Hatate Quest

[O4rfish]

>"But first, can I take a picture of you in your miko outfits? You look so cute!"

[Oldmansour]

>"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!

>"Waaaaaait...." Chen drawls, narrowing her eyes. "You're not the peeping tengu, are you?"
>"No, Chen-chan, this is Hatate." Kogasa says, placing her hand on the younger youkai's shoulder. "She's the good reporter tengu."
>The feline's face brightens instantly. "Oh! That's fine, then."

>"But first, can I take a picture of you in your miko outfits? You look so cute!"

>Both youkai beam at your praise. Chen even does a little pirouette. "You think so?"
>"It was Yukari-san's idea." says Kogasa.

[Hello Purvis]

>Smile at Kogasa. "I like you now."
>"It was a fine idea. Smiles, now."
>Ready camera.

[Oldmansour]

>Smile at Kogasa. "I like you now."
>"It was a fine idea. Smiles, now."
>Ready camera.

>"Heehee..." Kogasa giggles, smiling broadly.
>"Does that mean you didn't before?" Momiji mutters loudly enough so that only you can hear, but the light tone to her voice indicates a tease.

>As you raise your camera, the Koga-Chen combo flash you a pair of perky smiles, and sidle up next to each other.

[Hello Purvis]

>Ignore the hound and get that picture.
>"Thanks!"
>Once last pleasantries are done, head for the door and knock.

[Oldmansour]

>Ignore the hound and get that picture.
>"Thanks!"
>Once last pleasantries are done, head for the door and knock.

>Pointedly ignoring Momiji's ribbing, you record the image of the smiling faux-mikos. Both Kogasa and Chen ask for their own copies, which you of course agree to provide once you have your own produced. And with that out of the way, you fly over the two sweeping youkai and head for the shrine proper, Momiji in tow.
>Despite yourself, you feel a twinge of excitement as you approach the double doors of the Hakurei Shrine. You've never set foot in the shrine itself before, and it is the home of one of Gensokyo's most notorious residents. But that excitement is tinged with fear as well, as even the name Yukari Yakumo sends a chill down the spine of a Tengu. You're much more curious about her than you are afraid of course, but that doesn't mean you're completely immune to the fear she inspires among your kind.

>As you raise your hand to knock upon the shrine doors, what seems to be a long horizontal slash in the air appears in front of you. You take a flutter backwards, and this slash widens into a gap in midair. You've seen pictures of these, and heard Aya speak about them, but to see one of Yukari's gaps in person is something else. The gap is filled with a purple and black haze, and disembodied eyes hang in the emptiness. You swear one of them just blinked. And the two ribbons that seem to tie off the gap do very little to offset its otherworldly appearance.
>"I think she knew we were coming." Momiji mutters darkly.
>A woman's voice drifts quietly out of the gap, "You can come in, if you promise to be quiet, ladies."

[Hello Purvis]

>Okay. Okay. We already dealt with a Dai Tengu today.  This isn't even a tengu at all! It should be easy.
>"Wouldn't it be rude to come in and not make conversation, though?"

[Oldmansour]

>Okay. Okay. We already dealt with a Dai Tengu today.  This isn't even a tengu at all! It should be easy.
>"Wouldn't it be rude to come in and not make conversation, though?"

>As you take a moment to steel yourself, a ghostly chuckle emerges from the gap. "I said 'quiet', my young Tengu, not 'silent'." she chides warmly.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, okay. Just didn't see the daylight between the two."

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, okay. Just didn't see the daylight between the two."

>"It can be a fine distinction sometimes." Yukari replies. The gap in front of you grows and expands, becoming large enough to accommodate someone your size.
>Momiji clears her throat. "Pardon me for asking, but you want us to enter through this gap?"
>"If you would be so kind."

[Hello Purvis]

>"It doesn't hurt or anything, right?"

[Oldmansour]

>"It doesn't hurt or anything, right?"

>"Do you want it to?"
>You swear you can hear the youkai grinning in amusement.

[Hello Purvis]

>Not even a tengu, nothing to worry about.
>"Naw, no need for that. I'm coming in."
>Enter!

[Oldmansour]

>Not even a tengu, nothing to worry about.
>"Naw, no need for that. I'm coming in."
>Enter!

>Steady on, Hatate, you tell yourself. Just... think of it as an opportunity!
>"There's a good girl."
>Boldly, you step forward in the breach. Or gap, as the situation may be. Despite your curiosity, however, you can't help but close your eyes as you enter into the gap, rather than stare at that gaping void and those eerily blinking distant eyes that don't seem quite as distant as you'd like.
>Despite your trepedation, you encounter no lurching sensation, no sense of falling or lack or solid ground, or really anything out of the ordinary after several seconds, so you open your eyes. You find yourself in what appears to be the living room of the Hakurei shrine. It is a largish room, comfortably heated, with a kotatsu in the middle. A small bowl of mandarin oranges sits upon the kotatsu, with the peels of two of them lying next to it. Lying next to the kotatsu, you find the eggplant-purple umbrella belonging to Kogasa. And on the opposite side from the umbrella, there sits a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, clad in a very stylish white and purple dress. This can only be Yukari Yakumo herself.
>Despite being the presence of someone as august as Yukari herself, almost as interesting as she is is the sight of Reimu Hakurei. The red-white is currently lying down, with her head resting in Yukari's lap, sleeping peacefully. That's probably why Yukari asked you for quiet, you think to yourself.

[Hello Purvis]

>See, not even a tengu. She doesn't even have wings! Probably.
>Give a polite bow and look for a nice place to sit.
>Quietly say, "I didn't realize I was intruding."
>Rapidly search memory, is this sort of thing we expect from these two?

[O4rfish]

>"Ah, you may already know this, but I am Hatate Himekaidou, editor for the Kakashi Spirit News and former student of Aya Shameimaru."

That last part is sort of important in justifying why we're spending so much effort searching for her.

[Oldmansour]

>See, not even a tengu. She doesn't even have wings! Probably.
>Give a polite bow and look for a nice place to sit.
>Rapidly search memory, is this sort of thing we expect from these two?

>If she does, they are quite well hidden.
>There are two empty sides to the kotatsu. Apart from that, however, the room doesn't offer anything beyond floor.
>According to Aya and other various speculations, Yukari and Reimu are friends. The two of them are known to have worked together to solve the incident with the False Moon a few years ago. However, common knowledge would indicate that their relationship usually consists of Yukari pestering and teasing Reimu in various ways, instead of this... rather warm scene. Truth to tell, even if Yukari hadn't asked you to keep the volume down, you'd be reluctant to disturb the scene before you.

>Quietly say, "I didn't realize I was intruding."

>"It's quite all right." Yukari answers. Despite the fact that her mouth barely moves, you can hear her as though she was speaking clearly. It's an odd sensation.

>"Ah, you may already know this, but I am Hatate Himekaidou, editor for the Kakashi Spirit News and former student of Aya Shameimaru."

>Yukari gives you a polite nod. "Out on another adventure, are you?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Among other things. Regarding Aya, I don't suppose you've seen her lately?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Among other things. Regarding Aya, I don't suppose you've seen her lately?"

>"Mmmm..." Yukari taps her chin thoughtfully. "No, I don't believe I have. However... Pardon me a moment." The blonde woman's eyes grow distant for just a moment, and her left hand moves ever so slightly. When she speaks next, no sound emerges from her lips. But rather, floating words appear over her head, and fade after a moment, As I was saying, I have not seen her personally, but my shikigami Ran has. I believe the two of them have been spending a fair bit of time together lately over the past two weeks.
>Momiji gapes at the bizarre kind of communication. How did- she starts, but her mouth snaps shut as her 'words' are transformed the same way Yukari's were.
>It's a rather old trick. You'll get used it in a moment, Momiji.

[Hello Purvis]

>Lesser youkai, no wings. Nothing to be worried about.
>Prepare ourself ahead of time for whatever weird sensation may come when speaking
>"Huh! What're they working together on?"

[Oldmansour]

>Lesser youkai, no wings. Nothing to be worried about.
>Prepare ourself ahead of time for whatever weird sensation may come when speaking
>"Huh! What're they working together on?"

>You refuse to be rattled Yukari. ... For longer than a moment, at least.
>Bracing yourself, you pose your question to the youkai of gaps. It's a bizarre feeling to be speaking and not to hear your own voice. It's certainly something to write home about, but not something you think you'd enjoying doing for any longer than you have to.
>I believe it's something my Ran has been trying to keep a secret from me. Yukari smiles gently. And since it has been quite some time since she's done that, I haven't really been inclined to ask her about it. But I will admit, I have been quite curious to know how she managed to get Aya to stay quiet about it for so long.

[O4rfish]

>I would like to interview Miss Ran about this.

[Oldmansour]

>I would like to interview Miss Ran about this.

>Of course you do. Yukari answers with a knowing smile. I would expect no less from a curious tengu like yourself. She glances at your escort. And are you curious as well, Momiji?
>Somewhat. the wolf answers politely. Like you said yourself, Yakumo-san, getting Aya to keep a story to herself is not small feat.
>Quite so. And normally, I wouldn't mind at all helping one indulge their curiousity. But since my dear Ran seems to have gone to a great deal of trouble not to let me find out what it is she's up to, I would hate to have her think I've dispatched a pair of tengu to spy on her. Surely you can understand my position.

[Hello Purvis]

>"But it would be fine if I found her on my own, I imagine?"

[Oldmansour]

>"But it would be fine if I found her on my own, I imagine?"

>The youkai of gaps gives you a smile that is as much a smirk as the former. You believe you can? My Ran isn't the easiest kitsune to track down, you know.

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"This is true. But let's set it aside for the moment. While there is little you can tell me about Ran, understandably, perhaps there is more you can tell me about Aya currently?"

[Oldmansour]

>Nod.
>"This is true. But let's set it aside for the moment. While there is little you can tell me about Ran, understandably, perhaps there is more you can tell me about Aya currently?"

>Such aaas? Yukari asks.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Where has she been staying, for instance?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Where has she been staying, for instance?"

>Here and there. She's been doing quite a bit of flitting around.
>Do you know where she is now? Momiji asks.
>I haven't looked in on her today. I've had other business to take care of. I'm a busy woman, you know. she says with just a bit of a pout.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah we can see. What sorts of places has she stayed at?