[Bishop-chan's notes - Damn Space Ninjas. *ehem* That line was in no way related to this next story series...]
My Neighbor Tonkii - The Mystery of the 27 Lettuces
by aightaight2
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Arrun. A city of fantasy. Sourced in illusion; created from the stuff of dreams. Now made manifest as a new reality.
It was, thought Silica, as if the White Rabbit had opened his pocket watch; recognized that the stroke of midnight was nigh; then swept the entirety of Alfheim down his rabbit hole just as the clock struck twelve.
At least that would explain the white flash we all experienced. And the pain, no doubt, was from hitting the floor at the bottom!
She giggled at the thought, tilting her head and accidentally dislodging Pina from her perch.
A disgruntled "Kya!" came from the feathery dragon, stretching her wings out wide as she regained her balance.
"Sorry, Pina."
She started to raise her hand to stroke her Familiar in apology, before softly aborting the motion.
"I was thinking about the book Yui-chan recommended me."
"Which one is that?" came the dulcet tones of the Navigation Pixie sitting on her other shoulder.
"You know – Alice in Wonderland?"
"You've been to «Arrun Central Library » already? We've only been back for a little over a day."
"Of course I did. I have to find a good book so I can return the favor to Tabitha-chan, you know?"
Upon their return from Tarbes, they had parted ways with their new friends. Louise, Tabitha and Kirche had returned to the Academy of Magic, while Koko and Klein remained in Tristania, helping with the preparations for the upcoming Operation Dunkirk.
Leafa and Yui had returned together to Arrun. Silica, eager to be of use, had come with them.
In each hand she carried a cloth sack filled to the brim with lettuces. This was her second trip today with a similar load; a chore that she had hesitantly accepted in response to Leafa's sincere request. Leafa herself had remained at «The Central Markets », claiming that she needed to buy more fresh fish as well.
"You know, Yui-chan, we could have done this in one trip if you'd been in your human form."
"Hmm?"
"You decided to be lazy, didn't you?"
"N..n..no!" Yui squeaked in response, toppling from her shoulder in dismay.
"I'm just not used to going outside like that! I don't want to remind people of what they've lost!"
Silica reflected on this for a moment, staring at the Pixie who was now hovering in front of her wringing her hands in embarrassment.
It was true that there were no Fae youngsters, but a few human children, dependants of visiting Tristainians, could now be seen on the streets of Arrun.
Slowly, so as not to disturb Pina, she turned her head to the side, gazing at the pixie askance. In response to Yui's overreaction, she decided it was worth quirking an eyebrow as well.
"I was just joking, you know. If I could change into a Pixie, I know I wouldn't be lugging around these bags. I'd be flitting about the roof-top gardens, trying to find a nice shady spot to lie down."
She sighed, then started quietly humming to herself as Yui floated back to her shoulder.
As I was going to Sylvain,
I met a man with seven wives
Every wife had seven sacks
Every sack had seven… lettuces.
She broke off the tune, exasperated.
"What does Leafa need all these lettuces and fish for, anyway?"
Directed at the ether, she didn't expect an answer to her rhetorical question.
"It's a secret… but they're for a friend," Yui whispered in her ear.
"What sort of a friend eats 27 lettuces… and fish?" Silica challenged.
Yui turned and locked eyes with her, a grin on her face. Her response came as deadpan as you please.
"A herbivorous one."
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Retracing their steps from an hour before, Silica and Yui arrived at their destination once more.
The narrow alley did not show up on any map of Arrun's back streets that Silica had ever seen, and Yui had admitted that morning that it was not listed in her «Local Navigation Database » either.
The entrance was partially obscured by a bulging offshoot of the World Tree's roots. Skirting it carefully, she began to negotiate the narrow path while Yui flew ahead. Twisting left then right, up stairs and down, the crooked passageway eventually reached a small, private, two story house.
Unlike the elegant townhouses lining the main street, this house had clearly seen better days. All the windows were shuttered, and the small front porch even appeared dusty.
Opening the front door, Pina flicked her feathers before giving out a small sneeze. Silica, with her heightened Cait Syth senses, could also make out the staid smell of air that had been left too long without proper circulation.
Dumping her sacks on the kitchen bench beside the other lettuces, she decided that some housekeeping would be in order sometime soon. After carting around those sacks, however… maybe she would leave the unpacking for later.
"I'm going exploring, Yui-chan. Do you want to come too?"
"Of course!"
Bright light limned the pixie's body before she disappeared within a shroud of sparkles. A moment later Yui emerged in her default form, a cute nine-year old girl with features reminiscent of both Kirito and Asuna. No one who saw the three together would ever doubt that they were family.
"Let's start on the second floor then."
Climbing the wooden stairs they quickly found a series of four small bedrooms, each sparsely furnished with a bare bed and a cupboard. As they checked each room Silica made sure to open all the shutters and windows, bringing light and fresh air to the dingy interiors.
In the last bedroom, located at the rear of the house, the opened shutters revealed a small, pocket sized private garden below.
"Pretty," Yui exhaled, watching a few turquoise butterflies dance between the violet flowers.
Encircled by walls on all three sides, the backyard garden was a small slice of verdant paradise.
"I think I'll take your earlier suggestion to heart."
Turning back to her smaller form, Yui flittered out the window, gliding down to a small shrub which would serve admirably as a nice shady spot to rest. Pina soon followed, curling herself protectively around the pixie, leaving Silica alone for the first time that day.
Leaning out the window, her sharp gaze picked up three entrances to the garden, each partially hidden by the garden's foliage. Directly below, a small rectangular back door lead directly to the kitchen, while a small gate located in the left side wall gave access to the twisty alley behind. The largest entrance was an unremarkable looking round wooden door placed in the back wall, reminiscent of the front door to a hobbit hole.
I'll have to investigate that later, she thought.
As she pulled her head back into the house, a flicker movement caught the edge of her vision.
Turning, her eyes were drawn to the light streaming through the window, a few reflected rays just beginning to edge beneath the bed. Kneeling down to gain a better view, her breath caught.
There, in a neat little cluster beneath the bed, stood a family of susuwatari. Known as "soot sprites", the small black obloids huddled away from the light.
To the left of the bed, she could just make out another one, gingerly bobbing along beside the wainscoting in an effort to join its brethren.
Her tail stiffened as her Cait Syth senses sharpened with the scent of the hunt. The isolated "black soot" was clear in her vision, and with a pounce her hands cupped around it.
With a small *poof* the soot sprite dissipated.
Motes of dust sparkled briefly in the air where her hands had surrounded it just moments ago.
Lying on the floor, her hands noticeably empty, Silica's laughter started to burble up.
I think this house is no longer fit for them – no doubt they'll drift away on the evening breeze to find another empty house to inhabit.
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Sitting in the bedroom overlooking the private garden behind the house, Silica crossed her arms and placed her fist below her chin in a thinking pose as she contemplated the mysteries that the day had brought.
It didn't help; her thoughts remained all a-twirl.
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After Leafa had returned from the «Market » they had settled in to wash and clean the fish.
"What do you need all the lettuces for, Leafa?"
"Oh, it's just for an experiment that Kirito-nii thought up."
"Yui said they were for a friend."
"Really? I suppose you could say that. Have you written that letter to Tabitha yet?"
Her further sallies, including an offer help haul the vegetables to their next destination, were met with similar deflections.
Once they were done Silica collected Pina from the back yard before setting off to meet with Maya, a friendly Puca bard whom she had met at the «Library ». Maya had been busy sorting sheet music, but had taken a break to help her find the section on classic western literature.
Before they parted, Maya had learned that Silica had enjoyed playing music in SAO. She asked whether Silica currently owned an instrument, and was sympathetic when the Cait Syth girl explained that it hadn't made the transition to Halkegenia. Maya then admitted to owning a music store in the lower streets of Central Arrun, and had offered to help out.
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Silica soon arrived at the shop, which was just as Maya had described. The awning was colored a bright Puca blue, with musical notes embroidered around the fringe. A wooden plaque hanging above the door professed the store to be "Maya's Musical Menagerie." Unlike other menageries, Maya had joked, her little beasties were unlikely to fly away of their own accord – they were much more likely to make listeners fly into raptures.
Together they spent the afternoon searching for the perfect instrument to give voice to the «Music Skill » that Silica had spent so much time leveling in SAO.
Lutes, violins, keyboards and horns were all tested before she decided that she wanted something small enough to carry in her pouch.
Playing the pan pipe caused Pina to start flying around the room in a series of rapid spirals, as if dancing to a jig, while the recorder caused her feathery friend to send out a series of shrill caterwauls in answering tones.
Her attempt on the harmonica was better left unspoken. Suffice to say that anyone looking out on the lower streets of Arrun that afternoon would have been most entertained at the sight of a young Cait Syth girl chasing after a small blue dragon, while a Puca storekeeper stood below shouting out "Don't worry! If she drops it I'll catch it!"
Pina did enjoy the sweet breathy tones of the flute, crooning along in harmony, but even dismantled the longest piece of the instrument still stuck out from the mouth of her pouch.
Finally, she picked up the flute's younger cousin.
"What do you think of the piccolo, Pina?" she asked hesitantly.
While some familiars would freeze at the high pitched, piping tones, Pina stood up on her hind legs, her blue ears pricked up in fascination.
"One of the benefits of piccolos is that they can produce high frequency harmonics that are inaudible to human ears," explained Maya.
"If you practice hard enough, you might even be able to play a silent tune that only familiars and those of us with high level musical skills can hear!"
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Returning home, her newly acquired instrument packed away safely in her pouch, Silica was unsurprised to discover the house unattended and Leafa's victuals missing from the kitchen.
I might as well start practicing, she thought, heading up to the bedroom overlooking the garden.
Dragging a chair to the open window, she started playing to herself, trying to form the correct embouchure to produce ultrasonic tones.
As she played, her thoughts drifted to a suggestion Koko had made before they parted ways.
"You know, Silica, it might be worth training your «Perception » some more. Cait Syth have a racial bonus for sight and tracking, and if you can point out where to go then Pina might be even more helpful to you."
Continuing to play, she narrowed her eyes, scanning the room for any more signs of the fluffy black soot sprites she had discovered that morning.
A few minutes later, unsuccessful in her search, she turned back to the window.
It'll be more fun looking for birds instead, she decided, seeking to spot the small robins nesting in the bushes.
Some time later, just as her experiments were starting to produce results, the round door at the rear of the garden split in two, each half sliding silently apart.
She lowered her piccolo, ducking to the side of the window while straining to make out the shapes in the darkness beyond the threshold.
As she watched, Leafa and Yui exited. Her eyes quickly picked out the cloth sacks held in both their hands, now empty of their contents.
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Huh. I really want to know what's down that rabbit hole.
Silica gave up on her speculations, deciding that she didn't have enough information yet to even make an educated guess. Contemplating the secrecy that Leafa and Yui had conspired in, she made her decision.
I really will have to take a closer look at that door. Maybe tomorrow after Leafa leaves to teach her flying lessons.
Curiosity, after all, is a hallmark of cats - no matter which world they inhabit.
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Silica stood in the courtyard in front of «Arrun Tower », waving good-bye as Leafa headed off to Flight Class with Yui in tow.
Leafa had invited her to participate in the class too, but had accepted her assurance that "Dragon Tamer Silica" was no longer a novice at flight.
A boast, she thought, that she had best start living up to.
"Let's go, Pina."
As the small blue dragon launched off her shoulder, Silica extended her own yellow wings.
Taking to the sky, they headed down towards Maya's music store. While chasing Pina the previous day she had spied something unusual - something worthy of a further look-see.
Crossing over several of Arrun's main Rings, they soon reached the correct Terrace. Pulling up from her arcing dive, Silica hovered while Pina continued to swirl around her, chirping happily.
Mindful of her limited flight time, she began to put her «Perception» to use, picking out landmarks that she had merely glimpsed the day before.
There – two lamp posts in close proximity next to a stone statue of a Gnome. There – a banner in deep blue with gold tassels on the end. And over there… Yes. Right over there, near the Terrace wall, was another quaint little garden almost hidden by the awnings surrounding it.
As she approached, she could make out the structure that had previously caught her eye. A small colonnade, six columns in total, colored dull white and camouflaged with several different types of moss.
What stood between them, however, was the true prize.
Swooping down, she flared her wings with grace, touching down lightly on the grass below.
Rather than join her, Pina continued to enjoy the freedom of flight, slaloming between the columns and pirouetting into vertical figures of eight.
Silica sounded her appreciation for the aerobatics, clapping her hands and singing out "Go, Pina!"
With one final mid-air spin, Pina alighted on top of the tallest column and started preening her feathers.
Silica turned her attention to her target. Below the columns, in the midst of a sea of vines, was a collection of large melons with striated green skins.
Yesterday evening, as she began planning Operation Wonderland, she had quickly realized that she would need something to match Leafa's lettuces. Something, if she could trust Yui's revelations, that a herbivore would enjoy.
And what better to trump a lettuce than a watermelon?
While she waited for her wings to fully recharge she picked through the melon patch, choosing two that looked ripe and were just small enough for her to carry.
Placing her two selections in the cloth bag she had… liberated… the night before, she called out to Pina. With her new acquisition held tightly in both hands, they wended their way back through the air towards their new home.
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Standing by the kitchen bench, Silica upended the bag, letting the two melons roll out in readiness for preparation.
Before she cut them into segments, however, she needed to check how easy it would be to access the passageway.
Opening the back door, she took in the sight of the garden once more.
From ground level the unvarnished round wooden door was visible through the foliage, standing above a raised, moss-covered stone terrace that led out to the garden gate on the left.
Two decorative metal hoops covered in a greenish patina suggestive of bronze stood out from the center of the door, curving towards one another and almost touching in the middle.
As if they're a hair's breadth from kissing each other. Silica blushed as the stray thought passed through her mind.
The camber of the handles appeared just about perfect for someone to lay their hand around both in an effort to pull the door open.
An effort, she thought, that would be doomed to failure.
If she hadn't seen the doors slide apart last night, even she might have fallen for that little piece of deception.
Narrowing her gaze, there was no sign of a seam or line dividing the door between the handles. Her perception might still need some training, but she was certain that even close up there would be no indication of the true method for opening the door.
From her shoulder came a soft "Kya!"
Glancing to the side, she could see Pina's red eyes lancing to the right.
Following the direction of her dragon's gaze, she scanned the garden…
There!
Peeking out from the grass were two white, drooping-ears, while a small fur tipped trunk probed the air around it, looking almost like a chibi albino elephant!
Creeping out the door, Silica began to stalk this unusual looking being.
Crouching as she approached, she soon realized that she was mistaken. Rather than four stout legs, the little animal instead moved about on a series of stumpy, slender tentacles reminiscent of a giant isopod that she had once seen a picture of in class.
Taking care to remain silent, she carefully moved closer.
The small animal was now snuffling at the base of the round door.
Just… a little… closer...
Silica coiled her muscles, preparing to pounce…
*fwshh*
Silica's eyes bulged, blinking rapidly as she sat back down on her haunches.
Right in front of her, the little beastie had turned translucent, moving forward as if phasing through the door before disappearing completely.
No more waiting. I'm going to get through that door right now.
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Panting, Silica growled as sweat beaded on her forehead.
One… two… three!
She strained once more, trying to separate the two handles.
A final pull…
"Kya!"
Wings flapping in a flurry, claws clasping the top of the left hand hoop, Pina was doing her best to help out too.
Silica gritted her teeth, dragging on the same handle with her full body weight.
"Rrrrhaa!"
…
Nothing changed.
The door remained stubbornly closed, neither half budging even a fraction of an inch.
With a frustrated sigh, she let the tension fade from her body.
"It's no good Pina. We're just not strong enough."
Sitting down on the edge of the raised stone terrace, she contemplated the problem standing before them.
After the chibi isopod had vanished, she had scanned the door and the area around it looking for anything else out of the ordinary.
There was no parting of grass or rustling of tentacle-feet to suggest that the albino beast had simply become invisible before heading back across the garden. There were no oddly shaped or oddly tilted stones in the terrace, no blemishes in the surrounding wall with moss partially rubbed off, no holes in the ground, no cracks around the edge of the door, no hidden patterns in the grain of the wood.
In fact, so far as she could tell, there was nothing to suggest the presence of an external trigger for the magic that had allowed the animal to phase through the door.
Her careful inspection had, however, revealed a small keyhole hiding directly behind one of the handles.
A keyhole for which she had no key.
Leading, after some earlier attempts to jimmy the lock, to her decision to attempt to force the door open.
She hung her head dejectedly while Pina leant against her right knee.
Her failed attempts to jimmy the lock.
Just like her failed attempt to force the door.
"What should we do now, Pina?"
Pina flared one of her tail feathers, then purred supportively against her leg.
"OK, we shouldn't give up just yet. Let me think…"
Once again, she positioned herself in her "thinking pose" - arms crossed with her fist propping up her chin.
It didn't work last time, but maybe with some more practice?
An expression of concentration crossed her face as she listed what Yui had once called the "available assets."
- One door, made of wood, slides apart in the middle when opened. Scratch-proof against daggers.
- Two handles, decorative looking, currently refusing to budge.
- One keyhole, size small.
- One key. Currently conspicuous by its absence – whereabouts unknown, possibly with Leafa?
- One plucky light-blue Feathery Dragon, also size small, capable of producing bubbles but lacking in bulk.
- One Dragon Tamer. Status – tired. Currently sitting in "thinking pose", yellow wings retracted.
- Two watermelons in a cloth sack. Delicious but not for immediate use.
- Obsidian dagger, proven by recent experimentation to be too big to fit in keyhole
- One pouch, containing purse of Yurudo and new Musical Instrument, code-name "Piccolo".
- One inner pocket, containing… Letter from Argo?
She drew the letter out. She had received it while passing through Tristania while Louise had been handing in their Report on the Tarbes mission.
Written on several pages of thin parchment and stamped with Argo's new Seal, the letter was a response to the PM she had sent prior to Transition asking Argo about her SAO stats which had been transferred to ALO along with her avatar's appearance.
She had only scanned it briefly a couple of days ago, but if she remembered rightly, it might have a clue to solve her current dilemma…
Glancing at the ochre wax imprinted with 6 stylized lines in the shape of whiskers, she quickly rifled through the pages.
Familiar Recovery
Familiar Communication
Acrobatics
Sewing
Cooking
There it was!
Musical Instrument
So, your Music skill is 749, Silica-chan? Better level it up to 750 as quick as you can then. A couple Puca have confirmed that the level 750 perk is an ability called "unlock". Lets you unlock a chest or door if you hit the right sequence of notes to match the lock's "frequency". Doesn't work in Towns or Safe Areas, and it's pretty useless for Rogues since the noise will give you away and draw any nearby mobs, but might be helpful for collecting loot. There's also the flip side – play the music backwards and you get "lock" instead. Plenty of prank potential in that one since it does work in Safe Areas - try playing some "music" for Kii-bou when you next visit him, then watch him struggle with his "unlocked" door when he decides to leave the room! Actually, wait until I'm there too so we can get some good pics!
...
Ok, let's give it a go and see what happens.
Silica carefully drew out her piccolo. With all her practice yesterday and this morning, she might just have enough experience…
Aiming at the door, she willed the notes to connect with the keyhole.
High, low, high…
She varied the pitch and tone, feeling the vibrations return, straining to feel for the lock…
"Kya, kya, Kyahhh," as Pina joined in, she felt a change.
Just a slight one, but the reflected sounds seemed to be slightly changed in pitch.
With Pina crooning by her side, she gradually started to get a feel for it.
A sharp there, down a tone there, then keep the pitch neutral…
Gradually she picked up her pace, modulating her tone to follow the hints being fed back to her, reflected from the lock.
The Trio for Pina, Piccolo and Keyhole took form, a trilling flight of music, harmonic rather than melodic in form.
*click*
The lock opened.
This time, a firm push was all that was necessary to separate the two halves of the door.
Dragon firmly perched on top of her head, dagger in its sheath at her back, piccolo safely ensconced in pouch, she straightened her shoulders and entered the dimly lit passage beyond.