Author Topic: Nitori Quest - For Science, We March! (Read 103253 times)

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #360 on:** July 31, 2010, 07:06:57 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 06:58:18 PM

>Hit up the Apothecary. Sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic, so lets see what the competition is doing and get a leg up on 'em.

>This place always makes you feel a little jealous. Even as you enter, you can see the bartender showing off, merely glancing at a bottle of cucumber juice and willing its contents to fly through the air and into the waiting glass of her customer. You could pull that off with science, no problem. Well, as long as you had several high power, very precise fans, a lot of electricity, and several weeks to tweak.
The Apothecary's walls are designed to look like the night sky - and they literally begin to glisten when night falls. Not that anyone would be able to tell the difference between night and day down here if it were for the watches everyone seemed to have hold of. There isn't as much activity as in some of the other Time-Outs - the Apothecary gets by on its unique, spiritual atmosphere, which feels almost separate from the rest of life in Kuromizu.
There are plenty of people sitting around and chatting, drinking all the while. It's still the afternoon, so they should be sober. The bartender stands at the counter, half a dozen bottles behind her waiting to be willed open.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #361 on:** July 31, 2010, 07:18:59 PM »

>Have a look around. We know anyone here?

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #362 on:** July 31, 2010, 07:27:37 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 07:18:59 PM

>Have a look around. We know anyone here?

> You were hardly the pinnacle of social brilliance when you were last here. You spent your days tinkering in your home made lab, ignoring your father's orders to go out and make some appearances in front of the rest of the world. He was sort of stuck up like that.
You don't really know anyone here, and as a corollary no-one really knows you.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #363 on:** July 31, 2010, 07:34:08 PM »

>Access crowd in general, then, while moving toward a seat that allows a good view. Not too fast, though.

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #364 on:** July 31, 2010, 07:41:55 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 07:34:08 PM

>Access crowd in general, then, while moving toward a seat that allows a good view. Not too fast, though.

>Kappa, unfortunately, aren't very used to interaction outside their typical social circles. Unless you give them some good reason to pay attenton to you, they'll just spend time with the friends they already know.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #365 on:** July 31, 2010, 07:43:44 PM »

>Oh well. Have a seat. Order something cheap, and eavesdrop.
>Idly check over quality of notes so far.

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #366 on:** July 31, 2010, 07:52:04 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 07:43:44 PM

>Oh well. Have a seat. Order something cheap, and eavesdrop.
>Idly check over quality of notes so far.

>You mumble your order to the bartender. You don't have the nerve to watch as she works her magic again and offers you a glass of cucumber juice. It costs 500 Yen, but you can afford it.
>Sitting down, you look over your PDA ramblings. There's a large pile of junk from Kammi's conversation, though you had the foresight to write down a legible translation soon afterward. This should give Akyu some stuff to work with, at least, but you might work harder just in case she's offering extra credit. Besides, you haven't been here in ages.
>Your eavesdropping doesn't turn up much - students blabbing about their projects, husbands wishing they could get out of the kitchen more often, the usual.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #367 on:** July 31, 2010, 07:58:38 PM »

>Record a bit of that, too, local flavor and all.
>Nurse drink!
>Contemplate a system of delivery tubes that could bring drink from the bar to the tables.

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #368 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:04:03 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 07:58:38 PM

>Record a bit of that, too, local flavor and all.
>Nurse drink!
>Contemplate a system of delivery tubes that could bring drink from the bar to the tables.

>'For example, I heard an intruiging tale about a young physics major who wanted to use the energy from the kappa's much-valued nuclear project to cook food. Maybe the radioactive fallout has unforeseen nutritional values...?'
>It's like a cucumber in a drink. None of the crunchiness, but all of the flavour. Aww yeeeah.
>No need - they already have a system like that down at The Turk. If you'd only been born a generation earlier...

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #369 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:07:38 PM »

>Consider a fountain-style delivery system that sends drink into a funnel, which would be positioned over the glass.

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #370 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:13:17 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 08:07:38 PM

>Consider a fountain-style delivery system that sends drink into a funnel, which would be positioned over the glass.

>You actually tried a system like this out once in your shack. It took weeks for the walls to dry.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #371 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:18:27 PM »

>Consider burning down The Turk >=[
>Enjoy beverage and time off our feet.

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #372 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:20:42 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 08:18:27 PM

>Consider burning down The Turk >=[
>Enjoy beverage and time off our feet.

>Burning metal is hard.
>You take a moment to bask in the atmosphere of the Apothecary, losing yourself in the mood. You remember the good old days when you would sneak out here and hang out with other girls your age. Of course, your father was furious about it, but he was furious about everything...
Hm? What was that? Sounded like some sort of commotion outside the Time-Out...

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #373 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:28:00 PM »

>Try to identify the commotion.

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #374 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:37:02 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 08:28:00 PM

>Try to identify the commotion.

>You finish your drink and start making your way outside. A few people are glancing at the doorway, but no-one else seems to be making a move.
As you leave the Apothecary, you start making out voices...
"Hey, lemme go! I didn't do anything wrong, did I?!"
You can see the two girls from earlier, Janna and Sanna, hauling someone down the street. From this far away, all you can make out is a streak of black hair on the girl being pulled along. This is monumental - a genuine intruder in Kuromizu?!
"Yeah, yeah, take it to the court. I'm sure spies like you get great sentences. What would you say, Sanna, 50 years?"
"50? More like 100!"
"100?! B-But I'm not even gonna live that long!"
The voices fade into the distance as the trio move towards Kuromizu's jail. Was that...was that a human?

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #375 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:38:18 PM »

>Follow, see if we know this person!

Doll.S CUBE · « **Reply #376 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:38:34 PM »

> Check the person out

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #377 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:46:42 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 08:38:18 PM

>Follow, see if we know this person!

>Of the one or two humans you know, she didn't seem familiar. Only Reimu had that shade of black hair, and you know she could probably pummel the entire police force singlehandedly, so it can't be her.
>The Sea Serpents have enough of a head start on you that they're well into the prison before you can catch up. After handing the prisoner over to their companions, they promptly stand at the entrance to stop any potential intruders.
"Nothing to see here...Kneetree, wasn't it?"
"Nitori."
"Oh yeah. Thanks, Sanna."
"...Ignore her. Yeah, there's nothing to worry about in here. We got things aaaaall under control. No human spy's gonna make it past us, right?"

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #378 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:53:28 PM »

>"Sorry I missed the takedown, it looked like you did a bang-up job. Maybe I know who the spy is, though? So we can figure out who sent her and stuff."

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #379 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:58:00 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 08:53:28 PM

>"Sorry I missed the takedown, it looked like you did a bang-up job. Maybe I know who the spy is, though? So we can figure out who sent her and stuff."

> "You're not trying to suggest you're in contact with human spies, are you?"
Janna glares at you...

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #380 on:** July 31, 2010, 08:59:26 PM »

>"Well I can't know they're spies until they start spying! I wanna see if anyone I know just stabbed me in the back:"

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #381 on:** July 31, 2010, 09:18:26 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 08:59:26 PM

>"Well I can't know they're spies until they start spying! I wanna see if anyone I know just stabbed me in the back:"

> Another awkward silence. Eventually, Janna shrugs.
"I suppose it can hardly hurt. She's in a containment cell, now, and anything she had of any threat's been confiscated. Apparently human technology's getting more advanced - they figured out air compression, which is really bad for our security..."
She mutters to herself as she gives way, allowing you to enter. It isn't hard to find the cells - or maybe tank would be a more accurate term. Kappa imprisonment is rather cruel, usually - prisoners are locked inside the tanks, which are flooded frequently in order to stop the suspect from getting a good night's sleep. Obviously that's a process which they can't really use on this criminal, simply because they want to keep her alive long enough for a trial.
She's sitting on the floor of the tank, stripped of everything she'd been wearing and given a tatty-looking Second Skin for the sake of decency. The face seems vaguely familiar - not one you could put a name to, but this girl was a resident of the Human Village. She looks up at you, not crying, just looking generally pissed.
"I'm guessing you're the one they paid to lure me in, right? Can't let anyone else get a hand on this technology, no, everything's gotta belong to the kappa. What's that? Ambition? To hell with that, Kai, you're a human, you aren't ALLOWED to get into science! Just go be a farmer like your old man, or be a good housewife...so what are you gonna do now? That arm mechanism sticking outta your backpack doesn't look too friendly...don't I get a trial or something?"

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #382 on:** July 31, 2010, 09:22:28 PM »

>"Well crap, you really are a spy."

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #383 on:** July 31, 2010, 09:24:53 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 09:22:28 PM

>"Well crap, you really are a spy."

> "A spy? When did I say I was a spy?! I just wanted to see what the kappa city was like, right?! Since when was curiosity a crime? I went to so much effort to plan it, too. Had to get hold of that weird tank think from the half-youkai's store, then I had to wait for someone to show me the way in - thanks for that, by the way - and what do I get for my hard work? Two guns pointed at my face. Yeah, you kappa really are good with your hospitality, aren't you?"

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #384 on:** July 31, 2010, 09:39:30 PM »

>"Didn't you just talk about hording all the science for ourselves? Geez, make your own."

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #385 on:** July 31, 2010, 09:45:38 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 09:39:30 PM

>"Didn't you just talk about hording all the science for ourselves? Geez, make your own."

>"I did! You think that tank was in working order when it came to Gensokyo?! Like hell it was! I had to take the mechanism apart, figure out what made it tick, and put the whole thing back together! I got it working and figured that I may as well come here to try and take my studying a little further, and what happens? You go and rob me of my work! That's what I mean about you guys hoarding everyone's stuff!"
Now it sounds like she's getting thoroughly vexxed.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #386 on:** July 31, 2010, 10:11:32 PM »

>Frown.
>"Well, it's not hoarding. It's just they couldn't let you keep it. Do your jails let the prisoners keep weird things?"

FinnKaenbyou · « **Reply #387 on:** July 31, 2010, 10:29:18 PM »

Quote from: Purvisen Silver on July 31, 2010, 10:11:32 PM

>Frown.
>"Well, it's not hoarding. It's just they couldn't let you keep it. Do your jails let the prisoners keep weird things?"

>Your mood shifts to Disapproval.
>"Since when does a tank of air count as a 'weird thing'? How exactly am I gonna hurt anyone with that? Gimme one way?"
You can think of twelve, off the top of your head, but she probably doesn't expect a straight answer.
"So...what's going to happen to me now? I didn't kill anyone, and I didn't come here to steal anything from you guys. I just wanted to do some research, that's all. I mean, you guys are my idols - everyone else cheats and throws around spells, but you do things the hard way so everyone else has it easier. That always seemed so cool to me, so I tried to get into it...but, well, being a farmer's daughter isn't the best way to make it as a scientist of any sort. This was my first big break, and...it didn't really turn out too well."

Doll.S CUBE · « **Reply #388 on:** July 31, 2010, 10:36:54 PM »

> "Anyway, enough about that, so you say you remade the device, hmmm, how about this, I get you out of here and you become my assistance, I don't really have to much kinship with my fellow kappas"

(some tell me if this is a bad idea)

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #389 on:** July 31, 2010, 10:43:10 PM »

It's not a bad endpoint, but we need to work toward.

>"I might be able to do something for you. Because...alright, if you're telling the truth, they're going too far."
>Ponder the legal process, here, as we know it.