(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 7)

[Oldmansour]

>"And nothing like this has ever happened since you took over here?"

[DracoOmega]

>"And nothing like this has ever happened since you took over here?"

>"From time to time, I've had someone claim they possessed permits they did not. I've never seen any evidence to suggest any of them were actually correct."

[Oldmansour]

>"And how did those folks resolve the issue?"

[DracoOmega]

>"And how did those folks resolve the issue?"

>"By either properly procuring their license or taking up some other line of work," she says. "Or, I suppose, by getting arrested in at least one case."

[Oldmansour]

>There goes the bribery approach.
>Smirk. "Lemme guess. Tried to sneak out at the wrong time?"

[DracoOmega]

>There goes the bribery approach.
>Smirk. "Lemme guess. Tried to sneak out at the wrong time?"

>"Oh, that happens, too," she says. "Though in this case, the whole affair was an extremely ill-conceived attempt to cover up a smuggling operation. This was quite some years ago, now."

[Oldmansour]

>What did we notice, or know of, in the way of security in this place, if anything?

[DracoOmega]

>What did we notice, or know of, in the way of security in this place, if anything?

>There didn't seem to be any obvious guards or other security in evidence downstairs, though the office space extended for some distance behind the counter and was partially obscured by the wickets. You imagine there is security somewhere within the complex, though.

[Oldmansour]

>"Is that what you believe this is, though? That Murasa's lying about her liscencse going missing, I mean."

[DracoOmega]

>"Is that what you believe this is, though? That Murasa's lying about her liscencse going missing, I mean."

>"I've claimed no such thing," she says coolly. "But anyone can say they have the proper license. I've seen no evidence aside from her own words, and frankly it seems incredibly suspect that someone would come and steal those records from us and only those, don't you agree?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I agree, it does look very suspicious. That's why I think the captain, her ship, or someone else on board, was a target. She was bound for Val Razua, and I suspect somebody didn't want her there."

[DracoOmega]

>"I agree, it does look very suspicious. That's why I think the captain, her ship, or someone else on board, was a target. She was bound for Val Razua, and I suspect somebody didn't want her there."

>Though her outward bearing changes little, something about her gaze seems to sharpen; it's a vaguely unsettling effect.
>"I don't suppose you have any evidence of this?"

[Oldmansour]

>Can we douse for lies?
>How good are we at determining whether or not someone's lying to us, or keeping something from us?

Of course, even if she IS responsible for the documents going missing here, I doubt she's the type that's got the skills to take the papers off the boat.

[DracoOmega]

>Can we douse for lies?
>How good are we at determining whether or not someone's lying to us, or keeping something from us?

>That would be a neat trick, but no.
>You're pretty perceptive when it comes to noticing subtle body language that might be indicative of withholding information, but some people can be very good liars.

[Oldmansour]

>Keep a sharp, discreet eye on this one.
>"I'm working on it. I had a lead when I was aboard their ship, but it eluded me."
>"See, that's my youkai ability. I'm a douser, I can find all sorts of things. That's why I came here, to see if I could sense what I sensed on the Blue Maiden. Or some other sign the culprit left behind."

[Hello Purvis]

So far, we're taking her word on those records. I say we stop taking her word and demand to see them. All we need from Murasa is the date that she got her permit, and then we check it across the actual accounts ledger to find the record of sale. If their accounting practices are anything like modern ones, the record will be a line or three on a  page, so extracting it would be very hard. Even the general year and month will do if they keep records of the permits themselves; we just compare what permits are there to what permits are listed int eh accounts.

If she gives us shit, we threatened to go over her head, and possibly bribe them to pay extra attention.  Or straight go to the guard if she gives us even the hint that she's concealing data.

[DracoOmega]

>Keep a sharp, discreet eye on this one.
>"I'm working on it. I had a lead when I was aboard their ship, but it eluded me."
>"See, that's my youkai ability. I'm a douser, I can find all sorts of things. That's why I came here, to see if I could sense what I sensed on the Blue Maiden. Or some other sign the culprit left behind."

>You keep a sharp eye on Louise, getting the distinct impression she is doing likewise, despite the coolness of her demeanor.
>"What sort of lead?" she asks.

[Oldmansour]

>"A sense that something was out of place. Something, or maybe someONE, that didn't belong."

[DracoOmega]

>"A sense that something was out of place. Something, or maybe someONE, that didn't belong."

>"I'm afraid that's an awfully vague basis to conduct a search," she says, smiling slightly again.

[Oldmansour]

>Smirk.
>"You'd be surprised what I've found with less to work with. I know what I sensed. If I pick it up again, I can find it."

BTW, I'll wager you've more knowledge than I with accounting than I, P. You'd handle that angle better than I. But if Murasa's right, insisting and threatening probably won't get us too far with this one. But, we may be able to maneuver her into admitting something. Or at least giving us a hint that we can go on.
I might add, though, that I really hope Louise isn't one of the guilty parties here. I have a soft spot for the MS crew. Other than Alice, anyway.

[Hello Purvis]

Louise is among my favorite PC-98 characters. I will still pitch her off the island if she stands in the way of our [Pure Ideals]. >=|

>"But I'm here for other, more solid leads. Let's have a look at those records, shall we? I have an idea or two."

[DracoOmega]

>Smirk.
>"You'd be surprised what I've found with less to work with. I know what I sensed. If I pick it up again, I can find it."

>"That's all well and good," she says, "But I'm going to need more than your gut feeling to reopen an investigation."

>"But I'm here for other, more solid leads. Let's have a look at those records, shall we? I have an idea or two."

>She smiles. "Care to share those ideas?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Wink.
>"I'll tell you if they work."
>What do we recall of our paper pushing time at the guild, in regards to recordkeeping?

[DracoOmega]

>Wink.
>"I'll tell you if they work."

>Her smile doesn't waver an inch. "Then I'm afraid there's not much I can do to help you."

>What do we recall of our paper pushing time at the guild, in regards to recordkeeping?

>During your apprenticeship you managed the front desk from time to time, and dealt with clients submitting job notices to be posted, as well as processing job completion forms, updating the master job register, and handling mail. Requisitioning of supplies and keeping account of the guild's fiscal transactions was generally done by the higher-ups, often Rinnosuke himself. You and the other apprentices were sometimes tasked with pickup and delivery, but usually didn't deal with the associated paperwork directly.

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's okay, you can just show me where they are and I'll take care of the rest. Heh, you can even watch me if you think I'm going to swipe something."

[DracoOmega]

>"That's okay, you can just show me where they are and I'll take care of the rest. Heh, you can even watch me if you think I'm going to swipe something."

>"I'm not in the habit of letting strangers browse through our records," she says.

[Hello Purvis]

So, my instinct is to respond with our arm veins, and threaten to infect her.

>"If you like, I can fetch Murasa, so you know I'm doing it on the behalf of the person involved."

[DracoOmega]

>"If you like, I can fetch Murasa, so you know I'm doing it on the behalf of the person involved."

>"Oh, I have no trouble accepting that you're working on her behalf," she says. "But my statement still stands. If there's a specific record you think should be examined, I can see that it's looked into."

[Oldmansour]

>"And how long will that take?"

[DracoOmega]

>"And how long will that take?"

>"That depends on what you want looked into," she replies.