Reisen Quest Furthermore: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Rin Kagamine]

> Thank Iku and spin yourself out of the dance.
> Make your way towards Yuugi and Parsee.

[Hello Purvis]

> Thank Iku and spin yourself out of the dance.
> Make your way towards Yuugi and Parsee.

>You thank Iku, and disentangle yourself. "No problem," she says, "Thanks for the dance!"
>The Felt is a big place, and you only have a vague idea what either of them look like. Where will you search?

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> Start by the bar.

[Hello Purvis]

> Start by the bar.

>You start by the bar. It is, as you would expect, quite crowded. Enough so that there are no seats, to discourage people from loitering. Still, there's quite a few people here, standing at or leaning against the bar and making idle conversation and bobbing along to the music. The barkeeper, or rather barkeepers, are a few faeries in white shirts and ties. Presumably the boss doesn't trust oni not to take too much of the stock. You don't see anyone that resembles the descriptions of Parsee or Yuugi that you've heard. You're pretty sure Parsee wouldn't be here anyways, there's only oni at the bar.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> Move to the casino.
>> Roulette table

[Hello Purvis]

> Move to the casino.
>> Roulette table

>You head west, into the casino.
>The music is a bit muted here. Looking around, you can see a number of card tables and dice near the middle of the room. Off to the edges are a number of billiards tables. In the back, you can see some roulette tables and the chip exchange. The crowd here isn't so thick as elsewhere, but most of the tables are occupied. The babble of light conversation mixes with the spinning of roulette wheels and falling dice, and the occasional cheer or cry of dismay as the cards are shown.
>You look around the roulette tables, and see no signs of your quarry. You do note a teal-haired Youkai in a matching suit, carrying a purple umbrella with a mouth and a long tongue at one of the roulette tables.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> Approach that youkai from behind, quietly.
> Contemplate scaring her, but then move beside her and greet her.

[Hello Purvis]

> Approach that youkai from behind, quietly.
> Contemplate scaring her, but then move beside her and greet her.

>You are pretty easily able to sneak up on her, given the noise and distractions. But you decide not to surprise her, and sidle up beside her. She still starts a bit, and returns your greeting with a somewhat nervous, "Hello."

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "I'm sorry if I startled you, but it''s nice to find a youkai in among the oni."
> Introduce ourselves
> "It's hard not to notice, but that is a wonderful umbrella you have there."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I'm sorry if I startled you, but it''s nice to find a youkai in among the oni."
> Introduce ourselves
> "It's hard not to notice, but that is a wonderful umbrella you have there."

>"Oh, don't worry about it," she says. "I'm Kogasa."
>You introduce yourself and compliment her umbrella. She smiles.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Ah, you must be the Kogasa we've heard about in relation to Byakuren and her followers."
> "You look quite spiffied up. Do you work here?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Ah, you must be the Kogasa we've heard about in relation to Byakuren and her followers."
> "You look quite spiffied up. Do you work here?"

>"Uh, I'm kinda Nue's friend," says Kogasa, "But I really don't mess with her other friends much."
>"Nope, just playing the tables."
>The ball falls into red 23. Dealer gives Kogasa a few chips. Kogasa hands them back to the dealer. "Red," she says. The dealer then looks to you.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> Abstain for now since have any chips.
> Mentally put all on 14

[Hello Purvis]

> Abstain for now since have any chips.
> Mentally put all on 14

>You abstain, but play along in your head.
>The ball lands on 11, black. Kogasa winces.

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Damn, I lost too.  Gonna try again?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Damn, I lost too.  Gonna try again?"

>"In a little bit," she says. "Maybe I'll try some blackjack first. So, do you play soft or hard?"

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Hard, I like to push my luck.  Let me get some chips and I'll join you."
> Head for the cashier, keeping a look-out for anyone non-Oni, and Yuugi

[Hello Purvis]

> "Hard, I like to push my luck.  Let me get some chips and I'll join you."
> Head for the cashier, keeping a look-out for anyone non-Oni, and Yuugi

>You head to the chip exchange. The oni at the counter nods to you. "Hard chips or soft, dollface? One ☼ to the hard chip."

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> So, 100 hard chips for 100 ☼?  Is that right?
> "What's the minimum for the tables?"

[Hello Purvis]

> So, 100 hard chips for 100 ☼?  Is that right?
> "What's the minimum for the tables?"

>Unless the oni is talking in code, you are pretty sure that's right.
>"We don't bother with those kinds of things," says the oni. "Just go have a ball."

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> Exchange 100 ☼ for now, then go back to Kogasa.

[Hello Purvis]

> Exchange 100 ☼ for now, then go back to Kogasa.

>You Obtain: 100 Hard Chips
>You return to Kogasa, who is loitering near a blackjack table. She gives you a smile and a nod.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Lead the way."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Lead the way."

>Kogasa leads toward an empty blackjack table.
>"Place your bets," says the oni dealer, as she starts to shuffle the deck of cards.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> Ooh, single deck blackjack?
> Start with 5 chips for now.

[Hello Purvis]

> Ooh, single deck blackjack?
> Start with 5 chips for now.

>You place five chips.
>Kogasa places five as well. You note that hers are marked with an S, while yours are marked with an H.
>The bets are taken, and the dealer gives you two cards. A 4 of Ghosts and an ace of Butterflies. Kogasa gets a Jack of Ghosts and a Queen of Ghosts. She chooses to stand.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

Fucking Gensokyo decks.  I like that it won't let us play soft.
> Hit

[Hello Purvis]

Fucking Gensokyo decks.  I like that it won't let us play soft.
> Hit

>You get an Ace of Stars.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "You know, it occurs to me that Gensokyo rules might be different from Lunarian rules, and I haven't played since back before the big move. How do you folks define hard and soft?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "You know, it occurs to me that Gensokyo rules might be different from Lunarian rules, and I haven't played since back before the big move. How do you folks define hard and soft?"

>"Simple," says the dealer. "If you're talking about the game, aces can be 1 or 11. You've got a soft 16 right now. If you're talking about chips, hard chips are worth money. Soft chips, like she's got," the dealer nods toward Kogasa, "are just for fun. You only get 30 of those a day, though. And it's zeroed out every day at midnight. Simple."

>_