>"So I take it that you don't head out that way very often?"
>"Well, looks like I do. Feel like coming along?"
>"Okay, let's start by heading out to where you saw this person."
> Let's follow.
> "It's fine if your memory's a bit off, it was a bunch of years ago. I'm even surprised you remembered it happening."
> "Huh, that's a good point."
> Keep flying/swimming/verbing along. "Maybe that's why your sisters are never around? What's the point in playing music if there's no one around to hear it?"
> That sound like some sorta koan the Buddhists would use or something.
>"Are you OK?"
> "If you want to turn back, then that's fine. You've helped out by telling me about this." Even if we don't quite know what all this exactly means.
> Say aloud. "Wow. She didn't waste time."
> Onward!
>Could we pass through the Boundary if we wanted to?
>What is involved in training a successor for us?
>Examine the damage.
> Well, let's try to get closer. If it'll take an absurdly long time, such as six to eight hours, to go to the Boundary then return to the shrine, then we'll not go all the way.
> Is this because of exhaustion?
>Which is closer, the shrine or the palace?
> Is there a good place to land in order to take a break?
> We're the Hakurei shrine maiden, of course we're brave. Float downwards to find a suitable clearing to land and have a snack.
> Do we feel we can make it a bit further towards the Boundary? Or is our body telling us to go home and rest?
> Even if we wanted to, we're just plain tired. We'll check it out when we haven't been up since... since whenever we got up yesterday, not counting the nap that barely counted.
> Let's head back shrinewards.
> Good ol' Suika.
> Whatabouts time is it?
> Go into the shrine after making sure we are sufficiently dry.
> Pat her on the head. "Hey, watch the horns. What's up?"
>"A ton of what Suika?"
> Silence.
> Loooong silence.
> Run out to the donation box! Even if Suika's still on us!
> "That's what I'm doing!" Leap on our way to the donation box, to give Suika a bumpy ride. Once there, open up the box and peer inside.
> Oh man, money is money, even if it's only useful underground! "I don't know ☼ very well, how much do you think it is?"
> What do we know about ☼?
>Pick a coin up and give it a few taps. This better not be some tanuki messing with us.
>"Niiiice."
>"Hey, Suika. Do you know anything about jewels and stuff?"
>Produce one from our sleeve and show it to Suika.
>"Is this real?"
>"What is it?"
>"Are they worth anything?"
>"What about this one?"
>Swap it for another random lake gem.
>Collect up the coins and shove them in our sleeves
>"Follow me."
>Head to the bedroom, and presuming nothing is awry, open up the crate with the gems.
>"Had to improvise. Busy day and all."
>"See anything particularly good in there?"
>"Because then we'd forget where it was, or faerie would dig it up, or something."
> "I was thinking emergency funds for a... well, not a rainy day like this. I was going to sell the ones I have up my sleeves first, though."
>"Think you could keep an eye on them til we come up with a better place to put them?"
>"That'd be nice. Go though 'em and give me a good count and price estimation. I'll be sure to give you a cut for the work. Right now, I need to get to bed."
>"Thanks!"
>Get to bed already.
>Look around.
>Does it seem any more familiar now?
>"Ooooh."
>Sigh.
>Check the backs of our hands.
> We've been here before, huh? Anywhere in Gensokyo?
> Did we fly over it in Sanae's dreamworld?
>Pitch a sigh.
>Which was did we go to get to Sanae's Hakurei-Free Wonder Hell?
>Which direction did we go from this plain, rather, so we can go the other way instead.
>Oh well.
>Pick a direction at random and head that way.
>"Oh well."
>Keep going forward.
>"Oh, hi guys."
>Kneel down and pet them.
>While doing so, look around for ways to proceed and points of interest.
>Contemplate ways we have not gone before.
>Let's follow the road the way we haven't gone yet, then.
>Light it up with some danmaku and proceed.
>Proceed.
>Once we're out, let's fly along this road.
>Does it seem like we could that sphere via flight in anything like a timely manner?
>Does this remind us of when we first encountered Kikuri?
>Is there any random small debris in the tunnel?
>If so, pick some up and toss it into the sky.
>"...Nuts to this."
>Fly back through that tunnel, and return to where we first turned off from the path leading to the shrine.
>Look toward the sound.
>"Kogasa?"
>Go investigate the bushes. Be prepared for surprises.
>"Huh."
>Look around again.
> Let's continue on then. The guy trying to ambuscade us will slip up eventually.
> Cross into the woods on the opposite side of the road and keep watch to see what crosses after us.
>Emerge.
>"Hey there."
>Try to take a relatively nice tone, but not too nice.
>"What're you up to, kiddo?"
>"Wandering around. Wanna come with?"
>At this point, we've been down both ways of the black stone road, right?
>"So, are there any neat hidden things around here?"
>"Huh. Anything odd about them, or are they just neat-looking?"
> "No creepy caves with weird moon things?"
>"Where's your pink-haired friend off to?"
>"Ain't that how it is? I have a blonde friend who's pretty much the same."
>"Let's go see that hill."
>Follow dat Hornhoffer.
>Proceed along the path, and let's see if we can determine what is tickling at our familiarity bone.
>Let's head to the middle of the field ourself.
>Take in the view for a moment.
>Does this feel anything like home, in terms of intuition tugs?
>"This is just like where my shrine is."
>"I'm a shrine maiden. I have a shrine. And it's in a place just like this."
>Current outfit?
>"Not really. Tell me about the one that used to be here?"
>Have a seat beside her, and take in the view. Anything catch our eye?
>"Maybe she spoke with people who knew you?"
>Does the name sound familiar at all?
> "What happened to Tamiko? What happened to the shrine?"
>"Did you talk to Keine-sensei about her?"
> "Sanae didn't know either?"
>"Did anyone else know at all?"
>"So, if her shrine was gone, what was left in its place?"
>"So no grass or trees in its place?"
>"Think you could show me where it was?"
>Follow that Onilet.
>Don't fall behind. Hover after her if needs be.
>"Here?"
>"Where was the front door?"
>Check around that area. Are we sensing or intuiting anything?
>"I can't feel anything. Mmmm, could you show me where the main part of the shrine would have been, if the door was right here?"
>Make our way over there, and have a look around.
>If we went from our shrine in the waking world and came in this direction, what would we expect to find?
>Look over.
>"Sure."
>"Sent her home."
> "Because... well, home for me 'n her ain't here. It's similar, but not really. It's easy enough for her to get back here, so don't worry about that."
>Don't say that.
>Instead say: "Because that's how it works. You disappear and reappear home. She'll be back when she's good and ready."
> Pat her on the head. "Trust me, she's fine. She just has things to take care of first."
>"Well I certainly don't want to. I don't think there are any more people here who are from where Sanae and I are from, and if there were, they would probably be responsible enough to go home on a regular basis."
>"Not really."
> Uh oh, time to pass the buck. "It's hard to explain. Ask Sanae about it sometime, she can explain it far better than I can."
> "Yeah, sorry I can't help you much with that."
> Start walking Konngara back to her shrine. "Hey, by the way... what was this 'Tamiko' customer's family name?"
> Yeah, THAT was a total surprise. Make a mental note to head Keine-ways after this.
> Guide mini-Konngara away from collision. "Careful, there."
>"Hakurei? That's my name ..."
>"Didn't I introduce myself? I'm Reimu Hakurei."
>"When did this happen, anyways?"
>"The disappearing thing?"
>"Mmm. Interesting."
>Do we know much of anything about the history of the Hakurei line? Did Genjii tell us anything, for instance?
>Do we know where we are on this road, and places it leads?
>Keep walking with Konngara.
>Nod.
>"Hey, is that room still clean?"
>"The one I exorcised."
>"That's good to hear. Have there been any other problems?"
> "Good. Well, if anything happens you remember how to exorcise it, right?"
>"Alright. Then you take care."
>Head toward town.
>We saw a guide sign one time....let's go find it again.
>Keep on going! Fly along for speed.
> Woah. This is definitely a dream, nothing like this can exist in real life. Fly closer to the buildings and peer closely at them.
>Does its layout resemble the city we visited the last time we were here?
>Let's drift toward that guide sign, and enjoy the sights. Perhaps keep an eye out for familiar faces.
>Look for the school.
>Let's head there, and see if we can find any sign of Keine around.
>How long have we been asleep?
>Let's leave here, and fly toward the Moriya Shrine.
>Let's head into the actual building then.
>Knock.
>Give it a minute or two. Then head around back.
>Are there any back entrances?
>Check them.
>Are there any windows? If so, have a look in through them.
>Does that feel "natural", or at least benign, at all?
>Shine that flashlight into it.
> Try pushing up and at the windows to see if one of them will open.
>Go find a nice large rock. Then hurl it through a second story window large enough we can easily fly through.
>Grab another rock and go to inspect the window and the darkness from a yard or so away.
>Use the second rock to widen the way in as needs be, gently hammering away glass shards the frame and any dangling bits we don't like. Be sure we have space; no need to graze this.
>Does it feel like we can get through easily?
>Head inside.
>Take out that flashlight again, see if we can get any use out of it at all in this.
>Put a hand near the top so we can feel where it is, then bring it closer to our face until we can see it, or it touches us.
>Shoot some glowing danmaku in various directions.
>Do we not see it even when we get the flashlight so close it touches our face?
>Does this remind us of anyone. Like a youkai who was loitering in our yard during the whole scarlet mist shebang?
>"Hey, anyone in here?"
>Inventory.
>Take out our broom, and use it to feel through the darkness and move ahead. Keep our ears peeled.
>Groan.
>Do we think we've flown long enough that we should have hit a wall?
>Have we felt anything on the floor?
>We did at least hear that groan, right?
>Hold the broom ahead of us and fly forward at a decent clip. Not too fast, but fast enough. The broom should hit something before we do if there is something to hit.
>Look back over our shoulder.
>When we fired that danmaku, how long did it take for us to lose sight of it?
> Bring out the yin-yang orb. Does it react to anything?
> Flick it into the darkness, then wait for a few moments before willing it to return.
>How did it fall? And how far did it go?
>Head toward it, with feelin' broom ready to keep up from smacking into anything.
>Approach!
>Groan.
>Estimate the time of day from the kind of light streaming in.
>How rested do we feel?
> Get up, establish time of day for certain.
> We went to sleep around when?
> Get up and stretch. When was Ran supposed to go do that voodoo that she do?
>Let's go prowl around and see what other people have done to our shrine.
>Is there anyone around, or signs that people have been around?
>"And we didn't see them at all while looking around the shrine? Weird.
>Head outside and look around.
>Whichever is closest.
>Observe for a moment. What does she seem to be up to?
> Lean against the doorframe and watch with interest.
>Nod.
>"That the gap thing you were talking about?"
>"Might have to get Nazrin to help me find that last shell piece, then. And yes."
>"Didn't see her."
>Follow her inside. "So, that thing is starting up like it should?"
> "Got tired of peaches. I'll give you a hand cooking."
> And we do.
>"Breakfast is fine when you've just gotten up."
>Have a seat and dig in.
>"What? Why? We don't need rumors spreading!"
>"Any of them really stand out?"
>How much is that? What kinds of things can you get for that amount of money?
> "Wow. Between that and the generous donation we should be good for a while. Thanks for checking with her."
>Clean off anything left.
>"Yeah."
>"Not much time for it. Anything happen while I was down?"
>Nod.
>"Alright. How long til that gap's ready to go, Ran?"
>"No. I was asking how far along it was. I don't know when you started it."
>"Heh. I had no idea if you were starting it or adding in some spices, or setting it to a simmer or what."
>Laugh.
>"Not really, but that was the quickest way I could think of to break it down. But the bottom line is that we have until this time tomorrow?"
>"Sure, as long as you don't cause any problems."
>"Well, like I mentioned, I think I'm going to find Nazrin and make her help me get that last shard. After that...well, I don't know. In the meantime, think you can rustle up some more supplies for the pantry, Suika?"
>"Right. Thanks for cooking!"
>Let's make our way toward the Human Resettlement and Myouren's Ark.
>Let's move toward those danmakus and see what is going on.
>Let's take a closer look at pink and purple arrow person. We know who the other is.
>"Oh right. We'll have to flag that one down later."
>Look around for other familiar faces.
>Any signs of a purple-haired human?
>Lets approach Byakuren.
>"Good evening."
>Join the crowd as properly as we can, so that we aren't in the way so much, but can still talk with Byakuren.
>"Things been peaceful today?"
>Have we asked her, or any of the Myourens, about the shards?
>"Yeah, a little bit."
>"No problems from the Moriyas?"
>Nod.
>"Haven't seen a purple-haired girl, answers to Meira have you?"
>Relay the description we were given.
>"Might. I've only been looking for a little while, and not too far out to be honest. Aya's also supposed to be doing it, too, but who even knows what she's doing."
>"That'd be nice. Also...have you seen anything like this?"
>Produce a shard and show her.
>"Would you mind if I asked Nazrin to look for it? I have a collection that's almost complete, and a suspicion that they'll be important for something soon."
>Nod.
>"Anything you think I need to know about?"
>Chuckle a bit. "Danmaku tournament for fun?"
>"Wouldn't have expected you to be the sort to laugh when a tengu gets shot down."
>"Even then, wouldn't expect you to be laughing at that sort of thing."
>"Have the kappa been here all day?"
>"What sorts of stories did they have to tell?"
>Nod.
>"I need to go hassle them about some stuff. Thanks for looking over things here."
>Make out way toward Hatate and the Kappa. See if we can recognize any of the latter.
>"Hey!"
>Wave
>"Mind if I join you guys for a bit?"
>Oh come on, you guys are in the middle of a festival...
>Settle down on the raft and make ourself comfortable.
>"Been busy reporting, lately?"
>"I wonder if it's bad for you, though? Like how too much salty food is bad for you."
>Nod.
>"You guys find anything interesting down there?"
>"Ooo, is there any of that around here?"
>Look to Hatate.
>"How about you? Find anything noteworthy?"
>"Yep, it's true. They got separated in the flood."
>"I wonder, have any of you seen anything like this lately?"
>Show them a shard.
>"Shame. "
>Look to the kappa
>"So how is your village doing? Seems like the currents are really bad around it right now."
>"Trying to find you guys so I could ask these questions. And you're really fine? The water there is crazy."
>"Yeah, but it's gotta be a pain to sleep in. Or have your stuff in."
>Have we ever heard the idiom about a kappa being carried away by the currents?
>"Huh, how do you keep your stuff from getting knocked everywhere? That current was real bad, is it always like that?"
>"That's about what I thought. It seems like it's mostly calm everywhere else, from what I've seen."
>"Speaking of seen, have you seen any weird fish, like one with arms?"
>"The kind that tried to beat me up a couple days ago."
>"I only saw the one. But what I did see a bunch of these things that looked like desserts with silky tendrils in a lake. And when you touch them, they sting the crap out of you."
>"It's way out that way."
>Gesture in the proper direction.
>"Up in the mountains, in what was probably a crater."
>"Have any of you seen any of those cute fish that squeak and spit water?"
>"They're pretty friendly, yeah. Where did you find them at?"
>"Where do they come and go from, do you know?"
>"Fair enough. Any of you know what Nitori has been up to?"
>"When was that?"
>"So before this whole festival started up or what?"
>"So, have people here been behaving themselves?"
>"Okay, just wanted to be sure my people were being good guests."
>"You didn't happen to see where Marisa or Nitori got off to, did you?"
>"Yeah, I think I'll go do that. You guys enjoy yourselves!"
>Let them say what they want, then leave the raft and head toward bulk of the people on land.
>Approach those tanuki, and see what they're up to.
>What do we know about that one?
>Approach Mamizou casually.
>Come over.
>"Looks like you two are doing okay."
>"Yeah, it's really not supposed to be here."
>"Yeah, you're really not supposed to do that."
>"That's a part of it, anyways."
>Glance around. "Looks like you guys haven't done too badly in the wake of all this."
>Nod.
>"Seen anything I need to know about?"
>Give her a flat look.
>"Like what?"
>"That's a good place to start. Tell me about this human? What'd she look like? Was she up to anything?"
>"Sounds like someone I'm looking for. What happened with her, again?"
>Nod.
>"How long ago was that?"
>"Couple hours ago? And point me in the right direction?"
>Nod.
>"Thanks. You're the first person here who's been helpful. Anything else notable I should know about?"
>"Seen anything like this?"
>Present a shard.
>Is that eye twitching thing something that happens often with Kokoro in our experience? Or does it feel like a tell?
>"You okay, Kokoro?"
>"Oh! Okay. Now I get it, sorry."
>"Seen any problems around here?"
>Who else of note did we see around here?
>More in general around here; including the ship and the refugee town.
>"Alright. Thank you both for your help."
>With that, let's go find Nazrin.
>"Hey there."
>"Didn't mean to interrupt time with your friend, there."
>"Okay. I wanted to ask for your help in finding something."
>Show her a couple shards.
>"I think I have all but one of these."
> "I've been going nuts trying to find it, but I guess it's either out in the middle of nowhere, or just the last place I'd think to look."
>Nod.
>"That's what we've figured thus far."
>"Thanks Nazrin."
>Follow that mouse!
>Oh this is going to be infuriating, isn't it?
>Well, at least we can treat her to tea afterward. Keep following!
>"Don't get too close to that!"
>Land nearby. "So...it's in there, huh?"
>Heave a sigh.
>"It really would have been nice if that piece of shit old hag had left word with someone before I wasted all day looking for it, when I could have been doing something useful."
>"Oh well, want some tea?"
>"Yeah, that one. We'll be having words."
>Head inside.
>Get that tea on the kettle.
>"Mmhm. I can't take all the credit, Suika is a gem when it comes to keeping this place together. Anyways, I'm sorry for dragging you all the way out here. "
>"Can you keep this under wraps?"
>"I'm serious. Last thing we need is some two-bit youkai or alien or god or whatever with something to prove giving us a hard time. Anyways, it's a gap we're opening to wherever Yukari is hiding."
>Nod.
>"It'll take a bit, yet. Which is a pain, but there's nothing to be done about it. I'll focus on some other things in the meantime."
>Once the kettle goes, serve up that tea.
>"Hopefully they haven't been working you too hard?"
> We got any cheese for our mouse shaped friend here? If so then offer some like a good host.No cookies though else she'll never go away.
>What do we have?
>"Sorry I don't have much in the way of snacks. Past few days haven't been easy on provisions."
>Serve some dried apricots.
>"Sounds like we might have to go get some peaches from the Celestials, then."
>"Yeah, it's a bit high up. We'd had to be careful not to drop 'em on the way down."
>"Same thing to worry about, though. I'll have to do some looking around on that front, mmm..."
>Do we know where Hakugyokurou gets its food from?
>"Yeah, I think I'll be making a few more trips."
>"There's another thing, too. So I've heard Kukuri spent some time around you guys?"
>"You know what she did, right?"
>"It only just came to my attention. So there is going to be a meeting to determine what to do about her breaking the rules. I'd like to invite your and your friends to attend."
>"Maybe that'll be what's decided. Who knows? We've not had to do this before. And yeah, you don't have to come, but I want someone from your group there. Preferably several someones. This affects us all."
>"Good, thanks."
>Enjoy some tea, let the mouse talk about whatever she wants.
>"Might have some weird fish living in there, too. Actually, if there's anything down there you need, I might be able to get it for you."
>Nod.
>"Alright. No one's been giving you guys any trouble, right?"
>"Good. Last think I need is for the kappa or the tengu to get in a snit. Or for some dummy with the refugees to go start something."
>"If we didn't have idiots I wouldn't have much of a job. And I'm glad you liked it. Ready to head back?"
>Head back!
>"Thanks!"
>Make our way toward Genbu Ravine.
>Look around for signs of activity, particularly from tengu patrols. If they found someone here, after all...
>How does one approach a kappa without sending them scurrying?
>Approach slowly and quietly.
>"Hey, got a minute?"
>"Looking for someone. And you want some help with that boat?"
>Help that kappa with a boat! Presumably we can lift it while flying.
>"So, I've heard stories about someone being lost up here, and there being some to-do with tengu guards and the black-white witch?"
>"Probably not. What'd you do with her?"
> "Could you show me where that is? I know of someone who's looking for her."
>"No problem."
>Do that thing.
>Give a friendly wave.
>Do we have our swimsuit on, or at least under our clothes?
>Fly after her. If she dives, dive after her.
>Follow her in.
>"Good work."
>Does this person look familiar at all? Failing this, does she match the description we were given?
>Weird...
>"What did she have to say?"
>"Great. How long ago was that?"
>"Probably be better if we just brought her partner here. Well, if that's okay with you guys. It's your home."
>"I assume it's because she's was exhausted. Personally, I'd just let her sleep, rather than fly her up to the shrine."
>"I figure once her wife's up, you can run 'em off back to the Moriya shrine, anyway."
>"Find anything else, Marisa?"
>Oh right. Oh well, maybe if Yukari hadn't caused us to waste time elsewhere...
>"No luck there, either. Wanna come with me to the mountain?"
>"Alright. Thanks for taking care of her, Nitori."
>Head out, and take to the air toward the Moriya shrine.
>"So, I spent most of the day looking for that last shard. Finally ended up making Nazrin help me find it, and guess where it was?"
>"In that gap Ran's making. Can you believe that? I'd been going all over trying to find the stupid things in hopes we could use them to fix this mess, and that stupid hag had been holding onto the last one! And she didn't even tell me!"
>"It wouldn't be so bad, if not for the fact she was around the night the whole thing started, you know? She could have given me a bit of a warning. Well, I'll be giving her a bit of something once we find her. Besides that, do you know Layla?"
>"So apparently, she saw someone who looked a whole lot like me walk past the Prismriver mansion, years ago. Like, back when we were still kids and my hair was still light. But looked like me today. Weird, huh?"
>"I dunno. I don't think we'd look that identical..."
>Glance around. Any sign of Rika, or lights on in the shrine?
>Do we know what window that is, given all the times we've prowled around the Moriya Shrine lately?
>Fly over to the screen, and knock on the frame.
>"Don't mind Marisa. Anyways, we found your partner. C'mon."
>"She's at the kappa village. You can be cool like a cucumber, right?"
>"C'mon Marisa!"
>Let's lead her back once Black White extracts herself.
>"This way."
>Lead her toward the proper abode, knock politely, then enter.
> "You can thank the kappa, they're the ones that found you. Oh, and I guess Marisa too."
>We don't know of any shrine maidens who teamed up with tanuki do we?
>"I felt bad, anyways. Must've hurt to be separated from your wife."
>"So, what's with her, anyways? She was kind of exhausted when people found her and fell asleep before anyone could get much from her."
>"Related to that, once she's rested and maybe had something to eat, the kappa here would probably appreciate it if you drug her back to the shrine or wherever."
>"I figured. A swordswoman would stand out a bit."
>Let the tanuki approach. Be ready to make with the grazing if needs be, but don't be obvious about it. Polite company and all.
>Eh, any time you want a piece, sofatail.
>"I'm gonna go handle of some other things. How about you, Marisa?"
>"Got any leads?"
>"Where've you looked?"
>"Yeesh. I've been thinking of looking into Hakugyokurou for my own business, anyways, so I'll look around there."
>Gesture for Marisa to follow us out, so we can talk without disturbing people.
>"You've spent some time there, haven't you?"
>"Yeah."
>"Do you know where they get their food from?"
> "Might as well find out, since even after we deal with the flooding we're going to have a hell of a time with getting food. What'll you think all this salty water'll do to the fields?"
>"Yeah, that'll be the problem to solve. But for now, I think I'm going to figure out where the ghost princess gets her food, then try to get some for the village. And maybe Eientei."
>"Good idea. She's supposed to know about all those elements anyways."
>Let's head for Hakugyokurou, ourself.
> Groan and fly.
> Head through the doors, and look for familiar faces.
>"Youuuuumuuuu, Lady Yuuuuuyukoooo"
>Explore the mansion.
>Look back at the gaggle of ghosts. Do we notice anything interesting about them?
>"Hey, you guys know where the princess or her gardener is?"
>Follow them!
>"Yeah. I need to talk about some important things. First, let me ask a question thought. Where do you get the food here from?"
>"Ugh. Well...you're probably going to have problems with that in the future. Was really hoping you guys had some other source."
>"So...I've been looking for alternatives that aren't raiding Bhava-Agra for peaches. Though if we need to raid Bhava-Agra for peaches, I'll be counting on you. The underground is also flooded, so they're going to have their own problems. Don't think we can count on the kappa having enough cucumbers for everyone, and getting the tengu to do anything is about as fun as trying to pull teeth, if they even have enough to share."
>"Yeah, but if you could just hunt enough to feed a town, we'd never bother with growing things. Though hunting's probably going to be easier for awhile, what with all the animals bunched up on less dry land. Fishing will work for a bit, maybe, but once we get rid of the water..."
>What do we know about food preservation?
>"We could probably offload them into some ponds, maybe. But we'd need to have ponds in the first place. And then catch enough to last more than a little while. Which would involve strongarming the kappa. And we wouldn't have too much time to do it, because we need to get rid of the water as soon as we can."
>"Not to mention getting all the stuff to salt them, smoke them, and so on. And we'd still need to get the kappa to help out to get enough to last more than a day or so."
>"That's the question, isn't it? Can't go to Makai, that stuff's definitely poison."
>"Oh she's gonna do that whether she likes it or not. It's just a question of how much she can bring."
>"Oh, those things... Well, maybe that'd work."
>"I'll keep it in mind, that' be easiest since we'd just have to make Yukari do all the work."
>"Somewhere. Ran's working on digging her out of whatever hole she's buried herself in so I can yell at her."
>"Anything important, or just catching up or what?"
>"They're be time for that later. Right now, she's going to have a whole lot on her plate."
>"You haven't seen Ran's cat around, have you?"
>"Yeah, she's been missing since the whole flood, and I don't feel like bothering the dousing girl at the Myouren Temple to find her."
>"Sure. Marisa's on the job, too."
>Quests
>Was there a day arranged for Suika and Tenshi to meet up?
>"Think I'm going to move on, myself."
>"Yeah, thanks for your help, too. Send word if you ever find that cat."
> Well then, let's make departures and head underground.
>Do we see Parsee anywhere?
>How does the city itself look?
>Head to the Palace.
>Head inside, and hunt for Satori. But do greet any of the other residents we find.
>Head toward that sound.
>"Hey. Mind if I stay a bit?"
>Go join her.
>"Hopefully I didn't wake you?"
>"That's some cat, if she's hiding from you and getting away with it."
>Let's take advantage of the bed for now.
>"So today was frustrating, but I think ultimately productive. You haven't happened to see any nekomata around here that answer to Chen, have you?"
>"I think I may have to bury Yukari in your back yard when then is all said and done. You don't mind if I make Okuu help, do you?"
>"I'll just distract her with some string."
>"You could see those?"
>"Ah. And yeah. I don't even know what to think about those. Other than it's probably Sanae's fault."
>"Well, I could try finding you. Do the pets ever have memories of dreaming about that restaurant?"
>"You think there's anything to that shrine disappearing in there?"
>Idly put an arm around her. We could do with it.
>"That bothers me. Also what Layla said."
>"It might be a bit early to tell, but it's some coincidence at least."
>"There's a lot of running around to do. Especially when I thought that last piece was still around somewhere."
>"Don't know yet. Might fix it up, and see if we can use it to fix the damage to the barrier."
> Snuggle into Satori. "Might just use it to whack Yukari over the head a couple of times."
>"We'll talk about the rest in the morning."
>Do we feel even a little tired?
>Let's drift off too, then.
>Frown.
>Let's gently untangle ourself. No need to rush it.
>Once that's done, see where the meowing is coming from.
>"...How'd you guys get in here? Did someone make a hole or something, Orin?"
>Open the door for them.
>"She's trying to sleep. You guys hungry or something?"
>Step out, leave the door open a crack.
> What timeabouts is it?
>"Hey, if you guys what to show me something, just lead the way."
>Follow them cats!
> Sigh. "So you guys WERE hungry." Faux glare at Orin. "You could've just SAID so."
> Enter le kitchen.
>What's their normal feeding schedule?
>Have a look at the clock.
>"Eh, close enough."
>We can we expect Satori to wake up, usually?
>Get to feeding, we know where all the bowls and such are by now.
> Lean down and scratch Orin behind the ears. "Satisfied? I'm gonna go back now."
> Back into the bed. We might not want to go back to sleep just yet but it's warm.
>She's supposed to wake up in a bit anyways, we'll just enjoy the morning til she does.
>"Morning."
>"I'd been half wondering if she were still around or not."
> "Eh, she's kind of like my cat anyways: she always just pops up when she wants to bug me. How's your squeaky pet fish doing, by the way?"
>"Are they taking well to each other?"
>"So, is there any place in town where cats like to go and be? Might be a place to start if Chen washed up down here."
>"Oh well. I'll ask around first, hopefully she'd have the brains to go find someone for help."
>"Couldn't say how smart she'd be about things in this kind of situation. I'm mostly just gambling that she's ended up here at all."
>"Yeah, might as well while I'm here."
>"Wouldn't say no."
>"Alright. I'm gonna go have a look at Mako."
>Let's go do that thing.
> How big is the pool? Are we going to need to look for a bigger place for her to stay when we resolve this incident?
>"Hey, good morning."
>Graze that water.
>"You alright out here?"
>Kneel down and pat her on the head.
>"Okuu been good to you?"
>Daaaw
>"Managed to tag her with that water yet? The trick is you don't aim where they are, you aim where they're going to be."
>"The other trick is you don't just do one shot, you do a bunch, but you might have a hard time with that. Are they feeding you well here?"
>"Not a bad shot, that. Oh, hey, have they given you anything to play with?"
>Catch it.
>"Okay, catch!"
>Toss it in her general direction.
>Toss it out further this time, a bit faster. Let's see how quickly she adapts.
>After she retrieves this, toss it vertically so it skips off the water.
>After that, let's see how long it takes her to figure out a fake toss.
>"Heehee."
>Toss it for real this time, make her go long.
>Yeah, this is what we're gonna be doing til we're called for breakfast. Mixing it up with squeakfish.
>Keep that ring a flying.
>Observe for a bit.
>Does it feel like breakfast should have been done by now?
>Let's go look into that.
>To the kitchen!
>Have a seat. We can worry about that presence in a minute.
>"She is. Seems like she needs a lot of attention to keep from getting bored, though."
>"Any ideas for that?"
>"Maybe the lake?"
> Help her out with setting the table. "We might want to look into getting her some friends to keep her from getting lonely. They die when they're lonely, right? Who's the third plate for?"
> Toss a strawberry at Koishi's head. "Just eat normally! How did it go with Flan?"
>"What'd you two get up to?"
>You can never predict if two of your friends will get along with each other, but it's so nice when they do.
> "And at least let Satori make you a snack you can share with Flan."
>Break dat fast.
>"Hey, Koishi. You haven't seen any nekomata around lately, have you?"
>"You've seen nekomata? Where?"
>"Huh, when?"
>"What was she doing?"
>Do we think she really has the wherewithal to actually show us where this place is, or would it be like asking a faerie to do differential equations?
>"Do you remember anything else? It could be important."
>"Tell me more. What kind of box, for instance?"
>Does this sound like anything we know, or anything we'd expect someone like Chen to have?
>"Interesting. Thanks, Koishi."
> "I don't suppose you picked up any ideas of where that nekomata was, did you?"
>"Sometimes I forget."
>"What do you have planned for the day?"
>"Ugh. Hopefully the pets will be some help with that."
>Tease her. "You sound like a housewife."
>"Incidents are difficult for everyone, and maintaining a palace with family and guests and pets isn't easy."
>"Your welcoming heart is one of the things I love about you."
>"Heh, just saying what's true. Maybe I shouldn't kidnap one of them, though, if you're going to be cleaning."
>"Heh. Then you best keep the better cleaner of the two here with you."
>Finish dat breakfast.
>"Morning, sunshine."
>"Loitering around, mostly."
>"I want a present for not laughing."
>"She's not an early bird is she?"
> "I'll split it with you, then."
> Take half of it and hold it in front of Satori. "Say 'ahhh'."
>Take that cream puff AND THROW IT ON THE GROUND!
> In goes the cream puff into her mouth. "Good?"
> Let's have some of it ourselves.
>"So, which one of them do you want me to take?"
>Nod.
>"Okay, got it. Know where she's hiding at?"
>"Right. I'll see you later. Or feel free to drop in at the shrine if you want, things are gonna be busy."
>Head out to the garden.
>Look over. "Hey, Orin, need to borrow you for a bit."
>"You know Chen? I'm looking for her and Satori said I could borrow you to help."
>"Just need to make sure it wasn't washed down here. Or if it was, get it back to her fox."
>"I've heard something about a nekomata at a cave around the tunnel, so that's a good place to start. And maybe ask people around there."
>"Good, good. Know any shortcuts there?"
>"Lead the way."
>Follow that felis!
>"Yeah, give me a minute."
>Catch up, and keep going.
>"Yeah. Was it like this before the whole reactor thing happened?"
>Look around. Does anything catch our interest?
> Lean over the side of the bridge.
>"Hey! You guys seen an Nekomata?"
>"Uh...short. Has two tails. Might be carrying some white box? Probably lost and scared."
>"That's what I hear."
>Fly after those youkai!
>Listen for telltale sounds.
>Also have a look at the flood damage.
>"Are they coming?"
>Let them approach.
>"Hey there."
>Try not to sneeze. Or at least not sneeze on anyone.
>"Let's make this quick. Any of you guys seen a nekomata around here? Possibly with a white box of some kind?"
>"Huh, okay. Good!"
>"Hey there you are! Ready to head back to Ran?"
>"Thank, Yuugi!"
>Wave.
>"Yeah, you're done here. Go tell Satori you earned a treat."
>Can we get a glimpse of that thing Chen was holding in her skirt?
>Start upwards.
>"What's in the box?"
>"Okay. Ran is at my shrine, so that's where we're headed."
>"Yep, shouldn't take too long."
>Let's try to keep up with the kitty then.
> "Huh. Looks like it's getting worse."
> Zoom zoom.
>Follow her in.
>"Really? That's good."
>"Hey Konngara, didn't expect to find you here."
>Nod.
>"How much did it cost?"
>Does that sound outrageous?
>"Really? Thanks! Find out anything else along the way?"
>"Interesting news and stuff. Sounds like no, if you had to ask."
>"And apparently nothing else is happening down there, which is the best news we can hope for."
>"I'll make a shrine maiden of you, yet."
>Go see what Chen is up to, and make sure she didn't run through any walls or doors.
>"So, anything useful in there?"
>Do those look like anything we've seen, aside from standard sewing supplies?
>Do we feel anything interesting from them prickling our intuition?
>"I haven't. You said that was Yukari's, didn't you Chen?"
>"Actually, Chen, why don't you tell us the story about how you ended up down there? And don't worry about things like getting in Yukari's room. She's got no business complaining right now."
>"So you just stayed with them? How are they handling the flooding and the freezing and stuff?"
>"Anyways, mind if I take that box for a bit? I get the feeling it might be useful."
>"Sure thing."
>Close the box up and tuck it away.
>"So what was going on down there, Chen?"
>"What kind of food?"
>"Still, enough bats and stuff to share them freely with you. I'll keep it in mind."
>"I'm not the only one up here who need to eat. So I'm keeping things like this in mind, after this whole business is put behind us."
>"Don't suppose either of you have a way to tell Marisa and Youmu that the two of you have found each other, do you?"
>"That's true, if she doesn't mind."
>Just watch that spectacle. Then check the donation box real quite, since Ran was loitering around it.
> "Eh, it's not like she won't be back soon enough."
> Gesture at the sky. "How much time do you think we have till things get worse?"
> "I mean worse worse. You know, fire raining down from the sky, the dead rising from the graves, cats and dogs living together... mass hysteria. We're already going to have problems thanks to all of this salty water messing up crops, which is why I'm finding out about alternatives."
> "Oh, good, then we still have some time up here. We're going to have to hurry it up, though, because Old Hell is freezing over."@shades
>"They need to eat, too. And a sudden winter is no better for them than a sudden flood is for us. And depending on how things go, we might have to rely on them."
> "The oni down there don't seem bad. I haven't heard of anyone being spirited away since the geyser incident. Besides, haven't you seen Konngara wandering 'round up here?"
>"Regularly enough she's in the kitchen."
>"Not often, but it happens."
>"Hey. I got a question for you. You've been with Yukari for a long time, right?"
>"And she's hung around and harassed my family line for centuries, right?"
>"Good. So who is Tamiko Hakurei?"
>"We'll worry about hows later. Proceed."