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Maeko

"They've probably done the paperwork already, but I don't think they're going to tell me until about five minutes before classes actually start..." Yasogami High School was a building with a strange and improbably high number of transfer students. Some were like Maeko and were literally very new to town, specifically because they'd wanted to take advantage of the Government's Inaba Immigration policies. The ones that offered money to people willing to move into the town. Other people, well... who knew? They were transfer students just because, apparently, with no further reasons given. By now, they were apparently something like a quarter of the school's entire population. One transfer a year might be fairly normal, but even if the school was only about three hundred kids, that meant seventy-five or so were brand new. That was just weird, no matter how you looked it.

Maeko

"Thanks for the offer, but I've already got the tour planned. Besides, accepting any kind of service as compensation goes against the tenets of the shrine." She wasn't really allowed to personally accept any kind of benefit for a lot of the things she did at the Shrine; it was all a big, jumbled mess of legalese, but what it came down to was that the whole tax-exempt thing (and the funds she was getting) meant she couldn't take other payments on the side. Of course, anybody who really wanted to thank the Shrine had a perfectly normal way to do so. There was a gigantic donation box right out front that anybody could deposit things into. Maeko was not a perfectly pure-hearted young girl; she would have loved to accept bonuses for the Shrine's services. It just wasn't allowed. She did sneak a peek out the windows, though... it probably wasn't going to be very long before the Dark Hour ended. Assuming that time-type words like "long" were actually applicable; technically, this entire 'time' might not even exist in the conventional understanding. Determining "when" the Dark Hour existed might have been more philosophical than scientific as a question.

Maeko

Other people. Crap. The Miko stood up and walked over to the door, then slid it open a bit and ducked under the rope so she could get outside. She came back in a moment later, looking vaguely frustrated. People with any kind of ability of their own could generally protect themselves from most threats during the Dark Hour; the shadowy shapes were no serious threat except to the newest, weakest sort of apprentice. Normal people, on the other hand... well, they were basically screwed if they attracted any attention at all, which was why she'd just dispatched a servant of the Shrine to go check on things and lead anyone else in the area into the Shrine (and probable safety). "There's no point worrying about them." Maeko said, a bit of seriousness returning as the topic had come back to the Dark Hour. "This isn't a time when anyone should try to be a hero; just... try to ignore it as best you can." She couldn't actually tell the other girl that others would be taking care of it. That was saying too much, and they explicitly disapproved of that... and could make her life very troublesome.

Of course, it was about then that she heard a sharp sound from outside, and Maeko stiffened slightly, fingers curling around one of her sacred tools.

Maeko

Had her servant met with something so close to the Shrine? "Ta-" Maeko began as she slammed the door open again, darting outside to see what it was that had caused the disturbance. That was... not necessarily the smartest thing she could have done. As every shrine maiden ought to know, forming barriers with ritual tools, like rope and the paper diamonds, was an act that could create a safe zone, and stepping outside of the safe zone could land you in a big world of trouble if you encountered, say, a powerful oni or something. It made absolutely no sense to try and do that, since your best bet was usually to stay put and try to avoid attracting a spirit's attention. On the other hand, if other people were outside, they were going to need the protection of the shrine, and Maeko's eyes narrowed as she took in the figure standing outside the Shrine. ...This probably isn't good.




Aselia

"Nn?" asked a young woman with long, purple-ish hair. In one gauntlet-clad hand was a fairly large sword, the kind that there was absolutely no way Japan's weapon control laws would permit. The girl was standing in the middle of the Shrine's outdoor area, a faint sense of power coming from her body as she surveyed the immediate area. The strange girl glanced past Maeko and towards Miyako, and her eyes narrowed very slightly.

Aselia

The odd newcomer wasn't so fast she could just disappear from sight and reappear at her destination. She was still pretty quick, though, and in just a moment was beside Maeko and Miyako. Her free hand darted out and grabbed one of Miyako's fore-drills, and the girl scrutinized them for a moment. "Nn..." the girl said suspiciously. Then a big smile appeared on her face and she grabbed Miyako's hand with both of her own and shook it up and down energetically before pointing upwards triumphantly with three of her fingers. "Nn!"

...

Hooray for the Purple Hair Brigade? Though it wasn't really apparent where her weapon had disappeared to...





Maeko

Behind the strange newcomer, Maeko was looking visibly relieved. When one of their Agents showed up, it usually wasn't a good sign. It tended to mean that they thought you were stepping out of line, and they tended to be busy enough that if they bothered to send anyone at all, they were going to make sure to do it right. The girl seemed to have just been on patrol or something, though. Maeko really had no idea how this girl thought; she only ever said one syllable (though, admittedly, with so much inflection that the meaning tended to come across anyway), and it was really a bit like an elaborate, ongoing game of charades. The Agent wasn't being hostile, so she hadn't done anything wrong. Probably.

Aselia

"Nn!" the girl said firmly, crossing her arms and shaking her head. She put her hands on Miyako's shoulders a moment later. "Nn." This was the sort of girl it might take a lot of experience to actually understand at times... since without a solid base, it could get hard to understand her even when you considered all the emotion she put into her voice. One hand came up to pat Miyako's head a moment later, though, and the strange girl smiled again. She stepped back a moment later, though, darting towards the street and then out of sight.




Maeko

"Aha... ha... um, no, friend's probably not the way I'd put it." Maeko said quietly, making sure the odd girl didn't hear. "She's... um..." How to put this? "She's more just somebody I know, really. We only met a few days ago, and she just sorta... drops in on occasion." Which could be really bad for her heart, too. Geez, making her think that there'd actually been a problem out here... well, this was the best result, but she'd still rather not have it continue to happen in the future. She wasn't quite sure how many surprises she was up for in the Dark Hour, but it wasn't very many. "Um, let's go back inside."

Maeko

"...(Censored)." Maeko said, looking down at the sheet of paper in her hands. The message written on it wasn't very long, but it was fairly straightforward, and it didn't leave a lot of room open for negotiation. A fox-eared spirit peeked over her shoulder a moment later, then smiled slightly as Maeko turned around, knelt down, and bowed before her. "I apologize for the necessity of disturbing our living arrangements, but I'm afraid we need to leave the city." Maeko said.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Those old farts are just doing whatever they want." Tamamo-no-Mae sniffed, a bit irritated. "Just take me shopping while we're out. Maybe the whole thing will blow over, yeah? After all, you're so cute! It's so silly to destroy your home because of a silly little conflict like that!"

"Ta-Tamamo-shama...." Maeko tried to get out as her family's ancestral guardian spirit cheerfully tugged on her cheeks. There was only so much even that capricious spirit would do, though, and with more than a few regrets, Maeko quickly started packing her bags. She was out the door (conscientiously locking the building behind her) a few moments later. Maybe the next town over would be acceptable as a waiting place...?