It's hard to say. It's possible that all of this is coincidence, or maybe human interference - after all, the holidays are a human creation, it's not as though the natural world itself has reason to care - but at least one of the Halloween incidents hasn't been manmade, from what I've heard. If this soul-stealing incident was another, that's two, and we can probably dismiss both of those possibilities as the cause if that's so.
As for what could be causing physical changes like that...I know someone who likely has a better idea than we do. If they don't have answers, they may be able to give me a direction.
I'll follow up on it.
[He knows that everything about this is likely pointless, what with the general culture of "shrug and accept it" that this place has instilled in those inhabiting it, and it will be decidedly more difficult without Chie around; just the same, it's...refreshing, in a way, to do this again. His contacts and ability to network were a large part of what kept him valuable back in Tokyo; even if he doesn't have hunting to stave off the ennui this world tends to cultivate, usefulness is an acceptable substitute for the time being.]
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As for what could be causing physical changes like that...I know someone who likely has a better idea than we do. If they don't have answers, they may be able to give me a direction.
I'll follow up on it.
[He knows that everything about this is likely pointless, what with the general culture of "shrug and accept it" that this place has instilled in those inhabiting it, and it will be decidedly more difficult without Chie around; just the same, it's...refreshing, in a way, to do this again. His contacts and ability to network were a large part of what kept him valuable back in Tokyo; even if he doesn't have hunting to stave off the ennui this world tends to cultivate, usefulness is an acceptable substitute for the time being.]