E7: Old Acquaintances Pt. 2

"Hello?" Mizuki said, walking into one of the doors of the hotel. The room was empty as well, save for a maid that was cleaning the room and preparing it for new guests. Mizuki excused herself and continued on with the checking of her rooms. She was trying to find Mervana, but where ever she retreated to in the hotel felt impossible to find. After checking another room, she slid down the door to the floor exasperated. "I'm never going to find her at this rate," Mizuki said. "Sorry Nabu…"

The hallway seemed to respond to her frustrations, as the room got darker and dimmer. She was looking into her lap at this time and in her feelings, but what sounded like a clap of thunder made her turn her hand up. A blue oblique form appeared, shaping itself as small balls of fire circled behind it. Eyes and fox ears sprung out like weeds, and her tails floofed out before the rest of her small body had a chance to finish sculpting itself. "Hello there," said the fox spirit, leaning on one tail like a table while her head bobbed back and forth. "Are you having trouble finding your hotel room?"

"Can you help me find Mervana?" Mizuki asked.

"Sorry madam, but Mistress Mervana doesn't talk directly to any guest!" The fox spirit said to her. "But I can address any problem you may have."

"Would she talk to another fellow yokai?" Mizuki politely asked, knocking on her dragon horns.

"Another deity?" the blue spirit asked. "Of course! Mervana always welcomes other deities up." the fox spirit led Mizuki to the middle of the hotel, then knocked on a random spot in the ceiling. A staircase fell down, creaking loudly and kicking up dust from its wood once it had thudded on the floor. "Now that I look at you, stairs might not be great for you," the spirit said, shifting her gaze down to Mizuki's tail. Mizuki waved it off and started going up, pulling herself up into the room above.

She came into a mostly empty attic, with light rays coming through two ceiling windows. Everything look polished and waxed, but all for a lonely desk that sat across from the ceiling door.

Mervana was behind it, smoking with her pipe as steam constantly billowed up from the wide end. Her eyes were closed and her ears were limply down in meditation.

"Mervana," Mizuki said, bringing her tail inside the attic so the spirit could close the door after her.

"Mizuki. I presume you met Arkayda," Mervana said flatly, not having her relaxed tone from earlier.

"Yes, she was very nice and polite."

"She is my kitsune-bi Mizuki. I figured I would try one out at some point."

"She is very helpful."

"Indeed," Mervana said, shifting a bit more up in her seat. "In fact, I would say that she is more helpful than the Yokai Association. She does part of my duties, she handles the guests, a pretty active fox spirit, if you do say so myself."

"The Yokai Association is pretty helpful too," Mizuki says, sitting down on her tail like a chair. "I was able to get so much done in a moon's cycle."

"Was that them, or you?"

"Well, both."

"Elaborate, my old friend," Mervana said, placing down her pipe. "I would love to hear every single detail."

"Well, i've had no conflicts with other yokai at all…"

"Is that it? I barely have any myself," Mervana said, looking out through her window. "No, no aggravated yokai around it seems."

"We supposedly have the occasional meeting…and um…" the kitsune scratched her hair impatiently, seemingly bothered by something.

"Mervana, is something wrong?"

"I can't wait any longer. Mizuki, I know why you are here!"

"W-what?"

"You let Nabu bring you up to this? That just because I have care for our, it would mean I will go along with you like some fox with string dangled above it?"

"No, I-"

Mervana scoffed and turned the back of her chair to Mizuki. "I thought you would have been better, but I should have known from the moment Nabu recognized you. You don't even realize the trap that you're in…"

"What trap? She has been nothing but nice to me!" Mizuki said. Mervana looked to the side. "I don't know, but if something happens, I rather be able to choose what I am able to do, rather than wait for a council anyways."

"At least then I would have a council to count on," Mizuki said. "So what if Nabu asked me to do this task? She just wants to help you."

"No, she wants to do her job," Mervana clarified. "It is her job to bring people into the association. Frankly, it is one of the few things I detest of her." Without warning, Arkayda flew up with two hot cups of tea, each with two or three leaves floating around in them. Mizuki jumped an inch or two caught of guard, while Mervana calmly nodded and took her cup, the other being placed on the desk before Arkayda disappeared.

"I don't think I could get used to that…" Mizuki said.

"You learn eventually," Mervana responded. "So, what will you do? Let yourself become another poor soul, or join me in free agency, just like the old days Mizuki?"

"Well…it's tempting, but I think I will stay with the Yokai Association," Mizuki answered nervously. Mervana gave a forced chucked and sighed, reclining into her seat. "Poor soul it is then, no point in expecting anything different. To souls then!" she said, raising her cup of tea.

"To my trapped soul," Mizuki said as the both of them drank their shots of the tea. Also like alcohol, Mizuki started feeling light-headed, her thoughts slowing to the speed of molasses. "Mervana, this feels quirky…."

"Do you like it?" Mervana asked, her posture wavering. "I came across this plant two centuries ago, it makes you feel so blue…." They both slumped over the table, having a strong urge to fall asleep. "I may have….forgotten that….the tea is meant to only be sipped slowly…."

"Anna is going to be so...worried…" Mizuki said, slurring the last word. The both of them fell asleep, snoozing away in her attic.

They woke up on the ground, the natural light having turned yellow as the drugged tea had kept them asleep the entire day. The sound of musical entertainment reached their inhuman ears, the two tossing and turning in each other's grasp.

"Arkyada...give me another moment…"

"Five...more minutes Anna…" Mizuki said, pressing her head into Mervana's belly. "Anna, this pillow is very nice…."

"I think that's my belly," Mervana said, giggling and sitting up, hair and ears lopsided and messy. "Oh dear, we've been here till sunset…" Mizuki lifted her head, rubbing her eyes as she looked around. "I apologize…."

"No worry, but, while you're here, what about some "bonding"? Mervana said while she wiggled her eyebrows. "I'll make it worth it~" Mizuki was too tired to get flustered, but she stuttered over her words either way. "I wouldn't mind, no…."

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"When Mervana said "bonding", I didn't imagine that we would be going on a picnic," she told Anna while she brushed her hair. "Do you think Arkayda will be there?"

"I think we should just remain diligent to our duties, Mistress," Anna said, studying a scroll while waiting on the Ryu's futon. "You can't justify being away from our shrine this long with a picnic trip."

"It will be fine, it is just a quick get-together and a few snacks. Did you prepare anything for the picnic?"

"Only some fruits, since you say it is so quick," Anna said, rolling her eyes. "Where are we going?"

"To the fields north of the forest! She said she wanted to meet somewhere convenient for both of us," Mizuki said, finishing up tidying her hair. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

"I suppose a few fires could clear enough area," Anna said, rolling the scroll back up. "Can we get a move on then? I just want to hurry this up."

"Don't worry, with my flying and your fire, we will be at the fields faster than-"

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"-I can finish the sentence!" Mizuki finally said as they land. Swaths of grass rising above their knees blew and blew in the light howl of the wind. "We didn't get here that fast, you just paused in the middle of your sentence and stayed quiet until we were close to landing," Anna responded. "Coming here was faster than going farther into the mountains, however." Anna looked around from her spot, seeing a hand wave to them in the distance. "Is that her over there?"

"It seems like it is," Mizuki said, wading through the grass to meet up with Mervana. Instead, she found varying monster girls and men walking around, either with spears or with scythes as they cleared grass. She and Anna could only tell by their lower halves, as the rest of their bodies were hidden away under cloaks, and faces behind green wooden masks.

"I thought this was a picnic," Anna said. Two masked fellows notices them, pointing their weapons at the two while speaking to each other.

"An ipsi sunt de animadvertit yokai qui sumus?"

"Forte sphaerarum pollent, aliis autem nequaquam spectant."

"Si quid novi accepto respiciunt idem???" The second one seemed offended by the question, the two getting into a shouting match before they sighed and resumed holding the two at spearpoint. "Come, Mistress Seika will test," she said, taking them through the activity. Behind all the grass being cut and moved was a tent the size of a small house. Window holes were cut into the sides, and the flaps had an emblem of a lamia, dawning crown feathers of red on her head. They parted the flaps and stepped to the side, closing them together behind Anna and Mizuki. There sat Mervana, conversing with other deities and Nabu, who was sleeping on the ground. In the center of it all was a purple-skinned lamia. Her hair and tail were a faded dark green, and a diamond was tattooed on the center of her forehead. Each time she turned, golden chains and jewelry shook and rattled. Snakes withered around on the ends of her hairs, moving around her body before being stopped by their root in her scalp.

"Convivae non pervenit!" Went the spearholders simultaneously, the two promptly leaving Anna and Mizuki with group there.

"Do they really have to speak that way?" Mervana said. "I will never know if they are chastizing me."

"Do you honestly believe I would let them insult you?" The purple womans said, plucking an orange from the center of where they sat. "That would be grounds for punishment."

"Your idea of punishment is probably to egg them on." Mervana responded. "Hello Mizuki! Welcome to our casa, as the humans put it. Seika was so kind as to get her servants to set up this abode."

"Hi everyone!" Mizuki said, quickly going to sit down with them. "I see we already have food available, Anna had just brought more if you didn't mind." The sun seemed to beat harder into the tent as everyone's shadows get more defined and black. "Anna?" Anna nodded and set down her basket, filled with an assortment of foods she randomly picked from her kitchen.

"The selection seems pretty untailored," Seika said, pushing down the bowl to check the more hidden vegetables.

"It was short notice," Anna responded flatly. "I was not expecting more than a kitsune."

"Shame, Sana isn't going to like any of this," Seika said. "Not a great first impression maiden. Servants should always be prepared in abundance. What do you think Namaru?"

"Huh?" Anna looked around, not seeing anyone else that could answer to that name. Yet, a hand rose from below to poke her back. "What kind of trick-" she cut off her sentence when she turned around, seeing glowing white eyes in her shadow. The shadow grew from the ground, rapidly rising in a cloud of smoke. Its outer edge shot out like an explosion, leaving a white-haired yokai in a scantly-covering purple kimono. She had a pipe like Mervana's hooked to her side, purple mist gently and eternally misting out of it's end. "I don't know," Namaru started. "It doesn't look nearly enough for seven."

"Namaru, glad you could rejoin us!" Seika said smugly. "Was this the moment you were waiting for?"

"You forced my hand! I needed to get to the Ryu's shadow, but then I had to improvise after you uttered my name. I should start a war with you, just for that."

"No wars…" Nabu said quietly, rolling over on the ground. Mervana spite-tickled Nabu's nose, getting a sneeze out of the Hakutaku, but not her awakening.

"You heard Nabu. Besides, my troops could never compete with your army. Have you released any souls in the past few days?" Seika asked.

"None significant for you to know," Namaru said, rooting through the basket and picking up a tomato. "Ah, I haven't seen one of these in quiet a bit! Where did you get this?"

"I grew it from the garden," Mizuki answered. "You don't know what a tomato is?"

"No, but it seems rare, so it must taste delicious." Namaru took a huge bite out of it, sinking her teeth in hard while tomato water fell down to the ground. Anna and Seika visibly recoiled in disgust.

"Yep, sweet and juicy!" She assured, talking with a mouth full of raw tomato.

"That must be a war crime," Anna said, quickly burning the ground to sterilize it. "This is too unbecoming to not be a war crime!"

"Fortunately not," Mervana joked, sad she had a way not to immortalize this moment.

"You know what is a war crime though, staying in this tent," Seika said. She clapped twice, guards entering the tent and kneeling (or going lower on her tail, however you imagine this). "Stipare omnia satus sursum, nos relinquens in loco hoc uitio contactis."

"Ita Domina!" The said back, promptly exiting. Minutes later, the roof was starting to be lifted, as several servants were carrying the tent by it's stakes.

"It was just a tomato!" Namaru complained.

"You know nothing about what you have just done. You can't eat everything that only comes around once a season," Sekia said.

'Strange, someone I could like,' Anna thought to herself as she went to pick up her basket. She had gotten her wish for a quick meeting, and now she was going to cash in. "Come on Mistress, it appears time to go home."

"I'll leave too then," Mervana said, stuffing Nabu into her tail mass. The four of them left among the commotion of smaller tents and collected grass being packed up. Soon, Seika was also gone, leaving Namaru to just stand there awkwardly, disappointingly chewing on her tomato. While she ate, a harpy with orange wings landed down beside her. Her tanned skin was completely exposed to the elements, save for an undergarment and accessories that only covered her nipples. A mandolin was on her back, hanging by a shoulder strap. "Hey, am I late? Early?" she said, keeping herself steady on her claws. "I had to attend a festival, where is everyone?" Namaru gave a look of solace, her eyes empty. "Gone Sana."

"What?"

"G-gone…." Namaru said, sadly finishing her tomato and walking behind Sana. Her body started sinking into her shadow, dropping into the ground like quicksand. "I'm sorry little one…."

".....Huh?" Sana looked down at her. "What do you mean!?" She got no response, only the purple eyes of an innocent tomato eater before they were gone below the shadow.

"I-I missed it didn't I…."