Keine Quest - Harvest

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"Hmm...Only one should be enough, I can't be bringing her back drunk you know."

Yuugi grins. "There ya go, Okuu. Keine says it's all right." Okuu takes the chance to get a glass, seemingly a lot more eager now that permission has been established. "Well, if you say it's all right..." Satisfied, Yuugi
turns to you. "So, you never did say if you found out anything interesting at the Komeiji girl's place."

>Look to Mokou. "So...Anything catching your eye? Because I've never had some of these dishes."

Mokou gives the menu a quick stare before tossing it on the table. "I dunno about you, but I'm in the mood for pork. Tonkatsu for me."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, we did find out what that glowing part was. Apparently it's tied to an evil spirit called 'Mima'. Some books we found at the tower library indicated that the pillar might have been made by rogue magicians to summon it. I plan to consult some of the surface magicians when i get the chance."
>So many different dishes...Which to pick?

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"Well, we did find out what that glowing part was. Apparently it's tied to an evil spirit called 'Mima'. Some books we found at the tower library indicated that the pillar might have been made by rogue magicians to summon it. I plan to consult some of the surface magicians when i get the chance."

Yuugi frowns for the first time since you've seen her. "An evil spirit, huh... well, you'd better find out then! I mean, I don't want this city to be threatened by some evil Mima. Of course..." she barks a quick laugh, "it's probably nothing to worry about. The city's been here for at least a thousand years, and who knows how long that pillar's been doing that."

Out the corner of your eye you see Utsuho taking a sip of the expensive wine. Her face contorts a little and she sticks her tongue out. "Uwaaagh... bitter..." She looks over at you and Yuugi. "Does alcohol always taste like this?" Yuugi, taking a drink of her own, gives Utsuho a blank stare before replying, "Um... yeah, pretty much. Most of the stuff you'll probably encounter, anyway." As she sees Utsuho set the wine glass aside, she gives you a small wink before continuing. "If you don't like it, Okuu, you don't have to drink it. Alcohol's not for everyone."

>So many different dishes...Which to pick?

You're quite indecisive about the menu. Mokou pokes you in the side. "Hey, if you can't decide, you should get some of that Wurst sausage. I dunno what it is, but I want to try it. I'll give you some tonkatsu in return, of course."

[capt. h]

> "What is spaghetti?"

[IdiotsOpposite]

> "What is spaghetti?"

Another frown from Yuugi. "Um... imagine a plate of soba noodles covered in a sweet red sauce... well, it's nothing like that, but that's about as close as I can get. Oh, and little balls of meat mixed into it."

[capt. h]

> Order the spaghetti.

[IdiotsOpposite]

> Order the spaghetti.

When the waiter comes, you order the spaghetti. Mokou goes with her order, and Utsuho hungrily orders the yakitori. Yuugi seems to be content with her wine.

...

Food's here! You now have a plate of spaghetti. (I assume I don't have to describe what spaghetti looks or tastes like?) Utsuho managed to get a strawberry juice ordered. Yuugi leans back, sipping on wine like a boss. "So, what did you think of Satori?" she says, trying to start a conversation.

[capt. h]

> "Nice girl. A lot more hospitable than I expected. I didn't quite get a sense of her position down here; is she like the mayor?"

[IdiotsOpposite]

> "Nice girl. A lot more hospitable than I expected. I didn't quite get a sense of her position down here; is she like the mayor?"

Yuugi grins. "We don't need a leader! She's more of... well, she lives in the palace, but I guess you'd just call her an influential citizen. I don't think the Ancient City's ever had a leader. Certainly not since the oni moved in."

[capt. h]

> "What promted the oni to move in anyway? Was it a gradual thing, or did some specific event prompt the mass immigration?"

[IdiotsOpposite]

> "What promted the oni to move in anyway? Was it a gradual thing, or did some specific event prompt the mass immigration?"

Yuugi leans back in her chair, reminiscing. "Well... I don't remember too much of the details, but we needed a big place to live, and there was this empty city ready-made for us. We asked the Lady Shiki if she had any problems with us living there, and her response was that it would be fine, so long as we kept guard over the earth spirits. A fair trade, in my opinion. If you talked to the Lady Shiki, you could probably find out more, but I doubt you can get to her without dying first anymore."

Then return to sitting straight. "Are you always this inquisitive? Not that I mind, but I want to know."

[capt. h]

> "Not usually, but I imagine I'm going to need to add Chireiden to the history curriculum. Plus, the academic in me is curious."

[Oldmansour]

>"I AM a teacher, on the surface, after all. Curiousity's one of the larger reasons I came down here. First hand experience is the best way to learn."

[IdiotsOpposite]

> "Not usually, but I imagine I'm going to need to add Chireiden to the history curriculum. Plus, the academic in me is curious."

>"I AM a teacher, on the surface, after all. Curiousity's one of the larger reasons I came down here. First hand experience is the best way to learn."

Yuugi laughs. "All right then. I'm guessing you checked out Library Tower at some point too? Pretty foreboding place, huh?"

[Oldmansour]

>"It wouldn't be how I'd design a library, no. But, that said, I think I could spend a fair bit of time there, if I had the time to spare."
>"Come to think of it, you wouldn't happen to know who built a library tower that way, would you?"

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"It wouldn't be how I'd design a library, no. But, that said, I think I could spend a fair bit of time there, if I had the time to spare."
>"Come to think of it, you wouldn't happen to know who built a library tower that way, would you?"

Yuugi shakes her head. "Like I said, the whole city was built when we got here. And I don't think an oni's entered the Library Tower since I stepped inside... oh, probably about 400 years ago and found out it's a library. There aren't many oni who read for pleasure, you see. I wish I could help you more, but I can't think of a single person who's been here since the city was built. You'd think there would be one, we oni used to be everywhere, but I can't think of anyone."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, I might have a few leads, given how one of the books mentioned a flower youkai who I suspect to still be alive. The author of that book apparently knew her."
>"That book was a compendium of notable Youkai of the 5th Century. It mentioned the ancestors of not just the Bridge Princess, but the Tsuchigumo near the entrance, Miss Kurodani."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"Well, I might have a few leads, given how one of the books mentioned a flower youkai who I suspect to still be alive. The author of that book apparently knew her."

Yuugi leans back in her chair as she gives you a blank stare. "Don't remember any flower youkai, I'm afraid. Good luck with that, I hear they can be temperamental."

>"That book was a compendium of notable Youkai of the 5th Century. It mentioned the ancestors of not just the Bridge Princess, but the Tsuchigumo near the entrance, Miss Kurodani."

"Bridge princess? Oh, you mean the little insane girl on the bridge. Yeah, she's been here since we moved in as well. The oni don't tend to go  near her, we're not fans of jealousy. Miss Kurodani on the other hand... she comes into the city and performs every once in a while. Quite the good singer, you know? That's how she earns her money in the Ancient City."

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Yes, the book made mention of a rumor that her ancestor had a spell cast so that her descendants would always be talented in that field. According to the book, her ancestor was put to death by a prior ruler. The book stated it was by jealousy. That person also bears the same given name as the bridge princess, so it seems jealousy has been a long-running thing for her bloodline."
>"As for the flower youkai, there's one in particular who I suspect to be that same youkai. I know her to be a relatively temperamental one, though she's usually well-mannered."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>Nod. "Yes, the book made mention of a rumor that her ancestor had a spell cast so that her descendants would always be talented in that field. According to the book, her ancestor was put to death by a prior ruler. The book stated it was by jealousy. That person also bears the same given name as the bridge princess, so it seems jealousy has been a long-running thing for her bloodline."

Yuugi nods. "Sounds interesting. You could almost teach a class with how much you're finding out, ahaha. I'm guessing you're going to talk to them as well?"

>"As for the flower youkai, there's one in particular who I suspect to be that same youkai. I know her to be a relatively temperamental one, though she's usually well-mannered."

"Well, good luck is all I can say." You notice suddenly that you've finished your food without even noticing. You must have been more hungry than you thought. Taking a look around, you notice Mokou listening in to your conversation and Utsuho doing... something with her yakitori sticks that is apparently very intense, as she is glaring at three of them while the fourth is sticking out of her mouth.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "I'll at least inform Miss Kurodani. I'm not exactly keen on dealing with Mizuhashi again."
>Let's watch Okuu, see what she's trying to do.

[IdiotsOpposite]

>Nod. "I'll at least inform Miss Kurodani. I'm not exactly keen on dealing with Mizuhashi again."

Yuugi grins. "Got a bit of a scare trying to cross, didn't you?"

>Let's watch Okuu, see what she's trying to do.

Okuu appears to be attempting to build a tepee with her yakitori sticks. Her control rod lies discarded at her side as she works carefully to set up the three sticks in a sort of cone. After about 30 seconds of what looks like intense cocentration, she finally gets the three sticks to all rest on each other. In response, she stands up triumphantly, inadvertently bumping the table and causing her stick structure to fall apart. You hear a sad "Unyu..." as Utsuho realizes all her work just fell apart.

[Hanzo K.]

>"More like it was just irksome. She actually tried to get me to take Mokou's immortality for my own. As if I'd really want that. I had to headbutt her twice to get past. An unneeded hassle if you ask me."
>Look over to Okuu with a consoling look. "Don't worry, you can just do it again. Look, the sticks aren't broken, so you can rebuild it."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"More like it was just irksome. She actually tried to get me to take Mokou's immortality for my own. As if I'd really want that. I had to headbutt her twice to get past. An unneeded hassle if you ask me."

Yuugi nods. "Sounds like Parsee all right. She probably won't bother you as you go back, but be careful anyway."

>Look over to Okuu with a consoling look. "Don't worry, you can just do it again. Look, the sticks aren't broken, so you can rebuild it."

Okuu sighs. "It's just like a sun, though. Takes all that work and energy to build and it falls to pieces the moment you release it. Anyway, is the dinner almost done? Because I am."

[Hanzo K.]

>Smile at Okuu, and reach across for headpats. "Here's a useful tip. Next time you make one of these at home, use glue. And I've finished, though I'm surprised I finished it so quickly."
>Then look back to Yuugi. "Hopefully."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>Smile at Okuu, and reach across for headpats. "Here's a useful tip. Next time you make one of these at home, use glue. And I've finished, though I'm surprised I finished it so quickly."
>Then look back to Yuugi. "Hopefully."

Okuu nods. "Glue... I'll have to get me some of that."

Yuugi toasts you with her wine glass. "You'd probably best be off. I'll linger around this restaurant for a few more hours, have some more wine. If the bridge girl gives you any trouble, just notify me and I'll make sure she never does it again, all right?"

You idly wonder what would happen if someone ever actually made an enemy of Yuugi.

[capt. h]

You idly wonder what would happen if someone ever actually made an enemy of Yuugi.

> Make a vivid mental picture of exactly what you imagine could happen.

> Do we have many more buisness here, such as the check and tip? Or should we be on our way?

[IdiotsOpposite]

> Make a vivid mental picture of exactly what you imagine could happen.

You make a vivid mental picture. It has a lot of blood and significant amounts of gore. Somewhere, you can feel a satori retching.

> Do we have many more buisness here, such as the check and tip? Or should we be on our way?

No, not really. Yuugi said she was treating you, after all. You suppose you should get Utsuho to grab her control rod. You notice Kogasa watching a card game between a pair of oni. Thankfully she wasn't too far away.

[capt. h]

> Get Utsuho to grab her control rod.

> Does Kogasa look like she's trying to surprise them? If yes, then watch.

[IdiotsOpposite]

> Get Utsuho to grab her control rod.

Utsuho stands up and is almost away from the table before you remind her that she forgot her control rod. Giggling in embarrassment, she hurries over and picks up the rod, reattaching to her arm. "Sorry about that..."

> Does Kogasa look like she's trying to surprise them? If yes, then watch.

Unfortunately, she looks more genuinely interested in the card game.

Mokou also stands up, giving Yuugi a quick toast before finishing off her wine. "All right, let's get out of here. We got... wait, what's next on the agenda anyway?"

A: Find Akyu, deliver tea
B: Find Reimu, ask about Mima:
C: Find Magician, ask about Mima:
D: Do something else that I can't remember