Maribel Hearn Quest - ACT III - Part 5

[Neovereign]

//iirc Renko only knew in Gensokyo, but I may be wrong...
>Pick a card, any card.
>How much energy do gaps waste to create? Even if it's undone immedietly?

[the old guy]

>To Renko "So...how long have you known she had these powers?"

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

//iirc Renko only knew in Gensokyo, but I may be wrong...
>Pick a card, any card.
>How much energy do gaps waste to create? Even if it's undone immedietly?

>You pick
>Two of hearts.

>It takes a little less than a fifth of your energy to make a gap right now. You do not seem to recover this energy until you undo an active gap.

>To Renko "So...how long have you known she had these powers?"

>"Well.. um... I didn't at first. She kinda kept it a secret from the rest of the family. I r-really didn't find out until I read her... um... until I read her diary..."
>Sumireko's eyes widen, "You did w-"
>"Y-You disappeared and all of us thought you were dead!" tears begin to form in Renko's eyes, but she suppresses them, "A-Anyway, it was about 6 years ago..."
>_

[Neovereign]

>"Losing a family member would be scary..."

[the old guy]

>Replace "scary" with "a terrible thing to go through"
>Hug Renko.

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"Losing a family member would be scary..."

>Replace "scary" with "a terrible thing to go through"
>Hug Renko.

>You give Renko a hug.
>Sumireko looks down, "I'm sorry, Renko... I-I never meant to put any of you through that... I-"
>"Don't worry about it, Sis..." says Renko, "There's nothing that can be done about that now. All that matters is that you're here."
>_

[Neovereign]

//Well it's a different meaning, but whatever...
>Gently let go.

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

//Well it's a different meaning, but whatever...
>Gently let go.

>You do so.
>_

[Neovereign]

>"How did you get here and what exactly were you doing in Gensokyo Sumireko, if it's not private..."

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"How did you get here and what exactly were you doing in Gensokyo Sumireko, if it's not private..."

>"Well, the first time, I wanted to learn more about it with the Occult Balls, but I could only make temporary trips, so I devised a plan to temporarily bring people out of Gensokyo to learn from them, but apparently I was causing an incident or something so everyone tried to fight me instead..." she looks aside nervously, "Anyway, stuff happened, I lost the Occult Balls, and I abandoned that plan. I could visit Gensokyo in my dreams after that, though, for some reason... Anyway, some years later I gathered the Occult Balls again and re-entered Gensokyo the proper way. I asked Mamizou to help me with an experiment I wanted to run on them... The last thing I remember was the experiment failing and blacking out. The next time I woke up, Matenshi was inside me..."
>_

[Neovereign]

>"If you don't mind, I think I can help fill in some holes as to what happened... I do want to know more about some things too."

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"If you don't mind, I think I can help fill in some holes as to what happened... I do want to know more about some things too."

>"I wouldn't mind." she gathers the cards, "Anyway, return your card to me without showing me."
>_

[Neovereign]

>Mentally note a few things to do after everything settles down and we get to stay with Renko, whether the trial happens and the sentence finally ends, or her judgement lets her go as Sumireko's did from almost destroying the barrier... One such task is to get back at Aya from those pictures at the cave...
>Place the two of hearts facedown in defensive position, then end our turn.
>"Er, I guess it's more putting everything together, but we do know what the Occult Balls are and what likely happened after you blacked out. But I do want to know why the replica still exists, and how it was made from... well, not here."

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>Mentally note a few things to do after everything settles down and we get to stay with Renko, whether the trial happens and the sentence finally ends, or her judgement lets her go as Sumireko's did from almost destroying the barrier... One such task is to get back at Aya from those pictures at the cave...
>Place the two of hearts facedown in defensive position, then end our turn.
>"Er, I guess it's more putting everything together, but we do know what the Occult Balls are and what likely happened after you blacked out. But I do want to know why the replica still exists, and how it was made from... well, not here."

>You note to pay Aya a visit sometime...
>You place the two of hearts facedown. Sumireko then summons Blue Eyes White Dragon
>Sumireko then places it, still facedown, on top of the deck.
>"I'd like to know that too... Maybe we should ask about it sometime?" Sumireko gestures towards the deck, "Anyway, now I need you to cut the cards."
>_

[Neovereign]

>Nod.
>"When everything is calmer all around and we settle a few things..."
>We know how to cut, right?
>If so, cut the cards.
>>If not: "...Uh, you want me to cut it?"

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>Nod.
>"When everything is calmer all around and we settle a few things..."
>We know how to cut, right?
>If so, cut the cards.
>>If not: "...Uh, you want me to cut it?"

>You take a random amount of cards off the top of the deck and set them on the table, Sumireko completes the cut by setting the bottom half of the deck on top of it, before straightening the cards.
>"Alright, I'm going to flip cards off the top of this deck, if you see your card, don't say anything, got it?"
>_

[Neovereign]

>Nod.

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>Nod.

>Sumireko begins flipping cards. A good 20 or so are flipped and you have yet to see the two of hearts.
>She suddenly stops after flipping the Queen of Spades and looks you in the eye.
>"So... How much are you willing to bet that the next card I flip isn't your card?"
>_

[Neovereign]

>"A one in twenty-six chance... Hm."
>Let's try and play with her in return a bit. Since her eyes are on us, make a thinking face and try to create a gap above the card stack, having another gap lead in between the card stack.
>>If this is successful and the cards start falling between the two gaps, undo both quickly.
>>"And that's changed further by the ones you've already ruled out... I'll do you a favor you ask for if you succeed then. Nothing too insane."

>Do not do this if Sumireko's hand is far too close to the card stack. Instead, just shrug.

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"A one in twenty-six chance... Hm."
>Let's try and play with her in return a bit. Since her eyes are on us, make a thinking face and try to create a gap above the card stack, having another gap lead in between the card stack.
>>If this is successful and the cards start falling between the two gaps, undo both quickly.
>>"And that's changed further by the ones you've already ruled out... I'll do you a favor you ask for if you succeed then. Nothing too insane."

>Do not do this if Sumireko's hand is far too close to the card stack. Instead, just shrug.

>As Sumireko is currently holding the deck, you refrain.
>"Alright then." Sumireko smirks, before flipping the next card, revealing the Two of Hearts.
>_

[Neovereign]

>Rats.
>"Ah. Well done..."

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>Rats.
>"Ah. Well done..."

>"I don't see how impressive it is." Matenshi frowns "All she did was look at what was on the bottom of the d-"
>"H-Hey!" Sumireko puts a hand over Matenshi's mouth, "I-It's bad form to reveal a magician's secrets! A-AAAH!"
>Matenshi grab's Sumireko's wrist hand and forces her hand off, "Do that again, and I'm going to hit you..."
>"O-Okay... AH! You're hurting me."
>"Oh!" Matenshi lets go and bows, "My apologies."
>_

[Neovereign]

>"So that's how it's done... The mystery makes it feel a bit better though..."

[the old guy]

>Before that: "Please claim down, there's no need to grab each other like that."

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>Before that: "Please claim down, there's no need to grab each other like that."

>"Sorry..." Sumireko apologizes.

>"So that's how it's done... The mystery makes it feel a bit better though..."

>"Yeah..." Renko agrees.
>_

[Neovereign]

//If you guys are just, waiting on me to finish business or something, you can go ahead with whatever you plan...
>Glance between Renko and Sumireko.
>"You two have more time to catch up, you know. Like, how did you end up looking younger than Renko."
>Recall our superiority in the chest department and grin slightly with pride.

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

//If you guys are just, waiting on me to finish business or something, you can go ahead with whatever you plan...
>Glance between Renko and Sumireko.
>"You two have more time to catch up, you know. Like, how did you end up looking younger than Renko."
>Recall our superiority in the chest department and grin slightly with pride.

>"We really should sometime..." Sumireko nods.
>You smile at your figure.
>

[Neovereign]

>"How's everyone else here doing?"

[Evil_Nazgul0616]

>"How's everyone else here doing?"

>"I'm fine." Matenshi replies.
>_

[Neovereign]

>"Wanna say more? You seemed a bit against time like this earlier."