Maribel Hearn Quest: ACT II - Part 2

[Monarda]

>"Um, you guys can wait outside if you`d like, i`ll help her, and she is pretty uneasy around people for some really, someone hurt her and her feelings pretty badly..."
>Head inside and have another look.
>"Where is your bend Rengeteki ?"

[Neovereign]

>Lets not mention the last part about her being hurt. She might be self-conscious about it.
>Locate Rengeteki's bed when we enter.

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"Um, you guys can wait outside if you`d like, i`ll help her, and she is pretty uneasy around people for some really, someone hurt her and her feelings pretty badly..."

>Lets not mention the last part about her being hurt. She might be self-conscious about it.

>You omit the last part.
>"Okay." Renko nods, "I'll keep your satchel safe then, while I'm out here."
>"Sure." says Marisa.
>"Very well." YuugenMagan replies

>Head inside and have another look.

>You head inside. You don't see a bed nearby.

>"Where is your bend Rengeteki ?"

>Locate Rengeteki's bed when we enter.

>Rengeteki hesitantly points to the entrance of a hall located just past the pinned sheet of paper on the wall. Now that you're closer, you notice it seems to be a note of some kind.
>_

[Monarda]

>"Alright, nice and easy okay ?"
>Head down the hallway with her, being careful to not trip or anything with her.
>Read the note too.
>"So you live alone here... what kind of youkai are you Rengeteki ?"

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"Alright, nice and easy okay ?"
>Head down the hallway with her, being careful to not trip or anything with her.
>Read the note too.

>You head for the hallway, reading the note under the words "NEVER FORGET." as you pass by.

Rengeteki,

I know that you and Layla haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye lately...
And I realized that I may likely be the cause of your current relationship.

Please, meet me in the cave to the northeast, I've asked Layla to come as
well. I do not wish for whatever is going on between you two to tear apart
our friendship. We'll talk this out, and hopefully we can find a solution.

See you there,
Your best friend, forever:

R̲̰̥͛̍ͦ̇͊͐̀i̸̤̪͇͖͍̙̬̩̐ͮ̋͐̓͒̿͟͞n̷͎̲̲ͨͥ͑̓ͯͯ̂ͅ ̭̭ͯ͑̋ͪ̈́̊̚͠ S͕̭ͯ̇̅̌̒̐ą̗̖̞͇̈͂͋̾͆̍ͭ̾̅t͙̥̓͋͊ͩ͂̂̆ͨs̘̮ͪ͟͢u͊̀k̳ͤ̂ͥ͒̈͘i̡̺̜̠͈͓͚̜̲̙̾ͨͦ͌̈


>The signature on the bottom is unintelligible, and seems to flicker between random shapes, as if it were a glitch on a computer screen. The most you can make out is an 'R' and an 'S'

>Below the note, the words "Her name is" are carved into the wall, followed by a similar unintelligible shape, that looks exactly the same as the one on the note. Again, you can make out only the R and the S.
>Below that, "The letters are starting to show up again... What could this mean?" is carved into the wall as well.

>You notice Rengeteki is looking at the note as well, you think you see hints of regret on her face...

>"So you live alone here... what kind of youkai are you Rengeteki ?"

>"O-Oh!" she quickly pulls her attention back to you, "I-I'm unsure... to be honest..."
>_

[Monarda]

>"Hm, listen, do you... wanna talk ? You seem pretty lonely, but i can see that you had friends, do you wanna um, vent off and tell me what happened for you to be alone ?"
>Give her a encouraging smile.
>"It`s okay if you don`t, but i really want to help, and for that, we need to know the root of the problem."
>Keep heading.

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"Hm, listen, do you... wanna talk ? You seem pretty lonely, but i can see that you had friends, do you wanna um, vent off and tell me what happened for you to be alone ?"
>Give her a encouraging smile.
>"It`s okay if you don`t, but i really want to help, and for that, we need to know the root of the problem."
>Keep heading.

>You turn into the short hall, and start heading down it.
>"Help...? Sorry. No. I'm beyond helping. Can't trust anyone. I don't even trust you fully, even if you're not gonna hurt me... No help, please... I'm not worth it..."
>_

[Monarda]

>"Regenteki ! Don't say that ! Nobody is beyond help if they want things to get better !"
>Look at her and hug her carefully.
>"Look dear, i know that you are pretty lonely, i know that i have no idea of what you have been through, but i just can't let stay here alone forever thinking about your old friends, i really wanna help, if i can't..."
>Look down.
>"Then i'm no good as the person i want to be..."
>Keep going to her room again.

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"Regenteki ! Don't say that ! Nobody is beyond help if they want things to get better !"
>Look at her and hug her carefully.
>"Look dear, i know that you are pretty lonely, i know that i have no idea of what you have been through, but i just can't let stay here alone forever thinking about your old friends, i really wanna help, if i can't..."
>Look down.
>"Then i'm no good as the person i want to be..."
>Keep going to her room again.

>Rengeteki remains silent as you reach the end of the hall and enter another room, walls plastered with the word "Repent". An old mattress can be seen laying in a corner, and the words "Friendship is a lie?" are carved on the adjacent wall about 20 times in a column. Another note seems to be pinned to the wall next to it.
>"Alright..." she sighs, "If you really want to know... I'll tell you what happened. _{^{Maybe... It would be a step towards repenting...? Repent. Must repent...}}"
>_

[Monarda]

>"Good, that is the first step."
>Smile then approach the mattress with her.
>Lie her down carefully.
>"Is you ankle hurting much ? I`m sorry, i don`t have any magic or something to heal it.... you can just rest and wait for it to recover."
>Sit down and wait for her to tell us.

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"Good, that is the first step."
>Smile then approach the mattress with her.
>Lie her down carefully.

>You set her down on the mattress with the utmost care.
>You are also close enough to read the second note now if you wanted.

>"Is you ankle hurting much ? I`m sorry, i don`t have any magic or something to heal it.... you can just rest and wait for it to recover."
>Sit down and wait for her to tell us.

>"It only hurts if I put weight on it..." she replies.
>You sit for a few seconds, while Rengeteki works up the courage to speak.

>"Okay... So a long time ago I met this youkai... She was my first friend. My best friend. She was everything to me... You might even say I... loved her..."
>Tears begin to form in Rengeteki's eyes.
>"I had another friend too... A phantom... She loved music. She and my best friend would often play instruments together, and all three of us got along well... Well, until... it turned out that the phantom loved my best friend too... We started to drift apart... My best friend eventually got wind of it, and called us all to a place to compromise..."
>She begins shaking, "T-There was an accident... I-I tried to s-save her b-b-but I... I..." tears begin running down her face, "The g-ghost never forgave me for it... s-she b-broke my arm... a-and threw m-me into a thorn-bush... I-I ran... Never saw h-her again... S-Spent nearly every moment a-after trying to repent... must repent... I-I must s-suffer for my s-sin..."

>She begins crying uncontrollably...
>_

[Monarda]

>A friend in need is more important than a note.
>Hug her. "There there.... i`m here with you, it`s alright... what about that flower lady, Yuuka, what did she do to you ?"

//Man, this feels bad, i`ve grown so fond of this....

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>A friend in need is more important than a note.

>You decide to ignore the note, for now.

>Hug her. "There there.... i`m here with you, it`s alright... what about that flower lady, Yuuka, what did she do to you ?"

>"W-Well..." she sniffles, "A-A few years later, I-I met this person named Kurumi... We b-became friends, a-and she took me to her home, where I met this l-lady named Elly. T-The flower lady owned the house, a-and I don't think s-she liked me as much as them... O-one night, Elly and Kurumi invited me over, h-hoping I could become closer to the flower lady, and l-later that night, t-this magician - s-she kinda looked like your black and white f-friend out there, now that I think about it - and some shrine maiden attacked the place... I-I thought I could get the flower lady to like me more by defending her h-home, but they were too strong for me. W-When I next woke up, the entire place had vanished. I-I couldn't find Elly or Kurumi anywhere. I thought I was going crazy, and t-that I imagined it all... B-But a little while later I-I saw the flower lady again, and she was with the same two people who attacked the flower lady's place and some weird ghost lady... I-I followed them to another world, a-and I approached to flower lady to ask what happened, b-b-but she attacked me, l-like she didn't recognize me at all... I-I barely survived... A-and ever since I got b-back I-I haven't been a-able to fly p-properly... H-Had to walk the rest of the w-way home... Been a-alone ever since...."
>_

[Monarda]

>"I see dear.... you have been through a lot..."
>Gently pet her.
>"But i will help you, no matter what, i already have an idea of how to start."
>Smile.
>"For now, just stay here and rest, you still have an ankle to heal okay ?"
>Is her ankle positioned correctly as to allow it to heal well ?

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"I see dear.... you have been through a lot..."
>Gently pet her.
>"But i will help you, no matter what, i already have an idea of how to start."
>Smile.

>"Y-You do?"

>"For now, just stay here and rest, you still have an ankle to heal okay ?"

>"Oh..." she frowns, "D-Does this mean... I'll see you again...?"

>Is her ankle positioned correctly as to allow it to heal well ?

>You believe so.
>_

[Monarda]

>Smile.
>"Yes, i`ll come here as soon as i can, i also have a friend that is in danger right now and can`t stay here."
>Gently pet here again.
>"Please be safe, Regenteki."
>Check the second note then leave the room and go towards the front door.

[Neovereign]

>Wonder what happens if we're found by Yukari and our promises can't be met...

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>Smile.
>"Yes, i`ll come here as soon as i can, i also have a friend that is in danger right now and can`t stay here."
>Gently pet here again.
>"Please be safe, Regenteki."

>"Y-You too, Miss.... M-Miss... ^{_{I'm so s-sorry! I-I forgot your name... Stupid! Stupid!}}"

>Check the second note then leave the room and go towards the front door.

>You read the second note:

Rengeteki,

We know Lady Yuuka can be a bit... harsh... at times, but trust us, once she gets to know you more, she'll lighten up.
On that note, how about you come down to Mugenkan tomorrow for dinner? It would be a great time to socialize with
Lady Yuuka some more, and let her see just how much of an amazing person you are!

We hope to see you there,
-Elly and Kurumi

>The words "Were they even real?" are carved into the wall below.

>You begin to head back towards the hall.

>Wonder what happens if we're found by Yukari and our promises can't be met...

>You wonder what would happen if Yukari caught you and your promises to Rengeteki can't be kept... You find yourself frowning at the thought.
>_

[Monarda]

>Quickly head back to her room.
>"Ohh don`t worry, it`s Maribel !"
>Go back and open the door.
>What is our group doing ?

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>Quickly head back to her room.
>"Ohh don`t worry, it`s Maribel !"

>"Okay." Rengeteki actually smiles slightly.

>Go back and open the door.
>What is our group doing ?

>You make your way back out of the shack.
>Renko seems to be in a conversation with YuugenMagan.
>Marisa is leaning against the shack, looking over the remains of her broom.
>_

[Monarda]

>"I`m back."
>Join them.

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"I`m back."
>Join them.

>You head over to Renko and YuugenMagan.
>"Ah, there you are." YuugenMagan's eyes face you, "I was merely getting acquainted with Renko here. Are you ready to move on?"
>_

[Monarda]

>"Yea, just a minute."
>Turn to Miss Marisa.
>"Miss Marisa, was there an incident caused by Miss Yuuka in the past ?"

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"Yea, just a minute."
>Turn to Miss Marisa.
>"Miss Marisa, was there an incident caused by Miss Yuuka in the past ?"

>"Hmm?" Marisa thinks for a moment, "Yes, actually. A very long time ago, if I remember it right... She apparently sent a bunch of lesser youkai to attack the Hakurei Shrine because she was bored ~ze... And, well, Reimu was understandably pretty pissed... Anyway, back then, I wasn't even trying to solve incidents. To be honest, the only reason I got involved was because I just wanted to acquire some power, since the place where the small group of youkai came from, as well as Yuuka herself, was brimming with it..."
>_

[Monarda]

>"But what happened to that Mugenkan place then ? And did any of those youkai disappear after that ?"

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"But what happened to that Mugenkan place then ? And did any of those youkai disappear after that ?"

>"Well, that's the weird thing. After Yuuka went down, the whole place sorta... collapsed... and vanished without a trace ~ze. Apparently the Yuuka we fought wasn't actually the real Yuuka, either, but some kind of... projection... or something... Anyway, after it vanished, it left some kind of hole that was gradually closing, so Reimu and I investigate - for different reasons, of course - and found that it lead to some kind of dream realm... Anyway, there was this skirmish with a couple of gods, and after we won we were kinda kicked out, and the hole closed behind us."
>_

[Monarda]

>"I see... what about the other youkai ? Were they projections too ?"

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"I see... what about the other youkai ? Were they projections too ?"

>"Not sure... I think a couple of them disappeared along with the place. And some of the others just appeared on the ground where it once stood..."
>_

[Monarda]

>"I see... then that`s why she couldn`t find her friends, because they probably disappeared, and that`s why Yuuka didn`t recognize her, because that wasn`t the real Yuuka that she met..."
>Look down.
>"I feel sorry for her, that incident hurt her so much, and she was already hurt badly after losing the person she loved and a dear friend too...."

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"I see... then that`s why she couldn`t find her friends, because they probably disappeared, and that`s why Yuuka didn`t recognize her, because that wasn`t the real Yuuka that she met..."

>"Well it was the real Yuuka, in a way... She remembered almost everything when we next met her..."

>Look down.
>"I feel sorry for her, that incident hurt her so much, and she was already hurt badly after losing the person she loved and a dear friend too...."

>"Do you think there's maybe a way to make things better for her?" Renko asks.
>_