Hatate Quest Kaksi

[Oldmansour]

>"As much as I hate to disappoint you, she's been missing for the past month. A few people are, which is kinda why I came here. Been trying to figure out what's up."

>"Oh hoo." Ranka gives Honoka a sly look. "So why are you still here? Shouldn't you be out being a hero again?"
>"If you insist." the cloaked youkai says tolerantly. "Have you spoken to Reimu about this matter?" she asks you.

[O4rfish]

>"No. She was indisposed when I visited her."

[Oldmansour]

>"No. She was indisposed when I visited her."

>"Perhaps I should attend to that. She and Marisa are close. She may wish to take action herself."

[O4rfish]

>"If you wish. She may still be at her shrine."

[Oldmansour]

>"If you wish. She may still be at her shrine."

>"Thank you." Her hand escapes her cloak to shake a finger at Ranka. "And you behave yourself. I don't want you stirring up the whole of the tengu people the minute I turn my back."
>"Why don't you turn your front, see what happens?" the wind youkai replies tartly.
>"I mean it, Ranka."
>Ranka forestalls what could be a lengthy lecture by taking Honoka's hand in hers. "I know. You worry. Too much." she says, no longer teasing her friend. "But don't. I'm curious about this one."
>Honoka smiles wryly. "That's why I'm worried." she says quietly, but Ranka's easy smile suggests they've had exchanges like this before. Despite yourself, you can't help but feel a pang of envy towards Honoka, for being the one receiving that beautiful smile. The cloaked youkai then steps back from Ranka, and gives you and Celes a solemn look. "Good luck to you."

[Hello Purvis]

>"You too, Honoka."
>When the rest are ready, let's get moving.
>"So, Ranka, we did get sidetracked a little bit from the original question, didn't we?"

[Oldmansour]

>"You too, Honoka."
>When the rest are ready, let's get moving.
>"So, Ranka, we did get sidetracked a little bit from the original question, didn't we?"

>The cloaked youkai exchanges farewells with you and Celes, wraps herself in an aura of flames and takes off into the sky, heading back the way you came.
>Sabine hops up on the back of the burning-hoofed horse, steadying herself only momentarily before Celes spurs the cauchemar into activity. With Ranka to their left, and you tucked in next to the golden-maned youkai, the four of your take off into the air. As both you and Ranka know the location of Marisa's house, the two of you lead the way, Sabine's horse trailing ugly smoke as it runs on the air, keeping pace behind you and Ranka.

>"Sure did." Ranka nods. "People say that happens with me all the time."

[Hello Purvis]

>"So, tell me a bit about you and Honoka?"

[Oldmansour]

>"So, tell me a bit about you and Honoka?"

>Ranka starts to answer, then pauses and gives you another of those grins of hers. "You mean me and Honoka, right."

[Hello Purvis]

>Grin back. Like some windy thing gonna match a tengu grin!
>"I'll take whatever you choose to share."

[Oldmansour]

>Grin back. Like some windy thing gonna match a tengu grin!
>"I'll take whatever you choose to share."

>Dueling grins.
>Ranka giggles. "How can I argue with that kind of offer."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Then don't!"

[Oldmansour]

>"Then don't!"

>Ranka laughs again. "Honoka and I.... We go back. A long way back. I don't really remember how we met. Is that important, do you think?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"It's pretty important. But I guess if neither of you care, then it's not a big deal if you don't  remember?"

[Oldmansour]

>"It's pretty important. But I guess if neither of you care, then it's not a big deal if you don't  remember?"

>"Some things don't really hold in my mind, yknow? I've always been that way. Some folks call me 'airheaded'." Ranka makes a face. "They think they're soooooooooo clever. I'll give you tengu credit for that, when you poke fun at someone, you're better at it than a lot of folks I've met."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well I'd like to think we're usually polite, but don't take us lightly in a war of words."
>"So, what do you remember?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Well I'd like to think we're usually polite, but don't take us lightly in a war of words."
>"So, what do you remember?"

>"I remember a lot of things- Oh, you mean about Honoka?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.

[Oldmansour]

>Nod.

>"I remember that she's like me, she moves around all the time. She doesn't get bored or anything, she's just always looking for a new challenge." Ranka pauses. "No, no, that's not right, that's a recent thing. That's thanks to Reimu, she's like that now, with the danmaku battles." The wind spirit smiles. "She took to this kind of fighting like I take to a tailwind. A way to test her power, go all out against an even foe, and not hurt more than their pride? And maybe their shirt? I like it, too, but Honoka, it satisfies her."

[Hello Purvis]

>"What was she like before spellcards, then? And do you compare to her at all?"

[Oldmansour]

>"What was she like before spellcards, then? And do you compare to her at all?"

>"Still traveled a lot, but she picked her fights pretty careful. She's a fire youkai- you knew that, right? Right.- and a pretty powerful one, too. She's knows when and where to really toast someone." Ranka giggles quietly. "And always a bad guy, too. She'd never admit it, but she's a hero at heart. Even back in the bad old days, she was one of the youkai who didn't have too hard a time getting along with humans, the good humans, anyway."
>"Mm, on a good day, yeah. I can hang with her, but she usually wins. Too much power." Ranka ponders a moment. "I'd say she's at least as good as Shou and Reisen, around that level. Hasn't managed to beat Reimu yet, though, she's working on it."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I bet there's a lucky faerie or two out there she could ask for advice. Anyways, are you the kind who likes to be the hero, too?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I bet there's a lucky faerie or two out there she could ask for advice. Anyways, are you the kind who likes to be the hero, too?"

>Ranka nods. "The truth of it is, it's more fun being the good guy. I know how strong I am, I could cause all kinds of havoc for humans. Youkai, too, I mean I could do a number of you lot, for a start. But it's better to make folks smile, make people happy. Main difference between me and Honoka is she's a fighter first. I'm a lover first."

[Hello Purvis]

>"That sounds like a better deal, anyways."
>There's a reason why wolves are the lowest caste, after all.
>"What other sorts of things does she get up to? And you for that matter."

[Oldmansour]

>"That sounds like a better deal, anyways."
>There's a reason why wolves are the lowest caste, after all.
>"What other sorts of things does she get up to? And you for that matter."

>"It is for me." Ranka agrees. "I try now and then to swing Honoka over to my side." She adds a smirk to her face. "Not too seriously, mind. I wouldn't change her for anything."
>"Better part of the past month, she's been hanging out with the Cobalts." Glancing back over her shoulder, she adds with a pout, "I still think you're trying to steal her for yourselves."
>"Honoka-san has been a great help to us." Celes says with a straight face. "In addition to her help putting the Keep back in order, she has given us a great deal of information about how Gensokyo has changed while we were away. She's also enabled all of us to polish our skills with danmaku, which will help us all the more down the road."
>"And kicked Nyx's ass at music." Sabine adds with a grin.
>"Yes. That as well." Celes replies tolerantly.

>"Me, though, I just.... Sort of, breeze about." Ranka folds her hands behind her head, adding a graceful yet casual sway to her flight path. "I don't know that I have regular hobbies or pasttimes, like other people do. Well, unless you count flying."
>"She never touches ground." Sabine adds. Then she grins a positively evil grin. "Well, unless she's giving someone-"
>"Sabine." Celes cautions her fellow Keep resident.
>"I love music, though, always have." Ranka continues, either heedless of or ignoring Sabine's commentary. "Can't really play any instruments, not really well, I'm a singer."

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's okay. It takes more than one to make an orchestra. So, what sorts of things have you dabbled in, then?"

[Oldmansour]

>"That's okay. It takes more than one to make an orchestra. So, what sorts of things have you dabbled in, then?"

>Ranka starts ticking her head back and forth as she lists off, "Well, a little music, some sewing, baking, babysitting- didn't go too well, that- clothing design, tried forecasting till I got bored with it, helped Keine in her class a couple times, vampire's slave, vampire hunting after that, roaming lost and found, I was a sword for a while- don't ask, I didn't like it- traveling musician for a while that was fun, liquor tester.... did I saw baking already?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"You did. And, vampire's slave? Would that be the infamous old master of the keep, or another vampire entirely?"

[Oldmansour]

>"You did. And, vampire's slave? Would that be the infamous old master of the keep, or another vampire entirely?"

>"No, this one was a girl. What was her name, uh.... Um.... Red Tide, yeah, that was it. Every vampire calls themselves something like that, Red Tide, Cobalt Countess, Scarlet Devil... Why is that, Celes?"
>"It is in the nature of a tradition. It is a way for a vampire to distance themselves from their birth name."
>"But they keep using their names, least a lot of them do."
>"I said 'distance', not 'separate', Ranka." Celes corrects. "It is their way of saying that they are something more than they were, but not all of what they were is lost."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I figured it just sounded dramatic. Anyways, let me take a guess, Honoka had a role in going from slave to hunter, right?"