Hatate Quest Kolme

[Hello Purvis]

>"Are you okay?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Are you okay?"

>"Aces. It's just, something about that dream, just.... It's just one of those images that stays with ya, ze."
>"Would you mind telling us about it?" Celes asks politely.
>The black-white points casually in your direction. "Sure, if you wanna know, but I didn't think she was interested."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Actually, I kinda mentioned the other thing to see if it shook anything else loose. Let's hear it."

[Oldmansour]

>"Actually, I kinda mentioned the other thing to see if it shook anything else loose. Let's hear it."

>"Shake loose...?" Marisa asks quietly, but carries on before giving you a chance to explain. "Ever now and again, I have this dream. I'm in my house, with Alice, and I'm showing her a bunch of stuff. Don't remember a lot of it, but there's this book. That book, the one you got a picture of." As she explains, Reimu reenters the room, carrying another tray, this one with a fresh mug of tea and a collection of rice crackers. "And then I get this- Ah, thanks, doll." Marisa says as she accepts her drink from Reimu. "Anyway, I get this really bad feelin in my gut, right? And Alice says something, can't remember what, and then things got a bit pear shaped when that book starts glowing."
>Marisa pauses in her story to take a long drink. "After that it gets a bit hazy." she says at last in a with little life. Reimu gently lays a hand on her shoulder, and Marisa grips the offered hand firmly.

[Hello Purvis]

>Not too surprising.
>"You more or less described what happened to us before we ended up here, with the glowing and all. Ever tell Alice about this?"

[Oldmansour]

>Not too surprising.
>"You more or less described what happened to us before we ended up here, with the glowing and all. Ever tell Alice about this?"

>"'course I have, she's my wife." You absently wonder how many more times you're going to hear that phrase. But you don't have time to ponder it for too long before Reimu interrupts.
>The shrine maiden looks a fair bit less jovial than Marisa does now. "What're you implying?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"She has vague dream-like memories of this book, even though it's supposedly sealed away here. She's seen what it looks like when it does what it does when it brought us here. Marisa in our world had been missing for a month. I don't think I have to draw a map to make what I'm suspecting obvious."
>"So, have any other odd dreams or missing memories, Marisa? I might be barking up the wrong tree, but you can see why I'm doing it, right?"

[Oldmansour]

>"She has vague dream-like memories of this book, even though it's supposedly sealed away here. She's seen what it looks like when it does what it does when it brought us here. Marisa in our world had been missing for a month. I don't think I have to draw a map to make what I'm suspecting obvious."
>"So, have any other odd dreams or missing memories, Marisa? I might be barking up the wrong tree, but you can see why I'm doing it, right?"

>Obvious though it may be, it doesn't make Reimu look any happier. Marisa, however, merely squeezes her hand again. "Does it matter, Reimu? Liluye and that crazy Sakuya said the same thing, that I was from some other world. I'm still here, aren't I?" The black-white gives Reimu one of her grins. "So what if Hatate sings the same tune. Doesn't mean I'm goin' anywhere, and it don't change who I am." Reimu seems to accept that, and she smiles quietly. Patting Marisa's shoulder once more, Reimu takes a seat next to the witch.
>"As for you, miss reporter-Oh, right." Marisa stops, chuckling quietly. "Since you're from some other Gensokyo, I don't know if that's your job back home. Anyway, if I had memories missing, would I know about 'em, seein as how they're missing and all?" she asks with another chuckle.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, I'm a reporter, and I guess you'd know if you tried to think back to a thing you really should remember and just couldn't find anything."
>Does Liluye ring any bells for us?

[O4rfish]

So, how would Marisa have had that dream? Maybe she's our world's Marisa, she came here and started believing it was her real world. Reimu suspects the truth, and is unwilling to let her go.

Alternatively, she IS this world's Marisa but the experience was so traumatic or memorable for our Marisa that the dream bled over into this world's Marisa.

There could be a number of other options as well; the easiest I can imagine would be that this Marisa is lying about that dream because she's a construct of the book that we are trapped in, along with everyone else here. Of course, that would be kind of tinfoil-hat paranoia in that it doesn't get us anywhere.

[Hello Purvis]

The question is, assuming this is our Marisa, where is their Marisa? The quick way to maybe get an answer would be to try and find our counterpart in this world. If there isn't one, and we're kind of expected to take on the role that's been laid out, then it suggests this place isn't real at all. (It's also be disappointing, because I totally want to beat  up/make out with OtherHatate).

What I am noting is that pretty much everything is saying "Don't go to the goddamn Keep holy shit". Which, if this place isn't real, suggests that is precisely where we need to go.

[Branneg Xy]

If we're talking constructs and artifact the core of this book-world, hyphotesis  taking flesh as I had Hatate mention but it could evolve above itself(?), is the Trap-Book in the Cobalt Keep; occasions for Hatate in sharpening  out her  intuition of Tengu reporter and bonds. This is a nice start. Yet the investigation, journey to the destination and the destination itself are certainly going to be laden with side-tracks and at least a red herring,not discounting them being relayed by anyone, so we better keep a good analytic watch to avoid the aforementioned while not withering aids.
And Let us not forget that time appears to play strange tricks in both Genso and alt Genso and our Aya is surely in this alt Genso too... Adventure-oh!

[Oldmansour]

>"Yeah, I'm a reporter, and I guess you'd know if you tried to think back to a thing you really should remember and just couldn't find anything."
>Does Liluye ring any bells for us?

>Marisa grins a lopsided grin. "'zat count anniversaries? Because I have forgot a couple of those."
>It does not.

[Hello Purvis]

>Grin back.
>"Probably not. But if you have anything to add?"

[Oldmansour]

>Grin back.
>"Probably not. But if you have anything to add?"

>Marisa shakes her head. "I don't think I'm missing anything important. Not that I've thought much about it."
>"And the fact that other people have mentioned this idea, that you're not of this world, that hasn't bothered you?" Momiji asks.
>The witch shrugs. "Not really. This is my home. I have everything I ever wanted." She smiles. "More besides, too."

[Hello Purvis]

>Definitely not suspicious, that.
>"Well, let me know if you do remember anything else. Maybe you're just connected in a different way and that's why we're here."

[Oldmansour]

>Definitely not suspicious, that.
>"Well, let me know if you do remember anything else. Maybe you're just connected in a different way and that's why we're here."

>"What, to 'bring me home', or somethin'?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Or you just had some contact with that book and we got drawn to that? Not like magic has to make sense."

[Oldmansour]

>"Or you just had some contact with that book and we got drawn to that? Not like magic has to make sense."

>"That's the fun part, ze."

[Hello Purvis]

>Chuckle.
>Glance to the others. "Anything else you think we need to grill her about?"

[Oldmansour]

>Chuckle.
>Glance to the others. "Anything else you think we need to grill her about?"

>"What, outta questions already?" Marisa drawls, leaning back in her seat.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Nothing to really grill you about. I mean, there's probably all kinds of sordid details, but not like I get to report those. I guess I should ask if you know me and Momiji's other selves much?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Nothing to really grill you about. I mean, there's probably all kinds of sordid details, but not like I get to report those. I guess I should ask if you know me and Momiji's other selves much?"

>"Don't see much of Momiji, not since she came to power. Running half of Youkai Mountain keeps a tengu busy, don't ya know."
>"HALF?" Momiji blurts, her eyes bulging slightly.
>"Well, you and that council of birds, I mean." She pauses and glances at Reimu. "Should I be saying 'you' there, or would 'she' work better?"
>The shrine maiden replies, between bites of biscuit, "Either or."
>"Helpful, ain't ya." Marisa needles her friend before returning her attention to you. "You... Her, whatever. Hatate I see more of. You-she gets around more'n Aya does lately, especially since she-you started followin' Ran around on that project of hers."

>"Speaking other versions," Celes starts, tapping the rim of her teacup absently. "Is there another version of you in this world, Marisa?"
>"Nope. I'm one of a kind." Marisa then rolls her eyes back in thought. "Well, except for that Great Marisa Hunt a couple years back. You remember that, Reimu?"
>"Vividly." Reimu deadpans, drawing a laugh from the black-white.
>"And Alice Margatroid?" Celes continues.
>Once Marisa is done chuckling, she shakes her head again. "Just one of her too. And she's all mine."
>"Mostly all yours." Reimu absently remarks to no one in particular.

[Hello Purvis]

>No surprise there isn't more than one Marisa, otherwise it'd be obvious something was up...
>"I don't suppose you'd know what that project is?"

[Oldmansour]

>No surprise there isn't more than one Marisa, otherwise it'd be obvious something was up...
>"I don't suppose you'd know what that project is?"

>"Oh yeah. We've helped, Reimu and me. But, if you ask me, if you're lookin' for details, you're better off getting em from the kitsune's tails." Marisa makes a face. "Oh, that didn't work at all."
>"Keep practicing." Reimu advises.
>"Metaphors aside, Ran or Aya's a better source for... information...." Marisa's sentance goes unfinished, the mage lowering her head slightly.
>"Is something wrong?" Celes asks.
>"I think..." Marisa closes her eyes and presses her fingers to her face. "Ran, Aya.... I think I saw them, too. In my dreams."
>"Alice might not like that." Reimu warns.
>If Marisa noticed her friends' comment, she shows no sign of it. "Yeah, I remember. It only happened once, for each. That dream, with that book. Once, it was Ran. And then a while later, it was Aya instead of Alice. Or... was it the other way around?" The witch gives her head a shake. "Not sure. Maybe it doesn't matter."

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's interesting, because they were up to something in our world, too, Ran and Aya. Hadn't figured out what, and was hoping maybe it'd be the same thing here."

[Oldmansour]

>"That's interesting, because they were up to something in our world, too, Ran and Aya. Hadn't figured out what, and was hoping maybe it'd be the same thing here."

>"Well, if you don't know what they were doing over there, how'd you know if it was the same over here?" Marisa asks.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I wouldn't, but it'd give me some clues, sorta, when I get back home."

[Oldmansour]

>"I wouldn't, but it'd give me some clues, sorta, when I get back home."

>"All right, then." Reimu answers. "In the simplest terms possible, they're fixing the Barrier to bring up to Genskoyo's current standards of life."
>"Ya mean 'we', Reimu." Marisa offers.
>"Okay, yeah, 'we', but Ran's doing all the leg work."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Bring up the standard of life? How?"