Setting
Way up there, one might have noticed something being illuminated by the ever-ascending jellies.
She walked on the sea of green, taking in the sight. Eiki had a small smile while she did so. She held her rod in front of her as well as her hands. All the flowers reminded her of an old rival she had back where she was from. She would wander the garden shone on by the sun appropriately called the âGarden of the Sunâ. She was very formidable in her duels and challenged her to the strongest in Gensokyo, which she had won. Eiki didnât think of that for long. Eiki kept her search for her assistant on her mind. She has searched for around a few hours, from the night to morning. She was still bitter about this, and all the times Komachi had slacked off. She would give her a lecture that might last as long as the time she searched for her, though Eiki always exaggerated.
She continues the stroll through the beautiful sunlit ocean of teal.
"Again?" she mumbled. It was about the second or third time she had seen an unusual person. Though, she was already getting used to it. Eiki was starting to think it was some culture where youkai don't change. Alongside looking for Komachi, she was also looking for people to interrogate with about the place. Mostly about information about the place and if they had seen her. She was hoping to finish the next day. Despite her goals, Eiki could look for someone else as Kodan looked only like a common civilian.
Kodan began to curse and mutter to himself, wiping off the blood on a nearby plant, very careful not to get any on his clean white shirt. He tilted his nose up and began to dust off his tuxedo, still cursing under his breath.
While looking, she felt disapproval and worry at the same time.
She would have just ignored the trip, but she did see the blood. So Eiki decided to see if he was okay. âOh. Are you okay?â She expectedly said. She started walking up to the fox with some concern. Looking around, it appeared that he had tripped on a obvious stump on the ground. It was difficult to see how someone could miss something like that.
He appeared clean cut and well dressed, with formal attire. She wondered why he would wear something like that outside.
"Yes Madame." He said quietly through his hand, held over his mouth and nose again.
"Only a minor debaucle to assess. Nothing to worry about at all." His voice was uncommonly smooth and with a highborn accent, matching his attire much better than his physique.
Eyeing her as he once again wiped his hand off, again being careful to get none on his clothes. At least it was letting up, even if the dull ache began to replace the sharp pain.
"I've not travelled much.. In my days..." He trailed off, checking his hand for blood once more and finding his hand dry.
"This place... It is so beautiful and open..." He said, once again looking across the sea of green.
"Free."
He said under his breath, almost to himself. He turned back to her. "But excuse me for my intrusion upon your stroll madame, if you would allow me my leave I shall be out of your way post haste." With this he gave an overly formal bow, complete with a hand twirl. As polite as he was being, it was somewhat apparent he was slightly nervous and was not expecting to see anyone else out here.
She kneeled in-front of Kodan, one leg forwards and the other backwards. âPerhaps you could sit on the bench?â She promptly asked. She held his hand, standing up as to suggest to walk to the seats. Eiki took some time to look more at his appearance. He wore a perfect white tuxedo, stained lightly by the blood. Part of the matching white gloves were also stained more by the red. Three scars ran across the muzzle. She thought they were also made by his trip.
She wondered if his attire was part of his legend.
"I've had bigger scrapes than this I can assure you. Besides..." His voice was still just a bit nasally.
"It seems it's cured itself."
He was visibly off-put when she reached for his hand, pulling it instinctively away as contact was made, an involuntary, quiet growl coming from his mouth. He almost immediately stopped himself, attempting to make it look as though he was coughing instead. Kodan quickly regained his composure, collecting himself and rising to his feet. Clearing his throat, he posited an idea of his own.
"Madame, as elated I am for the concern that you show, it is truly nothing." He gave a sniff.
"But I find myself with no travelling company, as you may well know. I do believe we are headed in similar directions..." The last part was a lie, as Kodan had nowhere to go or be, except out of sight of certain eyes.
"Perhaps an arrangement can be made to traverse to the next village together? I can see no detriment to such an agreement."
He stood up straight, fur and jacket rippling in the breeze in tandem with the fields behind him. As wary as he was of strangers and humans in general, his instincts, for once in his life told him that Eiki was trustworthy enough, at least for a short travel. He gave a small smile to show he was truly alright.
When Kodan mentioned the suggestion to travel, she felt a slight urge to immediately object.
Trying to go somewhere else from the bustling town was the last thing she needed to do. She didnât even know the name of the planet. And her subordinate didnât probably walk very far. âWell, I havenât mentioned anything about travel.â she said in response. But the most important part is that she was very good at telling lies. The body language said everything that needed to be said. After all, years of judging can give you a sort of sixth sense. âIt dosenât seem like you need to be anywhere. And I would rather stay in this settlement.â
"Excuse my assumption Madame. I've only seen fellow travelers in the past few weeks and thought you were leaving town as I am. And I suppose you are correct..." He conceded.
"I have nowhere to be. But why are you here?" He asked. "I've been the only one out here for hours. Are you looking for something?" He inquired inquisitively.
She walked over to the nearby wooden bench, implanted on the grass. Some the rusted legs were overgrown with vines, flowers growing from then. She sat down on the seat, having the bench slightly creak. It looked old and slightly rickety, but it was still a bench. Eiki set down her rod beside her, upright leaning on the back. She took some time eyeing Kodanâs appearance some more. It seemed the more she looked, the more unusual he seemed. Eiki still had her first impressions from earlier, so they still didnât line up. âYou might have not seen a red haired girl carrying a scythe have you? She happens to be my subordinate.â She said asking.
"I have not seen any such person I regret to inform you Madame." With a small chuckle he continued. "I couldn't even see a stump rooted to the ground!" He let his smile fade somewhat, looking at his paw, more specifically the nails. He began to fan them across his chest.
"And." He said, clearing his throat. "Where, pray, do you think your 'subordinate' is?" He clasped his hands together, back perfectly straight as if he were ready to serve. His ears remained slightly back as he looked to the sitting Eiki for a response.
âOh. I realized I havenât introduced myself yet. Yamaxanadu Shiki Eiki, the Yama for Gensokyo. Certainly youâve heard of the profession before?â She introduced.
"My apologies madame, but I am ill versed in the terminoligy of the region. I know not of this 'Gama'" you speak of.
"But I can tell you, ma'am, that my name is Kodan. That is either all I know, or all I shall divulge at the time. I shall let you pontificate upon this." He extended his hand for a handshake with a small, polite smile.
"And the pleasure is mine."
Eiki found it a bit odd why he didnât know about her profession, but it didnât matter very much. And while she was planning to ask him about where this place was in Gensokyo, like he said he wasnât very knowledgeable about the region. Though, that wouldnât stop her from deciding to have a chat with him, Kodan was very similar to Eiki personality wise. âSo you suppose we have a chat?â
Just then she heard a clunk right beside her. Looking, it seemed her rod fell down. It wasnât like a death occurred, but she couldnât stop herself from apologizing.
âOh. Sorry, Iâll pick it up.â Eiki said in an apologetic tone
"What is it you would like to talk about madame? I haven't had a decent conversation with a civilized mind in what seems like months." He fiddled with his glove, getting the fit just right on his hand before turning an eye to Eiki.
Eiki was slightly surprised by the seemingly instinctual help, as if he had did it for his survival. Of course, it wasnât some sort of main focus but it spoke as to his elegance. Speaking of focus, she need to look up, due to the towering nature of Kodan. âWeirdâ, Eiki thought to herself. she was usually the one taller than her conversation partner. The only people who were as high as her were Yukari, Okina, and Komachi. Again, not the focus. She slowly drummed her fingers on her rod, making a soft wooden noise, blending in with the ambience.
âActually, I would maybe need some locations. Iâm not sure that someone of your personality would know, but do you know any locations similar to pubs or bars?â she inquired. Those last words give her a bad taste in her mouth. Sheâd always find her slacking of in some food place or patch of flowers, but mostly the former. Especially recently since one of the times caused a whole incident in Gensokyo. Good luck to her if she needed to find her again.
"Afraid I can't help you there Miss Eiki. I've only just wandered into to town myself and.." He trailed off, wheels turning in his head.
"However, the main street is just north of here. Surely there must be an eatery or pub within the general vicinity. Perhaps you and I should go find it?"
He remained looking over the horizon, involuntarily pointing his nose up in the breeze that had just begun to blow. He would certainly feel a little more comfortable venturing back into the city with some human company and a mission to attend to, but played it off as though he simply wanted to help Eiki.
âEither way, Iâll agree to the travelâ as confirmation.
The breeze was quite calming, yet almost unnoticeable. It was nice.
Eiki got up from the plant ridden bench, causing slight creaking sound from the old wood. She picked up her rod and postured herself finely, turning to face Kodan. âI believe Iâve been in the street before, so it shouldnât take long to find the placeâ. She added. Eiki wasnât willing to fork over details about how she had gotten into this mess. âYukari, I swear...â She silently mumbled. She took this time to slightly stretch, feeling the slight wind.