Keine Quest (Part 4): Broken History

[Hello Purvis]

>"I believe she's saying it's time for dinner."
>Set the book aside and stand. "Lead the way, please."

[DracoOmega]

>"I believe she's saying it's time for dinner."
>Set the book aside and stand. "Lead the way, please."

>The fairy nods sagely. "Dinner demands direct departure!"
>You put your book down and stand up. "Follow faithfully, for fine food few fellows feast on figures fully in your future." She leads out of the library. "Appetizing aromas await!"

[Hello Purvis]

>Follow.
>"You have quite a way with words, I wonder if I could borrow you for helping out with a composition class or two?"

[DracoOmega]

>Follow.
>"You have quite a way with words, I wonder if I could borrow you for helping out with a composition class or two?"

>You follow the fairy onward.
>"Your gracious gesture gives great gladness to my garrulous grandiloquence," she replies as you walk. "Sadly, my time and talents are taken tending other tasks of non-temporary term."

>You follow the fairy out of the library, collecting Ran along the way. Patchouli waves the fairy away with a dismissive gesture.
>The fairy leads you back to the main entryway and into an adjoining corridor, open a set of double doors at the end of it. You emerge into an opulently appointed dining room with marble floors and a vaulted ceiling from which hang several ornate chandeliers. A long table covers much of the length of the room, capable of seating quite a few more than your party. Silverware is already laid out for seven people. One at the head of the table, another next to it, then five towards the other end. The fairy seats you, Ran, and Mokou among these five place settings.
>Shortly after you arrive, you see another pair of fairies leading Rumia and Chen into the room. Chen takes a seat next to Ran, and Rumia takes the chair to your right, giving the cushioning an experimental bounce.
>"Hi, Quiz Lady!" she says, smiling at you. "Isn't this place neat? Rumia never saw inside it before. They always chased Rumia away..."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Have you been having fun, Rumia? And not giving the maids too many problems?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Have you been having fun, Rumia? And not giving the maids too many problems?"

>Rumia nods enthusiastically. "And Rumia hasn't given aaaaanyone problems. That big scary maid was the only one giving problems. Came by all grumpy and said everyone had to stop having fun." She frowns, then starts beaming again after a moment. "Did you know they've got these neat poofy sticks? They made Rumia's face all tickley."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Those are dusters, Rumia. They uses those to remove dust from things. And, what were you doing when Sakuya told you to stop?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Those are dusters, Rumia. They uses those to remove dust from things. And, what were you doing when Sakuya told you to stop?"

>"Nah-uh," she shakes her head. "Rumia's face isn't dusty. And we were playing hide-and-seek!"

[E-Nazrin]

>"Oh? Where were you hiding?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh? Where were you hiding?"

>"Rumia was a statue!" she says in a hushed tone, spreading her arms out wide.

[Hello Purvis]

>"And who were you hiding from?"

[DracoOmega]

>"And who were you hiding from?"

>"The fairies," she replies. "I even got up against the wall with the other statues. It was perfect! But then they started poking me with their poofy sticks."

[Hello Purvis]

>Chuckle
>"They were probably supposed to be working, then."

[E-Nazrin]

>Ponder the possible implications of adopting Rumia.

[DracoOmega]

>Chuckle
>"They were probably supposed to be working, then."

>"Hey!" she frowns. "Finding someone who's hiding is hard work, too. 'specially if they can turn invisible, like me." Suddenly your vision goes dark.
>"Dammit," Mokou mutters.
>"See!" Rumia says proudly. You hear some of the maids giggling.

>Ponder the possible implications of adopting Rumia.

>That would certainly add a note of... unpredictability to your life. You wonder whether the adorableness would make up for the headaches. ...and whether you'd be able to keep yourself in ink and paper ever again.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Enough of that, Rumia. And I mean, working at their maid tasks. But I'm glad you made friends."

[DracoOmega]

>"Enough of that, Rumia. And I mean, working at their maid tasks. But I'm glad you made friends."

>The bubble of darkness dissolves. Rumia is grinning at you in an entirely self-satisfied manner. "Yup!" she adds. You hear Mokou grumbling.
>A door at the opposite end of the room from where you entered opens and Remilia steps through it, Sakuya beside her. She moves to the chair at the head of the table and pulls it out for Remilia, who sits down.
>Sakuya bows her head. "Dinner will be served momentarily," she says, then turns and departs the room again.
>Remilia regards you with a sort of unnerving half-grin. "I trust you've been enjoying the hospitality?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod to Remilia. "Very much so. Thank you for your generosity, it's made things much less stressful."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod to Remilia. "Very much so. Thank you for your generosity, it's made things much less stressful."

>"It is no burden," she replies. "What is the purpose of opulence if it cannot be shared by others from time to time, no? And you've given Patchouli a more interesting task to apply her mind to than any she's had in quite a few years."

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "Well, I'm more then glad to help people out, and helping some people has required calling on Patchouli. I'd say that a notable amount of the things I have done have been possible, or at very least, easier, due to help from Patchouli. Also I suppose any help from her can be also thought of as help from you, and in that sense, I thank you as well."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well, I'm more then glad to help people out, and helping some people has required calling on Patchouli. I'd say that a notable amount of the things I have done have been possible, or at very least, easier, due to help from Patchouli. Also I suppose any help from her can be also thought of as help from you, and in that sense, I thank you as well."

>No need to smooze too hard. Let's drop that last line for now and let it be implied instead.

[DracoOmega]

> "Well, I'm more then glad to help people out, and helping some people has required calling on Patchouli. I'd say that a notable amount of the things I have done have been possible, or at very least, easier, due to help from Patchouli. Also I suppose any help from her can be also thought of as help from you, and in that sense, I thank you as well."

>No need to smooze too hard. Let's drop that last line for now and let it be implied instead.

>"Yes, Patchouli is quite the genius at her art," Remilia nods. "I'm pleased that our resources have been of benefit to you. And I trust your accommodations were also suitable." This, oddly, does not sound like a question. Remilia pauses and looks around the table. "It's been a long time since we'd had dinner guests. I promise you will find our cuisine of the rarest order."

[Hello Purvis]

>"The accommodations were much more than suitable. I would have been happy to have a pile of straw to rest upon after last night, so a bed like that was simply heaven."

[DracoOmega]

>"The accommodations were much more than suitable. I would have been happy to have a pile of straw to rest upon after last night, so a bed like that was simply heaven."

>Remilia's grin is a mockery of magnanimity. "I'm glad you enjoyed them."
>The doors to the dining room open again, and Sakuya leads a procession of fairies into the room, carrying trays laden with food. They circulate around the table, depositing them before each of the people seated and at the one remaining unoccupied place setting. You receive a bowl of thin whitish soup with herbs, and a plate of meat in a sauce, topped with garnish. Both are impeccably presented, the aroma that issues from them is quite appetizing.
>"Cream of wild mushroom and onion soup with fresh tarragon," Sakuya says, nodding to the table, "and veal fillet braised in red wine, with tomato and basil." She takes the seat next to Remilia.
>"Please, do enjoy," Remilia says, taking a spoonful of the soup to her lips.

[Hello Purvis]

>"It smells wonderful."
>Dig in; politely.
>Observe the others.

[DracoOmega]

>"It smells wonderful."
>Dig in; politely.
>Observe the others.

>"Thank you," Sakuya says, beginning to eat her own meal.
>You sample your meal and find that the praise that fairy was singing about it may not have been wholly exaggeration. It's really good! The cuisine is really not typical fare for you, but the flavor is rich and subtle and blends together wonderfully. You find yourself eating it eagerly.
>While you eat, you look around at the others. Remilia consumes her meal with impeccable poise, although you see her cast a vaguely unsettling glance around the table from time to time. Mokou skips directly to the meat, sawing off a big piece of it and chomping down. She nods encouragingly as she takes the first couple bits and quickly goes for a second piece. You see Ran give Chen a quick pointer on the subtleties of fine-dining etiquette and the most polite way to hold one's spoon while eating from it. Rumia stares curiously at her plate for a moment, then takes a fork with both hands and impales her veal upon it. She tries to lift the entire serving at once, but it slips off the fork and back onto her plate. She smiles and repeats this process.

[Hello Purvis]

>"You should use a knife, too, Rumia. Like this."
>Demonstrate!

[DracoOmega]

>"You should use a knife, too, Rumia. Like this."
>Demonstrate!

>You attempt to demonstrate to Rumia how to properly cut your food. She watches your display with a certain degree of consternation, then attempts to replicate it as well as she can. Which is to say, not very well. After an unnecessary amount of sawing at her fillet while moving it all over her plate, she finally manages to separate a piece. Which she promptly picks up with her fingers and tosses into her mouth. She chews thoughtfully then starts to grin. "Rumia likes this!" she declares.

[Hello Purvis]

>Chuckle.
>"Try the soup, you'll enjoy it too."

[DracoOmega]

>Chuckle.
>"Try the soup, you'll enjoy it too."

>You allow yourself a little laugh at Rumia's naivety. At least she seems to be enjoying herself.
>Rumia frowns at the bowl, then looks over at the other people sampling from it. She takes a spoon awkwardly in hand and dunks it into her soup, somehow managing to get the contents to her mouth without spilling them. You see her mull the flavor over thoughtfully and then tentatively nod. "Rumia doesn't like this this as much," she says. "But it's still ok."