(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 6)

[Oldmansour]

>"I for one am in no hurry at all to take another job from that one. And if I do, or anyone else does, make damn sure to get payment terms in writing up front."

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah, she was a real class act. Gave me shit while I was investigating, gave me shit when I recovered the goods that still existed, like it was somehow my fault they got used up, then this poor little mole youkai, she straight up tried to bully due to being an unwitting accomplice, and this is after she offered to fix the damage for free. You'll probably get an eyeful of her soon, because she's threatened to come here and complain. Probably because toward the end I got sick of her treating Momoka, that's the mole Youkai, like trash, and gave her a piece of my mind."

>Sashiko gives a wry chuckle and shakes her head. "Well, if she wants to lodge a complaint, I've got lots of unnecessarily long forms for her to fill out. Twice. I mean, how does anyone keep things from getting lost in this mess, anyhow?" She gestures idly towards a very neatly organized collection of trays and folders.

>"I for one am in no hurry at all to take another job from that one. And if I do, or anyone else does, make damn sure to get payment terms in writing up front."

>"She change her mind partway through, or you just think she was being stingy?"

[Oldmansour]

>Glance at the stack of papers, then give Sashiko a grin and a wink. We still like the cut of her jib.
>"I'd lay odds on both. It wasn't terrible money for the time invested, and it wasn't terribly hard, but she carried herself like a woman that shaved a guilder off for every dollar spent, two if she didn't like you. And very much concerned with her own bottom line."

[Hello Purvis]

>"And spiteful enough to spend five more on top of it to have her way. Which I had to talk her out of doing for both her and Momoka's sake."

[DracoOmega]

>Glance at the stack of papers, then give Sashiko a grin and a wink. We still like the cut of her jib.
>"I'd lay odds on both. It wasn't terrible money for the time invested, and it wasn't terribly hard, but she carried herself like a woman that shaved a guilder off for every dollar spent, two if she didn't like you. And very much concerned with her own bottom line."

>"And spiteful enough to spend five more on top of it to have her way. Which I had to talk her out of doing for both her and Momoka's sake."

>You give Sashiko a grin and a wink. She responds with a very good impression of having no idea what you're winking about.
>"Eh, doesn't surprise me much," she says. "I've never been to the Wild Rose, but I hear it's a pretty high-end joint. Half the people who run those kinda places got an attitude problem, I swear."

[Oldmansour]

>"No arguements on that front. 's the ones that can afford to pay better that never do."
>And then you have people like Ichirin...
>"Well, suppose it wasn't all bad." Grin. "Ever seen a fairy with a hangover?"

[DracoOmega]

>"No arguements on that front. 's the ones that can afford to pay better that never do."
>And then you have people like Ichirin...
>"Well, suppose it wasn't all bad." Grin. "Ever seen a fairy with a hangover?"

>"Tell me about it," she says.
>If there were ever someone on the other end of the scale...
>"Seen one trying to fake it," she replies. "Does that count?"

[nolrai2]

> "Probobly funner..she was in a bad way. Still silly though."

[DracoOmega]

> "Probobly funner..she was in a bad way. Still silly though."

>"Oh, this one was hamming it up, believe me," Sashiko says. "You'd think she were dying if that were, y'know, possible. Points for effort, though."

[Hello Purvis]

>"This one certainly made it sound that way. Certainly went into theatrics when I raised my voice just a bit. Of course, there were also a number of partially drained wine bottles, so it's not like she just poured them out."

[DracoOmega]

>"This one certainly made it sound that way. Certainly went into theatrics when I raised my voice just a bit. Of course, there were also a number of partially drained wine bottles, so it's not like she just poured them out."

>She gives a little chuckle. "Well, you know fairies. Moderation isn't exactly in their vocabulary."

[Oldmansour]

>"Means they're never dull. One way or the other. Managed to convince her friend that booze is the bearer of a terrible curse in the doin', too."

[Hanzo K.]

>Grin a bit.
>"Kinda mean, but damn if it wasn't fun doing it."

[DracoOmega]

>"Means they're never dull. One way or the other. Managed to convince her friend that booze is the bearer of a terrible curse in the doin', too."

>Grin a bit.
>"Kinda mean, but damn if it wasn't fun doing it."

>Sashiko laughs. "Hey, I'd buy that some days."

[Oldmansour]

>"So would I, at least after coming to."
>"Well, much as I'd love to chew the fat, I gotta see a man about a sword."

[DracoOmega]

>"So would I, at least after coming to."
>"Well, much as I'd love to chew the fat, I gotta see a man about a sword."

>"Sure." Sashiko gives you a nod and an idle wave of her hand. "See ya."

[Oldmansour]

>Quietly, "Wish me luck..."
>Go see that man about a sword.

[DracoOmega]

>Quietly, "Wish me luck..."
>Go see that man about a sword.

>You exit the guildhall and make your way across town to the Brass Lantern. Knocking at the room where you met the archeology student last night, you are answered by a rather wispy-looking young man with light brown hair.
>"Oh, ah, hello," he says. You catch him glance at Kumokirimaru for a moment. "You're... Nazrin, right?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's right.  You said you wanted some things?"

[DracoOmega]

>"That's right.  You said you wanted some things?"

>"Uh, yes," he says, managing somehow to seem a little off-guard despite presumably expecting you. He points pensively at Kumokirimaru. "Is that the sword? I mean, the one with the inscription on it?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's it, shall I come in?"

[DracoOmega]

>"That's it, shall I come in?"

>"Oh, sure, of course," he says, opening the door further and gesturing inside. "Come in."

[Hello Purvis]

>Head inside.
>"So, what do you want me to do?"

[DracoOmega]

>Head inside.
>"So, what do you want me to do?"

>You step into the room, and the man you assume to be Hideki closes the door behind you, then moves off to the other end of the room and rummages through a large leather pack.
>"We just want to take some photos of the sword," he says, retrieving a bulky but expensive-looking camera from the pack and moving back towards you. Then he frowns slightly and glances around the room. "Uh..."
>His gaze lingers on a small cluttered desk in the corner of the room and he starts to walk towards it. "Here, just let me clean this off."
>Hideki puts the camera down on the floor besides the desk, then quickly shifts the assorted papers, books, and other minutia onto other nearby surfaces. Then he pauses a moment, scrutinizing the wood grain. "Actually..."
>He ducks down and digs into another pack, pulling out a small white cloth which he spreads over part of the desk, spending a few more moments smoothing out some of the creases in it.
>He looks at you hopefully. "If you could just lay the sword down here?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Did we tell these guys the details about our disease, insomuch as we're dying and contact with the weapon is what's stopping it?

[DracoOmega]

>Did we tell these guys the details about our disease, insomuch as we're dying and contact with the weapon is what's stopping it?

>You made no mention whatsoever of your condition when you spoke with Sasha, nor did your reluctance to release your grip on the weapon even come up; she'd seemed content enough to examine it while you held it, or at least was enthralled enough by simply being allowed to look at it that she elected not to ask if she could hold it herself. That being said, you haven't had your hands directly on it for most of the afternoon and don't feel obviously the worse for wear for it.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Alright. But before we get too involved, I can't really come out of contact with it."

[DracoOmega]

>"Alright. But before we get too involved, I can't really come out of contact with it."

>He gives a little nervous laugh. "I'm not going to take it from you or anything, don't worry. It's just they'll show up better against a plain surface. Uh, the photos, I mean."

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's not what I mean. You see, I didn't really have time to get into it yesterday, but this sword is why I'm alive right now. It's keeping a disease at bay that would otherwise kill me within a couple hours. So, I can't let it go."

[DracoOmega]

>"That's not what I mean. You see, I didn't really have time to get into it yesterday, but this sword is why I'm alive right now. It's keeping a disease at bay that would otherwise kill me within a couple hours. So, I can't let it go."

>He gives you a dumbstruck look, like he isn't sure he even heard you properly. "What?" He glances back at the sword again.