Satori Quest - Day in the Life

[Nekomata-chan]

>Koishi nods, as does Reimu.
>Your smirk seems to unnerve them.
>"I can help too, I guess.. I mean I can access their subconscious and use that against them!!" Koishi raises a fist to her chest triumphantly. Kid's got guts. Eirin is the only one unconvinced.
"They may plan for that. Just be warned that things may get sticky and you may be played at your own game. I bet that you are falling into their trap." she says, non-chalantly, "Patchouli is a smart girl. Demons... they're cunning. Smarts with cunning, what do you get? A death-trap. You don't want that kasha to be sticking your corpses back together in her wheelbarrow, now, do you?" Eirin just waves it off, "But you'll probably be fine."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Then perhaps some extra firepower is in order. Reimu, I believe I have a stop to make back home. Will you be accompanying me, or would you prefer to meet up later?"
>"And don't worry. Okuu will follow my instructions. She won't go crazy again. But I want her with me. My sister was attacked; I'm not about to hold anything back."

[Nekomata-chan]

>Reimu shrugs, "There's no harm in my tagging along, is there?"
>"By the way.. if this is all a big misunderstanding I don't want Patchy hurt without good reason. Don't destroy the library or the mansion entirely, though, there are others there with just as much power as her, maybe more..." Reimu trails off into thought. "But if things turn nasty I will do all I can to help you lot out, it's my duty as the Hakurei shrine maiden." she recites.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod to Reimu. "I'd be glad to have you along. You were one of the people responsible for calming down Okuu back then afterall."
>"At any rate, if it is just a misunderstanding, then we can go back to our regular lives and have tea."
>Sigh. "Goodness knows we'll all need that by the end of the day."

[Nekomata-chan]

>Reimu waves in embarrassment, "Your very welcome!"
>"I don't think it's as simple as you think." you both turn to Eirin, remembering she is still there. "Just don't be frustrated if you are thrust into another situation."
>Reimu and Eirin and Koishi nod at you.
"So... when do we leave?" asks Koishi.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, now is as good a time as any. Miss Yagokoro, thank you for your help. If you ever wish to visit the Underground, then by all means, don't hesitate to."
>Politely bow to Eirin.
>Turn back to Reimu and Koishi. "Now, let's be off."
>Depart for the underground with Reimu and Koishi in tow.

[Nekomata-chan]

>Eirin smiles, "And if you wish to visit for needs other than medical, you will not be turned away."
>Eirin bows back, and Reimu and Koishi bow too.
>Koishi and Reimu nod.
>You three depart, exiting Eientei before long.
...
>You arrive at the Palace of Earth Spirits, and Orin's cat form is taking her daily nap. No sign of Okuu, but that's not shocking.

[Hanzo K.]

>Hmm...should we bring Orin along or not...?
>"Hmm. Okuu must be at the reactor then."

>Inventory

>Check on the spellcards we still have here that aren't in our inventory

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Yes, let's bring Orin.
>Wake her up. Gently.
>Maybe we should see if Yuugi wants to come, too. Koishi was injured because of this; now is not the time to hold anything back. And besides, convincing an oni to come along for a fight shouldn't be too hard, anyways.

[Nekomata-chan]

>You beckon to Orin, who returns to her human form and sleepily follows you.
>Inventory: The clothes you have at the moment, four spellcards, all of which are Recollection cards.
Recollection - Terrible Souvenir
" " - Pandemonium
"  " - Throwing Mt Togakushi
"" - Deep Mist Labyrinth
That is it. You like to travel light.

>You check the spellcards in your storage. Half of them are missing.. but most of them missing are yours. Okuu's are all there, Orin only has about a fifth of hers missing, and Koishi has about 2/3 of hers gone. What you notice is only two spellcards of yours remain, Recollections St Elmo's Pillar and Noachian Deluge. Both originally belonged to Patchouli Knowledge..

>Okuu pokes her head around the wall, smiling, "Back so soon, Satori-sama?"
You explain the situation and how you want her assistance. She seems more than thrilled to go with you.

>You leave to the Ancient City, where Yuugi is casually drinking as per usual. You ask her to come with you, explaining the situation with a little help from Reimu. Yuugi looks pretty riled, so she decides to come with you.

Your group:
You
Koishi
Reimu
Orin
Okuu
Yuugi

[master105]

>Reimu, you know the way best so take the lead.

[Nekomata-chan]

>Reimu nods, and when you leave the underground, she heads in the direction of Misty Lake. You all follow her in a triangle formation: Reimu at the front, Koishi and yourself behind her, Yuugi, Orin and Okuu behind you.
***
>You all arrive on a small island, with what you realise to be the Scarlet Devil Mansion looming ahead of you. Reimu looks surprised.
"..Meiling isn't here? Did Sakuya fire her?" she muses to herself as she leads the group into the open doors (odd.. What mansion keeps their door open?) of the mansion. The doors slam behind you, leaving you in the dark. There is no sign of anyone. Koishi, naturally  scared of the dark, clings to your sleeve.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Stay on guard everyone."
>Look to Koishi. "It'll be fine."
>Look around. "That is quite odd Reimu. This place seems oddly vacant as well. It's even less welcoming and active than the furthest and darkest corner of the underground. And that's saying something."

[Nekomata-chan]

>The direction was unnecessary. Yuugi's grip on her sake bowl grew tighter, Orin's hands were in fists, her eyes darting around. Reimu had her gohei raised, and Okuu had her free hand on the control-rod attachment to her arm.. Koishi just looks extremely tense.
>Your little sister takes a stuttering deep breath, releasing her grip on your arm.
>The place is dark.. almost.. deserted. Reimu sighs, pointing down one of the corridors. "This way." she whispers. You all run down the corridor, and she stops you all before a large, dusty, definitely under-used door. She turns around to face all of you.
  "I hate to sound clich?d, but.. we need to stick together here. Patchouli's library is renowned for having traps assembled for intruders. I formulated a plan on the way here, you know. Satori, Koishi and I will head towards the main section all together. Rin, Utsuho, Yuugi, you three cover us. If anything seems amiss, take action. Right, are we all clear?" Reimu whispers in a hurry. The whole group whispers words of agreement and clarification.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Alright, let's go."

[Nekomata-chan]

>Reimu shoves the door open, which reveals.. Nothing. Nobody in the library. No signs of life. You all steel yourselves, before you, Reimu and Koishi stride in. Yuugi, Okuu and Orin follow at a distance.
"Patchouli? Patchouli?!" calls Reimu. You all hear books moving and falling, and you can detect several minds besides the ones of your allies.
"Satori Komeiji... just who I wanted to meet." a dreary, monotonous voice echoed from a bookshelf to your left. Reimu breathes heavily through her nose as she steps back a little.
"Satori-sama, look out!!" screams Orin. You see a spell forming in the centre of the library.
"This is a little spell I made especially for you, Miss Komeiji.. I have been studying your Recollection process... this spell should eradicate that ability from you within minutes of you trying to read my mind, possibly even killing you if my calculations are correct.." the voice whispers.

[Hanzo K.]

Well, what do you guys think? It seems that patchy-based cards are a no-go, so you guys opposed to using Throwing Togakushi to shut 'er up?

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Okuu! Attack!"
>Support Okuu's attack with covering fire.

This is kind of why we brought her, you know.

[Nekomata-chan]

>Okuu smiles, flying above everyone and charging a massive sun above her head. "Giga Flare!!" she shouts, releasing the sun bullet.
>You support her attack, your supporting flames following hers.

Both attacks reach the spell forming, yet the sheer magical energy of it dissolves your attacks in mid-air without stunting the spell.
"That was clever. Satori Komeiji, why are you trying to destroy me before finding out vital information? This spell only attacks if you read my mind." says Patchouli, still unseen. Reimu rests a hand on your shoulder.
"No harm in asking her what happened with Marisa and Alice. We'll cover you." she whispers. Behind you, you hear muttering from Orin and Yuugi.
"This place is creepy, you know.. it feels like there is someone else here," murmurs Orin.
"I get what you mean.." replies Yuugi, taking a sip of sake to calm herself.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"My sister was injured because you wanted my spellcards, and the first thing you said to me was a threat. I think you can figure out why I assumed you were hostile."
>"If you are indeed willing to explain what's going on, then please do so. I would like to know what led to Marisa stealing from me."

[Nekomata-chan]

>You hear a sigh, "My apologies for leading you to think that way. I am very protective of my library." Patchouli steps out from behind a bookshelf, looking rather tired.
>She takes a deep breath before beginning, "The way you work interests me. I have tried and tried to grasp how you can create spellcards so accurately from the memory of anybody. Marisa had visited, of course to steal books, so I decided to ask her. Stupid as she seems, she occasionally has a nugget of gold wisdom. Alice was with her so I couldn't dawdle, so I asked the both of them to help me. Before I knew it I was in an empty library with only the sound of Koakuma fluttering about. Then I knew I had asked too much and what I had feared had come true. Then of course, I figured out a way to defend myself should your search lead here, because I know Marisa would spill her plan at the drop of her hat. All of you here are extremely strong, and I knew that you would not come alone. I didn't know you would bring an oni, though..." Patchouli then sighs, coughing a little as she regains her breath.
Okuu looks confused, "So.. I'm not going to burn her to a crisp?" she asks. Orin shakes her head silently.
"Evidently not." the kasha murmurs.

[Hanzo K.]

>"You really thought that I wouldn't come in great force after what happened? Today has been a very foul day for me."
>Stare. "Consider yourself lucky that I didn't lead the whole of the underground up here. For that would not have ended well."
>Glance towards Reimu slightly. "Though I surmise that Reimu would have been rather opposed to that idea."
>Dismissive shrug. "Regardless, if you wanted to learn about how I create my Recollection spellcards so accurately, it would have been best to send me a message instead of having that thief try to steal them. I would have been much more likely to help had you done so."
>Smirk, and really put some ominousness into it. Crank it up so that even the Oni's unsettled. "Better to get the information straight from the creator, than a creation."
>Sigh. "Thanks to today though, I will have to recreate several spellcards due that foolish thief's actions."

>What spellcards were stolen and subsequently destroyed? So that way we know who to go to in order to remake them in the case of the Recollection series spellcards.


If some of them were copies of Patchy's spells, then I have a plan for both parties to get what they want.

[Nekomata-chan]

>Patchouli listens, but she almost shows no interest, "Blame Marisa," she says.
>"Such a large group would've had serious drawbacks." Patchouli muses.
>Reimu stutters, "I would've not been to impressed but I would have to stop you if Sakuya didn't. Speaking of Sakuya, Patchouli, where is Sakuya, Remilia and the others? The place is deserted."
>Patchouli even struggles at hiding her smile, "I was wondering when you'd ask," she whispers.
>You hear the awkward shuffling of the others.
>Patchouli's smile rolls into 'creepy' status. "Do stay awhile, if you please..."
>The spellcards you had were from Yukari Yakumo, Suika Ibuki, Aya Shameimaru, Alice Margatroid, Nitori Kawashiro, and of course, a few from Patchouli Knowledge, who now looks creepily as if there is something she cannot tell you.. but if you read her mind you will be attacked..

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Quietly: "Remain on guard."
>Aloud: "I'd love to, but we really should be getting home."

[Nekomata-chan]

>Reimu looks puzzled, but the others heed you without another thought.
>"No, please, we'd love to have you stay a while longer~" came a different, charismatic voice from an unseen place.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"We can always return at a later date, but I'm afraid we all had other plans for today. We do have work to do, after all."

[Nekomata-chan]

>"You aren't the only one with work to do!!" shout Patchouli, the other voice and a new, more calm voice. Either it's Patchouli's echo or you're being watched.
   "Psst! It's Remilia and her maid Sakuya! If they're hostile it's most likely we're going to get a knife in the back and Gungnir to the heart.. Stay neutral!!" Reimu whispers frantically, looking ready to attack in a subtle manner.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Since you seem determined that we not leave, I can only assume that this 'work' involves one or more of us, most likely myself. So allow me to ask you this: what exactly is this 'work' of yours?"

[Nekomata-chan]

>"Damnit, how we answer that?!" hisses one of the unseen voices.
 "I'm not sure... maybe if you didn't pretend to be invisible, milady." murmured the other voice, followed by an awkward giggle. Before long, you see two people emerge from behind the bookshelves.
Remilia Scarlet and Sakuya Izayoi.
 "So~.. you were half right. I wanted all of you here, so I simply had Sakuya stop time, take me to you, and then I could alter your fate, therefore stepping right into my trap. I wasn't expecting Yuugi to come, I have to be honest, but the fact that you brought your little sister, your little cat cart, the hell raven and Reimu means I must have succeeded. Sakuya, tell them." Remilia ordered, waving a hand.
 "Very well. You see, Satori, what Lady Remilia is trying to tell you is she wants to hire you. Hire you to copy the spellcards from visitors to the mansion, to be precise. She wants your little sister to use as a distraction and to find out their true intent, your hell raven if things get nasty, your kasha to dispose of unwanted corpses, and Reimu just as a sort of assistant to Meiling. Things at the mansion have, how do I put this, gone awry. People waltz in here looking for a fight without any warning, so having such useful commodities such as yourself would be a brilliant addition." Sakuya then takes a breath, casting glances at each of you in turn.
 "Can we just go home...?" Koishi whispers, taking the opportunity to hide behind your left shoulder. Okuu, Orin and Yuugi step forward as Reimu steps back. Yuugi is behind Koishi's left shoulder, and Orin is behind her right shoulder. Okuu is behind your right shoulder, and Reimu is stood just ahead of you and to the right. Quite a formation.
 "Satori-sama.. I think this is more complicated than they say..." Orin whispers. Okuu and Yuugi don't say a word, but you can tell they agree. You can see Reimu's white-knuckled grip on her gohei. Everybody is tense except for Patchouli, Remilia and Sakuya.
 "Well?!" demands Remilia, the sudden outburst startling a few in your group.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Unfortunately, we simply cannot be away from home for that sort of time."