Flandre's Quest (Touhou) World - (Madness Quest)

[X] Tell her about what Remilia said.


You slow your eating, picking at your food, as you mull over the decision. After a few minutes, you nod to yourself. "Hey, Satsuki? You asked me if I thought that Tohno exists here, right?" Her face tightens and she puts her fork down. "My sister told me something, when we went back to Gensokyo from your world. She called the Tohnos 'half-breeds,' and she also said that Tohno Shiki was an adopted human. So … he might be here, but not as Tohno Shiki." Satsuki looks down at the table, and you wrap your wings around your chest protectively. After a long wait, she nods slowly.

"I … I wondered. So many other people were the same, and there was someone named 'Shiki', with the same spelling as Tohno-kun. But … I couldn't bring myself to look. I still don't want to look." You tilt your head curiously.

"You don't want to know?" She nods miserably.

"I … he wouldn't be Tohno-kun," she says quietly. Even if he looks like him, he'd be someone else. I … I didn't know what it was about him that made me like him. He was so gentle, but also scary, and because he was scary I was afraid to get close to him. Would - would Nanaya-san be gentle, too? Would he be as scary as Tohno-kun? Would he have Tohno-kun's … his fragile side?" A miserable smile spreads across her face, and she wipes tears from her eyes. "I … Tohno-kun was a wonderful killer, you know? I didn't realize it until after I changed, but he was always a step away from death. I think … I think he was almost as magnificent a killer as you, Flandre-sama." You blink, surprised, then scowl at Satsuki, but she just shakes her head, and her smile turns into a happier one. "I don't understand it very well. But …." Her smile fades again. "If we went back to the school and looked at Nanaya-san's picture, I'm sure we would see Tohno-kun's face." She falls silent and you carefully pull your wings away from your chest, folding them behind your back. Even with her magic, you've never understood how Remilia isn't discomforted by her wings, bulky things that they are.

"I still don't understand why you don't want to know if that's really him, though." She smiles self-deprecatingly.

"Because … because I want to believe that it's really him. I'm just fooling myself, but I want to believe that Tohno-kun is Nanaya-kun here, and that Yumizuka Satsuki here has the same feelings for him that I do for Tohno-kun. But … I'm afraid. I'm a coward, really. I don't want to know, because … because then I can't believe. I can't pretend." You nod slowly and look at the table for a while, then take another bite of your chicken. She's still so very human - wanting to believe, to come up with their own stories about the way things are … but deep down, there's also that part that wants to know. If she does end up coming back here and joining the Bureau, she'll want to know, and she'll make sure she finds out. She lets out a ragged breath and returns to her food as well, suddenly looking worn out. If you hadn't warned her … then she probably would have tried to find the boy, and might have gone to his house. And faced with that disappointment ….

"Do you still want to look around Misaki for a bit? We aren't on a schedule, after all." Satsuki finishes her food and slides the plate to the side of the table before responding.

"… I don't think so. I … I probably made a mistake coming here. I didn't learn anything, didn't … didn't find what I wanted to find …." She blinks back tears and wipes her eyes.

"You learned something, at least," you say, and she freezes. "You learned that this world is different from yours, and that the person you wanted to find, if he is here, is different. It's just not what you wanted to learn." She nods jerkily and shuts her eyes tightly, fighting to hold back tears, and you slide around the table to hug her tightly. "I'm sorry, Satsuki." She hugs you back, squeezing you tightly.

"It's not your fault, Flandre-sama." You hold her for a few minutes, until she pulls away slightly. She doesn't look like she's been crying … but you can't tell if that's a good thing.

"Do you want some dessert? Or should we find somewhere private?" She shakes her head numbly.

"Can … can we just go back to Amy's?" You nod and lean into her; she flinches at first, then struggles to control herself, and you hug her loosely

"There, there. It's okay, Satsuki. I understand." You hold her until she starts sliding out of the booth. The server bows as you leave and goes to clean up your table; it's the man at the door who stops you, albeit hesitantly.

"E-excuse me, Miss. Your receipt, and - the house copy must be signed …." Satsuki sags, and you pat her gently. Then you turn toward the man and give him a vicious glare. He pales and tries to back away, but you dart forward and snatch the receipts out of his hands. One you put into your pocket, the other you sign with a drawing pencil and shove into the man's chest. He looks like he's about to say something, so you snarl silently and snap your wings - just because he can't tell that they're there doesn't mean he doesn't hear them, and he tries to melt into the wall behind him. You turn away and open the door for Satsuki, nodding at a girl about Satsuki's age as you walk past her. She sees the receptionist and looks back at you, but you catch up with Satsuki and walk with her.

"… That wasn't a good thing, Flandre-sama." You nod and sigh.

"I know." You take out the receipt from your pocket and laugh. "I guess I kept the restaurant's copy. Oh, well." You look around before leaning into Satsuki as the two of you walk together. "… Do you want to take the train back, or fly?" She's quiet for a long time.

"The … the train, please, Flandre-sama." You nod, but a few steps later, Satsuki continues. "I … I want to go slower, so Amy's kids are asleep. I …." She trails off, but you think you know what it is.

The train ride is slightly more eventful than the ride in, but the girl staring at Satsuki finds something else to be interested in when you glare at her. Satsuki doesn't even seem to notice the looks she gets, or your responses to them. She doesn't even snap out of her mood when you start walking back to Amy's, disregarding the bus.

"I'm sorry, Flandre-sama. I'm making more work for you." You snort at her and reach up to poke her cheek, finally garnering a reaction.

"You're tired and unhappy, Satsuki. I might not be able to help with everything, but a master who doesn't care for her servants is no master. Besides, like I said before - I like you. You being unhappy doesn't make me happy."

When you get back to Amy's, you guide Satsuki around the house to the balcony, then carry her up to get inside. Then you scurry ahead of her and listen for voices, scowling to yourself - two children, two adults. Fate's here already. Satsuki gives you a curious look, but you just wave for her to follow you. She understands what your plan is only when you start running the bath. "Flandre-sama …." You nod.

"I'll get something to put some blood in so you can drink it when you want. Do you want any tea?" She tears up again and nods. "Green? Okay. Go on, relax. Cry if you want to. I'll be back in a few minutes." She nods and you slip outside. The bath isn't that noticeable, but you'd be surprised if Fate doesn't know you're here already. That means she wants to go back to Mid-Childa with you now. Haa~ ….


What do you do?

[ ] Go back to Mid-Childa as soon as Satsuki's bath is done.

[ ] Try to get Fate to let you stay one more day.
- [ ] Get Karel and Liera to help.
- [ ] Decide through combat, you against Fate.
- - [ ] See if Satsuki likes dogs.
- - [ ] See if Satsuki likes cats.

[ ] Other?

[X] Try to get Fate to let you stay one more day.
- [X] Get Karel and Liera to help.
- - [X] See if Satsuki likes dogs.


… Right. You're going to see if you can't wrangle one more visit out of Fate, and you're not stupid - much as you'd prefer to do so through some kind of fight, she probably wouldn't agree to that unless she believed she could beat you. No, what's called for is something a bit cleverer …. You slip away from the bathroom and sneak downstairs, heading not for the kitchen, but the living room, where you heard the voices, although you split your clones off and send them to get things ready for Satsuki. As you half-expected, Fate is already looking at you when you come down. Much more importantly, however, Amy's children notice you as well and wave enthusiastically.

"Fate, Amy, good evening. And have you two been good for your mother tonight?" Two beaming faces nod energetically.

"Yeah! We been good!"

"Uh-huh! Good!" Amy smiles.

"Good evening, Flandre," Fate responds, relaxing as the children rise to unsteady feet to trundle toward you instead of continuing to play with her hair. "Is Satsuki alright? We should be going back to Mid-Childa soon." You catch Karel and Liera as they stumble into you.

"She's taking a bath; tonight was a bit stressful for her, and I was kind of hoping to let her see something tomorrow evening before we go back." You don't really expect Fate to just agree, of course, and she doesn't let you down, sighing and shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Flandre, but I really should take you back tonight." You smile wickedly at her before masking your face with a mournful expression - she has just enough time to realize you're going to do something before you pull away from the children. They look up at you questioningly.

"Aw, did you two hear that? Fate wants me to leave you already." They stare in shock, then pout sullenly. "Now, now, don't be like that. I'm sure Fate has a good reason for wanting to take me away from you like this." Liera whirls away from you, almost tripping over her own feet. Karel pulls away and latches onto your left wing as if holding on for his life.

"No, no! Aunt Fate, don't take Fan away!" Fate's expression turns from irritation to surprise, but Amy chuckles and shakes her head.

"Yeah! Don' take Fan 'way!" Fate starts to sit up as Liera stumbles into her, and you see her determination start to crumble.

"Now, now, you two. Why don't we get you two ready for bed, hm? I'll sing you a lullaby -" Liera shakes her head violently.

"No! Wanna hear the pretty song!" Her brother nods eagerly, but Amy's expression turns from amusement to irritation even as Fate looks at her in confusion.

"Yeah! Pretty song!" You titter gently and tap Karel's nose.

"I can't sing that song in here anymore, remember? We promised your mother." His lips quiver and his eyes start to fill with tears.

"Well …." He and Liera turn to their mother at the sound of her voice. "I'm not going to let Flandre sing that song here, but maybe we could go somewhere tomorrow." Fate scowls even as her children squeal happily and rush toward her.

"Amy …." Amy's smile is quite evilly serene.

"Ah, I was going to meet Suzuka and Arisa this weekend, too. Imagine how disappointed they would be if I had to tell them that their dear friend didn't even want to see them on one of her rare visits home." Fate's expression of betrayal is positively delightful, and her mouth opens and closes soundlessly.

"Yay! Kitties!"

"Puppies, yay!" You look on with amusement as the two children scowl at each other, but before they can do anything else Amy pats their shoulders, reminding them of where they are and who else is present.

"Well, Fate?" After frowning at both you and Amy, Fate sighs helplessly and slumps down to the floor.

"Alright. I'll call and let everyone know we'll be one more night -" She's interrupted by the cheering twins, but levels a stern gaze toward you anyway. "But you're not pulling something like this again, Flandre." You nod.

"I know. And thank you, really. I do appreciate it." She tries to cover up her confusion, but you simply smile pleasantly at her. "I'll go make sure Satsuki's set, then I'll come back down, okay?" You look at her, waiting for her to actually release you, and after a few moments she finally nods. You curtsy and wave to the kids before slipping into the kitchen. That went very well, and you quietly sigh in relief. Now it's just time to finish getting things ready for Satsuki - and since your clones were so busy, that's no trouble at all. You put everything on a tray and carry it up to the bathroom.

"Come in," you hear in response to your knock, and you open the door with a wing. Satsuki looks up and starts to get out of the bath. "Ah, Flandre-sama -" You shake your head.

"Stay, stay. They're not as good as hands, but they're dextrous enough." You nudge the door mostly closed with your foot and walk over to the tub, setting the tray on a small folding table. Then you hand her the cup of tea. "Feel better?" She takes a sip and nods.

"I do, Flandre-sama. Thank you." She sinks back into the water, making sure not to let the bubbles get into her tea. "… Are we leaving soon?" You chuckle.

"Tomorrow. Everyone bullied Fate, so I guess we'll go see one of her friends tomorrow evening and leave after that." Satsuki blushes and you laugh again. "Anyway, I guess I should get your input on where we go. It seems that one has dogs and the other has cats, because one of the children was excited about the one and the other the other." Satsuki frowns and shrugs lightly.

"I … I don't know. I've never had any pets, or known anyone who has. Some stray animals in the streets, but I never got close to any of them." Hmm … you put your hands behind your back.

"Left or right?" She sits up a little and blinks at you, confused. "Left or right?" She smiles a bit and shrugs.

"Right?" You nod.

"Dogs it is, then. 'Cat' comes before 'dog', and 'left' comes before 'right', so by choosing 'right' you also chose 'dog'." She giggles and nods.

"Dogs it is, then …." She looks at the other cup you brought - larger, lidded, and insulated - and you nod before passing it to her. She takes a long drink and sighs happily. You lean over and kiss her forehead. She blinks, surprised, and you smile.

"I'll be downstairs, okay?"

"Alright … thank you, Flandre-sama." You grin and withdraw, heading back downstairs. As you hop onto the couch the twins clamber up next to you and tug on your arms.

"Puppies!"

"Kitties!" Amy walks in and hands Fate a cup of tea - the Enforcer looks almost as worn down as Satsuki does right now.

"Is Satsuki alright?" You nod.

"She's just a bit worn out, getting some things straight. Have we decided anything about where we're going?" The twins shout out their recommendations once again and tug on your arms. Amy shakes her head and you lift the twins up, moving them from your sides to your lap. "Well, Satsuki picked dogs if you just need a tie-breaker." Liera yells out in victory. Strangely, so does Karel. Fate sighs and looks at the clock.

"Well, it's not too late yet … probably." She hauls herself to her feet and walks over to the phone. "Let's see …. Ah, yes, hello. Yes, my apologies, Samejima-san. Is Arisa home? Thank you." She sighs in relief and shakes her head. Then she smiles. "Ah, Arisa! It's Fate -!" She jerks away from the phone, and you raise your eyebrows - whoever she's talking to is very upset about not being told what's going on and not being able to see her or Nanonha or Hayate and what's the deal with not being able to send a simple letter …. Fate looks … simultaneously happy and depressed.

"… Would you like me to talk to her?" She blinks and shakes her head.

"No, thank you." She takes a breath before raising the phone to her ear again. "Arisa? Are you busy tomorrow evening? Okay. Would it be alright if Amy and the kids came over with me? Well, yes. Two of my subordinates - you haven't met them, it's a very recent thing - are visiting - yes, Arisa. Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Thank you." She hangs up and stands still for a long moment - long enough for you to nudge the kids toward her, and they scamper forward to give her as big a hug as they can manage. "Oh, you two. We'll be going on a trip tomorrow to see my friend Arisa."

"And the puppies!" Fate smiles and nods.

"Yes, she's still keeping dogs. But good little children should be getting ready for bed by now, don't you think?" Karel and Liera obviously disagree, as they both think very hard about it, but Amy clears her throat.

"Karel, Liera." They give Fate another hug.

"Good night Aunt Fate," they chorus - then Liera runs to give you a hug, and Karel their mother, and then they switch. Then they scamper upstairs, and Amy sighs.

"Well, at least playing with the dogs should make them quiet tomorrow. And you are going to get some rest, young lady." Fate looks at Amy.

"I'm fine, Amy -" Amy obviously doesn't agree, because she strides forward and pulls Fate along with her toward the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Flan, but can you take care of things down here for a while?" You giggle as Fate stops struggling and goes along with Amy.

"I'll be fine. Sleep well!" You flop to the side and stretch out. Now, what to do tomorrow ….


What do you do?

[ ] Stay with Satsuki so she has company.

[ ] Stay with the kids.
- [ ] Keep them near Satsuki.
- [ ] Keep them away from Satsuki.

[ ] Fate said there's a piano here. Find it.

[ ] Get to know this Arisa person.

[ ] Other?