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Not Mom's Fault Quest [the rebooting]

Ask who runs this place. It might be the realm of an Imperator, or it might be a world on the tree, and knowing which one might be important.

"Bentenmaru-sama, May I ask whose dominion am I in?" I say, pulling my eyes from the setting sun.

"No one's, really. Cedric used to be mayor, before the sun rose over the sea, and cast down his Night London. Strange things happen over the hills, in Horizon, A School is harvesting children and monsters alike, I hear, and the ships say all the worlds are drowned, in sea, or dust, or forgotten dreams. That even the stars are fogged and lost. Sorry. .I .. " She trails off uncomfortably. "I shouldn't be the one to tell you this." Tears are in her eyes, and she turns away.

I find my clutching her, hugging her, tightly. I don't know what else to do.
 
Reach up and pat her head. It'll be okay! Right... right?
 
I reach up and pat her head. "It'll be okay!" I say, not even knowing what will be okay, but knowing..knowing I need to say this.

"Yeah. Sorry. I'm not being a good grown up right now." she replies. "So to really answer your question..right now I guess the Fortitude Council are the closest thing to rulers this place has, though the Shrine families have a lot of respect and wealth too. The rats have a king, down below, who also claims ruler-ship over the roofs.

"So..um. I'm not quite sure how to do the welcome to Fortitude thing, I've only been here 6 weeks or so.." she continues, picking me up and carrying me.

"Maybe I should give you a tour? What do you think? We could go and get a meal out as a special treat for waking up?"
 
"Well, I've only been here a little while, but it's pretty easy to get around." Bentenmaru-sama says looking around. "Fortitude is sort of crescent shaped, caught between the hills and the water." She begins walking north. "Over here is the deepest part of the harbor, where the trade and kaiju ships draw come to shore. One of those found me when I fell. Still doesn't make sense to me, how I ended up in big lake." She shakes her head before continuing.

"The human ships get smaller and smaller as the mountains near the shore, until finally you get to the rocky shores with reefs rising and falling into the water, and nothing bigger than a kayak can brave them. The rats will brave a lot though, and they somehow can get directly to both the roofs and their underground monasteries from the lake."

She points out a few of the rat ships as they dart about the harbor, sliding between and around the human ships like crows flowing through your mother's upper wings.

"This road leads through the fish market, and then the bakeries, restaurants, and local shops. For anything fancy you have to go to Arcadia."

A tall and gruff man yells, "Nacht, where you been all morning? My old woman wants to play cards."

"She knows I don't have any money that isn't spent on tutoring, let her cheat someone else."

"Ha! Been listening to Sara I see. You know where she is? She didn't come home last night, and I need to know whose pretty face to make not so pretty."

"She was watching movies with Granny. So unless you know where Walt Disney got off to. ."

"Well he's rich, right? Might be Mister Right after all." He turns and does a double take. "This is that tot that been sleeping. You get a name out of her?"

"Yes actually, Iakovos, this is Her Highness Malachite, Your Highness, this is Iakovos Tanaka."

Wha?
 
Try to act natural! Alternatively just run and hide behind Bentenmaru.
 
Act like Mom! She is like royalty, right?
 
I hide behind Bentenmaru- sama's legs for a few seconds. Then try and remember how mom would sort of nod her head and move her hands in an impression of a curtsy, and the whole house would bow.

But I don't think I should be that.. Ruling. I'm not my mom.

So I do actually curtsy. Still not too deep. I don't think? But what if this guy is like a Dominus or something? Then he might actually out rank me.
 
Say hello. Greet him politely.
 
"Well met, Sir Tanaka." I say coming up from my curtsy.

"Ah, I ain't no sir. I work an honest job for a living. You can call me Iakovos, Miss Malachite." He replies. "So how you finding the waking world so far? You need any food or the little girls room, or nothing, Granny or miss ears here will hook you up. So ask right away, no?" He says, putting his hands on his knees to get a better look at you.

You frown, he is being awfully informal with a princess.
 
Ask if he realizes exactly what your rank is, and what it means
 
Curtly tell him you're fine. He's trying to be nice so you shouldn't be too rude no matter how it comes across.
 
"I'm fine for now. Do you know what my rank means, Sailor?" I say trying to be polite but a little annoyed anyway.

"I'm afraid the only Highnesses I've even really heard of are vampires, and the higher ranked ones usually stay in Horizon. Please forgive me if I am vulgar, we am but simple folk un-schooled but for the sea."

Bentenmaru-sama smiles and glances at me. "I am sure it will be fine, right, Your Highness."

I feel a bit like when I did something Nursy didn't like. "Yes. Its fine, just please call me by my proper title."

"I will, Your Highness, or at least I will try. We Fortitude folk try to treat our guests well. So where abouts you headed?"

Bentenmaru-sama replies, "I was thinking I would show off some fried fish and chips, its about as good as you guys get with food, filling too."

"Well that's what foods for, get you warm and full and ready for a days work at sea or in the shops."

Bentenmaru-sama nods, "Speaking of, what you doing on dry land this late in the day? I hope everything is okay."

"Oh, it is, just getting done with a bunch of stuff I've let pile up, and would have had to come in early for dinner with my wife's folks anyway. They're shrine folk so you set your watch to their time if you get my meaning."

"I think so." she says, before looking down at me. "Is Your Highness ready to go?"
 
Oh, Hello.... looks like I am late to the party here. I am Heaven Canceler, pleased to meet you.

I assume you wanted to talk to the sun, have you tried that yet?
 
I think you should say yes.
 
"Oh, I haven't tried that yet. MOOOOOOOOOOOM!" I yell out at the sun. Or in its direction anyway.

Other then like everyone I can see pausing to look, then looking away, nothing happens.

The sunlight on my face feels ..wan for a moment, and then brightens up like it's trying to reach me.

I wait, hoping mom is going to come get me, but she doesn't.

"Okay we can go now." I say to Bentenmaru-sama, who nods, and then leads me away, a strange look of pain in her eyes.
 
"
Or maybe she just can't hear you?
Maybe. I hope she isn't hurting.

----

Dame Bentenmaru and I walked up the street, passing maybe a dozen buildings. At first they were mostly ahouses or fish stalls, but then we turned a corner, the street got wider and the buildings changed from rough grey blocks, to smooth yellow sandstone, and red brick. Smells of bread and clay intermingled with the weakening fishy smell from the docks.

And right as the smell of raw fish faded away, a new buttery smell and a sizzle greeted us. They both came from a small one story building painted blue with a strange looking shape painted on it. I think maybe it's supposed to be a woman? It has round things that might be suposed to be breasts but only one big redeg, and even then it just looks..blurry?

https://adesiretogetcreative.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/mermaidstep4.jpg

When we step inside I see a couple of people rush to the back door, after dropping their spoons in their soup.

A woman who seems to be smiling too much to me, dressed in a white apron over bluejean overalls over a white and red striped long sleeved shirt asked Bentenmaru-Sama what we wanted.

She replied "the little one will take 2 pieces of cod, I'll take 4 of halibut and we can share a small plate of fries"

"Coming right up." The women said, writing it on pad of white paper.

"So..hmm. Can't say I know what you need to hear." Bentenmaru-Sama muses. "Any questions? Why did you yell for your Mother, right then? "
 
Heaven Canceler here again. Stay positive! The sunlight got warmer and brighter when you called right? So that means at least you are calling towards the right sun, right? Does your mum have any assistants that take care of the sun and stuff if she is busy with other things?

I suggest just being honest with the people and saying your mum should be in the sun. Or is your mum the sun? It is always confusing with that metaphysical embodiment stuff.
 
Honesty is good here. It lets you build up a reputation, so you can lie later without other people suspecting
 
Heaven Canceler, do you work for Rex Peter at the gates? I don't really understand your name.

"I was asking Mom to come get me. I've never been down here for long." I reply. "She should be up up there, but she should have come and got me by now. But what if she's not okay? So much blood, and falling and cold I was so cold. ." Just thinking about it makes me hungry, makes me feel lIke dad.

Bentenmaru-sama gets up and picks me up and hugs me and it's nice but she's not Mommy or Nursy. She is fuzzy instead of smooth, warm instead of hot, and she can't hug me tight enough, but I cling to her anyway, trying to stay dignified the way mommy would want.

I feel something in me flip inside out, and well I know that it's all already over, unchangeable. Mom is either okay or she isn't.

I'm still really hungry and cold, and when the woman brings out a warm basket I eat the whole thing.

Apparently I wasn't supposed to eat the bowl?

"Um are you okay? How?"

I burp and then blush terribly. "Sorry for my bad table manners."

"No, I mean. Uhh." Bentenmaru blinks "You must have really strong teeth." She says clicking her teeth on a piece of porcelain I must have missed."
 
What? -_- You must be the kind of voice mom warned me about. I am a native of Celestia not Heaven after all.
What did your mom say about these voices? Also, you know what I am. I am a shoulder devil, remember?


Trust me, I am only trying to help you achieve your full potential, to become a better person. Wouldn't mom want that?
 
Mom would want that, and I think hitting someone with a sword is even meaner than lieing, and mom taught me how to do that.

And mom said that the voices would be showing me parts of me. They would be pieces of her Fire, and father's Void, and most of all Celestia's Sky given life.
 
OOC: Is this based on Nobilis?

See? I am a good influence, here to help.

Anyways, you should probably ask where you are staying
 

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