[ it's with no small amount of reluctance and plenty of general cursing in rokurou's spiritual direction that hua cheng sets out on his mission to find matoba somewhere in the sprawling, labyrinthine resort. left to his own devices he would never seek the exorcist out, but he'd promised to do his bro a solid, and if one thing is true about hua cheng it's that he's loyal to a fault—and so no matter how much it pains him to do so, he'll hunt matoba down to inquire about the so-called spell that he's put in rokurou's head to make rokurou fall in love with him.
fortunately, or unfortunately depending on perspective, hua cheng has an excellent read on matoba's spiritual pressure. they've shared qi often enough, haven't they, for him to memorize what it tastes like... and it's that thread he follows down the hallways, down some escalators, and into one of the more populous shopping areas of the resort.
as he grows closer—or at least seems to draw closer, as he's yet to lay eyes upon matoba properly—his sense of matoba's spiritual pressure seems to shift, growing... different, somehow. darker? more menacing? or perhaps it's hua cheng who has spent so many delightful weeks away from matoba that he's forgotten how pungent the exorcist's powers can be. at any rate, he's not going to give up the search for a little discomfort. ]
[For a man of Hua Cheng's abilities, it isn't difficult at all to catch the beacon of cold purity, slick and sandalwood that was Matoba Seiji. It's where following his presence seems to split in two that the abnormality occurs- one part strangely distant and writhing, the other a steady point at the end of a hallway when Hua Cheng turns a corner.]
[He's met with the sight of a dark janome bullseye pattern on the back of a parasol, staring down the hall at him from where it's propped over Matoba's shoulder. An umbrella, indoors? Perhaps the exorcist is expecting some weather. It's a sight caught as the exorcist trails down one of the more deserted hallways of the shopping center, away from the crowds. It's a good opportunity- Hua Cheng could catch him down the quiet hall and pin him alone for his questioning- but even if he chooses to follow him down that hall, there's that distracting second pull of presence that seems to be growing closer to Hua Cheng from behind.]
[It feels alike to Matoba, somehow. But the feeling grows too different from the man himself, more and moreso as it gets closer- darker, heavier, and eventually as it slithers around the corner from the other direction- bearing a warped and malevolent spiritual pressure far different from a human's.]
[It's muttering something barely coherent as it winds quickly down the hall, its single eye fixed upon the bullseye ahead. It pays the ghost king no mind. He could simply allow it to pass, if he likes- could satisfy any curiosity by just waiting. But if the pungent malice from the monster isn't clear enough, perhaps the bellow as it winds its body to lunge at the exorcist is--]
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@worldbent - the horrors of being known
fortunately, or unfortunately depending on perspective, hua cheng has an excellent read on matoba's spiritual pressure. they've shared qi often enough, haven't they, for him to memorize what it tastes like... and it's that thread he follows down the hallways, down some escalators, and into one of the more populous shopping areas of the resort.
as he grows closer—or at least seems to draw closer, as he's yet to lay eyes upon matoba properly—his sense of matoba's spiritual pressure seems to shift, growing... different, somehow. darker? more menacing? or perhaps it's hua cheng who has spent so many delightful weeks away from matoba that he's forgotten how pungent the exorcist's powers can be. at any rate, he's not going to give up the search for a little discomfort. ]
no subject
[He's met with the sight of a dark janome bullseye pattern on the back of a parasol, staring down the hall at him from where it's propped over Matoba's shoulder. An umbrella, indoors? Perhaps the exorcist is expecting some weather. It's a sight caught as the exorcist trails down one of the more deserted hallways of the shopping center, away from the crowds. It's a good opportunity- Hua Cheng could catch him down the quiet hall and pin him alone for his questioning- but even if he chooses to follow him down that hall, there's that distracting second pull of presence that seems to be growing closer to Hua Cheng from behind.]
[It feels alike to Matoba, somehow. But the feeling grows too different from the man himself, more and moreso as it gets closer- darker, heavier, and eventually as it slithers around the corner from the other direction- bearing a warped and malevolent spiritual pressure far different from a human's.]
[It's muttering something barely coherent as it winds quickly down the hall, its single eye fixed upon the bullseye ahead. It pays the ghost king no mind. He could simply allow it to pass, if he likes- could satisfy any curiosity by just waiting. But if the pungent malice from the monster isn't clear enough, perhaps the bellow as it winds its body to lunge at the exorcist is--]
RIGHT... EYE....