The rest of the clergy originally standing by to put him down weren’t anywhere as giddy as Kokyu Taiko. They were all impressed enough by the direct descent of their God to promise to keep the morning’s events to themselves, though. Barring the necessary reports to their superiors, of course, but Justin hadn’t hoped to keep things that secret. He knew better.
“Are we done, then?” he asked, receiving a bobble of nods and “Yes, Prominence,”’s from the assembled monks and priests. He wasn’t sure what the difference was yet. The monks present were ranked from nine junior Seisos to three senior Kokyus to one master Tairyu. No Hohasei - the highest rank, seemingly the equivalent of an temple’s Abbot - had attended.
There were only two Priests, on the other hand, in undecorated but high-quality tunic and trousers, and both of them were a lot less impressed with Justin than the monks were. They kept muttering to each other and glancing at him with expressions that verged on the suspicious.
Justin put their issues aside for-guidance-on from Taiko later and clapped his hands. “Okay! Please lower that barrier and go report to the rest of the people involved, so I can get poor Tomu out of here. I’m going to walk him back to the Salon to make sure he’s taken care of, and then I need to move on with the rest of my day. Thank you all for not killing me, I greatly appreciate it!”
All the Seiso and one of the other Kokyu looked shocked at his levity and casual dismissal of the near-fatal misunderstanding, but Taiko, the third senior monk, and the Tairyu master all grinned at each other and bowed to him. The rest quickly followed their example, then hurried off to undo whatever sealing magic – or theurgy? Add it to the Taiko list – had closed off the western offices.
Justin would have liked to watch that, but Taiko had agreed with his suggestion that it might be better for Tomu for everything to be as close as possible to how it had been at the beginning of his edited memories when his consciousness was returned. Justin didn’t mind; he was sure there would be plenty of other opportunities to see spellcasting soon, and yes, in fact, he was choosing to feel sympathetic towards the younger man. Tomu might have led him into a killing field, but he’d also come to trust Justin enough to try to defuse the situation in a very short span of time.
And how the hehhck, aha, watch that language had Tomu been selected for the role? Had he volunteered? Been promised a large death benefits package for his loved ones? Was he mortally ill? Was Justin getting loopy after the deluge of shocking revelations he’d just heard?
Magic 8 Ball says Signs Point To Yes on that last one, he thought.
Once the rest were gone, Taiko and Justin got into position. The instant they had, the rest of Tomu’s body turned to match his head’s earlier movement, and he staggered in place. Odds are Sol’s still watching, Justin deduced.
“Easy there, Tomu,” Justin said, reaching out to steady him.
“I – what -” Tomu stuttered, his eyes darting around.
“Be at ease, guardsman. The Dawn removed some of your recent memories, at your request,” Taiko said. “I think it wiser that I not theorize as to your reasons, but I can assure you that all is well. Would you please tell me the last thing you remember?”
Tomu frowned. “I – was at - the Salon. Speaking with -” his head twitched to the side as Justin’s presence drew his attention again for some reason “– Madame Yun? And - Miss Mai? They. . .no, that’s all.”
“That’s where we met,” Justin said. “Miss Mai asked you to escort me over here, you did, the Dawn dropped in to brighten our day -”
Tomu and Taiko both jerked in reaction; Tomu away from Justin, unnerved, while Taiko snorted in repressed laugher.
“- and you asked to be kindly excused from the past hour or so while the Dawn gave me some advice. Now it’s our turn to make sure you get back to the Salon safely.”
“Oh – uh – I’m sure that isnt nece-”
“We insist,” Taiko said, in the tone of a cheerfully obstinate authority who was simultaneously saying and I dare you to disagree.
“Yes, Kokyu,” Tomu gulped, swallowing everything else he’d been intending to say.
“Good, good,” Justin said, sliding open the office door and walking out. Taiko gave Tomu what could be described, semantically, as a sunny little smile: a mere sliver of light creeping over the horizon in the cold and the damp and the dark. Technically sunny, and very little.
“Let us commence to depart!” Justin called from the hallway. Tomu scrambled to follow him, the Kokyu bringing up the rear. “Places to go, people to see, rooms to rent, boats to buy! Dumplings to devour!”
“Say to the Madame or Miss Mai, and only to them,” Justin heard Taiko instruct the young man behind him, “that I told you to tell them that I know from direct Inlightenment that Mister Carse is a Prominence; that as far as he understands their decisions, he respects them and holds no ill will; and that he is kindly disposed towards you personally.”
“Yes, Kokyu,” Tomu said obediently.
Working that out had been one of the last things Justin and Taiko had done. The clock was still ticking, and Justin didn’t want to get bogged down at the Salon with recriminations or apologies. On either side. Make sure they knew he’d be checking on the kid, and get on with the next thing.
“Brother, may I recommend our guest lodging here to you?” Taiko said, prodding a hesitant Tomu up beside them both. “We have some very nice appointments in the rear courtyards for special visitors, and the security is second only to the main Temple itself and the High Court. The meals do tend to be simple, but nothing would prevent us from ordering in, or dining out. And there is plenty of precedence for exceptions should you wish to imbibe -”
“I don’t like drunkenness,” Justin said, managing to not sound cold and clipped about it. “But the rest sounds. . .good, actually. I think I would like that. Thank you for offering, Taiko.”
“I am honored to serve, Brother. Seiso Hou!” Taiko called as they exited the building. The junior monk looked up from where he was excitedly whispering with a few of his fellows under the eaves to the north. They all shook their hands at each other, and Hou jogged over as the others dispersed.
“Yes, senior?” he asked.
“Is the Pearl Chamber available for our Brother here?” Taiko said.
“- and it’s not if someone else would be getting bumped out,” Justin clarified.
“No, seniors; it is unoccupied and unreserved, as far as I know. Unless you have other tasks for me, I shall attend to it immediately,” Hou said, bowing.
“Brother?” Taiko asked.
“Yeah, one thing,” Justin sighed. “Don’t call me ‘senior’, Hou. I’m outside the hierarchy, remember? And I want to keep my status hidden for now. Addressing me that way invites curiosity. If you have to use a title, I prefer Brother. Pass the word around; remind the rest of your mission team in private, please.”
“My apologies, sen – Brother,” Hou said, flushing.
Taiko reached out and patted his junior’s shoulder fondly “It’s been quite a day for all of us, Hou. After you’ve seen to the Brother’s lodging, perhaps you should meditate? I intend to do so myself at the earliest opportunity.”
“Yes, senior,” Hou said, straightening up noticeably. “Thank you for your guidance.” He turned and trotted north under the eaves.
“Was I too brusque with him?” Justin asked Taiko.
“No, he needed the reminder,” Taiko said, “and it is both my duty and my pleasure to give him guidance. But thank you for your concern, Brother. The more I come to know you, the better I understand why the Dawn chose to Bless you. Now, let’s take Tomu back before something else interrupts us.”
“Man plans, god laughs,” Justin said, discovering as he did that the Riben language was well-suited to chinese 4-character Chengyu idioms.
Taiko beamed at him, pulled the scroll and pencil from inside his robes, and jotted the phrase down.
“Please don’t,” Justin begged him.
“Do not be concerned, Brother; I will make sure to take all the credit for anything of merit you may say,” Taiko said, with a completely straight face. “Future generations will universally acclaim me as by far the wittier between us.”
Justin rolled his eyes and started down the steps.
"Thank you all for not killing me, I greatly appreciate it!”
Started collecting images for the eventual art adds today; found a good base for Taiko right away:
Just look at that smile.
Kokyu Taiko summarized in one meme:
(This was the first meme I'd ever made that made me laugh repeatedly. Aloe aloe where's the aloe
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I HATE CSI Miami for that
For the meme? Trivialization of the song? Other reasons?
Every time I read "Brother" I hear it from the voice of a space marine and it made all of this even more hilarious.