Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Beyond the Border~ => Rumia's Party Games => Mystia's Stored Games => Topic started by: Hello Purvis on April 29, 2011, 03:24:28 PM
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>You are Iku Nagae, Gensokyo's premier messenger and dancer, and the sky had fallen. But you've just just about got it all wrapped up.
>You are an oarfish youkai in service to the Dragon Palace. As a resident of Bhava-Agra, you bear a status similar to that of a Celestial, and are considered a minor functionary in the Celestial Bureaucracy that makes certain the known universe runs as it should, with all the rights privileges, and duties that come with this position. You are in the service of The Dragon, who reigns quietly as the highest god of this realm, and is among the highest beings in the universe. It regards you well, and you think of it as a guardian.
>While your duties and position suggest your place is in Bhava-Agra, you have a tendency to roam to other places. You somewhat blame this on Tenshi Hinanai, whom you have unfortunately been charged with keeping out of significant trouble, and her tendency to visit Gensokyo whenever possible. You are well-know for your love of dance, and excellence in performing it; oftentimes you've been asked to star in performances given at the Dragon Palace. Others have styled you the Dance Empress, particularly those who would try to claim that title for themselves. You are, as far as you know, well regarded by everyone you know and are welcome practically anywhere in Gensokyo, save perhaps for Higan. The only real black spot in your days is periodically having to deal with Tenshi's chicanery.
>You have been tasked by The Dragon in dealing with this incident. You have taken some stock of the damage surrounding the fall. You have found that Bhava-Agra's food supply has been badly affected by these events; you defeated a tsuchinoko on Minoirko's behalf in hopes of alleviating this. You have delivered messages for Patchouli. You have had bad run ins with Marisa and Reimu; and nearly had one with Sanae. You have found Tenshi hiding in the Ancient City, became convinced of her innocence, convinced her to join you, and have had several spats with her. You've done your best to bond with Tenshi, and you've made significant progress in that regard. You've been hearing a lot about a search for some thing called the Brocken Spectre, and learned it is key to the whole issue. You found and rescued Yamame, who was captured by faeries. You've been given a hit list by Yuugi. You've released Aya from prison after a rather confused encounter, and are trying to fix that issue. You've discovered that the islands of Bhava-Agra do not cast proper shadows; nor did Nitori, who was practically dead to the world before you were able to have her shadow restored. You've found Kogasa has had her shadow stolen very recently, it has since been restored. Yukari had loaned you a very important tool, which you have returned safely! You tried to get a candid photo of Aya, but had problems when she ran from Momiji. Meeting her at Kourindou later, you might have had success. You have learned of a mysterious poltergeist roaming the Forest of Magic, and have deduced that she is both the shadow thief and the Brocken Spectre. You've beaten the Brocken Spectre in combat, then got exilled away into the missing shadow of Bhava-Agra. You managed to escape there and end up in Makai, from which you have escaped after several misadventures. You have reached a kind of agreement with the Brocken Spectre. You have convinced Reimu not to come after you! You seem to have even managed to make a connection with the paranoid and isolationist poltergeist and gotten some of the missing shadows restored. You have met with Remilia and managed to arrange for an amicable solution. You've reached an understanding with Tenshi. You've resolved the Incident! You've been interviewed by Aya! You've managed to get the poltergeist an illusionary disguise, via Nue, and helped her start to integrate with the world.
>Presently, you are making final arrangements with Aya.
> "If you say so. I suppose my worry comes from the fact that I want this article out there to help explain why we are innocent, and that perhaps people reading it will take it with a grain of salt because we delivered it to them. But I guess that having your name on the paper will do enough to alleviate that skepticism."
>"I'd think so," says Aya. "And no one really pays attention to the delivery when they're not the writer, anyways."
>_
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> What language is that in the thread title?
> Nod.
> "Someone from Bhava-Agra will deliver those papers, then."
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> What language is that in the thread title?
> Nod.
> "Someone from Bhava-Agra will deliver those papers, then."
>Russian
>"Alright," says Aya.
>_
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> "I do believe we are all set for the day, then. I have business to attend to while you are at work, and it will include speaking with Lord Tenma."
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> "I do believe we are all set for the day, then. I have business to attend to while you are at work, and it will include speaking with Lord Tenma."
>She nods. "Until then."
>_
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> "Good luck, and stay safe."
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> "Good luck, and stay safe."
>"I'll do my best," says Aya. "You too, though I guess you don't have much to worry about anymore."
>_
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> Smile.
> "Thank you."
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> Smile.
> "Thank you."
>Aya nods, and turns to leave.
>After a moment, you hear the poltergeist's voice nearby, softly asking, "Is it safe?"
>_
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> Has Aya actually left?
> If so, lower our voice ourselves, and say "I think so."
> If not, don't say anything.
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> Has Aya actually left?
> If so, lower our voice ourselves, and say "I think so."
> If not, don't say anything.
>Aya has not left yet, but she's practically out of sight. After a moment, you let her know it's safe.
>She emerges frown behind a tree.
>_
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> Keep that voice low.
> "So how did I do?"
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> Keep that voice low.
> "So how did I do?"
>"I don't know how you could stand it," she says.
>_
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> "I will suffer as much as necessary for my people to regain their trustworthiness."
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> "I will suffer as much as necessary for my people to regain their trustworthiness."
>"I see," she says, in a manner that leads you to believe otherwise.
>_
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> "But, more importantly than what I have done to myself, how did you feel about you during all that? Did I reveal anything I should not have?"
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> "But, more importantly than what I have done to myself, how did you feel about you during all that? Did I reveal anything I should not have?"
>"It would have been best if you didn't say anything at all," says the poltergeist. "But, I suppose you didn't say too much..."
>_
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> May I assume that should be 'best'?
> "I am sorry for revealing your gender. I had been trying to use gender-neutral pronouns, but then she started making me think about you, and it just started slipping..."
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> May I assume that should be 'best'?
> "I am sorry for revealing your gender. I had been trying to use gender-neutral pronouns, but then she started making me think about you, and it just started slipping..."
>Yes.
>She nods. "I think that person had already made the assumption, anyways."
>_
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> Do we know how the tengu punish trespassers?
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> Do we know how the tengu punish trespassers?
>They're generally run off. You aren't certain how someone who successfully trespassed would be punished.
>_
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> Slap forehead.
> "Ah, I forgot to ask her what the tengu punishment for successful trespassing is."
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> Slap forehead.
> "Ah, I forgot to ask her what the tengu punishment for successful trespassing is."
>The poltergeist frowns. You get the feeling you've lost her again.
>_
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> "The leader of the tengu has requested I reoprt to him any information I have about the one who trespassed on tengu lands a while ago, as trespassing on tengu lands is against tengu law. And, if you'll recall your trip up the mountain, that person would be you."
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> "The leader of the tengu has requested I reoprt to him any information I have about the one who trespassed on tengu lands a while ago, as trespassing on tengu lands is against tengu law. And, if you'll recall your trip up the mountain, that person would be you."
>"Oh."
>_
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> "so I am hoping that, whatever punishment the tengu leader has in mind, it is one that does not expose you, or one that I can endure on your behalf."
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> "so I am hoping that, whatever punishment the tengu leader has in mind, it is one that does not expose you, or one that I can endure on your behalf."
>She nods, frowning.
>_
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> "But we shall cross that bridge when we come to it. I believe our business together may not have yet concluded for the day, either. What do you wish to do today regarding the jeweler in the human village?"
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> "But we shall cross that bridge when we come to it. I believe our business together may not have yet concluded for the day, either. What do you wish to do today regarding the jeweler in the human village?"
>"I'm...not sure," she says. "Is there something I should do?"
>_
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> "We left on rather uncertain terms. At the very least, if you have made a decision, it would be polite to let Mister Ichiro know what you have decided."
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> "We left on rather uncertain terms. At the very least, if you have made a decision, it would be polite to let Mister Ichiro know what you have decided."
>"Oh. I guess I could do that."
>_
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> "...If I may ask, what have you decided?"
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> "...If I may ask, what have you decided?"
>"...It sounds interesting."
>_
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> Smile.
> "I am glad you have an opportunity you find tolerable."
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> Smile.
> "I am glad you have an opportunity you find tolerable."
>She nods.
>"Um...that thing that tengu needs done. What was it?"
>_
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> "Which thing? The delivery route?"
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> "Which thing? The delivery route?"
>She nods. "What does that involve?"
>_
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>"One more thing on the topic of the jeweler, first. Becoming his apprentice means you will be spending a great deal of time with him, more even than you have spent with me, so you need to be ready for that. You should not need to see much of anyone else, however."
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>"One more thing on the topic of the jeweler, first. Becoming his apprentice means you will be spending a great deal of time with him, more even than you have spent with me, so you need to be ready for that. You should not need to see much of anyone else, however."
>She nods. "I'll...try to deal with it."
>_
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> Give a reassuring smile.
> "I am sure you will do well."
> "Now, as for that delivery route, it would involve traveling across Gensokyo with a large stock of newspapers, giving them out to various residents of this realm. I...am not sure if you would actually have to meet them or not, to be honest. You might have to give things out directly, or you might be able to leave the newspapers in a pre-determined place, for someone to come by and pick up later."
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> Give a reassuring smile.
> "I am sure you will do well."
> "Now, as for that delivery route, it would involve traveling across Gensokyo with a large stock of newspapers, giving them out to various residents of this realm. I...am not sure if you would actually have to meet them or not, to be honest. You might have to give things out directly, or you might be able to leave the newspapers in a pre-determined place, for someone to come by and pick up later."
>"I can do it, and no one will see me," says the poltergeist.
>_
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> "Really? I would very much appreciate it if you could. Hopefully it will not require collecting monetary compensation."
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> "Really? I would very much appreciate it if you could. Hopefully it will not require collecting monetary compensation."
>"I...don't know about that part," she says.
>_
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> "Nor do I. I will have to ask her when we meet again later. But I seem to recall Tenshi saying a newspaper appeared on the Turtle House doorstep yesterday...perhaps collecting payment is not necessary."
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> "Nor do I. I will have to ask her when we meet again later. But I seem to recall Tenshi saying a newspaper appeared on the Turtle House doorstep yesterday...perhaps collecting payment is not necessary."
>She nods. "So, what are we doing now?"
>_
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> Pull out the camera and turn it off, before we forget.
> "I think my next series of businesses will be on the mountain, which I presume you have no interest in visiting again. I would like you to be at that meeting place near the house with all the junk outside in a few hours, if you can make the time; even if you decide there is too much self-exposure involved in the delivery route, I would like you on-hand to ambush that woman by jumping on her shadow, should I need you to get a picture of...well, you know."
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> Pull out the camera and turn it off, before we forget.
> "I think my next series of businesses will be on the mountain, which I presume you have no interest in visiting again. I would like you to be at that meeting place near the house with all the junk outside in a few hours, if you can make the time; even if you decide there is too much self-exposure involved in the delivery route, I would like you on-hand to ambush that woman by jumping on her shadow, should I need you to get a picture of...well, you know."
>You turn off the camera.
>"I think I can do that," says the poltergeist. "I don't think I have anywhere else I need to be."
>_
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> "How are you feeling, by the way? Any better or worse than yesterday?"
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> "How are you feeling, by the way? Any better or worse than yesterday?"
>"I'm not sure," she says. "I guess I'm not worse. It's hard to describe, I don't think it's anything like being tired, from what I've seen. Just a feeling I don't have much left in me."
>_
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> "Mmm. Perhaps your delivery route will help that."
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> "Mmm. Perhaps your delivery route will help that."
>"I don't know," she says.
>_
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> "Admittedly, neither do I. But I would like to think that simply having your actions noticed will be enough to sustain you."
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> "Admittedly, neither do I. But I would like to think that simply having your actions noticed will be enough to sustain you."
>She nods.
>_
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> "Anyway, if The August One believes you still have several days simply because of what we have done, and you are seriously considering working as a jeweler with Mister Ichiro, I am not terribly worried. You may be close to the edge, but I will personally make sure you do not fall over it."
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> "Anyway, if The August One believes you still have several days simply because of what we have done, and you are seriously considering working as a jeweler with Mister Ichiro, I am not terribly worried. You may be close to the edge, but I will personally make sure you do not fall over it."
>She nods some more.
>_
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> Smile.
> "To later today, then, and to the beginning of a successful livelihood."
> Offer hand for a handshake.
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> Smile.
> "To later today, then, and to the beginning of a successful livelihood."
> Offer hand for a handshake.
>"Alright," she says, as you offer your hand. She looks at it for a moment, before a look of realization crosses her face and she takes it and shakes.
>_
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I could have sworn I posted here.
> Keep the smile up.
> "You know, Tenshi does not enjoy it very much when I hug her, either."
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>"Speaking of Tenshi, she asked me earlier if she should spread rumors about you. You know, to get people thinking about you. I told her not to do so for nom, but that I would ask you about it."
>"Now, I know this idea may not appeal to you if the rumors were accurate, but what if the rumors were false? If they were false, what would your answer to Tenshi be?"
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>Are we sure we should be encouraging a fellow celestial to be dishonest? Particularly one we are taking care of?
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>Dishonesty is not inherently wrong. It is the cause that matters, and here, it would be for a good cause.
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Actually, it was established earlier that dishonesty pretty much is an inherent wrong for the enlightened. We're supposed to find the high road every time.
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I disagree, and I don't remember when that was established.
>What is Bhava-Agra's stance on lying? especially as it might apply to the current situation?
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But we already had this argument! (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,8863.msg605647.html#msg605647)
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> Keep the smile up.
> "You know, Tenshi does not enjoy it very much when I hug her, either."
>"That comparison sounds kind of vulgar," says the poltergeist.
>"Speaking of Tenshi, she asked me earlier if she should spread rumors about you. You know, to get people thinking about you. I told her not to do so for nom, but that I would ask you about it."
>"Now, I know this idea may not appeal to you if the rumors were accurate, but what if the rumors were false? If they were false, what would your answer to Tenshi be?"
>She frowns. "That also sounds vulgar. Um, what would she say?"
>Are we sure we should be encouraging a fellow celestial to be dishonest? Particularly one we are taking care of?
>It really isn't a good idea.
>Dishonesty is not inherently wrong. It is the cause that matters, and here, it would be for a good cause.
>You're quite well aware that dishonesty is contrary to enlightenment.
>_
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> "Assuming it would be done at all, it would depend on what you want spread."
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> "Assuming it would be done at all, it would depend on what you want spread."
>"Mmm," she says. "I don't know... is it a good idea?"
>_
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>"I think so. It would get people thinking about you, and thus help you survive."
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>"I think so. It would get people thinking about you, and thus help you survive."
>She nods, though frowning. "Maybe, then..."
>_
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>"Well, take some time to think about it if you need to."
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So you're just going to ignore dishonesty getting confirmed as counter to enlightenment again right there, then?
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>"Well, take some time to think about it if you need to."
>She nods. "I'll do that. What would I have her say, though?"
>_
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> What would the Dragon think about us encouraging Tenshi to spread lies about the poltergeist?
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> What would the Dragon think about us encouraging Tenshi to spread lies about the poltergeist?
>You expect it would be quite frowned upon if you did so willfully and intentionally.
>_
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So you're just going to ignore dishonesty getting confirmed as counter to enlightenment again right there, then?
If that's what the rule is, then whatever (although I still say this is a good reason to break it). For myself, though, I think that outlook is wrong.
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And that's understandable. I'm pretty sure we've all done things across the course of these quests that we disagreed with as people. (Hell, we had a big fight about one such thing not 500 posts into the game, as I recall.) However, the thing to keep in mind is that this is Iku Quest. We are playing a character that is going to know certain things and act certain ways, and not know certain other things and not act certain other ways. This quest was designed with Iku's strengths and weaknesses in mind, as was Maribel Quest before it, as was Utsuho Quest before that. It is meant to be played knowing the things Iku knows and behaving the way Iku is supposed to behave. It might as well be Omniscient Lightning-Throwing OC Quest if we starting using outside knowledge and controlling based on our behavioral preferences instead of Iku's.
There have been plenty of "easy" solutions so far. We could have beaten Tenshi into submission to make her behave, we could have left the poltergeist to rot on her own, we could have beaten Remilia into submission to take the islands back, and so on and so forth. The idea behind it being Iku Quest is that playing Iku means none of those things were intended to happen. It is for this same reason that we're not supposed to use spreading lies as a way of sustaining the poltergeist's existence.
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> "Again, that would be up to you. It would depend on what you would want people know about you. If anything."
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> "Again, that would be up to you. It would depend on what you would want people know about you. If anything."
>She frowns and looks toward the ground. "I don't know," she says at length.
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> "Like I said, take some time to think about it. If you decide what you want spread, then we will go with it. If you decide you don't want anything spread, that is fine too."
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> "Like I said, take some time to think about it. If you decide what you want spread, then we will go with it. If you decide you don't want anything spread, that is fine too."
>"I already know that I don't," she says. "What I don't know is whether I should regardless of that."
>_
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> "Well, I suppose we can see how you hold up once you start your jeweling work. If you feel that you keep slipping, then...we probably should. But if that work keeps you sustained, we may not need to."
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> "Well, I suppose we can see how you hold up once you start your jeweling work. If you feel that you keep slipping, then...we probably should. But if that work keeps you sustained, we may not need to."
>She nods.
>_
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> "Regardless, I shall see you again in a few hours, I suppose."
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> "Regardless, I shall see you again in a few hours, I suppose."
>"Alright, I'll be around here," says the poltergeist.
>_
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> "Here? Or near the house with the junk?"
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> "Here? Or near the house with the junk?"
>"This place," she says. "Unless you want to meet me there, I suppose."
>_
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> "That is where I will be meeting the journalist woman again later, and where her batch of newspapers will be, if you are still interested in making those deliveries."
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> "That is where I will be meeting the journalist woman again later, and where her batch of newspapers will be, if you are still interested in making those deliveries."
>"I'll be there," says the poltergeist.
>_
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> Nod.
> "Thank you. I appreciate it. See you there, then."
> Assuming no objection from Shuuei, take flight and head to Youkai Mountain.
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>"I will," she says, as you depart.
>You fly toward Youkai Mountain. The flight is is a clear one, with no more annoyance than hearing some faeries in the air squabble over some little thing involving cinnamon. As you draw closer to the mountain, you can see that Guest Island has lifted from its side, and is hovering a few dozen feet in the air over the southern slope. A few tengu patrols are in the air that you can see, but markedly fewer than the day before.
>_
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> Do we like cinnamon? Reminisce about it if so.
> Head to the kappa village.
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> Do we like cinnamon? Reminisce about it if so.
> Head to the kappa village.
>You've only had it a few times, but you've enjoyed it.
>You descend toward the Kappa Village. To the north, you see a fair amount of activity around the University, some of it construction. Along the river banks, you can see a few kappa milling about some stands, where it seems fish is being offered. To the south, you can see the front door of Nitori's Warehouse is open.
>_
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> Head south to the warehouse.
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> Head south to the warehouse.
>You head toward the warehouse. Inside, you can see Nitori with a large sheet of metal in some kind of clamp, bending it over a round log. She glances over as you approach. "Hey there," she says. "Things go okay with the vampire?"
>_
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> "Yes. We have negotiated a settlement to both of our satisfactions."
> Give a short bow.
> "I thank you again for your assistance in that matter."
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> "Yes. We have negotiated a settlement to both of our satisfactions."
> Give a short bow.
> "I thank you again for your assistance in that matter."
>"Don't mention it," says Nitori.
>_
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> "Anyway, I am here for some advice. I am looking for some fish, but I am on a somewhat limited budget, and I am not an expert on what types of fish are better than others for consumption."
> How much money do we have again?
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> "Anyway, I am here for some advice. I am looking for some fish, but I am on a somewhat limited budget, and I am not an expert on what types of fish are better than others for consumption."
> How much money do we have again?
>"I can help with that," says Nitori. "What do you have in mind?"
>You have 16☼
>_
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> How much did Tenshi give us, again? 15?
> "I am not sure, to be honest. Bhava-Agra basically never uses fish in meals, so I know very little about them. I wish to purchase some as a gift for the Yakumo nekomata, as a show of appreciation for some important work both she and her mistress have done for me."
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> How much did Tenshi give us, again? 15?
> "I am not sure, to be honest. Bhava-Agra basically never uses fish in meals, so I know very little about them. I wish to purchase some as a gift for the Yakumo nekomata, as a show of appreciation for some important work both she and her mistress have done for me."
>She did.
>"Ah, well, I think we can do something about that," says Nitori.
>_
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> "Now, I only have 16☼. Will that be enough to obtain something worth giving as a gift?"
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> "Now, I only have 16☼. Will that be enough to obtain something worth giving as a gift?"
>"Should," says Nitori. "Not something very large, but enough for a decent meal."
>_
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> "What would you recommend, then? I presume you have at least heard your share of information about the stands in your village, if not partaken of them yourself many times."
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> "What would you recommend, then? I presume you have at least heard your share of information about the stands in your village, if not partaken of them yourself many times."
>"Well, I like a good whitefish, myself," says Nitori. "As for the best, that's hard to say. People get different things at different times."
>_
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> Nod.
> "Of course. I figured it was worth getting the opinion of a reliable source, though. Could I purchase a quality whitefish with the amount of money I have?"
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> Nod.
> "Of course. I figured it was worth getting the opinion of a reliable source, though. Could I purchase a quality whitefish with the amount of money I have?"
>"You should," says Nitori. "There's not much of a point in suggesting something you couldn't buy."
>_
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> "...Of course. My apologies. Um, are there any particular stands you would recommend?"
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> "...Of course. My apologies. Um, are there any particular stands you would recommend?"
>"Well, you just have to see who has what," says Nitori as she picks up the bit of sheet metal and gives it a critical look.
>_
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> Do we know what whitefish looks like?
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> Do we know what whitefish looks like?
>You do not.
>_
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> "All right. I will leave you to your work and browse around to see what I can find. Thank you for your assistance again."
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> "All right. I will leave you to your work and browse around to see what I can find. Thank you for your assistance again."
>"No problem," says Nitori as she places the sheet of metal on the log again and affixes it back to the clamp.
>_
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> Huh...wonder if Nitori's warehouse is on Aya's route. That could make for an awkward situation if Shuuei gets spotted.
> Leave the warehouse and head for the fish market.
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> Huh...wonder if Nitori's warehouse is on Aya's route. That could make for an awkward situation if Shuuei gets spotted.
> Leave the warehouse and head for the fish market.
>That might well be a test of the poltergeist's skills.
>You head toward the fish market. Being still rather early in the morning, you don't see too much activity, just a few kappa with stands set up. You think that you see one more swimming around in the river. There are four stands, one with a large tub of tiny fish, a second with a few mid-sized ones, a third with a rather sizable stock, and the last with just one large fish the size of a small child. The first and third are busy at the moment.
>_
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> Head to the second stand.
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> Head to the second stand.
>You head to the second stage, which is being run by an elderly kappa with dark blue hair streaked with white.
>"Hello there," she says. "What can I interest you in?"
>_
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> Give a short bow.
> "Good day, miss. I am interested in procuring some whitefish."
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> Give a short bow.
> "Good day, miss. I am interested in procuring some whitefish."
>"Mmm, might have some of that, that I might," she says. "What're you offering?"
>_
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> Inventory
> "In terms of currency, I have 16☼. If you would be interested in a trade of goods instead of or in addition to monetary compensation, well, I have a few other things, though I do not know how much they would be worth."
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> Inventory
> "In terms of currency, I have 16☼. If you would be interested in a trade of goods instead of or in addition to monetary compensation, well, I have a few other things, though I do not know how much they would be worth."
>She nods. "I think we can do business. How much fish are you looking to purchase?"
>_
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> I said INVENTORY!
> "This is intended to be a gift for the Yakumo nekomata. As I have very little use for currency otherwise, and the Yakumo family have provided my people and myself with valuable services, I am willing to exchange all of the money I have for however much fish that would procure."
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> I said INVENTORY!
> "This is intended to be a gift for the Yakumo nekomata. As I have very little use for currency otherwise, and the Yakumo family have provided my people and myself with valuable services, I am willing to exchange all of the money I have for however much fish that would procure."
>Don't you back edit me son.
>You Inventory contains:
>Wide-brimmed hat (worn as hat)
>Exceedingly Stylish!
>Heavy Flamenco Dress (worn as dress)
>Allows both modesty and freedom of movement
>Large Black Purse
>Exactly what it sounds like. It holds all your stuff
>Spine Sign: "Acanthodii of the Thunder Clouds"
>This spellcard engulfs you in a shield of electricity. It can be broken with enough force, and only lasts for a short time before it must be renewed
>Cloud Realm: "The Thunder Court in the Sea of Abstruse Clouds"
>Fills the air with webs of lightning, but leaves you motionless.
>Dragonfish: "Dragon Palace's Messenger Swimming Shot"
>Sends electricity spiraling out from you, but leaves you defenseless.
>16☼
>This is 16☼
>Jail Key
>The key to the tengu jail.
>Aya's Primary Camera
>She'll be very angry if you break this. It doesn't seem to be taking pictures anymore.
>2 Pictures of Shadowless Tree
>Taken in the Forest of Magic.
> Picture of Sky and Shadowed Land
>A picture of the Brocken Spectre's shadow and the clear horizon
>Picture of Unconscious Poltergeist
>A Picture of the Brocken Spectre after you defeated her.
>Picture of the Shadow Dais.
>Taken within The Dragon's Chamber in the false Bhava-Agra.
>Picture of Makai Landscape with Goats
>Taken to show Yumeko how a Camera Works
>Pink Shawl
>A shawl that represents your status as a part of Bhava-Arga and allows you to defend yourself with devastating techniques.
>Aya's Note
>It reads: "Did some looking around. Word has it there's a blue-coated ghost running around the forest. Lots of people coming and going looking for the Brocken Spectre. Some rock near Marisa's house missing a shadow; investigated it, found nothing else special. Wasn't able to ask around SDM. Kogasa seems to have gotten much more dangerous lately; maybe a connection? Couldn't ask. Will return tomorrow afternoon. Owe you bigtime -Aya."
>Box
>This small gray box once held several gems.
>Plunger
>A rubber-headed object you mistook for a javelin.
>Stuffed Platypus
>This is a plush rendition of everyone's favorite beaver-tailed, duck-billed mammal! It is very adorable.
>Pale Green Plant
>Its broad leaves seem to be usually shiny.
>Vial of Sand Grains
>This vial contains eleven grains of sand, one from each of the continents of the outer world.
>Amethyst:
>A translucent purple gemstone, cut into a faceted shape.
>"Just for her, then?" says the kappa. "A smaller one should do, don't you think?"
>_
-
> "I...suppose. How much money would a smaller one cost?"
-
> "I...suppose. How much money would a smaller one cost?"
>"Let's call it 12☼ for this one," says the kappa, holding up a fish about nine inches long.
>_
-
> Does the fish look like it would make a decent meal?
-
> Does the fish look like it would make a decent meal?
>You don't know how to prepare fish, but you suspect it would.
>_
-
> "Mmm...I suppose that will do, yes."
> Hand over 12☼.
-
> "Mmm...I suppose that will do, yes."
> Hand over 12☼.
>You give her 12☼.
>The kappa takes the money and shoves it in her pocket. Then she grabs a length of rice paper from beneath her stand and deftly wraps up the fish. Then she offers it to you with a flourish.
>_
-
> Take it carefully so that the paper does not unwrap.
> "Thank you."
-
> Take it carefully so that the paper does not unwrap.
> "Thank you."
>You take the fish carefully. It seems the kappa has skillfully tucked the edges of the paper so that it won't unwrap on its own without a lot of jostling.
>You obtain: Whitefish.
>"You're welcome," says the Kappa. "Come back any time."
>_
-
> "I will. Um, how long will this last, anyway?"
-
> "I will. Um, how long will this last, anyway?"
>"Well, I'd say it's make a great lunch, a good dinner, and excellent fertilizer for breakfast," says the kappa. "Just don't put it anywhere too warm or keep it in the sun."
>_
-
> Do we have writing utensils in our room?
> How warm is it inside our purse?
> How messy would our purse be if we put a fish inside it?
-
> Do we have writing utensils in our room?
> How warm is it inside our purse?
> How messy would our purse be if we put a fish inside it?
>You do, or at least you did. After it was cleaned, they may be got.
>You don't think it's too warm.
>You aren't sure, but you think the rice paper won't last too long before fish goo starts to leak through it.
>_
-
> "I suppose I should get to having this delivered, then. Again, thank you very much."
> Give another short bow. Try not to drop the fish.
-
> "I suppose I should get to having this delivered, then. Again, thank you very much."
> Give another short bow. Try not to drop the fish.
>"Mightn't be a bad idea," says the kappa. "You're welcome."
>You bow; thankfully the paper lets you keep a good grip on the fish.
>_
-
> How far away is Dragon Palace Island from here?
-
> How far away is Dragon Palace Island from here?
>It is some distance from Youkai Mountain.
>_
-
> "I hope to see you again some time. Good luck in your endeavours."
> Take flight and head to Dragon Palace Island.
-
> "I hope to see you again some time. Good luck in your endeavours."
> Take flight and head to Dragon Palace Island.
>The kappa waves.
>You take to the air, and head toward The Dragon Palace. Your course takes you over the human village, which is still quite peaceful, and toward the sunflower field that the island is hovering over. It's a peaceful journey, if a tad chilly and constantly threatening rain. You reach the Dragon Palace without any problems.
>_
-
> How is that fish holding up?
> Head to the kitchen.
-
> How is that fish holding up?
> Head to the kitchen.
>It has yet to fall apart or voice any protests. The paper is getting a bit unpleasantly, though.
>You make your way toward the kitchen. A lot of the sounds of frenzied activity have passed, but it is still quite active. Heading inside, you see the staff moving around in a measured hurry, cleaning up the remains of the last meal. The tall, red-haired celestial you've placed in charge of the kitchens approaches you moments after you enter and curtsies. "Is there anything we can do for you, Lady Nagae?"
>_
-
> "Yes. I need this fish wrapped with a little extra coverage, and then I need a volunteer that has some time available to make a delivery to Gensokyo."
-
> "Yes. I need this fish wrapped with a little extra coverage, and then I need a volunteer that has some time available to make a delivery to Gensokyo."
>She looks at the fish, then nods. "We have some cloth that should do for that. As for volunteers, I'm not sure if I could spare anyone right now. Lady Nagae..."
>_
-
> "Hmm...all right. I will look elsewhere for a deliveryperson, then. Thank you for your assistance with this fish."
> Hand the fish over.
> Do we happen to know of any departments that might not be swamped with tasks right now?
-
> "Hmm...all right. I will look elsewhere for a deliveryperson, then. Thank you for your assistance with this fish."
> Hand the fish over.
> Do we happen to know of any departments that might not be swamped with tasks right now?
>The housekeeping staff is probably doing double duty as clean-up or taking care of the injured, but given it's size, you imagine it would be able to spare a few. The trouble being tracking down the head of staff, given she is likely all over the place.
>_
-
> Does housekeeping have a central quarters, such as the kitchen for cooking staff?
-
> Does housekeeping have a central quarters, such as the kitchen for cooking staff?
>Nothing so official, but there is a billboard outside of the the sleeping quarters where the housekeeping stays which tends to serve as a de facto meeting point.
>_
-
> We can head to that billboard once we are done, then.
> Since we handed the fish over, wait until kitchen staff has finished wrapping it up properly for us.
-
> We can head to that billboard once we are done, then.
> Since we handed the fish over, wait until kitchen staff has finished wrapping it up properly for us.
>The head chef returns after a moment, with a thick cloth bundle and hands it to you. "That should do," she says.
>_
-
>Quests
-
> "Thank you very much."
> Take the bundle.
-
>Quests
>You quests are:
>Fishy Finagling
>You swore you'd get Chen a fish, and by gar you did just that.
> Soliloquy for a Jailbird
>You have vowed to help deal with Aya's apparently unjust imprisonment. You'll either have to talk to Lord Tenma, who sentenced here there, or Shikieiki, whose complaints resulted in the sentencing.
>Wind in the Willows
>You have taken it upon yourself to help the poltergeist blend into society. She's shown an interest in jeweling and in painting; a practitioner of the former seems willing to take her on as an apprentice.
> "Thank you very much."
> Take the bundle.
>"Happy to be of assistance, Lady Nagae," she replies with a curtsy.
>You obtain: Whitefish Bundle
>_
-
> "I will detain you from your tasks no further."
> Give a short bow.
> "Best of luck in your efforts."
> Make our way to that housekeeping message board.
-
> "I will detain you from your tasks no further."
> Give a short bow.
> "Best of luck in your efforts."
> Make our way to that housekeeping message board.
>You return pleasantries, and move on.
>Thankfully, the board is not too far away. Approaching it, you can see it's been loaded down with dozens of color coded messages, while a couple maids go through it, looking through it, while another adds on new messages. She notices you first, calling out, "Messenger," as you approach. The other two look over, as the speaker curtsies, and follow suit.
>_
-
> "Good day, ladies. I am wondering if there would happen to be any available hands whom I could enlist to deliver a package to Gensokyo."
-
> "Good day, ladies. I am wondering if there would happen to be any available hands whom I could enlist to deliver a package to Gensokyo."
>They look between each other. After a moment, one of them says, "I suppose so. But, we don't know Gensokyo very well. What do you need?"
>_
-
> Hold up the fish.
> "I need this fish delivered to a certain household. The mistress of that household, as well as her shikigami's shikigami, have greatly helped my efforts to restore our home. The shikigami of the shikigami is a young nekomata, who had a bad experience with our people when we first fell. I wish this fish to be a reward for her work, as well as a peace offering."
-
> Hold up the fish.
> "I need this fish delivered to a certain household. The mistress of that household, as well as her shikigami's shikigami, have greatly helped my efforts to restore our home. The shikigami of the shikigami is a young nekomata, who had a bad experience with our people when we first fell. I wish this fish to be a reward for her work, as well as a peace offering."
>"If you can tell us how to get there," says the celestial who was arranging the notices, "I'll make sure it's done."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I can do this. However, I wish to write a note to the mistress of the house first, to be delivered with the fish. Will you still be here once I have finished making my way to my quarters and writing it?"
-
> Nod.
> "I can do this. However, I wish to write a note to the mistress of the house first, to be delivered with the fish. Will you still be here once I have finished making my way to my quarters and writing it?"
>The maid nods.
>_
-
> "Very good. I will return momentarily."
> Assuming no objection from the gathered women, proceed back to our suite.
-
> "Very good. I will return momentarily."
> Assuming no objection from the gathered women, proceed back to our suite.
>You return back to your suite
>It is just how you left, with Tenshi's bed unmade.
>_
-
> Put the fish package on our desk and look for writing utensils.
-
> Put the fish package on our desk and look for writing utensils.
>You look around, and find some ink, a brush, and some paper set off to the side on a desk in the corner.
>_
-
> Get the necessary materials to write a note and get to writin'.
> "To Lady Yukari or Miss Ran,
>
> I apologize for not making this visit myself, but given how Chen still felt affronted by the events of two days, I thought an effort to make peace between her and our people might be better than if I appeared again. Hopefully she enjoys the taste of whitefish - it comes from the kappa village markets, personally recommended by Miss Nitori Kawashiro. I will also put word in with Lord Tenma to allow her access up the mountain to Guest Island, should she ever desire to visit us.
>
> I cannot overstate how helpful your family has been in my ventures, both in restoring my home and in helping a new face find their place in Gensokyo. On behalf of all of Bhava-Agra, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Iku Nagae"
-
> Get the necessary materials to write a note and get to writin'.
> "To Lady Yukari or Miss Ran,
>
> I apologize for not making this visit myself, but given how Chen still felt affronted by the events of two days, I thought an effort to make peace between her and our people might be better than if I appeared again. Hopefully she enjoys the taste of whitefish - it comes from the kappa village markets, personally recommended by Miss Nitori Kawashiro. I will also put word in with Lord Tenma to allow her access up the mountain to Guest Island, should she ever desire to visit us.
>
> I cannot overstate how helpful your family has been in my ventures, both in restoring my home and in helping a new face find their place in Gensokyo. On behalf of all of Bhava-Agra, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Iku Nagae"
>You write yourself a fine thank you note.
>_
-
> Fold it up.
> Grab the note and the fish and return to the bulletin board.
> Do we know, off the top of our head, how to get to the Yakumo House from Dragon Palace Island given where it is right now?
-
> Fold it up.
> Grab the note and the fish and return to the bulletin board.
> Do we know, off the top of our head, how to get to the Yakumo House from Dragon Palace Island given where it is right now?
>You fold up your letter and return to the board. You see a different maid looking through it now, but the same one as before is dealing with updating it.
>You think you should be able to do so, the village isn't too far from here, and from there it is mostly just following the road south to the intersection, then going east.
>_
-
> Do we know the name of the updating maid?
-
> Do we know the name of the updating maid?
>Not off the top of your head.
>_
-
> "All right, I believe I am ready. Will you be making this delivery, or finding someone less busy that can take care of it?"
-
> "All right, I believe I am ready. Will you be making this delivery, or finding someone less busy that can take care of it?"
>"I'll pass it on," she says. "It'll be done within the hour, I am certain."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Then let me provide you with instructions to pass on. I am having another deliver the fish in the interest of repairing the nekomata's opinion of Bhava-Agra. Whoever presents this fish to is to tell her that it is thanks for the assistance she provided me in restoring our home, as well as an apology for what she experienced two days ago. In addition, the letter is to be read by Lady Yukari, a blonde youkai. If she is not available, Miss Ran may read it instead. She is a nine-tailed kitsune and the nekomata's direct superior."
-
> Nod.
> "Then let me provide you with instructions to pass on. I am having another deliver the fish in the interest of repairing the nekomata's opinion of Bhava-Agra. Whoever presents this fish to is to tell her that it is thanks for the assistance she provided me in restoring our home, as well as an apology for what she experienced two days ago. In addition, the letter is to be read by Lady Yukari, a blonde youkai. If she is not available, Miss Ran may read it instead. She is a nine-tailed kitsune and the nekomata's direct superior."
>"Very well, Messenger," says the celestial. "What if the nekomata is not at this place?"
>_
-
> "Then the message of our arrival should be left with whoever is. If there is no one home, bring the fish back here and keep it on ice until later, when we shall try again."
-
> "Then the message of our arrival should be left with whoever is. If there is no one home, bring the fish back here and keep it on ice until later, when we shall try again."
>"It shall be done, Messenger," says the celestial.
>_
-
> "Excellent. Thank you."
> Give the celestial directions to the Yakumo House from Dragon Palace Island, including a detail description of the house itself.
-
> "Excellent. Thank you."
> Give the celestial directions to the Yakumo House from Dragon Palace Island, including a detail description of the house itself.
>You give her the directions; she quickly writes them donw, though she periodically has to ask you to slow down or repeat something. But she records them.
>"Worry about it no longer," she says.
>_
-
> Smile.
> "Thank you. Your assistance is tremendously appreciated."
> Hand over the fish package and the note.
-
> Smile.
> "Thank you. Your assistance is tremendously appreciated."
> Hand over the fish package and the note.
>You hand them over.
>"It is nothing, Messenger," she says as she sets them aside, giving a curious look at the package.
>_
-
> "I must depart for business on Gensokyo's main mountain. Good luck in your endeavours, and extend my thanks to the entire housekeeping staff for the marvelous job they have done."
-
> "I must depart for business on Gensokyo's main mountain. Good luck in your endeavours, and extend my thanks to the entire housekeeping staff for the marvelous job they have done."
>The maid curtsies. "We do our best, Messenger!"
>_
-
> Give a short bow.
> Leave the Dragon Palace, take flight and head back to Youkai Mountain.
-
> Give a short bow.
> Leave the Dragon Palace, take flight and head back to Youkai Mountain.
>You bow and depart.
>The trip back to Youkai Mountain is comparable to the trip back to the trip from it. Nothing particularly untoward happens along the way, the most interesting thing you see if some distant figure flying northward as you are about two-thirds the way there. You are too far away to identify her, and aside from being there she does nothing to arouse your suspicions. Soon enough, you reach Youkai Mountain and find little has changed. A few scattered patrols still circle around, but you get the feeling they are mostly there for appearances or the off chance that Aya returns.
>_
-
> Keep an eye out for Momizi.
> Head to the entrance to the tengu village.
-
> Keep an eye out for Momizi.
> Head to the entrance to the tengu village.
>You see no signs of Momiji as you make your way toward the Tengu village. One of the patrols flies in the same direction you do, clearly watching you from a distance, but they say nothing and break off soon as you approach the village.
>The village itself is quiet. You can see a few tengu scurrying about, huddled against the strong chill wind blowing through town. You are glad that you have your gloves on, to say the least.
>_
-
> Do we know what Hatate Himekaidou looks like?
> If so, look around for her.
-
> Do we know what Hatate Himekaidou looks like?
> If so, look around for her.
>You have a fairly good idea what she looks like. Enough that you'd recognize her.
>It doesn't seem she is around here.
>_
-
> Do we know anything about the layout of the village?
> Are there any tengu about that don't seem particularly busy?
-
> Do we know anything about the layout of the village?
> Are there any tengu about that don't seem particularly busy?
>You have a very basic idea of it, but you do not know where many things are located.
>There is one Tengu who is fixing the paper door of her house; she is seems like she could be bothered without it being a problem.
>_
-
> Walk over to her. Hail her if she notices us.
-
> Walk over to her. Hail her if she notices us.
>You approach the tengu, and greet her when she notices you.
>"Can I do something for you?" she asks.
>_
-
> "Yes. Can you tell me where I might find Miss Hatate Himekaidou?"
-
> "Yes. Can you tell me where I might find Miss Hatate Himekaidou?"
>"Sure," says the tengu. "She lives on the northern side of town. Just look for the house with the little sign in front. "
>_
-
> Give a short bow.
> "Thank you very much."
> Head north through town, looking for a sigh that might indicate Hatate's residence.
-
> Give a short bow.
> "Thank you very much."
> Head north through town, looking for a sigh that might indicate Hatate's residence.
>"You're welcome," says the tengu.
>You go northward, following the curve of the mountain. The houses here are more tightly packed together than elsewhere in the town, reminding you of the more crowded parts of the Ancient City. Some are taller, too, nearly four stories in height and decorated with pagoda-style roofs that give the appearance of tree boughs. The roads are still unpaved, and crisscrossed with a number of little alleys and side roads that aren't large enough for two people to walk abreast. Still, for all the tight construction there isn't that much space this high up the mountain; you find yourself on the northern slope and approaching the backside of the mountain quickly when you notice a four-story home that has a small sign in front that reads, "Kakashi Spirit News."
>_
-
> Hmm, neat architecture.
> Is there a door visible on the house to which the sign belongs? If so, knock on it. If not, search for it.
-
> Hmm, neat architecture.
> Is there a door visible on the house to which the sign belongs? If so, knock on it. If not, search for it.
>It is distinctive.
>You find the door and knock on it. It takes a few more knocks before you hear someone approach. The door opens to reveal a brown-haired tengu wearing a plaid skirt, you recognize her immediately.
>"Oh, this is convenient," says Hatate. "I assume you're here for an interview on the Incident?"
>_
-
> "Actually, I am here looking for Miss Nue Houjuu. I understand she recently traveled to this village to look for you."
-
> "Actually, I am here looking for Miss Nue Houjuu. I understand she recently traveled to this village to look for you."
>"I've not see her," says Hatate, frowning. "What did she want?"
>_
-
> "She wanted to study how to properly imitate you, as I recall."
-
> "She wanted to study how to properly imitate you, as I recall."
>"Well...that might explain something," says Hatate, frowning. "What's she planning? I need alibis."
>_
-
> Did Nue say WHERE in the village to meet her?
> "She is planning business with me, and I suspect that, by the end of this business, she will have revealed her true self to any other people that may be involved. You will not need to worry about your image being tarnished; I will be able to vouch for your non-involvement, should anyone ever ask."
-
> Did Nue say WHERE in the village to meet her?
> "She is planning business with me, and I suspect that, by the end of this business, she will have revealed her true self to any other people that may be involved. You will not need to worry about your image being tarnished; I will be able to vouch for your non-involvement, should anyone ever ask."
>Nue never said anything about meeting you in the tengu village.
>Hatate's doesn't leave her face. "That doesn't reassure me at all. But I guess that explains why I have missing laundry..."
>_
-
> Where did she say to meet, then?
-
> "Well...as bizarre as this may sound coming from a Bhavagran, we are planning on playing a prank on someone. And, as even more bizarre as this will sound at all, it is for their benefit."
-
> Where did she say to meet, then?
>She said something about "That house over there," while at the stream near Renko and Maribel's home, and mention they owed her something.
> "Well...as bizarre as this may sound coming from a Bhavagran, we are planning on playing a prank on someone. And, as even more bizarre as this will sound at all, it is for their benefit."
>"...Okay," she says, frowning still. "That's nice to know...Why am I wrapped up in this?"
>_
-
> Oh.
> Well...fuck.
> "Because you get a better reaction out of the other involved than most."
-
> Oh.
> Well...fuck.
> "Because you get a better reaction out of the other involved than most."
>Whups.
>"I...see," says Hatate. "I don't suppose you could not and say you did?"
>_
-
I really need to stop browsing this forum at work. <_<
> Look around the immediate area. Is there anyone else nearby?
> If not, lower our voice.
> "What if I told you that this would help get Aya Shameimaru back in jail?"
-
> Look around the immediate area. Is there anyone else nearby?
> If not, lower our voice.
> "What if I told you that this would help get Aya Shameimaru back in jail?"
>You look around and see the coast is clear.
>"Oh really?" says Hatate. "I think I'd like that a lot."
>_
-
> "I figured you would. And, like I said, I expect Miss Houjuu will have revealed herself by the end of it. But I will not do it if you are still not comfortable with it."
-
> "I figured you would. And, like I said, I expect Miss Houjuu will have revealed herself by the end of it. But I will not do it if you are still not comfortable with it."
>"If it puts Aya back behind bars, then I'll hold my nose for it," says Hatate.
>_
-
> Smile and give a short bow.
> "Thank you very much."
> "Anyway, when you mentioned not having seen Miss Houjuu, it occurred to me where she likely is instead, so I think I will be heading back to where she is...after a visit with Lord Tenma, to keep him abreast of situations for which he desires information. I apologize for the unintended intrusion."
-
> Smile and give a short bow.
> "Thank you very much."
> "Anyway, when you mentioned not having seen Miss Houjuu, it occurred to me where she likely is instead, so I think I will be heading back to where she is...after a visit with Lord Tenma, to keep him abreast of situations for which he desires information. I apologize for the unintended intrusion."
>"Heh, so you weren't planning on telling me about this, huh?" says Hatate.
>_
-
> "To be honest, when Miss Houjuu told me what was necessary to prepare, I figured she would have told you then. I did not think she would simply take some of your laundry while you were not looking."
-
> "To be honest, when Miss Houjuu told me what was necessary to prepare, I figured she would have told you then. I did not think she would simply take some of your laundry while you were not looking."
>"Well, now you know better," says Hatate. "Thanks for telling me, at least."
>_
-
> "Indeed I do. And really, I should be thanking you for not taking great offense to what has happened to you. I apologize that you have been treated as poorly as you have throughout the whole ordeal."
-
> "Indeed I do. And really, I should be thanking you for not taking great offense to what has happened to you. I apologize that you have been treated as poorly as you have throughout the whole ordeal."
>"Just make sure Nue gets me those clothes back when she's done with then."
>_
-
> "Of course. Have a pleasant day, Miss Himekaidou."
> Give one last short bow.
-
> "Of course. Have a pleasant day, Miss Himekaidou."
> Give one last short bow.
>"And make sure she washes them!"
>With that, Hatate closes the door.
>_
-
> Facepalm.
> Head to Lord Tenma's docile.
-
> Facepalm.
> Head to Lord Tenma's docile.
>It's been awhile since your face met your palm. It feels familiar and comforting.
>You head to the south side of town, and approach Tenma's home. After having spent time among the narrow and tall tengu homes, this sprawling structure seems increasingly out of place. Perhaps one of the four devas used to live here? You can see a tengu guarding the front gate.
>_
-
> Deep breath.
> Walk up to the guard.
-
> Deep breath.
> Walk up to the guard.
>You take a deep breath and approach the guard.
>She nods toward you. "Need something?"
>_
-
> "Yes. I would like to know if Lord Tenma is available for a second meeting."
-
> "Yes. I would like to know if Lord Tenma is available for a second meeting."
>The tengu nods. "We've been told to expect you with more news, Messenger. I'll inform him right away."
>With that, she heads inside.
>_
-
> Admire the architecture while we wait for the guard to return.
-
> Admire the architecture while we wait for the guard to return.
>You look around the outside of the estate. It really is quite a bit different than that of the other buildings, save for the jail. While it features some tall towers, at the corners, most of it is comparatively squat. As well, it sprawls out over the block; the surrounding buildings making it look every wider than it is. You are quite certain it resembles Yuugi's Manor in the Ancient City, from the few glimpses you've gotten of it.
>The guard returns soon. "Lord Tenma awaits you, Messenger," she says, holding one of the twin doors open for you.
>_
-
>Enter!
-
>Enter!
>You head into the the manor. The guard quickly escorts you though the rug-laden halls; have little luck recalling the path you are being led along. At some point, you are convinced you hear a horse clopping through the halls nearby, but you can't really see it.
>Soon, you arrive at the audience hall that you visited before, which it's elegantly paneled ceilings and curtain-covered walls. On the dais at the far end of the chamber, behind a thin curtain, you can see the muscular silhouette of Lord Tenma sitting in a throne, resting his chin on his knuckles.
>"Messenger," he says, "Come forward. Look at me. How are you today? Fabulous?"
>_
-
> You're welcome for getting the chance to write this dialogue again.
> How do we normally address Lord Temna, as he uses Messenger to address us?
-
> You're welcome for getting the chance to write this dialogue again.
> How do we normally address Lord Temna, as he uses Messenger to address us?
>I can find ways.
>Lord Tenma suffices.
>_
-
> Follow Lord Tenma's instructions.
> "I feel a mix of joy and regret today, Lord Tenma. Joy because my home is restored, regret because...in my mission to restore my home, I have caused the tengu people hardship and aggravation."
-
> Follow Lord Tenma's instructions.
> "I feel a mix of joy and regret today, Lord Tenma. Joy because my home is restored, regret because...in my mission to restore my home, I have caused the tengu people hardship and aggravation."
>"You've caused us problems?" says Lord Tenma. "I don't remember hearing about this. In fact, I cannot imagine it. Tell me about it."
>_
-
> "This is because I have not told anyone about it. But...two days ago, when disaster first befell my home, I had very few leads and even more on my plate than I had anticipated. I needed information as quickly as I could get it, in the hopes of finding out who caused my home to fall. In my travels, I happened to arrive in this village while most of its people were away; I believe they may have been contending with the uninvited and belligerent Miss Kirisame at the time. With nobody around that I could see, and my need for solid information steadily growing...I...I was the one that freed Miss Shameimaru from prison."
-
> "This is because I have not told anyone about it. But...two days ago, when disaster first befell my home, I had very few leads and even more on my plate than I had anticipated. I needed information as quickly as I could get it, in the hopes of finding out who caused my home to fall. In my travels, I happened to arrive in this village while most of its people were away; I believe they may have been contending with the uninvited and belligerent Miss Kirisame at the time. With nobody around that I could see, and my need for solid information steadily growing...I...I was the one that freed Miss Shameimaru from prison."
>Silence rules the hall for a few moments, before Tenma says, "Proceed."
>_
-
> "She told me she would scout and gather information for me. Which she has done, to her credit. But...there is no denying that I was presented with an opportunity and I made a rash decision as a result, only considering my home and not considering yours."
-
> "She told me she would scout and gather information for me. Which she has done, to her credit. But...there is no denying that I was presented with an opportunity and I made a rash decision as a result, only considering my home and not considering yours."
>"Stop," he says. "Imagine for a moment. You are back at the jail, with the tengu that you released. Pause. Why did you not ask someone else?"
>_
-
> "Because her reputation proceeds her. I know of Miss Himekaidou, but not nearly as well, and before this morning I did not even know where in the village she lived."
-
> "Because her reputation proceeds her. I know of Miss Himekaidou, but not nearly as well, and before this morning I did not even know where in the village she lived."
>"And why did you not inquire with me?" he asks. "Am I really so off-putting?"
>_
-
> "No. Not at all. I just...made a rash decision in a hurry. A panicked decision, almost. But it is true that I have no worthwhile excuse for not asking permission first."
> Bow head.
> "I am deeply sorry for this insult to your personage."
-
> "No. Not at all. I just...made a rash decision in a hurry. A panicked decision, almost. But it is true that I have no worthwhile excuse for not asking permission first."
> Bow head.
> "I am deeply sorry for this insult to your personage."
>"What were you thinking?" he says. "I would like to know."
>_
-
> "I was thinking that, if anyone could find the culprit, or at least find information leading to the culprit, she could. I had to do whatever it took to restore my home, after all that had befallen it as a result of the catastrophe...and she was right there."
-
> "I was thinking that, if anyone could find the culprit, or at least find information leading to the culprit, she could. I had to do whatever it took to restore my home, after all that had befallen it as a result of the catastrophe...and she was right there."
>"And this is everything?" says Tenma.
>_
-
> "I was also thinking I could keep her in check. As it turned out, that has happened, though not in the way I expected. Once she had finished printing her latest newspaper, she will be about set to return to prison."
-
> "I was also thinking I could keep her in check. As it turned out, that has happened, though not in the way I expected. Once she had finished printing her latest newspaper, she will be about set to return to prison."
>"Explain," he says.
>_
-
> "Miss Shameimaru is currently printing a story where I explain the circumstances of my home's fall to the extent to which I am allowed by various other parties that have requested privacy. This story explains that my people were not the ones responsible for my home's fall, which many in Gensokyo initially assumed. In spreading this story, my goal is to restore the trustworthiness of my people...which, if accomplished, will ultimately be worth the price I have paid with my own trustworthiness in letting her free in the first place."
> "Once this story is printed, Miss Shameimaru will provide me instructions on how to travel her delivery route. I have someone prepared to deliver the papers in her place, so she may return to prison with her task complete. Admittedly, she has some misgivings about returning, but she has seen and heard of the stress her escape has caused Miss Inubashiri, who has found her duties as a loyal guard and as a loyal friend to clash. Between her own duties as Miss Inubashiri's friend, and having had the opportunity to write Bhava-Agra's story, she is willing to return to her designated place in prison."
-
> "Miss Shameimaru is currently printing a story where I explain the circumstances of my home's fall to the extent to which I am allowed by various other parties that have requested privacy. This story explains that my people were not the ones responsible for my home's fall, which many in Gensokyo initially assumed. In spreading this story, my goal is to restore the trustworthiness of my people...which, if accomplished, will ultimately be worth the price I have paid with my own trustworthiness in letting her free in the first place."
> "Once this story is printed, Miss Shameimaru will provide me instructions on how to travel her delivery route. I have someone prepared to deliver the papers in her place, so she may return to prison with her task complete. Admittedly, she has some misgivings about returning, but she has seen and heard of the stress her escape has caused Miss Inubashiri, who has found her duties as a loyal guard and as a loyal friend to clash. Between her own duties as Miss Inubashiri's friend, and having had the opportunity to write Bhava-Agra's story, she is willing to return to her designated place in prison."
>"This is curious," says Lord Tenma. "Are you telling me that Aya only escaped to help you?"
>_
-
> "Well, I imagine she also escaped simply for the freedom, as well as the journalistic opportunity. But it does not seem she had ever considered the potential effects the consequences of her escape would have on Miss Inubashiri. Once those were brought to light, she started having serious second thoughts, to the point where she is willing to return."
-
> "Well, I imagine she also escaped simply for the freedom, as well as the journalistic opportunity. But it does not seem she had ever considered the potential effects the consequences of her escape would have on Miss Inubashiri. Once those were brought to light, she started having serious second thoughts, to the point where she is willing to return."
>"Now we are in a difficult position," says Lord Tenma after a moment. "What do you intend to do?"
>_
-
> "I can think of three things I intend to do. The first is to appeal for a reduced sentence on Aya's behalf. The second is to return her to custody, once her papers are printed. The third is whatever you desire of me to make up for what I have done."
-
> "I can think of three things I intend to do. The first is to appeal for a reduced sentence on Aya's behalf. The second is to return her to custody, once her papers are printed. The third is whatever you desire of me to make up for what I have done."
>"Then appeal," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I will begin by stating that Miss Shameimaru's current freedom is only because she is performing Bhavagran business, that she would have remained where she was otherwise, and that she will willingly return to prison once her task has been complete. In light of this, I believe there is no reason to extend her sentence, as I understand there was the first time she escaped."
-
> Nod.
> "I will begin by stating that Miss Shameimaru's current freedom is only because she is performing Bhavagran business, that she would have remained where she was otherwise, and that she will willingly return to prison once her task has been complete. In light of this, I believe there is no reason to extend her sentence, as I understand there was the first time she escaped."
>"Imagine for a moment," says Lord Tenma. "You are at the prison. Look in your hand, there is the key. Now look ahead. There is Aya's cell. Open the cell, tell me what happens."
>_
-
> "I would presume she leaves, assuming I make no effort to stop her. I strongly suspect she would question my actions before taking actions of her own, though."
-
> "I would presume she leaves, assuming I make no effort to stop her. I strongly suspect she would question my actions before taking actions of her own, though."
>"Then would she have really remained in place otherwise?" asks Lord Tenma. "Do you think so? I don't think so."
>_
-
> "Then I have made a mistake in my communication. I mean that she would not have left if I did not require her services, because I would not have opened her cell. She left because she was told to leave, rather than because she was trying to escape."
-
> "Then I have made a mistake in my communication. I mean that she would not have left if I did not require her services, because I would not have opened her cell. She left because she was told to leave, rather than because she was trying to escape."
>"I understand your words now," says Tenma. "But the matter remains, she would have left. Has she changed her ways at all? I don't know, do you?"
>_
-
> "If you mean her photographic habits, then I very strongly suspect not. She has, however, convinced me that there is no perverted intent in those habits."
-
> "If you mean her photographic habits, then I very strongly suspect not. She has, however, convinced me that there is no perverted intent in those habits."
>"So she would still be a problem," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "A problem she has been for years, and, if you will forgive my ignorant forthrightness, one for which she has not been incarcerated previously, to the best of my knowledge."
-
> "A problem she has been for years, and, if you will forgive my ignorant forthrightness, one for which she has not been incarcerated previously, to the best of my knowledge."
>"Consider it forgiven," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "So she has been incarcerated for this in the past, then? That is...not very good pattern recognition on her part. That or she is indeed as dedicated to her craft as her words suggest she is."
-
> "So she has been incarcerated for this in the past, then? That is...not very good pattern recognition on her part. That or she is indeed as dedicated to her craft as her words suggest she is."
>"It's her first sentence," says Lord Tenma. "But she knew that she was on thin ice."
>_
-
> Sigh.
> "I wish she had told me this beforehand. I wonder what can be done, then. From what I have seen, she would rather stay in jail and be true to herself than walk free while disavowing her craft."
-
> Sigh.
> "I wish she had told me this beforehand. I wonder what can be done, then. From what I have seen, she would rather stay in jail and be true to herself than walk free while disavowing her craft."
>"You are not the only one to observe this," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "And I am sure I am not the only one to realize that it is no way for any of the parties involved to live. I have seen this myself, with Tenshi's behaviour in Bhava-Agra, and how it has influenced both her attitude toward her fellow celestials and their attitude toward her. It is...unpleasant upon which to dwell."
> "But...the whole point behind her craft is a demonstration of the equality of personal vulnerability, how no one is without fault. I wonder if there would be a way for her to continue this sentiment while changing activities to something less offensively invasive."
-
Oh, I may have just had an idea that prevents us from having to think long and hard about this issue.
-
Then do your thing.
-
> "And I am sure I am not the only one to realize that it is no way for any of the parties involved to live. I have seen this myself, with Tenshi's behaviour in Bhava-Agra, and how it has influenced both her attitude toward her fellow celestials and their attitude toward her. It is...unpleasant upon which to dwell."
> "But...the whole point behind her craft is a demonstration of the equality of personal vulnerability, how no one is without fault. I wonder if there would be a way for her to continue this sentiment while changing activities to something less offensively invasive."
>"I doubt she would be willing to do that," says Lord Tenma. "She has placed so much effort into her work, can you see her changing her heart on that?"
>_
-
> "Mmm, that is a tricky affair, yes. But her methods clearly aren't very practical, either."
-
> "Mmm, that is a tricky affair, yes. But her methods clearly aren't very practical, either."
>"I think that is largely why she does it," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "She wants to be in trouble?"
-
> "She wants to be in trouble?"
>"There are many meanings for practical, Messenger," says Lord Tenma. "I thought you meant hard to acquire."
>_
-
> "Oh. My apologies. it's been a rough couple of days. I meant not very practical in the sense that it must make her life very hard. Journalism is at least readily appreciable, but...this sort of thing just irritates people and gets one in trouble. I can only imagine it turning into a death spiral of incarceration from this point forward."
-
> "Oh. My apologies. it's been a rough couple of days. I meant not very practical in the sense that it must make her life very hard. Journalism is at least readily appreciable, but...this sort of thing just irritates people and gets one in trouble. I can only imagine it turning into a death spiral of incarceration from this point forward."
>"I see," says Lord Tenma. "To be frank, I didn't see a reason to get involved until it brought trouble to us."
>_
-
> "Understandably so. To be honest, as I am disappointed in myself, I am also a little disappointed in the Yama for taking such an action, when so many others have fallen victim and not tried to retaliate in such a way. I can only hope that she got caught up in the heat of the moment and made a rash decision, just as I did."
-
> "Understandably so. To be honest, as I am disappointed in myself, I am also a little disappointed in the Yama for taking such an action, when so many others have fallen victim and not tried to retaliate in such a way. I can only hope that she got caught up in the heat of the moment and made a rash decision, just as I did."
>"It made a difficult position," says Lord Tenma. "I'm sure you can appreciate it."
>_
-
> "Very much so, yes. But as someone that has just recently made a rash and uncharacteristic decision themselves, I am forced to wonder if perhaps the initial presentation was unnecessarily harsh."
-
> "Very much so, yes. But as someone that has just recently made a rash and uncharacteristic decision themselves, I am forced to wonder if perhaps the initial presentation was unnecessarily harsh."
>"Continue explaining," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "I can do this, but in order to avoid making more assumptions, I must ask a question first. Miss Shameimaru has made it a point to demonstrate the vulnerability of everyone, regardless of power or status. I know she has photographed both Tenshi and myself a few times, and I suspect there is a sizable list of notable Gensokyo names in her collection, such as Lady Yakumo, Lady Yasaka, Lady Moriya, Lady Hijiri, Miss Hakurei, and others. If I may ask, how many of us have come to you, seeking to have Miss Shameimaru punished for her actions?"
-
> "I can do this, but in order to avoid making more assumptions, I must ask a question first. Miss Shameimaru has made it a point to demonstrate the vulnerability of everyone, regardless of power or status. I know she has photographed both Tenshi and myself a few times, and I suspect there is a sizable list of notable Gensokyo names in her collection, such as Lady Yakumo, Lady Yasaka, Lady Moriya, Lady Hijiri, Miss Hakurei, and others. If I may ask, how many of us have come to you, seeking to have Miss Shameimaru punished for her actions?"
>"They tend to take matters into their own hands," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "As I figured. All of the rest of us choose to deal with her on our own, should we choose to deal with her at all. But the Yama is photographed once, which I am sure many in Gensokyo wish they could claim, and she goes out and forces a hard decision on you in response, instead of coping on our own as the rest of us do? It seems very much like petty vengeance, especially considering it comes from the one whom we trust to be impartial enough to judge Gensokyo's souls and send them to their appropriate afterlife destination."
-
> Nod.
> "As I figured. All of the rest of us choose to deal with her on our own, should we choose to deal with her at all. But the Yama is photographed once, which I am sure many in Gensokyo wish they could claim, and she goes out and forces a hard decision on you in response, instead of coping on our own as the rest of us do? It seems very much like petty vengeance, especially considering it comes from the one whom we trust to be impartial enough to judge Gensokyo's souls and send them to their appropriate afterlife destination."
>"You can imagine that was a difficult position," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "I can certainly imagine it was for you, yes. But for her, she had much better options at her disposal. She could have dealt with it as everyone else does, or she could have been the better person and simply ignored it, which would be fitting of the position of Yama. If nothing else, the act would eventually weigh against Miss Shameimaru's soul when her time came, and that could have been punishment enough. Both of those options would have been better choices than the one she made, which not only comes across as petty but was incredibly unfair to you."
-
> "I can certainly imagine it was for you, yes. But for her, she had much better options at her disposal. She could have dealt with it as everyone else does, or she could have been the better person and simply ignored it, which would be fitting of the position of Yama. If nothing else, the act would eventually weigh against Miss Shameimaru's soul when her time came, and that could have been punishment enough. Both of those options would have been better choices than the one she made, which not only comes across as petty but was incredibly unfair to you."
>"I would prefer not to comment," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Of course. But what the Yama fails to realize is that every second Miss Shameimaru spends in jail is another second proving Miss Shameimaru's point, that everyone is vulnerable sometimes. Not only is the Yama apparently vulnerable from a physical standpoint, but she seems to be vulnerable from an emotional standpoint as well. If she still maintains her position on this issue, she is costing herself respect and trustworthiness - how are we to believe one that throws such a fit over having their undergarments photographed is qualified to control the afterlife destination of Gensokyo's souls? Now, I suspect the Yama simply lost her head in a moment of weakness, because I have experienced such a thing myself recently, but it is important to make sure this is acknowledged publicly, and perhaps the best way to do this is to acknowledge that the initial sentencing was, perhaps, too harsh, coming from such an emotional state and difficult position."
-
> Nod.
> "Of course. But what the Yama fails to realize is that every second Miss Shameimaru spends in jail is another second proving Miss Shameimaru's point, that everyone is vulnerable sometimes. Not only is the Yama apparently vulnerable from a physical standpoint, but she seems to be vulnerable from an emotional standpoint as well. If she still maintains her position on this issue, she is costing herself respect and trustworthiness - how are we to believe one that throws such a fit over having their undergarments photographed is qualified to control the afterlife destination of Gensokyo's souls? Now, I suspect the Yama simply lost her head in a moment of weakness, because I have experienced such a thing myself recently, but it is important to make sure this is acknowledged publicly, and perhaps the best way to do this is to acknowledge that the initial sentencing was, perhaps, too harsh, coming from such an emotional state and difficult position."
>"There is not much I can do about that," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "Mmm, I see. ...Shall I speak with the Yama herself, then?"
-
> "Mmm, I see. ...Shall I speak with the Yama herself, then?"
>"That would be a good idea," says Lord Tenma. "Who could question if she reverses her stance, I certain couldn't."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I will do this, then."
-
> Nod.
> "I will do this, then."
>"I wish you luck," says Lord Tenma. "Though you cannot see it, do rest assured I am giving you an encouraging smile."
>_
-
> Give a smile of our own.
> "Thank you. I will be sure to report to you the results of this upcoming discussion."
-
> Give a smile of our own.
> "Thank you. I will be sure to report to you the results of this upcoming discussion."
>"I'll consider it proper amends for letting Miss Shameimaru free," says Lord Tenma. "Go now."
>_
-
> "Understood. Until then."
> Give Lord Tenma a deep bow, then head back outside.
-
> "Understood. Until then."
> Give Lord Tenma a deep bow, then head back outside.
>You bow, and depart Lord Tenma's presence.
>You make your way back outside without any issues. Things outside of Tenma's manor don't seem much different than they were beforehand.
>_
-
> Eesh, what an ugly situation...
> How long has it been since Aya departed to print her papers?
> How far away is Turtle House?
> How far away is Komachi's docking station at the Sanzu River?
-
> Eesh, what an ugly situation...
> How long has it been since Aya departed to print her papers?
> How far away is Turtle House?
> How far away is Komachi's docking station at the Sanzu River?
>It is difficult, to say the least, but at least some progress has been made.
>It's probably been an hour or so.
>You suspect you could get there within ten to twenty minutes.
>You're not very sure how far away the Sanzu river is from here, but it would likely take the better part of an hour to get there.
>_
-
> Head to the Turtle House, then. Gotta let Nue know where we've been.
-
> Head to the Turtle House, then. Gotta let Nue know where we've been.
>You leave Youkai mountain behind, and make your way back toward the Forest of Magic. Thankfully, you have grown rather used to the route, so the travel time is not too bad. As well, none of the faeries around the forest bother you at the moment, but you have the feeling it's only a matter of time before you draw their attention.
>Landing in front of Turtle House, you can see a little activity through one of the windows; the curtains make it a bit difficult to see, but you think it's Renko walking past.
>_
-
> Knock on the door.
-
> Knock on the door.
>You knock on the door; after a moment, it opens up and Maribel looks out.
>"Ah, hello there," she says. "We've been expecting you, please come in."
>She holds the door open.
>_
-
>Enter.
-
>Enter.
>You walk inside.
>In the front room, you see Nue, Renko, and a fairly large faerie with green hair drawn into a side ponytail sitting around that odd white table, with playing cards in hand. Another hand is laid face down, which you assume are Maribel's.
>"Hey," says Nue. "About time to get down to business?"
>"We can deal you in," says the faerie.
>_
-
> "Sadly, on both accounts, I must decline."
> Smile.
> "My complete brainlessness this morning has necessitated a slight change of plans. I will be meeting Aya at Kourindou in a couple of hours, and the move will be made then."
-
> "Sadly, on both accounts, I must decline."
> Smile.
> "My complete brainlessness this morning has necessitated a slight change of plans. I will be meeting Aya at Kourindou in a couple of hours, and the move will be made then."
>"Good thing I checked on the pub last night," says Nue. "Don't worry, it's no problem for me."
>"How is the poltergeist doing?" asks Maribel.
>_
-
> "To be honest, neither of us is particularly sure. I suspect she is experiencing more internal conflict than anyone deserves to experience. But I have confidence things will turn out for the best."
> Smile again.
> "And I will be sure to tell her that others are concerned for her. Do not tell I said this, but she is adorable when flummoxed, and telling her someone cares about her always does the trick."
-
> "To be honest, neither of us is particularly sure. I suspect she is experiencing more internal conflict than anyone deserves to experience. But I have confidence things will turn out for the best."
> Smile again.
> "And I will be sure to tell her that others are concerned for her. Do not tell I said this, but she is adorable when flummoxed, and telling her someone cares about her always does the trick."
>Renko chuckles. "Isn't that pretty much what you said about Tokiko, Mary?"
>"Hey, be quiet..." says Maribel.
>The faerie looks between the two of them in confusion.
>_
-
> What color is the fairy's dress?
> "Tokiko is the assistant at the lamprey stand, yes? I could see that about her."
-
> What color is the fairy's dress?
> "Tokiko is the assistant at the lamprey stand, yes? I could see that about her."
>It is blue.
>"That's the one," says Renko. "Mary's all but adopted her."
>"Hey, come on..." says Maribel, frowning at Renko.
>_
-
> Give a chuckle ourselves.
> "That is very sweet of you."
-
> Give a chuckle ourselves.
> "That is very sweet of you."
>"She's new," says Maribel, blushing a bit. "I felt bad for her, since she was just sort of bumbling around and wary of all the powerful youkai around."
>_
-
> "I can certainly understand the sentiment. The poltergeist is...in a similar situation, shall we say."
-
> "I can certainly understand the sentiment. The poltergeist is...in a similar situation, shall we say."
>Maribel nods. "In some ways, I guess. Though Tokiko didn't go around mugging people."
>She frowns. "But I'm not trying to judge or anything!"
>_
-
> Hold up a hand.
> "Do not worry. I do not begrudge anyone their interpretation of her previous actions. The entire situation is sufficiently complex that I do not judge anyone in regards to it."
-
> Hold up a hand.
> "Do not worry. I do not begrudge anyone their interpretation of her previous actions. The entire situation is sufficiently complex that I do not judge anyone in regards to it."
>Maribel nods. "Thank you."
>"So, what's the plan now?" asks Nue.
>_
-
> "I have one last thing to take care of before I meet with Aya again, and 'Hatate' will be there as well, though of course she will not be coming with me. The catch...is that my task is to speak with the Yama regarding Aya's incarceration."
-
> "I have one last thing to take care of before I meet with Aya again, and 'Hatate' will be there as well, though of course she will not be coming with me. The catch...is that my task is to speak with the Yama regarding Aya's incarceration."
>"Oh wow," says Nue. "Good luck with that!"
>The faerie frowns, and looks at her cards.
>"I hope it won't be too much of a problem," says Renko.
>_
-
> "It will certainly not be easy, but I feel I can come away from our conversation with a mutual understanding."
-
> "It will certainly not be easy, but I feel I can come away from our conversation with a mutual understanding."
>"I hope so," says Maribel.
>"Are we gonna deal?" says the faerie.
>_
-
> "Oh, I am sorry. I will detain you all from your game no longer. Nue, I will be back in a couple of hours."
-
> "Oh, I am sorry. I will detain you all from your game no longer. Nue, I will be back in a couple of hours."
>"I'll be around," says Nue.
>_
-
> "Until then, everyone. Good luck in your game."
> Give a short bow, then leave the house.
-
> "Until then, everyone. Good luck in your game."
> Give a short bow, then leave the house.
>You leave, as the others say their good byes.
>_
-
> Head to Kourindou.
-
> Head to Kourindou.
>You make you way toward Kourindou. It is a short trip, even by foot.
>Entering, you find Rinnosuke dusting one of the shelves. "Miss Nagae," he says with a nod.
>The store contains
>Broken Sword Handle
>Iron Key
>Introductory Nuclear Physics by Kenneth S. Krane.
>Copper Bracelet
>Nightlife (Extended)
>Lacquered Chopsticks
>3 Caramels
>Turtle Statue
>A Metal-Plated Glove
>Large Ball of Yarn
>Stethoscope
>Set of Marbles
>Figurine of a Master Lichen
>Pocket Clay Sculpting Set
>String Performance: "Guarneri del Ges?"
>Bath Towel
>Bottle of Soil
>Empty Box
>Light Orb: "Dragon's Gleaming Eyes"
>White Ribbon
>Set of Wolf Ears
>Bag of Glittering Powder
>Glass Bottle
>Lone Brown Boot
>_
-
> Inventory
> Details: Lone Brown Boot
> Details: White Ribbon
> "Good day, Mister Morichika. I must apologize for our intrusion on your hospitality last night."
-
> Inventory
> Details: Lone Brown Boot
> Details: White Ribbon
> "Good day, Mister Morichika. I must apologize for our intrusion on your hospitality last night."
>Your Inventory Contains:
>Wide-brimmed hat (worn as hat)
>Exceedingly Stylish!
>Heavy Flamenco Dress (worn as dress)
>Allows both modesty and freedom of movement
>Large Black Purse
>Exactly what it sounds like. It holds all your stuff
>Spine Sign: "Acanthodii of the Thunder Clouds"
>This spellcard engulfs you in a shield of electricity. It can be broken with enough force, and only lasts for a short time before it must be renewed
>Cloud Realm: "The Thunder Court in the Sea of Abstruse Clouds"
>Fills the air with webs of lightning, but leaves you motionless.
>Dragonfish: "Dragon Palace's Messenger Swimming Shot"
>Sends electricity spiraling out from you, but leaves you defenseless.
>4☼
>This is 4☼
>Jail Key
>The key to the tengu jail.
>Aya's Primary Camera
>She'll be very angry if you break this. It doesn't seem to be taking pictures anymore.
>2 Pictures of Shadowless Tree
>Taken in the Forest of Magic.
> Picture of Sky and Shadowed Land
>A picture of the Brocken Spectre's shadow and the clear horizon
>Picture of Unconscious Poltergeist
>A Picture of the Brocken Spectre after you defeated her.
>Picture of the Shadow Dais.
>Taken within The Dragon's Chamber in the false Bhava-Agra.
>Picture of Makai Landscape with Goats
>Taken to show Yumeko how a Camera Works
>Pink Shawl
>A shawl that represents your status as a part of Bhava-Arga and allows you to defend yourself with devastating techniques.
>Aya's Note
>It reads: "Did some looking around. Word has it there's a blue-coated ghost running around the forest. Lots of people coming and going looking for the Brocken Spectre. Some rock near Marisa's house missing a shadow; investigated it, found nothing else special. Wasn't able to ask around SDM. Kogasa seems to have gotten much more dangerous lately; maybe a connection? Couldn't ask. Will return tomorrow afternoon. Owe you bigtime -Aya."
>Box
>This small gray box once held several gems.
>Plunger
>A rubber-headed object you mistook for a javelin.
>Stuffed Platypus
>This is a plush rendition of everyone's favorite beaver-tailed, duck-billed mammal! It is very adorable.
>Pale Green Plant
>Its broad leaves seem to be usually shiny.
>Vial of Sand Grains
>This vial contains eleven grains of sand, one from each of the continents of the outer world.
>Amethyst:
>A translucent purple gemstone, cut into a faceted shape.
>You look at the Lone Brown Boot.
>This boot seems to have seen a great deal of use over time.
>You examine the White Ribbon
>This silk ribbon is about a foot and a half long, and an inch wide.
>"I can respect the necessity," says Rinnosuke.
>_
-
> Have we asked previously about either the boot or the ribbon?
> "I really hate to do this, but may I ask another favor? We are planning on meeting here again soon, but I have business with the Yama, and it may keep me late."
-
> Have we asked previously about either the boot or the ribbon?
> "I really hate to do this, but may I ask another favor? We are planning on meeting here again soon, but I have business with the Yama, and it may keep me late."
>You have not.
>"And?" says Rinnosuke.
>_
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> "If she arrives, please let her know where I am, and that she should remain here. Not that she will want to follow me, but still."
-
> "If she arrives, please let her know where I am, and that she should remain here. Not that she will want to follow me, but still."
>"I doubt it will be a problem," says Rinnosuke, as he kneels down to dust at the bottom of the shelf.
>_
-
> "Thank you very much."
> "Also, out of curiosity, is there anything special to this white ribbon and this boot?"
-
> "Thank you very much."
> "Also, out of curiosity, is there anything special to this white ribbon and this boot?"
>"The boot is not particularly special," says Rinnosuke. "The ribbon is flame resistant."
>_
-
> Does the boot look familiar?
> "Mmm, that sounds rather useful...a shame I currently have very little in my possession with which I am willing to part, at least without giving some serious consideration."
-
> Does the boot look familiar?
> "Mmm, that sounds rather useful...a shame I currently have very little in my possession with which I am willing to part, at least without giving some serious consideration."
>You don't recognize it.
>"I didn't think you cared for hair ribbons," says Rinnosuke.
>_
-
> "Not particularly, but the function still sounds useful."
> Does Shuuei have anything in her hair?
-
> "Not particularly, but the function still sounds useful."
> Does Shuuei have anything in her hair?
>He nods idly.
>She does not. Her hair is a bit short for tying, though.
-
> So we couldn't stick a ribbon on top, then?
-
> So we couldn't stick a ribbon on top, then?
>It would take come clever tying.
>_
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> We will have to find something else to stick in or on her hair, then.
> ...How many hats do we own?
> "Anyway, I will have to keep that ribbon in mind. I can think of someone that might be able to make use of it, or something similar..."
-
> We will have to find something else to stick in or on her hair, then.
> ...How many hats do we own?
> "Anyway, I will have to keep that ribbon in mind. I can think of someone that might be able to make use of it, or something similar..."
>You have a couple hats. One is going to need some work after being smashed in the fall, though.
>"In the meantime, perhaps no one else will have the same feelings," says Rinnosuke.
>_
-
> "I can only hope so."
> "Anyway, I must go attend to my business with the Yama. Thank you again for your help, Mister Morichika."
-
> "I can only hope so."
> "Anyway, I must go attend to my business with the Yama. Thank you again for your help, Mister Morichika."
>"Try not to get incarcerated," says Rinnosuke.
>_
-
> Smile.
> "I will do my best. Have a pleasant day."
> Give a short bow and leave Kourindou.
-
> Smile.
> "I will do my best. Have a pleasant day."
> Give a short bow and leave Kourindou.
>You say your farewells and leave Kourindou.
>_
-
> Deep breath. Time to face the music...
> Take flight and head toward the Sanzu River.
-
> Deep breath. Time to face the music...
> Take flight and head toward the Sanzu River.
>You take to the air and fly northward.
>You pass over the plains and the human village. You continue past the Dragon Palace and the Hinanai Shrine. In the distance past them, you sometimes think you can just get a glimpse of the entrance to the Hakugyokurou. You keep an idly eye out for the Prismriver Manor, but can't quite make it out. You do notice, however, the island from which you're certain the celestials visiting it must have come from. Below, the road fades away into a small forest. Past this forest, you can see the river up ahead, at the end of a grassy plain. You can pick out dock easily enough among the lack of features, as well as the distance form of someone sitting there.
>_
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> Head toward the dock.
-
> Head toward the dock.
>You descend toward the dock. There you see the ferrywoman, Komachi, at the front of it, petting a striped gray cat in her lap.
>"Oh, hello Messenger," she says as you approach. "I'd stand up, but I'm stuck under a cat. You know how it is."
>_
-
> Smile.
> "I can only imagine few greater inconveniences. I hope standing will not be needed for the reason I am here, then. I have come to request an audience with the Yama regarding the incarceration of Miss Aya Shameimaru."
-
> Smile.
> "I can only imagine few greater inconveniences. I hope standing will not be needed for the reason I am here, then. I have come to request an audience with the Yama regarding the incarceration of Miss Aya Shameimaru."
>"Oh my," says Komachi, frowning a bit. "Well, I guess I can't turn down the Messenger..."
>_
-
> "I do apologize for the inconvenience, but my duty and my promises bring me here."
-
> "I do apologize for the inconvenience, but my duty and my promises bring me here."
>Komachi nods, then looks down to the cat again and starts to shoo it away. "Go on, now. Get back south where you belong, before Pochi makes a snack out of you."
>You hear a low rumble from the river, and a quantity of bubbles rises from the water beyond the pier. Komachi looks back and frowns. "No you can't have it! It's not even lunch time yet, you big dumb thing!"
>The cat leaps from Komachi's lap and trots off toward the plain. Standing up, Komachi stretches, then pulls out a disc from her dress pocket. She clutches it in her hand tightly and says, "Hey, Eiki, the Messenger of the Dragon Palace wants to see you."
>After a moment, Komachi nods. She then pockets the disc and looks at you. "The Yama'll be here shortly. In the meantime, I better get the next shipment ready."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "If I may ask, is that your cat?"
-
> Nod.
> "If I may ask, is that your cat?"
>"Naw," says Komachi, "He just wandered out this way. I guess he's lost or a stray."
>_
-
> "Shame. But at least he has someone looking out for him, it seems."
-
> "Shame. But at least he has someone looking out for him, it seems."
>"Well, it's not like I get visitors all the time," says Komachi with a shrug.
>_
-
> Nod.
> Wait for the Yama to arrive. We don't want to keep Komachi from her work.
-
> Nod.
> Wait for the Yama to arrive. We don't want to keep Komachi from her work.
>You stay out of Komachi's way while she calls out to the gathered deceased, informing them that they are to form an orderly line, and any cutting will be held against their karma. A number of phantoms rise from the plain as she does, lining up near the the pier. Komachi talks with each of them briefly, collecting a fee from them via methods you cannot really see, and ushering them onto her boat.
>After a couple minutes of this, you can see a figure on the northern horizon. As you watch, it approaches and you can confirm that it is Shikieiki. She lands gracefully at the edge of the pier, and nods in your direction, "Messenger."
>_
-
> Give a deep bow.
> "Thank you for meeting me here, Lady Shiki. I will get straight to the point, so you may resume your normal duties. I am here to discuss with you the incarceration of Miss Aya Shameimaru."
-
> Give a deep bow.
> "Thank you for meeting me here, Lady Shiki. I will get straight to the point, so you may resume your normal duties. I am here to discuss with you the incarceration of Miss Aya Shameimaru."
>She nods again, then glances to "Komachi, wouldn't it have been better to take her to Higan for this?"
>"What, and let her wander around there lost?" says Komachi with a raised eyebrow. "Unless you wanted me to take time out of ferrying to flag the Messenger down a guide who could leave her post."
>The yama sighs. "Speaking of ferrying, the line is getting a little short."
>"I keep an eye on it," says Komachi, "You still have, what, a good six hours worth. So I've been letting them unwind here and get over all the trauma and stuff."
>Shikieiki sighs again. "Just get to it, please?"
>"Yeah, I'm on it," says Komachi.
>The yama shakes her head and says, "My apologies. Please, continue."
>_
-
> "All right. Specifically, I have come to request a reduced sentence, on the grounds that perhaps the initial decision was tinged by emotional investment, however understandable such an emotional investment may have been given the circumstances."
-
> "All right. Specifically, I have come to request a reduced sentence, on the grounds that perhaps the initial decision was tinged by emotional investment, however understandable such an emotional investment may have been given the circumstances."
>"Such as?" says the Yama.
>_
-
> "Well, given what had just happened to you, I would be surprised if you were not upset in some capacity."
-
> "Well, given what had just happened to you, I would be surprised if you were not upset in some capacity."
>"You are suggesting I acted out of a need for revenge?" says the Yama.
>_
-
>"No. I... well, perhaps a little history is in order. Are you aware of the recent events involving Bhava-Agra's unexpected descent?"
>If she is not, summarize what's happened.
>"In my early attempts to discover what had happened to our home, I was greeted with suspicion or outright hostility by most of the residents of Gensokyo I encountered. They assumed that Bhava-Agra's descent was a hostile action on our part, and acted accordingly. I, knowing that this was false, made several... shameful assumptions. In particular, my dealings with Remilia Scarlet almost turned the situation into a disaster."
>"The point is that I allowed my feelings to get the better of me, and took certain actions out of frustration. This is something that can happen even to the best of us, yourself included."
-
>"No. I... well, perhaps a little history is in order. Are you aware of the recent events involving Bhava-Agra's unexpected descent?"
>If she is not, summarize what's happened.
>"In my early attempts to discover what had happened to our home, I was greeted with suspicion or outright hostility by most of the residents of Gensokyo I encountered. They assumed that Bhava-Agra's descent was a hostile action on our part, and acted accordingly. I, knowing that this was false, made several... shameful assumptions. In particular, my dealings with Remilia Scarlet almost turned the situation into a disaster."
>"The point is that I allowed my feelings to get the better of me, and took certain actions out of frustration. This is something that can happen even to the best of us, yourself included."
>"I am not aware of the details, no," says Shikieiki. "It is a cause of concern, but well outside of my jurisdiction at the moment."
>You give her a quick summary about the shadow theft and some of the events around it. She nods, listening quietly. Then you explain some of your early attempts. "I have noted that you bear the weight of several transgressions," says Shikieiki. "It will likely be necessary for you to do some form of penance to deal with these issues, should you wish to continue to remain in your position. As for my situation, I do not believe I did anything untoward. Why do you say this?"
>_
-
> "A combination of a couple of reasons. I talked with Lord Tenma earlier today, and he felt able to say little about the situation, other than that he was in a very difficult position. Then I have also considered the reactions of others to Miss Shameimaru's tendencies. She gets everyone, and none of us are thrilled about it. But you are the only one to have taken this sort of action. I myself had not considered it, and from what I have learned, it seems the likes of Lady Yakumo, Lady Yasaka, Lady Moriya and others have not used those channels either."
-
> "A combination of a couple of reasons. I talked with Lord Tenma earlier today, and he felt able to say little about the situation, other than that he was in a very difficult position. Then I have also considered the reactions of others to Miss Shameimaru's tendencies. She gets everyone, and none of us are thrilled about it. But you are the only one to have taken this sort of action. I myself had not considered it, and from what I have learned, it seems the likes of Lady Yakumo, Lady Yasaka, Lady Moriya and others have not used those channels either."
>"Is this it?" she asks.
>_
-
> "Well, the fact that no one else has taken this action may not necessarily reflect well on yourself, which is also a concern. It is easy for the likes of me to see what happened and appreciate that you may have made a rare rash decision or perhaps even agree that Miss Shameimaru deserved it. But for others, who will only see an action no one else considered, and hear about Lord Tenma being told how to run his village, opinions of you may not remain quite as high."
-
> "Well, the fact that no one else has taken this action may not necessarily reflect well on yourself, which is also a concern. It is easy for the likes of me to see what happened and appreciate that you may have made a rare rash decision or perhaps even agree that Miss Shameimaru deserved it. But for others, who will only see an action no one else considered, and hear about Lord Tenma being told how to run his village, opinions of you may not remain quite as high."
>"I would also consider their opinions on Aya being punished for terrorizing so many people," says Shikieiki. "As well, you say that I am the only one that has taken an action other than trying to fight her, but I am not sure how this is a grounds for condemnation? I could pose that those who only tried to defeat her were more likely to be acting out of spite than a genuine concern for the problem consistent violations of privacy and harassment. I am afraid I cannot quite following your reasoning, Messenger."
>_
-
> "As unfortunate and revenge-driven retaliation may be, it is merely a short-term 'punishment', it does not force difficult decisions on Lord Tenma, and it comes from people to whom the higher standard of behavior that comes from being a part of the spiritual bureaucracy does not apply."
-
> "As unfortunate and revenge-driven retaliation may be, it is merely a short-term 'punishment', it does not force difficult decisions on Lord Tenma, and it comes from people to whom the higher standard of behavior that comes from being a part of the spiritual bureaucracy does not apply."
>"I am still not able to follow," says the Yama, frowning. "How did asking Lord Tenma to reign in one of his own constitute acting out of course?"
>_
-
> "From what I can tell, he did not consider Miss Shameimaru a large issue, and I suspect he would be more in-tune with her behavior than most."
-
> "From what I can tell, he did not consider Miss Shameimaru a large issue, and I suspect he would be more in-tune with her behavior than most."
>"From my experience," says Shikieiki, "he was also not aware of the full scope of her activities at the time."
>_
-
> "Is there more to her activities than taking pictures? I will admit I am not aware of other things she does, aside from journalism."
-
> "Is there more to her activities than taking pictures? I will admit I am not aware of other things she does, aside from journalism."
>The yama nods. "The event I am most familiar with would be attempting to create the illusion of an incident and trying to implicate an innocent person of such in order to lure me from my duties, not to mention the interruption of said duties."
>_
-
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "When was this?"
-
> Raise an eyebrow.
> "When was this?"
>"It was about a year and a half ago," says the Yama. "It would be how she managed to get her picture."
>_
-
> "And who was implicated?"
-
> "And who was implicated?"
>"Byakuren Hijiri," says Shikieiki. "She had only been unsealed some hours beforehand."
>_
-
> Frown.
> "She actually printed such a newspaper that quickly?"
-
> Frown.
> "She actually printed such a newspaper that quickly?"
>"I don't believe they made it to her newspaper," says the Yama, "I'm not certain if that was their destination at all."
>_
-
> "Oh. I presume she lied to your subordinate, then?"
-
> "Oh. I presume she lied to your subordinate, then?"
>She nods. "Through a proxy, but yes."
>_
-
> "I see. Was this other person punished as well?"
-
> "I see. Was this other person punished as well?"
>"She couldn't be found at the time," says Shikieikim shaking her head. "Nor was she under Lord Tenma's jurisdiction. As well, she didn't have quite the laundry list of offenses behind her as Aya did. As such, I decided not to pursue it, as she didn't seem to have an inclination to continue her misdeeds."
>_
-
> "I see. Hmm...what if Miss Shameimaru were to perform some community service that specifically benefited Lady Hijiri, among others?"
-
> "I see. Hmm...what if Miss Shameimaru were to perform some community service that specifically benefited Lady Hijiri, among others?"
>"I wouldn't have had a problem with that," says Shikieiki. "But that choice was left up to Lord Tenma."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Then perhaps he needs to be reminded that he had such a choice."
-
> Nod.
> "Then perhaps he needs to be reminded that he had such a choice."
>Shikieiki gives you a curious look. "Is it still an issue?" she says.
>_
-
> "Based on my conversation with him, I got the feeling that he felt his hands were tied on the issue, simply because it was you, above all other possible visitors, that had come to see him."
> Smile.
> "In fairness to him, everyone to whom I have mentioned the possibility that I would speak directly with you has stopped short of offering to give my eulogy. You are not exactly the least intimidating person of whom Gensokyo knows."
-
> "Based on my conversation with him, I got the feeling that he felt his hands were tied on the issue, simply because it was you, above all other possible visitors, that had come to see him."
> Smile.
> "In fairness to him, everyone to whom I have mentioned the possibility that I would speak directly with you has stopped short of offering to give my eulogy. You are not exactly the least intimidating person of whom Gensokyo knows."
>"I suppose that may be a point," says the Yama, frowning slightly.
>_
-
> "It is a shame, but it is the nature of the beast. I myself have recently been told something similar by the Eldest Daughter. For what it is worth, though, you have been one of my most reasonable conversations over the last forty-eight hours."
-
> "It is a shame, but it is the nature of the beast. I myself have recently been told something similar by the Eldest Daughter. For what it is worth, though, you have been one of my most reasonable conversations over the last forty-eight hours."
>"I should hope to the be most reasonable conversation you'll typically have outside of The Dragon," says the Yama, wagging a finger giving a little grin, before returning to a more serious expression. "That you've come to me with this at all suggests it is still an ongoing problem. Is that correct?"
>_
-
> "In a way, yes. In my distress to restore my home with a complete lack of information on who was responsible for its collapse, I made an error in judgment and a rash decision, and I enlisted Miss Shameimaru's help in scouting out the responsible party. I am now seeking a way to right this wrong, either by convincing her back to jail, or by seeing her sentence pardoned."
-
> "In a way, yes. In my distress to restore my home with a complete lack of information on who was responsible for its collapse, I made an error in judgment and a rash decision, and I enlisted Miss Shameimaru's help in scouting out the responsible party. I am now seeking a way to right this wrong, either by convincing her back to jail, or by seeing her sentence pardoned."
>The yama nods. "It seems odd that she is still being punished for it, if you wish for my thoughts on this issue."
>_
-
> "I understand she has escaped in the past, and that this led to a lengthened sentence."
-
> "I understand she has escaped in the past, and that this led to a lengthened sentence."
>The Yama nods. "That would be a difficulty. Unfortunately, it is also not an issue for me to weigh upon."
>_
-
> "I will be sure to relay this. I suspect Lord Tenma will be relieved to hear of it, considering that he considers my conversation with you recompense for letting Miss Shameimaru free in the first place."
-
> "I will be sure to relay this. I suspect Lord Tenma will be relieved to hear of it, considering that he considers my conversation with you recompense for letting Miss Shameimaru free in the first place."
>The Yama nods. "Is there something you would wish of me regarding this situation, then?"
>_
-
> "I cannot think of anything, other than your forgiveness for interrupting your work and suggesting some less-than-complimentary things."
-
> "I cannot think of anything, other than your forgiveness for interrupting your work and suggesting some less-than-complimentary things."
>"It is granted," says the Yama. "Let it worry you no more."
>"She loves a break now and then," says Komachi, as she ushers a ghost onto her boat. The Yama shoots a look in her direction.
>_
-
> "I thank you for your kindness."
> Give another deep bow in the Yama's direction.
> "And actually, if you have a small amount of time, I think there is one other thing I may request. Could you perhaps provide your stance on the issue of Miss Shameimaru in writing?"
-
> "I thank you for your kindness."
> Give another deep bow in the Yama's direction.
> "And actually, if you have a small amount of time, I think there is one other thing I may request. Could you perhaps provide your stance on the issue of Miss Shameimaru in writing?"
>She nods. "I can provide this."
>Making a small flourish with her hand, she conjures a length of paper and a brush, and begins to write. The fact she is merely holding the paper in the air doesn't seem to be a problem for her. After a moment she banishes the brush with a small flash of light, creates a seal, and affixes it to the document. Banishing the seal, she rolls up the document and offers it to you. "That should do."
>_
-
> Nifty. Can we do that?
> Take the document.
> "Thank you very much."
-
> Nifty. Can we do that?
> Take the document.
> "Thank you very much."
>You cannot, alas.
>"You are welcome," says the Yama.
>_
-
> Grin.
> "I must learn how to do that myself some day."
-
> Grin.
> "I must learn how to do that myself some day."
>"Oh, she learned to do that back when she was a bailiff," says Komachi.
>Shikieiki gives Komachi another look. The ferrywoman just grins.
>_
-
> "I should give Lord Tenma this report. I will detain you two..."
> Look at Komachi.
> "...from your work no longer."
> Look back at the Yama.
> "Thank you again for your time and help in clearing this confusion up."
-
> "I should give Lord Tenma this report. I will detain you two..."
> Look at Komachi.
> "...from your work no longer."
> Look back at the Yama.
> "Thank you again for your time and help in clearing this confusion up."
>You glance toward Komachi as you speak about work and such. She winks at you.
>"You are welcome, Messenger," says the Yama.
>_
-
> Give one last deep bow.
> "I wish you both the best of luck with your lives in the future."
> Assuming no objection from either of them, take flight and return to Youkai Mountain.
-
> Give one last deep bow.
> "I wish you both the best of luck with your lives in the future."
> Assuming no objection from either of them, take flight and return to Youkai Mountain.
>You bow again, give a farewell, and depart.
>"Have a good one!" says Komachi as you leave.
>_
-
> Well, that wasn't bad at all. Wonder if we have a similar sort of intimidating reputation...
> Head back to Lord Tenma's domicile. Spelled correctly this time!
-
> Well, that wasn't bad at all. Wonder if we have a similar sort of intimidating reputation...
> Head back to Lord Tenma's domicile. Spelled correctly this time!
>You ponder how well that went, and wonder if people are also intimidated by you. You don't see why they would be, it's not as though you would likely be judging their souls at some point in the future...
<You make your way back toward Youkai mountain. It's a long flight, taking you back over the plains, the northern forest; around the Hinanai Shrine, over fields and the human village and the plains; past the Yakumo household in the distance, and finally onto the slopes of the mountain itself before you land in front of Lord Tenma's manor.
>The Tengu guarding the manor regards you with a slight frown. "Should I inform Lord Tenma that you seek an audience?"
>_
-
> "Yes, and that I have a message for him from the Yama herself that I believe he will be glad to read."
-
> "Yes, and that I have a message for him from the Yama herself that I believe he will be glad to read."
>The Tengu nods and opens the door. "We've been expecting you. Please follow me."
>_
-
> Enter and follow!
-
> Enter and follow!
>The Tengu leads you inside, and quickly turns off down a hall you don't recognize. Soon you are lead outside a door, where the tengu knocks twice. After a minute, the paper door slides open and you are ushered inside by another tengu in robes. The sitting room is richly appointed with furniture whose wooden frames have been inlaid with precious metals and beautiful ink paintings cover the paper walls. A large box sits a bit off from the center of the room, holding a few glowing coals that gives the room a lovely warmth after being out in the chilly air. The southern part of the room is open, from which a lovely courtyard can be seen. A large white horse grazes idly there.
>A paper screen, adorned with carp leaping up waterfalls, is set in the middle of the room and practically divides it in half. You are led to a seat near it, facing toward the field, and gestured to have a seat by the attendant
>"Hello Messenger," comes the voice of Lord Tenma from the other side of the screen. "How are you? I'm fine."
>_
-
> Have a seat as indicated.
> "I fare better than at our last meeting. Thank you for asking. I have had a talk with the Yama, and she was quite reasonable about the entire situation. I have here a document from her addressed to you; if my conversation with her was any indication, I believe you should be pleased with the contents."
> Pull out the Yama's document and offer it to the attendant.
-
> Have a seat as indicated.
> "I fare better than at our last meeting. Thank you for asking. I have had a talk with the Yama, and she was quite reasonable about the entire situation. I have here a document from her addressed to you; if my conversation with her was any indication, I believe you should be pleased with the contents."
> Pull out the Yama's document and offer it to the attendant.
>You have a seat, and find yourself quite relieved to have a chance to rest.
>You give a brief explanation and hand the document to the attendant, and find yourself exchanging it for a cup of tea. The attendant then walks around the screen.
>You hear Lord Tenma unroll the paper, and can just see his silhouette through the screen. "Interesting," he says at length.
>_
-
> Sip.
> "I have not seen the exact contents of that message for myself, but based on my conversation with the Yama, it would appear the decision of what to do with Miss Shameimaru is indeed squarely in your control."
-
> Sip.
> "I have not seen the exact contents of that message for myself, but based on my conversation with the Yama, it would appear the decision of what to do with Miss Shameimaru is indeed squarely in your control."
>"Now I must decide what to do with her. Hmm." says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "...I realize this may not necessarily be my place, but may I offer a potential solution?"
-
> "...I realize this may not necessarily be my place, but may I offer a potential solution?"
>"You may offer anything you please, Messenger," says Lord Tenma. "Who am I to turn down such gifts?"
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Thank you."
> "One of the things the Yama mentioned to me was a part of the reason for Miss Shameimaru's initial incarceration that I had not heard before from anyone else. I learned that she had tricked the Yama into appearing in Gensokyo by planting a lie about Lady Hijiri in Miss Onozuka's ear, to suggest Lady Hijiri was an incident that required the Yama's presence to solve. Now, Lady Hijiri may or may not have ever heard her name was used in such a manner, but I wonder, perhaps, if part of Miss Shameimaru's sentence could contain community service, where she works at Lady Hijiri's request and command for a duration of time you deem fit."
-
> Nod.
> "Thank you."
> "One of the things the Yama mentioned to me was a part of the reason for Miss Shameimaru's initial incarceration that I had not heard before from anyone else. I learned that she had tricked the Yama into appearing in Gensokyo by planting a lie about Lady Hijiri in Miss Onozuka's ear, to suggest Lady Hijiri was an incident that required the Yama's presence to solve. Now, Lady Hijiri may or may not have ever heard her name was used in such a manner, but I wonder, perhaps, if part of Miss Shameimaru's sentence could contain community service, where she works at Lady Hijiri's request and command for a duration of time you deem fit."
>"Hmm," says Lord Tenma. "Perhaps so."
>_
-
> "Of course, Lady Hijiri is not the only one she has wronged in her...adventures in incarceration, shall we say. The disrespect she has shown you must also be taken into account, to some degree."
> "My suggestion would therefore be as follows: Miss Shameimaru is to return to prison for, say, one or two more months. After that, what time would normally remain on her sentence will instead be devoted to helping Lady Hijiri, most likely by assisting the construction of the Myouren Temple. Should she disobey Lady Hijiri, otherwise offend any member of the Myouren Temple, or make a nuisance of herself in the surrounding village in such a way where Lady Hijiri is dissatisfied with her behavior, she would return to prison to serve the remainder of her sentence there."
-
> "Of course, Lady Hijiri is not the only one she has wronged in her...adventures in incarceration, shall we say. The disrespect she has shown you must also be taken into account, to some degree."
> "My suggestion would therefore be as follows: Miss Shameimaru is to return to prison for, say, one or two more months. After that, what time would normally remain on her sentence will instead be devoted to helping Lady Hijiri, most likely by assisting the construction of the Myouren Temple. Should she disobey Lady Hijiri, otherwise offend any member of the Myouren Temple, or make a nuisance of herself in the surrounding village in such a way where Lady Hijiri is dissatisfied with her behavior, she would return to prison to serve the remainder of her sentence there."
>"This seems like a good place to start," says Lord Tenma. "Assuming, of course, that she does return in a timely manner."
>_
-
> "Our business is very nearly concluded. I suspect she will return later today."
-
> "Our business is very nearly concluded. I suspect she will return later today."
>"Very good," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "If I may ask, what other action do you feel appropriate?"
-
> "If I may ask, what other action do you feel appropriate?"
>"I had not decided yet," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Ah, I just remembered. While you are thinking about it, may I divert from Miss Shameimaru a little bit and ask what the punishment for successful trespassing on tengu land is?"
-
> Nod.
> "Ah, I just remembered. While you are thinking about it, may I divert from Miss Shameimaru a little bit and ask what the punishment for successful trespassing on tengu land is?"
>"Normally, they are beaten until they leave our lands," says Lord Tenma. "But in the case of the person you are no doubt inquiring, she would spend some time in prison."
>_
-
> "Oh...I see..."
-
> "Oh...I see..."
>"Is that disappointment I hear in your voice, like a kitten trying to hide behind a small object?"
>_
-
> "...I had resolved to take the punishment for her trespassing in her place, should it be something that requires self-exposure on her part."
-
> "...I had resolved to take the punishment for her trespassing in her place, should it be something that requires self-exposure on her part."
>"Why would you do such a thing?" says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "Because she is my friend, and because self-exposure is an intolerable thing to her. It is the most depraved of acts, practically on par with death in terms of undesirability. It is why she worked so hard to not be seen by your patrols."
-
> "Because she is my friend, and because self-exposure is an intolerable thing to her. It is the most depraved of acts, practically on par with death in terms of undesirability. It is why she worked so hard to not be seen by your patrols."
>"You seem to be full of ideas today," says Lord Tenma. "What would you have done, instead?"
>_
-
> "That is a bit harder in her case, as she...does not have very many marketable skills, shall we say. It is very likely that, should some service be provided in recompense, it would be better for me to do so simply because I am more likely to actually be able to do so than she is. Now, as for what I could do...I would be glad to put on a show or two for the tengu people, should you deem that equal in value to the committed offense."
-
> "That is a bit harder in her case, as she...does not have very many marketable skills, shall we say. It is very likely that, should some service be provided in recompense, it would be better for me to do so simply because I am more likely to actually be able to do so than she is. Now, as for what I could do...I would be glad to put on a show or two for the tengu people, should you deem that equal in value to the committed offense."
>"Hmm," says Lord Tenma. "That would admittedly be more useful than having to feed the trespasser. But, it is small problem that the transgressor will get away without any difficulty."
>_
-
> "This is admittedly true. Mmm...would it be acceptable for me to travel to her and find out what she would be willing to do in recompense in addition to what I have offered, and then report back to you so you may make your decision? I had planned on helping to return Miss Shameimaru to your watch myself anyway."
-
> "This is admittedly true. Mmm...would it be acceptable for me to travel to her and find out what she would be willing to do in recompense in addition to what I have offered, and then report back to you so you may make your decision? I had planned on helping to return Miss Shameimaru to your watch myself anyway."
>"So you have no ideas at the moment?" says Lord Tenma. "That is disappointing; I am disappointed."
>_
-
> "Hmm. What needs doing around the village?"
-
> "Hmm. What needs doing around the village?"
>"We are quite self-sufficient, of course," says Lord Tenma. "But the occasional luxury from below is always appreciated."
>_
-
> "I see...I think I may have an idea, then."
> Are there any attendants still in the room?"
-
> "I see...I think I may have an idea, then."
> Are there any attendants still in the room?"
>There is any least one, the one that you gave the document to. She is standing in the corner.
>_
-
> "But what I am about to say absolutely cannot leave this room. I am failing my friend's trust enough by even mentioning it, but I suspect it is unlikely that she will interact with the tengu again for a very long time, if ever, and it would be impolite of me, as a guest, to ask your attendants to leave."
-
> "But what I am about to say absolutely cannot leave this room. I am failing my friend's trust enough by even mentioning it, but I suspect it is unlikely that she will interact with the tengu again for a very long time, if ever, and it would be impolite of me, as a guest, to ask your attendants to leave."
>"Ladies," says Lord Tenma, "Go have something to eat. I shall beckon you again if I need you."
>The attendant, and one other that was behind the screen, leave without a word.
>_
-
> "Thank you for your kindness. It is truly appreciated."
> "Now then...my friend has recently decided it would be worth her while to take up an apprenticeship under Mister Ichiro, the jeweler in the human village. She is not happy with the idea of any sort of interaction, but she needs to survive somehow, and the craft mildly interests her while being something she can do in relative solitude. Would be considered acceptable recompense if some of her soon-to-be creations found their way to you?"
-
> "Thank you for your kindness. It is truly appreciated."
> "Now then...my friend has recently decided it would be worth her while to take up an apprenticeship under Mister Ichiro, the jeweler in the human village. She is not happy with the idea of any sort of interaction, but she needs to survive somehow, and the craft mildly interests her while being something she can do in relative solitude. Would be considered acceptable recompense if some of her soon-to-be creations found their way to you?"
>"Is this an attempt at bribery, Messenger?" says Lord Tenma. "I hope not. I rather like the idea."
>_
-
> He hopes it is not bribery but likes the idea?
> "It was not intended to be, which is another reason why I did not bring it up until now, because I was worried it would be taken as such. But you mentioned appreciating luxury, and my thoughts turned more firmly to her current career plans."
-
> He hopes it is not bribery but likes the idea?
> "It was not intended to be, which is another reason why I did not bring it up until now, because I was worried it would be taken as such. But you mentioned appreciating luxury, and my thoughts turned more firmly to her current career plans."
>That appears to be what he said.
>"I believe I can tentative accept this agreement," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "All right then. Please let me know if you feel there is more she or I can do to further recompense you."
-
> "All right then. Please let me know if you feel there is more she or I can do to further recompense you."
>"In time, I will want to meet this person," says Lord Tenma. "Perhaps when she is ready to present her first trinket?"
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I will let her know about this."
> Smile.
> "I will say now, though, that if past interactions are any indication, she may very well spend some of that time hiding beneath my clothes."
-
> Nod.
> "I will let her know about this."
> Smile.
> "I will say now, though, that if past interactions are any indication, she may very well spend some of that time hiding beneath my clothes."
>"Messenger, you tempt me to ask you for more details about such an unusual-sounding thing."
>_
-
> "I had one of the most unusual dialogues in my time yesterday. It was a three-way conversation between Lady Yakumo, myself, and my skirt. It was very bizarre and, admittedly, mildly uncomfortable to remain in such a wide stance, but my friend could not bring herself to meet Lady Yakumo otherwise."
-
>"It was an early way to allow her to be in the presence of others without exposing herself. We have since devised better methods."
-
> "I had one of the most unusual dialogues in my time yesterday. It was a three-way conversation between Lady Yakumo, myself, and my skirt. It was very bizarre and, admittedly, mildly uncomfortable to remain in such a wide stance, but my friend could not bring herself to meet Lady Yakumo otherwise."
>"It seems like a reasonable response to meeting Miss Yakumo," says Lord Tenma.
>"It was an early way to allow her to be in the presence of others without exposing herself. We have since devised better methods."
>"If there are better methods, why would you worry about older ones?"
>_
-
>"I meant it as merely a lighthearted remark, not to be taken seriously. I apologize if there was any misunderstanding."
-
>"I meant it as merely a lighthearted remark, not to be taken seriously. I apologize if there was any misunderstanding."
>"My apologies. When dealing with a case as strange as this," says Lord Tenma. "I find it best to keep an open mind. Don't you?"
>_
-
> "Of course. I can certainly appreciate how strange it must sound, given how much I can appreciate how strange it felt."
-
> "Of course. I can certainly appreciate how strange it must sound, given how much I can appreciate how strange it felt."
>"Just so," says Lord Tenma. "Is there anything else we need to cover?"
>_
-
> "There actually is one lesser thing, if I may. In the interest of avoiding future trespassing issues from other people, is there a manageable route to the Moriya Shrine that does not cross tengu land?
-
> "There actually is one lesser thing, if I may. In the interest of avoiding future trespassing issues from other people, is there a manageable route to the Moriya Shrine that does not cross tengu land?
>"There is not," says Lord Tenma. "But we have generously agreed to allow pilgrims to come and go as they wish, with the understanding that Yasaka-sama shall ensure their good behavior."
>_
-
> "I understand. May I request these same privileges for a small number of individuals whom have been specifically invited to visit Bhava-Agra as they please, while giving you those same assurances?"
-
> "I understand. May I request these same privileges for a small number of individuals whom have been specifically invited to visit Bhava-Agra as they please, while giving you those same assurances?"
>"That will depend on the situation," says Lord Tenma. "If things are tense, I can guarantee nothing."
>_
-
> "Understandably so, and should any of them misbehave, I fully intend on revoking my invitation to them. I do not believe any of the people I have in mind will cause great problems for the tengu, however."
-
> "Understandably so, and should any of them misbehave, I fully intend on revoking my invitation to them. I do not believe any of the people I have in mind will cause great problems for the tengu, however."
>"Very good," says Lord Tenma. "We'll consider them welcome once the todo with Miss Shameimaru is dealt with."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "That is fine. I will give you the complete list of people once she has returned."
-
> Nod.
> "That is fine. I will give you the complete list of people once she has returned."
>"Very well!" says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> Finish our tea, if we haven't already.
-
> Finish our tea, if we haven't already.
>You sampled it now and again. It's quite sweet; but given the usual fare in Bhava-Agra, this is little difficulty for you. You finish it off.
>_
-
> "I think it may be time to return Miss Shameimaru to where she belongs."
-
> "I think it may be time to return Miss Shameimaru to where she belongs."
>"You have my leave, Messenger," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "Thank you, though I have one final relevant question. Where might I find Miss Inubashiri's patrol right now?"
-
> "Thank you, though I have one final relevant question. Where might I find Miss Inubashiri's patrol right now?"
>"I believe she is in the Forest of Magic," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> "Thank you. I think she and her patrol will do nicely in assisting the return of Miss Shameimaru."
-
> "Thank you. I think she and her patrol will do nicely in assisting the return of Miss Shameimaru."
>"I would hope so," says Lord Tenma.
>_
-
> Stand up.
> "I shall return soon."
> Give a deep bow in Lord Tenma's direction.
> "Thank you very much, for all you have allowed me."
-
> Stand up.
> "I shall return soon."
> Give a deep bow in Lord Tenma's direction.
> "Thank you very much, for all you have allowed me."
>You stand and bow.
>"I am pleased you explained how Aya got out," says Lord Tenma, "And dealt with several irritating things."
>_
-
> "It is the least I could do, I think. Until later, then?"
-
> "It is the least I could do, I think. Until later, then?"
>"Yes. Until we meet again, Messenger."
>_
-
> Give one last bow, then leave the manor.
-
> Give one last bow, then leave the manor.
>You bow again, and leave the room. The guard leads you toward the door, though time time you could easily find it on your own. Soon, you are outside of the Manor, refreshed from your tea and brief sitdown, but also caught anew by the late autumn chill after your time in the heated sitting room.
>_
-
> Recall known interactions with Letty Whiterock.
> Bundle up into ourselves a little bit tighter, then take flight and head to the Turtle House.
-
> Recall known interactions with Letty Whiterock.
> Bundle up into ourselves a little bit tighter, then take flight and head to the Turtle House.
>You've never met her, but you have heard about her.
>You adjust your shawl and make sure your gloves still properly place, then head toward Renko and Maribel's house.
>The trip is too bad, save for the sun hiding behind the clouds and making it less warm than you'd like. The faeries are getting more active over the Forest of Magic, you notice; it would probably be a bad idea travel too much there, lest you wanted to draw their attention. Landing in from of Renko and Maribel's house, everything seems peaceful.
>_
-
> Great, it figures out adventures would require us to hang around in the forest for a little while longer.
> Knock on the door.
-
> Great, it figures out adventures would require us to hang around in the forest for a little while longer.
> Knock on the door.
>Care will have to be taken.
>You knock on the door. It opens after a moment, and Renko stands at the threshold. "Hey, how's it going?" she asks, as she moves to let you inside.
>_
-
> Step inside.
> "They have gone well, thank you. Better than expected, to be honest."
> Look around to take stock of who else is here.
-
> Step inside.
> "They have gone well, thank you. Better than expected, to be honest."
> Look around to take stock of who else is here.
>You step inside, and see Nue is at the table. There doesn't seem to be anyone else here.
>"Well, that's good to hear," says Renko.
>_
-
> "To make a long story short, once I have completed all of my tasks for the day, both the Yama and Lord Tenma will be satisfied."
> Turn to Nue with a small smile.
> "And I believe there is no time like the present to do so."
-
> "To make a long story short, once I have completed all of my tasks for the day, both the Yama and Lord Tenma will be satisfied."
> Turn to Nue with a small smile.
> "And I believe there is no time like the present to do so."
>"Just give me a moment to get dressed," says Nue, as she stands up and starts toward the the back room.
>_
-
> "Of course."
> Turn back to Renko.
> "Are you the only other one here now, then?"
-
> "Of course."
> Turn back to Renko.
> "Are you the only other one here now, then?"
>"Yep," says Renko. "Mary's off at the fish market and such."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I must say, you two have done amazingly well for yourselves, given what I know of the circumstances."
-
> Nod.
> "I must say, you two have done amazingly well for yourselves, given what I know of the circumstances."
>"Well, that's what it looks like," says Renko. "But we kinda came late, and it'll be winter soon."
>She shrugs. "I get the feeling we're gonna be doing a lot of side work for food and stuff. But I'm not too worried."
>_
-
> Smile.
> "I will pray for your success. Though you two seem resourceful enough that I wonder if you really need it."
-
> Smile.
> "I will pray for your success. Though you two seem resourceful enough that I wonder if you really need it."
>"We'll make it, I'm pretty sure," says Maribel "Worse comes to worst, Yukari's not going to let us starve. Or Ran won't, if the hibernating thing is true."
>_
-
> "I suppose that is true. Lady Yakumo is an invaluable ally. I suspect it is quite a lucky thing your friend looks remarkably like her."
-
> "I suppose that is true. Lady Yakumo is an invaluable ally. I suspect it is quite a lucky thing your friend looks remarkably like her."
>"Lucky?" says Renko.
>_
-
> "But of course. It must be a wonderful thing to be such close friends with Lady Yakumo, is it not?"
:trollface:
-
> "But of course. It must be a wonderful thing to be such close friends with Lady Yakumo, is it not?"
>"Eh, it has its ups and downs." says Renko. "She's kind of weird, the obvious aside..."
>_
-
> Smile.
> "There are many in Gensokyo, and in other places, that commonly act in a manner that seems out of the ordinary. I would not worry too much about it. Just remember that Lady Yakumo does mean well."
-
> Smile.
> "There are many in Gensokyo, and in other places, that commonly act in a manner that seems out of the ordinary. I would not worry too much about it. Just remember that Lady Yakumo does mean well."
>She nods. "I try to."
>_
-
> "Mmm, a thought occurs. May I presume the outside world has cameras?"
-
> "Mmm, a thought occurs. May I presume the outside world has cameras?"
>"Yeah," she says, "Why do you ask?"
>_
-
> Take out the camera.
> "I am curious as to your skill with one."
-
> Take out the camera.
> "I am curious as to your skill with one."
>"Huh," says Renko. "Where did you find that? And yeah, I'm pretty good with them. Used to take pictures of supernatural stuff back home. Well...I tried to."
-
> "It belongs to Miss Aya Shameimaru. Has Miss Houjuu informed you why she or I are still here?"
-
> "It belongs to Miss Aya Shameimaru. Has Miss Houjuu informed you why she or I are still here?"
>Renko shakes her head. "She just told me the two of you were up to something."
>_
-
> "I see. Perhaps we should wait until she returns, then. I do not know what she wants known and what she does not want known."
-
> "I see. Perhaps we should wait until she returns, then. I do not know what she wants known and what she does not want known."
>"Wait for who to return?" comes an unfamiliar voice, as Hatate walks back into the room, wearing a self-satisfied smirk. She takes a twirl. "Not bad, huh?"
>_
-
> Smile.
> Give 'Hatate' a once-over look.
> "You are looking quite lovely today, Miss Himekaidou."
-
> Smile.
> Give 'Hatate' a once-over look.
> "You are looking quite lovely today, Miss Himekaidou."
>You look Nue over. She has Hatate's face perfectly, or at least well enough that you can't tell the difference at a glance. She definitely has the right body shape and height as well.
>"It's not bad for a rush job," says Nue, "But I don't have her voice at all, didn't hear it and getting the voice box right is such a pain..."
>_
-
> We just heard Hatate's voice ourselves, didn't we? Mentally compare what we remember of Hatate's real voice to the unfamiliar tone Nue just used.
> "I can imagine. I suppose this means talking will be limited?"
> Take a look over at Renko for her reaction.
-
> We just heard Hatate's voice ourselves, didn't we? Mentally compare what we remember of Hatate's real voice to the unfamiliar tone Nue just used.
> "I can imagine. I suppose this means talking will be limited?"
> Take a look over at Renko for her reaction.
>The two aren't very close. Nue's voice is a bit too low pitched, among other things.
>"That's be best," says Nue. "The looks are important, but if you don't have the voice a disguise isn't going to last much longer than it takes to say 'Hello'. If you're lucky, our mark doesn't know her voice that well, but I wouldn't risk it."
>Renko is looking at her curiously.
>_
-
> Look back at Nue.
> "We will need to make sure we know exactly what you are going to do before we try this, then."
> Look back at Renko and smirk.
> "May I guess you were unaware you invited Miss Himekaidou into your home?"
-
> Look back at Nue.
> "We will need to make sure we know exactly what you are going to do before we try this, then."
> Look back at Renko and smirk.
> "May I guess you were unaware you invited Miss Himekaidou into your home?"
>"No doubt," says Nue. "We're gonna get one shot at this."
>"I'd heard stories," says Renko. "But I didn't think she was that good at it..." Nue smirks again.
>_
-
> "I suspect you will enjoy yourselves here even more than you can imagine at this point in time. There's something new to see or hear practically every day."
> Turn back to Nue.
> "Well, with your inability to speak, we will need to be even more unexpected. Do you think a third person will help? Our mark is fairly perceptive, but I think the two of us combined can keep her distracted."
-
> "I suspect you will enjoy yourselves here even more than you can imagine at this point in time. There's something new to see or hear practically every day."
> Turn back to Nue.
> "Well, with your inability to speak, we will need to be even more unexpected. Do you think a third person will help? Our mark is fairly perceptive, but I think the two of us combined can keep her distracted."
>"Renko just chuckles. "Don't need to tell me twice. Especially if Patchouli actually gets that Circle off the ground."
>Nue nods as you propose a third person. "Could do. She can't watch everywhere at once. But this third is really going to need to know what she's doing. Only one chance, like I said."
>_
-
> "I think I know just the person, if she's willing."
> Turn back to Renko.
> "Would you like to join us in our endeavours?"
-
> "I think I know just the person, if she's willing."
> Turn back to Renko.
> "Would you like to join us in our endeavours?"
>"Huh?" says Renko. Nue gives her a curious look.
>_
-
> "What we have planned requires good knowledge of working a camera, and the ambition to complete a challenging task, one that has, perhaps, never been done before. I seem to recall you responsible for one such thing, if I remember Miss Himekaidou's writing properly, and you seem skilled with this device from your time in the outside world. I do not believe what we have planned will take very long, if you are worried your friend will return home to find you gone."
-
> "What we have planned requires good knowledge of working a camera, and the ambition to complete a challenging task, one that has, perhaps, never been done before. I seem to recall you responsible for one such thing, if I remember Miss Himekaidou's writing properly, and you seem skilled with this device from your time in the outside world. I do not believe what we have planned will take very long, if you are worried your friend will return home to find you gone."
>"I'm interesting," says Renko. "What're we getting a picture?"
>_
-
> Grin.
> "How much do you know of Miss Aya Shameimaru? She has been in prison for quite some time, but she is renowned throughout Gensokyo, so you may have heard things regardless. Specifically, I am curious as to how much about her secondary hobbies you know."
-
> Grin.
> "How much do you know of Miss Aya Shameimaru? She has been in prison for quite some time, but she is renowned throughout Gensokyo, so you may have heard things regardless. Specifically, I am curious as to how much about her secondary hobbies you know."
>"I've heard she's a big pervert," says Renko, frowning.
>_
-
> "Yes, many think so, and she does not exactly do herself any favors in that regard with her hobbies. The truth is...a little bit different, but that can be set aside for another time. Miss Shameimaru has earned her reputation as a pervert by traveling throughout Gensokyo, and sometimes even beyond, and, in the name of artistry...taking pictures of undergarments."
-
> :[
-
> "Yes, many think so, and she does not exactly do herself any favors in that regard with her hobbies. The truth is...a little bit different, but that can be set aside for another time. Miss Shameimaru has earned her reputation as a pervert by traveling throughout Gensokyo, and sometimes even beyond, and, in the name of artistry...taking pictures of undergarments."
>"...Huh," says Renko.
> :[
>That looks like a frog.
>_
-
> Smile.
> "Something new every day. And believe me when I say that she has pictures of practically everyone of any noteworthiness. As she has been out of prison for almost two days now, I would not be surprised if she already has pictures of Maribel and yourself. So, since I just happen to have a camera, and Miss Houjuu can just happen to make herself look like one of Miss Shameimaru's hated rivals, we will be attempting to get a picture of her."
-
> Smile.
> "Something new every day. And believe me when I say that she has pictures of practically everyone of any noteworthiness. As she has been out of prison for almost two days now, I would not be surprised if she already has pictures of Maribel and yourself. So, since I just happen to have a camera, and Miss Houjuu can just happen to make herself look like one of Miss Shameimaru's hated rivals, we will be attempting to get a picture of her."
>Renko frowns. "And...you want me to help? Why? In fact, why are you even doing this?"
>_
-
> "Part of it is repayment to Miss Houjuu for services rendered, a subject, sadly, upon which I would rather not elaborate. Another part of it is that it will make for an interesting test of her true intent. She claims her goal to be artistry rather than perverseness; the pictures are designed to symbolize that everyone is vulnerable sometimes. Of course, 'everyone' would theoretically include herself, but she does not have a picture of herself, for fairly obvious reasons. Obtaining a picture of her would go a long way in proving her dedication to her muse, as opposed to just doing it for the reasons that seem obvious on the surface."
> "Of course, I can understand the worry over involvement in such a task. Rest assured that I do not expect I will ever actually see the final result, and I have no particular interest in looking besides."
-
> "Part of it is repayment to Miss Houjuu for services rendered, a subject, sadly, upon which I would rather not elaborate. Another part of it is that it will make for an interesting test of her true intent. She claims her goal to be artistry rather than perverseness; the pictures are designed to symbolize that everyone is vulnerable sometimes. Of course, 'everyone' would theoretically include herself, but she does not have a picture of herself, for fairly obvious reasons. Obtaining a picture of her would go a long way in proving her dedication to her muse, as opposed to just doing it for the reasons that seem obvious on the surface."
> "Of course, I can understand the worry over involvement in such a task. Rest assured that I do not expect I will ever actually see the final result, and I have no particular interest in looking besides."
>"...I see," says Renko with a small grimace. "And what's my job in this?"
>_
-
> "Nothing, if the idea makes you uncomfortable."
-
> "Nothing, if the idea makes you uncomfortable."
>"It's...yeah, I think I'm going to sit this one out," says Renko. "No offense, it's just not my thing."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "That is fine. I would not force anyone into this task that does not want to take part."
-
> Nod.
> "That is fine. I would not force anyone into this task that does not want to take part."
>Renko nods.
>"So, what's the plan?" says Nue.
>_
-
> "I admit that this would be substantially easier with a third person, but we will make do. The important thing is for us to lay down what Aya's skill set is, and what she knows and does not know about the situation, so we can figure out precisely how we want to manipulate her knowledge to our advantage."
> "Now then. She knows I have her camera, she knows I am trying to get a picture of her, and she knows that I am willing to take on short-term deception to do it. She does not know that I have tried to enlist the help of anyone else, nor that I may not necessarily possess her camera at any given time, as I do not believe she can see inside my purse at will. She is very perceptive, and a bit arrogant, as much as she will probably not admit the latter. Optimal characteristics of a journalist, I suppose. She and Momizi are friends, though I do not know if either will state their relationship so frankly. She and Hatate consider each other deep rivals and harbor resentment, if not outright hatred, for one another. She has my general story, but she has not seen the poltergeist for herself. She is also trying to avoid returning to jail as much as she possibly can."
-
> "I admit that this would be substantially easier with a third person, but we will make do. The important thing is for us to lay down what Aya's skill set is, and what she knows and does not know about the situation, so we can figure out precisely how we want to manipulate her knowledge to our advantage."
> "Now then. She knows I have her camera, she knows I am trying to get a picture of her, and she knows that I am willing to take on short-term deception to do it. She does not know that I have tried to enlist the help of anyone else, nor that I may not necessarily possess her camera at any given time, as I do not believe she can see inside my purse at will. She is very perceptive, and a bit arrogant, as much as she will probably not admit the latter. Optimal characteristics of a journalist, I suppose. She and Momizi are friends, though I do not know if either will state their relationship so frankly. She and Hatate consider each other deep rivals and harbor resentment, if not outright hatred, for one another. She has my general story, but she has not seen the poltergeist for herself. She is also trying to avoid returning to jail as much as she possibly can."
>Nue nods. "And you've tried once before, so she's expecting you to be up to something. And that means she's probably going to suspect anyone she sees around you, or knows is around you. So, if we're going to do this, we either need a big lie or we need to be very sneaky."
>_
-
> When we met Aya this morning, did she have a crow alarm, like she did the day before?
> "Yes, though I must admit I lean toward the latter more than the former. Or...hmm. If she gets agitated enough, she might let her emotions get the best of her guard, allowing a sneak to zip by behind her. I wonder if we can get a third person, one who has both experience with a camera and the skill to sneak around in her presence."
-
> When we met Aya this morning, did she have a crow alarm, like she did the day before?
> "Yes, though I must admit I lean toward the latter more than the former. Or...hmm. If she gets agitated enough, she might let her emotions get the best of her guard, allowing a sneak to zip by behind her. I wonder if we can get a third person, one who has both experience with a camera and the skill to sneak around in her presence."
>You didn't see one, but you weren't looking for one either. At least, you didn't hear anything.
>"We could probably find someone sneaky," says Nue. "But skilled with that thing is something else entirely. But I'm thinking, the main advantage we have is that we can can pick our terrain."
-
> "What do you mean? There is a lot of stuff near Kourindou, but I don't know exactly how well it will serve as hiding places..."
-
> "What do you mean? There is a lot of stuff near Kourindou, but I don't know exactly how well it will serve as hiding places..."
>"What I mean," Nue says, "Is that we can pretty much lead her wherever we want her to be."
>_
-
> "Oh, yes, that's true. That might keep her away from her scouts, if she still has any deployed."
-
> "Oh, yes, that's true. That might keep her away from her scouts, if she still has any deployed."
>Nue nods. "Yeah, we'd have to worry about that kind of thing if she chooses the spot."
>_
-
> "Well, we know for sure she's waiting for me near Kourindou. Where around there do you think would be a good place to move her?"
-
> "Well, we know for sure she's waiting for me near Kourindou. Where around there do you think would be a good place to move her?"
>"I don't know the surface as well as I used to," says Nue. "Someplace with a lot of cover, and probably not too far off. If we're going to set up an ambush, I can see it happening two ways. One would be to provoke her or chase her. The downside being the window of opportunity is very small, but the upside being she's not going to be so focused if she's moving quickly. The other would be more gradual, but she'll be able to be a lot more observant."
>_
-
> "The forest provides plenty of cover, though it might be a bit difficult to maneuver. Of the provocation options, chasing her will be difficult; she has already easily outpaced me once. Getting her on the offensive could be doable, though. I bet she might not have too much of a problem chasing down an obnoxious Hatate, for example."
-
> "The forest provides plenty of cover, though it might be a bit difficult to maneuver. Of the provocation options, chasing her will be difficult; she has already easily outpaced me once. Getting her on the offensive could be doable, though. I bet she might not have too much of a problem chasing down an obnoxious Hatate, for example."
>"Hmmm, if she's that fast," says Nue, "Then it might be a problem."
>_
-
> "It could. But...if she does not have her scouts around, I think we might be able to compensate by enlisting Miss Inubashiri's help. She is almost as speedy, and has some experience with the camera."
-
> "It could. But...if she does not have her scouts around, I think we might be able to compensate by enlisting Miss Inubashiri's help. She is almost as speedy, and has some experience with the camera."
>Nue nods. "I was thinking, maybe use her friend. But would she listen to Inubashiri?"
>_
-
> "She might, if she knew before she saw Miss Inubashiri that she wasn't going to return to prison to serve her full sentence. It also might not matter, if Miss Inubashiri is the one that ends up sneaking around to take the picture."
-
> "She might, if she knew before she saw Miss Inubashiri that she wasn't going to return to prison to serve her full sentence. It also might not matter, if Miss Inubashiri is the one that ends up sneaking around to take the picture."
>Nue nods. "Alright then. We have a partner, now we just need a place and a way to get them there."
>_
-
> "It is my understand that Miss Inubashiri is currently patrolling the Forest of Magic, looking for Miss Shameimaru. I have talked to Lord Tenma recently, so it should not be terribly difficult to get her where she needs to go."
-
> "It is my understand that Miss Inubashiri is currently patrolling the Forest of Magic, looking for Miss Shameimaru. I have talked to Lord Tenma recently, so it should not be terribly difficult to get her where she needs to go."
>Nue nods.
>"So, we're going to lure Aya over to Inubashiri, huh? Well, once we get her in on the plan."
>_
-
> "That is doable. We just need to arrange a place for her to lie in wait, one toward which we could reasonably trick Aya into traveling."
-
> "That is doable. We just need to arrange a place for her to lie in wait, one toward which we could reasonably trick Aya into traveling."
>"By the road is most logical," says Nue. "But maybe there's some spots near the road, but are still inside?"
>_
-
> Mental check: are there any such spots?
-
> Mental check: are there any such spots?
>Mystia's stand isn't too far off the main road.
>_
-
> "The lamprey stand may serve that function. It's not exactly indoors per se, but it's a decently-built structure near the road."
-
> "The lamprey stand may serve that function. It's not exactly indoors per se, but it's a decently-built structure near the road."
>Nue nods. "That could do. Now we just need a good reason to get her over there."
>_
-
> "That depends. Do we want her to walk by and stop there, or do we want her to fly by?"
-
> "That depends. Do we want her to walk by and stop there, or do we want her to fly by?"
>"That's a point, which do we want?" says Nue.
>_
-
> "I wonder if we could get her excited or agitated enough to go there herself and search the surrounding area, either for you or for the poltergeist, but keep her searching in a direction where her back is turned to the stand so Miss Inubashiri could sneak up behind her."
-
> "I wonder if we could get her excited or agitated enough to go there herself and search the surrounding area, either for you or for the poltergeist, but keep her searching in a direction where her back is turned to the stand so Miss Inubashiri could sneak up behind her."
>"Inubashiri good at sneaking?" says Nue.
-
> "I am not sure. I imagine she must have some sort of stealth training, though, since she is a patrol guard. We could always ask her, I suppose."
-
> "I am not sure. I imagine she must have some sort of stealth training, though, since she is a patrol guard. We could always ask her, I suppose."
>Nue nods. "Maybe. Asking is the best idea."
>_
-
> "Keeping Miss Shameimaru distracted may be the best thing, then. Now we just need to decide with what we will keep her distracted. I suspect that, if we let on that Miss Himekaidou has seen the poltergeist for herself, that should occupy her attention for a few moments."
-
> "Keeping Miss Shameimaru distracted may be the best thing, then. Now we just need to decide with what we will keep her distracted. I suspect that, if we let on that Miss Himekaidou has seen the poltergeist for herself, that should occupy her attention for a few moments."
>Nue nods. "Especially if you could get your friend to make an appearance and make it seem more real."
>_
-
> Frown.
> "That would be good, but she is waiting somewhere around Kourindou. She will be difficult to reach without also catching Miss Shameimaru's attention."
-
> Frown.
> "That would be good, but she is waiting somewhere around Kourindou. She will be difficult to reach without also catching Miss Shameimaru's attention."
>"She seemed to be pretty good at keeping out of sight," says Nue. "But I know what you mean. If she got wind of it, the whole thing would fall apart."
>_
-
> "I wonder...would it be possible for you to get her to chase you to the stand, giving me the chance to meet with my friend without risk of Miss Shameimaru finding her? Or would Miss Shameimaru be too fast for you to keep the disguise up for long enough?"
-
> "I wonder...would it be possible for you to get her to chase you to the stand, giving me the chance to meet with my friend without risk of Miss Shameimaru finding her? Or would Miss Shameimaru be too fast for you to keep the disguise up for long enough?"
>"Dunno," says Nue. "I'm pretty quick, though, so I think I could do it if I could keep a lead. One we get her there, though, you'd have to catch up. Don't know how long I could hold her."
>_
-
> "I bet you could get a head start if you flew off before she realized where you were going. Perhaps you could pretend to whisper something to me, then make a face at her and leave for the lamprey stand, at which point I will tell Miss Shameimaru that you have seen the poltergeist."
-
> "I bet you could get a head start if you flew off before she realized where you were going. Perhaps you could pretend to whisper something to me, then make a face at her and leave for the lamprey stand, at which point I will tell Miss Shameimaru that you have seen the poltergeist."
>Nue nods. "Alright. I figured I'd just shout a couple taunts at her and run for it, but that works too."
>_
-
> "Do you think you could get away with speaking like that?"
-
> "Do you think you could get away with speaking like that?"
>"Shouting's easier than talking," says Nue.
>_
-
> "You might be able to get away with one o your way out, then. How about this for a floating idea? You arrive at Miss Shameimaru very shortly after I do, but not quickly enough that it looks like we came together. When you see her, give a satisfied smirk, then after you land, hold you head up and ignore her as you walk past her to whisper to me. Once you have completed saying whatever you say to me, fly back in the direction of Mystia's stand, and shout something about how you will enjoy seeing her return to jail."
-
> "You might be able to get away with one o your way out, then. How about this for a floating idea? You arrive at Miss Shameimaru very shortly after I do, but not quickly enough that it looks like we came together. When you see her, give a satisfied smirk, then after you land, hold you head up and ignore her as you walk past her to whisper to me. Once you have completed saying whatever you say to me, fly back in the direction of Mystia's stand, and shout something about how you will enjoy seeing her return to jail."
>"You think we should tip her off that we're together at all?" says Nue.
-
> "Most likely not. Do you think that would do it, even if I acted shocked that you had found my friend?"
-
> "Most likely not. Do you think that would do it, even if I acted shocked that you had found my friend?"
>"Well, if I knew you were after me," says Nue, "And I saw my enemy whispering to you, I'd definitely be suspicious."
>_
-
> "Hmm. This is true. Perhaps shouting at a distance would be best. I do think mentioning that you have seen my friend will do the best job of getting her after you, though."
-
> "Hmm. This is true. Perhaps shouting at a distance would be best. I do think mentioning that you have seen my friend will do the best job of getting her after you, though."
>"Oh, I can do that," says Nue.
>_
-
> "If you can do this, when she gives chase after you, I will call out my friend, and give her quick instructions before catching up. Ideally, once I have found the two of you at the lamprey stand, I will converse some more with her before my friend snaps a twig, or makes some other similar sound, to get Miss Shameimaru's attention."
-
> "If you can do this, when she gives chase after you, I will call out my friend, and give her quick instructions before catching up. Ideally, once I have found the two of you at the lamprey stand, I will converse some more with her before my friend snaps a twig, or makes some other similar sound, to get Miss Shameimaru's attention."
>Nue nods. "Right. I'll give her the runaround as long as I can."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Good. Now, once my friend has signaled her existence, you will also need to act interested. I will plant myself between Miss Shameimaru and the part of the wood from where the noise came and attempt to block her from entering. You should stay within her range of vision while still trying to look interested in also pursuing the noise. If this plays out correctly, she will have turned her back to the stand, where Miss Inubashiri will be hiding, giving Miss Inubashiri the perfect ambush opportunity while Miss Shameimaru is concentrating on getting around me toward the scoop that you supposedly got first."
-
> Nod.
> "Good. Now, once my friend has signaled her existence, you will also need to act interested. I will plant myself between Miss Shameimaru and the part of the wood from where the noise came and attempt to block her from entering. You should stay within her range of vision while still trying to look interested in also pursuing the noise. If this plays out correctly, she will have turned her back to the stand, where Miss Inubashiri will be hiding, giving Miss Inubashiri the perfect ambush opportunity while Miss Shameimaru is concentrating on getting around me toward the scoop that you supposedly got first."
>"Probably ought to fill in the stand owner," says Nue.
>_
-
> "Yes, I figured we would need to do that as well."
-
> "Yes, I figured we would need to do that as well."
>"I think we can do this," says Nue. "Next thing is we oughta scout around the stand, and get a good idea what we can do with the layout there."
>_
-
> "I think that would be best to do with Miss Inubashiri present, since she will be the one making the most use of the terrain to conceal herself. I suspect she also has had some training in that area."
-
> "I think that would be best to do with Miss Inubashiri present, since she will be the one making the most use of the terrain to conceal herself. I suspect she also has had some training in that area."
>Nue nods. "Point. Where is she?"
>_
-
> "Lord Tenma tells me she is on patrol around the Forest of Magic. He could not say exactly where, but this is understandable. We will probably need to look around a bit to find her."
-
> "Lord Tenma tells me she is on patrol around the Forest of Magic. He could not say exactly where, but this is understandable. We will probably need to look around a bit to find her."
>Nue nods. "Suppose so, just there's a lot of forest out there."
>_
-
> "This is true. But we may be able to ask any patrols we do happen to wander across. And, with any luck, they'll all be searching in the relative open, since I don't know how familiar they are with this territory, and I doubt they want to get lost."
-
> "This is true. But we may be able to ask any patrols we do happen to wander across. And, with any luck, they'll all be searching in the relative open, since I don't know how familiar they are with this territory, and I doubt they want to get lost."
>Nue nods. "Want me to stay out of sight, or come along?"
>_
-
> "Hmm. It might be better if you waited for Miss Inubashiri and myself at the lamprey stand. It will give you a good place to hide on the off-chance that Miss Shameimaru comes wandering by."
-
> "Hmm. It might be better if you waited for Miss Inubashiri and myself at the lamprey stand. It will give you a good place to hide on the off-chance that Miss Shameimaru comes wandering by."
>"Got it," says Nue. "How do I get there?"
>"Just take a left when you get into the forest and see the two trees that are exactly by the road, maybe two meters apart," says Renko, who has been listening in the whole time from the table.
>_
-
> Smile and nod in Renko's direction.
> "Thank you."
> Turn back to Nue.
> "Perhaps we should begin our task. I have already imposed on this house enough over the last two days."
-
> Smile and nod in Renko's direction.
> "Thank you."
> Turn back to Nue.
> "Perhaps we should begin our task. I have already imposed on this house enough over the last two days."
>Nue starts for the door. "Yeah, let's go."
>_
-
> Nod, then turn to Renko with a smile.
> "Thank you for your assistance. I am genuinely going to attempt to make this the last time I impose on you and your house for so long."
-
> Nod, then turn to Renko with a smile.
> "Thank you for your assistance. I am genuinely going to attempt to make this the last time I impose on you and your house for so long."
>"I've heard that one before," says Renko. She waves. "Don't worry about."
>_
-
> Give a short bow.
> "Be well, Miss Usami. Until the next time we meet."
> Assuming no objections from Renko, leave the house.
-
> Give a short bow.
> "Be well, Miss Usami. Until the next time we meet."
> Assuming no objections from Renko, leave the house.
>You depart!
>_
-
> Turn to Nue.
> "I shall see you at the lamprey stand, then?"
-
> Turn to Nue.
> "I shall see you at the lamprey stand, then?"
>"Ought to," says Nue.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Very well. And, one more thing...will you be revealing your true self to Miss Shameimaru once our task is complete?"
-
> Nod.
> "Very well. And, one more thing...will you be revealing your true self to Miss Shameimaru once our task is complete?"
>"Of course," says Nue.
>_
-
> "All right then. Good luck, and stay out of sight. And pray that Miss Lorelei is operating the stand right now. Miss Tokiko is a nice girl, but I do not know if she is capable of keeping a secret such as this."
-
> "All right then. Good luck, and stay out of sight. And pray that Miss Lorelei is operating the stand right now. Miss Tokiko is a nice girl, but I do not know if she is capable of keeping a secret such as this."
>"Sure thing," says Nue, as she starts toward the road.
>_
-
> Take flight and move straight upward, until we are above the tree level.
> Look around. Are any patrols visible?
> In which direction is Kourindou?
-
> Take flight and move straight upward, until we are above the tree level.
> Look around. Are any patrols visible?
> In which direction is Kourindou?
>You take to the air and look around.
>Kourindou is to the southeast a short distance. Looking around, you can't immediately find any patrols, but you do see a fair amount of faerie activity, including one danmaku battle in the distance, close to the lake.
>_
-
> In which direction is Mystia's stand?
> In which direction is the human village?
> Are there any other known establishments in the forest?
-
> In which direction is Mystia's stand?
> In which direction is the human village?
> Are there any other known establishments in the forest?
>Mystia's stand it also southeast, but less south and more east.
>The Human village is to the northeast; mostly north.
>You know Marisa's house is out there somewhere. Alice's house is on the southern edge, near the lake. You're also aware there are numerous faerie homes, many on the south eastern part of the forest (Which is considerably more south-east than Kourindou or Mystia's Stand)
>_
-
> What's out west?
> Begin heading north. Keep an eye out for tengu patrols.
-
> What's out west?
> Begin heading north. Keep an eye out for tengu patrols.
>You head northward, leaving the forest behind entirely. Looking around, you don't see much activity at all.
>Westward is the Bamboo Forest. You're not sure if you can navigate it reliably with the islands moving again.
>_
-
> Frown.
> Head toward the human village. Maybe someone there has seen something.
-
> Frown.
> Head toward the human village. Maybe someone there has seen something.
>You head toward the human village. Being a bit after noon by this point, you estimate, the town is quite busy. A number of people are milling about on the streets, and you believe you can see Ran at a stand not too far from the blacksmith.
>_
-
> No patrols in the area? Darn.
> Head over to Ran, and hail her if she notices us.
-
> No patrols in the area? Darn.
> Head over to Ran, and hail her if she notices us.
>You don't see any.
>You approach Ran. She glances over as the person running the stand, an herbalist, points you out.
>"Hello, Miss Nagae," says Ran. "Chen will be very happy with that fish you've sent, once she gets home from school."
>_
-
> "Hello, Miss Yakumo. I am glad to hear this, though I must admit mild disappointment in not considering her possibly being away at her studies. I was hoping the delivery person would give her a better perception of our people than she has gleaned so far."
-
> "Hello, Miss Yakumo. I am glad to hear this, though I must admit mild disappointment in not considering her possibly being away at her studies. I was hoping the delivery person would give her a better perception of our people than she has gleaned so far."
>"Oh, she'll be pleased enough when she comes home to it," says Ran.
>_
-
> "I am glad for this."
> "On an unrelated note, have you been aware of any tengu patrols in this area?"
-
> "I am glad for this."
> "On an unrelated note, have you been aware of any tengu patrols in this area?"
>"I haven't seen any here, no," says Ran, as she pays for a bundle of herbs, and places it into a basket she is carrying.
>_
-
> Frown.
> "How unfortunate. I get the feeling I am going to be spending more time than I can afford looking for Miss Inubashiri."
-
> Frown.
> "How unfortunate. I get the feeling I am going to be spending more time than I can afford looking for Miss Inubashiri."
>"I would look around the Forest of Magic," says Ran. "I did see several of them going that direction this morning."
>_
-
> "I suspect that is what I will have to do. I would rather not comb the forest too much, but it appears I may not have a choice. I just hope she is not near Kourindou."
-
> "I suspect that is what I will have to do. I would rather not comb the forest too much, but it appears I may not have a choice. I just hope she is not near Kourindou."
>"I expect the faeries would know," says Ran. "Or maybe you could try asking Marisa, Alice, or Mystia?"
-
> Smile.
> "The last time I saw fairies in the forest, they were fighting about something or other. I would rather not get myself involved if I do not have to. You mention Marisa's name, though. Could you tell me where within the forest she dwells? I am not quite sure myself."
-
> Smile.
> "The last time I saw fairies in the forest, they were fighting about something or other. I would rather not get myself involved if I do not have to. You mention Marisa's name, though. Could you tell me where within the forest she dwells? I am not quite sure myself."
>"She lives off the side of the main road," says Ran. "Past Kourindou, but before the lake. Look for a large boulder off to the east, and got to the west."
>_
-
> "Thank you. Hopefully I can get to her house without getting too close to Kourindou."
-
> "Thank you. Hopefully I can get to her house without getting too close to Kourindou."
>"Just loop around," says Ran. "That should help you avoid it neatly."
>_
-
> "That is a good idea. Thank you for your assistance. I will leave you to your shopping, then."
-
> "That is a good idea. Thank you for your assistance. I will leave you to your shopping, then."
>"Alright," says Ran. "Oh yes, before you go, I should inform you that Yukari-sama is asleep now, so I am afraid you probably won't be able to speak with her until the Vernal Equinox."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Very well. Thank you for letting me know this."
-
> Nod.
> "Very well. Thank you for letting me know this."
>"Of course," says Ran, "Oh, and I do mean the Vernal Equinox as a lower bound."
>_
-
> Smile.
> "I suppose some take their beauty sleep quite seriously."
-
> Smile.
> "I suppose some take their beauty sleep quite seriously."
>"One can say that," says Ran. "Her rest is very important."
>_
-
> "I am sure there is a very good reason for it. Lady Yakumo's ways are not ones I question."
-
> "I am sure there is a very good reason for it. Lady Yakumo's ways are not ones I question."
>Ran nods. "That's all I really needed to add, I didn't mean to detain you with such."
>_
-
> "No, it is fine. Do not worry, I am thankful for the information. I will see you again some day."
> Give a short bow, then fly back toward the Forest of Magic, keeping an eye out for any patrols.
-
> "No, it is fine. Do not worry, I am thankful for the information. I will see you again some day."
> Give a short bow, then fly back toward the Forest of Magic, keeping an eye out for any patrols.
>You say your goods byes, bow, and take to the air, heading back toward the forest of Magic. Along the way, you see no patrols.
>You reach the edge of the Forest of Magic, near the road, and see it is largely like you left it.
-
> Head south, looping around Kourindou as suggested. Watch for large boulders on the east once we pass it.
-
> Head south, looping around Kourindou as suggested. Watch for large boulders on the east once we pass it.
>You head south, and make a wide loop around Kourindou. As you do, a group of six faeries approaches you.
>"Would you like to take a survey!" one of them calls.
>_
-
>"What kind of survey?"
-
>"What kind of survey?"
>The faeries pause and quickly confer among themselves. Then one of them says, "The kind where we ask the questions!"
>_
-
>"What sort of questions would you be asking?"
-
>"What sort of questions would you be asking?"
>"...All of the big ones!" says another faerie, after a moment's silence.
>_
-
>"Big questions like what?"
-
>"Big questions like what?"
>"The really big ones!" says the faerie.Then the whole group starts shouting questions at the same time, almost too much for you to be able to decipher them.
>"Who's the real master of Youkai Mountain!"
>"How do you get into the Garden of the Sun undetected?"
>"Do you like potatoes?"
>"What happened to witch with the bad rememory?"
>"What's the secret of ultimate power?"
>"How many jumping jacks can you do!"
>"Do you have any potatoes?"
>"What did you have for supper during the Planting Festival, huh?!"
>"Do you prefer legs?"
>"How big's the dictionary!"
>"Where's the nearest purple rock?
>"What happened to all the red clouds when the red clouds went away?"
>"Did you like the turtle I made?"
>"What's the deal with rivers, anyways?
>"When isn't it!?
>"Can I have some change?"
>They stop, peering at your intently, and seeming to be out of breath for the moment.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Hrm, yes, I see. So which big question would you like to ask me first?"
-
> Nod.
> "Hrm, yes, I see. So which big question would you like to ask me first?"
>"Those ones!" says one of the faeries, frowning.
>_
-
> This is unfair, throwing those kinds of questions at a character that fundamentally isn't allowed to bullshit in response.
> Raise eyebrows.
> "Oh, my apologies, I thought those were just the examples. Very well, then, let's see."
> For each answer provided, indicate one of our fingers with our opposite hand, as if counting.
> "The real master of Youkai Mountain is Mother Nature, you enter the garden undetected by waiting until Lady Kazami has left, potatoes are rather enjoyable, I would tell you what happened to the witch but I have forgotten, the secret to ultimate power is a secret for a reason, I can do as many jumping jacks as I need to, I do not have any potatoes, I do not recall attending the Summer Planting festival, legs are very useful, the dictionary is big enough to hold all the words in the world, the nearest purple rock is in your mind, the red clouds went away, your turtle is very lovely, rivers are useful as guides to large swimming pools, it isn't all the time, and I owe all the money I currently possess to a dear friend."
-
> This is unfair, throwing those kinds of questions at a character that fundamentally isn't allowed to bullshit in response.
> Raise eyebrows.
> "Oh, my apologies, I thought those were just the examples. Very well, then, let's see."
> For each answer provided, indicate one of our fingers with our opposite hand, as if counting.
> "The real master of Youkai Mountain is Mother Nature, you enter the garden undetected by waiting until Lady Kazami has left, potatoes are rather enjoyable, I would tell you what happened to the witch but I have forgotten, the secret to ultimate power is a secret for a reason, I can do as many jumping jacks as I need to, I do not have any potatoes, I do not recall attending the Summer Planting festival, legs are very useful, the dictionary is big enough to hold all the words in the world, the nearest purple rock is in your mind, the red clouds went away, your turtle is very lovely, rivers are useful as guides to large swimming pools, it isn't all the time, and I owe all the money I currently possess to a dear friend."
>Enlightenment is hard work.
>You apologize and answer the questions as best you. The faeries gather around, with a couple responses of, "Oooh!" and "Huh?" and the like.
>After you finish between each other, the faeries look between each other. "Did it work?" says one of them.
>"I don't think so."
>"You said knowledge was power, Cherry!"
>"No you dummy, you have to ask a bunch of people!"
>"Should we be writing this down?"
>"I don't have a brush..."
>The faeries start to drift away.
>_
-
> Shrug.
> Continue our previously-planned flight path.
-
> Shrug.
> Continue our previously-planned flight path.
>The faeries seem content to let you slip away, or at least .
>Soon you come back to the road, well clear of Kourindou, and soon see a large rock that is probably the one that Ran was talking about. Moreso because you can see what you are pretty sure is Marisa's house a little ways to the west of it, in a little clearing.
>_
-
> Walk toward the house.
> Examine the surrounding lawn.
-
> Walk toward the house.
> Examine the surrounding lawn.
>Walking is not very effective in mid-air, so you do the next best thing and fly over there.
>The yard is partially concealed by the surrounding trees, but you can see it is littered with unfamiliar and dangerous-looking equipment that seem to be made primarily of dense-looking metal. Looking around, you can also see the brim of Marisa's distinctive-looking hat poking over the edge of the tree line.
>_
-
> Fly toward it.
> "Miss Kirisame?"
-
> Fly toward it.
> "Miss Kirisame?"
>You fly downward to see Marisa relaxing against a tree with a book. She looks over toward you as you descend. "Oh, hey there Iku," she says. "Sorry about the other day. You know how it gets."
>_
-
> "Do not worry about it. It was a misunderstanding born from a series of unfortunate coincidences. But perhaps you can give me a small bit of help. Have you seen any tengu patrols around here recently?"
-
> "Do not worry about it. It was a misunderstanding born from a series of unfortunate coincidences. But perhaps you can give me a small bit of help. Have you seen any tengu patrols around here recently?"
>"Yep," says Marisa. "Faeries've been having a field day with them. Well, when they're not fleeing in panic and such."
>_
-
> Smile.
> "I wonder how many patrols have been surveyed. Was Miss Inubashiri in any of the patrols you saw?"
-
> Smile.
> "I wonder how many patrols have been surveyed. Was Miss Inubashiri in any of the patrols you saw?"
>"She was just past here," says Marisa. She frowns. "Going east, I think?"
>_
-
> What's east, again?
> "Oh, excellent. I need to find her."
-
> What's east, again?
> "Oh, excellent. I need to find her."
>The thicker and more faerie-populous part of the forest.
>_
-
> "Hopefully I will not have to do too much searching. Was her patrol aerial or on foot?"
-
> "Hopefully I will not have to do too much searching. Was her patrol aerial or on foot?"
>"On foot," says Marisa. "There's no point to trying to search the forest from the air. It's too easy to miss things, especially if they know you're coming."
>_
-
> "A shame. It never can be easy, can it?"
-
> "A shame. It never can be easy, can it?"
>"If you're going to hide, you might as well do a good job of it," says Marisa.
>_
-
> "I suppose that is true. Thank you for your help, Miss Kirisame. I will deter your reading no longer."
-
> "I suppose that is true. Thank you for your help, Miss Kirisame. I will deter your reading no longer."
>"Back atcha," says Marisa.
>_
-
> Give a short bow.
> Head east into the forest.
-
> Give a short bow.
> Head east into the forest.
>You give a short bow, and head eastward. You find yourself following along an old footpath, and soon see the boulder that Ran mentioned up head, as well as the road.
>_
-
> Look around for any activity.
> Keep heading east.
> Where is Kourindou relative to here? Northeast?
-
> Look around for any activity.
> Keep heading east.
> Where is Kourindou relative to here? Northeast?
>You look around, and don't see much activity. There are some faeries playing in the air to the southeast.
>You keep heading eastward, walking around the large stone and into the dense foliage. You quickly find yourself rather happy for you gloves for a different reason, as they allow you to progress without worrying about the branches you have to push through mangling your hands.
>Kourindou is north and just a hair west of you right now.
>_
-
> Look around. Is there anything noteworthy?
> If not, keep heading east.
-
> Look around. Is there anything noteworthy?
> If not, keep heading east.
>There is a whole lot of autumnal forest, and not many easy places to move.
>You keep going east, where you find a not quite a clearing. The woods are less dense and less irritating here, but not quite clear. You notice one of the trees has a large bole in it at about chest level, which has a door built in it. You think you can hear something moving around to the south.
>_
-
> So the door is a couple feet shorter than us? Would it be reasonable fairy height, then?
> Look to the south. Is any movement visible?
-
> So the door is a couple feet shorter than us? Would it be reasonable fairy height, then?
> Look to the south. Is any movement visible?
>It would be reasonable height for a small faerie; it's maybe nine inches tall; it's set into the tree at chest level to you.
>Looking to the south, you think you can see some brush swaying a just a little.
>_
-
> Walk toward the swaying brush.
-
> Walk toward the swaying brush.
>You approach the swaying bush. It's not very interesting, and has mostly stopped moving by the time you've reached. But you can here other sounds of brush being passed through as you approach, and by the time you get to the bush, you catch a glimpse of a humanoid figure to the southeast, disappearing around a tree.
>_
-
> "Hello?"
-
> "Hello?"
>"Yes? Hello?" comes an unfamiliar voice from that direction.
>_
-
> "Can you help me? I'm looking for a tengu patrol."
-
> "Can you help me? I'm looking for a tengu patrol."
>"What are do you need us for?" says the speaker, as she looks around the tree, revealing short brown hair and a tokin cap.
>_
-
> "I'm looking specifically for Miss Inubashiri. I have spoken with Lord Tenma and there are certain things I need to discuss with her."
-
> "I'm looking specifically for Miss Inubashiri. I have spoken with Lord Tenma and there are certain things I need to discuss with her."
>"Give me a few moments," says the tengu. "Wait right there."
>"Hey! Wait!" the tengu calls as she disappears around the tree again.
>After a few moments and a good deal of thrashing brush, Momiji appears and approaches. "You have news for us?"
>_
-
> "Yes. I have spoken with both Lord Tenma and the Yama regarding Miss Shameimaru's situation. Some misunderstandings were cleared up, and other information brought to light. Given how things stand right now, I believe Miss Shameimaru will return home of her own accord."
-
> "Yes. I have spoken with both Lord Tenma and the Yama regarding Miss Shameimaru's situation. Some misunderstandings were cleared up, and other information brought to light. Given how things stand right now, I believe Miss Shameimaru will return home of her own accord."
>"Go on," says Momiji.
>_
-
> "Miss Shameimaru obviously has very little desire to simply return to serve the full length of her sentence. However, Lord Tenma has agreed that perhaps a different situation could be arranged. He has shown interest in a punishment where she serves one or two more months of her sentence, then works the remainder of the time off in the employ of the Myouren Temple, for the wrongs Miss Shameimari has committed toward Lady Hijiri's name. With this prison time reduction, and a litany of other circumstances, I believe Miss Shameimaru will be prepared to turn herself in once she learns of this."
-
> "Miss Shameimaru obviously has very little desire to simply return to serve the full length of her sentence. However, Lord Tenma has agreed that perhaps a different situation could be arranged. He has shown interest in a punishment where she serves one or two more months of her sentence, then works the remainder of the time off in the employ of the Myouren Temple, for the wrongs Miss Shameimari has committed toward Lady Hijiri's name. With this prison time reduction, and a litany of other circumstances, I believe Miss Shameimaru will be prepared to turn herself in once she learns of this."
>Momiji nods, then quietly says, "And you know where she is?"
>_
-
> Similarly lower voice.
> "I do, but..."
> Pull out the camera.
> "There is a reason I have been looking for you specifically, as much as this news affects all the patrols in the area."
-
> Similarly lower voice.
> "I do, but..."
> Pull out the camera.
> "There is a reason I have been looking for you specifically, as much as this news affects all the patrols in the area."
>Momiji nods. "What's the plan?"
>_
-
> "I have a contact waiting for us at the lamprey stand. The two of us have devised a plan to...get her, but we will need your help, since Miss Shameimaru will not be expecting you. It would be best for us to fill you in there."
-
> "I have a contact waiting for us at the lamprey stand. The two of us have devised a plan to...get her, but we will need your help, since Miss Shameimaru will not be expecting you. It would be best for us to fill you in there."
>"Well, we know what happened last time she didn't expect me," says Momiji.
>_
-
> "Last time you came to her. This time we're going to get her to come to you, with no alarm scouts to tip her off to your presence. She'll also be substantially more occupied this time, with a few choice ideas in her head."
-
> "Last time you came to her. This time we're going to get her to come to you, with no alarm scouts to tip her off to your presence. She'll also be substantially more occupied this time, with a few choice ideas in her head."
>Momiji nods. "Okay, give me a bit to split off from my group, and I'll rejoin you."
>_
-
> "All right. And, when going to the lamprey stand...try to arc around the antique shop. You don't want to be seen flying near there."
-
> "All right. And, when going to the lamprey stand...try to arc around the antique shop. You don't want to be seen flying near there."
>Momiji nods. "I'll take the long way around."
>_
-
> "Good. I'll wait for you there. Good luck."
-
> "Good. I'll wait for you there. Good luck."
>She nods, and walks back around the tree.
>_
-
> Crest the canopy of the forest and get a bearing on where we are relative to Kourindou and Mystia's stand.
-
> Crest the canopy of the forest and get a bearing on where we are relative to Kourindou and Mystia's stand.
>You head upward.
>Looking around, Mystia's Stand is to the north, and Kourindou is to the northwest.
>You note a fairly sizable group of faeries to the north, as well, who are firing danmaku at each other.
>_
-
> Could we reasonably arc northeast around this group?
-
> Could we reasonably arc northeast around this group?
>You believe so.
>_
-
> Whoops, I can't read directions!
> Arc southwest a bit, then back southeast, heading toward Mystia's stand.
-
>Actually I can't type certain sentence structures, but we're going to go with what you meant.
>You make your way around the rather violent faerie cloud without any trouble, thankfully they are much too occupied with shooting at each other to really take noticed of you.
>You land near Mystia's stand, thankfully it is not too difficult to spot from the air with most of the leaves gone. Landing by it, you see a customer at the stand, with the edges of a plaid skirt hanging below the curtain, chattering away with whomever is working.
>_
-
> Must be 'Hatate'.
> Enter the stand.
-
> Must be 'Hatate'.
> Enter the stand.
>You enter the stand, and find it refreshingly warm thanks to the grill. Nue is indeed there, with a drink in hand that you cannot identify. Mystia is busy grilling a piece of fish.
>"Hey, Iku," says Nue. "Find her?"
>_
-
> "It took me some time, but I did. She is on her way. May I presume you have informed Miss Lorelei as to what is going on?"
-
> "It took me some time, but I did. She is on her way. May I presume you have informed Miss Lorelei as to what is going on?"
>"You've got my full blessings," says Mystia, as she flips over the fish. "As many as I can give."
>_
-
> Smile.
> "Thank you for your support."
-
> Smile.
> "Thank you for your support."
>"Get her good," says Mystia.
>_
-
> "I must say, this is an odd turnaround from yesterday, when you looked the other way on harboring her."
-
> "I must say, this is an odd turnaround from yesterday, when you looked the other way on harboring her."
>"Yesterday I didn't know you were getting even," says Mystia.
>_
-
> "I suppose those that have been here longer will hold a different opinion on the matter than Miss Usami."
-
> "I suppose those that have been here longer will hold a different opinion on the matter than Miss Usami."
>Mystia shrugs. "She's probably not known it's happened yet. Regardless, I don't care what she thinks. This is personal. You get that tengu good for all of us."
>_
-
> "She's been told it happens. It just has not happened to her yet. At least, not to her knowledge. I expect her opinion will change over time."
-
> "She's been told it happens. It just has not happened to her yet. At least, not to her knowledge. I expect her opinion will change over time."
>Mystia nods.
>"So, have you refined the plan any?" says Nue.
>_
-
> "Not yet. I could not talk with Miss Inubashiri for long, as she had her fellow patrolwomen there with her. It would have been awkward to talk about Miss Shameimaru with them around."
-
> "Not yet. I could not talk with Miss Inubashiri for long, as she had her fellow patrolwomen there with her. It would have been awkward to talk about Miss Shameimaru with them around."
>Nue nods. "Fair enough. I've been keeping out of sight, so no time to look around."
>_
-
> "Once she arrives, I think we'll be able to organize more effectively."
-
> "Once she arrives, I think we'll be able to organize more effectively."
>You hear someone land in the leaves outside as you say this. A moment later, Momiji enters the now crowded stand, and says, "Sorry about that, I had to get around that faerie fight up there."
>_
-
> "Ah, just in time. Welcome. I believe you may be familiar with my contact?"
> Gesture at Nue.
-
> "Ah, just in time. Welcome. I believe you may be familiar with my contact?"
> Gesture at Nue.
>"Oh," says Momiji. "Hello Hatate."
>Nue just smiles and gives a little wave.
>_
-
> "Yes, good. To begin, I think it best to give you the details of what is going to happen, as well as why we think it will work. It is predicated on three important aspects of Miss Shameimaru: her disdain for our friend here, her drive to get a complete story, and her loathing-bordering-on-fear of the idea of returning to incarceration. These all need to be exploited to overcome her keen senses and awareness, enabling a picture to be possible."
> "I recently gave Miss Shameimaru an interview as to what happened to my home over the past two days, but I explicitly left all details about the culprit out, as the one responsible for my home's fall desires complete privacy and anonymity. Now, our friend here actually has seen the culprit for herself. Can you imagine what Miss Shameimaru's reaction would be if she learns that, of all the people to have obtained one of the most crucial details to one of the largest stories in recent memory, a detail she herself was directly denied, it would be Miss Himekaidou?"
-
> "Yes, good. To begin, I think it best to give you the details of what is going to happen, as well as why we think it will work. It is predicated on three important aspects of Miss Shameimaru: her disdain for our friend here, her drive to get a complete story, and her loathing-bordering-on-fear of the idea of returning to incarceration. These all need to be exploited to overcome her keen senses and awareness, enabling a picture to be possible."
> "I recently gave Miss Shameimaru an interview as to what happened to my home over the past two days, but I explicitly left all details about the culprit out, as the one responsible for my home's fall desires complete privacy and anonymity. Now, our friend here actually has seen the culprit for herself. Can you imagine what Miss Shameimaru's reaction would be if she learns that, of all the people to have obtained one of the most crucial details to one of the largest stories in recent memory, a detail she herself was directly denied, it would be Miss Himekaidou?"
>Momiji nods. "Yeah, she would be pretty angry."
>"You're not gonna tell her, are you?" says Nue, in a low and obviously affected kind of voice.
>_
-
> Look toward Nue and give a small smirk.
> "Indeed. And with a taunt or two thrown in about being unable to wait to see Miss Shameimaru returned to jail, I expect Miss Shameimaru will be sufficiently agitated to focus on other things."
> Look back at Momizi and put on a normal expression.
> "Now, this will all take place around Kourindou, where Miss Shameimaru and I have planned to meet. I will let it slip that our contact here must be heading to this lamprey stand, due to knowing where my friend is. Between anger at Miss Himekaidou and the chance of seeing my friend, I think that will be enough to lure her here, where you will be hiding in wait."
-
> Look toward Nue and give a small smirk.
> "Indeed. And with a taunt or two thrown in about being unable to wait to see Miss Shameimaru returned to jail, I expect Miss Shameimaru will be sufficiently agitated to focus on other things."
> Look back at Momizi and put on a normal expression.
> "Now, this will all take place around Kourindou, where Miss Shameimaru and I have planned to meet. I will let it slip that our contact here must be heading to this lamprey stand, due to knowing where my friend is. Between anger at Miss Himekaidou and the chance of seeing my friend, I think that will be enough to lure her here, where you will be hiding in wait."
>Momiji nods. "I'll do my best."
>_
-
> "Excellent. Now, when we actually arrive here, I expect to have a distraction provided that will get Miss Shameimaru's line of sight away from this stand and out into the forest. I will be contacting my friend to have them make some noise in the forest. Hopefully, believing my friend to be in this area because Miss Himekaidou is also in this area will be enough to grab Miss Shameimaru's attention completely toward the noise. And while I am thinking about it..."
> Turn to Mystia.
> "Miss Lorelei, when Miss Shameimaru arrives, acting however she will be acting at the time, could you possibly inquire as to her activities? Perhaps you are curious about the story of Bhava-Agra's fall, or the culprit behind it. If you keep her occupied toward answering questions and away from searching long enough until after I arrive, that would help tremendously."
-
> "Excellent. Now, when we actually arrive here, I expect to have a distraction provided that will get Miss Shameimaru's line of sight away from this stand and out into the forest. I will be contacting my friend to have them make some noise in the forest. Hopefully, believing my friend to be in this area because Miss Himekaidou is also in this area will be enough to grab Miss Shameimaru's attention completely toward the noise. And while I am thinking about it..."
> Turn to Mystia.
> "Miss Lorelei, when Miss Shameimaru arrives, acting however she will be acting at the time, could you possibly inquire as to her activities? Perhaps you are curious about the story of Bhava-Agra's fall, or the culprit behind it. If you keep her occupied toward answering questions and away from searching long enough until after I arrive, that would help tremendously."
>"I'll see what I can do," says Mystia.
>"If I play my cards right," Nue says, "She'll be way too busy being upset to worry about questions."
>Momiji frowns, first at Nue, then toward you. "Why not have that other person waiting here?"
>_
-
> "Because they are currently stationed near Kourindou as well, and would be nigh impossible to contact without entering Miss Shameimaru's notice first. Sadly, focusing our efforts at this stand did not occur to me until after my last conversation with them."
-
> "Because they are currently stationed near Kourindou as well, and would be nigh impossible to contact without entering Miss Shameimaru's notice first. Sadly, focusing our efforts at this stand did not occur to me until after my last conversation with them."
>Momiji nods. "Well, okay."
>"What I'm going to try to do is lead her through the woods," says Nue. "Hopefully that'll buy you a little time."
>_
-
> Is Nue using her normal voice?
> "That should work. My friend is likely to work their way through the woods on foot as well, since the open air provides no cover. That will give them a chance to keep pace and reduce the amount of time we stand here treading water."
> Turn back to Momizi.
> "Now, once we all get here, and Aya is distracted away from looking at this stand by a handful of things, we'll be counting on you to be able to sneak out from behind it and getting behind her with the camera without her noticing. I have assumed you have had some sort of stealth training purely due to your position in tengu society, and I know you know how to operate the camera fairly well. Better than most, to be sure."
-
> Is Nue using her normal voice?
> "That should work. My friend is likely to work their way through the woods on foot as well, since the open air provides no cover. That will give them a chance to keep pace and reduce the amount of time we stand here treading water."
> Turn back to Momizi.
> "Now, once we all get here, and Aya is distracted away from looking at this stand by a handful of things, we'll be counting on you to be able to sneak out from behind it and getting behind her with the camera without her noticing. I have assumed you have had some sort of stealth training purely due to your position in tengu society, and I know you know how to operate the camera fairly well. Better than most, to be sure."
>She is. Momiji is frowning at her again.
>"...Why would i have stealth training?" says Momiji, looking at you. "I'm a guard, not an assassin... But, I can try to get her once she's distracted."
>_
-
> "Oh. Forgive my presumptuousness, then."
> Take out the camera and offer it to Momizi.
-
> "Oh. Forgive my presumptuousness, then."
> Take out the camera and offer it to Momizi.
>You give Momiji the camera. She takes it and examines it. "Alright, I'll be ready."
>She looks over toward the stand's owner. "Mystia, would you mind it I hid behind the stand?"
>"You could hide down my dress, if it gets that creep a taste of her own medicine," says Mystia.
>_
-
> Smile and turn to Nue.
> "I think this was a better focal location that we could have initially guessed."
-
> Smile and turn to Nue.
> "I think this was a better focal location that we could have initially guessed."
>Nue nods. "So, do you want to talk with Aya first? Or shall I do my thing as soon as we're done here?"
>_
-
> "I think it would be best if I went ahead first, as there is a chance she will decide to wait for me in favor of following you. I also believe I can set her agitation up by talking about what I have learned from Lord Tenma and the Yama recently. You should follow soon behind me, but not so close that you look like you are actually with me."
-
> "I think it would be best if I went ahead first, as there is a chance she will decide to wait for me in favor of following you. I also believe I can set her agitation up by talking about what I have learned from Lord Tenma and the Yama recently. You should follow soon behind me, but not so close that you look like you are actually with me."
>"Of course," says Nue. "Momiji and I will figure out the best place to lead her, while you're gone."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I think that will do, then. I cannot think of anything we have not covered off the top of my head."
-
> Nod.
> "I think that will do, then. I cannot think of anything we have not covered off the top of my head."
>Nue nods. "Alright then. I'll be following in just a bit."
>_
-
> "Very good. Good luck to us all, ladies."
> Turn to Mystia and smile.
> "And enjoy the show."
-
> "Very good. Good luck to us all, ladies."
> Turn to Mystia and smile.
> "And enjoy the show."
>"You've got better than luck," says Nue, "You have me."
>Momiji just nods in agreement with you.
>"Oh I intend to," says Mystia.
>_
-
> "I will return momentarily."
> Leave the stand, take flight and head to Kourindou.
-
> "I will return momentarily."
> Leave the stand, take flight and head to Kourindou.
>You take to the air, and make the short trip to Kourindou.
>Landing near it, you see Aya loitering outside the building, sitting at one of the chairs scattered around the place. A crow's call catches your attention as you approach, and you see it perched on top of the store.
>"There you are," says Aya, as you approach.
>_
-
> Frown.
> "Indeed. I apologize for the delay, but I have had some interesting conversations today regarding you."
-
> Frown.
> "Indeed. I apologize for the delay, but I have had some interesting conversations today regarding you."
>"Oh did you?" says Aya. "Is it interesting like finding some lost money under your futon, or interesting like the Chinese curse?"
>You feel something small hit the brim of your hat, while Aya is talking.
>_
-
> "Somewhere in the middle, I suspect. Among other things, I learned that you never did tell me you tried to smear Lady Hijiri's name in your quest to get a picture of the Yama."
-
> "Somewhere in the middle, I suspect. Among other things, I learned that you never did tell me you tried to smear Lady Hijiri's name in your quest to get a picture of the Yama."
>"No!" says Aya. She frowns. "Well...not exactly. Well, maybe we did engineer some suspicious photographs to pique the Yama's interest enough to lure her out. But it wasn't personal, she was just enough of an unknown for it to work at the time..."
>_
-
> "You faked photographs? I thought your proxy had only planted some unkind words into Miss Onozuka's ear."
-
> "You faked photographs? I thought your proxy had only planted some unkind words into Miss Onozuka's ear."
>"Anyone can spread a rumor," says Aya, frowning. "There's no way Komachi was going to pass along just that to the Yama, and no way the Yama would come if she did. We needed some evidence."
>_
-
> "Mmm. I suppose that makes sense. This was just...surprising to hear. I did not think you would go to such lengths."
-
> "Mmm. I suppose that makes sense. This was just...surprising to hear. I did not think you would go to such lengths."
>"It's not as though the Yama is the most accessible person," says Aya. "If it makes you feel better, she saw right through the whole thing immediately. But I thought, even if she didn't, it's not like anything would have come of it. The Yama's not like Reimu."
>_
-
> "This is not entirely unexpected of the Yama. But you must understand, I was prepared to speak to Lord Tenma and the Yama under the pretense that you had been incarcerated for taking that picture. Learning that you did this to make that picture possible took the wind a bit out of my sails."
-
> "This is not entirely unexpected of the Yama. But you must understand, I was prepared to speak to Lord Tenma and the Yama under the pretense that you had been incarcerated for taking that picture. Learning that you did this to make that picture possible took the wind a bit out of my sails."
>"Well, how did you think I got it?" says Aya. "I didn't go into details because I thought you already would have known I had to do something tricky to lure her out. Sorry, guess I should have said more."
>_
-
> "I thought you had simply displayed a lot of talent, or a lot of patience, or both. It is not hard to imagine one as dedicated to what they do as you waiting a visit out, or perhaps scouting out ahead of time when she might appear in Gensokyo on her own."
-
> "I thought you had simply displayed a lot of talent, or a lot of patience, or both. It is not hard to imagine one as dedicated to what they do as you waiting a visit out, or perhaps scouting out ahead of time when she might appear in Gensokyo on her own."
>"Oh I tried," says Aya, with a shrug. "But there was no predicting her. And Komachi sure wasn't on my side in helping out. And unfortunately, I just didn't have the months or years it'd take just waiting there and hoping I didn't get noticed in the meantime."
>_
-
> "I suppose not."
-
> "I suppose not."
>"Anyways, I guess it didn't go well," says Aya. "Not surprising."
>_
-
> "Not as well as you wanted, no. After learning of the real reasons your incarceration first took place, it was impossible for me to get the sentence completely waived. I am sorry."
-
> "Not as well as you wanted, no. After learning of the real reasons your incarceration first took place, it was impossible for me to get the sentence completely waived. I am sorry."
>"Oh well," says Aya, "They'll stop hunting so much in a few weeks, probably."
>_
-
> "I expect it will be sooner than that, actually. I did not have convinced those in positions of power to waive your sentence. This does not mean they are not entertaining alternate forms of punishment, ones that do not remove your freedom for nearly as long as this one did."
-
> "I expect it will be sooner than that, actually. I did not have convinced those in positions of power to waive your sentence. This does not mean they are not entertaining alternate forms of punishment, ones that do not remove your freedom for nearly as long as this one did."
>"Well, what do they want?" says Aya.
>_
-
> "A drastically reduced jail sentence, with the removed time instead being made up in community service to Lady Hijiri."
-
> "A drastically reduced jail sentence, with the removed time instead being made up in community service to Lady Hijiri."
>"How reduced?" says Aya.
>_
-
> "A month or two."
-
> "A month or two."
>"And how long am I indentured to Byakuren after that?"
>_
-
> "That depends, though I would expect it would be roughly an amount of time equal to the amount of time being shaved off your incarceration."
-
> "That depends, though I would expect it would be roughly an amount of time equal to the amount of time being shaved off your incarceration."
>"So they don't know," says Aya. "Lovely."
>_
-
> "It was suggested that you work for Lady Hijiri for the amount of time equal to the amount of time removed from your prison sentence. This was favorably considered, though it is less likely to be officially decreed should you take a long time to return home. However, Lord Tenma seemed unsure if there was anything else that would need to be done."
-
> "It was suggested that you work for Lady Hijiri for the amount of time equal to the amount of time removed from your prison sentence. This was favorably considered, though it is less likely to be officially decreed should you take a long time to return home. However, Lord Tenma seemed unsure if there was anything else that would need to be done."
>"Oh nice, indefinite servitude and more," says Aya. She sighs. "I'll think about it."
>_
-
> "Community service is far more conducive to your business and art than incarceration, you know."
-
> "Community service is far more conducive to your business and art than incarceration, you know."
>"I know," Aya says. "It's just infuriating that even after all that, I'm still the bad guy apparently."
>_
-
> "Well, that depends. When I spoke to the Yama, she was genuinely surprised that you were still incarcerated."
-
> "Well, that depends. When I spoke to the Yama, she was genuinely surprised that you were still incarcerated."
>"What, really?" says Aya.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "It seems like the punishment she initially proposed to Lord Tenma was a good deal shorter than what you have experienced. I would venture a guess that you have spent so much time incarcerated because of your previous escape, and that you would have been released some time ago had that not happened."
-
> Nod.
> "It seems like the punishment she initially proposed to Lord Tenma was a good deal shorter than what you have experienced. I would venture a guess that you have spent so much time incarcerated because of your previous escape, and that you would have been released some time ago had that not happened."
>"It would have been nice to be told that," says Aya. "And not be le-"
>"Hey!" shouts a voice from behind. You need not look to know it's Nue. "Hey! Flat chest! I justed wanted you to know you missed your shot to get an interview with the shadow thief! But don't worry, you can read it tomorrow if you're not too busy hiding under a rock!"
>Aya stiffens as Nue begins shouting. "Did she really just call me that?" she says. "...Well, not like we can depend on Hatate for wit. Excuse me, please, I owe her several beatings for taunting me while in prison."
>Before you can say anything, Aya leads from her seat.
>_
-
> Adopt a curious expression and look behind behind us.
> "Oh my. Um, all right."
> Turn back to Aya.
> "Proceed as you must."
-
> Adopt a curious expression and look behind behind us.
> "Oh my. Um, all right."
> Turn back to Aya.
> "Proceed as you must."
>You look back with proper curiosity. You give Aya your blessings, but it seems she hasn't waited for them. "Get back here, you flabby little shit!" she cries. "Did you think you could taunt me in prison like that every day and get away with it!"
>Nue vanishes into the foliage as Aya fires off a few shots, laughing merrily. Aya follows her in a moment later, shouting other insults.
>_
-
> Wait until Aya has disappeared from view and normal hearing range, then drop our voice low.
> "Shuuei?"
-
> Wait until Aya has disappeared from view and normal hearing range, then drop our voice low.
> "Shuuei?"
>The former happens pretty quickly, but if she and Nue keep carrying on like that, you might well be able to hear them from Mystia's Stand.
>You see the poltergeist peek around a old cabinet in the front yard. "You're not going to stop calling me that, are you? And...what just happened?"
>_
-
> "It's easier at this point and better than using your real name, unless you would prefer the latter. We have little time. Do you know where the lamprey stand run by the sparrow woman is?"
-
> "It's easier at this point and better than using your real name, unless you would prefer the latter. We have little time. Do you know where the lamprey stand run by the sparrow woman is?"
>"I think so," says the poltergeist. "Why?"
>_
-
> "I need a favor of you. Those two women are headed there now. I would like you to hurry toward the stand and get close enough to it that you rattling forestry could be heard from it, like shaking a bush or stepping on a stick and breaking it, or some such. You do not have to be seen or heard speak, but I need you to make some sort of noise, to indicate that something is out in the forest, such as that breaking stick. Just one noise, that is all. I will stop anyone that tries to find you."
-
> "I need a favor of you. Those two women are headed there now. I would like you to hurry toward the stand and get close enough to it that you rattling forestry could be heard from it, like shaking a bush or stepping on a stick and breaking it, or some such. You do not have to be seen or heard speak, but I need you to make some sort of noise, to indicate that something is out in the forest, such as that breaking stick. Just one noise, that is all. I will stop anyone that tries to find you."
>"I can," she says. "But why?"
>_
-
> "To distract the woman that just ran off. She is the one that takes pictures of undergarments. Your distraction will help a picture be taken of hers."
-
> "To distract the woman that just ran off. She is the one that takes pictures of undergarments. Your distraction will help a picture be taken of hers."
>"I'll do what I can," says the poltergeist. "Should I go now?"
>_
-
> "Yes. You will see me there. Once the ordeal is done, I will return that woman to her village, then we should meet again at the usual river place."
-
> "Yes. You will see me there. Once the ordeal is done, I will return that woman to her village, then we should meet again at the usual river place."
>"Okay," says the poltergeist, as she dashes off into the forest.
>_
-
> Quickly get back out on the main road and fly back toward Mystia's stand.
-
> Quickly get back out on the main road and fly back toward Mystia's stand.
>You fly back to the stand, following the main road and taking a turn eastward at the appropriate place. It is not exceedingly difficult to find, the danmaku in the air gives away the site.
>Arriving, you see Aya and Nue weaving through the air, firing intricate patterns at each other. Mystia is outside her stand, waving her arms and shouting at the two people fighting.
>_
-
> Can we understand what Mystia is shouting?
-
> Can we understand what Mystia is shouting?
>It sounds like "Stop fighting, you damned idiots!" and variants of such.
>_
-
> Begin charging.
> Swoop in toward the fight.
> "Ladies, please! Cease this!"
-
> Begin charging.
> Swoop in toward the fight.
> "Ladies, please! Cease this!"
>You start building a charge and toward the fight. The latter quickly becomes a poor idea, as you nearly blunder into some leaf-like danmaku.
>"No can do!" says Nue. "Got show who's the best, see?"
>"I'm going to bury you!" Aya shouts as she slips around a number of reddish amulets that Nue sent flying.
>_
-
> "There must be a better way to settle such things than violence!"
-
> "There must be a better way to settle such things than violence!"
>"Not my fault she attacked me!" says Nue, as she backs away a couple rings of red and blue danmaku, while cackling away. Aya doesn't answer.
>_
-
> Is there any sort of opening between the two right now?
-
> Is there any sort of opening between the two right now?
>None that you'd anticipate to remain there for more than a second.
>_
-
> So we wouldn't be able to dash in and insert ourselves between them?
-
> So we wouldn't be able to dash in and insert ourselves between them?
>You could, if you didn't mind getting hit with a lot of shots.
>_
-
> Frown and gesture to the stand.
> "Then I will report you both to Lord Tenma for disruption of a civilian business!"
-
> Frown and gesture to the stand.
> "Then I will report you both to Lord Tenma for disruption of a civilian business!"
>"It's well under control," Nue says.
>"Oh you're going to see what control is!" Aya shouts.
>_
-
> How's that charge coming?
> "You are risking Miss Lorelei customers with your selfish foolishness! Lord Tenma would be appalled by this shameless display!"
-
> How's that charge coming?
> "You are risking Miss Lorelei customers with your selfish foolishness! Lord Tenma would be appalled by this shameless display!"
>You'll need to build it more to make any kind of blinding flash.
>"Okay, fine," says Nue. "Sorry Aya, you're not worth fighting anyways!"
>Aya shows no signs of letting up at the moment; you're not certain she's really paying attention to you at at moment.
>_
-
> "Aya! Calm down! Do you want to get into further trouble?"
-
> "Aya! Calm down! Do you want to get into further trouble?"
>"I'm not putting up with this from her anymore!" Aya shouts, while Nue dodges between her shots.
>_
-
> "Be better than her, then! Beat her in sales, not in this!"
-
> "Be better than her, then! Beat her in sales, not in this!"
> I can do both!" Aya shouts.
>Then you become aware of a flash below Aya. She seems fairly startled by it.
>_
-
> Look down.
-
> Look down.
>You look down, about the same time Aya does, in time to see another flash.
>Momiji is hovering just below, holding up the camera, her tail wagging. "Gotcha."
>_
-
> Grin.
> "Well done, Miss Inubashiri."
-
> Grin.
> "Well done, Miss Inubashiri."
>"Did you actually..." Aya says, seeming to be a bit in shock from the sudden shift in mood.
>"Yep," says Momiji.
>"Just had to get you good and distracted, first." says Nue, her voice sounding natural now. Aya looks up at her with obvious irritation, though there's definitely an element of confusion to it.
>_
-
> Turn to Nue.
> "May I assume you planned to instigate that fight the entire time, and did not tell me so my attempts to calm it down would be all the more genuine?"
-
> Turn to Nue.
> "May I assume you planned to instigate that fight the entire time, and did not tell me so my attempts to calm it down would be all the more genuine?"
>"It was a back-up plan, of sorts," says Nue. "Had to keep her here somehow. More fun this way, too."
>Aya floats down to join Momiji, while Mystia returns to her stand, grumbling.
>_
-
> Descend.
> "Miss Inubashiri, I highly suggest holding on to that camera for the time being."
-
> Descend.
> "Miss Inubashiri, I highly suggest holding on to that camera for the time being."
>"Do you think she's going to delete it?" says Momiji, frowning.
>_
-
> "No, I suggest this for more pragmatic reasons."
> Turn to Aya.
> "I believe that is the final thing I agreed to do for you? For how much time do you wish to think about what you will do next?"
-
> "No, I suggest this for more pragmatic reasons."
> Turn to Aya.
> "I believe that is the final thing I agreed to do for you? For how much time do you wish to think about what you will do next?"
>"Can I have a bit of time to sit down?" says Aya. "And...maybe something to eat."
>"If you pay!" Mystia says in a pointed voice from her stand.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "All right. For what it is with, I apologize for whatever trauma this has caused you."
> Turn to Mystia.
> "And to you as well. I did not expect things to get as out of hand as they were."
-
> Nod.
> "All right. For what it is with, I apologize for whatever trauma this has caused you."
> Turn to Mystia.
> "And to you as well. I did not expect things to get as out of hand as they were."
>"It's not trauma, really," says Aya. She looks like she's going to say something, but doesn't, instead looking over Momiji's shoulder.
>"You better be traumatized!" Mystia says.
>You address Mystia as well as you can with the curtain between you. "Yeah, sure," says Mystia. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault."
>_
-
> "Mmm. Well, have a seat, Miss Shameimaru. I can understand needing some time."
> Beckon to Nue to descend, if she hasn't already.
-
> "Mmm. Well, have a seat, Miss Shameimaru. I can understand needing some time."
> Beckon to Nue to descend, if she hasn't already.
>Nue settles down on the ground, adjusting Hatate's now somewhat loose clothing.
>"Got to see how it came out first," says Aya.
>"I think I have everything under control, here," Momiji says.
>_
-
> So Nue has more or less revealed herself at this point?
> And Aya has noticed?
> "When you return to the tengu village, I will likely be going with you, as I still have one small piece of business with Lord Tenma. How long does it normally take to see how a picture came out when it is not produced automatically?"
-
> So Nue has more or less revealed herself at this point?
> And Aya has noticed?
> "When you return to the tengu village, I will likely be going with you, as I still have one small piece of business with Lord Tenma. How long does it normally take to see how a picture came out when it is not produced automatically?"
>Nue has revealed herself and Aya seems to have noticed, which may have had some effect in her not attacking anymore.
>"Yeah, sure," says Aya. "And, we just have to find it."
>"There!" says Momiji. Aya practically leans over the tengu's shoulder. "Hah!"
>"Huh," says Aya. "Not too bad. You should have gotten a bit closer, and angled it a bit more, but I've certainly taken worse."
>_
-
> Aya has a digital Polaroid?
>"Oh, you can see it without taking anything out of the camera? What an impressive device."
-
> Aya has a digital Polaroid?
>"Oh, you can see it without taking anything out of the camera? What an impressive device."
>You have no idea what these words are! Stop thinking silly things you silly oarfish!
>"Why do you think I was so wary of giving it to you?" says Aya.
>_
-
>"I can certainly see, yes. Oh! Does this mean you can look at last night's attempt?"
-
>"I can certainly see, yes. Oh! Does this mean you can look at last night's attempt?"
>Aya nods and takes the camera in hand.
>After a moment of messing with it. she says, "Here it is. Hmmm. You were a second too late, but I think you managed to catch a little something. It's off center, though, and kind of hard to tell who it is. Not bad for a beginner, though."
>_
-
> "Well, as long as we have something serviceable."
-
> "Well, as long as we have something serviceable."
>"Oh yes," says Aya, "Momiji's work will be quite suitable."
>_
-
> "Good, good. How are you feeling about all this, then?"
-
> "Good, good. How are you feeling about all this, then?"
>"I'm still kind of angry with you," says Aya, giving a glance toward Nue, who simply waggles her fingers back toward Aya. "But really, I never expected anyone to go to these kinds of lengths. It'll definitely go into the gallery."
>_
-
> "I must admit, that was an almost frightening amount of aggravation from you. I worry for you and for Miss Himekaidou if that is how you two feel about each other."
-
> "I must admit, that was an almost frightening amount of aggravation from you. I worry for you and for Miss Himekaidou if that is how you two feel about each other."
>"Oh she's going to get hers," says Aya. "Don't worry about that."
>_
-
> "That is precisely about what I doworry. It is a sad state of affairs, from the perspective of an outside observer. No one should need to feel such loathing for another person."
-
> "That is precisely about what I doworry. It is a sad state of affairs, from the perspective of an outside observer. No one should need to feel such loathing for another person."
>"I'll get it sorted out," says Aya.
>_
-
> "I hope you do, for both of your sakes. I will pray for a peaceful resolution to your conflict."
-
> "I hope you do, for both of your sakes. I will pray for a peaceful resolution to your conflict."
>Aya merely nods.
>"So, did you find me a deliverer?"
>_
-
> "I have. Where are the papers?"
-
> "I have. Where are the papers?"
>"Kourindou," says Aya. She reaches into a pocket and produces folded sheet of paper. "Here's the route. Don't worry about payments for now, it's all about letting people know I'm back."
>_
-
> Take the paper.
> "All right, then."
-
> Take the paper.
> "All right, then."
>"Just tell whoever to show that to Rinnosuke," says Aya, "And he'll let her have the papers."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Understood."
-
> Nod.
> "Understood."
>"If it's alright," says Momiji, "What business do you have with Lord Tenma? I'm going to have to see him anyways, so if I could pass it on, it'd be no problem."
>_
-
> "I wish to give him a list of names of people whom I would like to have permission to ascend the mountain to visit Bhava-Agra whenever they please. Within reason, of course."
-
> "I wish to give him a list of names of people whom I would like to have permission to ascend the mountain to visit Bhava-Agra whenever they please. Within reason, of course."
>"It should be no problem to give him that," says Momiji.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "All right, if you are willing, and Lord Tenma would find this permissible. If not, well, you know where you can find my people, if not myself."
> "The following people have my blessing to visit Bhava-Agra as they please, assuming they behave properly while on tengu land. The nekomata, Miss Chen Yakumo, the kappa, Miss Nitori Kawashiro, the karakasa, Miss Kogasa Tatara, the outer world humans, Miss Renko Usami and Miss Maribel Hearn, and for however unlikely they are to ever visit, the the underground dwellers, Miss Parsee Mizuhashi, Miss Utsuho Reiuzi, and Deva Yuugi Hoshiguma."
-
> Nod.
> "All right, if you are willing, and Lord Tenma would find this permissible. If not, well, you know where you can find my people, if not myself."
> "The following people have my blessing to visit Bhava-Agra as they please, assuming they behave properly while on tengu land. The nekomata, Miss Chen Yakumo, the kappa, Miss Nitori Kawashiro, the karakasa, Miss Kogasa Tatara, the outer world humans, Miss Renko Usami and Miss Maribel Hearn, and for however unlikely they are to ever visit, the the underground dwellers, Miss Parsee Mizuhashi, Miss Utsuho Reiuzi, and Deva Yuugi Hoshiguma."
>"Let me write that down," says Momiji, producing a notepad and a charcoal pencil. "Chen, Nitori, Kogasa, Renko, Maribel, Parsee, Utsuho and Yuugi..."
>She frowns. "Um, you're sure that Yuugi's not coming back up?"
>_
-
> "I would be very surprised. But this does not mean I do not want to extend her the invitation regardless."
-
> "I would be very surprised. But this does not mean I do not want to extend her the invitation regardless."
>Momiji nods. "Just, you know, we'd have to prepare for that, probably. It's bad enough with Suika comes around unannounced."
>_
-
> "I will have this information relayed to her."
-
> "I will have this information relayed to her."
>Momiji nods. "Alright. Then I think you can leave the rest of this to me."
>_
-
> "Thank you."
> Turn to Aya.
> "Miss Shameimaru, I have been thinking. These pictures that camera has now may serve to improve exposure of what you do as art instead of simply someone being creepy."
-
> "Thank you."
> Turn to Aya.
> "Miss Shameimaru, I have been thinking. These pictures that camera has now may serve to improve exposure of what you do as art instead of simply someone being creepy."
>"Go on?" says Aya.
>_
-
> "Well, your message is that everyone is vulnerable sometimes, correct? It seems natural that this message would be easier to appreciate when accompanied by evidence that the one trying to spread it is vulnerable themselves, in a way previously thought unattainable. You now have some of the most convincing evidence of your message; I think it is unlikely you will have a better chance to spread it throughout Gensokyo."
-
> "Well, your message is that everyone is vulnerable sometimes, correct? It seems natural that this message would be easier to appreciate when accompanied by evidence that the one trying to spread it is vulnerable themselves, in a way previously thought unattainable. You now have some of the most convincing evidence of your message; I think it is unlikely you will have a better chance to spread it throughout Gensokyo."
>"It'll be part of the gallery," says Aya.
>_
-
> "Yes, but how often is the gallery viewed by others?"
-
> "Yes, but how often is the gallery viewed by others?"
>"...Not very often," says Aya, frowning. "Especially since it got taken down."
>_
-
> Frown.
> "Unfortunate. But, to be honest with you, the lack of viewership of your gallery is somewhat understandable, as it is a hard subject into which to delve. People are likely to be turned off to your message if they feel victimized by your only means of conveying it. With those pictures, however, you have a chance to give exposure to your gallery and your message. People will have a chance to see that maybe you really aren't all that interested in the simple act of looking at someone's undergarments, maybe there is some other meaning to what you do, if you are willing to put yourself forth in front of everyone in this manner."
-
> Frown.
> "Unfortunate. But, to be honest with you, the lack of viewership of your gallery is somewhat understandable, as it is a hard subject into which to delve. People are likely to be turned off to your message if they feel victimized by your only means of conveying it. With those pictures, however, you have a chance to give exposure to your gallery and your message. People will have a chance to see that maybe you really aren't all that interested in the simple act of looking at someone's undergarments, maybe there is some other meaning to what you do, if you are willing to put yourself forth in front of everyone in this manner."
>"I said I was going to put it in," says Aya. "You don't have to lecture me about that."
>_
-
> "You misunderstand. I am saying that you can use these images as direct publicity for your gallery. Simply putting them into the gallery will not get your message much more attention if your gallery gets as little attention as you say. Put the pictures out there around Gensokyo to make people think that hey, if this is a part of this gallery, perhaps it isn't what I once thought it was. It might be worth inquiring into further, or even visiting this gallery for ourselves."
-
> "You misunderstand. I am saying that you can use these images as direct publicity for your gallery. Simply putting them into the gallery will not get your message much more attention if your gallery gets as little attention as you say. Put the pictures out there around Gensokyo to make people think that hey, if this is a part of this gallery, perhaps it isn't what I once thought it was. It might be worth inquiring into further, or even visiting this gallery for ourselves."
>"So," says Nue, "If I'm hearing you right, you're saying the way for Aya to prove she isn't a pervert is to spread those kinds of picture of herself?"
>_
-
> "Which is, in itself, easily interpreted as a perverted act, yes, but when presented properly, accompanied with the artistic message, perhaps a description of Miss Shameimaru's feelings at the time, and with a proper advance warning for those who may not want to see such a thing on principle, I believe it could work, yes."
-
> "Which is, in itself, easily interpreted as a perverted act, yes, but when presented properly, accompanied with the artistic message, perhaps a description of Miss Shameimaru's feelings at the time, and with a proper advance warning for those who may not want to see such a thing on principle, I believe it could work, yes."
>"Maybe," says Nue with a shrug. "I admit, I don't get the whole art thing to this, so a guess a little explaining might help."
>'I am not going to write up an explanation," says Aya. "It'd ruin the whole point of doing it if I tell people what the point it. I might as well just write a little essay and leave it at that."
>_
-
> Frown.
> "I suspect it will be very difficult to gain followers and appreciation with a medium as personal as this if prospective observers do not understand the core purpose. But this is your choice to make."
-
> Frown.
> "I suspect it will be very difficult to gain followers and appreciation with a medium as personal as this if prospective observers do not understand the core purpose. But this is your choice to make."
>"I've done alright up til now," says Aya. "I imagine I'll continue to do so."
>_
-
> "Very well."
> How is Mystia holding up?
-
> "Very well."
> How is Mystia holding up?
>"I'm happy you're concerned," says Aya, "But there's some things integrity won't allow."
>Mystia is in her stand, presently cleaning the grill. She seems faintly annoyed.
>_
-
> Nod.
> "I understand. With that out of the way, then, I believe the time has come to tell the other reason I wish to accompany you both on your journey back to your home. Lord Tenma has learned how Miss Miss Shameimaru was able to escape from her incarceration."
-
> Nod.
> "I understand. With that out of the way, then, I believe the time has come to tell the other reason I wish to accompany you both on your journey back to your home. Lord Tenma has learned how Miss Miss Shameimaru was able to escape from her incarceration."
>Aya looks up at you. "Huh. How'd that go over?"
>_
-
> "About as well as could be expected. I imagine that there are few, if any, that appreciate having their authority undermined in such a fashion, and Lord Tenma is not one. But I understand that proper amends have been made. Still, this means it is my duty to see this through to the end."
-
> "About as well as could be expected. I imagine that there are few, if any, that appreciate having their authority undermined in such a fashion, and Lord Tenma is not one. But I understand that proper amends have been made. Still, this means it is my duty to see this through to the end."
>"Well, if that's the case," says Momiji, "Perhaps we should go?"
>_
-
> "I am prepared, but I am hardly the only one leaving."
> Turn to Aya.
> "Are you ready for this?"
-
> "I am prepared, but I am hardly the only one leaving."
> Turn to Aya.
> "Are you ready for this?"
>"Might as well," says Aya.
>_
-
> "All right, then."
> Turn to Nue.
> "Will you be joining us?"
-
> "All right, then."
> Turn to Nue.
> "Will you be joining us?"
>"Naw," says Nue. "Once is enough this trip."
>_
-
> "Understood. But I would be remiss if I did not tell you that Miss Himekaidou would like her laundry washed before you return it."
-
> "Understood. But I would be remiss if I did not tell you that Miss Himekaidou would like her laundry washed before you return it."
>Nue snorts. "Sure, I'll wash it when I get it back."
>_
-
> "I believe that covers everything, then. Miss Lorelei, my apologies for our intruding on your patience for so long."
-
> "I believe that covers everything, then. Miss Lorelei, my apologies for our intruding on your patience for so long."
>"Yeah yeah," says Mystia.
>_
-
> Stand up, if we've been setting.
> "All right, let's take care of this now. I hope that this will not take too long."
-
> Stand up, if we've been setting.
> "All right, let's take care of this now. I hope that this will not take too long."
>You didn't get to sit down.
>"Alright, Aya, let's go," says Momiji.
>Aya nods, and they both take to the air.
>_
-
> Take flight and follow them.
-
> Take flight and follow them.
>You follow the two of them. They make a beeline for Youkai Mountain, and it's particularly difficult to keep up with them at first, until they notice you are falling behind and slow down for you.
>The trip is an easy one otherwise, and soon you reach the Tengu village again. Momiji places a hand on Aya's shoulder and says, "Let's get you back to the prison before we do anything else. It'll look good."
>"Yeah, I know," says Aya with a sigh,
>"Hey, while we're on the subject," says Momiji, "What'd you do with the key, anyways?"
>_
-
> Inventory
-
> Inventory
>Your Inventory Contains:
>Wide-brimmed hat (worn as hat)
>Exceedingly Stylish!
>Heavy Flamenco Dress (worn as dress)
>Allows both modesty and freedom of movement
>Large Black Purse
>Exactly what it sounds like. It holds all your stuff
>Spine Sign: "Acanthodii of the Thunder Clouds"
>This spellcard engulfs you in a shield of electricity. It can be broken with enough force, and only lasts for a short time before it must be renewed
>Cloud Realm: "The Thunder Court in the Sea of Abstruse Clouds"
>Fills the air with webs of lightning, but leaves you motionless.
>Dragonfish: "Dragon Palace's Messenger Swimming Shot"
>Sends electricity spiraling out from you, but leaves you defenseless.
>4☼
>This is 4☼
>Jail Key
>The key to the tengu jail.
>2 Pictures of Shadowless Tree
>Taken in the Forest of Magic.
> Picture of Sky and Shadowed Land
>A picture of the Brocken Spectre's shadow and the clear horizon
>Picture of Unconscious Poltergeist
>A Picture of the Brocken Spectre after you defeated her.
>Picture of the Shadow Dais.
>Taken within The Dragon's Chamber in the false Bhava-Agra.
>Picture of Makai Landscape with Goats
>Taken to show Yumeko how a Camera Works
>Pink Shawl
>A shawl that represents your status as a part of Bhava-Arga and allows you to defend yourself with devastating techniques.
>Aya's Note
>It reads: "Did some looking around. Word has it there's a blue-coated ghost running around the forest. Lots of people coming and going looking for the Brocken Spectre. Some rock near Marisa's house missing a shadow; investigated it, found nothing else special. Wasn't able to ask around SDM. Kogasa seems to have gotten much more dangerous lately; maybe a connection? Couldn't ask. Will return tomorrow afternoon. Owe you bigtime -Aya."
>Box
>This small gray box once held several gems.
>Plunger
>A rubber-headed object you mistook for a javelin.
>Stuffed Platypus
>This is a plush rendition of everyone's favorite beaver-tailed, duck-billed mammal! It is very adorable.
>Pale Green Plant
>Its broad leaves seem to be usually shiny.
>Vial of Sand Grains
>This vial contains eleven grains of sand, one from each of the continents of the outer world.
>Amethyst:
>A translucent purple gemstone, cut into a faceted shape.
>Aya's Route List
>A description of Aya's paper delivery route.
>_
-
> Pull out the jail key and offer it to Momizi with a sheepish grin.
-
> Pull out the jail key and offer it to Momizi with a sheepish grin.
>You give Momiji the Jail Key.
>She frowns at it, then takes it. "Thank you."
>Then she leads Aya toward the jail while pocketing the key.
>_
-
> Watch them enter the building, then make our way to Lord Tenma's manor.
-
> Watch them enter the building, then make our way to Lord Tenma's manor.
>You watch them enter, and make your way toward Lord Tenma's manor yet again.
>The guard bows toward you. "Did you forget something earlier?"
>_
-
> "No, I believe I have everything I need. But I thought that I should let Lord Tenma know that Miss Shameimaru has returned, and see if there is more he wishes of me."
-
> "No, I believe I have everything I need. But I thought that I should let Lord Tenma know that Miss Shameimaru has returned, and see if there is more he wishes of me."
>The guard nods. "Just a moment, please."
>She disappears into the manor, quietly closing the door behind her. After a few minutes of lingering, she returns and says, "Lord Tenma appreciates your message. He says that you understand what the rest of the situation requires."
>_
-
> We do? What else were we tasked with, aside from some of Shuuei's work?
-
> We do? What else were we tasked with, aside from some of Shuuei's work?
>Shuuei's work is all you can think of. Perhaps this is what he's talking about?
>_
-
> "Excellent. Thank you for your assistance."
> Give a short bow.
-
> "Excellent. Thank you for your assistance."
> Give a short bow.
>She returns your gesture.
>_
-
> "Until we meet again."
> Take flight and head toward Shuuei's riverside meeting place.
-
> "Until we meet again."
> Take flight and head toward Shuuei's riverside meeting place.
>You leave, and return back to the stream. You're getting quite used to this route now!
>Landing near the stream, you see the poltergeist walk around a tree; you're starting to think this is her favorite one to hide behind.
>"I tried to snap a twig," she says, "But I don't think anyone heard me."
>_
-
> Smile.
> "It is all right. It seems things went well, and they did not even risk anyone finding you. I do thank you for being available and willing to help, however."
-
> Smile.
> "It is all right. It seems things went well, and they did not even risk anyone finding you. I do thank you for being available and willing to help, however."
>She nods. "I guess it went well? So what do we do now?"
>_
-
> "Now we retrieve the newspapers, if you still wish to deliver them."
-
> "Now we retrieve the newspapers, if you still wish to deliver them."
>"Okay," says the poltergeist.
>_
-
> "Before we leave this place, though, I feel there some something you need to know about the residents of the nearby house."
> Smile again.
> "Would you believe that one of them is concerned for your well-being?"
-
> "Before we leave this place, though, I feel there some something you need to know about the residents of the nearby house."
> Smile again.
> "Would you believe that one of them is concerned for your well-being?"
>"Not really," says the poltergeist, shaking her head slowly. "But if you're saying it, I suppose it must be true."
>_
-
> "That it is. The blonde one, Miss Maribel Hearn, asked about you earlier today. Not to gain any tactical information about you or anything like that, simply to make sure that you were holding up okay."
-
> "That it is. The blonde one, Miss Maribel Hearn, asked about you earlier today. Not to gain any tactical information about you or anything like that, simply to make sure that you were holding up okay."
>She nods, saying nothing.
>_
-
> "Isn't that something? Someone that knows very little about you outside of the paranoia incited two nights ago still worries for you, for as much as you want nothing to do with her if you can avoid it."
-
> "Isn't that something? Someone that knows very little about you outside of the paranoia incited two nights ago still worries for you, for as much as you want nothing to do with her if you can avoid it."
>"I don't understand why," says the poltergeist. "But she may do as she likes, I suppose."
>_
-
> "She is simply a person caring for her fellow person, and you simply being a person worth caring for."
-
> "She is simply a person caring for her fellow person, and you simply being a person worth caring for."
>"Oh," says the poltergeist.
>_
-
> "You may not think much of it now, but it is a nice feeling to have people that care for you, so do keep it in mind, should you ever have the chance to see her again. Presumably without her seeing you, of course."
-
> "You may not think much of it now, but it is a nice feeling to have people that care for you, so do keep it in mind, should you ever have the chance to see her again. Presumably without her seeing you, of course."
>She nods again. "I suppose I might."
>_
-
> "With that being said, the newspapers are currently being held by the man in the shop with all the junk around it, where we were not too long ago."
> Take out the paper Aya gave us with the route on it.
> "This is the delivery route. That man will give the newspapers to the delivery person if they have this paper."
-
> "With that being said, the newspapers are currently being held by the man in the shop with all the junk around it, where we were not too long ago."
> Take out the paper Aya gave us with the route on it.
> "This is the delivery route. That man will give the newspapers to the delivery person if they have this paper."
>The poltergeist takes it and nods. "I'll take care of it."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "Would you like me to come with you? Or do you wish to talk to the man of that shop on your own?"
-
> Nod.
> "Would you like me to come with you? Or do you wish to talk to the man of that shop on your own?"
>"It may be best of you're there," says the poltergeist.
>_
-
> "I will be glad to accompany you. Shall I meet you there, or would you like to travel together?"
-
> "I will be glad to accompany you. Shall I meet you there, or would you like to travel together?"
>"Together, I suppose," says the poltergeist.
>_
-
> Smile.
> "All right. Shall we go, then?"
-
> Smile.
> "All right. Shall we go, then?"
>The poltergeist nods, and starts off in the proper direction.
>You follow along. She moves quickly, but the trip is a slow one; the return of the faeries means that she feels the need to stop and conceal herself every so often. Still, it is not very far, and you reach Kourindou without any particular difficulties.
>_
-
> Enter!
Just in case this gets commandeered while I am not here, please do not forget to tell Shuuei about what we have proposed to Lord Tenma regarding her new job.
-
> Enter!
>You walk into the story to see Rinnosuke sitting at the counter, reading a book. A large shoulderbag sits on the counter near him. The poltergeist follows you inside, and promptly hides behind you. "Miss Nagae," he says, "Newcomer."
>The store contains
>Broken Sword Handle
>Iron Key
>Introductory Nuclear Physics by Kenneth S. Krane.
>Copper Bracelet
>Nightlife (Extended)
>Lacquered Chopsticks
>3 Caramels
>Turtle Statue
>A Metal-Plated Glove
>Large Ball of Yarn
>Stethoscope
>Set of Marbles
>Figurine of a Master Lichen
>Pocket Clay Sculpting Set
>Big Knife
>String Performance: "Guarneri del Ges?"
>Bath Towel
>Bottle of Soil
>Empty Box
>Light Orb: "Dragon's Gleaming Eyes"
>White Ribbon
>Set of Wolf Ears
>Small Bookcase
>Bag of Glittering Powder
>Glass Bottle
>Lone Brown Boot
>_
-
> "Hello again, Mister Morichika. This is Miss Shuuei Nozomikage.
> Look behind us at the poltergeist and smile, then turn back around.
> "I believe she has something for you."
-
> "Hello again, Mister Morichika. This is Miss Shuuei Nozomikage.
> Look behind us at the poltergeist and smile, then turn back around.
> "I believe she has something for you."
>Rinnosuke nods, and looks toward the poltergeist with an eyebrow raised.
>She shifts a little, then quietly walks forward and presents Aya's note.
>Rinnosuke nods, and nudges the bag toward her. "That paper will tell you where you need to go. You'll have to stop here a few times to resupply, but I believe it has been included in the route listed."
>The poltergeist nods.
>_
-
> Turn to the poltergeist.
> "Will you be okay handling this if I depart?"
-
> Turn to the poltergeist.
> "Will you be okay handling this if I depart?"
>"I think so," she says.
>_
-
> "All right, then. I will leave you to it. And Miss Shameimaru says not to worry about collecting payment."
-
> "All right, then. I will leave you to it. And Miss Shameimaru says not to worry about collecting payment."
>The poltergeist nods. "Good."
>_
-
> Smile.
> "Good luck, Shuuei. I am sure you will splendidly."
> Turn to Rinnosuke.
> "And thank you very much for your patience and hospitality once again, Mister Morichika."
-
> Smile.
> "Good luck, Shuuei. I am sure you will splendidly."
> Turn to Rinnosuke.
> "And thank you very much for your patience and hospitality once again, Mister Morichika."
>The poltergeist nods. "I intend to."
>"Think of it as the end result of a tangled web of obligations," says Rinnosuke.
>_
-
> "I shall see you both another time. Be well until then."
-
> "I shall see you both another time. Be well until then."
>"Alright," says the poltergeist, "You know where to find me."
>_
-
> Nod to the poltergeist.
> Leave Kourindou, take flight and head to the Human village.
> Do we have any remaining unusual outstanding responsibilities that don't need time before they are resolved?
-
> Nod to the poltergeist.
> Leave Kourindou, take flight and head to the Human village.
> Do we have any remaining unusual outstanding responsibilities that don't need time before they are resolved?
>You head for the village.
>You think you've cleared up just about everything.
>_
-
> Head to the tavern.
-
> Head to the tavern.
>You head into the tavern. Being early afternoon, it's not very crowded. You find Tenshi sweeping the floor.
>"Oh, hey Iku," she says. "Have a seat."
>_
-
> Nod.
> "All right."
> Grab an empty seat or booth near where Tenshi is sweeping.
-
> Nod.
> "All right."
> Grab an empty seat or booth near where Tenshi is sweeping.
>You have a seat near Tenshi.
>"Everything go well?" she says. "Where're you rushing off to, next?"
>_
-
> "Things has gone splendidly, to be honest. Our friend is on her way, the confusion between the Yama and Lord Tenma has been rectified, and Aya has voluntarily returned to prison in possession of a picture of herself. It all would have been even better were you with me, but I suspect you are happier to have been here all day."
-
> "Things has gone splendidly, to be honest. Our friend is on her way, the confusion between the Yama and Lord Tenma has been rectified, and Aya has voluntarily returned to prison in possession of a picture of herself. It all would have been even better were you with me, but I suspect you are happier to have been here all day."
>"Sounds like a lot of running around," says Tenshi. "So what brings you here?"
>_
-
> "You do, to be honest."
> Gesture around the establishment.
> "Is there anything around here with which I can assist?"
-
> "You do, to be honest."
> Gesture around the establishment.
> "Is there anything around here with which I can assist?"
>"Naw," says Tenshi. "The boss would get on me if he heard I was making others do stuff. Thanks, though."
>_
-
> "Even if they volunteered? A shame. Ah well. You are quite welcome, regardless. Though, while I am thinking about it, would you like the remaining money in my possession, since it belomgs to you anyway? Or would that also not be permitted while you are on duty?"
-
> "Even if they volunteered? A shame. Ah well. You are quite welcome, regardless. Though, while I am thinking about it, would you like the remaining money in my possession, since it belomgs to you anyway? Or would that also not be permitted while you are on duty?"
>"That's no problem," says Tenshi. "So, going to take a load off here?"
>_
-
> "I think so, at least for a little bit. I should report in with The August One at some point, but I do not believe that to be an urgent concern."
> Pull out the money we possess and hand it to Tenshi.
-
> "I think so, at least for a little bit. I should report in with The August One at some point, but I do not believe that to be an urgent concern."
> Pull out the money we possess and hand it to Tenshi.
>You pay off Tenshi.
>"Well, I don't care if you relax here for awhile."
>_
-
> "Thank you. How has your day progressed, by the way?"
-
Can't resist >.>
> Take it easy! We could use some relaxing after today.
-
> "Thank you. How has your day progressed, by the way?"
>"Oh, about like normal," says Tenshi. "Saw Merlin in here this morning, which was unusual. Not often you see them alone, so I asked her..."
> Take it easy! We could use some relaxing after today.
>You relax, and take it easy for awhile at the tavern, while Tenshi chatters on about her perfectly mundane day. Soon enough, having little else that demands your attention, you return home to begin to tend to duties there. There's a fair amount of work to be done; your primary role is coordinating the various efforts to work more efficiently and cover for each other. Once the basics of this have been completed, you move on to make your final report to The Dragon. This is something you've been dreading, you know that you've made some mistakes and that you've made some deliberately. But the meeting goes quite well. The Dragon is pleased with your efforts, and congratulates you on your success of restoring Bhava-Agra to its former place. It could do little, having been busy holding the islands in place. While it does not mention any of the less savory things than happened, you know it is well aware of them. It expects you to make amends for such things. Still, you are not dismissed as you feared; in fact The Dragon offers its blessings toward you visiting the surface periodically.
>The next few days are hectic. While you're able to resume some of your duties, you also have dances to plan. While you can put off Nue's for a while, the one on behalf of Scarlet Devil Mansion cannot wait. You spend several hours a day there, overseeing the set-up of a proper stage, and working with the Juniper and several of her faerie companions. As well, you add in a few celestials to make the choreography a bit more balanced. Training faeries to dance goes more or less exactly how you imagined it would; even though they are maids they fall into distraction and bickering pretty easily. But with some patience, you manage to herd them into a semblance of a dance troupe. Your only worry is that they'll be able to remember what you taught them.
>Soon, you are invited to the signing ceremony officially bringing an end to the hostilities between Bhava-Agra and Scarlet Devil Manson, or Volatilis Scarlet Regnum, as Remilia would have it known now. Pomp and ceremony accompany the whole thing: faeries playing music and a display of aerial acrobatics from the maids, which isn't very intricate but impressive for faeries memorizing a routine. Remilia gives a bombastic speech about fellowship and past errors and so on, which is followed by you being put on the spot to deliver one of your own which you had not prepared for at all. You think you did well for making one up on the spot. Then the treaty is signed, one copy for the Scarlet Devil Mansion and one for the Dragon Palace. Soon after follows the dance revue: you've prepared yourself for it as much as you can, plotting to cover for just about anything that can go wrong. Much to your surprise, practically nothing goes wrong. The faeries remember their routines well enough to cause no chaos; your practiced eye catches a number of small mistakes but nothing that disrupts things. Your celestials perform up to your expectations. It is a swimming success! In fact, it's a little too much of a success, as quite a few faeries decide they want to join in and mob the stage before Sakuya can stop them. You decide that it's a fitting enough end.
>Events pass peacefully and you find yourself able to descend down and visit Shuuei frequently enough, often with a pretense of doing some form of work or another to put your mind at ease that you're not just dilly dallying. She seems to be adapting well to her apprenticeship; while she has yet to move on to actually cutting the stones, she does polish them in a tumbler and does some basic setting work. It'll be some time before she can fulfill her obligation to Lord Tenma, but he seems content to wait. Oftentimes, Shuuei is stuck dealing with customers as well, which she endures. A week passes onto two, then a month, and still she remains around. As shy as always, but still there. Your worries for her ease away, even if she's not blending into society as seamlessly as you had hoped. You periodically linger around town to listen to people talk and find that she is being noticed. Predictably, their lack of knowledge about her becomes a subject of gossip. Shuuei starts to relax a little around people as time goes on, though she remains ever secretive and unwilling to volunteer any information about herself. She does adapt enough that she can at least venture out on her own. But, she never seems to break her habit of peering around corners before taking them; being surprised seems to become her main annoyance as she grows used to being seen. As well, it is difficult to get her to enter the tavern or other such crowd-prone places. However, you periodically find yourself wondering how much she doesn't tell you; you are rather surprised to learn that she is practically impossible to bore. You once thought she just had an empty life outside of staying hidden, but it seems that being left alone for long periods of time doesn't bother her in the least, she waits it out with no real indication of boredom or stress. This doesn't lead her to reject doing other things in favor of isolation, thankfully, but she doesn't seem bothered when there is nothing else to do; she simply seems to enjoy being alone for the sake of it.
>As far as Aya is concerned, you find that Tenma has decided to indenture Aya to Byakuren directly, forgoing jail time after speaking with Momiji on the events leading to her capture. You later learn that Byakuren was not actually informed of this decision until Aya showed up on her doorstep one day, bearing a writ from Lord Tenma. Left with little idea of what to do with the reporter, Byakuren puts her to work with several minor tasks. When you check in, it seems she's taking the punishment a bit harder than you would expect. Consulting with Byakuren about this, you find that tengu seem to consider service to other peoples to be more humiliating than to their own. In retrospect, that's not terribly surprising for such an insular society. You wonder if this part of why they find Suika and Yuugi so worrying? Regardless, it seems that she's doing alright, umbrage of service aside. She's well disposed toward you, though; you never have to pay for one of her papers.
>Tenshi remains Tenshi: ever brash, outspoken, and a pest. But, aside from that, the two of you continue to get along. Sometimes she visits you with her hat off, full of complaints about this celestial or that. When you investigate, you find that Tenshi's complaints seem to be exaggerated, if not wholly imagined. You puzzle over how to deal with it in a way that wouldn't require beating her in a danmaku battle directly afterward. Besides this, though, she seems happy to gossip about little things, which thankfully doesn't involve nearly as much mischief as you would fear.
>Eventually, you manage to arrange for a proper place for her to hold a class on self defense and talk her down into using wooden swords. You have high hopes after she meets with Keine on the subject of teaching, and she seems to have a good idea of what she wants to do. A couple dozen curious celestials attend the first class. Unfortunately, much of the class is spent with Tenshi ranting and raving at how she isn't going to take any insubordination or snootiness from any of them, punctuated with menacing inquires of "what're you looking at?!" toward various celestials and assigning arbitrary exercises as punishment until pretty much the whole class is caught in them. Eventually she shouts some homework and dismisses them all. The second class doesn't see nearly so much attendance, less than a dozen, and it largely repeats as the first one did. However, those that remain seem to draw her ire less, and some actual instruction happens. The third class goes quite a bit more smoothly, with only a few accusations of insubordination and punishments and a far amount of actual education. By the fourth class, things are going fairly well.
>You find yourself receiving a few guests, as well. Maribel and Renko appear practically the first day after you get back to your duties, and fairly often after that. You're happy to show them around, and let them sate their curiosity with various things. You also let them search through the rubble for discarded things, they seem to be pleased with the bits of scrap they find; you suspect they trade what they find to Rinnosuke. You're surprised to find that Utsuho, Parsee, Nitori, and Yuugi also take up your offer at one point. You have the sneaking suspicion that Parsee is the motivating factor behind it, given she periodically mentions things that you've shown Maribel and Renko. Their visit goes quite well, though Yuugi makes a great show of how not interested she is while looking through various parts of the palace with obvious interest. Chen never seems to take you up on your offer, though some discreet inquires via Tenshi suggest this is because she is busy with school.
>Eventually, you have to deal with the issue of the contested islands with Remilia. This takes place over the course of two days, one for each of the islands. As promised, you do your best to speak on Remilia's behalf. It's somewhat difficult, given the circumstances, but you manage to make a good case for the Scarlet Devil that doesn't leave you feeling as though you're distorting the truth. Remilia herself gives a much more bombastic speech, and you think, ultimately less convincing. Other celestials speak as well, contemplating the pros, the cons, and whether the decision really matters at all. In the end, the less populated mountain island decides to reject the idea. The forested island declines to join the nation, but officially allows for Remilia to appoint a symbolic head of state, so to speak, that holds some power over how official meetings may be run, and confirm appointments. Remilia is clearly irritated by the first decision, but the second seems to mollify her a bit. Both agree to her demand that monuments be put up, and the days of conquest be given proper observance.
>As time passes, Bhava-Agra slowly rises into the air, bit by bit. Winter passes below before it's fully restored, subjecting the realm to cold and wind beyond the norm. But the people persevere, as you expect they would. The wounded recover quickly enough; the clean-up effort completes and paves the way for the much longer and more involved rebuilding process. Thankfully, you can trust your subordinates to overlook the rebuilding enough that you can tend to your own affairs on the surface and elsewhere in Bhava-Agra without too much trouble; by and large you help coordinate the efforts and approve of large decisions. The food situation is more troublesome, but an inspection of the damage reveals that practically all of the peaches which didn't splatter on impact are still in good condition; you suspect Minoriko's influence. As well, you find that the farmers in the human village are willing to exchange some of their surplus food for small things; sometimes even rubble from the palace is accepted, as they are happy to pound it into gravel. There is still a small problem that many celestials refuse to partake of it, considering such foods too much an attachment to lower states of enlightenment, but it is not difficult to make arrangements for those who are willing to eat lower world foods to allow others to have their share of peaches.
>During this time, you find yourself reflecting more and more upon some of the things you did in desperation or in fits of thoughtlessness. Shikieiki's words stay with you, and you find that you will have to take some act of penitence to truly make up for these acts. After some thought, you decide the best thing to do, in light of some of the deceptions you've done and advocated, is to take a vow of silence until such a time that you feel amends are made. Your fellow celestials understand, and are able to compensate for your limits of body language and writing without much difficulty. Even Tenshi adapts to this, happy to take on the burden of taking about whatever when she visits you with her hat off; in fact it seems to coax her to say more than normal. Shuuei seems content to spend time in silence when you visit her, saying nothing more than she feels necessary. Still, she certain is willing to share more than she was when you first met, you're able to get general details about her day to day life.
>Working with Nue, when you finally go to fulfill your obligation to her, is a little more difficult. Tenshi is willing to come along and shout orders in your place. Your dance there goes quite well; oni tend to expect their dance shows to involve impressive moves or very little clothing, and you're easily able to fulfill the former quality without any need for the latter and still fill the house well enough that Nue and Tenshi together can only barely keep up with the crowds.
>Eventually Bhava-Agra finally reaches its place in the heavens again. Many look with great expectation toward the next harvest as spring comes. By all indications of the immense amount of blossoms, it seems like there's going to be quite a crop; you suspect Minoriko's hand at work once again. Tenshi seems to be settling in with her class, and even attracting a new student or two. Shuuei continues on with her jeweling apprenticeship, quietly making herself a part of the town background. When the time for cherry blossom viewing comes, you take her to the festival and are pleased to see she is willing to walk through the less crowded areas without hiding; though the more crowded areas lead to her moving around and being booths. Thankfully her mask isn't particularly out of place. Still, the improvement is obvious. Overall, you think things with her are going to be all right.
>You have gotten a Happy End! (http://i54.tinypic.com/do0x9x.jpg)
>Original Inspiration: TranceHime
>Programming, Music, Typos, Database Errors: Purvis Hobotech
>Ending Art: Slaves
>Great Player: You!
>And now you must learn to dodge the rain.
>See you next mission!
-
Phew.
Proper thoughts will come when I get home, but I will say that this resolution makes me feel better about the latter half of the game, for all that only Draco will know what I'm talking about.
-
I'm not sure if that seemed longer because I read it while it was ongoing, or if it really was damned long.
All right, I'll ask sillier questions so that Kilga has time to come up with his own thoughts, being the primary player of this game:
> Brocken's/Shuuei's theme song.
> What was it that Trance did to inspire this adventure?
> How much of it did you end up having to make up on the spot?
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Finally, after 14 threads and 8 or 9 months, this quest is done. Unfortunately, after 8 or 9 months, mine is still only on its second thread and doesn't seem to be resolving anytime soon.
>What in this quest was planned from the beginning?
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I> Brocken's/Shuuei's theme song.
> What was it that Trance did to inspire this adventure?
> How much of it did you end up having to make up on the spot?
>The Poltergeist's theme: Now you see it, now you don't! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3CsXJM8-8o)
>Inspired the original.
>Not as much as you might think. But a fair amount was "I have about three days to get these ducks in a row". It always is.
>What in this quest was planned from the beginning?
>Absolutely everything. The main incidents, ways to solve them, most of the sidequests.
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Oh no! I accidentally the whole Iku Quest! :ohdear:
Did we ever come close to getting Iku dismissed by The August One?
How would this have happened, if possible?
How did you originally plan for the poltergeist to be dealt with?
What was Alice whittling Purvis? I WANT TO KNOOOOOW
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>Music: Battle with Tenshi, battle with Shuuei, Nue vs. Aya, Orchid Isle melee, encounter with Sanae
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It's over? It's finally over? :o
Congrats!
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Finally, after 14 threads and 8 or 9 months, this quest is done. Unfortunately, after 8 or 9 months, mine is still only on its second thread and doesn't seem to be resolving anytime soon.
Hey, I post as frequently as I can. And it's not my fault you're making it hard to figure out what to do next (either that, or I'm missing something obvious).
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Oh no! I accidentally the whole Iku Quest! :ohdear:
Did we ever come close to getting Iku dismissed by The August One?
How would this have happened, if possible?
How did you originally plan for the poltergeist to be dealt with?
What was Alice whittling Purvis? I WANT TO KNOOOOOW
Haw haw.
You did not.
I would not presume to reveal the machinations of such a being.
I had two ideas. One was more or less the path you took, the other would be that she'd be declared an beyond help and taken down the hard way. This would lead to her likely needing to be sealed away, which may have been exploited in future quests.
You should find out!
I'mma do themes and stuff in awhile.
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First of all, a hat tip to Purvis for putting up with my bitching for eight months about something relatively inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
So my thoughts are hazy on this one, largely because I can barely remember what happened so many months ago. Far be it from me to talk about the "dedication" I put into this game because I'm not the one who was bloody running the thing, but there is a certain degree of a combination of amusement, annoyance, and utter exhaustion from being able to say that I contributed commands to this quest during both a winter season handbell concert and a summer season handbell concert.
The most interesting thing, for me, to be born from this quest is actually a renewal in personal interest in my own church activities. Methodism is fairly big into music in their celebration and praise of the Holy Trinity, and at some point in thread 8 or 9 or so I realized that the best course of action was to play as Jiku of Nagareth. I feel like this quest has gotten me to pay a bit more attention during services and retaining scripture readings a bit longer, as well as paying more attention to the lessons behind the gospel. I do appreciate this quest for the chance to expand my faith, even if it ended up being on such a small scale. (At one point I actually debated entering a command where we browsed our knowledge of the song Lord of the Dance. Don't know why I never did.)
On to more relevant things. I have a few major issues with things and one or two pretty minor ones, mostly concerning the ending which I had no control over regardless. Before I get into those, though, I will say that Iku has been, for about three or four threads now, my favorite player character in this series, and at this point it's by a long shot, even over Reisen. In this way I am very sad that Iku is done because I could spend another eight months just picking her brain and generally wandering around being an altruist, and not only will I not have this anymore, but Iku is not exactly the most accessable person in Gensokyo, even with the resolution having gone the way it did. Ikuverbiage has even started spilling over into my normal communication. So, by that metric, this was a fabulous experience, and one that will never be overshadowed (if you'll pardon the pun).
But there are still two big outstanding things.
- This game shat all over logos. I have made no secret when talking about this game that, to this day, I still do not know why Shuuei changed the way she did. As far as I am concerned there was no reasonable conclusion to what was set up other than getting her the information she desired and being rewarded with a shadowsuck for our efforts. It is immensely frustrating to watch everything that logically should work fail, and then have something that logically should not work come along, work, and refuse to reveal why. A good chunk of my interactions with Shuuei were auto-pilot born of "well, this worked, so whatever", but there's zero fun in that approach. I didn't know why I was doing what I was doing, all I knew is that I was climbing all over myself to do it whenever I could. Sneaking in posts from work, rehearsals, concerts, all to walk blindly along a road apparently paved with gold. It wasn't a game. It was obligation, tedium, a long-running chore. This hit a supreme low when Purvis and I were talked about something - I've already forgotten what specifically, but it was one of my many major roadblocks - and the ultimate response was a nicely-worded "You're not smart enough for this, go get someone who is to do it for you." which was incredibly demoralizing after all the effort I felt I had put in at that point. I really don't like trawling for hints because I think it ruins the experience, but I had been completely stonewalled on more than one occasion, and to hear something that amounted to the above hurt a good deal.
- This game also shat all over assumptions. This can certainly work (and probably should be done a fair amount in any game that wants to be worth its weight in salt!) but there was just so much of it that I eventually found myself obligated to work out every last detail of which I could think because it seemed like every time I assumed even a small thing it ended up being wrong. And hey, look at that, it happened again when no one told Byakuren about Aya, and I suspect. When a game runs this long and as a situation presented to be as dire as this was, it is mind-numbing as a player to be foreced to think of every minute detail that has more than a .01% chance of being important. This only furthered the feeling of tedium and doing a shore instead of playing a game that came from this first bullet.
The minor things were just that in comparison to the above. Mostly unhappy that Sameko never got a proper and "honorable" duel to the finish, unhappy that we never got a picture of Koa for Madeliene, and while I am glad the Hatless System was put into use, I will freely admit I was hoping it would lead to Tenshi occasionally seeking emotional advice from us or even just a shoulder to lean against. I guess that she wouldn't need it with her family present, but it would have been nice. Also kinda sad that the theater thing never went anywhere, but honestly I was at a complete loss for how to incorporate that one, since Tenshi does not have the wit for rabbit improv and she seemed uninterested in all the other options.
The ending was pleasing in the sense that I feel it made up for what I felt was a lot of things being almost handed to Iku, perhaps in an effort to just move things along and get to the next event. As much as I complained about the challenge of the poltergeist, it's also not terribly fun to be able to shoehorn the recompense for several things into postgame. It almost feels like a cop-out, that we didn't actually earn it. (The contract signing was the biggest offender in this regard.) I also felt to a degree like I should have had to have planned the exact outcome of the pantyshot escapades in order for it to actually happen that way, for as much as I complained earlier about the perceived requirement to think of absofuckinglutely everything. I'm still not a big fan of this Aya, but a lot of what has happened in the last 1000 posts has heightened my opinion of her. There was enough negativity in the resolution, however, that I feel less about all this, because it feels less like we were indeed not given something for nothing. (The vow of silence thing is very interesting in what it suggests about what behavior was expected of us as players.)
I think I had a million more things to say about this but I'm exhausted and can't remember any of them so I'll just skip to the questions, which is maybe 10% of all the questions of which I thought throughout the course of the game. Ultimately, though, I will miss this sucker a lot. (Especially given who the central character of the next game is. >_>)
Major Questions
> Did you actually expect us to be as tolerant of Tenshi's demeanor as we were?
> Why was/is Tenshi so uncomfortable with physical intimacy?
> Was it possible to get the IkuTen 'ship sailing, or was Tenshi too uninterested/scarred by past experiences?
> How were we supposed to get out of the shadow void without the screwdriver?
> What would have happened to Tenshi had we left her the book when Pocky and Brocky told us to?
> What was the solution that literally everyone missed in the first actual meaningful dialogue with Pocky and Brocky, when you made reference to "the first half of the conversation"?
> Did we miss any shadow theft victims, animate or otherwise?
> Were the paler-than-normal fairies significant somehow?
> Is that vow of silence still on-going?
> If we had accidentally wandered near a satori (very possible with Koishi being in superstealth mode), would Yukari have found out, regardless of whether or not we ever learned we did?
> Why were Reimu, Marisa and Yukari (to a degree, when playing Devil's Advocate) so determined to ignore common-sense evidence that worked against their pre-conceived biases toward who was responsible for everything?
> With all our paranoia, was Gensokyo ever really in any major danger? Or would the major powers have simply pulled tag-team cleanup duty if Pocky and Brocky started really overstepping her bounds?
> BGM: Momizi Down Mystia's Dress
Minor Questions
> What did Tenshi think we were implying when we were getting Renko and Maribel to guess about the identity of the shadow thief?
> When we tried to get Tenshi to guess that Meiling needed to be distracted so Feisty Geist could sneak in, is that actually what she guessed?
> So why did Tenshi steal Kisume's bucket way back when? It never came up.
> How could we have reasonably passed by Sameko without pissing her off?
> What would have happened if someone braved the SDM wall?
> Where did Sunny go?
> Where was Star?
> Byakuren aside, how many people did we encounter throughout the quest that were taller than we are, and who were they?
> What was Reisen's reaction to the Construct coming back, since we never saw her to learn?
> Speaking of, with how important almost every other player character was in this quest, will we ever see Reisen in a meaningful role again? ;_;
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>Would it have been possible to convince Shuuei to go along with the idea of entering Iku's mind, and if so, what would the result have been?
>Were their other ways to compensate Nue for the Seed of Non-Identification?
>What was the 'need' we felt Shuuei had when we prayed to the August One during our second encounter with her? Was indeed the need for people to think about her in order to continue existing?
>What is the average flight speed of a swallow carrying a five-pound note?
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General statements.
I helped a man get into his religion~
As for the major issues, they are largely one and the same. Part of the trouble with logic is that it's based on assumptions. Shuuei's problem was much deeper than logic. She was, not to put to fine a point on it, on the brink of insanity. Part of this is due to her own world-view, and part of it due to drawing too heavily on the shadow; Patchouli was quite right in pointing out it was too much her. On top of this, she had her own world view. By and large, you were arguing with someone on the edge of paranoid delusions, which is where pathos is quite a bit more important and logos is almost worthless. Part of this was by design; I wanted talking her down to be the hard way. But, once you started to work to reassure her, and break some of her own assumptions, progress was made. The reason she bonded with you wasn't really within her power to explain due to being alien: She never complained to anyone before, and she never had anyone really care about her before. Despite her protests to the contrary, it did reach her. As well, you managed to distract her from drawing on the shadow as much as she was; one of the reasons her danmaku was so destructive was because of that, for instance. You managed to talk her down from it long enough that she wasn't using it so strongly, which eased the mental stress she was feeling and kept it from aggravating other problems so much. The hint toward this was in the vast differences between how she acted toward Suika, and how she acted later. (I am surprised how long it took people to really consider visiting Suika; I felt it was an obvious step).
As for the suggestion to seek advice, please accept my apologies. I didn't mean it to be an insult to your intelligence. Rather, it was that I would have preferred you worked with others who have different viewpoints, rather than give hints.
Major Questions
> Did you actually expect us to be as tolerant of Tenshi's demeanor as we were?
> Why was/is Tenshi so uncomfortable with physical intimacy?
> Was it possible to get the IkuTen 'ship sailing, or was Tenshi too uninterested/scarred by past experiences?
> How were we supposed to get out of the shadow void without the screwdriver?
> What would have happened to Tenshi had we left her the book when Pocky and Brocky told us to?
> What was the solution that literally everyone missed in the first actual meaningful dialogue with Pocky and Brocky, when you made reference to "the first half of the conversation"?
> Did we miss any shadow theft victims, animate or otherwise?
> Were the paler-than-normal fairies significant somehow?
> Is that vow of silence still on-going?
> If we had accidentally wandered near a satori (very possible with Koishi being in superstealth mode), would Yukari have found out, regardless of whether or not we ever learned we did?
> Why were Reimu, Marisa and Yukari (to a degree, when playing Devil's Advocate) so determined to ignore common-sense evidence that worked against their pre-conceived biases toward who was responsible for everything?
> With all our paranoia, was Gensokyo ever really in any major danger? Or would the major powers have simply pulled tag-team cleanup duty if Pocky and Brocky started really overstepping her bounds?
> BGM: Momizi Down Mystia's Dress
Minor Questions
> What did Tenshi think we were implying when we were getting Renko and Maribel to guess about the identity of the shadow thief?
> When we tried to get Tenshi to guess that Meiling needed to be distracted so Feisty Geist could sneak in, is that actually what she guessed?
> So why did Tenshi steal Kisume's bucket way back when? It never came up.
> How could we have reasonably passed by Sameko without pissing her off?
> What would have happened if someone braved the SDM wall?
> Where did Sunny go?
> Where was Star?
> Byakuren aside, how many people did we encounter throughout the quest that were taller than we are, and who were they?
> What was Reisen's reaction to the Construct coming back, since we never saw her to learn?
> Speaking of, with how important almost every other player character was in this quest, will we ever see Reisen in a meaningful role again? ;_;
>I really did expect you to be harder on Tenshi, initially.
>It's not that Tenshi was uncomfortable with physical intimacy, it that she was uncomfortable with Iku. Tenshi is a known and unrepentant felon, Iku is the Sheriff. If you, say, drug running, wouldn't you be very suspicious and uncomfortable if the sheriff suddenly started being buddy buddy with you?
>It was possible, you would have had to have been more open and aggressive. And she would have flipped out and run away at first, before setting into the idea.
>Two ways out of the void. Yukari hinted at one; finding the part where the void "looped" and probing at it. Essentially testing the paradox.You would have found the open part sooner or later. The other way was to pray to The Dragon; particularly within the shadow altar.
>I don't remember the situation exactly, anymore. Give me some more details?
>The solution, so to speak, relates to the what I said above. The conversation largely trying to disprove her, and backing her further into a corner, as well as threats about what would happen if she tried taking aggressive actions.
>You found all the people; there were other objections; trees and rocks and such.
>They were faeries from a place heavy with curses. They have a bit more in common with the Makai breed than the Gensokyo breed.
>The vow is a secret.
>She likely wouldn't have found out; if Satori read that, she would have already read how critically secret it was and said nothing.
>They were considering common sense, as far as they were concerned. Their viewpoints weren't your own, you have to recall. Also, you are being a little hard on Reimu, given she did nothing to you other than warnings and such.
>It was entirely possible that Shuuei could have drained the shadow so badly that restoring it would not have fixed the problem. This means that Gensokyo would have subsumed Bhava-Agra, which would have lead to significant planar issues.
>I don't remember that scene with Tenshi and Renko offhand.
>Same, remind me; it was probably something very Tenshi-ish.
>Because Tenshi found it and figured it was valuable.
>Yes. In fact, I actually expected you to get by Sameko without problems.
>I prefer not to answer the wall question. But it was possible to get over it.
>Sunny vanished when you gave her the idea of making shadows disappear. The tree line with missing shadows was her work. If you had searched for her later, she would have turned up.
>Star was elsewhere doing other things. Probably helping out the tree.
>Just Byakuren and Marisa. And technically The Dragon.
>Reisen's reaction was quite a bit of consternation, until she investigated the event herself. She was satisfied with what Maribel and Renko did with it. She has grown distrustful of Alice. Still, she's afraid some aspect of it might be out there somewhere.
>You saw all the other past playables; Patchouli was probably most vital; but had Okuu and friends not been at Turtle House that night, there was a fair chance Shuuei would have attacked. Ran largely wanted little to do with the events; she was busy preparing for Yukari's hibernation, and was faintly annoyed that the incident delayed it. Reisen may have a meaningful role in the future.
>Would it have been possible to convince Shuuei to go along with the idea of entering Iku's mind, and if so, what would the result have been?
>Were their other ways to compensate Nue for the Seed of Non-Identification?
>What was the 'need' we felt Shuuei had when we prayed to the August One during our second encounter with her? Was indeed the need for people to think about her in order to continue existing?
>What is the average flight speed of a swallow carrying a five-pound note?
>Probably not. The idea of exposing someone to that degree was akin to asking her to prostitute herself.
>You could have dug up some interesting magical doodads with more looking around or different paths, or offered to let her cause trouble with the negotiations.
>It was that she needed some way to sustain herself, which she hadn't admitted at that point. In short, it was a hint toward trying to divine what she needed, and why she had done what she had.
>Five dense.
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> So Shuuei was drawing on it the entire time, despite not being in direct contact with it?
> How did she get up there in the first place, anyway?
> Why did it take so long for her to grab our shadow when it seems like Nitori and Kogasa got bit in an instant? Or was she just trying to kill us outright instead?
> Why were there shadow objects in the void, if Shuuei didn't think they were supposed to be there? The Dragon's work?
Also Reimu did stab us a bit. <_<
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>Given that the shadow realm wrapped around, this means there was essentially no risk in trying to find Guest Island after all, right?
>What would have happened if Iku had failed to prevent Shuuei from stealing her shadow in their first confrontation?
>What would have been required to move past Sameko without fighting her?
>If we hadn't avoided Marisa the first time, and ended up speaking with her before Eirin had fully convinced her of our guilt, would we have been able to protest are innocence to at least the degree where she wouldn't open fire on us?
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> So Shuuei was drawing on it the entire time, despite not being in direct contact with it?
> How did she get up there in the first place, anyway?
> Why did it take so long for her to grab our shadow when it seems like Nitori and Kogasa got bit in an instant? Or was she just trying to kill us outright instead?
> Why were there shadow objects in the void, if Shuuei didn't think they were supposed to be there? The Dragon's work?
>Yes.
>One of the abilities she never really demonstrated due to her tendency toward secretiveness; she can make shape shadows into quasi-physical objects. It's not a fact process (It took her about half an hour, in this case), but she used it to fashion a shadow she took into a set of wings.
>You never saw either of those theft. It wasn't a quick process so much as they were less able to resist than you were.
>Because the shadows are conceptual things; Bhava Agra's shadow held the concepts of its civilization, too. They weren't really the shadows of the things themselves so much as copies.
...Oh yeah, she did that first time. To be fair, pretty much everyone was bickering.
>Given that the shadow realm wrapped around, this means there was essentially no risk in trying to find Guest Island after all, right?
>What would have happened if Iku had failed to prevent Shuuei from stealing her shadow in their first confrontation?
>What would have been required to move past Sameko without fighting her?
>If we hadn't avoided Marisa the first time, and ended up speaking with her before Eirin had fully convinced her of our guilt, would we have been able to protest are innocence to at least the degree where she wouldn't open fire on us?
>There was the risk of getting lost in the void, and tired. You could have lost a great deal of time in there.
>You would have been banished within the Bhava-Agra's shadow like Nitori and Kogasa were, but from their perspective. You would have been on the Palace Island. However, in taking three intelligent shadows and Bhava-Agra's, Shuuei would have passed her limit, and you would have been able to put enough pressure on her after awhile to free yourself.
>You would have had to back off and apologize, and try to distract her away from the subject at hand and befriend her. She would have been pretty sympathetic once the issue of trespassing was set aside, especially once learning that Iku is a cloud dweller as well.
>Marisa would have almost certainly engaged you the first time, given she has the history of loopy theories. But afterward, she would have more willing to be sympathetic.
>_
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>You would have been banished within the Bhava-Agra's shadow like Nitori and Kogasa were, but from their perspective. You would have been on the Palace Island. However, in taking three intelligent shadows and Bhava-Agra's, Shuuei would have passed her limit, and you would have been able to put enough pressure on her after awhile to free yourself.
>Put pressure on her how?
>And would this have actually caused further harm to her in some way?
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>Five dense.
>FAILURE[/smashbros] You get thrown off the bridge.
>Also, when are the themes coming?
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>Put pressure on her how?
>And would this have actually caused further harm to her in some way?
>You would have had the opportunity when she tried to draw upon your shadow, or if you really focused on trying to free yourself while in the shadow of Bhava-Agra, you might have been able to force it.
>I hadn't decided yet. Likely it would depend on how you approached it.
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OH!
Why did Tenshi take the Sword of Hisou in the first place?
AND
Did Tenshi really kick those flowers in the face?
Is that why Yuuka was hanging around the Celestial Palace?
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Well, what a fine adventure tis have been. It was so long it was become norm for me to read this every day, and so I'll probably miss it. Or maybe the next quest will replace it.
A few concerns towards the players:
Main thing is, many many past readers said this before, but with the main players going meta and planning the whole game made other players to stop playing and even reading at all. I'm still reading it, as I'm a great fan, but really, I had almost no chance to somehow reply to this. True, I'm not an Iku person, and my skills are too bare to make her sound like you did, but maybe it would be easier even on yourself if you should have asked others how to solve some of the problems. I like the idea that there's one main player who replies to the game, but I think it would be better if when planning all these things, you'd involve other players and readers as well, here in this topic, and not in private. Just as I commented on it on IRC, I've actually noticed that how Tenshi is acting like a genuinely pedagogical definition of a teenager, and just when I wanted to give some advice, as it's the major I'm studying, I couldn't because there were already 2-3 new pages due to me living in a different timezone. Same with Shuuei, she was very "my type" of a girl, and could understood easily. Of course, I don't want to say that I'm so better, it just have been a little better, if the planning of the courses of action would have involved other players as well; other points of view as Purvis said.
'nuff said. I'm curious how Nue Quest will play out.
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> Is it possible for the IkuTen 'ship to sail naturally given what we've done with both of them, or would Player!Iku have had to take the initiative for it to ever have a chance?
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You could have stolen the bus a little >.> It's fun to drive Iku around when Kilga isn't looking!
I will love anyone that draws an Iku-bus with Rrr Kilga driving and a bunch of passengers yelling out commands. <3
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Well seeing how different type of character Nue is, I'm hoping that a lot more fooling around will there be by some other drivers.
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I tried to be as open about any and all plays that came up as I possibly could when I thought to do so. I will admit it's certainly possible I was doing less and less as the game wore on simply because I had been driving the bus for so long that it just became easier to not tell people that weren't inputting anyway. I already had enough stress trying to think of every last in-game detail. >_> But I try to make it a rule not to override outside input from players that don't input that often anyway if I've been driving the bus for a long time unless there's a damn good reason to do so. either there isn't a plan and thus no harm is being done, or there is a plan and I'll just work with or around the suggestion as necessary. (Sometimes outside inputs even yield solutions to plans I hadn't thought of before! I don't think I would ever have gone to Nue if Guy hadn't been so hell-bent on talking to her, for example.)
tl;dr Don't be afraid to interrupt. More often than not there is not an extreme gravity to whatever situation is currently taking place, so a potentially conflicting command isn't going to do much harm if any.
> Why did The Dragon not notice Shuuei before it was too late?
> Did Tenshi keep her sword, or did she eventually put it back (however grudgingly)? This was another loose end I meant to tie up - I was probably going to see Lady Hinanai again after the bar visit but OH WELL
> Whatever happened to the Jet Program?
EDIT: Also I would gladly marry Iku if Tenshi didn't want her so I endorse any and all prospective fanart with the two of us together <3 <3 <3
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Congrats on the completion~
I might not've posted a lot, but I lurked every day. :3
BGM: Makai
BGM: The Sky Falls
BGM: Shadowstuck
BGM: The August One
BGM: Chasing Tenshi
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OH!
Why did Tenshi take the Sword of Hisou in the first place?
AND
Did Tenshi really kick those flowers in the face?
Is that why Yuuka was hanging around the Celestial Palace?
She thought it was hers.
That is a secret.
Would it surprise you?
> Is it possible for the IkuTen 'ship to sail naturally given what we've done with both of them, or would Player!Iku have had to take the initiative for it to ever have a chance?
>It's plausible.
> Why did The Dragon not notice Shuuei before it was too late?
> Did Tenshi keep her sword, or did she eventually put it back (however grudgingly)? This was another loose end I meant to tie up - I was probably going to see Lady Hinanai again after the bar visit but OH WELL
> Whatever happened to the Jet Program?
>The same reason it didn't notice Yuyuko disrupting the seasons or Remilia causing a nuclear winter.
>Carp, I knew I forgot to add something to the ending. You managed to get in with her well enough that she eventually put it back, with the declaration she was done with it for now.
>It was sidetrekked by Nitori being out of action. But if you look closely, there have been hints toward it.
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>BGMs?
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>Music: Battle with Tenshi, battle with Shuuei, Nue vs. Aya, Orchid Isle melee, encounter with Sanae
> BGM: Momizi Down Mystia's Dress
Congrats on the completion~
I might not've posted a lot, but I lurked every day. :3
BGM: Makai
BGM: The Sky Falls
BGM: Shadowstuck
BGM: The August One
BGM: Chasing Tenshi
>Vs Tenshi: Who remembers which round this is? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNN2o15GrmI)
>Vs Shuuei: Now you see it, Now you don't! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3CsXJM8-8o)
>Nue Vs Aya: Not the fight is seems (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T-uBgCqxfg&feature=related)
>Orchard Isle Battle: Free For All (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq_UQ1rALxQ)
>Encounter with Sanae: Proof or else. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu3bVmN9RAY)
>Momizi Down Mystia's Dress: Like a TARDIS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9DbtGdsJ24)
>Makai: Realm of Preta (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZo6JpcbuYM)
>The Sky Falls: Meet the Ceiling. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTm0PWQTz-U)
>Shadowstuck: A Prisoner In Your Own Home (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoCIrFRjmq4)
>The August One: Strange Benevolence (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHAA7Xwcuuo)
>Chasing Tenshi: Can you make the top 3 times? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abJFeLmbUf4)
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>Are we allowed to make our own BGM suggestions?
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Ah~
Thank you very much for the BGMs Purvis!