Reimu Quest (Part 8)

[日巫子]

>Observe for a moment. What does she seem to be up to?

> She's creating more wil-o-wisps.  Once she has a decent amount, she arranges them into a circular formation.  They sink into the ground in front of her.  She then reaches into her pocket and takes out a small box.

> _

[Sect]

> Lean against the doorframe and watch with interest.

[日巫子]

> Lean against the doorframe and watch with interest.

> You watch as Ran opens the box, and takes out a small cylinder.  In the glow of the wil-o-wisps, she opens it up and kneels down to tap out a fine powder into the circle.  She shakes a piece of chalk out of the container, rolls up her sleeves, and starts drawing something on the ground.  After she takes her hand away, the powder rises into the air and compresses into a tiny pinpoint.  Then, the air around it distorts.
> Ran looks over her shoulder.  "Good evening."

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"That the gap thing you were talking about?"

[日巫子]

>Nod.
>"That the gap thing you were talking about?"

> "Yes.  It should take about a day to fully open.  Once this is open, you should be able to go in and out as you please, but if there's anything you need to do, you should get it out of the way first."
> Ran stands up, puts the box in her sleeve, and sighs.  "Are you hungry?"

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Might have to get Nazrin to help me find that last shell piece, then. And yes."

[日巫子]

>"Might have to get Nazrin to help me find that last shell piece, then. And yes."

> "Alright, then."  Ran takes one last look at the slowly-forming gap before walking towards the back door.  "I'll see what you have in the kitchen, then.  Suika's asleep in the other room, by the way."

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Didn't see her."
>Follow her inside. "So, that thing is starting up like it should?"

[日巫子]

>"Didn't see her."
>Follow her inside. "So, that thing is starting up like it should?"

> "Really?  Well, I'm sure she'll come running when she smells the food."
> You follow Ran into the kitchen.  As she makes for the fridge, you ask her more about the gap.
> "It is.  Lady Yukari wouldn't spend so much time on something that would fall apart after being started up," Ran says.  "My, you have a lot of apricots in here."

> _

[Sect]

> "Got tired of peaches. I'll give you a hand cooking."
> And we do.

[日巫子]

> "Got tired of peaches. I'll give you a hand cooking."
> And we do.

> You roll up your sleeves and get to work helping Ran.  She goes for the carton of eggs, butter, seasonings, and biscuits.  Perhaps she has noticed that you're starting to get low on supplies, because she hasn't taken a lot of food out.  While she heats the butter on the frying pan, she has you set the table.  She then cracks some eggs over the pan and cooks them sunny side up, sprinkling them with salt and pepper.  Suika appears halfway through this process, yawning and taking a seat at the table.  Ran puts an egg and a few biscuits on each plate, and for the final touch, pours a glass of water for everybody.
> Overall, it looks like a good meal.  Suika downs her glass of water in one go so she can refill it with her gourd.
> "Well, then, I hope you don't mind having breakfast for dinner," says Ran.  "I didn't want to waste the other meat you had in there."

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Breakfast is fine when you've just gotten up."
>Have a seat and dig in.

[日巫子]

>"Breakfast is fine when you've just gotten up."
>Have a seat and dig in.

> "True."
> You sit down and start eating.  The food tastes great, better than what you could do with these eggs.  Suika finishes her food within minutes but continues drinking.  Ran eats at a slower pace, only finishing after you've cleared the last of the food from your plate.  She takes hers and Suika's dishes from the table and takes them to the sink.
> Between drinks, Suika speaks to you.
> "Heyyy, I showed the gems to Yuugi," she slurs.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"What? Why? We don't need rumors spreading!"

[日巫子]

>"What? Why? We don't need rumors spreading!"

> "No, no, no one's blabbing about your gems," Suika says, waving a hand at you.  "I was getting price estimates from her.  She says if you could make at least ☼4000 if you managed to sell every single one of them."

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Any of them really stand out?"
>How much is that? What kinds of things can you get for that amount of money?

[日巫子]

>"Any of them really stand out?"
>How much is that? What kinds of things can you get for that amount of money?

> "Not really.  You just have a lot of them."
> You're not sure how that translates into μ, but it sounds like a lot.  You could buy enough food to last you half a year, or a really expensive dress if you were careless with your money.  You might even be able to use it for repairs or renovations.  It's a small fortune.

> _

[Sect]

> "Wow. Between that and the generous donation we should be good for a while. Thanks for checking with her."

[日巫子]

> "Wow. Between that and the generous donation we should be good for a while. Thanks for checking with her."

> "Uh-huh."  Suika pauses to drink from her gourd.  "All we need to do is find customers."
> Ran, who is drying off the dishes, looks over her shoulder. 
> "Reimu, are you done with that?" she asks.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Clean off anything left.
>"Yeah."

[日巫子]

>Clean off anything left.
>"Yeah."

> You finish off the rest of your food, and then Ran comes to take your plate away.
> Suika rolls off her chair and onto the floor.  "Come to think of it, you didn't sleep much did ya?"

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Not much time for it. Anything happen while I was down?"

[日巫子]

>"Not much time for it. Anything happen while I was down?"

> "Ah.  Well nothing else really happened while you were out," says Suika.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"Alright. How long til that gap's ready to go, Ran?"

[日巫子]

>Nod.
>"Alright. How long til that gap's ready to go, Ran?"

> "I told you earlier it would take about a day," Ran says as she puts the dishes back in the cabinet.  "Did you forget already?"

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"No. I was asking how far along it was. I don't know when you started it."

[日巫子]

>"No. I was asking how far along it was. I don't know when you started it."

> "It just started," Ran says.  "I know you were watching me while I was setting it up."

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Heh. I had no idea if you were starting it or adding in some spices, or setting it to a simmer or what."

[日巫子]

>"Heh. I had no idea if you were starting it or adding in some spices, or setting it to a simmer or what."

> Ran laughs.  "Did it look like I was cooking?"

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>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?"