Wriggle Quest: The Value of the Small

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, I'll see you around. Hina should get the message sooner or later."
>Where would Maribel and Renko be at this time?

[Raikaria]

>"Well, I'll see you around. Hina should get the message sooner or later."
>Where would Maribel and Renko be at this time?

> "Yeah, seeya." Medicine says.

> They would be in one of four locations, which conveniently are more or less en route to each other. The first is the Human Village, the next is the Misty Lake, then the Dusk Forest, and finally the Hakurei Shrine.

[Hanzo K.]

>Well, let's make for the Village, and head for their most common hangout there.

[Raikaria]

>Well, let's make for the Village, and head for their most common hangout there.

> You head towards the Human Village, and check their house. It seems they are not home.

> They could be in three other locations in the village, of course. They could be visiting Keine, at Suzunaan, or at Mystia's place.

[Hanzo K.]

>Well, let's check the closest one then.

[Raikaria]

>Well, let's check the closest one then.

> You head to Keine's House.

> When you arrive, you see Keine talking to an old man. The old man has an air of superiority about him, even when talking to Keine, who is the village leader.

> "You may think that your policies about youkai are helping the village, but they're just playing along to get closer. I'm sure of it. It may not be this year, it may not be in our lifetimes, but they'll show their true nature when we let down our guards!" the man says.

> "You know, you come to me all the time, telling me the same thing. Yet nothing bad happens. May I remind you who stopped those shades a few months back? Rumia. A youkai."

> "That's just part of their plan to make us trust them, Kamishirasawa!" the man shouts.

> "The people voted for my way of things! You'd think after three years you'd stop being so sour towards me and have accepted that fact!" Keine replies, with a hint of frustration in her voice.

> "Well, it's only two more years before they have to vote again." the man says, before he turns and walks towards you.

> He pushes you aside.

> "Get out of here, youkai filth, this is the place of the humans." he mutters as he pushes you aside.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Do people in the village know Keine's part-youkai?
>Also, tell some flies to lay eggs in his food.

[Raikaria]

>Do people in the village know Keine's part-youkai?
>Also, tell some flies to lay eggs in his food.

> Aside from Akyu, Maribel and Renko, no. Whenever anyone prompts Keine to tell everyone, she just replies with 'later, not now'. She admits she feels guilty about it as well.

> You'll tell some flies when you see some.

> Keine notices you, and walks over.

> "Sorry about him. He's the old mayor, you know, back when everything was 'no youkai at all'. He wasn't this bad back then though... he's old, he's seventy-eight, which for a human is old, especially here... I think he's getting senile, and losing his grip on reality, it happens to humans if they live long. Either that, or his hate for youkai really has grown to these extents. He at least was civil to youkai before." Keine says.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"You don't need to apologize. He's the one who's dumb."
>"You seen Mari and Renko?"

[Raikaria]

>"You don't need to apologize. He's the one who's dumb."
>"You seen Mari and Renko?"

> "He spent forty years leading this village when youkai did eat humans." Keine says. "Doesn't stop him being annoying."

> "They were with me an hour ago. They didn't say where they were going, but I guess Mystia's is a good place to look."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"All right, I'll look there. Thanks."
>Let's head to Mystia's.

[Raikaria]

>"All right, I'll look there. Thanks."
>Let's head to Mystia's.

> You fly over to Mystia's store.

> When you arrive, you see two figures you do not recognize, with a massive wagon of, and multiple piles, of fruits and vegetables.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Delivering supplies or something?"

[Raikaria]

>"Delivering supplies or something?"

> "Partially. It's also part of the harvest!" the one with the fruit-covered hat says.

> "We still need to bring in the Village's share of crops as well." the other stronger says, the one wearing the frilly dress.

> "That said, we're not exactly the normal suppliers. I guess you could say it's a once a year thing." the first one to speak up adds.

> You hear flapping. A flapping you'd recognize anywhere. Probably because it belongs to the only one in Gensokyo who actually bothers to use their wings to fly.



> Mystia Lorelai
> Power through Food and Song

> "Oh, it's those Harvest Goddesses." Mystia says, landing. "I've heard of them but not seen them before."

[Hanzo K.]

>Since we know insects intimately, by way of being an Insect Youkai ourselves, presumably we know the relation between plants and insects, yes?
>"Hey Mysty, how's business?"

[Raikaria]

>Since we know insects intimately, by way of being an Insect Youkai ourselves, presumably we know the relation between plants and insects, yes?
>"Hey Mysty, how's business?"

> Yes, in fact, you are resisting the urge to eat the grapes on one of the goddess' hats.

> "Same as usual, good. I'm getting plenty of shiny stuff that comes through the border from Rinnosuke."

> At this point you wonder if it's possible to look at all Mystia's shiny stuff at daytime without blinding yourself.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod and grin, but refrain from the grape-eating. "Always good to hear! Say, you seen Maribel and Renko recently today?"

[Raikaria]

>Nod and grin, but refrain from the grape-eating. "Always good to hear! Say, you seen Maribel and Renko recently today?"

> Mystia thinks. "I think they were headed out of the village about half an hour ago."

> At this point, a large group of humans show up and congregate around the goddesses. Almost all of them seem to be paying attention to the one with the hat.

> "It's another great harvest!"

> "Thanks Minoriko!"

> "The Harvest Goddess, we should be thankful to her!"

> The other goddess, for a split moment, you swear has a look of tremendous anger.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Walk over to the other goddess. "Did you help, too?"

[Raikaria]

>Walk over to the other goddess. "Did you help, too?"

> "I'm not a harvest goddess. I helped bring the food here, but the food itself? No. I'm just her sister, a goddess of falling leaves."

> She sighs.

> "And no-one cares about falling leaves."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Oh, when the leaves change color and all that? That's always a nice and colorful time of year, even though I'm not a fan of the cold. Always nice for the eyes though."

[Raikaria]

>"Oh, when the leaves change color and all that? That's always a nice and colorful time of year, even though I'm not a fan of the cold. Always nice for the eyes though."

> "Yes, people like to look at them, but the happiness is mixed with sadness of the winter. It reminds people of death as well, as that's what a falling leaf is, a dead leaf. People are not thankful for the falling leaves like the harvest..." she says. "Which leads to everyone lording over my sister, while I get pretty much ignored."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, the only person I know who looks forward to winter is Cirno, and that's because of Letty. For what it's worth, I at least appreciate the leaves. After all, fall has great atmosphere, and the leaves end up still helping out in lots of ways even after they die. So while it looks like you get ignored, it's probably the opposite. People think with their stomachs a lot, which is why your sister here gets more press. But either way you look at it, you've still got an important place in things, people just don't show it as often. Being an insect youkai, I'm a bit more mindful of things like this than most."

[Raikaria]

>"Well, the only person I know who looks forward to winter is Cirno, and that's because of Letty. For what it's worth, I at least appreciate the leaves. After all, fall has great atmosphere, and the leaves end up still helping out in lots of ways even after they die. So while it looks like you get ignored, it's probably the opposite. People think with their stomachs a lot, which is why your sister here gets more press. But either way you look at it, you've still got an important place in things, people just don't show it as often. Being an insect youkai, I'm a bit more mindful of things like this than most."

> "There is a big difference between the needs of a youkai and the needs of a goddess when it comes to respect." the goddess says.

> By this point, the crowd have dispersed, and the other goddess walks over.

> "Shizuhara? Who's this insect youkai you're talking to?" the goddess asks. She sounds inquisitive, not annoyed, although when she looks at you she looks... almost worried. You can figure out that this is probobly because insects eat crops, so probobly, as a harvest goddess, she's a little apprehensive around insects.

[Hanzo K.]

>Ah yeah, that is a thing after all. We pretty much stopped doing that though, didn't we?
>"Name's Wriggle, Wriggle Nightbug. Firefly type you know."

[Raikaria]

>Ah yeah, that is a thing after all. We pretty much stopped doing that though, didn't we?
>"Name's Wriggle, Wriggle Nightbug. Firefly type you know."

> Just because you don't eat crops [If you did Yuuka would have long since killed you], dosen't mean that insects in general don't. You figure she's right to be a little worried, given what she is.

> "Well, a firefly? I'm Minoriko Aki, and this here is my sister, Shizuha Aki." Minriko says.

[I'm imagining Mikoriko with a valley girl/farmer-like accent]

[Hanzo K.]

(In Japan, the equivalent would probably be Kansai I guess.)

>"Yep, so I'm technically more active in summer by that token, since that's when you see my sort more often. But Fall's not so bad either though, atmosphere's always great."
>We tend to slow down more in winter, don't we?

[Raikaria]

(In Japan, the equivalent would probably be Kansai I guess.)

>"Yep, so I'm technically more active in summer by that token, since that's when you see my sort more often. But Fall's not so bad either though, atmosphere's always great."
>We tend to slow down more in winter, don't we?

> "Fall is the best season in my books!" Minoriko says happily.

> Actually, since Cirno bugs Letty instead of you, you are about as active in winter, since you don't need to put up with Cirno.

[Hanzo K.]

(I was going off the basis that Wriggle, being an Insect Youkai, would still be relatively susceptible to the cold. Just like her non-youkai comrades.)

>Of course a harvest goddess would think that, huh? "Yeah, it's still good, even if it starts getting cold. Insect Youkai after all."

[Raikaria]

(I was going off the basis that Wriggle, being an Insect Youkai, would still be relatively susceptible to the cold. Just like her non-youkai comrades.)

>Of course a harvest goddess would think that, huh? "Yeah, it's still good, even if it starts getting cold. Insect Youkai after all."

[She spends too long around Cirno!]

> "The cold isn't that good for me either. Kills the crops."