#kappagolduck

[forgottenwaters]

i don’t often go out of my way to go to kitsune forest, and not many of them pass through umibe town except for a select few that i’ve spoken to.

ah, wait... i never asked for that fox spirit’s name. do you think it’d be rude to stick my head out the window to ask?

(ft. @askoinari​)

[forgottenwaters]

the forest’s enchantment is stronger the deeper in you go, but i haven’t had trouble just staying near the outskirts. plenty of sunlight to keep away the more nocturnal spirits, too. although- hm, i forgot to bring something to cut down bamboo with...

...? what’s the matter? did you see something?

ah... s-see, nothing to worry about!

@inaris-pokemon-world​

[forgottenwaters]

[continued from here]

i think it’s pretty easy to contact the fox god, actually. they have offering statues all over the place, especially near shrines.

if you want to tag along, there should be one at the entrance to the forest. i assume there’s attendants checking that one regularly.

...from what i hear, it seems the fox god has people keeping eyes and ears everywhere once you set foot on their territory. getting a meeting with them might be easy for someone like you.

@askoinari​

[forgottenwaters]

of course it's alive, you've never seen a bus before? it's the fastest and most reliable way to get around here. i guess some spirits might be intimidated by the bus' grumpy face, but they're pretty nice. besides, it's not like they're eating you by going inside.

the seats are really soft, you'd have to take care not to fall asleep and accidentally miss your stop. i only use the local transit, but i've also heard the luxury travel bus is even better, and they even have a second deck. must be expensive, though...

@ask-serafinas-harem

[forgottenwaters]

[the zoroark sitting on the ground chuckles as kappa flounders. though both of the visitors appear to be normal spirits, the ninetales clearly has a different aura surrounding them.]

kitsune village is exactly that: home to the kitsune who serve the god there. they’re very, ah... secretive. protective of their society, i guess.

i would be careful going through the forest, though. there are other fox-shaped spirits who aren’t servants of the fox god and like to trick intruders for fun, or to hunt them.

[the bus has arrived! please have your passes ready before boarding.]

[chai and the catbus are temporarily askable / hints have been updated.]

@inaris-pokemon-world​ / @askoinari​

[forgottenwaters]

[kouemon carefully wraps a talisman around the bundle of herbs as he speaks. his tone is carefully reserved, but there is a tinge of sadness in his eyes.]

once a spirit is corrupted, there’s almost nothing you can do to reverse it. otokou would become dangerous to everyone around him. if my lord omukade wills it, i might have to exorcise the child to keep our town safe. otokou would simply... cease to exist, with no hope for reincarnation.

[stepping close to the riverbank, kouemon holds the herbs in his paws and clears his throat.]

what are you gonna do?

i’m going to purify the river first, and hopefully the waters will help drive whatever remains of the headless spirit’s presence out of otokou’s body.

@inaris-pokemon-world​

[forgottenwaters]

you’re right... i have to stay calm and get out of here as fast as possible. i don’t have time to be loitering here.

[kappa takes a moment to collect his thoughts again, and though he’s reluctant to turn his back to the creature, he puts his trust in the zoroark who seems to know more about it than he does.]

thank you, i... it feels much safer traveling in a group.

[with a clear mind, kappa leads the way down the path less obstructed by trees and underbrush, the more well-worn path being his safest bet leading back to umibe town.]

[even without looking, he can hear the sounds of the creature following them, though its steps are slow and steady, purposely keeping a distance. the storm also seems to be settling down, the thunder reduced to a low rumbling and leaving the quieter hush of rain in its stead. it won’t be long until they reach umibe town.]

[kappa has calmed down, though the hostile spirit continues to follow.]

@pokitsune​

[forgottenwaters]

[as soon as kappa reaches towards the creature, it bares its fangs with a snarl. taking a step back, he clutches his broken fishing pole in his other hand. there’s no way he can fight this thing off if it attacks. but what else can he do? he considers offering the fish ryuu gave him, but then he’d be back where he started, and otokou needs that medicine. though he tries to think of other options, fear begins to creep in, and the hostile spirit only seems to look more and more aggressive.]

[the creature will attack if you do nothing.]

[you could always give up.]

@pokitsune / @ask-a-learning-ai

[forgottenwaters]

at least you seem more polite than that idiot over there. well, since you’re not from umibe town, it makes sense that you wouldn’t know.

[reaching into his yukata, kappa pulls out a folded piece of paper. inside it is some salt, and he takes a pinch of it between his claws.]

the salt from umibe is a superstitious commodity. it’s blessed by lord omukade, so malicious spirits are repelled by it. we use it to protect the town by leaving piles of it around the perimeter to form a barrier, and the less salt there is, the weaker the barrier becomes. here, i’ll show you how effective it is.

[kappa tosses the salt at garappa, and upon contact with him, garappa’s skin starts to burn with a hissing sound.]

GAHHH STOP THAT, I WASN’T EVEN DOING ANYTHING TO YOU!!

there, just like that. i doubt salt alone can actually extinguish a spirit entirely, but it’s pretty useful to have on the road if you’re not a fighter like me. just be careful about touching it directly if it affects you, i guess?

@atxin1​

[forgottenwaters]

she’s always saying how she needs to keep fighting so she can protect me until we can both go to mister yama’s palace, but it’s not her fault we both ended up here. there were just so many grown-ups all teaming up against her... maybe if i learned how to fight earlier, i could’ve protected mama, too!

[hints have been updated.]

@ask-backpack-hypno​

[forgottenwaters]

i’ve been here for a long time, yet i’ve never even seen them before. i guess nothing big has happened to warrant their appearance. if you see the shrine in umibe town, lord omukade is depicted as some sort of bug, but who knows what they actually look like. maybe you’d have better luck asking kouemon?

@cafe-of-dreams​