(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 9)

[DracoOmega]

>Funny how she's already left us sitting around, letting our clock run down while she satisfied her greed. Guess she's only generous once she gets her own way.
>Still.... She has already stolen the thing.
>Does this spellflinger show any obvious signs of deception, something Aya said that missy here isn't mentioning?

>You grumble inwardly at Aya once more, this gesture of hers somehow managing to get under your skin despite it being ostensibly generous. Still, perhaps it's worth considering....
>Karu doesn't show any obvious signs of being deceptive. If anything, her bearing is disarming, though you suppose this could be a practiced deceit. Still, that's not the immediate impression you get - if she's lying, she's pretty good at it.

[Oldmansour]

>Look around. Where is Aya now? And if she's visible, is she looking at us?

[DracoOmega]

>Look around. Where is Aya now? And if she's visible, is she looking at us?

>You glance around for Aya. She seems to be towards the stairs, speaking with Hatoko. She's not currently facing you.

[Oldmansour]

>Getting a headache already. The idea that this miserable thief and her mage could actually help us....
>"Give me a second."
>Look at Murasa. Is she still in earshot? If so, does she show any notable reaction to our conversation?

[DracoOmega]

>Getting a headache already. The idea that this miserable thief and her mage could actually help us....
>"Give me a second."
>Look at Murasa. Is she still in earshot? If so, does she show any notable reaction to our conversation?

>"Sure," she says, "though your captain would probably appreciate it if you didn't take too many."
>You look over at Murasa. She is still attempting to untie Ishi, and evidently struggling with it - the pirates must have gone heavy-duty on the little kappa. The pair of them may be peripherally in earshot, though you don't know how much they've heard; neither of them seem to be paying much attention to you, at least.

[Oldmansour]

>"Let me make this clear up front." Point at her for emphasis. "Whatever the result, this doesn't mean I owe you, or Aya, anything. Clear?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Let me make this clear up front." Point at her for emphasis. "Whatever the result, this doesn't mean I owe you, or Aya, anything. Clear?"

>Karu raises her hands disarmingly. "I'm just trying to help."

[Oldmansour]

>Bite our tongue before saying something to the effect of 'bullshit.'
>Spit. Only a matter of time before aya comes over to gloat and/or fuel her own ego...
>But, if- IF- on the off chance that pirate isn't doing this to put us in her debt, and is only doing this for herself, then all that's at stake is our pride. Is our pride swelled enough to tell Aya and her accomplice to go take a long jump into a shallow lake?
>No. No it isn't. But not by much. And if Aya trys to use this against us later? No chance.

>"Fine."

[DracoOmega]

>Bite our tongue before saying something to the effect of 'bullshit.'
>Spit. Only a matter of time before aya comes over to gloat and/or fuel her own ego...
>But, if- IF- on the off chance that pirate isn't doing this to put us in her debt, and is only doing this for herself, then all that's at stake is our pride. Is our pride swelled enough to tell Aya and her accomplice to go take a long jump into a shallow lake?
>No. No it isn't. But not by much. And if Aya trys to use this against us later? No chance.

>"Fine."

>You narrowly stifle the impulse to call bullshit on this whole affair and tell both Aya and her onymouji to go leap off a cliff, but... well... Can you really afford to pass up any chance at a cure, however remote? Is spiting Aya honestly worth risking your own death? You almost surprise yourself with just how narrow the margin is, so poisoned has this episode left you, but eventually concede to swallow your pride and let Karu do... whatever it is she's here to do."

>Karu smiles. "Okay, now if you could show me that sword of yours, then? You say you can't actually have it off your person, right?" Her tone is inquisitive, but lacks gravity; she might almost be asking you about the weather.

[Oldmansour]

>Does this woman not even realize where she is, and what she's just done?
>"That's right. If I lose contact with it, well, the scene would be uglier than almost anything else that's happened today."
>Put our hand on the katana's pommel, but pause.
>"Aya did mention this to her crew, right? I don't want some tengu jumping me 'cuz they think I'm trying to cut you."

[DracoOmega]

>Does this woman not even realize where she is, and what she's just done?
>"That's right. If I lose contact with it, well, the scene would be uglier than almost anything else that's happened today."
>Put our hand on the katana's pommel, but pause.
>"Aya did mention this to her crew, right? I don't want some tengu jumping me 'cuz they think I'm trying to cut you."

>If she does, she seems quite unperturbed by it.
>Karu tilts her head a little. "How do you know this for sure, anyway? I mean, given that you don't even know how it works in the first place?"
>You put a hand on Kumokirimaru's grip, then pause.
>"No one's going to jump you," she says dismissively. "And you can always just not point it at me, if you're worried someone's going to get the wrong impression."

[Oldmansour]

>"Can ya blame me?"
>Withdraw the sword for its sheathe, but slowly, no need to get the pirates antsy.
>"And I know because I was told. I don't think we have time for the whole story, but the short version, I was sinking fast after dropping the sword, but after it was put back in my hands, I... Well, I didn't get BETTER, but I wasn't dying as fast."

[DracoOmega]

>"Can ya blame me?"
>Withdraw the sword for its sheathe, but slowly, no need to get the pirates antsy.
>"And I know because I was told. I don't think we have time for the whole story, but the short version, I was sinking fast after dropping the sword, but after it was put back in my hands, I... Well, I didn't get BETTER, but I wasn't dying as fast."

>"Don't worry so much," she says. "We're not here to hurt you."
>You slowly unsheathe Kumokirimaru while Karu watches with rapt attention. Nobody pounces on you.
>Karu glances up from the sword blade. "You look pretty good for someone who was 'dying fast' a little while ago. How far away was the sword from you at the time, anyway? Did you drop it off the top of a building or something?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I actually don't know the details. I was in a coma at the time. Woulda stayed there, too, if a local goddess hadn't had a flash of genius. One minute, I was staggering through a forest after getting blighted. Then I must have passed out, cuz the next thing I know, I'm in a bed, the sword tied to my hand, and I'm getting told I've got two weeks or less to find a cure that has a good chance not to exist. And that I shouldn't let the sword go again, or those weeks turn to hours, or less. I haven't really felt the urge to experiment with that part."

[DracoOmega]

>"I actually don't know the details. I was in a coma at the time. Woulda stayed there, too, if a local goddess hadn't had a flash of genius. One minute, I was staggering through a forest after getting blighted. Then I must have passed out, cuz the next thing I know, I'm in a bed, the sword tied to my hand, and I'm getting told I've got two weeks or less to find a cure that has a good chance not to exist. And that I shouldn't let the sword go again, or those weeks turn to hours, or less. I haven't really felt the urge to experiment with that part."

>Karu frowns. "I suppose I can't blame you for that. What's this about a goddess, though? Is this sword her work?"

[Oldmansour]

>"No, completely different faith. If it WAS her faith, chances are I wouldn't be here."

[DracoOmega]

>"No, completely different faith. If it WAS her faith, chances are I wouldn't be here."

>"So how did you come by it, anyway?" she asks, reaching out a couple fingers to gently run across the flat of the blade. Her eyes grow slightly distant.

[Oldmansour]

>"That's another long story. Short version, I found it downstream of an old temple, deep underground. Well, what was left of an old temple, anyway."

[DracoOmega]

>"That's another long story. Short version, I found it downstream of an old temple, deep underground. Well, what was left of an old temple, anyway."

>"Underground?" She glances back up at you. "That's interesting. Any sign of what faith it was? Iconography, inscriptions, that sort of stuff? Though I suppose if they were in the same language as this, you wouldn't be able to read it, would you..."

[Oldmansour]

>Shake our head.
>"Didn't see anything around where I found the sword. And I didn't get a good look at the temple before I got ambushed by a pissed off spider youkai."
>Snort out a chuckle.
>"Seems to be a running trend with me. Two ambushes in less than a week."

[DracoOmega]

>Shake our head.
>"Didn't see anything around where I found the sword. And I didn't get a good look at the temple before I got ambushed by a pissed off spider youkai."
>Snort out a chuckle.
>"Seems to be a running trend with me. Two ambushes in less than a week."

>"Ill-fortune," she says with a sage frown. "I could perform a divination for you after this, too, if you'd like. Wouldn't want to make it a third, I'm sure."
>Then she looks intensely at the sword again, and offer a frown of a different sort. "I'd really like to be able to work on this properly. It's a bit awkward with you having to hold onto it. You seem fine with it at your side, so it can't just be physical contact that's required...." She pauses, then shifts her body around closer to yours. "Could you hold it out this way, and move your hand up a little so that I could hold onto it, too?"

[Oldmansour]

>A divination on how to avoid ambushes by one of the people that ambushed you? THERE'S an irony. Smile a little at this.
>Since we became blighted, has anyone ever touched the sword the same time we did?

[DracoOmega]

>A divination on how to avoid ambushes by one of the people that ambushed you? THERE'S an irony. Smile a little at this.
>Since we became blighted, has anyone ever touched the sword the same time we did?

>You crack a little smile despite yourself, though the irony of the situation seems to pass right over Karu's head.
>Not that you've been aware of, though presumably someone had to handle it to tie it to your hand while you were unconscious.

[Oldmansour]

>Either Ichirin or Minoriko, then. And they seemed unaffected, and so did we. Well, presumably, anyway.
>"Yeah, that should be okay."
>Do as she says.

[DracoOmega]

>Either Ichirin or Minoriko, then. And they seemed unaffected, and so did we. Well, presumably, anyway.
>"Yeah, that should be okay."
>Do as she says.

>You give Karu the okay and shift your hold on the sword around enough to allow her access to it. She slips her hand over the base of the grip, butting up against yours, and holds tight. Then she closes her eyes.
>After a few moments, you can faintly see her eyes start to dart around beneath closed lids, almost as though she were looking at something. She bites down on one side of her lip. "Hmmm...."
>Without opening her eyes or releasing her hold on your sword, Karu reaches a hand into her robes and produces another slip of paper, this one of a slightly different design than those which formed the ring around Murasa. She holds it to her face and blows a gentle puff of breath against it, then flicks her fingers and sends it spiraling through the air, its movement far more swift and aerodynamic than a piece of paper has any right to be. Eventually, it settles lightly onto Kumokirimaru and folds itself over the blunt side of the blade.
>"What do you think?" she asks.

[Oldmansour]

>"I think I'd like to know what, exactly, that thing's supposed to do."

[DracoOmega]

>"I think I'd like to know what, exactly, that thing's supposed to do."

>"Oh, I wasn't talking to you," she says absently, then her brow furrows. "Really? That's interesting..."

[Oldmansour]

>Okay, then.
>Best let her do her thing, I guess.

[DracoOmega]

>Okay, then.
>Best let her do her thing, I guess.

>With a proverbial shrug, you decide to leave Karu to her thing.

>The onmyouji nods thoughtfully. "Uh-huh... Wow!" Then she frowns a little. "I wonder...."
>She reaches into her robes again and produces another strip of paper.
>"Don't worry," she says. "this won't hurt a bit." And with that, she traces a sort of meandering curve through the air with the talisman and releases it from between her fingers, where it starts spriling lazily towards your face.

[Oldmansour]

>Blow at it