Nitori Quest - A Z-Machine Adventure

[It's Purvis!]

> Head back inside and grab 10☼ in order to brace for one final expense for the evening.

>You head inside to grab some extra money. It's not that the amount hurts, it is the thousand cuts of the day.
>Getting the money from your savings, you return to the workshop part of your warehouse in time to catch a distinctive camera flash through one of the windows.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Given the angle, could it have possibly been a shot of our unmentionables?
> Give a light wave to the window.
> "Coming!"
> Head back outside in anticipation of getting a face full of crow.

[It's Purvis!]

> Given the angle, could it have possibly been a shot of our unmentionables?
> Give a light wave to the window.
> "Coming!"
> Head back outside in anticipation of getting a face full of crow.

>Naw, unless she's got some new technique that lets her take pictures at angles the lenses isn't pointed.
>You head back outside and find Aya waiting there, arms crossed, camera in one hand, smiling down at you. "So word has it you also have a top secret project in the works?" she says. "Care to comment?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Do we have anything going right now other than the rocket?

> Is she in reach, or is she floating too high above us?
> If she's floating above us, is her underwear visible?

[It's Purvis!]

> Do we have anything going right now other than the rocket?

> Is she in reach, or is she floating too high above us?
> If she's floating above us, is her underwear visible?

>Nothing really in the showing other people stages, at least.
>She's within reach; she's on the ground. Just she is taller than you, and has those geta tengu favor.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> How attractive is Aya?
> "I assume you mean the rocket? It isn't going to be any kind of secret for much longer, that's for sure."

[It's Purvis!]

> How attractive is Aya?
> "I assume you mean the rocket? It isn't going to be any kind of secret for much longer, that's for sure."

>She's not bad, really.
>"Go on, go on," she says, as she puts the camera away and pulls a notepad.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Sure, sure. C'mon in. You can leave the door open, I'm expecting other company."
> Head back inside our warehouse.
> Assuming Aya followed us in, gesture at the (incomplete) rocket.
> "Here she is, the vehicle for my greatest venture into space!"

[It's Purvis!]

> "Sure, sure. C'mon in. You can leave the door open, I'm expecting other company."
> Head back inside our warehouse.
> Assuming Aya followed us in, gesture at the (incomplete) rocket.
> "Here she is, the vehicle for my greatest venture into space!"

>You show her the Rocket.
>Largely, it is finished. The main engine is out right now, due to needing that part and a power source, but otherwise it is about ready to wheel out. The main bulk of it rests on a support scaffold, which can lower the rocket sideways, so as to get it through the bay door easily. While parts for your previous model have been worked into it, it is quite a bit larger, to attest to its much greater range and carrying capacity. The outside of made of a combination of wood and salvaged scrap metal, to balance weight with resilience. Like your prior model, the ship itself has been fitted with retractable sails to catch the updrafts and solar winds once you get far enough from Gensokyo.
>Aya paces around it, pulling out her camera again and snapping a few pictures. "Ooh, snazzy," she says. "Can you walk me through the details on this?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Aya was in jail for the previous launch, right?
> "You want the technical details or the voyage plans?"

[It's Purvis!]

> Aya was in jail for the previous launch, right?
> "You want the technical details or the voyage plans?"

>Yep. And you're pretty sure Hatate was probably occupied by that whole severe drought thing,
>"Both, if you would?" Aya says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Sure."
> Launch into a spiel on the engineering workings of the rocket, including what the incomplete parts will do once they're complete. Make sure to upsell the marvels of our genius engineering at a few contextually-appropriate times, but also don't give away any trade secrets we don't feel comfortable sharing, given we know this'll appear in Gensokyo's widest-ranging newspaper.

[It's Purvis!]

> "Sure."
> Launch into a spiel on the engineering workings of the rocket, including what the incomplete parts will do once they're complete. Make sure to upsell the marvels of our genius engineering at a few contextually-appropriate times, but also don't give away any trade secrets we don't feel comfortable sharing, given we know this'll appear in Gensokyo's widest-ranging newspaper.

>The good news is that Aya is clearly over her head with this; you don't think she'll be giving away any trade secrets. And least not intentionally. She does ask the occasional question, usually pretty good ones. Some are just groanworthy, everyone knows those things. She does take notes, so you assume she'll get the basics right.
>"Now, what are you planning to do in the heavens, exactly?" she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Well, originally, my goal was to go as far as I could. But things have changed a little bit. The Scarlet Devil Mansion is launching their own rocket soon, so we agreed on a bit of a friendly competition, where the winner is whoever brings back the most valuable object. So while I still want to see how far I can go, I'll be doing some treasure hunting while I'm up there."

[It's Purvis!]

> "Well, originally, my goal was to go as far as I could. But things have changed a little bit. The Scarlet Devil Mansion is launching their own rocket soon, so we agreed on a bit of a friendly competition, where the winner is whoever brings back the most valuable object. So while I still want to see how far I can go, I'll be doing some treasure hunting while I'm up there."

>Aya nods. "Any idea what you expect to find?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "No clue."
> Grin.
> "And that's the fun and wonder of it all! There's so much unknown out there that just cries out to be discovered and known, and what kind of genius would I be if I didn't oblige it? I'm sure you, of all people in Gensokyo, understand the thrill of the intellectual hunt."

[It's Purvis!]

> "No clue."
> Grin.
> "And that's the fun and wonder of it all! There's so much unknown out there that just cries out to be discovered and known, and what kind of genius would I be if I didn't oblige it? I'm sure you, of all people in Gensokyo, understand the thrill of the intellectual hunt."

>"You don't need to explain it to me," Aya says, writing a few more notes. "But surely you have some kind of plan?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Well, of course. But I'm not going to describe it somewhere that my opponents may read it tomorrow morning. Nothing against you, of course, I trust you understand."

[It's Purvis!]

> "Well, of course. But I'm not going to describe it somewhere that my opponents may read it tomorrow morning. Nothing against you, of course, I trust you understand."

>"Of course, of course," she says. "But surely there's something you can hint?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> What were our plans once we got up there, again? Before this whole contest thing.

[It's Purvis!]

> What were our plans once we got up there, again? Before this whole contest thing.

>You haven't mapped a route out yet. You ought to do it that once it's properly dark. Past that, once you got up there, you were largely just going to putter around a bit? You haven't wholly decided; you figured that would come once you charted a course and saw what was really up there.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Frown a bit.
> "Okay, honestly, I don't have it down yet. That was tonight's plan once it gets dark."

[It's Purvis!]

> Frown a bit.
> "Okay, honestly, I don't have it down yet. That was tonight's plan once it gets dark."

>She gives a nod and a smile, every inch of her nonjudgmental. Whether than is genuine or not is difficult to determine.
>"What challenges do you anticipate having to face," she says. "Aside from possible mechanical issues?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Hmm. Well, the unknown is always its own challenge. There could be just about anything up there. For all I know, there's an evil space version of myself out there somewhere. Beyond that, it seems like the Scarlet Devil Mansion has been planning their own launch for quite some time, so I have to consider what their side's negotiations regarding this competition imply about their strengths. I think everyone knows Patchouli in particular would never fly blind into something like this. I'm also still working on enlisting a co-pilot or two; so far I have one request being considered by the person I asked, and one, uh...idea shot down by an acquaintance of the person I intended to ask, let's say. So the longer that takes, the less time I have to organize with whoever is coming with me."

[It's Purvis!]

> "Hmm. Well, the unknown is always its own challenge. There could be just about anything up there. For all I know, there's an evil space version of myself out there somewhere. Beyond that, it seems like the Scarlet Devil Mansion has been planning their own launch for quite some time, so I have to consider what their side's negotiations regarding this competition imply about their strengths. I think everyone knows Patchouli in particular would never fly blind into something like this. I'm also still working on enlisting a co-pilot or two; so far I have one request being considered by the person I asked, and one, uh...idea shot down by an acquaintance of the person I intended to ask, let's say. So the longer that takes, the less time I have to organize with whoever is coming with me."

>"Ah, how fascinating," she says. "Who is being considered?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "The outstanding consideration is someone here in this village. The declination is someone outside this village that, from what I understand, has been to space before. I don't really want to say much more than that, partially because I don't want to risk pressuring them by putting their names out in public, and partially because I would rather not get hounded by requests to join me. Like, one of the co-pilot considerations I need to make is whether or not we can tolerate each other's presence in closed quarters for days at a time, and a bad combination of personalities could easily lead to disaster."

[It's Purvis!]

> "The outstanding consideration is someone here in this village. The declination is someone outside this village that, from what I understand, has been to space before. I don't really want to say much more than that, partially because I don't want to risk pressuring them by putting their names out in public, and partially because I would rather not get hounded by requests to join me. Like, one of the co-pilot considerations I need to make is whether or not we can tolerate each other's presence in closed quarters for days at a time, and a bad combination of personalities could easily lead to disaster."

>"Ah, that makes sense," says Aya. "I'd love to know who they are, but your concerns do make sense. Hm, what can you tell me about your competition?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "They clearly have a lot of confidence in themselves, and given who seemed to be specifically involved with the project, I'm sure they know what they're doing and have their own well-thought-out plans. That being said, I might have accidentally triggered a little bit of unrest while we negotiated contest details, which could give me a little bit of an extra edge. Not that I actively wish in-fighting on them, of course, or that I'm counting on inner turmoil as a bonus, but still. Their construction seemed to be happening outside when I visited; you might be able to see their work from the air."

[It's Purvis!]

> "They clearly have a lot of confidence in themselves, and given who seemed to be specifically involved with the project, I'm sure they know what they're doing and have their own well-thought-out plans. That being said, I might have accidentally triggered a little bit of unrest while we negotiated contest details, which could give me a little bit of an extra edge. Not that I actively wish in-fighting on them, of course, or that I'm counting on inner turmoil as a bonus, but still. Their construction seemed to be happening outside when I visited; you might be able to see their work from the air."

>Aya chuckles. "Oh, they would hate if I did that. We'll see~ And you can't say something like that and not expect a follow up question."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Well...again, without naming names, I asked about the possibility of bringing one of their more notable residents on as an assistant for some time if I were to win. The individual in question objected to the idea, but others were fine with it."
> Frown a bit.
> "Things...got a little tense, and not in a fun way."