Author Topic: On The Boundary ~ Illusionary Festival for the Dawn (Read 80776 times)

Amraphenson · « **Reply #360 on:** October 22, 2012, 10:20:43 AM »

He shook his head. "That would be asking too much," he replied, smiling. "I'll ponder on it and try later; I'm still somewhat hungover. I'll have to find that tanuki later..." he trails off.

Then Tetsumaru blinks. "Ah, what were you two doing again? I've already delayed you so much, and I'd be glad to help out. You've already helped me a lot." He says it with the sincerity of a child and without any obvious ulterior motive.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #361 on:** October 22, 2012, 10:35:09 AM »

Oh, nothing much. Kohaku thought to herself in a tone that would have sounded a great deal like her brothers'. Just trying to track down a few impossible youkai and yell at them for dropping this on my lap without so much as buying me a drink first.
"We're actually trying to find someone ourselves. Several someones, actually, or at least one of them. A group of youkai, to be precise. Which, in this case, is more Laresa's field than mine." She turned her head slightly to level her eye at her companion. "To that end, Laresa, I have to say, I fail to see what possible gain could come from speaking to my parents. Everything they know about this incident, I told them this morning. I have no idea what they might have to tell you, if anything, that would help us."
"And besides," she adds, turning her eye away and lowering her head slightly. "My mother probably still won't have... calmed herself. She was irate when I left." She shakes her head softly and smiles a smile bereft of joy. "Her yelling may well have woke you, Tetsumaru. I apologize on her behalf."

Amraphenson · « **Reply #362 on:** October 25, 2012, 05:39:19 PM »

Tetsumaru started waving his hands in somewhat of a panic. "Ah, no no, I wasn't woken up by anything like that." After a moment's thought, he blinked again. "A group of youkai?" he parroted late, tilting his head. "...Is there any particular reason? Might it be related to this...shrine maiden business?" he added. He couldn't forget his own suspicions, his own frustrations at all of the madness that had gone on before. If this was related, then, well, his dad could probably wait. Jin was a grown man, he could take care of himself. "Sorry to interrupt again," he added quickly.

GuyYouMetOnline · « **Reply #363 on:** October 25, 2012, 06:04:38 PM »

Kohaku being the shrine maiden was no secret, given that she'd spokem to the assembled crowd the previous night, so Laresa saw no reason to hide that fact. But she didn't see any reason to reveal everything. "It is," she said. "The appearance of the new maiden isn't as simple as one might think. There are numerous issues surrounding it, not the least of which is the fact that that strange mass gathering in the village center also took place yesterday. The timing is extremely suspicious, and my investigation into this has only amplified my suspicions. And the maiden herself," she indicated Kohaku, "has quite a few questions about the whole thing, too. I won't go into details, but suffice it to say the situation is far more complicated than one might think."

Amraphenson · « **Reply #364 on:** October 29, 2012, 08:10:47 AM »

The apprentice blinked for a moment, though he somehow managed to keep a straight face even when the other girl's identity was revealed. Another question to ask later, specifically if there had been a public address and if so how he had missed it, when he had time to be pursuing personal interests...well, to be honest, this was a personal interest too. Somehow he felt obligated...no that was the wrong word. He felt eager to offer his services for whatever reason; it was as if there was an unspoken sense of anticipation, of desire boiling inside him. "I understand this is pretentious of me to ask, but is there anyway I could help? The more that gets mentioned the more I feel interested in assisting you. I don't have any powers myself, but, well...," he trailed off, clicking the head of his shikomizue once or twice in an obvious manner. "I wouldn't be dead weight, if it came to that. "

He realised he sounded a bit blood thirsty, but he figured it was just a byproduct of his curiosity. It wasn't often he got childish bursts of energy like this.

GuyYouMetOnline · « **Reply #365 on:** October 29, 2012, 05:13:37 PM »

He could indeed be useful, Laresa thought. "I don't think it will be necessary for you to fight, but there is something you can do. I would ask you to simply keep your eyes and ears open. If something significant is indeed happening, people will be affected. It is often possible to learn much simply by paying attention to the people around you. I will not be able to spend much time in the village, so if you want to give your assistance, this would be an ideal method of doing so."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #366 on:** November 01, 2012, 07:27:55 AM »

"I think you're a little young to be looking for a scrap with youkai." Kohaku said gently. She's not the patronizing kind, but she does worry for those younger than her. Even those wielding bladed weapons. "Besides, with any luck, it won't come to that. If these youkai really do see me as a shrine maiden of anything, they wouldn't attack me or any of my friends."
"On the other hand... There is more than one way to fight, if push comes to shove. Have you ever used danmaku before?"

Amraphenson · « **Reply #367 on:** November 01, 2012, 08:12:11 AM »

He's not particularly offended by Kohaku's statement. He's gotten that comment before, but going out into the wild to get fuel for his father's work was dangerous sometimes. He felt confident in his own ability to defend himself...even if he was still feeling that punch from the other day. Tetsumaru was still admonishing himself for leaving himself open like that simply because he had gotten caught up in the moment. "I'd be happy to do that," he responded to Laresa first. "It'd let me figure out where my father went at the same time, at least."

Then he turned to Kohaku and, rather oddly, began to fidget a bit. "Ah, I've never considered it. I thought you needed some sort of power to use it," he said truthfully. Magic was never something he ever really considered. It was always for other people, but now that he thought about it danmaku may be useful. Not everyone deserved a sword wound for everything.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #368 on:** November 01, 2012, 08:58:24 AM »

"I'm hardly an expert myself in the field. But from what I've been told, it doesn't require having a special power, or magic, or anything of nature, to employ danmaku. The woman who showed it to me a few years ago told me it was more about 'feelings' than any kind of power. Something like.... Oh, how did she put it again?" she asks herself, then closes her eyes, thinking back to those days when she followed Haine and Koryu, the times she observed her lover and her brother practice what seems to be a forgotten art of Gensokyo.

"'Putting your will and your heart into physical form.'" Kohaku said aloud. She didn't really watch them battle, so much as she went along to provide a bit of moral support for her brother. And she did enjoy their company. In more ways than one, as Haine was always more than a little frisky after a good workout... Kohaku shook her head shortly, quickly. Plenty of time to enjoy those memories later, she told herself, trying to focus on what Haine and Koryu had told her of danmaku and how it was produced.
"It's easier for those that do have power of some sort, I was told. And it makes sense, as manifesting an in-born power would give you some experience in the area. But that to one side, danmaku was a way to resolve a conflict with someone, without inflicting harm upon that person, or that person inflicting harm on you. That's the emotion, the thought, that one needs to externalize and project in order to make danmaku. And the rest is just practice." She pauses, then smiles and adds, "At least, that's as I understand it. Keine might tell us all something different."
She glances at Laresa after she mentions her teachers' name. "That's something we should ask her, while we're in town, now that I think about it."

GuyYouMetOnline · « **Reply #369 on:** November 03, 2012, 02:28:02 AM »

"I think that's a good idea, yes," Laresa said. "Keine does have experience with danmaku. I do still want to meet your family, Kohaku, but if Tetsumaru wants to come with us, we can go see Keine now."

Amraphenson · « **Reply #370 on:** November 03, 2012, 06:58:28 AM »

Tetsumaru smiled. He hadn't seen the teacher for sometime now. "I'd like that a lot. Sorry to intrude," he said in the usual gesture, bow included.

GuyYouMetOnline · « **Reply #371 on:** November 03, 2012, 07:13:47 AM »

"It's no trouble," Laresa said. "I would have taken Kohaku to see Keine about danmaku anyways."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #372 on:** November 03, 2012, 07:21:30 AM »

Kohaku let out a long breath. "Why, though?" she asked of Laresa. "What do you think they could tell you? What do you hope to learn from them?"

GuyYouMetOnline · « **Reply #373 on:** November 03, 2012, 05:14:45 PM »

There were many reasons Laresa wanted to meet Kohaku's family. For one, they would likely be more willing to provide aid to their daughter if needed, and Laresa didn't want asking for their help to be the first time she met them. In addition, seeing Kohaku's home and family would be quite likely to reveal much about Kohaku herself; much information could be gleaned from such things. And without the need for invasive questioning that might cause her to distance herself from me. There was also the fact that there was a very real risk to Kohaku's life, and Laresa did not want to risk her first meeting with Kohaku's family being informing them of her death. And there were other reasons, as well, and it was one of these which Laresa answered Kohaku's question with. "You're looking at it the wrong way," she said. "I want to meet them because they deserve a chance to meet the one who is now responsible for your safety."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #374 on:** November 04, 2012, 04:34:44 AM »

The Daidouji woman's cheeks flushed slightly pink at Laresa's declaration. Laresa hadn't quite put it that way before, and the boldness of it struck her.
Getting back to her centered, Kohaku had to admit, she hadn't considered that one. And it was a very fair point. Laresa had declared herself Kohaku's bodyguard.
Still, that didn't change change the mindset of Kohaku's mother, who wanted absolutely nothing to do with this entire situation. If truth be told, Kohaku was slightly surprised Yumei, her mother, hadn't cast her out like she did Koryu. This was most definitely not the time to be raising the issue again, not until the elder Daidouji had had time to cool off. And Kohaku didn't want to be there if Laresa decided to try anyway, that would only make the situation more explosive.

"That makes sense. But, trust me when I say, you REALLY don't want to meet my mother right now."

GuyYouMetOnline · « **Reply #375 on:** November 04, 2012, 08:13:44 AM »

"Should I assume, then," Laresa said, "that she does not approve of what you're doing? That may be all the more reason to meet her; I might be able to ease some of her concerns. Unless there's some other issue, in which case it's likely best if you inform me of what that issue might be. That can wait until after we meet with Keine, however."

Sonae · « **Reply #376 on:** November 04, 2012, 11:09:58 PM »

---Orphea

Yumiko strode alongside the nearby bookshelf, carefully watching for any sort of movement.
As she came around the corner, she noticed the many piles of books that stood tall around a table.
Then she saw movement.
Sitting in front of the table was a girl, dressed in light purple robes with long purple hair. Atop her head was a hat with two bun-like shapes to it. Many ribbons were placed on her outfit, including two red and blue ribbons that were tied in her hair. Her face was that of a neutral, almost frown-like, expression.
The human girl was silent and still as she gazed at the purple woman before her. Hesitantly, Yumiko turned and began a slow retreat.
?I see you?ve awoken.?
Yumiko froze. It seems she wasn?t going to get out of this situation easily.
The purple girl glanced at the human intruder for not even a second. After a moment of silence, she spoke again.
?Come here.? She commanded.
Yumiko hesitantly and silently complied, slowly making her way to the table at the center of the maze of books. Once she had made it in, she cautiously sat across from the purple haired woman.
The robed girl had continued to read the text before her as Yumiko glanced around nervously. A somewhat pleasant silence hung in the air, making the library seem like a peaceful place to spend one?s time.
Finally, the purple woman let out a sigh and shut the book in front of her. She shifted her violet eyes to the human before her, giving Yumiko an apathetic gaze.
?Now,? she began, ?Why are you here and how exactly did you find this place, human.? The woman said, her tone as blunt as could be.

---------

---Sonae

The Scarlet Devil sat at a table, sipping her tea elegantly.
Hm. Meiling?s tea could use some work, but it?s far better than the fairies? tea, so it will have to suffice. The Vampire thought to herself as she awaited her new servant?s arrival.
No more than a minute later did the large wooden doors of the room creak open, revealing Meiling along with the young albino.
Remilia smiled at the human. ?Good Morning, Sora.? She said, her smile shifting into a faint smirk.
The girl shifted uncomfortably as she tried to gain composure. ?Um?Meiling told me that y-you want to see me??? Sora said in a quiet voice.
?Indeed I did.? Remilia said with flawless confidence.
The girl began to wonder what the Mistress wanted with her specifically, but only a second later did her question get answered.
?Today is a very special day for you, Sora,? Remilia said, her smirk becoming more prominent with each word she spoke. ?Today is the day you officially begin your duties as a maid of this mansion. Starting today you are my servant, and you shall do whatever I order you to do.?
Sora stared at the vampire, her face showing a mixture of confusion, anxiety, and incredulity. At a loss for words, the human just stood there, dumbfounded.
?Now,? Remilia continued in a haughty tone, ?Your first task for today will be to clean the mansion.? The vampire?s wings flicked as she pushed herself out of her chair. Now standing, the young mistress stretched and let out a lengthy yawn. ?It?s late, so I?m going to bed. I?ll meet with you after I wake up to see how you?ve done for the day.? Remilia said indignantly as she turned for the door. ?Meiling will show you to the supplies room. If you have any questions, ask her. I?ll be in my room.? With that, Remilia made her way out of the room quickly, leaving behind the redheaded gate guard and an overwhelmed human girl.
Silence hung over the pair as they waited for nothing in particular to happen.
I have to clean the entire mansion?? By myself?! The albino?s mind erupted into panic. T-there?s no way I can clean this huge place alone! That?s impossible!
Sora?s speeding thoughts were halted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The girl turned her head to see Meiling standing behind her, giving her weak and empathetic smile.
?Well, let?s get to work shall we?? Meiling said in a defeated tone as she gestured to the door.

---------

---Crow

Several minutes had past since Kisei had reached the shrine. Discovering that no one was around, she quickly found her way into the shrine, resuming the digging, snooping, and rummaging that yesterday?s ghost had interrupted.

As Kisei finished searching the current room she was in, she heard the sound of voices in the distant.
?Are you sure about this?? one voice asked. ?What if she?s really scary??
?Then we?ll run, of course.? said another voice.
?Don?t worry! With all of our abilities, there?s no way she?ll catch us!? spoke a third.
Kisei became still and silent, slinking back into a dark corner as she tried to figure out where the voices were coming from.
?Well, I guess?? the first voice replied.
From what Kisei could tell, it sounded like the voices were coming from outside of the shrine.
?Mhm, mhm.? the second voice sounded.
?Come on! Let?s go inside!? cheered the third.

Hanzo K. · « **Reply #377 on:** November 05, 2012, 12:20:13 AM »

The young mage-to-be was, of course, lounging casually against one of the walls of the countless nearby buildings, when he happened to catch note of that little group's doings.
'So to summarize, they're after those 'sages', and are looking to get Danmaku goin' again, in addition to various other things.'
Well, he'd make sure to keep his ear to the ground about anything those people might be getting up to. If anything, it'd provide him with something to do to take his mind off the hangover that was still gnawing at the back of his mind.
Of course, he'd managed to find his favorite snack cart in the interim between arriving at the village, and the current time, and had even managed to haggle a little for the special of the day, Shrimp Buns! Not precisely his favorite, but he was partial to them all the same. Especially the sauce in the filling they used for them. So rich and flavorful! It's easy to see why they were the special of the day most days he came to the village.

Either way things were sliced, seemed they were heading to the same place. Teach's place. For now though, he'd just relax. He'd have plenty of time to find them again.
'I just hope the find the Special of The Day, It'd be a shame if those girls missed out on today's. They're Shrimp Buns after all, everybody loves those! But either way you slice it, these folks are getting to be more and more interestin'. Maybe I'll tag along with 'em sometime in the future, but for now though, I'll just enjoy my meal, and then look for something to do cashflow-wise. There's always stuff that needs doin' after all, that's just how this place is.'
So of course, he just kept on leanin' and snackin'.

(OoC: Of course he'd have some cash on hand by nature. it's just something I felt didn't really need much mentioning. Though it does fall under the 'all his affairs in order' part, so yay? I just hope this is okay enough. Slight writer's block, but this should do the job, yeah?)

Oldmansour · « **Reply #378 on:** November 05, 2012, 06:33:21 AM »

Quote from: GuyYouMetOnline on November 04, 2012, 08:13:44 AM

"Should I assume, then," Laresa said, "that she does not approve of what you're doing? That may be all the more reason to meet her; I might be able to ease some of her concerns. Unless there's some other issue, in which case it's likely best if you inform me of what that issue might be. That can wait until after we meet with Keine, however."

"No, Laresa, she most definately does not approve. To be perfectly honest, when it comes to youkai, she'd get along quite well with Vaxla." Kohaku didn't mean that as insult, and was surprised by the trace of heat in her voice. Perhaps meeting the youkai murderer had left her more rattled than she'd thought. She took a moment to breathe, collect herself, before continuing. "When I told her that the youkai had chosen me to keep the peace between their race and humans, she reacted very badly." She paused for a just moment, and Hyozan whined ever so quietly, in sympathy for the memory Kohaku was about to speak of. "She nearly hit me. She's never hit me in all my life, and she nearly did today- she would have, too, if Papa hadn't been there."

The big malamute padded over to his human friend and whimpered slightly. Kohaku crouched and rubbed the dog's head. "And you would have come to my aid, I know, my friend."
*woof*
Kohaku smiled and scratched the dog behind his ear, before straightening up and looking at Tetsumaru. "I'm sorry you had to hear that. My family's had it's... issues, when it comes to youkai."

Amraphenson · « **Reply #379 on:** November 05, 2012, 06:46:12 AM »

The apprentice shakes his head. "No, it's fine. To be honest, I'm...well, let's not get into that. I'm sure your parents love you a lot, and my father has had his issues with youkai as well. It's why he needs me so much nowadays, but in any case perhaps seeing your parents wouldn't be the best of ideas." He tried to smile, as he really didn't know what else to do...and then a thought occurred to him.

"Could dad be missing because of the party yesterday? With all the distraction, it's possible...ah!" he muttered softly to himself, but then he realized he was talking out loud. "A-aah, in any case, I don't think seeing them would be a good idea, but I'll follow the both of you regardless of where we go!" he said quickly. 'Hope they didn't hear that...'

Oldmansour · « **Reply #380 on:** November 06, 2012, 04:12:58 AM »

Kohaku did not, in fact, catch the young man's mutterings, merely nods in agreement to the sentiment, and looks to the third humanoid member of their little group. "Then, unless you have something else in mind, Laresa, we should pay a visit to Sensei."

GuyYouMetOnline · « **Reply #381 on:** November 06, 2012, 04:41:47 AM »

"We can go to Keine now," Laresa said. "Perhaps meeting your parents should wait until tomorrow, if your mother was that upset." Give time for concern to overcome anger. And if she doesn't have concern for her daughter's safety, then she's of no use anyways, and it doesn't matter what she thinks when we turn up. "There is something else I'll want to do while we're here, but for now, yes, let us go to Keine."

Orphea.Russ · « **Reply #382 on:** November 06, 2012, 06:16:20 PM »

"...I, um... had read a few books about the incident with the mist, and they all mentioned an enormous library with its magician attendant... I've exhausted every book that interests me that I could get my hands on in the village, and I thought that maybe if I came here, I could learn something.." She went silent for a moment as she debated with herself whether or not to ask her... and eventually gave in to it. "...and maybe I thought that I could... work here, possibly..." That's it, she thought, after this I probably won't ever be able to come in here again...

Sonae · « **Reply #383 on:** November 18, 2012, 01:11:08 AM »

---Orphea

The magician stared at the human, her violet eyes cold as ice and sharp as a blade. She remained silent as the human spoke, giving off an almost hostile vibe. Once Yumiko had finished speaking, a unnerving silence set in.
After almost a full minute of eerie silence, the purple haired woman spoke up.
?And why precisely should I hire you, human?? She said standoffishly as she examined the girl?s features.

CrowCakes · « **Reply #384 on:** November 18, 2012, 01:18:00 PM »

Kisei bit down on her lip, muffled giggles escaping. Three dopes - they did sound like idiots - were standing outside of the room. Between laughing out loud and charging blindly into the door, she would have just burst out the screens, but that would be steeping down to their level, and she was not a master of idiocy. And she had to give it to them; they figured out someone was in the room.

She only had a few choices for her next course of action, since the dark corner that hid her could not stand a chance against three pairs of eyes. Sneaking across to the door was going to give her away; her feet were already shaking badly when she heard the inevitable "let's go in!"

The thief pushed herself off the floor. She bolted towards the door, stomping heavily on the tatami floor. Her hands tensed into fists. At the moment before she hit the door, she twisted about and landed back-first on the walls beside, backhanding the door instead.

Ready to attack the first dope who entered, Kisei drew her fist back to her chest.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #385 on:** November 20, 2012, 02:47:19 AM »

Led by the sounds of youths at lunchtime, the quartet of adventurers consisting of Kohaku, Laresa, Tetsumaru and Hyozan make very good time to the schoolhouse where Keine educated minds and dented the occasional skull. The children outside gave the four of them a wide berth, as the armaments borne by two of them made a bit of an impression on the youths. Plus, young people seemed almost naturally repelled by Hyozan, despite his quiet nature and handsome appearance. Kohaku had quietly wondered about that for years now, but this didn't seem the time to investigate further.
Knowing Keine had her lunch inside, barring the odd time Mokou was in town and they ate together outside, the quartet made their way inside in search of Sensei.

Sonae · « **Reply #386 on:** December 01, 2012, 03:59:05 AM »

---Crow

?I wonder what this new shrine maiden is like?? Said the first voice.
?I dunno. I guess we?ll have to wait and see.? Replied the second.
??! Wait!? the third voice shouted, interrupting the idle chatter of the other two. ?Someone?s in there!? the voice exclaimed.
?What!? Luna hurry, use your ability!?
?Aahhh!?
With that, the shrine fell silent. Not even the faintest sound could be heard from beyond the door that Kisei stood beside.

---------

Upon hearing the door to the schoolhouse open, Keine looked up from her papers to be greeted by a few familiar faces.
?Oh Laresa, Kohaku, I didn?t expect to have you two visit me here.? Keine said as she examined the two women, ?Oh, and Tetsumaru too.? Keine puts down her pen and looks at the group. ?So what brings all of you to the schoolhouse??

GuyYouMetOnline · « **Reply #387 on:** December 01, 2012, 06:15:03 AM »

"Danmaku," Laresa said. "You know a good deal more about it than any of us. You've actually engaged in danmaku battles, whereas none of us have. I'm confident that I could teach myself rather well-I am quite good at that-and fully intend to lead our efforts to learn it, but having you provide a demonstration and some basic lessons will likely speed the process a bit, give us something of a boost at the start. You already know why Kohaku needs to learn danmaku, and I believe I should also do so. And Tetsumaru here expressed interest, as well."

Amraphenson · « **Reply #388 on:** December 03, 2012, 02:28:28 AM »

Tetsumaru couldn't help but rub the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. "Sorry to bother you with this kind of request, but, well...I just felt like it would be important to learn how to defend myself without having to resort to steel. It's been a long time since we've really talked, hasn't it Sensei?"

CrowCakes · « **Reply #389 on:** December 11, 2012, 12:06:43 PM »

Now that the voices had disappeared, a deafening silence fell on the shrine - no footsteps, no breathing, no nothing. Kisei dropped her stance, relaxing her body. With the looming threat of still being discovered, however, she decided to move to a different room rather than stay in this one.

The girl took one more glance around the barely furnished room. She kicked at the partitions. "There really is nothing in this crummy old shrine."