Magical Lotus, Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 2

[Oldmansour]

>How long of a walk are we looking at?

>From here to Ran's, somewhere between 35-45 minutes. From here to the shrine of the Metal Tiger, just about an hour.

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's take to the streets, it's good for us.

[Oldmansour]

>Let's take to the streets, it's good for us.

>Electing to walk to the jewelers', you close and lock the door behind you and step outside again. Jacket was a good call, the wind today has a distinct bite to it. Hyozan regards you again as you leave, the big white dog seemingly stationary since you last saw. Nodding a greeting to Letty's pet again, you turn and head down the stairs, heading for the street. Somewhat surprisingly, you hear the footpads of the big malamoot coming up behind you at a casual rate.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Need to go out, huh?"
>Is he allowed to run around outside?

[Oldmansour]

>Is he allowed to run around outside?

>There is no law stating that malamoots must be on a leash when outside. Some kinds of dog do have that restriction in this country, but not malamoots. And Letty allots her dog a fair amount of freedom and trust.

>"Need to go out, huh?"

>Hyozan pads up to your side, but makes no reply. He merely walks alongside you as you reach the street, his tail flicking occasionaly.

[Hello Purvis]

>We'll let him out, then.
>Head out to the front, and let him relieve himself.
>Do we know how Letty commands him?

(Also: Malamute)

[Oldmansour]

(Oops. Malamute. Thank you. Seems I was spelling it phonetically.)

>We'll let him out, then.
>Head out to the front, and let him relieve himself.
>Do we know how Letty commands him?

>Some dogs, of course, respond to basic commands only; 'sit' 'stay', that sort of thing. Hyozan, however, is remarkably intelligent-seeming. He seems to understand full sentances, and always answers, as best as a creature that can't speak can answer. You believe you can speak the malamute as though you were talking to a humanoid, and it would understand. Maybe even more than some humanoids.
>Passing through the gate leading to the street, you turn towards the western side of town, with the big dog flanking you easily. He shows no sign of roaming or that he needs to relieve himself. You almost get the impression that he wants to escort you.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I don't think Letty would be happy if you ran off with me, you know."

[Oldmansour]

>"I don't think Letty would be happy if you ran off with me, you know."

>The white coated dog gives a quiet ruff before looking up at you, a quiet whimper escaping him. You see a kind of concern in the dog's eyes.

[Hello Purvis]

>Pat him on the head, unless we specifically know he hates that kind of thing.
>"Are you worried about me? I'm glad you do. But I'll be fine. You should remain here so you don't worry Letty."

[Oldmansour]

>Pat him on the head, unless we specifically know he hates that kind of thing.

>He's a very affectionate lug, not only to Letty but to all you girls. Although it did take Rin a while to open up to him. She's very nervous around big dogs. Giving the dog a friendly pat results in a 'woof' you've come to understand as his way of expression appreciation.

>"Are you worried about me? I'm glad you do. But I'll be fine. You should remain here so you don't worry Letty."

>Pausing at a crosswalk now, Hyozan offers another small whimper, then looks at your face again. No, not your face, now that you notice, not this time. He's... looking at the stylized lotus hairpin in your hair?

[Hello Purvis]

>Stop.
>"If it comes to that kind of thing, It'd be best that you weren't around. Trust me.  Now go on back, before Letty thinks I ran off with you."

[Oldmansour]

>Stop.
>"If it comes to that kind of thing, It'd be best that you weren't around. Trust me.  Now go on back, before Letty thinks I ran off with you."

>The big white dog looks you square in the eyes, holding your gaze for a long few seconds. A cool breeze blows between the two of you. Hyozan then sniffs the wind briefly before closing the small distance between you. He nuzzles your hand briefly, a gesture you find oddly comforting, before turning back the way you came, his tail flicking around tickling your bare calf. You find yourself staring after the malamute as he pads away at his own pace, surprised and touched by the concern you saw in those eyes. The sound of a passing motorcycle breaks your reveire.

[Kasu]

> Smile.  He's such a kind dog.
> Onwards!

[Oldmansour]

> Smile.  He's such a kind dog.
> Onwards!

>That big dog has a big heart to match.
>Continuing on down the road, you pass through the small residential zone west of your school and enter an area of business, a shopping center, if you will. This is one of the places you and girls do your grocery shopping, both at the larger grocery store and the smaller convenience store, depending on what you need. The discount clothing store is where Nitori does the majority of her clothes shopping, and there's a few food joints as well, both fast food and sit down restaurants, and a nice little coffee shop as well.
>Despite the chill in the air, there's still some activity on the streets around, mostly foot traffic, including a large number of youkai with some animal aspect to them: ears, wings, tails. This is not unusual, as the number of youkai in general has been steadily on the rise for nearly a decade now, and 'animal' type youkai seem to have been the most common to settle in Mayoiga. Or at least the easiest to recognize.
>There also seems to be a perpensity of posters stapled and taped all over. Not only on the telephone poles, but on the sides of buildings as well, advestising a missing pendant. There's the usual assortment of posters as well, of course, but these are new, and very numerous, almost like someone very young was responsible. Glancing down the street seems to confirm this, as you can see a small figure with two tails stapling another poster to a telephone pole.

[Hello Purvis]

>Examine a poster.

[Oldmansour]

>Examine a poster.

>Taking a closer look at the poster, you see a rather crude rendition of a heart-shaped pendant, colored a bright yellow. The kanji for 'orange' is penciled clearly in the middle, belying the simplicity of the artwork and the handwriting below. The latter of which reads, in a simple script, "I've lost my most precious thing! If you find it, I'll be your best friend! Oh, and pay, too." It is signed 'Chen Yakumo' and includes both her cell number and the adress of her mother's store.

[Hello Purvis]

>Hmm. Well, we'll be out and about today...
>Head for the two-tailed poster person. "Pardon me, might I ask for some details about this?"
>Gesture toward a poster.

[Oldmansour]

>Hmm. Well, we'll be out and about today...
>Head for the two-tailed poster person. "Pardon me, might I ask for some details about this?"
>Gesture toward a poster.

>You will indeed.
>You approach the tailed youkai and attract her attention. Drawing closer you can see, even before she turns around, that it is Chen herself. She's a distinctive figure after all; not many cat youkai in town have two tails, and of those you know of, none are as short as she is.
>She glances over her shoulder as you adress her, and she whirls quickly. "Morning star! Have you seen my locket?! I can't find it anywhere!"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"I haven't, but I'll keep an eye open. Where did you last have it?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I haven't, but I'll keep an eye open. Where did you last have it?"

>"Couple days ago, at home. No, not home, leaving home. On my way to school, it wasn't on. So I went back home to find it, but it wasn't there! I can't find it anywhere!" She seems on the verge of tears. You're pretty sure people are looking.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>A couple days ago. That would've been just after...
>Well, if so, then Chen's probably lucky she wasn't home at the time.
>"If I see it, I'll get it back to you right away."

[Oldmansour]

>A couple days ago. That would've been just after...
>Well, if so, then Chen's probably lucky she wasn't home at the time.

>The timing of this seemingly minor event does seem a little ominous.

>"If I see it, I'll get it back to you right away."

>The despair in the little youkai's eyes gives way to a flicker of hope. "Promise?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Of course I promise. If I find it, I'll be certain to get it back to you. Might I have one of those posters?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Of course I promise. If I find it, I'll be certain to get it back to you. Might I have one of those posters?"

>Chen's smile is like a ray of sunshine, and she bows deeply before you. "I deeply appreciate your consideration, Miss Hijiri." she states in a very formal tone, sounding more like a recitation she picked up somewhere else. When she straightens, she grins and chuckles slightly. "Did that right, ya." she mutters. Flicking around the backpack on her back, she rummages around and produces one of her fliers, presenting it to you.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Thank you. I hope to have good news soon."
>Continue on our way.
>Inventory

[Oldmansour]

>Inventory

>Street clothes (Knee-length skirt, simple white blouse.)
>Wristband on right wrist, white with a black 'ribbon around' design.
>Long black coat with many pockets
>Cellphone
>Wallet (containing student ID, cash card, points card for the supermarket as well for book store Next Chapter, photograph of Myoren, photograph of you and Marissa and $56.47 cash.)
>Gold ring, in left breast pocket.
>Violet ring, worn on right hand.
>Stylized lotus hairpin, worn.
>Certificate of ownership: Rin Kaenbyou.
>Small notebook and pen.
>Poster of Chen Yakumo's missing pendant

>"Thank you. I hope to have good news soon."
>Continue on our way.

>Chen nods enthusiastically before scooting off to post up more fliers, letting you continue on along your way. Along the way out of the square, you catch snippits of conversations of the people around you. Understandably, most are discussing the scene that just played out between you and Chen. While the general tone is one of simply amusement among those around, you do hear a couple of folks say 'Suppose keeping an eye open on the way..." or words to that effect. You allow yourself a small smile at the sentiment. Does a girl's heart good.
>The remainder of the walk to Ran's is relatively uneventful, and yields no sign of Chen's missing treasure. You see no more people you know along the way, except for a porche that drives part you as you near the jewelers. If memory serves, it belongs to Kaguya-sensei. At least two of your teachers with top of the line Roma sportscars. Teaching at Mayoiga must be rather lucrative.
>Eventually you find yourself standing outside the glass doors of Yakumo Gems Worldwide. It's a five-story building, very modern-looking, with window displays clearly designed to catch the eye of passers-by. And effectively designed as well, as nearly everyone you see has at least a passing glance through the glass at the treasures that lie within.

[Kasu]

> Head inside.
> If we don't already know, head to the nearest salesperson and ask where we can go to get our ring examined.

[Oldmansour]

> Head inside.
> If we don't already know, head to the nearest salesperson and ask where we can go to get our ring examined.

>Entering into Ran's, which you've never done before, the first thing you notice is that it's quite warm inside. Not hot, but comfortable. The second thing would be the pair of burly men in uniforms on either side of the entrance. Security, obviously. A few stairs lead up to the main sales floor, but even from here, you can see the cases and aisles containing their precious wares, as well as the sounds of people talking above. Nice selection of music in the background; one of Flandre Scarlet's latest hits. Not what you'd have expected for an upscale joint like this.
>What appears to be an information desk rests at the top of the stairs, manned by a grey haired man with a goatee, with two horns coming out of his head. He's speaking Eire into a phone as you walk up the stairs, but he finishes soon after you arrive and stand before him. He looks up at you and offers you a polite nod, speaking with a notable Eire accent. "Welcome to Yakumo's, young lady. And what might ye be looking for today?"

[Kasu]

> "I'm looking to have someone examine a ring I found a couple days ago.  Could you please point me to where I need to go?"