Mystia had never been in a cave before; the Forest of Magic isn't know for its selection of underground entrances. She marvels at the stalactite-covered ceiling. The walls with their strange patterns and striations leave her wondering what could have formed them. While at first one would think such a place would be barren and lifeless without any sunlight, there are a variety of mosses and mushrooms that seem to thrive in little corners and crannies and a number of insects. Hanging from the stalactites from time to time are colonies of bats. It leaves her wondering if bat is a common dish down here.
Then there are the noises. Everything seems to echo down here. She can hear dripping water from...somewhere. Mystia has been watching for it for awhile, but the water never seems to show up. But aside from the echoes, it is deathly quiet save for their footsteps. Utsuho, when she speaks, takes on an entirely different tone of voice, a lower and softer one than normal. It makes her sound uncharacteristically meek, but it serves to keep her voice from carrying too far. Mystia tries to mimic it.
"Hold it," says Utsuho, putting her third leg in Mystia's path.
"What's wrong?" Mystia asks, trying to keep her cave voice audible enough not to be mistaken for a whisper.
"Look up."
Mystia looks upward, and frowns. "Why is there a bucket up there?"
"Dagnabbit!" says the bucket lingering among the stalactites.
Utsuho looks towards it and waves. "Hey! Want something to eat?"
"Might do," says the bucket, as a small green-haired youkai peeks over the edge. "What's in it for you?"
"I just wanna know who passed through today," says Utsuho. "That fair?"
"No suns," says the bucket youkai.
"Oh for the love of..." Utsuho shakes her head, her face contorting into a scowl. "That was once! Once! And I got over it! Bloody hell, you people hold a grudge over something that never actually got to the point of doing anything! Fine! No suns. Happy?"
"Yeah, alright," says the bucket youkai, as she lowers down to the ground. "Whacha got?" Mystia produces a fried eel sandwich from her pocket, one of several she brought along just in case on Utsuho's insistance. "That'll do. Okay, so I saw you earlier, Sunny." she gives a glance toward Utsuho. "Then there was Yuugi coming and going. Some ghosts came in, just missed 'em myself, and went on down. I'm thinkin' they're looking for festival work, what with the instruments they got. S'bout it."
"You mean we just missed them?" Mystia asks.
"Mean I durned near clobbered the blonde one," the bucket youkai says. "Now let's have a look at that grub, eh?"
Mystia hands her the sandwich. The bucket youkai takes it and gives it a single sniff, then bites into it. "Oh, this is grand," she says through mouthfuls of sandwich. "Reminds me of this one place I went to in Topeka, back when I was riding with Big Annie Biggs. Place would sell you a gallon of beer for a half-done nickel, I'll tell for free!"
"We really gotta get going," says Utsuho. "Did Yuugi have someone with her when she came back in?"
"Yeah, some human," says the bucket youkai, as she starts to float back up to the ceiling. "And fine, be like that. But thanks for the eats, kids!"
"Let's go," Utsuho says.
****
Mystia slows down as she and Utsuho begin to cross a long wooden bridge. The cavern widens, its ceiling sloping upwards into the gloom. Echoes of running water come from under the bridge, Mystia looks down and can just barely see the swift-flowing currents in the shadows, yards below. Up ahead, a formidable gateway, though the doors stand open. Faint music can be heard ahead, without echoes. The cavern must be too large for them.
"Be ready with the sandwiches," Utsuho says quietly, "And follow my lead. No backtalk. In fact, don't say anything if I don't talk to you."
"Right," says Mystia, as she hastens to keep up with the hell crow. After meeting the bucket youkai, it didn't seem as necessary to ask why.
As the cross the bridge, Mystia sees someone standing at the far end of it. This must be the bridge youkai that some of her customers have mentioned in the past. Now Utsuho's orders didn't seem so strange
"Hey, Parsee," Utsuho says, waving her free hand, "How're things?"
"Eh," replies the bridge youkai, arms crossed. "Could be worse. Who the hell is this?"
"She's with me," says Utsuho. "This is Mystia, she's my boss." Mystia nods to Parsee. Surely that didn't count as saying anything.
"Is that what they're calling it these days?" says Parsee, giving Mystia a look.
"Naw, she's, like. super taken," says Utsuho. "You don't even know." Mystia clenches her teeth; don't speak unless spoken to...
"Aren't you just so proud of that?" says Parsee, tapping a finger against her crossed arm.
"Anyways, we got a little something for you," Utsuho continues. "You ever have a grilled eel sandwich? Either way, enjoy it!" Mystia takes her cue, produces a sandwich from pocket and hands it to Parsee.
"Huh, thanks," says Parsee, as she regards the sandwich curiously. "I bet you gave one to Kisume, too. She's so easy to bribe with food.
"Yeah, but we didn't give her two," says Utsuho. Mystia produces another sandwich and hands it over. "And that's our last one, til Mysty gets another shipment of eel, anyways." Mystia tries not to react at the lie, there's two more in the other pocket.
"That's nice of you," she says. "Thanks." She takes a bite of one of the sandwiches and adds, "This is pretty good, actually."
"Hell yeah," says Utsuho, as she walks past the Bridge Youkai. "Catch you later!"
"You too!" says Parsee, as Mystia hastens to catch up with the hell crow.
The walk through the gates, and into the the city itself. Mystia glances back to make certain Parsee isn't following them, then says, "We should have asked her about Yuugi and Thea."
"No, that's exactly what we didn't want," says Utsuho. "She's been banging Yuugi since...god knows when. Last thing we need is to give her a reason to tip off the enemy and back her up. That's why I wanted her in a good mood, with all the sandwiches and stuff."
"Oh...Good work."
****
Festive music dominates the air. Even with nerves at high alert, it's hard for Mystia to resist the urge to add a little dance to her step here and again. She contents herself with humming along when the streets are clear. This is an all-too-rare occurrence; there are oni everywhere down here: drinking, laughing, laboring, milling about. Mystia keeps close to Utsuho when they're around; the oni seem all too happy to let the hell crow have her space. Having to deal with any one oni would be too much.
Even with brutes like the oni about, the Ancient City doesn't seem like a bad place. One one hand, there's a drunken brawl every so often, or an oni passed-out in an alley, if not her own vomit. But really, that happens topside as well. And the oni, as a whole, do seem to be getting along. The houses and buildings, one-story things with sloping tiled roofs, are in fairly good condition save for the occasional fist-sized hole. Perhaps it isn't such a bad place, as long as one was friendly...
"So, what's the plan?" Mystia asks.
"See that big house up there? Not the old stone one at the edge of the city, the other one near the middle, with the two floors. That's Yuugi's place. We're gonna hit it up."
Mystia nods. That did not sound pleasant in the least, but what options were there? "Um, how?"
"Well, I can think of two basic ways," says Utsuho. "The first was is that we split up. You go find Thea while I find Yuugi and punch her until she gives it a rest."
"I think I like that plan."
"The downside being that you might run into Yuugi first..."
"Good point, I don't like this plan at all."
Utsuho nods. "The other plan is we stick together. If we run into Yuugi, well, you run for it and I hold her off. But if she decides to be sneaky and go after you first..."
Mystia frowns. "I don't like any of these plans..."
"Yeah, there's kinda a bad side to all of them," says Utsuho with a nod. "But don't worry. You've hired the best money can buy. I'm just kinda worried about burning the place down. Anyways, what do you think? Just waltz through the front door, or knock out a window or something? Maybe blast a hole in the wall?"
"Um," Mystia ponders for a moment. While the more dramatic entrances would have their advantages, the price tag associated with keep Yuugi from pursuing vengeance, compared to her own financial situation, loom too strongly in her mind. "Front door. Definitely front door."
"Okay, we'll just kick it down an-"
"No!"
"...Okay, we'll just walk right in and start messing things up-."
"No!"
"Hey, who's making the plan here?"
"Look, I just don't want to end up having to pay for everything to get Yuugi off my back after this is done."
"Oh." Utsuho shrugs, then brightens. "Well, I can beat her up til she stops!"
Shaking her head, Mystia says, "Unless you intend to hang around all the time, I'm not terribly reassured..."
"Okay, fine!" Utsuho throws her hand and her third leg into the air. "I'll keep the damage to a minimum! Geez mom..."
Mystia sighs. "Let's just break into the house, okay?"
"Hell yeah!"
****
The route to Yuugi's home isn't a particularly hard one; the Ancient City has a fairly predictable grid-like layout. But as they draw closer, the crowds become more dense and more raucous. Mystia draws closer to to her companion, resisting the urge to cling onto her cape to keep from getting separated. "Is there a festival around Yuugi's house?" she asks.
"Naw, just that the oni know where the party's at," says Utsuho. "You get about five or six of them together in one place, and they'll find the nearest party or wedding or whatever easier than a bat finds silverfish. And Yuugi likes having something close to home."
Mystia feels a surge of hope, and takes steps to curb it. "Does that mean maybe she won't be home?"
"Oh, she'll be home alright," says Utsuho. "She's kidnapped a new human, that'll keep her occupied for awhile at least. That's why we're going there rather than asking around and saying she won an all-you-can-eat dinner."
Her prior hopes dashes, she cautiously allows for a new one. "...Do you think she'd let Thea go for that?"
"Naw. She'd just hit you until you gave it away from free anyways, if you tried that kind of thing."
"Rats," says Mystia with a sigh, "...Wait a minute, just what is she doing to Thea, anyways, if she's not going to be leaving the house for awhile?! Thea's married, you know!"
"Well," Utsuho scratches her chin. "I imagine Thea's got enough sake in her blood right now that you could start a fire with it. Aside from that, probably talking it up, having a big time, armwrestling... it always comes down to feats of strength with oni. That's where the trouble starts for the people they kidnap..."
"Weird. Why do they even do it, anyways?"
Utsuho gives an impressive shrug, bringing her wings into the motion. There's little Mystia finds she can argue with in that. Drawing closer to the house, Mystia can see it is quite well appointed, painted bright yet tasteful colors and sloping roofs that extend out a couple yards from the walls. A wooden walkway runs around it. Two large doors, presently closed, bear a pictures of muscular oni lifting and throwing mountains. Trees poke out over the edge of the roof, hinting at a courtyard within, while lanterns hang from every rafter outdoors.
Mystia pauses, considering how to open the doors. Surely they had to be heavily secured. Utsuho walks up to them and turns the knob with her free hand. Raising an eyebrow, Mystia says, "How'd you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Get around the locks and stuff?"
"What locks? This is a city full of oni. Who's going to steal something? And what kind of lock is going to stop an oni?"
"Oh..." Mystia grimaces, feeling a bit dumb. "Let's go in?"
They walk to the front door. Mystia pauses at the threshold. In there is an one of the four devas, someone who the tengu and the kappa used to fear. Someone whose house they're about to break it into... Someone who is going to be very, very mad when she discovers them. Mystia takes a deep breath, trying to force her suddenly leaden feet forward. It's hard, knowing that certain pain waits within there...
Utsuho pokes her head out the door. "Hey, you coming or what?"
Mystia nods. "Just....give me a minute to get psyched up, okay?"
"Oh it ain't that bad, " says Utsuho.
"Maybe not for you, bu-WAH!" says Mystia, before Utsuho grabs her by the sleeve and tugs her inside.
"See?" Utsuho days, grinning. "Just another step. Don't worry, you got me with you. Now let's go nuke the shit out Yuugi."
"O-okay," says Mystia, taking another deep breath and trying to swallow the lump in her throat. She trails behind Utsuho, looking around; her eyes darting from place to place and never resting on any one thing. The front hall is lined with red-painted pillars, while dozens of lanterns hang from the rafters. Various things line the walls, but she doesn't pay them much mind. Yuugi could be anywhere, behind any of these pillars...
They reach the other side of the hall without difficulty, passing through a set of open paper doors into a plain corridor, extending left and right. Mystia sighs in relief. If there wasn't anything in the front hall, maybe Yuugi really isn't expecting to be followed...
"Hey, what the fuck are you doing in my house?" comes a voice to the left. Mystia cries out, and looks down the hall to see a tall muscular woman with blonde hair, a single horn, and manacles around her wrists. She looks at them with confusion written clearly across her face.
"Yuugi, it's go time!" Utsuho shouts, breaking into a run directly at the blonde woman.
"Oh, you broke into the wrong house, hell crow!" Yuugi shouts, her confused look giving way to a toothy grin as she takes a wide stance. Danmaku light fills the air as at two begin to weave intricate patterns. Mystia watches for a moment, transfixed, as huge orbs of fiery light start to swirl around Utsuho's Third Leg, while dozens of tiny bullets begin to appear around Yuugi. Then she runs down the hall, away from them, shrieking at the top of her lungs.
****
Mystia stops to lean against the wall and catch her breath. Looking around, she slowly realize she has no idea where she is. First there was the hall, then the left turn...then the stairs... Or was it stairs and then a left? No, the left came first...or was it a right? Maybe there were two lefts? Heaving a sigh, Mystia acknowledges that she is just lost. Explosions and crashes can be heard in the distance, seeming to come everywhere from once. Maybe they are? Given the sources, it's certainly possible.
Getting her breath back, Mystia considers a nearby door. If Yuugi is distracted, then it should be alright to go looking for Thea. In fact, maybe even sneak her out before the two are done! Feeling a bit better, she walks toward the door and slides it open, saying "Thea?" as she peaks inside.
"Who?" asks a white-haired woman in a uniform at the window, her foot precariously balanced on a dresser. Two others; a blonde woman and a brown-haired woman in similarly designed outfits, look back from helping their white-haired companion through the window. Musical instruments float around the trio. Mystia stares, trying to process what she's seeing.
Silence reigns for a brief moment as they stare at each other. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Mystia gasps at length. "Merlin! What are you doing in that window!? Get down from there at once!"
"We're hungry?" says Merlin. Lyrica facepalms.
"Um, I think the jig is up," Lunasa says.
"Get her!" Lyrica shouts, pulling out a spellcard from her pocket.
Mystia considers the situation carefully, as carefully as she can within a second. There are three of them, and one of her. They are renowned for an almost unprecedented level of teamwork in their danmaku. They are clearly here to get Thea, as Merlin said. And they clearly know that she has every interest in protecting Thea. Processing all this in the space of a second, Mystia does what she feels is most logical. She shrieks, a long and clear sound that has gotten a lot of practice of late, and throws her arms over her face.
"Ah, my goddamn eyes!" says Lyrica, then starts shrieking as violin music starts to play.
"Fu-!" Merlin cries, before the violin music and a heavy thud cuts her off.
"Did I get her?" Lunasa asks, "It got dark..."
Mystia stops screaming as her lungs empty. Finding herself still in one piece, she peeks around her arms. Merlin lays face-down on the floor, arms and legs in strange positions. Lyrica lays face up, groaning and staying at the ceiling with glassy eyes, her uniform bearing several danmaku burns. Lunasa shakes her head, violin cradled at her neck, and frowns at the scene. "Um, oops..." she says. "Sorry?"
"No, its fine," says Mystia, gathering her breath again.
"Oh well," says Lunasa, as she puts the bow to her instrument's strings. "Now, where were we?"
Mystia ducks around the door frame, a moment before a G Sharp and a wave of orange danmaku erupts through it. She takes a few more steps back. If it's just Lunasa alone, then maybe it won't be so bad. She reaches into her pocket. Just need the right spellcard, and then...wait, where are the spellcards? They couldn't have fallen out...unless...
"Damn it, Yuyuko!" Mystia cries as she turns and runs down the hallway.
"No, I'm Lunasa!" says the blonde Prismriver, as she steps through the door and plays a few more notes on her violin.
Mystia doesn't bother to look back, it would only slow her down. She folds her wings back to keep them from causing drag and leans forward, running with all her might. She doesn't try to scream, she'll needs her breath and there's no way to hold a decent note while running. Violin music and the slight crackle of oncoming danmaku barely overpower her sound of her footsteps. There's a door ahead, on the left side of the hall. Mystia runs for it with all her might, doing her best not to flinch or cry out as a few bullet whiz past her head.
"Stop running," Lunasa shouts, as the music ends for a moment. "That's just lame!"
"Don't care!" Mystia cries back as she ducks through the door.
The room is fairly empty, with a folding screen off to the side, a dresser again the wall, and a futon on the floor. No other doors. A guest room, and nothing to hide behind but the screen. She suspects that would buy, at best, a couple seconds. Still, better than nothing. She scampers behind it, and takes stock of her situation. No spellcards, no weapons, no place to run, no place to hide. She rifles through her pockets, trying to find anything that would be of use. Her fingers close around two soft items...
"...I can't believe you're hiding behind that screen," comes Lunasa's voice from the door. "I can even see your wing tip, geez!"
Mystia takes a deep breath, then kicks the screen down. With a swift motion, she throws her two remaining fried eel sandwiches They soar gracefull through the air, separating into their component parts. Fried eel, covered with a special blend of sauces, connects with Lunasa's face. Mystia wastes no time, conjuring a green spiral of danmaku around her. It lingers for a moment, too long to normally be useful in such a close quarters fight, while Lunasa cries out and cleans her eyes, then flies directly at her. A wave of three shots slams into the violinist, sending her staggering back into the hall, before another wabe sends her to the ground. Mystia waits for a moment, ready to follow up with another attack, but Lunasa doesn't get up. Her violin hovers over her like a concerned pet.
Mystia allows herself a smile, heaving a vast sigh of relief. That could have been her, if Lunasa were just a little luckier. She steps out into the hall again. Now onto the next room.
The opposite wall explodes outward. Mystia screams, throwing her arms over her face as wooden shrapnel sprays everywhere. Something spams into the wall beside her. Mystia lowers her arms, now sore and likely bleeding, and looks down at her feet to see Utsuho on the floor, burned and bleeding, and most definitely unconscious.
"I told her about that third step," comes a voice ahead. Utsuho looks up in time to see Yuugi step through the newly made hole in wall, massaging her knuckles. Then she looks toward Mystia and grins. "Oh hey! You're here, how convenient! Saves me having to hunt you down."
"Um...can I get a time out?" asks Mystia, as she takes a step back and stumbles over Lunasa. "I just got done with a fight, and-"
"Hey, me too!" says Yuugi, "Sorry, no time outs!"
The oni rushes toward Mystia, laughing happily. Mystia screams, cringes back, and feels something brush against her wing. Time seems to slow as Yuugi draws her fist back. As though moving through molasses, Mystia takes another step back as she watches Yuugi's comes closer and closer. She reaches over, grabbing the floating violin with both hands, and swings. Slowly, achingly, Mystia watches as Yuugi's eyes gravitate toward the flying instrument. Then her face seems to contort as the violin connects with her face and gradually buckles in on itself. Yuugi staggers, her momentum ruined. Mystia tries to get out of the way, but her movements are too slow. The big oni, eyes rolling up into her head, slams into her, sending her tumbling to the ground.
Mystia lands hard on the floor. Time seems to flow like it should again. She lays there, staring at the ceiling. No one's moving. Slowly, she begins to pick herself up. Yuugi lays face first on the floor, her horn jammed through a wall. Standing on shaky legs, Mystia stares at her. Then, as quickly as she can, she runs away.
****
"Hey~," comes a voice Mystia wanders into a large kitchen. "Whensh sha party gonna keepsh rollin'?" There, sort of sitting at a large dining table, is Thea. Her hair is a mess, her clothes disheveled, and her head swaying and bobbing as though there were music only she could here. In her hand is a small porcelain bottle.
"Oh thank heaven!" Mystia exclaims. "Thea, I'm so glad you're alright! Really really glad! You have no idea!"
"Ish Misshia!" says Thea, grinning. She waves the bottle in Mystia's direction. "Come and have shum of thish shuff!"
"Um, maybe later! I have to get you home right now."
"Wha' for?" says Thea leaning for forward. "'Sha grand ole playsh here!"
Mystia ponders for a moment, considering the many tricks she's had to pick up over the years to deal with someone who's blind stinking drunk. "Um, it's time for dinner!"
"Oh crap!" says Thea, leaping to her feet and promptly falling over. Mystia sighs, and goes to help the woman up. Being smaller and lighter, this is no mean feat. Nor is it any easier to help Thea across the kitchen toward the door when she shifts most of her weight onto Mystia's shoulder. The trip down the corridor to the entry hall is no easier. Mystia silently thanks the heavens again that Yuugi had the decency to put Thea on the first floor. Stairs would be more than enough to kill the poor woman.
They struggle through the pillared entry hall. Mystia keeps her eyes on the double doors ahead. Once they get out, it's just a quick walk through the city, then across the bridge, out the tunnel...
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" comes a voice from behind.
Mystia freezes in place. Thea does not, continuing forward and collapsing onto the floor. "Fuckin' floor," she mumbles. "Learn t' wait yer turn..."
Paying little attention to Thea, Mystia slowly turns toward the door leading further into the manor, and sees Yuugi standing there. A large purple bruise shines across the side of her face. "That was a pretty good trick!" Yuugi says. "Didn't even notice that violin til you grabbed it! I'm not gonna lie, that was hella slick. You're alright, kid."
"So, since you respect me, you're going to let me take Thea home so Reimu doesn't skin me alive?" Mystia asks.
"Oh hell no," says Yuugi, as she produces a spellcard, "We'll just have to do round two by the book, but don't worry-" her eyebrow raises. "-what hell is up with the butterfli-?" The rest of her statement is cut off as colorful glowing butterflies soar from behind Mystia with a slight tingling sound and slam into her. She crumples to the ground in an unceremonious heap. Mystia just stares, mouth gaping.
Yuyuko strides past her from behind, seeming to float on air, and looks at the fallen on. "Well," she says. "I suppose that will teach you a lesson about messing with my songbird!"
"Yuyuko!" Mystia cries, running toward the ghost princess and enfolding her in a hug. "Oh thank the gods!" She buries her face in Yuyuko's back, tears burning her eyes as her legs give out. "I didn't know what I was going to do! You saved me! Thank you so, so much! I...I..."
"I do so hate when dinner is delayed," says Yuyuko, placing her hands over Mystia's. "One gets so very cranky, don't you agree. Now, perhaps it you would be so kind, we can get on with our meal, hm?"
"B-but..." Mystia says, "Here!?"
"I'm sure Yuugi wouldn't mind if we borrowed a guest room."
"But...there's Thea to consider!"
"I don't think she'll be able to follow us like that, don't you agree?"
"...But, the Red White will rip off my wings and beat me with them if we don't get Thea home!"
"Well... I suppose that would be an issue, but surely she won't-"
"I'll make it worth your while!" Mystia cries, desperation creeping into her voice.
"Deal!"
****
Inconvenient cravings aside, Mystia cannot thank the heavens enough for Yuyuko's presence. Taller and stronger, the ghost princess has a much easier time managing Thea. Between the two of them, it isn't too hard to guide the thoroughly drunken woman back home. Thankfully, the oni seem to respect Yuyuko as much as they do Utsuho; Mystia wonders just what Yuyuko did on the way there. As well, Yuyuko is all too happy to answer Thea's drunken babbling with her own brand of nonsense and misdirection. Mystia tries to follow, but quickly becomes lost.
Soon enough, they leave the Underground behind, and make way toward Thea's home. The worst of the trip behind them, they are able to make quick progress toward the farm, and soon reunite the kidnapped woman with her family. The family invites then to stay for dinner, an offer Mystia considers for a moment before Yuyuko cheerfully declines, saying that they have their own plans. But perhaps tomorrow. Mystia leaves it at that, thereis a promise to keep. They depart with smiles and waves, leaving Mystia with a curious glowing feeling. Is this what Reimu or Marisa feel after a job well done?
She lets Yuyuko take the lead on the flight home. As they land in the front yard, she pounces on the ghost princess from behind. Giggling as Yuyuko cries out, Mystia then stands on her tiptoes to chew on the ghost princess' ear. "O-oh my!" Yuyuko says, shuddering in Mystia's arms, "Such ferocity! Has the hunter become the hunted? Unthinkable, simply unthinkable!"
"Such is the way of nature, my little princess," Mystia replies, ceasing her ministrations for a moment. "Turnabout is fair play." Grinning despite herself, she slides a hand into the ghost princess' robes. No wonder Yuyuko did this so much!
There is a loud thump, as something falls from the trees and lands in front of the two. Reimu stands, brushing herself off. "I really, really hope you found Thea if you've got time for that kind of thing. Because I do not have time for you to be doing that kind of thing when I'm trying to do my job..."
