Chessa catches Brilliance and Conquest at the morning weapon check. Conquest's boffer sword and spear don't warrant checking every day, but Brilliance has only gotten through half of their quiver of arrows. The nekomata's mewling causes them to drop their belt, and a plethora of spell pouches roll out and across the ground.
Brilliance listens closely as they gather the spilled pouches. "That would be excellent. We're just wrapping up with the Cult of the Golden Manticore, and we could use some strangers for the tavern." Standing upright with a sigh, they consider something troubling. "I'm not sure if we could get Princess Prissy Pants onboard. Conquest?"
Conquest looks up from a well-worn campaign log. "What's that?"
"The humans in the committee need a social mixer, like a team building exercise. Do you think we could dupe Perfection into clearing it for our tavern scene? Have them do the prep work while we finish up the cult?"
As they are speaking, Chessa notices Brilliance's lack of a shadow.
Meanwhile, Ao affixes the red marble egg to the inquiry table, under the hot needle of inquiry. This is Ao's workroom, and Suzu isn't the snitching type. "I've heard the symbol is related to the humor which produced the egg." The djinn traces the teardrop carved into the surface of the egg, and the line at the drop's base. Across the room, a fob is plugged into the console, and Ao's private data cache loads into the equipment's transient memory.
The needle glows red, and lines of light trace across the surface of the egg. The walls of the room light up, and scenes of trussed_in_me flash across the surface while the machine calibrates. Much of this data was carved from Ao's memories before his selection as an inquisitor. All of the Inquisitors keep such data stores, and it's assumed to be a common, albeit unethical practice. The data which is not a nostalgic holdover from a bygone age as been meticulously carved during inquiries and aggregated into a data mesh for cross referencing.
Looking up as the sunlight moves across the room, and plays across Brilliance's features, Chessa can't help but notice the lack of shadows playing across her features. Her ears swivel back and her tail droops slightly, as her little heart fractures. Regaining her composure, as the two speak, she starts to pounce one of the scrolls, but comes up short as Brilliance rolls it up.
"Yesss, that will be so great! We can all wear costumes and effurrything. Sora is going to love it!" the cat says, bouncing back and forth, forgetting all about her captured light a few feet back. The excitement is almost entirely telegraphed... she was getting to help someone, maybe, before bad things happened, but her boss, who she cared for dearly, and trusted intimately... also needed her help.
Her first brushes with darkness had taught her some important lessons about it, and while they were only vague, broad brush strokes... so far, every villain had also been a victim in some way. Who had hurt Brilliance, and how could Chessa make it better..? Maybe Nobody could...
"Oh please, Conquest, please get Purrfection to make the party happen!" the little cat purrs as she carefully maintains her mask and holds out hope.
Conquest smiles and kneels to speak to Chessa. "An army which eats together wins together. Something I'm sure Temerity would agree to. I think we could talk Maturity into a party, even if they won't be invited." Conquest nods. "Yes, I think it can be done without consulting our self-proclaimed leader, and in a way which is beyond reproach." Their gaze flicks briefly to Brilliance. "These are troubling times. I'm glad to see someone is taking the initiative to bring people together." The embodiment of total domination flashes a disarming smile and reaches out to scratch behind Chessa's ear. As primary Yokai rancher, they know all the good spots.
Data streams through the machine, much of it arcane and inscrutable to Ao’s eyes. What Ao is trained to see is the bigger picture in all its intricate beauty.
Suzu continues to relay her knowledge on the topic. “The seven eggs are tied to the seven humors used by yokai to form pact weapons with humans. This one is associated with bile. Once a human had bargained away all seven, besides being in need of a moisturizer, their body became a starchild, their soul joined their Erohin beyond the Veil, and the spirits were left behind as yokai eggs. There has been some disagreement in the past about the ethos and necessity of this process, and those arguments have only become more cutting now that the Veil is gone.”
The walls of the room display clouded images of the other six red marble eggs. The engraving on each is glowing. It occurs to Ao that if the seven figures were superimposed, the resulting crisscrossed teardrop would be identical to the sigil engraved into the marble edifice over the front gates to Neo Jimazan.
Ao already knew where one other egg has been kept. Malice’s garden is a sweltering boiler room, ringing with the sounds of a forge. The personal visits have become more and more infrequent, and soon they should be able to sneak it away without Malice noticing.
“This one is blood. One of the more common offerings, ironically.” The egg chosen by Perfection sits under a glass case among an array of similar plinths. The room looks out on the model of Obusa, suggesting it’s on an upper floor of Shirakawa tower. Someone will have to make arrangements to steal it.
Four of the eggs sit in a torchlit cave, arranged on a velveteen cushion. Banners depicting a bloody paw print are posted on either side, and a large, ornate chest filled with coins spills out over the floor. “Sweat, tears, saliva, and urine.” Suzu nods. “The binding glue between body and soul. The gates to the heart. A part apart...” the djinn seems lost in thought.
Suzu is somewhat conspicuous in this new world. There are certainly yokai which are possessed of a distinctly feminine form, but most which would normally exhibit gender dimorphism, or which regularly shapeshift, have changed with the times, and with good reason. Anyone (human, yokai, or even Erohin) faces peer pressure, ridicule, and threats of violence for such a conspicuous display of gender presentation, but for some reason Suzu does not seem affected.
Case in point:
Ao’s attention is drawn to the four co-located eggs where a figure slumps into view, curling up on the spilled treasure. The manticore, Phil, looks over their shoulder an whuffs with displeasure. Phil's most recent carving, performed by the abysmal facilities in Conquest's temple, expands on the adjacent wall. Private moments flow together in a montage of incriminating evidence. Rolling in dirt, clawing trees to sawdust, and delving boldly into the pitch black badlands outside Neo Jimazan are only a few of the habits on display, and even under Conquest’s care, the manticore is likely facing ridicule.
The violence of these habits reminds the inquisitor of Malice. Phil is lucky Conquest has… his back. Ao has known for some time that all the grinning provocateur needs is a proper enemy. Shuji held that title until recently. The Erohin took the man’s virility in an act of pure spite, but now, with another adversary silenced, a dangerous ennui is settling over the temple. Any enemy would do, and the stronger the better, but the Err of ill intent becomes self-destructive without a target to pursue.
At the question of using the egg’s energy, Suzu balks, her face flashing through disgust into morbid curiosity. “Creation is a defiance of physical law, and the strongest magic. It’s something the Erohin envy you for, if you’ll forgive my blasphemy.” She winks. “Matter and energy flow from one purpose to another, but a mortal can spawn new life without diminishing their own. It is what attracted them to you in The Beginning, or so I’ve been told.” Her smile indicates that as tantalizing as this revelation may be, fishing for clarification will lead you into one of the djinni’s patented conversations-which-go-nowhere-and-accomplish-nothing-for-several-hours. “-but we are already usurping this power from its initial purpose. Usurping it again, while it may be difficult, is possible.”
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Nobody is sitting in the common room of their hideout - as if they had any other rooms than the common one to speak of - once more on her perch of shame (her cubby holes, which still contain the beaded bracelet.) Her legs sway underneath her as she sits in the same denim outfit she always seems to be wearing (except when in disguise-hoodie-mode), speaking to whoever is nearby.
"So... these guys are all going to be going to a Tea Party soon, sources say. In a Tavern. At Conquest and Brilliance's roleplaying session. How fetch is that? I wish I was invited, but it's apparently just for the Purity Committee. Not that I would be caught dead there, what with being a figment of everyone's imaginations." Nobody says with a grin to Petrichor. "Speaking of, sources also say that Brilliance's explusion may well have pushed her towards embracing her inner darkness... which means that the little party might be a little more dangerous than we'd like, and I may well be caught dead there just to keep folks safe."
Petrichor lounges a few inches above the shredded cushion of a couch. She's holding (in a precariously bladed grip) a composition notebook labeled ode to our mothers' moon in red ink. "Would that our betters were above such treacherous flaws. Gods or not, I fear for this world should an Erohin fall to Darkness as I have." She has a habit of leaving the composition notebook conveniently unattended next to the couch while she's sleeping in one of the deeper rooms blocked off by furniture. Once she even left it next to the shrine, one perfectly normal human interaction shy of handing it to Tracy and asking her what she thinks.
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Iris comes in through a wall and crashes out exhausted in the hideout, groaning loudly.
Of all the times to lose her saves! Of ALL the times!
Hopefully, Conquest won't be forced into taking down Brilliance again...the schism that created was enough by itself to ensure a bad end state, to say nothing of the amount of people who lost their shadows.
They couldn't afford everything to tear itself apart again.
The problem is simple - the Erohin's party simply to things too far. In the confrontation with Phil, their party members use the scenario to try and get away with more than they usually could without Conquest stepping in - and after a few harsh wounds, things tend to play out differently depending on whether Conquest notices or not.
When he doesn't, the situation turns deadly as Phil starts responding in kind, turning the situation into a full on bloodbath. Nobody realises the situation has become real until far too late, and everything spills out of control.
It's perhaps worse when Conquest picks up on it, though. Everything grinds to a halt, and a massive argument ensues as Brilliance is denied a much needed release. It turns out that they were far closer to their breaking point than anyone realised, and well...any memory of the fallout fades out into painful static at that point.
Rampant displays of power are inevitable, and Brilliance is at a tipping point. The goals are simply to stay alive, keep Brilliance on an even keel, and try to avoid things going badly enough that other Erohin are forced to come in to resolve the situation - and in doing so, deal a heavy blow to the standing of Conquest and Brilliance that will only make things worse later.
If any Erohin fall, it's done. Same for if other council members are forced to step in. Painful as it is, the best result so far involves hiding a deadly brawl.
"I think I heard from the same sources, Nobody..." Iris rolls over on the beanbag, staring up to the ceiling. "Brilliance needs to let off some steam. Pretty sure they're going to try and mess with...the manticore, as well, and I do not want to see that play out." She glances over to Nobody. "I need to find that manticore some support for that scene, fast. Things are going to go bad if they don't think anyone has their back, let alone if nobody actually has their back. Get some cult reinforcements to show up dramatically as the party makes their grand confrontation. Know a few Yokai you could get to go along with it?"
Got to make sure the reinforcements don't get tied up in the tavern this time...
There were two pads of paper, and three pens, two of black and one of pink sitting in the space between Nobody and Petrichor. The pads of paper had several sheets torn out of them, and none of the devices involved were the same brand. All of them were used. "Are... are you suggesting that Nobody raises the CR of the encounter by joining the enemy party? You understand that that makes it almost certain that Nobody will get hurt, right? And worse... visible." she groans. "Oh, you didn't mean me. I do not wanna be boffed to death."
She pauses, feet swishing below her. "I don't really have any friends that aren't here." she says, eyes turning away from the others as she puzzles what she can do to help Brilliance.
"Any powerful or popular yokai would suffice, I should think. I don't know how much good a human would do, they don't really respect us- er... you?" Petrichor shifts uncomfortably over the couch. "I'm unclear on my own status at this juncture. Speaking to my own experience, however, knowing one is not on one's own can be a significant aide in preventing an Eclipse. Little known fact: I didn't get the chance to go through with my plan. The Darkness came for me when I gave in to it."
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"Neither. Here, everyone is just a person." Chessa says with a grin. "Out there... I'm not so sure what any of us are. Varies from person to person, really. Place to place, time to time, conversation to conversation. So many masks out there... or maybe just so many faces?" Chessa offers, giving the other Yokai another smile as her legs take turns kicking in time. "Eclipse is an interesting word, though... so... there's like a turning point?" Chessa asks, morbidly curious.
She waits for the response, before turning back to Junpei - possibly changing the subject for her other friend. "You're the one who works with Conquest... you should know plenty of Yokai, right? Maybe even some that owe you favors..?"
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“Oh honey,” Suzu moves to leave at Ao’s request, stopping at the doorway, “ you shouldn't worry about me. I’m perfectly suited to keeping little boys’ secrets... besides, we’re friends, right?”
As soon as the metagama goes under the needle, the walls burst into static. The stone is dense with information, moreso even than an inquisitor’s data store. The machine groans audibly as Ao makes the necessary adjustments to parse out some readable data from a kaleidoscope of schematics and lewd materials.
When an image comes into focus on one wall, it’s of DelphicKnight sitting rather uncomfortably in a too-small chair. The chair is next to a work table covered in potted flowers. A small girl kneels over the man’s extended arm, working her hands through a cat’s cradle of magical thread. The scene shifts occasionally, suggesting regular repeated visits with clothes changing and positions shifting.
In another scene, the DK stands next to the shrine of eyes. “This is that thing you were doing before. This alliance will not be a means for you to continue your work killing children.”
The girl in this scene is sitting at the base of the shrine, braiding the hair of a doll. “Collecting their ki, child. They would have recovered, with time. Forgive me for wanting to elevate an inferior species… In any case, it was the trinkets which were the real tragedy. That’s why you need to steal the eggs.”
“The yokai eggs?” The man sounds doubtful.
“Yes. They’re essentially the same thing. Bring them together, wrap them with enough ki, and Bob’s your uncle, you’ve got a source of magical potential greater than any one trinket. Enough to match an Erohin. You’re all going to need one. This Darkness is spreading, and there’s no doubt in my mind that Perfection’s behind it. She and you-know-who.”
Both of them check the door.
“I keep telling you, they were not on speaking terms before the cataclysm. She was planning to kill Rhea. They are not allies now, no matter what Hades’ informant might say.”
The girl tuts. “You’re going to have to learn our real names, child. All this about Greek gods will not be as adorable to them as it is to me...”
The machine is getting hot. This is simply too much data to sort through.
☽⬤☾
At the hideout, Petrichor looks sheepish. “Oh, pardon. I am prone to extended metaphors. Yes. Eclipse is like when you’ve been driven to the precipice of Darkness, and the Stresses of the world are closing in behind you. You think when you step off that it’ll be the end, but it’s just cold and dark and empty and you’re still alive, and she’s still- sorry. Yes. A turning point.”
All plans towards accomplishing her present goals having been accomplished, Chessa sets to work helping as best she can, mostly with the inspection, but sneaking peaks at all of the inner workings of the manticore hunt whenever she received the chance. She made certain that scrolls were unrolled and rolled back up (by chasing them, of course), boffer arrows were properly tipped and blunted (by batting them, of course), and investigated the equipment of the pair simply by hanging around. Perhaps, most importantly, she settled into the most comfortable spot (right in the middle of a book) and read it as she sat and relaxed.
During the entire thing, she likely didn't get a good look at everything, given that her main concern was with figuring out how to help her friend... not just with the success of the mission. Even still, the two weren't so far apart, were they?
Along with the items for Conquest and Brilliance, Chessa sees the spell pouches for some kind of magical healer and a bandolier of boffer knives. Two humans, one you recognize as Mercy's, are milling about and keeping just as close an eye on Brilliance.
While purrusing and looking over all of the things she can get her paws on, Chessa also carefully listens to these strange strangers who did not belong! Why would Mercy have anyone here, when Conquest was already here!?
Brilliance is not the sentimental type. Yet, as Chessa watches, Brilliance reminisces with Conquest about past events where their paths have crossed. No one else is picking up on it, but they’re saying farewell.
The humans in the party are giving Chessa the stink eye. Brilliance is supposed to be under house arrest, and not keeping company with a yokai who thinks they can come and go. They take the investigation seriously, and aren’t going to abide anyone taking orders or passing information. Mercy’s kid is the one playing cleric, they seem the type. You could swear you know them, but can't recall their name. You might be able to depend on them to pull punches, but the stranger looks like they wish their knives were sharp.
As the implements are gathered and the adventuring party assembles, Brilliance stops to give their familiar a good scratch. “Soon enough, Chessa. Nothing in Darkness is immune to the Light.”
Knowing the night’s potential, and Brilliance’s part in it, it’s clear that this push to cast someone who isn’t human into the Darkness is an attempt to call increased attention to the threat. They hope that if the others see a yokai or Erohin fall to the Darkness, they’ll take it more seriously, and Brilliance is prepared to cross that line themself to see it happen.
The, comparatively few, times Tracy manages to find herself in the 'clubhouse', it is fairly clear she is taking refuge from the world outside as much as she might be seeking a means to aid it. Invariably, she occupies even more of her time 'purifying' the orb & it's immediate surroundings, on multiple occasions sweeping Ao's rake tracks into a placid smoothness again. Those of you who note such things, notice when she does so, she always sweeps from the orb outward & that she takes an almost obsessive care to be certain the broom is completely without foreign contaminant beforehand.
The second time Petrichor's journal is left so...
ostentatiously, Tracy picks it up, taking care to keep it closed as she does so before quietly padding over to Petrichor's 'nest'. Almost meditatively, she sits cross-legged just outside. Once Petrichor awakens, Tracy hands her the journal. "I've tried the last decade or so not to make assumptions or judgments about people, if you want or... need to talk about something, I can't promise I will know what to say, but I will listen."
Petrichor doesn't make Tracy wait. She looks down at the notebook. "Oh, what?" She is caught off guard, and takes a moment to find her words. squirming in her seat. "Not... about the story?" Her tone suggests she's filling the air with sound more than objecting, and soon her detached, unrealistically circumspect facade slides back into place.
"I don't do well confronting this sort of thing head-on like this. Right now I'm full of a lot of self-doubt and regrets, and letting the pot boil over is not a good look. Hence the metaphors and the illustrative writing. Do you mind if we do something else while we talk? Cleaning helps me feel less vulnerable..."
Conquest still respects Brilliance for the way they handled the Obusa Mall incident. That respect means they are willing to stake their reputation on allowing Brilliance to have this lax, relaxing house arrest. Conquest wants to help Brilliance conquer Perfection. They would never admit it's because Perfection's nuke was a cheap move.
Suzu looks up from the books she's delivering to Ao's stacks of research. "I've acted as a servant for most of my life. I've learned to bide my time and ignore the ways others choose to waste my time." Running a finger down the spines, she expertly pulls a book out of the stack and replaces it at the top. "It's also very entertaining to watch your futile attempts at establishing control in a world fundamentally based in chaos." She quirks a smile. "It does help to have a 'side-hustle'." You're not sure where she learned the term, but she says it like a private joke.
The, comparatively few, times Tracy manages to find herself in the 'clubhouse', it is fairly clear she is taking refuge from the world outside as much as she might be seeking a means to aid it. Invariably, she occupies even more of her time 'purifying' the orb & it's immediate surroundings, on multiple occasions sweeping Ao's rake tracks into a placid smoothness again. Those of you who note such things, notice when she does so, she always sweeps from the orb outward & that she takes an almost obsessive care to be certain the broom is completely without foreign contaminant beforehand.
Before long, she seems to have enlisted Petrichor's aid in furthering the work that Nobody started, occasionally nattering about simple things, but primarily what energy she isn't devoting to cleaning & organizing is devoted to listening, letting Petrichor lead the conversation where she will.
Breaking into the conceptual barrier that had absorbed the abandoned kitchen was the first step, but the kitchen was filled with broken wooden furniture and thousands of mugs and aluminum cans filled with ash and stubbed out cigarettes. Once all the trash is cleared out, broken down, and disposed of, it takes some time to clean out the ovens and grills. The only functional appliance is the fridge, which was stocked to the brim with cans of PBR.
Petrichor explains that she had met someone she calls 'Azuko' at the library while searching for books about the moon. It seemed like they had everything in common, including a hatred of the status quo, and as they spent more and more time together, planning for a rebellion they never had the courage to act on, Petrichor fell more and more in love. One day, seemingly out of the blue, Azuko said she couldn't meet Petrichor anymore. Evidently, she said some hurtful things that Petrichor can't bear to repeat. Crushed, and desperate for meaning in what she describes as a 'screeching void of existential panic' she attempted a demonstration at the library where they met, hoping that if she couldn't have happiness in this life, she might affect a change in the world on her way out. Nothing she shares explains why she attacked the boy in the treehouse.
After a few hours of cleaning, Petrichor is carefully arranging an array of her quills in the knife block to replace the over-sharpened set that was left behind. "This was surprisingly meditative. Thank you."
☽⬤☾
Suzu smiles slyly at Ao's cracked facade. She takes another book from the top of Ao's 'out' pile, and casually opens it to the middle with a simple slide of her thumb. "Spend time with one another. Discover and celebrate each other, and discover things about yourself. Your lives are too short to dwell on the circumstances of your births." Her lips part slightly as she scans the book, the pages turning on a slight wind. Her eyes barely move. Finding what she was looking for, she replaces the book on Ao's 'in' pile. "You missed something in that one."
The title of the book in question is Faust, Parts I & II by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
“Out of bed already, Aila? Oh boy!” Betchen trips and rolls onto the floor, landing upside down on a cushion. “Can I still say that one? I forget. Retchen would know. Oh, but she’s always talking about honeys and sugars and girlies, so it’s probably okay. Just to be sure, don’t say it, okay Aila? We’re gonna have a good day today!”
“You know what they did b’cause you’ll be at’cher little party? Huh? Huh? Guess!” Betchen doesn’t give you the chance to respond. “We get to go to Perfection’s little snow globe! They’ve got all the humans cleared out, you know, for the investigation, and we get to go in and see what Urth was like!” It’s strange to think so many yokai never got a chance to see earth before the Cataclysm. Even if it is to investigate a possible connection between Perfection and the Darkness, you hope the Gremlins Three enjoy themselves.
Retchen rolls in through a ventilation duct, letting the grill clap back in place. “Out of bed and into some clothes, sweetie, and don’t forget your binder. You know you wouldn’t have to wear it if you’d just let little Hiro touch you up a bit.” The boy she’s referring to, Hiro, is not much better than you are when if comes to violations.
Fetchen is not far behind Retchen as the two of them collide and tumble to the floor. “Yup yup! Touch you up!” She grinds against Retchen in a way that suggests they aren’t talking about surgery.
“Quit that, Fetchen, you’ll give the poor thing ideas. She’s only just out of re-education today.” It is positively infuriating how often your three guardians violate the same rules they peg you for. “Breakfast’s in five minutes, dearie, and not a minute later. You’re already late as it is.”
The mass of curly blond hair perched atop their head bobs back and forth as they talk. You know the routine. You know how to answer. You aren’t even paying attention until they touch your arm. “Hey, if you wanna, ditch, I know a spot. We can talk about things, get comfortable, whatever you want.” One of their eyes closes independently of the other and their lips purse. There it is. Perhaps that is a trade mark.
A tengu with the shape and coloration of a raven lands on the social worker’s shoulder, puffing on a rolled cigarette clenched in their beak. “You’re wasting your time with this one. They put it down here because it’s empty.”
You’ve heard things like this before. You get the feeling you’re supposed to feel offended, but this exchange has already been dragging on, and you have eggs to turn and pipes to mend. One of the incompetent inquisitors overloaded a HN3600, and anguish has been leaking in sector twelve ever since.
“You shouldn’t be down here!” Iktomi slides down from the ceiling on a thread. Their assistance is unnecessary, and only serves to escalate the conflict. "You're being investigated."
The raven’s feathers rustle, and a plume of putrid smoke sets the spider swinging. “I go where I want, bug.”
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Salvia orderly stows a wrench and tucks a rogue lock of reddish hair behind her ear before looking at the social worker like one would look at a bug. Well, one other than Salvia, who'd study and catalogue the arthropode before feeding it to Iktomi.
Annoyed by the social situation, she extends a hand for the spider-spirit to lend on and addresses the social worker, ignoring the tengu.
"Your caretaker is correct in that you are wasting your time. We both are. So, if you intend to 'ditch', as you put it, your duty and spend your time elsewhere, please go ahead. I don't need a chaperone, and you will be better employed otherwise. A good solution for us both."
Having already packed the few required supplies, as well as a traveler's technikit, Salvia puts on a dark grey coat and starts heading purposefully towards the exit, Iktomi perched on her shoulder.
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Aila, dressed in a finely made suit of pearlescent white fabric that shimmers with hints of blue, sat on the edge of her bed as Betchen tumbled through the door.
Poor Aina. Not only is she going to miss the party, but she's also got to deal with two of them today. At least Betchen isn't there to test her patience.
Hiding her annoyance with the more energetic of the three gremlin sisters behind a mask of calm aloofness, Aila gave Betchen a small, polite smile.
"This one promises not to repeat what you have said," Aila told Betchen"This one is glad that you are happy. Will Perfection be there themself?" The question was more of a way to get Betchen talking again than any real attempt at conversation. Retchen was the tricky one, smarter than her sisters and sly enough to use those smarts to try getting Aila or Aina into trouble. Betchen, on the other hand, was a blabbermouth who said little of importance and could be counted on to fill any silence with her blithe tongue.
Be safe Aina. I hope that we'll be able to see each other soon, she thinks as she pulls a stray strand of auburn hair behind her ear.
"Whuh's goin' on?"
Aina woke as Fetchen and Retchen made an awful racket getting into the small closet that had been assigned as her room. She reached out for her alarm clock to see what time it was, only to find broken and warped plastic.
How?
Adrenaline burned away the last dregs of drowsy sleep from her limbs as her anger flared red-hot. Only the fresh memories from her "re-education" kept her mouth shut, though she did growl at the reminder that she needed to bind her chest.
"Don't suppose either one of you knows what happened to my alarm clock," she asked as she quickly gathered fresh clothes to change into after a quick shower. She didn't really expect a straight answer, and would honestly be happy to just distract them from their disturbing displays.
"Oh honey baby, you shouldn't go blamin' others fer yer troubles," Retchen answers with a wicked grin.
Aina didn't have time to argue and left for the showers with a snort of contempt. The water was freezing, as always. A couple of minutes later, she discovered that her clothes had wandered off as she dried herself with the scratchy towels that were supplied. Luckily, whoever had made off with her clothing had left her something to wear.
This time at least.
Already pressed for time, Aina didn't dwell on it and just dressed while hoping that there weren't any "alterations" like she'd found on more than one set of her clothes. Thankfully, the prankster seemed content with just leaving her a tight shirt that was bound to earn her some questioning glances. At least they'd left bandages for her to bind herself.
A couple of minutes later, Aina walks into the mess hall with a boffer shaped like a greatsword balancing on her shoulder. A tight, blue shirt and khaki hakama only made her hips stand out even more, and even bound her not-so-ample bosom is still evident. A blue bandana ties her messy mop of auburn hair back while tabi and sandals complete the schizophrenic outfit.
She's surprised to find she's not the only one dressed as such and is directed to sit at one of the long tables with several others by Fetchen.
"It's breakfast time! Yup! Yup! Fetchen sees Aina has not learned her lesson. Nope! Nope!" The gremlin giggles evilly as she leads her charge towards the others.
Great. they did steal my clothes, again!
"Ah! Our last fighter. so glad you could finally join us," an androgynous man dressed in a feminine suit says before Aina can get herself into more trouble.
At Internal Transport, you pass through staff quarantine scans by rote. The violation summary ticket spit out by the machine doesn’t even find anything to recommend today, and you find you’ve been credited a hefty loyalty bonus. Betchen, on the other hand, gets held up over something in their stomach. “You go on ahead, Aila. We’re goin’ different places anyway.”
You’ve got the time to stop off somewhere on the way to Conquest’s temple, and plenty of extra per diem to get something nice.
“I ain’t got a reason to keep you from eating, but it’s your hide if the Spartan’s sword arm gets antsy.” You recognize the man as Jack, though you’re absolutely certain that’s not his name. He’s one of Temerity’s drivers, and someone you trust for his discretion. It’s rumored he used to work for Perfection before the Cataclysm. KITT, Jack’s yokai, is pretty reliable as well.
“Good riddance!” Iktomi taps something inflammatory on a pipe with their pedipalps. Sighing, the spider turns to you. “Look, I gotta get to this thing we gotta do. One of those hush hush yokai things. Thanks for, uh, talkin’ up to Ayatori for me. That one’s a real jerk.” The spider whisks away on their thread, and you’re left alone once again.
Before you leave, something drops down from the ceiling pipes. It’s a small, smooth stone like a teardrop with a hole in the middle. When you look up to see where it might have fallen from, a shadow catches your peripheral vision, indicating this was likely a visitation from the one you call Theodor.
"Theodore, please, if you take something mark it down so I can replace it!" says Salvia at the darkness, in a voice louder and sterner than hers usually is. The kid in the pipes had his uses, but my, wasn't he bothersome at times.
Salvia strode towards her duty's location, hoping that it would soon be done for the day, so that she may spend her evening in the research rooms, reading peacefully.
Spa day? Really? I would have expected something more, I dunno. Esoteric?
Thankful for the silence, Aila ponders Betchen's actions as they walk to the Internal Transport. Betchen getting held up over something she ate is nothing new, and the young woman admits, if only in her head, that the Yokai assigned to watch them have far more trouble following the rules than a supposed "deviant" like Aina.
"This one will do as you say," she says with a bow before turning and heads into the terminal and does some window shopping. She passes by several stores before stopping in front of the store she'd bought her current outfit. In the window was a suit identical to hers in every way, save where hers had hints of blue, this one had hints of red. It was expensive, but she could afford it.
Barely.
It's only money, Aila reasons in her head after a moment of indecision. Aina just got out of the re-education class. Maybe we can be together again. We used to dress alike when we were little, maybe she'll still want to do that. It was fun seeing everyone get so confused, too.
A smile on her face and finally free from the Gremlins Three, if only for a moment, Aila finds one of the smartly dressed attendants and politely gets their attention.
"Excuse me, I would like to buy the suit in the window as a gift," she says, happy to not be speaking in a monotone for once, "Could I get it fitted today?"
After her measurements were taken and the suit pinned, Aila finds herself waiting. It wouldn't take long, it almost fit perfectly right off the mannequin. She browses and her eyes fall on a matched pair of necklaces with pendants that interlocked. One was set with a brilliant sapphire and the other held a fiery ruby.
Oh, those are perfect!
Then she sees what's on the price tag.
Or not, Aila thinks to herself. Her expression falling as she realizes she's not going to be able to afford even one of the necklaces, much less the suit and both of them.
Darn. I know she would have loved it, too.
"Spartan's just gonna have to deal. I'm not in the mood today," Aina says before grabbing anything that looked quick to eat and putting it onto her plate. "The Gremlins Three got to my alarm clock and I only had a few minutes to get a shower and get dressed."
Aina sat and began wolfing down her breakfast as everyone else was finishing up. Jack shrugged and sat next to her, easygoing as ever. She was glad KITT wasn't around, though. She liked the yokai well enough, but he had an annoying tendency to be logical about things in ways that painted his fellows in a favorable light.
Aoi, on the other hand, was not one of her favorite people, to put it mildly. He was often put in charge of a group of Dregs, and rubbed his position over most of them in their faces. He seemed to particularly dislike Aina, and the feeling had swiftly become mutual. He sauntered over, his hips swinging in a caricature of a model's catwalk gait.
"Gotta get past Aoi first," Jack mumbles as the overseer comes over, "watch your temper."
"I will, Jack," Aina whispers back as she gives him a look of thanks.
"Tick-tock, Aina. Time is wasting," Aoi sneers as he crosses the last few feet between himself and the grumpy young woman. "And it's shameful how you brazenly wallow in your gender. I may just get sick looking at you."
"Just don't get it on me or my plate," Aina replies deadpan.
Frustrated, the cleric looks up from one of the large wooden wheels protruding from the six wells in opposing walls. “If it’s so easy, Li’thiril, why don’t you solve it so we can move on?” The wheels are connected to a large set of double doors, and turning them shifts a set of concentric rings with marbles trapped in channels. It’s definitely something Brilliance would consider a basic challenge, but you can’t even bear looking at the thing without getting a headache.
Brilliance pouts and says very seriously, “I made the puzzle. That would be cheating.”
What you have noticed, aside from a very disheveled late-comer with a big sword, is a small channel cut into the particleboard behind one of the wheels leading to another room. The other room is not the one the doors lead into, and no one else has noticed the hole.
Conquest stands in front of the door with their fists on their hips. They continue to bark out orders to the humans with confidence, but as a group they are getting nowhere fast.
Frustrated, Hiro looks up from one of the large foam gears (painted to look like wood) protruding from the six wells in opposing walls. “If it’s so easy, Li’thiril, why don’t you solve it so we can move on?” The wheels control a set of concentric rings cut with channels through which marbles can be passed. You’ve managed to get the central ring locked with Hiro’s help, but the Spartan’s orders are making progress nearly impossible.
Big Brother pouts. “I made the puzzle. That would be cheating,” he states rather flatly.
Since you arrived, you’ve been keeping an eye on Hiro and the gal from Maturity’s temple. From what you can tell, you’re all barely humoring the Erohin. Hiro, as per usual, is just here to do his job and keep the toddlers from scraping their knees. Miss knives, however, seems pretty impatient for some action.
☽⬤☾ across the lot, in the main building ☽⬤☾
There are five such conversations one might participate in: Sora looks rather bleakly at Azu, who is talking animatedly at a table near the stage. At the bar, a strange, scattered looking Mercy devotee is talking to a young woman whom you think works under Maturity. One of the people sitting at the table near the corner looks supremely uncomfortable. There's a gambling game being played at the other table, but the hawks on the balcony, Niji, Takara, and a very sharp-looking devotee of Temerity, seem distracted enough with their own conversation.
There was someone during the vetting process you had hoped to talk to, a face you couldn't place, but they’re not around. They’d have to be somewhere in the tavern.
You’re not worried about the melange of unfamiliar faces at the tables, or the trio of social justice warriors playing Waldorf and Statler on the balcony. You’re wondering why simple4sight is hitting on your little sister at the bar!
Not that the one you can hear is worth listening to. As soon as you entered the tavern, you got roped in with Takara Takenaka, Watching Eye of Brilliance, and the Sagara kid. The little one had a change of name recently, but you can’t remember it, and are too embarrassed to ask again. The two of them, dressed in polished and festively enameled armor, have been pointing out violations and quoting regulations from Brilliance’s Handbook for Obviously Obedient People.
Fortunately, the three of you are sitting at the balcony upstairs, and you can see all the nice people you stand the chance of meeting today. There is a morose-looking peasant being hassled by a drunkard with voluminous blond hair at the table in front of the stage. Someone who looks very uncomfortable and impatient sits at the next table over. There is also a vaguely familiar Mercy devotee with a very long bow talking to someone dressed as a diminutive fantasy race at the bar. There is another table, directly below you, with two people who are playing some kind of gambling game with dice. One of them has been getting really lucky, and the other has been bluffing the whole game.
In the corner of the room, seemingly ignored by everyone present, there is a round couch at a table with a thick pole built into the center. The table has a short set of steps, which is ludicrous, because standing on a table poses several hygiene concerns that you’re sure an establishment like this would be aware of. There is a stage along one adjacent wall, with doors leading backstage on either side, and a bar along the other wall. A small section of the bar is hinged to allow professionals to get both behind the bar, and into the door to the kitchen. From where you are sitting, you can see into the kitchen through the massive fireplace on the far wall. For a moment you see a pair of eyes watching you through the flames. The staircase on the remaining wall leads up to a balcony area and a set of three doors.
You see the inquisitor who broke the HN3600 in sector twelve eyeing someone at the bar.
Nothing else here is noteworthy.
Chessa, the Little Sister, had made final adjustments to her seating arrangement only a few moments before the party was ready. Given that no one else had wanted to take up the duty, she had pulled the strings! She passed the table-setters off in Nobody form to Tracy just before she entered the building, and with a subtle wink, vanished down the side of the building. She clearly broke all the rules with her fancy denim jacket and jeans, and her shoulder length wild hair, and her obvious feminine physique! But she was there... and gone.
Each table was sat with one of the team members, if she could manage it, to reduce the possibility of the unknown. Sora, Azumamaro, Ao, and one of the twins shared a table - Chessa wasn't sure which, the names were too similar - while Tracy, Salvia, and a few of the other strangers were at another. Chessa had also made strides to ensure more of the purity committee's secret inner circle were available at other tables so that at least everyone at the party knew a member of the team. Ensuring that the center web reached the outer web, even by association was the most important part of creating a not-a-pyramid-scheme.
* * *
The little dark-furred cat with lines of blue spots that never appeared in the same pattern sat on the floor, leg tucked high in the air, cleaning her leg, nibbling at an imaginary offender, for a moment, and pretending not to notice the marble door. She had bright blue eyes that shone with clear intelligence, and the very tip of her tail was just slightly more bushy than the rest of her body. There's plenty of time during this for anyone to interact with Chessa.
After a moment, she flops onto her side. "I'm gonna go play for a bit, investigate the things ahead." Chessa shares with the group, "But don't ask me what's ahead, because that's cheating. Remember, Honored Li'thiril, if you need me, you have to invoke "Big Chessa of the Two Tails, we require your mighty aid!" really loudly, or I won't come." she pauses, then bounces on her feet as she finds a tiny hole to rabbit her way down. 'Down the rabbit hole and out the other side...' Sora's old music plays in her head.
"Ooooh. What's this?" Chessa asks looking towards the cat-sized hole as she dives in!
As Hiro struggles with the puzzle and she sits off to the side trying not to say anything to him after a glare from "The Spartan," Aina turns to the strange cat-like creature that had to be one of the Yokai. She glares for a moment, but curiosity gets the better of her. Her mind is always hungering for more knowledge, and seeing as she was forbidden from helping with the puzzle, she decided to sate it another way.
"Do you enjoy this kind of thing," she asks softly as she sits on the floor near Chessa.
Aina approaches Tracy with hesitant steps after Junpei's announcement. She's hardly talked to anyone, besides yokai like the Gremlins Three, and her nerves were getting the better of her composure.
"Uh... Th-this one begs your pardon. W-would you like to w-work... together w-with me?"
Turning red, Aina tries not to squirm as she waits for an answer.
"Do you?" Aisha asks, tilting her head, playing the role of inquisicat with ease.
"Not really, I guess," Aina admits, "at least not like this. Seems like a lot of work to go through just for some fun. My sister and I--"
Her mouth closes with a click as she quickly looks away. She draws her legs in closer and her arms tighter.
"Keep forgetting I can't use that word anymore. Guess family's too 'exclusive' for them," she mutters under her breath.