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It was sakura season in the islands of Inazuma, and the blossoms were particularly brilliant at this time of year on Narukami Island, however Miko couldn’t really admire them as she was much too busy with other things around this time year, namely the newest installment of one of the ongoing light novel series, or even new releases. In fact there was actually a new light novel releasing, now that she thought about it. She didn’t know much about the particular light novel, but, she had heard that it had come from the mainland, which was always a fascinating discovery. Miko smiled as her hand passed over the pieces parchment she was currently holding.
Mere manuscripts mostly, however, more importantly, were the requests for the advice column, that that young kit answered under the guise of Ms Hina. She was planning yet another meet-up for all ‘her’ various fans, even if Ms Hina ‘herself’ really had no clue about this fact. Miko grinned to herself and removed the novel manuscripts from the pile and kept holding the advice column. She’s have to pay the little general a visit later, but, there were more important things to attend to at the moment. Side-stepping out of the office, Miko walked over to one of her employees and gestured towards the room. “Himeko, I want you to look over that manuscript we received from Sumeru, I have to sort out these new requests for the advice column. It appears to be one of the romance variety,” Miko couldn’t keep the smirk out of her voice, but the red-haired woman didn’t seem all that bothered.
“Hm, I do wonder if it’ll turn out like that one poetry book I had to edit as well, of that one kid from Liyue,” Himeko wondered out loud. Miko’s ears merely twitched, and she continued smirking.
“I’m sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Miko hummed, “seeing as this is poetry as well. However, this love poetry, is particularly blatant, judging from my quick look at it.” Himeko blinked, before sighing. She stood up and looked at Miko.
“So, it’s as bad as the Dan Heng situation?” Miko blinked, but then regained her composure. She hadn’t been aware that Himeko had known about the previous poetry collection’s author’s identity, but then again, she had seen her mothering the dragon when he did happen to visit Inazuma. Miko then smirked, and Himeko simply sighed. “What is it with artistic people not dealing with their emotions, and revealing it in simple poetry? Do they have to be mysterious about it?” Miko chuckled.
“I don’t particularly think this author is an artist,” Miko commented, “I think these poems come from a place of desperation, or catharsis. Though, why they’d send the manuscript here, I’m not exactly sure. Though,” she smirked, “it’s one way to reveal your feelings for someone. Anyways, I should really continue with what I was going to do, so I’ll take my leave now. Too-da-loo, have fun going through the poems~” Miko then left the publishing house.
What she was planning on, was getting Ms Hina a new outfit for the upcoming meetup. It was sakura season after all, plus Hina’s regular dark teal didn’t really represent the season, so Miko had decided to take a moment to think of a new outfit for the young kit. The lavender melons they’d used previously were also starting to rot, which really wouldn’t help with the Ms Hina outfit in general. Another issue was getting the kit to even agree to being Ms Hina in the first place, which wasn’t too much of a struggle.
Why, she could simply bring up Hina’s favourite fan, of course.
Even if he was a burly idiot of an oni.
Miko’s eyes gleamed mischeviously at the mere prospect of it. Ms Hina would surely cave at the mention of disappointing him if ‘she’ doesn’t show, Miko had seen it happen before, she’d done it before, she could do it again, and again and again. Miko had even begun to expect Hina would almost expect the blithering idiot of an oni there. On this train of thought, she started thinking of what Hina could possibly wear to impress the oni, that he wasn’t already impressed by. Hina usually wore teal, so, maybe they should change it up by wearing something pink? Hm, maybe even the shade of the sakura blossoms? It’s an idea.
Suddenly, the kitsune’s nose picked up on a new scent.
It was a pleasant scent, an aroma not usually found in the islands of Inazuma. Foreign, distinctly mainland. Mingled in between the scents of the sakura blooms, vaguely Violetgrass, vaguely Glaze Lilies, maybe even a hint of Qingxin? Other smells also mingled in with the more dominant scents, but those were too weak for Miko to exactly name. Interestingly, the scent threw back scents most commonly found in Liyue. A Liyuean scent, more pleasant than most of of surrounding scents. The scents Miko was used to. She paused to sniff the scent some more. So many scents mixing together, the dominant ones being prominent, but not overpowering and then the less dominant scents, still there and not being overpowered. It would be a perfect addition to Ms Hina, and the oni might even smell it and fall even more in love with the young kit. She grinned to herself
She had to find the source of these scents and ask if they could help her with the new outfit for Ms Hina. It would be an excellent addition, and, she smirked, would be quite useful.
Using her more sensitive nose, she followed the scent trail, trying to find the source of all the intermingling scents. Whoever it was must be quite gifted in the process of combing different scents, as the aroma wasn’t one that would make someone recoil if they had the misfortune of smelling it. Luckily for Miko, this practically instinctual behaviour wouldn’t cause any alarm, as she was quite good at making it look like it was just a casual walk throughout Inazuma City, and as she moved closed towards the source, the intermingling scents grew stronger.
The brown-haired, green-eyed vixen at the end of the trail was a surprise at the very least.
Miko paused and took in the vixen. Her hair was drawn up in a ponytail, and a large bushy tail sprouted from her back. She was eying a sakura bloom her hand and giving it a sniff. Then, the vixen smiled at the clear sweet scent that Miko already knew sakuras had. The vixen then turned toward the bag slung over her shoulder and placed the bloom into it. As she did this, a wave of Liyuean scents reached Miko’s nose. So, this vixen must be from Liyuean, the kitsune thought with a smile,taking a step forward. “I knew my nose wouldn’t fail me,” Miko hummed, causing the vixen to look up from the bag.
It was then that Miko noticed the vixen’s eyes were more of a yellow-green, than a true green, though, combined with the Electro Vision draped across her stomach, the vixen matched the scenery behind her, causing a curious sensation to rush over the kitsune. In other words, the vixen was certainly pretty. The vixen then also smiled, and turned to face her. “It must be all of the perfumes I’m wearing,” she answered, “That, or the tail care products. Hey, do you know where I could find some hair care products? I’m here for a week and I left mine at home.” Miko smiled mysteriously. This gave her the perfect opportunity to ask this vixen about her plans for Ms Hina, and to see how the vixen would like the idea.
“I’ll help you, if you help me,” Miko stated simply and the vixen looked at her curiously. “You see, I have this little issue regarding a certain kit… I’m sure you’ve heard of Ms Hina, have you not? She’s quite a popular columnist here, and I’m organizing a meet-up for hi- her. And there’s a particular… fan of hers, which I’m quite certain she’s fond of, so, I was wondering if, assuming you’re a perfumer, you could help me with my predicament regarding a seasonal outfit for her, with specifically the fan in mind.” The vixen’s eyes then narrowed in a deliciously satisfying smirk, in Miko’s opinion at least, and she grinned.
“So, you want that general to wear a new perfume for him to get the oni’s attention?” Miko put her hand over the vixen’s mouth before moving them away from the crowd and into a back alley, though Miko could more smell the vixen’s tail products and perfumes.
“You can’t go running your mouth like that. The fun of Ms Hina, is that no one knows her true identity,” Miko stated and the vixen simply smiled. “Though, I’m not sure how you figured it out.”
“It’s quite easy, if I’m being perfectly honest with you. Ms Hina and that general are so alike that if they aren’t the same person, they’d be twins. But anyways. You want a new perfume for her? Do you have anything else in mind?” The vixen’s ears twitched slightly. Miko looked over at the sakura bloom that the vixen had put in her bag earlier and took it out.
“Since it is sakura season,” she hummed. “I was thinking that I go with a sakura theme. I saw you eying this bloom earlier, so maybe his perfume could contain sakura scent, hm? Maybe with some other, more foreign scents as well?” Miko’s fingers grazed the Glaze Lilies, and the vixen followed her fingers.
“The sakura’s sweet scent wouldn’t work well with Violetgrass,” the vixen hummed. “But maybe… with Glaze Lilies?” She scratched through her bag, pulling out a purple flower. “Or the Sumeru Rose? Jiaoqiu brought back too many from his many Sumeru trips, so much so that Baizhu brought the excess to us.” The vixen suddenly smirked again. “He refuses to admit why he consistently visits Sumeru, but, a part of me thinks he may have a crush or even be secretly dating someone.” She looked up from the bag, and Miko smirked in interest. “That’s besides the point.” The vixen grabbed the sakura and sniffed it along with the purple flower. “Oh, that’s evocative. Maybe some… Cecilia to douse it?” The vixen brought out another flower, buried deep in the bag, and Miko noticed its distinctly airy scent. “Yep, that’ll definitely douse it.”
“It seems like you have an idea of scents already,” Miko commented, scratching her chin. The vixen, however, ignored her and pulled out an orange flower.
“That hair of his will need a Windwheel based care product, but I unfortunately don’t have any on me.” She then looked back at Miko. “You were going to help with that.” Miko nodded and headed for the main street again. The vixen followed her out of the alley, and they were soon back in the main city area.
“The hair care products here are more ointments and balms than lotions,” Miko explained as she and the vixen walked through the city. “So, they might not look exactly the same.” As they made their way past the kimono store, the vixen stopped and walked over to it, Miko following her.
“Hina would need a new kimono, right?” The vixen asked. “Since I’m already helping you with the perfumes, I might as well help you with the dress, shouldn’t I?” She sent a wave to the store owner. “You said you’re going for a sakura theme, right? How about pink?”
“I was thinking along those lines,” Miko replied, simply letting the vixen sort it out since she offered to. “Maybe pale to match the petals?” The vixen nodded her agreement and then sorted out the kimono without Miko having to doing anything. The store owner looked at the vixen and smiled.
“Could I have your name?”
“Call me… Tingyun,” the vixen responded and Miko smiled as her ears twitched.
Tingyun. Interesting.
After that, they finally reached the hair care store and the store owner seemed surprised. “Yae Miko? What are you doing here? I thought you do your own hair care at the shrine.” Miko smiled.
“Oh, it’s not for me. I was showing Tingyun where this particular store is. She wanted to get a few items. I’ll be on my way now.” Miko turned around, and, with a small wave, left Tingyun to do her business and headed off to find a certain kit, relishing in the lingering thought of green eyes.