(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest

[DracoOmega]

> Reach up with our other hand and try to gain purchase!

>You grasp out with your other hand, but as your momentum is still swinging you to the left, your fingers grasp only air. Even as you start to swing back a little, you find you can't quite reach. You feel what little grip your fingers have start to give. As light as you are, even you can't support your whole body weight by a few fingers. You're going to have to come up with something quick.

[Sect]

> Try to scrabble up the wall with our feet, using the momentum of our swinging. If we can get any purchase, try to move our right hand further up on the window sill.
> If we can manage to get at least a few more moments of purchase, reach again with our other hand and try to grab hold.

[DracoOmega]

> Try to scrabble up the wall with our feet, using the momentum of our swinging. If we can get any purchase, try to move our right hand further up on the window sill.
> If we can manage to get at least a few more moments of purchase, reach again with our other hand and try to grab hold.

>You scrabble against the wall with your feet, trying to find even the tiniest purchase. Your toe manages to catches a tiny protrusion in the stonework, and you use that moment to gain a precious inch on the window ledge before you foot slips off the wall again.
>The force from your foot propels you a little further to the right, and you reach out for the window ledge again... and catch it! Never has the sensation of rough stone beneath your fingers felt so sweet. As soon as the pads of your fingers make contact you work them further in and let yourself get a solid grip at last. You're now dangling from the window ledge with both hands, your arms awkwardly crossed over each other and your legs still swinging a little, below you. You let yourself exhale...

[Kasu]

> Is there any way we can uncross our arms without failing horribly?

[DracoOmega]

> Is there any way we can uncross our arms without failing horribly?

>If you worked your hands closer together, you think you could let go of one and make contact on the other side quickly enough not to risk losing your hold on the ledge.

[Sect]

> Work our hands together, until we can get them uncrossed, and slowly wriggle our way up the wall using our feet to push us up, and our hands to hold us steady and keep us from losing ground. Try to hook our arm over the window ledge.
> Carefully pull ourself up until we can get up to the window: at this point, safety is more important than stealth.

[DracoOmega]

> Work our hands together, until we can get them uncrossed, and slowly wriggle our way up the wall using our feet to push us up, and our hands to hold us steady and keep us from losing ground. Try to hook our arm over the window ledge.
> Carefully pull ourself up until we can get up to the window: at this point, safety is more important than stealth.

>You work your hands together, take a breath, then let go of one long enough to uncross them. Feeling a little less awkward, you start to work your hands further over the ledge, using what little grip your feet can occasionally find as a boost. Soon enough, you manage to hook your arm over the ledge and use that leverage to pull the rest of yourself up. With a little more maneuvering, your feet finally make contact with the window ledge and you crouch in the space the window formerly occupied. The ledge is less than a foot wide, and the space only half as tall as you are, but you don't think balance will be an issue unless someone tries to push you. Still, maneuvering quickly would be tricky, unless you wanted to fall out one side or the other.

[Sect]

> Catch our breath. Whew...
> ... Um... we made a lot of noise... look inside the building.

[DracoOmega]

> Catch our breath. Whew...
> ... Um... we made a lot of noise... look inside the building.

>You give yourself a moment to catch your breath. You suppose this is one way to add some excitement to a mundane contract. You wonder dryly whether Ellen is giving you hazard pay for this.
>Concerned that the noise may have alerted the building's occupants, you take a look inside.
>It is a large, open space, well-light at the moment by sunlight streaming in from the ring of windows. Heavy wooden rafters run across the ceiling, not very far above you. ...is that a tiny hammock strung up between two of them? For its state on the outside, the inside of the warehouse is surprisingly tidy; it doesn't even look dusty. There is a pile of old wood and assorted junk, likely left over from the previous occupants, but it is neatly pushed into one corner. Most of the floor is bare stone, dotted with a few clusters of objects. You see a small table on a large corded rug, with a small pile of throw pillows next to it. Towards the other end of the warehouse is some sort of fort, made from bright fabric thrown over large crates, and propped up at several points by wooden poles. A few other random objects are scattered about; you spot a beach ball, a couple kazoos, a broom and dustpan, a glass jar containing some sort of colored glass or crystal fragments, positioned such that the light scatters it into an array of colors on the floor, and a few other things that are hard to identify from this distance.

>You spot 4 fairies towards the center of the room, somewhat to your right. Fortunately, they seem too engaged in their own arguing to have noticed the noise of your entry at all. Among them you recognize the tiny fairy who bumped into you earlier. She is hovering and watching the other three bicker, and occasionally trying, without much success, to get a remark in edgewise. The loud voice from earlier belongs to a short green-haired fairy. If she's not the one nominally in charge, she certainly acts like it, giving directions (usually immediately disputed) and assigning blame (unilaterally deflected to someone else).
>Somewhat off to the side of the debate is a fifth fairy, standing near a large cardboard box - suspiciously similar to the one that collided with you earlier - and repeatedly opening and closing the top, each time staring into it with a somewhat disappointed frown on her face. Near her is a untidy heap of boxes of all sizes and shapes, from brightly colored paper gift boxes to wooden shipping crates and everything inbetween; you see a wicker picnic basket, fruit crates, a shoebox, and who knows what else under the mess.

[Hello Purvis]

>Do we feel we can lower ourself to the floor without hurting ourself?

[DracoOmega]

>Do we feel we can lower ourself to the floor without hurting ourself?

>Provided you descend carefully, you should be able to take the impact without injury. However, the noise will probably attract the fairies' attention.

[Oldmansour]

>From this vantage point, can we detect any means of exit other than this one once our business is concluded?

[Hello Purvis]

>What is directly below us?

[DracoOmega]

>From this vantage point, can we detect any means of exit other than this one once our business is concluded?

>There's another window similar to this one, further down the wall. You don't notice any exits on ground level that weren't obvious from the outside.

>What is directly below us?

>Empty stone floor.

[Hello Purvis]

>Oh well.
>Try to dangle off of the windowsill. Once this is done, test for footholds. If any are found, use them then look for handholds, then lower ourselves. Once we reach maximum lowness, drop and try to land in a wide stance. Hopefully it won't be too noisy.

[DracoOmega]

>Oh well.
>Try to dangle off of the windowsill. Once this is done, test for footholds. If any are found, use them then look for handholds, then lower ourselves. Once we reach maximum lowness, drop and try to land in a wide stance. Hopefully it won't be too noisy.

>You shift yourself, and lower your legs over the window ledge. Feeling quietly around with your feet, you have difficulty finding any foothold secure enough to trust; the gaps between stones are both narrow and shallow. You take the best you can find, try to wedge your foot against it, then shift one arm down while keeping the other on the ledge. You find the tiniest bit of a crack in the wall and try to hold onto it while you pivot yourself downward. It's very straining with such terrible handholds, but you manage to slowly lower yourself a couple feet. However, as you feel around for the next foothold, you hear a voice cry out accusingly.
>"Hey! What are you doing!?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Climbing down the wall."

[Hello Purvis]

>Don't speak yet.
>Look over.
>Do they seem to be looking at us? If so, just drop down, give a smile, and speak.
>If not, continue onward.

[DracoOmega]

>"Climbing down the wall."

>Don't speak yet.
>Look over.
>Do they seem to be looking at us? If so, just drop down, give a smile, and speak.
>If not, continue onward.

>You turn your head around, to make sure the fairies are looking at you. A medium-sized black haired one is pointing a finger accusingly at you, and the others are turning around to look.
>You drop down to the floor, put on a smile, and nonchalantly inform the fairies that you were climbing down the wall. The first fairy continues to point at you, but looks somewhat uncertain about what else she's supposed to do. The others' reactions vary from confusion to obvious outrage. The green-haired fairy takes on a defiant scowl, while the tiny fairy from earlier looks at you uncertainly.
>"This is our hideout!" the green-haired fairy yells, taking a step forward. "You're not allowed in-"
>The tiny fairy's eyes suddenly widen. "It's the pie lady!" she exclaims, dashing through the air towards you.
>"Pie?" another fairy asks, looking hopefully in your direction.
>The leader throws her a dirty look. "This is no time for pie! There's an intruder!"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Of course there is time for pie! See?"
>Produce the pie.
>"You're really not very nice to delivery people, you know..."

[DracoOmega]

>"Of course there is time for pie! See?"
>Produce the pie.
>"You're really not very nice to delivery people, you know..."

>You cheerfully produce the pie. The tiny fairy breaks out into an absolutely beaming smile as she flies towards it. The other fairy who inquired takes a step or two forward, then freezes under the leader's glare. You can practically see the stormclouds forming around her head.
>"Did we order a pie?" the tall fairy by the box asks, frowning as she walks towards you.
>"I didn't," the fourth fairy says.
>"How could you give away our location!" the leader cries to no one in particular, stomping her foot. "This place is top-secret! Fairies only!"
>"But she has pie..." the second fairy says.
>The tiny fairy hovers a few inches away from the pie, alternately staring wide-eyed at you and it.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, don't worry about details like locations and secrets. Someone get me a knife and some plates!"
>Approach the group like we belong here.

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh, don't worry about details like locations and secrets. Someone get me a knife and some plates!"
>Approach the group like we belong here.

>"They're over here," the tall fairy says, moving off towards the box fort.
>You nonchalantly approach the fairies, and the other two gather around you, or perhaps around the pie might be more accurate. The green-haired fairy glowers silently at you, her face almost comically indignant.
>"Hey, it's missing a piece," the fourth fairy says with a frown.

[Hello Purvis]

>"That was the tip for the baker. It's how you managed to get it so cheap."
>Set it down, get to work slicing it and serving it up.

[DracoOmega]

>"That was the tip for the baker. It's how you managed to get it so cheap."
>Set it down, get to work slicing it and serving it up.

>The fairy nods tentatively as you explain.
>"Wait, who paid for this?" the fairy next to her asks. The other fairy shrugs.
>You follow the group over to the table, and in a few moments the tall fairy reemerges from the box fort with plates and utensils. You set the pie down on the table and serve it up to the crowd. There are smiles from most of the fairies. The tiny fairy accepts her piece with a look of unending gratitude and immediately digs in. The green-haired fairy makes a frustrated 'hmpff' and continues scowling at you.

[Hello Purvis]

>Give green-hair a big piece.
>"You guys sounded like you were having fun earlier."

[DracoOmega]

>Give green-hair a big piece.
>"You guys sounded like you were having fun earlier."

>You attempt to give the green-haired fairy an extra large piece. She just keeps scowling, and makes no attempt to take it, although you catch her stealing furtive glances at it.
>"Not really..." one of them says, between mouthfuls. "The magic trick doesn't work."
>"It's a great magic trick!" the green-haired fairy said. "You guys are just doing it wrong!"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I love magic tricks! What're you trying to do?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I love magic tricks! What're you trying to do?"

>"Make a cat disappear," the fairy says.
>"And reappear," another chimes in.
>"Hey, don't tell her!" the green-haired fairy says.
>"Cloudy Meadow overheard this neat trick the other day," the first fairy continues. "Apparently if you stick a Schrodinger Cat in a box, sometimes it'll be there when you open it, and sometimes it won't be."
>"But we've tried dozens of boxes," the second fairy says, "And none of them work."
>"I still say it's not the right kind of cat," the first adds between bites.
>"Nuh-uh," the green-haired fairy counters, crossing her arms.
>The tall fairy frowns. "I'm sorry. I must have gotten the details wrong."

[Hello Purvis]

>Have we ever heard of anything like this?
>"How's the cat been taking to it?"