An Aside: Mobile Gaming

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

They had hit a lull and Mob was fussing.

Of course it didn’t look like fussing to anyone else, but Reigen was fine-tuned to Mob’s nearly-invisible displays of emotion. A tiny line on his forehead or by his mouth conveyed deep befuddlement, and all of it was aimed at his phone which he hadn’t put down for the last fifteen minutes.

Reigen would have ordinarily been inclined to have him do something more useful with himself, but this was unusual enough that he gave it a few more minutes of observation, glancing up from behind his screen, before saying something.

“Is your phone on the fritz or something?” ’Please say no.’

Comments

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen waved his hand. "Oh, that? I already--ahem. That is. I actually took that into consideration. But, truth be told, I can sense your aura pretty keenly as is, which of course was how I was able to find you in that hideout...ahem."

"Throat feeling a little dry, Reigen?"

"Look," Reigen coughed, pointedly ignoring Dimple and his smug look, "do you really want one that badly?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Yes," Mob said solemnly, as if taking an oath.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

'There's no need to look so serious...' Kids were usually excited asking for these kinds of things.

"Fine." Reigen smacked a hand to his desk as he finally stood, undoing the buttons of his jacket. It was balmy out and being put on the spot like this was making him warm under the collar. "Give me the day to consider it."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Okay. I'll check in with you tomorrow, then." Mob promptly stood. He was already kind of hungry, so Master Reigen had good timing.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

~~

“Stay close to me, Shigeo-kun. The path is overgrown.” Reigen wondered if he should hold the 11 year-old’s hand as the bamboo began encroaching on the old trail. If he took even one step to the left or right he risked tripping into a thicket. Meanwhile, Shigeo barely passed his hips. He was beginning to regret investigating an old shrine in the woods as one of his first jobs with the undersized kid.

It didn’t help that Shigeo was as quiet as a mouse and as spaced out as a koala. Reigen could talk enough for both of them, but some give and take seemed called for here.

“Do you know remember what I told you about Tsukumogami?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"They're inanimate objects that have a soul because they were so well-taken care of." Mob took everything Master Reigen said seriously and committed it to memory.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"That's right. Once they become one hundred, a spirit occupies them. So, people threw objects out when they were ninety-nine to prevent this from happening. Tsu-ku-mo." Reigen supposed Mob was a bit too young to have read things like the Konjaku Monogatarishū to acquaint himself, but that's what he had a wise mentor for now.

Reigen yelped as his foot suddenly sunk further than expected into the path--it was more muddy than he expected. He resisted the urge to swear. He should've figured - the bamboo was thriving after all. The rains in the forest must have been frequent. He had a jacket on and instructed Mob to do the same, but he should have tossed on some galoshes for good measure.

"So...that's what we're exorcising today." Reigen said as he yanked his foot free with some effort. "Our clients' old family property is being haunted by tsukumogami, according to them. Items going missing...umbrellas opening and closing themselves....tatami mats rolling up on their own..."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob was lighter than Reigen and didn't sink nearly as far into it -- but his shoes were still getting really dirty. Mob knew his mom was going to be upset when he got home.

"It doesn't sound like they're really doing anything harmful," Mob observed.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"Tsukumogami are restless spirits. It's our job to soothe them and ensure our clients' satisfaction." Reigen maintained an instructorly-tone even as he was having to yank his foot out of the mud yet again. He hastened his footsteps to get back onto the drier looking patches of path ahead, suddenly feeling fresh raindrops on his nose. 'Just fantastic.' The drops got quicker and heavier with each moment.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Hmm," Mob hummed in response as he tried his best to navigate through the mud. "This place is really far out there. Don't you think it'd be pretty lonely to live out here without anyone else?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"Believe it or not, some people work hard to do just that...but in this case, this house hasn't been lived in for decades. The family lives in the city now and is wanting to sell. It was more common to live rurally a long time ago, but it's not unheard of today." 'But even by Meiji standards this is out there...' "It wasn't exactly like this, but I grew up in a pretty naturous area. You had a few family homes way off the beaten path."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Really?" Master Reigen rarely talked about where he lived. Mob always imagined that his master living in a big city somewhere. "Was it something like a forest or a farm?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Ah. He had been speaking idly and now he triggered a question bombardment. Still, if it helped Shigeo keep his chin up as the weather got worse...

"Both. It has a lot of hills since it's close to the mountains." Reigen suddenly stopped and jerked back, his foot almost descending into nothing but air. There was a drop-off in the path about two feet down. At least the path had firmed up some and he wouldn't go sinking to his ankles if he hopped down. He grimaced and did just that, turning back to Shigeo and gesturing for him to come close so he could help him down. The kid was clumsy enough just walking on flat land.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob took Reigen's offered hand before he stepped off the drop-off, but he still managed to stumble a bit. Still, he managed to maintain his footing. It would have been bad if he didn't. As upset as his mom was going to be about his shoes, she'd be even more upset about his uniform.

"I don't remember you ever going back there," Mob observed as they continued down their path.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"I visit during the holidays. Maybe it's hard to imagine at your age, but it's not uncommon to only see your family a few times a year." Reigen kept his grip on the boy's hand as they walked, now having to squint through the rain for signs of the building. There was a mist setting in now. The clients said that it wasn't more than a mile trek, but it felt way longer.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I don't know, that sounds a little sad to me." But maybe Reigen was right. Maybe what Mob had with his family was pretty abnormal.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

'Ouch.'

"Oh, come on. Do I seem sad to you?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Yeah, sometimes," Mob answered honestly.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“The times when the client’s check bounces doesn’t count.” Regardless if that’s what the kid meant or not, Reigen released his hand to take what meager shelter he could under a tree with a low canopy. He turned away with his back to his protege to give his phone as much cover as he could, covertly pulling up the map on the tiny screen.

“Stay there, Shigeo-kun. I’m, uh, communing with the spirits.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Okay," Mob said obligingly in his usual neutral tone as he gazed listlessly at his master's back.

[mp_npc]

The wind began to pick up, blowing the rain sideways. Reigen’s coat flapped loudly and he swore under his breath, finger slipping on the keypad.

“…’ver here…” A small, croaking voice whispered from somewhere nearby, just barely audible above the din of the brewing storm.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob brushed his wet bangs out of his eyes and turned in the direction of the voice.

"Hello?" he called out quietly as he stepped towards it.

[mp_npc]

A sudden billowing gust of wind ripped through their patch of forest. Mob’s hood went flying off his head and suddenly wrenched itself back like it had a mind of its own, swiftly dragging the small boy down an incline. Even as he barreled away from his mentor his feet didn’t touch the ground and his body somehow avoided the trees even as densely packed as they were. His good luck didn’t last long, though, as he was suddenly released from the strange force to be sent rolling.

It was dark where he was, but the wind and the rain was distant. It was a shelter, dusty and smelling of cedar.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob stood up and dusted himself off, unphased by the sudden supernatural event that spirited him away here.

"You're here, right? Why don't you show yourself so we can talk face-to-face?"

[mp_npc]

"Over...here..." A weak voice called from somewhere behind Mob. The voice repeated itself until it got closer, rolling up to his muddied feet. It was a plain umbrella upon first blush, nothing but bamboo and washi paper--until it struggled with one final turn to reveal a singular giant eye to stare up at the boy.