(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 6)

[DracoOmega]

>Hmmm. So Honey smelled like Honey?
>Approach Dandelion as quietly as her floorboards will allow, and kneel by her bedside. Whisper, "Before I leave, would you mind if I asked you one more question?"
>If she acquesces, "Did you leave a blue ribbon in that tunnel?"

>You think it would be more likely she smelled like a Honeysuckle, actually, though names are far from being in a one-to-one correspondence with scent; you've heard more than a few fairies named after confections that are certainly no phenomenon of nature, and they weren't inclined to smell like cheesecake or cotton candy. Honey did have a generally light flowery scent, though less noticeable than Dandelion's seems to be.
>She groans and twists over beneath the sheets. "And then will you go away?"
>You take this as enough of an affirmative and ask your question. "Uh... did I? I... don't remember. Everything's all blurry."

[Oldmansour]

>"Yeah, that's one of the problems with this situation. Plays tricks with your memory."
>"Just stay in bed today. You'll be fine before midnight. Just don't do this again; it feels even worse the second time 'round."
>"And I'm sorry, if you think I was being mean. But it was important I get this stuff back. After all, do you ever want to feel this bad again?"
>Are the curtains drawn?

EDIT: >Keep our voice very low for all that, of course.

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah, that's one of the problems with this situation. Plays tricks with your memory."
>"Just stay in bed today. You'll be fine before midnight. Just don't do this again; it feels even worse the second time 'round."
>"And I'm sorry, if you think I was being mean. But it was important I get this stuff back. After all, do you ever want to feel this bad again?"
EDIT: >Keep our voice very low for all that, of course.

>You quietly give the poor suffering fairy a little advice. Her only reply is an incoherent mumble, but hopefully at least some part of it is getting through to her.

>Are the curtains drawn?

>They are not.

[Oldmansour]

I'm glad your approach worked, Purvis. I really didn't want to break the poor thing's door down.

>Shake our head, but smile.
>Quietly draw the curtains for the poor little thing, then retrieve the crate of wine and depart, closing Dandelion's door behind us, very quietly.
>Walk a bit aways from Dandelion's abode before we reattach the crate lid.

[DracoOmega]

>Shake our head, but smile.
>Quietly draw the curtains for the poor little thing, then retrieve the crate of wine and depart, closing Dandelion's door behind us, very quietly.
>Walk a bit aways from Dandelion's abode before we reattach the crate lid.

>You shake your head and give the disheveled lump of bedsheets a smile.
>Then you go and quietly close the curtains, pick up the case of wine, and exit the house, closing the door gently after yourself.
>Momoka falls in behind you as you walk away from the dwelling, still holding the lid awkwardly. After a short distance you relieve her of it and put it back onto the case.
>"But, um..." Momoka says, glancing back at the house. "What about my roof...?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I know, and I'm sorry I didn't adress that more. But, given the state she was in, I'm amazed I even got her to agree to give back the wines. I didn't think I could get any more out of her at that moment."
>Do we think we could carry the crate back through the tunnels comfortably?
>"She wouldn't listen to me anymore, anyway, I did say I'd go away, after all. But, nobody said you had to. You can try, if you'd like, but I'm really not sure you'd get much of anything out of her. At least not now; maybe when she sobers up."
>"I'll tell ya this, though. After this experience, I'll bet she'll find somewhere else to go digging for treasure. I reckon your tunnels are safe from her now."

[DracoOmega]

>"I know, and I'm sorry I didn't adress that more. But, given the state she was in, I'm amazed I even got her to agree to give back the wines. I didn't think I could get any more out of her at that moment."
>"She wouldn't listen to me anymore, anyway, I did say I'd go away, after all. But, nobody said you had to. You can try, if you'd like, but I'm really not sure you'd get much of anything out of her. At least not now; maybe when she sobers up."
>"I'll tell ya this, though. After this experience, I'll bet she'll find somewhere else to go digging for treasure. I reckon your tunnels are safe from her now."

>Momoka frowns a little. "Well... maybe...."

>Do we think we could carry the crate back through the tunnels comfortably?

>It might be a little awkward, but it should be doable.

[Hello Purvis]

>"You know what to look for, at least. Um, how hard is it going to be to fill in that hole?"
>Ponder if Braston has any regulations for basements...

[DracoOmega]

>"You know what to look for, at least. Um, how hard is it going to be to fill in that hole?"
>Ponder if Braston has any regulations for basements...

>"It's... going to take quite a bit of work, I'm afraid," she says sadly. "And I'm... still afraid it might happen again. I mean, I know what you just said and it does make sense, but..."
>You're not too familiar with Braston's building laws in general, although you don't think things are too highly regulated; at least the disorder with which some sections of town appear to have sprung up might imply otherwise. Laws aside, you can imagine that some people, at least, might not be happy to know that someone's been tunneling under their property...

[Hello Purvis]

>"It'll be something to deal with once she sleeps it off. But you know where to find her, so it shouldn't be too hard."

[Oldmansour]

>"And then there's the issue of the tunnel that connects with the Rose's cellar. The owner's gonna want to know about it, and how a fairy got her hands on a crate of wine."

[DracoOmega]

>"It'll be something to deal with once she sleeps it off. But you know where to find her, so it shouldn't be too hard."

>"Maybe..." Momoka says slowly. "I don't think there's much she could do to help, but maybe I could ask her not to do it again..."

>"And then there's the issue of the tunnel that connects with the Rose's cellar. The owner's gonna want to know about it, and how a fairy got her hands on a crate of wine."

>Momoka cringes a little. "Y- yes, I know..." She takes a deep breath and lets it out as a sigh. "I... guess I'm going to have to talk to her." She looks distinctly displeased at this prospect, perhaps even a little frightened.

[Oldmansour]

>"That may not be necessary."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Wanna come back with me? I can help explain."
>How does the law treat faeries?

[DracoOmega]

>"That may not be necessary."

>She gives you an uncertain look. "What do you mean?"

>"Wanna come back with me? I can help explain."
>How does the law treat faeries?

>She seems taken a little off-guard by this, then pauses and averts her gaze slightly. "You... really don't have to..."
>Theoretically, you think the same rules apply to them as anyone else. In practical terms, most people acknowledge a certain amount of unenforceability; despite whatever penalties one might levy or whatever warnings one might try to impart, many of them are liable to do as they please or perhaps even forget all about the fact that they're not supposed to be doing something. Permanent incarceration isn't really a tenable solution, so this just becomes something people try to deal with as best they can. Typically, the watch will at least try to levy a fine for petty theft, or rope the fairy into community service of some sort, though this is sometimes left up to people who know the fairy better, and might be able to come up with a penalty that would mean more.

[Oldmansour]

>"I may not need to mention your name at all to her. A fairy was the one that broke open the tunnel, after all; a fairy stole the goods."

[DracoOmega]

>"I may not need to mention your name at all to her. A fairy was the one that broke open the tunnel, after all; a fairy stole the goods."

>"But that's... not really entirely honest, is it?" she says, looking down. "And even if you said that, they're going to wonder how a fairy could dig a tunnel that long. And why it's connected to my house. And the fairy will probably say she just found all those tunnels down there already and they'll believe her because no fairy could have dug all of that and... and..." She frowns deeply.

[Oldmansour]

>"You're worrying too much. This was all an accident; you never meant to hit that cellar, Dandelion didn't know it was down there. She didn't even know the wine belonged to anyone. But end of the day, you didn't do anything wrong, and I think Dandelion's learned her lesson. Or at least as much as a fairy can, anyway."
>"That said, however, if you think you should come with me, explain your side of things, then that's your call. And I'll be there to try and make sure you don't get in trouble for something that wasn't really your fault. After all, you DID say that you sealed that tunnel off after you found the Rose's cellar. Not your fault some fairy came along and unsealed it later."

[DracoOmega]

>"You're worrying too much. This was all an accident; you never meant to hit that cellar, Dandelion didn't know it was down there. She didn't even know the wine belonged to anyone. But end of the day, you didn't do anything wrong, and I think Dandelion's learned her lesson. Or at least as much as a fairy can, anyway."
>"That said, however, if you think you should come with me, explain your side of things, then that's your call. And I'll be there to try and make sure you don't get in trouble for something that wasn't really your fault. After all, you DID say that you sealed that tunnel off after you found the Rose's cellar. Not your fault some fairy came along and unsealed it later."

>"It... mightn't be," she says, fiddling with her sleeve, "but she still wouldn't have been able to do it without my work. And I still broke into their storeroom, even if it was an accident..."
>She is silent for a moment, then looks up at you with a mild alarm on her face. "Please don't misunderstand me! I really appreciate what you're saying; I do! It's just... I don't know that they'll be as understand as you're being. ...thanks for that."

[Oldmansour]

>"Eh, no need for thanks. I just don't like seeing people get in trouble for things beyond their control."
>Glance at one of our 'blighted' patches. "Believe me, it's a lousy feeling." Shake our head. "And besides, I'll be there to back you up. You just let me do most of the talking. I've gotten used to handling humans in a bad mood. This one, at least, is more reasonable than some of the other humans I've dealt with on a job."

[DracoOmega]

>"Eh, no need for thanks. I just don't like seeing people get in trouble for things beyond their control."
>Glance at one of our 'blighted' patches. "Believe me, it's a lousy feeling." Shake our head. "And besides, I'll be there to back you up. You just let me do most of the talking. I've gotten used to handling humans in a bad mood. This one, at least, is more reasonable than some of the other humans I've dealt with on a job."

>Momoka gives you a tentative smile. "Maybe you're right..."

[Oldmansour]

>"That's more like it!"
>"Now, I'm guessin' you'd rather take your tunnels back to the Rose? Underground or above ground, I'm easy either way, so, up to you."

[DracoOmega]

>"That's more like it!"
>"Now, I'm guessin' you'd rather take your tunnels back to the Rose? Underground or above ground, I'm easy either way, so, up to you."

>Momoka tries to put on a cheerful face as you encourage her, though there are still obvious traces of doubt and reservation beneath it.
>She considers this a moment. "Well... perhaps it would be better if I didn't break into their basement while we're trying to explain how I didn't mean to do that... though I suppose you are working for them at the moment." She pauses in silence briefly, then says "I think I'd rather just follow wherever you think is best."

[Oldmansour]

>"We'll take the streets, then. It's a fair point about not coming through that hole again."
>Set off overland for the Rose, but at a reasonable pace. We ain't chasing fairys this time.
>"It occurs to me that, she'll probably ask you to fix that hole, as well. Not that you wouldn't, anyway, I'm just theorizing."

[DracoOmega]

>"We'll take the streets, then. It's a fair point about not coming through that hole again."
>Set off overland for the Rose, but at a reasonable pace. We ain't chasing fairys this time.
>"It occurs to me that, she'll probably ask you to fix that hole, as well. Not that you wouldn't, anyway, I'm just theorizing."

>"She nods. "Okay."
>You set off towards the Wild Rose, working your way back over the hill at a leisurely pace and then starting to cross the rest of the fields between you in the southern edge of Braston.
>"Oh, I'm more than willing to do that," she says earnestly. "I'm just worried that... well, that this won't be enough to satisfy them. But I'll take responsibility for my mistakes; it's only right."

[Oldmansour]

>"If you ask me, the most I'd ask you to do is close up that hole in the wall, and seal the tunnel a little... I dunno, firmer, this time. Keep adventerous fairys at bay."
>"Of course, that's just me. Hopefully, my client will agree."

[DracoOmega]

>"If you ask me, the most I'd ask you to do is close up that hole in the wall, and seal the tunnel a little... I dunno, firmer, this time. Keep adventerous fairys at bay."
>"Of course, that's just me. Hopefully, my client will agree."

>"I'll do my best," she says. "I thought it was sealed well the first time, but I'll be doubly sure this time, I promise."
>Another flicker of doubt plays across her face. "And yes, I hope so..."

[Oldmansour]

>"Fairy's CAN be determined sometimes. Doesn't always last very long, but, still."
>"Heh, got me thinking about... Oh, before I forget. Something you mentioned earlier got me thinking. You said you deal in used books?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Fairy's CAN be determined sometimes. Doesn't always last very long, but, still."
>"Heh, got me thinking about... Oh, before I forget. Something you mentioned earlier got me thinking. You said you deal in used books?"

>This question seems to break Momoka from her reverie. "Oh! Yes. Yes, I do. Why do you ask?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Have you ever run across an old book called 'Flora of the Far Isles?'"