Hatate Quest Nelja

[Oldmansour]

>"That sounds like a youkai to me."

>"It... It does?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yup. You need to have more confidence in yourself. You managed to wake up and become your own person all by yourself. You should be proud of that!"

[Oldmansour]

>"Yup. You need to have more confidence in yourself. You managed to wake up and become your own person all by yourself. You should be proud of that!"

>Ranka still seems a little confused. "Why are you so sure that's what happened to me?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Because it did? I mean, you're the proof right here. Fake things don't question themselves like this. Back me up, Momiji."

[Oldmansour]

>"Because it did? I mean, you're the proof right here. Fake things don't question themselves like this. Back me up, Momiji."

>The White Wolf frowns. "Well, to be honest, Hatate, I'm not as sure. I mean, her scent hasn't changed. If she's right, and she's still connected to the book, maybe she's a... A rogue character?" she suggests with a confused shrug.

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's what a youkai is, though!"
>If we feel we can give Momiji a discreet nudge or kick that Ranka wouldn't see, do so.

[Oldmansour]

>"That's what a youkai is, though!"
>If we feel we can give Momiji a discreet nudge or kick that Ranka wouldn't see, do so.

>The wind spirit's attention is too focused on you for you to physically prod your subordinate at the moment.
>"Youkai can be a lot of things." Momiji protests. "Nobody knows everything about youkai and how they come about, not even Yukari."
>"I don't think it matters." Ranka interrupts. "Whether I'm some kind of new youkai, or just a character that can act on its own, I'm still Ranka Kitajima. And I'm still going to help you two every way I can. And I can start with Aya. I know now that I can definitely interrupt her talking to distant tengu, and keep her from feeling me do it."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Right, good. That's the important part, have confidence in yourself! And yeah, we'll drag Aya to her senses whether she likes it or not."

[Oldmansour]

>"Right, good. That's the important part, have confidence in yourself! And yeah, we'll drag Aya to her senses whether she likes it or not."

>"Just a minute." Momiji interrupts. "You know now?"
>"I didn't know before." Ranka half-explains. The wolf  tengu still seems confused, so Ranka goes on, "Aya's caught up in the power of this world. It's messing up her senses, I'm sure. There's gonna be gaps in what she can sense and do since she's sort of... stuck between worlds. I can hide my power in those gaps."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Could you point out those gaps when you see 'em, without her hearing it? It'd be real useful to know when she's being tricked and when she's just being willfully dense."

[Oldmansour]

>"Could you point out those gaps when you see 'em, without her hearing it? It'd be real useful to know when she's being tricked and when she's just being willfully dense."

>"No. See, you're all in that other world. I'd have to shout into the wind so you could hear me that way, and she'd hear that. Maybe not understand, but she'd hear someone shouting."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, then don't worry about it."

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, then don't worry about it."

>"I never worry." Ranka says with a smile, which does waver after a moment. "Well. I didn't used to."

[Hello Purvis]

>Pat her shoulder. "Hang in there."

[Oldmansour]

>Pat her shoulder. "Hang in there."

>The flighty Ranka nods appreciatively at you, then smiles a saucy smile. "You know, if you didn't have business with someone else, I'd think that was an invitation." she drawls, seemingly her old self again.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Heh. Guess you've gotten some pretty subtle invitations, then!"

[Oldmansour]

>"Heh. Guess you've gotten some pretty subtle invitations, then!"

>"And not too many of them turned down." she adds.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Is that an invitation?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Is that an invitation?"

>"I don't see why not."
>Behind you, Momiji clears her throat sharply. "Ladies? The mission?" she reminds you.

[Hello Purvis]

>"We're getting there, geez!"

[Oldmansour]

>"We're getting there, geez!"

>"Well, we HAVE stopped." Momiji reminds you.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, right. Kinda got drawn into important things."
>Resume course. We can talk more on the way if needs be.

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, right. Kinda got drawn into important things."
>Resume course. We can talk more on the way if needs be.

>Momiji gives Ranka a sympathetic look. "Yeah. You're okay for now?"
>Ranka laughs a light laugh. "A little flirt helps clear the mind."
>"Right." Momiji replies tolerantly, then turns as the three of you resume your flight towards Twilight's, and Aya.

>Along the way, Momiji asks the wind spirit, "Do you think you might be able to help us with something else?"
>"Depends on what you want, soldier girl."
>"Ranger. I'm a ranger. And I was wondering, since you're connected to this world in a way that Hatate and I aren't, is it possible that you could find a way out of this world though that connection?"
>Ranka considers that, then shakes her head. "I wouldn't know what to look for."
>"Maybe something like, a hole in the world?" the ranger captain suggests.
>Ranka smiles. "That's a pretty line. She do writing for that newspaper of yours?" she asks you.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Not really, but maybe I ought to let her have some article space. I guess the best thing to do would be to look for things that are really weird, then trying to narrow down what makes them weird."

[Oldmansour]

>"Not really, but maybe I ought to let her have some article space. I guess the best thing to do would be to look for things that are really weird, then trying to narrow down what makes them weird."

>Ranka looks doubtful. "I can try."
>"We'd appreciate it." Momiji says. Ranka's eyes go a bit distant and she slows a bit. Momiji however, does not. She seems a little worried. "I've just had a thought, Hatate."

[Kilgamayan]

> "What's up, buttercup?"

[Oldmansour]

> "What's up, buttercup?"

>"Something Ranka said made me think. About Aya's connection to the book, like she said. Aya might not need to communicate with other Tengu. The book could interpret what we're about to do as a threat all on its own, if it's reading Aya. Even with Ranka's help, it's possible we could be threatened by this world's inhabitants anyway."

[Hello Purvis]

>"It might, but if that's the case, anything we do is going to be a threat that'll set it off."

[Oldmansour]

>"It might, but if that's the case, anything we do is going to be a threat that'll set it off."

>"I doubt we've done anything so far. But I just wanted to mention the possibility to you. I'd rather neither of us be caught off guard if we can help it."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Right. I'm sure you can take down as many of these lapsed fake tengu as she can think up."