Remilia Quest

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh. Some days you just can't catch a break. Absolutely no respect.
>"At any rate, have either of you two seen Sakuya? I was told she was last seen in this area."

>There are moments when life in Gensokyo ain't all it's cracked up to be...
>"What is that maid doing around here?" Youmu asks suspiciously. "Is there another incident going on?"
>Reisen, finishing her noodles, doesn't seem nearly as on guard by your presence. "Settle down, Youmu. If there was an incident, either your mistress or my owner would have said something about it by now." She accepts a refill of her sake cup from the black-winged youkai manning the stall, who is also not Mystia, before half-turning her head to you. "As a matter of fact, Sakuya stopped by Eientei four days ago. I was in the village at the time, but my owner told me about the visit. She said something about Sakuya 'looking for someone to heal a heart', but no more than that." She looks at you inquisitively, like one that's only got half the story.

[Hanzo K.]

>What was the errand we had sent Sakuya out on anyways?

[Oldmansour]

>What was the errand we had sent Sakuya out on anyways?

>After Flandre decimated the west wing of the SDM, due to a slight overreaction to spicy food, you wondered if there was someone in Gensokyo would could act as a counsellor for your sister, someone who could help put her damaged mind and heart back together. Someone to make her more stable than you've managed, a fact which caused you something close to physical pain to admit. Sakuya volunteered to go forth and find that person, if they could be found, as well as gather some fresh information about the new arrivals to Gensokyo since that incident on Youkai Mountain involving that trio of goddesses that Reimu beat up.
>That was five days ago.

>By the sound of it, Sakuya may have managed to ask Eirin about that without mentioning Flandre or your goal.

[Hanzo K.]

>"..Yes, well, let's just say there was a minor incident a few days ago that made me realize something. So I had sent Sakuya out to find someone to that effect."
>Sigh exasperatedly, and have a seat. "She knew that she should have returned for the night if she couldn't find anyone the first day, and then go out and try again the next day."
>We may as well peruse the menu while we're at it.

[Oldmansour]

>"..Yes, well, let's just say there was a minor incident a few days ago that made me realize something. So I had sent Sakuya out to find someone to that effect."
>Sigh exasperatedly, and have a seat. "She knew that she should have returned for the night if she couldn't find anyone the first day, and then go out and try again the next day."
>We may as well peruse the menu while we're at it.

>Reisen nods, but Youmu looks puzzled as you seat yourself at the stall, a respectable distance from where Youmu was sitting, which was next to Reisen.
>"That is indeed odd." Youmu states, still keeping a watch on you out of the corner of her eye, but returning to her seat as well. "Sakuya-san is most skilled, and efficient. And Gensokyo is not large. You must be concerned."
>The apron-wearing bird youkai offers you a menu, wearing a businesswoman's smile, as your two companions drop down from the sky behind you. You note that Rei, for some reason, is trying her best not to stare at Reisen. And not succeeding very well.

>The menu is somewhat rudimentary, but still somewhat impressive for a wooden stand in the middle of essentially nowhere. It offers a small selection of sushi, white rice, soba and ramen noodles flavored with various vegetables and fish, chikuwa, as well as lamprey and eel dishes, though those have red X markers next to them. As well as sake, both warm and chilled.
>"We're out of lamprey and eel at the moment." the stall-keep informs you. "Boss herself handles those."

[Hanzo K.]

>"I see."
>Look to Wriggle and Rei. "Would you two like something? I have more than enough funds, because a lady never goes around without money for whatever strikes her fancy."
>"Besides, I have to make do with what I can get until Sakuya is found."
>Let's peruse the drinks section.

[Oldmansour]

>"I see."
>Look to Wriggle and Rei. "Would you two like something? I have more than enough funds, because a lady never goes around without money for whatever strikes her fancy."
>"Besides, I have to make do with what I can get until Sakuya is found."
>Let's peruse the drinks section.

>"Heh, yeah, sure!" Wriggle enthuses, skipping over and plopping down between you and Youmu. "Gimme the usual!" she declares. The youkai behind the bar smiles and nods, evidently acquainted with Wriggle. Rei, however, actually takes a half step backwards, looking rather nervous. Almost bashful. "I, uh.. I'm, I'm fine, thanks." she manages to get out.
>"You come to the right place for that!" Wriggle assures her, her watchful eye on the fledgling vampire behind you evidently forgotten. "Mysty's stalls got some of the best eats in Gensokyo."
>The drink section contains the following, and all come either hot or chilled,
>Sake (plain rice wine only)
>Grape Juice
>Strawberry Juice
>Water

[Hanzo K.]

>Stare at Rei as if she was a troublesome child. "Now now, I have plenty of funds. Besides, I do treat my prisoners well after all."
>Let's have some Sake, and some of the Sushi.

[Oldmansour]

>Stare at Rei as if she was a troublesome child. "Now now, I have plenty of funds. Besides, I do treat my prisoners well after all."
>Let's have some Sake, and some of the Sushi.

>"No! No, it's not..." The fledgling is both looking and sounding quite flustered now, a blush in her cheeks, which is rare among your kind.
>"Comin' right up." the youkai says with practiced ease, filling a small cup with warm sake and handing it to you, before turning to fetch the fish and fixin's.
>"Prisoner?" Youmu asks you. "You are holding this girl against her will?"

[Hanzo K.]

>"Only for the time, and it was agreed upon in a danmaku battle. She was the one who pointed me in this direction to begin with."
>We may as well eat and drink, it won't be as good as what Sakuya can make, but it'll have to do.
>"Now now, are you unable to eat normally just yet?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Only for the time, and it was agreed upon in a danmaku battle. She was the one who pointed me in this direction to begin with."
>We may as well eat and drink, it won't be as good as what Sakuya can make, but it'll have to do.
>"Now now, are you unable to eat normally just yet?"

>Youmu narrows her eyes, and casts her eyes back at Rei. The fledgling catches the look after a second or two, and nods. "It's true, really. She beat me, and I'm helping her find... find her missing maid, now." This seems to satisfy the ghostly gardener, who grasps a floating piece of fish with her chopsticks and devours the morsel.
>The black winged youkai is currently preparing the vegetables portion of your meal, and has produced the small mold you've come to recognize as the shaping component of 'oshizushi' style rice. So you sit back and sip the contents of your cup. The sake has a surprisingly strong flavor to it, but a pleasant one, better than you might have expected in such a place as this. You can tell a lot about a location and its foods from the quality of their sake, you've learned since coming to Japan, and then Gensokyo. Mystia, it seems takes care of her customers rather well. If the food is as good as the sake indicates, it may not be up to Sakuya's standards, but you might not have much to complain about.

>The young vampire's blush grows slightly brighter, and she takes another half step diagonally away from Reisen. She visibly swallows and, raising her hand, beckons you over with a somewhat frazzled gesture. Seems she wants a word away from the ears of the others.

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh amusedly, and head over to her. We can go back for our food afterwards.

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh amusedly, and head over to her. We can go back for our food afterwards.

>Indulging the youngling will give Blackwing time to finish preparing your grub, anyway.
>You allow Rei to guide you away from the stall, after assuring the chef you'd be right back, a bit further out into the trees. She seems rather relieved to have put some distance between her and whatever was bothering her.
>"Okay.." she starts, still trying to pull herself fully together. "It's not that I can't eat norma.... Wait a second, do we even NEED to eat food anymore? I mean, does it do us any good?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Smile charismatically. "It's still nice to enjoy what the humans eat every now and again. I myself have a taste for sweets."
>Fistpalm. "When we find Sakuya, you should try the cakes she can make, I can tell you right now that they're worth your time."
>Chuckle heartily. "They're worth anyone's time really, because Sakuya is the Perfect Maid."

[Oldmansour]

>Smile charismatically. "It's still nice to enjoy what the humans eat every now and again. I myself have a taste for sweets."
>Fistpalm. "When we find Sakuya, you should try the cakes she can make, I can tell you right now that they're worth your time."
>Chuckle heartily. "They're worth anyone's time really, because Sakuya is the Perfect Maid."

>"If that's true, I can see why you'd want her back."

[Hanzo K.]

>"That, and she's the only one who can keep those lazy fairies in check. They've even started being disobedient to me! ME!"
>"I even used the whip, danmaku, everything. Lazy good-for-nothings."
>Keep calm....Oh what the hell, we need to let off some steam.
>Find the nearest tree and punch a hole in it. Elegantly and charismatically of course.

[Oldmansour]

>"That, and she's the only one who can keep those lazy fairies in check. They've even started being disobedient to me! ME!"
>"I even used the whip, danmaku, everything. Lazy good-for-nothings."
>Keep calm....Oh what the hell, we need to let off some steam.
>Find the nearest tree and punch a hole in it. Elegantly and charismatically of course.

>Enduring and then recalling the uselessness of fairies is usually a surefire way to get one's blood boiling. You are no exception to this rule, especially when they're your fairies. And you decide to take it out on a nearby tree, turning around and introducing it to the business end of your fist, causing a somewhat physics-defying cylinder of wood to pop out of the trunk on the other side.
>Needless to say, this demonstration of temper- uh... ELEGANCE, of course- impresses Rei. "Cool." she breathes, before forming a fist and examining it. "Let me try." Selecting another try, she hauls off and gives it a much less elegant slug than you did. Her fist only goes a few inches into the tree, whereas yours could well have gone straight through, if you had a mind to.
>She also flinches ever so slightly, before withdrawing her fist and looking at the log you made. "Guess it'll take a few decades to get that far."

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh. "Yes..You will probably have to train for quite some time. I have such power because it is natural."
>"At any rate, let us return to the stand. I'm paying, and you'll eat. And that's been decided already."
>Let's head back to the cart!

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh. "Yes..You will probably have to train for quite some time. I have such power because it is natural."
>"At any rate, let us return to the stand. I'm paying, and you'll eat. And that's been decided already."
>Let's head back to the cart!

>"Ah, wait!" The blush returns to her face immediately as you turn back to the stand, and she reaches out and, rather boldly, or, you think, desperately, grabs your hand in an attempt to halt your motion.

[Hanzo K.]

>Look at her with a stare that tells her to shut up and accept things already.
>Then drag her to the cart and plonk her down into a seat.

[Oldmansour]

>Look at her with a stare that tells her to shut up and accept things already.
>Then drag her to the cart and plonk her down into a seat.

>Even a stubborn fledgling like her withers under that particular look. Well, at least when it comes to things bothering her, rather than her sire. Some progress, at last.
>She still drags her feet a bit, but even if she was applying her full strength, this wouldn't stop you from returning her to Mystia's stand, forcing her into the seat to your left, and then sitting yourself back down.
>The thoughtful youkai has refilled your sake cup in your absence, and you food is not long in arriving after you return to your seat. The cube shaped offering of rice is topped with a very tasty looking piece of what appears to be codfish, accentuated by a small wedge of lemon, seasoned by cinnamon and salt. An assortment of asian-style vegetables layers the bottom of the sushi square. The youkai behind the bar offers you an 'Enjoy!', before returning to check on the noodles boiling for Wriggle's portion.
>Rei, for her part, has been blushing rather a lot since you dragged her back over here, and now she sits stiff and solid as a board, When offered a menu, she merely nods stiffly, and the stall-keep, looking somewhat surprised, simply lays it down in front of her. She seems almost afraid to look at anything other than her hands, which are clenched between her legs.

[Hanzo K.]

>Let's have some of the food, and a little more Sake.
>"So, choose what you want. Money is no object to one such as I."

[Oldmansour]

>Let's have some of the food, and a little more Sake.
>"So, choose what you want. Money is no object to one such as I."

>Rei finally settled in... Well, sitting down, at least, you can finally tuck into your own repast. Truth be told, you prefer knives and forks over wooden chopsticks, but, conforming to local practices has its charm.
>This sushi is actually quite good. A touch too much vinegar, and perhaps not quite as much salt as you might prefer, but the texture is just right. And the codfish has that essential freshness to it. You were right, it's no Sakuya, but of course, no one can follow that act. But this youkai's not too bad, all things considered.
>In a rather quiet voice, Rei manages to stammer out, "T-then... Uh, vegetable r-ramen... please." You have to translate to the stall-keep, but Wriggle obviously approves.
>"Good choice, kid. Mysty's stands got the tastiest veggies outside of Youkai Mountain." Wriggle pauses as the black-winged one deposits a large bowl of steaming ramen noodles in front of her, large chunks of vegetables floating in the broth. "And where is Mysty tonight, anyway, 'ko?"
>The youkai's eyebrow twitches only slightly at the name Wriggle calls her by. "Still over at the Myoren temple, last I heard."
>"Still?"
>The youkai called "'ko" shrugs slightly. "As far as I know." she repeats, offering you a refill on your sake.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod, and accept the refill. Then drink a little more, we'll stop after this one though, we're no Oni.
>"I have to admit, this food is rather nice. It isn't quite as good as what Sakuya can make, but that's to be expected. A shade too much vinegar than I'm used to, and not quite as much salt, but overall good."
>Smile confidently. "You did rather well, all things considered."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod, and accept the refill. Then drink a little more, we'll stop after this one though, we're no Oni.
>"I have to admit, this food is rather nice. It isn't quite as good as what Sakuya can make, but that's to be expected. A shade too much vinegar than I'm used to, and not quite as much salt, but overall good."
>Smile confidently. "You did rather well, all things considered."

>Topped off, you have another measured swallow. You're not a connoisseur of sake, but you'd guess this stuff has a lower alcohol volume than average. Still, a lady knows her proper limits, and there is still work to be done. Including complimenting the chef for her very adequate work.
>The youkai takes the critique in good humor as she boils Rei's noodles. "Thank you very much."
>Wriggle grins as she slurps up her meal. "Mysty doesn't hire just anyone to mind her stands, y'know. Ritsuko knows her stuff." she compliments the bird youkai as she tops off Reisen's cup.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "So, there are more than just this one? Interesting."
>Have we finished our food yet? If not, we can afford to wait a little while for Rei to get her food.
>Look to Reisen. "So, you say Sakuya came by Eientei. I suppose that's the next stop on the journey then."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod. "So, there are more than just this one? Interesting."
>Have we finished our food yet? If not, we can afford to wait a little while for Rei to get her food.
>Look to Reisen. "So, you say Sakuya came by Eientei. I suppose that's the next stop on the journey then."

>Ritsuko nods. "Mystia decided to expand her original stall into a... 'franchise', I think was the word. Although she had a little staffing trouble, at first."
>There is a small portion of fish and some rice remaining, though you have consumed the vegetables available. The sushi dish wasn't quite your ideal, but the vegetables were quite good indeed. You decide to slow your pace while Rei works on hers, which is just now arriving. Wriggle is nearly done as well.
>"Actually, I can save you the trip." Reisen offers, setting down her cup and returning your look. "Master mentioned the people she...." she trails off, her red eyes narrowing slightly as she cranes her neck forward, trying to look around the others sitting at the bar. Look around you, specifically.

[Hanzo K.]

>Raise an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

[Oldmansour]

>Raise an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

>"I thought I...." Reisen mutters, before a look of recognition strikes her. "Rei?" she blurts. "Rei Oumi?"
>At the mention of her name, Rei jumps like someone that sat on a live wire.

[Hanzo K.]

>Quirk an eyebrow, and watch interestedly.