~On a calm Tuesday night~

"Aumph~"

The ice fairy Cirno bites into a stick of lamprey and gulps it all down in one go, leaving sauce trails dripping down her chin. "Thish ish sho ghood!" she beams to Mystia who's marinading another stick of lamprey for grilling. She laughs as Cirno's friend Daiyousei wipes at the girl's chin.

"I'm glad you liked it! There's more where that came from," Mystia smiles as she guts a fresh lamprey, making sure that her dull knife cuts through. It's the first time the night sparrow's fairy friends visited her food cart so she wants to give them the best possible service. I even got my hands on expensive sake!

"These are bigger than the ones at the river," says Daiyousei as she stretches one of the grilled lampreys; it's longer than the fairy's arm. "Where did you get it?"

"I have my sources," the night sparrow winks as she turns over the fish. "Well, it's not a secret. I've been trading with the mermaid at Misty Lake for some really fat and juicy lampreys. She wanted some shiny rocks in return."

"There's a mermaid at Misty Lake!?" Cirno shouts, spraying bits of lamprey onto the cart. "I didn't know that!"

Mystia sighs and wipes it up. "You lived there for a hundred years and didn't know?" She understands that her friend can be a bit dumb at times but not this dumb. Gensokyo is not that big of a place; a year is more than enough to explore its entirety.

Daiyousei forces Cirno's head down to a bow. "Sorry about the mess."

"No need to worry. My stand has seen a lot worse," Mystia laughs before spotting a figure approaching from behind her cart's sign. "Another customer! Welco… Oh, it's you," her voice turns sharp upon seeing her smoking visitor.

"Yo," the white-haired human Mokou greets her whilst puffing on a hand-rolled cigarette. "Room for one more?"

The night sparrow sighs. After all, she's not one to refuse visitors. "Sure."

"Thanks. Two sticks of lamprey, please," she orders before sitting to Daiyousei's right. The human pours herself a cup of sake before commenting: "A quiet night, huh? I expected a lot more around here."

"The tengus are still at work and most humans don't like to be near youkais," Mystia answers as she puts the plate of lampreys with a clatter. "What are you doing here? Don't you have birds to grill?" The night sparrow shivers at the thought of selling cooked chicken on sticks. Only humans have such cruelty! And for them to think they don't deserve to be eaten…

"It's an off day for me," Mokou sips on her sake before taking a bite of her lamprey. She gives a satisfied hum before continuing. "Not many people out and about in the village tonight. Apparently some kappas told them a storm is near."

"Storm?" Mystia leans out of her food cart and looks at the clear night sky, stars twinkling in the dark.

"Who knows, kappa technology is strange," Mokou shrugs. "Gonna stay open then?"

"It's still early," Mystia sighs. Hmm, maybe I should wheel my cart up to Youkai Mountain. It's not far and I can give the resting tengus my lampreys. She gives a soft kick to the wooden wheels of the food cart; they feel firm. The thing is almost a decade old and have been through a lot of repairs. It should hold up no problem, she smiles.

"You two staying up late?" the human asks the fairies. "Don't you guys get tired and sleep at night?"

"I have ENERGY!" Cirno shouts as she stands on top of the bench; Daiyousei drags her back down in embarrassment. "Rumia invited us to play hide-and-seek in the Forest of Magic! Wriggle is also joining us!"

"You two be careful, alright?" the night sparrow cautions, fully knowing her words go in one ear and out the other.

"They're fairies," Mokou snorts, "even death won't cure their stupidity." The little jab provokes some laughter out of the night sparrow.

~Later that night~

"Is this the right way?" Mystia mumbles as she looks down at the path from above the trees. Not far from where she's floating is the looming shadow of Youkai Mountain, but it's one thing to fly there and another to climb it. Why won't the tengus build more roads…

The soft drizzle hitting her wings give no comfort either. By the time she started her trek, the sky became overcast. Though darkness poses no problem to a youkai like her, it might to potential visitors. A sudden gust blows through her feathers, reminding Mystia of the human's warning.

Upon landing back at her food cart, she asks herself: "Should I go home?" But she shakes her head and decides to continue on. She'd been through worse. Besides, she can see a few tengus flying at the mountain. If they're flitting about, how bad can a supposed storm be?

…

But as she climbs the drizzle turns to rain and the rain to a torrent. She's not even half a mile from where she started when she's forced to huddle down in her food cart. As the rain drum hard against its roof, Mystia lights up her paper lantern sign for warmth. The water tore some holes into it, erasing some of the writings. I'll have to get it fixed, she thinks as the winds howl around her.

At this rate, she won't be able to reach the tengus in time. They must be in their homes right now, the night sparrow sighs as she sips on a bit of sake. Her apron sticks close from being so damp. She doesn't like how the wind rattles her sauces and lampreys, nor the unnerving sound of her curtain flapping in the-

*RIP*

Her eyes widen upon seeing it torn away by the wind. "NO!" Mystia jumps out from the safety of the cart and is met with a cold torrent and sharp winds pricking her skin. Taking flight, she dashes for her curtain and manages to snag it before it's eaten by the night sky. Relieved, she looks through the hazy veil of rain for her cart, a pinprick of light nestled between the trees. Since she's now drenched from head to toe, there's no use in trying to-

…

She hears a low rumble beneath all that storm. Mystia looks not far up the road and sees a dark carpet slowly rolling through the trees and rocks, spraying water through the air. A flood. "FLOOD!"

Rushing back down to her food cart, she tries to move it away from its path. But in her panic she snaps a wheel in a muddy divot and strands her cart. Lampreys and sauces spill out as she tries desperately to pull it along to no avail.

The rumbling grows louder, now overcoming even the howling winds. There's no time; if she sticks here any longer she'll be swept away. Even a youkai like her can die from that. "COME ON!" she shouts, tears mixing with the rain. Her hands hurt trying to move it. Crying, Mystia sees the wall of muddy water approaching and…

Lets go and flies into the trees. She can only watch as the little lantern is swallowed into the roaring waters.

~Tomorrow morning~

"This looks like yours," says Wriggle Nightbug as she picks up a broken bottle of sake. On the bottom says Property of Mystia. The morning light doesn't reveal much for them at the river banks. "I'm sorry I can't find more."

The night sparrow takes it with shaky hands, still dressed in her damp aprons and clothes. After the night's ordeal she found herself in Wriggle's home near the Bamboo Forest of the Lost; she doesn't even remember flying there. "Thanks," she whispers, holding back her tears. How long has it been since she lost a bottle, let alone her entire… "Um, if you want, I-I can treat you to some lampreys when-"

"There's no need," says the firefly youkai, crouching at the water's edge with a morose expression. She gives a long stare at the water before snapping her fingers. "I know! I'll contact some water bugs to wade the waters for your cart!"

"Do you really think my cart survived that?"

"…Yeah, I guess not," she groans before skipping a pebble on the river. The calmness of the sky and water feels almost mocking towards them. "What are you going to do after this?"

"I…" What am I doing after this? As it is Wednesday, she'd usually go with Kyouko to sing at the Garden of the Sun. Perhaps also sell some lampreys here and there… But with her cart gone, she has no energy to do anything. "I'm gonna go home. Take a bath. I don't know," she sighs, clutching the broken bottle close. Kogasa made this for me. She'll be sad knowing the bottle-

"Yo," says a familiar voice from behind them. "What're you guys doing?"

"Go away, human," Wriggle growls but Mystia stops her.

"It's alright, I know her." She looks at the human Mokou, an unlit cigarette between her lips and a large box in her hands. "It's rare to see you in the morning," Mystia forces a smile, a hand gripping her apron.

"I could say the same," Mokou chuckles before taking a closer look. Mystia wants to cry for being seen like this. "Shit, what happened to you?"

"None of your beeswax," the firefly youkai clicks her tongue as ants gather at her feet. "If you're here to fish go elsewhere, we're busy."

"I'm just asking, sheesh."

"My food cart, it…" She swallows her memories of it. "It was swept away last night. I… I really should have followed your warning." Mystia wipes the tears from her eyes.

"…Oh," the human's playful expression sours when she realises her mistake. "God, I'm sorry, I didn't know," she sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Those were the wrong words to say…"

"It's fine," the night sparrow gives a weak smile, one that hurts even the human's heart. "It's just… I miss my cart. I don't know when I'll be able to cook again."

"I see… Hey, if you ever want some company, my stand at the Human Village is always open," says Mokou, earning her a strange look from Mystia. "Ah, I mean, I won't be cooking any birds if you came round," she adds, raising up the large box. "Caught a few rabbits for today, may last me a week if you wanna hang around. And trust me, you won't have any problems with the humans," she smirks, a small flame huffing out of her nose.

"Really?" Mystia sniffs. "You'll do that?"

"I don't like seeing friends cry," she answers simply. "Besides, I'm sure a change of- Oomph!"

Mystia gives the human a sudden hug, clinging to her as tears flow down her face. "Thank you," she whimpers between sobs, feeling the warmth of the human's embrace.

~The next day~

"Wha d'you mean no chi'ken?" asks a gap-toothed old man, his eyes twitching as he grabs his coins. "Lassie, ya always cook chicks on Thersdays!"

"Not today," Mokou replies as she flips over some of the de-boned rabbits on a stick. The marinade sauces drip and sizzle on the hot coals, releasing a mouth-watering fragrance all over the street. Even so, there's not many customers this evening; rumours are about that the new cook is a youkai. While that's true, she's not there to eat humans.

The night sparrow has taken it upon herself to help out Mokou at her stand. It doesn't feel good when someone helps her for nothing in return; she always wants to give something back. Of course, being in the Human Village means that she has to hide her ears and wings to avoid more unscrupulous individuals.

"Why not today?" asks the old man, rattling his coins as if it'll change her mind.

Mokou groans before she leans over the grill and look straight into the old man's eyes. "I'm the cook and owner of this stand. If I say I'm cooking rabbit today, guess what I'm cooking."

"Chi'ken?"

"RABBIT. Don't like it, go somewhere else," she says, fanning the smoke at the old man's face.

He coughs and wipes his eyes before spitting into the dirt. "Fine! They're mediocre anyway," he grumbles before storming off to a more crowded street.

"You know, he always said my chicken is the damn best he ever tasted," Mokou chuckles.

"I'm sorry you're losing customers," says Mystia, looking down at the cutting board rather than the human's kind face. To her surprise, she feels a hand patting her shoulder.

"Don't be. I'm doing this for my own enjoyment," she smiles while taking a bite of a finished rabbit. "Isn't that why you have a food cart?"

"Yeah, it's fun to be around people," Mystia smiles back. Even though everything in this stand is different, there's a strange sense of familiarity around it. In truth, she's just glad to be able to cook again for the day. And Mokou is actually quite nice, if she isn't cooking any birds.

"May I take a seat?" asks a hooded woman.

"Sure. Would you like some rabbits?"

"Yes, but um, I'm actually here for…" She turns her head to Mystia who looks back in confusion. But when she sees the sharp red nails on the woman's hand, she realises it's a youkai. But not just any youkai…

"Ah! You're Miss Mermaid's werewolf friend!"

"Yep! Kagerou's the name," she chuckles, lowering her hood to reveal a tall pair of wolf ears. She places a familiar-looking wide box on the stand's table. "Hime heard what happened to your food cart and wanted to give you something to cheer you up. We hope you'll like it."

Curious, Mystia takes the box and opens it. Her eyes widen upon seeing the fat, wriggling lampreys within. She looks at the smiling werewolf, then back at the box, then back at the werewolf. "W-What!? But I have no shiny rocks for her!"

"Ah, there's no need," the werewolf laughs. "She's happy enough to know you're alright."

"No no, I need to- Ah! Mokou, can I cook these lampreys? I need to give something back."

"Now?" the human smirks before shrugging. "Eh, sure. Not everyday my stand is going to have lampreys," she says whilst taking off all cooked rabbits. "Go wild, girl."

~The day after~

Kagerou returns on a Friday afternoon with more lampreys from Misty Lake, and as luck would have it there are more customers as well. However, Mystia has yet to see a human among them; they're all youkais gathered here after hearing word of Mystia's food cart. She suspects Wriggle have something to do with it, but with the arrival of the tengus she soon finds her culprit.

"Ahh~ Nothing like a lamprey and sake after work," says the crow tengu Aya, disguised in a news-boy outfit with a camera dangling from her neck. Other tengus don't even bother to wear disguises. No wonder no humans are about. "So, are you going to stay here for the time being? A bit scandalous isn't it, a human working with youkais in the village?"

The tengu snickers but a hot lamprey to the cheek ends her laughter. "Maybe crow meat should be on the menu today," says Mokou, reheating the lamprey with her flames.

"Ayaya… I was just joking, no need for violence," the tengu pouts.

"I, for one, enjoy eating crow," the wolf tengu Momiji besides her smirks, earning a playful jab from a blushing Aya. "Still, I think you should get in touch with Nitori on making you a new food cart. She'll only ask a few lampreys and cucumbers in return."

It's amazing for Mystia to hear people wanting to help her. She feels giddy at the thought of having her cart back, bt for now she enjoys cooking here with people to eat with. "Hmm, I'll see if I can-"

"OH FUCK!"

Hearing a few yelps and screams, Mystia looks out onto the youkai crowd and is confused at seeing their horrified faces. But upon seeing the cause her stomach drops. Walking towards them wearing a scowl and a menacing tool is no other than the feared youkai exterminator, the shrine maiden Reimu Hakurei. Momiji quickly takes off, leaving her terrified crow tengu partnerto the human. The night sparrow can only gulp as she comes near.

"I've been receiving a lot of complaints regarding this stand lately," the shrine maiden threatens while glaring at them all. "A few people from the village said youkais gather here en masse and scaring people from the street. Care to explain why?"

Mystia's throat feels dry. What can she say to convince the Hakurei Shrine Maiden!? But before she could get a word out, Mokou intervenes. "Nothing to worry here, Miss Reimu, I got it all under control."

Reimu taps her purification rod at the stand. "That doesn't answer my question."

"Well, you see," Mokou brings Mystia close, "she needed help and as a friend I can't leave her alone. And so I have her help me at the stand, nothing more."

"Help?" the shrine maiden scoffs. "So why all the tengus?" She gestures to Aya with her purification rod. The crow tengu pants hard as she narrowly avoids getting hit but is soon pinned by the rod onto the dusty ground. "I thought you tengus had an agreement regarding the human village. Are you breaking it?"

"NO NO we're just- Um-"

"T-They're my usual customers!" Mystia shouts. "I usually cook lampreys for the tengus when I still had my… Food cart."

"Y-Yeah, what she said!" says Aya, pleading for her life.

The shrine maiden thinks for a few moments before asking: "Is her cooking so good for you tengus to enter the village?"

"Yep," says Mokou nonchalantly as the crow tengu looks at death in the eyes. "You should try Mystia's lampreys, it's to die for."

"Hmm…" To Aya's relief, Reimu lifts her purification rod from her camera. "Alright, I'll try one." With shaking hands, Mystia gives the now smiling shrine maiden a stick of lamprey and a cup of sake. After taking a bite of the grilled fish, she pauses in surprise. "Mmm… This is… Really good! You know, you should sell at my shrine when the next festival comes around."

"Um, Miss Shrine Maiden, I already do that."

"Really? Well, can't remember every third-rate youkai," she shrugs before finishing the lamprey with a swig of sake. "Another one, please!"

And with that, Mokou and Mystia's lamprey stand continues long into the night, filling the village with the drunken laughter of tengus... And a few humans.