Hatate Quest

[O4rfish]

>"Should is a tricky word. I had very good reasons for coming in here, so I did. Are you about to tell me yours?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Should is a tricky word. I had very good reasons for coming in here, so I did. Are you about to tell me yours?"

>"I have no reason to." she replies, though without quite as much snobbyness in her tone. "You don't need to know. And I do realize that isn't an easy concept for any reporter worth her wings to swallow. But there it is."

[Hello Purvis]

Dangit Oarfish, you shouldn't have said any of that. We just gave her an infinite lever and lost control. =[

>Have a look around, is there anything else we find photograph worthy in here?

[O4rfish]

What do you mean?

[Hello Purvis]

Maybe it's not as bad as I initially thought, on a second reading.

We have to be very careful not to give the implication that we were here for the same thing, or anything other than having seen her doing some B&E. It seemed like you did, but maybe not on a closer reading.

[Oldmansour]

>Have a look around, is there anything else we find photograph worthy in here?

>Apart from the large-winged tengu sitting in Aya's chair, the room seems pretty much normal. The framed interview Aya secured with Yukari herself- the only one she's ever done- is still on the wall, the bamboo plant decorating the northwest corner of the room appears undisturbed, and the notebooks and papers Aya has arranged around the rest of the room seem unmoved. If Tsubaki had rifled through them, she put them back in the same condition she found them. Nor has she messed with the portrait hanging over Aya's desk or the small glass figuring of a swan she keeps on her desktop.

[Hello Purvis]

>Take a few photos, anyways. Aya might like to see them later, and possibly pay a pretty penny for it.
>While doing so, says, "One does wonder, though, how long have you been here?"

[Oldmansour]

>Take a few photos, anyways. Aya might like to see them later, and possibly pay a pretty penny for it.
>While doing so, says, "One does wonder, though, how long have you been here?"

>"Not long enough yet." Tsubaki replies as you take a couple more pics. "But, since you've remembered your manners, I will say that I don't expect to be here much longer."

[Hello Purvis]

Contemplating the next move. I want to see if we can trick her into acknowledging the damage downstairs.

[Kilgamayan]

We have to be very careful not to give the implication that we were here for the same thing, or anything other than having seen her doing some B&E.

I was wondering about this same thing, since we would truthfully claim Momizi saw a pair of wings that aren't Aya's enter Aya's house.

The main problem I can think of is that we have no idea what Momizi actually wrote on her note to her friends. Thinking in terms of a post-incident investigation, if she admitted we were off to investigate Aya's disappearance, it would be no effort at all for the Dai Tengu to put two and two together about our intentions in heading in the direction of Aya's house from Momizi's house.

[Hello Purvis]

Oo, good point. In theory we can check this via spirit photography, but I don't know if we can do it here. Also, I am thinking it may be fun to trick her into claiming she got a copy of Aya's key to get inside. If we can get her to do that, brining Momiji in properly ought to rattle her quite a bit.

>Could we spirit photographize Momiji's note here, without making it a huge and/or obvious hassle?
>Also, she is showing interest in Ran, and by extension Yukari. Is this a thing considered seemly in tengu society, or is it kind of frowned upon? How is the gruesome twosome regarded in tengutown?

[Oldmansour]

>Could we spirit photographize Momiji's note here, without making it a huge and/or obvious hassle?
>Also, she is showing interest in Ran, and by extension Yukari. Is this a thing considered seemly in tengu society, or is it kind of frowned upon? How is the gruesome twosome regarded in tengutown?

>Calling up a picture of Momiji's note without alerting the enemy should be no problem.

>It isn't exactly frowned upon, but it is rather odd for someone who is known to have little or no interest in the outside world, such as Tsubaki. Ran's reputation among the tengu is couched in her relationship with Yukari, and she is seen as Yukari's slave by some, Yukari's friend by others, Yukari's wife by a handful. Kitsune in general are regarded in much the same general light as other non-tengu, and while Ran's power and relationship with Yukari makes her unique among the kitsune, she is still just a kitsune.
>Yukari is a sore spot among the tengu race. The tengu consider themselves above the other races, that no one other than the tengu can affect their lives or their society. Yukari however has proven she can drop in whenever she wants, do whatever she wants, and not even Boss Tenma has the power to prevent her from doing so. The average tengu would like to forget Yukari exists, or that she sticks to tormenting other non-tengu and leaves them alone.

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's nab a picture of that note, and check it.
>If we can during the process, "So, you've found what you needed?"

[Oldmansour]

>Let's nab a picture of that note, and check it.
>If we can during the process, "So, you've found what you needed?"

>"Not yet." Tsubaki answers.
>She says no more for a moment, giving you a chance to call up the image of the note Momiji left for her friends. You find it left on her kitchen table, written in her bold script, "Went out with Hatate. Not like THAT, you perverts, she asked for my help with something. Help yourself to what's in the fridge, just leave some of the grapes. And Touma, lock the door this time when you leave."

>"Look, Hayate." Tsubaki says as you read Momiji's note, the dai-tengu spinning Aya's chair to let her face you. "Let me be frank with you."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Please do."

[Oldmansour]

>"Please do."

>"You're a journalist. Setting aside your comparatively dismal success rate at being one thus far, I can respect you on that level. And I can also respect your desire to find a story whenever you can. But you won't find one here. Even if I was inclined to be more.. forthcoming, as it were, I couldn't be."

[O4rfish]

Think it's time to ask her where Aya is?

[Hello Purvis]

Perhaps. Got an idea to do it in a subtle way?

[O4rfish]

Not really. The only thing we know she wants is to be superior to us. We need to offer her that in exchange for what we want, which is to know where Aya is, but we don't know if she has that. We don't really want the story about her breaking in, which is good because she's defending against that.
She's been responsive to ingratiation, so I would give her the opportunity to help us.
>"You mean you're sending me out of here with no story or leads or anything?"
If this doesn't work, we can threaten to tell Aya, which might lead her to crumb about that issue.

[Hello Purvis]

We most definitely want the story because she's a snob who's gotten all up in our grill and insulted us and our work, especially if it gets her incriminated and humiliated. These are things you don't do to the fourth estate.

[O4rfish]

Well, sounds like we should resolve this the old-fashioned Gensokyo way.

[Oldmansour]

>"You mean you're sending me out of here with no story or leads or anything?"

>"Where you come up with your stories is none of my business." Tsubaki retorts as though stating a simple fact. "So long as you keep your nose out of affairs that don't concern you."

[Hello Purvis]

So, she's setting us up to drop Momiji on her. Should we go for it?

Edit: Got enough of a go ahead for me!

>"So, you're saying it's no concern of mine that someone has taken to breaking and entering into other people's homes at their leisure, and then denying to give any explanation? Is this what you're saying?"

[Kilgamayan]

oh man talk about quests on irc at 4 am

[Oldmansour]

>"So, you're saying it's no concern of mine that someone has taken to breaking and entering into other people's homes at their leisure, and then denying to give any explanation? Is this what you're saying?"

>"At my leisure, is it." Tsubaki drawls with a condescending chuckle in her voice. "Stop fishing for a story here, Crow. This isn't your business."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, you're half right. Breaking and entering whenever you like isn't entirely my business."
>Glance back toward the door.
>"But, Momiji, isn't that kind of thing exactly your business?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, you're half right. Breaking and entering whenever you like isn't entirely my business."
>Glance back toward the door.
>"But, Momiji, isn't that kind of thing exactly your business?"

>Tsubaki seems momentarily taken aback- which you find a bit satisfying- and spins her chair to face the door as Momiji comes out of hiding. "I might have known." Tsubaki remarks. "You're often found tagging along behind one Crow reporter or another, aren't you, Inubashiri."
>Momiji inclines her head respectfully. "Ayatsuji-sama."
>"If you're acting as Hayate's keeper instead of Aya's for a while, you haven't done a very good job." The Dai-tengu scolds your friend.
>Who, for her part, takes it in stride. "You know that reporters go where there's news, Ayatsuji-sama. Even if there is a Dai-tengu involved."

[Hello Purvis]

>"So, what were you doing here again?"

[Oldmansour]

>"So, what were you doing here again?"

>"Is your memory failing?" Tsubaki asks scathingly.

[O4rfish]

I think we should let the doggy handle things from here.