Iku Quest Sedem: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Our shadow is still close? Even after we took several steps back?
> "You won't know until you try. I ask because I'm genuinely curious. I've been around a long time, and met many people, and you are the first individual I have ever known that has wanted to keep themselves hidden with such ferocity. But before we go further into it, I believe I owe you something important."
> Put on a solemn expression. If our hands and arms are still somewhere abnormal, return them to a rested position.
> "For whatever reasons you may have for hiding, for whatever reasons I had for doing it, and for whatever good it will do, I have clearly hurt you by telling other people about you. For this, I am sorry."

>The sun isn't that high, you cast a long shadow. But it's not that close, but enough to worry you if she decided to try something.
>You urge her to try, then bow and apologize.
>She frowns a little, melting from a scowl. "Maybe so, but it still doesn't fix anything. And...I don't want to tell you. I don't want to tell you anything."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Nod and resume a soft smile.
> "I understand that you would feel that way. And you're right, however heartfelt an apology I may give you, it doesn't fix anything. But think about what has happened last night and today. I sought out and found your book for you, then gave it back. I have offered to teach you how to fly. I have offered to tell you what I know of whatever you were searching for in that book. Had things come to that point, I would have offered to help you select a name for yourself. I have made no attempt to attack you, and have even sent Tenshi away at your request, without a contingency plan, and I have kept my shadow pointed toward you during this entire conversation. All of these offers I still mean, and all of these concessions I do not regret. And now I am offering you another opportunity. I know you don't like me, and I know what you're capable of, but I still stand here, and however misguided some of my intentions may have been before, I still want to help."

[Hello Purvis]

> Nod and resume a soft smile.
> "I understand that you would feel that way. And you're right, however heartfelt an apology I may give you, it doesn't fix anything. But think about what has happened last night and today. I sought out and found your book for you, then gave it back. I have offered to teach you how to fly. I have offered to tell you what I know of whatever you were searching for in that book. Had things come to that point, I would have offered to help you select a name for yourself. I have made no attempt to attack you, and have even sent Tenshi away at your request, without a contingency plan, and I have kept my shadow pointed toward you during this entire conversation. All of these offers I still mean, and all of these concessions I do not regret. And now I am offering you another opportunity. I know you don't like me, and I know what you're capable of, but I still stand here, and however misguided some of my intentions may have been before, I still want to help."

>"Perhaps so," she says after a moment. "Perhaps so. But I do not need your help. I will undo the damage myself."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Wouldn't it be easier to undo the damage with someone helping you than with people opposing you, though?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Wouldn't it be easier to undo the damage with someone helping you than with people opposing you, though?"

>"And what help could you give?" she asks.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I don't know. But I could tell you, if I knew why you wanted to hide so badly."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I don't know. But I could tell you, if I knew why you wanted to hide so badly."

>"It's..." she says, stopping for a moment to grit her teeth. "It's debasing! Disgusting. How can you even say those things to others and not hate yourself? How can you even live with it being known?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Put on a confused expression.
> "I'm sorry? What things? My offers to help?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Put on a confused expression.
> "I'm sorry? What things? My offers to help?"

>"Everything you'd exposed about yourself!" she says. "Doesn't it bring a horrible taste to your mouth? How can you be so...so...monstrous about it?!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Go from confused face to thinking face.
> "Hmm...you mean things like my name, where I live, my tolerance level for sake? Things like that?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Go from confused face to thinking face.
> "Hmm...you mean things like my name, where I live, my tolerance level for sake? Things like that?"

>"Yes!" she cries. "What is wrong with you?"

>_

[Hanged Hourai]

Random thinking ahead:

>What do we know of Keine, and by extension, her powers?

[Kilgamayan]

> "...Huh. I'd never really thought about things that way before."
> "...Well, I can tell you why I do it, but before I do, I should at least tell you that I believe I can see where you're coming from, and I don't think any less of you for it. I did tell you that you didn't have to be embarrassed in front of me about anything, and I would be a terrible person if I went back on that. But, yes, hmm. It's an interesting level of desire for privacy, at least in the sense that I've never encountered it before."

[Hello Purvis]

>What do we know of Keine, and by extension, her powers?

>You know of her, and know she is a semi-official guardian of the Human Village. You've never really conversed with her, but you've exchanged pleasantries. She seems like a nice person.

> "...Huh. I'd never really thought about things that way before."
> "...Well, I can tell you why I do it, but before I do, I should at least tell you that I believe I can see where you're coming from, and I don't think any less of you for it. I did tell you that you didn't have to be embarrassed in front of me about anything, and I would be a terrible person if I went back on that. But, yes, hmm. It's an interesting level of desire for privacy, at least in the sense that I've never encountered it before."

>"How can you not be embarrassed?" she says. "Or full of loathing?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Hmm. I...think I would say that I don't feel embarrassed because it's something everyone I know does. People may have specific differences, but they still have plenty of general similarities. Revealing things about myself may help me find someone with similar interests, too, and that could lead to an expanse in my own knowledge in the subject, or ability in the activity. Just as a hypothetical example, let's say you liked the sake Suika gave you. She loves the stuff, and is very sociable. If you tell her you like it, she's very liable to give you more. It may have cost you telling her something about yourself, but you got some more of something you enjoyed out of it."

[DracoOmega]

>"Where I come from, we value openness and honesty greatly. It is a high virtue to never attempt to conceal the truth. We still have our privacy, of course. But outside of a few small things, we generally share of our knowledge and experience freely with those we truth. There is warmth and community that comes from knowing one another, and sharing in our knowledge of each other. There is a closeness that is impossible to attain without this. And there is a strength from sharing this closeness with others. There are people I know I can count on when I need them. That I can count on to help, or for support when there are problems, or simply to speak with, and trust that they will not use my secrets to harm me. It is a precious thing."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Hmm. I...think I would say that I don't feel embarrassed because it's something everyone I know does. People may have specific differences, but they still have plenty of general similarities. Revealing things about myself may help me find someone with similar interests, too, and that could lead to an expanse in my own knowledge in the subject, or ability in the activity. Just as a hypothetical example, let's say you liked the sake Suika gave you. She loves the stuff, and is very sociable. If you tell her you like it, she's very liable to give you more. It may have cost you telling her something about yourself, but you got some more of something you enjoyed out of it."

>"That doesn't matter, though," she says. "There's just no way to live with doing it."

>"Where I come from, we value openness and honesty greatly. It is a high virtue to never attempt to conceal the truth. We still have our privacy, of course. But outside of a few small things, we generally share of our knowledge and experience freely with those we truth. There is warmth and community that comes from knowing one another, and sharing in our knowledge of each other. There is a closeness that is impossible to attain without this. And there is a strength from sharing this closeness with others. There are people I know I can count on when I need them. That I can count on to help, or for support when there are problems, or simply to speak with, and trust that they will not use my secrets to harm me. It is a precious thing."

>She is looking at you in a way that imagine Tenshi would look at you if you causally told her you sacrificed little dogs to The Dragon. You almost wonder if there's some hint of pity among the shock and disgust.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "It would be very rough to live without it. While I hold my own fair share of knowledge, I do not know how to build or sew, nor do I know how to properly maintain crops. Without the help of others, I would have no place to live, no clothes to wear, and nothing to eat."

[Hello Purvis]

> "It would be very rough to live without it. While I hold my own fair share of knowledge, I do not know how to build or sew, nor do I know how to properly maintain crops. Without the help of others, I would have no place to live, no clothes to wear, and nothing to eat."

>"That...doesn't matter, though," she says. "You could have those kinds of things without exposing yourself!"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Is that not an exposure, in your terms? I am telling others about skills that I lack, and about needs and wishes I have. How could I expect anyone to assist me if I did not tell them what it was I needed their assistance for?"

[Kilgamayan]

> "And yes, I theoretically could get those things, but only if the people with those talents were willing to expose themselves enough to let everyone else know that they can make those things."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Is that not an exposure, in your terms? I am telling others about skills that I lack, and about needs and wishes I have. How could I expect anyone to assist me if I did not tell them what it was I needed their assistance for?"

> "And yes, I theoretically could get those things, but only if the people with those talents were willing to expose themselves enough to let everyone else know that they can make those things."

>"It's pointless trying to explain this to you," she says, turning her hands over.with fingers spread and slightly curled.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Take a step back.
> Begin charging.
> "Wait! Please, let me keep trying!"

[Hello Purvis]

> Take a step back.
> "Wait! Please, let me keep trying!"

>"What's the point?" she says, he hands falling. You get the feeling she might have just being doing a muted gesture of throwing her hands to the sky. "There's no hope for you. You're just..."
>She shakes her head.
>"Ugh."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"You read about Bhava-Agra in that book of yours. From what you read, did it sound like a bad place?"

[Kilgamayan]

DAMNIT, YOU TWO

> "Let me try...something else, then."
> Do we know any songs with a slow rhythm, in a major key and about nature?

[Kilgamayan]

Hey where did Hourai's post go

o he deleted it

Why did you do that :<

[Kilgamayan]

Wait hold up regular users can't delete posts in here but there's nothing in the moderation log saying a mod did it. I didn't do it, and Purvis didn't do it.

What gives?

[Hello Purvis]

>"You read about Bhava-Agra in that book of yours. From what you read, did it sound like a bad place?"

>"Not from the book, so much..." she says. "But I suspected it was like...you.

> "Let me try...something else, then."
> Do we know any songs with a slow rhythm, in a major key and about nature?

>"What?"
>You certainly do.

[Kilgamayan]

> Smile.
> "This."
> Pick our favorite and sing it. Preferably something in E Flat, everyone loves E Flat. D, E and A Flat are also all good. Just try to avoid G and C, they're boring.
> Watch the poltergeist for her reaction as we sing.