Hunt For the Missing Guardians (Chiyo Sakai)
| Hunt For the Missing Guardians (Chiyo Sakai) | |
|---|---|
| Date of Cutscene: | 07 January 2023 |
| Location: | Tokyo Setagaya ward |
| Synopsis: | Chiyo's Guide, the Fire Spirit Bonito, has been searching for the other Culinary Guardians and their Guides with little luck. Until now. |
| Cast of Characters: | {{{Cast of Characters}}} |
"Panko!"
The sound came from the window nearest the large birdcage where the colorful green and red parakeet resided. They were wild in the area, but this one kept visiting the porch daily, and seemed very smart. It had won the hearts of the house owners by crooning sweetly whatever song it had picked up from the radio amidst other phrases like 'Hello!', 'I'm a pretty baby', 'You look so nice today!' and similar. They imagined it had been someone's pet at one point in time only to be released for whatever reason with the expectation that it would thrive with the wild parakeets that plagued the area. It would be cruel not to take a tamed animal in, and so they had.
"Panko! Hey bird brain!"
Came the call again earning one red eye opening to focus on the white and orange tabby cat that was balancing precariously on the window ledge from outside. The Fire Spirit known as Panko, who had shape shifted into the parakeet form, let out a rather annoyed sigh.
"Really, Bonito? A cat? At least if I talk they aren't going to think they've gone crazy," She chided the other Fire Spirit.
"Never mind that! Where have you been this whole time? Did you get captured?" Bonito pressed his fuzzy face up against the glass which fogged slightly from his breath necessitating a quick forehead bump to swipe the fog clear with his fur. "What happened to the Guardian you were supposed to awaken?"
"No, I didn't get captured." Panko shuffled her weight to one leg, then the other, scooting her way down the length of the perch till she was closer to the window so she wouldn't have to raise her voice further. "Things didn't go as planned. I'm observing the family for now."
Didn't go as planned? Observing? Bonito peers through one bright yellow feline eye at the bird. If he had proper eyebrows one would surely be raised.
"If it didn't go as planned, you shouldn't have to stick around. Why are you observing them? Do they not fit the requirements? I think you'd better tell me what happened. My Guardian and I have been searching for the others that were supposed to be awakened. You're the first guide I've found." And no wonder it had taken him so long. Lounging around as a bird being pampered in a nice warm house.
"No they fit. It's just..." Panko rotates her jaw earning a little grinding sound from her beak. "The girl I gave the Iori Senbei to didn't eat it. Her mother was very sick, and couldn't keep food down, so she gave it to her in the hopes it would help settle her stomach."
"An *adult* ate it!? The magic is only works on children or teenagers!" Bonito's ears flatten with a look of dejection. "So it's gone completely to waste."
"No. Maybe. That's why I'm watching," Panko explains further with a sideways tip of her head. Having eyes on the side of your head was difficult to look straight at someone with. "The reason she was sick was because she was expecting a baby. They were both weak, but the magic seems to have given them strength enough to become well again. I'm not sure how the magic will affect an unborn child, so I'm watching."
"Which," she adds a bit haughtily, "Is why I chose the form of a parrot. They're very long lived you know."
"That... Is a good point. That the baby may inherit the power," Bonito is forced to agree. His ears still remain drooped in spite of this. "But my Guardian won't remain one that long either way. She's a teenager."
Panko does her best to look apologetic at the news, but there's only so much she can do with a beak.
"Keep looking for the others. There were five of us. Perhaps the next will bring more luck, but this will remain my post until I know one way or another. It's my duty to be here for my Guardian."
"Mom! There's a cat harassing the bird!"
Bonito's eyes widen as he realizes that's his cue to run for it. The ten year old girl that comes barreling out of the house waving a broom was enough to earn a yowl as he bounds off without even being able to say a proper goodbye. There's only a blur of white and orange disappearing into the bushes.
"I'm a pretty bird!" Panko crooned.
