Oh. [Right. She almost forgot about that-- she knows exactly which memory it was too. Honestly, that wasn't the worst one he could've seen...which is certainly saying something.
She's not sure where to start with that though, so for a long moment she's quiet as she gathers her thoughts. When it looks like he just might not be getting an answer at all, she speaks up.] I live at the base of that mountain now, more or less. [Not directly at the base, but a town close enough.] It's abandoned now, a famous suicide spot. It was a famous suicide spot before it was abandoned too, though.
There used to be-- [No. She pauses, thinks, then starts again, trying to make the explanation as easy to follow as possible.] The religion around the mountain as tied heavily into water. All life comes from water, all life should be returned to water. The mountain was sacred, and it believed that dying on the mountain was one of the best ways to 'return' to the water. So... people would come to end their lives there; there was no stigma attached to suicide if they did it on the mountain.
That's where the shrine maidens came in. A person would pick a shrine maiden of their choosing and go up onto the mountain. The maiden's job was to stay with them, to watch them commit suicide and witness their last moments. They'd use mitori to take in their secrets, sins and emotions at their time of death, keeping them with the maiden forever. [Yuri pauses a moment and gives a barely audible sigh.] So they wouldn't be alone, I guess... [There's an odd tone, like she sort of admires that, or maybe it's almost wistful?
Either way, she moves on.] One day a man came to the mountain intending to kill himself, but... he got scared. He knew the woman would lean all his secrets by looking at him, and he panicked. He didn't want her to know the things he did--whatever those were. So he ran once she lifted her veil, and she chased after him because you're not supposed to be on the mountain alone. He killed her, and destroyed her eyes and dumped her body in the sacred river.
...Then he went and killed every shrine maiden he could find and did the same until he eventually killed himself. The shrine maidens that fled settled in surrounding villages and never returned, so the mountain was abandoned and a lot of the traditions and religion were lost.
blanket warning for heavy talk of suicide
She's not sure where to start with that though, so for a long moment she's quiet as she gathers her thoughts. When it looks like he just might not be getting an answer at all, she speaks up.] I live at the base of that mountain now, more or less. [Not directly at the base, but a town close enough.] It's abandoned now, a famous suicide spot. It was a famous suicide spot before it was abandoned too, though.
There used to be-- [No. She pauses, thinks, then starts again, trying to make the explanation as easy to follow as possible.] The religion around the mountain as tied heavily into water. All life comes from water, all life should be returned to water. The mountain was sacred, and it believed that dying on the mountain was one of the best ways to 'return' to the water. So... people would come to end their lives there; there was no stigma attached to suicide if they did it on the mountain.
That's where the shrine maidens came in. A person would pick a shrine maiden of their choosing and go up onto the mountain. The maiden's job was to stay with them, to watch them commit suicide and witness their last moments. They'd use mitori to take in their secrets, sins and emotions at their time of death, keeping them with the maiden forever. [Yuri pauses a moment and gives a barely audible sigh.] So they wouldn't be alone, I guess... [There's an odd tone, like she sort of admires that, or maybe it's almost wistful?
Either way, she moves on.] One day a man came to the mountain intending to kill himself, but... he got scared. He knew the woman would lean all his secrets by looking at him, and he panicked. He didn't want her to know the things he did--whatever those were. So he ran once she lifted her veil, and she chased after him because you're not supposed to be on the mountain alone. He killed her, and destroyed her eyes and dumped her body in the sacred river.
...Then he went and killed every shrine maiden he could find and did the same until he eventually killed himself. The shrine maidens that fled settled in surrounding villages and never returned, so the mountain was abandoned and a lot of the traditions and religion were lost.