Scene #8699: I Want to Share This View

Owner	Pose
Touta Konoe	"Mmm...Think I'm heading the right way..." A small hum escapes the lips of a young man that couldn't appear more than in his early twenties. While it wasn't totally unusual for humans to be in Gensokyo, his attire was probably in contrast to the norm. Or at least what he would have thought at first. And yet, a mix of black jeans and short-sleeved jacket, a red t-shirt worn underneath besides being rather modern doesn't turn out to be a bad choice. Even now the colors of red adorn the trees as he wanders the mountain as best he can, not even sure if there's a proper path to take him where he desires. His raven-black hair spiked up a tad and eyes that had a darker hue stare into the nearby pool of water, trying to watch for any ripples and where they might be coming from. That said, the nature of this 'human' likely wasn't that normal either. Even now, as he stared into the water as clear as can be, there's no reflection that stares back at him. His existence is not even caught by the mirroring stream. Pulling away, he starts continuing along attempting to listen for the sounds of roaring waters on the horizon. Since his arrival, he's been keen to look about as much as he can. Taking photos on his phone without trying to disrupt the feeling of Gensokyo and the tranquil side it was showing him in this moment. In kind, it seems most of the residents of the mountain have been doing much to not disrupt him. He's received fair warning that the mountains that he would be heading towards would be patrolled and yet, he doesn't seem to notice anyone about. Hiserhaps there was a reason for that as well. For he might have been considered an oddity. Something that contrasted against nature...It wasn't even just a matter of a modern attire, or technology that might have contrasted against the more traditional vibes that Gensokyo seemed to emanate. It was more along the lines of... Even dressed in such dark clothing, the young man smiles with the excitement and curiosity of a child. That even if his appearance was young, and his wardrobe that of the modern era, to those that were more sensitive to the feelings of magical presence could feel something more dark exuding from him, power that was aged well more than the retainer to which it resided in. Then there was the fact that even with that sensation there was just a sense of...Imbalance to it. Though to those just lazily guarding the path and thinking no more of it, they'd just find themselves spotting that young man scouring the mountains as he takes in the views, not even breaking a sweat as he does so. Continuing to follow the sounds of water that continue to go from a gentle hum in the distance, to a violent roar. Eventually reaching the point where he can only assume that the towering downpour of a water that descends and crashes down could be that which had been dubbed, "The Great Waterfall...Man, Aya really wasn't kidding...Speaking of..." If he had followed the directions right, he'd finally meet Aya in person for the first time. Even now he's been really curious about the kind of person who lived in a world like this, and with it another thought running through his head as he mumbles to himself. "Wonder if she's been able to see a few new places herself?"
Aya Shameimaru	At this point in time, Gensokyo has undoubtedly seen its share of Outworld visitors -- Aya hasn't really deigned to find out how the Youkai Sages are handling it, because on some level, she finds a kind of cold satisfaction in knowing that the microcosm they were all dependent on is more porous than anyone cared to imagine... even before it was exposed to the Multiverse, if she wanted to be really truthful. Aya's definitely had a hand in requesting some of the white wolf patrols to look elsewhere, when she arrived back home -- it's easier this way, though even if some of the crow tengu were to find out, she doesn't really have to care anymore about her reputation... or does she? The Great Waterfall -- or the Waterfall of Nine Heavens, if one wanted to truly call it what it is -- is, indeed, beautiful; it's a waterfall at least thirty metres in height, with roaring, clear waters descending from the top into a majestic burst of white as it hits the stream underneath. It is perpetually Autumn here, it seems -- the red foliage makes it clear, with a casual flow of fallen maple leaves dotted in the air and in the stream both. The air is crisp and a bit cool, and as is befitting the pre-industrial nature of Gensokyo, largely free of pollutants and smog. Aya herself is seated on a large branch of a maple tree, dressed in traditional tengu raiments -- a black and white hakama and haori combo, with detached sleeves; her red tokin hat is planted on her head, with yamabushi-style pom-poms streaming to either side. "Ah, there you are," she speaks, slipping off and descending, her geta wooden sandals touching ground. "Hmm. I must admit, it is strange to meet someone in voice alone, first, but it's nice to be able to meet you in person, Mister Touta. I was surprised when you said you wanted to visit it in person, but then again, I had been talking it up a lot, haven't I?"
Touta Konoe	In the time since his arrival, Touta has been really trying to indulge in this natural oasis. Just watching the waterfall crash down into clear waters alone was enough to capture one's gaze in a trance. The colors of nature all but really have been a spectacle and in what he believes to be a moment of solitary indulgence he can't help but take in everything with awe-struck eyes. "Mmm...Oh? Aya, that you?!" In the moment that she calls out to him, his eyes pull away from the heavenly waterfall as they peer up towards the maple tree and the one who sits atop its branches. Slowly making his way to where she descends as the two finally get to enjoy a proper face-to-face meeting. "Ehehe, nice to finally meet you in person too. And trust me, I know the feeling. They say you can still learn alot just from hearing how someone talks, but...I still really like taking the time to try and get the whole picture." A thought coming to mind upon his return to the Multiverse, but a thought that need not be mentioned now. If anything, his expression alone just seems content to be in Aya's presence. "But yeah, I'm always really eager to check out new places in the Multiverse. See new sights, get fresh perspectives. It's just really enriching. So when you were talking about the waterfall I admit I did get a biiiiiit curious. Still..." Again he turns back towards the waterfall, that smile still holding, "Really glad I came. It's been so long since I've seen a view like this. It really makes you feel at peace being in nature like this... I know a few people who I'm sure would definitely want to check it out. I mean...Even without the magic, this place just /looks/ magical, in a beautiful kind of way, ya know?" He turns from the waterfall only to start scanning around the area in its entirety now, again taking in the sights of the mountain, the clear skies, the crisp air, and even taking a moment to reach down to hold in his hands one of the maple leaves that fell to the ground love a crimson snow. "Actually, checking out the scenes was one reason I came...But I actually did also want to make sure I met you, Aya. If I remember right, I think I remember hearing that you're a reporter, right? So you travel around a good amount? Pick up on a few things here and there?"
Aya Shameimaru	"There is truth in that... but, well, Gensokyo isn't really a place where such devices are common, so most of the time, if you want to know someone, you need to meet them," Aya chuckles. She drapes her arms in a light fold, and then tilts her head. "I suppose I feel the same way. Seeing other realms has definitely opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities. Sometimes, I feared it would upend everything I knew or invalidate them, but... it hasn't been the case so far." Aya glances towards the waterfall herself. "... I know how you feel. They often say that the nature of Gensokyo is one of its treasures. Magical, without being magic... there is poetry there." Touta comments on how she's a reporter. Aya... nods quietly, though she admits, "But... I'm on break at the moment. I haven't published a paper ever since I left for the Multiverse." Her tone is a bit heavier there, but she conceals it fairly well. "I suppose you could say I'm taking stock right now."
Touta Konoe	"No devices like it, huh?" It's clear there's a trailing of thoughts as she makes mention of it. Perhaps what life would be like in his world without such devices, or the lack of them in the Multiverse, maybe even how some people would act without the influence of their devices. Though, it's simply a thought, not something he externalizes much. What he does externalize is a look of respect for the tengu as she acknowledges that feeling. "Yeah, you get it. And...I kinda get that too. At the same time though you should kno--" For a moment, he looks like he's going to speak as though he's an expert, an authority on the matter of the Multiverse. Instead, though, his tone becomes more calmed in his words rather than trying to sound so matter-of-factly. "In my experience...You come into the Multiverse thinking of yourself like a big fish in a little pond. Maybe even a little fish in a little pond. But you end up realizing just how big it really gets. You see incredible things, and learn, and meet people that change what you ever thought was possible..." The tone of his leaves a more neutral smile, his tone somber as he speaks. "You see many different possibilities, and sometimes you do find a place or a person that might make you feel..." Invalidated...Like you should be doing things their way. "...A way, about something. So I think it's just important to remember that there's a lot of possibilities, yeah. Though...They're just possibilities. Some of them work great across the pond, but doesn't mean they will or even have to work for you. You get to make that choice on whether they stay a possibility or become a change...If that makes sense...?" Admittedly, his pep talks have been less than impactful in the last few attempts he's offered. Even now, a part of his expression tries to mask the worry that he's misinterpreted something as she distracts herself with the look of the waterfall. Yet, as the two look towards the beauty of this view. That concern just washes away with the waters. It's nice, cleansing even..."Poetry, huh? Well, if a picture's worth a thousand words. I wonder what a view like this would be worth in a poem?" An ethereal thought that passes with the moment. His next question comes and with it though he finds that after the first thought of ethereal nature, the next that comes is perhaps just careless? Maybe it's his own imagination or a slight acuteness to his own concerns when it comes to the words he utters, but there is the sensation of that slightly heavier tone that comes as she speaks up again. To which at this point he starts raising his arms, to garner her attention once more, and pull her attention from the thoughts she feels the need to conceal. "No worries, no worries. Break's never hurt anyone. Hell, I took a break from the Multiverse for a few years even...That's okay...Honest." He speaks up again, as if trying to make another comparison between the two, even if it's a tad more shallow this time. "That said...I was hoping maybe you could help me a bit." From behind his back he pulls off a strap to what looks like a backpack. He rests it carefully on the ground before slowly pulling out the contents to what almost looks like a...Snow globe? It actually seems a tad bigger than the ones you'd usually see, and unlike a traditional one, there's no water or 'snow flakes' to emulate the effect of falling snow. If anything...The interior within what looks to be a castle upon a mountain side, watching over a small sandbar makes the quality look to be on par with something of the nature of a ship in a bottle.
Touta Konoe	"Back in my world, we have magic too. And you wouldn't believe it at first, but you can actually travel inside here. You can think of it like a portable castle if you want." As he says the words, he starts offering to hand the globe to Aya. To let her observe it up close. The white that caps the mountain tops, the thousands of miniscule bricks that adorn the castle-like structure, and the bridge that runs along it. The tiny trees that look as though they've been properly rooted at the mountain's edges, and the millions of tiny specks of sand near the bottom that slowly fade as tiny waves run over them. While its stature is nothing to the state of Gensokyo when looking within it, the simplicity of its nature...Likely shared in a similar form of beauty.
Aya Shameimaru	The tengu keeps silent, though attentive, as Touta expresses his thoughts about the Multiverse and one's place within it. It makes her reflect on the day she decided to rush headlong through one of the Warpgates and end up nearly splatting herself on the walls of one of its stations. "I knew of the Multiverse for longer than the day I decided to step into it," Aya explains. "The kappa were very intrigued by it; the Warpgate here they maintain, and they're the kind who's always very excited at the idea of new possibilities. But..." She rubs her chin. "I think it took a certain kind of catalyst..." Aya is being vague about that, though a look of pain crosses her face for a moment, "...before I decided to just throw myself into the wider world, for good and for ill. Maybe I lost sight of the beauty that Gensokyo has, in the way one loses the forest for the leaves." Touta, too, has taken his own breaks... there's meaning there, just like how her own break represents a very large shift in her life, and Aya doesn't pry at this point in time. Still, it looks like it's beneficial for the tengu to be able to voice these thoughts to another. Then Touta asks if she could help him-- and blinks as he draws a snow globe. A castle upon a mountainside... it's intricate work. "A small realm within a globe. A pocket world, if you will," Aya muses, accepting the globe so she can look at it. "In many ways, not unlike Gensokyo. A small sanctuary for those who need it... and ever smaller sanctuaries within," she finds herself musing to herself. "How can I help with this?"
Touta Konoe	"Before you even stepped through, no kidding." As Aya speaks to part of her experiences, to the time that she finally made the decision she did to press through the Warpgate in her world, it finds Touta reminiscing as well. "Ya know, now that you mention it...The first time I used the Warpgate,, I had no idea what was going on. I didn't even know about the Multiverse...Or which Warpgate I had come out of!" A time when the warp stations weren't as prominent as they were now perhaps. "I remember for a good week at least, I was outside of my universe. It was actually thanks to a group of Elites that had decided to help me look, that I made my way back. One of them was even kind enough to let me stay in her world..." It's funny, as he keeps talking, his face without even intending it to start to really light up. It's more than just a smile. There's just a brightness in his expression. Pride. Memories clearly precious enough that it can be seen in his eyes...As well as the slight tears that it seems he might be fighting back. At the sensation though he starts coughing into his hand, his gaze shifting from her own for a moment. It quickly returns as he once again spots the pained expression that starts to come upon her face. "Aya, if I learned anything from that time...I think it's okay to be lost...For good or ill, you made the decision to go to that wider world. And maybe you did lose sight of it...But that's okay, I think. Because well...You get lost, you see new things, and when you find your way back...Those views make you realize the beauties about home you didn't even notice before...And then you do it all over again. Though, maybe I just have a really bad sense of direction, ya know~?" At that point, he just offers the biggest grin he can give to Aya. Trying to be as reassuring as he can if his words weren't enough. It probably looks goofy enough. Though it settles down as her curiosity peaks with the globe. In fact, watching her make those observations, and even just how methodical she is as she speaks of it just makes him glad he came here. "A nice way to put it...Well, you see...There's someone I want to give one of these to. Someone who can't throw herself into the Multiverse, or even stumble into it like we did. Someone who...You could say is stuck in their own pocket world. To be honest, I can't imagine her saying that I should go through the trouble of this, but..." He starts scratching at his own chin this time before giving a shrug. "She's someone who didn't have to accept me or the things I've done. Someone who could have chosen to invalidate me just by extension of those around her. Though she hasn't...And on a few occasions she's still offered her wisdom to me. She chose that possibility. I can't offer her the possibility of going outside her world yet. But for now...I'd like to offer her a new possibility. A place where she can escape to..." As heartfelt and as sincere as his words are in that moment, the moment that conjunction of words comes into play, it all falls through. "I can't give her this one cause it's borrowed...And, apparently the method to create these has been lost to time...So...I'm trying to basically create a new one from scratch using different pieces from across the Multiverse."
Aya Shameimaru	There's a faint smile as Touta reminisces with his own experiences. "... well, you might have heard about it, but I came through as fast as I could -- and I hit a wall about a second after I passed through the Warpgate. So as far as memorable experiences go, it certainly was one to remember, if a bit painful." He starts coughing, though, and Aya has some expression of concern, thinking perhaps it's a condition of his, but he continues on. "... no, I think I do understand what you mean quite well. And even before the Multiverse, if you were just trapped at home all day... wouldn't you want to take a stroll out somewhere? I suppose it was always natural to feel that way." Someone who can't throw herself into the Multiverse, or stumble into it... "... perchance are you talking about Miss Angela?" Aya ventures a guess, tilting her head. "If it's private, you don't need to answer, but I did meet someone with that kind of restriction on themselves." Touta explains his context with her, though, and what she means to him. There's definitely a heavy story there... it's clear to Aya that the young man bears heavy burdens. "... create a new one, huh..." Aya muses. "I think that certainly is a noble goal. To give someone who can't experience the sights the world has to offer a taste of it..." It could be construed as cruel, but Aya doesn't voice that. "Were you thinking of this Waterfall, then? What do you need from it?"
Touta Konoe	There's a little smile as he hears about Aya's first experience. "That so? I actually didn't. But well...Hmm..." He starts tapping on his chin for a moment before a thought comes to mind. "So in a few martial arts systems, when you achieve a black belt, before they'll give it to you they'll actually make you take a kick to the stomach or something similar. The reason being is that while receiving a black belt is considered the end of one journey, it's the start of a new one. Being born again. And life does start with a little pain. So...It sounds a little weird to think about it, but maybe starting through to the Multiverse is a good thing. It's a...Fresh start to a new beginning." The coughing that followed sounded more like he was just clearing his throat if anything. If anything, having a reason to cough nowadays was rarer given his actual condition. Though once it passes, he's able to keep moving along with the conversation easily enough, even again scratching awkwardly at the back of his head as he's called out a bit. "Ehehe, got it on the first try even. And it's fine, I admit I want to keep the gift a secret, but to say it's private well...It's more like that part wasn't my right to disclose. I know Angela's pretty open about it, but it wasn't my place to say it outright either." It seems at the very least he is trying to take some consideration to her feelings, even if he might not realize that his gift could be considered cruel-- "I don't know if it can even be considered a taste to be honest." Aya muses on the noble nature of the goal, and what she doesn't muse on is indeed that cruelty. "Truthfully, I still go back and forth on this. Cause I know that one day she'll get out. She's smart, and more than that she's got a lot of people on her side. Knowing that...I'm sure there'll be at least one person who'll think it's insensitive to offer her something fake like this...But..." He starts peering back towards the waterfall. "I know that Angela can't leave their physically...But more than that...She doesn't even sleep...So she doesn't dream." A woman who was in a state of eternal consciousness. Never able to put a pause to it, never able to indulge in the distractions of a dream. Always forced to stay in the current circumstance with the only exception being when she'd put her face in a book. The only time that her mind could drift from the present. "I can't give her an escape, and maybe this is still a bad idea. But...For good or ill, it's another possibility that she can choose to leave as just a possibility, or a change." He turns back from the waterfall crossing his arms, "Besides, not like I'd force her to use it. I just figure it's another way she can choose to distract herself. Who knows, maybe it might become one new spot to hang out in while she's reading?" He knows it's cruel. He does, it's just...He imagines it's still a little less cruel than what she already suffers. "As for the waterfall...Truthfully, this one was just cause I wanted to see it myself, and figured it'd be an easy place for us to meet up. Cause I wanted to see if you knew of anything in your world that might be a good part for the custom globe? Currently, I know that it's going to require something that can shrink down people and items to size and then size them back up again, either a few monuments that we can shrink down as well, or a master craftsman, and then...Either one or a few different spells, or relics, spirits or elementals that'd be able to help with maintaining the weather." And after seeing Genskyo for himself, it was probably reasonable enough which he had an idea of, that said... "Though now that you mention the waterfall...You think she'd like it?"
Aya Shameimaru	"I do understand what you mean," Aya glances back towards the distance, where the tengu live, far in the horizon of the mountain. "Like it or not, tengu are trained as yamabushi... mountain ascetics, if you prefer, and that involved martial training as well. I don't particularly have a fondness for weapons, though." Touta confirms that it is Angela, and she nods. "I had an inkling from the way she spoke -- and what she was interested in, and what she longed for. But I understand." Aya closes her eyes as Touta muses on whether it is cruel or not, but... "I think that if one tries with sincerity in their heart, then that is better than to be riddled with doubt over whether or not it would be for the better or worse. Perhaps her circumstances can change one day, as it did for you and me. And..." She glances to the waterfalls. "One thing I've learnt in my years as a journalist is how desperate we can be to think there is only one 'truth' to things. Maybe a simulation of the waterfall can be considered a 'falsehood', but is it any less true than my writing about it in a column article with a photograph? The tengu shifts on one foot, as she continues. "Ultimately, all we can do is convey an experience from one to another. Every person will take that differently and find a different meaning in it... and that's going to be their 'truth' of the matter." Ah, she's getting ahead of herself. So there's still a technical matter to resolve... "Hmm... well, the people I know who'd have the skill to create such a realm are a lot more temperamental," Aya chuckles. "And obviously we cannot just... steal the waterfall away and put it in a globe, but..." She does wag a finger, an eye closed. "If it is weather, I think it is in my purview to create an effect like that." Would she like the waterfall? "I think... scenes of nature would be nice to include. The City is a heavy urban landscape, a jungle of stone. I imagine it is not something she is used to, no?"
Touta Konoe	Touta is keen to her words as she speaks to her own experiences. A bit of relief escaped his lips at the sound of hearing she wasn't fond of weapons, and making it a point to not arrive with his katana. It obviously would have been in poor taste to meet someone new with a weapon in hand. It's funny though, while she's closing her eyes to muse on his words, as she speaks of sincerity of the heart, and working through doubt, she wouldn't be able to see the expression that shows on his face right now. A look of familiarity, a look to someone who speaks of wisdom. For he heard similar words from a trusted source, and it's for this reason that he begins to think the words aloud. "Ya know, someone I met back in the Multiverse recently told me something very similar to this. She's someone who might also be considered a youkai as well. Though, I wonder if this is knowledge of youkai...Or what they'd call a universal truth?" His tone is still low, still showing that he's taking his words in earnest. It's just that at the end there's the lightest playful tone to it. When it comes to the talk of the waterfall again. There's no conversation this time. Like a well-written article, Touta stays silent as he takes the moment to chew over her words. Just from the look in his eyes alone it's clear that something she's saying continues to resonate with him. Even if Aya believes to be getting ahead of herself, Touta just seems to be head over heels to listen to her go. Nodding along, keeping eye contact, anything to let her know that her voice is heard, that he sees her, that her thoughts are valued. When it comes to the technical matters though and her confidence in the matter he lights up a tad. "Temperamental, huh? Yeah, we guess having a few of those around is also a universal truth? And yeah...The waterfall I imagine would be looking a little less 'Great' if it got taken. Besides...I don't feel like becoming the first person from outside of Gensokyo trying to tear it down for his benefit..." That alone would leave a bad taste in his mouth for plenty of reasons. "Wait, you think you can do the weather though? Seriously? That'd be huge! Don't think I'd be asking for free obviously. I'm happy to figure out a proper deal for it, but yeah this could be a big part of the puzzle. Aya you rock!" He's just about ready to run over and give this tengu a hug if there ever was a reason to give her one, though when it comes to the last matter it has him come to a halt with his hands looking like they're wide open for an embrace, receding back as one hand goes under his chin and the other crossed beneath it. "Mmmm...That's true. Though it'd definitely need to just be in a corner of it. If she had it in there, she'd want it in a place where there was no chance of water damaging her books. Trust me...That one, I know from experience. In fact.." "Aya, there a place nearby to grab something to eat, got another proposition for you to talk over with a meal...How much do you enjoy libraries by chance?"
Aya Shameimaru	Well, Aya's not about to chastise someone for carrying a weapon -- but she's long understood what it means to wield one and spill blood. It's why Gensokyo, as much as she can feel chafed against it, has a special meaning to her... a realm that managed to gain special acceptance to how conflict should be resolved. "Hmm. Well, I would venture that youkai might be predisposed to understand this than humans or other beings, because the 'truth' of what we are shifts with the beliefs and faiths of others," Aya explains, but maybe there is truth in what Touta says of it being a universal truth that people end up at, one way or another, as well. Of course, they can't take the Waterfall with them, but... the weather... "A deal, hmm? Well, I'm happy enough to see what I can do, but I might need to take a raincheck on what I might want in return... and this is for Angela anyway," Aya chuckles faintly. Hmm. She's definitely getting soft. But... is'nt that fine, once in a while? It's probably a good thing Touta didn't end up giving her a hug, though, because she is a pretty jumpy person when it comes to personal space. "The blessing of my wind can be fairly intelligent in how it applies, but I admit I've never tried something like this. We'll have to experiment." Is there a place to grab something to eat nearby? Another proposition... of libraries? "... well," Aya ruminates, "The one library in Gensokyo is rather well-guarded and has a grumpy librarian that doesn't like visitors. I suppose I don't hate them, but I'd rather people-watch than read a book. That said..." She gestures in the opposite direction, down the mountain. "I'd best lead you to the human village if you want to eat, rather than lead you to the tengu. Their cuisine'd be more to your taste, I imagine." With that, she hovers to the air gently, leading the way to head onward.