Okuu Quest Next - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> It's hard to be sure of anything anymore... Between what we feel, and what we know, everything that's happened today, maybe we shouldn't take anything for granted.
> Stand our ground and continue to watch it, but be prepared to move quickly if it jumps at us or something. We don't know what physical contact with it might do.

>It sits there, regarding you, its tails swishing back and forth idly.
>You think your heartbeat is starting to slow back down...
>"What's it doing?" asks Parsee, sounding a million miles away. "What's she doing?"

>_

[Seian Verian]

> "It seems to be... Just sitting there. I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing though..."

[DracoOmega]

>Try talking to the cat, again, to see if you get any reaction out of it
>"C-can you understand me?"

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Orin?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "It seems to be... Just sitting there. I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing though..."

>It seems to be licking its paw.

>Try talking to the cat, again, to see if you get any reaction out of it
>"C-can you understand me?"

>It flicks an ear at you. You aren't sure if that is a yea or a nay.

> "Orin?"

>You name your sister, you aren't sure why.
>The cat stands up and stretches. Then it begins to approach you.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Orin?  It's me, Okuu.  Come here."
> Crouch down and hold out our hand

[Hello Purvis]

> "Orin?  It's me, Okuu.  Come here."
> Crouch down and hold out our hand

>You aren't sure if it's recognizing the name. You aren't sure why you're even saying it...
>It approaches you.
>"Is this safe?" Maribel asks.
>"I don't know, just keep recording!" says Renko in a tense voice.
>It stops a few inches from your hand. You can't read it very well, as there are no features to read, but it seems to be considering you.

>_

[Kasu]

> If we're calm enough, take some deep breaths.

[Hello Purvis]

> If we're calm enough, take some deep breaths.

>You take some deep breaths. They are ragged breathes, but breathes nonetheless.

>_

[Kasu]

> Continue observing the "cat".

[Hello Purvis]

> Continue observing the "cat".

>You observe it. It flicks its ears, then leaps!
>You cry out and fall back onto your rear. It does not touch you, instead flying over you and landing on one of the fences.
>It no longer looks pitch black now. In the light, it is transparent. It looks down at you, and seems to be fading away.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Can we see any details, now, or is it still just a flat silhouette, except a transparent one?
>How quickly is it fading out?

[Hello Purvis]

>Can we see any details, now, or is it still just a flat silhouette, except a transparent one?
>How quickly is it fading out?

>You cannot make out any new details.
>Quickly enough you can see it happening. It will be gone within a few seconds.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"No, don't go!"

(I'm torn between whether touching it would have been a useful or very, very bad thing to have tried)

>Do we have anything in reach that we could use (in a non-aggressive way) to see if it's tangible or not?

[Hello Purvis]

>"No, don't go!"

(I'm torn between whether touching it would have been a useful or very, very bad thing to have tried)

>Do we have anything in reach that we could use (in a non-aggressive way) to see if it's tangible or not?

>It doesn't seem to be listening. Or perhaps it has no choice?
>You could throw some birdseed at it. Aside from that, no.

>_

[Kasu]

> Quickly try the birdseed method.
> Observe effects.

[Hello Purvis]

> Quickly try the birdseed method.
> Observe effects.

>You toss some birdseed at the fading cat shadow. The seed pass through it and lands in some guy's lawn.
>The cat fades from sight.
>"...Are you okay?" Parsee asks.
>"Check the footage, check the footage!" Renko shouts. You see her dash over to Maribel's side, grinning manically.
>"I am, I am," says Maribel. "I can't believe it! We've finally hit the jackpot!"

>_

[Kasu]

> Try to regain normal breathing patterns.
> "That's...  the second time...  today..."
> Reassure Parsee we're good.

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm... uh, I guess I'm ok. I..."
>"I don't know how or why, but... I think something about that... seemed familiar, somehow. I- I don't know..."
>Collapse and try to breathe

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm... uh, I guess I'm ok. I..."
>"I don't know how or why, but... I think something about that... seemed familiar, somehow. I- I don't know..."
>Collapse and try to breathe

>You are already on the ground from falling back when the cat shadow leaped in your direction. You lean back onto your elbows, and try to breathe.
>You feel numb inside. You should be terrified, or panicking, but you just can't feel it yet...
>Parsee kneels down beside you, giving you a critical look. "You don't look hurt, for what it's worth," she says.
>"Yes, we got it!" says Maribel, you can't see her but her tone makes you think she might actually be jumping for joy. "We got it! A geniune extranormal event on film! And-Oh my god!"
>"What the hell is that!?" Renko shouts.

>_

[Kasu]

> Look up.
> "Uhh...  What now?  I've had my fill of extranormal for the day..."

[Rin Kagamine]

> "What's going on?"
> Turn in the direction they seem to be looking

[DracoOmega]

>"What the hell is what?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Look up.
> "Uhh...  What now?  I've had my fill of extranormal for the day..."

> "What's going on?"
> Turn in the direction they seem to be looking

>"What the hell is what?"

>You look up, and see the two paranormal investigators looking at you, and at the screen of a digital camera that Maribel is holding, mouths agape.
>You look the direction they are, and see nothing but alley, trash, and fence.
>"Well, um..." says Maribel, "It looks like you got a doggie bag of extranormal, because...um... Renko, should we show her?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Uh, show me what?"

[Kasu]

> "Show me.  This could help me determine what's going on."

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Yes you should show me"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Uh, show me what?"

>"...Um, yeah, it's easier to show you."

> "Show me.  This could help me determine what's going on."

> "Yes you should show me"

.

>"O-okay," says Maribel, as she starts to take halting steps toward you. Renko hesitates for a moment, then follows, putting a hand on Maribel's shoulder. Maribel jumps and cries out a little, prompting a quick apology from Renko
>Parsee watches the scene with her arms crossed and her mouth a hard, thin line. "Just keep us in the dark a little longer, please."
>"Look at the video," says Maribel as she hands you the camera gingerly, as though she expected you to strike her. Then she backs away, colliding into Renko.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"What are you so nervous about, anyway?"
>Watch the video

[Hello Purvis]

>"What are you so nervous about, anyway?"
>Watch the video

>They don't answer. So you just watch the video.
>This isn't a bad camera, by the looks of it. That's a nice crisp picture of the alley there. Straining your eyes, you can start to make out some motion in the darkness. It's strange, you can only see it as a kind of absence of details, winking into and out of existence as the cat moves in front of them.
>Then you see yourself enter the screen, and you have to revise your opinion of the camera's quality. You look like shit, there's all sorts of artifacts around you as step onto the screen, your face grim and determined. ...Wait a minute. As you watch, you see that those are artifacts... There is a crow, sitting on your hairband! What the hell?! Your blood starts to run cold as you continue watch, and the rest of the artifacts resolve into a sort of humanoid shape, horned...
>In this video, the forest ghost is standing behind you, with a hand on your shoulder...
>Oh god your shoulder is prickling, it that just your imagination?! Oh god, oh god!

>_