Keine Quest (Part 2): Broken History

[Hello Purvis]

>Approach! If Issues the Oni wants to try something, she can try it in Suika's face.
>Try to get in easy conversing distance, before calling out to her.

[DracoOmega]

>Approach! If Issues the Oni wants to try something, she can try it in Suika's face.
>Try to get in easy conversing distance, before calling out to her.

>You approach Suika and call out to her, hopeful that no one else will try anything if she's talking to you.
>Upon hearing her name, Suika turn around to face you, a foolish grin on her face. That lasts about as long as it takes for her to see you . She tilts her head, and peers at you curiously, frowning a little.
>"Hmmm... new face," she says.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah. I'm Keine. This is Mokou, Orin, and Rumia. Mind if we talk a bit?"
>Gesture appropriately to them.

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah. I'm Keine. This is Mokou, Orin, and Rumia. Mind if we talk a bit?"
>Gesture appropriately to them.

>Suika pauses and considers. "Sure, why not," she says eventually. "Don't see many new faces down here." She takes another swig of her gourd, then turns back to the table and grabs a fried somthing-or-other off it. "Dig in! Food's not gonna eat itself, y'now."

[Hello Purvis]

>Get to that food before it achieves a state of self-eating anyways.
>"Thanks! I appreciate it, It's been kind of a long trip."

[DracoOmega]

>Get to that food before it achieves a state of self-eating anyways.

>You go over to the table and find there's an ample spread of a variety of foods, mostly fried, and mostly finger food. You pick out a chunchy looking item and take a bite. Hmmm.... tastes like chicken. Probably is chicken, actually. Mokou looks at the table warily for a few moments, and then grabs something similar. Once Rumia sees you eating, she pops over to the table and starts sampling dish after dish at random.
>"See, that's the spirit, kid!" Suika says.

>"Thanks! I appreciate it, It's been kind of a long trip."

>"'course it has! Surface's is a long way away. But I'm not about to turn someone away from a party! Even if they are kinda funny." She tosses a crude earthenware tankard in your direction. You're... not sure when that ended up in her hands.

[Hello Purvis]

>Take tankard! Consider contents! Sip if they don't seem toxic. Might as well fit in.
>"Glad you feel that way! It's a shame people can't just come down here and join in, isn't it?"

[DracoOmega]

>Take tankard! Consider contents! Sip if they don't seem toxic. Might as well fit in.

>You catch the tankard, and without spilling the contents either.
>"Not bad, not bad," Suika comments.
>You take a sniff. Smells like Sake. Hmmm... tastes like Sake, too. Pretty strong, too.

>"Glad you feel that way! It's a shame people can't just come down here and join in, isn't it?"

>"It is!" Suika responds, frowning a little. "'course, half them think I'm crazy for thinkin' it." She takes another gulp. "Probably am, too."

[Hello Purvis]

>"It's a good kind of crazy, then. I'm glad to see someone isn't mad at the surface, though."

[DracoOmega]

>"It's a good kind of crazy, then. I'm glad to see someone isn't mad at the surface, though."

>"I kinda miss it some days, actually. Not a lot to see down here after the first couple centuries."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Sound like you've looked, too."

[DracoOmega]

>"Sound like you've looked, too."

>"Looked for what? 'bout the only people you can drink with are already living here."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Interesting things, I mean. Or have you just stayed in the city the whole time?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Interesting things, I mean. Or have you just stayed in the city the whole time?"

>"Just lots and lot of rock out there. And a few odd youkai; stranger than you bunch. Keep to themselves. Tried to invite them, they didn't care. Not much fun out that way."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Shame. I was hoping to meet someone who knows the tunnels well..."

[DracoOmega]

>"Shame. I was hoping to meet someone who knows the tunnels well..."

>"What for? I just said there's nothing worth finding out there."

[Hello Purvis]

>"We need it to solve a significant problem, really. Someone's stolen the full moon, and set up a ward to keep us from approaching them from the surface."

[DracoOmega]

>"We need it to solve a significant problem, really. Someone's stolen the full moon, and set up a ward to keep us from approaching them from the surface."

>"Stolen the moon? How can anyone steal the moon? Even an oni couldn't lift that thing. 'sides, there's only one way up from down here. Well... two now I s'pose."

[Hello Purvis]

>"We're hoping to make a third way. Right under them. And...very powerful magic. It's Lunarians doing it."

[DracoOmega]

>"We're hoping to make a third way. Right under them. And...very powerful magic. It's Lunarians doing it."

>"Make a third way?" Suika laughs and takes another swig of her gourd. "You think big! 'suppose you're hoping I'll help with that?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Like you would not believe."
>Sip.

[DracoOmega]

>She laughs. Actually, it's almost more of a giggle, coming from her. "It's not every day someone comes down from the surface to ask a Deva of the Mountain a favor. Actually... it's not any day, far as I can remember." She tilts her head to the side and stares at you again. "What makes you think I'd want to help?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Because, from what I've gathered, you care more about having fun than having conflicts. Which leads me to think you'd be more willing to be helpful than be a jerk about things. I'm also hoping it means you still care a bit about how things are on the surface."

[DracoOmega]

>"Because, from what I've gathered, you care more about having fun than having conflicts. Which leads me to think you'd be more willing to be helpful than be a jerk about things. I'm also hoping it means you still care a bit about how things are on the surface."

>"Well...." She pauses. "If that's what you think, busting a hole into someone's place from below seems more about conflict than fun. Last I checked, there wasn't a whole lot of fun on the surface, anyhow."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well...you're right about there's not being no fun. How badly were you affected by the long winter? It got...pretty terrible, up above. Many people didn't make it, you know?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Well...you're right about there's not being no fun. How badly were you affected by the long winter? It got...pretty terrible, up above. Many people didn't make it, you know?"

>"Don't have seasons down here. 'sides, us oni can take a lot. But yeah, I knew. Was actually thinking about poking my head out again, back then. But the place just wasn't the same, y'know?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"You have no idea how right you are, Suika. But, even if it's not the same, maybe it wouldn't hurt to help out just once? So people remember you're there? Especially since, once this works, we'll have put things a bit like it used to be. Like it's supposed to be."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod.
>"You have no idea how right you are, Suika. But, even if it's not the same, maybe it wouldn't hurt to help out just once? So people remember you're there? Especially since, once this works, we'll have put things a bit like it used to be. Like it's supposed to be."

>"Well, I suppose it ain't so bad if I make sure they don't forget we exist, up there. 'sides," she looks at you, and that foolish grin reappears on her face. "might be a bit of a challange, and I haven't had one of those in a long time."

[Hello Purvis]

>Grin. "Those are words for a sore heart, Suika."
>"I suppose, then, the questions are: do you know those tunnels well enough to get us close? We have a compass that can  show us the way, but that doesn't mean the tunnels will cooperate. And after that...well...how quickly can you make a new tunnel right into their home?"

[DracoOmega]

>Grin. "Those are words for a sore heart, Suika."

>She nods at you. "C'mon, drink up. 'spossed to be a party, here."

>"I suppose, then, the questions are: do you know those tunnels well enough to get us close? We have a compass that can  show us the way, but that doesn't mean the tunnels will cooperate. And after that...well...how quickly can you make a new tunnel right into their home?"

>"Hard for me to say how close I can get ya if I don't even know where you're goin'. And, well... I've never really broken rock in a way someone could walk through before, sorry." She grins sheepishly.