Chapter 3
“Rats?!” Winona exclaimed, almost spilling her soup. “Three weeks o’ agonizing over the sounds in th’ walls o’ some old house, o’ being afraid to sleep because they thought yōkai might get them, an’ it was rats?”
Owlowiscious had been recounting one of his adventures over breakfast; a simple but delicious affair of rice, miso soup, pickled cucumbers and soft-boiled eggs. Despite her advanced age, Granny Earthwalker was still nothing short of a master when it came to food.
“Rats,” Owlowiscious repeated, raising the last of his cucumber to his beak with his chopsticks. “I don’t mean to deride ‘country folk,’ but that’s exactly what it was in this case. The further you get from the cities, and accordingly, the less education there is, the more likely people are to assume supernatural causes when an explanation for something isn’t readily apparent. This village was especially unlucky because they didn’t even have a priest to try an exorcism. They didn’t even think to try burning the thing down because they were afraid of upsetting some spirit or demon.”
“Yup, that sounds ‘bout right for us country folk,” Granny added. “Livin’ ‘round here long as I have, I know better now, but when I was jus’a li’l girl out t’ th’ east, I saw yōkai in mos’ everythin’ I set eyes on!”
“Well, interestin’ as that is, I do believe that y’all got plenty o’ errands planned out for th’ day,” Winona said. “Don't y’all think you outta get a move on?”
“You are, of course, absolutely right Winona. Come along Peewee.” Placing his bowl on the floor by the fire pit, Owlowiscious gave a low bow and then rose to his feet, Peewee mimicking him. “Thanks for allowing us to stay here the night, for dinner, or supper last night, and breakfast this morning. If we’re able to, I hope we might see all of you again before we go back to Heavenspire.”
“Well, I hope so too. G’bye, Owlowiscious,” Winona said as owl and phoenix picked up and donned their jackets.
“Don’t either o’ ya be strangers now, y’hear?” Granny followed as they picked up their bags.
“Bye Mister Nightwatch! By Peewee!” Ryder added as Owlowiscious slid the screen to the front of the house opened.
“Bye Miss Earthwalker! Bye Ryder! Bye Granny!” Peewee replied as he and Owlowiscious stepped outside.
“Goodbye, everyone," Owlowiscious finished as he slid the screen shut. “We should visit here as often as possible, my small friend.”
“Owlowiscious?” Peewee asked. “Are those soldiers out there?”
Owlowiscious looked towards where they were walking. Just as Peewee had suggested, further down the road, although still well within the farmlands, was a contingent of soldiers.
“What.” Owlowiscious said. A moment later, more of his wits were about him. “What!” he demanded of no one in particular before immediately starting down the porch rapidly. “Peewee, come on. We have to find out wha —”
BONK!
“Yow!”
The sound and exclamation all matched perfectly with the pain that appeared in the top of Owlowiscious’s head the instant he left the porch. Even as he tried to rub it away, he had no need to turn around to know who his assailant was; the mirthful laughter gave everything away.
“Gone for a day, and already your dairokkan <warrior’s intuition> is getting dull. You’ll never survive the first week of your eventual retirement!”
Scowling, Owlowiscious turned around to confront the bearded bear who was his friendly antagonist, standing just around the corner of the house’s outer wall where he couldn't have been seen.
“Lieutenant Bearington!” Peewee all but scrambled up Lantier’s leg, he was standing so close. “I didn’t know you we're going to be here! Are you staying long? Are you here on a secret mission?”
As expected, Lantier laughed again. “It’s good to see you too, Little Wing. Keeping the wise old owl out of trouble?”
“What is goin’ on out here?”
All three turned their attention to the newly arrived fourth, finding Winona hurrying down the porch towards them. “I heard yellin’. Y’all okay?”
“Everything’s fine, Winona,” Owlowiscious said in an attempt to placate the agitated farmer. “Just the Lieutenant’s idea of a joke. I suspect his beard has finally addled his brain.”
“Lieutenant?” Coming to a stop, Winona finally took a good look at Lantier, dressed in his armor and carrying a spear. “Oh,” she said, suddenly looking less than pleased. “Sorry, Owlowiscious. I didn’t realize you brought soldiers with you.”
“Neither did I,” Owlowiscious replied. The throbbing in his head finally subsided enough that he didn’t feel the need to rub it anymore. “Speaking of soldiers, I assume you have some explanation for having your men out here in force, Lieutenant. These people have been through enough, fussing over the preparations for tomorrow. They don’t need armed soldiers ransacking their homes too.”
The apparent implications of that possibility set Winona instantly on edge, but Lantier just laughed it off. “Just a quick look for obvious contraband, nothing more. They even have standing orders to wipe their feet before entering. After that’s done, though, I don’t expect we’ll have much to do. I don't suppose you have any ideas, Master Nightwatch?"
Owlowiscious quirked his brow for a moment, and then a mischievous grin spread across his face. “As a matter of fact, I do,” he said. “Winona, what would your neighbors say to a few extra extras hands around the fields today?”
That, it seemed, was simply too much for poor Winona. “Oh! Erm, no, we couldn’t. That is t’ say, I mean, they’re soldiers, an’ all, an’ it’s messy, dirty work we do here.”
“Nonsense!” Lantier's bellowing reply brought Winona as close to terrified as Owlowiscious had ever seen in the brief time he knew her. “Farm work is good for the soul. It enhances the constitution and improves the demeanor. Without farm work, I wouldn’t be half the man I am today.”
“So much about you suddenly makes sense,” Owlowiscious muttered. No one paid him any mind. Winona certainly didn’t, her demeanor turned to smiles in an instant.
“Well, if’n that’s th’ case, I don’t figure anyone’s gonna mind some extra help,” she said. “We’re happy t’ have you, Lieutenant....”
“Bearington. Lantier Bearington, at your service,” said the Lieutenant with a bow.
“Winona Earthwalker, at yours.”
“I’m glad that you two are getting on so well,” Owlowiscious interjected, reaching into his bag and withdrawing his list. “But Peewee and I have quite a bit left to do and not nearly enough time unless we get going right now. Winona, I don’t suppose you might know who we should see regarding, erm.” A quick check revealed he still needed to see to...
“Weather preparations?”
“Hm.” Winona scratched her head in thought, briefly. “Well, I reckon there’s a couple o’ folks it might be, but you should probably check with Tank. He lives in the big compound with the wall ‘round it on the east side o’ th’ village. Can’t miss it.”
A compound with a wall was not the sort of thing Owlowiscious expected to find in Taiyō-sen, and he couldn’t help but wonder what the wall was for as he stowed his checklist back in his bag. “Well, he sounds like a peculiar fellow, but I rather like peculiar. It should be interesting meeting him.”
Winona gave a wry smile at that. “Yeah. Interestin’. That’s what it’ll be, why not?”
Owlowiscious quirked his brow, but let the comment slide. “We should probably be going,” he said. “We still have plenty left to do and only one more day to do it. Any advice for speaking with, erm, Tank?”
“Well, he's mighty proud o’ his many accomplishments, as he likes t’ call ‘em. Try not t’ draw his attention to one of ‘em or y’all will be there all day listenin’ t’ him gab,” replied Winona. “Y'all comin’ by for supper? That’s an invitation, case you was wonderin’.”
“We’ll try, but even if we miss it, we'll likely still be back around sundown. I owe the Sparrow Union(*) money, and you know how fast news travels with them. Better not to take a chance with the inn. Maybe I’ll tell you about it when we get back.” With that, Owlowiscious took a moment to adjust the strap of his bag and then turned toward the road. “So long.”
"Bye again, Miss Earthwalker! Bye Lieutenant!" added Peewee before hurrying to catch up.
Their farewells said, owl and phoenix set off down the road back towards the village.
(*): Coalition of sparrow families and houses, famous for their hospitality to guests and ruthlessness to debtors.
Later....
Owlowiscious had been expecting a low wall around the compound. Something to keep animals from wandering in. He certainly was not expecting a solid construction of stone towering over ten shaku tall. The massive wooden gates blocking the way in did not do much to convince him that he and Peewee were not standing outside of a fortress.
What had captured his attention most, however, was the large brass crank protruding from the wall next to the gate, and just as perplexing, the sign next to the crank that did little to alleviate the mystery of the situation even as Owlowiscious read from it.
“Turn crank at moderate speed until needle rises to green area. Continue turning crank until gate opens. Enter before gate closes.”
For several moments, neither Owlowiscious nor Peewee said a word as they stared at the crank, the silence finally broken by the owl heaving a heavy sigh. “Well, why not?” he asked nobody in particular. “It’s not the most unusual thing I’ve been asked to do.” Briefly stretching, he grasped the crank with both wings and, with some difficulty, got it to start turning. The act became easier with each turn, and before long, he could hear a low hum accompanying the activity.
“It’s moving, Owlowiscious!” Peewee exclaimed. “It’s moving fast! You’re almost there!”
A few seconds later, the gates began swinging inward with a sound like metal rollers turning. Releasing the crank, Owlowiscious followed Peewee inside, wondering briefly what sort of mechanism operated the gates. His attention was quickly drawn to the compound they had entered, however, when he realized that there didn’t seem to be enough buildings to warrant the use of a wall. There was a small structure to one side of the large courtyard that looked to be of simple construction; most likely, it was a house, although it could scarcely have been large enough for more than a single occupant with minimal amenities. In some fashion, that made the purpose of the large outdoor space a bit more obvious. If this ‘Tank’ fellow did much entertaining, it must have been primarily outdoors.
More interesting was the structure on the other side of the compound from the small one. It was substantially larger, but more striking was the fact that it appeared to be made largely from stone rather than wood, as was typical of most structures that weren’t intended to be fortresses. There were no outward signs to give away the structure’s purpose, but the smoke billowing from a flue near one end implied that it was presently occupied. With nowhere else to go, Owlowiscious made his way towards it, beckoning Peewee to follow.
The doors — wood reinforced with iron bands — posed a solid obstacle. Owlowiscious raised one wing and, curling his feathers in an approximation of a fist, hammered on the doors as hard as he could. Several seconds passed without a response, and finally, he grasped one of the large rings suspended from the iron bands and, noting that the door appeared to slide, pulled it to the side enough to allow Peewee and himself entry.
“Get down!”
Without a second thought, Owlowiscious threw himself on top of the phoenix, dropping them both to the ground as a streak of light, heat and sparks shot over their heads and out into the courtyard. A moment later, the relative quiet outside was shattered by an explosion.
Owlowiscious looked at the resulting cloud of smoke with a mixture of awe and worry. If they had been hit by that....
“Well!”
The owl's attention was then drawn back into the stone building, and to the large tortoise that was ambling towards them. Whatever clothes he might have been wearing were obscured by the heavy brown and black (likely from scorching) leather apron he wore, concealing his entire front. A pair of heavy leather gloves and heavy goggles over his eyes completed his outfit, whatever it was. Bits and pieces that became visible to Owlowiscious through the smoke revealed various tools, many of which he couldn't immediately guess the use of. “Won’t be using those fuses again.”
“Good! You could have hurt or killed one of us!” Owlowiscious shouted, pulling himself back to his feet. “What were you thinking?”
The tortoise stopped in front of him and stood his ground. “Well, I was thinking that nobody was going to throw the gate open when I was working with potentially dangerous and flammable substances.”
Logic took hold in Owlowiscious’ mind immediately. “Oh,” he said. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense. I do hope you’ll allow me to apologize then. This is my fault.”
The tortoise just waved his words off. “No one was hurt, and now you know.”
“Um, sir?”
Both Owlowiscious and the tortoise looked down at a pensive Peewee. “You're, erm, you’re on fire,” he said, pointing at the tortoise's arm.
“Hm?” The tortoise followed Peewee's direction to the small flame that had sprung up on one of his gloves. “Oh.” With neither fanfare nor urgency, he simply swatted the flame out, double-checked that he was no longer in immediate danger, and then pushed his goggles up to his forehead. “Any case, don’t think I’ve seen either of you around before. Visitors from afar, come to purchase some soon-to-be-famous fireworks from soon-to-be-famous me? Looking for a contraption? Need directions?”
“None of those, actually. I’m Owlowiscious Nightwatch, and this is Phineus Wilhelm, from Heavenspire. By chance, would you be “Tank?’”
“Ha! I knew you two were here to get fireworks!” The tortoise exclaimed before settling down. “Or maybe a contraption. Any case, you got it right. Donson Atello at your service. Most folks call me Tank.”
“Oh, good. We were hoping we’d find you, actually. You see, we're here to inspect the preparations for tomorrow, and I understand you might be in charge of the weather preparations.”
Even as Owlowiscious started speaking, Tank began to smile, and by the time Owlowiscious had finished, Tank's smile was bordering on maniacal. “Got it covered,” he said, hurrying back into his workshop. The smoke, although it was beginning to clear, still obscured whatever he was doing, and Owlowiscious and Peewee were forced to wait with only the sounds of metal being moved around to accompany them.
When Tank finally did return, he was carrying what was easily the largest firework rocket either of them had ever seen; nearly as tall as he was. The sky blue paper holding it together did nothing to prevent them from rapidly backing out of the doors where it was safe. Safer, at least. Nevertheless, he had managed to arouse their curiosity, since it was in no way clear what this had to do with ‘weather preparations.’
“Don’t worry, this one is totally safe,” Tank said. “Just sit back. You’re going to love this.”
Their curiosity was only aroused further as Tank, carrying the almost comically large firework across his back, walked almost halfway across the yard of his compound — almost one hundred shaku away — before planting it in the ground, striking a match, lighting the fuse, and then turning and sprinting back to his company as fast as Owlowiscious could recall ever seeing a tortoise run. The need for this became obvious when the firework suddenly covered the ground in an especially large cloud of smoke as it went streaking up into the sky, far higher than most fireworks would, and then exploding in a burst of white smoke and sound, although without the trademark colors usually associated with pyrotechnics.
The firework detonating would not have been noteworthy were it not for the very obvious ripples that spread throughout the sky from the epicenter of the burst. Moments later, the few clouds that were in the sky, even those that had not been near the explosion, began to quickly dissipate until there was nothing left but clear blue at least as far as the borderlands around Taiyō-sen.
Owlowiscious and Peewee were silent for a moment, mouths agape, and then they both broke into smiles.
“Wow!” cried Peewee.
“Incredible!” exclaimed Owlowiscious.
“Ha! Knew you'd like that! Took me a while to get the composition just right, but once I got past that particular hurdle, it works every time. All three times I’ve tried it so far,” Tank replied. “It doesn’t really seem to work when it’s raining, but this way, I can make sure it doesn’t start raining until after the Empress goes back to Heavenspire.
“So. How cool was that?”
“Cool?” Owlowiscious asked, taking his attention away from the sky and turning it back to Tank. After a moment, he realized what he was being asked. “You just cleared every cloud from the sky without using any sort of obvious magic, and you’re worried about whether or not it was sufficiently cool?”
“Well, sure. Maybe if this was just some big name from Heavenspire, it’d be a different story, but this is the Empress of Light coming to see my sky. It has to be perfect.”
Owlowiscious regarded Tank for a moment, and then turned his attention back to the sky. “Then lay your concerns to rest,” he finally said, looking once more to Tank. “Because ‘perfect’ is the only word I can think to describe it.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that. And speaking of things that are perfect....”
Owlowiscious followed Tank’s gaze over his shoulder, and was immediately forced to do everything he could to keep his wits about him. Somewhere in the middle of Tank’s demonstration he had gained a third visitor. She was of the cat tribe, and she was beautiful. Her white fur was clean, smooth and immaculately brushed. The robe she wore was perfectly straightened and dark blue — so dark that it might well have been the color of a deep lake — with embroidery of a frog on a lily pad underneath the branches of a willow tree. The lids of her eyes were brushed delicately with a pale, violet shadow, and the sun was kept off her shoulders by a deep, purple parasol. She carried herself with the dignity and grace that suggested a noble upbringing, but without the haughty disdain that frequently marked a noble upbringing. Owlowiscious wasn’t even aware that he was gawking.
“Why, dearest Tank, I didn’t know you’d taken to entertaining guests,” she said, her voice just so that Owlowiscious needed a few extra moments to shake himself out of his stupor. “I’d have come by later if I did.”
“Oh, don’t be silly, babe,” Tank remarked. “You’re always welcome here, and actually, your timing is perfect. Pretty sure that Hoots and Shorty here were going to be looking for you, next.”
Another moment passed before Owlowscious, scowling hard, turned his eyes on Tank. “What did you just call me?”
“They’re here seeing folks about the celebration tomorrow, something about making sure everything is just right. And since you're the one in charge of the adornments, and decorations, and what-have-you in the pavilion, you’re the one they’ll be needing to see, and such.”
That was enough to refocus Owlowiscious on the matter at hand. “Oh, uh, yes, that would be correct. I think.” A beat, and then Owlowiscious cleared his throat. “What I mean to say is that I’m Owlowiscious Nightwatch, and this young fellow beside me is Phineus Wilhelm, of Heavenspire. We’re here, as Mister Atello said, to inspect various aspects of the celebration tomorrow, just to make sure... well, essentially just to make sure nothing catches fire unless it’s supposed to. Which, after meeting our tank-ish friend here, suddenly seems like a very legitimate concern.”
“Oh, fear not. Tank is hardly a danger to anyone but himself. But enough of him. I am Opal Essence, a humble artist here in Taiyō-sen.”
“Ha! Humble is right,” Tank practically shouted. “She’s the best there is from Taiyō-sen to Heavenspire, leads the Artists’ Union here, and her beauty is second only to the Empress. But you’d never known any of that if you asked her about it.”
“Tank, please, you're making me blush!” Despite her claims, however, Opal was clearly basking in the praise. “Besides, if these gentlemen really are here to inspect our work, I’m sure they’d rather see it than listen to us talk about it.”
“Yes, yes, that would be good, I think.” Owlowiscious looked down to Peewee for further agreement, only to find the phoenix still locked in a lovestruck stupor. A stupor which was quickly and effectively ended with a light slap to the back of his head.
“Yow! Uh, yes! Quite right, and wot wot!” Peewee said quickly. Before screwing his face up in contemplation. “What are we talking about?”
Owlowiscious chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, Peewee. We're going to go oversee more of the preparations with Miss Essence.”
“Oh. Cool!”
“Cool indeed. Miss Essence, if you wouldn't mind leading the way. And perhaps, you'll tell us how you managed to let yourself in without making so much as a sound?”
“Ha!” All eyes moved to Tank. “Good luck with that. I’ve been asking her for as long as I've known her how she manages that.”
All eyes moved back to Opal, who only cocked her head to one side demurely. “A girl must have some secrets." With only a smirk, she turned and made her way back towards the gate. Owlowiscious and Peewee nodded their farewells to Tank, and then followed Opal while the tortoise returned to his work.
Even later....
Owlowiscious’ concerns about the pavilion had been simple ones. Too much color, or too many adornments had been chief among them. His concerns turned out, to his relief, to be unfounded.
“I naturally intend no offense, Miss Essence, but I had been expecting there to be more,” he said. “I expected there would be too much, truthfully. But this? What you’ve guided the creation of? This is perfect.”
The perfection he beheld in the pavilion was the placement on either side of the raised stage of a white and red banner depicting the sunrise; another symbol of Empress Philomena. The rest of the pavilion was decorated with hanging scrolls that were neither extremely large, nor incredibly ornate, but simple and honest in the manner one might expect of a peasant village; watercolors and ink washes depicting butterflies, cherry blossoms, and chrysanthemums.
“It's very kind of you to say so, Mister Nightwatch,” Opal replied, turning her head away in playful shyness. “I confess, at first, I was planning to do more. Much, much more. But as I came to consider our options, I realized that the Empress must surely see large displays in Heavenspire all year-round. Displays exalting her glory above all. If this celebration is to be truly memorable, it's presentation should be unexpected. This, what you see now, is what it should be.”
“And how is it you decided that this was what it should be?” Owelowiscious asked.
“Well, as you well know, the Maiden of Flames was a warrior without equal. But I’ve met a few warriors, and without fail, no matter how great their skill, no matter how glorious their battles, it’s not often that they recall that first,” Opal replied. “I only have stories as my guide, but first and foremost, the Maiden fought because she pitied our lot in life. She fought for us. I imagine that, what the Empress thinks of first when she remembers those days is not the glory or heat of battle, but those who fought alongside her. Those who fell fighting with her.
“It just seemed to me that this celebration should remember more than just the battles to save the land, more than the Empress we still have. It should be a celebration of the strength and courage of those who aren’t here anymore to see the great and enduring empire they helped to forge. They shouldn’t feel left behind.” For a moment, her mood threatened to turn melancholy, and Owlowiscious saw his chance.
“Kaeru,” he said.
“Hm?” Opal's attention was back on him, rather than whatever was threatening to cause her grief.
“I was just commenting on your robe,” Owlowiscious replied. “Normally, you see a swallow paired with the willow tree. Grace and good luck coming together to create happiness. I don’t think I’ve seen a frog with a willow tree, before.”
“Hmph,” Opal said with an almost shy grin. “I suppose it’s no surprise. You were educated in Heavenspire, after all. But although I do like to think of myself as graceful, it’s neither good luck nor happiness I desire. Not now, at least. All I truly desire is to return home, some day. Everyone must have a dream.”
“Dreams are part of what makes life worth living, Miss Essence. You are graceful, elegant, kind, supremely talented in a great many things, from what I’ve seen, and have that spark of dedication that will carry you far. Wherever home might be, I’m certain you’ll find your way there again.”
Opal’s smile became less shy and more content in that moment. “It’s very kind of you to say so, Mister Nightwatch.”
“Owlowiscious?”
Both Owlowiscious and Opal turned their attention downward to Peewee, who looked unexpectedly worried. “There's something happening outside.”
With his attention refocused, Owlowiscious realized that Peewee was right. Through the open pavilion doors, he could hear what sounded distinctly like shouting. It wasn’t clear what was being shouted or by whom, but it sounded especially fervent. The already large crowd that had gathered was doing nothing to alleviate his developing concerns.
“Miss Essence, do you have any idea what might be happening out there?” he asked, looking to the cat.
Unfortunately, she only shook her head in response. “I’m afraid I don’t. I haven’t been here as long as some, but I don’t recall anything like this ever happening. But if that shouting is really as angry as it sounds, it can’t be anything good.”
“I suppose we ought to investigate, all the same.” Without waiting for agreement, Owlowiscious started towards the exit.
None of the adventures he’d had in the past had done anything to prepare him for what waited outside the pavilion.
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In 'Granny Earthwalker was still nothing sort of a master,' sort should be short. Second paragraph.
I would recommend not including something in the story if you have to add a footnote; it's rather distracting, and pulls the reader out of the story. Try making the meaning more obvious in the context instead, or even explain it in story. It wouldn't be too difficult, in this case.
I suggest altering the punctuation in, 'Winona certainly didn't, her demeanor turned to smiles in an instant.'
I don't even know what to say about 'Well, I recked there's a couple o' folks.'
'the crank that did little to alleviate the mystery of the sutation.' What does sutation mean?
'and then turning an sprinting back to his company,' replace an with and.
I can't help but feel that Opal isn't haughty enough, like her in-show version.