Aztec Real Estate

[Alora]

Alora stands there a little longer, looking at the pair. Finally she slowly makes her way over to Shi and extends a hand to rest on his shoulder as she looked at him "I know it is not an easy road you walk. Your path, no doubt is full of sharp words of hate and fear" she smiles softly "But you walk it well, knowing that there might come a new light of understanding" she steps back then "Would you mind if I walk with you a while? I should very much like to examine those ancient grounds for anything from the culture or its lore"

[Shi Kipa]

Kipa's head lifted, and a more honest smile came onto his face. "Thank you. I won't lie and say that life hasn't been without turbulence. I only work for Dametrius-sama is because he was the only one who would take me in, and I'm not blind enough to think that that was for no other reason than because my skills were to his advantage. I hope that this is my first steps towards getting out from under him. I appreciate the protection, but making some of the things that I have had to for him is starting to weigh heavy on my mind."

He nodded when she asked about coming with them. "Of course. Even if I was already moved here, it still wouldn't be my forests, so you are free to go wherever you please." He looked back to his bodyguard and chauffeur. "Besides, I'm not strong enough to carry Kochi with me across, and if his head were still attached he would have a coronary if I went by myself." Kochi, frustrated by his creator's comment, forced his head back onto its stump. "I told you, it's my JOB to be on edge, because YOU choose not to be!" With a sly grin, Kipa quipped, "Why do I need to be 'on edge,' as you say, when I have such a good guard like yourself?" Without another word, he floated in the air again, crossing his legs and following the cliff face. Kochi, still frustrated, followed in silence, knowing there was no way he could speak his point around his young and charismatic "father."

[Alora]

Alora giggles for a second as she watched the pair interact before taking up step behind Kochi as that moved through the area. She had never met such a kind necromancer in all her days. While she normally has trepidations with undead from long in the past, she had learned to look at more than just the exterior. And this one seemed far more interesting than the typical undead. "So are you a native here mister kipa?"

[Shi Kipa]

"Sadly, no." He says, not skipping a beat. "I am from, almost quite literally, a world away. I was born and raised most of my life in Japan, on Shikoku. Even before I understood what I was doing, I had a fascination with the dead. I would often loiter around the graveyard, often having conversations with the tombstones. Even before I could raise the dead, I swore I could hear them responding to my questions." He stops his story for a moment before continuing. "I didn't even mean to do it when I first did it. I was speaking with the most recent in a family grave, and he actually came out of the ground and sat there with me. He didn't move or anything, he just sat there, slumped over and staring at the ground. I thought it was wonderful. The idea that a person could come back to life, while I know that it's not quite how it works now, was a surprising and welcome development to me. Everyone else from my village, however, didn't think as I did. They destroyed him, and chased me away. I took up the name Shi Kipa, which roughly translates to 'Death Keeper,' and stole a mask that I used to wear anytime I went out; which thankfully a lovingly naive homunculus got me to take it off." He felt like he had to add that in, to counteract the sadness of his tale.

[Alora]

Alora walks along, listening very intently on the sad story that was told. It was indeed a shame but also not entirely unexpected. Never before in history had there been anyone like Shi Kipa. He truly seemed to have a style all his own when it came to the undead. At the end she tilts her head quizzically "A homunculus helped you to show your face huh? that is so sweet" the walk was pleasant enough though the weather was starting to get a little more muggy as the day progressed. She didn't mind much, but it was definitely getting warmer and pulls a canteen from her bag she carried to take a drink

[Shi Kipa]

"Yes, he helped me realize that keeping my face obscured did not do much to harbor trust." He said, commenting about his homunculus friend. "We were actually going to have a sort of awareness party for the sake of my family. Sadly, my prophetic duties come first, and I was called away on a mission. As much as I would like to hope that it would have been another way, I doubt anything good would have come from it in retrospect."

He said nothing about the canteen. While he was out in the muggy heat as well, that was the only thing affecting his body, as he hadn't been walking. Kochi, being undead, didn't need to hydrate like a human did, and if anything the humid air helped his skin bounce back slightly, his greyed skin retaining some of the moisture that existed in the air around it.

[Alora]

Alora tucks the canteen back into her bag and shoulders it once more "Hard to say, but maybe it was. Things happen for reasons and maybe your mission was to help keep you out of trouble that might have arisen. But I'm not a seer so I couldn't say whether or not things would have happened either" she continues on, not slowing down, her staff helping her along through the vegetation.

[Shi Kipa]

"Perhaps, but the mission I was tasked with could have put me into much more danger than an angry mob could have. Precautions were already taken in case that happened. What Varius-sama told me to do was to watch over a soul that apparently was the soul to the God of Sin, Lazarus-sama." Fortunately, and fairly obviously, nothing bad had come of it, but that's not to say that it couldn't have happened.

[Alora]

At the mention of Lazarus' name she stops for a few seconds in surprise at what was told to her "His soul? You were in charge of a god's soul?" she hurries to catch up to them again "I met that god once. He was.... interesting. A little eccentric but he didn't seem too bad other than seeming to bounce from mood to mood or whatever it was he was doing" she glances at her staff for a moment then back to her companions "Lazarus mentioned something to me about having to make a choice. I didn't know what he meant until I met and spoke with Cadus"

[Shi Kipa]

Kipa chuckles a bit at her shock. "I am a necromancer, who already controls souls, who is the prophet of the God whom maintains damned souls. The fact that I was to watch after the soul of the God of Sin should not come as that big of a surprise." He listened to what else she had to say before continuing. "No doubt his eccentricity and mood swings were a result of not having his soul. Souls are the stabilizing force within a person, not just what gives them life. I do not understand much about what happened with Lazarus-sama, but from what I understand he was misjudged by the first Gods. Perhaps this is why Shinigami-sama sought to return his soul? Alas, it is not my position to understand such matters, simply to follow my God's wishes."

[Alora]

Alora gives a nod and looks around as they walked on, taking in the sights. "I know what you mean about doing what your god wishes. Though for me it's fairly simple. I travel and help people that I meet along the way." she moves up to walk beside Kochi and looks him over. She was fairly impressed to meet an undead with personality. Most she ever met that weren't litches seemed to be mechanical in nature. "You know... this weather seems to work for undead doesn't it. The muscular structure doesn't seem so stiff, like the moisture stimulates the muscles out of rigidity."

[Shi Kipa]

Kochi looked down at his skin to see that she was in fact telling the truth. "Wow, I didn't notice it." Kipa chuckled. "Yes, it started as a bit of an afterthought at first; but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the right thing to do. Everyone requires so much maintenance normally, and this will help keep them in prime condition." Kochi looked rather surprised at his creator. "You really DID think about everything, didn't you?" Kipa turned and grinned at his chauffeur. "I wouldn't be doing all of you any justice if I didn't now, would I?"

[Alora]

Alora smiles and laughs as they continue on. "I must say never in all my years have I come across a necromancer such as you Shi Kipa. You treat them like family would treat a kin" she skips along a moment using her staff to clear away some of the more annoying obstacles from her last. "I have been through so much I have forgotten my own homelands. But I do recall it being hot and dry... I think. Far cry from this. But I have been through all kinds of atmospheric conditions I am rarely bothered by the weather."

[Shi Kipa]

"Well, were it not for them, I'd be alone in this world." He stated. "When I was chased out of my village, I was without a home, without a family. So, rather childishly, I thought that if I couldn't have a family, that I would make my own. So I guess you could say that I became a 'father' at a very young age." He laughs at his own joke before continuing. "Much like a real father, they have the right to leave as they please, so long as they promise me not to hurt anyone unless they're threatened. Sadly, I'm not allowed to give such a luxury to the ones I make for Dametrius-sama."

He listens as she talks about her homeland. "Well, the benefit to not being able to remember means that you left on good standing." Kipa, however, remembered everything about when he had to leave. It was the beginning of the rainy season, and even as he thought about it now, he could feel the dark, wet earth on his feet, as if he had just stopped running. He shook this thought loose before continuing. "Tell me, if you don't mind me asking, were you on good terms with your family?"

[Alora]

Alora looks back at Shi as he spoke about memories. It was hard for her to recall her own past having blocked out a large portion of it due to her long imprisonment in a timeless cell. She had even forgotten her own name. She had even forgotten how to read for a time. She bites her lip as she tried to recall her life before the imprisonment "I think... It was a good relationship with my tribe."