The shop was everything one would expect of an Asian imports store in a typical mall. At least from outside of it. I turned to the blonde kunoichi in the orange jumpsuit beside me. "You have done well, Uzumaki-chan. You and the rest of the genin may maintain a perimeter."
"Of course, Nogitsune-sama! Dattebayo!" She took off and rejoined the pink-haired Shima and the brooding Hebi, maintaining their cover as younger teenagers, hanging out in the mall. Only a trained eye like this one's or Misao's would see how alert they were. Akai and Kuroi were keeping an eye on the others, and Kareshi was still searching for just the right shoe store. This one still needed to complete her wardrobe, and the current outfit, though elegant, was still missing something.
"Shall we, Misao-chan?" I asked. Hearing her agreement, I stepped across the threshhold. I felt something like cobwebs brush across my face, and heard shattering porcelain. I turned my head to the shopkeeper's checkout and saw the shards of good luck charms across the top of a computer monitor. The only charm left was a maneki neko. The girl at the checkout was confused, but her grandmother behind her was looking directly at me and paling.
I smiled gently and made my way towards the apparel section. I found that I was to be disappointed. Yes, there were cheap cheongsams and martial arts uniforms, but the shop only had yukata for more normal Japanese wear. The Hanbok were exquisite, but not something I would wear.
While Misao also browsed, I let myself wander, trusting my senses to guide me to something interesting. I found myself drawn towards the register... No, I was being drawn to the wall between this shop and the netcafe next door.
The grandmother flinched as I drew near and began speaking rapidly in Korean. I found that I now knew a few words of it, but not enough to completely comprehend what she was saying.
"Be at peace, grandmother," I said in English. "This one is not here to harm you or yours." I reached to touch a small crystal horse on the counter next to the computer and was pleasantly surprised to feel the mana stored within it. I bought it and waited for Misao to finish. The mana flow from next door was piquing my curiosity.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''
-- James Nicoll
"Of course, Nogitsune-sama! Dattebayo!" She took off and rejoined the pink-haired Shima and the brooding Hebi, maintaining their cover as younger teenagers, hanging out in the mall. Only a trained eye like this one's or Misao's would see how alert they were. Akai and Kuroi were keeping an eye on the others, and Kareshi was still searching for just the right shoe store. This one still needed to complete her wardrobe, and the current outfit, though elegant, was still missing something.
"Shall we, Misao-chan?" I asked. Hearing her agreement, I stepped across the threshhold. I felt something like cobwebs brush across my face, and heard shattering porcelain. I turned my head to the shopkeeper's checkout and saw the shards of good luck charms across the top of a computer monitor. The only charm left was a maneki neko. The girl at the checkout was confused, but her grandmother behind her was looking directly at me and paling.
I smiled gently and made my way towards the apparel section. I found that I was to be disappointed. Yes, there were cheap cheongsams and martial arts uniforms, but the shop only had yukata for more normal Japanese wear. The Hanbok were exquisite, but not something I would wear.
While Misao also browsed, I let myself wander, trusting my senses to guide me to something interesting. I found myself drawn towards the register... No, I was being drawn to the wall between this shop and the netcafe next door.
The grandmother flinched as I drew near and began speaking rapidly in Korean. I found that I now knew a few words of it, but not enough to completely comprehend what she was saying.
"Be at peace, grandmother," I said in English. "This one is not here to harm you or yours." I reached to touch a small crystal horse on the counter next to the computer and was pleasantly surprised to feel the mana stored within it. I bought it and waited for Misao to finish. The mana flow from next door was piquing my curiosity.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''
-- James Nicoll