On The Boundary ~ Illusionary Festival for the Dawn

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

(PEOPLE LIKE HANZO READING THIS WILL NOTICE SOMETHING. BUT I ASSURE YOU, I DID N-
[18:48] <AzureWraith> I just realised I can recite the entire description for the Eldritch Abomination page on tvtropes.
[18:48] <AzureWraith> I have no life)

Mmmph... Sof~t~! Nanaya mumbles, wiggling around the bed. She had been dreaming for quite some time. Contemplating life and it's mysterious ways. The endless, yonic abysses and complex, alien geometries. From the ways the world would be made, either by fluffyness and explosions, or by some godlike force, she would never know. She wanted to know, but Nanaya herself knew that she would never be able to comprehend the complexities the fabric of reality held in it's vice. For most of the time asleep, Nanaya would dream of these things. The future, the past, and what lies beyond. Other times, involuntarily, Nanaya would begin to dream... Of who she met. Amaya, and Senri. The latter would make her shift around almost rigorously, or even talk in her sleep. The former would make her smile.

"Wake up!" Something in her head said.

Nanaya shifted once more, her arms beginning to ache. Once more the voice called in it's high voice.      (VOICE IS NOT SENRI'S MOM)

"Waaaake up!"

This time, the sleepyhead woke. Her eyes blinked, looking around. "Mister Voice? Where are you?" No responce. Nanaya frailed her arms around, calling out for the voice. Nobody answered. Shrugging, Nanaya stood up and began to stretch. Her clothes were somewhat loose and her hair was messed up, but she didn't care much. She almost always woke up the same way. Grabbing a small piece of robe from her gauntlets, she tied her hair up into a ponytail. After rubbing her new tail and playing with it a little, Nanaya grabbed her sword, and set off, Gauntlets dangling from it.

Nanaya looked around the house, noticing that two people still were in it. Senri and his mother had suddenly left. Frowning, Nanaya sneaked out of the house. Once outside, she recalled something important. A feast. Oh yes, that feast at that old shrine beside her home. Setting off towards the Hakurei Shrine, Nanaya sang as she walked through the village, and towards the shrine. For some reason, at the back of her mind, a dreadful, omnious feeling began to sprout from nothing.

.....
....
...
..
.
-

"For countless years I?ve looked up at the moon, just out of reach. It won?t end; not my body living in darkness, not my crimson tears."

Nanaya strolled up the hill towards the Hakurei Shrine. Her singing began to soften.

"...These endless memories will not fade. Drowning in this cold rain, I would rather be swept away..."

Able to see the torii of the shrine now, her singing reduced to almost a whisper.

"...I want for his body, his moist eyes so much it drives me insane.... No matter what I might do, my heart far and distant intervenes..."
-

There, she stops, noticing a boy, selling... Or more like, advertising, swords! Walking over, her happy, tomboyish attitude reduced to one of a shy girl. She walked over, dragging the sword across the ground.

"...Um... Ahh... H-Hi..." She pointed at the swords, then back at her own.

[Amraphenson]

Tetsumaru couldn't help but stare. A lull in activity gave him some time to relax...which was quickly taken as this girl appears over the stairs. He notices her gesture to her swords, then his wares (which included tools mostly, but definitely featured its fair share of weapons, and tilted his head.)

"Are you interested in anything, ma'am?"

[Dorakyura]

...
Since Amaya can't fly, the whole group had to walk down the mountain. Sanae couldn't carry her around, like she did when Amaya was still a kid. Only Kanako could carry her but Amaya was too embarrassed to ask.

Amaya sighs, "This would have been faster, if Sanae had taught me how to fly already." she mumbles to Vin, who's hidden in her sleeve.
Led by Sanae, the small group walks through the forests at the bottom of the mountain. Amaya doesn't really know where they are right now. It's so dark between all these trees, that she can't see a thing. Fortunately Sanae seems to know where to go.
'It is so quiet.' Maybe too quiet? Amaya hasn't really thought about it, but she realized, that she hasn't noticed any Youkai in the dark. Amaya gets scared as a cool chill runs down her spine. She holds the lamp solid in her hands and closes up to Kanako who walks in front of her.
"Kanako-sama?", Amaya asks subdued, quietly so that Suwako and Sanae couldn't hear them. "We talk about the previous Hakurai Shrine Maiden, I don't want to be a burden for mom and you are the only one I can ask." Amaya gets more vigorous as she continues. "Please, I really need to know what happened."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Laresa was ready. She hoped she'd only need to talk, that she wouldn't have to fight, but if Suika wanted a fight, she was ready. She was also ready in case Suika attempted to flee, even for her dispersing into mist. One she really should have thought of during her pursuit of the mist earlier, but after what had happened just three days ago...

It had been innocent, nobody had done anything wrong. It was just a coincidence. But...

It was just a man, just a man in the village going about his day. A man who bore a passing resemblance to him, but not enough of one that Laresa had really noticed before, if she'd even seen the man before at all. But that time, that day, he'd worn the same outfit as the one who had... who...

Laresa gave herself a mental slap. Damn it, girl, focus. This is why Suika-or whoever it was-got away earlier, because you couldn't focus. So focus.

The plan in case Suika dissipated into mist was simple: if she did so, Laresa would copy the power, and would then use it on Suika in reverse, increasing her density and re-solidifying her. She'd begin as soon as Suika did, which would lead to them matching against each other. But Laresa was inexperienced with the ability, and liable to make mistakes, but she was ready for that, too. If she did indeed do it wrong, Suika would realize that if she didn't stop, her body would get somewhat messed up from Laresa's botched use of the power. But Laresa didn't want it to come to that.

Laresa wandered through the croud gathered at the shrine for the feast. No sign of Suika. And she'd be easy to spot, too; an oni would stand out. And the new maiden may know something about what happened in the village, too. SO Laresa also looked for the new maiden, but was not able to see anyone who looked like the one. So Suika came first, and it wasn't much longer before Laresa saw a girl with horns. An oni, I believe. That's probably her.

Laresa approached the oni casually, and as she did, she removed something from her pack, a bottle of sake. Top-quality sake, too. Oni were supposedly avid drinkers, so a high-quality drink seemed a good way to start a conversation with one. And as she approached, Laresa took careful note of the oni's reaction. If this was indeed the one responsible for the gathering, then she may very well recognize Laresa. So Laresa kept careful watch for even the slighest sign of recognition.

--------------------------------------

OOC: Yeah, I feel dumb for not thinking of having Laresa use Suika's power to re-solidify her back in the village. Fortunately, though, finding a good reason for Laresa to forget something like that is fairly easy, given her... mental condition.

And yes, Laresa top-quality sake on her at all times, just in case there's a sudden need for it. As I've mentioned before, she's crazy like that. Get used to her having the right item for the situation, no matter how odd it would be for someone to keep that item on them, because, well, that's how Laresa works.

Anyways, your turn, Sonae.

[Oldmansour]

Since her encounter with the ghost and her bodyguard had such an.... antagonistic ending, Kohaku Daidouji has spent the last half hour doing her very best to avoid contact with the both of them. In the event Yuyuko decides to have Youmu try and finish the job. Or take matters into her own hands, for that matter. She didn't seem to be carrying any weapons, but then, she's a ghost. She may not need them. Kohaku is curious about that, but not curious enough to track the ghost down and ask her.

Nor is she curious enough to track down that small, horned woman that appeared. Even an idiot could tell she isn't human, but she's not like any youkai Kohaku had ever met before. Still, she seemed at least passingly friendly with the ghost woman, and that's enough to set off a cautionary flag in the back of the young woman's mind. Best to give the woman a wide berth as well. At least, for now. After a few pulls from that gourd, well, that might be a different story.

Kohaku probably hasn't thought about it too hard, but her encounter with Yuyuko has shaken her fairly badly. No had ever tried to kill her before- No one had even seriously tried to hurt her before, let alone slash her with a katana. There was that one night when a robber had broken into the store a few years ago, but between her powers and her brothers, the would-be thief met with no success. Never threatened the kids in the least. But Yuyuko... And she was so casual about it. Like she was telling her bodyguard to swat a fly. And Youmu was willing to do it. And very easily could have, too. The way she knocked Kohaku's chains aside, sheared them straight through. Solid metal, cut as easily as paper. And so quickly... Kohaku has no doubt that if Youmu wanted to, she could kill the young Daidouji.
This is why the young woman has spent the last half an hour in the back rooms of the hakurei shrine, tidying away things, and generally trying to avoid crossing paths with the Saigyoji ghost again. Even though she knows people will soon be arriving at the shrine, and that she needs to tell them about the mistake that's occured, she has pause before trying that again. After what happened the last time, who can say the next person she tries to tell that she isn't the hakurei miko won't be even MORE violent than Yuyuko was.

Kohaku sighs deeply, putting down the tattered book on the battered end table in this dingy room she'd found, and looks down upon Hyozan. She kneels down in front of the big dog and enfolds him in a hug.
"I'm glad you're here, boy. I'm glad you stayed..."
The malamute whimpers once, quietly, in sympathy with his friends pain. He seems somehow proud that he can bring some comfort to the human girl.
"I know, I know... I can't hide here for the whole party. Those people deserve to know the truth." she says quietly, pulling away and looking into the dog's big blues. "Can I at least finish this room? I don't want to have to fight another samurai right now."  He rrrfs once, quietly. Kohaku rubs the dogs head. "Promise you'll warn me if you sense that ghost coming?" Another quiet rrrf brings a small smile to the human's face. She stands and turns, taking in the small room. Won't take more than a few minutes. She sighs, and gets back to work.

[Marokuu]

Sanaya arrived on top of the stairs leading to the shrine much later than she had expected.

She was not really sure how the thing that made time move slower around her worked but she really wished she could activate it at will.

Anyway, she had arrived and was now trying to think of what she wanted to do. She scanned through the small crowd that had assembled and managed to find a couple faces that she recognized, interestingly most from earlier this morning. "I guess there's not a lot of people that would put in the effort to get to this out of the way shrine." Her thoughts made their way into her mouth before she had the time to sort them out.

She glanced around to see if anyone was within earshot before returning her gaze to the crowd once again.

"That's someone." She spotted the purple haired woman from earlier, approaching a little girl with horns. She kept walking while keeping her distance constant and her gaze fixed. The problem with walking like that is that you're not looking in the direction your moving.

"Ouwaah." She suddenly lost her balance as she tripped over something sticking out in front of her. Her hands had been tucked inside her sleves but while falling she managed to rapidly pull them free and stop herself from slamming into the ground face-first, ending up in a position similar to a push-up. "Watch where you're going idiot, at least the Kimono is okay." Mentally chiding herself she got up on her feet again and looked to see what had tripped her up.

"A sword?" Her eyes fell on the boy sitting behind a collection of weapons and other metalware. "Pardon me, I was not looking where I was going." Having another look at the boy she suddenly recognized him. "Oh, you are the boy from the square are you not? I am sorry that we met under such circumstances, my priority was to avoid a potential fight."

She gave a bow before properly introducing herself "I am Furuika Sanaya, youkai exterminator. I have seen you before at the blacksmith's I believe?"

((OOC: Sorry if I'm interrupting YJ but I suddenly had some inspiration and there's a bit of pressure on. Hope I didn't ruin something :ohdear:))

[Amraphenson]

Tetsumaru blinks at the sudden interruption, then bows from his seiza respectfully. "Ah, a pleasure. I apologize again for my rashness from before. And yes, I am Jin-otousama's apprentice. May I help in anyway?"

The apprentice was growing slightly wary of all this sudden attention. Wasn't often he was addressed personally during work.

[Sonae]

---Orphea

?Ah, you?re already awake? Keine says as she smiles faintly at the girl before her. As Yumiko moves to the side, Keine enters the home. After courteously taking her shoes off, Keine gazes into the darkness that fills the house. The teacher lets out a disappointed sigh before finding and lighting the closest lantern. She turns to Yumiko and makes a motion towards the table with its two empty chairs around it.
?Sit.? She says in a plain voice. After, she turns and sets her bag on the counter and starts to go through its contents. She pulls out the copy of Bunbunmaru Newspaper and sets it on the table before returning to her bag and pulling out various  ingredients.
?I take it you haven?t eaten yet today?? She asks Yumiko, a faintly content expression on her face.

---------

---Yog

The human walks on, her mind focused on the scenery and not the path before her. She moves forwards at a comfortable pace, oblivious to the distance she?s walked and the amount of time that has passed.

---

As Hotaru gazes at her surroundings, she notices a slight change around her.
The girl looks up to the sky to see the moon isn?t visible. Odd, was it a new moon tonight?

Just then, Hotaru hears something in the distance. As the seconds pass, she can hear it slowly, but surely, coming closer to her.

---------

---CrowCakes

Kisei silently searched the first room she could find with stuff in it. It was dark inside, and after opening a large book, she also found that it was dusty as well.
As the little thief snooped about in the darkness, she heard a gentle whistle, like that of the wind blowing. Kisei ignored it and continued searching for any sort of lost treasures.
A faint breeze blew past Kisei, ruffling her hair slightly.
In the next moment she felt something freezing cold right against her neck.

---------

---Yog

The girl spun around at the sudden voice talking to her.
?Ah, Me?? She said pointing to herself. Then she shook her head. ?No, I?m not a miko? She said with a slight bow of the head.
Despite the darkness inside the shrine, Hideaki could see the girl?s features quite well. Her hair was white and cut short and straight. She wore a green  vest overtop a white blouse with a green skirt. In her hair was a black ribbon placed off center, and finally, the girl had two katanas strapped to her back.

---------

---GuyYouMetOnline

Suika was sitting on the veranda at the front of the shrine, watching as guests arrived. The oni grinned to herself as she took another mouthful from the gourd in her hand.
As she lowers the gourd and gazes at the crowd, she spots someone moving towards her.
The oni raises an eyebrow at the woman approaching her. She quickly glances over her features, her eyes stopping on the woman?s bag for a moment.
Suika waits for the woman to come closer. Upon seeing the woman pull out the sake, her face lights up.
?A drinking match?!? She chirps as she sits up. Laresa can smell sake just by approaching the oni.

---------

---Dorakyura

Kanako casts a quick sideways glance at Amaya as she hears the girl speak up. Kanako keeps moving forward, not wanting to lose track of Sanae and Suwako ahead of them. She remains silent, waiting to hear the girl?s impending question.

As Kanako hears Amaya?s question, she stops.
The goddess is still and silent, not turning to look at Amaya, nor does she speak up.

?Kanako??
Before Amaya gets an answer, Sanae notices that the two of them have fallen behind a bit. She?s looking in Amaya?s direction her own lantern in hand, her expression seems to be one of worry.
?Hey! Hurry up slowpokes! Or we?ll miss the feast!? Suwako shouts back to them, jumping up and down for emphasis.

---------

The cheerful clamour lights the shrine grounds, making it lively and boisterous for the first time in a while.

?Hmph, Starting the feast without the guest of honor?
There standing at the shrine?s torii was a girl wearing a pink dress, adorned with crimson ribbons, with a matching mob cap. From her back extended a pair of demonic wings, wider than she was tall. Behind her stood a young woman wearing a maid outfit. Her was pure white, and she seemed to stand out in the darkness. Her expression showed nervousness as if she wasn?t used to being the center of attention like her companion.

[Orphea.Russ]

She winced slightly when Keine lit the lantern; she liked it when it was darker in here. It was easier to see. Regardless, she took her seat across from Keine and sighed. "I -have- eaten, I'm not totally helpless. The dishes are in the kitchen, even, you can go and check." Noting the newspaper on the table, she took a disinterested flip through it, committing each page to memory with a moments' glance, before looking over the ingredients that Keine brought. "I suppose you have a reason for bringing this in particular, of all things?" She held up the newspaper, to make it certain what she was referring to.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"No thanks," Laresa said. "Humans can't take too much of it before hurting ourselves. It wouldn't be fair at all. You're welcome to have some, though." Laresa offered the bottle to the girl. "I have others, too, if you're interested, including stuff besides sake, although nothing quite as good as this."

"Anyways," Laresa said, "I really just want to talk. You do stand out, after all. Would I be correct in assuming you're an oni?"

"My name's Laresa," Laresa said. "Pleased to meet you."

[Yog-N'yggoth]

Hotaru became more cautious as it drew closer. In truth, there wasn't much she could do if it turned out to be a hostile youkai. She wasn't completely sure if she could defend herself with the knife. She could probably sling a rock in the general area of where it is, but that would just potentially aggravate whatever is causing that sound, if she even managed to hit it.

It could be friendly. That could happen. It was a chance, but a chance she had to take. She continued walking as if she didn't hear that. She could run, although that might cause the sound to go chase her. And where would she go? The village is quite far from where she is, and she didn't know of any particular locations in the mountain that she was headed. All she could do was hope for the best.
"Excuse me for the identity confusion then," Hideaki made a returning bow to the woman. Her face was unfamiliar to him, so she probably lived outside the village. Or he forgot about her, although that seemed unlikely; He recalled faces and names easily and her hair colour would certainly be memorable. Her outfit was also of interest, especially with those two weapons on her. Well no such thing as being too prepared he thought. "Oh well, I can wait to see what she looks like later". He made a casual shrug as he said this. Judging from what he saw earlier, the feast was just getting started so there was no real rush.

 A few seconds afterwards, he held his sake out to the woman. "Want to share a drink with me? I have enough sake to spare. My name is Hideaki by the way", There was no real harm in offering her something. It would've been if she accepted however, chatting while drinking was a relaxing activity, and knowing about more people would be nice.

[Marokuu]

"Ah, no thank you. I simply wished to make sure that there was no hard feelings in regards to that little incident." She put her hands back into the kimono's sleves before continuing. "I will be on my way. Say hello to your otousama from me, I might stop by for a new blade in the not so distant future."

She then turned around and resumed overlooking the crowd. The horned girl had engaged in conversation with purple-hair. By now Sanaya had guessed that the horned girl was the oni mentioned in the newspaper and didn't feel like butting into yet another conversation.

Instead she sat down at the veranda at a respectful distance to see if she could hear anything substantial from their conversation.

[CrowCakes]

A cold akin to a metal blade threatened to break through Kisei's skin and neck. With her head unmoving, her shoulders tensed up, and the paper she held floated back down to its binding.

Her tiny fingers squeezed on her knuckle dusters. In her current position, fists wouldn't reach whoever was holding a blade- but it doesn't feel like a blade- to my neck, unless the "blade" was a dagger. Then it could get knocked off.

But screw that, there are no chances.

Bowing low to the floor, Kisei pushed her arms against the floor and slid backwards. Her feet launched against the unknown assailant, aiming to unbalance the person's stance. After that, she would roll to the side and take a good look at the guy who tried to kill me.
Tsutomu and Shinsui arrived at the feast with pounding hearts. Once again, their daughter had vanished without her parents' knowledge, and she was nowhere to be found in the village. The apple that had been left on the table proved to be a red herring as it really said nothing about Kisei's intent.

Everyone who had gathered near the front of the shrine grounds seemed to be engaged in a conversation. Some by the farther end were less busy. One in particular wore a white-purple kimono; in wordless agreement, the couple went their separate ways. Shinsui approached the girl, while Tsutomu searched among the crowd for their daughter.

"Excuse me, miss, but have you seen a girl in red anywhere here?" Shinsui asked.

OOC: Like I promised, Kisei's parents have arrived. Marokuu, please reply.

[Sonae]

Sora glanced about, her eyes unsure of the new job she would now spend her days working on. Her boss had dragged her out to a festive gathering on her first day. A hint of fear flowed freely through the girl. This was the first time she had been in a place with so many people.
As the girl glanced around, she saw many strangely dressed people. One had orange colored hair with a pair of horns sticking out from her head. A different girl had long, deep violet hair, and wore simple clothes with a large pack. Yet another wore ribbon as foot wear and gauntlets as dangling accessories. There was one ordinary looking girl who just wore a white to purple kimono. Sora could also see two guys amongst the crowd, one of which she thought she saw looking at her and her boss.
Sora remained silent, waiting for the attention to be lifted off of her and placed onto someone else.

[Hanzo K.]

Wings? Well, he'd seen tengu on occasion, usually slight glimpses when they were looking for news to put in their papers. But these were different.
They looked kinda like bat wings almost, which made him wonder. After all, he'd never heard of a tengu with bat wings before.
Of course, what really struck him as odd was her remark about her being 'the guest of honor'. Wasn't this whole thing supposed to celebrate the new shrine maiden or somesuch?
He found it rather hard to believe that she was the one, because wouldn't the maiden be wearing typical miko garb? Which this girl was most assuredly not wearing.
Though what else caught his eye was how the girl with her seemed afraid, maybe she wasn't used to crowds? It was hard telling in Gensokyo anymore.
But either way, it wasn't entirely important right now. He'd have plenty of time to chat with them if a better opportunity presented itself.
Because for now, he was going to enjoy lingering where he was, and enjoying his treasure. Quality sake, and steamed buns.
'Man, this place sure got crowded all of a sudden. Wonder if any fights'll break out? Heh, sure hope so, it was starting to get boring today anyhow!'
Of course, he noted that quite a few folks who weren't entirely human showing up, including this girl who considered herself the guest of honor.
'Wonder if these fights'll be between Youkai? Those could be fun to watch, if not to join in on!'
Of course, he couldn't help but let out a good and hearty laugh after finishing this thought. Because what sense is there in laughing in your head, where nobody will hear it?
Of course, onlookers would likely assume that he'd already had quite a few drinks today, but the truth of the matter was, that jug was the first of the week.
You see, it had been rather difficult of late for him to get his preferred variety, as it had all been selling out before he could get it. Thankfully, he had a reward that he had put on a rain check, and he chose today to turn it in to get a jug of his favorite. ALl in all, today was a rather good one for him, excluding the newspaper incident earlier.
'If I ever find the tengu who pulled that, I'll have to remember to roast her but good! Or him, if it was a guy. Though I've never heard of any male tengu before, 'sides that Tenma fella. But nobody's sure if it's a guy or a girl, somethin' about bein' a total recluse or somesuch.'



OOC: STRING CHEESE! Y U SO TASTY?! (╯?□?）╯︵ ┻━┻
OOC(Addendum): Also, while I was writing this post, I was listening to this. I kinda consider it a relatively fitting tune for Takuma. xD

[Sonae]

---Orphea

?O-oh, that?s good?? Keine said, blushing slightly. With her back still turned, she took the ingredients and put them away for another day. She reached into her bag and withdrew a small snack for herself. The teacher then walked casually over to the table and took a seat across from Yumiko.
?Well, I brought it so that I could read it. I heard that there?s a celebration going on tonight.? Keine said as she munched on the snack. She picked up the paper and began to read the front page.
?So, how?s job searching going?? Keine asks as she takes another bite of her makeshift meal, her eyes still scanning the front page of the paper she?s holding.

---------

---GuyYouMetOnline

The oni frowned deeply as the human shot down her offer coldly. Her face showed obvious dissatisfaction.
?How boring? Suika says, her expression lightening slightly.
As the girl offers her the sake, Suika gives a sort of muffled laugh.
?Can?t you see I already have plenty of sake?? She says as she holds up her gourd, a small smile on her face.
Suika takes a sip from her gourd as the girl asks her if she is an oni.
?Of course. The only one in all of Gensokyo. Did you want my autograph or something?? She says with a slightly teasing smile.
?So. What?s a dull and uninteresting fellow like yourself doing at this lively and jolly social gathering?? Suika asks as she lays on her side and makes herself comfortable on the shrine?s veranda.

---------

---CrowCakes

In one swift movement, Kisei had launched herself backwards, sliding across the floor in an attempt to knock over anyone that could be behind her.
The girl?s feet slammed into a hard wall, producing a loud ?thud?.

?My?so hotheaded?? The voice of a woman spoke out in awe.
As Kisei rolled over, she looked in the direction of the voice.
Looking down at her was a woman dressed in a elegant blue kimono with a matching mob cap. Her hair was pink in color, and fell softly around her beautiful face. She held a magnificently colored folding fan in her hand, waving it slightly and slowly close to her face.

---------

---Yog

The girl looked at the sake for a moment, then nodded  as she took a cup off the nearby table and held it out for the man to pour some sake into.
?Thanks? She said as he poured it into her cup. ?My name is Youmu? She said softly. She took a sip and let out a refreshed sigh. Youmu started to open her mouth to speak again.
Thud!
Youmu spun her gaze in the direction of the sound, listening for anything else.
Silence.
With a sigh the samurai put her cup down and got to her feet, walking silently in the direction the sound had came.

---

As Hotaru reluctantly trekked on, She could hear the sound of a girl humming aloud.
Curious, Hotaru strained her eyes to see through the darkness.
As the humming got louder, Hotaru could see an eerie bluish luminescence coming in her direction.

[trancehime]

For the most part Senri had idled around for the meanwhile and sighed, in the end, there was not much of interest to do at present. Either everybody was too busy to sit around and chat, or they were just plain not interested. Well, fine! All this tripe was boring, anyway. Senri sighed softly to himself, dusting off some dirt that fell on his furisode, and decided to try and find a quiet place to sit down and contemplate the events of this night. Youko on the other hand decided to disappear for the meanwhile, having grown bored of the festivities herself. She thought to herself deeply that this was boring if only because there was barely any action, most of it the gregarious part of socialization, which the spiritual entity thought of as "human-like" and thus ultimately mind-numbingly boring. She was now nowhere to be seen. Senri himself decided he would settle upon the shrine's torii, but what he did not expect was the appearance of a seemingly Western-esque dressed girl, accompanied by another young woman in those french maid outfits you'd see in the books or in the telly. Senri sighed and ultimately didn't really strike up conversation with them at first, opting to just stand by the torii himself. After a few moments of silence...

"Um, ma'am, shouldn't you be in there?" Senri sighed pointing at the crowd which was basically the festival itself.

[Orphea.Russ]

"Yes, it mentioned the celebration. Festival. Feast. Thing." She got up from her seat and went to the kitchen, retrieving a pair of cups and filling them with juice, before returning to the table, placing one of them in front of Keine.
"I found something at the library at the so-called Scarlet Devil Mansion... I think you might know a bit about the place, or at least it's residents. I hear you've had a bit of a run in with them before." She sat back down in her chair and took a sip from her cup.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"Actually," Laresa said, "I came here looking for you. As much as I might like to simply atend the festival, my job takes priority. I'm investigating something, and my investigation has led me to you. If I'm right, then you may recognize me, in which case you probably already know what I'm here about.

"An incident occured in the human village earlier today. The village was affected by an impulse to gather at the village center. I went to investigate, and as far as I could determine, no harm was done. If that's true, then there's nothing I need to do, but I don't like taking chances. So I want to make sure.

"I encountered the responsible individual in the village, but was unable to get a look at her. She had the ability to manipulate density, and had dispersed herself into mist. I attempted to make contact with her then, but without success. So I investigated, and found that some time ago, similar compulsive gathering had occurred. Those gatherings were done for the purpose of festivals, as I understand.

"Anyways, I saw Aya's article about the new maiden and the celabratory festival, and she mentions you by name as the one who told her about the new maiden. Now, an unexplained gathering on the same day that a new Hakurei maiden suddenly appears strikes me as a bit unlikely. I think the two are related, and thanks to Aya's article, I had the identity of someone I could ask about it.

"Now, I don't think there's anything harmful going on here, but as I said, I like to be sure. So I came to you, in the hope that you might know something. If you do, then please enlighten me."

---------------------------------------

OOC: If Suika wants something from Laresa in return for information, you can just go ahead and assume that Laresa has just the thing, because, well, that's how Laresa works.

[CrowCakes]

The first thing the red-hair's instincts put its interests in was the fan. Mine!

Trying to find her footing, Kisei's feet wobbled. They tingled, sending a wave of cold through her skin. It felt like standing on a wobbly pole. The lack of pain confused her mind, but it had more plans to attend to.

"It can't be as bad as your situation," she replied, "It's spring, isn't it? Why keep that hat on? You're letting all your heat in."

Even with a shaky balance, the thief ran for the fan like the light at the end of a tunnel, fearing that it might disappear at any moment. Her arms trailed loosely in her flight, ready to snap at the prize- or at Pink-hair, if I need to- should it move. The woman looked harmless, just a beautiful doll that couldn't harm a fly.

OOC: Kisei is begging for a beatdown again. Formalities come later.

[Marokuu]

Sanaya's focus on the human to oni conversation was shattered when a woman spoke to her unexpectedly her. Her body tensed up in a frustrated manner but she managed to restrain herself and turn her head at a normal pace. "I am sorry. Did you say a girl in red?" Her mind flashed back to this morning. "Could she mean that girl?"

She put a hand to her chin and though for a moment before replying. "Red kimono? Not too tall and red hair in pigtails?" She crossed her arms before shaking her head and looking back towards the crowd. "Well I met her this morning, making a ruckus at the town square, punched a boy across the chin."

The youkai exterminator sighed and turned back towards the woman before continuing. "I have not seen her since then however. Are you a relative of hers?"

[CrowCakes]

Shinsui blinked. It was all she could do for her eyes not to widen entirely.

"Yes. In fact, I am her mother." Her breath became shaky, forcing her to put a hand on her chest. There was worry in every thought. Did she get hurt again? Her daughter never complained of wounds, simply because, according to the girl, she did not feel much pain. She was always fine. "O-o-oh my, did you say you didn't see her here?"

Just then, she felt a tap on her back. She looked back as Tsutomu whispered to her. "She's not in the crowd."

Kisei was going to get an earful when she found her.

[Yog-N'yggoth]

Hideaki looked on as Youmu went. There wasn't much joy in drinking alone he thought. After emptying the contents of his cup, he placed it close to hers and followed suit. "So what was that?" he asked her, catching up to her. He didn't play much attention of the thudding noise himself. Though if Youmu took notice, it was presumably something she had to do.
Hotaru continued. She wasn't good at sneaking, and would've probably caught that person's attention anyway. All she could do was keep on walking, hoping the person coming wasn't hostile.

Maybe the light was a lantern. Well it could happen at least.

[Sonae]

---Orphea

Upon hearing the girl mention the Scarlet Devil Mansion, a frown appeared on Keine?s face. Remaining silent, she lowered the paper and pushed it to the side. Then, she turned her gaze to Yumiko. Her eyes told of the teacher?s dissatisfaction with the girl?s choice.
?And where did you hear that?? Keine asked, her tone sounded almost like a parent when telling their child to fess up for something bad they did. Her gaze remained fixed on the girl, unwavering and devoid of any sort of playfulness.

---------

---GuyYouMetOnline

Suika took another sip from her gourd as Laresa spoke.
?Your eyes. They have the same look as someone I once knew? Suika says, not wavering and remaining her jolly fun-loving self. The oni took another mouthful from her gourd before rolling over onto her back. She stretches her arms out comfortably, as if she had just flopped onto a soft bed.
?It wasn?t me who brought everyone to this feast.? Suika said simply as she looked at Laresa from her place on the veranda, a playful smile on her face.
As Laresa continues on, Suika tries to take a drink from her gourd without spilling any. She evidentally fails, spilling a little bit onto her face, forcing her to sit up to take a drink.
?Stranger things have happened? Suika says as she lies back down, making herself comfortable. As Laresa finishes speaking, the oni pipes up with another question.
?So how?d you know the ability was manipulation of density?? Suika asks casually.

---------

---CrowCakes

Kisei sprints towards the woman, her eyes glued to the fan.
The pink-haired notices and in an instant, her eyes become sharp. Her arm holding the fan swings back, and her other arm rises. She holds her hand out, as if she were commanding an army to advance, but before Kisei gets the chance to think about this gesture, the area between them lights up with a bright pink light. The light then morphs. Butterflies fly outward from the woman?s outstretched hand, as if they were fleeing from her. In the next instant, the light shoots towards Kisei like a pinpoint spear, it?s speed too fast for her to dodge. The light impacts the girl?s chest, knocking her back and onto the floor with a heavy thud.

---------

---Yog

?I don?t rea-?
Youmu was cut off at the sudden burst of light which shone out from the crevices between the door and it?s surrounding borders, along with any holes that may have been made in the old paper windowed door.
Youmu?s eyes widened in a startled fashion as she let out a faint gasp.
?Yuyuko-sama!? She shouted as she dashed towards the door.
She grabbed the door?s handle and swung it to the side, making quite the ruckus as it slammed into the wall.
Inside the room stood the Saigyouji mistress, looking surprised by Youmu?s sudden intrusion.
?Oh there you are Youmu? She said cluelessly.
Youmu was left speechless for a moment, then heaved out a heavy sigh.
?I was sitting at the table the entire time?? She muttered audibly.
?Really?? Yuyuko said, looking somewhat awed.
?Yes!? Youmu spoke up, seeming a little frustrated with her ghostly mistress.

---------

---Trance

The girl, realizing she had been addressed, turned to the one who had spoken to her. She and her servant both gazed at Senri. The winged girl glanced over his features silently, then frowned.
?Who are you?? She said bluntly, her hands still placed on her hips in a rather proud fashion.

[Orphea.Russ]

Yumiko just tilted her head slightly and stared back unblinkingly. This is not quite the reaction I expected...
"People might not talk to me often, but I still hear things, and you know how I am with books. I've read just about every one I've got my hands on. That's mostly why I want to go there; if the library's as big as it's rumored to be there would be a lot of things I could learn from there. Is that a problem?" She kept her tone light, rather than Keine's serious, almost parental, tone. It was fun to do that, sometimes.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"Actually," Laresa said, "I wasn't talking about the feast. There's no gathering compulsion here. I was talking about the gathering in the village this morning. There had to be some reason for it, but I can't figure out what that reason was. That's what I was asking about, if you knew anything about that gathering. I don't think there was any harmful intent behind it, but again, I like to be sure.

"As for identifying the ability that was used, that was a product of my own ability. I can automatically identify any ability used within my range."

[Marokuu]

Sanaya's expression softens as she notices the worry in the woman's face. "Oh, would you like me to help you look? More people can always cover a greater area, in case she is just nearby."

She stands up and bows her head slightly "I am Sanaya Furuika by the way." As she straightened her neck, her eyes fell on a figure by the shrine stairs. "Wings? I wonder how many more youkai will show up at this rate." Before being able to follow up on her thought she hears a dampened thud coming from withing the shrine. She snaps her head around towards the shrine before remembering the two people standing before her. "I am sorry, I think I heard something. I wish you luck in finding your daughter."

She gives another short bow before walking around a corner of the shrine and slipping in through a side-door After entering she keeps her ears open, trying to pick up any other out of place sounds.

[trancehime]

Senri sighed and looked back at the festival for a short moment before turning back to face the winged girl and who was presumably her maidservant. My my, she certainly possessed ego... Senri thought to himself, wondering what he was getting himself into. Either way, he was a little curious about this individual. He wasn't sure of what kind of being she was; she didn't seem much like a typical youkai... Was she something else? And what of her maid, she didn't seem like an ordinary person either. Senri sensed some absurd energies from these two, though he could not make any sense of it. Youko's introductions to the art only extended towards detection of the energy, and not really how to interpret the energy signatures. "Sorry for being rude, it just seemed like someone of such regal calibre as yourself shouldn't be alone here. I'm just a bystander. Senri. Yamagishi Senri." Senri sighed out an introduction before turning to face the festival and fidgeting about. He procured a fan that Youko had given him before he left and started fanning himself with it. "I am just here because it is too noisy out there. Sorry."

[Sonae]

---Orphea

Keine retained her frown and remained silent for a moment. Finally, she let out a sigh.
?It?s not you learning things that I?m concerned about? Keine said as she took a drink. ?That place is pretty much a youkai den? Keine spoke as if it was a well known fact. After about half a minute, Keine let out another sigh and continued speaking.
?But?? She started, averting her eyes to the closest window, ?If that?s what you want?I can?t stop you? She said, seemingly lost in thought. After a few seconds, she mouthed yet another, more silent, sigh and turned her face back in Yumiko?s direction.
?But I want you to be careful. Those girls aren?t anything like the youkai you can meet in the village.? Keine said as she gave the girl across from her a strong gaze. ?The last thing I?d want is to see you turn up as a corpse.? Keine said, her voice echoing with concern.

---------

---GuyYouMetOnline

?You?re thinking too much!? Suika said with a cheerful smile on her face as she raised her gourd into the air.
?You need to stop fretting over every little thing that youkai do? She said as she rose to her feet. ?So I had a little fun? There?s no harm in having fun? Suika spoke in a jolly tone as she hopped down from the veranda and strode towards Laresa. ?Everyone needs to let loose every now and again.?
By now the oni was standing infront of Laresa. She held out her hand.
?I think I?ll have that sake you offered now.? She said, her cheerful smile still on her face.

[CrowCakes]

The blast vanished as soon as it had struck. Her head rang as she looked up at the woman, then down to where the spear had hit her. Her chest hurt, yes, but there was nothing lodged in it. It's gone. Like magic.

Oh crap. Magic.

Putting a hand to where the spear had struck, Kisei did not feel any wound nor trace of wet blood. There was only the sheer heat from the attack, which had probably seared her kimono. It was impossible to tell in the dark room, but, for sure, there were no injuries.

The girl pushed herself back up. "...who the hell are you?"