(This one is partially Matsy's fault. He knows why. Vic too)
"You know," Utsuho says, her head angled upwards, "I am never ever going to get used to all that blue up there. What do you even do with it all? And the clouds? Yeesh! Those things aren't right. I mean, look at them, all poofing up and stuff, and always shifting around and making shapes. I don't know how you guys can ever get used to that. Give me some good ole stalactites any day."
"Well, I guess it's weird if you don't get used to it," Mystia says, looking around. The outskirts of the human village were the same as ever; scattered farms with numerous little dirt paths converging into a well-worn road. Old houses with peaked roofs and paper walls; grass and weeds choked out from all the feet passing through. She could hear a dog barking somewhere, bringing a small tinge of discomfort; she could never do well with dogs. It wasn't to long ago that this place was practically another world to her, so far removed from her life. But things have changed. It was nice to be able to come and go as she pleased. Still, some of the old trepidation was coming back. It really was a good thing Yuyuko suggested hiring some help...
"Nothing to get used to do, really," says Utsuho, as they pass by the outer line of houses, "Good earth all around you, nice and dependable. It's only natural. It's not even all cramped like people up here think it is. There's all kinds of room in the big caverns like where the city is. Just the ceiling is something you can count on."
"Isn't there weather down there?" Mystia says. "I remember hearing Nitori talking about that, right after the incident."
Utsuho nods. "Well of course there is, it's got to rain and snow sometime."
"So shouldn't there be clouds?"
"Well, kinda, but they're little ones. Nice ones.You can fly up and touch 'em. They're more like smoke than those big huge poofy things you guys have. They don't get in the way so much, you guys' clouds get all over the sky and make it go gray and stuff. Just making a nuisance of themselves if you ask me."
Mystia has another look around. So far, so good. No rocks, no angry shouts, no one pulling their children away. There were stares, but this is normal. Humans are always fascinated by youkai, and it wasn't often someone as flashy as Utsuho walked into town. You gets used to the stares after awhile, and after they got used to you, the stares would go away. Still, there was a tenseness in the air, or so it seemed. Maybe it's just paranoia? Maybe no one really cared after all? It was known that Aya was prone to exaggeration and flights of fancy.
"Those sound like rather depressing clouds, don't you think?" Mystia says. "Don't they ever look like shapes and things?
"What, no, or course not," says Utsuho. "They don't look like anything. That'd be silly. They're suppose to rain, not get in the way."
"Well, what about..." Mystia looks toward the sky, seeking out a cloud to prove her point. The heavens, she finds, aren't in a cooperative mood. She points to a puffy one to the northeast. "...That one. It looks like cotton candy."
"No it doesn't," says Utsuho, following Mystia's finger. She squints and frowns. "Wait...okay, so it does. Weird. Hey, so does that one! And that other one looks like when Orin spilled milk this morning!"
The market looms up ahead, a number of little wooden stands filled with odd and ends. Dozens of people mill about, and dozens of voices blend into a nondistinct babble. Over that, merchants at their stalls shout their wares, trying to entice people with their goods. She can see all sorts of things for sale; foodstuffs, housewares, clothes, jewelry, art objects. There is a stall selling medicines from Eientei; Mystia notes a familiar pair of ears bobbing over the people gathered there. The smells of fresh food dominates the air, Mystia is pleased to note a lack of poultry odor among it.
"Alright, Okuu," says Mystia, "First thing is to get some more salt, then we'll-" She glances over to make sure Utsuho is listening, and notices a conspicuous lack of hell raven. "-Damn it." Thankfully, it doesn't take long to find her in front of a clothing stand; large black wings and a white cape stand out quite a bit. Mystia sighs and heads toward one of the grocers. The line isn't long, and she is able to get through it fairly quickly.
The woman running the stand is a older lady, her face lined with every year. Her gray hair is drawn back into a bun and covered with a length of cloth. She gives Mystia a grin with a few gaps in it, and says, "Hello Mystia, dearie. How has business been lately? What can I get for you?"
"Two pounds of salt, Mrs Yumi," Mystia replies. "And it's been a little slow this week. I'm sure you've heard the news? It's had an effect."
"Oh yes," says Mrs Yumi, "I am afraid I can't quite agree with it myself. Honestly, do you really need to be hiring minions to push poor Thea off a cliff? I mean, back in the old days, did you do that sort of thing yourself?"
"I didn't hire Utsuho to push anyone off a cliff," Mystia says, her voice heavy. "There's not going to be any cliff pushing. I just hired her so she wouldn't try to get into this herself."
Mrs Yumi nods, as she places a sack on a scale and starts to ladle salt into it. "Well, that's good to hear. As I was telling Mrs Reiko just the other day, it seemed like the Tengu really was trying her worst to paint you in a bad light. Deplorable, the things people will say!"
Mystia nods and chooses her next words carefully. "Well, I'm glad you believe in me, Mrs Yumi, we do need our friends to stand by us in such things."
"Oh course, dearie," says Mrs Yumi, giving a grin that causes the lines on her face to shift into an entirely new pattern. "I do wonder, though, if little Rumia will expect people to go through with hers agreements? She did trade a yoyo to Mrs Reiko's third granddaughter just yesterday for her body. She's thinking about talking to the Shrine Maiden, but I said to her to wait just a little while and see what will happen. No need for her to go on that long walk, what with her knee and all..."
"You're serious?" Mystia asks, feeling her stomach churn, "She did that?"
"Serious as an oni in a drinking contest," says Miss Yumi with a nod, then frowns at the scale and adds another part of a ladle of salt to the bag. "I saw the little dear playing with the yoyo myself."
"I suppose I'll have to have a talk with Rumia, then," says Mystia. "She'd still be in school now, wouldn't she?"
Miss Yumi hands Mystia the bag. "I would hope so, it is time for the little ones to be there! That'll be the usual price, dearie."
Mystia nods, quietly handing the money to the grocer, and taking the bag. "Thank you for telling me all that, Miss Yumi. I'll look into it as soon as I can. Have a good day."
"Have a good day yourself," says Miss Yumi. "And do be good to that pink-haired girl. She's quite fond of you, you know!"
Turning to walk away, Mystia closes her eyes and tries her best not to scream, shudder, or break into profanity. "I'll be sure to do just that, thank you Miss Yumi." Then she walks away as quickly as she can, comforting herself with some muttered swears as soon as she is certain the grocer can't overhear.
"Hey, Mystia," comes the voice of Utsuho through the crowd, "You got any more bags?"
Mystia looks over to see Utsuho approaching, with her arm and third leg crossed against her chest, cradling a number of glittering objects. She raises her eyebrows. "How many buttons did you buy?"
"Forty-seven."
"Why?"
"They're pretty."
Mystia ponders for a moment, and realizes that there is no real counter argument for that, and no particularly good reason for exploring this any further. "Sorry Okuu, all I have is this. Just gather them up in your shirt until we can find one. We've got problems, too."
"What's up?" asks Utsuho, not looking at Mystia as she gathers up the bottom of her shirt with her hand, then lets the buttons slide down into the pocket she made.
"It looks like Rumia's trying to make contracts, too," Mystia says. "We'll have to deal with it."
Utsuho frowns. "Whomia?"
"Oh right, sorry." Says Mystia. It was hard to remember who knew whom these days. "Rumia, she's a darkness youkai. Looks like a little girl, kinda dim. Not really that strong."
Furrowing her brow, Utsuho says, "Mystia, I am not beating up a little kid. You do not pay me enough for that, and I would never hear the end of it from Satori."
"No, no, we're not beating her up!" Mystia cries. She pauses for a moment, considering Rumia, then adds, "...Probably. We're just going to talk with her and make sure she understands what's going on, and convince her to leave it be."
"I'm not threatening a little kid, either."
"We're not going to threaten her! Probably! Look, just help me finish off the grocery shopping, and I'll buy you some lunch while we wait for school to let out, okay?"
"Not lamprey," Utsuho says, "I'm getting kind of tired of that, and I want a bag, too."
****
By the time that she is able to get the groceries home, and make good on her promise of lunch for Utsuho, it is close to time for school to end for the day. Mystia hurries over to the building and waits. Sitting near the main crossroads of town, is it easy for just about anyone to find. It stands two stories, the upper one serving as the schoolmistress' home. A fenced off playground with a slide, a set of climbing bars, and a large sandbox lays beside it, scattered with things the children have no doubt forgotten.
"So, we catch her when she comes out, right?" says Utsuho, "And then we set her straight? Is it really going to be that easy?"
"Trust me, you don't know Rumia," says Mystia. "The hard part will be making her remember it."
"You're the boss," Utsuho says with a shrug.
The Mystia settles in to wait. Utsuho wanders around a bit; giving Mystia something to watch; until she finds a stray kitten and gets into a staring contest with it. This loses its spectator appeal in short order, leaving her to watch the front door of the school and mentally review her speech. It does not take long for the door to open, and a stream of chattering children to pour out. Mystia scans them, and quickly picks out her target; running with her arms outstretched.
"Hey, Rumia!" she calls. "Come over here!"
"Hi Miss Tia!" says Rumia, as she alters her course and runs toward Mystia.
Glancing over, Mystia notes Utsuho leaving the staring contest unresolved and is approaching. She looks back to Rumia and smiles. "My name is pronounced Mystia."
"Yeah, that's what I said, Miss Tia," Rumia answers. "Whacha want?"
"I want to talk about something you did yesterday," Mystia says. "You gave her a yoyo, right?"
"Yeah," says Rumia, nodding, "And when she dies I get to eat her! It's awesome! I didn't even like that yoyo anyways. And now the Red White won't put my insides on the outside!"
"Well, that's going to be a problem," says Mystia, as Utsuho quietly sidles beside her. "You see, the Red White said only I'm allowed to do that."
"What! No fair! That dumb!" Rumia says, crossing her arms. "I hope she trips over that donation box!"
Mystia nods. "Yeah, but it would be a problem if everyone was doing it. It'd get all confused and bad things would happen, and then the Red White would beat us all up again."
Rumia's eyes go wide. "Oh no! I want to keep my arms!"
"Yeah, it's be a real problem, and no one would be happy," says Mystia. "So we need you not to do this-"
"Or it's your ass!" Utsuho shouts, levering her third arm at Rumia with a hard glare.
"You have a thing on your arm, Miss Other Bird," Rumia says.
Mystia frowns. Things were starting to go off script. "Okuu, I thought you weren't going to threaten her?"
"Unyu...sorry," says Utsuho, as she stops brandishing her third leg at Rumia, "I just thought maybe it would help..."
"I'm paid to do the thinking, Okuu," Mystia says. She then smiles back at Rumia. "Don't worry about my partner, she's new to this. Anyways, I need you to give your contract back to Ishi, so that the Red White doesn't beat us all up."
"But it's mine," says Rumia, frowning. "It's square and fair and everything..."
"Well, if you do," says Mystia, "I can share the one I have when she passes on. And she's older, so you won't have to wait as long. And I'll even cook her for you."
"Well, that sounds kinda okay," says Rumia, "But I like Ishi. She's really silly and I bet she'll taste good..."
"I'll give you that kitten," Utsuho says, motioning toward her former opponent with her thumb, as it washes its face. Mystia would feel a little sorry for it, being bought and sold like that, but her sympathy for stray cats had run out a long time ago.
"Deal!" Rumia says, bunching her hands into fists, holding them before her and shaking with excitement.. "Shake one it! Pinky promise! Blood pact!"
"Done and done, kiddo," says Utsuho. "Now lets go get that kitty."
"You're the best Other Bird, Miss Other Bird!"
Mystia watches as the two of them walk off, and the the kitten dashes away from them. She closes her eyes, letting the relief wash over her like a cool rain. Crisis adverted. If Rumia were willing to accept it once, then even if she forgot about it, it shouldn't be hard to get her to accept it again. Of course, it meant having to share with Rumia as well as Utsuho, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem...
"My," whispers a voice in Mystia's ear. Her eyes snap open, panick surgnig, as familiar arms wrap around her, "Just when I was thinking about lunch..."
"Damn it!" Mystia cries, "I'm trying to get work done!"
"Everyone needs a break, my Thiamine," says Yuyuko. "Come, let's dine~"
"We're not even close to my house!"
"There's an inn,"
"I can't just keep throwing money around!"
"My treat~"
Mystia sighs, and lets herself relax as Yuyuko starts to pull her away. "I hate you so much."
"We'll remedy that in a short while."