Do the Right Thing 18 !H8UfLAg.DQ 2011/07/23 (Sat) 21:59 No. 144120 ▼ File 131145835230.jpg - (297.00KB, 600x600 , we gon get tore up.jpg)
Trouble?
Why? Why would you be in trouble?
It's not as if most of what happened last night was your fault. Mostly.
So you kinda wandered off when you probably shouldn't have on your way to see Rikako last night. Sure, you kinda got knocked out by a brain-damaged fairy whose mental state may or may not have somewhat been your fault. Sure, you kinda indirectly got two people poisoned because you just had to wander down a dark alley and nearly get yourself killed.
It's not as if you planned for any of that to happen, though. It just happened.
If anything, you're the victim in all of this.
No, there is no reason for alarm. None at all.
That's why you're going to be cool.
Cool like a cucumber.
Cool like an early morning breeze.
Cool like-
“Here.” Satori says simply, gesturing to a pair of beds.
Looking around, you realize that you had followed your hostess into a bedroom of some sort without realizing it. Or, at least, what you assume to be a bedroom of some sort. The presence of beds in the room lends support to that theory.
“Ahem.”
Oh, right. Right. The bed.
As Yuugi half-lays, half-flops Parsee down onto one bed, you carefully lay Tenshi down on the other. Taking a step back, you wonder if you should fluff her pillow a little, or pull over the blankets a bit. You decide against doing so, though, figuring that she should be warm enough in her clothes
It's strange, though...
Where's her hat?
You had not thought about, but you don't remember seeing her wearing it last night, either.
Did you?
Satori quietly coughs, bringing your thoughts back to the matter at hand.
You think you're in trouble, though you're not sure if you really should be.
At the very least, not enough to panic over.
“This way, then.” Satori beckons, holding the door to the hallway open for you..
“Don't worry, kiddo.” Yuugi quietly says, patting you on the back. “I'll keep an eye on the-”
“I would appreciate it if you came, as well, Miss Hoshiguma.” your hostess says to the oni, her tone sounding more like a command than a request.
Strangely, you can't help but notice how her third eye was still not looking directly at Yuugi herself, even though she was addressing her. If anything, it seems to be currently focused on Medicine, who has been strangely quiet since got back. You can't imagine why, since it's not as if she has anything to worry about.
With Satori continuing to motion for you to step out into the hallway, you quietly comply, and file out the door with Yuugi close behind you.
“Actually, child, I would like for you to wait here, if you would.” you hear Satori say from behind you. Turning to look, you are surprised to see your hostess blocking the door, preventing Medicine from following you.
“Huh? How come?” you hear the little doll-girl ask, confused as to why she should be left out of whatever was about to happen.
“Do not worry, there are merely a few things I must discuss with them. It will not take long, I promise you.” Satori assures the little doll-girl, her tone noticeably softer than it was before.
“Uh, o-okay...” you hear Medicine say uncertainly, as Satori steps out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.
“Uh, Satori? What-”
“This way.” your hostess commands, not waiting for you to finish as she begins to stride back down the hall.
Silently following her lead, wondering just what it is she wants to 'discuss' with just you and Yuugi, that she could not just do right there and then, you soon find yourself in a part of the palace you think you actually recognize. Stopping before yet another door, Satori motions for you to enter what you recognize as the dining room.
As you step through the door, you are greeted by the sight of Rikako sitting at the table, casually sipping something from a cup as she reads what appears to be a newspaper. Glancing up at you, the bespectacled woman's eyebrows rise slightly at sight of you and the large, horned woman walking in.
Greeting her with a casual 'good morning,' she responds with a slight smile and nod, looking in rather good spirits for someone who was nearly brutally killed by a large animal last night. Before you can further inquire about how she is doing, though, Satori briskly walks over to her.
“Miss Asakura, may I have the paper for a moment, please?”
Saying nothing, Rikako briefly glances at you, before handing the newspaper over.
“No, Miss Asakura, there should be no need for that.” Satori says as she quickly skims the front page of the paper, before rolling it up. “This will not take long.”
Holding the rolled-up paper in both hands, Satori crosses back over to you, her three eyes practically boring a hole right through you as she raises her arm into the air, almost as if she were about to-
FWAP!
“Ow!”
...smack you in the head with her rolled-up newspaper.
“That is for wandering off, when you should have been more than aware of how dangerous it was to do so, last night.” Satori says firmly, her eyes staring into your own. “I did not want you wandering these halls alone for a reason.”
“A-about that, I just-” you manage to get out, just as she raises her arm into the the air once again.
FWAP!
“Ow!”
Once again, the paper strikes your head with remarkable force.
“That is for making others worry.” Satori continues, clearly in no mood for excuses or justifications of your actions. “One of your companions had already been attacked. Did you not think, for even an instant, that a sudden disappearance of someone else might be some cause for alarm?”
“Well, y-yeah, I'm really sor-”
FWAP!
“-OW!”
“And this morning? Thoughtlessly wandering into some dark alley in an unfamiliar place, completely alone!” Satori says, her voice now mix of barely-restrained anger and incredulity. “If you wish to disregard your personal safety and well-being, that is your prerogative, but for the sake of those who may feel any sort of attachment to you, you would do well to be mindful of the consequences of your actions! If not for your own sake, then for them!”
For what feels like an eternity, Satori simply stares at you as her words sink in, before suddenly turning her attentions to the oni beside you.
“And you, Miss Hoshiguma!” Satori nearly shouts as she points her paper at Yuugi, actually making the much larger woman visibly flinch. “I care not about what you or your associates do in your daily lives, but when they so much as take part in abducting a guest from my own home?! That is not something I can take lightly, and-”
“Whoa, whoa! Whoa!” Yuugi interrupts, holding her hands up in front of her. “We didn't have anything to do with-”
“With the actual abduction, it was the fairy, and so on. Yes, I am aware of that. But was it the fairy that carried him back into the city?”
“Uh, well, probably no-”
“And into whose care did he ultimately fall for the rest of the night?”
“Uh, mine.”
Glowering up at the nervously-chuckling oni, you're not sure if you should be impressed that someone of Satori's size and build could have such an effect on someone so much larger and stronger than she was, or utterly terrified.
If nothing else, you have a strong feeling that your hostess has cemented herself a place on your personal 'Not to Be Fucked With' list.
“Know, Miss Hoshiguma, that I do not take this matter lightly, and expect there will be accountability for this.” Satori says, her tone noticeably less angry than it was a moment ago, but no less firm. “Given your standing among the other oni, their actions and conduct reflect upon you, just as your own do.”
“Hey, now!” Yuugi straightens up, seeming to muster up some degree of confidence. “Sure, those other guys screwed up, okay? I get that. But I took care of him, didn't I? I knew he was your guest, and I made sure to keep an eye on him!”
“Until this morning.”
“Ah, uh, well...y'see, he was asleep, and he had that kid watchin' him like a hawk already, so I figured he'd be safe while I just step out and help with some of the repairs, and...uh...”
“And as a result, he wandered into an encounter with Miss Mizuhashi that, were it not for Miss Hinanai's intervention, he would not have walked away from. You understand this.”
Visibly deflating, Yuugi lowers her head and nods. “Ah...yeah. Yeah, I got it.”
“As long as you understand.” Satori says quietly, her entire demeanor suddenly softening, leaving no trace of the anger you witnessed just moments ago. “Now then, please, have a seat. Both of you. There are still matters to discuss, and it would be preferable if we could relax while we do so. Yes?”
Neither you nor Yuugi say anything, the two of you too stunned from your respective tongue-lashings to work up the nerve to speak, and simply nod in agreement as you both pull out a chair and take a seat at the table.
“Good. Now, if you will excuse me for a moment, I will see about getting some refreshments. I know you have not eaten, yet, and I suspect Miss Hoshiguma would appreciate a drink, yes?”
Staring at the table, you simply nod again and assume it was you that Satori was talking to, and continue to do so even as you hear the sounds of her walking away, and a door opening and closing again.
And so, the three of you sit in silence, as you ponder what just happened, and rub your aching head.
Remarkably, of all the places she could have struck, she managed to hit only the parts that had yet to be hit by anything else over the past few days. Given how many blows to the head you have already taken, it's actually rather impressive, and probably the only reason your head isn't hurting a lot more than it already was.
“Sorry, kiddo.” you hear Yuugi suddenly say. Turning to look at her, she smiles sheepishly and scratches the back of her head. “I guess I really did kinda screw up, huh? Sorry.”
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