On The Boundary ~ Illusionary Festival for the Dawn

[Oldmansour]

Gack.
The Daidouji heir swallows visibly. She'd been halfway hoping Laresa wouldn't ask that. But, since she did, time to be honest.

"I'm afraid so."
"And I have no idea why." she presses on. "I barely even have an idea what a 'Hakurei miko' is- I never even knew this shrine existed before today, and now all of a sudden, I'm supposed to be its keeper? And not only that, some kind of... hero?" Kohaku sits back down again. "I'm no one special. I'm an apprentice jewelcrafter, that's all."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

This just keeps getting more and more complicated. "There's more going on here than I thought," Laresa said. "It seems there's far more to this story than I expected." Despite the unexpected twist, though, Laresa did, of course, have a plan. "Listen, Kohaku. I want to know what's going on here; do you? DO you want to know why you're being called the new Hakurei miko? Why this is happening?"

[Oldmansour]

It should be noted, that Kohaku is a very even tempered person. She has a big heart, and it takes a lot to get under her skin. Today, however, had been anything but ordinary. First a crow steals her ocarina, then she chases it halfway across Gensokyo (or so she felt at the time), then she finds this ancient creepy shrine with a creepy room at the back of it, then she finds a bunch of damaged papers talking about how Gensokyo came to be and something about the end of the world, and then a pair of youkai declare her the new Hakurei miko, and start spreading the story all over creation, and then she met a ghost and her bodyguard, and then the ghost ordered her bodyguard to try and kill her, and then seemed to forget about the whole affair, and Kohaku has not had the best of days. At all.

She doesn't share her brother's temper, but something about those questions made something snap inside her. "Do I want to know? What kind of question is that, OF COURSE I want to know!" she fairly shouts, drawing a startled yelp from Hyozan as she rapidly comes back to her feet. "I didn't ask for this, any of this! And if I ever find either one of those two youkai again, I'll sling them in chains, if I have to, to get some answers out of them."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"Hardly the most effective response, I'd think," Laresa said. "As it happens, though, what I'm really asking is if you'd be open to cooperating with me in order to figure this out. See, there's more going on than you may know. This morning, there was a minor incident in the village. As far as I can determine, no harm was done-in fact, most people probably didn't even realize it was an incident-but the fact that both that and the whole 'new shrine maiden' thing happened on the same day made me suspicious. And as it turns out, the one responsible for the village incident, Suika Ibuki, is also the one who identified you as the new maiden to the tengu reporter Aya.

"I met Suika outside, and she really doesn't strike me as the problem-causing type-although I'm told she did cause endless feasting once. But the point is, I don't think she's behind whatever's happening. I think there's more to this than either of us knows about, and like it or not, you're at the center of it all. Which means that if I want to figure this out, the best option is to remain with you.

"What I propose is this: for the time being, I will remain with you. This will most likely aid in my investigation. I would live with you, ideally here at the shrine-we'd be more likely to find information that way. I would accompany you at all times, acting as a bodyguard of sorts-I am a youkai exterminator, and quite a capable one, if my record is any indication. We are far more likely to discover what's going on if we work together than if we investigate independantly.

"That," Laresa said, "is my proposal."

[Amraphenson]

He blinks at the gesture. "Ah...Tetsumaru," he replies finally, taking her hand. It's callused, like any warrior's had the right to be, but also surprisingly smoothed. He found himself smiling back anyways.

[Dorakyura]

Amaya is looking around. The area looks quite similar to her shrine, just with more trees. But she's still surprised on how many people gathered at the feast.
She takes a few steps forward and ...*clash* "Aah" Amaya makes a strange voice when the sake spilled on her. The smell of sake gets into her nose immediately. She feels kind of dizzy from it.
Visibly annoyed, Amaya takes off her scarf. "It's ok." she says, "I wasn't looking either." She takes a look around to see if there is somewhere a place to wash the sake out of her scarf.
Her view jumps back to Sanaya "My name is Kochiya Amaya and yes, these two are Kanako and Sanae."

[Hanzo K.]

Naturally, he was enjoying the view, so of course he didn't see the geyser coming for him.
He did hear it though, but he paid it little mind until it made impact, knocking him off the Torii entirely. "Whaaaaa?!"
Of course, the arc of his path led him into a rather close encounter with a certain someone who was just arriving. Keine.
And, as luck would have it, his face found a rather comfortable landing pad. Her chest. If he knew what had happened, who knows what would result?
'Well, at least something broke my fall...Something warm...n'squishy. Wonder what it is? S'comfortable though.'

OOC: Blegh, short-ish post. But eh, It's all I can come up with.

[Oldmansour]

Kohaku was somewhat... befuddled, by Laresa's request. Here was a woman she'd known all of five minutes, or less, and she was basically saying "I want to move in with you." Even Haine wasn't that forward. At least, not until the two of them were alone together. And she was grateful for the girl's additional information- now she had someone else to grill about this debacle. An oni, no less. Kohaku's knowledge of them was limited, to say the very least. Wasn't even sure what one looks like, but if Laresa's right, this Suika probably wouldn't be all that hard to find. Might even be here now.

Truth to tell, Kohaku was actually grateful for Laresa's offer. She seemed a decent enough person, and was generous and helpful. And not too bad looking, either. Kohaku might well have accepted, or at least strongly considered it. Right up until Laresa mentioned her occupation.
The Daidouji heir's face goes flat at that point, as does her voice. "I'm sorry, did you say 'youkai exterminator'? As in, someone that goes out and kills youkai?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"Only if necessary," Laresa replied, "and it rarely is. I only target youki that are causing problems, and usually, all it takes to get them to behave themselves is defeating them in battle. I have killed before, yes, but only a few times, and only when it was the only option remaining, when they gave me no choice. I don't like to kill, and prefer to settle things without death."

[Sonae]

?Ah!?
The tengu that had been observing quietly lept up to her feet in a flash upon seeing the geyser erupt. She immediately began snapping pictures of the geyser?s upward climb. This is when she noticed the human that had been standing on the torii. What? What?s a human?-
Her thoughts were cut off when the human fell onto a new arrival. Aya?s eye lit up with opportunity.

---------

---Amra

?Tetsumaru huh.? She says as she shakes the boy?s hand. ?So what brings you here to the feast? You don?t quite seem-?
The sudden sound of water gushing forth makes Momiji stop mid-sentence. The white wolf tengu turns her head with a twitch of her ears. She to follows the geyser with her eyes, but with much more speed than the humans. She casts a quick glance at the frog goddess who caused it then to the tengu who had jolted up from the bushes. Momiji sighs as she sees the latter, turning her attention back to the human before her.
?As for me, she dragged me over here by force.? She says with a frown as she points to the crow tengu.

---

?Ahhhhhh!!!? Aya shouts as she speeds over to the torii, causing a gust of wind in the process. She reaches the torii in seconds, and begins to take pictures just as fast.

---

At the sound of the tengu?s shout, Takuma raised his head to see what the fuss was about. As he lifted up, he saw Keine?s face, flustered and red from embarrassment and anger. The slightest sign of a tear could be seen in the far corners of her eyes, which themselves burned with rage.
The teacher?s head then leaned back, away from Takuma. However, before the gesture could be processed by the boy?s mind, she swung her head forward with all her might.

---

Aya, who was standing nearby watching the scene unfold, winced in response to the sight.
Ouch?that musta hurt.

[Marokuu]

"Huh?" Sanaya was a bit taken aback by the calm response, she had expected something much worse to happen from discracing someone who was evidently in the company of a god and their former shrine maiden.

"Wait..." What the girl had said just made its way through her slightly muddled mind and made something click. "Did you say Kochiya? As in..." Her eyes went back to Sanae who seemed to be simply watching what was going on for the moment. Another jolt of realization coursed through her as her  brain finally made the connection. She knew that the Moriya miko had been doing quite a bit of youkai extermination of her own, at least if she remembered Keine's lessons correctly. She also had no reason to believe that the miko was not still a decent fighter. "What have you managed to do now you fool!"

Everyone seemed pretty calm about it for now however "Just don't do anything else stupid."

She stopped herself from taking a reflexive sip from the dish before continuing. "So you're Sanae-san's daughter? Pleased to meet you. I'm Sanaya Furuika, youkai exterminator from the village." Her gaze sways between the two green haired females before her as she speaks. "I'm sorry about the scarf, if there is anything I can do to make up for it I'll do whatever I caaaaugh!"

Her sentence is cut short by a geyzer of water erupting from the ground in the direction of the torii. "What the~?" She peers at the torrent of water, trying to make sense of what is going on as she unconsciously takes another sip from whe dish which somehow didn't spill when she was startled.

[Oldmansour]

Laresa managed to say enough right things to defuse Kohaku's temper before it popped. Mostly. But the thought of someone who considers it their job to go out and put a hurtin' on youkai does not, exactly, endear that person to the Daidouji heir. And thank god she wasn't dealing with Koryu, or her brother would have probably taken her head off right then and there.
Though pacified, Kohaku's still not completely returned to her usual even temperment yet, and might not, until someone gave her some answers to this affair. And ghost or no ghost, staying in this room wasn't getting her any closer.

"I should start by saying," Kohaku opens, "that I've no intentions of staying at this shrine. My home is the human village, with my parents. I do intend, however, to get to the bottom of this mystery as soon as possible. I am grateful to you for your offer of safeguarding my person, but as for living together? Frankly, I am surprised by the.... audacity, of your request. I will not dismiss it, at this point, but neither shall I accept. I shall consider it. Nothing more, nothing less."
"However, that said, I would welcome your assistance in solving this mystery. As a matter of fact, you've already given me one clue that I did not have before. This Ibuki-san. If she is at this feast- and if she is involved as you say, I suspect she is- then we should find her, and question her." She pauses as a thought occurs to her. "Come to think of it, didn't you say she was present at this feast?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"I did," Laresa said. "If you want to speak with her, then we can certainly do so. However, I don't think now is the best time. She's enjoying the party right now, and didn't seem to be in the mood for any sort of serious discussion. I would recommend waiting until the festivities are winding down. But it is your choice.

"On another note, I will say one more time that I think it best for you to stay here at the shrine, at least for a day or two. If denying that you're the maiden caused that ghost to order your death, actively trying to deny the responsibilities that she and others believe are yours would only serve to antagonize them. There may very well come a point at which the best move is to do just that, to draw them out, but I do not think that's the best move at this time. And that's in addition to the other reasons I gave you. Although simply returning home at night and then coming back here in the morning may be okay. Again, it's your choice."

[Oldmansour]

Kohaku shakes her head slowly, but she does smile faintly. "It's time to settle the issue, one way or the other. Hiding isn't going to solve anything. Yeah, I admit, I'm still a bit afraid of that ghost. But that won't stop me. Besides, that oni, those youkai, I think they might be more understanding. And what's more, I need to know. I NEED to know why they've said this about me, why they felt the need to spread it around the world. And the sooner I know, the sooner I can set them straight."

Looking back over her shoulder slightly, she intones "Hyozan." firmly, and the big white dog rises silently and pads over to her. She then returns her gaze to Laresa. "I do appreciate the advice. But I have no intention of staying here longer than I have to. I will not be afraid anymore. I'm willing to listen to those that told the tale, to hear why they did it. I don't hate them for it, but I need to know why this happened, as you do. And I need them to understand that I'm not as special as they think." She smiles that faint smile and shrugs slightly. "Maybe I'll tell them about my brother. He'd jump at the chance."

Kohaku takes a step closer to the door, then pauses before reaching out to open it. "And, incidentally, Laresa... Thank you." Kohaku gives her a slightly broader smile. "Not only for your offer, or your information. But for helping me work up the nerve to face that ghost again, and to try and get to the bottom of this. It helps to know I'm not alone in that desire as well. Now, come, my friend. We've an oni to see."

Sliding the door open, Hyozan exits first, Kohaku close behind her. Despite her words, she still draws a deep breath as she and her dog, new friend presumably behind them, and marches down the hallway towards the exit. While she does not say anything to Yuyuko, or Youmu, as she enters their presense, she does give both them, and their new companion a wide berth. Fortunately for Kohaku, Yuyuko seems distracted by the strange male, and does not seem to notice her as she makes her way past.

On the veranda now, Kohaku pauses, to take in the scene, and the people before her. It is at this point, however, that she realizes she's made a slight oversight. With a bit of a sheepish look, she turns back to Laresa. "So.... which one was the oni?"

[Yog-N'yggoth]

Hideaki looked at his cup, thinking over the questions. "Well, people on occasion have asked if they wanted me to deliever some food later, although I try not to get too many so I can take a break. As for what I make, it probably sounds odd, but my menu changes by the day. Managing the ingredients is diffcult sometimes, but I like the change of what I cook." he rubbed his cheek as he stopped. All of the injuries were gone, but another reason was that his face landed on the grill once when he was less focused on cooking the same food over and over. Since then he'd been a little more careful, but not before his sister hounded for that, with a bit of worry in it.

He shrugged as he continued. "Only thing I brought was my personal sake; Didn't think about bringing my own to this feast". He heard some noise, appearantly coming from outside. He didn't think much of it, probably some rambunctious goers out there.
Hotaru perked up when she saw it. She never actually ventured far from the village, so this was a beautiful sight to behold. After looking at it for a while, she moved closer to examine. She wondered if there was anything in it, like in the stories.

Spoiler:

((You know what's fun? Procrastination on good times to type, and having problems like a massive headache when you want to./rant))

[Sonae]

Sora carefully made her way towards the shrine, making sure to not get too close to a staggering drunk that was stumbling about the shrine grounds. She had never been to such an event before, so she was naturally uneasy about the whole thing.
The girl?s mind continues to wander about as she goes around to the side of the shrine.
That was when she heard the roar of the water spout behind her.
The girl froze, holding her breath for a moment. Her gaze remained forward as she tried to process what, or even why, a geyser would be erupting on the shrine grounds during this feast. For a moment, Sora?s mind became a speedway, her thoughts racing through her mind trying to form a conclusion. She didn?t even notice when the sound had died away.

A loud shout of pain brought Sora out of her daze, startling her back to reality. Instinctively, the girl turned around.
As she turned around, she saw something that made her heart skip a beat.
Standing there at the torii was an all too familiar face.
Keine.

The woman dusted herself off, still frowning sternly. She retrieved her fallen hat and placed it back onto her head. She then proceeded to examine her surroundings.

Sora felt a sense of panic and spun around, dashing into the shrine for safety.
However, in her attempted escape, she forgot to watch out for any obstacles that may have been in her path.
The girl managed only to get onto the veranda before she ran into someone.
?Ah?!? Sora mouthed instinctively as she lost her momentum and stumbled back a step, all the while trying to keep her balance. Ow?, the girl thought for a moment, seemingly unaware that she had run into another girl in the process of her escape. As she turned her gaze in the direction of her collision, she noticed the girl standing before her.
?A-ah??, She mouthed as a sense of embarrassment arose in her mind. She glanced swiftly at the girl?s features. Long lavender hair, pale blue eyes, a white kimono adorned with cherry blossoms, and a silver, lotus-like hairpin. She appeared to not be too much older than Sora herself.
?Sorry??, Sora tried to regain her composure as well as her words. ?I didn?t?I wasn?t?watching where I was going?? The girl stuttered shyly, her gaze facing downward, avoiding direct eye contact. ?It was an accident?? She said quietly. Sora?s body remained tense, paralyzed by a sense of awkward nervousness. She waited silently, hoping that the woman before her would not be too angered by her reckless behaviour.

[Oldmansour]

Upon reaching the veranda of the temple, Kohaku pauses in her search for thie Suika person to ask her companion a question. In doing so, however, Kohaku failed to notice the young white haired girl barreling down upon her, until it was too late. The white haired girl's impact upon her body elicits a slight 'oof' from the taller girl, who takes a half-step backwards out of instinct, more so than anything else.

Straightening herself, Kohaku appraises the younger girl before her. Quite the change from the past few girls that have come her way in the past few hours. Crazy ghost, samurai bodyguard, self-confidant youkai hunter, and a nervous, timid young thing with a quiet voice. If Kohaku didn't know any better, she'd say the little thing was scared of her.
A breath that sounds like a small laugh passes from the Daidouji woman, and she smiles a warm little smile as the white-haired girl apologizes.
"It's quite all right, think nothing of it." She pauses a moment, in the hopes the young thing would stop looking so nervous, then she continues, "You're not hurt, are you?"




OOC: Editing has been applied upon request from the DM.

[Sonae]

?I-I?m fine?? Sora stuttered, still feeling awkward. The girl glanced at the girl?s companion for a moment. The woman was tall, with long, deep violet hair. She stood confidently, making her presence alone seem rather intimidating.
As the girl turned her gaze back to the girl she had run into, she remembered the sense of urgency that had plagued her earlier.
??If you?ll excuse me?? Sora said as she bowed her head slightly. The girl rushed into the shrine without another word, leaving the pair to return to their business.

[Oldmansour]

Kohaku draws in a short breath to say something to the retreating female, but stops herself. The girl seemed in a hurry, not just because something was making her uncomfortable. Kohaku lets her go without holding her up.
Besides, she's got her own problems, too. She and her current companion have got an oni to find. And so, hoping that Yuyuko won't harm the girl or the young man that was with them, The Daidouji heir sets off for the main grounds of the temple, in search of some answers.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Laresa wasn't seeing Suika. The last she'd seen of her, the oni had walked right into the middle of the crowd, and although an oni was fairly distinctive, Suika was short enough that spotting her would be difficult when she was surrounded by others. Fortunately, she wasn't the only potential information source present. That's Aya. I thought she'd be here. Looks like Keine's here, too. Good. She'll be nice to have around if things turn ugly. Even though the biggest worry of that, confronting Suika about the village incident, was past. Could easily still happen, though. "Kohaku. I don't see Suika, but I do see someone else. Aya Shiameimaru, the tengu reporter who broke the story about there being a new maiden. She may well know something. In fact, she's probably more likely to know something than Suika, since she seems to like to take it upon herself to 'investigate' things. I recommend we see what she knows. What do you think?"

[Amraphenson]

He holds up a hand to his mouth and laughs, despite himself. "You too? My dad asked me to sell things. I work at the blacksmith in the Human Village?" The tilt of his voice is fishing for recognition, even if it was a long shot that a tengu would know anything of the human village's residents.

The wolf-tengu blinks back and smiles. "Ah, explains all the tools and weapons. Hmm...," she starts, then sighs and visually braces herself. "Excuse me. I should manage my...colleague. She's probably going to get into trouble, at this rate."

To her surprise, he grabs her arm. "Let me follow?" he asks pleadingly. "I'm hopelessly bored here, and you're the only person here who hasn't treated me like a merchant."

After a moment's thought, she smiles back. "You'll have to follow on foot then."

"Right!"

[Sonae]

---Orphea

After a lengthy walk through the darkness of the forest path, Yumiko had come to a lake. A faint chill filled the air, and mist danced about the lake?s surface with slow graceful movements. The human gazed about her surroundings carefully. From where she stood, she could see a sleeping fairy lying at the edge of the lake. In the distance beyond the lake, she could see something that stood out faintly amongst the evening shadows. The girl silently proceeded around the lake and in the direction of the building.

A few minutes later, Yumiko found herself standing before a gate that stood in front of a large mansion. She had made it to her destination, the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

---------

?Now then?? Keine muttered to herself as she finished dusting herself off, retrieved her hat from the ground, and took a step forward, entering the shrine grounds. She gazed about at the many faces that filled the crowd. After a few seconds, her eyes came to an all too familiar face.
It was Laresa, standing beside another former student, Kohaku Daidouji.
Keine smiled as she saw them, and started towards them.
?Hello Laresa? Keine said as she approached the pair. She gave the pair a friendly smile before turning to face Kohaku. ?Hello Kohaku, it?s been a while hasn?t it? How have you been?? The teacher asks politely.
Remembering her earlier encounter with Laresa, she turns to her and speaks.
?Oh, Laresa, did you manage to meet with Suika?? Keine asks the woman casually.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"I did," Laresa said. "She is indeed the one responsible for the gathering this morning, but I'm fairly sure she did so without hostile intent. What benefit she gained from the action I do not know, but I do not believe it was harmful to anyone. I still think the timing is a bit much of a coincidence, but I find it unlikely we'll get any more information out of Suika, although Kohaku still wants to try."

"'We'?" Keine said. "What's your interest in this, Kohaku?"

"Long story," Laresa said. "Short version: she wants to know what the deal is behind this whole 'new maiden' thing even more than I do, so we have agreed to cooperate." She can decide if she wants to say anything more than that. "I was just telling her that Aya, whom I just spotted, is likely a better person to ask about it than Suika." She turned back to Kohaku. "On that note, what do you think. Shall we approach Aya? Or, if you'd like to talk to Keine for a bit, I can approach Aya on my own."

[Oldmansour]

Kohaku smiles when her eyes fall upon her tall former teacher. She always likes seeing Keine-sensei, the tall teacher having earned her respect, and her admiration, years ago. The Daidouji heir gives her a polite bow in greeting. "Kamishirasawa-sensei. Always a pleasure."
She then waited, politely, while Keine and Laresa exchanged words, not voicing her surprise at the contents of their conversation. Nor her gratitude that Laresa didn't out her as the victim of this mistake. Laresa's spoken to Sensei-san before about Suika? Why here, what does Sensei-san have to do-

Her thoughts are cut short when a memory surfaces in her mind, bubbling from her subconscious. Keine. Keine's name was on those papers she found before. With everything that had happened since, she'd almost forgotten about those. Her mind tracks back, reviewing what she'd read there, and what she'd been thinking at the time. ... youkai. Keine is a youkai. Or, so I thought at the time. Is that why I'd always been fond of her? No, that... That can't be right, I'd never suspected before. No one did, no one I knew. And Haine would have told me. Wouldn't she? I mean, unless Keine didn't want anyone to know, but why would she hide it?

Lost in her reverie, Kohaku almost didn't hear Laresa talking to her, until the second time she mentioned the name Aya. Kohaku's head snaps back up, and she looks around for the tengu reporter. "Aya..." she mutters, her eyes falling on the crow youkai after a few seconds. "So that was her name." She turns her head back towards Laresa and says, "I completely agree, Laresa. Shameimaru-san could be a very good person to ask about that story. She was the other youkai I met when I was here the first time, but I never knew her name at the time. I'd gladly join you, but, as you said, Kamishirasawa-san and I have some... catching up to do."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"Then I shall speak with Aya by myself while you do so." Laresa turned back to Keine. Not sure if Kohaku wants Keine to know this, but she can be trusted, and if I'm going to be occupied with Aya, then she needs to be prepared. "Keine, just a warning: there's a woman in the shrine. Pink hair, blue kimono, otherworldly presence. She's a ghost, and apparently she and Kohaku had a... hostile encounter earlier today. Specifically,I'm told that she ordered her half--ghost-and no, I don't know how that works-servant to kill Kohaku. So if she comes out, make sure Kohaku isn't harmed."

Keine seemed to think about that for a moment. "That sounds like Yuyuko."

"You know her?"

"I wouldn't say that. We simply met once, a long time ago. And she had a half-ghost, Youmu, accompanying her. I'm afraid I don't know much about either of them, though."

"I see. Well, you know who to look out for, then. And if they do target Kohaku again, yell for me."

"Um... all right."

"Thanks," Laresa said.

Laresa left Keine and Kohaku to their conversation and made a beeline for Aya. "Aya!"

Aya faced her. "Oh, hi! You're... Laresa, right?"

Laresa nodded. "I am."

"Of course you are. I always remember my sources."

"I'm hardly a 'source'," Laresa said. "You've 'interviewed' me a couple times, but that's it."

"Right, so you're a source. Besides, you remind me of someone."

Suika said that, too. Well, whatever. Not relevant. "Anyways, I saw your article about the new shrine maiden."

"Oh, yes. Quite an occasion, isn't it? It's been far too long since we've had one."

"Right. The thing is, the person in question insists that she's not a shrine maiden, and she has no idea why people are telling her she is."

"Because she is."

"Well, she has questions about this whole thing, and so do I. I was hoping you might be able to help with that. So, first wuestion: what, precicely, is it that makes Kohaku the maiden?"

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

OOC: Hope the thing with Keine remembering Yuyuko (from Imperishable Night, of course) was okay, Sonae. Also, by 'interviews', I basically mean that she just happened to be in the right place at the right time to get asked questions by Aya.

[CrowCakes]

Kisei was going to be stuck on someone else's back for the rest of the feast . Even as her parents moved through the feast, socializing, the now and still limp girl struggled to move her numb muscles, only to get no response from them. Her head was the only part of her body moving around, searching for loose valuables. How long had it been already; an hour? Ten minutes?

Well, the woman- the youkai- said it would take hours for the numbness to die. If only she hadn't shown up...

The view above everyone's heads was tantalizing. She'd only have a view like this when she was still a kid. It would be sunrise when her dad would let her sit on his shoulders and walk down the village streets. She'd stare at canopies for hours on end and look down at stall owners handling money. The temptation to steal would have made her blood boil, but that didn't happen then.

So when her dad turned around for a while and gave her a vantage point of Keine and two other girls having a talk, Kisei's nerves jolted.

"Kiki, do you want some eggs-"

"Dad. Do you see teacher Keine in front of you?"

Tsutomu looked to his left.

"In front of you, dad, in front!" Kisei would have shook Tsutomu's frame from containing her voice, if she weren't numb.

It wasn't long for him to see the telltale pagoda-shaped hat peeking out of the sea of heads.

"I see it. Is there something you want to talk to her about?" he looked up at Kisei.

Yes, she wanted to sneak towards Keine. The teacher probably had a conversation worth listening in on. Between her and her dad, only Kisei saw the conversation going on, but barely. One of the girls left, and after tracking her walk, it seemed that another conversation was struck, This time, a red tokin was the only clue she had of who the girl was talking to. Not that it mattered.

The problem now was how subtle she had to be to her dad.

"Yeah. I wonder if she's seen the new Hakurei miko."


OOC: I suppose I should be getting myself involved again.

Sour, if this means anything to your next replies, Kisei and her dad will be heading towards you and Keine. Kisei will be eavesdropping on you to kill the time.

[Orphea.Russ]

Well... here we are at last.
For a while she simply stared at the gate, wondering why there was nobody here to watch it. It sort of eliminated the point of a gate in the first place. Then again, even knowing what little she did about this place's inhabitants kind of made the gate more or less for show regardless. She came here for a reason, though; so without further stalling, she ignored the lingering feeling of trouble in her gut and, with some effort, managed to shove the gate open just enough for her to slip through it, and straight up to the front steps.
"...I am going to get in so much trouble for this..."

[Marokuu]

Sanaya snapped out of her dumbfounded state and, about ten moments too late, started looking around for whatever might have caused it. Instead of finding the perpetrator she notices an all too familiar hat making its way through the crowd, presumably with it's owner somewhere under it.

"I don't really think I want to see her right now..." She mumbles to herself before slipping away in the other direction through the crowd, not feeling like meeting her old teacher in her lightly intoxicated state. As she makes her way through the crowd, gravitating towards the shrine once again, she finishes off the last of her drink and lets the dish simply hang down in her hand as she does not need to balance anything in it anymore.

She still does not pay complete attention to her surroundings however and almost walks straight into a person of fairly small stature in front of her. At the last moment she swings to the side, avoiding the collision but instead getting her sash snagged on the person's...

"Horns?" It takes a moment but suddenly she realizes who she's looking at, not to mention the fact that she saw the girl earlier at this very party. "You're the oni who was supposed to be here aren't you? From the newspaper." She un-snags her sash from the oni's horn who does not seem too bothered by the whole thing.

"I aint heard of any other Oni 'round here so I suppose I am." The horned girl straightens out Sanaya's dish and fills it up with sake from a gourd she had hanging around her wrist. "Come on ya shouldn't be walkin' around with an empty dish at a party, drink up!" She says with a big smile on her face.

"I really shouldn't... I, ah, err..." The dish is full before Sanaya manages to deny the oni's invitation. "Well it would be rude to just pour it on the ground wouldn't it?." She thinks and takes a small swig from the dish. "So I've gotta ask this..." She pauses to reassert her balance again. "I've never seen an oni before but I thought you were supposed to be you know, more imposing. Like, taller or something?"

[Sonae]

---Orphea

Yumiko looked at the grand doors that stood before her. After a moment, with a bit a difficulty, she managed to heave the doors open just enough for her to slip inside.
As the doors slammed shut behind her, the light receded, and darkness filled the girl?s vision. After a few minutes, her eyes adjusted to the poor lighting.
The darkness obscured the details of the mansion?s lobby, making it all the more mysterious to the girl. She could hear faint sounds, like whispers, coming from the shadows of the corridors which led to who knows where. Eyes filled with curiousity fell upon Yumiko, their forms indistinguishable from the darkness. Despite the beings? curiousity, they did not come any closer, which was at least a bit relieving, for the moment at least.
A dark outline was drawn across the center floor of the lobby, its? purpose unknown to the girl. The atmosphere was faintly eerie. It lacked the apparent flamboyance that Yumiko had read about. Perhaps there was no one home at the moment?
Even then, It wouldn?t be good to turn back now, with no results.

---------

---GuyYouMetOnline and Amra

?She just is,? Aya responded simply, ?If an oni said so, then it should be true. Oni don?t lie you know.?
?Aya!?
The crow tengu turned in the direction of the voice to see two people coming towards her.
?Oh, Momiji. What?s the matter?? The reporter said, as if she was oblivious to her rambunctious behavior.
Momiji?s ear twitched slightly, her expression seemed to be visibly annoyed. As she begins to open her mouth to speak, she notices the woman standing beside Aya.
?Oh, I?m sorry. I didn?t see you there.? The white wolf tengu said with a faintly friendly smile.

---------

---Sourfang

Keine watched as Laresa headed in the tengu reporter?s direction, calling out her name as she approached. After a moment, Keine gave a faint nod and then turned her attention back to Kohaku.
?You said we have some catching up to do right?? Keine said to the girl, a friendly smile on her face, ?So what did you want to talk abou-?
Just then, Keine was cut off by a sudden shout.

---------

---Marou

?Taller?!? The small oni shouts, as if she was completely taken aback by Sanaya?s words. Remilia, who had still been sipping sake with Suika, awaiting Sora?s return, glanced at the human, but said nothing. After a second, Suika leapt to her feet and shouted again.
?How?s this for tall!?? The oni said as she whips out something, apparently a card, and holds it high above her head, a wide grin spread across her childish face. ?Oni Sign!?
Remilia reacted instantly. Her expression became sharp and she swiftly started to move. She shifted her body, and her large wings spread open, making one great flap. In a split second, she jumped backwards, so fast that she had blurred out of focus, appearing as if she had vanished. Before Sanaya could figure out why the vampire had done so, Suika finished shouting.
?MISSING POWER!?
In an instant, the small oni exploded with a sudden and startling growth spurt. Her entire body multiplied in size in less than three seconds. The air that had closely surrounded her was ejected from its place, causing a burst of pressure to fly upward and a gust of wind to fly outward.

---------

---Sourfang

Keine watches the Oni?s display of monstrous power in silence. She doesn?t appear to be too concerned, nor did she appear too surprised by the scene. When the oni stopped shouting for a moment, the teacher took the chance to propose a change of location to her former student.
?Well, It?s gotten noisy out here, maybe we should head inside to talk.? Keine says to the girl at her side, a friendly smile on her face.

[Orphea.Russ]

Out of the frying pan, and into the freezer.

Or more accurately, out of the bright light and into almost total darkness. It was strange; even given what she'd read about the people here, she expected there would have been a little more light that this, at least. Low-light conditions weren't exactly alien to her, but even so, after this long in sunlight she'd grown a little accustomed to normal light. The strange atmosphere utterly bewildered her, however; she'd expected the place to be more... elegant, majestic, grander, one of those fancy descriptors. This place felt simply off... the eyes she could feel staring at her, probably weren't helping, nor were the whispered words about her. It didn't seem to be anything significant, so she turned her attention back to her original purpose.

"Come this far, I'm already in trouble... may as well finish the job." She sighed and glanced about her surroundings, trying to get a feel for where the library might be. She didn't exactly have a map, of course, so she was left to her own devices.
"Let's see... no signs, no hints, no directions, as expected... Well, let's start with this way." Yumiko picked a direction at random, and simply started walking. It wasn't a great plan and nor was it exactly well-thought out, but she didn't have time to do guesswork on the layout of the place and she certainly didn't want to be caught here if she could avoid it. By her knowledge, they were more than likely to try to throw magic at her in a very impolite way if she was caught.

As she moved through the dim hallway a long while later, she knew she was lost. It was simply a matter of fact. She couldn't find her way out of this place if she wanted to; without a distinguishing landmark on each hallway, even her memory would be of only marginal use. And yet even as she berated herself for allowing herself to get lost like this, she came upon a stairway down, with a pair of large wooden doors, not unlike a smaller version of the ones at the front door, at the end of them. It was her best shot so far, so she pressed herself hard against the door, pushing it open centimeter by centimeter until it was just open enough for her to slip inside. As soon as she saw the sheer scale of the library, though, she froze in awe. She'd read about how it contained so many books, but... seeing it in person, it was truly more massive than she could have imagined. The shelves were higher than she could hope to reach, containing a countless number of books in various sizes, colors, and thicknesses. When she regained her composure, she slipped the rest of the way through the door, easing it shut behind her before wandering towards one shelf, walking down the length of it while scanning the titles, stopping a moment later and picking one gently from the shelf, leafing through it's first couple pages before she sat down, and started reading through it.

... Before she knew it, her eyes closed and didn't re-open; her now inactive body slumped over to the side onto the floor, slightly curled up with the book in one hand, quite peacefully asleep.

(good lord how did it get this long I swear I didn't mean it)