Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 2, part 4 (Complete)

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yes, but please don't think that I am chasing you off, unless you have other things to tend to?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Yes, but please don't think that I am chasing you off, unless you have other things to tend to?"

>"Not until Yuyuko is finished, I'm to see Komeji-sama after her. But I do think that one of the Sisters here would make a much better guide than me for this temple."
>"At least, I believe they would still do that at this time of night."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Alright, I'll wander around for awhile, and see if anyone takes an interest."

[Oldmansour]

>"Alright, I'll wander around for awhile, and see if anyone takes an interest."

>"As you wi-
>"Oh, I suppose I should mention now. Before I came here, Konpaku-sama informed me that The hall of the Sacred Flame is closed at the moment, by order of Komeji-sama."
>The mention of the flame jogs your memory. All four temples have a sacred flame burning in their main ceremony hall, a symbol of the spirits of the four corners of the world. It's unusual for this part of a temple to be off limits, barring a very special occasion or some kind of heavy structural damage.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Mmm, unusual. Did she say why?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Mmm, unusual. Did she say why?"

>"No, she didn't. But I wouldn't be worried, there's a number of reasons for such a closure. Repairs, a reservation for a special event, even a ritual unique to this shrine. All four shrines have rituals and practices unique to themselves."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"Do the rituals tend to be as spontaneous as you imply?"

[Oldmansour]

>Nod.
>"Do the rituals tend to be as spontaneous as you imply?"

>"It depends on the shrine, and the nature of the ritual in question."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"I suppose seeing a locked room just makes one curious."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod.
>"I suppose seeing a locked room just makes one curious."

>"They can have that effect on people. I'm sure one of the Sisters here would know the details, if you're curious. I simply haven't asked myself."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I think I may."
>If she has nothing to add, get to wandering. Let's try to stay away from where we felt that influence beforehand.

[Oldmansour]

>"I think I may."
>If she has nothing to add, get to wandering. Let's try to stay away from where we felt that influence beforehand.

>The winged sister has nothing to add, so you enter into the temple before her.
>The antechamber of the temple is a whitewashed chamber with two pillars standing atop a quartet of stairs. There is a shoe rack to your left and right, where visitors leave their footwear. Slippers and sandals have been placed on top of the shoe racks for guests who do not wish to enter the temple in their socks or bare feet.
>At the top of the stairs there is one door to the west, two doors to the east, and two large double paper doors in the north wall. If this shrine is built like the Fire Bird shrine, those doors will contain the Sacred Flame hall. The closest door on the east has a bathroom symbol on it.
>Haruka enters behind you, removes her wooden sandals and places them in the shoe rack.
>You cannot determine from which direction the sensation you felt before was coming from, but the smell of cooking meat is coming from the east.

[Hello Purvis]

>Swap out shoes for sandals, then head east and follow the smell.


I have a plan. If we barge into the kitchen, then we'll just collect up some meat scraps for Letty's dog as an excuse for being there, and strike up a conversation.

[Oldmansour]

>Swap out shoes for sandals, then head east and follow the smell.

>Finding a pair of wooden sandals your size, you exchange your shoes for them and make your way towards the east door, whilst Haruka makes for the west exit.
>The east corridor extends aproximately 45 feet in front of you, two modern wood doors on the left wall, one eight feet in front of you, one twenty five feet. Judging from the strength of the smell in the air, you would guess it is coming from the more distant door.
>The floors are made of tatami-covered bamboo, and the walls are old-fashioned wood and paper construction as well. Bamboo leaves decorate the right hand wall at six feet intervals, and the air holds their soft woody scent. The effect gives the temple a very old-fashioned feel, apart from the more modern doors to your left.
>There is a bronze-skirted shrine maiden standing outside the distant door, leaning against the wall, teenaged-looking with shoulder length brown hair, playing a PSP.

[Hello Purvis]

>Proceed, take time to appreciate the decor, glance through any open doors, and let the PSP-player take notice us if she desires.

[Oldmansour]

>Proceed, take time to appreciate the decor, glance through any open doors, and let the PSP-player take notice us if she desires.

>All doors along the hallway are presently closed, so it doesn't take you long to close the distance between yourself and the target door, taking note of the small windows in the right hand wall between the bamboo plants.
>The young woman seems intent on her game, her tongue sticking slightly out of the corner of her mouth in focus. By the sound of things, she is playing Gitaroo Man. She is not, however, humming along with the tune, as Marissa does so very often.

[Hello Purvis]

>Try to stay quiet. No need to disturb her, especially if it's Born to be Bone...
>Does the hall end, or can we see more ahead?

[Oldmansour]

>Try to stay quiet. No need to disturb her, especially if it's Born to be Bone...
>Does the hall end, or can we see more ahead?

>It is, indeed, Born to be Bone. Sounds like she's on one of the Yellow Sanbones phases.
>The hallway ends about twenty feet in front of you, and takes a left turn. There seems to be a sliding door just on the other side of this turn, and a large potted bamboo plant in the corner.
An empty picture frame hangs on the wall in this part of the corridor.

[Hello Purvis]

>Approach the sliding door and consider it.

[Oldmansour]

>Approach the sliding door and consider it.

>You walk past the game-playing miko, giving her as wide a berth as you can as she transitions into one of the Sanbones' 'tower' phases.
>The door down the hallway is actually a large double door, and you can hear the sound of the wind blowing. You would guess this door leads to the outside.

[Hello Purvis]

>Presumably, we've felt nothing unusual in this hall?
>Does it feel like we've explored out most of the eastern wing, given what we've seen of the place from outside?

[Oldmansour]

>Presumably, we've felt nothing unusual in this hall?
>Does it feel like we've explored out most of the eastern wing, given what we've seen of the place from outside?

>Nothing has tingled your senses for good or ill.
>There are three more doors down the corridor on the other side of this side door. Two of them are set in the left hand wall are the modern wooden doors, one about six feet in front of you, one a little more than ten. The one furthest from you is open.
>The third door stretches across the hallway about fifteen feet in front of you, and is a sliding paper door. This one is made of thicker paper than the others, and is decorated on both sides with a rendition of the White Tiger.

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's go peek into that open door. And let's consider the ones we pass along the way, and try to see if they give any hints as to what may be behind them.

[Oldmansour]

>Let's go peek into that open door. And let's consider the ones we pass along the way, and try to see if they give any hints as to what may be behind them.

>Passing by the first door, you detect a whiff of meat coming from this one as well, as well as from the open door. You can hear the sound of dishes clinking slightly as you approach the open door. Perhaps this is an extension of the kitchen? The thicker decorated doors at the end of the hall yield no indication of what lies beyond them, unless you count the housefly resting on the right hand door as an indication of something.
>Correction, you do hear a faint sound coming from the other side of those doors. It sounds rather like snoring.
>Peeking into the open door yields a view of a dining hall of sorts, modern walls and flooring, colored grey, white and gold, mixed with lines of Yamato-style tables. The room is large enough, with enough seating space, to accommodate at least fifty people, maybe more. The door you passed appears to be an alternate entrance into this room. The northeast and southeast corners of the room are decorated with small brass statutes, depicting a stag and a mountain lion, respectively. The north wall is decorated with banners, five of them, commemorations victories at the Four Corners Athletic Meet. This is a sports competition between the four shrines that takes place every four years that doesn't get a great deal of attention from the public, but you've come to understand is very important to the mikos. According to Hatate, this lack of attention is on purpose, but she doesn't know why. Knowing her, she's still trying to figure this out.
>The dishes sound is being produced by Chie, who is in the process of setting down glasses and plates.

[Hello Purvis]

>Head inside, so we don't ruin PSP-girl
>"Hey, want some help?"

[Oldmansour]

>Head inside, so we don't ruin PSP-girl
>"Hey, want some help?"

>Chie looks up in surprise at your voice. "Byakuren?" her amazement very evident. "You back? Why you back at night?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Just finishing up a few things. Would you like some help?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Just finishing up a few things. Would you like some help?"

>"Uh...." Chie looks at the tables around her, and back at the door behind her, where the smell of cooking is coming from. "Chie doesn't have chopsticks yet." she offers.

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"Alright, I'll get those."
>Move to do so.

[Oldmansour]

>Nod.
>"Alright, I'll get those."
>Move to do so.

>Neko miko Chie points with her tail to the door behind her. "Second shelf on right, blue cabinet. Need eight sets, Chie thinks."
>Armed with her directions, you head into the kitchen itself. Despite the size of the dining hall, the kitchen is the sort you'd see in a good sized home, rather than something grandiose. A pair of shrine maidens are in evidence here, aprons shielding their robes. One is standing with her back to you in front of an over, while the other is standing side on to you at the large sink, rinsing off green grapes and putting them in a bowl. Both have feline ears and tails, but their color schemes are a bit different. The long hair, braided to one side, and tail of the slender one standing by the stove is as black as midnight, her right ear is pierced with a small gold hoop, and a blood red ribbon accentuates her tail. Her hakama is silver colored, like Kiku's, but cut a bit shorter, and her top is sleeveless.
>The other miko, copper-skirted, sports a color scheme in her hair and fur virtually identical to the snow leopard you met outside, even has the same color eyes. She is not as tall as her counterpart, and her expression is severe, like she treats her simple kitchen task as one of critical importance. And unlike her fellow miko, this one looks to have seen some action. A small piece of her right ear is missing, there is a scar at her right temple and on her right forearm below her elbow. There seems to be what looks like a small burned patch near the base of her tail. And there is a black leather collar fastened around her neck.