Sanae Quest (Part 5)

[Sect]

> "Hm... okay, I think I have one..."
> "So, these two girls are at their school one night, when one of them says she needs to go to the bathroom. Well, schools are kind of creepy at night, so her friend goes with her to wash her face. While she's drying her face, she hears a voice, a voice she's never heard before, in one of the stalls. 'What color paper do you want: blue or red?'"
> "After a little while, her friend answers 'Um... red.' The next thing she knows, the girl hears her friend start screaming! So, she rushes to the bathroom stall her friend was in, and tries to open it. It takes a little while, since the door was locked, but she finally gets it open, to see the entire stall covered in blood, and her friend lying face down, her back torn apart, looking like she was wearing a red cape."
> Pause for a bit.
> "So, a few days later, the girl was back in that bathroom, not because she wanted to, but because she had to. She was already scared out of her wits, because her friend died there, so when she heard a voice say 'What color paper do you want: blue or red?', she was terrified. But, she remembered that her friend died when she answered red, so she said 'B-b-blue!'".
> Dramatic pause. "The next day, the teachers found her hanging from the ceiling, her face blue..."
> Grin. "Well?"

[日巫子]

> "Hm... okay, I think I have one..."
> "So, these two girls are at their school one night, when one of them says she needs to go to the bathroom. Well, schools are kind of creepy at night, so her friend goes with her to wash her face. While she's drying her face, she hears a voice, a voice she's never heard before, in one of the stalls. 'What color paper do you want: blue or red?'"
> "After a little while, her friend answers 'Um... red.' The next thing she knows, the girl hears her friend start screaming! So, she rushes to the bathroom stall her friend was in, and tries to open it. It takes a little while, since the door was locked, but she finally gets it open, to see the entire stall covered in blood, and her friend lying face down, her back torn apart, looking like she was wearing a red cape."
> Pause for a bit.
> "So, a few days later, the girl was back in that bathroom, not because she wanted to, but because she had to. She was already scared out of her wits, because her friend died there, so when she heard a voice say 'What color paper do you want: blue or red?', she was terrified. But, she remembered that her friend died when she answered red, so she said 'B-b-blue!'".
> Dramatic pause. "The next day, the teachers found her hanging from the ceiling, her face blue..."
> Grin. "Well?"

> You tell a story of two girls, both who end up dying because of an ill-fated trip to the bathroom.  At the end of the story, Madotsuki squeaks.  Kogasa looks impressed, but at the same time a little nervous.  Perhaps it's because she has one blue eye and one red...
> "That was impressive~"
> "Kind of scary..."

> _

[Sect]

> "Hee~ It's your turn, Mado."

[日巫子]

> "Hee~ It's your turn, Mado."

> "Ah...."  Madotsuki nods.
> "Once upon a time, there was a girl who, for her entire life, experienced nothing but suffering and grief.  One day, she fell in love with a someone and was going to confess, but there was another girl who also felt the same way.  Out of spite, she stabbed that girl to death."
> "The very next day, she awoke to find herself in a hellish-looking cave.  Confused and scared, she started to look for a way out.  As she continued through, bats bit her and tore her skin, she fell in freezing water, nearly burned alive, and was nearly buried alive in a collapsing tunnel.  She finally reached a dead end, at which was a closet.  Exhausted, she collapsed to her knees and started to cry.  But then, the closet door began to open.  Could this be her way out?"
> "However, the door opened, and in it...was the corpse of the girl she had killed, stuffed into the closet.  She was covered in blood, bearing many wounds, and a knife driven deep into her heart."
> "'This trial has been your repentance, but you still have not felt my pain,' the girl said in a raspy voice.  She stepped out of the closet and approached the other girl, who was shaking with fear.  She withdrew the knife from her chest and approached her..."
> "Apparently the girl had died shortly after stabbing the other girl, apparently, and she was facing judgement in hell for murdering someone..."

> _

[Sect]

> "Ooh~, that's pretty chilling..." Snuggle into Kogasa under the premise of being scared.

[日巫子]

> "Ooh~, that's pretty chilling..." Snuggle into Kogasa under the premise of being scared.

> Ohh, chilling~  You snuggle into Kogasa.
> "Hee..."  Madotsuki flops back onto her futon.  "Although it would be horrible to actually be in that situation."

> _

[Sect]

> "No kidding... the best way to avoid that sort of fate is to treat others with kindness, though sometimes it might hurt..." Like Konngara's situation with us, huh? Good thing Konngara would never hurt Kogasa...
> What time is it?

[日巫子]

> "No kidding... the best way to avoid that sort of fate is to treat others with kindness, though sometimes it might hurt..." Like Konngara's situation with us, huh? Good thing Konngara would never hurt Kogasa...
> What time is it?

> "Yeah, even if it's kind of hard."  Madotsuki giggles a bit.
> That's kind of like Konngara's situation, but she never really went near Kogasa at all...
> It's almost 9pm.

> _

[Sect]

> "Hm... how are you feeling, Mado? Do you feel tired?"
> Check Madotsuki's forehead, see if she feels like she's cooled off.

[日巫子]

> "Hm... how are you feeling, Mado? Do you feel tired?"
> Check Madotsuki's forehead, see if she feels like she's cooled off.

> "Kind of tired, yeah..."
> You check Madotsuki's forehead.  It's still hot...

> _

[Sect]

> "How about we turn in, then? Get a good night's sleep, and maybe have more fun in the dream!"

[日巫子]

> "How about we turn in, then? Get a good night's sleep, and maybe have more fun in the dream!"

> "O-okay."  Madotsuki looks nervous, but then again, with all those nightmares.
> Kogasa pats her on the shoulder to reassure her.  "It's really fun!"

> _

[Sect]

> Brush our teeth, and tuck into bed.
> Give Madotsuki a reassuring smile before nodding off.

[日巫子]

> Brush our teeth, and tuck into bed.
> Give Madotsuki a reassuring smile before nodding off.

> You head off to brush your teeth.  When you return to your bedroom, you see that Madotsuki has changed back into the t-shirt and your skirt, but the shrine maiden clothes you altered for her are tucked safely under her pillow as she crawls underneath the covers.  Kogasa has tucked her umbrella into the futon with her.
> You tuck into bed yourself and give Madotsuki a reassuring smile before nodding off.
> ...
> It's raining heavily outside.  As you stir in your futon, you hear Suwako-sama's voice coming from another room in the shrine. 
> This is definitely a dream.

> _

[Kasu]

> Sit up and look around.

[Sect]

> Get dressed, and make sure our wings don't rip the outfit this time.

[日巫子]

> Get dressed, and make sure our wings don't rip the outfit this time.

> When you get out of bed to get dressed, the first thing you notice is that while Kogasa is still asleep in her futon, Madotsuki isn't.  Perhaps she's in another part of the house?
> You get dressed, but this time you're extremely careful not to let your wings rip your clothing like last time.  They still rip holes, but they shouldn't be noticeable...

> _

[Sect]

> Peek under Madotsuki's futon: she can be surprisingly stealthy when sleeping.
> Peek into Poniko's room, to see if Madotsuki might be in there.
> Make sure our watch is on, but don't set it: let's see if we'll wake up on our own.

[日巫子]

> Peek under Madotsuki's futon: she can be surprisingly stealthy when sleeping.
> Peek into Poniko's room, to see if Madotsuki might be in there.
> Make sure our watch is on, but don't set it: let's see if we'll wake up on our own.

> You peek under Madotsuki's futon.
> ...She's not there?
> You quickly head over to Poniko's room, but she's not there.  Poniko is there, though...asleep as usual.
> You make sure your watch is on, but you don't set the alarm.  Let's see if you can wake up on your own this time...

> _

[Sect]

I'm going to turn in early, so my suggestion for course of action: take the opportunity to talk to Suwako, maybe even try to see if we can "wake" her up. Then, if we can't find Madotsuki in the immediate area, wake Kogasa up, and make for the ocean (her dream had to do with being at the ocean).

> Frown, then head to where we hear Suwako-sama's voice.

[日巫子]

> Frown, then head to where we hear Suwako-sama's voice.

> Huh.
> You head out of your room and follow Suwako-sama's voice.  As you get closer to the front of the shrine, you hear her voice more clearly.
> "...So, I was thinking if the rain lets up we should try hanging our laundry outside for once."

> _

[Blitzer]

>Can we see her? If not, continue approaching until we can.
>See if anybody's with her.

[日巫子]

>Can we see her? If not, continue approaching until we can.
>See if anybody's with her.

> You can't see her, so you keep going.
> Suwako-sama's in the kitchen, pestering Kanako-sama as she's frying eggs.

> _

[Sect]

> Kanako-sama's frying eggs? In that case, sneaky feet behind Suwako-sama, all ninja like, and surprise hug her!
> "Good morning!"

[日巫子]

> Kanako-sama's frying eggs? In that case, sneaky feet behind Suwako-sama, all ninja like, and surprise hug her!
> "Good morning!"

> She's definitely frying eggs, unless your nose decieves you.
> You sneak up behind Suwako-sama and give her a surprise hug.
> "Kyahahaahha!  Good morning!"  Suwako-sama squeals and flails her arms around.

> _

[Sect]

> Hug her with our wings, too.
> "So it's rainy? Is it your doing, Suwako-sama?"

[日巫子]

> Hug her with our wings, too.
> "So it's rainy? Is it your doing, Suwako-sama?"

> You hug Suwako-sama with your wings, and she giggles.  Kanako-sama cracks a small grin.
> "Weather is weather, unfortunately~"

> _

[Sect]

Actually, waking up both of them wouldn't be bad, if only so that they're more aware of what's going on.

> "Oh, okay, I thought you might have been influencing it. Probably a lot easier to do while sleeping, huh?"

[日巫子]

> "Oh, okay, I thought you might have been influencing it. Probably a lot easier to do while sleeping, huh?"

> "Yeah, yeah...huh?"  Suwako-sama's eyes go blank for a moment, and then she turns to face you.
> "...Am I having a lucid dream?"

> _

[Sect]

> Smile and nod. "What was the first clue?" Ruffle feathers.