Keine Quest (Part 5): Broken History

[Hello Purvis]

>Sheepish wave.
>"Ran, meet Reimu Hakurei. Reimu, meet Ran Yakumo."
>Ponder if Ran will be able to sit comfortably these seats.

[DracoOmega]

>Sheepish wave.
>"Ran, meet Reimu Hakurei. Reimu, meet Ran Yakumo."
>Ponder if Ran will be able to sit comfortably these seats.

>You wave to Ran sheepishly. She smiles and nods to you.
>Ran takes an appraising look at Reimu once you introduce her. "A pleasure to finally meet you in person," she says.
>"Yeah, sure it is," Reimu says. "Just get in the back."
>Well, Ran was sitting in a fairly ordinary chair in her house when you met her. Perhaps she can move her tails sufficiently out of her way? Or just doesn't mind leaning up against them.

>Ran opens the rear door and looks dubiously at the mess in the back seat.
>"Oh, just toss that anywhere," Reimu says.
>With slight hesitation, Ran carefully moves several items from one side of the seat to the other and sits down, shutting the door behind her.
>"So," Reimu say, turning to you. "We've got her. What now?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Take out the tracking item Patchy gave us.
>"Let's see what this can tell us..."
>Put it to work!

[DracoOmega]

>Take out the tracking item Patchy gave us.
>"Let's see what this can tell us..."
>Put it to work!

>You take out the attuned lodestone and hold it in front of you. It glows very faintly,  the tip of it pointing north-north-east.

[Hello Purvis]

>"That seems to be the way to go."
>Ponder.
>"Do you think Marisa would have anything useful to add to all this?"

[DracoOmega]

>"That seems to be the way to go."
>Ponder.
>"Do you think Marisa would have anything useful to add to all this?"

>You indicate the direction to Reimu, who nods, and starts to drive that way.
>"She doesn't know what happened any better than I do," Reimu says. "We both spent a while trying to figure that out when we got here. After a while, well... we just decided to blend. Figure out a way to live here. I mean, what else are you supposed to do?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I think, if nothing else, it might not be bad to have a skilled black magician around. However rusty she might be."
>"How did you manage to blend in, anyways?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I think, if nothing else, it might not be bad to have a skilled black magician around. However rusty she might be."
>"How did you manage to blend in, anyways?"

>"Less rusty than you might think," Reimu says. "At least she's managed to find an excuse to use her magic. Even if she hasn't found one to blow anyone up with it yet."
>"Well, you stumble around for long enough, make enough stupid mistakes, and eventually figure out how the place works. Find a job, find a place to live. I hate to imagine what it would be like for a youkai to end up stuck here. Uh, one that couldn't hide themselves like you're doing, I mean." She pauses. "It's really not too bad here, you know. I hated it at first. Wanted to be home. But... I've gotten used to it, now, I think. Some days, I almost forget about Gensokyo. I mean, I miss some things. I miss flying. But this place has a lot of things going for it, too. A lot of things you'd never see in Gensokyo. And there hasn't been a single incident anyone's wanted me to go fix since I woke up here, either." She grimaces. "Until today, anyway."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, if it makes you feel better, we're not asking you to solve it on your own. And if she's not rusty, we should get her if she's available."

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, if it makes you feel better, we're not asking you to solve it on your own. And if she's not rusty, we should get her if she's available."

>"I suppose more firepower doesn't hurt. Actually..." Reimu shakes her head. "I'm sure Marisa would just love to get the chance to blast something again. ...somehow that irritates me," she says, frowning. "Oh well, may as well call her."
>Reimu reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small device, like the one you saw the man speaking into the other day. She presses a couple buttons then puts it to her head while continuing to drive. After a couple seconds, she starts to speak into it, pausing between every few words.
>"Marisa. ...yeah, yeah, that's great. Of course it is. I'm-" She sighs. "Look, Marisa, something's up. I have two youkai in my car right now. ...yes, that's what I said. No, they're not- Marisa! Look, they've come here from Gensokyo, and they have a way back. Apparently there's some timetravel nonsense going on. Yes... No. Oh fer- Look, can you just meet up with us?"
>She turns to you. "You have no idea what I'm driving towards, do you?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Not even a little bit."
>Appreciate Reimu's succinct summary.

[DracoOmega]

>"Not even a little bit."
>Appreciate Reimu's succinct summary.

>"Great..." Reimu says, then resumes talking into the phone.
>"Look, Marisa, we're following some sort of tracking device Patchouli made. ...yes, her. Yes. No, I don't know where we're going, that's the problem!" She sighs. "Ok, how about this. You head in around the same direction we're going, and I'll let you know when we get... wherever we're going. Ok, yeah, sure."
>Reimu gives Marisa some directions.
>"Ok, see ya then." She presses another button on her phone and puts it back in her pocket, scowling faintly.
>"Well, she's on her way," she sighs. "As much as anyone can be without knowing where they're going."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Sorry. Literally anything I knew of Kyoto is dated by about a hundred and thirty years, at least. I doubt anything other than some sites of historic interest remain that I would have any ideas about."

[DracoOmega]

>"Sorry. Literally anything I knew of Kyoto is dated by about a hundred and thirty years, at least. I doubt anything other than some sites of historic interest remain that I would have any ideas about."

>Reimu sighs again. "Nah, it's not your fault. I mean, I know the place pretty well, and I still couldn't tell you where we're going to end up just by looking at that... compass thing."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"Hmm. Do you still have your spell cards and things? And...if I may, just what do you do here, now?"

[DracoOmega]

>Nod.
>"Hmm. Do you still have your spell cards and things? And...if I may, just what do you do here, now?"

>"Yeah," she replies. "I kept all that stuff. Memories, you know? I don't have them on me, if that's what you're asking. It's not like there's ever any situation I could use them in, around here." You hear her grumble. "Or at least there's not supposed to be."
>"And, well..." she sighs. "I work part-time as a shrine maiden at the Yasaka Shrine. It's what I knew how to do, ok?" she adds, defensively.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah," she replies. "I kept all that stuff. Memories, you know? I don't have them on me, if that's what you're asking. It's not like there's ever any situation I could use them in, around here." You hear her grumble. "Or at least there's not supposed to be."
>"And, well..." she sighs. "I work part-time as a shrine maiden at the Yasaka Shrine. It's what I knew how to do, ok?" she adds, defensively.

>"Yasaka...as in, Kanako Yasaka?"
>Ponder if we should have lead the charge against her anyways.

[DracoOmega]

>"Yasaka...as in, Kanako Yasaka?"
>Ponder if we should have lead the charge against her anyways.

>"Who?" Reimu asks.
>It certainly could have been satisfying. But... you have to wonder at the collateral damage.

[Hello Purvis]

>"A deity. In particular, one who immigrated to Gensokyo a couple years ago. Well, a bit over a decade ago from this point in time. She's the kind of a pain."

[DracoOmega]

>"A deity. In particular, one who immigrated to Gensokyo a couple years ago. Well, a bit over a decade ago from this point in time. She's the kind of a pain."

>Reimu frowns. "Can't say I've heard of her. The shrine isn't hers, if that's what you're thinking. At least, not as far as I know, and I hope I haven't gotten so rusty that I couldn't tell."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Good. I've had my fill of her for quite some time. Anyways, I have no doubt the shrine is pleased to have you. What about Marisa? You mentioned she was still using her talents?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Good. I've had my fill of her for quite some time. Anyways, I have no doubt the shrine is pleased to have you. What about Marisa? You mentioned she was still using her talents?"

>Reimu gives a wry chuckle as you say that the shrine would be pleased to have her.
>"Yeah," she says, "leave it to her to find a way. She does pyrotechnics. Fireworks shows, concerts, that sort of thing. Can slip in a little bit of magic without anyone suspecting anything. Makes them just that bit fancier than anyone else's. She's done pretty well for herself, really. Eventually started her own business and everything, although she's more or less the only employee."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"Interesting. Originally, she opened up a kind of free-for-all youkai bashing and magic service. I think only faeries ever asked for her help, though."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod.
>"Interesting. Originally, she opened up a kind of free-for-all youkai bashing and magic service. I think only faeries ever asked for her help, though."

>Reimu chuckles. "Sounds about like something she'd do."
>"Hey, how's Gensokyo been since we've been gone, anyway?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Reimu chuckles. "Sounds about like something she'd do."
>"Hey, how's Gensokyo been since we've been gone, anyway?"

>"It...rather fell apart. The ghost princess of Hakugyokurou stole spring, right after you were taken; possibly she was doing it while you were taken. Originally, you, Marisa, and Sakuya were able to handle it. But, with Sakuya on her own, she wasn't able to defeat the Princess' retainer. The princess intended to restroe spring after she was done with it, but...she was overwhelmed, and killed by what she did. So, there was just a long winter. Many died. The tentative peace with the youkai took a severe blow. Then another incident happened, one that had really only a nominal effect on the humans, but hit the Youkai rather badly. The full moon was sealed away. After that, Kanako came, and the battered people were all too happy to accept her protection... They resettled near Youkai Mountain, where her shrine is, along with the tengu and the kappa that already lived there."

[DracoOmega]

>"It...rather fell apart. The ghost princess of Hakugyokurou stole spring, right after you were taken; possibly she was doing it while you were taken. Originally, you, Marisa, and Sakuya were able to handle it. But, with Sakuya on her own, she wasn't able to defeat the Princess' retainer. The princess intended to restroe spring after she was done with it, but...she was overwhelmed, and killed by what she did. So, there was just a long winter. Many died. The tentative peace with the youkai took a severe blow. Then another incident happened, one that had really only a nominal effect on the humans, but hit the Youkai rather badly. The full moon was sealed away. After that, Kanako came, and the battered people were all too happy to accept her protection... They resettled near Youkai Mountain, where her shrine is, along with the tengu and the kappa that already lived there."

>Reimu grows an irritated frown as you recount the major events of the last few years in Gensokyo. "So, humans are living with youkai, now? Well... I suppose that's not so bad, if they're getting along. And as much as that all sounds like a giant headache, I don't like thinking people died because I was stuck out here. How's that Kanako person, anyway? You said she's protecting them, and you also said that she's a pain in the ass. ...not that those two don't go together sometimes, I guess," she adds, a little sheepishly.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Let's just say her sense of justice is very bound up in whether you are with her or not with her. Originally, when she came, she tried to annex your shrine. So you flew up the mountain and knocked sense into her. And later ended up cleaning up after one of her messes."

[DracoOmega]

>"Let's just say her sense of justice is very bound up in whether you are with her or not with her. Originally, when she came, she tried to annex your shrine. So you flew up the mountain and knocked sense into her. And later ended up cleaning up after one of her messes."

>Reimu groans. "You know, maybe I don't regret being here. And I'm sure that isn't everything I'm supposed to have fixed, either, is it?"
>"Hey, are we getting close, by the way? Or still going in the right direction, for that matter? Can't exactly drive in a straight line here."

[Hello Purvis]

>"There's a couple other things, too, yeah."
>Check the lodestone, report results.

[DracoOmega]

>"There's a couple other things, too, yeah."
>Check the lodestone, report results.

>Yeah, yeah, of course there is," Reimu says. You hear her mutter under her breath.
>You check the lodestone again. It's still faint, but a little brighter than last time. You give Reimu a slight course correction, and she adjusts her route accordingly. However, as she does so, you can see the direction the lodestone is pointing shift. Despite the low power reading, that suggests you're fairly close.