Part 127: Cafu NPC Chatter 1

Welcome back!



Yeah, the hidden ninja village has a problem with outsiders. Go figure.

: Rapp, have you lost your senses or something? I won't complain, since this is all your doing. You've always helped looks after others, ever since you were little. But now you say you like these short-eared types you've brought here. What's the matter with you?

: They're not with the tower guys.

: Besides, these guys don't seem too smart, do they?

Jerk.

: Well, Rapp, if you say so, it's OK with me.



: Hey, are you saying my guests can't come into my village?

: Rapp, even you remember the tragedy that befell us when the laws of this village were not upheld? Rapp, why do you think we have these laws? Do you want another tragedy to occur?

Never Forget (to be a horrible racist).

Anyway, there's a little pathway behind the inn that leads to another area.



I'm sure it's just an artifact of the way the choice menu is programmed to require a portrait, but I love that there are two portraits of Justin when he's talking to himself here.



Pretty view, though.

Next up, let's see what the inn has to offer.



: Hmph! Look, if I clear it with my grandpa, you can't complain, right? Let's hurry over to my grandpa's.

We are, however, allowed to save and use the Stashing Place, so that's... nice... of them.



The shopkeeper guy, though, is more than happy to deal with outsiders.



Technically, this kid appears at the entrance once you leave the map and re-enter, whether from the Home Tree Plaza, or the shop or inn or whatever.

: Hey, where did you people come from? Huh? Why'd you come here? Huh? And how'd you get here?

: Heh heh heh. Slow down, I can't answer so many questions at once.

: OK. So, how did you get here? Did you come over here on a ship maybe?

: I've been on a real big ship. It's called a Steamer. That was pretty awesome.

: Really? Wow! That's cool! Yeah, I wanna ride on a big ship too someday. Wow! Awesome! I wanna hear more from the outsiders!



Uh-oh, guys, I think we've hit Peak Spirit.

: Grow houses?

: Sure, just look over there. In Cafu, we grow fruit till they're big, and then we live in them. For ages, we Cafunians have been growing our houses however we like. It's so convenient! But recently, the fruit has not been growing well. This never happened to us before. I think it must be because of those people in the tower. We could always rely on the fruit growing well when we were protected by the Spirits.



That's one hell of an innuendo, there.

: Yeah, and there were some pretty good Nepp weeds, so I left some of those for her, too. She used to like them, didn't she?

Oh.

: I remember that right, eh? Hmph! I guess we're about even. Next time, maybe you can go polish my petrified old man.

: Sure, but you head out to the Petrified Forest much more often than I do. You take care of your folks' stones and everyone else's. You're really a rather kind young man, aren't you?

: Aaw, come on now, you're embarrassing me. Stop it. OK, please. Don't shoot your mouth off to those guys.

: OK, all right. I know.



: You haven't forgotten how the Petrified Forest came to be, have you?

: I would never forget that!

: These guys have nothing to do with that. We owe them. They saved Nicky.

: If outsiders wouldn't have come, the whole Petrified Forest tragedy would not have happened. That is why I cannot agree to allow ANY outsiders into our village.

: Creeps! You sure are a thick-headed old fool!



: Is that you? Yeah...? Wow! But you don't look so strong. Hey Rapp, is he really a good fighter?

: He doesn't look like it, but he's a pretty skillful dude.

: Hmm... if Rapp says so, then you must be strong. Oh, I just love strong guys. Hee hee. Hello there! ♥

: Huh? Oh, uh... hello to you, too!

: Eeeek! Who is that woman behind you? Is she your girlfriend? Are you taken? Hmph! I thought I'd found a guy who's as strong as Rapp, but cuter!



: And we're still living the same way, even though our forest was changed into the Petrified Forest. If this is nature's intention, then Cafu is doomed. In this new village, no one has been turned to stone lately. But if this village goes the same way as the Petrified Forest, we will soon have no place to live.



: The Cafunians and Lainians have been feuding for ages. It's an endless quarrel. But how could we be expected to get along with a bunch of bar-bell brains, anyway? And now they're trying to make fools of us. Are we supposed to fight their women...?

: Hmm, you're right. I've never seen anyone fight a man from Laine.

: This is so aggravating! Those women, they look awfully strong. But since the Lainians are all brawn and no brains, we can beat them for sure with our clever strategies.



: Heh heh. I'm blushing already. It makes my ears itch.

: No doubt your parents would be very happy and proud, if only they had lived to see this. Rapp has always been quite a mischief-maker. He used to cause trouble all over the village. Ho ha ha!

: Hee hee. Seems like Jusitn and Rapp have a lot in common, eh?

: Ha ha! I guess you're right. There weren't many days when I didn't get into some kind of trouble.

: Ha ha ha! Oh, you too, huh?

: It seems like Rapps's guests are also some rather naught brags. Ha ha! In that case, you're even more welcome!

: Since we're not kids anymore, you oughta stop calling us naughty brats.



: It must be because the Spirits were angered when the short-eared people built that tower.

: Look, that's too complicated for me.

: The simple fact is that they aren't being allowed in.

: If this village loses the Spirits' protection, it'll get turned to stone too, and we'll all die.



: But those people we saw in the tower... I don't know what they were up to, but if they come here, it'll be trouble. As villages and forests get turned to stone, we'll have to escape and come here. So can we trust these outsiders? I'm sorry for Rapp, but I just don't trust them. How could I possibly trust them?



: I'm waiting till my house is ready. In another six months or so, this fruit is going to be a splendid house. I mean, just look at the color and gloss on that fruit! It'll make one fine house indeed! I can hardly wait! Heh heh... I can finally get married to my girlfriend! With a magnificent, sturdy house like this one'll be, we can live together here forever. Oh, I wish it would grow faster. I can't wait! I can't wait!



Yyyep, that's all this guy says.



: Idiot! You gotta do more than just try. You gotta learn to move more quickly.

: You gotta quickly approach your enemy and then get him with one blow!

: That's the only way to do it.

: Take him down quickly, with one blow. Yeah, that way looks real cool, too. OK, time to practice!



Come to think of it, Nicky can do the ninja vanish teleport thing. How'd he ever get grabbed by Trent, anyway?

: Hey, Justin, are you guys going to be in Cafu for a while?

: You guys should see how skillful Rapp is. He's awesome! Rapp is the village's best swordsman!

This sounds impressive, until you remember that he has, like, seven levels of sword. On account of Cafunians preferring shurikens.

: When I look at Nicky, I get reminded of Sue.

: Nicky's real devoted to Rapp, eh?

: I dunno, Sue definitely didn't have the hero worship thing going like Nicky does. Also, she never would have gotten ambushed by a tree.

: Ahem.



: Huh? The houses here in Cafu look just like plants.

: "Look like"? Hey, they are plants! We all live in big fruits that we've hollowed out. The houses should be able to wobble a little, so they can rock us to sleep.

: Yeah, but don't they get blown around a lot when it's windy? I think I'd get motion sickness.

: If you take care of it every day, it'll grow into a very nice house.



: me of my parents and my loneliness. I wonder if maybe this is all a dream. Maybe, when I awake in the morning, my mother will say "Good morning" in her cheerful way. I still can't believe that my mother's been turned to stone. It's dangerous, so I shouldn't go, but maybe I'll go see my mother. If my mother gets turned back, she'll be sad if I'm not there beside her.



: The forest and Spirits have protected this village, and we'll die if we lose the Spirits' protection. But we've lost this protection by letting outsiders come and go. That is why we now have a Petrified Forest. The Spirits are gone and the forest is petrified. It's because lawless outsiders built that tower.

There's always much more chatting going on when we first get to a village. Next up is the interiors, and then we can get started on the people who have new things to say as the plot progresses.