"Is the water going to come out normal? It's pretty cold in there? And...disturbing."
> Contemplate how difficult it would be to make a hammerspace spell card.
>Shove Suwako into hat. We shall freeze out own frogs!
> Remove arm.
> Do we know how many gallons (or liters if we use metric) that can fit in the box?
>Also, what's Kogasa been doing while we've been talking to Suwako and sticking our arm into hammerspace?
> "Well, I guess you would know best."
>Lets go fill dat hat.
> "Sounds good."
> Head off in search of that water.
> Point at the nearest sky bubble.
> "Since the dolphin came from a bubble, maybe bubble water would be best for it."
> Follow!
> "Yeah, it's quite a thing, isn't it?"
> We haven't figured that out yet, have we? Assuming not, say so.
> "Okay."
> Nod.
> "Let's get this show on the road, then."
> Head back to Sanae's shrine.
> Let's go get our dolphin friend while the box fills up.
> Belay that for a moment.
>"Actually, could we fill the tub once it's inside my sleeve? I think it'll be easier to maneuver it inside without the water."
>If we can lift the tub, do so and store it away.
>If not, prompt Suwako by asking her if she can have a tub made so large not even she can lift it.
>Dangle out sleeve.
>"If the orb gets too twitchy, just run for it."
> Has Kogasa comes out with Sanae yet?
> Once Suwako has gone all the way inside the sleeve, pull the orb back out and see how it reacts.
> Put it away, checking on Suwako and it after doing so.
> Assuming there's no abnormal behavior from it after it gets put away, take ten steps away from Sanae and pull it out again.
> Grab it and put it away again.
> "Experimenting."
>Does Gensokyo have that puzzle with the farmer, the rabbit the cabbage and the wolf, crossing a river?
> Take another twenty steps away from Sanae.
> Assuming Suwako isn't done yet, pull the orb back out.
> Frown and put it away.
> "This is going to be tricky."
> "Great."
> Wave Kogasa off and make our way towards her.
> "Experimenting is done. We're just gonna have to be fast."
> Where's the futon?
> Hold out an arm for easy sleeve access.
> "Let me know the instant you're settled so I can take that thing out of there."
> Frown again.
> "Let me see if I can leave it inside temporarily, then."
> "...Actually, I have a different idea."
> Reach our right hand into our left sleeve and grab the orb, but don't take it out.
> "Try to reach into my right sleeve here. Just you, not any part of her."
> Nod.
> "So it's still not reacting to you, and you can go in there like this. I think we can do this safely if I pull the orb out of one sleeve while she goes into the other one."
> "Yep. Ready?"
> Count up with Kogasa. On three, pull the orb out of the left sleeve by pulling our left arm away from our right hand so our right arm doesn't move.
> The orb's fine, right?
> "Trust me, this is better than the alternative."
> Look to Kogasa.
> "You wanna tuck her back into the futon?"
> Peek inside to check things out for ourselves.
> Look back to Kogasa.
> "Looks fine to me. Wanna go retrieve our dolphin?"
> "Yeah, sure."
> Hold up the orb.
> "Just make sure they understand exactly why we just went through that whole dog and pony show with this thing."
> "Good. Good luck with that rabble. And, uh, sorry for almost getting you killed."
> "Me too!"
> Check if we need to do anything else before going.
>Time to do what we do best. Besides sweeping and drinking tea that is.
> ACQUIRE dolphin...With Kogasa's assistance.
> Since we have a moment, let's go over our mental list of quests so far.
> Except Kogasa just said she had to stay here, so...
> Kilga: Blast Lem with the fury of ten (thousand) voices for not paying attention
> Update dat quest list.
>Let's just go to the pool and get the fish.
>"Hey, Suwako, come with me real quick."
>"Need you at the pond for a moment."
>Pondward!
>"That's Squeaky. Think you could load him into the tub?"
> Stretch open a sleeve.
> Check inside to be sure the dolphin got in fine and that Sanae isn't now soaked.
>How's he doing in there?
"How're you doing in there, Squeaky?"
>Graze that water.
>"Yeah yeah. we'll get you to a bigger pool soon enough."
>Consider milking the dolphin's water squirts for OBSCENE HIGH SCORES.
>Consider installing a hotel in our sleeves since we are apparently going to start making them a permanent residence.
> Double-check to make sure we didn't leave the magic tea set behind.
> Bid farewell to the youkai for now, and make your way back to Satori's place.
> You have the option of going back through the waterfall entrance, or leaving the mountain entirely and using the entrance behind the shrine.> I say we take the shrine route, it's faster.
> I say we take the shrine route, it's faster.
>Time to deal with this mess.
>Descend, get shouting muscles prepared.
>Do we recognize any of the voices?
> Head for the back of the shrine.
>"Oh, is the cellar flooding out?"
> Wait, doesn't that hermit talk to animals?
> "Well, lucky you were here to help."
> Offer assistance with the boxes, and ask her if she's busy afterwards.
> "Ehhhh...You know me, I'm a hard worker that hardly works."
> "I have a dolphin in my sleeve, and I think it knows something about the water that's flooded the land. Can you talk to it?"
> "Sure. Meet me out front."
> Make out way to the front of the shrine, beckoning her to follow.
>"Well, I found a dolphin up in one of those weird water bubbles. So I took her with me. I don't suppose you could ask her where she's from and what happened and so on?"
> Hold our left sleeve open with our right hand.
> "You can see for yourself, if you want. Don't worry about Sanae, she's related to something else."
> "Great. Hop on in."
> "Everyone else today has. How do you think I got everything in there in the first place?"
> "That works too, as long as you're willing to put him back."
> Saunter on over to the pond.
> "Okay, in ya go."
> Gently pull the dolphin out of our sleeve and let it go into the pond.
>Name the dolphin Sango.
>What exactly do we keep in our basement? And do we recognise the box that Kasen brought out?
>"While you two are talking do you mind if I have a look at that box?"
>Examine box.
>Open box.
>Play the music box.
>Who gave us this?
>Examine dolls.
>Examine dresses.
>Would they fit a fairy?
> Wave a hand dismissively at Kasen.
> "Don't mind me, continue your conversation."
>What other kinds of old stuff of note did we have in the basement?
>Consider giving dresses to fairies of light.
> "Learn anything good?"
> There wasn't anything terribly important that you remember.> What about our robot maid from the Dim.Dream incident?
> What about our robot maid from the Dim.Dream incident?
> "A water dimension? Wow, crazy stuff."
> Turn to the dolphin.
> "Anyway, the deal is that I want to fix whatever happened and get everything and everyone back where they belong. Since you're new, I figured you might know something, so I brought you with me. Originally we were gonna see another person that can talk to animals, but she's further away, so we needed the box to get you to her. Uh, sorry about the first part of the trip with the umbrella girl, by the way."
>Have we never told Scoldy Hermit about Satori?
> Point down.
> "Komeiji Satori. She lives underground, near the Ancient City."
> "Oh, were you thinking of visiting whoever it was? I've been wondering who I could get to replace Kogasa for watching over Sanae and the dolphin."
> Look inside a sleeve to check on the tub.
> "That's a shame. You might have some trouble getting her back in the tub, then."
> "Oh, don't give me that. You'll live."
> "And miss your chance to see Satori without dealing with the caves? Eh, up to you."
> Shrug.
> "Like I said, you don't have to go. You could just put the dolphin back in here and be done with it. It depends on how much you want to meet Satori. Unless you've copied Yukari somehow, your options are this or wandering the caves yourself."
> Does Satori ever wander topside?
>We can let Squeaky stay here if she wants to.
>"Well, it's up to you. Satori is a very special person, and it would be nice for you to meet her. If you'd rather stay here with Squeaky and Suika and the fairies, that would be all right. I have several things to do Underground, so I should get going."
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "...Do small spaces really bother you that much? I've never seen you this nervous. If you're also worried about what Satori might read, you don't need to be. She's respectful enough to keep secrets secret."
> Sigh.
> "Look. I already know you value your privacy. I won't pursue it any further than that. Let's just break it down to the known facts. It would be nice to have someone available to look after Sanae and Squeaky, Satori loves animals about as much as you do, and she pretty much never visits topside unless someone drags her here. She's also a mind-reader, yes, and she lives near a lot of closed-space caves and a lot of rowdy oni, as much as none of them are ever gonna learn about this."
> Point inside a sleeve.
> "That's the gist of it. Make your decision based on all that. I won't question it."
> Nod.
> "Okay. But I'm holding you to that. No changing your mind halfway down, got it?"
> "Good."
> Look over to Akyu.
> "Akyu, will you be okay by yourself here for a little while?"
> "Okay."
> Turn back to Kasen.
> "Whenever you're ready."
> Walk toward her while pulling a sleeve open.
> "Hey, you're not gonna let Kogasa show you up, are you?"
> Shake head.
> "Never mind. Don't worry about it. You should be all set to enter."
> "Don't hurt yourself."
> We left the makings of tea we used earlier at Sanae's shrine, yes?
> Do we have the makings of tea in our own shrine?
> "If you get bored, see if you can figure out what's up with Sanae. Her coma or whatever is a total mystery, and I'm thinking there might be something malevolent at work."
>"No, but it is something I have to leave it because of other things.
>Do we have the shell bits in our sleeve? If so, add, "Oh, and you see those shell things over there? Do they look familiar at all?"
>Are we?
>Whatever the answer, give it. And go nab some tea-making things. Or a jug of cool tea, if we have one. And something to get a fire going with, just in case.
>"I'm no good at that sort of thing."
>Isn't intuition something we're known for?
>"How can you have unnatural magic, anyways? Isn't that like saying unnatural trees?"
>"Getting some tea-making supplies and such, that tea set that you should be seeing somewhere in there can heal injuries if you drink the tea brewed in it. It's kind of like that sake box you have, only it doesn't make you act weird afterwards."
> "Considering it helped save Kogasa and Sanae from permanent injury, I'd say it's worth every yen I paid."
> "It is what it is. Gotta press forward. Ready to head out?"
>Fly!
> Preferably in the direction of the reactor entrance to the underground.
>"So what was this about fake magic, and what does it have to do with those shell parts?"
>"Does it look like Sanae's glowing there is related? Since they make you glow if you pick them up."
>"Well, give her a lookover? You're the mysteriously wise hermit, right?"
>Do we have any idea of the general area where the reactor chute opens to?
> Head down under.
> That's good!
> Keep on toward the bridge. Anyone on it?
> "Wow, Parsee, that water level is looking a lot better."
>"Did you see which way Okuu went?
>"Thanks. Stay outta trouble, alright?"
>Fly, palaceward.
>Interrogate the dog.
>"Who's a cute little doggie? Are you a cute little doggie? What's your name? Is it Moemiji?"
>Curse our inability to maintain rationality in the presence of cute animals.
>Internally blame Satori for this new response.
>Don't feel all that bad about it.
>Follow.
>"Satori?"
>"There's a few people I'd like you to meet! In here is fine?"
>Do we know that expression, given mind reading and all?
>"No problem."
>Head inside.
>"Sure, that's no problem."
>Hold open sleeve, "You can come out now, Kasen!"
>"Who's a cute little recipe book? You are! Yes, you are!"
>Have a good cackle. It's not often we get to see Kasen flustered.
>"Sorry, I didn't bring you down here just to laugh at you."
>We also needed her to carry the Dauphin. And ... was there another reason too?
> She wanted to meet a fellow animal-talker.
> Turn to Satori.
> "This time she came down to meet you. Next time, you have to go up to meet her. Fair's fair."
>"I suppose I could introduce you to Sanae. Although she's really not very talkative right now."
>Can Satori read the minds of unconscious/sleeping folks?
>"Unless you meant Squeaky? and I think it would be difficult for her to travel between up there and down here very often."
>Maybe we could ask the little sister for help.
>That reminds us, we need to return her book.
>Have Koishi and Flandre met?
> "Moving Sanae might be an issue as well. Partly because someone will have to redo her futon, but far more because she can't be in the same place as this thing without it causing a lot of destruction."
> Hold up the yin-ying orb.
> "We could try it, but there will be a very large risk of property damage regardless. Neither of you can touch it, so if it goes berserk, it won't stop until I can get to it."
>Marisa visits Flandre, right? Does she get along with Koishi?
>It's times like this when it would be nice if we weren't the only Hakurei.
>Do we remember the previous Hakurei Miko (https://www.google.com/search?q=hakurei+miko&tbm=isch)?
>Was she our mom?
>Hmm. What were we doin-- Argh! We were in the middle of a conversation and just drifted into self-introspection! Maybe this is somehow related to those memory issues?
>"OK, so I guess we can try leaving the Orb in another part of the Palace. Where should that be?"
>Note: ask Satori about mental issues.
>"Hmm, do you want to show me where the best place would be?">We have an altar at the shrine for the Orb, right? Could we make a temporary one here?
>Think about incidents other people remember that we don't.
>Follow that mindreader!
>Do so.
> "You should probably stay near it and watch it, just in case. If it starts acting up, the only way I can stop it from far away is by putting Sanae back."
> "Call out the instant it moves even the tiniest amount, okay? And whatever you do, don't touch it."
> Head up toward a guest room, keeping an ear out.
> Position ourselves so one of our sleeves dumps out onto the bed.
> Slowly pull Sanae out of our sleeve onto the bed, still keeping an ear out.
> Well, the other two did say it would be easier to leave the dolphin in one place, didn't they? Should we really be taking her out?
>Consider the river underneath Parsee's bridge, or the flooded areas of the ancient city.
>Were there any nice flooded places around the Palace we could dump Squeaky into? All the better for Satori topractice her grazingkeep an eye on it and converse.
>"Hang tight Sanae, I'll be back after I take care of a couple things."
>Go back to Satori.
>Download Orb to floppy drive.
>"I should let Squeaky stretch her fins. Do you think your courtyard is still flooded?"
>"Cookies!"
>Feel reassured.
>Find the courtyard.
>Thoroughly search the courtyard for a pool of a reasonable size and depth to put Squeaky in.
>Look up the transparent creatures in Koishi'sGreat Big Book of EverythingSea Creature book and see if we can identify what they are.
>Put the book back for now, surface, and then try to look up those creatures.
>Well shit, we're gonna have to fix this. Otherwise Koishi is never gonna let usget any actionget a moment of peace.
>Add that to the quest log.
>Call into sleeve, "Hey, Squeaky, can you see this pool? Think it looks good?"
>Fire Torpedo Tube 1 into pool.
> "I'll take that as a yes."
> Exit the pool.
> Ponder where Yukari might be, she might be able to help us restore the book.
>Patchy undoubtedly has some means for restoring books.
>As does Kosuzu.
> ...Suddenly realize the effects of a flooded SDM. If the water got under the house, wouldn't the Scarlets be paralyzed?
> Well, not much we can do about it now. Let's report back to Satori.
> Assess if they're drunk or not.
>Let's approach 'em. We don't need them causing trouble for Satori.
>"Hey, what brings you two around here?"
> Where are the three of us relative to the kitchen, which theoretically still contains the hermit we promised would not be bothered by other oni?
>"No luck with Ran or Konngara, yet. I've been a bit side-trekked on a possible lead that went nowhere."
>"I found a fish from outside, and had Satori speak with her. She didn't have much helpful to say, though."
>"This one's pretty cute. I think it's not really a fish, but it looks like one. Um, called a dolphin, I think?"
> "Oh, well...There's no easy way to say this, but she just went POOF--and vanished."
>"Still seems kind of weird to me, at least. Anything happen while I was gone?"
>Look at onis.
>Wonder why they have different numbers of horns.
>"Good work. Any idea how much time that's bought you?"
>"She was fine the last time I was there. Helping clean out the basement and all."
> "I was actually gonna go talk to her as well, we can go together."
> "Oy, wait up."
> Follow ze oni.
>How good IS Suika's idea of cooking anyways?
>"You're asking me if I'd turn down a free meal, Suika. I thought you knew me."
>Grin back. "Some rhetorical questions need not be asked."
>Into the kitchen.
>"Just let me know if she says anything useful, okay? And watch out for the water spitting, she's got good aim."
>Don't tell Koishi about the book, we'll get it fixed seriously...
>Click some them cookies with our teeth.
> "Oh, hush, you two. Like you girls wouldn't do the same thing."
>Imagine sitting on our porch with a plate of these cookies, wind chime reminding us of summeryness, and Satori leaning against our shoulder...
> Use that image as motivation to help you solve this INCIDENT.
> "Thanks for the cookies, Satori!"
> Let's take a few for ourselves (once they've cooled off, that is).
> On that note, what's our state of hunger now?
> "I should get going too..."
> How flushed are we with Satori?
>"Oh, before I leave, do you have anything I could take with me for a dinner on the go?"
>"Where does that thing open up to, anyways? I want to block it off up there so you guys can drain it out here and get things running again, but I don't know where to look."
>Use them passing minutes to heat up that roast. Red White needs food badly!
>"Who was that, then?"
>"Really? Huh."
>Have we heard anything about Bridge Princess misadventures topside?
>"I guess I'll go ask her on the way out, then."
>How's dat roast coming?
>"Now, is there anything you want me to do for you, while I'm out?"
>"Sure thing! That's easy enough."
> Pull out dat roast before it gets too...Roasted.
> Maybe we should get something to drink as well?
> Are we in a mood for tea, or something else?
> Contemplate obtaining booze...Then immediately reject it. A drunk miko is usually not a good idea.
> Assess if Satori has a water filter, sparkling water, or both.
> Do we have a flask or something we can store water in?
> GET YE FLASK. Or At least a bottle or a thermos or *something.* Perhaps Satori can part with one.
> "Mind if I borrow this for a bit?"
> Say "Thanks!" and proceed to fill up said thermos.
> Assuming we have nothing else to do here, let's go speak to Parsee.
>Wait, why are we leaving Sanae here. And why are we not giving Kasen those cookies like we said we were?Gah, thanks, let's add the cookies to the list of things to do.
>Let's at least go do the second thing.
> "I wish I could stay, but this incident won't resolve itself...Please, stay safe and dry until then." Give her a goodbye hug.
> NOW we can return to the bridge.
>Wait, why are we leaving Sanae here. And why are we not giving Kasen those cookies like we said we were?
>Let's at least go do the second thing.
>Up to the second floor!
>Peek into that open door. Try not to disturb the pigeons too much.>Seek out the fattest pigeon
> "Hey, whoa! What happened!"
> Dash over to check on Kasen.
>What a tweest!
>"Hey, are you okay? Talk to me!"
> Grab her flailing hand to keep her arm still.
> "Don't collapse in the doorway, then!"
> How long has it been since we left her in the kitchen?
> Shake head.
> "No idea. I left you in the kitchen about fifteen, twenty minutes ago. How did you get here, and why were you glowing like Sanae?"
>Glance over at Sanae for a moment and see how she's doing.
> Looks like we have something else to tell Satori before we leave.
>Can we just leave Kasen here? Will her condition get worse?
> Help Kasen back to her feet.
>"So you found this room. Then what happened?"
>"Weird. I wonder if Sanae had a similar experience."
>Examine hermit. Glow continues to fade?
>"Wait, where did you find a path in a forest?"
>"Mmm, think you can walk through how you came into the room? Maybe we can see if there's any signs of it."
>The bronze glow is obviously concurrent with the possessive dream. As the dream faded, so did the glow.
>Maybe if we could walk through dreams, we could find Sanae's mind.
>Or maybe if we collect theseven dragon ballseight glass shards we can wake her up from here.
>"Let me try to find something."
>Follow through the last few steps of Kasen's route, and try to pay as much attention to our surroundings as possible for unseen forces, and let that intuition do its thing.
>Can we discern anything about those energies? Are they natural background stuff, or could they be remnants of whatever sent Kasen on her trip?
>"Mmm, nothing."
>Does Kasen look like she's getting back to 100%?
>What can we rule out from finding no signs, of the things we know definitely leave signs behind? Assuming we've bothered to catalog such things.
>Has Koishi demonstrated any ability to put people to sleep and/or mess with their dreams?
>Let's go have a look at Sanae, and see if anything has changed there. Also check her forehead for a fever, just in case.
>"Well, I don't have any ideas. Unless someone snuck up on you."
>Offer her the cookies. "Here, Satori wanted you to have them. Maybe they'll help you get back on your feet."
> "We should let Satori know about this."
> "It's a long shot, but it's better than nothing."
>"Also, were you able to find anything while you were cooped up with Sanae on the way here?"
>"What a pain. So, what's your next move? Are you staying here, or do you want a ride back to the surface?"
>Munch that pot roast before it gets cold.
>Don't eat it quite yet.
>Nod.
>"I need to talk with Parsee about a thing. And afterward, if she doesn't send me on some goose chase elsewhere, I'll be heading back up."
>"It's up to you, isn't it? Narrow sleeve or walking through narrows caves and through a city of waterlogged oni."
> Give a sympathetic look.
> "Believe me, if I had a better idea, I'd suggest it."
> We don't have to go through the city to get from the Palace to the reactor, right? Maybe Kasen could scoot out that way, once we know where it leads.
> Present sleeve, add Kasen to party/inventory.
> Go see what Parsee is up to.
> Present sleeve, add Kasen to party/inventory.
> Go see what Parsee is up to.
> Wait, hold up on these for one more moment.
> "Well...I think, if you're willing to wait here for a while, I'm trying to clear the reactor. I know there's a path from down here to the surface through the reactor, I just need to find the topside entrance and make the traversable again. Once that's done, you could take that route back up. No oni or narrow caves that way."
>"I'll see what I can do for you. Let me find out whether Satori is okay with you staying or not. I figure she will be, but I don't wanna promise her house and all."
>Depart to find dat mindreader.
>"Kasen wants to wait it out to see if we can get the reactor shaft drained out. Mind if she stays here? You can beat her up if she starts lecturing, I don't mind."
>We should talk about the memory thing.
> "I can remember having a robot maid, but I can't remember what happened to her."
>"Also people have mentioned incidents which I don't remember occurring, such as the sun and moon disappearing, and everyone dreaming the same dream. "
>"Heh. I guess? Can't say I rightly remember."
>Does any of that jive with our recollections?
>How long ago was the incident in which Marisa accused Yukari of hiding the moon, while apparently Sakuya and/or Youmu beat up the Lunarians?
>"I don't remember any of that, I'm afraid. What was Konngara even doing around up there?"
>"That's new to me, I can't remember when Konngara cared about the surface. Something to think about, I guess."
>"Yeah, but she actually, well, participates and stuff. It's a bit more weird with Konngara."
>"Rarely, at best."
>"Oh no, I'm not complaining about it. Just, it's rare she goes up there or shows an interest. It's strange for her, I mean."
> "I'll have to ask about it next time I see her."
>"Even Marisa?"
>Laugh.
>"I'll be sure to keep her away unless it's really important!"
>"Okay, I need to get going. I'll see you later, okay? And we need to make up for tonight getting messed up."
>Say goodbyes, and go fill Kasen in on being allowed to stay. Assuming she has nothing to add, make our way toward the bridge.
>Call out, "Hey! Where's the bridge princess at?"
>What color is her hair?
>"Thanks!"
>Head 'there'.
>Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
>"Parsee, you in here?"
>Is the river supposed to glow like that?
>"It's me, theredwhiteWonderful Shrine Maiden of ParadiseReimu Hakurei."
> Let ourselves in.
> "Sorry for disturbing you, what were you doing?"
>"Sorry about that. Just I had a couple things I wanted to ask."
>"Well, I've heard you've been in that reactor tunnel near the Palace of the Earth Spirits. You know the the one?"
>"Where does it open out to?"
>"Thanks, and 'that's all'? Is there something else I need to know?"
>"Why Parsee, are you involved with this incident? Is there something you should be telling me?"
>Assuming the exit leads to the SDM, we should check it out and then visit Patchouli.
>"Hey, you got in my way and don't act like you didn't! Now, if you started to hold out on me and make me suspicious, I might have to take to persuading you."
>"Although I'm kind of curious, why'd you even go to the surface to begin with? I thought you never left here."
>Shrug.
>"Just curious, really. What happened?"
>"How do you think it is for me? The last Hakurei, everyone watching you and judging you, everyone testing their combat skills against you but careful not to kill you or else POOF!"
>Perhaps we should offer tea? What is protocol on making tea in someone's house?
>With what Parsee told us, can we figure out where that tunnel opens up?
>"Well then I'll let you get back to whatever it is you were doing."
> Exit the house. Be careful not to trip or hit your head on anything on the way out.
> Climb back up to the bridge, see if that girl from earlier is still there.
> Say hi to her if the above is still true.
> "Hi, you seem to be in good spirits. Can you tell me your name?"
> Play coy, she may or may not remember us.
> "Uh, yes, it's Rei."
> Does she still have her ribbon on?
>"So, you okay down here?"
>"Huh, perfect match, then. Uh, keep dry."
>Head back to the surface!
>is the Crack or the SDM closer to our present location?
>Does the crack appear to be within our flight window, or does it seem too high to reach?
>Also start on that pot roast before it gets too cold.
>We're fortified with vitamin Meat, let's head toward that sky crack.
>Have we ever seen anything like this before? Does it bear resemblance to Yukari's gaps or the road to Makai or any other trans-spatial things we have encountered?
>Does the crack look more like a fissure that could be closed, in theory, or like a broken window that is missing parts of itself?
>Someone broke a hole in the sky.
>Suspect an oni.
>How close are we to Bhava Agra?
>Let's try to get closer.
> Trigger a Bad End by flying through the crack and getting sucked out into space.
> Can we sense around for anything unusual with our intuition powers?
>Can we tell anything about this energy or where it is coming from?
>Look downward. If something smashed through this crack, could we determine where it would have fallen?
>Where is this water mostly located?
>Look back up. "Hey! Anyone up there?"
>What geographical regions is most of the water located at? Could we trace a path where it seems something that may have smashed through the crack may have landed?
>"Hey, I'm leaving! And if I have to come back, I'm going to be really mad, so you better speak up now!"
>Take out our glow shard and compare it to the hole in the sky. Does it look like it would fit anywhere along the edges?
>Oh well, worth a shot. Never know when broken sky is actually bronze.
>Hey, can we see the Myouren ship from up here?
>Can we see any good places for it to set to shore?
>Make note of those places.
>Which would be closer now, Myourens or SDM?
>Let's go there. They need to set to shore anyways.
>Approach Mokou.
>"Hey, how've things been here?"
>"Eh, if I find her master, I'll send her this way. So, no more tragedies? That's good. I think I might have found some places to dock."
>Give her a good summary of where we saw and how to get there.
>"That'd be doing me a favor. Hey, have you seen any signs of Marisa lately?"
>"Well, at least she's not lying around at the bottom of some lake."
>Or in a coma like Sanae.
>"Any other visitors I should know about?"
>"Well...hopefully that's for the better. There anything else you guys need me to look into? Everyone been accounted for?"
>"Well, that's better than what could be. Think I'm going to go investigate Scarlet Devil Mansion. There's things around there I need to look into, anyways."
>What is there between here and there?
>What all is in the Forest of Magic.
>"Thanks for keeping an eye on things here. It's been a relief."
> Stop by the FoM, and see how Kourin is doing. Pay him back while we're at it.
> See if Marisa's and Alice's houses are submerged.
>"I think I need to get going, then. Any guesses on how much of this can be recovered?"
>"Alright. I'm counting on you to keep things sane. If any waterlogged youkai show up, well, I trust you guys to make the right choices on whether to let them in or not. And to keep the peace."
>"Alright, then I'm heading toward Scarlet Devil Mansion. Keep safe and dry!"
>Take to the air, and head toward the Forest of Magic. Take stock of the flooding there. Are either Alice or Marisa's homes roughly along the way?
>South-east, Alice is probably in more immediate possible danger than the SDM.
> Lem: Lose all the social link points for not actually talking to NPCs
> Is there a window we can open, at least? It'd suck to not be able to get in (due to water pressure and all).
> There are no windows to open. You haven't found either of their houses yet.> :derp: Spot Check fail. Anyways, let's start with the clearings, first.
> :derp: Spot Check fail. Anyways, let's start with the clearings, first.
> ...Consider the possibility of Alice/Marisa hiding their houses from view using some kind of enchantments.
> Do we have a way of detecting youkai presence?
>Obviously they decided to caulk their houses and float them down the river.
> Just out of curiosity, let's take a swim and see if we can find anything resembling a house outline. (Silly, I know, but the curiosity is killing me here)
> Any familiar landmarks nearby? Maybe we can use those to figure out where Alice's house is.
>Let's go in the direction we recall the closer house being from the rabbit hole.
>How's that water breathing charm working out for us?
>Does that match with our recollections?
>Look around
>Swim toward it. But be ready in case that large something is an unfriendly fish that needs to be needled.
>What happens if we try to fly underwater?
>Let's try to figure out what that glow is, give it a good staring.
>Surface just a bit.
> "Hey Alice!"
>Does she seem to be able to swim at all?
>Rescue the Alice.
>How are our sleeves doing, are they sodden?
>If the sleeves are weighimg us down too much, try discarding them.
>If the sleeves are weighimg us down too much, try discarding them.
>Swim to where Alice is flailing and, despite the difficulty, try to fly out of the water with her so that we can both fly through the air to someplace drier
>Don't do this. The last thing we need is to lose our entire inventory to the depth.
>Grapple her, then kick for the surface.
>"How did you forget you can fly, Alice!"
> Do we consider Alice a mere acquaintance or more of a friend?
> "Oh, sorry. Take your time. I've got you."
> "It's me. Take your time."
>"I got you, don't worry."
> "I think it's in the water. Once you can hold yourself up, I'll go look for it."
>"Right, I'll let you go then."
>Do so once she indicates to. Then dive down after that Grimoire.
>Ignore the fish and nab the book.
>If one gets fresh with us, toss a lazy danmaku in its direction to scare if off.
> Please tell us the Grimoire's waterproof.
> Go and regroup with Alice.
> "What were you doing with this, anyways? I thought you weren't going to use it anymore."
>"Guess you don't have a way to dry it out without it getting warped and stuff?"
>"And what spell?"
>"Weird. So, aside from the obvious problems, are you okay?"
>"Not yet. Just that apparently this all came from some place that was filled with nothing but water. And there's some hole in the sky, which irks me pretty badly. Has anyone else been through here?"
>"No, but I've missed her a few times. What did she have to say? And, tell me about this thing in your house?"
> Is the house completely submerged?
>"Ugh, give me a minute. I'll see what's in there."
>Get some needs prepared, and dive back down.
>Check the house, does it seem the front door is usable?
>Open the door and look inside. Be ready for the usual evasive maneuvers.
> Ready a spell card just in case.
> Don't ready a spell card because we'll ruin it.
> Make a mental note: Figure out how to make spellcards waterproof.
> Search the first floor for that mysterious figure.
>Don't go charging in like a dumby.
>Instead, examine the dolls. What sort of torn up do they seem to be?
>Can we hear anything interesting?
>Can we guess at how big of a mouth this thing has?
>Proceed into the kitchen; keep ears and eyes sharp.
>Do we hear anything? Or feel the water moving in a weird way?
>Does there seem to be any place a large fish could hide?
>Peer out a window. Fire some glowing danmaku.
> Let's explore those hallways we missed...Being cautious not to just barge in first. Use some more danmaku to light up the path if we have to.
> Main Hallway, first.
>as we check the hallway, take a quick mental refresher of what's currently in our inventory.
>And water hasn't been flooding into that space, has it?
> Examine the set of five photos.
> Make another mental note: get a reliable source of light that works underwater.
>Did they flood any of the other times we went into the water?
>Head toward the glass door, and look around for open doors. Fish don't have hands closed doors shouldn't be a thing...
>Peer inside a bit. Can we see any movement?
>There are two other halls, right? Glance down those.
>Do any of the doors seem to be open?
>Let's go down whatever hallway is closer to our left. Stay wary.
>Alright, let's backtrack to the parlor, then go into the kitchen.
>Let's go back to the main hall, and examine the door on the left. And listen at it for a moment.
>Open the door.
>Does anything seem to be floating in the water?
>Glance around; does it seem like there is anywhere where a large fish might be hiding?
>Let's close this door, and head into the left sidehall, then hit the first door there.
>Consider using food as fish bait.
>Are there any hiding places for a large fish in here?
>Or any sealife inside?
>Toss a couple of bright danmaku near the bottoms of the shelves, or under them if we can manage. See if it chases anything out. Also the extra light should help.
>Close door, move to the next door, open.
>Close door; head for the right side of the hall and check the first door there.
>Next room.
>Before we do this, let's toss a couple danmaku around and see if the extra light shows anything new or chases out anything.
>Let's have a closer look at that glint.
>Does it look like it was dropped, or perhaps washed into here?
>Nab it and examine it closer.
>Does this seem like an earring? If so, does it seem familiar at all?
>Could it be a doll-sized object?
>Keep it in hand, close the door here, and move on to the next room at the end of the hall.
>"Hello? Anyone in here?"
>Assess the nature of the damage, and try to figure out what kind of thing caused this.
>Do there seem to be any fish, or particular hiding places in here?
>Frown, close door, and go to the nearest one we've not opened in the main hallway.
>Start with ordinary wooden door.
> Have we yet run across one that *was* affected by it?
>Would water pressure give us trouble if the pressure on both sides was about equal?
>Close the stairs for now, and let's check that last door.
>Toss a couple danmaku close to our feet for light.
>Move back, throw out some slow-moving danmaku to give more light and serve as a barrier between us and an oncoming fish if needs be.
>If something charges, sidestep; via flight if that feels faster.
>How big did it seem to be?
>"Alright, get out here!"
>Look around. Does anything seem to be destroyed or bearing teethmarks like the dolls did?
>"Okay fine, act that way."
>Close the door. Probably not the fish we want anyways.
>Go back over to the stairs and make our way up them.
>Open it.
>How does this lack of motion feel? Does it feel like it is locked, or swollen shut, or something else?
> PEOPLE'S SHOULDER!
>Is our shoulder hurt from the impact?
>How good are we at mentally mapping where we've been?
>If we're good, would we say we are closer to the center of the house or the edge of the house.
>Check the edges of the door. Does it seem like there's anything wedged into it?
>Give the sides of the door a lookover to see if it's swollen into its frame or not.
>Last thing: Let's try to see if we can sense anything around the door, in case there is anything mystical going on.
>What do we recall seeing in the way of second story windows?
> Try pulling on the door.
>Let's head out for now, and check the upper story windows.
>inspect the openings.
>How many are there?
>Which one do we think we could get through with minimum amount of trouble?
>Peer through the considerably bigger window.
>Open dat winder!
>As well it should be.
>Climb inside.
>kindly shoo them away.
>look around for places a large fish could hide, preferably where we couldn't see from the window.
>Swim off to the side, away from the wardrobe, and toss some danmaku under the bed.
>Does anything come out?
>cautiously look under the bed.
>if it's dark under there, light it up with danmaku and prepare to dodge anything that comes out.
>Let's have a look at that wardrobe. Might as well see what sorts of stuff Alice likes to wear.
>inspect shiny object.
>Does it look familiar? Is Alice an earrings person?
> Get!
>Any more rooms in this house?
>Let's head through that door now.
>Using our mastery of three-dimensional physics, can we tell if any of these doors would lead to the stairs.
>Triangulate our position where we came into the second floor to where we came into the first floor, and go for the door we think should be the stairs. It ought to be somewhere near the middle...
>Open it.
>Give it a little kick in irritation, then move on to the second door on the left.
>Glance around; any more dropped jewelry or the like?
>Close door, head for the third door on the left.
>Check to see if it has a lock, and what kind it would be.
>Smash the door in angrily with the yin-yang orb.
>leave this door for now.
>Are there any more doors? If so, move to the next one.
>try the one closest to us.
>Let's see what's behind the middle door. A goat! Would you like to change your choice?
>Go to the left one!
>Must... resist... temptation... of... comfy... chair...
>Any place where a large fish may hide in here?
>Very well, close this door and move to the middle door.
>Have an aneurysm from the frustration of yet another blocked door.
>Try pulling the door.
>If that fails, promptly express our frustration and displeasure by introducing the door to our fist.
>and if that happens and we painfully hurt our hand by doing so, promptly swear in frustration.
>(Ok Reimu, calm down, it's just a door...)
>Skip this door for now. Like the locked one, we can come back to it later.
>Head to the right door.
>Like you need two bathrooms, Alice
>Have a look around.
>What kind of pills does she even need? Let's grab a bottle and find out!
>Oh Alice.
>Leave the pills to float, close the door, and go on to the next room.
>Which haven't we checked, now?
>Let's go back to that hallway. Is this the one with the supposed stairway door?
>Let's check it.
>Glance around for anything interesting, or possible hiding spots for fish.
>Is the sliding door made of glass or open? If so, what's behind the sliding door?
>Otherwise, check behind that too. It's the only way to be sure.
>"AGH!"
>Slam door shut, leap back reflexively.
>is the clean(er) water helping our eyes at all?
>Back out of the room, and shut that door too.
>Try to rub them clean on our sleeve.
>Floating against the ceiling is fine for the moment, let's get our eyes fixed, unless we hear or sense something coming.
>Have any of the doors opened or shut on their own, like with below?
>If not, let's briefly return to the first floor.
>Is that one door still open?
>Go have a look into it.
>Light it up with some danmaku.
>Did we ever check out that bit in the back? Let's go do that. And close the door again.
>Let's head into the sitting room.
>Glance around for anything that catches our eye.
>Poke around a little bit, looking under tables and chairs and such for signs that the flooding may not have entered here like it did elsewhere, given how undisturbed things are.
>Is there any place we have overlooked by this point?
>Grumble and head back to Alice.
>make a mental note to tell Alice about the big creature in the dark room that we sawseveral pages agoearlier once we get there.
>"It ran from danmaku like every other fish, though. I think it might have chewed up some of your dolls, though. Oh, and the door to the second floor is stuck.">State that there is actually two doors stuck, the one on the second floor in the middle on the right of the first hallway we were in on that floor and the door at the top of the stairs.
>"All that's in there is a fish about yea big."
>Spread out hands to indicate it's size. Hover if we need to.
>"It ran from danmaku like every other fish, though. I think it might have chewed up some of your dolls, though. Oh, and the door to the second floor is stuck."
>State that there is actually two doors stuck, the one on the second floor in the middle on the right of the first hallway we were in on that floor and the door at the top of the stairs.
>"Some doors get stuck from humidity, right? And there's a lot of humidity down there."
>"Oh, and are these yours?"
>Show her the two items we found there.
>"Scattered on the floor. What are they?"
>Did we see a jewelry box?
>"I don't think I saw one. Where's it supposed to be? Because I found those in different rooms."
>Do we know of any water dwelling types around the forest?
>Water fairies?
> "... Are you doing all right there?"> Hug Alice to provide warmth
>"Yeah. You kinda get used to it."
>"Anyway, do you think maybe someone got into your jewelry box? Is there anything valuable in it, other than the obvious?"
>Shrug.
>"Maybe it just got knocked around or something. I guess I can take a quick look and see if it's still where it's supposed to be, if you tell me exactly where it is. Oh, and what's behind <the non-stairs door we tried to open on the second floor>?"
>"So did you keep that spare room locked? I couldn't even get the knob to turn."
>"So if there's nothing in there, why did you lock it? You at least have the key, right?"
>Sigh.
>"Okay. Where is the key, and where is the jewelry box supposed supposed to be. I'll check them both within a couple minutes."
>"Well I've gotten this far, haven't I? Might as well finish the job. Maybe I'll find some youkai who needs to be exterminated anyways. Now, where's this desk? Your bedroom?"
>"Right, I'll try to be quick."
>Back down to the kitchen! Keep an eye open for big fish, interlopers, and odd things on the way.
>Awww, how pretty~
>Check the top left cupboard for a jar. Then rifle through it if needs be.
>Yank out that key. And try not to steal Alice's change.
>Head back out and up to the bedroom. Once there, check for that jewelry box.
>Give it a gentle shake; does sound or feel like it has small articles inside?
>Eh, pocket it.
>Let's go to that stuck door and try using the key.
>Head inside.
>Where does it seem to be coming from?
>Prepare to (but don't yet) fire danmaku if it sounds threatening.
> Attempt to discern nature of sound.
>Into the hall, get ready to lay some serious danmaku down.
>Head down the hall, remain prepared for business time.
>This is just like that time in Odell Lake!
So, to swiftly open the door, or verbally challenge, or leave?
>Was this the door that was stuck earlier?
>Let them thump. Does the door seem to be holding out?
>Let them keep banging. Is it showing any damage at all?
>"Hey, swim around outside already."
>Prepare for anything, especially be prepared for a hostile encounter.
>Wait for it... Wait for it...
>Let's back away from it a little bit, and be ready.
>Listen, and try to figure out what the sound is.
>Do we see eyes or eye-analogues on this thing?
>>If so, fire danmaku right into them, NOW.
>If we can, commence to dodging, too. Not interested in becoming a meal.
>Wave of danmaku in front of us, now!
>Back away from the debris, and send a stream of speedy needle danmaku into its soft bits.
>Take this opportunity shoot it in the head with tons of danmaku.
>keep on our toes, it's only a matter of time before it returns it's attention to us.
>Back away at top speed, and fire right down it's gullet with a wave of needles.
>Do we have our gohei prepared? If so, bring it right down on the thing's head with as much pain-driven force as we can while screaming like a berserker.
>Otherwise, burst out as much danmaku as possible. Don't aim. don't worry too much about type; just make it bright and make a lot of it swirl outward from us.
>Keep it up, try to bash it with the the end of the gohei in its jaw; or even better where its jaw connects to its skull if we can swing it, until it lets go or we get the feeling it's not doing anything.
>how much blood have we lost at this point?
>Counter with danmaku while dodging.
>Is it still moving? If so, send another wave at it. If not, take a moment to gather our wits and observe it to make sure it's going to stay not moving.
>Does this look like anything we saw in Koishi's book? (RIP)
>"You...are so lucky I have that tea set..."
>Did we even glimpse anything like this earlier?
>How long do we expect it to stay down?
>have we lost a ton of blood?
>"Well say something for yourself!"
>God this thing is resilient!
>Dodge while blasting danmaku.
>Contemplate, but don't actually do, taking out the Yin-Yang orb and using it to drill our adversary's face in.
>Have we been able to identify where it's vulnerable points are via try and error at this point?
>Also, while it has pinchers, does it have anything like feet or other appendages?
>Do we have room to back away from the debris without pinning ourself in the hallway?
>From what we can tell without taking time to check, how much space do we have to the left and right, as well as above and below.
>Toss some large, speedy danmaku into the dust in a wave, and glance right very quickly.
>Move into that right hall, and keep the waves of bullets coming; going high, low, and middling in no real pattern.
>If it's smart enough to dodge, then it's smart enough to be faked out. Start varying the bullet speeds, and have the waves be quite dense when close to us, then less so further way. Try to force it to be on the defensive, or to at least second guess its charges.
>Have we started to feel the effects of blood loss?
>Keep up the fireworks, and add in a nice stream of bullets at it to keep it from getting too close. If it doesn't want to fight like a civilized person, then too bad for it.
>Just how much more drama could we add to this pattern?
>Keep up the music and follow it. and trying to make use of a stream or two to keep it from running off down a hall. We've come this far, it's either surrender or defeat.
>Follow it. and trying to make use of a stream or two to keep it from running off down a hall. We've come this far, it's either surrender or defeat.
>Let's add a thick wave of slowly moving needles to the mix to force it back against the wall.
>Let up on the music, just a little, to see what he does. But weave a nice pincher from left and right so that if it tries to charge us, and gets lucky dodging, the pincher will catch it decisively.
>Keep things at their current level.
>If we can talk while filing: "Are you done yet or what?"
>"Well, that's something! You ready to give up? Just put those claws above your head and we'll stop and talk, okay?"
>Does the smashing seem to be doing anything, or is it more impacts for the sake of impacts?
>"Oh for the love of..."
>Drop the attack for now, but be ready to bring it back up if the thing charges again.
>Oh well, Alice needed to get this placed fixed up anyways?
>Can we tell which way it's moving?
>Should it be coming this way, move away and be prepared to fire again.
>Keep moving, and angle for the hole.
>If it looks like it is going to beat us to the hole, be ready to give it a face full of dense danmaku.
>If we're going to be it to the hole, send up a dense cloud to chase it away from the entrance.
>Back away, and dense cloud in between us, now!
>In theory we'll want this build this back up into the original pattern, but let's take it a step at a time.
>Add in some bullets to curve around its tail, while continuing to back away. Curve so that we have more room if the opportunity exists to do so without getting rammed.
>Keep up the attack, and try to angle our backing away toward the left edge of the hallway, so we can dodge rightward.
>Add in more attacks that curve densely from the sides; to serve as an anti-shotgunning barrier. They can spread out and be dodgeable some distance back.
>Give a brief reprieve on the curving danmaku. Do we tend to injure people that much with it?
>Let's try to get around it, while keeping up the defensive danmaku. Try not to antagonize it unless it takes aggressive action again.
>Let's loop around him and get to the hall with the stairs. From them, back away to the stairs.
>Consider what vulnerable bits the cloud is covering, so we know what to target if it tries to attack again.