Hatate Quest Nelja

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, running away yet again?"

>"I have commitments I have to honor." Aya says, pausing to look back over her shoulder. "We all have things we could be doing other than standing here listening to you say nothing. If you've got a point, make it. Otherwise, I'm going back to apologize to Sal for running out for what turned out to be nothing."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Okay, if you really need me to spell everything out for you like a child."
>"Cross arms.
>"You ran away from your home, your friends, your obligations, and everyone who ever gave half a damn about you shame yourself among a bunch of imaginary people where you imagined your own people turning into a horrible debased parody of themselves. You've become more shameful and despicable than any corrupt Dai-tengu. So yeah, go back to your imaginary club, apologize to some fake Sal, and wiggle your ass for a bunch of figments while telling yourself how totally great it'd be if Tsubaki got treated in ways no tengu ever should have and great it'd be sell out the people you don't like back to the oni. While the actual Tsubaki which really exists was raiding your home just this morning. So, that clear enough for you?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Okay, if you really need me to spell everything out for you like a child."
>"Cross arms.
>"You ran away from your home, your friends, your obligations, and everyone who ever gave half a damn about you shame yourself among a bunch of imaginary people where you imagined your own people turning into a horrible debased parody of themselves. You've become more shameful and despicable than any corrupt Dai-tengu. So yeah, go back to your imaginary club, apologize to some fake Sal, and wiggle your ass for a bunch of figments while telling yourself how totally great it'd be if Tsubaki got treated in ways no tengu ever should have and great it'd be sell out the people you don't like back to the oni. While the actual Tsubaki which really exists was raiding your home just this morning. So, that clear enough for you?"

>At the conclusion of your explosive rant, Aya turns slowly back to face you. And smiles. "Now THAT'S more like it." she exclaims.
>Momiji's jaw drops. "'That's more like it'?" she gapes.
>The elder crow nods. "Passion. That's the thing I admire most about Hatate, any of her. I was starting to get worried, thought this one might have misplaced it or something." She points her finger vaguely at you. "Now this, this is more like the Hatate I know I love. She got a beef, and she's not afraid to say it. I like that."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I was trying to get you to show something like shame and maybe give me a reason to have something like hope for you yet."

[Oldmansour]

>"I was trying to get you to show something like shame and maybe give me a reason to have something like hope for you yet."

>"I'd consider it, if what you were saying made sense." She places a finger to her lips as she smiles. "Unless you're branching into fiction? You'd probably be pretty good at it, too."

[Hello Purvis]

>"There's a whole lot of fiction, and none of it's us. Haven't you noticed that we feel different than everyone else here?"

[Oldmansour]

>"There's a whole lot of fiction, and none of it's us. Haven't you noticed that we feel different than everyone else here?"

>"That's only normal, isn't it? You and Momiji aren't from here. Or that blood doll you came here with."

[Hello Purvis]

>"No, you idiot! It's because they're imaginary! They don't have proper wind to them because there's no proper wind for them to have!"

[Oldmansour]

>"No, you idiot! It's because they're imaginary! They don't have proper wind to them because there's no proper wind for them to have!"

>Aya's smile does not waver. "You do realize how that sounds, right?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, what do I know? I just came from the actual world, which even you acknowledged is a thing, and just happen to know the person who owns that stupid book we got sucked into. Couldn't possibly have any idea what I'm talking about."

[Oldmansour]

>"Yeah, what do I know? I just came from the actual world, which even you acknowledged is a thing, and just happen to know the person who owns that stupid book we got sucked into. Couldn't possibly have any idea what I'm talking about."

>"Still have your sass, as well, I see." Aya remarks. "And I never denied you're not from this world. But you will admit." She tugs at the skirt of her black dress. "They sew pretty well for imaginary tengu, don't they."
>Momiji snickers, but says nothing.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, yeah, not as though you didn't imagine them up that way. But you sure are working hard to skirt around the other points, aren't you?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, yeah, not as though you didn't imagine them up that way. But you sure are working hard to skirt around the other points, aren't you?"

>Aya chuckles. "So I have the power to make a whole world, do I?" She rolls her head in exaggerated surprise. "Well, that sure would've coming in handy a lot of years ago."

[Hello Purvis]

>"You got caught in that cursed book, you moron. It's doing this to trap you, and it worked!"

[Oldmansour]

>"You got caught in that cursed book, you moron. It's doing this to trap you, and it worked!"

>"So first I imagined this world into being, then some magic book did it?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Stop being willfully dense, geez! The stupid book is doing and its using your stupid ideas! Do you really think tengu would ever be okay with selling out their own people to the oni?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Stop being willfully dense, geez! The stupid book is doing and its using your stupid ideas! Do you really think tengu would ever be okay with selling out their own people to the oni?"

>"Well, given that it happened...."

[Hello Purvis]

>"It didn't happen! This isn't real! It happened because you imagined it, and that's why I'm so mad at you! How could you think that!?"

[Oldmansour]

>"It didn't happen! This isn't real! It happened because you imagined it, and that's why I'm so mad at you! How could you think that!?"

>"If this isn't real, then why are you two here? Well never mind, I can imagine why you'd be here, Hatate, curiousity. But how?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"It was that stupid book, you saw it, right? You look at it and it captures you?"

[Oldmansour]

>"It was that stupid book, you saw it, right? You look at it and it captures you?"

>"I've seen a lot of books in my day." She sighs slightly. "Especially after Patchy gave me the long tour of her library. Me and my big mouth. But even she didn't have a book like that."

[Hello Purvis]

>"This one is cursed or something, it came from the Cobalt Keep. Celes is the one who knows about it, you remember her, right?"

[Oldmansour]

>"This one is cursed or something, it came from the Cobalt Keep. Celes is the one who knows about it, you remember her, right?"

>She nods. "She didn't say where she was from, though. And it doesn't help your case if you're right. Nothing comes from there except bad news. Which means she was probably lying about it, if that's what she claims."

[Hello Purvis]

>"No, the keep has some pretty cool people there. You're thinking of the fake one here, I mean the real one."

[Oldmansour]

>"No, the keep has some pretty cool people there. You're thinking of the fake one here, I mean the real one."

>"It's true." Momiji adds. "We've heard all kinds of bad things about the Keep here, too, but the Keep where we come from isn't a bad place at all. Celes, and the others who live there, are all good people, welcomed to Gensokyo." A bit more quietly, she adds, "Well, after a little misunderstanding."
>That makes Aya smile again. "Yeah, well, that's only normal for Gensokyo. Let me guess, this was the kind of misunderstanding Reimu usually settles?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Pretty much, though I guess it was the Scarlet Devil this time. And how'd you forget all this, you were there."

[Oldmansour]

>"Pretty much, though I guess it was the Scarlet Devil this time. And how'd you forget all this, you were there."

>"What, at the Keep?" Aya looks startled. "Not on your life. Even I wouldn't get within a mile of that place, ANY Keep."

[Hello Purvis]

>We're not imagining this, right? People did say she was there after the incident?
>If this is correct: "No, you were there, they all told me you were, you were looking into the whole night of rage thing."

[Oldmansour]

>We're not imagining this, right? People did say she was there after the incident?
>If this is correct: "No, you were there, they all told me you were, you were looking into the whole night of rage thing."

>Correct. Both Momiji and multiple residents of the Keep confirmed that Aya had been there investigating the Night of Rage.
>"But that never happened here. That's one of the things that's different between your world and this one."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Who cares about that? I'm talking about the real world, you dope. Celes is from there too!"