The window didn't make much sound beyond a patter when I drummed on it, like unsteady rain. My gloves, besides being a showy part of the uniform, were good at dampening those sounds. It still would have annoyed anyone around -- if I wasn't the only one in that lonely sweatbox of a patrol station. As it was, I was free to drum away, ready to slide the window open if somebody did show up. If only I'd brought a book.

My ears drooped as I gave a sigh. Half a bloody week since I received orders to report to my new outpost. Nevermind that I lived in a settlement on one of the furthest (and cheapest) peaks. No, Koyomi, you're needed for the "good of Tengu Society". That's why I joined up with the guard officially out of academy, of course. My definition of doing good for society, however, must have been different from theirs.

You see, while this merry band of castoffs that I belonged to was officially called the Mountain Outpost Peacekeepers, meant as a way for the higher-ups to maintain a certain presence in what would otherwise be the outlands, we were functionally little more than a tourist information booth. Not a decade ago, this whole area was an unfarmable mess. Now it was a gathering spot for humans and youkai alike. We barely had any jurisdiction over the place, considering it was between us, the kappa, and the humans in terms of territory, and that was probably what made it popular. Any political fallout from our actions, and we'd be without recourse; angry humans and kappa breaking down our doors wasn't something we really wanted to deal with. That's why our everyday role was a safe one: finding and returning lost property, giving directions, promoting businesses by distributing fliers and vouchers, picking up trash...

I wasn't fond of it, but I could do it. The part that chafed me most was the short notice, which left me without much time to find a place to sleep or store my belongings, which were still in a shed back on the furthest peak.

One thing to know about this outpost is that few people lived here. From the constant stream of faces that you could see every night, it may have not seem that way, but this was e

"... what?"

Not more than an hour ago, you'd set foot on a short hike through the forest. A forest nowhere near a mountain. And here you are, standing on the edge of a massive mountain ravine?

"The old guy never mentioned this..."

This is not how you thought you'd be spending your day.

At dinner last night you found yourself parked next to a talkative old man. The guy was clearly there to talk to anyone who would listen, and you don't mind catching an earful from a local when you're visiting a new place. By the time you finally stumbled back to your hotel he'd told you not only the nearby attractions, but the entire history of the town since he was a lad.

One thing in particular kept coming up, though - the nearby shrine. He was insistent on you seeing it. Every anecdote or story he told somehow came back to that shrine.

The hike up to it sounded interesting, so you decided to take that in as part of your vacation. You're not much of a believer in spirits and gods and that, but if the shrine was even half as wonderful as this guy said it was worth seeing. The two hour walk there and back wouldn't be a bad way to start the morning either, and after that, you could see some of the other more normal touristy things you had planned on.

Initially the trail was a bit difficult to follow. It clearly didn't get much use, much like the old man said. But after you got deeper into the forest the undergrowth stopped crowding it out and you were able to follow it easy enough. Stone markers guided you along most of the way.

After a while, though, you lost the markers, so you tried to backtrack. It was clear that you'd lost the trail, as the brush behind you was much thicker than you thought when you first passed through. Eventually, you thought you'd spotted a clearing through the thinning treeline, but... well, here you are - face to face with a several thousand foot drop that shouldn't be here in any reasonable world.

"Jeez!"

A stiff gust of wind from behind catches you by surprise as you're peering over the edge. You steady yourself fine, but th

A reboot of the second chapter of SCIENCE. Pretend like the other one never happened - this is a fresh start.

I'll have a summary up of the first SCIENCE tomorrow, so don't worry if you weren't around for that or if you forgot. I forgot, too. It's been a while since I've written this, and written in general, so bear with me if the writing/characters are a little off. It'll take me a few posts to get back in the groove.

As for update schedule, I'll try to keep it daily (excluding Friday) for now and see how that works out.
================================================
“Mmmm...”

It's morning again. Or maybe it's after noon by now, who knows. It's hard to tell in a cave with no windows. And your sleep schedule is... bad, to say the least.

Opening your eyes, you can see that Nitori's not here. That's nothing abnormal, though. She's able to get by with only a couple hours of sleep, while you need about twelve, so it's not often that your sleep schedules sync up. Heh. You used to think that sleep was for the dead – many late nights were spend hammering away at some formula on that whiteboard in the lab you used to work at.

But, it's been about 16 months since that lab got sucked into a black hole, torn to bits, and spit out in this place that the natives call Gensokyo. About 16 months since you gained your leg Gained a new home. Gained a wife, and a daughter.

Not to be selfish, of course, but you think it wasn't exactly a bad trade off. The outside world didn't fare so well, but, you don't live there anymore. Aside from your madness, which in itself isn't too bad, this new life is so much better than the one you left.

Rolling lazily out of bed, a dozen thoughts buzzing away in the back of your still-not-quite-awake mind, you reach for your clothes. And then, you stop. These ones are pretty nasty. You've probably been wearing them for about a week now. Definitely, you should grab another pair.

But... no, the rest of them are almost as bad. You find one the fairy family structure is a very complicated one. I've spend many nigh

Located Somewhere at the base of the esteemed Youkai Mountain lie a pair of shrines. These shrines are lovely, if humble little things dedicated to the Godess of Changing Leaves and her younger sister, the Godess of Harvest. You know you're supposed to get to those shrines to get this little game started, but ever since the 'board' was set nothing has been easy to find. The Mountain is ringed by walls now, for one, and the shrine, normally easy to reach, is located in the only easy to access area on the base of the mountain. You'd fly there, quick as a wink, too, but there's just one problem...

You can't fly. And neither can most anybody else anymore now that weight is an issue.

You dont really remember much, save that the rules were thrown together quickly. You also remember grabbing your favorite costume quickly. You don't even have time to check what you're wearing, because if there's one thing you remember about the rules was that one thing everyone agreed on was that this game was going to be hard.

You're located at the Base of the Youkai Mountain at the edge of The Bowl. You're currently in a place you remember being called a 'Test Area' for the 'Open Baytah'. You don't know what a 'Baytah' actually is, but you do remember that it was impressed upon you that this area and everything in it was not final and subject to change in the final release. All of this is a bit much for you to take in. You're not the brightest thing in the woods, being a fairy and all.

In this little clearing you find to your back a wall, you are ringed by trees and there is a single path open to you directly in front of you. You got here by sliding down the wall a good few feet and there's no way to climb back up. You're currently wearing a Beta Tester's Concealing Robe. You're armed with a Beta Tester's Knife in your Right Hand. In the pocket of your robe is a Beta Tester's Amulet. What do you do?

---

[ ] Attack
- [ ] Right Hand
- [ ] Left Hand
- [ ] Right Leg
- [ ] Left Leg
- [ ] Other
[ ] Talk
- [ ] To who?
[ ] Inspec

Now with a 'with' instead of an 'and'!

----------

Okay. I think I'm ready.

I think.

I've read the books. I've written sheets. I've drawn a map. I've brought the dice. I've set up the screen. I'm ready.

Now I just need my players. Which I don't have right now.

The problem is that, as much as I hate to admit, I don't actually have that many friends. I spend a lot of my time going around, trying to gather worshipers for my shrine, and most people have come to see me as that priestess from the mountain shrine. So not many people have ever really tried to get to know me.

Fortunately, I'm not completely without friends. And one of my (very few) friends happens to have many friends herself! So all I had to do was ask her to bring some of them over for this. This'll be great; I'll get to meet people, I can unwind and do something I really love, and we'll all play a game together!

The game in question is Dungeons and Dragons, but I'm sure they can see the appeal in it.

My thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door. They're finally here! I hop up and quickly rush over to the door and open it. I find the shrine maiden I was expecting on the other side of it.

"Reimu! You made it!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm here." She's a little grumpy, which I can understand. I kinda strong-armed her into this. "We're here, that is."

"Oh, good. You brought them. Please, come on in, everyone!"

I step aside and allow Reimu's entourage to enter the room. I look them over and find...

VOTE FOR FOUR:

[] Marisa Kirisame, of course. I'd be more surprised if she wasn't here.
[] Remilia Scarlet? And her maid too? Why are they here?
[] Alice Margatroid. A friend of Marisa's, I believe.
[] I'm... not familiar with this woman. Long silver hair,

The pink-haired hermit gave you a polite nod as you poured the tea, “Thanks. So, opening day already then? Are you really expecting anyone to show up? It isn't like you've exactly been running ads or promoting this place.”

“I'm sure my natural charms will bring them, I mean, you're already here aren't you? Customer number one, the lovely Kasen.” you replied with a wry smile.

“Someone has to make sure you stay out of trouble, and I'm the only one who can tolerate you.” she rolled her eyes and gingerly took a sip from her mug.

You poured another mug of tea, taking up a seat next to Kasen at the table, “Aw come on, I'm harmless. Besides, I wouldn't even be turning my home into a teahouse if you didn't ever so subtly suggest it my dear.”

“All I ever said was you're a good cook, and make excellent tea, and it wouldn't be bad if more people could come try it... I never said you should try to actually turn that into a business.”

“Sounds like telling me to open a teahouse to my ears. Besides, it's an excellent way to meet some new people! Living in Former Hell has been so dull, its pretty nice to be able to come back up to the surface, its been ages.”

Ibaraki looked at the eyepatch covering your left eye, “You paid a pretty hefty price the last time you were up here.”

You answered with a grin and a chuckle, raising your mug towards your lips, “It does make an excellent conversation starter. Besides, I still have an eye to admire you with, so I'm thankful for that at least.”

“You're a lost cause Isuke, I don't even know why I try sometimes.” was her response with a heavy sigh.

“You've fallen for me and just won't admit it, that's why. It's alright, I get that all the time.”

The pink-haired hermit glared at you for few heartbeats before sighing, “Right, right sure whatever you say. So, how are you even expecting anyone to even find this place? I'm pretty sure I'm the only visitor you ever get.”

“There's this tengu that I see sometimes, I just let her know I'm openin

Rays of white light nearly blinded me. I put my hands over my stinging eyes, giving myself a few seconds to adjust. Even then, I still had to squint to make anything out.

There was nothing from back home that I could compare this place to. Sure, there were the big oni festivals with all the lanterns hung out everywhere, but those gave off a much warmer glow than these big tube lights the kappa were using. More than that, we just didn't have anything quite like the restaurant I was staring at. If I wasn't seeing spots, I'd have been more impressed by all the fancy technological decorations.

My hands shook as I rubbed my eyes. Even my legs felt unsteady. Good thing I wasn't walking on my big legs -- I'd probably have fallen over and ruined my brand-new black dress. I glanced over my shoulder at all the kappa around me. None of them were looking right at me, but I could feel the stares as they passed by, giving me a wide berth. Obviously they were just jealous that this little earth spider was about to be a star.

I looked back at the front door. What was I getting so nervous for anyway? It was all there on the big, glitzy sign, in the restaurant's foreign-styled name: "The Famous". My big break was waiting for me inside. All I had to do was take the first step and everything would fall into place.

With a deep breath, my heart still fluttering, I slowly walked through the front door. The place was impressive on the inside too: a big, buzzing storm of lights and waiters rushing from one end to the other, and tables filled with people who were dressed to be seen. Nice soft music played in the background. A little tune by the Prismrivers, of course. My mouth felt dry as I walked up to the reception, a desk manned by a sour-faced kappa with slicked-back hair. Like every other kappa, I had to look down to see him, even on his raised chair.

"Hel--" My voice cracked. Spending all morning practising probably wasn't the best idea. "Ahem, hello."

The receptionist didn't even look up. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Um..."

[c] Go back to Hina’s place.

“I should go.”

“Oh? Leaving so early? I thought you’d still want to spend some more time with us.”

“I… I have something to do.”

“I see.” Standing up, Garou and Momiji escort me to the waterfall and bid me farewell as I head into the forest. My steps would come to a halt, however, when Momiji shouts back at me.

“It’s been fun to spend time with you, Ein! Come see me again if you like to talk about anything!”

“Just keep your sisters off me, and we’re done. The last thing I want to see is a bunch of girls lusting over my tail again.”

“Why are you still iffy about having your tail touched?”

“Inubashiri, it’s for your own benefit that you heed his advice.”

“I… uh… okay! I won’t let them jump on you, Ein! I swear!”

You better be, Momiji. You better be…

I make way back to Hina’s home. Sitting on the grass patch, she doesn’t seem to notice me as she’s occupied with a couple of birds that are perched on her hand. She’s let her hair untied again, and seeing the gorgeous tresses fall down to the ground makes me very tempted to jump into them and savour their heavenly scent. I’m too tired to even do anything, so I approach her and unceremoniously plop down beside her.

“Ah, wait! Don’t leave me, little ones!” she pleas as the birds fly off her, obviously spooked by this lonely wolf. “Aw, when I thought I could talk with you for a bit longer… oh, Ein! I didn’t see you coming! Welcome home. How’s your day?”

“Boring,” I answer.

Her smile falters. “Oh, okay. I wasn’t, uh, expecting that. What’s the matter, Ein? Did something trouble you?”

I shift a bit and rest my head upon her lap. “I’m just tired, Hina. Walked around too much.”

“I… I see. It’s been a tough day, hasn’t it?” I nod wordlessly and close my eyes, letting Hina pat me

There are many ways to spend a sunny afternoon in a Tengu base. Sketch the mountain, play cards with your squad, do some exercises, or hell, take a nap in the sun or a shady tree.

Or you could stand in the center of a base, right under a blazing skylight being made fun of by someone pretending to be your new commanding officer. Guess which one I’m doing?

“So… What in the world are we supposed to call you kid?” The wolf tengu in front of me said, looking through my scroll, vaguely interested in what she was actually reading. “And I don’t mean your name. Seriously. A crow and a wolf, would that be worow?” She asked, rolling the scroll up again and tying it shut.

“Are you really the comm-“ I start to say before I get interrupted by her listing off various derogatory names to call me. I had to give her credit; She was decently creative with them. My favorite had to be crolf, since I had never heard that one before.

“Hey Tank, get your tan ass over here!” The girl yelled, causing one of the bulkiest wolf Tengu I had ever seen walked over to the two of us, carrying some sort of pack on his back. Now, I was never short, but this Tengu made me feel like I was tiny.

From the change in air tension, I wasn’t sure if I should dive behind a table or gets behind ‘Tank’.

Thankfully, his look softened as he sighed and took the scroll from her. “Will you stop hazing the new blood Ria? If you keep him from the boss any longer, he’ll break out the soy sauce and pickle jars again.”

“Aw come on, I was just trying to think of what to call him. Not every day you see a wolf with hair blacker than Scout’s wings.” She laughed, trying to hid a small pinch of something her voice. Fear maybe? “I was thinking of calling him Snowball.” She laughed again, louder this time. Funny, I didn’t know they let hyenas into the wolf guard.

“Mix.” Tank said after a moment of consideration. Ria looked like he just smashed a watermelon before she could, then stomped off and grumbled something I couldn’t hear. “Now that she’s off your back…” He grunted, putting the pack down on the table behind him.

“Boss wanted

Nitori has a shirikodama. She needs some salt, so she should lick it.

[ ] lick it
[ ] naw