Magical Lotus, Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 2

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, let me try to put it in more mercantile terms. What would I gain by turning a blind eye to this? It would leave a reasonably nice person in a difficult position. If I do care, this reasonably nice person may well be able to make some progress toward coping with the burdens she bears. Following that, she'll be better able to interact and help other people, which becomes a net gain for society as a whole."
>Shake head.
>"Of course, that's only a utility basis, from a sort of game theory strategy, which overlooks many aspects such as simply not liking to seeing a friend be unhappy without making some effort to at least understand why and help out with it. But, we can consider it a reasonable place to start."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, let me try to put it in more mercantile terms. What would I gain by turning a blind eye to this? It would leave a reasonably nice person in a difficult position. If I do care, this reasonably nice person may well be able to make some progress toward coping with the burdens she bears. Following that, she'll be better able to interact and help other people, which becomes a net gain for society as a whole."
>Shake head.
>"Of course, that's only a utility basis, from a sort of game theory strategy, which overlooks many aspects such as simply not liking to seeing a friend be unhappy without making some effort to at least understand why and help out with it. But, we can consider it a reasonable place to start."

>The winged woman chuckles a quiet chuckle. "'Friend.' You barely even know me. But you... really care. I consider myself a good judge of character. I've had to be. People have feigned concern for me plenty of times, when they wanted something. You're different."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I may well throw around the term more freely than you do, but I hope you can forgive me that quirk if you understand I am being sincere."

[Oldmansour]

>"I may well throw around the term more freely than you do, but I hope you can forgive me that quirk if you understand I am being sincere."

>You detect a hint of sympathy in the corner of Eagle's eye when she glances sideways at you. "How can you be that sincere a person, and not have had people take advantage of you?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, I suppose I could say that it's because I'm sincere that they don't feel the need to."
>Shrug.
>"I also imagine I can see it coming often enough."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, I suppose I could say that it's because I'm sincere that they don't feel the need to."
>Shrug.
>"I also imagine I can see it coming often enough."

>"Hm. Yeah. I guess that's at least one thing we have in common. Neither one of us's the type to let people walk over them. Well, two, since I can see 'em coming, too, now."
>"You're an... interesting woman, Byakuren Hijiri. You've a wisdom, but untarnished by the world, and that is a rare thing."

[Hello Purvis]

>"You're more kind than I deserve. Thank you."

[Oldmansour]

>"You're more kind than I deserve. Thank you."

>She offers you a cautious, somewhat lopsided smile. "No moreso than you've been to me."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Heh, alright."

[Oldmansour]

>"Heh, alright."

>She looks away from you again for another moment or two, then raises her head and leans back. She seems lost in thought, but she doesn't stay that way too long before the bus comes to a halt again, a bit more suddenly than the first time, you feel. The Eagle lurches sideways even more than the first time, and you actually have to catch her shoulder, out of fear she might topple into you. She straightens out as the bus doors open, and swears. "Damn your wings, Hol!"
>Despite the fact that she wasn't all that loud, the blue-haired driver somehow answers her snarl with a positively evil chuckle.

[Hello Purvis]

>Have a look toward the front; does it seem like such a harsh stop was necessary?
>If not, say, "I think he may have taken issue with your pricing."

[Oldmansour]

>Have a look toward the front; does it seem like such a harsh stop was necessary?
>If not, say, "I think he may have taken issue with your pricing."

>Not that you can determine. There IS a car parked in front of the bus, but given that this is the designated stop, this is likely someone simply illegally parked.
>She grumbles before answering, "Oh, he does that all the time. Just for badness. And in his own way, that's doing me a favor. Knew I wanted to stop at Kourin's, so... That's his version of a 'gentle reminder'."
>Hol chuckles again.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Is this our stop, then?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Is this our stop, then?"

>"Yeah, this is us." she mutters, standing up and hoisting her guitar case. The she spares you a look. "Sorry 'bout that spill."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, this is us." she mutters, standing up and hoisting her guitar case. The she spares you a look. "Sorry 'bout that spill."

>"No problem."
>Stand and disembark!

[Oldmansour]

>"No problem."
>Stand and disembark!

>As you walk down the few steps to exit the bus, a powerfully foul stench washes over your nose. It smells like rotten meat and low tide, like the back door of a field of cows after feeding time. It lasts only a few seconds, and passes as soon as you step off the bus, but the reek practically makes you gag. The expression on Eagle's face says she smelled it to, although that look, like the smell itself, fades after a few seconds.
>You find yourself in a semi-residential area of town, taller office buildings away to the east, houses and side roads in most directions. A small block of buildings lies across the road and down the street from you, seemingly businesses of some sort each: What appears to be a small lawyers' firm, a squat structure with "Laressa Debt Collections" written in blue and green on the front, a small Dai's Fries, a book store called Afterwords, with a small alleyway next to it... The rest have no obvious signage you can read from this distance. The scent of lilacs and barbequing meat, likely from one of the nearby houses, blows along with the cold breeze, accompanied by the distant sounds of voices. The sky shows signs of darkening as the sun passes further into the west.
>Eagle points towards the end of the block. "Kourin's down that way."

[Hello Purvis]

a book store called Afterwords

This is a real place around your way, isn't it?


>Have we experienced that odor before?
>Does there seem to be any obvious source of it?
>If not, open up our senses quickly and see if we can find something unusual!

[Oldmansour]

This is a real place around your way, isn't it?

Not directly. Found it when I was on the mainland years ago. Doesn't even exist anymore. Place has been closed for.... 5 years? Maybe 6. Man, I'm getting old. And sad, too, place was nice. Always a shame when book stores close.

>Have we experienced that odor before?
>Does there seem to be any obvious source of it?
>If not, open up our senses quickly and see if we can find something unusual!

>Nothing quite like that before.
>A cursory glance around the area reveals nothing out of the ordinary that would produce such a reek. It's possible somebody's supper went horribly, horribly wrong, but nothing you can see reveals itself as such.
>You take a moment to center yourself, and sweep the area around you with your nascent preternatural senses. You detect nothing unusual within the first few seconds, but a burst of exhaust from the departing bus, and its distinct accompanying smell, distract your natural senses enough to break your concentration momentarily.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Does it normally smell like that around here? It's like someone connected a sewage line to a water fountain."

[Oldmansour]

>"Does it normally smell like that around here? It's like someone connected a sewage line to a water fountain."

>"Ah, thought that's what had you distracted. You looked a little spaced there. But I know what you mean, about that stink. It's something on Hol's bus; I've noticed it myself now and then. But it's the damnedest thing, no one's ever been able to figure out what's making it. Or why you can't smell it all the time, either."

[Hello Purvis]

>"How long has that been happening?"

[Oldmansour]

>"How long has that been happening?"

>"According to the bus company, years. At least as long as Hol's been here, and he's- Been around the block a few times."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Strange."
>Make a mental note of this for the next time we tabulate weird stuff to investigate.
>"So, which way to this store?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Strange."
>Make a mental note of this for the next time we tabulate weird stuff to investigate.
>"So, which way to this store?"

>Quest received: Funkyass bus, yo! (An extraordinarily bad odor was detected, briefly, while disembarking the Mayoiga bus driven by the man named Hol. No source of the scent was readily available, and no explanation for the, apparently, years-long issue has yet been found. Investigate at your discretion, Hero! For the Horde! Quest rewards to follow.)
>The Eagle again points towards the end of the block of businesses.

[Hello Purvis]

>Proceed!
>Take note of the surroundings.

[Oldmansour]

>Proceed!
>Take note of the surroundings.

>The both of you set off down the road, dashing across the road after an SUV drives past. There are a pair of cars parked on this side of the road, though these seems to be more legally parked than the one in front of the bus stop. The signage on the lawyer's firm reads Bailey, Potter & Gower, which doesn't ring a bell. The debt collector's sign has a picture of a club under the name, as well as what appears to be an actual club on the roof, and given the metal prongs attached to it, you'd guess it's being used as a TV antennae at the moment.
>Across the street, A young woman is walking in the opposite direction from you, walking her dog, a little poodle. A middle aged man emerges from one of the buildings ahead of you, a convenience store from the looks of it, and lights up a cigarette. Unfortunately, the wind puts you downwind of it, blowing the smell your way. The Dai's Fries you pass in front of, the scent of the best fast food in town, helps mask the smell, though. Place seems fairly active, as well. Eagle mutters something under her breath that you don't quite catch.
>Chen's posters have been stapled to every telephone pole on the street, you note, and to the side of every garbage can. A billboard stretches across the roofs of two of the building, promising an add for Remilia Scarlet's wedding planner business coming soon.

>Passing by the bookstore, a small clothing store, a small music store and a Moscovich-style restaurant leads you to the front of the square two-story building with 'Kourin-dou' plastered in red letters on the door. It is bordered by another small alley on one side, and a street on the other, leading with more houses on the other side. There are windows on the second floor, but none present in the bottom floor on either the alley side or the front. The store's hours are listed on the door. Looking through the glass of the door, you see there is a porch of sorts within. There are a few pieces of paper just inside the door, as well as what appears to be a shoehorn made of wood leaning against the wall, and a large pair of green rubber boots. There is a closed sliding door on one wall, probably a closet, and another door leads to the interior of the store.

[nolrai2]

"So, Eagle, any last advice?"

[Oldmansour]

"So, Eagle, any last advice?"

>She jerks her thumb towards the cigarette smoking man. "Other than never take up smoking? Don't be surprised if he's up to something unorthodox when you go in. Pigeon or eagle, he's an odd bird, and he's usually doin' something that makes a woman scratch her head."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"Should I be to the point, or try to be oblique about it? Given there's posters everywhere, I can't imagine he's unaware of things by now."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod.
>"Should I be to the point, or try to be oblique about it? Given there's posters everywhere, I can't imagine he's unaware of things by now."

>"You'd be surprised. But I get the impression that, unless it's something he has a personal interest in, he needs to be reminded of things. Frequently." She smirks. "I understand his wife's taken to smacking him with frozen fish to get on back on track."