Okuu Quest Subsequently - A Z-Machine Adventure

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, I'll drop Ace a line before I head out again tonight, but I think I might do a little wandering first."
>"Yesterday, I tried wandering around as many parts of town as I could to see if I could figure out what was wrong. But there's still a couple areas I haven't really been since that morning. I'm not really expecting to find anything there, mind you, but if I've got nothing else specific to be doing, I figure I may as well poke around."
>"I thought I might head towards the park. If nothing else, a walk there at this time of the evening could be pleasant."
>"You're welcome to come along, of course, but I won't keep you if you have better things to do than wander around randomly with me."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, I'll drop Ace a line before I head out again tonight, but I think I might do a little wandering first."
>"Yesterday, I tried wandering around as many parts of town as I could to see if I could figure out what was wrong. But there's still a couple areas I haven't really been since that morning. I'm not really expecting to find anything there, mind you, but if I've got nothing else specific to be doing, I figure I may as well poke around."
>"I thought I might head towards the park. If nothing else, a walk there at this time of the evening could be pleasant."
>"You're welcome to come along, of course, but I won't keep you if you have better things to do than wander around randomly with me."

>"I suppose there's worse things we can do," says Parsee, as she sketches a map among her notes, "The park sounds just fine."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Ok, good enough."
>Head to the park

[Hello Purvis]

>"Ok, good enough."
>Head to the park

>Being near the bus stop, it isn't hard to catch a ride to the park. The B Line gets you there in a relatively short amount of time.
>Taking up a few square miles, the park sits in the middle of a residential district not too far from the Outskirts. A large woods sits in the middle of it, not a wild and untamed thing like the Forest, but a subtly maintained and friendly collection of trees and underbush with well-worn paths and few, if any, dangerous things like snakes. You used to play it in sometimes as a kid. Near the woods is a playground with numerous children running around in it, another place you used to haunt. To the southeast lies an amphitheater. It seems there's a show going on at the moment.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>If Stargazer is still asleep, tell her it's probably safe to come out, now. Well, as safe as it ever is

>Wander towards the amphitheater and have a look at what's going on there

[Hello Purvis]

>If Stargazer is still asleep, tell her it's probably safe to come out, now. Well, as safe as it ever is

>Wander towards the amphitheater and have a look at what's going on there

>You glance toward the Amphitheater, and see a sign by it that reads, "Rabbit Theatre" in large friendly letters.
>She is still asleep. You rouse her, and she steps out from you. Parsee cries out as she looks around, emitting disorientation. Then Stargazer gives a sort of start, and vanishes.
>"What was that!?" Parsee cries. "Are you okay!?"

>_

[Seian Verian]

> "Huh? What did you see? I just woke Stargazer up, since she seems to be sort of unconscious when she's hiding deep enough to keep cameras and stuff from seeing her..."

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh. Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I sort of forgot she doesn't really know where she is when she 'wakes up'."
>"I just figured that I could let her out, again, now. Almost feels a little like I'm keeping her locked up when I tell her to hide. Didn't want her to be seen in the research facility, but I figure now is safe enough. Besides, I'm still hoping she might be able to pick up something useful that I can't, at some point."
>"Sorry I startled you. Both of you."

>Continue towards the amphitheater

[Hello Purvis]

> "Huh? What did you see? I just woke Stargazer up, since she seems to be sort of unconscious when she's hiding deep enough to keep cameras and stuff from seeing her..."

>"Yeah, I saw her for a second,"  says Parsee, breathing a bit quickly.

>"Oh. Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I sort of forgot she doesn't really know where she is when she 'wakes up'."
>"I just figured that I could let her out, again, now. Almost feels a little like I'm keeping her locked up when I tell her to hide. Didn't want her to be seen in the research facility, but I figure now is safe enough. Besides, I'm still hoping she might be able to pick up something useful that I can't, at some point."
>"Sorry I startled you. Both of you."
>Continue towards the amphitheater

>"Oh, well, I suppose I can't blame her for that, not knowing." Parsee mutters. Then more normally, she says, "I guess you have a point about locking her up."
>Parsee nods as you apologize. You don't think Stargazer understood you.
>You continue toward the amphitheatre. There's a fair crowd gathered here. On stage, you can see a few darkhaired women on stage. Both of them are wearing medieval-looking clothes, one of them caked in white powder.
>"Oh father," says one of them, "I try to steel my heart to strike down your murderer, but my resolve fails me. Is this what God would have wanted? Is it just to take blood for blood?"
>"My boy," says the one in white powder, "If I were able to touch things, I'd smack you so hard you'll be calling me pimp daddy!"
>As a ripple of laughter runs through the crowd, you see the sign reads: "Rabbit Theatre presents: Hamlet. Show starts: 7:30" Below, it reads, "Unmemorized, unrehearsed! Come join the fun!"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, that's a different interpretation of Hamlet. I guess it's sort of half-improv, half-not?"

>Continue to look around for a few more moments
>Baring anything attention-getting happening, continue onto elsewhere in the park

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, that's a different interpretation of Hamlet. I guess it's sort of half-improv, half-not?"

>Continue to look around for a few more moments
>Baring anything attention-getting happening, continue onto elsewhere in the park

>"Yeah, really," says Parsee. "Looks kinda fun."
>You look around. You don't see anyone you recognize in the crowd, at least not immediately.
>"Goddamnit father," says Hamlet, "This is the kind of thing that got you killed and made into a ghost to begin with! Could you tone down the wrath just a little bit?"
>"Suck my monarchical cock, bitch!" says the ghost. "I'm way too dead to care about that! Now go put holes in Polonius before i figure out how to pick a a knife and get both of you!"
>You head toward the forest. It is peaceful and quiet here, with wide paths allow for easy movement. You can only hear the occasional laughter from the amphitheater here.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Continue to walk along the forest path. Take a route which covers a fair bit of the area of the park
>Keep an eye out for anything unusual in some way

[Hello Purvis]

>Continue to walk along the forest path. Take a route which covers a fair bit of the area of the park
>Keep an eye out for anything unusual in some way

>You take a long route, walking  through the woods. Parsee walks along side you, quiet. You have a vague sense of Stargazer behind you, wondering what you're doing. You don't see much that is particularly unusual, save for a purple-haired woman in a suit jacket and a skit, wearing what you recognize as military insignias sitting against a tree and holding hands with a tall silver-haired woman in a red and blue dress. Stargazer seems to be a little perturbed by them.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Can we get a better sense of why Stargazer is bothered by them?
>Are we more or less out of their sight of them at the moment?
 >If so, try to observe a little, without looking obvious about it

[Hello Purvis]

>Can we get a better sense of why Stargazer is bothered by them?
>Are we more or less out of their sight of them at the moment?
 >If so, try to observe a little, without looking obvious about it

>She's distant, but you try to get a sense of it. There's something about them she finds...weird. She's a little afraid of them; especially the purple-haired one.
>They don't seem to have noticed you yet. You watch a little bit. They seem to be holding hands and enjoying each other's company.
>"What's up?" Parsee whispers.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Whisper to Parsee: "Stargazer seems to be a bit afraid of these people. Something about them is odd. I'm not sure what. I'm not sure she knows what."

[Hello Purvis]

>Whisper to Parsee: "Stargazer seems to be a bit afraid of these people. Something about them is odd. I'm not sure what. I'm not sure she knows what."

>"She ever done that with people before?" Parsee says, giving them a critical look. "Think we should do something?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"No, I don't think so. Places, yes. I don't recall any reactions to people before. She generally doesn't even understand people, for the most part. So I'm inclined not to ignore this. But I don't know what we even can do. I mean, seems kind of rude to interrupt them, and what're we supposed to say? 'Hey, the ghost that is currently possessing me thinks you're strange, and I'd like to know why, if that isn't too much trouble.'"
>Try to keep observing, while being inconspicuous
>If we focus, can we figure out any more about WHAT Stargazer finds weird about them? Something she senses from them? Something she recognizes?

[Hello Purvis]

>"No, I don't think so. Places, yes. I don't recall any reactions to people before. She generally doesn't even understand people, for the most part. So I'm inclined not to ignore this. But I don't know what we even can do. I mean, seems kind of rude to interrupt them, and what're we supposed to say? 'Hey, the ghost that is currently possessing me thinks you're strange, and I'd like to know why, if that isn't too much trouble.'"
>Try to keep observing, while being inconspicuous
>If we focus, can we figure out any more about WHAT Stargazer finds weird about them? Something she senses from them? Something she recognizes?

>Parsee nods.
>You settle in to watch. They don't seem to notice you, or be doing anything particularly weird, except talking to each other softly, too much so for you to hear.
>You try to get more details from Stargazer. With some focusing, you can understand her a bit better. As well, you think she's becoming more aware of what is strange about them, as you feel a sense of discovery and satisfaction. She seems to feel there's something locked within them. Something powerful. The purple-haired one seems to have something particularly powerful and fearsome sealed within her. She isn't sure what to make of it, but if it were to be unlocked, that young woman would be quite dangerous, she feels. The other, she cannot understand. It doesn't seem to be an active force, but it makes her think of the night sky.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Ask if Stargazer can recall anyone else that she's felt had a similar 'locked power' within them.
>Does she have any sense of 'how' it is locked, or how it could become unlocked?

[Hello Purvis]

>Ask if Stargazer can recall anyone else that she's felt had a similar 'locked power' within them.
>Does she have any sense of 'how' it is locked, or how it could become unlocked?

>You try to ask her. Having a bit more experience, and a bit less stressful of a situation, you are able to do so better without saying anything.
>She doesn't really remember encountering anyone else like that. Nor does she know how it happened, or why. She thinks, maybe, the silver-haired woman might have unlocked it. She isn't so sure anymore. But, she seems to feel it's better than the purple-haired woman's power is sealed.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Whisper to Parsee: "Hmmm.... something about a power sealed inside them. She thinks there's something powerful and dangerous locked inside purple hair over there. The other woman... may have already unlocked hers. Or something. Doesn't seem to feel as dangerous. This... could be important. I don't know how, but something like this is just too much to ignore. But we don't even have a name or anything, other than the fact that purple hair's military. I feel like I need to do SOMETHING, but I don't know what that is."

[Hello Purvis]

>Whisper to Parsee: "Hmmm.... something about a power sealed inside them. She thinks there's something powerful and dangerous locked inside purple hair over there. The other woman... may have already unlocked hers. Or something. Doesn't seem to feel as dangerous. This... could be important. I don't know how, but something like this is just too much to ignore. But we don't even have a name or anything, other than the fact that purple hair's military. I feel like I need to do SOMETHING, but I don't know what that is."

>She nods. "That's...weird. Do you think they know about it? And, I dunno, make up some excuse to talk with them?"

>_

[Kasu]

> "Given what's been happening lately, I'd say its a pretty safe bet that they have no clue."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Given what's been happening lately, I'd say its a pretty safe bet that they have no clue."
[/quote

>Parsee nods, giving another glance toward them. "I suppose that makes sense."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Is the amphitheater far enough away that we couldn't reasonably hear where it was from where we are? And not documented with sign posts all over the place. As in, could we semi-plausibly ask for directions to there without looking either totally suspicious or foolish?

[Hello Purvis]

>Is the amphitheater far enough away that we couldn't reasonably hear where it was from where we are? And not documented with sign posts all over the place. As in, could we semi-plausibly ask for directions to there without looking either totally suspicious or foolish?

>It is pretty far away. There are some sign posts every now and again, they tell you how far along the trail you are.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>To Parsee: "Well, this is probably foolish, but I can't think of any smarter topic. If you have any bright ideas, feel free to jump in."

>Walk over to the couple by the tree
>"Um, sorry to bother you, but I think I may be a little lost. Do you know the way to the amphitheater from here?"
>Try to glance and see if the military insignia has any personally identifying information, like a name on it or something

[Hello Purvis]

>To Parsee: "Well, this is probably foolish, but I can't think of any smarter topic. If you have any bright ideas, feel free to jump in."

>Walk over to the couple by the tree
>"Um, sorry to bother you, but I think I may be a little lost. Do you know the way to the amphitheater from here?"
>Try to glance and see if the military insignia has any personally identifying information, like a name on it or something

>You go over toward them, Parsee following close behind, and ask them for directions. "We've kinda been cutting between the trails," Parsee adds.
>The two of them look over toward you, the purple-haired one seeming a little annoyed at the intrusion. The silver-haired one smiles at you, "Oh, it's just a half mile or so down this path. You shouldn't miss it."
>Unfortunately, you don't know how to read military insignias very well. She does have a nametag that reads "Reisen U. Inaba," though. The other one seems to have a card dangling from her belt, but you can't see it from here.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Thanks a bunch. I, uh, don't suppose you also have the time? A friend of ours insisted we come have a look at what this theater group was putting on this evening. Says they're hilarious. You ever seen them? I don't come around here that often."