(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 14)

[Oldmansour]

>"And got waylaid by pirates along the way, as well."
>"It hasn't been my best run."

[DracoOmega]

>"And got waylaid by pirates along the way, as well."
>"It hasn't been my best run."

>She shakes her head. "And you really will die if she doesn't give you that... whatever-it-was? Seriously, no other options? Val Razua's got healers up to here, seriously." She waves a hand vaguely above her head.

[Oldmansour]

>"Bittercress flower. And believe me, I would love another option, absolutely love one, especially since I'm not completely sure anymore than I can even make it back to Yuuka. But the only cure for this blight is that medicine I told you about, the one I found in the university library. The goddess I mentioned back in Easthaven, she told me that she'd never seen anyone cure it. Or survive it. If there is another cure to be found somewhere in this city, I have no idea where to look for it. Or the time left to look."
>Pause for breath.
>"I would not have gone looking for Yuuka Kazami if I thought I had any other choice that ended well. But I don't. She was my only hope."

[DracoOmega]

>"Bittercress flower. And believe me, I would love another option, absolutely love one, especially since I'm not completely sure anymore than I can even make it back to Yuuka. But the only cure for this blight is that medicine I told you about, the one I found in the university library. The goddess I mentioned back in Easthaven, she told me that she'd never seen anyone cure it. Or survive it. If there is another cure to be found somewhere in this city, I have no idea where to look for it. Or the time left to look."
>Pause for breath.
>"I would not have gone looking for Yuuka Kazami if I thought I had any other choice that ended well. But I don't. She was my only hope."

>"Thank about desperation...."
>The rabbit taps her foot a few times, then briefly paces in front of the gazebo before rounding on you abruptly.
>"Okay, fine," she says. "Let's assume everything you've said so far is actually true and accurate. That would make it about the most unlikely story to cross my desk in years, but almost too crazy to fake - at least with this much effort put into it. But Yuuka freakin' Kazami? Really?" She shakes her head in irritation. "That woman's gotta be somewhere near the bottom of the list of people I'd like to do a favor for, and none of this changes the fact that lunar orchids aren't for sale. At any price - I don't care if you handed me a hundred thousand guilders on the spot." She doffs her hat with an exasperated sigh and runs a hand through her hair.

[Oldmansour]

>"Why are these flowers so special? Didn't you say they weren't medicinal or magical?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Why are these flowers so special? Didn't you say they weren't medicinal or magical?"

>"Well, they're probably a little magical," she says with a shrug. "They do glow in the moonlight, after all. But they're also extremely rare and Lady Houraisan's personal property. I'm sure I don't need to tell a Seeker of all people the value of rare things, even if they don't do anything at all. The kind of money they could fetch with certain parties might surprise you; certainly more than I could afford on my paycheck."

[Oldmansour]

>"And you're worried that I might just go off and sell one if I got my hands on it?"

[DracoOmega]

>"And you're worried that I might just go off and sell one if I got my hands on it?"

>"It's the most obvious reason anyone would ask for one," she says.

[Oldmansour]

>"If you want to have one of your security types follow behind me to make sure I don't do just that, I wouldn't object. In this state, I couldn't even put up much of a fight either."

[DracoOmega]

>"If you want to have one of your security types follow behind me to make sure I don't do just that, I wouldn't object. In this state, I couldn't even put up much of a fight either."

>"Well, that's awfully polite of you, but I don't have authority to give it to you either. So if you really are on death's door and this is the only way out, we have a bit of a problem."

[Oldmansour]

>"Let me guess. Only Lady Houraisan herself has that power?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Let me guess. Only Lady Houraisan herself has that power?"

>"Well, they are her flowers. But I'm afraid she's not in town right now, and I'm getting the impression you don't have a lot of time to play around with, either."

[Oldmansour]

>"You got the right impression."

[DracoOmega]

>"You got the right impression."

>"How much are we talking?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Optimistically? I think I can make it back to Yuuka's again, which is about three days. And then, assuming I can still see by that point, I have to try and make the medicine there myself, because if I don't, I'm not coming back."

[DracoOmega]

>"Optimistically? I think I can make it back to Yuuka's again, which is about three days. And then, assuming I can still see by that point, I have to try and make the medicine there myself, because if I don't, I'm not coming back."

>She cocks an eyebrow. "'Still see'?"

[Oldmansour]

>"My vision's starting to fail. I'm... sort of falling apart."

[DracoOmega]

>"My vision's starting to fail. I'm... sort of falling apart."

>The rabbit lets out another sigh and rubs her forehead. "Look, I'll run some checks and see what I can do. You got an address in town?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Actually, no. Since I arrived on the continent, I only spent the one night here before I left for Yuuka's, and that was with a friend."

[DracoOmega]

>"Actually, no. Since I arrived on the continent, I only spent the one night here before I left for Yuuka's, and that was with a friend."

>"Well, that'll do, won't it? They can get a message to you?"

[Oldmansour]

>Would we be able to kip up at the Guildhall for a while?

[DracoOmega]

>Would we be able to kip up at the Guildhall for a while?

>You could probably hang out in the lounge for as long as you care to, though it's not likely to be the most private or quiet of places, and it's not really set up for sleeping. Though you doubt anyone would throw you out if you nodded off in a chair. Rifle through your stuff, though...? Well, you suppose you couldn't rule it out, though hopefully they'd be more polite.

[Oldmansour]

>Guildhalls don't offer rooms to visiting Seekers?

[DracoOmega]

>Guildhalls don't offer rooms to visiting Seekers?

>Well, if you wanted to pay for them. The price the receptionist quoted you was 40 guilders a night, with a 100 guilder deposit; you imagine they're fairly spartan, too. You don't believe the guildhall in Val Razua has the same kind of housing available as the one in Braston - most of that comes from all the students they have to put up, back home.

[Oldmansour]

>Do they have a messanger service of any sort? If for example banana pants here actually does intend to get back to us.

[DracoOmega]

>Do they have a messanger service of any sort? If for example banana pants here actually does intend to get back to us.

>At least in Braston, you could have mail delivered to the guildhall and kept there for when you dropped by next, but they didn't actually do any wider delivery of their own. You imagine you could have them leave some kind of message at the front desk here, provided you were willing to go back periodically to check.

[Oldmansour]

>"Probably best to leave a message at the Seeker's Guildhall. I'll be in and out of there while I run some checks of my own. I still need to resupply myself, for a start."

[DracoOmega]

>"Probably best to leave a message at the Seeker's Guildhall. I'll be in and out of there while I run some checks of my own. I still need to resupply myself, for a start."

>"Fair enough." She pauses. "I don't think I ever got your name."

[Oldmansour]

>"And I don't think I got yours. Mine's Nazrin."

[DracoOmega]

>"And I don't think I got yours. Mine's Nazrin."

>The rabbit holds a hand out to you. "Ringo."