Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Beyond the Border~ => Rumia's Party Games => Mystia's Stored Games => Topic started by: Hello Purvis on February 08, 2011, 11:37:39 AM
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>You are Iku Nagae, Gensokyo's premier messenger and dancer, and the sky has fallen! Related to this, you have had a terrible, no good, awful, very bad day yesterday, and are having another one today.
>You do not know how, or why, but Bhava-Arga has fallen from the sky and now hovers scant yards over the surface of Gensokyo. This has caused numerous problems. On top of this, Tenshi has run off after stealing the Sword of Hisou. This has made her a primary suspect in the eyes of many. including yourself at one point. You've since proven her innocence on the matter.
>You are an oarfish youkai in service to the Dragon Palace. As a resident of Bhava-Agra, you bear a status similar to that of a Celestial, and are considered a minor functionary in the Celestial Bureaucracy that makes certain the known universe runs as it should, with all the rights privileges, and duties that come with this position. You are in the service of The Dragon, who reigns quietly as the highest god of this realm, and is among the highest beings in the universe. It regards you well, and you think of it as a guardian.
>While your duties and position suggest your place is in Bhava-Agra, you have a tendency to roam to other places. You somewhat blame this on Tenshi Hinanai, whom you have unfortunately been charged with keeping out of significant trouble, and her tendency to visit Gensokyo whenever possible. You are well-know for your love of dance, and excellence in performing it; oftentimes you've been asked to star in performances given at the Dragon Palace. Others have styled you the Dance Empress, particularly those who would try to claim that title for themselves. You are, as far as you know, well regarded by everyone you know and are welcome practically anywhere in Gensokyo, save perhaps for Higan. The only real black spot in your days is periodically having to deal with Tenshi's chicanery.
>You have been tasked by The Dragon in dealing with this incident. You have taken some stock of the damage surrounding the fall. You have found that Bhava-Agra's food supply has been badly affected by these events; you defeated a tsuchinoko on Minoirko's behalf in hopes of alleviating this. You have delivered messages for Patchouli. You have had bad run ins with Marisa and Reimu; and nearly had one with Sanae. You have found Tenshi hiding in the Ancient City, became convinced of her innocence, convinced her to join you, and have had several spats with her. You've done your best to bond with Tenshi, and you've made significant progress in that regard. You've been hearing a lot about a search for some thing called the Brocken Spectre, and learned it is key to the whole issue. You found and rescued Yamame, who was captured by faeries. You've been given a hit list by Yuugi. You've released Aya from prison after a rather confused encounter. You've discovered that the islands of Bhava-Agra do not cast proper shadows; nor does Nitori, who was practically dead to the world before you were able to have her shadow restored. You've found Kogasa has had her shadow stolen very recently, it has since been restored. Yukari has loaned you a very important tool. You have learned of a mysterious poltergeist roaming the Forest of Magic, and have deduced that she is both the shadow thief and the Brocken Spectre. You've beaten the Brocken Spectre in combat, then got exilled away to what you believed was the missing shadow of Bhava-Agra. You managed to escape there and end up in Makai, from which you have escaped after several misadventures. You may have convinced Reimu not to come after you! You seem to have even managed to make a connection with the paranoid and isolationist poltergeist and gotten some of the missing shadows restored.
>You have just finished up lunch in Bhava-Agra with Tenshi. Now you have to figure out your next move.
>"Well, that hit the spot. It's nice to actually have proper meals again today."
>Is Tenshi done as well?
>"Yeah, though the stuff down below would have been better," says Tenshi.
>She seems to be almost done.
>_
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>"After yesterday, I think I would have been quite content with nearly anything, so long as it had been edible."
>Let Tenshi finish up
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>"After yesterday, I think I would have been quite content with nearly anything, so long as it had been edible."
>Let Tenshi finish up
>Tenshi finishes as you speak.
>_
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>"Well, let me get your hair fixed up, and then I think we should head back and attempt to put this matter to rest with Reimu."
>Go fetch a comb
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>"Well, let me get your hair fixed up, and then I think we should head back and attempt to put this matter to rest with Reimu."
>Go fetch a comb
>"Yeah, okay," says Tenshi.
>You get a comb from the washroom.
>_
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> "Okay. Have a seat on the foot of the bed, and I'll get behind you and get to work."
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> "Okay. Have a seat on the foot of the bed, and I'll get behind you and get to work."
>She nods and scoots over to the foot of the bed.
>_
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> "Here's something to keep you occupied in the meantime. I took a look inside earlier, just in case it happened to be something that would help with my quest with the poltergeist. I think you might be surprised by what's in there. Try not to tilt your head too much while looking at it, though."
> Give Tenshi the Jewel box.
> Have a seat behind Tenshi and get to work on prettying up her hair.
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> "Here's something to keep you occupied in the meantime. I took a look inside earlier, just in case it happened to be something that would help with my quest with the poltergeist. I think you might be surprised by what's in there. Try not to tilt your head too much while looking at it, though."
> Have a seat behind Tenshi and get to work on prettying up her hair.
>"Have a look at what?" asks Tenshi.
>You have a seat behind Tenshi, and get to work on her hair. At least it isn't knotted up...
>_
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> Stop working on her hair for a moment.
> "Sorry. My head's not in at all for some reason. Here."
> Hand Tenshi the Jewel box, then get back to work on her hair.
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> Stop working on her hair for a moment.
> "Sorry. My head's not in at all for some reason. Here."
> Hand Tenshi the Jewel box, then get back to work on her hair.
>You hand her the box. You hear her open it as you work on her hair.
>"Huh, these are interesting," says Tenshi. "I wonder if they were someone's practice stuff?"
>You see her take the reddish stone and look at it closely.
>_
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> "You mean a jeweler's first attempt at precious stones?"
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> "You mean a jeweler's first attempt at precious stones?"
>"Yeah," she says. "Facets are for stuff that you can see through."
>_
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> How much do we know about the jewelery process?
> How does Tenshi know as much as she does?
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> How much do we know about the jewelery process?
> How does Tenshi know as much as she does?
>Not much. Jewelry is pretty rare in Bhava-Agra, given it is essentially an expensive personal decoration and little else.
>Perhaps she picked it up somewhere?
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> "Huh. Where did you pick up this jewelry artisan knowledge, anyway?"
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> "Huh. Where did you pick up this jewelry artisan knowledge, anyway?"
>"It just makes sense," says Tenshi. "They've cut like that to let light in. But these ones can't let in any light."
>_
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> "I suppose that's true. I wonder who they belonged to, then."
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> "I suppose that's true. I wonder who they belonged to, then."
>"I dunno," she says, "But I guess they liked them."
>You are making some progress against Tenshi's hair.
>_
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> "What about you? Do you like them?"
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> "What about you? Do you like them?"
>"They're kinda neat looking," Tenshi says.
>_
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> "Do you happen to know what stones they are? I recognized the amethyst and the lapis lazuli, but not the other two."
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> "Do you happen to know what stones they are? I recognized the amethyst and the lapis lazuli, but not the other two."
>"The red one is jasper, I think," says Tenshi. "Not sure about the other one."
>_
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> Mental note: red stone is likely jasper.
> "How much do you suppose those are worth, if they're just practice stones?"
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> Mental note: red stone is likely jasper.
> "How much do you suppose those are worth, if they're just practice stones?"
>"Probably not a lot," she says. "But they're well done, I think. That's probably worth something."
>_
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> "That's good to know. You wouldn't happen to know any jewelers in Gensokyo, would you?"
> How's the hair coming along?
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> "That's good to know. You wouldn't happen to know any jewelers in Gensokyo, would you?"
> How's the hair coming along?
>"There's this old man in the human village," says Tenshi. "He'd off to main road a bit."
>Just a bit more. Thankfully the mess isn't that hard to deal with.
>_
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> "Perhaps we will have a word with him at some point about those gems. He will probably know what that last one is. Who knows, they might have even been his at one time."
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> "Perhaps we will have a word with him at some point about those gems. He will probably know what that last one is. Who knows, they might have even been his at one time."
>"Huh, I never thought of that," says Tenshi.
>_
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> "I admit I have no real reason to believe they are his, beyond his being a jeweler. But that is more than we can say for most other people we know. I figure he is as good a starting place as any. If they are not his, then he can at least tell us what the fourth gem is, so a visit would not be entirely without fruition."
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> "I admit I have no real reason to believe they are his, beyond his being a jeweler. But that is more than we can say for most other people we know. I figure he is as good a starting place as any. If they are not his, then he can at least tell us what the fourth gem is, so a visit would not be entirely without fruition."
>"Yeah, that's true," says Tenshi.
>You are mostly finished now. Just a tad more.
>_
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> How does Tenshi's hair feel?
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> How does Tenshi's hair feel?
>It's soft and a bit dry.
>_
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> "If I may ask, how difficult is it to take care of hair of this length? I've never been able to grow mine long."
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> "If I may ask, how difficult is it to take care of hair of this length? I've never been able to grow mine long."
>"It's a pain to wash, and you gotta comb it a bit, but it's not hard once you get used to it," says Tenshi.
>There, that should do it.
>_
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> Is there a mirror in our washroom?
> Do we think there's anything we can do to add any cute touches to it, or is it going to get no better from here?
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> Is there a mirror in our washroom?
> Do we think there's anything we can do to add any cute touches to it, or is it going to get no better from here?
>There is.
>You could add accessories or crimp it or something. But as for how she usually wears it, you're not going to get any better than this.
>_
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> Oh well. It is likely to just get messed up again later, considering the amount of potential combat on the horizon. Such a shame...
> "All right, I believe that should do it. Shall we take a look in the washroom, so you can check for yourself?"
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> Oh well. It is likely to just get messed up again later, considering the amount of potential combat on the horizon. Such a shame...
> "All right, I believe that should do it. Shall we take a look in the washroom, so you can check for yourself?"
>Alas.
>"It feels like you did it right," says Tenshi. "So, what now?"
>_
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>Quests
>Is there a window in this room? If so, determine the time of day.
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> "Now we head back to the Turtle House. We have kept its inhabitants waiting for long enough."
> Stash the comb in our purse and head back outside the Palace.
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>Quests
>Is there a window in this room? If so, determine the time of day.
>You quests are:
>The Sky Has Fallen
>Bhava Agra has descended into Gensokyo. The Dragon has tasked you with finding out why and fixing it. You have discovered the Poltergeist who has done it, and found she has done to to preserve her own existence.
>Imperial Ambitions
>Remilia has set about conquering and enslaving fallen parts of Bhava-Agra. This will probably have to be dealt with.
>There is a window. It seems to be getting into midafternoon.
> "Now we head back to the Turtle House. We have kept its inhabitants waiting for long enough."
> Stash the comb in our purse and head back outside the Palace.
>You head outside! Things are have not changed greatly outside the palace, though you don't see Yuka about anymore. It leaves you to wonder if she's prowling the halls or not.
>_
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> We can only hope she is not. Or, if she is, that she does it merely out of curiosity, which we cannot honestly begrudge her.
> "I think we are starting to run into time working against us. Let us hope there are no more lengthy interruptions. I believe we should visit the Turtle House again, bring them to the Hakurei Shrine, and then head off to meet Momizi again."
> Fly off toward Renko and Maribel's.
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> We can only hope she is not. Or, if she is, that she does it merely out of curiosity, which we cannot honestly begrudge her.
> "I think we are starting to run into time working against us. Let us hope there are no more lengthy interruptions. I believe we should visit the Turtle House again, bring them to the Hakurei Shrine, and then head off to meet Momizi again."
> Fly off toward Renko and Maribel's.
>Quite. One should take pains not to begrudge Yuka without a very good reason.
>"Sure," says Tenshi.
>You take flight, and make your way toward Maribel and Renko's home once again. Thankfully, you don't encounter any problems along the way. Things seem fairly undisturbed there as you land nearby.
>_
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> Look at Tenshi and gesture toward the door.
> Smile.
> "Would you like the honors this time? Parsee seems to be tired of my knocking."
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> Look at Tenshi and gesture toward the door.
> Smile.
> "Would you like the honors this time? Parsee seems to be tired of my knocking."
>"Kay," says Tenshi. She knocks on the door.
>It opens a moment later, and Renko looks out. "Hey there," she says. "We've been expecting you back."
>_
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> "Oh, hello. I'm glad to see you have returned. How much have you been caught up on, and may we come in?"
> Presuming an affirmative response to the latter question, enter.
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> "Oh, hello. I'm glad to see you have returned. How much have you been caught up on, and may we come in?"
> Presuming an affirmative response to the latter question, enter.
>"Sure, come on in," says Renko. "Mary's told me everything."
>You see that most the group is gathered around the table, playing a game of domino. Kogasa is off on her own, sitting in the corner and cleaning off her umbrella. There is a round of greetings as the two of you enter the now somewhat-crowded from room.
>_
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> Who's winning the domino game?
> Tenshi still has the jewel box, right?
> "Thank you for your patience, everyone. Have Nitori and Kogasa been informed about what plans we discussed prior to their return?"
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> Who's winning the domino game?
> Tenshi still has the jewel box, right?
> "Thank you for your patience, everyone. Have Nitori and Kogasa been informed about what plans we discussed prior to their return?"
>You can't immediately tell. But you think Parsee and Utsuho are in the lead at the moment.
>She does.
>"We told them," says Maribel. "But, there may be a small problem."
>"You know Plum Flower, the little faerie whose got a crush on Reimu?" Renko says, "I kinda ran into her in town. She was going nuts trying to figure out where Reimu was; so apparently she's not actually at the shrine right now."
>"Not a huge surprise, really," says Parsee.
>_
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> "That...is a bit disturbing. I have not seen her around either. Nor Marisa, nor Sanae, for that matter. I wonder where they all could be. But, surely, Lady Moriya would have told me if her shrine maiden was missing, or at least looked a little more perturbed than she did..."
> Did we actually tell Reimu we emerged from Makai?
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> "That...is a bit disturbing. I have not seen her around either. Nor Marisa, nor Sanae, for that matter. I wonder where they all could be. But, surely, Lady Moriya would have told me if her shrine maiden was missing, or at least looked a little more perturbed than she did..."
> Did we actually tell Reimu we emerged from Makai?
>"I figured they were off doing something," says Utsuho.
>You think that you did.
>_
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> "Yes, they might be. I wonder...I believe I did tell Reimu that I returned to Gensokyo through Makai. I wonder if they went there to investigate how I did it?"
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> "Yes, they might be. I wonder...I believe I did tell Reimu that I returned to Gensokyo through Makai. I wonder if they went there to investigate how I did it?"
>"People can go to Makai?" Renko asks.
>"Maybe," says Parsee. "Sounds like something she'd do."
>_
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> Sigh.
> Rub our forehead with a hand.
> "I did not want to talk about this too much, due to some of your curious and exploratory natures, but yes, Gensokyo does connect to Makai. Normally there is a barrier between the two, but, for some reason, it is not currently there, and the gatekeeper on Makai's half appears to have abandoned their post years ago. This is how I returned to Gensokyo. However! I do not say this as an open invitation to visit there. Makai is a dangerous place, filled with untrusting and untrustworthy people. My primary goal upon my appearance there was an immediate escape, and I still only barely got out. You all saw how I looked last night."
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> Sigh.
> Rub our forehead with a hand.
> "I did not want to talk about this too much, due to some of your curious and exploratory natures, but yes, Gensokyo does connect to Makai. Normally there is a barrier between the two, but, for some reason, it is not currently there, and the gatekeeper on Makai's half appears to have abandoned their post years ago. This is how I returned to Gensokyo. However! I do not say this as an open invitation to visit there. Makai is a dangerous place, filled with untrusting and untrustworthy people. My primary goal upon my appearance there was an immediate escape, and I still only barely got out. You all saw how I looked last night."
>The gathered crowd nods.
>"So, what's next?" asks Parsee.
>_
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> "I...honestly am not sure. Our shadow friend needs some alone time, so I cannot seek her out again just yet. Beyond that, well, I feel very uncomfortable asking all of you to remain gathered together for my sake, given I have already asked so much of you over the past two days."
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> "I...honestly am not sure. Our shadow friend needs some alone time, so I cannot seek her out again just yet. Beyond that, well, I feel very uncomfortable asking all of you to remain gathered together for my sake, given I have already asked so much of you over the past two days."
>"There's not much of a reason for it anymore, is there?" says Utsuho.
>_
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> "For all of you, no, there is no immediate reason to stay gathered together, outside of presumably enjoying each other's company. There are admittedly later tasks I will need help with, but I have imposed on all of you for so much already."
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> "For all of you, no, there is no immediate reason to stay gathered together, outside of presumably enjoying each other's company. There are admittedly later tasks I will need help with, but I have imposed on all of you for so much already."
>"Tasks, plural?" says Parsee. "What are you wanting us to do?"
>"We'd be happy to assist," says Utsuho.
>_
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> "Well, tasks plural assumes that whatever the problem solvers are doing right now keeps them unconvinced of Bhava-Agra's innocence. If they are content to leave my people be by the time I see them again, then all the better. I will get an apology from Marisa for being so...obstinate, and that may very well be the end of that. This would limit things to one task. The catch..."
> Deep breath.
> "...is that this one task is freeing my people enslaved at the Scarlet Devil Mansion."
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> "Well, tasks plural assumes that whatever the problem solvers are doing right now keeps them unconvinced of Bhava-Agra's innocence. If they are content to leave my people be by the time I see them again, then all the better. I will get an apology from Marisa for being so...obstinate, and that may very well be the end of that. This would limit things to one task. The catch..."
> Deep breath.
> "...is that this one task is freeing my people enslaved at the Scarlet Devil Mansion."
>"Oh, you're planning on attacking Scarlet Devil Mansion?" says Parsee. "Well, have fun with that."
>_
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> "I hope I will not need to resort to violence. But...I might."
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> "I hope I will not need to resort to violence. But...I might."
>"Just get several hundred faeries to back you up," says Parsee. "It's worked before."
>"Perhaps we could go searching for Reimu for you?" Nitori says. "I imagine we could cover a lot more ground that way."
>_
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> "That would be most helpful, if you are all willing to do so."
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> "That would be most helpful, if you are all willing to do so."
>"I owe you one," Nitori says, "So it's the least I could do."
>Kogasa nods.
>"I should probably head back, and let everyone back home know things are alright," says Utsuho, "But I'm sure Parsee wouldn't mind help out."
>"Eh, fine," says Parsee. "Guess it'd be good to wander around a bit, anyways."
>"We'll search around," Renko says with a nod.
>_
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> Nod.
> "All right. I have some ideas about how to go about this search, but before we go about deciding who is going to go where, is there anyone here that knows how to get to Eientei, or thinks they could convince someone that knows how to get there to take them there?"
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> Nod.
> "All right. I have some ideas about how to go about this search, but before we go about deciding who is going to go where, is there anyone here that knows how to get to Eientei, or thinks they could convince someone that knows how to get there to take them there?"
>You are met with a number of shrugs and headshakes.
>_
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> "Mmm. Unfortunate. Well, then. Just to organize what we know, we have had people present recently travel to the human village, as well as the Hakurei Shrine, and none of the incident solvers were present there. Tenshi and myself have both been around the Scarlet Devil Mansion recently, and I did not see or hear or anyone unusual there, either. Therefore, this is my proposal for a floating search plan."
> "Nitori, I would like you to check around Youkai Mountain. Find out if your people or the tengu know anything. If you can, try to get an audience with the Moriya Shrine. Lady Yasaka and Lady Moriya will certainly have a vested interest in knowing where their shrine maiden is."
> "Kogasa, I would like you to investigate around Marisa's home, and perhaps ask Alice if she knows anything. Since you will be wandering around the forest...be sure you choose your victims wisely. I cannot guarantee I can get you free a second time."
> "Utsuho, since you will be going underground, may I ask you to ask the cave entrance dwellers if they have seen any unusual activity today? I cannot imagine any problem solvers will be able to get by Kisume and Yamame unnoticed."
> "Parsee, you can either go with Utsuho back underground and assist any investigation you deem necessary there, or you can go to the human village and see if you can find anyone that knows how to get to Eientei, or is willing to take you there themselves."
> "Renko, Maribel, as much as it makes me nervous to suggest this, since I imagine your curiosities are already piqued, I believe you would be best served investigating the area around the gate between Gensokyo and Makai, a place to which I will give you directions as best I can. I myself will be headed to Lady Yakumo's residence to inform her of the lacking barrier, as I imagine she will be interested to hear about such a thing. I expect she will want to investigate it for herself, in which case I apologize in advance should you two run into her. What is most important, however, is that you make sure not to approach anyone unfamiliar and belligerent. Makai's residents do not play around, and they are willing to attack with little provocation. Let Lady Yakumo or Tenshi and myself handle any serious trouble that may crop up there."
> "Now then, is there anyone that wishes to raise an objection to their suggestion?"
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> "Mmm. Unfortunate. Well, then. Just to organize what we know, we have had people present recently travel to the human village, as well as the Hakurei Shrine, and none of the incident solvers were present there. Tenshi and myself have both been around the Scarlet Devil Mansion recently, and I did not see or hear or anyone unusual there, either. Therefore, this is my proposal for a floating search plan."
> "Nitori, I would like you to check around Youkai Mountain. Find out if your people or the tengu know anything. If you can, try to get an audience with the Moriya Shrine. Lady Yasaka and Lady Moriya will certainly have a vested interest in knowing where their shrine maiden is."
> "Kogasa, I would like you to investigate around Marisa's home, and perhaps ask Alice if she knows anything. Since you will be wandering around the forest...be sure you choose your victims wisely. I cannot guarantee I can get you free a second time."
> "Utsuho, since you will be going underground, may I ask you to ask the cave entrance dwellers if they have seen any unusual activity today? I cannot imagine any problem solvers will be able to get by Kisume and Yamame unnoticed."
> "Parsee, you can either go with Utsuho back underground and assist any investigation you deem necessary there, or you can go to the human village and see if you can find anyone that knows how to get to Eientei, or is willing to take you there themselves."
> "Renko, Maribel, as much as it makes me nervous to suggest this, since I imagine your curiosities are already piqued, I believe you would be best served investigating the area around the gate between Gensokyo and Makai, a place to which I will give you directions as best I can. I myself will be headed to Lady Yakumo's residence to inform her of the lacking barrier, as I imagine she will be interested to hear about such a thing. I expect she will want to investigate it for herself, in which case I apologize in advance should you two run into her. What is most important, however, is that you make sure not to approach anyone unfamiliar and belligerent. Makai's residents do not play around, and they are willing to attack with little provocation. Let Lady Yakumo or Tenshi and myself handle any serious trouble that may crop up there."
> "Now then, is there anyone that wishes to raise an objection to their suggestion?"
>No one seems to object. "Yeah, I'll look around the village," says Parsee.
>"There's worse things than running into Yukari," says Maribel. "She's really not as bad as all that..."
>_
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> "All right, then. Also, just to warn everyone, I do have some business with Momizi that I may need to take care of after visiting Lady Yakumo, depending on the time. Nitori, assuming you have not run into her yet at that point, I will be sure to ask her if she has seen anything. The tengu patrols are very active today, so if something suspicious has been spotted, she will be very likely to know about it."
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> "All right, then. Also, just to warn everyone, I do have some business with Momizi that I may need to take care of after visiting Lady Yakumo, depending on the time. Nitori, assuming you have not run into her yet at that point, I will be sure to ask her if she has seen anything. The tengu patrols are very active today, so if something suspicious has been spotted, she will be very likely to know about it."
>"Got it," says Nitori. "I'll keep an eye out for her. Hopefully, I'll be able to make it up to the shrine."
>_
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> "All right, then. The final question then becomes one of sharing information. Shall we all meet back here once our individual search efforts are exhausted, or would we like to meet somewhere else?"
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> "All right, then. The final question then becomes one of sharing information. Shall we all meet back here once our individual search efforts are exhausted, or would we like to meet somewhere else?"
>"Here is okay," says Renko.
>The rest seem satisfied with that.
>_
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> "All right, then. Good luck to you all in your efforts, and thank you very much for being willing to help me after I have imposed so much on all of you."
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> "All right, then. Good luck to you all in your efforts, and thank you very much for being willing to help me after I have imposed so much on all of you."
>"It's no problem," says Maribel. "We love having guests.'
>You think you hear Parsee snort under her breath.
>_
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> Eh, ignore it.
> "I hope to see you all later today. Stay safe."
> Leave the house. Beckon to Tenshi if she seems reluctant to go with us.
> Fly to the Yakumo residence.
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> Eh, ignore it.
> "I hope to see you all later today. Stay safe."
> Leave the house. Beckon to Tenshi if she seems reluctant to go with us.
> Fly to the Yakumo residence.
>You think it was more directed at Maribel than you, anyways.
>"You too," says Nitori, while the others say their farewells to you.
>Tenshi doesn't seem to show any hesitation in following you, and you both make the short flight to the Yakumo residence without any trouble.
>The cottage seems rather quiet at the moment. Looking around, you don't see any signs of Yukari outside today.
>_
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> Are there any signs of anyone around?
> Head up to the door and knock gently on it.
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> Are there any signs of anyone around?
> Head up to the door and knock gently on it.
>You don't seen any signs of activity outside.
>Walking up to the door, you knock on it. After a moment of waiting, you hear Yukari's voice inside say, "Come in."
>_
-
> "Thank you."
> Enter!
-
> "Thank you."
> Enter!
>You enter the house.
>The inside is surprisingly humble. To the left, you see a small kitchen, and to the right are a number of sheets hung from the ceiling to make little side rooms. Small shelves run along the wall, with some tiny sets of metal rails running along them. Leafy plants in large pots are placed here and there, and the floor seems to have a few toys scattered across it. In the middle of the room, opposite of the door, is a large kotatsu where Yukari is sits; with a book open in front of her.
>"Hello again," says Yukari. "It seems you've done a bit of travelling?"
-
> "I have, and I must offer apologies for not visiting you sooner about those travels. May I presume you know where I have been, and thus why I am here to see you again?"
-
> "I have, and I must offer apologies for not visiting you sooner about those travels. May I presume you know where I have been, and thus why I am here to see you again?"
>"I have an inkling," she says. She glances over to Tenshi. "Tenshi, dear, how would you like to make a little spending money?"
>"Huh?" says Tenshi, frowning.
>"I would give you 20☼ if you would be so kind as to go to town and find Ran," says Yukari. "I find myself craving beef medallions all of a suddenly, and it would be rude to open a gap in the middle of the market and tell her, don't you think? So if you could go there and tell her to be sure to get the correct spices, I would be most pleased."
>Tenshi glances toward you. "Uh, think it's okay?"
>_
-
> Put on a face like we're thinking about it.
> "Hmm..."
> Nod.
> "I think it should be okay, yes, as long as you make sure to come right back once you're done. We may yet need all the local currency we can get, depending on how long Bhava-Agra stays where it is. Just be careful that you avoid the long-haired woman from the tavern. I do still need you by my side today."
-
> Put on a face like we're thinking about it.
> "Hmm..."
> Nod.
> "I think it should be okay, yes, as long as you make sure to come right back once you're done. We may yet need all the local currency we can get, depending on how long Bhava-Agra stays where it is. Just be careful that you avoid the long-haired woman from the tavern. I do still need you by my side today."
>"Well, okay, I'll be back," says Tenshi, as she walks out the door.
>Yukari waits a moment after the door closes, then says, "It really was rather foolish to bring her along if you intended to talk about those kind of things."
>_
-
> "She already knows where I went yesterday, and I have stated my exact reason for meeting you again at this time in front of her already, which merely pertains to where I was and how I got here from there, and not how I got there in the first place."
-
> "She already knows where I went yesterday, and I have stated my exact reason for meeting you again at this time in front of her already, which merely pertains to where I was and how I got here from there, and not how I got there in the first place."
>"We, however, know better," says Yukari. "And her presence would make frankness very difficult. But no matter, the situation has been handled. Please, speak."
>_
-
> "Of course. I come to you out of concern for two things, which may very well be related. One, that the barrier between Gensokyo and Makai appears to be no more, given I walked straight out of one into the other just yesterday evening. I found a note on the Makai side of things; apparently a gatekeeper named Sara had decided to quit her post and return to Higan after an exceptionally long and brutal winter of several years ago. It seems the poor girl's note has gone completely unnoticed by her fellow Makai residents, but that is beside the point. Makai now has free and easy access to Gensokyo. Two, that I have not seen any of Reimu, Marisa or Sanae about today, despite seeing them everywhere yesterday. Reimu appears to not be at her shrine; her little fairy companion is all in a tizzy from grief. No one I have spoken to knows where she is. I believe I did tell Reimu last night that I had just emerged from Makai, so I must wonder if the gate is where those three are now."
-
> "Of course. I come to you out of concern for two things, which may very well be related. One, that the barrier between Gensokyo and Makai appears to be no more, given I walked straight out of one into the other just yesterday evening. I found a note on the Makai side of things; apparently a gatekeeper named Sara had decided to quit her post and return to Higan after an exceptionally long and brutal winter of several years ago. It seems the poor girl's note has gone completely unnoticed by her fellow Makai residents, but that is beside the point. Makai now has free and easy access to Gensokyo. Two, that I have not seen any of Reimu, Marisa or Sanae about today, despite seeing them everywhere yesterday. Reimu appears to not be at her shrine; her little fairy companion is all in a tizzy from grief. No one I have spoken to knows where she is. I believe I did tell Reimu last night that I had just emerged from Makai, so I must wonder if the gate is where those three are now."
>She nods. "Your worries are appreciated. Makai is fine, I assure you. The guard's position is mostly ceremonial, which is why Lady Shinki has likely not bothered to replace her. I do keep an eye on that gateway, you are the first to pass through it in quite awhile. As for Reimu, I'm sure she's around."
>_
-
> "I see. This is a relief to hear, and it actually makes me feel slightly better about asking the two outside world girls to search around the area near the gateway for our missing problem solvers."
-
> "I see. This is a relief to hear, and it actually makes me feel slightly better about asking the two outside world girls to search around the area near the gateway for our missing problem solvers."
>"Now, they might well invite themselves to have a peek," says Yukari. "But that's fine. They're both capable, if not precisely powerful. Makai isn't a thing to worry about at the moment, it's own citizens contain themselves very effectively with their own desires. This is rather that made that tourist agency slightly worrisome, it helped them work their way out once; it was quite possible they could do it again."
>_
-
> Do we recall this 'tourist agency'?
> "Oh, and while I am thinking about it, a present."
> Walk over to Yukari.
> Look around the area for potential prying eyes.
> If there are none, take our shawl, and wrap it around the screwdriver while it is still in our purse, then take the shawl back out (with the screwdriver still inside) and hand it over to Yukari.
> "If possible, I would like the wrapping back once you are satisfied with the contents."
-
> Do we recall this 'tourist agency'?
> "Oh, and while I am thinking about it, a present."
> Walk over to Yukari.
> Look around the area for potential prying eyes.
> If there are none, take our shawl, and wrap it around the screwdriver while it is still in our purse, then take the shawl back out (with the screwdriver still inside) and hand it over to Yukari.
> "If possible, I would like the wrapping back once you are satisfied with the contents."
>You don't recall anything about this.
>You wrap up Yukari's Screwdriver and hand it to her. She takes it the package, opens a gap the length of her forearm beside the table, and places it inside. She then withdraws your shawl and hands it back to you. "Thank you, Miss Nagae. I'm sure you found it useful."
>_
-
> Smile.
> "I'm sure you have heard this many times in the past, but you are a truly amazing being."
-
> Smile.
> "I'm sure you have heard this many times in the past, but you are a truly amazing being."
>"Most certainly," she says. "But what amazes you the most, I wonder?"
>_
-
> "Right now, I would say it is a combination of your knowledge and foresight."
-
> "Right now, I would say it is a combination of your knowledge and foresight."
>"I would encourage you to go on," says Yukari, "But I suspect that you have other things to ask, or things that need to be handled."
>_
-
> "I actually do only have one other question. Once I have restored my home, I will need to free my people enslaved at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Given I have little-to-nothing to offer in exchange, what would you suggest?"
-
> "I actually do only have one other question. Once I have restored my home, I will need to free my people enslaved at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Given I have little-to-nothing to offer in exchange, what would you suggest?"
>"Well," says Yukari, "I daresay if Remilia is playing at being a hegemon of some kind, she will be most interested in negotiation simply to have an air of legitimacy, wouldn't you agree?"
>_
-
> "That is most likely true, yes. I wonder if she could be successfully convinced to let my people go with no real recompense, though...perhaps the temporary control over our island and our people will have been enough for her tastes."
-
> "That is most likely true, yes. I wonder if she could be successfully convinced to let my people go with no real recompense, though...perhaps the temporary control over our island and our people will have been enough for her tastes."
>"Mmm, I doubt that she's been sated already," says Yukari. "I expect she'll try to wrangle some sort of concession from you. Despite all appearances, I don't think she's very interested in slaves in the long term. It's not her style."
>_
-
> "Then I will have to produce something that can satisfy a vampire without smearing the spirituality of Bhava-Agra...how vexing."
-
> "Then I will have to produce something that can satisfy a vampire without smearing the spirituality of Bhava-Agra...how vexing."
>Yukari nods. "Yes, quite. But I'm sure Remilia understands that delays are often a part of diplomacy."
>_
-
> Sigh.
> "I suppose that is true as well. I guess I can ask The Dragon what Bhava-Agra has to offer her to free our people, once our home has been restored to its proper place."
-
> Sigh.
> "I suppose that is true as well. I guess I can ask The Dragon what Bhava-Agra has to offer her to free our people, once our home has been restored to its proper place."
>She nods. "I hope that is going well?"
>_
-
> "It is probably the most interesting conundrum I will ever run across in my lifetime. I still do not feel like I am any closer to my ultimate task of restoring my land, but I have at least successfully restored the people whose shadows had been taken, and...I've somehow made some sort of small social connection with the perpetrator, despite not even understanding how. She wishes for nothing but complete isolation, and yet she gone from trying to hate me to death to freely sharing information and trust, and I cannot figure out why."
-
> "It is probably the most interesting conundrum I will ever run across in my lifetime. I still do not feel like I am any closer to my ultimate task of restoring my land, but I have at least successfully restored the people whose shadows had been taken, and...I've somehow made some sort of small social connection with the perpetrator, despite not even understanding how. She wishes for nothing but complete isolation, and yet she gone from trying to hate me to death to freely sharing information and trust, and I cannot figure out why."
>"I would think it's rather obvious," says Yukari. "You're probably her only friend."
>_
-
> "Of course. She wants no friends. She wants nothing to do with anyone. What makes me different, I do not know."
-
> "Of course. She wants no friends. She wants nothing to do with anyone. What makes me different, I do not know."
>Yukari chuckles. "What's so shocking? You told me you didn't think she was a bad person and it seems to have turned out to be rather true, don't you think? It simply seems you made offers of goodwill in earnest, and she reciprocated. One would expect you to be ecstatic it really is a triumph of your philosophy, is it not?"
>_
-
> "It has occurred to me that she would not be where she is now without my philosophy overtaking hers, yes, but I wonder just how much she really believes in it. Near as I can tell, her actions are largely motivated by the mystery that is poltergeist death being the alternative."
-
> "It has occurred to me that she would not be where she is now without my philosophy overtaking hers, yes, but I wonder just how much she really believes in it. Near as I can tell, her actions are largely motivated by the mystery that is poltergeist death being the alternative."
>"Ah," says Yukari. "I never thought of that. Hmmm, that would explain the theft, wouldn't it?"
>_
-
> Nod.
> "And it is one of the major reasons why I refuse to simply beat the shadows out of her."
-
> Nod.
> "And it is one of the major reasons why I refuse to simply beat the shadows out of her."
>Yukari nods. "Quite so."
>_
-
> "Do you happen to know what becomes of a poltergeist when they die? Are they ferried across the river and judged, do they reincarnate as a lesser being, or do they simply cease to be?"
-
> "Do you happen to know what becomes of a poltergeist when they die? Are they ferried across the river and judged, do they reincarnate as a lesser being, or do they simply cease to be?"
>"I am reasonably sure they are not ferried across," says Yukari. "Otherwise it wouldn't have been so exceptional that the Yama paid them any mind during the flower incident, don't you agree?"
>_
-
> Nod.
> "This is a good point. And given their nature of coming into being, and how they sustain themselves...I suppose it is not unreasonable to think they would simply disappear upon death."
-
> Nod.
> "This is a good point. And given their nature of coming into being, and how they sustain themselves...I suppose it is not unreasonable to think they would simply disappear upon death."
>Yukari nods. "It seems reasonable. Though I would not rule out reincarnation into the animal realms."
>_
-
> "Which one would you speculate is more likely, given we know she is a poltergeist of shadows?"
-
> "Which one would you speculate is more likely, given we know she is a poltergeist of shadows?"
>"I don't bother myself to worry about such things," says Yukari. "It doesn't do much to affect the present either way."
>_
-
> "Yes, I suppose that is reasonable enough."
> "Out of curiosity, what was this tourist agency you mentioned?"
-
> "Yes, I suppose that is reasonable enough."
> "Out of curiosity, what was this tourist agency you mentioned?"
>"A couple of enterprising devils arranged for an escort from Pandemonium to the entrance to Gensokyo," says Yukari. "While the city devils aren't quite so rough as those in the country, on the whole, it was still a problem, and gave people ideas."
>_
-
> "Ooh. I can see why that would be a problem, yes. It's strange that I've never heard about all these things. I know I tend to be behind the times in Gensokyo, but...may I assume there being no barrier between here and Makai is not common knowledge among the Gensokyo people?"
-
> "Ooh. I can see why that would be a problem, yes. It's strange that I've never heard about all these things. I know I tend to be behind the times in Gensokyo, but...may I assume there being no barrier between here and Makai is not common knowledge among the Gensokyo people?"
>"Ah, there is most certainly a barrier," says Yukari. "Just, it has its little holes. But the Makai entrance is one of those little things we're happier not to have too well known."
>_
-
> "Of course. "
> "Mmm...I should probably also tell you that there's now some kind of spatial anomaly within Bhava-Agra's shadow. The poltergeist was able to detect it, but she has no idea how it got there, nor how to fix it. She actually thinks it's something malicious, but I haven't told her where it came from. Is it possible to fix that discreetly at some point?"
-
> "Of course. "
> "Mmm...I should probably also tell you that there's now some kind of spatial anomaly within Bhava-Agra's shadow. The poltergeist was able to detect it, but she has no idea how it got there, nor how to fix it. She actually thinks it's something malicious, but I haven't told her where it came from. Is it possible to fix that discreetly at some point?"
>"Can you tell me anything about it?" asks Yukari.
>_
-
> "It's the one that brought me to Makai. It is relatively close to the shadow of the island the Dragon Palace, a little bit out into the open space around it."
-
> "It's the one that brought me to Makai. It is relatively close to the shadow of the island the Dragon Palace, a little bit out into the open space around it."
>"Ah," says Yukari. "That shouldn't leave a lingering trace at all. I do take some pride in my work, after all. Are you sure it's not something else?"
>_
-
> "I...actually do not know, now. I had just assumed it was leftovers from your handiwork. She did say it was on the edge of the shadow void, where down became up. Is it possible Bhava-Agra's shadow is tearing at her internal void, or something similar?"
-
> "I...actually do not know, now. I had just assumed it was leftovers from your handiwork. She did say it was on the edge of the shadow void, where down became up. Is it possible Bhava-Agra's shadow is tearing at her internal void, or something similar?"
>"Down becomes up?" says Yukari. "I think I know the issue. She tried to make it so it's a complete prison, didn't she? That is, no matter how far you go, you would simply come back on the other side? If that is what she did, I imagine her work was a bit sloppy. It takes skill to do that sort of folding correctly."
>_
-
> "She did, yes. If you would like to tell her that her work was sloppy, you are most welcome to do so. I have found that she tends to bristle at the idea of someone knowing more about shadows than she does unless they demonstrate as such. And as we have yet to find someone that works with shadows as closely as she does..."
-
> "She did, yes. If you would like to tell her that her work was sloppy, you are most welcome to do so. I have found that she tends to bristle at the idea of someone knowing more about shadows than she does unless they demonstrate as such. And as we have yet to find someone that works with shadows as closely as she does..."
>"You may tell her that such things border on playing with dimensions," says Yukari, "which is where I would like to think I have some degree of professional weight. If she wishes to debate it, I suppose I can hold off going to bed until after supper."
>_
-
> "Well, she is currently making an important life decision, choosing between betraying her life philosophy and core beliefs and succumbing to near certain death with enigmatic afterlife prospects. I feel terribly for her having to make this choice at all, even if I do wish she will eventually find true happiness in socializing with others, and not merely the survival benefits she gets from contact with me. Should she choose to show herself to another, however, and you are willing to stay up to meet her while she is actually conscious, I would be glad to bring her to you."
-
> "Well, she is currently making an important life decision, choosing between betraying her life philosophy and core beliefs and succumbing to near certain death with enigmatic afterlife prospects. I feel terribly for her having to make this choice at all, even if I do wish she will eventually find true happiness in socializing with others, and not merely the survival benefits she gets from contact with me. Should she choose to show herself to another, however, and you are willing to stay up to meet her while she is actually conscious, I would be glad to bring her to you."
>Yukari nods. "You'll forgive me if I do not understand the situation well enough, but it sounds on the surface like some give and take will be necessary."
>_
-
> "I understand. What would you ask of me?"
-
> "I understand. What would you ask of me?"
>"I wasn't asking anything of you at all," she says, raising an eyebrow. "But if you would like me to weigh in on the issue, I would be willing to listen."
>_
-
> "Oh. I guess I did not understand. Forgive me, recent events have left me rather scatterbrained. And rather humbled, to be honest. I would be most happy to have her converse with you if that is the path she chooses, yes."
-
> "Oh. I guess I did not understand. Forgive me, recent events have left me rather scatterbrained. And rather humbled, to be honest. I would be most happy to have her converse with you if that is the path she chooses, yes."
>She nods.
>_
-
> Have we ever seen Yukari in Bhava-Agra, outside of the incident Tenshi caused?
> "Mmm...on an odd side note, would you happen to know how to travel through the Bamboo Forest to get to Eientei? I think I may owe Eirin and Reisen a visit at some point."
-
> Have we ever seen Yukari in Bhava-Agra, outside of the incident Tenshi caused?
> "Mmm...on an odd side note, would you happen to know how to travel through the Bamboo Forest to get to Eientei? I think I may owe Eirin and Reisen a visit at some point."
>You have not. But you are reasonable sure it is due more to personal preference than anything else. It is difficult to keep Yukari away when she wants to be somewhere.
>"I do," says Yukari, "But it would be much simpler to merely send you there, and have one of them show you the way out."
>_
-
> "Actually, would you mind doing so, then, once Tenshi returns? In addition to checking in on its residents and their health, it occurs to me that this is likely the best chance our searching expedition will have to investigate the area for the missing problem solvers."
-
> "Actually, would you mind doing so, then, once Tenshi returns? In addition to checking in on its residents and their health, it occurs to me that this is likely the best chance our searching expedition will have to investigate the area for the missing problem solvers."
>"Of course," she says.
>_
-
> Bow.
> "Thank you very much. You have been a live-saver to me throughout this entire ordeal. I do not know if I will ever be able to repay you properly."
-
> Bow.
> "Thank you very much. You have been a live-saver to me throughout this entire ordeal. I do not know if I will ever be able to repay you properly."
>"I expect you'll do your best in that regard in good time," says Yukari. "Do feel free to put in a good word for me with Miss Hearn, if you'd be so kind."
>_
-
> Smile.
> "Of course. And, you know, I've been thinking about putting in an application at that new kappa university for dance instruction. But perhaps I can offer private lessons on the side, or an invitation to an odd performance or two, depending on what you and your family would find enjoyable."
-
> Smile.
> "Of course. And, you know, I've been thinking about putting in an application at that new kappa university for dance instruction. But perhaps I can offer private lessons on the side, or an invitation to an odd performance or two, depending on what you and your family would find enjoyable."
>"We'll see," says Yukari.
>_
-
> Let our shoulders droop a little bit.
> "Well, sadly, I'm not sure what else I personally have to offer. As much as I do not have many tradeable materials, I similarly do not have too many tradeable talents."
-
> Let our shoulders droop a little bit.
> "Well, sadly, I'm not sure what else I personally have to offer. As much as I do not have many tradeable materials, I similarly do not have too many tradeable talents."
>She chuckles. "Don't worry so much about paying me back. I'm sure we'll find something in good time. Now, would you like to ask me anything else before Tenshi gets back and I send you off?"
>_
-
> "There is honestly plenty, but I'll try to keep the questions relevant. How much experience do you have working with shadows?"
-
> "There is honestly plenty, but I'll try to keep the questions relevant. How much experience do you have working with shadows?"
>"Not very much at all," says Yukari.
>_
-
> "Do you have any theoretical knowledge about their nature, then?"
-
> "Do you have any theoretical knowledge about their nature, then?"
>"I would like to think I know my way around the basics," says Yukari.
>_
-
> "Hmm..."
> Bite lower lip a bit.
> "...um, please do not ever let on that I asked you this at this point, but...do you know how to manifest a shadow for someone that doesn't have one?"
-
> "Hmm..."
> Bite lower lip a bit.
> "...um, please do not ever let on that I asked you this at this point, but...do you know how to manifest a shadow for someone that doesn't have one?"
>Yukari raises an eyebrow. "I expect you mean different from someone whose shadow has been removed? As in, a person who has never had one to begin with?"
>_
-
> "...Yes."
-
> "...Yes."
>"Mmm, that is a problem for a being, isn't it?" says Yukari. "If one doesn't have a shadow, then one is quite close to not existing at all. I've heard tales of false shadows being made, but...I suspect our friend is too much a connoisseur to be happy with that; I'm told they are terribly flawed"
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I suspect she would not particularly enjoy such a thing."
-
> Nod.
> "I suspect she would not particularly enjoy such a thing."
>"Nor would it really fix the problem," says Yukari.
>_
-
> "There is that too. What you say, that such a person might as well not exist at all...given she is a poltergeist of shadows, is it possible she has no shadow because she refuses to sustain herself as a poltergeist normally would?"
-
> "There is that too. What you say, that such a person might as well not exist at all...given she is a poltergeist of shadows, is it possible she has no shadow because she refuses to sustain herself as a poltergeist normally would?"
>"I would be willing to bet money on that, myself," says Yukari.
>_
-
> "Mmm. She's not going to like hearing that, I imagine."
-
> "Mmm. She's not going to like hearing that, I imagine."
>"I imagine not, given the problems you seem to be having with her," says Yukari.
>_
-
> "Well, she'll probably get to hear it regardless of who I take her to, whether she wants to hear it or not, so I suppose the only thing to do is to wait for her reaction. If possible, though, please do try to act like you were not particular expecting our line of questioning should she come here. I feel bad enough already talking about this behind her back while she values her personal privacy so much."
-
> "Well, she'll probably get to hear it regardless of who I take her to, whether she wants to hear it or not, so I suppose the only thing to do is to wait for her reaction. If possible, though, please do try to act like you were not particular expecting our line of questioning should she come here. I feel bad enough already talking about this behind her back while she values her personal privacy so much."
>"Of course," says Yukari. "I shall not let a hint slip."
>_
-
> "So, how does it feel to be able to break the fourth wall?"
Don't ask, but I felt like I had to do this :V
-
> Nod.
> "Again, I thank you for your assistance."
-
> "So, how does it feel to be able to break the fourth wall?"
>"You mad?" says Yukari.
> Nod.
> "Again, I thank you for your assistance."
>"Of course," says Yukari. "It would be unkind to simply leave things as they are."
>_
-
> "I am glad to say I have noticed a trend of such feelings amongst Gensokyo's people. Aside from a select few, Gensokyo has been very helpful to me."
-
> "I am glad to say I have noticed a trend of such feelings amongst Gensokyo's people. Aside from a select few, Gensokyo has been very helpful to me."
>Yukari nods.
>The door opens behind, and Tenshi comes in, panting for breath. "There..." she says, "Told her!"
>"Oh, nicely done," says Yukari, as she creates a hand-sized gap by her side, and withdraws a coin purse. She withdraws a few coins from it, and offers them to Tenshi. "I am quite certain you've salvaged supper, and we both can agree how important that is."
>"Yeah," she says, as she pockets the money.
>_
-
> Nod and smile at Tenshi.
> "A fine job, Tenshi. Now, I have decided on a slight change of plans while you were out. How would you feel about heading to Eientei ourselves?"
-
> Nod and smile at Tenshi.
> "A fine job, Tenshi. Now, I have decided on a slight change of plans while you were out. How would you feel about heading to Eientei ourselves?"
>"Sure," says Tenshi. "I guess you know how to get there now?"
>_
-
> Turn the smile into a half-grin.
> "I guess you could say that. Are you ready to go now, or do you still need time to rest form your journey?"
-
> Turn the smile into a half-grin.
> "I guess you could say that. Are you ready to go now, or do you still need time to rest form your journey?"
>"Just give me a moment to catch my breath," says Tenshi.
>Yukari produces a fan and draws it along the air beside her. A purple line follows in its wake, opening to reveal a gap large enough to step through. "Whenever you are ready," she says.
>_
-
>Nod
>Wait for Tenshi to give the ok, then to Yukari: "Thank you once again."
>Head into the gap
-
>Nod
>Wait for Tenshi to give the ok, then to Yukari: "Thank you once again."
>Head into the gap
>Tenshi gives a dubious look toward the gap, then shrugs. "Let's go."
>"Of course," says Yukari as you thank her.
>You step through the gap, reflexively closing your eyes. You feel a sort of weightlessness around yourself for a moment. When it passes, you open your eyes and see yourself surrounded by towering stalks of bamboo. Ahead, you can see wooden walls and low sloping roofs of what you presume to be Eientei. Two wooden doors stand a bit to the right of you, where two rabbits, neither of them even chest high to you, seem to be looking over them.
>"Ugh," says Tenshi behind you. "Remind me to never do that again..."
>_
-
>Frown
>"Did you find it disconcerting?"
>Do the rabbits appear to be looking towards us, then?
-
>Frown
>"Did you find it disconcerting?"
>Do the rabbits appear to be looking towards us, then?
>"Yeah," says Tenshi. "Maybe I should have closed my eyes."
>The rabbits glance over toward you; it seems they weren't aware of you originally, but they are now.
>_
-
>"Sound advice, I think, if ever this comes up again."
>Give a friendly wave in the rabbits' direction and walk towards the gate
-
>"Sound advice, I think, if ever this comes up again."
>Give a friendly wave in the rabbits' direction and walk towards the gate
>"It is, trust me," says Tenshi.
>You wave toward the rabbits and walk toward them. "Um, do you need something?" asks one of them, a dark-haired rabbit in a blue dress.
>_
-
>"I'd like to speak with Eirin, if she's around."
-
>"I'd like to speak with Eirin, if she's around."
>"She's a little busy with a guest right now," says the other rabbit, a taller one in a green dress who is otherwise reasonably identical to her companion.
>_
-
>"Hmmm... I see. On a separate note, I don't suppose either of you have seen Reimu, Marisa, or Sanae pass by this way, today?"
>Try to gauge if there's any reaction to any of those names
-
>"Hmmm... I see. On a separate note, I don't suppose either of you have seen Reimu, Marisa, or Sanae pass by this way, today?"
>Try to gauge if there's any reaction to any of those names
>One of them frowns.
>"That would be the guest, actually," says the shorter rabbit. "The Red White, I mean."
>_
-
>"I wondered as much. Was her arrival... cordial? Or otherwise?"
-
>"I wondered as much. Was her arrival... cordial? Or otherwise?"
>"Well, not really," says the taller rabbit. "The Princess, um, kinda took the offensive?"
>_
-
>"Oh dear... Are they still fighting?"
-
>"Oh dear... Are they still fighting?"
>"Not anymore," says the taller rabbit. "It was this morning. But she came back."
>_
-
>"Do you know why she returned? Did something else come up? I've actually been looking for Reimu so that I could finally lay to rest the matter of guilt in the fallen islands. I know that Eientei was implicated in this, too. At least as far as the incident solvers were concerned."
-
>"Do you know why she returned? Did something else come up? I've actually been looking for Reimu so that I could finally lay to rest the matter of guilt in the fallen islands. I know that Eientei was implicated in this, too. At least as far as the incident solvers were concerned."
>The taller one shrugs, while the smaller one says, "No idea."
>_
-
>"I have information that I believe can help demonstrate both our groups' innocence in this incident. I think it would good for all parties if I could speak with them."
-
>"I have information that I believe can help demonstrate both our groups' innocence in this incident. I think it would good for all parties if I could speak with them."
>"Well, I guess we could take you inside," says the taller rabbit. "It's kinda been one of those days..."
>_
-
>"I'd appreciate that. And I empathize. An irate incident solvers is not a fun thing to be in the way of."
-
>"I'd appreciate that. And I empathize. An irate incident solvers is not a fun thing to be in the way of."
>They nod, and the shorter one opens the doors. "Just follow me."
>_
-
>"Thank you."
>Follow along
-
>"Thank you."
>Follow along
>She leads you inside, along a wall of paper walls decorated with images of mountainscapes and bamboo in colored ink. The floors are made of wood, laid out in a tessellating pattern. You can hear activity around, down the halls and through the paper walls. Soon you come to an intersection, and the rabbit leads you to the right. You pass a few rooms before the hall ends in a doorway. "Wait here a moment," says the rabbit, as she approaches the door.
>She opens it and disappears inside for a moment. Then she emerges and says, "Okay, she'll see you."
>_
-
>Nod
>"Thank you."
>Enter
-
>Nod
>"Thank you."
>Enter
>You walk inside, and find yourself in an office. A large desk dominates the room, covered with papers and objects that you can't quite identify. A heavy-looking counter runs along the walls to the right and the back of the room, with cabinets building underneath them and more build into the walls. More knickknacks you can't really make sense cover the countertops, though you do recognize one of the things as a modern of a normal human's anatomy. The walls here are solid wood, likely to be able to suppose those cabinets. A couple large wardrobe-like cabinets are placed at the edges of the counter. A folder screen blocks off the left half of the room.
>You see Eirin sitting at the desk, while Reimu, her clothing bearing some of the distinctive damage of a danmaku struggle, sits in a chair in front of it.
>"We meet again," says Eirin.
>_
-
> How does Eirin look? Similarly beat up, or fine?
> Nod.
> "We do. It seems I am actually quite fortunate, as I was hoping to meet both of you. Reimu, you may be pleased to know that Nitori and Kogasa are back to their normal selves."
-
> How does Eirin look? Similarly beat up, or fine?
> Nod.
> "We do. It seems I am actually quite fortunate, as I was hoping to meet both of you. Reimu, you may be pleased to know that Nitori and Kogasa are back to their normal selves."
>Eirin seems like she's in normal condition.
>Reimu looks back at you from the chair as you speak with Eirin, then nods when you mention Kogasa and Nitori. "Good. That's one problem fixed."
>_
-
> "They can also confirm that neither Eirin nor myself are responsible for Bhava-Agra's current state. As much as that no longer seems to be an issue. As for the other obvious major problem, I am making progress. I must request you leave solving it to me, however, due to the very unique nature of the problem."
-
> "They can also confirm that neither Eirin nor myself are responsible for Bhava-Agra's current state. As much as that no longer seems to be an issue. As for the other obvious major problem, I am making progress. I must request you leave solving it to me, however, due to the very unique nature of the problem."
>"Yes, she's told me the story," says Reimu, "And we've had a talk about it. Marisa was here for it this morning, too. As for the other problem, well...I suppose that's okay. We've got other things to handle right now."
>_
-
>"Other things to handle?"
-
>"Other things to handle?"
>"It would be a problem if Remilia did something to that island floating over the forest," says Reimu. "Or that one over the town."
>_
-
>The second island we saw Remilia claim was near Kourindou, correct?
>Was there much habitation that we know of on it?
>"Extending her grasp too much for comfort? Not that I consider what she's done already trivial, to be fair. I'd intended to redress that issue once the islands were restored to their proper places. At the very least, it gives the captured celestials a safer haven to return to, if Remilia cannot be convinced to relinquish them civilly. Are you concerned what will happen if left unchecked?"
-
>The second island we saw Remilia claim was near Kourindou, correct?
>Was there much habitation that we know of on it?
>"Extending her grasp too much for comfort? Not that I consider what she's done already trivial, to be fair. I'd intended to redress that issue once the islands were restored to their proper places. At the very least, it gives the captured celestials a safer haven to return to, if Remilia cannot be convinced to relinquish them civilly. Are you concerned what will happen if left unchecked?"
>Yes. There was a village, and quite a few faeries of both Bhava-Agran and Gensokyoan origin.
>"I think it would be a good idea not to let her get too used to the idea of extending out like that," says Reimu. "I didn't care about the one over her mansion, and one over Kourindou is...a little bit of a worry. But more than, and there would definitely be a problem."
>_
-
>"Were you discussing what should be done about this, when I arrived, then?"
-
>"Were you discussing what should be done about this, when I arrived, then?"
>"More like giving a warning," says Reimu. "Eirin wasn't really aware."
>Eirin nods in agreement. "It would be a shame if Remilia decided to cause problems nearby."
>_
-
>"Indeed. I had assumed, at first, that she would confine herself to what was already within her territory, but clearly not. I don't know how aggressive she intends to be. Do either of you have any thoughts on the best course of action, regarding this?"
-
>"Indeed. I had assumed, at first, that she would confine herself to what was already within her territory, but clearly not. I don't know how aggressive she intends to be. Do either of you have any thoughts on the best course of action, regarding this?"
>"I intend to catch her in the act," says Reimu. "But that wouldn't really fix your problems, I don't think."
>_
-
>"So, if you intercept the attempted invasion of another island, you think that you'll be able to dissuade her from expanding further, but not force her to relinquish what she's already taken?"
-
>"So, if you intercept the attempted invasion of another island, you think that you'll be able to dissuade her from expanding further, but not force her to relinquish what she's already taken?"
>"Not in any way she'd recognize, anyways," says Reimu with a shrug.
>_
-
>"Then what do you think she would recognize?"
-
>"Then what do you think she would recognize?"
>"You'd have to convince her she wants to do it, for whatever reason, probably," says Reimu. "Remilia's pretty tenacious otherwise."
>_
-
>"And I guess an altercation with you might be sufficient to convince her that she doesn't want to acquire any more territory, then?"
>"This also means, I assume, that simply moving the islands out of ordinary reach would do little to weaken what she feels is her claim to them?"
-
>"And I guess an altercation with you might be sufficient to convince her that she doesn't want to acquire any more territory, then?"
>"This also means, I assume, that simply moving the islands out of ordinary reach would do little to weaken what she feels is her claim to them?"
>"Probably not," Reimu says, "In either case. At least not until she decides she doesn't want them anymore."
>_
-
>"I don't suppose you have any idea how we do that? Other than being equally tenacious in making her life difficult while she retains them?"
-
>"I don't suppose you have any idea how we do that? Other than being equally tenacious in making her life difficult while she retains them?"
>"Well, she's certainly very proud," says Reimu. "I'm sure you can use that to your advantage."
>_
-
> "Hmm...so might she care about negative journalistic publicity? Or are the tengu generally considered too sensationalist for her to care?"
-
> "Hmm...so might she care about negative journalistic publicity? Or are the tengu generally considered too sensationalist for her to care?"
>"She might," says Reimu. "Or it might just get her to tighter her grip out of spite."
>_
-
> "Well, I have to admit I dislike promoting directly slanderous journalism, but once one accepts that Bhava-Agra was not responsible for its fall to where it is now, it's rather hard to argue the idea that Remilia has simply assaulted a bunch of innocent people and stolen their homes for her own personal benefit. If she chooses to hang onto the islands out of spite after this is made public, it will only make her look even worse."
-
> The punch you had delivered to me has been received. Remind me to return the favor if I am ever maoschistic enough to subject myself to Ohio.
-
> "Well, I have to admit I dislike promoting directly slanderous journalism, but once one accepts that Bhava-Agra was not responsible for its fall to where it is now, it's rather hard to argue the idea that Remilia has simply assaulted a bunch of innocent people and stolen their homes for her own personal benefit. If she chooses to hang onto the islands out of spite after this is made public, it will only make her look even worse."
>"It might," says Reimu. "Or she might just decide two can play that game."
> The punch you had delivered to me has been received. Remind me to return the favor if I am ever maoschistic enough to subject myself to Ohio.
>No one is safe!
>_
-
> Frown.
> "I know that my people have nothing to hide, but...does she really hold that much sway in the media?"
-
> Frown.
> "I know that my people have nothing to hide, but...does she really hold that much sway in the media?"
>"I think the Tengu love a good fight and creative writing," Reimu says.
>_
-
> "Then I will need to make her admit it herself in earshot of a reporter, I guess."
-
> "Then I will need to make her admit it herself in earshot of a reporter, I guess."
>"Perhaps," says Reimu, "But I can't imagine that Remilia is going to respond how you'd want to that kind of thing."
>_
-
> Is it true that we have only ever had one combative encounter with Remilia, and that we were the victor?
> "I think I might have an idea on that front, actually. It will take a lot of work on my part, but I believe it is doable. Of course, it would be very helpful if you were there when I confront her about it, even if only to confirm that Bhava-Agra is indeed casting improper shadows."
-
> Is it true that we have only ever had one combative encounter with Remilia, and that we were the victor?
> "I think I might have an idea on that front, actually. It will take a lot of work on my part, but I believe it is doable. Of course, it would be very helpful if you were there when I confront her about it, even if only to confirm that Bhava-Agra is indeed casting improper shadows."
>Yes. During the Scarlet Weather incident.
>"Okay," says Reimu. "Maybe I'll show up, but don't expect her to care."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "You just leave worrying about how much she cares to me. And, while I'm thinking about it, do you know where Marisa and Sanae are now? I figure that, the more major problem solvers in front of which she confesses her sins, the better, because it makes her less and less likely to claim a later story to be lies."
-
Going to bed. Draco or whoever else is around, I think I'm about set with Reimu. I'd like to ask Eirin how Reisen is doing as a courtesy, but after that, I think we're done here, and can reconvene at Turtle House (unless we learn where Marisa is and want to go see her immediately for some reason).
-
> Nod.
> "You just leave worrying about how much she cares to me. And, while I'm thinking about it, do you know where Marisa and Sanae are now? I figure that, the more major problem solvers in front of which she confesses her sins, the better, because it makes her less and less likely to claim a later story to be lies."
>"Marisa is watching the island over the town, the one with all the peaches," says Reimu. "Sanae is taking care of that one a bit west of town. We figure those are her other likely targets."
>_
-
> "I see. I must thank you three for putting in as much effort as you have into defending my home, then."
-
> "I see. I must thank you three for putting in as much effort as you have into defending my home, then."
>Reimu nods. "Like I said, it'll be a real problem for everyone if it goes on."
>_
-
> "I can imagine."
> Turn to Eirin.
> "Oh, and how is Reisen doing today?"
-
> "I can imagine."
> Turn to Eirin.
> "Oh, and how is Reisen doing today?"
>Reimu nods again.
>You turn to Eirin and inquire about Reisen. "He fever hasn't quite broken yet," says Eirin, "But it's not quite so bad today. I imagine it won't be long until she's ready to make up for lost meals."
>_
-
> "I am glad to hear this. Please tell her I wish her the best."
> Turn back to Reimu.
> "As my initial business here appears to have been resolves, I believe I must depart, to begin preparations for the idea I have to convince Remilia it will be worth giving up her perceived control of our islands. Where may I find you later?"
-
> "I am glad to hear this. Please tell her I wish her the best."
> Turn back to Reimu.
> "As my initial business here appears to have been resolves, I believe I must depart, to begin preparations for the idea I have to convince Remilia it will be worth giving up her perceived control of our islands. Where may I find you later?"
>"I intend to stay around that island over the bamboo forest," says Reimu.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Understood. If my preparations work out as I hope they will, I expect I will come visit you again. Just to forewarn you, given what my plan involves, I will tell you that I have no intention of violence unless Remilia or her faction instigate it by taking violent action first. "
-
> Nod.
> "Understood. If my preparations work out as I hope they will, I expect I will come visit you again. Just to forewarn you, given what my plan involves, I will tell you that I have no intention of violence unless Remilia or her faction instigate it by taking violent action first. "
>'Well, if you're planning on trying to antagonize her into getting what you want, you probably should plan on it," says Reimu.
>_
-
> "If it is necessary, I will defend myself in combat. I have defeated her once; I can do it again. But I believe I can take advantage of her pride to the point where admitting in front of a journalist that she has been assaulting innocents and taking their land for her own personal gain will be the least of all evils. Her servants still believe that we were an invading force, and they believe this because she tells them it is so. But, if my preparations go as well as I will try to make them go, I can prove to her and her servants that we were not responsible for our island's fall by having the real perpetrator provide them with a demonstration of what they did to make the islands fall."
-
> "If it is necessary, I will defend myself in combat. I have defeated her once; I can do it again. But I believe I can take advantage of her pride to the point where admitting in front of a journalist that she has been assaulting innocents and taking their land for her own personal gain will be the least of all evils. Her servants still believe that we were an invading force, and they believe this because she tells them it is so. But, if my preparations go as well as I will try to make them go, I can prove to her and her servants that we were not responsible for our island's fall by having the real perpetrator provide them with a demonstration of what they did to make the islands fall."
>"Might work," says Reimu, "But she also might not care. No one really can make sense of how her mind works, sometimes."
>_
-
> "I suspect she will care, or at least care enough that she will be willing to admit that we are innocent, and that she has thus been assaulting innocents. She will need a demonstration in the power of shadows, yes? And what happens to something when it's shadow is removed, like what happened to Bhava-Agra, whose improperly cast shadows you and the other problem solvers can confirm? But it would be pointless to demonstrate the effects of shadow removal on a stationary, inanimate object like a rock or a tree, because there would be no noticeable effect. So it would need to be demonstrated on a person, to immediately show the effects of shadow removal. But she may very well believe we are just bluffing in an effort to get her to admit she was wrong in front of her servants, yes? So she would be perfectly willing to call our bluff and allow her head maid to be a test subject for shadow removal."
-
> "I suspect she will care, or at least care enough that she will be willing to admit that we are innocent, and that she has thus been assaulting innocents. She will need a demonstration in the power of shadows, yes? And what happens to something when it's shadow is removed, like what happened to Bhava-Agra, whose improperly cast shadows you and the other problem solvers can confirm? But it would be pointless to demonstrate the effects of shadow removal on a stationary, inanimate object like a rock or a tree, because there would be no noticeable effect. So it would need to be demonstrated on a person, to immediately show the effects of shadow removal. But she may very well believe we are just bluffing in an effort to get her to admit she was wrong in front of her servants, yes? So she would be perfectly willing to call our bluff and allow her head maid to be a test subject for shadow removal."
>Reimu nods. "I could see that working."
>"Or," says Eirin, "She would simply say that you're trying to impair or make a hostage of one of her top people and refuse to allow it at all. That's certainly what I might think in such a scenario."
>_
-
> "Then she will be admitting that the real perpetrator is indeed the real perpetrator, and that she has been mistaken - or lying - about the whole situation."
-
> "Then she will be admitting that the real perpetrator is indeed the real perpetrator, and that she has been mistaken - or lying - about the whole situation."
>"Why would she be admitting that?" says Eirin. "Rather, she would be accusing you of trying some kind of trick as a prelude to some sort of other plan. Perhaps you are merely trying to curse her maid in some way? It's really not difficult to imagine a sizable amount of plausible foul play you could engage in if she handed Sakuya over to you. I most certainly wouldn't expect it to work without quite a bit of equivalent sacrifice from your side."
>_
-
> "If I am really attempting to engage in foul play regarding her head maid, then there are problem solvers present that will be readily handy to assist her in taking me down."
-
> "If I am really attempting to engage in foul play regarding her head maid, then there are problem solvers present that will be readily handy to assist her in taking me down."
>"Thinking on it," says Eirin, "She might just call them being there an act of bad faith and leave it at that. Which means, of course, if she doesn't insist upon running them off, she's already made a concession, as far as she's concerned."
>"...Eirin, is there something you need to tell me?" says Reimu, giving the doctor a look.
>"It's nothing," says Eirin. "Just trying to think from her perspective. It seems obvious she'll be expecting signs of foul play."
>_
-
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "And what reason would she have to not trust what is supposed to be Gensokyo's presiding neutrality?"
-
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "And what reason would she have to not trust what is supposed to be Gensokyo's presiding neutrality?"
>"Because they were uninvited," says Eirin. "And because Remilia has clashed with them before. I know that I would most certainly take a dim view if you brought them here unbidden if we were having a disagreement. It might feel like you're trying to make a threat."
>Reimu frowns.
>_
-
> "As I recall, they have clashed with me before as well, on more than one occasion, and even as recently as yesterday to boot."
-
> "As I recall, they have clashed with me before as well, on more than one occasion, and even as recently as yesterday to boot."
>"Well, they also think you're an invader, according to you," says Eirin. "So that is to be expected."
>_
-
> "I apologize for being unclear. I was referring to Reimu and Marisa clashing with me, not Remilia. If Remilia wants to play some sort of sympathy card and claim they are out to get her, I will have no problem pointing out they have done the same to me, more recently, and, I suspect, more commonly."
-
> "I apologize for being unclear. I was referring to Reimu and Marisa clashing with me, not Remilia. If Remilia wants to play some sort of sympathy card and claim they are out to get her, I will have no problem pointing out they have done the same to me, more recently, and, I suspect, more commonly."
>Eirin nods. "Ah. Well, I might still press the point of the unspoken threat, if the opportunity is given, as well as a lack of invitation. Perhaps it would be better to bring one?"
>_
-
> "It is not necessary to bring everyone, I suppose. And, ideally, this will happen outside, so she will have her gatekeeper on-hand to assist in repulsing any malicious behavior."
-
> "It is not necessary to bring everyone, I suppose. And, ideally, this will happen outside, so she will have her gatekeeper on-hand to assist in repulsing any malicious behavior."
>Eirin nods. "Well, worse comes to worst, I imagine she would be willing to duel over it."
>_
-
> "If such is necessary, then so be it. It might actually be a cleaner solution overall, though I still would prefer a solution that lacks violence if I can get one, since the shadow restoration process appears to be fairly quick. Regardless, I will have to take what I can get, as long as my people are freed."
-
> "If such is necessary, then so be it. It might actually be a cleaner solution overall, though I still would prefer a solution that lacks violence if I can get one, since the shadow restoration process appears to be fairly quick. Regardless, I will have to take what I can get, as long as my people are freed."
>"I got her," says Tenshi.
>Eirin nods.
>"I suppose, when you're ready, you can call on me," says Reimu.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "All right. I thank you both for your assistance. But while I am thinking about it, Reimu, there is someone quite distraught about your apparent disappearance. She is part of the reason we coordinated a search effort for you. I suspect you can guess who it is."
-
> Nod.
> "All right. I thank you both for your assistance. But while I am thinking about it, Reimu, there is someone quite distraught about your apparent disappearance. She is part of the reason we coordinated a search effort for you. I suspect you can guess who it is."
>"...Oh, she showed up again?" says Reimu. "She kinda didn't make it through my meeting with Sakuya yesterday. I figured she would have forgotten about everything."
>_
-
> "That would certainly explain why I ran into her near the mansion. But yes, she's very agitated. You may, um, want to let her know you're okay. Of course, I imagine this is for a very liberal definition of 'want'."
-
> "That would certainly explain why I ran into her near the mansion. But yes, she's very agitated. You may, um, want to let her know you're okay. Of course, I imagine this is for a very liberal definition of 'want'."
>Reimu shrugs. "I suppose I better go deal with the before some townsperson swats her and feels guilty about it."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Also, I've done some thinking about your bed problem. I recall a small group of fairies from yesterday that were headed to your shrine with some sort of revenge plot on their minds. I paid it little mind at the time because they were fairies, but, in retrospect, I suspect they may have been the ones responsible."
-
> Nod.
> "Also, I've done some thinking about your bed problem. I recall a small group of fairies from yesterday that were headed to your shrine with some sort of revenge plot on their minds. I paid it little mind at the time because they were fairies, but, in retrospect, I suspect they may have been the ones responsible."
>"I thought so," says Reimu. "Marisa mentioned she found a couple of futons on her roof this morning."
>_
-
> "Oh! Well, I guess that settles that issue for the most part, then. I am glad to hear you have successfully located them."
-
> "Oh! Well, I guess that settles that issue for the most part, then. I am glad to hear you have successfully located them."
>"Thanks for remembering, though," says Reimu.
>_
-
> "Well, again, thank you both for your help. I must admit that we don't know how to return to the human village, however, as it was Lady Yakumo's kindness that brought us here in the first place."
-
> "Well, again, thank you both for your help. I must admit that we don't know how to return to the human village, however, as it was Lady Yakumo's kindness that brought us here in the first place."
>"Just fly up, and use that island to find your way," says Reimu. "Not that you need to, leaving here's pretty easy. Finding your way back's the pain."
>_
-
> "...Yes, I suppose that would do nicely. I will detain you no further, then. Let us all hope for a peaceful resolution to this myriad of unfortunate circumstances."
-
> "...Yes, I suppose that would do nicely. I will detain you no further, then. Let us all hope for a peaceful resolution to this myriad of unfortunate circumstances."
>Reimu nods. "I'll get back to town in a little bit."
>_
-
> Bow to both Reimu and Eirin.
> Exit Eientei the same way we came.
-
> Bow to both Reimu and Eirin.
> Exit Eientei the same way we came.
>Both lower their head in turn. "Have a good trip," says Eirin.
>You and Tenshi exit. Thankfully, the way is easy to remember, and soon you find yourself outside.
>_
-
> Look at Tenshi and point up.
> "Shall we, then?"
-
> Look at Tenshi and point up.
> "Shall we, then?"
>"Sure, lead the way," says Tenshi.
>_
-
> Fly on up through the bamboo. Keep our face protected from stray branches as necessary.
> Once we have crested the canopy of the bamboo, look around for the nearby island. If we find it, can we confirm that it is the island Tenshi's mother is on?
-
> Fly on up through the bamboo. Keep our face protected from stray branches as necessary.
> Once we have crested the canopy of the bamboo, look around for the nearby island. If we find it, can we confirm that it is the island Tenshi's mother is on?
>You take to the air, picking your way through the towering stalks of bamboo. You break through the canopy without any real issues.
>Flying over the forest, you can see the island to the west and a bit north. You are quite certain it is the one where Tenshi's mother is.
>_
-
> "Hmm. Since we're in the area, Tenshi, woul you like to pay your mother a quick visit?"
-
> "Hmm. Since we're in the area, Tenshi, woul you like to pay your mother a quick visit?"
>"I suppose we could," says Tenshi, "But didn't you say we were in a hurry and stuff?"
>_
-
> Check the sky. What time abouts does it seem to be?
> "We won't be able to stay for long, but I imagine we spent less time doing any actual searching than anyone else, so I think we can afford a couple of minutes. Then we'll swing back to the Turtle House, and hit up Momizi from there."
-
> Check the sky. What time abouts does it seem to be?
> "We won't be able to stay for long, but I imagine we spent less time doing any actual searching than anyone else, so I think we can afford a couple of minutes. Then we'll swing back to the Turtle House, and hit up Momizi from there."
>It's midafternoon, now. You imagine it's a bit past 2 PM.
>_
-
> About how long does it take to fly to Youkai Mountain?
-
> About how long does it take to fly to Youkai Mountain?
>You aren't precisely sure, but it'll probably be closer to three o'clock than two o'clock by the time you get there.
>_
-
> "Mmm...yes, this will have to be quick. But I think we can afford a minute or two."
> Head off to the island and look around for the place where Tenshi's mother was last.
-
> "Mmm...yes, this will have to be quick. But I think we can afford a minute or two."
> Head off to the island and look around for the place where Tenshi's mother was last.
>"Okay," says Tenshi.
>You make your way toward the island, and toward the farm where Lady Hinanai was staying. You can see what looks like a few faeries running around and playing near the house.
>_
-
> Do we recognize any of them from yesterday?
> Approach the fairies. Wave at them when they notice us.
-
> Do we recognize any of them from yesterday?
> Approach the fairies. Wave at them when they notice us.
>You think you see the one that was carrying the mop while guarding the door yesterday.
>You wave as a few of them look your way. They wave back at you, but don't seem to take any other action.
>_
-
> Get within conversation range.
> "Good day. Is Superfortress OmegaSpiffy accepting visitors today?"
-
> Get within conversation range.
> "Good day. Is Superfortress OmegaSpiffy accepting visitors today?"
>You close in and ask about visiting. You quickly recieve a chorus of "Yes!", "No!", "Who wants to know!" and "Did you bring any cookies?"
>_
-
> "Well, I ask because..."
> Gesture at Tenshi.
> "...this is the daughter of one of the slaves. It would be a nice thing to let your slave see her daughter, wouldn't it?"
-
> "Well, I ask because..."
> Gesture at Tenshi.
> "...this is the daughter of one of the slaves. It would be a nice thing to let your slave see her daughter, wouldn't it?"
>You gesture to Tenshi, who gives a little wave. A couple of the faeries approach, pronouncedly scrutinizing here.
>"Yeah, alright," says one of the scrutinizing faeries.
>_
-
> Nod and smile.
> "Thank you."
> Go to the farmhouse (or wherever Lady Hinanai was) and knock on the door.
-
> Nod and smile.
> "Thank you."
> Go to the farmhouse (or wherever Lady Hinanai was) and knock on the door.
>You head to the door and knock. "Come in!" calls Lady Hinanai's voice
>_
-
> Enter!
-
> Enter!
>You walk inside, and find the farmhouse more or less as it was yesterday. Cirno is sitting at a table, eating a large piece of peach pie. Lady Hinanai is sitting on the rocking chair, and seems to be darning a shirt.
>"S'up, punks," says Cirno through a mouthful of pie.
>"Lady Nagae," says Lady Hinanai as you enter. "And, I see you have Tenshi with you today. Hello dear, I hope things haven't been too rough on you?"
>"Naw, it's been alright." says Tenshi.
>_
-
> Nod to Cirno, then turn back to Lady Hinanai.
> "Tenshi has been most helpful in working toward resolving some of the present outstanding issues. I have been very thankful to have her along."
> Do we know where Tenshi's father would be?
-
> Nod to Cirno, then turn back to Lady Hinanai.
> "Tenshi has been most helpful in working toward resolving some of the present outstanding issues. I have been very thankful to have her along."
> Do we know where Tenshi's father would be?
>"Ah, that would explain what happened to her lip," says Lady Hinanai. "I was afraid you were just going out and getting in fights again, dear."
>"Naw, Iku asked me to do that one."
>You don't, but you recall Lady Hinanai saying most of them were at the city to the northeast.
>_
-
> "Yes, I will take responsibility for your daughter's injuries. As strange as it may sound, the combat I requested was a large help in furthering the ultimate objective of amicably restoring our home to where it belongs."
-
> "Yes, I will take responsibility for your daughter's injuries. As strange as it may sound, the combat I requested was a large help in furthering the ultimate objective of amicably restoring our home to where it belongs."
>"Odd," says Lady Hinanai. "But I imagine you won, dear?"
>"Didn't know what hit her," says Tenshi with a little grin.
>_
-
> "I returned from my work to find the other combatant in a crumpled heap on the ground. I would have seen Tenshi's victory for myself, but I was busy elsewhere, taking advantage of the distraction the duel was providing. And yes, it is quite odd. The entire situation is very odd and rather tragic, in addition to the obvious things such as very annoying."
-
> "I returned from my work to find the other combatant in a crumpled heap on the ground. I would have seen Tenshi's victory for myself, but I was busy elsewhere, taking advantage of the distraction the duel was providing. And yes, it is quite odd. The entire situation is very odd and rather tragic, in addition to the obvious things such as very annoying."
>Lady Hinanai nods. "I imagine it's been quite irritating for practically everyone involved at this point."
>_
-
> "Very. Given that, we must make our departure very soon, as we still have many things to take care of. I trust Lady Cirno has treated you well, and that we can continue to not worry about you while you are in her care?"
> This is the island Reimu said she would be watching over, correct?
-
> "Very. Given that, we must make our departure very soon, as we still have many things to take care of. I trust Lady Cirno has treated you well, and that we can continue to not worry about you while you are in her care?"
> This is the island Reimu said she would be watching over, correct?
>"She's been a little sweetheart," says Lady Hinanai. "Though I am a little concerned she is going to put on some weight if she keeps demanding pie."
>Cirno gives Lady Hinanai a dirty look.
>_
-
> "Oh, that could indeed be a worry. But I think I may have a potential help to such a problem, as well as a larger worry."
> Turn to Cirno.
> "Lady Cirno, do you remember yesterday, when I told you that Remilia has not been behaving as quite the benevolent conqueror that you have been?"
-
> "Oh, that could indeed be a worry. But I think I may have a potential help to such a problem, as well as a larger worry."
> Turn to Cirno.
> "Lady Cirno, do you remember yesterday, when I told you that Remilia has not been behaving as quite the benevolent conqueror that you have been?"
>"Huh?" says Cirno. "You did?"
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I did not discuss her in much detail, but I did. It seems that her thirst for power and territory has grown, and she is trying to expand control over the islands in the sky. The red-white and her friends believe this island, with your fortress, could be next on her path of conquest."
-
> Nod.
> "I did not discuss her in much detail, but I did. It seems that her thirst for power and territory has grown, and she is trying to expand control over the islands in the sky. The red-white and her friends believe this island, with your fortress, could be next on her path of conquest."
>"Hey! I claimed it first!" Cirno shouts.
>_
-
> "I do not think Remilia is terribly interested in playing by the rules. I do not think she is interested in much beyond making herself more important. She does not treat the celestials she has conquered as nicely as you do yours. But all is not ill! The red-white is here to help defend this island against any attack Remilia may order. Lady Cirno, I humbly request that you fight alongside the red-white, should Remilia show her face here."
> Gesture to Lady Hinanai.
> "Your maid here, the one that makes you so many delicious pies..."
> Gesture to Tenshi.
> "...is actually Tenshi's mother. We have seen that you treat her well, and we have faith that yourself and the red-white can suppress any of Remilia's invasion attempts. After all, I understand that fairies have defeated Remilia's forces in battle before, so I have faith that you can put up a proper fight. Please, defend your fortress, and defend your precious maids. Do not let Remilia take them away. We are counting on you to keep Lady Hinanai safe."
-
> "I do not think Remilia is terribly interested in playing by the rules. I do not think she is interested in much beyond making herself more important. She does not treat the celestials she has conquered as nicely as you do yours. But all is not ill! The red-white is here to help defend this island against any attack Remilia may order. Lady Cirno, I humbly request that you fight alongside the red-white, should Remilia show her face here."
> Gesture to Lady Hinanai.
> "Your maid here, the one that makes you so many delicious pies..."
> Gesture to Tenshi.
> "...is actually Tenshi's mother. We have seen that you treat her well, and we have faith that yourself and the red-white can suppress any of Remilia's invasion attempts. After all, I understand that fairies have defeated Remilia's forces in battle before, so I have faith that you can put up a proper fight. Please, defend your fortress, and defend your precious maids. Do not let Remilia take them away. We are counting on you to keep Lady Hinanai safe."
>"Wait, that's Tenshi's mother?" says Cirno. "That's so gross!"
>"Hey, you wanna take this outside?" says Tenshi.
>"I'll take you outside!" says Cirno.
>_
-
> "Lady Cirno, please. Such rudeness is not befitting of someone of your stature. Besides, there are other matters to worry about, such as the safety of your fortress."
-
> "Lady Cirno, please. Such rudeness is not befitting of someone of your stature. Besides, there are other matters to worry about, such as the safety of your fortress."
>"Ha!" says Cirno, pointing at Tenshi.
>"You think you can just brush me off like that, you little shit?" says Tenshi, as she puts her hand on her sword.
>"Says the big shit, oooooooh!"
>_
-
> "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Cirno, if you keep insulting Tenshi, your maid may be far less inclined to make pies as tasty as she been. Is that what you want?"
-
> "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Cirno, if you keep insulting Tenshi, your maid may be far less inclined to make pies as tasty as she been. Is that what you want?"
>"Hey, she started it!" says Cirno.
>"Like hell!" says Tenshi.
>"You're hell!"
>_
-
> Look to Tenshi's mother with an 'I need some help here' look on our face.
-
> Look to Tenshi's mother with an 'I need some help here' look on our face.
>You look to Lady Hinanai, begging for aid. She nods.
>"Tenshi, dear?" she says.
>"What, mom?" Tenshi says, her voice sharp.
>"Let me handle this. Wouldn't it be more embarrassing for her to be bested by your mother, all told? You and Iku have important work to do."
>"Okay, fine!" says Tenshi
>"Wait, what?" says Cirno.
>_
-
> Bow to Tenshi's mother.
> "I will leave it to you, Lady Hinanai. Thank you, and stay safe. And please, assist the red-white as you can."
> Beckon Tenshi to follow us and exit the house.
-
> Bow to Tenshi's mother.
> "I will leave it to you, Lady Hinanai. Thank you, and stay safe. And please, assist the red-white as you can."
> Beckon Tenshi to follow us and exit the house.
>You bow toward Lady Hinanai, beckon to Tenshi, then depart.
>"You better run!" Cirno calls.
>Tenshi stops at the threshold, then says, "You know, Iku, this would only take me like a minute."
>_
-
> "I know it would. And you were right, and she was wrong. But your mother can handle the situation."
> Look to Tenshi. Put a finger to our mouth in a 'shhh' pose, point to the door with the same finger, beckon her again and take flight toward Renko and Maribel's house.
> "I'll tell you what. Once we've taken care of today's business, if Cirno still wants a fight, and you still want a fight, the two of you can have your duel. Outside, of course, to minimize the risk of collateral damage."
-
> "I know it would. And you were right, and she was wrong. But your mother can handle the situation."
> Look to Tenshi. Put a finger to our mouth in a 'shhh' pose, point to the door with the same finger, beckon her again and take flight toward Renko and Maribel's house.
> "I'll tell you what. Once we've taken care of today's business, if Cirno still wants a fight, and you still want a fight, the two of you can have your duel. Outside, of course, to minimize the risk of collateral damage."
>"Fiiiiiiiine," says Tenshi, as she departs with you.
>"She's gonna get hers," Tenshi says.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I am sure she will. And I meant what I said, since we're now out of earshot. That was a very rude thing of her to say."
-
> Nod.
> "I am sure she will. And I meant what I said, since we're now out of earshot. That was a very rude thing of her to say."
>"Yeah, you should've just let me handle that," says Tenshi.
>_
-
> "I considered it, but your mother has taken a bit of a shine to Cirno, and I didn't want to see the two of you fight in front of her."
-
> "I considered it, but your mother has taken a bit of a shine to Cirno, and I didn't want to see the two of you fight in front of her."
>"Ack. Fine," says Tenshi.
>_
-
> Soft smile.
> "Don't let her get to you too much. She's just a silly fairy, and one you could vaporize fairly effortlessly at that. I'd bet she'll have forgotten all about this in two hours."
> Frown.
> "And at least you didn't go through the indignity of calling her "Lady" to keep up appearances and maintain her happiness."
-
> Soft smile.
> "Don't let her get to you too much. She's just a silly fairy, and one you could vaporize fairly effortlessly at that. I'd bet she'll have forgotten all about this in two hours."
> Frown.
> "And at least you didn't go through the indignity of calling her "Lady" to keep up appearances and maintain her happiness."
>"Yeah, what was up with that?" says Tenshi. "Not like she could do anything if you didn't."
>_
-
> "It was partly to keep her happy and distracted, for all the good I did in the end in that regard. The other part was to perhaps convince her that it was her duty to defend the island alongside Reimu, and thus keep her distracted in a different way."
-
> "It was partly to keep her happy and distracted, for all the good I did in the end in that regard. The other part was to perhaps convince her that it was her duty to defend the island alongside Reimu, and thus keep her distracted in a different way."
>"Maybe," says Tenshi. "She's probably just get in Reimu's way. But whatever."
>_
-
> Shrug.
> "Eh, it's over and done now."
> Continue flying toward the Turtle House.
-
> Shrug.
> "Eh, it's over and done now."
> Continue flying toward the Turtle House.
>It takes you a few minutes to complete the trip, but you reach Turtle house without any issues. Things seem to be quiet for the moment.
>_
-
> Does it seem to be Quiet Too Quiet?
I gotta stop troping.
-
Purvis has been known to punish for troping, so yes, watch out. >_>
> Knock on the door.
> Plaster a toothy grin on our face.
-
> Does it seem to be Quiet Too Quiet?
>Your mom's too quiet.
> Knock on the door.
> Plaster a toothy grin on our face.
>You knock on the door.
>No one answers.
>_
-
> Lose the grin.
> "...Huh. Were we the first back?"
> Check through a window.
> Check surrounding shadows to make sure they're okay.
-
> Lose the grin.
> "...Huh. Were we the first back?"
> Check through a window.
> Check surrounding shadows to make sure they're okay.
>Your grin drops. "Guess so," says Tenshi.
>You look through the windows, and don't see anyone inside.
>You examine the nearby shadows, and see that they appear to be intact.
>_
-
> Do we have a writing utensil on us?
> If not, turn to Tenshi.
> "Would you happen to have a writing utensil?"
-
> Do we have a writing utensil on us?
> If not, turn to Tenshi.
> "Would you happen to have a writing utensil?"
>You do not.
>"Yeah, I got a pencil," she says.
>_
-
> Pull out Utsuho's note.
> "Do you mind if I borrow it for a moment?"
-
> Pull out Utsuho's note.
> "Do you mind if I borrow it for a moment?"
>She hands it to you without a word.
>_
-
> Flip Utsuho's note to the side where nothing is written.
> Find a solid surface we were can put the note so we can write on it.
> Write 'Found Rei near Bamboo. Rei/Ma/Sa guarding diff. islands. Remi expanding 'empire'. Thank you very much for help, everyone."
> Stick the note on or under the door, so it is firmly attached to wherever it is.
-
> Flip Utsuho's note to the side where nothing is written.
> Find a solid surface we were can put the note so we can write on it.
> Write 'Found Rei near Bamboo. Rei/Ma/Sa guarding diff. islands. Remi expanding 'empire'. Thank you very much for help, everyone."
> Stick the note on or under the door, so it is firmly attached to wherever it is.
>You write an an abbreviated note, and slide it under the door.
>_
-
> "That should do. Thank you, Tenshi."
> Hand the pencil back.
-
> "That should do. Thank you, Tenshi."
> Hand the pencil back.
>You return Tenshi's pencil; she stows it away in some pocket or other.
>_
-
> "All right, I think we're all set here. It is a shame we have to leave without saying a proper goodbye, but time waits for no woman. Let us begin this newest stage of our mission."
> Take flight and head to Youkai Mountain.
-
> "All right, I think we're all set here. It is a shame we have to leave without saying a proper goodbye, but time waits for no woman. Let us begin this newest stage of our mission."
> Take flight and head to Youkai Mountain.
>"Got it," says Tenshi, as she takes flight behind you.
>The trip to Youkai Mountain is about as pleasant as could be expected. Without the worry of Reimu or Marisa, the main fear now is faeries. Thankfully, they are still rather sparse after the events of yesterday, and none seem especially interested in giving you trouble. Soon, you are flying over the forest at the foot of Youkai Mountain. The tengu patrols don't seem to be as thick as they were, but you can still see a couple around.
>_
-
> Do any of the patrols seem to have Momizi in them?
> If not, approach the nearest one.
-
> Do any of the patrols seem to have Momizi in them?
> If not, approach the nearest one.
>You can't tell from this distance.
>As you start to draw closer, you see one of the patrols start to approach you.
>_
-
> Keep approaching them and hail them when at a proper distance.
-
> Keep approaching them and hail them when at a proper distance.
>You approach them, and quickly pick out Momiji as she separates from the group. You hail her, and she returns it.
>_
-
> "The Eldest Daughter and I have concluded our business for the time being, but we will need one small thing before we begin our business with you. It is nothing major, so don't worry."
-
> "The Eldest Daughter and I have concluded our business for the time being, but we will need one small thing before we begin our business with you. It is nothing major, so don't worry."
>"Okay," says Momiji, "What?"
>_
-
> "The camera, um...stopped producing pictures immediately. Do you know how to fix that, or make the camera so the pictures it makes are at least kept inside, like how I understand it was originally set, with this 'negatives' mechanism you mentioned earlier?"
-
> "The camera, um...stopped producing pictures immediately. Do you know how to fix that, or make the camera so the pictures it makes are at least kept inside, like how I understand it was originally set, with this 'negatives' mechanism you mentioned earlier?"
>"It should already be doing that," says Momiji. "But I don't know how to make it print more of them."
>_
-
> "So it's still making pictures inside, even though it's not making them outside anymore? That is good to know."
-
> "So it's still making pictures inside, even though it's not making them outside anymore? That is good to know."
>"As far as I know," says Momiji.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Excellent. I think we are prepared, then."
> Gesture in the direction of Mystia's stand.
> "We are headed to the area around Mystia's stand, yes? After you."
-
> Nod.
> "Excellent. I think we are prepared, then."
> Gesture in the direction of Mystia's stand.
> "We are headed to the area around Mystia's stand, yes? After you."
>"I'll be back!" Momiji cries to her patrol, and starts heading westward.
>_
-
> Follow! Make sure to stay behind Momizi, though.
> Once we're a little bit of distance away from the other patrols, pull out the camera.
> Watch Momizi carefully, to make sure she's not watching us too intently. While she's looking away, hand Tenshi the camera and hold a finger to our lips with the opposite hand.
-
> Follow! Make sure to stay behind Momizi, though.
> Once we're a little bit of distance away from the other patrols, pull out the camera.
> Watch Momizi carefully, to make sure she's not watching us too intently. While she's looking away, hand Tenshi the camera and hold a finger to our lips with the opposite hand.
>You follow behind Momiji, who only looks back once or twice to make sure you're following her. You slip the camera to Tenshi easily enough.
>You do get the feeling, though, that Momiji doesn't fully know where she's going. She's a bit off for Mystia's stand now.
>_
-
> "Ah, Miss Momizi, not to be rude, but...you seem to be a bit off from Mystia's stand. May I guess that you do not come out this far too often?"
-
> "Ah, Miss Momizi, not to be rude, but...you seem to be a bit off from Mystia's stand. May I guess that you do not come out this far too often?"
>Her ears droop as she looks back. "Uh, I thought I was going the right way. Sorry."
>_
-
> "No, it's fine. You're headed in the correct general direction, it's just a little bit off. Should I take over?"
-
> "No, it's fine. You're headed in the correct general direction, it's just a little bit off. Should I take over?"
>She nods.
>_
-
> "All right."
> Take the lead and correct the course toward Mystia's.
> Make a game note when we reach the edge of the forest, though.
-
> "All right."
> Take the lead and correct the course toward Mystia's.
> Make a game note when we reach the edge of the forest, though.
>You take the lead, and steer toward Mystia''s.
>Soon enough, you reach the edge of the forest.
>_
-
> Stop and turn to Momizi.
> "Okay. Do you think you could find your way to the stand from here?"
-
> Stop and turn to Momizi.
> "Okay. Do you think you could find your way to the stand from here?"
>"Yeah," she says. "I might have to do a little bit of searching first, though."
>_
-
> "That's okay. The important thing is that we enter separately, so my presence lulls her into a sense of security. Once we've been talking for a little bit, you should be able to catch her off guard."
-
> "That's okay. The important thing is that we enter separately, so my presence lulls her into a sense of security. Once we've been talking for a little bit, you should be able to catch her off guard."
>Momiji nods. "Got it. I'll wait for you to get there first, then."
>_
-
> "Okay. Give us a minute, and then enter yourself. And remember, for the time being, we only want to talk."
> Pat our purse once.
> "I really think I can get her."
-
> "Okay. Give us a minute, and then enter yourself. And remember, for the time being, we only want to talk."
> Pat our purse once.
> "I really think I can get her."
>Momiji nods. "I understand."
>_
-
> "All right. Good luck, and may both of our endeavours succeed."
> Gesture to Tenshi.
> "Shall we?"
> Head toward Mystia's along the road. Make a game note when we're about halfway there,if we feel we're mostly out of earshot of Momizi.
-
> "All right. Good luck, and may both of our endeavours succeed."
> Gesture to Tenshi.
> "Shall we?"
> Head toward Mystia's along the road. Make a game note when we're about halfway there,if we feel we're mostly out of earshot of Momizi.
>You head onward. Soon, you are reasonably sure you're out of Momiji's range of hearing, probably.
>_
-
> While walking, turn to Tenshi and lower voice.
> "You ready?"
-
> While walking, turn to Tenshi and lower voice.
> "You ready?"
>"I think," she says. "You just want me to get her picture while she's not paying attention, right?"
>_
-
> "Yes. I should be arguing with Aya and Momizi in the air at the time. Make sure you're not noticed."
-
> "Yes. I should be arguing with Aya and Momizi in the air at the time. Make sure you're not noticed."
>Tenshi nods. "I'll do my best."
>_
-
> "Good. Let's do this."
> Continue on to Mystia's stand.
-
> "Good. Let's do this."
> Continue on to Mystia's stand.
>You head toward Mystia's stand. You're fairly familiar with the location now, so it is not too difficult to pick it out from the air. A lack of leaf cover makes it significantly easier.
>Descending down into the forest, you find the area around the stand about as it was before; maybe some more leaves have fallen since this morning? A crow on top of the stand starts cawing as you land. There seems to be an active convervation from the stand; you can see a distinctive pair of sling-slat geta beneath the stand's curtain, as well as the very edge of a black skirt.
>_
-
> Smile and wave at the crow.
> Can we hear any part of the conversation?
-
> Smile and wave at the crow.
> Can we hear any part of the conversation?
>The crow doesn't appreciably react.
>You might have, but it's stopped now. Aya peeks around the curtain. "There you two are," she says.
>_
-
> "Yes. Yesterday's happening were a bit...unanticipated, shall we say. Suffice it that I would have been here yesterday were I actually able to get here. How have you been?"
-
> "Yes. Yesterday's happening were a bit...unanticipated, shall we say. Suffice it that I would have been here yesterday were I actually able to get here. How have you been?"
>"Wonderful," she says. "It's be great to be back in action again! And to actually see all this stuff I kept hearing about. Like that Yukari look-alike? Couldn't even tell the difference when I saw her, expect she had that friend with the hat."
>_
-
> "The resemblance is quite jarring, yes. I admit I am still curious as to how they came here, but at this point I have mostly given up hope of ever really finding out. The Dragon refuses to talk about it, as do most of Gensokyo's higher powers that seem to know what happened, so I guess I will have to live with not knowing."
-
> "The resemblance is quite jarring, yes. I admit I am still curious as to how they came here, but at this point I have mostly given up hope of ever really finding out. The Dragon refuses to talk about it, as do most of Gensokyo's higher powers that seem to know what happened, so I guess I will have to live with not knowing."
>"It's on the list," says Aya.
>_
-
> Half-smile.
> "If you wish to confront Lady Yakumo on the issue, or return to your home and brethren to speak with Lady Yasaka instead, you are most welcome to do so, but I would not advise it."
-
> Half-smile.
> "If you wish to confront Lady Yakumo on the issue, or return to your home and brethren to speak with Lady Yasaka instead, you are most welcome to do so, but I would not advise it."
>"No need to bother with them," says Aya. "But we'll worry about that later."
>_
-
> Lose the smile and nod.
> "If you say so. I am curious, though; do you really think the ankles of one of your rival journalists are a proper subject for space in your releases? It seems like that area could have been better spent on something people might want to know more about. Such as those two girls, for example."
-
> Lose the smile and nod.
> "If you say so. I am curious, though; do you really think the ankles of one of your rival journalists are a proper subject for space in your releases? It seems like that area could have been better spent on something people might want to know more about. Such as those two girls, for example."
>Aya opens her hands and gives a little shrug. "I needed to fill space. And I think my readers will find interest in a wide variety of stories."
>_
-
> "This is true. But the same reasoning could be used to write about just about anything, regardless of how eclectic or mundane the subject is. Surely more of a profit could be made by keeping that same variety of stories, but using subjects that are more likely to appeal to your demographic? Just off the top of my head, you could have filled that same space with a story about a day in the life of the human village school teacher."
-
> "This is true. But the same reasoning could be used to write about just about anything, regardless of how eclectic or mundane the subject is. Surely more of a profit could be made by keeping that same variety of stories, but using subjects that are more likely to appeal to your demographic? Just off the top of my head, you could have filled that same space with a story about a day in the life of the human village school teacher."
>"I think you ought to leave the paper to me," she says. "Trust me, I know the readers."
>_
-
> "I'm speaking now as a reader. One that sees an opportunity to get a better overall product, because of a new addition to the market that, as near as I can tell, hasn't been there in a long time, if ever. The newspaper market in Gensokyo has competition now, and people are going to choose their side based on a number of things, one of which is product quality. Now, obviously, I am only one reader, but I do have to wonder how many others in your reader base would be interested in hearing about something they could see for themselves in the five seconds it would take for your competition to arrive on their doorstep and offer her own paper, as opposed to something that would take significant time to research and isn't nearly as accessible for the average person."
-
> "I'm speaking now as a reader. One that sees an opportunity to get a better overall product, because of a new addition to the market that, as near as I can tell, hasn't been there in a long time, if ever. The newspaper market in Gensokyo has competition now, and people are going to choose their side based on a number of things, one of which is product quality. Now, obviously, I am only one reader, but I do have to wonder how many others in your reader base would be interested in hearing about something they could see for themselves in the five seconds it would take for your competition to arrive on their doorstep and offer her own paper, as opposed to something that would take significant time to research and isn't nearly as accessible for the average person."
>"Given I don't deliver to Bhava-Agra," says Aya, "And you don't really fall in line with most of my readers on a lot of things, forgive me if I don't fall over myself to ignore all the evidence to the contrary."
>_
-
> Shrug.
> "If that is what you wish. I will merely generally advise you make sure you know what you're doing, then. You're not the only cowgirl at this rodeo anymore."
-
> Shrug.
> "If that is what you wish. I will merely generally advise you make sure you know what you're doing, then. You're not the only cowgirl at this rodeo anymore."
>"There's a reason why I was on top, don't worry," says Aya.
>_
-
> "I'm not terribly worried. I will be getting a higher quality product than before regardless of whether or not you heed my advice. Such is the power of choice. But enough of that. I saw your picture of the row of shadowless trees, but I didn't have time to examine the article in-depth. Where was that?"
-
> "I'm not terribly worried. I will be getting a higher quality product than before regardless of whether or not you heed my advice. Such is the power of choice. But enough of that. I saw your picture of the row of shadowless trees, but I didn't have time to examine the article in-depth. Where was that?"
>"Along the main road," she says. "I only found it this morning. Barely in time to make the cut."
>_
-
> "I will have to investigate this myself later. Thank you. Is there any other unusual activity you've found?"
-
> "I will have to investigate this myself later. Thank you. Is there any other unusual activity you've found?"
>"The rest of it was in my note," says Aya. "I've not had too much time to look around today. Been kind of quiet, too. Most of the faeries are probably still recovering. Oh, right. I am pretty sure some faeries tossed Reimu's bed on Marisa's roof."
>_
-
> "That has already been solved, as far as I know. I talked to Reimu earlier and it sounds like she has recovered her bed. Amazing that a group of fairies would be good enough to pull off stealing her bed and then have so little foresight as to throw it on Marisa's roof of all places."
-
> "That has already been solved, as far as I know. I talked to Reimu earlier and it sounds like she has recovered her bed. Amazing that a group of fairies would be good enough to pull off stealing her bed and then have so little foresight as to throw it on Marisa's roof of all places."
>"Maybe they were trying to stir up problems between the two of them?" says Aya with a shrug.
>_
-
> "I ran into them several hours before they actually did the deed. They were getting revenge on Reimu for beating them up at some point. It is unfortunate for them that their revenge was completely ruined by their choice of roof."
-
> "I ran into them several hours before they actually did the deed. They were getting revenge on Reimu for beating them up at some point. It is unfortunate for them that their revenge was completely ruined by their choice of roof."
>"Ah," says Aya. "Oh well. They're faeries, what're you gonna do?"
>_
-
> Smile.
> "If I controlled everything? Use them to take my people's homes and freedom back from the Scarlet Devil Mansion. I've heard they beat the mansion once before."
-
> Smile.
> "If I controlled everything? Use them to take my people's homes and freedom back from the Scarlet Devil Mansion. I've heard they beat the mansion once before."
>Aya's expression darkens. "Yeah, just throw that in my face again," she says. "Sure haven't gotten enough of that."
>_
-
> "Oh. Sorry, it wasn't intended that way."
-
> "Oh. Sorry, it wasn't intended that way."
>"Right, okay," says Aya. "Anyways, I've been trying to keep my ear to the ground, but staying here has kinda limited me."
>_
-
> "You've really kept yourself restricted to here? I must admit I am fairly impressed. I thought you would wander around more."
-
> "You've really kept yourself restricted to here? I must admit I am fairly impressed. I thought you would wander around more."
>"Just a bit," she says. "I said I'd meet you here."
>_
-
> "Of course, and I do appreciate it. I hope Mystia hasn't felt terribly imposed upon."
-
> "Of course, and I do appreciate it. I hope Mystia hasn't felt terribly imposed upon."
>"Oh, I'm fine," says Mystia from inside the stand.
>_
-
> "That is good to hear. How did you print your publication from here, though?"
-
> "That is good to hear. How did you print your publication from here, though?"
>"That would be one of the things I left to do," she says. "Let's just say I know someone, and took some precautions awhile go."
>_
-
> "I see. That's quite clever. I have to admit, I did not really expect someone like you to ever have such contingency plans."
-
> "I see. That's quite clever. I have to admit, I did not really expect someone like you to ever have such contingency plans."
>"I figured there would be a problem like this sooner or later," says Aya, giving a small, lopsided grin.
>_
-
> "Huh. You certainly do not act such a part. But what are you going to do now? Live on the run forever?"
-
> "Huh. You certainly do not act such a part. But what are you going to do now? Live on the run forever?"
>"I got some ideas," she says. "They'll get sick of looking for me after awhile."
>_
-
> Nod to the side.
> "And this is pretty much why I would not have expected you to ever think you were capable of being caught. In fact, I would have guessed you would be the last person to consider the possibility of your capture."
-
> Nod to the side.
> "And this is pretty much why I would not have expected you to ever think you were capable of being caught. In fact, I would have guessed you would be the last person to consider the possibility of your capture."
>"Why wouldn't I?" she says. "I know how to defeat me better than anybody."
>_
-
> "Well, that's exactly why you wouldn't consider it, isn't it?"
-
> "Well, that's exactly why you wouldn't consider it, isn't it?"
>"I'm not sure I am really following the logic you're using," says Aya.
>_
-
> "If you know how to defeat you better than anyone, then you know how to compensate for your weaknesses better than anyone, and presumably have already done so, if what you say about your contingency plans and expectation for post-escape survival are any indication. That, combined with your naturally incredibly confident attitude and penchant for putting yourself in situations where others are likely to get very angry with you regardless of your intent, and it is hard to conclude that you would ever seriously consider the possibility that you would be stopped one day, to the point of arranging backup plans to deal with it."
-
> "If you know how to defeat you better than anyone, then you know how to compensate for your weaknesses better than anyone, and presumably have already done so, if what you say about your contingency plans and expectation for post-escape survival are any indication. That, combined with your naturally incredibly confident attitude and penchant for putting yourself in situations where others are likely to get very angry with you regardless of your intent, and it is hard to conclude that you would ever seriously consider the possibility that you would be stopped one day, to the point of arranging backup plans to deal with it."
>"Wow, I hope you never run into someone who can overcome your abilities, with an attitude like that," says Aya with a frown.
>_
-
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "I'm afraid it is my turn to not understand where you are coming from."
-
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "I'm afraid it is my turn to not understand where you are coming from."
>"You're making all these presumptions about me," she says, "So I assume you have to at least kind of think the same way yourself."
>_
-
> "I am making presumptions about you based on how you present yourself. I tell you that you act incredibly confident because, from what I have seen, you do. I tell you that you have a penchant for putting yourself in situations where people are very likely to get angry at you because, from what I have seen, heard and..."
> Look down at our dress, then back up at Aya.
> "...experienced myself, you do. I presume that you have contingency plans in place for your defeats because you tell me you have had a mysterious benefactor lying in wait for some unknown length of time. Is any of this incorrect, in your experience?"
-
> "I am making presumptions about you based on how you present yourself. I tell you that you act incredibly confident because, from what I have seen, you do. I tell you that you have a penchant for putting yourself in situations where people are very likely to get angry at you because, from what I have seen, heard and..."
> Look down at our dress, then back up at Aya.
> "...experienced myself, you do. I presume that you have contingency plans in place for your defeats because you tell me you have had a mysterious benefactor lying in wait for some unknown length of time. Is any of this incorrect, in your experience?"
>"I do so for my art, Nagae, and my readers," says Aya. "Please do not make any more such presumptions about me. I would prefer not to regret my gratitude, you understand."
>_
-
> "The personal dangers of journalism are certainly commendable and not at all what I was referencing. Your art, however, is still risking yourself for yourself, which can be interpreted the way you do, or it can be interpreted as I have presented it to you. I do not wish to offend with any of this; I merely point out that, with the way you conduct yourself, perception can become reality to other people quite easily."
-
> "The personal dangers of journalism are certainly commendable and not at all what I was referencing. Your art, however, is still risking yourself for yourself, which can be interpreted the way you do, or it can be interpreted as I have presented it to you. I do not wish to offend with any of this; I merely point out that, with the way you conduct yourself, perception can become reality to other people quite easily."
>"That's still a pretty cynical way to look at the world," says Aya, "If that's the kind of thing you decide on. Makes me wonder how you see others, and yourself."
>_
-
> "To be honest, it was borne of me trying to figure out why you do what you call 'art'. Clearly it is not for the perverted aspect it seems to be on the surface, given what you did earlier in conjunction with what you refused to do."
-
> "To be honest, it was borne of me trying to figure out why you do what you call 'art'. Clearly it is not for the perverted aspect it seems to be on the surface, given what you did earlier in conjunction with what you refused to do."
>"That's kind of depressing," says Aya. "Let's talk about something else."
>_
-
> Put on a disgusted look and look away.
> "I will be more than happy to not talk about what happened earlier, if that is to what you refer."
> Look back at Aya and resume a neutral expression.
> "But I must admit I am still curious why you call it art, when so many of the rest of us consider it an invasion of privacy."
-
> Put on a disgusted look and look away.
> "I will be more than happy to not talk about what happened earlier, if that is to what you refer."
> Look back at Aya and resume a neutral expression.
> "But I must admit I am still curious why you call it art, when so many of the rest of us consider it an invasion of privacy."
>"Why wouldn't it be art?" says Aya, frowning.
>_
-
> "...I suppose it's true that one could define anything they wanted as art. Let me change the question, then. What is the purpose behind your artistic pursuit? It clearly must be very strong, given everything you have done and gone through for it. What artistic function does it all serve?"
-
> "...I suppose it's true that one could define anything they wanted as art. Let me change the question, then. What is the purpose behind your artistic pursuit? It clearly must be very strong, given everything you have done and gone through for it. What artistic function does it all serve?"
>"Didn't I explain it before?" she says. "Well. Try to imagine it. Everyone there, from Yukari to Yamame, from Reimu to Reisen. Everyone. What does it say to you?"
>_
-
> "It tells me you have a lot of chutzpah, but I assume that's not what you're trying to get at. It also tells me you're indiscriminate."
-
> "It tells me you have a lot of chutzpah, but I assume that's not what you're trying to get at. It also tells me you're indiscriminate."
"You're onto it with the second one," says Aya. "So, if I'm indiscriminate, what does it say about everyone else?"
>_
-
> "Honestly? It tells me something you've already implied you don't appreciate me concluding. I'm going to need a little bit more help than that."
-
> "Honestly? It tells me something you've already implied you don't appreciate me concluding. I'm going to need a little bit more help than that."
>"They're equal," she says. "And, they're all vulnerable sometime."
>_
-
> "I...see. Huh. Well, the sentiment is admirable, if not something I already would have agreed with, even if it was presented in a different form. And it does confirm the idea that you don't do it for the face value reason, which is good to hear."
-
> "I...see. Huh. Well, the sentiment is admirable, if not something I already would have agreed with, even if it was presented in a different form. And it does confirm the idea that you don't do it for the face value reason, which is good to hear."
>"Thanks, I guess?" says Aya, frowning.
>_
-
> "Well...if I may make a suggestion? About your explanation, I mean. Not about your execution, I know that it will be what it will be and you are not going to change it no matter how much ire it draws. But the explanation itself, especially for someone like you, someone whose job it is is to convey the truth, could perhaps be a bit...clearer in your being indiscriminate? See, when I balked at your question, it was due to your use of 'everyone else' after 'if I am indiscriminate'. I was hoping this approach would be rethought. But you then used 'they are all vulnerable sometimes'. Do you see the potential for outsider misunderstanding here?"
-
> "Well...if I may make a suggestion? About your explanation, I mean. Not about your execution, I know that it will be what it will be and you are not going to change it no matter how much ire it draws. But the explanation itself, especially for someone like you, someone whose job it is is to convey the truth, could perhaps be a bit...clearer in your being indiscriminate? See, when I balked at your question, it was due to your use of 'everyone else' after 'if I am indiscriminate'. I was hoping this approach would be rethought. But you then used 'they are all vulnerable sometimes'. Do you see the potential for outsider misunderstanding here?"
>She frowns. "If I have to explain it to everyone, what's the point of even showing it? Art should speak for itself."
>_
-
> "And it may very well be at this point, given the words you have chosen. I will be blunt, just to make sure communication is clear, but please understand that I mean no disrespect. You still lack pictures of yourself, correct? And the words you have chosen pretty clearly refer to everyone else. Put simply, your art, both in execution and explanation, suggests the message you are trying to get across is that everyone is vulnerable...except you."
-
> "And it may very well be at this point, given the words you have chosen. I will be blunt, just to make sure communication is clear, but please understand that I mean no disrespect. You still lack pictures of yourself, correct? And the words you have chosen pretty clearly refer to everyone else. Put simply, your art, both in execution and explanation, suggests the message you are trying to get across is that everyone is vulnerable...except you."
>"That's because it really doesn't work if I take pictures of myself," she says, frowning. "I'm starting to think you're really projecting something here."
>_
-
> "I'm trying to give you an outsider's perspective on the situation, because you seem so dedicated to the position. You mentioned that arts needs to speak for itself, and that, if you had to explain it to everyone, it would lose all meaning. This implies that you are concerned, to a degree, with people appreciating what you do. Is this true?"
-
> "I'm trying to give you an outsider's perspective on the situation, because you seem so dedicated to the position. You mentioned that arts needs to speak for itself, and that, if you had to explain it to everyone, it would lose all meaning. This implies that you are concerned, to a degree, with people appreciating what you do. Is this true?"
>"You're doing it again," Tenshi says quietly.
>"It'd be nice to be appreciated," says Aya.
>_
-
> Turn to Tenshi with a confused look.
> "Really?"
-
> Turn to Tenshi with a confused look.
> "Really?"
>"Yeah, lots," she says.
>_
-
> "...How?"
-
> "...How?"
>"You're acting like you know her better than she does," says Tenshi, "And because you're you, you must be completely right and she's completely wrong. It's what you people do to me all the time."
>_
-
> "I certainly don't know her thoughts better than she does. But I know what it's like to get impressions from her actions better than she does."
-
> "I certainly don't know her thoughts better than she does. But I know what it's like to get impressions from her actions better than she does."
>"See?" says Tenshi. "And you won't even admit you're wrong when you are."
>_
-
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "So you're saying you know me better than I do."
-
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "So you're saying you know me better than I do."
>"No," she says, "You just wrong, and you keep trying to do that "No I'm still kind right" thing you people do all the time!"
>_
-
> "So I should stop trying to help?"
-
> "So I should stop trying to help?"
>"How are you even helping?" says Tenshi. "All you're doing is trying to pretend like you weren't completely wrong about her, and act like it's true anyways!"
>_
-
> Stare at Tenshi for a couple more moments, still with the confused look, then shrug.
> "If such is your issue."
> Turn back to Aya and make a short bow.
> "I apologize for making a false presumption about your intentions earlier."
-
> Stare at Tenshi for a couple more moments, still with the confused look, then shrug.
> "If such is your issue."
> Turn back to Aya and make a short bow.
> "I apologize for making a false presumption about your intentions earlier."
>You stare at Tenshi, then apologize to Aya, who has been watching the scene with a confused frown. "Um, okay," she says.
>"And you're still doing it," says Tenshi. "Now you're just trying to save face, you haven't even changed your mind a little bit! It's just like all the rest of them"
>_
-
> Turn back to Tenshi.
> "Eldest Daughter, are you accusing me of lying?"
-
> Turn back to Tenshi.
> "Eldest Daughter, are you accusing me of lying?"
>"Of course you are," she says. "You think I couldn't tell, with that stare and all that stupid shit you were doing like I was some kind of maniac? You people only do it all the time!"
>_
-
> "You are aware that lying is very much frowned upon in Bhava-Agra, correct? If the Dragon Palace Messenger were to go around spreading falsehoods, do you think The Dragon would stand for it?"
-
> "You are aware that lying is very much frowned upon in Bhava-Agra, correct? If the Dragon Palace Messenger were to go around spreading falsehoods, do you think The Dragon would stand for it?"
>"Well it's what you people do all the time," says Tenshi, "so I guess you get to get away with it!"
>_
-
> Give a sad frown and look right at Tenshi with sympathetic eyes.
> Soften voice.
> "Tenshi...is this really how you feel? Do you really think The Dragon is wrong?"
-
> Give a sad frown and look right at Tenshi with sympathetic eyes.
> Soften voice.
> "Tenshi...is this really how you feel? Do you really think The Dragon is wrong?"
>"I didn't say a thing against the Dragon," she says. "I'm saying what you people actually do! Don't blame it for your issues!"
>_
-
> "Tenshi, if I were to chronically spread falsehoods, The Dragon would find out, and I would most likely be relieved of my duties rather quickly. The Dragon cannot be represented by such a sinner."
-
> "Tenshi, if I were to chronically spread falsehoods, The Dragon would find out, and I would most likely be relieved of my duties rather quickly. The Dragon cannot be represented by such a sinner."
>"On the other hand, pretty much all the people in Bhava-Agra doing it all the time," says Tenshi. "So I guess The Dragon's willing to overlook it or doesn't notice it or something!"
>_
-
> Shake head.
> "Nothing escapes The Dragon's notice. Least of all anything of mine. The moment I am in The Dragon's presence, The Dragon has access to everything I know. But..."
> Rub our chin a little bit.
> "...it may very well get both of us in a lot of trouble, but...Tenshi, would you like an audience with The Dragon, so you may air your grievances?"
-
> Shake head.
> "Nothing escapes The Dragon's notice. Least of all anything of mine. The moment I am in The Dragon's presence, The Dragon has access to everything I know. But..."
> Rub our chin a little bit.
> "...it may very well get both of us in a lot of trouble, but...Tenshi, would you like an audience with The Dragon, so you may air your grievances?"
>"What?"
>_
-
> "Would you like to meet with The Dragon, so that you may air your grievances with our people?"
-
> "Would you like to meet with The Dragon, so that you may air your grievances with our people?"
>"...Would The Dragon listen?" she says.
>_
-
>"Of course The Dragon would listen."
-
>"Of course The Dragon would listen."
>"...Okay," she says.
>_
-
We actually don't know that for sure, and in fact aren't really supposed to bring random guests to visit The Dragon. <_<
Here's hoping The Dragon's in a good mood when we ask about it.
> Is prayer open to all celestials?
-
> Is prayer open to all celestials?
>All can, but you aren't sure how likely they are to get a response.
>_
-
> "Hmm...we could even try something right now. Out of curiosity, Tenshi, how often do you do your daily devotions?"
-
> "Hmm...we could even try something right now. Out of curiosity, Tenshi, how often do you do your daily devotions?"
>"Daily," she says.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "That is good to hear. I think I may have an idea, then."
> Turn back to Aya.
> "I am sorry, but would you pardon us for just a few more moments?"
-
> Nod.
> "That is good to hear. I think I may have an idea, then."
> Turn back to Aya.
> "I am sorry, but would you pardon us for just a few more moments?"
>"Um, yeah, that may be best, I guess?" she says.
>_
-
> "Thank you. I will try not to take up too much of your time."
> Turn back to Tenshi.
> "Now then, Tenshi, have you ever considered prayer as a possible source of advice or comfort?"
-
> "Thank you. I will try not to take up too much of your time."
> Turn back to Tenshi.
> "Now then, Tenshi, have you ever considered prayer as a possible source of advice or comfort?"
>Aya nods.
>"Well, yeah," she says. "I did kinda live with people of faith and stuff."
>_
-
> "Have you tried it recently?"
-
> "Have you tried it recently?"
>"This morning," she says. "Just like you did."
>_
-
> Blink.
> "...Oh."
> Pause.
> "Um...if I may ask, and feel free to not answer, but...for what did you pray?"
-
> Blink.
> "...Oh."
> Pause.
> "Um...if I may ask, and feel free to not answer, but...for what did you pray?"
>"The usual things," she says.
>_
-
> "...I...don't know what those are, but I suppose if you are going to answer in such a fashion, it likely means you do not want to tell me, so...all right, then."
-
> "...I...don't know what those are, but I suppose if you are going to answer in such a fashion, it likely means you do not want to tell me, so...all right, then."
>"No," she says. "I meant the usual things. A good day, good luck for the people important to me, for people being jerks to cut it out. You're starting to do it again."
>_
-
> "Wait, what? What am I doing now? I'm not even trying to argue with you."
-
> "Wait, what? What am I doing now? I'm not even trying to argue with you."
>"No, you're just making a bunch of bad assumptions about me because I'm not you," she says.
>_
-
> "But if you didn't want me to think you wanted to keep your prayers private, why didn't you just give me a straight answer the first time?"
-
> "But if you didn't want me to think you wanted to keep your prayers private, why didn't you just give me a straight answer the first time?"
>"Because they weren't any different than most other people's, which is why I said the usual stuff," says Tenshi.
>_
-
> Is this true, in our experience?
> What do we usually pray for, if anything?
-
> Is this true, in our experience?
> What do we usually pray for, if anything?
>You don't really collect much information on this, but you suspect a lot of prayers fall somewhere in that spectrum.
>You honestly don't pray for much aside for good fortune and good actions for others; typically you do well enough you don't feel the need to ask for much from the Dragon.
>_
-
> "Well, I don't typically ask other people about their prayers, so I would be forced to make an assumption about what you said either way."
-
> "Well, I don't typically ask other people about their prayers, so I would be forced to make an assumption about what you said either way."
>"Or you could just ask, instead of acting like I'm trying to be sneaky and hide things," says Tenshi.
>_
-
> Frown.
> "I assumed a desire for personal privacy, not an intent to obfuscate."
-
> Frown.
> "I assumed a desire for personal privacy, not an intent to obfuscate."
>"That's not the way you said it," she says. "Trying to be all wordy about it and putting in those pauses; you think I don't know how you people do this, you've only been up to it ever since I came to Bhava-Agra!"
>_
-
> Sad frown.
> "Then I apologize for not making my intention properly clear. My hesitation was not meant to accuse, it was nervousness, brought on by a risk of touching a sensitive subject."
-
> Sad frown.
> "Then I apologize for not making my intention properly clear. My hesitation was not meant to accuse, it was nervousness, brought on by a risk of touching a sensitive subject."
>She nods, but you get the feeling she's not completely satisfied with this explanation at the moment.
>_
-
> "After all, was this not was I was just talking about with Miss Shameimaru?"
> Gesture to Aya.
> "If I am to bring light to potential misunderstandings and incorrect assumptions generated by the communication of others, I must hold myself to the same standard, and regret it when I fail. To do otherwise would be hypocritical."
-
> "After all, was this not was I was just talking about with Miss Shameimaru?"
> Gesture to Aya.
> "If I am to bring light to potential misunderstandings and incorrect assumptions generated by the communication of others, I must hold myself to the same standard, and regret it when I fail. To do otherwise would be hypocritical."
>Tenshi frowns, clearly confused. "...Are you making fun of me?"
>_
-
> "Not at all. I am pointing out that, if I am going to offer advice to people based on the potential for miscommunication, I need to try to avoid the very same miscommunication with my speech and conduct. Remember when I asked you to tell me when I am behaving in an unpleasant manner? Why do you think I have not yet asked you to stop?"
-
> "Not at all. I am pointing out that, if I am going to offer advice to people based on the potential for miscommunication, I need to try to avoid the very same miscommunication with my speech and conduct. Remember when I asked you to tell me when I am behaving in an unpleasant manner? Why do you think I have not yet told you to stop?"
>"Because I probably wouldn't listen anyways?" says Tenshi.
>_
-
> "Well, while I suppose that is possible, it is not the reason of which I was thinking. I have not asked you to stop because I do not want you to stop. I want to be aware of when I fail to communicate my intentions properly to you, so I can clear up misunderstandings."
-
> "Well, while I suppose that is possible, it is not the reason of which I was thinking. I have not asked you to stop because I do not want you to stop. I want to be aware of when I fail to communicate my intentions properly to you, so I can clear up misunderstandings."
>"...Well, you are!" she says after a pause.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "And I am trying to keep it in mind, and work on it as best I can. But I cannot promise it will happen overnight. We might as well ask each other to become fluent in an entirely different language in a day. I was not even aware there was such a problem before yesterday, and it seems to be deeply-enough rooted that I do it without thinking even after you tell me. It is a change that will take time. All I can do is my best."
-
> Nod.
> "And I am trying to keep it in mind, and work on it as best I can. But I cannot promise it will happen overnight. We might as well ask each other to become fluent in an entirely different language in a day. I was not even aware there was such a problem before yesterday, and it seems to be deeply-enough rooted that I do it without thinking even after you tell me. It is a change that will take time. All I can do is my best."
>"Yeah, well..." says Tenshi. "Then what was with that looking at me like I'm an idiot a minute ago, huh?"
>_
-
> "I was confused because I had no idea that I had been doing anything wrong. I was keeping what you've said in mind, and I still thought it was okay."
-
> "I was confused because I had no idea that I had been doing anything wrong. I was keeping what you've said in mind, and I still thought it was okay."
>"Yeah, well..." says Tenshi, "don't do that stuff at people!"
>_
-
> "I will try my best."
-
> "I will try my best."
>"Well...good!" says Tenshi.
>_
-
> Nod.
> Look back at Aya.
-
> Nod.
> Look back at Aya.
>You look back to Aya, who seems distinctly uncomfortable with the situation.
>_
-
> Give a short bow.
> "I apologize that you had to see me behave in such a fashion."
-
> Give a short bow.
> "I apologize that you had to see me behave in such a fashion."
>"Yeah, it's okay," says Aya. "Happens to everyone, I'm sure."
>_
-
> "Mmm. This is a bit embarrassing, but I seem to have temporarily forgotten where I was going with you."
-
> "Mmm. This is a bit embarrassing, but I seem to have temporarily forgotten where I was going with you."
>"Something about how you thought I was misrepresenting myself?" says Aya, her tone a little cool.
>_
-
> "I do remember that much, yes, but where I intended to journey, I am not sure. Let me ask you this, if I may. How do you feel about the prospect of getting a proper picture of yourself, in terms of your overall creation?"
-
> "I do remember that much, yes, but where I intended to journey, I am not sure. Let me ask you this, if I may. How do you feel about the prospect of getting a proper picture of yourself, in terms of your overall creation?"
>"I'd put it up there with all the rest," she says. "Well...if they had a place to be put up right now, but you understand."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I would assume so. But how important is it? Will your masterpiece be forever incomplete without it, or would it simply be nice to have if you happen to stumble into it?"
-
> Nod.
> "I would assume so. But how important is it? Will your masterpiece be forever incomplete without it, or would it simply be nice to have if you happen to stumble into it?"
>"I don't think it will ever be complete," says Aya. "There's always more people."
>_
-
> "I understand that as well, but it doesn't really answer the question. Let me rephrase it, then, admittedly at risk of offending. Do you consider a picture of yourself any more or less important to the overall work than a picture of anyone else?"
-
> "I understand that as well, but it doesn't really answer the question. Let me rephrase it, then, admittedly at risk of offending. Do you consider a picture of yourself any more or less important to the overall work than a picture of anyone else?"
>"Not especially important, no" says Aya.
>The crow caws. Aya looks toward it, then toward where the crow is looking.
>Glancing in that direction, you see Momiji coming over the trees.
>"Gotta go!" Aya says.
>_
-
> "Wait! From her?"
-
> "Wait! From her?"
>"Never just one!" Aya says, as she takes to the air and starts toward the trees.
>_
-
> Take to the air ourselves and follow her.
> "I only see one!"
> Beckon to Tenshi in an upward motion while talking.
-
> Take to the air ourselves and follow her.
> "I only see one!"
> Beckon to Tenshi in an upward motion while talking.
>"Too risky!" Aya calls back as she plunges into the trees.
>You start to follow her, but she's already got some good distance on you.
>Tenshi takes to the air, and flies upward.
>"Get back here!" Momiji cries.
>_
-
> Let's get up to max speed ASAP! Keep following.
> "You can take her!"
-
> Let's get up to max speed ASAP! Keep following.
> "You can take her!"
>Aya is quickly getting away from you, "You take her! I've got to go before the rest of her patrol gets here!"
>_
-
> "No! There's no more patrol! I know she's alone!"
-
> "No! There's no more patrol! I know she's alone!"
>"Not their style!" says Aya, now getting hard to see through the brush ahead.
>_
-
> "I brought her here!"
-
> "I brought her here!"
>"What! The deal's off!" Aya cries.
>_
-
> "Then I guess you don't need your camera anymore!"
-
> "Then I guess you don't need your camera anymore!"
>"Oh I'll get it back!" she shouts. You're losing sight of her.
>_
-
> "In pieces! Leave and I smash it!"
-
> "In pieces! Leave and I smash it!"
>"You won't if you value your word!" says Aya.
>"Slow down, dammit!" Tenshi shouts above.
>_
-
> "Nice try, but I swore nothing about your camera's safety!"
-
> "Nice try, but I swore nothing about your camera's safety!"
>She doesn't say anything back. You're not sure if she heard you.
>_
-
> Then start shouting louder.
> "Hatate gets the interview with the one that brought Bhava-Agra down!"
-
> Then start shouting louder.
> "Hatate gets the interview with the one that brought Bhava-Agra down!"
>"Ha! Who's want an interview from her?" Aya cries back.
>Momiji flies past you. You doubt she's going to catch Aya, but she's certainly outpacing you.
-
> "The SDM conquering kids did!"
-
> "The SDM conquering kids did!"
>"There's better options now!" Aya says.
>_
-
> "As you wish! Goodbye camera!"
-
> "As you wish! Goodbye camera!"
>She doesn't reply.
>_
-
> Is Momizi still within visual range?
-
> Is Momizi still within visual range?
>Yes.
>_
-
> Turn to her and return voice to normal.
> "Momizi, please catch up to her and offer a deal! All three of us will get what we want!"
-
> Turn to her and return voice to normal.
> "Momizi, please catch up to her and offer a deal! All three of us will get what we want!"
>"I don't think her desires and mine are really in line!" says Momiji.
>_
-
> "I can make yours worth her while! Trust me!"
-
> "I can make yours worth her while! Trust me!"
>"Okay!" says Momiji.
>_
-
> Check back on Tenshi.
> Are we above the tree line, or still in the forest proper?
-
> Check back on Tenshi.
> Are we above the tree line, or still in the forest proper?
>Tenshi has fallen a bit behind you; you are in the forest itself, while Tenshi is above it the tree line.
>_
-
> And Aya was last seen flying away through the trees?
-
> And Aya was last seen flying away through the trees?
>Yes, you were trying to pursue her.
>_
-
> "Going up, then!"
-
> "Going up, then!"
>You decide to declare what you're going to do as you do it.
>Heading upward, you meeting with Tenshi. "She's too damn fast!" Tenshi cries.
>_
-
> Of course we decided to declare what we were doing as we did it, Momizi needed to hear.
> "You're telling me!"
> Keep an eye on the forest from above for any unusual activity.
-
> Of course we decided to declare what we were doing as we did it, Momizi needed to hear.
> "You're telling me!"
> Keep an eye on the forest from above for any unusual activity.
>"Guess we should have expected her to run for it at the first sign of trouble," says Tenshi with a shrug.
>You watch the forest. For the time being, it is free of danmaku, explosions, faeries fleeing for their lives, and so on.
>_
-
> Begin building a charge.
> "I had hoped Momizi would avoid the scout. Now listen carefully, Tenshi. If we catch up to them and the four of us get into a tense discussion, and I stick my hands out in front of me, close your eyes and turn your head away, okay?"
-
> Begin building a charge.
> "I had hoped Momizi would avoid the scout. Now listen carefully, Tenshi. If we catch up to them and the four of us get into a tense discussion, and I stick my hands out in front of me, close your eyes and turn your head away, okay?"
>You build up some charge.
>"Um, why?" says Tenshi.
>_
-
> "That is a secret until it happens. Suffice it to say I tell you this for your safety."
-
> "That is a secret until it happens. Suffice it to say I tell you this for your safety."
>"Well, okay," says Tenshi, her frown clearly betraying her lack of having any idea why you want her to do it.
>_
-
> "You will learn in good time, should I need to do it. But it must be kept a secret for now, for its own sake. I am sorry."
> Check the forest again for any signs of activity.
-
> "You will learn in good time, should I need to do it. But it must be kept a secret for now, for its own sake. I am sorry."
> Check the forest again for any signs of activity.
>"Yeah, sure," says Tenshi.
>The Forest is about as active as always. You suspect it would take some proper violence to really make an impression you could see from here; given you managed to hide from problem solvers this way.
>_
-
> "Mmm. Shall we dive back in and see what we can see?"
-
> "Mmm. Shall we dive back in and see what we can see?"
>"I guess," says Tenshi, "But there's no way they aren't long gone by now."
>_
-
> In which direction were they headed?
> How far does the forest expand in that direction?
-
> In which direction were they headed?
> How far does the forest expand in that direction?
>Aya escaped southward, which is where the bulk of the forest is. You suspect she probably planned that.
>_
-
> Frown.
> "Any ideas how to find them again?"
-
> Frown.
> "Any ideas how to find them again?"
>"Um," says Tenshi, "Maybe if Aya has some secret hiding spot you know about and we can get there before she does, maybe?"
>_
-
> "She did say she knew someone...I wonder who that might be?"
-
> "She did say she knew someone...I wonder who that might be?"
>Tenshi shrugs. "Dunno. What'd she say about her? I was kinda waiting for the right time and not listening so good."
>_
-
> "It is someone that can print her newspapers, and trusts her enough to take her in and let her do so despite her being an escaped convict. It obviously wouldn't be Hatate, but it clearly isn't Momizi, and it couldn't be Nitori because she's been indisposed...who else fits that description? Maybe Rinnosuke?"
-
> "It is someone that can print her newspapers, and trusts her enough to take her in and let her do so despite her being an escaped convict. It obviously wouldn't be Hatate, but it clearly isn't Momizi, and it couldn't be Nitori because she's been indisposed...who else fits that description? Maybe Rinnosuke?"
>"Hey, maybe you're right," she says. "I bet that guy would have some way to get newspapers made!"
>_
-
> "I hope I'm right. I could stand the feeling of being right after this catastrophe."
-
> "I hope I'm right. I could stand the feeling of being right after this catastrophe."
>Tenshi nods. "Yeah."
>_
-
> "Let's head there, then, before I lose myself and do something I will regret for years to come."
> Fly to Kourindou
-
> "Let's head there, then, before I lose myself and do something I will regret for years to come."
> Fly to Kourindou
>"Heh," says Tenshi.
>You head toward Kourindou. It is more or less as you left it. Glancing toward the Island floating near it, you see nothing amiss with it save the Crimson Flag waving from the mountaintop.
>_
-
> "Hmm. Maybe we'll take a closer look at that flag once we're done in here."
> Enter Kourindou.
-
> "Hmm. Maybe we'll take a closer look at that flag once we're done in here."
> Enter Kourindou.
>You walk into Kourindou. Rinnosuke sits behind the counter, reading a newspaper. Glances toward you as you come in. "Ladies."
>The store contains
>Broken Sword Handle
>Iron Key
>Introductory Nuclear Physics by Kenneth S. Krane.
>Copper Bracelet
>Nightlife (Extended)
>Lacquered Chopsticks
>3 Caramels
>Turtle Statue
>A Metal-Plated Glove
>Vial of Sand Grains
>Bag of Mushrooms
>Large Ball of Yarn
>Stethoscope
>Rusted Wakazashi
>Set of Marbles
>Figurine of a Master Lichen
>Pocket Clay Sculpting Set
>String Performance: "Guarneri del Ges?"
>Stuffed Platypus
>Statue of a Robed Black Man
>Pale Green Plant
>Bath Towel
>Bottle of Soil
>Empty Box
>Light Orb: "Dragon's Gleaming Eyes"
>White Ribbon
>Celestial Shawl
>Set of Wolf Ears
>Bag of Glittering Powder
>Glass Bottle
>Lone Brown Boot
>_
-
> "Good day. May I ask about the publication you are reading?"
-
> "Good day. May I ask about the publication you are reading?"
>"It's nothing special," says Rinnosuke. "I suppose you could like get a subscription to it, with Bhava-Agra as it is. I'm sure Hatate would oblige."
>_
-
> "Indeed. The thought has crossed my mind. But what of Aya's newspaper? I have seen it back in circulation."
-
> "Indeed. The thought has crossed my mind. But what of Aya's newspaper? I have seen it back in circulation."
>"Ah, really now?" says Rinnosuke. "Interesting."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Yes. I have no idea how she managed to print it, though. Given the nature of her paper's return, she clearly can't go back to her home, and she definitely won't go to a rival for help."
-
> Nod.
> "Yes. I have no idea how she managed to print it, though. Given the nature of her paper's return, she clearly can't go back to her home, and she definitely won't go to a rival for help."
>"I'm not very up to date on tengu affairs, I'm afraid," says Rinnosuke. "Aside from this paper, they are rather removed from here."
>_
-
> "It is likely closer than that, now. I doubt very much she spends her time anywhere near the mountain. There would be too much risk of patrols finding her. What do you know of the surrounding area, and who may have a printing press?"
-
> "It is likely closer than that, now. I doubt very much she spends her time anywhere near the mountain. There would be too much risk of patrols finding her. What do you know of the surrounding area, and who may have a printing press?"
>"I could see such devices being in the hands of quite a few people around here," says Rinnosuke. "There might be one at Scarlet Devil Mansion, Alice or Marisa might have one. For all I know, some faerie may have tripped over such a thing."
>_
-
> "Mmm, yes, that is true, I suppose. And you wouldn't happen to have one yourself, that she might be sneaking around behind your back to use?"
-
> "Mmm, yes, that is true, I suppose. And you wouldn't happen to have one yourself, that she might be sneaking around behind your back to use?"
>"Do you see one for sale here?" he asks.
>_
-
> "I do not, but I also imagine you do not put all of your possessions on the sales floor."
-
> "I do not, but I also imagine you do not put all of your possessions on the sales floor."
>"A fair point," he says. "But this would involve Aya finding her to my storage, knowing what is there, and getting to it some time later."
>_
-
> "That is true. Aya may be crafty, but I wonder if she is that crafty. Well, on the off-chance she comes by here, please tell her that I am looking for her, and that I have a proposal for her. One that I believe will work out to our mutual benefit."
-
> "That is true. Aya may be crafty, but I wonder if she is that crafty. Well, on the off-chance she comes by here, please tell her that I am looking for her, and that I have a proposal for her. One that I believe will work out to our mutual benefit."
>"I would be willing to do this, should she pass by," says Rinnosuke. "Perhaps you would like to refine your message?"
>_
-
> "Mmm. I suppose you could also tell her that her camera is still safe."
-
> "Mmm. I suppose you could also tell her that her camera is still safe."
>"I see," says Rinnosuke. "Rather, I meant some hint of what this offer may be, and where you would like to meet at. When might be beneficial as well."
>_
-
> "Oh, of course. Sorry, I have had a long couple of days. I think she will already have an idea of what I have to offer her. As I do not intend on partaking on combat, may we impose on you this evening for our meeting?"
-
> "Oh, of course. Sorry, I have had a long couple of days. I think she will already have an idea of what I have to offer her. As I do not intend on partaking on combat, may we impose on you this evening for our meeting?"
>"I suppose I can allow this," says Rinnosuke, "Provided there are some purchases between now and the conclusion of this meeting."
>_
-
> Inventory.
> Turn to Tenshi.
> "Does anything else catch your eye?"
-
> Inventory.
> Turn to Tenshi.
> "Does anything else catch your eye?"
>Wide-brimmed hat (worn as hat)
>Exceedingly Stylish!
>Heavy Flamenco Dress (worn as dress)
>Allows both modesty and freedom of movement
>Large Black Purse
>Exactly what it sounds like. It holds all your stuff
>Spine Sign: "Acanthodii of the Thunder Clouds"
>This spellcard engulfs you in a shield of electricity. It can be broken with enough force, and only lasts for a short time before it must be renewed
>Cloud Realm: "The Thunder Court in the Sea of Abstruse Clouds"
>Fills the air with webs of lightning, but leaves you motionless.
>Dragonfish: "Dragon Palace's Messenger Swimming Shot"
>Sends electricity spiraling out from you, but leaves you defenseless.
>1☼
>This is 1☼
>Gnawed Mushroom Stalk
>The remains of a tsuchinoko's dinner.
>Jail Key
>The key to the tengu jail.
>Aya's Primary Camera
>She'll be very angry if you break this. It doesn't seem to be taking pictures anymore.
>2 Pictures of Shadowless Tree
>Taken in the Forest of Magic.
> Picture of Sky and Shadowed Land
>A picture of the Brocken Spectre's shadow and the clear horizon
>Picture of Unconscious Poltergeist
>A Picture of the Brocken Spectre after you defeated her.
>Picture of the Shadow Dais.
>Taken within The Dragon's Chamber in the false Bhava-Agra.
>Picture of Makai Landscape with Goats
>Taken to show Yumeko how a Camera Works
>Pink Shawl
>A shawl that represents your status as a part of Bhava-Arga and allows you to defend yourself with devastating techniques.
>Aya's Note
>It reads: "Did some looking around. Word has it there's a blue-coated ghost running around the forest. Lots of people coming and going looking for the Brocken Spectre. Some rock near Marisa's house missing a shadow; investigated it, found nothing else special. Wasn't able to ask around SDM. Kogasa seems to have gotten much more dangerous lately; maybe a connection? Couldn't ask. Will return tomorrow afternoon. Owe you bigtime -Aya."
>Box of Gems
>A box with four gems inside it, you recognize one as amethyst, and another as lapis lazuli.
>Plunger
>A rubber-headed object you mistook for a javelin.
>"Um, I dunno," says Tenshi.
>_
-
> Examine Statue of a Robed Black Man, Pale Green Plant and String Performance: "Guarneri del Ges?"
> Examine Stuffed Platypus, then wonder who would ever want this.
-
>Wait, didn't we return Yukari's screwdriver?
-
> Examine Statue of a Robed Black Man, Pale Green Plant and String Performance: "Guarneri del Ges?"
> Examine Stuffed Platypus, then wonder who would ever want this.
>Statue of a Robed Black Man
>This small statue is of a man with dark skin and hair, simple-looking robes, and a peaceful smile. He reminds you of portrayals of some bodhisattvas you've seen.
>Pale Green Plant
>Its broad leaves seem to be usually shiny.
>String Performance: "Guarneri del Ges?"
>A slow-paced attack that quickly fills the sky. Designed to be used with a violin.
>Stuffed Platypus
>This is a plush rendition of everyone's favorite beaver-tailed, duck-billed mammal! It is very adorable.
>You could imagine many people might enjoy such a thing. It is practically an honorary youkai.
>Wait, didn't we return Yukari's screwdriver?
>You expect a possession of Yukari's to behave? Check again.
>_
-
>
Lies, platypusii are abominations of nature. Disco Fever the hell out of that thing.
> "Take a few moments to look, I'm not sure myself if anything here would aid our endeavours. Or perhaps we could take this?" Point out the Stuffed Platypus to Tenshi.
> While Tenshi considers or not the inventory, turn to Rinnosuke. "Oh, there is something else I wished to ask you. I'm not familiar with the stones in this box and was wondering if you've seen any like them or if they could carry an enchantment of some kind."
> Show Rinnosuke the Box of Gems with Gems inside.
-
> Lies, platypusii are abominations of nature. Disco Fever the hell out of that thing.
> "Take a few moments to look, I'm not sure myself if anything here would aid our endeavours. Or perhaps we could take this?" Point out the Stuffed Platypus to Tenshi.
> While Tenshi considers or not the inventory, turn to Rinnosuke. "Oh, there is something else I wished to ask you. I'm not familiar with the stones in this box and was wondering if you've seen any like them or if they could carry an enchantment of some kind."
> Show Rinnosuke the Box of Gems with Gems inside.
>You're a disco fever.
>Tenshi nods. "Kay."
>You show him the contents of the box you obtained earlier. He looks at them with a neutral expression. "Hmmm. Unusual choices for cutting, certainly. The seem to be enchantable, but I do not believe they bear any magic at the moment."
>_
-
> Recall what our combined assessments of the gem types were.
-
> Recall what our combined assessments of the gem types were.
>You are pretty sure one is amethyst, and another is lapis lazuli. Tenshi suggested another was jasper. That leaves a white one with mossy-like speckles on it.
>_
-
> "Do you happen to know what type of gem the white one with speckles is? We figured out the other three, but not that one."
-
> "Do you happen to know what type of gem the white one with speckles is? We figured out the other three, but not that one."
>"I believe it is a moss agate," says Rinnosuke.
>_
-
Huh. I think that's what Draco said several weeks ago when we were talking about the gems, but I'm not 100% sure.
> Nod.
> "Thank you."
-
> Nod.
> "Thank you."
>"It is no problem," says Rinnosuke.
>_
-
> Check in on Tenshi, to see if anything has captured her interest.
> If not, turn back to Rinnosuke.
> "Is there anything special about that pale green plant?"
-
> Check in on Tenshi, to see if anything has captured her interest.
> If not, turn back to Rinnosuke.
> "Is there anything special about that pale green plant?"
>Tenshi is browsing around.
>You ask Rinnosuke about the Pale Green Plant. "That would be some slipweed, as it is colloquially know. It secrets a curiously slippery oil; a fair deal of it can be extracted crushing and pressing the leaves. Also, it brightens up a room."
>_
-
> "Interesting. What would you ask for the slipweed, and what would you ask for the stuffed platypus?"
-
> "Interesting. What would you ask for the slipweed, and what would you ask for the stuffed platypus?"
>"Neither are especially valuable," says Rinnosuke. "One of those gems would cover it and something else of modest value."
>_
-
> "Hmm."
> Turn to Tenshi.
> "Hey, Tenshi. Which of these gems did you like the most?"
-
> "Hmm."
> Turn to Tenshi.
> "Hey, Tenshi. Which of these gems did you like the most?"
>"The blue one's nice," says Tenshi, as she looked at the Rusted Wakazashi.
>_
-
I doubt Iku will need gems once Heaven's back in place so we should trade off extras now before we get to the end boss. Unless you think Remilia might take a bribe Kilga?
Also, I think we should pick up the Marbles out of usefullness principle.
> Examine Set of Marbles, Vial of Sand Grains, Bottle of Soil, Bag of Glittering Powder and Rusted Wakazashi.
> Ask Rinnosuke for more information on the above items.
-
This actually solves my original plan of what to do with the gems by finding a home for the fourth one. I want to give one to Tenshi, one to Shuuei, and keep one for ourselves as a keepsake. If Rinnosuke wants the fourth, he can have it.
-
> Examine Set of Marbles, Vial of Sand Grains, Bottle of Soil, Bag of Glittering Powder and Rusted Wakazashi.
> Ask Rinnosuke for more information on the above items.
>Set of Marbles
>A set of eleven glass spheres of varying sizes and colors in a bag.
>"Nothing special about them," says Rinnosuke.
>Vial of Sand Grains
>This vial contains eleven grains of sand.
>"It has a grain of sand taken from each of the continents of the outer world," says Rinnosuke.
>Bottle of Soil
>This is a bottle of dark loam, it looks quite rich.
>"I imagine that could support any kind of plant that you like," Rinnosuke says.
>Bag of Glittering Powder
>Strange greenish powder in a small sack
>"Place a pinch of that in your mouth," says Rinnosuke, "And it shall guarantee you a restful sleep."
>Rusted Wakazashi
>This old-looking short blade seems to have gathered a bit of corrosion.
>"I've sure it's seen some use," Rinnosuke comments. "But I don't think there's anything special about its function. It may have other kinds of value."
>_
-
The sand might be nice for Iku, since it's a valuable in a way that's far from materialistic. I'm not seeing too much that I can think of as valuable to what we're trying to do.
-
I was hoping for sands of time somewhere :3 I think we should get the slipweed, the marbles and the abomination doll for sure. If we get the sleeping powder and the caramels or some other food we can peacefully take out guards and Meilings. Didn't Iku lose her Celestial Shawl somewhere? Actually.
> Recall if we traded or lost our celestial clothing somewhere. Feel incredibly silly if we didn't.
> Glance at Tenshi while considering the items. "Did you have an interest in the sword, Tenshi?"
-
The Shawl in the shop was there before we "lost" ours (we tied Shuuei up with it, who knows where it is now) and we picked up another one this morning, which we should still have.
-
This is Rinnosuke you know. The one in the shop could be ours..
Edit: Oh learn to read me. It's probably not ours then unless Yukari gaps items through time for him.
-
> Recall if we traded or lost our celestial clothing somewhere. Feel incredibly silly if we didn't.
> Glance at Tenshi while considering the items. "Did you have an interest in the sword, Tenshi?"
>You did; You lost your prior shawl when the poltergeist sent you into Bhava-Agra's shadow. You are sure this one isn't yours, it's the wrong color and design.
>"I dunno why anyone would use that piece of junk," says Tenshi. "It's too short."
>_
-
> "Well, considering the Spell Card rules such weapons could be simply cosmetic in nature. I imagine this one was abandoned long ago by its tarnish."
I don't see anything for shadows here either. Oh, I agree with the sand. Go ahead and do the trading, if the gem isn't enough you can probably trade the box itself for something.
-
> "Well, considering the Spell Card rules such weapons could be simply cosmetic in nature. I imagine this one was abandoned long ago by its tarnish."
>"Well, not all duels are spellcards," says Tenshi. "But yeah, maybe."
>_
-
> Nod.
> Turn back to Rinnosuke.
> "All right. I have made more incorrect assumptions lately than I can count, so I want to make sure I am clear on this. One of these gems would get one of the slipweed or the platypus in addition to the lesser item, or both of those named things?"
-
> Nod.
> Turn back to Rinnosuke.
> "All right. I have made more incorrect assumptions lately than I can count, so I want to make sure I am clear on this. One of these gems would get one of the slipweed or the platypus in addition to the lesser item, or both of those named things?"
>"Three items," he says.
>_
-
> "And you are indifferent as to which gem I give you?"
-
> "And you are indifferent as to which gem I give you?"
>He nods.
>_
-
> "All right. This may seem a little weird...I am interested in taking you up on your offer, but there is a quick errand I wish to run first concerning these jewels. I do intend to come back with at least one jewel in my possession, because I think I would like the slipweed, the platypus and the sand grain vial, assuming nothing catches Tenshi's eye while I am out."
-
> "All right. This may seem a little weird...I am interested in taking you up on your offer, but there is a quick errand I wish to run first concerning these jewels. I do intend to come back with at least one jewel in my possession, because I think I would like the slipweed, the platypus and the sand grain vial, assuming nothing catches Tenshi's eye while I am out."
>"I can be convinced to lay them away," says Rinnosuke.
>_
-
> Give a short bow.
> "It would be much appreciated. Now then, before I leave..."
> Turn to Tenshi.
> "Tenshi, would you be willing to wait here for a few minutes? I am going to pay our friend a quick visit."
> Mental check; which gem is 'the blue one'? The lapis lazuli?
-
> Give a short bow.
> "It would be much appreciated. Now then, before I leave..."
> Turn to Tenshi.
> "Tenshi, would you be willing to wait here for a few minutes? I am going to pay our friend a quick visit."
> Mental check; which gem is 'the blue one'? The lapis lazuli?
>"Yeah, okay," says Tenshi.
>The blue one is lapis lazuli.
>_
-
> "And here you are. Since I thought of this while you were around, you get first choice. Be careful that you don't lose it, though, it is fairly small."
> Hand Tenshi the lapis lazuli.
-
> "And here you are. Since I thought of this while you were around, you get first choice. Be careful that you don't lose it, though, it is fairly small."
> Hand Tenshi the lapis lazuli.
>She takes it. "Ooo, I can have this? Thanks!"
>_
-
> Smile.
> "Yes, it is yours to do with as you wish, though given what I have planned for the other ones, I will admit I am hoping you will keep it, at least for the time being."
-
> Smile.
> "Yes, it is yours to do with as you wish, though given what I have planned for the other ones, I will admit I am hoping you will keep it, at least for the time being."
>"Kay," she says.
>_
-
> Turn back to Rinnosuke and give another short bow.
> "I will return momentarily. I thank you both for your patience."
> Leave Kourindou and head toward the poltergeist-agreed meeting place at the stream near Turtle House. Keep an eye out for any Ayas or Momizis along the way.
-
> Turn back to Rinnosuke and give another short bow.
> "I will return momentarily. I thank you both for your patience."
> Leave Kourindou and head toward the poltergeist-agreed meeting place at the stream near Turtle House. Keep an eye out for any Ayas or Momizis along the way.
>"Very well," says Rinnosuke. "I shall keep watch over your collateral."
>"Huh?" says Tenshi.
>You head back to the stream. Luckily, it isn't too far away, or too difficult to find. It is also empty.
>After a moment, the poltergeist steps around a tree near the stream. "You're back," she says.
>_
-
> "I am, but for different reasons than the ones upon which we agreed to meet again."
> Take out the jewel box and show the poltergeist the jewels.
> "If I may ask, which one of these was your favorite? Hopefully it was not the missing one."
-
> "I am, but for different reasons than the ones upon which we agreed to meet again."
> Take out the jewel box and show the poltergeist the jewels.
> "If I may ask, which one of these was your favorite? Hopefully it was not the missing one."
>She gives you a blank look, clearly trying to figure out how this relates to anything. "I think I like the green and white one," she says."I am afraid I don't understand what is happening here."
>_
-
> "It is nothing terribly complex."
> Take out the moss agate and offer it to her while smiling.
> "If this is the one you like, then it is yours."
-
> "It is nothing terribly complex."
> Take out the moss agate and offer it to her while smiling.
> "If this is the one you like, then it is yours."
>"Why?" she says, scrutinizing the stone in your fingers.
>_
-
> "Because whatever material value these gems may have matters very little to me, as it would to most of my people. I could keep them all for myself for their aesthetic appeal, but I can certainly still appreciate looking at just one or two of them, and I find far more emotional value in seeing my friends with the ones they like the most than anything else the gems have to offer me."
-
> "Because whatever material value these gems may have matters very little to me, as it would to most of my people. I could keep them all for myself for their aesthetic appeal, but I can certainly still appreciate looking at just one or two of them, and I find far more emotional value in seeing my friends with the ones they like the most than anything else the gems have to offer me."
>She gives you a blank look.
>_
-
> "If you are worried about potential harm, I have been told that the gems do have the capacity to hold an enchantment, but that they currently do not actually hold one. As for other worries, I would hope there are no hidden malevolent effects of these gems, as the missing blue gem is currently in the possession of my celestial friend."
-
> "If you are worried about potential harm, I have been told that the gems do have the capacity to hold an enchantment, but that they currently do not actually hold one. As for other worries, I would hope there are no hidden malevolent effects of these gems, as the missing blue gem is currently in the possession of my celestial friend."
>She frowns at the gem, then takes it after a moment.
>_
-
> "Be careful not to lose it. It is fairly small, after all, and I don't have another one like it."
-
> "Be careful not to lose it. It is fairly small, after all, and I don't have another one like it."
>"I'll try," she says. "I'll hide it better than that book, anyways."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "How are you feeling, by the way? Hopefully you are still holding up okay, important decision aside."
-
> Nod.
> "How are you feeling, by the way? Hopefully you are still holding up okay, important decision aside."
>"I'm trying," she says. "It's getting harder..."
>_
-
> Sympathetic frown.
> "Oh dear...I wish there was something I could do to alleviate the effort."
-
> Sympathetic frown.
> "Oh dear...I wish there was something I could do to alleviate the effort."
>"Me too," says the poltergeist.
>_
-
> Where are Kourindou and the Yakumo House in relation to our current position?
> "Do you think you will need some more time with your decision? There are one or two things with which I could occupy myself if you do, including one I paused to come here and give that to you. Or, if you're ready now, then you're ready now."
-
> Where are Kourindou and the Yakumo House in relation to our current position?
> "Do you think you will need some more time with your decision? There are one or two things with which I could occupy myself if you do, including one I paused to come here and give that to you. Or, if you're ready now, then you're ready now."
>Kourindou is to the Southeast; more south than east. The Yakumo household is northeast.
>She shakes her head. "I can't decide."
>_
-
> "Is that a need for some more time, or is it a conclusion that the choice is impossible to make?"
-
> "Is that a need for some more time, or is it a conclusion that the choice is impossible to make?"
>She shrugs. "I wish I knew which."
>_
-
> "Well, a little bit more time to think shouldn't hurt, so how about this? I will go back to where I was and conclude my business there. It should not take very long. Once that is done, I will return to you, and we can figure out what we are going to do."
-
> "Well, a little bit more time to think shouldn't hurt, so how about this? I will go back to where I was and conclude my business there. It should not take very long. Once that is done, I will return to you, and we can figure out what we are going to do."
>She nods.
>_
-
> "All right. I will be back shortly. Stay safe, and stay strong. We will figure out something."
> Assuming the poltergeist makes no effort to stop us, head back to Kourindou.
-
> "All right. I will be back shortly. Stay safe, and stay strong. We will figure out something."
> Assuming the poltergeist makes no effort to stop us, head back to Kourindou.
>"I will," she says.
>You return to Kourindou. Tenshi is turning the glass bottle over in her hands, while Rinnosuke watches her closely. "That was quick," says the celestial.
>_
-
> "Yes. I will need to conduct further business with our friend after this, however. Does that Bottle interest you?"
-
> "Yes. I will need to conduct further business with our friend after this, however. Does that Bottle interest you?"
>"Naw, pretty much everything here is junk," says Tenshi. "I was just looking at it to kill time."
>_
-
> Recall any known connections to Makai from current Gensokyo residents, particularly Alice Margatroid.
> Nod.
> "All right, then."
> Hand Rinnosuke the jasper gemstone.
> "As promised. I would like to exchange this for the slipweed, the platypus and the jar of sand grains."
-
> Recall any known connections to Makai from current Gensokyo residents, particularly Alice Margatroid.
> Nod.
> "All right, then."
> Hand Rinnosuke the jasper gemstone.
> "As promised. I would like to exchange this for the slipweed, the platypus and the jar of sand grains."
>You know of Patchouli's familiar, for certain. You know Reimu has been there, and suspect Marisa probably tagged along. There's been stories that Alice has some connection to Makai, but you're reasonably sure a lot of magicians fiddle with it; Patchouli certainly does.
>You give Rinnosuke the Jasper. "Thank you," he says.
>You obtain: Potted Slipweed
>You obtain: Stuffed Platypus
>You obtain: Vial of Sand Grains.
>_
-
> "And thank you."
> Turn back to Tenshi.
> "Are you ready?"
-
> "And thank you."
> Turn back to Tenshi.
> "Are you ready?"
>Rinnosuke nods and goes back to his paper.
>"Yeah, what's next?" she says.
>_
-
> "It is time for me to meet our friend for a more extensive business pursuit. Sadly, she will not want you there, but that was to be expected. I am not sure what you could do in the meantime, though...perhaps you could investigate the flags Remilia has planted in claiming our islands, if you feel it worth your time. It might be nice to see what kind of advance guard she has left."
-
> "It is time for me to meet our friend for a more extensive business pursuit. Sadly, she will not want you there, but that was to be expected. I am not sure what you could do in the meantime, though...perhaps you could investigate the flags Remilia has planted in claiming our islands, if you feel it worth your time. It might be nice to see what kind of advance guard she has left."
>"Sure thing," says Tenshi. "Um, how do you want me to handle it, if I run into problems. Since you've got plans and stuff?"
>_
-
> "Do what you need to do. Don't bite off more than you can chew, though. And try to avoid Bhavagran casualties, if you can."
-
> "Do what you need to do. Don't bite off more than you can chew, though. And try to avoid Bhavagran casualties, if you can."
>"Got it!" says Tenshi. "See if I can nab those flags, too."
>_
-
> "That is a good idea. It will help serve my knowledge of where you have been and where you have yet to go. Shall we meet back in my room once we are both done, then?"
-
> "That is a good idea. It will help serve my knowledge of where you have been and where you have yet to go. Shall we meet back in my room once we are both done, then?"
>"Sure," says Tenshi.
>_
-
> "If you can't rip the flag poles out of the ground for some strange reason, just rip the flag itself up, so I'll know you've been there."
> Smile and offer hand out for a handshake.
> "Good luck, Tenshi. Make me proud."
-
> "If you can't rip the flag poles out of the ground for some strange reason, just rip the flag itself up, so I'll know you've been there."
> Smile and offer hand out for a handshake.
> "Good luck, Tenshi. Make me proud."
>"I'll do my best," says Tenshi, as she takes your hand and shakes firmly, a bit more than is comfortable. "I hope it won't be a problem if I just take them back?"
>_
-
> Deal with the discomfort.
> "The flags? Not at all. Whatever serves to indicate that you've been and gone. I believe there are only two islands with flags on them right now, which will make my searching job easier."
-
> Deal with the discomfort.
> "The flags? Not at all. Whatever serves to indicate that you've been and gone. I believe there are only two islands with flags on them right now, which will make my searching job easier."
>"I mean the islands themselves," says Tenshi. "I mean, I'm not going to try to start anything, but if it happens, I might accidentally take it back, you know? That's not a problem, is it?"
-
> "Oh. Oh! Well."
> Grin.
> "I must admit I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to the grand scheme of war and homeland invasion, but if territory just so happens to change hands back to its rightful people after a battle, whether it happens intentionally or accidentally, then I suppose it will be what it will be, as such is the nature of battle, isn't it?"
-
> "Oh. Oh! Well."
> Grin.
> "I must admit I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to the grand scheme of war and homeland invasion, but if territory just so happens to change hands back to its rightful people after a battle, whether it happens intentionally or accidentally, then I suppose it will be what it will be, as such is the nature of battle, isn't it?"
>She nods. "Good luck!"
>_
-
> "Thank you. May we both be successful in our endeavours."
> Turn to Rinnosuke.
> "And thank you for permitting my intrusion for so long. Good luck to you as well."
> Assuming no one makes any effort to stop us, leave Kourindou and return to the poltergeist meeting site, still keeping an eye out for Ayas or Momizis.
-
> "Thank you. May we both be successful in our endeavours."
> Turn to Rinnosuke.
> "And thank you for permitting my intrusion for so long. Good luck to you as well."
> Assuming no one makes any effort to stop us, leave Kourindou and return to the poltergeist meeting site, still keeping an eye out for Ayas or Momizis.
>Tenshi nods and heads out.
>"Mmm, I suppose small charities are alright from time to time," says Rinnosuke. "Do be careful."
>You depart for the shop, and head toward the stream once again. This time, the poltergeist isn't hiding, instead sitting on the bank with her back against a tree. She is looking in your direction as you approach, easily noticing you the same time you notice her.
>_
-
> Does her seated post seem more casual or focused?
> Approach to a distance conducive to a normal conversation.
> "Hello again. This is certainly a curious sight, to see you out like this."
-
> Does her seated post seem more casual or focused?
> Approach to a distance conducive to a normal conversation.
> "Hello again. This is certainly a curious sight, to see you out like this."
>More of the latter, but still kind of rigid.
>You approach and comment. "I knew you were coming," she says.
>_
-
> What time is it?
> "Yes, I suppose that is true. And my prior business has concluded, and my celestial friend is off attending to other business, so here we are. May I assume the short amount of extra thinking time has not done much to help you?"
-
> What time is it?
> "Yes, I suppose that is true. And my prior business has concluded, and my celestial friend is off attending to other business, so here we are. May I assume the short amount of extra thinking time has not done much to help you?"
>Mid-afternoon
>She shakes her head.
-
> "Well, as loathe as I am to bring back unpleasant memories for both of us...if the person we would potentially go meet was someone that has seen you before and knows who you are, would that make it any less depraved to meet with them?"
-
> "Well, as loathe as I am to bring back unpleasant memories for both of us...if the person we would potentially go meet was someone that has seen you before and knows who you are, would that make it any less depraved to meet with them?"
>"Maybe...a little," says the poltergeist, frowning.
>_
-
> How open is the area around Yukari's house, and how close is it to the forest?
> "Let me tell about the person I have in mind, then. This person is older than Gensokyo, and helped create the barrier that protects Gensokyo from the outside world, alongside The August One of Bhava-Agra, whom I serve and about whom you have read. She is likely more powerful than the two of us combined; even if not, it is a theory I would very much rather not test. She is also very knowledgeable and clever about a wide variety of subjects. I do not know the entire extent of her knowledge of shadows, but I imagine that she has picked up knowledge along the way in her lifetime, and even if she could not directly help bring one manifest, she would at least likely know how it is done, and/or recommend someone that can. Her specialty is actually boundaries; if there is anyone in Gensokyo that can assist you with the problem of the crack in the shadow void, it is her."
-
> How open is the area around Yukari's house, and how close is it to the forest?
> "Let me tell about the person I have in mind, then. This person is older than Gensokyo, and helped create the barrier that protects Gensokyo from the outside world, alongside The August One of Bhava-Agra, whom I serve and about whom you have read. She is likely more powerful than the two of us combined; even if not, it is a theory I would very much rather not test. She is also very knowledgeable and clever about a wide variety of subjects. I do not know the entire extent of her knowledge of shadows, but I imagine that she has picked up knowledge along the way in her lifetime, and even if she could not directly help bring one manifest, she would at least likely know how it is done, and/or recommend someone that can. Her specialty is actually boundaries; if there is anyone in Gensokyo that can assist you with the problem of the crack in the shadow void, it is her."
>It's quite open; being in the middle of a grassy field. It is not too far from the forest.
>She frowns still. "This sounds like quite a person."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Very much so. She was able to immediately identify who you were yesterday merely with the knowledge that you were a poltergeist that worked with shadows. It is quite a good thing that she is as much a person as anyone else, which afford her a desire for civility and a sense of humor."
> Smile.
> "In fact, assuming she does not know already, if she finds out I told you that she is older than Gensokyo, she will likely smack me across the head for my rudeness."
-
> Nod.
> "Very much so. She was able to immediately identify who you were yesterday merely with the knowledge that you were a poltergeist that worked with shadows. It is quite a good thing that she is as much a person as anyone else, which afford her a desire for civility and a sense of humor."
> Smile.
> "In fact, assuming she does not know already, if she finds out I told you that she is older than Gensokyo, she will likely smack me across the head for my rudeness."
>"Well, anyone should smack you for exposing them," says the poltergeist. "And, I have to meet this person, I suppose?"
>_
-
> "If nothing else, I suspect you would be able to provide a far better assessment of the problem that is the crack in the void than I would. Not to mention the specifics of the discomforts you are feeling, assuming you wish to discuss that."
-
> "If nothing else, I suspect you would be able to provide a far better assessment of the problem that is the crack in the void than I would. Not to mention the specifics of the discomforts you are feeling, assuming you wish to discuss that."
>She nods, slowly. "Must I?"
>_
-
Tangental thought.
> Do we think Yukari's powers over boundaries could extract Bhava-Agra's shadow from Shuuei? Without harming her?
-
> Do we think Yukari's powers over boundaries could extract Bhava-Agra's shadow from Shuuei? Without harming her?
>You recall her saying she could probably do something, but it would be crude. You're not sure what crude is in this context.
>_
-
> Keep that in mind considering Shuuei is due to lose control of the shadow on her own any time now.
> "I believe you must if you wish answers to the questions that plague you, but it is up to you to believe that as well."
-
> Keep that in mind considering Shuuei is due to lose control of the shadow on her own any time now.
> "I believe you must if you wish answers to the questions that plague you, but it is up to you to believe that as well."
>"Must I see her?" says the poltergeist. "Wouldn't messages work just as well?"
>_
-
> "Do you have anything with which to write?"
-
> "Do you have anything with which to write?"
>She shakes her head. "I would find something, or maybe you could?"
>_
-
> "And what if she needs to investigate the matter of the crack personally?"
-
> "And what if she needs to investigate the matter of the crack personally?"
>"We'll figure it out then," says the poltergeist.
>_
-
> "Mmm. Well, I must admit I cannot guarantee her willingness to help someone that doesn't want to meet her."
-
> "Mmm. Well, I must admit I cannot guarantee her willingness to help someone that doesn't want to meet her."
>"I will risk it," says the poltergeist.
-
> Frown.
> "...All right, I suppose I can go ask her. May I assume you will wait here?"
-
> Frown.
> "...All right, I suppose I can go ask her. May I assume you will wait here?"
>She nods.
>"If you can get me something to write with, I will just give you a letter to give to her."
>_
-
> "I will see if she has something."
-
> "I will see if she has something."
>The poltergeist nods.
>_
-
> "Okay. Before I go, though, and while I am thinking about it, have you seen a black-haired woman in a white blouse, black skirt and red hat and shoes fly by here recently?"
-
> "Okay. Before I go, though, and while I am thinking about it, have you seen a black-haired woman in a white blouse, black skirt and red hat and shoes fly by here recently?"
>She shakes her head.
>_
-
> "I suggest you keep an eye out for her, and make sure she does not see you, even more so than you already do. She is very fast and has a very keen eye, and worse for your lifestyle, she is a journalist."
-
> "I suggest you keep an eye out for her, and make sure she does not see you, even more so than you already do. She is very fast and has a very keen eye, and worse for your lifestyle, she is a journalist."
>"I am not sure what that is, but I shall keep wary for her."
>_
-
> "A journalist is one who scours the countryside for interesting events, writes about those events and spreads the information they have gathered to the people of the land for a small fee. They are essentially a mass written communication medium. And when they write about interesting events, they tend to write a lot about the people involved in those events."
-
> "A journalist is one who scours the countryside for interesting events, writes about those events and spreads the information they have gathered to the people of the land for a small fee. They are essentially a mass written communication medium. And when they write about interesting events, they tend to write a lot about the people involved in those events."
>"What a horrid person," says the poltergeist, trying very hard to hold back obvious disgust. "I won't guarantee her shadow will remain with her if she tries that with me."
>_
-
> "If that is what you must do, then it is what you must do. If it does happen, though, please do let me know, if only so I can deal with her body properly."
-
> "If that is what you must do, then it is what you must do. If it does happen, though, please do let me know, if only so I can deal with her body properly."
>"Very well, I won't hide her."
>_
-
> "Well, feel free to hide her, especially since it will help hide you by extension. As long as you can tell me where she is later."
-
> "Well, feel free to hide her, especially since it will help hide you by extension. As long as you can tell me where she is later."
>She nods. "I meant in the long term, you'll be told."
>_
-
> "All right. Just...be careful, in the unfortunate event that she sees you. She's very crafty, and very hard to catch. Have a plan to deal with her prepared, and take advantage of the fact that she knows nothing about you and will want to know what she can learn. My hope is that the two of you do not see each other, for both of your sakes."
-
> "All right. Just...be careful, in the unfortunate event that she sees you. She's very crafty, and very hard to catch. Have a plan to deal with her prepared, and take advantage of the fact that she knows nothing about you and will want to know what she can learn. My hope is that the two of you do not see each other, for both of your sakes."
>She nods. "I'll do my best not to be seen."
>_
-
> "Okay. I will be back soon, and we will find out if written communication will work."
> Assuming the poltergeist makes no objection to our departure, take flight and head toward the Yakumo household.
-
> "Okay. I will be back soon, and we will find out if written communication will work."
> Assuming the poltergeist makes no objection to our departure, take flight and head toward the Yakumo household.
>She does not stop you.
>You leave the forest, and head toward the Yakumo Household. It seems to be the same as ever; you can see the nekomata from yesterday's incident on Orchard Isle; Chen if you recall correctly fro that later conversation; running in the back.
>_
-
> Knock on the door.
-
> Knock on the door.
>You knock on the door.
>"Come in!" calls Yukari's voice.
>_
-
> Enter!
-
> Enter!
>You walk into Yukari's home. Looking over, you see a fox tailed Youkai in the kitchen, slicing some green herbs. Yukari is still at the table, having traded her prior clothing for a simple dress made of odd white cloth that you can't really put a proper name to.
>"I see you're alone this time," Yukari says.
>_
-
> Do we recall this fox youkai's name?
> "Sadly, yes. My friend has experienced great mental turmoil in trying to make her decision. She is currently trying to have things both ways; she wants to partake in written communication with you, presumably with me serving as the middle woman and living up to my title."
-
> Do we recall this fox youkai's name?
> "Sadly, yes. My friend has experienced great mental turmoil in trying to make her decision. She is currently trying to have things both ways; she wants to partake in written communication with you, presumably with me serving as the middle woman and living up to my title."
>You're reasonably sure this is Ran.
>"Ah. Well then," says Yukari. "It would not do to force you to be a go between, would it?"
>_
-
> "It is not a commitment I could make for the long term, no. It is still a step in the right direction that she is willing to communicate with someone she isn't sure of at all. I'm certain if you were willing that something could be worked out involving dropping off letters. I prefer personal meetings of course but if everyone met in person as a messenger I would be out of a position." Smile.
-
> "It is not a commitment I could make for the long term, no. It is still a step in the right direction that she is willing to communicate with someone she isn't sure of at all. I'm certain if you were willing that something could be worked out involving dropping off letters. I prefer personal meetings of course but if everyone met in person as a messenger I would be out of a position." Smile.
>"Well, I do appreciate you eagerness," says Yukari, "But I was thinking that Chen would be perfect for the job."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I will propose this idea to her, then. Shall I also tell her that you would need to meet her in person to solve the issue of any strange border-related problems she may have, or would it be possible for those to be fixed without your direct influence?"
-
> Nod.
> "I will propose this idea to her, then. Shall I also tell her that you would need to meet her in person to solve the issue of any strange border-related problems she may have, or would it be possible for those to be fixed without your direct influence?"
>"I mostly certainly would not like to try doing that kind of thing over a distance," says Yukari, "Presuming there is one."
>_
-
> "There is right now, I can assure you. I suppose I can also tell her your assessment of poltergeist afterlife."
> Take a look over at Ran, then back to Yukari.
> "And I sincerely hope this entire process does not intrude on your meal time."
-
> "There is right now, I can assure you. I suppose I can also tell her your assessment of poltergeist afterlife."
> Take a look over at Ran, then back to Yukari.
> "And I sincerely hope this entire process does not intrude on your meal time."
>"Oh, I love having something to read during dinner," says Yukari. "Just take Chen with you and show her where to go."
-
> "Oh. Um, I will be happy to do so, but I will need to ask the poltergeist if Chen's presence is tolerable first."
-
> "Oh. Um, I will be happy to do so, but I will need to ask the poltergeist if Chen's presence is tolerable first."
>"Of course," Yukari says with a little hand wave, "just bring her along and save yourself a trip."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "All right. Hmm...out of curiosity, how much interest has Chen shown in the fallen islands? I do recall seeing her near one yesterday."
-
> Nod.
> "All right. Hmm...out of curiosity, how much interest has Chen shown in the fallen islands? I do recall seeing her near one yesterday."
>"She's certainly poked around them a bit," says Yukari. "But once cut and twice shy, they say."
>_
-
> "I wonder if she would, perhaps, enjoy a visit to Bhava-Agra more once normality has been restored."
-
> "I wonder if she would, perhaps, enjoy a visit to Bhava-Agra more once normality has been restored."
>"I would ask her," says Yukari, giving you a curious smile. "I think she might be."
>_
-
> Smile in return.
> "I will be sure to do so. It is only fair that she be compensated for performing a very important task for me, after all."
-
> Smile in return.
> "I will be sure to do so. It is only fair that she be compensated for performing a very important task for me, after all."
>She nods. "Don't let me keep you, then."
>_
-
> "Of course. Oh! Do you happen to have a writing utensil? Both myself and my friend currently lack one."
-
> "Of course. Oh! Do you happen to have a writing utensil? Both myself and my friend currently lack one."
>"I suppose I could loan you something," says Yukari. You see her open a small gap, mostly obscured by the table, and withdraw something. "Here you are," she says, giving you a brush, a bottle of ink, and sheets of rather nice paper.
>You obtain: Basic Writing Tools.
>_
-
> Give a short bow.
> "Thank you very much. Someone will return to you shortly."
> Assuming no one makes an effort to stop us, leave the house and go out to the back where Chen was earlier.
-
> Give a short bow.
> "Thank you very much. Someone will return to you shortly."
> Assuming no one makes an effort to stop us, leave the house and go out to the back where Chen was earlier.
>She gives a lazy wave as you leave.
>Rounding the house, you find Chen pouncing on an errant stalk of wild grass. She doesn't seem to have noticed you get.
>_
-
> "Hello again."
-
> "Hello again."
>Chen looks up, tails whipping about. "Hi person whose name I forgot!"
>_
-
> Smile.
> "My name is Iku. Lady Yakumo has sent me to ask an important errand of you, that will help my floating island home. Will you come with me to the forest?"
-
> Smile.
> "My name is Iku. Lady Yakumo has sent me to ask an important errand of you, that will help my floating island home. Will you come with me to the forest?"
>Chen practically leaps to her feet, stiffening and puffing up like a soldier. "I'll do whatever Ran-sama needs!"
>_
-
> "Well, this is actually a suggestion from Lady Yukari, though Lady Ran was there and raised no objections. I assume you are still willing to help, then?"
-
> "Well, this is actually a suggestion from Lady Yukari, though Lady Ran was there and raised no objections. I assume you are still willing to help, then?"
>"Oh...Well that's just as good!"
>She salutes.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Excellent. Please come with me."
> Take flight and head toward Renko and Maribel's house.
> Along the way, turn to Chen.
> "So now that you have had some time to investigate them, what did you think of the floating islands?"
-
> Nod.
> "Excellent. Please come with me."
> Take flight and head toward Renko and Maribel's house.
> Along the way, turn to Chen.
> "So now that you have had some time to investigate them, what did you think of the floating islands?"
>"Got it!" says Chen.
>You start toward Maribel's house. This isn't going to take long.
>"The people there are jerks!" says Chen. "I hope they go away soon!"
>_
-
> "That would be ideal for all involved, and we are hoping the errand you are going to run will play a part in that. I do think, however, that you deserve an explanation for their behavior. Tell me, Chen, if your house collapsed in an earthquake, and then strangers from the underground suddenly came over to it and started trying to take your food, would you be happy and let them?"
-
> "That would be ideal for all involved, and we are hoping the errand you are going to run will play a part in that. I do think, however, that you deserve an explanation for their behavior. Tell me, Chen, if your house collapsed in an earthquake, and then strangers from the underground suddenly came over to it and started trying to take your food, would you be happy and let them?"
>"Trees are fair game!" Chen says. "They were just being greedy and mean!"
>As you draw closer to Turtle House, Chen frowns. "I don't have to break into there, do I? Because Miss Yukari promised I would never have to do anything to them unless they turned on us."
>_
-
> "No, they are not our enemies. They have actually been very helpful to myself, as well as to their friends. Instead, you are going to wait here while I move a little bit further into the forest. I have another friend there who is...very, very shy, and does not want to meet with anyone. I need to make sure it is okay if you meet with her. She needs some very important information, information Miss Yukari is graciously willing to provide her, but she does not want to meet face-to-face. What you will need to do is to deliver hand-written messages between Miss Yukari and this friend of mine, assuming my friend is willing to meet with you. Can you do this for us?"
-
> "No, they are not our enemies. They have actually been very helpful to myself, as well as to their friends. Instead, you are going to wait here while I move a little bit further into the forest. I have another friend there who is...very, very shy, and does not want to meet with anyone. I need to make sure it is okay if you meet with her. She needs some very important information, information Miss Yukari is graciously willing to provide her, but she does not want to meet face-to-face. What you will need to do is to deliver hand-written messages between Miss Yukari and this friend of mine, assuming my friend is willing to meet with you. Can you do this for us?"
>"Oh, okay, that's way better," says Chen.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Yes, I figured you might think so. However, it is important that you do not follow me into the forest until I tell you to, okay? This friend of mine is very uncomfortable around people, and we don't want to upset her, or else she may never get that important information, which will be sad for everyone. Perhaps you could spend some time with the girl that looks like Miss Yukari while you wait for me, if she is home."
-
> Nod.
> "Yes, I figured you might think so. However, it is important that you do not follow me into the forest until I tell you to, okay? This friend of mine is very uncomfortable around people, and we don't want to upset her, or else she may never get that important information, which will be sad for everyone. Perhaps you could spend some time with the girl that looks like Miss Yukari while you wait for me, if she is home."
>Chen nods. "I'll wait here."
>_
-
> "Thank you. Don't be afraid to check in to see if anyone is home. There may also be some other people around that don't live here. If you see a blonde youkai in brown clothing, a blue-haired kappa in green clothing, and a teal-haired karakasa with a purple umbrella, and they ask about why you're here, tell them you're waiting for me, okay? They'll understand."
-
> "Thank you. Don't be afraid to check in to see if anyone is home. There may also be some other people around that don't live here. If you see a blonde youkai in brown clothing, a blue-haired kappa in green clothing, and a teal-haired karakasa with a purple umbrella, and they ask about why you're here, tell them you're waiting for me, okay? They'll understand."
>"Aye aye!" says Chen.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I will be back soon."
> Leave Chen at the house and head back to the poltergeist meeting place, being sure to arrive with a frown.
-
> Nod.
> "I will be back soon."
> Leave Chen at the house and head back to the poltergeist meeting place, being sure to arrive with a frown.
>"Kay," says Chen.
>You head back to the stream. The poltergeist steps from around a tree and looks at you expectantly.
>_
-
> Frown.
> "I have learned a few things, and I imagine most will not be particularly pleasing. The first is that Lady Yakumo would definitely not like to try to fix any border-related problems over a distance that anyone happens to have."
-
> Frown.
> "I have learned a few things, and I imagine most will not be particularly pleasing. The first is that Lady Yakumo would definitely not like to try to fix any border-related problems over a distance that anyone happens to have."
>She frowns. "We'll just have to see, then."
>_
-
> "The second is that she reminded me of a unique event that happened several years ago, when the Sanzu River's shikigami took some unexpected time off from her job and souls built up here in Gensokyo, unable to cross the river to be judged. The Yama herself appeared in Gensokyo, and gave some life-improving advice the the musician poltergeists I mentioned before. It is extremely uncommon for the Yama to appear in Gensokyo, as she normally waits for people to die to judge their souls. Now, the good news for you is that this very, very strongly suggests poltergeists are not actually judged by the Yama when they die, so you seem to have avoided that."
-
> "The second is that she reminded me of a unique event that happened several years ago, when the Sanzu River's shikigami took some unexpected time off from her job and souls built up here in Gensokyo, unable to cross the river to be judged. The Yama herself appeared in Gensokyo, and gave some life-improving advice the the musician poltergeists I mentioned before. It is extremely uncommon for the Yama to appear in Gensokyo, as she normally waits for people to die to judge their souls. Now, the good news for you is that this very, very strongly suggests poltergeists are not actually judged by the Yama when they die, so you seem to have avoided that."
>She nods. "I suppose there's nothing to be done about that either way."
>_
-
> "Right. But the bad news is that it limits the possibilities of what would happen. It is possible you would reincarnate as a lesser being, like a bird, or an animal..."
> Gently bite lower lip.
> "...but it is more likely that you will...simply cease to exist in any capacity."
-
> "Right. But the bad news is that it limits the possibilities of what would happen. It is possible you would reincarnate as a lesser being, like a bird, or an animal..."
> Gently bite lower lip.
> "...but it is more likely that you will...simply cease to exist in any capacity."
>She nods. "I know."
>_
-
> "So we need to make sure that doesn't happen. Now, the third thing...Lady Yakumo's take on the messenger idea was that 'it would not do' for me to perform the task. She wants one of her shikigami to do it instead."
-
> "So we need to make sure that doesn't happen. Now, the third thing...Lady Yakumo's take on the messenger idea was that 'it would not do' for me to perform the task. She wants one of her shikigami to do it instead."
>The poltergeist frowns. "I...suppose I can just leave messages out and hide."
>_
-
> Stare silently at the poltergeist for a couple of seconds.
> Heave a deep sigh and bow our head.
> "...Very well."
-
> Stare silently at the poltergeist for a couple of seconds.
> Heave a deep sigh and bow our head.
> "...Very well."
>She nods. "Did you get me something to write with?"
>_
-
> Pull out the Basic Writing Tools.
> Slowly walk over to the poltergeist and offer them to her without looking at her.
-
> Pull out the Basic Writing Tools.
> Slowly walk over to the poltergeist and offer them to her without looking at her.
>She takes them without hesitation. "Thank you."
>_
-
> Sad frown.
> Wordlessly turn and walk away, toward a tree across the area from where the poltergeist stands.
> Sit down at the base of it and hug our knees to our chest.
-
> Sad frown.
> Wordlessly turn and walk away, toward a tree across the area from where the poltergeist stands.
> Sit down at the base of it and hug our knees to our chest.
>You're not sure if she notices your general disappointment. You hear a brush being drug across paper, though. It doesn't seem like she's hesitating much, either. She must already know what she wants to say.
>After a couple minutes she approaches you with a piece of folded paper. "Here. And tell whoever the messenger is to leave them here, and I'll get them, and place my replies there when I'm done."
>_
-
> Look up at her with a sad expression for a couple of seconds, then look at the paper and extend a hand out for it.
-
> Look up at her with a sad expression for a couple of seconds, then look at the paper and extend a hand out for it.
>She hands it to you.
>"Thank you."
>_
-
> Slowly stand up and walk back to where Chen was.
-
> Slowly stand up and walk back to where Chen was.
>You walk back to Renko's Home.
>Looking around, you find Chen crouched on the roof. "Hi Miss Iku Person!" she calls.
>_
-
> "Hello."
> Fly up to the roof and hand Chen the letter.
> "Give this to Miss Yukari. Be sure not to read it, it is very private. When Miss Yukari has written a response, return here, and drop her letter off at my friend's meeting place, near the river."
> Give Chen proper directions to the poltergeist meeting place.
> "If I am there, you can give it to me. Otherwise, leave it under something, so it does not blow away, such as a rock. Then, return to this house and wait a while for her to write a response, which will also be left at that meeting place. Can you do all this?"
-
> "Hello."
> Fly up to the roof and hand Chen the letter.
> "Give this to Miss Yukari. Be sure not to read it, it is very private. When Miss Yukari has written a response, return here, and drop her letter off at my friend's meeting place, near the river."
> Give Chen proper directions to the poltergeist meeting place.
> "If I am there, you can give it to me. Otherwise, leave it under something, so it does not blow away, such as a rock. Then, return to this house and wait a while for her to write a response, which will also be left at that meeting place. Can you do all this?"
>"You got it!" says Chen as she takes the letter, and zooms off toward the Yakumo household.
>_
-
> Head back to the poltergeist meeting place.
-
> Head back to the poltergeist meeting place.
>You return to the meeting spot, and find it empty.
>After a moment, the poltergeist peeks around a different tree than before. "I didn't think you were going to come back so soon," she says. "Did you forget something?"
>_
-
> "No. I just have nothing left to do."
> Sit down against the same tree as before.
> "I have failed my people."
-
> "No. I just have nothing left to do."
> Sit down against the same tree as before.
> "I have failed my people."
>"Huh?" she says.
>_
-
> Sit down against the same tree as before and stare at the ground a few feet in front of us.
> "I have done everything I can. Everything I have thought possible to do. And I am left in a situation that is completely out of my hands, where the fate of my people and my home rests on the whims of others. I have no way of knowing how long the process will take, no way of expediting it, and not even a way to guarantee that it will work out favorably for my people. There is nothing left for me to do. I am powerless to restore my home to where it belongs. I have failed."
-
> Sit down against the same tree as before and stare at the ground a few feet in front of us.
> "I have done everything I can. Everything I have thought possible to do. And I am left in a situation that is completely out of my hands, where the fate of my people and my home rests on the whims of others. I have no way of knowing how long the process will take, no way of expediting it, and not even a way to guarantee that it will work out favorably for my people. There is nothing left for me to do. I am powerless to restore my home to where it belongs. I have failed."
>"So have I," she says.
>_
-
> "Yours is a life-or-death situation. You had no choice. Your hand was forced. My situation is not life-or-death. I am simply a failure."
-
> "Yours is a life-or-death situation. You had no choice. Your hand was forced. My situation is not life-or-death. I am simply a failure."
>"Don't say things like that," says the poltergeist, frowning.
>_
-
> "There is nothing else to say. I was tasked with restoring my home, I have put forth my best effort to doing so, and my home still sits lifeless, ruined and defeated. If something occurs to save it, it will not be my doing, it will have been someone else's. I do not know how to see that as anything other than abject failure."
-
> "There is nothing else to say. I was tasked with restoring my home, I have put forth my best effort to doing so, and my home still sits lifeless, ruined and defeated. If something occurs to save it, it will not be my doing, it will have been someone else's. I do not know how to see that as anything other than abject failure."
>"Stop that," she says.
>_
-
> Look up at the poltergeist.
> "And do what instead?"
-
> Look up at the poltergeist.
> "And do what instead?"
>"I don't know," she says.
>_
-
> Look back down at the ground.
> "Then you might as well take my shadow now, like I offered it to you this morning. Maybe you'll get more use out of me than my people did."
-
> Look back down at the ground.
> "Then you might as well take my shadow now, like I offered it to you this morning. Maybe you'll get more use out of me than my people did."
>"I don't want to," she says.
>_
-
> "Why not?"
-
> "Why not?"
>"I just don't, okay?" she says in a tone that invites no argument.
>_
-
> Clutch our knees to our chest again.
> "So I can't even give myself up properly. Just one more thing I've failed at."
-
> Clutch our knees to our chest again.
> "So I can't even give myself up properly. Just one more thing I've failed at."
>"I said stop it," she says.
>_
-
> Look back up at the poltergeist.
> "And what will happen if I don't?"
-
> Look back up at the poltergeist.
> "And what will happen if I don't?"
>"I'll...be really irritated with you, alright!?"
>_
-
> Stare at her for a couple of seconds, then crack a small smile.
> "Well...maybe you're right. I guess I did succeed at one thing."
-
> Stare at her for a couple of seconds, then crack a small smile.
> "Well...maybe you're right. I guess I did succeed at one thing."
>"See?" she says.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Yeah."
> Smile a little more.
> "I found the one who hid herself at all costs, who retched at the idea of socialization, who stole the shadows of those that discovered her to keep them silent forever, and who was willing to risk ultimate death for her isolationist ideals...and I got her to care about me."
-
> Nod.
> "Yeah."
> Smile a little more.
> "I found the one who hid herself at all costs, who retched at the idea of socialization, who stole the shadows of those that discovered her to keep them silent forever, and who was willing to risk ultimate death for her isolationist ideals...and I got her to care about me."
>She doesn't say anything.
>After a moment, she says, "Well...maybe. I don't know."
>_
-
> "Well, you have your system for information now, don't you? Lady Yakumo's messenger knows where to deliver her messages and where to pick them up. You have your writing equipment, and you know what you've been feeling and what you want to say and what you don't want to say. You don't need me for any of that. You could rip my shadow in half, or take it for yourself, and everything you've ever told me wouldn't matter anymore, because I wouldn't matter anymore. Your secrets would be safe again. You'd have your life-saving information, and no one would be around to collect the price you needed to pay to get it. You'd be completely in the clear."
-
> "Well, you have your system for information now, don't you? Lady Yakumo's messenger knows where to deliver her messages and where to pick them up. You have your writing equipment, and you know what you've been feeling and what you want to say and what you don't want to say. You don't need me for any of that. You could rip my shadow in half, or take it for yourself, and everything you've ever told me wouldn't matter anymore, because I wouldn't matter anymore. Your secrets would be safe again. You'd have your life-saving information, and no one would be around to collect the price you needed to pay to get it. You'd be completely in the clear."
>"That's not true..." she says, frowning.
>_
-
> "What part of it isn't true?"
-
> "What part of it isn't true?"
>"...It just isn't." she says.
>_
-
> Frown.
> "...You know, I wonder how much of your inner turmoil is a result of your unwillingness to be honest with yourself."
-
> Frown.
> "...You know, I wonder how much of your inner turmoil is a result of your unwillingness to be honest with yourself."
>"I am honest," she says. "Just..."
>She makes a couple of tight circling gestures with her hands.
>"...You know..."
>_
-
> Do we have any idea what these gestures might mean?
> If not, raise an eyebrow and say "...I'm not entirely sure I do."
-
> Do we have any idea what these gestures might mean?
> If not, raise an eyebrow and say "...I'm not entirely sure I do."
>You think she is making random loss for words gesticulations.
>_
-
> Lean forward a bit and raise an eyebrow.
> "...I'm not entirely sure I do, to be honest."
-
> Lean forward a bit and raise an eyebrow.
> "...I'm not entirely sure I do, to be honest."
>She sighs and drops her hands. "Nor do I."
>_
-
> Stand up.
> "Well, let us try to piece it together, then. Let us look at the definite facts. We can easily find a contradiction in the first two. One being you hold that exposure of the self is a wrong thing, and the other being that you do not want to eliminate me, despite the fact that doing so would undo all the damage caused by how much you have exposed yourself to me."
-
> Stand up.
> "Well, let us try to piece it together, then. Let us look at the definite facts. We can easily find a contradiction in the first two. One being you hold that exposure of the self is a wrong thing, and the other being that you do not want to eliminate me, despite the fact that doing so would undo all the damage caused by how much you have exposed yourself to me."
>"And you could try to kill me to get that shadow," says the Poltergeist. "You haven't. Are you contradicting yourself, too?"
>_
-
> Smile.
> "That is because I care about you. Are you saying you do care about me?"
-
> Smile.
> "That is because I care about you. Are you saying you do care about me?"
>"...I suppose so," she says after a long pause. You can't really tell if she's grudgingly admitting it, or just uncertain.
-
> Nod.
> "I am glad to hear this. But it begets a very large question."
> Exhale. If we are smiling, drop it.
> "This feeling you evidently have...does it feel wrong?"
-
> Nod.
> "I am glad to hear this. But it begets a very large question."
> Exhale. If we are smiling, drop it.
> "This feeling you evidently have...does it feel wrong?"
>"...Maybe?"
>_
-
> "Well, if it felt wrong, you would have to reject it, wouldn't you?"
-
> "Well, if it felt wrong, you would have to reject it, wouldn't you?"
>She nods.
>_
-
> "And yet you have demonstrably not rejected it, despite my many invitations to do so just now."
-
> "And yet you have demonstrably not rejected it, despite my many invitations to do so just now."
>"Just because it's not one thing doesn't mean it has to be the other," says the Poltergeist.
>_
-
> "That is potentially true, yes. What that means is that we will need to make it much more clear-cut in a moment. But there is something I wish to ask first. I have not said a single thing I did not mean. This includes all my expressed feelings of failure and misery, which I still hold to a degree, though perhaps not as much as a couple of minutes ago. Those feelings clearly agitated you. Why?"
-
> "That is potentially true, yes. What that means is that we will need to make it much more clear-cut in a moment. But there is something I wish to ask first. I have not said a single thing I did not mean. This includes all my expressed feelings of failure and misery, which I still hold to a degree, though perhaps not as much as a couple of minutes ago. Those feelings clearly agitated you. Why?"
>"It just did," she says.
>_
-
> "How did they make you feel? Angry, sad, or some combination of the two?"
-
> "How did they make you feel? Angry, sad, or some combination of the two?"
>"A bit of both, but mostly angry," she says. "All those things were wrong."
>_
-
> "But they were all about me, not about you."
-
> "But they were all about me, not about you."
>"Doesn't make them any less wrong," she says, giving you a look.
>_
-
> Smile.
> "It is a shame you and Tenshi want nothing to do with each other. The two of you are quite similar."
-
> Smile.
> "It is a shame you and Tenshi want nothing to do with each other. The two of you are quite similar."
>"Is that a bad thing?" she asks, frowning.
>_
-
> Shake head.
> "No, not at all. But I am getting sidetracked. What is important right now is to determine if you feel these feelings you have regarding me are wrong things or not."
-
> Shake head.
> "No, not at all. But I am getting sidetracked. What is important right now is to determine if you feel these feelings you have regarding me are wrong things or not."
>"It doesn't have to be either," she says.
>_
-
> "What do you mean?"
-
> "What do you mean?"
>"Maybe it's not wrong or right, but rather it just is." she says.
>_
-
> "Hmm...I suppose that is also possible. Let me ask this, though...do you like the feeling?"
-
> "Hmm...I suppose that is also possible. Let me ask this, though...do you like the feeling?"
>"...Not sure. It's poorly timed, at least."
>_
-
> "I can imagine. I wonder, then...let us go with your idea, that it isn't a right or wrong thing, but that it just is. I think it's fair to assume it was a result of our mutual self-exposure. Would you agree?"
-
> "I can imagine. I wonder, then...let us go with your idea, that it isn't a right or wrong thing, but that it just is. I think it's fair to assume it was a result of our mutual self-exposure. Would you agree?"
>"No," she says. "I wouldn't agree to it at all."
>_
-
> "Hmm. Why do you think it came about, then?"
-
> "Hmm. Why do you think it came about, then?"
>"I don't think it would be nearly so hard to figure out what to make of it all if I knew," she says
>_
-
> Stare at the poltergeist for a second, then raise our eyebrows while nodding.
> "All right, that is fair, yes. It is perhaps not the proper direction to be thinking in anyway. Let me ask something different, and likely more important. When you tell me about yourself, does it feel wrong?"
-
> Stare at the poltergeist for a second, then raise our eyebrows while nodding.
> "All right, that is fair, yes. It is perhaps not the proper direction to be thinking in anyway. Let me ask something different, and likely more important. When you tell me about yourself, does it feel wrong?"
>"It's more like picking at a wound, at this point," she mutters.
>_
-
> Frown.
> "...That is not an answer I really expected, I must admit. Is this in regards to telling me anything, or just what is directly pertinent to improving your survival?"
-
> Frown.
> "...That is not an answer I really expected, I must admit. Is this in regards to telling me anything, or just what is directly pertinent to improving your survival?"
>"About anything, really," she says. "On one hand, it's already gone so far that stopping now wouldn't make any difference. on the other hand...even if it doesn't make a difference and the harm's been done, it still bothers me."
>_
-
> "Then how can we heal the harm that has been done? There must be a way."
-
> "Then how can we heal the harm that has been done? There must be a way."
>"I've already said I'm not going to do it," she says.
>_
-
> "Well, yes, there's that, but what about other options? Is that really the only way?"
-
> "Well, yes, there's that, but is that really the only way?"
>"Likely so," she says.
>_
-
> Give her a sad sympathetic look.
> "...I'm so sorry...I wish I knew what else to do to end your pain..."
-
> Give her a sad sympathetic look.
> "...I'm so sorry...I wish I knew what else to do to end your pain..."
>"The worst of it is probably over, at least," she say.
>_
-
> "That's still not fair to you."
-
> "That's still not fair to you."
>"No," says the poltergeist, "but it seems that the world is determined to destroy me or debase me, so I might as well get used to one or the other."
>_
-
> Frown.
> "You spend so much time telling me to stop getting down on myself, and then you come out and say that?"
-
> Frown.
> "You spend so much time telling me to stop getting down on myself, and then you come out and say that?"
>"Sorry," she says.
>Her eyes widen a bit, and she suddenly darts behind a tree.
>_
-
Damnit, I was about to go somewhere with that. :<
> Where was she looking? Turn to look in that direction.
-
> Where was she looking? Turn to look in that direction.
>She was looking somewhat behind you.
>Looking back, you see Chen approaching at top speed. "Ding ding, Black Cat Delivery Service!" she cries.
>She slows as she gets close to you, then says, "Hi Miss Iku!"
>Landing near a tree, she puts a slip of folded paper between the roots of a tree, then says, "I'll be back after snacks!" to no one in particular, and starts to leave.
>_
-
> Smile.
> "I hope you enjoy them."
> Let Chen leave, then turn back to where poltergeist vanished and wait for her to reappear.
-
> Smile.
> "I hope you enjoy them."
> Let Chen leave, then turn back to where poltergeist vanished and wait for her to reappear.
>"Me too!" says Chen as she departs.
>The poltergeist slinks around the tree a few moments later. "Faster than I expected..."
>_
-
> Grin.
> "Gensokyo has a knack for the unexpected. Hopefully the news is good."
-
> Grin.
> "Gensokyo has a knack for the unexpected. Hopefully the news is good."
>She walks over, claims the letter, and starts to read. After a moment she grimaces. "...How does she know who I am?" she says. "...she even described my coat properly..."
>_
-
> Look away.
> "Um...you do remember when I mentioned that this person knew who you were, right? When I mentioned dragging up bad memories?"
-
> Look away.
> "Um...you do remember when I mentioned that this person knew who you were, right? When I mentioned dragging up bad memories?"
>She nods. You get feeling if she were more biologically inclined, the her face would be pale to match the expression she is wearing.
>_
-
> "...I'm so, so sorry...I didn't know then, and you had me in a complete panic..."
-
> "...I'm so, so sorry...I didn't know then, and you had me in a complete panic..."
>She nods again, Slowly sitting down by the tree.
>_
-
> Sit down where we are and stare at the ground near her feet with an ashamed look on our face.
> "...I can only pray what she says isn't too much..."
-
> Sit down where we are and stare at the ground near her feet with an ashamed look on our face.
> "...I can only pray what she says isn't too much..."
>"It already was," the poltergeist mutters as returns to the letter. "It seems...she doesn't believe there is much of a reason to continue to speak by letter."
>_
-
*Finally manages to catch up*
Whew. Okay, then. Can't say I have much to add at the moment. However, I am formulating a couple of ideas. The problem, of course, is that I don't know the extent to which my current idea would work. So time to get some information.
>What do we know about Satori and, especially, her sister? And in particular, their abilities?
Yes, I realize that a mind-reader isn't someone our little friend would want to be anywhere near, but I'm working on a plan here.
Also, I've got an awesome rant ready for the next time we run into someone who thinks the celestials are invading. It may not change anything, although this depends largely on the person in question, but I would imagine that there would be just a small chance even with someone like Remilia, although I'd expect it to fail there (also, it sounds like there may already be a plan for handling Remilia). I'd like to have the chance to use it if we run into such a person, but I'm not likely to be nearly as active with this as some of you seem to be, so it may be a bit if you wait on me, and if you don't, there's a high likelyhood that I'd miss my chance. The only other option I can think of is to post a template version of it that can be modified as needed if I'm not active when the time comes. Or, of course, we could forget about it entirely. However, what I've got in mind would, I think, fit with Iku's character quite nicely.
-
>You know of the Komeiji sisters and of Satori's abilities. You've had no personal dealings with either of them, but you know where the Palace of the Earth Spirits is, where you imagine you would find at least one of them.
>_
-
>What do we know about Koishi in particular?
-
Well, to be honest, ideally the next time we run into something that thinks Bhava-Agra is invading, we will have Shuuei here to actively prove them wrong by demonstrating what really happened.
Not to rain on your parade or anything. :<
> "Does she want to meet you in person, then?"
-
> "Does she want to meet you in person, then?"
>"She seems to," says the poltergeist.
>_
-
Well, to be honest, ideally the next time we run into something that thinks Bhava-Agra is invading, we will have Shuuei here to actively prove them wrong by demonstrating what really happened.
Not to rain on your parade or anything. :<
> "Does she want to meet you in person, then?"
For some reason, I doubt she'll be very willing to be around as many others as are likely to be there, even if my plan works (and even if Shuuei is there, I'm doubting Remilia would just accept it then and there; it'd probably give her pause to think about it, though. Actually, in that circumstance, my rant would probably have a better chance of working). And that's assuming it can happen in the first place; I'm not sure Iku knows enough to come up with it.
>What do we know about Koishi in particular, especially regarding her eye and/or powers?
-
No matter the reason I can't see introducing Shuuei to a group of hostile expansionists ending in anything but disaster. Unless you mean actively prove them wrong by eating their shadows~
-
>What do we know about Koishi in particular, especially regarding her eye and/or powers?
>Little. Koishi's existence is kinda known, but mostly in the sense she has been absent from the Palace.
>_
-
>Do we know that she closed her third eye?
-
>Do we know that she closed her third eye?
>You might have heard something like that. You're not sure what it would mean; does she not read minds at all now?
>_
-
>Shuuei's having problems figuring out what she really thinks; ponder the idea of having Satori read her mind to find out.
>Immediately dismiss the idea; there's no way Shuuei would consent to having a mind-reader andwhere near her.
>Remember that Satori has a sister who closed her third eye; what would that do to her powers?
>Have we heard of any instances of people sealing their powers or anything like that?
-
>Shuuei's having problems figuring out what she really thinks; ponder the idea of having Satori read her mind to find out.
>Immediately dismiss the idea; there's no way Shuuei would consent to having a mind-reader andwhere near her.
>Remember that Satori has a sister who closed her third eye; what would that do to her powers?
>Have we heard of any instances of people sealing their powers or anything like that?
>You consider asking Satori, and realize quickly that it would certainly be a huge problem for her to deal with such a person. Thinking on her sister, you have no idea what closing the third eye would do to a Satori.
>You've heard of people sealing away their powers, but never really met anyone who has or heard of cases you would consider factual rather than hearsay or apocrypha.
>_
-
> Didn't Yukari ban us from contact with any satori, though?
-
> Didn't Yukari ban us from contact with any satori, though?
>Oh yes, she did. At least while you had her screwdriver. It might be good to keep avoiding them until you've comfortably forgotten about it yourself. though.
>_
-
I got the idea that this was only while we had the screwdriver-thing. Which we wouldn't have any cause to think about. And if we were in Satori's presence, it would be brief. I don't think there would be a problem. But you're getting a little bit ahead of me, here.
>Can we think of anyone who we could ask about sealing powers?
>Can we think of anyone who would know more about Koishi? Satori obviously does, but can we think of anyone else?
-
Sorry, but it was an obvious potential issue with whatever you were planning. I wanted to make sure it had been compensated for. Draco and I do this sort of thing to each other all the time.
-
>Can we think of anyone who we could ask about sealing powers?
>Can we think of anyone who would know more about Koishi? Satori obviously does, but can we think of anyone else?
>Maybe one of the magicians? Or possibly Reimu.
>Utsuho would likely know, and maybe Parsee via Utsuho.
>_
-
I hope you don't mind if I continue the conversation while you're fleshing out the info you need. :C
> "And may I assume you do not plan on it?"
-
> "And may I assume you do not plan on it?"
>"I would...rather not," She says.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Of course. Did she provide any useful information, though?"
-
Sorry, but it was an obvious potential issue with whatever you were planning. I wanted to make sure it had been compensated for. Draco and I do this sort of thing to each other all the time.
Not a problem. I'd rather you point out such things.
I hope you don't mind if I continue the conversation while you're fleshing out the info you need. :C
Also not a problem.
>Yukari might also know. It would be worth asking.
>"Well, when you have finished your reply, give the note to me. I will deliver it personally; I have thought of something I wish to ask Yukari. And do not worry; it's not about you."
>Make a note to check in at Renko's after getting the note. Chen's probably there, so we can tell her we have the note and bring her with us, and if Utsuho's back, we could ask her about Koishi.
-
> Nod.
> "Of course. Did she provide any useful information, though?"
>"Maybe," she says. "She also said..."
>She looks at the letter again.
>"Perhaps, if there's a problem with being seen, then maybe you can do something that would minimize being seen?"
>Yukari might also know. It would be worth asking.
>"Well, when you have finished your reply, give the note to me. I will deliver it personally; I have thought of something I wish to ask Yukari. And do not worry; it's not about you."
>Make a note to check in at Renko's after getting the note. Chen's probably there, so we can tell her we have the note and bring her with us, and if Utsuho's back, we could ask her about Koishi.
>Yukari would likely have some idea about sealing things, if only from finding gaps in them.
>The poltergeist nods.
>You make a mental note to stop by Maribel's home.
>_
-
> "Though...there is something else I've been thinking on. You have told me a good number of things about yourself that were potentially helpful to your survival. But you've also told me a couple of things about yourself that had nothing to with said survival, things that you didn't really have to tell me at all."
-
> "Though...there is something else I've been thinking on. You have told me a good number of things about yourself that were potentially helpful to your survival. But you've also told me a couple of things about yourself that had nothing to with said survival, things that you didn't really have to tell me at all."
>"Probably small sacrifices to stave off larger ones," she says. "I don't know. So much as happened I can hardly remember every little one."
>_
-
> "I meant even something as seemingly small as telling me which of the three gemstones you liked the most."
-
> "I meant even something as seemingly small as telling me which of the three gemstones you liked the most."
>"Because if I didn't you probably would made one of those face or trying to pry why out of me," she says. "And, like I said, at this point I've debased myself so completely I sometimes wonder if I should even bother trying to keep from doing it any more around you. It's probably past the point of making any difference."
>_
-
> "Well, we could always test it, couldn't we? I can ask you a personal question. It has nothing to do with furthering your survival, and is not something I even really need to know, but simply something I am curious about. It will be entirely your decision whether or not to answer it. I will ask once, and if you refuse to answer, I will not push it. How does that sound?"
-
> "Well, we could always test it, couldn't we? I can ask you a personal question. It has nothing to do with furthering your survival, and is not something I even really need to know, but simply something I am curious about. It will be entirely your decision whether or not to answer it. I will ask once, and if you refuse to answer, I will not push it. How does that sound?"
>"I suppose," she says.
>_
-
> "Okay. But a final bit of prelude before the question; given how committed you are to the isolationist position, I would say that there is still plenty of room for you to feel like you've fallen. There are a plethora of things I have meant to ask you over the course of just the last 24 hours, because you are such a fascinating and mysterious person. I have likely forgotten more things I have wanted to ask you than things about yourself that you have told me, to be honest. And given my curiosity this is not something you need to do for survival, and it is a question about some aspect of you about which I do not know, I would say that it would certainly qualify by what I perceive to be your standards on the matter. So please do not feel like you've hit rock bottom, because you are still doing a whole lot better on this front than anyone else I know, and I am still practically bursting at the seams with curiosities. Besides...I don't like seeing you depressed either."
-
> "Okay. But a final bit of prelude before the question; given how committed you are to the isolationist position, I would say that there is still plenty of room for you to feel like you've fallen. There are a plethora of things I have meant to ask you over the course of just the last 24 hours, because you are such a fascinating and mysterious person. I have likely forgotten more things I have wanted to ask you than things about yourself that you have told me, to be honest. And given my curiosity this is not something you need to do for survival, and it is a question about some aspect of you about which I do not know, I would say that it would certainly qualify by what I perceive to be your standards on the matter. So please do not feel like you've hit rock bottom, because you are still doing a whole lot better on this front than anyone else I know, and I am still practically bursting at the seams with curiosities. Besides...I don't like seeing you depressed either."
>She nods. "Fine, just ask."
>_
-
> "All right. What is your favorite color?"
> Come to think of it, what is ours?
> Also, how long is our dress? Does it reach our feet?
-
> "All right. What is your favorite color?"
> Come to think of it, what is ours?
> Also, how long is our dress? Does it reach our feet?
>"Why would you have a favorite color?" she says.
>What is yours?
>It is ankle length.
>_
-
> Do we not have a favorite color ourselves?
> "Some people enjoy the aesthetics of certain hues more than others. Perhaps they get a sense of warmth from red, or a sense of serenity from blue, or a sense of passion from yellow, or a sense of joy from pink. Or one of a multitude of other potential reasons."
> Ankle-length, huh? That's good. How spacious is our dress?
-
I hate to leave for bed now, because I actually am going somewhere with this (depending on the response), but I don't have much of a choice. Needless to say, I would prefer not to leave Shuuei alone to go back to Yukari just yet.
-
> Do we not have a favorite color ourselves?
> "Some people enjoy the aesthetics of certain hues more than others. Perhaps they get a sense of warmth from red, or a sense of serenity from blue, or a sense of passion from yellow, or a sense of joy from pink. Or one of a multitude of other potential reasons."
> Ankle-length, huh? That's good. How spacious is our dress?
>Do you not?
>"Oh," she says. She shrugs.
>Fairly spacious. You can move and dance pretty freely in it.
>_
-
> "So you do not have one, then. That's...an answer in and of itself, and it kind of works for what I was going for, but not really. Let me try another question, with all the same stipulations as before. Do you prefer sunrise or sunset?"
-
> "So you do not have one, then. That's...an answer in and of itself, and it kind of works for what I was going for, but not really. Let me try another question, with all the same stipulations as before. Do you prefer sunrise or sunset?"
>"I'd rather not answer that," she says.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Okay. That should at least make you feel a little better about yourself, then."
-
> Nod.
> "Okay. That should at least make you feel a little better about yourself, then."
>"No, not really," she says.
>_
-
> "Then I will ask something a little more drastic. This time, your answer is important to helping yourself, so I request that you do answer it, okay?"
-
> "Then I will ask something a little more drastic. This time, your answer is important to helping yourself, so I request that you do answer it, okay?"
>"I won't promise anything," she says.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Very well. Let us suppose, entirely as a hypothetical situation, that the messenger girl returned here with a new message. There is a third party present, who holds no allegiances to anyone that is here. You are hiding nearby and watching. While I am distracted by the letter, perhaps because I was putting it somewhere secure, she sneaks up behind me and pow!"
> Pantomime a punch without hitting the poltergeist.
> "She blasts me in the back of the head. I fall to the ground, unconscious. What would you do?"
-
> Nod.
> "Very well. Let us suppose, entirely as a hypothetical situation, that the messenger girl returned here with a new message. There is a third party present, who holds no allegiances to anyone that is here. You are hiding nearby and watching. While I am distracted by the letter, perhaps because I was putting it somewhere secure, she sneaks up behind me and pow!"
> Pantomime a punch without hitting the poltergeist.
> "She blasts me in the back of the head. I fall to the ground, unconscious. What would you do?"
>She frowns, looks toward the ground, as though focusing on it. "I'm not sure. Um, if it doesn't look like she's doing anything else? I guess I'd wait for her to go then check up on you. If it looked like she was going to do something else, I'd probably shoot at from where I was hiding. Or if her shadow was close enough, I'd do something to it to make her think twice about carrying on."
-
> "Then let us say she leaves, but the indifferent third party does not, because their business is not concluded. This third party will see you if you come out into the open, and they will be conducting their business for a while."
-
> "Then let us say she leaves, but the indifferent third party does not, because their business is not concluded. This third party will see you if you come out into the open, and they will be conducting their business for a while."
>"I'd have to drive them off, too," she says. "Though I don't see why they would ignore what had already happened and gotten out of the way for the sake of their own safety."
>_
-
>"It's just a hypothetical."
-
> "What is more important is that you have made a choice. Presumably it bothers you to see me lying on the ground knocked out, but at the same time, it would bother you to run out in sight of a couple of strangers to tend to me, so you had to choose between one or the other. Now, of course, I did not ask this to become offended if you chose privacy over helping me. I asked it to set up the details of the overall idea I have had."
> "It seems to me that, if two concepts that are taken to be universal truths conflict with each other to the point where they cannot both apply at the same time to a given situation, that means one is not actually a universal truth, and it would be the one that subsides so that the other may apply. Do you agree with this idea?"
-
>"It's just a hypothetical."
>"It's not a very good one," she says.
> "What is more important is that you have made a choice. Presumably it bothers you to see me lying on the ground knocked out, but at the same time, it would bother you to run out in sight of a couple of strangers to tend to me, so you had to choose between one or the other. Now, of course, I did not ask this to become offended if you chose privacy over helping me. I asked it to set up the details of the overall idea I have had."
> "It seems to me that, if two concepts that are taken to be universal truths conflict with each other to the point where they cannot both apply at the same time to a given situation, that means one is not actually a universal truth, and it would be the one that subsides so that the other may apply. Do you agree with this idea?"
>She nods, then says, "You're not quite right. Just because people ignore a truth doesn't make it any less true. But...it would be a problem if you were attacked. But, the person doing it would have no idea it's me handling them. So both things are hopefully handled at once."
>_
-
>"Which only means that neither absolute is necessary. You can aid me without truly exposing yourself, and you can keep yourself mostly concealed while still aiding me. You wouldn't choose the extreme of coming out into the open or the extreme of staying hidden and doing nothing. You would instead increase your risk of exposure-as minimally as possible, but still an increase-in order to do something to aid me."
-
>"Which only means that neither absolute is necessary. You can aid me without truly exposing yourself, and you can keep yourself mostly concealed while still aiding me. You wouldn't choose the extreme of coming out into the open or the extreme of staying hidden and doing nothing. You would instead increase your risk of exposure-as minimally as possible, but still an increase-in order to do something to aid me."
>She frowns. "I guess..."
>_
-
Agh, that was the exact opposite of where I wanted to go! :C
-
Sorry. That's where it looked like you were going to me. I think this'll make some progress, though. And the opposite would be that there are only the extremes, which for some reason I don't think is the best approach to take.
>"In thinking about what you want to do, would I be correct in assuming that you have concentrated on the two extremes? On the options of complete concealment in the manner you have been doing and complete exposure?"
-
>"In thinking about what you want to do, would I be correct in assuming that you have concentrated on the two extremes? On the options of complete concealment in the manner you have been doing and complete exposure?"
>"Well, any is bad," she says. "You know that."
>_
-
>"Yes, but my point is that none is also bad. In this case, none would result in my injury, something you do not want to happen. By instead aiding me from hiding, you would aid me and still remain mostly concealed. Sure, losing even the smallest bit of concealment would be bad, but if you're willing to do it to assist me, then clearly you would consider doing nothing to be worse."
-
>"Yes, but my point is that none is also bad. In this case, none would result in my injury, something you do not want to happen. By instead aiding me from hiding, you would aid me and still remain mostly concealed. Sure, losing even the smallest bit of concealment would be bad, but if you're willing to do it to assist me, then clearly you would consider doing nothing to be worse."
>"Maybe," she says, "But they wouldn't know if it were me or someone else, they would have no way to tell. So I would still be safe."
>_
-
>"Exactly. You would take a middle ground. Yes, they wouldn't know who you are, but they would know someone was there, and they'd probably start trying to find you. But you could likely evade them without difficulty. You do increase your risk of exposure, but only by very little. The fact that you would do so implies that assisting me is more important than avoiding that tiny amount of risk."
-
I was going for the approach that I outlined at the very end of my last post. I want to present with a situation where her two established truths - exposure is a wrong thing, and she cares about us - conflicted with one another, and forced her to make a choice, in the interest of showing that one of those didn't necessarily always apply. Ideally, she would choose the former, at which point we could point out that there may be other situations where it doesn't apply.
-
Well, my thought is that neither is an absolute truth. The fact that compromises between the two exist prooves this.
-
Whatever it takes to get her to realize that the exposure thing isn't an absolute truth is fine, I guess. But I'll be home in about an hour to better explain my ideas.
-
Okay, I'll keep going, then.
Purvis: My first reply to your most recent post lacked the '>' indicator thing, so I edited it (just wanted to make sure you knew).
-
>"Exactly. You would take a middle ground. Yes, they wouldn't know who you are, but they would know someone was there, and they'd probably start trying to find you. But you could likely evade them without difficulty. You do increase your risk of exposure, but only by very little. The fact that you would do so implies that assisting me is more important than avoiding that tiny amount of risk."
>"It's not that much of a trade-off," she says, frowning. "You're making it sound like it's more than there is. It's only a tiny risk."
>_
-
All right, it's probably easier to produce where I'm coming from in general.
Since about thread 4 or 5, whenever it was when we first learned Team Brocket's true identity from Yukari, I have been playing in an effort to get her to be a regular fixture in the stories. Since she is of the mindset that self-exposure is bad, it had ended up being the major obstacle to overcome. Even given what I had Iku say to Patchouli, I am only interested in the elimination of that mindset. I want a resolution where she becomes ingrained as a member of Gensokyo society, doing normal-people things, having conversations with people she's never met, and just generally being another citizen, and I will consider anything less than that a total failure.
Now, we've been given an opportunity to go this route by establishing a second truth. Exposure (or anything else) in the name of survival is permissible for obvious reasons, so generating exceptions to rules with that instance is meaningless. But we've found another truth much better for the situation, one that will fairly easily clash with her existing one about exposure - she cares about us. It has clashed with her exposure instincts several times already, and it is actually this clash that I suspect is what's causing her to feel so shitty. She demonstrably cannot comfortably choose between the two; picking one and hating herself for it has been the result basically every time so far, most notably with her refusal to take our shadow. To me, this indicates that she needs to concretely choose one or the other as the true absolute truth, and accept that the other isn't necessarily a universal truth. Accepting that exceptions to rules may be forced by other rules will go a long way into making herself feel better.
Or she can live in misery for the rest of her days, but somehow I doubt she'll take that path.
-
And for the curious, since I'm sure someone is going to wonder about it given how impossibly steep a task it sounds, as of the last time I asked about it (which was one or two threads ago), it was possible for Team Brocket to drop the belief, join normal Gensokyo society and enjoy herself for it. As long as the possibility is there, I'm going to keep shooting for it.
-
See, I don't agree with you on that one. Complete exposure isn't necessarily the only option, and proof is all around; some people are more private than others. All Shuuei needs is enough exposure to sustain her existence; if she doesn't want to expose herself past that, she does not need to. I think that you're wrong about her needing to choose between the two extremes; a middle ground would be, I think, much more effective here.
And yes, maybe getting her to go all the way and join normal Gensokyo society is possible, but that can still be the end goal. We don't have to jump all the way there at once; this could simply be a step in that direction.
>"You're right; it's not much of a trade-off. But it is still a trade-off. Allow me to bring up another example, one that is more than just a hypothetical. Before our first encounter with each other today, you exposed yourself to nobody, and in fact attacked people simply because they had seen you, myself among them. But now, you and I have reached an arrangement. You need things from others; information, primarily. The two extremes would be to forget about asking questions to others or to expose yourself to anyone you have a question for. Instead, you have exposed yourself to one person, me, and I am the one gathering the information you need. And you obviously consider this arrangement preferable to not having the information at all; if that were not true, you would have taken my shadow by now."
-
>"You're right; it's not much of a trade-off. But it is still a trade-off. Allow me to bring up another example, one that is more than just a hypothetical. Before our first encounter with each other today, you exposed yourself to nobody, and in fact attacked people simply because they had seen you, myself among them. But now, you and I have reached an arrangement. You need things from others; information, primarily. The two extremes would be to forget about asking questions to others or to expose yourself to anyone you have a question for. Instead, you have exposed yourself to one person, me, and I am the one gathering the information you need. And you obviously consider this arrangement preferable to not having the information at all; if that were not true, you would have taken my shadow by now."
>"That's only because you were so damn persistent I was hoping to put you off for awhile," she says.
>_
-
"That doesn't fit with your actions. If getting rid of me was the objective, taking my shadow would have been a much better option."
-
"That doesn't fit with your actions. If getting rid of me was the objective, taking my shadow would have been a much better option."
>"I already told you this," she says, "I was waiting for the right time to strike! Just...you know..."
>_
-
>"You had the right time to strike. You had hold of my shadow. I cannot think of a better opportunity for you to take it. And yet you did not. And now, it seems, you may very well have more than one reason not to, as we have already shown that you have come to care about me."
-
You're misunderstanding my position. I don't want her to run around with no shame whatsoever, going out of her way to expose herself to as many people as possible as often as possible. Just a regular Josephine. I just want her to be a normal functioning member of society. Like I've told her, even someone as extroverted as Iku has been knows the value of privacy.
You bring up something Patchouli mentioned, about taking it one step at a time. While perhaps a good idea in general, there's two reasons why trying to take tiny bites does not interest me:
- This game is five months old, and even ignoring my personal goal desires, the two main problems are still not close to being resolved, and a new major problem has sprung up in the last 400 or so posts. This game has been exhausting and it is showing no signs of being remotely close to done. God only knows the number of times I've taken whatever opportunity I can get to pitch in to it. Sneaking on in tiny intervals at work, posting from church, posting in the middle of handbell concerts where I was performing. I have come close to quitting this game on several occasions out of a combination of disgust and exhausting and each time I've decided against it I've come back with a bit less energy. I want this done, and I want it done fast. I am beyond out of patience.
- And even given all the time and energy, I not only still have no clue how I'm supposed to be able to accomplish my personal goal or any of the game-presented goals, I don't even know why we're where we are now. I see no reason for the poltergeist to care about us, let alone to the point where she refuses to take our shadow, and yet she does. I see every reason for her to want us dead five times over, and yet she wants the opposite. What little joy can be taken in this tiny amount of progress is quickly overwhelmed by the extreme frustration in realizing that I have no fucking clue how I did it. It's almost taunting at this point, because, given I don't know how I got here, I can't reproduce whatever successful measures I had taken in the past. As far as I can tell I might as well communicate by sitting on the keyboard a few times and hitting Post because who the fuck knows, that might actually work.
-
>"You had the right time to strike. You had hold of my shadow. I cannot think of a better opportunity for you to take it. And yet you did not. And now, it seems, you may very well have more than one reason not to, as we have already shown that you have come to care about me."
>"I thought it was a trick at first," she says.
>_
-
I understand your position. I'm just saying that she doesn't have to jump straight to that point. Also, this quest won't necessarily have to continue until she reaches that point, would it? We need to get her to a level that allows her to survive, and then get her to restore Bhava-Agra's shadow and stop taking people's shadows. Aside from that, making sure she's on the right path should be enough (and if you really want to see her complete that change, well, I'm sure there will be quests after this one).
>"In what sense? Are you saying you thought I was going to do something to you if you began taking my shadow?"
-
>"In what sense? Are you saying you thought I was going to do something to you if you began taking my shadow?"
>"I don't know," she says. "It was too strange; what you did. I wasn't sure if you were trying to trick me in some way or not."
>_
-
>"Well, clearly you have since concluded that I was not."
-
>"Well, clearly you have since concluded that I was not."
>"Well, yes," she says, "But at the time it was different."
>_
-
"But now, your thinking seems to be as I said, that our current arrangement is preferable to either extreme."
-
Also, this quest won't necessarily have to continue until she reaches that point, would it? We need to get her to a level that allows her to survive, and then get her to restore Bhava-Agra's shadow and stop taking people's shadows. Aside from that, making sure she's on the right path should be enough (and if you really want to see her complete that change, well, I'm sure there will be quests after this one).
I refuse to bank on being able to continue this in a later quest given I've been told it's possible in this one. I have no idea what's coming up next - it's quite possible it'll end up being someone completely unrelated to the situation that would basically need OOC knowledge to find Team Brocket and get to know her (remember that Iku is normally not very easy to reach), and it's entirely possible we'll be given a player character I don't even want to play that much. Sacrificing a stated possible thing for an unknown with no extra benefits doesn't sit well with me at all. :C
-
And I'm not saying we should. I'm saying that personal change takes time; we can't expect Shuuei to simply change who she is that quickly.
-
I've waited nine bloody topics of near-constant interaction potential for Tenshi to reach a level people that aren't me would call "tolerable". I really don't want to have to wait another nine topics for this.
-
"But now, your thinking seems to be as I said, that our current arrangement is preferable to either extreme."
>"I don't know if it's preferable," she says. "Just..."
>She trails off.
>_
-
I don't think we'll need to. I apologize if I'm not being clear, but what I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't force her to reach that point immediately. What's important is that we get her to want to move in that direction, and to then do so. Although if my Satori/Koishi idea is possible, that might actually get a quicker change.
>"Well, you don't need to be sure. I'm not asking you to reach any conclusions. All I am doing is pointing out that the best course of action is often somewhere between the extremes. I simply would like you to keep that in mind as you consider what should be done about your current situation."
Okay, so I have to go, and I won?t be able to reply for a while. So here?s what I?ve been going for:
The idea of the current conversation is not to completely convince Shuuei that the answer lies between the two extremes. Rather, the purpose is to get her thinking about such options, thinking about choices other than the extremes. And I think that?s been accomplished at this point. So unless anyone wants to say anything else, go ahead and finish up with her, get her reply to Yukari, and head towards Maribel?s place to find Chen and, hopefully, Utsuho. The information I want from Okuu is as much about Koishi as she knows, especially in regards to Koishi?s powers and what closing her third eye has done to them. And if it gets that far, the info I want from Yukari concerns how one?s power could be sealed, and in particular if it?s possible to completely rid one?s self of a power that is part of what one is, such as a satori?s mind-reading ability.
-
>"Well, you don't need to be sure. I'm not asking you to reach any conclusions. All I am doing is pointing out that the best course of action is often somewhere between the extremes. I simply would like you to keep that in mind as you consider what should be done about your current situation."
>"This is easy for you to say," she replies. "You like debasing yourself."
>Despite her words, her tone isn't particularly malicious.
>_
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> "Then may I ask what you think a preferable arrangement might be?"
-
> "Then may I ask what you think a preferable arrangement might be?"
>"You know my answer to that before you asked," she says. "And it is apparently not something I can actually do without keeping that shadow, which is what has let me this impasse in the first place."
>_
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> "Oh, my apologies. I meant my question in the sense of a more ideal arrangement in dealing with that problem."
-
> "Oh, my apologies. I meant my question in the sense of a more ideal arrangement in dealing with that problem."
>"I've told you what the ideal solution would be," she says. "Ideally I keep the shadow and am left alone."
>_
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> "Then I need to rephrase my question. What would be the optimal alternative to that? The least of all evils, as it were."
-
> "Then I need to rephrase my question. What would be the optimal alternative to that? The least of all evils, as it were."
>"If I knew, I would be doing it," she says.
>_
-
> "All right, fair enough."
-
I've been trying not to interfere with the poltergeist conversations because of how much work you've put into them. I'm not fond of Iku or of the pacifist run style you took but it's an interesting run. I'm not Purvis but from my perspective the poltergeist tried to silence Iku forever, Iku somehow got better, and it confused her enough to let you talk her into submission. Having to put up with Iku may go against her isolationist beliefs but she still has normal feelings. She adjusted from tolerated to friend despite herself.
If your goal is for her to get integrated then convincing her to meet with Yukari in person would be a huge step. Or with anyone one-on-one. Tenshi already saw her, so if you work that angle she might tolerate Tenshi's presence. If you can get her comfortable or just tolerant of more then one person her philosophy should change naturally.
> Did we ever get a straight answer from Shuuei about why she took Bhava-Agra's shadow in specific?
-
I would rather not try to integrate Team Brocket with Tenshi given how very alike their attitudes are. Tenshi wants to hurt her, and has said so in her presence. I cannot imagine those two spending extended time together bouncing dialogue off of each other would result in much good.
Yukari is a far more desirable target, and I may very well try to push her in that direction.
As for the "pacifist run", that is due to who the player character is more than anything we wanted to do. Iku's a very important person in Bhavagran society, so she has very high personal standards to maintain. If she acts poorly, it reflects poorly on Bhava-Agra, and could cost them respect (and cost Iku her job).
-
I also suggest Kogasa. They live in the same area and their powers compliment each other. You could convince them it would just be for mutual benefit. This also most importantly would keep Shuuei alive while Kogasa takes most of the blame.
I agree with why you're handling Iku so politely. Spell Cards are formalized dueling though and as long as Iku treats a fight as a formal duel I don't see it being dishonorable.
-
Kogasa and Team Brocket want absolutely nothing to do with each other. Remember the conditions under which we got Team Brocket to let Kogasa's shadow go.
Also I have to admit I don't know for sure what the ultimate plan is for getting Koishi involved. I have a guess, but going to Yukari about power sealing doesn't tie into that guess at all.
-
Let me put it another way, Kogasa isn't as smart as you and you could probably convince her to go for it in spite of having been shadow soul sucked. I'd get Shuuei to meet Yukari before suggesting this during the meeting. I'm not sure about the Koishi thing either.
-
Kogasa isn't as smart as us, yes, which is part of the problem. She thought she could brute force her way out of shadowland and likely will gladly take a second crack at Team Brocket if given the opportunity.
-
> "All right, fair enough."
>"I wish I had an answer," she says. "Or that you did."
I> Did we ever get a straight answer from Shuuei about why she took Bhava-Agra's shadow in specific?
>Sort of. She seems to have felt she needed it, as she lacks her own."
>_
-
> "Well, I can think of something else. It might help, it might not, but I figure that the worst that will happen is nothing, so it is worth trying."
> "We have been over the idea of your taking my shadow, and you have stated, in no uncertain terms, that you don't want to do it. Presumably it hurts you that you are running around showing me as much of yourself as you have. May I then guess that you think taking my shadow, which would fix that particular problem, would end up hurting you more?"
-
Also I have to admit I don't know for sure what the ultimate plan is for getting Koishi involved. I have a guess, but going to Yukari about power sealing doesn't tie into that guess at all.
You're probably pretty close. The reason we're talking to Yukari about power-sealing is because Iku doesn't know what the situation is with Koishi. She knows that satori can read minds, and she's wondering what effect Koishi's closing of her eye might have. Remember the initial thought about getting Satori involved? Iku knows Shuuei won't go for that, and is hoping that Koishi, who quite possibly cannot read minds, can do what she needs. Assuming that what she wants to do is even possible in the first place, of course; that's another thing I plan to ask Yukari about.
-
> "Well, I can think of something else. It might help, it might not, but I figure that the worst that will happen is nothing, so it is worth trying."
> "We have been over the idea of your taking my shadow, and you have stated, in no uncertain terms, that you don't want to do it. Presumably it hurts you that you are running around showing me as much of yourself as you have. May I then guess that you think taking my shadow, which would fix that particular problem, would end up hurting you more?"
>"...Maybe," she says after a pause. "I don't know. I'd rather not have to deal with it."
-
This also assumes Yukari doesn't whack us over the head and ask us to remind her what we promised her earlier. Remember that the memory doesn't go away just because the screwdriver did.
-
Correct me if I'm wrong but Kogasa's power boost was because of the Spectre wasn't it? That's why I picked her out. If you pitched it well enough I think she'd get over it. You don't have to decide now anyways and it doesn't have to be Kogasa. For Forest of Magic people Alice isn't an attention getter but would Shuuei feel as exposed talking to a doll?
Stop cutting me ;-;
-
Kogasa's power boost is because she found The Art of War and started applying it to her techniques.
> Frown.
> "I see. I am not really sure I can proceed with this line of thought with an unsure answer."
-
> Frown.
> "I see. I am not really sure I can proceed with this line of thought with an unsure answer."
>"You might as well," she says.
>_
-
Whoops. :blush: The details blur. I still think it wouldn't hurt to bring up later. I'll go back to lurking for now.
-
This also assumes Yukari doesn't whack us over the head and ask us to remind her what we promised her earlier. Remember that the memory doesn't go away just because the screwdriver did.
I have no intention of spending time in Satori's presence unless absolutely necessary. I'm not worried about the screwdriver; there'll be no reason to think about it. I'm more concerned about Shuuei; Satori could learn about her from our mind, and we promised confidentiality. Any necessary communication with Satori I plan to have in the same manner Shuuei and Yukari are currently communicating, through letters and a messenger (although we'd probably just wait outside the Palace, so travel time would be short).
-
> "I would like to, but I am not quite sure how. I had only planned for a 'yes' or a 'no' answer."
-
> "I would like to, but I am not quite sure how. I had only planned for a 'yes' or a 'no' answer."
>"Oh. I'm sorry."
>_
-
> "It is okay. I suppose I could just continue in a general sense. It would have been a little bit better to do so with specific examples, but it is what it is."
> "I honestly think you worry too much about things out of your control, things you were either forced to do or were going to be subjected to regardless of what you did. Given the situation you were forced into was going to kill you regardless, you did the only thing you could. Is there really shame in choosing not dying over dying if the method you chose was the only one available to you?"
-
> "It is okay. I suppose I could just continue in a general sense. It would have been a little bit better to do so with specific examples, but it is what it is."
> "I honestly think you worry too much about things out of your control, things you were either forced to do or were going to be subjected to regardless of what you did. Given the situation you were forced into was going to kill you regardless, you did the only thing you could. Is there really shame in choosing not dying over dying if the method you chose was the only one available to you?"
>"Would you renounce Bhava-Agra to survive?" she asks.
>_
-
> "...No, I suppose not. But I would gladly choose death in that situation if it meant not demeaning my people. I care more for them than for myself. It is why I threw myself at you in the first place. I do not mean to offend, but do you have someone like this?"
-
> "...No, I suppose not. But I would gladly choose death in that situation if it meant not demeaning my people. I care more for them than for myself. It is why I threw myself at you in the first place. I do not mean to offend, but do you have someone like this?"
>"I don't think so," she says.
>_
-
> How tall is the poltergeist compared to us again?
> How necessary is freedom of leg movement for flying?
> "Then I suppose I must ask the question, again, with no offense intended...after learning what you have, why have you chosen this path, instead of holding to your truth and letting yourself die?"
-
> How tall is the poltergeist compared to us again?
> How necessary is freedom of leg movement for flying?
> "Then I suppose I must ask the question, again, with no offense intended...after learning what you have, why have you chosen this path, instead of holding to your truth and letting yourself die?"
>You're quite a bit taller than she is; she comes up to about your shoulder.
>It's not necessary for flight itself, but for keeping balance and maneuvering, it's important.
>"...Hope, I suppose," she says.
>_
-
> Stare at the poltergeist with a thoughtful expression on our face for a couple of seconds, then nod.
> "All right. I think...hmm. I may have another idea, for the potential of getting you places without being seen, just in case we need to do it. Since you demonstrated that entering my shadow is out of the question, I have been trying to come up with an alternate method. It is not an optimal solution, but...how small can you make yourself, if you curl up into a ball?"
-
> Stare at the poltergeist with a thoughtful expression on our face for a couple of seconds, then nod.
> "All right. I think...hmm. I may have another idea, for the potential of getting you places without being seen, just in case we need to do it. Since you demonstrated that entering my shadow is out of the question, I have been trying to come up with an alternate method. It is not an optimal solution, but...how small can you make yourself, if you curl up into a ball?"
>"Fairly small, I guess," she says, she says, frowning.
>_
-
> "Would you mind demonstrating, so I can get a sense of size for myself?"
-
> "Would you mind demonstrating, so I can get a sense of size for myself?"
>She gives you kind of an annoyed look, then does so, curling into a fetal position as well as she can while keeping balance on her feet. If you're thinking to sweep her under your skirt, you can probably do so easily.
>_
-
> "Okay, good. You can stop now, and sorry for asking something like that of you."
> Wait for her to untangle herself from herself.
> "That was good, you can get quite small. I think that I can get you around anywhere you might want or need to go, if...well..."
> Look a bit away from the poltergeist and put on a face to indicate slight unpleasantness.
> "...if you hide under my skirt and cling to my legs."
-
> "Okay, good. You can stop now, and sorry for asking something like that of you."
> Wait for her to untangle herself from herself.
> "That was good, you can get quite small. I think that I can get you around anywhere you might want or need to go, if...well..."
> Look a bit away from the poltergeist and put on a face to indicate slight unpleasantness.
> "...if you hide under my skirt and cling to my legs."
>She stands up, and frowns. "I suppose I could do that, if necessary."
>_
-
> "It is not ideal, but it is the best thing for you that I can think of. Just..."
> Close eyes and grimace.
> "...Please try not to...stare at or...touch anything...personal."
-
> "It is not ideal, but it is the best thing for you that I can think of. Just..."
> Close eyes and grimace.
> "...Please try not to...stare at or...touch anything...personal."
>She nods. "I will keep my eyes closed."
>_
-
> Reopen eyes, turn back to look at the poltergeist, and nod.
> "That will work. If possible, you may also want to consider positioning yourself so you are looking outward, just in case someone happens to look some place they should not be looking. I do not expect it to be an issue, but if it is feasible, there is no sense in not providing yourself the extra protection."
-
> Reopen eyes, turn back to look at the poltergeist, and nod.
> "That will work. If possible, you may also want to consider positioning yourself so you are looking outward, just in case someone happens to look some place they should not be looking. I do not expect it to be an issue, but if it is feasible, there is no sense in not providing yourself the extra protection."
>She nods.
>"I doubt we'll actually have to do this, anyway. But, you're planning something if you're suggesting this."
-
> "I have had some considerations in mind, yes. If you desire more information from other sources away from the forest, this is likely the best way to get it while keeping you concealed. The most obvious potential application comes from the contents of that letter, though. I can tell you that you are not going to find anyone in Gensokyo that has even half the knowledge about borders and boundaries that this woman has, and given the rate at which your discomfort is increasing, I must unfortunately wonder how long you have to research the problem yourself."
-
> "I have had some considerations in mind, yes. If you desire more information from other sources away from the forest, this is likely the best way to get it while keeping you concealed. The most obvious potential application comes from the contents of that letter, though. I can tell you that you are not going to find anyone in Gensokyo that has even half the knowledge about borders and boundaries that this woman has, and given the rate at which your discomfort is increasing, I must unfortunately wonder how long you have to research the problem yourself."
>She frowns, not saying anything.
>_
-
> "And then there is the unfortunate case of picking at the injury, where I point out again that she has seen you and knows who you are. I obviously cannot say for sure myself, but it seems to me that there would be less exposed to her than anyone else, given her head start on personal information."
> "All that being said, the decision is up to you. I think it is worth visiting her for the unique help she can provide, and obviously arrangements would be made so we would be left alone with her, but I will not force you to go if you decide you would rather contend with your problems on your own."
-
> "And then there is the unfortunate case of picking at the injury, where I point out again that she has seen you and knows who you are. I obviously cannot say for sure myself, but it seems to me that there would be less exposed to her than anyone else, given her head start on personal information."
> "All that being said, the decision is up to you. I think it is worth visiting her for the unique help she can provide, and obviously arrangements would be made so we would be left alone with her, but I will not force you to go if you decide you would rather contend with your problems on your own."
>"I...might," she says. "I don't know..."
>_
-
> "Well, now that I think about it, for what it is worth, she not only has the power and authority to force the messenger girl to tell her where the notes are to be left, she has the ability to essentially rip a hole in space and teleport here on a whim. The fact that she has yet to do so says something for her, in regards to respecting your privacy."
> Give a regretful look.
> "I am sorry that I only mentioned this now, it had slipped my mind."
-
> "Well, now that I think about it, for what it is worth, she not only has the power and authority to force the messenger girl to tell her where the notes are to be left, she has the ability to essentially rip a hole in space and teleport here on a whim. The fact that she has yet to do so says something for her, in regards to respecting your privacy."
> Give a regretful look.
> "I am sorry that I only mentioned this now, it had slipped my mind."
>"...Would she?" says the Poltergeist. "Maybe we should go someplace else, right now..."
>_
-
> "If she were going to, she would have come here herself instead of sending her messenger again. The fact that she is not here right now very strongly suggests she is not coming without your invitation."
> "Unless she decides to shank us, of course."
-
> "If she were going to, she would have come here herself instead of sending her messenger again. The fact that she is not here right now very strongly suggests she is not coming without your invitation."
> "Unless she decides to shank us, of course."
>"Oh, you're no fun," says Yukari as she leans from a nearby gap. "And I was going to try to bribe Maribel with that hat, too."