41
The Bark! from far below the Rig took Taylor off guard, though not as much as it did her Wards escorts of Gallant and Clockblocker. A quick look over the railings confirmed that, yes, that was Sunny way down at the base of the Protectorate headquarters and, yes, that was indeed a giant lilypad she was floating on. Taylor sighed; Sunny gonna Sunny.
She made a quick request of the Wards while they were too confused to deny her, then cupped one hand to her mouth and called out, "Did you forget to arrange for a way to get back up, you silly wolf?" A sad whiiiiine floated up on the breeze in answer. "That is a yes," she told Gallant, as the older teen handed her a pad of sticky notes and a pencil. Employing her allegedly parahuman powers of Pattern Recognition, Taylor sketched a quick cat on the sticky note and slapped the paper onto the railing. It was a good sketch for something so quick, if she did say so herself; she was getting a lot of practice lately with making the emas. Sunny whined again, far below, and Taylor pried up the paper square and flipped it upside-down before sticking it back onto the metal bar. She then stood back and waited patiently as the two Wards had a quiet freakout over Sunshine slowly jump-chaining her way up the main support of the Rig until the wolf managed to scramble over the guard railing.
"Hey Sunny, welcome ba… Sunny?" The happy bark or smug loll of the tongue Taylor had expected were nowhere to be seen. Instead, Sunny was giving her the Sad Dog Eyes and, after a moment, pressed her furry body against Taylor's and buried her face into the girl's stomach. The wolf made a low, mournful sound, and refused to look up. Taylor instead dropped down to her knees, and pulled the wolf into a hug. Sunshine hooked her muzzle over the girl's shoulder, so Taylor traced her fingers through the red marks that spiraled over her friend's shoulders. Was she… scared? Afraid for her, now that they weren't going unnoticed by the city's rougher intentions? Taylor thought back to summer, just a bare few months ago, and her own desperate request.
"...silly wolf, Sunny. There's nothing to forgive."
* * *
Getting off of the Rig and back to her own life was a trial, or at least Taylor thought so. Dad was against it, of course, because if the Merchants had gotten the idea to target her after seeing her on the news just doing her own thing, there was no telling what could happen now that Sunny had gone and done… something to the Merchants. Oh, and the whole 'attacking her and Chessman at home,' thing. That was going to start fires that Taylor was honestly not sure she wanted to be around to watch. Better to focus on the things she could accomplish, instead of worrying about matters that were beyond her direct reach, she reasoned. Things like restocking the shrine's basket of charms to sell, and negotiating a ceasefire with the non-Merchant factions of the city, and getting her brand new, signed, 4x6 glossy print of Legend framed and up on her office wall ASAP. All of these were equally top priority. Secondary priorities included asking Old Mrs. Henrick if she could borrow her neighbor's kitchen, calling Kayden to check in, and logging in to PHO to see how long it would take someone to make a .gif of Sunny leaping into Legend's arms.
Even with all of those justifications, there were protests, and they were starting to wear on Taylor's patience. It wasn't safe to go back to the house, there'd probably be reporters everywhere ("But I've already been on the news."). The Merchants might be out for retaliation ("You think they're getting past Sunny? And weren't you just there to handle them? Are you saying you didn't do a good job?") There might be other villains out to capitalize on the situation ("How many are even left?"). The PRT had questions for her and Good Dog ("We've been here for around 10 hours already and you haven't mentioned anything of the sort, so they can't be crucial, but go ahead and ask Sunny right now. You don't speak dog? Neither do I, what's your point?"). Eventually, she had to put her foot down.
"Mr. Dauntless, I understand your concerns and I acknowledge your position, but do remember that I am the caretaker for both a non-profit business and a neutral zone under truce, and I have obligations that I must attend to; foremost among these today is that I am expecting Oni Lee to stop by before evening. So, I must ask you..." Taylor straightened her shoulders and fixed her gaze on the Grecian hero's helmet-shadowed eyes. "Are you going to make me late for tea?"
30 minutes later she and Sunny were climbing out of a PRT transport, which had graciously been provided to drop them off at Taylor's house. Taylor and Sunny ignored the police tape and let the PRT trooper explain to the officers why they were allowed to be there. "I wasn't so hot on the idea of a sleepover before, but for now, maybe it's better that we stay at the Shrine. What do you think, Sunny?"
The canine gave the most approving nod, and even helped Taylor pack a few bags. Her cold-weather shrine clothes and some underthings, a few basic toiletries, her school bag— that was all easy enough to pack together and load up into her bicycle's saddlebags. Picking between her art supplies what to take and what to risk leaving was considerably harder, but Taylor did still have a good amount of her heavier painting gear and her calligraphy things at the shrine already, so she drug a spare, older backpack out from the depths under her bed and filled it with only what would supplement what she already had: a couple of ink pots, some spare jars for washing brushes, some unopened tubes of oil paint. The rest of that bag belonged to Sunny's sparse possessions, like her brush and a squeak toy and their frisbee, and this bag stayed settled square on Taylor's shoulders. The last item on the packing list was to roll up a couple blankets and a pillow with the sleeping bag, and then plead with Sunny until the wolf agreed, with an exaggerated eyeroll, to carry the plush bundle on her back.
That left just one small task before they could leave. Taylor raided the intact cupboards in the kitchen for a couple of items, then snuck out the back door and crept over to the Henricks' house. Old Mrs. Henrick answered her knocks after a couple of tries.
"Oh! Taylor, sweetie, come in! Oh, we've been worried, there was a terrible commotion in the night, are you okay?" The old woman hustled them inside, though Sunny elected to stay in the elderly couple's living room to keep an eye on Taylor's laden bike through the window. Taylor followed Old Mrs. Henrick and did her best to assure her of their well being.
"Sorry. Some Merchants attacked our house last night, but we're all okay. Sunny and I are gonna stay at Pawprint Shrine for a few days, so if Dad calls, that's where I'm at."
"Wh—you didn't tell your father?"
"I told his co-worker!" Taylor protested, "And since the company gave me a ride over here, that means they're now complicit and he can't complain." Because that was how it worked, hopefully. She shook her head to banish the vision of Chessman's myriad forces descending upon the shrine en masse in a fit of paternal worry. "Anyway, I'm sorry it's so sudden, but could I borrow your kitchen?"
"Oh, well, sure you can, Taylor. What do you need?"
Taylor followed her neighbor to the kitchen, explaining as she took out the ingredients she'd rescued from her own, destroyed place of baking. "I've got a guest I need to entertain later, so I wanted to make a quick matcha cake. Takes like, 30 minutes. And I'll be sure to leave out the back way so the reporters don't see me coming out of your house."
"Bah!" A cantankerous voice interrupted her, just as she got to the Henricks's kitchen to see Old Mr. Henrick sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. "Vultures, the lot of them. Good to see you, young lady, we're glad you're okay."
"George already glared a few into submission," Old Mrs Henrick said with a smile. "Here, let's preheat the oven, I'll help with this cake of yours. Is there any room in that bag? I'll pack some sweets for you and Sunny to take with you, too." Taylor could almost hear Sunny's ears perk up. Best neighbors, seriously.
* * *
Oni Lee walked through the torii gate. As ever, he could have been blind and known where the barrier was, because the blessed grounds of the shrine held an intangible difference from the rough streets outside it. Here, where the wolf spirit had invested its power, a few minutes spent at rest allowed for a feeling of contentment to pass through his mask. It was impossible to adequately describe the lack of something, but the kami's influence allowed Oni Lee to acknowledge that lack, and he always left the Pawprint Shrine feeling more whole than he would remember by the time he next visited.
Fortunate, then, that Lung had told him to keep an eye on the Miko, and on the rising activity of the ABB in the area. The census Lung had requested had been completed to his satisfaction, and though there was friction among the ABB at being moved between peer groups, trade guilds were being formed. Builders and unskilled laborers had already begun repairing Lung's newly-acquired properties in the vicinity of the shrine, while a few groups of skilled tradesmen were navigating the wider city's governance for the permits to open businesses. They, and a handful of merchants from the peasantry, would have the honor of being the first recipients of Lung's new venture. It was a sizeable investment, to be certain, but the returns would be greater still.
"Oh— hello, Oni Lee!" The assassin turned to spot the Miko waving at him from the door to the shrine's office. "It's getting cold out. Would you like to come inside for tea?"
An acceptable invitation. He nodded and followed the cobblestone pathway to the small building, then entered to see that the Miko had spread a number of mats over the open area of floor, so either she had entertained guests inside already or he was expected. Either seemed likely. Oni Lee settled onto the ground while the Miko busied herself with fetching her cups and pot.
"Sorry it's a little ramshackle, it's just getting too cold out to be sitting on the grass."
"Perhaps a kotatsu is called for."
"The word sounds familiar, but I can't place it…"
"It is a small table, with a heater and blanket."
"Oh! Yes, that does sound familiar. And cozy! I bet Sunny would definitely approve. I'll tell her about it when she wakes up, she's off in the honden having a nap." The Miko walked carefully over to where he was and set the now-full teapot in front of him, followed by the cups and a large plate holding some manner of green cake, shaped like a ring, and lightly covered in a clear glaze; Oni Lee could faintly smell green tea and lemon. "I was trying out a new recipe—sorry it doesn't look fancy, I'm still working on that—and I thought maybe you'd like to try it, and tell me what you think?"
Oni Lee nodded, and waited in silence while she settled herself opposite him and serve the tea and matcha cake. Her movements seemed less clumsy than they had been only a few months ago, and while her implements may not have been 'fancy,' as she put it, the Miko was clearly putting in the effort to anticipate the needs and comfort of her guests. She was shaping up to be a fine hostess and caretaker for the shrine. She inquired after his health, and made some light conversation as he grew accustomed to the warmth of the small office.
"I am glad that things are going well for you, Oni Lee, and equally glad that you stopped by to share such news… especially as there are a few matters I would like to discuss with you." Oni Lee felt a small thrill of alarm when the Miko looked up at him and smiled. "In particular, I have a few questions about the youkai I've been hearing about, and the sudden need for exorcism slips for the ABB that has followed."
It wasn't even that worrisome a topic, yet Oni Lee caught himself glancing down at his half-full cup and serving plate, still laden with the matcha cake. To get up and leave while in the middle of a tea service, even an informal one, would be the height of rudeness, and the Miko knew it.
Green tea and sugar
The motive inside, hidden
A delicious snare
"What in particular did you desire to know, Miko?"
She sipped at her tea. Oni Lee was not fooled; this was not a visit, it was a negotiation at best and interrogation at worst. "Well, to start… I confess, I didn't know the ABB recruited its members so young."
A statement framed as a question, and Oni Lee had to take a moment to figure out if the Miko had suddenly shifted topic or not. She hadn't— he quickly recalled the young man he'd instructed to purchase ofuda from her. Yuuta, he thought. He… had been a man, hadn't he? One of the newer members? The Miko answered his thoughts by adopting a worried tone. "I knew that a few of the upperclassmen at school had been recruited, but I didn't know the first and second years were ever allowed to do more than run errands. It was Yuuta, um… Suzuki, right. I'm sure you'd recognize him if you saw him, Yuuta is here pretty often to help me work on the building next door. Oh, did I mention that? His family wants to run a bakery, so I'm going to rent the property to them."
So that's where the premonition of doom was coming from. He had carelessly poached both a minor and someone under the Miko's direct authority. "I… see. Gomenasai, Miko, I did not know."
"Hm? Oh, there's no need to apologize, Oni Lee. I take it to mean you didn't know he wasn't a member already? I'm sure it's a simple mistake…" Translation: The Ōkami will overlook your transgression. Do not repeat it. "...and Yuuta told me a few things about Youkai already, so it certainly sounds like you do need the ofuda. I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner, really. I'm usually around Sunny and I don't think any spirits have tried to bother her… and, I'll admit, I didn't even know they were real until Yuuta told me. I'm still trying to learn Japanese, so even when Sunny had me copying down the designs in the book of charms, I wasn't sure what they were for."
"...I will send a higher-ranking member to purchase the ofuda from now on."
The Miko bit lightly at her bottom lip, and demurely derailed his plans before he could finish adapting them. "About that… I've been thinking. Selling exorcism slips—especially in bulk—to the ABB directly… isn't that really supplying the ABB? I was kind of worried that would be a violation of the shrine's neutral status between the gangs." Oni Lee tensed up, but the Miko just sipped at her tea again. "But… the ofuda are important, right? Especially around here, it seems. So I was thinking, what if the ABB could purchase them from someone else? It's a bit of a loss of business for the shrine, but it would hopefully get around the neutrality clause and free me up to make things other than just all exorcisms, all the time."
So she was offering a compromise? That was… a little odd, at first glance. He'd intended to buy the ofuda at a good price, so that was a noticeable loss for the Miko if she did not receive the payment. The Miko must have valued the spirit of the shrine's neutrality over its monetary success. Well, that was fitting. There was a bit of a flaw in her plan, however. "That would be acceptable, if there were another to purchase ofuda from. They would need to be effective, as well. Ink on paper by itself is worthless."
"Well, that should be easy enough!" The Miko smiled, and a bit of the tension leached out of the room. "I gave Yuuta a few supplies and my first practice books, so he can do it. Sunny thinks he's making great progress. I'll keep making some extra slips in the meantime, and when Yuuta's ofuda are up to par, you can buy them from him directly. Sound like a deal?"
So the Miko escapes the neutrality clause without breaking it, and the individuals under her patronage reap the rewards, with no loss of face or safety for the ABB. Lung was right to be wary. "That does seem agreeable, Miko."
"I'm very glad to hear it," she said. "Would you like some more tea?"
The Miko kept conversation light after that, and plied him with tea and her matcha cake to soothe the sting of her earlier reprimand. After an hour or so he thanked her, but it was time to return to his work. She accepted this readily and walked him to the torii, still speaking.
"Thank you for visiting, Oni Lee. And thank you for trying out the cake! I'll see if I can find some ways to make it even better… it might be a while, though. Sunny and I will be staying here for a while, so I don't have as much access to a kitchen. The Merchants blew ours up last night."
What.
"What?"
"You… might see it on the news. Oh, that reminds me! The Protectorate is interested in a temporary ceasefire with the ABB, so they can focus on really clearing out the Merchant territories. Could you let Lung know? If he wants to speak to me directly, you know where I am. Oh, but please call first, don't just let him ambush me, please?"
"I— yes." The Merchants had attacked the Miko at home? And the Protectorate was getting involved? What was this?
"Thank you! Well, have a good night, Oni Lee."
* * *
Taylor walked calmly back to her office, shut the door behind her to keep out the chill, then sat down at her desk and fished a brown paper bag out of one of the drawers.
A minute of hyperventilation later, she slumped over her desk and let the bag tumble to the floor— she could clean up later, when her legs weren't made of jelly. "I— I did it. I did it."
Sunny was asleep in the honden. Sunny was asleep, and Taylor had sat down with Oni Lee, and bargained with him. She'd reprimanded him for trying to forcibly recruit Yuuta, she'd negotiated around the Youkai issue, she'd— she'd dealt with the situation. Her. By herself, without Sunny nearby to smooth things over. Taylor laughed, a trifle hysterically, though that might have been the lightheadedness from the paper bag. She wasn't even surprised, a moment later, to see Sunny's head peeking in the window, the wolf awake and very confused by her antics. Taylor steadied herself, then got up and opened the door for her friend. Sunny looked at her, then the remains of the tea service, then back at her.
"Sunny! Sunny, I did it!" Taylor grinned, and gave a breathless rundown of the past hour. "I know— I know what I said, and— and it's still true. I'm still scared, and I still want to just… hang out with you, you know?"
Sunny made a 'go on' sort of noise, and curled up on the biggest bare space of mats. Taylor flumped against the wolf's side gratefully. "But—but it's not fair to make you do everything, you know? The cape stuff, and the— the youkai stuff? Which I still don't fully get, but, I mean… you don't have to hide it from me. I can help! I'm— I want to help, Sunny." She took a deep breath, and steadied herself. "I want to help you, with… whatever you're doing. Will you teach me?"
Taylor sat up, and turned to look at Sunny. The wolf was smiling, and from the look in her eyes, Taylor got the sense that Sunny was proud of her. Taylor wrapped her arms around the wolf's thick neck in a hug.
"It might be scary and weird, but— I won't let you down, Sunny. I promise."
