Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 2

[Oldmansour]

>"You would indeed. Perhaps it has taken steps to prevent us from being interrupted somehow? Or perhaps the voice cannot be heard outside this room."

>Rin considers that. "I suppose if this is the spirit of the Dragon, or somethin', it could probably do that."

[DracoOmega]

>"I have learned that a great many strange and unusual things are possible, these past few days. This would certainly not be the greatest of them."

>To the flame: "I repeat my last request. I do not mean to sound ungrateful, and I am not - any assistance in safeguarding this world and the lives within it is deeply appreciated, no matter the form it takes. But if our aims are similar, I would be all the more capable of assisting were I to more fully understand what you mean to convey."

[Oldmansour]

>"I have learned that a great many strange and unusual things are possible, these past few days. This would certainly not be the greatest of them."

>To the flame: "I repeat my last request. I do not mean to sound ungrateful, and I am not - any assistance in safeguarding this world and the lives within it is deeply appreciated, no matter the form it takes. But if our aims are similar, I would be all the more capable of assisting were I to more fully understand what you mean to convey."

>The flame seems to shrink for a moment.

>"I've just had a thought, Mistress." Rin says into the silence that meets your request. "Whatever this thing is, do you s'pose it's possible all it can do is talk in riddles and nonsense? Might not even be able ta tell you it can't tell ya straight out."

>The words of those who are gone and yet to be
Echo down through the winding corridors of time.
The known and the forgotten are the same to closed ears.
Peace will not be found by those who seek only lies.

[DracoOmega]

>"It is truth that I seek, no matter how unpleasant it may be to hear."

>"This traitor of which you speak, how might I know them?"

[Oldmansour]

>"It is truth that I seek, no matter how unpleasant it may be to hear."

>"This traitor of which you speak, how might I know them?"

>Born in bleak suffering and despair beyond human,
two hearts sparked a single flame of hope.
Faith in tomorrow is not know to those born only to survive
But may be found in places unsought.

[DracoOmega]

>"Two hearts? Who are they?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Two hearts? Who are they?"

>One born of a dragon who fell into the abyss,
Its fate joined to a being utterly beyond it.
One who was alone, even when loved and when gave love.
Alone in two worlds, alone in life and death, yet no longer alone.

>The flame wavers once again.
>The storm approaches. We speak no more...

[DracoOmega]

>"I will do my best to heed and understand your words. Thank you."

[Oldmansour]

>"I will do my best to heed and understand your words. Thank you."

>"Just a dang minute here." Rin says hotly. "T'ain't nothin' approachin' THIS room, least not from this way." Her tail points towards the chamber door for emphasis.

[DracoOmega]

>"No, there may not be. But something may be approaching where the being beyond the flame resides, or even approaching here from beyond normal means."
>Cast our senses out. Can we detect any hostile presence or even just a simple change in the ambient 'feel' of the place we're in?

[Oldmansour]

>Cast our senses out. Can we detect any hostile presence or even just a simple change in the ambient 'feel' of the place we're in?

>Straight away, you note a profound difference in the sensations around you. Your mystic senses are far stronger in your Magical Lotus guise than as your mundane self. The sensation of peace, you now sense, is not only the result of the lingering presense of a profoundly powerful being, which would have to be the Blue Wood Dragon, but also the will and drive of those who serve the shrine and maintain those beliefs.
>You also now can detect the second presense Rin mentioned. It's a unique sensation, one you haven't felt before. You would describe it as a lingering sensation, a sense of a being who is no longer present. The nature of the feeling does not immediately reveal itself, but it does not feel as 'light' as the sensations of the shrine, or the practicioners of its magic. And yet, it doesn't feel alien to that sensation either. It may be another sort of mystical power, but as to its true nature, or whether or not this is even true, you cannot tell.
>You also detect at least half a dozen localized auras of power similar to the one you've come to associate with Kiku and Haruka, the sensation of a divine spellcaster.
>But as for hostile, however, none of the sensations you are presently detecting would be described as that.

>"No, there may not be. But something may be approaching where the being beyond the flame resides, or even approaching here from beyond normal means."

>Rin frowns, but as the flame dies down and returns to its normal shade, her ears twitch. "Wait a sec, there IS someone comin, and close!"

[DracoOmega]

>Did we sense any change in the ambient impression of the powers in this space as the flame died down?

>Go see who it is. Casually. And let me know.
>Would we be visible from the entryway here? If so and some small adjustment would make that not so, do so.

[Oldmansour]

>Did we sense any change in the ambient impression of the powers in this space as the flame died down?

>Go see who it is. Casually. And let me know.
>Would we be visible from the entryway here? If so and some small adjustment would make that not so, do so.

>You did not.

>Rin nods at your command.
>You are currently standing next to a row of pews. You could duck down behind them to conceal yourself from view without too much trouble, so you do so. And just in time, as well, for almost as soon as your head ducks out of sight, the door opens with a sizable noise, prompting a yelp from Rin. You hear a quartet of heavy footfalls, and then the voice of Tenshi erupts, "Where'd the guy go?"
>Rin, sounding somewhat startled, answers here, "What guy?"
>"The guy that was just here! I know I heard something funny from here, and that wasn't you, cat." A moment later, Tenshi shouts out, "Who else is in here?"

[DracoOmega]

>Well, that's one kind of storm...
>Does dropping our transformation produce any visible or audible effects? In terms of stuff that could still be seen from our position.

[Oldmansour]

>Well, that's one kind of storm...
>Does dropping our transformation produce any visible or audible effects? In terms of stuff that could still be seen from our position.

>She certainly arrives like one.
>You do glow for a few seconds going from magical form to mundane one. It's much less flashy than the reverse process, but it's still something.

[DracoOmega]

>From our position, could we plausibly rise up as though we'd just been picking something off the ground, rather than actually trying to be unseen?
>If so, do so casually and turn to Tenshi and ask innocently: "Yes?"

[Oldmansour]

>From our position, could we plausibly rise up as though we'd just been picking something off the ground, rather than actually trying to be unseen?
>If so, do so casually and turn to Tenshi and ask innocently: "Yes?"

>You can, and do so.
>The blue haired shrine maiden now has her blunted jian belted at her hip, and she has not come alone. Standing in the doorway behind her is the brown haired man who was with Reimu earlier, as well as Reimu herself, who stands just behind him. The hooded miko who was with Tenshi is standing behind Reimu, as well as the tengu who was acting as gambling master during the duel.
>Tenshi looks hard at you for a moment. "Say something." she demands of you.

[DracoOmega]

>"What would have me say? Is there a problem?"

[Oldmansour]

>"What would have me say? Is there a problem?"

>Tenshi rubs her jaw thoughtfully for a moment, making a humming noise, then shakes her head. "No, wasn't you." She looks around the room again. "Anyone else in here?"
>"What exactly did you think you heard?" the man in the suit asks Tenshi.
>"Don't tell me you never heard that weird rumbling muttering sound, Koryu. Unless your ears suck, you had to have heard that."
>"None of us did, Tenshi." Reimu says. "You think all of our ears suck?"
>"Apparently!"

[DracoOmega]

>"Are you certain the sound came from here? I am fairly sure myself and the kasha are the only people here at the moment. Aside from yourselves, obviously."

[Oldmansour]

>"Are you certain the sound came from here? I am fairly sure myself and the kasha are the only people here at the moment. Aside from yourselves, obviously."

>"Obviously." Tenshi apes, clearly annoyed by the lack of whatever she was looking for being readily apparent. "Nobody left here a minute ago?" Rin gives her a negative. "Damn and blast." Tenshi whirls around, her long blue hair fanning out behind her, as she storms out as grandiosely as she arrived, given Reimu and the young man in the suit only a moment to get out of her way. "Somebody find me four-tails! I'm getting to the bottom of this."
>And with that, she is gone.

[DracoOmega]

>Give a look to the other two, if they haven't left to follow her
>"I hope there's nothing wrong?"

[Oldmansour]

>Give a look to the other two, if they haven't left to follow her
>"I hope there's nothing wrong?"

>Four, if you count the other miko and the tengu, but the miko departs after Tenshi, leaving Reimu and the other two.
>Reimu shrugs slightly. "I think the head miko's ears might be playing tricks on her, to tell you the truth. Don't let her get to you, she can get a bit carried away some times."

[DracoOmega]

>"She seems a very spirited woman."

[Oldmansour]

>"She seems a very spirited woman."

>"That's one way to put it." the brown haired man says with a grin. You can't help but note the little gleam in the corner of his eye as he looks upon you. He's far from the first to have that look in his eye.

>"Good evening, Reimu-san." Rin greets Reimu politely.
>"Evening, Rin. Byakuren hasn't come in yet?" The kasha shakes her head. "She was on her way in here, but she might've got sidetracked talking to Kohaku."
>"Sis can have that effect on folks." the handsome young man in the suit says wryly.

[DracoOmega]

>Do we know if there's a nearby washroom or some other isolated place we could drop our transformation without anyone noticing?
>Assuming, of course, that the gang doesn't wander off of their own accord shortly.

[Oldmansour]

>Do we know if there's a nearby washroom or some other isolated place we could drop our transformation without anyone noticing?
>Assuming, of course, that the gang doesn't wander off of their own accord shortly.

>You did not notice one on the way in. Though the tree is wide enough, you think, to provide sufficient cover to conceal your light of reversion.
>Yes, assuming they do not go their own way if given time.

[DracoOmega]

>The tree providing cover is not much use if people don't leave, since that means explain the sudden appearance of another person without coming in the door
>And we have been here before, right? Did we not in all that time learn where a washroom was?

>But give the group a moment or two to move off, anyway. Try to look slightly aloof; maybe offer a quiet prayer in the direction of the flame.

[Oldmansour]

>The tree providing cover is not much use if people don't leave, since that means explain the sudden appearance of another person without coming in the door
>And we have been here before, right? Did we not in all that time learn where a washroom was?

>But give the group a moment or two to move off, anyway. Try to look slightly aloof; maybe offer a quiet prayer in the direction of the flame.

>Good point.
>Quite simply, you never needed one last time you were here. And previously, you were only on the temple grounds outside, not inside the temple itself.

>"Well, if I see Byakuren there, I'll tell her where you are." Reimu says to Rin.
>"I appreciate that."
>Reimu winces at the rather formal tone in Rin's voice. "Don't do that. I get enough of that in the run of a day." In the time you've known her, Reimu has proven not to be the sort to revel in excess formality, especially from those she considers her friends. It seems to be a common thing among the bulk of the people you've come to know over the past few years.
>Rin gives the Hakurei heir an apologetic smile. "Sorry. Forgot."
>Reimu sighs and rubs the back of her head. "Forget it."

>Rin and Reimu exchange a few more pleasant words while you, not being addressed at present, turn yourself towards the flame, pondering again just what was the true nature of the force that turned the fire blue and spoke to you in cryptic verse. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to register on your mystic senses, which is even stranger.
>After a couple of minutes, the tengu says to Reimu, "You'd better get after her, boss, before she wakes up half the temple."
>Reimu puffs out a sigh. "She would, too. All right, let's go. See ya, Rin." Gathering her party, Reimu ventures forth in search of Tenshi, leaving you, once again, alone with Rin.

[DracoOmega]

>Give Reimu and co a moment to walk away, in case they double-back quickly for some reason
>Then stand behind the tree, out of view of the doorway, and drop our Lotus form