An Aside: Mobile Gaming

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

They had hit a lull and Mob was fussing.

Of course it didn’t look like fussing to anyone else, but Reigen was fine-tuned to Mob’s nearly-invisible displays of emotion. A tiny line on his forehead or by his mouth conveyed deep befuddlement, and all of it was aimed at his phone which he hadn’t put down for the last fifteen minutes.

Reigen would have ordinarily been inclined to have him do something more useful with himself, but this was unusual enough that he gave it a few more minutes of observation, glancing up from behind his screen, before saying something.

“Is your phone on the fritz or something?” ’Please say no.’

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[mp_npc]

“Kidnapped, really,” the lantern chimed in tiredly.

“Chōchin, you haven’t forgotten your hospitality entirely, have you?” The teapot chided him as if she didn’t hear his remark for what it was at all, instead prompting Mob to come to the tea room. “Please come, you look terribly cold and wet. I’ll brew you something warm.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Thank you," Mob said appreciatively, following the teapot further in. He did not question what the teapot might have to brew when no one had lived here in ages (according to his master) or the safety of venturing further into a place where he had previously been attacked. Mob, as always, took everything at face value. To him, he had no reason to distrust these spirits -- though Reigen may have felt otherwise.

[mp_npc]

A series of yawning lanterns lit up for Mob as he entered the aged tea room. It was far from decrepit, but it was rather dusty despite the efforts of one-legged hataki duster shakily bouncing around the room, tossing its silken head against the tatami mat that yawned and unrolled itself for Mob to sit.

The doors to the tea room were closed, but the windows offered a view of the raging storm with the rain now pouring sideways.

"You should take that damp coat off. Ittan-kun, please see to our guest." The teapot instructed, and a large cotton cloth shook itself off, flew from the wall and wrapped itself around the boy as he did.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Thank you," Mob said as the cloth swaddled him warmly. Were all spirits this warm and he just didn't realize it? Mob wasn't sure.

"I'm worried about my master, though," Mob said, gazing out the window. The rain was really coming down now. "He's still out there."

[mp_npc]

"Your master?" Kasa grumbled as he dragged himself up the small steps to the tea room, now seemingly having caught his breath. "I thought that was your dad." What kind had something like a master in this day and age anyway?

"And you kidnapped him anyway?" Chochin groaned.

"I wasn't kidnapping! I wasn't going to do anything bad! I just needed a little pick-me-up...all of us do!"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

His father? Mob never even considered that someone would think Reigen was his father. The two of them were so different. Not just in appearance, but in personality, too.

"Do you just need human energy? Or is there something else?"

[mp_npc]

Kasa, gruff as he was, had the decency to look embarrassed at being forced to explain it.

"Look, kid...do you know how Tsukumogami are born?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob nodded. "My master and I went over it earlier."

[mp_npc]

“Yeah? And what’d he tell ya?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"He said you're causing trouble for our clients," he answered honestly.

[mp_npc]

"EH!?" Kasa's canopy flared out like a dilophosaurus in shock and indignation. "Are you an exorcist or something, kid!?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Something like that," Mob said. "But I don't like exorcising spirits unless it's necessary."

[mp_npc]

An aura of dread descended upon the tea room as the possessed objects grew restless. The slippers began to shiver with a stark tptptptptp against the floor. The only one none-the-wiser was the teapot began singing as she began to hiss steam in the kitchen.

"Urk...alright, well, just hold on, ki--Sir." Kasa knelt on his single stubby leg. "If that's true, then just hear me out...I really wasn't gonna hurt ya, okay? It's not as simple as you think...it ain't just about gettin' old. We served our masters faithfully for a long time. Then we were cast aside...that's what awakened us. Now we haven't been used by humans in so long, we're getting weary...and when we saw people come around, we got real excited. But it was a bunch of humans talking about tearing down our home, so some of us had to scare 'em off real good."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." These spirits clearly weren't intent on harming anyone. Those were the only spirits that Mob truly felt comfortable exercising. "But... I don't know if you can all continue to stay here."

[mp_npc]

Before Kasa could say anything, Chōchin yawned a great exhale of smoke. "It's for the best..."

"Seriously!?"

"Yeah. There's no place for us in society. Think about it...we can't even thrive around electricity. What would eating some kid's energy do but buy us a little more time to wither away?"

As Kasa spluttered, Morinji returned to the tea room with a cup in her small hands. "Now, now. No matter how great our troubles are, we shall never trouble our guests." She tipped herself over to pour Mob a steaming cup of...something that smelled vaguely herbal-y.

"You say that, but when he ran off months ago, he's seemed pretty lively--"

"We won't speak of him in front of our honored guest." Morinji's tinny voice cut straight through Kasa's retort. "He can't trouble anyone as long as they're in these walls, and he shan't."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Who are you talking about?" Mob took the drink in hand and bowed his head thankfully at Morinji.

[mp_npc]

Morinji looked reticent to answer (or as much as a possessed teapot could) before a harsh clattering sounded outside and shook the walls. Morinji looked aghast, but Chochin grumbled before she could get too antsy.

“Ain’t Biwa. That’s something else.”

“—igeo-kun!” A man barked over the howling wind from outside the house.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Oh, Master Reigen." Mob set his cup down before even taking a sip and headed in the direction of his teacher's voice.

"I'm in here," Mob called back. He didn't yell, just spoke in a louder-than-usual voice.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen didn’t call back so much as he hacked and wheezed and he didn’t run so much as he stumbled and clawed the window open.

“WHAT THE HEL—WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?” He yelled from across the tea room, still being absolutely battered by branches outside.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I've been here, with the spirits," Mob answered simply. "I thought when you went to find the spirits you'd find me, too."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen felt his face get hot. "I told you to stay right where you were!"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"But I got pulled away," Mob explained, expecting Reigen to understand he was speaking quite literally.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Just stay put!” Reigen slammed the old window shut - something he would have never dreamt of doing, especially not to a clients window where he was risking property damage - and dragged himself towards the entrance.

“Are you sure that’s not your dad? You both look exactly the same tw me…” Kasa scratched his brim.

“Oh, dear. He was crying for sure.” Morinji’s fish-shaped lid for a face looked genuinely concerned.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"No, my dad is a lot more strict," Mob said. True to what Morinji said, Reigen did indeed look like he was crying. Mob appreciated that they pointed it out.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen opened the entry doors wide and took a deep breath. He dutifully removed his muddy shoes and his coat and hung it up. He walked into the tea room, surrounded by spirits he could see, but he paid them no mind. A sentient tatami mat unfurled for him and he sat down directly across from his tiny employee.

“Shigeo-kun. We need to discuss something very important.” Morinji fetched a cup for him in record time and filled it with the hot herbal tea. He warmed his hand with it.