(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 5)

[DracoOmega]

>Have a swallow of tea, then offer a wry 'hmph'.
>"More than I thought I ever would."
>Break off a piece of cheese and have a go at it. "Anyone ever tell you you're a wise woman?"

>You take a swallow of tea and offer a nonchalant response, then nibble on some cheese. You probably don't want to eat too much, but this little bit is very satisfying; the tea in particular is warm and soothing on your throat.
>Ichirin chuckles and simply says "Perhaps."

[Oldmansour]

>It's true, too. That little fairy seems to have wormed our way into her heart quite well, whether we wanted her there or not.
>"Well... thanks for the wisdom. And the grub."

[DracoOmega]

>It's true, too. That little fairy seems to have wormed our way into her heart quite well, whether we wanted her there or not.
>"Well... thanks for the wisdom. And the grub."

>And to think, when you first met she was nothing more than an irritating obstacle to punching that loudmouthed ice fairy in the face...
>"Any time," Ichirin says, rising. "I'll let you get some rest now and go inform Lunasa of what you've told me. And see if I can get these rubbings delivered to your guildmaster immediately."
>"Now remember, be kind to yourself," she chides. "If you need something, don't feel embarrassed giving Manami a shout rather than pushing yourself. She'll be around here for the rest of the evening."

[Oldmansour]

>Do we know that name?
>Assuming so, "Gotcha."
>If she then departs, try to rest/sleep as best as we can, given the circumstances, and hope to be more rested and able to travel when next we come to.

[DracoOmega]

>Do we know that name?
>Assuming so, "Gotcha."
>If she then departs, try to rest/sleep as best as we can, given the circumstances, and hope to be more rested and able to travel when next we come to.

>You do. She was the eldest of the children you ate breakfast with the other day and someone you remember from your own time living here. She was an even-tempered sort and you got along with her well enough, though she was a fair bit younger than you at the time
>Ichirin gives you a look. "Now, I don't want to hear her tell me otherwise, either."

[Oldmansour]

>Chuckle. She's fussing again. But... suppose we can let her.
>"All right, I promise."

[DracoOmega]

>Chuckle. She's fussing again. But... suppose we can let her.
>"All right, I promise."

>Ichirin gives you a smile, then nods. "Thank you. Rest well."
>Then with that, she turns and leaves the room.

>You slowly nibble on the rest of your snack until you feel you've had enough, then settle back into bed. Thoughts drift about in your head: memories of your ordeal in the spider caverns, the youkai's fate and the village's future, and above it all, your own affliction and the death-sentence it carries. Despite all that you've said and the conviction that earnestly accompanied it, the thought of having but a few weeks left to live weighs more heavily upon you than all the fatigue in your body. It's nearly too much to take in, too grave to be real. Not in your life, not now. And how many of those weeks would be spent in misery, too infirmed to even act? You know these are useless thoughts and you try to banish them, but they refuse to leave your side for long. Again and again, this tableaux of memories, fears, and possible futures runs through your mind, slowly growing blurred and incoherent.
>At some point you must have fallen asleep, because before you know it, the room is black and Ichirin is by your side once more. You feel barely conscious, peering at her through half-closed eyes. She smiles gently at you.

[Oldmansour]

>Does the woman never sleep?
>"'mornin."
>How do we feel?

[DracoOmega]

>Does the woman never sleep?
>"'mornin."
>How do we feel?

>Good question. Of course, you have no idea what time of night it is, either.
>"Not morning yet, I'm afraid," she says. "And I'm sorry for waking you, but Minoriko wanted you to take another dose of medicine before the night was out. I've got it here." She holds up a little vial of greenish liquid.
>Very groggy; enough so that it's hard to tell whether you feel any better or not. You don't feel obviously worse, at least.

[Oldmansour]

>Groan, then haul ourselves to a sitting up position. "Sure."
>"She still here?"

[DracoOmega]

>Groan, then haul ourselves to a sitting up position. "Sure."
>"She still here?"

>You groan and haul yourself upright.
>"Minoriko? No, but she did come and take another look at you a couple hours ago. She was very pleased you seemed to be doing so well."
>Ichirin hands you the vial. "And I brought you a glass of water, too," she says, gesturing to one resting on the nightstand. "You'll probably want something to chase that with."

[Oldmansour]

>Half tempted to ask for a shot of something stronger than water, but that might not be such a hot idea.
>"Yeah, good call. When was the last time medicine tasted good. Still, I suppose the doc being pleased is a good sign."
>Down the hatch!

[DracoOmega]

>Half tempted to ask for a shot of something stronger than water, but that might not be such a hot idea.
>"Yeah, good call. When was the last time medicine tasted good. Still, I suppose the doc being pleased is a good sign."
>Down the hatch!

>Certainly not when you're already an inch from sleep.
>Ichirin nods.
>You take the stopper off the vial and down the contents in one gulp. It is a fairly thick fluid with a hint of texture to it and a very pungent earthy taste. It's... a little icky and bitter, though not as bad as you might have expected. Still, you're happy enough to take that drink of water afterwards.

[Oldmansour]

>Small cough. "I've had worse."

[DracoOmega]

>Small cough. "I've had worse."

>"That's good," she says. "I'll let you get back to sleep now."
>She turns and heads out of the room again.

[Oldmansour]

>Sleep sounds good. Let's do that, then.

[DracoOmega]

>Sleep sounds good. Let's do that, then.

>You let Ichirin go and swiftly sink back into a deep and dreamless sleep. An indeterminate time later, you open your eyes to the bright light of... late morning, you think? You can hear movement about the house, but it smells like it's already past breakfast.

[Oldmansour]

>That's as good a reason as any to get out of bed.
>Take a moment, though, to glance out the window and ascertain the time for sure. Then go in search of foods.

[DracoOmega]

>That's as good a reason as any to get out of bed.
>Take a moment, though, to glance out the window and ascertain the time for sure. Then go in search of foods.

>You glance out the window and try to get a better gauge on the time. You think it's probably 11-ish.
>Then you pull yourself out of bed and stretch. You still feel sub-par, but less leaden than yesterday; you're inclined to think that once you wake up a little more, you'll probably be fit enough to attend to business. At least if that business doesn't involve any sudden displays of athletics, anyway... You head on down the corridor towards the kitchen.
>You find the kitchen itself empty, though you can hear some signs of life from the adjacent common room, including the occasional voice of a young child - probably Michiko.

[Oldmansour]

>Have a look in, but just a look. Let's not go parading around with a sword in hand if there's kids around, covered blade or no.

[DracoOmega]

>Have a look in, but just a look. Let's not go parading around with a sword in hand if there's kids around, covered blade or no.

>You walk a few more feet down the corridor and take a glance into the common room. Michiko is kneeling in the middle of the floor, amid a scattering of brightly colored wooden blocks. With a look of intense concentration, she selects a rectangular blue one and places it atop what looks to be an increasingly unstable tower. In a chair on the opposite side of the room, Manami is sitting and reading a book. Neither seems to have noticed you yet.

[Oldmansour]

>Wait and see what happens to the little one's tower.
>If it doesn't topple over of its own accord, wait until she pulls her hand safely away, then clear our throat to draw attention.

[DracoOmega]

>Wait and see what happens to the little one's tower.
>If it doesn't topple over of its own accord, wait until she pulls her hand safely away, then clear our throat to draw attention.

>While the tower wobbles disconcertingly as the new block is added, it manages to remain upright.
>Michiko goes to select another block and you clear your throat once her hand is out of spontaneous demolition range. She looks up and smiles brightly at you. "Good morning!"
>Manami looks up from her book, her expression a little more... wary. "Morning, Nazrin," she says. "How're ya doing?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Better than I was. Decent night's sleep helps in that department."
>We don't have any exposed wounds showing to the poor girls, do we?
>"Did I miss breakfast?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Better than I was. Decent night's sleep helps in that department."
>"Did I miss breakfast?"

>Manami nods slowly, giving you a thinly veiled look up and down. "Good to hear."
>"Yup!" Michiko says.
>Manami throws her a dry look, then says "Just help yourself to whatever. Ichirin's gone out somewhere, but she'll probably be back for lunch."

>We don't have any exposed wounds showing to the poor girls, do we?

>By this point, you don't think you have any distinctly visible wounds, period.

[Oldmansour]

>Give the girls a nod. "Thanks."
>Seems sensible advice. Let's see what's in the kitchen.

[DracoOmega]

>Give the girls a nod. "Thanks."
>Seems sensible advice. Let's see what's in the kitchen.

>"You're welcome!" Michiko chirps, pondering the next addition to her grand construction project.
>Manami just nods, though you can feel her eyes on you as walk away, a trace of a dubious frown on her face.
>You leave and head for the kitchen. Browsing the pantry, there's certainly no shortage of food to be found: milk, eggs, most of a loaf of fresh bread and some slightly older looking buns, some oatmeal, fruit of numerous varieties, a couple kinds of cheese, as well as some ham and bacon in the ice box, and plenty of other raw ingredients in bulk, if you felt like making something more involved.

[Hello Purvis]

Everything happens whilst I'm asleep these days. =I

So, what's your plan for dealing with this, Sour?

[Oldmansour]

First, I intend to make breakfast.

>Let's have a little of that bacon, that's a fine way to start the day. Couple eggs to go with it, as well. Topped with some cheese. Couple slices of bread, and a glass of milk, yes. That'll do us well. And an orange.

[DracoOmega]

>Let's have a little of that bacon, that's a fine way to start the day. Couple eggs to go with it, as well. Topped with some cheese. Couple slices of bread, and a glass of milk, yes. That'll do us well. And an orange.

>You decide that you're plenty hungry this morning and set to work making a proper meal for yourself. You heat up the stove and fetch the requisite foodstuffs, nibbling a little on the cheese while you wait. Warm breakfast aromas quickly fill the kitchen once the food starts frying in earnest, making you all but salivate in anticipation. It's a satisfying bit of domesticity after the events of the past days - something reassuringly mundane. And it doesn't hurt that the emptiness of your stomach has asserted itself in full force now.
>After an almost painfully long time watching your bacon pop and sizzle in the frying pan, you decide that it's well enough cooked and serve it up. Then you pull a chair at the table and sit down with your meal. Rarely has such humble fare seemed so enticing.