Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Beyond the Border~ => Rumia's Party Games => Topic started by: Tom on March 18, 2025, 11:15:16 PM
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> Seija Quest Part 5
> You're Seija Kijin the rebellious Amanojaku.
> Tonight you were supposed to be accompanying Shinmyoumaru to the Full Moon Festival at the Hakurei Shrine, to help her feel a little more comfortable around these powerful and influential humans and Youkai. She's pretty much your only ally in Gensokyo who hasn't forgotten you after your exile so you accepted helping her, even though you're an Amanojaku.
> However while walking up the long stairway to the Hakurei Shrine you spotted one of Aya's newspapers under the shrine's gate and the headline caught your attention, it read:
A Competition among Gensokyans
To Fulfill all Ten Desires
Wealth? Knowledge? Prestige? Magic? Longevity? Any one of them can be yours~
Whoever can successfully cause an Incident without being caught will have their
greatest wish fulfilled~!
Everyone interested should gather at the Hakurei Shrine Grounds at Sunset.
Also in this Bunbunmaru issue:
>Another year of excellent crop yields thanks to Minoriko's blessings. (Page 2)
>The Kraken confirmed!? Eyewitness reports from fishermen about strange sightings
under Misty Lake's surface! (Page 3)
>Reading Tarot Cards 101! 5 cards link you to your past, present and future, according
to an expert. But which cards provide the highest accuracy of readings? We compare results
from 5 different sets of cards across 30 individuals. (Page 4)
>An exclusive interview with Village Physician Unshou about the health benefits of
smoked herring, a village delicacy. (Page 5)
> The details about this competition were revealed during the Full Moon Festival. A doll named Iris claimed that incidents have become mere nuisances and troublemakers are only dealt a simple slap on the wrist for causing them by a weak, misled by Youkai Hakurei Maiden. Iris has promised that whoever causes a successful unresolved incident will get their greatest wish fulfilled, thus sparking conflict among the major forces in Gensokyo.
> The first incident happened shortly after Iris' announcement when the Hakurei Shrine was thoroughly destroyed by Mima with the assistance of Marisa and Yuuka.
// Since this quest is "chapter-ized" into different incidents full summaries won't be included for each one, though they are linked below:
> First Incident - The Hakurei Shrine destroyed once more: Thread 1 Thread 2
> Investigating - The mysterious doll named "Iris": Thread 3
> After the incident's conclusion Seija invited Reimu to spend the night at the Shining Needle Castle as Iris repaired the Hakurei Shrine.
> Following concerns from the librarian and princess, Mokou spent the next day investigating Alice for a possible connection to the doll Iris. This unfortunately was inconclusive though some potentially interesting communications were found.
> After having met the librarian Patchouli during the Full Moon Festival (and subsequent incident) she quickly took interest in you and invited you to visit her at the Scarlet Devil Mansion's library.
> At the Scarlet Mansion's library you helped Patchouli learn about your magical "swapping" abilities, and in return she gave you a necklace with a crimson gem that appears to amplify your power. You then met the "young mistress" Flandre for a duel arranged by the librarian, which you where you came into possession of a sword named "Excalibur".
> Upon leaving the Scarlet mansion you ran into a short blonde girl named Rumia who was really impressed with your duel against Flandre and really, really wanted to meet her! After escorting her to the mansion for a playdate with Flandre you decided to head back to the Hakurei Shrine, only to find it empty.
> Deciding it was time to undo the size & location "swap" with Mokou you had performed earlier (to find out more about Iris), you wrote down a message telling her to rendezvous at the Hakurei Shrine to share findings.
> After undoing the swap you found yourself in a stormy foreign world, following a shadow you later came to know as "Sariel". Not only is she exceptionally tall with *six wings* but she also claims to be a sort of "bounty hunter" that slays demons and mages! Sariel agreed to help you return to your world, if in exchange she could search for any demon fugitives hiding there. On the way back you accidentally found stumbled upon the Oni's Ancient City and had to trade your way up to something the bridge princess would consider "adequate payment" to permit you to leave. In the Ancient City you visited Momoyo's Mining & Gem store, and purchased an odd metallic cylinder with a wheel and a red crystal that shoots real fireballs when struck against something.
> During your time with Sariel you learned that she used to work together with a powerful partner who disappeared long ago while hunting a powerful demon. The only thing left was a sword with mysterious symbols on it. Intrigued by her story you decided to help investigate and took a picture of the blade using your Tengu Camera so you could make further inquiries.
> Upon leaving the Ancient City you emerged from a cave behind the Hakurei Shrine which had a sign reading "Cave to the Ancient City". Upon closer inspection Sariel noticed that the "Ancient City" part appeared to be nailed on top of an older sign, which when made semitransparent (using your inversion ability) revealed that the old sign read "Hell & Makai".
> You then decided to travel towards the Human Village to visit Suzunaan and met Meiling the Scarlet Mansion's gatekeeper. After showing her the picture of the mysterious blade she suggested visiting the Scarlet Mansion's head maid, who is apparently "quite the knife collector".
> At the Human Village you ran into Tenshi, who tried to convince you take a step into to the village casino to "find your fortune".
> Wanting to avoid getting sidetracked you politely declined and headed off towards Suzunaan, who identified the script on the knife as an ancient Western script which spelled "Darkness".
> On the way out of the village you popped into the blacksmith's workshop where you met Kogasa. Upon showing her the sword given to you by Patchouli she was immediately impressed by the foreign craftsmanship and wished to study it some more. You then learned it may in fact be a legendary sword from West known by many names such as "The Sword of Light" or "Excalibur".
> Wishing to introduce Sariel to Shinmyoumaru without revealing the Shining Needle Castle's location you decided to repeat the "swap trick" you performed earlier with Reimu to instantly transport her to the castle. Only this time Sariel is thinking with portals and has a trick up her sleeve to save you the return trip!
> While waiting for you to reach the castle Sariel observed the puppeteer Alice, accompanied by two dolls named "Shanghai" and "Hourai" making an 'illicit exchange' with a third small figure. The puppeteer appeared to receive a disc-shaped object that she's been clutching tightly ever since.
> At the Shining Needle Castle you found Shinmyoumaru in the observatory, and she agrees to let you teleport Sariel to the castle. Sariel left you a shortcut back to the mansion in the form of a portal that you fell into, and ended up blasting an Amanojaku shaped hole in the wall after being shot out the other end! While trying to repair the damage you discovered the crown of Issun-Boushi which possessed you, requiring the combined effort of Shinmyoumaru and Sariel to bring you back to your senses. While knocked out, you had a weird dream about being a minister in a faraway land long ago but can't seem to recall if it was based on real events or not? Shinmyoumaru ended up calling Reimu to help wake you, after which you recovered and she left claiming "a new incident is afoot!" (https://www.shrinemaiden.com/index.php?topic=554.msg37404#msg37404) in the village.
> Arriving at the village you found a crowd gathered around the plaza, shocked to see a solid golden statue of Yukari Yakumo having appeared that morning. With that your investigation began, teaming up with Sanae this round where the two of you found that the statue appears to be the result of some alchemical petrification. You even made a discovery regarding your ability of swapping different traits and concepts where the world around you dissolves into a web of lines when you try to flip things from inanimate to animate. In the center of everyone is some kind of 'essence' that somehow relates to them, like Sanae's containing a frog and snake. Later that day you met up again with Kogasa who deduced that your sword is indeed the legendary "Excalibur" sword she suspected it of being! Next, you visited mayor Akyuu and learned that she's very busy trying to obtain renewed textbooks for the village school, which she hopes might help her in the upcoming election in which she's competing against Rinnosuke, Mamizou and Unshou. Finally, you visited Kourindou and learned that the night before the incident Yukari had bought and sold various goods to Rinnosuke.
> That night with the help of Sanae's miracle fairy transformation you were able to sneak into Kourindou and locate a few of the goods Yukari traded, granting credibility to Rinnosuke's story and clearing the suspicion of him trying to sabotage Akyuu's re-election campaign. Upon returning and sharing your findings with Sanae the two of you were interrupted by a loud thud in the inn's library, which led to a chase through the village against a shadowy figure dropping demon books that ended up being Kosuzu. What's strange however is that Akyuu confirmed that she had only just dropped off a novel she requested, meaning someone else must've run away from the inn that night, someone who also possessed demon books. Returning to the inn you found Shinmyoumaru and Mokou both turned into golden statues facing each other in the library/study surrounded by a ring of coins and items. Exhausted from the day's events you decided to rest for the night before continuing the investigation.
> Today you've just finished grabbing breakfast. Sanae has just returned with Kosuzu after speaking with Reisen about summoning miss Houraisan to identify some items found near the statues.
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> "Well. There's still the other new development to consider, which is the circle of the Princess's belongings that we found in here last night when wew walked in on the two new statues. Did Yakumo have a similar circle when she was discovered?"
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> "Well. There's still the other new development to consider, which is the circle of the Princess's belongings that we found in here last night when wew walked in on the two new statues. Did Yakumo have a similar circle when she was discovered?"
> Sanae recalls "Now that you mention it, she did! The items were arranged in a circular pattern around her..."
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> "I see. So that's probably significant to the statue-fication process. I wonder if the blacksmith would have any idea what it might mean? I don't know how deep her alchemical knowledge goes, but she at least had strong opinions on how possible it was for a gold statue of Yakumo's size to exist at all."
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> "I see. So that's probably significant to the statue-fication process. I wonder if the blacksmith would have any idea what it might mean? I don't know how deep her alchemical knowledge goes, but she at least had strong opinions on how possible it was for a gold statue of Yakumo's size to exist at all."
> Sanae nods in agreement "Lets ask her today!"
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> Based on how the Princess has described the mallet's function to us, does it seem like we may be able to make wishes for non-physical things? For example, could we wish on the mallet that our powers of swapping/reversal are extended to non-physical concepts, such as mentalily (e.g. changing someone's mind)?
> "I think she said yesterday she could visit on her lunch break. Are you familiar with her? You could go talk to her about it if you want, just to keep faces fresh."
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> Based on how the Princess has described the mallet's function to us, does it seem like we may be able to make wishes for non-physical things? For example, could we wish on the mallet that our powers of swapping/reversal are extended to non-physical concepts, such as mentalily (e.g. changing someone's mind)?
> "I think she said yesterday she could visit on her lunch break. Are you familiar with her? You could go talk to her about it if you want, just to keep faces fresh."
> Shinmyoumaru has certainly tried before, but it depends on the concept and how weak or strong willed someone is about it. Generally speaking the more instinctive/unconscious a concept is, the more difficult (or unfeasible) it is to alter without the target becoming aware. Logical concepts and beliefs tend to be easier to break down by presenting a series of misleading evidence, near truths, and likely stories. Failing almost always results in a duel...
> Sanae agrees "I'll stop by near lunch time."
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> "Sounds good. Drop my name when you do, so she knows we're working together."
> "In that case...what now until then?"
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> "Sounds good. Drop my name when you do, so she knows we're working together."
> "In that case...what now until then?"
> Nodding she asks "Want to look into Mamizou or Unshou? I'll take the other."
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> "Sure. I don't know either of those names beyond the context of the current situation, so it makes no difference to me who I look into."
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> "Sure. I don't know either of those names beyond the context of the current situation, so it makes no difference to me who I look into."
> "I'll find Unshou then! Mamizou runs a store near the village entrance that's basically a more organized Kourindou!"
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> Nod.
> "What should I expect from her as a person?"
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> Nod.
> "What should I expect from her as a person?"
> "I don't frequent her store but I've heard she's friendly with Youkai and quite a good negotiator! You won't be getting many bargains there!"
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> "Well, that first part is good, at least. Shame the Princess handles our finances pretty exclusively, though."
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> "Well, that first part is good, at least. Shame the Princess handles our finances pretty exclusively, though."
> Sanae admits "I'm in somewhat of a similar boat with lady Kanako..."
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> "I can probably just plan a future purchase if need be."
> "Anyway, I think that might be it for the morning? Thank you to our guests for taking the time."
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> "I can probably just plan a future purchase if need be."
> "Anyway, I think that might be it for the morning? Thank you to our guests for taking the time."
> Keine and Yuyuko assure that they'll be watching the statues in case the culprit returns to the scene of the crime.
> "Alright I'll be looking for Unsou then!" and with that Sanae runs off!
> "Someone might be looking for me at Suzunaan..." Kosuzu reminds before leaving.
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> Did we pick up the Princess's belongings, or are they still in that circle?
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> Did we pick up the Princess's belongings, or are they still in that circle?
> You only took the mallet, and agreed to leave everything else as-is in the interest of evidence preservation.
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> "No time like the present, then."
> To both remaining ladies: "Let me know who else comes in here while I'm out, if anyone does."
> To Yuyuko, with a bit of a grin: "Especially if your cutie samurai swings by for whatever reason. It would be a delight to see her again."
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> "No time like the present, then."
> To both remaining ladies: "Let me know who else comes in here while I'm out, if anyone does."
> To Yuyuko, with a bit of a grin: "Especially if your cutie samurai swings by for whatever reason. It would be a delight to see her again."
> You earn an odd look from the ghost with that comment.
> With a sigh Keine returns to grading school work.
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> Oh, that could be ungood. Does Yuyuko look put off, innocently curious, or something else?
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> Oh, that could be ungood. Does Yuyuko look put off, innocently curious, or something else?
> More like a stern look really, you couldn't get a read on her.
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> "Oh, uh, she and I hit it off really well at that party. Or at least I thought we did...anyway, I didn't mean anything malevolent by it, I promise."
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> "Oh, uh, she and I hit it off really well at that party. Or at least I thought we did...anyway, I didn't mean anything malevolent by it, I promise."
> "Ah, I see! You must be the friend she met at the full moon festival. Good luck with your investigations today!" the ghost wishes you farewell.
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> "Yep, that's me. Thanks! I hope to come back with good news."
> Head out toward this Mamizou's shop, given the directions we received.
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> "Yep, that's me. Thanks! I hope to come back with good news."
> Head out toward this Mamizou's shop, given the directions we received.
> You take a stroll out into the plaza and continue down the main road towards the village gates, eventually arriving at a corner shop opposite the bridge leading out towards the forest. The store appears to be open, with a sign welcoming customers and promising fair prices.
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> Is anyone visible inside from our current vantage point? (Do NOT move around to seek people out, simply check from our current position.)
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> Is anyone visible inside from our current vantage point? (Do NOT move around to seek people out, simply check from our current position.)
> There appears to be a figure inside but you can't identify who this is.
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> Enter the shop, then.
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> Enter the shop, then.
> You step into the shop and find Sanae's description ..quite accurate! A neatly organized store with secondhand items neatly sorted on shelves and in bins. Clearly run by an owner who doesn't just buy any junk someone walks in with.
> "Can I help you?" a voice asks from somewhere behind the counter.
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> "Just browsing at the moment, thank you."
> Have a look around the product, to see if anything strikes our fancy. (Or if anything stands out as alchemical. Such as a book. Who knows?)
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> "Just browsing at the moment, thank you."
> Have a look around the product, to see if anything strikes our fancy. (Or if anything stands out as alchemical. Such as a book. Who knows?)
> Time passes as you browse the store, slowly sifting through the many books on sale. A few locals drop by every now and then to buy and sell various goods and trinkets. You strike out of finding anything even remotely related alchemy! Nary a drop to say the least. However there seemed to be quite a few foreign books, written in languages you do not understand.
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> Are there any written in languages that we do?
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> Are there any written in languages that we do?
> A few, but they aren't related to alchemy.
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> Pick up one of the foreign-language books.
> "Huh...I didn't expect there to be a market here for these."
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> Pick up one of the foreign-language books.
> "Huh...I didn't expect there to be a market here for these."
> The lady at the counter explains "They're quite popular with the Suzunaan book store, and have a greater collection that I do if you're interested."
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> "I can't actually read them myself, unfortunately. I didn't think many here could, beyond Kosuzu."
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> "I can't actually read them myself, unfortunately. I didn't think many here could, beyond Kosuzu."
> "Suzunaan offers translated copies for many of them!" she adds.
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> "Oh, that's pretty handy."
> Chuckle.
> "Though now it's kind of surprising you'd refer folks to a business rival so eagerly."
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> "Oh, that's pretty handy."
> Chuckle.
> "Though now it's kind of surprising you'd refer folks to a business rival so eagerly."
> "As if we'd compete for the same customers!" she laughs.
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> "Oh, you don't? Pardon me, then. You'll have to forgive me, I'm pretty new in town, and still don't know much of that sort of thing."
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> "Oh, you don't? Pardon me, then. You'll have to forgive me, I'm pretty new in town, and still don't know much of that sort of thing."
> "They sell translated and restored books, whereas my store resells wares as-is."
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> "Right, makes sense. Though I'm here because I've heard certain good things about this store and its proprietress...things good to a youkai new to a human settlement. Particularly given the current hubbub. I assume you've heard about the statue?"
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> "Right, makes sense. Though I'm here because I've heard certain good things about this store and its proprietress...things good to a youkai new to a human settlement. Particularly given the current hubbub. I assume you've heard about the statue?"
> She nods when you mention the statue before explaining "If you find something you'd like, I'm sure we could arrange a little discount among peers."
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> ...Wait, is this person a youkai?
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> ...Wait, is this person a youkai?
> Judging by the big tail, so you'd assume some kind of fox youkai or Tanuki maybe?
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> "I'd appreciate it. Especially given what happened."
> Put the book down and resume browsing through the store while conversing, keeping an eye out for anything we find personally interesting (rather than anything that might serve as evidence that this youkai is the culprit).
> "What is with that statue, anyway? I heard it was Miss Yakumo herself, but...surely that's not possible, is it?"
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> "I'd appreciate it. Especially given what happened."
> Put the book down and resume browsing through the store while conversing, keeping an eye out for anything we find personally interesting (rather than anything that might serve as evidence that this youkai is the culprit).
> "What is with that statue, anyway? I heard it was Miss Yakumo herself, but...surely that's not possible, is it?"
> You take your time browsing and find one of those telephone things Sanae mentioned yesterday, though you're not sure if you'd get a better deal that what Rinnosuke is offering. A cyan gem that appears to be frosted over also catches your attention, along with a telescope that Shinmyoumaru would've been interested in.
> "What if it's just some narcissistic way of 'laying claim' to the village, like planting a banner?" she responds.
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> Does this shopkeeper seem suspicious of us at all?
> "You think Miss Yakumo would do that?"
> Slow to a stop, and let our face go through a few 'thinking it through' expressions.
> "...I guess she actually might do that, huh?"
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> Does this shopkeeper seem suspicious of us at all?
> "You think Miss Yakumo would do that?"
> Slow to a stop, and let our face go through a few 'thinking it through' expressions.
> "...I guess she actually might do that, huh?"
> You haven't gotten any such vibes yet.
> "I wouldn't put it past her..." she agrees.
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> Do we remember the details of what Rinnosuke was offering for this 'telephone' thing?
> Gently lift and inspect the telescope while conversing.
> "Maybe someone should ask the red-white to ask her about it."
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> Do we remember the details of what Rinnosuke was offering for this 'telephone' thing?
> Gently lift and inspect the telescope while conversing.
> "Maybe someone should ask the red-white to ask her about it."
> You recall it probably costing some amount of silver coin.
> The telescope feels very well made with a careful combination of polished oak and brass sections.
> "Could you really trust the Hakurei priestess not to cover for her? Yakumo is one of the few she's willing to investigate incidents together with, so would you put it past them to plot one together? Especially with the prize that Iris doll is tempting everyone with..."
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> Sigh.
> "You're not wrong...ugh. It would be nice to not have to worry about all this."
> Is there an obvious price for the telescope? If not, ask for one.
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> Sigh.
> "You're not wrong...ugh. It would be nice to not have to worry about all this."
> Is there an obvious price for the telescope? If not, ask for one.
> She nods in agreement.
> There's a note on the shelf that says it's worth 7 silver coins.
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> How much money did the Princess bring with her, that we know?
> Put the telescope back and check out the cyan gem .
> "Anyway, anything you can tell me about that telescope or this gem? The boss is under the weather today, so I'm doing a bit of 'scouting' for her."
> If we have a hand free, use it to make sarcastic air quotes when saying 'scouting'.
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> How much money did the Princess bring with her, that we know?
> Put the telescope back and check out the cyan gem .
> "Anyway, anything you can tell me about that telescope or this gem? The boss is under the weather today, so I'm doing a bit of 'scouting' for her."
> If we have a hand free, use it to make sarcastic air quotes when saying 'scouting'.
> A pocketful of a mixture of gold and silver coins.
> The cyan gem is cold to the touch, like it's made of ice. The air around it frosts from the difference in temperature.
> "I see..." she says before noticing your interest in the crystal and explaining "Flick or tap it with something!"
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> Give a look of curiosity at the gem.
> Hold it out away from us with one hand, and give it a light flick with the other.
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> Give a look of curiosity at the gem.
> Hold it out away from us with one hand, and give it a light flick with the other.
> It summons a real icicle that travels in a short arc before shattering on the floor. The shopkeeper quickly casts a spell to dry up the melting ice.
> "It can go much faster and farther when struck faster." she suggests.
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> Let our eyes go a little wider.
> "Nifty. I'll take your word for that part, I'd rather not risk smacking your wares."
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> Let our eyes go a little wider.
> "Nifty. I'll take your word for that part, I'd rather not risk smacking your wares."
> It certainly is an interesting artifact.
> She laughs "Well you have time to think about it, stores going to be closing for lunch soon."
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> Nod.
> "Good to know, thanks."
> Put the gem back down and pick the telescope back up.
> "And is there anything I should know about this, like that it also shoots icicles?"
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> Nod.
> "Good to know, thanks."
> Put the gem back down and pick the telescope back up.
> "And is there anything I should know about this, like that it also shoots icicles?"
> "I'm afraid not!" she laughs.
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> Glance back over for a price for the gem.
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> Glance back over for a price for the gem.
> 3 silver coins.
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> So that's 10 total. Surely the Princess brought that much with her in the ring around her statue.
> Put the telescope down with a nod.
> "Yeah, I think I'm gonna need that time to think you were talking about. How long do you take lunch?"
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> So that's 10 total. Surely the Princess brought that much with her in the ring around her statue.
> Put the telescope down with a nod.
> "Yeah, I think I'm gonna need that time to think you were talking about. How long do you take lunch?"
> You imagine Shinmyoumaru brought enough.
> "It depends, check back sometime this afternoon."
> She then packs up some loose wares on the table and motions for you to leave.
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> One last check - does she still not seem suspicious of us?
> "Right. Enjoy your meal."
> Leave the store and head back to the inn.
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> One last check - does she still not seem suspicious of us?
> "Right. Enjoy your meal."
> Leave the store and head back to the inn.
> No hints of suspicion.
> She wishes you farewell as you leave the store and return to the inn and find Sanae waiting for you.
> "I think we can rule Unshou out, he was tending to a house call last night at the Myouren temple. One of their followers is recovering from food poisoning."
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> Nod.
> "Mamizou could go either way. I played ignorant village newcomer generally worried about the situation, and when I mentioned hearing rumors the statue might be Yakumo herself, she instantly diverted toward theorizing it was placed there by Yakumo herself in some narcissistic maneuver. I even floated the idea of bringing in the red-white to track Yakumo down to find out for sure, and she immediately threw shade on the red-white for being willing to work with Yakumo in the past."
> "It's possible that that's what a genuinely-innocent Mamizou would think, but if she were the culprit trying to avoid suspicion, it's hard to say what she would have done differently."
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> Nod.
> "Mamizou could go either way. I played ignorant village newcomer generally worried about the situation, and when I mentioned hearing rumors the statue might be Yakumo herself, she instantly diverted toward theorizing it was placed there by Yakumo herself in some narcissistic maneuver. I even floated the idea of bringing in the red-white to track Yakumo down to find out for sure, and she immediately threw shade on the red-white for being willing to work with Yakumo in the past."
> "It's possible that that's what a genuinely-innocent Mamizou would think, but if she were the culprit trying to avoid suspicion, it's hard to say what she would have done differently."
> "I see, how suspicious..." Sanae thinks before asking "Any ideas on how we could determine her involvement with certainty?"
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> Kosuzu is not present, correct?
> "Do we know who she most commonly associates with? Maybe we can get information from others about her whereabouts last night."
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> Kosuzu is not present, correct?
> "Do we know who she most commonly associates with? Maybe we can get information from others about her whereabouts last night."
> Nope!
> "She does frequent at Suzunaan, so perhaps Kosuzu?" Sanae suggests.
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> "We could do that, though I will point out that we know where Kosuzu was last night, and that she appeared to be alone."
> "We also can't necessarily rule out that she isn't in on it. Not that this means we shouldn't ask her stuff, only that we shouldn't blindly believe her."
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> "We could do that, though I will point out that we know where Kosuzu was last night, and that she appeared to be alone."
> "We also can't necessarily rule out that she isn't in on it. Not that this means we shouldn't ask her stuff, only that we shouldn't blindly believe her."
> "Maybe we should find out what books they've been trading if any?" Sanae suggests.
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> "We could certainly do that."
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> "We could certainly do that."
> "So, off to Suzunaan?"
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> "Sure. Should we both go, or...?"
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> "Sure. Should we both go, or...?"
> "So, off to Suzunaan?"
> Actually... suggest that one among. us two, the. more. apt and adaptable in such a task, should keep an eye and hear out Mamizou herself or any eventual eavesdropper. or snooper, be they Tanuki or not are either distant from the Suzunaan book store or a discreet alert-and-retry if any of. them is getting too in-range...
> Who is more apt and adaptable. in such between us and Sanae,also taking in account our recent earlier shop-customer-exchange with Mamizou and that the other.will have to "be the more apt and.adaptable about person-to-person investigative insight plus info-gather-cross-check?
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> "Sure. Should we both go, or...?"
> "I haven't found any leads today, so I'm really curious as to what she'll say!" Sanae gestures towards the door.
> Actually... suggest that one among. us two, the. more. apt and adaptable in such a task, should keep an eye and hear out Mamizou herself or any eventual eavesdropper. or snooper, be they Tanuki or not are either distant from the Suzunaan or a discreet alert-and-retry if any of. them is getting too in-range...
> Who is more aot and adaptable. in such between us and Sanae,also taking in account our recent earlier mini-interview with Mamizou and that the other.will have to "be the more apt and.adaptable about person-to-person investigative insight plus info-gather-cross-check?
> You suggest keeping watch, and letting Sanae interview Kosuzu in case she knows about your visit to Mamizou and they happen to be working together. That way she won't associate your visit to Mamizou's with the questions asked.
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> Could the Mallet make us invisible, perhaps?
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> "I haven't found any leads today, so I'm really curious as to what she'll say!" Sanae gestures towards the door.
> You suggest keeping watch, and letting Sanae interview Kosuzu in case she knows about your visit to Mamizou and they happen to be working together. That way she won't associate your visit to Mamizou's with the questions asked.
> If Sanae makes no observation. and accepts, let the both us go and start attend. to. our own task for the same "in-Villagencident investigation, insight, resolution"
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> Hold up on making a decision until after we've checked the invisibility thing.
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> Could the Mallet make us invisible, perhaps?
> You don't see why it couldn't?
> If Sanae makes no observation. and accepts, let the both us go and start attend. to. our own task for the same "in-Villagencident investigation, insight, resolution"
> Hold up on making a decision until after we've checked the invisibility thing.
> You're about to go stand guard but get caught up thinking about the mallet and end up going nowhere.
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> "...Well, there might be one other option..."
> Try wishing on the Mallet that we're invisible.
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> "...Well, there might be one other option..."
> Try wishing on the Mallet that we're invisible.
> You tap the mallet and spot a faint barrier surrounding you.
> Still walking Sanae turns around to hear your answer but asks "Seija? Where'd you run off to?"
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> Lightly boop Sanae on the nose.
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> Lightly boop Sanae on the nose.
> Sanae swats back but misses "Who was that!?"
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> "Take a wild guess."
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> "Take a wild guess."
> "You're invisible!"
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> "I'm Seija, actually. But this way I can go with you without being noticed."
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> "I'm Seija, actually. But this way I can go with you without being noticed."
> "Great idea!" Sanae complements
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> "Thanks. I think so too~"
> Lightly poke Sanae in the side, pulling back immediately to avoid getting swatted.
> "Oh, just remembered. What about the blacksmith?"
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> "Thanks. I think so too~"
> Lightly poke Sanae in the side, pulling back immediately to avoid getting swatted.
> "Oh, just remembered. What about the blacksmith?"
> This time Sanae almost lands a hit!
> "Later, this is our most plausible lead yet."
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> "Alright. How about this, then? If there's a yes/no question I want answered a specific way, I'll poke you in one spot for yes and in two spots for no. Otherwise, you can command the conversation as you see fit. Sound good?"
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> "Alright. How about this, then? If there's a yes/no question I want answered a specific way, I'll poke you in one spot for yes and in two spots for no. Otherwise, you can command the conversation as you see fit. Sound good?"
> Sanae nods as the two of you head into Suzunaan and meet Kosuzu at the counter.
> Kosuzu asks "Ah Sanae! Found anything you need my help with?"
> Sanae explains "Not exactly? I wanted to ask what you knew about Mamizou's store?"
> Kosuzu thinks for a moment "Well, we find a lot of outside books there. I'm not sure where she finds them but most are in need of some restoration or repair work."
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> How Kosuzu react to being asked about Mamizou? Did she take it in stride, or was she suddenly on guard?
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> How Kosuzu react to being asked about Mamizou? Did she take it in stride, or was she suddenly on guard?
> She seemed a little taken aback.
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> Hmm, interesting.
> Keep listening in without prompting Sanae.
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> Hmm, interesting.
> Keep listening in without prompting Sanae.
> "So you shop there frequently?"
> Kosuzu nods "Quite often, prices are fair and sometimes Mamizou offers to trade with books from Suzunaan."
> Interested Sanae asks "Really? Any favorites?"
> The store clerk thinks "Not sure? She gets these vouchers to exchange for books, I almost never fill the order myself considering I'm a translation and restoration specialist."
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> Look around during this conversation. Anything or anywhere stand out as interesting that we could check out as part of this investigation?
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> Look around during this conversation. Anything or anywhere stand out as interesting that we could check out as part of this investigation?
> There's a shelf that's labeled 'Demon Books' that drew your attention.
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> What about any sort of behind-the-counter or backroom areas that we could slip into without making noise?
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> What about any sort of behind-the-counter or backroom areas that we could slip into without making noise?
> There isn't anywhere you're able to reach without climbing over the counter, which would cause noise.
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> Do we perhaps have enough space to float upward and over the counter? Or would this rattle the possessions on our person?