Hatate Quest Kaksi

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, you'd rather I'd tell everyone? I can do that."

>The grin fades. "That is not what I meant, no. I am sorry if I offended you."

[Hello Purvis]

>Shake head.
>"I'm just trying to keep light-hearted, don't worry."
>Stand up. "So, let's get moving?"

[Oldmansour]

>Shake head.
>"I'm just trying to keep light-hearted, don't worry."
>Stand up. "So, let's get moving?"

>"Very well." Celes stands as well. "Oh, wait, I've just had a thought. If you see Honoka outside, you can tell her about this, if you want."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"Okay, if I see her, I may tell her. We'll see."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod.
>"Okay, if I see her, I may tell her. We'll see."

>With that said, Celes comes around the table and opens the door for you.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Thank you!"
>Make out way back toward the front. Keep an eye open to Ranka or Honoka along the way.

[Oldmansour]

>"Thank you!"
>Make out way back toward the front. Keep an eye open to Ranka or Honoka along the way.

>You and Celes part ways in the hallway, you heading back towards the doorway while she heads left. Through the thick wooden doors, you detect the sound of danmaku in the air, though nowhere near as loud as Leraije's shots. And you think you hear fire as well. Curiousity piqued, you glance outside. Sure enough, the air is alive with the sound of bullets. The fire can be explained by the fact that there are streaks of flames lining the sky, spaced in, around and through crimson bullets of several types. Honoka is the source of the flaming shots, and she seems to be squaring off against Ranka and Yuzuriha, the latter of which is flanked by two floating dogs, the yellow furred one she had earlier and a slightly larger grey dog, possibly a wolf.
>Seated in front of the gate are the two Prismriver sisters and the green clad Leraije, watching the show.

[Hello Purvis]

>Make our way toward the gate, then approach the former duelists.
>Give a friendly "Hey!"

[Oldmansour]

>Make our way toward the gate, then approach the former duelists.
>Give a friendly "Hey!"

>Staying low to avoid collateral fire, you head up and over the gate, setting down alongside Leraije. The trio of non-humans have been joined in the interim by a small woman with short messy brown hair capped by a red and purple nightcap. She wears a pale purple buttoned pajama top, with a dull grey dress underneath. There is a grey anklet around her left leg above her bare foot, with a pink jeweled snail inset. A large dog with white and blue fur rests it bulk on the new girl's lap. She doesn't seem to care. In fact, she looks very drowsy, despite the spectacle going on overhead.
>"You're just in time." Leraije says with a spectator's grin on her face. "Honoka's really getting fired up." Her voice, somewhat surprisingly, is somewhat quiet, in sharp contrast to her danmaku.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, that threatens to be interesting."
>Let's see if we can get a few good shots while talking.
>"I'm Hatate Himekaidou. You put on a pretty good show earlier."
>Polite nods to the others.

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, that threatens to be interesting."
>Let's see if we can get a few good shots while talking.
>"I'm Hatate Himekaidou. You put on a pretty good show earlier."
>Polite nods to the others.

>"Better believe it." Leraije says with emphasis. "That woman's really strong."
>"Hope they finish soon." the drowsy-looking girl says with a short yawn. "I want to get back to my nap."
>Lunasa, polishing her horn, remarks absently, "Small wonder you like her, Lyrica." Her sibling grunts but does not protest.

>Setting up to take a few choice shots at the battle overhead, you make a few observations after greeting the others on the ground. Yuzuriha's dogs seem to be acting in the capacity of familiars, absorbing danmaku and returning fire to compliment the circular and angular bullets fired by the Cobalt gate guard. Honoka's face, despite Leraije's description of her attitude, is almost calm, starkly belying the intensity and level of her danmaku. By comparison, Ranka's stunning face is lit with a big smile. She seems almost joyous to be exchanging fire with Honoka.

>"I thought I noticed you before." Leraije answers with a nod. "You're the Crow that arrived with Honoka, right?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, I did. And you're one of the people who keep this place guarded, right?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Yeah, I did. And you're one of the people who keep this place guarded, right?"

>"That's me. I'm the ranged specialist. Leraije." she introduces herself, sticking out her hand, revealing her green painted nails.Your proximity to the demon reveals her to be a rather fetching lass. Her long black hair is finely textured, and hangs over part of the right side of her well defined face, concealing one of her rich green eyes. Her short-sleeved purple body suit is rather form fitting, despite its understated exterior, and fits around a very shapely form. A simple cord of pink and white pearls decorate her neck, and a pair of emerald-studded silver bracelets encircle both wrists.

[Hello Purvis]

>Shake hand. Grip as hard as needs be to avoid crushing, and no harder.
>"Yeah, I heard. Sounds like you really enjoy fireworks."

[Oldmansour]

>Shake hand. Grip as hard as needs be to avoid crushing, and no harder.
>"Yeah, I heard. Sounds like you really enjoy fireworks."

>"It's what I do." she answers with a grin. "And I'm still good to go if you wanted to try your luck. I'd love to see if you're as good as that other tengu."
>"One defeat wasn't enough in a day?" the dozy woman drawls. You have to stifle a yawn yourself, despite the sheets of bullets being exchanged overhead.
>Leraije's grin does not falter. "No shame in losing to Honoka."

[Hello Purvis]

>Wave hand. "Maybe I would, but I've got to be going in a little bit."
>Glance back at the fight.

[O4rfish]

>"By the way Miss, your name isn't Setsuka is it?"

[Oldmansour]

>Wave hand. "Maybe I would, but I've got to be going in a little bit."
>Glance back at the fight.

>Leraije shrugs. "It's your call."
>"Your ears will probably thank you." Lunasa quips. The demon does not seem offended.

>Yuzuriha seems to be a bit outgunned, to your eyes. Even with her canine familiars, her shots are not as fast as Ranka's, nor as numerous or expertly put together as Honoka's. Still, she's making a very good show of herself. In terms of skill, she seems to be around the same level as Alice Margatroid. A comparison that is strengthened in your mind as, after suffering impacts from a pair of Honoka's lasers, Yuzuriha clenches her fists and two more dogs appear around her, another wolf-like dog with a grey and white coat and a large brown and black coated canine, and all four dogs immediately fire criss-crossing streams of petal-danmaku, each dog firing a different color, while Yuzuriha herself floats in the middle of the formation discharging large spheroid shots. You see a spellcard in her hand, but unlike many others, she activated hers without shouting its name to the heavens.

>"By the way Miss, your name isn't Setsuka is it?"

>The drowsy woman with the messy hair looks around, then points to herself, as though to say, 'Who, me?'

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, you."

[Oldmansour]

>"Yeah, you."

>"Nah. I'm Sloth."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, I heard about you! You're one of those sins, aren't you?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, I heard about you! You're one of those sins, aren't you?"

>She nods laconically.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, you don't seem like much of a troublemaker."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, you don't seem like much of a troublemaker."

>The Sin shrugs. "Too much trouble to make trouble."
>Lunasa nods approvingly. "Simple logic."
>"Don't let that lazy face fool you." Leraije adds. "Sloth here managed to possess the Hakurei a little while ago."

[Hello Purvis]

>"...You know, I'm not too surprised. Though isn't it too much trouble to possess people, too?"

[Oldmansour]

>"...You know, I'm not too surprised. Though isn't it too much trouble to possess people, too?"

>"World in Flames!" Honoka cries above, activating a spellcard of her own.
>Leraije pumps her fist excitedly. "All right! I was hoping she'd use that one."

>"Most of the time." Sloth confirms, heedless of the demon's excitement. "But she was asleep when I got her."

[Hello Purvis]

>Laugh.
>Then look back. Get some pictures of the action.
>"What were you even doing over there?"

[Oldmansour]

>Laugh.
>Then look back. Get some pictures of the action.
>"What were you even doing over there?"

>Honoka's arms and legs poke out from her cloak, the youkai suffused with a crimson aura. Her hands discharge multidirectional bursts of bullets, wedges, rice-grains and fireballs, in a chaotic, ferocious barrage. In addition to these shots, the field on top of her and behind her, or the top half of the screen begin to pulse with orange light. Ranka, who is in this area at the moment, books it back down towards Yuzuriha, suffering grazing shots from a pair of fireballs, escaping the area after the third pulse. Each pulse of light then erupts in a massive explosion of flame, the core of each explosion emitting a thin orange laser down towards Ranka and Yuzuriha.

>"Curiousity." Sloth replies. "Wanted to see what the new Hakurei was like."

[O4rfish]

>"The new Hakurei, did you meet an old Hakurei?
>Did we meet a previous Hakurei, or did Ayayayaya?

[Oldmansour]

>"The new Hakurei, did you meet an old Hakurei?
>Did we meet a previous Hakurei, or did Ayayayaya?

>Sloth nods. "Before the long sleep."
>Leraije adds, "The Hakurei of that area was a lot more severe than Reimu. When we met Reimu, she beat everyone of us that she meant, but the only one she really went out of her way to punish was Sloth."
>The Sin shrugs. "I've had worse."

>You yourself have not. Aya, being much (much, much, much, much.... Old woman) older than you, has encountered many generations of the Hakurei keepers. She hasn't always had much to say about the previous generations, however. According to her, Reimu's a lot more interesting than pretty much any of the ones that came before, at least as far as Aya was concerned.