(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 6)

[Oldmansour]

>"Matter of fact, I can't see you. Unless you can teach me the secret of looking through a tree."

[DracoOmega]

>"Matter of fact, I can't see you. Unless you can teach me the secret of looking through a tree."

>"Ooo.... that would be a really neat secret!" she says. "I could win hide and seek all the time if I could see through trees! I wonder where the secret is hidden...." she adds in a serious tone. "Do you know where it is?"

[Oldmansour]

>Oh, great, we've inspiried a fairy to acquire the powers of wood-based x-ray-vision.
>"'fraid not. But Beaming Dandelion might know. You said she was digging for treasure, maybe she unearthed the secret. Let's go ask her."

[DracoOmega]

>Oh, great, we've inspiried a fairy to acquire the powers of wood-based x-ray-vision.
>"'fraid not. But Beaming Dandelion might know. You said she was digging for treasure, maybe she unearthed the secret. Let's go ask her."

>"Oh." There is a pause. "Oh! Yes, let's!"
>You hear the sound of a door opening and a tawny-haired fairy in a green dress flits nimbly downward through the boughs of the tree. She waves you eastward and then twists and takes off in that direction. "Come on!"
>Momoka turns and gives you a somewhat bemused look, almost like she's having trouble keeping up.

[Oldmansour]

>Give her a knowing nod. "Yeah. Fairys have that effect on a person, it's just easier to try and roll on their level. I'm starting to get used to it." Pause. "And yes, that does scare me a little."
>Fall in behind that fairy.

[DracoOmega]

>Give her a knowing nod. "Yeah. Fairys have that effect on a person, it's just easier to try and roll on their level. I'm starting to get used to it." Pause. "And yes, that does scare me a little."
>Fall in behind that fairy.

>Momoka glances after the fairy and frowns slightly. "Oh my..."
>You follow after the energetic fairy as she darts through the air towards a small treed hill, some distance away. Momoka lags behind the two of you, looking more than a little flustered, but still doing her best to keep up. After a few moments, you start to suspect the fairy has forgotten about you altogether as she dives through the trees at the top of the hill as soon as she reaches them and then disappears inside.

[Oldmansour]

>Well, at least she pointed us in the right direction. Eventually.
>Wait for Momoka to catch up, then start looking around the trees for this Dandelion abode.
>Also look for a river, in the event our canteen's still empty.

[DracoOmega]

>Well, at least she pointed us in the right direction. Eventually.
>Wait for Momoka to catch up, then start looking around the trees for this Dandelion abode.
>Also look for a river, in the event our canteen's still empty.

>Hopefully this will be enough of a help from her.
>You wait for Momoka to catch up to you. The poor thing really doesn't seem able to move very quickly above ground, and she's still wearing that vaguely dismayed expression when she reaches you; you're almost starting to think of it as her default state. Once reunited, you head carefully up and over the hill at a more gentle pace, keeping a close eye out for signs of fairy habitation. However, you aren't at this for very long before you hear sounds of the fairy who guided you here babbling excitedly, not far off.
>While a river does run through Braston, you're quite a ways away from it at the moment.

[Oldmansour]

>Or a pond, any source of fresh water. Our poor companion could probably use a drink.
>Move towards the babbling fey.

[DracoOmega]

>Or a pond, any source of fresh water. Our poor companion could probably use a drink.
>Move towards the babbling fey.

>There are also no ponds in your immediate vicinity, though Braston itself is not so far away now, if you wanted to detour for refreshment. For her part, Momoka looks more addled by the situation than actually exhausted.
>You follow the voice, moving more quickly through the trees. Very soon, the hill slopes downward again and you find yourself in something of a small shallow valley ringed with broad trees and gentle rises. You can spot a tiny wooden cottage a short distance away, nestled under an overhang in the hill behind it. Thick roots from the trees above trace down the curve of the terrain and over parts of the dwelling like a gnarled blanket. Your guide is standing in front of its open door and gesticulating enthusiastically.
>"But you had to have found something cool!" she cries. You hear a vaguely disgruntled groan answer her.

[Oldmansour]

>Stop and listen for a moment.

[DracoOmega]

>Stop and listen for a moment.

>You stop and listen some more.
>"C'mon, c'mon, what was it?" the first fairy presses. You hear a small mumble from inside, which the fairy at the door seems to take no notice of at all. "Was it something shiny? Buried treasure is usually shiny, right? Wait, does that mean that if a secret's buried, it gets shiny too? Did you find any shiny secrets?"
>"Ughh... stop... talking so fast..." comes a slow and thick grumble from inside the house.
>"What does a shiny secret look like, anyway?" she continues. "Looking through trees would make you invincible at hide and seek, but if the secret made you all shiny too, even Myrtle Sprig would be able to find you if you were hiding, and that's no good at all!"
>Her counterpart lets out a pained moan. "Uwagh, my ears..." she says pitiably.

[Oldmansour]

>...
>Does that sound like a fairy with a hangover?

[DracoOmega]

>...
>Does that sound like a fairy with a hangover?

>It... might very well indeed, actually.

[Oldmansour]

Good call on the fairy front, Hanzo.

>Well, then.
>To Momoka, "Well, there's your hole-digger, alright. And by the sounds of it, she got more than she bargined for."
>Call up, but not TOO loudly. "Tasty juice had a nasty secret, didn't it?"

[DracoOmega]

>Well, then.
>To Momoka, "Well, there's your hole-digger, alright. And by the sounds of it, she got more than she bargined for."

>"Oh my..." she says, her frown taking on a more concerned tone. "Did a fairy really drink that whole bottle at one go?"

>Call up, but not TOO loudly. "Tasty juice had a nasty secret, didn't it?"

>You call out to the fairies.
>The visible one turns to you, a puzzled expression on her face. "But I thought the secrets were shiny?"
>"What juice?" the other fairy replies. "I... got no juice." Then in a more pained tone, "Why do people keep talking to me, anyway..."

[Oldmansour]

>To Momoka, "If she did, I'm kinda surprised she's active at all at this point."
>"Oh, I think the bottle was shiny enough, wasn't it?"
>"And, that ache behind your eyes, that headache in your whole body? That's called a hangover."

[DracoOmega]

>To Momoka, "If she did, I'm kinda surprised she's active at all at this point."
>"Oh, I think the bottle was shiny enough, wasn't it?"
>"And, that ache behind your eyes, that headache in your whole body? That's called a hangover."

>"Well, fairies are sometimes surprisingly resilient," Momoka says. "But still..." She turns her concerned frown back toward the tiny root-wreathed cottage and squints at it.
>"What bottle?" the first fairy says. You hear a groan from inside. "A shiny bottle? A shiny secret bottle?"
>Her eyes widen and she does a little pirouette to face the inside of the cottage once more. "Was that the buried treasure?" The awe in her voice is practically palpable.
>You think you hear her companion begin to reply, but before more than a single coherent syllable can pass her lips, the other fairy interjects.
>"I wanna see!" she cries shrilly, accompanied almost simultaneously by a yelp from inside. Momoka's frown deepens.

[Oldmansour]

>"No need to shout. Dandelion here has a massive headache."
>Address Dandelion, and try to keep our voice at a reasonable level. We've been hungover ourselves, after all. "You found a long tunnel when you were digging, didn't you?"

[DracoOmega]

>"No need to shout. Dandelion here has a massive headache."
>Address Dandelion, and try to keep our voice at a reasonable level. We've been hungover ourselves, after all. "You found a long tunnel when you were digging, didn't you?"

>"But that's no fun," the fairy pouts.
>"How'd you know?" Dandelion mumbles. "You... some kinda... mind-reader person... person?"
>"Wow, you'd be really good at hide and seek!" the other cries, drawing a predictable response from the other fairy.

[Oldmansour]

>Give Dandelion a smirk. "Youkai. So, you wanna tell me what else you found down there, or should I take a 'guess'?"

[DracoOmega]

>Give Dandelion a smirk. "Youkai. So, you wanna tell me what else you found down there, or should I take a 'guess'?"

>"Ugh... maybe tomorrow," Dandelion says, then closes the door. You hear another groan issue from inside afterward.
>"Oooo... I wanna hear you guess!" the other fairy says.

[Oldmansour]

Anybody got any ideas how to handle a hungover fairy?

>Speak louder. Just for Dandelion. "Sure. She found a big room full of food and drinks. And she decided to take a box of drinks with her." Pause. "In shiny bottles."
>Point to Momoka with our tail. "And this nice lady made that long tunnel Dandelion found. And was upset to see a hole in her roof, I might add."

[Hello Purvis]

Dunk her in a trough of water. It worked for Inigo Montoya and it'll work for her.

[DracoOmega]

>Speak louder. Just for Dandelion. "Sure. She found a big room full of food and drinks. And she decided to take a box of drinks with her." Pause. "In shiny bottles."

>You raise your voice for the 'benefit' of the hungover fairy. The one still outside beams at your description.
>"Wow, there's a whole room buried down there?" she says.

>Point to Momoka with our tail. "And this nice lady made that long tunnel Dandelion found. And was upset to see a hole in her roof, I might add."

>Momoka shifts uncomfortably as you include her in the discussion. The fairy looks at her appraisingly.
>"Were you looking for buried treasure, too?" she asks.
>"Err, well... uh, not exactly," Momoka says, frowning. "I- I just live down there. That was my home your friend put a hole though."
>"You live underground?" the fairy asks in a hushed tone.
>Momoka hesitates, glancing briefly at you, then gives a tentative nod. "I- I guess you could say that."
>The fairy gives her a dubious look. "Does that mean you're buried treasure too, then?"
>The poor mole stops stock still for a moment, then gives you a look that practically cries 'Help...'

[Hello Purvis]

>"She's not that kind of treasure."
>Consider Dandelion. Does she look like she could have moved all that stuff in the way of the hole? Or get a crate of wine through it?

[DracoOmega]

>"She's not that kind of treasure."
>Consider Dandelion. Does she look like she could have moved all that stuff in the way of the hole? Or get a crate of wine through it?

>"What kinda treasure is she, then?" the fairy asks. Momoka gives you a dismayed look and seems almost to shrink in on herself.
>You technically never saw Dandelion, as she was well inside the house the whole time and your angle didn't give you much vantage. However, even if she were a particularly large fairy, you imagine moving that large crate of potatoes would be a very tall order. If the case of wine was similar weight to the other small ones that you saw in the storeroom, you think she could probably manage that much without too much difficulty, however.

[Oldmansour]

Dunk her in a trough of water. It worked for Inigo Montoya and it'll work for her.

Damn you, now I miss Andre again.

>When Dandelion had her door open, could we detect the scent of wine from inside the house? .. Or vomit?

[DracoOmega]

>When Dandelion had her door open, could we detect the scent of wine from inside the house? .. Or vomit?

>You were reasonably far away and the breeze wasn't favorable to picking up a whole lot while out in the open, but you may have gotten a whiff of wine from the house. You certainly detected nothing that smelled like the latter; to be honest, you're not even sure if fairies can throw up.

[Oldmansour]

That answers my next question.

>Give Momoka an understanding and sympathetic look. Not everyone's cut out to handle fairys, after all. "The kind that likes to stay undergound."
>Louder, "Look, if you give me back the crate, and whatever bottles you have left, I'll tell you how to help that sick feeling go away faster."