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[Powder Miner]

"Heh, I do look forward to finding out." Isobel decided to put a cap on the rest of what she was going to say as they once again came down to Osada (and Masako)'s level - while it wouldn't, of course, have been direct statements still, it wasn't terribly polite to flirt too lewdly in front of other people. Some frustrated moments recently aside, Isobel did like to think she was fairly polite. "In fairness to... actually, I apologize, but I don't think we ever actually introduced ourselves, I'm Isobel Low - but in fairness to him, a samurai really is not that bizarre compared to people like Empi, ha. Honestly, with how ordinary I am, I really might be out of the ordinary for our group and you may be the ordinary one, Marisa."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Osada

"Eh, I've heard worse comments. Dual wielding is a bit more common nowadays, takes a bit more than two swords to stand out" Osada replied with a shrug, refilling his cup and taking yet another drink, "Name's Osada Tsuneo. Pleasure to meet you both, though... Isobel, you said your part of a group, yes? The way it sounds, it's a bit more than just you, Marisa, and Masako."

[Lucus Casius]

"Yes, that's half the point.  She does look like an ordinary witch."

She said it like 'ordinary witch' meant something entirely different from 'witch who happened to be pretty ordinary.'  Still, it didn't seem to matter all that much.  Masako seemed perfectly fine with just handing the ordinary witch in question a masu filled to the brim with nice, warm, strong tengu sake. 

"In any case-" The tengu plopped herself down by the table, taking her own cup in hand.  "I suppose Miss Low is right.  Chichimura.  Chichimura Masako, if it wasn't obvious.  Gensokyo's finest and most spirited detective, amongst other less important things."

With a dramatic flourish, Masako produced a pair of business cards from her jacket, sliding them across the table to both Osada and Marisa.  'CHICHIMURA DETECTIVE AGENCY - MOST SPIRITED DETECTIVE IN GENSOKYO! ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES!*' was written across the top.  And much of the side, along with what could be assumed to be an office address.  In smaller print, near the bottom, if one had particularly good vision one might also see '*(especially if they're jerks from Former Hell trying to steal your thunder).'

"Drink as much as you want.  I'm also the finest host in Gensokyo- well, probably.  I'm not exactly going to advertise that, or I'd probably end up in that Red-White's situation, and it's not worth the hassle.  But there's only so much damage a human can do here, anyway."

That done, Masako downed the entirety of her drink before refilling the cup.  Leaning forward a bit, she rested her elbow on the table, her cheek in her hand, and turned her eyes from Osada to Isobel.  "And that's something, too.  I met some of the others before the gap hag dragged us back through here, including that pitiable refugee goddess of yours -- how many others are there?  It didn't seem like that many, for what you proport to do."

[Chevaleresse]

Kourindou

"Ah, yes." His face perked up a bit. "Yes! I collect things that show up near the Great Hakurei Barrier. When something is lost or forgotten in the outside world, many times it ends up here in Gensokyo. I've been doing my best to record, catalogue, and resell these artifacts; I'd be happy to tell you about a few." He pauses for a moment, before blanching. "Wait. She mentioned some people from the outside world coming by to collect a reward." The man looked at Rory with a fearful expression.

Masako's House

Marisa frowned at the tengu, clearly noting the tone of "ordinary witch" but not quite knowing what to make of it. Instead, she elected to respond to the other two in the room. "I'm not really part of the group, per se. I help out when I can, but I have my own questing to do. These guys aren't the only group out there like this, and sometimes I trade a few things with them for mutual benefit. I might be showing up a bit more often from now on." She frowned for a moment. "You guys aren't the easiest to keep track of, though. Anyway." Marisa snatched up her drink and tilted it back. The shift in her expression showed that she'd been caught off guard, but Marisa was no coward; the cup didn't return to the table until it was drained entirely. "That's certainly. . . something. Should be interesting to see where that goes in a half hour or so."

[kj1225]

Rory
The faunus raises an eyebrow before shrugging. He had a pretty good idea who the She in question was and given how eccentric she'd been he didn't really think the reaction was unwarranted. So he simply pulled out the tickets he'd been given. "Yeah, that sounds like us. Uh, I'll be honest I mostly was just coming up here to occupy myself since no one was around the place she gave us, so if you aren't ready I could come back later.... but you know, I got these things she gave me and they are kind of a pain to carry around."

[Chevaleresse]

Kourindou

"I'm not quite sure what those tickets are about, if I'm to be honest, but I don't want them. If I were you I'd find a way to be rid of them posthaste." The man still looked unsettled at the prospect of having to deal with the woman.

"Rinnosuke, my dear, those were gifts!" The shopkeeper's face turned pale as he looked up toward the source of the voice, where a certain familiar blonde seemed to be lounging on the ceiling. Or, more properly, in the ceiling, sitting there as if gravity wasn't even so much as making an attempt to pull her down. "What kind of schemer do you accuse me of being?" She flashed what would have looked like an innocuous, pleasant smile if one were legally blind at Rinnosuke.

"If you didn't constantly act like the shadiest person in Gensokyo - which is quite an accomplishment in a place filled to the brim with evil spirits and ancient gods - then you wouldn't get this kind of response, Yukari, and you know it." Despite his defiant words, his quaking tone and still-pale countenance made it clear who was really in power here. "What do you want?"

"The Mini-Hakkero." Rinnosuke made a choked noise, itself cut off by Yukari raising a finger, and again by Empi, Dani, and Joan appearing in the doorway after being harangued in that direction by a trio of fairies that seemed intent on "pranks" that seemed more like poorly-conceived murder attempts at times. Yukari seemed to pay them no mind, simply continuing to drill the shopkeep. "I know you developed the one for dear Marisa, surely you can produce another? And before you ask - no, I can't just take hers. It would prove to be far too annoying."

As if noticing them for the first time, Yukari turned her head to look at Rory and the others. "I take it you had some kind of pressing matters to attend to?" It was difficult to tell, but the youkai seemed as if she were expecting them earlier.

"How long have you been in my ceiling?"

"That's for me to know and you to worry about." Rinnosuke's only reply was a sigh mixing concern and defeat, before he shuffled off into the back of the shop while grumbling all the way. "Now, for our most esteemed guests; I have a few things to mention to you. Firstly, your aid should no longer be needed in Gensokyo - but feel free to return at any time, of course. I've taken care of that nasty little intrusion while you were cleaning up the mess it made. Secondly, you should be able to return to your castle through the portal in the Hell of Blazing Fires. There are some other locations you may be able to visit; I think you'll find that there are. . . certain others that might want to see you. I'm sure nothing but good will come of it. That smile reappeared as she spoke this last. "And third. . ."

In a blink, the ceiling was no longer occupied by a languishing blonde woman of indeterminate age. "I find myself even feeling a bit generous." That grin turned nothing short of predatory, like a cat watching a struggling mouse. "If you or any of your little group has a request of me, feel free to present it, and I might be inclined to indulge your fancy~"

Former Hell

IP and LOTUS make it back to the camp safe and sound. They notice a distinctly different feeling about the portal now. Three, in fact. One felt familiar, the smell of old fortifications occupied anew and a determination to defend. One was peaceful and suffused to the brim with magic, much like the world they already stood in. The third was stranger; it was like the first, but it felt more industrious, less blood and more sweat.

[AzyWng]

IP

IP gazed into the portal - their face hidden as it always was, but their mouth still had traces of a grimace, remembering how they had... disrespected Yuugi.

But this regret was forgotten for the moment as they saw the portal - feeling a compulsion to approach it. The feeling of secured, defended fortifications seemed... oddly attractive to them at the moment. Perhaps because they wanted to get their mind off of things for the moment - as unusual a concept that was already for a combat android.

[kj1225]

Rory
The hunter jumped when the blonde woman had made her appearance known. The fact that he hadn't noticed her was a legitimate surprise for him, but given her mysterious powers he wasn't totally shocked that she had escaped his notice. He mostly listened in silence (as had two of the ones that appeared at the door, though their silence seemed more fearful) until the question a request from him and/or the group. After a moment of silence he shrugged. "Well, I personally don't know what all the other guys want but... I mostly would just like materials to improve my weapon with, or maybe some to make some new armor. Don't know if you guys have anything that'd work here though... Mostly seems like it's just people or normal animals...." Rory trails off with a sort of melancholic look, mentally ending the sentence with "Looks so peaceful." but keeps that to himself.

Daniel and Joan
The other two hunters who'd joined mid conversation for their part didn't speak, the woman on the ceiling exuded an... aura to Dani. Reminded him of his dad's stories of witches, but somehow it was... stronger. Kind of scared him if he was being honest.

[Powder Miner]

Isobel Low

Isobel giggled a little at Marisa's reaction to the alcohol. "My, Marisa, you're not a lightweight, are you?" There was a brief pause as Isobel stopped to consider, and then her expression became rather wry. "Well, I suppose that with the way we're going at this stuff, we're both going to be having an interesting time in around a half hour, aren't we? Frankly, it's probably going to end up inconvenient for the sorts of things I'd like to have had planned for later... but I just can't help myself when someone offers me a high-quality drink, heh heh."

She turned to Masako to answer her questions. "Uh, I reeeeeally don't have an exact manifest anywhere, that would be super difficult to do since people come and go and split up constantly and I doubt even LOTUS has one, but I think it's a few dozen people. For the record, it kind of works for the sort of... small elite squad thing that I guess we mostly do, weird as it is to include myself in that kind of setup. But, yeah, we aren't really in control of who's on the team? It kind of just happens, people appear and disappear. We're at least not the only ones doing it, as far as I'm aware. There was, uh... a really wounded guy who I think was some sort of being of death or something, who kind of intro'd some of the first of us in, and I kind of got caught along for the ride with that."

LOTUS

LOTUS (in fairy form) flapped up close to the portal with a curious expression. "Well, now. This is different, isn't it?" Having grown more used to her physical body over the course of the adventure in Gensokyo, she ended up adopting a thinking expression, hand on chin and everything. "Hmm. I'm really not actually equipped to understand what exactly this is. Evidence does not suggest that there's really a physical difference at play on this side of things, so I assume a metaphysical change. Seeing that it's a portal, I assume this may have to do with destination or destinations linked on the other side, but leaping through portals into completely unknown, potentially interdimensional destinations alone and unprepared really doesn't sound like my idea of a good time."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Empi
"Uh....as for what I want? ...directions to your finest brewery would be nice. If that's not too much, I mean. Not sure what else to ask for. Sorry."

Whether Empi was being polite because Yukari was an attractive woman or because she was, in reality, shit-scared of the lady is....unknowable. Probably both.

[Chevaleresse]

Masako's House

"Hah, we'll see. I uh, actually haven't gotten drunk in a while and I don't really remember the last time I just drank what feels like pure concentrated alcohol. So, that'll be a thing that happens. Anyway." She shifted her position in her seat. "I can tell you there's plenty of others, too. Giant robot lady, fuckin' Lexiel, the kid with the emotion stick, the orc. . . did I ever get back to him? There's a few." Marisa shrugged.

Before she could come up with another topic of conversation, a knock sounded at Masako's door.

Kourindou

"Mmm. . . materials, you say? That could be arranged. Of course, there are far more interesting things you could do with the powers about in Gensokyo. . ." A playful glint shone in her eye. "You should expand your boundaries more, I think." She gave a small giggle at her own joke. "But, if you so insist, I'm sure I could find something else for you." Her head rolled lazily toward Empi. "As for brews, you've already been there. The oni have the finest sake in the world, even the tengu won't argue that. Amuse yourself to the fullest."

[kj1225]

Rory

The faunus shrugs in response to Yukari's remark. "Well, if you have some suggestions I'm all ears. I mostly just want to improve my gear to satisfy the little gremlin in my brain that gets angry when my stuff isn't as shiny as it should be, y'know?" He had a feeling this woman would understand the feeling perfectly, even if she was as likely to kick his ass for implying it.

[Chevaleresse]

Kourindou

Yukari raised an eyebrow as she looked back at Rory. "That's certainly one way to put it. I would hope you had slightly larger ambitions with the power of boundaries assisting you with your upgrades." With a small flourish of her hand, she pulled a parasol out of a gap in space appearing simultaneously and rested the accessory on her shoulder. "I'd quite like to see the castle your little group operates out of. I've shown you my home, so it's only fair, no?"

[kj1225]

Rory, Dani, Joan

The faunus shrugs before giving Yukari a nod. "That's fair enough I'd say... Besides, our new friends probably don't know the way either, right?" Rory looks towards Dani and Joan, who shake their heads. With a nod, Rory turns back to Yukari. "And uh... for the record I do have greater ambitions but you'd probably think it was dumb.... Especially when I don't know if I'll ever get back home to fulfill them."

[Chevaleresse]

Mitsurugi, Dani and Joan

Had anyone else been moving as Mitsurugi had, they would have been described as near-sprinting through the portal in the castle after recognizing it as Yukari's handiwork. The goddess would never do such a thing, of course; she was simply walking with due haste for an important manner.

The seeming haze of magic and faith (in comparison to the castle, at least) struck her immediately. It was a particular blend that entwined with the natural scents of the trees and other plants carried on a gentle breeze, a breeze that felt like it gave a comforting caress to the guardian's cheek. It was not the same as she had seen it last, but the trees ahead still existed in her memory. Her pace slowed to a halt once she was several steps away from the portal, and Mitsurugi turned with a momentous slowness to look at where she'd come from.

There, awaiting her, was a sight both expected and thought possible. The back of the Hakurei shrine, with Yukari's portal nestled unobtrusively against the wall. A long moment stretched as she stared at it silently, almost disbelieving what her eyes told her. For once, wonder and joy crept into her expression; it didn't banish her sorrow entirely, especially after she gently touched the sheath at her side, but it was driven into retreat. Without a word, she leapt up to the roof, landing soundlessly to look out upon the rest of the city. To look upon the rest of her home, with its beautiful landscapes and varied people. To look upon something lost, something she saw destroyed before her very eyes as she was powerless to stop. To look upon an impossibility of impossibilities, created by an ancient being who pretended to be outside anyone's comprehension, that now defied logic by existing at all.

She stayed on the roof, staring out at the landscape, facing away from the two trailing her.