>"Was I too hard on Sanae? Not hard enough? I don't even know. That whole refusing to talk thing made me want to strangle her, though."
>"Oh she probably did, living it up in some little world where the Moriyas took over and everything I did, my entire family did, never happened."
>"Even then, it's still wrong and I'm still mad that's what she went with. But I'll yell at her about that later, once this is all fixed."
>"Speaking of, how's the dolfish doing? She's not out in the snow, is she?"
>"Does she have any ideas?"
>"I guess Squeaky wouldn't cut it. How about Mako?"
>Who do we know that remembers the previous Hakureis?
> And the Yakumos are nowhere to be found. Great.
> "No, sorry, wasn't expecting it unless you had Ran sleeping under the bed or something."
> Things are getting even more convoluted now: the fringed orchid thing hasn't turned up anything, Sanae's been close to useless, we're now stuck with hallucinations, Taoists know jack... honestly, hopping into that hole in the sky and winging it is looking more and more appealing, especially with Hell freezing over.
> "What do you know of Kikuri? She and Konngara seem to think she's a god."
> What do we know of Kasen?
>Actually, do we know where the Yakumos live?
>Does anyone else live there, and if so, would it likely be flooded out if it were in the mountains?
> How quickly can we get to Mayohiga?
>What places in Gensokyo do we know about that we haven't visited since the flood happened?
> How close is Yuuka's place, and is it on the way to Mayohiga?
> How difficult is it to reach Hakugyokurou and Bhava-Agra?
> How close is the Scarlet's mansion to all those places? We could possibly bring Koishi with us.
>Let's float that idea past Satori. In the mental sense. Speaking is annoying now.
>"When would you want her back?"
>Nod.
>"I should probably get going, then."
>"I'll try to be back by tonight."
>Head toward the back.
>Get down, make a snowball, then stealthily approach.
> Knock that hat off Koishi's head witht he snowball.
> Get up and wave at her. "Hey, come on. We gotta visit a vampire."
> Then graze the returning fire of snowballs.
>"Sure is!"
>Do we have any warm water-resistant clothing for human?
>"So you don't wanna go visit that person I was talking about?"
>"Tell you what. If you can get a large enough box that it won't melt on the way, you could bring some snow with you."
>"How's the reactor, Okuu?"
>"Good enough, then. Any idea when you'll have it back up to full?"
>"Hmm, that's a good question. I haven't seen her recently. I'll ask around about her, all right?"
> Yet another reason we need Kanako back. "Hey, Koishi, you got your box of snow ready?"
>"Ready to go?"
>Onward!
>"Now, there are several people who live at their house, and possibly several guests. I think we'll go through the gate, through the library, and into the basement so to be polite I'll introduce you to the gate guard, the librarian and her assistant, and Flandre. Does that sound all right?"
>Take to the air.
>Also stop at the shrine first. W e need to get a thing.
>"Just need to get a thing."
>Head inside, and make for the omamori. Also call out, "Hey Akyuu, you still here?"
> "Can't be Koishi, just left her in the yard. Who is it?"
>"Right, I'll deal with her in a minute."
>Head to go get an omamori. Motion for Akyuu to follow.
>"Question. Know anything about that shrine underground? The one that Konngara lives in?"
> Imagine Akyuu as a sheep.
> "Don't get wooly about it. Here." Hand her an omamori for education.
> Let's grab omamori for good luck and avoidance for evil and wonder why the prosperity ones never worked for us.
>We can save some time and introduce Koa to Koishi now, right? Let's do so.
>Go fetch Koishi, then walk around to the front to meet our caller.
>"You need something?"
>"Koa, this is Koishi from Palace of the Earth Spirits, Satori's sister. Koishi, this is Koakuma, the library assistant at the Scarlet Devil Mansion."
> The flower book?
> Ignore Koishi's plight as we pull out the book. "Yeah, I got it here. We're on our way over, in fact."
> "Yeah, speaking of which, is Yuuka still around?"
>"OK, I think we can go. See you later Akyuu!"
> Let's take off. "So, anything new happen since the last time I dropped by? You can stop pinching Koishi's cheek, by the way."
> "Don't tell her I told you, but Remilia was getting cranky about no one visiting. I figured I'd knock them out with one stone."
>"Of course. She's a magnanimous host and likes to show it. I just think it would be really nice if Koishi and Flandre get along; Flandre could use a friend her age."
>Let's drop the "her own age". Koishi isn't that childish. Also let's not presume youkai ages.
>"So, things been peaceful since I left?"
> "You haven't lit the forest on fire again?"
> "I'm sure she'd only kill you a little. Blood stains and all that."
> And we're flying and we're flying...
>Introduce Koishi and Meiling.
>Let's actually introduce them.
>"Hey Meiling, bringing in a guest for Flan. This is Koishi. Koishi, this is Meiling, the Gate Guard."
>Thanks Koishi.
>"Mind if we head in?"
>"Any idea where Flan's at?"
>Once we get this data, head inside. Or around back if that's where Flandre is.
>"Neat place, yeah? This way."
>Head for the basement entrance.
>Follow dat pseudo minder reader!
>"Hello Patchouli. Koishi, this is Patchouli, the librarian here. "
>I guess she knows who Koishi is and why we're here.
>"If you want."
>Follow that witch!
>Let her open the door.
>Does Koishi seem phased?
>Boot Koishi in. Slam door. High five Patchy.
>Escort Koishi in.
>"Flandre, this is Koishi. Koishi, same thing except the other way around. You two play nice."
>Quietly observe for a few moments.
>Eh. We did our job.
>Head back up to the library after closing the door. Seek out Patchy.
>"They didn't kill each other, yet."
>"So. You're real good at detecting magic and stuff, right?"
>"Tell me if you see anything strange about me."
> "How so?"
> "What are you doing?"
> Grumble but allow her to do her own thing. SHe's either doing us a favor or she's going to have a bad day.
> "What's it going to do?"
> "Fine fine..."
> Get in the circle. Any funny business and we'll...
> Poke our chest. "I hope you didn't do something to my heart or anything."
> "Uhhh..."
> That's the weirdest thing we've heard. Dyeing souls? That's as strange as us dyeing our hair purple.
> "So, what'd you find out?"
>"How bad is this?"
>"How does it get worse?"
>"So what happens when it does get bad?"
> "Just physical? What about mental health?"
>"And I assume you have no idea how to fix it at all, huh?"
> "Great."
> Pull out the feathers and show it to her. "How do you think these are involved?"
> "Ah."
> Now that we're thinking of it... those feathers look awfully similar to the feathers we "grew" in the dream...
> "Could going to other worlds have caused this, uh, fragmenting or whatever it is that's happening to me?"
> So many problems with portals. (http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130403085053/theinventory/images/b/b0/Glados.jpg)
> "So basically it involves how I got there or came back?"
> Are there any other times we've gone to other worlds? Does Hakugyokurou count as "another world"?
> So it's possible this problem's been building up?
> "Have you ever seen me like this, or do you think this is new?"
>"Do you think lucid dreaming could cause something like this?"
> We should probably have Sanae checked up on, what with her being stuck in her dream world. And Marisa, in case it was our past adventures that caused it.
> "Have you seen anyone else that looked similar?"
> "Those feathers are from that dream place. I shouldn't be able to carry it over, right?"
>Blame Yukari.
> "Remember when I was trying to figure out how to lucid dream? Ended up in a weird place."
> Describe the dream world, and how we had to drag Sanae out.
> "You have to remember topress 9pinch your cheek to wake up. Assuming you remember you're in a dream. I had a rough time and Sanae was being very vague about it."
> "I guess, but that didn't stop me from coughing them up. Who'd be a good person to ask about this kind of thing. Yuuka's still around, right? I think I remember her having something to do with dreams back when I was a kid."
> "Is there a problem with Yuuka? Other than forests being lit on fire?"
> "Ah. Well, everything's flooded right now, so when I get it fixed she'll be out of your hair. Thanks for your help, and good luck with finding that dream world."
> Let's go find us a Yuuka.
>"Can one of you tell me which room the flower youkai is in?"
>"Thanks."
>Knock on door.
>go go gadget: rocket punch!
>Walk to correct door, then knock.
>"It's me, can i talk with you?"
>Waltz on in as if we own the place.
>Sit in chair.
>"Well, I guess your hint was effective, if you were telling me about someone in a lucid dream."
>Be sure to take the Real Talk pose in said chair.
> "Yeah, well it didn't really lead to any answers about what's going on. I helped Sanae, sure, but she's in no shape to help out, and now I've got even more problems going on. What do you know about issues people have with travelling between worlds or dimensions?"
> Show her the feathers, but don't let her have them. "These followed me back."
> "I suppose. It's not like I intentionally brought them with me."
> "I wouldn't say my lungs count as luggage, Yuuka."
> "Nice to know I'm blazing new trails. So how do I fix it?"
>"They sure got in there, though. That needs to be fixed!"
>Nod.
>Did they? Until we tried to exorcise them?
>"Not until I coughed the stupid things up."
>"Only because I deal with things that would even make the buddha punch someone in the face. But anyhow, you're saying you don't know how it happened, huh?"
>"Okay, thanks. So, do you have any ideas on the cause of this flooding incident? Also, how much do you know about soul magic?"
>What time of day is it?
> "So what were you getting at with the fringed orchid? People both here and in the dream looked at me like I grew feathers on my arm when I asked."
>Don't say that.
> "Well. Thanks for the 'help'. Don't cause Patchy problems, she seems a bit steamed."
> Almost mention Koishi, but don't: if we ask her to leave Koishi alone then Yuuka'd likely go out and search for her.
> Wave, and leave her room. Let's ask a fairy where the Taoists holed up: they were next to useless for information, but maybe that ghost of theirs popped back up.
> All right. Let's take a right, then a left, and knock on the third door to the left. If they're not there then everyone's getting woken up.
> Stare back sternly, and give no quarter!
>"I wanted to make sure you guys got here alright. And that they found wherever you got off to."
>"You see anything interesting around there?"
>"Now that is interesting... How's the lake been doing in the wake of the floods?"
>"I'll go look into it, see what's up with that. You didn't happen to see anything interesting in it, did you?"
> "And you're sure you just didn't shock yourself by accident?"
> "Nothing. Just chatting."
> Back to Tojiko. "That aside, did you see or hear anything else odd?"
> The heck would cause that?
> At least we won't have a problem diving through it with Suwako's charm.
> "Did you try diving through it?"
> "Well, good thing I won't be able to shock myself, then. You tell that owl girl to be polite to Remilia, okay?"
> Walk off while she sputters at us. Who else should we talk to before investigating this...?
>How far off would that lake be from here. And how far off is Yakumoheim from here?
>Can we estimate how far the lake and the Yakumo homestead would be from each other?
> We need to figure out how to fly at Aya speed, or create portals. Jeez.
> Let's leave the mansion. Before we fly off, though, let Meiling know we're heading out, and see if she'll make sure Koishi gets home safe and sound.
> To the Yakumoarium!
>Head for the largest house.
> After we go over the forest, of course.
> Land in front of the house and stride on in like we own the place.
> "Yukari! Ran!"
>"CHEEEEEEEN!"
>Might as well take off shoes.
>Wander house.
>Do we remember where the kitchen is? We could use one of those bowls...
>Let's go that way, then.
>"Hello kitty. Where are thehumansYakumos?"
>Dishes a disgrace! They disappeared leaving their house like this?
>Given Satoriheim is filled with cats, do we recognize this feline body language at all?
>"What's the problem, little guy? You hungry?"
>Where is the cat walking to?
>If the cat is indicating the gap, examine gap. If not, open fridge.
>Cat food, apply directly to the bowls.
>Check some nearby counters and cabinets.
>Open it up. It if is full of food-like things, fill that bowl.
>We're used to this by now. Fill more bowls quickly.
>Put the cat food up.
>"Well, this is promising."
>Look around for anything of note or other places to go.
> Let's open the door in front of us.
>Have there been any lights on? Or burnt out candles or the like?
> Let's open both doors and see where they lead.
> Investigate that cube.
> See if there's any way to open the cube.
>Does it have any feature at all?
> Press a button, see what happens.
>Try pressing other buttons. Who knows, it might even give us a lead.
>Try the other buttons now, maybe they didn't work because the one button wasn't pressed?
> Hm... must be broken or something. Rinnosuke should know what it is.
> Glance at the smaller black thing on top. Are there buttons on it?
>Hmm...Let's pick the little rectangle up and push more random buttons. Maybe it tells the big one what to do?
> Bah. There's probably some arcane ritual involved. Either way, until we either find the notes for the ritual or evidence that the box ate Chen or something, no sense in messing with it even more.
> COntinue looking around in the room.
> If only Mayohiga wasn't so far out of the way, we'd have parties here. Oh well.
> Let's investigate that cat bedroom. Maybe one of the cats is Chen.
> Carefully lift the futon cover without disturbing the cats to see if any of them have two tails.
> Man what a bunch of lazy cats. Carefully drop the cover so they can continue sleeping.
> What all is in this room aside from cats?
> Weird that it's only occupying one half of the room. Is there a closet or anything in here?
> Open 'em!
> It's obvious whose clothes are whose. Let's get a look at the odd clothes, though.
> How tall is Ran compared to us?
> That's absolutely not fair, her being taller than us. In any case, seems like Ran likes weird clothes like Sanae. Hm...
> Close the closets so the cats don't get up to mischief. What areas have we not explored?
>Let's explore past that door by the table in the kitchen.
>And nab a bowl out of one of the cabinets on the way back for luck.
>Check under the table.
>If nothing presents itself, go through the door on the right.
>Let's check that another door across from us.
>"Hey, anyone here? Just groan or something if you're hurt!"
> Go to that door and look out: there must be a reason someone left it open.
>Take a closer look and confirm it is a bug.
> Hmph. Satori still wins the cute critter contest.
> Let's retrace our steps back to the hallway with the two doors we haven't opened yet. Assuming the bug isn't something interesting.
> Open second door on left.
> Woah. Let's check out that map.
>Then that open notebook.
> Take the envelope out and open it.
> Pick it up and look at it.
> Who is this?
> Huh... wonder why Yukari has a picture of her?
> Anything else in the envelope?
>Glance at the framed photographs.
> Whoever they are they look like a miko. We should really give Yukari a talking to about taking pictures of people without them being aware.
> Tuck the picture back int eh envelope and toss in on the desk.
> Hm... maybe we should write a note in the diary...
>Who besides us wears hair tubes?
> Anyone can wear hair tubes, it's not like it's a family bloodline. It's curious that she's taking pictures of shrine maidens, but who knows who it is or when the picture was taken. It could be a shrine maiden from outside the barrier, for all we know. The red eyes are a bit of a curiosity, though, since they're not normal for humans.
> Grab a writing utensil and write in the next available blank space in the diary today's date. Take a few moments to figure out what would be a good thing to write.
> All right. Let's write her a note expressing our annoyance at her going missing. Seriously, what's up with that?
> After we do that, then briefly write a summary of what's going on... which doesn't amount to much: Gensokyo's flooded and the sky's broken. We're gonna see about fixing the sky once we're sure there's nothing down here causing the problem.
> Also, we fed her cats. She's welcome.
>Where have we yet to explore? Best make sure there aren't any bodies.
>Within this house, rather.
> Let's check out the room at the end of the hall after putting away the writing utensils.
>Examine left turn in hallway.
> There's a staircase at the end, and another right turn after that.>Is that two pathways or just one?
> _
>Is that two pathways or just one?
>Up the stairs.
>"You guys better be dead asleep or something!"
> Let's open those doors one by one, glancing inside each of them before moving on to the rest.
> Round around that left corner.
> Open 'em doors. Why do they have so many rooms they don't use, anyways?
> What a strange house. Continue along the hallway.
> Open 'em doors.
> What haven't we checked in Yukari's house?
> Sure, let's go to the roof. We've looked everywhere else.
>Had we explored the stairs we saw at the end of that last hallway?
> So, according to that map we had saw in Yukari's room, where's the nearest significant location we haven't visited yet?
> Hm... stop by the Garden to see if there's anything weird? Yuuka's not there, though...
> How hard is it to get to Yuyuko's domain?
> Its night time? About how late, and how tired are we?
> Of the following locations, which is the closest: Tojiko's lake, Eientei, the Sanzu River, and the last known entrances to Bhava-Agra or Yuyuko's place?
>Let's go hit up that river.
>Do we still have any lights left?
>How reliable is that as travel light source?
>and safe?
>Did we see any portable light sources in Yakumohearth other than those candles?
> How's the moon looking?
>Hell, let's go back and snag some candles. Yukari's probably eaten enough of our food to make up for it, anyways.
>Would a candle provide enough light to see by while flying?
>Time consuming? How far did we go before we figured out it was dark?
>Regardless, be sure to take a candle holder, light a candle, and set out while hooding it with our hand.
>To the river!
>Isn't the Sanzu River dangerous to be swimming in? Why are we swimming?
> Well, grabbing one of them lantern fish doesn't sound like a great idea unless we have a bag or something to put them in. Let's go ahead and summon a small, weak danmaku bullet to illuminate the surrounding area: it'll drain us, but without Patchouli's familiars it's all we have.
> ... Did we remember to change into that swimsuit before diving in?
> Mrr. It'll be annoying to have to wait for our clothes to dry. Oh well.
> Float along above the Sanzu and keep an eye out for anything weird or that lazy reaper.
>Go towards the light!
> Runes? Wonder what they're for: it's not like a shinigami needs to breathe, right?
> Form a tiny tiny danmaku bullet and fire it away from the shinigami and the souls, but within her eyesight. That should get us her attention.
>Wave.
>"Wow. I figured you'd be on the surface."
>"Nice. Where'd you get those?"
>"Neat. So...um, any familiar faces come by since all this?"
>Gesture toward the ghosts.
>"I was kinda hoping you'd have some idea where the hell Yukari is hiding. Or maybe some word from up top about what happened?"
>"Now that...is new information. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that hole in the sky, would you?"
>"So they died in the future and came back to now for the river crossing, or they died now when they were supposed to have lived much longer?"
>"That is really weird. Do they have any good information about the future?"
> "Like lottery numbers?"
> What? We could use the cash.
>"How about the causes of death?"
> "Huh. So you don't get to chat with those spirits at all, then?"
> "With some of the people I've been talking to lately, it feels like that for me too. Any chance you can ask your boss if she knows what's going on?"
> "All right."
> Pause. "Hey, one last thing: did they pass through Hakugyokurou?"
> "Huh. Okay, thanks for the info."
> How does that system work? Do the spirits go to Hakugyokurou first, or do they just go willy nilly wherever they want?
> But if all of these ghosts are skipping, then...
> Okay, next stop, Hakugyokurou. Fly straight up through the cloudsand to the second star to the right and straight on 'till morningwill get us close, right?
> Cancel the danmaku giving us light, then torpedo out of the water and into the clouds!
> ... We're gonna be cold, aren't we?
> And this is why if we have a way to keep dry clothes, we use it.
> Grit our teeth and bear it: we're almost there. Hopefully.
> Any sign of the stairway toheavenHakugyokurou?
> Hm... how would be the best way to suss out the entrance?
> Bring out the orb, but keep a good grip on it in case it goes berserk.
>Proceed upward.
>Look around.
>Fly up them.
>Look around for familiar faces.
>Presuming none show up, do we know where to look for either Yuyuko or Youmu?
>"Hey ghosts, can you take me to the princess, or Youmu?"
> Floating away with purpose? If so, then follow.
> Well, there's the mansion, so let's break from the ghosts and head that way.
> What's with all these people not being where they should be. Sigh loudly, and go into the mansion.
> Take off our shoes and squeeze out as much of the water that we can first, though, before calling out for that ghost princess and the half baked half ghost.
> ... Huh. Bang on the door. "Hey, Youmu! Open up!"
> Grumble and put our shoes back on before circling around the mansion looking for an entrance.
> This IS Yuyuko's place, right?
> "Hey, perfect timing: where's that gardener of yours?"
> Shiver. "Hey I'm soaking wet, there's no reason to make me colder. Just lead on."
>Follow that ghost!
> Call out to her. "Yuyuko?"
>"So, did things go wacky here, too?"
> Fine, we'll play her way. Get up close with her and repeat our question.
>"Yeah, that happens. Anything weird been happening here?"
> "Yeah, I was hoping you'd know where she's at. Have you taken a look outside lately?"
> "Also gone. I've been trying to figure out where they've gone, but they're not even at their home."
>"Another thing that's weird I heard from Komachi: there's an influx of dead souls who died in the future. "
>"Yeah, they have no idea why. And, uh, where should I look for the cat and the fox, do you know? I haven't seen hide nor hair of them."
>Grin. "You mean besides aburaage?"
"Or are you saying I should try burning down Mayohiga and see if that gets their attention? I'd prefer not to do that."
> "Yeah, I agree. Where'd all the cats go, otherwise?"
> Let's change topics. Pull out the bronze shards. "Have you or Youmu seen any of these? They belong to some youkai wannabe goddess underground, but I've been finding them all over the place."
> Put it away before she can touch it and explode or something. "Don't know: I just know these started popping up around when the incident happened."
> "That's probably left over from when Remilia got drained by them: I've met the girl they belong to. She's only powerful in her dreams."
> "Where's Youmu, anyways?"
> "No, just making sure she's okay and hasn't gone crazy or anything. Good to know."
>"I'm glad that everything is fine here. Although you are a lot less cryptic than I was expecting."
> "No, please. Disappoint me all you like."
> Well, not much here. Bhava Agra's not too far awayish, so stop there, then back to the shrine to rest and make fried tofu.
> Eh, if we don't we'll just raid someone's kitchen. Probably Suwako's, since she's still above water.
> "Well, I'm going to see if that Celestial broke the sky or something. Take care, Yuyuko."
> Find our way out of Hakugyokurou.
> Well, while we're here... would Yuyuko be able to tell what's up with us and coughing up dream feathers any more than Patchouli's already told us?
>Mmmm. Might as well while we're here, she probably an expert with souls. Ghosts are like that, right?
>Trudge on back.
>"Well, I realized you might be able to tell me something about this problem I developed recently. Could you tale a look at my soul and see if it's damaged?"
> "... I'll pass on that, then. See ya."
> Okay now that's out of the way, down the gates and to Bhava-Agra.
> Let's get there and quickly: the faster we interrogate that Celestial, the quicker we can change into dryer clothes.
> Glad someone's enjoying the incident. Let's go look for a big fancy building that looks about right for Chiko.
> Time to go*put on shadesknockin' on heaven's door.
> Fly right up to the front door of that nice place. While it'd be nice to knock HER house down for a change, there's no reason to give the oarfish a reason to nag us. Plus, we're not sure if it's her home anyways. Instead, give the door a nice healthy thudding.
>Look at ringing thing.
>Use knocker again.
> Who did that sound like? If it sounded like Tenshi, knock again. If it's her babysitter or someone we don't know, then wait.
> Relax a bit, no need to stress out some tired celestial because Tenshi un(?)consciously makes us want to hit things. "Depends. Is Tenshi up to trouble again?"
> "Great. Lead the way to her room, please."
> "Thanks." Step inside and look for a place to remove our shoes.
> "Hey, sorry, but could you answer something for me?" Pull out a shard. "You wouldn't have seen anything like this, would you?"
> "Good. Well, not good, but good." Put it away.
> "Lead on, then."
>Do we know what celestials do to ascend? And why they live in fancy houses?
> Wait. About what time is it?
> Not absurdly late, then. We'll wait patiently.
>What do we know about this wind fish, anyways?
>And Tenshi, while we're at it.
>"I got some questions about the bad stuff that's been going on in Gensokyo."
>"First off, you do know what happened, right?"
>"Okay, good. Do you know about the hole in the sky, or the weird water globes floating around?"
>Nod. "Okay. Now, I don't expect you'd have any idea what might have caused it? Far as I can tell, a hole opened up to some place that was nothing but water."
>"Yeah, that's about how we all feel. Haven't seen hide nor hair of any of the Yakumos to ask, either."
> "And Tenshi hasn't done anything to cause any of this?"
> "And she obeyed? Wow, miracles do happen."
> Pull out the shard. "You wouldn't have seen anything like this, right? Or seen Tenshi mucking about with one?"
> "Then let's check her stuff before we accuse her, then: it drained a vampire when she touched it, so I don't want to see what kind of trouble she'd get up to with it."
> "If she doesn't want to be treated like a kid, then she shouldn't go around knocking down shrines. If she decides to be a decent person and be helpful then it'll go smoothly."
> Follow the fish.
>Listen and see if we can hear anything inside.
> Wait a little bit longer.
> "Which means we're allowed in. We knocked, after all."
> Throw open the door and stride on in like we own the place.
> Walk towards the bed slowly, looking around to see if there's anything suspicious.
> The shards glow when near each other, correct?
> So they're not a good indicator of presence, then.
> Walk up to the bed. "Hey, Chiko. Up 'n at 'em."
> "Hey. The sooner you talk to me, the quicker you can go to sleep."
>"Oh you don't want me to give you a beating. I've had a terrible couple of days."
> "Just a minute." Pull out the shard and wave it at her out of her reach. "You've seen one of these?"
> How truthful did she sound?
> "Are you sure? These things are cursed to harm non-humans, so I don't want people to get hurt by them. Remilia Scarlet herself had all of her strength drained away when she touched it..."
> Let's see how she reacts to our bluff.
> Hrm... well, seems like this one's a bust, too. Glance over at Iku, see if she's sensing if Tenshi's giving us bull.
>Where is the Sword of Hisou at, anyways? She isn't sleeping with it, is she?
>"I'll believe her if you do."
> Shrug. "Oh well. That's a bit of a relief." Turn back towards Tenshi. "All right, I'll leave you alone now."
> Head on out with Iku. "Sorry to wake you up this late for this."
> "I'll have this incident solved soon... though it looks like you guys aren't affected at all. Though... have you noticed anything strange happening around here? Spirits or something?"
>"What made you think they weren't clouds?"
>"That doesn't sound like how a cloud acts. Where did you see them? What were they doing, other than squirming?"
>"When was this? And where do you think they were headed for on the surface?"
> "Oh, then I think I saw them. Hm... did you see where they were coming from?"
> "Ah. Well, thanks."
> Hm... the ghosts are possibly coming out of that hole in the sky?
> The ghosts that Komachi's seeing don't stop by Hakugyokurou, or if they do then the ghost princess doesn't notice. There's a weird hole in the sky. There's probably a connection there somewhere. We're running out of options, so we may need to find Marisa and take the plunge into that hole soon.
> "Well, thanks for your help. Good night."
> Leave, and ponder our next course of action. How tired do we feel?
>Let's go to Satori's so we can wake up early again.
> No, let's not: as nice as it would be, it's out of the way for a quick nap. Besides, we could talk to Akyuu to see if she knows anything about... well, anything.
>Let's head back in and find Iku before she gets away.
>"Yeah, something very important. I kinda got lost in thought and almost forgot to ask."
>"First, um, I need to speak with whoever your big spiritual master is. I sort of have soul-related issues, and I need an expert."
>"Second best, then."
>"Ugh. I do not want to have to trust my soul to that kid."
>"I guess that's better. So...probably going to need to bribe her for this. Any ideas?"
>"If she behaves herself, it won't be a problem as far as I'm concerned."
>"Yeah, go yank the covers off if you got to."
>Let's wait, and maybe look around the area a little. Not wander off, mind, just look around.
>Take some time to spruce up in the mirror while waiting on Tenshi to show up.
>Finish fixing the ribbon, and go to meet them.
>"So, did Iku explain things to you properly?"
>"As long as you don't give me any reason to."
>Look to Iku. "Got someplace private we can go?"
>"Lead the way."
>Once we're underway, look to Tenshi, "And what did she tell you about what you're getting out of the deal?"
>"Yep!"
>Sorry Suika, you'll have to take one for the team.
>"Don't give her too hard of a time, now."
>Head outside.
>"So, how does this work?"
>"I was hoping there was a more subtle way to do this. Anyways, you can stop it, right? In case things go wrong?"
> "Well, good, otherwise you're going to have to deal with Typhoon Reimu."
>We're at least a category 4.
>and then what happens?
>get ready.
> "Typhoon Reimu! Told you! What did you screw up?!"
> Is now a good time to tell her to cut it out?
>"Okay, cut it off!"
>Start trying to warm up our arms and such.
>"Okay, so, that was something. I think I'm going to need you guys to interpret those results for me."
>"Go on, Iku."
>"No...no I didn't... It was pretty unpleasant"
>Wasn't Alice complaining about the hail? And someone about the rain? Mmm...
>"So...what does that mean? And how did it happen? Because I know I wasn't seeing blizzards back then."
> "The bookworm magician said something about me being messed up by going to other places. Soul fracturing or something. Does that make any sense?"
> "Well, congratulations, you've just seen it."
> Sigh. Even if it raised more questions that it answered, Tenshi still kept her end of the deal. Hopefully she doesn't become a nuisance.
> "So... I guess Tenshi kept her word. Just make sure you stick with Suika, okay? Things are pretty hectic as it is."
>"So, Iku...is this enough to get me an audience with the big guy? It's kind of a big situation."
>"Well, Kanako and Yukari are missing. I figure he's the only person who has a great shot at locating one or both of them, and with this big incident going on they would be helpful to have around. "
> Not the above.
>"If I did pass on a message about this, would he be able to help me?"
> "All right. Then let him know that the sky is broken, everywhere is flooded, and the shrine maiden has a bit of a problem regarding her soul.Suika threw it too hard."
> "Later!"
> All right, now that that's settled... time to go back down to the shrine. We need a change of clothes, some tofu, and maybe a quick nap.
> Head on inside and make a beeline to our bedroom to get dried off and clothes changed.
> Shout "Hey Suika, you still here? Can you look for some tofu?"
> Shout out jokingly. "I lost my last maid, so that's not a bad idea! Marisa, where've you been?"
> "I'll get around to it. I need to see if he has anything that can hold a light underwater, anyways." And make sure the teapot isn't broken.
> Get dressed in dry clothes and go out to see Marisa.
> "What about a fox's?"
> Sit down and get us some tea.
> "You break the cup, you buy it. And yeah."
>"Hahaha, tell me about it!"
>Give Marisa a pat on the shoulder.
>"I'm gonna try and see if I can lure out Ran tomorrow, she's out hiding somewhere near as I can tell. Mayohiga is empty. The Taoists didn't know anything either."
>"Sanae's is going to be out of commission for a while, too. Oh, did you happen to see any more of those shard thingies?"
>Are there tsuchinoko in the Genbu ravine? How about snakes or tortoises?
> Sip on the tea a bit.
> "Well, I found a bit more to add to the craziness. Ghosts are skipping the queue and going straight to Komachi... a few hundred years early."
> "Komachi couldn't tell me, and Iku only spotted them in the clouds. My guess would be that they're related to whatever caused that crack in the sky."
> Stick our feet under Suika so we can warm them up.
> "Did find out who the shards belong to, so I guess there's a plus. There's some wannabe goddess named Kikuri shacking up with Konngara underground. Apparantly they were hers."
>Frown.
>"They're dangerous to youkai. I guess they were used to seal Kikuri up, so that makes sense even if she's not really a youkai."
> "Probably not that important, if you've never even heard of her." That's probably a lie, since she DID laser us good in Sanae's dream and shut down our most powerful technique, but no need to tell them about that just yet.
> Though... "So, Marisa, there was something odd I ran into. Have you ever heard of someone's soul getting fractured? Patchouli was telling me about how travelling between worlds or whatever could possibly do that."
>"Looking for information, really. What are the symptoms of having one?"
>"How about hallucinations?"
> Dammit Suika, we were trying to be subtle. Give her The Look.
> "Patchouli thinks so. While I was up in Bhava-Agra Iku got Tenshi to check me out with the Sword of Hisou, and... well, it went a bit crazy. Summoned a snowstorm that was actually freezing."
> "Oh, right. Suika, Iku'll be bringing Tenshi down to play. Make sure she behaves, okay?"
>Suppose they're all kids more or less ...
>Imagine Suika, Tenshi, Flandre and Koishi all sparring in one place.
> "Remember, if I hear anything about shrines getting wrecked, you're grounded and Tenshi has to go back home."
> Back to Marisa. "Yeah, but this time it really summoned a snowstorm. No idea what it means."
>When's the last time the movers and shakers had a drinking party, at the shrine or otherwise?
>"But I'm not too worried. If things go like I hope, I have a little help coming."
>"So...what's our next move?"
> "We might need to raid the Moriya's kitchen, though: we don't have enough, and the only places that aren't flooded that would likely have tofu are on the mountain. I don't think Sakuya usually keeps tofu in stock."
> Stretch. "I was going to grab a quick nap before heading over, anyways. I've been all over the place today."
>How well stocked with Tofu would we expect Chireiden to be?
> "Can you see if you can find tofu?"
>"Anything else I need to know?"
> Not even gossip? Lame.
> "... Hey, so could you do me a favor? Next time you're in that area, stop by Patchouli and have her check you to see if you're having the same problem I am."
> Man, what a day. "I'm gonna nap real quick, Suika. Can you wake me in about an hour or so?"
> Grab her legs and carefully pull her out from underneath. "Thanks."
> Get up and do everything we need to do before settling down and napping.
> Are we standing in water?
> We're in the shrine's hallway?
> Stand on one foot to take a closer look at the other. If we can't see what's on our feet then wipe whatever it is onto a finger and sniff it.
> Like... copper?
> Carefully walk to the light. We have a bad feeling about this...
> Open that door.
>Feel the hinges.
>Slide under the door.
>If that doesn't work, just peek under the door.
>Where's the sound coming from?
>Try to feel around for a seam on the wall, where the door would open.
>Let's keep moving and feel along the walls for anything like a door, or a light, or anything of interest, really. Check ahead periodically to make sure we don't hit a wall.
>Look around every so often for interesting features.
>Continue toward it. Keep feeling the wall, but just a little bit as we head for the draft.
>Look back.
>"Gyah!"
>Wake up? Are we even sleeping?
>"Blugh..."
>How do we feel?
>"Nightmare."
>Check ourself over. Do we look okay, at least?
> "Bloody hallways. Crying children.Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmzuRXLzqKk)
> "I... hm."
> Did it?
>The Shadow knows.
> "Dunno. It's probably nothing."
> "Anything happen while I was out?"
> Stretch out them sleepiness. We should probably get a cup of tea to wake up.
> Let's go make us some tea. While we're waiting for the water to boil, let's investigate the pantries so we know how much food we still have that's edible.
>Take the pot, some tea, and our largest teacup, and put them together properly. Make it good and strong.
> Good, our larder should be fine so long as we don't entertain too many people this week. If this flood keeps up, though, we could be in trouble.
> Let that tea steep, and enjoy it outside. Get a good look around whilst we sip.
> ... Eh, what the hell. Let's join her. No booze, though, until the incident's done with.
> "Hey now, don't get too plastered before Tenshi gets here."
> Sip tea contemplatively. "So... thoughts? About what's going on?"
> "The same thing I do every time this happens: stop it, no matter how long it takes. I don't think there's been an incident I've intervened in that I haven't stopped, or help stop."
> Frown. That's not true, is it? That incident Yukari mentioned to Akyuu before, she said that we were unconscious for most of it, and the sun was blotted out for half of a year while someone else solved it. "What do you remember about the incident three years ago? Yukari didn't really tell us much, but you know what happened, right?"
> Aside from tonight, when was the last time Tenshi used that sword on us?
>"Like this seal?"
>Produce a shard piece.
>"Mmm."
>"So who did that incident, then?"
>"Why not?"
>Do we? if so, provide it.
>If not, direct her to where there is some scrap paper.
>Examine.
>Suika you are drunk.
>"What are these things?"
>Gesture toward the headblobs.
>Consider all the peoples we know with headwings.
>And how many of those do we know to have been sealed?
>"Was it Kikuri?"
> "I need better than a guess here, Suika. Does it ring a bell?"
>Nod.
>"If you can confirm it, it's important. That one's already on thin ice."
>"I meant in the future, you silly drunk."
So what's the plan, Sectimus?Asking Suika was
> "You solved that incident, then?"
> "But you helped, right? So who took out...?" Wave the ofuda with the drawing for emphasis?
>"Hey Suika, do you remember my mother?"
>"It's just ... I feel like I'm less human these days. None of my friends are humans, and I don't even remember my family or anything."
> "I'll look into it later. Sorry, everything that's happening has me a bit stressed."
> Sip the tea.
> "... The bridge princess? Really?"
That was one powerful seal, though. Intact, I bet it could hold in anything."Just like a supposedly unstoppable and broken spellcard, right?
> "... The bridge princess. Really." That's just embarrassing and slightly depressing, us getting taken out and leaving the job to a bunch of random youkai.
> "Well, I guess I can ask... uh... her about who it was that you guys ended up taking down, then, to see if it really was Kikuri. Next time I go through there, which'll probably be after Marisa gets the tofu."
> "... She is coming back soon, right?" Did we forget to actually coordinate?
> Do some mental calculations. If Marisa were to fly to where the Human Village people are, then fly to the Moriyas, then fly back, how long would that take? Then add an extra hour or two for her messing around.
>How much of a trip is crater lake from here, do we think?
> About what time is it?
>How long would a round trip to Chireiden take?
>"Alright. I'm going back underground to investigate something. If I don't come back, assume I collapsed at Chireiden or something. If Marisa comes back, tell her to leave the stuff here, assuming you're still awake."
>Once properly goodbyes are said, it's time to go hassle a bridge princess.
>Who's that dead sumbitch that took a shot at us? >=|
>Look around for signs of Parsee.
>Check under it.
> Any lights on in the haus?
>Go bang on the door.
>"I need to talk about some things from a few years back."
> "That's all right, you're not inviting me inside anyways."
> Follow her out to the bridge.
> "So. Three years ago. Someone caused something for six months and you and a bunch of oni took them down. What happened exactly?"
> "... What."
> Kikuri tried to absorb the Boundary?! This incident could be her fault after all!
> Her attempt from last time might have had a delayed effect or something.
> "You're gonna have to start from the beginning. How the hell did she manage to cause an incident for six months without anyone doing anything about it? Yukari didn't do anything about it? Marisa or Sanae didn't? Why the heck did it fall on a bunch of underground oni to stop her?"
> Pause. "What happened to me? All I remember is being at Satori's place."
> Right. We were taken out because it was dark and... Kikuri was using lethal force and no spellcards. That other stuff sounds unfamiliar, though. "Yeah, well, have fun being jealous. Konngara stuck around at the shrine?"
> Hm... maybe the soul problems we're having is due to Yukari using the "weird space thing" on us? If we can't find Yukari we should talk to the doctor Parsee mentioned.
> "How'd you know it was Yukari that did... whatever it was she did to me? What exactly is a 'weird space thing'? And where can I find the doctor that you got to treat me?"
> So, it was Eirin. Or maybe the rabbit. Either way, we know who we can talk to if we really need to. And being gapped... Did Yukari messing around with us screw up our soul?
> Also, we should probably thank Konngara for keeping us alive.
> "Anything else happen I should know about? The sky's cracked and I'm starting to think that Kikuri messed up the Boundary than anyone thought."
> "And the other oni. As for that..." Pointedly look around at the snow.
> "Come on, snow in summer? There's something bad going on with the Boundary, and I'm just finding out some wannabe goddess with a hair trigger and no care for the rules tried to destroy it a few years back? What do you expect me to think? I mean, no disrespect or anything, you guys did stop her, but..."
> Come to think of it, when Yukari was talking to Akyuu about it she really downplayed how serious it was. What's her deal, anyways?
>So the boundary is damaged. Just how well-connected is the Hakurei lineage to the boundary?
>"I'm absolutely sure she needs another good beating, at least. Can't have people thinking they can break the rules whenever it suits 'em."
>"Well, you can have a front row seat for it if you like. Sounds like she put you through a lot of trouble, too."
>Laugh a good laugh.
>"Don't blame you. Still, you helped me out a lot, thank you."
> Wave goodbye, and head Satoriways. We're going to need to have a "chat" with Kikuri again, but we should check in with Satori before she turns in for the night.
> Fly up. "Didn't have you pegged for a dog person."
> "Everyone holding up all right? Not too cold or anything?"
>Descend.
>Nod and follow.
> Scratch that dog behind the ears.
>"Does it hurt?"
>Glance around, any signs of Satori?
>"Satori gone to bed yet?"
>"How's Okuu doing?"
> "Tuckered out? Well, I'll find Satori, then. Where's she right now?"
> Thanks. Oh, and did Koishi make it back yet?"
> "Sounds like her. Thanks." To the Satoroom.
>Knock on doorjamb, then enter.
>"Hope I didn't keep you up waiting for me."
>"Not as much as I want, but now I have someone to seal up in a chamberpot."
>This is only half hyperbole.
>"I wouldn't want you to do that. The last thing I want is a new batch of rumors hounding you."
>"Something I've wondered about: powerful people with labyrinthian minds, like Yuyuko or Yukari for example, could they prevent a satori from reading their mind, or even give you false impressions?"
> "Well, I'll keep it in mind. Anything new here? I noticed it's getting even colder."
> "Ah. By the way, Rin needs earholes cut into her cap."
>"Good. I'll have to go thank Koishi for going there with me. I really hope they got along okay."
> "Well, I'm sorry I won't be here for long: I gotta meet a witch about a fox."
> Assuming she doesn't get sidetracked looking for tofu.
> "Eh, no worries. You guys should probably keep an eye on your pantry anyways."
>"Oh really? I knew you had more eyes, but mouths too? I'll have to search you thoroughly for them ..."
>Don't say that. Instead say, "I was originally intending to stay here tonight, but...I dunno when I'll be back."
>Give her a hug. "I'll try to keep you in the loop, okay?"
>Depart. Let's head back for the shrine.
> Hopefully it's Marisa back earlier than expected. Fly on in like we own th- wait, we do.
> Check the kitchen real quick to see if tofu's been brought back.
> Enter the lit room.
> Shake our head and turn off the lights.
> No real sense in going to the Crater Lake this late at night: we can barely see in the water as it is. How long has it been since we started our nap?
> ... Ah, heck. Since we didn't quite clarify to Marisa when we should meet up again, let's head Youkai Mountain-wards. Maybe we'll bump into her on the way over.
> Let's continue heading shrineward: they should be done bothering Keine, so we might catch them at the shrine still.
> Ah, they must still be up then. To the Moriya Shrine.
>We'll just have to intimidate them back.
>Any sign of Suwako among the crowd, or at her pond?
>Hover around toward the pond.
>Descend.
>"Hey, any news?"
>"We need to lure out a fox. Any news on Sanae?"
>"That's something. Has she said anything at all that might be enlightening?"
>"I meant in general, about her in particular."
>Did we have Suwako look at our soul before?
>"Oh well."
>"Hey, can you have a look at my soul real fast?"
> "You'll see why."
> "... What... exactly are you doing?" She better not be expecting us to eat it.
> "Ew, why? I thought you had a thing against people eating frogs!"
>We used to be a shrine maiden once, then we took a frog to the knee.
> Shake our knee a bit. "Couldn't you've chosen a less... weird way?"
> "No, but you made my knee eat it. I'm not sure which is worse. WHat happens now?"
> "Wow, feels like when that librarian did it. Of course, she used lights instead of frogs."
> "Aren't frogs supposed to be caught in the throat, not in the chest? What happened? I really don't want an ink frog wandering around in my chest."
> Especially if it bursts out. That'd be unpleasant. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsD6AL3HJtM)
> "What do you mean, what did I do to it? It's your frog!"
> Examine self.
> "My chest doesn't feel warm anymore, if that's what you're asking."
>"Gone where?"
>"Was that supposed to happen at the end. I mean, um, was it a real frog? Or just some magic that looked like a frog?"