Shōjō's New Home

Life, Relocation

Through masterful(?) manipulation and a bit of bodily force, Matsumoto Ooawagaeri had successfully extracted Shōjō and Okājo from Ōtsu Castle. This was perhaps the greatest service she* had ever performed for Aotsuki Tsukamoto. Even so, Fubuki was left with a pair of troublesome, chaotic presences to deal with.   Fortunately, the Black Blade was itself an agent of the great forces of Chaos. In a way, they canceled each other out.

Floating out above the moonlit hills of Ōmi Province, Shōjō had not stopped talking yet. She prattled on about whether Fubuki was a god, whether she'd* like to be, and how she* could get a whole new town of worshipers for one low price or a number of payment options...   Meanwhile, Okājo seemed to be in her own reality, rubbing her golden hands together and muttering and wailing in equal parts as they drifted through the night. With a momentary flash of worry, Fubuki realized that the strange woman had never stopped accumulating magic. Okājo was preparing to cast something. It seemed to Fubuki like a Curse. That wouldn't do, especially if it was still directed at Aotsuki. Fubuki shook Okājo in her* tail to disrupt the casting, but failed to stop it before the spell was released. A glimmer of dark magic escaped from Okājo's hand, and then fizzled into the darkness. Her skill was not enough to let the spell travel even a few feet, much less all the way back to Ōtsu Castle.   There wasn't anything immediately apparent to do with these two, so Fubuki decided to just take them with her*. The Black Blade called on Shigeaki Fujino to teleport them back to the Matsumoto Black Galleon, only to realize that neither she* nor the psychic knew where they were. Somewhere... in the hills of Ōmi. Eventually they managed to figure it out and arrived on the Galleon's deck.   Most of the crew was sleeping at this hour, so Fubuki led Shōjō and Okājo straight to the door leading to the Mirror Imperial Palace. This, she* exhorted, was the door. It could control life and death, see into their minds, see into their souls! Shōjō covered herself with her crossed arms, yelling for the door not to look. Then, unceremoniously, Fubuki opened it up and ushered them through.   Upon arriving on the other side, inexplicably within the Imperial Palace's garden, Okājo immediately declared the place their new home. Shōjō, too, was excited to look around her new digs. Perhaps that should have been concerning, but Fubuki rolled with it. Hoisting each of their arms in the crook of her* elbows, the three skipped away through the empty palace grounds. Or, in Okājo's case, lurched rhythmically. Their first destination was the baths. Maybe whatever golden tinge Aotsuki had imparted upon Okājo could be washed off. Both of Fubuki's guests probably needed baths anyway.   There was only one problem, Fubuki thought as they jaunted and slithered along. She* didn't know where the bathhouse was. Changing course slightly, the Black Blade instead sought out a moth. There were a few of those around here, and one of them surely must know where the baths were. Even with their brisk pace, however, no likely lamp-lovers showed themselves. The Imperial Palace was just too big. Even if it was a copy.   Finally, Fubuki just asked Aka no Kitsunebi. Though not nearby, the attendant was able to give simple mental directions to a standalone bathhouse attached to the Imperial Palace. With a spring in her* step and a complaining Shōjō on her* arm, Fubuki set a new destination for their frolic.   As they made their way through the midnight gardens, Fubuki received a curious question from none other than Lord Maxim. Apparently her* dog was giving him trouble on the deck of the ship. That was certainly curious. Fubuki had a dog?