Hatate Quest

[Hello Purvis]

>"So, what's Rainwall?"

[Oldmansour]

>"So, what's Rainwall?"

>"Nitori told me about once. It's a small Kappa village a ways to the south of here. Or at least it used to be small, evidently it's grown over the years. I think it was founded by a band of renegade inventors a couple of centuries back, the type whose ideas didn't find any traction among common Kappa. Nitori wasn't too sure about that one."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Huh. Must not have been very newsworthy."

[Oldmansour]

>"Huh. Must not have been very newsworthy."

>"Or else you or Aya would have reported on it by now?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Exactly."

[Oldmansour]

>"Exactly."

>"Maybe their inventions didn't amount to much?" Momiji suggests.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Maybe. Or they could just be really secretive and stingy with them."
>Ponder what we know about Kappastan mechanics; is there anything that it seems like they just don't do as a whole?

[Oldmansour]

>"Maybe. Or they could just be really secretive and stingy with them."
>Ponder what we know about Kappastan mechanics; is there anything that it seems like they just don't do as a whole?

>"Possibly. But let's be honest, Hatate, if Aya can take pictures of things Reimu would rather keep secret, what chance do the Kappa have?"
>The Kappa's attraction to mechanical objects and matters is profound indeed. You've seen them work on everything from simple gears all the way up to experiments with nuclear technology. But there is one thing you've never seen them do, and that is experimenting with integrating biological and mechanical parts. They do use organically-derived fuel for some of their inventions, usually based on cucumbers, but you've never seen them try to integrate something mechanical with something living, or vice-versa.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Reimu has interesting secrets, though."

[Oldmansour]

>"Reimu has interesting secrets, though."

>"Touche. But by extention, if the Kappa down in Rainwall did as well, chances are Aya would have ferreted them out by now." Momiji pauses. "Although I suppose they could have given her something in exchange for not running any stories about them..."

[Hello Purvis]

>"No no, Reimu has interesting secrets because she's Reimu. Even her dull secrets are interesting because of that. No one care about some random breakaway kappa unless they're obviously up to something. I may look into them later, though, just to make sure."

[Oldmansour]

>"No no, Reimu has interesting secrets because she's Reimu. Even her dull secrets are interesting because of that. No one care about some random breakaway kappa unless they're obviously up to something. I may look into them later, though, just to make sure."

>The white wolf chuckles quietly. "You know, Aya's said pretty much the same thing herself about Reimu. And I can sort of understand. She is a special kind of person."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Heh. Even Aya can get the basics right, I suppose."
>Shrineward!

[Oldmansour]

>"Heh. Even Aya can get the basics right, I suppose."
>Shrineward!

>You breathe in the crisp air of the world as you descend the rest of the way down the mountain and make your way to the southeast, towards the shrine of the Hakureis. While you are still, by nature, a bit of a homebody, you can't help but think that this is something you should do more often. Beams of golden light peak out from behind the shifting grey clouds, and a feather's dusting of snow is just now starting to fall towards the earth. The air is chilled but refreshing, and the breeze coming in from the west feels wonderful in your feathers. Even though no events of any import seem to be transpiring on the ground or in the air, you can't help but take a few pictures of the scenery along the way.
>The skies of Gensokyo appear relatively devoid of traffic. Barring the occasional fairy or two, you and Momiji enjoy a very uneventful journey into Hakurei airspace. As you fly over the wooded stretch of land that surrounds the shrine itself, Momiji slows you. "It appears that Reimu has some guests already. I wouldn't mention -this is hardly strange, after all- except one of them is Chen Yakumo. You've never met her, have you?"

[O4rfish]

>"No, but I've read mentions of her in Aya's articles about the Yakumos."

[Oldmansour]

>"No, but I've read mentions of her in Aya's articles about the Yakumos."

>Momiji nods. "We Rangers have a standing order when it comes to that girl: Don't do anything, and I mean ANYTHING, to upset or offend her. For whatever reason, it's been standard procedure for almost a century now. I was never able to get all the details, but from what I can gather, she had a bad run-in with a border patrol, and Ran Yakumo did something that to this day makes some of the older Dai-tengu soldiers shudder."

[Oldmansour]

>"I'm not saying we should avoid her, or the shrine." Momiji adds quickly. "Just... Try not to upset her, is all."

[Hello Purvis]

Never saw that update. Whups.

>"What're they up to?"

[Oldmansour]

Never saw that update. Whups.

>"What're they up to?"

>"At the moment, sweeping the grounds in front of the shrine."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod and proceed.

[Oldmansour]

>Nod and proceed.

>Momiji's warning in mind, you and she press on towards the grounds of the Red-White.

>Faint flakes of thin snow start to fall as you approach the torii gates in front of Reimu's home. And just as Momiji reported, the youkai pair of Chen Yakumo and Kogasa Tatara doing Reimu's normal chore of sweeping the walkway leading to the shrine itself. What she did not report, however, is that the both of them are clad in what must be for them unusual attire. Both of the young looking youkai are clad in the red and white vestements of Reimu herself. Well, Chen's is a little different, as the ribbon over her chest is orange rather than the usual yellow, and hers appears to be the proper size for her. She looks just darling. Kogasa's garb, however, is too long in the skirt and sleeves, and a bit tight around the chest, but the tsukumogami wears it very well indeed.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Having fun, you two?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Having fun, you two?"

>Both youkai pause mid-sweep, and the feline one points at you as she looks up. "Ah! Tengu!" she cries in surprise.

[Hello Purvis]

>"No, no. She's a wolf tengu and I'm a crow tengu. There are no ah tengu. Why are you guys sweeping out a shrine?"

[Oldmansour]

>"No, no. She's a wolf tengu and I'm a crow tengu. There are no ah tengu. Why are you guys sweeping out a shrine?"

>"We wanted to give Yukari-sama and Reimu-san time to catch up." Chen informs you.
>"And it's nice thing to do." Kogasa adds, smiling proudly.

[O4rfish]

>"Well good job. Are they on their way here now?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Well good job. Are they on their way here now?"

>"They're inside, actually." Kogasa says, pointing back towards the shrine. "You've been here for an hour now, Chen-chan?"
>"Yup!"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well then. Anything important, or just a social call?"
>Have we ever for reals dealt with Yukari before?

[Oldmansour]

>"Well then. Anything important, or just a social call?"
>Have we ever for reals dealt with Yukari before?

>"Yukari-sama likes to stop by every now and then." Chen informs you. "She and Reimu-san are friends."
>"If it was really important, they never told us." Kogasa adds. Then she giggles. "And Reimu-chan was pretty surprised to see her, too."
>"Yeah, Yukari-sama likes to surprise people."

>You have not.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I don't imagine they'll mind if we join them, then."
>Like we're gonna let a bunch of lesser youkai see us sweat!