There are many ways to spend a sunny afternoon in a Tengu base. Sketch the mountain, play cards with your squad, do some exercises, or hell, take a nap in the sun or a shady tree.

Or you could stand in the center of a base, right under a blazing skylight being made fun of by someone pretending to be your new commanding officer. Guess which one I’m doing?

“So… What in the world are we supposed to call you kid?” The wolf tengu in front of me said, looking through my scroll, vaguely interested in what she was actually reading. “And I don’t mean your name. Seriously. A crow and a wolf, would that be worow?” She asked, rolling the scroll up again and tying it shut.

“Are you really the comm-“ I start to say before I get interrupted by her listing off various derogatory names to call me. I had to give her credit; She was decently creative with them. My favorite had to be crolf, since I had never heard that one before.

“Hey Tank, get your tan ass over here!” The girl yelled, causing one of the bulkiest wolf Tengu I had ever seen walked over to the two of us, carrying some sort of pack on his back. Now, I was never short, but this Tengu made me feel like I was tiny.

From the change in air tension, I wasn’t sure if I should dive behind a table or gets behind ‘Tank’.

Thankfully, his look softened as he sighed and took the scroll from her. “Will you stop hazing the new blood Ria? If you keep him from the boss any longer, he’ll break out the soy sauce and pickle jars again.”

“Aw come on, I was just trying to think of what to call him. Not every day you see a wolf with hair blacker than Scout’s wings.” She laughed, trying to hid a small pinch of something her voice. Fear maybe? “I was thinking of calling him Snowball.” She laughed again, louder this time. Funny, I didn’t know they let hyenas into the wolf guard.

Nitori has a shirikodama. She needs some salt, so she should lick it.

[ ] lick it
[ ] naw

You are Nitori Kawashiro, a young and rather shy engineer. You live in your workshop, which you have yet to name, along the Turtle River, in the Valley of the kappa. You are acquaintances with many of the Kappa of the Valley, being one yourself.

In the local area, you have become quiet friends with Momiji Inubashiri, as her patrol route takes her close by your workshop. You're not sure that she actually knows where it is, but the two of you enjoy getting to talk to each other.

You have some proficiency in magic based off of the manipulation of water, mostly taking the form of limited hydrokinesis when you concentrate. Using this magic, you have learned a crude method of flight.

You have significant amounts of talent in the field of engineering, though you recognize that practice will be needed to refine your talent into skill. Using the tools of your workshop, there isn't much that is beyond your ability to create, though some projects are certainly more difficult than others.

Your main limitation in terms of making things is resources. It is a rare day when you can say that you have all that you want.
---
It is 111/6/13, and you turned seventeen years old today.

You are currently in good health.
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>>28940

Thanks. I've edited in the fixes.

---

No. This is bad. If you have your way with her, she'll hate you forever when she comes to her senses. Or kick you out of the shrine. No sir, not going to happen. You push her away gently and try to find your clothes, then get out of here. Goddammit, there must be-

“Where are you going?”

You know that voice. You turn around and find-

“Wear your glasses first,” Yukari hands you the item. You quickly snatch and put them on. Yep it's he- Ah, crap, you expose your nether regions to her. You quickly cover them with your hands and glare at her. “Ooh, what's with that sharp stare?”

Goddammit, is your angry expression not enough of a clue!? Screw it, she can look at your private part if she wants, you need to find your writing pad right now. Where is- wait a minute. You try to focus and look around: This is your room-

How long have I been running? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? I don’t know. I do, however, know of this fact: I’m on the run, and it’s not because I am a coward, and it is not because I want to. I’m on the run to escape my pursuers. Them. They, who were responsible for the massacre of my family. They, who incited fear against my own kind based on their blinded prejudice. Then again, it is a part of their nature to be afraid of nature, to be afraid of me, whose forefathers have been hunting their forefathers ever since the dawn of time.

I was there when the massacre happened. They spared no one; the children, the elderly, the sick, everyone was targeted. Even expectant mothers fell to their bloodlust. I rallied my surviving brothers and launched a counterattack against them, but our numerical strength was no match against their firepower. One by one we met our end, until only I was left standing. With so many odds stacked upon me, I was certain I would join the rest of my family in the afterlife, but it didn’t end that way. They captured me, locked me inside a cage and carried me to whatever place they were headed to. I heard them talking about selling me to the highest bidders and be kept as an exotic pet in a luxurious mansion. I couldn’t imagine myself being paraded and pampered like my ‘domesticated’ brethren, and I wouldn’t allow myself to sink so low.

Then I had a breakthrough. My captors ran into forest rangers, and a fight broke out between them when my captors refused to surrender. In the ensuing chaos, one of my captors fled with me inside my cage and was pursued by the rangers. He managed to evade capture, but was so deep inside the forest that he soon lost his way. That was my cue, so I broke out of the cage and headed back into the woods, though not before showing him a way out.

…well, does ‘shoving my teeth into the poor bastard’s throat’ count as one? He should have seen it coming, though. Together, they were powerful, but left on their own they were powerless. Do I regret myself enforcing the law of nature against him? No, I did what I had to do. The rule is simple: it’s to kill, or to be killed, and there’s no

Horeki 5
A wooden cart rattles down the cobblestones, metal-lined wheels singing a grinding song against the rock. A youkai pushes it, eyes cast low beneath her mask, ears dropped low in constant vigilance. Her cub curls within the cart, the mute pup who whittles away time in games with his tail. A yellowed paper banner rises from a pole on the cart; in messed ink it declares "Sword for rent, cub for rent. Inubashiri Momiji, wolf-style tengujutsu."

I walked the south road into a human village, rice paddies slowly turning to their ramshackle, crudely-shingled homes. By then, I had grown quite used to human stares. Humanity and youkai kept to our borders and our ancient pacts, so rarely did a foolish man or woman cross into our territory. Most humans never venture beyond their village, beyond their rightful lands. For years I had guarded that border, and yet now I broke the laws brazenly.

I also came to know their stink. A tengu nose could pick up every drop of sweat on the rice-farmers back, every soiled diaper of his offspring, the blood on his whipped livestock's back, and the disease in a beggar by the roadside. Daigoro peered over the lid, nose wrinkled at the barrage, tail sweeping across the planks. We crossed the town's gate, unguarded and open to the swelling tide of mortals. We parted the sea with our passage, staring humans giving us a wide berth.

Aya told me the client would be waiting across the river that split the town. I walked the main thoroughfare, a wind from the east whipping the banner. A small crowd of children followed along; many were yanked indoors by fretful parents.

I rounded a corner; the bridge.

Daigoro gave his hungry-whimper, rolling on his back, casting his tail to and fro as we crossed. Across the water there lies an above-ground sewer, a place that is necessary but unpleasant to the sight to the righteous of the village. Whorehouses, foreigners, and shady shops selling "pawned" goods; hustlers, pimps, and ronin; monks shedding their robes. I was once told that the humans call it the "floating world," for it is as strange and mutable as a dream.

I sm

Need to exercise my writing. Dunno if this'll be a warm-up or somethin' bigger.

The smell of lacquered brass and valve oils was particularly strong tonight, you absently note. Your pursed lips pushed more air through the mouthpiece of your trumpet, your breaths scant as you play your quiet tune with your fellow trumpeters. You were actually synchronized quite well with this group, your own notes mixing seamlessly with theirs as you all entertained not only each other, but the audience as well. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and this particular composition had reached its own. Your lungs emptied out the last of the air in them into your final note, and your swollen lips were finally given a chance to rest, their pain aching through to your cheeks. The applause from the audience was quiet and subdued, much like what you and your fellows just played, and you all responded in kind with quick, subdued bows. Show's over, time to head home.

Your walk backstage is rather sedate, that of a man too unconcerned with life in general. Guess that means tonight's session relaxed you rather nicely, which was good. As you headed towards your trumpet's case one of your fellow players had called out to you.

"Hey!" was his simple greeting as he walked over to you. "That was really nice out there. It's hard to find players who like to keep it nice and quiet like you."

You shrug your shoulders in response. "I'm not feeling very energetic tonight."

He nods in understanding. "Think you'll come back here? I'd love to see more of that little trumpet."

You glance down at the pocket trumpet in your hand. "Looks like it's catching eyes again. I might come back, this place has a nice atmosphere."

He looks at your instrument again. "Outta curiosity, how hard is it to find somethin' like that?"

"Gladly." A part of me is irritated at his attitude, but I'm sure he's still quite irritated with me. At least he admits that he's not completely without fault. It's a step. "Care to see what Alice is up to?"
At the mention of her name, he shivers almost imperceptibly. "No, but we're in this whether we like it or not. Let's get out of here." With a hint of dread in his voice, he turns to the hallway we came from, walking at a normal clip. Compared to his usual brisk pace, he'd may as well be dragging his feet.

When we get to the storefront, Alice is positively glowing as she works on the same dress from before. Is this all she does, or is she just very focused? Good to know she isn't too torn up about the dress, in any case. "Everything okay? I heard yelling." ...Although there is such a thing as being too happy.
Not stopping on our way to the porch, I give her a curt, "Quite okay, yes. Thank you." I'd like to spend some more time with her in a more relaxed setting, but that isn't happening today.
"I do hope you don't plan on skipping out on our arrangement." The cheer doesn't leave her voice, making her words that much more threatening. "I'll know."
Just keep walking. Just keep walking. There's sunshine and flowers and freedom outside. "Wouldn't dream of it. It's been a pleasure, Alice. I hope to see you again soon."
"Oh, if you're hanging around that disaster, I'm sure you'll be back soon enough. Speaking of which, I wouldn't be in such a rush to get out that door." ...Why...not.
Despite myself, I stop to give her a look, letting Southpaw continue on. Her smile suddenly seems more knowing than joyous, and she answers my question without needing to be asked. "It's getting to be that time, after all...I suppose I should let you know why this is your punishment." Setting down her work for a moment, she turns in her chair to address us. Even Southpaw stops to listen. Clearly, this merits emphasis. "Every day, without fail, that singularity of

You look at her face. No matter how many times you look at it, she's just a little girl. You can't harm her, that’s just wrong…

“Big snake… Go away…”

Her body's shaking. Guess she’s having a nightmare. You would too, if you were almost devoured by a giant snake. Guess that she's already got her lesson… You walk back to your room through the hole-thing on the wall.

“Back already? Why?”

Yukari taps your shoulder behind you, almost making you jump. Geez, can’t she show up normally for once without appearing from god-knows-where? You take your paper and scribe to her that she's a little girl, and you can't punish her for her act. Yukari giggles when reading your response.

“My my… Nobu, you've already been told that she's a fairy. Do you think a fairy's appearance matches their age? Have you tried thinking about how old she might possibly be?”

Uh… If she stressed that… You guess that she's actually older than you?

“Yes. She's much older than you think~ She's already pulled countless pranks on other people. Did that change your mind?” She responds before you can write anything, as though she can read your thoughts.

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