The High End

"Well?"

Nova had sat quietly, thinking hard about what she needed to do first, and the first thing she needed to know was, "how do I go back to the Apparent Realm, back to my dad? Am I stuck here?"

"Of course not, if you were stuck here then how could that Yokai have obtained your soul when you died? How could your murderer have killed you in the first place?"

"Oh, right. Sorry," she said nervously and her head dipped lower in embarrassment and she coiled a little tighter. "I guess after everything that has happened recently I'm too exhausted to think clearly. I mean I gained two forms in the past week. I was told I could die again if I tried to use my own energy. I fought with your Nana. I just wish things could slow down a little," she finished, sounding very small.

It did not matter that she was already much stronger than him, she was still a child. Maybe not by human standards but she was not a human anymore. This poor thing had been through a lot more than the average Ayakashi or Yokai and had done an excellent job at maintaining her composure, she deserved a decent respite. Beil reached his head around and gave her a friendly nibble with his beak, trying to reassure her without saying anything.

Nova smiled. After the noisy time she had endured the silence felt more healing than anything he could say right now so she appreciated the quiet gesture.

They walked for a bit longer before he saw the village he knew rested at the foot of the mountain, though he could not recall where he learned of it. Mentally shrugging he stepped up to the gates, if you could call them that. They were just sticks and vines woven together to signify where the village entrance was marked, and even the fencing bordering the place was just enough to ensure that maybe rabbits could not get in.

"Who goes?"

It was a stern but non-threatening voice of a woman and Nova peaked around Beil's neck to get a look at her. She was eye catching, looking well cultured in a black and red yukata with soft orange and white fish strewn thoughtfully over the fabric, complimenting her long silken black hair and pale skin beautifully. When she raised her head and the black dyed classicly cone shaped kasa no longer covered her face, both Nova and Beil gasped.

Lips painted with rose red gloss, thin triangular eyes shadowed with orange powder to match her clothes, irises a deep black pool that drew you in, smooth features, and finally her expression. She smiled softly, invitingly, with an innocent curiosity you'd expect from a maiden wondering if the puppy would walk closer.

Nova could sense a shift in Beil's walk as he tried to stand taller, wider, more confident than he really felt, and she took action first. She didn't know why she felt the need to do so but either way she dove over the side of his back and slithered up in front of him to stop his approach before facing the woman and bowing her head, closing her eyes too, which definitely caught the woman's attention. Beil, for his part, looked mildly startled but he had taken a step back for her.

"Good afternoon, Miss, is this village open to travelers," Nova asked sweetly and raised her head to find the woman's smile had shifted into one of both analysis and amusement.

"Of course we are, it may not look like it but our little paradise is frequented by tourists who stop on the way to and from the Peartree Lake Resort. We have several places where you can eat and find a bed," she said, glancing quickly at Beil on that last word but refocusing on Nova just as quickly. Beil blushed and looked at the back of Nova's head to keep from staring at her. Nova bit back her gut reaction to comment on that and instead chose to bow her head again.

"Beil," she sent directly, making sure the woman couldn't hear it, and peeked at him when he twitched, "do we have any money to stay here? It's a tourist attraction."

"Yes, we have some," he replied only to her and lifted his wing, grabbing a tiny pouch tied under a layer of feathers with his beak. How had she never noticed that before?

When he brought out the pouch the woman's eyes glistened with a nearly undetectable bit of greed before her casual demeanor returned, so quickly that Nova questioned whether she had really seen the change at all.

"Can you please guide us to a place to stay for the night," Nova asked and watched her face carefully. It didn't falter again.

"Yes, of course, right this way," she said easily and turned to walk down the path leading into the village which, if you took the time to really look at it, was bustling with many types of creatures. Sure the buildings were thatch and stone huts, but there were a lot of them, and several were reinforced to allow for two and even three floors, though well obstructed by foliage so that one still had to look closely to notice unless you were standing right up against them. Even then the narrow buildings with multiple floors looked to have only one additional room for each floor.

They followed her down the well beaten rocky path, flattened with many footsteps and carts so that the small rocks and dirt were smoothed into an almost concrete foundation over the years, until they reached what looked like a town square where all the buildings faced the center. A cherry tree stood in the middle, pink with the full bloom of spring. The path shrouded with flower peddles curved around it on either side into a sort of roundabout and kept going on the other side and to the left and right, making four paths to choose from.

Guiding them down the southern path, which is to say the right one, she eventually stopped in front of a building made with glossy wooden beams, smooth carved stone, bamboo accents with burned in designs, sōzu water fountains and stone zen lanterns along the path up to the front, and actual glass windows while every other building they had passed to get up here had only used shudders. It was by far the largest structure in the entire village, and the most detail oriented. Nova could even see a rock garden off to the side and a small koi pond off to the back. This place was definitely top of the line for an itty-bitty village.

"This is our finest establishment, with private rooms, exclusive products for bathing, fine cuisine, and entertainment. Is this what you are looking for?"

Nova was aghast. They were just two travelers walking all the way there instead of riding in a carriage. Neither one of them wore clothes and Beil's coin purse wasn't that big, unless it had some sort of enchantment that made it bigger on the inside, but why would she immediately assume they wanted to stay at the fanciest place possible?

"May I make a request?"

The woman's eye twitched but she maintained her smile. "Of course you may."

"I was hoping for something more homily, cozier and less crowded," she added when a group of six creatures burst through the doors like they owned the place. Five of them wore lavish clothing, the one who didn't was a kind of gelatinous being where it wouldn't be possible either way.

Nova caught a glimpse inside at a paper lantern chandelier and lush carpeting and clenched her jaw, which on a snake just made her look like she was about to yawn.

Insulted by the 'yawn' or maybe her request, the woman instantly looked put out, her gentile and enticing expression was gone.

"Not to seem rude, but do you not have enough money for us? Is that why you requested a smaller inn?"

Had Nova been covered in fur instead of scales she would have bristled, but instead her body tensed up like a spring ready to launch and she stared directly into the woman's eyes, daring her to insult them. So what if they weren't rich, did she really just decide to take them here just to cast them aside when she realized she couldn't use them?

"No, but I think I would rather not stay somewhere where such assumptions are made on a whim. You simply could have used the opportunity you gave yourself upon greeting us at the gate to ask us for our preferences instead of making a wild guess about what we needed based around your own desires."

Furious, but maybe trying to save some face, the woman slowly bowed like it was phisically painful to do so. "I understand, miss. Shall I guide you to a quieter location for your stay?"

"No, thank you, I don't want to trouble you if we are not your guests. I'm sure you have many others to attend to."

The woman remained bowed until Nova and Beil were out of eye and earshot before raising her head with a scowl that could scare a child. "Where does she get off thinking she's better than me? She is just a penniless little snake, she should have been intimidated into spitting out that she couldn't stay here because she was too broke."

"Well, my dear, not all who look penniless are weak minded. Maybe she knew your tactics because she's seen them before," a deep but light voice uttered behind her as a pair of hands wrapped gently around her waist.

"Well she could have at least said thank you for my assumptions, after all I brought them here because I thought such a pure white snake and an Itsumade were paired up like that because they were traveling mercenaries, and you and I both know that hired fighters are very well off."

"The Itsumade has definitely been on the battlefield, there was a look in his eye, but that snake may have just been following him around."

"Well if that was the case, why did she speak for him?"

"She very well could have been his lover, or the Itsumade was mute, or she could be someone of a higher nobility rank. You can never truly tell who someone is just by their appearance."

"Well they are still rude," she huffed, trying to justify herself. The deep voiced one patted her shoulders gently.

"Yes, my love, they are. I do not blame you for trying, but you need to work on your evaluating skills before you bring just anyone with you up here. What if they had seen just how pricelessly beautiful you are and tried to kidnap you?"

Flattered into a calm state, the woman leaned her head back into his shoulder and chuckled. "I can handle a couple of them at least, I could sense how powerful the Itsumade was instantly and that snake was obviously much younger than him, so even if she was stronger it couldn't have been by much."

"My lady, not everything needs to lead to a fight or a payment," he said playfully, but he should have kept his mouth shut or just agreed with her because it only riled her back up. With her pride as a hostess on the line, they argued about it for the rest of the night and even the following morning.

Nova was unaware of the small chaos they'd left behind. She had slithered on in mild aggravation until something enticing wafted up to her. Choosing to follow her nose, a rich aroma of grilled meats, pickled vegetables, fruit pastries, and something bittersweet grew stronger the closer she got to the northern side of town.

"Nova," Beil asked suddenly, causing her to arch her back to stop short and turned to look at him.

"We could have stayed there, for several days in fact," he added, holding the little coin pouch out and open in his tallon. Several gold coins and a few copper and silver sparkled in the evening light. Though she didn't understand the true value of them, she knew that if what he said was true he was loaded.

"How long did it take you to save that?"

"That does not matter, I have no need for coin for myself."

"How long?"

Hesitation made him lower his tallon a little. "...Twenty years."

"That's longer than I've been alive, Beil, combining both of my lives," she said exasperatedly.

"Yes, but I am over seven hundred--"

"I know how old you are, and it doesn't matter, " she managed, though she had continued moving forward, "that is a lot of money that would be better spent on something other than extreme but temporary luxury."

Beil sighed. "I just feel like you deserve something nice. Most Ayakashi and Yokai reach their third transformation after hundreds of years, for you it has only been a few weeks, and you have also been through significant stress lately."

Nova stopped, not looking at him. He was right but she still did not want him wasting his coin in such a frivolous manner and she felt that if she looked at him she would break.

"What I consider nice is not heavy decorations and expensive bathing, and rich people food is also really small portions for maximum flavor per bite. My snake tongue can't really taste much and my scales won't absorb the exfoliation of a bath."

"You could have shifted into a human form to enjoy those things," he spoke matter-of-factly, but Nova shook her head.

"Yes, but I don't have any clothing so I'd just have to turn back and slither in the dirt again anyway, and I'd much rather eat something filling."

"Very well," Beil relented, "but you must let me buy you something nice if you see something that you want."

"Okay," she uttered softly and finally looked back at him. He was brimming with satisfaction that he'd convinced her of that much and she ended up smiling. Maybe generosity was his merit?