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

[X] Memory modification can be tricky, but Patchouli ought to be able to pull it off. Suggest they talk to her about it.
-[X] Then see your sister:
--[X] Ask her about Loki, in case there's anything she knows about it.
--[X] Give her the option to discuss the "something I want to talk to you about" "after your friends have returned to Mid-Childa".
--[X] Ask what she meant about Nanoha's linker core.
--[X] Ask her about your visiting the Human Village with everyone else.


You nod and slowly swing your head from side to side, trying to think of things they could try, but only one real option comes to mind, and eventually you look back at them. "Mm. I don't think anything I can think of will help," you begin, and Vita snorts derisively, drawing black looks from both Nanoha and Fate. Chastened and looking somewhat hurt, she hunches her shoulders defensively and takes the tribble out of a pocket. "Nothing I can do, but … Patchouli might be able to do something. She should be able to alter your memories so you don't remember that." All three of them stiffen, and Nanoha and Fate look sternly at you.

"Changing our memories?" You nod at Fate.

"It's tricky, but she should be able to do it. If you're considering it, I really think you should ask her about it, because she can explain better than I can what she can do and how she does it." Nanoha frowns thoughtfully.

"I have two questions, Flandre-chan. First … can your sister alter memories as well?" You look her in the eyes and nod. She presses her lips together for a moment before nodding back. "And second … why are you suggesting this?" You take a breath.

"Because I can't think of anything else, and also because this way you can get the best of both worlds. No matter how Patchouli does her magic, memory alteration won't change things you write down. So, because this is a major decision, and because the stress of having to be responsible for that decision being made at all is being put on you three because of your responsibilities, I want you to have your memories altered so you don't remember it and therefore aren't stressed and worried. However, if you write down your thoughts and suspicions, there is a record of why your memories were altered - one that you can safely hand over without being aware of its importance and therefore won't feel stress over." You pause, wondering if you should press some more, and shrug. "You are my guests, and something has happened that is distressing you. There isn't much I can do to help, but I can try pointing toward something that might be able to help more." Nanoha watches you for a moment before smiling a little and nodding.

"Thank you, Flandre-chan. Do you think Patchouli-chan is busy right now?" You cock your head to the side as you think; she came out to watch the duel, and she made it snow, so she probably doesn't have any large-scale projects. She'll have some small projects, of course - she always does - but something that would interfere with helping Nanoha, or at least speaking with her. You slowly shake your head.

"Would you like me to come with you? Or are you going to think it over a bit first?" Nanoha's smile grows a little and she bows her head.

"We'll think about it and talk some more. Thank you again, Flandre-chan." Fate nods in agreement, and even Vita grudgingly meets your eyes before nodding once. You hop off the pedestal, replacing the helmet, and curtsy.

"Then I will leave you to your deliberations. Good luck." You fly away, swiftly but not rapidly, and try to figure out where your next target will be. There are just so many places … but you might as well start from the top. Maybe you'll see that weird thing again, and it can show you where she is. When you knock, however, nothing happens, and when you gingerly try the door it opens easily. The red lights are dimmed to nearly nothing, and the patio is blockaded, but of course you're able to see easily. "Remilia? Are you here?" You wait for a moment, listening - and, faintly, you hear a yawning breath. You freeze, suddenly unsure if you want to wake up your sister, but a sleepy voice calls out to you, and you sigh quietly.

"Flandre?" You float through the suite to Remilia's sleeping room and find her sitting up in her bed, yawning and rubbing her eye. She smiles at you when you enter. "Ah, I did hear you. Hehe. Is something wrong?" You titter quietly and walk over to a bureau, and after taking the brush sitting on top you float onto the bed behind Remilia and start brushing out her messy hair. It's not necessary, of course, but it is relaxing.

"Mm. Not really, I think, but there are some things I wanted your advice on," you keep your voice conversational, so of course she chuckles. You take out Loki with your left hand and hold it over her shoulder. "First would be Loki. It still works fine, no problems or anything, but Juliet said it was … changing. From a Storage Device to a Unison Device, like Agito, which apparently shouldn't be possible." Remilia takes the Device from your hand and carefully turns it over, examining it closely.

"A Unison Device, you said? It's missing the most important part if that's the case. But, no, I didn't have anything to do with this … although I probably can speed up the process. I'm pretty sure I know what happened and what the end result is supposed to be." You pause in mid-stroke and lean to the side, curious and a little annoyed by your sister's theatrics. It's fine most of the time, but this is fairly serious, and you have a few other questions to go through. After a few seconds, she sighs. "… I'm sorry, Flandre. It's … well, calling it a Unison Device is wrong, but it is the closest comparison they would have. Deis would probably recognize what's going on, too, although she'd have to work a lot harder to figure it out. It's a phylactery of sorts, and when it's finished it will be able to hold a soul. Temporarily, probably, if only for lack of power. And I'm not sure Headless will be able to use it, for the same reason I've never been able to separate her from you." You sit back, stunned by the revelation - and you feel Headless similarly numbed.

"A … but … how? And Headless didn't do anything to it, so …." Remilia nods and disentangles the brush before half-turning to face you.

"Not with intent, no. Possibly not even consciously. But even corrupted, that was a Grail, a wish-granting device. It doesn't create miracles, but Headless knows her connection with you, and she knows Deis's prison a bit. If you, say, consumed some fragment of the Grail, and it managed to decipher a thought of Headless's as desiring a separate form, it could have tried making something for her use based on her own knowledge. But that Juliet is a master craftsman, and Loki is as stubborn as you are. If I speed up the process, I can probably complete it in a few days, but Loki may lose some functionality. I can also halt the process," she says, and Headless begs you wordlessly not to ask for that.

"N-No, um -."

"And I can try to make sure that it's equally useable, but that will probably be a few weeks yet. Or we can do nothing but observe, in which case I am unsure what will happen." Your mouth works for a moment before Remilia smiles, shakes her head, and leans forward to give you a hug. "Don't rush into a decision, my dear sister. We have time." You nod and return her embrace. After you pull apart, she stretches and flops onto her back, a dress appearing in her hands. "So, you had something else you wanted to ask, right?" You nod slowly before shaking your head to clear it.

"Um, that … you said you wanted to talk to me about something important …." You trail off as you realize that Remilia looks very uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, if you don't want to …." Her wingtips flutter anxiously and she looks away.

"It's … can we please wait until things are settled, Flandre?" She sounds nervous, almost scared, and you nod quickly. "It's not that I don't want to, but … it will take a lot of time, and it will be easier to deal with once things are more settled." You nod again, more slowly, taking in the fact that whatever she wants to talk about seems to be scaring her. You quickly shut down that line of thought before it can get too advanced - if it scares her, it'll probably scare you, and that won't do for taking care of your guests and friends. Instead - another topic.

"Then - Nanoha. You said something about healing her if she fought Yuuka, or something?" Remilia's manner returns to normal, and then her mouth twists unhappily.

"I'm not going to heal her anytime soon; that is only necessary if she plans on fighting world-ending threats again, and there shouldn't be any she'll need to deal with. It's not worth it. But if she had been allowed to fight Yuuka, she would have needed to be at the peak of her ability. And that would mean a Nanoha that isn't scarred and weakened. The simplest method to do that would be to steal a linker core of hers from a distinct timeline and overlay it over hers, let it burn out to overcharge her. Swapping is too finicky, a grand illusion much too costly. - Was she upset?" You nod.

"I suggested they see Patchouli, talk to her about memory modification, but …." Remilia shakes her head along with you.

"They're unlikely to choose that method; none of them know how to run. Pache, though … I'm not sure what she would tell them. The truth, probably, but that's such a varied subject that it's not worth speculating over." You sigh unhappily and slump forward; Remilia gathers you close with one wing.

"She also said they wanted to get things settled by tonight …." Remilia nods and leans into you, shoulder to shoulder. "Um, do you think I could visit the Human Village with everyone tomorrow?" Remilia chuckles and sighs.

"You could - but under restriction. Reimu would have to be there, and you'd have to visibly not a threat - probably covered in those silly amulets of hers." She makes a face and you smile - wouldn't that be a sight! "She wouldn't be happy about that, though. You could also go along with them in bat form, pretending that you're just a monitoring device and that 'you' are with me. The big problem with that idea is that any of the youkai who have someone watching might figure out the deception, and while it's not likely, that could have consequences of some kind." She sighs and shakes her head. "I should also let you know that while Homura has asked to go the Hakurei Shrine and so will be coming with us, along with Madoka, she has also refused to enter the Human Village. Madoka will probably stay with her in the carriage as well, so if you decide to stay away from the village, it won't be just the two of us." You nod and start to respond, but Remilia hugs you tightly. "Whatever you choose, dearest Flandre, I will try to help. But right now you should rest. Take time to calm your thoughts and collect yourself." You nod slowly.


What do you do?

[ ] Ask to take a nap here.

[ ] Take a nap in your room.

[ ] You'll be fine without a nap.
- [ ] Go see Homura.
- - [ ] Try convincing her to go to the village.

[ ] Other?

[X] Ask to take a nap here.


"Um, do you mind if I sleep here? With you?" Her eyes widen slightly in surprise, but she smiles warmly and nods.

"Of course, Flandre. Wherever you wish." She leans forward, the barest hint of a bow in her posture, and you throw your arms around her, squeezing her tightly. She returns the hug, folding her wings around you, cocooning the two of you in warm darkness, and pulls you down. Your own wings slither down, hooking around her knees and drawing them closer to you as her wings expand, fully enveloping the two of you in their leathery embrace. She giggles. "Hey! No tickling!" You rub your cheek against hers and squeeze again, and she brushes her hands along your back. You let yourself drift off as your sister murmurs soothingly in your ear.

---

Voices awaken you, and you frown until you remember your situation. "Uwah! Wh-wh-what is -?" Satsuki?

"Milady and Lady Flandre are sleeping, and we must wake them up. Come." And that's Sakuya. Your eyes flicker toward your sister's face, but in the perfect darkness of her shrouding wings, you can't see anything. Nothing to do but wait, you suppose. "Now, put your hands under the edge of her wing - yes, like that. Now, lift firmly and smoothly, without moving too quickly." Remilia groans in her sleep as her right wing is lifted away from you, allowing the red light of her room into the cocoon. You glance at Satsuki, and she blushes, nearly dropping Remilia's wing.

"Gghh! Flandre, stop hogging the covers!" Remilia burrows into you, apparently still asleep, and you pat her head gently as Satsuki's blush deepens and she tries to look away.

"Good, now fold it back - no, like this." Sakuya steps into your field of view and deftly takes the wing from Satsuki, folding it back until it hangs limply instead of trying to cover the two of you. She looks at you, and her eyes twinkle just once before her expression solidifies into a perfectly elegant mask. "Now, make sure Lady Flandre is awake." Satsuki's mouth works helplessly for a moment as your eyes move to follow her, but then she swallows nervously, screws her eyes shut, and takes a deep breath.

"F-Flandre-sama! Um, it - it's time to get up!" You stir sleepily, playing along.

"Eehh. What is it?" Sakuya steps closer to you and gently shakes Remilia's shoulder.

"Milady, it is time to wake up."

"U-um, it's time to eat, F-Flandre-sama! And since it's a s-special day, you have to get ready!" You consider the response you get - you're not sure what the 'special day' is, but Satsuki is doing quite well, so you nod and carefully disengage yourself from your sister's embrace, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before flopping against Satsuki as if you really were still half-asleep.

"Come, Milady, wake up. Lady Flandre is already getting ready for tonight's meal." Remilia keeps playing around, burrowing into her other wing and making silly noises - but with you out of the way, it's a simple matter for Sakuya to simply scoop her up and carry her toward the bathing room. Satsuki watches them nervously until you clear your throat meaningfully. Sakuya does so like doing this, so you might as well go along with it ….

"Um, right this way, Flandre-sama," Satsuki says, blushing nervously, and guides you after them, although she stiffens fearfully as she sees Sakuya undressing Remilia. You pat her arm gently.

"Just my hair, Satsuki." She looks down at you and you smile reassuringly. She nods back and leads you to the edge of the pool. Remilia, now fully aware, grumps at Sakuya as you get ready for Satsuki to wash your hair.

"What's all this about?" You sigh contentedly and smile up at Satsuki; she returns it nervously as she works.

"Of course, we are officially recognizing the presence of guests in the mansion, Milady. As you instructed, we shall have a semiformal meal and proper introductions for everyone." You shake your head quickly, startling Satsuki as she starts to dry your hair, and grin mischievously at her. Finally relaxed a little, she shakes her head with a smile and continues working, then retrieves two very similar dresses and holds them up for your inspection. You make a show of examining them, then pick the darker one - it's a little less formal than the other. Satsuki helps you into it, and after you spend a few more minutes waiting for Remilia to let Sakuya help her, the four of you make your way down to the dining hall. You nudge Satsuki and wink when she looks down at you.

"Good job, Satsuki." She blushes, looking uncomfortable, but after a moment she nods.

"Thank you, Flandre-sama. Um …." You smile and shake your head.

"Very rarely. It's more for appearance's sake than for any necessity - our magic cleans us better than any soap can, after all." She sighs, relieved, and you pat her arm gently.

The dining hall has been refurbished slightly, and you nod approvingly at the fairy maids standing against the walls, waiting for their particular duties to be fulfilled. Ilya and Lulu, sitting next to each other, share a look as you enter alongside your sister, and Deis's eyes gleam brightly as well. Remilia sits at the head of the trapezoidal table, with you on her right and Patchouli on her left. Koakuma, Deis, and Illyasviel follow from Patchouli, while Lulu, Ilya, and Agito are on your side. Sitting along the 'base' of the table are Nanoha, Fate, Vita, Megane, Zest, Homura, Madoka, Sayaka, Kyouko, and Mami, and you frown slightly - you didn't get the chance to see Tohsaka off after all. It's not such a big deal, and you did already tell her good-bye, but you kind of wish you hadn't forgotten about her before going to sleep. Oh, well ….

The meal goes, if not perfectly, then without any problems. Remilia, of course, keeps a series of conversations running - the weather, clothing, maids, the odds of everyone in the mansion spontaneously transforming into maids (cat ears and tail optional), gazebos and the mansion's gazebo defense network, and architecture. Once the main meal is done, desserts are brought out: chocolates, hot chocolate, cakes, cookies, tea, mint candies, and ice cream. Mami holds Kyouko's collar as the red-headed girl licks her lips hungrily, and even Homura seems to have a few pieces she desires.

"I am sure everyone has met each other informally, but I would like to be sure that everyone knows who each other is, so I would appreciate it if everyone would introduce themselves to the rest of the table."


What do you do?

[ ] Introduce a topic for discussion.
- [ ] Ask Homura if she wants to visit the Human Village tomorrow with everyone else.

[ ] Skip to after dinner.
- [ ] Play some music.
- - [ ] Piano performance.
- - [ ] Piano/Violin with your sister.
- [ ] Play some games with everyone.

[ ] Skip to the trip tomorrow.
- [ ] Go to the Human Village.
- - [ ] Bat form; risky, but you won't be bothering Reimu.
- - [ ] As yourself.
- [ ] Stay in the carriage with Remilia.

[ ] Other?

[X] Skip to after dinner.
- [X] Play some music.
- - [X] Piano/Violin with your sister.


Naturally, Remilia begins, modestly describing herself only as your sister and a collector; you discreetly stick your tongue out at her before briefly explaining yourself - mostly to Homura's companions, as everyone else has met you - and then let Patchouli speak. After the magician describes herself as a librarian and magician, the speakers snake around the table: Koakuma, Ilya, Lulu, Illyasviel, Deis, Agito, then Mami, Kyouko, Sayaka, Madoka, Homura, Zest, Megane, Vita, Fate, and finally Nanoha. Madoka, it seems, is the only one incapable of magic, although you notice Homura looking rather ill while her friend speaks. Remilia doesn't do anything - nothing you see, anyway - so there shouldn't be any problems. Once introductions are over, Remilia reminds everyone that tomorrow will be the visit to the Human Village and the Hakurei Shrine; Madoka, Homura, Ilya, Lulu, Agito, and the Mid-Childans will be going, along with you, Remilia, and Sakuya, who will be there primarily to serve as another guide in addition to Keine Kamishirasawa and Fujiwara no Mokou. When she creates illusions of them, you recognize them as the ones who got into a fight with the Lunarians during the party.

… If you do go, maybe you should ask them what happened. It's honestly rather surprising they weren't thrown out, considering what could have happened.

As she sits down, you shuffle your chair closer to the corner and lean toward her. "Remilia, can we play for them?" Her eyes widen - it's been ages since you played together, especially for anyone - but she smiles and nods. You clap your hands excitedly and bounce to your feet. "Everyone, Remilia and I will be playing some music for you. If you will please follow Sakuya to the ballroom - yes, you may bring snacks." Mami gives Kyouko a scathing look that the other girl ignores as she piles treats on a small plate, and you slip around the corner to stand by Remilia.

"A ballroom? Your room has better acoustics." You nod.

"Yes, but it's also out of the way, and there aren't many good places to sit. Do you want to use a set, or should we just instruments from up here?" Remilia looks down at the table expressionlessly before shrugging and looking at Patchouli. The magician is the only other person still sitting, and she meets your eyes before looking back at your sister.

"Using one of your collected pieces might make people more inclined to take your 'collecting' seriously, if they haven't already seen your galleries. However, your sets make much better music. It's what they were made for, isn't it?" Somehow, it seems that your sister was expecting Patchouli to just say 'make some for the moment,' or something similar, and she gives the magician a short glare before sighing. She traces a circle on the table with her finger, and you start to worry - did you make a mistake? Should you suggest a minor creation before she takes any longer? But she shakes her head and stands up.

"The … I suppose we may as well go with the red set. If you don't mind retrieving them, Pache?" The magician smiles and bows, and Remilia takes your hand and walks you out of the room; as your arms link together you lean against her shoulder, only pulling away when the two of you enter the ballroom. Everyone is already seated at the tables, the lighting is dim but not dark, and - your instruments arrive, floating through soap-bubble holes in the air. You abandon your dignified approach and run to the piano, running your hands over the lacquer-work and inhaling deeply before sitting at the bench. You run the piano through a simple warm-up as Remilia approaches the stand with the violin. She picks it up gingerly, almost apprehensively, and runs her hands along its body before kissing her fingers and tracing them along the strings. As you finish warming up the piano she takes up the bow, smiling at the golden hairs as she tightens it to usability. She takes up the instrument and closes her eyes as she performs her own warm-up, testing each string on its own. Finally nodding in satisfaction, she looks at you, and you smile.

"Of course, we have to start with that. You created it, after all." Remilia bows over her violin and stands ready to play, waiting for you to begin.

You set your fingers on the keys. The music comes out as you remember it, as you've played it, and imagined it. The initial melancholy, the surge of playful violence tempered slightly by the restraining violin. The piano sliding into the background, letting the violin twist the listeners' perceptions, peeking through to let them know that, yes, you're still here. Then the violin falls back to the supporting role once more, slinging darts past the rampage of the piano until the final crescendo, a two-minute assault by the twining and supporting instruments. And then the music stops, leaving the room in silence, and you turn to grin at your sister. She smiles back, bows her head - and your guests applaud the performance, although you can see that some of them were more affected by the music than others.

"Devil's Trill," Remilia whispers, grinning, and you nod. It's much more of a showcase of the violinist than a true duet, but it's quite fun and spritely, and you follow it up with Danse Macabre, a much more even duet, and - since you don't want to take up too much of your guests' time, finish up with Pachelbel's Canon in D. You stand up and move toward Remilia as she sets the violin back on the stand, and you curtsy together as everyone applauds.

"Thank you for listening, everyone!" You wave, then dash toward Ilya and Lulu, hugging them tightly. Remilia approaches the other tables more sedately and starts talking to the Mid-Childans - and you note that Nanoha and the others don't seem bothered by her presence - well, Vita doesn't look any more bothered than usual, anyway - so they seem to have solved their problem somehow. You pull away from your friends, gesturing for them to follow as you move to Homura's table. Sayaka stares at you, amazed, and even Kyouko looks impressed. "Did you all enjoy it?" Madoka nods before looking at Homura.

"Indeed; your playing even made Kyouko stop eating for a short while," Mami says, and the red-head's face matches her hair for a moment.

"I liked it, too," Homura says quietly, interrupting Kyouko's rebuttal, and she smiles at you - a brittle smile, cautious and weak, but as far as you can tell … genuine. You nod determinedly.

"Good. If you have any requests while you're here, I'd be glad to try playing them for you." She shakes her head, smile fading, but her eyes don't quite match the expressionlessness of the rest of her face; she just can't smile anymore, rather than being irritated.


What do you do?

[ ] Try to get them to play a game or two with you, Ilya, and Lulu.
- [ ] Puzzle games.
- [ ] Riddles.
- [ ] Hide and Seek and other physical games.

[ ] Skip to the trip.
- [ ] Go to the Human Village.
- - [ ] Bat form; risky, but you won't be bothering Reimu.
- - [ ] As yourself.
- [ ] Stay in the carriage with Remilia.

[ ] Other?