>What was in our plans for the day outside of gathering ingredients for Mysty?
>Raise an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
>Beat.
>"...Rumia must be rubbing off on me."
>How long ago did Maribel and Renko come to Gensokyo?
>"Another goddess? Which one?"
>How have those two kids been doing?
>"Huh, wonder what that was all about?"
>"Wonder which one's gone missing now?"
>We can gather information using our little insect buddies, right?
>"Huh, do you want me to gather information on that? Because I might be able to do that. I don't really have much on my day plan anyways, so it's not a problem."
>"Maybe Rumia would know then, she tends to get her nose into things like this. I can at least track down Hina so we can let her know though, you shouldn't underestimate the value of insects in this sort of situation after all."
>Let's see...Let's call on the most common insect on the mountain, and set them to finding Hina. We'll direct them further once we get a report that she's been located.
>Alright, let's set them to the task of finding Hina. Once she's found, set them to spell out the words 'Shrine Ruins'.
>"Well, I figured that the butterflies will find her regardless, and I told them to spell out 'Shrine Ruins'. She should get the hint and come back here as soon as she can. That's when you can deliver the message about that messenger showing up. I've laid the bait so-to-speak, it's all a question of if she'll get it or not. I think I can leave that in your hands yeah? I was going to check up on Maribel and Renko, maybe see if Rumia knows anything about this."
>Shrug. "It's Rumia after all. If anything's going on, chances are pretty good that she'll either know it herself, or know someone who does."
>"Rumia's a Darkness Youkai who's pretty strong, she's been resolving incidents a lot over the past couple of years you know. Right now she's protecting and mentoring Yukari's Successor, Maribel."
>What do we know about Rumia's latest exploits?
>"Well, she's pretty nice to have as a friend, damn protective too. She's also got a habit of getting involved in things that don't concern her, I guess she just loves playing the hero. You should talk to her sometime if you get the chance, she's pretty friendly."
>Beat.
>"A little prone to hugging people unannounced though."
>"Yeah, that's why it's a good idea to warn her. She sometimes doesn't think when she does something."
>"Well, I'll just have to warn her myself then. I was going to see about tracking her down to see about all this either way."
>"Well, I'll see you around. Hina should get the message sooner or later."
>Where would Maribel and Renko be at this time?
>Well, let's make for the Village, and head for their most common hangout there.
>Well, let's check the closest one then.
>Do people in the village know Keine's part-youkai?
>Also, tell some flies to lay eggs in his food.
>"You don't need to apologize. He's the one who's dumb."
>"You seen Mari and Renko?"
>"All right, I'll look there. Thanks."
>Let's head to Mystia's.
>"Delivering supplies or something?"
>Since we know insects intimately, by way of being an Insect Youkai ourselves, presumably we know the relation between plants and insects, yes?
>"Hey Mysty, how's business?"
>Nod and grin, but refrain from the grape-eating. "Always good to hear! Say, you seen Maribel and Renko recently today?"
>Walk over to the other goddess. "Did you help, too?"
>"Oh, when the leaves change color and all that? That's always a nice and colorful time of year, even though I'm not a fan of the cold. Always nice for the eyes though."
>"Well, the only person I know who looks forward to winter is Cirno, and that's because of Letty. For what it's worth, I at least appreciate the leaves. After all, fall has great atmosphere, and the leaves end up still helping out in lots of ways even after they die. So while it looks like you get ignored, it's probably the opposite. People think with their stomachs a lot, which is why your sister here gets more press. But either way you look at it, you've still got an important place in things, people just don't show it as often. Being an insect youkai, I'm a bit more mindful of things like this than most."
>Ah yeah, that is a thing after all. We pretty much stopped doing that though, didn't we?
>"Name's Wriggle, Wriggle Nightbug. Firefly type you know."
(In Japan, the equivalent would probably be Kansai I guess.)
>"Yep, so I'm technically more active in summer by that token, since that's when you see my sort more often. But Fall's not so bad either though, atmosphere's always great."
>We tend to slow down more in winter, don't we?
(I was going off the basis that Wriggle, being an Insect Youkai, would still be relatively susceptible to the cold. Just like her non-youkai comrades.)
>Of course a harvest goddess would think that, huh? "Yeah, it's still good, even if it starts getting cold. Insect Youkai after all."
>"Ah, yeah. That happens too, which is a problem for everyone."
>"True, but don't most of them have some kinda requirement like Kogasa's? Which would probably loop right back around to the food issue."
>After all, being an Insect means we know how the food chain works, right?
>"Well, either way you look at it, food's important. But hey, it doesn't taste the same without the atmosphere the leaves bring you know. Plus, the best way to roast sweet potatoes is with leaves."
>"Those work just as well though, to provide the foundation to get it all started. When you get right down to it, leaves are just as important, since they end up helping the later plants, right?"
>Shrug. "They don't live so long after all, comparing their lifespan to a youkai's is like comparing an ant's lifespan to a human's. I've had plenty of time to consider things after all."
>That sounds pretty bad, doesn't it?
>Sweatdrop. "Just, uh, don't go and do what Titania did. I think that would end badly..."
>...This sounds like something Dai will want to know about, doesn't it?
>"I wasn't just talking about it going badly for others, I was also meaning about it going badly for you too. Well, I've gotta go take care of a few other things, like finding Maribel and Renko. See you whenever, I guess."
>Since they just left, let's head to the next location we'll be likely to see them.
>So, why did we want to check up on them again?
>Well, let's head over then, but we'll wait for them to finish talking.
>"How are you guys doing?"
>They've adapted pretty well to Gensokyo, haven't they?
>Have they made any spellcards yet?
>"Glad to hear you guys are doing alright."
>"So, you guys been up to anything? How's the training been going?"
>Marvel at the gravity trick. "Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice."
>"Well, that's what practice is for after all. Even if a human doesn't live all that long compared to Youkai, you'll probably get better at it sooner or later. You're in Gensokyo after all, the place where even someone like Marisa can get pretty good at magic with enough determination."
>Nod and smile. "Exactly. And just think, that means you'll get to hang out with the rest of us for as long as you want. Youkai live an insanely long time after all, as you already know."
>Come to think of it, we're probably old enough to be their great-great grandmother or something, aren't we?
>"Well, I'm sure that you'll manage it."
>Most humans with some magical ability don't progress this fast in just four months after all, do they?
(Mima was also playable in PoDD. AKA, Touhou 04. AKA, Yumemi and Chiyuri's Debut Game. So she was involved in pretty much all but LLS. Funny huh?)
>"You never know, eh? You might even end up outdoing Marisa, since you took to Mima's brand of magic like a bee takes to a flower."
(Same difference, I couldn't remember right. She was essentially involved with pretty much all but LLS. She even shows up in a different outfit in HRtP, as you likely already know. And yes, it is Mima. Stage 2, hell route.)
>"Well, Mima was apparently stuck there for a while from what I've heard. So that would account for why she's above most others in her field when it comes to sheer power. I'd say that in terms of destructive power, Her and Yuuka are likely at the head of the class. Someday you might even be that strong too, since you've come this far in just four months."
>After all, messing with Gravity at all in a way that isn't flying would take a lot of magical power, wouldn't it?
>Well, excluding those, since they're not a living thing.
>"Well, there's people who are pretty strong like that, and are generally good people, Rumia's pretty strong after all. She's taken on just about all of the past threats to Gensokyo. She even stopped a Reactor the Kappas made from blowing up, and taking pretty much all of Gensokyo with it. You guys heard that story, right?"
>Which of the escapades that Rumia got up to and we weren't involved in do we consider the best story?
>"Exactly. Rumia's still the same old goofball even now. A bit more serious sometimes, but still screwy."
>"Got a question. Which of the stories do you like best? I like the Makai Incident myself."
>Definitely something to tell the kids later on if we ever end up with any.
>They never met Kaguya and Eirin, did they?
>"Yeah, we all seriously thought Rumia died up there. I still remember the welcome back party, she had this red scarf. Apparently she was trying to look cool."
>"Yeah, she was gone for a whole three days. Everyone thought that she'd died to achieve what she was after. But it turns out that she was just lying low in Makai until the next time Shinki could visit, which was three days after her departure to the moon. I wonder why it wasn't in the chronicles when just about everyone turned up for the party? Even Shinki participated."
>Shrug. "Guess so."
>"So, what did you guys have on the schedule for today? Just wander around?"
>Nod. "Let me pass along some info to Dai, and I'll join you guys. I heard something that I think she might want to know about."
>"Ah. Guess I missed her then. I can just pass the information to her next time I see her, or to Rumia. Maybe Reimu might even have something that can help me piece a few things together."
>A Divine Messenger looking for Hina, and a strange secret that Minoriko seemed intent on hiding. Could they be related somehow?
>Shrug. "Well, at least it's something interesting to investigate."
>Grin a bit. "I can't let Rumia have all the fun you know."
>"Maybe. You guys done here? I can wait if you aren't."
>"Alright then, whenever you guys are ready."
>Let's tag along when they head off.
>Guess they got a job as hired cleaners or something? Kinda surprising that those guys of all people would go into that sort of profession though.
>Well, let's head over to Suika. "Hey, you seen Reimu? I heard a few weird things, and wanted to see if she could figure anything out from it."
>Figures that she'd do something like that. Probably aren't getting paid by her then.
>"I'll just head in and ask her then, it should be fine since this sort of puzzle is 'in the job description', you know?"
>"Well, if my hunch is right, it might lead to something she'll want to take care of. See, those two fall goddesses were being secretive about something weird, one of them mentioned it when I cautioned them against doing what Yuuka did as Titania. And there was a Divine Messenger looking for Hina too. I don't know, but I think they might be connected somehow. I think the root of it all was when Yuuka was Titania again for a little while."
>"Huh. According to what Medi said, that must've been a Divine Messenger. I bet it's got something to do with the Titania Incident."
>Great, angry Reimu. This is going to end swimmingly.
>"Guess this means it's a bad time to tell her what little I've managed to find out now, huh?"
>"Well, one of those guys was looking for Hina too. And when I met the Aki Sisters earlier today at the village, Shizuha was trying to say something when Minoriko told her to be quiet and got all scary. Made me feel about as small as an ant is in comparison to a human. I'm pretty sure that since she said it when I was advising her to not go and pull a Titania, that it's gotta be related to the Titania Incident a few months back."
>What do we know about this Genji fella?
>"...That old turtle was one heck of a guy. Maybe we need to figure something out to do in his honor. One last send-off, you know?"
>"I kinda figured it was something like that. But that just means that he deserves it all the more."
>Come to think of it, do we know where people of Genji's sort go after death? Presumably, since he was an animal of some sort, he wouldn't go through the same channels as a human or youkai, would he?
>"I'm not sure, but if things work out, you might be able to visit him again somehow. Mystia got lectured once by the Yama about the possibility of going to hell, so there's a shot that since he was probably even better than a human in the intellect department, he might have gotten treated the same as a human or youkai."
>"Well, the best thing to do then would be to honor his memory, right? I didn't know him that well, but he probably wouldn't want you sitting around moping when there's something to investigate. Not if he used to help you resolve incidents back in the day."
>"Well, back in the day for him, and when you were a kid. You have to remember, all of us Youkai are old by human standards. Even me, I'd probably be old enough to be someone's grandma by now."
>"Well, as an example of how it works, then yeah. But we know that's not how things really are."
>Sigh. "Now you're making me feel old."
>"Ah, let me take this real quick."
>Let's see what the little guy has to say.
>Huh. That's definitely interesting. Does the little guy have anything else to report?
>"Heads up Reimu, Incoming black-white. Also, this little guy got even more information for us to piece the mystery together. The reason why your shrine's god, Hina, and the Aki sisters are connected, is because they're gods. Titania was also a god."
>"...Genji finally ran out of time. But it looks like we've gotten even more info on this weird mystery. First a Divine Messenger shows up at the Ruined Shrine looking for Hina, then when I talked to the Aki Sisters, Shizuha started talking about a low amount of faith, so I advised her against pulling a Titania. Then she was about to say something about that before Minoriko made her put a lid on it."
>Indicate the little butterfly we have. "And this little guy said that Hina was down near the Higan talking with some other curse goddesses. They were using some sort of foreign language though."
>Sigh. "Going on all this, and what you just said, it looks like there's trouble in the worlds of the divine. And five'll get you twenty that Rumia and Shinki will end up getting involved in this mess."
>"Yeah, and I can't let Rumia handle everything herself. You know I'll do what I can to help too. I'm seriously thinking that this all stems back to the Titania Incident. The gods must've...Well, gotten spooked big time I guess. Then again, if I were one of them, I probably would too if I'd found that a former friend of mine had become a completely different person since the last time I saw them."
>Sigh again. "Nice job breaking it Nue."
>"So, now that we've figured out that something related to the Titania Incident has them spooked, the next question is a simple one. 'What do we do to resolve it?'"
>"Well, if Rumia were here, she'd probably say something like 'So? We just go in and solve it for them!'"
>"I was thinking that maybe Sanae would be able to clue us in actually. if they're talking about a 'time of calamity', then you'd think Kanako would want to help out. Everyone goes six feet under by way of this problem? They all run out of faith."
>"Today apparently. But maybe there's some way to find it. I bet Kanako or someone else like that would be able to point the way."
>"That works too. As long as it's a god or goddess, it should work." Suwako always seemed to be the more amicable of the two didn't she?
>Nod. "Yeah, let's see about asking Suwako then."
>Beat.
>"Why do I get the feeling that finding Reimu's god is going to end up like a bad parody of some children's book?"
>"N-no reason, it just reminds me of this one book I heard about."
>We can read, right?
>Stare ar Marisa with a sort of expression that implies she's almost as dim as Cirno. "I'm not Cirno you know, I can read."
>"As for the book, I'm not sure what exactly it was called. I think the story was that some kid or something was looking for it's mom. This of course, meant asking everyone and everything it met if it was the kid's mom. Pretty sure it might've been one from the Outside."
>Give Mima a look that says 'Is Reimu always like this?'
>Sigh. "Well, now that we've got the first step in mind, why don't we start already? Or are you guys going to leave all the work to the firefly?"
>Look over at Mima. "Hey, you knew her back in the old days, right? That means you knew Genji. You think he'd want her to sit around moping while there's work to be done?"
>"I guess you're right. Can't say we didn't try to get her to stop moping around though. Then again, he did just die today, so I guess we shouldn't expect too much from her for a while. Give her time to come to grips and such."
>"...Well, that works too I guess. We ready to go?"
>Oh yeah, Maribel and Renko were here too, weren't they?
>Well, those two can take care of themselves now, seeing as they can fly and such. Worst comes to worst, they can just fly like mad, or gap out of there.
>"Well, let's go then."
>Let's make for the Moriya Shrine then! Hopefully Suwako will be more likely to spill the beans and not be so vague like all the other gods seem to like being.
>"I figured you could see them or something and just didn't really bother greeting them or something. I should've guessed she was getting some practice in though, but it sounds an awful lot like what Sunny can do. I'd say it worked though."
>Beat.
>"...We didn't even get a chance to ask if Suwako was in."
>"Whoa. I should've guessed you'd pop out when someone mentioned you. But yeah, I was the one who asked. I've pieced things together that the Titania Incident a while back put the gods in a real tizzy. A divine messenger looking for Hina, Hina being found near Higan talking to other Curse Goddesses in some strange language, Bishamonten talking through Shou about some kind of 'Time of Calamity'. And then Shizuha and Minoriko were a bit techy when talking about Titania."
>Raise an eyebrow. "Mind explaining? I figured you'd be a bit more keen on talking about all this. I can't leave all the hero business to Rumia after all."
>"...Ooohhhh. I get it. They're all worried about her, aren't they? Don't want her 'Pulling a Titania', as it were."
>"...Gods are weird. I don't think I'd ever really understand them even if I were to end up becoming one somehow. I mean, if someone like Yuuka used to be one, then what does that mean for someone like me, eh?"
>"...So the 'calamity' they're talking about won't happen for a long time?"
>"..But couldn't you just make a special world just for you guys to fight it out? I mean, you guys are gods, so if even someone like Shinki could make a world, then it shouldn't be out of reach for your guys."
>"If Yukari were alive, she could probably have opened a viewing gap or something. That way people can still watch, and this place won't get wrecked as a result of the brawls."
>Jawdrop. "Ah-buh-buh-buh-buh-whaaaa?! Th-that's 'Gensokyo's Reflowering'! How does she know that?! That's one of Yuuka's moves!"
>Sigh. "Sheesh...Seems like everyone's passing me by. It wasn't too long ago that I was stronger than Rumia, but now...Now even Dai's probably passed me by..."
>Great, Kanako's up to her old tricks again. If this gets too bad, Rumia'll have to step in. We'll have to keep an eye on these two a lot more now, maybe there's an insect they're likely to overlook or something.
>"Just be careful she doesn't go and pull a Titania, remember the last time someone got a massive powerup as a result of something you planned? I don't think we need another Yuuka running around."
>"Well, the bit about making sure she doesn't pull a Titania still stands. If it goes too badly, Rumia might end up stepping in like she always does. What can I say? Girl likes playing the hero."
>"Nah, no threat, just a helpful warning about what'll probably end up happening if things go bad. I know how she acts, if she thinks something's going to hurt Gensokyo or her friends, she'll do everything in her power to make sure that it's stopped. She means well though, Yukari wouldn't have trusted her with what she did if she didn't have what it takes."
>Shrug. "Rumia counts Sanae as a friend too, so the most she'd probably try for is just a knockout, like she did with a lot of the other past problems. It's funny how a lot of the problems Gensokyo's had in the past were solved by just throwing Rumia at them and having her knock them out."
>Let's keep an eye on how things are going in the fight.
>Sigh. "Great, more Yuuka stuff. Is she gonna end up being a Nature Goddess or something? At least she hasn't sparked anything or anyone though. That happens and I'll probably have bad flashbacks."
>Shudder.
>"...So they're gonna end up fighting it out, aren't they? Great, now I know we need to make sure they don't fight here. A fight like that's just going to destroy Gensokyo, and I know Rumia won't stand by and let something like that happen. Knowing her, she'll try to knock down both of them somehow. Crazy girl's always like that, ever since she started being a hero."
>After all, isn't that why she went to get that powerup from Shinki in the first place?
>Beat.
>"Well, Kogasa would call her a 'Main Character', whatever that means."
>"So....When all this is said and done, what happens to Yuuka as we know her?"
>Wait, don't we know someone who tinkers with the subconscious?
>"Well, we don't know how long Titania's been Yuuka, except that it happened before the barrier was made apparently. You probably know the secret to that riddle for the ages though."
>"So we just have to give her a reason to live on then. Heck if I know what that reason would be though."
>"Maybe, let's just hope so. I know she traumatizes me, but things just wouldn't be the same without her. It's weird, but I guess it makes me thankful to be alive or something? I don't know, it's weird like that."
>"I guess you're right! She'll still be as plant-crazy as ever."
>Beat.
>"So, uh, how are we going to handle things once Sanae takes over for her? Are we going to have to start calling her Titania instead? Because it's gonna be really weird thinking of Yuuka every time I hear that. And then there's the fact that there's a risk of her going berserk like Yuuka did. According to what I found out from Dai, it's a likely thing that she might go all omnicidal too, going by how nature's apparently been treated."
>Beat(Again).
>"Oh, this is so going to make the fairies go crazy, I just know it..."
>"And remember how much of a fuss that did cause? I'll be honest right now, as weak as they are, they're like ants. I know ants, real well. You ever seen an overturned anthill? The fairies were like that back then."
>Wince. "Uh, I'm seriously starting think that letting her take over as Titania is a really baaaad idea. The gods must be crazy or something, 'let sleeping dogs lie', as they say."
>Stare. "Did I miss the memo saying that everyone should copy someone else today, or is it just me?"
(I always saw Wriggle as the sort to make wisecracks more often than the others. A sort of perpetual Tsukkomi in a way.)
>"Well, they have been friends for a pretty long time, so it's only natural they'd work together so well."
>Sigh. "You can tell she doesn't like this."
>"Yeah, but the big question is if she'll still be the same person and not get overwritten by a new Titania persona. It loops right back to what happened with Rumia."
>"Well, just be careful is all I'm saying. If something can go wrong, it usually will. At least, that's what I've learned from the past things that've happened."
>All that should've made her more careful, but she seems intent on just hammering away with her plans and schemes regardless, huh?
>"Well, you were the one I was referring to with that after all. I mean, when weird things were happening, folks stopped thinking Yukari was behind it, and started saying you were instead. I guess that's one way to get faith, being known for being behind weird occurrences."
>"See what I mean about being careful? This little gamble of yours might not go according to plan. 'Expect the unexpected', as Rumia would probably say if she were here."
>"Well, just be careful with it. If what Bishamonten said via Shou is right, we're going to be heading for one hell of a time as a result of it. And not the good kind either."
>"Guy's probably been around long enough to know when to hold 'em, and when to fold 'em. Weren't strategists usually like that to begin with?"
>"Hunting's a totally different thing though."
>War, Hunting, Wind, talk about your Odd Jobs God. What's next, is she a goddess of pastry making too?
>"That's a pretty loose definition of war though, don't you think? But what do I know? I'm just a firefly."
>"But I do know this though, guys like him don't get anywhere in his line of work without being careful. After all, a deity of war is no different from a warrior in theme, they're just insanely stronger and more magical. And just like with animals, the older and more experienced they get, the more cautions and careful they are."
>"So by your own reasoning and logic, you should actually be the cautious one, and he should be the one chomping at the bit to let off the next wacky scheme."
>"Well, just don't count out any sort of potential for error, even if it's just one percent. For all any of us know, this could backfire spectacularly. For example, since you'll be fighting Titania, and not Sanae, there's a good chance that you'll be the one ending up in that post instead. A sort of 'You break it, you buy it' kind of thing."
>"Hmm...Say, since you said you aren't going to fight fair, would she be susceptible to say, an insect's poison? I know she's a nature goddess and all, but it never hurts to ask for clarification."
>"So do you think that trick will work on Titania too then? You'd just have to find a place to fight that isn't Gensokyo. What's the point of making Sanae the next Titania if there's no Gensokyo for her to preside over?"
>"You probably aren't applying enough then. It's the 'Marisa Principle' at work. 'If you aren't using enough force, use more'."
>Look over to Marisa. "Am I right?"
>"So burn the vines then. It's like those weird games from the outside world that Sanae, Maribel, and Renko always talk about. If she becomes a mass of vines, then burn the vines. Mass of water? Intense heat to evaporate it."
>"Ah, but you just said ' as well as any other gods who agree to help'. So you don't need to worry about that angle yourself, just hope you can recruit one able to use fire. Even a god of blacksmithing should be able to do the job, right?"
>"I was more referring to the mass of water she might turn into. Forges are pretty hot after all."
>"So there you go, as long as you bring along the right team to counter her different forms, you're set. Fire? Either you or Suwako can take care of that, her by dousing it, and you by blowing it out. Water? Suwako's job. Earth? No challenge, Suwako handles that. It all loops to the opposing element."
>"Well, if she happens to follow that pattern, then remember what I said. You'd be surprised what kind of wisdom you can learn from something as simple as a bug. Heck, I remember hearing about wisemen who do nothing but watch ants go by all day, and they get a weird kind of enlightenment from it."
>"They don't just watch ants though, they watch other swarming insects too. Like bees, certain species of butterfly, termites even. Humans are weird sometimes."
>"Another thing I was wondering about though, what'll happen to the Fairies? Cirno and Dai are my friends you know, and Rumia's pretty protective of even them."
>"Well, just hope that things don't get broken by this little thing."
>"Well, just be careful, 'kay?"
>"Either way, try to find a different place to fight in that won't wreck gensokyo, okay?"
>"There's gotta be a way to not wreck Gensokyo. If you guys fight, then who knows how many will die? It'd be worse than just having let Titania run free, even I can tell you that."
>"Still an 'end of the world' sort of situation. Or at the very least, the place'll be so wrecked you won't even recognize it. Nevermind that there'll probably be no survivors among the non-divine save for the Immortals, and the Fairies. I bet even the Celestials would go belly-up too."
Wriggle Quest is yes.
>Did we know that?
>What exactly is our relationship with Yuuka?
>"Rumia mentioned once that the one in the Garden of the Sun isn't the real Yuuka, but where is the real one if not in Gensokyo?"
>...Well. This is news.
>"So fighting there is the idea then, huh?"
>"The way I understand things though, is that you guys would still be just as vulnerable even if it wasn't her turf. Seeing as there's weapons out there that can hurt gods, iit'd make sense that Titania can do the same thing to her attacks."
>Beat.
>"Then again, she's probably got everything set to genocide regardless of who the opponent is."
>"Well, there's always the fairies like Nue tried I guess, but that would just bring her here instead wouldn't it?"
>"This is gonna be tricky thinking."
>"Well, that's why you ask people who aren't gods. They might have some sort of insight or something that you guys might have missed."
>"If Dai were here, she'd probably say something like 'You should value the wisdom of others'. And being an insect youkai, I know just how important that is. As well as the strength of numbers."
>Do we know of anyone who would be able to look at things from both perspectives?
>"Well, there's a lot of people who you can ask that'd have input on both sides of the mortal-immortal spectrum. There's Eirin, Kaguya, Miko, Reimu, Byakuren, and maybe Alice."
Nod. "Whenever something's up, Dai and Patchouli are usually the first people Rumia turns to for information. She had information on Enkura after all, and then there's all the other things like the whole lead-in to the Titania Incident to begin with."
>Sweatdrop. "That and they've both been behind an incident in the past too. Several in Kanako's case."
>Sweatdrop. "Is there some kind of secret competition to see how many incidents someone can be found to be behind or something?"
>"Well, you do seem like the sort to never let anything interesting slip by without getting involved personally. That and the old domino effect."
>Have we ever played around with a set of dominoes?
>"That's probably it."
>Look to Reimu. "Hey, uh, doesn't Remilia do that in exactly the same way when she gets frustrated too?"
>Glance at Kanako with a raised eyebrow, then look back to Reimu and gesture towards Kanako. "She doesn't have a hat to chew on though, unless you count that headband of hers. But chewing on rope hurts, and it's bad for the teeth too."
>Chuckle a bit. "This really shows that she's pretty 'mortal' as far as gods go, huh? Same shortcomings, specialties, strengths, and weaknesses as everyone else."
>Glance at Kanako again with a raised eyebrow, then look back to Suwako. "Especially her, huh?"
>Chuckle a bit. "I think Yuuka and Rumia are rubbing off on me, it's kinda amusing to see her all flustered like that."
>Shrug in a puzzled way. "I dunno, someone who hates frogs and all they stand for? But that'd be something really stupid to hate, they should hate something else, like overly spicy food, or people leaving the bathroom door open after not taking care of what they left behind. Something more sensible like that."
>"I still haven't figured out why she's so fixated on seeing how many she can unfreeze safely. Maybe it's some twisted logic that says 'If you can get better at this, you'll be the strongest!' ...Or something like that."
>"Maybe that's what she's trying for, in a weird and typically fairy way."
>"Maybe. But with Cirno, it's hard telling anymore. Since she's a Sprite and all."
>"Maybe she got so stupid it wrapped around to such a level of genius that nobody can comprehend it?"
>Beat.
>"...Naaaah. I mean, what're the odds of that?"
>"So maybe she's actually a lot smarter than she seems, she just seems dumber than her old self because her brain operates on a completely different level than ours."
>"...So she's like Okuu in a sense. Great. Just what we all needed, another superpowered goofball. Only this time it's ice."
>"Well, maybe that's the case with Cirno too? Maybe her brain got overloaded with all things cold."
>Was there ever a time where Cirno forgot how to fly at one point?
>"True, so maybe her freezing the frogs has more than one reason. I know she used to do it to see how many she could bring back intact, but 'm not sure about her motives for it these days."
>"Yeah, that's probably it. Her one desire is to 'Be the Strongest', and when she became a Sprite, that desire was magnified. Fairies and Sprites are pretty weird when you think about it."
>Chuckle a bit. "If you guys are always like this, then I might hang out here more often."
>Pause. "I didn't know hats could glare."
>We never did figure out much about that hat of hers, did we?
>"It's alive too?"
>"The only one who knows much of anything about the little guy- Wait, is it a guy or a girl? It's impossible to tell with a living hat."
>Raise an eyebrow. "So...Does that mean that you're just an extension, like Kogasa is?"
>Note to Self: Suwako's pretty darn creepy when she wants to be.
>"Hats, frogs, you have one out-there list of stuff."
>"Yeah, I don't think I've ever met anyone with as diverse a list as yours. Well, Titania would probably come close, being Nature and all."
>"....Looks like I'd better stay far away, and hope she doesn't try to drag me into it."
>Beat.
>"Any gods you know of aside from her that have insects in their list? I'm not talking specific insects, I'm talking about insects in general. Just asking out of curiosity."
>"Huh. Interesting."
>"Well, it's more that fact that he was even connected to insects at all that I find interesting. Gives a girl hope that maybe someday a new one for insects will show up. I mean, the frogs, snakes, and fairies have one, so why not insects too?"
>"Probably because of the whole hive mentality they have."
>Come to think of it, what is our opinion on ants?
>"I guess Ants are just weird. I've never had much luck getting them to obey really, too devoted to the Ant Queens and stuff. It'd be an interesting sight to see one gain enough self to turn Youkai though. Can't say as I've ever heard of it happening before."
>"Hmm...a Queen could though I guess. I bet they'd be a tough fight for even an Oni."
>Beat.
>"Wonder how many people would pay to see a fight like that? Wonder if I can get Tewi in on that angle..."
>"True, but with a Queen, there might be minions to serve her. There usually always is."
>"Hmm...Wonder if it's possible... Well, if it does happen, you know I'll be keeping an eye out. Never underestimate my information network."
>"That's true, and ants do scavenge a lot, so it's just a matter of them getting to it first I guess. But with how single-minded they are, they'd probably be really boring people. Hard workers though, that's for sure. They'd probably give the Oni, Kappa, and Tengu a run for their money in that regard."
>Grin sheepishly. "That's true. But fireflies and ants are completely different insects. Just because I'm one of the more known insect youkai, that doesn't really make me the gold standard does it?"
>"There's probably others out there. I heard about a crazy Spider Youkai, even though spiders aren't really Insects.. She tried to eat Rumia once apparently."
>"Maybe they're somewhere else then. Yukari would've known."
>"It's Yukari, there's a good chance of it. There's a lot of things she knew that nobody else did, according to what I've heard."
>"To be fair to Enkura though, she just lost her mind though. Mind's a terrible thing to lose after all."
>These guys are kinda funny to watch bicker, huh? It's kinda like watching Rumia tease Rika, isn't it?
>"They're pretty easy to set to bickering, aren't they? I can only imagine that if these two are the gold-standard for gods, that the worlds of the divine must be filled with nonstop arguing and debating."
>"Well, like they say, 'Opposites attract'. I bet the gods have bickered and argued about everything there is. Even the inane and trivial stuff fairies would argue about."
>"...Gods and Fairies really aren't that different when you really get down to it then, huh? Both are immortal, both are tied to an aspect of something, and they've both argued about everything under the sun."
{I'm just at a loss on how to respond to her. Talking to crazy 'A God Am I' sorts wasn't really my specialty. Shinki excluded.}
>"Still essentially the same when you look at things."
>Nod. "That's true."
>"...This means that Sanae will end up as the boss of all the fairies."
>Chuckle a bit. "I kinda feel sorry for her, having to deal with a bunch of screwballs. Dai and a few others excluded, since she's pretty sharp and all."
>"True. Gotta wonder what sort of changes there'll be though. And the bigger question is if Sanae will remain who she is."
>"I guess in the end, everything's up to her."
>"If anyone could do that sort of thing, it'd be you. Besides, Rumia'd probably say something like...Uh...Ah, got it. 'As long as it all works out in the end, it's all gravy.'"
>Grin slightly. "That girl and her food metaphors."
>"Well, I think I can see where she's coming from. If it means she'll still be the good person she is now, then sometimes you gotta be a little 'twisty', as Rumia would put it. Honestly, she's really throwing herself into being 'The Screwy Blonde Youkai'. Yukari used to have that post."