Kogasa Quest - Surpriseing Galore!

[Raikaria]

> Good. Now let's fly as fast as we can and  head to the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

>You begin to fly towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion at your top speed of 'Reasonably fast'.

> It is night as you leave the Forest, and when you arrive at the Misty Lake, you take note that Cirno is accompanied by Wriggle; Mystia; Rumia and Daiyousei at the side of the lake. You are actually aquaintences with Mystia and Rumia. Mystia lives very close to the Human Village which you sometimes visit, and Rumia once tried to help you surprise someone with her darkness powers. It didn't end well.

[Nash Fais]

> Greet Cirno's gang and ask what they're doing.

> Act on paranoia and nervously look behind us to check if Marisa is: A. Frantically chasing after us or B. three seconds away from sparking us to Makai and back.

[Raikaria]

> Greet Cirno's gang and ask what they're doing.

> Act on paranoia and nervously look behind us to check if Marisa is: A. Frantically chasing after us or B. three seconds away from sparking us to Makai and back.

> Cirno and the others look at you curiously.

> "Nothing.." Cirno says in a tone that obviously suggests they are doing something.

> There is no sign of an angry Marisa following you.

[capt. h]

> Smile.

> "Okie dokie then!"

> Continue to destination.

[Raikaria]

> Smile.

> "Okie dokie then!"

> Continue to destination.

> You fly across the lake to the Scarlet Mansion. Almost as soon as you leave you hear the group chattering frantically again, like a group of young girls whispering in a  huddle.

> Strange little youkai.

> Meiling is awake, and appears a little confused when you arrive in front of her.

[capt. h]

> Smile.

> "I win. What do I get?"

[Nash Fais]

> Show books for proof.

[Raikaria]

> Smile.

> "I win. What do I get?"

> Show books for proof.

> Meiling looks in disbeleif.

> She looks over her shoulder.

> "Uh; Sakuya... you might want to come see this." she says.

> The maid from before appears out of thin air again. She notices you holding a pile of books.

> "Those are indeed... books. But I do not know if they are Patchouli's or not." Sakuya said calmly. "I assume the only way to find out is to get Patchouli to identify them. Come with me. Don't touch anything. Not even the floor; just fly. The Mansion can be very dangerous if you stray."

> Meiling opens the gate, and Sakuya walks towards the mansion, before opening the front door. The grand, scarlet mansion looks imposing, and seeing inside it's door sends a chill down your... handle.

> You kinda hope you don't meet Remilia. You've heard she's not nice. On the other hand, you want to meet her since that might give you a chance to surprise her.

[Cirque De Trois]

> Follow Sakuya into the mansion. Ask if she was serious about the flying thing. If she was, follow her in while floating a little ways off the ground.

[capt. h]

> Look for traps. Memorize the location of visible traps.

[Raikaria]

> Follow Sakuya into the mansion. Ask if she was serious about the flying thing. If she was, follow her in while floating a little ways off the ground.

> You follow Sakuya.

> "I don't want you messing up the carpets." she said, as you notice scarlet cloth forming roads in the corridors. You make more work for me." she said.

> Look for traps. Memorize the location of visible traps.

> You see statues, pots and fancy pictures of vampires or old-fashioned villages. No real traps, although you do note a very-heavily, magically sealed room.

[capt. h]

> Let Sakuya open library door.

[Raikaria]

> Let Sakuya open library door.

> Sakuya reaches a large, double-door, and opens it. What you see is something that could not possibly fit inside the mansion.

> The number of books and bookshelves is insane.

> "If you do not want to get lost; or have Patchouli mistake you for a theif; stick near me." Sakuya warned, as she began to fly down a row of bookcases.

[Nash Fais]

>Frantically follow after Sakuya. Worry every so often that you might get lost.

[capt. h]

> "Okie Dokie!"

[Raikaria]

>Frantically follow after Sakuya. Worry every so often that you might get lost.

> "Okie Dokie!"

> You follow Sakuya. It's pretty clear that you would get lost in a moment without her. Some books fly from shelf to shelf, and as you follow Sakuya; these moving books get more and more common.

> Eventually; you reach a desk, with someone in a purple/pink gown, with deep purple hair sitting at it; reading a book.

> "Yes?" she asked, not even looking up.

[O4rfish]

>"Are you Patchouli? Marisa sent these books to return to you."

[capt. h]

> "Why are you in your pajamas?"

[Raikaria]

>"Are you Patchouli? Marisa sent these books to return to you."

> Hearing this, the witch looks up from her book.

> "I am Patchouli; and you are an awful liar. Marisa would never return my books. She 'borrows them until she dies'." she said.

> Patchouli takes the books and begins to look at them.

> "Why are you in your pajamas?"

> "These are multifunctional witch robes." Patchouli protested.

> "It's because she's ill." Sakuya said. "Patchouli suffers from multiple illnesses including Anemia and chronic Asthma which make any physical exertion difficult for her."

> Patchouli keeps looking at the books; sorting them into two piles. One pile is larger than the other; although seeing as you have about 10 books; that's not saying much. There are eight in one pile; and two in another. Patchouli then sorts the pile of eight into a pile of three and five.

> Sakuya clears her throat.

> "Patchouli; you can sort the books later. Are those yours or not? I have more important things to worry about."

> Patchouli points to the pile of five.

> "These are mine."

> She points to the pile of three, and then the pile of two.

> "Those are probobly Alice's; they are written by a magician and contain things about dolls. These two, I'm not sure. I think they are from different places as well. One of them contains dark magic, the other one seems to be a book about folk tales."

> Patchouli coughs loudly and pretty violently.

> "I assume the one about folk tales would belong to Suzunaan." Sakuya said. "As for the book on dark magic... I don't know. The only practitioner of Dark Magic I am aware of in Gensokyo is Seiga Kaku; but she doesn't seem like the type to write things down, and the language would probobly be Chinese even if she did, so no-one else could read it."

> You can feel that Sakuya is surprised that you managed to reclaim five of Patchouli's books, although her stoic face is not showing it. Patchouli; on the other hand, does not seem surprised. You're not sure why. Maybe it's her violent coughing or something.

> A small, devil-like creature flies over, with a bottle of medication. Patchouli drinks it, and her coughing dies down slowly.

> "Koakuma; return those books to their shelves." Patchouli said, indicating the five books. "As for you; since you went through the trouble of bringing these to me, what do you want? I dislike having outstanding debts."

[O4rfish]

>"I want to surprise you. Can you help me do that?"

Obviously lying about Marisa didn't work, but what if we took the three books and put them outside Alice's restaurant house with a note saying that Marisa returned them? Ah, but the dolls would notice us. Maybe throw them through the window?

[Raikaria]

>"I want to surprise you. Can you help me do that?"

Obviously lying about Marisa didn't work, but what if we took the three books and put them outside Alice's restaurant house with a note saying that Marisa returned them? Ah, but the dolls would notice us. Maybe throw them through the window?

> "If I tell you how to surprise me; it won't be a surprise." Patchouli says flatly.

[O4rfish]

>"Who CAN you help me surprise?"

[Raikaria]

>"Who CAN you help me surprise?"

> Patchouli sighs.

> "You have a very one-track mind." she said. "Go sneak up behind Koakuma if you must. She's very jumpy when snuck up from behind; especially while carrying books."

[O4rfish]

Kinda weak for getting books back from Margatroid. Should we accept that or press her?

[Raikaria]

Patchouli does not understand the meaning of 'fun' sadly. If you decide to press her you need to convince her it's worth actually helping you and there's a reason except childish pranking. She sees herself as beyond helping that.

Of course; Sakuya is also still here at the current time. So who Patchy can really help you with at the current time is limited.

Koa isn't even on your list. She's not really 'named'.

[capt. h]

> Leave before they kick us out?

[Raikaria]

> Leave before they kick us out?

> You consider this is a course of action you could take as well; but you are also aware this might be your only chance inside the mansion; since your bargaining chip; the books; are returned. So you decide to wait for the other numerous voices in your head to chime in on this important matter.

> You still know that for your objective to surprise everyone important in Gensokyo you'd have to somehow surprise Patchouli and the mistress of the mansion; Remilia. Of course; there may be other ways to do this that are from outside the mansion itself.

[capt. h]

> Could we get away with discussing just what these books are over tea with Patchouli then? That would give us some time to plan.

> See if we can convince Patchouli to converse with/lecture us by showing an interest in her art.

[O4rfish]

If Koa isn't on our list, maybe we could ask her for help "pleasantly" surprising Patchy.

[Raikaria]

If Koa isn't on our list, maybe we could ask her for help "pleasantly" surprising Patchy.

> You guess this could work.

> Could we get away with discussing just what these books are over tea with Patchouli then? That would give us some time to plan.

> See if we can convince Patchouli to converse with/lecture us by showing an interest in her art.

> You don't know until you ask. Sakuya doesn't seem to be ushering you out considering Patchouli effectively gave you permission to look for Koakuma. In fact; Sakuya has vanished.

> You ask Patchouli about the books.

> She raises an eyebrow.

> "Which books? My books or the others that I gave to you to return?"