Minor Existence Quest

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Consider how valuable our silk would to the seamstress

>If it would be valuable head to the seamstress

>You consider the worth of your silk...
>It would probably be valuable. It's tougher than normal silk, while still retaining it's smooth texture and appealing colour. Because it's so tough, you could probably make it in some covert armour that look like regular clothes.
>That's assuming that the Seamstress accepts silk given to them by a Youkai. Most of the other humans have been accepting, but some humans might be different.

>You decide to take the risk and head to the Seamstress.
>You open the door to the Seamstress' Shop and see a young woman with white hair in a grey yukata, she notices you as you walk in and looks at you.
>"Hello-oh, I don't get Youkai often. What's your business here?" She seems to be inspecting some clothes already.
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"Hello, I was hoping to sell some of my silk."

>If she is amicable then summon a familiar
->Have it make some silk for her

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"Hello, I was hoping to sell some of my silk."

>"Okay, but I don't see a container with you..."

>If she is amicable then summon a familiar
->Have it make some silk for her

>"Ah, I was wondering, you're a Moth Youkai, right? A Silkworm Moth."
>"This silk, it looks regular. But since it came from a Youkai's Familiar I'm going to have to test it a bit to see if it's a suitable material. Is that okay? It should not take very long. Afterwards we can discuss selling prices." Well that sounds like discrimination, but you can see where she's coming from.
>"It once decomposed because of my ability, so it's probably fine."
>"That proves nothing, magical and innate abilities may cause objects to act differently than normal. And how do I know this isn't just a Youkai teaming up with fairies to prank me? No, I'm doing the tests and then discussing prices." She seems naturally sceptical, or distrustful.
>"Okay sheesh, lady."
>_?

[Philosopher]

>Are we a silkworm moth?

>Give a polite nod
>"Of course."
>"I would like to find out what you discover."

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Are we a silkworm moth?

>It's the closest animal that fits you, that's for sure. This is pretty much confirmed by you creating that silk and your overall colour scheme. As far as you know, that's your species.
>Also...

Note: Bombyx Mori is the scientific name for Silkworm Moths:

>Bombyx Mori: Level 2
>>This represents the development of your nature as a Silkworm Moth, you may have abilities related to them. This grows as you experiment with it.

>But you could be a different Youkai that looks like a Slikworm Moth. Not sure what fits that description though...

>Give a polite nod
>"Of course."
>"I would like to find out what you discover."

>"Huh, you're patient. I'm sorry that I snapped at all of you, you're all going to make great business partners if this goes well."
>The Seamstress gets some scissors and attempts to cut the silk from the Familiar, with the expected result. You wonder how many times people are going to try to cut your silk and fail, it is starting to get funny.
>She seems undeterred, and goes into a different room mumbling all the while "I should've prepared some boiling water."
>She returns shortly with a bucket of water. She scoops up some water using a cup and douses the silk, then pulls on it. It breaks apart easily.
>"Silk loses some of its strength when wet. This is also one of the tests to see if it still acts a bit like regular silk." That's something to keep note of.
>She performs a group of tests. Durability, colour, and actually sewing some small robes using it.

>"Okay, the silk is a suitable fabric for sewing clothes and accessories. In fact, it's perfect. Durable and therefore hard to damage, still easy to sew with, and a willing source of the material is right in front of me. Not to mention since it's so tough, the clothes that you make with it can practically double as armour."
>She then pulls out a decently sized box. "I can accept a box of silk for about 400 Mon, within reason. You can't just give me 10 boxes and expect me to pay back instantly, we're not made of money."
>"So, current trade offer is 400 Mon for a box. Is this good for you, or do you want to haggle?" The seamstress smiles playfully "I'll have to warn you though, haggling is my specialty."
>"Regardless, I'm going to give all of you some test robes, it's your silk so you should have it."
>The seamstress gives you, Worm in Red, and Black Apple a Youkai-Silk Robe.
>>Youkai-Silk Robe: A robe made out of your silk, it's so tough you can reasonably use it as armour.
>_?

[Philosopher]

//I didn't realize that.

>Give a playful smile and raise your hands in mock defeat
>"I'm still 100 years too early to face a pro."

>Have our familiar fill the box with silk
>"How fast do you think it will sell?"

>Admire our new clothes
>These are the first articles of clothing outside of what we were born with, correct?
>Feel the texture and get a sense of the weight

>"This is excellent craftsmanship."

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

//I didn't realize that.

>Give a playful smile and raise your hands in mock defeat
>"I'm still 100 years too early to face a pro."

>"Ah well, I'll get you next time, Silkworm."
>"What? Moth-Lady, you can't just give up like this! You have to rise up to challenges or else how will you-"
>"Stop it, Apple. If she's more experienced then we can't help it. Also, I'm pretty sure she's joking."

>Have our familiar fill the box with silk
>"How fast do you think it will sell?"

>You have the Familiar fill the box with silk. While you do, you notice something. This is a bit draining... (-500 Hunger)
>It seems that producing large amounts of silk eats into your Power, but considering that you just need a small meal to recover you should be fine making more.
>"Once I make more clothing with this, it should get a great amount of interest, for multiple reasons."
>"The Human Village guards will be very interested in this, tough yet easy to move in, and beautiful to look at. Youkai that often visit the village may want it for vanity or armour. Not to mention, this is one of the few times that a Youkai and a Human have worked together on something so innocuous like clothing, I bet the Myouren Temple will love this, considering how much its leader preaches about peace between Humans and Youkai."

>Admire our new clothes
>These are the first articles of clothing outside of what we were born with, correct?
>Feel the texture and get a sense of the weight

>You examine your new clothes. This is the first piece of clothing you've ever had apart from what you currently wear.
>It still has the same silvery white colour of your silk, and is smooth to touch, it's very light but you know it's tough to break. This Seamstress did a good job.

>"This is excellent craftsmanship."

>"Thank you. To be honest, this isn't my best possible work. This is simply a Test piece I made in a hurry, so I could make something better later."
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"We were just having some fun, Apple."


>Our eyes open wide with surprise
>"It sounds like there will a big demand."
>"When do you think you will need more silk?"

>Glance at the fabric
>"I'd love to see your final product."

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"We were just having some fun, Apple."


>Our eyes open wide with surprise
>"It sounds like there will a big demand."
>"When do you think you will need more silk?"

>"Yep, that's what I think, anyway. I could charge a premium for this considering how many people are going to want it when I make actual products."
>"I'll probably need more silk in about five days, but you can come back anytime. Despite what I'm saying, it might take awhile for this to pick up steam, I don't have marketing abilities or a reliable way of getting news out like the Tengu."

>Glance at the fabric
>"I'd love to see your final product."

>"Thanks, it is good to get feedback on my work, even if it's just compliments."

>The Seamstress blushes. "U-uh, my name is Kawa. Like I said before, you can come back whenever you want, Silkworm, i-it would be great if you did! It gets lonely here sometimes. Damn it, why am I asking a Youkai for companionship?! And why am I suddenly so nervous?!"
>"It sounds like you're nervous in social situations." Wow, Worm really just hit the nail on the head.
>"No crap I am!" Kawa sighs "I'm sorry for making this emotional, I just don't get a lot of people here. I wonder why?"
>Worm looks disappointed. "Maybe it's because you don't even have a sign saying that this is Seamstress' Shop?" She really does not filter her words, does she?.
>"Eh, that might be a part of it." Kawa says nervously.
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"I'd be happy to come back and visit."

> Wave your arms
>"Oh, no.  There's no reason to apologize."

>"How did you become a seamstress?"

//I suck at social

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"I'd be happy to come back and visit."

> Wave your arms
>"Oh, no.  There's no reason to apologize."

>"Uh, thanks."

>"How did you become a seamstress?"

//I suck at social

#Don't worry I suck too.

>At this question Kawa stares at the ceiling wistfully. Oh boy, looks like she's going to give her dramatic backstory to you...
>"As you may know, a land outside of Gensokyo, the Outside World exists. A long time ago, my family passed through the Border of Common Sense and was lost in Eastern Paradise. We made it to the Human Village and to repay them for giving us shelter we gave them our talents, sewing. Ever since then, my family have all been Seamsters and Seamstresses, passing down our techniques to help the Human Village."

>Worm thinks for a few seconds, then sighs. "So, your family passed through the Hakurei Border, made it to the Human Village and then became Seamsters and Seamstresses. Why make it so long and dramatic?"
>Kawa flounders a bit. "I'm sorry that I don't have an incredible backstory! I'm just a Seamstress! Besides, most other people in Gensokyo and those Suzunaan Books get some cool abilities when they're a part of a family with this kind of tradition and backstory! Why don't I have cool Sewing powers?!"
>"How do you know you don't? I only found out about my decomposition ability by experimenting."
>"Maybe, but there aren't many outstanding full humans, all I know of are the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, that lying witch, and the Moriya Shrine Maiden."
>"Who knows, maybe you have outstanding potential."

>Worm perks up. "Wait, back a bit. You said 'Suzunaan Books', what kind of books do they sell?"
>"Books from the outside world, mainly. Some of them are familiar to me but some others use this weird dialect of Japanese I don't understand. They also have these Daemon Books that no-one but the Bookkeeper can read, I wonder why she keeps them if no-one's going to buy them."
>Apple smiles smugly. "Why ask, Worm? Thinking of 'appropriating' more books?"
>"I just like reading, okay!"

[Philosopher]

>"Getting to the human village was an impressive feat."


>"Maybe you have an ability and it is very subtle or something you haven't considered."

>"I didn't think I could make silk until Apple and Worm suggested trying."

>"It is an ability caterpillars have that moths lose."

//I imagine a little Sanae whispering in Silkworm's ear, "You need to


>"I am going to split the mon between the three of us."
>"We can go over later and get some books."

//I imagine a little Sanae whispering in Silkworm's ear, "Don't be held back by common sense."

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"Getting to the human village was an impressive feat."

>"Eh, I've heard other outsiders get in. Though I guess not getting eaten was a real feat."

>"Maybe you have an ability and it is very subtle or something you haven't considered."

>"I didn't think I could make silk until Apple and Worm suggested trying."

>"It is an ability caterpillars have that moths lose."

>"That is true. Then again, Purifier, I don't think moths or caterpillars have the ability to eat Misfortune either, you're definitely not normal."
>"Huh, eating Misfortune? I've heard of weirder stuff. Did you know that some places consider Misfortune and Impurity to be the same thing, Silkworm?"
>"Maybe my ability is a bit minor. I should experiment when I have free time, maybe I'll discover something."

>"I am going to split the mon between the three of us."
>"We can go over later and get some books."

//I imagine a little Sanae whispering in Silkworm's ear, "Don't be held back by common sense."

>"Wait that reminds me! I forgot to give you the money!"
>Kawa gives you 400 Mon
>Mon: A denomination of currency, 4 Mon is enough to buy Dango at least.
>"Thank you, Purifier! You really are spoiling me."
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"I never heard about misfortune and impurity being the same thing."

>Realize that that explains why the misfortune was killing the plants

>"Are there any places you recommend in the village?"

>Time until we need to meet Keine

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"I never heard about misfortune and impurity being the same thing."

>Realize that that explains why the misfortune was killing the plants

>Yes that's it. Misfortune is similar to Impurity, it taints it's surroundings and causes adverse negative reactions, as if a penance from the Heavens. It might also cause organisms like plants to die off.
>Wait that means you can eat Impurity! This is getting crazy, you really aren't normal!

>"Are there any places you recommend in the village?"

>Time until we need to meet Keine

>"Sorry, Silkworm, I don't get out often. There's Suzunaan which I already talked about, maybe the Myouren Temple but I don't know much about it."
>It's around 4:00 PM, so 2 Hours.
>You could probably visit one or two places before cutting it close.
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"Thanks, Kawa"

>"I'll visit you again soon, take care."
>Give a little wave

>Step outside
>Split 200 mon between Apple and Worm


>"Let's go to the warehouse."
>"I don't want to risk being late."

>Head to the warehouse

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"Thanks, Kawa"

>"I'll visit you again soon, take care."
>Give a little wave

>Kawa waves back at you. "Thanks and bye, Silkworm! Good luck! I hope to see you again soon!"

>Step outside
>Split 200 mon between Apple and Worm

>You split 200 Mon between your fairy companions
>Worm in Red gains 100 Mon, Black Apple gains 100 Mon
>They both act ecstatic "Yeah! Now we have our own personal money!"
>"Apple, let's make sure not to spend it frivolously."

>"Let's go to the warehouse."
>"I don't want to risk being late."

>Head to the warehouse

>"It is getting close to the time we agreed to meet that poor schoolteacher."
>You head to the Warehouse, following the map. It seems to be on the outskirts of the village.

>When you make it there you can definitely realise the abandoned nature of the warehouse.
>The place looks like no-ones been around for almost a decade, the door seems to have been smashed open, even the roof is slightly cracked.
>Apple looks stunned "...Are we sure there's a place to clean ourselves here?!"
>"It's what the Schoolteacher, Keine, said. We can only trust her word. And besides, the Kappa wouldn't make something that doesn't work because of a bit of damage."
>"If you say so, Worm."
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"Yeah, it probably just looks rough."

>Summon some familiars
>Have them try to seal the cracks with silk

>"That should help."

>Do we know any magic that could help prepare a warm bath?

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"Yeah, it probably just looks rough."

>Summon some familiars
>Have them try to seal the cracks with silk

>You summon some Familiars and have them fly to the roof.
>Thankfully the cracks are small enough that you can cover them all with a non-taxing amount of silk.

>"That should help."

>Do we know any magic that could help prepare a warm bath?

>No. You guess that Water or Fire/Heat magic would help, but you aren't proficient in that and you don't think Worm or Apple are either.

[Philosopher]

>Send some familiars to fetch wood
>Have the rest eat the dust and cobwebs.


>"Let's see what we have to work with girls."
>Explore the warehouse
>Look for where the three of us can bathe

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Send some familiars to fetch wood
>Have the rest eat the dust and cobwebs.

>You have the familiars search for some wood in the surroundings, and send the others to eat dust and cobwebs.

>"Let's see what we have to work with girls."
>Explore the warehouse
>Look for where the three of us can bathe

>"A-alright."
>You and the fairies explore the warehouse. Apple is clinging onto you like a lost child, is she scared?
>You look around the Warehouse and see a lot of pipes, tubes, network antenna and other knick-knacks that you can only identify as electronics.
>"I can't believe the Kappa would just leave all this here. From what I've read about them, they would most likely gather their stuff and sell it in a market at a discounted price."

>You eventually find a room, not far from what you think are bedrooms, that looks like a bathroom.
>It has a bath tub, some towels, and a machine with a nozzle. Except it has no tubes connecting to it.
>You notice your moth familiars returning to you. They're carrying some wooden logs in a net of silk, about four of them.
You got 4 wooden logs, you can use them as fuel.
>You also got the feedback on the moths gorging themselves on dust and cobwebs. These kinds of things, like dust and cobwebs, are unfortunately tasteless, but they still fill you a bit. (+300 Hunger)
>"Okay, we found a place to bathe, and fuel. But there's a problem..." Worm starts blushing.
>_?

[Philosopher]

>Stare upward in thought

>"I forgot about undergarments."
>"Do either of you know how to sew?"

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Stare upward in thought

>"I forgot about undergarments."
>"Do either of you know how to sew?"

>"No, unfortunately. Never really had the resources to learn how."
>Apple looks at you two confusedly. "Why are both of you so hung up on this? We have nothing to hide, and it's not like one of us has a crush on the other."
>Worm's face turns as red as her dress. "Why would you even suggest such an idea?!"
>"Oh, have I touched a nerve, Worm?" Apple sure acts smug often.
>But she does have a point, you could just bathe together and swallow your shame for a moment. Then never speak of this again.
>Unless you can think of a different solution to the problem.
>"We could just take turns! Yes, turns! So none of us have to see anything uncouth!"
>"But that's slower."
>"I-I would prefer that to the alternative!"
>_?

[Philosopher]

>Don't tell them you thought Apple was embarrassed at wearing dirty underwear

>Say the following if the bathtub is big enough to separate
>"I could make a curtain to separate the bathtub to give you privacy."

>"You could bathe first then Apple and I could bathe together after."

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Don't tell them you thought Apple was embarrassed at wearing dirty underwear

>Oh, that's what she was nervous about. You think dirty underwear would be more pressing than potential immodesty.

>Say the following if the bathtub is big enough to separate
>"I could make a curtain to separate the bathtub to give you privacy."

>"You could bathe first then Apple and I could bathe together after."

>Thankfully the bath tub is large enough for multiple people even if you separate it. Makes you wonder: did the Kappa take group bath sessions in here?
>"O-okay, I can agree with that. Apple?" Worm seems to have calmed down a bit at the suggestion.
>"Yeah, I'm fine with it. A good mix of efficiency and speed."
>_?

[Philosopher]

>Have some familiars make a silk curtain to separate the bath

>Actually that gives you an idea
>Have one of the moths try add properties of wood to a piece of silk
>See if that worked

>Setup the bath
>Is this our first bath?

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Have some familiars make a silk curtain to separate the bath

>You have familiars make a silk curtain partition to separate the bath.

>Actually that gives you an idea
>Have one of the moths try add properties of wood to a piece of silk
>See if that worked

>You try to have one of the moths add the properties of wood to silk.
>You tried a lot of things. Different orders, thinking of the concept of wood, trying to manipulate it so it's similar to wood, but you get nowhere.
>You're stumped, nothing worked and the silk is the same as it normally is.

>Setup the bath
>Is this our first bath?

>You grab the nozzle and turn some knobs on the machine it was next to.
>"Wait, but there no-"
>Water comes out of the nozzle in a jet, even though there's no tubes or pipes connecting to it. You use this to fill the bath tub.
>"Huh, must be some kind of water magic. There could be some options on the machine for heat..."
>While saying this, Worm reaches towards the machine and turns a red knob.
>You can feel the water getting hotter, it seems that some of these knobs manipulate an aspect of the water or the nozzle.

>Your first bath in a specialised facility. All your other baths were in a river or a lake. You just had the Great Youkai Forest as a home.
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"Oh, wow."
>Run our hand through the water
>"I never imagined a bath this luxurious."

>Setup the curtain if isn't already

>Get undressed then get in the water
>Let out content sighs as we sink in the water
>"Oooh, this could be addictive."


>"Have either of you had such a nice bath before?"

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"Oh, wow."
>Run our hand through the water
>"I never imagined a bath this luxurious."

>Setup the curtain if isn't already

>While doing the finishing touches on the curtain, Worm pitches in.
>"Me too. From what I've read about the Kappa, I thought they would be a bit more utilitarian."
>The curtain is thick enough that you would only see the shadow of the person on the other side.

>Get undressed then get in the water
>Let out content sighs as we sink in the water
>"Oooh, this could be addictive."

>As you get undressed, Worm immediately covers and averts her eyes. As if protecting her purity.
>You step in the bath tub then allow yourself to sink into the water. You then make a sigh of content.
>This really is relaxing. When you took a bath in the rivers or lakes you did it just to keep a modicum of hygiene. But this, you would bath in here just to relax your muscles and stay.
>The fairies eventually get undressed as well and join in. Apple joins your side of the curtain while Worm goes to the other.

>"Have either of you had such a nice bath before?"

>Apple looks like she's in bliss "Nope. we usually just took some water, bathed in a lake or river. This is a big upgrade!"
>You hear Worm from the other side "Wait, didn't we usually bath in the same river that the Curse Goddess Hina gets her dolls from?"
>Apple panics a bit "Oh no! Have we been bathing in Misfortune for the past 50 years?!"
>"Well we haven't tripped over our own feet, so we must be okay. And Hina took our Misfortune after that problem the Purifier saved us from."
>"Speaking of that problem: Moth-Lady, why did you help us? It's not like you could get anything out of a couple of fairies."
>_?

[Philosopher]

>Give a nervous laugh
>"It isn't very noble, but I wanted become famous."
>"But after helping, after having a positive impact it stopped being about fame."