Maribel Quest More - A Z-Machine Adventure

[DracoOmega]

>"Ok, well let's say that some day I decide to go ahead and do the youkai thing, anyway. And I'm not saying I will, or anything. But, well... I know it isn't really something you'd want for yourself, but what do you think of others doing it? Any warnings or cautions that you think would be worth keeping in mind for the process?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Ok, well let's say that some day I decide to go ahead and do the youkai thing, anyway. And I'm not saying I will, or anything. But, well... I know it isn't really something you'd want for yourself, but what do you think of others doing it? Any warnings or cautions that you think would be worth keeping in mind for the process?"

>"Well, I've never actually gone through it," says Marisa, "So I don't know if I have any good warnings for you. Alice would be the one to ask about that, she's a lot more level-headed than Patchouli is on the subject. I guess, it's really not too good to be worried about power. A good magician finds a way, you know? As for how I feel about it, well, two of my best friends have done it to themselves. But I guess I didn't know them very well before, if at all. I think it might be kind of strange if someone I knew well did it, but maybe it's just because I'm thinking of someone like Reimu or Sakuya suddenly deciding to become youkai, which would be just too weird."
>She shrugs.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah, I think I know what you mean. And maybe this thing with Alice will just blow over, given enough time. Would be nice if it did, anyway."
>"And I don't know if I'd say I'm worried about power, as such. I mean, well, I'm certainly not power-hungry in the sense people usually mean it. But I'd like to learn how to do as much with this magic as I can, and when an opportunity to further that is presented, well..."

[E-Nazrin]

>"And er... about how late in the morning do you think you'll be finished with the ring, or bracelet, whichever it ends up being? There's something Renko has planned for midmorning or so that I really want to be with her for, but I'm pretty curious about how this turns out, too."
>Not to mention it'd be good to have it for the occasion.
>"How effective do you expect it'll be compared to the effects of that potion itself?"

Outdated:

"Aren't there humans that make trouble, too?"
"I'm concerned since I really don't know how magic works, or how many of the 'myths' of the outer world are true now... if karma's real, I want to be able to take it into account. But... I guess there are a lot of things that still aren't understood anyway. Unless I've just been asking the wrong people about this?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, I think I know what you mean. And maybe this thing with Alice will just blow over, given enough time. Would be nice if it did, anyway."
>"And I don't know if I'd say I'm worried about power, as such. I mean, well, I'm certainly not power-hungry in the sense people usually mean it. But I'd like to learn how to do as much with this magic as I can, and when an opportunity to further that is presented, well..."

>She nods. "Alice can hold a grudge, but she'll get over it."
>"Well, it's like I said, there's more than one way to do it."

>"And er... about how late in the morning do you think you'll be finished with the ring, or bracelet, whichever it ends up being? There's something Renko has planned for midmorning or so that I really want to be with her for, but I'm pretty curious about how this turns out, too."
>Not to mention it'd be good to have it for the occasion.
>"How effective do you expect it'll be compared to the effects of that potion itself?"

>"Check back around breakfast," says Marisa. "...And maybe bring some breakfast."
>"I'll do as much as I can!" says Marisa. "I can't guarantee anything until I try it, though."

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Do you think Alice would... try and do anything to us while she's still holding that grudge?"

Considering that the fairies would probably need to be fed before doing something crazy like going on the attack, that's probably a safe timeframe. Hopefully the relative strength gambit will pay off. At least it'll be longer-lasting - and hopefully not mean throwing up for half an hour.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Do you think Alice would... try and do anything to us while she's still holding that grudge?"

>"Maybe some harsh language," says Marisa. "At the worst, she might sic some dolls on you until you're out of her hair."

._

[E-Nazrin]

>"Out of her hair? So she wouldn't care if we were in the area, as long as we don't bother her?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Out of her hair? So she wouldn't care if we were in the area, as long as we don't bother her?"

>"Well, I suppose it depends on where you are," says Marisa. "If it's the town market, it'd be a little different than her front yard."

>_

[DracoOmega]

For what it's worth, I can't think of anything else useful to ask at the moment, and I'm generally against trying to get her to subtly occupy Alice during tomorrow's festivities.

What's next on the itinerary? Is there really anything left to do tonight other than return to Renko?

[Kilgamayan]

I am sorely tempted to go back to the bar but I can't really justify it. >_>

At best I'd suggest to Renko that there's someone there she might like to meet, but Renko may just be ready to be done for the day.

EDIT: Well, maybe I'll suggest it anyway. Worst thing she'll do is say no.

[E-Nazrin]

I'd guess that being on her property would count as being in her hair. :V

I wouldn't be adverse to speaking with Byakuren for any further advice she might have on the enchantment decision and/or to tell her that decision now (or at least tell her we're going to put it off to think about it some more) - and maybe get her opinion on the justness of Renko's current plans, since Renko allowed us to speak with her about it.

All things considered, though...

And yeah, upon further consideration, at the very least Marisa isn't going to have any good inclination to divert Alice at this point. I doubt she's going to be in a great mood staying up after an all-nighter enchantmentfest tonight, and she clearly doesn't think it would be necessary. Though "getting rowdy with the fairies on the roads nearby" would be a bit of an edge case in Marisa's description.

[DracoOmega]

I don't really feel the need to talk with Byakuren again, given how much we've already talked with her on the subject. And if we're not going to be doing it at the moment, we don't really need to gather other people's opinions on it, either.

To be fair, I'm also rather reluctant to discuss Renko's situation with Byakuren at the moment, either. I suppose it mightn't hurt, but I'm not sure that it will accomplish anything at this point in time, either. But if someone is really wanting to do so, I suppose I won't object.

[Kilgamayan]

I am similarly out of ideas for things to talk to Marisa about. I am not nearly as worried about Alice interference happening tomorrow as I once was, and even if she does show up the ring/bracelet solves her nicely. We may piss Marisa off if we use her ring to assault Patchy's house, but I don't think she'd begrudge us keeping Alice at bay with it, especially since it's obvious at this point we're not on the best of terms.

Next stop should be back with Renko, yeah. Once we get back to her, we can run a final travel idea or two by her, and if she doesn't show immediate interest in any of them, then we'll simply decide to deal with them later.

[E-Nazrin]

The main thing that could be gained at this point is having Byakuren along as a fellow observer and insurance against undue outside interference (Alice) - while we've gotten a lot more information to mull over for the youkai thing, we've only gained assurance of Alice being unlikely to jump in (and gambled on how strong Mary would be if things went bad re potion for ring). Wanting to make sure the SDM invasion doesn't go to shit is the most valid motive I can accept for seeking more power/going youkai at this point - but I'm not sure concrete progress has been made on that count.

I won't insist on it. I'm frankly curious what Byakuren would think about the invasion, and I've half a mind to think she might expect us to visit, but there's not much to gain from it.

I guess the thing now is how much to trust that Alice won't jump in.

[Kilgamayan]

Now that I think about it, I expect Alice would be smart enough to not interfere more than a little bit. At worst, we'll have a go at her for a few rounds, she'll see how much better we are than she expected, and she'll probably make a tactical withdrawal. Waiting for both armies to get exhausted doesn't work if she's exhausted as well.

[E-Nazrin]

The thing about that is, from the start I always assumed that Mary would be a pushover in a 'real' danmaku fight. I'd consider the odds good that Alice is a LOT stronger than we can handle on our own - the fight might be even individually with the potion/maybe the ring, but giganto-doll would probably squish Mary like a bug.

Still, it might be enough to spook her off...

[Kilgamayan]

Don't forget: the strongest doesn't always win in danmaku battles.

And I expect Alice to go through some sort of mental :effort: check. I would be mildly surprised if she cared enough to bring Goliath into the fray.

[DracoOmega]

As well, we're unlikely to have to have to fight her exactly 1-on-1, anyway. We may just need to delay her, or distract her, enough for other parties to also intervene.

[E-Nazrin]

We don't really have any clever tricks for dealing with her, though - no spellcards, no real knowledge of how to deal with fighting her, nothing that would counter her abilities, and unspectacular skill at flight to make out-dodging a realistic prospect. And since we'll be watching the fight as much as out for her, she has more opportunity to ambush Mary alone to get her out of the way than Mary has to catch Alice by surprise. Without a good way to get a leg up on her, a lot of it is going to depend simply on strength and skill - which I don't think is Mary's strong suit at this point.

Still, though? I thought Alice would be satisfied with the contract we signed, since her reputation seemed more important to her. So I'm largely being difficult at this point.

Also: If we go back to find Yukari seducing Renko I will laugh. Perhaps sadistically, but I will laugh.

[Kilgamayan]

> "Well, Marisa, I thank you profusely for everything you have offered me. It means a lot to both of us."
> Punctuate this will a small bow. If one is not possible, a quick head incline will do.
> "I think it is about time I returned to Renko."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well, Marisa, I thank you profusely for everything you have offered me. It means a lot to both of us."
> Punctuate this will a small bow. If one is not possible, a quick head incline will do.
> "I think it is about time I returned to Renko."

>Marisa nods, seeming a bit distracted. "Happy to help out. And, happy you gave me this idea! If I can make this work, it'll be great!"
>You bow to her. She nods in return. "But really, don't worry about it."
>"You two have fun," says Marisa. "And be careful out there! There's been word that the Brocken Spectre might be around again. If you see a huge shadow, just run."

>_

[communist unity (comm-unity)]

We could try to meet Yukari tonight (i want to find out why chen told us to find her), but I figure that can wait until tomorrow. Unless everyone has no objections to doing so before we go back to Renko.

[Kilgamayan]

Yukari is a sufficient time variable that I'd rather put that off until we have some time with which to work.

[communist unity (comm-unity)]

It's not incredibly crucial to do it right away, so yeah. Besides that, there's nothing to really do at night besides get attacked or wander around. So I figure we're just about done with this day.

EDIT: also, meeting yukari could take a very long time, and we need the rest for tomorrow.

[Kilgamayan]

> "I must take my leave. See you tomorrow!"
> Exit house.
> Do we know where Renko's camp is relative to our position?

[Hello Purvis]

> "I must take my leave. See you tomorrow!"
> Exit house.
> Do we know where Renko's camp is relative to our position?

>"Until then," says Marisa, as she wanders off into the room beside the kitchen.
>You leave the house. You are pretty sure Renko's camp is just west of the lake, which is easy enough to see from the air. If there are still any fires going, you should have no problem finding it. If you intend to sneak in without anyone being aware of you like you and Renko did earlier, that may take some effort.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> We used some extra path last time, right? Do we remember anything about it, like where it might be?

[Hello Purvis]

> We used some extra path last time, right? Do we remember anything about it, like where it might be?

>You remember it was off from the main path you used to get to the clearly, but it was fairly well hidden. You are to sure if you could find it easily in the dark.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Get a bit away from Marisa's house and step back onto the main path
> Did we ever learn some sort of light spell from anyone?
> If not, take out the Bottle of Soft Light, but do not open it. how well does it illuminate our surrounding area?