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The mark appears, as they all do, after the moment of first contact. The problem, in this instance, is that the mark is on her hip, and Ei had been fully clothed in her armor all day, a day in which she had met a multitude of dignitaries, both foreign and local. She had brushed against, shaken the hands of, and crossed blades with a vast array of people.
A soul mark is not unusual in this day and age, especially on one touched by Celestia as she is, but Ei had never expected it to happen to her. Makoto, she could understand; her sister is good with people, and enjoys speaking to them. Ei would rather settle everything on the battlefield.
Now that she’s thinking about Makoto, Ei decides to seek her counsel. If anyone would know what she should do with this, it would be her.
Makoto is in her own chambers, already in her nightgown. She looks up from her book with faint surprise. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Ei doesn’t waste time with explanations. She sweeps aside the folds of her underclothes and shows her sister the mark.
Makoto’s eyebrows raise. She puts down her book without even saving her space and hurries forward to get a better look. She traces the edges gently with a nail. “Hmm… A fox. Pink, too.” She looks up. “Are you going to go find her?”
“Her?” Ei asks. “You know who she is?”
Makoto only grins.
After wheedling the woman’s identity out of her sister proves fruitless, Ei returns to her chambers. She settles in front of the mirror and observes the mark.
It is stylized in the hazy, dreamlike fashion many marks are, but the shape and color of the pink fox is distinct. It’s curled in a small ball, wrapped around an object that gives off a faint purple glow. Ei can’t quite make out what it is, but she can make out the faint smile of contentment on the fox’s face, as if it has just accomplished some kind of mischief.
Ei runs through everyone she had met that day. The list is exhaustive, and she dreads having to return so suddenly for such a personal matter. But she must at least make an attempt, or Makoto will, and Makoto’s methods would be far more public and mortifying.
The first place she had visited is the Narukami shrine, so she decides to head there first.
The next time she can extract herself from her duties, Ei returns to the shrine. The Guuji is surprised at her unexpected visit, but manages to quell her reaction and carefully asks what brings her.
Ei is at a loss for words. She cannot force herself to come out and say her true reason, but she cannot come up with anything else. The shrine maidens are starting to pay more obvious attention, which makes her hesitancy worse.
Suddenly, a voice speaks up. “Her excellency came to see me!”
Ei looks over to see a shrine maiden, still in a training uniform, sending her a wink and a smile, nodding over to a secluded area. She’s quite pretty, with long pink locks and fluffy-looking creature ears that imply a nonhuman heritage. Salvation. Ei thanks Celestia.
“Miko, what are you talking about?” the Guuji asks, sounding exasperated.
“It's true,” Ei says, wanting to be free of this spectacle. “I must speak with her about a… Political matter.”
The Guuji does not look convinced, but she gives a few more words of formality and lets Ei hurry off with Miko away from the assembled maidens.
Miko leads Ei around the main building of the shrine to a corner that clearly sees little traffic. “So, o goddess of mine, what truly brings you to our humble shrine?” She has a glint in her eye, clearly anticipating something specific.
“I've only just learned of this recently, and I must take steps to uncover the truth.”
Ei pulls aside the folds of her dress to show her mark, and Miko cries out, “Celestia, you move fast!”
Ei blinks at her, confused by the comment. Miko barely spares her hip a glance, her gaze trailing up the length of Ei’s exposed leg.
“I intend to find out the identity of whoever this mark belongs to.” Miko jolts, looking surprised for a moment, then almost calculating. Ei plows on. “I am retracing my steps from yesterday. I don’t know when it appeared, or who was the cause, but I will soon enough.”
“You don’t have any idea who it might be?”
“None at all.”
Miko considers for a moment. “Do you want help?”
“What?”
Miko shrugs. “You seemed pretty awkward with the Guuji earlier. I can tell you don’t want this public information. Let me come with you.” She smiles. Ei gets the feeling she knows something she doesn’t. “With me by your side, you’ll uncover the truth in no time.”
Ei can’t think of a reason to refuse. This Miko person is fascinating, and she finds herself looking forward to further conversation. Not to mention how easy she is on the eyes.
“What about the shrine maidens?” Ei asks. “What can you tell me about them?”
Miko waves a hand. “It’s none of them. I can tell you that much at least.”
Ei can understand. If a shrine maiden had reported a new soul mark, Miko would have known. She moves on with her list.
“Next you spoke to the dignitaries from Fontaine, hmm?” Miko says when she’s done. She reaches out and takes Ei’s hand. “Let’s go, then, your excellency.”
Were it anyone else, Ei would have struck them down in a moment. The casual touch, the form of address that turns her formal title into sarcasm; she would never have tolerated it. But Miko is different, somehow. Her touch is soft, and her joke has no bite.
“Call me Ei,” she finds herself saying. It would make things easier, she reasons.
Miko’s eyebrows raise. “Oh, my. Ei …”
Ei finds she likes the way her name rolls off Miko’s tongue.
The two of them travel back to the city, where the Fontainian diplomats are staying. Miko knocks on the door.
A woman opens it, one Ei remembers from the day before. She had been one of the newer members of the entourage, Ei recalls. Green and awkward, but new enough that she could be the one they’re looking for.
Her eyebrows raise when she sees the Shogun at the door. “C- can I help you?” she squeaks.
Ei stalls for a moment, unsure, but Miko takes over. “We’re here to do a cleansing ritual. Nothing major, just routine. If you could gather everyone -”
“The women,” Ei cuts in. Makoto’s hint, as well as her own knowledge about herself, can surmise that much.
Miko shoots her a sly grin. “Only the women would be necessary. Thank you.”
The woman at the door hurries off, and soon Ei and Miko are standing in the main room of the Fontainian quarters, surrounded by a loose circle of women.
“Let me know if you see anyone promising,” Miko says under her breath. She begins to move and chant, which Ei recognizes as a simple, general cleansing ritual. In situations like this, with no corruption to cleanse, it is just a dance.
For a moment she’s distracted by Miko’s form as she moves, gracefully weaving between forms. Then she shakes herself out of it and observes the room.
She isn’t sure what, exactly, she’s looking for. Some kind of recognition, maybe. Some kind of sign that one of these women is her Celestia-chosen. Instead, her eyes keep drifting back to Miko, swaying to invisible music.
When the ritual completes, Miko glances at Ei, who subtly shakes her head. Miko thanks the assembled Fontainians, and the two of them make a graceful retreat.
“No luck?” Miko asks. She doesn’t sound surprised.
“I’m not sure what I’m looking for,” Ei admits. “None of them particularly stood out.”
Miko nods. “They weren’t right for you. Who’s next?”
The next crop of potential suitors is a collection of swordmasters who had requested that Ei observe their forms. This time, she has an excuse prepared. The day before, they had shown off their skills against training dummies, and she had requested time to deliberate. This time, she asks them to pair off and demonstrate against each other.
There are two women among the group, and Ei focuses her attention on them. Their forms are solid and their movements are precise. In some ways, it is like a dance. She has always appreciated the female form, especially in battle, and this is no exception.
But, when she truly thinks about it, there is nothing special or unique about the women. Their forms are ordinary, their battle one of many she has observed in her time.
She thinks about Miko, moving so gracefully in her ritual.
“Do you fight?” she asks, turning to the woman next to her.
Miko looks surprised at being addressed. “Not usually.” She smirks. “I usually win the battle before the swords are even drawn.”
Ei puzzles over that statement until the swordmasters finish their demonstrations. She gives them customary compliments, then motions to Miko that it’s time to move on.
Miko leans into Ei’s side on their walk to the Kujou household, their next destination. “Have you had any ideas?” she asks slyly.
She’s in Ei’s personal space. With anyone else, Ei would have ended such familiarity with a solid strike. But Miko… Miko is a special case. Ei finds she doesn’t particularly care.
“I’m not sure,” Ei replies. “I’m still unsure as to what I’m supposed to be looking for.”
“Something special,” Miko recites as if she’s telling a story. “A flash of familiarity, a close connection. Someone who stands out from the crowd, and always will.”
Ei shakes her head. “There’s no one I can think of.” Except -
She freezes in the middle of the road. Someone who stands out from the crowd, someone who feels familiar, like a home she’s never known. Yes, actually, there is someone she can think of.
Hair the same shade of pink, ears - fox ears, even - that imply a nonhuman heritage.
Ei cannot believe she’s been so utterly stupid.
“Miko,” she gasps.
Miko has stopped a step ahead, glancing back in worry at Ei’s sudden stiffness. Her face twists into a pleased grin. “Oh, have you finally figured it out?”
“You knew? And you said nothing?”
Miko chuckles. “It was far funnier this way.” She pulls back the sleeve of her shrine maiden uniform to reveal a mark stretching up the length of her arm, a purple bolt of lighting winding its way up her skin. “I’ve known since we greeted each other at the shrine yesterday. I’ve just been waiting for you to figure it out.”
A wave of relief washes over Ei. No more retracing her steps, no more searching for a sign in nothingness.
Even Makoto had known before she had.
Oh, Makoto. She’s going to be teasing Ei about this for millenia.
(It’s too bad she never gets a chance to tell her.)