Something Special [Open]

[Sage Sudeki]

"Yes a Kitsune is a Japanese fox spirit. Known to be tricksters and guardians. Their magic illusions and connections to spiritual fire made them both omens and saviors. A Daimyo Lord who is said to be aided by a Kitsune would even be able to topple the Tokugawa Shogunate during it's golden age should they so desire."

Spike would take the Kitsune.

"Consider it a gift from me. How much for this Kitsune statue?"

[Gidget]

The attendant blinked a couple of times, before quoting a price. It was the most inexpensive item in the case, but still a pretty hefty price.

Gidget looked a bit confused, standing there as she looked back over the other statues. What he said didn't seem to register.

"Anything else for you, sir?" The man asked, reaching out to take the statue.

[Sage Sudeki]

Spike would hand over the statue.

"I need something for my office and apartment. Do you have any depictions of a Ronin's Grave? Two katana sticking out of an unmarked grave?"

[Gidget]

The man seemed confused for a moment, turning his attention back to the case. He waited for it to spin around, before shaking his head.

"I'm not seeing one like that, sir, but you can commission a piece like that from any of our artists. We can ensure it is crafted within a reasonable amount of time."

Gidget was back to looking at some of the other items. She had chosen what she wanted for WR, but still had to look around for Drake. She regularly glanced back at the stranger, to see what he was looking at or talking about.

[Sage Sudeki]

"Then I'd like to commission something from the artist of the Kitsune. Other than that do you have a statue of The Warrior, Honda Tadakatsu?"

He was starting to figure this shop was a bit uncultured.

[Gidget]

The man continued to look confused, more than anything. Instead of answering directly, he simply said, "This case has all of our Japanese statues. I will go write up your commission, and wrap this statue for you. I will be right back."

Gidget waited for the man to head off before she approached the stranger again. "Who are you looking for? The Warrior, or something? What's so special about 'im?" She seemed curious more than anything else, glancing back at the rotating case.

[Sage Sudeki]

Spike would turn to look at the girl before answering.

"During the warring states period also known as the Sengoku Era of Japan, at least from my world, Honda Tadakatsu was an unbeatable warrior who wore ornate deer antlers on his helmet so everyone could see him and recognize him on the battle field. He fought for the inevitable Emperor of Japan Ieyasu Tokugawa, however one day they were forced to retreat, and on a bridge Honda stayed and fought back the enemies chasing his lord. With swords, spears, and arrows sticking out of his corpse his body stood guard on the bridge having gone straight to rigor mortus after death. The army chasing his lord was so afraid of his corpse they didn't realize he was dead standing there for three days. Giving Tokugawa the chance to escape and inevitably win the war."

[Gidget]

That was a lot of information to take in all at once. She looked down at her feet, trying to process it all, and decided... Maybe it would be a little bit easier for her to understand if she read it. She pulled up the sights of her chip, and Googled the information as he spoke, hoping to get a clearer picture of what he was talking about. As she looked up at the stranger, he would notice red lines appearing across the violet of her irises. They differed in size and shape, but looked just like thin little lines that scrolled a bit before disappearing.

"Deer antlers on a helmet, huh... Okay." She was looking at a picture of the guy before turning to the case, hoping to spot a statue like the one he was looking for. She kept the image up to compare, so the red lines remained in her eyes. "Why is this guy so important? I mean, sure, I get his backstory, and he sounds like a badass and everything. But is there a specific reason you want a statue of him, and not some other Japanese war hero?"

[Sage Sudeki]

"His story is an inspiration to me, it's my own spiritual guardian if you will."

He would pull out his phone and show a picture of the tatto on his back that depicted the standing death.

[Gidget]

"Oh. Wow. That's really cool."

Gidget stared at the phone for a moment, before she let the Google images she had found fade away. The red in her eyes disappeared altogether, and when she looked up at the man, her eyes had returned to normal.

"Spirit guardian. Like, actual spirit guardian, or like... the spirit guardian you identify with? Is there a difference between the two?"

[Sage Sudeki]

He took note of her eyes, stored that away for another time.

"I identify with him. A lot of Japanese culture is controlled by intention and depictions. I wish to both be as powerful as him and with the tattoo wish for him to protect and watch over me as he once did Ieyasu Tokugawa. Not that I believe he actually does or will, it's the intention. My father leaned heavily on his Japanese roots, so I was raised with a lot of it around me."

Spike would think.

"Though with all the shit I've seen like a literal lake of dead souls traveling to the afterlife you would guess I'd actually believe in this shit."

[Gidget]

Gidget snickered at that and nodded.

"You know... I know another guy that at least LOOKS like he leans on Japanese shit pretty heavy too. I don't know if he actually does, but maybe he can help you find what you're looking for, if they don't have it here." She turned her attention back to the rotating case again, still looking for something that sounded like what he had described.

[Sage Sudeki]

"Well, allow me to introduce myself since we seem to be getting acquainted. My name is Sage Sudeki."

He'd hold a hand out to shake hers.

[Gidget]

She reached out to take her hand, but the moment the two met, she froze.

"Woah. Wait a sec. Sudeki? As in, Drake Sudeki?"

[Sage Sudeki]

"Hm?"

Spike would hum a bit as he saw her reaction.

"Yeah he is my nephew. Or technically first cousin? Hm... It's easier to say nephew."