(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 9)

[DracoOmega]

>What do you expect, pirate, your victims to just roll over for you? Or do you just steal more things when people actually defend themselves.
>Bite our tonuge to keep from popping off at the self-righteous theif.

>You find yourself grumbling bitterly at Aya's claims of 'legitimate damage' while her crew is probably busy looting the hold, but you keep your thoughts to yourself - not like it would change anything at this point, you figure.

>"You knew what you were getting into," Murasa replies coldly.
>"So you'd have been fine with them dying, then?" Aya's frown is distinctly disatisfied. "I'd hoped you'd be willing to show us the same respect we've shown you."
>Murasa scoffs. "Respect? How about you just get the hell off my ship and be glad I don't come haunt you?"
>Ishi's head looks about ready to pop from the strain of holding back her own thoughts. As it is, she does a fair pantomime of having an apoplectic fit.

>"Then what's stopping me from stripping you bare right now?" Aya says, her tone lacking a little of its earlier warmth. "If you'd be happy enough to see us dead, then why should I care about leaving you in one piece? Fair's fair, no?"
>"You don't have the tonnage," Murasa replies dully.
>"Could start with the priciest stuff and then work our way down until we're loaded full," Aya counters with a shrug, then throws a glance in Ishi's direction. Is that a chuckle you see her stifling? "Maybe strip some of the fancy bits out of the engine of yours and and let you limp back to-"
>For an instant, you fear Ishi really will spontaneously combust.
>"You keep your stupid bungling dunderheaded bird-brained hands off my engine, you... you... youuuuu!!!" Words seem to be failing her, and she flails in her bonds with renewed vigor. Aya just laughs.

>"If I may..." Neu interjects dryly, cringing a little at the sheer volume of her neighbour. "What is the point of this? If you want to strip us bare, there's little we can do to stop you."
>"True," Aya replies with a smile, though this seems as much in response to Ishi as anything else.
>"Then what is there to discuss? Or are you simply enjoying the chance to gloat?"
>Aya frowns a little. "Is it really so hard to believe that I respect you guys?"
>Neu pauses a moment. You wonder if she had been about to say 'Yes' before Aya continues on without her.
>"That little chase back there? Some of the best flying I've ever seen. Might even give a tengu a run for their money. And this ship's got a lot of power packed in her. You probably didn't even get a chance to show off half the tricks it's hiding, no? I'd love to see what you could do for one of ours. In fact, I'd take any one of you on board with me in an instant, if you wanted to sign up. You'd even start with seniority, and we're equal-opportunity - doesn't matter if you're a tengu or not." That sentiment alone is significantly at odds with everything you've ever heard about the tengu, though you suppose the human's presence here is sentiment enough to that. Aya pauses just a moment here before continuing, seemingly on the chance someone would actually take her up on her offer. "I don't want to ruin you. I actually like you. But I do need to get my ship fixed and it's your fault she's broken. So how about we work out a compromise, and then you can get back underway, hmm?"

[Oldmansour]

>That does it. This mouse is sick of listening to that pirate gloat. And as excellent a thought as it would be to see Ishi start splitting bulkheads and pummeling pirates with them, starting with Aya, doesn't look like that's going to happen.
>Consider advising Murasa to just go along with it, but reconsider. Yeah, it would get rid of her faster, but we ourselves just had essentially the same offer, and told her to go get stuffed. Can't very well advise Murasa to do what we just didn't.
>Still, that doesn't necessarily mean we just have to sit here and bleed on the deck, depending on just how permissive our vaunted pirate captain is.

>"If it's all the same to you, Aya, ladies, I'd like to head belowdecks. I want to check on Chisato and Miyuki, as well as the rest of the crew."
>No need to mention that any kind of compromise doesn't need our presence. We know Aya's going to get her way, no need stand here and watch.

[DracoOmega]

>That does it. This mouse is sick of listening to that pirate gloat. And as excellent a thought as it would be to see Ishi start splitting bulkheads and pummeling pirates with them, starting with Aya, doesn't look like that's going to happen.
>Consider advising Murasa to just go along with it, but reconsider. Yeah, it would get rid of her faster, but we ourselves just had essentially the same offer, and told her to go get stuffed. Can't very well advise Murasa to do what we just didn't.
>Still, that doesn't necessarily mean we just have to sit here and bleed on the deck, depending on just how permissive our vaunted pirate captain is.

>You roll a few thoughts around in your head, some irritating and some less so. Eventually, you decide to ask if you can head off and check on the rest of the crew.

>"If it's all the same to you, Aya, ladies, I'd like to head belowdecks. I want to check on Chisato and Miyuki, as well as the rest of the crew."
>No need to mention that any kind of compromise doesn't need our presence. We know Aya's going to get her way, no need stand here and watch.

>Aya gives you a once-over, then nods. "Fine with me. You've already given me your word and I'm holding you to it."
>Neu looks at you with a wary frown. Even Murasa seems to turn her glower in your direction for a moment, though it seems more appraising than angry.
>"Hey!" Ishi barks. "How come she gets to leave while we're still tied up here?"
>Aya fixes her with a wry look. "If I let you go, could you swear not to go around causing trouble? No shin-kicking, no activating booby-traps, no clobbering people poking around the engine room?" You see Ishi's eyes flash briefly at that last remark, then falter. Aya smiles. "Thought so."

[Oldmansour]

>Glance between Murasa and Neu, "Look, the fighting may be over, but I thought the least I could do was check on the rest of the crew, see how many more injuries happened, and if they've been taken care of. I thought you could use an update from someone that wasn't a pirate."
>Sideways glance at Aya. "You understand."

[DracoOmega]

>Glance between Murasa and Neu, "Look, the fighting may be over, but I thought the least I could do was check on the rest of the crew, see how many more injuries happened, and if they've been taken care of. I thought you could use an update from someone that wasn't a pirate."
>Sideways glance at Aya. "You understand."

>Neu nods slightly, after you explain. Murasa remains largely unresponsive.
>"Of course," Aya replies lightly.

[Oldmansour]

>Aya's mimic youkai was instructed to take Chisato back to her room. Do we know where that is?
>Or Miyuki's room, for that matter?

[DracoOmega]

>Aya's mimic youkai was instructed to take Chisato back to her room. Do we know where that is?
>Or Miyuki's room, for that matter?

>You do. In fact, you've already been inside it, while you were tracking Chisato's illicit pet mouse. It's opposite your own.
>You do not know which room is Miyuki's, however.

[Oldmansour]

>Ah yeah. Seems like a long time ago.
>Ask Neu, "Which room is Miyuki's?"

[DracoOmega]

>Ah yeah. Seems like a long time ago.
>Ask Neu, "Which room is Miyuki's?"

>Funny, that. This last day has dragged on so long that you could swear it's been months....
>Neu glances briefly at Aya before returning to you. "At the end of the hall, on the left," she says.

[Oldmansour]

>Aya hearing that won't hurt. Pirates have the run of the ship anyway.
>"Thanks. Hope I'll have some decent news to report when I get back."
>Make for Chisato's room. And hope we don't get waylaid by any pirates wondering why there's a good guy roaming around armed.

[DracoOmega]

>Aya hearing that won't hurt. Pirates have the run of the ship anyway.
>"Thanks. Hope I'll have some decent news to report when I get back."
>Make for Chisato's room. And hope we don't get waylaid by any pirates wondering why there's a good guy roaming around armed.

>You can't see what harm there is in Aya knowing where Miyuki's room. But Neu must have thought similarly, whatever that glance was about.
>Neu nods. "Let's both hope."
>You turn and head across the deck, towards the stairs.
>"If anyone gives you hassle," Aya calls out as you leave, "Tell them to take it up with me, got it?"

>You've scarcely made it more than a couple feet before you hear Aya start in on Murasa again. Somehow her tone feels more suited for a debate over how to split a dinner bill than for how much to loot she plans to extract from her prisoners. Murasa isn't much more responsive than she was earlier, though this doesn't seem to deter Aya at all. In fact, you're starting to wonder if she simply likes to hear the sound of her own voice. Neu ocassionally interjects a pragmatic comment that Murasa seems unable or unwilling to provide at the moment, but you get the impression they could be at this a while and find yourself glad enough to be away from it. Or at least you are for a time.

>As you make your way down the stairs, the first thing you become aware of is just what a state the place is in. There are dents in the wall where Ishi's wrench rebounded off it, what looks like a scorch mark in the corner of the landing, a mess of splinters from the fractured naginata, pieces of destroyed netting, and a considerable amount of blood, some of it drier-looking than others. Not to mention the gouges from where your kunai shots struck wood, score marks from Ren's wind blades, broken feathers, a few strands of lavender hair.... Someone seems to have shoved the larger debris out of the walkway, but it's going to take a mighty effort to make this look like it did this morning.
>The second thing you become aware of is a tengu emerging from one of the rooms along the corridor. Your nose twitches. That's your room. You can also see another milling towards the end of the hallway; she seem to be examining one of the wall lamps. Neither one of them has looked in your direction.

[Oldmansour]

>Wonderful. Pirates in our undies. Just what our day was missing.
>Which room did we leave that concussed crewer in?

[DracoOmega]

>Wonderful. Pirates in our undies. Just what our day was missing.
>Which room did we leave that concussed crewer in?

>If it's any consolation, you're suspect you're not the only one on board who's going to have to deal with this.
>You laid her down on your own bed.

[Oldmansour]

>Aw, crap.
>Wait a moment until the interloping tengu emerges, then see which direction she turns.
>Presumably both pirates are visably armed?

[DracoOmega]

>Aw, crap.
>Wait a moment until the interloping tengu emerges, then see which direction she turns.
>Presumably both pirates are visably armed?

>You grimace a little as you remember that your undies were not the only thing you left lying around in your room.
>You wait a moment and watch the tengu as she exits your room and then heads towards the next door further down the hallway. She doesn't look in your direction.
>There does appear to be a sword hanging at each of their sides.

[Oldmansour]

>Head towards our room. As quietly as we can without actually loooking like we're sneaking around.

[DracoOmega]

>Head towards our room. As quietly as we can without actually loooking like we're sneaking around.

>You head quietly towards your room. Or at least as quietly as you can manage while looking nonchalant about it. You have a fairly light step, but you're certainly not going to be able to make yourself entirely silent at such close range without a considerable change in your gait.
>Sure enough, though the first tengu enters the adjacent room without paying you any mind, the other glances idly in your direction as you get closer. The apparent boredom on her face quickly vanishes as she registers who she's looking at. She gives you a quick once-over and her eyes narrow slightly.
>"What're you doing down here?" she asks. There's a slight note of challenge in her voice, though it isn't openly accusatory and she makes no effort to reach towards her weapon.

[Oldmansour]

>Do we recognize this one at all?
>"Checking on my shipmates. Your captain obliged my request to check in on the wounded, make sure everyone was taken care of."

[DracoOmega]

>Do we recognize this one at all?
>"Checking on my shipmates. Your captain obliged my request to check in on the wounded, make sure everyone was taken care of."

>She looks like a new face to you.
>The tengu stares at you a moment, as if trying to size up how likely your story is. You note her eyes lingering on your weapon a little.

>At this point, the other tengu pokes her head out of the room she just entered and looks in your direction. This face you believe you do recognize as one of the two who carried over that rabbit a little earlier. Her expression lacks any trance of the wariness her companion is displaying. She appraises you quickly, then gives a little nod.
>"Yeah, I saw her talking with Aya earlier," she says, craning her neck back toward the other tengu. "And you know how she is."
>Her partner shrugs, a gesture which almost manages to conceal a roll of the eyes.
>"Most of them are down in the hold," the closer tengu continues, turning back to you. "Though there's a pair of them over there." She gestures at Chisato's room. "And another one back that way." She throws a thumb a couple doors down the hall. "Just don't go trying anything clever."
>The other tengu turns her attention back to the lamp, carefully pulling and wiggling various bits of it as though she expected something might happen if she did so; though given what happened the last time you saw someone do that, perhaps she's onto something....

[Oldmansour]

>Do we know what lies beyond the other door indicated? Aside from, apparantly, a maiden crewer?

[DracoOmega]

>Do we know what lies beyond the other door indicated? Aside from, apparantly, a maiden crewer?

>Well, it's probably someone's room, but other than that, you don't know. It's not where Neu said Miyuki's room was, anyway.

[Oldmansour]

>That raises furthur questions. They wouldn't have moved Natsumi, would they? Well, maybe to search our room...
>Can we see in our room from here?

[DracoOmega]

>That raises furthur questions. They wouldn't have moved Natsumi, would they? Well, maybe to search our room...
>Can we see in our room from here?

>You're not quite sure what to make of this....
>You cannot, though you wouldn't need to walk much further forward to peer inside.

[Oldmansour]

>Start listening for the sound of hidden mechanisms preparing to fire.
>Give the closer tengu a nod, then proceed forward, still at a nonthreatening pace, until we can see the bed in our room.

[DracoOmega]

>Start listening for the sound of hidden mechanisms preparing to fire.
>Give the closer tengu a nod, then proceed forward, still at a nonthreatening pace, until we can see the bed in our room.

>You keep an ear out for any other surprises Ishi may have planted in the hallway and then give the tengu a nod and continue forward.
>"Alright then," she says, returning to the interior of the room she was searching without further comment.

>Approaching your room, you take a look inside. On the whole, it doesn't look greatly disturbed from the last time you saw it. The chest you were keeping your clothes in has been left open - you can't assess the condition of its contents from here - and there really wasn't much else too disturb. The bed, however, is empty.

[Oldmansour]

>Twist off a short frown.
>Check the other indicated room, the one where there was supposed to be just one crewer.

[DracoOmega]

>Twist off a short frown.
>Check the other indicated room, the one where there was supposed to be just one crewer.

>You frown a little, then start to head off towards the second room the tengu pointed at.
>Before you get very far, however, you hear a familiar voice call out quietly from your right.
>"Nazrin?" Miyuki's voice is slightly hushed.

[Oldmansour]

>Pause.
>Would that be from the other other door, where the pirates said there were two good guys holed up?

[DracoOmega]

>Pause.
>Would that be from the other other door, where the pirates said there were two good guys holed up?

>You pause a moment.
>Yes, that would be Chisato's room.

[Oldmansour]

>Well, she did call us.
>Go to Miyuki and (presumably) Chisato.