Iku Quest Sechs - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Drop the smile.
> "...Do you not remember encountering these people?"
> Is the poltergeist's shadow still the same shape it was before?

>"I don't know who you're talking about!" she says.
>It is still a tree shadow.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Really? But...you remembered Suika, and you remembered me. Not to accuse you of lying, but there's a disconnect here I don't understand."
> "As crazy as this may sound, please bare with me for a moment. How much of our battle yesterday do you remember? Do you remember morphing your own shadow into the shadows of other things, like you are doing right now with that tree?"

[DracoOmega]

>"That night you traveled to Bhava-Agra and met Suika, do you not remember speaking with someone else, on a hill near the mountain, a little earlier? Blue hair with pigtails, green hat, wearing a dress with a lot of pockets on it?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Really? But...you remembered Suika, and you remembered me. Not to accuse you of lying, but there's a disconnect here I don't understand."
> "As crazy as this may sound, please bare with me for a moment. How much of our battle yesterday do you remember? Do you remember morphing your own shadow into the shadows of other things, like you are doing right now with that tree?"

>"You said an oni," says the Poltergeist. "I don't know what Suika is, but I assume it was the oni."
>"Of course! Do you think I'm as big a fool as you?"

>"That night you traveled to Bhava-Agra and met Suika, do you not remember speaking with someone else, on a hill near the mountain, a little earlier? Blue hair with pigtails, green hat, wearing a dress with a lot of pockets on it?"

>"Yes. She threatened to expose me."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Suika is the oni, yes. And it seems you do remember Nitori, as she was the girl with blue hair and pigtails. Do you remember the second shadow you fought with yesterday, the one after the rock? The one that held the umbrella? That would be the teal-haired karakasa I mentioned earlier."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Suika is the oni, yes. And it seems you do remember Nitori, as she was the girl with blue hair and pigtails. Do you remember the second shadow you fought with yesterday, the one after the rock? The one that held the umbrella? That would be the teal-haired karakasa I mentioned earlier."

>"The one that ambushed me," says the poltergeist.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Yes. Like I said, that is what she does. She does it to everyone, myself included. She didn't know or care who you were, only that you were there at all and thus someone to surprise. The girl in pig tails is a similar case: she did not know or care who you were, only that you looked like you were trying to sneak into her warehouse. I fear this may have simply been a series of misunderstandings."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Yes. Like I said, that is what she does. She does it to everyone, myself included. She didn't know or care who you were, only that you were there at all and thus someone to surprise. The girl in pig tails is a similar case: she did not know or care who you were, only that you looked like you were trying to sneak into her warehouse. I fear this may have simply been a series of misunderstandings."

>"The kappa threatened to expose me," says the Poltergeist, "There was no mistaking it. The other knew too much."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "If the kappa threatened to raise any sort of alarm it was because a suspect individual was in the area. It was no personal slight against you. Have you tried questioning her yourself?"
> Are the local shadows still largely unchanged?
> Is Tenshi still more angry than hurting?

[DracoOmega]

>"Nitori had no idea who you were, why you were there, or what you could do. You were as much a stranger to her as she was to you. What was there for her to expose?"
>"As for Kogasa, what led you to believe that she knew too much? Did she demonstrate any knowledge of you, during your encounter?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "If the kappa threatened to raise any sort of alarm it was because a suspect individual was in the area. It was no personal slight against you. Have you tried questioning her yourself?"
> Are the local shadows still largely unchanged?
> Is Tenshi still more angry than hurting?

>"She threated to expose me," says the poltergeist again, a little more slowly.
>The local shadows don't seem to have changed.
>Tenshi definitely seems angry, though she has settled from outright fury to simmering anger that is likely to explode into fury. She doesn't seem to be any more hurt than before.

>"Nitori had no idea who you were, why you were there, or what you could do. You were as much a stranger to her as she was to you. What was there for her to expose?"
>"As for Kogasa, what led you to believe that she knew too much? Did she demonstrate any knowledge of you, during your encounter?"

>"Nitori didn't need to know and she didn't need to try to expose me. She did. And don't act stupid, you know exactly what she could have done!"
>"It doesn't need to be said around this celestial," says the Poltergeist.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Perhaps a different question is in order, then. You are demonstrably unhappy when removed from your forest. Why, then, were you on that hill in the first place?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Perhaps a different question is in order, then. You are demonstrably unhappy when removed from your forest. Why, then, were you on that hill in the first place?"

>"You, of all people, don't need to know," she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Well, to be honest, I think I can hazard a guess as to what your ultimate goal was. I'll admit distress at your unwillingness to tell me what motivated you to undertake leaving the forest for any reason, though"
> "This may or may not comes as a surprise, and you may or may not believe me, but as much as you may think otherwise, I care about who you are. Not what you are, who you are, and yes, there is an important difference, one that makes all the difference in the world. I have done a bit of thinking about you, and have come to some conclusions that actually make me sympathetic to your situation. Again, as much as you probably don't believe me."
> "Just to let you know head of time, I already know the general answer to the question I'm about to ask. I ask it because I want to know what you know. To that end, do you know exactly how and why you came to be?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well, to be honest, I think I can hazard a guess as to what your ultimate goal was. I'll admit distress at your unwillingness to tell me what motivated you to undertake leaving the forest for any reason, though"
> "This may or may not comes as a surprise, and you may or may not believe me, but as much as you may think otherwise, I care about who you are. Not what you are, who you are, and yes, there is an important difference, one that makes all the difference in the world. I have done a bit of thinking about you, and have come to some conclusions that actually make me sympathetic to your situation. Again, as much as you probably don't believe me."
> "Just to let you know head of time, I already know the general answer to the question I'm about to ask. I ask it because I want to know what you know. To that end, do you know exactly how and why you came to be?"

>"You are lying," she says. "Everything you have done stands as proof of your real intentions. And why would I tell you anything, after you delight in exposing me?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I do not delight in 'exposing' you. I do it for very different reasons, partially related to your clemency for stealing the shadows of others, and partially related to my empathy for your origin and the existence that was cast upon you without you having a say in the matter. But we can argue ourselves blue in the face over that issue later."
> "You say I have demonstrated nothing but malevolent intentions. I will admit that I felt bad for tying you up yesterday, and for that, I do apologize. Have you stopped to think, though, about those circumstances? Were you harmed in any additional manner while unconscious? Did I not offer a compromise for setting you down and then do it anyway even after you did not agree? Most importantly, did I not offer to help find your lost book when we first met?"
> "In fact, if you really think I have nothing but malevolent intentions toward you, do you think I would have cared to continue searching for said book last night?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "I do not delight in 'exposing' you. I do it for very different reasons, partially related to your clemency for stealing the shadows of others, and partially related to my empathy for your origin and the existence that was cast upon you without you having a say in the matter. But we can argue ourselves blue in the face over that issue later."
> "You say I have demonstrated nothing but malevolent intentions. I will admit that I felt bad for tying you up yesterday, and for that, I do apologize. Have you stopped to think, though, about those circumstances? Were you harmed in any additional manner while unconscious? Did I not offer a compromise for setting you down and then do it anyway even after you did not agree? Most importantly, did I not offer to help find your lost book when we first met?"
> "In fact, if you really think I have nothing but malevolent intentions toward you, do you think I would have cared to continue searching for said book last night?"

>"So you could try to use it against me," says the Poltergeist. "Or perhaps to find something else to expose."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Resume the warm smile.
> "Or maybe to simply give it back to you, as you requested."
> Pull out the book and show it to her.

[Hello Purvis]

> Resume the warm smile.
> "Or maybe to simply give it back to you, as you requested."
> Pull out the book and show it to her.

>The poltergeist's brow knits. "Give it back!" she cries.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> How far away is the poltergeist from us?
> Does the poltergeist's face appear even angrier, or more flustered and/or surprised?

[Hello Purvis]

> How far away is the poltergeist from us?
> Does the poltergeist's face appear even angrier, or more flustered and/or surprised?

>She's a few yards away.
>Angrier, and perhaps flustered.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Nod, and keep up that same smile.
> "Of course."
> Step about a yard to our left, so we can walk forward without trodding along the poltergeist's shadow. If there is a tree in the way, step about a yard to the right instead.
> Walk a couple of yards forward toward the poltergeist, parallel to her shadow, so there is about two yards between her and us.
> Gently set the book down on the ground. Make sure it is not on top of her shadow in any way and that she would need to move her entire body to get to it to pick it up.
> Walk back a couple of yards backwards, making sure not to trip over anything we might have noticed on the ground on our way forward.
> If the poltergeist has not retrieved her book by the time we stop moving, gesture toward it, still smiling.

[Hello Purvis]

> Nod, and keep up that same smile.
> "Of course."
> Step about a yard to our left, so we can walk forward without trodding along the poltergeist's shadow. If there is a tree in the way, step about a yard to the right instead.
> Walk a couple of yards forward toward the poltergeist, parallel to her shadow, so there is about two yards between her and us.
> Gently set the book down on the ground. Make sure it is not on top of her shadow in any way and that she would need to move her entire body to get to it to pick it up.
> Walk back a couple of yards backwards, making sure not to trip over anything we might have noticed on the ground on our way forward.
> If the poltergeist has not retrieved her book by the time we stop moving, gesture toward it, still smiling.

>You step aside, carefully dodging around her shadow, and set the book down. She does not go for it, instead watching you with obvious wariness.
>You gesture toward it. "Leave." she says.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Is the book in such a position that the spectre could pick it up without stepping off of Tenshi's shadow?

[Kilgamayan]

> Take a quick look behind us to survey the ground, then turn our head back around.
> Shrug while still smiling.
> "I definitely cannot leave without my friend. But I can assure you that neither of us will attack you unless you attack first. And I can do this, at least."
> Take a few more steps back, making sure to avoid tripping over anything we just say.

[Hello Purvis]

>Is the book in such a position that the spectre could pick it up without stepping off of Tenshi's shadow?

>It is not. You'd have to practically put it at her feet for that.

> Take a quick look behind us to survey the ground, then turn our head back around.
> Shrug while still smiling.
> "I definitely cannot leave without my friend. But I can assure you that neither of us will attack you unless you attack first. And I can do this, at least."
> Take a few more steps back, making sure to avoid tripping over anything we just say.

>You back away, managing to avoid tripping over anything.
>"Leave," she says again. "You think I'm stupid enough to do anything while you're both here?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "And how much did we do to you yesterday, when you were tied up and Tenshi was free?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "And how much did we do to you yesterday, when you were tied up and Tenshi was free?"

>"You exposed me, for one thing!" she says, practically spitting the words.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Shake head.
> "I mean physically. If we did not assault you yesterday when you appeared defenseless, what makes you think we're going to attack you today, when you're very clearly not?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Shake head.
> "I mean physically. If we did not assault you yesterday when you appeared defenseless, what makes you think we're going to attack you today, when you're very clearly not?"

>"I don't care," she says. "Leave!"

>_