Author Topic: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 9) (Read 47293 times)

DracoOmega · « **Reply #180 on:** March 30, 2012, 02:54:59 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 02:30:48 AM

>Given that there's not a lot we can do ourselves at the moment, let's wait and see what, if anything, Neu has in store.
>Well, they didn't gag us, so, maybe we can help her illusion, maybe distract the guards a bit, give her an opening.
>"Yeah, nothing like manhandling a helpless youkai after a hard day's work, is there."

>You decide to see if you can perhaps distract the tengu's attention, to give Neu a hand, if she's indeed planning something.
>"The job has a few perks," the shorter tengu says as she tightens the moth's wings together.
>"We're not taking any chances," the newly arrived tengu adds. "If she's helpless, it's only because we're through with her."

>The tengu finishes tying Neu to her satisfaction, then tosses her up against the strut with the rest of you. Chisato gives her a funny look, and frowns.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #181 on:** March 30, 2012, 03:11:28 AM »

>Try to give a Chisato a look that says "Still the captain."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #182 on:** March 30, 2012, 03:34:36 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 03:11:28 AM

>Try to give a Chisato a look that says "Still the captain."

>You're not quite sure how to convey this in a look, so you settle with trying to look hopeful and encouraging. Chisato's expression grows slowly downcast as she looks at Neu's docile form, then turns bitter. She leans back against the strut with a look of simmering anger on her face.
>"How are the others?" Miyuki asks.
>"...captured... mostly," Neu says. Her voice is a bit quiet and weak, but still articulate. "Many are... injured... but nothing terrible."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #183 on:** March 30, 2012, 03:53:52 AM »

>"Are you okay?"

DracoOmega · « **Reply #184 on:** March 30, 2012, 03:56:41 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 03:53:52 AM

>"Are you okay?"

>"I'll recover," she says. "Don't worry about... me."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #185 on:** March 30, 2012, 04:02:32 AM »

>"The-"
>Better not ask about the captain. These pirates don't need to know what Neu knows.
>"Manged to get a bit banged up ourselves. We held our own, but when our pirates got to thinking that fighting us was too much like real work, they ran away, suckered us into a trap."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #186 on:** March 30, 2012, 04:13:44 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 04:02:32 AM

>"The-"
>Better not ask about the captain. These pirates don't need to know what Neu knows.
>"Manged to get a bit banged up ourselves. We held our own, but when our pirates got to thinking that fighting us was too much like real work, they ran away, suckered us into a trap."

>You start to ask a question, then think better of it in present company.
>The blade-tossing tengu snickers. "Hey, you want to get cut up some more, I'm game."
>"Save it, Sotsu," the one with the spear counters in a tired voice.
>Sotsu shrugs and puts of a look of poorly-feigned innocence. "Hey, I'm just trying to be hospitable here. Give the mouse what she wants and all." Her companion regards her flatly.

>"They came well-prepared," Neu breathes, then frowns somberly at you. "I'm sorry... you had to be here for this. Very sorry."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #187 on:** March 30, 2012, 04:24:08 AM »

>"I'm only sorry we didn't win."
>"Did you hear anything about this 'relic' they're after? The one in charge wasn't long on answers."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #188 on:** March 30, 2012, 04:39:56 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 04:24:08 AM

>"I'm only sorry we didn't win."
>"Did you hear anything about this 'relic' they're after? The one in charge wasn't long on answers."

>"You spoke with... Shameimaru?" she asks.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #189 on:** March 30, 2012, 04:43:26 AM »

>"Not unless Ren's last name is Shamaeimaru, too."
>Look at the pirate that isn't Sotsu. "Guessing that's a no?"

DracoOmega · « **Reply #190 on:** March 30, 2012, 04:50:49 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 04:43:26 AM

>"Not unless Ren's last name is Shamaeimaru, too."
>Look at the pirate that isn't Sotsu. "Guessing that's a no?"

>The large tengu silently shakes her head.
>"Aya Shameimaru is their leader," Neu says. "She's down in... the hold now. Or... was. Looking for the captain or the thing they came here to steal. There... may be someone else unaccounted for, but... not many."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #191 on:** March 30, 2012, 05:07:01 AM »

>"One in charge of the bunch we fought went by the name of Ren."
>"Was this Aya the one that hurt your wing?"

DracoOmega · « **Reply #192 on:** March 30, 2012, 05:13:52 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 05:07:01 AM

>"One in charge of the bunch we fought went by the name of Ren."
>"Was this Aya the one that hurt your wing?"

>"I don't know of that one," she says.
>Neu nods. "Don't worry about that, though. I will heal."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #193 on:** March 30, 2012, 05:15:55 AM »

>"Good. Or I'd put a few in HER wings."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #194 on:** March 30, 2012, 05:22:39 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 05:15:55 AM

>"Good. Or I'd put a few in HER wings."

>"That goes double for me!" Chisato says. Neu frowns a little.
>"Good luck hitting her," the third tengu says. "Might as well try stabbing the air." This draws a few chuckles from the other pirates.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #195 on:** March 30, 2012, 05:36:53 AM »

>If I can hit a swinging spider youkai's tether while being webbed by her.... Like THEY'D believe that. No sense giving them anything, anyway.
>Contemplate telling Neu about Natsumi, then refrain. She's probably safer where she is, assuming Ren didn't go back for her. Hopefully the pirate left well enough alone.
>Back to the waiting game. Maybe Murasa will pop up and cold cock these two.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #196 on:** March 30, 2012, 06:09:53 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 05:36:53 AM

>If I can hit a swinging spider youkai's tether while being webbed by her.... Like THEY'D believe that. No sense giving them anything, anyway.
>Contemplate telling Neu about Natsumi, then refrain. She's probably safer where she is, assuming Ren didn't go back for her. Hopefully the pirate left well enough alone.
>Back to the waiting game. Maybe Murasa will pop up and cold cock these two.

>You consider saying several things, but eventually decide to simply remain silent.
>Sotsu goes back to juggling her weapon, though she soon seems to be growing bored of this herself. Even Ishi has mostly stopped struggling. Mostly. You can hear people moving back and forth below you, and some scattered snatches of conversation from time to time, but nothing particularly enlightening. Time passes slowly.

>After a while, Chisato leans towards Neu and says quietly: "Why didn't you... y'know..." She pauses, then makes that sleepy face again.
>Neu frowns and shakes her head. "Useless. When I said they came well-prepared, I was... not exaggerating. No effect on any of them."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #197 on:** March 30, 2012, 06:13:48 AM »

>"They have masks, or something?"

DracoOmega · « **Reply #198 on:** March 30, 2012, 06:23:27 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 06:13:48 AM

>"They have masks, or something?"

>"No. I'm not sure what it is," she says. "They must have some magical counteragent. Even I don't know how it would work."
>"We don't mess around," the third pirate says. "When we-"
>"Stuff it," Chisato interjects.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #199 on:** March 30, 2012, 06:31:06 AM »

>Grin at Chisato's bravado.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #200 on:** March 30, 2012, 06:49:36 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 06:31:06 AM

>Grin at Chisato's bravado.

>You grin at Chisato.
>Sotsu leans in towards her. "You've got a big mouth, y'know."
>"And you can't do anything to shut it up without gettin' yerself in trouble, so shove off and go die somewhere."
>Sotsu leers at the redhead. "She said I couldn't hurt you. Nothing's stopping me from shoving a gag in there."
>"Not if you wanna keep those fingers," Chisato says with a defiant scowl.
>The tall tengu sighs. "Just be quiet, Sotsu. You're not making this any more pleasant for the rest of us."
>"Who asked you?" Chisato snaps, rounding on the other tengu. "You can go jump off a cliff, too."
>"Please..." Miyuki says softly, a downcast look on her face. She steals a strange glance in your direction. Chisato sighs and leans back again.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #201 on:** March 30, 2012, 07:13:17 AM »

>Does it look like Chisato's getting ready to lay into her again?
>Can we discern what that 'strange' look might mean?

DracoOmega · « **Reply #202 on:** March 30, 2012, 07:17:13 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang, the Falling Star on March 30, 2012, 07:13:17 AM

>Does it look like Chisato's getting ready to lay into her again?
>Can we discern what that 'strange' look might mean?

>No, she seems to be keeping her silence again. There's even a certain weariness on her face.
>It was a little hard to read, but it seemed... uncertain? Wary? Given the situation, that could be for any number of reasons, though you do wonder if it's related to what you said to the tengu earlier....

Oldmansour · « **Reply #203 on:** March 30, 2012, 07:45:26 AM »

>Guess they heard a lot of that stuff we said to Ren.
>But this isn't the time for it. Not until the pirates are gone. IF they let us live.

Kilgamayan · « **Reply #204 on:** March 30, 2012, 11:18:44 AM »

> "For a group that claims to want to avoid combat, you have some pretty handy combat toys."

Kilgamayan · « **Reply #205 on:** March 31, 2012, 05:21:01 PM »

So here's where I'm coming from for this situation. Feel free to discuss why anything mentioned here is wrong.

Foundational Theory 1: The pirates are here for the Kurokirimaru.

We ran a sweep over the ship before departing and nothing unusual turned up. As a character Nazrin has every reason to believe there's nothing special on board aside from the Mouthful Blade. As a player I'm going to be massively annoyed if the game was planned to go in a way such that the PC's defining character trait just up and crapped out at the most important point in the game (one of the two most important points, at least) for no reason. Trying to account for something else being on board is completely pointless and irrational as far as I'm concerned.

Corrolary A: The Blue Maiden Crew are innocent bystanders.

This follows from Theory 1 in a pretty obvious manner. That several of them have expressed lack of knowledge of any such relic lends itself to this fact regardless.

Foundational Theory 2: While their execution is sorely lacking, these pirates (or at least the higher-ups) truly do try to hold a moral higher ground and keep a higher behavioral standard than your average pirate.

This one is slightly more metagamey than Theory 1, since it's a Chekhov's Sentiment situation. I don't see why Ren (why is one of the lieutenant pirates named 'zero'?) would insist on this so much if it weren't true. From a character standpoint, it's probably true because we're alive and allowed to talk with the pirates, Sotsu constantly gets admonished for her behavior toward us, and frankly Naz might as well act under the assumption it's true because she has nothing to lose - if it isn't, then there was never any hope for the Blue Maiden to begin with.

What comes from these two theories is that, once we're in Aya's presence, I believe a guilt trip solution presents itself. The pirates may claim this higher moral ground, but their objectives were going to kill us regardless, and they just hacked their way through a bunch of innocents to boot. Aya needs these things pointed out to her; once that's done, I think a war of words is very winnable.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #206 on:** April 01, 2012, 01:02:21 AM »

A war of words? Guilt trip?

Why? They've won. We've lost. Aya will come, she'll gloat, and nothing we can say will make her give up the dingus, or do anything to make up for what they've done. All they'll do is blame us for having the gall to defend ourselves from theives and looters.

It's over, man. We tried. We did our damndest. We never really had a chance, but we did well enough for ourselves. Barring Murasa pulling some crazyass stunt that stuns them all and breaks us free, nothing we can do can really make any difference now. All we MIGHT get is some clue what Aya wants, depending on how close she gets to typical villainous gloating. But this scene is over, and out of our hands.

And since I'm sure it's going to come up, and I don't want to be guessing, exactly why DID you stay all that stuff about our blood being contagion?

Kilgamayan · « **Reply #207 on:** April 01, 2012, 01:05:33 AM »

It was largely spawned from the second fundamental theory. I wanted to hold Fuuka, if not a whole bunch of other pirates on top of her, hostage to the disease. Require their cooperation with us to save their lives. That sort of thing.

Fortunately for you, should we get the chance to meet Aya, I'm pretty sure I know how to turn it around completely and not only repair any damage I did to Miyuki, but make it slightly more likely that Aya will humor our talking to boot.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #208 on:** April 01, 2012, 01:08:43 AM »

Don't take this the wrong way, I think I'd like to hear this plan now.

Kilgamayan · « **Reply #209 on:** April 01, 2012, 01:13:04 AM »

It's fairly simple. Since I plan on admitting it was a bluff, Aya's obviously going to ask why she should believe anything we say in regards to any potential discussion. I plan on pointing out that we've been operating the entire time under the assumption that they legitimately believe in some higher standard of behavior. I wouldn't have bothered trying to discuss anything with them if I thought they were just going to cut us up and leave, and I certainly wouldn't have wasted revealing the disease on one of her subordinates. I would have waited until she was ready to have us killed before popping it on her instead and then taunting her about killing us and getting infected, because if I've accepted that I'm going to go down, I'm going to get as much pleasure out of it as possible.