"The traveler is lost, Cirno." For the first time, Reimu spoke in a quiet, yet clearly firm tone. I doubt many had had the chance to see her so subdued. "He came from outside the barrier, and he only seeks passage home."
"The humans from without are only to be feared, Reimu, not cared for." Cirno's eyebrows creased in confusion. "Surely you know of the tales? Of the history of this realm? Anyone who's wandered in here could bring others. The stability and peace of Gensokyo itself is being threatened with this man's every step forward into our world!"
"I can only find sincerity in his actions. There is no malice coming from this man."
"You've always been too optimistic in your dealings with others. Maybe it's time you stopped stomping around the place like you owned it."
"Why you-" Reimu's eyes flared open in anger.
"Reimu, stop!" I yelled. I knew I had to interject before the duo started fighting again.
Both maidens looked at me, and immediately I was at a loss for words. "I, uh... I feel like we won't get anywhere with you two fighting. So please stop. Miss Cirno, you may choose not to believe me, but I have no recollection of how I got here, or why I got here. I only want help, and Reimu told me we could find some here."
Cirno's gaze never wavered, but I could at least sense that her guard was lowering.
"What kind of help were you expecting from me?" Cirno asked, appearing bemused for the first time. "The others are asleep, and I have never seen you around these parts."
"Answers." I bit my lip, thinking of what to say next. "A way to exit this realm. If I have to ask everyone who lives in this place the same question, I will." Nodding to Reimu, I added, "Even if a descendant of the creator of the barrier itself can't tell me how."
Cirno sighed. "And I can't believe you thought I'd know what to do. I've been living around the lake as long as I can remember. Barriers, wars, whatever - I don't care. I honestly don't."
"But you have to admit that you're at least a bit curious about his plight," Reimu chipped in. "Otherwise, knowing you, you wouldn't even have bothered hearing him out."
"Knowing me, huh." Cirno rolled her eyes. "Well, if you're such an expert on the way things operate around here, then you wouldn't have brought the traveler here, would you?" She paused. "But I, at least, am a little interested. Even so, I know nothing beyond what kinds of things fall in from the other side of the barrier. Some of that stuff ends up in the lake, after all."
I urged her on. "Anything will help."
"Well, let's see." Cirno fished into her dress pocket, and took out a weathered, thin black box. "The Princess found this the other day."
"The Princess?" Another new name to add to the ever-growing list of new names.
"Wakasagihime, Princess Wakasagi. A mermaid. Anyway, she gave it to me, since she didn't know what it was for. It appeared only a couple of days ago, so it should be from your time, whatever that is." She tossed the box over, and I hastily reached over to catch it. It slipped through my fingers, and the sound of the box splashing into the water, the sound of my shame, reverberated through the empty lakeside air.
Upon closer inspection, what had looked like a simple black box from a distance turned out to be - would you guess it - a smartphone. It had the glass screen, power and volume buttons, and everything else you'd expect it to have. A pity that it didn't turn on - perhaps Cirno carrying it around with her had fried - or frozen - the circuits in the device.
The fact that I remembered what a smartphone was surprises me now (as does my memory of airplanes when I was describing the outside world to Reimu), but at the time, I was simply happy to find something from my time in this temporally ancient realm.
"Something you recognize?" Cirno asked, seeing the small smile that grew on my face.
I nodded. "It's something. Mind if I keep it?"
She shrugged. "I don't need it."
I pocketed the phone, and turned to Reimu. "I guess we could keep looking, if Cirno can't offer us any help."
"I suppose so." Reimu took one last angry glance at Cirno, as if trying to say, "You keep off my guest!". Cirno glared back.
In hindsight, maybe we should've just headed for the human villages instead, even if they were farther away.
Cirno sighed. "And I can't believe you thought I'd know what to do. I've been living around the lake as long as I can remember. Barriers, wars, whatever - I don't care. I honestly don't."
"But you have to admit that you're at least a bit curious about his plight," Reimu chipped in. "Otherwise, knowing you, you wouldn't even have bothered hearing him out."
"Knowing me, huh." Cirno rolled her eyes. "Well, if you're such an expert on the way things operate around here, then you wouldn't have brought the traveler here, would you?" She paused. "But I, at least, am a little interested. Even so, I know nothing beyond what kinds of things fall in from the other side of the barrier. Some of that stuff ends up in the lake, after all."
I urged her on. "Anything will help."
"Well, let's see." Cirno fished into her dress pocket, and took out a weathered, thin black box. "The Princess found this the other day."
"The Princess?" Another new name to add to the ever-growing list of new names.
"Wakasagihime, Princess Wakasagi. A mermaid. Anyway, she gave it to me, since she didn't know what it was for. It appeared only a couple of days ago, so it should be from your time, whatever that is." She tossed the box over, and I hastily reached over to catch it. It slipped through my fingers, and the sound of the box splashing into the water, the sound of my shame, reverberated through the empty lakeside air.
Upon closer inspection, what had looked like a simple black box from a distance turned out to be - would you guess it - a smartphone. It had the glass screen, power and volume buttons, and everything else you'd expect it to have. A pity that it didn't turn on - perhaps Cirno carrying it around with her had fried - or frozen - the circuits in the device.
The fact that I remembered what a smartphone was surprises me now (as does my memory of airplanes when I was describing the outside world to Reimu), but at the time, I was simply happy to find something from my time in this temporally ancient realm.
"Something you recognize?" Cirno asked, seeing the small smile that grew on my face.
I nodded. "It's something. Mind if I keep it?"
She shrugged. "I don't need it."
I pocketed the phone, and turned to Reimu. "I guess we could keep looking, if Cirno can't offer us any help."
"I suppose so." Reimu took one last angry glance at Cirno, as if trying to say, "You keep off my guest!". Cirno glared back.
In hindsight, maybe we should've just headed for the human villages instead, even if they were farther away.
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