State: Aya observation: Lecture Day
Time: 1:37 PM, Afternoon
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I check my watch. The cracks in the glass don't really obfuscate anything, as it's been an empty display for the last few weeks, now. There's just a part of me that still has the habit of checking. Not like anyone's asking me questions. The lecture hosted no more than a dozen heads. Probably less. Aya really didn't help with any of that, despite attending herself.

Her articles are known to be inflammatory, yet their effects are palpable. People have been distant with me lately. I can hardly walk around the village without an odd eye or two watching me. Combined with foreign phrases like 'plagiarism' or 'work licenses,' no one's sure what to make of me. How do you judge someone of another culture for misconduct if the concepts don't exist for you?

The room has cleared out in record time for all save three. Aya, Keine, and Yukari. Oh, would it be amusing to out Yukari for her presence right now. Better not to, though. I'm sure Aya would love to spin the tale as a fit of paranoia.

Finishing her writing with a flourish, Aya closes her notebook and approaches the front. Her disguise is really no more than a change of clothes, incidentally making her look like a newsboy. "Just how many lies were in that lecture of yours?"

I close my eyes, and sit my bookbag down with a heavy sigh, "About half as many as the… how many are we at? Five articles of me?"

"The first was so successful that I had to keep going!" Aya tweets. "It's only fair that I had more to say about you for everything that you put out about me."

"The difference being that I'm not shouting to every man, woman, and child about your proclivity to sit for long hours working on reports. Or more pertinently, your obsession with embellishment," I scorn the crow as she bobs on the balls of her flat leather shoes.

"You claimed you couldn't get to meet a great tengu, and that you're the one that shot at me," she continues. "I think I can live with your accusations knowing 'the pot is calling the kettle black.'"

I lean into my podium to veer over the girl. "Oh, come on. You're the one that said it was done with a flintlock. I mean, seriously, how old are you? A flintlock? Even the human village has figured out cap and ball arms, a few tips from the kappa notwithstanding."

"And the great tengu part?" she plucks at any loose thread she can find.

I brush her off, refuting, "Blame your boss for that one. After she got her claws on my work she started redacting and revising like crazy. She deserves someone like you in her hair."

She grins. "I'll take that as a compliment."

I ignore her little quip and change the topic, "What about that father of yours? He visit after all the noise died down?"

She falters at the question, looking me over for any sign that I'm fishing for information without offering my own. She cautions to reply first, "Not in person. But I have been receiving mail, if you're so inclined. And you? Have you taken Ms. Kamishirasawa on any dates, recently?"

My eyes roll. "Yes, we went to that restaurant you mentioned and it was very romantic. I would've preferred something not in the tengu village, but since I'm so much of a pariah, nobody bothered to stop us."

She opens her journal to confirm, "Yep, I already got pictures. Glad you had a good time."

I beggar her ear while she's still in a good mood, "Plan on retracting any of those gossip rags? It'd mean a lot to me."

"Well… if you plan to keep calling them rags, then no," she wiles. "In fact, I might add more if I find more to talk about."

I've little means to rebuke the mangy thing in front of me. For what I do have, though… "Keine, get this foul bird out of here," I ask my better half.

"I thought you'd never ask," Keine sighs, rearing up on the reporter from across the room.

"Woah, hey! Miss Kamishirasawa we can talk this out!" Aya shrinks away from the teacher, getting cornered to the exit. She bumps into the door, causing the wood to clack against itself. Keine continues on her out into the hall. I notice a spot of gold settle where they pass.

"Active as always, that one," Yukari speaks as Saki from behind her typewriter. I round to the front of my podium as she stands from her desk.

"She could stand to show a little more empathy," I groan, leaning against the stand.

Keine returns, dusting her hands off with a short mention of Aya's disposal. She leaves the door slightly ajar behind her, traipsing across the room to my side. "I see I haven't missed the start of the conversation."

"Oh, my you're quite right!" Yukari acts like she forgot about her dress. She performs a quick pirouette, changing from the kimono clad Hieda servant into the luxuriously frilled dress of Gensokyo's leading sage. "Good to see the both of you once more," she introduces herself.

"And a very cold welcome in return," I snip at the edges of her perfectly joyful mask.

"My, you aren't in a very friendly mood for an acquaintance," she harps. "Yet I'm sure you've understood my assignment for you, regardless." She flits out her ornamental fan, casually wafting herself to have something to play with.

Keine sneers at her. We've spoken since last time about her involvement, and I tried to reassure her she wasn't at fault for how the last conversation went, but she wasn't having it. She promised to not speak out against Yukari, 'lest her words be used against her,' she said. I still disagree with her hesitance, but there's little to do about it.

I get on with the main event of the conversation. Yukari's little game that she's so proud of. "What's the point of my job?" I grunt to the greater Youkai.

"What is the work, who does it serve, and what does it achieve? Come, now, I have it committed to memory as you should, too," Yukari shirks a bit of the usual back and forth for her questions, cutting to the point.

"Clearly my job is to keep you under control, if that order you gave Ran is any indication," I attack her gross neglect of the subject.

She narrows her eyes at me, and Keine tenses up asking, "What order, Tanner? What has Ran done?"

"I ordered my shikigami to kill Megumu Iizunamaru," Yukari informs her. "Our friend Tanner talked her down from any such actions, as I expected." Keine seems unsurprised by the explanation, something maybe par for the course with Yukari around.

"Don't act like it was a simple test!" I toss an accusing finger at the lazy sage. "That was someone's life you were playing with like an afterthought!"

"And I knew you were poised to let her keep that life," she tries to excuse herself like it was the only possible outcome. Turning her fan my way, she warns, "We are not to dwell on that test, as it was not yours. My questions, Tanner."

"I talk to people. I don't know what the hell else you want me to say about it," I bite at her insistence. "I talk to people and it somehow serves you and your political goals. Now, can we move on?"

"You refuse to answer because you're angry. I see." Yukari shakes her head, disappointed in my little tantrum. "You gather information on Youkai. This is given to the human village. And they then have a higher faith in the existence of Youkai. Simply put, you are showing that the scientific method perfectly sustains Youkai despite the same methods being used to banish them in the outside world." She answers her own question in the same, flaunting way she explains everything else. I guess she thinks being on the same page is more important.

"What does that mean? When is that duty done and you leave me in peace, Yukari?" I grimace at the thought of the status quo. "I was never looking to prove anything. I don't want to fight existential problems. I just want to teach in this little school with the woman I love."

Yukari stares back at me, unengaged with my pleas. She waits. Is what I'm saying really so inconsequential to her that she'll ignore me until I stop trying?!

My brows pinch so hard it feels like the muscles overlap. "You think that you get to spin my wheels for as long as you want?!" I explode, startling Keine. "Fuck you! I don't care how strong you are! I don't care what position you're in! I'm gonna shove my foot up your ass if all you're gonna do is ignore me!"

Keine has to grapple me back as I lunge towards Yukari.

The Youkai laughs at my rage. It's a genuine, snickering, laugh, bereft of any need for superiority. She knows she already has it. It's such a fine irony, I quite literally can't do anything even if she let me. But for all of my anger, a good amount of it genuine, I'm only playing it up for this exact reaction.

A shikigami slides through the door Keine left ajar, slipping behind Yukari as she works to contain herself. It silently settles behind her before my partner appears in its place. Not a sound is emitted by the act, and Ran doesn't move a muscle as she materializes. There must be a dozen rules or programs Ran's broken to get so close without Yukari's knowledge, and she uses it to her advantage. She slings her arms around Yukari's throat and arm, tails further entangling Yukari's limbs.

At first Yukari struggles to act against the sneak attack, but eyeing over the tails she quickly realizes what's happened. "I don't remember inviting you," she chokes.

Keine releases me. I'm glad we came to an agreement on how to do that beforehand, though I'm still unsure how they knew we could conspire without Yukari knowing beforehand.

Ran grunts to her master, "I ignored that order, much the same as I did for the order commanding me to subjugate Iizunamaru."

"Yes, well, you understand the purpose of that order, don't you?" Yukari challenges her servant.

"You have been concerned that returning my rights to the Yakumo clan household would demonstrably prove my lack of interest in serving. The easiest solution is to then not return my permissions at any point under a different pretext," Ran deliberates on Yukari's actions.

Yukari chuckles, "So, you've come to a conclusion by assuming my emotional state? If only I could be so proud of this development. Unfortunately, that isn't the case this time."

Ran narrows her eyes to slits as Yukari grins back at her. "Tell Tanner the whole truth. He has more than proven himself above your expectations. It is vital that you show him some level of trust, as waiting any longer will risk him dejecting your plan entirely," she directs her master.

"Like I'd ever agree with her, Ran!" I find myself more insulted by that than Yukari's lack of trust.

Yukari ignores my comment, and threatens with an airy tone, "Now Ran, you know I could always drop you into a gap. Then you won't be part of the conversation at all.

"You wouldn't risk passing me through the transdimensional space. We both know your system contains backdoor vulnerabilities only available when crossing boundaries," Ran asserts.

"I never thought you would hold such a tight grudge. Who was it that taught you such things? Certainly not your last home. Nor any before that…" Yukari continues to eschew the topic.

Ran pauses for a moment, then announces loudly, "Tanner, she plans to rep–"

"Alright, alright!" Yukari interrupts her servants telling words. She takes a steadying breath before bargaining, "I will explain properly, but could you allow me to present my intents similar to how I have thus far?"

"You refer to the pointed questions you have pushed onto Tanner each week?" Ran surmises her masters words.

The sage flits a shy grin, tittering, "Well… I've come to enjoy these conversations myself. I'm sorry I haven't included you, Ran, but I need our dear Regis to come to his own answers."

"Answer as you will," Ran dictates, still not releasing her hold.

Yukari shifts her face about until resting on the neutral, imposing smile she so oft wears, and asks, "My major questions up to now, what would you say their connecting tissue is?"

I remember her questions to now, and reply, "That they're high level. Like the reason Gensokyo exists as it does or the entire basis of my job."

"Indeed, and I could have brought you through similar topics, the nature of Youkai, the power of faith, nature as an underlying reality, but there seems to be less time for such excursions," she jeers, tilting her head the little bit it can under Ran's steel arms. "Instead, let me direct you to the purpose of it all. Stability."

"Stability?" I repeat, the word rather ironic coming from a schemer like her. "Should I be able to read your mind with that word, like a cypher key, or what?"

"My, you're reading my mind already," Yukari chirps. "Indeed. Stability is everything to me. Stability of Gensokyo and by extension the residents of fantasy. Every action I've ever performed has been to drive Gensokyo into a more foundational bedrock of reality, until we might one day find ourselves scattered into the outside world once more."

Keine wonders after this explanation, "Gensokyo to you is like a sort of time capsule? We live until the outside world might be ready to uncover us?"

"Perhaps, or maybe we would be the ones to subsume the outside world," Yukari muses. "To reign ourselves in, a time capsule wouldn't be a terrible analogy for Gensokyo, but, I ask you three, are we in stable times as far as Gensokyo is concerned? That was the abject goal of its creation, after all. To stabilize fantasy against the mundane." She pauses from her speech, waiting for us to contend with this new idea. Stability.

"Well, no regimes are toppling around us, and the money we have at home should buy us as much this week as it does next week. So yeah, we're in stable times," I announce.

"But this has only been in recent years, Tanner," Keine reminds me. "Before spellcard laws were instated, bloodshed between man and Youkai was common. The first generation after these changes are still only teenagers at most. There's no real way to tell, yet."

"You are both neglecting the far larger occurrences of entities entering the boundary into fantasy," Ran courts. "There has been a significant rise of ingress for not only individuals, but information within the previous decade. As Gensokyo does not export individuals nor ideas, this is by definition unstable growth."

Yukari giggles in her binds, continuing, "With all of your disagreements, it sounds as if anything may happen at any time, and yet nothing does. It's by design. The inclusion of restorative forces that bring all of these concerns to an equilibrium. Ran, for brevity, what is the most pertinent force in this conversation?"

"The chroniclers," Ran states.

There's an odd ring to it. "Plural?" I think aloud.

"So not just myself," Keine confirms, though I don't think she knows where Yukari's going with this, either.

"Indeed. You need a few hands to keep up with everything that has happened in Gensokyo, especially during times like these," Yukari espouses. "The tengu news network, our dear hakutaku's history chronicles, and even the Hieda's Gensokyo Chronicles. Each needs to be up to date so that the populace may be disseminated the information of some recent arrival or another. A sort of onboarding. Because while Gensokyo accepts all, it is the people that decide to bring others into the fold."

"So that's it, you just needed another set of hands to help 'chronicle?'" I surmise.

Yukari looks back to Ran, the latter shaking her head. It appears I haven't hit the heart of the matter. Or, perhaps she hasn't explained enough to be acceptable.

She elaborates on that point, "While the extra hands in the coming years will be helpful, Tanner, I am more concerned with the decades after that. Gensokyo needs to have a chronicler devoted to studying the residents, and though we all know there currently is one, an unsavory dilemma is tied to her."

"You mean Akyuu?" Keine cuts in. "It's true she isn't immortal, but she looks healthier than we all expected her to be."

"What are you talking about, Keine?" I double back on the point. "That squirt's barely into her adult years. And besides that, she'll reincarnate given an extra century."

She pauses, her eyes trailing off as she concludes, "And in that century gap there needs to be a replacement…"

"Bingo!" Yukari cheers, clapping from gaps borrowing her hands. "Oh it feels so good to have studious pupils! I'm blessed to have three at once!"

"Quiet, you trickster!" Keine growls, turning to the Youkai sage. "You're training Tanner to replace the Lady Hieda, but why have you kept so quiet about the matter?! Have you even uttered a word to Akyuu herself over this?!"

"She would not do so due to the scope of this goal," Ran laments. "Lady Yukari does not aim to replace the singular 'Akyuu,' as it were."

"You want me to step in for the entire Hieda line?" I gasp. "That… that's ridiculous. Surely Akyuu would oppose the idea, right?"

"There is a reason I haven't included Miss Hieda in our conversation," Yukari halfheartedly concedes, "but that is the full scope of my machinations. Only those concerning our loveable American, of course."

The room goes silent for a moment. There's a lot to unpack in all of this, but my first, visceral reaction is, "What if I said I don't want this?"

"Then I might ask for a specific reason," Yukari brightly demands.

"Well, first, I don't think I want to step on a friend's pride by taking over their work without asking. But I also don't enjoy how my life still sits in your hands. Don't think I forgot a detail like that."

Yukari claps for my rebuttal. "That is something you should keep in mind. Now, remember that I'm not presenting you with an option. I'm informing you of the true nature of you work and how it will evolve." She wags her fan, assuaging, "There should be no true reason for you to decline, Regis. I've placed all the resources, networks, and foundations that you could desire."

I glance to Keine. She returns steepled brows, unsure of what to tell me. I glance to Ran. The fox stares back with burning intensity. I rebuff Yukari, "And if I still said no?"

She sighs, dropping a stack of papers next to me. "Then I will have to wait until you are ready. I would prefer to avoid punishing you, as that hardly engenders trust, but if you will force my hand…"

"You will do no such thing," Ran demands, tightening her hold on her master. Keine steps ahead of me, coiling into a ready stance with a scroll in hand.

"Oh, fie!" Yukari squeals through Ran's sleeve.

Ran's tails and arms lock in on themselves. Yukari's features seem to… shred. Her face scatters into thin ribbons, further dissipating in the air of the classroom. The hints of her frilly dress, and the purple tabard, disappear as well, leaving only Ran's blue article visible under the clutching tails.

"You all are no fun," Yukari's disembodied voice fills the room. "I didn't even get to tell you about your assignment! Oh well, you'll figure it out…"

Her voice echoes through the room for a few moments after her final words, piercing our persons like she might appear again at any moment. Once silence captures the three of us, I hover over the stack of papers.

"Hecatia Lapis Lazuli," Ran announces before I can process its absurdity.

[Please wait warmly as teacher freaks out…]

[... Continued]

"What the hell..?" I breath out, tracing my eyes from the papers up to Ran. She looks at me with her usual, piercing stare. "The two of you drop all that on me and now this? Are you gonna tell me I'm actually undead while we're at it?"

She stays still for a spell, showing no reaction to my misgivings. "I believed you were in the right to know," she eventually elects to share, her brows lowering.

I bark a laugh at the thought. "I should be mad that you knew and didn't tell me, but I'm not. Just disappointed. It figures you'd know Yukari's master plan, among other things," I bemoan to my partner. She doesn't defend against my accusations, and it takes a tug at my sleeve from Keine to center myself. I sigh, and lower the acid in my voice, "I guess it's not your fault what Yukari's doing, so I can't be too mad. But going after the literal goddess of hell? I'm not sure what she's expecting of me."

"No doubt another test of hers," Keine warns, crossing her arms in thought. "She wants to see how far you can go before breaking, Tanner."

"She hasn't found it yet, at least. Even killing me couldn't keep me down," I take to a bit of gallows humor at my plight.

"She's also likely what's keeping you alive for as long as you're considered useful," Keine growls.

Ran expels her own sigh, and notes, "That is unfortunately her approach with a majority of individuals. Not in the extremes of life and death, but of ascribing purely utilitarian values to operate within."

Keine turns away from Ran. "It's disgusting," she says.

"And a lot more important than you let on," I challenge my partner's explanation. "Yukari clearly doesn't want me to think about what it means for my life to be so long. If I'm around it also strips Akyuu's motive to reincarnate, as I'd be doing her job indefinitely."

"Lady Yukari does understand that you may consider yourself a planted servant. This is not her intended purpose for you. She acts with the belief that you are a willing participant who will agree to the role regardless of your opinion of her," Ran tries to mitigate my opinion of the circumstances at play.

"I refuse to serve Yukari, Ran. It's really that simple," I grunt back. "In fact, let me make it clear that for all I despise in Aya, it doesn't even begin to compare to the hatred I feel for Yukari. I will never get along with someone who sees people as tools, or pieces on a chessboard."

Ran's proud, upright stance falters as she lowers her gaze from me. "Tanner… Every decision she makes is in support of Gensokyo. Please, trust her commands and you will come to the same conclusion."

"I'm sorry, Ran, but I won't ever be able to do that."

I can hear her deflate in the silence that follows, broken only by distant activity in the village. Though she's disheartened, she doesn't leave, waiting for Keine or I to continue the conversation.

Keine's the one to extend an olive branch, though she remains turned away, "More immediately, then, what do you both plan to do about this next assignment? Hell is not quite the same as the tengu village, despite your utter disdain."

I tap my foot, annoyed that Yukari saw fit to give me my most absurd assignment yet. Or… would Rumia be the most absurd if I knew about the consequences beforehand? Either way, "I'm gonna have to find a way to hell, right? What's that look like?"

"You start by going to the Sanzu River," Keine answers. "I know little else, though. Akyuu supposedly works at the Ministry of Right and Wrong between reincarnations, but I'm not sure if you want to, ah… involve her at the moment."

Talking to Akyuu would definitely prompt a slew of other things, that's for sure. "I'll consider the idea… And I'll try not to let recent knowledge take the wheel," I promise halfheartedly. I then glance over to my partner, who's had a furrowed brow since the change in topic. "What're your thoughts, Ran?"

She straightens out, deciding on her words for a moment before stating, "It is ill advised to travel to hell itself."

I'm immediately back to challenging her, still a bit of fire in my belly from moments ago, "Yeah, I get that it's hell, but we're gonna need to go there to talk to its goddess."

"You could alternatively invite her to Gensokyo to conduct your interviews."

"No way I'm getting everything I need out of a few conversations," I disagree. "How does that work, anyway? We send a letter to the Ministry and they pass it on to her or something?"

"Traveling there would mean subjecting yourself to the residents of hells realms. I can not– under my duty as your guard– let you travel there," Ran demands.

I put down her frets as sternly as I can. "Ran, you haven't stopped me before, what makes this time so different?"

She walks across the room, between the desks, to come right up to me, and insists, "Hell is not meant for humans such as yourself." Turning to Keine, she adds, "Why are you not more concerned, Kamishirasawa?"

Keine holds up a hand to stave off the claim, "I am worried. But I'm also not used to you reproaching Tanner's foolhardiness."

"Gee, thanks you two," I complain.

"Shut up for a second, Tanner," Keine bites, pivoting on her heel back to Ran. "How many times have you two worked together and you actively suggested his safety above your objective? Is this the first time? Do you act this uncaring with Yukari as well?"

Ran looks to want to talk back, the words festering in her throat, but she knows better than to talk back to Keine of all people. I put a hand to Keine's shoulder, and plea, "Hey, you're lighting up the wrong person. I get myself into trouble. She does what she–"

Keine shoots me a look and I swallow my words. Her usually rounded, loving eyes are sharpened to points cruel enough to challenge Ran's typically judgemental glare. She's well and truly insulted by this show of concern that probably contains an ulterior motive, and she doesn't plan to let up until Ran understands how she feels.

Ran averts her gaze from the woman a head shorter than her, takes a breath, and bows to say, "My apologies for not properly protecting your lover. My negligence warrants your callousness."

"Ran, that's enough," I disparage the farce.

"I'm not sure that is enough, Tanner," Keine keeps to her acid and vitriol. "She's complicit to everything Yukari is doing. I don't think I can turn a blind eye, anymore."

I pick Keine up in a hug, binding her arms and getting her face right up to mine. Ran looks up to see the commotion I cause with Keine's objections. I can feel her hot breath pester me with every threat to put her down. I squeeze harder and shout, "Keine! Listen to me!"

She hold her ire for a moment, her expression softening from it's hatred to a simpler frustration. I tell her, "Ran is my partner. I trust my partner with my life. Even if I'm mad at her, or her master, that doesn't change my trust in her."

Keine frowns at the assertion, planting her forehead against me. "I'm your partner, too," she reminds me.

"And I trust you just as much. I'm only asking that you go easy on my best friend," I beggar, letting her down.

She purses her mouth for a moment. "Fine," she gives in. "Maybe I'm being too harsh on Ran at the moment, despite everything you've been through." After a moment she adds, "Ran also wasn't the one to lie about your many injuries, mister."

"One thing at a time, honey dearest," I rib. Ran tries to hide her anguish with her usual lame mask, but I can pinpoint the faults in her brow and creases in her cheeks that betray her. It comes with knowing the stoic fox for long enough.

A thought occurs from what Keine said, "Ran, does this have to do with your previous life in hell? Are you worried about going back?"

She flinches. "Do not ascribe my misgivings as personally charged, Regis," she complains. "This is my direct assessment concerning your safety."

Keine finds renewed interest in the great Youkai, "Hold a moment, Ran, you hail from hell?"

"It is a past life, Kamishirasawa. There is no bearing on it for me in the present day," Ran holds firm in distancing herself.

"Well, regardless," I stumble on, scratching through my hair, "we need to go down there. Yukari won't leave it at inviting Hecatia up to Gensokyo, that much I'm sure."

"This will be dangerous. We need to be well prepared," Ran cautions, a hint of spite on her lip.

"And how do I prepare for hell, exactly?" I snap back.

Ran remains quiet. Is she really replying by reflex? It's strange to see her on the backfoot, not thinking through her logic.

"Perhaps we should reconvene in the morning when we've had time to level our heads," Keine compromises, seeing that this discussion has caused more problems than it's solved.

Ran and I agree it's probably for the best and we part for the day. When I get home I'm quick to settle in at the living room table and tear through the collection Yukari assembled. Emphasis on assembled, as the papers I have on hell are… scattered. No direct article from Akyuu, but plenty on the yama, the shinigami, and a few places that lead up to the realm itself. A formal document from the Ministry of Right and Wrong identifying Gensokyo as a sub-dimension with enough residents to warrant its own branch post. A little above my paygrade. And, of all things, a tourist brochure. It shows several locations of importance to the primary dominion of hell like the Ministry, the pits, new blood lake, and details the activities and museums in the area.

Setting aside the irony of tourism in hell, I have to wonder what the fuck the performance hall is like. Death metal every night? Duels to the death? Stand up comedy?

It's all distractions from my main concerns, though. First, there's woefully little on Hecatia for how important she is. I'm not as bothered by this lack of proper sitrep as I should be, as anything's better than what I had on Eternity, but it does leave a lot of questions on what sort of position the goddess of hell is in such that nobody wants to write about her.

My other worry is if I can actually enter. I mean, I can literally enter, but there's little material explaining if I have to follow some process to legally enter. The Ministry sounds like it puts the bureaucracy of the tengu village to shame, but there's way too little documentation here to tell me what I should do. If Yukari wants me to ram my face into the building I guess I can. Not like she'd guide me in any helpful way.

I go to bed that night wondering what sort of place hell could even look like. I have so little information to base my expectations on that I just hope it doesn't look like the American Midwest. Nothing's quite as boring to look at as a flat suburbs.

The next morning I prepare everything I can for a rough trip. Extra clothing, plenty of medical supplies, more water than I probably need, but who knows if hell has the concept of hydration.

I wait at the table for Ran to show herself. I felt her presence while I was packing, but she still hasn't entered, and I don't know why. Keine comes in after a bit, doing her usual morning routine, beginning with checking the door for any papers.

"Ahh!" she yelps when she finds Ran standing right behind the paper screen, collapsing back onto the tatami. A couple breaths later she finds the wherewithal to reprimand, "Why are you standing so close?! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"She's been there for a while. I was starting to wonder if I was imagining things, but it appears our fox wanted to stay quiet," I explain, standing from my seat to help Keine to her feet. "So are you coming in or not? Staring at our door can't be very interesting."

"You would be surprised at the level of craftsmanship it takes to create a lasting screen door," Ran jokes. It's obvious she doesn't want to bring up why she was listlessly waiting, but I have my suspicions.

We settle at the table, Ran taking a seat of her own volition. "So, now that we've had a night, I think I have a quick idea of what we may need to get to the Ministry of Right and Wrong," I open the floor to yesterday's topic.

"I'm going to stop you now and say don't take people to places against their wishes. That goes doubly so for hell," Keine is quick to catch on.

"I wasn't gonna ask anyone… against their wishes," I amend. "I was actually thinking of people that might have a better sense of the whole life and death ordeal that could get their foot in the door better than us."

"Tanner…" Keine narrows her eyes at me, ready to begin scolding any second.

I duck my head as I continue, "Look, it would be a good time to get Akyuu and ask her about all this. The hell trip might be a bit of an outlandish excuse, but she expects that of me by now."

"And if Lady Hieda declines your advances?" Ran questions. "She is wise to ulterior motives due to her constant communications with Youkai."

"Then I'll grab Mokou," I state like it's obvious, thumbing to the nearby Forest of the Lost. "Nobody wants to get into the afterlife more than an immortal, if I got the gist of it."

"The shinigami ferryman would refuse her travel on principle," Ran contests.

"And have done so to her on a number of occasions," Keine confirms.

"You think anyone would see a nine-tailed fox, an immortal, and a pseudo immortal and not wonder what the hell is going on?" I offer a plausible explanation, so ridiculous it sounds like a joke. "C'mon, they'd be so baffled they wouldn't know what to do with us. We could practically walk in at that point."

They look at me like I'm utterly insane. I swear I'm not, but that's what I'm banking on. So, who to ask for help?

[x] Akyuu, she's a little involved even if she doesn't know it.

[x] Mokou, who's got a vested interest in the whole mortality business.

[x] I could always try someone else. (Write-in)

[X] Someone else: is Kasen available?

"You want me to go to hell?" Kasen paraphrases my request. We've once again caught her just after feeding her menagerie, now cleaning the perimeter of her sunny little dojo with a rake. I do feel a pang of jealousy at the warmth here compared to the approach shrouded in mist or the early winter beyond.

"That is not what I said at all," I complain to her coy attitude. "When I say, 'I want you to join Ran and I as we travel to hell,' no part of that sentence contains that double entendre."

"Yet it has all the same connotations for someone like myself," Kasen combats. "Going to hell is not as simple as walking there, nor is it as welcome to visitors as the village." She waves off the massive tiger scouting us from the side, an overzealous guard to its master's home.

I persist in my request, knowing she'll eventually cave due to her good nature, "Well, we're going either way, and I would really like your help talking with some of the officials we'll need to meet."

She pinches the bridge of her nose with a sigh, and looks at my partner beside me. "How are you not bothered by this, Ran? Aren't you opposed to this obscene idea?"

"It is indeed obscene," Ran corroborates, "but my reservations are inconsequential. Lady Yukari will want us to physically travel to hell, a point Tanner deduced and is difficult to refute."

Kasen stares at her for a moment, and wonders, "Why would Yukari want that? What's there to gain out of you two talking to the ruler of hell?" She scratches at her bandaged arm in thought, wishing to pluck the needle from the haystack that is Yukari's mind.

"You might get the chance to figure that out if you come with," I pivot, ignoring the sharpness of the angle. "We haven't got a clue ourselves, annoying as it is."

Kasen prods me with the end of the rake, rebuffing, "I still have every reason not to go, Tanner. A Gensokyo sage, one who's rather active, would draw a few unwanted eyes in that realm."

"Even though we're going to talk to the top brass?" I contend, before waving off my own argument. "No, I guess it would be odd. Think of it like this, then: what if you consider it as active outreach for better relations? Instead of having to speak with key figures when something goes wrong down the line, you can speak with them proactively alongside Ran and I." I can see my argument only has partial sway with her, screwed face and tilted head openly stating her skepticism. "I guess that kinda work would be better for Yukari and Okina instead of us, huh?"

She narrows her eyes at me. "... While the idea of those two speaking to anyone of importance sours my mood, that doesn't push me closer to joining you."

"Worth a shot," I joke.

"We would also need to pass directly through the Ministry of Right and Wrong for passage to hell. Far from ideal circumstances for a hermit," Ran further dissuades.

"Wait, what are you talking about? What does that mean?" I question my partner, this information somehow new to me.

Kasen paces back towards her house, answering for Ran, "She means one of the functions of the Ministry is to capture hermits who live past themselves. Every so often a kishin might be assigned the duty of tracking a hermit they are specifically suited to trap, though it hasn't happened to me. That said, there's a real chance I'm detained as soon as we walk inside." She shrugs like this is a given fact.

I glance over to my partner. "You didn't think to mention that on our way over?"

"It is only a minor subject of interest," she completely fibs.

I draw out a heavy sigh, trying to find my next in. "You said they haven't sent one after you, though, Kasen?"

"No, not as of yet," she confirms. "It was only some years ago that they sent one after that wicked hermit Kaku."

I point out something that feels obvious but maybe hasn't been dissected, "So would they really send a kishin after you?"

Kasen pauses as she sets down the rake against her house, and turns to me with a baffled blink. "I don't quite follow, Tanner," she utters.

"Well… how long are you supposed to live?" I reply. "Suika's still around, and I don't think she's practicing any forbidden arts."

Kasen shakes her head, denying the supposition, "Living beyond one's natural lifespan isn't the sin, it's using hermitic arts at all. It's how I can keep a functioning arm, or create sealed spaces," she explains, raising her bandaged arm and waving to the warm realm around us. "The Ministry doesn't change their methods for Youkai."

"Well, I don't see why not." I point at her arm and argue, "If you asked me if that was something a hermit or an oni does, I wouldn't be able to tell you one way or the other. So why's a taboo against magic exist for magical people?"

"Oh, how I wish I were still so young and naive," Kasen lures out my anger.

"Your younger self razed entire villages, Lady Ibaraki," Ran cuts in.

"Should I believe you have a cleaner record, Ran?"

"Jokes aside," I push the mood away from any further derailing, "have you actually asked anyone what the Ministry plans for you?"

Kasen puts her weight to one side, scoffing at the suggestion, "You expect those who send assassins to tell others when they're targeted?"

"You mean including the yama? The judge that comes to Gensokyo to talk to people, and then explicitly tells them why they'll go to hell and how to fix it?"

She stares at me for a pregnant minute, then vacantly out into the woods, slowly narrowing her eyes at nothing. "There's no way it's that easy, right?"

"You truly believe Tanner's baseless reasoning and speculations?" Ran decries the words hitting her tuft ears.

"Here it is, now we need to find the boatwoman to ferry us across." Kasen bites off a dango from a stick, one of the numerous bounties we acquired on the way. I hadn't planned on stopping when we walked through, but she convinced my inner child to splurge on some of the snacks.

We may need to wait, she reasoned. As poor an excuse as any, but my longing for carnival food superceded a number of factors, including Ran's own complaints of sidetracking. Her tune changed when we found a stall selling fried everything, including tofu. She nearly took both it and my hand when I said it was for her. I myself was satisfied to find a funnel cake neatly packaged for travel, among other things. Kasen tore through a lot of her supply as we got to the riverbank, and is now plucking goods of her choosing from me as we stand around.

It's strange, though. I can see the other bank.

"Hey, Ran," I bend my partner's ear as I gaze across the waters.

She seems just as content with looking out instead of searching for the location of the ferrywoman. "Hmm?" she sounds off.

"Didn't you mathematically record the stretch of this river? How many variables were in that calculation?"

"You are curious as to why you can see the other side," she deduces, and picks up a sizable stone from the sediment. She holds it out to me, and instructs, "Toss this as far as you can."

I raise a brow, but do as she asks, chucking the rock as hard as I can. An object of its mass I'd say I can toss thirty meters at most. Don't exactly have the best form. I stare at its arch as it peaks far above our views, catching a bit of the sun in my periphery. Following it back down, it splashes into the water a couple meters from us.

"Wha-?" I gasp.

"So that's what Reimu and Marisa meant when they went across…" Kasen thinks aloud.

"And precisely why it is ill advised to manually cross," Ran completes. "As for your opening question: eighty seven."

As she finished, something comes into our view downriver. A boat, and one red headed woman wearing a blue vest and skirt. She pulls the oar out of the water, revealing it to be not a paddle, but a scythe. She brushes the blade of any blemishes and tosses it across her shoulders to free her hands and tie the boat to a miniscule dock. Without the boat there, I didn't even recognize the wooden platform sticking into the water.

Kasen starts walking over to the woman, tossing aside a stick that once skewered a candied apple. The woman finishes with the rope and catches a glance of us, whipping two uptied ponytails about the side of her head when going for a full view.

"What the– what are you doing here, Kasen?" she greets our hermit when we get close enough to see how loosely she wears her clothes.

"The only thing anyone comes here to do: cross," Kasen replies, stopping several paces away from the woman. "What about you? Tying up your boat midday? Run out of souls to ferry?"

"Why, I'm just taking a short break after some long, hard work is all," the shinigami expounds, stamping her scythe from her shoulders to the wood in attempt to seem imposing.

"Could you make an unscheduled trip for us?" Kasen requests for us.

The shinigami puckers her lips and nods, taking stock of our group. "Well, I know two of you are right in the head, so I'll not bother talking you out of it. My boss will have plenty to say, anyway, so you don't need to hear it twice." She passes her scythe across one shoulder and looks over at me. "I don't know who that is, though."

She lifts a foot, and Ran throws her arm in front of me. When the shinigami should lower her foot just off the dock, she is suddenly in my face, past Kasen. The oni hermit swivels her head, tracking the movement on a small delay. The shinigami follows Ran's sleeve back to its owner, giving a curled brow to the fox.

"You don't need to be so defensive, Miss Yakumo. I won't take him before his time," the ferrywoman tries to assuage my bodyguard, casually shrugging. She smiles at me with a sort of hunger in her eyes. The leer of a reaper can't possibly be a good omen. "I am curious, though. What's got a nine tailed fox, a regular human, and whatever Ibaraki calls herself these days going across this little river?"

"Nothing we're obligated to tell you, shinigami," Kasen remarks, passing around the woman to my open side. "You really shouldn't be showing your slacking and gossipy nature when asking that."

The shinigami backs off, raising her hands as if to surrender. "Only want to hear good stories, miss hermit. A regular human flanked by two Youkai has to be some story. But if all you want is to go across, you know the price." She raises her hand in a cup, and demands, "Everything on your persons. Hand it over."

Kasen closes her eyes and sighs, refuting, "If that's your price we'd be better off flying."

The shinigami feigns a voice of concern with an exaggerated frown, "You sure you don't want my help? It could take you quiiiite a while to get across, you know."

"Your prices are not affected by the passenger being living or dead, just as the river's distance does not use it as a variable," Ran states. "Souls are immutable and do not require a separation from the body to be brought across. Words you told me verbatim as I studied the expanse of this river. Should we inform the yama of your lie when we meet with her?"

The shinigami swallows her throat at the mention of her boss, and quickly retracts her price, "Hey, now, I'm only joking! No need to be sticks in the mud. Normal prices for a friend and her acquaintances."

I decide to jump in, "Actually, would you like to hear a bit about me in exchange for the ride?"

The woman raises her brows at the proposition, scratching a cheek as she wonders, "Really? I can't say I mind, but you'd better have money if the story isn't worth it."

"Well, I won't tell you why we're crossing, but I could work my way to the part where I was in the center of the incident with the goddess of the night."

The shinigami turns her head slightly in interest, and sets to work untying the boat from its dock. She steps aboard and orders us on with a spot of glee in her voice. Kasen and I get on and take our seats, ready to get moving, but Ran has a moment of pause as she sets her foot onto the vessel.

An odd glance from the shinigami convinces her to set the other foot down, nearly tilting the little craft into the water and earning a quaint scolding of, "Hey! Careful! This boat isn't usually meant for multiple passengers." Once we've all settled, the boatwoman uses her scythe to push us from the dock, and sets it in the water once more.

I start telling her about my research involving Rumia, and spare no details as we wade across. Shadows beneath the surface trawl past us without any apparent destination, texturing the otherwise calm waters we row through. I lean over the side to get a better look at them as I continue my retelling. What's below us… their sizes… their shapes… nothing like any fish I can imagine. I'm enchanted by them, picturing how they must look out of water.

I feel my collar yanked back, a splash of water preceding the jaws of one of the river's inhabitants launching onto the side of our boat. The shinigami swings her scythe from the water and strikes the creature with the end of the bladed side, knocking it squarely into the water and rocking our craft. Ran looses my collar and helps me back up, making no reprimand nor mention of my error. I still give her a quick word of thanks before trying to trace where I was in my story.

The only other thing to happen on the ride occurs when I spot a woman in a cow print jacket and yellow shorts hovering over the river. She doesn't see us at first, detaching one of the fishlike creatures from a fishing rod and putting it into a basket on her back before casting another line. When she looks our way, I'm just as struck by the red horns she sports atop her head as she is to see our group. I can't really think of anything more to do than wave. She politely waves back, though clearly confused by the encounter.

And with that we make it to the other shore. While getting my head chomped by a mutant fish could be a sign of things to come, it would also be the stupidest fortune conceivable, so I'll ignore it for the time being.

We depart the boat onto a field of red spider lilies. It stretches out as far as the eye can see, rolling fields dipping into the horizon. We thank the ferrywoman for passage and she thanks me for my story. I kept out my relation to a few individuals in the tale, but otherwise needed very little embellishment in the retelling. She bids us to not dawdle in this purgatorial space, Higan, and begins her trip back to the living shore.

"So how far to the Ministry of Right and Wrong?" I ask.

Neither of my companions answer, each attempting to conjure a plausible answer.

Ran deflects the question, instead asking me, "Do you have an explanation prepared for the yama as to why we are appearing before her?"

"What do you–..." No, I think I get what she means. It may be a bit volatile to outright tell the yama that we want to see the ruler of hell out of nowhere. And it may be doubly so if I state the truth of my work under Yukari's thumb. Could I possibly hide such a fact from the yama? That may be besides the point.

I should piece together my reasoning while we have a few moments of walking.

[x] I'll be direct and tell her that I'm looking to speak with Hecatia.

[x] I should tell her that we're passing through for our own business, like we did with the shinigami.

[x] I'll tell her something else. (Write-in)

E/N: None of you get to make jokes about the word 'pregnant' because I already did.

Voting ends on:

[x] I'll be direct and tell her that I'm looking to speak with Hecatia.

The flowers stretch for miles in all directions. I'd have a hard time telling if we've been walking straight if it wasn't for Ran taking the lead. The sun bears overhead, but without any semblance of providing warmth. I wish I'd paid it more attention when we first set our feet upon this endless fertile soil, as I suspect it doesn't actually follow the regular midday rhythm that comes with rising and setting.

I ask Kasen bits and pieces about how she knew that shinigami, but receive little to explain their interaction. She's not usually close-chested with what she knows, but I guess it isn't surprising when they're supposed to be enemies.

Eventually, after passing over dozens of soft hills, we begin to see a building rear up a short distance away. How we weren't able to see it before now is a problem I'd rather not tackle. Especially for something of this size. It's a proper courthouse, built to impress anyone that should look at it. Large columns of marble stretch the entire front wall, corralling a heavy pair of wooden doors in the center. As we come up to the smooth stone steps, I notice evidence of regular polish having worn away, with cracks appearing between the slabs. The columns, in all their grandiosity, also have nicks in them from their time in the sun, only apparent as we pass them.

The doors look more recently replaced, yet to tarnish in the sun. Ran sits to the side of the door, waiting for me or Kasen to enter first. I grab one of the vertical handles, but stop when my partner taps me on the shoulder.

"What will be your statement to the yama, Tanner?" she asks, making sure our statements will line up.

I've been considering it for a while now, just haven't had the gall to tell them. I look over at Kasen, who's still largely relaxed despite the nature of our trip, and tell them, "We want to see Hecatia. Keep it simple, don't pull any tricks."

Kasen sighs, "This is going to take a while."

"Eh, I'm sure it beats security in the outside world," I joke, hauling open the door and stepping in.

The entryway is carpeted, with a dark wooden trim that matches the doors riding out into hallways on both sides. The walls are left bare, with little decoration save the wooden slats that rise to a low ceiling. Everything is in a similar state to the front, with only occasional pieces replaced with newer fixtures. Oil lamps stand at regular positions to light the corridor, though at a second glance I realize they're electric bulbs inside the opaque glass.

Ran passes to block one of the open halls, motioning me to the open door just across the entrance. Inside I can see what must be the courtroom, and walk in without instruction.

This inner chamber is built with a high ceiling, allowing a massive chandelier to hang over a hearing stand that sits in the center. The rest of the room is more utilitarian, with patterns in the wooden floor fighting against any remarks of plainness. The wood slatted walls feel like they need to stretch beyond their means to reach the ceiling, bolstered by square pillars fixed between every few.

A cluttered desk at the back carries stacks of papers, an old computer, and an ornate mirror, obscuring the woman sitting behind it. An assistant sits off to the side with their own desk and another old computer. The assistant wears similar clothes to the ferrywoman, though with extra embellishment and a lot more care to wrap the cloths tightly. I don't get a look at her face. It's obstructed by a curtain hanging from a flat cap. The most I can tell is that her eyes widen at the sight of us.

Moving towards the stand, Kasen takes the lead, motioning for us to follow. The woman in the far desk pokes a head of green hair over the mess, glaring with the clear intent of telling someone off before changing to confusion.

"Not one, but three unexpected individuals come to my court," she begins, standing from her seat and donning a triple pointed cap with a golden emblem of a scale adorning the front. Her bearing, and her clothes, are militant. Official. "What brings three living souls to The Ministry of Right and Wrong? Furthermore, my court is empty. Such is a rare occasion that you should feel lucky for."

"A good day when nobody dies, right?" I humor the judge. Kasen elbows me for the joke, seeing no room for levity right now.

The judge turns to her assistant and directs, "Stenographer, search these three in the records for me, as I only know two of them personally."

Ran, Kasen, and I remain silent as the assistant types away on her keyboard. The room is large enough that the keys don't even echo, unlike our voices. Especially the judge's.

"I apologize," the judge picks up from before, "my comment may have led you to think this is an informal meeting." She steps out from her desk, retrieving a sort of baton– more like a miniature fence post– as she passes to the front. Symbols written in black lettering on the golden post suggest some capacity beyond ornamental. "Understand that any meeting in this room is formal. Whether you be newly passed or still living."

"Your honor," the assistant speaks up, "I have the records for all three pulled up, but…"

"But?" the judge repeats in a patient tone, as if she's waiting to be set off.

"I don't think you would believe me if I said it aloud. Look here."

The judge struts over to the assistant's desk, the veiled woman scraping her chair out of the way to make space before the monitor. She starts, "This is the oni's record. Everything looks fine." A key clacks. "This is the kitsune's, same thing." Another press, and the judge tightens her brow looking from the monitor to me a couple of times.

"Someone must have set the record incorrectly, or this system is wrong," the judge determines, slapping the monitor fruitlessly. "That is simply not possible. Not for a human."

She walks away from the desk, the assistant calling for advice on what to do with this information, but getting no response from her superior.

The judge stands before her desk once more and addresses us, "The three of you are in my courtroom. The courtroom of Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu. I will confirm your identities and you will respond 'that is I' in turn."

She points her baton to Kasen. "Ibaraki-douji, current alias Kasen Ibaraki. Current existence of oni once human. Age one thousand seventy eight by calendar year."

"That is I," Kasen states.

Next Ran. "Ran, current alias Ran Yakumo. Current existence of kyuubi, formerly a kitsune, originally a fox. Age one thousand one hundred sixty three.

"That is I," Ran states.

Lastly, myself. "Tanner Christian Regis. Existence of human. Age forty four."

"That is I… Was there something off on my record?" I can't help but ask.

The yama shakes her head. "I think not. Your record shows you as deceased but without a date of death. As you are clearly brimming with life, this appears to be an error on the Ministry's end," she informs us. Then, she bows, saying, "Please, accept my apologies on the Ministry's behalf. I will personally ensure no shinigami will attempt to collect you."

"Oh, uhm. Thanks?" I mutter, taken aback by the idea that I'd be hunted for being dead. Given Kasen's explanation about hermits, I can imagine how unpleasant that must be.

The yama rises and continues with her proceedings, "Now that introductions are complete, we may move to more important matters." She draws a pocket mirror from her skirt, and presents it to us. "You will look into this mirror and I will give you advice to avoid time in hell."

"Do you want me to record this session, your honor?" the assistant asks from her small desk.

"No, living souls only receive advice. Nothing I say will be considered for their final judgements," she dictates. "Draft a notice for this human to be off limits. I want no one to threaten him until we understand the failure in our system."

"Yes, your honor."

The yama looks between the three of us, waiting for a volunteer before directly pondering, "Which of you will be first?"

"What if we do not wish to be guided?" Kasen challenges the notion of someone determining her faults.

"Then I pity your soul, for it will not be granted mercy from sins you did not know you committed," the yama threatens.

"You plan to state our sins openly for our peers?" Ran jumps in as well.

The judge points her baton at the fox, arguing, "If you would appear before me to request something, then you must trust your companions with your innermost being. It is the right of souls in Higan to be judged. The difference is that I do not judge those who are living."

"So our peers judge us," Ran finishes, passing an eye over Kasen and I. She attempts to look resigned, but a nervous curl in her lip suggests otherwise.

"If it's the pocket mirror, what's the point of the one on your desk?" I ask, pointing to the massive vanity taking up a third of her desk.

She puffs at this, "Many come here hoping to see the most austere establishment in existence, and I feel a personal responsibility to uphold that image. So that mirror does function the same as the one in my hand. That said, it is heavy."

"Uh… huh…" I breath, not sure what to comment about the consideration for aesthetics despite inconvenience.

The yama, hearing no further objections, asks again who's going first. Kasen glares her down, but without animosity. No, it's more like she's resolving herself as she's the first to volunteer.

The yama takes the mirror up to our hermit, and allows Kasen to look into it from the hearing stand for some minutes. It feels longer as the only sounds to mark the passing time are the clacking keys at the assistant's desk and the yama humming and hawing in understanding.

"Yes, I do believe I have a grasp of this current you, Ibaraki," the judge declares with a snap of the pocket mirror's clasp. This shocks Kasen out of some sort of trance, forcing her to reassess her bearings. The yama continues, "You have moved on from your past in a way not many can, nor have the time to do so. I dare say you are a living example of the possibility in attaining enlightenment within a single life."

She makes a show of moving behind her desk and opening a drawer. Some hefty books are stacked onto the already packed desk until she finds a particular volume she dusts the cover off of. "Taoist practices, specifically hermitic arts, will be your undoing, in time." She flips through pages after checking the back, and even then the thick tome is littered with an obscene amount of words, forcing a few extra turns. "We tell humans to not practice them as though they technically achieve the same state, they learn none of the lessons along the way. You, dear oni, are one of the last surviving examples of a Youkai practitioner. Which means we will be patient with your opinion turning to ours." Tapping her finger on a spot, she reads aloud, "Any naturally persistent Youkai, whose existence remains stable through a change in temperament, shall be given ample time to understand these forbidden arts are not the ultimate truths they offer, and be given thirty percent of the years beyond their natural lifespan to come to these terms."

The judge shuts the book with a loud thud, storing the pieces back into her desk, before continuing, "That is the formal part I need to describe for all hermits. I find that to be your lesser fault, however."

"Lesser?" Kasen is struck by the word, taking her personal pursuits to be the worst as a given.

"Mmm," the yama puts an open palm to her cheek, searching for the right words. "You are in a unique role. One of the sages of Gensokyo. Objectively a role of leadership, and yet… why are you here right now?"

Kasen's jaw hangs for a second before she collects herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to truthfully announce, "Tanner was the one who asked me to come… I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"You understand the problem. Meditate on it more than your glimpses beyond the veil."

Kasen clenches her hand into a white-knuckled brace, restraining herself from comment. She steps away from the booth in robotic jolts, leaving my partner and I to put out our dirty laundry. The judge patiently waits for which of us folds first. I don't know about Ran, but for me this whole thing is…

My partner steps into the booth, allowing the yama to open the pocket mirror and repeat the process. She remains steady when the mirror closes, not confused like Kasen was. Instead, she appears shaken, taking breaths that audibly shiver.

I'm about to put a hand to her shoulder when the judge pats her arm. This act earns the official a mix between a sneer and a grimace. Ran's bared teeth choke out, "Is pity all you have to comment?"

The yama looks at her, unphased by the contempt she's given. "No, but if I am unable to show sympathy for those I judge there is little point to the role, do you not agree?"

"I could care less," Ran practically growls.

The judge continues, clearly planning to do so regardless of my companion's behavior, "Yours are very human fears, Ran. And as a judge, I understand more than most the weight of guilt. Guilt in not being who you wish to be. Guilt in not being strong enough to protect those you love. While not unique to you, they are yours. And will be your undoing, if you cannot forgive yourself. It will only take one misstep, in spite of your long path of soulsearching, to return to the mindless shikigami you were."

Ran fails to formulate a cohesive sentence for a while. Hell, she can't even muster a syllable to combat the condemnation. The most she lisps is a curt, "I will consider your words," before stepping from the podium.

I'm the last one left, and ascend the podium feeling like my nerves might just leave my body. The judge looks at me, taking a long breath through her nose before she shifts the subject, "I understand you may have some reservations over this discussion, Tanner."

"What?"

The judge gestures to me. "Your middle name. In your birth place, such a name is given for a reason, as I understand."

I feel a bit flush at the cheeks for such a topic to be brought up at a time like this. I explain to her, "No, it's… My parents put me in Sunday school– church, I mean– as a child, but I never had much faith. It… should tell you a lot about my household before whatever that mirror does."

She hears that I'm ready, and offers me to look at the pocket mirror. I crane my neck down, and stare into my reflection.

It's disorienting, and yet it's also like any other experience. No, like every other experience. All at once. It's what I imagine the term 'life flashing before your eyes' means. I see the people I once called family. The military officers that all knew I joined too young, but turned a blind eye. My university that I was promised great things by. The school that made up the wastrel years of my life after. And lastly, here, Gensokyo. The place I feel like I should be. With Ran and Keine in it.

The pocket mirror is closed, reminding me that I'm still inside the courtroom, and now subject to the yama's judgement.

She gives me a much surer declaration than my friends, "You would have died to your misery, were it not for Yakumo's intervention. To say you were killing yourself would imply that you were an active participant in your own life, making choices instead of pure idleness. So much self loathing, so much hostility to the world. Such a blackened soul would have been destined to the animal realm, had it appeared before me. I am glad that you have found new life during your time in Gensokyo."

"It's a work in progress," I try to not let her words root in me, despite the fact that they've always been there.

"A progress towards becoming a Youkai or a regress towards old habits… You will need to work hard to solidify yourself as a person, and not a victim of circumstance. You failed once before, remember that," she orates, slapping the baton across her open palm.

With that verdict, she backs up and leans on her desk, continuing, "I see your condition is serious, however. Yakumo's trick to keep you from death is an interesting one, though I know not its origin. It does explain the air of death that hangs upon your soul like a malignant tumor. Even now."

"So not even you know what's happened to me?" I confirm.

The yama pauses, screwing her lips in annoyance. "I do not know. Trust that I would advise you if I did." She rounds behind her desk once more, and concludes, "Now that this session is over, I hope you all keep each other close to heart as you leave. So what are you truly here for?"

"We wish to go to hell and meet with Hecatia Lapislazuli," I don't hold punches.

The judge furrows her brow at such an ask, but allows, "I sense no lie upon your tongue, not that I would ever expect a sane person to lie about that. Give me a moment and I will call her."

"Lady yama, you would do that for us?" Kasen asks as the judge taps a few keys on her computer before picking up the receiver to a phone hidden behind the papers.

"It's no trouble, we just need to hope she is at home." Several clicks of a rotary dial later and the yama sits, waiting for the line to connect.

"Lady Lapislazuli?
This is the Yamaxanadu.
There are a few individuals seeking audience with you.
No, no lunarians.
What? Are you certain?
I… will let them know."

The receiver dings as the phone is placed on it again, and the yama stands to inform us, "Lady Lapislazuli is not receiving visitors."

"She said no?" Kasen mutters. "I thought she would love guests."

"It's been an odd period in hell, truth be told," the yama confides. "The lady has been acting reclusive and much of the decision making has been left to languish. Having individuals such as yourselves meet her would be a boon for the realm."

"So you'll help us meet her anyway?" I test the waters.

"No," she flatly denies. "I can let you into hell, but beyond that I cannot show favoritism to souls, living or dead."

"Well, shit… now what?" I openly wonder.

"We could always go to where she lives," Kasen suggests. "It's not like she can deny that she's at home right now."

"And give her reason to despise our presence?" Ran challenges. "No, it would be more pragmatic to visit a place she frequents outside of her home."

"I do know a cafe she dailies, at the very least," the yama gives us another parting gift.

"In that case, I think…"

[x] We'll have a better chance of literally getting our foot in the door if we go to where she lives.

[x] We'll have a better chance of flagging her down at that cafe.

[x] There's plenty of other sights to see in hell, aren't there? (Write-in, I guess?)

Time for voting: