Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Beyond the Border~ => Rumia's Party Games => Mystia's Stored Games => Topic started by: DracoOmega on May 15, 2011, 03:21:23 AM
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>You are Nazrin, a newly inducted member of the Seeker's Guild and you're nearing the end of your first day on the job.
>You found and retrieved a cat for a witch named Ellen, and were rewarded handsomely for your efforts. You've agreed to help some fairies find two new cats, one of which you've already given them. You got into a fight with an oni who was attacking a man outside a restaurant, and assisted Orange in arresting her. You accepted a job to investigate a delayed fruit shipment to the Melon Bowl. You recieved a job notice from Ichirin about disappearing livestock in Easthaven. You have travelled to Easthaven to follow up on both of these leads. Along the way, you met Cirno, an ice fairy who calls herself a swordsman. She attempted to challange you to a fight, but you managed to talk her out of it. You also may have encouraged her to investigate the Seeker's Guild.
>You are currently in Isato Matsutaka's house, speaking with him about the youkai who attacked his cart on the road to Braston several days
>"That's fine, I just wanted to be sure you didn't leave anything out. And, as far as you know, she didn't follow you?"
>He shakes his head. "I never saw her again, even when I went back to look for my cart. I guess she was more interested in that than me, thank god."
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>Nod.
>"You went back, and what did you find and find missing?"
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>Nod.
>"You went back, and what did you find and find missing?"
>"I couldn't find a thing," he says. "No sign of any of it; horses, cart, fruit, nothing."
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>"And thats why I'm here, eh. Dont worry, I'll take care of it somehow."
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>"And thats why I'm here, eh. Dont worry, I'll take care of it somehow."
>"Well, uh, if you can..." he trails off, frowning. "If you can find some of it still intact, I'll try to find some way to pay you back for it."
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>"I assume you saw nothing like footprints, wheel tracks, and so on?"
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>"I assume you saw nothing like footprints, wheel tracks, and so on?"
>"Er, um, I didn't really notice." He looks a little sheepish.
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>"Eh, doesnt matter too much. As long as I've a general area, I'm sure I can help in some way."
>If we asked him about what was in the basket, Could we somehow dowse it?
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>That would indeed be the plan.
>"Give me a description of the shipment; and the carts and the horses."
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>"Eh, doesnt matter too much. As long as I've a general area, I'm sure I can help in some way."
>If we asked him about what was in the basket, Could we somehow dowse it?
>Isato nods slowly. "I know you Seekers are good at that." Something about his demeanor makes you wonder if he's still doubtful.
>It seems a safe bet that it was mostly produce. Plant matter like that is very hard and indistinct to dowse. Among an open wilderness filled with plant matter, it would be kind of like looking for a piece of hay in a haystack. There's always a chance there was something more distinctive than that in the cart, however.
>That would indeed be the plan.
>"Give me a description of the shipment; and the carts and the horses."
>You decide to inquire.
>"The shipment was just fruit," he says. " Pineapple, watermelon, a bunch of other things. That's what I grow, mostly. A lot of it was going to the Melon Bowl, but some was for the open market or smaller contracts. The cart's a regular open two-horse cart; you know the type, I'm sure. Wooden, nothing fancy. The horses are both draft mares: a chestnut and a bay. The bay's getting a little up in years, now, but still going strong. Or, well, she was when I saw her last..." He trails off, frowning.
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>Would being exposed to things belonging to the horses, or having samples of their hair or whatnot, help in tracking them down?
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>Would being exposed to things belonging to the horses, or having samples of their hair or whatnot, help in tracking them down?
>Given the difficulty of dowsing organic material, you don't think hair would be very helpful. You certainly couldn't match it to any specific horse that way. As is, you may be able to get a vague read from the horses themselves, in the sense of 'largish, probably animal', but would likely already have to be close to them in order to separate this from background noise.
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>Ah well. Does worked wood or harvested produce count as organic?
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>Ah well. Does worked wood or harvested produce count as organic?
>They would. Moreover, the bigger issue in this case is that if they were somewhere in the wilderness, they would be surrounded by materials very similar to them. Such low contrast would make it very difficult to distinguish the produce from other plants and vegetation growing all around, or worked wood from trees, unless there was something unusual about the way the wood was treated.
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>Then we're probably limited to looking for the nails and such in it.
>"One last thing: Where did the attack happen? You mentioned the bridge, but how far from it? And, on this side or the other?"
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>Then we're probably limited to looking for the nails and such in it.
>"One last thing: Where did the attack happen? You mentioned the bridge, but how far from it? And, on this side or the other?"
>Small as they are, they'd probably still be easier to find. If the cart had metal axles, that would be even better.
>"On this side," he says. "It was, uh, well... not too far from it; 15 minutes? You could still see it from there, anyway."
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> "All right, thanks for the info. By the way, does your cart have metal axles?"
> When he inevitably gives us a dumb look, add: "Trust me, it'll help me find the thing."
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> "All right, thanks for the info. By the way, does your cart have metal axles?"
> When he inevitably gives us a dumb look, add: "Trust me, it'll help me find the thing."
>"Uh, yeah?" he says, looking a little puzzled.
>You explain that it'll help you find it. He gives you another uncertain look, then shrugs. "You know what you're doing, I'm sure."
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>Well that helps more then enough.
>"I'm pretty sure I can find your cart, along with whatever is missing. If not, I'll at least find the perpetrator. Thank you kindly for the help."
>Shall we take our leave and get to dowsing?
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>How far off is the bridge from here?
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>Well that helps more then enough.
>"I'm pretty sure I can find your cart, along with whatever is missing. If not, I'll at least find the perpetrator. Thank you kindly for the help."
>Shall we take our leave and get to dowsing?
>You're pretty sure that you can find it, assuming it's still in the same general vicinity.
>Istao nods slowly. "Um, thanks... Uh, I mean, thank you." He bows his head towards you.
>Shall you?
>How far off is the bridge from here?
>The better part of three hours' walk.
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>We'd better get there fast then.
>Head to the bridge.
>we can has timeskip?
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Hold the phone. You should probably check to see how tired you are, first: it's currently night, Nazrin's barely eaten all day, and that's a six hour round trip to confront a youkai with sharp claws.
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Well, We dont have a very big timeframe to get this stuff and get paid. I'm pretty sure Naz can handle a scrap with a random Youkai if she could handle one with an Oni - if it ever goes that far, that is. Plus I can assume that Cirno is still in the vicinity of the bridge, which is why once we got there I wanted to ask her to help us.
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>First, estimate how many hours we have left before getting debilitatingly tired.
>Would Ichirin be upset about skipping out on her after this?
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>We can always come back to do her request, though we might want to tell her what we're doing and why. She'd probably understand, though.
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>We can always come back to do her request, though we might want to tell her what we're doing and why. She'd probably understand, though.
>But before we do that, Would it take a considerable amount of time to get to her place, and back to the bridge?
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There's two ways to do this. One is that we go now, and if we find the goods we bring back word. That's six hours. Realistically nine hours, because the farmer would have to get there.
Second way is we wait, bring the farmer with us, and if we can find it, we send him on his way from there. However, this requires the horses to be in travelworthy state, the cart to be moderately intact, and the shipment to still be at least kinda there.
The third way is we kidnap a horse and use that to speed things along.
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Well purvis, Keep this in mind: Why would a Youkai attack a cart full of food? At the very most we'll probably only get half of what the guy was carrying. We can find the youkai in most likely an hour, so thats 3 hours to going to the bridge plus one. And iirc from bridge to town is... 2? We can give the shopkeep the stuff (if there's any left), and go back to Ichirin for the night.
That or we could borrow/steal a horse to speed this all along quite a bit. But remember, There's most likely no food left.
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Why would there be almost no food left? It was enough to supply a restaurant.
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>First, estimate how many hours we have left before getting debilitatingly tired.
>Would Ichirin be upset about skipping out on her after this?
>You're already pretty tired from being on the road for so long. Add another three hours to that and some searching around for the cart, and you're really not sure you'd be in any shape for a confrontation. Certainly you'd be dead on your feet by the time you made it back to Easthaven.
>You doubt she'd be upset with you - you think she'd be understanding about it being Seeker business and all - but you're certain she'd be disappointed, and might even be a little worried, given what she'd probably assume you've gone off to investigate.
>We can always come back to do her request, though we might want to tell her what we're doing and why. She'd probably understand, though.
>It would probably be nice to inform her. You kind of expect she'd scold you a little for pushing yourself too hard, and you know she'd be disappointed, but she'd probably understand.
>But before we do that, Would it take a considerable amount of time to get to her place, and back to the bridge?
>A detour to Ichirin's might add 15 minutes or so to the trip.
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Ehhh, I'm not really sure what to do as of now. What say you guys?
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>Do we know how to ride a horse at all?
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>Do we know how to ride a horse at all?
>You've never really tried. Most of the horses in Easthaven are draft horses, used for ploughing or pulling carts, although a couple people do some horseback riding. You'd never had much interest yourself, although you've seen it done.
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Looks like we'd have to rustle up a cart, then.
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>Are there any means of transportation that we have the slightest chance of using, like a cart or a horse?
>Preferably without stealing/borrowing.
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>Are there any means of transportation that we have the slightest chance of using, like a cart or a horse?
>Preferably without stealing/borrowing.
>You think you could manage to drive a cart. It would certainly be less awkward than trying to ride horseback without any practice, although you might still be able to manage the latter if you really had to. You were never really close to any of the farmers, although there's a few you'd know to speak to. Asking for borrow their horses in the middle of the night for anything short of an emergency might be a tall order, though.
>Given that you possess neither horse, nor cart, nor any means of travel aside from your own limbs, this seems unlikely.
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>Not a single person we can talk to? Not even Minoriko?
Welp, i'm stumped.
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>Glance to the farmer. "Do you have any other horses?"
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>Not a single person we can talk to? Not even Minoriko?
>You don't think she has one herself, although she might be better equipped to obtain the loan of one than you are.
>Glance to the farmer. "Do you have any other horses?"
>He shakes his head. "No, that's the worst part. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to afford new ones, either."
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I'm inclined to think we won't get the delivery there on time...
Might be best to just rest the night and let our patrons know that if when we find it tomorrow morning/afternoon we'll bring it straight to the Melon Bowl, if possible. Limits time wasted.
Did she need it there tonight, tomorrow morning, or anytime tomorrow?
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Upon review, Melon Bowl Lady said she needed the shipment within the next couple days. She said she'd give us a bonus if we got it there by tomorrow, but that's not a hard deadline for the job itself.
If worse comes to worse, and it takes us the whole of tomorrow to get the shipment and get it to Braston, then we might miss out on that bonus, but we'd still get the job done.
I'm inclined to agree with you, E-Naz. I'm not anxious to challenge what might be a feral youkai after spending all day on the road. Best to grab at least a few hours sleep back at Ichirin's and get an early start tomorrow. If all goes well, we stil might get the goods back to Braston sometime late tomorrow, still get that bonus.
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Personally, I'm more concerned about disappointing Ichirin. =(
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Personally, I'm more concerned about disappointing Ichirin. =(
I'd assume she knows we're not that little mouse she cared for anymore, And we've got money to make for supporting ourselves. Sure, She'll be upset, But that doesnt really help us in any way.
Upon review, Melon Bowl Lady said she needed the shipment within the next couple days. She said she'd give us a bonus if we got it there by tomorrow, but that's not a hard deadline for the job itself.
If worse comes to worse, and it takes us the whole of tomorrow to get the shipment and get it to Braston, then we might miss out on that bonus, but we'd still get the job done.
I'm inclined to agree with you, E-Naz. I'm not anxious to challenge what might be a feral youkai after spending all day on the road. Best to grab at least a few hours sleep back at Ichirin's and get an early start tomorrow. If all goes well, we stil might get the goods back to Braston sometime late tomorrow, still get that bonus.
You know, This info would'va helped a lot. Ah well, we got it now, no use crying about it.
So what do we do? Aim for the bonus, or do Ichirin's job?
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Personally, I'm more concerned about disappointing Ichirin. =(
I should hope Ichirn was proud of us for coming as far as we have, but we won't dissapoint her here. Either way we go, we'll get our jobs done. And anything else that comes up. We'll show her that she took good care of us, and that we'll amount to big things in this world.
But speaking of Ichirin's job, we never actually DID get the details on that before we set out again. At least beyond what we already have. I'd like to ask her about that when we get back there, before we bunk down for the night.
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Yeah, the big bonus is why we're making such a big deal about it. If it were a hard deadline, I don't think anyone would have bothered with the job unless the upfront pay was much less nebulous.
A question does come to mind about how much we know about dealing with feral youkai, given our own start as one.
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Well, We've got Dowsing Rods that can work as a club, and since we're mice I'd assume we'd have some sort of spidey-sense, if not that then we're at least agile.
But iunno. I'm thinking now that we should just do the job when we can, But it'd be much nicer of us to save the story from bankruptcy, yaknow? Might net us a few things.
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And kunai that we've yet to draw. But that IS a good question, Purvis.
>How much do we know about feral youkai in general? For that matter, what were we like in our early days after we transformed?
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Our main weapon are kunai. We might've been able to one-shot Cirno with them.
The one advantage we do have to acting right now is that our murine brethern tend to be more active at night. And, if the shopkeeper was attacked during the day, it suggests there's a good chance the youkai would be asleep now.
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>How much do we know about feral youkai in general? For that matter, what were we like in our early days after we transformed?
>It depends a great deal on the kind of youkai, and of course there are individual differences in temperament even among youkai of the same type. Animal youkai tend to inherit traits and temperaments similar to the animal they once were, although this is not universal, and years of life as a youkai may change this further. But a youkai that had recently awakened from a territorial and predatory animal might still respond savagely to perceived incursions. Not all wild youkai awakened from animals, of course, but for the many youkai that defy blanket categorization, there's no easy way to predict their temperament in advance. Perhaps if you had a better idea what you were dealing with...
>Many youkai born in the wild, be they animal or otherwise, do eventually choose to integrate themselves into society in some fashion. A complex mind is rarely content living the same existence as an animal forever. Yet, some remain aloof, either choosing consciously to live among the wilds, or simply not ascending far beyond their instincts. Attacks from wild youkai are rare in most places, but not unheard of. These can range from simply driving others from their territory to actual attempts to prey upon humans as youkai did in ancient times, although the latter is very rare indeed.
>The earliest days of your own existence as a youkai are hazy now, from a time before your mind had grown comfortable with its new complexity. When you awakened, you gradually found yourself aware of language, and of complex thoughts that would have been impossible for you earlier, although you lacked knowledge. In many ways, you were only a few steps removed from the instincts that had ruled your life as a simple mouse. But it was with new eyes that you viewed the world now and you found yourself noticing and pondering things about it which would have been irrelevant to you before. And then you met Ichirin, who showed you more things than you'd ever realized you hadn't known. In many ways, when you look back on your earliest days as a youkai, they feel as though they belonged to a different person altogether.
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So we've went down memory lane, And learnt that we dont have to do the job right now.
Also, Question, Are guilders the universal currency, or as the name implies just for guild-related use only?
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilder
Probably fairly local, though.
Anyways, Sour, what's your call on this?
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Personally, I think we have enough information to find that shipment now, or at least the wagon part of it. And we know where to start looking from.
I say we bid buddy adieu for now, head back to Ichirin' to cop a few z's, and hear what her job is before bedtime. We can get an early start, around the crack of dawn, then set off for the bridge to go youkai hunting. With some luck, might score a bit of breakfast from Big Mama Ichirin as well. Or, if Ichirin's task is more time sensitive, we can deal with that first, depending on its severity.
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Sour's got the plan. If we're real lucky, Ichirin might be able to hook us up with some transit.
>"Alright sir. I apologize for waking you up, and I shall be on this issue tomorrow morning. I need to arrange a few things first."
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>"Alright sir. I apologize for waking you up, and I shall be on this issue tomorrow morning. I need to arrange a few things first."
>Isato shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. Uh, waking me up, I mean. I mean, I wasn't really that asleep in the first place." He rubs his forehead.
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>Nod.
>"Still, thank you for your cooperation. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I'll be able to get your horses and wagon back to you."
>Unless he says something particularly compelling, take our leave and head back to the orphanage.
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>Nightmares, probably...
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>Nightmares, probably...
>In his position, that wouldn't be hard to believe. He did seem a little rattled.
>Nod.
>"Still, thank you for your cooperation. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I'll be able to get your horses and wagon back to you."
>Unless he says something particularly compelling, take our leave and head back to the orphanage.
>"That'd be great," he says. "Seriously, I can't think of anything better right now."
>You take your leave; Isato nods to you as you go. The walk back to the orphanage is fairly short and uneventful, if somewhat darker than the first trip.
>When you reach the orphanage, you note the fairy from earlier is still perched on the roof, her legs dangling over the edge and swinging idly back and forth.
>"Hey!" she says, giving a small wave in your direction.
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>"Evening! Ichirin still up?"
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>"Evening! Ichirin still up?"
>"Think so," she says, then shakes her head. "You people and your sleeping through the night," she adds in a vaguely chiding tone.
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>"Thanks!"
>Head inside.
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>"Thanks!"
>Head inside.
>You thank the fairy and head inside.
>"What's so great about the day, anyway," you hear her muttering behind you. "Only boring old sun."
>You step into the porch of the orphanage. It feels like a long time since you've set foot inside this place, but you could still navigate it with your eyes closed. As much as you've forged out into the world and left the sleepy stasis of Easthaven behind, there's still some part of you here. You grew into yourself here, back when the world seemed very different indeed. You wonder if you avoid the place a little because it reminds you of how you started, so very far from the person you've strived to become. Not that they're bad memories or anything...
>Ahead of you is a large common room, with ample comfortable seating, a (very) modest library, and a few other things for people to busy themselves with. It was never quite tidy, despite Ichirin's best efforts. You wonder if that shogi set is still kicking around. You remember Orange's exultant triumph the first (and only) time she beat you. Actually, you're pretty sure everyone else in the house knew within the next 5 minutes. In retrospect, you probably shouldn't have been so irate with her afterwards; she'd meant well, even if it had felt like rubbing it in your face at the time. Past the common room is a playroom for the very young kids, and the kitchen. Beyond that is mostly bedrooms; fairly small ones, all things told, and people sometimes had to bunk together when space was short, although you had a room to yourself for most of your time here.
>The orphanage is quiet and mostly dark at the moment, but you see a small light coming from the kitchen.
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>Kitchens are a mouse's specialty; go that way!
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>Kitchens are a mouse's specialty; go that way!
>You walk down the hall and into the kitchen. Although it's a fairly large for a kitchen, so much of the room is devoted to cupboards and pantry space that it feels rather narrow. Breakfast time could sometimes turn into an exercise in acrobatics if too many people decided they were hungry at the same time. Conversely, it was always provisioned to feed a crowd.
>The thin and flickering light is coming from a candle on the kitchen table. Ichirin is sitting beside it, nursing a cup of tea.
>She looks up at you as you enter and smiles. "I didn't know if you'd be back before dawn."
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>"I discoved I may have a bit of a task ahead of me. Didn't wanna tackle it without at least a few hours sleep, especially after spending all day on the road."
>Pull up a chair and have a seat.
>"Place seems a bit smaller now."
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>"And didn't I tell you not to stay up for me?"
>Smile.
>"So, something about cattle?"
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>"I discoved I may have a bit of a task ahead of me. Didn't wanna tackle it without at least a few hours sleep, especially after spending all day on the road."
>Pull up a chair and have a seat.
>"Place seems a bit smaller now."
>Ichirin nods, the slightest hint of a frown on her face. "I'm glad you're not planning to ignore that entirely."
>You pull up a chair and sit down. It is an immediate blessed relief. You don't think it had fully hit you until that moment just how long you've been on your feet.
>"That's just the big city rubbing off on you," she says lightly.
>"And didn't I tell you not to stay up for me?"
>Smile.
>"So, something about cattle?"
>Ichrin smiles. "Did you honestly expect me not to?"
>"Oh, does it have to be work right away?" She frowns at you. "You said it yourself; you've been on the road all day. You can give yourself a few minutes break."
>She stands up and moves towards the stove. "I left some tea simmering," she says, fetching a mug from the cupboard. "I assume you're hungry, too?"
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>"Very so, yeah. I really hope I'm not being a bother either."
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>"Very so, yeah. I really hope I'm not being a bother either."
>"I'd like to think you know better than to worry about that," she says, fetching more things from the cupboards. "You're always welcome here, Nazrin."
>She pours you a cup of tea from the kettle, then returns to the table with a plate bearing several slices of fresh homemade bread, blueberry jam, and some peppered cheese. She puts it and the tea down in front of you.
>"I can get you something more substantial, if you'd like," she says.
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> "Naw. This is great the way it is."
> Thank Ichirin for the food and tea and smear some jam onto a slice of bread.
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> "Naw. This is great the way it is."
> Thank Ichirin for the food and tea and smear some jam onto a slice of bread.
>Ichrin nods, then sits back down across from you.
>You thank Ichirin, and set to putting some jam on that bread. Much as the chair helped drive home how long you'd been standing, having some decent food in front of you makes you all the more aware of how hungry you are. You didn't exactly starve yourself on the way here, but dried traveling rations have nothing on this, as simple as it may be.
>"So, how've things been with you?" she asks. "And how long have you had that badge now, anyway?"
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> "Only had it since yesterday... or is it the day before yesterday now? But yeah, it's been... interesting."
> Nibble on the bread. Should we tell Ichirin how Orange did...?
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> "Only had it since yesterday... or is it the day before yesterday now? But yeah, it's been... interesting."
> Nibble on the bread. Should we tell Ichirin how Orange did...?
>"So I guess you haven't even had time to get used to it yourself, yet," she says. "Well, congratulations again, although I never had a doubt that you'd do it."
>You nibble on the bread. It's fresh and moist and the jam is succulent. Really, as hungry as you are, you have a hard time keeping yourself to nibbling.
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>"Thanks, Ichirin. What else have I been missing back in Easthaven?"
>Since this one will probably take a while, go ahead and dig in in the meantime. But pay attention.
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>"Thanks, Ichirin. What else have I been missing back in Easthaven?"
>Since this one will probably take a while, go ahead and dig in in the meantime. But pay attention.
>"Oh, not much around town that you'd be very interested in, I'm sure," she says. "Tanehara's old mare broke her leg the other week, Ichirou decided to plant corn this year instead of tomatoes, Willard continues to complain about the export tariffs." She smiles faintly. "I know why you left."
>"As for the orphanage, well... Things have been quieter around here lately. I don't think we've been full up since you were living here. Timothy moved to Wynsdale last winter. He's working as a vintner's apprentice. Oh, Yoriko and Tadaki finally got married in the spring."
>Ichirin carries on this way for a little while, updating you on the comings and goings of people who live here, or used to. Some names you recognize well, others you don't.
>While she talks, you dig into the food. The cheese has an excellent zing to it and the tea is pretty good, too - lemon, with a hint of mint.
>"But really, I'd much rather hear about what you've been up to," she says after a little while. "You never write."
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>Ouch. That doesn't feel good, for some reason.
>"Well... Well, once I I got into the Seekers, I ended up apprenticed to one of the more... notorious members of the guild, witch named Marissa. You may have heard of her? Blonde girl, flys around on a broom, tends to make things explode just by walking past?"
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>Ouch. That doesn't feel good, for some reason.
>"Well... Well, once I I got into the Seekers, I ended up apprenticed to one of the more... notorious members of the guild, witch named Marissa. You may have heard of her? Blonde girl, flys around on a broom, tends to make things explode just by walking past?"
>She's not exactly wrong, but somehow it feels worse actually hearing her say it...
>Ichirin looks somewhat dismayed at your explanation of Marisa. "That... doesn't sound very pleasant. Why would they give such a dangerous-sounding person charge of the beginners?"
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>Grin.
>"Look at it this way: Spending much time around her is a sure-fire way to learn where NOT to stand when spells start flying."
>Pause for a moment to have another go at that cheese.
>"But honestly, she's not as bad as you might think. I mean, sure, she's real good at blowing things up, but she's not as wantonly destructive as her rep might tell you. In fact, in all the time I spent with her, I never got caught in any of her explosions. Well, except for one, and that wasn't entirely her fault."
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>Grin.
>"Look at it this way: Spending much time around her is a sure-fire way to learn where NOT to stand when spells start flying."
>Pause for a moment to have another go at that cheese.
>"But honestly, she's not as bad as you might think. I mean, sure, she's real good at blowing things up, but she's not as wantonly destructive as her rep might tell you. In fact, in all the time I spent with her, I never got caught in any of her explosions. Well, except for one, and that wasn't entirely her fault."
>Ichirin nods dubiously. "Well, at least you seem in good spirits about it."
>You have another piece of cheese. It really is good cheese.
>"Wasn't entirely her fault?" she asks, pointedly.
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>"Well, I didn't know those things exploded when mixed, either."
>Better explain that, hadn't we?
>"Mari dabbles in alchemy from time to time, says it 'fits her image' or something. Doesn't always go to plan, that. She turned half the guildhall pink once."
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>"Well, I didn't know those things exploded when mixed, either."
>Better explain that, hadn't we?
>"Mari dabbles in alchemy from time to time, says it 'fits her image' or something. Doesn't always go to plan, that. She turned half the guildhall pink once."
>"You're not exactly inspiring confidence about her," Ichirin says, still regarding you warily. "But, well, if you think she's ok, I'll trust your judgment. I know you aren't easily taken in."
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> "Well I don't blame you for being wary. She is kind of a handful."
> "So... I completed my first solo job today."
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> "Well I don't blame you for being wary. She is kind of a handful."
> "So... I completed my first solo job today."
>"She certainly sounds that way," Ichirin says. "But that isn't always so bad, if you like someone."
>"Well you're certainly not wasting any time. What was it?"
-
> "I had to find a witch's... cat."
> Pause and gauge her reaction.
> "The little guy was surprisingly mellow though. Found him in the company of some faeries and he didn't so much as blink as I was taking him back."
-
>"Like... You mean, like- Waitaminute, you don't think I...!"
>Are we blushing? Better not be.
-
>"Like... You mean, like- Waitaminute, you don't think I...!"
>Are we blushing? Better not be.
Put this one in front of Hakasu's. Add in between:
> Quickly change the subject!
-
>"Like... You mean, like- Waitaminute, you don't think I...!"
>Are we blushing? Better not be.
>"Well, you like her, don't you?" Ichirin says, matter-of-factly. "At least it sounded that way to me. I didn't mean you liked her." She pauses, gauging your consternation. A hint of a grin tugs at the corner of her mouth. "Unless you do, of course."
>You really hope you're not blushing. Ichirin's expression isn't helping; her eyes have the faintest hint of a sparkle in them. At your expense, no doubt.
> Quickly change the subject!
>You quickly change the subject!
> "I had to find a witch's... cat."
> Pause and gauge her reaction.
> "The little guy was surprisingly mellow though. Found him in the company of some faeries and he didn't so much as blink as I was taking him back."
>You mention Sokrates, then pause for Ichirin's reaction. Hopefully she'll just forget about the last few seconds. She nods, doing her best to present an expression of neutral attentiveness, but you swear you can see her trying not to just grin at you. Whether it's about the cat, or about Marisa, you're honestly not sure.
>"Well, it may not have been the kind of treasure you're hoping to find," Ichirin says, "but I'm sure her mattered a lot to someone."
-
>"Oh, it did. The witch who lost him was ecstatic. Paid really well for that kind of job, too."
-
>"Oh, it did. The witch who lost him was ecstatic. Paid really well for that kind of job, too."
>Ichirin smiles. "So, a good deed and good pay. I'd say you're off to a great start."
-
>"Enough to eat on for a few days. But I'll definitely need better jobs soon."
-
>"Enough to eat on for a few days. But I'll definitely need better jobs soon."
>"Ever onward and upward," she says, then pauses. "I suppose I should fill you in on the petition you're here for, then."
-
> "Probably be a pretty good idea. What's the problem, something about missing livestock?"
-
> "Probably be a pretty good idea. What's the problem, something about missing livestock?"
>Ichirin nods. "It started... well, I suppose the first disappearance may have been almost three weeks ago now, but nobody thought much of it at the time. One evening, when Soichi was taking his cows in from grazing, he noticed one missing. At first, he just assumed it had wandered off somehow, but it never came back and he couldn't find a sign of it when he went off to look for it. A couple days later, word got around that a neighbour had lost one, too. Then someone else claimed they'd lost three. No one could find a trace of any of them. Several more have disappeared since then. I'm... afraid there may have been some accusations of theft between a few of the farmers." She frowns a little uncomfortably. "That's why I'm involved at all. I volunteered to be a neutral party to the dispute. And I figured that if nobody here could find them, it might be time to call in a professional."
>"You know we don't exactly have bandits and thieves roving the countryside here, but I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to explain this. If it's wild animals, they're awfully hungry and awfully tidy eaters."
-
>"How many are missing in total?"
-
>"How many are missing in total?"
>"I have a list of the number of cattle each farmer claims they're missing," she says. "This may or may not be wholly accurate, but the total comes to 11."
-
>Nod.
>"Anything in common between them?"
-
>Nod.
>"Anything in common between them?"
>"Well, the farmers who pasture their cattle furthest north seem to have the most missing, but a lot of the pasture land is up in that general area, anyway. Other than that, I haven't noticed anything."
-
>Maybe the missing cattle are connected to that feral youkai that attacked Isato?
>We'll have to be sure to make a mental note to look into that possible connection, no sense in not following potential leads.
-
>Which way is that bridge from Branston?
>"So location. Nothing in common with the cows themselves, such as color or type?"
-
>Maybe the missing cattle are connected to that feral youkai that attacked Isato?
>We'll have to be sure to make a mental note to look into that possible connection, no sense in not following potential leads.
>Given that the bridge is a couple hours away, this would imply that her territory is pretty far-reaching, but it's certainly a possibility.
>A good Seeker ignores no potential clue.
>Which way is that bridge from Branston?
>"So location. Nothing in common with the cows themselves, such as color or type?"
>The bridge is west from Easthaven, and east from Braston.
>Ichirin shakes her head. "Not as far as anyone's noticed."
-
>"Favoring east or west side, these disappearances?"
-
>"Favoring east or west side, these disappearances?"
>"I, um..." She frowns. "I'm not sure. Why?"
-
>"Considering possibilities. I'll assume neither, then. I assume there's been nothing like broken fences or unusual footprints or bent grasses?"
-
>"Considering possibilities. I'll assume neither, then. I assume there's been nothing like broken fences or unusual footprints or bent grasses?"
>"No broken fences," she says. "At least not that I've heard about. The cattle themselves track all over the land up there, though. I'm not sure anyone else's tracks would stand out, especially since no one knows exactly where they disappeared from. None of the farmers found anything useful to follow, anyway."
-
>"I assume that they would have at least walked around their land to check fences and look around, so I can rule out tracks."
>"Hmmm. How many tend to disappear at once? How often?"
-
>"I assume that they would have at least walked around their land to check fences and look around, so I can rule out tracks."
>"Hmmm. How many tend to disappear at once? How often?"
>"You're the expert," she says, nodding.
>"Often one, but not always. And I think it may be getting more frequent, now. It was almost a week between the first and second disappearance, but we just had two more in the last three days."
-
>"Always at night, I take it? Have any farms been hit twice? Or ignored?"
-
Seems like someone's got some sort of need for cows. It's probably not about the captors eating the cows themselves, maybe selling them off for a profit? Or maybe their milk or meat or whatever it is cows are good for. That or maybe some kind of Youkai is starting up a farm, whatnot with Horses and Cows and Food being stolen.
I'm just throwing out the few things I may think be possible, by the way.
>"Hmm. I think that's all I need to know for now, I'm started to get a bit tired. Maybe we'll talk more in the morning?"
-
>"Hmm. I think that's all I need to know for now, I'm started to get a bit tired. Maybe we'll talk more in the morning?"
>Ignore this.
-
>"Always at night, I take it? Have any farms been hit twice? Or ignored?"
>"Maybe..." Ichirin says. "At least I don't think anyone noticed one go missing during the day, but they can't keep an eye on all of them, all the time. A couple did try staking out their places after dark, but they never saw anything. And some farmers have lost one more than once, yes. Some of the grazing land up there is shared, though. That's probably why some people started accusing their neighbours of stealing in the first place."
-
>"Were the cows taken particularly good ones? Or bad ones?"
>What's the size of the average herd out here? A Dozen? A few dozen? Hundreds?
-
>"Were the cows taken particularly good ones? Or bad ones?"
>What's the size of the average herd out here? A Dozen? A few dozen? Hundreds?
>Ichirin considers for a moment. "I think they were considered good, for the most part, although they weren't selectively the very best of the herd, either."
>Easthaven has only a small amount of livestock rearing in comparison to the amount of crops which are grown here. Of the farmers which keep cattle at all, you think many of the herds are only in the range of a dozen or less, with a small handful of people having more.
-
>Less than a dozen? Then they're practically pets!
>"Any other interesting details about the missing cattle that you've been told?"
-
>Less than a dozen? Then they're practically pets!
>"Any other interesting details about the missing cattle that you've been told?"
>For some of the farmers, that mightn't be far from the case.
>"I don't think so," she says, frowning. "At least nothing that's jumped out at me so far."
-
>Nod. "So, the cownapper hasn't targeted anything in particular. I assume no one has actually heard anything during the night?"
-
>Nod. "So, the cownapper hasn't targeted anything in particular. I assume no one has actually heard anything during the night?"
>"No." She pauses. "Well, nothing I put much stock into, anyway. When you're worrying that something's out there, you start jumping at shadows. I've heard claims of everything from a gang of men arguing with each other to strange bestial moaning. No two people's stories seem to agree with each other."
-
>"So no common threads there, aside from the cow vanishing. I'm guessing no one looked around long enough to find some cow droppings or anything that'd suggest they were around?"
-
>"So no common threads there, aside from the cow vanishing. I'm guessing no one looked around long enough to find some cow droppings or anything that'd suggest they were around?"
>"Well, a few groups of people combed through some of the woods beyond the edge of the fields, but they didn't find much of anything. Wherever they've gone, it must be further than that, unless someone's hiding them very well."
-
>Where are these woods?
>Also, any of that cheese and bread left? It's sammich time.
-
>Where are these woods?
>Also, any of that cheese and bread left? It's sammich time.
>Much of the northern side of Estval is covered in forest. The were woods north of the road to Easthaven along most of its length, thinning into grasslands every now and again. The land around Easthaven is somewhat less treed, and much of it has been cleared for agricultural purposes, but there's still fairly dense woods beyond the edge of the pasture lands to the north and northwest.
>You've eaten through pretty much all of what you were given, although you're sure there's more in the pantry.
-
Chentlemen, I have found our culprit. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07X_nMzh9fM&feature=related)
>"Could I have a bit more? A cheese sandwich would be nice to brood over."
>Would Ichirin be likely to have a local area map around? If so, ask for that.
-
>"Could I have a bit more? A cheese sandwich would be nice to brood over."
>Would Ichirin be likely to have a local area map around? If so, ask for that.
>"Of course," Ichirin says, getting up and going back towards the pantry.
>You're not certain, but it's not outside the realm of the possible. You decide to ask.
>"I do," she says, fetching bread from the cupboard, "but it's not a very detailed one. The village hall would have a more precise one, with land claims and such marked, if you're hoping you might find some sort of pattern." She reaches for the cheese. "Do you want anything on this? Mustard? Mayonnaise? I have some fresh ham in the ice box; I could slice you some."
-
>"A bit of ham sounds good, actually. With just a bit of mustard, if you please."
-
>"A bit of ham sounds good, actually. With just a bit of mustard, if you please."
>"Of course," Ichirin says, moving across the kitchen to the ice box.
>"I wish I had something more helpful to tell you about all this," she says as she fetches the ham and starts cutting it. "But I wanted to call in a Seeker sooner, rather than later. I know some of the farmers wanted to deal with it themselves - start more serious patrols and such, but, well... some of them are still think the culprit's among them. There's been tempers flaring; I think a couple of them had bad blood between them to start with, and this certainly hasn't helped."
>She returns to the table with a the sandwich and places it before you. "Here you go."
-
>"That's how it is sometimes. Personally, I want to think this and the wagon disappearance are related, but I'm not getting that feeling after seeing the evidence, unless this youkai is very sneaky and has a pretty wide range."
-
>"That's how it is sometimes. Personally, I want to think this and the wagon disappearance are related, but I'm not getting that feeling after seeing the evidence, unless this youkai is very sneaky and has a pretty wide range."
>Ichirin nods. "She didn't sound very... subtle, from Isato's description, either. Leaping out at him in broad daylight. Unless something else provoked her then, although I can't think of what."
-
>"Might have problems with horses, might have been starving, might have just been passing through and felt threatened. It's hard to say at this point. I assume no one else has reported anything like that?"
>Sammich it up
-
>"Anything's possible, I suppose. With a bit of luck, I'll know more tomorrow."
>Does the kitchen have a window? If so, look out it.
>"That reminds me, about what time do you make it now?"
-
>"Might have problems with horses, might have been starving, might have just been passing through and felt threatened. It's hard to say at this point. I assume no one else has reported anything like that?"
>Sammich it up
>"Nope." Ichirin shakes her head. "People have been coming and going along the road for a few days now without incident."
>You bite into the sandwich. It has a satisfying heft to it after a day of light eating.
>"Anything's possible, I suppose. With a bit of luck, I'll know more tomorrow."
>Does the kitchen have a window? If so, look out it.
>"That reminds me, about what time do you make it now?"
>"I have full confidence in you," she says with a smile.
>It does. You take a look outside. The window is fairly small, and the view isn't very good. About all you can tell is that it's dark.
>Ichirin cranes her neck around towards the window as well. "I think it must be midnight at least," she says.
-
>"Sounds about right. I plan to start as early as possible tomorrow, preferably around the crack of dawn. I don't know if I'll be able to resolve both of these issues in one day, but I'm damn sure gonna try."
-
>"Sounds about right. I plan to start as early as possible tomorrow, preferably around the crack of dawn. I don't know if I'll be able to resolve both of these issues in one day, but I'm damn sure gonna try."
>"I have no doubt of that," she says.
-
>"Well... I'll try not to let you down."
>How do people say that to each other so easily? Even if the sentiment's kind of nice.
>Polish off that sandwich.
Alright Purvis, I'm ready to pack in for the night and get down to business at sunup, unless you wanted to ask Big Mama here about that map of yours before we crash.
-
>"One more thing, do you think you could get me a horse and cart tomorrow morning? If I could get around faster, it'd be all the better."
-
>"Well... I'll try not to let you down."
>How do people say that to each other so easily? Even if the sentiment's kind of nice.
>Polish off that sandwich.
>"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Ichirin says. "I'm sure you'll do what you can, and that's good enough as far as I'm concerned."
>You make quick work of the rest of the sandwich. You think it does a pretty good job of filling the hole.
>"One more thing, do you think you could get me a horse and cart tomorrow morning? If I could get around faster, it'd be all the better."
>Ichirin pauses, considering. "I might be able to," she says, "although I'm afraid I can't promise anything. You said you wanted to be gone at the crack of dawn tomorrow?"
-
>"I'd be happy to delay a little bit if it'll get me that. The speed would more than make up for it."
-
>"I'd be happy to delay a little bit if it'll get me that. The speed would more than make up for it."
>Ichirin nods. "I think I know a couple people I can ask. I'll make sure to get up early myself, and try to arrange that for you."
-
>"You have no idea how helpful it'll be. Thanks, I really appreciate it."
-
>"You have no idea how helpful it'll be. Thanks, I really appreciate it."
>She smiles. "I'm happy I can help."
-
>"Me too."
>Finish that sammich, and begin bedtime procedures.
-
>"Me too."
>Finish that sammich, and begin bedtime procedures.
>You finish up the last of the sandwich, then get up to head to bed.
>"Your room's the second on the left," Ichirin says, as you stand. "I fetched fresh sheets for the bed while you were gone."
>You thank her, and say your goodnights to each other, then head towards your room.
>It's much the same as the one you used to sleep in, though a bit more spartan at the moment. There's a bunk bed, freshly made, with a small wooden nightstand beside it. A window above the nighstand looks out on the oak tree in the back. A small closet is set in the side wall, but there are few furnishings in the room at the moment.
-
>Inventory
-
>Inventory
>Prism Pendant (around neck)
>Seeker's Badge (pinned to chest)
>73 Val Razuan guilders
>Compass
>Traveling pack
>Traveling rations
>Lockpicks
>3 kunai
>Picture of Sokrates
>Mostly-eaten lemon pie
>Mysterious rusty part
>Antique Val Razuan 1 guilder coin
>Dowsing rods
-
>Claim top bunk!
-
>Claim top bunk!
>You claim the top bunk. It seems Ichirin went to the trouble of making up both beds. Still, the room you slept in for most of your time here had only a single bed; perhaps she wanted to let you pick whichever you'd rather?
>Setting your gear and such aside, you slip into the covers and pull them over you. The bed is soft and comforting after a long day on the road. As familiar as this place is, sleeping here again feels strangely like something out of a memory. You find your mind wandering - thinking on the events of today, and of those to come tomorrow, and of your past here. As you lie in bed, you slowly become aware of a softly flickering light coming from the window.
-
> Lean out from the bed and peer out the window.
-
> Lean out from the bed and peer out the window.
>You lean towards the window and look out. The source of the light is immediately apparent: a twisting and sweeping trail of gold working its way across the night sky, some distance overhead. And at its head, you spot the fairy from the rooftop, weaving loops and twirls through the air. Motes of shimmering golden light scatter in her path like the wake of a gentle firework, raining softly from her trail for a few moments before fizzling into darkness again.
-
>Does it seem like she's going anywhere?
-
>Does it seem like she's going anywhere?
>She doesn't seem to be heading anywhere in particular; her flight meanders about without apparent direction, although she seems to mostly be staying south of Easthaven and towards the orphanage. At least as best you can tell from the angle.
-
>Stifle a grin. Looks like a great firefly.
>Is her light the only light we can see in the sky, or is there any signs of dawn?
-
>Well, if she's south, that means she's away from where most of the disappearances are. Probably nothing to worry about in that regard, at least.
-
>Stifle a grin. Looks like a great firefly.
>Is her light the only light we can see in the sky, or is there any signs of dawn?
>Or a one-fairy fireworks display, if she could manage a burst of the stuff.
>There's perhaps a scattered point of light from Easthaven in the distance, although certainly no sign of dawn.
>Well, if she's south, that means she's away from where most of the disappearances are. Probably nothing to worry about in that regard, at least.
>She appears to be south of the majority of the habitation of Easthaven, let alone the pasture land to the north of it. She doesn't seem to be doing anything more than enjoying herself, if you had to guess.
-
>Fairies will be fairies, after all.
>Roll over and try to get some sleep. Probably gonna be a busy day tomorrow.
-
>Fairies will be fairies, after all.
>Roll over and try to get some sleep. Probably gonna be a busy day tomorrow.
>You've certainly seen nothing that could change this.
>Curiosity satisfied, you roll over and attempt to get to sleep. Soon enough, you find yourself drifting off to the soft light of the fairy's flight.
>Some time later, you awaken to the sound of gentle knocking on your door. The room is still dim, but with a hint of wan light that wasn't there earlier. It doesn't feel like you've been asleep very long, but your legs, at least, feel more rested.
-
>"Wha?"
-
>Twitch. Maybe a wake-up call at the crack of dawn wasn't as bright as I'd thought...
>"...Ya?"
-
>Twitch. Maybe a wake-up call at the crack of dawn wasn't as bright as I'd thought...
>"...Ya?"
>"Wha?"
>You kinda hate to admit it, but you're really rather more tired than you'd hoped.
>You mumble out a query. Ichirin's voice issues quietly from the other side of your door. "May I come in?"
-
>Presuming we aren't in an advanced state of indecency, "Yeah sure..."
-
>Presuming we aren't in an advanced state of indecency, "Yeah sure..."
>Being still safely tucked under the sheets, you give Ichirin the affirmative. She opens the door quietly, then steps inside and pushes it to behind her.
>"Good morning," she says, with something of a tired smile on her face. "I just wanted to let you know that I managed to find a cart for you. Also, it's a little after dawn; you still want to leave at this hour, I assume?"
-
>"Yeah, I should. Thanks a lot-"
>Yawn.
-
>"Yeah, I should. Thanks a lot-"
>Yawn.
>You thank Ichirin, cutting yourself off mid-sentence with a yawn. Ichirin smiles.
>"I'm just glad I could find one so quickly," she says. "She should be dropping it by shortly. In the meantime, I can get you something to eat before you head out. How does an omelet sound?"
-
>"How much cheese are you including?"
>"That sounds great. Thanks a bunch, Ichirin."
>How much do we really need to do to get ready for the day? If very little, offer to help her out with cooking a bit once we're done.
-
>Take a better look at her face.
>"Have... you slept at all, Ichirin?"
-
>"How much cheese are you including?"
>"That sounds great. Thanks a bunch, Ichirin."
>How much do we really need to do to get ready for the day? If very little, offer to help her out with cooking a bit once we're done.
>"How about we just say that the eggs are the garnish?"
>Ichirin nods. "My pleasure."
>Aside from waking up and taking a moment to tidy yourself, you think you're as ready as you're likely to get. You offer to lend a little hang with the cooking.
>"Oh, don't trouble yourself," Ichirin says, waving her hand dismissively. "You were on the road all yesterday, and you're going to be on the road again in a few minutes. Just rest up; I'll take care of breakfast."
>Take a better look at her face.
>"Have... you slept at all, Ichirin?"
>You have a closer look at her face. She's putting on a cheerful expression, but you can see the traces of fatigue around her eyes.
>"A little," she says. "Now, I should go put on that omelet. I'll let you get yourself collected." She turns to leave.
-
>She was always like that, wasn't she? Her kids before herself. Wonder how things might've turned out if she hadn't found me...
>Have a listen, see if we can hear anyone else stirring.
-
>She was always like that, wasn't she? Her kids before herself. Wonder how things might've turned out if she hadn't found me...
>Have a listen, see if we can hear anyone else stirring.
>As long as you've known her, she's been driven and selfless, though perhaps not often to this degree. She was certainly no pushover when you lived here. As for how things might have been... you like to consider yourself a very capable mouse, but, well... you have to admit that your days in the forest were a long way from today.
>Other than the sound of Ichirin's footsteps moving down the hallway, the rest of the house seems silent. The footsteps stop, and then you faintly hear rummaging through cupboards.
-
>Yawn and stretch and try to come alive.
>Have another glance out the window, see if there's another fairy out playing.
-
>Yawn and stretch and try to come alive.
>Have another glance out the window, see if there's another fairy out playing.
>You stretch and yawn, doing your best to wake up to the day.
>You glance out the window. It's a misty morning, rendering the light of dawn pale and diffuse - part of the reason it still seemed so dim in the room, despite the hour, you think. You can't see all the way to the main part of the village in this weather, but you don't see any signs of fairies in the immediate vicinity.
-
>Hop out of bed, get dressed, then recall where the washroom is. Be nice to wash one's face before breakfast.
-
>Hop out of bed, get dressed, then recall where the washroom is. Be nice to wash one's face before breakfast.
>You get out of bed and dress yourself. The washroom is two doors down the hall, on the left.
-
>Move in that direction. But queitly, no need to wake up the other boarders. Less competition in the kitchen, as well, hopefully.
-
>Move in that direction. But queitly, no need to wake up the other boarders. Less competition in the kitchen, as well, hopefully.
>You head towards the washroom, moving as quietly as you can - this happens to be very quietly indeed. You hear soft snoring from one of the rooms you pass, but nothing in particular from the others; certainly no signs of wakefulness.
>The washroom itself is humble and small, at times inconveniently so given the population of the house. But there is a washbasin with what appears to be freshly drawn water in it - Ichirin must have already attended to this - and soap and a mirror and generally what one would expect to find in such a room.
-
>A splash of cold water to bring us the rest of the way awake, attend to the basic necessities, then down to the kitchen.
-
>How well know is our mousetalkin' around here?
>How well did we know the mice around here? Presuming a good generation or two has passed since we were last around.
-
>A splash of cold water to bring us the rest of the way awake, attend to the basic necessities, then down to the kitchen.
>You splash some cold water on your face, then ready yourself for the day. As you do so, you start to hear the sizzling sounds of cooking from the kitchen. Soon a faint whiff of eggs and cheese reaches your nose. You may not be running on much sleep, but at least you're getting the day off to a good start.
>Once you finish up, you head towards the kitchen. Oh, it definitely smells appetizing now.
>Ichrin looks up from the frying pan as you walk in. "Feeling a little more awake?"
>How well know is our mousetalkin' around here?
>How well did we know the mice around here? Presuming a good generation or two has passed since we were last around.
>You weren't really that social with the villagers, although most people would know you to see you at least. You imagine many of them were aware you could talk to mice; it's not unusual for animal youkai to be able to communicate with their animal type, and many of the people you grew up with, including Orange, were rather more friendly with the community at large. If you hadn't said, someone probably might, and it's not like many things stay a secret in a town this size.
>There were a few you used to chat with on occasion; there's quite a lot of mice in the surrounding area, and you grew accustomed to the habits of a few that lived closer by. They're all certainly long gone now, though.
-
>"For the most part. I think."
>Gonna be good to start the day with a hearty meal. Pull up a chair for ourselves.
>Is it just Ichirin in here?
-
>"For the most part. I think."
>Gonna be good to start the day with a hearty meal. Pull up a chair for ourselves.
>Is it just Ichirin in here?
>"Glad to hear it," she says, flipping over the omelet. "And at least you'll be off your feet on the road today."
>Indeed it will. You pull up a chair and await the meal.
>It's just you and Ichirin. The rest of the household seems to still be asleep for the time-being, although it's probably approaching the time that some of them get up, if they were all asleep when you arrived here last night.
>After a short wait, Ichirin serves you up a generously sized cheese omelet, with toast and a glass of orange juice.
>"Here you go!" she says.
-
>Gotta love Mama's home cookin'.
>"Looks good, thanks!" Dive in.
>"Y'know, I don't think I can remember the last time I had the kitchen to myself. Well, ourselves, but you know what I mean."
-
>Gotta love Mama's home cookin'.
>"Looks good, thanks!" Dive in.
>"Y'know, I don't think I can remember the last time I had the kitchen to myself. Well, ourselves, but you know what I mean."
>Just like old times!
>You thank Ichirin, and dig into breakfast. It's simple, but satisfying, and large enough to keep you sated for a while, you think.
>"Well, you could always have gotten up at the crack of dawn if you'd wanted an empty kitchen," she says, with just a hint of a grin. "I certainly wouldn't have stopped you, if you were that motivated."
>At this point, you hear a knock at the front door.
>"Oh, that's probably Haruko now," Ichirin says, moving out of the kitchen. "I'll be back in a few minutes." And with that, she disappears down the hall. A few moments later, you hear quiet voices from the entryway.
-
>Is that name familiar to us at all?
>See what we can hear.
-
>Is that name familiar to us at all?
>See what we can hear.
>It might be vaguely familiar; you think she's someone from around town, but no one you personally know.
>You try to pay attention to their conversation. As best you can gather, she's the one dropping off the cart.
-
>Well, one thing at a time. First, breakfast. Then transport.
-
>Well, one thing at a time. First, breakfast. Then transport.
>You return to your breakfast, deciding to leave other matters for later. After a few more moments, Ichirin returns.
>"The cart's here now," she says. "She hitched it outside; you can leave whenever you're ready."
-
>"Gotcha."
>"Oh yeah, somethin' interesting happened last night, before I got to sleep. I think I saw that fairy on the roof flying about, she was making a great light show. She up to something, or just having fun?"
-
>"Gotcha."
>"Oh yeah, somethin' interesting happened last night, before I got to sleep. I think I saw that fairy on the roof flying about, she was making a great light show. She up to something, or just having fun?"
>Ichirin chuckles softly. "Oh, Shimmer's harmless. She just accosts visitors as a sort of, well... I think it's her version of trying to look out for the place. She started hanging around here a few months ago now - I think she's decided she likes it here. As for the lights, that just what she does. When she's in a good mood, anyway. She's a fairy of the night sky."
-
>"I wonder if she saw anything when the cattle theft was happening?"
-
>"I wonder if she saw anything when the cattle theft was happening?"
>"Well, she'd be asleep now," Ichirin muses. "She's nocturnal. But, well... she never mentioned she'd seen anything out of the ordinary. You know how fairies can be, though. I can ask her, if she's around before you're back." She pauses. "You are coming back here today, yes?"
-
>Through full mouth: "Unless there's an emergency or something."
-
>Through full mouth: "Unless there's an emergency or something."
>You respond to Ichirin's question without breaking stride on your breakfast.
>She nods. "Good." You think you detect the faintest trace of a frown in your direction.
-
>Pause to swallow.
>"Well, I hope so, anyway. All depends on how things turn out."
-
>Pause to swallow.
>"Well, I hope so, anyway. All depends on how things turn out."
>You pause and swallow. No sense choking on your breakfast; you're not in that much of a rush.
>Ichirin nods. "I understand."
-
>Have a swallow of juice before attacking the remnants of omlettey goodness.
>"If all goes well, I hope to be back sometime... probably sometime tonight. Unless of course I run into another fairy spoiling for a fight along the way."
-
>Have a swallow of juice before attacking the remnants of omlettey goodness.
>"If all goes well, I hope to be back sometime... probably sometime tonight. Unless of course I run into another fairy spoiling for a fight along the way."
>You have a swallow of juice, and begin work on the last of the omelet.
>Ichirin looks at you curiously. "Another?"
-
>"I had a bit of a run-in with a fairy, called herself Cirno, on the bridge leading to town. Fanices herself a bit of a swordsman, and I think she was challenging anyone that came across her path, including me. But I talked her out of it, and she went on her way."
-
>"She wasn't a bad sort, all told."
-
>"If anything, She's just a bit headstrong. Though I got her to check out the Guild, She might make a fine seeker one day."
-
>"I had a bit of a run-in with a fairy, called herself Cirno, on the bridge leading to town. Fanices herself a bit of a swordsman, and I think she was challenging anyone that came across her path, including me. But I talked her out of it, and she went on her way."
>"She wasn't a bad sort, all told."
>"A swordsman?" Ichirin says, frowning a little. "With an actual sword? That's, well... I suppose it's not unusual for fairies to get all sorts of ideas into their heads, but I hadn't heard tell of such a thing around here; I wonder if the idea only just occurred to her? I... hope she doesn't hurt herself with it."
>"If anything, She's just a bit headstrong. Though I got her to check out the Guild, She might make a fine seeker one day."
>"Really?" Ichirin pauses, looking at you a little dubiously. "She must be quite an exceptional fairy indeed to earn that much respect from you."
-
>"Eh, I dont know. There's just something about the kid I like."
>Do we want some seconds?
>gee, i sure wonder what ganoncirno is up to now that we think about it.
-
>"Well, I'm hardly an expert, but she seemed competant enough with that thing. I'd be more worried about her getting in over her head, picking a fight with someone who's... more aggressive than me."
>"As for her becoming a Seeker, well, stranger things have happened. Just about anything's possible in this world of ours."
>"Come to think of it, though, that's a bit of an odd name for a fairy, isn't it? Just plain Cirno? Have you ever heard of a fairy with just one name?"
-
>"Eh, I dont know. There's just something about the kid I like."
>Do we want some seconds?
>gee, i sure wonder what ganoncirno is up to now that we think about it.
>Ichirin's frown gives way to a smile. "I'm glad to hear it."
>You think this will be plenty for now.
>That's a good question. Sleeping, maybe? For all you know, she may have forgotten all about the Seekers by now, but you never know; she did seem more driven than most.
>"Well, I'm hardly an expert, but she seemed competant enough with that thing. I'd be more worried about her getting in over her head, picking a fight with someone who's... more aggressive than me."
>"As for her becoming a Seeker, well, stranger things have happened. Just about anything's possible in this world of ours."
>"Come to think of it, though, that's a bit of an odd name for a fairy, isn't it? Just plain Cirno? Have you ever heard of a fairy with just one name?"
>Ichirin nods. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time a fairy got in over her head. I suppose there's only so much one can do. when they put their mind to something."
>"That's very idealistic of you," she says. Is that a trace of pride in that smile she's giving you?
>Ichirin pauses and considers. "I... may have. I'm not certain - it's a bit unusual, certainly."
-
>"So, How's the place been going without me? Betcha just couldn't stand having this adorable sack of a mouse I am around, eh?"
-
>"So, How's the place been going without me? Betcha just couldn't stand having this adorable sack of a mouse I am around, eh?"
>Belay this. Let's say something less corny and out of character than this.
>Ichirin's frown gives way to a smile. "I'm glad to hear it."
>You think this will be plenty for now.
>That's a good question. Sleeping, maybe? For all you know, she may have forgotten all about the Seekers by now, but you never know; she did seem more driven than most.
>Ichirin nods. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time a fairy got in over her head. I suppose there's only so much one can do. when they put their mind to something."
>"That's very idealistic of you," she says. Is that a trace of pride in that smile she's giving you?
>Ichirin pauses and considers. "I... may have. I'm not certain - it's a bit unusual, certainly."
>That is pride, isn't it. Feels kinda weird. Good weird, though...
>"Well, uh... I mean, if a mouse can go from just a mouse to a professional treasure hunter, why not a fairy as well? I mean, if she, uh..." In a lower voice, "... has the same kind of help along the way that I did."
-
>That is pride, isn't it. Feels kinda weird. Good weird, though...
>"Well, uh... I mean, if a mouse can go from just a mouse to a professional treasure hunter, why not a fairy as well? I mean, if she, uh..." In a lower voice, "... has the same kind of help along the way that I did."
>Ichirin looks a bit surprised for a moment, but smiles. "That's very sweet of you, Nazrin, but you were sharp-minded before we ever met." She pauses. "Still, it's good for one to follow their dreams. Far be it for me to think that she couldn't do it, just because she's a fairy."
-
>"It was here that I got feet under me, started to figure how to get by in this world. And then I ended up with Mari as a mentor, and she had a way of teaching me things, without actually teaching me."
>Oh, this is getting sappy...
>"Aaaaa. Listen to me prattle on, I've got work to do!"
>Stand quickly.
-
>"It was here that I got feet under me, started to figure how to get by in this world. And then I ended up with Mari as a mentor, and she had a way of teaching me things, without actually teaching me."
>Oh, this is getting sappy...
>"Aaaaa. Listen to me prattle on, I've got work to do!"
>Stand quickly.
>You reminisce a little about how you came to where you are now. Ichirin listens with an attentive and somewhat inscrutable smile on her face. Then you start to realize how you must sound and catch yourself before you say anything further, getting up perhaps a little too hastily.
>Ichirin just nods. "Of course."
-
>And there are people that talk like that on a daily basis. HOURLY basis, even. How do they do that?! Without blushing or getting flustered, especially, how do they do that? Okay, there's parts that aren't that bad, but...
>Make a beeline for the front door.
-
>And there are people that talk like that on a daily basis. HOURLY basis, even. How do they do that?! Without blushing or getting flustered, especially, how do they do that? Okay, there's parts that aren't that bad, but...
>Make a beeline for the front door.
>While pondering sentimentality and how people manage to be comfortable expressing it, you make a somewhat flustered beeline for the front door.
>"Have a pleasant trip!" Ichirin calls out after you, still keeping her voice respectfully quiet for the hour. "And good hunting to you!"
>Stepping outside the house, you find the morning is still as dim and misty as it was when you awoke. A damn chill hangs in the air, not yet burned away by the heat of day. A small cart stands several feet from the door, its horse tethered to a post. It looks up neutrally at you as you emerge.
-
> Give the horse a neutral look back.
-
so are we shipping nazrisa or what
>We don't have any warmer clothing or cloak, do we? Damnit.
>"Good morning."
>Hitch up and get ready to go. Time's a-wastin'.
-
so are we shipping nazrisa or what
Apparantly, though it's probably one sided: Marisa's been described as a bit of a player, here, and her interest in Naz seems to be mostly as a mentor. Though, that was a thoughtful (and expensive) gift...
-
so are we shipping nazrisa or what
Nazrissa. Has that ever been done anywhere?
Honestly, though, it's still pretty early in the quest. I for one would like to keep our options open for a while yet.
And while Nazrissa has a nice ring to it, I think Sect is right. I think whatever Naz might think about Marissa, Marissa sees Naz as, at best, a little sister, nothing more.
-
> Give the horse a neutral look back.
>You return the horse's look. It continues to return yours. This could turn into quite the staring contest.
>We don't have any warmer clothing or cloak, do we? Damnit.
>"Good morning."
>Hitch up and get ready to go. Time's a-wastin'.
>You didn't bring any extra clothing with you at all. You do have some warmer wear back home, for all the good it does you at the moment, although Ichirin would probably have something she'd be ok with you using. That being said, while it's not immensely pleasant out, you're not going to be miserable, either.
>You greet the horse. It nickers quietly by way of response.
>You untether the horse from the post and seat yourself in the cart. The seat is firm, utilitarian, and not hugely comfortable, although not as bad as some you've seen. You pick up the reins get ready to depart. Surely this can't be too tricky to drive, right?
-
>Here's hoping....
>Snap the reins and head off towards the bridge. But slowly at first, if possible. 'till we see how she handles.
-
>Here's hoping....
>Snap the reins and head off towards the bridge. But slowly at first, if possible. 'till we see how she handles.
>With a note of trepidation, you snap the reins and attempt to head off towards the bridge. It feels a little awkward at first, but the horse nonetheless responds to your efforts to direct it, and you move off down the main road through town. As you draw closer to the bulk of the village, you see signs of life emerge through the fog - a scattered person milling around the village center, and some farmers out attending to their fields. A couple you pass near wave at you, and you spare a moment's concentration from your task to wave back. Soon enough you're past the village entirely and on your way towards the bridge.
>It takes a little while to feel comfortable handling the cart, but the horse proves even-tempered, and in the end you don't have any major issues driving it. It's a pleasant change to be off your feet this time around, and the pace is faster. As the sun rises higher in the sky, the fog starts to thin, though traces of gray dampness linger. You think it's likely to remain a foggy day, at this rate.
>After an uneventful couple hours, you come into sight of the bridge again. It appears to be empty at the moment; no sign of either Cirno or the clawed youkai.
-
>Okay, it was about here that Isato said he was attacked. Keep a sharp ear open for angry youkai, then start looking for any wagon tracks on the sides of the road.
>Slow the horses' pace, so we don't miss anything.
-
>Okay, it was about here that Isato said he was attacked. Keep a sharp ear open for angry youkai, then start looking for any wagon tracks on the sides of the road.
>Slow the horses' pace, so we don't miss anything.
>You slow the horse's pace and being to search for wagon tracks leading off the side of the road, while keeping your ears peeled for any sign of an angry youkai. The fog makes it difficult to get a good look at anything which isn't close to you, but you do your best to survey carefully. However, after covering the area between here and the bridge and back, you find no sign of either - perhaps fortunate for the latter, but rather unfortunate for the former.
-
> Go ahead and bring the horse to a stop.
> Pull out the dowsing rods, and hop off the wagon. We could try finding the metal axles to the wagon...
-
> Go ahead and bring the horse to a stop.
> Pull out the dowsing rods, and hop off the wagon. We could try finding the metal axles to the wagon...
>You stop the horse and step outside the cart, figuring it's time to put your graduation present to the first real test.
>You hold the rods out and get a read on your surroundings, taking a few moments to acclimatise yourself. Metal axles are relatively small for how far away from here they could be by now. Obligingly, the cart you rode on does not have metal axles nor is this end of the island particular metal-rich. It's a tall order, but not an impossible one. A first sweep fails to pick up anything which stands out, but you keep increasing the thoroughness of your search until you're tracing your dowsing rods across the horizon at little more than snail's pace and straining for even the smallest resonance that could signify what you're looking for. After a little while of this, you think you may be picking up something, some distance to the south.
-
>Does it look like we could take the cart and horse south safely?
-
>Does it look like we could take the cart and horse south safely?
>The terrain in that general direction grows hilly as you get further south, but is fairly flat and open at this point - only a little less even than the road itself.
-
> Wheel the cart to the south, and ride carefully.
-
> Wheel the cart to the south, and ride carefully.
>You get back into the cart and drive it carefully southward. The terrain doesn't prove a problem at least for the time-being. After a few minutes riding, you stop and check the reading again. You're increasingly convinced that whatever you were sensing earlier - if not the cart itself - is definitely in this direction. You continue onward, dowsing periodically to refine your orientation. The terrain begins to grow a ore difficult, and you start having to drive the cart around some hills that you don't feel comfortable trying to take it over.
>You're perhaps 20 minutes or so ride away from the road now. You have a much better read on the signal, now - it's coming from south-southeast of your current position. The terrain in that direction is growing very hilly indeed, and you don't know that it's practical to try driving the cart much further in that direction. The river continues southward, and you think the riverside would be navigable by cart for some further distance, although it's no longer in quite the right direction.
>Somewhat curiously, you're starting to think that the signal you're following is not a singular object, but multiple points of metal above surface level. It doesn't feel like a natural deposit, either.
-
I'm thinking the direct route is probably better.
>Look around for a good place to tie up the horse. Meanwhile, let's see if there's any signs of a clawful youkai around.
-
>Look around for a good place to tie up the horse. Meanwhile, let's see if there's any signs of a clawful youkai around.
>There are several sturdy looking trees nearby which could serve as a suitable place to tether it.
>You see no obvious sign of a clawful youkai, nor any other for that matter. The land here seems fairly untraveled, with no visible indication of habitation by anything other than animals.
-
>Tether it up to a nice tree, and take another reading; then head in that direction.
-
>Tether it up to a nice tree, and take another reading; then head in that direction.
>You select a suitable tree and tether the horse securely to it. Then you head off in the direction of the signal you've been following. The going is slow, and gets even slower as you proceed. At first, the hills are not terribly difficult to navigate on foot, but the terrain steadily grows more rugged and forested and the hills grow closer together. As the changes in altitude grow more sudden, you find yourself sometimes forced to actually climb using your hands as well as you feet.
>Another 15 minutes or so pass, although you feel you've only managed to cover a fraction of the distance that you did in the previous 15. You've seen nothing of note on your way - just more trees and grass and rock. You think that the average elevation of the terrain has been steadily rising as you proceed; you may be heading into the heart of the mountainous region along the south of the island. You also have very poor sight lines at the moment; you can see neither the river to your west nor anything more than hills and trees and steep rock faces ahead of you. You're definitely getting closer to the signal, even if you're not taking the clearest route to your destination. Certainly you think it would have been nearly impossible to take the cart you're searching for along this route.
-
> Keep going. Even if it's not the cart it might provide something we can work with.
-
> Keep going. Even if it's not the cart it might provide something we can work with.
>You continue moving forward, making your way slowly up and over the hills; you move around them when you can, but often no clear path to circumnavigate a rise is evident, and you have to scrabble up it directly.
>After a few more minutes progress, you come to a small rise that juts above the treeline of the surrounding area, affording you an actual view of the area. As expected, it's mostly nondescript trees and rugged wilderness. You can see a few hints of the river to the west, although most of it is obscured by trees, even at this height. Further to the south, you can see signs of the river widening into a lake. You can sort of guess at where you left the cart, but can't see it. Ahead of you, the land seems to descend a little, and then rise up into a cluster of hills, too solid to see past. As you scan for sign of anything out of place, you catch sight of what you think may be a fairy, flying between a small gap in the trees some distance ahead, before disappearing from sight again.
-
>Take another reading.
>Which way was that faerie going?
-
>Take another reading.
>Which way was that faerie going?
>You take another reading. It's definitely coming from the same general direction that the fairy was. Multiple points of non-precious metal, most of them very small, but some a little larger - large enough to be a wagon axle at any rate.
>The fairy seemed to be moving from west to east, roughly. She was some distance to the south, past the higher ring of hills.
-
>Head toward that faerie, see if we can catch another glimpse of her.
-
>Head toward that faerie, see if we can catch another glimpse of her.
>You continue towards the fairy, making your way carefully down the slope on the other side of the rise, and then up the next rise on the other side. You don't see the fairy again during your progress, although the angle of the hills would make it impossible to see her while you were in the valley, even if she were in the same location.
>After a few more minutes, you crest the second rise and get a view of the land beyond. The hills descend and flatten a short distance ahead, and the trees thin slightly, forming a sheltered valley ringed by more hills to the south and east. You can see the lakeshore curve strongly inward, forming the western edge of this space. You aren't certain if you can see the fairy from earlier, but you can certainly see several others, moving between the trees and the small houses nestled among them. You think you've discovered a wild fairy village.
-
>Does it look like we could approach safely? And does experience with faeries outside of Branston suggest this as well?
-
>Does it look like we could approach safely? And does experience with faeries outside of Branston suggest this as well?
>You can certainly approach safely, in terms of terrain. Your descent would need to be slow, but the slope should present no real issue as long as you're not running down it. As for the fairies themselves... You haven't had as much interaction with wild fairies, although they sometimes tend to be less 'socialized' than those that live in cities. Some might be territorial, others friendly and harmless. They're not necessarily too different in kind, although they obviously have less experience with the social structures of other races. And there are clearly quite a few of them down there.
>Finding a fairy village at all is a fairly uncommon thing. Most are well-sheltered in the wilds, off the beaten path. The fairies themselves may venture onto the roads and towards habitation - certainly reports of fairies swiping things, or playing the occasional prank on travelers are not a rarity, but their homes are usually well-hidden.
-
>Oh well, approach!
-
>This could be the village Cirno mentioned earlier. Keep an eye out for sword-wielding ice fairies along the way.
-
>Oh well, approach!
>This could be the village Cirno mentioned earlier. Keep an eye out for sword-wielding ice fairies along the way.
>You decide to approach, and start making your way cautiously down the hill. Given what Cirno said earlier, you have a suspicion this may be her village; you're inclined to doubt there'd be a second village in such close proximity to the bridge. You keep an extra eye out for her as you proceed.
>You've made your way down most of the slope when you hear a sort of meek yelp ahead and overhead.
-
>Look up!
-
>Look up!
>You look up and see a small, green-haired fairy staring wide-eyed at you.
>"Ahh! Intruders!" she cries, then turns and flies towards the other houses.
-
>"Wait up there! I just kinda... Fell here."
-
>"Wait up there! I just kinda... Fell here."
>You call out to the fairy, but she seems to take no notice of you, simply flying off while letting out a continuous low-volume yelp.
-
>Sigh. Just walk in calmly. If you try not to make any funny moves, and explain what happened, maybe they wont bother you?
>Try to mention Cirno if possible.
-
>Actually, don't mention Cirno. She may not be well liked here. Save that until we know how she's regarded.
-
>Sigh. Just walk in calmly. If you try not to make any funny moves, and explain what happened, maybe they wont bother you?
>Try to mention Cirno if possible.
>Actually, don't mention Cirno. She may not be well liked here. Save that until we know how she's regarded.
>You sign and continue walking calmly towards the settlement. The fairy, unencumbered by such things as terrain, quickly speeds away from you despite not actually moving particularly fast. As she gets closer to the bulk of the houses, you see other fairies start to rise up into the air, drawn towards her flying wail. She doesn't seem to be making any attempt to articulate herself better than this.
>You consider mentioning Cirno, then decide that you ought to keep quiet on that until you know how she's regarded.
>There are around a half dozen fairies within sight now, many of them looking at the fleeing fairy, and a couple in the general direction she came from, but you don't think any of them have spotted you yet.
-
>Give a friendly wave.
-
>Give a friendly wave.
>I am not the mouse you are looking for...
>Try not to attract too much attention, we dont know if they're hostile or not.
-
>Belay that. We want to attract attention, so they'll be listening to us and not the alarmist. So make it a good wave. If they're hostile, we've already lost.
-
>Give a friendly wave.
>You give a friendly wave, and try to make yourself obviously visible. The couple fairies looking in your direction catch sight of you, and shout and point. The other fairies turn their eyes towards you. The flying intruder alarm continues mindlessly and noisily forward.
>The attitude of the crowd seems mixed and hard to gauge. One of them just points at you, like she's waiting for someone else to say something. Another whispers something to her neighbor. One starts to approach, and another grabs her by the shoulder.
>I am not the mouse you are looking for...
>"She's not the mouse we're looking for," one of the fairies says.
>Her neighbour gives her an odd look. "We were looking for a mouse?"
>The other fairies shrug.
-
>"Hi everybody! I'm just a friendly seeker passing through, had a few questions that I hoped you could answer. Then I'll probably be on my way. Mind if I come in?"
-
>"Hi everybody! I'm just a friendly seeker passing through, had a few questions that I hoped you could answer. Then I'll probably be on my way. Mind if I come in?"
>"A seeker?" one of them says. "I thought you were a youkai."
>"She is a youkai," another one of them says decisively.
>"She's trying to trick us!" a third cries, throwing up her hands and turning tail.
>One of them takes a step forward, hands on her hips. "Whadda ya want, anyway?"
-
>Answer the one first. "I am a youkai, but also a seeker."
>Smile to Handhips. "Just looking to get a job done, so I can get back to helping my friends in Braston. There's a group of faeries there who need a kitty for their secret hideout, and I can't go find them one until I gt this stupid job done. You know how it goes, yeah? Have you seen any horses around here?"
-
>Answer the one first. "I am a youkai, but also a seeker."
>One of the fairies in the rear throw you a dubious expression. "How's that work?"
>"Does that work?"
>"What's a seeker look like, anyhow?" another chips in. There is a chorus of shrugs. The fairy in front stares at you impatiently and more than a little confrontationally. Wail fairy continues to demonstrate the Doppler effect.
>Smile to Handhips. "Just looking to get a job done, so I can get back to helping my friends in Braston. There's a group of faeries there who need a kitty for their secret hideout, and I can't go find them one until I gt this stupid job done. You know how it goes, yeah? Have you seen any horses around here?"
>"A kitty!" one of them cries, almost as soon as you mention the word.
>Her companion gives her an elbow. "This is important!" she hisses at her, under her breath.
>"Horses?" The fairy in front gives you a wary look as you finish explaining. "Whadda ya care about horses?"
-
>"Part of my job. Gotta find some stuff that was stolen from a man. You guys know anything about it?"
-
"Just trying to get them home, where they belong. Old farmer that looks after them's real worried about them, too. Soon as I find them, and the goods they were with, I can be on my way."
-
>"Because the guy who has me out here lost his, and I can't get back to that other job until I find out about them."
>"As for seekers-"
>Tap the badge. It possible, try to catch the light with it.
>"That's how you can tell."
-
>"Part of my job. Gotta find some stuff that was stolen from a man. You guys know anything about it?"
>"Well, there-" one of the fairies begins.
>"Don't know nothing," the fairy in front says firmly, cutting her off.
"Just trying to get them home, where they belong. Old farmer that looks after them's real worried about them, too. Soon as I find them, and the goods they were with, I can be on my way."
>A small blond-haired fairy towards the back seems to frown. "They're f-"
>"I said we don't know nothing," the fairy repeats, scowling.
>"Because the guy who has me out here lost his, and I can't get back to that other job until I find out about them."
>"As for seekers-"
>Tap the badge. It possible, try to catch the light with it.
>"That's how you can tell."
>"But the kitties!" one of the fairies cries in dismay.
>You tap your badge and do your best to catch the light with it though the fog. You hear murmurs of realization sweep through the fairies.
>"So Seekers are shiny?" one of them asks.
>Wail fairy seems to be finally running out of breath, her voice fading even faster than her distance would cause. It sounds rather more like a squeak at this point. A few more fairies are joining the group in front of you.
-
>"Don't know anything, huh? Hey, you mind if I invite myself in and get something to drink? Take a load off? Been out all day, you know."
-
>"Don't know anything, huh? Hey, you mind if I invite myself in and get something to drink? Take a load off? Been out all day, you know."
>A chorus of contradictory responses answers your question.
>"Sure!"
>"Hell no!"
>"Do Seekers like tea?"
>"This is our place!"
>"Did you say you had a kitty?"
>"Yeah, we mind," the fairy in front says, more authoritatively than the others.
>"But she likes kitties..." one of them says plaintively.
>The scowling fairy thrusts a finger towards her left. "There's a lake over there."
>"The water's great!" one of them chips in helpfully.
-
>"Hey, Fairy-in-front, I'm guessing your the leader of the group, right? Are you 100% sure you dont know anything? Because the sooner I know what I need to know, the sooner I can leave you all alone."
Not entirely sure if this is the right approach, but its the best I can come up with.
-
>Instead, address hands-on-hips
>"You keep this place together, don't you?"
-
>Instead, address hands-on-hips
>"You keep this place together, don't you?"
>You address the grumpy looking purple-haired fairy in the front.
>"That's right!" she says. "These guys wouldn't know how to-"
>"Oh, put a sock in it, Hyacinth," another interrupts. You hear murmurs of complaint from among the other fairies, and a few frowns.
>Hyacinth rounds on her. "Hey! No backtalk! You want her to eat you?"
>One of the fairies in the back yelps and dash off, wailing "She's gonna eat us!"
>"...did she say if she likes tea?" you hear a small fairy near the rear ask her neighbour.
-
>"What would make me think I'd eat you anyways? Any youkai with a mind would know that fairys respawn, and it'd be extremely painful if you guys were to respawn in my stomach."
>"I'm here purely on bussiness, I mean you no harm, etc etc."
-
>"What would make me think I'd eat you anyways? Any youkai with a mind would know that fairys respawn, and it'd be extremely painful if you guys were to respawn in my stomach."
>"I'm here purely on bussiness, I mean you no harm, etc etc."
> Hold off on this. Do fairies respawn?
-
> Hold off on this. Do fairies respawn?
>Fairies are beings of natural magic, a minor manifestation of some facet of nature itself. If a fairy sustains sufficient injury, they deconstitute and effectively vanish, but the essence which forms them remains in the world. After some time, this essence reconstitutes and the fairy reappears, looking not much the worse for wear. You think the length of time this takes can vary, although you don't know if this is influenced by the force with which they're dispatched - you don't specifically understand the magical mechanics involved. You don't think they necessarily reappear at the same spot they vanished from, either. But as best you know, it's essentially impossible to do any long-term harm to a fairy.
-
Okay, just making sure continuity's not accidentally broken. Feel free to continue, Kips.
-
>"What would make me think I'd eat you anyways? Any youkai with a mind would know that fairys respawn, and it'd be bad if you guys get some sort of eternal grudge against me for eating you. That wouldn't be fun."
>"I'm here purely on bussiness, I mean you no harm, etc etc."
Should we mention Cirno? Chances are she's either an outcast and would involve an awkward answer, or that she's a well known person in the village for good reason.
-
>"What would make me think I'd eat you anyways? Any youkai with a mind would know that fairys respawn, and it'd be bad if you guys get some sort of eternal grudge against me for eating you. That wouldn't be fun."
>"I'm here purely on bussiness, I mean you no harm, etc etc."
>"Yeah!" one of the fairies cries. A couple of the others echo the words, although the looks on some of their faces makes you wonder if they're certain exactly what they're agreeing with.
>"Ha!" Hyacinth cries, crossing her arms. "A likely story. You think we're going to believe that?"
>The chorus of "Yeah!" repeats itself, many of the fairies looking even more lost than the fist time.
-
>"Mice don't eat faeries, that's just silly. Besides, I already have my lunch with me."
-
>"Mice don't eat faeries, that's just silly. Besides, I already have my lunch with me."
>"Whatcha got?" a smaller brown-haired one pipes up, flitting a few inches towards you before someone grabs her.
-
>"Some trail food, a bit of day old pie for desert."
>Can we get some idea how large the village is from here?
-
>"Some trail food, a bit of day old pie for desert."
>"Pie?" several of them seem to say at once.
>"What kind of pie?" one asks.
>Another fairy near the front holds an arm out. "Don't forget that she's still an intruder." A couple of the newcomers yelp.
>"I got this," a familiar voice calls out from the rear. "Everyone else get clear." There's a chorus of recognition from the crowd, and several of them do start to scatter. Hyacinth grumbles.
>Can we get some idea how large the village is from here?
>Although the trees are thinner here than along most of the path from the road, there's still plenty of them about, which interferes with your sight lines. Many of the houses seem to be built either in or around the trees, so it's hard to estimate their numbers. Judging from how far out you can see houses, you think there must be at least several dozen fairies living here. Maybe more.
-
>"Hmmm?"
>Whos the person emerging from the crowd?
-
>"Hmmm?"
>Whos the person emerging from the crowd?
>You voice your curiosity and look towards the rear of the crowd.
>As some of the other fairies shift away, you see Cirno emerge from between some of the trees. A couple of the fairies look at her with something approaching adulation. Hyacinth throws her a quick, but unmistakably displeased glance. A couple others seems vaguely uncomfortable.
>"Your days are numbered now!" one of the fairies near you cries, pointing a finger accusingly at you, before turning and scooting a safe distance away.
>"But the kitty..." another repeats, meekly.
>Cirno continues to approach, her gaze meeting yours firmly.
-
> "Oh, it's Cirno. How ya doin'?" Lean on our dowsing rods with raised eyebrows.
-
>"I had a feeling you'd be well known around here. So, You dont mind if I try to get my job done as quickly as possible, right?"
>"Oh, Didja check out the seekers yet?"
-
>And offer a handshake.
-
> "Oh, it's Cirno. How ya doin'?" Lean on our dowsing rods with raised eyebrows.
>You greet Cirno casually, while adopting a laid-back stance. Your reaction seems to provoke a few confused looks from the other fairies, and you see a few of them whispering among themselves. A path opens up in front of Cirno, and after a few moments' hesitation, Hyacinth moves out of her way as well, making a sort of grumpy noise as she does so.
>"I knew it," Cirno says, staring at you. "You tried to play dumb, but I knew it! You were looking for this place all along." She raises a hand up and grips her sword. "I won't let you lay a hand on them."
>"I had a feeling you'd be well known around here. So, You dont mind if I try to get my job done as quickly as possible, right?"
>Cirno's eyes narrow. "What do you mean, 'job'?"
>"Oh, Didja check out the seekers yet?"
>"They're shiny!" a tiny voice from back calls out, followed by "Oww..."
>And offer a handshake.
>You offer a handshake. Cirno sneers. "Not gonna make me drop my guard that easy. I know how that works."
>"Ha! Nice try!" one of the onlookers calls out.
-
>"No no, wasn't looking for this place at all. I just found it while doing that job I told you about yesterday. Hey, maybe you could help out?"
-
>"No no, wasn't looking for this place at all. I just found it while doing that job I told you about yesterday. Hey, maybe you could help out?"
>"That's what you said last time, when you tried to get me to tell you where everyone lived. I remember."
-
>"I was just curious. And I didn't press the issue, did I?"
>"Hmm, would you feel better if we talked away from the village?"
-
>"I was just curious. And I didn't press the issue, did I?"
>"Hmm, would you feel better if we talked away from the village?"
>"Well I guess you didn't have to, did you? You probably knew all along!"
>Cirno stares at you silently for a moment.
>"Go on," she says at length, motioning her head towards the lake and away from the houses.
-
>"Well then, Shall we go over there?"
-
>"Well then, Shall we go over there?"
>Don't repeat what she's saying, just go.
-
>"Well then, Shall we go over there?"
>Don't repeat what she's saying, just go.
>You head quietly in the direction Cirno indicated, and she follows a few sword lengths behind you, her hand still on her weapon. Some of the fairies disperse as you move off, but you note many of them follow along at a safe distance, some of them making a very poor attempt to disguise their presence through the use of bushes and trees. You may have even picked up a few more curious onlookers along the way; you hear them whispering among themselves.
>After a short while, you reach the edge of the lake. The day itself is still misty, though the air over the water seems particularly so - you can't see the opposite shore clearly. The land here is mostly flat rock and grass, with the trees stopping some distance from the water. Many of the fairies stay back by the trees, although a few poke their heads out a little further.
>"So," Cirno says, "Give me a reason not to send you packing right now."
-
>"Because I don't mean you guys any harm. If I was going to do something bad, would I just walk up to the place unarmed?"
-
>"Because I don't mean you guys any harm. If I was going to do something bad, would I just walk up to the place unarmed?"
>"Probably didn't think I'd catch ya," she says.
-
>"You wouldn't have to, just that someone had to catch me. But, maybe you can help me, so I can get out of here faster?"
-
>"I thought I was pretty clear yesterday. I wasn't looking for any trouble then, and I'm still not. I'm just trying to get some horses home, and some goods to where they belong. The sooner I find them, the sooner I can be on my way."
-
>"You wouldn't have to, just that someone had to catch me. But, maybe you can help me, so I can get out of here faster?"
>"Oh, I can get you out of here faster, alright," she says, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
>You hear someone cheer from back towards the trees.
>"I thought I was pretty clear yesterday. I wasn't looking for any trouble then, and I'm still not. I'm just trying to get some horses home, and some goods to where they belong. The sooner I find them, the sooner I can be on my way."
>"So you are with him!" She pulls her sword free. "You know what happened then. Don't think you'll get off any better just because you're a youkai!"
-
> Flat stare, and lean on our dowsing rods. "What. With who? Don't tell me you were the one who robbed that farmer. He told me the monster that took his wagon had claws and stuff."
-
> Flat stare, and lean on our dowsing rods. "What. With who? Don't tell me you were the one who robbed that farmer. He told me the monster that took his wagon had claws and stuff."
>"I didn't rob no one!" she yells, gripping her weapon firmly. "That was justice! And if you're here to do his dirty work, I'll send you back on ice!"
>She dashes at you, sword gripped two-handed to her side.
-
>Try to get out of the way. We do not need to hike back with open wounds!
>"HEY! CUT THAT OUT RIGHT NOW! WE'RE TRYING TO TALK!"
-
>Try to get out of the way. We do not need to hike back with open wounds!
>"HEY! CUT THAT OUT RIGHT NOW! WE'RE TRYING TO TALK!"
>You quickly come to full alert as Cirno rushes you. Her movement broadcasts her attack pretty loudly, and you nimbly dodge out of range of her slash. It was firmer and faster than you would have expected from a fairy, though. She seems a tiny bit off-balance from the attack, but quickly follows through with an overhead swing. You shift to the side, and evade this as well.
>"You've already said all I need to hear," she says. "Allies of villains are villains, too!"
>"Kick her ass, Cirno!" one of the fairies calls out from the woods.
-
>"The villain always attacks first!"
-
>"The villain always attacks first!"
>"And the hero always finishes!"
>She takes a wide swing at your midsection, which you leap back from. You're being pushed back towards the water.
-
>Does she seem off balance after that? If so, move in right after the sword and deck her in the face with the force of a million mice with a million hangovers.
-
>Does she seem off balance after that? If so, move in right after the sword and deck her in the face with the force of a million mice with a million hangovers.
>It does seem to take her a moment to recover from her swings, so you quickly move in as soon as the sword is past you and punch her in the face with as much force as you can muster. You connect firmly, and Cirno grunts and stumbles backwards. You hear a collective gasp rise up from the other fairies.
-
> Don't let her have a chance to recover: take her down to the ground and beat her about the head and shoulders.
-
> Don't let her have a chance to recover: take her down to the ground and beat her about the head and shoulders.
>You press the attack, tackling Cirno to the ground before she can recover and scoring another firm hit on her face. Gritting her teeth, and with her eyes half-closed under the blow, Cirno jabs the pommel of her sword at you, catching you sharply in the side of the head. You wince.
-
>Grab her sword arm with one hand, and continue to apply the a fist to her face with the other.
>If we can, manipulate said arm into an armlock and force it until she drops the sword.
>"I tried to be your friend, you damn stupid wannabe oni son of a bitch!"
-
>Grab her sword arm with one hand, and continue to apply the a fist to her face with the other.
>If we can, manipulate said arm into an armlock and force it until she drops the sword.
>"I tried to be your friend, you damn stupid wannabe oni son of a bitch!"
>You try to grab her sword arm, but she's holding her weapon two-handed. You grasp onto the nearest arm, but she pushes against you, trying to hit you again. You have a hard time restraining both of her arms with just one of your own, but you still manage to hold her back long enough to punch her again with your other hand.
>There doesn't seem an obvious way to force both arms into an arm lock at once, and you suspect doing so with just one would give her freer leverage with the other.
>You shout at Cirno, but she seems to be getting too much fist in the face to utter a coherent reply.
>"Y- you big meanie!" You hear a cry from the onlookers as a single fairy, looking half-terrified herself, rushes out of the trees towards you.
-
Would it be possible to just step on her wrists with a foot to keep her from being able to move her sword?
Though it looks like we have bigger fairy problems incoming...
-
Stepping on her wrists isn't very good, because we have none of the size, strength, or leverage necessary to keep her from getting the sword free.
> Ignore the fairy, and keep control of that sword by holding on to the hilt with one hand.
> Mount Cirno, knees underneath her armpit so that she doesn't have any leverage for her arm, and punch her in the gut with our free hand.
-
> Mount Cirno,
>and prove our friendship through the universal language of 'love'
-
> Ignore the fairy, and keep control of that sword by holding on to the hilt with one hand.
> Mount Cirno, knees underneath her armpit so that she doesn't have any leverage for her arm, and punch her in the gut with our free hand.
>You shift the hand restraining Cirno's arm to the base of the hilt, and try to keep it pushed away from your head. It's getting to be quite a struggle, though. For a fairy, she can put a lot of force into it.
>You shift your weight on top of Cirno, attempting to further restrain her arms, then punch in the gut. Unfortunately, your current position means that you're forced to essentially punch behind you, and you can't put much force into it.
>You feel the hand gripping Cirno's sword suddenly grow extremely cold.
>and prove our friendship through the universal language of 'love'
>Demonstrating 'love' in front of a dozen fairies... quite the exhibitionist, aren't you?
-
>"God dammit I just do the jobs! They dont even give me all the details, how was I supposed to know if my clients good or bad aside from first glance?!"
>If talking doesnt work, At least try to force the match into a stalemate.
-
>"God dammit I just do the jobs! They dont even give me all the details, how was I supposed to know if my clients good or bad aside from first glance?!"
> Why are we defending ourself? Cirno robbed a damned fruit farmer, for crying out loud. What was he doing, distributing rotten apples or sour grapes?
> Swing around with the fist that we tried to punch Cirno in the stomach with, and bust her in the jaw.
> Grab her by the arms with both hands, and try to trap her arms over her head.
-
> Why are we defending ourself? Cirno robbed a damned fruit farmer, for crying out loud. What was he doing, distributing rotten apples or sour grapes?
> Swing around with the fist that we tried to punch Cirno in the stomach with, and bust her in the jaw.
> Grab her by the arms with both hands, and try to trap her arms over her head.
>It's no good to see a story without seeing both sides. Hopefully Cirno will realize this.
-
>It's no good to see a story without seeing both sides. Hopefully Cirno will realize this.
> We'll see her side after we beat the crap out of her. She's been spoiling to fight us ever since we let it slip that we tussled with an oni, so she's brought it onto herself.
-
> We'll see her side after we beat the crap out of her. She's been spoiling to fight us ever since we let it slip that we tussled with an oni, so she's brought it onto herself.
>We arent exactly fond of her, But growing up with Ichirin taught us if there's a peaceful answer, then thats the one you should stride for.
>If you cant force the match into a stalemate, force Cirno into exhaustion or shutting up for a second, so you can explain what you know.
-
>Do we have our weight on her arms? If not, put our knees on them.
>"Drop the sword so I can stop beating on you!"
>Continue to work the face.
-
>"God dammit I just do the jobs! They dont even give me all the details, how was I supposed to know if my clients good or bad aside from first glance?!"
> Why are we defending ourself? Cirno robbed a damned fruit farmer, for crying out loud. What was he doing, distributing rotten apples or sour grapes?
>It's no good to see a story without seeing both sides. Hopefully Cirno will realize this.
> We'll see her side after we beat the crap out of her. She's been spoiling to fight us ever since we let it slip that we tussled with an oni, so she's brought it onto herself.
>We arent exactly fond of her, But growing up with Ichirin taught us if there's a peaceful answer, then thats the one you should stride for.
>You feel torn between grasping at a peaceful solution and giving what you think a thief like her deserves. You settle for a beating now and answers later
>Do we have our weight on her arms? If not, put our knees on them.
>"Drop the sword so I can stop beating on you!"
>Continue to work the face.
>You shift your position and try to put as much of your weight on her arms as you can. This is a little awkward, given how both of them are pinned off to the side and trying to pummel a sword hilt into your skull, but you think you restrict her a little further.
>"Never... surrender..." Cirno spits out between blows.
>You go to strike Cirno again.
>The fairy that flew out from the trees reaches you and latches onto the arm that's pummeling Cirno, pulling on it with all her might. Her wings flutter rapidly as she strains against you. "Stop it!" she cries.
>The hand pushing against Cirno's sword is starting to feel numb, and the chill is spreading up your arm. A glance in that direction shows a sheen of ice covering your hand almost entirely, and starting to grow out from there.
-
>Break the iced up hand free, Marisa has certainly got us used enough to magic so that we don't freak out, and uppercut Cirno with the momentum.
>"Drop the damn sword before you hurt someone!"
>How exactly is she pinned right now?
-
>Break the iced up hand free, Marisa has certainly got us used enough to magic so that we don't freak out, and uppercut Cirno with the momentum.
>"Drop the damn sword before you hurt someone!"
>How exactly is she pinned right now?
>You try to pull your hand free from the ice, and use the mometum to hit Cirno with it. Unfortunately, up to now, the other thing keeping Cirno from bashing you in the head with her hilt had been the fact that you were pushing against her with this hand. The moment you release this pressure and actually pull on your hand, Cirno slams the pommel and your frozen hand into your head hard enough to make it ring.
>You grit your teeth and still manage to spit out the order. "And let you do it instead?" Cirno says. She moves to hit you again.
>You're kneeling with one knee on top of her chest, partially over an arm across her chest, and with the other knee over an arm on the ground to the left of her body. It's a little hard to full restrict the motion of both of them, with how they're kind of on top of each other again.
>The fairy that latched onto your arm pulls it back another few inches from Cirno, her own face straining with exertion.
-
>Whip tail around and latch it onto her sword hand; and if the prehensileness exists, constrict like a miser boa. Use the frozen on arm to force her arms into a good position.
>"You attacked first! When I even tried to meet you halfway! I can't wait to tell every other faerie how you treat people trying to be your friend!"
-
>Whip tail around and latch it onto her sword hand; and if the prehensileness exists, constrict like a miser boa. Use the frozen on arm to force her arms into a good position.
>"You attacked first! When I even tried to meet you halfway! I can't wait to tell every other faerie how you treat people trying to be your friend!"
>You bring your tail around and latch onto her dominant hand. Cirno's eyes widen in surprise at the maneuver. You constrict it as tightly as you can around her arm, and although its grip strength is less than one of your hands, it still gives you extra leverage. In combination with your frozen hand, you manage to shift her sword out of direct line of your head. The ice continues to grow up your arm, however; thin tendrils of it reach as far as your elbow now.
>"You leave her alone!" the other fairies cries. "Cirno's-"
>"I won't let you hurt them," Cirno says. "You can tell your boss that when I send you back to him."
>She attempts to force her body off the ground, despite your weight on top of you.
-
>Put some weight on our knee, so that she's just forcing herself against it and hurting herself.
>"They aren't in trouble, you idiot! I'm not here to hurt anyone! Now drop the sword or I'm going to get really nasty! No one except you wants to be fighting!"
>Deck her in the eyes a bit. She doesn't need to be seeing.
-
>"Think about it, you idiot! If I REALLY wanted to hurt anyone, why would I have staggered down a hillside, in plain view, and announced my coming from leagues off? There's only one fairy I've hurt, and that's only because you tried to kill me! I don't want to hurt anyone!"
>"And what the hell do you HAVE against Isato, anyway? What did he ever do to you?"
-
>Put some weight on our knee, so that she's just forcing herself against it and hurting herself.
>"They aren't in trouble, you idiot! I'm not here to hurt anyone! Now drop the sword or I'm going to get really nasty! No one except you wants to be fighting!"
>Deck her in the eyes a bit. She doesn't need to be seeing.
>You shift as much weight as you reasonably can on your knees, but you can't apply much force than this while both of your arms are otherwise occupied.
>"You don't disarm yourself to an enemy!" she cries.
>You try to deck her in the eyes, but the fairy on your arm pulls against you enough that the force of the blow is reduced to little more than a tap. She makes a high-pitched squeal of exertion as she does so, then pants for breath afterward.
>"Think about it, you idiot! If I REALLY wanted to hurt anyone, why would I have staggered down a hillside, in plain view, and announced my coming from leagues off? There's only one fairy I've hurt, and that's only because you tried to kill me! I don't want to hurt anyone!"
>"And what the hell do you HAVE against Isato, anyway? What did he ever do to you?"
>"You don't want anyone hurt, then you can surrender," she says. While she grimaces under the effort, she starts to push up on her right side, opposite where her arms are. You feel yourself shift towards the other side.
>"Who the hell is Isato?" she says.
-
> Shift the opposite direction to keep Cirno down, and shift our body down hers so we're sitting on her waist.
> Try to push her sword as far from her face as we can, and slam our head into hers.
> "The farmer you robbed! Numbskull!"
-
> Shift the opposite direction to keep Cirno down, and shift our body down hers so we're sitting on her waist.
> Try to push her sword as far from her face as we can, and slam our head into hers.
> "The farmer you robbed! Numbskull!"
> We can surrender right now, you know. We dont need to deal with this shit, just tell her we give up and tell her about all you know about Isato, and how he's "good".
-
> Shift the opposite direction to keep Cirno down, and shift our body down hers so we're sitting on her waist.
> Try to push her sword as far from her face as we can, and slam our head into hers.
>You shift the opposite direction, and push down the side of her that's rising off the ground. Unfortunately, she starts shifting up on the other side in response. You shift down to sit on her waist and she immediately raises her shoulders off the ground.
>You push further on her sword, using your tail on her arm for added leverage. You shift it what you judge to be far enough away, then headbutt Cirno as she raises her head up.
>"Owww!"
>Your own head throbs a little with the blow, but not as bad as it seems you got her. At least you've recovered from yesterday's cranial bludgeoning.
> "The farmer you robbed! Numbskull!"
>"I didn't rob anyone, numbskull!" she cries, wincing under the blow.
>"She didn't rob anyone!" the other fairies adds in.
>You're losing mobility in your left arm as the ice creeps over your elbow. You can't feel your hand much at all, and the arm itself is painfully cold.
> We can surrender right now, you know. We dont need to deal with this shit, just tell her we give up and tell her about all you know about Isato, and how he's "good".
>That certainly seems to be a possibility, if you could convince her to stop fast enough, once you did so.
-
>"Alright, Alright, I give. Besides, I'm lucky my arm isnt a popsicle now. Dont want to get that any worse."
-
> Roll off of Cirno. "Dammit, you're a real threat with that ice, you know that?"
-
>"Alright, Alright, I give. Besides, I'm lucky my arm isnt a popsicle now. Dont want to get that any worse."
> Roll off of Cirno. "Dammit, you're a real threat with that ice, you know that?"
>You voice your concession, and roll off Cirno. This is a little awkward, as your left hand is still frozen to the hilt of her sword so part of her comes with you. Cirno rises to her feet the moment you lift off of her and tries to level her sword at you as best she still can with your hand attached to it.
>"That's right!" she cries, then stares at you hard for a moment. "So you really surrender?"
-
>"Well unless I have some weird fetish for being frozen to death, then yes, I am actually surrendering."
>"Now can I actually talk to you calmly, without getting my ass kicked?"
-
>"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I didn't come here looking for a fight, and if you didn't steal that wagon, I have no reason to fight you. And I've about had enough of brawling for nothing."
>Spare a glance at the fairy clinging to our arm. "You can let go now, by the way."
-
>"Well unless I have some weird fetish for being frozen to death, then yes, I am actually surrendering."
>"Now can I actually talk to you calmly, without getting my ass kicked?"
>"Ha!" Cirno's face takes on a triumphant grin. "That's right!"
>Cirno tries to move her sword, then seems to notice more clearly how you're attached to it. She grimaces. "Stand still, ok?"
>"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I didn't come here looking for a fight, and if you didn't steal that wagon, I have no reason to fight you. And I've about had enough of brawling for nothing."
>Spare a glance at the fairy clinging to our arm. "You can let go now, by the way."
>"Then what did you come here for?" Cirno says. "You said you were working for that guy."
>"Nuh-uh!" the smaller fairy says, shaking her head vigorously.
-
> Sit still, feeling kind of ridiculous.
> "Just making sure that we're on the same page, here. The guy you're talking about is Isato, the fruit farmer, who has a cart of fruit and a horse, right?"
-
> Sit still, feeling kind of ridiculous.
> "Just making sure that we're on the same page, here. The guy you're talking about is Isato, the fruit farmer, who has a cart of fruit and a horse, right?"
>You stand sit. You can't quite shake the wrongness of taking orders from an armed fairy of all things.
>"Dunno his name," she says, "but the jerk did have a lot of fruit with him."
>"It tasted like justice!" the other fairy adds.
>Cirno looks at you hard for another moment. "You try anything, and I won't hold back, got it?"
-
> "Gotcha, just get this ice off before I die of frostbite. So, what did he do to you anyways?"
-
> "Gotcha, just get this ice off before I die of frostbite. So, what did he do to you anyways?"
>Cirno focuses for a moment, then the ice shatters and dissipates. She pulls her sword free, then with a flourish, levels it at your chest. Your arm still feels numb with cold, but you can move it awkwardly.
>"He hurt the others," she says. "I made him stop."
>"She did!" the other fairy adds. "She's awesome!"
>Cirno smiles proudly. "Damn straight."
-
> Frown. "How? What did he do? And what does taking someone else's food have to do with it? You know that those fruits in the wagon were meant for someone else, right?"
-
>"No offense, But the little stunt you did kinda nearly cost the people he was delivering his fruit to a job. Couldn't you have at least scared him off, and went to the city with a seeker request or something? If not that, at least not taking all the food?"
>"I can understand if he was attacking you, but really that wasnt the best approach. Also, Before you ask again, no, I'm not sided with him. As I've said before, I'm a seeker. If my client is planning world domination, and for gods know what reason he needs pineapples for it, I wouldn't be the wiser."
-
>"No offense, But the little stunt you did kinda nearly cost the people he was delivering his fruit to a job. Couldn't you have at least scared him off, and went to the city with a seeker request or something? If not that, at least not taking all the food?"
>"I can understand if he was attacking you, but really that wasnt the best approach. Also, Before you ask again, no, I'm not sided with him. As I've said before, I'm a seeker. If my client is planning world domination, and for gods know what reason he needs pineapples for it, I wouldn't be the wiser."
> Hold off on this: it's not bad, but monologing before we hear responses to our questions isn't wise.
-
> Hold off on this: it's not bad, but monologing before we hear responses to our questions isn't wise.
I totally forgot to say "do this after sects"
I just assumed the parser would know since your post was first :V
-
> Frown. "How? What did he do? And what does taking someone else's food have to do with it? You know that those fruits in the wagon were meant for someone else, right?"
>"He threw rocks at them," Cirno says. "And he left the food himself. It's spoils of battle. Why should I care who someone like him was trying to bring it to?"
-
>"It's fine enough not to like someone, but what about the innocent people that suffer because of it? There's a cafe that might have to close down now because of you making off with that food. Did the people that work there throw rocks at your friends? Or its frequent customers? Hmm?"
>"And what exactly did you do to him, anyway, to scare him off?"
-
>"It's fine enough not to like someone, but what about the innocent people that suffer because of it? There's a cafe that might have to close down now because of you making off with that food. Did the people that work there throw rocks at your friends? Or its frequent customers? Hmm?"
>"And what exactly did you do to him, anyway, to scare him off?"
>"Well, uh..." Cirno grimaces. "Maybe they did! What kinda person would want to buy from someone like him, anyway?
>Cirno taps her blade with her finger, then grins. "He knew he didn't have a chance."
-
>"Well, Store owners dont care who the person delivering the fruit is, as long as its good fruit. You could'va at least scared him off instead of taking all the food. Think of the other people."
-
>Arc an eyebrow.
>"You threatened him with your sword?"
-
>"Well, Store owners dont care who the person delivering the fruit is, as long as its good fruit. You could'va at least scared him off instead of taking all the food. Think of the other people."
>"I did scare him off," Cirno says, "and he deserved it. It's only fair that the guys he tried to beat up get some."
>"It was delicious!" the other fairy adds.
>Arc an eyebrow.
>"You threatened him with your sword?"
>Cirno cocks her head to the side. "Yeah? Got a problem with that?"
-
>"One bigger one, at the moment. Isato described being attacked by a youkai. A youkai with claws, not a sword. And I sincerely doubt someone would mistake a fairy with a sword, which is rare enough, for a youkai with big claws. Something's not adding up here."
-
>"One bigger one, at the moment. Isato described being attacked by a youkai. A youkai with claws, not a sword. And I sincerely doubt someone would mistake a fairy with a sword, which is rare enough, for a youkai with big claws. Something's not adding up here."
>"If something else found him after, that's not my fault," she says. "I was just standing up for the rest of them."
-
>"Except he said he still had his wagon and horses when the youkai jumped him. In fact, he didn't mention anything about fairys at all. Either you or your friends."
>"Did you see any youkai around at the time?"
-
>"Except he said he still had his wagon and horses when the youkai jumped him. In fact, he didn't mention anything about fairys at all. Either you or your friends."
>"Did you see any youkai around at the time?"
>"Never seen one like it," Cirno says. "And I'd know."
>"Sounds scary," the other fairy says, frowning.
>Cirno grins. "Don't ya worry. I can take her."
>"Yay!" The other fairy starts to clap, appearing to only realize that this causes her to let go of your arm when she starts to fall off. She quickly grabs hold again.
-
>"Has anyone seen one like it?"
-
>"Alright, so now I'm really confused. If you attacked him, then he's lieing. If you didnt attack him, then you're lieing."
>"God damn, This was supposed to be an easy job too."
-
Hi. Has it occured to anyone that Isato is either misremembering, exagerrating, or lying about the "monster" that attacked him?
-
I'm pretty sure when you go through something traumatic right in front of your eyes, You'd know if it was a knife or a spoon that killed your mother or something. I doubt someone would forget if they had a really long sharp thing or a really short sharp thing like claws.
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Hi. Has it occured to anyone that Isato is either misremembering, exagerrating, or lying about the "monster" that attacked him?
Of course it's occured to me. But like I said before, I find it hard to believe someone would confuse a sword for claws. If Cirno had a handful of knives, that'd be a different story. I'd thought for a while that some youkai scared Isato off and Cirno simply made off with the goods after the fact, but I've come to doubt that. I still think there's a youkai out there involved in this somewhere, and I'd like to get to the bottom of what, if anything, Cirno knows about it before we go anywhere else.
And whether or not it was Cirno or someone else that scared off Isato, the bottom line is Cirno ended up with the fruit, we've esatablished that. That means it's our job to get it back, whatever's left of it. Although I admit, I'm not certain how to convice Cirno to part with her 'spoils of war'.
-
Although I admit, I'm not certain how to convice Cirno to part with her 'spoils of war'.
Wait about 8 hours, since she's prolly already eaten it all. If not:
>Ask Cirno if theres any sort of fruit hanging around.
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>"Why'd he throw rocks at you, anyways?"
-
>"Has anyone seen one like it?"
>"Nope!" the smaller fairy says, shaking her head.
>"Never heard of it," Cirno says.
>"Alright, so now I'm really confused. If you attacked him, then he's lieing. If you didnt attack him, then you're lieing."
>"God damn, This was supposed to be an easy job too."
>"I ain't lying," Cirno says, frowning at you. "Swordsmen got a code of honor, you know."
>Cirno grins smugly at you. "Guess you didn't know you'd have to deal with me."
>"She's the best!" the other fairy adds.
>"Damn straight."
>Ask Cirno if theres any sort of fruit hanging around.
>"Lots!" the smaller fairy says. "Pineapple and kiwi and papaya and mango and all kinds of stuff!"
>"Was a big haul," Cirno says.
>"Why'd he throw rocks at you, anyways?"
>"Because he's a jerk!" Cirno says. "The others didn't do nothing."
>The other fairy nods. "Nope, nothing. He was meanie!"
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>Approximately how much fruit did the store need?
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>Approximately how much fruit did the store need?
>You aren't aware specifically how large their normal shipment is. Isato implied that a large portion of the fruit he was carrying was intended for The Melon Bowl, but some was intended for other buyers, or the open market.
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>"Cirno, How much did you loot from the guy?"
>Let's just assume that a good 60% of the stuff she looted is all thats needed for the market.
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>"Cirno, How much did you loot from the guy?"
>Let's just assume that a good 60% of the stuff she looted is all thats needed for the market.
>"He left it all," she says. "Cart, horses, everything. Guess he didn't want to tangle with me."
>Certainly the more you can obtain, the better for all parties concerned. Except perhaps the fairies, of course.
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>"Can I have some of what you took from him? I kinda need to to help good, innocent people. People are practically losing one of their few places to get the necessity that is 'food'. Plus, You've got more then enough to feed all these guys and girls, right? You dont exactly need any extra."
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>"Can I have some of what you took from him? I kinda need to to help good, innocent people. People are practically losing one of their few places to get the necessity that is 'food'. Plus, You've got more then enough to feed all these guys and girls, right? You dont exactly need any extra."
>Cirno looks unswayed. "You expect me to believe that someone like him was trying to help people out?"
>"He was a meanie!" the other fairy repeats.
>"'sides, we earned that fair and square," Cirno says. "The guys he tried to hurt get to have his stuff. That's what they call justice."
-
>"But think about what you're doing: People dont care who deliver the food, as long as its good food. You're taking food from a store, that for all I know could be feeding helpless children or kittens with the leftovers! You can easily find your own food, but they cant."
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>"But think about what you're doing: People dont care who deliver the food, as long as its good food. You're taking food from a store, that for all I know could be feeding helpless children or kittens with the leftovers! You can easily find your own food, but they cant."
>"Kittens?" the smaller fairy meeps.
>Cirno frowns a little.
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>"I understand what you did you thought was right, But you really need to think ahead more often. I dont want to make you seem evil either, you really are a nice person. Just from now on, Try not to focus on the justice at hand, and focus at the justice that WILL be. If you have to let one thing slide to make another better thing happen in the future, by all means do it."
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>"I understand what you did you thought was right, But you really need to think ahead more often. I dont want to make you seem evil either, you really are a nice person. Just from now on, Try not to focus on the justice at hand, and focus at the justice that WILL be. If you have to let one thing slide to make another better thing happen in the future, by all means do it."
>Cirno gives you a dubious look. "What would someone like you know about justice?"
-
>
bitch i am the law
>"Well, For starters, I've been training damn near two thirds of my live just TRYING to figure out Justice, And training myself to be an enforcer of it. I could give you my whole life story, But that wouldn't really change anything. The point of fact is that you did something wrong, And as the enforcer of justice I am, You have to pay some so of retribution. Again, I couldn't care less what that guy did, and I couldn't care less if you beat him to a pulp in his own home. But when it involves other people, It's not pure justice anymore."
>"I really, REALLY, dont want to come off as rude, but I need to get this job done and help as many people as I possibly can today, as I'm a very busy mouse. Hell, like I said before, The seekers could really make you into a much better person; not that you're bad now. But you are at least a little bit misguided. There's only so far you can go with justice without proper education, ya'know?"
Fucking lectures man.
If anyone has anything against this vote, say so now :V
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>Too many words.
>"I'm a seeker, remember? We have to know the law and how to balance out these things. So, is it just to rob an unarmed man, Cirno? One who didn't even fight back? Or to keep the people who need that food from getting it?"
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>Too many words.
>"I'm a seeker, remember? We have to know the law and how to balance out these things. So, is it just to rob an unarmed man, Cirno? One who didn't even fight back? Or to keep the people who need that food from getting it?"
Purvis. How the hell did you turn a lecture into three sentences.
I'm not sure weither to love you forever or kick you in the face. Can I do both?
>Anyways yeah fuck what I said go with purvis.
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>"I'm a seeker, remember? We have to know the law and how to balance out these things. So, is it just to rob an unarmed man, Cirno? One who didn't even fight back? Or to keep the people who need that food from getting it?"
>Cirno's expression slowly turns into grimace. After a prolonged and somewhat irritated-looking pause, she says "So, what am I supposed to do, then? Just let him do whatever he wants? Villains aren't suppose to get away with stuff. People like me are supposed to stop them. That's how it works."
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>"If anyone is truly a villian, They wouldn't be selling their food at a very low price so that others could gain a living off it, now would they? One foul act does not make the man."
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>"If anyone is truly a villian, They wouldn't be selling their food at a very low price so that others could gain a living off it, now would they? One foul act does not make the man."
>"But that's-" Cirno stops, brow furrowing. "Villains are villains. Heroes are heroes. That's how it works."
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>"No, That's not how it works Cirno. But if you believe that so much, What defines a villian? Someone that does bad deeds? And a hero is someone who does good deeds, correct?"
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>"No, That's not how it works Cirno. But if you believe that so much, What defines a villian? Someone that does bad deeds? And a hero is someone who does good deeds, correct?"
>"That's right!" Cirno nods.
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>"Like the hero who attacked me, while I was unarmed, when I just came to sort this all out?"
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>"Or like the 'Villian' who attacked you, Due to sheer fear that his good deed to a poor storeowner, whos now having to close shop because you scared him?"
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>"Like the hero who attacked me, while I was unarmed, when I just came to sort this all out?"
>"That's different," Cirno says, scowling. "You were an invader - Daffodil said so. People like me have to fight people like that. No one gets to the others without going through me."
>"Or like the 'Villian' who attacked you, Due to sheer fear that his good deed to a poor storeowner, whos now having to close shop because you scared him?"
>"He still hit first!" Cirno cries.
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>"That isn't different. I just came here to resolve a problem nonviolently, but you assumed I was hostile and attacked me first."
-
>"He swung because you were a youkai. What were you doing at the time? If any of the answers involve your sword, I think that's why. I met him, And he's not exactly the bravest of people, And I'm sure he wouldn't attack anyone without reason."
>"I'm also going to extend my offer to join the Seekers again. You are a really kind person who fights for her friends, But do you know when and when not to fight? He's just a human, and you're a fairy. You can take a hit, and I'd understand more if he tried to full-out attack you. There's a lot of things you could learn from the Seekers Cirno, and you wouldn't regret a bit of it."
Trying to get Cirno to rejoin the Seekers. Who knows, Maybe she'll be a much better person for it?
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>"He swung because you were a youkai. What were you doing at the time? If any of the answers involve your sword, I think that's why. I met him, And he's not exactly the bravest of people, And I'm sure he wouldn't attack anyone without reason."
>"I'm also going to extend my offer to join the Seekers again. You are a really kind person who fights for her friends, But do you know when and when not to fight? He's just a human, and you're a fairy. You can take a hit, and I'd understand more if he tried to full-out attack you. There's a lot of things you could learn from the Seekers Cirno, and you wouldn't regret a bit of it."
Trying to get Cirno to rejoin the Seekers. Who knows, Maybe she'll be a much better person for it?
>Not this. Let's finish before jumping onto other things.
>"I even left the town behind a bit, just to make you feel a little better. And you still came at me. You see what I'm saying?"
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>"That isn't different. I just came here to resolve a problem nonviolently, but you assumed I was hostile and attacked me first."
>"The others called for help," she says. "You said you were working for that guy. What else am I supposed to think?"
>"I even left the town behind a bit, just to make you feel a little better. And you still came at me. You see what I'm saying?"
>"You said you were working for him!" she repeats, looking more irate. "That's like coming out and saying you're here to do bad stuff. I can't just ignore that!"
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>"You could get more details, perhaps? Learn the whole situation instead of making assumptions and attacking someone who tried to be your friend and even gave you pie yesterday!"
>Let's see how the faeries react to that one, we could do with the crowd on our side for once.
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>"You could get more details, perhaps? Learn the whole situation instead of making assumptions and attacking someone who tried to be your friend and even gave you pie yesterday!"
>Let's see how the faeries react to that one, we could do with the crowd on our side for once.
>"Well, uh, the pie was pretty good, yeah," she says, her expression softening for a moment. Then she catches herself "But I can't go soft on someone just because of pie!"
>"You can't?" the other fairy says, putting a finger thoughtfully to her chin.
>"Nope," Cirno says, grinning again. "Gotta be ready for all kindsa tricks. A true swordsman sees through that kinda stuff. Villains ain't got no place to hide."
>The fairy on your arm appears to be about to clap again, but catches herself before she slips this time, and contents herself with simply crying "Yay!"
-
>"So doing a nice thing for someone is a trick now. Lovely. I'll be sure to never give you a present again. And instead of even giving a friend the benefit of a doubt, you just went and tried to slice me open without any kind of questions. And without any kind of apology either, I might add. You call yourself a swordman, have you even fought anyone who's had a weapon, or do you just go around looking for people who don't have any?"
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>"So doing a nice thing for someone is a trick now. Lovely. I'll be sure to never give you a present again. And instead of even giving a friend the benefit of a doubt, you just went and tried to slice me open without any kind of questions. And without any kind of apology either, I might add. You call yourself a swordman, have you even fought anyone who's had a weapon, or do you just go around looking for people who don't have any?"
>"Hey!" Cirno cries. "You trying to say I'm a coward? If you wanna go get a sword and come back, I'll still take ya. I someone came at me with a hundred swords, I'd still take them. I don't back down from any challenge."
-
>"Says the one going around trying to fight people without weapons. And robbing them. What're you going to do about this, Cirno? How're you going to make it better?"
-
>"It doesnt matter how bad the person was, If you take something they rightfully own, That doesnt make you a hero."
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>"It doesnt matter how bad the person was, If you take something they rightfully own, That doesnt make you a hero."
>Not yet. it's time to let Cirno react to the pressure just thrust on her.
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>Not yet. it's time to let Cirno react to the pressure just thrust on her.
purvis you one upper you
>Let's see how she handles it then.
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>"Says the one going around trying to fight people without weapons. And robbing them. What're you going to do about this, Cirno? How're you going to make it better?"
>"I didn't rob him!" she cries again, looking rather exasperated. "I made him stop hurting the others, he left his stuff, and that's it!"
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>"No, you just chased him off, and took his things. Kind of like how I didn't hit you, you just ran into my fist."
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>"No, you just chased him off, and took his things. Kind of like how I didn't hit you, you just ran into my fist."
>"What the heck are you talking about?" she says, frowning. "You totally hit me!"
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>"Yes, like you supposedly stopped him from hurting the other fairies and he left his stuff. Nope, it's definitely not chasing him away and robbing him."
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>Be a bit less challenging.
>"Exactly. As far as everyone else is concerned, you robbed him."
-
>Be a bit less challenging.
>"Exactly. As far as everyone else is concerned, you robbed him."
>"Yeah right," she says, then looks towards the fairy on your arm. "Did I rob that guy?"
>"Of course not!" she replies
>Cirno fixes you with a smug expression. "See?"
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>"Okay, let's go ask the guard in Braston."
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>"Okay, let's go ask the guard in Braston."
>"They have a problem with people taking stuff people leave lying around?" Cirno says. "Bet they'd have a problem with people hurting other people, too, wouldn't they?"
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>"Yeah, I'm sure they'll have a few thoughts on you attacking unarmed people with a sword. Let's go ask 'em."
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>"Yeah, I'm sure they'll have a few thoughts on you attacking unarmed people with a sword. Let's go ask 'em."
>Cirno scowls. "I didn't hurt him, which is more than he can say. He's fine, you're fine, where's the problem?"
-
>"Only because I was skilled enough to know how to dodge a sword, then get too close for it to be that useful. And you skill froze my hand! What's going to happen when you wave that stupid thing at someone who doesn't know how to fight, huh? So, you want to go ask the guards what they think? You can't say they don't know about justice."
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>"Only because I was skilled enough to know how to dodge a sword, then get too close for it to be that useful. And you skill froze my hand! What's going to happen when you wave that stupid thing at someone who doesn't know how to fight, huh? So, you want to go ask the guards what they think? You can't say they don't know about justice."
>Her scowl doesn't waver. "Bet they'd have done the same thing. And if they wouldn't, then they're working for the wrong side. Any warrior who stands by while people get hurt doesn't know a thing about justice."
>"Yeah!" the other fairy adds.
-
>Rub fingers across the bridge of our nose. This is getting us nowhere.
>"Well, there's people getting hurt right now, thanks to that fruit not being where it needs to be."
>"But you just might be able to do something about that as well, if you'll hear me out. I have an idea."
-
>Rub fingers across the bridge of our nose. This is getting us nowhere.
>"Well, there's people getting hurt right now, thanks to that fruit not being where it needs to be."
>"But you just might be able to do something about that as well, if you'll hear me out. I have an idea."
>You rub your fingers across the bridge of your nose. Fairies...
>Cirno's expression wavers a little as you speak, although she seems to catch herself after a moment and try to look resolute once more.
>"What?" she says after a moment, giving you a dubious look.
-
>"Well-"
>Pause for a moment, then look at Armfairy.
>"You can let go if you want. You're gonna like this. I'm gonna give Cirno here a good chance to be a hero."
-
>"Well-"
>Pause for a moment, then look at Armfairy.
>"You can let go if you want. You're gonna like this. I'm gonna give Cirno here a good chance to be a hero."
>You pause, then look at the fairy still clinging to your arm. She frowns a little nervously.
>"But she's already a hero..." the fairy says, in a distinctly quieter voice.
>"Spit it out, then," Cirno says, giving you a look that's halfway between wariness and a challenge.
-
>"Alright, alright, a bigger hero then."
>Look back at Cirno.
>"Well, you wanna be the kind of hero people talk about for years and years, don'tcha. But even those heroes had to start somewhere. You've taken something from someone that tried to hurt your friends, which is what heroes do, it's a good start. But heroes also help strangers, people that've never heard of them before. And you've got a chance to do that now."
-
>"Alright, alright, a bigger hero then."
>"She's gonna be the biggest hero!" the little fairy says.
>"Damn straight," Cirno says.
>Look back at Cirno.
>"Well, you wanna be the kind of hero people talk about for years and years, don'tcha. But even those heroes had to start somewhere. You've taken something from someone that tried to hurt your friends, which is what heroes do, it's a good start. But heroes also help strangers, people that've never heard of them before. And you've got a chance to do that now."
>"I do?" she says, looking perhaps genuinely a little confused. "This better not be some kinda trick."
-
>"No, no, no tricks, no games. Just a chance to do some good."
>"Whatever about Isato, I'm betting you don't have anything against the people of Braston, or the shop that cart was bound for. So why don't you take the cart to Braston yourself, deliver it to the Melon Bowl yourself? Store owners at least would thank you, as would the people that eat there. I can think of one Kappa especially that'd be very grateful."
>"Hey, hadn't thought of that, there's a chance to be known amongst the Kappa, as well as the rest of the population. The generous fairy of justice who brought food to hungry people and poor storeowners."
-
>"No, no, no tricks, no games. Just a chance to do some good."
>"Whatever about Isato, I'm betting you don't have anything against the people of Braston, or the shop that cart was bound for. So why don't you take the cart to Braston yourself, deliver it to the Melon Bowl yourself? Store owners at least would thank you, as would the people that eat there. I can think of one Kappa especially that'd be very grateful."
>"Hey, hadn't thought of that, there's a chance to be known amongst the Kappa, as well as the rest of the population. The generous fairy of justice who brought food to hungry people and poor storeowners."
>You detail your idea to Cirno. While she seems wary and perhaps a little lost at first, you can see a smile creep across her face as you speculate on her future accolades.
>"Of course!" Cirno says. "And I even drove off a villain to do it, too! That's how it works!" She nods, seemingly pleased with herself.
>"Yay!" the other fairy chips.
-
>Alright, now we're getting somewhere.
>"I presume you can drive a horse & cart? I mean you had to get it here somehow."
>Actually, while we're at it, can we get a bead on those metallic readings we were getting earlier without alerting Cirno or her friend here?
-
>Alright, now we're getting somewhere.
>"I presume you can drive a horse & cart? I mean you had to get it here somehow."
>Actually, while we're at it, can we get a bead on those metallic readings we were getting earlier without alerting Cirno or her friend here?
>This may, in fact, be some form of progress!
>"Oh, that was Cheery Brook," the fairy on your arm says. "She's good with animals and stuff." Cirno throws her an irritated glance.
>Given that it would require taking your dowsing rods up and moving them around, this seems unlikely.
-
>Look at Armfairy for a moment.
>"What's your name, by the way? I mean, you've had a hold of my arm for a bit, wouldn't hurt to introduce ourselves. I'm Nazrin."
-
>Look at Armfairy for a moment.
>"What's your name, by the way? I mean, you've had a hold of my arm for a bit, wouldn't hurt to introduce ourselves. I'm Nazrin."
>"Honeysuckle Dewdrop," she says, smiling. "Nice to meet you!" Her grip on your arm doesn't slack in the slightest.
-
>Smile at Dewdrop. "You know, this kind of thing might become the next big fashion crazy."
-
>Smile at Dewdrop. "You know, this kind of thing might become the next big fashion crazy."
>Her eyes light up. "Really?" She squeezes tighter. "...wait, is that a good thing?"
-
Oh, that's marvelous, Purvis, now I have the image of Nazrin showing off her Fairy-bling wherever she goes. And I like it. Well played, sir. Well played.
>"Well, having a fairy on one's arm sure makes things more interesting. That ain't bad."
>Back to Cirno.
>"So whaddya say, Cirno? Wanna be a hero to the staff and customers of the Melon Bowl? Maybe we could even take Honeysuckle here along with ya. After all..."
>Offer a grin to Honeysuckle.
>"Every hero needs a sidekick."
-
>"Well, having a fairy on one's arm sure makes things more interesting. That ain't bad."
>Honeysuckle beams. "Yay, I'm making things interesting!" She resumes doing her level best to restrict the flow of blood to your hand.
>Back to Cirno.
>"So whaddya say, Cirno? Wanna be a hero to the staff and customers of the Melon Bowl? Maybe we could even take Honeysuckle here along with ya. After all..."
>Offer a grin to Honeysuckle.
>"Every hero needs a sidekick."
>You repeat your idea to Cirno, and then suggest taking Honeysuckle along.
>Honeysuckle gives you an uncertain look. "I'm a sidekick?" Then her eyes brighten, and she turns her head towards Cirno. "Can I be a sidekick?"
>Cirno frowns. "Ehh...."
>"Pleeeeease!" Honeysuckle loosens her grip on your arm just enough to clasp her hands together.
>Cirno looks at her for a moment, then shakes her head. "Sorry, kid. You did good today, but it'll be a long time before you're ready to be a sidekick."
>"B- b- but-" Honeysuckle sputters.
>"A swordsman's life is rough," Cirno continues. "You got what it takes to face hordes of monsters and demons and all that jazz?" You hear a frightened meep from your arm. Cirno sighs. "Could you even beat up Hyacinth?"
>Honeysuckle droops. "I..."
>"S'okay," Cirno says dismissively. "Not everyone can be the sidekick of a legendary swordsman." She grins. "Whoever it is'd have to be pretty legendary to keep up with me, anyway. So, about this Melon Bowl place," she says, turning back to you.
>"I- I can make great tea!" Honeysuckle cries. Cirno cocks an eyebrow. "And... and lemon bisque!" Her voice is practically overflowing with earnestness.
>"That's not-" Cirno begins.
>The fairy's voice grows increasingly shrill. "I could scrub your sword all shiny when you're not using it!"
>"You-"
>"I could carry your umbrella and make sure that your hair stays dry!"
>"I don't even ha-"
>"Bake victory cakes every day!"
>Cirno grimaces. "Would you-"
>"Darn your socks?"
>There is a moment's hesitation, then Cirno shakes her head again. Honeysuckle starts to sob on your arm.
-
>"Now that's not very heroic, either."
-
>Place free hand behind Honeysuckle's head in a gentle hug. Poor little thing.
-
>"Now that's not very heroic, either."
>"Hey!" Cirno says. "It's not my fault she's not cut out for it."
>"B- but it would have been so awesome!" Honeysuckle wails between sobs.
>Place free hand behind Honeysuckle's head in a gentle hug. Poor little thing.
>You bring your other hand around to give the sobbing fairy a hug. She stiffens and yelps as you make contact. At this point the distinct warmness of her head reminds you just how cold your left arm still is after its brush with popsicklehood.
-
>"Sorry..."
-
>"Sorry..."
>"I- I can't run away from the cold," she says, between sobs. "This is the hand touched by the ice of justice. A sidekick can't be afraid of justice." You hear her teeth start to chatter
>Cirno screws up her face, although she looks as much uncomfortable as put out. "So, about that Melon Bowl place..."
-
>Pat the poor fairy on the head a couple times. "Got the right attitude, there."
>Anyway, back down to business.
>"Melon bowl's the cafe in Braston that's expecting the fruit. If you'll get that cart and bring it to the bridge, we can ride back to Braston together. I have to go back the way I came, pick up the horse I rode in on."
-
I am somehow reminded of Cutewendy, and its Girly sequel.
Is this intentional?
>Hit Cirno with a giant dildo.
>Make sure to use our warm hand for patting the poor fairy.
-
I am somehow reminded of Cutewendy, and its Girly sequel.
Is this intentional?
Never even heard of it before, I'm afraid. Is there some sort of parallel here?
>Hit Cirno with a giant dildo.
>The mere fact that you anticipate having such an object within arms reach raises questions about your proclivities. Have you been sneaking objects into that pack of yours while the parser's asleep?
>Pat the poor fairy on the head a couple times. "Got the right attitude, there."
>Make sure to use our warm hand for patting the poor fairy.
>You attempt to give Honeysuckle a gentle pat on the head with your warm hand. Given that she's still firmly attached to that arm, this proves rather difficult to do without a broken wrist. You settle for brushing along part of her hair with the tips of your fingers.
>"It would have been so awesome..." she repeats meekly.
>Anyway, back down to business.
>"Melon bowl's the cafe in Braston that's expecting the fruit. If you'll get that cart and bring it to the bridge, we can ride back to Braston together. I have to go back the way I came, pick up the horse I rode in on."
>Cirno frowns. "What've you gotta come along for? I'm the one who fought to get this stuff to give them. What'd you have to do with it?"
-
>"I was the one they hired to retrieve the fruit in the first place. It's my task, and I need to see it through to the end. That what a Seeker does. What's more, that's what I do. Anything I've done, I always do my best to see it finished."
>"If you want, Honeysuckle, you can come with me for a while. I may not be quite the hero Cirno is, but I wouldn't mind the company at all. And plus, just like heroes, every sidekick has to start somewhere, too. Never know. This could be your start."
-
>"I was the one they hired to retrieve the fruit in the first place. It's my task, and I need to see it through to the end. That what a Seeker does. What's more, that's what I do. Anything I've done, I always do my best to see it finished."
>Cirno gives you a long hard look, her expression warring between irritation and something approaching... respect?
>"Long as you don't try to steal the credit," she says eventually.
>"If you want, Honeysuckle, you can come with me for a while. I may not be quite the hero Cirno is, but I wouldn't mind the company at all. And plus, just like heroes, every sidekick has to start somewhere, too. Never know. This could be your start."
>The fairy slowly turns her head towards you, her cheeks moist with tears. "R- really?"
-
>That might be a bit of a problem. If Cirno decides she's the one who should be paid for bringing that shipment to the Melon Bowl... Well. One problem at a time.
>"About how long do you think it'll take you to get the cart back to the bridge?"
>Wish we could wipe those tears away, but doing so with a frigid hand might not be such a hot idea.
>"On one condition, Honeysuckle."
And yes, I realize I'm trusting Cirno to meet up with us later not long after we had a brawl with her, but I don't believe she's the type to stab us in the back once we go off in another direction after she's agreed to something. And even if she does, we can just track her down and get the goods the old fashioned way.
-
>That might be a bit of a problem. If Cirno decides she's the one who should be paid for bringing that shipment to the Melon Bowl... Well. One problem at a time.
>"About how long do you think it'll take you to get the cart back to the bridge?"
>Wish we could wipe those tears away, but doing so with a frigid hand might not be such a hot idea.
>"On one condition, Honeysuckle."
>Yeah, that could end uncomfortably... On the other hand, simply getting the cart there is closer to getting paid than you are right now.
>"I can get it there in no time!" Cirno says. "Count on it."
>In fact, it might be the very opposite of hot!
>Honeysuckle frowns again. "Condition?"
-
>Suppose that sentiment counts as Cirno's word. Good enough for us.
>"Condition means there's something you have to do for me, Honeysuckle. And that is this:..."
>Give her a small grin.
>"I'll need to have my arm back when we get to my horse. Deal?"
-
>Suppose that sentiment counts as Cirno's word. Good enough for us.
>"Condition means there's something you have to do for me, Honeysuckle. And that is this:..."
>Give her a small grin.
>"I'll need to have my arm back when we get to my horse. Deal?"
>Honeysuckle pauses for a moment. "I- If I let go of your arm, I can be a sidekick?"
-
>Laugh lightly at Honey's quandry. Fairys.... Hm. Wonder how many times we've thought that in the past couple days. Still, that is about what we said.
>"Well... Yeah. If you want to be."
>Back to Cirno. "You'll probably get back to the bridge before me, I've got some fairly rough ground to cover. But I'll be there as quick as I can."
-
>Laugh lightly at Honey's quandry. Fairys.... Hm. Wonder how many times we've thought that in the past couple days. Still, that is about what we said.
>"Well... Yeah. If you want to be."
>Honeysuckle frowns thoughtfully for a moment, then nods. "If it's training to become a real sidekick, I'll do it!"
>Cirno just shakes her head.
>Back to Cirno. "You'll probably get back to the bridge before me, I've got some fairly rough ground to cover. But I'll be there as quick as I can."
>She nods. "Count on it!"
-
>Nod at Cirno, then grin at our new
party member fairy companion.
>"Let's get moving... partner."
-
>Nod at Cirno, then grin at our new party member fairy companion.
>"Let's get moving... partner."
>You nod at Cirno, then toss a grin to Honeysuckle. She looks a little uncertain of how to react.
>Cirno shrugs, then sheathes her sword and turns to fly off.
>"Just you watch!" Honeysuckle cries out after her. "I'm going to work real hard until I'm strong enough to be your sidekick! I'm gonna be the bestest sidekick ever!"
-
>Back to the wagon!
-
>Back to the wagon!
>You turn and walk back the way you came in, skirting most of the village and heading back up into the hills, while Cirno flits off towards the village proper. The group of onlookers that were gathered by the edge of the trees during your fight with Cirno seem to have mostly dispersed - perhaps they got bored once the beatings stopped? You do spot a couple watching you pass by from a safe distance, attempting somewhat poorly to remain concealed by the foliage. One even pulls her head back with a short 'eep' when you so much as look in her direction. Honeysuckle, for her part, remains contently twined around your arm. She's not as heavy as you might expect when she's not actively throwing her weight against you, although it does make your stride just a tad awkward. You're actually sort of getting used to it at this point.
>Soon enough, you reach the big ridge of hills cutting off sight of the village from the land to the north of it. This is actually going to require the use of your hands to scramble back up, and while your hands are technically both free, the process would scrape poor Honeysuckle all over the rock face is she remains where she is now.
-
>"You should probably let go, I doubt you'd enjoy being bashed up against the rocks."
-
>"You should probably let go, I doubt you'd enjoy being bashed up against the rocks."
>Honeysuckle lets out a meep and clings tighter. "Why would you do that!? I- Is this sidekick training?"
-
>"No, Ju- ah, Just hop on my back or something."
-
>"I have to climb up this ridge, you see."
-
>"No, Ju- ah, Just hop on my back or something."
>The fairy hesitates for a moment, frowning. "Um... ok, I guess."
>She tentatively lets go of your arm, then floats over to your back and grabs onto your shoulders. With the sudden removal of the accustomed weight, your arm almost feels like it's floating.
>"I- Is this okay?" she asks.
>"I have to climb up this ridge, you see."
>Honeysuckle takes a look at the ridge, then you, then frowns. "That looks hard. Why'd you want to do that?"
-
>"Need to get to the other side. Do you know a faster way? One I can use?"
-
>"Need to get to the other side. Do you know a faster way? One I can use?"
>"I just fly over it," she offers.
-
>"Welp, Unlucky for us, I cant fly
fifty five."
>"So, You know of any ways around other then flying?"
-
>"Welp, Unlucky for us, I cant fly fifty five."
>"So, You know of any ways around other then flying?"
>"Oh." Her frown deepens. "Oh..." Her expression looks almost sympathetic.
>"Umm..... Well, there's less rocks and hills and stuff by the river, I guess."
-
>From what we can recall of the geography of this region, would detouring to the river speed up or slow down our progress to the cart? Or can we even recall enough to gauge that at all?
-
>From what we can recall of the geography of this region, would detouring to the river speed up or slow down our progress to the cart? Or can we even recall enough to gauge that at all?
>The river was not along a direct path to your current location from where you left the cart. That was why you choose to travel this way in the first place. However, the cart was still left by the river. You have no idea how circuitous the route along it is, but if it's clear for foot travel, it may still be faster to traverse despite being less direct.
-
>Then let's try the alternate route, see if our Honey's advice is good.
-
>Then let's try the alternate route, see if our Honey's advice is good.
>You double back and head towards the river, arriving there after a short and uneventful trip. The terrain along the riverbank is a bit rough, but level and free of the densest clusters of trees. And there's certainly no hills to have to scale. You follow alongside it for some as it winds one way and then the other. Hills rising up a short distance from the river's edge obscure sight very far in either direction, making it a bit difficult to tell exactly how close you're getting to where you left the cart. There's no question that it's a less strenuous trip, though.
>Honeysuckle clings dutifully to your back the whole while, as requested. As you walk, she occasionally chatters on about how exciting it will be to be Cirno's official sidekick one day, or tosses you a question about your own exploits. You do your best to give her answers that are both reasonably truthful and tailored perhaps just a little to a fairy's sensibilities. She seems particularly excited at the thought of going on a kitty hunt at some point.
>After a few minutes, the cart comes into sight as you pass around another bend. This was definitely quickly than the trip down. The horse, as docile as ever, looks calmly in your direction as you come into view.
-
>Return the horses' look. Hello again, SteadyEyes....
>"That was good advice, Honeysuckle. Much easier that way."
-
>Return the horses' look. Hello again, SteadyEyes....
>"That was good advice, Honeysuckle. Much easier that way."
>You lock gazes with the horse. It nickers softly.
>"Hooray, I'm useful!" she cries.
-
>Are you having a wonderful time?
>Untie Steady, climb aboard, then make for that bridge. Be sweet if we beat Cirno there.
-
>Untie Steady, climb aboard, then make for that bridge. Be sweet if we beat Cirno there.
>You untie the horse, then get aboard the cart and head for the bridge. Honeysuckle herself dismounts your back and has a seat beside you, although after some time gets fidgety and pokes around the back of the cart instead. A few moments later, she attempts what seems to be a variant of hopscotch in the back of the roughly moving vehicle. Her balance is better than expected - the wings probably help with that - but a bump in the ground nonetheless sends her careening head-first into the side of the cart with a shrill yelp. She sits rather still after that, save for the occasional remark about the cart being a meanie.
>Fairy notwithstanding, the route is fairly direct and you make good time. Arriving back at the bridge, you see no sign of Cirno.
-
>I'll be jiggered. Actually did beat Cirno here. Bet we'll have to listen to her grumble about that when she gets here.
>"Looks like we'll have to wait a bit, Honeysuckle. ... Actually, do you mind if I call you Honey?"
-
>I'll be jiggered. Actually did beat Cirno here. Bet we'll have to listen to her grumble about that when she gets here.
>"Looks like we'll have to wait a bit, Honeysuckle. ... Actually, do you mind if I call you Honey?"
>From what you've seen of her, this wouldn't entirely surprise you.
>"Um, ok," she says.
-
>"It's something friends do. My name is Nazrin, but most of my friends just call me 'Naz'. You can, too, if you want."
-
>"Honey I shrunk the mouseys!"
>Let's wait around for Cirno, eh?
-
>"It's something friends do. My name is Nazrin, but most of my friends just call me 'Naz'. You can, too, if you want."
>Honey nods slowly. "Ok.... Naz. Got it!"
>"Honey I shrunk the mouseys!"
>Let's wait around for Cirno, eh?
>Better than blowing them up, no?
>You sit and wait for Cirno's arrival. Time passes. Then more time. Honey lies around, then flies around, then skips stones off the river and chases after some robins to amuse herself. You begin to wish you had something to amuse yourself with as well. As you start to seriously wonder whether Cirno is actually coming, a larger two-horse cart comes into sight in the far south. A distinctive looking figure is driving it... poorly. It's actually a little awkward to watch.
>Honey's face bursts into a beaming grin. "She's here!"
-
>Arch an eyebrow.
>"Didn't you say that Cirno had another fairy drive the cart back to the village? Cheery Brook, I think you said."
>Hope she can get that thing back in one piece.
-
>Arch an eyebrow.
>"Didn't you say that Cirno had another fairy drive the cart back to the village? Cheery Brook, I think you said."
>Hope she can get that thing back in one piece.
>Honey nods. "Yup! Cheery did it. She's good with animals and stuff. Great heroes gotta be good with horses, so they can ride in and save the day. That's how all the stories go." She pauses. "Um... does a sidekick need to be able to ride horses, too?"
>The cart itself seems to be in okay shape, although the horses don't seem inclined to listen to Cirno as well as she'd like, making it both slower and more labor-intensive to drive. Actually, she looks more than a little frustrated with them, as best you can tell from this distance.
-
>If fairys curse, we may be hearing it soon. But wonder why Cirno decided to take the thing herself this time.
>"Well, if a sidekick can ride a horse, it means that her hero has both hands free to swing her sword at bad guys, if they're riding together."
-
>If fairys curse, we may be hearing it soon. But wonder why Cirno decided to take the thing herself this time.
>"Well, if a sidekick can ride a horse, it means that her hero has both hands free to swing her sword at bad guys, if they're riding together."
>Given what she said earlier, you might be able to think of a couple reasons...
>Honey's face lights up. "Oh, I see!" Then it droops again. "I, um... I'm not much good at that sort of stuff," she frowns. Then, nearly as quickly, she shakes her head resolutely. "No, I have to get good at it! Cirno's counting on me!"
>She reaches out and grasps your hands tightly in hers. "Teach me how!"
-
>Why didn't I see that coming? Still, did encourage the girl.
>"Well... I'll teach you what I can, sure."
-
>Why didn't I see that coming? Still, did encourage the girl.
>"Well... I'll teach you what I can, sure."
>"Yay!" she cries, applying a familiar vice-like squeeze to a different extremity than when you first met. "I'll do it right; I promise!"
>Soon enough, Isato's cart rumbles up to the bridge, Cirno sitting astride it like some sort of conquering hero. Or rather, a grumpy fairy doing her best to play the conquering hero. Honey claps at her arrival. You horse greets hers with the same nonchalance you've seen it give everyone else. Hers seem a little more feisty, although you're not sure whether that's Cirno's fault or not.
>The cart is... not as full as you'd hoped. You have no way of knowing how full it was when it departed, of course, but you're inclined to assume it was filled closer to capacity than it is now. It could probably hold half as much again as it currently carries. Still, there is a great bounty of all sizes and shapes of fruit within it. You actually feel more than a little peckish looking at it.
>"So, ready to try keeping up?" Cirno says.
-
>Now the bravado I saw coming.
>Deal with nibblies once we're on the road. Sooner we get started, the sooner we get paid.
>Rather than try to get Cirno's goat over beating her here, as we easily could, simply say, "Lead on, fairy hero."
-
>Now the bravado I saw coming.
>Deal with nibblies once we're on the road. Sooner we get started, the sooner we get paid.
>Rather than try to get Cirno's goat over beating her here, as we easily could, simply say, "Lead on, fairy hero."
>You decide to hold both your tongue and your appetite and hit the road. This has taken long enough as it is. You tell Cirno to lead on.
>She smirks. "Let's get this food to Braston!" And with that, she starts off across the bridge. Or rather, drives past the bridge, tries to halt the horses, fails to get them to stop in time, does an awkward and overly wide loop back around for a second try, and nearly upsets the cart when one of the left wheels slips into a ditch. And then starts off across the bridge.
-
>Grin, then say to Honey. "Lesson one. Don't do what Cirno just did. It's bad for the fruit."
>Set off after her, showing the ropes to Honey along the way.
-
>Grin, then say to Honey. "Lesson one. Don't do what Cirno just did. It's bad for the fruit."
>Set off after her, showing the ropes to Honey along the way.
>Honey frowns. "I- I'm sure she had a good reason! Maybe she was just giving the horses a challenge!"
>You set off after Cirno, crossing the bridge in a much less problematic manner. Fortunately, she manages to reach the other side without somehow dunking horse and cargo into the river. After crossing, you settle into a slow pace, a safe distance behind her. While the road is straight, Cirno does okay. Well, mostly okay. But as inexperienced as you are, you're quite sure you could drive the fruit to Braston faster than she is.
>While you're hardly one to be giving equestrian lessons, you decide to pass time by showing Honey the basics of driving a horse. Given the slow pace and even terrain, you even let her drive for a while. She's very obviously nervous when you hand her the reins, but accepts them with a determined nod and does her best... which turns out to surprisingly adequate, although you probably couldn't have picked a more docile animal for her to practice on if you'd had a whole stable to choose from. Her smile when she realizes she navigated a turn without help is absolutely beaming. You elect not to mention that she managed it far better than Cirno did.
-
>Should have a spot of food along the way as well. And while we're at it, a little reward for Honey, perhaps. Little thing's turning out to be an unexpected bright spot.
>Produce the pie!
-
>Should have a spot of food along the way as well. And while we're at it, a little reward for Honey, perhaps. Little thing's turning out to be an unexpected bright spot.
>Produce the pie!
>Feeling both hungry and positively disposed towards your companion, you produce what's left of the pie.
>"Ooo... lemon!" Honey says. "I like lemon."
-
>"I was hoping you'd say that."
>Offer her a portion.
>"A reward. You're a quick learner."
-
>"I was hoping you'd say that."
>Offer her a portion.
>"A reward. You're a quick learner."
>"Really?" She frowns. "Why?"
>You cut off a slice and offer it to her.
>"Really?" she repeats, rather more enthusiastically this time. "Yay! I'm going to be a sidekick in no time!"
>Honey accepts the piece of pie and digs in.
-
>After having a bit for ourselves, say, "You know, I've been wondering something for a while. Do fairy's need to eat? I mean, obviously you like to, especially when food is tasty. But do you ever get hungry?"
-
>After having a bit for ourselves, say, "You know, I've been wondering something for a while. Do fairy's need to eat? I mean, obviously you like to, especially when food is tasty. But do you ever get hungry?"
>You start to munch on some of the pie yourself. It may have lost some of its freshness by this point, but it's still quite good.
>"Hungry?" Honey says between bites. "That's, um, when you really want to eat something, right? I get hungry all the time when I see something tasty."
-
>Yknow, that's probably about the best answer we're gonna get out her, too. But it serves the purpose.
>"Heh. I imagine most people do."
>Fresh or no, beats plain old trail rations.
-
>Yknow, that's probably about the best answer we're gonna get out her, too. But it serves the purpose.
>"Heh. I imagine most people do."
>Fresh or no, beats plain old trail rations.
>Honey nods, and takes another bite.
>While traveling rations may take forever to go bad, they're never exactly fresh, either. It's part and parcel of the whole 'dry' bit. Pie is certainly an appetizing treat in contrast, if perhaps not a viable long-term substitute.
-
>Note to self: Consult with Marissa or Minoriko on the prospect of creating pies with long-lasting freshness for Seekers everywhere.
>Journey on.
Now at this point, I should mention I've discovered a bit of a flaw in my idea. When we get back to the Melon Bowl, and they ask either Cirno or us "Where'd you find the fruit?" the truth would be, "This fairy here stole it." Which might make Cirno think we set her up. Now, to be honest, I don't especially care what she thinks of us, but I also don't want Honey to be sad because Cirno got in trouble because of us. Not entirely sure what's the best way to handle that when we get there.
-
Or you know we could just say a Youkai stole it, and pray to god Cirno doesnt pipe in. Should we tell cirno not to mention she's the one who took the food?
-
The question is, would she listen to us? And besides, if she's a warrior, she's not gonna want to lie to someone.
On the other hand.... Saving a shipment of food from a feral youkai is a more heroic story than scaring an old man and stealing his food. That might be worth a shot.
-
"... so Isato got scared, and said, 'You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air.' I whistled for a c(ry
-
Alternately, we have Cirno hang back a bit while we take care of it.
For instance, let's say we send her to check on a secret base...
-
Alternately, we have Cirno hang back a bit while we take care of it.
For instance, let's say we send her to check on a secret base...
That's got some merit, as well. Were you thinking the Seeker's guildhall?
And damn you, Mouse, for getting that song stuck in my head.
-
The guildhall would be perfect.
Edit: We could literally drop her off there; not like she knows Braston enough to know we took the long way.
-
Thing is, though, was she too receptive on the idea of joining the seekers? I remember Kips tried to sell her on the idea, but I can't remember if she went for it. Although dropping her off at the guildhall, letting her soak up the atmosphere there, might help in that direction.
And besides, she's heading to town expecting to take the credit and soak up the glory for 'bringing badly needed food to starving strangers', and all that jazz. Might take some fast talking to get her to go off in another direction without seeing her adoring public.
-
I'm all for dropping her off at the seeker hall. She can stay there, And any trouble that's caused will most likely end with some guildee's taking her down.
>Is there any way to get to the guild without passing the melon bowl?
If she doesnt know where the shop is, She cant find us, right?
-
This is sounding even better. And if Marissa happens to be there and Cirno starts acting up, well... I can't see that ending too well for Cirno. Or the guildhall walls, for that matter.
-
>Note to self: Consult with Marissa or Minoriko on the prospect of creating pies with long-lasting freshness for Seekers everywhere.
>You make a note to investigate the possibility of merging the best qualities of both traveling rations and pie. Of course, you're not sure you'd trust any pie Marisa baked not to accidentally explode. Check that: intentionally explode. And while Minoriko is both an accomplished cook and a harvest goddess, you're not sure if her powers extend to imbuing food with unnatural freshness after it's harvested. Certainly the meals served at the Harvest's Bounty are normal fare, albeit well-prepared.
>Is there any way to get to the guild without passing the melon bowl?
>Being a sizable town, there are paths to get to most places while avoiding specific other places. However in this case, the guildhall is nearly along the main route from the town entrance to The Melon Bowl, so it would be no trouble at all to go there first.
>Journey on.
>You journey onward, slowly and haltingly making your way back towards Braston. Noon comes and then goes, though the day remains misty and with just a hint of chill among the late Summer warmth. Honey soon enough gets tired of driving - perhaps the novelty wore off - and you take the reins back. Not that the horse requires much of you on this trip. Your detour to the fairy village was during the time window that a lot of the regular shipments from Easthaven would have passed the bridge, so you have the road to yourself for much of the trip - perhaps for the best, given the strange looks Cirno would undoubtedly draw. Honey handles the uneventful trip rather less quietly than you, fidgeting and then nattering on and periodically asking questions like "Are we there yet?" or "Is being a sidekick always this boring?". Despite yourself, you do find it wearing on you after a while.
>Every now and again, Cirno stops for a break, plucking things from the back of the cart and chomping down on them with a loud declaration of "Even heroes can't work on an empty stomach!". Being a fairy, you're not certain that's especially true, but you decide it would be too much hassle to debate the point. Honey tentatively asks if she could have some too, and Cirno magnanimously tosses her a couple kiwis and a melon which nearly bowls the smaller fairy over as she tries to catch it. After a few moments of struggling comically with the unwieldy fruit, you offer to simply cut it for her and she splits it with you in return. While the fruit is technically stolen property at this point, you figure you can just write it off as part of your delivery fee and dig in.
>More time passes, and you start to pass some carts traveling away from Braston. A couple are probably headed towards a few of the outer mining camps - oni traveling among them are a dead giveaway - but a few are unmistakeably farmers returning from market. To say that Cirno draws strange looks might be an understatement, particularly given her flamboyant pronouncements by way of greeting. The other travelers gazes fall uncomfortably even on you as you pass; you greet them nonchalantly, but there's only so much you can do to compensate for Cirno, and whispers trail behind you as the farmers carry onward. You can imagine more than a handful of things they could be saying which bring a frown to your face. Still, whispers and glances are about all the interaction amounts to as you close in on Braston. At least until a large cart driven by an older man draws near to Cirno.
>At first, the furtive glances and whispering between him and the two younger farmers flanking him seemed like nothing more than what you've come to expect from everyone you pass. With a sigh, you'd simply wished that this trip could be over with. However, as Cirno approaches, he swerves his cart in the way of her path, forcing her to ineptly bring her own cart to a stop. Frankly, the fact that she didn't simply crash was more her horses' doing than her own.
>"What's the big idea!" Cirno cries, rising in her seat.
>The old man locks gazes with her. "Step away from there," he says sternly. His face is grim and severe, and quite hale-looking despite his age. You think he's also a little familiar looking. You note the other farmers gripping a pitchfork and spade, respectively. Their expressions lack his sternness, but the tension writ on them is unmistakable.
-
>The hell is his problem? Do people still hate Youkai around here?
Now I'm thinking between saying 'hey bub you got a problem with youkai? COME AT ME BRO' to just moving on, But i'm not sure if Cirno would take "moving on" as an answer.
-
>I think his problem is with Cirno, not us.
>Bring Steady to a halt, but say nothing to them for now. Let's see how Cirno handles this.
>Quietly, to Honeysuckle, "This might be trouble."
>Try to place his face.
-
Actually, my first thought was bandits, but my second guess would be getting caught with Cirno's stolen goods by other farmers in the area.
-
Actually, my first thought was bandits, but my second guess would be getting caught with Cirno's stolen goods by other farmers in the area.
The latter was on my mind as well. But I figure a bit of confirmation would be good.
-
>The hell is his problem? Do people still hate Youkai around here?
>There's no major widespread prejudice that you've ever encountered around here. Of course, that doesn't mean that individual people mightn't have their own private ones.
>I think his problem is with Cirno, not us.
>Bring Steady to a halt, but say nothing to them for now. Let's see how Cirno handles this.
>Quietly, to Honeysuckle, "This might be trouble."
>Try to place his face.
>At the very least, that's who he's looking at at the moment.
>You bring your horse to a stop, and give Cirno a moment to see what she does.
>"No way!" Honeysuckle says. "Cirno can beat up any bandits!"
>You try to place his face. It's... you're pretty sure he's from Easthaven, although his name's escaping you at the moment.
>"Nuh-uh," Cirno says, glaring right back at the man. "There's hungry people waitin' on me, and I'm not going to let someone like you stop me!" You hear Honey let out a little squee.
>The old man is unswayed. "That doesn't belong to you," he says. "Now get down from there before we have to hurt you."
>"Like hell!" Cirno says, reaching a hand up for her sword. The other farmers tighten their grip on their weapons.
-
>"Hey hey hey, Calm down guys. She's with me."
>Flash the badge
>"She's helping me return some food to The Melon Bowl, as its easier with more then one person helping, no?"
-
>Are we close enough for the above action to be noticed?
-
>"Hey hey hey, Calm down guys. She's with me."
>Flash the badge
>"She's helping me return some food to The Melon Bowl, as its easier with more then one person helping, no?"
>You call out for calm, and flash your Seeker's badge. Unfortunately, you think you're too far away for any of the farmers to be able to recognize it. You do still get their attention, though. Cirno keeps a grip on her sword, but doesn't draw it free yet.
>"You're going to have to give a better explanation than that," the old man says. ...Jirou? Was that his name?
>Are we close enough for the above action to be noticed?
>It seems doubtful. You're more than a full cart length behind Cirno, and the men are several more feet past her. The Seeker's badge is fairly small. At best, they might have seen something golden on your chest, but you're unsure of even that.
-
>"Stay here, Honey. This could get ugly."
>Dismount, approach the group, then do what Kips said.
-
>"Stay here, Honey. This could get ugly."
>Dismount, approach the group, then do what Kips said.
>But who is this kips person :V
>"Official business, please refrain from interfering."
-
>"Stay here, Honey. This could get ugly."
>Dismount, approach the group, then do what Kips said.
>Honey nods, a focused look on her face.
>You dismount and approach the group. The men tighten their grips on their makeshift weapons, for the most part ignoring Cirno at the moment. Their nervousness definitely grows as you move closer, though. The farmer on the left moves to say something as he extends the pitchfork, but the old man holds a hand up.
>"Stay where you are," he says to you. Then his eyes narrow and his lips purse into a thin frown.
>But who is this kips person :V
>A strange being from beyond the fourth wall.
>"Official business, please refrain from interfering."
>Given that you've yet to get close enough to actually show off the badge, you decide to hold back the remarks for the moment.
-
Okay, yes, perhaps I should've phrased that differently. Still new at this game. Next time I'll try something like "Repeat what we just said once we get close enough for them to see us." Which is what I meant, Parser. Sorry. But moving on.
>Don't move any closer.
>"This fairy and I are returning this shipment of food to the Melon Bowl, where it's needed. Not looking for any trouble." Well at least one of us isn't, anyway.
>How well did we know this Jirou in Easthaven? Just in passing, friend of Ichirin's, what?
-
Okay, yes, perhaps I should've phrased that differently. Still new at this game. Next time I'll try something like "Repeat what we just said once we get close enough for them to see us." Which is what I meant, Parser. Sorry. But moving on.
>Don't move any closer.
>"This fairy and I are returning this shipment of food to the Melon Bowl, where it's needed. Not looking for any trouble." Well at least one of us isn't, anyway.
>How well did we know this Jirou in Easthaven? Just in passing, friend of Ichirin's, what?
>Dont forget to speak loud enough so that they can hear you.
>"We're a seeker, Just getting a job done. It'd make my day and your day much easier if you just left us alone, so I can get my payment and go home."
seriously i am confused are we close far etc etc?
-
As I understand, we're close enough now so that they can make out our seeker badge, but not so close as to get pitchforked. Not certain of where we are in relation to Cirno's cart, however, probably still a little behind it. Actually....
>What is our location in relation to Cirno's cart, as well as Jirou's crew?
-
>Don't move any closer.
>"This fairy and I are returning this shipment of food to the Melon Bowl, where it's needed. Not looking for any trouble." Well at least one of us isn't, anyway.
>You stop in your tracks. You think you catch a bit of relief on one of the farmer's faces as you do so.
>"'Returning' it?" Jirou says. "I know this cart belongs to someone else, and he does not employ fairies. Can you explain that one?"
>"He was a jerk," Cirno cries, "so I'm taking his stuff to people who actually need it!"
>The farmers faces tense. Jirou shakes his head. "At least you don't deny that you're thieves."
>"I'm not a thief!" Cirno yells.
>How well did we know this Jirou in Easthaven? Just in passing, friend of Ichirin's, what?
>You didn't really know him at all. You've probably only seen him a couple times, and never spoken. Easthaven may be small, but you were never very social with the wider community.
>"We're a seeker, Just getting a job done. It'd make my day and your day much easier if you just left us alone, so I can get my payment and go home."
>"Convenient excuse," Jirou says. "Thief, Seeker, who can tell the difference? I don't suppose you have any proof you were hired to do this?"
>What is our location in relation to Cirno's cart, as well as Jirou's crew?
>You're standing on the road, near the back of Cirno's cart. Jirou's own cart is parked across the road in front of Cirno. The farmers are probably about 15 to 20 feet away from you at the moment.
-
>"Convenient excuse," Jirou says. "Thief, Seeker, who can tell the difference? I don't suppose you have any proof you were hired to do this?"
>That is a good question. Do we have any paperwork with us that would serve as proof?
-
>That is a good question. Do we have any paperwork with us that would serve as proof?
>Show him our badge.
>If thats not enough, Try to find said paperwork or anything of the sort.
Alright, I have a feeling this is going to turn out bad. Like really bad. I'm going to kick back and watch from here on out as I do not want to see Naz get maimed by farmers.
-
>That is a good question. Do we have any paperwork with us that would serve as proof?
>You did not sign any forms from the woman running The Melon Bowl. In fact, you didn't even catch her name. And you're not technically working for Isato, even though you're retrieving his stuff. You never even discussed what you would be doing with his produce, when/if you found it.
>Show him our badge.
>If thats not enough, Try to find said paperwork or anything of the sort.
>You attempt to show your badge again, although you're probably still too far for them to tell tell the difference between the real thing and some other similarly sized badge.
>You unfortunately do not have any appropriate paperwork to present.
>"Even if you really are a Seeker," Jirou says, "you would hardly be the first to make off with something that does not belong to you. I'm still waiting."
>"You're the ones that need to get out of the way," Cirno cries. "Unless you want those people to starve, and I bet you know what people like me do to people like that!" She shift her grip on her sword, pulling it just an inch free from its scabbard.
>"You talk big for a fairy," Jirou replies. "But you're still just a fairy." Cirno bristles.
-
>"Alright, can you two stop threatening each other for a minute? It's not getting any of us anywhere. Let's just calm down, and work this out. Without anybody getting stabbed."
>"Now, then, you're right about some Seekers, I'll give you that. I know we don't have the best reputation in the world, and it's not completely unfounded. And I have no papers, no documents, nothing but my word that I was hired by the staff of the Melon Bowl to discover what happened to this shipment, and get it back if possible."
>"But let me ask you this, Jirou. If we were trying to steal this fruit and make off with it for ourselves, why would we be bringing it back to Braston, as opposed to going off somewhere else?"
-
>"Alright, can you two stop threatening each other for a minute? It's not getting any of us anywhere. Let's just calm down, and work this out. Without anybody getting stabbed."
>"Now, then, you're right about some Seekers, I'll give you that. I know we don't have the best reputation in the world, and it's not completely unfounded. And I have no papers, no documents, nothing but my word that I was hired by the staff of the Melon Bowl to discover what happened to this shipment, and get it back if possible."
>"But let me ask you this, Jirou. If we were trying to steal this fruit and make off with it for ourselves, why would we be bringing it back to Braston, as opposed to going off somewhere else?"
>You appeal for calm. Cirno humphs, and keeps a grip on her sword. The farmers keep a grip on their weapons. Jirou doesn't seem to regard you with any less distaste. But at least no one's gone further than that, yet.
>Jirou listens as you explain, neither his gaze nor his expression wavering once the whole while.
>"Because Braston is the nearest large open market," Jirou says. "Where else would you go to offload this? You're certainly not going to eat it yourself before it all rots. It's not like anyone would be suspicious of one food shipment among dozens. Or at least I'm sure that's what you thought. But I know those horses, and I know they were stolen several days. Their owner is in the opposite direction of where you're going."
>"I didn't steal nothing!" Cirno repeats.
>"Fairies have strange ideas about property," Jirou continues, unfazed. "So I'll ask you. How did the two of you come into possession of this?"
-
>"Strange ideas about property pretty much sums it up. I was hired to figure out what happened to it and get it where it's supposed to go as quickly as possible. But I'll tell you what? You don't think I'm taking it back? You're free to come with us and see."
Alright, I have a feeling this is going to turn out bad. Like really bad. I'm going to kick back and watch from here on out as I do not want to see Naz get maimed by farmers.
Actually, this could have turned out alright, but you started it really badly by playing the authority card right off the bat and alienating the farmers. It's not the first negotiation you gave us a bad start in, as well.
-
>"Strange ideas about property pretty much sums it up. I was hired to figure out what happened to it and get it where it's supposed to go as quickly as possible. But I'll tell you what? You don't think I'm taking it back? You're free to come with us and see."
>Jirou stares at you in silence for a moment. "That would keep us for at least two more hours," he says eventually. "And selling the goods to the right person is no guarantee that either the money or the cart will make its way back to Isato." He pauses again, a slightly different frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.
>"What's your name?" he asks.
>"Cirno, legendary swordsman of ice! And you better-"
>"Not yours," Jirou says, not even looking in her direction.
-
>"Nazrin. You can ask at the guild if you want to get confirmation. And hell, if you want the profits to go to him, you can take 'em to him far as I care. The horses and cart, too."
-
>"Nazrin. You can ask at the guild if you want to get confirmation. And hell, if you want the profits to go to him, you can take 'em to him far as I care. The horses and cart, too."
>"Hey!" Cirno cries, "I didn't rescue this stuff so that it could go back to a jerk like him! You better not go back on your word!"
>"You used to live at Ichirin's, didn't you?" Jirou asks, continuing to ignore her.
-
>Nod to Jirou. "That's right. Signed on to deal with the cattle situation, as soon as this is done with."
-
>Nod to Jirou. "That's right. Signed on to deal with the cattle situation, as soon as this is done with."
>"I see." He pauses. "So you'll be heading back to Easthaven after this, in either case?"
-
>Nod. "That's the plan. Unless something big comes up."
-
>Nod. "That's the plan. Unless something big comes up."
>There is a tense silence. Cirno bristles under it for a few moments before crying out "You guys gonna move? Or do I have to make you-"
>"Do yourself a favor," Jirou says, still not looking in her direction, "and get a detailed invoice for every guilder that changes hands. I'll take your word for the moment - don't betray Ichirin's faith, even if she's too trusting for her own good." He gives Cirno a sidelong glance. "And next time, don't travel with such loudmouths."
>"Hey!" Cirno cries. "You calling me a loudmouth?! You don't even know who you're talking to. I'm-"
>"A fairy with a big mouth," Jirou interrupts. Cirno's hand quivers. You almost expect her to draw on him at any moment.
-
>"Are you about to attack someone unarmed for being honest with you, Cirno? Let's go make this delivery."
>Nod to Jirou. "I'll get one, alright."
-
>"Are you about to attack someone unarmed for being honest with you, Cirno? Let's go make this delivery."
>Nod to Jirou. "I'll get one, alright."
>"He's the one starting it!" she protests. "I'll finish it, though, if any of you guys try anything." She fixes them with a determined glare.
>He nods back. "Do try to be quick about it," he says. "And if you don't show, expect a formal report to both the guild and the watch." With that, he flicks the reins and move his cart around Cirno's and back down the road.
>"That's right!" Cirno calls after them. "You're just lucky I'm in a hurry today!"
-
>Ponder just turning her over to the watch for brigandry.
>"I'll be as quick as I can."
>Also ponder why Jirou is so confident he could do anything about us if we decided to get insistant. One suspects secrets...
>Continue onward.
-
>Ponder just turning her over to the watch for brigandry.
>"I'll be as quick as I can."
>Also ponder why Jirou is so confident he could do anything about us if we decided to get insistant. One suspects secrets...
>Continue onward.
>There might be a certain satisfaction in making her someone else's problem.
>You call out to Jirou as he passes, but get no further acknowledgment as his cart shrinks away down the road.
>That's a good question. Certainly the farmers flanking him who were actually armed (after a fashion) seemed rather more nervous than he did.
>You return to your cart and get ready to head out again. Cirno's previous irritation with the group seems to melt away as they disappear; no doubt she thinks she drove them off by shear force of awesomeness. Sadly, you get the impression Honeysuckle probably thinks similarly. Still, she asks for sidekick notes to take home from the encounter, and you do your best to give her an actually useful pointer or two; you're not certain how well she absorbs them, but there's only so much you can do.
>The rest of the trip passes without further event, and soon enough you come into sight of Braston.
>"Wow, it's so... big!" Honey says.
-
>"Dont forget Honey; The heros the strong one, The sidekicks the one thats smart. I'm pretty sure you can fit that bill."
>"Mhmmm, It sures is."
-
>Grin at Honey.
>"This is the first time you've seen a big city, isn't it? Quite the sight."
-
>"Dont forget Honey; The heros the strong one, The sidekicks the one thats smart. I'm pretty sure you can fit that bill."
>"But Cirno's smart, too..." she says, frowning a little. "I- I'll just have to make myself into an even smarter sidekick to make up for it!" She pauses and frowns again. "Um, how do you make yourself smarter?"
>"Mhmmm, It sures is."
>Grin at Honey.
>"This is the first time you've seen a big city, isn't it? Quite the sight."
>"It's amazing!" she says. "There must be... a hundred people here, at least!"
>You start to pass some of the buildings along the outskirts of Braston. Eastmarket is a couple minutes ahead of you, with the guildhall and The Melon Bowl being some distance to the west of that.
-
>Better not tell Honey about the population figures of Braston. Poor fairy's head might explode.
>Are we still currently traveling behind Cirno's cart?
-
>You might want a Sky Gummi. (http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Gummi)
>"Try not to make too much noise. And what, You've never been to a city before?"
>How common are youkai in the city?
-
>Better not tell Honey about the population figures of Braston. Poor fairy's head might explode.
>Are we still currently traveling behind Cirno's cart?
>On the plus side, it would get better! Well, as better as any fairy's head ever gets.
>Yes.
>You might want a Sky Gummi. (http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Gummi)
>"Try not to make too much noise. And what, You've never been to a city before?"
>How common are youkai in the city?
>"What's Sky taste like?" she asks. "I've never tried to eat sky before."
>She shakes her head. "Nope! I heard stories of places with lots of houses, but this is way bigger than home."
>There's a significant oni population in the city, as well as more than a few fairies and scattered other less classifiables. They're certainly in the minority, but not an uncommon sight, either.
-
>"Well, heroes and sidekicks spend a lot of time in cities. Lots of evil to fight there, lots of good people to help. So have a good look around, take it all in."
>Let's catch up to Cirno. She's gonna need directions.
Speaking of directions, I hope you're still lurking about, Purvis. Because as much as I loved that idea you had about dropping her at the Seekers' guildhall, I have no idea how to go about it.
-
>"Well, heroes and sidekicks spend a lot of time in cities. Lots of evil to fight there, lots of good people to help. So have a good look around, take it all in."
>Let's catch up to Cirno. She's gonna need directions.
>Honey nods enthusiastically. "Right! Got it!"
>You move to catch up to Cirno. At the moment, she isn't acting like she needs directions, although you know that logically she has no idea where she's supposed to go. A greater problem you can see, as you close in on Eastmarket, is her driving that thing in a crowded area might pose a legitimate hazard for someone. The open road is one thing, but some of these roads will be bustling with people at this time of day.
-
I am for the current time, but sleep will claim me soon.
I suggest we pawn her off on Marisa, with tales of how fuckawesome she is.
-
Telling Cirno about how big a hero Marisa is, and tricking her into the guild hall?
I like the way you think purvis.
-
Then I'll get the ball rolling.
>"Hey, Cirno? While we're in town, how'd you like to meet another hero?"
-
>"Hey, Cirno? While we're in town, how'd you like to meet another hero?"
>Cirno spares a moment from looking at where she's driving and turns to you, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "How big a hero? Think they could put up a real fight for once?"
-
>Oh, this poor fairy...
>"Oh, I think you'll find she can give you a very good fight. Her name's Marissa, and she's a Seeker, like me. In fact, she was actually my mentor in the Seekers. She's a massive pain in the tail, but she packs more of a punch than maybe anyone on the continent."
>"She should be at the guildhall at the moment. She just got back from clearing out a haunted dig site."
-
>Oh, this poor fairy...
>"Oh, I think you'll find she can give you a very good fight. Her name's Marissa, and she's a Seeker, like me. In fact, she was actually my mentor in the Seekers. She's a massive pain in the tail, but she packs more of a punch than maybe anyone on the continent."
>"She should be at the guildhall at the moment. She just got back from clearing out a haunted dig site."
>Cirno's smirk grows into a fierce grin as you continue. "Well, you ain't see me really unload yet!" she says.
>"Yeah, she can do all kinds of stuff," Honey says. "She's so awesome!"
>"Damn straight!" Cirno says, nodding. "So where's this guildhall place?"
>You note a few people scrabbling out of the way of Cirno's cart, while others give it both a wide berth and openly dubious looks. She's not exactly going straight, either.
-
>Fairys may not be an uncommon sight here in town, but I reckon fariys driving carts sure is. Let alone when they drive like that. Make a note to see if Honey would be willing to drive that on the way back. Actually, better idea, she can keep Steady, and we'll drive Isato's horse & cart back to him.
>"Why don't you let me drive you there? I can get you there that much faster, so you can show Marissa, and all the other Seekers, for that matter, just what a fairy hero can do."
-
>Fairys may not be an uncommon sight here in town, but I reckon fariys driving carts sure is. Let alone when they drive like that. Make a note to see if Honey would be willing to drive that on the way back. Actually, better idea, she can keep Steady, and we'll drive Isato's horse & cart back to him.
>"Why don't you let me drive you there? I can get you there that much faster, so you can show Marissa, and all the other Seekers, for that matter, just what a fairy hero can do."
>A fairy wouldn't usually be seen driving a cart, true. A majority of the fairies who have jobs in town work in baking, sewing, cleaning, or simple messenger work - tasks they tend to be fairly capable at. Even if they could handle a horse team better than Cirno is doing (which seems likely; certainly it would be difficult to do worse), it would be unlikely anyone would trust them with such a thing without oversight.
>"Nah, I got this," Cirno says, giving the reins a fierce yank and narrowly avoiding clipping a wheel off a signpost. "Just tell me where."
-
>Damn and blast. Well, was worth a shot. Sorry, citizens of
Townsville Braston.
>Provide directions to the guildhall. Directions that do not go past the Melon Bowl.
-
>Damn and blast. Well, was worth a shot. Sorry, citizens of Townsville Braston.
>Provide directions to the guildhall. Directions that do not go past the Melon Bowl.
>On the plus side, she's not moving terribly fast with all the swerving, so you mainly need to worry about the immobile or the very inattentive. Of course, Eastmarket does get kind of crowded...
>You provide directions to the guildhall. Ones that avoid the Melon Bowl are straightforward, but you decide to go a step further and take a slightly less direct route that avoids most of the crowded areas of the city. A few more minutes with Cirno is worth a few less civilian casualties.
>Travel is as painless as can realistically be expected. Miraculously you avoid any major collisions, although Cirno does upset an apple cart before you make it clear of Eastmarket. Actual people do manage to steer clear of her, though you imagine half the town will have heard about this before evening is out. Honey, for her part, seems captivated by each new sight, be they human, youkai, building, or unfamiliar market good. Her wide-eyed and attentive expression barely wanes for a moment the whole trip, punctuated only by requests that you identify something or other for her. In this fashion, you make your way across Braston and soon enough arrive at the Seeker's Guildhall.
-
>"That's it. Seeker Headquarters. And a fine challenge inside, Cirno."
>At least I hope. If Marissa's flitted off to blow something else up, Cirno's never gonna let us hear the end of it.
>Make a note to procure two sets of documentation while we're here this time. One for the Melon Bowl staff, one for Ichirin when we get back to Easthaven.
-
>"That's it. Seeker Headquarters. And a fine challenge inside, Cirno."
>At least I hope. If Marissa's flitted off to blow something else up, Cirno's never gonna let us hear the end of it.
>Make a note to procure two sets of documentation while we're here this time. One for the Melon Bowl staff, one for Ichirin when we get back to Easthaven.
>"Ha!" Cirno says, dismounting the cart without any attempt to secure the horses, or even move them out of the walkway. "We'll see about that."
>That could be problematic...
>You make a note to get appropriate documentation for the future. No more absent paper trails for you.
-
>Better make that three sets of papers. Just in case something else comes up along the way.
>"Let's get these carts out of the way and secured before we follow her, Honey."
>Ice fairys make lousy valets
-
>Better make that three sets of papers. Just in case something else comes up along the way.
>"Let's get these carts out of the way and secured before we follow her, Honey."
>Ice fairys make lousy valets
>It never hurts to have extras.
>Honey nods. "It's a sidekick's job to take care of the details!"
>They make great air-conditioners, though!
-
>Does the guildhall have a stable? Or a hitching post, or something that'll serve the purpose?
-
>Does the guildhall have a stable? Or a hitching post, or something that'll serve the purpose?
>It does not have a stable, but there's a suitable enough spot to hitch the horses to, along the side of the building.
-
>Hitch that hoss!
-
>Hitch that hoss!
>You move your cart along the side of the building and hitch it up. During this time, you see Cirno walk into the guild out of the corner of your eye, simply leaving her own cart behind by the front door.
-
>Shake head at Cirno. Hope she turns out to be a better hero than driver.
>Retrieve Cirno's cart as well and hitch it up.
>"Try to teach her not to just leave her horses like that, Honey."
-
>Shake head at Cirno. Hope she turns out to be a better hero than driver.
>Retrieve Cirno's cart as well and hitch it up.
>"Try to teach her not to just leave her horses like that, Honey."
>You shake your head. The thought of her heroics being as blundersome as her driving is more than enough to unsettle someone.
>You dash over and retrieve Cirno's cart, moving it around to the side of the building and hitching it up. It is rather more difficult to manage than your own cart, both due to the horses temperament and the load, but you still manage alright - clearly this handicap can excuse only a small fraction of Cirno's performance.
>"Uh, um, ok," Honey says, watching what you do closely.
-
>Honeysuckle may not be the ideal traveling companion for long, uneventful journeys, but she listens well. And learns, or at least wants to learn. Hard to believe it was only a few hours ago she was hanging off our arm, afraid we might pummel Cirno some more.
>"Alright, now, with that done, let's see how Cirno fares against Marissa, shall we?"
>Into the guildhall!
-
>Honeysuckle may not be the ideal traveling companion for long, uneventful journeys, but she listens well. And learns, or at least wants to learn. Hard to believe it was only a few hours ago she was hanging off our arm, afraid we might pummel Cirno some more.
>"Alright, now, with that done, let's see how Cirno fares against Marissa, shall we?"
>Into the guildhall!
>"She's gonna kick her butt!" Honey says. "Just you watch."
>You step into the guildhall. There's no immediate sign of Cirno, but the person manning the counter - not Sashiko this afternoon - gives you an odd look.
>You hear a familiar brash voice cry out from the common room: "So, which one of you's Marisa!"
-
>All the subtelty of a gang of oni... Well at least the fireworks haven't started yet. Means we can take care of some business first.
>Approach the desk jockey.
>"Afternoon. I take it you met the little ice fairy?"
-
>The one thats most likely to kick your ass.
>Will the fruit rot before we get it to The Melon Bowl?
-
>All the subtelty of a gang of oni... Well at least the fireworks haven't started yet. Means we can take care of some business first.
>Approach the desk jockey.
>"Afternoon. I take it you met the little ice fairy?"
>You walk up to the dubious-looking girl at the counter.
>She frowns. "This your doing, somehow?"
>"C'mon," Cirno cries from the other room. "A hero's gotta respond when someone challenges them!"
>"What the hell are you going on about?" another voice from the room says.
>"You know her?" someone else asks, somewhat quieter.
>The one thats most likely to kick your ass.
>Will the fruit rot before we get it to The Melon Bowl?
>That's certainly a safe bet.
>If it's managed to stay in good shape for several days of being outside, another hour isn't going to hurt it.
-
>This isn't going to improve our guild standing, is it.
>"Well, kind of. She wants to be the biggest hero the world has ever known, so I thought meeting Marissa would be good for her." Pause. "Marissa IS around, isn't she?"
-
>This isn't going to improve our guild standing, is it.
>"Well, kind of. She wants to be the biggest hero the world has ever known, so I thought meeting Marissa would be good for her." Pause. "Marissa IS around, isn't she?"
>You're probably not going to get in any real trouble for it, but people will have their own opinions...
>She shakes her head. "I tried to tell her..."
>"I heard you're all great and stuff," Cirno continues, "So prove it!"
>You hear Honey's voice come from the room. "She's the best!" Evidently she wandered off to watch.
>"Look," comes the voice of a young man, "I don't know where you got this into your head, but-"
>"Don't try to interfere!" Cirno cries. "I'm only here for her. No point in taking on the small fry."
-
>I don't like the sound of this.
>"Don't tell me Marissa's not here."
-
>I don't like the sound of this.
>"Don't tell me Marissa's not here."
>"Afraid not," she says, shaking her head. "Dropped by this morning, but I haven't seen her for hours."
>You hear a couple chuckles issue from the room over the 'small fry' comment.
>"I'll let her know you stopped by," the young man continues, nonchalantly, "So why don't you just-"
>His words are cut short by a surprised yelp, followed swiftly by a thud against the floor. You hear murmuring. Honey cheers.
-
>Bloody hellfire and brimstone. This can only end badly.
>Make a beeline for the common room.
-
Worst case scenario hit us: Marisa isnt there, Cirno fights someone else.
>Make a mental note to kick yourself in the ass when this is all over.
>Make another mental note to apologize for however much damage she's going to cause.
-
>Bloody hellfire and brimstone. This can only end badly.
>Make a beeline for the common room.
>Inwardly cursing, you dash for the common room. It's a little more full than yesterday afternoon, but still light on people. You count 4 apprentices, and one Seeker in the far corner - a bit of a lousy one, if you're frank. Unsurprisingly, all eyes are on Cirno, standing proud near the entrance with Honey a few feet behind her. On the ground in front of Cirno is a male apprentice in his very early 20s, sitting on a small patch of ice in the middle of the floor.
>Make a mental note to kick yourself in the ass when this is all over.
>Make another mental note to apologize for however much damage she's going to cause.
>You make a mental note. Stupid carelessness and stupid ice fairies...
>"Marisa's not here," a female apprentice on the other side of Cirno says.
>"Then where is she, huh?" Cirno replies.
>"Who knows?" another apprentice, a little further away says. "Good luck pinning her down." Cirno scowls.
-
>"Cirno, what did you do to him?"
-
>"Cirno, what did you do to him?"
>"He slipped," she says, just a tint of pride in her voice.
>The apprentice shifts back and pulls himself to his feet, giving Cirno a wary look.
>"You know her, Nazrin?" one of the other apprentices asks. Another in the back sighs.
-
So. I say we make another attempt to shame her; because we've invited her in as a guest, and she's made an ass of herself. With luck, this'll get through to her. If not, proper scoldings and possibly a beating. Sour?
-
I'm all for teaching her a bit of humility. Besides, Worst comes to worst the guild can take her down and she'd be more embarrassed.
-
Personally, I hold little hope for getting through to this one, but making the attempt wouldn't hurt. And if it doesn't work, then, well, she's in a room full of Seekers. I say we dare her to take us all on at once, and give her the beating she's earned. And if she doesn't go for that, then we'll challenge her ourselves, and we'll give her the beating she's earned.
-
Let's make a bet to Cirno then. If she loses to Marisa, She'll join the Seekers and will listen to whatever you say. If she wins, By some god forsaken reason, You'll admit she is the greatest hero of all time and will never be topped or something trivial like that. Everyones happy, no?
That is, Of course, when we find Marisa, But I just thought I'd throw out that idea while its fresh in the good old noggin.
-
Aye, sometimes the only cure for a fool is either death, or a hefty smack upside the head.
And right now we're dealing with a Frozen Fool, the dimmest kind.
So how about this?
"A real hero doesn't pick fights just because they want to. A real hero fights because they have to. For example, to protect loved ones, and those important to them."
Y'know, play the whole wannabe hero thing against her and all.
Of course, if that don't work, thenwe can get some sense into her the hardFun way.
-
I think we're going to have to hit deeper than that.
In particular, if she doesn't give very quickly, we're going to have to lay out that she's nothing more than a brigand, point out that Honeysuckle is more of a hero than she is, and that we're ashamed we ever called her a friend. Then, when the inevitable sword-drawing comes, point out that she just proved the farmer (Isato?) completely right.
Then if she comes at us, beat the snot out of her. Then maybe turn her over to orange depending on things.
SO LET'S START!
>"Cirno. I brought you here because I wanted you to see where the seekers are. To get to meet and know them. And this is the first thing you do, throw ice on the floor and trip people? Are you trying to humiliate me? After everything else? After I even stood up for you with that farmer? Is that all you have to say for yourself?"
-
Let's make a bet to Cirno then. If she loses to Marisa, She'll join the Seekers and will listen to whatever you say. If she wins, By some god forsaken reason, You'll admit she is the greatest hero of all time and will never be topped or something trivial like that. Everyones happy, no?
That is, Of course, when we find Marisa, But I just thought I'd throw out that idea while its fresh in the good old noggin.
I admire your dedication to getting Cirno into the Seekers, Kips. I admit, I also like the idea of having Cirno 'listen to whatever you say', that'll learn the little twerp. But we'll put it on the back burner for the moment, until this scenario here is resolved, as I doubt we can send Cirno off on a wild Kirisame hunt, and I'm sure we're not anxious to drag her up and down the planet looking for her to challenge her. But write that idea down somewhere, in case the situation arises again.
-
>"Cirno. I brought you here because I wanted you to see where the seekers are. To get to meet and know them. And this is the first thing you do, throw ice on the floor and trip people? Are you trying to humiliate me? After everything else? After I even stood up for you with that farmer? Is that all you have to say for yourself?"
>"Hey!" Cirno says. "He was tryin' to shove me out the door!"
-
>"Then why didn't you get me?"
-
>"Then why didn't you get me?"
>"Huh?" Cirno throws you a confused look.
-
>"I invited you. You could have come to get me. I could have cleared up everything. Instead you chose to make a fool of me Cirno."
-
>"I invited you. You could have come to get me. I could have cleared up everything. Instead you chose to make a fool of me Cirno."
>"Huh?" she repeats. "Only fool here is that guy," she says, pointing at the unfortunate slipping victim. He frowns, but looks a little unsure of the proper response to that.
>"Are you sure you don't know where Marisa is?" Honey asks the room, sounding a touch dejected.
>"She was talking to Rinnosuke earlier," another apprentice responds. "Maybe he knows?" She shrugs. The others split their dubious looks between both Cirno and you.
-
Sour, Hanzo. Reconcilation, or press the attack?
-
Hmm...if it was me, I'd just facepalm. (Which would likely be in character for Nazrin as well.)
That's really all I got, mostly due in part to needing some sleep.
So I'll leave it to you guys, I figured that if the thought she was a hero, calling that into heavy question would be enough to give 'er a good rattling.
Seeing as how that generally works with most so-called 'heroes'.
I'll probably be more useful after a snooze.
-
Think I'm with Hanzo. A facepalm would seem an appropriate response.
Playing the shame card for at least another post or two might just do the trick. Failing that, Honey seems to have given us at least one more alternative, if we didn't want this to end in a fight. Not that I'm opposed to having it out with Cirno by any means, but options are good.
-
>Facepalm. Groan.
-
>Facepalm. Groan.
>You facepalm and groan. Given the circumstances, it feels like an appropriate response. Honey gives you a confused look. You think you see a sort of sympathetic frown on one of the apprentices' faces.
>"Who's this Rinnosuke guy, anyway?" Cirno asks.
>"He's the guildmaster," the Seeker in the corner says. "He-"
>Cirno grins. "Does that mean he's the strongest of you guys?"
>There's a series of uncertain looks among the apprentices.
-
>... She brings up a good point. Have we ever seen the man in action?
-
>... She brings up a good point. Have we ever seen the man in action?
>Not really. He's effectively retired from active duty and spends most of his time managing the logistics of the guild and his own collection. Still, you've gotten the impression that he was an adventurer of no small skill years ago.
-
The real question is, will pointing Cirno at Rinnosuke help us in the long run? I mean, will it convince Cirno to traipse off after Marissa in whichever direction he points her in? Although I suppose he could thrash her himself, if push comes to shove. Or at least the potential is there. You know what, I'm gonna go with that, if nobody objects.
-
The way I see it, Rinnosuke will either turn out to be every super-hero tied into one being, Or just be someone who'd bore Cirno to sleep with his collection and such.
-
I'd chaulk up either one as a victory. And either one probably involves less collateral damage. So let's give that a bash.
>Come to think of it, was Rinnosuke the one who founded the Seekers, or is he merely the current leader?
-
>Come to think of it, was Rinnosuke the one who founded the Seekers, or is he merely the current leader?
>You're honestly uncertain. The Seekers started out as a nebulous association, and you're not sure exactly who was responsible for codifying it into its current form. Rinnosuke's been around for a long time, though.
-
Ahh, rumors and hinted-at history. Bet that'll fire Cirno's imagination.
>"To be honest, Cirno, he may well be. He's been around for a long time. He doesn't get out as much as he used to, but back in the day, he was said to be one of the best. Hell, for all I know, he may have been the one that founded the Seekers as it is now."
-
>"To be honest, Cirno, he may well be. He's been around for a long time. He doesn't get out as much as he used to, but back in the day, he was said to be one of the best. Hell, for all I know, he may have been the one that founded the Seekers as it is now."
>"Back in the day?" Cirno says. "What, is he all old and stuff now or something? I don't wanna fight some old has-been." You practically see the room cringe as one.
>"Hey!" one of the apprentices cries. "Have a little respect!"
>"She's a fairy," another says, shaking her head. "You're wasting your breath."
>"That's right!" Cirno replies. "I'm not leaving until I can fight someone real strong."
>"There's a story here, isn't there?" a third apprentice says, throwing a weary look in your direction.
-
>"This fairy was.... traveling with me back into town on a job. And we got to talking about Marissa. And I told her that Marissa might be the most powerful being on the continent, or certainly one of them. So she said she wanted to meet this Marissa, test her skills against one of the best. And, welll..."
>Glance around room, then back to Cirno.
>Here we are. It probably should've occured to me that Marissa might not be here, but I never expected Cirno here to basically be challenging everyone within range if she couldn't challenge Marissa."
-
>"This fairy was.... traveling with me back into town on a job. And we got to talking about Marissa. And I told her that Marissa might be the most powerful being on the continent, or certainly one of them. So she said she wanted to meet this Marissa, test her skills against one of the best. And, welll..."
>Glance around room, then back to Cirno.
>Here we are. It probably should've occured to me that Marissa might not be here, but I never expected Cirno here to basically be challenging everyone within range if she couldn't challenge Marissa."
>As you explain how Cirno wanted to test her skills against one of the best, a couple of the apprentices start to snicker.
>"She'll make a crater out of her, Nazrin," one of them says. "You know it."
>"Damn straight!" Cirno cries, seemingly confusing her pronouns. The snickering turns into full-blown laughter, and Cirno scowls. "What's so funny?!"
>Honey turns her head towards you. "What is so funny?"
-
>Okay, the thought of Cirno (or any fairy) thinking she can beat Marissa IS pretty funny. Still, refrain from joining our comrades laughter.
>"Let's just say that... There haven't been too many people that fared too well when they challenged Marissa. No matter what species they belonged to. In fact, almost nobody around been f- BRAVE enough to challenge her directly. And certainly not like you have here. This is a rare day."
-
>Okay, the thought of Cirno (or any fairy) thinking she can beat Marissa IS pretty funny. Still, refrain from joining our comrades laughter.
>"Let's just say that... There haven't been too many people that fared too well when they challenged Marissa. No matter what species they belonged to. In fact, almost nobody around been f- BRAVE enough to challenge her directly. And certainly not like you have here. This is a rare day."
>Cirno's got spirit, you'll give her that. Sense, on the other hand... You keep your laughter to yourself, however.
>Cirno grins. "Gonna be even rarer when I kick her ass." More laughter ensues.
>"You think I can't do it, is that it?!" she cries. "Well, let me show you just what I can do. I'll take you all on at once. Come on!" She makes a beckoning gesture, then rests her hand on the hilt of her sword. The apprentices exchange uncertain glances.
>"I don't think that will be necessary," comes a familiar voice from the hallway past the common room.
-
>Turn dramatically to look at the new arrival. Maybe we won't need those kunai after all.
-
>Turn dramatically to look at the new arrival. Maybe we won't need those kunai after all.
>Turning, you see Rinnosuke calmly walking down the corridor towards the gathering, idly polishing some small object in his hand with a cloth as he does so.
>"If you'd like to meet Marisa," he says, "I do believe she should be back soon."
>"Who're you?" Cirno asks, turning to face him.
>"Me?" He pauses for a moment, without breaking stride. "I'm Rinnosuke Morichika, head of the Seekers guild."
>A grin tugs at the corners of Cirno's mouth. "So you're the big boss, eh?"
>"I suppose you could call me that," he says, "Although I don't think I'm the challenge you're looking for, I'm afraid."
-
>Try to avoid looking Rinnosuke in the eye. Cirno may be a terrible guest, but it was kind of our fault she's here now.
>Still, good timing on his part. Cirno probably couldn't take a room full of Seekers, but the room itself probably would've suffered in the process.
>"Well, there you go, Cirno. You can fight the whole room of us, or, if you're willing to wait a bit, you can have the challenge you came here for in the first place."
-
>Try to avoid looking Rinnosuke in the eye. Cirno may be a terrible guest, but it was kind of our fault she's here now.
>Still, good timing on his part. Cirno probably couldn't take a room full of Seekers, but the room itself probably would've suffered in the process.
>"Well, there you go, Cirno. You can fight the whole room of us, or, if you're willing to wait a bit, you can have the challenge you came here for in the first place."
>You avoid looking Rinnosuke in the eye. He seems unperturbed, but... that's not exactly unusual.
>"Why not do both?" Cirno says, her grin widening.
>"I'm sure you could, if you chose to," Rinnosuke says, "But wouldn't it be best to save your full power for Marisa herself? You might not need it, but wouldn't you rather show her what you can really do?"
>"Huh." Cirno pauses a moment. "Yeah, maybe."
>"Then feel free to have a seat," he continues, gesturing towards the chairs. "I'm sure you won't have long to wait."
-
>Smooth, boss. Bet he makes a swell negociator.
Now at this point, I'm debating whether or not to just sneak out and finish the fruit job, or tell Cirno we're going to take care of the paperwork for it, which is technically true, and sounds boring, so she won't be interested and just stay put while we get paid. Opinions?
-
If bossman keeps her enraptured, just sneak out. If not, go the paperwork route.
>Give Rinnosuke a smile, when Cirno isn't looking.
-
>Smooth, boss. Bet he makes a swell negociator.
>You may not have seen him do any of the rough stuff, but you're sure his network of connections didn't build itself.
>Give Rinnosuke a smile, when Cirno isn't looking.
>You give Rinnosuke a smile when you think Cirno's not looking. He raises an eyebrow ever so subtly.
>Cirno glances around the room, then picks a seat and flops down in it like she owns the place. The looks on the apprentices faces is... mixed, from vague irritation to uncertainty, but they slowly move back to wherever they were before Cirno made her appearance. Not without a few glances in both the fairy and the guildmaster's direction, though.
>"Naoki," Rinnosuke says to one of the apprentices as she moves to walk away. "Could spare a moment?"
>"Uh, of course," she says, catching herself and walking towards him instead.
>"How long's she going to be?" Honey asks you.
-
>"Who, Marissa? Well, Rinnosuke said soon, so it probably shouldn't take too long. In the meantime, I think I'll take care of the paperwork for the Melon Bowl. It's kinda boring, but it needs to be done."
>"What about you, Honey? Did you want to stay here with Cirno? Honestly, I'd feel a bit better if someone I knew well was here to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't cause any more trouble until Marissa shows up."
-
>"Who, Marissa? Well, Rinnosuke said soon, so it probably shouldn't take too long. In the meantime, I think I'll take care of the paperwork for the Melon Bowl. It's kinda boring, but it needs to be done."
>"What about you, Honey? Did you want to stay here with Cirno? Honestly, I'd feel a bit better if someone I knew well was here to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't cause any more trouble until Marissa shows up."
>Honey nods, then frowns. "That's the sort of thing sidekicks are supposed to do, isn't it?"
>"Why would she cause any trouble?" she asks.
-
>Chuckle softly.
>"Within five minutes of walking through the front door, she nearly started a brawl with everyone she could see. I'm a bit nervous about what else she might do once I step away."
-
>Chuckle softly.
>"Within five minutes of walking through the front door, she nearly started a brawl with everyone she could see. I'm a bit nervous about what else she might do once I step away."
>"She only challenged them," Honey says, frowning uncertainly. "That's what swordsmen are supposed to do when they meet other strong people, isn't it? You said that this place is full of strong people, too, right?"
>You see Naoki nod to Rinnosuke, then walk briskly past you and towards the door out. Rinnosuke resumes idly polishing whatever is in his hand - the cloth is still obscuring sight of it - though you note him keeping a very subtle eye on Cirno.
-
>"You don't challenge them right off the bat! It's like asking for a kiss before the date..."
-
>Be sure to add: "And the first date at that."
>"You gotta wait on it, gauge how strong they are before deciding if it's worth the trouble of fighting them. It's how a lot of good fighters have gotten through life and other things, Heroes too I'd wager."
>Come to think of it, have we done any regular maintenance on our weaponry, however simple it may be?
-
>"You don't challenge them right off the bat! It's like asking for a kiss before the date..."
>Be sure to add: "And the first date at that."
>"Oh, it is?" She pauses, then frowns again. "And that's bad, too?"
>"You gotta wait on it, gauge how strong they are before deciding if it's worth the trouble of fighting them. It's how a lot of good fighters have gotten through life and other things, Heroes too I'd wager."
>Come to think of it, have we done any regular maintenance on our weaponry, however simple it may be?
>Honey nods a couple times. "I... think I get it. Gotta keep your strength for when it counts!"
>You do keep them cleaned, and sharpened when needbe. Given that all you've done with them since leaving your room yesterday is cut pie, they're still in fine shape.
-
>"Exactly."
>Poke Honey's nose lightly when we say that. Be sure to smile at her too.
>"A wise man once said, "He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious.""
>"In other words, if you don't know how strong your opponent's going to be, it's always a good idea to hold back and not pick fights until you've got a good idea of how strong they are."
>Take out one of our knives and examine it for any potential damage, just in case.
>"That sort of thinking's saved a lot of lives y'know, but there's a lot of folks who don't think about things like that. And it's those folks who always find themselves in way too deep."
-
>"Exactly."
>Poke Honey's nose lightly when we say that. Be sure to smile at her too.
>"A wise man once said, "He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious.""
>"In other words, if you don't know how strong your opponent's going to be, it's always a good idea to hold back and not pick fights until you've got a good idea of how strong they are."
>Take out one of our knives and examine it for any potential damage, just in case.
>"That sort of thinking's saved a lot of lives y'know, but there's a lot of folks who don't think about things like that. And it's those folks who always find themselves in way too deep."
>You smile and poke Honey's nose lightly. She giggles.
>Honey nods attentively as you pontificate on picking your battles carefully. While you speak, you pull out a kunai and inspect it for damage. Looks in fine shape to you!
>"Too deep?" she says. "Did the strong people dunk them in the lake?" She frowns. "I hate it when they do that."
-
>"Not quite, it's a figure of speech that basically means they tried to do something that they just plain can't do."
>"In this case, fighting someone who's way out of their league. Which our frosty friend might just end up doing someday."
-
>"Too deep?" she says. "Did the strong people dunk them in the lake?" She frowns. "I hate it when they do that."
>Smile despite ourselves. Fairy's....
-
>"Too deep into trouble, that is."
-
>Smile despite ourselves. Fairy's....
>You smile at Honey.
>"Hey... it was cold," she pouts.
>"Too deep into trouble, that is."
>"Not quite, it's a figure of speech that basically means they tried to do something that they just plain can't do."
>"In this case, fighting someone who's way out of their league. Which our frosty friend might just end up doing someday."
>"Oh." She pauses. "Ok."
>"That'd take someone real special!" Honey says, a smile on her face.
-
>Smile again, more softly this time. Real special, eh, Honey. Marissa might be there now, but anyone can be that special if they try hard enough. But I think that can wait for a bit.
>"Well, let's go take care of some paperwork, and Marissa might be here when we get back. Then we'll see how she fares against the world's greatest fairy hero. Unless you wanted to keep Cirno company in the meantime, it's your call."
-
>Smile again, more softly this time. Real special, eh, Honey. Marissa might be there now, but anyone can be that special if they try hard enough. But I think that can wait for a bit.
>"Well, let's go take care of some paperwork, and Marissa might be here when we get back. Then we'll see how she fares against the world's greatest fairy hero. Unless you wanted to keep Cirno company in the meantime, it's your call."
>Honey frowns. "Paperwork sounds kinda... boring." Then she suddenly shakes her head and puts on a determined expression. "No, it's a sidekick's job to know this stuff. Teach me!"
-
>That may well be the first time a fairy's ever volunteered to do paperwork. Or at least one of the first.
>"Can't fault your spirit, Honey. The first step is making sure you have the right papers. Which we will take care of now."
>Back to the receptionist.
-
>"...Buuut you cant quite work on it yet. Just watch what I do carefully, and maybe one day you can do it too?"
I really dont want to take chances with Honey, because chances are that she cant write for her life or something like that, and just waste time.
-
>That may well be the first time a fairy's ever volunteered to do paperwork. Or at least one of the first.
>"Can't fault your spirit, Honey. The first step is making sure you have the right papers. Which we will take care of now."
>It's very much not a fairy sort of thing to do, certainly.
>"Got it!" she says, nodding.
>"...Buuut you cant quite work on it yet. Just watch what I do carefully, and maybe one day you can do it too?"
>She nods again, that serious look on her face. This is about as rapt attention as you can hope to get from a fairy.
>Back to the receptionist.
>You head back out to the receptionist, leaving Rinnosuke to mind Cirno, who looks to be getting bored already. Honey follows close behind.
>"Well, that was something you don't see every day..." she notes dryly as you near the counter.
>"Yeah," Honey says, "She's going to be a legend!"
>The apprentice looks unmoved. "Right."
-
Better safe than sorry, yeah, Kips. But she might actually pick up writing from us, or at least start to learn. Which I damn sure never would've expected doing in this little adventure here. That's kinda cool, actually.
>"Well, she's an ice fairy that knows to wield a broadsword, that's not a bad start."
>"And now that the fireworks have been at least postponed, I have some business to take care of. I need three copies of the job-completion forms, if you please."
-
>"Well, she's an ice fairy that knows to wield a broadsword, that's not a bad start."
>"Actually," the apprentice replies, "I think that's a pretty terrible thing to start, if you ask me."
>"Hey!" Honey cries.
>She gives the incensed fairy a dull look. "No offense."
>"And now that the fireworks have been at least postponed, I have some business to take care of. I need three copies of the job-completion forms, if you please."
>"Right," she says, then reaches under the desk and spends a moment fishing around, before return with the papers. "Here."
>She hands you three copies of the form, as requested.
-
>This one appears to be less shady than Sashiko. And perhaps none too kindly disposed fairys, either. Better move along before Honeysuckle lunges at her, or something.
>"Thanks."
>"The next step, Honey, is to bring the papers to the right people so they can be filled out. With the items we're supposed to be retreiving, as well."
>Back to the horses.
-
>This one appears to be less shady than Sashiko. And perhaps none too kindly disposed fairys, either. Better move along before Honeysuckle lunges at her, or something.
>"Thanks."
>"The next step, Honey, is to bring the papers to the right people so they can be filled out. With the items we're supposed to be retreiving, as well."
>Back to the horses.
>It would certainly be annoying to avoid one fairy fight only to have another start a few feet away. Although you have a hard time imaging how Honeysuckle could actually hurt anyone, unlike a certain ice fairy.
>"Yup," she replies flatly. A veritable barrel of fun, this one.
>Honey nods. "Right!"
>You head out of the guild, leaving your most recent trouble behind you. As you reach the door, Honey pauses.
>"Um, er...." She fidgets uncomfortably. "We're not going to miss the fight, are we?"
-
>"Well, I hope not. But the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back here. But that's another reason why I asked if you wanted to stay here with Cirno, because I know how much you want to see her in action."
>"Which you can, if you really want to. I mean, you'll have more opportunities to learn paperwork if you keep traveling with me."
>"Actually, if you wanted to hang around the guildhall and wait for Marissa, there's something else you can do for me while you're here."
-
>"Well, I hope not. But the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back here. But that's another reason why I asked if you wanted to stay here with Cirno, because I know how much you want to see her in action."
>"Which you can, if you really want to. I mean, you'll have more opportunities to learn paperwork if you keep traveling with me."
>"Actually, if you wanted to hang around the guildhall and wait for Marissa, there's something else you can do for me while you're here."
>Honeysuckle looks torn as you explain matters. You can practically hear her warring between 'gotta be the best sidekick' and 'but the fight's gonna be awesome!'
>"What's that?" she asks in response to your question.
-
>Kinda feel sorry for the poor little thing. Might be the hardest choice she's made in a very long time.
>"Before I left town to figure out what happened to that fruit shipment, I found a kitty cat for a gang of fairys here in town. But I promised them I'd find another one for them, if I could. If you wanted to wait here at the guildhall, you could fly around outside a little, have a look around for any stray cats in the area, until Marissa shows up."
-
>Kinda feel sorry for the poor little thing. Might be the hardest choice she's made in a very long time.
>"Before I left town to figure out what happened to that fruit shipment, I found a kitty cat for a gang of fairys here in town. But I promised them I'd find another one for them, if I could. If you wanted to wait here at the guildhall, you could fly around outside a little, have a look around for any stray cats in the area, until Marissa shows up."
>"Oh. Oh!" Her face lights up. "I can do that!"
-
>Laugh and pat the sidekick in training on the head.
>"There's a good girl."
>Move to the fruit cart and unhitch it.
>"This should be pretty routine, so hopefully, I'll be back before Marissa gets here."
-
>Laugh and pat the sidekick in training on the head.
>"There's a good girl."
>"This should be pretty routine, so hopefully, I'll be back before Marissa gets here."
>You laugh and pat Honeysuckle on the head.
>She nods. "I'm gonna find the best kitty," she says. "Just you watch!"
>Move to the fruit cart and unhitch it.
>You exit the guild and move over to Isato's cart, unhitching it. The horses look vaguely disapproving of you, but not especially feisty. The horse you rode in on turns to you and gives you the equine equivalent of a nod, seemingly otherwise impassive.
-
>Return Steady's nod, then adress the other two.
>"Don't worry, I promise I'm a better driver than the last girl."
>Set off towards the Melon Bowl.
-
>Return Steady's nod, then adress the other two.
>"Don't worry, I promise I'm a better driver than the last girl."
>Set off towards the Melon Bowl.
>You nod to your horse, then say something reassuring to Isato's pair. They don't seem particularly moved by it.
>With that, you mount the cart and set off for the Melon Bowl. Driving it does prove to require more concentration than your last ride, but nothing you're unable to manage with some care. The trip is brief and collision-free, and soon enough you find yourself back in front of the colorful restaurant.
-
>Bet the townsfolk are grateful for a better driver, even if the horses may not share the sentiment.
>Hitch up the horse.
>"You'll be home soon, once the job's done."
>Enter the Bowl.
-
>Bet the townsfolk are grateful for a better driver, even if the horses may not share the sentiment.
>Hitch up the horse.
>"You'll be home soon, once the job's done."
>Enter the Bowl.
>You find a suitable spot and hitch up the horses, then try to say something reassuring again. The bay snorts mildly at you.
>You enter the restaurant. It's about as crowded as it was yesterday, which is to say: not at all. There's a young woman in one of the corner tables, a short brown-haired fairy by the front window, and that's about it. The woman manning the counter is the same as before. She looks up as you enter, her rather dreary expression brightening ever so slightly when she sees you.
>"I hope you've got good news for me?" she asks.
-
>"Your problem was vigilantes. Seems the farmer got on the wrong side of some faeries, who took there grievances to him while he was on the road. I have what's left on the cart."
-
>"Your problem was vigilantes. Seems the farmer got on the wrong side of some faeries, who took there grievances to him while he was on the road. I have what's left on the cart."
>"What's left of it?" she says with a frown.
-
>"Well, some of it got eaten. And some's probably a little ripe. So, where do you want it?"
-
>"Well, some of it got eaten. And some's probably a little ripe. So, where do you want it?"
>"You have it with you now?" She perks up a little. "Bring it around to the back entrance, and, uh, don't suppose you could give me a hand unloading it? If there's still enough left of it, that is."
-
> "No problem. I'll be right there."
> Head out and unhitch the horses.
> Bring the cart around the back of the store.
-
> "No problem. I'll be right there."
> Head out and unhitch the horses.
> Bring the cart around the back of the store.
>"Thanks a million," she says, then disappears into the room behind the counter.
>You leave the restaurant and unhitch the horses, then bring the cart around to the back of the store. The woman is waiting for you outside the rear door by the time you get there. She takes a couple steps forward as you arrive and peers into the cart. The wary look on her face lightens considerably.
>"This... actually isn't too bad, really," she says. "You had me worried there for a bit. Of course, whatever I can get is a godsend at this point."
-
>"Well good. I'm gonna need you to hold onto the horses and wagon, though. Isato will come down to collect them when he can. I can't really take them back with me as things are."
>Get to unloading!
-
>I can't really take them back with me as things are."
Actually we can, Purvis. Honey has proven she's at least a competant driver. If we let her drive our borrowed cart while we drive Isato's, we can bring both of them home. Assuming of course she wants to come with us on the way back.
Not that there's anything wrong with your approach, just tossing out an idea.
-
I get the feeling it'd be best if we not trust her to do that unattended. Especially when she gets bored of it. And assuming she intends to go with us all the way to the village.
-
>"Well good. I'm gonna need you to hold onto the horses and wagon, though. Isato will come down to collect them when he can. I can't really take them back with me as things are."
>Get to unloading!
>She frowns. "I, uh, don't really have a place to keep either of them, you know. How long are we talking?"
-
The other thing that occurs to me is that, if we bring Isato's cart back to him, it gives us an excuse to talk to him again. There's still the mystery of that clawed youkai he mentioned not jiving with Cirno's involvement. I realize nobody's paying us to solve that mystery, but it's still there to be solved.
Unless everyone would rather just leave it be and get back to Ichirin's job.
-
I'd like to know why Isato thought it was a clawed youkai instead of a fairy with a sword, or if there's something more afoot here - even if it's just Isato being unwilling to admit to being intimidated or robbed by a fairy. But that's just curiosity, really.
And to be fair, it'd be reasonable to visit to report the job finished either way; bringing back all the horses and carts would be an extra excuse and service to him, but not a necessary one. After all, it's the Melon Bowl paying us, not him. I think?
>"I seriously doubt it'd be more than a day or two at most. Isato would want those back sooner rather than later, I expect."
-
>"I don't think he'd be too upset with taking care of the stabling fees."
-
>"I seriously doubt it'd be more than a day or two at most. Isato would want those back sooner rather than later, I expect."
>"A day or two?" Her frown deepens. "I'm really not the person to ask. You can see for yourself that I've got no place to put them, and I don't know the first thing about taking care of horses."
>"I don't think he'd be too upset with taking care of the stabling fees."
>"Huh." She pauses. "Well, if that's the case, what're you asking me for?"
-
>Wink.
>"Because I'm helping you unload for free."
-
>Wink.
>"Because I'm helping you unload for free."
>"Hey, I'm paying you for getting it here, aren't I?" She sighs. "Speaking of which, how much of a discount is Isato giving me on this, anyway?"
>She fixes you with an stiff expression. "He is, right?"
-
>"You said you wanted it today, so I brought it directly here. Didn't have time to jump between here and there."
-
>"You said you wanted it today, so I brought it directly here. Didn't have time to jump between here and there."
>"I appreciate the speed," she says. "I really do, trust me. But, uh, that doesn't really answer my question."
-
>"It doesn't. I brought it directly here, he doesn't even know I've found it yet.. The two of you can discuss billing, and I'm sure you'll both be fair and amicable."
-
>"It doesn't. I brought it directly here, he doesn't even know I've found it yet.. The two of you can discuss billing, and I'm sure you'll both be fair and amicable."
>"Oh. Well then." She pauses. "Ok, fine, I'll figure out something to do with the horses, and Isato can hash it out with me when he gets in here. You are going to let him know as soon as possible, right?" She raises an eyebrow at you.
-
>"Going straight back to Easthaven, no worries there."
>Unload!
-
>"Going straight back to Easthaven, no worries there."
>Unload!
>"Fair enough," she says.
>You set to work unloading the contents of the cart into the storeroom in the back of the Melon Bowl. The owner shows you where the different fruit are supposed to be stowed; she evidently has a pretty organized system, although the room is depressingly empty at the moment when you first set foot into it. The two of you apply yourself diligently to changing that fact. It's fairly heavy work, but with the two of you working at it, it isn't all that long before the contents of the cart are unloaded and in their proper place.
>"Well," she says, taking a moment to survey the now much more brightly colored room, "that's so much better."
-
>"Glad I could help."
-
>"Glad I could help."
>She smiles. "Thanks a million, really. I don't think I could have asked for much better, given the circumstances."
>"So... your pay." She pauses thoughtfully. "It's not the full shipment, but you did get it here pretty fast. 120?"
-
>How much is that? And how much do these kinds of jobs pay? Especially the ones where people get stabbed at?
-
>How much is that? And how much do these kinds of jobs pay? Especially the ones where people get stabbed at?
>It's a fair chunk of currency, especially given that you only had 26 guilders to your name when you woke up yesterday. For what the job was on paper (ie: nudge the supplier into getting things moving immediately), it's pretty generous. Of course, neither of you probably expected to have swords swung at you in the course of getting this here. You actually suspect she may have made a higher offer than planned, in light of what you've implied about the hassle involved in retrieving this. Either that or she's a soft sell.
-
I like it. Sour?
-
Sounds good to me.
-
>"Perfect! I'll just need you to fill out some paperwork..."
-
>"Perfect! I'll just need you to fill out some paperwork..."
>She nods. "Sure thing. Let me go fetch the money."
>She darts out through a side door of the storeroom, and returns shortly with a small handful of cash. "Here you go," she says, handing it to you. "120 guilders. Money well spent, I say. Now what exactly do I have to fill out? Never hired a Seeker before."
-
>Hand her off all the proper paperwork. "I have to cover myself, there's a couple of farmers who think I robbed them, and I didn't quite have what they wanted."
-
>Hand her off all the proper paperwork. "I have to cover myself, there's a couple of farmers who think I robbed them, and I didn't quite have what they wanted."
>You hand her a Confirmation of Job Completion form, and indicate where and what to sign. It's essentially just both of your names, saying that both parties are satisfied with payment and task completion.
>"Who think you robbed them?" She frowns warily. "Wait, what does what I'm signing have to do with that? I'm not going to get dragged into anything, am I?"
-
>"No! No, nothing like that."
>"I convinced the fairy that had issues with Isato to return the food to where it belonged, and I was traveling with her, just to make sure she made good. We ran into some farmers outside of town that had issues with the fairy, but I managed to diffuse the situation. It's just, in the event I run into them again, I wanna have some papers with me to prove good on my word, and to prove that I did, in fact, put things right."
>"Plus there's the papers for my boss, as well. You know how that goes."
-
>"No! No, nothing like that."
>"I convinced the fairy that had issues with Isato to return the food to where it belonged, and I was traveling with her, just to make sure she made good. We ran into some farmers outside of town that had issues with the fairy, but I managed to diffuse the situation. It's just, in the event I run into them again, I wanna have some papers with me to prove good on my word, and to prove that I did, in fact, put things right."
>"Plus there's the papers for my boss, as well. You know how that goes."
>She mulls this over for a moment. "Ok, fine, I hear ya." She signs the form.
-
>"Life of a Seeker. It's rarely dull."
>If this is how the routine jobs are, makes a mouse wonder what the more exotic job're gonna be like once we hit the big times.
>Assume we need our own signature on this as well? If so, apply our mark.
-
>"Life of a Seeker. It's rarely dull."
>If this is how the routine jobs are, makes a mouse wonder what the more exotic job're gonna be like once we hit the big times.
>Assume we need our own signature on this as well? If so, apply our mark.
>"So the stories go," she says.
>Well, this one turned out to be rather less routine than it was on paper. But still, some of the stories you hear...
>It does indeed require your own signature. You sign the forms, and the owner nods.
>"Anything else you need from me?" she asks.
-
>IS there anything else we need in an official capacity?
-
>IS there anything else we need in an official capacity?
>You've got the appropriate paperwork signed - a copy for her own records and one for the guild. There are no other official requirements.
-
>"Actually, now that you mention it...."
>"That kappa that was here the other day, when I was here to take the job. Has she been in today?"
-
>"Actually, now that you mention it...."
>"That kappa that was here the other day, when I was here to take the job. Has she been in today?"
>"Uh, no..." She frowns uncertainly. "Why?"
-
>Give a shake of the head.
>"Oh, was nothing important. Just a passing curiousity, really. Might be as well, actually, gotta get back to the guildhall anyway."
>Bid the lady adieu, and hoof it back to HQ.
-
>Give a shake of the head.
>"Oh, was nothing important. Just a passing curiousity, really. Might be as well, actually, gotta get back to the guildhall anyway."
>Bid the lady adieu, and hoof it back to HQ.
>You shake your head, then say your goodbyes.
>"Thanks again!" she says, waving you off. "Stop back and have something one of this days. I'll even throw in a discount!"
>You make your way back to the guild on foot, leaving Isato's cart by the back of the Melon Bowl for the owner to deal with. You arrive at the guild several minutes later; the horse you rode in on still tethered by the side of it.
-
>Brace self, head inside.
-
>Brace self, head inside.
>You brace yourself and head inside. Fortunately the interior seems neither scorched nor frozen nor Master Spark'd into rubble. Nor are there angry voices yelling at each other or sight people nursing slash wounds. It's almost a little... underwhelming.
>"Your friends left without you," the apprentice at the front says in that same dry tone as earlier.
-
>"Where are they?"
-
>"Where are they?"
>She shrugs. "Who knows. Marisa wanted to give them some space. Not in a hurry to knock another hole in the wall, I guess."
-
>Another, eh. Figured that'd happened before.
>"Well, do you at least know which direction they went off in?"
-
>"Oh dear. She's gotten rather socially minded about that, hasn't she? There may be hope yet."
>Turn in the paperwork!
-
>Another, eh. Figured that'd happened before.
>"Well, do you at least know which direction they went off in?"
>Knowing her, you're almost more surprised it's only been once. Then again, you're sure Rinnosuke was none too happy about it...
>She doesn't even bother to shrug this time. "Didn't watch."
>"Oh dear. She's gotten rather socially minded about that, hasn't she? There may be hope yet."
>Turn in the paperwork!
>"Ha," she says humorlessly. "Good luck with that."
>You turn in the paperwork. The apprentice gives it an idle look over then puts it on the desk. "Right."
-
>Veritable font of enthusiasm, this one.
>Head back outside and scan the sky for lasers or flying ice chunks.
-
>Veritable font of enthusiasm, this one.
>Head back outside and scan the sky for lasers or flying ice chunks.
>Indeed.
>You head back outside and scan the sky for flying projectiles. The buildings themselves rather obscure your vision of anything far away, but nothing catches your eye at the moment. If they were going somewhere with space, there isn't really anything close by which is more open than the square itself. Maybe past most of the houses off to the south?
>Wait, you spot something moving in the distance, heading northward. Is... that Marisa herself? You think it might be.
-
>Follow that witch!
-
>Follow that witch!
>The fact that she's both airborne and moving in your general direction suggests you might be better off staying put for the moment.
-
>Might actually mean the match is done already. Naw, can't be that quick, can it?
>Stay put, then.
-
>Where is she headed relative to us? Towards, away?
-
>Where is she headed relative to us? Towards, away?
>Distinctly towards you.
>Might actually mean the match is done already. Naw, can't be that quick, can it?
>Stay put, then.
>Well, you've been gone somewhere near 30 minutes now. If Marisa arrived shortly after you left, well... it would probably be about as quick as she chose to make it, you suspect.
>You stay put and wait for her to approach. Soon, the moving figure draws near enough to resolve with certainty through the fog: it is indeed Marisa, and jetting at pretty high speed even for her. She swerves towards the open area in front of the guild as she closes in, giving her enough room to come to a stop without hitting anything.
>"Yo!" she calls out with a little wave as she comes in for a landing. "Barely a day on the job and you're already getting other people to do footwork for ya?" Her grin suggests she is not at all bothered by this.
-
>"I take it, then, you've... satsified Cirno's taste for a challenge?"
-
>"I take it, then, you've... satsified Cirno's taste for a challenge?"
>Marisa laughs brightly. "I'd say I gave her what she wanted. Er, what she asked for, anyway. Don't think she knew quite what she was getting into. Maybe it'll teach her a thing or two." There's a pause. "Nah, probably not. But man, she's not half wrong when she goes on about herself. Never would have thought a fairy could put up any fight at all. Was actually pretty fun."
>"Y'know..." she says, glancing in the direction of the guild, "I'd lay odds she could whoop most of the apprentices in there if they came at her straight-up." Then she frowns. "Er, don't tell them I said that."
-
>"She very nearly tried, as a matter of fact. She came awfully close to taking on everyone within sight in the common room. Probably would've done, if Rinnosuke hadn't come along when he did."
>"So she really was that strong? I had been wondering about that, she and I never really had it out. I mean, I figured you'd basically take her in one shot, unless you'd distracted her with some of your stories."
-
>"She very nearly tried, as a matter of fact. She came awfully close to taking on everyone within sight in the common room. Probably would've done, if Rinnosuke hadn't come along when he did."
>"So she really was that strong? I had been wondering about that, she and I never really had it out. I mean, I figured you'd basically take her in one shot, unless you'd distracted her with some of your stories."
>Marisa laughs. "So I heard! I think Kourin's a little irked about the whole thing, but eh..." She waves a hand dismissively. "Don't let that bother you."
>"Nah, thought I'd have a little fun with her. Not every day a fairy like her comes along; thought I'd see what she could do, y'know? Of course, way she tells it, she already kicked your ass. Gotten soft while I wasn't looking, Naz?" She grins at you.
-
>Fold arms, grin slightly, then point at her with tail.
>"How's about you test that theory for yourself, Mari."
-
>Fold arms, grin slightly, then point at her with tail.
>"How's about you test that theory for yourself, Mari."
>You fold your arms and grin, then bring your tail around and point at her with it.
>Marisa grins back fiercely. "I will, you know, it you really want me to."
-
>"No thanks, I like all my limbs attached to my body."
-
>".. Make a note of it for later. I still have an outstanding job in Easthaven."
>"Speaking of outstanding jobs, was there a smaller fairy with Cirno, sort of her own personal cheering squad?"
-
>"No thanks, I like all my limbs attached to my body."
>She feigns indignation. "I'm hurt, Naz! What kind of nutcase do you take me for? I'm sure you'd make it though in one piece." She laughs, and grins again. "Might need a new wardrobe, though."
>".. Make a note of it for later. I still have an outstanding job in Easthaven."
>"Speaking of outstanding jobs, was there a smaller fairy with Cirno, sort of her own personal cheering squad?"
>"Ha! Practically running off your feet already."
>She chuckles. "Fiery little thing. Probably still chasing after me." She scans the skyline.
-
>Try not to show relief. Wait, why relief? 's not like fairy's can be permanently hurt, anyway. ... Maybe we'd miss her. A little.
>"So little Honey managed to stay out of the line of fire, did she? Good for her. Either that or your restraint's improving."
-
>Try not to show relief. Wait, why relief? 's not like fairy's can be permanently hurt, anyway. ... Maybe we'd miss her. A little.
>"So little Honey managed to stay out of the line of fire, did she? Good for her. Either that or your restraint's improving."
>You try not to show relief for Honey's continued physical cohesion. And then attempt to rationalize this to yourself.
>"Don't count on it," she grins. "But nah, Cirno said it had to be one-on-one. The other one just watched. And then when Cirno went poof, well..." She chuckles a little uncomfortably. "She wanted me to teach her. Something about being a 'better sidekick'."
>She takes another look at the sky. "So I told her to race me."
-
>How dare you try to trade me in for a better boss, you little ingrate!
>Try not to laugh at that. ... Okay, laugh anyway. Didn't see that coming.
>"Hahaha... She wanted you to WHAT? Oh, that is SO like her!"
-
>How dare you try to trade me in for a better boss, you little ingrate!
>"Oh yeah?" comes a voice from above. "Honey... Spark!!"
>Try not to laugh at that. ... Okay, laugh anyway. Didn't see that coming.
>"Hahaha... She wanted you to WHAT? Oh, that is SO like her!"
>You try to hold back your laughter, but it's just too much for you.
>"She tries, I'll give her that," Marisa says, still looking at the sky. "But I think I lost sight of her before I got halfway back. Wonder if she got lost or somethin'..."
-
>A Marissa-trained fairy. Wonder what the result of that would be?
>"She didn't happen to have a cat with her, did she?"
-
>A Marissa-trained fairy. Wonder what the result of that would be?
>"She didn't happen to have a cat with her, did she?"
>Either a very determined fairy or a very vaporized one, you're willing to bet...
>Marisa tilts her head and frowns. "A cat? Uh, now that you mention it, I think she pawned one off on Naoki when she flew after us to watch the fight. Why?"
-
>I'll be jiggered. Little girl actually did it.
>"Because I asked her to fly around the guildhall until you showed up, see if she could find a stray cat for that gang of fairys I met before heading off to Easthaven yesterday. I did tell them I'd try to get another cat for them, and Honey didn't want to miss the fight, so... Best of both worlds."
>"Was Naoki still in the guildhall when you left?"
-
>I'll be jiggered. Little girl actually did it.
>"Because I asked her to fly around the guildhall until you showed up, see if she could find a stray cat for that gang of fairys I met before heading off to Easthaven yesterday. I did tell them I'd try to get another cat for them, and Honey didn't want to miss the fight, so... Best of both worlds."
>"Was Naoki still in the guildhall when you left?"
>"So that's two people you got running errands for you at once, already?" Marisa's grin widens. "I knew you'd be good at this."
>She nods. "Yup. Honey didn't want the cat getting the crossfire or something."
-
>"Hey, I choose to think of it as doing her a favor. And she had the foresight to leave it behind..."
>"Yknow... that little fairy's been a pleasant surprise. If she manages- WHEN she manages to find you, because I'm pretty certain she will, you actually should consider showing her some of the ropes."
-
>"The fact I'm seeing potential in a fairy's either showing how those two could really be something, or that I'm just losing my intellectual superiority over you. I mean what?"
>"What exactly did Cirno do anyways? Like was she reckless or was she thinking her moves out or what?"
-
>"Hey, I choose to think of it as doing her a favor. And she had the foresight to leave it behind..."
>"Yknow... that little fairy's been a pleasant surprise. If she manages- WHEN she manages to find you, because I'm pretty certain she will, you actually should consider showing her some of the ropes."
>"Probably a good thing, too," Marisa says. "Nearly clipped her once as it was."
>Marisa frowns and scratches her head. "Really? I mean, she's got spunk and all, but..."
>"The fact I'm seeing potential in a fairy's either showing how those two could really be something, or that I'm just losing my intellectual superiority over you. I mean what?"
>"What exactly did Cirno do anyways? Like was she reckless or was she thinking her moves out or what?"
>She laughs and shakes her head. "Cirno is something, anyway. If she gets better at it, who knows?"
>"Reckless, smug, and really obvious," Marisa says. "But she's got some neat tricks with that ice of hers."
>She flips her broom around. You can see some ice crystals among the bristles.
>"Had to thaw it out a little for the return trip. Kinda get drag when you're flying a popsicle."
-
>Smirk.
>"Yeah, no doubt. Though knowing you, you might actually try it when summer's at its worst."
>"But seriously, Mari, Honey's got more focus than you might think for a fairy. I mean, when she has something to focus on. I actually let her drive my horse on the way back into town, and she handled it easily. She's got her little heart set on being Cirno's 'sidekick', and being a damn good one at that. You know better than most what someone with that kind of determination can amount to."
-
>Smirk.
>"Yeah, no doubt. Though knowing you, you might actually try it when summer's at its worst."
>"Huh. That's not a half bad idea, actually." She peers at the broom thoughtfully.
>"But seriously, Mari, Honey's got more focus than you might think for a fairy. I mean, when she has something to focus on. I actually let her drive my horse on the way back into town, and she handled it easily. She's got her little heart set on being Cirno's 'sidekick', and being a damn good one at that. You know better than most what someone with that kind of determination can amount to."
>"Eh, I dunno... Fairies can be like that one day, and then off to somethin' else the next."
>She pauses and gives you an odd look. "You actually kinda like her, don't ya?"
-
>"Already proposed."
>"Didn't hurt to have a traveling companion for the trip back."
-
>Work our mouth for a moment.
>"I-"
>Denial comes easy, but this is Marissa. May as well be honest.
>"...Maybe I do."
-
>"Already proposed."
>"Didn't hurt to have a traveling companion for the trip back."
>"And you're brave enough to let her alone with me like that?" She flashes an unsettling smirk. "Wow, you've got some confidence in her faithfulness."
>"Sure, sure," she says, grinning at you.
>Work our mouth for a moment.
>"I-"
>Denial comes easy, but this is Marissa. May as well be honest.
>"...Maybe I do."
>"Ha!" She gives you a little poke in the forehead. "Tell you what, I'll give her a chance if she doesn't get bored or run off somewhere. I'm kinda hanging around Braston for a bit now, anyway. Who knows, might be worth a laugh or two."
-
>Grin, then bite after her finger. Don't actually bite it, of course, but just to let her know not to go poking casually.
>Smile a little after that.
>"Thanks, Mari."
-
>Grin, then bite after her finger. Don't actually bite it, of course, but just to let her know not to go poking casually.
>Smile a little after that.
>"Thanks, Mari."
>You grin and snap after her finger as she withdraws it.
>"Geez, if you're that starving, I can just buy you lunch," she quips.
>"Eh, don't get your hopes up, but I'll see how it goes."
-
>"Deal."
-
>"Deal."
>"What, about lunch?" She laughs. "Well, I guess you caught me now. Probably oughta wait for that fairy of yours to catch up first through, or who knows where she'll end up to."
-
>"So, did Cirno even get to do anything? When I tangled with her, she waved that sword twice, then most of it was me beating her in the face while she froze my arm."
-
>"So, did Cirno even get to do anything? When I tangled with her, she waved that sword twice, then most of it was me beating her in the face while she froze my arm."
>"Well, I said I wanted to see what she could do, right? So I went easy on her for a bit. She couldn't really move fast enough in the air to hit me with that sword of hers, but she started gettin' a bit more creative after she got frustrated with missing. I mean, she half-froze my broom and I nearly got an icicle in the face once. Then she tried hittin' my shots back at me with that sword." She chuckles. "That, uh, wasn't so bright an idea. Can't blame her for tryin', though!"
-
>Imagine Cirno trying to bat Marisa's shots back.
>oh god that is hilarious
-
>Oh yeah, that sword was just a mundane sword, wasn't it. Chuckle shortly at the thought of Cirno tennis.
>"Come to think of it... That sword, did it actually dissapear with her? I'd never seen a fairy with a sword, wasn't sure how that worked."
-
>Imagine Cirno trying to bat Marisa's shots back.
>oh god that is hilarious
>You imagine Cirno's ill-conceived attempts to deflect explosive intangible magic with a physical object and find yourself snickering again.
>Oh yeah, that sword was just a mundane sword, wasn't it. Chuckle shortly at the thought of Cirno tennis.
>"Come to think of it... That sword, did it actually dissapear with her? I'd never seen a fairy with a sword, wasn't sure how that worked."
>Cirno tennis... Would that be played with an ice fairy as the opponent or as the ball?
>Marisa frowns. "Yeah, it did, now that you mention it. Huh."
-
>"That might actually be for the best. I mean, if it had stayed behind, Honey might've tried to pick up, and you'd have her dragging it all the way back here. She may have spirit, but I doubt sword-hauling is in the cards for her."
-
>"That might actually be for the best. I mean, if it had stayed behind, Honey might've tried to pick up, and you'd have her dragging it all the way back here. She may have spirit, but I doubt sword-hauling is in the cards for her."
>Marisa chuckles. "Well that's one thing I certainly can't teach her, anyways. Although it might be a good laugh to see her try."
-
>That actually is a hilarious mental image, little Honey dragging a sword through the streets behind her. Might even be a better sight than CIrno's driving, albeit much less dangerous.
>Wait for Honey to turn up.
-
>That actually is a hilarious mental image, little Honey dragging a sword through the streets behind her. Might even be a better sight than CIrno's driving, albeit much less dangerous.
>Wait for Honey to turn up.
>About the only person you think she could manage to hurt with that thing would be herself. The sword's longer than she is!
>You wait around for signs of Honey. Eventually a tiny speeding form comes into sight through the thin fog. Unfortunately, she's angled wrong and poised to miss the guild entirely.
>"Well, I'll be..." Marisa says, then flicks her hand into the air. A brightly colored spark of magic shoots up into the sky above her and flares briefly like a beacon.
>"Over here!" she yells, cupping her hands to her mouth. Sure enough, the fairy swerves towards the two of you. The demonstration briefly draws a few gawkers from the square, but they go back to their business soon enough after glancing in Marisa's direction. Her reputation rather precedes her...
>A few moments later, Honey swoops in for a landing, wings beating furiously.
>"I- I- made it..." she cries weakly, red-faced and panting, then collapses in a heap on the cobblestone.
-
>Do we have any water left? Offer her some.
-
>And be sure to help her back on her feet too, supporting her with ourself as needed.
-
>Do we have any water left? Offer her some.
>You pull out your canteen and offer her a drink. You have to nudge her a little so that she even notices, what with her face smooshed against the ground. Once she does, she accepts it and chugs greedily, then flops onto her back with a sort of strangled sigh.
>And be sure to help her back on her feet too, supporting her with ourself as needed.
>You try to help her back to her feet, offering yourself as support. She stands unsteadily.
>"H- how'd I do?" she asks.
>Marisa scratches the back of her head. "Er, well... Great spirit!"
>Honey lets out a weak little "Yay...."
-
>"You see now what I was saying about Marissa. Powerful, ain't she?"
-
>"Now relax a bit Honey, You did good. Sidekicks need a break when they're dead tired, after all."
-
>"You see now what I was saying about Marissa. Powerful, ain't she?"
>"Cirno... get her... next time," Honey pants.
>"Welcome to try anytime!" Marisa says.
>"Now relax a bit Honey, You did good. Sidekicks need a break when they're dead tired, after all."
>"Yay..." she repeats, leaning up against you. Her wings flutter weakly.
-
>Can we pick her up? She looks pretty damned tired.
-
>Don't pick her up. If she's hot and exhausted, the last thing she wants is a warm person lifting her up.
-
>On the other hand, it might do her some good to get off her feet.
>Is there a bench or something nearby we can lay her down on for a while?
-
>Can we pick her up? She looks pretty damned tired.
>Don't pick her up. If she's hot and exhausted, the last thing she wants is a warm person lifting her up.
>You consider picking Honeysuckle up, but wonder whether that would only make her more overheated.
>On the other hand, it might do her some good to get off her feet.
>Is there a bench or something nearby we can lay her down on for a while?
>Still, it might be good to give her some place to flop that's better than the road.
>There is indeed a bench on the other side of the square, currently unoccupied.
-
>"Alright, Honey, you just take it easy for a bit."
>Pick her up, carry her to said bench and lay her down.
-
>"Alright, Honey, you just take it easy for a bit."
>Pick her up, carry her to said bench and lay her down.
>"Yay...." The race seems to have done a number on her vocabulary.
>You pick up the tired fairy then carry her over to the bench and lay her down. She flops against the back and nearly slides off the bench entirely before she catches herself.
>Marisa throws you a pointed grin. "Aww... how cute."
-
>Turn head around and point a glare at Marissa.
>"Not a word outta you."
-
>Turn head around and point a glare at Marissa.
>"Not a word outta you."
>You throw a glare back at Marisa.
>"My lips are sealed," she says. Then snickers.
-
>Keep snickerin', black-white, we'll see where that broom ends up.
>Give Honey a minute to recuperate.
-
>Keep snickerin', black-white, we'll see where that broom ends up.
>Give Honey a minute to recuperate.
>You grumble silently at Marisa. If she suspects, she gives no indication of it.
>You give Honey a little bit of time to gather herself. She rallies quickly given how exhausted she seemed upon arrival, slowly straightening her posture. Marisa just rests her arms behind her head and gazes up at the sky while you wait.
>"Have I... Have I been a good enough sidekick for today?" Honey says after a short while, frowning a little uncertainly. "Can I stop now?"
-
>Blink a couple times, then laugh.
>"I think you've done enough sidekicking for a while. Catching up with Marissa is no small task. And from what she told me, you even managed to find a cat?"
-
>"Heck, you might have even broken into low grade heroing."
-
>Blink a couple times, then laugh.
>"I think you've done enough sidekicking for a while. Catching up with Marissa is no small task. And from what she told me, you even managed to find a cat?"
>"Oh!" Her eyes light up. "Yeah, a cute little one with spots and everything! I- I left it where you left me 'cause I didn't want it to get hurt."
>"Heck, you might have even broken into low grade heroing."
>There is a moment's pause, then her face breaks into a beaming smile. "R- Really?"
>Marisa snickers again.
-
>"Sure! See, the trick to being a hero, the real trick, is to worry about others before you worry about yourself."
-
>"Sure! See, the trick to being a hero, the real trick, is to worry about others before you worry about yourself."
>Honey nods, that earnest look on her face again. "Right!"
>You can practically feel Marisa's smirk drilling into you. You don't even have to look in her direction.
-
>Smirk at me, willya.
>"In fact, Marissa was worried about me earlier, so she offered to buy us some lunch once you caught up with us. How's that sound?"
-
Well played, Sour. Well played.
-
>Smirk at me, willya.
>"In fact, Marissa was worried about me earlier, so she offered to buy us some lunch once you caught up with us. How's that sound?"
>You decide to turn the tables, just a little.
>"Yay!" Honey lets out a little cheer. "I want a giiiiant sundae with butterscotch!" She throws her arms wide for emphasis.
>"I, uh-" Marisa sputters, then looks at you and shakes her head. "Sounds good to me! What about you, Naz?"
-
>"I want something tasty and filling. But since you're paying, it's only right for you to choose where we go."
-
Why, thank you, Purvis.
>"I may have to meet you there, though. Thanks to Honey here, I have a cat to deliver first. Good job on that, by the way. Wouldn't wanna leave... Naoki, was it, holding it for too long."
-
>"I want something tasty and filling. But since you're paying, it's only right for you to choose where we go."
>Marisa nods. "Fair enough. How's burgers strike ya?"
>"I may have to meet you there, though. Thanks to Honey here, I have a cat to deliver first. Good job on that, by the way. Wouldn't wanna leave... Naoki, was it, holding it for too long."
>Honey giggles as you compliment her. She looks amazingly more lively than just a few minutes ago.
>"Probably pawned it off on someone else by now," Marisa says. "I think she was running errands for Kourin. Imagine it's still in the guild somewhere, though."
-
>"A burger? You mean artiery-clogging food?"
>"Sure, Why the hell not."
-
>Do we know about arteries and cholesterol?
>Actually, what skills have we picked up from our apprenticeship? Aside from learning how to do pile drivers and flying lariats from Marisa?
-
>"A burger? You mean artiery-clogging food?"
>"Sure, Why the hell not."
>Let's put that this way: "Sounds good to me."
>"I shouldn't be too long."
-
>Do we know about arteries and cholesterol?
>Actually, what skills have we picked up from our apprenticeship? Aside from learning how to do pile drivers and flying lariats from Marisa?
>You certainly know about arteries and basic anatomy - it's useful knowledge for someone whose line of work can involve combat or injury. Cholesterol... not so much.
>The basic course covers a variety of skills including lockingpicking, basic appraisal, negotiation, reading body language and deception, wilderness and urban tracking skills, stealth, first aid, and so forth. Moreover, you got practice with throwing knives and some magical devices since you had a knack for them - the dowsing rods you own are not the first you've used, although they're rather better than those you practiced on. Your time with Marisa was more instructive in the rough-and-tumble sense than any specific theoretical skills - dodging and avoiding explosions, your first real fistfight, and so forth. You did learn to recognize certain magics, although your knowledge of the mechanics behind them is basic at best and you have no magical talent to speak of. You think Marisa was a little crestfallen that she couldn't mould you into a second humanoid artillery Seeker.
>Let's put that this way: "Sounds good to me."
>"I shouldn't be too long."
>Marisa nods. "You know that place just off of Eastmarket? Fountainside Grill? They make a mean burger."
>"Why'd you want a burger that was mean?" Honey says, frowning. "That doesn't sound any fun at all."
>Marisa just laughs and shakes her head. "They make some pretty awesome ones, too. Y'know, to balance things out."
>"Oh. Ok then."
>"'sides, you're getting a giant sundae, anyway," Marisa says, throwing you a somewhat pointed but cheerful grin.
>Honey cheers again.
-
Seriously if you can make a random fairy as endearing as Honey you are awesomesauce on a platter.
>"Shall we go then?"
-
>Let's shall.
>Into the guildhall, to find the Honeycat.
-
Seriously if you can make a random fairy as endearing as Honey you are awesomesauce on a platter.
Awww... nice to know she's a hit ^^;
>"Shall we go then?"
>"Sounds good!" Marisa says. "Ok Honey, let's move out!" She turns and walks off down the square.
>"Right!" Honey says, fluttering after her.
>"See ya in a bit, Naz!" Marisa calls out, waving behind her.
>Let's shall.
>Into the guildhall, to find the Honeycat.
>You turn and return to the guildhall.
>Finding the cat proves to be quite straightforward. One of the apprentices is playing with it in the corner of the common room, having it chase after a bit of string. The cat is barely more than a kitten - certainly not fully grown - and quite rambunctious, pouncing on the slithering string as the apprentice yanks it away in the nick of time again and again. Or occasionally lets it grab hold and roll around with it a bit before repeating the cycle.
>"Hey, Nazrin," she says as you approach. "I heard this is yours or something?"
-
>Is it one of the right breeds for our fairy requesters?
-
>Is it one of the right breeds for our fairy requesters?
>One requested a cat with black and white patches and a big fluffy tail. The other requested one with stripes. The cat you already gave them was black and white, although it had a relatively normal tail. This one is a tabby, although more spotted than striped.
-
Close enough for me. Especially since I don't wanna have to traipse up and down town looking for another stray. Besides, you never know. Most of the fairy gang might've already forgotten.
>Watch the cat go for a moment. You're gonna give me more trouble than the last one, aren't you.
>"Well, mine for a while. Part of a job."
>"Energetic little thing, isn't it."
-
>Watch the cat go for a moment. You're gonna give me more trouble than the last one, aren't you.
>"Well, mine for a while. Part of a job."
>"Energetic little thing, isn't it."
>You watch the cat play around a little. The absence of a convenient box for it to fall into is likely to make it more of a handful. On the other hand, it doesn't seem inclined to bolt off or it wouldn't be playing around like this.
>"Oh, huh. Finding someone's lost pet or something?" She yanks the string away from the cat only for it to swipe a paw out and grab it back immediately.
>"No kidding. Cute, too."
-
>"Finding a new pet, actually. For a gang of fairys."
>Have a glance around for a stray box.
-
>"Finding a new pet, actually. For a gang of fairys."
>Have a glance around for a stray box.
>She chuckles. "For fairies? Really? You trying to con them out of something, or is this charity work?"
>You have a glance around. There are no boxes to be seen here, but you could probably dig one up from storage.
-
>"Charity, my tail. They paid me well enough. Well, well enough for a gang of fairys, anyway."
>"'scuse me a minute."
>Go in search of a box. Rather not have the little thing gnawing on our knuckles between here and there.
-
>"Charity, my tail. They paid me well enough. Well, well enough for a gang of fairys, anyway."
>"'scuse me a minute."
>Go in search of a box. Rather not have the little thing gnawing on our knuckles between here and there.
>"Like I said," she replies.
>You go off in search of a box. The storeroom in the back contains a variety of miscellaneous objects and supplies - writing implements, stationary, cleaning supplies, and other unclassifiables. After some rummaging about, you manage to locate a box of suitable enough size and return with it.
-
>Stuff that kitten in the box. Where it belongs >=[
-
>Stuff that kitten in the box. Where it belongs >=[
>You creep towards the kitten, then scoop it up with the box as it pounces on the string the next time, closing the top up after it. The bit of string protrudes through the tiny gap in the top, still held in the apprentice's hands on the other end. You can hear the kitten fighting an epic battle with its prey from inside.
>The apprentice gives you a sidelong glance. "Don't be too gentle with it, now."
-
>"It'll be fine. Do you want your string back?"
-
>"It'll be fine. Do you want your string back?"
>"It's just a scrap," she says, letting go of it. "Little thing has more use for it than I do."
>The contents of the box continue to tumble about.
-
>"That seems a safe bet. Thanks for keeping an eye on it."
>Off to Fortress Fairy.
-
>"That seems a safe bet. Thanks for keeping an eye on it."
>Off to Fortress Fairy.
>"No problem," she says. "More fun that what I'd have been doing otherwise."
>You leave and head for Fortress Fairy, tumbling box in hand. After a few minutes, the string gives up the ghost and the cat turns to mewing instead. Still, it sounds substantially less distressed than the first cat you transported in such a fashion. Oh, wait, the string must still have some fight left in it...
>Soon enough, you arrive outside the warehouse again.
-
>"You think that string was fun? Wait till you see what's comin'."
>Whistle sharply.
>"Anybody home? Seeker delievery!"
-
>"You think that string was fun? Wait till you see what's comin'."
>Whistle sharply.
>"Anybody home? Seeker delievery!"
>You whistle and call out. A few moments later, the tiny fairy you collided with in the alleyway yesterday darts out of the window and swoops down towards you.
>"We don't need any more boxes," she says. "'sides, I already tried one like that, anyway..."
>The cat pounces at its lifeless prey yet again.
>The fairy's eyes widen. "A moving box!"
-
>"Oh, So you want a moving box to? Sorry to disappoint ladies, But Instead..."
>Open up the box and show them the kitten.
-
>"Oh, So you want a moving box to? Sorry to disappoint ladies, But Instead..."
>Open up the box and show them the kitten.
>You open the lid of the box to reveal the cat inside! ...who immediately tries to leap out. Fortunately you manage to close it again before it gets free.
>"Ooo... another kitty!" The fairy claps. "Him and Mittens are going to be bestest friends!"
-
>Give her the box!
>"How is Mittens doing, by the by?"
>Did we get our pay yet?
-
>Give her the box!
>"How is Mittens doing, by the by?"
>Did we get our pay yet?
>You hand her the box. She's actually small enough that she has trouble holding onto it, but makes a valiant attempt just the same. You kinda worry that the box might leap out of her tenuous grip entirely if the cat gets any friskier.
>"He's great!" she says. "Everyone's been taking care of him and playing with him and I gave him his own little pillow in the corner of the box fort!"
>You pocketed the unidentified mechanical part as part of your pay earlier, in lieu of the umbrella. At first you accepted an offer of 4 guilders on top of that from one of the other fairies, but then said you'd negotiate final pay upon completion, depending on how specifically you fulfilled their requests.
-
>"That's good. You better get this little guy in there before he gets way from you."
-
>"That's good. You better get this little guy in there before he gets way from you."
>She nods. "Thanks, mousy!"
>The fairy flies unsteadily up to the window, her wings straining under the load. You don't think she can see quite where she's going with the box in front of her face, either. At least that might explain why she flew into the wall a half foot below the window, letting out a little 'oof' upon impact. She cranes her neck over the edge of the box and adjusts upwards for a second attempt. And manages to aim for the actual window this time! However, she fails to compensate for the width of the box, knocking the side of it against the window frame instead. You cringe, half-expecting the box to tumble from the sky, but she somehow manages to keep a grip on it. She pulls back from the window, stares at it adversarialy for a moment, then readjusts her trajectory and makes it through on the third try.
-
>Good. Another one off the streets.
>...Have they been keeping them fed and watered?
-
>Good. Another one off the streets.
>...Have they been keeping them fed and watered?
>And one less for the mice of the city to worry about!
>That's a good question. You'd like to think that among the lot of them, at least one of the fairies would have thought of this. Then again, fairies don't need to eat, themselves, and are kinda forgetful...
-
>Wait for the faerie to return.
-
>Wait for the faerie to return.
>You wait around for the fairy to return. You can faintly hear her playing around and talking to the cat from inside the warehouse, but enough time passes that you begin to suspect she's not planning on coming back.
-
>Call out, "Excuse me."
-
>Call out, "Excuse me."
>You call out after the fairy again. A few moments later, she reappears at the window.
>"You don't have another kitty for us already, do you?" she asks.
-
>"You've not paid me, yet."
>Frown.
>"Also, you're getting those cats food and water, right?"
-
>"You've not paid me, yet."
>Frown.
>"Also, you're getting those cats food and water, right?"
>"I'm supposed to pay you?" she asks, looking a little uncertain.
>"Oh, yeah, Cloudy's taking care of all that stuff," she says. "She's real smart about all kinds of things."
-
>"That's nice and all, but where is Cloudy?"
-
>"That's nice and all, but where is Cloudy?"
>"Oh, she's off... somewhere." She gestures vaguely, indicating about half of Braston.
-
>"Anyways, let's say this job about five guilders, since it took me some detours."
-
>"Anyways, let's say this job about five guilders, since it took me some detours."
>"Five?" She frowns and fishes around in her pockets, eventually pulling out a couple coins. "I... I have two," she says. "I spent the rest of it on cookies this morning."
>Her face suddenly brightens. "You want a cookie instead? They're really good!"
-
>Twitch. Still, couple coins and a snack in exchange for furthuring safety of neighborhood rodents? Not a bad shake.
>"Deal."
-
>WAIT!
>"Two coins, and that umbrella."
-
Ohhh. Nice save.
-
>Twitch. Still, couple coins and a snack in exchange for furthuring safety of neighborhood rodents? Not a bad shake.
>"Deal."
>WAIT!
>"Two coins, and that umbrella."
>After a moment's irritation, you decide the deal is good enough. But then you recall the umbrella one of the other fairies mentioned and renegotiate.
>"Yay, more cookies for me!" With that, the little fairy dashes up through the window again. A few moments later, she returns lugging a brightly colored tie-dyed umbrella.
>"You take good care of it, now!" she says, handing it to you, followed by the change from her pocket.
-
>Pocket the coins.
>Examine the umbrella for a tongue
>"I will."
>"Now I gotta meet up with a couple my friends, now that I've found another cat a home. Say hello for Cloudy for me when you see her next."
>To the burgers!
-
>Go back to the guild hall first though, And put our umbrella away. We'd look like an idiot walking into a burgerplace with an umbrella.
>That or stuff it in our Pocket of Holding
-
>Will it fit into our pack to save time? Don't wanna keep Marissa & Honey waiting too long.
Unless you had a particular reason to go back to the guildhall, Kips?
-
Not really no. I'd just figured it'd make Naz look stupid if she walked into anywhere with a giant umbrella over her head.
But yeah I forgot i dont know how big it is so yeah derp
-
>Pocket the coins.
>Examine the umbrella for a tongue
>"I will."
>"Now I gotta meet up with a couple my friends, now that I've found another cat a home. Say hello for Cloudy for me when you see her next."
>You pocket the coins. You now have 195 guilders.
>One of the ink blots might kinda look like a tongue, if you tilt it just right.
>"Sure!" the fairy says, waving goodbye. "Have fun with the umbrella!"
>Will it fit into our pack to save time? Don't wanna keep Marissa & Honey waiting too long.
>Collapsed, the umbrella is indeed small enough for you to store in your pack. You stow it away to avoid potential embarrassment.
>That or stuff it in our Pocket of Holding
>That pack of yours may not be explicitly magical, but it does seem oddly roomy...
>To the burgers!
>You head off towards Eastmarket and the Fountainside Grill. This takes a little while, being more or less on the other end of the city.
>The restaurant itself is in a square near the road out of town. A large stone fountain rests in the center of the square, hence the place's name. A few fairies are circling around the fountain at the moment, playing tag, or sometimes trying to push one another in the way of the water spray. As you reach the grill's door, you hear a spectacular splash behind you, followed by a very soggy fairy bursting forth from the water and charging at her giggling peers. A trail of water rains down beneath her. Business as usual...
>You step inside and look around. The decor of the place is a touch on the dingy side, but it's bustling with people, and the air is thick with the smell and sound of sizzling meat. You spot Marisa and Honey in a corner booth. The former waves to you as you enter. The latter seems too occupied with the heaping sundae in front of her to notice anything else in the room.
-
>Have a seat.
>"That is, indeed, a giiiiant sundae."
-
>
honeys gunna get diabeetus
>"Geez kid, Sure you can eat all that? Not even sure if Marisa could."
>Who's the owner of this popsicle standburger place?
-
>Have a seat.
>"That is, indeed, a giiiiant sundae."
>You have a seat across from the two of them.
>Honey nods, not taking her gaze off the sundae. She scoops herself another spoonful.
>honeys gunna get diabeetus
>"Geez kid, Sure you can eat all that? Not even sure if Marisa could."
>Who's the owner of this popsicle standburger place?
>Watchit, she's contagious!
>Honey nods again. "It's wonderful..." Marisa chuckles.
>You have no idea.
>"So, whatcha havin', Naz?" Marisa asks.
-
>"I'm half tempted to try one of those sundae's myself, but I think I'll have something a bit more substantial."
>"I'll have a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and extra cheese."
-
>"I'm half tempted to try one of those sundae's myself, but I think I'll have something a bit more substantial."
>"I'll have a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and extra cheese."
>"Of course, of course," Marisa says, chuckling a little. "Shoulda known."
>"Yo!" she calls out, flagging down a passing waitress. "My friend here'll have a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and extra cheese. Don't hold back, got it?"
>The waitress nods, the carries on her way.
>"So," Marisa says, turning back to you. "Cat safely delivered and all that?"
-
>"Another job under my belt. .. Simple though it may be, we all had to start somewhere. Though I suppose the neighbourhood rodents will thank me."
>"Thanks again for the help with that, Honey. Job well done."
-
>"Another job under my belt. .. Simple though it may be, we all had to start somewhere. Though I suppose the neighbourhood rodents will thank me."
>"Thanks again for the help with that, Honey. Job well done."
>"Well, I guess you'd be the one to know," Marisa says.
>"Yay, I was a good sidekick!" Honey says, then devours another spoonful of ice cream.
-
>"Speaking of sidekicking, have we mentioned that Marissa agreed to teach you?"
-
>"Speaking of sidekicking, have we mentioned that Marissa agreed to teach you?"
>Honey nods. "She said she's gonna show me all kinds of stuff."
>"But it's gonna be hard work!" Marisa says. "Sidekicks gotta be able to keep up, y'know. You're gonna have to give it everything ya got!"
>"I'm ready!" Honey says, the pauses and frowns. "...um, can I wait until I finish my sundae, though?"
>Marisa laughs. "Sure, sure. Sidekicks gotta eat, too."
>Honey nods and gouges another hole in the sundae.
-
>Glance back and forth between the two. The results of this pairing could be quite interesting indeed.
>"I can give you one valuable piece of advice right now, Honey. Never stand in front of Mari here for too long."
>Kick back and wait for lunch.
-
>Glance back and forth between the two. The results of this pairing could be quite interesting indeed.
>"I can give you one valuable piece of advice right now, Honey. Never stand in front of Mari here for too long."
>You wonder if Honey knows quite what she's getting into...
>Honey pauses from her ice cream and gives Marisa a hard look. Then she turns to you with a curious expression on her face. "Why?"
>"Hey!" Marisa protests. "I told you to duck that time, didn't I?"
>Kick back and wait for lunch.
>You exchange a few more friendly barbs with Marisa while Honey works her way through that sundae far quicker than you'd think anything her size could manage. Soon enough, your meal arrives and Marisa's with it. She's elected for a double-stacked burger of some sort, with a plate of french fries and gravy. Your own cheeseburger is indeed generously laden with cheese and both looks and smells mouth-watering.
>"You can have a few, if you want," Marisa says, popping a fry into her mouth.
-
>"Much obliged."
>Pilfer the odd fry as we work our through that cheeseburger.
-
>"So, Are you gunna start her off where you did with me? Cuz iunno if this one can handle it, what with you shooting stuff everywhere."
>"What, No ketchup?"
-
>"So, Are you gunna start her off where you did with me? Cuz iunno if this one can handle it, what with you shooting stuff everywhere."
>"I can handle it!" Honey says bravely.
>Marisa frowns. "Geez, Naz, give me some credit here." Her expression gives way to a grin. "'side, you heard the girl."
>"What, No ketchup?"
>Marisa slides the bottle of ketchup on the table towards you. "Knock yourself out."
>"Much obliged."
>Pilfer the odd fry as we work our through that cheeseburger.
>She just chuckles and pops in another fry.
>You set to work on lunch. You burger is as good as it looks - thick and substantial and juicy. The cheese is undistinguished cheddar, but that does little to hurt the overall effect. You snag a fry from time to time, although you find the contents of that plate vanish alarmingly quickly - Marisa's frame belies her appetite. You've been forced to assume that her magic and boundless enthusiasm burn through energy like nobody's business. You pass the meal with small talk between yourself and Marisa, and the occasional remark from Honey. The latter finishes her sundae before either of you are done, flopping back against the booth with a contented sigh, but soon enough you find yourself on the late bite.
>"Well, that hit the spot," Marisa says, having already polished off the last of her own meal. "Got places to run to, though, so I probably ought to head off soon."
>"I don't have to race you again, do I?" Honey says, frowning.
>"Not after you just ate half your weight in ice cream, anyhow. I'm not gonna be that rough with ya."
>"Yay..."
-
>"Hey, Didja already pay?"
>"Oh, and she's not going to be that rough with you yet."
-
>"What, No ketchup?"
Bollux. Knew I forgot something on that order.
>"And I still have to get back on the road myself, If I wanna make Easthaven by nightfall."
-
>"Hey, Didja already pay?"
>"Oh, and she's not going to be that rough with you yet."
>"I'll get the bill on the way out," she says.
>"I- I can take it," Honey says. "I have to! I'm gonna be the best sidekick ever!"
>"Oh, stop scaring her Naz," Marisa says, then turns to Honey. "And that's the spirit! We'll get you whipped into shape in no time."
>You can practically see the color drain from Honey's face. "W- whipped?!" She draws back in the booth.
>"Er, um, figure of speech." Marisa rubs her head. "Forget the whips. No whips. This is a whip-free zone over here."
>She throws an annoyed look in your direction. "See? Look what you made me do."
>"And I still have to get back on the road myself, If I wanna make Easthaven by nightfall."
>"Might be a tall order," Marisa says. "Probably lucky to get there by midnight now."
-
>Laugh at our mentor's discomfort.
>"Your choice of words, Mari, not mine."
>Pause.
>"But honestly, Honey, you'll do fine. You've got the right spirit, and that makes all the difference. And Marissa's not as bad as some people would have you believe. I mean, she was my mentor when I was a fledgling Seeker, and I didn't turn out too bad. We may joke each other all the time, but that doesn't mean I don't know how skilled she is."
-
>Laugh at our mentor's discomfort.
>"Your choice of words, Mari, not mine."
>"Technicality!" she mutters.
>"But honestly, Honey, you'll do fine. You've got the right spirit, and that makes all the difference. And Marissa's not as bad as some people would have you believe. I mean, she was my mentor when I was a fledgling Seeker, and I didn't turn out too bad. We may joke each other all the time, but that doesn't mean I don't know how skilled she is."
>Honey nods slowly. "O- ok."
>"Aww, Naz. I'm touched!" She brings her hands to her heart with an exaggerated gesture. "But nah, you'll be fine, Honey."
>"I'll do my best!" she says.
-
>Move on out, back to our horse. The road awaits.
-
>Move on out, back to our horse. The road awaits.
>You say your goodbyes to the two of them and then depart for the guild, where you left your horse tethered.
>It appears to have been patiently waiting for you, although by now you would be quite surprised to see it wait in any other fashion. The road indeed awaits.
-
>"'s just you and me now, Steady. No fairys to teach this time."
>...Okay that sounded lonlier than it should've. Besides, she's in good hands.
>Unhitch our ride here and make for the highway.
-
>"'s just you and me now, Steady. No fairys to teach this time."
>...Okay that sounded lonlier than it should've. Besides, she's in good hands.
>Unhitch our ride here and make for the highway.
>You say a few words to the horse, and then muse on Honey's departure. It'll be interesting to see whether she keeps the wherewithall she seems to have, although if there were anyone you could bounce enthusiasm off of, it'd be Marisa. It'll be quieter on the road back, though...
>You unhitch the horse, mount the cart, then depart. Soon enough you find the buildings of Braston falling away behind you as you ride the road out of town. Easthaven awaits!
-
>'least this time there won't be a belligerant fairy warrior by the bridge waiting to intercept passer-bys. Hopefully. And traveling on a full stomach ain't so bad either.
>Precious little about this job worked out the easy way. Is it too much to ask for an easier task finding those missing cows? Probably.
>Travel on.
-
>'least this time there won't be a belligerant fairy warrior by the bridge waiting to intercept passer-bys. Hopefully. And traveling on a full stomach ain't so bad either.
>Precious little about this job worked out the easy way. Is it too much to ask for an easier task finding those missing cows? Probably.
>Travel on.
>Thinking on jobs past and jobs to come, you travel onward. Minutes stretch in hours, and then into more hours. A thinly foggy day turns into a damp evening as you ride on in silence, save for the sounds of your transit and the nature around you. The time of your departure means you pass very few people traveling towards Braston, and the pace you're keeping means you pass nearly as few in the other direction. No irate farmers bar your path, no accusations are hurled your way. Little more is spoken but idle pleasantries with those few you do meet, as each of you ride towards your own destinations. You cross the bridge without incident this time, accosted by neither fairy swordsmen nor clawed youkai. A busy morning is capped by a quiet and solitary evening; perhaps not an unwelcome contrast.
>You left Braston later than you did yesterday, though the horse compensates for much of that. Still, the sun sets while you're still on the road, and it's fully dark before the lights of Easthaven come into view, shining dimly through the misty night.
-
>Start keeping an eye out for... what was the nightlight fairy's name, Shimmer?
>"You anxious to get home, Steady?"
>Make for Ichirin's place. Time enough to tell Isato about his own horses tomorrow.
-
>Start keeping an eye out for... what was the nightlight fairy's name, Shimmer?
>"You anxious to get home, Steady?"
>Make for Ichirin's place. Time enough to tell Isato about his own horses tomorrow.
>You start keeping an eye out for Shimmer as you draw nearer the village.
>You horse makes no reply. You think he's getting pretty exhausted now, too, having traveled all the way to Braston and back within a single day. Almost home now, though...
>You drive towards Ichirin's, passing the fields on the outskirts of town and then driving through the village center. Things are even less active tonight than they were yesterday, although there are still lights about and you can hear the scattered person talking. You turn onto the road past most of the village and towards the orphanage.
>You efforts to spot Shimmer seem to have been unnecessary, as a form dives out of a big tree as you approach the orphanage and swoops down in front of your path, trailing dimly shimmering motes light behind her.
>"Heya!"
-
>Well, that was quicker than expected. And friendlier than the last time, as well.
>"Evening. Thought I might see you soon enough."
-
>Well, that was quicker than expected. And friendlier than the last time, as well.
>"Evening. Thought I might see you soon enough."
>"This is my spot, after all," she says. "Besides, Ichi asked me to keep an eye out for you if you came back this way." She frowns at you. "Don't you go causing any more trouble for her, you hear?"
-
>"With a bit of luck, I'll be solving problems tomorrow. That's what I came here for."
>"And whaddya mean, 'more trouble'?"
-
>"With a bit of luck, I'll be solving problems tomorrow. That's what I came here for."
>"And whaddya mean, 'more trouble'?"
>"Some grumpy-face came by and was all grumpy at her. And I know it's your fault somehow," she says, waving a finger at you. "That and you made her sad, and that's no good at all."
-
>"Actually, it'd be Cirno's fault, if you ever heard of her."
>If she doesn't seem to recognize Cirno, or be a fan, add, "A pain in everyone's butt, that one."
-
>"Actually, it'd be Cirno's fault, if you ever heard of her."
>If she doesn't seem to recognize Cirno, or be a fan, add, "A pain in everyone's butt, that one."
>Shimmer frowns uncertainly as you mention Cirno. You take that as a lack of recognition, and then offer your opinion on her.
>"No, no, he was definitely talking about you," she says. "I heard him."
-
>So it was a him.
>Give Shimmer a description of Jirou.
>"Was that him?"
-
>So it was a him.
>Give Shimmer a description of Jirou.
>"Was that him?"
>On a hunch, you give Shimmer a description of Jirou.
>"Yeah!" she says. "Big old grumpy-face. I don't like him, and it was your fault he was here, so you better feel sorry about it."
-
>Him again....
>"Not as sorry as he's gonna be. That's twice now he's given me trouble. Though I never expected him to have words with Ichirin..."
-
Is he on the list for a verbal asskicking? Because I think we oughta give him a verbal asskicking.
-
Verbal and/or literal. I'm easy either way.
-
=D
-
>Him again....
>"Not as sorry as he's gonna be. That's twice now he's given me trouble. Though I never expected him to have words with Ichirin..."
>So it appears...
>"Yeah, well... well..." Shimmer pauses, frowning. "Well, uh, maybe you should have!"
>Her face droops a bit. "Ichi made me get out of his way. I- I could have totally told him to be grumpy somewhere else."
-
>"It might be better that you didn't. I don't think he likes fairy's very much, and Ichirin would definately be sad if he had made you dissapear. And he probably would have tried."
>"Don't you worry about him, anymore. If I see him again, I'll settle his hash."
>Tomorrow, of course. Issues or not, rather not deal with an ornery old man after a long day involving lots of road travel.
-
>"It might be better that you didn't. I don't think he likes fairy's very much, and Ichirin would definately be sad if he had made you dissapear. And he probably would have tried."
>"Don't you worry about him, anymore. If I see him again, I'll settle his hash."
>Tomorrow, of course. Issues or not, rather not deal with an ornery old man after a long day involving lots of road travel.
>"Gotta catch me first," she says, doing a little loop through the air. "Like to see old grumpy-face try to fly."
>"You better!" she say, putting her hands on her hips.
>Jirou is certainly among the last people you care to talk with right now.
-
>On to Ichirn's. Suspect we have some
'splainin explaining to do.
-
>On to Ichirn's. Suspect we have some 'splainin explaining to do.
>You give the reins a flick and resume riding to Ichirin's. Shimmer swoops in beside you as you move away.
>"Oh, yeah," she says. "Got a message for you. Ichi's asleep now, but she told me to tell you that your room's still waiting for you if you came back tonight."
-
>"Thanks."
>"Hey, do you know where she got this horse and cart from?"
-
>"Thanks."
>"Hey, do you know where she got this horse and cart from?"
>"No sweat."
>"Ah, um..." She furrows her brow intensely for a moment, then shrugs. "Probably someone over there." She casually indicates the majority of the village.
-
>"Ah well. They'll just have to wait, I guess."
>Head toward the orphanarium!
>Once we arrive, find a good place to hitch the horse. Preferably where he can eat and drink. Unless there's actually a proper stable there.
-
>"Ah well. They'll just have to wait, I guess."
>Head toward the orphanarium!
>Once we arrive, find a good place to hitch the horse. Preferably where he can eat and drink. Unless there's actually a proper stable there.
>You continue towards Ichirin's. Shimmer accompanies you for most of the way, flying alongside the cart, first on one side and then the other, occasionally darting away from it or over it and throwing in the odd spin. Particles of light rain down during some of her more rambunctious maneuvers, although this doesn't seem to be a constant thing. Eventually she waves goodbye and flies back in the direction of where she first bumped into you. Shortly thereafter, you arrive at the orphanage.
>Looking around, you see several suitable places to hitch the horse. Unfortunately, there's no obvious source of water nearby for it to drink from; the place isn't really equipped for housing livestock of any kind.
-
>Hitch it near a good grassy place, then head inside to the kitchen, and fill it up a little troth or bucket. Something broad and low preferred so that it's less likely to be knocked over.
-
>Hitch it near a good grassy place, then head inside to the kitchen, and fill it up a little troth or bucket. Something broad and low preferred so that it's less likely to be knocked over.
>The entire area here is fairly grassy, but you decide to hitch the horse by the old tree in the back. Once it's securely tied, you head inside and quietly scrounge around for a suitable container. The place is lightless and quiet, save for the sound of someone gently snoring, but you take care to make as little noise as possible - you can be quite quiet when you set your mind to it. Eventually, you settle on a metal washpan, then take it back outside and fill it up at the well.
-
> Let's go ahead and take it back to the horse.
-
just like to note guys. ya forgot to ask the little fairy about the cows.
-
> Let's go ahead and take it back to the horse.
>You take the washpan over to the horse and lay it on a suitably flat and secure piece of ground near it. You've barely stepped away again before it bends its head down and has a drink from it.
-
> Watch for a little bit, see if that horse sucks down that water so fast we need to refill it.
> How tired do we feel?
-
> Watch for a little bit, see if that horse sucks down that water so fast we need to refill it.
> How tired do we feel?
>You stay and watch for a bit. The horse does make a dent in the water, but there's still plenty left once it's done with it for the moment. You had been stopping for periodic drinks along the trip in and out, and kept a pace that didn't push him too much, although he did cover an awful lot of ground for one day.
>Fairly tired, although this is less from physical exertion than simply the weariness of being on the road for the majority of the day. You could stay up a little while yet if you had things you wanted to attend to.
-
>now that it comes to mind. See if Shimmer anywhere near by to ask about if she seen anything at night. Could give a lead on the cows
-
>now that it comes to mind. See if Shimmer anywhere near by to ask about if she seen anything at night. Could give a lead on the cows
>Scanning about, you don't see her distinctive trail in the sky. However, you did see her fly back in the direction of the tree she was in early; you might be able to find her if you went back and looked around.
-
>where not that tired yet and this could save some time tomorrow.
>head on over to look for Shimmer.
-
>where not that tired yet and this could save some time tomorrow.
>head on over to look for Shimmer.
>You head back down the road towards where you parted ways with Shimmer. You don't see her among the tree she flew out of the first time, although the foliage makes it hard to tell for sure. As you move past it to the next tree, you hear her voice call out to you.
>"Hey! You're not leaving again already, are ya? You better not be."
-
>Give a mouse a break....
>"Hardly that. Like I said before, I came here to solve a problem, and I was wondering if you could help me with that."
>Fill her in about the missing cows.
>"You're out here most nights. Have you seen anything weird? Anything that might point me in the right direction?"
-
>Give a mouse a break....
>"Hardly that. Like I said before, I came here to solve a problem, and I was wondering if you could help me with that."
>Fill her in about the missing cows.
>"You're out here most nights. Have you seen anything weird? Anything that might point me in the right direction?"
>So many people leaping to the wrong conclusions today...
>"Oh, uh... maybe?" She tilts her head to the side.
>You explain about the missing cows in basic terms. Shimmer looks somewhat befuddled by the time you finish.
>"The cows are all waaay over there," she says, pointing to the north. "I'm down here. It's better over here; Ichi bakes cookies."
>"I didn't see any of 'em wander off down this way, if that's what you mean," she adds.
-
>Well, suppose we DID ask for a 'right direction'. 'Not this way' probably qualifies for a fairy.
>"Yes, cookies make everything better."
>"That does help, though. Thanks, Shimmer."
>To our room, then, to face our tasks tomorrow rested.
-
>Well, suppose we DID ask for a 'right direction'. 'Not this way' probably qualifies for a fairy.
>"Yes, cookies make everything better."
>"That does help, though. Thanks, Shimmer."
>To our room, then, to face our tasks tomorrow rested.
>You've heard worse answers from fairies...
>"Couldn't make that hole in the roof better," she says, then adds in a muttered voice "Wouldn't make grumpy-face better, either. Bet he thinks he's too good for cookies."
>"Sure thing!" she calls out.
>You make your way back to Ichirin's, deciding to call it a night. As you walk away, you hear Shimmer muttering on about grumpy-face and how someone ought to throw stale cookies at him.
>You enter the orphanage, then creep down the hallway to your room. It is as you left it this morning, except with bed tidied and made.
-
>Smile noticing the bed. Its the little things Ichirin did that you never really notice till you left.
> Crawl into bed and get ourselves some rest, hopefully tomorrow be easier, ha.
-
>Smile noticing the bed. Its the little things Ichirin did that you never really notice till you left.
> Crawl into bed and get ourselves some rest, hopefully tomorrow be easier, ha.
>You smile despite yourself. It's the little touches, sometimes...
>You crawl into bed, hoping at least for less traveling than yesterday. More than twelve hours on the road in a day can really take it out of someone... Sleep comes easily enough this time; for better or worse there are no trails of light in the night sky, nor restless thoughts mulling about in your mind. All in all, you think you did pretty well for yourself today. You sink into the sheets and allow yourself some well-earned rest.
>You awaken to the sounds of an active household. Glancing outside, it seems to be a couple hours past dawn. You've slept soundly and feel all the better for the extra hours you've caught today.
-
>Recall any dreams we had involving Honey, Marissa, melted cheese, or any combination of the three.
>Ahh, the sounds of bustle. That's more like it around here.
>Rise and sniff the air, see if we can detect the scent of breakfast.
-
>also dreams about cheese castles.
-
Having considered the Jirou situation carefully, I have come to a conclusion.
First we must assess what he did to Ichirin. Then, should the offense be grave enough, we shall owe him a visit to his house under the auspices of him being the number one suspect in the missing cows case (he knows how to get to Easthaven, and travels.), and publically bitch him out in front of his family and/or friends, and demand he get his stupid hat on and go apologize for Ichirin immediately for taking out his beef with us on her. Should he refuse, we roll him like a mook.
In this regard, we may wanna look into a good blunt instrument.
-
Purvis you make it seem like he wasnt just yelling at Ichirin for housing a 'thief' or something. As much as I would love to see Naz steamroll a random dude, We should at least know what he did first.
-
It's a good thing I said that was step one, then!
-
>Recall any dreams we had involving Honey, Marissa, melted cheese, or any combination of the three.
>If you were to admit this, even to yourself, Marisa would never let you live it down. And she'd just KNOW somehow, dammit!
>also dreams about cheese castles.
>Let's just say that while melted cheese makes an excellent burger, it makes a rather less impressive building material. By the end, you had dominion over less of a cheese castle, and more of a large cheese mound.
>Ahh, the sounds of bustle. That's more like it around here.
>Rise and sniff the air, see if we can detect the scent of breakfast.
>It certainly brings back memories... The place was always pretty busy when you lived here.
>You get out of bed and have a sniff. You can definitely detect the scent of breakfast. In fact, you suspect it's multiple people's breakfasts. There's eggs, toast, fried ham, something with cinnamon...
-
>Get a move on down to the kitchen, then, 'fore it all dissapears.
-
>Get a move on down to the kitchen, then, 'fore it all dissapears.
>You leave the room and head towards the kitchen, from which you can hear both the sounds of conversation and food frying.
>Looking inside, you see three people sitting at the table: a boy of around 10, a girl who's probably barely 6, and another girl in her early teens. The latter you recognize, although she was quite a bit smaller when last you saw her. Ichirin herself is working over the stove. As you enter, she scoops up a pancake from the frying pan onto a plate, then places it on the table in front of the youngest, smiling as she does so. "Here you go, dear." The girl eyes the meal with an even wider smile.
>"Oh, good morning, Nazrin," Ichirin says, looking in your direction.
>"Good morning!" the youngest repeats through the pancake in her mouth.
>Ichrin gives her a chastening frown. "You shouldn't talk with your mouth full."
>"Morning," the oldest nods.
-
on another note guys. As much i like to see "grumpy face" beaten up. Judging by how things are, chances are he just going try and make that an excuse to place every bit blame for everything on naz. thought of course the verbal ass kicking should definitely be primed.
-
> Answer back to the greetings.
> Take a seat if one can be found.
-
> Answer back to the greetings.
> Take a seat if one can be found.
>You return the greetings and pull up a chair. It's a little cramped, but there's still room for you. The youngest keeps stealing curious glances at you when she thinks you aren't looking. The boy looks somewhat warier of you. The oldest pays you little mind as she polishes off the last of her cereal.
>"Would you like me to get you something?" Ichirin asks. "Another omelet? Pancakes, maybe? There's some ham left, too, if you'd like."
-
>Are we still feeling hungry?
>If so, Ask for seconds.
>If not, Pass.
-
>Are we still feeling hungry?
>If so, Ask for seconds.
>If not, Pass.
We haven't eaten yet though. :3
> "I'll take an omelet please."
-
> "I'll take an omelet please."
>"Of course," Ichirin says, moving back over to the pantry.
>"How late did you get here last night?" she asks as she fetches the eggs. "I didn't think you'd be coming after I'd heard you'd gone back to Braston yesterday."
-
>"...I don't think I checked, actually. Shimmer was out running around, though."
-
>"...I don't think I checked, actually. Shimmer was out running around, though."
>"Ah, I told her to keep an eye out for you, on the off chance you did return. Did she give you my message?"
-
>"She told me that you left my room ready, yeah."
-
>"She told me that you left my room ready, yeah."
>Ichrin nods. "Oh, good. She's fairly dependable, but you know how fairies are sometimes."
>"Fairies are silly," the little one chimes in.
>"So I take it you did what you set off to do?" Ichirin asks, starting to beat the eggs.
-
>"Yeah. Speaking of silly faeries, it seems that faerie with a sword robbed Isato."
-
>"Yeah. Speaking of silly faeries, it seems that faerie with a sword robbed Isato."
>Ichirin turns to you, looking somewhat taken aback. "What?"
>"I thought everyone was saying it was some sorta wild youkai with big claws?" the older girl says.
>"That's what he said, yes," Ichirin says, giving you an intent stare.
-
>"I don't know why Isato said he was robbed by some wild youkai. I'm going to look into it later."
-
>"I don't know why Isato said he was robbed by some wild youkai. I'm going to look into it later."
>Ichirin nods slowly. "That is curious." Something about her expression seems vaguely... uncomfortable?
>"In any case, I fetched new water for Haruko's horse this morning," she continues, turning back to the omelet. "Are you finished with it for now? I would have returned it to her, but I wanted to check first."
-
>"Yeah, I think so. I'll miss that horse, it's easy to get along with."
-
>"Yeah, I think so. I'll miss that horse, it's easy to get along with."
>"He is, isn't he?" she says.
>"Well, I'm done," the older girl says, standing up and bringing her bowl over the sink. "See ya later, Nazrin." And with that, she ducks out of the kitchen.
>"Bye," the little one waves after her.
>"In any case," Ichirin says, "I can take him back to Haruko later, if you don't know where she lives."
-
>What race/species are the others at the table? All humans? Or difficult to tell?
>DO we know where Haruko lives?
-
>What race/species are the others at the table? All humans? Or difficult to tell?
>DO we know where Haruko lives?
>You're pretty sure they're all human.
>No.
-
While it's on my mind...
>Do Humans have a distinctive scent that differentiates them from other species? Or do we even have the capactiy to gauge 'Oni scent', 'Human scent', that sort of thing?
-
>Do Humans have a distinctive scent that differentiates them from other species? Or do we even have the capactiy to gauge 'Oni scent', 'Human scent', that sort of thing?
>There are some general differences, yes, though you imagine scent varies among youkai as much as youkai themselves do. You certainly wouldn't be able to conclusively peg something you weren't familiar with.
-
>"In any case," Ichirin says, "I can take him back to Haruko later, if you don't know where she lives."
>"Alright, I'll leave him in your hands. Thanks."
>"After breakfast though, I would like to speak to you about something else Shimmer told me."
-
>"Alright, I'll leave him in your hands. Thanks."
>"After breakfast though, I would like to speak to you about something else Shimmer told me."
>"Oh? What's that?" Ichirin flips the omelet.
-
>Glance at the other occupants at the table.
>"It can wait."
-
>Glance at the other occupants at the table.
>"It can wait."
>You glance at the kids around the table, and then tell Ichirin that the topic can wait. She seems to notice the gesture, and frowns ever so slightly. "Alright, then."
>Shortly thereafter, she serves up the omelet along with a glass of orange juice and puts it on the table in front of you. "Here you go."
>Then she has a seat at the table, across from you.
-
>Dine, and wait for the kids to clear out.
-
>Dine, and wait for the kids to clear out.
>You chow down on breakfast. It's a good thing to wake up to. As you much, you're kinda forced to admit to yourself that you haven't been doing as well at the breakfast thing since you moved out on your own. The meal is peppered with idle conversation. The younger girl, whose name turns out to be Michiko, cheerfully pipes up with her opinion when she sees an opening. She seems to have a very bright and unguarded personality. The boy is much more reticent; you actually get the impression he doesn't like you much, although it's subtle. He excuses himself the moment he finishes eating, with little more remark than that. Eventually, Michiko finishes up her pancake and Ichirin sends her on her way. It's just the two of you, now.
>"So," Ichirin says, a serious expression on her face, "what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
-
>"Shimmer told me that a farmer came here."
-
>"Shimmer told me that a farmer came here."
>Ichirin frowns silently for a moment. "I'll assume you mean Jirou?"
-
>"Yeah. What did he say to you?"
-
>"Yeah. What did he say to you?"
>She is silent for another moment, then fixes you with a steady gaze. "Nazrin, is it true that you located Isato's goods and then and sold them in Braston without his knowledge or consent?"
-
>proceed to in detail explain exactly what happened yesterday from leaving here, to finishing the job. Cirno, that the horses where waiting at the city. That and show the copy of paper work to Ichirin. Be plain to her about it, even if we tried to 'bend the truth' she probably suspect something.
-
>proceed to in detail explain exactly what happened yesterday from leaving here, to finishing the job. Cirno, that the horses where waiting at the city. That and show the copy of paper work to Ichirin. Be plain to her about it, even if we tried to 'bend the truth' she probably suspect something.
>You decide to plainly explain the sequence of events of yesterday. You tell Ichirin where you discovered the cart and how Cirno admitted to having taken it from Isato after driving away, as well as her purported reasons for doing so. Then you explain the details of the job you'd taken from the Melon Bowl, and how you felt that it was necessary to take the fruit directly there in order to fulfill your client's requests fully - it was simply a matter of expedient logistics. Finally, you tell her that Isato's cart and horses were left in the care of the Melon Bowl's proprietor, and that you've left the matter of settling payment up to Isato, once he can get into the city. Ichirin says little while you talk, simply acknowledging your statements. Her expression remains serious, though not directly scolding. Still that alone is enough to make part of you feel surprisingly uncomfortable. You take out the job completion form to show her.
>"I believe you at your word, Nazrin," she says, before you've even given them to her. "You don't need to show me signatures."
>She pauses and lets out a deep breath. "I'm sure you meant no harm, but that fruit was neither yours nor the Melon Bowl's at the time you found it. What's more, you didn't even get a single guilder for them. We can both hope that the owner is true to her word and pays Isato when he gets there, but you essentially gave away someone else's property to a stranger. If you'd been considering taking it directly to Braston, why didn't you ask Isato when you spoke with him last night? He might well have been glad for you to do it."
-
>"well that's a bit of an issue."
>Try are best to explain how cirno was reacting to everything. How she would have probably tried to beat on us, again, if we insisted on bring things back to Isato. How basically the only way we even managed to get her to give up it at all, was to convince her she was acting like a hero by bring it to the melon bowl.
>"She set her mind to that Isato was villain and that everything she taken from him was hers now.... and i don't think i could changed her mind if i had a week."
-
>"well that's a bit of an issue."
>Try are best to explain how cirno was reacting to everything. How she would have probably tried to beat on us, again, if we insisted on bring things back to Isato. How basically the only way we even managed to get her to give up it at all, was to convince her she was acting like a hero by bring it to the melon bowl.
>"She set her mind to that Isato was villain and that everything she taken from him was hers now.... and i don't think i could changed her mind if i had a week."
>"Then are you saying that if she hadn't been so stubborn, you would have returned here with Isato's goods first?"
-
i certainly hope you guys at least considered what i am saying. otherwise i guess i do look at things differently.
>"Yes. I mean... apart from just letting Isato be at ease, and that he and cirno didn't match stories.... which still bugs me. He would been able to come up and got to deal with everything earlier to. His cart and horses been back faster and all his business at the bowl would been done to, instead now where... i got tell him everything and probably check that everything worked out fine when i return to Braston."
>"Probably would been able to stay here had gotten to working on cattle the job faster to..."
-
>make a note to ask Isato how much his fruit would cost normally.
-
Actaully, we probably wouldn't, due to time limitations.
>"There's a problem with Jirou's logic: the deal was made in advance. This wasn't just some thing a did on a whim like he's acting, it was just fulfilling what had already been agreed on. If the Melon Bowl refuses to pay, that's a breach of contract."
>"And more importantly, why was he giving you a hard time for what I did, rather than meeting me face to face? Who does he think he is?"
-
>"Yes. I mean... apart from just letting Isato be at ease, and that he and cirno didn't match stories.... which still bugs me. He would been able to come up and got to deal with everything earlier to. His cart and horses been back faster and all his business at the bowl would been done to, instead now where... i got tell him everything and probably check that everything worked out fine when i return to Braston."
>"Probably would been able to stay here had gotten to working on cattle the job faster to..."
>Ichirin's gaze doesn't waver. "Of course, this would have meant accepting that Isato mightn't make the delivery on time, giving up your bonus and your chance to impress your client, yes?"
>make a note to ask Isato how much his fruit would cost normally.
>You make a mental note.
>"There's a problem with Jirou's logic, the deal was made in advance. This wasn't just some thing a did on a whim like he's acting, it was just fulfilling what had already been agreed on. If the Melon Bowl refuses to pay, that's a breach of contract."
>"And more importantly, why was he giving you a hard time for what I did, rather than meeting me face to face? Who does he think he is?"
>"That... may be true," she says.
>Ichirin sighs again. "He didn't give me a hard time... as such. He wanted to verify your story, particularly after Isato told him he had no idea you were delivering the fruit to Braston on your own."
>She pauses for a moment. "I know he can seem abrasive, but he's only trying to make sure that no one here gets robbed and that matters are handled properly. In his way. Try not to hold that against him, if you can." She shakes her head. "Though I imagine he'll be even less happy now that you don't have any money to show for it."
-
>"Not as unhappy as I am that he came to bother you, I assure you. But I'll leave him be, if he leaves me be. But who is he, anyways? Aside from a busybody."
-
>"Not as unhappy as I am that he came to bother you, I assure you. But I'll leave him be, if he leaves me be. But who is he, anyways? Aside from a busybody."
>"He owns one of the larger farms around here," she says. "And taught a lot of younger people the ropes over the years. He was on the village council for a long time, too. I don't think he's let the fact that he's officially retired slow him down very much. Although, um... opinions of him were always mixed." She frowns slightly. "I imagine you can understand why."
-
>"Has he lost any cows?"
-
>"Has he lost any cows?"
>"Two, I believe. I can double-check, if you'd like."
-
>"You'll forgive me if I'm not in any great hurry to speak with him again about now."
>"Look, Ichirin, for what it's worth, I never thought he'd get you involved. Whatever I did or didn't do, that's on me, and I'm sorry you had to deal with this."
-
>"You'll forgive me if I'm not in any great hurry to speak with him again about now."
>"Look, Ichirin, for what it's worth, I never thought he'd get you involved. Whatever I did or didn't do, that's on me, and I'm sorry you had to deal with this."
>Ichirin just frowns at you, though you think it may be one of concern more than anything else
>"I appreciate the sentiment," she says, "but you don't have to worry about that. I'm capable of dealing with much worse than Jirou. I told him what you'd told me at that point, said that you had my full confidence, and sent him on his way. You needn't be concerned about what he thinks, either. Jirou holds firm to his own opinions, some of them... more kind than others. In all this, the one I think deserves the most thought is Isato. It was his property, after all."
-
>"I was planning to tell him first thing, don't worry."
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>"I was planning to tell him first thing, don't worry."
>Ichirin nods. "And... perhaps it's not my place to say this now, but if something like this comes up again, maybe you should inform the people involved of this possibility before, rather than after the fact."
-
>"It was implied to begin with, from my understanding of the contract. But I understand what you mean."
>Not to mention he should be delighted we took it rather than letting it spend an extra half day rotting in the sun...
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>"It was implied to begin with, from my understanding of the contract. But I understand what you mean."
>Not to mention he should be delighted we took it rather than letting it spend an extra half day rotting in the sun...
>She nods again. "Then I think that's enough said on the subject. Oh, and just in case you think otherwise..." She smiles. "I think you did a fine job. Who knows if Isato would ever have been able to find that again on his own."
>That is also a valid point.
-
>Ha! Mom said we're cool!
>"Thanks Ichirin. I appreciate it, after hearing Jirou trying to drag my name through the mud."
-
>Ha! Mom said we're cool!
>"Thanks Ichirin. I appreciate it, after hearing Jirou trying to drag my name through the mud."
>Yay!
>"Oh, don't worry about what he thinks," she says. "I certainly won't."
>"So... what are your plans for the day? Assuming you have any at this point, of course."
-
>"I suppose I need to figure out how to get to the bottom of this cattle issue, after I let Isato know the final report."
-
>"I suppose I need to figure out how to get to the bottom of this cattle issue, after I let Isato know the final report."
>Ichirin nods. "Any ideas on that?"
>"Oh," she adds, "I don't know if this is a good or bad thing from the point of view of tracking them down, but I didn't hear of any more disappearing yesterday while you were gone."
-
>"Nothing that you probably haven't tried. Most likely, I'll just have to keep watch at night and hope for something. Maybe I'll have a look around the most recent case, and see if I can turn up something."
-
"however. every bit info helps. Get enough little bits and we should get the bigger picture."
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>"Nothing that you probably haven't tried. Most likely, I'll just have to keep watch at night and hope for something. Maybe I'll have a look around the most recent case, and see if I can turn up something."
>Ichrin nods again. "The last one I heard of belonged to Takashi, I think. But he shares the same pasture land with quite a few of the others."
>"however. every bit info helps. Get enough little bits and we should get the bigger picture."
>"I have faith that you'll figure something out," she says. "I wish I had more to contribute."
-
>"Not as much as I wish I had something to contribute. Anyways, I'll go visit Isato now, before he gets too busy."
>Unless we've not really gotten cleaned up and such yet. If that's that case, add "after I get ready," and go do that first.
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>"Not as much as I wish I had something to contribute. Anyways, I'll go visit Isato now, before he gets too busy."
>Unless we've not really gotten cleaned up and such yet. If that's that case, add "after I get ready," and go do that first.
>"Of course," she says.
>You basically went straight to the kitchen after you woke up. You excuse yourself and take a few minutes to get cleaned up for the day, and then leave and walk towards Isato's.
>It is a bright and clear morning outside, much nicer than yesterday's, and the village is lively - or at least as lively as Easthaven ever gets, anyway. You work your way towards the village center and then past it; a few people say hello as you walk by and you return their greetings politely. Soon enough, you arrive at Isato's house.
-
>Look around. Any sign of him outside?
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>Look around. Any sign of him outside?
>You don't see any obvious sign of him outside at the moment.
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>knock, time to inform him of everything.
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>knock, time to inform him of everything.
>You go knock on the door. You hear footsteps and then a few moments later, Isato opens it. The look of startelement in his eyes when he sees you is palpable, though he tries to hide it.
>"Ah, um, good morning!" he stutters out. "What can I do for you?"
-
>"Good morning, Isato. I understand that you got most of the news yesterday, but I'll try to fill in the gaps. I found your shipment. It was mostly intact, the horses and wagon are fine as far as I could tell."
-
>Something on my face? He shouldn't be that surprised to see me...
>"Guess you weren't expecting to see me again?"
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>"Good morning, Isato. I understand that you got most of the news yesterday, but I'll try to fill in the gaps. I found your shipment. It was mostly intact, the horses and wagon are fine as far as I could tell."
>He nods. "That's great news."
>Then he cranes his neck and looks around the road. "Um, where is it?"
>Something on my face? He shouldn't be that surprised to see me...
>"Guess you weren't expecting to see me again?"
>Given that you just washed up, you're reasonably confident it's nothing on your face, at least...
>"Well, uh..." He fidgets. "It's just, I heard you'd gone to Braston."
-
>"Are you okay, Isato? You seem... more on edge than you did last night, even."
>"And where'd you hear I'd gone back to Braston from?"
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>"Are you okay, Isato? You seem... more on edge than you did last night, even."
>"And where'd you hear I'd gone back to Braston from?"
>"What?" Isato looks at you somewhat absently. "W- No, I'm fine, really."
>"Well, I just- I mean, didn't you say you'd heard I'd gotten the news yesterday? I just assumed..." He trails off, frowning. "Uh, Jirou told me yesterday. He said he saw you on the road."
-
You seem to have an angle here, Sour. What's the plan?
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Not an angle so much. I just have a bad feeling from this guy. He's more nervous than he should be around us. I think he's hiding something, I'm just not sure how to drag it out of him.
Edit: Upon review, I think we should bring up the discrepancy in his story now. See if that gets a rise out of him.
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>"Oh, yeah. I met Jirou. And I met a certain ice fairy, as well. And she had some interesting things to tell me."
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>"Oh, yeah. I met Jirou. And I met a certain ice fairy, as well. And she had some interesting things to tell me."
>Isato all but pulls away from you as you lead in the Cirno question. He is very bad at masking his uncomfortableness.
>"She, uh- she did?" He pauses for a moment, looking more than a little distracted. "Yeah, I uh... I think Jirou mentioned her. I wonder how she got involved in all this."
-
>"Well, probably by being the one who actually robbed you. There was no youkai, was there, Isato?"
Did we ever get any kind of agreement from Cirno/The faeries to leave Isato alone?
-
Now that you mention it, I don't think we ever did. I can't even remember if it came up, but I don't think it did.
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you where all more concerned with making the melon bowl look like a group of starving orphans i believe.
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We would have needed to break Cirno first, probably. But I wasn't there for the whole thing =I
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>"Well, probably by being the one who actually robbed you. There was no youkai, was there, Isato?"
>Isato goes stock still, almost as if struck. He stares hard at you for a moment. The silence is nearly as telling as actual words would be. Then after what must have seemed an interminable length of time from his perspective, he sags, rubbing his forehead with a hand.
>"I guess that badge isn't just for show," he says, with a kind of forced chuckle.
-
>"What can I say. It's in my nature to get to the bottom of things. I was like that before I ever got this badge. Now I'm even better at it."
>"Out with it, Isato. Why'd you lie to me that night? What's the deal with you and those fairys?"
-
>"What can I say. It's in my nature to get to the bottom of things. I was like that before I ever got this badge. Now I'm even better at it."
>"Out with it, Isato. Why'd you lie to me that night? What's the deal with you and those fairys?"
>Isato just nods slowly.
>"It's just, uh..." He sighs. "Look, it's a stupid reason, ok? It's just, when people were asking why I walked all the way back here without it, what was I supposed to say? 'Sorry, I ran away from some fairies?' I thought, I don't know, that maybe I'd sneak back there after they'd gotten bored of it and take it back. I didn't think the story mattered. I never expected a Seeker to show up looking for it."
-
>Pause. Blink.
>"Here's a tip. Saving face in front of your neighbors is all well and good, but when a professional shows up offering to help, you should probably consider being honest with her. Your pride isn't my concern."
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>Pause. Blink.
>"Here's a tip. Saving face in front of your neighbors is all well and good, but when a professional shows up offering to help, you should probably consider being honest with her. Your pride isn't my concern."
>"Well, uh... I was kinda hoping it wouldn't make a difference. You might've just thought the youkai wandered off or something. Maybe think the fairies grabbed it afterwards; you know how they are. I don't know!" he cries, exasperated, then sighs. "Look, it's not like I make a habit of this."
>He frowns. "Are... are you going to tell them?"
-
Haven't we kind of already told people that it was fairys responsible?
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Not his neighbors, I don't think. Now, Jirou might have spread the word...
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Wouldn't put it past him, the old crank.
Well, I have nothing personal against Isato. Lord knows I wouldn't want people talking about me as 'The guy that ran from a bunch of fairys'. Or one fairy with a sword, in this case. And in a way, we did meet Honeysuckle thanks to him, so I think we can cut him some slack. Just wanted to check before I told him "No I won't" after we already had.
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>Place hands on hips and pause for a moment.
>"Well, I suppose there was no real harm done either way. And I'm not in the habit of wrecking people's reputations as I go along."
>"But you should know. Jirou and his two flunkies know the truth of what happened out there, too. If they've told anyone about Cirno and her fairys, that's not on me. That's on THEM. Okay?"
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>Place hands on hips and pause for a moment.
>"Well, I suppose there was no real harm done either way. And I'm not in the habit of wrecking people's reputations as I go along."
>"But you should know. Jirou and his two flunkies know the truth of what happened out there, too. If they've told anyone about Cirno and her fairys, that's not on me. That's on THEM. Okay?"
>You can see a thin glimmer of hope in Isato's eyes as you tell him you don't think any harm's been done.
>When you mention Jirou again, his lips purse into a slight frown, then he nods. "I... guess that's the best I can hope for. Uh, thanks."
>"So, uh... where's my stuff, anyway?"
-
>"I'm afraid the fairys put a decent dent in the food supply before I could track it down. But after I settled things with the fairys- well, mostly the one fairy- she and I brought the shipment to the Melon Bowl, where it was most needed."
>In expectation of him protesting: "It was the best way I could come up with to handle that fairy with the sword. If I'd tried to take the cart myself, or fight her for it, I might've had to fight her and dozens more fairys besides. That's a fight your average Seeker isn't gonna have great odds of winning, be they Youkai or otherwise."
>"And believe me, she wasn't about to voluntarily give either your goods or your horses back to you. She's not your biggest fan."
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>"I'm afraid the fairys put a decent dent in the food supply before I could track it down. But after I settled things with the fairys- well, mostly the one fairy- she and I brought the shipment to the Melon Bowl, where it was most needed."
>In expectation of him protesting: "It was the best way I could come up with to handle that fairy with the sword. If I'd tried to take the cart myself, or fight her for it, I might've had to fight her and dozens more fairys besides. That's a fight your average Seeker isn't gonna have great odds of winning, be they Youkai or otherwise."
>"And believe me, she wasn't about to voluntarily give either your goods or your horses back to you. She's not your biggest fan."
>"Jirou already told me you sold the fruit," he says. "And, uh, I guess that's neither here nor there at the moment. I probably don't get to complain after lying to you and you going off and getting it back anyway. I meant where's the rest of it. Because, uh, you don't seem to have it with you now." His bearing suggests he's bracing himself for some new problem.
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>"When I say 'decent dent', I moreso mean 'a small colony of fae just ate a undefined portion of your food'. There was quite a lot left over, But I dont know how much fruit was in there before, so I cant really say if they just ate a single fruit or twenty. Maybe you should ask the people at the Melon Bowl exactly how much they got compared to earlier shipments."
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>"I assume you mean your horses and cart?"
>Assuming that's affirmative: "I left them with the Melon Bowl owner. I was driving a borrowed horse and cart at the time, so I couldn't drive yours back. You may have to cover the stabling fees, but she may be open to negociation on that front, although I can't speak on her behalf."
>"And yes, I do recall you mentioning that some of that shipment was destined for open market, the Melon Bowl wasn't to get it all. However, as some of it was gone, including some of the portion alloted for the Melon Bowl, I figured whatever was left would be best served in the hands of the cafe. It might not be ideal, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances."
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>"When I say 'decent dent', I moreso mean 'a small colony of fae just ate a undefined portion of your food'. There was quite a lot left over, But I dont know how much fruit was in there before, so I cant really say if they just ate a single fruit or twenty. Maybe you should ask the people at the Melon Bowl exactly how much they got compared to earlier shipments."
>Isato's expression looks more than a little dubious, but he nods slowly.
>"I assume you mean your horses and cart?"
>Assuming that's affirmative: "I left them with the Melon Bowl owner. I was driving a borrowed horse and cart at the time, so I couldn't drive yours back. You may have to cover the stabling fees, but she may be open to negociation on that front, although I can't speak on her behalf."
>"And yes, I do recall you mentioning that some of that shipment was destined for open market, the Melon Bowl wasn't to get it all. However, as some of it was gone, including some of the portion alloted for the Melon Bowl, I figured whatever was left would be best served in the hands of the cafe. It might not be ideal, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances."
>"Yeah," he says.
>Isato frowns as you explain where they are, and the executive decisions you made with his shipment. He doesn't look especially happy, but nor does he seem obviously angry, rather somewhat... conflicted. Perhaps troubled would be a better word.
>"I... guess that's, well... I guess that's how it is," he says eventually, then rubs his forehead as if to quell a growing headache. "It just would've been nice if, well..." He lets off a heavy sigh. "Look, nevermind. Can I have what she payed you now, at least?"
-
>This isn't likely to help his headache.
>"I think you've got the wrong idea here. I didn't sell the Bowl owner the fruit, I delivered it. All she paid me for was completing the job she'd hired me for, which was to locate the shipment. Technically, I didn't even have to deliver it if I found it, that was a bonus."
>"I had no idea what the going rate for a shipment of fruit is in Braston, so I didn't want to haggle over the price of a slightly compromised shipment. I might've lost you thousands that way, for all I know. She said she'd be happy to work out a fair price with you when you were in town."
-
>"I thought it was also preferable to letting it sit in the sun all day and spoil even further."
-
>This isn't likely to help his headache.
>"I think you've got the wrong idea here. I didn't sell the Bowl owner the fruit, I delivered it. All she paid me for was completing the job she'd hired me for, which was to locate the shipment. Technically, I didn't even have to deliver it if I found it, that was a bonus."
>"I had no idea what the going rate for a shipment of fruit is in Braston, so I didn't want to haggle over the price of a slightly compromised shipment. I might've lost you thousands that way, for all I know. She said she'd be happy to work out a fair price with you when you were in town."
>Isato gives you a look. "If you didn't have to deliver it, why did you? I mean..."
>He shakes his head and sighs again. "Look, let's... let's just put that aside." His tone is a little strained.
>"I thought it was also preferable to letting it sit in the sun all day and spoil even further."
>"Well, uh..." He looks a bit like he's trying to disagree, but can't find a good reason to. "I guess there's that..."
>He rubs his forehead again. "This whole mess's been... well, a mess. Yeah, maybe half of that's my fault - you don't have to remind me. I... I guess I'll just have to hitch a ride into Braston and see what I can salvage out of it. Um, thanks for getting it back for me and all."
-
>Nod. "Worse comes to worst, it's not that long of a walk."
-
>Nod. "Worse comes to worst, it's not that long of a walk."
>"Easy for you to say..." he grumbles.
>"Is that it, then? No more surprise problems waiting for me when I get there?"
-
>Well, if either one of us knew about them, they'd hardly be surprise problems, then, would they?
>"No, that about covers it. I don't think you'll have any problems with the fairys, either. The one that assaulted you came out on the wrong side of a 'discussion' with a witch. It'll probably take her some time to pull herself back together."
-
>Well, if either one of us knew about them, they'd hardly be surprise problems, then, would they?
>"No, that about covers it. I don't think you'll have any problems with the fairys, either. The one that assaulted you came out on the wrong side of a 'discussion' with a witch. It'll probably take her some time to pull herself back together."
>Perhaps he meant problems that would only be a surprise to him? Y'know, given the other surprises you've already handed him...
>She see Isato almost chuckle despite himself. "Well, uh, thanks again and that. Hopefully I can start forgetting this ever happened, soon."
-
>While we're here, did we see anything in Isato's land that looked like pastures?
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>While we're here, did we see anything in Isato's land that looked like pastures?
>No, just fruit fields. Most of the land dedicated to that purpose is further to the north.
-
>Then on to the north it is.
>Bid farewell to Isato, wish him the best, then head off to investigate the case of the dissapearing dairy.
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>Then on to the north it is.
>Bid farewell to Isato, wish him the best, then head off to investigate the case of the dissapearing dairy.
>You bid farewell to Isato, then head northward. You pass by more houses and fields brimming with all manner of crops; among some of them you can see farmers at their work. Eventually the fields begin to thin out and give way to open grassland, stretching across gentle rises and declines far into the distance. Further to the northeast, the land rises up into rugged hills, with forest sweeping out across the west, almost at the edge of sight. There are some smaller fenced off enclosures owned by individual farmers towards Easthaven proper, but much of the area is common grazing land, shared by many who keep smaller herds as an adjunct to their primary livelihood or lack the resources to maintain devoted enclosures of their own.
>You spot several groups of cows spread out among the pasture, some nearer to you, and some far in the distance. There are a couple farmers among them, keeping a rather more attentive watch than the norm. Given recent events, this is hardly surprising. In fact, the pasture seems less occupied than you've traditionally known it to be, although the slope of the terrain conceals much of it from your current vantage. But it wouldn't surprise you if some people were reluctant to put their cattle to pasture with the current disappearances still unexplained.
-
>Do we know where this Takeshi customer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6iJRNHUOT4&feature=related) lives?
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>Do we know where this Takeshi customer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6iJRNHUOT4&feature=related) lives?
>Not off hand, no.
-
>Look around til we see a rancher type in the fields who looks like they could spare a moment.
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>Look around til we see a rancher type in the fields who looks like they could spare a moment.
>You can see a couple people matching that description among the fields. While they're all keeping fairly careful eye on their surroundings, none of them looks especially more busy than that at the moment.
-
>Wave them down, and if they respond, hop the fence. No need to draw them off from their herd.
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>Wave them down, and if they respond, hop the fence. No need to draw them off from their herd.
>You wave down one that's looking roughly in your direction. He responds with a curt wave and a nod. You approach, and he closes part of the distance between you as you do so, still keeping his herd within sight.
>"Something I can do for you?" he says.
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>"You know where I can find Takeshi? I'm looking into this missing cattle problem, and I heard he was the last to lose one."
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>"You know where I can find Takeshi? I'm looking into this missing cattle problem, and I heard he was the last to lose one."
>"Oh, you're the Seeker they hired?" He gives you an appraising look. "I think he's off past the rise over there," he says, gesturing northeast. "Short guy, kinda mussy hair."
>He leans in and speaks in a hushed tone. "If you want my opinion, you're wasting your time on him. I could probably make off with one of his right now, and he wouldn't notice until the day was done."
-
>"Really? Well... what about you, then?"
-
>"Really? Well... what about you, then?"
>"I haven't lost any of mine, I can say that much," he says. "Especially with all this going on, I'm not letting any of them out of my sight."
>He shakes his head. "I still think it's gotta be someone from around here, though I hate to say it. Sharper people than that guy have gotten hit. It can't be that nobody's seen anything."
-
>"Where would they hide them, though? I've heard there's been quite a few taken."
-
>"Where would they hide them, though? I've heard there's been quite a few taken."
>"Beats me," he says. "I guess that's your job. And yeah, there's been a few."
-
>Ponder, do we know of any caves or canyons in the region where cattle could be hidden?
>"Given the frequency of disappearance, it couldn't be more than a day or two away, I'd imagine."
>Frown. "No one unusual been around, right? Other than me, that is?"
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>Ponder, do we know of any caves or canyons in the region where cattle could be hidden?
>"Given the frequency of disappearance, it couldn't be more than a day or two away, I'd imagine."
>Frown. "No one unusual been around, right? Other than me, that is?"
>You don't specifically know of caves, although it's possible the hilly terrain to the north might conceal some. You're pretty sure there are no canyons, though.
>"Makes sense, yeah."
>He gives you a vaguely annoyed glance. "You think that wouldn't be the first thing we thought of? But no, nobody like that."
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>"I was thinking within the past day or two, really. But I know what you mean. Thanks for your help, Mr...?"
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>"I was thinking within the past day or two, really. But I know what you mean. Thanks for your help, Mr...?"
>"Tanehara," he says, nodding to you.
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>"Nazrin. Thanks."
>Head toward the direction he specified, unless he says something mindblowing.
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>"Nazrin. Thanks."
>Head toward the direction he specified, unless he says something mindblowing.
>"No problem," he says. "If you need anything else, just ask, ok? I'll be as happy as anyone to get this mess straightened out."
>You head off towards the rise he indicated, which is a decent walk away. You look about for signs of anything out of place as you walk, but spot nothing. Though if it were as obvious as this, you doubt there would have been need of you in the first place.
>As you crest the rise, you see more acres of pasture spread out beyond you. The forest is easier to see from this vantage, though still far away. Among the lands below you are several more clusters of cows with a couple more people people scattered among it. Scanning about, you think you can identify someone matching the description of Takashi you were given.
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>Zero in on that guy.
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>Zero in on that guy.
>You head towards the man you believe is Takashi. He's standing watch over a relatively small herd of cattle, spread out across the side of another gentle rise. He doesn't really seem to notice your approach until you're fairly close, when he turns towards you with a vaguely wary and uncertain expression on his face.
>"Um, hello there?" he says, moving towards you somewhat. "Nice morning we're having, isn't it?"
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>"Sure is. You're Takashi, right? I'm Nazrin, investigating the missing cattle. You lost some recently?"
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>"Sure is. You're Takashi, right? I'm Nazrin, investigating the missing cattle. You lost some recently?"
>"Oh, hi there," he says, his expression easing. "That's me, yeah. And I'm up to 3 now," he adds, frowning.
>He gives you a curious look. "Did you used to live down this way, a few years back?"
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>"Yeah, I was one of Ichrin's orphans. and three, huh. Lost one last night?"
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>"Yeah, I was one of Ichrin's orphans. and three, huh. Lost one last night?"
>"Huh," he says, slowly nodding. "Yeah, I kinda thought so. And it was, um, three nights ago now, I think."
>You see him scan across the cattle in front of him. "...yeah, I'm pretty sure no one else's gone missing since then."
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>Huh. Oh well.
>"What can you tell me about the disappearances?"
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>Huh. Oh well.
>"What can you tell me about the disappearances?"
>"Well, uh... I lost my first one about two weeks ago now," he says. "I think I was the second person to get hit. Well, we didn't really know anything was going on yet, it's just one of them was missing when I came to round them up, see? But Soichi had been talking about how one of his had disappeared for... I don't know, at least a few days by then. It wasn't until a couple other people started saying the same thing that everyone got serious about it. You'd hear word of it at the inn, right? This guy said he lost one, and then this other guy. Eventually, a bunch of them got together and went looking for them, way out in the wood over there or across the river. I mean, it's not like you could lose that many out here in the open for that long, right?"
>"Never did find anything, of course. Well, you hear stories, but..." He shakes his head. "Then I lost another about a week ago. Last one was right out from under my nose, even; she was there, and then she wasn't. It isn't no ordinary thief, I'm sure of it."
>"'course, when I heard everyone saying that the people further north lost more of them, I pulled back some. Haven't lost one since, but who knows?"
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>"Could you show me where the last one one disappeared at?"
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>"Could you show me where the last one one disappeared at?"
>"It was, uh..." He looks off north, then back to his herd. Then he turns to you, frowning uncomfortably. "I, uh, don't really want to let them out of my sight right now, and I don't want to drive them back up that way, either, in case I lose another one. I could tell you, though."
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>"Alright, that will be fine."
>Kick the shit out of this poor unfortunate bum.
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>"Alright, that will be fine."
>Kick the shit out of this poor unfortunate bum.
>"Ok, well-" he begins.
>And with that, you kick Takashi in the shins.
>"Oww! What are you-" And again.
>"Oww! Why are are-" And again.
>"Oww! Stop it..."
>He crumples into a pitiable heap on the ground, grasping one hand weakly towards his herd, while you continue to heap physical abuse upon him. "Forgive me, Betsy! I couldn't save you..."