Keine Quest (Part 6): Broken History (Complete)

[DracoOmega]

>"Not yet. As for Maribel. Well...I'm not even sure what the difference between them is. Maybe Gengetsu can help with that?"
>Glance toward Shadow Gengetsu. "Want to go speak with the other Maribel? I'm sure she won't mind."

>The shadow seems to agree. It would like to understand why these beings seem more alike than other beings. It shifts towards the newly arrived Maribel, who backs up a few steps.
>"What, uh, is that thing?" she says. "And what does it want to do to me?"
>"Oh, don't worry," the other Maribel says. "It just wants to know you, a little."
>Maribel frowns. "I've already had a few shadows wanting to 'know' me, today."
>"It's harmless," your Maribel replies. "Really. Feels strange, but I promise it won't hurt you."
>"I suppose you would know..." the other Maribel says. She looks down at the shadow. "...ok, I guess."
>It reaches out and touches her, and Maribel's eyes grow wide and distant.
>Your Maribel stares at her, then turns to you. "Did... I look that way, too?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Pretty much. But did I?"
>Check Wingly Gengetsu's leg. She's probably still bleeding from that, isn't she?

[DracoOmega]

>"Pretty much. But did I?"
>Check Wingly Gengetsu's leg. She's probably still bleeding from that, isn't she?

>"Not quite so... dramatic," she says. "Maybe you were just a little used to it, by then?"
>You take a look at her leg. There's a small pool of shadowy blood where it rests on the ground and it still appears to be oozing slightly, although the flow has slowed greatly. You have no idea how physical such a wound would be for her. You're also reminded that your horn is probably streaked with the stuff. You've not had the benefit of a mirror in here.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, I think that was it."
>Frown at the wound. "We should probably bandage that up...Think you could find a linen closet?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah, I think that was it."
>Frown at the wound. "We should probably bandage that up...Think you could find a linen closet?"

>Maribel nods.
>Maribel takes a look at the wound and frowns, as well. "I'll go see if I can find something," she says, closing the door behind her, opening it again, and stepping inside.
>"B- wait, that was-" Marisa points a finger at the door. "But she just-"

[E-Nazrin]

>Tired grin.
>"Well, she did say she was changing things in the dream, didn't she? Doors in a mansion randomly leading to rooms you'd expect to find in a mansion isn't that difficult to imagine."
>"How's your Maribel's ability with those rifts work, or should I ask her once Shadow Gengetsu's finished?"

[DracoOmega]

>Tired grin.
>"Well, she did say she was changing things in the dream, didn't she? Doors in a mansion randomly leading to rooms you'd expect to find in a mansion isn't that difficult to imagine."
>"How's your Maribel's ability with those rifts work, or should I ask her once Shadow Gengetsu's finished?"

>You grin a little at Marisa's confusion.
>"Well, uh, I suppose not when you put it that way," Marisa says. "Just weird seeing it, ya know?" She takes another glance at the various Gengetsus. "Though I suppose you've gotten more than your share of weirdness already, eh?"
>"Dunno," Marisa says. "Mugetsu said something about her making paths where none exist. Or somethin' like that, anyway."
>"That's... mostly correct," Mugetsu adds, her voice quavering a little. "Think of this place like a maze. I have to find the right path to get anywhere. She just... walks through the walls."

>The shadow releases Maribel, who steps back and nearly stumbles over her own feet. She looks very disoriented and her eyes wander aimlessly around the room.
>Marisa frowns. "Hey, you ok?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Glance to Shadow Gengetsu, if Maribel doesn't seem to need someone to catch her or doesn't flip out.

[DracoOmega]

>Glance to Shadow Gengetsu, if Maribel doesn't seem to need someone to catch her or doesn't flip out.

>Maribel doesn't seem to be in appreciable worse shape than the other Maribel was. You think she'll be fine, given a little time. So you look to the shadow instead.
>It is... uncertain. These two beings seem to be exactly the same, and have all of the same memories until very recently. From then, they remember different things. Both of them remember you, though their memories of you are not the same. It wonders if other beings copy themselves? Does that help them have someone to share with?
>The other Maribel emerges from the doorway with a large gauze bandage in her hands. "It's probably a little more modern than the rest of this place," she says, "but I think a few anachronisms will hardly be noticed among all the other physical impossibilities in this mansion."

[E-Nazrin]

>Oh dear, that's not something we can clean our horn off with as well, is it?
>Try to let Shadow Gengetsu know that this is strange, and something we're trying to fix. Somehow.
>"Well, if it's effective, I'm not going to complain."
>Bandage up Miss Wings.

[DracoOmega]

>Oh dear, that's not something we can clean our horn off with as well, is it?
>Try to let Shadow Gengetsu know that this is strange, and something we're trying to fix. Somehow.
>"Well, if it's effective, I'm not going to complain."
>Bandage up Miss Wings.

>It is still cloth, so you probably could, although it's not ideally suited to the task. Maribel could probably fetch something else for you, if you wanted.
>The best way you can summarize the shadow's reaction is 'Oh.' It seems rather disappointed. It seemed like an interesting way for there to be more beings, and more experiences. But it realizes that it doesn't understand the world very well.
>"I imagine they're better than Victorian-era bandages, at any rate," Maribel says.
>You take the bandage from her, and wrap it properly around Gengetsu's wounded leg. She stirs a little as you apply pressure to the wound, but says nothing, nor takes any more complex action.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Hmm. So, there's one more Maribel and two more Gengetsus, at least. Shall we go find them, too?"
>Glance to the Maribels. "Though I think Gengetsu has the right of part of this. You two ought to take advantage of this, who else gets to meet themselves?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Hmm. So, there's one more Maribel and two more Gengetsus, at least. Shall we go find them, too?"
>Glance to the Maribels. "Though I think Gengetsu has the right of part of this. You two ought to take advantage of this, who else gets to meet themselves?"

>"I'm not really sure how," your Maribel says. "It was mostly guesswork those two times."
>"I can help with that," Mugetsu says. "You may not know how to sense the dream consciously, but I can. I can try to guide us."
>You explain to the Maribels the uniqueness of meeting oneself. "Yeah..." your Maribel says. "It's... strange. Honestly, it may still be the strangest thing in this place, despite all the rest I've seen."
>The other Maribel seems to be gathering herself a little, although she isn't quite coherent yet.
>"I'm afraid I don't have a good explanation for this," Mugetsu says. "Maribel's consciousness is intact. Or at least it feels like it should be. Each of them seems whole, even if they've experienced different things inside this dream."

>"Do you... really think things can be set straight, sister?" Gruegetsu asks. "Do you think I can become whole again?" Mugetsu hesitates.
>"I told you we would," Maribel says. "And I meant it."
>"...thank you," Mugetsu says, smiling tentatively. "I am very sorry for all you've been through."
>"As am I," Gengetsu adds. "If you knew the depths of my regret..."
>"Oh, enough of that," Maribel says, smiling. "It's in the past. And if your full self is anything like you seem to be, I've already forgiven you for it."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, we'll worry about assigning blame and such after we get this figured out. But frankly, it sounds like you've learned your lesson, so I don't think we'll need to dwell on it too much."
>Though we are not about to get between her and Yukari if the latter decides to deal with things...
>Glance to Second Maribel. "Hey, you alright?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah, we'll worry about assigning blame and such after we get this figured out. But frankly, it sounds like you've learned your lesson, so I don't think we'll need to dwell on it too much."
>Though we are not about to get between her and Yukari if the latter decides to deal with things...
>Glance to Second Maribel. "Hey, you alright?"

>"I think so, anyway," Maribel says.
>You wonder if getting between Yukari and anyone is ever a good idea...
>"Yeah, I-" She pauses and tries to focus her eyes. "I think I'm ok. It's just a bit... depersonalizing. You did that, too, you say?" She points at the other Maribel.
>Maribel nods. "Yeah. And yeah, it is. You'll get back to yourself quickly enough. Do you remember anything?"
>The other nods slowly. "Yes. I remember the night I met- we met- Gengetsu was met. I even remember doing things that... I don't remember doing. Here, I mean. Your memories, I think.
>"Or would that be 'our'?"
>Maribel frowns uncertainly. "I... don't think they've invented pronouns for this sort of situation."

>"Oh, Reimu's gonna love this one," Marisa says, shaking her head.

[Hello Purvis]

>"She'll be glad she missed it, I'd assume. So...Mugetsu, you said you could show them a few things?"

[DracoOmega]

>"She'll be glad she missed it, I'd assume. So...Mugetsu, you said you could show them a few things?"

>Marisa chuckles. "Yeah, I'll bet she will."
>Mugetsu nods. "They have the potential to be stronger in here than I am, although they don't know how to use their senses very well. I spent some time while we were searching for you trying to teach the Maribel that was traveling with us. She was the reason we could return to you as soon as we did. The rift we escaped from divided us quite strongly, and as I've said before, this dreamscape is twisted upon itself in ways that make it difficult for me to navigate. But not Maribel, if she can direct her own abilities properly."
>"I spent some time practicing with those rifts," their Maribel says, looking more composed. "Mugetsu helped guide me so that I wouldn't... do what happened back there a second time."
>"The method she uses is somewhat alien to me," Mugetsu says. "But if you think of her ability as opening a gap through the boundary between one space and another, imagine what she did back there as obliterating those boundaries entirely; space caved in on itself."
>"Mugetsu showed me how to better sense the dreamspace," Maribel continues. "Although she still guided me in the right direction when we came here. I just opened the door."
>"Does this mean I could do that, too?" your Maribel asks.
>"I, uh, don't know," the other Maribel replies. "Maybe?" She turns to Mugetsu.
>Mugetsu frowns. "Perhaps. Although given what happened the first time she tried, I'd avoid attempting it for the moment."
>"...or at all, maybe," Marisa mumbles.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, I don't know how to explain what this Maribel did. She just opened doors, and they took us where we needed to be."

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, I don't know how to explain what this Maribel did. She just opened doors, and they took us where we needed to be."

>"Oh, that's interesting," the other Maribel says. "I wonder if I could do that, too?"
>Mugetsu peers towards the still-open door next to you, then nods. "That's a more conventional manipulation. She restructured part of the dream around her in a way her imagination would accept. Doors lead places. These doors still lead places. Certainly, not the places one would usually expect to find inside a mansion, but I think she's more... open-minded towards a great many things most people would consider surreal."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"Regardless, the next move is definitely to find either her third part, or those other Gengetsu parts."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod.
>"Regardless, the next move is definitely to find either her third part, or those other Gengetsu parts."

>"Makes sense," Marisa says, nodding.
>"Given what I sensed while we traveled here," Mugetsu says. "I think there may be many more pieces than you realize. I don't know how many of them have cohesion and something approaching consciousness, like the ones we saw earlier. I believe many more are like this shadow, here, or even smaller. Tiny fragments; a piece of a memory or a single thought, scattered across the inside of this dream. Dozens, maybe even hundreds."
>Marisa frowns. "Sounds like it'd take forever to scoop them at that rate."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Then perhaps we should try to find a way to drag them to us?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Then perhaps we should try to find a way to drag them to us?"

>"Would save time," Marisa says, turning to Mugetsu. "Hey, is that possible?"
>"It... may be," she replies, frowning thoughtfully. "If we could somehow make it so that all of their locations were folded into one..."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Folded into one? What does that mean?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Folded into one? What does that mean?"

>"Those doors open to different spaces, correct? What if you did something like this, but open onto every place in the dream at once? Bring all the spaces together? Nearly all these fragments have been attracted to Maribel, in one way or another. They might come."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, that sounds like a good idea. But I guess that would be up to you two, Maribel."

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, that sounds like a good idea. But I guess that would be up to you two, Maribel."

>Mugetsu nods. "It's beyond my abilities. It would probably be beyond the ability of most dreamers. But I don't know that it's beyond theirs."
>Both Maribels frown nearly identically.
>"I'm not sure how," yours says.
>"I've never tried to open a passage between more than one space and another."
>"How would we even know where to open them to?"
>"Oh, she can help with that," the other Maribel says, gesturing towards Mugetsu.
>"I don't know that it would work," Mugetsu says. "It's asking a lot. But I fear that we could spend days seeking the last of them, otherwise."
>"Hey," Marisa says. "Does time work the same inside here as outside, anyway? I mean, if we've been in here a couple hours, have we been asleep a couple hours outside?"
>"Not... precisely," Mugetsu replies. "There isn't always a predicable relationship between time in the dream and time in the waking world. More could have passed. Or less."
>"So, uh," Marisa frowns. "Does that mean we've probably worried Renko sick about the two of us out there, yet?"
>"I wish I could say," Mugetsu responds.
>"Or that the hospital thinks it has two more coma victims..." Marisa mutters.

[Hello Purvis]

>"It'll be alright, we left her that note, remember?"
>"Could you try to throw open every door in the mansion? Or are there more places than there are doors?"

[DracoOmega]

>"It'll be alright, we left her that note, remember?"
>"Could you try to throw open every door in the mansion? Or are there more places than there are doors?"

>"Yeah, I know," Marisa says, "but I think I'd still get worried if we were out for the count enough hours."
>"There are," Mugetsu says, before Maribel can respond. "But we may be able to deal with this more directly. I've been trying to understand the layout of this space since we arrived here; the paths by which places and memories are joined and folded over each other. I think I've begun to sense a point inside here like a sort of nexus, buried deep beneath layers of this dreamscape. Perhaps you could even think of it as the heart of the dream."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Is it safe to visit? Would would it be like?"