Iku Quest Drei - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, the shadow itself might not be; I think we would have heard of that. But perhaps someone there has seen something? Perhaps someone has been similarly affect as Nitori? Or perhaps they know of someone who has? It's all still very vague, unfortunately. 'Someone somewhere talked about something that might be somewhat related to this.'"

>"No, there isn't anything there because I'd know about it," says Tenshi. "I work there, remember? And hear what people are talking about."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Do we know how long it had been, before today, since Tenshi had last been working there? Hadn't she been being made to work in the peach orchard for the last little while?

[Hello Purvis]

>Do we know how long it had been, before today, since Tenshi had last been working there? Hadn't she been being made to work in the peach orchard for the last little while?

>She has been at the orchard every other day for the several days.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Oh, only every other day? So still plenty of time to be around the village
>"Point taken. And if it's something people wouldn't discuss in public in the first place, it would probably be difficult for us to find out without a better of idea of where we were looking for it."
>"I wonder if it would be worth inquiring at Kourindou? He has a fair share of people pass through there, although he's also rather tight-lipped about information. Perhaps if it did not pertain to any of his goods, he might forward something he'd heard?"
>"Otherwise, perhaps just canvas the forest area and hope to bump into something? I'm not how effective that would be, but we don't have a lot to go on."

[Hello Purvis]

>Oh, only every other day? So still plenty of time to be around the village
>"Point taken. And if it's something people wouldn't discuss in public in the first place, it would probably be difficult for us to find out without a better of idea of where we were looking for it."
>"I wonder if it would be worth inquiring at Kourindou? He has a fair share of people pass through there, although he's also rather tight-lipped about information. Perhaps if it did not pertain to any of his goods, he might forward something he'd heard?"
>"Otherwise, perhaps just canvas the forest area and hope to bump into something? I'm not how effective that would be, but we don't have a lot to go on."

>"I didn't think of that," says Tenshi, as you begin to hear the shouting voice from the last time you were here, sounding more hoarse than before and not quite intelligible from this distance. "Yeah, if it didn't involve his customers buying and selling, he wouldn't mind telling us."


>_

[DracoOmega]

>As we continue on our way out of town, see if we can tell what the voice is shouting

[Hello Purvis]

>As we continue on our way out of town, see if we can tell what the voice is shouting

>Passing by a squat, single-story building in the middle of town, you can make it out pretty well. "Let me out! Please!" The speaker is definitely hoarse.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Is it a voice we recognize?

[Hello Purvis]

> Is it a voice we recognize?

>Not as it is. It does have a sort of familiarity to it, though.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Hey, do you know who that is shouting? I can't quite place the voice, and you know more of this land than I do..."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Hey, do you know who that is shouting? I can't quite place the voice, and you know more of this land than I do..."

>"Oh, that's probably Aya," says Tenshi.
>Oh yes. Her. You've had run-ins with her. Or rather you discovered she was about after taking some pictures you'd prefer not exist...

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Grin.
> "Reeeeeheheheeeeally? Oh, this ought to be pleasant."
> Head over to the building and inspect it for any windows.

[Hello Purvis]

> Grin.
> "Reeeeeheheheeeeally? Oh, this ought to be pleasant."
> Head over to the building and inspect it for any windows.

>You grin, despite yourself. "Wait, what're you planning?" Tenshi says as she follows you.
>You find there are several windows on the building, most of them barred. Glancing toward them, you can see Aya's face in at one of them, gripping the bars. "Oh thank heaven!" she cries as you come into view. "You gotta get me out of here! I'll do anything!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Anything? What on earth has you so desperate?"
> Is there any sort of crowd around this building?

[Hello Purvis]

> "Anything? What on earth has you so desperate?"
> Is there any sort of crowd around this building?

>"Incident!" she says. "I've missed too many of 'em!"
>Not a soul.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Adopt a passive expression.
> Casually grip one of the bars and try to wiggle it a little bit without expecting anything to actually happen.
> "Yes, I see. And why is this?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Adopt a passive expression.
> Casually grip one of the bars and try to wiggle it a little bit without expecting anything to actually happen.
> "Yes, I see. And why is this?"

>You put on a passive expression and idly test a bar. It does not budge, much as you expected.
>"Because the Yama abused her position to get me stuck in here, that's why!" Aya says.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Abused her position? That's quite an accusation, in and of itself."
>What dealings have we had with the Yama?

[Hello Purvis]

>"Abused her position? That's quite an accusation, in and of itself."
>What dealings have we had with the Yama?

>"And it's exactly what happened!"
>You've never personally met her, but you're quite certain you don't become the Yama by being the kind of person who abuses their position.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "But why would she do such a thing? Surely she has enough work of her own to keep her busy and occupied away from here."

[Hello Purvis]

> "But why would she do such a thing? Surely she has enough work of her own to keep her busy and occupied away from here."

>"Probably because she's a sore loser and a philistine," says Aya.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Adopt a confused expression.
> "You had a fight? With the Yama? What on Earth for?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Adopt a confused expression.
> "You had a fight? With the Yama? What on Earth for?"

>You adopt a confused expression and inquire further.
>"Because I needed her picture for the sake of art, that's why!" says Aya.
>"Probably being a pervert again," says Tenshi.
>"Oh look, the village idiot thinks she can pass judgment on art now," Aya says, glaring at Tenshi.
>"That's it!" says Tenshi, conjuring a keystone into her hand

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Wow. If Tenshi's guess is correct, someone has a lot of chutzpah to go after the Yama in that fashion.
> Hold an open hand out to Tenshi to indicate she should stop.
> "Hold it. Don't let yourself be goaded."
> Turn back to Aya.
> "You say you'll do anything to be let out?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Wow. If Tenshi's guess is correct, someone has a lot of chutzpah to go after the Yama in that fashion.
> Hold an open hand out to Tenshi to indicate she should stop.
> "Hold it. Don't let yourself be goaded."
> Turn back to Aya.
> "You say you'll do anything to be let out?"

>That does take an impressive amount of moxie. Perhaps she intends to blackmail her way into a proper afterlife?
>"I'll give her a goading she'll never forget," says Tenshi. But she stops herself from doing anything else.
>You then turn back to Aya and ask for clarification. "I don't like the way you accented that at all, but yeah. As long as it's not completely braindead."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Smile.
> "Oh, I don't think I have any particularly unreasonable in mind."
> "But I have a few simple questions first, so let us begin. Where is your camera right now?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Smile.
> "Oh, I don't think I have any particularly unreasonable in mind."
> "But I have a few simple questions first, so let us begin. Where is your camera right now?"

>She frowns just a tad, but nods.
>"It's on the shelf in here," says Aya, "behind the front desk. Why?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "And you are alone in there right now?"
> Do we know how to operate a camera?

I have to go to work for a few hours, but I do have a plan on how to work this out.

[Hello Purvis]

> "And you are alone in there right now?"
> Do we know how to operate a camera?

>"Where're you going with this?" asks Aya, furrowing her brow at you.
>Not particularly, but given Aya can use it on the move with effectiveness, it can't be that hard.

>_

[Suwako Moriya]

> "I'm going in a direction that will let you out of jail, if really want it. More immediately importantly, however, I'm not going to just blast you out of here while there may be patrols or guards running about. I don't need that extra stress."
> "Now, are you alone in there or not?"