The Scavenger Hunt ( 8 ): Destiny City is hosting an annual scavenger hunt during the Star Festival to encourage people to get out and explore their city. The prize for turning in a completed scavenger hunt is a coupon booklet and a few free tickets to upcoming city events. Even if you aren’t interested in the prize, the scavenger hunt is specifically designed to take you through the city to showcase a few historic buildings, some art installations, and some of the city’s greatest accomplishments.
While many of the places are familiar, during your explorations you come across a building you’ve never seen before--something that feels out of time. You’ve been in the area countless times before, so how did you miss this place? When you lay eyes on the building, you feel a strange timelessness and have the distinct sensation of being a part of something bigger. Briefly, you may see flashes of some distant past--a flickering memory that you can’t quite place or fully form. It’s hard to make out, but at some point in time you have the distinct impression of a faded figure taking your hand and telling you to do something. They sound hopeful and encouraging, like they really believe in you. By the time you blink, the visions are gone, the building is gone. The only thing that remains is a beautiful little garden and a plaque so faded that you can’t make out the inscription.
Patrolling around outside his usual civvy stomping grounds……helped? A little bit? With trying to give himself more room to feel like he was Murikabushi, and not just……Reiki Rokugin, hot mess grad student and hardworking drag queen, putting on a pretty costume that, despite being magically tailored to his body, actually fit about as well as Mom’s heels, when he’d tried to walk in them as a kid. (Would his Senshi outfit stay as well-tailored to him if he gained weight? If he lost weight? Would the magic keep it fitting for a while but hit a limit at how much it was willing to let him get away with?
Reiki didn’t goddamn know—but <********>, he did not like that he was thinking about this. He really didn’t like what it implied that he was thinking about this. And he really, really, really did not like that he was gonna have to either talk about this with someone on his team, with no guarantee that they’d understand what he was talking about or experiencing, or else tailor the story for his group at the Dorian Street community center, amend the details, and pretend to be thinking about his massive archive of drag. Frankly, he didn’t like the idea of talking about this at all, but Reiki knew all too well that he had to talk about it, preferably sooner rather than later.)
If nothing else, he’d managed to find a charm done in silver, with a dangling crimson star, which would probably look cute pinned to the sash around his waist (though who knew if his fuku would appreciate him doing that).
But—ugh, he could deal with that after having his Murikabushi Time. Going up to the historical district for tonight had been a wild impulse, more than anything else, but as he stomped through the shadowy streets, he felt like maybe he was walking more like a senshi? If nothing else, he was trying to put some grace and poise back in his step, thinking of how Willi Ninja might have critiqued his walk, of how Miss Jay Alexander would have critiqued his walk. Head high, hip movements fluid but not exaggerated, elegant, streamlined, confident……all of which entirely fell to the wayside when he spotted a familiar figure up the street.
“Sappho!” He called out to her, bounding toward her less like a senshi or a model and more like a six-foot-four-inch (plus heels) puppy who thought you were never coming home ever. “How’s it going, babes? Anything fun going on?”
Noir Songbird
Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 7:45 pm
Taking advantage of Senshi speed to get herself from place to place for the Star Festival's scavenger hunt was probably cheating, but on the other hand, Sappho would bet that most every other magical weirdo (affectionate) in the city would probably end up doing the same thing. It just made sense. Why wouldn't you use your abilities to get a leg up in a silly little competition?
It wasn't hurting anyone, anyway.
She'd wandered into the historical district, looking for a clue, when she felt the presence of someone else, and turned, and broke into a broad smile.
"Murikabushi!" She waved, beckoning him over. "Hey, good to see you again! I was just chasing the scavenger hunt for the Star Festival." She held up the paper. "What about you?"
“Oh, uh.” Murikabushi blinked, first at Sappho, and then at the paper. “That……y’know, that is an exceptionally good idea that I hadn’t even thought about?” Not that he’d been doing anything more serious with his patrol, not really. Shrugging, he said, “I was, uh.… Trying to walk more like a senshi……which, I guess, in my head meant ‘channeling everything I remember from America’s Next Top Model and Paris Is Burning into my walk’? But going on the scavenger hunt sounds way more fun.”
Humming pensively, he leaned around her shoulder and peered at her sheet. “So, which item are we scavenging for right now?”
Noir Songbird
Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 8:58 pm
Sappho blinked. "You remind me of my brother," she said, "which is a compliment? He's a pretty big theater kid. Trying to walk like a Senshi sounds like the sort of thing he'd do."
She shrugged, and turned the paper towards Reiki.
"Anyway, one of the houses near here is supposed to have a little box with postcards in front of it, so that's what I was looking for; they've apparently got a little bit of info on the neighborhood on them? Which sounds kinda cool, since this place has been around for a long time."
Snorting in amusement, Murikabushi flashed Sappho a grin. “Guilty as charged.… I mean, I wouldn’t know your brother from a hole in the wall, yet? But I’ve absolutely been a theater kid.… And in a lot of ways, being a drag queen is just a way to never grow out of being a theater kid.”
Which, while entertaining, did not particularly address the issue of the scavenger hunt—though, checking the address, Reiki brightened up (even more than he already was). He might as well have had “!!!” popping up over his head like a video game character. “Oh yeah, I know that place. I had a booking there once with some of my drag house.”
With a slight roll of the eyes, he explained, “The Chamber of Commerce or somebody lets people rent it out for parties, and some trust fund babies wanted drag queens to do the entertainment at their wedding shower. No idea why—the wife might’ve been a fan of the Race or something—but hey, they were nice people and they paid well. Plus, it’s cool of them to support local talent when their parents probably could have afforded booking fees for actual RuGirls.”
A quick stretch to straighten up, though, and he motioned for Sappho to follow him. “It’s just a little ways north of here.”
Noir Songbird
Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 10:17 pm
"I'll introduce the two of you sometime, maybe," Sappho said, idly. If Alistair didn't already know Reiki, that was; he was way more active in the local queer scene than Blair had ever been. Well, the IRL queer scene, Blair was all over TikTok and twitter and Tumblr, but that wasn't necessarily relevant.
Anyway, Reiki apparently knew the house she was looking for, and she brightened up, turning in the direction he indicated.
"That's awesome," she said. "Hey, when do you usually perform? Maybe I'll swing by sometime." She'd have to ask Kelly if she wanted to come, too, but even if her girlfriend didn't want to, Sappho was pretty sure she could have a good time watching a drag show.
For now, she trotted after Reiki, folding the scavenger hunt paper in half, and searching for the right address.
“That’d be great,” Reiki agreed with a small smile. “It’s always great to meet fellow theater kids. Plus, you said he’s with the Court too, right? Not to sound like one of those obnoxious people who’s always networking at parties—but I would like to meet more members of our side, y’know? Plus, my cousin just Awakened too, and I’d really like if ne could make more friends in the Court.”
Stretching his arms over his head as they walked, Reiki went on, “As for my performance schedule? It’s, uh. Very regular. Used to be every night, but…after I split with my ex, my drag moms sort of played a card like ‘Sweetie, you know we both know your real mom. Your parents have had us and our husbands over for dinner multiple times. You’re working too hard and we won’t hesitate to call her.’
“So, now I take Wednesdays off and I host less often? …Not that ‘less often’ really means much during Pride Season. Like, my Saturday went……get up. Go for a run with my dog. Clean up, go host drag brunch. Book it across town to the library. Change into Elsa—like, Disney Elsa, not our Elsa, Sailor Elsa—drag in the bathroom. Story-time hour with the kids and their parents. Go home for another walk with my best girl. Shower and door dash. Head to Scandal’s for my evening show. Patrol on the way home, which……actually mostly turned into making sure this guy I know got home okay.”
……He’d already said most of this out loud to Haruhi, but. God, saying it out loud to Sappho now also really rubbed Reiki’s face in just how much he’d been doing recently.
Maybe Sybil and Cherry had a point about him needing personal time.
But more importantly, he and Sappho were approaching the right house. “The place we want is right up here.… The one with the apple tree and the violets all up the front.”
It was a pretty nice house. A bit too Colonial-style for Reiki personally, but he could appreciate why it might appeal to some people.
Noir Songbird
Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 11:38 pm
Okay, good, Sappho would definitely make sure to introduce them. Maybe she'd haul Alistair down to Scandals with her, instead of just going on her own. That would be convenient enough.
She listened to Murikabushi describe his schedule, and she felt sort of...knocked over. That was way, way too crammed, if you asked her; how did Reiki have time for like...resting?
"....You sleep, right? Somewhere in all that?" Not that she could see how or where. "Because I can kinda see why your drag moms pushed you to slow down a little."
She exhaled, and paused when they got to the house, smiling a little when she saw what was out front. Apple trees and violets. That was sort of funny, considering her brother's whole...thing.
She took a step froward, and there was the box, and as she plucked out the postcard, she happened to turn.
Her eyes fell on the building next door, and she frowned. It didn't seem...right. There was something off about it, compared to the houses around it. Gently, she nudged Murikabushi, and gestured.
"That house...does it seem weird to you?"
She took a step closer.
Suddenly, there were gentle hands on her shoulders.
She heard a voice--couldn't make out what it said, but could make out that it was...encouraging her?
There was a whisper of wind that rustled her hair and sent a few violet petals flying from her hairpiece, and then the hands and the voice were gone.
For all he’d literally just been thinking that he needed to talk to someone about having certain thoughts that worried him, Reiki felt himself starting to cool on that idea as soon as Sappho reacted to hearing his schedule from this past Saturday.
Which was, he realized, a stupid reaction to have. Patently so, period, end of discussion. Much like Sybil, Cherry, Brandy, Yuki, and everyone else who’d ever expressed concern about how much he did at any given time, Sappho was only reacting like this out of concern. Because she was a sweetheart, and a good person, and a new friend dropping an admittedly crazy schedule like that on her would understandably make a good person go “wait, WHAT.”
So why did Reiki still get the feeling that he was at risk of disappointing her? That! was not! what Sappho meant! at all! Jesus titty sprinkles Christ, why was the human brain allowed to be such a ******** nightmare of abysmal design.
But—ugh. None of that was The Eleventh Muse’s fault. All of it was, however, absolutely something he should take to his next session with Dr. Mjoli. In the meantime, he could just……try to give Sappho a reassuring smile that acknowledged how patently insane his schedule was and even let a little hint of exhaustion show.
“Yeah, I do sleep.… Not really enough, but a lot of that is also Pride Season stuff. Honestly, Elsa—our Elsa, not ‘Let It Go,’ ‘Show Yourself’ Elsa? He’s amazing and all, he’s so smart, and dedicated, and passionate, and beautiful—seriously, just…you know how Achilles was both the fiercest warrior and so disgustingly pretty that Odysseus was the only guy who could clock him in drag? Elsa has very that energy: strong, but gorgeous enough to make Achilles jealous. And I’ll always be grateful he showed up to save me, then take me to the Black Mirror?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Reiki sighed. “But man, we really did not get good luck on when it happened to fall. Figuring out how to balance adding senshi stuff to the rest of my life in the middle of Pride Season? Has been a nightmare.”
Though…not quite as much as the house was, now that Sappho pointed it out.
What the Hell was going on? Squinting and trying to get some better sense of what he was looking at, Reiki tilted his head.… It was getting close to his annual eye exam, so…maybe something was wrong with his glasses? That could possibly explain the house seeming to look closer from one direction, but further away from another.
His glasses, however, would not explain the feeling of cold hands on his shoulders. Nor would they explain the house seeming to slip away as that grip tightened. They absolutely wouldn’t explain the chill that rushed over him, sounding like a voice of legion, and the feeling that lingered like he desperately needed to talk to someone.
……At least it felt like whoever had spoken believed that he could do it. But geez, they sure didn’t seem to understand bedside manner.
Huffing softly, Reiki gave Sappho’s elbow a gentle tug. “Feels like there are spirits here,” he said, “and the next one who shows up might not be hospitable. C’mon, let’s get some more of your scavenger hunt crossed off.”
