26 December 2062 [continued]

Having helped my friends complete our previous assignment and earning enough money in the process to pay off my debts and get a place of my own, I decided to go visit my friend Kitsune. I did not realize how busy things would be today. Apparently, the day after Christmas is quite the day for shopping and returning things. Once again, I am thankful for my Ainu and Buddhist religious background. I am spared the unnecessary frenzy of the "holiday season". Seeing that my friend would be too busy to discuss finding an apartment with me, I decided to visit the Buddhist temple again, where I could meditate and relax, given the substantial injuries I still struggled with from our work earlier this morning. The many hours I spent in zazen helped me begin the healing process, so that I was feeling a bit stronger when hunger got the better of me late in the afternoon. I walked over to the Soyzchuan Palace and helped myself to the biggest bowl of noodles they could provide. A full stomach renewed my strength even further, so that I was able to return to Buddha Provides with little struggle. Fortunately, business had wound down for the day, and Kitsune was not his usual rambunctious self when I saw him. He did seem content to see me and was happy to see I had earned enough to not only get a place of my own, but also do some shopping in his store. He went into the back of the store to fetch his wife, who knew of a place I could get a decent apartment, and I started looking at the wide variety of portable computers. After his wife gave me information on the apartment house, Kitsune suggested I should look into buying a pocket secretary from him, once I scrounged up the necessary cash. I thanked him and his wife before leaving to find the "Gardens of Babylon", the apartment house where I would be living.

27 December 2062

I was surprised to discover yesterday evening that the other residents in my apartment complex are mostly "professional women". A number of them are rather attractive, and all of them are quite friendly, but I know better than to succumb to their temptations. Years growing up in the temple teaches one control. I am happy to have a safe place to live that is all my own. If it so happens that the only such place near my friend Kitsune and the temple is home to a number of prostitutes, then that is the way things must be. I suspect that Kenji and his other comrades who share his mindset frequent this neighborhood known as Loveland, so I would rather be here. Furthermore, I harbor no grudges against the prostitutes who are my neighbors. If these women have chosen such a path in life, it is theirs to choose. For now, I am much more concerned with recovering from my injuries, a process that goes far better with a comfortable futon and a steady supply of food, both of which are readily available in my new home.

28 December 2062

I tried to meditate at home and write haiku today, but I fear I have fallen victim to some minor infection caused by my injuries. I have a low fever and feel rather sick, so I will return to my futon and try to sleep it off.

29 December 2062

I think I am overcoming the infection, and my injuries continue to heal. I suspect that a few more days of rest will work wonders. I received a call from Arrow today. My team has a tradition of meeting at a night club for a New Year's Eve party every year, and I am supposed to meet them at the Digital Ducats club late on the evening of December 31. To make sure I am completely recovered by then, I will meditate and perform my practice exercises to loosen up the knots in my muscles all this laying around has caused.

30 December 2062

I am feeling much better today. I decided to venture out to visit the temple and enjoy the atmosphere of the Soyzchuan Palace. I suspect I will be more than ready to celebrate by tomorrow evening.

31 December 2062

This morning, I felt like a new man, and I had things to do, so I rose early and visited the temple. I realized that the dawning of a new year, even if only by the Western calendar, meant that I should obtain a new omamori to replace the one I had lost to the fire at my former temple in Kyoto some months ago. Given the sort of work I now find myself doing, I decided to ask for an omamori that contained a blessing for general protection. I happily made the small necessary donation to the temple and received the little blue cloth bag containing the protection blessing. I will keep it in one of my pockets at all times. I then decided to catch an early lunch at the Soyzchuan Palace. While I enjoyed my large bowl of soy noodles, Kenji dropped in for a visit. I had not noticed him, but was happy to see him when he surprised me. He mentioned I should come to a meeting of the group he wanted me to join. He extended an official invitation and told me to go to the upstairs section of the temple later that afternoon for the meeting. I thanked him and finished my lunch after he took his leave. I returned home for a while and prepared for both the meeting and the party with my team at Digital Ducats later that evening. When the time arrived, I walked over to the temple and proceeded up the stairs to an area I had not yet visited. I found my way to a room used for physical training that apparently doubled as a meeting room. Kenji introduced me to the group known as the SINless Dragons and then introduced each member in turn to me, using the names each had chosen upon joining the SINless Dragons. So that I do not forget anything else about my new comrades, I've decided to list everything in my journal for safekeeping. These are other six members of the SINless Dragons:

Kami leads the group and has great wisdom. Known also as Kenji, he runs the temple as well.
Bushi is the competent ork martial artist I encountered before.
Kaze is a male elf with an apparently diverse ethnic background who is also mute.
Shinshi is an Asian male human who practices Wujen shamanism and helps run the temple.
Shinobi is a human Hispanic woman who secretly observed me while disguised as a custodian.
Geisha is a beautiful Asian woman with an air of great confidence and a powerful presence.

In order to join the SINless Dragons, I had to spend some time in extended meditation with all of them so that I could join the group's Astral link. Furthermore, I had to choose a name to be used in group activities. I hesitated a moment before choosing the name Oni, to reflect both my willingness to face the darker sides of myself and my recognition of the fact that I would have to accept those parts of me if I ever hoped to progress past my current spiritual understandings. To finish my initiation ceremony, I was asked to spill some of my own blood into a ceremonial lead sake bottle inscribed with strange patterns of orichalcum. Geisha keeps a similar bottle for each member of the group and holds it, should it be needed to aid the member at some future time. Before departing, I exchanged information with the rest of the group and Kami gave me a copy of the oath I would be required to recite from memory at the next meeting, where the group would teach me more about the higher mysteries of magic.