Remilia Quest Dh?

[Hanzo K.]

>"I don't usually have to rely on them, but we may have no other choice in the matter. You know how determined I am after all, we've been on this journey together for a while now after all."

[Oldmansour]

>"What do you mean?"

>"Well..." Reisen looks a touch nervous, but continues, "I don't know that Master will want to help you, or Sakuya-san."

>"I don't usually have to rely on them, but we may have no other choice in the matter. You know how determined I am after all, we've been on this journey together for a while now after all."

>"Oh, I know." Reisen assures you. "But the problem is, the last time you and Sakuya-san crossed Master's path, you were invading Eientei. It was largely all a misunderstanding, yes, but, the fact remains. Master has a long memory. I'm not saying she's holding a grudge, but she doesn't forget that sort of thing."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"If she doesn't want to help, I will just have to change her mind. Peacefully, if possible, but I won't hesitate to persuade her through combat if I must. I will have Sakuya back, no matter what I must do to achieve this."

[Oldmansour]

>"If she doesn't want to help, I will just have to change her mind. Peacefully, if possible, but I won't hesitate to persuade her through combat if I must. I will have Sakuya back, no matter what I must do to achieve this."

>"You can try." Reisen cautions you. It isn't a threat, the way she says it, more like an 'I wouldn't reccomend it."
>At this point, however, Reimu pokes her head into the room. "Huh." she grunts, entering and walking past you, right up to Sakuya. "That's a new trick."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"She is frozen in time. It may take another with time-related powers to undo this."
>"I don't know why I didn't think of this until now, but as a shrine maiden, I would assume you are able to exorcise posessing spirits, are you not? You may well be able to expel Pride in that manner, even if it's Sakuya who'd be resisting this instead of the posessing spirit like I would imagine is usually the case. I'm not sure if you can do anything while she's frozen in time, though, but I suppose it's worth a try. You can always try again once she's unfrozen if it doesn't work."

[Oldmansour]

>"She is frozen in time. It may take another with time-related powers to undo this."
>"I don't know why I didn't think of this until now, but as a shrine maiden, I would assume you are able to exorcise posessing spirits, are you not? You may well be able to expel Pride in that manner, even if it's Sakuya who'd be resisting this instead of the posessing spirit like I would imagine is usually the case. I'm not sure if you can do anything while she's frozen in time, though, but I suppose it's worth a try. You can always try again once she's unfrozen if it doesn't work."

>"Yeah, maybe." Reimu mutters, standing back from Sakuya and folding her arms across her chest.
>She nods shortly. "Your basic exorcism, yeah, no problem. These Sins're a bit different than what you'd get in Gensokyo, but that isn't exactly weird for me. Exorcising someone that's stuck in time, though..." She shakes her head slightly, but seems to be considering it. "Give me a minute on that one."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Certianly."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Hopefully you can pull it off. After all, you're one of the few who could best me, so that counts for quite a lot."

[Oldmansour]

>"Certianly."

>"Hopefully you can pull it off. After all, you're one of the few who could best me, so that counts for quite a lot."

>"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Reimu says as she extends her right arm out towards Sakuya, then pulls it back in, folding her left fist into her right palm and raising two fingers up, chanting a shinto chant quietly. The area between Reimu and Sakuya glows with a faint white light, but you swear you can hear the ghost of a snarl echo throughout the room, a black hiss. Sakuya, however, remains completely unchanged.
>You note Tsumiko and Celes return to the doorway, but they remain outside, letting Reimu work her magic.
>After nearly three whole minutes, Reimu evidently finishes her spell, and lowers her arms. "I got bad news, maybe good news, and more bad news."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Let's hear it."

[Oldmansour]

>"Let's hear it."

>"The bad news is, I can't do anything with her with her locked in that state. Honestly, my magic couldn't even FIND her, and I was looking right at her. She's about the same as a statue right now."

[Hanzo K.]

>"And the rest of the news?"

[Oldmansour]

>"And the rest of the news?"

>"The good news is, there's an outside chance I can channel a time god to snap her out of it. But I wouldn't recommend it, really. There's a lot of things that can go wrong with that sort of power, and I mean a lot." she adds with a wince. "And I kinda hate doing it anyway."
>"Which brings me to the more bad news. Even if I WANTED to, and I don't, I couldn't. There's something unholy about this place. The whole Keep is stained with the evil of a dark being."

[Hanzo K.]

>"So in order to free her from herself, we need to move her from this place. Or remove the taint in at least this room, yes?"
>"...That must be what the growl was earlier. Remnants of the former owner."

[Oldmansour]

>"So in order to free her from herself, we need to move her from this place. Or remove the taint in at least this room, yes?"
>"...That must be what the growl was earlier. Remnants of the former owner."

>"What growl?" Reisen asks.
>"I heard it, too." Reimu says, looking somewhat more serious than normal too. "Something in this place reacted to my magic, didn't like what I was doing. Still doesn't like that I'm hear, actually." She glances sideways at you. "Kinda felt like you, Remi. Like a vampire, I mean, but one that's a lot more vile than you. Or was."

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh. "Even I'm not that evil. Selfish to a point, yes. Temperamental, yes. But I know to limit myself, the former owner clearly didn't. From what I understand, he threw himself headlong into all manner of evil doings and deeds. I believe Celes or the Countess would be able to educate you further on that matter."

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh. "Even I'm not that evil. Selfish to a point, yes. Temperamental, yes. But I know to limit myself, the former owner clearly didn't. From what I understand, he threw himself headlong into all manner of evil doings and deeds. I believe Celes or the Countess would be able to educate you further on that matter."

>"Indeed." Celes intones. "But perhaps that can wait for a moment." She turns to her companion. "Tsumiko?"
>The hooded woman cautiously enters the room, examining Sakuya with a wary eye. "Tell me, Miss Scarlet, could she do this before today? Freeze herself in time like this?"

[Hanzo K.]

>"Not to my knowledge. I suspect she's drawing on Pride's power to pull it off. And for all we know, she could be being influenced by the remnants of the former occupant of this keep."

[Oldmansour]

>"Not to my knowledge. I suspect she's drawing on Pride's power to pull it off. And for all we know, she could be being influenced by the remnants of the former occupant of this keep."

>She shakes her head, shaking loose a strand of hair which falls in front of her eye. She blows it out of the way before she explains, "This is the result of her fusion with Pride. A Sin has the potential to augment the powers of someone it bonds with, rather than simply possesses. It only makes sense that it would work in reverse, too."
>"Besides," Celes intones, "If the previous owner had an active hand in this, at least one of us would be screaming by now. And Sakuya would be worse than simply frozen in time."
>Walking past Reimu, she lays her hand on Sakuya's shoulder and closes her eyes in concentration. She frowns, and tries her forehead. She sighs, a frustrated sound, then backs away, blowing once more at the errant lock of hair. "It's no use. Whatever she did froze herself and Pride. I can't sense my Sin."

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh. "It's as I thought then. We have no choice but to find another who can alter Time's Flow. I know of only one other who can. Kaguya Houraisan. But the odds of her helping might not be very good."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Regardless, though, I am going to try."

Unless anyone else has any more business here at the time:
>Pick Sakuya up.
>"Come with me, please, Reimu. I'll need to to perform the exorcism once Sakuya is unfrozen."
\>"Tsumiko, you may come as well."
>"Lead us out, if you would, please, Celes."

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh. "It's as I thought then. We have no choice but to find another who can alter Time's Flow. I know of only one other who can. Kaguya Houraisan. But the odds of her helping might not be very good."

>"No kidding." Reimu agrees. "You'll never get her out of Eientei."
>"Who is this Miss Houraisan?" Tsumiko asks.
>"She a Lunarian princess." Reisen informs her. "At least she used to be, but she's been living on Earth for some time now. She likes it better here."
>"She's also a total shut-in with a pain in the ass doctor for a bodyguard." Reimu grumbles.

>"Regardless, though, I am going to try."

Unless anyone else has any more business here at the time:
>Pick Sakuya up.
>"Come with me, please, Reimu. I'll need to to perform the exorcism once Sakuya is unfrozen."
>"Tsumiko, you may come as well."
>"Lead us out, if you would, please, Celes."

>As you take a hold of Sakuya, you wonder if her being frozen like this will keep her rooted in place as well. But you find that lifting her from the floor is no harder than normal.
>Tsumiko, however, looks worried. "I don't think you should take her out of this room, Miss Scarlet. I placed a spell on this room that keeps Sakuya from leaving while Pride's still within her. I don't know what taking her out when she's in this state will do to her, and if the spell rips Pride out of her, both of them will be seriously damaged."
>"It may not even have to come to that." Celes counters, looking thoughtful. "Remilia-san, would you mind if I spoke to you out here for a moment, please?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Raise an eyebrow, then set Sakuya back down on the nearest bed and go with Celes.
>"What is it you wished to speak of?"

[Oldmansour]

>Raise an eyebrow, then set Sakuya back down on the nearest bed and go with Celes.
>"What is it you wished to speak of?"

>"All of you, actually." Celes calls after you join her in the hallway. "I believe it to be important."
>After Reisen, Tsumiko and Reimu have joined you in the corridor, Celes closes the door and looks around at you all. "If you'll follow me, please?" she asks as she heads back down the way you came first.

[Hanzo K.]

>Raise an eyebrow and follow along!

[Oldmansour]

>Raise an eyebrow and follow along!

>The five of you backtrack towards the throne room of the Countess, Reimu and Tsumiko conversing along the way about their respective magics.
>"As a servant myself, I believe I understand why Sakuya did that." Celes informs you as you go, keeping her voice down. "She wanted to avoid a confrontation between you and her, Remilia. And she didn't want to give up Pride, so the only way she could do that was lock herself in that moment in time." She stops just outside the large doors of the throne room. "But she would not have done so for a long period of time. She believes that absorbing Pride is the best thing for her to do, but she wouldn't let herself stay frozen if that would arrest the process." She regards Tsumiko and Reimu. "Has it?"
>The two magic users exchange a look and a nod, and Tsumiko replies, "We think so."
>"I propose, then," Celes continues, "that Sakuya will unfreeze herself when she believes the threat of an imminent confrontation with you, Remilia, has passed."
>"That's why you asked us to leave the room." Reisen guesses. "So that Sakuya-san would believe it was safe to unfreeze herself."
>The rider nods. "And if I am correct, that leaves us with only the original problem."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Hmmm....That troublesome girl....I'll have to keep a tighter leash on her for a few years to avert a repeat performance. I should start examining her fate regularly as well, once a month even. I understand she's convinced herself that I would want this, but you all know how I feel about this mess."
>Nod. "So, she should have unfrozen herself by now then, no? That would mean that it should be a simple matter for Tsumiko to force Sakuya and Pride apart, then contain Pride for safekeeping while Sakuya is re-educated on her folly."
>Sigh. "You know, I can't help but recall the tale of Red Tide when I think of this mess. Her pride and hubris led her to her likely demise at the hands of Kazami, while Sakuya's will lead to her ceasing to exist as she should. I should have her read that book on Red Tide after I have her back."

[Oldmansour]

>"Hmmm....That troublesome girl....I'll have to keep a tighter leash on her for a few years to avert a repeat performance. I should start examining her fate regularly as well, once a month even. I understand she's convinced herself that I would want this, but you all know how I feel about this mess."
>Nod. "So, she should have unfrozen herself by now then, no? That would mean that it should be a simple matter for Tsumiko to force Sakuya and Pride apart, then contain Pride for safekeeping while Sakuya is re-educated on her folly."

>"Well, Miss Scarlet that's actually something I wanted to talk to you about..." Tsumiko starts, looking a bit nervous.
>"It isn't that simple, Remilia." Celes steps in. "If it was, we would have done it days ago. But there's a complication, and the Countess didn't want to take a risk of that magnitude without speaking to you about it first. Which is why I came back this way, she wanted to speak to you again before we tried removing her or removing Pride."
>"So did I." Tsumiko says quietly.

>Sigh. "You know, I can't help but recall the tale of Red Tide when I think of this mess. Her pride and hubris led her to her likely demise at the hands of Kazami, while Sakuya's will lead to her ceasing to exist as she should. I should have her read that book on Red Tide after I have her back."

>"It's a lesson a lot of people would have been better off learning." Reisen agrees.
>Reimu shrugs. "I dunno. There's a lot of people here in Gensokyo that get by proud as anything."
>"True, but, most of them scale it back a bit after you beat them up." Reisen's words are punctuated by what sounds like distant thunder from outside.
>Reimu twists her face in a quick scowl. "Wish they'd learn sooner. Do me a favor."

[Hanzo K.]

>"...What's the complication?"

[Oldmansour]

>"...What's the complication?"

>Tsumiko looks a bit apologetic as she explains, "I think I could rip Pride out of her now. But if I did, both Pride and Sakuya would be seriously, seriously hurt. The way they are right now, with Pride partially absorbed by her, it would be like tearing someone in half to separate them by force."
>"You can understand why we didn't want to try that right away." Celes offers.
>The Keeper continues, "I was hoping that seeing you might convince Sakuya to let Pride go, or at least disrupt her hold enough to let me seperate them without doing too much damage. But that didn't happen, obviously."