Iku Quest Sedem: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>"I assume you mean by taking my shadow? It is true that I would not be able to interact with the outside world if you did that, but that does not stop one from knowing the things they already know. My conversation with Nitori is evidence enough of this."

>"You wouldn't be conversing with her anymore," she says.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm not saying that I would. But not speaking with someone does not change what a person already knows. Even if I am unable to speak to a single person again for the rest of my life, this does not change. All the shadows within you still have their memories."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm not saying that I would. But not speaking with someone does not change what a person already knows. Even if I am unable to speak to a single person again for the rest of my life, this does not change. All the shadows within you still have their memories."

>"Doesn't matter," she says. "You'd be gone and wouldn't be able to breathe a word to anyone."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"One can keep one's silence, even when among others. I would regard any vow so made as of the utmost sanctity. In allowing you to hold my shadow, I have extended my trust to you. It would be my sincerest hope that you might eventually feel comfortable enough to extend yours to me in the same way."

[Hello Purvis]

>"One can keep one's silence, even when among others. I would regard any vow so made as of the utmost sanctity. In allowing you to hold my shadow, I have extended my trust to you. It would be my sincerest hope that you might eventually feel comfortable enough to extend yours to me in the same way."

>"That's different!" she says. "You're still there! Moving around freely, knowing things!"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"But if the goal is that certain things not be spread to others, cannot both methods accomplish the same goal? Except that in one, I may still have the capacity to help in some manner, while in the other I am certain not to."

[Hello Purvis]

>"But if the goal is that certain things not be spread to others, cannot both methods accomplish the same goal? Except that in one, I may still have the capacity to help in some manner, while in the other I am certain not to."

>"Maybe so," she says, "But it still doesn't change what I said."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Well, if freedom of movement is the issue, what if I simply went with you?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well, if freedom of movement is the issue, what if I simply went with you?"

>"No," she says. "I have to be alone for this."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "So I can't just put my back to you and plug my fingers into my ears until you're done?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "So I can't just put my back to you and plug my fingers into my ears until you're done?"

>"No, you'd still be there," she says.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"And what if I promised to remain here while you went off and did what you needed to do, until you returned?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"And what if I promised to remain here while you went off and did what you needed to do, until you returned?"

>"It may take a long time," she says.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I can wait as long as is necessary."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I can wait as long as is necessary."

>She looks at, frowning and her eyes narrowed. "And then what? Am I never to be rid of you?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I believe we can deal with the future as we come to it. For the moment, it is enough to simply know what to do next."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I believe we can deal with the future as we come to it. For the moment, it is enough to simply know what to do next."

>"I may be gone for days, can you accept that?" says the poltergeist, her look and tone suggesting she already feels she knows the answer.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Given an incredulous look.
> "Days? Things have gone this strange for you after just a single day, you have no idea what they could keep doing to you if left unfixed, and you want to spend multiple days just investigating what went wrong? What if something happens to you in the meantime and your ability to investigate is hampered? Like hell would I choose to abandon you to be sick on your own for that long, if even you don't know what might happen!"

[Hello Purvis]

> Given an incredulous look.
> "Days? Things have gone this strange for you after just a single day, you have no idea what they could keep doing to you if left unfixed, and you want to spend multiple days just investigating what went wrong? What if something happens to you in the meantime and your ability to investigate is hampered? Like hell would I choose to abandon you to be sick on your own for that long, if even you don't know what might happen!"

>"So you won't," she says. "I'm not surprised, it would take a strange person to say that and mean it. So I can't just leave you here, either..."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "What? I said I wouldn't abandon you, not that I wouldn't go with you. I'm not worried about a few days for me, because I'm not the one with the potential health risk that we're trying to fix."

[Mr. Sacchi]

Completely wrong moment for this, but I might as well put this here before my internet crashes, again.

Okay, so The Dragon gave us a hint, "Need"

However, she says she "Doesn't Need Anything"

Doesn't that remind you guys of a certain sleepyhead?

Maybe make her talk to the screwdriver for a while?

That's all I could come up with.

[Hello Purvis]

> "What? I said I wouldn't abandon you, not that I wouldn't go with you. I'm not worried about a few days for me, because I'm not the one with the potential health risk that we're trying to fix."

>"You can think of it as me abandoning you, then," says the Poltergeist. "I still don't even understand what you're plotting in trying to do all this."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I am plotting nothing beyond what I already have laid before you, throughout yesterday and today. I still hope to restore Nitori and Kogasa to themselves, I still hope to restore Bhava-Agra to itself, and I still hope to show you that joy can be had in social interaction, and that no woman is an island. And even though you may still refuse all these things, I also wish to make sure that you, at least, are safe, as altruism is a valued teaching of Bhava-Agra. I would be remiss if I were to find someone suffering and look the other way."

[Kilgamayan]

Since we have a little downtime:

Completely wrong moment for this, but I might as well put this here before my internet crashes, again.

Okay, so The Dragon gave us a hint, "Need"

However, she says she "Doesn't Need Anything"

Doesn't that remind you guys of a certain sleepyhead?

Maybe make her talk to the screwdriver for a while?

That's all I could come up with.

I have kept the screwdriver in the back of my mind as a tool for shadow removal for a while. I would only want to use it as a last resort, though, for a variety of reasons (most notably that we have no idea if prying the shadow away from her will magically fix everything or not - it won't necessarily return to Nitori, and Feisty Geist won't necessarily get her own shadow back). But yes, it's there.

Threatening her with it is pretty much out of the question though, for a different litany of reasons.

[Hello Purvis]

> "I am plotting nothing beyond what I already have laid before you, throughout yesterday and today. I still hope to restore Nitori and Kogasa to themselves, I still hope to restore Bhava-Agra to itself, and I still hope to show you that joy can be had in social interaction, and that no woman is an island. And even though you may still refuse all these things, I also wish to make sure that you, at least, are safe, as altruism is a valued teaching of Bhava-Agra. I would be remiss if I were to find someone suffering and look the other way."

>"That's not going to happen, you know that," she says. "None of them are coming back."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Smile.
> "I have faith in both of us. But that can be set aside for now. More important to immediate concerns, I have a curiosity, and then a proposal. You may consider the curiosity personal, I don't know for sure, but I figure I should tell you up front, and reassure that no ill will is intended."

[Hello Purvis]

> Smile.
> "I have faith in both of us. But that can be set aside for now. More important to immediate concerns, I have a curiosity, and then a proposal. You may consider the curiosity personal, I don't know for sure, but I figure I should tell you up front, and reassure that no ill will is intended."

>"Fine, what?" she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Given Bhava-Agra is not a sentient creature that threatened to expose you, its shadow is causing noticeable issues both with itself and others you possess, you do not know what it may continue to do to you if left as-is, and none of its people beyond Tenshi and myself are even aware you exist, why do you not heal yourself by returning its shadow?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Given Bhava-Agra is not a sentient creature that threatened to expose you, its shadow is causing noticeable issues both with itself and others you possess, you do not know what it may continue to do to you if left as-is, and none of its people beyond Tenshi and myself are even aware you exist, why do you not heal yourself by returning its shadow?"

>She gives you a hard and uncomfortable look. Then after a moment she says, "I need it."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Raise an eyebrow. If we were still smiling, drop it.
> "But you had previously told me you didn't need anything beyond privacy."