Overview[]
INVITE ONLY/ASK FOR INVITE
Far off of Mobius' mainland, on an uncharted archipelago of islands, there are people of a near-forgotten culture that thrive as an isolated community. There, a certain dojo and its lone student enjoy peaceful days, days of strenuous training but also of unmitigated serenity. The locals are all preparing for an annual festival, one where the many fruits of the villager's labor are displayed and sold! This festival lasts a few days, and many ships find themselves detouring to the island for travellers to enjoy the country at its most exciting time.
However, the community has started to become shaken up. Reports of disappearances cause panic and uncertainty in an otherwise happy people. Members of the community, along with the travelers that happened upon the area, are looking into the cause of the disappearances. Many, including the lone kendo student, Elly the Dragon, are trying to make sense of these events..
Rules[]
1) All the fights (at least against Elly and in the town's training square) are just training and therefore not super important, but please no god modding or metagaming. I know what each looks like, and there will be problems, maybe even consequences if it happens.
2) Lets not try to have too many ongoing scenarios at the same time. I understand with a role play of this nature groups will likely split off for mini stories, which is fine, I expect them, but at least let's try to not have everyone be separated at all times unless it's called for!
3) Rule 1 applies in a strange way for the bonus content. No cheating during the trial or investigation! I know some of your characters have time powers, pull stuff out of air powers, mind reading, win the trial instantly powers. This isn't the place for that~
4) Don't make assumptions on any situation based on any of the character pages. Though if you do, I may surprise you <3
5) Try to post a minimum of 3 sentences each post in the role play, unless there's a good reason for less or it really would be better to be concise.
6) An extension to the above, try to write well! Proper grammar and detail are nice things and will make me want to roleplay with you more~
7) I understand that some of you may be here for that bonus content! Yes it's guaranteed to happen so don't worry, it's all planned out. However, don't treat the first part of the roleplay as an investigation! Investigation can wait~
Participants[]
- Saren the Dark Lynx as Moros the Fragment Fox (Traveller)
- Reens the Hedgehog as Reens the Hedgehog (Traveller)
- TheDarkMantis15 as Knockout the Wolf (Traveller)
- FrozenScorpio as Jared Infiern (Traveller) and Willow Infiern (Villager)
- Timesmashaperil as Clock-Watch the Clockwork Hedgehog (Traveller)
- TheSkullWolf as Leonard Castleton the Hippo (Traveller) and Monday the Wolf (Villager)
- MaverickHunterSigma as Reiko Haruno (Traveller)
- Monk the Cat as Vesh the Puma (Villager)
- Sonicfan919 as Droget the Frog in FR07 (Traveller) and Remnant Chang (Traveller)
- Zero1000 the Wolf as Beck the Wolf (Traveller) and Lucius the Hedgehog (Traveller)
- And of course, Ellyaely as Elly the Dragon (Villager), Asmer the Butterfly (Villager), and various villagers to be discovered!
Involved Characters[]
- Elly the Dragon
- Asmer the Butterfly
- Moros the Fragment Fox
- Reens the Hedgehog
- Knockout the Wolf
- Jared Infiern
- Willow Infiern
- Clock-Watch the Clockwork Hedgehog
- Leonard Castleton the Hippo
- Monday the Wolf
- Reiko Haruno
- Vesh the Puma
- Droget the Frog
- Remnant Chang
- Beck the Wolf
- Lucius the Hedgehog
Day One: Sakoku's Greeting[]
Prologue[]
"Hahh.. haaahh.. It's.. too much this time!" A strange, female, blue scaled dragon found herself out of breath, running down a gravel path between a field of bamboo and a dense forest. As she panted for air, she gave an irritated stare to the weight plates she had been dragging along for miles, tied to her tail with a locked steel chain. Knowing she couldn't dawdle too long due to her master's threats, she quickly pulled herself together and continued down the path, straining and grunting as she dashed to her destination.
All things considered, this dragon, named Elly, was very happy with that way of life. Despite her occasional complaints, she found a lot of comfort in her training, somehow. The fact that she had a place to call home was a boon for the dragon, and a master who only demanded her physical strain was a great one to live under, as long as it gave her perfect security. At the time, it did. She would train and do errands for her master starting at sunrise and ending at sunset, and in return she got protection and enough food for survival. Soon, she will find herself arriving at the "dojo" itself, a rickety old exterior that surprisingly hid an intricate interior. This was where she lived: her own little room, in a house away from town, just her and the master. As far as she was concerned, it was her paradise..
As she arrived to the steps, her master stepped out to greet his student. The dark-furred butterfly, Asmer, was dressed in an exotic, traditional purple kimono, and upon exiting the dojo, he looked not at the expression of his student, but at the position of the sun. Without making eye contact with Elly, he clears his throat and speaks.
"This time isn't as good as the last one.. I can assume you took your time dawdling on the path?" Asmer continued looking towards the sun's and not at his own student.
In the past, Elly may have responded by saying she was trying for a best time the last sunrise run, or that heavier weight plates were tied to her tail. But at this point, she was a well trained pet. "I'm sorry, master.. please forgive me.." The reply of complete submission. She apologetically bowed towards her master, not wanting the pain of resistance..
She was spared that pain, on that day. The tie on her tail seemed to come off all on its own, as Asmer sighed and motioned for her to get up. "I'm only going to assume that the reason you're taking your time is because you know that for the next few days you'll be away. That's understandable.." The butterfly's line of reasoning was that Elly knew that the annual festival would be going on starting that day, and that he would have errands for it.
At least partially, he was right. Elly knew that each year, the festival catches the attention of her master, and he sends her out, both for errands and for competitions. Harvest contests for almost every crop grow-able on the island are a major deal this time of year, as are tournaments of other kinds, be they for sport, or fashion, or simply luck. Asmer was a major fan of winning these competitions, but couldn't ever bring himself to enter town for them, for some reason.. As a result, Elly became his surrogate for the festival, his plan to vicariously win through her.
The two ate a light breakfast in the dojo, before Asmer sent her out with a large pack, filled with miscellaneous food items, a tent to bolt down in town, and some light sleeping gear. She was given two tasks for the day: the first, to buy a spot at the festival and set up a tent at that spot, and the second, to do some part time work handing out brochures during the festival. Every year she makes a decent amount of money from the latter, as the exotic appeal of a dragon lends itself to tourist intrigue.
Elly lightly bows to her master before she leaves. Asmer almost opens his mouth to say something in response, as if secretly wanting to wish her well.. The words don't come out, and Elly is instead shooed away as usual.
While several miles away, the path to the main port town was very familiar to Elly, and by lunchtime she found herself at the town, bustling.. seemingly from all the setup. Everything seemed to be the almost same as last year; she got her spot without too much trouble, and quickly got brochures to hand out from her usual employer at the festival committee. What she didn't realize then, was the unease of some of the villagers.. Reports of disappearances gave a few of the locals a sense of disturbance, and it only got more tense with the festival's bustle, as many suspected foreigners were responsible. Regardless, the festivities would go on, nobody really knowing what to expect for the next few, crazy days..
Chapter One[]
The Arrival[]
The smell of salty sea air and brine wafted through the tourist center. Located on Shin Pier, it is a prime location for tourist shops due to also being where ships come in to port. The pier is incredibly long, and to this day shows no signs of depreciation, due to the incredibly sturdy wood the construct is built out of. Every year, Elly took in that smell during the festival, while she was busy with her job handing out brochures in the middle of the pier, where the tourists would all pass. She was dressed in a silver kimono, to further advertise the exotic nature of the isle. "Please enjoy your staaaaay!" She would say with a smile. Most of the tourists were very nice to her, and she was very happy with her job.
One of the tourists, a female brown timber wolf with a large black cloak and the hood down, stepped away from the ship that she and others had gone here on. The scent of the sea wafted to her nostrils, and she breathed in deeply to enjoy it. "Ah... I knew I should have come here sooner," the wolf said to herself as she decided to walk down the pier. It seemed she was too busy sightseeing to notice Elly at first.
Another tourist, a sky-blue hedgehog with a natural perm, walked onto the pier. 'Finally,' Clock-Watch thought. 'a chance for some R & R. A break from my incredibly pressure-filled job, and from people making fun of this stupid natural perm. And with all my enemies put in jail at last, I feel relaxed for once.' He walked down the pier, taking in the sights and the fresh air. He walked up to Elly, and picked up a brochure. "Why thank you, miss." Clock-Watch told her. "I look forward to staying here for a while."
"Have a nice stay, sir!" Elly responded, cheerfully greeting the sky-blue hedgehog. Around the pier, a few people did double takes on the hedgehog's natural perm. Some of the locals hold the belief that a natural perm is a very rare genetic disease of sorts. They called it Sakata Syndrome.
Another two tourists, a grey wolf and a purple hedgehog walked onto the pier. The hedgehog was waiting to get here and said. "Finally, we reached it. That was quite a long travel." The grey wolf responded. "But that didn't took so long, Lucius." The hedgehog, called Lucius, said. "That's easy for you to say. You're an adult, Beck." The wolf, called Beck, responded. "Well, that dosen't matters. Now let's meet the locals. This looks like a good place." Lucius responded. "Yeah, i guess we can relax here." Beck and Lucius then walked off the pier, and walked up to Elly. Lucius waved. "Hi miss!" Beck talked to her. "Hey miss, what is this place?"
"Never mind..." Clock-Watch muttered, slumping over. "Everyone notices the perm. Not even an island on the other side of the world is safe." He stood upright again. "Anyways, thanks!" He said to Elly.
"You're very welcome, sir! Now where was I.." Elly clears her throat and prepares to dole out information to the inquiring tourists. "This place? I guess you must be coming in on a multi stop cruise.. This country is Sakoku, where exotic delights are enjoyed at every moment!.. Though this part in particular is called Shin Pier. If you look around you can see some of the island and a few of our local fishermen.. And some people are actually setting up their booths on here, so if you've heard of the festival, you should come back to this pier in a few days! Your hotels are likely in town, though, unless you're staying at the Shinhaus B&B, which is down a bit further, to the left. Only a few people actually have their booths completely set up already, so you might want to explore town today. I hope that was of some help, sirs!"
The female wolf turned to the sound of Elly's voice, listening intently. She didn't notice the girl earlier, and, after hearing her describe Sakoku's sights, she decided it'd be best to pay attention. "Intriguing..." she murmured, deciding to approach.
"Excuse me, I assume you are the tour guide of sorts?" she inquired politely.
"Of course, lady!" Lucius said. Then Beck said to Elly. "Thanks, lady. By the way, my name is Beck." Then Lucius responded. "My name is Lucius!" Beck then said. "Ok, i think we must go. Lucius, let's go." Lucius was excited about going to the town. "Where will we go first?" Beck didn't know, so he decided to explore. "How about looking around the city?" Lucius was ok with Beck. "Yeah, let's go!" Beck, before going, asked a question to Elly. "By the way, what's your name?"
Elly faced the wolf and gladly responded to her inquiry. "I'm technically not an official guide per se.. But I know quite a bit about the country, and I do my best to answer any questions anyone has!" Elly lightly bows and gives a half sincere, half professional smile. "If there's anything you'd like to know, I'd like to be of help!~"
She smiled. I like her already, the wolf decided. "I see. Well, considering I don't know much about this place... is there anything important I should know?" she asked again.
"Anything important? Well, lets see.. The one thing most tourists seem shocked by are the customs we expect everyone to practice. We're less judgmental of travelers who don't know them nowadays, but you'll avoid some nasty stares if you make sure to follow the main ones at least! In the brochure I just handed you, there's a list for your convenience.~" Elly opens up a brochure and points to a section where it talks about manners while eating food, the purpose of indoor slippers, and other assorted topics. She then turns to the the other wolf. "Oh! I'm sorry. My name is Elly! A lot of people do ask that so I really should just start my greetings with my name. It's nice to meet you.~"
A laugh came from the wolf in reply. She's definitely likeable. "I see. Nice to meet you, Elly, I'm Antonia. I'm sure I'll be okay here."
Beck responded. "Oh. Ok. Now, i think i and Lucius will go explore. See ya Elly!" Beck said before going to the town. Lucius follows Beck. "Ok, Beck. See ya, Elly!" They both went exploring the town. Lucius was surprised about the town. "Wow, look at this. It is cool!" Beck responded. "Yeah, i guess we will look for some place to visit." Lucius wondered where. "But where, excactly?" Beck thought about that. "Right, we should discuss it."
A violet-skinned man of undefinable species walks out of the ship, carrying a large briefcase and trying not to make eye-contact with others. "I can already sense her from here, she's close," the man says. "Even with my Time-Sight gone, I can determine that this is going to be an interesting vacation."
"It's nice to meet you too, Antonia. Have a nice stay!~" Elly responded and gave a warm smile to the lady wolf before catering to other tourists that were pouring in. Her shift wouldn't last all day, and she had to make sure the festival committee would give her a bonus, as usual.
Meanwhile, the town was bustling around the travelers that entered into town. The villagers were frantically looking around for spots to put up their own showcases for the festival, and some of them were quarreling as a result. Some of the ones that got the jump on the others were beginning to set up their showcases already, with contest crops and different cooking tools.
'Seems like a nice place.' Clock-Watch thought, walking around. 'I haven't felt so good since I got to go to that beach condo. But someone got murdered there... No murdering here, thank goodness!'
One of the locals, a young adult male cougar stood near a booth. Aside from his normally-colored fur, he had distinguisheable spiky, nazy blue hair that seemed to stand straight up against gravity. The only other things unusual about him were that he had a few small holstered weapons at his side, a badge of service on his chest, a pair of red-tinted shades over his eyes and two large headphones clipped to his ears.
Near the pier, sloshing water could be heard before a figure quickly leapt high into the air before landing onto the pier with a roll. After it was finished rolling, the figure was revealed to be a wheezing, chubby frog with a large black book bag on his back. He laid, facing the sky while gasping for air, his lungs on fire.
There was a huge commotion on the pier when the frog jumped on. Many of the tourists oohed at what they assumed was a native creature. "Saltwater frogs! How amazing!" they crowed, and quite a few people went to tourism booths and guides to mention the creature, only to be met with the reply that it wasn't native.
Enter Mona and Yakuza[]
Meanwhile, in town, a couple of people were quarreling over a showcase spot. "My tent was here first! I have the papers to prove it and the festival committee on my side!" The one defending her spot was a brown furred mink, loudly and brashly demanding that her opponent step aside. Opposing her was a scary looking brown weasel, with a scar down one of his eyes. "Youz think I'm gonna letz ya giddaway with yer bull, ya got anudda thing comin!" he brazenly retorts, looking like he's ready to pick a fight with the mink.
The cougar made his way over toward the weasel and mink. Upon getting over to the spot, it would be made clear that he was a peace-keeping official. He took off the glasses and headphones, looking at the two. "Is there a problem here, you two?" He asked calmly, though with a hit of annoyance in his voice.
Beck and Lucius were looking around the city. "This city is quite interesting." Beck said, looking at all the boothes. Lucius was also looking at them. "I wonder what will these be doing." Beck thought about the festival. "I think they are for the festival." Beck and Lucius then continued exploring.
The mink looked into the puma's eyes and spoke: "Officeeeeer, this man is harassing me for my spooot! Get him away from me, pleeeeaaasssee?~" She was trying to use her charms for a quick resolution, before the weasel could say too much. "Whoodaya think ya are, a wize guy? Nobody messes wit Yakuza da Weasel!" The upstart weasel looked at the security guard, still looking like he wanted to pick a fight.
The frog laborously stood up, still panting then looked around shyly. Looks like this is it. He tentatively began to wander around the booths.
"License and reservation, please." The cougar replied to the mink. He wasn't exactly thrilled with her charms. "I'm also asking for yours... again... Mr. Yakuza?" He continued and turned to face the weasel. He looked the weasel in the eye, hoping to put the rodent back in his place.
"Well sweetie, I've got mine right here.~" The mink showed a licence and the necessary reservation papers to the guard, while still putting up a cute facade. The weasel had nothing to show, and seemed to be steamed at the mink as she casually presented her documents. He scowled a bit, and looked just about ready to snap at the security official.
Clock-Watch was looking at the booths that were being set up. 'Huh.' He thought. 'I'm sure I'll want to come back here once everything's set up.'
Reens arrived in Sakoku, although she really had no idea what she was doing there. All she knew was that she was a traveler, and she couldn't stay in one place too long. For her trip, she had decided to wear a light blue Japanese-looking shirt, black trousers, and black sandals. Her blade was carefully hidden in its sheath, and as she looked around, she sighed. "This place looks peaceful at first glance, but it always does good to be very careful." She went to a jewelry booth and browsed through the wares, even though she hadn't brought much money with her.
With the exception of the commotion around the weasel and the mink, the setup of the booths was going smoothly, and by lunchtime, about a third of the village's booths were put in place. At the time, townsfolk were rather kind to the travelers going through town, though a few people gasped at Clock-Work, shouting about Sakata Syndrome.
Antonia watched as the booths were set up, waiting patiently. It seemed that this festival was very important around these parts, and the people wanted to get it underway as fast as possible. Hm... I might attend, she figured.
A golden ring with a sapphire-blue stone caught Reens' eye, but when she looked at the price, she winced. "No way I have enough money for this, " she said to herself quietly. She looked in her pocket for her wallet, but was surprised to find it was gone. Instead of panicking, she stooped a little as she walked, seeing if she had dropped it somewhere.
"I'm going to shave this stupid perm once I get home..." Clock-Watch grumbled, giving an annoyed glare at the people staring at him.
Setting up a nearby stand is a fire-spirit with a feminine-shape using psychokinesis to lift and place parts for her stand. She sees Reens looking around for her wallet, and decides to go to her. "Hey there, are you having trouble with something?" the spirit (Willow) asks.
The cougar looked at the weasel, putting his sunglasses back on. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm going to have to ask you to move your tent elsewhere. I heard that there were some spots still available to the east." He waited for the weasel to scamper off, keeping an eye on the mink in the meantime.
Beck looked at the booths, while Lucius looked at what did they have. Beck thought for a moment and said: "Those booths seem to be for the festival. I think we should go look at some." Lucius responded. "Yeah, they seem to be selling some things." Beck and Lucius looked at which one to go to.
The mink simply smiled, knowing that her certifications were valid. The weasel looked at the guard menacingly, but then just kind of whimpered, muttered, and went off to the side. "You'llz regret messin wid da Yakuza.." he said under his breath before scampering to find another open spot. "I'm glad that you got rid of that uncouth weasel, officeeer.~"
Meanwhile, Elly was staring at a clock on one of the buildings in between helping tourists. I'm almost to the number of satisfied tourists I need to get that bonus.., she thought, as she was just about ready to stop for lunch. Looking very exotic gave Elly an edge in the tourism business, and each year she'd be able to reach the bonus requirements well before the afternoon. Regardless, the pay was rather paltry, and the job was something that, while enjoyable, was mostly out of necessity to buy herself food during the festival.
The frog walked around the booths until he saw a sizable amount of people going to Ely's booths. That must be a guide. I'll ask them for information. The frog walked towards the booth until he caught a glimpse of Elly and froze in his tracks in nervousness, refusing to walk forward.
Meanwhile, near the pier a seal frantically moved the oars to his rowboat in the water until he reached the land and leapt out. He kissed the ground before rising with his arms spread out, a wide smile on his face. The seal lacked a tail and had green hair, headphones and a brown jacket. His eyes were closed.
"Don't worry everyone, I have arrived." he stated.
Beck remembered what Elly said. "Hey Lucius, i think we should go to the pier." Lucius also remembered. "Oh, the festival! Yeah, we should go." Beck and Lucius then went to the pier.
Reens looked up, startled a bit, but nodded. "Have you seen a black wallet with a green lining anywhere? It has my ID and all my money in it." She stooped back down and poked the sands a bit, trying to see any sign of it.
After a while, Elly was sure she had done enough work, and hanged the [CLOSED] banner on her small booth. She knew that the very first booths to be active would be fishing showcases along the pier, where fishing and cooking competitions would be done. Every festival season, she'd get lunch on the first day from one of the competing seafood restaurants. After her booth's closing, most of the tourists dispersed and went to other ones, but she saw the frog in the distance, staring at her.. Should.. I ask that guy if he needs help?.., she ponders to herself.
The frog's eyes widened even further then he turned away bashfully scratching his head. Crap, she noticed me noticing her like a creep. He slowly began to turn away from her.
Meanwhile, the seal began strutting away from the peer, gawking at all the foreign sights.
The cougar frowned at the mink. "Mona... why does this happen every year with you?" He shook his head, "Do take care." He started walking away from the mink's tent and toward the main area.
Mona the Mink cutely snickered at the guard as he left the scene. The locals knew all about Mona; she was a master of sweet talk, and while she appeared innocent enough on the outside, she was in reality quite the crook. Mona twirled the fake papers in her hand, papers so well forged that if the festival committee had seen them they would have sworn they remembered giving her the spot, even though they didn't. Mona got her way this time, and Yakuza the Weasel would have to look elsewhere for what was apparently his baking showcase.
Meanwhile, the weasel grumbled down and found a rather shoddy spot in an alleyway to set up. Yakuza Bakery Showcase, advertised with a roughly scarred pumpkin pie image, would be a rather dismal attraction this year.
Reens stood up and stretched, disappointed that she hadn't found her wallet just yet. "I wonder if they have a lost-and-found somewhere. Oh well, might as well enjoy the festivities even if I can't buy anything." She started walking, breathing in the fresh air and looking at the other booths. She eventually made her way to Yakuza's booth, and her stomach growled as soon as she saw the pumpkin pies. "Wow, those look really good." Licking her lip slightly, she went up to the register.
Meanwhile, there was a pink vixen giggling and cheerfully wagging her tail as she raced down the pier, heading straight to the seafood booths. She definitely had a taste for fish, but she looked awfully excited to see the specialists at work. Her clothing seemed to resemble what some of the locals wore, but yet distinctly different.
(In other words, I had no other ideas on how to join. -MHS)
"How much for a pie?" Reens asked the weasel, with a slight tremble in her voice. "I don't have any money, but I just wanted to know. Please, sir?" She smoothed down her trousers and a quarter fell out of her pocket. "Huh, I must have put that there yesterday," she exclaimed with surprise. She held it up and looked at it.
Antonia chose to investigate the various booths, stopping at one that appeared to be some sort of target shooting game. "Excuse me?" she called out, hoping to get the attention of whoever ran it. She waited for their response, if there was one.
One tourist, a strange black fox who had came to the village for the festival, was wandering around and looking at the sights. A curious expression on his face as he carried around a ragged looking doll in his hands.
A few gruff guys approached the fox, one of them carrying a small handgun. "What you got there, boy? A dolly?" The bulldog snatched it out of the fox's hand and tossed it around to his goons, laughing. Reens saw the commotion from her position and ran over. "Hey, cut it out!" A bobcat in the group turned and snarled at her. "What are you gonna do about it, girlie?" Reens smirked and gathered up some water, then drenched the thugs in a mini tidal wave. "How's that?"
Willow sees the commotion going on, and is about to head in as well but stops to answer a call. "Hello? Oh hi, how have you been doing?" she asks the person on the other end. "Oh, you're going to be late? That's okay, just make sure to be here before dark."
"Yeah yeah, I know." the violet man from earlier (Jared) responds. "Don't you worry, I'll be there. Yeah, love you too, mom," he says, walking towards Sakoku, which is still a noticeable distance from him.
Out of the corner of her eye, Antonia also spotted the commotion. "...I'll be right back," she said to whoever attended the booth, deciding to walk away and approach the gruff-looking men.
However, it appeared it was already being dealt with, as demonstrated by the hedgehog girl drenching them in a blast of water. "...Well done," she said to the girl.
Reens looked over and smiled, having already tied up the goons with her hairband and given the doll back to the fox. "Thanks. I just couldn't let these guys hurt him, you know?" Her hair cascaded down her back now, and some rested over her right eye. She searched in her pocket for another hairband and put her hair back into a braid, leaving a small tuft of it to fall over her eye. She looked down and picket up a black square. "My wallet! It's... empty," she said in a dejected tone. "All my money's gone, and my I.D."
Antonia had a sympathetic expression upon hearing of Reens' plight. "Unfortunate," she noted. "I imagine one of them emptied it in the commotion. Perhaps I can assist?"
"What can you really do? Finding an I.D. is a little easier than finding my money," Reens sighed. "I appreciate your offer though. I really don't know what else I can do around here besides stay for the festival, and even then..." She put her head in her hands and shook her head. "Thank you, really, but I don't know what exactly you could do to help me."
"Really, I insist. We could ask around and get people to look, something like that," the wolf replied. "I do not think crimes like this should go unnoticed."
The weasel was preparing his "theyz isn't half-baked!" sales pitch to the hedgehog, before the commotion took everyone's attention. Yakuza didn't care much, as he was sure his "expertly cookified dessuts" would garner attention, but the ones who were causing the uproar sounded rather familiar to him..
Catch of the Day[]
Meanwhile, Elly walked down the pier, thinking about which fish restaurant would be best this year. Unbeknownst to her, a few tourists were tailing her, wanting to know where the best lunch stop would be. This happened every festival season, without her noticing every time.
The pink vixen was just returning from her excursion to the pier with a plate of the local fish, already sampling one that's been grilled and skewered on the end of a stick. She seemed to be enjoying it a lot, but her walking and chewing came to a slow when she noticed Reens. She wasn't sure what the problem was, but she made it a point to walk up to her.
Mona, having finished setting up her booth, walked away from the commotion and towards the pier. Hehe, whose valuables should I free today? Or should I say.. Who else's..~ The mink's bag was already a quarter full with the belongings of several tourists, and she cackled to herself about how easy the travellers were that year.
Reens sighed, fingering the empty wallet. Sensing someone was near her, she looked up to see a pink vixen. "Uh, can I help you?" she questioned a bit awkwardly.
"Actually, I was wondering if I could help you!" the vixen said with optimism. "Er, if you needed help anyway..." She glanced over at the sign. "Were you trying to get one of those pies?"
"Hey, Mona..." The cougar from before came walking over toward her, hoping she wouldn't run away again. He briskly made his way over toward the mink.
"Yeah, I was, but I don't have any cash," Reens replied with a grunt as she lifted herself from the ground. "You know of any places I could go to earn a little money?"
"Well, I walked off the same boat that you did, so I know about as much as you do. In other words, no." the vixen admitted. "But unless you're saving room for pie, you could have some of the fish I bought, if you want. Grilled to perfection!"
Reens shrugged. "If you don't mind, I'd like some," she said softly. "I didn't have anything to eat before I got here. Thank you for your generosity."
The mink pretended not to notice Vesh, making a quick beeline for the pier. She didn't want one tenacious member of the law enforcement to ruin the seafood lunch date she'd have with her best friend. Humming along, she made several twists and turns, and shrouded herself into groups of locals and tourists alike, to get the puma off her tail. Rather serious about getting to the pier, Mona made several detours in between town blocks on her way.
Elly had decided on the restaurant of her choice. Shin Shack had an excellent haul this festival season, and the fresh fish at the joint smelled best to the dragon. Elly was greeted by the restaurants owner. "So, we won this year, huh? That's great news, wahaha!" The owner gave a strong laugh as several tourists piled into the restaurant of Elly's choice. It seems that Elly's annual opinion was rather important.
Elly smiled and sat down at one of the restaurant's fancy, up-front tables. She always got a huge discount at these joints due to her bringing in new customers, and the seafood places would accommodate to some of her requests. The request for that particular year? "Two menus, please."
"Here you go!" the vixen said, handing Reens a grilled fish on a wooden skewer. "My name's Reiko, by the way." She gave a lighthearted smile.
Clock-Watch was looking around on the pier. "I should probably go check in at my hotel soon... But this really is a nice view."
Vesh continued following Mona, sprinting to catch up with her as she darted in an out of streets and crowds. One thing was certain, she wasn't getting away that easily while he was on watch. As he sprinted, his tie started to flap behind him as did his long, thin tail as he continued.
Eventually, she started entering houses and crossing through to evade her persistent pursuer. Knowing that the puma was a quick one, she knew that the best way to lose the guy would be to confuse him about the path she was taking. He didn't know she was heading for the pier, and she took care not to make her path through the houses obvious. In case the puma would find out her route, she also took a few.. extra precautions.
Reens took the fish gently and gratefully, stuffing almost half of it in her mouth before she replied. "Nice to meet you, Reiko. I'm Reens Maricina, but you can just call me Reens." Since her mouth was half full, the response sounded muffled and jumbled up. "Man, this fish is awesome!"
Elly was getting a little worried. As she received her drinks she wondered for a while about the whereabouts of her friend. Antsy, she told her waiter "I'm not ready to order just yet. Give me a bit more time, sorry.."
Reiko tilted her head to the side a bit. "All I heard was 'Reiko', 'Reens Maricina, and 'this fish is awesome.'" Reiko said with a bit of a giggle. "But if we're doing last names, mine's Haruno. And if you need money, I'm not sure how far mine would go between the two of us, but I'm sure we'll figure out something."
Clock-Watch sighed as he was walking towards his hotel. He looked around at the landscape, and inhaled the fresh air. He felt good, yet lonely. "As much as I like the peace and quiet, I miss my incredibly annoying friends. Who knows? Maybe I'll meet another annoying friend here!"
At this time, Antonia had left Reens to the vixen, deciding that was dealt with. She made a mental note to keep a lookout for whoever may have emptied the hedgehog's wallet, before suddenly noticing a pleasant scent. Turning, she saw where it came from - a restaurant titled "Shin Shack". Hearing her stomach growl, the wolf automatically went that way, deciding it couldn't hurt to check out the place.
Jared finally arrives in the city, seeing all of the stands being set up. "Can't believe it's already been so long since I've seen her," he says, then continues to walk through the aisles of half-finished stands.
Elly leaned back in her chair and sighed a little wistfully. The dragon very rarely got to meet with her best friend for lunch because people were always trying to take her stuff. At least, that's what Elly was told by her, and Elly believed in her friend's word. Even when things seemed a bit fishy, her friend was always good to her...
Reens swallowed her mouthful of fish and shook her head. "Oh, no, I couldn't be a freeloader to you, Reiko. I'll pay you back for the fish, and maybe treat you out to lunch once I earn some cash, and maybe I can do something else for you." She nodded firmly. "Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll be back once I earn something to pay you back." With this, she left the vixen and went into the restaurant Elly was at in order to ask for a job.
"Well I didn't expect to be paid back..." Reiko said to herself. "Oh well, I guess that's more money to spend on the booths here! I should probably stay close to this one until she comes back, though." With that, she started glancing around at her surroundings.
Beck was still looking through the booths. "Well, i think we should go for something to eat." Lucius agreed. "Ok, but where?" Beck found a restaurant. "Hey Lucius, how about that?" Lucius found it interesting, so he agreed. "Yeah, i think so." Then they entered the restaurant.
Vesh had lost track of the mink. He furrowed his brow and walked toward the pier and hotels that the tourists were to spend the nights in. When there, he took a single deep breath and returned to searching, while still looking for Mona if he would spot her by chance.
Scanning the restaurant, Antonia wondered where she should sit, before spotting the dragon from before. Smiling, she chose to approach, taking care to not bump into people.
Once there, she looked at Elly and inquired, "Mind if I join?"
Elly spaced out for a second before realizing that someone was talking to her. "O-oh.. Uhmm.. No, I don't mind.." Elly feared that her friend was not going to show up at all, and she decided it wouldn't hurt to let the lady wolf from before sit with her. After all, she could always pull up another chair in case her buddy arrived.
Little did she realize that her friend was right under their noses, literally. Mona, in the heat of the moment, escaped from her chase by going under the pier. Her swimming and climbing abilities were naturally rather good, and she would be getting to the restaurant soon enough.
Antonia gave her a smile and took a seat at the table. As she did so, she noticed how Elly seemed to zone out for a moment, as if in her own little world. "Everything alright?" she asked.
Beck and Lucius looked where to sit. They found Elly and Antonia. Lucius asked to Beck. "Beck, isn't that the girl Elly?" Beck seen her, and responded. "It seems so. Still, we should look for a place to sit." Lucius nodded in agreement, while both still looked where to sit.
"A-ahh, it's nothing.." She had invited the person to sit with her, but she really didn't know anything about the lady wolf. Twiddling her hairtails and blushing a little, she decided to pipe up. "So.. What brings you over to Sakoku, then? How did you hear of us?"
Unknown to the dragon, a few people were staring at the two of them for various reasons. Elly usually refused offers from tourists like this, and things were especially tense since.. The disappearances.. A few people were worried that Elly would be taken away, a few secretly wished it would happen.. And a few were just eyeing the local ladies in general.
"A vacation, basically," the wolf answered. "All thanks to, ah... a special friend of mine. A real sweetheart, he is. I've been meaning to take a vacation anyway - fighting to protect a city and your homeland takes a lot out of you over the years, heh."
"Mmm, I see.." Elly was twiddling with the ice in her drink, still a bit worried about her own special friend.. Not wanting to break the camaraderie, she continued to strike up conversation. "I know a few things right now might be surprising, but I think you'll enjoy your stay here! Is there anything you'd like to know while.. well, you have me? I'm not on duty now, but I'd still be glad to help.~" Elly said all of this with a warm smile, as she wanted this lady wolf to feel at home.
As people piled into the restaurant, the staff were fervently greeting, seating, and meeting customers as well as their demands. A waitress went to the male wolf and the young hedgehog. "Good evening, welcome to the Shin Shack! Please follow me for seating.~" Meanwhile, the owner was staring over at the other seafood places, a bit prideful over his win. He did not notice a young lady hedgehog approaching.
The mink was just about done climbing the edge of the pier, appearing behind the restaurant building. She shook herself dry, muttering foul things under her breath, and quickly spruced herself up for her date.
Back in town, a lot of people were starting to leave, either to go grab lunch or to get their showcase items from other towns. Among the few that stayed, there was some anti-tourist commotion. Some of the villagers blamed tourists for the disappearance of some Sakoku women.
Jared finally arrives in town, and sees the people speaking to one another. "Hey!" he shouted from a distance. "Do any of you know where the stand of a flame-girl named "Willow Infiern" is?" he then asks.
Antonia nodded. "Aside from the basics like 'Where can I find a hotel?', do you recommend any places to go to around here? It would certainly make this vacation better. If that's okay with you, I mean."
Reens went over to the owner and cleared her throat. "Excuse me, kind sir, but I was wondering if you had any job offers in your lovely establishment? I wish to work for someone in order to completely pay off a debt for a friend of mine. If you don't mind me asking, sir, I can do anything- kitchen staff, waitress, janitor- anything." She didn't want to sound too earnest, but in fact she was that earnest.
The owner was spaced out, looking out at the other seafood places, when he got surprised by Reens. "Oh, oh.. Umm.." He gave the hedgehog a good look. She was dressed in clothes that would be typical of any villager, but he didn't recognize her.. "You're.. not from around here, are you? We don't really hire outsiders.." The owner would be on the fence, liking the lady hedgehog's style but unsure about whether she was from Sakoku or not.
In town, a few people heard the man shouting for Willow.. not responding, at first. That girl had just been near the middle of a commotion earlier, after all, and people were worried..
Elly had a lot of answers to the lady wolf's question prepared. "There's a lot in Sakoku, but it all comes down to your own interests. You want to know about places in town or in the whole country? In town it really depends on what you like.. but I say every tourist should check out Feudal Plains Zone and really soak in the nature."
The emblem on Jared's chest begins to vibrate, which he then picks up and responds. "Hello?" he first asks, the image changing to static, but then changes to Willow calling from her emblem.
"Sorry that I couldn't meet you in town, I finished setting up earlier than expected and an issue came up at home that I needed to take care of. I'll send you my address after this," she responds.
"Okay then, see you soon," Jared says, hanging up and putting his emblem back on. He then begins to walk through town, taking a small sight-seeing journey before actually going.
Beck and Lucius went to their seats. Lucius thought about the food cost. "Beck, do you have money?" Beck responded. "Yeah, obviously. I got some by helping people on the island, and more by doing some works." Lucius smiled, and then asked. "So, what will we order?" Beck responded. "I don't know about you, but i'm maybe ordering a lobster. Or a shrimp."
A waitress went over to the male wolf and his companion, smiling as she passed out the restaurant's menus. "Welcome to the Shin Shaaaaack, what would you two like to driiink?~" The waitresses were all told to be rather cute with the customers, a common aspect for the tourist attracting restaurants.
Mona and Elly[]
Mona walked into the building from the back door. She would finally be able to have some time with her friend, and she finished sprucing herself up in the restaurant's bathroom. Soon after, the mink would finally reach the table that Elly and the female wolf were sitting at.
Clock-Watch had also entered said restaurant, and was sitting alone at a table. "This has been an okay first day here..." He muttered. "Hopefully I'll find someone to talk to tomorrow, though. I kinda miss the annoying voices of my friends."
Antonia turned her head to see the mink approaching. Don't think I've seen her before, she thought. "Hello," she greeted.
Mona was a bit conflicted upon approaching the two. Elly and Mona looked at each other, Elly's expression a surprised one, and Mona's a bit confused. "Mona! I didn't expect you to be available this time.." Elly looked rather embarrassed as the mink gave the female wolf sitting with her a scan. "Elly, who is this, anyhow?"
"My name is Antonia. I don't believe I've seen you before," the wolf answered. "I assume you're a friend of Elly's?"
The mink focused only on Elly with a glare. "This was supposed to be our day, I wouldn't miss something like that.." Mona sighed a bit but then gave a knowing smile. "I guess it can't be helped, I'm not known for being very punctual." Elly smiled back at Mona as the mink pulled up a chair to the table, next to both her and her guest. "... Oh, I'm sorry! I was a bit peeved and I wasn't paying attention to you, ack!" The mink was speaking to the wolf a bit sheepishly. "My name is Mona, and you'd be right!"
Antonia gave a small, friendly chuckle. "It's quite alright, no need to apologize," she answered politely. "I see you two know each other very well," she noted.
The mink and the dragon both gave a light nod. "And what about you? Your clothes don't look like they're from here... Are you like her pen pal or something?" While Mona inquired, Elly butted in. "Hey, you know I'm not able to get to town to deliver letters that often anyway. She's just a tourist that wanted to join me for lunch, that's all." Mona snickered. "I guess no Sakoku girl is safe from tourists nowadays, huh? Haven't you heard about the disappearances? If you aren't careful this wily wolf will take you away.~"
"I come from a different land, actually," Antonia confirmed. "I just happened to run into Elly here when I got off the ship. I got a very warm welcome from her, hehe."
Reens nodded in understanding, bowing slightly. "Thank you very much for your time and your kindness. I hope you have a wonderful day." Before she left, she gave the manager her contact information. "Let me know if you change your mind or have any questions for me." With this, she left the restaurant.
"W-wait!" The manager had decided that the look was all that mattered for the sake of a part time job, but by then the lady hedgehog had already left, though she was still in earshot.
Mona pat Elly on the back some. "You know, you do quite a good job of making the tourists all happy.. Are you sure you can't come to town for more than once a month? You'd probably make tons of money, even without the festival. I hear you get a lot of tips and such too.. Makes me reconsider my line of work, honestly.~" The mink was referring to how Elly would only enter town for a couple of days each month, the exception being extra time for this festival.
Elly retorted: "More money is always tempting.. but my hands are tied, really.. Master keeps me back home for my training, and I don't want to get on his bad side.." Elly looked down a little wistfully..
Mona noticed Elly's expression and sighed. "Mm.. Well anyway.. Antonia, what brings you to the Isolated Isles?" Mona was eyeing the female wolf up and down.. Scanning her for valuables.
Reens turned, her ears perking up, and walked back inside to see the manager. "Is everything alright, sir? Can I help you? I hope I haven't taken away any opportunities..." She bowed apologetically, remembering her knight's training. She still had her sword, but it was strapped to her back for easier travel.
Clock-Watch looked around the restaurant, and noticed Elly. 'Huh.' He thought. 'That's the girl who was handing out brochures earlier. Maybe she knows good places to meet people. I mean, I never thought that I would get a chance to stop investigating. Now I can't imagine a day without a mystery! I'm a regular Sherlock Holmes, and I guess I could really use a Watson. Why I came here in the first place was because I felt lost and needed to find myself. Now I'm even less sure of what I'm doing.' He sat at his table for a moment. 'I've got to remember that for a speech. And where is my waiter?'
"N-no, not at all, ma'am.. I just think there might be an opening somewhere for you.." The owner looked a bit embarrassed, but the truth was they needed some extra hands since the restaurant had become incredibly popular, if only for that day in particular. And this owner wanted to make sure that this day would be as lucrative as possible.
A waitress took a very long time to get to the clockwork hedgehog, due to being understaffed for the popularity boom. "I'm terribly sorry sir, there's a lot of commotion in the restaurant right now.. What would you like to drink?"
"Really?" Reens looked at the manager hopefully. "I can do anything you need me to, sir. Waitress, janitor, cook (although I'm not very good), etc. Thank you very much, sir. When may I start?" She pulled her braid up into a coil, ready to get to work.
Antonia sat back in her seat. "As I was telling Elly earlier," she started, "a friend of mine managed to secure a vacation here for me. Good man, he is. I think I really needed this after a long time of protecting a city from dangerous things."
Clock-Watch turned to the waitress. "I'll just have some water. With perhaps a bit of lemon, please."
Beck and Lucius took some time to look at their menus. "We will take some time. Feel free to take the other people orders meanwhile." Beck told to the waitress.
In town, more villagers had set up their showcases, wanting to get the initial tourist exposure. A silk clothing sales booth run by an old, pleasant female turtle was already set up, and a couple of lower end jewelers also decided that they'd get their product out easier if they started sooner. One fruit stand was up; while many others would be up most of them wait a few days, for the date of the competition, to avoid sabotage from opponents. Lastly, there was the one unlucky bakery booth run by Yakuza the Weasel, who had a rather out of the way place in an alleyway.
The waitresses at the Shin Shack hurriedly yet cheerfully followed the requests of the customers. There were only four waitresses catering to the many tourists there, and they all worked rather hard to satisfy them all, only pausing to make a passing comment about the Sakata Syndrome of a certain hedgehog.
"Well.. I'd appreciate it if you started.. right now, actually." The manager pointed to the other waitresses, who were hard at work. "I'll take it you know how to wait on customers.. If there are any problems just ask one of them for direction.. And if they can't help.. Maybe ask the girl up front at that table. She used to work here a long time ago, so she'd be able to help." He pointed at Elly, who was busy chatting with Antonia and Mona.
Elly wanted to assure that the female wolf was at ease. "I don't know anything about the disappearances my friend here is talking about, but I can assure you the village is rather nice. Throw your worries away and enjoy!" As Elly gave a warm smile, Mona snickered some more. "Gee, you really know how to lay it on thick, Elly.~"
"Yessir, right away!" Reens hurriedly got out as she threw on an apron and stuck a pencil behind her ear. She went up to her first customers of the day, shaking a tad nervously. "W-welcome to the Shin Shack! What would you like to drink? We have a great selection..." She continued talking, making sure she got their orders exactly.
"I swear, I'm gonna shave my head when I get back..." Clock-Watch muttered.
Ignoring her friend's sarcasm, Elly made small talk with the lady wolf. "Where are you from? I don't actually know much about the outside world... Except what tourists like you tell me, of course." During this, Mona caught one of the waitresses for another menu and to hurry up with serving the group drinks.
Reens had just finished serving her first group and was making her way with the second, walking as fast as she could. She didn't know if Mona was necessarily speaking to her, so she shrugged it off and went to the second table, an elderly couple. The man, as she could see, couldn't hear very well, so Reens took her time explaining the menu and drinks to him. As soon as she got what they wanted, she thanked them and made her way to the drinks station.
"If you want to be specific," Antonia started, "I hail from New Haven City, near Neo Station Square. I don't suppose you've heard of it?"
Elly paused to think for a bit. "I've heard of a.. Hmm.. Nope, it doesn't ring any bells. I'd like to hear more about it now, though!" Mona didn't really say anything, but her expression showed some kind of familiarity with at least part of the place's name. She was tapping her fingers, impatiently waiting for her drink.
While the waitresses were all a bit hesitant to serve the permed hedgehog, one of them delivered his drink after some time. They saw the new waitress and wondered if they should pass the job of serving Clock-Work to her..
"Wait a moment, waiter." Clock-Watch said. "I'd like something else to drink. Could I have some strawberry milk?" He asked with a stupid grin.
"It's a pretty interesting place. Bit of a danger magnet though," Antonia said with soft laughter. "Aside from that, it's rather big and spacious, and it has a bit of everything. It's very unique, I'll say - particularly when it comes under attack by, well, villains."
Elly looked a little concerned. "If you ask me, that doesn't sound like the best place to be.." Mona, noticing, chimed in. "Elly, I'm sure a lot of these tourists are coming from dangerous places. That's why they're coming here! To let it allllll go." And to let all of their coin go..~
The waitress that served Clock-Watch took down his extra request, and brought it to the kitchen like the other orders. More bickering between the waitresses, over who would serve their permed customer, ensued.
Antonia looked confused for a moment, before realizing what she sounded like. "Oh, I never meant to imply New Haven's a danger!" she said quickly. "You'd love it there, I think! So long as you know where to go, that is. There's a few areas there that I'd recommend, if you'd like."
Hearing the bickering, Reens went over to the other waitresses, rubbing the back of her neck shyly. "Um, ladies? I couldn't help but overhear that you were having trouble with a-" she stifled a laugh- "permed hedgehog? If you'd like, I can take over his table. That way you won't have to deal with his shenanigans for very much longer. What do you say to that?"
Beck finally ordered. "Hmm. Maybe lobster. And some water with some lemon." Lucius also already knew what he would order. "Maybe Tuna. And water." They proceeded to leave their menus on the desk.
Clock-Watch was looking around the restaurant. 'It's strange.' He thought. 'Is it just me, or am I being served slower than everyone else? It must be that blasted perm.'
While Elly was rather curious, she didn't really inquire more into the place the wolf was talking about. "We.. well.. locals here in general don't really leave all that much. I don't know why, but its kind of frowned upon.." Mona spoke for both herself and her dragon friend. "It's kind of a pity, Elly.. you're really made to get out more, but that dumb master of yours and this country in general just holds you back! I really say we should get away from all this.."
The waitresses briefly stopped their tussle to give the new waitress a good look-over. They saw she wasn't a local.. and they grinned, happily relinquishing the task of serving the permed hedgehog to the eager new blood. After that, the other waitresses continued their serving, now free from dealing with the problematic customer. One of them took the order of the wolf Beck.. His orders, along with the young hedgehog's, were recorded with no problems.
Reens smiled at the other waitresses and approached Clock-Watch. "Sorry for the long wait, sir. We're really busy today. Are you ready to order your meal or do you need a few more minutes?" She smiled sweetly at him, trying to make him feel more comfortable.
Clock-Watch blanked for a moment, as he was surprised that she didn't flinch at his perm. "Um, I'm fine. I just came here to get something to drink."
"Are you certain?" Reens asked politely. "We have a great selection of desserts and appetizers here. If you change your mind, please don't hesitate to call me over." As she walked to another table, she turned. "By the way, your hair looks very nice today." She went to the empty table and started wiping it down.
Meanwhile, Reiko, after wandering in circles and getting lost amidst the crowd, eventually caught sight of the silk clothing booth. The colors brought her closer, and the selection reeled her right in. She wasn't sure whether to just say "hello", or to greet the turtle in her native tongue. So, she did both.
Moros walked into the restaurant and sat down in a booth away from the sunlight, looking like he'd slept through a hurricane, having been incapacitated thanks to a friend urging him to try some alcohol. Only for his really low tolerance to kick in and force him to spend the day trying to purge it from his system.
Clock-Watch was completely dumbfounded by the remark. 'Did I seriously just get complimented for my hair!? This place is amazing!' He thought to himself.
Noticing Moros, Reens went over to him and smiled gently. "Hello, there. welcome to the Shin Shack! May I get you something to drink? You look like you've had a very hard day." She placed a menu in front of him and pulled out her waitress' pad, ready to take his order. "We have a great selection!"
The old turtle at the silk showcase gave the inquiring tourist a slow, pleasant grin. She didn't say anything to Reiko, and it seemed like she was a mute. At the showcase there were many fine silk kimonos, hats, and other various garments. The turtle seemed to have a workshop as well, for making custom clothes, and it looked like she was working on a blue kimono at that moment. The most expensive items there, however, were not the clothes, but some sort of product in a tightly locked chest.
'Just water, and yeah.. I had a rough day..' Moros mouthed. He seemed rather calm considering the fact that a friend of his urged him to try some alcohol and things went downhill from there.
"Huh, is that so? That seems unfortunate," the wolf replied, frowning. "You have a master?" she asked further.
Elly nodded lightly, looking down somewhat.. Mona sighed, seeing her friend yet again bummed by this master of hers. "If you ask me, the guy's nothing but trouble for Elly here. I'd really like for her to get away if she can, but.. she doesn't really try to for some reason.." While Mona chatted, a waitress came around, with a tray of assorted drinks for the mink and the wolf to pick from, and menus for the two. Elly didn't get a menu, because the restaurant already knew what she wanted.
Reiko seemed curious about what was inside the chest, but her curiosity was quickly pushed aside in favor of the clothing. She took her time browsing the shop, not expecting to move on to another booth any time soon. She never asked about it, but she assumed that the booth wouldn't be open if she tried to come by later on.
Reens nodded and went to get his water, but along with it, she was carrying a large piece of chocolate cake on a platter. Setting them both down, she explained about the cake. "You just look like you need a little cheering up, and a big slice of cake always does the trick. I hope you enjoy it, sir." She went back to the kitchen and picked up the next order.
Moros blinked before gulping down the glass of water. 'Thanks...' He mouthed even though Reens had went to go pick up the next order. He finished the water and started eating the chocolate cake. One thought on his mind. 'Did I really look sad or something?'
The turtle quietly went back to her work at the loom after briefly giving Reiko her attention. On the side of the safe, there were the words SAKOKU SILK WORM LARVAE on the side, along with an expensive suggested retail price. The rest of the store's wares were relatively cheap for the kind of products that were touted; the fine silk dresses were of course more expensive than average clothing, but for a silk product, they were bargain prices.
The waitress that handed out the menus to Elly's group left to give them time for ordering their food. The mink seemed to know what she wanted for a main course, but was looking through possible appetizers. Elly simply smiled at her two guests, as they looked through the different courses and sides.
Antonia looked through the menu she was given, staring at the various entrees. Quite a selection. If Tarion comes by here at any time, I may tell him about this place.
"Hard to choose when they're all enticing," she murmured, looking thoughtful.
Eventually, the waitress came back to take the group's orders. Instead of speaking up, Mona moved the menu to the waitress' sight and pointed to the things she wanted, as if wanting to keep it a surprise to the rest of the group. After that, it was Antonia's turn to order.
"Hm..." Antonia murmured, before noticing the waitress. "Oh, hello. I'll have..." she glanced at the menu before stating what she wanted, before handing the menu to her.
Some time passed. Mona was tapping her feet on the ground in impatience, only making small talk with her friend and the wolf every once in a while. Tch, I know that jerk is still looking for me.. I gotta go settle things fast. Elly, on the other hand, wanted to make sure her guest was having fun. "So when you came here, was there anything in particular that you heard about the place that you want to see? I can tell you about anything on these isles~"
"I heard tell of an area called the Feudal Plains Zone. It definitely sounds interesting," Antonia replied. "I hear it's a big green farmland of sorts?"
Clock-Watch sat at the table and thought for a bit. "I wonder what things there are to see around here. It seems like a very nice place around here, so for once, no murders to deal with! That's a relief."
"Feudal Plains Zone, yes.. It's a lot of things, really, you will find farmers but in case you don't know its also a protected reserve!" As Elly described the zone, a waitress arrived with the group's food on a platter. Elly's dish had the catch of the day on it, with a few typical garnishes on the side and a hodgepodge of freshly caught appetizers as well, including shrimp and crab. Mona, on the other hand, got a surf and turf dish, with a big lobster and a tender looking strip of meat. "I know you always order the catch of the day during the festival.. But I know what your favorite is, Elly! I can't eat all this, so you'll have some to take home. Probably better than the swill your master makes you eat.~"
Antonia's dish was slid in front of her - a heavenly-looking plate of grilled fish with some lovely garnishes and a neat presentation. It almost made the wolf's mouth water. Almost.
She looked back up at Elly. "Protected reserve?" she repeated. "So there's no poaching or anything going on?"
"Well, that's supposed to be the case, but.." Elly stopped to chew on her food mid-sentence. She seemed to be in a bit of a hurry to finish her meal, something Mona noticed and quietly growled about. The mink had a little bit of her meal, though she was intending on having most of it boxed up. "Feh.. It's safe enough for travelling through anyway, that's really all that matters."
Reens was finished with her table and headed around the restaurant, checking up on the guests and refilling water glasses. Her braid was coming a bit loose, so she went to the break room and rested for a second before tying it back up again. She then leaned against a wall and sighed. "I hope I'm doing a good job here. Maybe I can earn enough money to pay her back."
"I wonder how things are going at the office..." Clock-Watch thought. "Who knows? Maybe they won't have murders to deal with either."
After browsing for quite a while, Reiko walked up to the counter of the clothing store with two articles of clothing in hand. One was a light yellow kimono that proudly displayed a river design, while the other was a sky blue dress depicting the sun covered behind clouds and accompanied by other such items frequently seen in the sky. Reiko already had the money in hand, and simply waited for the turtle to notice her.
Antonia noticed how Elly seemed to be impatient with her food, though she didn't pry. "I see... will I be able to see it later, then?" she inquired.
Meanwhile Beck and Lucius were waiting for their food, they were talking. Lucius asked Beck, "Hey Beck, how long will we stay here?" Beck answered. "Maybe a week. Or more, in case. We will go to find an hotel after the food."
"Haannggghhhh..." Clock-Watch groaned, now slumped over. "I'm boooorrreeed." He looked around the restaurant. "Hmm... Who here can I annoyingly tag along with?"
"Y-yeah, don't worry" Elly said in between chews. It was rather clear that she was trying to leave quickly.. Mona picked up on that fact and decided to show her distaste. "Jeesh, you really should enjoy your food.. You're in a hurry to leave for some reason.. Wait, you're not in.. THAT this year, are you?" The mink's face soured a good bit.
The turtle looked over slowly to the items and money Reiko presented, and she gave a slow smile, opening up her frail hand to accept the payment. Her weary eyes gleamed looking at the items that were selected.. She seemed very proud of the clothes she made.
Clock-Watch spotted the table with Elly. "Hmm... She seems to be in a hurry for a thing. Therefore, it's an important thing! Probably. Like 78.5% probably." He thought to himself. "And I want to see an important thing, because all this peace and quiet is boring. There's not even anyone to shout at! I'll annoyingly tag along after they leave."
Reens finished her break and walked to Beck and Lucius' table. "Excuse me sirs, would either of you like a refill of your drink? The restaurant's pretty busy today, so your food might be a bit later than usual. I can stop by the kitchen and see if your orders are ready or not." She refilled their drinks as she spoke and smiled widely, trying to make them feel at ease.
Beck looked at Reens. Looking around, it seemed as if the restaurant was really busy. He then responded. "Yeah, i would like a refill, please." Lucius looked at Reens. "I would also like a refill." Then Beck continued talking. "Still, don't worry about looking about our orders. We can wait." He said.
"Pardon?" Antonia asked, noticing that Elly seemed to be in a real hurry. "Do you need to go somewhere soon? We can go right now, if you want. I am okay with that."
"Are you sure about that? I don't want you to wait too long for your food," Reens replied with a small smile. She ddin't want them to leave hungry, after all. She turned after refilling their drinks and went over to the kitchen. "Hey, got any orders ready to deliver?"
"Mm.." It seemed like Elly didn't want to respond to what Mona was saying, which was enough for the mink to know her deduction was right. "You promised me you wouldn't enter there again.. Wasn't it demeaning?" Mona inquired, quite worried for her friend. "I know your master is putting you up to it, but.. I was hoping that you'd stand up for yourself.." Elly looked down in shame. "He said I had to take home a certain amount of trophies this year.. I know today's contest is usually rather demeaning, but I won it a few years ago.." Elly turned to her guest. "I'm sorry that I have to cut my time here short, I have to get to town soon for some preparations.."
Antonia nodded. "I see. I assume we'll meet again later, then?" she asked. She definitely hoped that'd be the case - from what she had seen so far, Elly was a very likeable person, and she wanted to get to know her more. I imagine the others would really like her, heh.
Reiko retuned the smile. "Your threadwork is wonderful, and I love the designs. Do you enjoy your work?" She seemed to be limiting herself to yes-or-no questions.
"Perhaps so." Elly got up from her chair, giving her group a light, apologetic bow. Her face had a look like she was preparing to be humiliated. Her mink friend, on the other hand, still seemed rather annoyed by it all. Mona stood up as well, boxing up her leftovers and turning to the wolf they were leaving behind. "I'm sorry about my friend, she's getting herself into something bad and all.. Might not be your business, anyway." Mona gave the wolf one final scan for valuables before departing. Elly and Mona both seemed to be heading to town, in different ways.
The turtle kept her rigid, almost fixed smile on her expression as she slowly nodded to her customer. Her hand, almost as rigid as her smile, twitched a little.. It was difficult to say if she could even hold anything in her weak palms.
Reiko had to respect the turtle's resilience. She was becoming arthritic if she wasn't already, yet she was still hard at work doing what she does the best. She could've gone on and on about how much she appreciated her work, but she quickly decided that the best way to show her appreciation is to let the turtle get back to it. So, she paid her dues and turned to leave. "Have a good day!"
Antonia watched them leave, curious. Getting herself into something bad... what could that be? she thought. Perhaps I should investigate... wait. That would be rude, nosing into business that I have no part in. Perhaps it is best to wait, and talk to her if she needs any assistance. Yes.
"Forget this." Clock muttered to himself. "They don't have any good parfaits on the menu. And that tour guide has left. She seemed... Distressed." He got up, and left some money behind for the strawberry milk, along with a tip. Leaving the restaurant, he muttered to himself, "I wonder if they have moped rentals..."
Mona knew she had to swing back into town, to pick up the stolen loot she dropped off at someone's house during her previous escape. She seemed disheartened in her strolling, but not enough to keep her from a brisk pace, in case her pursuer showed up again. Making her way west after the pier, the mink peers around the residences, trying to remember which one of them had her precious quarry.
Elly headed east, ahead of her friend. She was heading back to her booth, though she was taking a scenic route to get there, to have a look at the other exhibitions around her. In a bit, she would be on a stage, competing in a district for a Sakoku tradition. At this time of year, Sakoku girls not of the age to marry would learn about proper respect in the home by being judged, both on the stage and at night. The tradition got warped due to a dwindling youth population, and it eventually became a contest for any woman to take part in. The event would vary on its purpose, ranging from harmless fun to horrific matchmaking. It all depended on the audience watching. And this year, it was Elly's turn to show.
Reens still waited on the customers, placing her tips in a little jar in her pocket. She sighed, looking up to see that the blue dragon had left. With a shrug, she went back to her work, wiping down a table. She had heard a few customers talking about the event, and mistakenly thought it was a contest. "Contest, eh? I would hate it if I had to take part in that. I mean, I'm not even from here originally, and if they forced me to take part in it, I would feel pretty violated." She paused, looking at a water glass that had been left behind and seeing her reflection in the water. "Besides... I am not beautiful enough to be considered a bride."
Before Clock left, he pulled out the badge he held in his pocket. The once-polished symbol of justice he used to wear proudly was now smudged and tarnished. "I need to move on. I have to get past this. I just need to find a new job, that's all! I don't need to go back to this! I don't need any of this! I bet she was guilty anyways!" He tossed his attorney's badge onto the table he was just sitting at.
But even as Clock-Watch walked away, his own conscience told him that he was wrong.
All things considered, it wasn't likely that the show would be about matchmaking. For the past couple of years, this particular contest was headed by the elder women of Sakoku, who were at that time surpassing elder males as an influential social group. When this show is run by those elder women, it tenda to be more about rewarding young ladies for displaying proper manners. Regardless, both Elly and her friend Mona had reason to dislike this event..
As Elly finished preparing for the upcoming event, Mona also finished gathering the valuables she left behind during the previous chase. While she went along her way with the loot, she thought about Elly's situation, and the one she was in a few years ago. Mona had been called to the show before, back when it was run by less satisfactory hosts. Thinking about the events before made her want to do something.
Putting the dishes away in the dishwasher, Reens took her hair down and redid it; it had become frizzy from the humidity. She sighed, wandering around the restaurant and making sure orders were being filled and water glasses were never empty. Still, she thought about the 'contest', and wondered if she would get a chance to see it. Wiping down a table, she shook her head, trying to get rid of the thought.