(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 2)

[DracoOmega]

>Stifle a grin. Looks like a great firefly.
>Is her light the only light we can see in the sky, or is there any signs of dawn?

>Or a one-fairy fireworks display, if she could manage a burst of the stuff.
>There's perhaps a scattered point of light from Easthaven in the distance, although certainly no sign of dawn.

>Well, if she's south, that means she's away from where most of the disappearances are. Probably nothing to worry about in that regard, at least.

>She appears to be south of the majority of the habitation of Easthaven, let alone the pasture land to the north of it. She doesn't seem to be doing anything more than enjoying herself, if you had to guess.

[Oldmansour]

>Fairies will be fairies, after all.
>Roll over and try to get some sleep. Probably gonna be a busy day tomorrow.

[DracoOmega]

>Fairies will be fairies, after all.
>Roll over and try to get some sleep. Probably gonna be a busy day tomorrow.

>You've certainly seen nothing that could change this.
>Curiosity satisfied, you roll over and attempt to get to sleep. Soon enough, you find yourself drifting off to the soft light of the fairy's flight.

>Some time later, you awaken to the sound of gentle knocking on your door. The room is still dim, but with a hint of wan light that wasn't there earlier. It doesn't feel like you've been asleep very long, but your legs, at least, feel more rested.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Wha?"

[Oldmansour]

>Twitch. Maybe a wake-up call at the crack of dawn wasn't as bright as I'd thought...
>"...Ya?"

[DracoOmega]

>Twitch. Maybe a wake-up call at the crack of dawn wasn't as bright as I'd thought...
>"...Ya?"

>"Wha?"

>You kinda hate to admit it, but you're really rather more tired than you'd hoped.
>You mumble out a query. Ichirin's voice issues quietly from the other side of your door. "May I come in?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Presuming we aren't in an advanced state of indecency, "Yeah sure..."

[DracoOmega]

>Presuming we aren't in an advanced state of indecency, "Yeah sure..."

>Being still safely tucked under the sheets, you give Ichirin the affirmative. She opens the door quietly, then steps inside and pushes it to behind her.
>"Good morning," she says, with something of a tired smile on her face. "I just wanted to let you know that I managed to find a cart for you. Also, it's a little after dawn; you still want to leave at this hour, I assume?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, I should. Thanks a lot-"
>Yawn.

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah, I should. Thanks a lot-"
>Yawn.

>You thank Ichirin, cutting yourself off mid-sentence with a yawn. Ichirin smiles.
>"I'm just glad I could find one so quickly," she says. "She should be dropping it by shortly. In the meantime, I can get you something to eat before you head out. How does an omelet sound?"

[E-Nazrin]

>"How much cheese are you including?"
>"That sounds great. Thanks a bunch, Ichirin."
>How much do we really need to do to get ready for the day? If very little, offer to help her out with cooking a bit once we're done.

[Oldmansour]

>Take a better look at her face.
>"Have... you slept at all, Ichirin?"

[DracoOmega]

>"How much cheese are you including?"
>"That sounds great. Thanks a bunch, Ichirin."
>How much do we really need to do to get ready for the day? If very little, offer to help her out with cooking a bit once we're done.

>"How about we just say that the eggs are the garnish?"
>Ichirin nods. "My pleasure."
>Aside from waking up and taking a moment to tidy yourself, you think you're as ready as you're likely to get. You offer to lend a little hang with the cooking.
>"Oh, don't trouble yourself," Ichirin says, waving her hand dismissively. "You were on the road all yesterday, and you're going to be on the road again in a few minutes. Just rest up; I'll take care of breakfast."

>Take a better look at her face.
>"Have... you slept at all, Ichirin?"

>You have a closer look at her face. She's putting on a cheerful expression, but you can see the traces of fatigue around her eyes.
>"A little," she says. "Now, I should go put on that omelet. I'll let you get yourself collected." She turns to leave.

[Oldmansour]

>She was always like that, wasn't she? Her kids before herself. Wonder how things might've turned out if she hadn't found me...
>Have a listen, see if we can hear anyone else stirring.

[DracoOmega]

>She was always like that, wasn't she? Her kids before herself. Wonder how things might've turned out if she hadn't found me...
>Have a listen, see if we can hear anyone else stirring.

>As long as you've known her, she's been driven and selfless, though perhaps not often to this degree. She was certainly no pushover when you lived here. As for how things might have been... you like to consider yourself a very capable mouse, but, well... you have to admit that your days in the forest were a long way from today.
>Other than the sound of Ichirin's footsteps moving down the hallway, the rest of the house seems silent. The footsteps stop, and then you faintly hear rummaging through cupboards.

[Oldmansour]

>Yawn and stretch and try to come alive.
>Have another glance out the window, see if there's another fairy out playing.

[DracoOmega]

>Yawn and stretch and try to come alive.
>Have another glance out the window, see if there's another fairy out playing.

>You stretch and yawn, doing your best to wake up to the day.
>You glance out the window. It's a misty morning, rendering the light of dawn pale and diffuse - part of the reason it still seemed so dim in the room, despite the hour, you think. You can't see all the way to the main part of the village in this weather, but you don't see any signs of fairies in the immediate vicinity.

[Oldmansour]

>Hop out of bed, get dressed, then recall where the washroom is. Be nice to wash one's face before breakfast.

[DracoOmega]

>Hop out of bed, get dressed, then recall where the washroom is. Be nice to wash one's face before breakfast.

>You get out of bed and dress yourself. The washroom is two doors down the hall, on the left.

[Oldmansour]

>Move in that direction. But queitly, no need to wake up the other boarders. Less competition in the kitchen, as well, hopefully.

[DracoOmega]

>Move in that direction. But queitly, no need to wake up the other boarders. Less competition in the kitchen, as well, hopefully.

>You head towards the washroom, moving as quietly as you can - this happens to be very quietly indeed. You hear soft snoring from one of the rooms you pass, but nothing in particular from the others; certainly no signs of wakefulness.
>The washroom itself is humble and small, at times inconveniently so given the population of the house. But there is a washbasin with what appears to be freshly drawn water in it - Ichirin must have already attended to this - and soap and a mirror and generally what one would expect to find in such a room.

[Oldmansour]

>A splash of cold water to bring us the rest of the way awake, attend to the basic necessities, then down to the kitchen.

[Hello Purvis]

>How well know is our mousetalkin' around here?
>How well did we know the mice around here? Presuming a good generation or two has passed since we were last around.

[DracoOmega]

>A splash of cold water to bring us the rest of the way awake, attend to the basic necessities, then down to the kitchen.

>You splash some cold water on your face, then ready yourself for the day. As you do so, you start to hear the sizzling sounds of cooking from the kitchen. Soon a faint whiff of eggs and cheese reaches your nose. You may not be running on much sleep, but at least you're getting the day off to a good start.
>Once you finish up, you head towards the kitchen. Oh, it definitely smells appetizing now.
>Ichrin looks up from the frying pan as you walk in. "Feeling a little more awake?"

>How well know is our mousetalkin' around here?
>How well did we know the mice around here? Presuming a good generation or two has passed since we were last around.

>You weren't really that social with the villagers, although most people would know you to see you at least. You imagine many of them were aware you could talk to mice; it's not unusual for animal youkai to be able to communicate with their animal type, and many of the people you grew up with, including Orange, were rather more friendly with the community at large. If you hadn't said, someone probably might, and it's not like many things stay a secret in a town this size.
>There were a few you used to chat with on occasion; there's quite a lot of mice in the surrounding area, and you grew accustomed to the habits of a few that lived closer by. They're all certainly long gone now, though.

[Oldmansour]

>"For the most part. I think."
>Gonna be good to start the day with a hearty meal. Pull up a chair for ourselves.
>Is it just Ichirin in here?

[DracoOmega]

>"For the most part. I think."
>Gonna be good to start the day with a hearty meal. Pull up a chair for ourselves.
>Is it just Ichirin in here?

>"Glad to hear it," she says, flipping over the omelet. "And at least you'll be off your feet on the road today."
>Indeed it will. You pull up a chair and await the meal.
>It's just you and Ichirin. The rest of the household seems to still be asleep for the time-being, although it's probably approaching the time that some of them get up, if they were all asleep when you arrived here last night.

>After a short wait, Ichirin serves you up a generously sized cheese omelet, with toast and a glass of orange juice.
>"Here you go!" she says.

[Oldmansour]

>Gotta love Mama's home cookin'.
>"Looks good, thanks!" Dive in.
>"Y'know, I don't think I can remember the last time I had the kitchen to myself. Well, ourselves, but you know what I mean."

[DracoOmega]

>Gotta love Mama's home cookin'.
>"Looks good, thanks!" Dive in.
>"Y'know, I don't think I can remember the last time I had the kitchen to myself. Well, ourselves, but you know what I mean."

>Just like old times!
>You thank Ichirin, and dig into breakfast. It's simple, but satisfying, and large enough to keep you sated for a while, you think.
>"Well, you could always have gotten up at the crack of dawn if you'd wanted an empty kitchen," she says, with just a hint of a grin. "I certainly wouldn't have stopped you, if you were that motivated."
>At this point, you hear a knock at the front door.
>"Oh, that's probably Haruko now," Ichirin says, moving out of the kitchen. "I'll be back in a few minutes." And with that, she disappears down the hall. A few moments later, you hear quiet voices from the entryway.

[Oldmansour]

>Is that name familiar to us at all?
>See what we can hear.

[DracoOmega]

>Is that name familiar to us at all?
>See what we can hear.

>It might be vaguely familiar; you think she's someone from around town, but no one you personally know.
>You try to pay attention to their conversation. As best you can gather, she's the one dropping off the cart.