Maribel Quest Perpetuation: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, perhaps I could eschew using my muddled imagination for the moment, and you could suggest something equitable?"

>"Then it's hardly a surprise, is it?" asks Yukari.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"No, I suppose it isn't..."
>"Could you give me just a minute?"
>Take Renko and step away a short distance
>Quietly, to her: "What am I suppose to do?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"No, I suppose it isn't..."
>"Could you give me just a minute?"
>Take Renko and step away a short distance
>Quietly, to her: "What am I suppose to do?"

>"Well, I suppose I could," says Yukari.
>You take Renko aside, and quietly ask what you're supposed to do. "...I have no idea," says Renko. "Okay...that's a lie, I do have an idea what you're "supposed" to do, but you already kind of hit on it."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

Interesting conundrum. What do you give to the woman that has everything?

...Besides the situationally obvious.

[E-Nazrin]

>"Do you think she'd buy doing something for Ran or Chen? More, um, alternatives that way. I don't even know what... else she'd be interested in."

Interesting conundrum. What do you give to the woman that has everything?

...Besides the situationally obvious.

Yukari, like any well-established demigod, has but one motivation: Amusement. What would entertain her isn't quite as clear, though.

[DracoOmega]

>"I think I can honestly say I never expected to be in quite this situation, Gensokyo or no. For what it's worth, I think Yukari's actually well-intentioned. She's just... well, a little unique. Ran seemed quite devoted to her, despite being very level-headed herself."

[E-Nazrin]

Horrible, cruel idea:

We could tell her about Plum Flower.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Do you think she'd buy doing something for Ran or Chen? More, um, alternatives that way. I don't even know what... else she'd be interested in."

>"I think I can honestly say I never expected to be in quite this situation, Gensokyo or no. For what it's worth, I think Yukari's actually well-intentioned. She's just... well, a little unique. Ran seemed quite devoted to her, despite being very level-headed herself."

>"Who?" asks Renko.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh, sorry. Ran's Yukari's shikigami. In their case, I think they're essentially life partners. And have been for a very long time. I had tea with her after Yukari left at the hot springs. She's almost the polar opposite of Yukari, in terms of random whimsy."

[E-Nazrin]

>"The girl with lots of fox tails we saw once."
>"Chen is... a young-looking catgirl, for lack of a better term. She goes to school at Keine's. I spoke with her briefly when she was fishing yesterday."

Self-indulgent idea: Ran's tails are probably a bitch to take care of, aren't they? If there's a spare brush...

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, sorry. Ran's Yukari's shikigami. In their case, I think they're essentially life partners. And have been for a very long time. I had tea with her after Yukari left at the hot springs. She's almost the polar opposite of Yukari, in terms of random whimsy."

>"The girl with lots of fox tails we saw once."
>"Chen is... a young-looking catgirl, for lack of a better term. She goes to school at Keine's. I spoke with her briefly when she was fishing yesterday."

>"Wait, so she has..." Renko says, letting it trail off, "And she's still bothering you?"
>Renko shakes her head.
>"Anyways, it might work, I guess? But I dunno...Doesn't she seem a bit self centered to you?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"For what it's worth, Ran didn't seem to mind the whole incident, either. In fact, I think she might have been expecting it, given Yukari's first reaction when she saw me. I think she even sort of apologized to me about it. Apparently they have something of an agreement about such things."

[E-Nazrin]

>"Possibly. She does seem to care about Ran's feelings some, though, even if her actions... aren't entirely indicative of that. They have an agreement of sorts."
>Did Yukari seem particularly happy about the mention of Ran being willing to go on the love-you-lots tirade early in the springs talk, comparing their relationship to ours?

Another bad idea: What sort of shenanigans could we convince the fairies to pull for Yukari's amusement?

[Hello Purvis]

>"For what it's worth, Ran didn't seem to mind the whole incident, either. In fact, I think she might have been expecting it, given Yukari's first reaction when she saw me. I think she even sort of apologized to me about it. Apparently they have something of an agreement about such things."

>"Possibly. She does seem to care about Ran's feelings some, though, even if her actions... aren't entirely indicative of that. They have an agreement of sorts."
>Did Yukari seem particularly happy about the mention of Ran being willing to go on the love-you-lots tirade early in the springs talk, comparing their relationship to ours?

>Renko looks toward the ground for a moment, pondering. Then she asks, "Is it better or worse they have an agreement? I honestly can't tell."
>Who the what now?

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, it's better for Ran, at any rate. At least Yukari's not being flagrantly disrespectful to her by the standards they both live by. Ran said Yukari would stop if she ever were to protest. As I said, Ran seemed pretty level-headed and 'normal' to me. And if she's been able to live with her this long... I think Yukari is just one of those people you have to take as they are, you know? The good and the... different."

[E-Nazrin]

>Who the what now?

>The tone of this.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, it's better for Ran, at any rate. At least Yukari's not being flagrantly disrespectful to her by the standards they both live by. Ran said Yukari would stop if she ever were to protest. As I said, Ran seemed pretty level-headed and 'normal' to me. And if she's been able to live with her this long... I think Yukari is just one of those people you have to take as they are, you know? The good and the... different."

>"I suppose it's good that they have things worked out," says Renko, "But it really doesn't stop her from holding our money hostage."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"No, it doesn't...."
>"For someone who can essentially go anywhere, and get anything from anywhere on a whim, I can't imagine there's much tangible I could offer her that she couldn't go and get for herself in the blink of an eye if she cared to.
>"To be honest, I wouldn't mind doing something in return for her generosity on a few prior occasions, but... I'm not sure what that would be. ....other than the obvious, of course."
>"Why do I get the feeling that I'll probably end up owing her for more things in the future, too?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"No, it doesn't...."
>"For someone who can essentially go anywhere, and get anything from anywhere on a whim, I can't imagine there's much tangible I could offer her that she couldn't go and get for herself in the blink of an eye if she cared to.
>"To be honest, I wouldn't mind doing something in return for her generosity on a few prior occasions, but... I'm not sure what that would be. ....other than the obvious, of course."
>"Why do I get the feeling that I'll probably end up owing her for more things in the future, too?"

>Renko nods along with your assessment. "Then I guess we'd have to come up with something intangible... And yeah, she seems like the person who likes to get you into debt while somehow also being a pain."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Um, maybe we could invite her over for dinner, once we have the house presentable enough for guests? Uh, if that wouldn't bother you too much?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Um, maybe we could invite her over for dinner, once we have the house presentable enough for guests? Uh, if that wouldn't bother you too much?"

>"I'm not sure if that bothers me or not," says Renko. "On one hand, she is kind of annoying. But on the other hand, she has been helpful, and I guess at least she has the decency not to really go behind my back about it..." She shakes her head. "This is so confusing."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I know what you mean. It's, uh, different. Then again, Gensokyo is a place where half the rules you know get tossed out the window. Maybe that doesn't just apply to science?"

[Suwako Moriya]

> Do either of us even know how to cook?
> Come to think of it, what housekeeping skills do the two of us have?

[Hello Purvis]

>"I know what you mean. It's, uh, different. Then again, Gensokyo is a place where half the rules you know get tossed out the window. Maybe that doesn't just apply to science?"

>She nods. "Yeah. I guess dinner's okay."

> Do either of us even know how to cook?
> Come to think of it, what housekeeping skills do the two of us have?

>You can cook pretty decently. Renko is alright at it. Then again, you're also used to an oven with variable temperatures and such...
>You both used to share sweeping up the agency back home and the like. Brooms and dusters shouldn't be too hard for you. But, things like actual repair, you have no real experience with. Also, you're going to have to get used to things like gathering water and firewood, doing laundry by hand...

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Ponder asking Nitori to invent a washing machine at some point
>"Ok, good enough. Let's hope she goes for it."
>Walk back over to Yukari
>"I don't suppose you'd like to come over to our place for dinner, once we've got it tidied up enough for guests?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Ponder asking Nitori to invent a washing machine at some point
>"Ok, good enough. Let's hope she goes for it."
>Walk back over to Yukari
>"I don't suppose you'd like to come over to our place for dinner, once we've got it tidied up enough for guests?"

>She'd probably be all over that...
>Renko nods. "Right."
>You make your way back over to Yukari, and offer to invite her over for dinner. "Why, that sound absolutely wonderful!" she says. "Now, where would you like me to leave all of that junk?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, we were planning to take it to the blacksmith in the human village. I assume you probably know where that is?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, we were planning to take it to the blacksmith in the human village. I assume you probably know where that is?"

>"Oh, that'll be no problem," says Yukari, smiling. "Would you prefer it be done now, or would you like to go there first?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, I think I ought to give Ari fair warning before a pile of junk just suddenly shows up in her shop. So yes, I'd like to go there first."

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "I guess we should head over to the village first."
> "Renko and I are gonna need to practice our cooking for when you come over, the help that you have been, it seems fitting that we try as hard to to make a good meal when the time comes."
> Happy smile to Renko