Shrine Maiden (A Modern-Day Touhou Quest)

Rei wakes to the demonic screeching of birds, the crackle of an empty bag of chips, and crumbs in her sheets. She rolls out of bed with a thunk of bare knees on the hardwood floor and inchworms herself out of the cocoon wrapped around her.

Sighing, she grabs the loose sheet that was all the cover she needed with the summer warmth and gives it a good shake. Crumbs and a flash of brightly colored plastic fall free. She picks up the latter and brushes the former into a corner of her bedroom with the edge of her foot. She really should stop eating in bed. And she would, just as soon as she bought some furniture. Which, given how quickly she was burning through money, meant after she got a job.

A loud groan that seems to startle the birds into momentary silence echoes against pale cypress panels. She hadn't come to Japan to work. She'd come to… find closure with a neglectful parent? See the land of her birth? Because she hadn't been accepted to UW and hadn't bothered with a backup school?

It's called a gap year Auntie…

None of that mattered; at least it didn't matter as much as finding out that magic was real and there was a legit mystery around her mother and the shrine she'd just inherited. Said mystery would have to wait, though. Not just because Marisa was busy working a double shift at the 7-Eleven but because she had things to do. Important things. Like finding a way to get electricity into the shrine. Because as quaint as the whole living like it was the dark ages was, she missed not having to wave her arms in front of her to avoid walking into things in the night.

There were also the plants she'd bought from that flower lady still sitting in their ceramic containers, but with a bit of water and a good spot in the shade, they'd keep for at least a week or so. What wouldn't keep was the desire for electricity… and money… and maybe taking a look around the neighborhood. She had neighbors now, and while she didn't want to knock on their doors and meet them, it seemed weird not to know what was happening around her shrine.

Plans for the day decided Rei wanders outside to the fresh-water fountain, toothbrush, toothpaste, and kettle firmly in hand. Twenty minutes later, Rei is caffeinated, munching on a bag of chips that tasted a bit too much like fish and enjoying yet another not entirely unpleasant sunrise.

Another half hour later and Rei stands, tucking the empty bag of chips in a back pocket. She's finally ready to start the day. Slipping on her shoes as she steps out the front door, she takes a moment to arrange the planters she'd bought from Yuuka in a better spot than she'd left them last night and gives them a light misting of water.

[Gardening xp gained]


Finding a store that sold generators hadn't exactly been difficult. Finding out that the only options the department store had available either used gas, or were charged by electricity to begin with was annoying. Trying to find a place that would sell something less useless for her was complicated by a dead-eyed saleswoman who could barely be coaxed into responding in more than one-word sentences. But eventually, she'd gotten a name. Kawashiro's. As for the location…

Rei steps inside the door of a rather cramped back alley shop, grateful for the relief from the summer humidity. Her eyes trace around a shop lined with folding tables set up like aisles and absolutely crammed full of what she could only charitably describe as junk. If that saleslady had directed her to the wrong place… tch…

"Oh, hey, a customer." A blue-haired head pops up from behind a pile of junk. "Welcome to Kawashiro's. I'm Nitori, and this is my shop. What can I get for you?"

Rei opens her mouth to ask how a girl who looked younger than her could own a shop like this and then shuts it. She owned a shrine, after all. More than that, though, a faint something seemed to hover in the air around the shopowner. It reminded her of Yuuka. It reminded her of magic.

"I need a generator. One that doesn't run off of fuel."

"Oh," the bluenette perks up, and she scrambles out from behind her pile of junk, towing a curiously shaped black box behind her. "In that case, have I got just the thing for you. I just finished the QC testing on this bad boy this morning."

"It looks umm… What is it?" Rei can't quite keep the skepticism from her voice as she looks at a box that seems like it had been hammered together by an excitable eighth grader.

"The KP Mk-20 absorbs ambient sunlight at an efficiency of 48.1% in laboratory testing and an astonishing 45.2% in field testing. Four hours of direct sunlight is enough to charge the battery fully, and once charged, it can run most household appliances for up to twenty-four hours." Nitori schmoozes into her personal space, brandishing the solar generator like a prized jewel.

"Aren't you a bit…" Rei stops just short of shoving the girl back but can't keep herself from taking a step back. "Does it even work?"

"Does it work?!?! Of course it works." The shopkeeper pulls a bit hanging from the side that turns into an extension cord. "It's even got twenty feet of extendable cable. I'll set the Mk-20 outside. Here, take the power cable and go plug it into that fridge over there."

The extension cord bounces off her chest as she makes no move to take it. However, that does nothing to deter the other girl as she rushes outside with the maybe a solar generator. A moment later, she returns, picks up the discarded cable and moves over to a fridge decorated with pictures of a bright yellow, starburst flower—a cucumber flower, of all things.

Nitori swaps out the power lines to the fridge with deft hands and waves her over. As Rei moves to stand over the girl's shoulder, she opens the fridge door, "There. See. It powers the fridge, no problems. You can't find a solar generator half as powerful anywhere else."

"That's a lot of cucumber," Rei mutters and frowns when the bluenette jumps slightly. "Ok. So it works. How much?"

"¥50000." Is the almost immediate and entirely too expensive response.

"It looks like a middle schooler's science fair project. ¥10000." Haggling isn't something she'd ever done before, but she'd rather not have electricity than get scammed for $500.

A competitive grin flickers across the shopkeeper's face. "It's the pinnacle of ka- of my electrical engineering research. ¥40000."

"Can you guarantee it will still work a week from now? ¥15000."

"Can I guarantee-" her face twists up in a scowl. "This thing will survive the apocalypse. ¥3500."

"Right… look, I've got some stuff to do this afternoon, so thanks for the demo, I guess, but…" Rei dips her head and turns to leave.

"Wait!" The almost shout stops her midstride, and she turns to look at the shopkeeper. "How about a little game? You win, and I'll sell it for ¥10000. I win, and it's ¥40000."

For a moment, she's tempted to walk out, and not just because she doesn't have $400 to spend. There was something about the other girl that felt a bit too… used-car saleswoman. Still, it wouldn't hurt to hear her out, would it? "What's the game?"

"Shogi. And since I'm picking the game, I'll spot you a five piece handicap."

It didn't take a genius to see the scheme burning in her eyes, but Rei barely pauses before accepting. She wasn't as familiar with Shogi as with chess, but she'd still played hundreds and hundreds of matches against Auntie and her friends. "Done. I'll take black."

Her quick acceptance of the offer cracks some of the scheming confidence on the other girl's face, but pride or greed seems to hold her back from calling the bet off. It was a decision the shopkeeper would soon come to regret.


"Can I get a bag to carry this thing with?" Rei has long since given up on hiding her triumphant smirk as she hands over a pair of ¥5000 notes.

"For the low-low price of ¥35000." Her smirk widens at the pouting, defeated sigh from her former opponent.

"I'll just carry it out then." Rei tucks the generator under one arm. She lets the smirk fade from her face and addresses the shopkeeper. "You played well. I wasn't expecting the Anaguma opening. Maybe next time we can play without the handicap?"

"Oh?" Nitori looks up, something intrigued flickering across her face. "Don't think I'll let you off so easily next time."

"Yeah, yeah," she turns and flicks her free hand in a wave goodbye. "Later, Nitori."


"So the cute little Miko returns. I wonder what she wants this time," blood-red eyes don't stray from a bonsai tree being carefully trimmed, but Rei can still clearly see the lazy smirk crossing the shopkeeper's face. "Though perhaps she simply couldn't stay away…"

Rei breathes out. The flower lady was strong. She had the same feel of magic that surrounded Nitori, though to call them the same was to compare a candle to a bonfire… or a nuclear explosion. "I need a job."

"And you thought to work with my little ones even though you have yet to plant your own?" There's an edge to the sly amusement in Yuuka's voice, but she can't quite tell what it is.

"I've been busy," she huffs. "And you know as well as I do that they can keep for a few more days."

"Cute and lazy… my, what a combination." she clips one last branch with tiny scissors and sets them to the side. "What need have I for either, though?"

That… hadn't actually occurred to her. Rei looks around. The shop itself looked well cared for. Row upon row of flowers sprawled across the shop, their colors vibrant enough to shame a rainbow. Decorative vases and ceramic planters lined the walls, giving the shop an almost antique feel. Bags of dirt and gardening supplies were tucked away unobtrusively. The only thing she could see was small piles of soil that had fallen free and were dirtying up the floors. Tch. She hated cleaning. Still, she couldn't give up that easily. She needed the money.

"I can," she manages to withhold a grimace, "clean the floors… make sure things get put up properly."

"A Miko pushing a broom in my shop does have a certain appeal," her smirk widens indulgently. "I suppose I could try you out and see how well you hold up… as for what comes after, well… we'll see."

"That's…" she ignores the suggestive tone and the leering. High school boys were worse… and far less subtle. "Sure, do your worst."

"Oh, I won't do that to you just yet," her smirk widens again, revealing surprisingly sharp teeth. "But I do have a test for you. Organize the flowers in the greenhouse according to their needs. If you pass, I'm sure I can find a place for you here…"

"Deal."

Test agreed on. Rei doesn't wait for a response from her soon-to-be boss before turning toward the glass door that looks into what was clearly the greenhouse. It was a shame that passing this test would subject her to more of Yuuka's teasing, but as long as the shopkeeper didn't get handsy, she could deal with it. And maybe if she continued not to react, the older woman would eventually get tired of it. Well, a girl could hope.

A wall of heat and humidity slams into her as she opens the greenhouse door, and Rei instinctively steps back. The ocean breeze did a lot to keep Gensokyo itself bearable, but there was none of that relief here. Just thick panes of glass trapping in sunlight and baking everything beneath as though it were an oven. Still, she'd asked for this chance, and she wasn't about to let a little heat get the best of her. Even if it felt like she'd walked face-first into a muggy furnace.

Rei pulls the ribbon threaded through her hair free and reties it around her forehead like a headband. Then she rolls up the loose sleeves of her blouse and ties them off mid-shoulder. If she'd known she'd be working in the heat like this, she'd have worn something a bit more comfortable.

Too late to complain about that now…

At least the greenhouse itself didn't seem that large, and a brief glance from where she stood didn't show that much out of place. That was, until she started walking down the aisles. Then she saw just how wrong that assumption had been. A painted fern was burning up under direct sunlight. A planter full of Lilly of the Valley and Sea Holly had been shoved too far into a shade-covered alcove formed by a trellis covered in ivy. Water from a mister was steadily pooling in the soil of a row of succulents. And that was just the beginning.

By the end of her survey, she'd noted at least a dozen more mistakes. Had Yuuka really made that many mistakes in filling her greenhouse? It seemed impossible given what she'd seen in the shop itself. And yet it was a more reasonable explanation than her somehow having anticipated that Rei would come back looking for a job and setting up this little test. Or it would have been more reasonable were it not for one thing: magic.

Yuuka had it. Marisa had told her as much, and she'd felt it for herself. If magic were anything like the myths and stories around it, divination could tell the future, and then… Rei shakes her head, violently ending that chain of thought. She was here to pass a test, not navel-gaze about magic. To do that she needed to get to work.


An hour in, and Rei was regretting many things, starting with the jeans that were currently stuck to her legs by the sweat dripping from her almost since she'd started and ending with not throwing away her mother's stupid letter in the first place. But at least she was done.

Plants had been repotted to better suit their soil requirements. Planters had been moved about to better fit their sunlight needs. She'd rearranged a few flowers just to reduce the clashing of colors. Pink and purple flowers looked better with a cooler color for contrast rather than each other.

Dripping sweat in a way that made her look almost half-drowned, Rei steps out of the greenhouse. She shivers as a wave of air-conditioned air washes over her but ignores the prickling of chill in favor of an audible sigh of relief.

Yuuka looks up from trimming a different bonsai and smirks, "Ahh, the Miko returns. Bedraggled yet triumphant."

Rei scowls, but it bounces off the woman without effect. "I need a towel. Some water, too."

"I suppose a future employee would deserve that much… if she passed her little test, that is." Despite her words, she makes no effort to move, save for clipping a single leaf off the bonsai.

"Well?" Rei hmphs, hot, sweaty, and entirely uncomfortable.

"Impatient too..." The shopkeeper's amusement only seems to grow with each passing bead of sweat that falls from Rei's face. "though I suppose I don't dislike that."

"Give me my passing grade and money for the work I did." she punctuates her words by stomping over to the counter Yuuka was lounging behind.

"Hmm… I do like a miko willing to take charge," once again, Rei ignores the leering in favor of tapping her foot with an audible tap, tap, tap.

"Ahh, that glare… it reminds me of a misspent youth." Yuuka's leer shifts to something that almost looks genuine. "You did well, Miko. You showed more care and consideration for my little ones than I had expected."

She leans down, seeming to reach for something beneath the counter, and then returns with a towel, a bottle of water, and a small stack of bills. "Here. Towel and water as requested and ¥5000 for your efforts."

Rei grabs the water first, cracking the top open and guzzling the ice-cold contents down in a single gulp.

"Ahh," she sighs in satisfaction and slams the empty bottle back on the counter. Next, she grabs the towel, wiping away the worst of the sweat that she could get at without undressing. No need to give her maybe-a-pervert boss a free show. Finally, feeling just a touch more human, though still sorely in need of an actual bath, she snatches her day's pay.
$50, not bad for an hour or so of work…

"Thanks," Rei regrets her expression of gratitude almost the moment it leaves her mouth because it only makes the smug amusement on Yuuka's face more apparent. "So can I come work for you when I need money?"

"I think I can find something for you to do if you decide to show up," her boss leers, but she's too hot and tired to even begin to care.

"Right. Sounds good." she nods and turns to leave. "I'll be back when I'm broke."

"Oh, and miko," Yuuka calls out.

Rei stops and turns, one hand on the door. "Yes?"

Blood-red eyes pierce through her, transfixing her. "Do try to be less like your friend and not to poke into things that aren't yours to see."

The hair on the back of her neck rises. Instinct screams at her to run. To hide. To stand motionless. She tries to swallow around the lump in her throat but can't. All she can do is nod her head vigorously.

Yuuka smiles, and the oppressive air surrounding her vanishes as though it had never existed. "Good. I'll see you soon. And remember to bring a hakama and kosode with you next time you come. If you're to act the part, you need to look it too."



Rei is now able to take advantage of specific knowledge gained through her hobbies. Fortunately for her, these checks supersede the generic checks of her attributes. Thus, an Academics 5 check for an obscure flower may also be resolved by Rei's knowledge of gardening. Similarly, hobbies can allow Rei an alternative way to interact with the strange people she meets; for example, Yuuka may not have been as pleasant to a Rei who doesn't know anything about gardening.

On another note, I think the cadence of an update works better with two actions and an interstitial or two to set the stage (otherwise, I'll end up burning out on the third action and not doing it proper justice). These sections will also allow Rei to accrue minor amounts of XP toward advancing her hobbies (as seen in this update).

Reminder: Rei has ¥22000 and 4 days of food left.

Rei has 2 actions available (or just 1, depending)

Exploration Options - Find a new place at random or look for a specific one
[] Explore the neighborhood around the shrine
[] Explore Gensokyo
[] Go hiking in the mountains around Gensokyo
[] Write in if you want to find something specific (e.g., a library, a school, a theater, anything, really)


Social Options - Hang out with the friends you've made
[] Meet up with Marisa
[] Hang out with Nitori


Hobby Options - Improve an existing hobby or learn a new one
[] Go to the arcade
[] Read manga
[] Plant flowers at the shrine
[] Start a new hobby.
-[] write in which, or alternatively write in which attribute it should be for. Previously mentioned hobbies are art, exercise, sports, history, movies, camping, and music. Other hobbies can also be written in


Shopping Options - Make the shrine and your existence there more pleasant
[] Buy home repair supplies
[] Buy some electronic entertainment items
[] Buy some furniture
[] Buy a fridge and microwave
[] write-in. There are a lot of things that turn a house into a home. Write in one, and Rei will get it.


Food Options - Feed yourself for a day or longer
[] Buy stuff from the 7-Eleven
[] Buy groceries
[] Find a restaurant
[] Get a dessert


Employment Options - Find a job so you can afford to buy stuff
[] Go work for Yuuka
[] See if the convenience store is hiring


Event Options - some things take a lot longer to complete than others [event options only occur if they have the most votes]
[] Visit Professor Okazaki about the scholarship to Kyoto U.
[] Investigate the shrine with Marisa.


Write-in Options - The world is vast beyond belief and mysterious beyond words.
[] Instead of writing out a neverending list of things to do, I'll leave this here if voters want to do something else. Write-ins may well be incorporated into the turn options even if not chosen, so feel free to suggest whatever you want to see or do.



[AN]
I owe you all an action exploring the neighborhood around Rei's shrine. I'll try and get it out while the vote is going on.

Perhaps it was fate that her walk around the neighborhood ended in a graveyard. Some string tied between her and the legacy her mother left her. Rei didn't know. Almost didn't care to know. And yet, that apathy was no protection for the weight in her chest. From the tears that refused to form.

Feet moving forward without conscious thought, Rei drifts, cloudlike past stone memorials. Toward the front, stone plinths garlanded with flowers and other offerings. An orange here. A bowl of rice there. Her heart squirms as she passes a box of brightly colored candy and a vase filled with pale white daisies—offerings for a dead child.

Rei looks away and continues floating past memorials to life lost. She doesn't find her mother amongst the frontmost of those visited and mourned by the living, but she doesn't stop. Past memorials that grow ever more weathered and ever less decorated. Up a gently sloping hill along a path marked by a pale stone border. To the foot of a willow, its branches bent low in grief. There, she finds a simple stone, unadorned by word or epitaph, save for a simple name. Miya Hakurei.

A sound escapes her. A laugh. A sob. Rei couldn't tell. She collapses, a marionette with no strings to hold her up. Knees bang loudly onto dirt and stone, but the pain of it is so distant it may as well have happened to someone else.

Hands shaking, she reaches out to the gravestone and runs her fingers delicately across the kanji of her mother's name. For an eternity, she lingers there, her fingertips grazing the surface of her mother's grave, her head empty of even the faintest echo of thought.

Rei leans back, letting her hand fall to her lap. She blinks dry eyes and looks up. She doesn't remember her mother. Auntie had never spoken of her. The only words she has from her are in that letter she'd never quite gathered the courage to destroy. Despite that, she couldn't help but feel that resting here, beneath the shady boughs of a willow tree, was something her mother would have liked.

Her knees crack as she stands, and she idly brushes away a spot of dirt and grass on her pants as she looks around her mother's grave. She hadn't brought an offering—she wasn't entirely sure her mother deserved it—yet standing here, she realized she didn't care. Grief was for the living. Not the dead.

So, despite her mother never fulfilling that role, Rei bends forward and plucks a weed that had wormed its way through the dirt. She plucks another weed. And then another. And another. She brushes the stone memorial clean and churns the dirt around it with her fingers until it is a rich brown. She gathers slender branches of the willow tree and weaves them together into a loose plait, which she places in front of the kanji for her mother's name. In a silence bereft of thought or the sounds of nature, Rei works until she finally steps back, satisfied.

"Goodbye, Mother," Her whispered voice barely audible above the silence, "I think we both deserved better."

Without a backward glance, Rei leaves the grave. The weight in her chest lighter than it had been in weeks. It wasn't closure. There were too many questions she still wanted to ask her mother for that, but perhaps it would be enough.

On the way out, she passes by a silver-haired girl bowed over the child's grave she'd seen on the way in. Something flickers in the girl's shadow as she leans forward to place a piece of foil-wrapped candy on the grave, but Rei refuses to linger. Some things deserve to be private.


[AN]
As promised, here's the third of your selections for this turn, which I think works much better on its own than it would have as part of the previous update. Rei's feelings about her mother are complicated, and I want to do that part of her character justice as well. That said, I hope the tone change isn't too jarring.