Another Overdue Update V 2017/09/10 (Sun) 15:26 No. 197867 ▼ File 150505717273.png - (65.57KB, 275x155 , 275px-Th135_Palace_of_the_Earth_Spirits.png)
There’s something nagging at you deep down, compelling you to do the right thing. Do what you’ve always been doing ever since… Well, whatever you’ve been doing as far as you remember, and that is to clear things up as much as possible.
“Er…”
Then again, there’s another thing that’s telling you to amuse yourself every once in a while. To hell with the consequences, if Gensokyo’s gonna make things weird for you, you might as well enjoy it.
Considering how your day started and how it will probably go, the latter argument wins. Hey, might as well make things entertaining!
[X] “I don’t know,” you say, cupping your chin and trying to look thoughtful. You feel Akane tense in your grip, but you reply with a reassuring squeeze. “You were questioning Yama-sama’s competence—quite harshly, I might add—and that’s not something I can let go…”
The werecat starts to sniffle. Normally, you’d be concerned and call off the farce, but you find yourself oddly amused.
“S-Shit,” she whispers, “I-I-I’m sor—”
“IF you take me to your mistress,” you interrupt, throwing an unseeing pointed glare down towards the sound of her voice, “I’m sure we can work something out.”
“E-Eh? B-But… Satori-sama will—”
“That’s a shame, then,” you say, turning around with a flourish. “Let’s go, Akane. Yama-sama will want to know that her list should be updated.”
Truth be told you don’t know if this ‘Yama’ person even has a list, but given how terrified werecat was, Yama updating a list in relation to her behavior would do the trick.
“WAIT!”
And yep. There she is. Arms wrapped around your waist and clinging for dear life. It’s actually getting a bit hard to breathe, but showing weakness like that in front of the sufficiently-intimidated werecat won’t do.
“F-Fine! I’ll take you to Satori-sama…”
+++
Rin, who you learned is actually a Kasha (whatever the hell that’s supposed to be) when she (nervously) introduced herself, did not waste any time taking you by the hand and dragging you through the city.
You decide to ignore the fact that she just left her wheelbarrow of corpses in the place where you found her. While she seemed to be in a hurry, Rin’s hand was still lightly trembling.
Something else that you notice is that the underground city seems to be awake and back into the festive and drunken atmosphere, you don't actually know what time it is, but just earlier the streets contained more sleepy breathes and snores than the laughter that once again fills the air.
Smells of cooked food and Sake already permeate the air. More than once, you feel Akane pull towards a particularly strong scent, but you keep her in your grip and whisper ‘later’ when she does. She sags, but not for long.
Eventually you feel Rin come to a stop. Of course, you can’t actually tell where, but the area sounds relatively secluded. Most of the laughter and ambient background noise comes from a distance now, and the direction she faces has nothing but an eerie silence.
“W-Well, here we are!” she nervously says. Shit, is she still afraid of you?
She tugs you along gently before pausing again.
‘Knock Knock’
Wooden doors. Quite solid if the sound was anything to go by.
‘Creeeaaak~’
Heavy too.
Then again, given how much debris and destruction you tripped over earlier this morning, the doors would have to be if they were to survive even one night.
Rin mumbles a quiet ‘thank you’ to whoever opened the door as she pulls you along. You step on something fuzzy and keep stepping on it, most likely a carpet. Would explain Rin’s muffled footsteps.
“Watch your step,” she says. A quick tap to the floor in front of you with Akane reveals the first of what would be a long series of steps you’d have to carefully step over.
If Rin is still scared of the Shinigami she thinks she’s guiding, she does a good job of patiently suppressing that fear as you slowly make your way up the stairs.
Akane shudders in your grip as Rin slows to a halt.
“H-Here we are,” says Rin. “Please wait here while I inform Satori-sa—”
“A Shinigami that has business with me will know that in unnecessary, Rin. Come in.” a voice calls out.
“N-Nyaa…”
Hmm… Odd sound for a cat to make.
‘Creeaak~’
Smaller set of double doors this time.
Rin gently tugs you into a room. It’s definitely more spacious than the entrance since her steps and yours echo around you. You can hear something clattering against ceramic, a bowl most likely, and a familiar smell…
...Oh, hell no!”
Your see—
“Oh, are these yours?” the suspiciously-young voice asks as the sound of another seed cracking reaches you. “Forgive me. Okuu gave this to me. I suppose I should have noted the fact that she ‘found’ it on one of the sleeping residents, but I didn’t expect the owner to actually attempt to reclaim these. Forgive me.”
“So you say, but I—”
“—went through much to acquire these. I know,” she interrupts again. It’s actually rather annoying. “You call it annoying, I call it convenient.”
“For the love of—”
“Stop doing that?” She’s smiling right now. You bet your seeds that she’s giving you a stupid grin as she watches you fume.
“Come now, what is a little teasing every now and then? I am, indeed, smiling. This is because compared to the last guest that Rin brought to me, you are much more civil. What was his name, Rin?”
Rin, whose hand you just realized is still caught in your clenched grip, shivers. More so than when she assumed that you were a Shinigami.
“Nyaa... With all due respect, Satori-sama, I’d rather not remember.”
“Canyoueven Carry, I believe?” What the hell kind of a name is that supposed to be? “It was a very stupid name, fitting for a man whose head was full of more muscle and delusion than brain cells and common sense. Let us forget about him. I believe you’ve come here for a purpose, Mister Washington?”
Well that depends. Will she let you finish—
“If that is what suits you, then I will.”
Calm thoughts…
Calm thoughts…
“Please. Have a seat.”
Rin guides you closer to the source of the voice and over to a chair that you carefully lower yourself onto, Akane still trembling but firmly clutched in your left hand as Rin lets go of your right..
You hear the sound of something clattering as it slides across the table. Feeling along the surface, you’re pleasantly surprised to feel the familiar smell of your sunflower seeds in a bowl as the girl giggles.
“I have a name, you know.”
Well, it’s not like you can read her mind like she can with yours.
“Oh? And you’re sure that is my ability?”
Well, how else is she replying when you can’t even finish—
“You are correct. I am Satori Komeiji and I can, in fact, read your thoughts.”
Then she must know what it is you came here for.
“You wish to know more about yourself.”
You want to remember everything.
“I cannot do that.”
Oh? Why not?
Your fists are clenched.
“Think of it like this. If one were to drop a heavy load onto a table, the table would definitely collapse. If one adds the weight gradually, the table will not break unless more weight than it can carry is added.”
Why does everything have to be in riddles?
“If you remember everything that I can sense inside you all at once, your mind will break.”
...
...
...oh. That makes sense.
“I must say, it has been quite a while since I’ve seen a person’s thought represented by those strange dots. By the way, you are free to leave, Rin.”
You hear the faint rustle of clothes followed by Rin’s receding footsteps.
‘Creeaak~’
And finally, the door is shut.
Akane is really fidgeting now.
“Your scythe appears to be nervous.”
You shrug. Akane’s not your scythe and your methods of communication are rather limited.
“Well, there’s not much I will be able to do about that. I suppose Elly is doing well?”
So she knows Elly, huh?
“...my, my my, she has been busy.”
Busy is one way to put it.
“To think that after all these years she still does that in her sleep…”
Wait, what?
“Oh, don’t mind me.”
Akane’s renewed struggles tells you that maybe she would've been better off waiting outside with Rin.
“Embarrassing secrets aside, let us begin.”
You hear a chair scrape against the floor followed by a series of light footsteps that stop in front of you.
Something’s floating in front of your head now, you can feel it. Even if you can’t see it, it feels rather unnerving.
“I get that a lot.”
Oh. Sor—
“Don’t. ‘Tis natural, after all, for a being who can read your every secret to be treated with suspicion. Worry not, for I do not hold it against you.”
You’re sure that Satori read the action in your mind before you actually get around to doing it, because when you gently raise a hand, you feel the top of her head lean into your grip as you pat it slowly.
“My, my, my, you have quite the experience giving these, don’t you?”
You wouldn’t know.
+++
In the back of your mind you can visualize three different paths. You’re aware that you can only take one at the moment, as per Satori’s warning, and on each path is something vaguely familiar.
Which path do you take?
[] The Sea: You feel a familiar presence
[] The Rifle: Your scars ache
[] The Lantern: Something you wouldn’t mind forgetting, but cannot
