(open) Be careful what you wish for...

[recon5]

... or so the saying went. Carlos had never given it as much thought in his life as he had in the past few hours. Being suddenly transported to a new world had the effect of making a person contemplate his previous life much more seriously, it seemed.

He'd been longing all his life to perform a reading without all the ritual and pretense his family insisted upon. Sure, customers might be quite a bit more impressed if gods and spirits were summoned before a reading, but it seemed to him to be a bit of a cheat. He never performed the invocations before watching television and using the crystal ball was basically that. At least, that's what it seemed like to him. It wasn't as though anything real was being called upon, anyway.

Still, his mother had insisted he learn and use the traditional rites and he'd been prepared to do just that. He'd memorized the lines and put on the goofy clothes, all the while wishing that he'd be able to just look into the ball, tell the customer what he saw and be done with the whole thing. No luck, though. His mother had indicated that she'd be watching him through her hidden peephole.

He'd barely had the chance to sit down when someone, it seemed, had decided to grant his wish.

Strangely enough, he hadn't felt anything more than a brief falling sensation even as the interior of his family's show tent was literally pushed up and away by what looked like the living room of a Japanese house. He and his crystal ball settled nicely onto soft cushions, seemingly placed by someone expecting his arrival. He'd been greeted by a young looking woman who told him to get straight to the point, which was a nice change from his practice routine. He'd been so focused on the reading that he hadn't felt anything other than a sense of relief from the realization he'd somehow had that no one was keeping an eye on him any more.

Of course, all his practice hadn't prepared him for what he actually saw. The future was different, very different. He didn't remember the specifics but at the time he'd been to nauseated to give his new "customer" a proper reply.

----

Everything after that was a bit fuzzy. He remembered the woman smiling at him, then a moment later he somehow ended up falling from a great height. Incredibly, the crisis had triggered some previously unknown ability to fly and he'd managed to bring himself quite gently to the ground, landing beside a small stream. Shortly after that he'd found his crystal ball floating beside his shoulder and he soon realized that it would place itself wherever he needed it to be at a given moment, almost as if it could read his mind.

He hadn't had much time to ponder his situation before being attacked by some strange beast, as though fate herself intended to give him a survival class at the start of his new life. Things had gone smoothly at first as his crystal ball had intercepted the beast's lunge before it got to him, knocking his attacker a considerable distance from the impact. As the battle progressed he discovered that he could instinctively move the ball as though it were a third limb and that it was much more responsive than his own arms and legs.

Then the beast started shooting at him. The energy blasts weren't exactly large or fast but they seemed to be fairly dangerous from the holes they left in the ground. Carlos had to spend a bit of time just dodging with his new-found flight abilities, until he discovered that he could shoot back. The blast of power from his crystal ball blew his attacker to charred bits.

----

He hadn't allowed himself to feel too relieved as he knew that there had to be more threats in the area. He spent some time practicing his new abilities and found that he could control the discharge of power from his crystal ball to fire smaller blasts more frequently, although they tended to fly in random directions unlike a full power blast which flew straight ahead. He also discovered that his crystal ball could create a shield when he had to protect himself from a tree that he'd somehow managed to topple over himself with one of his stray blasts.

The most important thing he learned was that he could apparently only use magic through his crystal ball, so he would have to keep it safe for as long as he was in this land. He also discovered (once his adrenaline wore off) that continuous use of magic made him tired. He returned to the stream, washed his face and sat down to plan his next move.

[Genshuku]

And yet another newcomer. Gen didn't really know that this person was a newcomer just yet, and based on his wear, she couldn't be sure. He did look like a smart one, and probably some sort of psychic...and the clothes he was wearing made him look ever so more like one too.

Gen didn't know Yukari all too well, only that she was the border-keeper along with Reimu (but Yukari was better at the job, when she wasn't being lazy anyway...which was never) and that she enjoyed messing with the world.

Gen did not get the ability to fly when she had entered Gensokyo, and she certainly didn't get it when she was falling down to the ground...which happened only on the full moon, and seemed to happen EVERY full moon because she never paid attention to it. When it was the day or any time that wasn't the full moon, it was so much better. Her gravity powers enabled her to fly whenever she wanted, among other things, such as moving most inanimate objects. She could also move animate objects, but that didn't quite have the same power. But the best part? She could do this to hostile danmaku, or her own. This made her a formidable enemy, but only if you got on her bad side. That was a hard thing to do, if you had common sense.

All of this aside, Gen might as well be polite to the person washing his face at the stream. Heck, maybe he could see her future or something. (And if you wish, you certainly could do so. I just have to RP it, really.)

So, from where she was, (flying, because flying beats waking) she flew down some distance away from where he was (not too close, but enough where actually speaking made sense), and then simply said:

"Hey there~"

[recon5]

The voice caught Carlos by surprise as he'd just settled from his previous ordeal. His crystal ball happened to be in his way when he turned to look and it only moved itself a moment later, almost as if it too had been surprised. What he saw beyond it surprised him further.

Blue-green hair wasn't very common in the outside world especially if it was natural, in which case it was an indication of a special nature. While Carlos might have suspected a dye job if he'd seen the girl in his hometown, the fact that he himself had just gained supernatural powers made him more inclined to believe that the girl's hair was natural and that it was a sign of her being more than she seemed. She might have powers far beyond those of the beast he'd just killed and a fight would be certain death for him. There was also the matter of becoming a wanted man if he somehow managed to walk away from a fight alive. He therefore decided to be as diplomatic as he could, hoping the girl wouldn't misunderstand and be offended by anything he said.

"Hello there," he said, forcing himself to smile and look the girl in the eye. "If you need help I must apologize for not being able to give any. You see, I'm new here."

It was stilted and cheesy and it made him grimace inwardly (although he managed to keep himself from actually frowning), but it was the most polite way he could phrase things at that point. He casually moved his crystal ball between himself and the girl and situated it at chest level, ready to throw up a shield in case she reacted with violence.

((OOC note: remember that Carlos can move the ball with his mind, so he's not holding it right now))

[Genshuku]

Perhaps Yukari was planning something again. In any case, it was certain that this was another newcomer. First herself, then that person, then THIS person. Yeah, Yukari was planning something. Perhaps Gen should go find out where she lives to ask a few questions (and regardless of her demeanor, it would be worth it if she answered), and it would be worth it to actually know what she looked like. Gen had the name to the face, he just had the face. Boo.

His diplomacy was well taken, despite that she was not actually looking for help. After all, what he said was friendly enough, along with giving away that he wasn't from here. Gen took his moving a crystal ball in front of him (at least this one had powers, made it far more easier to talk) as a defensive maneuver, but after all, he didn't know her and therefore didn't know how she would act.

"Join the club, it seems as though new people are being sent here by the dozen. And they said that the border was supposed to keep people out, and here I am, somehow meeting them all."

Well, so much for the border.

In any case, his prediction about possibly not leaving the fight that should not happen alive was well illustrated by the crescent moon spear she had on her back and what no one else could see: a hidden pocket inside her dress full of knives. Luckily, those were placed to they would not cut through or accidentally stab her, so all was well.

[recon5]

Well, the girl seemed harmless (or at least friendly) enough to Carlos so he slowly allowed himself to relax. Her words about a 'border' and others having being brought across confirmed the thoughts he'd had earlier about this being a world different from his own. With the kind of differences he'd noticed so far, he realized that he was completely unequipped even to survive here, let alone get back to his own world. The first thing to do would be to learn as much as he could about the local way of doing things.

He got up and walked towards the girl, stopping a couple of paces from her. "I guess I will 'join the club' as you say. What do I need to know?"

[Genshuku]

Gen certainly would have thought he was equipped. The floating crystal ball indicated magic, meaning he could fend for himself to at least a small degree. One thing was known though, he needed to know how things worked. The last person she talked to about this had the worst possible reaction, but Gen was more hopeful about this one (unlike the last one, this one seemed like less of a total nutcase).

"Well...it's sort of like Feudal Japan, but with a little bit more technology, and with almost all of the ancient legends intact, and then some. There's plenty of demons, some nice but most trying to eat you. But the people that aren't trying to kill you are usually capable of fending off those demons, so yeah. Speaking of which, there's a bunch of people in the Human Village...meaning yes, the population of demons is that big. Actually, the demons are called youkai here, but I save that term for the nice ones."

If anything else needed explaining, Gen looked happy to answer. It was nice helping the people that aren't complete psychos out.

[recon5]

Feudal Japan, demons and legends being true... Carlos was unsure of whether he should be worried or fascinated, but it was intriguing. "So this must be the place my grandparents used to tell me about. If something supernatural disappears from the outside world it has to go somewhere to maintain the balance. This must be where it happens. Please, tell me a bit more..."

Then he remembered a bit of basic courtesy he'd forgotten in his eagerness to find out about this world. He slapped a hand to his forehead and held it there, feeling a little embarrassed. Luckily for him his cheeks weren't flushing. His crystal ball began to drift in front of his face but he stopped it just in time and moved it back out of the way. Someday he would have to figure out how to stop it from reacting to his inward emotions.

"Right. Here I am looking to impose on you and I forget to give you my name. I'm Carlos- Carlos the Seer... but you can forget about the 'Seer' part because I can't seem to 'See' properly here for some reason."

[Genshuku]

It certainly was intriguing. What was more intriguing was that she certainly was super natural. The thought of her vanishing from existence and being here to simply keep the balance blew Gen's mind away. Obviously, she didn't know that's what happened, but she certainly didn't get much stories told to her anyway. Anyway...

"Perhaps it is, but I wouldn't know. After all, I know some things about this place but not as much as a local would. And speaking of that, I do know that this place is pretty dangerous depending on where you are, and this place is safe compared to the other areas. But the Human Village is the safest of all from what I heard, and the Forest of Magic is one of the worst places to be if you can't defend yourself there. I even heard there was some invisible castle there or something. I might check that out sometime."

The crystal ball then moved, and he had to move it out of the way. Gen didn't know his feelings though (normally, she would have pinpointed it), as he didn't give any other signs and the floating crystal ball was a new thing after all. He then introduced himself as Carlos the. Certainly, that excluded the Seer part. Perhaps it was the location? Or maybe the people? Or possibly it had something to do with the fact that the ball was currently floating around? Gen decided to bet her thoughts on the location.

"And my name is Genshuku, nice to meet you~ And perhaps the reason you can't see right is the fact that this is Gensokyo. There's so much magic in the air that it's bound to screw with some things."

[recon5]

Magic. Carlos had certainly gotten a taste of that. He looked up, wondering what other things this 'magic' had 'screwed with' besides his powers. Having to play things blindly frustrated him and he was tempted to look into his crystal ball for hints like he usually did. Then he remembered what he'd seen when he'd first arrived and he forced the crystal ball away again as it had started to float up to his eye level to let him perform a reading. No use making himself throw up in front of potential help.

"Well... the truth is I'm not particularly used to living with magic..."

He caught himself for a moment. He was used to living with magic. His ability to see the future was a form of magic itself. What he wasn't used to was magic that allowed people to fly and shoot energy blasts.

"... and that isn't completely true. Sorry... I'm having a bit of trouble finding words here... ah, yes. I'm used to a different (and weaker, he thought) kind of magic than what I've seen in the last couple of hours. Would you happen to know anyone who can help me with that?"

[Genshuku]

So it seemed that he was getting used to the crystal ball floating around. She would not have guessed that he was looking for hints, though it didn't matter much. Speaking of that, how would he NOT be used to magic...

...oh. Ok, that was better explained. In any case, he needed help. And Gen didn't know the answer herself, but the only person that could probably explain this better than she could would be Reimu. Why? Gen really know why she thought Reimu knew, but it was probably the right person. A hunch, perhaps.

"I know someone who might be able to help. Her name is Reimu, and she lives in the Hakurei Shrine. It's said that the shrine exists on both sides of the border, so there's a chance she might know about both sides and can explain it better, or if you want, possibly get you out. Chances are though, you might get sent back anyway, but at least you could try. There is probably a reason you're here though..."

Hopefully that went over well. Incidentally, Yukari certainly knew Reimu. But, Gen didn't know that. Quite a neat coincidence then, wasn't it?

[recon5]

This was welcome news for Carlos. A woman of religion would certainly be sympathetic towards his plight and would try to help in some way even if she couldn't give him exactly what he needed. At the very least such a person was unlikely to be hostile and her familiarity with Genshuku would be helpful as well. He looked the girl in the eye once again, this time with a genuine smile on his face.

"Genshuku, was it? Going to the shrine sounds like a good idea. Lead the way."

[Genshuku]

If Gen could read minds, she would have mentioned that gods were all over the place and that the shrine didn't actually have a specified god. But she couldn't, so yeah. At least he had a brighter smile on his face this time around when asking.

"Yep, Genshuku is my name~ And will do, just let me check to see where it is again."

It was pretty easy to find out where the shrine was from sky level, so that's where she went, being sure to look for the shrine and still keep an eye on the person. After all, an opportunistic demon/youkai might come from nowhere in order to eat fresh human, and that would suck. She found it after a little looking, and came back down.

"Right this way then~"

And then she went towards the shrine, knowing where she was going thanks to her looking earlier. Of course, her guard was up. It was up most of the time anyway. If someone decided to go all crazy on her for no reason, she would react accordingly. They weren't too far away from the shrine of course, as it was close to the border, and so were they.

[recon5]

As Genshuku flew up to plan their route Carlos began to think of what he would ask this Reimu. He obviously needed to return home at some time or another but he didn't think that it would be polite for him to blurt that out right away. Perhaps he should offer to perform a service of some sort for her to get on her good side first before asking her to send him home if she could. In any case, he felt that he should do something in return for her help and he didn't really have much that he could give.

His thoughts were interrupted by Genshuku's return. She told him to follow her and he did. As they went, he noticed for the first time how much more beautiful nature was in this world and he began to feel attached to it. Well, just a little.