Keine Quest: The Broken and the Lost

[DracoOmega]

>"She wasn't in the village, don't worry. Or even near it."

>"Oh, well. You really did go for quite a walk then, didn't you..."

>"I don't think she would..." Frown again.

>"Look, if it's really as important as you seem to think it is, maybe you should talk to Sanae about it? She should be here later this morning. Not everything is your responsibility, you know."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Maybe I should... At least she might know something."

[DracoOmega]

>"Maybe I should... At least she might know something."

>She smiles and gives you a little pat on the arm. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"It's just the issue is very personal, you know, so I don't want it to spread around..."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod.
>"It's just the issue is very personal, you know, so I don't want it to spread around..."

>"Don't worry, I'll respect your privacy."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Thanks, Saki. Now...what am I gonna do about this class?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Thanks, Saki. Now...what am I gonna do about this class?"

>"Well, you could actually teach it, you know... But if you're really in no state for it, I suppose I could try to come up with something. But you know how people are. If you're buzzing around town instead, people will start talking."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'll force it, I suppose. Do you think I'll still be able to catch Sanae?"
>How long to classes tend to last?

[DracoOmega]

>"I'll force it, I suppose. Do you think I'll still be able to catch Sanae?"

>"Well, she should be here from around lunch until after the evening purification ceremony."

>How long to classes tend to last?

>More or less all of the morning, and some of the afternoon. You do have a lunch break, though. Assuming it still works the same way as your old place.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Thanks for the talk, I needed it."
>Go fake it. If an excuse can be made to nip off toward home and keep Rumia from starting fires, take it =[

[DracoOmega]

>"Thanks for the talk, I needed it."

>"No problem. If you ever want to give me the whole story, you know where to find me."  Which isn't entirely true, but you figure it's probably best if she doesn't know that...

>Go fake it. If an excuse can be made to nip off toward home and keep Rumia from starting fires, take it =[

>You head off towards the classrooms. Fortunately, they actually do have the teacher's names on the door, preventing you from having to admit another embarrassing lapse in memory.
>You assume your position at the head of the class and try to look as though you actually belong here. Oddly, once class starts, you almost forget about the oddness of your situation. Sure, you're tired, but this actually feels natural and comforting, like a slice of the life that you're supposed to be living. Even the requisite attempts to marshal the attention of the disaffected faction of the classroom. The faces are familiar, the topics are familiar. It's not the same, but for a moment, you can almost pretend that it is. Sooner than you realize, it's time for lunch break. The students quickly file out of class again.

[Hello Purvis]

>Dash home as quickly as possible without arousing suspicion.

[DracoOmega]

>Dash home as quickly as possible without arousing suspicion.

>You quickly head towards home, and arrive there a few minutes later. At least it doesn't seem to be on fire, or engulfed in some conspicuous black sphere. So far so good...

[Hello Purvis]

>Enter.

[DracoOmega]

>Enter.

>You go back into your house, and find that Rumia is... exactly where you left her. You have to restrain your surprise. She looks up at you and waves. >"Hi!"
>The floor around her is littered with the pieces of paper that you gave her, and she seems to have been busily working on another one when you walked in. She seems to have ink on her hands and... her face, somehow, but amazingly not on anything else, as far as you can see.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Having fun?"
>Do we have a guest room?

[DracoOmega]

>"Having fun?"

>"Yup! Rumia's never done anything like this before. Look at this!"  She holds up one of the pieces of paper proudly. You... can't really tell what it's supposed to be.

>Do we have a guest room?

>It doesn't seem so.

[Hello Purvis]

>Do we at least have a spare bed, or couch.
>"Oh, that looks nice. What is it?"

[DracoOmega]

>Do we at least have a spare bed, or couch.

>You do have a couch. There's probably a spare futon in the closet, too.

>"Oh, that looks nice. What is it?"

>"Oh, you can't tell?" Rumia takes the drawing and looks at it critically. "Rumia's not very good at this.... Quiz lady's drawing was so much prettier." She shows it to you again. You THINK you may be able to make out something vaguely humanoid. Or possibly a camel. And... is that a tree? Or a volcano? It's honestly hard to tell.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm not very good at looking at pictures."
>Do we have time to make good on that threat of hamburgers from this morning?

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm not very good at looking at pictures."

>"Oh, you can be good at making them and bad at looking at them?" She stares at you a little dubiously, but eventually decides to be satisfied with that. "It's quiz lady and Rumia," she says, pointing at each of you in turn. Oh, was THAT what the giant ink blot was supposed to be? You hope that even after what you've been through today, you're not quite THAT disheveled, just the same.

>Do we have time to make good on that threat of hamburgers from this morning?

>You should have enough time for this.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Ah, now I see. Anyways, I'll get lunch ready."
>Make good on the threat of hamburgers. Hopefully we have some idea how to make them!
>Also check the closet for a spare futon when the food can be unattended for a moment.

[DracoOmega]

>"Ah, now I see. Anyways, I'll get lunch ready."

>"Yay!" Rumia smiles at you, and then gets back to drawing, again.

>Make good on the threat of hamburgers. Hopefully we have some idea how to make them!

>You go to the kitchen, and take the beef out from the icebox. There isn't much, but there should be enough for a burger or two. Sadly, you have no real way to grind it, but so it won't be exactly authentic. Hopefully Rumia won't notice or mind that bit, though. You get the meat cooking, and slice some bread for the buns.

>Also check the closet for a spare futon when the food can be unattended for a moment.

>While the meet is cooking, you take a look at the closet. There does indeed seem to be a spare futon there.

[Hello Purvis]

>Set it out away from a window. Also preferably someplace not underfoot.

[DracoOmega]

>Set it out away from a window. Also preferably someplace not underfoot.

>You try to find an appropriate place to set up the futon. Unfortunately, there are a shortage of places which are both away from a window and not underfoot. You settle upon a corner of the sitting area, and make up the futon there.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Rumia, when you get tired, you can sleep here."
>Get that meal finished.

[DracoOmega]

>"Rumia, when you get tired, you can sleep here."

>"Rumia's not tired," she responds.

>Get that meal finished.

>You finish up the almost-hamburgers, and season them as appropriately as possible. You don't have any ketchup, but there is some mustard and pickles, which you chop up and put on top. They look pretty decent, actually.

[Hello Purvis]

>"When you do, that is."
>We'll pretend they're rib-eye burgers. Good burgers only need mustard anyways, if that much.
>"Mealtime!"
>Serve. If she's been using the dining room table for drawing, clear it off a bit.

[DracoOmega]

>"When you do, that is."

>"Will Rumia really be here that long?"

>We'll pretend they're rib-eye burgers. Good burgers only need mustard anyways, if that much.
>"Mealtime!"
>Serve. If she's been using the dining room table for drawing, clear it off a bit.

>You announce the presence of food and present it on the table. Rumia quickly gets up from what she's doing and grabs a seat. Well, after you explain that the table is not for sitting on, at any rate... She eagerly digs into the burgers.

>You had set her up on the floor, rather than risk her getting ink all over the table and other things on it

[Hello Purvis]

>Have some lunch.
>"Um, you asked about staying here this long. I should have considered, but, do you have other things you want to do?"