>"Let's find 'em before they run off. We can bother these guys later if we need to."
>Onvard!
>Leaving the tengu below to their own amusements, you and your merry group press on into tengu territory proper. The air here feels a bit different than home. There's always been a bit of a distinction between the air on one side of the border and the other. That distinction seems to be less pronounced here. There's still a noticeable difference that says 'tengu turf', but the air here seems to flow more freely in this world. It takes you several moments to adjust to the difference, but you find it to be a rather nice sensation.
>The racial diversity that you saw in the village below doesn't seem to have spread to the cities in the same way, but you do see more kappa than usual as you fly over white wolf territory, and an occasional human and youkai as well. Even though you've been told that this was the reality of this world, seeing it with your own eyes is something else. Despite your desire to meet your counterpart farther along, you can't but slow at the sight of a human merchant haggling with a White Wolf brewmaster, or a young girl sitting outside a wolf's house brushing the hair of a young Wolf. Or in the air above, a rather young Crow and Dai-tengu chasing after a red-haired fairy, flying with all the skill of a pair of drunken bumblebees, big smiles and laughter on the faces of all three, as well as the older Dai-tengu following them at a discreet distance.
>Momiji, it seems, has been struck by these sights even more than you. For what may be the first time you've ever seen, her face is one of sheer wonderment. You can see her mouth move slightly now and then, but precious little sound emerges from it. Ranka, being the incorrigible flirt that she is, grins at the captain lasciviously and drawls, "You wouldn't be inviting-"
>"How long?" Momiji finally blurts, interrupting the wind spirit.
>Ranka blinks. "Is that a yes?"
>"How long has it been like this?"
>The blonde pouts. "What, you mean me?"
>"I mean THIS." Momiji extolls, spreading her arms out wide. "Humans and fairies and youkai and kappa, here, it's...." The ranger captain slows even more, almost to a crawl, slowly turning her head around to take in the sights of the changed tengu world around you. "It's unreal." she finishes at last.