Seija Quest

[Tom]

> "Oh. Well, that answers that, I guess. Here."
> Pick the Princess up and place her on top of our head.

> You try and place her on your head but she protests, instead climbing to your shoulder.

> "It'll come back, just wait!"
> When you come back to the main room you notice the blue ghostly figure is gone, having left the book on the table where she sat.
> You're back in the Hakurei Shrine 1F

[Kilgamayan]

> "As long as you don't suddenly poof back to a bigger size while you're sitting there. Who was the blue lady that was in here earlier, anyway?"
> Examine the book in more detail.

[Tom]

> "As long as you don't suddenly poof back to a bigger size while you're sitting there. Who was the blue lady that was in here earlier, anyway?"
> Examine the book in more detail.

> The inchling thinks for a moment "Oh, that's lady Mima.  Quite a mysterious figure, she's Marisa's mentor and training partner.  She claims she used to live here twenty years ago but now lives with Marisa in the Forest of Magic"

> You pick up the book

> You're holding:
> Magical Tome (???): A foreign book with a magic circle on its cover.  Between each point of the magic circle are runic symbols you've never seen before.

> And examine it:
> It feels quite heavy, flipping it open to a random page reveals a drawing of a shimmering arrow in the middle of a device which consists of three rings of increasing size.  Various other arrows seem to indicate how rotating the various rings affect the shimmering arrow in the center.  Flipping to another page you see what Shinyoumaru once told you a "solar system" looks like, in the middle there's a big circle with lines extending outward and at various distances are other smaller circles on top of rings going around the central circle.  Upon trying to close the book you notice there's a unfinished spell card between the cover and front page.  You can't tell much about it in its unfinished state but it appears to be a group spell card, like what weaker Youkai or Fairies use sometimes to overpower stronger enemies.

> You're holding:
> Incomplete Spell Card (???): An unfinished spell card found in a Magical Tome, it appears to be a group spell card but that's all you can tell.

[Kilgamayan]

> "Neat."
> Pocket the incomplete spell card, then set the book back down.
> "Didn't realize the shrine maiden ever lived with anyone. Good to know."
> Hakurei Shrine Front Yard [W]

[Tom]

> "Neat."

> "It looks interesting indeed"

> Pocket the incomplete spell card, then set the book back down.

> "Uhh, it's probably important to her, are you sure you want to borrow it?  It wouldn't be hard for her to deduce who took it...  Besides miss Mima is a nice lady, even though she's really strong she's never mean to me and even shows me what various star formations at night are!"

> Hakurei Shrine Front Yard [W]

// Leaving the last action out since Shinmyoumaru raised an objection

[Kilgamayan]

> "Oh, you think it's hers? Given where it was, I figured she didn't know it was there."

[Tom]

> "Oh, you think it's hers? Given where it was, I figured she didn't know it was there."

> She laughs "Yeah the insulation's so bad around here I end up unintentionally eavesdropping on her conversations with Marisa."
> "Apparently she's working on some new spell card with Marisa that involves all sorts of astral calculations but that's all I know"

[Kilgamayan]

> "Huh. Well, shoot."
> Put the incomplete spell card back into the book where we found it.

[Tom]

> "Huh. Well, shoot."
> Put the incomplete spell card back into the book where we found it.

> You slip the card back into the book ... just in time as you hear the front door rattle before ghostly Mima phases through it.

> "Oh my?  Who might you be miss Youkai?"

> Shinyoumaru quickly responds before you have a chance to say anything "Oh this is Seija, and she's an old friend!"

> "I-I see...  Then I shall introduce myself too then!  I'm the Evil Spirit Mima!  Tremble at my might for I shall rule this world one day with my magic of complete darkness capable of summoning the very essence of evil!"
> You swear the room got momentarily darker during that completely over-the-top introduction

> "Now that that's our of the way tell me Youkai, what is it that brings you here?  Surely you didn't come here just to see the inchling princess, and believe me I know your ulterior motive!  The competition of course, you think you can outsmart everyone in Gensokyo and cause an 'unsolvable' incident!"

[Kilgamayan]

> Shrug.
> "Honestly, I didn't know about that until just before I got here. Spotted it in a tengu rag just at the top of your steps."

[Tom]

> Shrug.
> "Honestly, I didn't know about that until just before I got here. Spotted it in a tengu rag just at the top of your steps."

> "Interesting...  Well I assume now that you know about it you intend to participate though?"

[Kilgamayan]

> "We'll see. If I can think of something I'm confident would win, then probably."

[Tom]

> "We'll see. If I can think of something I'm confident would win, then probably."

> "I'd like to know more details about this 'competition', like if I cause an incident with Marisa do we each have our wishes fulfilled?  Or do we have to both decide on one?  If you didn't notice the newspaper article seemed intentionally vague..."

[Kilgamayan]

> "Yeah. I mostly noticed it didn't say who was in charge."

[Tom]

> "Yeah. I mostly noticed it didn't say who was in charge."

> "Indeed, it was written in such a way so that most people reading it would be fixated on the prize, instead of questioning the meaning behind it.  What I don't understand is what those running this contest have to gain?  Like in the times I've caused an incident I was always trying to accomplish something, like reminding everyone who the Evil Spirit Mima is by striking fear into Gensokyo!  This just seems meaningless as the only one profiting would be the winning incident's culprit by having their wish granted."

> "Anyways what I'm hinting at is there must be some ulterior motive, and that's what I intend to find out by whatever means necessary..."

[Kilgamayan]

> "Maybe there's a hint in there somewhere? Like, what are the 'ten desires' that got mentioned? Pretty sure I don't have exactly ten desires, at least."

[Tom]

> "Maybe there's a hint in there somewhere? Like, what are the 'ten desires' that got mentioned? Pretty sure I don't have exactly ten desires, at least."

> "It might mean you get ten of your desires fulfilled?  Or you're given a choice of ten and you have to pick one?"

[Kilgamayan]

> Frown a bit.
> "Hmph. It does seem awfully suspicious. Makes me wonder if it's worth pursuing at all...I'm not really interested in putting my neck on the line just for someone else's amusement."

[Tom]

> Frown a bit.
> "Hmph. It does seem awfully suspicious. Makes me wonder if it's worth pursuing at all...I'm not really interested in putting my neck on the line just for someone else's amusement."

> "I'm certain we'll be finding out more about it tonight, the article *did* mention gathering at the Hakurei Shrine Grounds after all.  It'll be interesting to see who comes, and weather they came for the contest or festival...  though we've no way of telling how honest they'll be about it"

[Kilgamayan]

> "Of course. I don't even know how honest you're being about it."
> Wink with a grin.
> "And you don't know how honest I'm being about it."

[Tom]

> "Of course. I don't even know how honest you're being about it."
> Wink with a grin.
> "And you don't know how honest I'm being about it."

> She also grins
> "Exactly, and you're pretty sharp for a Youkai I haven't heard much about.  I don't think the contest starting on the day of the festival was a coincidence either...  The festival is a perfect excuse, there's no way of knowing who came for what reason.  We can only make assumptions based on who usually attends but we can't be certain."

> She thinks for a moment
> "Whoever organized this didn't want us to know who's planning to participate.."

[Kilgamayan]

> "I guess everyone will know more tonight."

[Tom]

> "I guess everyone will know more tonight."

> She nods in agreement

> She was about to say something when Marisa runs through the door and yells "Reimu I'm done~" before noticing you three

> "Oh, Lady Mima have you figured anything out about the doll Reimu found today?  I've had a look at it myself and don't think it's Alice's but I'd like to ask her myself when she arrives"

> After a moment of thought Mima magically slides the door shut with a wave and makes a sign to be quiet
> In lower tone "I know you trust Alice very much Marisa..."
> "But you can't discount the possibility she's found out about the competition right?  And if that's true then this doll might be part of her scheme thus explaining why it's made to look different, as it'd be incredibly obvious if she used a regular doll.  You of all people should know her desires..."

> Marisa is thinking with a conflicted look

[Kilgamayan]

> Glance at Shinmyoumaru, then look back to the other two.
> "...We'll let you do your thing in private. C'mon, Princess."
> Hakurei Shrine Front Yard [W] (closing the door behind us)

[Tom]

> Glance at Shinmyoumaru, then look back to the other two.
> "...We'll let you do your thing in private. C'mon, Princess."

> They nod in unison
> Shinyoumaru whispers in your ear "I was getting a little tired too"

> Hakurei Shrine Front Yard [W] (closing the door behind us)

> You exit the front door of the shrine and slide the door shut behind you.
> You're now in the Hakurei Shrine Front Yard facing West, specifically behind the donation box on the front porch.

> Sitting on top of the donation box you notice the doll Marisa must have been talking about.
> You notice all the chairs and tables have been set up with a few bottles and bowls of snacks on each table.
> Reimu is out by the shrine's gate discussing something with a new unfamiliar figure.

[Kilgamayan]

> Head toward the shrine maiden, examining the new figure in the process.

[Tom]

> Head toward the shrine maiden, examining the new figure in the process.

> You slowly head over towards the new figure, as you get closer you immediately notice some kind of phantom circling around her but neither of them seem alarmed by this fact.  She also appears to be holding a small sword and has another giant one sheathed behind her back.

> They're deep in conversation and haven't noticed you.

[Kilgamayan]

> Tilt toward Shin and lower our volume.
> "Who's that?"

[Tom]

> Tilt toward Shin and lower our volume.
> "Who's that?"

> She whispers back "That's miss Youmu and she's somehow half a ghost.  It might not seem like it but she's a really really good cook!"

[Kilgamayan]

> How curvaceous is this half-ghost person?
> "Huh. Maybe that gets us out of cooking duty?"