Fresh Faces in the Kaleidoscope (Completed!) (+Epilogue)

~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore

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Esifex:

To my credit, I didn?t pass out this time as I went through the purple whateverthefucks.

I was contemplating swinging back at the bird-girl ? I?m pretty sure I know her name, but not positive ? but before I could act on it she?d already stepped clear away from me. Damn, she?s quick on her feet.

Koishi and the other winged girl were here, too ? and here happened to be Yukari?s estate? Mayohiga, if I?m not mistaken. I think that?s what I called it when I first showed up.

Koishi didn?t look too pleased with what had happened. She was brandishing her finger at the bird-girl who?d tagged her with the spellcard, shaking it fiercely as she talked her down.

??a third-party interruption! You know you?re going to owe me a one-on-one duel, right? And a proper duel ? none of your silly spirit camera tricks. I would?ve hit Aya anyways if you hadn?t have messed up the card. You cost me a victory and you?re going to pay, of course!?

Aya. That was the birdgirl who?d tagged me. I thought so, but couldn?t remember. Wasn?t terribly fond of crows to begin with, and her personality never really clicked with me.

The other crow girl ? the one Koishi was yelling at ? didn?t seem to bothered by it. She was idly fiddling with her cellphone (another cellphone! What the hell?), clicking through it, focused. After a moment of further verbal abuse from Koishi, she sighed and rolled her eyes.

?Like, seriously? Are you crazy or something? I don?t really care, you know, about danmaku duels, and stuff. I just take pictures, ?cuz, you know, gotta make a living.? She rolled her shoulders, and then spun around. Her pigtails whipped out and slapped at Koishi, twining around her pointed finger, dragging it down.

?Hey!? Koishi fumed, withdrawing her hand and pumping her fists in the air for a moment.

?Whaddaya want, now?? the purple-skirted crow-bitch (seriously, she?s a bitch. I never, like, got along with bitches, who, like, you know, talked in halting sentences, like, and made everything like, a question, you know? Seriously.) sneered back at Koishi.

Beside me, Aya was watching their exchange as well. ?Wanna bet on who snaps first?? she muttered to me.

Weird. Aya just kidnaps me in the dark of the night, and now we?re suddenly buddy-buddy?

?I would but I have nothing to bet. Besides, Koishi?s already snapped, can?t you see?? I whisper back.

Sure enough, Koishi?s Third Eye was twitching. It slipped open, just barely, and I expected Koishi to vanish again.

Instead, she just stood there, glaring at the indifferent crow-bitch. Her Third Eye slips shut again, and Koishi smirks.

I nudge Aya, who?d creeped in closer to watch the exchange. ?What?s that ones? name?? I point at crow-bitch.

?She?s a nobody. If you need to waste your time talking to her, she goes by ?Hatate?. She?s not the important one here, though? you want her.? Aya nods past me, and I look over.

Holy shit. How long has Yukari been standing there? Seems like she doesn?t mind being ignored, though ? she was watching Koishi and Hatate go at it, too. Now, however, she was wearing a matching smirk, similar to Koishi?s.

?Oh. Yukari. Of course, that was her thingiemijiggy that you used on us.? At least I?m sure only Yukari can use those. All I have to go off of is the games and the established canon for Gensokyo ? and that was always shifting and murky to begin with.

?Right. Whatever. She?s the one who wanted you here, not us.?

I turn away from Aya and face Yukari.

?Did you know I was turning into a psychic?? I ask her. Hatate stops ignoring everything (and by everything I mean Koishi) and turns to focus on my conversation.

She doesn?t stop smirking, but she doesn?t aim it at me, either. ?Yes, I did. That?s actually why I brought you to Gensokyo.?

?What, so I could be ostracized by all sentient society??

Oh, look. I have some leftover ?stupid? left to use. Get into a pissing match with the demi-god responsible for all laws of physics. Maybe if I?m lucky, she?ll screw with the natural laws governing how well a human body stays together, and I?ll turn into a puddle.

?Not at all. Being in Gensokyo is making your little talent there power up, to evolve much faster than it ever would?ve in your natural lifespan. It?s the raw magic power flowing through the air that?s responsible for that.?

Yukari finally turns to face me, and her smirk turns into a warm smile. I just love mixed signals ? kidnap me then act like I?m your long-lost sister.

?Take your helmet off, it looks silly on you when you?re just standing there. No, I knew you were turning into a psychic, and I knew Koishi was wandering through the area I dropped you off in. She would be ? and is, actually ? the best person to help guide you through the awakening of your telepathy. Her sister would be another good bet, but she?s far too busy to set time aside for a random human with an active mind.?

Koishi turns halfway, so she can keep an eye on Hatate and Yukari at the same time. ?So nice of you to ask me first.?

Yukari shrugged. ?Would you really have said no if I?d asked??

Psychology can be handy. Seems like Yukari really does know everything ? Koishi pondered her words for a moment, then shrugged. ?Nah, guess not.?

?Still doesn?t explain why you didn?t tell me what was going on with me. That?s dangerous, you know. Could get me kicked out of a village or something.?

Yukari?s grin vanishes in a heartbeat, and her entire demeanor changes. She starts emitting ?don?t try to fuck around or I?ll make you wish you were never born, then grant that wish? vibes. ?That was mostly a lack of tact on your part, young lady. Sure, I could?ve told you ? but then you would?ve started acting differently. That would be a wildcard ? leaving you ignorant of the situation means I could safely predict how you?d behave without having known you were becoming more and more psychic. I didn?t count on Koishi being able to detect your telepathy so early, or using it to amplify her own power, and I certainly didn?t expect her to tell you about it.?

Oh, great. Guilt trip the poor girl. I can see her averting her eyes now.

Or am I sensing her shame? Damned telepathy is confusing to get used to. Wonderful.

?Of course, you used it as a bragging right around people who take sanctuary in the norm; people who have been brought up to think that the unnatural is the mark of a youkai, and that youkai are typically self-serving, cunning boogeymen. This is mostly true, of course, but that doesn?t mean there aren?t exceptions. The problem for you, though, is that the humans don?t see it that way. They see it as black and white, one or the other. Ironically enough they have nearly daily contact with a human who is many times far more powerful than most youkai, but in their defense, she grew up with most of the humans there.?

I draw on my massive supplies of excess stupid. ?And they have a youkai guarding them, and they seem to be mostly used to you and your antics, and what the hell, double standard, definitely.?

Hatate starts clicking into her cellphone with all the subtlety of a gut-shot bull in a china shop, apparently texting something to someone. Yukari takes notice, and shifts her attention.

?This truly is a matter of humans, you know. You tengu need not get involved, and I doubt this story would sell much. Thank you for your help; your payment will be waiting for you back on the mountain. You may take your leave now.? Or else.

Aya simply nods and puts away her notepad ? which she?d managed to procure with far more stealth than Hatate had, apparently; from what I could see of it, she?d scribbled a fair amount down. With one last glance towards me, she nods at the rest of us, then launches off the ground, taking to the night sky.

An obnoxious clap signals Hatate?s cellphone closing, and she waves lazily at us. ?You can forget your duel, you know. I really can?t be bothered about it, for reals.? She winks at Koishi.

Koishi seemed to have learned the Creepy Grin from Keine. The only thing she was missing was fangs, and even with that handicap, the ?smile? she gave Hatate was just as unsettling as Keine?s. ?Understandable, you wouldn?t want to risk such a humiliating defeat. After all, who knows when you?ll be able to dodge my danmaku again??

Hatate cocks an eyebrow at her and turns away, wings unfolding.

Koishi turns away and faces Yukari and myself, with what can only be described as the most satisfied, smug, and mischievous grin on her face.

She calls over her shoulder to Hatate as the crow-bitch prepares the leap off the ground, ?I think we can call it even.?

WHAM! Hatate managed to rise up about four feet before toppling over and slamming into the ground, face-first. Her wings are held stiff out to each side of her.

Somewhere in the dark sky, I can hear Aya burst out into laughter. ?Priceless!? Another flash of her camera, and her laughing voice recedes into the distance.

Hatate digs herself out of her embarrassing landing and rolls over onto her side, spitting out dust. ?What the hell?! You! You made me do that, didn?t you?!? she shrieked at Koishi?s back.

Koishi?s only response was to close her eyes and laugh silently, doing her best not to shake with mirth.

Yukari chuckles. Good, she?s back into a lighthearted mood.

Hatate rises off the ground, patting her skirt off. ?What did you do to me?!?

Finally Koishi turns around and faces her. ?I clipped your wings, bitch. Have fun learning how to fly, again.?

The look on Hatate?s face really was priceless. It went in waves; first was her initial shock at being called a ?bitch? to her face, then straight horror at the realization that she didn?t know how to fly anymore. Must suck when you?re half bird.

?YOU!? She?s not very original with her curses.

Before she can take more than two steps towards Koishi, one of Yukari?s wormholes opens up and swallows her.

?That was hilarious. I applaud you, Koishi. Now, come inside, both of you. The night is young, and it?s also a youkai?s friend. I?ll have dinner prepared for you both, and I suppose your phone is in need of charging now??

I start as I realize she?s talking to me again. ?Ah! No, actually. Haven?t been playing it. Been too busy around the villagers, and I didn?t want to answer a million questions about it. It?s used up a little power, but still has some juice in it.?

?Interesting. It?s been nearly a full week since you left here. Hardy little phone.? Yukari turns and strides across her yard to the door to her estate. I imagine it?s a regal stride, but damn if I can tell under her massive, fluffy dress.

?I take care of it. What?s for dinner??

The night seems to be ending on good terms for now. That?s good.

Can you tell what my opinion of the crow tengu is?

Esifex:
This post will be turned into the next part of the story
OR WILL IT
(the answer is no, actually, the next part of the story gets its own post)

Before I even realized it I had written in another training montage (see Everlasting Wanderers for another example of drawn-out boringness that is potentially chock-full of Chekhov's Guns) and I imagine that part would be a bit to muscle through. Instead, I'm just gonna let the story hold off right here while I write more in the sanctity of my non-net-worthy laptop at my own pace (I already have more written, so if I get RAVE REVIEWS I can post more in a hurry if I needed to) so that no one feels too horribly overwhelmed.

Stay tuned, I promise it'll get a bit more interesting! Although I DID have a lot of fun writing Bitch-Hatate... dunno if I can top that.

Kasu:
Oh hell yes. I can't believe you decided to add more to this. I'm definitely gonna follow it.

Iced Fairy:
Poor Hatate. Forever tainted by Aya's slanderous reporting into being a valley girl. Still, an interesting add on to a well deserved winning piece. I'm really curious to see where the story stumbles from here.

Esifex:

--- Quote from: IcedFairy on July 15, 2010, 03:06:50 AM --- I'm really curious to see where the story stumbles from here.

--- End quote ---

I giggled. I have no clue if that could be slanderous towards my erratic writing habits (I haven't forgotten all the research you've done for me - this story is just more completed than the other one) or just poking fun at Esifex being totally out of her element.

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