Chasing Legends (Augen, Schala)

[recon5]

Carlos gratefully took his share of the water. He'd been feeling a bit thirsty himself but he hadn't said anything as he hadn't wanted to interrupt their trip earlier. When he was done he handed the scoop back to Keine, who drew up another bucketful to wash it before holding it out to Kitria. "You paid for this so you should keep it. The way this village works I'm sure the old one will be back by morning."

"Let me tell you a bit about who we're seeing. She's a friend of mine who is in charge of chronicling the history of Gensokyo. The unique thing about her is that she reincarnates as herself each time she dies and she remembers everything she has seen throughout her lives. Perhaps she might have some useful information for you."

[Schala]

"Oh my goodness thank you Keine-sama," Kitria said as the scoop was handed back to her.
"So where are we going to see this person?" she asked.
The platypus youkai was full of excitement. A real adventure, at last!

[Augen]

((Skip me this post))

[recon5]

Keine laughed softly. "My, you're an impatient one aren't you? Dinner comes first. You've walked a really long way and you must be hungry. Don't worry about the time. You can stay for the night if you need to and we can visit my friend in the morning. I think she'll be as tired as you all are by now since she spends most of the day writing."

She led them to her home which was a charming if rather plain looking house, medium-sized and outwardly similar to the rest of the houses around. A number of large earthen jars lined the wall to either side of the door. After opening the door, Keine turned to look at her guests. "Leave your shoes at the doorstep and have a seat over by the fire. I'll start cooking right away."

The inside of the house was surprisingly spacious given its outer appearance. The main entry opened into a sizable living room with a wooden floor that was raised off the ground. In the center of the living room there was a square hearth bordered with stone and a large pot hung over it from the ceiling, which wasn't too far above Keine's head as she stepped in. There was already one cushion by the fireplace and Keine went into another room to fetch three more, placing them by the other sides. She finished off by placing some wood in the hearth and setting it ablaze with a burst of light from her index finger.

"Now make yourselves at home. Please forgive the lack of chairs as I'm a bit of a traditionalist. I'll go and get you all something to eat while you wait for dinner."

She disappeared into the back of the house at that and Carlos went over to one of the cushions. He'd seen documentaries about Japanese manners but he was unsure if he should kneel on the cushion as he'd seen them doing. It had seemed rather uncomfortable. He finally decided to just go ahead with it and he lowered himself onto the cushion in that pose.

[Schala]

It was a nice house, and Kitria decided to sit down.
She sat on one of the larger cusions and read a book of stories of young heroes.
She hoped that dinner would be catfish or seaweed salad. She loved those.

[Augen]

Vandater quietly sat down, trying to imitate the position the others were in... This was the second house she had been in since her arrival in Gensokyo, and it seemed a lot different than the first one... More foreign in style, thought Vandater. Though, really it was she who was the foreign one.

[recon5]

A few minutes later Keine emerged from her kitchen with a plate of seaweed-and-rice biscuits which she placed in front of Kitria. She apologized for only providing one plate as she needed the rest for dinner, then she went into the kitchen to retrieve the tea which was in a small terracotta pot with matching cups. Kneeling on the fourth cushion, she expertly filled the cups and placed one in front of each of her guests before excusing herself and disappearing into the kitchen again.

Carlos studied the cup before him then he tried to pick it up like he'd seen Japanese people do in documentaries. It was much hotter than he'd expected and he narrowly avoided spilling the tea as he hurriedly shifted his fingers closer to the rim- no easy task given how small the cup was. After blowing hard on it for few moments he took a sip and almost grimaced at the bitterness of the brew. Traditionalist indeed...

[Schala]

Kitria took two bisciuts and set the plate on the floor.
"So...what happens now?"

(Very short. But I didn't have much to work with, so whatevs)

[Augen]

"I guess we wait," Vandater said, looking at Kitria. "The woman said that a friend of hers was in charge of chronicling the history of Gensokyo... So I guess we'll just have to wait a little while."

[recon5]

Carlos was about to comment when he realized that he'd been having some doubts about their host. She'd certainly managed to intimidate them into telling her what they knew but since she was in control of the situation they hadn't determined if she had been telling them the truth. What if she had been misleading them all along?

He leaned forward and spoke in a half-whisper. "Personally I've been having suspicions about this woman. She certainly isn't a normal human and I doubt that normal humans would willingly make her their 'guardian'. Remember that we haven't insisted on her being truthful. She could be hiding some things from us and if she can really change history we wouldn't be able to find out. What if all this is a trap?"

[Schala]

Kitria gasped. She dropped her biscuts.
She had never thought of that! What a fool I must be! she thought.
"Okay, okay," she said. "I think...each of us should interrogate her but try not to seem too suspicious. I think Carlos should do it first because he was the one who was originally struck with suspicion."

[Augen]

Vandater nodded and whispered. "Indeed. If there's anyone here who can deal in other people's minds, it's probably you, Carlos. And I trust your intuition more than my own on this matter."

[recon5]

So it was all up to him, was it? Carlos began to wish right then that he hadn't spoken. Still, they had to be sure of their safety one way or another so he decided to do as they suggested... but not alone. "I'll go and set things straight but I'll need you two to follow me in case anything bad happens."

[Schala]

Kitria followed behind Carlos, very quietly.
She was pretty...scared. What if she were discovered?
And what if it WAS a trap, as Carlos had suggested? All Kitria knew was that if Carlos was attacked, she would have to do something. But she knew nothing about Keine's power, and Keine seemed so...nice.
She couldn't possibly attack someone who was nice to her. But then again, if Carlos was in danger...
She didn't know what to do.

[Augen]

Vandater followed as well, trying to retain a non-threatening stance, her hands together and her posture straight. She wanted to be ready for whatever might happen... Especially if all were well. She did not wish to make any enemies if she did not need to.