Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Beyond the Border~ => Rumia's Party Games => Mystia's Stored Games => Topic started by: DracoOmega on February 01, 2013, 10:43:02 PM
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>You are Nazrin, a newly inducted member of the Seeker's Guild, and you are dying. And while you finally hold one element of a cure in your hands, your hope that it is enough may be fading.
>Your career got off to an interesting and busy start last week, between stolen cats, missing cattle, and sword-wielding fairies, but things took a much darker turn when an encounter with a wild spider youkai left you infected with a mysterious and deadly illness. Thanks to Minoriko's creative thinking and the power of an ancient sword found buried in the spider's lair, the Blight has been kept at bay. For now. But you were told you had no more than a couple weeks to live unless a cure could be found, and one of them has already passed.
>Your search for this cure has been a long and frustrating road. You could find little useful information about your affliction or its treatment in Braston, so you sought passage to Val Razua in the hope that its Grand Academy might house the information you desperately require. While the journey was marred by a bloody and near-disastrous struggle with tengu pirates that resulted in the Blue Maiden's defeat and the capture of a curious relic it had been transporting in secret, you still arrived in Val Razua more or less on schedule and in one piece.
>Fortunately, some of your hopes were realized when you discovered a passage, buried in the rare books collection of the Voile Magisterial Library, describing a medicinal mixture which can cure 'the ragged blackening of the veins'. Unfortunately, after consulting with a knowledgeable but somewhat incoherent professor of herbalism, you have learned that bittercress blossoms, a critical ingredient of this mixture, occur only once every seven years and are not due for another three. Hoping that the blessed soil Minoriko gave you might hold the key to obtaining these rare blooms, you acquired some bittercress seeds from a nursery in Val Razua and planted them within it. The effects were dramatic and only a couple hours later you were holding a full and bushy plant where just before had been only seeds and empty soil. Worrisome, though several more hours have passed now, the plant has shown no sign whatsoever of flowering.
>While waiting for your bittercress to bloom, you decided to search further into your sword's origins and powers at small Shinto shrine you passed while canvassing the nurseries. There you unexpectedly bumped into Kyouko, the helpful youkai who assisted you in the Grand Academy's Divinations department earlier that day. You found yourself surprisingly taken by the cheerful yamabiko, and small talk led to storytelling and then to dinner and drinks, and now the two of you are walking back to her place, where you plan to spend the night.
>Presently, the somewhat inebriated youkai is crouched at your side, examining Kumokirimaru's sheath from almost comically close range.
>"I had to catch the first ferry out of town. Didn't think that'd end up being the Maiden at the time, but I didn't have days to wait for a nicer sheathe to be made."
>"Somethin' to do with that plant you need to delivery?" she asks, poking the bottom of the pot with her finger.
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>"Partly. More like.... The sooner I left, the sooner I could get back."
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>"Partly. More like.... The sooner I left, the sooner I could get back."
>"Get back to what?" she asks.
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>"Get back home, to see how things turned out with the spiders."
>"And to the woman who wanted the potion, of course."
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>"Get back home, to see how things turned out with the spiders."
>"And to the woman who wanted the potion, of course."
>"Oh, the spiders. Right."
>Kyouko nods, then gives the bottom of your pot another poke and giggles.
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>"It's a professional pride to get a job done as fast as possible. The personal stake doesn't hurt, either."
>If she looks about to poke it again, wince. "Please. I kinda need that pot as un-poked as possible."
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>"It's a professional pride to get a job done as fast as possible. The personal stake doesn't hurt, either."
>If she looks about to poke it again, wince. "Please. I kinda need that pot as un-poked as possible."
>Kyouko nods again. "Uh huh."
>Fearing that she may be about to poke your planter for a third time, you wince and warn her off. She looks up at you with an apologetic frown. "Oh. Sorry." Then she leans around and pokes the back of your knee instead, scrambling back to her feet amid another fit of giggling.
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>Of course you realize THIS. Means war.
>Employ our tail to brush the back of her leg.
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>Of course you realize THIS. Means war.
>Employ our tail to brush the back of her leg.
>You decide that turnabout is fair play and bring your tail quickly around as Kyouko tries to right herself. Her ears perk straight up and she lets out a squeak the moment you brush the tip against the back of her leg then stumbles backwards again. Her arms flail about in a dubious attempt to keep from toppling over, though she is still giggling as she starts to tumble.
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>Well, that'll teach her not to poke a mouse's legs, or her flowerpot.
>On the other hand, faceplants onto city streets aren't necessarily all that pleasant. So reach out and snag her hand.
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>Well, that'll teach her not to poke a mouse's legs, or her flowerpot.
>On the other hand, faceplants onto city streets aren't necessarily all that pleasant. So reach out and snag her hand.
>You reach out to grab the stumbling yamabiko's hand - a task greatly complicated by the spastic movement of her arms. But you thrust out determinedly and seize fast the moment your fingers find a hint of purchase. And almost get her other hand upside your head for your troubles. Your heroic act doesn't entirely save her from contact with the ground, as the side of her body which you're not supporting falls limp, but it is a lighter impact than it might have been.
>Kyouko looks up at you with lazy eyes and a contented smile. "Thanks, Nazrin!" Then, as if she is finding something on your face extremely amusing, stifles a renewed round of giggling.
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>Sheesh, kid's a handful when drunk. Let's pull her back upright.
>"Up you go."
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>Sheesh, kid's a handful when drunk. Let's pull her back upright.
>"Up you go."
>You shift your grip on Kyouko's arm and help her upright again.
>"Up I go!" she says, doing little to assist your efforts to pull her back to her feet, though she finds purchase well enough once vertical, wobbling only a little. "You're pretty nimble!"
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>"Well, you have to be in this line of work."
>Make sure she's steady before letting her go.
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>"Well, you have to be in this line of work."
>Make sure she's steady before letting her go.
>"Do you catch a lot of falling people, then?" she asks.
>You wait a moment to make sure she's got her footing, then let go of her. She takes a wide stretch, rising up a little on her toes then back again, but manages to remain stable.
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>"Only when the need arises. I'm a fetcher by trade, after all, not a catcher."
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>"Only when the need arises. I'm a fetcher by trade, after all, not a catcher."
>"A fetcher, not a catcher," she says, then fixes you with a sterner look. Or at least tries - the effect on her visibly amused face is hard to take seriously. "But if you make me fall over again, you better catch me again, too!"
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>Figured you'd like the sound of that one.
>Crack a grin. "Deal."
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>"Does this mean you want me to knock you over some more?"
>Swish tail a bit for emphasis.
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>Figured you'd like the sound of that one.
>Crack a grin. "Deal."
>Kyouko's smile mirrors your own. "Deal!"
>"Does this mean you want me to knock you over some more?"
>Swish tail a bit for emphasis.
>Then you decide to tease her a little, swishing your trail through the air for emphasis.
>The yamabiko's grin narrows impishly. "You can try!"
>Then without further delay, she lunges and playfully jabs the sides of your ribs with both index fingers at once, then starts to twist and dash away from you.
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>Smirk. Oh you're in for it now.
>Take a half-dash forward- Skid to a halt.
>"Maybe later, Kyouko-chan. I'd hate to drop my plant, after all."
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>Smirk. Oh you're in for it now.
>Take a half-dash forward- Skid to a halt.
>"Maybe later, Kyouko-chan. I'd hate to drop my plant, after all."
>You smirk and start to chase after the mirthful girl, fully intent on delivering twice as good as you get, but then the weight of the precious cargo in your hand pulls you back. You stop.
>Kyouko is already several feet away by the time you call out to her, dashing with surprising balance given the flush in her cheeks. There is a slight lag before your comment seems to register, but then she comes to a halt as well.
>"Oh." She turns back to you with a dispirited look on her face. "Right. Sorry."
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>Killjoy? Maybe. But there'll be plenty of time for fun later.
>Place a hand on her shoulder and grin. "But don't think there won't be a next time."
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>Killjoy? Maybe. But there'll be plenty of time for fun later.
>Place a hand on her shoulder and grin. "But don't think there won't be a next time."
>You walk up to the saddened-looking girl and put a hand on her shoulder, then grin. She seems to brighten a little at your words.
>"I'd like that."
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>"That's better."
>... crap, we said that out loud.
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>"That's better."
>... crap, we said that out loud.
>"What's better?" she asks with an innocent smile, leaving you feeling more than a little self-conscious at your expressing the sentiment aloud.
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>Mutter, "...Never mind."
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>Mutter, "...Never mind."
>Kyouko looks at you blankly with those wide green eyes of hers, then her head droops to the side slightly. "Huh?"
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>Continue on the way we were going.
>And say quietly (damn her eyes) "You look better when you smile."
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>Continue on the way we were going.
>And say quietly (damn her eyes) "You look better when you smile."
>You continue onward, not wanting to be looking Kyouko in the face when you - begrudgingly - admit that you enjoy her smile.
>"Awww... Thank you!" she replies immediately (damn her hearing, too). "I like it when you smile too, Nazrin!"
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>Yeah, well, here's hoping we have reason to smile when this cursed flower blooms.
>Let's get to where we're going. The alcohol must have made us sappy, too.
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>Yeah, well, here's hoping we have reason to smile when this cursed flower blooms.
>Let's get to where we're going. The alcohol must have made us sappy, too.
>Feeling the weight of your sentiments hanging uncomfortably in the air, you continue on in silence for a time. Or at least relative silence. Kyouko continues to hum merily to herself as she walks, swinging her arms freely back and forth like all the cares in the world were as light as the breeze. How very much you wish you could feel likewise; the bittercress in your arms feels leaden by comparison.
>After a few more minutes, she approaches a long three-story row building of sandy brick and simple stonework, very alike in style to several others along the road with only choice of trim and color to distinguish them. The architecture is unremarkable by Val Razuan standards, plain and angular, but not altogether crude.
>"We're here!" she announces cheerfully as she proceeds up a small flight of steps to the stolid wooden door at their end, then reaches into her pocket.
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>Is there a nameplate? She is a touch... tipsy, we wouldn't her opening the wrong door.
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>Is there a nameplate? She is a touch... tipsy, we wouldn't her opening the wrong door.
>There is not, simply a set of large iron numerals affixed to the stonework beside the door, which read "113"
>You while you are searching for this, Kyouko finishes rummaging through her pocket and produces a small metal key ring. With lethargic deliberateness, she takes hold of a stout brass key and fits it into the lock, then twists and opens the door with a small cheer.
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>Whatever happened to needing the blue key? These games used to be hard...
>Glance within.
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>Whatever happened to needing the blue key? These games used to be hard...
>Glance within.
>You have some objection to this lock requiring the yellow one instead?
>You take a look inside the door as Kyouko enters. But rather than a porch or living area, the door opens onto a cloistered but impersonal stairwell with stout wooden banisters and speckled tile flooring that rings echoes from each of Kyouko's footsteps. Glancing upward, you suspect it stretches all the way to the building's highest floor and there are multiple doors to be seen - one just to the right and hints of more above.
>As you are looking around, Kyouko heads briskly upwards, gesturing for you to follow.
>"This way!"
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>
IYellow was always one of the easier ones. Now red? THAT was the key that separated the men from the boys.
>Follow indeed.
>"How high we climbin'?"
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>IYellow was always one of the easier ones. Now red? THAT was the key that separated the men from the boys.
>Follow indeed.
>"How high we climbin'?"
>Well, a good thing there are neither men nor boys here to separate, no?
>You follow after the peppy yamabiko as she dashes up the stairs with perhaps more haste than strictly necessary.
>"Second floor!" she calls back, and then stops as she reaches a small landing, pausing in front of a door that looks very much like the one on the ground floor - shallow-panneled dark wood with gold numerals affixed to the middle that read 113-B. She flips her key ring around to reach for a second key, but fumbles the action with a giggle. The keys clatter to the ground.
>"Oopsie!"
>Without missing a beat, she bends down and retrieves them, then successfully open the door on the second attempt. She holds it open a crack as you approach, then looks back to you. Despite her carefree bearing, there is something vaguely self-conscious about her expression.
>"I did say there wasn't a lot of room, right?" she asks.
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>Nod.
>Our own room wasn't exactly a space-waster, either.
>"Small places don't bother me none."
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>Nod.
>Our own room wasn't exactly a space-waster, either.
>"Small places don't bother me none."
>You nod; you've passed a few years in unglamorous accommodations, after all.
>"That's good," she says. "Because it is kinda small," she adds in a quieter tone. And with that, she opens the door and steps instead. You follow.
>The door opens onto a long but narrow space - open in concept, though still not very large - with blonde hardwood flooring and pale tan walls. Probably the only thing which keeps it from looking cramped is the relative sparseness of furnishings, though it's still a little larger than your apprentice quarters back in Braston. And in a city like this, sure as hell costs more, too. A large window fills most of the far wall, currently drawn with pale sea green curtains. To its side hangs a wall scroll penned with rather amateurish calligraphy which reads "Embrace every morning with a smile." A low square table stands a few feet before this window, a pair of large green cushions on either side. In its center rests a cheerful-looking bonsai tree in a bed of sandy crushed stone, a small book with a slim cover lying beside it. Against the wall to the left is a straight-backed wooden bench padded with colorful throw pillows. Roughly opposite this are a pair of doors, both slightly ajar through not enough to peer inside from this angle.
>The rest of the room is furnished neatly with just a couple small shelving units and end tables, one of which bears a rather stylish lamp in twisted wrought iron while the others house an eclectic assortment of knickknacks from a large snow globe, its contents still swirling, to a faintly-iridescent spiral seashell and a small bamboo flute resting upon a metal stand. There are also several framed photographs, some of Kyouko and a few of other people as well; one particularly large one is of a tall rugged mountain, its heights streaked with white and ringed by green.
>Stepping inside, you notice a small kitchen alcove adjoined to the right of the room, mostly concealed by the door at first. It is decidedly minimal and perhaps even claustrophobic, but nonetheless manages to contain the standard infrastructure; there is a small ice box and washbasin and as much cabinetry as could reasonably fit while still leaving room for someone to move around. A copper tea kettle rest upon the small iron stove in the corner and the adjacent half of the minimal counter space is packed with ceramic jars of flour or sugar or somesuch. There is also a large cloth-covered plate with just enough unevenness beneath its surface to suggest some contents being kept fresh without hinting what they might be.
>"Well, this is it," Kyouko says. "Home Sweet Home." She smiles at you, then dashes off to light the lamp.
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>Sample the air with our olfactory senses. Then step inside.
>Glance around, then chuckle once and grin. "Know something, Kyouko? I think your place is bigger than my digs back in Braston."
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>Sample the air with our olfactory senses. Then step inside.
>Glance around, then chuckle once and grin. "Know something, Kyouko? I think your place is bigger than my digs back in Braston."
>You take a sniff of the air. There is a hint of cinnamon and something else sweet, and the ruddy scent of the her bonsai, as well as the gentle yet crisp and clean aura you have come to associate with Kyouko herself.
>A warm glow suffuses the room as Kyouko sets the lamp alight. You take another glance around, then chuckle.
>"Really?" she asks, turning back to you with some surprise in her eyes. She takes another glance about her apartment, then repeats the question. "Really?"
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>"Maybe not by a hell of a lot, but yeah, really."
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>"Maybe not by a hell of a lot, but yeah, really."
>"Well, that's good!" she says cheerfully, then frowns suddenly. "No, wait, that isn't good at all, is it? ...or is it?" She tilts her head to the side and one of her ears tilts up with it.
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>Grin. "Proof that I don't need a lot to get by."
>More's better, of course, but until we get it, we can make do just fine.
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>Grin. "Proof that I don't need a lot to get by."
>More's better, of course, but until we get it, we can make do just fine.
>"Well I... suppose that's good?" She seems to be having some trouble sorting out exactly what this implies.
>While you certainly aspire to a lot snazzier digs than this, what kind of Seeker could you call yourself if you needed pampering just to get through the day? And this is a lot more comfortable-looking than your bunk on the Maiden was, to be fair. Though there also isn't really a lot of floor space to stretch out and the bench isn't long enough for someone of even your stature - not that it looks that conducive to restful sleep, in any case.
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>Oh, we'll manage here. Somehow. It's free, ergo the best lodgings in the city.
>Step lightly towards the picture of the mountain and have a better look at it. Might be her home. Well, birthplace.
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>Oh, we'll manage here. Somehow. It's free, ergo the best lodgings in the city.
>Step lightly towards the picture of the mountain and have a better look at it. Might be her home. Well, birthplace.
>Being free earns this place massive points in your book. And it's also clean and tidy, and relatively quiet to boot - owner notwithstanding.
>You wander over to take a closer look at the picture of the mountain. It is quite large for a photograph and even the fine details are crisp and sharp - clearly it was taken with a high-quality camera. You can make out numerous thin crevases in the rock and other places where the cliff face is worn smooth, perhaps by old flows of water or the grinding movement of packed snow and ice. The base is thickly forested for as far as the shot extends, growing patchier as you travel up the cliff and then disappearing almost entirely. In fact, the trees are the only thing in the photo which can give a sense of scale to the mountain, though a closer examination suggests they are not as dwarfed by it as they first appeared; the upper reaches of the peak are simply too steep and rugged for them to find purchase. It's still much taller than anything you've seen on Estval, though. After a little while, you notice hints of what might possibly be a walkable path winding up from the tree line, but still no signs of habitation.
>"That's my mountain!" Kyouko pipes up cheerfully, suddenly appearing at your side. "I haven't been back in a long time now, but somehow that picture makes me feel like I'm never really that far away."
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>"Where's it at?"
>We have some kind of bedroll, right? If so, do we think there's enough room to spread it without immanent danger of being walked on?
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>"Where's it at?"
>We have some kind of bedroll, right? If so, do we think there's enough room to spread it without immanent danger of being walked on?
>"Way out West," she replies. "A couple days past Takemura. There are a bunch more like it out there, but this one's mine!"
>You do not, though you don't think there'd be anywhere to spread it here that wasn't across part of the walkway in some fashion. Perhaps if you moved the table....
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>We didn't put up any pictures of Easthaven or Braston back at the apprentices' housing, did we?
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>We didn't put up any pictures of Easthaven or Braston back at the apprentices' housing, did we?
>No. In fact, the only photograph you even posses is the one of Ellen's cat, which you are still carting around with you for some reason.
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>Not very sentimental, are we?
>Prior to when we went back to Easthaven for Ichirin's job, were we especially attached to Easthaven? In terms of missing it or getting nostalgic, that sort of thing.
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>Not very sentimental, are we?
>Prior to when we went back to Easthaven for Ichirin's job, were we especially attached to Easthaven? In terms of missing it or getting nostalgic, that sort of thing.
>As a rule, no. Being sentimental is a good way to look foolish and an even better way to muddle one's judgement; you've seen more than enough bone-headed things done in the name of fleeting emotions and you expect better of yourself. Irritatingly, you cannot honestly deny the times you've elected for less expedient or profitable actions for chiefly emotional reasons. Maybe you'd like to, but you can't. Perhaps this is why people seem to keep telling you you've got a good heart these days; sounds like a troublesome thing to be stuck with, frankly.
>You never really missed Easthaven, or at least assumed you hadn't. It was a bucolic backwater. You'd moved on to bigger things and were headed for even bigger - it was as simple as that. Why should anyone reserve special affection for a place merely because of some coincidence of their birth? Though you did feel something approaching affection for Ichirin, when you were honest with yourself - which perhaps wasn't very often; waxing sentimental invites the kind of attention you've never cared to have and you'd often figured Orange had enough sentimentality for the both of you. Somehow... after the whirlwind of this past week, you're not certain you feel this way anymore.
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>Well, there is some practicality in remembering your roots, we suppose. Knowing where you came from, and what you survived on, motivates one to better oneself. Not that we NEED extra motivation, but the logic is there.
>Given the lack of bedrolls or something else, are we accustomed to/fine with the idea of simply curling up in a corner, or sleeping while sitting as opposed to lying?
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>Well, there is some practicality in remembering your roots, we suppose. Knowing where you came from, and what you survived on, motivates one to better oneself. Not that we NEED extra motivation, but the logic is there.
>Given the lack of bedrolls or something else, are we accustomed to/fine with the idea of simply curling up in a corner, or sleeping while sitting as opposed to lying?
>Oh, there's certainly plenty of reasons to remember where you came from and what you learned there - only a fool discards information once you have it. But that doesn't mean you have to miss the place. Too much. ...maybe a little.
>Perhaps the comforts of civilization have made you a little soft, but you'd certainly far rather a cozy bed than the corner of some hardwood floor. But you are a youkai born of a creature of the wilds and spent the first part of your existence with nothing but the ground as your bed, even after your awakening; it's not something you're in a hurry to return to, but it's also not as unpleasant as most humans seem to find it. And while you suppose you wouldn't say no to a nice sleeping bag if you were camping out somewhere, it's also more bulk to carry around and you can make due adequately without one.
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>"Ever find yourself wanting to go back there?"
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>"Ever find yourself wanting to go back there?"
>"Go back?" She pauses. "Well... it might be nice to visit again sometime, I suppose, but I like it here! And the mountain is always in my heart. And on my wall, too!" She grins.
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>"Hah. That it is."
>Look around for a place to put our flower down where it can get some sun in the morning.
>If one presents itself, ask, "Can I put my flower down there?"
>If none readily present themselves, ask, "Oh, by the way, where can I put this down where it can get some sun tomorrow morning?"
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>"Hah. That it is."
>Look around for a place to put our flower down where it can get some sun in the morning.
>If one presents itself, ask, "Can I put my flower down there?"
>If none readily present themselves, ask, "Oh, by the way, where can I put this down where it can get some sun tomorrow morning?"
>"That it is," she replies contentedly. "Oh! Would you like some tea?"
>She putters off toward what passes for a kitchen without pausing for a response.
>As she does, you quickly survey the room for a good place to leave your plant where it could get some sunlight in the morning. Depending on the angle the light comes in, the floor beside the window might be fine enough, though the larger table with the bonsai is probably even better; most of the other shelves and end tables are either too small or don't look like they get so much natural light. You ask.
>"Sure!" she chirps back. "Just put it next to Koki-san. He doesn't get a lot of company!" She stifles a giggle.
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>Grin. "You named your bonsai?"
>Apply bittercress to table.
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>Grin. "You named your bonsai?"
>Apply bittercress to table.
>"I did! I think it's happier with a name!"
>You deposit your bittercress next to the taciturn Koki-san. If he is grateful for the company, he gives no sign of it.
>"Wait, did you say you wanted tea or not?" Kyouko asks as you hear the metallic clinking of the kettle swing in her hands.
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>Shrug. "I wouldn't say no to a good cup. It'll help clear our heads after the drinking we did, that's for sure. Wouldn't want to impose too much though, so only go for it if you want to."
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>Shrug. "I wouldn't say no to a good cup. It'll help clear our heads after the drinking we did, that's for sure. Wouldn't want to impose too much though, so only go for it if you want to."
>"Sure!"
>You hear Kyouko fill the kettle with water, then stoke the stove and set the back kettle upon it. Then she reappears beside you and thrusts a small round rice cake at you before you can fully turn around.
>"Here, have some mochi!" You note one in her other hand with a large bite missing.
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>Don't say no to free mochi too often, neithers.
>"Thanks."
>Accept and nom.
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>Don't say no to free mochi too often, neithers.
>"Thanks."
>Accept and nom.
>You accept the proferred mochi and munch into it. It's a little dry, actually, and you're still pretty stuffed from dinner, but your sweet tooth doesn't find too much to complain about nonetheless. Kyouko noms another big bite out of hers, then turns and heads back to the kitchen.
>"Oh!" She stops mid-stride, ears flipping upward. "You need someplace to sleep!"
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>Nod, then glance around.
>"All I really need is a place to stretch out or curl up, is all."
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>Nod, then glance around.
>"All I really need is a place to stretch out or curl up, is all."
>Kyouko shakes her head vehemently. "Nononono, that would just be mean. Mean!" she repeats. "I'll find you something!"
>And with that she dashes into one of the adjoining rooms, leaving the door half-ajar behind her - a bedroom, by the looks of it, and not a very large one. You hear another door slide open and the sounds of frenzied rummaging accompanied by meandering commentary.
>"Something... something... wrong something... Ah, there we- ooops, no, you're a towel, silly." The yamabiko starts to giggle. Then there is a dull thud. Kyouko yelps, but almost immediately resumes her laughter. "Oh, hello there! I wondered where you'd gone and hid yourself."
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>"That's not really necessary."
>... is what we want to say, but saying it would more than likely do very little to dissuade her efforts.
>So instead, merely crane our neck to see what fell on her head. If we can.
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>"That's not really necessary."
>... is what we want to say, but saying it would more than likely do very little to dissuade her efforts.
>So instead, merely crane our neck to see what fell on her head. If we can.
>You decide to save your breath and not protest, instead poking your head around to see what just fell on your energetic and still somewhat tipsy host.
>Said host is standing before a small but packed-looking closet and strewn at her feet are pillows and sheets and blankets - and a bright yellow towel - as well as assorted other knickknacks. A large watermelon-colored candle still rolling across the floor is the most likely source of the noise, you think, but what she seems most taken with at the moment is a large red sombrero in her hands, its rim stitched with some kind of sun motif. She is presently engaged in an attempt to poke proper volume back into its rather flattened form.
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>Well, one doesn't invite oneself into a girl's room when she's poking at things to get them properly shaped. Not on the first night one knows that girl, anyway.
>If she asks, on the other hand...
>"Need a hand in there?"
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>Well, one doesn't invite oneself into a girl's room when she's poking at things to get them properly shaped. Not on the first night one knows that girl, anyway.
>If she asks, on the other hand...
>"Need a hand in there?"
>You ponder the propriety of wandering into another girl's bedroom for a moment, but then decide to ask whether the girl in question could actually use some help with her rummaging.
>"I'm good!" she chirps, then turns to towards you, sombrero extended. "Isn't this thing neat? Just watch!"
>And with that she gives one of the sun motifs a flick with her finger and then another. There is a pause. She frowns, then starts flicking several other points along the voluminous hat's brim. You can see her brow slowly furrow.
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>What is the history and area of origin of the sombraro, and do we know why poking one would provoke a response from the hat itself, rather than the being upon whose head it rests?
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>You're not actually sure where they're from - some kind of highly regional ethnic thing, you think. You once saw an even more flamboyant and oversized one pass through Rinnosuke's collection at one point, but never asked too many questions about it. And you have no idea what at all Kyouko's trying to accomplish by poking it.
-
>"Something.... not working?"
-
>"Something.... not working?"
>"Not working...." she repeats mournfully, still prodding the jumbo head covering. Then you hear a faint shimmering; the suns light up and Kyouko's face along with them. Then there is a squeezing sound and in the space of no more than a second, the hat spins and twists and contorts itself in something resembling a brightly colored bread roll, yet even smaller; you could probably fit two in the palm of your hand.
>Kyouko beams at you. "Neat, isn't it?"
-
>Some form of enchantment?
>"Where'd you come by that?"
-
>Some form of enchantment?
>"Where'd you come by that?"
>Well, it certainly didn't coil itself into this compact a form by mechanical means.
>"I picked it up at a traveling market a few years back," she says. "From some oni with a fake mustache. It's a bit large to actually wear very often, but I thought it was nifty! It's kinda easy to lose when it's this small though," she adds in a quieter tone.
-
>But nothing we could detect on our own, presumably.
>An oni with a fake moustache? Laugh at the thought.
-
>But nothing we could detect on our own, presumably.
>An oni with a fake moustache? Laugh at the thought.
>Well, you don't think it's a particularly powerful enchantment, though you assume you could detect it just fine if you dowsed for it. Though it's possible that it is latent, and only gives off an aura of any kind during its... transformation.
>You can't help but laugh at the idea of an oni with a fake mustache peddling miniature giant hats. What in the world kind of market was this, anyway?
>"Oh! I've got you some blankets," Kyouko says, lifting a substantial-looking woolen one off the floor as if to demonstrate the sincerity of her claims. She fidgets. "I... don't actually have a spare futon or anything for you, sorry. I don't usually have guests. But if we pile enough blankets on the floor," she adds hopefully, "it should be almost as good as one, right?"
-
>Is it notably cold in here, and did we get the feeling it will be a cold night?
-
>Is it notably cold in here, and did we get the feeling it will be a cold night?
>It's been a surprisingly cool night for the season, but still not truly cold, and Kyouko's apartment is a fairly reasonable temperature; you don't anticipate any unusual need for insulation.
-
>"I think we can get by just fine. I really don't need much, after all. "
-
>"I think we can get by just fine. I really don't need much, after all. "
>"Well... as long as you're comfy," she says, looking up at you with a trace of sheepish hesitation on her face. "It's no good if you're not comfy. This is a no un-comfy zone, right here!" She gestures decisively with her sombrero roll.
-
>Chuckle. "I hear ya loud and clear."
-
>Chuckle. "I hear ya loud and clear."
>She nods. "Right!"
>And with that, she pokes the sombrero roll back into the closet, leans down and picks up the largest blanket, and then carries it back out to the main room where she stands examining her furniture critically.
>"Going to have to move a few things around," she says.
>Tucking the blanket awkwardly beneath one arm, she starts to slowly push the table aside.
-
>Grab the other end and pitch in. We pull our own weight.
-
>If it seems plausible for the two of us, suggest lifting it up. No need to scuff of the floor.
-
>Grab the other end and pitch in. We pull our own weight.
>If it seems plausible for the two of us, suggest lifting it up. No need to scuff of the floor.
>Not content to let your host labor alone on your behalf, you move around to the other end of the table and suggest the two of you lift it instead.
>"Oh! Oh, that works, too."
>Kyouko deposits the blanket on top of the table, then crouches a little to get a grip on her side. You do likewise and the pair of you carefully shift it against the left wall of the room, freeing up enough open space on the other side for you to stretch out upon. Even if you will still be vaguely in the way of Kyouko's bedroom door.
>The yamabiko regards the newly created space and lets out a contented sigh. "Right!" Then she grabs the blanket and spreads it out across the floor, fussing just a little to get the corners neat and straight, then darts back into her bedroom.
-
>Didn't she have the kettle on? Is it boiling yet?
>"'nother blanket and a spare pillow, and I'm good for the night."
-
>Didn't she have the kettle on? Is it boiling yet?
>"'nother blanket and a spare pillow, and I'm good for the night."
>She does, but she only put it on the stove a couple minutes ago; it doesn't sound like it's boiling yet.
>"No, I'm making sure you're comfy!" she responds decisively. "However many blankets that takes."
>She reemerges with a pair of them in her arms this time - one quilted and fluffy, and another in a similar style to the first, though pale green in color. She sets the quilted one down on top, fussing with almost exaggerated care to make sure it is properly aligned with the one beneath it, then pokes the body of it a couple times with her finger.
>"Is this soft enough?" she asks.
-
>Smile and chuckle quietly. "No one will ever say you don't look after your guests, Kyouko-chan. Or your friends."
>Give the arrangement a probe.
-
>Smile and chuckle quietly. "No one will ever say you don't look after your guests, Kyouko-chan. Or your friends."
>Give the arrangement a probe.
>"No one will ever say I don't look after my guests," she replies. "...at least I hope they won't."
>You give your impromptu bedding a poke. It's not really as supportive as a proper futon or a real bed, but it's a sight better than the floor and you're pretty light; you think it'll be fine.
-
>"Well if anyone does, they'll need to have words with me."
>Let us lie down upon, to compete the test.
-
>"Well if anyone does, they'll need to have words with me."
>Let us lie down upon, to compete the test.
>Kyouko giggles, then smiles at you. "That's sweet of you."
>You lie down upon the bed of blankets and give it a truer examination. While you can still feel the floor just a little and the quilted blanket bunches a little as you shift around, you'd actually rate it as better than your accommodations on the Maiden these past few days, at least in terms of softness. Kyouko watches you with some visible anticipation.
-
>Sweet. Bah. "I just tell it like I see."
>Place arms behind head. "Not bad. Not bad at all."
-
>Sweet. Bah. "I just tell it like I see."
>Place arms behind head. "Not bad. Not bad at all."
>Kyouko lets out another quiet giggle.
>This draws a genuine smile from the rosy-cheeked girl. Then she playfully unfurls the remaining blanket and tosses it out on top of you. Her aim could use a little work, though - at least if her intent was not to smother you beneath the heavy wool.
>"Oopsie!"
-
>Blow at it, then pull it down off our face. Fix her with a wry grin.
-
>Blow at it, then pull it down off our face. Fix her with a wry grin.
>You blow on the blanket, which doesn't actually do very much to move the weighty cloth, so you instead resort to more manual means and then flash the yamabiko a wry grin. She smiles sheepishly.
>"Sorry!"
-
>"I'd sorry you! Except I'm stuck under a blanket. You win this time!"
-
>"I'd sorry you! Except I'm stuck under a blanket. You win this time!"
>Kyouko laughs even harder, a warm and genuine sound. Of all the places you could have ended up tonight, this isn't so bad, really....
>"Here, let me get you a pillow," she says, traces of laughter still upon her face. She moves back into the bedroom again.
-
>"You're going to smother me while I'm trapped? You fiend!"
>Kick it back until Kyouko returns.
-
>"You're going to smother me while I'm trapped? You fiend!"
>Kick it back until Kyouko returns.
>"Fiend!" she echos cheerfully from the bedroom to the tune of more bedding being sifted.
>You relax upon your surprisingly comfy accommodations until Kyouko reemerges with a large fluffy pillow in her hands. She pauses, takes a look at your contented face, then lightly hurls the pillow at your head with a giggle.
-
>Why that li-Oomph.
>Pull pillow away from face.
>"Oh, it's on."
-
>Why that li-Oomph.
>Pull pillow away from face.
>"Oh, it's on."
>You pause for a moment as the ballistic cushion thwaps you in the nose, the sound of Kyouko's amusement ringing softly behind it. Then you calmly take hold of the pillow, remove it from your face, and issue a challenge.
>"It is?" Kyouko asks, her innocent expression leaving just enough room to debate whether she's trying to egg you on or not.
-
>Kip up.
>Get a good grip on the edge of our weapon and spin it dramatically.
>"Oh yes. It is."
-
>Kip up.
>Get a good grip on the edge of our weapon and spin it dramatically.
>"Oh yes. It is."
>You spring defly upright, sending the blanket above you sailing sideways with the motion. Then you give the pillow in your hand a little twirl.
>Kyouko lets out a tiny cheerful squeek and takes a step backward as you bounce to your feet, then braces herself when you declare your challenge. Her eyes dart briefly in the direction of her bedroom.
-
>Dramatically, "He who hesitates is lost."
>Charge!
-
>Dramatically, "He who hesitates is lost."
>Charge!
>You pronounce a last dramatic aphorism and then charge!
>As soon as you step forward, Kyouko turns and sprints through the bedroom door beside her. She's surprisingly quick on her feet, but you're still almost on top of her before she can get very far. You move to bat her with your pillow, but at that very moment the frisky yamabiko trips bodily and pitches forward onto the pile of bedding and towels with a loud squawk.
>Before you can ask whether she's alright, Kyouko turns and hurls one of the towels at your face and immediately follows it up with another large woolen blanket.
-
>Bat aside these projectiles with the pillow!
-
>Kudos for getting that kinda distance on a thick woolen blanket.
>But no blanket foils this mouse.
>Duck under it and dive forward.
-
>Bat aside these projectiles with the pillow!
>Kudos for getting that kinda distance on a thick woolen blanket.
>But no blanket foils this mouse.
>Duck under it and dive forward.
>You easily bat aside the towel with your pillow, then duck and dive under the weightier projectile. You feel part of it settle upon your back and tail, but brush it aside with your other arm and keep pressing forward.
>Not stopping for a moment after her assault, Kyouko dives onto her bed and stretches an arm out as far as it will go, grasping the edge of her pillow with the tips of her fingers just as you approach thwapping range again.
-
I've never seen two posts go off at the same second like that before. That's kinda cool.
>Too slow, Kyouko-chan.
>Swing!
-
>Too slow, Kyouko-chan.
>Swing!
>Kyouko is indeed just a little too slow. You swing!
>"Ack!" Kyouko cries as your pillow bats against the small of her back, falling slightly limp against the bed. But this doesn't stop her from getting hold of her own pillow and rounding with a wild swing in the general direction of your face.
-
>All too easy.
>Duck and return fire.
-
>All too easy.
>Duck and return fire.
>You duck deftly beneath Kyouko's swing and bat at her again. She lets out another squawk as your pillow soundly hits her shoulder, then lashes out at you again amid a fit of giggles. This one is even less controlled than the last, but you're inside her swing rather than outside it.
-
>Move in for a quick swing.
>"Say uncle!"
-
>Move in for a quick swing.
>"Say uncle!"
>You move in closer and bop Kyouko again, her own blow impacting somewhat limply against the side of your head. This only seems to make her laughs louder, though.
>"Never!" she cries, then hits you upside the head a little firmer this time.
-
>This has got to be, without a doubt, the very first pillow fight we've ever been a part of in any way, other than possibly as a witness. How did that happen?
>No matter. No one goes upside our head and gets away with it. Wade in and give the yamabiko what for.
-
>This has got to be, without a doubt, the very first pillow fight we've ever been a part of in any way, other than possibly as a witness. How did that happen?
>No matter. No one goes upside our head and gets away with it. Wade in and give the yamabiko what for.
>It's been a lot of years since you did anything like this and it should as hell wasn't something you'd expected when you got here tonight, but for at least this moment, you aren't letting yourself worry about all the problems that are waiting for you; if you wanted to find an excuse, maybe you could just blame the sake.
>But no matter to how you arrived here, you aren't about to let Kyouko get one over on a professional. You fight back in earnest, buffeting the giggling yamabiko with her own pillow and barely giving her time for a counterattack, though she does try. You evade some with a deft roll or a counterswing of your own weapon, though the closed quarters force you to accept a few of the fluffy impacts across head and torso and ears. You're not sure Kyouko stops laughing even once, to the point that she's nearly gasping for breath between assaults after a while - not that it slows her down much. It is... surprisingly enjoyable, in an odd way.
>You hear a rattling sound from the direction of the main room.
>Kyouko's ears perk up - at least the one of them not currently mashed against the blankets. "The kettle!"
-
>"Guess we'll call it a draw then."
>Let's lay off the girl for now, and let her take care of things.
-
>"Guess we'll call it a draw then."
>Let's lay off the girl for now, and let her take care of things.
>You declare a truce, then step back and give Kyouko room to stand upright again.
>Kyouko nods. "A draw!" Then she quickly dashes out to the kitchen.
-
>Well, that was... bit of a surprise.
>Probably safe to put out pillow back to its old role of being a pillow, rather than a flail, so go put her back in our makeshift bed.
-
>Well, that was... bit of a surprise.
>Probably safe to put out pillow back to its old role of being a pillow, rather than a flail, so go put her back in our makeshift bed.
>You pause for a moment to take in the sheer incongruity of what just occurred, surveying the strewn bedding and discarded pillows with a mixture of uncertainty and a curious... satisfaction? You're almost not sure what to make of it.
>Then you shrug and go back out to the main room where you return your pillow to its rightful place. Your own bed has not escaped the ordeal unscathed, but you gather up the sheet you flung off at the start of the fight and put it back tidily, tucking in the corners just as Kyouko cheerfully summons you for tea.
>It is lemon, it turns out, with just a hint of cinnamon - a beverage you honestly appreciate more than you did the sake, pedestrian though it may be. The soothing drink seems to settle Kyouko's lingering giddiness but she remains in unmistakably good humor for the rest of the evening. At least twice you have to thwart attempts to foist more mochi upon you, and then a variety of other snacks when you refuse the first - as tasty as they might be, you've really had quite enough already tonight. Kyouko apparently has not, or at least seems content to munch on the things you pass up with little apparent limit. You do accede to a second cup of tea, though you nurse them both slowly.
>After a while, Kyouko excuses herself to go tidy up her room, leaving you to the last of the tea and your own thoughts.
-
>Now that the.... uh, whatever you want to call it, from the pillow fight has subsided, how tired are we feeling?
>Status check on bittercress.
-
>Now that the.... uh, whatever you want to call it, from the pillow fight has subsided, how tired are we feeling?
>Status check on bittercress.
>After the multitudinous excursions of the day and now having a place to settle and kick back, you find yourself feeling pretty lethargic, if not quite asleep on your feet.
>You go take another look at your bittercress. It appears unchanged from when you arrived.
-
>Of course it hasn't changed.
>Well let's finish up our tea and go lie down. Maybe it'll have bloomed when the sun comes up. Maybe.
-
>Of course it hasn't changed.
>Well let's finish up our tea and go lie down. Maybe it'll have bloomed when the sun comes up. Maybe.
>It is with a bitter lack of surprise that you acknowledge your plant's unchanged condition. But it is what it is, and you're too tired tonight to do anything else about it. Hopefully the morning will bring better news.
>You finish up the last of your tea then settle down to bed, drawing the woolen blanket close to yourself and shifting around to find as comfortable a purchase on your makeshift sleeping arrangements as you can. Kyouko bids you a cheerful goodnight and soon retires to her own room, though you can hear her puttering about for a while afterward - to her credit she does so quite quietly.
>Your mind is both restless and fatigued as you lie in bed, worries and doubts floating vaguely as they slip the feeble grasp of your waning consciousness. The promise of those seeds feels muted now, the verdant foliage of their growth almost cruel by its omission. You aren't certain what you should do if the flowers haven't appeared by tomorrow; it is difficult to marshall your thoughts. It is difficult even to remember what you were trying to marshall. The weight of your troubles and the warm blanket both press down upon you and soon you are lost beneath them.
>You awaken dully to a bright light upon your face. Your mouth feels thick and your body heavy. There is a sweet smell in the air, like honey, and you can hear something... frying?
-
>Eh? Let's shove ourselves out of bed and investigate after properly stretching and such.
>But before we investigate the smells, let's check the plant.
-
>Eh? Let's shove ourselves out of bed and investigate after properly stretching and such.
>But before we investigate the smells, let's check the plant.
>With a surprising amount of effort, you push your leaden form upright and stretch. Your limbs ache a little and it doesn't feel like your mind has quite realized it is conscious yet.
>But you still have enough awareness to crane your neck around and take a look at your bittercress, resting happily beside Kyouko's bonsai in the warm embrace of the morning sunlight. You squint as the shaft of light falls sharply across your sleepy eyes, then raise a hand to shade them. The bittercress... does not appear to have changed.
-
>...Damn. We'd probably verbally indulge a bit if we weren't in pleasant company.
>Well, nothing for it right now, so let's try and wake ourselves up.
-
>...Damn. We'd probably verbally indulge a bit if we weren't in pleasant company.
>Well, nothing for it right now, so let's try and wake ourselves up.
>You feel a seeping bitterness well up as you stare at your plant, and you have to bite your own tongue to keep from pronouncing it to people you'd rather not hear.
>Doing your best to put that to one side for the moment, you try to roust your groggy self from the bed. Your limbs protest; perhaps you asked more of your legs yesterday than you'd thought. And surely the blanket can't weigh that much....
>From the direction of the kitchen, you hear Kyouko humming quietly to herself amid the sizzle of... pancakes, you think?
-
>By any chance, during our travels yesterday, did we happen to pick up any info on how much sunlight or water bittercress takes?
-
>By any chance, during our travels yesterday, did we happen to pick up any info on how much sunlight or water bittercress takes?
>You understood it to be a fairly hardy plant, but you don't really know about its optimal growing conditions any more than that.
-
>Does it seem to be suffering from a lack of water of sun?
-
>Does it seem to be suffering from a lack of water of sun?
>You move over for a closer look at the plant. While the soil is not nearly as moist as when you watered it yesterday, it doesn't seem especially dry either. Of course, you're no green thumb. It's certainly not suffering for a lack of sun, though; alongside Koki-san, it is all but enveloped in a wide shaft of the bright morning light.
-
Okay, gang, since our magic dirt seems to have magically stopped being magic, what's the plan for today?
-
I'm not sure. And the fact that we were slower to rise than yesterday has me kinda worried. It could be the exercise and the booze, or it could be that little problem of ours.
-
Yeah, the death clock's ticking.
So assuming minoriko's dirt was a giant waste of time, that seems to leave us with a choice. Reimu or Yuuka.
-
Well, let's consider who might be closer.
-
I believe that was Reimu. And she's also a damn sight easier to find than Yuuka. And an awful lot less likely to pull out our guts on sight.
On the other hand, Yuuka's the one that's pretty much guaranteed to have what we need. GETTING it might be a thing, but it'd be there. With Reimu, we don't know for sure if she can even help us. It might be beyond the power of her and the sword.
-
My instinct is to go for Yuuka, due to the guarantee. As long as we don't get instagibbed, we have a chance. After all, who wants to spill cursed blood in their precious fields?
My other instinct is that it'll take awhile for the plant to flower; if it did a whole growth cycle in a couple of hours, it'll probably still take some time yet to flower, given that only happens every seven days. Likely we have a few days to wait yet. But, obviously, that's a gamble and I don't see Nazrin taking it unless something comes up that doesn't allow her to wander.
A possibility: Find out if there's any other life cycle things that the bittercress does, or if there are any notable precursors to it flowering. If we can pick up one thing or the other, we might be able to tell if the soil is still doing its thing or not.
-
That's probably the best bet.
-
Shouldn't be hard to get that information, either. Any florist in the city should be able to tell us.
And maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. Maybe it just needs more water. I mean, that's what jumpstarted it last night.
Failing that, much as it pains me to say, I think Yuuka's probably the better bet as well. It's riskier in just about every way, but the guaranteed presense of the flower we need makes all the difference. Assuming we can get there before we get debilitated by the plague. Which means that, if the flower doesn't bloom within the next few hours, we should start heading south.
>Take a look out the window, then go find coffee. Or pancakes. Or both, both is good.
Fake edit: I might add that, it still might be worth our time to visit Reimu up there. Assuming we can revisit this continent after we go back to Easthaven to check on the spiders and Yamame. I'm still curious about this sword and the story around it.
-
Yeah, we can come back here after we've gotten cured, and done a few less-risky jobs to amass a tidy little sum so we can actually just enjoy ourselves.
-
>Did we remember to take our medicine before going to bed last night?
>Either way, take the morning dose before going to the kitchen.
-
>Did we remember to take our medicine before going to bed last night?
>Either way, take the morning dose before going to the kitchen.
>You did take another does of medicine before going to bed; you'd have to be a lot more drunk than that to forget something so critical.
>You discretely produce the bottle and knock back another capful of the bitter liquid; it's not really helping the thick feeling in your mouth much. But perhaps breakfast might.
>Take a look out the window, then go find coffee. Or pancakes. Or both, both is good.
>You give your limbs another stretch, then walk over to the window. It is a bright day out, the sun shining starkly in a cloudless sky - a little after ten o'clock, if you had to guess. But the view is... strangely captivating. It is a curious feeling to wake among the commanding architecture of the grand city, even in a district as removed from its greatest opulence as this one. Stretching out beyond Kyouko's humble apartment are rows of impeccably tiled roofs and sculpted cornices amid the orderly cobblestone streets, and in the distance beyond you can see the rising sweep of grander structures, ornamented spires and monuments to wealth and privileged. There is still a faint air of unreality to your current situation - both the good and the bad of it. You've come so close to one of your long-held ambitions than you can almost touch it, and yet the promise waiting on the other side of that glass might as well be a world away. You're not going to let this be snatched away from you now. You're not.
>It takes you a few moments to pull yourself away from the view again, but you eventually turn and head towards the kitchen. Sure enough, that's a pancake sizzling upon the iron skillet and a second resting on a plate beside the stove. Or at least part of one - the cook seems to have been nibbling while she works. The article itself smells a touch burnt, but not enough to be unpalatable.
>Kyouko gives the skillet a little shake as you approach, a gesture that seems more rote than actually productive, then chirps "Good morning!"
-
>"Morning. Slept like a log. I might've known it was pancakes though, the smell of honey and the sound of frying gave it away."
>Let's find someplace nearby to sit down. "Don't suppose you have any coffee do you? After the drinking we did last night, I certainly need a bit."
-
>"Morning. Slept like a log. I might've known it was pancakes though, the smell of honey and the sound of frying gave it away."
>Let's find someplace nearby to sit down. "Don't suppose you have any coffee do you? After the drinking we did last night, I certainly need a bit."
>"How many do you want?" she asks, skewering the first pancake with a fork and tearing off another bite.
>Unfortunately Kyouko's kitchen nearly lacks room to stand; it most certainly has no room to sit.
>You ask after some morning coffee. And while the merry chef is back-on, you can still nearly read her frown from the way her ears droop just a tad.
>"I don't have any coffee here," she says apologetically. "But there's some mango juice in the ice box! And a little fizzy grape, too, I think. And some milk!" She gives the skillet another shake, then scrutinizes the contents a moment before reaching for the spatula.
-
>How many do we feel we can eat?
>As for the drinks, they're better than nothing I suppose. Which one sounds the most appealing at the moment?
-
>How many do we feel we can eat?
>As for the drinks, they're better than nothing I suppose. Which one sounds the most appealing at the moment?
>The pancakes look pretty substancial to you, so you don't think you'd want more than two.
>Either is probably fine; you're not really in the mood to be choosy.
-
>"Two's good enough. And any of the drinks is fine by me."
-
>"Two's good enough. And any of the drinks is fine by me."
>"Help yourself! The cups are in that cupboard over there," she says, brandishing the spatula at one of them before applying it to the simmering pancake. "And this one'll be ready in just a minute or two, now!"
-
>Go get a cup, and pick whichever we feel is least pricey, unless that one is about gone.
>Ponder: Out of all the greenhouses and such that we visited yesterday, which one seemed to have the best knowledge on the subject of the bittercress?
-
>Go get a cup, and pick whichever we feel is least pricey, unless that one is about gone.
>Ponder: Out of all the greenhouses and such that we visited yesterday, which one seemed to have the best knowledge on the subject of the bittercress?
>You walk over to the cupboard Kyouko pointed at and produce a ceramic cup from among its tidy contents, then squeeze in around the apron-clad yamabiko and open the ice box. While the appliance itself is modestly sized, what it contains might be even less-so - a small portion of grilled chicken, a few eggs, some cooked rice, and the aforementioned beverages, along with just a couple other items. The sparkling grape juice looks to have only a cupful left, so you put that aside and try to decide between the other two. It's hard to guess exactly which might be cheapest, but you soon settle upon the mango juice and pour yourself a tall sunny glass.
>If you had to pick, you'd probably say the one that actually had a bittercress for sale, and from which you purchased both your seeds and the pot they currently reside in; it's possible someone else might know more, you guess, but they at least had the product.
>"First one's ready!" Kyouko chimes.
-
>"Great!" Go get a piece of that pancake!
>Once we're properly settled into breakfast: "What are you going to be up to today?"
-
>"Great!" Go get a piece of that pancake!
>Once we're properly settled into breakfast: "What are you going to be up to today?"
>You go accept the pancake as Kyouko scoops it off the griddle and deposits it onto a plate with a satisfied smile.
>"Help yourself to the syrup," she says, gesturing to the small pitcher beside her, a thick trail of the honeyed substance already dribbling down its side. You take fork and syrup in hand and apply the both of them to your meal.
>"I have today off!" she says, pouring some more batter onto the griddle. It sizzles crisply on contact and another whiff of the warm scent of breakfast rises in the air. "Well, mostly. I have choir practice at 6 and I volunteered to help replant some of the flower beds at the Academy after someone turned them into sour taffy again. They were kinda tasty, though... Oh, and I have a couple deliveries I promised to make before that! But nothing much, really." She smiles as she gives the griddle a little shake to spread the batter around. "What about you?"
-
>"I think I'm going to visit a greenhouse, ask them some things about my little friend, there."
>Gesture offhandedly toward the plant.
>"After that, I'll have to plan my next move."
-
>Then raise an eyebrow. "Sour taffy? Seriously? You get all kinds of weird things when magic's involved huh? Then again, I've had to deal with Marisa a lot, so I should know this by now."
-
>"I think I'm going to visit a greenhouse, ask them some things about my little friend, there."
>Gesture offhandedly toward the plant.
>"After that, I'll have to plan my next move."
>"What sort of things?" she asks cheerfully.
>Then raise an eyebrow. "Sour taffy? Seriously? You get all kinds of weird things when magic's involved huh? Then again, I've had to deal with Marisa a lot, so I should know this by now."
>"All kinds of neat stuff happens at the Academy," she responds sagely. "It's a fun place! I don't know if this was supposed to be a prank or if someone just had an accident, but most of the flowers were already eaten by the time I heard about it. The Headmistress was, uh, not very happy about it, though...."
-
>"Just need to make sure it's coming in properly. Were they special flowers or just some normal ones? It seems like a weird thing to get upset over."
-
>"Just need to make sure it's coming in properly. Were they special flowers or just some normal ones? It seems like a weird thing to get upset over."
>"I think they were a donation from some bigwig," she replies. "I don't remember who. But I'm sure we can get something just as nice-looking again!"
>She nibbles another bite of her pancake.
-
>"That explains it. What a weird thing to donate, though."
>Continue devouring.
-
>"That explains it. What a weird thing to donate, though."
>Continue devouring.
>"Well, people donate all kinds of stuff," Kyouko replies as the both of you munch on your breakfast. "Or they give money and ask the Academy to put up something to show they did, like a statue or naming a building after them or something like that. I guess this person really liked petunias?" She skewers another bit of pancake and smears it in syrup. "Well, there'll be even nicer petunias there soon enough!"
>Lingering grogginess notwithstanding, you work through your pancakes at a good clip and are nearly finished the first by the time Kyouko produces the second. She herself has three and then grabs a small rice ball to nibble on once she's done. You are feeling quite sated by the time you reach the end of two. It was a pretty simple breakfast and maybe a touch sweeter than you'd have opted for in isolation, but it was still nice enough and the mango juice was a cold and crisp contrast.
>Kyouko starts to tidy away the dishes as you finish up eating, humming to herself as she does so.
-
>Help tidy up a bit; as much as we can without getting into space issues.
-
>Help tidy up a bit; as much as we can without getting into space issues.
>You go and try to help Kyouko tidy up a little, though the closed quarters leave you without a great deal you can do unless you planned to clean up instead of her. Still, Kyouko smiles brightly and thanks you as you do.
>"Want a rice ball?" she asks, pointing to small pile of wrapped ones resting in the cupboard.
-
>"Thank you, but maybe later, I'm full right now."
-
>"Thank you, but maybe later, I'm full right now."
>"Well, take one for the road at least," she says, plucking one out of cupboard and placing it on the counter. "They make a nice little snack for when you're on the go!"
-
>"That's a good idea! When do they expect you in to deal with that flowerbed, by the way? And those deliveries?"
-
>"That's a good idea! When do they expect you in to deal with that flowerbed, by the way? And those deliveries?"
>"Sometime this afternoon," she replies. "They weren't that specific and I'm sure there'll still be plenty to help out with if I get there by 2 or 3 or so. And it's really only a couple things I have to deliver, so.... maybe 1 or 1:30?"
-
>"Okay, we should have enough time to get to where I need to go before all that. Want to come with me?"
-
>"Okay, we should have enough time to get to where I need to go before all that. Want to come with me?"
>Her ears perk up slightly. "To go visit a greenhouse?"
-
>"Yeah, if you want. I'm not gonna put you in a headlock and make you come, though."
-
>"Yeah, if you want. I'm not gonna put you in a headlock and make you come, though."
>Kyouko giggles a little, then smiles at you. "Sure, I can do that. Maybe I'll even pick up a little something for myself while we're there."
-
>"Ready to head out?"
>If so, make the necessary preparations and head out! Be sure to take the plant, best to have it with us rather than leave it here.
>Should she not be, collapse on the blanket pile until she is ready to go.
-
>"Ready to head out?"
>If so, make the necessary preparations and head out! Be sure to take the plant, best to have it with us rather than leave it here.
>Should she not be, collapse on the blanket pile until she is ready to go.
>Kyouko doffs her apron and tosses it over a hook on the wall. "Ready to head out!"
>You gather up your things and take bittercress in hand, than the two of you depart.
>"So.... are we heading to a particular greenhouse?" she asks once you're on the street. "Because there's a really nice one just a couple blocks in... that direction." She points.
-
>"How nice? Does the owner know her stuff?"
-
>"How nice? Does the owner know her stuff?"
>"I've never met the owner, but it's really big and they have all kinds of plants there. And it's always so green and fresh." She takes a deep and satisfied sniff of the air, almost as it had slipped her mind that she was surrounded by brick and stonework rather than greenery. Not that this seems to faze the peaceful cheer on her face as she does so.
-
>Nod.
>"Well, it's not too far out of the way, I guess. Just as long as they have someone who knows their botany onhand."
-
>Nod.
>"Well, it's not too far out of the way, I guess. Just as long as they have someone who knows their botany onhand."
>"Someone who knows their botany!" Kyouko declares with a nod, then adds more quietly: "Well, they'd have to, wouldn't they? Or it wouldn't be nearly so green. That takes a lot of care!"
-
>Readjust grip on the precious bittercress.
>"Then let's get moving!"
-
>Readjust grip on the precious bittercress.
>"Then let's get moving!"
>"Let's get moving!" Kyouko agrees emphatically, then marches off down the road without further delay. You get a good grip on your plant, then follow after her.
>As implied, it is only a short walk before the two of you are in front of a large greenhouse complex - one of the ones you visited yesterday, in fact. Despite the size, they didn't actually have any bittercress for sale when you visited, though you suppose that wouldn't prevent them from knowing its growth cycle.
>"Here we are!" Kyouko declares.
-
>Venture within and track us known someone with some know-how to grill.
-
>Venture within and track us known someone with some know-how to grill.
>You enter the nursery and scan about for someone knowledge-looking. Kyouko's eyes flit back and forth among the rows of flowers as you walk, lingering a while on the more colorful specimins; your own are focused strictly on business. Amid the forest of vibrant greens and a dozen other hues, you soon spot a young woman in a brown garden smock, her sandy hair tied back in a simple white band. She puts down the tray of orchids in her hands as you approach and gives you a friendly smile.
>"Is there something I can help you with?" You notice her eyes alight upon your bittercress briefly.
-
>Did we see her here yesterday, or vice versa?
-
>Did we see her here yesterday, or vice versa?
>While you can't say for certain that she didn't see you, you have not previously seen her; you spoke with someone different here yesterday.
-
>"I need a bit of information, on Bittercress, specifically. How much sunlight it needs, if any, how much water... General care things like that."
-
>"I need a bit of information, on Bittercress, specifically. How much sunlight it needs, if any, how much water... General care things like that."
>"Oh!" She takes another look at your plant. "Well, the one you have there looks really nice and healthy to me. Have you just recently purchased it?"
-
>Nod. "And I'm hoping to keep it healthy, but botany isn't my forte. So, here I am."
>It IS technically true, after all.
-
>Nod. "And I'm hoping to keep it healthy, but botany isn't my forte. So, here I am."
>It IS technically true, after all.
>She smiles at you. "It's always nice to see someone take an interest in taking good care of their plants. But you're in luck, I think - bittercress can be hard to get started, but once it's that big, it's pretty hardy." She leans towards your plant. "I'd say that one's, oh... six or seven years old, maybe? You will want to make sure it gets plenty of water and has a nice peaty soil - it's a marshland plant, after all. And it tends to prefer shady areas with only a moderate amount of sunlight, so try not to keep it anywhere too bright."
>"Oh." Kyouko says in a dispirited tone. The gardener gives her a curious glance for a moment.
>"This looks like a really healthy specimen, though," she continues, "so I don't think you'll have to work too hard to keep it nice and green now."
-
>If her estimation is correct, that would mean the flower should bloom sometime soon, correct?
>"So I should water it.... twice a day?"
-
>If her estimation is correct, that would mean the flower should bloom sometime soon, correct?
>"So I should water it.... twice a day?"
>You have no idea how the plant's current growth correlates with its natural life cycle, though Professor Bosqueverde implied that bittercress tended to bloom on a closely synchronized schedule, regardless of where it was found.
>"Well, it's not so much that you need to water it frequently," she says, "but that the soil should be kept fairly damp at all times - more than with most houseplants. You shouldn't need to worry about drowning it unless you really overdo it."
-
>"Not much risk of that. I consider myself much less overdo-y than other Seekers."
>"So about when do you think the flower on this one will bloom?"
-
>"Not much risk of that. I consider myself much less overdo-y than other Seekers."
>"So about when do you think the flower on this one will bloom?"
>The woman takes another look at your plant. "Don't think I could tell you for sure. Quite a few years go by between flowerings. But they would have already bloomed by now if they were going to this year; it happens around mid-spring, I think."
>"What are the flowers like?" Kyouko asks. "Are they pretty?"
>"They're kind of small, actually," the woman replies. "About... this big." She holds her fingers an inch or so apart. "Sort of a pale purply-blue. They're not really that spectacular, but I think they're still kinda pretty. You don't get to see them very often, though."
-
>"How can you tell how old this one is? Is it just the height?"
-
>"How can you tell how old this one is? Is it just the height?"
>"Well, I'm really just guessing," she says, "but bittercress is pretty slow-growing, so one this large is definitely a nice few years old. It might be even older than that, actually. Where'd you come by it, anyhow?"
-
>"It's a long story. Let's just say the university and leave it at that. Do you know where it would flower at? How do they bud, do you know?"
-
>"It's a long story. Let's just say the university and leave it at that. Do you know where it would flower at? How do they bud, do you know?"
>"I don't think I've actually seen one while it's budding, but the flowers bloom at the juncture of these leaf clusters, like here or here." She points to a couple spots on the plant, though there are many dozen such ones spread evenly across its leafy volume. "They're held very close to the plant's body."
-
>"Ah, I see. Do they have any visible signs when they're getting ready to flower? Like coloration changes? Oh, and do you think the soil is most enough?"
>What's Kyouko up to at the moment?
-
>"Ah, I see. Do they have any visible signs when they're getting ready to flower? Like coloration changes? Oh, and do you think the soil is most enough?"
>What's Kyouko up to at the moment?
>The gardener leans in and takes another look at your plant, then pokes the soil with her finger. "I think you should keep it wetter than than this, but they're pretty hardy once they're this old. And I don't think there are any coloration changes or anything like that." Then she grins at you. "Antsy to see it bloom?"
>Kyouko is still in your general vicinity, though her gaze seems to be wandering around the nearby plants and flowers.
-
>"I'm that obvious, huh?"
>Give a self depreciating smile and a shrug.
>"Yeah, just a bit. You know how it is."
So, think we can give it another day?
-
I don't like the idea of just dicking around town waiting for a flower that we can't be sure will bloom before we run out of time.
That said, however, if we can find something useful to do while in town to improve our odds, then that's a different story. Perhaps we could visit another shrine to see if they know anything more about the Hakurei's, see if we can find out if they can use the power of Kumokirimaru to heal us. Alternatively, we ask around a bit more about Yuuka, maybe see if we can get better details on where her garden is.
-
>"I'm that obvious, huh?"
>Give a self depreciating smile and a shrug.
>"Yeah, just a bit. You know how it is."
>The woman smiles warmly at you. "Well, you didn't pick the quickest-blooming plant in the world there, but if you give it a little love and care, I'm sure you'll see them sooner or later, and many more years after that."
>"Excuse me," Kyouko interjects, holding up a small plant with droopy magenta blossoms. "How much is this?"
>"10 guilders," the gardener replies smoothly.
>Your companion makes a note of thoughtful contemplation, then sets the plant back down where she found it and lets her eyes wander among its neighbours.
-
I think the best we'll in terms of finding Yuuka's garden is maybe find somewhere else that used to live in Isir's Cross. Nazrin's probably smart enough to know that she's not going to find anyone who knows the way to the garden, the best we can hope for is eliminating another vector or two. Essentially the choice comes down to a gamble, do we throw the dice in town and hope for a bloom, do we go hunting a bloom we may never find, or do we hope a shrine maiden is better at drawing out something useful from the sword than an actual deity was. At this point, if the person who knows plants says it looks like it has a few years on it, that suggests a bloom isn't too many hours off.
My thoughts are we use the time to secure more funding via seeker jobs, make some contacts along the way, and maybe catch wind of something useful. Also, thinking on it, if we're looking for someone who's visited Isir's Cross and the surrounding regions, the Guild is not a bad place to look. Seekers seem among the most likely to have been asked to range out around there.
-
There's something else we could do as well. Go back to the library and look up Yuuka and her garden. Since we're gonna be around town anyway waiting for the flower to bloom, it would seem we have time for research. And if that place is the knowledge capital of the universe, then we might be able to find something there. After all, we did before.
-
That's true. As for the whole Yuuka thing, I'd say that's our next best bet after picking over the libraries again.
-
Checking the guild first though is a good idea. Not hard to imagine that all kinds of info flows through there.
>Are we in the habit of buying flowers for girls?
-
>Are we in the habit of buying flowers for girls?
>No, you are not. In fact, unless you count that time Ichirin sent you to town to pick up some pansies for a window box, you have never done such a thing.
-
>Well, she DID give us a free room. And breakfast....
>Money check.
-
>Well, she DID give us a free room. And breakfast....
>Money check.
>You find yourself pondering how much money Kyouko has effectively saved you now, as you tally up your remaining funds.
>You presently have 350 and 1/2 guilders.
-
Eh, it's rent.
>"You want those, Kyouko?"
-
>"You want those, Kyouko?"
>"Maaaaybe," she says, leaning towards another set of planters with small clusters of blue bellflowers.
-
>Glance around, see if there's anything in the vicinity in the price range of 5 guilders.
-
>Glance around, see if there's anything in the vicinity in the price range of 5 guilders.
>You take a quick glance around, but none of the prices you see in your immediate vicinity are less than 8.
-
>Are any of the 8 rangers nice looking and smelling?
>If so, wave to Kyouko and point out the one in question, "What do you think of this one?"
-
>Are any of the 8 rangers nice looking and smelling?
>If so, wave to Kyouko and point out the one in question, "What do you think of this one?"
>You're not sure you're the best judge of this, particularly for the tastes of someone you don't know that well. The scent of fresh greenery filling the air ranges from gentle to potent and the flowers themselves from subtle shades of peach and mauve to brilliant yellows and reds. Hmmm... that one doesn't look too bad. You guess. If you had to pick one.
>"Are you looking for anything in particular?" the gardener asks as you scan her wares intently.
>"Not really!" Kyouko replies, looking up from her own browsing just long enough to answer.
-
>Open mouth to answer, then shut. Better keep it a surprise.
>Gesture to the girl our head, a 'let's talk over here' headjerk.
-
>Open mouth to answer, then shut. Better keep it a surprise.
>Gesture to the girl our head, a 'let's talk over here' headjerk.
>You step aside, the beckon the woman over with you head. With just a hint of puzzlement on her face, she follows after you, then looks at you expectantly.
-
>Quietly, "What do you have in the range of five guilders or so?"
>Jerk head in Kyouko's direction. "Somethin' that'd suit her."
-
>Quietly, "What do you have in the range of five guilders or so?"
>Jerk head in Kyouko's direction. "Somethin' that'd suit her."
>The woman glances back in Kyouko's direction for a moment; the yamabiko is still merrily engaged in her browsing and takes no notice of your question.
>"Is it for a special ocassion?" the woman asks softly. "Or just a little something to brighten her home?"
-
>"More like... a thank you."
-
>"More like... a thank you."
>"Hmmm..." The woman nods thoughtfully then pauses for a moment. "Well, bellflowers are considered symbolic of gratitude in the language of flowers. Those over there are 7 guilders." She indicates the spot where Kyouko had just been looking a few moments before. "But we may have some others elsewhere that are a little cheaper. Not quite the same variety, of course."
-
>Blue.... Maybe purple?
>Bah. Color coordination of flowers to people is what professionals are for.
>Thoughtfully, "Do they come in a light purple?"
-
>Blue.... Maybe purple?
>Bah. Color coordination of flowers to people is what professionals are for.
>Thoughtfully, "Do they come in a light purple?"
>"I do think we have something in that shade," the woman replies. "Over this way?"
>She starts to lead off among the rows of flowers to your left.
-
>Parouse as we follow, see if something nice (and cheap) catches our eye. Or nose.
-
>Parouse as we follow, see if something nice (and cheap) catches our eye. Or nose.
>You follow after the woman, scanning the rows of flowers with both eyes and nose as you do so. There is certainly a great variety of plants to be seen, large and small, brilliantly colored and subdued. The price of many is partially concealed beneath their own foliage, at least too much so to see at a passing glance, though most of those that can are in a similar range as the others, if not more expensive. And really, you feel like you're not the right person to be judging which flowers are most pretty - somehow the entire concept makes you feel a little silly, even.
>"Here they are," your guide says, rotating a small pot containing a solitary cluster of larger bellflowers, pale mauve in color. She leans in towards them for a moment. "...6 guilders, these are."
-
>Cheap, not terrible looking, fine way to show appreciation for free roam and board.... Sold.
>Wait, sample their scent first. Can't give someone something that smells bad.
-
>Cheap, not terrible looking, fine way to show appreciation for free roam and board.... Sold.
>Wait, sample their scent first. Can't give someone something that smells bad.
>You take a closer sniff of the bellflowers before you decide to purchase them. It is difficult to put into words exactly their scent; it is fairly subdued compared to some of the other flowers here, with just a faint hint of something woody. While you are hardly a floral connoisseur, you would rate the scent as fairly unremarkable.
-
>Good enough.
>Beckon Kyouko over.
-
>Good enough.
>Beckon Kyouko over.
>You left the yamabiko several aisles back. You could possibly call out to her, but you can't actually see her clearly from here and you assume the inverse is true as well.
-
>Hate to spend money on something we're not sure the other person will like.
>On the other hand, she'd probably enjoy the surprise, and it IS only 6 guilders.
>"Deal."
-
>Hate to spend money on something we're not sure the other person will like.
>On the other hand, she'd probably enjoy the surprise, and it IS only 6 guilders.
>"Deal."
>The gardener smiles at you. "Well, pick out the one you like, and we'll go get you checked in."
-
>One we like, eh. Do we look like flower people?
>No matter. Select one that appears healthy and fuller in color. The go get checked in.
-
>One we like, eh. Do we look like flower people?
>No matter. Select one that appears healthy and fuller in color. The go get checked in.
>Grumbling inwardly just a little, you select the plant that looks healthiest and most full in color, then take it in hand. The gardener nods approvingly and heads off towards the other end of the greenhouse. You follow, juggling bittercress in your right and bellflower in your left.
>You soon approach a small counter of sorts, practically lost among the height and green of its surroundings. The woman steps around and withdraws a weighty ledger from beneath it, scribbling something hastily in the next blank space.
>"That'll be 6 guilders, then," she says.
-
>Pony up the dough.
-
>Pony up the dough.
>You pay the woman 6 guilders. She accepts the coin with a smile, then makes another note in her ledger.
>"I'm sure she'll like it," she says. "Just make sure to give it plenty of light."
>You now have 344 and 1/2 guilders
-
>"Gotcha."
>Glance around. "Now where'd she go..."
-
>"Gotcha."
>Glance around. "Now where'd she go..."
>You turn and glance around for the absent yamabiko. While you cannot see her head above the rows of greenery, you can faintly detect the strains of her humming to herself, not too far from where you parted ways.
-
>Just as a reminder, we checked this place yesterday for information on Yuuka and her garden, right?
>Approach the yamabiko.
-
>Just as a reminder, we checked this place yesterday for information on Yuuka and her garden, right?
>Approach the yamabiko.
>You did visit this place yesterday, and asked about Yuuka's garden while you were here, but no one you spoke with was familiar with it.
>You follow the source of the humming and soon find Kyouko once again, cheerfully examining a row of pansies. She leans in and takes a deep sniff of the flowers, then gives a carefree smile.
-
>Wonder what it's like to be that carefree? Might be nice to try, once we find a cure. For a little while.
>Who are we kidding? We're no more apt to be carefree than Marisa is to performing an opera. That's not how Nazrin rolls.
>"I get the feeling you could spend a lot of time in a place like this, couldn't you?"
-
>Wonder what it's like to be that carefree? Might be nice to try, once we find a cure. For a little while.
>Who are we kidding? We're no more apt to be carefree than Marisa is to performing an opera. That's not how Nazrin rolls.
>"I get the feeling you could spend a lot of time in a place like this, couldn't you?"
>You just watch Kyouko putter about to a moment. With all the cares on your mind, it seems an age since you were that unburdened - hell, you probably never were. But that probably also makes her an easy mark for anyone who wanted to take advantage of her lack of wariness. Somehow that thought doesn't sit that well with you at the moment, either. You approach and speak.
>"Couldn't you?" she counters brightly, then takes another sniff of the air. "It's always so bright and cheerful and alive here. I think I might have some more plants if I had a larger apartment, maybe a little garden..." Her eyes alight upon the bellflower in your hand. She smiles. "Is that something else for a job, or just for you?"
-
>"A little of the latter."
>Chuckle. "That didn't make a lot of sense, did it."
-
>"A little of the latter."
>Chuckle. "That didn't make a lot of sense, did it."
>"A little!" she replies, then laughs. "But why only a little?"
-
>"Because I bought it for someone else. A little thank you for looking after me on my first day in a new part of the world."
-
>"Because I bought it for someone else. A little thank you for looking after me on my first day in a new part of the world."
>"Aww, that's sweet," she says with a smile. "I'm sure they'll like it."
>Kyouko starts to turn back to the flowers beside her, then pauses. You see her brow furrow slightly. She glances back at you.
>"Wait, you don't... you don't mean me, do you?"
-
>Chuckle.
>"Clever girl."
-
Jesus Christ, she's a raptor. You've doomed us, Sour!
-
>Chuckle.
>"Clever girl."
>It seems to take Kyouko a moment to process this remark, as if she were debating whether this counts as an affirmative on not. Then that smile of her slowly swells across her face until she is practically aglow with it.
>"Thank you, Nazrin! That's really sweet of you! And it's so pretty, too!" She bounces over to have a closer look at the bellflower in your hand.
-
Great, now I gotta find a raptor youkai to add to the Naz-harem.
>"Figured it was the least I could do."
-
>"Figured it was the least I could do."
>"Oh, you didn't have to do anything!" she says, then takes a deep sniff of her new flower. Her smile takes on a peaceful tone as she breathes in the subtle scent. "I promise I'll take good care of it!"
-
>"Maybe it wasn't something strictly necessary to do, but it was the right thing to do."
-
>"Maybe it wasn't something strictly necessary to do, but it was the right thing to do."
>"The right thing to do...." She says the words with a soft smile and a light chuckle, and for a moment you can't help but wonder if she's making light of your earnestness. But she wouldn't do that... would she?
>"Well, it's a really sweet gift, Nazrin," she continues, before giving that train of thought too long to run. "Thank you!"
-
>Twitch.
>"Don't mention it."
>Pause and take a quick look around.
>"Well, I've got what I came here for, plus a... little bonus. I need to swing by the guildhall now, I think."
-
>Twitch.
>"Don't mention it."
>Pause and take a quick look around.
>"Well, I've got what I came here for, plus a... little bonus. I need to swing by the guildhall now, I think."
>You suppress a little twitch at the yamabiko's effusive gratitude, glancing away from that innocently beaming face again in the hope you don't fully let on. Then you mention heading to the guildhall next.
>"Am I still tagging along?" she asks. "I should I go show Rin Rin her new home?"
-
>"Ta-... Rin...?"
>Pause.
>"Ah, you've.... named her already?" Point to her flower with our tail.
-
>"Ta-... Rin...?"
>Pause.
>"Ah, you've.... named her already?" Point to her flower with our tail.
>"Named her already!" Kyouko replies brightly. "She's a cheerful flower, so she needs a cheerful name. I'm sure you and Koki-san will get along just fine," she adds, addressing the plant. "Even if he is a little serious sometimes." Then she giggles.
-
>Riiiiight....
>"Well, you can come with me if you want. But the guildhall won't smell as nice as this place, pretty sure of that."
-
>Riiiiight....
>"Well, you can come with me if you want. But the guildhall won't smell as nice as this place, pretty sure of that."
>You find yourself wondering if perhaps the alcohol had less to do with last night than you'd originally suspected....
>"Oh, that's fine," she says dismissively. "But if you have business to take care of, I don't want to get in the way."
-
>Smile despite ourselves. "You're hardly in the way, Kyouko. I just didn't want you to be bored; I think a lot of my day is going to involve a lot of walking and a lot of asking questions, pretty dry stuff."
-
>Smile despite ourselves. "You're hardly in the way, Kyouko. I just didn't want you to be bored; I think a lot of my day is going to involve a lot of walking and a lot of asking questions, pretty dry stuff."
>"I think all kinds of jobs can be interesting," she replies, "And I've never seen a Seeker at work, before! Even if you aren't out hunting more ancient treasure today," she adds with a little twinkle in her eye.
-
>Grin. "Well, not yet. Never know what might come across your desk in this line of work."
>Well, if she wants to come, then we ain't about to shoo her away.
>Let's be off.
-
>Grin. "Well, not yet. Never know what might come across your desk in this line of work."
>Well, if she wants to come, then we ain't about to shoo her away.
>Let's be off.
>You decide that you're not in a hurry to be rid of your companion, and welcome her along to the guildhall. Before you leave, Kyouko makes a brief detour to pick up some plant food for 'Rin Rin' and then bombard the nearest gardener with a half-dozen questions about how to best care for it. Even if it's only a simple flower, and not even a pricey one at that, Kyouko seems gladdened just by carrying it. And, well... perhaps despite yourself, you can't help but feel a little happy at brightening her day. Not that the girl really seems to need it, from what you've seen of her.
>And then you are back on the road, following the increasingly crowded streets towards the Seekers guild hall. Kyouko alternates between enjoying the sunlight and the sight and scent of her new friend; you do talk a little, but much of the trip passes in agreeable quiet. Well, save for Kyouko humming to herself or occasionally talking to her flower or cheerfully echoing the greetings of passersby - well, perhaps it's not really so quiet after all, but it's not unpleasant, either. And before too long you are standing in front of the stone stairway leading to the heavy doors of the guild.
-
Random question.
>How much does a pair of sunglasses run back in Braston? If such a thing exists.
>Enter the hall!
-
>How much does a pair of sunglasses run back in Braston? If such a thing exists.
>Enter the hall!
>You are vaguely aware of glasses designed to filter sunlight in various ways, but they were not a common thing in Braston and you are not familiar with how much a pair would cost.
>You ascend the stairs and push open the door.
>"I've never been inside here before," Kyouko says as you enter, looking about your surroundings with a sort of guileless curiosity, even if the environs here are not especially impressive by Val Razuan standards.
>The two of you continue down the hallway to the reception area. A different woman is manning the desk than yesterday - and a more approachable one, if the genial expression on her face is to be trusted. There are two others over by the job board: a short redhead in heavy leather boots and a cloak to match, and a taller bored-looking man in a sharp suit; he is quite visibly unimpressed by whatever it is he is reading. From upstairs filters the conversations of several other people.
-
>Take a glance towards the job board, see how many postings are there.
>Then approach the receptionist.
-
>Take a glance towards the job board, see how many postings are there.
>Then approach the receptionist.
>The job boards seem to be fairly well filled out, though it's anyone's guess how current or appealing anything listed there is; you can't actually read any of them from here. The man's expression doesn't exactly inspire confidence on that front, but perhaps he just missed his morning coffee. The back of the redhead offers an inscrutable second opinion.
>You approach the receptionist, Kyouko ambling just a little behind as her head drifts from one side of the room to the other, surveying her surroundings with curious interest.
>The woman at the desk smiles as you approach. "Did somebody call for some florists while I wasn't paying attention?"
-
>"Wouldn't rule it out, but it ain't us. But I am here to talk flowers."
>"Well, a garden, and its gardener, specifically. Does the name 'Yuuka' mean anything to you?"
>Did we get Yuuka's last name, if she has one? If so, append the name with said.
-
>"Wouldn't rule it out, but it ain't us. But I am here to talk flowers."
>"Well, a garden, and its gardener, specifically. Does the name 'Yuuka' mean anything to you?"
>Did we get Yuuka's last name, if she has one? If so, append the name with said.
>The woman shakes her head. "I'm not much of a plant person, sorry. But maybe if you could give me a few details I might be able to point you in the right direction."
>"Yuuka..." Kyouko echoes quietly - at least in relative terms. "Yuuka..." There is a thoughtful look on her face.
>Dai mentioned no other name for her than that; if she has a second, you do not know it.
-
>"She's kind of a legendary figure, out around Isir's Cross. But related to that, do you know anyone around who's done work out that way, or has experience with the place?"
-
Sorry for the delays in posting lately; I've been kept extremely busy by some other projects, and this may actually continue into the future, but I will try at least to get a few more updates in than I have this past week.
>"She's kind of a legendary figure, out around Isir's Cross. But related to that, do you know anyone around who's done work out that way, or has experience with the place?"
>"A legendary gardener?" the woman asks, raising a dubious eyebrow. "Can't say I've heard of anything like that. We do get job requests from out that way every now and again, of course. Not sure we have any resident experts, if that's what you're looking for, but you could always ask upstairs."
-
>Do we know what would be upstairs in this place?
>If not, ask.
-
>Do we know what would be upstairs in this place?
>If not, ask.
>From the chatter you've heard issuing from the stairs both times you've been here, you'd guess it was some sort of common area like the one back home, but you don't actually know for certain. You ask.
>"Oh, I meant the lounge," the woman says. "There's always a few of you intrepid types passing through. One of them might know what you're looking for."
>"One of them might know what you're looking for!" Kyouko repeats merrily. The woman at the counter raises another eyebrow in her direction. The yamabiko seems either not to notice or care.
-
>Crack a small grin. "Always liked the sound of that word, intrepid."
>Give Kyouko a second to try that one out.
>"Well, thanks."
>Allons-y! (Sally forth in that direction, for those that haven't seen Doctor Who.)
-
>Crack a small grin. "Always liked the sound of that word, intrepid."
>Give Kyouko a second to try that one out.
>"Well, thanks."
>Allons-y! (Sally forth in that direction, for those that haven't seen Doctor Who.)
>"Intepid!" Kyouko echoes on cue, then smiles at you. "You, too?"
>"Sure," the woman at the counter nods, though not without casting a wry glance between the two of you.
>You turn and head up the stairs toward the sound of conversation and hopefully more information; Kyouko follows behind.
>After a brief but steep climb, the stairway opens onto a comfortably appointed lounge, perhaps modest by the standards of the city, but without a doubt more expensive to furnish than the one back home. And also smaller. The bearing and manner of its occupants feels quite a bit familiar, though, if with fewer younger faces in it - a consequence of apprentice training being housed in Braston, you expect. Certainly these Seekers are not garbed as one in the riches the city could offer, but probably those who might have better places to congregate than the upstairs lounge of a guild of 'intrepids'.
>"Rematch," someone says in a composed, but firm tone - a young woman with short black hair and a steel gaze, despite being barely a head taller than the rabbit seated opposite her.
>"Three out of five, then?" her companion asks, left ear twitching as she gives the woman a sidelong grin. A shogi board rests on the low mahagony table between them; the game was evidently a rout.
>"Oh give it up, Sheska," a third person chastens, though not harshly. "Unless you want to waste another day at this."
>"It's only a waste if I keep losing," the black-haired woman counters, her eyes unwavering in their focus. From elsewhere in the room comes a snicker, its owner safely veiled behind a large bundled report.
>The rabbit shrugs dismissively, then starts gathering up pieces. "Got nowhere else to be today, anyway."
>A few appraising eyes fall upon you and Kyouko as you enter into the room proper, the pair of planters in tow - a not unexpected response, given the audience. Sheska does not number among them; you aren't certain if this speaks well of her focus or poorly of her awareness. Also, if you're not mistaken, the blond-haired woman sitting alone in the corner is the one you passed on the way into the guild yesterday; she is reading quietly from a small book held open in one hand, and seems to have paid no notice to your entry.
-
>Is that the same rabbit as yesterday?
>How strong is our shogi?
>What sort of book?
-
>Is that the same rabbit as yesterday?
>How strong is our shogi?
>What sort of book?
>It doesn't appear to be; her hair's too dark, and you think she's a little taller, too.
>You haven't played it much these past few years, but you were modestly good when last you did; you wouldn't lay great odds against a seasoned veteran, though.
>It is small and blue. At this distance you can estimate nothing further about its contents.
-
>Well, since we seem to have their attention anyway, wave jauntily to our co-Seekers.
-
>Well, since we seem to have their attention anyway, wave jauntily to our co-Seekers.
>You respond to your fellow Seeker's quiet appraisals with a jaunty wave.
>"Heya!" the rabbit says, craning her neck around to give you a better look. A few others nod or offer a quick greeting, while more merely give you a once-over and return to their business.
>"Hello!" Kyouko offers brightly, waving her own hand with somewhat greater enthusiasm than you.
>The rabbit snickers. "Always thought this place could use a little more green."
>Sheska looks up from gathering her decimated armies just long enough to lock those firm eyes on the two of you and your precious cargo before retuning to her task.
>From the corner, you see the blond-haired Seeker glance very subtly over the edge of her book for just a moment, her expression neutral and cool.
-
>Always go with the perky ones first. Approach Bugs Jr.
>"Matter of fact, I'm looking for a little more green. Or rather, a specific green-keeper, if you will."
>"Name's Nazrin, by the way. And this here's Kyouko."
-
>Always go with the perky ones first. Approach Bugs Jr.
>"Matter of fact, I'm looking for a little more green. Or rather, a specific green-keeper, if you will."
>"Name's Nazrin, by the way. And this here's Kyouko."
>As you approach the rabbit, she pushes off her chair a little and spins around to face you better.
>"Sachi," she says, giving you a nod.
>Kyouko smiles. "Nice to meet you, Sachi!"
-
>"I'm looking for a certain garden, and its gardener. Rumor has it they can be found somewhere in the wilds around Isir's Cross, but so far, no one I've talked to was able to tell me more than that."
>Grab a chair if one be available.
-
>"I'm looking for a certain garden, and its gardener. Rumor has it they can be found somewhere in the wilds around Isir's Cross, but so far, no one I've talked to was able to tell me more than that."
>Grab a chair if one be available.
>"Pretty out of the way place to set up shop," Sachi says, starting to pick up her shogi pieces again. "And what're you looking for it for?"
>You grab a nearby chair and swing it around, then sit down. Sheska looks at you a moment; if you had to guess, you'd say she wasn't sure whether your presence was unwelcome or not.
-
>"It's for a job. One I'm not really at liberty to divulge the details of, at least not until it's over with. Suffice it to say, this garden may hold something I need."
>Snort. "If I can ever find it, of course. I figured that someone here might have spent a bit of time out that way, or at least might have heard of the name Yuuka before, give me something to go on."
-
>"It's for a job. One I'm not really at liberty to divulge the details of, at least not until it's over with. Suffice it to say, this garden may hold something I need."
>Snort. "If I can ever find it, of course. I figured that someone here might have spent a bit of time out that way, or at least might have heard of the name Yuuka before, give me something to go on."
>"Don't spend much time out of the city, myself," Sachi says. "'least not out that way." She throws an inquiring look at her partner.
>Sheska slides a lance into place with her finger, pauses, then shakes her head.
>Sachi shrugs. "Well, so much for that. Name don't ring a bell, either."
>"Yuuka..." Kyouko repeats thoughtfully, pursing her lips to the side.
-
>Glance around to see if anyone else reacted to the name.
-
>Glance around to see if anyone else reacted to the name.
>You glance around the room for reactions. One Seeker shakes their head as your eyes pass over them, though most don't seem to be paying overt attention to you.
>"Hey, Riza!" the rabbit says, twisting around towards the rear of the room this time. "You've done some work out that way, haven't ya?"
>The blonde-haired woman lowers her book slightly and regards the group of you with cool eyes; her expression suggests she is debating whether it's worth her time to bother offering a response.
-
>Not the warmest of Seekers, that one.
>What sort of vibe did we get from her yesterday, if any?
-
>Not the warmest of Seekers, that one.
>What sort of vibe did we get from her yesterday, if any?
>The contrast between her and Sachi wouldn't be hard to pick up on.
>From the brief moment you spent in her presence, she seemed polite enough, and sharp. It's hard for even you to get much of a read on someone that quickly, but you'd lay odds that she's both perceptive and subtle, if not exactly warm - probably experienced, and definitely cautious.
-
>Give her a moment.
-
>Give her a moment.
>You wait in silence for some kind of reply, though Riza does not seem in a particular hurry to provide one; you can't help but feel you're being sized up, though her eyes move little.
>"I have," she says at length.
>Sachi gives a satisfied snicker. "Thought so."
-
>Nod slowly. We can play that game, too.
>"Run across the name while you were?"
-
>Nod slowly. We can play that game, too.
>"Run across the name while you were?"
>You nod slowly, attempting to match the woman's pace.
>"No," she says simply. "But I haven't spent much time there for many years now."
>Sheska slides the last of her pieces back into place. "Ready when you are," she declares firmly to her opponent.
>Sachi shrugs and turns back around to face the board. "Well, it's yours to lose."
-
>Let's stand and leave the two to their game.
>Hey, wait. When we were approaching, did it sound like there was any gambling going on around the game's participants and/or audience?
-
>Let's stand and leave the two to their game.
>Hey, wait. When we were approaching, did it sound like there was any gambling going on around the game's participants and/or audience?
>You stand up, so as to avoid getting in their way.
>You did not hear anything suggestive of that, nor do you see any signs of it around now; and frankly, your suspicion is that enough odds would be on floppy-ears to make the whole endeavor pointless.
-
>Unless she had a bookie and was working the crowd.
>But since that obviously isn't the case..
>"Does that mean you never found a field of flowers that seemed out of place, a garden hidden away? That kinda thing?"
>Memory refresher, Dai told us where that fairy village was and how to get there, right?
-
>Unless she had a bookie and was working the crowd.
>But since that obviously isn't the case..
>"Does that mean you never found a field of flowers that seemed out of place, a garden hidden away? That kinda thing?"
>As near as you can tell, it's just a friendly game between acquaintances, even if the matchup is a little lopsided.
>"Exactly how out of place are you talking about?" Riza asks.
>Memory refresher, Dai told us where that fairy village was and how to get there, right?
>She did not, though you saw it on a map and it looked straightforward to find. Actually reaching it might be a little more problematic for you than her, as you assume she'd just fly right over the lake, but you can probably figure out alternate transport somehow.
-
>What was it Dai said about where she thought the garden might have been, west of her village?
-
>What was it Dai said about where she thought the garden might have been, west of her village?
>If it was further into the wilderness and quite distant from the village, as she said, your memory of the map would necessitate it being either northwest or more likely west-northwest.
-
>Of course, if we knew how out of the way, exactly, we'd hardly need to ask about it, but we can stow the snark for now.
>"Wish I could say myself. But I'm pretty light on the details."
-
>Of course, if we knew how out of the way, exactly, we'd hardly need to ask about it, but we can stow the snark for now.
>"Wish I could say myself. But I'm pretty light on the details."
>There is measured pause. "If it was particularly remarkable," she says, "then I suspect not. But one could certainly tuck away a garden in the woods if one wanted to, and expect few people to come upon it."
-
>Nod. "You can see my problem. Supposedly, it's a place where you can find about every kind of flower under the sun and then some, in bloom, and all year round. Or so the legend I heard goes."
-
>Nod. "You can see my problem. Supposedly, it's a place where you can find about every kind of flower under the sun and then some, in bloom, and all year round. Or so the legend I heard goes."
>"Not a legend I'm familiar with," she says. "In fact, I found little of worth there at all, aside from some minor archaeological curiosities; certainly nothing that grandiose."
>Though if she thinks the idea laughable, she's good at not letting it show.
-
>Glance around to see if the mention of that legend drew anyone else's attentions.
-
>Glance around to see if the mention of that legend drew anyone else's attentions.
>You glance around; while some people seem to be listening in, no one seems ready to volunteer any useful information. Sheska is focused raptly on her game, and Sachi is at least looking in that direction rather than yours. Without question, the most attentive of the bunch is Kyouko herself, for all the good that does you now.
-
>Well, at least she looks cute while being attentive.
>Let us be polite. "What sort of curiousities?"
-
>Well, at least she looks cute while being attentive.
>Let us be polite. "What sort of curiousities?"
>She... she does, doesn't she?
>"Just some small bits of minutia from long-crumbled outposts," she says. "Bits of weathered foundation stone, fragments of ruined mining gear - most of purely academic value. Mostly, that is all that is left."
>"All that is left," Kyouko begins, "of what?"
>Riza's gaze turns slightly toward your companion and there is another, briefer pause.
>"There were once several small outposts and mining camps in that area," she replies, "Mostly they predate Val Razua altogether, but however many centuries ago their deposits ran dry, there is little there left to exploit."
>"Or somebody would already be doing it," Sachi adds with a snicker, then slides one of her soldiers towards its future victory.
-
>Hmmm thoughtfully.
>Did either Bosqueverde or Daiyousei mention how long Yuuka's been around?
-
>Hmmm thoughtfully.
>Did either Bosqueverde or Daiyousei mention how long Yuuka's been around?
>You don't think Professor Bosqueverde mentioned one way or the other, though Dai hesitated at the idea that is was an 'old legend' and seemed to suspect that her sisters had once visited the garden's location before a garden could be found there. Though she also admitted it may simply have been well-hidden.
-
>Did she give any indication of how long ago said visit took place?
-
>Did she give any indication of how long ago said visit took place?
>She did not, though you're not certain how reliable a fairy's sense of the passage of time would be anyway.
-
>"Still might be useful to me. If this Yuuka is in full-on recluse mode, she wouldn't have set up her shop anywhere near sites where people might come around. Well, unless she's got some serious hiding magic, but, one bridge at a time."
>"Gotta know where not to look as well as where, sometimes, after all."
-
>"Still might be useful to me. If this Yuuka is in full-on recluse mode, she wouldn't have set up her shop anywhere near sites where people might come around. Well, unless she's got some serious hiding magic, but, one bridge at a time."
>"Gotta know where not to look as well as where, sometimes, after all."
>"If you're thinking these sites are still traveled," Riza says, "largely they are not. Mostly they are even forgotten, and there was certainly not enough of exploitable value to attempt to reopen any of them. Unless you were referring to something else?"
-
>"Well, you said 'academic value', so I figured the eggheads from the university might be out there now and then."
>Pause. "Unless they've picked it over by now."
-
>"Well, you said 'academic value', so I figured the eggheads from the university might be out there now and then."
>Pause. "Unless they've picked it over by now."
>"I think they had largely satisfied themselves long before that expedition," she says, "and even that was years ago, at any rate. Perhaps someone does go there now and again, but the same could be said for anywhere else in that wood."
-
>"Probably wouldn't be a place a reclusive youkai gardener likes to hang, anyway. Probably want a valley near a river, or something like that. Nice and out of the way."
>How recent were the maps we saw back at the library? Did they reveal anything like what we just mentioned?
-
>"Probably wouldn't be a place a reclusive youkai gardener likes to hang, anyway. Probably want a valley near a river, or something like that. Nice and out of the way."
>Kyouko nods. "Nice and out of the way."
>"An old mining camp wouldn't be my first thought on where to stick a garden," Sachi adds offhandedly. "But who knows? Maybe she thought it could use some sprucing up."
>"I wouldn't presume to guess," Riza says simply.
>How recent were the maps we saw back at the library? Did they reveal anything like what we just mentioned?
>You are not sure the dates on the maps, though they were certainly far more recent than any of these sites Riza mentioned would have to be. And while the sites themselves were not marked, there were some old trails that could possibly be suggestive of old settlement routes. Or perhaps they were just little-used hunting paths; you couldn't say for sure.
-
Purvis, Hanzo, either of you think of anything else to ask this bunch?
-
Oh. Duh.
>"Don't suppose there's someone around who'd be an expert on local legends like this, would there?"
-
I think we ought to be asking about Isir's Cross itself.
-
>"Don't suppose there's someone around who'd be an expert on local legends like this, would there?"
>"I spent very little time in the village while I was there," Riza says. "And folklore wasn't something I inquired about."
>"Sumiko knows all kinds of old legends," Kyouko offers helpfully. "Stuff most people have forgotten all about."
-
>Did she mention a village before?
>We didn't ask the elder miko about Yuuka, did we?
-
>Did she mention a village before?
>We didn't ask the elder miko about Yuuka, did we?
>There is a village a short distance east from the fort, on the other of the river; you are familiar with its existence from maps, though you don't think it's very large.
>You did not.
-
>"Sorry, should have phrased that different. I meant around town here, or among us Seekers."
>To Kyouko, "Think she'd know about an ancient youkai gardener who doesn't like visitors?"
-
>"Sorry, should have phrased that different. I meant around town here, or among us Seekers."
>To Kyouko, "Think she'd know about an ancient youkai gardener who doesn't like visitors?"
>"You could try the Academy," Riza says. "Their information is greater than most."
>There is a pause. "She might!"
>"Ancient legends..." Sachi muses, absently sliding one of her pieces forward; her companion's gaze hardens, though the rabbit seems not to notice. "I'm no expert, but I got a pretty good memory and I don't think this one's ringing any bells, sorry." She snickers. "Fact, I think the last time I heard 'ancient youkai' and 'plants' in the same sentence was about that nasty business during the last war, down south."
>Sheska's stare bores holes into the army arrayed before her.
-
I get the feeling I've asked this before, but,
>Do we know what war she's referring to? Or any idea what sort of 'business' went on in that area she might be referring to?
-
>Do we know what war she's referring to? Or any idea what sort of 'business' went on in that area she might be referring to?
>You imagine she's referring to the Wild Surge, about half a century ago, where a nearly unprecedented level of coordinated aggression from the youkai of the Wild Lands threatened to overrun Hanashibara altogether. It was only through a military alliance with Higan that they managed to avert the worst, though it was still a bitter conflict and many outlying regions were lost and never regained. As for the 'business', a great lot of 'business' happened during that war and it isn't immediately obvious what Sachi might be referring to here, though your knowledge of those events is rudimentary at best.
-
>Nod. "Academy was actually my next stop, after I was all done here."
>To Sachi, "What sort of 'nasty business?'"
-
>Nod. "Academy was actually my next stop, after I was all done here."
>To Sachi, "What sort of 'nasty business?'"
>Riza returns your nod in composed silence.
>"Well, Vela Roja was torn apart by creeper vines, yeah? And the lasherblooms that cut off Shiromori until they burned the whole place down? Or the pollen at the Battle of Nemubochi?" Sachi snickers. "Not like it's a short list. Anyhow, rumor had it some incredibly old and powerful plant youkai was the mastermind behind all that. Not sure anyone ever found out who it was, though." She shakes her head and shrugs. "Assuming that's even right in the first place. Coulda been a magician of some kind, or even a half-dozen different people. It was a mess down there."
>Kyouko frowns, eyeing the bellflower in her hands a little sadly.
-
>Where did that professor bosqueverde say she was from? And what do we know of it?
>Assuming she mentioned when it was destroyed, would that line up with the timing of the Surge?
-
>Where did that professor bosqueverde say she was from? And what do we know of it?
>Assuming she mentioned when it was destroyed, would that line up with the timing of the Surge?
>The professor said she was from Sasa Dioro, which was a small ethnic state on the periphery of Hanashibara, now lost and subsumed by the Wild Lands. You don't know very much about it, to be honest.
>You assume that would have to be what she was talking about.
-
>If this Yuuka was behind all of that, it's no wonder Dai was so scared of even talking about her.
>And THIS is an option for finding a cure if this plant here doesn't bloom? Oy. Does the world hate us, or something?
>No, no. Don't get ahead of yourself, Nazrin. Might not even be an issue if Minoriko's magic dirt works its mojo.
>Do any of the names Sachi mentioned mean anything to us?
-
>If this Yuuka was behind all of that, it's no wonder Dai was so scared of even talking about her.
>And THIS is an option for finding a cure if this plant here doesn't bloom? Oy. Does the world hate us, or something?
>No, no. Don't get ahead of yourself, Nazrin. Might not even be an issue if Minoriko's magic dirt works its mojo.
>Do any of the names Sachi mentioned mean anything to us?
>It's a bit of a leap to assume they must be the same person, no? Fifty years and half a continent apart. Surely there must be more than one powerful plant youkai to go around... right?
>Still, the thought manages to disquiet you just a little, just the same. Hopefully at least one link along this chain of reasoning will turn out to be spurious. Or, even more hopefully, altogether unnecessary. Still, the bittercress looks the exact same to your eye as it did a couple hours after you planted it.
>You've heard one or two of them before in passing, and seen them on maps, but the events of that war aren't something you're familiar with in much detail. And while the Wild Lands are an oft spoken of hunting ground for the more adventurous of Seekers, most of those sites are comparatively recent and exposed enough to have been picked clean by this point; the real treasure (assuming there really is any left) is usually held to be among the older ruins, long buried in the deepest Wilds.
-
>Fifty years and half a continent isn't necessarily so big a thing for some youkai, we dare say. After all, we are a wonderous race. We are the envy of humanity for many reasons.
>"What about a place called Sasa Dioro, what happened to that region?"
-
>Fifty years and half a continent isn't necessarily so big a thing for some youkai, we dare say. After all, we are a wonderous race. We are the envy of humanity for many reasons.
>You're not sure 'envy' is the default human reaction, and you have nearly as little in common with some youkai as humans themselves would. It's true that fifty years isn't much in the lifespan of an elder youkai, but that hardly means that a reclusive gardener in southwestern Val Razua must be the same person as whatever rampaging phytomancer was behind those events during the war. And frankly, it would probably be best if she were not.
>"What about a place called Sasa Dioro, what happened to that region?"
>There is a faint flicker of dismissal in Riza's eyes as you ask your question; she raises her book once more.
>Sachi snickers. "Guess you're a bit young, hey?" At least there doesn't seem to be any derision in her tone, though the sound rankles you nonetheless. "The Wild Lands took it all; every house and village, down to the very last brick."
>"Oh, don't listen to her," someone else interjects. "There were more than a few things left worth salvaging after the war had moved off."
>"It was a figure of speech, geez," Sachi grumbles, advancing one of her knights. "Point is, the place was all wiped out."
>"All wiped out!" Kyouko concurs with an emphatic nod and dismayed expression.
>"'course there might still be a few crazy people trying to live out there," Sachi continues. "But if they still call it by that name, they're about the only ones."
-
>"Out of towner. I've only been on this continent for a day."
>Pause.
>Mutter aloud, "Has it only been a day?"
-
>"Out of towner. I've only been on this continent for a day."
>Pause.
>Mutter aloud, "Has it only been a day?"
>"That's what you said!" Kyouko offers helpfully. Sweet girl, if bad at rhetorical questions.
>"Shocking the gaps in basic education these days," Sachi says without any real sign of being bothered by this. Then her eyes flicker towards Sheska's side of the board as her partner advances her own knight to meet the rabbit's aggressive opening. "You sure you wanna do that?"
>"Of course I'm sure," Sheska grumbles, though seems to hesitate anyway.
-
>Bite tongue.
>Do we know enough of shogi to be able to advise Sheska on potential moves that won't end badly?
-
>Bite tongue.
>Do we know enough of shogi to be able to advise Sheska on potential moves that won't end badly?
>Consider it bitten.
>You take a glance at the board. Sachi's opening is... a bit unconventional, but Sheska's attempt to counter it seems poorly supported. You would hazard a guess that you're a better player than her, though the rabbit gives you pause. You could probably still give her a suggestion or two, if you wanted.
-
>Formulate idea, but first gauge Sheska's receptiveness to suggestions.
-
>Formulate idea, but first gauge Sheska's receptiveness to suggestions.
>A more careful examination of the board suggests an aspect of Sachi's setup that Sheska appears to be overlooking and which might come back to bite her - at least you think so. But you have your doubts that she'll take too kindly to this being pointed out, given how staunchly focused her expression has been since even before they started; the conversation earlier left you with the distinct impression that losing is the norm for her, yet she seems to be placing her pride on the line here nonetheless, and seems either unwilling to acknowledge the skill disparity between herself and the rabbit or not yet advanced enough at the game to realize just how large it probably is. Of course, there's not much point in saving face if it means you keep being bad.
-
>Probably wouldn't count, anyway. After all, we may be better than Sheska, but we're probably not as good as the rabbit. She'd probably beat us both. If we offered pointers, and Sheska still lost, we'd only both look bad. No need to give her any more snark-fuel.
>Is luck a racial trait for rabbit-kin?
>What's Riza reading anyway?
>"Perhaps you'd aid in the general education of one Seeker from abroad, and tell me a bit about the work here in town."
What did you have in mind to ask about Isir's Cross anyway, Purvis?
-
I think the biggest things would be to get a general idea of the place, who is there and what we can expect to find. In particular, we'd want to find the best people who can tell us the lay of the land, so we can narrow down possibilities if we end up not finding anything new. Also, anything special about the area would be nice to pick up on, in terms of laws and such.
Related to this, it may be better to ask about the town and the region before asking about legends. We come off as less of a foolishly naive person or a crank that way, I think.
-
Wouldn't hurt to ask. Figured I'd start with a bit of general info about Val R here, maybe then move on to Isir's Cross (IsC). But if you wanted to handle that yourself, by all means, go right ahead.
-
>Probably wouldn't count, anyway. After all, we may be better than Sheska, but we're probably not as good as the rabbit. She'd probably beat us both. If we offered pointers, and Sheska still lost, we'd only both look bad. No need to give her any more snark-fuel.
>Is luck a racial trait for rabbit-kin?
>What's Riza reading anyway?
>You decide you're not feeling comfortable enough to bet your skill against Sachi's, and keep your mouth shut on the topic. It's Sheska's game to lose, after all.
>You've heard some people claim it is (and some rabbits themselves for that matter, though Braston gets few of their kind), but you've been told this is more a cultivated reputation than a racial fact. Mostly they tend to be very shrewd and good at passing calculated acts off as innocent happenstance, which can give the impression of fortune repeatedly smiling on them. Plus they cheat. Or so Marisa has said - not that she's above what most people would call cheating, either.
>The slim blue volume in Riza's hand appears to be an anthology of poetry; there is an understated silhouette of a bare tree on its cover beside which is written "Memoirs of a Vagrant Winter" in classical calligraphy.
>"Perhaps you'd aid in the general education of one Seeker from abroad, and tell me a bit about the work here in town."
>"Trade secret, sorry," Sachi says, then grins - though that may be directed at Sheska's last move.
>"It's been decent," someone else says, "but you can read the boards as well as any of us."
>"Probably better than you," Sachi quips back.
-
>"Sorry, meant in terms of clients to avoid, places to watch your back, and your purse, in, that kind of thing."
-
>"Sorry, meant in terms of clients to avoid, places to watch your back, and your purse, in, that kind of thing."
>The rabbit snickers a little, then throws you a sidelong glance. "Like I said."
-
I'm getting a little tired of her.
You think we can get anything useful out of her, or should we just take Kyouko and go?
-
I'll take that as the latter.
>Sarcastic so and so...
>But never let it be said we're not a polite mouse.
>"Well, then. Thanks for your time, folks."
>Gather up Kyouko-chan and head back downstairs. A glance at the work board might not hurt, sarcastic rabbit-kin or no.
-
>Sarcastic so and so...
>But never let it be said we're not a polite mouse.
>"Well, then. Thanks for your time, folks."
>Gather up Kyouko-chan and head back downstairs. A glance at the work board might not hurt, sarcastic rabbit-kin or no.
>Grumbling inwardly at the rabbit's attitude, you decide you've had quite enough. You say a polite goodbye, then gesture to Kyouko and turn to leave.
>"For serious," Sachi says as you head toward the stairs, "if you wanted to hang around until Sheska's done with me, I could give you a few pointers."
-
>Pause.
>Hmmmm.
>Look questioningly at Kyouko. A 'Should we?' look.
-
>Pause.
>Hmmmm.
>Look questioningly at Kyouko. A 'Should we?' look.
>"A few pointers could be good!" Kyouko says.
>Sachi snickers. "See, girl knows what she's talking about."
>"Knows what she's talking about!" A frown. "...I think."
-
>Hmmm again.
>Well, we obviously still have some time to kill.
>Nod, then find an open chair.
-
>Hmmm again.
>Well, we obviously still have some time to kill.
>Nod, then find an open chair.
>You consider the rabbit's offer, then decide to accept. You give Sachi a nod and she returns it sharply, then turns her eyes back to her game.
>You find an open chair then go deposit yourself in it, the upholstery yielding invitingly beneath you. Hmmm... pretty cushy.
>Kyouko follows along and takes a seat beside you, smiling and wiggling her rear a little as she sinks into a comfy spot.
>"So... what now?" she asks in a comparatively quiet tone, eyes still bright and interested.
-
>Nod towards the shogi game.
>"We hang around for a little. How long? Depends on what Sheska does with her *insert piece here that moving in a certain way would be beneficial to Sheska's game here* in the next move."
-
>Nod towards the shogi game.
>"We hang around for a little. How long? Depends on what Sheska does with her *insert piece here that moving in a certain way would be beneficial to Sheska's game here* in the next move."
>Kyouko nods. "Depends on what Sheska does with her rook."
>Sachi snickers knowingly. Sheska makes an attempt to pretend not to hear, but you still see her hand hesitate as it reaches towards the board. There is a moment's pause, but only just, then she grabs hold of a silver general and decisively moves it forward. ...well, it's not a bad play.
-
>Well, we tried.
>Let's see how she does.
-
>Well, we tried.
>Let's see how she does.
>If Sheska got your hint, it's no one's fault but her own that she didn't try to use it. You settle in with Kyouko and watch the rest of their match.
>On the surface, Sheska is decisive and deliberate while Sachi plays almost frivolously, barely seeming to give thought to the moves she makes or pay much care to what happens afterward. The truth, you are sure, is closer to the reverse; Sheska is frequently uncertain of her own plays and trying not to show it, while Sachi's casual air belies a calculated strategy that Sheska easily falls prey to. It's not much of a contest, and you suspect it would be even less if the rabbit cared to win swiftly.
>After a few minutes of spectating, Kyouko seems to grow a little bored with the activity; her eyes drift around the room and her legs start to fidget, at least as much as they can in present seating arrangements. She turns to you.
>"Is it okay if I go explore around a little?" she asks, looking just a little hesitant at this assertion.
-
>We did warn you that you might get bored along the lines, Kyouko-chan...
>Nod. "'course."
-
>We did warn you that you might get bored along the lines, Kyouko-chan...
>Nod. "'course."
>You did. For that matter, it occurs to you that she might not even know how to follow a game of shogi, let alone care to.
>"You'll watch Rinrin for me, will you?" she asks, pointing at her bellflower. Someone chuckles softly.
-
>Probably not really her game. Though teaching her might be fun. Well.... Might be worth the attempt, anyway?
>What sort of teacher do we make when it comes to games?
>Chuckle quietly. "She's in good hands."
-
>Probably not really her game. Though teaching her might be fun. Well.... Might be worth the attempt, anyway?
>What sort of teacher do we make when it comes to games?
>Chuckle quietly. "She's in good hands."
>You consider trying to teach Kyouko how to play shogi. If you're completely honest, you're not really sure how personable a teacher you'd make, but you know the ropes pretty well and that's got to count for something, right?
>Kyouko beams. "Thanks!" Then she leaps lightly from her seat with a raised arm and starts off to investigate the door standing ajar.
>"If something goes missing or broken," someone says, "she's your responsibility, just saying."
>"Oh, like you've never pinched from the pantry," Sachi quips.
-
>Sent a confidant grin Kyouko's way. "Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem."
-
>Sent a confidant grin Kyouko's way. "Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem."
>Kyouko isn't facing you to see your grin, but she nonetheless repeats the sentiment with gusto. "I don't think that'll be a problem at all!"
>She nudges open the door and pokes her head inside.
>You catch the narrowest hint of a grimace from Riza at Kyouko's volume, but it is gone by the time she finishes turning her page. Sachi captures another of Sheka's pieces; that grimace is harder to miss.
-
>Suppress a grin at Riza cracking. No one can stay stoic with Kyouko around.
>Did we water our bittercress when we were at Kyouko's? If not, give the plant a little drink while Sheska tries to recover.
-
>Suppress a grin at Riza cracking. No one can stay stoic with Kyouko around.
>Did we water our bittercress when we were at Kyouko's? If not, give the plant a little drink while Sheska tries to recover.
>You do your best not to grin at your fellow Seeker's consternation. Kyouko does seem to have an effect on people....
>You did not; it seemed damp enough at the time, but the gardener's advice today about bittercress's normal marshy habitat gives you pause. You produce your canteen and give it another drink, letting the soil grow pleasantly sodden, though it leaves your canteen half-empty again.
>For better or worse, Sheska does not seem to recover. She has already lost another piece by the time you turn back to the shogi match and while she scrambles to reinforce, it is a swift downward spiral. Sachi soon achieves a completely dominant position, and while Sheska refuses to concede until the very last moment, this does not stop its inevitability.
>"Four out of seven," Sheska says firmly.
>Sachi shakes her head. "Sorry, but I've got promises to keep. We can pick this up again later if you want to keep going."
>And with that, the rabbit hoists herself out of her seat and saunters over your way. She fixes you with a expression that is equal parts appraising and cocksure.
>"So... what'd you wanna know?"
-
>What was that rabbit's name from yesterday, the one who took that old airship part from us?
-
>What was that rabbit's name from yesterday, the one who took that old airship part from us?
>Chitsuki Ukizaki. You still have her card, in fact.
-
>Note to self: Make our own business card.
>"Well for one, now that I think about it, I ought to put to rest something I've been wondering since yesterday. Are you familiar with a Seeker by the name of Chitsuki?"
-
>Note to self: Make our own business card.
>"Well for one, now that I think about it, I ought to put to rest something I've been wondering since yesterday. Are you familiar with a Seeker by the name of Chitsuki?"
>Hmmm... mightn't hurt to have one of those yourself.
>The rabbit nods. "Sure I do. What do ya want with her?"
-
>"Well, nothing, per se. But I did some business with her the other day; had an old airship air filter that she got out of me. But I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been wondering if she got the better end of the deal on me."
-
>"Well, nothing, per se. But I did some business with her the other day; had an old airship air filter that she got out of me. But I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been wondering if she got the better end of the deal on me."
>Sachi snickers. "She probably did; she's good at that."
-
>Puff out a breath through our nostrils.
>Serves me right for getting too hung up on the prices here.
>But try not to scowl. "Yeah. Figured."
-
>Puff out a breath through our nostrils.
>Serves me right for getting too hung up on the prices here.
>But try not to scowl. "Yeah. Figured."
>The rabbit laughs again then shakes her head. "Don't worry about it; the day someone gets one up on her is the day she stops moving. She's a businesswoman from ears to tail." Her own ears twitch for emphasis.
-
>Chaulk it up as a lesson, Nazrin. There's always someone better than you.
>Until you beat them. Your time will come, you rascally rabbit.
>"I'll remember that the next time something old and mechanical falls into my lap."
>"Anyone else around town I should be wary of if I end up dealing with em?" Pause. "Seeker or otherwise?"
-
>Chaulk it up as a lesson, Nazrin. There's always someone better than you.
>Until you beat them. Your time will come, you rascally rabbit.
>"I'll remember that the next time something old and mechanical falls into my lap."
>"Anyone else around town I should be wary of if I end up dealing with em?" Pause. "Seeker or otherwise?"
>You accept your 'loss' with dignity, while asserting that you will find a way to turn the tables in the future.
>"She's always in the market for anything she thinks she can use - and that's a lotta stuff, it seems."
>Sachi grins. "How wary are we talking?"
-
>"Let's say... about as wary as you should be if you have something Chitsuki wants."
-
>"Let's say... about as wary as you should be if you have something Chitsuki wants."
>"How about I say 'everyone' and we call it even? Keeps the instincts sharp, you know. Well, everyone except me; I'm completely trustworthy." Her smile is sickeningly sincere, unperturbed even by the audible scoff that immediately follows.
-
>Restrain the urge to massage our temple to ward off the headache threatening us. Getting a straight answer out of the people of this town is like pulling teeth, half the time.
>Nod quietly.
-
>Restrain the urge to massage our temple to ward off the headache threatening us. Getting a straight answer out of the people of this town is like pulling teeth, half the time.
>Nod quietly.
>You bite back a grimace and and simply nod back to that saccharine smile. Sachi snorts.
>"Hard one to get a rise out of, you are," she says, a more sincere grin displacing the obsequious affectation. "Anyhow, Chitsuki drives a mean bargain, but she's no cheat. If you're looking for one of those, you might try playing poker at one of those dives up in the Rambles, where every hand comes three decks to a person. I suppose who you wanna avoid depends on what your game is, but the Guild-approved vendors are always safe, and most of the rest of 'em are, too. Umihara's overpriced, but if you can't figure that one out on your own, there's no hope for ya. I'd like to say nobody from the Guild will try to dupe you, but...." She shrugs blandly. "You know how it is. I was only half-kidding earlier, by the way; sure, most people aren't gonna try and rip you off, but I say you don't wanna let them think they could."
-
>Presumably we rock at poker, yes?
-
>Presumably we rock at poker, yes?
>You consider yourself a fair hand at it, and you have an excellent poker face when you apply yourself.
-
>Note to self: Acquire a travelin' deck.
>"As true here as it is anywhere. The second the other guy thinks he can pull one over on you, they're gonna try."
>Unless of course that's HOW they're playing you, but no one ever said the game wasn't devious.
>Does the term Rambles mean anything to us?
-
>Note to self: Acquire a travelin' deck.
>"As true here as it is anywhere. The second the other guy thinks he can pull one over on you, they're gonna try."
>Unless of course that's HOW they're playing you, but no one ever said the game wasn't devious.
>Does the term Rambles mean anything to us?
>You make a mental note
>"Cynical," Sachi notes, though seemingly more by way of observation than judgement.
>You have not heard of a place referred to this way before.
-
>"I prefer to think of myself as 'realistically optimistic.' I know the score, but that doesn't mean that's always how it has to be. Just the way it is most of the time."
>If we were a flat out cynic, we wouldn't be hoping for that flower to bloom. Or still hanging out with someone like Kyouko.
>And then there was that spider... Think about that later.
-
>"I prefer to think of myself as 'realistically optimistic.' I know the score, but that doesn't mean that's always how it has to be. Just the way it is most of the time."
>If we were a flat out cynic, we wouldn't be hoping for that flower to bloom. Or still hanging out with someone like Kyouko.
>And then there was that spider... Think about that later.
>"Sensible too," she says.
>Your mind turns to both pleasant and unpleasant things; you try to push the latter away for the moment.
>"Where you used to operating, anyhow?" Sachi asks.
-
>"I try."
>"Back out *east or west, I forget which* in Estval. Braston, mostly." Glance around. "Bit of a shift, this."
-
>"I try."
>"Back out *east or west, I forget which* in Estval. Braston, mostly." Glance around. "Bit of a shift, this."
>Estval and all the Outer Freelands are far to the East of Val Razua.
>Sachi laughs. "Out with all the oni and that's all the faith you have in people's honesty? Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing." She shakes her head. "'course, I've never managed to figure out whether this makes oni easy to deal with or real hard, either."
-
>"Oni are one thing. But those are in short supply outside of home, it seems." Snort out a chuckle. "Quietest night I've had for a while, as well. And besides, I never had a lot of dealings with the oni myself, spent more time working for humans and youkai. Well there was that issue where I had to break a sign over one's head, but that one was an ass. And a human doesn't have quite the same.... aversion to duplicitousness that an oni does."
-
>"Oni are one thing. But those are in short supply outside of home, it seems." Snort out a chuckle. "Quietest night I've had for a while, as well. And besides, I never had a lot of dealings with the oni myself, spent more time working for humans and youkai. Well there was that issue where I had to break a sign over one's head, but that one was an ass. And a human doesn't have quite the same.... aversion to duplicitousness that an oni does."
>"For better or worse," Sachi says, still snickering from your mention of the sign incident. "Of course, if I had to rhyme off every person I've dealt with around town that wasn't always on the up and up, Sheska'd never get her fourth loss in today." She throws a look back at the taciturn girl, though the latter appears on the verge of discarding that moniker at her mention.
-
>"I get the feeling you two play often?"
-
>"I get the feeling you two play often?"
>"She's taken it upon herself to beat me." Sachi throws another quick glance back in that direction. "Maybe some year."
-
>Raise an amused eyebrow. "How long's this been going now?"
-
>Raise an amused eyebrow. "How long's this been going now?"
>"Oh, better part of a month now," she says. "She's pretty determined when she puts her mind to something."
-
>Nod approvingly. "Hard to be a Seeker without a decent dose of stick-to-it-iveness."
>"One last thing, though, if I may. You ever work any jobs out at Isir's Cross?"
-
>Nod approvingly. "Hard to be a Seeker without a decent dose of stick-to-it-iveness."
>"One last thing, though, if I may. You ever work any jobs out at Isir's Cross?"
>"Suppose you got a point, there."
>Sachi fixes you with a chiding expression. ", Hey, you already asked that. Or close enough to it, anyway." She shakes her head. "Sorry. I mostly stick to the city these days."
-
>We did?
-
>We did?
>When you inquired about the gardener near Isir's Cross, Sachi shrugged, suggested she had spent little time out that way, and then directed you toward Riza as someone who had. She might not have specifically denied ever taking a job out there, but she certainly implied a lack of relevant experience.
-
>Ah.
>"Right. Sorry."
>Glance around for Kyouko-chan.
-
>Ah.
>"Right. Sorry."
>Glance around for Kyouko-chan.
>"I'd give you a hand with your gardener problem if I had one to give," she says.
>You glance around for Kyouko, but there is no evidence of her. Possibly she is still in one of the adjoining rooms.
-
>Keep our ear open. Won't be hard to find her that way, certainly.
>"I'm still sort of hoping it's a trip I won't have to make. If I do, well... Finding things is what we do, after all. Still, I appreciate the sentiment."
-
>"Hey, have you ever been to that little <curio?> shop that's near the <restaurant> we checked out yesterday? The one that was closed during prime business hours?"
-
>Keep our ear open. Won't be hard to find her that way, certainly.
>"I'm still sort of hoping it's a trip I won't have to make. If I do, well... Finding things is what we do, after all. Still, I appreciate the sentiment."
>While Kyouko seems quite, you do hear movement from beyond one of the doors; possibly it is her.
>"Yeah, I think Riza's the only here who's done much work out that way," Sachi says. "'least that I know of."
>"Hey, have you ever been to that little <curio?> shop that's near the <restaurant> we checked out yesterday? The one that was closed during prime business hours?"
>You inquire about the Rabbit's Attic, the curious pawn shop that you attempted to visit yesterday but found closed.
>Sachi nods. "Sure I have. The owner's a bit of a kook." She twirls a finger around her head for emphasis. "And most of the stuff is junk, but every now and again there's something neat tucked away in there."
-
>There was a sign on the door that said the owner was away traveling or adventuring or something, right?
>If so, "Finding something in a pile of junk sounds kind of up my alley. But there was a sign that said she was closed, gone on an treasure hunt, I think."
-
>There was a sign on the door that said the owner was away traveling or adventuring or something, right?
>If so, "Finding something in a pile of junk sounds kind of up my alley. But there was a sign that said she was closed, gone on an treasure hunt, I think."
>The sign read "On investigations. Will return. -K" ...whatever that means.
>Sachi laughs. "A treasure hunt? Woman's got a funny definition of treasure, let me tell ya. But sure, I'd say it's worth your time, if you're curious - at least once."
-
>About how far was it between here and there?
>Was it on the path back to the university?
-
>About how far was it between here and there?
>Was it on the path back to the university?
>It is only about 10 minutes away from here, you think.
>Not directly, though the detour is not large.
-
>Nod. "Think I might swing by there, see if she's back, before I hit up the Academy library. Once my friend finds her way back out here, that is."
-
>Nod. "Think I might swing by there, see if she's back, before I hit up the Academy library. Once my friend finds her way back out here, that is."
>"Be a job to get lost in here," Sachi says, then throws you a sly look. "And I'm sure you could manage to find her again, anyway."
-
>Do we have any idea who the guild-approved vendors would be in this city?
-
>Do we have any idea who the guild-approved vendors would be in this city?
>Not off-hand, but you imagine it may be a similar arrangement to what the Guild had back in Braston: certain merchants provided standing discounts to Seekers in exchange for perks, like supply contracts with the Guild itself, or preferential handling of petitions.
-
>Do said peddlers have identifying markers posted outside their places of business, or are Seekers on their own to learn who they are?
-
>Do said peddlers have identifying markers posted outside their places of business, or are Seekers on their own to learn who they are?
>Not generally, though you know one in Braston that put up a small sign in the window advertising this; it would be easy enough to get a listing from Guild records, however.
-
>Chuckle, then muse. "Yeah, follow the shouting."
>"Well, thanks."
>Assuming she doesn't stop us, go find our decibally-endowed friend.
-
>Chuckle, then muse. "Yeah, follow the shouting."
>"Well, thanks."
>Assuming she doesn't stop us, go find our decibally-endowed friend.
>"Eh, she seems polite," Sachi says, throwing a wry glance around the room. "Which is more than I can say for some people around here."
>You thank Sachi; the rabbit nods. "No problem."
>"Oh, a little word of advice if you're planning to set up shop here," she says as you stand to leave.
-
>Pause.
>"Shoot."
-
>Pause.
>"Shoot."
>"Well, if you're new to the place, you probably figure the real money is with the bigshots. And, well... that ain't exactly wrong, but it ain't exactly right, either. You see, a lot of Houses prefer to contract Seekers long-term - they've got the money, and it's easier for 'em to keep the same people on tap than have to deal with new ones all the time. Heck, there's a listing downstairs right now from House Aster and I'd bet money this is what it boils down to."
>She gives you a shrewed look. "Now, I probably don't need to tell you this, but just a friendly reminder: read the fine print. It'll probably sound good, but a bunch of 'em won't use you as often as you'd like, and if you sign exclusivity then you better keep it. The last thing a newbie needs is a House who wants to make your life a pain. Because they can, believe me." The rabbit's face is quite expressive on this point.
>"Now, some people can make pretty good for themselves this way; take Riza, over here." She jerks a thumb in the stoic woman's direction. Riza takes no apparent notice. "But me? I'm my own agent, and I plan to keep it that way; more freedom, better pay half the time, and I can keep my neck as far away from politics as you ever get in this city." She shrugs dismissively. "Don't know what your game is, but I thought I'd give you fair warning."
-
>Have we run across the name of Aster House before?
-
>Have we run across the name of Aster House before?
>You think it rings a faint bell, though not enough to recall any details. The address on Chitsuki's business card indicated an Aster Row, however; perhaps they are associated or perhaps not.
-
>Hmm. Perhaps this one isn't as... completely casual as she appears.
>Nod solemnly. "Duly warned."
>Lean in just a little. "What about House Scarlet? Where do you think they stand on us and our services?"
-
>Hmm. Perhaps this one isn't as... completely casual as she appears.
>Nod solemnly. "Duly warned."
>Lean in just a little. "What about House Scarlet? Where do you think they stand on us and our services?"
>You give Sachi a nod, which she returns knowingly.
>Sachi snickers. "Lady Scarlet practically has half the city at her beck and call already - what does she need us for? But seriously, we do get sub-sub-contracts from them from time to time; don't think she has anyone on long-term retainer, though. All that power affords you some... selective tastes."
-
>Tastes like old relics of undefined origin?
>Better not ask, though. Best if we don't implicate Murasa and her crew of anything, even indirectly.
>"Yeah, I can imagine." Pause. "Have you ever worked for her?"
-
>Tastes like old relics of undefined origin?
>Better not ask, though. Best if we don't implicate Murasa and her crew of anything, even indirectly.
>"Yeah, I can imagine." Pause. "Have you ever worked for her?"
>You consider Aya's words about the pilfered relic's destination, but elect to make no mention of it.
>"What, me?" Sachi lets out a small snort. "Glad enough not to, frankly. Mind, given how much money in this town flows that way eventually, I'm sure I've had a hand in her business from time to time, but never on the inside."
-
>"Yeah, I can respect that. Guess I've just been wondering what kind of boss she is. She was the first of the bigwigs I heard about coming into town. I'm not exactly looking to pitch my wares her way, or anything, but a mouse gets curious."
-
>"Yeah, I can respect that. Guess I've just been wondering what kind of boss she is. She was the first of the bigwigs I heard about coming into town. I'm not exactly looking to pitch my wares her way, or anything, but a mouse gets curious."
>"She takes good care of people she's fond of. Or that's what they say, anyway," she adds wryly. "But when you're that far up the food chain, you don't have to put up with anything or anyone you don't like, and so you don't. Don't know about you, but I'm just as happy if the most dangerous person in the country doesn't know me well enough to have an opinion."
>"She just allergic to class," someone quips.
>The rabbit rounds on her with accusation. "Hey! I'll have you know I plan to live to 500!"
-
>Dangerous... Think back to what Neu and Murasa said about this Scarlet character. Does what Sachi say appear to line up with what we learned from them?
-
>Dangerous... Think back to what Neu and Murasa said about this Scarlet character. Does what Sachi say appear to line up with what we learned from them?
>While you never spoke with Murasa about Lady Scarlet, Neu did go on about her in some detail. You suppose her version and Sachi's aren't exactly contradictory, though Neu spoke of her in a much more positive light overall; while she did say she could be petty and vain, she also called her a generous patron and did not seem to fear reprisal for their failure to deliver their cargo. But you can't exactly disagree that a person with as much power as she supposedly has could be dangerous, if ever they put their mind to causing someone harm; in fact, by that measure, you suppose she might well be one of the most dangerous people in the whole world. The question is: how likely is she to actually do this?
-
>Well, we'll put that to one side for the moment. Time enough to worry about her and her kind when we get our life back on the right track.
>Unless of course we need to deal with her to find a cure, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
>To our knowledge, has Marisa ever dealt with someone on the same level as Lady Scarlet, and if so, did she ever speak to us about the experience?
-
>Well, we'll put that to one side for the moment. Time enough to worry about her and her kind when we get our life back on the right track.
>Unless of course we need to deal with her to find a cure, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
>To our knowledge, has Marisa ever dealt with someone on the same level as Lady Scarlet, and if so, did she ever speak to us about the experience?
>Marisa was surprisingly reticent about Val Razua whenever the topic came up, even though you think she was actually from somewhere near here originally. She's worked for a few rich folks from time to time, sure but in terms of rank, you kind of don't think there's anyone in all the Outer Freelands on Lady Scarlet's level. Probably the person with the most 'power' you've met was Yuugi Hoshiguma and 'arrogant nobility' is about the last descriptor you would apply to her.
-
>Perhaps a story to ply out of her when we get home.
>For now, though, best not to laugh at Sachi's expense.
>Well... Perhaps, a brief, quiet chuckle.
-
>Perhaps a story to ply out of her when we get home.
>For now, though, best not to laugh at Sachi's expense.
>Well... Perhaps, a brief, quiet chuckle.
>You keep your response to a quiet chuckle, but this is still enough for Sachi to round on you with a disgruntled look.
>"Hey, it's your tail," she says. "You want to get it caught up with people like her, that's your business. I know where I stand."
>"About a head shorter than anyone else here."
>"'least I got something working inside mine." she counters smoothly.
-
>What would a Seeker's guildhall be without a little sniping, a mouse wonders.
>Contemplate offering, "Maybe the ears compensate for that.", but refrain. No need to blast the rabbit from both sides, and she WAS helpful.
>"Well, I'm not out for a 'sponser', but a word of caution never hurts nothing."
>What were those other two houses Neu mentioned, Houraisan and.... Mizuhashi?
-
>What would a Seeker's guildhall be without a little sniping, a mouse wonders.
>What were those other two houses Neu mentioned, Houraisan and.... Mizuhashi?
>Certainly the one back home afforded plenty of practice with verbal sparring; perhaps a natural consequence of sticking enough ambitious and competitive free-spirits in the same room. This certainly does not feel unfamiliar to you.
>She did say that those three represented the bulk of power in Val Razua, with a scattering of more minor players completing the dynamic.
>Contemplate offering, "Maybe the ears compensate for that.", but refrain. No need to blast the rabbit from both sides, and she WAS helpful.
>"Well, I'm not out for a 'sponser', but a word of caution never hurts nothing."
>Sachi gives you an approving nod. "Damn straight. Others will probably tell you different, but if you ask me, Sovereign Hall's the most dangerous place in the whole city. Sure, you don't need to worry about knives, or pickpockets, or someone clubbing you upside the head, but those are small stakes. They play much bigger ones there. I don't know about you, but I'd rather end up on the bad side of a gang of drunken oni than her Lady Scarlet."
>"She's really not that scary," Sheska says, oddly restrained from her previous tone.
>Sachi nods dryly. "Mhmm. Not until she wants to be, I'm sure."
-
>We've been on the bad sign of a drunken oni, haven't we?
>Have we heard of this Soverign's Hall prior to this?
-
>We've been on the bad sign of a drunken oni, haven't we?
>Have we heard of this Soverign's Hall prior to this?
>No, thankfully. In fact, you like to avoid being on any side of a particularly drunken oni when at all possible, though this is clearly an impossible task in Braston. And while you were certainly on Yuzu's bad side, if she had any alcohol in her, it certainly wasn't enough to count as drunk to an oni. So... maybe only a few liters.
>You have. It was one of the most clearly-labelled buildings on the map you looked at earlier, in fact, located in a large plaza at the city's center. You believe it is the Val Razuan seat of government, and probably quite an impressive feat of architecture besides.
-
>Glance over at Sheska. "Have you met her?"
-
>Glance over at Sheska. "Have you met her?"
>You glance over to the black-haired woman; she seems a little surprised at your question.
>"I, uh.... once or twice. Briefly."
>"Sheska here was born higher on the hog than you or me," Sachi offers.
>Sheska grimaces faintly. "Not that much."
-
>Higher on the hog. That's a new one.
>"Really? So how'd you end up in our vaunted company?"
-
>Higher on the hog. That's a new one.
>"Really? So how'd you end up in our vaunted company?"
>The steel in Sheska's voice returns. "Because I chose to."
-
>Chuckle once, then nod. Freedom. "Maybe the best reason of em all."
-
>Chuckle once, then nod. Freedom. "Maybe the best reason of em all."
>You see the firmness in the Seeker's face harden as you laugh, and then falter. For a moment, your approval seems to have left her almost completely at a loss.
>Kyouko chooses this same moment to poke her head out of an adjoining room. She start to wander idly over to the next.
-
>Call out to her, "Kyouko-chan."
EDIT
>Before that, are such honorifics commonplace?
-
>Call out to her, "Kyouko-chan."
>Before that, are such honorifics commonplace?
>It's not one you get much use out of yourself, but somehow you find yourself feeling it fits this girl. You hope she doesn't mind.
>Kyouko spins around towards you. "Yes?"
-
>"I'm heading out now. Still got places to go."
-
>"I'm heading out now. Still got places to go."
>"Places to go!" she chimes, bouncing back in your direction.
-
>Guess she still wants to come with us, then. Fine by this mouse.
>Assuming she is empty handed, find the person who warned us about her being our responsibility and give them a little look, the kind that says, "told ya she'd be cool."
>Nod to the assembled crew. "Well, thanks for your time, folks, but I got a gardener to find."
>Add to Sheska, "Good luck."
>Provided we are not stopped, head back outside.
-
>Guess she still wants to come with us, then. Fine by this mouse.
>Assuming she is empty handed, find the person who warned us about her being our responsibility and give them a little look, the kind that says, "told ya she'd be cool."
>Nod to the assembled crew. "Well, thanks for your time, folks, but I got a gardener to find."
>Add to Sheska, "Good luck."
>Provided we are not stopped, head back outside.
>Kyouko indeed does not seem to have pilfered anything from the other rooms - or at least if she has, she isn't carrying it openly in her hands. Unfortunately, the woman who cautioned against her wandering isn't looking in your direction at the moment; while you'd like to flash her a 'told you so', you decide it isn't worth calling out to her and making a public show of it.
>You give your fellow Seekers a nod and thanks, then offer some good luck to Sheska in particular.
>She peers uncomprehendingly at you for a moment. "Oh. Uh, thanks, I guess."
>"Good luck to you, too," Sachi adds in your direction. "Wherever you end up poking your neck."
>No one attempts to stop you as return down the stairs and exit the Seeker's Guildhall, Kyouko following lightly behind. As you step onto the street once more, she looks up at the sun with one hand shading her eyes from the noon brightness.
>"Mmmm... I think I might need to leave soon," she says.
-
>She did mention where she was going today, didn't she?
>If she did not, inquire.
-
>She did mention where she was going today, didn't she?
>If she did not, inquire.
>She did. She said she had a couple deliveries to make, and then had promised to help replant some flower beds at the Academy in the afternoon.
-
>Still no sign of growth from the flower.
>Ponder.
>Library's probably the most productive way to spend some time, see if they have any references to Yuuka and her garden.
>Nod. "Where you going first?"
-
>Still no sign of growth from the flower.
>Ponder.
>Library's probably the most productive way to spend some time, see if they have any references to Yuuka and her garden.
>Nod. "Where you going first?"
>None.
>The library does seem like a possible source of useful information and it served you well yesterday - or so you hope.
>"There's a flute maker about... four or five blocks that way," Kyouko says, stretching an arm eastward. "The school I used to coach choir with placed a big order and I promised I'd go pick them up when they were finished. That's the closest, I think."
-
>Point in the direction of the university.
>"I'm headed back to the university library. See if I can dig up something on this Yuuka that I don't already know."
-
>Point in the direction of the university.
>"I'm headed back to the university library. See if I can dig up something on this Yuuka that I don't already know."
>"Yuuka..." Kyouko says again. "I feel like I know that name from somewhere, but I can't seem to remember. Sorry! But if there's anything written down about her, I'm sure the library has it! It's a really nice library," she adds.
-
>Weren't we discussing that name when she was around just a few minutes ago?
-
>Weren't we discussing that name when she was around just a few minutes ago?
>Yes. You assume she is referring not to the name's mention by you, but in some other less recent context. At least you don't think she's that scattered, but you never really know with some people....
-
>Hand her back her plant.
>Thought. Depending on what we find or don't find at the library, or if the flower blooms, this could be the last time we see Kyouko.
>... Why doesn't that feel good?
-
>Hand her back her plant.
>Thought. Depending on what we find or don't find at the library, or if the flower blooms, this could be the last time we see Kyouko.
>... Why doesn't that feel good?
>Kyouko picked up her own plant as you left the guildhall.
>As you think upon the future, you find yourself oddly saddened at the thought that this could be your last time together with the effervescent girl. For a moment, you aren't entirely sure how you should react to this. Maybe this situation you've found yourself in has made her friendly smile shine all the brighter for its contrast....
-
>Pull yourself together, Mouse. You're getting soft.
>"You know, Kyouko, depending on what I find at the library- or even what I DON'T find- it might be a while before we see each other again."
-
>Pull yourself together, Mouse. You're getting soft.
>"You know, Kyouko, depending on what I find at the library- or even what I DON'T find- it might be a while before we see each other again."
>Kyouko nods. "It might be a while; you're a busy mouse, after all!"
-
>"Heh. That I am."
>Give her a pat on the shoulder. "Guess I just wanted to say thanks."
-
>"Heh. That I am."
>Give her a pat on the shoulder. "Guess I just wanted to say thanks."
>Kyouko smiles warmly as you pat her shoulder, her ears turning gently upward. "Oh, you're welcome Nazrin! It was fun! And thank you again for Rinrin!" She holds her plant up proudly.
-
>"And thank you again for giving me a place to stay last night."
>"Well.. See ya."
>Make for the library, to research this Yuuka and her mysterious garden.
-
>"And thank you again for giving me a place to stay last night."
>"Well.. See ya."
>Make for the library, to research this Yuuka and her mysterious garden.
>"Happy to help! And if you're ever hard up for a bed again, don't be shy! And don't go sleeping in any parks!"
>Kyouko waves enthusiastically as you part. "See ya! And good luck!"
>With an oddly somber heart, you turn and walk away from the green-haired yamabiko whose enthusiastic smile managed to bring some measure of warmth into a darkened time. Even without turning around, you can still see the earnest gleam in her bright eyes.
>Your own thoughts notwithstanding, it is a short enough trip from the guildhall to the Grand Academy, through the manicured lanes of the city's more prosperous segments and the expensive architecture which frame them. You find the broad row of trees lining the avenue along the final approach to your destination particularly welcome today, the pools of shade they provide bringing a pleasant contrast to the noonday sun; it will be a warm afternoon, you figure.
>The campus is much as it was yesterday, cloistered but active. It cannot match the city's commercial districts for sheer volume of traffic, but there is nonetheless a steady passage of people along the cobblestone walkways and the green they divide. A pair of robed women exchange incomprehensible banter on geomantic binding formulae while a blue-haired youkai of some description practices juggling balls of what appear to be water beneath the shade of a broad-trunked oak. A distracted-looking brunette fumbles a book she is carrying as you pass alongside then catches it with an outstretched hand - even if not quite stretched enough to make physical contact. You throw a veiled glance in her direction as the woman sheepishly scoops up the levitating tome with her other hand and scampers onward. Magicians....
>The library itself is busier than yesterday, its reading tables lined with the studious and the bored. The rustle of a dozen hushed movements pervades the vaulted space, though few words are spoken. You glance up at the row upon row of heavy bookshelves laden with the knowledge of many lifetimes. If the location of the hidden garden can be found anywhere among them, you're going to find it. Somehow.
-
>Well, let's get started.
>But that might not be enough of a command.
>Receptionist is a good place to start. Let us inquire into their stores of information on our quarry.
-
>Well, let's get started.
>But that might not be enough of a command.
>Receptionist is a good place to start. Let us inquire into their stores of information on our quarry.
>You decide to begin your search at the front desk. While the woman tending it is unsurprisingly unfamiliar with the tale of a garden in the wilds beyond Isir's Cross, she does helpfully direct you to books on a variety of potentially related topics: histories of the region stretching back in patches to before Val Razua existed as a nation, botanical surveys of the continent that occasionally touch upon the area, collected folklore and traditional stories, and even a traveller's guide to spectacular gardens of the world.
>You skim through the material as deftly as you can, though the overwhelming fraction of it seems to be of little relevance. Riza's mention of old mining interests in the area is borne out and apparently these were economically significant for a time, though long-abandoned. Other settlement in the area was sparse and distant enough in the past that most mentions of it are vague and fragmentary; some ancillary watchposts were maintained further into the wilderness and by the northern edge of the land, but it seems these fell out of use centuries ago, either for lack of threat or lack of money or perhaps both. None of the history around them seems particularly interesting, anyway - old and tedious territorial squabbles, mostly. In the present day, it looks like the area is associated with some small amount of hunting and little else; none of the books you browse has very much to say about it lately.
>You do find a few stories associated with wild youkai in that area, however, both in the historical record and the local vernacular. Sadly, the closer you look, the less likely any of them seem to be relevant. There are some stories of spirits plaguing mining operations for a time - associated alternately with darkness, greed, copper, or coal - though the most frequently recurring figure is an old bear youkai who may or may not have joined the local guard, killed the local guard, safeguarded travellers, challenged travellers to wrestling contests, or eaten every last fish in the local river - the tales are somewhat... confused. There are a few other mentions of native youkai of various description over the years, though no connection to plants is either explicated or implied for any of them - not that you suppose there's anything stopping a bear from cultivating a green paw if one wanted. None of the botanical handbooks mentions anything unusual in the area either, though it's unclear how far in anyone bothered to survey since the section encompasses the more settled region to the east of the river as well and makes little distinction between them. Swell.
>Putting the heavy brown volume to one side, you flip open the traveller's guide. Accessible pulp, it looks like and about as useful; the woodcuts are quite precisely executed and you have little doubt that the gardens contained within are worthy of the praise ascribed to them - if you go for that sort of thing, anyway - but none of them match your quarry in either location or description. Though apparently the most strikingly red roses in the world can be found just two miles from where you're sitting. Too bad they aren't the missing ingredient. Though perhaps it wouldn't be entirely politic to launch your career in the big city by pilfering from Lady Scarlet's rose garden. Or one of them, anyway.
>You sigh dryly and put the book back down; a veritable tower of the things has somehow constructed itself upon your table while you weren't paying attention. Your stomach gurgles.
-
>What's the closest eatery we've passed by on the way here?
>Plant status.
>Estimated passage of time.
-
>What's the closest eatery we've passed by on the way here?
>Plant status.
>Estimated passage of time.
>It isn't implausible that there would actually be such a place on campus, but you haven't seen one. The closest you've actually noticed is perhaps 10 minutes away from the Academy exit - some kind of pasta restaurant, you think?
>You take a peek at your bittercress, resting inconspicuously beneath the table. It does not appear to have changed.
>The passage of time is a little hard to gauge when you've spent so much of it with your head in a book. Maybe... two hours or so?
-
>Lean back in our seat for a moment.
>That incident that we learned about at the guild, involved the plants that destroyed that village during the Wild Surge. Do any of the books we have handy seem to have the potential to detail that?
-
>Lean back in our seat for a moment.
>That incident that we learned about at the guild, involved the plants that destroyed that village during the Wild Surge. Do any of the books we have handy seem to have the potential to detail that?
>You lean back in your chair. Not the most comfortable seating, these, even if they match the atmosphere of the place well.
>None of the books you have at your table really intersect with that particular area and period, though you imagine it wouldn't be hard to find one in the library that did.
-
>Our tummy can wait a little while longer. We can parouse... Oh, one more.
>Select a volume dealing with more recent events, say the past century, that could denote any peculiar incidents involving plant-associated youkai, or abnormal plant growth.
-
>Our tummy can wait a little while longer. We can parouse... Oh, one more.
>Select a volume dealing with more recent events, say the past century, that could denote any peculiar incidents involving plant-associated youkai, or abnormal plant growth.
>You imagine there are a tremendous number of books in the library that both detail events of the past century and could also potentially contain some mention of plant youkai or supernatural plant growth - a volume on wood magic almost certainly would, for example. Do you wish to be more specific in your search?
-
>Start with the ones we have at our table, since we seem to have 'tower'.
>Alternatively, would any of the books we have at our table pertain to the area around Isir's Cross and/or the area where that fairy village is?
>Alternatively alternatively, what sections of books are in our immediate vicinity?
-
>Alternatively, would any of the books we have at our table pertain to the area around Isir's Cross and/or the area where that fairy village is?
>Alternatively alternatively, what sections of books are in our immediate vicinity?
>Many of the books at your table pertain directly to Isir's Cross in some fashion; they were selected expressly for this purpose, after all. Several cover broader regions and interests as well, but all of them had (or at least promised to have) relevance to your target area.
>The table you are seated at is nestled between stacks of classical literature. The books you are actually reading have been drawn from several different floors. You're getting something of a sense of the library's organization by this point.
>Start with the ones we have at our table, since we seem to have 'tower'.
>You decide to expand your perusal of the books already at your table to include anything preternatural associated with plantlife or plant youkai outside the general area in question. This is a much broader query, of course, and you regard your tower of text dryly for a moment before grabbing one of the botanical surveys and flipping it open again. Without a narrower focus to trim irrelevant sections, you could be at this a while. But, well... that is what you came here for....
>In the end, there is no shortage of references to unusual plant growth or youkai associated with this, but most are either obviously unrelated or extremely likely to be. The Wild Lands comes up for mention several times, either in terms of unusual flora (for which the involvement of magic is debated but often indeterminate) or certain rare breeds of youkai occasionally spotted there. There are a few oblique references to phenomenon which could be associated with the events Sachi mentioned, but the text is more a botanical reference than a historical one and doesn't offer you any meaningful insights on that front.
>Cross-referencing with the other books at the table is of dubious value. There are records of spirits manipulating the growth of bamboo in the Takemura region to mislead and divert people passing near them - a fact which may have at one point prevented the sack of one village by another and eventually led to an unlikely marriage which fostered an even more unlikely peace - and an isolated region of Hanashibara that, at least at some point in the past, was prone to producing nightshade youkai, though the text focuses more on the consequent trade disruptions and political fallout than the youkai themselves. Apparently, at least one wilderness preserve within Val Razuan territory is named after a plant youkai of some description, though the fact that 'memorial' is affixed within the name does not bode well for their continued reachability.
>Closer to your present location, the Wyndermere Botanical Conservatory apparently houses numerous specimens shaped through magical means: trees which bloom a different color for every day of the week, trumpetflowers whose nectar is a rich wine, mushrooms sculpted into sturdy chairs and tables, and flowering vines which ring softly in the breeze like tiny chimes. You are left with the distinct impression that these are the fruits of long and painstaking work, however.
>You take another look at the books arrayed around you and sigh. If you were to read these cover to cover, you could probably be here for a couple days without even fetching any more. And while you've honestly learned quite a few things, you're not sure if any of them can help with your present problem....
-
>Do we know where this conservatory is? People in that line of work might have a line on this Yuuka.
>Would a nightshade youkai be inherently poisonous?
>When we were on our way in, did we notice any signs of that librarian who helped us yesterday, Shuuei?
-
>Do we know where this conservatory is? People in that line of work might have a line on this Yuuka.
>Would a nightshade youkai be inherently poisonous?
>When we were on our way in, did we notice any signs of that librarian who helped us yesterday, Shuuei?
>The book did give an address; it shouldn't be hard for you to track down.
>It... could very well be, but correspondences between a youkai and its base form are not always so direct and there are many ways this aspect could manifest; they might have some ability to manipulate poison, or maybe they would be poisonous to the touch, or perhaps simply poisonous only if eaten - which should hopefully not be a concern! But you're hardly an expert, and things seem to vary a lot even from youkai to youkai of a similar variety. The text did speak of them as though they were a hazard to travel in the area, but there are a lot of ways to be that.
>You did not. Possibly she is still in her office.
-
>How far away is it, can we guess?
-
>How far away is it, can we guess?
>A little hard for you to tell, but you think at least forty minutes, if not more.
-
>Long way. We should eat first.
>Have we noted any signage denoting if visitors to the library are supposed to put books back where we found them when we leave?
-
>Long way. We should eat first.
>Have we noted any signage denoting if visitors to the library are supposed to put books back where we found them when we leave?
>You could use some food.
>You have not; you've seen several other people leaving theirs around, though.
-
>Are we fastedious enough to put away our things?
>Well, even if we are, we've accumulated a large collection, and we have better things to do than put everything away just so. Plus, we'll probably be back, anyway.
>Glance over the titles, to keep in mind what we've read already in case they're gone when we come back, then head outside and glance around and sniff around for the dining hall, or whatever this campus has that's within range of our nose.
-
Two lines of thought.
A. We're unlikely to find anything direct. Like I said, if this story were well known enough to be written down and easily findable, chances are it wouldn't the obscure legend it is. So, I am thinking we'll have to be sneaky. For instance, a garden like that probably needs water, probably very high quality water. Following that up may give us a sneaky way to go about it; whatever people who traveled through there and wrote it down have a chance of making notes about water quality, since it's a big deal to pretty much everything.
B. If we can't think of ways to be sneaky, this is an excellent place to burn an insight point.
-
Perhaps not just quality water, but a source that isn't drawn upon by other sources as well. If this Yuuka values her privacy, it makes sense for her to have a watering hole that's off the beaten path as well. Perhaps a small freshwater pond or lake.
Insight point, though. That is a good idea, but how should we phrase it to get the most effect?
-
Also plausible!
As far as the phrasing, I would go for seeking out inspiration on some angle we feel would likely be recorded in a library of this nature and likely to give us something like decent confirmation/denial of the garden's existence and/or location.
This may be a good thing to do after trying to drag information out of Shuuei, though.
-
Assuming she doesn't get all prickly on us for bothering her two days in a row. She didn't come across as the friendliest of librarians. Damn sure knows her stuff, but still.
-
Indeed. We're going to have to walk on eggshells with that speech. Did we tell her the truth about the disease? We might need to break that out in an emergency if not. =[
>How's that plant coming along? Any changes? Is it still properly moist?
-
If memory serves, we sort of danced around it, hinted that we had a pressing need for the cure, but I don't believe we told her outright. I think the last people we told, straight out, were the pirates.
-
That can be a possible trump card if we fuck it up. But it'd be better not to fuck it up in the first place.
-
>How's that plant coming along? Any changes? Is it still properly moist?
>It does not appear to have changed in any noticeable way, nor is it obviously drier than when you watered it just a few hours ago.
>Are we fastedious enough to put away our things?
>Well, even if we are, we've accumulated a large collection, and we have better things to do than put everything away just so. Plus, we'll probably be back, anyway.
>Glance over the titles, to keep in mind what we've read already in case they're gone when we come back, then head outside and glance around and sniff around for the dining hall, or whatever this campus has that's within range of our nose.
>You certainly can be, if you care to. But you're also hungry and have been staring at these books for enough hours now that you're not sure you care.
>Deciding to leave things as they are, you take a last glance at the assembled titles to commit them to memory, then depart the library in search of lunch.
>Food is not immediately forthcoming when you poke your nose back into the sunlight, but tracking down the dining hall presents no real difficulties for a Seeker of your caliber - you can read the campus map at least as well as the next guy, after all. The trip takes you to a long rectangular building nestled near the other edge of campus, opposite a loose quadrangle of smaller buildings pressed closely together - dormatories, you think. From the center of the dining hall's front rises the small clock tower you first spotted on your way into campus yesterday, its columed brick surface contrasting tastefully with the facade beneath it.
>Sadly, the venue offers little more substantive for you to taste. While the front doors yield to your entrance without complaint, the long rows of wooden tables you find within the hall stand completely empty save for a few blue-smocked cleaning staff. The vaulted space smells gently of fresh lemon, and beneath that rye and savory and spiced chicken with potatoes and something akin to that pepperzest you tried yesterday - the echoes of a meal you've missed by just over an hour, so it seems. The lady you speak with is highly apologetic of this fact, almost as though she expected you might starve away to nothing through her inability to feed you, but with the kitchen shut down and the leftovers cleaned away, there's little she can offer you.
>In the end, you find yourself at that pasta restaurant you passed earlier, after all. It's not actually as expensive as you'd feared, though you restrict yourself to the more frugal end on the menu; but as this includes macaroni and cheese, you don't come away feeling too hard done by.
>Appetite sated and 'only' 6 guilders poorer for it, you make your way back onto the street. Where will you go now?
-
>Funds remaining.
>Time of day.
-
>Funds remaining.
>Time of day.
>You have 328 and a half guilders.
>It is around 3:30.
-
If it's all the same to your folks, I'll use an insight point now.
>Seeker's Insight: What would be our best approach to locate this Yuuka, her garden, or her potential source of water?
At least I think that's phrased as well as could be to gain maximum effect, but feel free to noodle with it if you think it could be better.
-
>Seeker's Insight: What would be our best approach to locate this Yuuka, her garden, or her potential source of water?
>Given the number of open questions about your quarry and its location, and your own inability to predict the future, 'best' is beyond your ability to venture here. Vacuously, you suppose the 'best' scenario involves the next person you speak with presenting detailed instructions on the exact route to Yuka's garden, but given how unlikely this seems, you should probably restrict yourself to more plausible courses of investigation. Of these, you can see several approaches that stand a non-trivial chance of finding what you seek, but none seem to come with any guarantees and your time is... limited.
>If you were to trek into the wilderness in search of Yuka's garden with only the information you currently possess, finding it would not be impossible, but could require a substantial number of days searching; it is difficult to predict how many, but more than a week would not be at all implausible and any accurate estimate depends on many unknowns: whether geographical clues will present themselves from a distance, whether the garden is deliberately concealed rather than simply remote, and (perhaps most of all) whether the garden itself radiates some kind of magic you could detect from a distance. If it did, the time needed to search for it would be shortened considerably, but it's hard to guess whether this would be the case or not. Otherwise, there seem to be three broad avenues of approach to finding the garden: finding specific information on its location from some source who knows it, eliminating as many parts of the wilderness as possible which could not contain it, and increasing your ability to detect it from a distance.
>Your efforts on the first front haven't been very successful so far, but it's possible you haven't been looking in the right places. Rumors of the garden's existence reached Professor Bosqueverde from somewhere and Dai - the only other person you've met with concrete knowledge of it - seems unlikely to have been the sole source of it. Probably if word of it has reached Val Razua at all, then the matter would be better-known in Isir's Cross itself; in all likelihood, this is where the rumors would have started. Perhaps some hunter once stumbled upon the garden while in search of game; the texts you read in the library did mention in passing that some sporadic hunting was done in the region. Any first-hand accounts you could get from such a person would be far more reliable than anything the fairies might have to say - assuming, of course, that they're even still alive. Though perhaps even the fairies there could have some value, even if you'd hate to have to stake your life on someone who might just lead you on a wild goose chase (intentionally or not).
>But even if no one in Isir's Cross could tell you where the garden is located, they could almost certainly narrow down the list of candidates; the wilderness may not be frequented, but people definitely set foot in it from time to time. In fact, Riza might have been some help on that front, if she'd been willing to supply a detailed list of the areas she'd covered during her time down there. It might help to keep a map where you can circle off regions not worth searching immediately; every place you can establish has been seen recently is one less place to have to look - unless the garden is cloaked magically in a way that's effective as close range, and then all bets are off. Dai or even some of the other fairies might be useful in this regard if they can establish the kind of geography that surrounds the garden, or what kind of geography does not; the maps you've seen are sketchy that far out, but something may still better than nothing. Dai also mentioned that her sisters avoid the area where the garden is located, so if you can establish the areas they normally roam to some degree, that might also shave off large chunks of terrain.
>As for detecting it remotely, it is an open question whether your dowsing will find anything to work with until you test it against the garden in question, and Professor Morrigan said that conventional scrying couldn't normally find something with such a nonspecific location from so far a distance, at least without an anchor or focus. But that doesn't mean that some approach in this field mightn't prove useful. While a long shot, if it were somehow possible to obtain an object connected to Yuka without finding the garden itself, someone skilled in scrying might be able to use this to get a fix on its location. Maybe one of the adventurous fairies brought something back with them? Of course, even assuming they did and haven't since lost or eaten it, that would require a trip to Isir's Cross and back which would itself take a couple days. This might still be quicker than canvasing the wilderness by hand nevertheless. Finding such an item without leaving Val Razua would be excellent, but the odds seem poor and you have no idea where to start.
>Of course, a more plausible route might involve bringing some kind of diviner with you; assuming your dowsing would be ineffective against this target, there are still many other kinds of skills that might - perhaps some youkai with an affinity for plants that could detect those whose presence was out of place for the region, or someone able to sense the presence of youkai themselves from long-range, or a half-dozen other things that might be associated with this garden. Even Professor Morrigan implied that her own magic could be effective in this task if the region in question wasn't several day's journey away from the city. If you could convince someone with suitable skills to accompany you on this expedition - and you might even have enough cash on hand to entice them - they might be able to cut your search time to a fraction of what it would be otherwise. And you suppose there's still that apparently unpleasant magician with the tower outside of town who Professor Morrigan suggested might have an outside chance of being able to scry for the garden even at this kind of range. Though the professor also left you with the distinct impression it would be difficult to convince her to help you and that money would not assist at all in this endeavor, but who knows?
>Really, all of these are gambles of one sort or another, and the ultimate thing you are gambling here is time; you don't know how much you have to spend or how much each of these plans will cost, or how likely any of them are to work. But staying here in Val Razua until you have exhausted every possible information source is almost certainly worse than heading out with a vague direction and a prayer; one may leave a slim chance of success, but the other seems doomed to fail. So the question is... how much do you gamble, and where?
>You have two insight points remaining.
-
>When we were looking at the maps earlier, did we see anything that might qualify as an isolated source of fresh water? An out of the way pond or river or something like that?
>In our wanderings, have we passed by any locations that offered 'diviners for hire' or such?
-
>When we were looking at the maps earlier, did we see anything that might qualify as an isolated source of fresh water? An out of the way pond or river or something like that?
>In our wanderings, have we passed by any locations that offered 'diviners for hire' or such?
>Aside from the lake south of Isir's Cross, where Dai's village was located, there were a pair of rivers that meandered off into the west. There was no indication of a larger body of water they eventually reached, but detail at the westernmost extent of the region was sparse at best.
>You have not.
-
Need to refresh my memory on some things.
>From what Minoriko told us, about how much time to we think we have left on the death clock?
>How does one get to Isir's Cross from Val Razua, and how much time does it take?
>We know where Dai's village is, yes?
-
>From what Minoriko told us, about how much time to we think we have left on the death clock?
>How does one get to Isir's Cross from Val Razua, and how much time does it take?
>We know where Dai's village is, yes?
>She didn't give you specifics, and you gathered that she couldn't, but you were left with the distinct impression that she expected no more than a couple of weeks. Of these, one week has now passed.
>There is a road south, as well as a river serviced by ferries; the latter is the more commonly used, you think, and probably faster. You think you could get there in just under two days.
>Yes. It is on the other side of the lake a short distance southwest of Isir's Cross.
-
>Assuming we had something that we knew belonged to Yuuka, could we employ our dousing skills to find her that way ourselves?
-
>Assuming we had something that we knew belonged to Yuuka, could we employ our dousing skills to find her that way ourselves?
>No. Dowsing operates based on the physical properties of an object, not any sort of abstract concepts as ownership or sympathy. If you could expect Yuka to be carrying a similar object as one you acquired, you might be able to use your familiarity with its resonances to discern its twin from a distance, but the mere fact that it once belonged to her wouldn't actually help.
-
>Are we aware of a place here in town to acquire a map?
-
>Are we aware of a place here in town to acquire a map?
>Not off-hand, but you're sure you could find such a place.
-
>Return to the library, and ask the receptionist about the availability of books pertaining to water sources and how they'd been used by local motes of civilization over the past fifty years.
>Or would that be impractical?
-
>Return to the library, and ask the receptionist about the availability of books pertaining to water sources and how they'd been used by local motes of civilization over the past fifty years.
>Or would that be impractical?
>While you have no doubt that the library contains writings on agricultural and irrigation practices, both domestic and foreign, historic and contemporary, you are rather more dubious that this would be of help to you; if writings on the general history of the region didn't turn up much activity at all over the last decades, you doubt something even more narrow will.
-
>Well, let's return to the library receptionist anyway.
>And when we get there, ask "Is *insert Shuuei's last name here if we got it*-san in?"
-
>Well, let's return to the library receptionist anyway.
>And when we get there, ask "Is *insert Shuuei's last name here if we got it*-san in?"
>You decide to return to the library nonetheless.
>You did get her last name from Dai - Nozomikage, you believe? You inquire after her presence at the front desk.
>"I'm sorry, but she's in a meeting right now," the woman replies. "If you'd like, you can leave a message for her."
-
>"Any idea how long she'll be?"
-
>"Any idea how long she'll be?"
>The woman gives you an apologetic look. "I'm afraid I'm not certain. At least an hour or two."
-
Well.
Cock.
Now what?
-
I try something else, that's what.
>Using what our insight revealed to us moments ago, what sort of information do we think we could find in the library here to improve our chances of narrowing our search for Yuuka? If anything.
-
>Using what our insight revealed to us moments ago, what sort of information do we think we could find in the library here to improve our chances of narrowing our search for Yuuka? If anything.
>You've already been giving it a pretty good shot, examining as much of the geohistorical record as you can find pertaining to the region - not that there seems to be a lot - and texts that might mention more unusual botanical phenomenon. Certainly you have not covered all the writings the library has that could be relevant and more time in the same vein still stands at least some chance of turning something up. Possibly you could also examine texts covering magical methods that might assist your search, but in this you forsee a few problems: the material stands a better chance than you'd publically admit to being over your head, the really good stuff also stands a reasonable chance of being restricted in some manner (as certain classes of practical magical tomes seem to be), and probably you wouldn't be able to perform whatever it was describing in the first place. Maybe it could give you some ideas to draw upon, but probably it's better to consult an expert in this domain if you need to - you don't have the greatest leeway to educate yourself at the moment.
-
Wait a second. I've had a thought that could help use douse for the garden when we get there.
>What do we know that we can detect with our dousing powers that is also commonly used in gardening? Minerals, materials, that sort of thing.
-
>What do we know that we can detect with our dousing powers that is also commonly used in gardening? Minerals, materials, that sort of thing.
>Many gardening tools are made at least partially from metal and thus should be straightforward to detect, though the relatively small quantity used would limit the range you could expect to discern these from, particularly if there were natural deposits of similar metal in the area. Certain fertilizers might also be detectable, though this is rather more dodgy and you think would depend on knowing exactly what you were looking for ahead of time - you have no idea what such a youkai might use, if they would even use anything remotely conventional at all. While the mineral content of certain soils can feel distinct from one another, you doubt this would be of any use to you here. There is considerable natural variation in mineral content from one place to another anyway and generally no reason to flag one variation as relevant while the others are not; even a soil sample from your target location probably wouldn't contrast with its surroundings enough to get a solid match until you were almost on top of it. The actual plants are a lost cause for you, of course.
-
>So there's mostly no way to know if we'll be able to detect the garden or anything in it until we get closer?
-
>So there's mostly no way to know if we'll be able to detect the garden or anything in it until we get closer?
>Since you know so little about the garden's contents or its environs, it's very hard to predict how well you could detect it. For all you know, Yuka has a warehouse full of hihiirokane spades and trowels - wouldn't that be nice....
-
>"Hmm. Well, that's all right."
>"But maybe you can help me. I'm a bit new to town here. What would be a good place to go to get a map for myself? And some supplies, for the road."
-
>"Hmm. Well, that's all right."
>"But maybe you can help me. I'm a bit new to town here. What would be a good place to go to get a map for myself? And some supplies, for the road."
>"What kind of supplies?" the woman asks, then gives a little self-effacing smile. "I'm not much of the traveling type."
-
>"Well right now, what I need most is a good map of the local area, and the area around Isir's Cross."
-
>"Well right now, what I need most is a good map of the local area, and the area around Isir's Cross."
>"Well, there's a good bookseller on Whitemantle that I think also deals in maps," she says. "Morgenstern and Rowe. Two blocks down from the Menagerie. Do you know where that is?"
-
>Do we?
>If not, "'fraid not. I'm sort of the new Seeker in town."
-
>"How much do they charge?"
-
>Do we?
>If not, "'fraid not. I'm sort of the new Seeker in town."
>You do not.
>"Oh, hmmm, well it's... do you know where the Scarlet Statuary Gardens are?"
>"How much do they charge?"
>The woman shakes her head. "I don't know off the top of my head, sorry. But their collection is usually reasonably priced."
-
>Do we? If so, ask her to continue.
>Presuming not, shake head and say, "No, I only got in yesterday. So it's probably best to pretend I'm dumb enough that it seems a miracle I can breathe."
-
>Do we? If so, ask her to continue.
>Presuming not, shake head and say, "No, I only got in yesterday. So it's probably best to pretend I'm dumb enough that it seems a miracle I can breathe."
>Your eyes may have brushed across it when you examined the city maps yesterday, but it doesn't stand out distinctly in your mind. You shake your head.
>The librarian laughs. "A little harsh on yourself, isn't that? Well, let's see..."
>Though a little trial and error, the woman manages to communicate a workable set of directions to you; the bookseller is to the east of the city center, it looks like, and probably a good fourty minute walk from where you are now.
-
>Inventory
-
>Inventory
>Kumokirimaru (worn at side)
>Prism Pendant (around neck)
>Seeker's Badge (pinned to chest)
>328 1/2 Val Razuan guilders
>Compass
>Traveling pack
>Traveling rations
>Canteen (partially empty)
>Lockpicks
>4 kunai
>Picture of Sokrates
>Fuwafuwa Heart Droplet
>Antique Val Razuan 1 guilder coin
>Dowsing rods
>Tie-dyed umbrella
>Spool of baling twine
>Bottle of Kumokirimaru-imbued medicine
>Empty sachet
>List of physicians' contact addresses
>Neu's note
>Pencil
>100 feet of rope
>2 glowsticks
>2 torches
>Small heatstone
>Basic grappling hook
>Blue ribbon
>Two spare outfits (one somewhat damaged)
>Piece of peppermint-raspberry chewing gum
>Recipe for Athran's Vigor
>Potted Bittercress
>Chitsuki Ukizaki's business card
-
You know, guys, I have to admit. I'm getting tired of just bouncing around town looking for answers that I'm quite sure we can't find, at least here in town.
I vote we go get ourselves a couple of maps, and then get to Isir's Cross and see what happens.
-
I concur. Take the plant with us, if it blooms we know to get the hell out of dodge.
If we find the place, we have a trade good perhaps.
-
Although....
I do wonder if it might be worth our time to have the plant checked out by a holy magician. Someone who might be more well versed in the ways of the gods than we are, and that could tell us why Minoriko's dirt seems to have magically stopped working.
-
Maybe it just ran out of juice, though, which we might be able to tell ourselves?
>Could we detect the magic in the soil Minoriko gave us?
And I get the feeling I may have asked that before, but if I have, I forgot.
-
>Let's get motorin' toward that mapatorium, as well. After thanking our benefactor for the information.
-
>Along the way, though, keep our eyes open for any stores that post notification of Seeker's bargains. If any are to be found.
EDIT:
>Actually, scratch that.
>Before we head to the map place the lady told us about, pop back to the Guildhall to check which stores offer us Seeker's good business deals. THEN go visit the mapatorium, if indeed it still seems like the pick of the litter.
-
>Could we detect the magic in the soil Minoriko gave us?
>Not distinctly; powers of faith are sometimes very subtle in presence in the physical world, and really quite different from conventional magic. It doesn't seem to have changed in any way that you can notice over the last day, at any rate.
>Let's get motorin' toward that mapatorium, as well. After thanking our benefactor for the information.
>Before we head to the map place the lady told us about, pop back to the Guildhall to check which stores offer us Seeker's good business deals. THEN go visit the mapatorium, if indeed it still seems like the pick of the litter.
>You thank the woman for her help, then depart campus and make your way back to the guildhall.
>It turns out the record of guild-affiliated vendors is not quite what you'd hoped it would be. The list has a decent number of names on it, at least once you can gather it all in one place, but most are more akin to endorsements or records of good-conduct regarding contracts than real business partnerships - discounts are both scarcer and less generous than you might have hoped. Of course, it's not that surprising the Guild would have less influence here among the wealthy and powerful than back in its heartland; the wealthy may make generous clients, but you gather most try to leverage influence under their own banners than afford it directly to the Guild. Apparently it's quite a bit more common for businesses to extend discounts to retainers of specific Houses, which some Seekers here also count as, though Sachi's words echo in your head as the receptionist mentions this.
>Still, you find a few merchants dealing in wilderness gear that might be worth checking out, even if you don't expect to save too much off the top by doing so. For what it's worth, the bookseller you were pointed towards also seems to have a solid reputation, though it's questionable if it would be more affordable from this source than another.
>"If it's just a map you're after," Sachi says, having wandered downstairs while you were pulling records, "I think we have a bunch in the back that- " She throws a glance at the receptionist, currently preoccupied speaking with a new petitioner, then lowers her voice. "-that no one but her will care if you run off with."
-
>Place a finger to chin thoughtfully. Free IS the magic price, after all.
>Also in a low voice, "Think there's one for the Isir's Cross area?"
-
>Place a finger to chin thoughtfully. Free IS the magic price, after all.
>Also in a low voice, "Think there's one for the Isir's Cross area?"
>Sachi shrugs. "Who knows? Might be one of Sasa Dioro for all the dust they're under."
-
>"Well, I ain't afraid of no dust."
>Nod. "Thanks."
>Take a step in that direction, then pause. "By any chance, is that Riza woman still upstairs?"
-
>"Well, I ain't afraid of no dust."
>Nod. "Thanks."
>Take a step in that direction, then pause. "By any chance, is that Riza woman still upstairs?"
>"Should hope not," the rabbit quips. "Bad profession for that."
>You actually aren't certain what direction the maps would be stored in, but you ask your other question nonetheless.
>"Nah, she left an hour or two back to do... something." Sachi gestures vaguely.
-
>Shrug.
>Glance around.
>If the direction she indicated does not immediately present itself, ask, "All right, so which in the back is the back?"
-
>Shrug.
>Glance around.
>If the direction she indicated does not immediately present itself, ask, "All right, so which in the back is the back?"
>Sachi casually jerks her head in the direction of the stairs. "They're up this way. C'mon."
>She turns and heads in that direction.
-
>After dat wabbit.
-
>After dat wabbit.
>You follow Sachi up the stairs, past the lounge and then up the next flight to a small landing framed by several doors. She flicks one of the doorknobs with a finger - there is a faint clicking noise - then in nearly the same motions twists the knob open and ducks inside.
>It is a small storeroom, it seems, rather cramped and dingy, but more neatly organized than you might have suspected. The narrow space is lined on either side with long wooden shelves covered in boxes, jars, and twine-wrapped bundles of papers, tools, or other miscellanea. Most are labelled, even if the contents of the pen jar would be perfectly obvious without a textual aid. And there are hammers and cans of paint and lockpicks and diving gear and empty binders and even a pair of dowsing rods tied together in the corner - much less stylish than yours, if you're perfectly honest. The density of the room's contents makes it hard to survey everything at a glance, though.
>Sachi grabs a box and pulls it aside to reveal another. "They're in here somewhere."
-
>Quality assessment of wabbit booty.
>Status of dust allergy.
>Pick up pots and throw them until we acquire map and ten rupees.
>Begin map-search.
-
>Check the clock for Elixirs
>Presuming a proper map is found, assess it for quality.
-
>Quality assessment of wabbit booty.
>Status of dust allergy.
>Pick up pots and throw them until we acquire map and ten rupees.
>While Sachi leans in to shift another box, you throw a subtle glance across her tush. Though the rabbit's skirt isn't exactly form-fitting, gravity assists in outlining the form of a pert, if not ample, rear flanking her puffy cottontail. You'd give it a B+.
>Most of the dust in the room is metaphorical, you think; it actually seems to be kept in decent order. Not that you'd let a little dust (or a even a lot) get in your way.
>You grab the nearest jar and hurl it against the wall. And then another, and another. Pens and paperclips and colorful baubles explode like bursts of angular confetti.
>"Always thought that thing was tacky," Sachi says as a piece of striped pottery is reduced to shards, then gives you a thumbs up. "Good job! 'course, the damn thing will probably have reassembled itself by the next time someone comes up here. Stupid enchanted jars."
>Begin map-search.
>Check the clock for Elixirs
>Presuming a proper map is found, assess it for quality.
>You decide to help the rabbit in her search, pulling your eyes away from her rear and casting them across the multifarious contents of the storeroom instead. Much of it is bog-standard supplies, be they for clerical, carpentry, or adventuring work, though the presence of certain other things in more inscrutable - a trio of rubber balls in a labelled wooden tray, for example. There is even a small but rather ornate wooden clock, for some reason; it rattles slightly as you pick it up. Frowning slightly, you give it a gentle shake - there's definitely something loose inside, and oddly heavy-sounding for a piece of clockwork, you think.
>"Ah, here they are," Sachi says, pulling a long flat box from the shelf. She slides a tie off and flips the top open to reveal a sizable bundle of rolled and folded maps, some other them rather yellowed or worn, though not all. "Knock yourself out."
>You put the clock down again to go investigate the maps. There is a modicum of organization to how they are piled into the box, though it takes a few moments to deduce what it is. The city is the most extensively covered by this collection, though most of the map don't compare to the quality of the large ones you examined at the library. Then there are a few of the whole country and neighbouring nations, and detailed maps of several smaller locales in no particular pattern; they vary considerably in age and condition.
>"These are all technically Guild property," Sachi says, "So technically you're only supposed to borrow them, and even that's a royal pain at times. But I'm not gonna say anything if a couple of them never end up back here again."
>While not looking entirely promising at first, your perusal eventually turns up a map of Isir's Cross area that extends beyond just the immediate settlement. It is neither as large nor as close-scale as the library's, but given the sketchiness of the geography at the further extent even on the larger map, you're not sure it matters. This one is also a little rumpled, but it's not like a mint condition map would survive a half-week hike without ending up in as bad a state or worse.
-
>Hmmm.
>Sweep the area casually with our treasure sense.
>Does this map provide sufficient details to be useful to us?
-
Take it to the map shop and compare, I say! We might find a better one there, or a more detailed one we can crib some data from discretely.
-
>Hmmm.
>Sweep the area casually with our treasure sense.
>Does this map provide sufficient details to be useful to us?
>Tuning in a little closer to your treasure sense, you suspect there are at least a few items in here of some value or curiosity, even if nothing leaps out to you as amazing. Maybe even something about that clock, actually....
>While it is coarser than the one at the library, this map still offers a reasonable overview of the area; neither one offered much aid for specific navigational details at the further extents of the region and this degree of detail should suffice for the more traveled parts. It would be nice if it offered some insight that the other maps did not, but it could still be of some use.
-
Take it to the map shop and compare, I say! We might find a better one there, or a more detailed one we can crib some data from discretely.
Might not be a bad idea. But I think we should check the travel times for that ferry first. If it leaves soon, we wouldn't want to miss the last boat of the day.
>Do we know when the riverboat to Isir's Cross leaves?
>If not, to Sachi, "If all goes well, I'll have em back before anyone misses them. Though that reminds me. You know when the riverboat to Isir's Cross leaves?"
>If we do know, omit the last part but say the first part.
-
>Do we know when the riverboat to Isir's Cross leaves?
>If not, to Sachi, "If all goes well, I'll have em back before anyone misses them. Though that reminds me. You know when the riverboat to Isir's Cross leaves?"
>If we do know, omit the last part but say the first part.
>You do not.
>"Not off the top of my head," she says, "but I think there's usually a few heading down that direction most days."
-
>Do we know where the boat launches from?
>If not, ask about that, too.
-
>Do we know where the boat launches from?
>If not, ask about that, too.
>That you do know; you sought out those details when you were examining the city maps at the library yesterday.
-
>How far is it from here, and how close is it to the nearest post office, if we know the latter?
-
>How far is it from here, and how close is it to the nearest post office, if we know the latter?
>You do not know the location of the nearest or even any post office, but the river docks are towards the south of the city - not altogether far from Kyouko's neighborhood, actually. It's probably the better part of an hour's walk away.
-
>To our knowledge, everything in this room is Seeker property, yes?
-
>To our knowledge, everything in this room is Seeker property, yes?
>It might be, though it's not impossible that other stuff has gotten stored here at some point or another. Though in the brief time you spent searching it, you didn't see any labels obviously indicating third-party ownership of anything.
-
>But presumably, things besides maps being, shall we say, borrowed, even by other Seekers, would not be appreciated, correct?
-
>But presumably, things besides maps being, shall we say, borrowed, even by other Seekers, would not be appreciated, correct?
>Possibly some of these items are just meant for domestic use (ie: tools to fix hardware issues within the guildhall itself), while others might perhaps be able to be obtained on registered loan, though the way Sachi spoke of it earlier makes you wonder if they're a bit... particular about that around here. Although some aspects of the guildhall here reminds you of home, in other ways it's rather different.
-
>"Hope that includes today. Hate to finally decide on where I'm going for this job only to miss the last boat."
>We DID mention Yuuka by name to the Seekers we met before, right?
-
>"Hope that includes today. Hate to finally decide on where I'm going for this job only to miss the last boat."
>We DID mention Yuuka by name to the Seekers we met before, right?
>Sachi snickers. "That'd be a pain in the rear, alright."
>You did.
-
Forgive me if I've asked this before as well, but,
>How do letters or other forms of communication generally travel from one continent to another?
-
>How do letters or other forms of communication generally travel from one continent to another?
>The bulk of mail moving between the central nations and the Outer Freelands would be transported via one of the ferries or cargo transports that regularly travel that route, though more specialized or urgent communications could be conveyed between locations via magical means; this tends to be considerably more expensive, though.
-
>The bulk of mail moving between the central nations and the Outer Freelands would be transported via one of the ferries or cargo transports that regularly travel that route, though more specialized or urgent communications could be conveyed between locations via magical means; this tends to be considerably more expensive, though.
>So would mail be turned in to an establishment at the harbor, or is there a post office of sorts in town that would handle that?
-
>So would mail be turned in to an establishment at the harbor, or is there a post office of sorts in town that would handle that?
>You suspect both may be true; there is probably some postal outlet in the harbor area, but also others elsewhere in the city.
-
>More's the better. Saves us more running around.
>But ask Sachi about it anyway, just in case.
Hey Kilga, who do you think this Fandango guy is more like: Ravishing Rick, Adorable Adrian, or Gorgeous George?
-
>More's the better. Saves us more running around.
>But ask Sachi about it anyway, just in case.
>"Nearest post office's about a block thataway," Sachi says, jerking her thumb eastward. "Turn left at Ishihara's - about five or six buildings down."
-
>Is that along the route/close to the harbor we need to head to Isirs cross?
-
>Is that along the route/close to the harbor we need to head to Isirs cross?
>You don't think so, but it doesn't sound like it's too far away, either.
-
>How much does international posting cost?
>If we know not, ask.
-
>How much does international posting cost?
>If we know not, ask.
>"Whadda you want to post?" Sachi asks.
-
>"A couple of letters. There's a couple of folks back in Estval I want to update on my progress out here."
-
>"A couple of letters. There's a couple of folks back in Estval I want to update on my progress out here."
>The rabbit nods. "Probably anywhere from 3 to 10 guilders a pop, depending on how fast it has to get there."
-
>"It's not really urgent, just a bit of a status report."
>Never mind the fact that it may be the last letters we may ever send.
>Crack a grin. "I don't suppose they offer Seeker prices, do they?"
-
>"It's not really urgent, just a bit of a status report."
>Never mind the fact that it may be the last letters we may ever send.
>Crack a grin. "I don't suppose they offer Seeker prices, do they?"
>Sachi snickers. "'fraid not."
-
>Slightly exaggerated sigh. "Ah, well."
>Pocket map.
-
>Slightly exaggerated sigh. "Ah, well."
>Pocket map.
>Sachi laughs. "You'll get used it. The place isn't so bad once you got money coming in, too."
>You put fold the map of the Isir's Cross region carefully and stow it in your pack.
-
i think we have everything we need. At least in terms of gear.
>"A challenge I'll be meeting in due time."
>"Hey, thanks again."
-
>"A challenge I'll be meeting in due time."
>"Hey, thanks again."
>"That's the spirit."
>The rabbit gives another glance around the storeroom. "You done up here, then?"
-
>Have another glance ourselves. See if anything immediately useful catches our eye or our radar.
-
>Have another glance ourselves. See if anything immediately useful catches our eye or our radar.
>That depends on what you term useful; the hammers, for example, would likely be very useful if you needed to engage in some carpentry. The rubber balls would probably make a fair option for tripping up some unsuspecting pedestrian on the other end of a flat surface. More pertinently, there are a few pieces of outdoor gear in evidence - a couple compasses, a lantern and fuel, water repellant, bug netting, and a few other things - but some of it looks a touch old and all of it a bit eclectic. Overall, there are enough items packed in the room that it would take more than a glance to root out anything of potential interest, and while a few things brush across your treasure sense a little, this doesn't actually give you any idea how useful they are unless you were to investigate.
-
>"I think so, yeah."
-
>"I think so, yeah."
>"Okay, then."
>With that, Sachi shoves a box or two back into place somewhat carelessly, then heads out of the storeroom.
-
>Exeunt the storage chamber.
>Assuming we are not stopped, proceed to the harbour we need to get to Isir's Cross. We can worry about mailing things once we learn sailing times.
-
>Exeunt the storage chamber.
>Assuming we are not stopped, proceed to the harbour we need to get to Isir's Cross. We can worry about mailing things once we learn sailing times.
>Having obtained what you came for, you follow the rabbit back out of the storeroom. Sachi closes the door behind you, then flicks the doorknob with her finger again; there is another faint clicking sound.
>"Good luck out there," she says with a jaunty grin as you bid her farewell and depart the guild.
>It is an appreciable walk to the riverside harbor, passing back through the busy commercial thoroughfare and then further south. For a while, the route is much the same as you would take to Kyouko's or the greenhouses you visited earlier, though it diverges after some time and crosses onto the other side of the river. The harbor, if one can rightly call it that, is much more diffuse than the one intended for airships; small groups of moorages and ancillary buildings are clustered along the riverside at intervals, and sometimes sparse ones, with stretches of residential development and other commercial enterprises filling the space in-between. If you had to guess, you'd say it was the legacy of older development, before the city had grown to fill all the spaces in-between. Or perhaps it is another demonstration of the interpolitical schisms that lead to duplications of other services; at least some harbourages fly House emblems openly, though you see none belonging to Scarlet along your course.
>The flow of vessels along the river is light but steady, the occasional ornate pleasurecraft sharing the waters with broader ships suited for transporting cargo, their hulls trimmed bright blue and green and other vibrant hues. A grey-haired figure breaks the surface of the water for just a moment, then dives back beneath with a loud splash, spraying water all across the dress of an unfortunate fairy who had been dangling her legs over the bank. There is a slightly baffled yelp.
>It takes a few moments to be sure you have the right place, so many other docks have you passed by now, but your memory of the library map holds true. The passanger port is a relatively modest affair, though still built with more genteel stylings than the industrial docks along the way. A broad flat building with sculpted cornices and smooth grey stone appears to serve as the terminal, while a pair of nearly identical boats are docked in the u-shaped moorages beside it - broad two-story vessels with canopy roofs and polished brass trim. A dozen or so people are moving about on the deck of one, while the other appears mostly empty at the moment. Several more moorages are unoccupied.
-
>Take a moment to discreetly observe the goings on. Try to determine where one gathers information about voyages, and what kinds of things seem to go on in that building.
>Assuming the building does seem to be a proper office for this sort of thing, head inside through whatever looks like a public entrance and look around. Try not to wear our confusions and ignorances too openly.
-
>Take a moment to discreetly observe the goings on. Try to determine where one gathers information about voyages, and what kinds of things seem to go on in that building.
>Assuming the building does seem to be a proper office for this sort of thing, head inside through whatever looks like a public entrance and look around. Try not to wear our confusions and ignorances too openly.
>You are quite confident that this building is where one purchases tickets the ferry and makes related inquiries; there is even the signage to prove it. Presumably other administrative tasks are also conducted there, but it is self-evidently a public building; a pair of suitcase-bearing figures even emerge from it as you are looking.
>You approach the main doors and step through them, entering into an elongated lobby clad in dusty rose and grey tile that echoes sharply beneath your feet. The interior is tastefully decorated with plants in heavy lacquered urns and a group of small slate-colored statues, abstract and angular in form, though actual furnishings are sparse. There are a pair of counters at the far side, each manned by a pair of attendants in trim blue vest uniforms. One of them is engaged in conversation with a tell and somewhat addled-looking woman, while the other idly shuffles paperwork. A sign hanging above the counters collectively designates them "Ticket Sales" and "Information".
-
>Is there anything like a timetable that we can see? If so, go examine it.
>If not, approach the information desk and request such about boats to Isir's Cross.
-
>Is there anything like a timetable that we can see? If so, go examine it.
>If not, approach the information desk and request such about boats to Isir's Cross.
>A brief glance around does find a large timetable affixed to one of the walls. Reading it is actually somewhat complicated - the schedule seems to vary based on season and day of the week - but it appears there are two ferries leaving in that direction today: one is long-gone and the other scheduled to leave in a few hours.
-
>So we have some time to kill yet?
>Have we noted anything resembling a post office in the vicinity?
-
>Let's inquire about that boat yet to leave, and nab a ticket if they are not too insane. Also make sure we learn how long the trip is expected to be and any special things we need to know.
-
>So we have some time to kill yet?
>Have we noted anything resembling a post office in the vicinity?
>Assuming you wish to take the next ferry out, you do still have time you could use for other tasks.
>You think you passed one along the way, though it is a decent distance back now.
>Let's inquire about that boat yet to leave, and nab a ticket if they are not too insane. Also make sure we learn how long the trip is expected to be and any special things we need to know.
>You approach the unoccupied attendant and make an inquiry about the ferry. It is scheduled to arrive in Isir's Cross tomorrow evening, and the tickets will cost 28 guilders for a small berth or 45 for an actual cabin. Meals are not included, though the food cooked aboard ship is supposed to be pretty good - you are uncertain how much of this is pitch and how much is genuine, so rote is the woman's delivery. Boarding is permitted from two hours before departure, meaning fairly soon in this case. No other details strike you as particularly special or unusual; just buy your ticket, show up before the last minute, and wait until you reach your destination.
>As for whether those prices seem reasonable to you... do they?
-
Let's go for a cabin, no need to have some mungus figure out we're plagued.
-
Taking round trip into consideration, that's about 100 bucks, meals included. That's an awful lot to spend, isn't it?
-
Better than being thrown overboard.
Worse comes to work, we can use our own food, or jank some.
-
I guess that's true. Privacy does have its virtues after all. And I suppose any money we spend we can re-earn when we're not on a death clock anymore.
-
>Let's get a 45 guilder ticket.
-
>And inquire into the price of the food.
-
>Let's get a 45 guilder ticket.
>You purchase a ticket for a cabin on the next boat out.
>You now have 283 and half guilders.
>And inquire into the price of the food.
>This mostly turns up a series of useless statements about how they serve a wide range of dishes and thus it would be impossible to give you a specific answer, followed by a restatement about their culinary quality. Eventually you wrangle a more specific answer out of the woman regarding the chicken alfredo, almost despite herself. It is apparently 13 guilders - not cheap by any stretch - though probably somewhat more affordable options are also available; you're growing to think the attendant is only passingly familiar with the menu herself.
-
>Thank her for the help.
>Let's go post office it up, if we think we can get through it in time to board.
-
>Before we go, ask if they offer such services themselves. See if we can save the walk.
-
>Before we go, ask if they offer such services themselves. See if we can save the walk.
>They apparently do offer parcel delivery to stops along their route, but unless the river floats all the way across the Great Expanse somehow, you don't think they can help you get a letter to Easthaven.
>Thank her for the help.
>Let's go post office it up, if we think we can get through it in time to board.
>You thank the woman for her help and she thanks you for your patronage and wishes you a pleasant day and voyage.
>Then you depart the ferry terminal and track briskly northward again.
>Locating the post office for a second time proves straightforward, if still a twenty minute walk. It is a stolid and stately affair in grey brick and chiseled stone, a row of flags flying colorfully above the entrance. The interior is rather more stuffy and almost cramped, all dour wainscoting and not a chair in sight. A statuesque youkai with canine ears brushes past you carrying a postal tube as you enter, the last of a line of customers winding its way around a roped-off walkway to a long wooden counter at its end. The counter itself is divided into sections, each of them occupied by a pair of citizen and postal worker. Stamps are bought and paid for, packages weighed and measured, rates explained, misunderstood, then explained again, and generally the mail gets delivered.
-
>Do we recognize any of the flags?
>Does there seem like a place where we can write a letter, or appropriate the supplies to do so?
>Rent out a Grumman LLV
Alright Sour, it's all on you.
-
>Do we recognize any of the flags?
>Does there seem like a place where we can write a letter, or appropriate the supplies to do so?
>Rent out a Grumman LLV
>One is a 12-pointed star on deep blue which you believe is the flag of the Val Razua, the city. Another seemed to incorporate a stylized envelope into its design - possibly for the postal service itself. The others were less familiar to you.
>There is free counter space along the opposite wall from the service counter and a group of pens and inkwells are in evidence, though you see no paper that is not part of some postal form or another.
>As durable as those things may be, the one thing they cannot survive is a team of overeager kappa engineers. Sorry!
-
>Do we have paper of our own?
>If not, do we see a place where it might be available to purchase?
-
>Alternately, would the blank side of those forms suffice?
-
>Do we have paper of our own?
>If not, do we see a place where it might be available to purchase?
>You have some bits of paper with notes and other things on them, but no actual blank writing paper at hand.
>While this isn't exactly a stationary store, you imagine you could probably get a few sheets of paper from one of the postal workers if you asked.
>Alternately, would the blank side of those forms suffice?
>It could certainly provide a blank surface to work with, if you yourself were content with the reverse of your letter being a postal form.
-
>About how many pages do we estimate it would consume to write a letter to Ichirin updating her on our progress, and maybe one to Orange if we have the time?
-
>About how many pages do we estimate it would consume to write a letter to Ichirin updating her on our progress, and maybe one to Orange if we have the time?
>That depends entirely on how verbose you wish to be. You could cover the matter in anywhere from a few sentences to a dozen pages depending on how minute detail you wished to convey. Probably you don't have the free time for the longest end of that scale, however.
-
That's pretty much what I was hoping to do here, Purvis: Write a status update to Ichi saying basically, 'Have reached ValR, have a lead on a cure, hope is to be had', just more better. Orange's would be something like, 'Got caught up in a job, ended up in ValR, will give you whole story when I get back, have beer standing by.' I don't think it's necessary to write Marisa, since I think she's probably still in Easthaven. Assuming she beat Yamame.
I have to get to work now, so if you- or you, Hanzo, for that matter- wanted to attend to that while I'm away and keep things going, do feel free. Otherwise I'll attend to it once I get home and the hockey's over.
-
>Go requisition some papers from a free clerk. If they can, get some pricing data on post to Easthaven and Braston.
-
>Go requisition some papers from a free clerk. If they can, get some pricing data on post to Easthaven and Braston.
>Seeing as there are no free clerks, you settle into the rather populated queue and await someone having a few moments of attention for you. To their credit, the postal workers process their customers with professional efficiency - or at least as much efficiency as you can have when dealing with someone who cannot decide between any set of shipping options presented to them. The clerk's patience is admirable, though after the fifth stall, you can't help but wonder if it would be to the benefit of everyone in the room if suddenly the postal service decided to offer only one choice of insurance.
>After a relatively short delay, considering, you are beckoned over by an available clerk and go make your inquiries. For a simple letter with neither expedience nor frills, 2 guilders will get it to Braston and 3 to Easthaven. Other options are available - you have heard more of them standing in line than strictly necessary - but of the matters on your plate at the moment, their delivery is perhaps the least requiring of haste. Your questions answered, you obtain a few sheets of crisp writing paper without much issue, then make your way back to the other side of the room again.
-
>Five guilders for two letters, then, assuming one to Ichirin and one to Orange.
>Counting the 45 we spent earlier, assume another 45 to get back, counting 5 guilders here, assume.... oh, 20 guilders for food on the ferry. Taking all that away, how much money would we have left to us?
-
>Five guilders for two letters, then, assuming one to Ichirin and one to Orange.
>Counting the 45 we spent earlier, assume another 45 to get back, counting 5 guilders here, assume.... oh, 20 guilders for food on the ferry. Taking all that away, how much money would we have left to us?
>That would seem to be the postage fee, yes.
>This would leave you with 213 and a half guilders.
-
>How much time do we have before we have to leave for the boat?
-
>How much time do we have before we have to leave for the boat?
>Accounting for the twenty minutes needed to return there from here, in order to give yourself a reasonable margin, you'd probably want to leave within an hour and a half. You might be able to squeeze in a little more time than that if you were brisker.
-
>We can get a message down in that length of time easily enough.
>Let's start with Ichirin.
>If there is a free quill in the vicinity, snatch it. Otherwise, produce our pencil and compose a letter to Ichirin.
>Inform her that we have reached Val Razua, but let's not mention the pirates slowing us up. Inform her that Val Razua is a bigass city, like we knew it would be. The let's cut to the chase and tell her that we have a line on a cure. An old line, unused and unheard of for centuries, but a solid line. And that we lack only one ingredient, which we are about to go track down. Which we will, for we are Nazrin the Seeker.
>Knowing Ichirin as we do, she'd appreciate hearing about Dai and Kyouko and Rumia, so mention them as well. But only briefly, we can give her the details on them and the other colorful characters we've met here when we get home.
>Close by assuring her that we will get home. Getting the final piece of the cure has its dangers, but we've come this far. We won't be stopped. Then conclude before we get too sappy.
>Then add a friendly needling P.S. to Marisa, adding the caveat 'if you're still in town', then proof read quickly.
>Time remaining before we have to leave?
-
>We can get a message down in that length of time easily enough.
>Let's start with Ichirin.
>If there is a free quill in the vicinity, snatch it. Otherwise, produce our pencil and compose a letter to Ichirin.
>Inform her that we have reached Val Razua, but let's not mention the pirates slowing us up. Inform her that Val Razua is a bigass city, like we knew it would be. The let's cut to the chase and tell her that we have a line on a cure. An old line, unused and unheard of for centuries, but a solid line. And that we lack only one ingredient, which we are about to go track down. Which we will, for we are Nazrin the Seeker.
>Knowing Ichirin as we do, she'd appreciate hearing about Dai and Kyouko and Rumia, so mention them as well. But only briefly, we can give her the details on them and the other colorful characters we've met here when we get home.
>Close by assuring her that we will get home. Getting the final piece of the cure has its dangers, but we've come this far. We won't be stopped. Then conclude before we get too sappy.
>Then add a friendly needling P.S. to Marisa, adding the caveat 'if you're still in town', then proof read quickly.
>Time remaining before we have to leave?
>You find yourself some free counterspace, take pen in hand, and then start to write a letter to Ichirin. You speak of Val Razua, the grandness of its presence as true in person as it was in your imagination. You speak of the hope that you have found here, even if not of all the obstacles to reaching it that still remain. You assure her unequivocally of your eventual success, a confidence you have not always shared yourself. Once you begin, the words seem to flow almost without pause, moving from one encounter to another; fairy magicians and magical books and the brightly-smiling yamabiko with whom you spent an oddly pleasant evening - though you leave out more than a couple details least you suffer teasing for them, good-natured though it may be. Behind you, the line of customers thins and swells, then thins again. The hesitations and uncertainties you feel in your mind find no purchase on the page, and that is as it should be. You sign off with a quick jab at Marisa, then give the letter another once-over. It'll do, you think. Even if this is to be the last- no, this will do.
>You think you probably still have an hour to play with, at least.
-
>That's plenty of time to write a note to Orange. Especially since it's light on details.
>Actually, sit back for a moment and consider. Is she the type to appreciate a letter than basically says, "In the middle of something big, tell you a story when I get back?"
-
>And do we think she is remotely the sort that might end up having useful data on that pirate, or access to it?
-
>That's plenty of time to write a note to Orange. Especially since it's light on details.
>Actually, sit back for a moment and consider. Is she the type to appreciate a letter than basically says, "In the middle of something big, tell you a story when I get back?"
>Well, it might be slightly vexing to be teased like that, but Orange is a good sport - honestly, it might even spark a little excited anticipation in her; she was always a bit guileless like that.
>...though it occurs to you that she'd probably be more than a little hurt to learn that you flew off to Val Razua without even saying goodbye. It had been her goal to reach the far side of the Expanse as much as yours, after all. You think she'd come to expect you'd beat her to it, but still....
>And do we think she is remotely the sort that might end up having useful data on that pirate, or access to it?
>The Braston city watch may be capable, but their reach is not large, and Orange herself isn't exactly - sad to say - the canny sort. If Aya's reputation is at all like the Maiden's crew implied, you expect the Watch would have some information on her, but you question just how much that would be. Anything within Orange's power to disseminate would be yours if you asked, though; of this, you have no doubt.
-
>Well then. Our letter best include an explanation of why we had to do that.
>So, let's give her a kind of details version; mention running into Aya, but ask her to keep it on the lowdown so it doesn't panic other people we know. Explain why we had to go, and ask her to keep that on the lowdown. Ask if she can fish up any good details on that person. Or on the Scarlets having any real activities in town. Give a brief summary of what we've seen around here. Indulge in grousing about irritating things if time permits. Challenge her to come back and deliver her response personally. Also arrange this whole thing so it makes sense.
>Once this is complete, get in line and mail these suckers; seal or envelop them as appropriate.
-
>Challenge her to come back and deliver her response personally.
>Let's leave this bit out. It could come across as mean if we aren't there to provide a softening tone and expression. Instead say something like, "I think you'll like this place when you get here. And when I get home, I may have enough cash to pay for a ticket for you to come with me when I come back. And I will be coming back, of course. No disease anyone can name is gonna keep me down for very long. Just make sure you bring your wallet with you, 'cuz nothing here is cheap, believe you me."
>Only include the bit about the Scarlets if it makes sense to ask someone in Braston about them. After all, we'd never heard the name before that parasite dropped it, she may not have any dealings with the colonies at all.
>And make sure to apologize for taking off. We were pressed for time, to say the least. After all, after we got back to town after leaving moth- Ichirin, we spent all of our time either running back and forth to doctors, or running around trying to help the Maiden's crew. But assure her we'll make it up to her when we get back.
>While we're on the subject of Orange, where would be a good place in town to ask about that airship crash after we get back from Yuukas pad?
-
>Well then. Our letter best include an explanation of why we had to do that.
>So, let's give her a kind of details version; mention running into Aya, but ask her to keep it on the lowdown so it doesn't panic other people we know. Explain why we had to go, and ask her to keep that on the lowdown. Ask if she can fish up any good details on that person. Or on the Scarlets having any real activities in town. Give a brief summary of what we've seen around here. Indulge in grousing about irritating things if time permits. Challenge her to come back and deliver her response personally. Also arrange this whole thing so it makes sense.
>Let's leave this bit out. It could come across as mean if we aren't there to provide a softening tone and expression. Instead say something like, "I think you'll like this place when you get here. And when I get home, I may have enough cash to pay for a ticket for you to come with me when I come back. And I will be coming back, of course. No disease anyone can name is gonna keep me down for very long. Just make sure you bring your wallet with you, 'cuz nothing here is cheap, believe you me."
>And make sure to apologize for taking off. We were pressed for time, to say the least. After all, after we got back to town after leaving moth- Ichirin, we spent all of our time either running back and forth to doctors, or running around trying to help the Maiden's crew. But assure her we'll make it up to her when we get back.
>What had started as a brief status update turns into rather more as you put pen to paper again. Orange deserves to know what has befallen you, and why you left without a word. Not that this letter is likely to upset her less than the other might have, but you feel you owe it to her, somehow. You speak of blights and pirates and a frenzied search for a cure, appealing for the girl's silence on all these matters. You know full well that she is not the most... discrete when it comes to information, too trusting and unguarded, but you make her swear to this repeatedly, no matter what the circumstances. She usually acquiesces to your judgement, at least; Hopefully she will about this, too. And you... apologize, for keeping silent to her until now - for whatever it's worth now, so far away.
>You speak of happier matters as well, if only to give her the impression it hasn't all been miserable. Being here in the city still means something, after all, and it'll mean even more once this doom has been lifted from your body. You end by inviting her to join you once all is said and done, and even offering to pay for her ticket if you have the cash. And you will, dammit! Now that you've made it all the way out here, you're not just gonna let yourself keel over without striking it rich first. That wasn't the plan! And you owe it not only to yourself, but to Orange and Ichirin and who knows who else to make sure it doesn't end that way.
>Once this is complete, get in line and mail these suckers; seal or envelop them as appropriate.
>It is with a decisive hand that you end the letter, then fold and and seal both of them, addressing the envelopes appropriately. You step back into the line once again - longer than it was two minutes ago, annoyingly - then pay the 5 guilder postage fee and hand over the letters.
>Only include the bit about the Scarlets if it makes sense to ask someone in Braston about them. After all, we'd never heard the name before that parasite dropped it, she may not have any dealings with the colonies at all.
>While we're on the subject of Orange, where would be a good place in town to ask about that airship crash after we get back from Yuukas pad?
>The name 'Scarlet' actually sounded vaguely familiar when Aya mentioned it, even if you knew little of the woman herself. But you have to assume that someone with as much of a hand in the affairs of Val Razua would have at least some involvement with Braston; trade relations between the two are quite close and even some domestic influence of the parent city still lingers on the other side of the Expanse.
>If you were looking for records on the ship that went missing, the port authority is probably the most logical place to check, but you know that Ichirin pursued that angle as much as she could from Estval and many years have passed since then. Though with so very little to go on, it's hard to think of where else would be better.
-
>Either way, it's time to get on that boat before it floats off without us! Hoof it back; add in a bit of extra speed if we feel we're running a bit behind.
-
>Either way, it's time to get on that boat before it floats off without us! Hoof it back; add in a bit of extra speed if we feel we're running a bit behind.
>You depart the post office and head back to the ferry terminal. While you think you're doing okay for time, you keep up a brisk pace nonetheless; of all the things you cannot afford to be late for, this is one of them. Fortunately, you are not.
>Activity around one of the boats is much livelier than when you were here earlier, but it shows no signs of immediate departure. You see a few people presenting tickets to a uniformed man by the base of a small access ramp at the middle of the pier, while others mill around the edge of the deck or vanish into the interior. This is it, you guess.
-
>If we feel we are set for supplies and gear for the journey into the wild, then we may as well board as well.
>Once aboard, casually tour the boat to examine its offerings, then find our cabin and relax for a bit. We've been running around a lot.
-
My apologies to anyone still watching that this is not an actual update, but rather a bump and (greatly delayed) explanation.
Nazrin Quest is not so much dead as in suspended animation, and I do fully intend to return to it and finish it up at some point in the future, though the form that this ending will take is not liable to be the one I had originally had in mind. Over the years I have been writing it, this quest has ballooned far beyond what I had ever anticipated, despite progressing much less rapidly through the sequence of events originally planned. Issues I expected to present minor challenges for the players instead became major ones, with considerable time spent trying and failing to find helpful paths, even when I was deliberately attempting to smooth things along (though perhaps it hasn't seemed that way from the outside). I do take responsibility for this, but I have grown increasingly convinced that the truly tricky dilemmas originally planned for later on are basically untenable in this format now, and certain to result in more months of mire and general lack of satisfaction for all parties concerned. And even if they wouldn't, at the pace matters have been progressing (when they are progressing, that is), I cannot realistically imagine this quest reaching its originally planned endgame without several more years of active play. And to be honest, it's already been over two years since I started this - I don't think I want to feel tied to it for two or three more. Spending so much time writing out the minutia of investigative dead-ends and other banal matters, without much end in sight or a sense of my own power to change this, did a fair job to drain my enthusiasm for the project, and this is a large part of why I took the time away from it that I have.
That being said, I would hate to leave things here without some kind of satisfying conclusion, so I think I can amend and elide most of the later arcs and bring things to a self-contained end, even if the scope of it ends up being rather more modest than my original outline. Sadly, I am fairly convinced that if I did not, it might never conclude at all. Both the pace and manner of gameplay have been very different from what I originally envisioned, and while this certainly has not been all bad, I think as world tone became increasingly detailed-focused, larger events sometimes became subsumed in minutiae and then remained there out of habit. But perhaps some of the plotlines were better-suited to a standalone narrative in the first place, given the level of deduction they would ask of the playerbase (and as I said, the current dilemmas faced were intended to be quite straightforward by comparison)
I may, at some point, sit and write out an account of the originally envisioned narrative. Or perhaps I'll just field questions about pertinent what-ifs at the end, as per tradition. But I do mean to give this quest a real honest-to-goodness ending of one kind or another, even if it means a less grandiose and far-reaching one than when I had set out. I don't know for sure when I'll feel sufficiently up to diving back into this project, but I would hope it shouldn't be too many more months now - I'd give a more definitive answer if I could do so honestly. But I just thought I'd mention, to anyone who might still have some sort of an interest in this, that it hasn't been outright abandoned, and that I do mean for it to have a proper end. And I hope that even in the form that it takes it can provide some measure of satisfaction for those who have invested their time in this endeavour, either as a player or reader.
-
>If we feel we are set for supplies and gear for the journey into the wild, then we may as well board as well.
>Once aboard, casually tour the boat to examine its offerings, then find our cabin and relax for a bit. We've been running around a lot.
>You walk purposefully down the pier, one eye idly following an enthusiastic child as she scampers aboard the ferry ahead of her long-suffering mother - at least if her expression is to be believed. The attendant examines and stamps your ticket with a professional smile and practiced ease, then ushers you up the access ramp and onto the deck of your second ship in as many days.
>A quick circuit of the vessel confirms a broad railed walkway encircling all but the rearmost quarter of the ship. It widens at the front into a large observation deck, ringed with painted wooden chairs in curved wrought iron frames and several small tables of similar design, each bolted securely to the ship beneath them. A brightly-colored canvas canopy hung from the upper level shrouds about one half of the deck in shade while leaving the rest cheerful and sunny; this seems to roughly mirror the expressions of the people seated on either side of it.
>At several points along the walkway are heavy doors which open into corridors running crosswise the vessel's interior. The layout is easy to grasp. A pair of staircases near the fore connect upper and lower levels with a single main hallway bisecting most of the floor plan. The upper deck is mostly cabins, aside from a wheelhouse you spy only from the outside - you assume it is accessed from a separate stair. The main deck houses some more cabins, a small lounge, a series of shared bunk rooms, and a small information desk with matching attendant nestled to the side of where the corridors intersect. The bright-eyed woman looks rather dapper in her uniform, and also liable to develop saddle sores if she's forced to remain perched on that uncomfortable-looking stool for the duration of the voyage.
>Directly beneath the observation deck is the ship's restaurant and bar - nearly empty at the moment, though with a surprisingly ample capacity. In Braston, it might even pass as a classy establishment, with burnished wooden furnishings sporting impeccably ironed table linens accented by needlessly ornate folded napkins. Is that idea that people will be tidier eaters if the alternative means defacing a minor work of art? You doubt it somehow. A thin hint of simmering vegetables and cream sauce issues from somewhere in the far back, mingling with a memory of cider and old smoke baked into the carpet beneath your feet.
>The lower deck corridor comes to an abrupt halt at a number of heavy bolted doors, leading to the engine room or perhaps other restricted areas. A dissonance of dull humming noises drones beyond them, interrupted once or twice by unintelligible fragments of conversation.
>The ship lurches slightly as you climb back up the stairs - enough to make you shift your footing, though not enough to grab for the rail. The rumbling in the distance intensifies. Well, this is it, you guess. Departure time. You make your way back to the observation deck to, well... observe.
>It turns out that a ferry pulling slowly away from a dock is not a particularly riveting spectacle. And it is slow, though you imagine the other vessels in close quarters make the crawl a necessity; the canal isn't altogether wide to begin with. At least a dozen other people are standing alongside the railing in twos or threes, with more in the chairs besides. The boy from earlier squeals altogether too loudly.
>Somehow the atmosphere here feels utterly different than the last time you pulled away from a city harbour. As you left Braston, you felt almost as though the Maiden's crew shared your sense of purpose. Sure, they didn't know why you were in a hurry, but they were as well, and they were also professionals - veterans of the sky, and of more than one tussle upon it, if your few days with them were at all illustrative. Even before that first night's storm, their bearing made it clear they knew their business. But these people? You cast a jaundiced eye across your fellow travelers and their overwrought hats and their feckless expressions and their impractical suitcases and their noisy children.
>You're being entirely unfair, you realize, but you're also not in a very charitable frame of mind. More days of idle transit are something you can ill-afford and do not look forward to, and you swear you could walk to Isir's Cross as fast as this ferry is moving right now. The dense patchwork of lesser Val Razuan architecture fills your field of view as the stonework banks of the canal drift sedately past - brick and chiseled stone, wrought iron and brass, and the sea of people flowing between it all, each utterly unconcerned with the fate of one diseased mouse. Beneath your clothing, the sinuous brands of your affliction seem almost to itch. You turn to go find your cabin.
>A short exchange with an attendant later, you find yourself in front of a nondescript wooden door among a dozen identical neighbours, significant only in the fact that the brass lettering upon it matches the key you're carrying - a room 24B, on the upper deck. Your first impression of your cabin is that they use too much starch in the wash, though at least the scent of it doesn't seem to be masking anything more odoriferous. The second is that it's actually not too bad.
>It is perhaps even smaller than your quarters on the Blue Maiden, but furnished as though someone here actually cared to make it look comfortable. Fancy that. The bed is softer as well, you discover as you poke it with a finger - not that this would be much of a challenge. The room is decorated in a dusky blue and white motif, with a subdued chevron pattern on the bedsheets and carpeting.
>You briefly peel back the short draperies flanking your window and are treated to a more elevated view of the same cityscape you left just a few minutes ago. To be fair, the urban density is thinning noticeably now - even Val Razua must end at some point. With a small weary sigh, you let the curtain flop back into place, unsling your pack, and flop onto the bed; the well-starched sheets crinkle beneath your weight.
>There are seven knots in the ceiling - eight if you wish to be permissive. And the hinges of cabin 26B could use oiling. These are the momentous facts you have uncovered from your vantage on the bed - a Seeker hard at work. You feel weary in body as well as soul and somehow do not care to even move. Time passes vacantly. Absently, you realize you should probably have had lunch. You'll deal with that later. You might look out the window if you could be bothered to rise, but even that feels like more effort than you want to muster. You're out of the city now, for certain; even this ship could not be so slow. You wonder how Kyouko is enjoying the flower you bought her. For a moment, a thin vestige of a smile pulls at the corner of your mouth, almost unconsciously. Well, you'll be back to check on her later. You will. You promise yourself.
>Eventually you shamble to your feet again. It really feels as though you spent more time upon them today than you actually have, and that bothers you. There is a sort of dull ache sufficing your body, hovering on the very edge of conscious awareness - just enough to worry about. You stretch. Outside your window drift rolling fields of tall grasses and the gentle sweep of broad green hills. Elms and maples cluster in small groves, their leaves shimmering in the breeze. Maybe the grand city is still visible in some direction, but not from this narrow vantage; there is only green and red and the rippling blue of the water on which you ride. Somewhere, a wren calls and is answered.
>Supper is pleasant enough, fellow diners notwithstanding. You manage to avoid the worst of the crowd by eating late, which in your case is very late indeed, given that you've eaten nothing else since breakfast. You briefly ponder the alfredo that was unconvincingly recommended by the attendant you spoke with at the ferry terminal, but eventually settle for a more economical sandwich; it turns out to be pretty decent, all things considered.
>For reasons you cannot fully articulate, you follow this up with a snifter of brandy, and then a second. It has a crisp but sweet flavor, and the fruity aroma tingles your sinuses when you inhale. Before you've quite polished off your third, that feeling has extended all the way to the top of your head. It's not even altogether unpleasant. You snicker dryly to no one in particular, then spend a moment attempting to count the knots in this ceiling before losing your place and giving up. Maybe you just wanted to take a break from thinking about things. Yeah, a break would be nice. Or maybe it smelled kinda appetizing and you were curious. Who knows? You could probably probably blame the alcohol for what came after, though.
>"You're a con."
>"Excuse me?"
>A woman in a jaunty vest and loose-fitting clothing is glaring at you with genuine ire unconvincingly masked beneath honest indignation at the slight. A series of bemused glances are exchanged among the others in attendance. Not a one seems to know what they should make of this event - probably why they ended up the marks in the first place.
>"I said you're a con. You don't look like you're hard of hearing, either."
>It had been a chance encounter. After putting aside the last of your meal, you went for a walk. As much as you had mustered nothing more than indolence this afternoon, now you wanted to move. And the night air had been truly pleasant, with a warm breeze blowing gently off the river beneath a clear and starry sky.
>Somehow you ended up crossing through the mid-deck lounge, where a small group of people were enjoying a friendly game of cards - at least if one were to judge solely by the smiles and polite banter. But it was abundantly clear upon a second glance that the rest of the table was being taken very slowly to the cleaners by an unassuming dark-haired woman. Who was cheating. She wasn't even cheating very well. For a moment, you actually felt a little indignant that she could be as clumsy as that and not get caught. So you caught her.
>She claimed innocence. You reiterated. She feigned offense. You explained the mechanics of her deceit. She rallied the onlookers to her defence. You bodily removed the spare aces concealed within her clothing. Probably you violated several kinds of propriety in the process. It got the point across, though.
>Bemused expressions quickly turned to dismay and outrage. Money was demanded. Security was summoned. You restrained the woman by the wrist as she tried to exit. Where exactly did she think she was going to go, anyway? Dive off the edge of the boat and swim back to town?
>Probably you would have handled the whole situation with more tact and subtly if you'd skipped the brandy. Or maybe you just wouldn't have bothered to get involved; possibly that would have been best. It would have saved you having to recount the story to three increasing ranks of staff, at least, and also avoided the well-meaning thumps across the back delivered by a bear youkai who clearly did not know his own strength; you fully expect a bruise in the morning. Two people even tried to foist more drinks upon you in their gratitude. You almost accepted. But in the end, you settled for simple praise instead, and the grim satisfaction of that woman's helpless frustration as you tore her apart and then sent her off in disgrace. At one point, you honestly thought she was going to swing at you. You were even a little disappointed when she didn't. Maybe that was just the brandy talking again. Eventually you made it back to your room and dropped off into a torpid sleep before you'd even managed to work a wrinkle into your crisply starched sheets.
>You wake up feeling nearly as dull as the dreamless interlude that divided morning from night. For a moment, you wonder if you can blame the brandy for this, too - stupid, useless indulgence that was. But as the corners of your consciousness slowly pull themselves together, you have second thoughts. This doesn't really feel like a hangover, limited though your experience with those is; you don't have a headache, your mouth tastes... well, like you just woke up, to be fair, but no worse. And you weren't that drunk, surely. It's just that you feel... weary, heavy, like your blanket was lined with lead while you were unconscious. It takes some effort to actually remove it.
>The blight has grown again, and more thin black tendrils dot your torso and arms. The largest on your leg is dangerously close to being visible when fully clothed, now. In fact, you expect it already is if you are not extremely judicious with how you sit. At the rate things are going, even that will not help you tomorrow. Your bittercress sits sedately in a thin shaft of sunlight piercing the gap between your drapes. It, in contrast, has not changed at all.
>Breakfast is a simple affair of omelet and ham, washed down with orange juice. Your shoulder aches a little, but otherwise you seem relatively unaffected by last night's adventure. It is the more subtle fatigue in your limbs and mind that weighs more heavily upon you and refuses to be fully dispelled.
>You are told it will be the better part of another day before Isir's Cross comes into view. In the meantime, the terrain has changed only little, grassy plains growing denser with thick trees that stand like phantoms in the morning mist. The air is colder than yesterday, but that will probably change as the sun rises. You expect a long and uneventful day.
>In the end, the day turns out to be only one of those things. A densely packed gathering of people is to rumors as tinder is to flame, and it seems word of last night's escapade has somehow become common knowledge by the time you go to return to your cabin. A courteous and well-appointed, if somewhat dim, gentleman thanks you for intervening upon his valet's behalf and pays you a remarkably generous sum in gratitude. The purser offers you a complementary meal. A shrill and frankly tiresome woman contracts you to uncover the location of her pilfered shawl. There are criminals on board, after all! The culprit turns out to be a protruding rivet on the upper walkway with a bottle of wine as its likely accomplice. You suspect the only felony involved was wearing such a gaudy thing in the first place, but the guilders pressed into your hand are quite enough to buy your silence on that topic.
>By the time the afternoon draws to a close, it feels like you have been running back and forth the ship all day, doing errands and answering questions and generally being a productive celebrity of the moment. Your badge probably deserves at least half the credit, or people would not have suddenly decided you were the preferable alternative to waiting on the ferry's lost and found box. But it was something to do, and you made a few coins while you were at it, so you guess you can't complain.
>It is a surprisingly cool evening, and you spend it in blissful quiet at the front of the ship, watching the river meander back and forth across the landscape. Beneath the still air rings the steady churn of water, ever moving. A few others share the observation deck with you, but most are elsewhere at the moment; you are glad for the solitude. Rocky hills are starting to rise in the distance, silhouetted by the dusky pink of the waning sun. The trees upon them are stocky and rugged; it would be difficult terrain to traverse. The dull heaviness in your body has yet to wane, though the vestiges of sleep are long departed. It is vaguely disquieting. Hopefully you have a few more good days left in you yet; the hike to come promises to be physically demanding.
>As the light burns a last brilliant red against the lip of the horizon, you spy the faintest suggestion of a structure nestled against the hillside, tall and stocky. The ferry turns a broad bend in the river and a field of tiny houses spreads out in the distance, dappled like soot upon the bumpy slopes rising to the east. For a moment, they remind you almost of Easthaven - low, flat, and unremarkable structures of slate and timber - though there is scarcely a sign of cultivation in sight, and little enough flat land for it. A closer inspection spots a number of smaller vessels moored at modest docks along the bank. The river is wider and gentler there, and a cluster of wharfs and support structures have grown up along it. It still isn't a very populous settlement, but the densest point is there.
>The building you spotted first disappears behind a crag as the river descends into a small ravine, coming into view once more as the water levels out and widens. It looks to be an old guard tower and easily the tallest structure in sight. It is on the opposite side of the river and set an appreciable distance away from the village itself. You can vaguely make out the suggestion of other structures clustered around it and a thin grey streak across the terrain which must be the highway that crosses Val Razua's southern border. An arched stone bridge connects one bank to the other, itself on the village's periphery at a point where the hill ground offers more equivalence in height between east and west. The space beneath is vaulted high enough to allow your ferry to pass with room to spare, but any cargo vessel that even approached the Maiden's size would be out of the question.
>The final leg of the journey passes restlessly, as the village slowly draws near and the last vestiges of sunlight fade from the sky. You fetch your belongings from your room and grab a last small snack on the ferry's dime before returning to the main deck in time to watch it pull into dock. Someone belatedly announces your destination.
>You descend the ramp to far less pomp and spectacle than your last disembarking. One look around town and you have to assume that most commercial traffic on the river passes right on by without stopping; it certainly hasn't made the place rich. Other passengers file off behind and beside you; the would-be card shark glares daggers at you as she marches brusquely past and disappears into town. Well, you're here. Time to get to work.
-
>Wink back at cardshark.
>Assess the nearby buidlings, once we're out of the way of people disembarking.
-
>Wink back at cardshark.
>Assess the nearby buidlings, once we're out of the way of people disembarking.
>You wink at the dark-haired woman as she passes. The silent and impotent snarl which answers it is darkly satisfying. She scampers off, trying not to look outmatched.
>The nearest building seems to be what serves as the ferry terminal on this end of the journey; it is a far smaller and more perfunctory structure than the one in Val Razua, but that same description seems as though it could apply to most every other building in sight. Near it are some small warehouses - little more than large sheds, really - and some distance past you spy what appears to be a restaurant and a general store beside it. All across the rising hills beyond spread mostly houses.
-
>Does anyone among the crowd strike us as people who know where they're going? If so, follow the largest mass of them.
>If not, let's follow what looks like the main road and take stock of the place.
-
>Does anyone among the crowd strike us as people who know where they're going? If so, follow the largest mass of them.
>If not, let's follow what looks like the main road and take stock of the place.
>Only a modest fraction of the ferry's passengers have disembarked here, and they seem to by fanning out in several directions. You trail after a larger cluster for a few minutes, but quickly suspect the gathering was mostly conincidental as people break off in ones and twos.
>Your assessment of the village changes little as you walk through it; you really did have quite a good view on the way in. It is an unremarkable and largely rural community with some commercial activity on the waterfront, but little obvious sign of other industry. Probably it is close enough to Val Razua itself to be easily bypassed by anyone who cares to. Why would they live here if they could live there instead? You know the fort which guards the land route has been of little strategic use for centuries; most trade comes by sky or river, and any invasion from a major power would certainly not arrive via a narrow highway along the edge of a gorge. Maybe during the Wild Surge it might have had some renewed purpose, but you don't think the fighting ever spread far enough north to threaten the area.
>Still, it's large enough to have the usual array of basic services; you pass a tailor and a cobbler and a modest inn as you trail after whoever happens to be ahead of you, glancing here and there and building a mental map of the place as you go. There seem to be only a few main streets, with a disordered array of smaller roads bending up and down and around a dozen lumpy hills. Once you're more than a short distance away from the river, the terrain becomes rather nonconducive to concentrated settlement.
-
>Let's head for that inn.
-
>Let's head for that inn.
>You turn and head for the inn - the Golden Hearth, by name. Unsurprisingly, the hearth is not actually golden or even particularly noteworthy, though it does actually exist. It lacks the warmly familial vibe of Minoriko's completely, but isn't really worse than many you've seen in Braston.
>You recognize one of your fellow travellers who somehow arrived here ahead of you; a pretty redhead with freckles and a colorful scarf. You never spoke. The rest of the patrons are divided fairly evenly between couples having a late supper and singles mulling over tall ales. One corner of the establishment is rather loud.
-
>Spare a glance toward the loud corner while heading for the bar if there is one. If there's not, an empty table will do.
-
>Update: How much money do we have counting our unexpected profits from the ship?
-
>Spare a glance toward the loud corner while heading for the bar if there is one. If there's not, an empty table will do.
>If you had to guess, the loudest corner presently correlates with the highest blood-alcohol concentration in the room, but at least the gathering there seems friendly. A toast of tankards sends ale sloshing on the floor to the amusement of all assembled save the waitress.
>You walk up to the bar and the woman tending it turns around on cue.
>"What'll it be?" she asks.
>Update: How much money do we have counting our unexpected profits from the ship?
>Subtracting the food you actually payed for with your own money, you have made a 28 and a half guilder profit on the trip. Not bad, considering.
-
>"Couple questions. First, do you have rooms to rent, and for how much?"
>What time of day is it?
-
>Total funds.
>Scratch that. Inventory. It's been a while.
-
>"Couple questions. First, do you have rooms to rent, and for how much?"
>What time of day is it?
>The woman nods. "Sure we do! And it's 40 guilders."
>Probably sometime between 9 and 10 in the evening.
>Total funds.
>Scratch that. Inventory. It's been a while.
>Kumokirimaru (worn at side)
>Prism Pendant (around neck)
>Seeker's Badge (pinned to chest)
>307 Val Razuan guilders
>Compass
>Traveling pack
>Traveling rations
>Canteen (filled with water)
>Lockpicks
>4 kunai
>Picture of Sokrates
>Fuwafuwa Heart Droplet
>Antique Val Razuan 1 guilder coin
>Dowsing rods
>Tie-dyed umbrella
>Spool of baling twine
>Bottle of Kumokirimaru-imbued medicine
>Empty sachet
>List of physicians' contact addresses
>Neu's note
>Pencil
>100 feet of rope
>2 glowsticks
>2 torches
>Small heatstone
>Basic grappling hook
>Blue ribbon
>Two spare outfits (one somewhat damaged)
>Piece of peppermint-raspberry chewing gum
>Recipe for Athran's Vigor
>Potted Bittercress
>Chitsuki Ukizaki's business card
-
>Nod.
>"I'd like one, please. Does it come with breakfast?"
>Once answered, ask, "Next, can you tell me about some people here?"
-
>Are we impeded by nighttime conditions when traveling?
-
>Nod.
>"I'd like one, please. Does it come with breakfast?"
>Once answered, ask, "Next, can you tell me about some people here?"
>"It does if you pay for it," she quips, then snickers a little too enthusiastically at her own joke.
>"Name's Jessica, but you can call me Jess. Been serving drinks for half my life and probably still be at it for the other half." She grins. "That count for one?"
>Are we impeded by nighttime conditions when traveling?
>Your night vision is good and there's a clear moon out; you shouldn't have any difficulty getting around, aside from maybe some extremely well-foliated areas.
-
If we can save the money, more's the better.
On the other hand, we need to get more info before we go hiking, and that might take some time.
>How tired are we?
-
>How tired are we?
>It's been an unexpectedly busy day and you've felt a little weary from the start, but you fear that bit isn't going to improve much come morning. You've got a few good hours left in you yet, at the very least, and probably a couple more if you need them.
-
>Oh yeah, how's our plant doing?
-
>Oh yeah, how's our plant doing?
>It's tucked away neatly in your pack at the moment to save your arms from carrying it all the time, but it looked about the same when you grabbed it from your cabin as it always has.
-
We most def want to gather info.
>"Heh, sounds like I came to the right person. What I'm looking for are hunters. Map makers. Folks who go out into the wilderness for ages at a time, you know what I mean?"
-
>"Heh, sounds like I came to the right person. What I'm looking for are hunters. Map makers. Folks who go out into the wilderness for ages at a time, you know what I mean?"
>"Got a few hunters around here," she nods, then rises on her toes and leans forward. "Hey, Mac!" she calls out sharply. "Got a missy here wants to talk to you!"
>Man, the woman's got some oomph in that voice; tact and subtly leaves something to be desired though.
-
>Oh well. Look toward Mac.
-
>Watch out for Doc Louis.
-
>Oh well. Look toward Mac.
>You turn around to follow the barkeeper's gaze, lagging long behind her voice. Where it lands is unclear at first, as there are a half-dozen people in that direction and at least three of them might be a Mac. The guy furthest from the bar looks like more of a librarian than a hunter, though - wispy and near-sighted and more interested in the stack of papers in front of him than his meal. Only one of the others seems to be looking in your direction, a balding heavy-set man with a powerful mustache that seems to have been wrought from steel wool. Well, you suppose he looks capable enough.
>Then a blond-haired woman in front of him throws you briny look, one eye appraising you from head to foot. She takes a swig from a tall wooden tankard and stands up.
>"Yeah, what about?"
>Watch out for Doc Louis.
Dimly, you hear an argument coming from outside. Something about a... bicycle?
-
>"Want to ask you some questions about the region, if you have the time."
-
>"Want to ask you some questions about the region, if you have the time."
>She mulls this over for a second. "Yeah, 'spose I do." She gestures coarsely towards her table. "C'mere, have a seat."
>"Want me to toss a drink your way, too?" Jessica asks.
-
>"Just some water for now. Harder stuff goes right through me, you know."
>Go have a seat with Mac.
-
>"Just some water for now. Harder stuff goes right through me, you know."
>Go have a seat with Mac.
>Jess grimaces. "Poor sod." She turns to fetch a glass from the shelf behind her.
>You go and sit down across from this Mac character. She settles back into her seat with a heavy sag and takes another swig of ale. It wasn't obvious at first, but there is a leanly muscled look to her frame, though her features are somewhat coarse. Her hair is tied in a tight, functional braid, and there's just enough of a glaze about her eyes to suggest this isn't her first drink of the night. She seems content to wait for you to speak.
-
>What's our stance on ale swilling?
>"Thanks for seeing me, first off. I'm called Nazrin."
-
>What's our stance on ale swilling?
>"Thanks for seeing me, first off. I'm called Nazrin."
>Mostly you don't think it tastes very good, though you've not sampled it often; as a rule, you tend not to drink very much. Last night... you're still not wholly sure why you did that.
>The woman nods curtly. "You can call me Gwen. Or you can call me Mac. Same difference, mostly."
-
>Nod.
>Flick our tail back towards Jess. "I understand you're a hunter by trade?"
-
>Nod.
>Flick our tail back towards Jess. "I understand you're a hunter by trade?"
>Gwen's eyes follow your tail for a moment, then she gives a half shrug. "Sometimes."
-
>"And how long have you been hunting around here?"
>Come to think of it, did we ever get a proper sense for how long Yuuka's been around these parts?
-
>"And how long have you been hunting around here?"
>Come to think of it, did we ever get a proper sense for how long Yuuka's been around these parts?
>"'bout 15 years, give or take," she says, tossing back another swig of ale. "What's it to ya?"
>It's hard to tell. Dai, at least, seemed to think her sisters had explored the area the garden was located before there was actually a garden there, but fairies' perception of time is notoriously unreliable and their lifespans long. It's probably not ancient, but it could be a couple years or it could be a century - you really aren't sure.
-
>"There's a certain youkai I'm looking for, she's supposed to live somewhere in the wilderness around these parts. But no one I talked to back in the city seemed to know more than 'down here, somewhere.' So I was hoping to find someone a bit more familiar with the area than that."
-
>"There's a certain youkai I'm looking for, she's supposed to live somewhere in the wilderness around these parts. But no one I talked to back in the city seemed to know more than 'down here, somewhere.' So I was hoping to find someone a bit more familiar with the area than that."
>"The werewolf?" Gwen asks, giving you a dubious look.
-
>To our knowledge, Yuuka wasn't a werewolf, was she?
-
>To our knowledge, Yuuka wasn't a werewolf, was she?
>Not to your knowledge.
-
>Did we hear what kind of youkai she was? If so:
>Shake head. "Not as far as I know. She's supposed to be some kind of plant youkai. I think. I couldn't get more than rumor back in the city."
>What do we know of werewolves?
-
>Did we hear what kind of youkai she was? If so:
>Shake head. "Not as far as I know. She's supposed to be some kind of plant youkai. I think. I couldn't get more than rumor back in the city."
>Dai never specified, though she certainly didn't imply she was a werewolf, either. A plant youkai of some kind would make sense in context.
>Gwen shrugs again. "Don't think I can help ya there, sorry."
>"Here you go!" Jess chirps brightly, having reappeared beside you with a tankard of water. She deposits it upon the table with more force than strictly necessary, grinning all the while. "On the house!" She snickers.
>What do we know of werewolves?
>They are a kind of were-youkai - humans who periodically gain some wolf aspect, typically during nights of the full moon. They're pretty rare and you've never met one, though you've heard they can be prone to fits of violence when transformed. Sounds a bit like an oni on every other night, if you're frank. You believe their nature is due to some kind of 'curse', and one that can be transmitted to other humans somehow, though you're uncertain the mechanism of this; it can't happen very often, either, or there ought to be a heck of a lot more of them around. You vaguely recall someone saying they were much more common in the more distant past, but the source of that fact isn't coming to mind.
-
You gotta remember, man, we need to be kinda subtle about these things, or otherwise people are gonna keep thinking we're a naive loony.
>Nod to Jess and say, "Thank you."
>Back to Gwen. "Let's set that aside for a bit. Mind having a look at my map, and telling me how bad I got ripped off?"
-
>Nod to Jess and say, "Thank you."
>Back to Gwen. "Let's set that aside for a bit. Mind having a look at my map, and telling me how bad I got ripped off?"
>"Sure thing," she says, then turns and heads back to the bar.
>"Guess I could."
-
>Produce and unroll map, and position it where Gwen can see it.
>"So, how bad is it?"
-
>Produce and unroll map, and position it where Gwen can see it.
>"So, how bad is it?"
>You take your map of the Isir's Cross region out of your pack and try to find room to spread it on the table. You cast a dim eye on the sticky remains of a small spill and studiously avoid letting the parchment touch it.
>Gwen regards the map stoically, then takes another drink. "Don't see much wrong with it."
-
>"Well, that's good. See anything you could add to it easily?"
-
>"Well, that's good. See anything you could add to it easily?"
>"What kinda thing?" she asks dubiously.
-
>"Landmarks and points of interest. Or to be avoided."
>Is the faerie village marked on there?
-
>"Landmarks and points of interest. Or to be avoided."
>Is the faerie village marked on there?
>She gives your map another once-over. "Depends on where you're goin', I s'pose."
>It is not marked on this map, but it was clearly on the opposite shore of the lake to the southwest of the fort, and the lake itself is clearly indicated. The shoreline is sketched in enough detail that you'd have no trouble finding the matching position, even without it being explicitly indicated here.
-
>"Well, I'm heading out this way."
>Gesticulate toward the general direction we have deduced the garden to be in.
>"And I know there's a faerie village somewhere..."
-
>"Well, I'm heading out this way."
>Gesticulate toward the general direction we have deduced the garden to be in.
>"And I know there's a faerie village somewhere..."
>You wave a finger in the general direction of the western wilderness, though you have to admit a strong chance the garden could be even further west than the map covers - certainly more than it covers in any detail.
>"Fairies are on the other side of the lake," Gwen says, then frowns a little. "You sure you're not lookin' for the werewolf? She lives out that way someplace."
-
>"Where at?"
-
>"Where at?"
>"Someplace near the river, I think. Hereabouts." She swipes a calloused finger across a patch of map at least a few miles in diameter, along the closer of the two rivers in the region. "Don't know for sure; don't get out that way much, m'self. Comes into town every now and again, though. Might see her if you plan to hang about."
-
>"Comes to town, huh? Guess that means she's an okay neighbor. Any other folk that range out that way that I could bother?"
-
>"Comes to town, huh? Guess that means she's an okay neighbor. Any other folk that range out that way that I could bother?"
>Gwen is silent for another few moments. "Guess there's a couple. Think the both of 'em are away now, though. Last weekend of yellowgill season, so they're up back Maynard's Brook." She gestures vaguely to her left. "Mostly I hunt on this side of the river or further north. Goes for most people, I think. Better herds, easier walkin', fewer fairies messin' up your trap lines." Another swig.
>"And a bunch 'a this is city jurisdiction, too, if ya wanna be fussy." She slaps a hand across the land between the previous river and Isir's Cross proper. "An' sometimes they do."
-
>Based on where we assume the fairy village to be, about how long do we estimate it would take us to walk there?
-
>Based on where we assume the fairy village to be, about how long do we estimate it would take us to walk there?
>You'd guess at least a half-hour from here to the fort, and then another hour or so past that to the lake. Getting across the lake could prove to be much more difficult and you can't give a realistic estimate without seeing the terrain. Depending on how rocky the shore is, it might take several hours to circumnavigate, or it might be nearly unnavigable. Or there might be a boat sitting right at the end of the road and you could be there inside 20 minutes - you don't know.
-
>Are we hungry?
>"Yeah, they can be like that sometimes."
>"So do you get many fairies up this way?"
-
>Are we hungry?
>You grabbed something on the ferry just before arriving at Isir's Cross, so you're good for a while yet.
>"Yeah, they can be like that sometimes."
>"So do you get many fairies up this way?"
>Gwen nods stoically.
>"Time to time. More out by the fort."
>"Talking your ear off, ain't she?" Jess quips merrily as she passes alongside your table on the way to deliver drinks to another. Gwen takes no notice of her.
-
>Chuckles quietly. There's a woman that likes her job.
>Take a drink.
>"Lemme ask you this. What'd be the quickest way to get across the lake, if you were in a hurry?"
-
>Chuckles quietly. There's a woman that likes her job.
>Take a drink.
>"Lemme ask you this. What'd be the quickest way to get across the lake, if you were in a hurry?"
>You have a chuckle, then take a sip of water.
>"I wouldn't be," she replies, and the pause that follows makes you think that might be all she has to say on the subject. Then she takes a swig and says "Fort might have a boat. Or somebody. Not my business, sorry."
-
Starting to sound like this fort will be more useful to us than here. Assuming we don't find the lycan. Whom I want to find, cuz if it's Kagerou, Sour likes Tohoro.
Personal bias aside, though, we should see if we can squeeze some more information out about the werewolf. You don't run across a werewolf in this sort of quest without it being important in some way.
-
More data won't hurt. Let's just change subjects gracefully.
>"What's the fort like?"
-
>"What's the fort like?"
>"Old, waste of money, but what do I know - I just live here." She shrugs vaguely. "People are mostly friendly, I guess. When ya see 'em."
-
>"Mostly troops from the city, huh?"
-
>"Mostly troops from the city, huh?"
>"Pretty much."
>"Hey, that's not fair!" Jess protests, somehow having appeared beside you again. "I got cousins in the garrison, you know."
>Gwen shrugs dismissively. "Still true."
-
>"Sounds like they give you guys some grief."
-
>"Sounds like they give you guys some grief."
>"Not really," Gwen say in a dismissive tone.
>Jess grin incorrigibly. "Mac here only goes for practical things, see? She's a right stick in the mud. Bloody fine hunter, though."
>Without a word, Gwen pushes her now-empty tankard in the barkeep's direction. Jess laughs. "Sure, sure."
-
>"That werewolf ever give you guys grief?"
-
>"That werewolf ever give you guys grief?"
>Jess looks surprised. "Kagerou?" She glances at Gwen, who shrugs vaguely, though Jess seems satisfied enough by this answer.
>"Nah, she's the sweetest thing," she says, turning back to you. "Wouldn't hurt a soul! I give these folks more grief than she does."
>"And that's the truth," Gwen adds. Jess throws her an expressive scowl. For just a moment, you think you almost see the taciturn blond smirk. Almost.
-
>"Heh. Maybe I ought to pay her a visit."
>Is there any western territory on the map that we haven't had one or the other give us information on? If so, point to it and ask "Anything out here, or just wilderness?"
>Did we see much in the way of farms on the way in?
-
>"Heh. Maybe I ought to pay her a visit."
>"Don't know why she lives out in the middle 'a nowhere," Jess muses. "Must get awfully lonely."
>"Quiet's nice," Gwen says simply.
>Is there any western territory on the map that we haven't had one or the other give us information on? If so, point to it and ask "Anything out here, or just wilderness?"
>The map does extend somewhat beyond the river that Gwen mentioned the werewolf lived, and you know the region carries on even further than that, from the better map you examined at the library. You inquire.
>"Trees and hills and more trees," Jess replies cheerfully. "A few other youkai, I think. 'least you hear tell of one every now and again - don't know if they're still around."
>"There's an old mine," Gwen says. "'round here." She pokes a finger west of the river, near a ridge of hills. "Few other buildings from way back, scattered around. The lot of 'em in a rottin' heap."
>"Yeah, there's supposed to be an old outpost of some kind," Jess adds. "Out around, um... somewhere." She chuckles. "Sorry."
>"Up north. Near the pheasant grounds."
>Jess shrugs. "Well, you'd know."
>Did we see much in the way of farms on the way in?
>You noticed a few small vegetable patches, but nothing on a large scale; the terrain seems rather rocky for serious agriculture.
-
I can't think of too much more to ask, admittedly I'm assuming they aren't holding out on any particular forest boojums we ought to know about.
-
Between the two of them, I think that if there was anything expressly threatening out here they knew about, we'd know about it by now.
What I'm wondering now is, should we pop down to visit that fort first to see if any of them know about Yuuka (whom I think we should namedrop at least once just to see if that gets a reaction) or see if we can track down Kagerou?
-
I would say the Faerie village is a must. And we hit anything along the way.
-
Good point. But if that's on the other side of the lake, we need to drum up a fast way to get there. Walking might take too much time than we have right now.
-
It'd take a few hours to hit up Kagerou. The fort is just a half hour away, though. So I'd do the latter first, then the former if the fort suggests there may be a reason, or if they're utterly unhelpful.
-
I agree. Fort first. And since it's so close, we shouldn't need to spring for a room here.
Well, unless they send us back here, but hey, at least it's close.
-
>Does our map depict a trail or a road between here and the fort?
>If not, are we aware of the existance of said?
-
>Does our map depict a trail or a road between here and the fort?
>If not, are we aware of the existance of said?
>There is a road, yes, which passes over that large stone bridge and joins up with the main highway. It is both clearly marked on your map and visible while you were outside.
-
>Do we know anything about the outpost or mine they mentioned?
-
>Do we know anything about the outpost or mine they mentioned?
>Riza, one of the Seekers you spoke with at the guildhall in Val Razua, spoke briefly of the mine and some other old ruins of considerable antiquity in the region. If you recall right, she was hired for a mineral survey of the area and found essentially nothing of value there - the mine had been long played out. As far as she told it, the only things that hadn't been picked clean centuries ago would have barely any value, even to archaeologists; if these sites been known for that long, you're not liable to disbelieve her, either.
-
>Did we notice how much a tankard of ale costs around here?
-
>Did we notice how much a tankard of ale costs around here?
>You hadn't noticed it posted clearly anywhere, but it wouldn't be hard to ask with the barkeep standing by your table.
-
>"Well, I should thank you both for your time. Don't want to hold you up too much longer."
>"Just one more thing, though. Does the name 'Yuuka' mean anything to you?"
>Add her last name if we know it.
-
>"Well, I should thank you both for your time. Don't want to hold you up too much longer."
>"Eh, slow night anyway," Jess says, the activity around her just busy enough that you don't know to take that literally or not.
>"It's fine," Gwen says.
>"Just one more thing, though. Does the name 'Yuuka' mean anything to you?"
>Add her last name if we know it.
>"Off hand?" Jess asks. "Not a thing."
>Gwen shakes her head.
>You did not hear a last name from Dai, and no one else has mentioned her by name.
-
Well, that's all I wanted to ask meself. At least, that's all I can think of.
-
I'm of the opinion we should rest up for the day, then hit the fort in the morning. Then if we need to go chasing warwelfs, we'll be coming in the day rather than the middle of the night.
-
The fort's only a half hour's or so walk away. I think that's close enough for a jaunt.
-
I wouldn't count on it being open, but there's no harm in trying. Shall we pick up Gwen's drink as an information gratuity?
-
I was thinking that myself.
Oh, and we can ask if the fort's open while we're at it.
>Nod. "Had to ask."
Wait, why would a fort be closed?
>Assuming Gwen's mug is empty, point our tail towards the tankard. "Next one's on me."
-
Because it's dark, and it's a fort. You don't leave the front doors open when most of your people are asleep.
-
>Nod. "Had to ask."
>Assuming Gwen's mug is empty, point our tail towards the tankard. "Next one's on me."
>Distracted as she is, Jess has yet to fetch Gwen's refill. You offer to pay for it.
>Jess laughs. "If you're tryin' to ply her up, let me warn you - you'll run out of money, first."
>Gwen almost snickers, a sort of self-satisfied grunt with just the faintest hint of a grin to match. You're left almost wondering if you imagined it.
>With that, the barkeep grabs Gwen's drink and turns back to the taps.
>"Thanks," Gwen says to no one in particular.
-
>"'least I could do."
>What was the cost of that?
-
>"'least I could do."
>What was the cost of that?
>Gwen nods.
>You don't actually know - you never bothered to check.
>A few moments of silence later - at least at your own table, if not the inn at large - Jess returns with the tankard, now filled to the brim with a frothy dark ale. She slaps it down on the table, somehow managing not to spill any in the process.
>"Good cheer to you!" she says before darting off to butt her nose playfully into someone else's business. "And remember to pay up before you leave!"
-
>Ah, this is one of those places that charge upon exit, not upon order.
>Mutter, "But of course."
>Quietly, after Jess moves off, ask Little Mac, "She always that chipper?"
-
>Ah, this is one of those places that charge upon exit, not upon order.
>Mutter, "But of course."
>Quietly, after Jess moves off, ask Little Mac, "She always that chipper?"
>So it seems.
>You mutter a reply, but it's unclear if the barkeep actually heard it over a sudden burst of laughter to the side of the room. You suppose it doesn't matter.
>"Pretty much," she says, then takes a big swig of her freshly poured ale. You briefly wonder how many tankards in she is at the moment - doesn't show it much, regardless.
-
>Quiet chuckle.
>Stand.
>"Well, I suppose I should get going. I've still got some walking to do before I call it a day."
>"I don't suppose you get too many fairies on the road between here and the fort at night, do you? I can do without their brand of mischeif for a while."
-
>Quiet chuckle.
>Stand.
>"Well, I suppose I should get going. I've still got some walking to do before I call it a day."
>You have a chuckle at the effervescent barkeep, then stand up and say your goodbyes to 'Mac'.
>She nods. "Right."
>"I don't suppose you get too many fairies on the road between here and the fort at night, do you? I can do without their brand of mischeif for a while."
>"Sometimes," she says. "Less at night, I suppose. Probably won't do you trouble anyhow, unless you leave somethin' around for them to swipe."
-
>"Too poor for that sort of thing, mostly. Hey, thanks for the help, both of you."
>Depart after appropriate goodbyes are made, and head for that fort. Do note other points of interest along the way, though.
-
>"Too poor for that sort of thing, mostly. Hey, thanks for the help, both of you."
>Depart after appropriate goodbyes are made, and head for that fort. Do note other points of interest along the way, though.
>Gwen nods. "Sure."
>"Any time!" Jess calls back from another corner of the room.
>You settle your tab with the bar for a reasonable 2 guilders, then exit the inn and make your way towards Isir's Cross proper.
>You may have underestimated the distance slightly, as the road to the bridge is surprisingly circuitous, crossing over one hill and down around another before banking wide of the village and continuing for several minutes beyond the apparent edge of habitation. The placid flow of the river is a constant accompaniment at this point, mingled faintly with the distant strains of its rush through the gorge much further ahead.
>The bridge feels longer to walk across than it did to sail beneath, your footfalls sounding sharply off the hard cobbles as simple magical lanterns shed soft light across the weather-worn stones. The bridge is really quite well-lit, both along its surface and beneath, where larger beacons are hung for the benefit of approaching ships. There is no sign of any other traffic but yourself at the moment - not altogether surprising, that. Even back in the heart of the village, it had been fairly quiet; aside from taverns and the like, most businesses were closed and only a scattered few people roved the roads. There was still some modest activity along the waterfront, but after a day in Val Razua, the town felt positively ghostly.
>The stolid grey form of the watch tower remains firmly within your field of view all the way, its sides ringed with small fiery beacons blazing merrily. It rises from the top of a small but sheer and rocky hill, nearly a crag. A solid ridge of similar terrain sweeps far to the south and the highway follows beside it, nestled between a wall of rock to its right and a steep drop to the river below on its left. It would be an easy point to bar off land travel from the south, and you suspect this was precisely the original idea.
>As you draw nearer, it becomes apparent that the watch tower is just one part of a larger complex that appears to be built partially into the hill itself. Staunch stonework juts out from natural rock - an array of small barrel-shaped structures and fortified battlements with crenels that face the approach from the south. Isir's Cross stands at the intersection of multiple roads and uses this terrain well. An arched gatehouse cuts through the eastern-facing cliff to span the entirety of the navigable road to the south, while the main entrance to the fort is situated on the opposite side of that same crag, accessible only along a separate road - the one that leads to the lake, you think. The only clear way to reach this road from the south requires passing through that gatehouse and then alongside the full row of battlements hewn into the rock face. The steep and craggy hillside looks impractical to climb over, certainly for a whole army, meaning that any invasion from the south could only reach the main fortified gates after marching past the entirety of its forward defenses on open and indefensible terrain; it would be a very demotivating prospect for any army that valued remaining unperforated. The high watch tower would also give the defenders an unrestricted view of traffic on all the roads for many miles, long before any enemy could spot forces or barricades arrayed upon them. If this route was ever seriously threatened, one would be hard-pressed to find a more ideal location from which to defend it.
>Of course, a small fleet of airships would render the fort entirely moot and irrelevant. Honestly, a fleet of riverboats could probably do likewise, landing an army in the indefensible village and bypassing the fort's forward battlements entirely. Did the village even exist back when the fort was militarily important? You seem to vaguely recall that it did not, and perhaps there were other fortifications barricading the river approach that have long since crumbled into ruin. It's been many centuries, after all.
>The bulk of the fort complex is nestled in a large hallow along the hillside near the beginning of the road leading southwest to the lake, behind heavy stone walls that still look quite solid despite obvious signs of wear and age. A row of tall braziers atop the wall dance softly in the gentle breeze, but if it were not for the protruding watch tower, one could almost miss the fort's existence entirely for the crescent of rocky hill that shrouds it from the northeast.
>The main gates are built of heavy wood, reinforced with metal, and stand as a pair, separated by a short and shadowy gatehouse. The outer gate is flung wide, but the inner one stands closed at the moment. A light is coming from somewhere inside the dim space between them, to the left.
-
>Head toward the light.
-
>Head toward the light.
>You step through the broad open gate and into the more confined space beyond. Flickering shadows dance upon the indentations in the mortared stone above your head from a shaft of warm torchlight issuing from a gap in the wall to your left - essentially a window. In the small guardroom beyond reclines an auburn-haired woman seated upon a chair which seems like it should not permit such a pose without toppling over backward. She is wearing a simple but crisp uniform, mostly black with small red accents. A broad stylized cross is emblazoned upon the left breast of her surcoat with another down the opposite sleeve. She looks up from the dog-eared book in her hand as you approach and appraises you with a casual air.
>"Oh, a Seeker, isn't it?" she asks pleasantly. "What brings you out this way?"
-
>"Good eye, there! I was hoping to get some information about the region and the things around to update my sorry little map, and hear some stories."
-
>"Good eye, there! I was hoping to get some information about the region and the things around to update my sorry little map, and hear some stories."
>The woman grins just a little at your compliment. "Stories about what exactly? Didn't think your type did idle curiosity."
-
>"Things happening around here. I'm going to need to do some traveling, so news and stories and such."
-
Isn't that awful vague, P?
>"Like, for instance, what sort of youkai do you have living in the wilds around here? I've heard something about a werewolf, for one?"
-
>"That'll do for a start."
-
>"Things happening around here. I'm going to need to do some traveling, so news and stories and such."
>"Like, for instance, what sort of youkai do you have living in the wilds around here? I've heard something about a werewolf, for one?"
>"That'll do for a start."
>The guard cocks an eyebrow. "Kagerou? What about her?"
-
>"Well, we don't have any werewolves back home. I was wondering what she's like as a neighbour."
-
>"Well, we don't have any werewolves back home. I was wondering what she's like as a neighbour."
>"Seems nice enough," she says. "Only ever spoke to her once; think the captain knows her better, though." She frowns a little. "You digging for something?"
-
>Right to the point, eh.
>"I don't know about digging, but, I AM looking for something. SomeONE, actually. Not Kagerou, though, another youkai. Yuuka by name. Supposedly she has some kind of secret garden somewhere in this region, and I need to find it."
-
>Right to the point, eh.
>"I don't know about digging, but, I AM looking for something. SomeONE, actually. Not Kagerou, though, another youkai. Yuuka by name. Supposedly she has some kind of secret garden somewhere in this region, and I need to find it."
>The woman's brow furrows and she purses her lips to the side, somewhere between thoughtfulness and consternation.
>"That sounds a bit familiar," she says after a moment. "Not sure where I heard it, though. Not the name," she adds quickly. "The garden thing. Pretty sure there's nothing like that on the charts we've got, though, which probably means it's not as special as you're hoping. Or real damn secret, I guess."
-
>Nod.
>"Would you take a look at my map, tell me if it's missing anything important?"
-
>Nod.
>"Would you take a look at my map, tell me if it's missing anything important?"
>The woman frowns. It looks like she's weighing the tedium of attempting this against the idleness of sending you away, but eventually she folds the book in her hands closed and beacons with the other. "Show it here."
-
>Produce map.
>"I'm hoping it's just a secret, this garden. At least if this Yuuka's reputation is right. Apparently, she isn't the sort to welcome guests."
-
>Produce map.
>"I'm hoping it's just a secret, this garden. At least if this Yuuka's reputation is right. Apparently, she isn't the sort to welcome guests."
>"Doesn't sound like you plan on letting that stop you, though," she says, accepting the folded map. She unfurls it and regards it with a thoughtful grimace.
>"Looks like most of the stuff that matters is here. 'cept for all the secret supply caches we keep tucked around the hillside, of course." She peers an impish eye at you from over the edge of the map.
-
>"I should probably know where those are, so I can avoid getting blown up in the traps you guys set around them."
>"You guys send any kind of patrols out?"
-
>Make sure to add a grin to that above statement.
>"I'm a Seeker. The job takes us where we need, and believe me, I'm on an important one. I need to find this youkai gardener, and that's what I'm gonna do."
-
>"I should probably know where those are, so I can avoid getting blown up in the traps you guys set around them."
>"You guys send any kind of patrols out?"
>She laughs heartily. "Oh, if only."
>"Sure, all the time," she says. "Not that there's ever much worth patrolling for, mind you, but hey - shouldn't complain compared to the alternative."
>"I'm a Seeker. The job takes us where we need, and believe me, I'm on an important one. I need to find this youkai gardener, and that's what I'm gonna do."
>"More power to you," she says. "Don't know if I can help you, though." There is a pause. She idly taps the side of her jaw as if trying to recall something.
>"You sure you got that name right?" she asks.
-
>Did we hear her adressed by any other name?
-
>Did we hear her adressed by any other name?
>You did not, though the only person who mentioned a name at all in connection with the garden was Dai.
-
>"While I'm thinking about it."
>Gesture toward the lake on the map.
>"Is there any way across this that doesn't involve dragging my own boat out there?"
-
>"'Yuka' is all I got."
-
>"'Yuka' is all I got."
>She shrugs. "Not very likely you were looking for the only youkai gardener I know anyhow." A dry snickers. "Unless you've got a whole lot of wires crossed on whatever tale's brought you out this way."
>"While I'm thinking about it."
>Gesture toward the lake on the map.
>"Is there any way across this that doesn't involve dragging my own boat out there?"
>"We have a boat launch out that way ourselves," she replies. "Not that we use it much. Couldn't exactly just lend you the key, though. Don't think anyone from the village uses the lake; the fairies would probably just make off with any boat they left out there, anyway. Or paint it in pink polka dots and accidentally sink it somehow."
-
>"She doesn't happen to have a secret garden out the middle of nowhere, does she?"
-
>"She doesn't happen to have a secret garden out the middle of nowhere, does she?"
>"Well, it's not on your map, but it isn't exactly a big secret. Though I suppose technically I'm not supposed to chit-chat to civilians about it. Doesn't count as the middle of nowhere though, unless you think you're already there."
-
>"And how bad's the shore around the lake?"
-
>Chuckle once. "Yeah, probably isn't her. Well, unless she can scare fairies something fierce, then it might be the same one."
-
>"And how bad's the shore around the lake?"
>The guard raises an eyebrow. "Bad how?"
>Chuckle once. "Yeah, probably isn't her. Well, unless she can scare fairies something fierce, then it might be the same one."
>She break out into another peal of snickers. "Nah, she's a big softie. Why, I saw a pair of the little things get her completely flustered just last week." Mirth dances in the soldier's chestnut eyes. "Bet she'd blush if I reminded her."
-
>What else were we told about Yuuka and her garden that we haven't mentioned to the sentry here?
-
>What else were we told about Yuuka and her garden that we haven't mentioned to the sentry here?
>You have not been specific about the garden being located in the wilderness to the west as opposed to somewhere else in the local area. Nor have you mentioned anything unusual about the contents of the garden itself, such as its incredible diversity of species or - more pertinently - that the flowers within it are said to bloom regardless of the season.
-
>"What's the terrain like for walking? If I have to take the long way around, I ought to find out just how long it'll be."
-
>"What's the terrain like for walking? If I have to take the long way around, I ought to find out just how long it'll be."
>"You know the kind of rocks this place is built along?" the guard asks. "Well, it's a lot like that, but shorter. You can walk around the shore okay in places, but I hope you don't mind doing some rock climbing." She gives you a curious look for a moment. "Are mice any good at that?"
-
>We're not too shabby at that, right?
-
>We're not too shabby at that, right?
>You are quite a nimble climber, if not as good in some circumstances as a common mouse might be - the downsides of being so very much larger and heavier.
-
>"I haven't been stumped by all that many vertical surfaces yet, rock or no."
>Barring the occasional warehouse...
>"It's time that's the issue. The job I've got's a bit time sensitive, I've only got so long to find this supposed garden with flowers and plants that never wilt."
-
>"I haven't been stumped by all that many vertical surfaces yet, rock or no."
>Barring the occasional warehouse...
>"It's time that's the issue. The job I've got's a bit time sensitive, I've only got so long to find this supposed garden with flowers and plants that never wilt."
>The guard grins. "Handy skill, that."
>Well, your limbs are nimble, but they can't exactly adhere to a smooth surface. Larger fingers means larger indentations needed to grip - a regular mouse could probably have run right up that wall if it wanted to. But then, it couldn't have brought a cat back out again afterward, either.
>"You think it's down around the lake or something, then?" she asks dubiously.
-
>Indicate the wilderness to the west of here. "Somewhere out there, if my sources were correct."
-
>Indicate the wilderness to the west of here. "Somewhere out there, if my sources were correct."
>She peers at your chart again. "How far out?" she asks.
-
>"That's what I'll have to find out."
-
>"That's what I'll have to find out."
>"Fair warning," she says, "you can keep going a lot further than the edge of that map you've got, and it's not easy walking either."
-
>If we can be more specific about the location from the information we have, do so.
-
>If we can be more specific about the location from the information we have, do so.
>You get the impression it's not very close to the fort, but beyond that you can't really say, unfortunately. Might be a day or two's journey, or a week's....
-
>Hmmm thoughtfully as we regard the map.
>"Starting to sound like what I need is a guide."
-
>Hmmm thoughtfully as we regard the map.
>"Starting to sound like what I need is a guide."
>"We don't usually patrol out that far, if that's what you're getting at. Even if someone was okay with you tagging along; I don't really know the protocol for that - it's never come up while I've been here. People aren't exactly lining up to watch bored soldiers march around rocks and trees and more rocks, you know?" She snickers.
-
>"Plus the occasional sarcastic shrub, of course."
>"But then there's the local civilians (like you'd call em), and the ones that live farther out there. Kagerou, maybe?"
-
>"Plus the occasional sarcastic shrub, of course."
>"But then there's the local civilians (like you'd call em), and the ones that live farther out there. Kagerou, maybe?"
>"Sounds like more fun company than the regular ones."
>She shakes her head. "Don't know her well enough to speculate, sorry. Don't think much of anyone lives past the river, though."
-
>Didn't the fairies have a village past the river?
-
>Didn't the fairies have a village past the river?
>One of the rivers in the wilderness to the west does stem from the lake that the fairies have their village, but the village itself is considerably south-southeast of the river you believe the guard is referring to.
-
>"What about from the locals? Do you ever work with any of them that go that far out?"
-
>"What about from the locals? Do you ever work with any of them that go that far out?"
>"I don't know if any of them do, to be honest. This area here is fort jurisdiction," she says, tracing a circle across a large section of the wilderness with her finger. It encompasses a band running many miles to the west along the ridge of hills that frame one side of the lake. "That means restrictions on hunting and logging and other fun things people like to do in the woods. Mostly I think the locals stick to further north, or back on the other side of the river. Easier game out there anyway, I hear."
>She lets out a small chuckle. "But what do I know, anyway? I'm a city girl, through and through."
-
I'm getting the impression that if we want a guide or an expert, back in port'll be our best bet.
Oh wait, almost forgot about the fairies. If Dai came up this way, some of her kin might've done as well.
>"What about the fairies that come up from that village of theirs? Do they visit the fort here much or just pass by?"
-
>"What about the fairies that come up from that village of theirs? Do they visit the fort here much or just pass by?"
>"Oh no, we get lots of the little ones up this way," she says with a smile. "We're probably the most interesting place for miles around, after all. We do keep the storerooms warded against them - could probably ward the whole place if it were wartime, but they're one of the more entertaining parts of the posting, if I'm honest. I hear the old quartermaster even used to bake them cookies from time to time. Part of the fort mythos now." She grins.
-
>Wouldn't have thought fairies would find a fortress all that interesting, as compared to the nature around.
>Wait a minute, when we were talking to Dai, did she mention anything about wards around Yuuka's place? And could we douse for that sort of power?
-
>Wouldn't have thought fairies would find a fortress all that interesting, as compared to the nature around.
>Wait a minute, when we were talking to Dai, did she mention anything about wards around Yuuka's place? And could we douse for that sort of power?
>You suspect it might have more to do with the people than the fort itself. Though your experience with fairies is that they have an eclectic sense of fascination, and it's not unusual for them to adopt some highly romanticized view of a particular thing. Maybe some of them like to play fort up in one of the watch towers and fend off errant dragons?
>She did not. And it would depend on the nature of the ward and possibly the efforts taken to conceal it, but it's certainly theoretically possible for you to dowse for that kind of magic.
-
>Fairies are odd.
>"Haven't met a fairy yet that turned down cookies. And there's a good chance I'll end up down in their village before this job's done, maybe I should bring a cookie or three along." Chuckle. "Might get a better welcome than the last fairy village I walked into."
-
>Fairies are odd.
>"Haven't met a fairy yet that turned down cookies. And there's a good chance I'll end up down in their village before this job's done, maybe I should bring a cookie or three along." Chuckle. "Might get a better welcome than the last fairy village I walked into."
>They are that.
>"Oh?" The woman leans forward as if she were expecting some juicy gossip to follow.
-
>"I sort of got on the bad side of their local hero." Grin a small grin. "It's a long story."
-
>"I sort of got on the bad side of their local hero." Grin a small grin. "It's a long story."
>The guard laughs. "I've got time if you do."
-
>"Believe me. I wish I did. But I've got a plant youkai and her garden to find, or someone that knows where I can find them."
>"I don't suppose there's any chance that any of the fairies you've met have talked about a garden where the flowers bloom no matter what season it is?"
-
>"Believe me. I wish I did. But I've got a plant youkai and her garden to find, or someone that knows where I can find them."
>"I don't suppose there's any chance that any of the fairies you've met have talked about a garden where the flowers bloom no matter what season it is?"
>"I've heard them talk about a lot of things," she says without much conviction. "Maybe? They're not the most reliable sources of information."
>Something seems to be weighing on her mind slightly, just the same, like she were either debating something or trying to recall it.
-
>Give her a moment.
-
>Give her a moment.
>The guard grapples with her memory for another moment, then gives up with a resigned shrug. "I don't know. To be perfectly honest, I'm probably not the best person to be asking about this. I've only been here, what... about four months now?" She counts them off on her fingers, as if she weren't entirely certain. "I can tell you we don't have it marked on any chart I've ever seen, but they don't go all the way to the edge of the island and we don't either. At least I don't know of anyone going that far out while I've been posted here and I can't see why they would, either."
-
>"Yeah, not exactly a walk one would take for fun, I'd imagine."
>"So who's been around here the longest, if I may ask? Or rather, can you think of anyone that might know more?"
-
>"Yeah, not exactly a walk one would take for fun, I'd imagine."
>"So who's been around here the longest, if I may ask? Or rather, can you think of anyone that might know more?"
>"Wouldn't be my cup of tea," she says with some enthusiasm, raising the book in her hands by way of contrast. Something by Irikawa, it looks like - probably overwrought and dismal.
>She assumes that same expression of thoughtful consternation once more. "Who's been here longest...? That's a good question, actually. Wouldn't surprise me if old Toshi's been patching holes longer than I've been alive, but I don't know.... I suppose the captain ought to. Might even know of that place you're looking for, assuming it actually exists - she's got a good head on her shoulders." Then she snickers, as if suddenly recalling something amusing.
-
>"Who's the best scout here. Well, best that might be willing to help a straggler like me out with her map?"
-
>"And what are the odds a Seeker like me can speak with the captain?"
-
>"Who's the best scout here. Well, best that might be willing to help a straggler like me out with her map?"
>"Hey, I'm not high enough up the ladder to see the performance evaluations," she says wryly. "And I've never done any deep patrols myself. Maybe Sasabana? Or Rothsturm - being part-bloodhound's got to count for something, right?"
>"And what are the odds a Seeker like me can speak with the captain?"
>"Well, she's not exactly the High Warden of Sovereign Hall. If she only saw important guests then she'd never see anyone at all out here." She laughs again.
-
>Bloodhound, eh. That could be useful indeed.
>Wait a minute, 'part'? In reference to youkai, does that term usually imply a mixed bloodline, or merely a denotation of their youkai status?
-
>Bloodhound, eh. That could be useful indeed.
>Wait a minute, 'part'? In reference to youkai, does that term usually imply a mixed bloodline, or merely a denotation of their youkai status?
>Your sense of smell is quite good, but you expect a bloodhound's would have to be better. Though even they surely can't track something at the distances you're talking about here, unless someone from there passed through recently.
>It could be either, you suppose. The guard is speaking casually enough that you wouldn't place any bets as to which.
-
What do you think, Purvis, captain or dog?
EDIT: I consulted a coin, and the captain won. We can always check in with Fido on our way out, barring extenuating circumstances.
>"Well in that case, whereabouts here can I find her? The Captain, I mean."
-
>"Well in that case, whereabouts here can I find her? The Captain, I mean."
>"Just stay put," the guard says, hoisting herself off the chair at last. "I'll send her a message."
>She turns to face beyond the narrow window you've been conversing to her through and yells out "Hori! Go tell the captain there's a Seeker here who'd like to talk to her! Nothing shady!"
>There is a grunt of acknowledgement, muffled by the layers of stone and mortar that separate you from its source. The woman turns back to you and smiles. "She'll probably be here in a few minutes. I doubt she actually has anything more important to be doing."
-
>Nothing shady. When we come to power, we're gonna have to fix our guild's rep.
>"Thanks."
>And in the meantime, we can regale Soldier A here with the tale of Nazrin vs. Cirno and the meeting of the young Honeysuckle. So let's do that. If she's still interested.
-
>Nothing shady. When we come to power, we're gonna have to fix our guild's rep.
>"Thanks."
>And in the meantime, we can regale Soldier A here with the tale of Nazrin vs. Cirno and the meeting of the young Honeysuckle. So let's do that. If she's still interested.
>To be perfectly fair, you can see where she's coming from and her tone seemed light-hearted enough - probably meant more to suggest you weren't bringing some kind of serious issue to their door rather than being dishonest. Oh, if they only knew...
>"No problem at all," she replies cheerfully.
>You use the next few minutes to recount the tale the guard asked about earlier. You're actually getting rather practiced at retelling this story by now, so many times has it come up. You wonder dryly if it's bad for your fledgling reputation to keep talking about how a fairy gave you serious trouble in a fight; you know how uncommonly strong she was, but the picture it paints in others' imagination might be far more embarrassing than the truth. You yourself would probably have thought it rather pathetic if you hadn't actually lived through it. You attempt to slide smoothly past some of these details without ever being quite dishonest. The guard is still highly amused by the caper, and is in the middle of another peal of laughter when footsteps approach from the left.
>"Hard at work," comes a dry voice from just beyond your sight lines.
>"Yes, sir," the guard replies without really bothering to stifle her mirth. "Exercise for the lungs, sir."
>Without offering further comment, a short red-headed girl crosses into view and looks out at you with cynical eyes. She is wearing much the same uniform as the still-chuckling guard, though with a bright red cape atop it all; the collar is high enough to conceal her mouth almost totally, though you can imagine nothing by a thin flat line to match her jaded expression.
>"Since Chuckles over there is so busy," she says flatly, "how about you tell me why you're here."
-
>"But of course. And thanks for seeing me, by the way." add with a polite nod. "Name's Nazrin, of the Seeker's guild, and I'm here looking for some information, or possibly some advice, if not both."
-
>"But of course. And thanks for seeing me, by the way." add with a polite nod. "Name's Nazrin, of the Seeker's guild, and I'm here looking for some information, or possibly some advice, if not both."
>"Sekibanki," she says with barely a nod. "And what about?"
-
>"I'm looking for a garden, one maintained by a youkai gardener who supposedly has a way of making flowers bloom despite the seasons or the weather."
-
>"I'm looking for a garden, one maintained by a youkai gardener who supposedly has a way of making flowers bloom despite the seasons or the weather."
>Though the motion is barely perceptible, Sekibanki's eyes seem to narrow slightly. "And this brings you here because...?"
-
>"Because you folks aren't new to this region. I was hoping to find someone here who had heard of this Yuuka, or her garden, or possibly some mention of a garden squirreled away well off the beaten path. I have to find her, but I don't have time to go stumbling blindly through the wilderness out west of here until I trip over her."
>Apply corrections if the above directions were incorrect.
-
>"Because you folks aren't new to this region. I was hoping to find someone here who had heard of this Yuuka, or her garden, or possibly some mention of a garden squirreled away well off the beaten path. I have to find her, but I don't have time to go stumbling blindly through the wilderness out west of here until I trip over her."
>Apply corrections if the above directions were incorrect.
>Sekibanki is silent for a moment. "Where'd you hear about this, anyway?"
-
>Which one told us about her first, Professor Floatzel or Dai?
-
>Which one told us about her first, Professor Floatzel or Dai?
>Professor Bosqueverde mentioned it first, though she never mentioned her own sources.
-
>"A professor in the university, up in Val Razua told me about her first. Bosqueverde, I believe was her name."
-
>"A professor in the university, up in Val Razua told me about her first. Bosqueverde, I believe was her name."
>Somehow this seems to vaguely annoy her, though she's hard to read with half her face covered like that. Even the guard has started to look on with curiosity now.
>"Let her in," she says suddenly, sounding faintly resigned. She turns to stalk off the way she came.
>"Sure thing," the guard says, then turns towards you with an apologetic smile. "You'll have to hand in any weapons you're carrying - standard policy, nothing personal. We'll take good care of them, I promise."
-
>Wince.
>"Absolutely?"
-
>Wince.
>"Absolutely?"
>She frowns slightly. "Something wrong?"
-
>"With the kunai? No."
>Produce kunai. At a non-threatening rate, of course.
>"With the katana? That one, I sort of have a hard time handing over. To anyone. It isn't personal, it's... Well my life depended on it, more than once. It isn't just a weapon to me."
-
>"With the kunai? No."
>Produce kunai. At a non-threatening rate, of course.
>"With the katana? That one, I sort of have a hard time handing over. To anyone. It isn't personal, it's... Well my life depended on it, more than once. It isn't just a weapon to me."
>You explain your hesitation as you produce each kunai in turn and hand it over to the guard. She examines them briefly then lays them down on the counter in front of her.
>She gives you a sympathetic look as you allude to your attachment to Kumokirimaru. "I get where you're coming from, but I'm afraid rules are rules." She chuckles wryly. "Even out here. I swear I won't get so much as a fingerprint on it, though - you have my promise."
-
>Just to remind ourselves, we experienced no problems being separtated from the sword before, correct?
>About how far away were we when we gave the sword to that pirate and that miko?
-
>Just to remind ourselves, we experienced no problems being separtated from the sword before, correct?
>About how far away were we when we gave the sword to that pirate and that miko?
>Not the last time you tried, at least.
>You only had the confidence to stray about 8 feet from Karu when she was holding Kumokirimaru, though you felt no ill-effects from the distance, and she seemed to think quite strongly that you'd remain fine from much further away. You don't actually know how far away Sumiko went, but wherever she did her work with the sword was separated from your room by a decently long hall, judging by the sound of her footsteps, so probably at least three times that - maybe more.
-
>"Would it be alright if I just tied the hilt to the sheath? I wouldn't mind if you used chain or wire, really. Assuming you had some."
-
>"Would it be alright if I just tied the hilt to the sheath? I wouldn't mind if you used chain or wire, really. Assuming you had some."
>The guard seems a little uncertain whether to take you seriously or not. "Being attached to the thing's all well and good, but isn't that going a bit far?"
-
>Glance down at the katana, and gently lay our hand upon its hilt.
>..."Maybe. But it's almost an instinct now. If I lost this sword, the consequences would be... Well, I don't even like to think about it. Parting with it is... difficult."
-
>Glance down at the katana, and gently lay our hand upon its hilt.
>..."Maybe. But it's almost an instinct now. If I lost this sword, the consequences would be... Well, I don't even like to think about it. Parting with it is... difficult."
>"Well, we're not going to lose it on you, I promise you."
>She seems a little hesitant. You gather she isn't quite sure what to make of your reluctance, and you have to suspect that a persistant attempt to avoid being disarmed before entering a secure area could eventually raise red flags. If you were in that woman's shoes, you might already be pondering implications. Of course, you might also be more suspicious than most people.
-
>"It's not about losing it. Well...um...look, just promise me if an emergency happens, you'll bring it as soon as possible. Or if I come running in, you'll give it to me immediately, okay?"
-
>"It's not about losing it. Well...um...look, just promise me if an emergency happens, you'll bring it as soon as possible. Or if I come running in, you'll give it to me immediately, okay?"
>The woman still looks doubtful, but musters up another attempt at a comforting smile - more awkward than the first. "I'm not sure there's been a real emergency here in my whole lifetime, but... sure. Don't worry."
>"Is there a problem?" you hear Sekibanki's voice call out from further away.
>The guard looks at you questioningly.
-
>Let's be logical, Naz. We've been some distance from it before, and nothing really bad seemed to happen. So it stands to reason that we should be able to travel a ways again without anything bad happening. And these are professional soldiers, not guys in trenchcoats in alleys. Even if they are a bit nervous.
>"Sorry, no. Coming."
>Remove belt with sheathe attached and submit it to the paranoid ones. Then follow that redhead.
-
>Let's be logical, Naz. We've been some distance from it before, and nothing really bad seemed to happen. So it stands to reason that we should be able to travel a ways again without anything bad happening. And these are professional soldiers, not guys in trenchcoats in alleys. Even if they are a bit nervous.
>"Sorry, no. Coming."
>Remove belt with sheathe attached and submit it to the paranoid ones. Then follow that redhead.
>You wrestle a little more with your fear and common sense, then eventually submit to removing Kumokirimaru and handing it over to the slightly puzzled guard.
>"It'll be here waiting for you whenever you come back out," she says reassuringly, then turns around and yells "Hori! Open the gate!"
>Following directly after Sekibanki would require you to lose several inches off your shoulders in order to squeeze through the narrow window separating guard room from where you're presently standing. You settle instead for moving towards the inner gate, which is already starting to creak with the tired groan of antique metal. A small, person-sized door within the larger gate swings open with all the alacrity of a hungover oni and about as much grace. Sekibanki is waiting expectantly behind it.
>"This way," she says, losing not a moment in following her own directions.
-
>It had better be.
>Take a passive scan of the place as we follow the captain here.
-
>It had better be.
>Take a passive scan of the place as we follow the captain here.
>You follow the taciturn captain as she purposefully leads you into the fort, setting a pace that is neither slow nor fast.
>The interior of Isir's Cross could be likened to a warren, with stout but ungainly buildings jammed together at all angles, divided by dirt paths and small open courts adorned with training dummies or supply crates or a lone ornamental poplar in one case. Snatches of conversation and the smell of soup and ale streaming from one low building suggest a mess hall, canvas sacks overflowing another, some kind of storehouse. Rising out of a crag far to your left is the watch tower, surveying the maze below with a kind of stolid diligence. The whole affair would probably be a terrible fire hazard were it not built chiefly of stone, and likely warded against flame on top of that. Mismatched bands of stonework stand as testament to centuries of repairs and remodelling; it is obvious that no landscape artists were ever involved at any point of the process.
>You pass a scattered soldier as you walk, though few enough even at this time of day to make you suspect a smaller garrison than the place was built to house - not surprising, really. A couple of them pretend very obviously not to be curious about you as you pass by, while the lack of interest from the rest seems genuine enough. No one salutes their captain or tries very hard to give the impression they belong to a regimented fighting force instead of a bunch of idle groundskeepers tending ancient bricks - you imagine you don't warrant the demonstration - but no one interrupts you, either. And if Sekibanki is displeased by the pair of layabouts cracking dirty jokes while dangling their feet off the roof of the smithy, she shows no sign of it, although the woman remains vexingly difficult to read; she has managed to avoid saying much of anything on the walk while never quite refusing to reply. You still haven't gotten a good look at her face either, and that bugs you.
>In absence of conversation, you pay a little more attention to your other senses as you meander the fort. It isn't hiding stockpiles of gold and jewels, that's for sure, though you would have been staggered to discover it was. There are more than a handful of enchanted items about, but this is similarly unsurprising; even a small and relatively unimportant garrison would be expected to have its share of magical hardware and Val Razua is possibly the most plentiful source of such trinkets in the entire world. You think even Sekibanki's cloak is enchanted somehow. Nothing strikes your senses with anything near the force that Kumokirimaru did, though there is a lot more noise here - your trusty lifesaver had the benefit of being the one enchanted object in a whole cavern, as near as you could tell. With some time and your dowsing rods, you expect you could track down quite a few things of modest interest around the fort, but it would hardly be polite to do this in view of the commander; probably one earns fewer favors by Seeking inside a benefactor's household.
>Eventually you are led inside a squat barrel of a building, somewhere near the rear though not quite nestled against the cliffside, and then up a flight of creaky wooden stairs into an office of a sort, almost purely functional blandness save for a suit of probably-decorative armour - antique and heavy-looking plate in nearly the same black and red as the captain's own uniform. Curiously, the helmet is cradled in the armour's hands, rather than resting in the usual position.
>"So, what have you heard about this garden?" Sekibanki ask without further preamble.
-
>Come to think of it, can we still sense our sword now? And if so, does it appear to have been moved?
-
>Come to think of it, can we still sense our sword now? And if so, does it appear to have been moved?
>You still have a sense of it, but you couldn't determine its precise location at this distance and in this environment without breaking out your dowsing rods.
-
>How about its general location?
-
>How about its general location?
>To be perfectly honest, by this point you are not even fully certain which direction the gatehouse is from your present location, but you have no strong reason to think that someone has wandered off with your sword, nor do you feel any ill-effects from the distance.
-
>It is disconcerting to be out of touch with that sword.
>But, since there doesn't seem to be a lot we can do about it now, tell the captain what we've heard about this garden.
-
>It is disconcerting to be out of touch with that sword.
>But, since there doesn't seem to be a lot we can do about it now, tell the captain what we've heard about this garden.
>Stifling your discomfort, you cover the bulk of what you've heard of the garden and its location and caretaker - which still isn't very much, all told, or you wouldn't be in this office in the first place. Despite the spartan spaciousness of the room, it manages to give off a curiously warring sense of confinement at the same time. The narrow windows give a poor view of the outside and you imagine an even poorer view from the outside and that suit of armour isn't helping at all. In your peripheral vision, it gives the lingering impression of a third person skulking in the room with you - perhaps that was even the intention in placing it there?
>Sekibanki listens with apparent attentiveness, though little change in expression. "You said the first person that told you about the garden was a professor. There were others, then." She makes it more a statement than question, though it might still be both. You hadn't mentioned your sources at all since the gatehouse, though, so she's clearly been taking notes.
-
>It WAS Daiyousei after that, right?
-
>It WAS Daiyousei after that, right?
>Yes.
-
>Nod. "A student at the university." If we learned what her speciality was, add that bit of information. "According to her, some friends of hers found the garden some time ago, but she wasn't able to give me precise coordinates. And she warned me, repeatedly, that I shouldn't go there. That this Yuuka was very, very dangerous. But I've faced dangerous youkai before."
-
>Nod. "A student at the university." If we learned what her speciality was, add that bit of information. "According to her, some friends of hers found the garden some time ago, but she wasn't able to give me precise coordinates. And she warned me, repeatedly, that I shouldn't go there. That this Yuuka was very, very dangerous. But I've faced dangerous youkai before."
>Mentioning that Dai's friends claimed to actually find the garden finally gets a reaction from Seikibanki, though the shock is muted, and replaced with a nearly imperceptible sneer when you assert your confidence in dealing with its owner. Well, maybe it would be more perceptible if you could see her mouth.
>"They said they found it? In person?" There's a brief pause. "Who were they?"
-
>Ah, yes. Was hoping you weren't going to ask that.
>Wait a minute, she said who, not what. So...
>"She didn't tell me their names. But they quite young at the time, little more than children. She didn't really even like talking about, but I got the impression it was an experience her friends wanted to forget." Pause. "I admit, it's not a lot in the way of corroboration, but I've known slimmer leads that turned out to be true."
-
>Ah, yes. Was hoping you weren't going to ask that.
>Wait a minute, she said who, not what. So...
>"She didn't tell me their names. But they quite young at the time, little more than children. She didn't really even like talking about, but I got the impression it was an experience her friends wanted to forget." Pause. "I admit, it's not a lot in the way of corroboration, but I've known slimmer leads that turned out to be true."
>Sekibanki's eyes narrow dimly. "What kind of youkai were they?"
-
>Of course.
>"They weren't. They were fairies."
-
>Of course.
>"They weren't. They were fairies."
>The captain lets out a self-satisfied grunt. "Figures. I suppose that's why you're not all that worried that they said the place is dangerous either, huh?"
-
>"Normally, you'd be right. But this time, I think it's more than just fairies being fairies, if you'll pardon the expression. I got the impression that these fairies were scared to death by what they saw there. And they STAYED scared afterwards. It's one thing for a fairy to react to something, but if that kind of fear hits them and sinks in, then that's something else."
>"But even if this Yuuka is capable of teaching fairies the meaning of fear, it doesn't matter. I still have to find her."
-
>"Normally, you'd be right. But this time, I think it's more than just fairies being fairies, if you'll pardon the expression. I got the impression that these fairies were scared to death by what they saw there. And they STAYED scared afterwards. It's one thing for a fairy to react to something, but if that kind of fear hits them and sinks in, then that's something else."
>"But even if this Yuuka is capable of teaching fairies the meaning of fear, it doesn't matter. I still have to find her."
>"What for?" The redhead's eyes study yours closely.
-
>Take a measured breath. This woman is a serious woman. If we want her serious help, we need to be serious with her. It's time to be blunt, Naz. So let's meet her eyes and say,
>"Because it's a matter of life and death."
-
>Take a measured breath. This woman is a serious woman. If we want her serious help, we need to be serious with her. It's time to be blunt, Naz. So let's meet her eyes and say,
>"Because it's a matter of life and death."
>"It might be," she acknowledges. "That's not very specific, though."
-
>"I need a healing potion to cure a very old, very rare type of blight. But one of the ingredients of that brew is Bittercress, not just the plant, the flower. Which won't be available for years. But if the reports are right, I can find those flowers in Yuuka's garden and nowhere else. Well, nowhere else close enough to do me any good."
-
>"I need a healing potion to cure a very old, very rare type of blight. But one of the ingredients of that brew is Bittercress, not just the plant, the flower. Which won't be available for years. But if the reports are right, I can find those flowers in Yuuka's garden and nowhere else. Well, nowhere else close enough to do me any good."
>There is a pause, then she lets out a small breath. "Suppose that qualifies."
>She starts to pace. "Okay, this place you're looking for probably does exist. Does it have what you're looking for? Not a clue. Is it dangerous? Maybe. Maybe a lot more than you think, even." She turns back to stare at you with dim eyes again; she doesn't seem to need to blink much. "I know you Seekers are famous for marching into any deathtrap with a treasure inside, but at least some of you must have some sense or you'd all be extinct by now. What if I said I wouldn't trust a whole squad of the guard to come back from there in one piece?"
-
>"So you DO know about it?!"
>And now compose ourselves. "Sorry 'bout that. Got a little carried away."
-
>"So you DO know about it?!"
>And now compose ourselves. "Sorry 'bout that. Got a little carried away."
>Sekibanki grimmaces at your outburst. "I've heard reports. I'm surprised they've made it all the way to random professors at the Grand Academy, but since when has anyone ever been able to stop gossiping for a minute? And before you ask," she adds flatly, "I don't know where it is exactly. I've never seen it with my own eyes and neither has anyone else here." A pause. "Or if they have, they've never bothered to tell me."
-
>"But what you've heard has been much like what I heard back in the city? In terms of how dangerous this Yuuka is, I mean."
-
>"But what you've heard has been much like what I heard back in the city? In terms of how dangerous this Yuuka is, I mean."
>"Maybe," she says. "I wouldn't normally pay too much attention to the fairies, but... How much do you know about the Wild Surge?"
-
>I know we've heard that term before. That was the incursion of the feral youkai of the Wild Lands into the more civilized parts of this continent, right?
-
>I know we've heard that term before. That was the incursion of the feral youkai of the Wild Lands into the more civilized parts of this continent, right?
>Yes, and the lengthy and exhausting war which followed. You've known of it for years, though only in very general terms - it happened half a century ago and never actually touched Val Razuan territory, let alone Braston. To be honest, you've probably learned more about it in idle conversation over the past couple days in Val Razua than you ever did in the years before that.
-
>"Only bits and pieces. I'm from Easthaven originally, out on Estval Continent, which escaped that particular conflict. I've only been over here for about a week or so."
-
>"Only bits and pieces. I'm from Easthaven originally, out on Estval Continent, which escaped that particular conflict. I've only been over here for about a week or so."
>"No books out that way either?" she remarks dryly, but doesn't actually wait for an answer. "Anyway, the whole thing was a mess from start to finish, but one of the major instigators was believed to be a really old youkai by the name of Yuuka Kazami. She had a habit of turning the local flora into some kind of nightmare army that didn't have time for little things like 'mercy' or 'leaving survivors'. The destruction of at least a dozen outposts was attributed to her in one way or another, and the massacre at Nemubochi was probably her work, too - or at least why it was a massacre and not just another battle. She was presumed dead after a complicated incident near Sasa Dioro and eventually the war ended. Nobody's heard a peep about her since and it's just as well, if you ask me."
>She paces to the other end of the room and peers through the narrow window. "Now, I don't know that this is the same Yuuka - maybe it isn't and the fairies are just being scardy-cats like always. But a bunch of things match and the physical description's close enough. And they certainly didn't pull her file from the military archives to check," she adds with a sidelong glance. "It's enough that I'd rather assume it's her than it isn't. She's the type who mightn't let being dead for 50 years stop her, if you get my meaning."
-
>Well that's a lot to digest.
>"Yeah, I get your meaning."
-
>Didn't professor bosqueverde say she was from a village in Sasa Dioro?
-
>Well that's a lot to digest.
>"Yeah, I get your meaning."
>Is it that.
>"I don't really like people gabbing about the place," she continues, "because then somebody will probably get it in their head to go and try to find it." She gives you a pointed look.
>Didn't professor bosqueverde say she was from a village in Sasa Dioro?
>She did.
-
>"I'd be just content to leave her well enough alone, believe me. But I don't have any choice in the matter."
>"But do you know what happened down in Sasa Dioro? The professor I talked to said she was from a village in that area, but she never mentioned that Yuuka was involved."
-
>"I'd be just content to leave her well enough alone, believe me. But I don't have any choice in the matter."
>"But do you know what happened down in Sasa Dioro? The professor I talked to said she was from a village in that area, but she never mentioned that Yuuka was involved."
>Sekibanki holds you in that dubious gaze, but says nothing.
>"A lot of things happened. Looting, killing, burning. It was a messy war; what do you think happened?" Her tone is acrid, but her expression looks more annoyed than truly angry, like she were dealing with a troublesome child. She pauses. "Yuka herself probably wasn't common knowledge at the time, outside a few circles. Probably still isn't, either. No shortage of dangerous youkai to go around back there."
-
>Wouldn't make a good teacher, you wouldn't.
>"Or nowadays, either."
>"You've made yourself clear, captain, about how you feel about her and her garden. But even if you don't know where it is, is there anything to do know that could at least point me in the right direction? I've got too much ground to cover as it is right now, and not enough time to cover even half of it."
-
>Wouldn't make a good teacher, you wouldn't.
>"Or nowadays, either."
>"You've made yourself clear, captain, about how you feel about her and her garden. But even if you don't know where it is, is there anything to do know that could at least point me in the right direction? I've got too much ground to cover as it is right now, and not enough time to cover even half of it."
>Probably not. Maybe not a bad commanding officer, though.
>"So you're going, either way?" Her tone makes this scarcely seem a question.
-
>"I'd welcome an alternative, but right now, I don't have one."
-
>"I'd welcome an alternative, but right now, I don't have one."
>"'Nowhere close enough to do me any good' is where, exactly?" she asks.
-
>"Come again?"
-
>"Come again?"
>"You said you could find this bittercress somewhere else, yeah? How far away?"
-
>... DID we ever get any sort of lead on the flower other than Yuuka?
-
>... DID we ever get any sort of lead on the flower other than Yuuka?
>A few places where you could probably find it growing natively, down in Hanashibara, but none that you could reasonably expect it to be in bloom this year, from what you've been told.
-
>"I meant that I MIGHT be able to find the flower somewhere else. But I don't know where exactly, nor do I have time to find it. The only place I know for sure I can find this flower, and get back to Val Razua in time to get the medicine made, is in Yuuka's garden. If I knew for sure that I could find this flower in a garden two villages down from here, that'd be great, but I don't. I have to go with what I know."
-
>"I meant that I MIGHT be able to find the flower somewhere else. But I don't know where exactly, nor do I have time to find it. The only place I know for sure I can find this flower, and get back to Val Razua in time to get the medicine made, is in Yuuka's garden. If I knew for sure that I could find this flower in a garden two villages down from here, that'd be great, but I don't. I have to go with what I know."
>"I hope you're just desperate and not a fool," she says.
>"The garden is at least fifty miles west of here, sheltered by hills that make it hard to spot from most approaches. The terrain is rough and forested for most of the way and there's little drinkable water past the Grau and few good landmarks. It's not an easy trip even for an experienced forester and you might just find a mass murderer waiting for you at the other end, if you find anything at all. I can't tell you where it is, but I can tell you a few places that it isn't, which I suppose should help a little. If you still insist."
-
>Nod.
>"Please."
-
>Nod.
>"Please."
>Her eyes betray little of how she feels about this, but she merely snaps out "Show me that map of yours."
-
>Produce map and writing instrument.
>Do we know what the term 'Grau' means? If not, ask.
-
>Produce map and writing instrument.
>Do we know what the term 'Grau' means? If not, ask.
>You produce your map and a pencil and hand them to the captain, who accepts them without comment.
>"One of the rivers," she says. "Looks like they didn't bother to name it on this map, but why would they anyway?"
>Sekibanki examines your map stoically. You have to think that her collar must make it really hard to glance down at anything and actually see it, but she seems to manage well enough somehow.
>"It's half-decent," she says after a few moments. "But it won't help you much past the first day or so; wherever the garden is, it's a lot further out than this."
-
>How long can we estimate it would take us to travel 50 miles in the conditions Sekibanki described?
-
>How long can we estimate it would take us to travel 50 miles in the conditions Sekibanki described?
>It's hard to say. 'Rough and forested' could range from a few hills beneath good shade to a mountainous slog while searching for gaps between the trees large enough to shift through. Assuming something somewhere in the middle, you'd guess at least 3 days - maybe more in your current condition. And that's assuming you don't get caught in some terrible summer storm either, to say nothing of time spent flailing around trying to find it once you're in the general vicinity.
-
>Let's be optimistic and assume three days to get there. That also means three days to get back. Including travel time back to Val R, what is the total travel time we can expect, if all goes perfectly?
-
>Let's be optimistic and assume three days to get there. That also means three days to get back. Including travel time back to Val R, what is the total travel time we can expect, if all goes perfectly?
>By the sounds of it, another week and a day.
-
>Won't that be too long?
-
>Won't that be too long?
>It had better not be.
-
>Let's try that again.
>Adding up the time we've been traveling since we got infected, and the estimated time of travel to and from yuka's to Val Razua, that would be.... 20 days?
-
>Let's try that again.
>Adding up the time we've been traveling since we got infected, and the estimated time of travel to and from yuka's to Val Razua, that would be.... 20 days?
>More like 16. Which shouldn't be out of the question, you hope, but even Minoriko couldn't give you a specific figure for how long you'd have.
-
>Sag, then pass a hand over our eyes.
>Not enough to give in to despair. .... Yet. Straighten up, mouse.
>"Do you have a larger map we could consult, then?"
-
>Sag, then pass a hand over our eyes.
>Not enough to give in to despair. .... Yet. Straighten up, mouse.
>"Do you have a larger map we could consult, then?"
>Despite yourself, you can't help but sag a little beneath the weight of what still remains before you. You try to keep it brief. You're sure Sekibanki probably noticed anyway.
>"We have good charts out to 30 miles and bad ones for another 15 or so. Beyond that it's mostly hearsay or scribbles older than half the fort. Nobody goes out that far because there's no point. Normally. All the same rocks and trees of your backyard only with a hundred times as much walking. Very technically some of it is privileged information, but anyone who bothers to restrict public knowledge of boulders and fallen logs clearly has nothing of value to do with their life."
>With a short and discontented sigh, she paces back over to the east-facing window and wrenches it open; its hinges protest this disturbance with a rasping groan. A cool breeze tickles your nose as the night air is let into the stuffy space. Then, without further adieu, Sekibanki's head floats right on out the open window and disappears.
-
>Blink. That's a neat trick.
>Nothing... falls out, does it?
-
>Blink. That's a neat trick.
>Nothing... falls out, does it?
>You find yourself momentarily at a loss for words.
>You didn't get a very good look at the underside of her head before it disappeared out the window, but the rest of the captain's body seems very much as it did a moment ago.
>"Glenworth!" you hear her voice call from somewhere outside. "I need to see the charts of the forest west of here. All the way out - as far as they go. And that includes the Halstrom expedition and anything else you can dig up from back then. Standard topographical and patrol survey - the best ones you trust a guest to be able to read."
-
>Are we acquainted with any sort of youkai that can so casually and effectively behead itself?
-
>Are we acquainted with any sort of youkai that can so casually and effectively behead itself?
>Not specifically! And certainly nothing you've ever seen.
-
>"Uh... Can you hear with... that part of you?"
-
>"Uh... Can you hear with... that part of you?"
>You try asking Sekibanki's torso a question, but it doesn't appear responsive. It isn't quite still either, though - while you are speaking, it appears to stretch a kink out of the arm that just worked open the window.
-
>Let's just.. give her a minute, then. To pull herself together.
-
>Let's just.. give her a minute, then. To pull herself together.
>You stand quietly in the room with the unsettlingly headless body. It seems none the worse for wear for the absence, though it does make for rather taciturn company. Before enough time has passed to leave you feeling truly awkward, Sekibanki's head floats back in the window again, trailing a faint wispy energy behind it. For just a moment, you catch the briefest flash of a leer in your direction, and then her expression vanishes behind her collar again as her head returns to where heads are normally expected to be.
>"I've got someone fetching maps for you," she says calmly, as if nothing in particular had just occurred.
-
>"I.. heard. Thanks."
-
>"I.. heard. Thanks."
>"Good ears," she says, then closes up the window again.
-
>Well this is socially awkward as hell. Not like we can say 'So what's the deal with the horrible death wound there? You took it like a pro, looks like!'
>"Thanks. Thank you very much. You've probably been one of the most helpful people I've met in the past few weeks."
-
>Well this is socially awkward as hell. Not like we can say 'So what's the deal with the horrible death wound there? You took it like a pro, looks like!'
>"Thanks. Thank you very much. You've probably been one of the most helpful people I've met in the past few weeks."
>You wonder if the captain's deadpan look makes it less awkward or more.
>She snickers dryly. "My sympathies."
-
>"It's not even an exaggeration. I've had to deal with some real pains in the ass and deliberately unhelpful people. It's just refreshing to see some good folk in the world."
-
>"It's not even an exaggeration. I've had to deal with some real pains in the ass and deliberately unhelpful people. It's just refreshing to see some good folk in the world."
>"Heh. Thanks, I guess." The dry cynicism never quite leaves her voice.
> She walks over to her desk. "Grab a seat if you want. It'll take a few minutes for them to dig the charts out, even if they hop right to it, which they probably won't."
-
>Have a seat and get to waiting.
>"So, is this the most excitement you get in a day?"
-
>Have a seat and get to waiting.
>"So, is this the most excitement you get in a day?"
>You take the offered chair and Sekibanki takes the one at the other side of the mostly-bare desk. It's surprisingly comfortable, despite its plainness.
>"Nah, you're pretty tame. I know what you're thinking," she adds quickly. "But you'd be surprised. Sure, we haven't had a pitched battle in a few lifetimes, but you get all kinds of weirdos trying to slip through customs, and then there's poachers and fairies and drunken idiots - some of whom even pretend to work for me," she mutters caustically. "But if nobody here ever has to end up a corpse or turn anyone else into one, that's just fine by me. I don't give a rat's ass what Val R or anyone else thinks of us, so long as they keep the paychecks coming."
>She pauses and seems to frown slightly. "You're not a rat, are you?"
-
>"Mouse. You can do whatever you want to rats, they're the worst."
-
>"Mouse. You can do whatever you want to rats, they're the worst."
>"Heh. Noted."
-
>"How often does stuff like that come up, anyways?"
-
>"How often does stuff like that come up, anyways?"
>"Like what exactly?" she asks.
-
>"Well, all of it. The poachers, the drunks, the customs weirdos, and whatnot."
-
>"Well, all of it. The poachers, the drunks, the customs weirdos, and whatnot."
>"To be fair, we don't get many poachers anymore after they stopped getting away with it, but people come across the border every day and about the only ones coming overland are either too poor to buy a ticket any other way or those with something to hide - stolen goods, contraband, or just themselves. Would be a good place to disappear from sight if someone wasn't watching all the time. Sure, about the only thing fired across the battlements these days is paperwork and harsh language, but the weapons aren't all for show either. Or if they are, they still do their job," she adds.
>"What about you? How often do you go chasing after sleeping terrors?"
-
>Sigh slightly, then grin a wry grin. "Starting to feel like I've been doing nothing but since I made full Seeker. Apart from when I met those pirates, they weren't so much the 'sleeping' kind."
-
>Sigh slightly, then grin a wry grin. "Starting to feel like I've been doing nothing but since I made full Seeker. Apart from when I met those pirates, they weren't so much the 'sleeping' kind."
>"Pirates?" She almost, but not quite, raises an eyebrow.
-
>"I had the distinct mispleasure of meeting one Aya Shameimaru and her crew between Estval and here."
-
>"I had the distinct mispleasure of meeting one Aya Shameimaru and her crew between Estval and here."
>Sekibanki lets out a whistle. "They don't come much bigger than that."
-
>"Yeah. And if you can believe it, she's got an ego even bigger than her reputation. I'm a Seeker, not a soldier, and I know that holding a grudge only hurts business in the end. But I gotta tell you, I'd really love to have a chance to bring her in, if I could."
-
>"Yeah. And if you can believe it, she's got an ego even bigger than her reputation. I'm a Seeker, not a soldier, and I know that holding a grudge only hurts business in the end. But I gotta tell you, I'd really love to have a chance to bring her in, if I could."
>The captain chuckles darkly. "You and a few thousand other people. If anyone ever manages it, they could probably buy themselves a whole palace with the reward money."
>At this point, a strait-laced woman with dark hair ascends the stairs behind you with a bundle of rolled papers tucked beneath one arm. She salutes with the other.
>"The charts you requested, sir."
>Sekibanki nods shallowly. "Just leave them on my desk."
>"Yes, sir." The woman steps forward and does so, depositing a series of long and short tubes upon the bare wooden surface. She barely acknowledges your presence, though you do catch a furtive glance in your direction after she unloads. She looks like someone who would consider brewing coffee to be an assignment of the utmost gravity.
-
>Extend thanks.
-
>Extend thanks.
>You offer the woman thanks, which she acknowledges with a perfunctory bow and little else. Duty discharged, she takes brisk leave of the room and descends the stair once again, leaving the two of you to sort through her delivery.
>Sekibanki is at work even before she is gone, unfurling a series of charts one after the other, as though she were dissatisfied with what each prior one had to say.
>"It's in this area somewhere," she says, circling an unpleasantly large region near the far extent of the one of the widest-ranging maps. It is not that dissimilar to the one you examined at the library, to be honest, though some of the others are far more detailed. There are indications of numerous walkable paths within several miles of the fort - probably some of them form patrol routes, though none of these charts seem to indicate anything revealing about the fort's own activities, to the point that you assume it is intentional. Beyond that, the curve of the rivers is indicated with considerable precision, with markers for fordable crossings and barely passable terrain. Both the terrain and the maps themselves grow poorer further out, though you can still spot a few potential routes that avoid some of the worst of the elevation changes, assuming the topographic markings are accurate. The old mining sites you've heard referenced several times are clearly indicated, and are also a fair bit out of your way. There are even some hints of cabins near the Grau and elsewhere, though only a few.
>Sadly, it looks like even an ideal route cannot avoid climbing up and down and around a dozen different hills, if you want to go that far out - so basically what Sekibanki already said.
-
>presumably these maps reveal no obvious paths or trails passing through these hills a humanoid could take advantage of?
>Scan the area for seemingly isolated bodies of water unconnected to the rivers.
-
>presumably these maps reveal no obvious paths or trails passing through these hills a humanoid could take advantage of?
>Scan the area for seemingly isolated bodies of water unconnected to the rivers.
>There are some relatively level passes, here and there, but even a best-case route looks to leave a lot to be desired. Personally, you doubt even the more explicitly marked trails nearer the fort are much more than vaguely clearer terrain that's been trodden on a bit.
>There are a couple small ponds here and there, but Sekibanki's statement that there isn't much water beyond the Grau seems born out by the map, drinkable or otherwise.
-
>Now that we've had a better look at the terrain, is that three-day estimate still looking realistic?
-
>Now that we've had a better look at the terrain, is that three-day estimate still looking realistic?
>You definitely think it could be. The clincher will be the final leg of the journey, where the maps are less use and your destination only vaguely known. Well, that and the weather, but it's been clear for a couple days now and will hopefully continue to be.
-
>That's something at least.
>Still... Sigh once more, then shake our head. "Nothing's ever easy, is it."
-
>That's something at least.
>Still... Sigh once more, then shake our head. "Nothing's ever easy, is it."
>"Seems that way most days," Sekibanki says dryly.
-
>"Still, if the- Oh." Grin. "Shouldn't say that out loud, I'll probably jinx myself."
>Let us not tempt the gods of the weather.
>"Ah, well. Griping about won't help me any more than it did when I was fighting Aya's crew."
>"So apart from Yuuka, what other sort manner of threats can I expect to find out there? I mean in terms of predators, scorpions, snakes, that kind of thing."
-
>"Still, if the- Oh." Grin. "Shouldn't say that out loud, I'll probably jinx myself."
>Let us not tempt the gods of the weather.
>You've never met any of them in person, but hopefully none of them are feeling particularly capricious at the moment.
>"Ah, well. Griping about won't help me any more than it did when I was fighting Aya's crew."
>"So apart from Yuuka, what other sort manner of threats can I expect to find out there? I mean in terms of predators, scorpions, snakes, that kind of thing."
>"There's the odd snake, but I doubt any will give you trouble. Too far north for scorpions. Maybe if you're really unlucky, some bear will get cranky with you, but there aren't many of them and they usually mind their own business. You do know how to find your way around a forest, yeah?" she asks pointedly.
-
>How much water does our canteen hold? In terms of how many days we think we can stretch it.
-
>How much water does our canteen hold? In terms of how many days we think we can stretch it.
>At a normal drinking pace and without opportunity to refill, you would not expect it to last even a whole day. With strict rationing and a little discomfort, you could extend this a bit. Fortunately, it doesn't look like water will be an issue for the first day of the trip and perhaps even a little beyond, if you follow the Grau as long as you sensibly can. Beyond that, you expect there will still be a scattered stream here or there, and possibly some of the ponds might even have drinkable water, if you can angle for them. As a youkai, you at least have less to fear from drinking from random bodies of water than most, but probably it would still be a good idea to ask someone who might know for sure. Ideally, you'd probably want more water capacity than you have on you at the moment, though.
-
>Do we currently have enough food for a six-day journey there and back?
-
>Do we currently have enough food for a six-day journey there and back?
>No. At a well-rationed pace, you expect you have enough to last maybe three days with the kind of exertion you anticipate on this trip. You have no idea how possible foraging will be along the way.
-
>"That won't be a problem. But I think you're right, water might be an issue. I'm definately gonna need a bigger canteen. And probably some more supplies as well. But nothing I don't think I can't get back in the village. It's time that's my enemy."
-
>"That won't be a problem. But I think you're right, water might be an issue. I'm definately gonna need a bigger canteen. And probably some more supplies as well. But nothing I don't think I can't get back in the village. It's time that's my enemy."
>"We might have a few things in surplus you could use," she says. "For probably cheaper."
-
>She said the magic word.
>"That would be superb."
-
>She said the magic word.
>"That would be superb."
>"Besides a canteen, what do you need?"
-
>What kind of travel gear do we have onhand?
-
>What kind of travel gear do we have onhand?
>While it is arguable what of your current inventory counts as travelling gear, the most obvious things include a compass, a couple days worth of rations, your canteen, a large coil of rope, 2 glowsticks, 2 torches, a small heatstone, a simple grappling hook, and your dowsing rods themselves. You suppose even the umbrella may have its uses.
-
>Aside from additional food, what else do we think we might need for a week's travel, assuming we don't find Yuuka in a generous mood?
-
>Remind us what a heatstone does?
I'm thinking we'll want some medical supplies. Other than that. trail rations, and some waterskins, we'd want something to sleep in. Which will be heavy, but worth it due to being able to get some decent sleep on day 2.
-
Perhaps another torch or two as well. We have a lantern, I believe, but it never hurts to have backup. And possibly a poncho or some other form of covering against the rain.
But as for a tent, or bedroll, or something like, I'm not sure on. You said it yourself, it will be heavy, and bulky as well. I imagine Nazrin is the sort of adventurer who isn't too bothered about kipping up on the ground if the need arises. Even when she is sick.
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This is kinda speaking from experience, but bad bedding is the difference between getting 4 hours worth of fitful sleep and getting no hours worth. And heavy exertion on top of sleep deprivation is not a good deal. On the other hand, I have hella sleep issues and maybe overemphasize it BUT WE CAN FIX THIS!
>How well do we rough it, in terms of sleep, particularly with regards to sleeping without bedding.
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>Aside from additional food, what else do we think we might need for a week's travel, assuming we don't find Yuuka in a generous mood?
>You probably have most of the bare necessities already - map, compass, dowsing rods, and food and water. There are several things that might provide added comfort, but which you do not truly need for the trip, such as a good tent or even a sleeping bag. Medical supplies are less important than they would be for a human, as you will recover naturally from most any injury you could expect to acquire and without serious risk of infection. You certainly wouldn't say no to an antivenin if you got bitten by a snake, but you doubt that will be an issue and it certainly wouldn't kill you - though you're in no hurry to relive anything that even approaches what that spider in the river did to your hand. There is a veritable array of things that could be useful, from water repellent clothing to enchanted climbing gloves to small hunting traps to potions for vim and vigor or a skysight prism.
>What you might need after finding the garden is another question. If some of what Sekibanki said about this Yuuka character is accurate, perhaps you could also use a small army....
>Remind us what a heatstone does?
>A heatstone is, fittingly, an enchanted stone that can be activated to generate heat. The one you possess is about the size of your palm, and could be used to heat up a mug of coffee, warm a sleeping bag, dry out damp clothing, or anything else you could think of that could be accomplished by a hot stone. A larger one could boil a whole pot of soup on its own.
>How well do we rough it, in terms of sleep, particularly with regards to sleeping without bedding.
>You have to admit that you've gotten very used to the warm softness of a proper bed over the years, but you are still a youkai born of a creature of the forest and spent the first days of your new life sleeping on the ground. During the wilderness training expeditions of your apprenticeship, you had actually been surprised by how much difficulty some of the others had getting rest without proper bedding; you just curled up in the softest shadiest spot and went to sleep. You think some of them were even a little jealous.
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>How long does a heatstone the size of ours last when activated?
>So we feel we could get by without a sleeping bag or bed roll well enough for a few days in the woods?
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>How long does a heatstone the size of ours last when activated?
>So we feel we could get by without a sleeping bag or bed roll well enough for a few days in the woods?
>Until you tell it to stop, or it runs out of magical power. The latter should take a goodly while - they are not intended as single-use disposables.
>You could; it would be more a comfort than a necessity.
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>"I'll need some more food as well, just in case. I can scrounge with the best of em, but a Mouse needs something to fall back on."
>Pause and consider. "And I think a jacket, or a cloak, something for the rain, just in case."
>Crack a grin. "Something to bribe a crazy dangerous youkai gardener with mightn't be a bad idea either, but I reckon I'm on my own there."
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>"Got any matches to spare?"
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Oh right, torches and campfire stuff. Knew I was forgetting something.
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To be fair, we don't need them. Draco confirmed we can do it with flint and steel. But matches are so many times faster and easier you'd be a fool not to get them if they're cheap.
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Touche.
And for some reason, I find myself wanting to make a match youkai for Lotus now. Maybe tomorrow, though.
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>"I'll need some more food as well, just in case. I can scrounge with the best of em, but a Mouse needs something to fall back on."
>Pause and consider. "And I think a jacket, or a cloak, something for the rain, just in case."
>Crack a grin. "Something to bribe a crazy dangerous youkai gardener with mightn't be a bad idea either, but I reckon I'm on my own there."
>"So long as you're not picky what it tastes like," she says. "If you want a better menu, the village might be your best bet after all."
>She nods. "We can probably dig something up that would fit you."
>Sekibanki lets out a dark snicker. "If we had something she wanted, she might have already taken it. If that really is her."
>"Got any matches to spare?"
>"Sure, that one's easy. I'll even toss a few in for free."
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>"Thanks!"
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>"Thanks!"
>"Should I get someone to go take care of that or do you want to stare at these maps some more first?" She doesn't even bother to nod.
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>"Lemme make some updates to mine real fast..."
>Copy down those trails, terrain features of note, and all that good stuff.
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>"Lemme make some updates to mine real fast..."
>Copy down those trails, terrain features of note, and all that good stuff.
>"Sure."
>You quickly sketch in as many relevant bits of information as you can fit on the map you have, then borrow some spare paper to copy down the parts beyond it, placing one sheet atop the other and tracing the terrain's contours carefully. Partway through, the captain's head departs to signal the quartermaster about the supplies you requested, returning through the window only just as you're putting the finishing touches on your maps. You guess it must beat marching up and down the stairs all the time?
>"Done then?" she asks.
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>"Yeah, I think this is pretty good."
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>"Yeah, I think this is pretty good."
>"Okay, they should probably have most of the stuff you asked for rounded up by the time we get there."
>She rolls the charts back up and tucks them under her arm before setting off toward the stairs down.
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>Follow that person who was probably executed for high crimes!
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>Follow that person who was probably executed for high crimes!
>You follow the captain downstairs and back into the twisting alleyways of the fort. You retrace most of your original route - or so you think; it's hard to be sure here - and then take a hard left along the outer wall before doubling back inside again. She leads you to a long squat building, looking a little like a small warehouse abutted by a half-dozen extensions and outbuildings in nearly as many different shades of stone.
>The interior looks considerably more well-ordered, though your view is mostly confined to a modest antechamber - perhaps they have simply managed to confine the chaos beyond the diving wall in the back. There is a pair of wooden counters in the space, as well a desk laden with supplies of the clerical trade and a small glass lantern to illuminate them, but no occupant.
>Upon the counter to your right is stacked a suspicious pile of items: a couple of large canteens, a very small rectangular tin, and a few small bundles wrapped with coarse paper and twine. Nothing you could wear, though.
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>"Nice. What's the damages?"
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>"Nice. What's the damages?"
>"Decide what you want first, then we'll work something out." She glances towards the back, where a small interior window hints at more cluttered space beyond. "Mayweather's probably still trying to dig out something wearable."
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>"It all looks pretty good, to be honest."
>Check the tin, and take count of its contents.
>Do the canteens seem to have the carrying capacity we need?
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>"It all looks pretty good, to be honest."
>Check the tin, and take count of its contents.
>"Not a picky mouse," she says wryly.
>You pick up the little tin, and flip open the lid. Inside is a bundle of stout matches. Looks about a dozen.
>"Waterproof," Sekibanki adds as you look at them.
>Do the canteens seem to have the carrying capacity we need?
>Both of the canteens look fairly old and a bit dinged up, but they are also notably larger than your own. This makes them a fair bit bulkier as well, but there's always a tradeoff. You don't really know your water needs for this trip, as it's uncertain how frequently you'll be able to refill - your dowsing rods will certainly let you find water more easily than most travelers would.
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>"This'll all do."
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>"This'll all do."
>"All of it?" she asks.
>At that point, an ungainly brunette with a mildly frustrated look on her face emerges from the back, hauling a pair of bulky and slightly threadbare cloaks - one black and the other faded navy with mismatched stitching. She eyes you sourly, then tosses her burden onto the counter in an unceremonious heap of rumpled fabric.
>"Will that do?" she asks, though it's unclear from either her expression or her facing which of the two of you she's addressing.
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>Consider. We could probably make do with just the one canteen, right?
>Observe the clothing and see which one seems to be the best put together.
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>Consider. We could probably make do with just the one canteen, right?
>Observe the clothing and see which one seems to be the best put together.
>Probably so, though again you cannot know for certain how long you will have to go between places you can refill. Your maps showed few obvious places past the first day or so, but a little unmarked brook would do you just as well as the larger rivers for this purpose. Finding one might be easy or it might not.
>Neither one of them looks particularly flattering or even altogether comfortable, but they do at least look durable and heavy enough to keep the rain out as well as you could hope. Of the two, the black one seems in better shape, but the navy one might be a closer fit for your frame.
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>How awkward or cumbersome would it be to have both canteens in addition to our own?
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>How awkward or cumbersome would it be to have both canteens in addition to our own?
>You could manage it, but you are carting around a fair amount of stuff already and traveling lighter does have its advantages.
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>"On second thought, I can probably get by with just the one extra canteen."
>Point our tail at the black cloak, "And that one as well."
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>"On second thought, I can probably get by with just the one extra canteen."
>Point our tail at the black cloak, "And that one as well."
>"So that's...." Sekibanki trails off, looking at the other woman expectantly.
>She takes a glance over the items on the counter, then pauses. "34 guilders."
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>Isn't that a lot for a big canteen, a waterproof cloak, some matches and those bundles?
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>Isn't that a lot for a big canteen, a waterproof cloak, some matches and those bundles?
>Assuming those bundles are rations of some sort, it's not as affordable as you'd hoped, but neither is it woefully expensive.
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>"Lemme try the cloak on, see if it's worth that much."
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>What do we think our chances are of getting a better deal back in civilian town?
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>"Lemme try the cloak on, see if it's worth that much."
>"Knock yourself out," Sekibanki says.
>What do we think our chances are of getting a better deal back in civilian town?
>You suppose it's possible, though you wouldn't automatically assume so. And that's if you can even manage to find some of this stuff in a village this size in a timely manner; the food probably wouldn't be too hard, but a good large canteen might be a bit more difficult.
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>Sample the merchandise.
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>Sample the merchandise.
>You take up the darker cloak and try it on. The woman who delivered it folds her arms impatiently.
>It's a decent bit larger than necessary and you rather disappear inside the hood when you pull it up, but that wouldn't be altogether bad if it's actually raining. The material is a bit coarse, but not scratchy, and it's reasonably light for its thickness. It wouldn't be your first choice if you had to outfit yourself from somewhere with actual selection, but it's definitely serviceable.
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>How does it smell?
>What do those wrapped bundles smell like?
>Does Seki's head or body smell any different when they are separated?
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>How does it smell?
>What do those wrapped bundles smell like?
>Does Seki's head or body smell any different when they are separated?
>Like old sawdust with a hint of cider.
>You take a sniff in the direction of the bundles. It's definitely food, or mostly food; there's a decent quantity of dried meat and jerky swimming in the pungent odor of potent salting, probably some crackers and other very dry breadstuffs, dried apples, and just a hint of faintly stale honey. Another sniff. No cheese. Pity.
>Sekibanki doesn't smell particularly unusual either now or back when she was performing spontaneous self-decapitation.
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>"I'll take it all. Sorry, just not used to prices in this part of the world, I guess."
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>Well, not ALL. We should be able to get by with just the one extra canteen and one cloak.
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>"I'll take it all. Sorry, just not used to prices in this part of the world, I guess."
>Well, not ALL. We should be able to get by with just the one extra canteen and one cloak.
>Sekibanki snickers darkly as you complain about the local prices, then jerks her head towards her subordinate; for just a moment, her head seems to twist further to the side than you'd expect a neck to comfortably support. You might wince in sympathy if you hadn't already seen far worse from that neck. "You can give her the money."
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>"Sure."
>Turn, then pause.
>"Oh, I almost forgot. Do either of you ladies know a woman by the name of Kagerou?"
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>"Sure."
>Turn, then pause.
>"Oh, I almost forgot. Do either of you ladies know a woman by the name of Kagerou?"
>The brunette throws her captain a sidelong glance.
>"What about her?" Sekibanki asks in a guarded tone.
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>Guarded? Oh, what have I done now...
>"I wanted to meet her, if I could."
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>Guarded? Oh, what have I done now...
>"I wanted to meet her, if I could."
>"Well, she comes by this way every couple weeks," Sekibanki says. "I can pass along a message for her, if you want."
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>"You think she'd be around tomorrow?"
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>"You think she'd be around tomorrow?"
>"I wouldn't count on it, but it's possible."
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>Not a resounding confirmation.
>"Hmmm."
>Fold arms.
>"Well, let me ask you, then. I was told back in the village that she knows this area pretty well. That fair to say?"
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>Not a resounding confirmation.
>"Hmmm."
>Fold arms.
>"Well, let me ask you, then. I was told back in the village that she knows this area pretty well. That fair to say?"
>"Well enough, I guess," Sekibanki says. Her subordinate throw her a questioning glance - subtle enough to barely notice.
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>Why do I get the feeling this isn't something we should get too deep into?
>How on edge to these two look/seem?
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>Why do I get the feeling this isn't something we should get too deep into?
>How on edge to these two look/seem?
>Sekibanki isn't being much more readable than usual; if her eyes are harder than normal, it is only barely. Her subordinate seems more uncertain than anything else, though even this is slight. You do get the feeling that something might be up, but it isn't entirely obvious what that would be.
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>"Would you also happen to know if she's willing to share that knowledge, say, to someone planning a long trek into the wilds?"
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>"Would you also happen to know if she's willing to share that knowledge, say, to someone planning a long trek into the wilds?"
>"Couldn't say," she replies.
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>Do we get a sense from her reply that she's covering or concealing something?
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>Do we get a sense from her reply that she's covering or concealing something?
>Other than the lower half of her face, you'd have to guess by circumstance and inference; her tone of voice and body language leaves little to go on.
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>She'd be interesting to play poker with.
>"I see. Well, just thought I'd ask."
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>She'd be interesting to play poker with.
>"I see. Well, just thought I'd ask."
>You'd place better odds on her winning a bluff than most people you've met.
>Sekibanki nods silently.
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I think I'll hold off on this line of questioning. Just in case. We can ask the werepuppy later.
>"Right. Back to the business at hand."
>Tick items off on our hands, "One large canteen, ration kits... Hm."
>Do we feel we need all those ration kits, or merely some of them?
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Take 'em all. Better to have them then not have them, and now is not the time to be stingy.
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It's instinctive. I'm about the stingiest bastard you'll ever meet, when it comes to playing games. Be it RPGs or otherwise.
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>"Right. Back to the business at hand."
>Tick items off on our hands, "One large canteen, ration kits... Hm."
>The brunette looks at you expectantly, and a little impatiently.
>Do we feel we need all those ration kits, or merely some of them?
>You don't know precisely how much they contain, but even if you could make do with less, the quantity assembled here doesn't look excessive.
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>Patience is a virtue, soldier girl. Wait for it.
>"Just doing some math."
>Finish ticking off what we need, then pay off the antsy trooper.
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>Patience is a virtue, soldier girl. Wait for it.
>"Just doing some math."
>Finish ticking off what we need, then pay off the antsy trooper.
>You mentally admonish the woman you assume to be either the quartermaster or someone in their employ, then finish surveying the items and hand over the appropriate money to pay for them. She accepts it with little comment, and no love lost, for whatever reason.
>You acquire additional traveling rations, a black cloak, and a large canteen. You now have 273 guilders.
>"You can take the other stuff and put it back," Sekibanki says to the woman, who grabs the extra cloak and canteen off the counter and marches towards the rear with a curt acknowledgement. The captain turns back to you. "Does that about cover it, then?"
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I think that covers about everything I had to ask her about. She might know more about Kagerou, but I don't fancy our chances of getting it out of her. Rest of y'all good?
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>"Yeah, you were a huge help, more than i can say."
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>"Besides, anything else that needs to be covered can come up in the next thread."
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>"Actually, can I get a military bow like yours, commander?"
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>"Besides, anything else that needs to be covered can come up in the next thread."
>Sekibanki shrugs.
>"Actually, can I get a military bow like yours, commander?"
>"It's standard issue," she says, reaching a hand back and giving it a tug. "50 guilders."
>Then as she pulls the fabric free, her head rolls off the side of her shoulders and drops towards the ground.
>"Oh, dangit," complains the falling noggin. "I forgot how that was tied..."