332/Business Hours - Natsu

Business Hours - Natsu
Date of Scene:	30 August 2023
Location:	The Book Nook
Synopsis:	A customer wanders into the Kiseru Lady's shop, looking for a story of Evil triumphing over Good.
Cast of Characters:	Kiseru, Natsu Oukanno

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Kiseru has posed:
    A book store in the plaza in Juuban Ward reopened recently. The 'Book Nook' as it is called, is home to a wide variety of reading material. Through an alleyway alongside the store, however, there is a second store at the back of the building. This store only appears to those who have a certain degree of awareness or perception... Or who are outright magical. On this morning, the alleyway is thick with fog despite it being a summer day, and venturing through the soupy mist deposits one somewhere else. Today, that somewhere else is a dark environment, as though it were night. The temperature and humidity difference between the street out front and this new location is sharp, with the air cold and wet. There's only one thing truly visible other than the fog.

    A door in a gray-bricked wall.

    The door is made of red-hued planks and bolted together with wrought iron in a gothic-looking iron frame. THere's a gargoyle-looking door knocker, for obtaining the attention of the door's owner, as well as a cold, heavy, iron doorknob if one simply wishes to open the portal and pass through.

    There are 'windows', in a sense, on either side of the door, but they look more like the small apertures one would find in dungeon walls for prisoners to catch small glimpses of the outside world through, with iron bars criss-crossing each other, than anything one would see in a normal shop.

    And this IS, allegedly, a store. The sight hanging from chains over the door says so. 'The Book Nook'. The same name as in front. Hm. A guttering torch in a wall sconce gives flickering illumination to the scene, and makes shadows seem to dart this way and that along the perimeter of the comparatively small patch of visibility.

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    A normal person probably wouldn't have entered the fog to begin with. Heck, a normal person might not have even seen the fog, and instead found nothing but the back of a building if they happened to pass through the side-alley. Finding themself surrounded by fog, plunged into the middle of a cold, dark night, with such a dubious-looking door in an equally dubious-looking building would also be an indicator maybe they should jee-tee-eff-oh.

    Natsu Oukanno is definitely not a normal person. But one with the ability to perceive things out of the ordinary? As far as he knew, he had no such talent before this exact moment. He's still unaware of it even now. Though he is for sure questioning what's going on here in this thread.

    As a lover of darkness, villainry, and a good atmospheric mystery door, the red-haired boy can't help but stop to admire the vision he has come across, even if all the rational parts of his brain are telling him, 'hey, maybe don't'. After several seconds of consideration of whether or not this is the kind of situation he's likely to walk out of alive if he doesn't leave right now, the teenager shrugs and proceeds on despite the mental surveys all pointing to, 'no, so turn around, stupid'. He tests the doorknob first before messing with the knocker. If it's a door, and there's light coming through the windows, then that means it's open, right? His hand is cold from the rough metal as he twists it and pushes the door open.

Kiseru has posed:
    The door opens with a loud creaking sound, as though having just opened the castle doors into a vampire's domain. There's no resistance otherwise. Inside the store is more of the same decor. Mostly dark, with candelabras and strange glowing red crystals dangling from thin chains or built into 'chandeliers' composed of a wooden loop with cross-bars of iron, and more of those chains for crystals to dangle from. Other than the mood lighting, there is a large open space between the door and a long, high wooden countertop. Dark bricks compose the floor, with the occasional rug depicting historical and mythological medieval scenes over top of them. There's a large open space somewhere off to the left, also mostly dark, but there's the red, flickering glow of a hearth giving off that sort of wobbly light that fire produces when seen as a distance.

    It feels like this space is very, very large, but with so much of it in total darkness it's hard to be sure.

    Behind the counter, a pale skinned woman in a black and red china dress is reading a book with very old pages and bindings, while drinking something dark-red and thick from a wine glass. When she becomes aware of the visitor's presence, she looks up with her smokey gray eyes, and calls out quietly but in a way that crosses the distance, "Traveler." Apparently that's what she considers to be a greeting.

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    ...Well, this is certainly something. He has to admire the effort put into establishing the right atmosphere for... Whatever this is. Some kind of specialty Halloween store or something? Maybe this is a back room for storage and he's not supposed to be here? ...Right, because that's totally what the door outside suggests. Putting his hands in his pockets, Natsu strolls over casually while looking all around himself at the set-up. As a horror lover, the mood lighting and overall spooky vibe is right up his alley. He loves it, honestly.

    Then someone calls out to him, and he turns quickly towards the source of the voice. "Oh, uhh... Sorry. I thought you were part of the decor." Not very polite of him, but he's already trespassing, so what's a little more rudeness, right? Infallible logic.

    "Are you... Is this store open?" He figures this is a way to determine if this is even a store, let alone whether he's supposed to be here or not.

Kiseru has posed:
    The pale lady sets down her wine glass, and licks a coating of thick red liquid from her lips, before carefully closing the book she was reading. "You're here, aren't you?" she answers with a small smirk as her gray eyes meet the boy's own. "Welcome to the Book Nook. I deal in a bit more than just books back here... But why don't you tell me what made you decide to come through that door. You have to be seeking something, yes?"

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    Natsu blinks. "Well, yeah, I guess if the store was closed I wouldn't have been able to get in... But, uhh..." He doesn't really know how to finish that. He takes his right hand out of his pocket and scratches his cheek a bit. Hmmmm. How to answer that? =_=

    "It seemed interesting, and I like this kind of stuff, so... I just came in. I guess curiosity is my excuse?" The redhead shrugs helplessly. It was impulse, basically. "...Ah, but if you have any books where the Villains win over the Heroes, I'm definitely interested in those!"

Kiseru has posed:
    She doesn't comment on the reason given for entering. She's far more interested in what the boy before her says he is seeking. Her eyes narrow a little bit and her smile widens. "Ahh... A story of victory for those who struggle in the dark... I believe I have exactly what you are looking for." The shop proprietess picks up the book she was reading, and turns to show the aged volume's title, engraved into the cover. It's in Latin unfortunately, but she translates for her guest. "'Tome of the Fallen'. It details past struggles between forces of Law and Chaos, Light and Dark, Good and Evil, and other well-known dichotomies. However, the struggles themselves are those rarely heard of and even less understood. Perhaps you would like to hear the story of the Demon King named 'Sin', and his seven Demon Lords of Vice?"

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    Natsu's eyes open wide as he moves closer to the counter without even being consciously aware of it. His feet just carry him on instinct. "Haha... Well, I was hoping for something I could buy and take home..." he says, pretending not to be overly interested. "...Buuuut, I don't mind hearing this story from you, I guess." An entire book of Villains who won? Excitement flutters inside of his chest like butterflies, or perhaps bats. He had given up on the world ever seeing things his way. That such a book was written so long ago, compiking the victories of the Forces of Darkness...

    Man, those ancient people knew what they were talking about!

    He is already resting his arms on the counter, all semblance of feigned ambivalence already gone from his face. A Demon King named Sin? That's already so awesome!

Kiseru has posed:
    Nodding her head understandingly, the Kiseru Lady just says, "Of course." without questioning the red-haired boy's motives. She opens the book, and the pages seem to flutter past without her even touching them, only to arrive at the correct place after they slowly finish flipping beneath her purple-painted fingernails.

    "A long time ago, in a different era, primordial forces of Law and Chaos warred with each other endlessly. They were not part of the natural Order, but magical Psychopomps. Eventually, unable to make a decisive blow against the other, these foes, neither Good nor Evil, became a source of power for others throughout many dimensions." The Kiseru Lady's voice is soft, and quiet, to draw the listener in, and make them really pay attention. It's the perfect storyteller's voice.

    "The enmity and strife generated an enormous amount of energy, especially when put into direct opposition with each other in close proximity. Elements of Law and Chaos put in an alchemist's jar would cause havoc and destruction. But elements of the two put in separate jars and stored near each other produced energy that could be used for many purposes, as the two struggled to reach and fight each other."

    "A long time later, someone had a terrible and wonderful thought: What if we make humans the vessels, and collect energy from the battle between them?" The Kiseru Lady moves to the next page. "That one who conceived of such a thing was the Demon King, Sin. He saw it as a way to generate the energy he needed to bring his Demon Kingdom out of the darkness it had been condemned to, and finally achieve the goal he had set out to in ages past."

    "Many over the eons have fought that battle. The war between Law and Chaos still goes on. But one specific war, between one specific set of soldiers, involved champions of Law fighting against each other. Each represented a Virtue, or its dark mirror, its Vice. Valor and Cowardice. Mercy and Cruelty. Hope and Despair. Charity and Covetousness. Zeal and Apathy. And on and on... For every human Aspect, there was a Virtue and a Vice as its counter, just as for every Vice there was a Virtue to oppose it. Regardless of which side they started from, they were put into competition with not only the Children of their mirror, but also all others of the opposing faction."

    Kiseru turns the page, again with just a motion of her hand, rather than by actually touching it. "Law had become altered over a long time, codified into principles -- Virtues. Two for each, with a maximum of fourteen bearers at a time. Rarely, if ever, were all seven pairs active in the same era. After centuries of sporadic conflict between pairs or small groups, finally the true opposition appeared: The Demon King, Sin. The Children of Virtue had finally reached the level of power from multiple reincarnations to produce the energy he needed to rupture the barrier between the World of Dusk and the World of Light."

    Kiseru looks up at her audience briefly.

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    For his part, Natsu is absolutely spell-bound. It's a familiar story pattern, even if the content is slightly different. However, the promise that at the end of this the Villains will stand victorious is more than enough to keep him fascinated and paying close attention. He feels like a kid again, not knowing that the victory of the Heroes was preordained because the writers didn't want to upset people with realism or fairness. Back then, he could wear a black cape and fake vampire fangs and cheer on the Villains in their plans, and hope that maybe this time... Maybe they'd win. Surely, this time...!

Kiseru has posed:
    Kiseru's gray eyes flick back down to the book, even though she knows the story by heart. "He created his Demon Lords of Vice: Vile creatures all, who obtained their titles by slaying, absorbing, and twisting the Virtue or Vice of a champion, until they could retain it as their source of power. Pride, Wrath, Greed, Envy, Want, Sloth, Gluttony... At times there were others, such as Vanity, Melancholy, and Violence, but just as there were rarely all seven Children of Virtue or Children of Vice active at the same time, the Demon Lords were lost and replaced. But the Vices they had claimed remained the domain of Sin. No longer did Children of Vice appear. All seven seats were filled. Instead, the dark mirrors of each Virtue came to exist as Virtues themselves. They no longer represented the failures of humanity, but rather just another aspect of their souls."

    Kiseru turns the page. "In the final battle, the Children of Virtue, Light and Dark, who still lived attacked the Demon King and his Demon Lords in their place of power. Despite their ambush and clever plans, they were soon to be defeated. But then treachery struck!" Kiseru's voice projects more strongly, even if the volume hasn't changed. "One of Sin's own Demon Lords tried to usurp his King in those critical final moments by allowing a rival kingdom of the World of Dusk past the barriers that had kept Demon Kingdom safe! The traitor's identity has gone unknown due to the limited number of potential witnesses, but the traitor paid for his brief moment of triumph with his power and his life. When Sin fell at the hands of the Children of Virtue, distracted as he was by the invaders and the backstabbing of one of his most loyal servants, the very power of the Demon Lords of Vice ceased to exist. The traitor was erased from existence, and so were the other Demon Lords."

    Closing the book, Kiseru finishes quietly with, "In the end, the Children of Virtue, Light or Dark, who survived that last battle were returned to the World of Light. They gave up their powers, to ensure no more children would ever have to fight a war for cosmic principles. However, it is said that the Demon King's castle still stands, somewhere in the ocean of blackness that is the World of Dusk. Perhaps, some day, the true king will once again sit upon his throne."

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    Natsu Oukanno blinks. He hadn't blinked the entire time the story was going on, so hypnotized he was by the story and the rhythmic, clearly-experienced story teller's voice and pacing. He waits, but when it's clear she is done speaking, he feels the frustration he felt back then, when the ones he cheered for lost, over and over, and when nobody quite loved Villains the way that he did. Only this time there's also anger for being led on by this woman. His hopes being rekindled, and then dashed once more, is too much to take.

    "What the hell? Didn't you say this was a story about the Villains winning?" He scowls as he stands up straight and folds his arms. "That was a very nice story, except for the part where the Villains didn't win in the end! The Overlord was slain, the seal wasn't broken, his servants were destroyed... And what happened with that invading army? Where did they even come from?"

Kiseru has posed:
    Kiseru doesn't seem offended or worried about the anger of the teenager. Instead, she waits for him to finish protesting, and then smiles mysteriously. "Aaahh... But not all of these questions are answered, because the story isn't over yet." The heavy tome is slid off the counter and put away underneath it somewhere. Then she brings up an ornate black wooden box with silver designs across its surface and four little 'legs' of the same. "Sin may have been slain, and his power broken, but those rivals certainly looted the Castle of the Demon King. They took with them certain items that they did not know the significance of at the time... Or since. And now, they have fallen into my possession."

    She carefully cradles the box in one hand despite it being planted firmly on the counter, and then uses the other to slowly open the lid. Inside are seven round 'slots' for seven round objects. Only two are empty. The others hold black marbles the size of gumballs, with symbols and engravings in the surface of each, with a different aesthetic and different coloration. "What happens when an Origin of Power dies within Magic itself?" she asks rhetorically. "The Origin disappears as though it never was... But that doesn't mean that it fails to leave behind a Corpse."

    Kiseru gestures over the remaining five spheres. "These are pieces of that Corpse. The Remains of Origin. They are also called 'Oculus Obscura'." Looking directly at Natsu, the shop owner says, "Perhaps, one carrying such an item might find a use for it, to accumulate energy, or release a sleeping potential... Maybe they can change destiny itself, resurrect Sin, or even become a new Demon King to sit the Throne of Want."

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    It's a compelling story. It's also a compelling sales pitch. He fights his interest, intent on hanging onto his flare of totally-justified-for-serious anger. He also fights his confusion about the story 'not being finished yet'. The box and its baubles are cool, he'll admit that, but Natsu stuffs both hands back in his pockets. He's not about to get suckered into paying for some trinkets just because of some bait-and-switch tale that this lady probably pulled right out of her--

    "How much?" he finds himself asking instead of any of the more skeptical questions or huffing passive-aggressiveness he was planning to offer.

Kiseru has posed:
    The black-haired, pale-skinned, gray-eyed woman smiles just a little bit wider. "Hmm... I have a good feeling about you. Perhaps you will be the one to finally bring this story to a close in the manner it should be. How about you can take one, in exchange for a Favor." The word 'Favor' has strange weight to it, a ring of warning echoing in the back of the mind to those who hear it. It's not... A normal favor, whatever she means by that.

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    Oh, boy, here we go. A 'favor'. "I'm not delivering drugs for you, lady." he says bluntly.

Kiseru has posed:
    The Kiseru Lady chuckles throatily. "Oh, no... Nothing so... Illicit." She says 'illicit' in the same one would way 'mundane'. Like criminal activity is beneath her, because she partakes in much more dangerous activities. "Don't worry, young man. The Favor will be something of equal worth to what you receive, and we needn't determine its nature quite yet... Unless, of course, you wish to have it 'locked in'."

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    "Book Keeper-san, that's still sketchy as all hell. Look, I have ten-thousand yen in my pocket. If that's not enough, then I'll pass." For now. His eyes keep being drawn back to those little orbs for some reason. "I appreciate the story, and the dramatic presentation, and the professional salespitch. It was very impressive and really drew me in. But I need something a bit more concrete in order to agree to a sale."

Kiseru has posed:
    A purple-nailed finger tap-tap-taps on the flawless pale skin of Kiseru's chin. "I see. Then how about this... I will take five-thousand yen for one of them. If you are satisfied with your purchase, come back, and I will refund you, and we can discuss you keeping it long-term. This is a... Rental."

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    Natsu squints in confusion. If he's satisfied with his purchase, then he'll get a refund? What? A rental...? This is so weird. He's off-balance. Even if this was a mysterious store in a potential pocket dimension or time portal or whatever, this is a very weird way to make a profit. "...Whatever. How long am I renting it for?" he asks reluctantly, grumbling under his breath.

Kiseru has posed:
    The Kiseru Lady grins. "You'll know when it's time to return." If she was any more mysterious, she'd just be a giant floating question mark.

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    "God, fine, I'll take one." He walks up and starts to reach out towards the box. Then he pauses. His hand moves away from the one he was going to grab, and picks up one with red grooves and designs on it. For some reason he just... Decided he wanted that one. He fishes out a five-thousand yen bill from his wallet and puts it down on the counter. This is all so weird and sketchy. He suddenly just wants to get out of here.

Kiseru has posed:
    The proprietess doesn't seem in any hurry to claim the money, but once her customer has his prize, the box snaps shut promptly. "It was wonderful doing business with you. Please do hurry back once you've decided if you want to keep it or not." She gestures with her free hand towards the door. A very direct indicator that it's time to leave.

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    Ah, so as soon as she has his money he's just chopped liver, is he? Whatever. Fifty-thousand yen poorer, and with a weird ornament thing in hand, Natsu turns around and marches out the door. And is nearly blinded by the sunlight. He shields his eyes for several seconds, looking around disorientedly and trying to make sense of his surroundings. He's... On the sidewalk in front of the Book Nook's doors? He turns around and looks at the store. Definitely just a book store. No dark alley, no fog, no Halloween decor storage depot...

    For a moment, the confused teenager wonders if he just hallucinated or dreamed all of that. But the heaviness of something in his pocket makes him put his hand inside to check what it is for some reason.

    The round object there, with its textured surface, makes him swallow nervously.

    Natsu Oukanno is going to hurry home now and sort out what the heck he just went through... Along the way, he'll realize he just spent the equivalent of fifty USD on a weird ball and he doesn't even know why.