heart... if only for a little while..."

Shouhei would never speak it aloud, but he did find the little buggers charming in their own way.  Kind of like cats and dogs, or animals.  Their noble intentions made Spirits that much more incredible and awe-inspiring.  All the more reason for Shouhei to pass his audition, to encounter them more often.  Besides, he could learn something from the old timer- showing appreciation to the Spirits wasn’t a terrible idea- as he too found himself patting one of the Waddle Dees on the head.

“...My bad for askin’ that kinda question, makin’ it personal.” Shouhei bowed his head in apology; he himself was not into talking about private matters, especially if they were painful.  “But I hear ya.  All it takes is one person to change your whole view on things.”

Of course Shouhei was personally referring to Mariko Masuda, the one person who flipped his life around.  Then there was Ichika Kurosawa, his Sensei.  Regardless of the latter’s foul attitude they both were irreplaceable and important to Shouhei’s current status.

The man gently pets the Waddle-dee in his arms a gentle smile on his lips as he sits there remembering, perhaps the family he lost? but he sits there regardless, he continued to pet the Waddle-dee before gently putting it down and picking up another and gently petting it next smiling as the spirit made happy sounds and relaxed at being petted. The Waddle-dee that Shouhei was petting did the same and when he had moved his hand away for a moment the Waddle-dee hopped up and gently grabbed his hand to guide it back down to the top of it's head to let him pet it some more looking very pleased with itself.

At the apology the old man shook his head "Oh don't be sorry, Loss is something we all face, but.. I would rather remember them and the good times we had, then forget them in my old age never to remember them again.. as long as I remember them they are not truly gone after all" he said with a nod. "I am glad to hear you have learned this at a much younger age then myself... it's important you never forget that.. or them, or that way of thinking, all it takes is one person" he added as the Waddle-dee he was petting and drifted off to sleep and he smiled down at it before gently giving it to a Waddle-doo to carry away and place with a group of sleeping Waddle-dee so it would be warm and safe.

"Take this time to grow my Young friend... learn.. aim for those goals you hold in your heart and mind, I will not lie... as you grow.. those goals will change.. and they should.. after all once you achieve a goal.. you should always have another.. but don't let Arrogance guide you, don't let something negative guide you... Or you will find those goals you hold? They will slowly slip away one by one.. I have seen it happen before and I do not wish to see it happen to others" he said nodding.

"But Listen to this old man going on as if he is some Sage.. oh I would be laughed at if any of the people I once knew were here, let me tell you, even while they brush away any advice this old man gave.." he chuckled and waved his hand as if dismissing his previous words. "Well I apologize for taking your time to talk to this old man and hearing him babble, but thank you all the same for doing so" he said smiling to the youth.

Shouhei slowly nodded along to the words of wisdom the old timer shared.  Until the part about checking his emotions and not letting arrogance get the best of him absolutely applied to him.  His amber eyes briefly widened at that point; of course the elderly knew invaluable life lessons that could relate to people from all walks of life.

“...Not respectin’ your elders is only somethin’ a dumbass would do.” Shouhei took a long drag of his cigarette, and a broad smile bared his fangs as twin plumes of smoke escaped its corners.

“I don’t mind listenin’ to ya, old man.  So you’re tellin’ me ya got lost in your goals ‘cause’a your emotions, yeah?  What were they exactly.”

The old man smiled at the mans words, and nodded "Ah that is true... but not only age makes one an Elder... one could be an elder in experience as well do not forget that... one cannot simply assume that because one is old... that they have all the knowledge, perhaps the one that has known of the situation or skill longer will be the elder not of age but of experience, it is something one must always remember, and use it to Temper their choices and thoughts, but never let it and it alone sway them" he said as he looked to the youth.

"And I thank you for that, so few do listen... maybe to caught up in themselves or their own goals to listen to others... but it's to be expected at times... as for myself.,.." he took out a bag of small candies and started to slowly hand them out to the waddle-dee "Now... you guys make sure the ones that want which ones are given them okay?" he said to the Spirits before he looked back to the youth he was conversing with.

"... as I was saying, as for myself, yes that did happen, I let my emotions get the better of me.. and due to that I made a mistake... you see... I wanted to help people... I wanted it so badly as a youth that during a Demon Breakthrough into the city... it was much smaller at that time you understand... but during that... Though I lacked the ability to fight them... I tried anyway.. I wanted to help so badly... in the end though.. I only put people in danger, my own feelings caused others to be in danger..." he said with a tinge of regret.

"I was lucky though... these little ones were there... they came in waves and in droves.. and they met the demons trying to harm me... I don't know how many tens or hundreds of them rushed to my aid... all I could see at the time was them taking blows that were meant for me and then simply... disappearing into puffs of smoke and air.. each swing from the demons reaping a toll from them, but still these small creatures rushed into the danger, slowly the work they were doing was enough to force the Demons back... and I caught up in my own fear... hadn't had the sense to move the whole time as I seen what I thought was hundreds of these kind gentle spirits dying to save a fool like me..." he reached down and gently pets a Waddle-dee.

"That was before I knew of their amazing ability though... these small spirits.. though weak.. are brave beyond belief, selfless to the extreme, and undaunted by the enemy that threatens those they wish to protect... and yet... many simply walk past them every day, ignore them.. and some even mistreat them to an extent.. yet without a qualm every single one of them would throw themselves into danger to protect those same people... and the most amazing part is... they are Immortal.... they would face all the same dangers once coming back... with out a complaint, they would do this time and time again... truly wonderful little allies we in the city have.." he said as he was slowly petting Waddle-dee after Waddle-dee

"And that's not even mentioning their self proclaimed Guardians.. the Waddle-doo's look after them... I can tell you I have seen my fair share of those that took their mistreatment of the Waddle-dee's to far... and a single Waddle-doo setting them right.." he chuckled at the memory.

Even in his mind’s eye Shouhei couldn’t imagine a normal human attempting to brave through a swarm of Shadows- not even during his more reckless years as a teenager, a nonstop brawling leader of a bousouzoku gang.  No wonder the old man held such reverence for these almost unnoticed and unthanked Spirits.

“...Fuckin’ A, you’ve been through some shit old man.”  While not on the same level of severity as the stranger’s story, Shouhei could definitely relate to that feeling.  Not willing to share his own tale, he’d much rather keep the old timer focused on their own story.  “Even if ya didn’t have the means to stop Shadows, ya still tried to do somethin’ ‘bout it.  I gotta ‘ppreciate the balls ya got, heh.”

With that same fanged grin Shouhei ruffled the top of one of the heads of the spirits and added, “Guess we all gotta learn harsh lessons to move on with our lives.  Good thing there’s others to pick ya up along the way.  So any of these li’l dudes here ‘member ya?  From that time- I mean- if they’re immortal and alla that.”

The old man let out a laugh at the young mans exclamation "I suppose I have haven't i? Though while I may have had the Testicular fortitude to attempt something... it was still foolhardy to do so, and I thank these little creatures every day that my foolish youth didn't cost someone else their lives, though I feel I owe these little ones as much as I can give for putting themselves into danger so often, not just for me, but for others" he said as he looked over the Waddle-dee's who were handing out the candies making sure everyone got one... though they seemed to make sure the Waddle-doo's in the group got an extra candy, which the little ones accepted with a teary eye and a nod, clearly happy to be offered the extra and usually ending with a hug to the Waddle-dee's around it.

"Seems the Dee's are letting the Doo's know they appreciate their efforts... always a grand thing to see" he said with a chuckle before looking back to Shouhei as the waddle-dee he was petting let out a happy little coo sound from the affection given to it.

"It is true, but hopefully some learn those lessons the first time and don't repeat their mistakes.. as for the ones that do? we can only hope they have a friend willing to pull them off the path to self-destruction they unwittingly placed themselves on" he nodded and then to the last bit of the question he smiled brightly.

"Actually all the ones you see here are the ones that saved me.. I don't mean the ones around me.. I mean the ones in this park, they each greet me, though I can't understand them, I have learned they have a language, but we cannot hear it.. though the Waddle-doo's can translate them for us, and that's how I learned, I tend to have a Waddle-doo with me at all times these days in case the Waddle-dee ever have anything to ask me" he looked with a smile to one of the Waddle-doo currently taking a nap nearby, it was actually slightly off color from the other Waddle-doo in the area.

"You should endeavor to find allies and friends to share your time and stories with, even a story of the past that is bad, could have something to teach a person that hasn't lived your life, or hasn't run into a similar situation themselves... such things can always be helpful, but always remember if you need some help desperately and you don't know where to go or who to look for, these spirits are always willing to lend a hand" he said with a kind smile on his face.

This old timer could certainly chat, as much as Shouhei surmised someone of that age would be.  Still he considered the words of someone with that much life experience and listened on.  For instance, he was now viewing the ubiquitous Spirits that always lingered around much more than what they appeared to be.  They weren’t just token cute mascot characters.  When the stranger mentioned having a Spirit around him at all times, Shouhei took note and made a logical conclusion:

“...Ya keep one’a ‘em with ya at all times?  So you’re sayin’ you’re a Demon Trainer or somethin’ yeah?  You can use Mugic,” Shouhei said with genuine curiosity while smoke poured from his nostrils.  If he was wrong- no harm, no foul.  However if the old man was a Mugic user this conversation suddenly became a lot more interesting.

The old man chuckled "Oh my no no, I am no Demon Trainer... I think the Waddle-doo stays around me to translate for the Waddle-dee's that like to keep near me, ever since that moment I have had the little spirits around me, I just trust them and they seem to like the affection and recognition, though they would never ask for it, they are far to humble for that." he said with a smile "No I have never had the Aptitude you see, but I am thankful that these little spirits have always been our allies" he gently pets a Waddle-dee and a Waddle-doo a kind smile on his face.

The old man then smiled a bit as he looked back to Shouhei "so tell me my young friend, have you any stories of your life? I believe I asked before but you seemed more keen on keeping the conversation about me instead... and I obliged..  though I am still left curious... if you do not want to talk about it however then simply say so I will understand, not everyone is keen on their past, though... even not telling me anything tells me a great deal, in my case I do not judge others for their past,as long as they have learned from it. But others? they can take your avoidance and possibly think up even worse events of your past then actually happened... and if those ones are the judgmental types... or the kind that think they must do something to protect others? Well.. it may cause issues... perhaps avoiding all mention isn't the best of Ideas.. at least when directly asked.." he said with a smile.

“...Huh, so you and these guys are jus’ good frien’s.  Coulda fooled me for bein’ a Mugic user,” shrugged Shouhei as he took another drag of his cigarette.  Pity about that, he would have liked to hear from someone else with experience in the craft.

“...’Ppreciate the advice old man- but the way I see it- nobody needs to know alla my business.  They can judge me all they like.  ‘S always been that way with me.  What matters in the end is my actions speakin’ for themselves.” Shouhei’s expression was empty, but the tone of his voice was rough, like grating gravel, while a cloud of smoke fumed from his mouth.  Once the sweet yet harsh smelling clove cloud wafted away, only a fanged smile remained on his visage.

“But since you shared a bit with me, I’ll give somethin’ right back.  I got an audition comin’ up, an important one.  I ain’t never felt this goddamn nervous in my life.” A dry laugh escaped his lips, before he turned his amber gaze to the stranger who he was (slightly) opening up to.

“I’ve been in a shitton of recitals and performances, but this one’s really fuckin’ with me.  Wanna share some’a that wisdom of yours on how to approach this, old timer?”

The old man laughed a bit at the mans comment, but he listened to him as he pets another Waddle-dee, Though as he spoke the man looked over at him as if contemplating what he said changing waddle-dee's now and again so they would all get some petting as he let Shouhei speak and then a nod came from the man as the youth finished. "Well.. The Waddle-dee's are very friendly creatures, treat them well and you will have a friend that will never forget you, show them kindness and you will have a friend in every corner of the city, where ever they are, you are sure to find them willing to welcome you.. as for the Waddle-doo... well they are a bit more suspicious of people, but that's because they see it as their duty to protect the Waddle-dee's" he said as he picked up a Waddle-doo who looked rather confused to be picked up but happily relaxed as it was petted.

"As for my advice, I give it as a person that has done foolish things in his own life... and rarely told people about it... you would be surprised how sometimes trust can disappear once your past is discovered if you don't trust others with it at some point... Especially if others have shared their past with you.." he said looking to the youngster."I shared that view of things... and people would brush me aside for it, my advice would be ignored later due to my past actions.. it is a dangerous thing to think ones past doesn't matter... for you will find times when that past matters quite a good deal indeed.." he said nodding.

"As for the Audition... if it's the main Audition then I wish you luck.. however.. be careful, a shady past can often cast that shade over your present.. if it's not well addressed.. especially with it comes to those that are judgmental of others... in fact especially to Judges..." he said nodding slowly.

"However, as for Advice... take a deep breath.. calm yourself, spend sometime simply relaxing, something you like to do to let off steam, and then take a moment to go over the things you will need to do for the task at hand, check your gear to make sure it's in proper condition, make sure you have things set, and then? Simply relax, Being Nervous is natural, it's over coming that feeling that will determine things"