Come to think of it... | Saphy

Its surprising to find stores like these still alive and well in the streets of Tokyo. Granted, it still remained one of those shops where you'd much rather peer in through the window to see what's inside, rather than having to enter the murky depths of the unfamiliar surroundings and be greeted with an odour that is between the combinations of old men, traditional herbal medicine and rotten wood- which was all pretty nostalgic for someone like Jinny, being born and raised in a temple, after all.

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck when she somehow overheard two people having a conversation about an old, crammed up shop selling things no one would ever consider buying, or perhaps it was fate, playing its childish games once more, moving each individual piece of life in its never ending game of chess, and its opponent? None other than its own amusement.

"Hi.." she responded, albeit timidly, to whomever greeted her, but judging from that old, raspy voice, it must have been the shop's owner. It hadn't been long since she hopped on a plane for the first time and flew all the way over to this country, and from what she's heard, the Japanese weren't all too hospitable when it comes to the Chinese, what with unresolved grudges from past wars, and even the current territorial dispute between the two countries. "I just.. pass by, and-.. shop look good."

As you can already tell, her grasp of the English language was as basic as basic gets. She didn't know any complex words, and for the most part, her grammar was everywhere. She was trying to learn, no doubt about it, but at least she had the ability to convey her words to others without causing too much confusion.

Even through her vision, the girl was able to differentiate between two figures standing next to each other, since the blurred patches of colors were different, and one of the figures was most definitely taller than the other. Without further contemplation, she immediately attributed the taller figure to being another customer, or just a wandering traveller who lost their way, and had only stopped by to ask for directions.

To be honest, she hadn't, wouldn't, and didn't expect much from this shop, and so she'd admit her assumptions were wrong after passing a glance through a few pieces of genuine monkey's paws. Those paws - although believed to possess some sort of magical powers that would grant another person's wishes - should not be underestimated, as Jinny herself had been responsible for lifting several of these heavy-duty curses caused by this. In a sense, they were one of the harder ones to undo, because those people were the ones who made a decision to use it all up, in spite of the warnings.

Aside from the little sound those bells make when a potential customer enters through the door, one could clearly see- and hear another additional sound, this being a light tapping. The source of that sound was, of course, coming from the female monk's walking stick. Her eyes, unlike most blind people, still looked rather normal, and if she were walking around without the use of that plastic utensil, no one would've been able to guess that the young girl was indeed, handicapped.

"Greetings you also, sir or madam. You have good paw of monkey, very quality. Very very quality, but very bad. Lots of stupid people, lots die."

Well then..

To say she wasn't surprised by the lack of a language barrier displayed by the shop owner, that would be an obvious lie. For a moment there, she actually believed the old man to be a Chinese native, but then again, it wouldn't take much for a person of either nationality to learn the other's national language, simply because of how similar they were. There were words written in the same way, and some were even pronounce in the same way, though that's usually just the tip of the iceberg.

With a small nod as her only response to the apparent supernatural shopkeeper's words, she continued looking around, mostly relying on her sense of touch to tell things apart. "So I am known even in the land of the rising sun, yes? Good. Easier for me. Need not for introduction." As she spoke, the redhead nonchalantly picked up an ancient scroll, and immediately upon feeling a dark presence within, placed it right back on the aisle.

"虽然不是你的问題， 你給我麻煩夠多了." She continued, folding her arms under her chest. Because of its sheer size, she feels uncomfortable with doing it the traditional way, which meant folding one's arms across their chest, and so she had to improvise somehow. When it came to the revelation that the shop owner was actually a spirit though, she's already sensed it from the moment she entered the store. Hey, its already shady enough for someone to consider opening up a shop like this in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world. "Neutral spirits. Very helpful, but very stupid laws. My father killed one of you once for shady business with evil spirits, do not make me repeat history by doing the same to you."

"I think you would not have anything of interest to me, Mr Shop Owner, so why would I offer my help? I am here for one reason only, and if you know of that reason, you and everybody else, should not try to stop me."

"You two make cute couple."

And so they did, as evident in that whole touchy-feely familiarity between the two males. Age is just a number, right? And.. species is just another boundary they'd have to break through, for that matter. All in all, they did seem like one of those strong-protecting-weak couples that you'd often read about in novels, or in movies. Except in most cases, the weak tended to be depicted as either a hopeless male protagonist who would eventually gain the strength and courage to finally do something, or in the ever-so clichéd damsel in distress.

When the shop owner changed the subject and proceeded to explain whatever it is he wanted them to do, Jinny listened in. Hey, it would be rude of her to not lend them her ears to hear what they have to say before ultimately rejecting them, right? And so, she nodded attentively to each sentence spoken. Though she truly did think she was going to say no, the reward changed all that. She flew all the way to Japan with only a small amount of clothing and the years of experience backing her up, so admittedly, she was in kind of a slump at the moment. The equipment that was offered, it might serve to change all that. Hell, it might even make her achieving her goal that much easier.

"I know not what you are talking about, and what those places are. The time I have spent here is short, and thus, I can only know what you have put us up against when I see it. You, boy, if you know where the destination is, navigate."

Legendary exorcist or not, it wouldn't change the fact that the tool could be of substantial use. There would of course be a certain amount of respect if the name of said legendary exorcist is synonymous for contributing to their legacy, but at the end of the day, what is the difference between a stick used by a world famous idol, compared to a stick used by a homeless person? It still is, would be, and would not change into anything else but a stick.