Hatate Quest Nelja

[Oldmansour]

>"You're doing that dancing around the topic thing again."

>"Some people can't take a compliment." Aya says with a chuckle. "All right, look. You're obviously convinced that this world is some kind of fake. But I don't think you're as convinced that it's a threat beyond just being a box, am I right?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Being fake it bad enough, why even worry about more than that?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Being fake it bad enough, why even worry about more than that?"

>"Because I'm not convinced it is fake. So I'm not actually worried at all."

[Hello Purvis]

"Except for all the fake stuff like tengu cheerfully spitting on their ancestors, going into a civil war, and selling out their own people to oni enslavement, yeah. Oh, and the fact that none of them have any wind to them at all like we do."

[Oldmansour]

"Except for all the fake stuff like tengu cheerfully spitting on their ancestors, going into a civil war, and selling out their own people to oni enslavement, yeah. Oh, and the fact that none of them have any wind to them at all like we do."

>"There was nothing cheerful about it, kid." Aya says sharply. "I think the only one who was happy about the fighting was Tsubaki, since it gave her a chance to take a swing at me. She's wanted to do that for centuries, ever since I busted up one of her schemes. She just wasn't allowed to." Aya smiles a bitter smile. "I was Tenma's favourite slave, after all."
>"And we've been over the wind thing. Just because you can't sense it doesn't mean it isn't there. It's probably just a different wind from your world."

[Hello Purvis]

>"No, the only one happy was you. Because you put your support behind it and you haven't even started to show even a drop of remorse like a decent tengu. You hated Tsubaki, and you imagined her messing up so bad you could justify backing an atrocity like that. Oh, by the way, the actual real Tsubaki was raiding your stuff, me and Momiji caught her in the act."

[Oldmansour]

>"No, the only one happy was you. Because you put your support behind it and you haven't even started to show even a drop of remorse like a decent tengu. You hated Tsubaki, and you imagined her messing up so bad you could justify backing an atrocity like that. Oh, by the way, the actual real Tsubaki was raiding your stuff, me and Momiji caught her in the act."

>Aya scowls blackly, but visibly stops herself from saying something. Plainly, you have struck a nerve or two.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Sparrow got your tongue?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Sparrow got your tongue?"

>Aya's eyes narrow. "You claimed that you were my friend. If that was true, you'd never have said what you just did. I don't care who you are, or where you're from, but you don't get to stand there and judge me. You don't know anything."

[Hello Purvis]

>"No, I get to judge you a whole lot, because abandoned everything that makes a tengu be something other than some youkai.
>Spread arms. "Because I'm sure what our people really need is civil war, mas betrayal, and selling out our own. That's what'll really make our make on the world, mimicking all the human vices! That's the path of improvement! How about we start cutting hands next?"

[Oldmansour]

>"No, I get to judge you a whole lot, because abandoned everything that makes a tengu be something other than some youkai.
>Spread arms. "Because I'm sure what our people really need is civil war, mas betrayal, and selling out our own. That's what'll really make our make on the world, mimicking all the human vices! That's the path of improvement! How about we start cutting hands next?"

>"Okay, you know what?" Aya says, getting to her feet. "I'm done with you. I've indulged your little fantasies and theories, but you've just crossed a line. I don't think I care to talk to you anymore."

[Kilgamayan]

> Is Momizi in our current line of sight enough for us to tell how she's taking this?
> Are we capable of feeling our own wind?

[Oldmansour]

> Is Momizi in our current line of sight enough for us to tell how she's taking this?
> Are we capable of feeling our own wind?

>She's been standing just behind you and to your right all this time. You'd need to turn your head a little to see her face.
>You are. At least until normal circumstances. You haven't tried to feel your own place in the wind since you arrived here.

[Hello Purvis]

>"So you're gonna run away again, like you've run from everything else? Can't deal with it when you have a Hatate who doesn't just knuckle under to you, huh? Hell, I bet you've probably convinced yourself there wasn't even another Aya by this point."

[Oldmansour]

>"So you're gonna run away again, like you've run from everything else? Can't deal with it when you have a Hatate who doesn't just knuckle under to you, huh? Hell, I bet you've probably convinced yourself there wasn't even another Aya by this point."

>"For your information, you arrogant little snot, the other Hatate is a better jornalist than I ever was. She's surpassed me, and I'm proud of her for it. And I intend to tell her not to waste any of her time on you. She's got better things to do. So why don't you go bother someone else for a while?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, it's not hard for you to imagine someone better than you, it's a not much of a bar to clear. I like how you're ignoring the other part, too, like you think it'll just go away."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, it's not hard for you to imagine someone better than you, it's a not much of a bar to clear. I like how you're ignoring the other part, too, like you think it'll just go away."

>Aya gives you a very sour smile. "And now I know for sure she's better than you, too. See, she can keep her ego under control. That's a skill you should work on. I had to get to the top, and it got to my head. She earned her way to the top, and she didn't let it get to her head. Here's a tip on how to start, try doing some investigating before jumping to conclusions."

[Kilgamayan]

Girls are looking for that exact quote I mentioned earlier, please wait warmly~

[Hello Purvis]

>"No no, there's investigation involved, you're just mad that it's kind of revealed you're a not that hot. Also, you're kind of a bad liar, because I've talked to the other Hatate and she didn't say anything like you just did, rather she just parroted a bunch of ego-puffing crap about you."

[Kilgamayan]

> Hold up on that, trying something else.

> "I already did. I talked to the other me. She outright admitted that she's still not as good as you."

[Oldmansour]

>"No no, there's investigation involved, you're just mad that it's kind of revealed you're a not that hot. Also, you're kind of a bad liar, because I've talked to the other Hatate and she didn't say anything like you just did, rather she just parroted a bunch of ego-puffing crap about you."

> Hold up on that, trying something else.

> "I already did. I talked to the other me. She outright admitted that she's still not as good as you."

>Your temper demands one reply, but another part of your brain suggests another. You go with the latter option.
>"That doesn't mean it's true. Ever heard of excessive modesty? Or do you spend too much time insulting people to learn about things like that?"

[Kilgamayan]

> Eyeroll.
> "Why would she lie to herself? And even if she was lying to me, if she wanted to show everyone that she was truly number 1, how can she possibly do that? Her entire race considers you their savior, and you've gone into semi-retirement. What can she do to compete with that?"

[Oldmansour]

> Eyeroll.
> "Why would she lie to herself? And even if she was lying to me, if she wanted to show everyone that she was truly number 1, how can she possibly do that? Her entire race considers you their savior, and you've gone into semi-retirement. What can she do to compete with that?"

>"There's more than one way to compete with someone, you know. Sure, I had a hand in opening up all the doors the Dai-tengu had closed for our people, but she's the one who gets to investigate that world first. People go to her for jobs in journalism now, not me." Her smiles loses some of its acidity. "That doesn't mean people don't still come to me at all, but more go to her. Now if I was in her place, I'd be insufferable. My head'd be bigger than some houses. But not her. She's not only a better journalist than me, she's a better person than me. And the fact that she'd still praise me before singing her own praises makes that even more true."

[Kilgamayan]

> "She still got to where she is because you stepped aside. Do you have any idea how hollow that must feel?"

[Oldmansour]

> "She still got to where she is because you stepped aside. Do you have any idea how hollow that must feel?"

>"I stepped aside after telling her to her face, 'You're number one.' I didn't need to compete with her anymore. She'd won. And to this day, I couldn't tell you which one of us was happier for it. Seeing her rise to the top was one of the only pure joys I had from being a journalist. If there ever was a time to let someone else have the crown, that was it. And I hope she'll be just as happy when she finds some bright-eyed kid with all the talent in the world who wants to be who she is, like I was when I saw her break into the world."

[Kilgamayan]

> "And did she ever tell you how she took that? How that conversation finally convinced her that no, you were better, and how it made her physically ill to admit it?"

[Oldmansour]

> "And did she ever tell you how she took that? How that conversation finally convinced her that no, you were better, and how it made her physically ill to admit it?"

>"What are you talking about?" Aya demands.

[Kilgamayan]

> "You can ask her yourself if you don't believe me. But she told me about that talk, and how it made her realize that you got to where you were for a reason. And that's the thing. You can go ahead and tell her you think whatever of her, but her being number one by your standards doesn't matter if she's not number one by her own standards."

[Oldmansour]

> "You can ask her yourself if you don't believe me. But she told me about that talk, and how it made her realize that you got to where you were for a reason. And that's the thing. You can go ahead and tell her you think whatever of her, but her being number one by your standards doesn't matter if she's not number one by her own standards."

>"Look Hatate, I'm happy that we're actually talking now instead of just shouting at each other, but do you really think you know this Hatate as well as I do?" she asks, genuinely curious, rather than angry. "Not once have I ever seen her express that kind of opinion, either out loud or otherwise. I may not be the Tengu star journalist anymore, but I can still read people."

[Kilgamayan]

> "I know what I heard her tell me."
> Cross our arms if we aren't already, but don't change tone.
> "Are you prepared to call me a liar?"