Maribel Quest Latterly - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>Continue along the path.
>"So, was the only reason you were worried about her because she was someone you didn't know?"

>She nods.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"You know, most people aren't out to harm you, or anyone else. Even here, I don't think."
>"And how come you never reacted that way to me when we first met?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"You know, most people aren't out to harm you, or anyone else. Even here, I don't think."
>"And how come you never reacted that way to me when we first met?"

>She frowns. "Maybe..."
>"I would've lost the rabbit," she says, "And I could get away if you got too close."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh, ok. Well, fair warning, there's going to be a couple new people where I'm headed now, too. I've never met them, either, but Marisa said I should be ok. Just letting you know in advance."

>Continue southward

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, ok. Well, fair warning, there's going to be a couple new people where I'm headed now, too. I've never met them, either, but Marisa said I should be ok. Just letting you know in advance."

>Continue southward

>"Oh...well, maybe I'll just stay behind..." she says, still following along.
>You continue southward. Soon you reach the shores of the lake. You can see a few faeries swooping and diving over it in the distance. The banks of the lake are very gentle, you could walk into the waters no problem. In the distance, you see what looks like a large mansion. On the eastern bank, you think you see a small cabin nestled in the forest. Obvious exits are east and west.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Head west around the lake. Probably better to take the long way, and avoid being accosted by the faeries along the more direct route.

[Hello Purvis]

>You head to the west.
>There is a kind of worn path here, but it is not much used by the look of it. Following it along, you start to circumnavigate the lake. You come to an mostly empty plain; the only thing of note here is a small lean-to near the banks.
>"Um," says Tokiko, "faeries like it here. So I'm going to be leaving. I don't want them getting into my places."
>She turns back.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"What places do you mean?"

>"And well, if you don't feel comfortable, I'm not going to force you. I don't mean to be pushy or anything, sorry."

[E-Nazrin]

>"Well... Tokiko, I'm going to say a lot of stuff here that's probably confusing, but try and hear me out, okay?"
>"I think... the way that you act is important in how other people react to you and treat you. Most of the time, people will return the tone that you show them. If you're nice, people will usually be nice - or at least, nicer than if you do something that could make them mad, or avoid them entirely. Of course, if you're mean to people or try to hurt them or the stuff they own, then they'll be mean back."
>"But this goes for avoiding people, too - if you run away from someone, then they may have a reason to be suspicious about WHY you ran. Whether it's called cowardice, shyness, acting like a thief, or whatever, it makes it a little more difficult to trust and respect you in the future. Running may keep you safe right now, but it doesn't help you make friends - and friends you don't HAVE to run away from."
>"This doesn't mean you have to go around talking to everyone that seems scary to make sure that they ARE scary... but if you meet someone new somewhere fairly safe, it might be worth being nice to them for a minute and see what they're like. I get the feeling you're still learning how to do this, but I think it would be worthwhile for you in the end. So... just try and remember that."
>"I'll do what I can to help you out with this, at least when I'm around. But I won't force you into it if you don't want to do it. I think there's going to be lots of new people at this mansion, and I don't know how nice they'll be, or what they'd expect from us. If you don't think you'll be able to stay calm through all that, then it's okay to stay behind. It's a lot to ask of you right now. Would you like to stay with me while I talk with new people, or wait in the forest for now?"

Someone use that when the time is right.

[Kilgamayan]

Man, I wish we could get into Tokiko's places :winky:

[Hello Purvis]

>"What places do you mean?"

>"And well, if you don't feel comfortable, I'm not going to force you. I don't mean to be pushy or anything, sorry."

>"Where I live," she says, still walking away, though she turns back to face you. "I don't want them coming there, so I try to leave them alone in their places."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Can you show me where that is? I don't want to lose you as a friend. I promise I won't tell any fairies about it."

[E-Nazrin]

>"Have they done that before?"
>"Though, I think I understand. The fairies I've met can be... confusing."

> "Can you show me where that is? I don't want to lose you as a friend. I promise I won't tell any fairies about it."

She already gave some directions and offered to meet up in the forest later, if I recall correctly.

[Kilgamayan]

> "Can you show me where that is? I don't want to lose you as a friend. I promise I won't tell any fairies about it."

> Belay saying this for the moment.
> Do we think we could find her house based on what she's told us before?

[Hello Purvis]

>"Have they done that before?"
>"Though, I think I understand. The fairies I've met can be... confusing."

>"No," she says. "But I don't want to give them a reason to."
>She nods.

> Do we think we could find her house based on what she's told us before?

>You have no idea. You've never been in the Bamboo Forest before.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Well... I'm not sure the fairies would actually do that, or if they know where your home is... but I think I'm just being stubborn, at this point. Have a safe trip back, Tokiko. I'll see you again later, alright?"
>wave goodbye when appropriate
>Now, what do we do about these fairies?

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well... I'm not sure the fairies would actually do that, or if they know where your home is... but I think I'm just being stubborn, at this point. Have a safe trip back, Tokiko. I'll see you again later, alright?"
>wave goodbye when appropriate
>Now, what do we do about these fairies?

>She nods. "Don't worry, though, I'll be where I said I was later on."
>You wave as she walks off. After a moment, she copies the gesture.
>As it stands, the only faeries you see are over the lake.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Continue along this path, towards the mansion

[Hello Purvis]

>Continue along this path, towards the mansion

>You continue southwards.
>Up ahead, the tree line recedes to the west, leaving a lovely grassy plain. You can see a dozen or so faeries wheeling in the air up ahead, laugh and shooting danmaku at each other. Obvious exits are south and east.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Is there any way we can avoid them while still continuing towards the mansion?

[Hello Purvis]

>Is there any way we can avoid them while still continuing towards the mansion?

>You might be able to fly over the edge of the lake, but that might attract the attention of the faeries over it.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Are there trees on the opposite side of the path from the lake? Could we slip into them a bit, and move forward there, even if it was rather slow going?
>If possible, do so

[Hello Purvis]

>Are there trees on the opposite side of the path from the lake? Could we slip into them a bit, and move forward there, even if it was rather slow going?
>If possible, do so

>You might be able to do so, but you run the risk of sounds giving you away, or more faeries coming from another direction and catching you there. You don't feel confident enough to try and fly through it, given your cargo and what happened last time you tried that.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Are the faeries high enough in the air that we could safely walk under them, anyway? And hope they don't care about our presence?
>If so, calmly walk forward.
>Be ready to beat a hasty retreat if needed

[Hello Purvis]

>Are the faeries high enough in the air that we could safely walk under them, anyway? And hope they don't care about our presence?
>If so, calmly walk forward.
>Be ready to beat a hasty retreat if needed

>While they're mostly in the air, they swoop pretty low from time to time, too. You think they would notice you. As for safely walking, you should be find if you don't mind dodging the stray bullet here or there.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Just keep moving forward, and keep an eye out for stray danmaku

[Kilgamayan]

> FUCKING FAIRIES

[Hello Purvis]

>Just keep moving forward, and keep an eye out for stray danmaku

>You move onward. There seem to be no cries of alarm, nor any faeries swarming you. They seem content to let you pass by.
>This, unfortunately, doesn't apply to stray fire. You see a spread of there columns of arrow-like bullets coming your way, as you get two thirds the way across the field.

> FUCKING FAIRIES

>You can't believe you used to think they were adorable!
>...Okay, they're still kind of adorable, but not enough that you wouldn't consider punching a few of them.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Scrabble out of the way

[Hello Purvis]

>Scrabble out of the way

>You scrabble out of the way!
>The shots hit the ground, sending a few clods of dirt flying upwards, but causing no harm.

>_