Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 4

[Oldmansour]

>"Even if that were so, why would it cause such... a dramatic reaction merely to take a proverbial look at it?"
>"And does this mean that the jade... does something? I mean, has some property that is not merely that of an inert stone?"

>"When magic meets magic, the results can be dramatic and unexpected." Patchy bites her lip. "I... didn't anticipate anything like this happening."
>"I'd guess it IS inert, except when in the presence of other magic. Help me up." she orders Reisen, who quickly complies. Patchy regards the now as-it-was-before piece of stone with a curious look. "All three of us held it before, and none of us had any clue it had any kind of power at all. A more skilled magician might know how to draw upon that power, but my knowledge only goes so far." She frowns in thought. "Though I don't know if anybody could harness a power like that."

[DracoOmega]

>"Somebody did, if there is some of it in this stone."
>"And even if it is inert when not exposed to magic, doesn't that mean it could potentially end up getting 'set off' by other things?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Somebody did, if there is some of it in this stone."
>"And even if it is inert when not exposed to magic, doesn't that mean it could potentially end up getting 'set off' by other things?"

>"And it's still in there, too." Patchy says as she seizes up the stone again. "That much I'm sure of."
>"Potentially. But I'd need to analyze it to find out what exactly could do that."
>"And that wouldn't be a good idea." Reisen asserts quickly.
>Patchouli gives the rabbit a stern look. "I CAN speak for myself, thank you."

[DracoOmega]

>"Is there any, um... less risky method to examine it? Or perhaps some expert it could be taken to who is better-equipped to deal with something like this? No offense."

[Oldmansour]

>"Is there any, um... less risky method to examine it? Or perhaps some expert it could be taken to who is better-equipped to deal with something like this? No offense."

>Patchouli sighs. "No, none taken. And it costs me no pride to say that my parents would be much more in their element than I in this case. My father especially."
>"Still I'm glad you tried." Sanae says, now standing herself. "I don't get to see magic very often. And if this is supposed to be hush hush for you, then I'm honored you count me among the ones you trust me enough to show."
>As she speaks, there is a knocking upon Patchy's door. "Get that, Reisen." the mage orders before she gives Sanae a nod. "Obviously things are usually less dramatic than that. Next time will be smoother. Oh." Patchy holds out the jade to you. "You'll be wanting that back."

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, to be perfectly honest, I feel a little wary of the thing now, rather than simply curious."
>Take the jade back

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, to be perfectly honest, I feel a little wary of the thing now, rather than simply curious."
>Take the jade back

>"I don't know that you need to be." Patchy says. "Pragmatically, if that miko gave you the jade for any sort of ill purpose, it's had plenty of chances to do them by now, and hasn't."

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh, it's not that I think it's malicious. But that doesn't necessarily stop it from being accidentally dangerous somehow."

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, it's not that I think it's malicious. But that doesn't necessarily stop it from being accidentally dangerous somehow."

>"That is true for quite a number of things." Patchouli says mildly.
>And as she speaks to you, you hear Kohaku speaking with Reisen at the door.

[DracoOmega]

>"Some quite a bit more than others, and probably none of them would you feel comfortable carrying around in your shirt pocket."
>Can we get a sense of what Reisen and Kohaku are saying?

[Oldmansour]

>"Some quite a bit more than others, and probably none of them would you feel comfortable carrying around in your shirt pocket."
>Can we get a sense of what Reisen and Kohaku are saying?

>"Not necessarily, Byakuren. I have little fear in me."
>"Pretty good quality for a magician." Sanae adds with a nod.
>"I've always thought so myself."

>Kohaku appears to be inquiring into the source of that shockwave of power.

[DracoOmega]

>"I think a little fear is healthy, if only to help keep one from being too imprudent."

>Do we know if Kohaku and co are familiar with Patchouli's magic?
>Is Reisen being forthright or evasive?

[Oldmansour]

>"I think a little fear is healthy, if only to help keep one from being too imprudent."

>Do we know if Kohaku and co are familiar with Patchouli's magic?
>Is Reisen being forthright or evasive?

>The mage shakes her head. "Fear isn't the same thing as prudence. Fear is one of the enemies of learning. Prudence is simply acknowledging one's current limits."

>As Patchouli's landlord, Reimu is aware of Patchouli's magical leanings. Stands to reason her bodyguards do as well.
>As a result, Reisen appears to be being honest. Though you don't believe she's mentioned your involvement in supplying the material Patchy was experimenting on at the time.

[DracoOmega]

>"Perhaps."

[Oldmansour]

>"Perhaps."

>"Wait a second, that's that Daidouji girl, isn't it?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I believe so, yes."

[Oldmansour]

>"I believe so, yes."

>"We could ask her about that jade of yours." Patchouli suggests. "Her family works with enchanted jewels."

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh? Do they?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh? Do they?"

>Patchouli nods. "Jewel mages, as they're called. The Daidouji clan specializes in enchanting objects, usually gemstones. Pretty good at it too, from what my father has to say."

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh, hmmm... perhaps it could be worth asking, then."
>Do we know Kohaku beyond 'follows Reimu around sometimes'?
>Did we know of any magical connection in her family before?

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, hmmm... perhaps it could be worth asking, then."
>Do we know Kohaku beyond 'follows Reimu around sometimes'?
>Did we know of any magical connection in her family before?

>Patchouli tries to keep a scowl of her face when she says, "I can guarantee it'd be a more pleasurable inquiry than if either of my parents were involved."
>You spoke to her at the Dragon Shrine a couple of nights ago. From that conversation, you found her to be a quite lovely young girl of mild temperment and friendly demeanor. She is apparantly a skilled cook, though humble enough to claim her brother was the better skilled of the two. She's also helpful, using what knowledge of jade she had to try and identify the source of the stone, but not so proud as to deny that she didn't know. She also cuts a fine figure in a stylish suit.
>You did not. Kohaku identified her family as being jewelers, and gave you her family's business card, but she didn't mention the magical aspect of it.

[DracoOmega]

>Let's mosey over to Kohaku

[Oldmansour]

>Let's mosey over to Kohaku

>The lavender haired woman standing outside in the cold has her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail today, and wears a sensible cardigan and jeans. The ensemble doesn't seem to work as well for her as the Roma suit, but she's still a pretty lady. She smiles and nods politely at your approach.

[DracoOmega]

>Do we know about how much Reisen has covered so far? Concerning the jade itself in particular.

[Oldmansour]

>Do we know about how much Reisen has covered so far? Concerning the jade itself in particular.

>She seems to have finished her explanation of the incident, leaving out the source of the jade Patchy was experimenting on.

[DracoOmega]

>Meaning that the jade was mentioned, but not where it came from?

[Oldmansour]

>Meaning that the jade was mentioned, but not where it came from?

>Correct.

[DracoOmega]

>To Kohaku: "A little addendum: the jade Reisen mentioned was the same one that I showed you at the shrine the other night. As I recall, you said then that it was possible it had been exposed to magic in the past. Well... that seems rather more likely now, I think."

[Oldmansour]

>To Kohaku: "A little addendum: the jade Reisen mentioned was the same one that I showed you at the shrine the other night. As I recall, you said then that it was possible it had been exposed to magic in the past. Well... that seems rather more likely now, I think."

>"Really?" the human muses, glancing at Reisen. "You didn't mention."
>Reisen looks somewhat abashed. "Well, I didn't want Byakuren to be involved in case people were upset over what happened."
>Kohaku gives the rabbit a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about that. It might have annoyed Touki, but to be honest, that's not hard." More seriously, she says to you, "From what Reisen's told me, you weren't able to learn much beyond that?"

[DracoOmega]

>Shake our head
>"Patchouli said that it was clearly touched by some exceptional power at some point, but couldn't tell what it was. But she did say that your family's expertise with jewels extends well into the magical realm, as well."