A Cosy Vacation In An Underworld

[Jello Shot Mischa]

Kisume travels along as well, assuming someone carries her bucket!

The caverns are dark and winding, but after a little while, you start to hear a sound in the distance, faintly like the wind. As you grow closer, it grows clearer, however, and you realize that is sounds like... revelry?

"And here we are!" Yuugi says triumphantly, pausing at the mouth of the cavern, where it opens up into a much larger one. "The Ancient City!" She gestures grandly with one arm, and down below you see a city sprawled across the bottom of the cavern. There's no daylight down here, but lanterns hang from the eaves of the buildings, with smaller oni carrying handheld ones as they scurry about. The accumulated light is enough to make it look like twilight, which seems enough for the various oni and youkai of the city to go about their business. In the distance, at the far end of the cavern, looms an elegant manor, surrounded by a stone wall, keeping it separated from the rest of the city.

"C'mon! All that walking has made me thirsty!" Yuugi shouts, and she starts leading the way down to the city.

[Blaze]

Jean happily helps Kisume with her bucket as she walks. As the Ancient City comes into view, her jaw drops as she actually drops Kisume's bucket!

"This... is... INCREDIBLE~!"

She takes out a camera and starts snapping photos of the city!

[KonokoHasano]

"... this is awesome." Usagi said, looking around in amazement. "I really like all the lanterns and the feel they give." She then gives a nod as she follows quickly after Yuugi.

[Raleigh]

So who lives in the mansion?

[Jello Shot Mischa]

Kisume lets out a yelp as her bucket is dropped! "Hey!" the tsurube-otoshi protests, pushing her bucket back upright with her arms.

Utsuko glances up at Raleigh's comment. "Oh, Satori does! We should visit her!"

Yuugi offers a nervous laugh at that, however. "Eheh... well... not that many people feel comfortable around her," she explains. "I don't mind her that much, but most people try to just keep away from her."

Utsuko pouts a bit. "But the only way down to the fires of hell are through her house~"

The oni shrugs. "Maybe... we'll see. But first, we'll need a drink!" She picks her way down the rocks towards the city, a path only faintly visible worn inbetween them. As the group draws near the outskirts, however, a group of woman wearing red kimonos and carrying spears rushes into view! "Hold it right there!" one of them yells out.

[Raleigh]

*Still in cat form is reared back on his hind legs holding the big letters 'i' and 't' in his forepaws at a funny angle.* Okay. Are you sure I shouldn't move it a little to the left or something? It gets bad reception at this angle.

[Blaze]

Jean happily walks along the path, babbling excitedly about what she's gonna do.

"FirstI'mgonnnatrythelocalcuiseneandthenseethemajorattractionsandthen..."

She eeps at the sight of the kimono-clad guards and holds her hands up.

[KonokoHasano]

Usagi blinks at Jean for a moment, surprised at the sudden fast talking. She then nearly jumped at the kimono guards.

"Whoa, we're just here visiting the place!" She said quickly.

[Jello Shot Mischa]

"Humans!" one of the guards shouts, spotting Jean.

"And some other youkai..." the first one murmurs, eyeing Raleigh.

"Oi, oi, what's going on here?" Yuugi says, walking up to confront the leader of the guards, who blinks and backs up a pace.

"Hoshiguma-sama?"

"Yeah, that's right... what's the deal with stopping me and my friends like this?"

The oni guard motions to her comrades, who lower their weapons. "So sorry, Hoshiguma-sama... we saw and unknown group approaching, and thought some humans had found their way down here!"

The other guard who spoke up nods. "It would be terrible if they were to get hurt..."

Yuugi frowns a moment, but then her expression softens and she nods. "Yeah, I suppose... we want people to have a good time, but humans can get hurt pretty easily..."

[KonokoHasano]

Usagi sweat-drops. "You know, by this point, maybe I should just..." Her form shifts, allowing her to change into her were-rabbit form. "Maybe I should have done this from the start?" She muttered, her ears giving a twitch.

[Raleigh]

How did you guess I was some kind of youkai?

[Blaze]

Jean scratches the back of her head.

"Yes, we humans are rather fragile..." ^^;

[Jello Shot Mischa]

How did you guess I was some kind of youkai?

The first of the oni guards blinks at Raleigh. "You are a talking cat... what else would you be?" she asks.

Yuugi, meanwhile, simply laughs, slapping Jean hard on the back! "Oh, it's okay... these humans are tough! I'm sure they won't get hurt that easily..." she says.

Utsuko nods! "Jean even managed to withstand one of my weaker attacks!" she proclaims cheerfully.

Between their reassurances and Usagi revealing herself to actually be a youkai, the guards start to relax a bit. "Well, all right, then..." the leader of the guards says. "But I don't want to hear any complaints later. The last thing we need is humans to start crying about how cruel or violent we are, and deciding to come down and bother us."

[Blaze]

"Er... it was less 'withstand' and more 'barely survive...'" Jean mutters, trying to be modest.

She smiles at the guards and nods.

"I promise not to let the culture shock get to me."

[Raleigh]

A convincing prop for the invisible man's ventriloquist act? *Raleigh automatically responds to the oni's question with his own ridiculous bit of silliness.* Thanks for letting us in. I'll help watch after the humans.