The dirt of the south road turned to ancient stone steps as Gorou led Reyna northward and inland and downward. They descended perhaps a hundred feet along the southern extremity of the island's central crater and approached the South Dry Market from the west. As they walked, other paths joined with theirs and they began passing people walking the opposite direction with their purchased goods, and getting passed up by people behind them in a bigger hurry then they. They were in Watatsumi Island rush hour traffic, such as it was.
No one passed anyone on the island without saying hello, and most everyone on the island recognized Gorou. He was greeted with a chorus of "Good morning, General," by the young and the respectful or "Allo, Gorou," by the old and the casual. Universally, Reyna received open-mouthed stares of wonder. A few people tripped on stones as they gawked at her as they passed.
"Allo," said Reyna to everyone, picking up the greeting quickly from those who greeted Gorou. She often got startled 'Allo's' back or sometimes a shocked, silent stare. Gorou knew that no one was trying to be rude, but Reyna just seemed to have an almost dumbfounding effect on most people the first time they saw her. Yes, her coloring and features were unnaturally beautiful- but Gorou was starting to suspect some minor supernatural element to it all. One of those possible remnants of Raiden Shogen's possession that Yae Miko idly mused about during their meeting in the capital.
Gorou began to feel pangs of doubt about bringing Reyna to the market so soon after their arrival on the island, but after a half-dozen glances at her, she didn't seem to be bothered by the people in any way. She seemed relatively enthusiastic and excited, her face with that expression of idle wonder. Perhaps Gorou had just assumed she was nervous in social situations yesterday, or perhaps he had simply projected his own feelings onto her. He felt very nervous bringing Reyna to the market today. It was serious test of the whole wife cover story.
Gorou could hear the voices of hawkers and the general murmur of people long before they turned the corner of the narrow cliffside path that brought the market into view. It was a busy market day. Not ideal, but there was no helping it.
"Reyna," said Gorou as they neared the final turn. "A lot of people might end up staring at you, okay? Don't be afraid. They will just be curious about who you are."
"I'm Reyna," said Reyna, matter of factly. "Your wife."
Gorou glanced at her. She had one of those facial expressions he wasn't sure about. It looked like maybe confidence mixed with uneasy determination? Whatever it was, she didn't look frightened.
"Just stay close to me and smile," said Gorou as they walked. "The women might touch you. The men won't. Just smile and if you feel like you have to say something, say 'Nice to see you'."
"Nice to see you," said Reyna.
A passing old man did a double take at them. "N- nice to see you," he mumbled as he continued on his way.
Gorou gave Reyna a thumbs up. "Perfect."
They rounded the corner and the South Dry Market was arrayed before them. It was two parallel lines of stone and wooden structures, each on a different tier of the crater's circular terracing of stone. The top line of buildings was the upper market, naturally. It contained most of the imports, textiles, and services. The lower market was usually foods and other raw materials. There was actually a wet market a bit separate and to the east where fresh meat and fish might be purchased, but it was kept away on its own due to the innate smells of such products.
But before all that: close to fifty people were idling in the empty, stony space that was the Y-intersection between the upper and lower markets. They were obviously waiting for him and Reyna, because not a few of them raised their arms and pointed when they came into view. Gorou suspected that word must have traveled from those who had overtaken him and Reyna on the market path. And perhaps the two soldiers he'd given the melon wine to had also overheard him telling Captain Tetsu that he planned to bring Reyna to the market today.
Well- however it happened, the Watatsumi gossip vine was as efficient as ever.
There was nothing for it but to walk up to the gathering and give them some sort of minor spectacle. Entertainment was at a premium on Watatsumi Island, so a gathering was bound to draw more to gather, and whatever event would be gossiped about on the opposite side of the great basin by the end of the day. Even as Gorou and Reyna made their final approach, a few dozen more people from the upper and lower markets hastily arrived to join the gathering throng.
The people of Watatsumi Island were generally humble and good natured. They were fishermen, local artisans, bamboo harvesters, porters, and a few small field farmers like Gorou was now. Their dress was generally practical linen pants and tunics, usually in some shade of purple or green, as that was the available colors of the plants in the area from which the linen was made. Anyone 'dressed up' would appear much as Reyna did at this moment: in linen yukata or kimono, depending on the season and the formality of the event. If someone wanted to get fancy, they would try something made of imported Liyue silk or cotton.
Garou gently took Reyna's arm and they walked directly towards the expectant gathering, still growing even now as market goers arriving just behind Garou and Reyna fanned out to see what this was all about. Any lingering doubtful hope in Gorou's mind that this was not all about them and he was projecting self-importance on himself was quashed by the enthusiastic smiles of half the people waiting.
To try and walk past them all without saying anything would be a rather large social blunder.
"Allo, everyone," began Gorou. A small chorus of 'Allo' rattled back at him from the gathered crowd of market-goers. It had been a little while since Gorou had to do public speech, and those were almost always exclusively to soldiers.
"In case you do don't know me-"
"We know who you are, General Gorou!" yelled out some voice in the otherwise quiet crowd. "Who's the girl?!"
The crowd burst out in laughter. Gorou couldn't help but smile. The goodwill and cheer was palpable around him. He looked at Reyna and she seemed slightly nervous. A smile was plastered on her face, but her eyes were not sparkling as they usually did. He hoped she could manage this.
But well, this seemed the perfect moment to sell their whole story to the island, right here and now. What should he say? What would a man feel if he was really in this position, and Reyna was actually his wife? Pride? Glee? Perhaps a bit of exaltation? Reyna was certainly a prize in almost any man's evaluation. He decided to go with that.
"Neighbors. Cousins," shouted Gorou, amping his voice up to give the sense of impending announcement. "Though our long-planned union was delayed by the war, it is now my great honor and pleasure to present to you all: Reyna, my new wife!"
The crowd erupted in cheers immediately, most of them more than expecting that exact announcement. Like a spell being broken, people came flooding forward: congratulations and wishes of good fortune on every lip. Local women reached out and touched Reyna on the shoulder, congratulating her and formally welcoming her to the island. Meanwhile, the men gathered around Gorou and things were slightly more… casual.
"Gorou! How did you land a woman like that?!"
"Yeah, where can I get one, too, you bastard!"
"Did she even get to see you before the wedding?"
"I doubt it! She married him, didn't she?!"
"Did you wear the veil, Gorou? Haha!"
But the jibing and laughter was all the traditional good fun. Gorou weathered a veritable storm of back slaps and jabbed punches to his shoulder. A local wisdom was that the more beautiful the wife, the harder the groom got punched. And Gorou's arm quickly went dead and numb from so many hard hits. But that was the tradition- Gorou took the hits and insults in good humor and laughed, as was custom. He was supposed to be so deliriously happy that none of the good-natured mockery or physical abuse could possibly phase him. Gorou himself had been on the other side of this plenty of times in his life, calling out funny taunts and getting his light jab in on a new groom. It was just a part of Watatsumi life.
Gorou continually checked on Reyna with fast glances. She seemed to be doing well enough. Her smile was on her face and older women were putting gentle hands on her shoulders and arms- much more gentle and polite than the male experience. He could hear her rattling off a steady litany of: "Nice to see you's" and people seemed to be withdrawing with satisfaction.
After a few minutes, everyone had gotten their say in. Everyone felt they'd had their part of the moment, and some people began drifting away. Some others were clearly just continuing to stand about because they didn't have anything else really to do at the moment and here was somewhere. A lot of fishing was done in the dark of night, so there were quite a few people on Watatsumi Island with lots of free time during the day, especially the mornings.
Gorou decided the social obligation was successfully met and he raised his arms: "Thank you everyone for your kind greetings. Now if you please, I need to purchase my wife some nice clothing."
"Yes, you do!" said a female voice to general laughter.
"See, boys? The General is showing you how it's done!" said another, gaining a masculine groan from the male members of the crowd.
Gorou gathered up Reyna's arm again and maneuvered them away from the gathering and up into the upper market road. Reyna's breathing seemed a bit fast, but Gorou didn't feel an elevated pulse in her arm. He didn't feel a pulse at all, actually. Interesting, but not alarming after a moment of thought. Had he felt her pulse last night? He couldn't remember. It seemed she didn't even have one.
"You handled that perfectly, Reyna," said Gorou. "Very well done."
Reyna smiled at him, her eyes brightening again.
Gorou thought it best to get Reyna to the tailor first. Not only would that take the most time- it was a private store and he knew the owner well. Reyna could be left there for her measurements or whatever while Gorou managed a bit of his own business. But first, they had to make it to the tailor, which was located on the eastern side of the upper market- the opposite side. That required a bit of a walk and a few more greetings of passers-by.
"Nice to see you," said Reyna. "Nice to see you."
People seemed to be falling in love with her, as far as Gorou could tell. All to the good. If everyone on the island thought that the General's new wife, Reyna, was nice and pretty- so much the better. They arrived at the tailor shop, a very old storefront but kept clean and tidy of everything that wasn't a natural side effect of aging wood and stone.
Gorou ducked through the threshold with Reyna just behind, and they found a welcomely cool and quiet interior. Fine kimono, yukata, and more practical clothing were hung on layered poles along the walls. A few mannikins stood in the center of the entryway, displaying some of the shop's best, or so Gorou surmised. He was not very knowledgeable about the female wardrobe.
"Welcome in," said an elderly female voice, and the benevolent crone teetered into view from around her own mannikins. "Ah, General Gorou! And this is your wife I have heard so much about, I presume."
"Hello, Taki," said Gorou. The woman was a long acquaintance. He had often come to Taki's shop while performing errands for Priestess Kokomi before the war. "Yes, it is my honor to introduce to you my wife, Reyna. Reyna, this is Taki Omaya."
"Nice to see you," said Reyna.
"Nice to see you!" said Taki, her eyes widening at Reyna. She then looked at Gorou and gave him a face that indicated she was very impressed. "You are a wonder, aren't you, Reyna? Well, then!... The poor girl finally missed her chance, then."
Reyna thankfully remained silent and smiling, not answering that apparently rhetorical question.
"Sorry?" said Gorou, confused. That sentence didn't seem to logically follow the conversation.
"Oh, nothing, nothing, General," said Taki with a sigh. "I was thinking of someone else. Something of a hopeless case, the poor dear. Now then- I imagine you are here for a very specific reason!"
"Yes," said Gorou. "We came back to the island with haste and my wife lacks a wardrobe."
Taki raised her eyebrows at Gorou and turned back to Reyna. "Well, that won't do. What do you have, my lovely? We can fill in the blanks."
Reyna was silent for a moment. Gorou held his breath.
"Two kimono," said Reyna. "One tight, and this."
"Two. One tight. And that," mused Taki. "How many under robes?"
"One."
"One?! How many soft clothes?"
"One set."
"One set! One underrobe!" exclaimed Taki. She turned on Gorou. "How much of a rush were you in, General? Surely, you could have arranged for a pack of her essentials."
Gorou blushed, unsure of what exactly was even being talked about here. He laughed in embarrassment. "It was a little out of my control, Taki."
Taki snorted. "Excuses. Men are all the same. The only thing that's essential in this world is what is essential to them… Well! No matter. Reyna, we will get you everything you need. Don't worry. Shiho! Shiho! Go take Reyna's measurements for me!"
"Yessss," said a cheerful voice and a small, youthful teen almost bounded into view. Taki's obvious trade apprentice. "This way, Miss Reyna."
Reyna looked to Gorou. He nodded at her. "She will take your measurements for your new clothes, Reyna."
Reyna had that good-natured wonderment look on her face again, but she followed after the enthusiastic Shiho girl all the same. They moved towards the back of the shop.
"So, come sit with me then, General," said Taki, leading him over to a small table. They sat and the old woman opened a ledger, licked the end of a quill, and prepared to write on a page. "Now then, what exactly do you think she needs?"
Taki's voice dripped with doubt and sarcasm. She was really letting him have it for Reyna's present situation. It really wasn't his fault though, was it? Shouldn't Yae Miko have sent some things along? Well- in the end, it was Gorou's fault. He'd accepted care of Reyna, had he not?
"I would defer to your wisdom in this," said Gorou with a sheepish smile.
"Oh, you would, would you?" grunted Taki, who began jotting down things on her paper and not looking at him. "And what fabrics shall we consider? Are you looking to skimp on the mora and put your poor wife into uncomfortable or embarrassing situations because her husband isn't willing to buy what she needs?"
This was starting to feel like a sales tactic. Gorou smiled, relaxing. "Again, I defer to your wisdom. Please use the fabric best for the purpose of the garment. Err on the side of quality and comfort. I would just like to make sure Reyna has choices for any situation."
Taki continued to write, not looking at him. "Well! How magnanimous."
Finally, she pushed a list of items at him. Gorou took a deep, steadying breath as he read through the long list of items. A few items were to be silk, which was to be expected. That was the best. But a great deal of the rest was cotton. The only linen and hemp items were the yukata and the field clothing. Gorou had spent his entire life in hemp underwear. Did Reyna really-?
Gorou shook that thought out of his head. He'd asked for Taki's wisdom, and he could not question it now. She was watching him with a very tiny smirk in the corner of her mouth.
"All perfectly reasonable, I'm sure," said Gorou, with a cough. "How much shall I pay you?"
"95," said Taki, still smirking.
"9500?" said Gorou in pleasant surprise. That was about a third of what he had expected to pay for Reyna's clothing today. He would have more to-
Taki shook her head ominously. "95,000."
Gorou's eyes shot up and his mouth fell open. 95,000! That was almost a third of his entire savings.
"Silk and cotton are imports, as you know," said Taki. "And that wife of yours has a body that was designed by the gods themselves, I'm sure you have noticed that?"
Gorou laughed sheepishly. Not at the implied joke, but at how Taki had no idea how right she was.
"You don't put a body like that in linen or hemp, boy," she leaned back, sending victory. "For such a large order, I'll throw in some cotton stockings. Since you are one of my favorites."
Gorou felt like he was simply floundering with inevitability. "That's very kind," he said in a small voice. He took out his coin purse and pulled out two of his biggest coins.
Taki smiled at him broadly as she accepted the two giant mora coins. "You would have 5000 left over. Shall I acquire Reyna some shoes, too?"
"By all means."
Taki was humming to herself as she took back her list and made new notations on it. Gorou didn't think Taki would cheat him, but he was sure that she was making a very nice bit of profit today. Well, that was business. And Gorou didn't trust Taki's competitors, few that they were. Taki was quite simply the best, and the best just cost more. Such was life.
"Eeep!" shouted a female voice from the back of the shop.
Gorou's eyes went up in surprise, as did those of Taki. But being far more spry than the elder tailor, Gorou was out of his chair and walking urgently towards the back where the private measuring rooms were. He flung aside the curtain.
A very stern looking Reyna was glaring up at the tailor's apprentice girl. She was looking up because Reyna was using one arm to press the poor girl's back into the ceiling. The apprentice looked down at Gorou with eyes wide with terror.
"R- Reyna!" gasped Gorou. "What are you doing?!"
Reyna turned to look at Gorou, her expression becoming neutral as she looked at him. The apprentice continued to dangle from Reyna's single extended arm- it was like the poor girl weighed nothing at all.
"She tried to take off my clothing," said Reyna. "I prevented her."
Gorou almost asked why, but then it hit him: Yae Miko's passive orders. Had not Kuki, that ninja, asked Reyna about that same point just this morning? Reyna had received instructions on how she should not allow her clothing to be removed- which seemed to be intended as a general safety measure, but mostly targeted at Gorou himself. The tailor's apprentice, in the normal business of getting accurate measurements of Reyna's body, had blundered into that latent order and was now suffering the consequences.
But Reyna could use electro. And she was apparently very strong. Superhumanly so. This could go very wrong very quickly. Gorou broke out in sweat and took a deep breath.
"Reyna," he said gently. "Please put the girl down. She was not trying to do anything bad. It is normal for a female tailor to help undress a female client for measurements…."
Reyan frowned at him slightly, her eyes blinking with her first doubt. "Nothing bad?"
"No. Nothing bad. Not in this."
Reyna looked up at the apprentice with an uncertain frown, but then she lowered the wide-eyed girl gently to the ground.
"What's going on over there, General?" said Taki, still making her slow way across the building.
"Uh-" said Gorou.
"Please, General Gorou," whispered the assistant. "I'm really sorry for upsetting your wife! Please don't tell Aunt Taki!"
Gorou blinked at her. The poor girl thought this was her fault. Gorou blinked again. Well, it didn't feel exactly right, but that- that… could work out.
Taki arrived and frowned into the changing room, but all there was to see was a very nervous apprentice and a placidly standing Reyna.
"J- just a minor misunderstanding," said the apprentice.
"Nice to see you," said Reyna.
Gorou winced slightly. But he wanted to take a little of the heat off of the apprentice, at the very least.
"Reyna's family had a very specific tailor on retainer, you see, Taki. It seemed there was just a miscommunication on what the process on Watatsumi Island is like."
Taki cuffed a laugh. "Well, I can believe that. The other islands have strange folk and stranger costumes. But we can take it from here, General. I think we can have the order done in about two hours."
Two hours! For all that? That was fast! He was tempted to wait, but there was a lot he needed to do. But did he dare leave Reyna alone without getting a few things clear with her?
"May I speak privately with my wife before I go?" said Gorou. "I need to ask her of her preferences on some other items."
"Of course," said Taki. "Come on out of there, girl. You can finish later. Help me get the fabrics we will need."
Yes!" squeaked the apprentice and shot out of the room.
Gorou stepped in, Reyna's lilac eyes upon him. She looked worried, her dark purple eye brows furrowed.
"I did wrong?"
Gorou took a deep breath, wondering how best to approach this. "You did well to follow your instructions."
Reyna seemed slightly relieved at that.
"And it was very good you did not harm the girl. That was very good."
Reyna nodded.
"I think maybe you were told to not allow anyone else to undress you. That is good advice. Except, there are rare exceptions to any rule."
"Exceptions?" said Reyna, looking thoughtful.
"Yes," said Gorou. "Times when a rule is not true, but they are very rare. Do you understand?"
"Yes," said Reyna. "An exception is when a rule is not true in a certain time."
Gorou nodded. "Yes, exactly. So for your rule of not letting other people undress you: one exception should be for this situation: the person is a female tailor, and you are in the tailor shop. And you are being measured for new clothes."
Reyna blinked at him oddly. "This situation is an 'exception situation' to the no undressing rule."
"Yes," said Gorou. "It is. Okay?"
"Yes," said Reyna.
Despite her agreement, Gorou felt incredibly uneasy about leaving Reyna alone with the tailors. He had just about begun thinking of Reyna as essentially human with some social limitations. This little event had him worried that he'd allowed himself to be taken in by Reyna's very humanlike appearance. She was not, in fact, human at all. He should not forget that.
But he couldn't just hover while the tailors worked. It would be beyond odd to do so. Not to mention, of all the errands he needed to run- one of them was finding and reporting to Priestess Kokomi- and he couldn't' risk doing that until Reyna was occupied elsewhere, and that elsewhere- really, really, needed to be this tailor shop because there was no where else for it to be.
Surely, what else could go wrong?
"Just," said Gorou desperately. "Don't hurt anyone. And if you are unsure or scared, say that you feel unwell and you want your husband, okay? Say that until they leave to get me and then wait for me to get here, okay?"
Reyna looked at him with that strangely placid lilac stare. "Yes."
"Don't leave this building with anyone but me, okay?"
"Yes."
"Okay, I need to go for now. I'll be back in two hours, okay?"
"Yes."
Gorou sucked in breath, a bit uneasy with Reyna's monosyllabic answers. But, well, if this situation couldn't work with Reyna, then Yae Miko's entire enterprise was doomed from the start. Reyna needed to be able to exist within the ruse just as Gorou did, or this was all going to fall apart. She needed to be able to do this. She had to be able to do this.
"Okay,' said Gorou. "Just wait in here for the apprentice. She will be back for the measurements again."
"Yes."
He nodded at Reyna, gave her a reassuring smile- which she stared placidly upon, and then he left her.
He called out to Taki as he walked for the front door: "Thank you, Mrs. Taki. I leave her to you."
"Yes, yes," called Taki from somewhere in the rear of the building. "Go finish those measurements, girl… and also, could you get me-"
Gorou didn't hear what else the apprentice was to get her master, as he stepped out into the upper market street with a bracing breath. He looked up and down the street, searching for some sign that Priestess Kokomi was in the area. Gorou thought his message had been clear, but maybe he'd been too in-code for Kokomi to understand. Or maybe Captain Tetsu had made a small mistake in the message's delivery.
"General Gorou," said a soft female voice, immediately recognizable to his ears.
Gorou turned to find a traveling monk behind him, her large reed straw hat low over her face. But even without seeing her directly, he knew it was the Priestess Kokomi- and in a rather effective disguise, at that. If she had not said anything, he would not have recognized her. Gorou smiled broadly, his heart warming to see her.
Well, sort of see her. Her face and body was entirely obscured. She didn't even look female.
"Priest-," began Gorou, but Kokomi lifted her head and put one finger over the lips he loved so much.
"I slipped my guards," said Kokomi with quiet laughter in her voice, "But I don't want to embarrass them by being spotted here. Let's talk somewhere private."
Privacy was not a common commodity in the South Dry Market. It was a relatively small place, there were relatively a lot of people (for Watatsumi Island, anyway), and even the nearby roads were narrow and full of travelers. Kokomi led Gorou to one of the pubs of the upper district. Relatively quiet this time of the morning, but it had a far corner with open seating that would make it easy to sit and talk while being sure there was no one who could overhear them. Kokomi retained her monk's hat in the hopes of remaining anonymous.
They sat, ordered the prerequisite drinks that allowed them to sit there (Gorou receiving a wedding congratulations from the server), and then pushed their heads as close together as Kokomi's rather comically broad straw hat would allow.
"Who is this wife?" was Kokomi's first and rather intense question. "I saw your introduction to the crowd outside."
Gorou wished she didn't have her hat on, so he could see her face. "Well, in Inazuma City…"
In careful whispers, Gorou relayed to Kokomi everything he could remember about the last two days. What Yae Miko said about taking care of Reyna or the Shogunate would attack the island; What he had so far noted about Reyna's behavior and capabilities; And finally, his fears of what Reyna could potentially be or do.
"...and that's why I thought it best to avoid bringing you two together. If she does have secret instructions to kill you; well, I think Reyna would be a hard woman to stop."
Kokomi was thoughtfully silent for a long time. "So. You regard Reyna as a woman?"
Gorou blinked. That didn't exactly seem like the most relevant question to everything he had just told Kokomi. "I'm not sure what word to use, exactly. She certainly seems mostly a woman. Until the thing in the tailor shop just now, I was starting to forget that she was something different."
Kokomi was silent again. "When I got your message last night. I was shocked. So, very shocked. I admit I am very relieved to hear the truth of it all. There was perhaps an hour when I didn't think that your message even had a deeper meaning…"
Gorou sat back, a little unsure how to take that statement. "You thought I'd actually married someone that I had never told you about?"
"Yes, for a moment," said Kokomi. "And when the letter said your wife would not want to meet me. I thought it was because you no longer wished to see me."
"Of course not!" said Gorou, as his mind filled with memories of all the time he spent with Kokomi in the shrine during the war. He wanted to tell her that his single regret in retiring was not being able to see her. "Priestess, I-"
"Kokomi!" said Kokomi suddenly and harshly. "My name is Kokomi. I- I would prefer if you used it."
A- alright," said Gorou, taken aback. Kokomi's voice sounded rough. Was she angry at him?
"T- thank you for your report, Gorou," said Kokomi. "Keep me apprised. I- I have to go."
Gorou watched with mystification as the disguised Kokomi left the tavern, nearly bowling over the server in her rush to leave. Had he said something to upset her? Was she late to get back to the shrine? Did- did she need to go to the bathroom and was just too embarrassed to say so?
With a bit of anxiety on his mind, Gorou paid for the drinks and left the tavern quickly in an attempt to catch up with the fleeing priestess. Outside, he looked up and down the upper market strip, but the disguised Kokomi was nowhere to be seen. How did she move that quickly? Gorou felt like something was wrong, but he wasn't exactly sure what.
But whatever it was, if he could help, Kokomi would have told him what it was, right?
Gorou took a deep breath. Well, perhaps she would tell him in the future. He had to get back to his own mission. So after a quick peek into the tailor shop to make sure no one was screaming and that Reyna wasn't holding any poor soul to the ceiling again, he headed for the lower market to buy a pull cart and the rest of his goods.