Author Topic: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 5) (Read 50056 times)

DracoOmega · « **Reply #840 on:** October 20, 2011, 03:38:35 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 20, 2011, 03:31:00 AM

>Fifty guilders for two days? Is that standard?
>"Small hitch. Odds are, I won't be the one picking her up. She's on load from a helpful citizen of Easthaven."

>You believe this would work out to 40 guilders, actually. It's a bit on the pricey side, but not outrageous. You think this place handles mostly short-term lodging, competing on its hours and location. There are probably better bargains to be found elsewhere in the city if one were planning to purchase a more extended stay.
>"Just give me the name," he says.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #841 on:** October 20, 2011, 03:40:29 AM »

>Furnish the man with a name and description.
>This is probably Ichirin's influence at work here, but, "Don't suppose I could pay half now, for him?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #842 on:** October 20, 2011, 06:46:24 AM »

And yes, I realize this may be tantamount to 'charity', and may be a little out of character, but I looked at it as lingering influence from Ichirin, plus a bit of good PR when buddy comes into town and spreads word of our generousity.
That said, however, if anyone feels this is TOO out of character, do feel free to negate that comment of mine.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #843 on:** October 21, 2011, 06:51:51 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 20, 2011, 03:40:29 AM

>Furnish the man with a name and description.
>This is probably Ichirin's influence at work here, but, "Don't suppose I could pay half now, for him?"

>You provide Kouichi's name and description. The attendant gives a somewhat idle-seeming nod.
>"Half of how much?" he says. "Can't say how much the charge is until you pick it up again."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #844 on:** October 21, 2011, 06:58:22 AM »

>Ponder for a brief moment.
>"Well, if it's 25 for the cart and one night, I'll cover 12. He said he'd be in sometime tomorrow, so that'll do."
>And if he's late, that's on him, not us.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #845 on:** October 21, 2011, 07:01:31 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 21, 2011, 06:58:22 AM

>Ponder for a brief moment.
>"Well, if it's 25 for the cart and one night, I'll cover 12. He said he'd be in sometime tomorrow, so that'll do."
>And if he's late, that's on him, not us.

>"Fine by me," he replies. "I'll put it against his bill."
>There's 'being nice' and then there's just being indulgent...

Oldmansour · « **Reply #846 on:** October 21, 2011, 07:08:32 AM »

>Hand over the funds.
>Give the horse a pat on the side.
>"You ain't seen Marisa Kirisame round here today, have ya?" Provide a description if necessary.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #847 on:** October 21, 2011, 07:12:37 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 21, 2011, 07:08:32 AM

>Hand over the funds.
>Give the horse a pat on the side.
>"You ain't seen Marisa Kirisame round here today, have ya?" Provide a description if necessary.

>You give the man 12 guilders. You now have 463 remaining.
>Then you give the horse a pat on the side. It shifts about a little.
>He shakes his head. "Not by this way, anyhow."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #848 on:** October 21, 2011, 07:18:18 AM »

>Yeah, THERE'S a surprise. ~~Still, never know when she might have the craving for stablegirl.~~
>"Thanks, anyway."
>Back to the guildhall and whatever grub we can scavenge within.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #849 on:** October 21, 2011, 07:41:57 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 21, 2011, 07:18:18 AM

>Yeah, THERE'S a surprise. ~~Still, never know when she might have the craving for stablegirl.~~
>"Thanks, anyway."
>Back to the guildhall and whatever grub we can scavenge within.

>Well, it is a fairly populous city and even Marisa doesn't go around blowing it up on any everyday basis.
>He gives a curt disinterested nod.
>You dismount the cart and the attendant gets up to lead it inward. Then you make your way back to the guildhall; regardless of whatever you do or do not find tonight, you still need food. The trip is not unlike the trip out was, albeit quieter and less bumpy.
>As you make your way out of Eastmarket, a flash of motion across the still night sky catches your eye. You glance in time to see something streak quickly past in the distance for just a moment before it becomes obscured by interposing buildings.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #850 on:** October 21, 2011, 07:51:30 AM »

>Which was was it going, and what's in that direction?
>What did it look like?

DracoOmega · « **Reply #851 on:** October 21, 2011, 07:57:41 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 21, 2011, 07:51:30 AM

>Which was was it going, and what's in that direction?
>What did it look like?

>It was hard to tell exactly, from what little you saw. It was heading north, certainly. Perhaps also a little west, though that is harder to tell. This would put it in the direction of the oni quarter, or possible the harbor or warehouse district.
>A thin streak of brightness and motion. It was too far away and too brief to get a clear look at it.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #852 on:** October 21, 2011, 08:09:14 AM »

>Follow that light, as near as we can determine its course.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #853 on:** October 21, 2011, 08:18:47 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 21, 2011, 08:09:14 AM

>Follow that light, as near as we can determine its course.

>You adjust your course to follow the general direction you saw the light moving towards. Your angle north of the path to the guild, working your way towards the habour and industrial areas. Unfortunately, you don't really know where you're going and the light was certainly traveling faster than you are, to say nothing of its route being unimpeded by buildings and twisting streets. A minute or two passes without any further sight of it, and you find yourself uncertain how best to proceed.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #854 on:** October 21, 2011, 08:23:41 AM »

>Pause for a moment and listen for sounds of magical discharge, explosions, ~~or Marisa-induced orgasms.~~

DracoOmega · « **Reply #855 on:** October 21, 2011, 08:28:53 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 21, 2011, 08:23:41 AM

>Pause for a moment and listen for sounds of magical discharge, explosions, ~~or Marisa-induced orgasms.~~

>For better or worse, you hear none of these things. From the north, you can hear the boisterous noise of the oni revels, and closer by you hear more subdued sounds of scattered people milling. None of it sounds particularly out of place.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #856 on:** October 21, 2011, 08:39:40 AM »

Was worth a shot, guys.

>Once again, back to the guildhall for foods.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #857 on:** October 21, 2011, 08:10:20 PM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 21, 2011, 08:39:40 AM

>Once again, back to the guildhall for foods.

>You decide not to attempt to pursue any further, and turn back towards the guildhall.
>Probably no more than 30 seconds pass before you hear something cutting through the air in the distance above and behind you.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #858 on:** October 22, 2011, 01:01:07 AM »

>Have a look thata way.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #859 on:** October 22, 2011, 02:14:59 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 22, 2011, 01:01:07 AM

>Have a look thata way.

>You turn around and look towards the sky. Unfortunately, the proximity of the buildings around you prevents you from seeing what it is at this distance; it clearly isn't traveling very high. Wait! As you back up, something comes into sight from behind a cluster of buildings well to the northwest, tracking eastward - a small white and black figure sheathed in a subtle wake of light. You're almost certain it's Marisa, flying swiftly. Unfortunately, she also isn't traveling quite in your direction....

Oldmansour · « **Reply #860 on:** October 22, 2011, 02:38:44 AM »

>So we'll travel in hers.
>Bawl out to her as well, and wave if we think we can see her.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #861 on:** October 22, 2011, 02:53:06 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 22, 2011, 02:38:44 AM

>So we'll travel in hers.
>Bawl out to her as well, and wave if we think we can see her.

>This is easier said than done with the buildings in the way. You're not even sure where she's headed; none of the most obvious points of interest are in that direction.
>You cry out loudly to Marisa, drawing a startled meep from a nearby fairy. Unfortunately the witch it was intended for doesn't appear to have heard you, nor does she seem to be looking in your direction. Her current trajectory looks like it will reach its nearest point to you in a handful of seconds before jetting past to the southeast.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #862 on:** October 22, 2011, 03:01:20 AM »

>Call out to her again.
>Grab something and throw it in her general direction.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #863 on:** October 22, 2011, 04:24:14 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 22, 2011, 03:01:20 AM

>Call out to her again.
>Grab something and throw it in her general direction.

>You shout out again, this time sending the frazzled fairy flying in the opposite direction. Marisa still shows no sign of noticing you. Stupid human hearing... Though, to be fair, the wind is probably making a pretty loud noise in her ears at the moment.
>Your immediate vicinity does not present any especially suited things to throw. There is standing sign not far away, and a few small flower pots by a storefront, as well as what looks like an empty cardboard box, dirty and partially flattened.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #864 on:** October 22, 2011, 05:39:30 AM »

~~>Throw the bloody fairy at her.~~
~~>Throw Lancer at her.~~
>Throw the bit of quartz in front of her.
>And shout again. Just because.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #865 on:** October 22, 2011, 06:30:03 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 22, 2011, 05:39:30 AM

~~>Throw the bloody fairy at her.~~
~~>Throw Lancer at her.~~
>Throw the bit of quartz in front of her.
>And shout again. Just because.

~~>"Ah!" she cries, fleeing faster "Get the screaming madlady away from meeeee!"~~
>You unleash your noble phantasm, Gae Inbh?artach: Whereas Gae Bolg reverses cause and effect, you will instead reverse projectile and launcher! Behold and tremble before the awesome power of bemused airborne Irishmen!
>In lieu of more fanciful options, you instead quickly pull the piece of quartz out of your pack and hurl it towards Marisa's path. The small rock sails smoothly through the air and... dammit, why does she have to be so far away! Youkai or no, you simply don't have the arm strength to get the quartz anywhere near to crossing her path.
>So you shout some more. Maybe this time she'll even hear you? A balding middle-aged man emerges from a store next to you as you do so, casting you a simultaneously curious and disapproving look.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #866 on:** October 22, 2011, 06:50:42 AM »

>So tired of chasing that mage's ass...
>Fine, then, follow her as best as we can.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #867 on:** October 22, 2011, 07:07:40 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 22, 2011, 06:50:42 AM

>So tired of chasing that mage's ass...
>Fine, then, follow her as best as we can.

>This thought strikes you as somehow ironic, given who you're dealing with...
>With an irritated grumble, you start to chase after her trajectory as best you can. However, before you've moved far, you note her swing off to the side. She seems to be coming around.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #868 on:** October 22, 2011, 07:23:54 AM »

>Well at least it's good to see her still in town. That's at least one worry less.
>Pause and wait to see where she's going next.
>Make a note to replace that quartz later.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #869 on:** October 22, 2011, 07:48:54 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 22, 2011, 07:23:54 AM

>Well at least it's good to see her still in town. That's at least one worry less.
>Make a note to replace that quartz later.

>Proof that she hasn't disappeared entirely is indeed a relief.
>You make a mental note. It may only have been a rock, but its a shame to simply hurl one's possessions over rooftops.

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 22, 2011, 07:23:54 AM

>Pause and wait to see where she's going next.

>You stop and watch as Marisa swerves her broom and dives towards your location, covering the distance between the two of you in an utterly unnecessary time frame. She pulls up sharply as she nears the ground, smoothly dismounting from a landing that, by rights, should have put her face-first into a nearby wall. Even after the time you spent together, you're still not sure how she manages it, to say nothing of why she manages it. However, her form this time is different from her standard recklessness. On her face is none of the wry cheer or cavalier confidence that seems so perpetual for her. She is grim and utterly serious. On her, the effect is rather unsettling, in fact.
>For a moment, she merely stares at you like that, saying nothing, barely so much as moving a facial muscle. It's almost as is she were staring at something far more horrific than your own countenance, and simply couldn't find the words.
>"I got your note," she says at last. Even her voice sounds heavy, for once devoid of any frivolity.