Hatate Quest Kolme

[Hello Purvis]

>"Okay, so you don't believe us? Then, how about your ideas? If we were gonna impersonate people and raise hell, we're doing a really lousy job of it by coming to find you guys first thing, don't you think? What would we have to gain by impersonating people intentionally?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Okay, so you don't believe us? Then, how about your ideas? If we were gonna impersonate people and raise hell, we're doing a really lousy job of it by coming to find you guys first thing, don't you think? What would we have to gain by impersonating people intentionally?"

>"That's what we asked Nue after we caught her impersonating Aya several months ago." the Yamabushi replies. This one is a bit shorter than her partner, but her eyes are almost as strange. The colored parts of her eyes are a solid grey, like little spheres of lead. She's prettier than her partner, but she presently looks a bit more threatening, as her hands are resting atop the two short swords sheathed at her belt. "She said it was 'A larf.'"
>A wave of angry murmurs runs through the crowd again. The shapeshifter's name seems to have struck an annoyed chord with the assembled individuals. While this plainly doesn't help your case, what may is the fact that Momiji herself doesn't appear either suspicious or annoyed. If anything, she seems to be curious.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Okay, so if we're not able to change shape, then that wouldn't have anything to do with us, right? You're the magician here, so you oughta know how to sniff out a shapechanger's true form, shouldn't you?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Okay, so if we're not able to change shape, then that wouldn't have anything to do with us, right? You're the magician here, so you oughta know how to sniff out a shapechanger's true form, shouldn't you?"

>The grey-eyed woman nods. "I do have a trick or two under my wings."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Then please. Let's get this dealt with so we can talk about useful things."

[Oldmansour]

>"Then please. Let's get this dealt with so we can talk about useful things."

>"All right." The grey eyed Yamabushi extends her hand out, palm up, towards you. In a voice holding no friendly tones at all, she says, "Hold still."
>Before she can fire a spell at you, the promoted Momiji catches her wrist firmly. "I don't think that will be necessary."
>The Yamabushi splutters, "But, why not?"
>"I think I believe them." The white winged Windwalker splutters once more, but Momiji continues, pointing at her counterpart, "Look at the way she's acting. She's let Hatate do most of the talking, and she's standing just behind her, close enough to guard her but not assuming the same place as a Crow. Just like I used to." Your Momiji's eyes widen as she stares at the other, while that Momiji smiles. "The revolution hasn't happened yet for you two, has it?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"No. And we have a lot of questions about that, because I really wanna know why you're training up an army."

[Oldmansour]

>"No. And we have a lot of questions about that, because I really wanna know why you're training up an army."

>"There is also another reason to give them the benefit of the doubt." a familiar voice announces from the crowd. A group of white wolves part ways to allow the scarlet cloaked youkai Honoka to pass between them. She is accompanied by a demure looking youkai in a green and black robe. She seems vaguely familiar to you, and it takes you a moment to recall that you saw her earlier today- from your perspective, of course- at the Moriya shrine, performing with the goddess trio.
>With a brief glance upwards, Honoka asks, "Ranka brought you here, did she not?"
>Your Momiji nods. "We met her in the village at the base of the mountain, and she was good enough to escort us here."
>"And you managed to keep your clothes on the whole way up?" Although Honoka asks the question rather seriously, the slight grin on her face belies her tone.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh we're too old-fashioned for her tastes. Now about this army."

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh we're too old-fashioned for her tastes. Now about this army."

>"Don't tengu where you come from know how to defend themselves?" the white-eyed Windwalker asks acidly.
>"Not like this, they don't." the other Momiji answers for you. "Remember, before the Revolution, this sort of activity would never happen, not with more than White Wolves involved. We did all the fighting. And Kohebi and Honoka definitely wouldn't be here either." The black winged bodyguard mumbles sourly, but doesn't dispute her charges' words. "Now, there's a short answer to your question, Hata...." The other Momiji trails off and chuckles quietly. "This is going to be a bit awkward when the other Hatate gets back. Anyway, there's a short answer and a long answer." With a smile, she asks, "If you're like her, I'd wager you want the longer one, right?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Gimme short, then long."

[Oldmansour]

>"Gimme short, then long."

>"The short answer is, we might need one." Momiji says simply. "Though the term 'army' is a bit inaccurate. All we're doing here now is teaching people how to handle themselves if and when things go wrong."
>"The long answer is, well, a fair bit longer." the white wolf says with a somewhat depreciating smile. "But I think it'd be best if we went somewhere else to continue that line of discussion." she finishes. "A demonstration might help, though, if you'd like. I was planning on offering one for all the first-timers here this morning anyway, and this is as good a time as any."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Sure, demonstrate away."

[Oldmansour]

>"Sure, demonstrate away."

>Momiji nods, then her face changes just a little. "Form ranks!" she barks, her voice carrying more authority than you think you've ever heard your Momiji use. And it has an immediate effect, as the warriors in training immediately cease their suspicious looks and angry muttering to assemble before their leader, who turns from you and walks towards a box carved into the dirt not far from where you stand, her bodyguards following her.
>"You have nothing else to fear here." Honoka assures you and your Momiji. "They may not accept you, but no one will do anything against you if Momiji has accepted you. And I will vouch for you as well." she adds, glancing up towards the long-haired blonde reclining in the air above. "Ranka liked you enough to escort you here, and in this, I trust her judgement."

[Hello Purvis]

>"If they're going around giving fellow tengu trouble, then whatever happened has failed so much worse than I could imagine, and I'd have to disavow them as fellows anyways. I'm going to pretend they still have that basic dignity."

[Oldmansour]

>"If they're going around giving fellow tengu trouble, then whatever happened has failed so much worse than I could imagine, and I'd have to disavow them as fellows anyways. I'm going to pretend they still have that basic dignity."

>"You can pretend whatever you want, but understand this." Honoka says firmly. "In their eyes, you're an imposter, and of one the most popular tengu around at the moment. And that's even more true for you." she adds to Momiji. "Momiji Inubashiri was one of the architects of the current society. She is beloved by every tengu on the mountain and beyond. Seeing another youkai wearing her face, which is what they suspect right now, is infuriating to them."
>"But Momiji herself is a very reasonable woman." the snake youkai adds, her voice as sinuous and sinister as it was when you met her earlier today. "She will listen to you. If she accepts you and your story, then so too will the others."

[Hello Purvis]

>No point in trying to lecture an outsider on what it means to be a tengu, especially if Celes is right and it's all fake anyways. Just observe Momiji instead.

[Oldmansour]

>No point in trying to lecture an outsider on what it means to be a tengu, especially if Celes is right and it's all fake anyways. Just observe Momiji instead.

>"There are a number of reasons why the White Wolves used to do all the fighting." the supposedly fake Momiji speaks as she marches back and forth before the assembled tengu crowd, looking a proper general as her eyes skim across the gathered men and women. "We tend to have the temperament for it, we have the physicality for it, and we tend to have the discipline for this kind of training. None of that means by any stretch than none of you have the temperament for fighting, or the physicality for it, or the discipline. And most importantly, you all have the will to defend yourselves and your homes, and the spirit to do anything anyone else can do." Momiji affords them a faint smile. "You've already proven that by being here. And to honor that spirit, I will help you discover the skills you want."
>"YES, MA'AM!" the crowd roars almost perfectly in unison, over a hundred voices strong announcing their loyalty to the White Wolf.

>The other Momiji, the one you arrived with, takes this opportunity to speak to Honoka, "How is it that you came to be here?"
>"The Momiji over there enlisted my help." the cloaked youkai replies. "Around the time she started organizing these classes for weapons training, she did the same thing for spellcard training. But she didn't want to draw her instructors solely from the ranks of the tengu, so she sought out youkai from other walks of life to offer lessons to her people in the ways of danmaku. That is why Kohebi and I are here."
>"That makes sense." Momiji says with a thoughtful nod. "You both think differently than a tengu, so you'd have other ideas to offer. And you both must be very good teachers, or there's no way you'd get tengu to accept you as teachers."
>"Thank you." the sinister voiced snake youkai hisses in reply.

>"It is my hope that not one of us here, myself included, will ever be called upon to use these skills outside of this field." 'General' Momiji continues. "But if that time DOES come, you will all be ready. If the old guard return, and try to use their swords to turn things back to the way they were, will you be ready to fend them off?"
>"YES, MA'AM!"
>"If something in the Underworld escapes the Oni again, and dare to come to challenge us, will you be ready?"
>"YES, MA'AM!"
>"If a threat arises among the Outside world, and they turn their guns upon Gensokyo and her people, will you be ready?"
>"YES, MA'AM!"
>"That's what I like to hear." Momiji's complimentary tone draws a chorus of cheers from the assembled tengu. The sense of camaraderie between them is visible even to someone like you, who is a virtual stranger to the battlefield. It is stunning to see that level of reverence offered to a White Wolf from tengu of other castes. Even Dai-tengu seem to acknowledge her command over the crowd. Momiji then continues, "Now I know there are some among you, especially among those who are new to our trainings, that are thinking, 'No matter how strong I get, I'll never be as good as a White Wolf warrior.'" She looks over at you. "That's the way it is where you come from, isn't it?" she asks curiously.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Flukes might happen, but on the whole that's known to be true. The pride of the a white wolf wouldn't allow for anything different."

[Oldmansour]

>"Flukes might happen, but on the whole that's known to be true. The pride of the a white wolf wouldn't allow for anything different."

>"That's a fair point she makes." Momiji says as she turns back to her students. "We Wolves did indeed used to pride ourselves on being the best pure warriors, didn't we?" Rather than the enthusiastic roar you've come to expect, there are only nods and a few murmured agreements from the White Wolves among the crowd. "But now we've found more ways to take pride in our prowess, haven't we?" This question draws a louder response than the last. "Now we take pride when someone who isn't a Wolf can match our skill. And for all of you who still think this can't be done, other than the odd Dai-tengu, like Hatate said.... RAT!" She bellows, then grins, a warrior's grin. "Let's dance."
>Wondering why she called for a rat, you spy instead a brown-winged Long-nose tengu winding her way through the crowd. The woman's nose is very angular and her jaw is even longer, giving her a distinctly rodent-like appearance. She carries a pair of short swords on her belt, as well as a long knife at the small of her back, two daggers tucked into her leather boots, and your trained eye catches at least one more dagger hilt hidden inside her brown leather vest. A very wirey frame is concealed beneath her rather masculine apparel, but the return grin she levels at Momiji speaks volumes of confidence.
>The White Wolf and the Long Nose walk in sidestep as the both head towards a large circle marked in the grass of the field, an excited muttering running though the other tengu present as they move apart, letting Momiji and the Rat have some room, many taking to the air to get a better view of the certain dual to come. You, however, are slightly confused. To look at this Long-nose, one would not get the impression that she'd have any chance against a warrior like Momiji, despite her wealth of blades. On the other hand, Momiji wouldn't have called her out if she didn't think the weasel-faced tengu was a match for her. This could be interesting.

>"Are these duels recorded usually?" Momiji asks Honoka.
>"Sometimes. Whenever Hatate is around, she usually comes away with a shot or two at least." After a moment, she adds, "That's the other Hatate."
>"This could get somewhat confusing." the snake youkai adds with a wry grin.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, it's only fair that we come up with other names. So, does she look competent, Momiji?"
>Whatever she answers, watch to see what happens. In particular, watch for cheating, mundane or otherwise.

[Oldmansour]

>"Yeah, it's only fair that we come up with other names. So, does she look competent, Momiji?"
>Whatever she answers, watch to see what happens. In particular, watch for cheating, mundane or otherwise.

>Your Momiji offers up a sigh as she smiles. "It seems that... 'Momicchi' might come in handy." she suggests dryly.

>The captain gives the Long-nose an appraising look as her doppelganger and her opponent reach the wide circle in the grass. "Kohebi. Call the time." the other Momiji calls out. The snake youkai moves to join her as the tengu called 'Rat' draws her two short blades and brandishes them in front of her.
>"Yes." Momiji answers your question as she studies the Long-noses' stance. "She's confidant, but her stance is relaxed. Honoka, she's fought Momiji before, hasn't she?"
>The cloaked youkai nods. "She is frequently called upon to demonstrate what a non-White Wolf is capable of in the martial arts."
>"How do they usually- Never mind." Momiji's question is interrupted when her counterpart draws her armaments. While the shield she carries is the same as the one from your world, this Momiji wields a different sword. This one has a black handle, and its curved blade is tinted a mixture of white and a cold blue. "Is that a frostbranded weapon?"
>Honoka nods. "As I understand, it was a gift to her from a sightless blacksmith."
>"Karen." Momiji says with a smile. "In any timeline, she looks after me. I assume that the time is five minutes?"
>"Ten."
>"Ten minutes." Momiji studies the two tengu again, now circling each other warily. "It won't last that long." she says to you. "Not ten minutes. The Long-nose looks good, but I can already tell that this Momiji is much better than I am. She'll have this 'Rat' in the dirt before ten minutes."

>If Momiji's doppelganger's victory is assured, it doesn't show in the opening blows of the duel. Three times the Long-nose darts in, her blades flashing, and although three times they fail to touch Momiji's skin, so too does Momiji fail to make contact with her opponent. The wirey tengu is far more acrobatic than you've ever seen a Long-nose demonstrate, springing around the circle, cartwheeling and handspringing at points, making Momiji's sword strike naught but air. She even goes on the offensive with these circus-like moves, driving her joined feet forward or sometimes her twin daggers, forcing Momiji either to block with her shield or give ground.
>"Gods." you Momiji breathes. "She's making me work for it."
>"You mean her." Honoka corrects solemnly.
>"Right, sorry."

>And it seems to be a fair fight, too. Your eyes are very keen, and they show you no sign of any improper conduct on the part of the Long-nose fighter. She seems to be the more dexterous of the two, which negates the edge Momiji has in raw strength. She's not fast enough to keep someone as skilled as Momiji from scoring hits completely, but she is skilled enough to blunt Momiji's offense, and her deft bladework is just good enough to keep the White Wolf's sword at bay. Twice, Momiji manages to strike the Rat with her shield, but the first strike is nothing more than a glancing blow, and the other is blocked by by of the Long-nose's blades, softening the impact considerably. Only once does the Long-nose seem to make a mistake, putting a bit too much force behind a backhanded swipe with her off-hand blade. As the dagger bounces off Momiji's sword, your eyes detect a faltering of her step when she puts her foot down. She's thrown herself off balance, not by much, but surely enough for a warrior like Momiji to take advantage of. The White Wolf, however, holds back her weapons, allowing Rat to get her footing back before thrusting her sword forward, which is met by a parrying slash from her foe.
>Your Momiji, of course, noticed this as well. "She doesn't want to win." she explains. "It's the duel that matters, not the result. She's showing everyone that it doesn't take a White Wolf to beat a White Wolf."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, she's going a little easy. Now what I wanna know is just how many other people can pull that off?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Yeah, she's going a little easy. Now what I wanna know is just how many other people can pull that off?"

>"Not many." Honoka replies. "Momiji is an excellent teacher, but the people who match her physicality and her natural talent, and have the discipline to train as she has, are very few." Honoka pauses to watch the dueling Momiji ward off an overhand strike from the Long-Nose, and deliver a firm boot to Rat's sternum, forcing her to back off a few steps. "I cannot judge martial talent as readily as I do danmaku, but to my knowledge, Momiji is one of the finest warriors in Gensokyo, of any species."
>"She fights Oni like this?" your Momiji starts.
>"She has. And she usually wins. And speaking of Oni," Honoka says as she turns her head towards you. "There is a particular Oni who lives here that may challenge you to a duel yourself the moment she returns. Knowing her, fighting one Hatate in a day probably won't be enough."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'll have to make some kind of arrangement, then. And yeah, this is interesting, but it's also a fluke, isn't it? I mean, those happen sometimes, it's like how sometimes people are born blind, you know?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I'll have to make some kind of arrangement, then. And yeah, this is interesting, but it's also a fluke, isn't it? I mean, those happen sometimes, it's like how sometimes people are born blind, you know?"

>"I suppose that's one way to look at it." Honoka admits.
>"It doesn't really matter, though." Momiji interjects. "Not the fight itself, anyway. That's not the point she's trying to make to us. Well, not the MAIN point, anyway. Try to imagine what a scene like this would look like in our world."

[Hello Purvis]

>"It'd be pretty wild, yeah. But I think we've gotten beyond the main point, because this isn't a good excuse for raising an army, is it?"

[Oldmansour]

>"It'd be pretty wild, yeah. But I think we've gotten beyond the main point, because this isn't a good excuse for raising an army, is it?"

>"The army isn't the point, either." Momiji says with a shake of her head. "It's a way to bring the different castes together. She's given them a common goal, something that matters to every one of them - defending their homes. I think every one of them hopes to never ever have to use those weapons once they leave this field, but every one of them is going to be more comfortable working and living around the other castes at the end of every day. They'll all know that if the time ever DOES come, they'll stand together, instead of waiting for one group to take care of all the bad things." The Wolf captain pauses, then frowns. "At least... That's what I think."

[Hello Purvis]

>"It seems like a really loaded thing to use to bring people together, if you ask me. Why raise an army and insult all the white wolves who spent their whole lives doing a perfectly fine job when you could do something else? I mean, there's things that no one caste really does yet, like danmaku. Or if you really want to turn people's eyes outward, maybe tinkering in those devices the people at the shrine like so much? It's just weird, you know? Or since there seem to be oni coming and going now, why not things like brewing? Don't you think there's something we're not being told?"

[Oldmansour]

>"It seems like a really loaded thing to use to bring people together, if you ask me. Why raise an army and insult all the white wolves who spent their whole lives doing a perfectly fine job when you could do something else? I mean, there's things that no one caste really does yet, like danmaku. Or if you really want to turn people's eyes outward, maybe tinkering in those devices the people at the shrine like so much? It's just weird, you know? Or since there seem to be oni coming and going now, why not things like brewing? Don't you think there's something we're not being told?"

>"I haven't gotten the impression that anyone's concealing anything." Momiji replies, though she does lower her voice a little. "On the other hand, I've never had to try to pick deception out of my own mouth before. But if she IS anything like me, and there IS something else she hasn't mentioned, then it's probably something she can't talk about in public."
>"But I can tell you this, though, I wouldn't consider it an insult. And I can think of a lot of White Wolves who would approve of a class like this, they'd even volunteer to help. It'd be an insult if we were getting replaced outright, but I don't think that's what this is."