Reimu Quest (Part 8)

[日巫子]

>Go investigate the bushes. Be prepared for surprises.

> You walk over to the bushes.  You take a look, and see...
> ...Nothing.  Huh?

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Huh."
>Look around again.

[日巫子]

>"Huh."
>Look around again.

> You look around you.  You're sure you're alone, but you can't shake the feeling that that isn't the case.

> _

[Sect]

> Let's continue on then. The guy trying to ambuscade us will slip up eventually.

[日巫子]

> Let's continue on then. The guy trying to ambuscade us will slip up eventually.

> You keep walking down the road, passing the stairs.  In the distance, you see the town you visited the last time you were here.  However, it'll take some time before you reach it.
> Now that you suspect someone is following you, you become aware of the faint rustling coming from a few meters behind you.  You would have just shrugged it off as wildlife before, but it's too persistent to ignore.

> _

[Sect]

> Cross into the woods on the opposite side of the road and keep watch to see what crosses after us.

[日巫子]

> Cross into the woods on the opposite side of the road and keep watch to see what crosses after us.

> You have an idea.
> You cross the street, enter the woods, and hide there while keeping watch.  Moments later, Konngara (the little one) emerges from behind a tree and starts to cross the street.  She hasn't caught onto what you've just done at all.



> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Emerge.
>"Hey there."

[日巫子]

>Emerge.
>"Hey there."

> You step out of the forest.  Konngara jolts and comes to a halt at the edge of the road.
> "Uh."  She looks away.  "Hi."

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Try to take a relatively nice tone, but not too nice.
>"What're you up to, kiddo?"

[日巫子]

>Try to take a relatively nice tone, but not too nice.
>"What're you up to, kiddo?"

> "N-nothing much," she says.  "What're you doing?"

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Wandering around. Wanna come with?"

[日巫子]

>"Wandering around. Wanna come with?"

> "Okay..."  She nods while fiddling with the sleeve of her sweater.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>At this point, we've been down both ways of the black stone road, right?
>"So, are there any neat hidden things around here?"

[日巫子]

>At this point, we've been down both ways of the black stone road, right?
>"So, are there any neat hidden things around here?"

> You think so.
> "There's a hill," Konngara mumbles.  "It's kinda far away, but it's covered in dandelions.  Uh...there's also a creek, and a hollowed-out tree..."

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Huh. Anything odd about them, or are they just neat-looking?"

[日巫子]

>"Huh. Anything odd about them, or are they just neat-looking?"

> "They're cool...you can see everywhere from the top of the hill," she says.  "And, if you hide in the tree, no one can find you."

> _

[Sect]

> "No creepy caves with weird moon things?"

[日巫子]

> "No creepy caves with weird moon things?"

> Konngara shakes her head, looking mildly confused.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Where's your pink-haired friend off to?"

[日巫子]

>"Where's your pink-haired friend off to?"

> "Dunno..."

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Ain't that how it is? I have a blonde friend who's pretty much the same."
>"Let's go see that hill."

[日巫子]

>"Ain't that how it is? I have a blonde friend who's pretty much the same."
>"Let's go see that hill."

> "Okay..."  Konngara turns around and starts walking back across the street.  "...This way."

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Follow dat Hornhoffer.

[日巫子]

>Follow dat Hornhoffer.

> You follow Konngara into the forest.  She leads you through the trees in a seemingly mindless path, winding between trees and at times going too fast for you to keep up with her.  Some distance away, you can see the shrine, but once you're parallel to it, she leads you in the opposite direction.  You feel like this could have been made simpler if you had just taken the road, but she seems content on walking through the forest.  Every now and then, however, she trips on a root or struggles to climb over a log, giving you time to catch up with her.
> After a while, you see a clearing beyond the trees.  You're sure you're already standing on the hill, given how slanted it is, but there are still trees here.  Konngara uses them to balance herself as she walks on up.  She has been concentrating too hard on reaching the destination to talk to you during the walk.  The trees seem to separate after a point, creating a natural path.  There's something about it that seems familiar.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Proceed along the path, and let's see if we can determine what is tickling at our familiarity bone.

[日巫子]

>Proceed along the path, and let's see if we can determine what is tickling at our familiarity bone.

> You walk up the hill, having no trouble walking up even though there are no stairs...were there supposed to be stairs?
> You emerge from the trees and walk into a field of dandelions.  All around are pieces of white fluff, releasing seeds every time the wind blows.  The forest is a sea of green around you, but you feel like there should be more trees here, too.  The field feels empty.
> Looking out into the distance, you see mountains on the horizon, and the towns below.  To the south is Youkai Mountain, with visible buildings there.  Konngara sprints past you into the middle of the field, completely ignoring you.
> The scenery is a little different, but this is the same view you'd have from the front pathway of your shrine.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's head to the middle of the field ourself.

[日巫子]

>Let's head to the middle of the field ourself.

> You walk out to the middle of the field.  You're lucky you don't have any allergies, otherwise you'd be having a horrible time right now.  Konngara is running around nearby, watching the dandelion seeds fly up as she passes them by.  When you come near, she slows down and steps away from you.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Take in the view for a moment.
>Does this feel anything like home, in terms of intuition tugs?