~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore
A New World: Book 1 Completed
Kasu:
It would seem a lot of stuff went down.
Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin:
You can say that again ... >.>;
This is starting to feel like one of those stories where "the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train."
Iced Fairy:
--- Quote from: KimikoMuffin on July 28, 2010, 08:40:47 PM ---You can say that again ... >.>;
This is starting to feel like one of those stories where "the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train."
--- End quote ---
Of course it's a train!
The question is, where is it going to be redirected? ;)
Iced Fairy:
Revival! With more to follow in a couple of days. Then mecha, then the wild west! I'm back in action! Er, for now.
Also I apologize for my inability to get the proper names of Tokugawa era currency lower then a ryo. The copper coins being used here are correct, I just don't know their name.
----
Renko inspected the apple carefully. While she had always been interested in natural foods, she had to admit that it was kind of nice to not have to check all your produce for worms. ?I really wish we'd thought to bring our exploring club supplies. My knife would be real handy.?
She immediately regretted the comment when Maribel looked downcast. ?Eh, we'll just have to get some new stuff. It's not like we ever packed for more then a couple of days anyways.?
Maribel sighed. ?That's true.? Her friend's eyes returned to the barrel before picking out three more of the red fruits. ?Hm... These should be good by tomorrow.?
Renko nodded, then added the apple she was inspecting to the basket. She then turned to the vendor. ?We'll take these.?
The stall owner smiled. ?That'll be ten copper coins miss.?
Renko was confused for a bit. They'd only gotten eight apples, and they were small at that. ?I think you miscounted. Here take a look.?
The man gave her an odd look in return. ?Um...?
The three stood in silence for a moment before Renko realized she was probably supposed to haggle. ?Ah! Six coins is fair for this many right??
The man pretended to look incredulous. ?Six? In this season? No less then nine.?
Mary tapped Renko on the shoulder. ?They look pretty small to cost that much. Far smaller then the apples outside. Maybe seven, Renko??
Renko groaned internally but tried to keep her worry off her face. ?Yeah, seven sounds right.?
?I don't know what the apples 'outside' look like, but these are some of the finest in Gensoukyo,? the man stated with a grin. ?Nine is a fair price here.?
Renko fished around in her pocket, then looked at the cash in her hand. ?That's too bad. We only have eight copper. I'm afraid we'll have to call Keine over then.?
The man blanched. ?Er... Well I can make a special deal for you today. Eight for eight.?
Renko smiled and handed over the money. ?Thank you, sir.?
?Thank you.? Mary repeated.
As the two walked off Renko softly said, ?Mary, I think that mentioning we're outsiders is a bad plan. That usually means 'fleece me' when haggling is involved.?
Mary looked embarrassed. ?Yeah I realized that as soon as I said it. Sorry.?
?You didn't do too badly.? Keine said as she stepped out of the crowd. ?I know haggling has gone out of style in the outside world. I'm surprised you realized what you needed to do so quickly.?
Renko smiled at the praise as she returned the rest of the coins Keine had given her. ?Well we're both students of history to some degree, and you still need to haggle some places.?
Mary nodded. ?If nothing else it appears in books frequently.?
Keine handed off one of her own shopping baskets to Mary and began heading back towards the school house. ?That's good. You'll need that skill around here. Later on I'll give you an idea about how much things are worth in Gensoukyo, but for now you can get a general feel for things by watching the market in your off time.?
As they moved out of the market and started passing more permanent stores, Renko noticed something odd. ?Hey Keine, why are there so many hatters? That's the fourth one we've passed.?
Keine shrugged. ?I actually have no idea. I've never really thought about it. Hats have always been popular in Gensoukyo.?
Renko brooded on that for a while. It didn't seem to fit the era. Oh well, at least she'd be able to replace her hat when it finally wore out.
She wondered if one of those stores was where Keine got her... headpiece. And if that meant the place was really good, or someplace to avoid.
After a bit of walking Keine paused for a moment. ?Would you mind if we took a slight detour? I want to check up on someone.?
The two girls looked at each other and shrugged. ?Sure. We're here to see the village after all,? Mary said.
?Thank you,? Keine replied. She turned and headed down a few alleys towards where Renko thought the other market was probably located.
After a bit more walking Renko began to hear someone singing. It was an odd song, seemingly changing pitches at random while still remaining lyrical. As if someone was trying to sing bird song.
As the trio entered a larger street the source of the singing became apparent. Behind the counter of a food stand a girl, who could only be considered a bird youkai, was happily singing as she grilled fish. Mostly lamprey from the menu. She looked surprised to see Keine, but she didn't stop singing until the school teacher approached the counter. ?What do you want, Keine??
The words weren't openly hostile, but they weren't friendly either. Keine however seemed unfazed. ?I just wanted to check if there were any rumors running around the forest. You're usually one of the first to hear things, Mystia.?
Mystia considered the matter as she flipped a few pieces of lamprey. ?Hm... I haven't really heard anything. The only oddity is Rumia's disappeared, but she does that every now and then. Chen's off working too, but that's hardly news.?
Keine thought for a moment. ?Still a week and a half to the full moon as well.? She sighed. ?Well thank you Mystia. I'll probably be dropping by until then just in case something changes.?
Mystia shrugged. ?I'll keep my ears open when I go fishing again.? She turned back to her grill and started singing again.
Keine returned and began leading them once again to the schoolhouse. ?Sorry about that. I wanted to check to see if your arrival had caused any changes with the local youkai. I don't expect anything like that of course, but it's better to be safe then sorry.?
?Is she one of the 'friendly youkai' that your history text mentioned?? Mary asked.
Keine looked startled then laughed. ?Yes I guess you could say she is, though I wouldn't recommend saying it to her face. She was one of the youkai that still hunted humans actually for a long while, even if she wasn't too serious about it.? Keine's grin faded a bit. ?However, youkai don't just eat humans. For some species, weaker youkai are fine too. Mokou rescued her after her wing got broken, and she set up shop in the village. After a while she decided to stay. After all she was never good at actually catching humans before, and she was making a lot of money here. Also no one tries to eat her in the village."
The two girls frowned. ?Is she safe to be around??
Keine nodded. ?I think she's actually grown somewhat fond of most humans. She's been here a few generations now. She's angry at me for... a variety of other reasons. We didn't get along well when we first met.?
They walked for a bit more before Mary spoke up again. ?And... well, is that safe for her? I mean we read your history on the changes to Gensoukyo and...?
Keine managed a weak smile. ?Ah, Mystia is actually doing rather well. You see, most youkai's powers fade when they aren't feared or respected. I get my powers from respect, and because of my human nature. Mystia on the other hand has actually gotten more fear and respect now that she's a member of the village.?
Renko blinked. ?How so??
Keine paused for a moment. ?In the village, we have only one crime for serious offenses. Banishment. Since there's no one who will call vengeance on a youkai for eating a non person...? Mary and Renko blanched. ?Anyway, Mystia has been using her advance knowledge of when the punishment is to take place to get a leg up on the competition. Some of the more superstitious villagers see her as an youkai of vengeance now. She's doing fine.?
Renko felt slightly dizzy at the thought of the small bird girl hunting down people as they fled the village. ?Are you trying to throw us off balance with culture shock!??
Keine nodded. ?Yes. I've found it's better to cause a mental breakdown in the first couple of days when Mokou and I can help. Letting things build up usually ends up hurting more in the long run.?
Renko and Mary looked at each other. It seemed they were in for a long week.
Esifex:
--- Quote from: IcedFairy on August 13, 2010, 05:02:16 AM ---Keine paused for a moment. ?In the village, we have only one crime for serious offenses. Banishment. Since there's no one who will call vangance on a youkai for eating a non person....? Mary and Renko blanched. ?Anyway, Mystia has been using her advance knowledge of when the punishment is to take place to get a leg up on the competition. Some of the more superstitious villagers see her as an youkai of vengeance now. She's doing fine.?
--- End quote ---
So, Mystia is the guardian force of the village that keeps people from returning when they've been banished? Clever!
--- Quote ---Keine nodded. ?Yes. I've found it's better to cause a mental breakdown in the first couple of days when Mokou and I can help. Letting things build up usually ends up hurting more in the long run.?
--- End quote ---
"Why, yes, as a matter of fact, I am trying to break your mind."
I giggled.