Iku Quest Otto - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> "Then what was the point of sending me away at all, if you were ready to reject anything I said by claiming that the person I asked didn't know you and thus wasn't qualified?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Then what was the point of sending me away at all, if you were ready to reject anything I said by claiming that the person I asked didn't know you and thus wasn't qualified?"

>"Because there was a chance you might have found something useful," she says, giving you a look.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "No there wasn't. According to you, there's no one out there that would know something about your situation that you don't already know."

[Hello Purvis]

> "No there wasn't. According to you, there's no one out there that would know something about your situation that you don't already know."

>"I didn't say there was much of a chance," she replies, still giving you a hard look. "Then again, now I start to wonder if you're just trying to use me to get that shadow back."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "If I wanted the stolen shadows back to the point where I didn't care what happened to you in the process, I would have had them repossessed yesterday, while you were unconscious."

[Hello Purvis]

> "If I wanted the stolen shadows back to the point where I didn't care what happened to you in the process, I would have had them repossessed yesterday, while you were unconscious."

>"You couldn't," she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "You're right, I couldn't. But I know beings that can. One even said they would have offered to do it if they didn't know I wouldn't want it done 'the messy way'."

[Hello Purvis]

> "You're right, I couldn't. But I know beings that can. One even said they would have offered to do it if they didn't know I wouldn't want it done 'the messy way'."

>"Exactly, you wouldn't wanted to have risked damaging it," she says. "So now you're just trying to trick me into giving it up!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "No, it's because I didn't want you to get hurt. And I still don't, despite how much you really seem to want to walk the path of destruction, for reasons that make absolutely no sense to me, reasons that only you seem to hold, out of absolutely everyone in Gensokyo, and possibly absolutely everyone in history."

[Hello Purvis]

> "No, it's because I didn't want you to get hurt. And I still don't, despite how much you really seem to want to walk the path of destruction, for reasons that make absolutely no sense to me, reasons that only you seem to hold, out of absolutely everyone in Gensokyo, and possibly absolutely everyone in history."

>"I don't want to do it," she says. "I have to do it! What does it even matter to you, anyways?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Didn't I tell you before? All life is precious to me. I would be unfit as a person, let alone as a Dragon Palace Messenger, if I were to see suffering and simply turn away. I see no malice in you, only instincts, confusion, worry, and even a tiny bit of fear. This is not something for me to ignore, this is something for me to help, as best as I can."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Didn't I tell you before? All life is precious to me. I would be unfit as a person, let alone as a Dragon Palace Messenger, if I were to see suffering and simply turn away. I see no malice in you, only instincts, confusion, worry, and even a tiny bit of fear. This is not something for me to ignore, this is something for me to help, as best as I can."

>"Maybe," she says, frowning a bit. "But I don't have a choice. You know that."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "And like I said, I don't understand why you think you have no choice. What is it you see about social interaction that is so bad, and yet you are the only person in Gensokyo or Bhava-Agra that sees it? How can you know this, when no one else does?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "And like I said, I don't understand why you think you have no choice. What is it you see about social interaction that is so bad, and yet you are the only person in Gensokyo or Bhava-Agra that sees it? How can you know this, when no one else does?"

>"I don't know why you can't see it," says the poltergeist. "It's like looking up in and not seeing the sun."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Let me ask you this, then. Are you happy with life?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Let me ask you this, then. Are you happy with life?"

>"I answered this before," she said. "No. People keep trying to expose me, and the one chance I have to keep from fading, you keep trying to keep me from taking!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "And have you ever looked around Gensokyo, and seen all the people in it that are happy with their lives?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "And have you ever looked around Gensokyo, and seen all the people in it that are happy with their lives?"

>"A little," she says, frowning. "Around the forest, at least. But not too close to the mansion. I don't like that place."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Smile.
> "Understandable. Few people do. But there's a whole world of Gensokyo and its neighbors you haven't seen. The Hakurei Shrine and the surrounding area. The human village, with the Myouren Temple. The Bamboo Forest, with the mansion home to a plethora of rabbit youkai, as well as a pair of Lunarians. Not to mention the other people living in that forest by themselves. There's the mountain, with the kappa village, the tengu village, the Moriya Shrine. There's the underground, with the oni village, and the Earth Spirit Palace. There's the gate between Gensokyo and the Netherworld, where a ghost princess resides with an uncountable number of spirits, as well as her half-ghost gardener, servant and dearest companion. There is Makai, the place spiritually below Gensokyo, where people seem to be reasonably content with their life. There is Bhava-Agra, where a multitude of celestials bustle around every day, bursting with song, glad to help their neighbor, working for the betterment of the community. There is even the house at the edge of the forest that is home to two girls from the outside world, one beyond all the magical barriers that contain our lands. Countless people all living out their lives, working together, filled with happiness and contentment. And this happiness does not come in spite of their social interaction. It comes because of their social interaction."

[Hello Purvis]

> Smile.
> "Understandable. Few people do. But there's a whole world of Gensokyo and its neighbors you haven't seen. The Hakurei Shrine and the surrounding area. The human village, with the Myouren Temple. The Bamboo Forest, with the mansion home to a plethora of rabbit youkai, as well as a pair of Lunarians. Not to mention the other people living in that forest by themselves. There's the mountain, with the kappa village, the tengu village, the Moriya Shrine. There's the underground, with the oni village, and the Earth Spirit Palace. There's the gate between Gensokyo and the Netherworld, where a ghost princess resides with an uncountable number of spirits, as well as her half-ghost gardener, servant and dearest companion. There is Makai, the place spiritually below Gensokyo, where people seem to be reasonably content with their life. There is Bhava-Agra, where a multitude of celestials bustle around every day, bursting with song, glad to help their neighbor, working for the betterment of the community. There is even the house at the edge of the forest that is home to two girls from the outside world, one beyond all the magical barriers that contain our lands. Countless people all living out their lives, working together, filled with happiness and contentment. And this happiness does not come in spite of their social interaction. It comes because of their social interaction."

>"I can't imagine how they could be happy with it," she says, shaking her head. "How can you not understand that you're exposing yourself? How do you need feel cheapened by it, like less of a person?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "As I don't know what it is that makes it bad, I can only hazard a guess. But...I guess I would say that people don't feel cheapened by it because it's reciprocated. People that share with one another are placing their trust in one another that the other will not abuse the knowledge they have gained for their own personal benefit. And when this trust is validated, and the recipient shares something of themselves in return, it is a good feeling. A bond has formed between the two. It can be as simple as a small altruistic action, perhaps by one person buying another some food at the lamprey stand in the forest because they know it will make that person happy. It can be as practical as a business exchange, where the carpenter builds a kitchen table for the farmer, who grows the crops that supply food for the carpenter. Or it can be as deep as true love, two people sharing their bodies and hearts, completely unshielded, both physically and emotionally, the ultimate act of trust, with the ultimate feeling of happiness that follows when that trust is validated and the other reciprocates. There is happiness and relief when one is secure in the knowledge that the weight of the world does not rest on their shoulders. That they can be imperfect, that they can stumble along the path of life, because they know they have someone beside them to help them back up."

[Hello Purvis]

> "As I don't know what it is that makes it bad, I can only hazard a guess. But...I guess I would say that people don't feel cheapened by it because it's reciprocated. People that share with one another are placing their trust in one another that the other will not abuse the knowledge they have gained for their own personal benefit. And when this trust is validated, and the recipient shares something of themselves in return, it is a good feeling. A bond has formed between the two. It can be as simple as a small altruistic action, perhaps by one person buying another some food at the lamprey stand in the forest because they know it will make that person happy. It can be as practical as a business exchange, where the carpenter builds a kitchen table for the farmer, who grows the crops that supply food for the carpenter. Or it can be as deep as true love, two people sharing their bodies and hearts, completely unshielded, both physically and emotionally, the ultimate act of trust, with the ultimate feeling of happiness that follows when that trust is validated and the other reciprocates. There is happiness and relief when one is secure in the knowledge that the weight of the world does not rest on their shoulders. That they can be imperfect, that they can stumble along the path of life, because they know they have someone beside them to help them back up."

>She doesn't say anything, frowning toward the ground.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "The farmer can be happy, knowing their work has fed others. The carpenter can be happy, knowing their work has provided shelter for others. The blacksmith can be happy, knowing their work has given others the ability to go about their tasks better. The teacher can be happy, knowing their work has educated others. The writer, the editor and the bookbinder can be happy, knowing their work has given others access to further knowledge. The journalist can be happy, knowing their work has informed others of important events. The actor, the singer, the dancer, the comedian, they can all be happy, because their work has entertained others, and helped them forget life's hardships, allowing them to wake up tomorrow with a smile on their face. All of these people can live their lives content in the knowledge that their work was not in vain, and that their fellow workers are working just as hard as they are to provide these people with the resources they need to live a happy life, resources they cannot produce themselves, because they lack the knowledge, or the ability, or the tools."

[Hello Purvis]

> "The farmer can be happy, knowing their work has fed others. The carpenter can be happy, knowing their work has provided shelter for others. The blacksmith can be happy, knowing their work has given others the ability to go about their tasks better. The teacher can be happy, knowing their work has educated others. The writer, the editor and the bookbinder can be happy, knowing their work has given others access to further knowledge. The journalist can be happy, knowing their work has informed others of important events. The actor, the singer, the dancer, the comedian, they can all be happy, because their work has entertained others, and helped them forget life's hardships, allowing them to wake up tomorrow with a smile on their face. All of these people can live their lives content in the knowledge that their work was not in vain, and that their fellow workers are working just as hard as they are to provide these people with the resources they need to live a happy life, resources they cannot produce themselves, because they lack the knowledge, or the ability, or the tools."

>"And what would you have me do in this chain of mutual exposure?" she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Well, that all depends. I can think of something somewhat abstract that you could do, but what is more important is something you want to do. Something you enjoy doing. Take the couple from the outside world. Dropped into Gensokyo as ordinary humans. Presumably with no active magic abilities to speak of, and seemingly no major practical skill. So went and became explorers. Seeking out what Gensokyo has to offer, because they were curious. In their exploration, they met new people, made new friends, and gathered groups to go exploring with them, giving people an activity where they had the chance to relax and have fun while not thinking very hard, because, as necessary as responsibility is, it can get very heavy on the body and the soul. They gave these people a chance to relieve stress. And then, even with something as innocent as exploring curiosity and making friends, they did something even greater."
> Point at the poltergeist.
> "They, and their friends, created life. They gave birth to you. A real person, born of little more than mass curiosity. You can see that even the seemingly trivial activities can have profound effects. So there lies the question. What is it that you enjoy doing?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well, that all depends. I can think of something somewhat abstract that you could do, but what is more important is something you want to do. Something you enjoy doing. Take the couple from the outside world. Dropped into Gensokyo as ordinary humans. Presumably with no active magic abilities to speak of, and seemingly no major practical skill. So went and became explorers. Seeking out what Gensokyo has to offer, because they were curious. In their exploration, they met new people, made new friends, and gathered groups to go exploring with them, giving people an activity where they had the chance to relax and have fun while not thinking very hard, because, as necessary as responsibility is, it can get very heavy on the body and the soul. They gave these people a chance to relieve stress. And then, even with something as innocent as exploring curiosity and making friends, they did something even greater."
> Point at the poltergeist.
> "They, and their friends, created life. They gave birth to you. A real person, born of little more than mass curiosity. You can see that even the seemingly trivial activities can have profound effects. So there lies the question. What is it that you enjoy doing?"

>"I enjoy being left alone," she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Tilt our head a bit to the side, but keep smiling.
> "I meant aside from that. But given the circumstances, I would understand if you didn't want to tell me what other things there are."

[Hello Purvis]

> Tilt our head a bit to the side, but keep smiling.
> "I meant aside from that. But given the circumstances, I would understand if you didn't want to tell me what other things there are."

>You tilt your head. Really, you kind of saw that coming.
>"There isn't anything else," she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Then I hope you will find something eventually. There are a plethora of things, both practical and entertainment-based, that you could try, to see if any interest you. But I mentioned something more abstract. You believe you know more about shadows than anyone else, yes? I am sure there are scholars that would love to learn from you about them, and perhaps a variety of other creatures as well, creatures that could range from aspiring magic-users all the way to deities."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Then I hope you will find something eventually. There are a plethora of things, both practical and entertainment-based, that you could try, to see if any interest you. But I mentioned something more abstract. You believe you know more about shadows than anyone else, yes? I am sure there are scholars that would love to learn from you about them, and perhaps a variety of other creatures as well, creatures that could range from aspiring magic-users all the way to deities."

>"That doesn't sound very pleasant," she says.

>_