Maribel Quest Adjoining: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> "Renko actively shoots for notoriety more than I do. It's more her thing than mine. Not that I don't appreciate some of my own, of course."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I suppose that depends on what they're saying."
>"I met Yuka yesterday, actually. She sent me on a flower-planting expedition."

>"Oh, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about," says Yukari. "And you seem to have escaped well enough. Yuka is really quite open-minded, though. She'll speak with anyone who can mind their manners. Mood varying, of course. I prefer to simply visit the interesting and fun types, don't you?"

> "Renko actively shoots for notoriety more than I do. It's more her thing than mine. Not that I don't appreciate some of my own, of course."

>"I will have to keep my ears open for her, then! And perhaps, the heavens shall cry your name someday, as well? Speaking of which, what was your name?" 
>Yukari runs her fingers through your hair one last time, then says, "You can rinse it off, now."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh, my apologies. I could have sworn I'd mentioned it already. I'm Maribel."
>Rinse our hair

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, my apologies. I could have sworn I'd mentioned it already. I'm Maribel."
>Rinse our hair

>"Ah yes, you did!" says Yukari. "Sometimes my mind just wanders."
>You rise your hair out. It feels a lot cleaner, despite being sodden and damp.
>"Would you care to do mine?"

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>Glance around for any shampoo bottle in the meantime. If none is visible, wonder if she used a strangely similar magical solution or pulled some out of one of those transporto-thingies.
>Have we done other peoples' hair before? Either way, it's only fair.
>"Sure thing."
>Get started.
>"What's Ran like? Those tails of hers really impressed me when I first saw them."

Damnit missed:
"Yuuka invited me to visit again, actually. I'm sort of wondering whether I should - it was actually rather pleasant dropping off flowers people seemed to enjoy, but after that newspaper article ran something that mistook me for you, I'm not sure how friendly she'd be."

[Hello Purvis]

>Glance around for any shampoo bottle in the meantime. If none is visible, wonder if she used a strangely similar magical solution or pulled some out of one of those transporto-thingies.
>Have we done other peoples' hair before? Either way, it's only fair.
>"Sure thing."
>Get started.
>"What's Ran like? Those tails of hers really impressed me when I first saw them."

>You find a shampoo bottle resting at the edge of the pool.
>She undoes her bun while you grab the bottle and soaks her hair. It's quite a bit longer than yours.
>You've never done this before, having never really been one for public paths, but you've done your own enough times that it's really not going to be a trial. You get to work, lathering up and massaging her scalp while taking especial pains not to be too hard.
>"Ran's a treasure," says Yukari. "Faultlessly polite, excellent cook, wonderful housekeeper, splendid lover; I couldn't ask for a better shikigami. And yes, her tails have come in quite nicely, haven't they? It's so cute she's sensitive about her age."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"That sounds nice. I take it you've been together a long time, then?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"That sounds nice. I take it you've been together a long time, then?"

>"A few centuries, yes," she says, sighing in contentment as you do your work.

>_

[Jana]

It may not be relevant anymore, but I've been sitting on this for oh so very long while getting caught up that I simply must make the suggestion.

What I don't think people considered is that we've had a valuable weapon against Alice for almost the entire time: The Oil of Vibration. While Maribel and Renko may only have an inkling of knowledge about Alice's fighting style, we (as players) know she needs her hands to delicately control her dolls. With such a weapon against her in our hands, we shouldn't have to worry too much about raw power if Alice does indeed attack us.

>Allow ourselves a smile at Ran's expense~

[DracoOmega]

The connection with Alice and the Oil of Vibration had occurred to me, yes. It was part of the reason I wanted to keep it back ^^;

>"And you've remained happy in each other's company for so long?"

[E-Nazrin]

>Relatively happy, at least, if Ran's grumbling earlier was any indication. This must be what Mokou meant about service.

[Hello Purvis]

>Allow ourselves a smile at Ran's expense~

>You grin despite yourself for the fox youkai. Yukari must be a tough person to keep happy.

>"And you've remained happy in each other's company for so long?"

>"Oh we have our ups and downs. But overall, she'll always be my favorite, I think."

>Relatively happy, at least, if Ran's grumbling earlier was any indication. This must be what Mokou meant about service.

>Ups and downs, Yukari said.  Perhaps Mokou was right?

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Her age? I... do kitsune grow an extra tail every hundred years? I think that was the legend in the outer world."
>Are we familiar with the term "shikigami?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Her age? I... do kitsune grow an extra tail every hundred years? I think that was the legend in the outer world."
>Are we familiar with the term "shikigami?"

>"It's a legend with good reason," says Yukari, "She would be mad at me if I told you how many she had when we first met. And she would probably be mad if you told others; it's not so well known here."
>You...think so. It's a sorcerer's servant of some kind. That's about all you know. You focused more on events and creatures than human-made magic back home.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I apologize if this is an offensive question to ask; I'm not sure of etiquette about such, but are you a natural-born youkai? A great many of the youkai I've met today without non-human features have once been human."

[E-Nazrin]

>"Wow. I guess I should be careful about that, then. I think I've already gotten the message about science being heretical here - and a lot of I knew is DEFINITELY wrong, I realize - but is there anything else from the outer world that I should be careful about?"
>Glance at the shampoo bottle.
>"Like asking whether shampoo is common in Gensokyo?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I apologize if this is an offensive question to ask; I'm not sure of etiquette about such, but are you a natural-born youkai? A great many of the youkai I've met today without non-human features have once been human."

>"It's a little crass," says Yukari, "But only in the sense at guessing at one's nation in your world, I don't mind. I've always been a youkai. You'll find most youkai are born that way. Well, save for ones like Ran. Why do you ask?"
>You keep working at her hair. No wonder she was so eager to get you to do it, this is going to take ages.

>"Wow. I guess I should be careful about that, then. I think I've already gotten the message about science being heretical here - and a lot of I knew is DEFINITELY wrong, I realize - but is there anything else from the outer world that I should be careful about?"
>Glance at the shampoo bottle.
>"Like asking whether shampoo is common in Gensokyo?"

>"Mmm, it's not that science is bad, per se, but rather that the heretics are just a little too taken with it and a little too eager to misapply it. To be fair, though, they'd be a lot less unwelcome outside, where everyone believes in it. A shame they would hate it there."
>She chuckles. "Oh, I just find those bottles so handy. But there are such things like that. They tend to be made using the older ways. You might not find them as perfumed as you are used to in many cases."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I guess I was just wondering because I've been talking to a few people lately about what it's like for a human to become a youkai."
>"And why would they hate it in the outside, anyway?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I guess I was just wondering because I've been talking to a few people lately about what it's like for a human to become a youkai."
>"And why would they hate it in the outside, anyway?"

>"Ah, you are worried about that, are you?" says Yukari. "Hmm, if that bracelet tells me anything, you would have a reason to worry, wouldn't you?"
>"They wouldn't be used to the pace of life or the social conventions there. As well, they rely on Gensokyoan things much more than they like to admit. It's a rather tragic thing, in some ways. But far be it for me to tell them what to do with themselves."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Reimu seemed to think becoming a youkai was pretty inevitable when she saw how quickly I picked up on the border magic she showed me. Although Marisa thinks she's a cynic about that."

>"Have any of the heretics attempted to find the outside world? I suppose you're one of the only ways out here, though, aren't you?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Reimu seemed to think becoming a youkai was pretty inevitable when she saw how quickly I picked up on the border magic she showed me. Although Marisa thinks she's a cynic about that."
>"Have any of the heretics attempted to find the outside world? I suppose you're one of the only ways out here, though, aren't you?"

>She nods. "It's a shame you seem to have taken up sorcery. You might have made a good Shrine Maiden."
>She chuckles.
>"As for whether or not you become a youkai, who can say? And as for heretics, I don't bother that much with them. But I doubt they would achieve much."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Are they mutually exclusive? I mean, magic and being a shrine maiden? Not that I was really thinking of trying to become one, but by the way you put it..."
>"And whether I eventually become a youkai or not is probably out of my hands and up to fate, yes. But I had been offered a rather more direct option, had I chosen to take it."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Are they mutually exclusive? I mean, magic and being a shrine maiden? Not that I was really thinking of trying to become one, but by the way you put it..."
>"And whether I eventually become a youkai or not is probably out of my hands and up to fate, yes. But I had been offered a rather more direct option, had I chosen to take it."

>"Mmhmm. Being a shrine maiden requires total devotion and purity," says Yukari. "While sorcery isn't impure, it is not exactly purifying, either. Once you dabble into it, purity-based magics are beyond you. I wouldn't be surprised if the way you learned to fly and use danmaku are sorcery-based, as well. And before you ask, no one would give a focus to a magician that can't even do those things.
>"Direct option?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"There's more than one way to fly here? I'd assumed magical flight was all essentially the same."
>"And yes, Byakuren was the one who taught me when I arrived yesterday."
>"She was also the one who offered me this 'direct option' I mentioned. A way to boost my natural magical affinity, with becoming youkai a likely consequence."

[Hello Purvis]

>"There's more than one way to fly here? I'd assumed magical flight was all essentially the same."
>"And yes, Byakuren was the one who taught me when I arrived yesterday."
>"She was also the one who offered me this 'direct option' I mentioned. A way to boost my natural magical affinity, with becoming youkai a likely consequence."

>"Marginally so," says Yukari. "To use faith to lift yourself is rather more difficult, from what I understand. I suppose it is meant to be that way. Reimu's bloodline is special, though, so it is not a concern for the likes of her."
>You tell her about Byakuren. "Oh my, did she offer you...?" Yukari starts to laugh.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Is it that amusing?"

[E-Nazrin]

>"I take it there's something I'm not aware of about this."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Is it that amusing?"

>She snickers a bit.

>"I take it there's something I'm not aware of about this."

>"Oh, it's not what you think. I was just imaging our initial meeting with you too tall to fit through the door. My, she offered you that?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, I think it was somewhat less powerful than what she did to herself. But essentially yes."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, I think it was somewhat less powerful than what she did to herself. But essentially yes."

>"And what did you newly gained lover have to say about that?" asks Yukari. "I can't imagine she would be too pleased with that. Well, unless she was?"

>_