Author Topic: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)  (Read 42757 times)

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #30 on: February 03, 2013, 12:36:00 PM »
>Yeah, well, here's hoping we have reason to smile when this cursed flower blooms.
>Let's get to where we're going. The alcohol must have made us sappy, too.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #31 on: February 04, 2013, 10:35:47 AM »
>Yeah, well, here's hoping we have reason to smile when this cursed flower blooms.
>Let's get to where we're going. The alcohol must have made us sappy, too.

>Feeling the weight of your sentiments hanging uncomfortably in the air, you continue on in silence for a time. Or at least relative silence. Kyouko continues to hum merily to herself as she walks, swinging her arms freely back and forth like all the cares in the world were as light as the breeze. How very much you wish you could feel likewise; the bittercress in your arms feels leaden by comparison.

>After a few more minutes, she approaches a long three-story row building of sandy brick and simple stonework, very alike in style to several others along the road with only choice of trim and color to distinguish them. The architecture is unremarkable by Val Razuan standards, plain and angular, but not altogether crude.
>"We're here!" she announces cheerfully as she proceeds up a small flight of steps to the stolid wooden door at their end, then reaches into her pocket.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #32 on: February 04, 2013, 11:05:30 AM »
>Is there a nameplate? She is a touch... tipsy, we wouldn't her opening the wrong door.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #33 on: February 04, 2013, 11:11:37 AM »
>Is there a nameplate? She is a touch... tipsy, we wouldn't her opening the wrong door.

>There is not, simply a set of large iron numerals affixed to the stonework beside the door, which read "113"

>You while you are searching for this, Kyouko finishes rummaging through her pocket and produces a small metal key ring. With lethargic deliberateness, she takes hold of a stout brass key and fits it into the lock, then twists and opens the door with a small cheer.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2013, 11:35:20 AM by DracoOmega »

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #34 on: February 04, 2013, 11:26:48 AM »
>Whatever happened to needing the blue key? These games used to be hard...
>Glance within.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #35 on: February 04, 2013, 11:34:50 AM »
>Whatever happened to needing the blue key? These games used to be hard...
>Glance within.

>You have some objection to this lock requiring the yellow one instead?
>You take a look inside the door as Kyouko enters. But rather than a porch or living area, the door opens onto a cloistered but impersonal stairwell with stout wooden banisters and speckled tile flooring that rings echoes from each of Kyouko's footsteps. Glancing upward, you suspect it stretches all the way to the building's highest floor and there are multiple doors to be seen - one just to the right and hints of more above.

>As you are looking around, Kyouko heads briskly upwards, gesturing for you to follow.
>"This way!"

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #36 on: February 04, 2013, 11:38:07 AM »
>IYellow was always one of the easier ones. Now red? THAT was the key that separated the men from the boys.
>Follow indeed.
>"How high we climbin'?"

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #37 on: February 04, 2013, 11:44:31 AM »
>IYellow was always one of the easier ones. Now red? THAT was the key that separated the men from the boys.
>Follow indeed.
>"How high we climbin'?"

>Well, a good thing there are neither men nor boys here to separate, no?

>You follow after the peppy yamabiko as she dashes up the stairs with perhaps more haste than strictly necessary.
>"Second floor!" she calls back, and then stops as she reaches a small landing, pausing in front of a door that looks very much like the one on the ground floor - shallow-panneled dark wood with gold numerals affixed to the middle that read 113-B. She flips her key ring around to reach for a second key, but fumbles the action with a giggle. The keys clatter to the ground.
>"Oopsie!"
>Without missing a beat, she bends down and retrieves them, then successfully open the door on the second attempt. She holds it open a crack as you approach, then looks back to you. Despite her carefree bearing, there is something vaguely self-conscious about her expression.
>"I did say there wasn't a lot of room, right?" she asks.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #38 on: February 04, 2013, 11:58:01 AM »
>Nod.
>Our own room wasn't exactly a space-waster, either.
>"Small places don't bother me none."

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #39 on: February 04, 2013, 12:07:25 PM »
>Nod.
>Our own room wasn't exactly a space-waster, either.
>"Small places don't bother me none."

>You nod; you've passed a few years in unglamorous accommodations, after all.
>"That's good," she says. "Because it is kinda small," she adds in a quieter tone. And with that, she opens the door and steps instead. You follow.

>The door opens onto a long but narrow space - open in concept, though still not very large - with blonde hardwood flooring and pale tan walls. Probably the only thing which keeps it from looking cramped is the relative sparseness of furnishings, though it's still a little larger than your apprentice quarters back in Braston. And in a city like this, sure as hell costs more, too. A large window fills most of the far wall, currently drawn with pale sea green curtains. To its side hangs a wall scroll penned with rather amateurish calligraphy which reads "Embrace every morning with a smile." A low square table stands a few feet before this window, a pair of large green cushions on either side. In its center rests a cheerful-looking bonsai tree in a bed of sandy crushed stone, a small book with a slim cover lying beside it. Against the wall to the left is a straight-backed wooden bench padded with colorful throw pillows. Roughly opposite this are a pair of doors, both slightly ajar through not enough to peer inside from this angle.
>The rest of the room is furnished neatly with just a couple small shelving units and end tables, one of which bears a rather stylish lamp in twisted wrought iron while the others house an eclectic assortment of knickknacks from a large snow globe, its contents still swirling, to a faintly-iridescent spiral seashell and a small bamboo flute resting upon a metal stand. There are also several framed photographs, some of Kyouko and a few of other people as well; one particularly large one is of a tall rugged mountain, its heights streaked with white and ringed by green.
>Stepping inside, you notice a small kitchen alcove adjoined to the right of the room, mostly concealed by the door at first. It is decidedly minimal and perhaps even claustrophobic, but nonetheless manages to contain the standard infrastructure; there is a small ice box and washbasin and as much cabinetry as could reasonably fit while still leaving room for someone to move around. A copper tea kettle rest upon the small iron stove in the corner and the adjacent half of the minimal counter space is packed with ceramic jars of flour or sugar or somesuch. There is also a large cloth-covered plate with just enough unevenness beneath its surface to suggest some contents being kept fresh without hinting what they might be.

>"Well, this is it," Kyouko says. "Home Sweet Home." She smiles at you, then dashes off to light the lamp.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #40 on: February 04, 2013, 12:32:58 PM »
>Sample the air with our olfactory senses. Then step inside.
>Glance around, then chuckle once and grin. "Know something, Kyouko? I think your place is bigger than my digs back in Braston."

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #41 on: February 04, 2013, 12:48:50 PM »
>Sample the air with our olfactory senses. Then step inside.
>Glance around, then chuckle once and grin. "Know something, Kyouko? I think your place is bigger than my digs back in Braston."

>You take a sniff of the air. There is a hint of cinnamon and something else sweet, and the ruddy scent of the her bonsai, as well as the gentle yet crisp and clean aura you have come to associate with Kyouko herself.
>A warm glow suffuses the room as Kyouko sets the lamp alight. You take another glance around, then chuckle.
>"Really?" she asks, turning back to you with some surprise in her eyes. She takes another glance about her apartment, then repeats the question. "Really?"

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #42 on: February 04, 2013, 01:02:58 PM »
>"Maybe not by a hell of a lot, but yeah, really."

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #43 on: February 04, 2013, 01:11:11 PM »
>"Maybe not by a hell of a lot, but yeah, really."

>"Well, that's good!" she says cheerfully, then frowns suddenly. "No, wait, that isn't good at all, is it? ...or is it?" She tilts her head to the side and one of her ears tilts up with it.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #44 on: February 04, 2013, 01:38:11 PM »
>Grin. "Proof that I don't need a lot to get by."
>More's better, of course, but until we get it, we can make do just fine.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #45 on: February 04, 2013, 02:10:56 PM »
>Grin. "Proof that I don't need a lot to get by."
>More's better, of course, but until we get it, we can make do just fine.

>"Well I... suppose that's good?" She seems to be having some trouble sorting out exactly what this implies.
>While you certainly aspire to a lot snazzier digs than this, what kind of Seeker could you call yourself if you needed pampering just to get through the day? And this is a lot more comfortable-looking than your bunk on the Maiden was, to be fair. Though there also isn't really a lot of floor space to stretch out and the bench isn't long enough for someone of even your stature - not that it looks that conducive to restful sleep, in any case.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #46 on: February 04, 2013, 05:56:16 PM »
>Oh, we'll manage here. Somehow. It's free, ergo the best lodgings in the city.
>Step lightly towards the picture of the mountain and have a better look at it. Might be her home. Well, birthplace.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #47 on: February 05, 2013, 01:37:34 AM »
>Oh, we'll manage here. Somehow. It's free, ergo the best lodgings in the city.
>Step lightly towards the picture of the mountain and have a better look at it. Might be her home. Well, birthplace.

>Being free earns this place massive points in your book. And it's also clean and tidy, and relatively quiet to boot - owner notwithstanding.
>You wander over to take a closer look at the picture of the mountain. It is quite large for a photograph and even the fine details are crisp and sharp - clearly it was taken with a high-quality camera. You can make out numerous thin crevases in the rock and other places where the cliff face is worn smooth, perhaps by old flows of water or the grinding movement of packed snow and ice. The base is thickly forested for as far as the shot extends, growing patchier as you travel up the cliff and then disappearing almost entirely. In fact, the trees are the only thing in the photo which can give a sense of scale to the mountain, though a closer examination suggests they are not as dwarfed by it as they first appeared; the upper reaches of the peak are simply too steep and rugged for them to find purchase. It's still much taller than anything you've seen on Estval, though. After a little while, you notice hints of what might possibly be a walkable path winding up from the tree line, but still no signs of habitation.

>"That's my mountain!" Kyouko pipes up cheerfully, suddenly appearing at your side. "I haven't been back in a long time now, but somehow that picture makes me feel like I'm never really that far away."

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Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #48 on: February 05, 2013, 02:29:47 AM »
>"Where's it at?"
>We have some kind of bedroll, right? If so, do we think there's enough room to spread it without immanent danger of being walked on?

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #49 on: February 05, 2013, 05:12:08 AM »
>"Where's it at?"
>We have some kind of bedroll, right? If so, do we think there's enough room to spread it without immanent danger of being walked on?

>"Way out West," she replies. "A couple days past Takemura. There are a bunch more like it out there, but this one's mine!"
>You do not, though you don't think there'd be anywhere to spread it here that wasn't across part of the walkway in some fashion. Perhaps if you moved the table....

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #50 on: February 05, 2013, 08:39:50 AM »
>We didn't put up any pictures of Easthaven or Braston back at the apprentices' housing, did we?

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #51 on: February 05, 2013, 08:47:13 AM »
>We didn't put up any pictures of Easthaven or Braston back at the apprentices' housing, did we?

>No. In fact, the only photograph you even posses is the one of Ellen's cat, which you are still carting around with you for some reason.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #52 on: February 05, 2013, 09:59:57 AM »
>Not very sentimental, are we?
>Prior to when we went back to Easthaven for Ichirin's job, were we especially attached to Easthaven? In terms of missing it or getting nostalgic, that sort of thing.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #53 on: February 05, 2013, 10:38:11 AM »
>Not very sentimental, are we?
>Prior to when we went back to Easthaven for Ichirin's job, were we especially attached to Easthaven? In terms of missing it or getting nostalgic, that sort of thing.

>As a rule, no. Being sentimental is a good way to look foolish and an even better way to muddle one's judgement; you've seen more than enough bone-headed things done in the name of fleeting emotions and you expect better of yourself. Irritatingly, you cannot honestly deny the times you've elected for less expedient or profitable actions for chiefly emotional reasons. Maybe you'd like to, but you can't. Perhaps this is why people seem to keep telling you you've got a good heart these days; sounds like a troublesome thing to be stuck with, frankly.
>You never really missed Easthaven, or at least assumed you hadn't. It was a bucolic backwater. You'd moved on to bigger things and were headed for even bigger - it was as simple as that. Why should anyone reserve special affection for a place merely because of some coincidence of their birth? Though you did feel something approaching affection for Ichirin, when you were honest with yourself - which perhaps wasn't very often; waxing sentimental invites the kind of attention you've never cared to have and you'd often figured Orange had enough sentimentality for the both of you. Somehow... after the whirlwind of this past week, you're not certain you feel this way anymore.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #54 on: February 05, 2013, 12:30:00 PM »
>Well, there is some practicality in remembering your roots, we suppose. Knowing where you came from, and what you survived on, motivates one to better oneself. Not that we NEED extra motivation, but the logic is there.
>Given the lack of bedrolls or something else, are we accustomed to/fine with the idea of simply curling up in a corner, or sleeping while sitting as opposed to lying?

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #55 on: February 05, 2013, 12:45:50 PM »
>Well, there is some practicality in remembering your roots, we suppose. Knowing where you came from, and what you survived on, motivates one to better oneself. Not that we NEED extra motivation, but the logic is there.
>Given the lack of bedrolls or something else, are we accustomed to/fine with the idea of simply curling up in a corner, or sleeping while sitting as opposed to lying?

>Oh, there's certainly plenty of reasons to remember where you came from and what you learned there - only a fool discards information once you have it. But that doesn't mean you have to miss the place. Too much. ...maybe a little.
>Perhaps the comforts of civilization have made you a little soft, but you'd certainly far rather a cozy bed than the corner of some hardwood floor. But you are a youkai born of a creature of the wilds and spent the first part of your existence with nothing but the ground as your bed, even after your awakening; it's not something you're in a hurry to return to, but it's also not as unpleasant as most humans seem to find it. And while you suppose you wouldn't say no to a nice sleeping bag if you were camping out somewhere, it's also more bulk to carry around and you can make due adequately without one.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #56 on: February 05, 2013, 01:06:21 PM »
>"Ever find yourself wanting to go back there?"

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #57 on: February 05, 2013, 01:14:50 PM »
>"Ever find yourself wanting to go back there?"

>"Go back?" She pauses. "Well... it might be nice to visit again sometime, I suppose, but I like it here! And the mountain is always in my heart. And on my wall, too!" She grins.

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #58 on: February 05, 2013, 01:25:23 PM »
>"Hah. That it is."
>Look around for a place to put our flower down where it can get some sun in the morning.
>If one presents itself, ask, "Can I put my flower down there?"
>If none readily present themselves, ask, "Oh, by the way, where can I put this down where it can get some sun tomorrow morning?"

Re: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 12)
« Reply #59 on: February 05, 2013, 01:39:48 PM »
>"Hah. That it is."
>Look around for a place to put our flower down where it can get some sun in the morning.
>If one presents itself, ask, "Can I put my flower down there?"
>If none readily present themselves, ask, "Oh, by the way, where can I put this down where it can get some sun tomorrow morning?"

>"That it is," she replies contentedly. "Oh! Would you like some tea?"
>She putters off toward what passes for a kitchen without pausing for a response.
>As she does, you quickly survey the room for a good place to leave your plant where it could get some sunlight in the morning. Depending on the angle the light comes in, the floor beside the window might be fine enough, though the larger table with the bonsai is probably even better; most of the other shelves and end tables are either too small or don't look like they get so much natural light. You ask.
>"Sure!" she chirps back. "Just put it next to Koki-san. He doesn't get a lot of company!" She stifles a giggle.