(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 14)

[Oldmansour]

>Approximately how much time has passed since we left Ozuteiki?

[DracoOmega]

>Approximately how much time has passed since we left Ozuteiki?

>At least three hours, you think.
>Also, it's Ozukitei.

[Oldmansour]

>Well they were the same guy.
>How long will it take us to get to the Hall from here?
>How long would it take us to get to the Hall from the medicine womans?

[DracoOmega]

>How long will it take us to get to the Hall from here?
>How long would it take us to get to the Hall from the medicine womans?

>You've trekked a decent distance in search of reagents by this point, so you're not even completely sure. Probably at least 45 minutes. Maybe more.
>That might also be the better part of an hour, though in a slightly different direction.

[Oldmansour]

>"That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea. Saves some time. Okay, we'll do it that way."
>Transfer the goods, the note and the necessary money to the guide-dog.

[DracoOmega]

>"That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea. Saves some time. Okay, we'll do it that way."
>Transfer the goods, the note and the necessary money to the guide-dog.

>"Okay!" Kyouko says. "We'll do it that way!"
>You transfer all the vials and bundles and packages that you've accumulated during your shopping trip, then hand over the instructions on how to use them. Kyouko slips the note into her pocket, cradles the rest of them securely, then grins at you.
>"I'll be with you again before you know it!"
>And then she's off, dashing merrily down the road. Does that woman ever run out of energy?

[Oldmansour]

>Excellent quality in a time sensitive situation. We might do well with this one after all.
>But we can dwell on that later. Let us make our way to the Guild Hall

[DracoOmega]

>Excellent quality in a time sensitive situation. We might do well with this one after all.
>But we can dwell on that later. Let us make our way to the Guild Hall

>Whether or not Kyouko runs out of energy, you certainly do, and already have. But you keep moving anyway, ambling towards the guildhall at what feels like half the yamabiko's speed, weaving through blurry lanes and still-crowded avenues. You're less sure of your orientation than you'd like. Without Kyouko around to guide you briskly around the streets of her home, you're left to your own sense of direction; ordinarily, this would be excellent, but your mind is not what it used to be, and it feels like there's as much fog behind your eyes as in front of it. Still, you eventually arrive in front of the guildhall again, with perhaps only a few needless detours taken. The lights are on inside, though it sounds pretty quiet at the moment.

[Oldmansour]

>Let's go interrogate the desk jockey.

[DracoOmega]

>Let's go interrogate the desk jockey.

>You enter the guildhall and approach the front desk. The person manning it this time is a green-haired befreckled woman in a turtleneck sweater, busily scribbling on a ledger. She looks up from her paperwork as you approach, gives the pencil a little twirl in her fingers, and grins.
>"Yo."

[Oldmansour]

>"Has anyone from Ozukitei been by in the last few hours?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Has anyone from Ozukitei been by in the last few hours?"

>"Hmm.... Don't think so."

[Oldmansour]

>"Nobody wih a message for a Nazrin?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Nobody wih a message for a Nazrin?"

>The woman leafs through a bundle of papers, idly tapping the pencil against her chin. "Hmmm... don't see anything for that name, sorry."

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh. "Yeah. That figures."
>"You wouldn't happen to know anyone around here that's had dealings with that lot, do you?"

[DracoOmega]

>Sigh. "Yeah. That figures."
>"You wouldn't happen to know anyone around here that's had dealings with that lot, do you?"

>"Most of the big houses don't usually go through us," she says. "They're got their own resources. 'course, that's just for petitions and junk. If you're talking about off the job...." She twirls her pencil again and shrugs mildly. "I had a girlfriend who was an assistant cook there. Doubt that's much help, though." She laughs.

[Oldmansour]

>Well it is worth a chuckle, so let us chuckle.
>"I'm trying to work out a deal with one of them, but she, of course, had to go through channels. You know how the big houses are. I just hope she doesn't drag her feet for too long."

[DracoOmega]

>Well it is worth a chuckle, so let us chuckle.
>"I'm trying to work out a deal with one of them, but she, of course, had to go through channels. You know how the big houses are. I just hope she doesn't drag her feet for too long."

>You have a little chuckle with the deck jockey.
>"Doesn't everyone just love bureaucracy?" she says with a wry grin. "Mind if I ask what it's about, or is this a trade secret?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I think I have to save the details 'till the job's done. Or at least until I hear from them one way or the other, I'm not jumping any guns on this one. But trust me, if I can pull this, it'll make history."
>"Of course for now, it seems I have no choice but to cool my heels a bit."

[DracoOmega]

>"I think I have to save the details 'till the job's done. Or at least until I hear from them one way or the other, I'm not jumping any guns on this one. But trust me, if I can pull this, it'll make history."
>"Of course for now, it seems I have no choice but to cool my heels a bit."

>She grins. "Making history sounds fun."
>"Well, there's some wonderful lemon biscuits in the kitchen. Fresh this morning! Very yummy."

[Oldmansour]

>"I could go for some of that."
>We do know where that is in this building, right?
>If so, avante.

[DracoOmega]

>"I could go for some of that."
>We do know where that is in this building, right?
>If so, avante.

>"Help yourself!"
>You don't actually know where the kitchen is for certain, but the building is fairly small, and your sense of smell makes it easy enough to find. You pass through the upstairs lounge - occupied presently by just a few Seekers, engaging in quiet discussion or scribbling notes - and into one of the adjoining rooms. It is a small space, almost cramped, though tidier than the guild kitchen in Braston ever was; you rotated through cleaning duties multiple times yourself, and staving off the debris of a few dozen apprentices will forever be a lost cause.
>On the closest counter sits a silver plate with a half-dozen lemon biscuits, large and flat, and sprinkled with granulated sugar. There's also mostly-fresh fruit in a cupboard somewhere - a couple apples, pears, apricots. Coffee, too, though you're in no hurry for another cup at the moment.

[Oldmansour]

>Are they complimentary for Seekers, or do we see prices listed?

[DracoOmega]

>Are they complimentary for Seekers, or do we see prices listed?

>While everything seems double-priced in this city, the woman at the front desk did say you could help yourself. In Braston, at least, the kitchen was reasonably communal.

[Oldmansour]

>Then let's sample a couple of those biscuits. And a pomegranate if they have one.
>And then find a relatively quiet seat to try and recoup some strength before the girls arrive. One way or the other, we still have work to do today.

[DracoOmega]

>Then let's sample a couple of those biscuits. And a pomegranate if they have one.
>And then find a relatively quiet seat to try and recoup some strength before the girls arrive. One way or the other, we still have work to do today.

>While there seems to be no pomegranate in evidence, you do avail yourself of the biscuits. Hmmm... crispy. More sweet than sour. Pretty decent.
>Food in hand, you go find the most comfortable-looking chair in the lounge and sink into it with a sigh. Okay, in this respect, they may have your old guildhall beaten.

>Time passes, as you slowly nibble away at the biscuits and let your weary body rest. Someone inquires after a Satomi, to a round of shrugs and mention of a job in Meijima. A pair of Seekers nearby debate tax exemptions. Footsteps come and go downstairs, the chipper voice of the attendant drifting upwards as she accepts a petition regarding a stolen hat. At some point you must have fallen asleep, because it is with some alarm that you are jolted alert by someone shouting your name at an unreasonable volume.
>"Nazrin! I'm back!"

[Oldmansour]

>If there are alarm clocks, she's probably better than one.
>What kind of mood is that voice?

[DracoOmega]

>If there are alarm clocks, she's probably better than one.
>What kind of mood is that voice?

>She certainly got your attention. And the attention of everyone else in the room, by the looks of it.
>Cheerful. Not that this is altogether surprising, given who it belongs to.

[Oldmansour]

>Better go down and meet her before she trumpets again.

[DracoOmega]

>Better go down and meet her before she trumpets again.

>As you hoist yourself to your feet, you hear the attendant add (in a far quieter voice), "You know, I could've just gone up and told her."
>"No, that's fine!" Kyouko says.
>As you reach the top of the stairs, you can see the yamabiko's smiling face looking up at you. She holds a glass vial up in her hand and gives it a little shake; an amber liquid sloshes within.