Nue Quest 3rd Impact: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Peek up and down the hallway, just to be sure no one is around. Also check to see how the hallway ends on both sides - does it come to a stop, or does it make a turn off to another part of the hallway?
> If the floors are paneled with bare wood, they might creak. Probably best to float around, just above the floor, rather than walk.
> Take flight just enough so that we would be hovering about an inch if we stood up straight.
> Float our way into the hallway, toward the first door to the right on the opposite wall, and carefully try to open it.

>You look into the hallway. To the left, it ends in a wooden wall. To the right you see a set of heavy metal doors that seem very out of place. There are about a eight doors along the walls, including the one that you've just stepped from.
>You hover, and move toward the nearest door one the opposite wall to the right. You gently slide it open. You hear gentle breathing as you crack it open.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Gentle breathing? Like someone is asleep?
> Assuming the door opened quietly, open it two more inches and peer inside.

[Hello Purvis]

> Gentle breathing? Like someone is asleep?
> Assuming the door opened quietly, open it two more inches and peer inside.

>You think it is someone asleep...no, someones.
>The door wasn't too loud, so you inch it open a little more, and peer inside. You see a moderate-sized room, with some dirty clothes scattered here and there. In the middle, you see a futon with two people asleep on it. Both seem to be humans, one with long purple hair and a slim face laying on her back, and another with brown hair in two braids and a kind of squarish face. You can see a chest of drawers off to the side, with a drawer hanging open.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> A residential area, huh...?
> Gently close the door, then float down the hall toward the left end until we get to the next door along the same wall.
> Gently slide this next door open.

[Hello Purvis]

> A residential area, huh...?
> Gently close the door, then float down the hall toward the left end until we get to the next door along the same wall.
> Gently slide this next door open.

>You close the door, taking care not to wake the two up, and head toward the left end of the hall.
>You slide the door open, and look inside to see a smallish room with several wooden boxes against the wall. There is a wash tub on in the middle of the room, and a modest bathtub near one of the walls, below a fairly high and small window. There's also a laundry pole in the corner, which seems to be designed to be moved around. Open of the boxes is open, and you can see it contains linens.

>_

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>The laundry, presumably.
>Move on to the next room.

[Kilgamayan]

> Yeah, this place was definitely designed to be lived in for non-trivial periods of time.
> Gently close this door, keep floating down the left side of the hallway until we come across the next door in this wall, and gently open the new door.
> How many more doors are on this side of the hallway along this wall?

[Hello Purvis]

> Yeah, this place was definitely designed to be lived in for non-trivial periods of time.
> Gently close this door, keep floating down the left side of the hallway until we come across the next door in this wall, and gently open the new door.
> How many more doors are on this side of the hallway along this wall?

>You are certain of this.
>You are currently at the last door on the left end, or rather the west end, of the hallway.
>There seem to be four doors along each side of the hall, and the heavy ones at the east end.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Turn around and float toward the door closest to the end of the hallway on the opposite wall.
> Gently open this new door.

[Hello Purvis]

> Turn around and float toward the door closest to the end of the hallway on the opposite wall.
> Gently open this new door.

>You float toward the doorway behind you and open it.
>Inside, you see the kitchen that you saw before through the window. You get a decent view of the cabinets and such that you couldn't see before, but you hardly pay attention to that. Kneeling down on the floor by a cabinet is a blonde-haired woman in a blue and white maid outfit, reaching into it. She looks toward you as you slide open the door, her expression blank. You can immediately tell that she is a ghost, like the Prismrivers and Shuuei.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Keep our voice quite low.
> "Hello."

[Hello Purvis]

> Keep our voice quite low.
> "Hello."

>"...Hi?" she says in a small, uncertain voice.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Look back into the hallway, then back toward the ghost. Keep our voice low.
> "Do you mind if I come in and close this door? Don't want to wake anyone up."

[Hello Purvis]

> Look back into the hallway, then back toward the ghost. Keep our voice low.
> "Do you mind if I come in and close this door? Don't want to wake anyone up."

>You look away. The hall is still clear.
>"Who're you?" she says, sounding a bit less bewildered than before.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Right, of course, introductions. But first, I'll take that as a yes."
> Step into the room and gently close the door behind us, then face the poltergeist.
> "Now then."
> Give a short bow.
> "I am Nue Houjuu, barkeep extraordinaire."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Right, of course, introductions. But first, I'll take that as a yes."
> Step into the room and gently close the door behind us, then face the poltergeist.
> "Now then."
> Give a short bow.
> "I am Nue Houjuu, barkeep extraordinaire."

>You close the door and introduce yourself.
>"And what're you doing here?" says the ghost, as she stands up, with a pot in one hand and a wok in the other.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I have come in search of a friend. They visited me this afternoon, but I was still asleep, and they left without leaving a message. I've heard they are in this area."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I have come in search of a friend. They visited me this afternoon, but I was still asleep, and they left without leaving a message. I've heard they are in this area."

>"Why didn't you knock?" says the ghost. "You're a burglar!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "There's a story behind why I didn't knock. You can frisk me if you want, I haven't taken anything."

[Hello Purvis]

> "There's a story behind why I didn't knock. You can frisk me if you want, I haven't taken anything."

>"I think you just screwed up," she says, scowling.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "The room across the hall from this one is a laundry room. There's a mobile laundry pole in it. The room next to that one has two girls sleeping on a futon in it, one with purple hair, one with brown hair. One of the drawers of their chest is open. You can frisk me, or you can search both rooms and see for yourself that nothing has been taken."

[Hello Purvis]

> "The room across the hall from this one is a laundry room. There's a mobile laundry pole in it. The room next to that one has two girls sleeping on a futon in it, one with purple hair, one with brown hair. One of the drawers of their chest is open. You can frisk me, or you can search both rooms and see for yourself that nothing has been taken."

>She frowns. "Um..."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Perhaps I should tell you more about why I'm here, and why I'm sneaking around and not waking people up but also not taking their things. This friend of mine is a rabbit in a pink dress. I've heard she was seen in this area very recently. Is she someone familiar to you?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Perhaps I should tell you more about why I'm here, and why I'm sneaking around and not waking people up but also not taking their things. This friend of mine is a rabbit in a pink dress. I've heard she was seen in this area very recently. Is she someone familiar to you?"

>"...Maybe?" says the ghost, frowning. "Why did you just come in like that? I'm so confused..."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I'm sorry for that, and I hope to clear it up. You see, when my friend visited me this afternoon, while I was asleep, she entered my house and borrowed some very important tools before leaving. And before you ask, since I'm assuming you all here got affected like me and the rest of Gensokyo seems to have been, she didn't take my money. She borrowed other things. Other important things. Normally I don't mind friends borrowing things, but I kinda need these, and the sooner the better, which is why I came here after hearing she was in the area."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I'm sorry for that, and I hope to clear it up. You see, when my friend visited me this afternoon, while I was asleep, she entered my house and borrowed some very important tools before leaving. And before you ask, since I'm assuming you all here got affected like me and the rest of Gensokyo seems to have been, she didn't take my money. She borrowed other things. Other important things. Normally I don't mind friends borrowing things, but I kinda need these, and the sooner the better, which is why I came here after hearing she was in the area."

>"She robbed you?" says the ghost. "You're the person she's hiding from!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Frown.
> "Why is she hiding from me? I just want my tools back from her. It's not THAT big a deal that she needed to run away and hide."

[Hello Purvis]

> Frown.
> "Why is she hiding from me? I just want my tools back from her. It's not THAT big a deal that she needed to run away and hide."

>"Uh, she's in big trouble," says the ghost. "Isn't that you?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Only if she stole from someone else, or did something else to me that I haven't discovered is her fault yet. But if all she did is borrow my tools, then I just want them back. And to know why she borrowed them. They're not exactly things made for her."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Only if she stole from someone else, or did something else to me that I haven't discovered is her fault yet. But if all she did is borrow my tools, then I just want them back. And to know why she borrowed them. They're not exactly things made for her."

>"But you're the person after her, and..." the ghost shakes her head. "You're trying to trick me!"

>_