> How drained is out card?
>Drop the card, dash in, and apply bucket to face before the oni can recover.
>Think fast, what can we grab and whip out fast out of our bucket.
>Just how much with the rebar? We've already been using our bucket in this fight.
>Bah! Let bullets rip on her as we backup. Something strong and face flooding in the oni's direction.
>Is the bottom of the x open enough for us to drop and slide through it? If so go for it, if not go high. Either way fire a strong beam/line of bullets right between the eyes
> Pursuit upwards while avoiding the cross, trying to stick as close as possible to the center of the cross. Continue with thevulcandanmaku spam on her.
> So she's got plus signs and Xs. Do we have any preferred designs of our own, or do we just fling stuff every which way and hope something hits?
>Start shooting some slow bullets from a central point outwards then start firing some fast ones from the outside in, dispursed lines work if that's the best we can dish out.
>Backside aerial slide to avoid the center cross while continuing to give her peppering fire
>Start to move opposite of the incoming cross of danmaku, then start to direct the vector somewhat off center so we line up with one of the empty spaces of the cross. While commencing this maneuver continue to pepper her with the danmaku spread we have going now.
>Focus more on continuing to dodge the X's and Crosses. Try to advance towards her while dodging close to the centers of the crossed danmaku, but not to a suicidal-y dangerous range.
>Quick question, can our bucket take some danmaku without much damage? On that subject, what about anything we can pull out of the bucket?
>Well, lets 'drop' in the bucket at her, or to be more specific, flip around to go bucket first at her while keeping our arms and other bits in tight enough to use it as a proper shield through the asterisk style danmaku!
>Straight through the closest section from our current position.
>Full our danmaku mad Minute in her faaaaace
>Also start backing up a bit, we don't want her to get a lucky shot off in our own face.
>Continue to pepper her with shots while backing to a safer distance.
>Would we be able to dodge if we put more distance between outself and her?
>Continue to fire and keep our current distance, be prepared to elevate or drop suddenly.
>Drop down, slide forward and dodge those bubbles!
>What would hit us if we made a quick elevation drop?
>Attempt to Bucket Shield the two coming at us head on.
> How large is our wok?
> Do we think the wok would be sturdy enough to withstand danmaku? And would we be able to hold it in place when it gets hit?
> For that matter, do we think using a wok to block danmaku would have a reasonable chance of escalating the fight?
> Oh well. Shank him after all.
>Discard that line of thinking at once! Besides, the proud Oni are likely to take offense at trying to weasel out of a fight. The ones on the sidelines may not stay there.
>One question, how well do Oni take the wasting/ruining of fine booze?
> Inventory
So booze shield is not much of an option...
Honestly other than diving and attempting wok-helmet i got nothing . < .
Hm...
> Inventory
First other thing that comes to mind is that salt we have. Problem is that we didn't grind it up yet, otherwise we could try throwing it into the oni's eyes.
But really, I'm not sure how we can take the oni down if multiple bucket blows didn't do all that much to her. Shanking aside, there's things like poking her in the eyes, but I have a felling that would not end well.
>Better be safe than sorry, good friend!
>Try to remember if you have lighter in the pockets of your spare dirty robes, if so make a mental note to create a Molotov cocktail as an emergency weapon. You don't need no alcohol anyways, that's for hedonistic weaklings. After all we can't forget you are a beautiful strong youkai who don't need no booze.
> Are those salt crystals moist?
> How quickly can we use our demon fire and how far does it reach?
>Let's not go towards the poorman's anti tank weapon here, it's a danmaku duel not a war . < .
>What areas appear immediately open?
I> Do shots like that usually burst when they hit solid objects other than youkai/humans?
> Roughly how far from the ground are we?
> Is there any danmaku between us and the ground?
> Can we let ourselves fall to the ground and stop our fall just before hitting it?
> How far is the crowd away from the oni and us?
> Grab one salt crystal.
> Start falling downwards.
> While falling, throw the crystal in the oni's general direction, then immediately follow it up with some demon fire. Throw the crystal in a rather high arc and the demon fire in a lower one aimed so that it will hit the crystal somewhere near the oni.
> Now if only it actually hits...
> Close our eyes before the fire hits the crystal.
> Stop our fall in time to avoid smashing into the ground.
>Wait for her to fire another bubble shot, then charge.
>Move slightly to the side so that we hit the shot on one side. Keep our bucket towards the center of the shot to shield from the shots it explodes into. If this wouldn't work, then simply graze past it, but going through the shot would be more unexpected.
>Once we're past the bubble, head towards the oni's face.
>When the oni moves to block or counter, flip over her and bucket her in the back of the head.
>Is our demonfire something that qualifies as going too far outside of Danmaku?
>If Yes, then just danmaku blaze her face
>If no, then demon fire blaze her face
>Keep on her hard as ya can, she seems to be weakening!
>She is definitely looking worse for wear. That last barrage seems to have been quite effective.
>What do you intend to do with her hand? She's already backed off and gotten it out of your way while you were firing.
>_
Uh, her hand? I don't remember bringing up her hand in anything :derp:
>Start backing off to get the jive and sway of these bullets
>Can we find any gaps between several of those S's that would fit us?
>Any possibility of getting inbetween some reds for dodging?
> How far off the ground are we that we can slip between oranges below us?
> Does this unlikelihood include the orange ones mentioned in the previous update?
> If we wanted to dodge downward toward the gap in the oranges, would the effort of leaving bullets in our wake slow us down?
> Zip on down to the visible gap in the oranges, leaving a trail of arrowheads in our wake that are aimed at the oni as best we can without slowing ourselves down to really focus on the aiming.
> Do the yellow and red lines appear to be following the same zigzaggy paths as the orange lines, or does the gap between the lines change noticeably at the color change?
> Is the transition from the orange bullets to the red/yellow bullets smooth in the sense that one color reaches us as so as the other color finishes passing us?
> Is the gap between the reds and the yellows significantly smaller than the gap between the oranges?
> What's going on above us?
> If we stay where we are, how long would we have before the lines of red and yellow got to us?
> How about below us?
> The lines of yellow and green below us and the lines of red above us, will they still be in our way by the time the red and yellow in front of us get to us?
> And how are those orange and yellow ones acting?
> Let's take advantage of the small break before we have to move again.
> Fire off some arrowheads aimed at the oni for about a second and a half, then reassess how the lines have shifted around us.
> Could we fit inside the orange and yellow lines up above? Head up that way if so.
> How long do we have before the red lines get to us?
> Do they ever intersect?
> Spend another second firing off arrowheads at the oni, then spend whatever time we can studying the red lines before we need to move again.
> Mental check: Is down a possible escape route, or are there bullets down there?
> How about backwards?
> How close are the green shots, then?
> And they go beyond our peripheral vision?
> Can we tell if above us is clear?
> Best to aim for uncertain doom than certain doom, then!
> B-b-b-back that ass up and pray the green line of bullets isn't too thick.
> Has the oni moved from the place from where we saw her start her card?
> So we think we know how each of the reds, oranges, and yellows work?
> How well can we see in front of us beyond the greens?
> How much time do we have before the current lines around us give way to a new pair of colored lines?
> Check up above us to confirm that the lines above us are double orange. Orange seems to have been our best style so far, we might as well aim for it when we can.
> Can we see anything above the oranges?
> What about below us?
> Which would be the remnants of the orange pair we hid in, as well as the following red/yellow combination that we moved upward to avoid?
> Is the red line still fluctuating too wildly around the yellow line to provide any sort of safe area?
> Let's head upward into the oranges, then. It's time to concentrate on dodging and getting back close to our opponent instead of firing wildly, and that'll be easier to do amidst streams of similar color.
> Figures. The one time we draw double yellow, it has a green in it.
> So the green lines wave sinusoidally as opposed to traveling in straight lines that cut through the paths made by the other colors?
> Can we see what's going on below in terms of bullets?
> How much longer do we have before our current double orange ends?
> Let's give some more dodging a shot, then!
> Fire off arrowheads at the oni until the red and yellow gate-style waves come to us, then concentrate on making our way through the openings and avoiding the closings.
> We've come this far; no sense in ruining everything by rushing. Let's begin taking them one at a time. Remember to mentally alert ourselves if we see green out of any corner of our eyes, though.
> How close to us was it when it came through our section?
> How much distance does traversing through a single 'gate' cover?
> Mmm. Which means it might come back in on the next gate and smack right into us.
> Gotta go for the gusto here. When the opportunity arises, speed it up and try to make our way through two gates at once. Forget about that green stream, it won't be a factor unless we get caught by something else, and it's all over then anyway.
> 'Close enough' being reliable danmaku range or bucketsmack range?
> How much closer would we need to be to get into bucketdrop range?
> Let the tail end of the green pass by, then concentrate on getting through the rest of the gate pattern and into the orange/yellow pair.
> They're not doing the gate thing the last two lines did, are they?
> Concentrate on getting in between them, then. We'll have time to fire once we're there.
> Let's start unloading arrowheads at the oni, then. Move back and forth as needed, but primary focus should be on firing.
> Well, when looking at the oni to fire off arrowheads, how well is our vision angled to be able to see the undulation of the color waves coming at us?
> Let's count on our memory of how the yellows work and weave in and out according to said memory, then.
> Fire off some arrowheads at the oni, weaving in anticipation of avoiding the yellow stream as best we remember its path.
> Glance over quickly to visually check back in on the yellow stream.
> Keep the mental dodging pattern going, then, and resume firing arrowheads at where the oni has moved.
> Give up on firing for the time being, then.
> Refocus on the orange and yellow lines we're in between and make our way forward through them.
> The green travel sinusoidal paths...is this particular one coming at us head-on or from an angle?
> Not a risk worth taking. Presumably the orange and yellow lines haven't changed formation all that much, so given what we remember of them as they went by, back up a little bit until the greens pass in front of us, trying not to run into where we think the oranges and yellows are.
> A shame, all that lost progress.
> Stay in place until the greens have passed by, weaving back and forth as necessary to avoid anything from the oranges and yellow.
> Once the greens have passed by, head back up through the orange/yellow path, concentrating on avoiding bullets as before. If we can spare the moments in our travels, glance up and down to check in on what stream colors are going on above and below us.
> Accursed reds! Damn commies are taking over our danmaku duels.
> Head forward to our pre-retreat position, avoiding bullets as needed.
> Oh, herp. I am good at the readings of things.
> How much further do we have before we get to the next lines that are on our level?
> Keep on heading forward, then. Since avoiding buullets in this tunnel seems to require little brainpoweer, let's fire off more arrowheads at the oni as we head in.
> What is proper post-duel behavior?
> We really did, didn't we? Somebody call our momma!
> ...Wait, no, don't do that.
> No interest in boasting: the last thing we need is for the oni to think this could be fun if done on a regular basis.
> Grab the card. Try not to shake too much from excitement/the adrenaline rush comedown while doing so.
> "That...was certainly something, yeah."
> "Uh, I'm looking for Nue. I need to know some stuff, and I know she tends to know stuff, so she seemed like the person to see."
> Take a look down at the crowd. Is that tengu still visible?
> Take a look down where the flute gestured. Anything look rose-ish?
> "Ah, there it is, yeah. Thanks."
> "I think the tengu and I are gonna take off, then. Catch you later."
> "You too!"
> Float back down to Koyomi.
> Frown.
> "I don't. The less of that I have to do ever again, the better. Let's just head on to Nue's place."
> Follow along, quickly. No more fights!
> What's Nue doing?
> Make our way to the bar as well.
> "I try not to make it a habit. The last several minutes reminded me why."
>Hey, free booze! Maybe we should beat up oni more often if it's like that!
>Take it.
> "I am. I know you tend to know things. You know anything about the human guy that was running around down here earlier?"
> "I don't need to take him home."
> Look down into our bucket. Put the captured card safely away, while we're thinking of it.
> "I don't think he'd fit anyway."
> Look back up.
> "I just want to give him a piece of my mind for jackin' me up. Any idea where he is?"
> "The human village? Uh..."
> We don't actually know where anything is topside, do we?
> Frown.
> "Yeah. I'm not too big on the whole topside thing. Way too open for me. I'll take my tunnels any day."
> "Um...all right."
> Are we really considering going topside?
> ...Oh, why the hell not? We've found some nifty stuff, got a fairy IOU, and even just took down and oni and got one of her cards. Might as well ride our hot streak to the end.
> "Oh, um, yes. I probably will. Thanks. I'm just still steeling myself for the idea of going topside."
> Recall known shrine maidens.
> Do we remember anything of our meeting with the red-white?
> Do we know the red-white's name?
> "How about someone I can meet that won't down me in a few seconds?"
> Huh. More booze places are always good to know about.
> Do we know of any connection between Nue, those folks at the clinic, and these buddhists just now?
> "All right, I'll give those places a look-see."
> What do we know about this gap youkai?
> "Got it. I'll keep the hell away from there."
> "Hmm...anyone else I need to avoid?"
> "Huh...oh yeah, there was that gem thing a while back, wasn't there? How'd that work out, anyway?"
> Frown.
> "Jeez. Maybe I should just stay here anyway. I don't want to have to deal with all that."
> Give a hint of a smirk ourselves.
> "Then that's even worse, because it means weird stuff is coming that I don't know instead of weird stuff I kinda know."
> "I think you and I have radically different definitions of 'fun'."
> "Don't think so, unless you know anyone else reliable topside."
> Do we still have that kitchen knife? Status of kitchen knife if so.
> "Okay."
> Pull out the kitchen knife in a non-threatening way.
> "On a completely unrelated note, would you have any use for this? I found it earlier, but I don't think I can cart it around with me. I don't have a good place to put it where I can be sure I won't get stabbed by accident, so I'd like to unload it."
> How far would 15☼ get us normally?
> What was our prior solution to making sure the kitchen knife wouldn't slide around all over the place and stab us? Was it a potentially permanent one?
> Put on a thoughtful look in a couple of seconds of silence.
> "...Maybe. That is kinda why I picked it up in the first place, yeah. I mean, I have one already, but this one is bigger...Hmm."
> "How about this? As long as I'm crazy enough to go topside, I'll keep an eye out for a sheath for this thing, because if I can keep it safe I'd like to keep it. If I don't find one, though, I'll sell it to you. 15☼'s good. Would that work for you?"
> "All right, sounds good to me too."
> Put the kitchen knife back carefully.
> Where could we clean the knife without dirtying up someone's water supply?
> "Okay, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it while I still think I'm gonna do it. Catch you around."
> Assuming no objections or additional prompts from Nue or Koyomi, exit the tavern.
> Do we remember how to get out of here and back to the river?
> Let's bounce along back to the river, then. Act calm, like we've done this a million times before. Maybe they'll leave us alone that way.
> Head to the riverbank.
> Do we have anything on us that could help in the cleaning of the kitchen knife?
> Do we use our demon fire for drying purposes, or do we build a standard fire?
> If the latter, do we have materials for making a fire?
> Whgere would it be easier for us to lean out over our bucket and dip low enough to wash something in the river, the riverbank or a pier?
> Whichever it is, head to the nearest place of that kind and use our blanket to clean the knife up.
> Head back up to solid ground, dry the knife with a dry part of the blanket if one is available, then light a demon fire to dry off the blanket.
> Look around.
> Inventory
> Shoot. Maybe we should have washed those chopsticks too.
> Is the bridge 'princess' actually a princess?
> Other than using the bridge, would a non-flying person be able to leave the city and head back up topside?
> So it's likely the farmer guy is going to use the bridge to leave.
> Keep a watch on the bridge while waiting for the blanket to dry.
> Good.
> Pack the knife and blanket safely away, then bounce back up to and across the bridge and back through the tunnels to about where Yamame hangs out.
> Light our eyes up.
> "Really? Did he come this way?
> "Wonder why he'd be watching for me, given he took me out once already. Did he seem to be in a hurry, or have anything weird, or something?"
> Nod.
> "Yeah, I know what you mean. Wonder if it's still worth going after him."
> Shrug.
> "No clue. We have no idea why he was even down here in the first place, do we? Maybe it was a one-time crazy, maybe there's something deeper to it. All we know is he was good enough to take me out and escape all the oni."
> Look back up the tunnel in the direction that leads to the topside entrance.
> "...You have any interest in finding out what's up?"
> "Shame. Ah well."
> Give an unsure frown.
> "...Maybe I won't go, then."
>Now why wouldn't we go? ;-;
>...How's our Adventuring Spirit?
> "Oh, hell no. I ain't doing anything to annoy her. Getting dragged into a fight with an oni on the street was bad enough."
> Give the smallest hint of a grin.
> Pull out the card we captured.
> "Oh, I've been worse."
> "Sure as hell didn't try to steal it."
> "Hey, I only just barely got this. I'm not that good."
> "You better believe I'm proud of this! But really, if I can get one, I bet you could get one. Not that I'm condoning actively trying, of course."
> "What, you mean in the city, or topside?"
> Frown.
> "Well, it's not really the idea of the people there that give me problems. I just really don't like the openness. Caverns are far more for me."
> Actually, come to think of it, was fear of loads of surface dwellers ever any part of our reluctance to head topside before? Or has it always been the openness?
> "Eh, maybe. Guess we'll find out, anyway."
> Mental assessment of Utsuho Reiuzi, including what we think she thinks/knows of us.
> "A school? Why do the kappa need a school?"
> "Huh. Well, whatever. Anything you want me to tell Okuu if I happen to swing by that area?"
> Figures.
> "If I see her, I will."
> "Where's that?"
> "If I'm out that way, I'll stop by."
> Nod.
> "Will do."
> "Anything else I should know?"
> Shrug.
> "I dunno. I don't expect to take all that long, really. Head to the human village, find out what was up, then maybe swing by your forest shop or kappa village before coming back."
> "All right. I'll be back soon to let everyone know what was up with this guy."
> "Thanks. Later."
> Might as well get this over with...
> Bounce on up the tunnel to the topside exit.
> How long do we have before we'll need to start considering sleeping?
> Take a look around and make a mental note of the environmental layout of the immediate area. We will want to get back underground when this is all over, after all.
> Go west, young youkai!
> Any sign of a road yet? Nue said there would be one this way eventually.
> Crest what remains of the canopy and look west.
> Shake that snow out of our hair. But not into the bucket, that'd make things worse.
> Head west toward said treecleft.
> Presumably faster than we could hope to travel?
> What sort of environment is to the south?
> Well, Nue and Yamame did say to give the surface-dwellers a chance, so we probably shouldn't actively try to run away...but still, we have business.
> Keep an eye on the newcomer, but keep heading west toward that part of the forest where we think the road might be.
>"WHat?"
>Evade!
>"Hey! What the hell was that for?"
> What kind of bullet density are we looking at here?
> Are they sufficiently close that dodging should be Priority One, or do we have time to fire back a bit?
> But if we stay where we are, we won't have much/any time to return fire?
> Back away a bit while speaking. Don't go too far, though, since we'll want to stay close to, in not in, a good return-fire range.
> "But there's still snow on the ground!"
> Huh. Well, if she wants to leave, let's not stop her.
> Are there any bullets coming directly at us?
> What do we see for gaps on this horizontal level?
>Wait, we have a danmaku-blocking bucket!
>Drop to the ground, flip the bucket over our head, pull it down so that it completely covers us, and wait until the shots pass.
> Wait, we mean the bucket that contains all of our personal possessions, at least two of which are stabbity objects? This is the bucket we want to turn upside-down over our own head?
>Then we just make sure to hold the 'stabbity objects' when we flip it.
> What about our food? Or those chopsticks? Or that bottle of liquor? Or the fact that we've already established to ourselves - multiple times - that we can't actually completely hide ourselves within the bucket?
>Just use the bucket as a shield, then. That worked last time.
>How will you be doing this?
>_
>Position ourselves so that the bottom of the bucket is towards the oncoming shots.
> Before committing to trying to use our bucket as a shield, back up a bit more.
>Ow.
>The oni's shots didn't hurt that much, did they?
> How far away is that potential road spot? If we can just get there, we can plop down and recover from this.
> C'mon, gotta pull it together and get that bucket upright!
> Once we're relatively stable again, float our way over to the road area at a stable clip.
> Drop on down to the road. Not TOO hard, we don't need to do further damage.
> Once we land, get to resting and seething to dull the pain.
> Where did Nue say the gap youkai's house was? North of the human village?
> Let's hope and pray that ain't it, then.
> When we're feeling better enough to move, take back to the air and fly north.
> Any people visible near either of the houses?
> Is the closer house the edge of the building we saw earlier?
> Is there anything notable about the other houses we can see?
> Huh.
> Let's keep going north. Keep an eye on that house in the middle of the plain for anything or anyone unusual.
> That town must be the one Nue was talking about. Head toward it.
> Land and begin bouncing our way toward that large building with the odd curves.
> How far away are we from the village right now?
> Cut that distance in half, then land and bounce on into the village, headed for that tall building with odd curves.
>Let's go say hi to our fellow green-hair.
> "Oh. Well, um, I was actually wondering if you knew anything about a white-haired farmer man. He was just causing some chaos underground, and I want to know what's up with him."
> "Ah, I see. Hmm...do you happen to know where the temple here is, then?"
>"...Made from a ship?"
> "...I suppose it is pretty economical."
> "From what I hear, he ran up and down and all around the oni town. No one seems to have any idea why, and he didn't appear to leave with anything. Of course, a human running all around a town full of oni had the exact reaction you'd expect, but he somehow managed to evade everyone."
> "This was the only place pointed to me. Is there another collection of humans somewhere topside? Maybe he came from somewhere else."
> Frown.
> "That's pretty weird, then. Even weirder than the situation already is."
> Do we know what that is?
> Give an uncertain expression.
> "If you think I should, I will. Um...where is it?"
> Nod.
> "All right. Thanks."
> Look down inside the bucket, then back up at the woman.
> "Given where I live, I'm not sure where they'd be able to grow."
> Nod.
> "You too."
> Bounce our way down the road toward the temple, keeping an eye out for a building that looks like it used to be a ship. Maybe that building with the weird curves is it.
> What color is her hair?
> Keep on bouncing toward the building. She probably works there and is likely to hear our thud-thud-thudding as we approach.
>"OH no! Don't clean me!"
> Do we recognize this person?
> Is this a youkai or a human?
> "Yeesh! I wish Nue had warned me about violent mop-wielders before she told me to come here for help."
> "The underground doesn't operate on topside time, y'know."
> What the...have we seen a cloud person before?
> Might as well take a chance...
> "I live there!"
> Point to the cloud person.
> "I'm sure he's seen me! I've seen him on the way to your clinic!"
> Phew.
> Bounce on over, closer to Unzan than crazy doggie girl.
> "Huh. That'd explain why I've never seen her go to your clinic, I guess."
> Raise an eyebrow toward Kyouko for just a moment, then resume a neutral expression and wave a hand dismissively.
> "Eh. Don't worry about it. You're not even in the top 3 of the worst people that have assaulted me in the last few hours."
> "Ah, yes. There was a human, farmer-looking guy, running around underground. Caused exactly the kind of chaos you'd expect from a human running around a city full of oni. Managed to escape all of 'em, though, and didn't look like he left with anything. Nue said I should let this place know."
> "Farmer or otherwise, I don't know any human with even a quarter of a brain that would run around the oni city with no obvious goal. Has us completely baffled. Uh, he had silvery hair, if that helps. Darkish skin, kinda young, kinda built. And he clearly knew how to handle himself."
> "Well, if there's a faster way, I'll take it."
> "Where's the pub?"
> "I'll give them a try, I guess. If that doesn't pan out, though, where's this harvest goddess?"
> Raise both eyebrows!
> "Always. What's up?"
> ...When was the last time we had 50☼ on us? Ever?
> Nod.
> "I can do that, sure. How do I get there?"
> Frown.
> "Who's a qualified guide?"
> "All right, then. Where can I find Mokou?"
> Nod.
> "And if I don't find her for whatever reason, I just bother any rabbits I see."
> "Yeah, I can do that. How urgent is this, though? Since it sounds like finding guides immediately isn't a guarantee, and I'd still like to stump around looking for farmer guy."
> "Okay, so not, like, gotta get done in the next twenty minutes."
> Shrug.
> "Sure can't guarantee delivery that good. But yeah, I can take care of it for you."
> Take it.
> "Seems par for the course."
> Look thoughtful for a moment.
> "...Actually, I might. You wanted me to bring the reply back, right?"
> "Okay. In that case..."
> Reach down into the bucket and unwrap and grab the kitchen knife, then stop with a look of dawning realization.
> "Oh."
> Look back up at Kyouko.
> "This isn't a threat, okay? I just don't want to travel around all over the place with this bouncing around loose."
> "Yeah, please. Feel free to use if it you need to for whatever reason, I cleaned it before I came here. As long as it's clean when I get it back."
> "Great."
> Hand the knife over.
> "If some grand disaster befalls us or whatever and I end up back home without coming back here to pick it up after a few days, give it to Nue and tell her I'm taking her up on her offer."
> "Just in case, y'know? I expect I'll be back."
> "I think that's it."
> "Can do. Later."
> Hop on back the way we came toward the place we saw earlier with the sake cup sign outside.
> Enter.
> Human or youkai?
> She look familiar?
> Wait, how did we walk in?
> "Hello?"
> "Oh. Well, I'm not actually here for standard business. I need some info, and I'm hoping you'd have it."
> "You know anything about silver-haired, darkish-skilled farmer humans?"
> "One was running around the Ancient City several hours ago. He caused as much chaos as you'd expect any human running around an oni village would cause. Didn't seem to take anything, but he was good enough to not get caught. We wanna know what's up with him."
> "Yeah, I know it's super weird. It'd be a really weird dream, though, because we all saw him, and a whole bunch of oni tried their damnedest to get him."
> "Damn. Well, if it wouldn't be much of a bother, could you see if any customers know anything about the guy as the day progresses?"
> Inventory
> "Uh..."
> Look down into the bucket for a second or two, then back up.
> "...I guess I don't really have a lot."
> Frown.
> "Know anyone that likes books?"
> Pull out the book.
> "Looks like a novel to me. One about an oni and a human captive."
>Was it?
>"Didn't really get too far into it, though Yamame didn't think it was that bad."
> "Sure."
> Bounce on over ot the woman and hand over the book.
> "If you somehow get time to read it, lemme know how it is."
> "Mostly normal stuff. There's a group of fairies starting some weird canine-eared-hood club or something, but they're fairies, who knows why the hell they do anything. Weird is the norm for them. I guess the weirdest thing is that it looks like some tengu is becoming a semi-regular visitor. Don't know too many tengu that wander that way, but this one seems to be a friend of Nue Houjuu's, if you know her."
> Given we're not particularly polite, but we have a few more curiosities and are already distracting this woman from her tasks by talking to her, what do we think of the prospect of offering to help the cleaning process, consider it may make her more likely to keep an ear out for info on this guy?
> Are we even in condition to offer to help clean?
> "Yeah, it sounded like her general opinion of tengu wasn't very high."
> Shrug.
> "Guess this one's different somehow."
> How do we normally clean ourselves?
> "Eh, whatever. None of my business. Say, I still have some curiosities, but I know I'm interrupting what you're doing. Is there any way I can help out?"
> Hold out our hands for the broom.
> "Sure, I'll do what I can."
> Can we float while sweeping, so we don't bounce all around and track dirt where we've gone?
> "No problem."
> Hover a bit, then get to sweeping up the general area after the woman has moved out of dirt-spray range.
> "So what's up with the canine girl at the temple? Never seen her underground before."
> "'New' is an understatement. She seemed almost bloodthirsty before the hooded woman calmed her down."
> "I can believe that. Guess I must have excited her the wrong way or something."
> "Yeah. Nue sent me there first. They didn't know much, but they knew enough to send me here, at least."
> "That I might be able to get info here, since it seems like a sort of hub of village activity."
> Look back down at our sweeping.
> "Not surprising, really, given the nature of this place."
> Shrug.
> "Even if you don't know right now, you're still my best bet, outside of talking to some harvest goddess they mentioned. I'll certainly take it."
> "Here's hoping."
> "On an unrelated note, do you know a Mokou? The people at the temple mentioned her as well."
> "I need to get to Eientei, or whatever, and I've been told it's hard to get to and she's my only realistic option."
> How's that sweeping coming?
> Do we know where the Forest of Magic is?
> "That's the forest right outside the underground entrance, right?"
> "Oh, good, that makes my trip a little bit easier."
> "Simple mail delivery. Figured I might as well, as long as I'm up here."
> "Interesting enough for me, I get a decent wage out of it."
> Nod.
> "If you know where she is. I'll take whatever info outlets I can get."
> "Neat. Thanks."
> Continue sweeping up.
>Holy shit, a FREE MEAL? Damn, maybe the surface isn't so bad!
>"Definit'ly gonna collect on that then. Thanks for yer help too"
> Point to the door to the rear.
> "Someone back there?"
> "Oh. Makes sense, I guess."
> "Is there anything else to do? I think I'm gonna take off if not, so I can get my stuff done."
> "No problem. Catch you later."
> Exit the tavern.
> Did we see any mountains around the countryside on our way here?
> If so, which direction were they from here, and would we need to wander by the green-haired youkai to leave the village that way?
> Where was the Hakurei Shrine again?
> What about the forest?
> Let's bounce on south out of town, then.
> Huzzah, this saves us the embarrassment of going back to the blue-haired woman and asking about the mountain!
> Bounce on down the road toward this person.
> "Good morning. Could you tell me which direction Youkai Mountain is in?"
> Nod.
> "Don't worry, I'm not yet planning to go that far."
> Wave a hand dismissively.
> "No worries about that, either."
> "Go ahead, then."
> Head westward along the road.
> ...This was the house she said to avoid, wasn't it?
> The feline girl was coming from this direction, wasn't she?
> How far away is the house?
> Take a dozen-or-so-yard radius circular path around the house, circling enough that we end up back on the road once more, then continue heading westward.
> How far off are these people?
> Is this hill on a road?
> Eh, let's head over to these people regardless. Maybe they can help narrow down our search.
> Oh crap, we know that rod, don't we?
> That narrows down the person on the hill, then.
> Has the person on the hill seen us yet?
> Let's hope it stays that way.
> Turn around and back to the road we were on.
> Continue down the road in whatever direction we were headed previously (west?).
> Are her eyes open, then?
> "Um, excuse me?"
> Blink.
> "...Sure, I guess."
> Shrug.
> "I get by."
> Pop off a grape and try it.
> Swag.
> "So with all these grapes, can I assume you're the harvest goddess, or at least know of her?"
> "Great. I've been sent to you, since no one else seems to know anything about this. Earlier this morning, a human farmer-looking guy was running around the Ancient City. Caused exactly the kind of chaos you'd expect a human in a city of oni would cause. I don't know if he's got a death wish or what, but he managed to get out okay somehow."
> Nod.
> "Yeah, I don't know what's up either. I didn't think any human would be stupid enough to try that, but there he was. If it helps, he looked pretty fit, had silvery hair, darkish skin, and looked kinda young."
> Frown.
> "Really? That's strange. Maybe he grabbed a farmer's clothes or something, then? Would you know about that sort of thing?"
> What else was special about this guy, aside from what we've mentioned so far?
> Shrug.
> "Not really. Only what he's done. He didn't get caught by any of the oni who tried to take him for themselves, but he didn't appear to leave the city with anything he didn't enter it with. He's also got good enough reflexes to counter ambushes that most people normally fall for."
> "I wouldn't say 'maligning' so much. Honestly, what he pulled off was pretty impressive. We just want to know why he did it."
> "Well, for what it's worth, I don't think any of the oni are going to come topside to chase this guy or anyone else over this."
> "Nah, they probably found this more entertaining than anything else in the end. I don't think it's worth worrying about."
> "Anyway, would you know if one of your worshipers would have had clothes stolen like this? Is that the sort of thing you get to know?"
> "Can you contact them to find out? Or is that sort of communication only one way?"
> Frown.
> "Well, all right. I gotta admit, though, I'm not looking forward to finding this guy the hard way."
> Huh. How often do we see comestible plantlife underground?
> "Hmm...what degree of control do you have over the plantlife underground?"
> "What about the wildlife, the stuff that grows on its own without being directly cultivated by farmers?"
> What's our favorite nonbat food?
> We don't like taking charity, right? Does asking a harvest goddess for food count as requesting charity?
>Is there any place near any of our favored spots where we could potentially keep a garden? It'd be nice to have a reliable source of food.
>What all do we think could grow in a sunless environment? If we don't know, ask Minoriko.
>How easy would it be to conceal a small garden in those locations?
> Do sweet potatoes grow underground?
> Do we know how they grow?
> "Hmm...how difficult would it be for you to grow sweet potatoes and/or carrots in the underground environment?"
> "It might be. Would they be able to last season to season with decent care on my end?"
> Are the underground tunnel floors typically dirt or stone?
> "And I assume they'd need soil, rather than simply growing through stone?"
> How often do we around right at the entrance to topside?
> How far are we from said entrance regularly?
>It was previously established that we knew of a few locations that would work for a small garden. That would include soil to plant them in, would it not?
>We'd just have to conceal it, and to be careful with the other plants. We can do that.
>"I've got a few spots in mind where there should be decent soil. Good enough that other things grow there, at least, although not things that are good to eat."
> Nod.
> "I'm thinkin' so, yeah. Before you begin, though, is there anything I should know about proper care?"
> "Messenger of spring?"
> Frown.
> "That wouldn't happen to be that annoying white fairy, would it?"
> "I'm not sure that's the word I'd use."
> "Yeah, I understand. Guess that explains why she's so big for a fairy, too. But anyway, yeah, I'd be all ears for a gardening lesson."
> Point to the east.
> "Perfect timing."
> Did anything in that explanation tell us where the garden would be?
> "Before you go, can I ask where this thing is gonna grow?"
> Did we ever get what foundational piece of matter (such as a seed) is needed to grow these things anywhere in that conversation?
> Do we have any?
> Do we know where any are?
> "All right, then. Thanks."
> Nod.
> Bounce back down the mountain, to about where we saw the bridge princess and the hell raven earlier.
> Is there a road leading to the west?
> And we were told this Mokou was likely to the west, right?
> Head west along the road, then. Hopefully the road will follow southwest rather than northwest.
> Are they coming from the village or the forest?
> And the forest is to the south?
> Sounds like a reason to head in that direction, then! Let's go south!
> Follow the road. Looking like we're trying to avoid the person will probably only get them more curious about us, and not in a good way.
> Are victims normally vengeful?
> Well, nothing we can do about it now, if she's seen us. Besides, didn't we have a conversation with her afterward?
> Has she made any threatening motion toward us yet?
> Let's keep heading along the road, then. We have knives, we can defend ourselves if she gets aggressive.
>Declare Continuity Error
>http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5572.150.html
(Checking to make sure a future encounter didn't end with Kisume mugging Ran)
>What happened to that tin cup D:
>I did not recall a mugging in Okuu Quest given the nature of it, but I shall check (You're probably right sorry about trying to argue canon ;_;)
> Hey, if she has no problem with us, we have no problem with her.
> Keep on heading forward, only making a note if she makes an active attempt to communicate in some fashion.
> Keep heading south, then.
> Stump on over to this new person.
> Was she a past victim, maybe?
> Return the gesture and get within reasonable conversation distance, but let her finish her conversation with the fairies first. No need to annoy the little buggers by interrupting them.
> "Hey."
> Gesture around at the fairies while looking at the human woman.
> "Gotta question for you, but they were here first, so don't stop on my account."
>Do we care about the dog-eared fairies enough to try asking these fairies, or would it all be more trouble than it's worth?
>If we wanna, ask about the dog-eared fairies!
> Shrug.
> "Well, all right. I've heard a woman named Mokou might be around the western part of this forest. You happen to see her lately?"
> "Pushing a big rock? That must be the project she's working on."
> "Don't suppose you've seen a large collection of rocks recently, then?"
> "So no collections this Mokou would have made? Shoot. Don't suppose you know how to get to Eientei?"
> "Us? You and the fairies?"
> That incredibly focused woman with the handbag, was she coming from this direction?
> "Oh. Was that the woman that I just passed? Handbag, really determined?"
>"Yep."
> "Maybe not determined, but focused, at least. Figured she had somewhere important to go."
> Shrug.
> "Whatever she's doing, she's focused on it enough that she didn't even bother making eye contact. Not that that's a problem if you got business, of course."
> "Maybe. Her business, so whatever."
> "Anyway, I need to continue the hunt for Mokou. Thanks for the info."
> "Where can I find Mystia?"
> Nod.
> "And what does she look like?"
> "Sounds good to me. Thanks again."
> Glance over at the fairies.
> "And good luck with...that."
> "Maybe. Catch you later."
> Head back to the road and follow it into the forest, looking for paths to the east.
> Head east down this trail!
> Bounce on up to the stand.
> "Hi. I'm actually looking for someone. Do you know a woman named Mokou?"
> Shrug.
> "I don't know. I've never met her."
> "That's because I've never been here before. I live underground, near the Ancient City."
> What do we know of any casinos underground?
> Do we know a Kogasa?
> "I've heard about that place. Never gone them myself. The fewer trips I make into the city, the better."
> "Huh. You remember what they look like?"
> "Oh, those two, huh? Seems like they're all over the place lately."
> "Well, they were in the vicinity of the mountain, last I saw them. Maybe they were headed that way."
> How much money do we have, again?
> "Uh...how much do things cost here? I may not have enough money."
>"Oh, you're not Mystia?"
> Small frown.
> "Well, I wouldn't want to risk getting you in trouble, especially when I've already asked you for help with Mokou."
> "That's the thing. I can't exactly guarantee I'll ever be here again."
> How often do we buy food?
> And how recently did we have food? Aside from the grapes, anyway.
> Frown again.
> "...What kind of discount are we talking here?"
> "I'm sure it is for most people. I don't exactly have a consistent income, though."
> ...Well, we theoretically have 50☼ coming in, right? And possibly 15☼ more if we don't find a sheathe for that knife.
> "...All right, I suppose I can, just this once."
> Pull out the 4☼.
> "I need to get to Eientei. I'm told she can get me there."
> "The bamboo shoots? Huh. Maybe I'll grab a few, if I can."
> "You mean that fairy serves a purpose other than being super annoying?"
> What a yapper...
> "Would've been nice if she did that instead of shooting all over the place."
> Do we know of a Scarlet Devil?
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "I have no idea who you're talking about. You mean the red-white?"
> "Oh. Then I've never heard of her."
> "Ah, Yamame mentioned something about that. It sounds like the store's still opening, and she still recommends going there. She's a trustworthy source, so yeah."
> "Really? I've heard nothing but good things about it so far. Even talked to a harvest goddess a little while ago."
> Keep an ear out for a curtain shift.
> "You ever consider coming underground?"
> "The times underground, they are a-changin'. There was a tengu down there today. I get not wanting to go near the City, but there's more underground than that."
> Look back at the other youkai and shrug.
> "Beats me. She was there to meet Nue. 'Sall I know."
> "Yeah. First time topside in ages."
> Take the meat.
> "Nah. Searching after some human that fancies himself an oni-dodger."
> Give the meat a taste.
> "Some farmer-looking guy came down to the city. Ran all over the place. Managed to avoid capture, despite a lot of oni trying. No idea what his deal is. I learned from the harvest goddess that none of her farmers have gone off running around in oni territory lately, which makes me want to know what's up all the more.
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "He did. You know something?"
> "In which direction was he going?"
>"Anything notable north of here?"
> Do we remember where the entrance to the underground is from here?
> Frown.
> "Anything notable in the flower fields?"
> "Oh, I think Nue mentioned something about her. Green hair, parasol?"
> Frown slightly.
> "...Would she happen to have red eyes, too?"
> "I think I might have run into her already, then. There's a red-eyed, green-haired youkai selling plants in the human village right now."
> "You two really think she'd cause a scene in the human village?"
> Frown.
> "Maybe it's not the same person, then. She was perfectly polite to me. Even told me where the Hakurei Shrine was, in case I wanted to tell the red-white about this guy."
> "Tell the red-white? Probably."
> Shrug.
> "Whatever topside thinks is best. Frankly, all I want to do is find this guy, learn what's up, and get back underground as quick as I can."
> Shake head.
> "Open air ain't for me. Much prefer the confines of the tunnels."
> How often do we speak of our past, heritage, etc, and why do we speak of it that much?
> Shrug.
> "They're fine, I guess. They just don't have the confined coziness you get from the tunnels."
> Give a small grin.
> "Well, I guess there's plenty of room to fly around in the Ancient City. If you like dealing with evil spirits and getting potentially negative attention from the oni, of course."
> Go back to frowning.
> "But really, Higan? I talked to that green-haired youkai and some people from the temple in the human village, and a blue-haired woman at the human village tavern, but none of them had seen this guy. Higan's really the only other notable thing to the north?"
> "A base? Where is it?"
> "Hmm, maybe I will. And what's this about a Hakugyokurou?"
> "And it's to the northeast? Any obvious path?"
> "Maybe I will, maybe I will. I'll need to ask that friend of Maribel's about that base, too."
> "It's quite good."
> We've forgotten about it while talking, huh? Have some more.
> Have some of the water.
> Did we ask Wriggle about Mokou already?
> "Oh. Wriggle, was it? Do you know where Mokou is?"
> "Was that earlier today?"
> "Oh, excellent. I'll look for her first, then. Whereabouts was this, to the west?"
> "Great. Thanks."
>Finish off the rest of the meat if we haven't already, then take another drink of the water.
> Are there any paths out of here that lead west? The deer-path-ish path we took to get here, maybe?
> Do we know what Kourindou is? Was it the name of the place that Yamame advertises in her webs?
> Set down our glass and/or skewer, assuming we were still holding onto either of them.
> "All right, I'm gonna head out, see if I can't find this stream or this Kourindou."
> Nod.
> "Thanks."
> Head back out to the main road, then head south along it.
> Enter the building. Let's hope that fairy continues to ignore us.
> Nod.
> "Okay."
> Do we have any writing utensils?
> How are with origami?
> Is this mouse woman with the Buddhists?
> Inspect Golden Rod, Katana Sheath, Bottle of Red Sauce, Tiny Pillow, and Stuffed Mice.
> Would the Katana Sheath work as a kitchen knife holder?
> "What's the Golden Rod do?"
> "What about the Black Box?"
> "What's with the paper giveaway? Has this place always done that? I remember Yamame mentioning something about a grand re-opening."
>Let's take some and wrap the knife in it. That'll do nicely until we can find a proper sheath.
>"How'd you get so much paper, anyways?"
>"Ah."
>...
>"Wait, what?"
>"...What kind of spell makes a bunch of exploding books?"
> Where is the Dull Kitchen Knife?
> Oh, right.
> How long would a fire last that was based on just paper?
> How suitable is the paper for origami?
> "Huh. All right, then. I could stand to get back into practice with my origami."
> Grab ten sheets of paper and stow them away.
> Inventory
> Oh yeah, the Chopsticks...
> How close was that river again?
> What about that nearby stream Wriggle mentioned? Have we seen it yet?
> "Hey, so, uh, this might seem a weird question, but is there a stream around here?"
> "Okay, thanks. Should be back momentarily, just need to clean something off."
> Leave the shop and head west, looking for a stream.
> Head close enough to the stream to clean off the chopsticks, then actually do so, using our blanket again as needed.
> How's the blanket holding up, in terms of soakness? Would it take a while to dry it out again, or only just a minute or so?
> Head back inside the shop, then.
> Nod.
> "So I'm guessing this is a barter shop, given I don't see much in the way of price tags."
> "That's good to know, but money's not exactly a thing right now for me."
> "Oh. I think I mentioned her earlier, but Yamame told me about this place. I guess she has a deal going with you guys?"
> What do we normally do for food utensils?
> How does our "new" Old Wok compare to our existing pot?
>Inventory
>Items in the shop
> Wait, so we've had the chopsticks since before our foray into that cubbyhole of a room back underground?
> Is there anytging visibly broken in the Sword Hilt?
> Was anything in the empty glass bottle when we found it? If so, what was it?
> Is the booze bottle resealable?
> Inquire about the Black-Feathered Arrow, the Bundle of Incense, the Bag of Yellow Leaves, and the Glass Shield.
> Writing? Inspect the shield for said writing.
>Ask about the golden rod
> "Wow. Know anyone that could read these?"
> "Hey, didn't you say that Maribel woman said the Black Box was outside junk? Maybe this is from the outside too. She might know how to read it."
> Shrug.
> "Hardly sure. But if she knows outside stuff, then that's something."
>"Could still be. But it never hurts to be sure, yeah?"
> How big is the shield?
> Would that even fit in the bucket if we wanted it?
> How's our upper body strength?
> Does the shield have a handle?
> Is the shield at least smaller than us?
> How much do we know of the outside world? Did the 'rents ever talk about it at all?
> While we're ruminating on the 'rents, was it an actual issue with them that convinced us to leave, or was it just the general unbearable stuffiness of bureaucracy? Like, if we ran into either of them on some random street nowhere near Higan, would family drama ensue, or would we converse like civilized people?
>Assess the feasibility of attaching the shield to the bucket. What would we need to do such a thing, and how badly would it impair flight once we got used to its presence? A shield could be very useful. We could keep the side it's attached to to the rear most of the time, but orient it forwards in battle to block danmaku.
>Get our spellcard recharging (aren't they supposed to do that automatically?).
>Are captured spellcards useful for anything? What function do they have?
>Take out the bottle of Souchou and the sword hilt.
>"I'm interested in the shield. I think this bottle of Souchou is probably worth something, and as for this other thing, I have no idea. Looks like a sword hilt or something, but I haven't seen one quite like this, so who knows what it could really be? I don't suppose you have any idea, do you?"
> Put down the other stuff and pull up the Old Wok.
> "I'd be willing to give this up, too. On its own or in conjunction with something else."
> Put the wok away and pull out the Empty Glass Bottle.
> "Got this as well."
> Was the not-breaking thing mentioned earlier.
> Frown.
> "I'm not looking at only the shield."
> "All right."
> Point at the arrow.
> "What about the arrow?"
> "More than the shield?"
> "How much money would you run it for? Out of curiosity."
> Blanche.
> "Wow. That's way out of my league, especially for something where I don't even know why it's special."
>"Well, the problem is that I don't really know what I have that's worth anything. Maybe you can help with that."
>List everything we have except the following: Clothes, bucket, blanket, chopsticks, knife, rebar, our spellcard, Eientei letter, sack, booze, oni's card