NIGHT FALLS. ≺⊚≻

❝ i've heard a few things about you. ❞

Zarina leans back against the wall, watching the youkai through a half-lidded gaze. Sitting on the floor isn't as uncomfortable as she expected, the temple has been pleasantly warm. One leg is bent with her arm resting on the knee, it's a comfortable position for her right now. Her posture is relaxed, not showing an ounce of tension at the sight of the blonde haired woman. The gap powers certainly were curious, they were as dangerous as they were complex. Just how far can this woman go? How old is she? There are many mysteries surrounding her.

So what did she hear in Gensokyo? What rumors are surrounding the new arrival? This land is filled with youkai, but she is not one of them. At least, that's what Sokolova continues to believe. What she is feels different, too different.

"Oh this and that, you're quite the talk of the town." The youkai speaks with a laugh, fan in hand idly providing the woman with a steady breeze. What hadn't she heard? A new Outsider always caused a stir, at least for a while until the interest faded, but this one was quite particular indeed. Certainly more unique than the typical lot that wandered through her Barrier.

Yukari could tell that much even at a glance.

A youkai.

Though one whose nature the sage was still unsure of.

In some ways, Zarina felt awfully human to Yukari, giving the impression of someone flawed and shifting and new in a way only humans could ever really be. A form not yet settled. Yet she could too sense that the humanity this woman may have once had been forever shattered, the elemental's core truth utterly changed to something else. Something far beyond human.

The boundaries which made up Zarina were fascinating the Great Sage, and the youkai felt more than once half-way tempted to reach out and pluck at the beautifully complex silver strings which made up the woman before her. To see what would happen if she shifted the balance just ever so.

But she already knew Reimu would kick up quite the fuss at such interfering towards her newest house guest, and with that girl's intuition, no matter how carefully the youkai acted, her meddling would be uncovered one way or another. And while in a different moment Yukari might have decided entertaining her musings outweighed the consequence, in this one, the gap youkai's more sensible nature had won.

For now, Yukari would simply observe. Judge the elemental's presence here simply as it was.

And as it was, the youkai before her felt like a stumbling fawn learning to walk.

"Of course, I know such attention can be at times quite unwelcome. Though I hope not overly so? I am sure Reimu has at least taught you the basics of this place by now? Enough to not cause any trouble for her at least."

She winks then, a playful smirk upon her lips. "Though between you and me, it's something like tradition around here to give our lovely shrine maiden at least a little trouble to deal with every now and then."

Sorry for the really spotty activity lately, the holidays tend to be rough months for me mentally and that ends up tanking my energy to write a lot fknsjdf

just wanted to give a lil heads up that I am still very much around/lurking, so i supposed this is like an informal semi-haitus notice KSJNADJKF

yukari

"My captain's about due to show up. And he's probably gonna smash anything in his way."

Zoro drops to the ground, leaning back against the closest tree and propping his swords against his shoulder. Maybe he'll take a nap while he waits.

Bound to crash in at any moment? Well, the youkai hardly doubted any mere human could manage that much. As fickle as the Great Barrier could be, it wasn't one that could be crashed through so easily. But no harm in thinking otherwise, she supposed!

Besides, with how delighted she currently felt, she'd be willing to send him back on his way herself once her own curiosity had been met!

"Yukari. Yakumo Yukari." She responds with a chuckle, hovering closer as she did. "Well, until this captain of yours arrives, care to humor me a bit?" She doesn't wait for a response, "What sort of place do you come from, Mr. Pirate? Are you on a hunt for some big treasure?"

⋆˚✦჻° DREAMLOCKE   ⋮      an   independent,   selective   MULTIFANDOM CANONS MULTIMUSE roleplay blog featuring muses from various AniManga, Video Games, Western Animation and Literature with characters from a wide assortment of franchises including Slay the Princess, Kimetsu  no  Yaiba, Touhou Project, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, and much much more! extremely oc, double, and crossover friendly! PENNED by IRMA.   (   25+   ,   CST   Time Zone   ) 

‎‎‎‎ㅤ ˚˖𓍢ִ໋✦ STEP INTO A DREAM ✧ ₊˚ ࿔*:･ﾟ

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Bookish Sentences

(Sentences from Bookish (2025-). Adjust phrasing where needed)

"I must have tea. Without tea, I am merely unreconstituted dust."

"Start at the beginning and leave nothing out - especially if it's salacious, gory, or vaguely scandalous!"

"Why am I not surprised to see you here?"

"Why can't you collect stamps like normal people?"

"I'll never make any money like that, will I?"

"I don't mean to pry, but what exactly is it you do?"

"Everything's all smashed up. The whole world. No one knows what to do anymore."

"You'll forgive me, but we'll have to know each other rather better before such confidences are exchanged."

"I couldn't trouble you for a light, could I?"

"What exactly did you do during the war?"

"You only live once but, if you do it right, once is enough."

"How could I hate you? You mean everything to me."

"What a thrillingly peculiar life you lead!"

"There's still time, you know. To do the right thing."

"It's been a long time since I did this for real!"

"It was an accident, wasn't it?"

"So, can you use a gun?"

"For someone so new to the pleasures of reading, you're fast becoming a terrible snob!"

"You're no fun anymore!"

"I hate to seem inquisitive, but why are you here?"

"Self-flagellation is never helpful, and it's not nearly as much fun as someone doing it to you."

"I may be a coward, but I'm not a fool!"

"Can't you do anything discreetly?"

"Be so good to move around a little less silently! It arouses suspicion!"

"You have yet to acquire the skill to poison anyone in a crowded bar in plain sight."

"Missing the war, are you?"

Nazrin didn't visibly jump as the gap sage popped into being behind her, but it was a close thing. Her heart had skipped a beat, but there was no way Yukari could prove it. Turning to face the gap youkai, she gave a nod to her new visitor. Manners were key when speaking with someone of her stature. "A pleasure to see you again, Yukari. And I am on no business today. Simply my own interest in seeing what sort of unusual things have 'drifted in', so to speak."

“Simple curiosity.” She chimed, a light-hearted chuckle escaping her. Not a lie, for once. Not that she expects the other to believe her at all, given her reputation for such things. “Your own interest, hm? No luck yet then I take it?” Though it was a matter of time really, all sorts of strange things had a habit of ‘washing up’ upon Gensokyo’s ‘shores’. 

She idly floated closer then, the entire gap she had half emerged from slowly tilting to the side as if in curiosity, until eventually, she hovered completely upside down for a moment. 

“You know, I’ve been wondering about this for some time. If you are willing to indulge me for a moment; how much information do you actually require before you are able to hone onto a specific target? Would just a name be enough? Or simply knowing the sort of material to search for? It's shape?” What brought her here may have been boredom indeed, but that didn’t stop her from ever being awfully curious. Besides, such things would surely be helpful to keep in mind for further down the line.

⤿ THERE'S   hesitation.   pasha's   mind   searches   and   scours   for   an   explanation   to   all   of   this,   and   comes   up   blank,   blank,   blank.   this   isn't   some   creation   of   the   big   guy,   nor   is   it   something   that   the   koi   spat   up   (   he   would   know,   definitely,   if   that   were   the   case   ).   this   is   something   else.   something   new.   a   visitor   that   shouldn't   be   here   and,   because   of   that   and   that   alone,   someone   who   has   immediately   earned   his   suspicion.   there's   respect   there   too   from   one   nonsensical   piece   of   reality   to   the   other,   and   an   abundance   of   curiosity,   but   above   all   else:   suspicion. ❛   not   permanently,   no. i come and go. usually, i'm the only thing that can outside of the fish.  ❜   this,   at   least,   pasha   has   no   issue   confessing.   he   drags   the   end   of   his   sandal   into   the   sand,   drawing   a   thin   line,   then   scribbles   it   out   with   his   heel;   while   picking   his   words,   he   doodles   small   things   in   the   pitch   grain.   something   that   looks   like   a   fish.   something   that   looks   like   a   bottle.   a   collection   of   lines   like   tally   marks   -   records   of   his   visits   that,   like   everything   else,   get   erased   in   the   end. after   a   beat,   his   eyes   return   to   the   presence.   his   head   cocks   to   the   side   in   a   manner   not   too   dissimilar   to   that   of   a   confused   animal.   if   he   knew   how   koi   behaved   when   curious,   perhaps   he   would   mimic   them   instead.   alas,   all   he   knows   are   rats. something   about   how   the   other   regards   him   is   unnerving.   he's   not   sure   what.   it   might   be   everything   about   it,   actually. ❛      i'm...   the   caretaker   of   the   place,   sort   of.   kind   of.   ❜   he   makes   a   half-and-half   gesture   with   his   hand.   ❛   it's   not   usually   populated   by   other   people,   though,   so   forgive   my   rudeness,   but...   on   behalf   of   the   owner   of   this   beach,   i   have   to   ask:   what   the   fuck   are   you   ??   ❜

The bluntness of the question makes her laugh. It was quite a fair one! A reasonable one, even! But to be so outright with it was something surprisingly rare among most she encountered.

She was in a good mood today; so why not honor that boldness with a proper response? 

“You may call me Yukari. Yakumo Yukari.” She introduced herself with a polite half-curtsy, half-bow, a hand freeing itself from her parasol’s handle to elegantly pick up a corner of her long dress ever so before letting it flutter back into place as she straightened herself up once more. In one fluid motion, the same hand was then delicately placed upon her chest. 

“Others know me as The Youkai of Boundaries. Others as a Great Youkai Sage. I am something of a caretaker myself. Not of this place, of course, but of another place-outside-places nearly as nonsensical as this one.” Introduction given, at least ones given to her satisfaction, an amused smile settled onto Yukari’s lips. “Mostly, I think of myself as a bit of a traveler and a collector.” All truths for once, even if not full ones. Though Pasha had no way of knowing, they should consider themselves lucky that the youkai had chosen to be even this straightforward when answering his question. 

It was a privilege very few ever received. 

“And so what of you, oh so handsome stranger I have come across on this mysterious black shore? May I be so fortunate as to have your name in turn?”

Oh? “A vintage slot machine? I’m surprised you were strong enough to haul this in here, it looks quite heavy.” She teased, floating closer to it before retrieving a coin from some poor Outsider World human’s pocket and gingerly slotting it into the machine. Coin inserted, she gave the crank a good pull, watching the old cylinders spin themselves to life. 

“...What happens if I get three-of-a-kind? Do I win a prize?” She joked, before pulling the lever one more time to bring the cylinders to a stop.