Author Topic: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 8) (Read 34228 times)

DracoOmega · « **Reply #180 on:** February 14, 2012, 07:01:28 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 14, 2012, 06:50:39 AM

>Finish laughing, then grin broadly. "Well, she's proved she can keep chill-o-matic contents in one piece, at least."
>Polish off that onigiri, that should give our soup time to warm.
>"I suppose if it had worked, the Blue Maiden could boast the safest mess hall of the skies."

>Miyuki snickers. "I suppose she has, at that."
>You make your way through the rest of your onigiri as you wait for your soup to heat up.
>"Oh, I think we're already fairly close to that," she says lightly.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #181 on:** February 14, 2012, 07:12:11 AM »

>That's hot enough. Retrieve soup from oven.
>Snag another rice ball then find a seat.
>Snap fingers. Knew we forgot something while we were up.
>If Miyuki's still on her feet, "Oh, uh, would you mind putting on the kettle? Forgot to make some tea."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #182 on:** February 14, 2012, 07:24:03 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 14, 2012, 07:12:11 AM

>That's hot enough. Retrieve soup from oven.
>Snag another rice ball then find a seat.
>Snap fingers. Knew we forgot something while we were up.
>If Miyuki's still on her feet, "Oh, uh, would you mind putting on the kettle? Forgot to make some tea."

>You decide your soup is hot enough now, and go serve yourself up a bowl, grabbing another onigiri for good measure before taking your meal over to a table.
>You snap your fingers and ask Miyuki if she would mind putting on the kettle.
>"Oh, of course," she replies, and heads back towards the stove.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #183 on:** February 14, 2012, 07:29:48 AM »

>"Thanks."
>Blow on soup and have a spoonful to gauge heat.
>"Forgot to ask if you wanted some of this, too. Sorry."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #184 on:** February 14, 2012, 07:36:31 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 14, 2012, 07:29:48 AM

>"Thanks."
>Blow on soup and have a spoonful to gauge heat.
>"Forgot to ask if you wanted some of this, too. Sorry."

>"My pleasure," she replies.
>You blow on your soup and take an experimental spoonful. It seems a comfortable temperature.
>"Oh, I've already eaten," she says cheerfully. "But thanks anyway!"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #185 on:** February 14, 2012, 07:42:16 AM »

>Consume breakfast at a leisurely pace until tea arrives.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #186 on:** February 14, 2012, 07:51:10 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 14, 2012, 07:42:16 AM

>Consume breakfast at a leisurely pace until tea arrives.

>You lazily work your way through breakfast, enjoying the simultaneous lack of obligations combined with the sense that you're not actually delaying progress towards a cure by resting. The soup is simple fare, but pleasant and warm, and your onigiri provides a nice contrast to its texture. Miyuki sets the kettle on the stove and then goes back to tidying, quietly humming a small tune as she works. Before you know it, the kettle adds its own shrill whistling to the melody and she quickly darts back and takes it off the heat.
>"What kind of tea would you like?" she asks. "Plain, lemon, or ginger?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #187 on:** February 14, 2012, 08:04:27 AM »

>"Mmm... Lemon, please. Only a little sugar."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #188 on:** February 14, 2012, 08:12:05 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 14, 2012, 08:04:27 AM

>"Mmm... Lemon, please. Only a little sugar."

>"Alright," she says. You hear the sound of hot water being poured.
>A few moments later she arrives at your table bearing a gray ceramic mug; warm vapors steam from the top of it, tracing faint patterns in the air. Mmmm... the smell is rather soothing, actually.
>She deposits the mug on the table in front of you. "Here you go!"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #189 on:** February 14, 2012, 08:26:15 AM »

>"Thanks a lot."
>Have a sip.
>"'m curious, how long you been with this crew?"

DracoOmega · « **Reply #190 on:** February 14, 2012, 08:29:42 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 14, 2012, 08:26:15 AM

>"Thanks a lot."
>Have a sip.
>"'m curious, how long you been with this crew?"

>Miyuki smiles.
>You take a sip of your tea. The lemon may be a touch on the sharp side, but it still feels good going down.
>"Only a couple years," she says. "Some of the others go way back."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #191 on:** February 14, 2012, 08:37:37 AM »

>Nod.
>"What brought you here?"

DracoOmega · « **Reply #192 on:** February 14, 2012, 11:29:08 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 14, 2012, 08:37:37 AM

>Nod.
>"What brought you here?"

>"I wanted to see the world," she says with a heartfelt smile. "I'd spent most of my life tucked away in a little corner of Tatsuzume; you could practically see one end of the island from the other. We'd get a little island-hopper maybe every couple weeks, if we were lucky. I'd always said 'One day I'm going to hitch a ride on one of those and see what's out there', but something else always had a way of coming up. Then this ship arrived, bigger than anything I'd ever seen, and I just knew it was the one. I decided right then and there that I wasn't going to let them leave without me. And, well, I guess the rest is history." She lets out a quiet laugh, tinged with a gentle nostalgia.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #193 on:** February 14, 2012, 11:46:10 AM »

>Do we know the location Tatsuzume?
>Smile a little smile over soup. That sounds a familiar story.... You'd like this one, Orange.
>Give her a knowing smile. "Believe me, Miyuki, I can relate."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #194 on:** February 14, 2012, 08:17:17 PM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 14, 2012, 11:46:10 AM

>Do we know the location Tatsuzume?
>Smile a little smile over soup. That sounds a familiar story.... You'd like this one, Orange.
>Give her a knowing smile. "Believe me, Miyuki, I can relate."

>It is a fairly large chain of mostly tiny islands in southeastern Hanashibara. You know relatively little about it beyond this.
>You smile a little. Something about her tale rings just a little close to home.
>"Oh?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #195 on:** February 15, 2012, 12:39:11 AM »

>"I grew up in a little place called Easthaven, outside of Braston. Ever heard of it?"

DracoOmega · « **Reply #196 on:** February 16, 2012, 06:52:55 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 15, 2012, 12:39:11 AM

>"I grew up in a little place called Easthaven, outside of Braston. Ever heard of it?"

>"Oh, of course," she says. "A lot of the cargo we're carrying at the moment was grown there, in fact. I've never been there myself, but I hear it's quite pretty."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #197 on:** February 16, 2012, 10:12:47 AM »

>"It's a pretty enough place, aye. And a good place to grow up, as far as places go. At least if you're a youkai, but that's a bit of a story in and of itself. But, it's also small. Very small."
>Sip tea.
>"After a few years, I guess I kinda... outgrew it. I wanted something MORE, y'know? That's how I ended up with this."
>Tap Seeker's badge.
>How many years ago did we leave Easthaven?
>"Me and Orange- an old friend of mine- left there *insert answer to above question* years ago for Braston. I got into the Seekers, and she ended up a member of the Watch. But both us still wanted to make a bigger city one day, make Val Razua. Braston's a fine enogh city, too, but..." Smile. "Well, like you said. We wanted to see what was out there."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #198 on:** February 16, 2012, 08:24:44 PM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 16, 2012, 10:12:47 AM

>How many years ago did we leave Easthaven?

>It's been about four years, now.

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 16, 2012, 10:12:47 AM

>"It's a pretty enough place, aye. And a good place to grow up, as far as places go. At least if you're a youkai, but that's a bit of a story in and of itself. But, it's also small. Very small."
>Sip tea.
>"After a few years, I guess I kinda... outgrew it. I wanted something MORE, y'know? That's how I ended up with this."
>Tap Seeker's badge.
>"Me and Orange- an old friend of mine- left there *insert answer to above question* years ago for Braston. I got into the Seekers, and she ended up a member of the Watch. But both us still wanted to make a bigger city one day, make Val Razua. Braston's a fine enogh city, too, but..." Smile. "Well, like you said. We wanted to see what was out there."

>Miyuki smiles gently as you relate your own story of escaping a quiet pastoral life.
>"I guess that's something we have in common, then," she says. "Though I imagine becoming a Seeker must take a lot more commitment than anything I'd been expecting back then. I really was just a clueless country girl getting in way over her head. I'll have you know that the place I grew up in makes Easthaven look like a bustling city by comparison," she adds with a hint of a smirk.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #199 on:** February 16, 2012, 09:06:18 PM »

>Laugh.
>"Must have been quite the place."
>"But, you seem to have fit in here well."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #200 on:** February 16, 2012, 09:32:15 PM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 16, 2012, 09:06:18 PM

>Laugh.
>"Must have been quite the place."
>"But, you seem to have fit in here well."

>"I still care for it, of course," she says. "I have family there, and good memories. But it's even more sheltered than I realized at the time. I could barely imagine some of the things I've seen since then."
>She smiles. "I try. You can learn a lot in a few years on a ship like this."

Hanzo K. · « **Reply #201 on:** February 16, 2012, 09:37:54 PM »

>"I can believe that, you learn a lot becoming a Seeker too. For one thing? Never drink more than your limit. Ain't fun the next day."
>Man, we sure know how that went down. Oof.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #202 on:** February 16, 2012, 09:42:36 PM »

>"For another, never assume a job is as simple as it is on paper."
>"And... I'm with you there, too. Kinda feel the same about Easthaven. I may have outgrown it, but.... Well. I think you can understand. It's where I grew up, started to become where I am. Still a lot of folks I... care about. Especially Ichirin."
>That wasn't TOO hard to admit...

DracoOmega · « **Reply #203 on:** February 16, 2012, 09:50:17 PM »

Quote from: Hanzo K. on February 16, 2012, 09:37:54 PM

>"I can believe that, you learn a lot becoming a Seeker too. For one thing? Never drink more than your limit. Ain't fun the next day."
>Man, we sure know how that went down. Oof.

>She laughs. "I can think of someone I ought to sign up, if that really works."
>Not a morning you're in a great hurry to repeat, certainly....

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 16, 2012, 09:42:36 PM

>"For another, never assume a job is as simple as it is on paper."
>"And... I'm with you there, too. Kinda feel the same about Easthaven. I may have outgrown it, but.... Well. I think you can understand. It's where I grew up, started to become where I am. Still a lot of folks I... care about. Especially Ichirin."
>That wasn't TOO hard to admit...

>"Or a milk run," she agrees.
>Miyuki gives you a gentle smile. "Childhood sweetheart?"
>Then again....

Hanzo K. · « **Reply #204 on:** February 16, 2012, 09:54:57 PM »

>"Sweetheart? Nah, Ichi's the closest thing to a mom a mouse like me could have."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #205 on:** February 16, 2012, 10:00:36 PM »

>Oh, wish you were here to hear THAT one, Ichirin... Keep a laugh to ourselves.
>"'fraid not, Miyuki. Ichirin runs the orphanage out in Easthaven. But she takes in more than that; she takes in youkai who've just turned, helps them learn how to live amongst people, now that they ARE people. She gave me my start."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #206 on:** February 16, 2012, 10:25:03 PM »

Quote from: Hanzo K. on February 16, 2012, 09:54:57 PM

>"Sweetheart? Nah, Ichi's the closest thing to a mom a mouse like me could have."

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 16, 2012, 10:00:36 PM

>Oh, wish you were here to hear THAT one, Ichirin... Keep a laugh to ourselves.
>"'fraid not, Miyuki. Ichirin runs the orphanage out in Easthaven. But she takes in more than that; she takes in youkai who've just turned, helps them learn how to live amongst people, now that they ARE people. She gave me my start."

>Miyuki gives a sheepish smile. "Oh, um, oops? She sounds like a kind person, though." She pauses thoughtfully a moment. "I've sometimes wondered if youkai ever feel like they're missing a family. For those who aren't actually born into one, I mean."

Hanzo K. · « **Reply #207 on:** February 16, 2012, 10:30:59 PM »

>"Dunno, ran into a spider youkai last job. She was a right terror I tells ya. Had a real mad-on for this sword of mine."
>"She did seem to be rather attached to all the other spiders I saw around there."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #208 on:** February 16, 2012, 10:39:47 PM »

>From what we can recall, did any of the youkai we've known, at Ichirin's or otherwise, ever express a similar sentiment?
>"I never thought much about it myself. Tell you the truth, I barely remember anything about what my life was like before I changed. For all I, Ichirin was more a mother than the mouse that birthed me." Grimace. "She damn sure tried, I can tell ya that for a fact."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #209 on:** February 16, 2012, 11:11:29 PM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on February 16, 2012, 10:39:47 PM

>From what we can recall, did any of the youkai we've known, at Ichirin's or otherwise, ever express a similar sentiment?
>"I never thought much about it myself. Tell you the truth, I barely remember anything about what my life was like before I changed. For all I, Ichirin was more a mother than the mouse that birthed me." Grimace. "She damn sure tried, I can tell ya that for a fact."

>That they were missing out on having a family? With one possible exception, it's not something you've really heard expressed, though you think the orphanage essentially was a sort of family for any youkai that honestly wanted one. Many tended to be quite independent, though; youkai can be born with wildly varying levels of maturity and self-sufficiency - for some, Ichirin was probably little more than a mentor or friend. You honestly don't know if, say, a shovel would ever feel like it was missing out on something for not having parents. Orange, on the other hand... is something of a different case, you guess.
>Miyuki giggles a little at your consternation. "But that's what I mean, though. It sounds like she tries to give that to youkai who wouldn't have had a 'family' otherwise."

Quote from: Hanzo K. on February 16, 2012, 10:30:59 PM

>"Dunno, ran into a spider youkai last job. She was a right terror I tells ya. Had a real mad-on for this sword of mine."
>"She did seem to be rather attached to all the other spiders I saw around there."

>Miyuki frowns a little. "Well, I suppose there is that, though not every youkai has something they can call their 'own kind'. I know youkai can be very different from one another and some probably wouldn't even know what to do with a family. It's just something I've thought about every now and then, that's all."