Blossom of Bodhisattva (Touhou)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9SRbgxGAbc&t=61s&ab_channel=shiningrumia

[A raccoon-dog pretending to be human, terrified.]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

===

In the upper reaches of what is known to the Gensokyo locals as "Youkai Mountain", there is a village, filled with tengu. It is a treacherous place for the unprepared and unwary, filled with politics and tension between the various castes. The divisions within their society can be easily seen by observing which tengu live and work within the uppermost spires of the ancient trees, and which are relegated to the ground below.

Within one of the tallest of those trees, there is a newsroom - and as always, it is busy. The Atago Observer is not a small, one-tengu operation - it is a well oiled machine where dozens of employees work. It is the crown jewel of the Atago clan, a storied lineage which stretches back to the great Atago Tarobo himself.

The newsroom is an eclectic mix of the old and the new. In one cubicle, an elder still uses a stone to grind inksticks, and gentle brushstrokes to create intricate calligraphic art. In another, a young tengu sticks her tongue out, poking at her digital tablet as she sifts through dozens of photographs. Young tengu have ever been willing to adopt the newest tools of man in pursuit of their goals - and that is one thing that the move to Gensokyo has not changed.

In the corner office, with a commanding view of both the rest of the newsroom and of the tengu village outside, resides Atago Nanami, the editor-in-chief of the Observer. Her laptop is open, her screen showing that she has been doing final checks on tomorrow's layout, when her young nephew knocks on her door.

Atago Ryuji is, to put things bluntly, not a very good newstengu. He has no flair for the dramatic, no understanding of what makes a story appeal, and little talent for shaping a narrative. She has tried to place him in various positions nonetheless, as a favor for her sickly sister, and has finally settled on putting him to work gathering the dry and boring raw data across Gensokyo, which so many other tengu see as beneath them.

To the boy's credit, he is decent at the job - he is just as eager to gather the readings of magical energy throughout the land three years down the line as he was as a new hire, and the Observer has likely gained at least a few subscribers from magician youkai of various stripes determining that their paper has some of the most meticulous measurements available.


But it's not the sort of position that will lead to acclaim, or advancement, or a byline. There is no hope for future career growth - Gensokyo is too small to need an entire department dedicated to data collection, which she could at least put him in charge of. It's the sort of work that's beneath a crow tengu, that a wolf should be doing instead. She has a myriad of other concerns, but from time to time, Atago Nanami worries about her nephew.

But today, things might be changing. Today, Atago Ryugi has come in, in his usual guileless way, and informed Nanami that he took an interview from a bodhisattva, and asked her if she thinks that might be worth anything. The first contact the clan has had with one of the awakened ones, since the bodhisattva Jizo spoke with their honored ancestor generations ago, and put the Atago Clan on the map.

Nanami adjusts her laptop screen, and taking a seat, casually tears apart tomorrow's newspaper. She has a new leading headline. She'll have to punch it up a bit, of course, make it engrossing and engaging, but today, she can make good on the debt she owes Shion. And tomorrow, her little nephew will be the listed author for the most read article in Gensokyo, and the envy of newstengu throughout the land.

Idly, she wonders if she might be tossing Ryugi into hot water, by focusing all that attention on him, but she dismisses the concern. He's an Atago, like her. It's well past time he learned to handle it.

—

*Myouren POV*

That was a face you had not seen now for many, many centuries, and you didn't fight the smile that found its way onto your own face at the sight of her. Long brown hair trailed down her back, decorated with a simple green hairpin shaped like a leaf just above the left side of her face. She was dressed in comfortable finery, a white dress with a black pattern across it, meant to symbolize… the wind if you were to presume. Covered by a green jacket and topped by a checkered black and white scarf. Between that, and the… yet more glass perched in front of the nose like that Tengu before, she looked rather smart and dignified. A far cry from the young imp you had met so long ago.

The disguise was quite well done as well, but, well. You were you after all. "Little Mami, I trust you have been well?"

The shocked look on her face did not abate, if anything it only became more pronounced.

"Mami?" Cirno repeats. "You know that human?"

"I do indeed, and I assure you she is no human." Still smiling, you tap your staff thrice against the ground then walk over to the frozen youkai. "Shall you answer my question?" you ask, reaching a hand forward to ruffle Mamizou's hair.

"I… er…" Mamizou's eyes flit between you, the temple, Cirno, in rapid succession. "Yes?"

Your smile dips. "Now that is a lie and you know it. Tell me, have you been walking the Eightfold Path?"

"Mayb…" Mamizou cuts herself off, she steps back, away from your hand, eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?"

You lean against the staff, the smile returning. She was always such a panicky little creature, and it seemed that hadn't changed in the passing centuries. "I was given a task, what that task is I shall not go into for the moment. I can tell I have already made a noise by my mere arrival, but such things are as such things are. They do not affect me regardless, now, I would presume this is the abode of my sister?" you ask, gesturing towards the palace to your, now, left.

Mamizou nods her head. "It… is, yes. You've…" She straightens herself up, a closed fist moving to her mouth for a moment before she lets it drop. "So you've been sent on a task, I presume you aren't here for pleasantries then, monk?"

"Pleasantries as I wish, yes, pleasure, no." You reply. "Is she in the temple at the moment?"

Mamizou stares at you for a moment. "Are you here to kill her?"

Your smile fades away. "Do you truly know me so little Mamizou? Or perhaps you have forgotten all there is to Buddhism when I wasn't around to teach you any longer."

Mamizou simply stares at you, saying nothing, showing nothing. But she was nervous, very nervous you could tell easily enough. It was quite difficult for her to hide her emotions from you when she was alive, as you were now? It took no effort.

"I am not, nor do I wish her harm. I feel a great disappointment, but it is not my place to judge and condemn, only correct. Now tell me, where is Byakuren? I much desire to speak with her... about myriad things."

Mamizou lifts a finger back towards the village. "Should be in the village square proselytizing with Ichirin."

Your smile returning, you nod. "Thank you. Please, walk with me," you tell the Tanuki, as you turn and walk-

—

[] [Towards the Village]
You much desire to see your sister. Though your presence would likely cause an incident of some form or another.

[] [Towards the Temple]
You wish to see the state of affairs for yourself, there was only so much one could know from a distance.

---

Erien: Mamizou is such a fun character and it's a shame I didn't really get to use her in A Fox in Paradise too much. Writing her this off-balance is very enjoyable.

Redshirt: I've had a blast helping put all this together, and I hope that you'll all like reading it as much as we've enjoyed plotting things out and setting up the dominoes.