Kichiro gets the impulse to change shape to something more suited to sniffing around, but he's able to suppress the idea quickly enough to not do anything that might draw attention to himself.
Wondering how much longer his brother will be, he wanders back out into the city, though he stays close enough to see when Satoshi comes out.
Satoshi starts, abruptly rousing from a slight daze, and realizes that Kichiro has been gone for a bit now. And that he's probably been soaking for longer than strictly necessary, even if it is really nice...
Regardless, he does figure it best to get up and start looking for his brother, and makes his way out slightly sheepishly.
Kichiro sees Satoshi exiting the onsen before he gets too far and waves his brother over.
"I want to come back at night and see if I can track what's going on," Kichiro whispers once the two are reunited. "So, where do we want to go next? Any shopping you want to do right now? Or we could just walk around and see what's in town."
Satoshi fidgets thouthfully for a moment.
"I might want to see if I can find the suppliers for some of those herbs they were using; they had some good ones that might prove useful. Otherwise... well, we might as well investigate. And maybe see if anyone has any work we could do? And I suppose I need to do maintenance on my machine..."
"Well, let's go further into town then," Kichiro says. "That sounds like plenty of things to look for."
He leads the way further into town.
As the two of you roam around the town, there is evidence of things being touched up and improved everywhere that would be a public-facing area. Whether it is an oily astringent smell, to the new wood of alterations being made, to the faint metallic of new trim, and the acrid, heavy smell of the forge, this truly is a time of preparation, almost at its end as soon as the weather breaks. Thanks to Kichiro and his sense of smell, locating any of the herbs that were in the bathouse is a casual matter, noting several shops in the area that smelled of it, if faintly in some cases. Finding work is almost a matter of choice, if one is not labor-averse, though other means required a little more searching. Even in passing, there are vague rumors of an "odd creation", or "mysterious invention", being rumored about outside of this section of town.
...It surely has not been long enough for word to spread, has it?
Kichiro glances to his brother. "They're not talking about yours, are they?" he whispers. "Maybe we should ask around about it?"
The disguised kitsune asks about both the 'odd creation' and anyone who could use a strong back for a few hours' work, thinking he can contribute to their dwindling funds a little.
In this, Kichiro is fortunate as there is no shortage yet of businesses looking to hire laborers, more specifically those that are in the midst of finishing up some remodeling. Li, the owner of "The Builder Arms" was looking for more laborers, as it seems there was a minor mishap that reduced their workers temporarily. Depending on the extent of his usable skills, he was willing to pay two silver or more.
As for the murmurings of "something strange", or a "strange invention", you are able to gather that it most likely is the invention that his brother created. From comments like "Who would stay at that inn?", to "What manner of created conveyance?", and "no creatures to pull it", the fruit of his imagination has gained attention.
Kichiro is glad enough to help with some construction work. He hopes that some good physical exhaustion will help suppress the Hunger to some degree, and of course the money will help reduce how quickly their funds are getting drained.
"I'm guessing you won't want to do hard physical labor, though," he teases his brother.
Satoshi gives his best dainty sniff. It is not very convincing, considering how often he'd been covered in grease after long hours working on something or other.
"I do prefer intellectual pursuits. But construction is always interesting. I just wish more people thought my work looked safe, even though I'm sure it's good..."
Still, Satoshi looks more for people interesting in alchemical creations, which are his usual sale-worthy items. Competent alchemists are always in demand, and someone somewhere always needs fire for something.
"...I do hope my contraption isn't literally the most interesting thing in town though. The attention always makes me nervous."
The rumor mill does seem to be on the topic of the contraption, with speculation about the owner, the inspiration, the motivation, and other topics ranging from the mundane to the fantastic. The prevailing idea is that it is some noble merchant coming ahead of festival season, though there seems to be no particular consensus on just who this merchant is, and what they are selling. Nonetheless, there is significant interest being generated by its appearance.
Alchemical work was found after some searching, the smells distinctive to the practice almost a giveaway to their location once one came close enough. The fog and springs did serve to keep mute it somewhat, which would explain the slight amount of effort that had to be put in to find the alchemists that were not on the main strip, selling common goods that were almost home staples. They tended towards luxuries, at least the focus was on that at present. It seemed that the festival season was a large portion of income for the town for the year, and everyone was looking to ensure that nothing was going to deter that.
Unsurprisingly, the level of skill Satoshi possessed was enough that almost every alchemical shop was willing to pay him for his aid, the deciding factor would be his preference. The couple of locations in the center of the onsen town were more focused on luxuries, with oils, creams, and other pre- or post- bath amenities, whereas the edge of the town were more gered towards day-to-day necessities.
Kichiro wishes his brother well and goes to do a day's labor with "The Builder Arms", keeping his ears and eyes open to learn more about the town as he does so.
Satoshi, willing to pretend he hasn't actually attracted way more attention than he knows what to do with, goes to assist with some alchemy, and possibly scout ingredients at the same time. The locals probably know where to get the good herbs and salts.
'The Black Horse' is one of the apothecary shops that Kichiro located with his nose that was slightly out of the way. Situated near the edge of the village in the outer area, the most notable thing about the shop is that the shopkeeper is not the actual owner. That honor belongs to an older ratfolk, starting to go grey who gave his name as "Rissi". The Gnome at the counter was there to stave off unwanted attention. The standard questions of capability were rapidly outclassed by Satoshi at the time, much to the point that the true owner came out to ask a few other pointed questions, then practically declared, "You're working here until you leave because the other shops cater to that junk for travelers, and I can tell boredom isn't a thing for your mind."
The reason for the location was for the workshop out back, and the wide berth any of the other businesses had around it. When asked about it, the response was an enigmatic, "Volatile components yeild volatile results sometimes."
What followed on his return for the remainder of the day was a whirlwind orientation and testing as the shrewd Alchemist probed the extent of the knowledge Satoshi possessed, while concocting several creations from those products using methods that only made sense once Satoshi was returning to their inn for the evening.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kichiro also found a pleasant fatigue in the simple work that had little to do with survival against the weather and the wilds. He could finally relax some of the tense wariness that had wound up from keeping alert as best he could as they traveled, listening to the sounds of the people he was working with as they helped set and finish a repair to a roof that just recently had an addition put onto it. The team of four he worked with were laborers by trade, and residents of Shuryo, Rokan being the eldest and had worked for almost a decade here. They did share a couple of stories about having lived here when the town was smaller.
Two bore the tattoos that he had seen around, though the significance of the band near their elbow was not immediately obvious, however there were a couple others that they had seen that bore the same or variations on it. All of them shared the good-natured, boisterous attitudes of people that enjoyed what they did, and found satisfaction in seeing the results of hard work. Tomorrow would see that project completed, and on to the next.
For now, though, sunset was the end of the day and time to relax.
Kichiro is glad to feel some physical weariness after his work, and the bit of pay wasn't bad, either. He returns to the inn to meet up with his brother, thinking of how he still has something he wishes to do this night. He suspects whatever spirit was around the Onsen must be more active in the evening, and he might be able to use his shapeshifting powers to investigate... he wants to talk with Satoshi first, however.
Satoshi feels noticeably better after time spent in tests and among fellow intellectuals. A day when he could learn something new was a good day! Though he still felt like it was strange being treated like such an expert. He'd never thought of himself as that skilled, not when the best he could manage when it truly mattered was a stopgap...
Though he also acknowledged that it was wise to keep the potentially explosive parts away from anything you didn't want exploded. Failures in alchemy could be very exciting indeed.
Still, it sounded like he'd found a place to work for a while, and could probably stock up on reagents. It was nice to work in a proper lab, and so he returned to meet Kichiro in good spirits, if slightly smelling of caustic substances.
Kichiro makes sure he and his brother are somewhere they won't be overheard.
"I want to check around for that spirit I smelled tonight," he informs Satoshi. "I'm thinking I can change form to something smaller and sniff around. Seems like it might be more active at night?"
The proprietor of the Onsen's Edge was currently helping at a table, the single occupant looking more relieved to be off of the road than anything else, the fatigue evident in their posture. There are two individuals that are currently gawking at the creation you arrived in, marveling at seeing something that they don't quite understand. The inn is a little further out from the springs, so while the smell of the springs is thin in the air, much of the humidity is not. The food tonight smelled like a vegetable and meat pan creation, aside from the usual smells of wine and pickled vegetables.
Unless Satoshi argues otherwise, Kichiro asks to take their meals to their room so they can keep talking.
"So... that's my plan. What do you think?" he asks his brother.
Satoshi considered for a moment. "Well... it probably wouldn't hurt anyway. I can help hang around in case you need help, maybe look around for more ordinary signs of something amiss. Probably leave the vehicle here... But spirits aren't really my specialty. I'm better with... solid things. But you said it left marks on people? They might know about it, maybe have some kind of deal they have to keep?"
Kichiro winces. "I think I kind of ruined my chances of asking about it with how I blurted things out," he admits. "If they're leaving marks, though, you might be able to help with it... it's got to be solid enough to hit if it can do that, right?"
Satoshi thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"Probably? I don't remember any stories of spirits that were able to leave physical marks without possessing something or become tangible, but it isn't really my area of expertise. But if it can be hurt by fire or acid or plain physical force, I could certainly help. And... I'm pretty sure I could cook something up that would reveal invisible things if they were solid..."
He thinks for another moment, scratching at his chin.
"So... do we try to sneak into the springs, or check around behind them or near them?"
Kichiro shrugs. "I was figuring I'd shapeshift into a dog or something and start sniffing around right before closing time. You could find a good hiding place somewhere while I do. Then we watch and listen for a while, and if we hear something we go in."
Satoshi nods.
"That should work to start. I suppose... you could bark if you find something you want me to look at, or howl if you're in danger? Best to set up any signals we want before we start."
"Hmmm... one bark come here, two barks I'm coming out, howl if I need you to rush?" Kichiro suggests. "Now, we'll want to get out without drawing too much attention to ourselves... I guess we can really just walk out, there's plenty of reasons to be out and about in the evening."
Kichiro leads the way out of the in and back outside, trying to be aware and see if anyone is watching them go without being obvious about it.
As Kichiro looks around, he can see no pairs of eyes watching them in particular, as everyone appears to be engaged in their own business, whether it is eating in the common room, discussing with others, or focused on their drinks. Things here are reasonably busy, with the locals coming to eat instead of cooking at home, or others stopping in for a drink before ending the day. Outside, the attention on Satoshi's invention seems to have quieted, at least for this evening. Unsurprisingly, there are still others about in the streets, going to or coming from their destinations, their attire marking them as laborer, merchant, or someone who held a position in this town.
While traffic has slowed, the onsen that is their destination does still seem to have some patrons, the windows partially shuttered against the coming cold as the temperature lowered. It did not feel like it was going to get too cold, though it would most likely be uncomfortable without some sort of way to keep warm.
Kichiro finds an out-of-sight spot and shifts to the form of a large dog.
Much to his displeasure, he discovers he still has a split tail even though he specifically tried not to, but he thinks he can keep it from being obvious well enough.
He cautiously starts sniffing around outside the onsen for that spirit-scent he caught earlier.
The smell that Kichiro had come to associate with the spirit was immediate, even from the outside perimiter of the onsen. It seemed to be stronger on the side where the pool from their springs were, and dwindled— but did not disappear from the opposite side. Considering that when they had left, the scent was difficult to detect, it definitely seemed like it was somewhere on the property.
From what he could hear and smell, the patrons were not many, perhaps three or four people in attendance, and one or two near the bathing area. Conversations are subdued, and things feel rather sedate. It felt like the day of the week had something to do with it, or perhaps the moon? Otherwise, his presence does not seem to turn any heads in the area from the few residents that passed by.
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Kichiro sniffs around the back side of the onsen, looking for a good way to sneak in. He figures he'll wait until the last patron leaves and then get in and look around.
Satoshi carefully slipped closer to the Onsen, having let Kichiro go first. He started scouting out a good hiding place to lurk in while waiting for a signal, or just for too much time to pass, without looking like he was obviously loitering.
It is not too difficult for Kichiro to find a way to slip into the onsen in that form. Part of the fence around the bathing area was just recently rebuilt, and due to planning, there was a slight gap near one of the walls that was enough for him to squeeze through. On the other side, he finds himself in one of the corners, slightly out of the way from the bathing area, amidst some cultivated bamboo and other low grasses, carefully planted and arranged. The chill of the evening has made the steam from the baths thicker, lending him a bit of aid as it was harder to see from one end to the other. Everything at the opposite end from him was vague shapes and barely shadows.
Satoshi, trying to stay out of sight, seems to be succeeding, as many people were at their destination and enjoying themselves. What guards he has seen before have already passed, conversing with their partner as they paid him no mind.
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Kichiro creeps closer, sticking to the plants, and tries to listen in on any conversations, wondering if they'll give him any clue as to the nature of the spirit here...
While the scent of the spirit is all over the area that the steam from the bath covers, there is little to pinpoint its position in this onsen. At the very least it was here, even though the two in the bath are older tradesmen who have been coming here for quite the number of years, their conversation reflecting such. Perhaps it is somewhere within the building, or at least the premises. Sometimes the boundaries of things were not quite as set as they are for physical things.
Kichiro stands and thinks for a bit. He's hunting a spirit, right? So... maybe he needed to not focus just on his physical senses...
Trying to tune things out (while staying hidden), Kichiro does his best to kind of... meditatively consider his surroundings? He's not quite sure how to do what he wants, but hopes he'll figure out something...
As Kichiro pondered the enigmatic situation, he found himself caught in a peculiar moment of contemplation. His instincts were at odds with the unfamiliar sensation coursing through him. It was a touch of the extraordinary, something neither wholly intrinsic nor completely foreign to his being. He likened it to the insatiable Hunger that dwelled within him, but this was different, elusive, intangible.
In the stillness of the inn, a realization materialized with an almost eerie abruptness. It wasn't within the confines of the bathing area, nor did it originate from any mundane corner of the inn. Instead, this strange presence lingered somewhere near the storage area. In most traditional inns, such a space would be akin to a family's abode.
Meanwhile, outside the inn's walls, Satoshi's keen observations painted a vivid picture of the quaint town. His senses danced in harmony with the sounds of merriment emanating from the onsen, where people basked in the embrace of relaxation and camaraderie. As the sun descended behind the horizon, the several-story dwelling atop the town stood tall, with just a few windows adorned by the gentle glow of lamplight. Most of its residents had already embarked on their journeys home, concluding another day's labor.
Satoshi's perception extended to the tranquil night air. An occasional breeze rustled through the town, a whisper of the days to come. The sky above was promising—a tapestry of stars heralding a clear tomorrow, free from the shroud of clouds.
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Kichiro opens his eyes and considers the path to the storage area. He warily eyes the remaining patrons, wondering if he can slip over there unseen or if he'd best wait for them to leave.
Of the patrons, it looks like a majority of them are comfortably focused on what their current engagements are, though a few seem to have their enough of their wits about them that a basic attempt would catch an oddity passing through. While pets are uncommon accompaniments, they are not so very irregular, save that most places do charge slightly more. Going unseen is possible, though a couple of individuals are more wary than the others present.
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After debating for a few moments, Kichiro decides to just go for it. He spends a moment identifying possible hiding places if he has to try hiding partway through, then just starts casually strolling towards the storage area, sniffing around at the ground now and again, trying to hide his split tail as he goes.
Satoshi waited, for now. While doing so, he found himself thinking, as he often did. Maybe he could create some kind of gadgets to help this type of thing in the future? Perhaps some... smoke bombs? Grapple launchers? A steam-powered flying machine!? Okay, no that last one wouldn't be stealthy, at all. And... since when did he know how to build a steam-powered flying machine? Hmm, though, that could be something fun to try someday...
As Kichiro makes for the storage room he has to briefly be crossing the back end of the common room. It would take a handful of seconds to cross the floor, and a dog of his size is not an unremarkable thing. There are a tense couple of seconds as he crosses intervening area and makes it to the hallway with no immediate outburst from the patrons. The scent is getting stronger, both present and somehow not, as if it was overlaid into this place rather than be a part of it. This is certainly the right direction to try to find it, though.
"...Hmmn? S'at a dog? Eey, ssumbody's pet loose?"
That confused comment can be heard from one of the patrons closest to the hallway Kichiro just entered, no small amount of doubt in their voice, their speech a bit slurred from fatigue, drink, or both.
This hallway is lightly screened from what smells like a small garden through the thin sliding doors on one side, the traffic of several individuals denoting that this area is more traveled. A turn up ahead seems to separate the rented rooms that continue down the hallway from the central habitations of the inn. If memory served, the storeroom would be somewhere near the kitchen area, but a little further back...
Kichiro figures haste is his best bet at present, and so he quickly trots down the hallway toward the storeroom, though he tries to listen for anyone that might be coming in hopes he can find a hiding place if he must.
Following the scent to where it is strongest, Kichiro finds the storeroom behind a door that was down a hallway sectioned off by a plain curtain of the same simple pattern as the short ones that they used for the kitchen. The scent is strongest here behind the door. Nearby, there seems to be a door to the kitchen, judging by the sounds that come from behind it. The smell of vegetables, dried herbs, and various spices overrides the smell of the inn here. There does not seem to be anyone approaching from the hallway, and whoever is in the kitchen seems like they are in the middle of some preparation involving something fermented and steamed.
Kichiro takes a moment to look and listen and make sure no one's coming immediately.
Then he starts sniffing around the storeroom, trying to pinpoint the spirit.
Satoshi perks back up from thinking about constructing a 20 ft tall steel giant and stomping around in it. How long had it been since Kichiro left? Did he need to start worrying? He poked out of his hiding spot a little to look around. Though, it hadn't been too long, right?
The abundance of the scent makes it too hard to pin down. The spirit is present, given how recent the scent is. There seems to be no one coming from the common room.
Outside, Satoshi looks around, as a group of individuals catches his attention. They seem intent on having a good time somewhere, their conversation and boisterous attitudes and volume calling attention to them even before they get too close. It was probably one of the establishments a little further in that they were headed towards. It had been overheard that a couple of the places are trying out new foods and drink.
Their attitude is certainly positive, though it is the kind of positive that is likely to be more inclusive than it needs to be.
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Thinking of how Kichiro found this location in the first place, he focuses less on his physical senses and more on his... whatever that had been.
He tries to get into that semi-meditative sense he had before. Could he maybe... sense what the spirit was attached to? It was probably related to some particular type of item or location or something, depending on what kind of a spirit it was... could he tell somehow?
The state that he had been in eludes him for now, the noise of the inn to random and unfamiliar for him to properly approach the sense that he had initially. What he does manage to approach is that sense of Hunger that is there, ever-present and seeking. It always reduced things to the simplest terms. Hunger required food, and there was one close by. Not living, like the weasel or ogre had been, but something else, something made delicious by its very elusiveness.
It was in the nearby room, and its essence is just so tantalizing.
Kichiro follows his nose, trying to pinpoint where the scent is coming from. As he does, he wrestles with a thought... if this spirit is responsible for hurting innocent people... should he kill it? Can he kill it? If it's a spirit it's already dead, right? But... if his Hunger is reacting like this...
...well, what if the only way to get rid of it is to eat it? Would that... would that be right? It feels wrong, but so does leaving something harmful here...
He devoutly hopes that's not the situation he finds when he arrives.
Kichiro pushes at the unlocked door, and it swings open easily, all the smells that were somewhat diminished blooming into rich, sharp, pungent smells of the dried herbs, spices, and meats. The smell of the spirit is there as well, a thin, almost half-scent— like dried syrup on a string. Jars and their contents sit on shelves along either side, while bundles of herbs and cured, wrapped meats hang from hooks set into the ceiling. The area is neatly organized, with sections for spices by type perhaps. Otherwise, it is certainly kept clean, with the floor swept bare, and not a pest in sight.
The figure standing near one of the far corners is certainly not a pest, and definitely does not look like they are working here. They do not seem to acknowledge Kichiro, facing one of the racks, staring as if transfixed, into the distance. Their clothes are not quite the same as what has been seen being worn by the people here, and he can tell that they are not quite solid.
Kichiro, still in dog form, creeps into the room, trying to stay unnoticed.
He slowly approaches the figure, circling around to try to get a better view of them, trying to figure out just what he should do here.