> Swerve to the left!
> Turn our head to track their movement if we successfully dodge.
> !!!!!
> Give chase with haste!
> "Wait! I just want to talk!"
> "You think I could get you if the oni couldn't?"
> "C'mon! What are you running from?"
> Bah, whatever.
> Quit the yammerin' and just chase in silence. Slow down a tiny bit as well to save some energy, though not enough that he's faster than us.
> Are we within shouting ddistance of the village?
> Is anyone visible?
/quote]
>You are probably within shouting range of the village.
>You can see a couple people in the distance, past the west-most buildings.
>_
> Do we have the energy to shout and maintain ou speed?
> Chase him in silence for three more seconds, then take that moment to prepare a breath as described.
> Give a good ol' shout, one that'll hopefully reach the village.
> "Help! Thief!"
> Resume silent chase, ignoring the irony of our cry.
>"Someone help me catch that theif!"
>Resume silent pursuit.
>Why does shouting slow our flight, anyways?
> Let up a little more to converse breath. Now that we're starting to get to the town proper, the townsfolk will cause enough of their own ruckus to slow him down too.
> Is the tavern visible?
> If so, are we headed anywhere near it?
> Take another moment for a breath, then let out another shout. This one doesn't need to be at the top of our lungs, though, now that we're actually in the village.
> "Thief!"
> Keep on following.
> Still nowhere near the tavern, eh?
> Might as well try something else...not a big fan, but.
> "Please stop!"
> Follow into the same alley, or whatever it is he vanished into.
> How far apart are we?
> Where does this road lead?
> So this is a dead end?
> Nothing for it, then. Keep giving chase.
> Damnit, man, head near the tavern so we can get some help!
> Follow to the west when we approach the intersection.
> Given how far apart we were, is it possible he took another turn or entered a door before we got to the turn?
> Are there any doors obviously open? Surely we would have heard a door close if he went that way.
> Enter the barn.
> No sign of the guy?
> If not, take another couple of moments to catch a breath, then leave the barn and head skyward to look around the area.
>"I am. Male, silver hair, dressed like a farmer."
>Point to where we just were.
>"I lost him down there. He evaded me in the alleys, or maybe ducked into a building."
>"You offering to help catch him?"
> "It's a complicated story. He didn't actually steal anything from me, but he did steal those clothes he's wearing, at least."
> "Yeah, yeah, I know. Listen, that guy showed up underground and started running willy-nilly all over the Ancient City. Caused havoc everywhere, because that's what happens when you're a human and you decide to cavort around a village full of oni for no apparent reason. I asked the harvest goddess why one of her farmers was causing chaos underground, and after describing him to her, she didn't have a clue who he was. She sure seemed worried about potential backlash and oni coming topside to look for this guy, though."
> Do the hair, skin tone, and clothes match?
> Shake head.
> "The skin tone's similar, but the hair and clothes don't match. My guy's also a bit younger, and really athletic. I was gassed just before you showed up, but he looked just fine."
> "Just here, turning into this alley. That barn was the first place I checked for him."
> "I was just headed upward to see if I could spot him in the streets. If not, he'd probably have to be inside somewhere."
> Has this woman been underground before?
> "I didn't see him in my time up here either. He may have decided to hide. He was trying to hide when I spotted him just before the chase started."
> Put on a thinky face.
> "As long as there's two of us, why don't we cover both options? Assuming the humans here don't want a youkai outsider rooting through their stuff, I can watch the streets if you can search hiding spots inside these buildings."
> Why would we remember anything about someone that we didn't think had been underground? Has someone with her face been underground before? Maybe several years ago? Maybe longer?
> "Okay. I'll give a shout if I see him. If you find him indoors, I imagine I'll hear it."
> "Got it. Happy hunting."
> Resume scanning the roads from the skies.
> Float along the road path from our current height, enough that we can see down into alleys we haven't investigated yet.
> Damnit.
> Return to stationing ourselves above the door the silver-haired woman entered and resume scouring the streets.
> Anywhere else in this area we haven't looked at and can't see from here?
> Scowl.
> "I don't get this at all! I know he came this way! ...Other people did see this guy, right? I'm not just going crazy?"
> "If I ask around, I assume you would come with?"
> Look back down at the ground at the people in the vicinity.
> "Anyone close by that you know?"
> "Slightly easier to approach them. If I'm on a time limit, I want to waste as little time as possible."
> "Let's try the herbalist first."
> Follow if she heads in the herbalist's direction.
> Shake head.
> "Not unless you've visited the Ancient City."
> "Looking for a young guy dressed as a farmer. Silvery hair, tannish skin, very athletic. Lost him near here. You seen him?"
> Nod.
> "Yeah, that was me."
> "Shoot. Well, thanks anyway."
> Turn to our impromptu guide.
> "Maybe we should ask your other friend next, back to the east."
> Shake head.
> "Not quite. We're looking for a silvery-haired guy dressed like a farmer. Tannish skin, really athletic. Lost him around here. Did you happen to see him?"
> Nod.
> "All right, thanks anyway."
> Turn back to our guide.
> "Might as well ask those other people next."
> "Let's try the barn area first."
> Follow that way.
> Give the bucket a couple of gentle knuckle raps.
> "Served me well over the years, miss. I'd be sunk without it."
> "Anyway, we're looking for a silvery-haired guy dressed like a farmer. Tannish skin, really athletic. Lost sight of him around here. You seen him?"
> Sit straight up.
> "Really? Where'd he go?"
> Turn to Keine.
> "That's definitely him! You have time for a chase?"
> "Let's hurryy to the market, then.'
> Turn to Keine.
> "Headin' up to see if I can't pick him out of the crowd. If you see him, let me know, and I'll do likewise."
> Fly up and above the crowd of people and begin looking around the area.
>Get closer, see if we can make anything out.
> What other landmarks are to the south?
>We'll have to ditch Keine, then. Hopefully she understands.
>Get close enough to make out more details.
> Actually, before we run off, look down, and check to see if she's looking anywhere close to us.
>Can we get close enough that she can hear us, shout to her that we see someone in the distance, then proceed after said someone without losing sight or too much ground? If so, then do so. If not, then just go after the unknown person.
> What kind of distance are we talking here? A few seconds of flying?
> Swoop down to Keine and point to the south.
> "I think that's him, way out there."
> Nod.
> "Yeah, I figured. Is there anyone else here that can help out? I don't think I can catch him on my own."
> Where is the tavern from here, again?
> "I'll try the tavern, I think the temple is stretched right now. Thanks for the help!"
> Get up high enough that we won't smack into anyone, then zoom on over to and into the tavern.
> What do we know of tengu society and habits?
> Bounce on over to the shrine maiden, then.
> What do we normally do when someone remembers us?
> Frown.
> "There's more important stuff going on right noww than losing a couple of thin ones."
> "The guy running around posing as a farmer, running all over Gensokyo. Including underground."
> "He might. He's not actually a farmer, but he's posing as one, so who knows where he got the clothes. And he managed to avoid all the oni while he was down there, despite a whole lot of them taking interest and trying to get him."
> "Now, I'm not sure I agree with her on the matter, but the harvest goddess is worried that the oni will take this as a challenge, and maybe some will come up topside and come looking for farmers to hunt down and capture."
> Shrug.
> "I don't know how likely that really is. But maybe she has different experiences with this sort of thing then me."
> "Either way, I had just spotted him here in town, but he's too quick for me. He's already a decent distance south of town. I need some help cornering him so we can get answers on what he's up to."
> "Kisume."
> "All righty then."
> Exit the tavern, take flight, and head south out of town at a brisk pace.
> Change our course toward the forest motion and pick up the pace.
> "Find out why he ran all around the oni city. And where a piece of granite he dropped came from. And why he never talks, come to think of it. Haven't heard him say a word yet."
> Can we at least see enough of him that we can tell it's him?
>"Don't suppose you've got any way to speed us up, do you?"
>"Can you carry me or drag me along? Because at this rate, we're going to lose him in the forest."
> "Or maybe just go on ahead and I'll catch up when I can."
> "He has silver hair and tannish skin!"
> Follow as wwell as we can.
> Make a beeline for the point in the treeline where they disappeared.'
> So no path here, huh? Most likely the guy, then, if he's headed off wherever he can go and Sanae didn't stop chasing him.
> Nowhere to go but forward! Fly straight ahead into the woods, slowing down to a speed where we can reasonably navigate the trees.
> Can we hear the sounds of Sanae, maybe?
> Does the ground look like it clears up in any direction?
> When we were first at the tree line, was Mystia's stand somewhere west of us?
> Head west, then, and keep a sharp ear out.
> Never thought we'd think this is a good idea, but...approach them.
> Raise a hand in a casual greeting.
> "Hey there, O wise one. Has your wiseness need a human come by here recently? He had farmer clothes and no beard."
> "In whicheth directioneth?"
> "Not at all."
> Give a short bow.
> "Thanks. The breadth of your wiseness is exceeded only by the length of your beard. Good day!"
> Keep heading west for a little bit, keeping our ears perked still.
> South
> Did the guy have sandals, as we recall?
> Travel in the direction the footprint seems to be pointed and look for more footprints.
> Follow those footprints and mud tracks!
> But not headfirst into a tree, please.
> Still no sound of Sanae?
> What's to the west, that we can't go that way?
>East
> South, but quietly. Sacrifice speed for not running into things and making noise as needed.
> Give her five seconds to stand up, acknowledge our presence, or anything.
> If she does nothing different, give a soft "Hey."
> Do we see a shuriken?
> "Did a green haired shrine maiden or a grey-haired farmer pass by here?"
> "Did he throw it at you or something?"
> Look over the last few yards of ground we just traversed, as well as any nearby bushes.
>"What happened?"
>"Why do you want to find it?"
> Start brushing away dead brush while talking.
> "Unbelievable. You gotta be a special kind of stupid to throw shurikens at a shrine maiden. I wonder if he's looking for the black-white so he can call her fat to her face, or something."
>"What's a ninja?"
>"I wouldn't know even if they were here. I live in tunnels underground. Not exactly the best place to learn things, especially when you prefer to remain out of sight."
> "By the way, it looks like some of these branches on the ground here were cut clean."
> Does she still have her sword?
> "Yikes. What'll we do now? Anyone else worth telling, so we can get more people on the hunt for this guy? He's gotta be up to something now."
>"You think maybe some magician could use that to do a locator spell on the man or something? Or is that not actually possible?"
> "Or what about that 'Kanako-sama' you mentioned earlier?
> Shrug.
> "Seems like the alternative is stumping around blindly, but if that's okay with you, then we can do it instead."
> "Did you happen to catch which direction he fled in, or was he just gone?"
> "So where do we start?"
> "I don't know either of those people, so I'll trust your judgment on which is the better."
> What do we remember being told about the location of the red leather book Nazrin was looking for?
> We heard a rumor from Mokou, though. Can we recall it?
> "So Patchouli would be faster?"
> "Then let's do that. Where is she?"
> Frown.
> "I don't know where that is. I don't know where most anything up here is, unless I've actually been there in the last several hours."
> "The one here in the forest? I should be able to find it again."
> "That's the junk shop, right? I need to go back there eventually anyway, so that works. I'll need to detour back to the human village first to pick up a rabbit, though."
> "Will this Patchouli really be able to divine this guy's location from nothing at all? All we have is that shuriken, and seems you wanna hold on to it."
> "Couldn't hurt, unless you know you needit."
> Take it and stash it carefully.
> "Thanks. See you at the junk shop. If you can, let the mouse woman know I found the person that foun her rose, and I have a lead on her book. She'll know what I mean."
> Nod.
> "Later."
> Crest the canopy and look around for the main road.
> Head to the lake.
> Any sign of a fairy with a red leather book?
> Make for the nearest group, then.
> Shake head.
> "Nope, I'm a book-looker. Right now I'm looking for a red leather book."
> "Is she in this area? Because I heard this book was near the lake."
> Is there anyone obviously outside the cabin?
> "All right, guess I'll check it out."
> Head toward the cabin.
> Dolls? What the...guess the fairies weren't BSing.
> Approach them.
> "Uh...hi?"
> "I hear there's someone here that's good with books? I'm looking for a lost one."
> Let it go do whatever it's going to do.
> "A book! A red leather one."
> "It was stolen from the junk shop. Heard it was last seen around the lake. Figured I'd get a better answer from you than any of the fairies."
> Did Nazrin say anything else about the book?
> "Uh, the mouse woman said it was some magic book she got from the black-white. I don't know any more than that about it, though."
> "Well, I'm sure the mouse woman would be really appreciative if you let her know you found it."
> "She asked me to find them for her. I was going to be running all over creation looking for that renegane farmer-lookin' human, so I figured whatever I got out of it from here would be an added bonus for little effort."
> "Sounds good to me. I'll let you get back to your cleaning, then."
> Head toward the manor by the lake.
> "The what?"
> Shake head.
> "I'm only hear because I hear there's someone here that can help find a renegade farmer-lookin' human."
> Pull out the shuriken in a non-threatening fashion to show it off.
> "The blue-white shrine maiden learned that he doesn't take too kindly to danmaku."
>"It belongs to the guy I'm looking for. I was wondering if a magician could use it for some sort of locator spell or something."
> "Figured as much. But I gotta try."
> "All right then."
> Head on inside, following the stated directions.
> Head through the double doors under the balcony.
> "Um...okay. I'm actually here on pseudo-business, though. I'm looking for...Patchouli, I think the blue-white and gate guard said her name was?"
> "Okay, thanks."
> Head down said corridor of shelves.
> "Are you Patchouli?"
> "I hear you know how to locate people."
> "Magical locator, then. At least, that's what the blue-white shrine maiden said when she suggested I find you."
> "A human male dressed as a farmer. 'Dressed' in the sense that he isn't actually one, or at least the harvest goddess has no clue who he is. He's very slippery and very suspicious, and when the blue-white tried to stop him with some warning danmaku..."
> Pull out the shuriken in the same non-threatening display-ey manner as before.
> "...he didn't take it so well."
> "I don't know if you would need this thing for whatever it is that you can do, but if you do need, the blue-white wants it back as evidence if possible. I also have a piece of granite that I'm reasonably sure came from him, but the shuriken is definitely his rather than probably."
> "Shuriken it is, then."
> "That didn't come up, but I guess she would have said something if she wanted a different deal."
> Hand it over.
> Is that...the Forest of Magic, maybe?
> Keep watching.
> "Yeah, that's the guy."
> Keep on watching, then. Not much else we can do.
> "There must be more to that shuriken than just itself..."
> Keep watching!
> "Wow..."
> Any sign of the shuriken?
> "Uh, you okay?"
> "Yeah, that was definitely the guy. Don't know the woman, though. Not sure what they were talking about, either."
> She did mentions servants, though...the woman in the graveyard mentioned a master, didn't she?
> Come to think of that woman, inspect all the non-money stuff we ganked from her.
> Read writing on Wad of Old Papers.
> ...A haiku? From that simpleton?
> "So how much of that dialogue do you remember?"
> "I actually have a small inkling of an idea. There's a couple of coincidences that line up, and I wouldn't mind a sounding board...You mentioned that happened not far from here. Would you say the graveyard for the youkai temple in the human village is reasonably close for that spell's purpose?"
> "Hmm. Then it must be in the forest nearby, where the blue-white lost him after he threw that thing at her. We were pretty close to this place when I crested the canopy to get my bearings."
> "The man is the shuriken thrower. Don't know much about him beyond him not actually being a farmer and probably having a death wish. Skurikens at shrine maidens aside, he ran all around the Ancient City, dodging every oni attempt to capture him. I don't know the woman, but I have a theory."
> "Well. That woman apologized to the man because her servant 'didn't consider that she would go in that direction'. When I was in the forest part of the temple graveyard earlier, I ran across a dim-witted guard with a hat similar to the gate guard here. She had a master, who gave her orders to not let people beyond a certain point. I knocked her down mid-fight and escaped in the direction she was guarding, but after I got out of her range of vision, she called for her master and identified the direction I was going in. I changed my westward flight to southward, and after a bit, I accidentally ran into that man, who appeared to be hiding. That chase lasted until just now. The guard's master never showed to my knowledge, and the guard's shouts showed she wasn't expecting her master to not be there. I think that woman could be the guard's master - being in the forest here would explain her non-presence in the graveyard area."
> "The last thing I heard her say before she was out of earshot was 'Where are you, Master?'. I wouldn't be surprised if this master never tells the guard anything beyond direct orders - she was slow on the uptake, easy to fool, and all around not very bright."
> "Guess I should go find out what that guard was guarding."
> "Oh, I plan on bringing backup. If people are going around plotting who-knows-what nastiness and throwing shurikens in danmaku battles, I expect the red-white will want to see what's up for herself."
> Where are the junk shop and human village relative to our current location?
> Where did we hear the Hakurei Shrine was relative to the human village?
> In what part of the human village is the temple?
> If we went north along the main road, would we run across the junk shop or human village first?
> "I'd better get moving, then. Unless there's anything else you want to ask or have to say."
> Give a smirk.
> "Figure the least I can do for you is be someone that has business with you, which would take priority over you entertaining tourists."
> "I assume they wouldn't go kaputski like the shuriken did."
> "Not sure. Anyway, I'll keep you in mind as such a source, if I run across anything good and tradeable."
> "Sounds good. Good luck with the rest of the day, in the hopes that it's only one day."
> "My sympathies, for whatever they're worth."
> Retrace our steps to head back outside past the gate.
> "I'll keep it in mind, if I have the time. Patchouli did her thing and it told us way more than I expected, but now I know I'm in a time crunch to get this guy before bad things happen."
> "See you later, then."
> Take flight and head northward toward the junk shop at a good clip. No time for dawdling now.
> "Looks like Ellen's been busy. Where is she now?"
> "No time. Need to drop messages and then skedaddle to the red-white's shrine. I found the people that found some of your stuff. Eientei rabbit's got your rose, blonde puppeteer by the lake has your book. The latter will arrive eventually, the former's loafing in the human village."
> Any sign of Kyouko?
> "Well, I have to admit that they're probably equally interested in what you have for them."
> "I know it is with the rabbit, sorry to say. Dunno about the blonde woman."
> "Anyway, the other thing I'm here for is hoping you can leave a message for the blue-white shrine maiden for me. We're supposed to meet here, but I have to scram."
> "Really? That was fast."
> Take the note and read it.
> Probably where the guy and woman are right now.
> "Well, that makes things easier."
> Look back up at Nazrin.
> "Thanks for this. If she happens to come back, tell her I went to get the red-white, and then went back to..."
> Slow look of realization.
> "...the temple...your temple."
> "There's funny business going on in the forest part of your graveyard. Some weirdo dimwit is guarding something at the orders of her master. I strongly suspect they're related to that renegade farmer guy. They're hatching some plot to wake up a prince, or something. Whatever it is, it's important enough to them that the guy threw a shuriken at the blue-white to get away from her. If she was steaming, that was why."
> "I don't think they're temple people. Beyond that, I've told you everything important I know. The farmer guy is very dangerous and plotting something with some woman. There isn't much time left, I don't think. Best to get the red-white and have her bull through all of 'em."
> "One other thing...did Kyouko ever come by here?"
> "Really? That seems an odd combination, even for fairies."
> "Guess so. Anyway, that's all I have. I'm sure someone will let you know how things go in the graveyard at some point."
> "Thanks. Later."
> Exit the shop, take flight and head northeast. Keep an eye out for a shrine or for a road that leads eastward.
> Head for said building.
> Raise an eyebrow while starting to bounce over to her.
> "You're not the red-white. Did I come to the wrong place?"
> "Did the fairy say where she was going?"
> Frown.
> "I wonder if she heard about the renegade farmer guy as well, then."
> "He's involved in a plot with some blue-loop-haired woman to wake up a prince, or something. Don't know much about it. What I do know is that he'll throw shurikens in danmaku battles to escape."
> Raise another eyebrow.
> "There more of you?"
> Sorry for public question, but blonde child-sized what?
> "Looks like your fairy is multiplying. Has the red-whiite's home always been a fairy home?"
> "Well. Are you or they or anyone else here willing and able to shake down these people and whatever they're plotting?"
>Look back to the pink-haired lady with a partially amused expression. "Snakes in the rice? Can't say I've ever seen that one be done before."
> "Anyway, let me see how well I can recap."
> "A farmer-lookin' human guy went underground earlier. Ran all ober the Ancient City and somehow managed to dodge all oni capture attempts. Found out the harvest goddess has no idea who he is, which suggests he's not actually a farmer. Got the blue-white on his trail after some more suspicious activity, and after she fired some warning shots at him, he flung a nasty-lookin' shuriken at her and escaped while she was recovering from the shock. Took the shuriken to a magician, who did whatever it is she did to it, and we saw a scene of the same guy talking to a woman with blue looped hair held together with some stick. They're trying to awaken a prince, whoever that is. Sounds like they're only a couple of hours off from it, so they need to be stopped soon."
> "No, no, and no. But I figure if it's worth their while countering danmaku with shurikens, then it's worth everyone else's time to investigate the situation."
>Is it too late at this point to follow the fairy with the snake?
> Widen eyes.
> "No, but I just remembered something. Be right back!"
> Take flight and zoom off in the direction the fairies went.
> Chase!
> "Wait! I wanna see that snake!"
> "How'd you get him?"
> "What?! What blue lady?"
> A hat? Rules out mystery woman. Still, if it was someone that this fairy actually saw, then it probably wasn't the jeweer's assistant.
> "You've been cheated! That wasn't her snake to give you!"
> "Then who did you take it from?"
> Damnit. The last thing we need is dealing with more than one at a time.
> Speed up, if we can, and focus primarily on catching that snake thief.
> Aim our bucket for the back of her head.
> Find that snake and grab it! Check near her hands first.
> Could we tell hold she was holding it prior?
> Could we tell how it reacted to being held by her?
> Did she use one hand or two?
> In what direction is the snake looking?
> Is it still at least in the air?
> Do we have any empty containers beyond the bucket?
> Try to grab the snake around the middle with our closer hand. Be careful not to squeeze it to death.
> This is gonna suuuuuuuuuck!
> Lift it up, bring it over and drop it in the bucket, quick!
> Just remember. This thing is a pet. This thing is a pet. This thing is a pet.
> Hightail it back to the shrine, hoping that the snake doesn't go anywhere or do anything untoward.
> When we're confident we're not hurtling right at a tree, chance a glance downward to check in on it.
> Slow down so we don't smack into a tree, then take a better look at it.
> ...The hell?
> Gently poke the snake-thing.
> Wah!
> Follow it!
> Grab it around the middle, then! But, again, not too rough.
> Adjust our grabbing attempt to grab it from underneath it instead of from the sides.
> "Hey, calm down!"
> Did we get one or both hands?
> If we can, grab a flapping wing with our left hand.
> Can we still fly reasonably well with our hands occupied and just our legs wedged in the bucket?
> Keep a firm grip and resume our flight back to the shrine.
> "Gotta calm down, buddy. I'm getting you back to your owner."
> "It's not a bird, it's the snake! I don't know how, but it's the snake!"
> "Yeah, I don't get it either. But whatever it looks like now, it's the pet of someone in the forest, and I need to return it to them."
> "Uh. How?"
> Follow said instructions.
> "It was the snake the fairy had. She jacked it from a friend of the oarfish woman. Said friend wants it back really badly."
> Quests
> "That would explain why it was a snake and now it's a bird."
> "I don't know. I don't really have any sort of container I'd trust to contain a bird-snake-thing, but I only need to get it to the human village. Once I'm there I can let the celestial woman or the oarfish woman deal with it. I might be able to carry it like this all the way there."
> Nod.
> "I'll be careful. Anyway, to answer your question, I don't know what those people are plotting beyond waking up their prince, whoever he is."
> Nod our head in the ghost's direction.
> "Who's your friend?"
> Do we recall seeing an abmornal number of spirits anywhere?
> "Really? Huh...I don't remember seeing any today."
> Shrug.
> "I'll keep an eye out, I guess, but between those mysterious jabronis and this little 'un here, I should probably get to the village. Ddon't suppose there's anyone here that wants to help investigate?"
> Can we tell what species this woman is?
> "Up to you. I expect I'll also ask the temple for help too, since it's near their graveyard."
> "Oh, definitely. I lucked into getting away from their guard, and I couldn't keep up with the guy even when he wasn't throwing shurikens."
> "Great! Need to prepare anything before we go?"
> ...A hermit?
> What experience do we have with hermits?
> Did Mommy ever catch one, that we knew?
> Nod our head in lieu of being able to bow, given squirming birdsnakewhatever in our hands.
> "Kisume. Live underground, just bein' myself, makin' my way on my own."
> "Sure. Though you seem better with animals than me. Do you wanna carry this..whatever it is? Or d'you think it'll be fine with me?"
> "All right, then let's go."
> Take flight as best we can with the animmal in our hands and head westward to the human village.
> "Huh. I didn't see this earlier."
> Head into the tavern.
> Is that youkai the oarfish woman?
> If not, is she with the temple people?
> "You probably won't believe this, but this bird is your friend's snake."
> "Pretty sure this is it. Jacked it from a fairy who said she jacked it from a weird girl in a mask. Don't know why it's now a bird, though."
> Offer it toward the oarfish woman as she gets close.
> "I smacked her in the back of the head and knocked her over."
> Follow Iku out the door.
> Call out to Iku.
> "Hey, wait a minute!"
> Turn to Kasen and frown.
> "Uh, I guess this bird snake thing is more immediately pressing. Would you mind heading ahead to the Temple and letting them know what I've told, and I'll catch up ASAP?"
> What directions did we follow from our starting point in the graveyard before we found that guard?
> How far from the village did we hear the mystery voice?
> "At the Temple should be fine. They'll probably help you, since it's weirdos in their graveyard. If you all want to go looking, I went south through the graveyard until I was close to the south fence, then a whole lot of west."
> "Great, thanks. Back in a bit."
> Hurry back to following Iku wherever.
> What the...
> Hold up the bird to show it off (without letting it free).
> "Uh, I found your snake. But it's kind of a bird now. Is that normal?"
>"Wait, Nue? What's she have to do with all this?"
> "I could have fetched her instead when you first asked, you know. I at least know reliably where she is. But anyway, do you want your whatever-this-is back or what?"
> "Uhhh...okay. Well. Should I give it to you directly, or give it to your oarfish buddy here and skedaddle, if my presence is that painful to you?"
>"So's Iku."
>"Whatever. No real concern of mine. You want me to leave completely, or just turn away?"
> That's actually a good life philosophy. Make a mental note, should we ever get the drop on this or any other person: It's not that we care who they are, it's just that they're a person who's there.
> Float over to Iku and hand off the bird while talking.
> "Eh, we can discuss that later. Maybe through your celestial buddy at the bar, or the jeweler. Even if you did want me here, I have to scram back to the human village. Yours wasn't the only emergency to pop up in the last couple of hours."
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "Really? Even though she said to give it to you?"
> Is she still hiding behind that tree?
> Whatever happened to our empty glass bottle? If we have it, would the bird fit inside it?
> Frown for a second, then roll our eyes and turn toward the masked girl proper.
> Stick our arms out in front of us toward the masked girl as far as they will go while still holding onto the bird.
> Tilt our head away, close our eyes, and wait.
> "Can I look yet?"
>Look.
> "Anyway, yeah, work something out with the celestial or the jeweler. Or maybe even the mouse woman at the junk shop, since your delivery there isn't complete yet from what I hear."
> Let this play out for a few seconds.
> Huh, that's right, she'd been mute this entire time.
> Raise an eyebrow, but keep silent.
> Shrug.
> "Never came up. I was too busy chasing her. Took long enough to get out from her where she got it. I think she said she was told to do it by a blue woman with a hat, though."
> "Uh...I think she said that 'we' were going to get cake for doing it. She had a friend in the area, but stopped her escape before we got that far. Also, I first ran across her at the Hakurei Shrine, where the other fairy there caught her trying to put the snake in some rice."
> "Eh, I dunno. Wouldn't the fairy have demanded her cake by now? Tenshi's not exactly hard to find today."
> "Huh...come to think of it, why were you waiting in the tavern, anyway? From how urgent this sounded originally, I figured you would have gone running off immediately after Tenshi gave you my message."
> "Oh yeah, present incidents. Is there any way we can work all of this out later? I really need to get back to that pink hermit woman I left in the town. There are shenanigans afoot in the Temple graveyard, and things could get really dangerous if that one guy that's involved starts throwing more shurikens at people."
> "You really think I'd be helpful with something this personal? I barely know you and I know her even less."
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "...How much do you know about me, anyway?"
> "If you say so. So what's up with this seed thing, then? Why's it so important? And what's with the bird?"
> What are Nue's seeds?
> "So, what, she was invisible? I don't know much of anything about these seeds."
> "What's wrong with the one you have on now?"
> Look slightly taken aback.
> "Who did you piss off that all that isn't enough? The black-white? The green-haired plant lady? Or did you piss in the red-white's tea or something?"
> "Sounds like a question for the Yama. She's be happy to beat you over the head with what she thinks is best for you without giving a damn about what you want or think."
> "Well, what's the problem with just hiding in a cave for the next thousand years or something?"
> Do we know anything about poltergeists, from an afterlife bureaucracy standpoint?
> "Doesn't sound complicated to me at all. Sounds like exactly what you want."
> "Yeah. You disappear, your true self won't ever get noticed again."
> "Well, what would you do with yourself?"
> "Just curious. But I guess it doesn't really matter. So we have a situation where total isolation is both the only thing and guaranteed death, eh?"
> Look back at Iku.
> "And you really think someone that knows so little about the situation will have a solid answer to what seems an impossible question."
> "You really want an unbiased opinion? All right. Wanna know a couple of things first, though. How does this seed thing work? Just having it on one's possession, or eating it, or what?"
> "Is it hidden during this process?"
> "So she watched the process and knew where it was hidden."
> "Whoa, I didn't mention blue hair. But I'm guessing that doesn't matter to either of you, does it? Anyway, when the fairy grabbed it, did she go right for it, or did she have to search around you for it?"
> "Which means that Tenshi knew where it was. Which means that someone told her where it was."
> "Wanted to make sure. You didn't say directly that you told her precisely where it was."
> "Just checking how the Tenshi conclusion was drawn. But anyway, about that question. I've been asked if I know anything about you. The answer is that I don't, really. Most of what I know about you is that you trusted me enough, for whatever reason, to hunt down that seed. But this begs a question in return. Why would I want to know about you?"
> "Iku wanted that unbiased opinion, right? Here's what I've seen so far of you. Earlier today, I complied with a request to keep my back to someone that, for all I know, had a weapon out and was ready to attack me at any time. I agreed to run an incredibly important errand for this person - that'd be you - for a price to be named later. Eventually, I secured the goods as requested, and in the middle of taking care of an issue I personally felt was far more important, I took time out of dealing with it to return said goods to you. In doing so, I've learned that, even though I recovered this incredibly valuable thing for you, my very presence utterly disgusts you, and that, once our transaction is concluded, you will go back to pondering the apparently incredibly difficult dichotomy of letting yourself dying and being anywhere near me."
> Cross our arms.
> "So I'll ask again. Why do I want to know more about you? Because, from what I've experienced, you seem like an unpleasantly selfish person, one that sees me only as a tool to get what they want."
> Give a small dismissive wave.
> "Don't worry that much about it. Besides, I've only been involved in this for a day. There are other people far more deserving of an apology than me. Like this one old guy in the human village, and some scantily-clad youkai woman underground with funny wings. People that have put in a lot more time and effort into this entire construct than I have. People that got tossed to the wayside the instant an emergency sprang up, if the request to give the former a very vague message and the active decision to avoid involving the latter entirely is any indication."
> "I'm sure there are more details than I care to know. But I think we all know that's not the point. It's easy to look at this issue as hiding and dying versus meeting people and feeling disgusted. But if you're going to go about handling the making of this decision in a way that makes people want nothing to do with you, then reality's going to make the decision for you, and you won't have anything to blame but your own selfish behavior."
> Slow look of disgusted realization.
> "...Oh, god damnit. I'm turning into the Yama."
> Glare at Iku.
> "I'm tacking this onto your bill."
> Shake our head like we're trying to come to our senses.
> "Ugh. Now I feel dirty. Please, don't ask more than that from me."
> "Anyway...for what it's worth, if Tenshi really did do this, she'd have to be beyond stupid to have done it maliciously. If nothing else, it's way too easily traceable to her. Even ignoring what the fairy said, all you have to do is consider that the fairy knew what it was going for and the suspect pool gets narrowed down to exactly two people. If we're gonna assume she's clever enough to delay cake payment to a fairy, we have to assume she's clever enough to realize that."
> Shake head.
> "Doesn't matter. S'why I said to ignore what the fairy said. The initial attack shows the fairy knew where the seed was. Only four people in the world knew where the seed was, and two were you two. Only way that fairy would know is if one of the other two let the info out. Tenshi's already a major suspect without the description."
> "Right. So what now?"
> "You know, it occurs to me that you're using her name pretty freely in front of me."
> "Whether I care or not doesn't matter in this case. A name's a reasonably important part of one's identity. Handing it over so freely seems incongruous with minimizing what people know about you."
> "So it is your real name, then."
> "And people associate this apparently fake you with it. The fake you's habits, opinions, likes, dislikes, and so on."
> "I was thinking more that, if the fake you is associated with that name, then you could just keep on using that name and behaving the same way and no one would ever know the real you or associate the fake you's habits with your real name. But if the behavioral shift is really that small, then I guess that doesn't work as well as it could."
> "Well. If you told someone your original name, would it mean anything to them?"
Yes.
> "Huh. So it's celebrity-ish. Kinda explains the desire to hide. I wouldn't want to be bothered by annoying fans either."
> "Then that prompts another question. If you told someone your real name, would they believe you?"
> "When would they believe you, then?"
> "So you're saying it's unlikely anyone would actually believe you unless you actively went out of your way to convince them."
> "Would they?"
> Turn to Iku.
> "If I told you that 'Kisume' was a lie and my real name was Utsuho Reiuzi all along, what would you think?"
> Turn back to Shuuei.
> "And whatever this other name represents, would people that heard it associate it with a poltergeist girl? One with white hair, or blue clothing, or a quiet voice?"
> "And presumably you never would. So it sounds like the problem solved itself, really."
> Glance over to Iku for a second, then look back at the tree.
> "So it's only what you think that matters, not anyone else."
> "But if you are given no reason to connect me with the details you know about me, is that really knowing me? You look at a girl in a bucket and associate what you see with one set of details, while taking a second set of details, the actual set of details that applies to the real me, and associate it with something that isn't a girl in a bucket. Then, not only does it not occur to you to associate the set of the real me details with the girl in the bucket, you actively refuse to do so, because they don't line up, and it could just be a notoriety grab on the bucket's part."
> Roll our eyes, then turn back to Iku.
> "Hi there. My name is Reimu Hakurei. You might know me from all those times I went out and kicked everyone's ass for starting bad stuff or even just looking at me the wrong way. You remember seeing me, this green-haired little girl in a bucket, doing all those things, right?"
> "The point is that no one is going to associate who you present yourself as with who you really are, unless you actively try to present yourself as their preconceived notion of who you really are. All you have to do is not look like or act like the public perception of the real you, and no one will associate the white-haired jeweler poltergeist with the real you."
> Blink.
> "Now it's my turn to not get it."
> "She can and should still be Shuuei the poltergeist jeweler. She can be those things and everything else she has been. She just doesn't need a disguise for it, because we've already established that absolutely no one is going to see a white-haired, blue-clothed, soft-spoken poltergeist and go 'Oh, look, it's so-and-so the famous person!' on their own."
> "So they do associate your hair color, clothing, and voice with the real you, despite you saying earlier that they would not do so without explanation."
> Slap forehead.
> "Okay. Let me try this another way, because clearly this isn't working out."
> "So the general public knows of Famous Person X. They have an established perception of who and what Famous Person X is. One day, they encounter a poltergeist girl. This girl has white hair, blue clothing, a soft voice, works as a jeweler, and is friends with an oarfish woman. They associate all of these aspects with that poltergeist girl. Now, here's the important part. None of these aspects apply to their preconceived notion of Famous Person X. Therefore, they conclude that the poltergeist is not Famous Person X. The poltergeist is her own person and Famous Person X must be someone else somewhere else. What is the problem in this scenario?"
> "Then...don't tell them your real name?"
> "As hypotheticals, yeah. And I'd still bet that people would see trying to claim the name of a famous person would be a notoriety grab. But if that's the only sticking point, then just don't use the real name."
> "Not much more or less than I care about most anyone else, which isn't a lot."
> "There's that too, yeah. Really, you've been your own disguise all along. As long as you're not stupid enough to go around telling everyone who you are, no one's going to care or know better."
> "If Yamame told me tomorrow that she actually had blue hair, she wouldn't be any less Yamame to me."
> "Basically. The less you look like you're trying to hide something, the less people suspect you actually are hiding something."
> "Well, all right then. Now what?"
> "Well, to be honest, I haven't thought about it much. And I know Shuuei, at least, needs to beat feet over to the junk shop, so it might be better to reconvene later and work out some of this."
> "The tavern, maybe? I imagine you wanted to go there anyway."
> "All right. Make sure you drop my name when you deliver the goods, if you can. The mouse woman asked me to look into the delay."
> Wave a hand dismissively.
> "All hypotheticals. I don't actually hate her for that stuff. You just wanted an unbiased opinion, and I gave it to her. She probably should apologize to Nue, though. And my name better be dropped during that, too, since I could always use being in good with Nue."
> "Don't blame you for that. Anyway, can we get back to the human village, so I can deal with that other thing?"
> Head north as well.
> "Well, hopefully Kasen isn't too mad."
> "Maybe you should join in with us in our search."
> "Man, you two make shopping for me really hard, you know that?"
> "That's probably the only thing I immediately wanted, and I'm not getting it."
> What do we know of celestial society and/or how they fall in the grand scheme of the afterlife bureaucracy, outside of knowing that shinigami chase after them every so often?
> "Hmph. Next time you or your buddy needs an intervention, you might want to put up a disclaimer about what's actually being offered in return. So what can you do, then?"
> What is Bhava-Agra?
FEI: I know what I want out of this. I suspect it is one of the expected rewards, if not the main predicted one.
> Would we call it a reasonable/accurate/fair assessment that we feel Eiki decided to be a Yama first and a parent second while we were there?
> "Wait, who are you that can arrange for someone like me to get into Bhava-Agra?"
> "Oh wow. All right then, you probably have the clout for this. You offered message delivery, yeh? I have a message I want you to deliver to the Yama. Pass it through the ferrywoman if you have to, but giving it to the Yama directly is preferable."
> "Verbally. I want you to tell the Yama the tale of how your friend there was going through a crisis of self, and after the two of you struggled to solve it on your own, you ended up breaking through thanks to a green-haired girl in a bucket. One that put off a more pressing matter to help out just because she felt like it, and then went off and helped deal with a crisis in the human village once she was done with you. Tell the Yama that the bucket girl has made her way through life on her own, is still going strong, and is perfectly happy with where she is. And when the Yama dismisses you without asking any further details about the bucket girl, particularly not asking anything about where that girl is, you can tell the Yama that the bucket girl isn't surprised in the slightest."
> "Yeah."
> Look away.
> "And if by some off-chance she actually does ask about where the bucket girl is, tell her you've been forbidden from saying where, and that if she really wants to know, she can put being a Yama aside for once in her life and go find the bucket girl for herself."
> "I think that's it. I can't think of anything else, anyway."
> "Okay. Thanks. Just to warn you in advance, I wouldn't be surprised if she has nothing to say."
> There, Eiki can stuff that in her hat and like it.
> ...Mental note: If we don't see Eiki by the time a week has passed from when we get Iku's promised response, head to Higan, give Komachi a verbal dressing-down that she can deliver to the high-and-mighty she-who-cannot-be-bothered, then head back home underground and regret ever thinking for one second that this was a good idea.
> "Got it."
> "I suppose that's true. See you later in the tavern, I guess."
> Hurry on back to the temple in the human village.
> Hail her as we get close.
> "Sorry I'm late! Apparently it's my job to solve crises of self now."
> "Eh, we'll make do. I figure anyone that goes out of their way to visit the red-white during an incident can probably take care of themselves."
> Come to think of it, when we die, would our soul go through Higan, ferried and judged by those two?
> What abouts time is it?
> "Best thing I can think of is to press ahead to that spot in the graveyard. Though...hmm. How much do you know of this village?"
> Surprising that the bureaucracy wouldn't send us elsewhere on conflict-of-interest grounds. So our own parent may send us to Hell? That's a pleasant thought.
> ...Though I guess it works both ways, and Eiki may have to send her own kid to Hell. Huh.
> "I met a school teacher here earlier. Keine, I think? Do you think she'd be done teaching for the day by now?"
> "We could probably use her help. We could be up against three even if that prince of theirs is asleep. Do you know where her class is?"
> "Might as well try. Worst she'll do is say no."
> Assuming no prompt/objection from Kasen, head into the village toward said main intersection, keeping an eye out for playgrounds.
> Is there a visible main entrance to the building?
> Go over to the door and ring the bell.
> Anyone in the immediate vicinity?
> ...Anyone else?
> "Hmm..."
> Head for the nearest person or open shop that isn't the green-haired youkai woman.
> "Do you know where Keine the teacher lives?"
> "She lives in the schoolhouse? ...Huh."
> "Shoot, and she's not going to want that interrupted to head to the temple graveyard."
> "No, that's it. Thanks."
> Turn to Kasen.
> "Well, I'm out of ideas. You know of anyone around, or should we just go there?"
> "That woman said her master told her to keep people out. Out of what, I don't know, but there's gotta be something there."
> "Fine by me."
> "Should be doable. She's stupid enough to fool."
> "I should be able to get her attention long enough for you to slip past. I have some of her stuff."
> Inventory
> Is the Dirty Handkerchief usable as a gag?
> Frown and delicately pull out the handkerchief.
> "We could use this, I guess. As cruel as it might be. Maybe stuffing it in her mouth would teach her to keep better care of it."
> "It ain't mine, it's hers."
> "Well, she knows who I am, so me just being seen at all will probably set her off. Though maybe I can keep her focus on me and not on alerting anyone if I hold her stuff hostage in front of her."
> Put away the handkerchief and pull out the little statue.
> "Like this, maybe."
> "I should probably also say that she has orders to keep herself hidden, so we'll have less control over initiating the encounter than if she were in the open."
> "All right. We ready, then?"
> "Wait. Do we have the materials to tie her up, then?"
> "Oh."
> Beat.
> "Then how are we going to force her anywhere?"
> "I suppose that works. But to answer the original question, I don't know where we could take her. The temple's preoccupied. Maybe Keine will be up for it?"
> "And presumably somewhere that won't just let her go right back."
> "We can just take her back to the temple area, then, I guess."
> "Okay. Anything else?"
> "All right, then let's head out."
> Make our way to the temple graveyard.
> "Do you think you could follow up some distance behind me, hiding behind trees and such? I'll take my chances with her only seeing me, but if she spots you, it's all over."
> "Do you want me to try to get around her, so her back is facing you? She might raise an alarm, but it would make things a lot easier for you."
> Pull out the statue, if we don't still have it out, and hold it up over our head.
> "All right. Follow behind at whatever distance you think best."
> Retrace our path from earlier in the day.
> Is she drifting this way?
> Is there cover in the immediate vicinity?
> And we were heading west as well, right? Which means Kasen is well behind both of us.
> Can we tell if we're in her field of vision?
> Hide behind the closest headstone for three seconds, then peek around it to where she was.
> If she's not looking our way, keep heading west, more carefully than before, and now with a slight north-ish tilt if possible. Gotta get behind her...
> How close is she to the southern fence?
> ...We still have the handkerchief, don't we?
> Begin following along behind her, carefully putting the statue back away. Make sure to follow by floating, not bouncing.
> No, don't do that.
> Take a quick peek behind us, to see if Kasen is still visible.
> Well, hopefully she can still see us.
> Look back around at the corpse woman. Assuming she's still not looking at us, raise a hand high above our head, point at the woman by jabbing our index finger in her direction several times, then duck behind a headstone and peek out from the side so we can watch the woman.
> Follow, quickly!
> She might need help! Catch up with them.
> "Remind me to never piss you off."
> "I have an idea or two."
> Look over at the...jiang-shi? and pull out the statue.
> "Listen up, you! You're gonna calm down, or your figure here is gonna get it!"
> What was this a statue of, again? A bird?
> Has she not actually reached for the gag yet?
> We can hold our demon fire in our hands, right?
> "Good. Now, this is how this is going to go down. You're going to stay here and keep quiet, while we take care of some business back in that graveyard. You do as you're told and you'll get all your stuff back when we're done. But if we hear you make any loud noise, or try to come after us, or shoot up the place, then little birdie here is gonna meet an untimely demise. Got it?"
> No reaction from the corpse, huh?
> "Who else was there? Maybe a blue-haired woman, or a tannish-skinned man?"
> Turn to Kasen.
> "Is that who you saw?"
> "Huh. Well, the blue-haired woman did mention multiple servants."
> Frown.
> "So we're dealing with an army, here?"
> "Great. Should we go back and get Keine? Or...maybe even the green-haired plant woman."
> "Nah, go ahead take it off. Truth be told, I almost feel bad for her for having something that nasty in her mouth."
> "Hey, like I said, behave and you'll get her back."
> Turn our gaze to Kasen.
> "So what else do you want to know?"
> "What about the farmer guy?"
> "Weird's a good descriptor for him. Any idea why he's throwing shurikens at people?"
> "Is there anyone else involved in this?"
> "Well, that all depends. Are you gonna go back to the graveyard and let everyone know we're here?"
> Frown.
> "But we can't have that yet. Look, how about this. I can give you back your money and your poetry, and as long as you stay here and keep to yourself, I can promise I'll take good care of Miss Tweetums for you until I give her back later. Okay?"
> Shrug.
> "Sorry, but as long as you plan on warning your buddies, I can't return her."
> Look over at Kasen.
> "Like what? It doesn't seem like she knows a lot about this prince, or much more about the farmer guy."
> "Well, uh..."
> Turn back to the corpse.
> "Who is this 'prince', anyway?"
> "Like you?"
>"You...are aware you don't appear to still be alive, right?"
> Look over to Kasen.
> "I'm out of ideas."
> Does this sound familiar?
> "Is is really that easy to get in here?"
> "I didn't think outsiders showed up that often."
> Quests
> "Well, what can we do about that?"
> Look back at the corpse.
> "You know where that chariot is?"
> "Wonderful."
> "Not really, no. I think I've only even talked to two at all, earlier this morning."
> Did Wriggle or Tokiko say anything about a chariot?
> In what part of the forest was that stand?
> In what part of the forest was Wriggle's house?
> In what part of the forest was Alice's house?
> And in what part of it are we in now?
> What part of the forest pertained to the trees we were in when in the graveyard earlier? Or are those trees a separate entity?
> "It might be in the southeastern part of the forest. That would line up with Patchouli's and the blue-white's theories."
> Quests
> "Wanna do that right now?"
> What part of the forest was Patchouli's mansion near? The southeastern?
> Sanae's note suggested the southeast, correct?
> "We should probably warn some people around here before we leave, yeh. Like the nyuudo and the teacher and the plant woman."
> Turn to the corpse.
> "Hey, so, if we leave the graveyard alone and go wander off somewhere else, that's not a problem, right?"
> "Good enough for me."
> Float a little bit closer to the corpse and hold the bird out in front of us.
> "All yours."
> "You should really wash that handkerchief, by the way."
> Turn back to Kasen.
> "That's enough to convince me it's time to go."
> What the...
> Watch her go with a bemused expression.
> Do we know anything about jiangshi?
> "Southeast, then?"
> Take flight.
> Southeast
> "Should we swoop over and try to find it from the air, or land and take a trek through?"
> "Splitting up could work. Shouldn't be that hard to keep the odd eye on each other or get one another's attention, should it?"
> "We could conceivably split up, but remain fairly close, so that it's not too much time or effort to get the attention of the other. Then we can shift to cover other ground together after a certain amount of time or patience."
> Can we see that mansion?
> In which direction is it from our current location?
> "Sanae was thinking the southeast, so we might as well start there."
> Keep heading southeast.
> "Well, here we are. You wanna take dead south from here while I drift a little bit to the east?"
> "Happy hunting."
> Head further south with a bit of an eastern tilt. Keep a sharp eye on the forest floor below us for anything unusual.
> Look over at where Kasen went. How does she seem to be faring?
>Head back over to her.
> Shake head.
> "Only spotted a bunch of fairies. And if this chariot was really in that area, I'd think it'd be causing more of a stir with them than the nothing going on below."
> "That's not a bad idea. I'm gonna check out a bit to the west, I think."
> Head southwest, keeping an eye out for unusual things or empty areas.
> Glance over at Kasen again. She look like she's found anything?
> Drift directly over this area and give it a good look.
> Drop down, to get a closer look at this one large hill.
> Can we still see Kasen?
> Wave in her direction.
>"Yeah, this hill looks pretty fishy, don't it?"
> Drop down and get up close to the hill.
> Reach out and touch the ground of the hill.
> Where it's concave instead of convex.
> Grab it and pull on it.
> Get a grip on the "ground" with both hands and try to pull the tarp away from whatever it's on.
> "Classy."
> Open the door nearest us and have a look inside.
> "Well, fortunate favors the bold."
> Enter!
>"Yes."
> Look at the maid.
> "Sorry about that."
> Turn to Kasen, shrug with a sheepish grin, then head to one of the seats and, leaving our bucket right at the foot of the seat, sit down in it.
> What do we prefer in our tea?
> Have we had either in our tea before? If so, how much did we like it?
> "Milk for me."
> Lower voice to a whisper.
> "Beats me. But why not?"
> Take the cup.
> "Thanks."
> Have a sip!
> "Sure, on both accounts. By the way, you wouldn't have happened to see that blue-haired woman around recently, have you?"
> Do we know what a robot is?
> "A nuisance of an acquaintance. If she appears here, make sure to chase her out. She should be easy to recognize; her hair is in two large loops, held together by a stick."
> Nod.
> "Of course."
> So we heard weird noises coming from this maid, huh? Let's watch how she moves, see if it's anything unusual.
> Let her get out of whisper range, then lean over to Kasen and lower our voice as before.
> "You hear that hum from her? What is that?"
> "She did something to some machinery on the wall first, though. It might be related. Would a magician need wall machinery?"
> "Do we ask?"
> "She may think I'm her master, but she doesn't know you. You could ask."
> Turn back to the maid.
> "Ah, and perhaps you should introduce yourself to my friend here."
> "Very good."
> Have another sip.
> "Perhaps you should also tell her more about this place, since this is her first time here."
> Have some more tea while listening.
> ...Oh damnit, we got drugged.
> How visible are we to VIVIT and the guy?
> Remain as quiet as possible. The longer they think we're still out, the better.
> Wiggle our fingers a little bit. Can we feel the hands of the person behind us?
> Can we tell if our legs are bound?
> We are presumably tied at the wrists, correct?
> Are we hurt by our own demon fire?
> Does the demon fire make noise?
> Are we actually pressed up against the person behind us?
> In our experience, would rope qualify as not quiet when burning?
> Can we move and bend our legs well enough to bring the part where they are bound up next to our wrists?
> When we could feel the person behind us, was it by just brushing them with the tips of our fingers, or could we possibly get a firm grip on them?
> Reach for them and feel around to try to find another set of ropes.
> While feeling, keep a watch on the two others in the room. Close our eyes if it seems like either of them is going to look over at us.
> Try to untie her.
> Close our eyes and stop moving our fingers, but keep our ears perked.
> Could we tell if we're still wearing our scarf?
> When we could see them earlier, were the chairs behind them, or between them and us?
> If someone were to sit normally in one of the chairs, would they be looking at us, have their back to us, or have us in their peripheral vision?
> Keep our eyes closed, but continue untying the person behind us.
> Let go of them and position our hands in such a fashion that we would burn our ropes should we summon demon fire, but don't summon it yet.
> Slowly open our eyes again.
> They are not looking at us, correct?
> Now or never. Light our ropes on fire.
> ...Maybe this was the chariot that jiangshi mentioned.
> Let the fire burn.
> Are we lying on sheets? Hopefully only the rope goes up.
> Pull our wrists apart a bit.
> Keep pulling it apart until it breaks.
> And no response from the two at the machines? Good.
> Feel for the ropes on the bed and pat them down so they don't set the sheet on fire.
> Still trying to not make a lot of noise, reach down to our legs and untie them.
> Look behind us at the person there. If it's Kasen and her legs are tied, get to work undoing them.
> Then move we must. But move slowly. Float to reposition ourselves as necessary.
> Move slowly to reposition ourselves with our hands within reach of the ropes on her legs. Once that is the case, get to fingerin' those ropes quickly.