"Ah...hello. Were you still interested in my help? I was unsure. I apologize for the delay. Family matters came up."
Noelle lets out a yelp of surprise at the sudden voice.
"Ah, y-yes. Yes, I was still interested in your aid." She replies, a little shaken. "I'm sorry to hear family matters came up. I hope things are alright now."
"Well, October is a busy month for my family, admittedly. Two birthdays, my younger brother and my father. They are at the end of the month, so I should be able to help you before then. I wonder...perhaps, instead of familiars, I could try remote viewing this time or scrying. "
"That should be fine. I'm not picky with the 'how' I gain the information. But I should warn that I've had some trouble scrying for them in the past. I often find nothing....or alert them to myself, which leads to other problems. So please be careful."
"I understand. We shall see how this goes. I will do this in the safety of my home. My room has various wards and spells that keep anything undesirable out. I shall go into a trance and see where it leads. Would you like to watch?"
"If you're alright with observers. I always know I feel odd when my scrying is watched." She was, admittedly, somewhat curious as to what their scrying methods looked like. Taking notes would probably be rude, but if she's being allowed to observe...
"I'd like to watch, if that's alright."
"Very well. I do caution you, however, to please stick close to me while we are there. My family isn't exactly the friendliest. I would not want you to get hurt. I will teleport you inside, right in front of my door. Is that all right?"
"Not the friendliest" was an understatement. Some of his family members had disposed of servants for "buttering the wrong side of the bread" or "looking for a second too long."
Some would ramble about their paranoid delusions for hours. Some would see you as prey. Others would avoid you entirely.
And never, EVER say you were bored, because someone was guaranteed to remedy that in short order.
"I understand. I'll try to keep a lot profile and speak when spoken to." She replies, lifting her hood over her head. Part of her wondered if a mask would be appropriate, too, but she didn't have one on hand besides her breather for the undercity's foul air.
Well, she DID have one, but it seemed a bit uncouth to wear a gibdo mask under her hood.
"I'm ready whenever you are." She hadn't met her benefactor face-to-face before, so this was a big leap of trust. Still, they had a deal, and she felt she would be safe enough.
Shadow would envelop Noelle, and in an instant, there the crow youkai was, in the doorway of elegantly-furnished, yet tidy chambers.
Yorukage did not have a room. He had a series of rooms, all to himself. A privilege afforded the eldest son and heir of the Tsubasa Family.
"This way, please."
True to his word, he could only speak through telepathy, even face-to-face.
He led her into a ritual room lit by candlelight and soft lamps. Bookshelves were filled with tomes and scrolls. Runic patterns lined the walls. Crystals lined an altar in the middle of the room.
In one corner of the room were silk pillows to sit on, and he gestured to them. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Would you like a cup of tea?"
Noelle took a deep breath and closed her eyes as the shadows enveloped her. It reminded of a spell she hadn't used in a long time, making her feel...oddly nostalgic.
Upon her arrival, she bowed to her host, and followed, as instructed. Her movements were utterly devoid of sound, to the point where it's almost easy to forget that she's even there.
Her eyes look about the ritual chamber, seeing the tomes and scrolls illuminated by the soft lighting. It had been a long time since she was last in the workshop of another magic user. This was a rare experience.
Her eyes also look to the ritual. Runic patters, crystals and an altar. It was a different composition and style to one she would use, but she could see the effectiveness. Perhaps she needed to broaden her scope of ritual structures. She tried to commit the visual to memory.
She perks up a little when she's direction towards the cushions. "Ah, some tea would be lovely, if that's alright." She said softly, her voice shattering the unnatural silence all her other movements have. The short woman takes a seat amongst the pillows, positioned in such a way as to watch.
"Is chai all right? It is my favorite. I also have green, jasmine, and rose, if you prefer any of those."
The tea was poured and served, and the crow youkai took a sip from his own cup.
"What I am about to do may frighten you, unless you have seen it before. My soul will be displaced from my body during this process," he warned her. "Other entities may come to deliver messages, using my body as a vessel."
"Chai is fine with me." Noelle replies, happy to accept.
She sips at her tea as the process is explained. "I've seen some forms of astral projection and spirit magics, but I've found there are many different methods. I doubt I've seen your specific one. I'll try not to be too shocked by your body delivering messages while your spirit is occupied."
It sounded rather peculiar. Entities using one's own body while the soul was handling business. She didn't feel like she could trust that her body would be returned to her if she tried that...but that may be a side-effect from the bargain she made once, long ago.
She sips her tea to try and steady herself and brush that thought aside as she prepares to witness the ritual.
Yorukage sat down in a cross-legged position on one of the pillows, took a deep breath, and lifted his gaze to the ceiling, which lit up with swirling galaxies and stars which shone down onto the two of them.
"Guardian Cosmos, take me where you will. Let me see what I need to see."
His body glowed purple, then white, and the glow filled his eyes. The same stark-white color traveled down his long black hair.
It had begun.
And then, slowly, he rose.
A soft, kind, yet unearthly female voice came from him now.
And the entity was NOT using telepathy.
"Traveler from afar, tell me...what do you seek?"
Noelle observed the stars shining down upon them and was shocked when a voice addressed HER, specifically.
"U-Umm...I hope to find the missing pieces of my sound. I do not know how many fragments there are, and only know the locations of three. I want to know if there are more...and where I might find them...but I'll take any shred of insight and knowledge to help shine light on this." She says, trying to be polite to the being as she entreats with them.
"They are hidden in the spaces between the dimensions. In the Fourth Dimension of Time-Space, beyond the door. Hidden in the seeds of fruit from the World Tree. You shall be guided. Take heart, for they are not lost to you forever. Sealed within is the key. Break the seal and the doors shall open for you," the woman revealed.
That was comforting, but a bit vague. The spaces between realities was...a lot of space to cover.
"I appreciate the guidance." She replied. "But...what do you mean about the key and the seals? Will I know what they are when I see them?"
She supposed she could try and find a Black Key for each in her home realm, but that could take a long time...or cost a lot. If the key existed, it would be much less wasteful.
"The key is sealed inside you," the entity clarified, pointing towards Noelle. "Once the seal is broken, the doors will open for you. The fragments will be drawn to you. But beware the one who would interfere. Someone who does not want the curse to be lifted."
