(So the moral of the story is to not let me get SMT4 when I'm trying to write a thing. Especially a part I'm struggling with)
Clouds race across the afternoon sky, carried by a brisk wind, as Kisume hops around the shrine gate and makes a beeline for the font. She hops onto the lip and splashes around as usual, then drops down and looks around. The aside from the priestess, who is busy brushing something onto the shrine?s front porch, she doesn?t see anyone around. With little other choice, she makes her way toward the front porch. ?Oy,? Kisume calls out, ?Shrine?s kinda empty today, isn?t it??
?Oh, there you are,? says Sanae, as she looks back from dipping her brush into a bucket. ?I suppose you?re looking for Lady Kanko??
?Figure?d I?d say hi while I was in the neighborhood, at least,? says Kisume, as she bounces to the the porch, then wrinkles her nose. ?That stuff smells like hell! That one of those weird newfangled blessings to keep youkai out??
?No, it?s sealant,? says Sanae.
?Who?re you sealing?? Kisume says, looking at the porch. ?The frog??
?No no,? says Sanae, ?It?s water sealant, it keeps the wood from rotting out if it gets wet.?
?Oh,? says Kisume. ?So, what?s for dinner??
?I haven?t decided yet,? Sanae says, as she begins to draw the brush along the porch again. ?Do you like salmon? I?ve heard there?s been a big haul of them in the kappa village.?
?As long as they aren?t still flopping around,? says Kisume. ?I hate it when my food flops around! You know, there was this one earth spider I used to know, she wouldn?t even bother to put her meals out of their misery before she-?
?I don?t need to hear this!?
?Eh, whatever,? says Kisume. ?As long as it?s fixed up alright. Oh, and maybe some of that pen stuff??
?Pan,? says Sanae. ?Oh, while you?re here, could I maybe ask you a favor? You see, I?ve been looking to get my hands on some of the strong stuff, and I was wondering if maybe you could, you know???
?Just gonna be clear on this, that stuff would kill you.?
?What, really?? says Sanae, glancing over from her brushing.
?Eh, I dunno, really,? Kisume says with a shrug. ?But I figured I ought give some kind of warning.?
?It?s not for me anyhow,? Sanae says. ?I just need to show up a boastful drunk.?
?I might be able to find you something,? says Kisume, ?But it?s gonna take some time. They don?t let go of the hooch too easily down there.?
?Just tell me how much it?ll cost,? says Sanae.
?I?ll have a look around,? says Kisume. ?Anyways, where did Kanako get off to??
?She?s off in town,? says Sanae. ?She likes to roam the streets and see the followers in their day to day lives. She claims it keeps her in their thoughts outside of the shrine, but I think she just gets cooped up in here. She used to do all the shopping back when we lived in the outside world, you know??
?Heh, I can imagine,? says Kisume, as she turns and starts to hop away. ?Thanks for the tip!?
****
?I?d like one, please,? says Kanako as she approaches a small stand.
?Sure thing,? says the tengu work there, an older crow tengu whose physique suggests she enjoys her own wares. ?No no, don?t even start to reach into that pocket, now. We?ll call this a gift.?
?If you insist,? says Kanako as the tengu sets to work grilling some fish. Kanako lets her eyes wander, quietly observing the town around her. Tengu houses, tall and narrow, rise up from the mountainside. Few are less than three stories tall, and barely wide enough to have a more than two small rooms for each floor. Balconies line the upper floors of many of the houses, many of them are built in or around the few hardy trees that grow at this elevation. Many of them bear small arches and woodwork reminiscent of branches, with potted plants placed strategically to make the illusion of leaves. The tengu themselves bustle to and fro, engaged in the mundane tasks tasks of day to day life. Others relax on their balconies, watching the world below or, much more frequently, gossiping with neighbors on their balconies. While there were no roads, precisely, the mountainside has been worn down by countless years of foot traffic, making paths that filled the role just as well. Sounds of conversation, doors opening and closing, crows cawing, and a lone hammer some distance away all blend together to create a pleasant babble that imparts a sense of liveliness, yet avoids the overpowering city noise that had come to define the outside world.
As she glances around, she notes a thin crow tengu across the street observing her. The rich blue of tengu?s blouse and well as the dried stains on her hands marking her as a dyer. ?Good afternoon,? Kanako says, offering a smile.
?Hello,? the tengu says, giving a thin smile back, ?Ah, pardon me??
?Think nothing of it,? Kanako replies. ?Am I in your way??
?No no,? says the tengu. ?I was just curious. I didn?t mean to be impolite.?
?It is perfectly fine,? says Kanako with a hand wave. ?I am Kanako, and you are??
?My name is Yasuru,? says the tengu, bowing her head slightly. ?It?s a pleasure to meet you. I hope you are enjoying our town??
?It is quite beautiful,? Kanako says, her tone light. ?I am grateful that you all have allowed us to visit freely.? This was the safe answer; for some tengu, the appearance of the Moriya shrine remains a sore spot.
?We?re happy to have you,? says Yasaru. ?I have to admit, if you asked me twenty years whether there?d be a goddess visiting our mountain, let alone living nearby, I wouldn?t have believed it possible for a second.?
Kanko nods toward another tengu down the way, looking toward her with open curiosity while crossing the street, then says, ?If it helps you feel any more at ease with the situation, I didn?t quite think I would have tengu as my neighbors twenty years ago, either. But all in all, I am quite pleased. You?ve done so much to help us feel at home.?
?Think nothing of it,? says the tengu. ?Has your day been well??
?Yes, quite,? says Kanako. She glances down toward the tengu?s hands. ?And I assume you have been busy today??
?Guilty as charged,? says the tengu, chuckling. ?Spend all morning mashing up hydrangea leaves and boiling them up, and getting a nice bolt of silk cleaned up. They?re soaking right now, and I?m looking to set up a vat for some fuschia this afternoon.?
?I may well have to place an order,? says Kanako.
A thumping noise echoes down a nearby alley, nearly causing goddess to frown, accompanied by unfamiliar laughter. Before she can say more, the familiar form of Kisume bursts from between two of the buildings, leaping faster than Kanako had ever seen before. ?Get off me, ya little shits!? she cries, bounding away as something small and blue flies past her head. Less than a second later, another small thing, this one green, flies toward Kisume and lands inside her bucket. Louder laughter follows, as a group of three wolf tengu children burst from the alley, hot in pursuit of the bucket youkai
?Got one!? cries one of the children. ?Two points!?
?I?m still winning!? another shouts.
?Get outta here!? Kisume cries, as she bounces toward Kanako.
The goddess sighs, then steps forward, reaching down and grabbing the hands of Kisume?s bucket, hefting the youkai into the air as she gets out a cry of surprise. The children skid and stumble to a stop, as Kanako looms over them, holding Kisume and her bucket as high as she could. ?Don?t you all have something better to do?? Kanako says evenly.
?Ah! It?s the rope lady!? shouts one of the children.
Yasuru marches to Kanako?s side, planting her fists on her hips, and says, ?Scram before I tell your parents!?
It takes scarcely a moment for one of the children to turn and dash back toward the alley, crying in panic. Her companions quickly follow suit. ?Thank you, Yasuru,? Kanako says, watching the children disappear into the alley once again, their shrieks echoing between the houses.
?No problem,? says the crow tengu. ?Anyways, I need to get going. It was a pleasure to speak with you!?
?Farewell!? Kanako says. As the crow tengu walks away, Kanako holds the bucket in front of herself so that she can look its resident in the eye, and says, ?And what were you up to, if I may ask.?
?Hey, I wasn?t doing nothin?,? says Kisume, not bothering to look at Kanako as she digs around inside her bucket. After a moment, she produces a green marble, which she tosses out. ?All I was doing was trying to find you, and those stupid kids came after me. I figured it?d be a problem to drop ?em proper, so I ran. They?re quick little shits, I?ll say that much for free!? She punctuates this by tossing out another marble.
?Were they throwing those at you?? Kanako asks, watching the second marble fall to the ground and clatter away.
?Yup,? says Kisume. ?Thought it was a game.?
?Well,? Kanako says, ?it was a game to them. You mustn?t be too hard on those children, likely you are the first tsurube-otoshi they have ever seen.?
?Lemme toss the next couple of these down the front of your dress and we?ll see how much of a game you think it is,? Kisume mutters, as she shifts around and flings out another marble.
?Hey, miss!? calls out the tengu at the food stand, ?Your order?s ready!?
?Ah, thank you,? says Kanako, as she strides over to the stand and takes her order; a rolled pastry sprinkled with herbs, into her free hand.
?So, you planning on putting me down anytime soon?? says Kisume. ?Most folks who try to grab me by the handle like that get a shot to the kidney or ribs.?
?Certainly,? says Kanako, as she settles the bucket youkai gently on the ground, and begins to walk away from the stand.
?So what?s that thing you got there?? says Kisume as she bounces alongside of the goddess, peering up at the food in her hands.
?It?s a tengu dish, simply named a fish roll,? says Kanako. After a moment, she takes the roll and rips it into two halves, offering one to Kisume. The youkai takes it and examines it. ?They grill fish caught from downriver,? Kanako continues, ?place it in a pastry, and then season it inside and out with herbs from the mountain. They?re easy to eat while flying.?
?I see,? Kisume says, spraying a couple of pastry crumbs.
?I hope you didn?t cause any other problems on your way through town,? Kanako says, before nibbling her half of the roll. ?A pack of young wolf tengu is more than enough for a day.?
?Don?t you worry about that,? says Kisume through a half-full mouth. ?Snuck in just as quiet as you please. Gotta admit, though, I didn?t think you?d be the kind of girl who goes out and around town.?
?It?s important to be visible,? Kanako says. ?As well, some people are more comfortable with meeting me in a less formal place such as this.?
?Still,? says Kisume, ?You don?t expect to see a goddess walking around the market, munching on a fish roll, would you now??
Kanako pauses to swallow a bite of her roll, then says, ?Admittedly, it is something of a novel experience for myself as well.?
?Guess you didn?t go tromping through cities in the old days, huh?? says Kisume.
?Well, not openly,? Kanako says. ?Outside, in the past few decades, no one even recognized me for what I am. I was, at best, another face in the crowd. In the olden days, every so often we deities would to go out in secret. However, appearing openly has always been traditionally eschewed because it tends to raise far more questions than it answers. After all, if I?m seen wandering around the city marketplace, then shouldn?t I be bringing better weather? And if I?m not doing that, why should they bother to offer many any faith??
?So why aren?t you bringing better weather and stuff?? says Kisume, before finishing the last bite of her roll.
?I am,? says Kanako, ?But it?s not quite so easy to see as casting a spell. Think of it as a thousand people pulling on a giant hoop in every direction. I can influence those people pulling on it, as can others. As a result, things are not quite so direct as simply willing a thing to happen.?
?How can you have a thousand people tugging on a hoop without breaking it?? says Kisume.
?Just so,? Kanako says, ?We must take care. As well, I have to consider a lot of factors; when two people ask for a directly contradictory blessing, how is it to be resolved? And I must think about region as a whole, and regions beyond it. Sometimes, honestly, it would be faster and more efficient to for me to merely march over to someone?s home and physically deal with their problems.?
?Maybe you oughta?? says Kisume.
?I?ve been tempted,? Kanako says. ?But that would do much to diminish faith, as it would be a very visible process of cause and effect. Not to mention the sharp uprise of people who would demand my personal presence to deal with a mouse in the pantry.?
?Point taken,? says the bucket youkai.
?I have contemplated forming a group of volunteers to handle such things,? Kanako continues. ?But for now, I lack the manpower to do it, or the resources to really compensate them for their time. It would be a tricky kind of thing to implement, I would be dancing the razor?s edge between gathering faith and merely running an institution even under ideal circumstances.?
?Not that this sort of thing has been a problem for you so far,? says Kisume. ?Kinda wondering why you?re running around here if it?s such a bad thing.?
?Well,? says Kanako, then she pauses for a moment as she turns turns a corner, proceeding down a quieter street. The houses here are much closer together, and many seem to have no sign of activity due to the residents being elsewhere. ?Youkai are a little more sophisticated. After all, no one needed to explain to you about donations or purification.?
?That stuff?s obvious,? Kisume says, digging into her bucket with her right hand as she hops along.
?Tengu are a bit more sophisticated than that,? says Kanako. ?They generally understand that faith and blessings have a complicated relationship, so there is not too many problems to be had in appearing in public like this from time to time.?
?Surprised you?re not out here most days,? says Kisume, as she fishes out another marble and tosses it aside. ?Has to be more fun than being cooped in the shrine the whole time.?
?Were I to come out too much,? says Kanako, ?I feel even among the tengu, I would cease to be a goddess and become more of a neighbor. And it is difficult to pray to a neighbor. As well, being at the shrine is more satisfying than you might think. Though I will confess that company has proven to be very nice.?
?Figured,? says the youkai. ?You gonna finish that??
?Yes,? Kanako says, before taking another bite of her roll.
?So, does it work??
Kanako finishes before saying, ?Reasonably well. Most tengu seem to be curious. And, generally, about one in ten will follow that curiosity to the shrine. For those who do hold the faith, they generally seemed to be pleased to see me. As well, those whose faith has lapsed sometimes feel ashamed at realizing it and will resume again, at least for a little while.?
?Huh,? says Kisume, as she glances through a low-set window in a house she passes by, ?And you feel all that??
?Some of it, yes,? Kanako says. ?I can feel matters of faith, at least. Curiosity, however, I wouldn?t need to be a goddess to feel. It is palpable.?
?I figure it has to have some limits, getting new followers here,? Kisume says. ?Only so many fish in the pond, after all.?
?Yes, there will definitely be a point when I can stop expecting to win any new followers,? Kanako says.
Kisume nods. ?Probably ticks off some of the more pigheaded folks, too,?
?I am careful not to directly proselytize,? Kanako says. ?What I want is no secret, and if I were to campaign for it directly myself I would find myself markedly less welcome. Sanae tries in my stead, of course.?
The street comes to an end, widening into a small plaza built around a pond fed from the nearby river and flowing back into it. Wild plantlife grows around the banks; a murder of crows lounges among it. Ringing the pond is a cobblestone pavilion, filling the outer half of the plaza. A few benches circle the inner edge of the pavilion, many of them occupied by tengu of various kinds. A few children run and play around plaza, careful not to disturb the crows or trample over the plants. A couple of them kneel at the edge of the pond, sailing a toy boat with a string. Kanako makes her way over to an empty bench and has a seat. Kisume hops over the edge of and makes herself comfortable on the ground, leaning back against the edge of her bucket. There are a few curious glances, but none of the gathered tengu seem to be paying particular attention to them
The goddess has another bite of her roll, while Kisume says, ?I guess that ain?t all too bad though. Suppose it?ll help scare up some attention for that festival you guys are planning, too.?
?That was part of the idea, yes,? Kanako says, while looking out over the water. The forms of several fish could be seen just underneath the surface, lazily swimming around. ?Partially, I?m also hoping to remember people to get their booth applications to us in a timely fashion.?
?You?re handlin? that, too?? says Kisume. ?Pretty hands-on of ya.?
?Actually, Suwako is taking care of those details,? says Kanako.
?Thought she hated doing the real work?? Kisume says.
?She does,? says Kanako. ?But approving festival things is mostly just signing off on an idea. We?ll all get together to plan the actual layout later. I?m sure she?ll find some way to make a pain for us all, she always does.?
Kisume shifts in her bucket, then frowns and pulls out another marble, which she tosses aside. ?She does that a lot, from what I?ve gathered.?
?She?s been a prankster,? says Kanako, as she watches the marble roll away. ?But she doesn?t mean any harm. To be honest, I welcome it. She?s a lot more lively these days than she has been for a long time.?
?These days, huh?? Kisume says.
?She has spent a lot of time in the background, so to speak,? says Kanako. ?So there were times when she wouldn?t do much at all. Particularly during the more grisly eras. But she has taken quite well to Gensokyo. I have no doubt she?ll plan a coup within the century.?
?I can?t tell if that?s supposed to be a joke,? says Kisume.
?Nor can I,? Kanako says, as a small child runs toward the discarded marble. ?She might well do such for the thrill of it, and the bragging rights I suppose.?
?Oh hell, that?s why you do most things,? says Kisume, smirking. ?I ever tell you about the time when I tried to steal that glass eye??
?Not that I recall,? says Kanako, her eyes elsewhere, ?But by all means.?
?Well, this was back some years ago,? Kisume says. ?Back them, the deva had herself a goon by the name of Salty Kanna. Now Kanna, as was well known, was kind of a vain sort. Which was a problem because she also got her eye punched out or something like that. Don?t know the whole story there. So she got a glass one made to take its place. It was a real piece of work, but everyone knew about it because it was the wrong color! Now, at this time, there are this earth spider I was trying to hustle, and in the process we both got stupid drunk. So she says to me, ?Look here Buckets, if you can bring me Old Salty?s eye, I?ll give you double what you?re asking for.? And me, being five sheets to the wind, said ?Hell, I?ll have it for you an hour!? Well, at least that?s what I imagined it sounded like, anyhow. You know how your lips get when you?re that soused. So I made my way down to the Ancient City, and what I was thinking I was gonna do was-? a clatter of glass against wood sounds. ?-what the crap??
Kisume looks back to see a small crow tengu child, barely more than a toddler, smiling at her. ?I put it back!? the child says, her grin broadening.
Kisume reaches into her bucket and pulls out a marble and gives it a look. Then she looks to Kanako and says, ?You let her do that!?
?I might?ve been too enthralled in the story to notice,? Kanako says in an even tone that belies her slight grin. Then before finishing off her roll, she adds, "So why was it the wrong color?"
