[LP CYOA] Spiral

[treave]

And have no taxable salaries or properties inside of Japan. Sometimes it pays to be a criminal.

That you know of. Haunted hospitals tend to be a pretty costly expense anyway.

 

[Baltika9]

Properties that our oyabun asked us to watch over don't count.

 

[treave]

Shinoseki is a Gentleman of Responsibility.

 

[Baltika9]

Of course, that's why we still have all of our parts attached.

 

[treave]

Hm, sorry, I miscalculated. Considering where I need to place the next choice, there isn't enough material for a full update at the moment. Since talking to the book is leading by far, I'll be closing the previous votes and putting out the follow-up choices for the conversation here. You can vote on it for 24 hours, and we will then move on to the actual update in about 24 hours:

***

Having decided to spend some time talking to Amanozaki, you think that you should ask her about...

(Pick two)

I. Her background, which you have heard a bit about in a previous night.

II. Her glasses. Why does she wear the glasses?

III. Her knowledge of this hospital.

IV. Her capabilities, in greater detail.

V. Her opinion on what your objective should be.

VI. Her opinion on the other people in the room.

VII. Her opinion of you.

VIII. Her preference in men: serious or easy-going?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

The last half of the options scream "WARNING" at me.

So, I, III

 

[Nevill]

Since talking to the book is leading by far

Eh?

You talk to:
E. Amanozaki.
F. Ei-chan.

Final tally:
E - 6
F - 2

Don't get me wrong, I would love to learn about Amanozaki's capabilities in greater detail and whether there are any others like her (and if she can hook us up with them, too).

Also, I want a choice to ask her to remove her limiters glasses!

 

[treave]

Huh, my bad, I misread my own list. Let me revise the choices a bit.

 

[Nevill]

Having decided to spend some time talking to Amanozaki

Awww, I was hoping it would read 'your little psychic', too.

Voting for any of those that have a chance to win:
I - I want the whole story. Hmmm, maybe we can pretend to be a psychic, too, while we recite the elements she told us about earlier. Would be hilarious.
II - Cast off the shackles of your false persona! Unleash the Power of Awesome! The occultists are not nerds! Kansai-speaking, gum-chewing and ass-kicking sensitives are perfectly fine, too! Also, way cuter.
IV - Maybe she can do something Ei can't and that is why the book-chan is sulking.

 

[Kz3r0]

I
IV

 

[Azira]

VII
VIII

 

[Baltika9]

I II

 

[GreyViper]

You mean, something like:

A. "You wanted the book? Here you go. Catch!" You toss Ei at Kayano, and while she is distracted by the flying book, you run up and punch her in the face.

Somehow I imagined it would go down like this. And if did, Ni-San would be proud.


As for choices I and IV .

 

[Grimgravy]

IV, V

 

[treave]

Final tally:

I - 5
III - 1
IV - 4
V - 1
VII - 1
VIII - 1

I'd have thought II, VII or VIII would get a bigger following, but the ones you already know the answer to won out in the end.

 

[Nevill]

Is it too surprising, considering that out of 20+ people here we are only talking to maybe 4 or 5 we already got to know (all the more baffling considering we almost never skip a chance to talk), and to some of them we haven't spoken a single word?

Might as well be a character quirk at this point.

 

[treave]

Ah well, you might be right, I guess Shinoseki can't help being a shy guy.

 

[Rex Feral]

Wat? VII VIII

Come on gentlemen, be manly for once.

 

[Nevill]

Manly gentlemen do not fret over a woman's opinion on them. They already know they are awesome.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

They already know they are awesome.

I am confuse, what is awesome? The women, the opinions or the gentlemans?

 

[Rex Feral]

Manly gentlemen do not fret over a woman's opinion on them. They already know they are awesome.

It's not about getting the opinion out of her, of which we don't care. It's about insinuating ourselves near her and building attraction and rapport through these certain question that hint to...something more between us.

 

[Nevill]

I am confuse, what is awesome? The women, the opinions or the gentlemans?

Everything.

A manly gentleman is awesome by default.

If a woman's opinion of the said gentleman is not awesome, then she is stupid and has a poor taste. If a woman is not awesome, she may as well not exist as far the gentleman is concerned.

Either way, there is nothing to worry about.

It's about insinuating ourselves near her and building attraction and rapport through these certain question that hint to...something more between us.

We can feed her a story about how we really knew each other in our past lives and use the pre-existing information as proof of our soul kinship. Would be much more straightforward than a simple hint.

The pimping skill must have a greater applicability than just trying to get what kind of preferences in men women have!

 

[Rex Feral]

The pimping skill must have a greater applicability than just trying to get what king of preferences in men women have!

Well I work with what I get. And asking her opinion on ourself si better than asking a something we already know the answer to. Unless We're gonna use what we know in conversation which I doubt.

 

[Nevill]

We still haven't learned her real name.

 

[treave]

Knocker at the Door

You approach Amanozaki, who is sitting with her eyes closed and her legs crossed. The hem of her skirt is carelessly raised just enough that you would probably see something you were not meant to lay eyes on, if the lighting were just a bit brighter. Or even if you just focused a bit more, but you swiftly avert your eyes from the temptation.

“What is it, Chosen? Have you come to seek more wisdom?” intones the psychic in a deep, mystical voice as you stand before her.

“Oh, I… I just wanted to chat,” you say.

“You seek enlightenment… but what is the topic you seek to reveal?” Keeping up the act, she opens her eyes, staring at you with what she probably thinks is a mysterious and alluring look. It might work if not for the thick glasses obscuring her eyes, but as it is, she only achieves a comical effect.

You cannot help but chuckle, eliciting a frown from Amanozaki. “I’m sorry,” you say quickly, and plunge into the main question you wanted to ask her. “I just wanted to ask about yourself, where you came from, and all that.”

“Me? Oh my, oh my, you do not know of me? I am Amanozaki Touko… the most powerful spiritualist in the imperial capital of Tokyo, and the greatest psychic of the new millennium. My readings have earned me fame throughout Akihabara, and my services have been retained by some of the most influential and wealthy families in the country,” She flicks her hair arrogantly, smiling. “Well, now you know.”

“Oh… uh… that isn’t what I was asking about,” you say apologetically. “I was more interested in things like, well, your age, and where your hometown is.”

Another frown, as she recoils slightly. She does not seem to have been expecting that question. “Ah’m… I mean, I am ageless in spirit. Kukukuku…. such a question is foolish. But since you asked, I will answer in a way that your limited, mortal mind may comprehend. My spiritual form is nine thousand years old, but my physical form has been on this earth for not more than twenty years. As for my lineage, I descend from a long line of Edo priestesses, granting me the perfect vessel for spiritual power in this age.”

“Edo… Tokyo? You aren’t from the Kansai region?”

“Wh-What? What makes ya say that?” she yelps in surprise, her accent slipping for a bit. “The hell- I, I mean, there’s no way! I have never been there before. I do not even have family in Kyoto. How… how did you even come to such a conclusion? Are you a spy for the Organization!?” Amanozaki bites her thumb and begins muttering under her breath. You are only able to catch bits and pieces of her whispering: “Have I actually met this fella before… was he one of the bar’s patrons? Or a schoolmate? Oh, goshdangit…”

“I-I didn’t mean it seriously, Amanozaki-san.” You try to play it off with an awkward laugh as she stews in panic. “Don’t mind me. It was just a feeling.”

“Hmph.” She recovers her composure quickly and gives you a cold glare. “Do not trust your instincts too much, for they will be your downfall. Will that be all?”

“Well… I also wanted to ask about your capabilities.”

“Kukuku… now that is a more deserving question than the time waster you posed just now,” she grins, getting her mojo back. Then, she proceeds to launch into a lengthy explanation of her premonition (highly doubtful), the charms she sells (generic trinkets for success in love, academic, and financial matters), her talismans to ward off evil (fakes that barely work on the power of belief, insists Ei stridently) and how she is able to perceive the spiritual world more clearly than others thanks to her awakened third eye (from your memories of previous nights, rather unlikely), accompanying each point with anecdotes of her adventures as a spiritualist (probably exaggerated).

“…and as the Prime Minister invited me to…” she drones on, and you fidget.

Suddenly, a yell of surprise breaks the restless atmosphere. It is Murano, the security guard. He slaps at his forehead, as if to brush away something. “I-I think something bit me,” he mumbles self-consciously when he realizes every pair of eyes in the room is focused on him. As he lowers his hand, you see it: a tiny, black bruise, the size of a coin. At the same time, you notice Kozaka tugging at his collar uncomfortably, staring at Murano’s forehead, then down at his own neck.

“It… doesn’t look like a bug bite,” muses Sawada, peering closely at Murano’s bruise. “What do you think, Leader?”

You shake your head and say, cautiously, “It’s probably not a bug bite… it is something worse.” Your words cause the others to break out into a frenzy of worried muttering, and you raise your voice slightly to be heard. “We haven’t seen any bugs ever since we arrived here, so it is unlikely to be a bug bite. What we have seen, however, are… things that are hard to explain. With that in mind, we must-“

“Oh, come on, man, why do you have to say it like that? We’re already scared out of our minds!” shouts an upset Murano, interrupting you. “It’s something worse? How much worse is it? Am I going to die?”

“I… I don’t know,” you admit. “But it certainly means trouble.”

“Then you’re useless, aren’t you?” He grits his teeth angrily. You get the feeling that he might try to give you a good punch any moment now. Before you realize it, you are grounding your feet into a stable stance, your arms hanging ready by your side just in case he tries anything.

“Please calm down, Murano-san. Shinoseki-san is only trying to give us a realistic appraisal,” Sawada speaks up, trying to defend you.

“I might just be a kid, but I must say, that was too blunt of you, Shinoseki-san,” Sakimura chimes in.

“No delicacy at all,” lectures Kayano, a shadow of a smirk behind her words.

“I…” Shaking your head, you turn to Amanozaki. “I might not be able to help, but we have here the… ah, the greatest psychic of the new millennium. You have something that can help Murano-san out, right?”

“Oh. Oh, of course. Kukukuku… you did the right thing, passing this on to me,” she cackles. “Come, I have a relic that will prevent the mark on your head from darkening.” Amanozaki beckons to Murano, rummaging through her bag.

You do know it’s not going to work, right?

Ei seems almost gleeful, and you sigh. I should at least give them ease of mind, right?

After you wrecked it, Acchan? Oh, you are so devious!

Her admiring voice resonates in your mind, and you ask Ei: Do you know what it is?

Oh, as you said, it is trouble.

While Amanozaki works, you pace around the lounge again. You could probably set up a defensive ward around the place, but since you do not plan to stay here long, it would probably be a waste. You decide to leave things be for now. As your glance travels around the room, it falls on Kozaka, who seems to have gone a shade paler after hearing your words. Shiba doesn’t seem to have noticed him: she and Sakimura are looking at Amanozaki performing her ritual on Murano. Uehara’s head is buried in her knees, and you are unable to make out her expression.

As you wonder if you should call out to the boy, you hear something. A tap. The sound is coming from far outside the room, somewhere down the long corridor. It is followed by two more taps, in an arrhythmic way. Then, there is silence again, and you wonder if you imagined it.

Another tap is heard, a lot nearer this time. Tap. Tap. Tap. Three more, growing closer before stopping. Then, you realize that rather than a tap, it sounds more like a clack… like the clacking of high heels down a wooden hallway. This time, the sound attracts the attention of the others. They stop whatever they are doing, and as one, turn their eyes towards the door, their breaths held and their movements stilled.

And again, the footsteps sound out. Five steps this time, with no discernable rhythm, as if their owner were walking jerkily instead of at a steady, measured pace. The sound stops right in front of the door, that thin piece of wood between you and whoever – or whatever – it is that is currently in the hallway. You can feel the weight of the presence on the other side, a force that is causing a dull throbbing to invade your mind. You breathe in deeply and stiffen yourself to prevent your knees from buckling.

There is a knock on the door. Nobody moves, or responds.

“All… patients… are to return to… their rooms…” You are informed of this by a dry croak – a woman’s voice, hoarse and rattling and dead.

“We’re… we’re already in a room, aren’t we?” whispers the maid nervously.

A thought strikes you. You are in a room… but this isn’t a patient’s room.

“All… to return… patients… to their rooms…” There is another knock.

Then, the doorknob begins to turn.

***

A. You try and hold the door shut yourself. If you are the leader, you must be willing to put yourself in danger. Besides, you are not certain that they will listen to you anyway.

B. You order the others to hold the door shut. Staying back puts you in a better position to command, and will speed up the incantation of your spells if you are preparing to cast one.

C. You rush the door and open it yourself before it is opened. The element of surprise may be to your advantage here, and you might also be able to open up a path for the others to escape.

***

1. You begin chanting the barrier incantation as quickly as you can. It will definitely reveal your possession of the book to the others, and you will not finish before the door opens, but you have to try anyway.

2. You prepare the blood-stained exclusion barrier. There is no guarantee that whatever is on the other side is spiritual instead of physical.

3. You start the exorcism spell: you will go on the offensive from the start and hope to defeat the presence on the other side as fast as you can.

4. You don't use any spells - you don't feel comfortable revealing the book to the others yet.

***

D. You attempt to engage the presence in conversation. If it is talking to you, it is possible that you can reason with it. You might be able to find a diplomatic solution here, perhaps by agreeing to return to your ‘rooms’, wherever those are.