[OOC: I had nothing to do... this is kind of an in-between story. ^.^ And I have a bad habit of posting OC messages before every post, if you hadn't noticed already. ^.~]

"The watch is posted, Kouru-san. Do you have any further requests?"

"Not at the moment," was Namame's soft reply. He waved Kori away with a pale hand, his other closing over the pouch hanging from his sash. "I don't want to be disturbed. Anyone who comes into this chamber for less than a dire emergency will sleep with the horses."

A faint snort of amusement and the faint creak of armor as the soldier bowed were the only response. That, and the welcome sight of the doors clicking shut behind Kori. Blessed silence followed.

He waited a few moments, until the faint whispers of sound from the other side of the door died away, and then turned on his heel to face the front of the shrine. Almost unconsciously, his fingers worked at the knotted pouch strings until he could pull it loose.

This hadn't ever been a wealthy shrine... it was obvious by the trappings left over from who knew how long ago - his childhood, he supposed. Back when worship of Genbu had been stronger, this chamber had been overrun with nature, the walls and carving of Genbu nearly invisible for the foilage... He remembered, vaguely, visiting the very same week he had discovered his marking.

But it was gone now. Everything was... dead, decayed to the point that had he not remembered, he never would have known the chamber was a place for nature, rather than dried wood and peeling gold leaf. The only thing he recognized was the representation of Genbu at the back wall, and the altar sitting below it.

Well, that was enough for him. It provided the means to complete his intentions, and that was all he needed, really. Genbu would forgive him for the lack of luxury, he was sure.

Namame padded across the room, the leather-covered soles of his boots hardly making a sound on the wooden floor and its peeling varnish. But despite its disrepair, it was quite sturdy -- solid enough that he winced as he knelt before the squat altar, and wished that his robes offered a tad more padding in return for their bulk.

"I offer my respects..." he whispered, hand reaching into the pouch at his side. Pine and musk drifted into the air as he drew his fingers out, and sprinked the incense into the bronzed groove on the surface of the altar. "And my steadfast faith. Lead me as you will, and only grant me the strength to face your trials along the way."

Eyes closed, slender fingers poised just above the fragrant powder, Namame centered himself and tried to focus his chi, letting his sense of the world around him fade away as he sought an ever-elusive power: heat.

Fire was not meant for Genbu's stars, and his was weakest of the bunch. "Na" was positioned in the higher quadrant of the sky, and pulled to inner power rather than physical manifestation. He did not fully understand his own power, but he knew he would never serve his god as a warrior... though that seemed to be what Genbu was going to need most if things continued as they were.

After a few moments - seconds, minutes, hours... he never knew which - he felt the pattern of chi he wanted and channeled it through his fingers until he felt the heat take and begin to sustain itself under his fingertips. It slipped away as soon as he relaxed his concentration, but his effort had been enough; lazy strands of pine-scented smoke curled around his fingers when he opened his eyes, and he removed his hand before the heat emanating from the bronze could become unbearable.

Exhausted, he bowed his head, hands resting on the floor and palms flat, as he leaned forward to pay his respect to the god. And his energy, as well... fire was most definitely meant for others.

"Please, grant me enlightenment... let the destiny I seek find me at last, so I may fulfill my promise of faith."

He'd felt another stirring today, another unnamed feeling, and it /pulled/ at him, though Namame couldn't for his life figure out why, or where he was supposed to go. But it knawed at his mind constantly, leaving only when he tried to pinpoint the sensation, and figure out what it was. Worldly knowledge did him no good - this was beyond that boundry.

So who else to turn to, but Genbu? Namame bowed again to the likeness of the god, looking up through a curtain of ebony-shadowed hair to gaze upon the carving.

It was only a carving... The god's presence seemed faint even to him, or what he /thought/ might be a presence. Perhaps it was in his mind, and he did not know it... and he imagined even that was denied to most of Hokkan, now. He could understand the complaints of the people and the hostility toward what must seem like a non-existent god.

But couldn't they be a little calmer about it? The ridiculous conflict between loyalty and not - what he'd seen in Ara, anyway - was vulgar and irritating. A person's beliefs should be kept private, not thrown to the public in the form of ill-planned speeches.

But what could one expect from the uneducated masses?

After what seemed like an eternity - or perhaps it was only a moment - the incense began to taper off and fade, leaving only phantom tendrils of smoke and pine-touched air to prove it had been there at all. The steady heat from the bronze dish also began to fade, and Namame took that as his cue to rise, with one last bow offered to Genbu before he tied the pouch to his sash again and turned away from the altar.

There was no reason to remain there any longer... but Namame felt reluctant to leave, almost. His prayers had been finished a long time ago, but their peace had never left him - not yet. It wrapped him in dim silence, teasing his mind with the faint memory of this place that he'd held since his last visit. His only visit, rather -- his family was far from faithful to the old ways.

Well, Kori had promised he would not be disturbed... and in fact, most of his escort wouldn't dare enter far into the temple, though they had grudgingly agreed to take shelter within its walls. They didn't believe, and his 'odd habit', as his father called it, only added to their discomfort in this place.

So... what would it hurt, to stay just a little bit longer...?