Tengu Reporter Quest (Touhou) (World 7 - Wheel of Time)
- Thread starter Entropy Judge
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Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
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Gathering Information II
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Tell Hatate to take a quick look at the temple-cities.
You pat her shoulder again, then flag down Shah for a couple of drinks - and carefully make sure Hatate doesn't try hers until none of your hosts are watching. As you expected, she gives the mug a scathing look before she catches your expression, after which she shakes herself as if merely surprised by it, and even smiles and nods to Gregor when he glances at the two of you. You chat until the other patrons all leave, discussing the differences you've already noted between Italica and the Human Village. Eventually, however, Gregor fills a bowl for himself and retreats to an upstairs area, leaving the lower common room to the four of you. Shah smiles cheerfully as Ruth hands you a couple bowls to use. Hatate examines the wooden spoon as she sits down at the table.
"Is it really so bad here?" Shah looks and sounds almost disappointed, while Ruth looks accusatory, and Hatate stiffens as she looks at you.
"Well, there's not much of a view," you say with a smile after eating some of the pottage - quite good, really. "And there are so many people, and of course there's hardly any wind." Shah's expression turns slightly confused, and you tilt your head slightly in return. "Oh, of course! Our home is on a mountain, which of course gave us a good view of the surrounding area, and you can't fit so many buildings so close together along the peak of a mountain, which is why we're used to not having so many people around. And - well, it's not so quiet, most of the time, because there are so many people, but we are quite used to having the wind blowing, rustling trees and wind chimes and such. It isn't so different while traveling - not as much height, of course, but open areas without anything to stop the wind … it's not too different. But being in a city like this, with buildings so solid and close together, and so many people bustling everywhere … it's a bit of a shock when you aren't used to it." By the time you finish, Shah is blushing slightly, and Ruth shakes her head.
"Gregor mentioned it earlier," the rabbit-woman says quietly. "How most humans don't like sharing a space with - demihumans. It doesn't bother you?" You shrug as Hatate stares blankly at her.
"Can't say it does. Judging people by their appearances isn't too smart an idea where we come from, too - lots of people are more dangerous than they look." Ruth nods, thinking about something. After a quiet few minutes of eating and thought, Shah apologizes, and then breaks out a set of cards. The game she starts teaching you isn't too complicated, but she and Ruth mention other games where certain conditions can make one of the three suits more powerful or weaker than the others. After a few games, during which Hatate wins not one single trick, the fire has burned down enough that humans would have great difficulty seeing, and Shah apologizes for not being able to add more fuel before suggesting you all turn in. She and Ruth take out a few small mattresses - some kind of thin leather filled with, if you're not mistaken, a mixture of animal fabric and some kind of grass or straw. They aren't particularly uncomfortable, and you all lie down in your separate ways: Shah curled on her side, Ruth sprawled on her side, and you and Hatate flat on your stomachs.
Very early in the morning, before your hosts are awake and before the sun even starts peaking over the horizon, you wake up Hatate and carefully raise the bar on the door, easing it shut again as carefully as you can and letting Hatate lower the bar. With your hosts hopefully not disturbed by your withdrawal, you look around before walking into a nearby alley and then flying up to roof-height before looking around the dark city again before flying up into the air and then to the north, past the forest and down the side of the cliff to the river. Hatate heaves a sigh of relief and seems to only barely remember to take her clothes off before diving into the river. You, of course, are rather more restrained … but you can't disagree with the feeling of having left behind such an overwhelming press of humans.
"They seem … really tense. Like they're expecting something to happen, and it's going to be bad." You pause for a moment to look at Hatate; for a shut-in, she's quite good at noticing underlying feelings like that.
"Well, their lord recently passed away and his heir is underage, with two potential guardians actually breaking into warfare over control of her. Add in the fact that everyone knows the Imperial Army is doing something around here, and this place's importance to the capital, and a lot of them probably think that this place is going to be attacked for 'state security' or something." It's Hatate's turn to give you a look.
"They're this close to that Alnus place and they don't know what's going on?" You shrug.
"Close for us," you say as you resume washing your face. "Not necessarily for slow humans and horses, and who's to say that the Empire is letting anyone find out what that temple's for? Or does the Human Village listen in on the daitengu councils?" She hunches her shoulders, feeling rebuked, and you let her go until you're both dried and dressed. "Anyway, feel up for some solo scouting? If they're close enough, I want you to take a look at those 'temple-cities.' Nothing deep, just where they are and what they're like. If there is a decent library around here, it's probably in one of them." She stands quietly for a long moment, and you watch and wait, wondering if she's actually going to try and refuse - but in the end she sighs heavily and nods.
"Do you want me to leave now?" You shake your head.
"No, let's head back; hopefully they won't be up yet and we won't be missed." You look at the river; you could bring back some fish to help with food, but then you'd have to explain things. Getting back inside the inn is going to be tricky enough, and you wish you'd cared enough to pay attention to how some tengu refracted the wind tightly enough to serve as a mirror - if that's what they really did, and they weren't just using some magic on the sly, anyway - but it would probably be too dark for you to see anything, anyway.
You manage to retrace your steps without issue, even getting back inside without seeming to alert anyone, but after Shah wakes up and starts clearing things away and getting the kitchen ready for breakfast, she suddenly approaches you and sniffs carefully. "You smell clean! Like a fresh stream." Hatate stares at you, stricken, but you just smile at Shah and nod your head.
"Of course we do. This morning, Hatate and I flew out of the city and took a bath in the river." Hatate's expression turns from shock and worry to disgust before Shah turns to look at her, and you mentally heave a sigh of relief as the cat-woman finally stares intently at your bags.
"Right, and I suppose great big wings sprouted from your back like a winged woman, huh? Fine, fine. Secret mountain soap or something, huh?" You grin apprehensively, as if you aren't sure how to respond, and she snorts and shakes her head. Hatate again gives you a horrified look, and you shrug.
Hatate slips out in the early morning, before people are fully up for business, and you make your way to the gates to watch how entry and egress is properly handled. For individual travelers, it's not much different from what you and Hatate went through; only wagons or carts with unknown people get searched. After a few hours of watching the streams of humanity enter or leave the city, you turn and walk into one of the many merchants' streets, listening to them hawk their wares or argue with customers. The one time a street quiets is when a band of soldiers - presumably Imperials - marches down. You frown as you watch them; their arms and equipment tickle your memory, but you can't pin down the specifics, only that you've seen that style of helmet and shield before. Of course, that hardly narrows things down ….
Once they're gone, people resume their previous energy, and you go back to watching them interact, frowning at the average person's lack of sense. Not that humans make the best decisions anywhere, of course, but some people are obviously getting fleeced and seem to think they're making out well anyway. A kappa who could keep her cool would probably make a killing … not that you've ever met such a thing. You're not sure you could have dragged most kappa into Italica, considering the sheer number of humans present. But it is something to keep in mind for the future.
As the day passes into evening and your observations turn from economic activities and the operation of the city to more human interactions and rumors and other information transactions, you find a local prostitute and signal her. She nods and you begin work, heading into a brightly-lit tavern and looking for someone to wine and dine you. Naturally, someone finds you before you find someone you consider settling for - although that's good, because they're the kind of person as eager to drink themselves as they are to get you drunk. It also means you simply have to accept their offer instead of trying to come up with a way to trick them into paying for your drinks. After your fourth victim is handed over to the waiting girl, you go back over your notes - rumors about which knight orders are supposed to be coming to Italica, how much of the city guard was called up by the Empire, arguments over who would make the best guardian for their ruler, trade routes with certain regions being cut off for various reasons ….
"Aya!" You blink and look up as Hatate approaches. "You're not busy?" You frown; it's getting rather dark, so you could probably get another round or two of listening in - but it's fine for now. You wave off your contact and she bows before slipping into the crowd. Hatate looks around, and you sigh as you realize she hadn't even noticed the girl. You hand the other crow a small apple of some kind as you lead her away from eavesdroppers. Once you're safely ensconced above the streets, tucked away in a corner where you won't be seen, she takes out her camera. After several steadying breaths, she finally nods. "The first place - Rondel. It's not a temple." She shows you the images on her camera - a feature you're actually rather envious of - and you see a city more ramshackle than Italica, with old and dilapidated buildings. There are even more people than Italica, or at least it seems that way. "I went in, they don't even have a watch. Lots more non-humans, and so many different kinds. We could walk in with our wings out and not get a second look. No public libraries, only private ones, and to get access to those you have to know the owner - either be a student or part of their schooling system, or something. It's also where most of their mages study and train, and that's why everything is so beat up." You raise an eyebrow and she moves forward a few pictures until it shows what is obviously a duel between two mages, and you study the array of magical effects interestedly before leaning back.
"Are they any good? Dangerous?" Hatate sighs.
"Well, it's not danmaku, and the girl seems to be a well-known duelist, so she's probably pretty capable. It's certainly enough to damage buildings, like I said. Mages dueling or making mistakes is why they city looks so bad, as far as I can tell." But why don't they use magic to strengthen their buildings, then? Ah, but Patchouli said …. "I did try to sneak into an older district, with fewer people, but there was some kind of screen - nothing I couldn't have broken open, but probably enough to make some noise if I did." You nod; Patchouli's request can wait for a bit, especially if there are more powerful mages waiting in the library.
"And the other place - the temple?" Hatate actually slumps and leans against you.
"Aya, I screwed up." After several long moments she sits back up and looks at you with worried and fearful eyes. "It's called 'Belnago' - or something like that. There was a … a distortion in the words, and I didn't want to get too close. It's like … like being near Lord Tenma when he's really angry, you know? Just that feeling of presence …." You raise an eyebrow - you know what she's talking about, it's just that it's usually humans in the presence of powerful youkai describing it. You've never seen Tenma angry enough to have that effect on you, but Remilia, Yuuka, even Yukari, once. Hatate takes your silence for skepticism, though, and looks down bashfully. "A-Anyway, I … I listened in after taking a few pictures. That place, it's dedicated to a god called -" She clamps her mouth shut, takes out a sheet of paper, and writes out a strange name in a trembling hand: 'Hardy.' "And then … I thought it would be a good idea to - to look up … these are the pictures of the city I took." Her voice trails off hopelessly as she shows you the camera and scrolls through the images.
The first picture is a blur, over which the word 'Come' blazes. The next is another blur, and the words say 'Come, or be brought.' 'Come soon.' 'You will come.' And the last picture is simply a black image, with the faintest impression of two eyes staring out at you, and your own eyes widen as you sense the eyes moving to look at you, specifically. Between all that, and the fact that the commands weren't in the local scripts … Hatate's behavior makes sense. The poor girl just can't catch a break, can she …. Well, you probably had to meet a god at some point, or at least one of their clergy, and it's usually not a good idea to even appear to snub some of the more powerful gods in their home turf. On the other hand, it said "soon," and not "immediately," so you should have some time if you want to think things over and learn more about this 'Hardy.'
What do you do?
[ ] Stay in Italica for a few more days. Have Hatate stay around the Catspaw Inn tomorrow and make a decision later.
- [ ] See if she can help them out getting things ready.
[ ] Leave for the temple tomorrow. Better get it over with sooner than later.
- [ ] Get as much information about Belnago as you can from Ruth and Shah.
[ ] Other?
You pat her shoulder again, then flag down Shah for a couple of drinks - and carefully make sure Hatate doesn't try hers until none of your hosts are watching. As you expected, she gives the mug a scathing look before she catches your expression, after which she shakes herself as if merely surprised by it, and even smiles and nods to Gregor when he glances at the two of you. You chat until the other patrons all leave, discussing the differences you've already noted between Italica and the Human Village. Eventually, however, Gregor fills a bowl for himself and retreats to an upstairs area, leaving the lower common room to the four of you. Shah smiles cheerfully as Ruth hands you a couple bowls to use. Hatate examines the wooden spoon as she sits down at the table.
"Is it really so bad here?" Shah looks and sounds almost disappointed, while Ruth looks accusatory, and Hatate stiffens as she looks at you.
"Well, there's not much of a view," you say with a smile after eating some of the pottage - quite good, really. "And there are so many people, and of course there's hardly any wind." Shah's expression turns slightly confused, and you tilt your head slightly in return. "Oh, of course! Our home is on a mountain, which of course gave us a good view of the surrounding area, and you can't fit so many buildings so close together along the peak of a mountain, which is why we're used to not having so many people around. And - well, it's not so quiet, most of the time, because there are so many people, but we are quite used to having the wind blowing, rustling trees and wind chimes and such. It isn't so different while traveling - not as much height, of course, but open areas without anything to stop the wind … it's not too different. But being in a city like this, with buildings so solid and close together, and so many people bustling everywhere … it's a bit of a shock when you aren't used to it." By the time you finish, Shah is blushing slightly, and Ruth shakes her head.
"Gregor mentioned it earlier," the rabbit-woman says quietly. "How most humans don't like sharing a space with - demihumans. It doesn't bother you?" You shrug as Hatate stares blankly at her.
"Can't say it does. Judging people by their appearances isn't too smart an idea where we come from, too - lots of people are more dangerous than they look." Ruth nods, thinking about something. After a quiet few minutes of eating and thought, Shah apologizes, and then breaks out a set of cards. The game she starts teaching you isn't too complicated, but she and Ruth mention other games where certain conditions can make one of the three suits more powerful or weaker than the others. After a few games, during which Hatate wins not one single trick, the fire has burned down enough that humans would have great difficulty seeing, and Shah apologizes for not being able to add more fuel before suggesting you all turn in. She and Ruth take out a few small mattresses - some kind of thin leather filled with, if you're not mistaken, a mixture of animal fabric and some kind of grass or straw. They aren't particularly uncomfortable, and you all lie down in your separate ways: Shah curled on her side, Ruth sprawled on her side, and you and Hatate flat on your stomachs.
***
Very early in the morning, before your hosts are awake and before the sun even starts peaking over the horizon, you wake up Hatate and carefully raise the bar on the door, easing it shut again as carefully as you can and letting Hatate lower the bar. With your hosts hopefully not disturbed by your withdrawal, you look around before walking into a nearby alley and then flying up to roof-height before looking around the dark city again before flying up into the air and then to the north, past the forest and down the side of the cliff to the river. Hatate heaves a sigh of relief and seems to only barely remember to take her clothes off before diving into the river. You, of course, are rather more restrained … but you can't disagree with the feeling of having left behind such an overwhelming press of humans.
"They seem … really tense. Like they're expecting something to happen, and it's going to be bad." You pause for a moment to look at Hatate; for a shut-in, she's quite good at noticing underlying feelings like that.
"Well, their lord recently passed away and his heir is underage, with two potential guardians actually breaking into warfare over control of her. Add in the fact that everyone knows the Imperial Army is doing something around here, and this place's importance to the capital, and a lot of them probably think that this place is going to be attacked for 'state security' or something." It's Hatate's turn to give you a look.
"They're this close to that Alnus place and they don't know what's going on?" You shrug.
"Close for us," you say as you resume washing your face. "Not necessarily for slow humans and horses, and who's to say that the Empire is letting anyone find out what that temple's for? Or does the Human Village listen in on the daitengu councils?" She hunches her shoulders, feeling rebuked, and you let her go until you're both dried and dressed. "Anyway, feel up for some solo scouting? If they're close enough, I want you to take a look at those 'temple-cities.' Nothing deep, just where they are and what they're like. If there is a decent library around here, it's probably in one of them." She stands quietly for a long moment, and you watch and wait, wondering if she's actually going to try and refuse - but in the end she sighs heavily and nods.
"Do you want me to leave now?" You shake your head.
"No, let's head back; hopefully they won't be up yet and we won't be missed." You look at the river; you could bring back some fish to help with food, but then you'd have to explain things. Getting back inside the inn is going to be tricky enough, and you wish you'd cared enough to pay attention to how some tengu refracted the wind tightly enough to serve as a mirror - if that's what they really did, and they weren't just using some magic on the sly, anyway - but it would probably be too dark for you to see anything, anyway.
You manage to retrace your steps without issue, even getting back inside without seeming to alert anyone, but after Shah wakes up and starts clearing things away and getting the kitchen ready for breakfast, she suddenly approaches you and sniffs carefully. "You smell clean! Like a fresh stream." Hatate stares at you, stricken, but you just smile at Shah and nod your head.
"Of course we do. This morning, Hatate and I flew out of the city and took a bath in the river." Hatate's expression turns from shock and worry to disgust before Shah turns to look at her, and you mentally heave a sigh of relief as the cat-woman finally stares intently at your bags.
"Right, and I suppose great big wings sprouted from your back like a winged woman, huh? Fine, fine. Secret mountain soap or something, huh?" You grin apprehensively, as if you aren't sure how to respond, and she snorts and shakes her head. Hatate again gives you a horrified look, and you shrug.
***
Hatate slips out in the early morning, before people are fully up for business, and you make your way to the gates to watch how entry and egress is properly handled. For individual travelers, it's not much different from what you and Hatate went through; only wagons or carts with unknown people get searched. After a few hours of watching the streams of humanity enter or leave the city, you turn and walk into one of the many merchants' streets, listening to them hawk their wares or argue with customers. The one time a street quiets is when a band of soldiers - presumably Imperials - marches down. You frown as you watch them; their arms and equipment tickle your memory, but you can't pin down the specifics, only that you've seen that style of helmet and shield before. Of course, that hardly narrows things down ….
Once they're gone, people resume their previous energy, and you go back to watching them interact, frowning at the average person's lack of sense. Not that humans make the best decisions anywhere, of course, but some people are obviously getting fleeced and seem to think they're making out well anyway. A kappa who could keep her cool would probably make a killing … not that you've ever met such a thing. You're not sure you could have dragged most kappa into Italica, considering the sheer number of humans present. But it is something to keep in mind for the future.
As the day passes into evening and your observations turn from economic activities and the operation of the city to more human interactions and rumors and other information transactions, you find a local prostitute and signal her. She nods and you begin work, heading into a brightly-lit tavern and looking for someone to wine and dine you. Naturally, someone finds you before you find someone you consider settling for - although that's good, because they're the kind of person as eager to drink themselves as they are to get you drunk. It also means you simply have to accept their offer instead of trying to come up with a way to trick them into paying for your drinks. After your fourth victim is handed over to the waiting girl, you go back over your notes - rumors about which knight orders are supposed to be coming to Italica, how much of the city guard was called up by the Empire, arguments over who would make the best guardian for their ruler, trade routes with certain regions being cut off for various reasons ….
"Aya!" You blink and look up as Hatate approaches. "You're not busy?" You frown; it's getting rather dark, so you could probably get another round or two of listening in - but it's fine for now. You wave off your contact and she bows before slipping into the crowd. Hatate looks around, and you sigh as you realize she hadn't even noticed the girl. You hand the other crow a small apple of some kind as you lead her away from eavesdroppers. Once you're safely ensconced above the streets, tucked away in a corner where you won't be seen, she takes out her camera. After several steadying breaths, she finally nods. "The first place - Rondel. It's not a temple." She shows you the images on her camera - a feature you're actually rather envious of - and you see a city more ramshackle than Italica, with old and dilapidated buildings. There are even more people than Italica, or at least it seems that way. "I went in, they don't even have a watch. Lots more non-humans, and so many different kinds. We could walk in with our wings out and not get a second look. No public libraries, only private ones, and to get access to those you have to know the owner - either be a student or part of their schooling system, or something. It's also where most of their mages study and train, and that's why everything is so beat up." You raise an eyebrow and she moves forward a few pictures until it shows what is obviously a duel between two mages, and you study the array of magical effects interestedly before leaning back.
"Are they any good? Dangerous?" Hatate sighs.
"Well, it's not danmaku, and the girl seems to be a well-known duelist, so she's probably pretty capable. It's certainly enough to damage buildings, like I said. Mages dueling or making mistakes is why they city looks so bad, as far as I can tell." But why don't they use magic to strengthen their buildings, then? Ah, but Patchouli said …. "I did try to sneak into an older district, with fewer people, but there was some kind of screen - nothing I couldn't have broken open, but probably enough to make some noise if I did." You nod; Patchouli's request can wait for a bit, especially if there are more powerful mages waiting in the library.
"And the other place - the temple?" Hatate actually slumps and leans against you.
"Aya, I screwed up." After several long moments she sits back up and looks at you with worried and fearful eyes. "It's called 'Belnago' - or something like that. There was a … a distortion in the words, and I didn't want to get too close. It's like … like being near Lord Tenma when he's really angry, you know? Just that feeling of presence …." You raise an eyebrow - you know what she's talking about, it's just that it's usually humans in the presence of powerful youkai describing it. You've never seen Tenma angry enough to have that effect on you, but Remilia, Yuuka, even Yukari, once. Hatate takes your silence for skepticism, though, and looks down bashfully. "A-Anyway, I … I listened in after taking a few pictures. That place, it's dedicated to a god called -" She clamps her mouth shut, takes out a sheet of paper, and writes out a strange name in a trembling hand: 'Hardy.' "And then … I thought it would be a good idea to - to look up … these are the pictures of the city I took." Her voice trails off hopelessly as she shows you the camera and scrolls through the images.
The first picture is a blur, over which the word 'Come' blazes. The next is another blur, and the words say 'Come, or be brought.' 'Come soon.' 'You will come.' And the last picture is simply a black image, with the faintest impression of two eyes staring out at you, and your own eyes widen as you sense the eyes moving to look at you, specifically. Between all that, and the fact that the commands weren't in the local scripts … Hatate's behavior makes sense. The poor girl just can't catch a break, can she …. Well, you probably had to meet a god at some point, or at least one of their clergy, and it's usually not a good idea to even appear to snub some of the more powerful gods in their home turf. On the other hand, it said "soon," and not "immediately," so you should have some time if you want to think things over and learn more about this 'Hardy.'
What do you do?
[ ] Stay in Italica for a few more days. Have Hatate stay around the Catspaw Inn tomorrow and make a decision later.
- [ ] See if she can help them out getting things ready.
[ ] Leave for the temple tomorrow. Better get it over with sooner than later.
- [ ] Get as much information about Belnago as you can from Ruth and Shah.
[ ] Other?
Ah, the best kind of lies are the ones that aren't even lies at all.
[x] Leave for the temple tomorrow. Better get it over with sooner than later.
- [x] Get as much information about Belnago as you can from Ruth and Shah.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
I approve of your choice of idiom.
EDIT: Votes are locked.
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To Belnago Shrine
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Leave for the temple tomorrow. Better get it over with sooner than later.
- Get as much information about Belnago as you can from Ruth and Shah.
No, no … getting it over with now is probably for the better. After all, if this Hardy is powerful or influential, then his … her? Might be awkward to ask about that, unless Hardy is explicitly a local deity …. Anyway, if Hardy is powerful and problematic, that could make any movement here troublesome, if not outright impossible. Then again, this may just be opportunism - Hatate was seen, regardless of whether she was known to be from another world, and ordered to have a meeting. You clap Hatate's shoulder and stand up, stretching. "Well, let's head back to the Catspaw; we'll ask Ruth and Shah about this Belnago place, and head out there tomorrow." She sits frozen for a moment, then shakes herself and puts her camera away before following you to the ground.
"… This isn't a problem?" You shrug; she sounds worried and confused, which does mean she's still got her head on right. Has she just never been particularly ambitious?
"We would have had to meet with a god or a major representative at some point, and having an explicit request from one gives us a good way in. If the gods can prevent emigration, it'll be good to know that now and not, say, in two or three weeks when we've decided this could be a good place but we've already ticked off a local pantheon or two." She nods and walks along with you quietly. "… Ah, did you learn anything about that particular deity?" Hatate blinks at you before shaking herself and taking out a notebook.
"… Ah, god of the underworld and things in the earth. Minerals and ores, like that. Worship of her seems to revolve around assistance with that and prayers for the dead." She hunches her shoulders defensively, but you just nod appreciatively.
"Good, good. Someone that we, living atop a mountain as we do, wouldn't be terribly familiar with, especially with regional differences." Hatate relaxes a bit, finally seeming mostly normal by the time you reach the inn and slip inside. A few guests are still there - it's not that late, after all - and Gregor raises an arm in greeting before returning to his discussion with the wolf-man at the bar. Hatate rests her head on the table, using her arms as a pillow, and you lean back in your chair, listening to the chatter around you. Nothing terribly important, just grousing about the day or the future or women. About the most interesting discussion is actually held by Gregor and the wolf-man about weapons and who makes the best ones. Hm, didn't one of the rumors you heard say something about elves somewhere nearby …? Maybe you'll see about finding it after seeing Belnago. You sigh quietly and shake your head; it's such a pain, having to keep a low profile like this, instead of just soaring off to study each new thing you hear about.
Eventually, however, the patrons leave and Gregor retreats to his office. Maybe he' knows something, too - maybe you should have asked him when he wasn't occupied by another patron? - but it's probably better to start with the friendlier rabbit and cat. "Ready to learn a few more games?" Shah holds up her cards as she eats, and Ruth actually smiles a little … but you have to shake your head.
"Not tonight, unfortunately. Something happened, and - well, would you happen to know the best way to get to Belnago?" Hatate hunches her shoulders defensively and gives you a hurt look, but Ruth and Shah are just staring, dumbfounded. "Something told Hatate to go to Belnago, which I guess is a temple around here? So we'll be heading out tomorrow." They turn their heads toward Hatate, and you're a bit sorry for putting her on the spot.
"I … I didn't see anything. I was just looking around, and - and something told me to go there, and that if I didn't go, I would be taken there. So I guess we're changing our plans, but we don't know much about where we're supposed to go or what it's like, so …." Ruth nods calmly, but Shah's eyes widen and she looks back and forth between you and Hatate.
"Are you an Apostle?" Her excitement fades only slightly as you shake your head, but Ruth actually seems more interested.
"A mortal being summoned by a god … you must be quite special." Rather than blush, though, Hatate pales and looks down at her food. You pat her shoulder; she's a tengu, and your subordinate, and your rival, so that's three reasons you have to make sure she makes it through this! "Hm, would Persia know anything?" Shah blinks, expression blank as she focuses on Ruth.
"Know … oh. No, she didn't get to go; the Roen and Missna clans only wanted humans along. She might be able to ask the head maid, but …." She looks around meaningfully, and you nod.
"It's fine, I know it's late. I didn't even think you'd know anyone who went there. But we didn't pass it on the way here, so I'm not sure if there's a good road there, or if we should wait for something …." Shah smiles and bows, glad of your understanding tone, but Ruth actually stands up and starts pacing.
"Well, it might be a long walk. You'll want to take the west road until you cross the river, then go north and a bit east. Don't follow too close to the river, though, or you'll head toward Rondel." Shah nods.
"Rondel is the Sages' City, but I think there are mountains between it and Belnago Shrine, so there probably won't be a road directly between them. If you do end up there, it shouldn't be too bad - there aren't that many sage applicants, I think, so it should be a quiet place." You nod thankfully. "Oh, and when the Count's family went, they were gone nearly two months, and that's with carriages, so like Ruth said, it'll be a long walk."
"So, take the west road until we cross the river, then north and northeast." Hatate raises a hand questioningly.
"Um, are there any - any caravans or something like that? Or could we, I don't know, buy a couple horses, or something?" Shah looks away embarrassedly, but Ruth shakes her head calmly.
"It may seem like horses are everywhere, but they're actually really expensive to buy. And that's before you take the recent price hikes from the armies gathering. And if you've never ridden a horse, you'd really be better off walking." Hatate sighs and nods, accepting her defeat, and Ruth leans back. "As for caravans … there would usually be one leaving in about a week, that would turn south or west at the river, but with everything happening I'm not even sure if they will be leaving or where they'll be headed."
"I see, I see, that's too bad," you say. "Well, maybe if they catch us, we'll be able to get a ride the rest of the way?" Ruth thinks for a moment, then shrugs.
"Maybe. But, if you have to leave tomorrow, then we should at least have a slightly better meal before you go!" Shah smiles as the rabbit-woman slips into the back room, then returns with a peculiarly marked barrel and half-fills four clean cups before putting it back. When your cup is handed to you, you sniff curiously - it has a sort of grassy smell, and Ruth smiles. "Special stuff, this, and hard to get. Here's to your trip."
It's actually quite good, for what it is, and you make a note to yourself to copy the symbol on the barrel.
The next morning, Shah walks you to the gate and waves you off as you start walking - swordless, because Ruth said that bandits are scarce because of the armies, and a sword won't help you against the armies if they decide to do something to you. Hatate sighs tiredly. "I had … I don't know if they were dreams or if was actually hearing things. Just whispers, but it kept me up." You frown; even a human would have had a hard time getting drunk off of what you had, so it couldn't have been the drinks, and if someone had been actually there then you should have woken up, too. Unless they used magic, of course … but maybe even then.
"We'll have to bother this Hardy person about that, then. If she's responsible for it, she needs to learn to knock it off." You turn to look back at Italica, ignoring the shocked expression on Hatate's face. It won't take you and Hatate long to get to Belnago once you actually start moving, but for now you're still close enough that you should keep to your disguises. After a moment you shrug and turn back to keep walking, still ignoring your companion's stare. "Come, Hatate! We have a god waiting for our illustrious presences!" You clap her back, propelling her into motion, and chuckle as she shakes her head.
When you finally take to the sky, you inhale deeply; someone is about to get a storm. Not you, though. You and Hatate fly northwest, getting slightly chilled over the small mountain range before dropping back down to a more human-comfortable height. There are a few birds around, hunting or just flying for the sport of it, but no crows. How sad ….
Rondel is much as Hatate's pictures showed it: somewhat worn, but still in good condition for the most part. She points out the area she had tried entering, and it definitely looks worse off than the front part of the city - which is packed. You could walk in with your wings out and not get a second look because no one would be able to see your wings. Well, that's probably an overstatement, but it certainly is crowded. Its population is probably smaller than Italica's, but it feels bigger because they're crowded into a smaller area. If you do go here to satisfy the magician's urge for books - hypocritical as it may be, you're probably just going to break in and take them from somewhere. You can handle humans just fine, but that is too many.
Finally, shortly before noon, you reach the sky above Belnago. There are quite a few people there, too, but they aren't everywhere. Even the road is reasonably clear, but your attention is taken up by the temple-city itself. It is beautiful, befitting the chief temple of a deity, and you recount your thoughts - perhaps this Hardy is more than a regional god. There are massive stone gates, open fields, small groves of trees, even stone pillars, some of which appear to have been tunneled into for living purposes. There's even a lake along one side of the crater the temple is built in! And in the center is what must be the temple itself.
… Naturally, of course, from what you can see - it goes down.
Hatate swallows and looks around anxiously. You wink and motion for her to descend along with you. You land as unobtrusively as you can, and none of the other pilgrims - most of whom are caked in dirt from endless walking - seem to care when you and Hatate step out from behind a large boulder near the road. Your fingers itch to take out your camera and start taking pictures, but if they get ruined … oh, you wouldn't be able to stand that. And you wouldn't know until you got them developed! It's kind of a shame, too, because the city is beautiful. Statues of beautiful women are everywhere, and the walls are carved with bas reliefs and painted with fanciful designs.
And halfway through the city, the effect is ruined. "It's like the Road of Liminality," you mutter irritatedly, and Hatate chuckles despite her nervousness. The stalls cut the street widths in half, and while some of the statues for sale are very well made, they are all 'festival' presents and mementos. For some reason, other stalls simply sell mineral samples - ah, but Hatate said that, didn't she? People worship Hardy either for the sake of their dead loved ones, or because she has dominion over what's in the earth. Still … at least Tewi gave something for her scam. About the only use this would be is - actually, it is a shame you don't really know anyone who knows anything about mining or blacksmithing. And you're not about to spend money getting fancy rocks that might not be any use … food, maybe, because some of that looks delicious. But not rocks.
Finally you reach the entrance to the temple, with long lines of pilgrims waiting for their chance to get in, and beautiful priestesses in frilled white dresses guarding the doors. Hatate sidles next to you. "So, should we wait for someone to get us, or get in line?" You grimace and look back at the end of the line. It could take quite a while to get in that way ….
"Frankly, I would suggest changing and getting comfortable and just forcing our way in, but that temple probably goes a ways underground, and if they can seal it …." Hatate nods; getting stuck underground with no wind to work with isn't ideal, after all, especially if you get stuck after picking a fight. But maybe if you bluff ….
What do you do?
[ ] Change into your proper clothes, let your wings out, and tell one of the priestesses that you were instructed to come here. Also let her know that you aren't going deeper than one level underground.
- [ ] Threaten to leave if she gets uppity.
[ ] Get in line.
- [ ] Change first.
[ ] Wait for someone to come get you.
- [ ] Refuse to go deeper than on level underground.
[ ] Other?
- Get as much information about Belnago as you can from Ruth and Shah.
No, no … getting it over with now is probably for the better. After all, if this Hardy is powerful or influential, then his … her? Might be awkward to ask about that, unless Hardy is explicitly a local deity …. Anyway, if Hardy is powerful and problematic, that could make any movement here troublesome, if not outright impossible. Then again, this may just be opportunism - Hatate was seen, regardless of whether she was known to be from another world, and ordered to have a meeting. You clap Hatate's shoulder and stand up, stretching. "Well, let's head back to the Catspaw; we'll ask Ruth and Shah about this Belnago place, and head out there tomorrow." She sits frozen for a moment, then shakes herself and puts her camera away before following you to the ground.
"… This isn't a problem?" You shrug; she sounds worried and confused, which does mean she's still got her head on right. Has she just never been particularly ambitious?
"We would have had to meet with a god or a major representative at some point, and having an explicit request from one gives us a good way in. If the gods can prevent emigration, it'll be good to know that now and not, say, in two or three weeks when we've decided this could be a good place but we've already ticked off a local pantheon or two." She nods and walks along with you quietly. "… Ah, did you learn anything about that particular deity?" Hatate blinks at you before shaking herself and taking out a notebook.
"… Ah, god of the underworld and things in the earth. Minerals and ores, like that. Worship of her seems to revolve around assistance with that and prayers for the dead." She hunches her shoulders defensively, but you just nod appreciatively.
"Good, good. Someone that we, living atop a mountain as we do, wouldn't be terribly familiar with, especially with regional differences." Hatate relaxes a bit, finally seeming mostly normal by the time you reach the inn and slip inside. A few guests are still there - it's not that late, after all - and Gregor raises an arm in greeting before returning to his discussion with the wolf-man at the bar. Hatate rests her head on the table, using her arms as a pillow, and you lean back in your chair, listening to the chatter around you. Nothing terribly important, just grousing about the day or the future or women. About the most interesting discussion is actually held by Gregor and the wolf-man about weapons and who makes the best ones. Hm, didn't one of the rumors you heard say something about elves somewhere nearby …? Maybe you'll see about finding it after seeing Belnago. You sigh quietly and shake your head; it's such a pain, having to keep a low profile like this, instead of just soaring off to study each new thing you hear about.
Eventually, however, the patrons leave and Gregor retreats to his office. Maybe he' knows something, too - maybe you should have asked him when he wasn't occupied by another patron? - but it's probably better to start with the friendlier rabbit and cat. "Ready to learn a few more games?" Shah holds up her cards as she eats, and Ruth actually smiles a little … but you have to shake your head.
"Not tonight, unfortunately. Something happened, and - well, would you happen to know the best way to get to Belnago?" Hatate hunches her shoulders defensively and gives you a hurt look, but Ruth and Shah are just staring, dumbfounded. "Something told Hatate to go to Belnago, which I guess is a temple around here? So we'll be heading out tomorrow." They turn their heads toward Hatate, and you're a bit sorry for putting her on the spot.
"I … I didn't see anything. I was just looking around, and - and something told me to go there, and that if I didn't go, I would be taken there. So I guess we're changing our plans, but we don't know much about where we're supposed to go or what it's like, so …." Ruth nods calmly, but Shah's eyes widen and she looks back and forth between you and Hatate.
"Are you an Apostle?" Her excitement fades only slightly as you shake your head, but Ruth actually seems more interested.
"A mortal being summoned by a god … you must be quite special." Rather than blush, though, Hatate pales and looks down at her food. You pat her shoulder; she's a tengu, and your subordinate, and your rival, so that's three reasons you have to make sure she makes it through this! "Hm, would Persia know anything?" Shah blinks, expression blank as she focuses on Ruth.
"Know … oh. No, she didn't get to go; the Roen and Missna clans only wanted humans along. She might be able to ask the head maid, but …." She looks around meaningfully, and you nod.
"It's fine, I know it's late. I didn't even think you'd know anyone who went there. But we didn't pass it on the way here, so I'm not sure if there's a good road there, or if we should wait for something …." Shah smiles and bows, glad of your understanding tone, but Ruth actually stands up and starts pacing.
"Well, it might be a long walk. You'll want to take the west road until you cross the river, then go north and a bit east. Don't follow too close to the river, though, or you'll head toward Rondel." Shah nods.
"Rondel is the Sages' City, but I think there are mountains between it and Belnago Shrine, so there probably won't be a road directly between them. If you do end up there, it shouldn't be too bad - there aren't that many sage applicants, I think, so it should be a quiet place." You nod thankfully. "Oh, and when the Count's family went, they were gone nearly two months, and that's with carriages, so like Ruth said, it'll be a long walk."
"So, take the west road until we cross the river, then north and northeast." Hatate raises a hand questioningly.
"Um, are there any - any caravans or something like that? Or could we, I don't know, buy a couple horses, or something?" Shah looks away embarrassedly, but Ruth shakes her head calmly.
"It may seem like horses are everywhere, but they're actually really expensive to buy. And that's before you take the recent price hikes from the armies gathering. And if you've never ridden a horse, you'd really be better off walking." Hatate sighs and nods, accepting her defeat, and Ruth leans back. "As for caravans … there would usually be one leaving in about a week, that would turn south or west at the river, but with everything happening I'm not even sure if they will be leaving or where they'll be headed."
"I see, I see, that's too bad," you say. "Well, maybe if they catch us, we'll be able to get a ride the rest of the way?" Ruth thinks for a moment, then shrugs.
"Maybe. But, if you have to leave tomorrow, then we should at least have a slightly better meal before you go!" Shah smiles as the rabbit-woman slips into the back room, then returns with a peculiarly marked barrel and half-fills four clean cups before putting it back. When your cup is handed to you, you sniff curiously - it has a sort of grassy smell, and Ruth smiles. "Special stuff, this, and hard to get. Here's to your trip."
It's actually quite good, for what it is, and you make a note to yourself to copy the symbol on the barrel.
***
The next morning, Shah walks you to the gate and waves you off as you start walking - swordless, because Ruth said that bandits are scarce because of the armies, and a sword won't help you against the armies if they decide to do something to you. Hatate sighs tiredly. "I had … I don't know if they were dreams or if was actually hearing things. Just whispers, but it kept me up." You frown; even a human would have had a hard time getting drunk off of what you had, so it couldn't have been the drinks, and if someone had been actually there then you should have woken up, too. Unless they used magic, of course … but maybe even then.
"We'll have to bother this Hardy person about that, then. If she's responsible for it, she needs to learn to knock it off." You turn to look back at Italica, ignoring the shocked expression on Hatate's face. It won't take you and Hatate long to get to Belnago once you actually start moving, but for now you're still close enough that you should keep to your disguises. After a moment you shrug and turn back to keep walking, still ignoring your companion's stare. "Come, Hatate! We have a god waiting for our illustrious presences!" You clap her back, propelling her into motion, and chuckle as she shakes her head.
When you finally take to the sky, you inhale deeply; someone is about to get a storm. Not you, though. You and Hatate fly northwest, getting slightly chilled over the small mountain range before dropping back down to a more human-comfortable height. There are a few birds around, hunting or just flying for the sport of it, but no crows. How sad ….
Rondel is much as Hatate's pictures showed it: somewhat worn, but still in good condition for the most part. She points out the area she had tried entering, and it definitely looks worse off than the front part of the city - which is packed. You could walk in with your wings out and not get a second look because no one would be able to see your wings. Well, that's probably an overstatement, but it certainly is crowded. Its population is probably smaller than Italica's, but it feels bigger because they're crowded into a smaller area. If you do go here to satisfy the magician's urge for books - hypocritical as it may be, you're probably just going to break in and take them from somewhere. You can handle humans just fine, but that is too many.
Finally, shortly before noon, you reach the sky above Belnago. There are quite a few people there, too, but they aren't everywhere. Even the road is reasonably clear, but your attention is taken up by the temple-city itself. It is beautiful, befitting the chief temple of a deity, and you recount your thoughts - perhaps this Hardy is more than a regional god. There are massive stone gates, open fields, small groves of trees, even stone pillars, some of which appear to have been tunneled into for living purposes. There's even a lake along one side of the crater the temple is built in! And in the center is what must be the temple itself.
… Naturally, of course, from what you can see - it goes down.
Hatate swallows and looks around anxiously. You wink and motion for her to descend along with you. You land as unobtrusively as you can, and none of the other pilgrims - most of whom are caked in dirt from endless walking - seem to care when you and Hatate step out from behind a large boulder near the road. Your fingers itch to take out your camera and start taking pictures, but if they get ruined … oh, you wouldn't be able to stand that. And you wouldn't know until you got them developed! It's kind of a shame, too, because the city is beautiful. Statues of beautiful women are everywhere, and the walls are carved with bas reliefs and painted with fanciful designs.
And halfway through the city, the effect is ruined. "It's like the Road of Liminality," you mutter irritatedly, and Hatate chuckles despite her nervousness. The stalls cut the street widths in half, and while some of the statues for sale are very well made, they are all 'festival' presents and mementos. For some reason, other stalls simply sell mineral samples - ah, but Hatate said that, didn't she? People worship Hardy either for the sake of their dead loved ones, or because she has dominion over what's in the earth. Still … at least Tewi gave something for her scam. About the only use this would be is - actually, it is a shame you don't really know anyone who knows anything about mining or blacksmithing. And you're not about to spend money getting fancy rocks that might not be any use … food, maybe, because some of that looks delicious. But not rocks.
Finally you reach the entrance to the temple, with long lines of pilgrims waiting for their chance to get in, and beautiful priestesses in frilled white dresses guarding the doors. Hatate sidles next to you. "So, should we wait for someone to get us, or get in line?" You grimace and look back at the end of the line. It could take quite a while to get in that way ….
"Frankly, I would suggest changing and getting comfortable and just forcing our way in, but that temple probably goes a ways underground, and if they can seal it …." Hatate nods; getting stuck underground with no wind to work with isn't ideal, after all, especially if you get stuck after picking a fight. But maybe if you bluff ….
What do you do?
[ ] Change into your proper clothes, let your wings out, and tell one of the priestesses that you were instructed to come here. Also let her know that you aren't going deeper than one level underground.
- [ ] Threaten to leave if she gets uppity.
[ ] Get in line.
- [ ] Change first.
[ ] Wait for someone to come get you.
- [ ] Refuse to go deeper than on level underground.
[ ] Other?
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Or she could interview Aya and Hatate.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Hmm ….
Votes are not locked.
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First Impressions
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
The god sent Hatate her messages by messing with the pictures she took, right? Have Hatate take another picture to see if the god has any instructions for you.
You shake your head and slap your cheeks - just because you're not in Gensokyo anymore doesn't mean you have free reign to act like you're supposed to! You take several calming breaths as you refocus yourself; you're supposed to be, more or less, undercover here, and while it might be fun to go full tengu, if you don't have a good reason for it, you probably shouldn't. And in this particular case, you do have another option. "Hatate, why don't you get that god's attention, and then take a picture of the entrance. We're here, like they wanted, so if they have some grand plan, they ought to let us know." Hatate looks at you unhappily but takes out her camera. Of course, you're attracting attention - the priestesses at the entrance are staring at you, and the other pilgrims' looks grow more frequent at Hatate's actions - but whatever you did was going to attract attention, except probably just getting in line.
"… It says 'Come in,'" she says, and shows you the image. You shake your head and sigh before brushing off a few dusty spots on your dress, then start walking toward the temple. The people in the lines start grumbling - some are angry, others simply disbelieving, and a few amused by your foolishness. Nothing out of the ordinary for you, but you can tell Hatate doesn't like this part of journalism. Which isn't too surprising; you don't like it much, either, you're just much better at hiding your irritation. Three priestesses move to block your way, and the one in front holds her staff forward to stop you from even moving onto the steps.
"If you wish to enter the temple, you must get in the line." You smile ingratiatingly and bow slightly.
"I'm sure that is the normal manner of things, of course, but we have just been instructed -" The lead priestess's staff jabs forward, almost striking you with the stylized icon at the top, and she scowls.
"If you were instructed and granted permission to enter, you would have an invitation. Do you have one?" You sigh and bow again before stepping back.
"Hatate, a picture." She nods and you hear the click of her camera as you turn and start walking.
"It says to wait," she says, and you sigh loudly and shake your head again before turning to look back at the temple. The trio of priestesses are still glowering at you, and you can hear the people in the lines jeering and laughing. You wave for Hatate to come a little closer, then turn her around and start kneading her shoulders. "… I'm sorry. And thank you," she says when you finish.
"Don't worry about it. It is rough, having to put up with this - not like in the old days when this sort of thing would be answered with a windstorm at the least." Hatate glances at you, but you keep watching the temple; you'll give this god some time, but if it takes too long, you'll leave. There are other gods, and if there's a god of the underground, there must be one of the sky, as well, right? That sort of being would be much easier to get along with ….
You turn your attention to the people making up the lines. Most of them are human, of varying social class, but there are still quite a few non-humans. A few of the wolf-people, and some that have reptilian features. Two nagas, human-looking from the waist up and bearing a colorful mixture of scales. Quite a few rabbit-women, most with intact ears but some sharing Ruth's injury. Some that you can't identify, but which are obviously not human due to the sheer bulk covered by swathes of robes or cloaks. You pass the time by sketching some of them, and so you aren't too irritated when your ears catch the sound of something slamming loudly inside the temple. Hatate looks up, and you put away your notebook just in time to see the central entrance to the temple slam open as well, startling almost everyone. The intruder seems to be another priestess, but instead of a staff she bears an almost impractically-large scythe, and her clothes are far more revealing. Muscular draconic wings snap intimidatingly as the other priestesses genuflect, and the pilgrims abase themselves almost as swiftly. Hatate shuffles back slightly, and you press your lips together. Beautiful as the woman is, her azure skin combined with ash-white hair, white pattern-tattoos, and white dress puts you in the mind of a body torn from a grave and healed of its wounds. She stalks forward and lays the haft of her weapon on the shoulder of the priestess who spoke with you.
"Your duties have changed. You shall now preach to the faithful, for a period of three years, to start once you have reached your place of duty. You shall preach at the chief shrine of the god Emroy." The draconic woman's words have a startling effect on the priestess, and your lips soften into a satisfied smile at what is obviously terror stiffening her body. "You shall, as well, abide by the rules of that place, and to that end you are to equip and arm yourself as befits your station as a herald of Hardy. The armory is expecting you." The scythe comes up as the high priestess walks past the cowed woman, and you adjust your posture slightly to show your respect. She halts in front of you, barely hesitating as her eyes flicker between you and Hatate, and she bows slightly - low enough to be respectful, but not so low she can't keep her eyes on yours. You return it, of course. "Greetings, honored guests. I apologize in the name of Hardy for your reception; please, follow me and I shall escort you to her presence." She turns, not waiting for your response, and you smile at Hatate. Her manner when condemning the other priestess was confident and at ease, but when speaking politely to you, her words were much more careful, and you suspect she has rarely had to interact with someone she had to respect. You make sure your bag hangs comfortably and take out your notebook again, carefully sketching the high priestess. None of the other priestesses you can see have her tattoos or her piercings, never mind the revealing wardrobe; is she allowed a degree of individuality due to her higher rank, or is it merely a cultural difference?
Shocked stares follow your procession of three until you pass beyond the outer sanctum of the temple, and the high priestess relaxes slightly now that you're out of sight. "Thank you for receiving us. I am Aya Shameimaru, and this is my colleague, Hatate Himekaidou. May I ask your name?" Her wings twitch slightly and she spins lightly to face you, adroitly managing the scythe - not once since you've seen her has its cutting blade been directed toward you.
"Ah, my apologies! I am Giselle, Apostle of Hardy." She bows over her weapon and watches curiously as you write out her name in your notebook. Smiling, you flip it around so she can see your sketch, and she stares at it for a moment before shaking herself. "A-ah, we should hurry, and not keep Hardy waiting!" You nod and follow her; she is obviously unsure how to handle you, probably because you aren't an obvious equal or superior. She walks quickly to the back of the temple, and to a long stairway down. You peer past her and she smiles toothily, but the stairway fades into darkness far too soon. Giselle frowns at your reluctance, and you give her a weak smile.
"We don't much like being too far underground," you say, and she stares at you in complete confusion. "Please, go on - we're following you." She holds her look a moment more, then turns and starts walking, somehow managing to keep the scythe's blade pointed up without scraping it against the ceiling. You grab Hatate's wrist and tug, leading her down the steps.
Eventually, after much too long, you emerge from the stairs into a grand audience chamber, a well-lit hall that you could fit a dragon into, and you relax a little. Giselle rushes forward toward an altar, dropping to one knee as a column of light appears over it. You keep walking, and within the light a spiritual form appears, human and beautiful, with long hair and a thin, plain gown. Hatate slows to a halt behind you, probably staring, but you keep up your friendly expression and continue forward. The girl, presumably Hardy, brushes a hand along the top of Giselle's head and smiles wonderfully at you, eyes twinkling merrily. Giselle rises and turns to face you, standing behind her goddess. "Hardy welcomes you, and thanks you for your compliments. She offers her …."
Giselle continues speaking, but for once you're utterly unable to hear someone saying something important. Neither you nor Hatate have said anything to Hardy, and the things you've said about her in the past have not necessarily been complimentary. Therefore, when Giselle said she thanked us for the compliments, she must mean the ones you and Hatate have thought. Hardy is reading your minds.
The goddess's expression falls as you fill your mind with hatehateleavedisappearhate, looking shocked and confused, and she floats back slightly. Giselle, following her deity's mood, stumbles over what she's saying and looks between you and Hardy. Somewhere behind you, Hatate finally squeaks as her mind finishes processing the meaning behind Giselle's statement, and she shuffles back awkwardly. Still keeping up the interference you've been taught, you smile tightly. "Ah, I do apologize, but we would greatly prefer that you not read our minds. I know it is unreasonable, given the amount of effort you've put into welcoming us, but it is something we feel very strongly about." Giselle glares, wings rising dangerously, and her scythe starts to turn toward you, but Hardy simply watches you for a moment before seeming to sigh. Giselle stops her threatening motion and, scowling, relaxes, and Hardy reaches down to run her hand along the draconic woman's face - and then there's a clap of light and a flash of thunder, and Giselle lurches forward. Before you can do much more than realize that Hardy has vanished, Giselle rights herself and stretches, releasing the scythe to float in the air behind her, and when she smiles at you, her eyes are like Tenma's, and when she speaks, her voice is musical, a lullaby.
"Good afternoon, young wanderers. I am Hardy."
What do you do?
[ ] Be as open as you can be about where you're from and what you're doing here.
[ ] Try to pretend you've come through the temple-gate, and simply weren't caught by the Empire.
[ ] Other?
Note: You can, of course, add specific information you want Aya to request, or certain pieces you want to suppress. And there will be a discussion on Hatate's ability as well as their ability to fly.
You shake your head and slap your cheeks - just because you're not in Gensokyo anymore doesn't mean you have free reign to act like you're supposed to! You take several calming breaths as you refocus yourself; you're supposed to be, more or less, undercover here, and while it might be fun to go full tengu, if you don't have a good reason for it, you probably shouldn't. And in this particular case, you do have another option. "Hatate, why don't you get that god's attention, and then take a picture of the entrance. We're here, like they wanted, so if they have some grand plan, they ought to let us know." Hatate looks at you unhappily but takes out her camera. Of course, you're attracting attention - the priestesses at the entrance are staring at you, and the other pilgrims' looks grow more frequent at Hatate's actions - but whatever you did was going to attract attention, except probably just getting in line.
"… It says 'Come in,'" she says, and shows you the image. You shake your head and sigh before brushing off a few dusty spots on your dress, then start walking toward the temple. The people in the lines start grumbling - some are angry, others simply disbelieving, and a few amused by your foolishness. Nothing out of the ordinary for you, but you can tell Hatate doesn't like this part of journalism. Which isn't too surprising; you don't like it much, either, you're just much better at hiding your irritation. Three priestesses move to block your way, and the one in front holds her staff forward to stop you from even moving onto the steps.
"If you wish to enter the temple, you must get in the line." You smile ingratiatingly and bow slightly.
"I'm sure that is the normal manner of things, of course, but we have just been instructed -" The lead priestess's staff jabs forward, almost striking you with the stylized icon at the top, and she scowls.
"If you were instructed and granted permission to enter, you would have an invitation. Do you have one?" You sigh and bow again before stepping back.
"Hatate, a picture." She nods and you hear the click of her camera as you turn and start walking.
"It says to wait," she says, and you sigh loudly and shake your head again before turning to look back at the temple. The trio of priestesses are still glowering at you, and you can hear the people in the lines jeering and laughing. You wave for Hatate to come a little closer, then turn her around and start kneading her shoulders. "… I'm sorry. And thank you," she says when you finish.
"Don't worry about it. It is rough, having to put up with this - not like in the old days when this sort of thing would be answered with a windstorm at the least." Hatate glances at you, but you keep watching the temple; you'll give this god some time, but if it takes too long, you'll leave. There are other gods, and if there's a god of the underground, there must be one of the sky, as well, right? That sort of being would be much easier to get along with ….
You turn your attention to the people making up the lines. Most of them are human, of varying social class, but there are still quite a few non-humans. A few of the wolf-people, and some that have reptilian features. Two nagas, human-looking from the waist up and bearing a colorful mixture of scales. Quite a few rabbit-women, most with intact ears but some sharing Ruth's injury. Some that you can't identify, but which are obviously not human due to the sheer bulk covered by swathes of robes or cloaks. You pass the time by sketching some of them, and so you aren't too irritated when your ears catch the sound of something slamming loudly inside the temple. Hatate looks up, and you put away your notebook just in time to see the central entrance to the temple slam open as well, startling almost everyone. The intruder seems to be another priestess, but instead of a staff she bears an almost impractically-large scythe, and her clothes are far more revealing. Muscular draconic wings snap intimidatingly as the other priestesses genuflect, and the pilgrims abase themselves almost as swiftly. Hatate shuffles back slightly, and you press your lips together. Beautiful as the woman is, her azure skin combined with ash-white hair, white pattern-tattoos, and white dress puts you in the mind of a body torn from a grave and healed of its wounds. She stalks forward and lays the haft of her weapon on the shoulder of the priestess who spoke with you.
"Your duties have changed. You shall now preach to the faithful, for a period of three years, to start once you have reached your place of duty. You shall preach at the chief shrine of the god Emroy." The draconic woman's words have a startling effect on the priestess, and your lips soften into a satisfied smile at what is obviously terror stiffening her body. "You shall, as well, abide by the rules of that place, and to that end you are to equip and arm yourself as befits your station as a herald of Hardy. The armory is expecting you." The scythe comes up as the high priestess walks past the cowed woman, and you adjust your posture slightly to show your respect. She halts in front of you, barely hesitating as her eyes flicker between you and Hatate, and she bows slightly - low enough to be respectful, but not so low she can't keep her eyes on yours. You return it, of course. "Greetings, honored guests. I apologize in the name of Hardy for your reception; please, follow me and I shall escort you to her presence." She turns, not waiting for your response, and you smile at Hatate. Her manner when condemning the other priestess was confident and at ease, but when speaking politely to you, her words were much more careful, and you suspect she has rarely had to interact with someone she had to respect. You make sure your bag hangs comfortably and take out your notebook again, carefully sketching the high priestess. None of the other priestesses you can see have her tattoos or her piercings, never mind the revealing wardrobe; is she allowed a degree of individuality due to her higher rank, or is it merely a cultural difference?
Shocked stares follow your procession of three until you pass beyond the outer sanctum of the temple, and the high priestess relaxes slightly now that you're out of sight. "Thank you for receiving us. I am Aya Shameimaru, and this is my colleague, Hatate Himekaidou. May I ask your name?" Her wings twitch slightly and she spins lightly to face you, adroitly managing the scythe - not once since you've seen her has its cutting blade been directed toward you.
"Ah, my apologies! I am Giselle, Apostle of Hardy." She bows over her weapon and watches curiously as you write out her name in your notebook. Smiling, you flip it around so she can see your sketch, and she stares at it for a moment before shaking herself. "A-ah, we should hurry, and not keep Hardy waiting!" You nod and follow her; she is obviously unsure how to handle you, probably because you aren't an obvious equal or superior. She walks quickly to the back of the temple, and to a long stairway down. You peer past her and she smiles toothily, but the stairway fades into darkness far too soon. Giselle frowns at your reluctance, and you give her a weak smile.
"We don't much like being too far underground," you say, and she stares at you in complete confusion. "Please, go on - we're following you." She holds her look a moment more, then turns and starts walking, somehow managing to keep the scythe's blade pointed up without scraping it against the ceiling. You grab Hatate's wrist and tug, leading her down the steps.
Eventually, after much too long, you emerge from the stairs into a grand audience chamber, a well-lit hall that you could fit a dragon into, and you relax a little. Giselle rushes forward toward an altar, dropping to one knee as a column of light appears over it. You keep walking, and within the light a spiritual form appears, human and beautiful, with long hair and a thin, plain gown. Hatate slows to a halt behind you, probably staring, but you keep up your friendly expression and continue forward. The girl, presumably Hardy, brushes a hand along the top of Giselle's head and smiles wonderfully at you, eyes twinkling merrily. Giselle rises and turns to face you, standing behind her goddess. "Hardy welcomes you, and thanks you for your compliments. She offers her …."
Giselle continues speaking, but for once you're utterly unable to hear someone saying something important. Neither you nor Hatate have said anything to Hardy, and the things you've said about her in the past have not necessarily been complimentary. Therefore, when Giselle said she thanked us for the compliments, she must mean the ones you and Hatate have thought. Hardy is reading your minds.
The goddess's expression falls as you fill your mind with hatehateleavedisappearhate, looking shocked and confused, and she floats back slightly. Giselle, following her deity's mood, stumbles over what she's saying and looks between you and Hardy. Somewhere behind you, Hatate finally squeaks as her mind finishes processing the meaning behind Giselle's statement, and she shuffles back awkwardly. Still keeping up the interference you've been taught, you smile tightly. "Ah, I do apologize, but we would greatly prefer that you not read our minds. I know it is unreasonable, given the amount of effort you've put into welcoming us, but it is something we feel very strongly about." Giselle glares, wings rising dangerously, and her scythe starts to turn toward you, but Hardy simply watches you for a moment before seeming to sigh. Giselle stops her threatening motion and, scowling, relaxes, and Hardy reaches down to run her hand along the draconic woman's face - and then there's a clap of light and a flash of thunder, and Giselle lurches forward. Before you can do much more than realize that Hardy has vanished, Giselle rights herself and stretches, releasing the scythe to float in the air behind her, and when she smiles at you, her eyes are like Tenma's, and when she speaks, her voice is musical, a lullaby.
"Good afternoon, young wanderers. I am Hardy."
What do you do?
[ ] Be as open as you can be about where you're from and what you're doing here.
[ ] Try to pretend you've come through the temple-gate, and simply weren't caught by the Empire.
[ ] Other?
Note: You can, of course, add specific information you want Aya to request, or certain pieces you want to suppress. And there will be a discussion on Hatate's ability as well as their ability to fly.
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
I think the cat is out of the bag already here: the Goddess was reading the tengu's minds, and truth detection is a pretty common divine power. And in the long run, it'd eventually become clear Aya wasn't from the same place that the gate leads to anyhow.
That said, I doubt being fully open is the right approach either - I'm sure there's stuff that we'd be better off de-emphasizing, even if we don't outright lie. I'll try to come up with a dedicated vote in the morning.
That said, I doubt being fully open is the right approach either - I'm sure there's stuff that we'd be better off de-emphasizing, even if we don't outright lie. I'll try to come up with a dedicated vote in the morning.
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