Sword Quest VII - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> Has Seiga always been this...well, childish?

[Hello Purvis]

> Has Seiga always been this...well, childish?

>Sometimes. She can be remarkably focused on a thing or oblivious.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Give an uncertain frown.
> Keep tone non-accusatory.
> "And why was it so important?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Give an uncertain frown.
> Keep tone non-accusatory.
> "And why was it so important?"

>"Because..." she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Did she says this with the same tone as before? Or did she seem too embarrassed to continue instead?
> Is Seiga sitting down, as we are?

[Hello Purvis]

> Did she says this with the same tone as before? Or did she seem too embarrassed to continue instead?
> Is Seiga sitting down, as we are?

>She definitely seems like she doesn't want to say.
>Yes, she is across the table from you.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Put on an empathetic expression with the slightest hint of a smile.
> "Seiga, dear, you do remember what I told you at the very beginning of this conversation, yes? You can be honest with me with this."

[Hello Purvis]

> Put on an empathetic expression with the slightest hint of a smile.
> "Seiga, dear, you do remember what I told you at the very beginning of this conversation, yes? You can be honest with me with this."

>She sighs, and seems surprisingly abashed. "I was hoping if I surprised you, you'd end my banishment..."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

Aww, that's adorable. (And what I was hoping for. Double success!)

> What, precisely, were the 'wicked ways' we meant when we banished Seiga the first time around?

[Hello Purvis]

> What, precisely, were the 'wicked ways' we meant when we banished Seiga the first time around?

>Things like this, really. Selfishness, short-sightedness, callousness toward the well-being and concern of others or the consequences of her actions for others.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Keep on the same sympathetic look and tone.
> Nod slowly.
> "Mmm. I figured that might be the case. I apologize if I made you think I actually believed you a traitor."

[Hello Purvis]

> Keep on the same sympathetic look and tone.
> Nod slowly.
> "Mmm. I figured that might be the case. I apologize if I made you think I actually believed you a traitor."

>She gives a nod, still clearly embarrassed.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Sigh with a smile and stand up.
> Give a small, gentle beckon.
> "Seiga, come here, please."

[Hello Purvis]

> Sigh with a smile and stand up.
> Give a small, gentle beckon.
> "Seiga, come here, please."

>She stands, and goes around the table to join you, clearly hesitant.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Lose the smile, but keep the rest of the sympathetic look.
> Gently place a hand on Seiga's shoulder.
> Take on a soft tone.
> "I did say I appreciate the sentiment, dear. I will be forthright: no small part of my stress today has been over the possibility that you and I would end up directly at odds, and that we would do battle with each other before everything resolved."

[Hello Purvis]

> Lose the smile, but keep the rest of the sympathetic look.
> Gently place a hand on Seiga's shoulder.
> Take on a soft tone.
> "I did say I appreciate the sentiment, dear. I will be forthright: no small part of my stress today has been over the possibility that you and I would end up directly at odds, and that we would do battle with each other before everything resolved."

>"Are we?" she asks.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I do not wish for us to be. And I believe you do not wish for us to be either."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I do not wish for us to be. And I believe you do not wish for us to be either."

>She shakes her head. "Of course not!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Nod.
> "Good. Then I believe we will not."
> "Now, that being said, I would like to discuss what you have done today in that light. You may not like what you hear, but I promise you, I will say these things because I care for you, as I said. I want to be able to tell you that you are welcome in our little family again. But there is work to be done before I can, and that work begins with what I have to say. Will you listen?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Nod.
> "Good. Then I believe we will not."
> "Now, that being said, I would like to discuss what you have done today in that light. You may not like what you hear, but I promise you, I will say these things because I care for you, as I said. I want to be able to tell you that you are welcome in our little family again. But there is work to be done before I can, and that work begins with what I have to say. Will you listen?"

>She frowns, then after a few moments of hesitation, gives a single small nod.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Return the gentle smile.
> "Good. I am glad to hear this."
> Bring our other arm and shift our grip on Seiga's shoulder into a gentle embrace.

[Hello Purvis]

> Return the gentle smile.
> "Good. I am glad to hear this."
> Bring our other arm and shift our grip on Seiga's shoulder into a gentle embrace.

>You give her a hug. She doesn't hesitate to return it.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Let the hug hold for a few seconds, then let go.
> When Seiga also lets go, gesture back to where she was sitting.
> "Shall we begin?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Let the hug hold for a few seconds, then let go.
> When Seiga also lets go, gesture back to where she was sitting.
> "Shall we begin?"

>Seiga returns to her seat.
>"I suppose so," she says cautiously.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Return to our own seat.
> "Very good."
> "As I said before, I can appreciate the sentiment of what you have done. The humans of Gensokyo would certainly benefit from being united under a single banner. My...main concern with this particular approach is the general lack of empathy shown. We should be showing concern for the well-being of others. Even if they have wronged us, we should not stoop to their level."

[Hello Purvis]

> Return to our own seat.
> "Very good."
> "As I said before, I can appreciate the sentiment of what you have done. The humans of Gensokyo would certainly benefit from being united under a single banner. My...main concern with this particular approach is the general lack of empathy shown. We should be showing concern for the well-being of others. Even if they have wronged us, we should not stoop to their level."

>"Mmm."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I realize this is a change from our previous lives. But the reality we face now is different from the reality we lived back then. Our positions in society are different, our goals with life are different, we ourselves are different. We are now best served gaining the respect of whomever we can, and offending as few as possible. This is particularly true given we have had the misfortune of gaining a group of fairly influential rivals. We shall not, of course, kowtow to that group, but we should not be antagonizing them either, lest we bring ourselves down to their level."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I realize this is a change from our previous lives. But the reality we face now is different from the reality we lived back then. Our positions in society are different, our goals with life are different, we ourselves are different. We are now best served gaining the respect of whomever we can, and offending as few as possible. This is particularly true given we have had the misfortune of gaining a group of fairly influential rivals. We shall not, of course, kowtow to that group, but we should not be antagonizing them either, lest we bring ourselves down to their level."

>"Well, I wasn't even really going to bother with them," says Seiga. "If they chose to humiliate themselves, that'd be their fault."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Nod.
> "Of course. I was simply providing them as the most obvious example of an antagonistic party."
> "This brings me to the first major point of conflict. I believe it may be possible to unite the humans of Gensokyo under a single banner without thievery or forcing conflict. This would be the ideal way to go about doing so."

[Hello Purvis]

> Nod.
> "Of course. I was simply providing them as the most obvious example of an antagonistic party."
> "This brings me to the first major point of conflict. I believe it may be possible to unite the humans of Gensokyo under a single banner without thievery or forcing conflict. This would be the ideal way to go about doing so."

>"Maybe," she says, "But better to have a slightly messy solution now than wait forever for a perfect one."

>_