Iku Quest Sedem: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> "Because I'm offering, and because I'm guessing you can't do it yourself, or else you would have done so before and would not be so frustrated now. Whatever information wasn't in that book, I would be happy to provide you as best I can."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Because I'm offering, and because I'm guessing you can't do it yourself, or else you would have done so before and would not be so frustrated now. Whatever information wasn't in that book, I would be happy to provide you as best I can."

>"All you want to do is expose me further," she says. "Go away."

>_

[Marokuu]

>Kind tone.
>"I'm not trying to expose you. I want to help you... and in the process teach you a bit about trust, something we value in Bhava-Agra"
>That last part is true right? cut it otherwise.

[Kilgamayan]

> "Besides, how much can I expose you when I'm here with you instead of anywhere with anyone else?"

[Marokuu]

>Would we need to know anything at all about her to teach her to fly? hypothetically speaking, seeing as we know a deal about her now

[Hello Purvis]

>Kind tone.
>"I'm not trying to expose you. I want to help you... and in the process teach you a bit about trust, something we value in Bhava-Agra"
>That last part is true right? cut it otherwise.

>It is most certainly true.
>You take a kind tone. "You actions say otherwise much more clearly than your words," she answers.

> "Besides, how much can I expose you when I'm here with you instead of anywhere with anyone else?"

>"Do you think I'm a fool?" says the poltergeist. "It's obvious you would try to tell others afterward."

>Would we need to know anything at all about her to teach her to fly? hypothetically speaking, seeing as we know a deal about her now

>She's a youkai, that should be all she needs. Really, the tricky part would be teaching it; it falls rather under using you hands in order of complexity and innateness for you.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "But there's something I don't understand. Something I still want to help you with. Why do you need to hide from everyone?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "But there's something I don't understand. Something I still want to help you with. Why do you need to hide from everyone?"

>"Why do you feel the need to expose me?" she says. "Why don't you people just leave me alone?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I have several reasons for following you. If I tell you why I am here with you right now, will you tell me why you need to hide from everyone? I will even go first, if you don't believe that I will tell you about myself if you tell me about yourself."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I have several reasons for following you. If I tell you why I am here with you right now, will you tell me why you need to hide from everyone? I will even go first, if you don't believe that I will tell you about myself if you tell me about yourself."

>"No. You are not going to expose me any further," she says.
>Tenshi catches up to you. "Hey, the book's fine. Just a little dirty."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Nod to Tenshi.
> "Excellent, thank you."
> Turn back to the poltergeist.
> "Well, that's a shame, because I'm going to tell you anyway."
> "You want to know why I follow you? Because you ruined my home, and I want it restored. Because you took the kappa and the karakasa, and I want them restored. Because you took from the rock and the tree, and I'm baffled by those choices, because they're completely incongruous with your desire to hide, being only a rock and a tree. But most importantly, because I know how you came to be, and what feelings were forced upon you, and I sympathize with you as a result. I want to help that. No one deserves to be born into the world with such paranoia."

[Hello Purvis]

> Nod to Tenshi.
> "Excellent, thank you."
> Turn back to the poltergeist.
> "Well, that's a shame, because I'm going to tell you anyway."
> "You want to know why I follow you? Because you ruined my home, and I want it restored. Because you took the kappa and the karakasa, and I want them restored. Because you took from the rock and the tree, and I'm baffled by those choices, because they're completely incongruous with your desire to hide, being only a rock and a tree. But most importantly, because I know how you came to be, and what feelings were forced upon you, and I sympathize with you as a result. I want to help that. No one deserves to be born into the world with such paranoia."

>"If you wanted to help," she says, "you wouldn't have exposed me. You wouldn't continue to try to expose me! You wouldn't organize people to try to find me! You would let me be! Why do you think a lie becomes true if you keep saying it!?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I do it to warn them, to keep people in groups, so there are no more like Nitori and Kogasa, attacked because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I also do it because you don't want to hide. You didn't make that choice. Others made you like that."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I do it to warn them, to keep people in groups, so there are no more like Nitori and Kogasa, attacked because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I also do it because you don't want to hide. You didn't make that choice. Others made you like that."

>"Yes, I do want to be left alone," she says. "You could have warned them without exposing me. You didn't. Don't act as though my words are as hollow as yours, and leave."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "No, you don't. You were made by others to want to be left alone. But your actions speak differently. You chose to leave your forest. You chose to investigate that Bhava-Agra place you read about, despite it being a great distance away from everything. You chose to have a drink with Suika, instead of hiding from her or trying to silence her. You did these things. Not the people that forced paranoid feelings on you. And I'm willing to bet you enjoyed them."

[Hello Purvis]

> "No, you don't. You were made by others to want to be left alone. But your actions speak differently. You chose to leave your forest. You chose to investigate that Bhava-Agra place you read about, despite it being a great distance away from everything. You chose to have a drink with Suika, instead of hiding from her or trying to silence her. You did these things. Not the people that forced paranoid feelings on you. And I'm willing to bet you enjoyed them."

>She doesn't say anything.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "There are more like Suika, you know. The man you saw in the shop? Perfectly civil gentleman. He'll make deals with anyone and everyone, regardless of who or what they are. The blond-haired puppeteer carries herself just as well. The green-haired shrine maiden and her goddesses atop the mountain, the Lunarians in the bamboo forest, the spider girl from underground, the redhead gatekeeper at the mansion, all of them are pleasant conversations, whether they're talking to an old friend or a complete stranger. Most of Bhava-Agra is this way as well."

[Hello Purvis]

> "There are more like Suika, you know. The man you saw in the shop? Perfectly civil gentleman. He'll make deals with anyone and everyone, regardless of who or what they are. The blond-haired puppeteer carries herself just as well. The green-haired shrine maiden and her goddesses atop the mountain, the Lunarians in the bamboo forest, the spider girl from underground, the redhead gatekeeper at the mansion, all of them are pleasant conversations, whether they're talking to an old friend or a complete stranger. Most of Bhava-Agra is this way as well."

>Tenshi snorts at the last part.
>"Since you think you know why I do what I do," says the Poltergeist, her words growing more annoyed and bitter, "Why did I go there?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I have a couple of theories. If I had only one guess, though, it would be because you were worried about the demiurge that you read about, the one that looks upon everyone as it pleases."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I have a couple of theories. If I had only one guess, though, it would be because you were worried about the demiurge that you read about, the one that looks upon everyone as it pleases."

>"Wrong," she says. "Much like everything you tell me I'm not actually doing on my own."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Then it would be because you read that our land cast no shadow."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Then it would be because you read that our land cast no shadow."

>She doesn't answer.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "But clearly that isn't correct, is it? You did a very neat job of proving it does."

[Hello Purvis]

> "But clearly that isn't correct, is it? You did a very neat job of proving it does."

>"...It wasn't correct," she says after a moment.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "It would certainly seem it is not, yes. I've now seen Bhava-Agra's shadow myself. Both here in Gensokyo, after the islands fell, and in the void you sent me to."

[Hello Purvis]

> "It would certainly seem it is not, yes. I've now seen Bhava-Agra's shadow myself. Both here in Gensokyo, after the islands fell, and in the void you sent me to."

>She doesn't say anything.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "But, and I'm sure you'll be happy to hear this, that is where things become unclear to me. I can see why you would be interested in such a peculiarity, but I am not sure why you would deign to act upon it as you did. Surely you would not do it for the attention, and you don't seem the type to do something just because you can."

[Hello Purvis]

> "But, and I'm sure you'll be happy to hear this, that is where things become unclear to me. I can see why you would be interested in such a peculiarity, but I am not sure why you would deign to act upon it as you did. Surely you would not do it for the attention, and you don't seem the type to do something just because you can."

>"Good," she says. "Then you don't know everything. That's...something."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Laugh.
> Turn to Tenshi.
> "Hey, Tenshi! Do I know everything?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Laugh.
> Turn to Tenshi.
> "Hey, Tenshi! Do I know everything?"

>You laugh and ask Tenshi for confirmation. "No," she says, frowning, "What's so funny?"
>The poltergeist says nothing.

>_