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

[X] Go see Remilia right now.


You look up at your sister's tower for a long moment, then back at the magician, and slowly shake your head. Her expression turns to irritation, then resignation. "Sakuya," you say, and the maid appears next to you. "I'm going up to see Remilia. Please start lunch without us." She bows and Patchouli sighs before returning to her landscaping. You consider just flying up to your sister's balcony, but there's no need to worry everyone else, so you simply head toward the front door.

"Is everything alright?" Ilya asks after you get inside, with Lulu waiting attentively nearby. You smile and nod at your friends.

"Yes, no need to worry. I'll probably be late to lunch, though, so make sure you eat properly, okay?" Lulu nods, and Ilya grins mischievously.

"Yes, I'll make sure Lulu doesn't just eat all the honey on the table." Lulu turns red and draws her shoulders up, but deflates into a messy pout when Ilya starts giggling. You wrap your arms around both of them, and tousle Lulu's hair before bopping Ilya's nose, and take a look around the entry hall: Kyouko is showing off her new acquisition to Sayaka and Mami, Illyasviel is standing to the side of the door leading to the closest dining hall, wearing her maid uniform and looking very uncomfortable between Sella and Leysritt, and Nanoha looks like she's delivering a somewhat stern lecture to Vita. After nodding once more to your friends, you slip out of the entry hall and head up to your sister's suite.

The hallways near her rooms feel even more desolate and empty than normal, and when you reach the door you encounter that strange girl once more. This time, however, she isn't alone - over a dozen unmoving girls perch in various places in the antechamber-like end of the hall. Two sit crosslegged on the wall to your right, one huddles in an upper corner, two stand on the underside of a tiny end table, and a small horde plasters itself against the doors, sitting, standing, kneeling, lying down. You stare at them for a long moment - and then they're gone and you're free to open the door and enter your sister's suite.

It's dark, of course, the doors to the balcony blocked and the multiple layers of shades before and behind likely closed. You take a few steps in, then turn and walk confidently through the suite, following the thin trail of blood. It's not quite infuriating - of course Remilia would place herself between Patchouli and harm, just like you would for Lulu or Ilya - but it's still aggravating, that despite her power and preparations, she still let your sister be hurt. You open the door to an inner chamber. "Remilia?" After a few seconds, she rises to her feet and walks hesitantly toward you. You hurry toward her, but recoil when she flinches, and tears fill her eyes at the hurt expression that must be on your face. You shake your head as she starts trying to wipe her eyes and resume your advance more slowly. "It's okay, Remilia. It's just that Patchouli didn't say anything about you being hurt, only that you were resting, so I was surprised. That's all." A fairly transparent lie, but not wholly untrue - the ugly inflammation over her heart is surprising - and Remilia nods helplessly and starts stumbling forward again, wings hanging uselessly from her back. You hurry up to her, ignoring her reaction this time, and pull her close, hugging her with arms and wings, and after a moment her own weak arms slither around your waist and she buries her face against your shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she whimpers, almost inaudible and unintelligible, and you shake your head.

"Uh-uh. I'm sorry." Instead of responding verbally, however, she simply burrows her face further into your shoulder and tries to pull you closer. You start to worry, your mind racing through the possibilities for her reaction - but, of course, it has to come back to the Jewel Sword and whatever it brought back. Something that scared her even before it was released, and that could destroy half of Gensokyo …. She shakes her head.

"N-no. There … there wasn't anything in there." You frown - there was something - and she lurches back, teary eyes wild with fear. "There wasn't anything! Nothing! Nothing!" Shaking, terrified, she stares blankly forward, and you nod before drawing her back into your embrace.

"There wasn't anything in there." Remilia stiffens, shudders, then wraps her arms around you as tightly as she can and sobs miserably.

---

You stay with Remilia through the rest of the day, and then through the night as well. Only after midnight, when she finally falls asleep, do you start trying to think about what might have been within the Jewel Sword. Eventually you come to the conclusion that it must have been some kind of possessing entity, and that Remilia and Patchouli were able to defeat it by trapping it within Remilia and destroying most of her to purge it. That would explain her fear and weakness, as well as the possibility for it to destroy half of Gensokyo - if it took control of either you or Remilia without anyone being prepared for it, that would be the likely result.

"Flandre? Are you awake?" You blink your eyes open and look into your sister's kind red eyes, and she smiles as you lean forward to hug her. "I guess we'd better get ready for breakfast." You stick your tongue out.

"Is it even dawn yet?" The door swings open, and you see the early-morning light stream through the unobstructed balcony. Remilia giggles at your pouting expression and sits up, pulling you up next to her. "Fine, fine, let's get ready." It only takes the two of you a couple minutes to get dressed, and you walk down the stairs, discussing plans for the day. Naturally, Remilia wants to do something involving everyone, but since you've already done a Maid Day recently she objects to that. You'd be fine just playing with your friends, but since that wouldn't showcase your generosity and hospitality, it's something you should avoid.

"So can Lulu and I abscond with you, Flan, or are there plans in the works for the day?" You stick your tongue out at Ilya, then grin through your sister's scolding titters.

"We're not sure. Of course, it would be polite to involve everyone in something," Vita shakes her head grumpily, ignored by everyone, "but Remilia said we can't do another Maid Day." Deis stares at you, but Nanoha and Megane both look interested.

"Maid Day? Is that where we would all dress up as maids?" Fate asks, and Vita turns her disgusted look from you to the blonde mage.

"Similar, yes," Remilia responds, letting Sakuya refill her teacup for an unprecedented fourth time. "Rather than simply 'dress up as maids,' however, we would become maids for the duration of the enchantment. One person would be Chief Maid, able to give commands to the others. While I do not disapprove of resting periods for the fairy maids - too much hard work can affect their mental health, after all - too many disruptions of the hierarchy in a short time can lead to undesirable rebelliousness and confusion. Additionally, poor Sakuya would lose her position for the duration, which is a stress I would most like to avoid giving her." Megane looks over at Zest curiously.

"Hmm … I have wondered what you would look like in a butler's uniform," she says quietly, causing him to blush as the others study him closely. Deis, however, shakes her head in horror as Remilia grins.

"Butler? Why should he be that? As a participant in Maid Day, he, too, would wear a maid's uniform, as would Berserker, and Garyuu, and even dear Hakutenou. We here at the Scarlet Devil Mansion do not discriminate, after all." Zest's face turns bright red, as does Megane's, and Lulu's, and Agito's … everyone, really, apart from you, Ilya, Patchouli, Remilia, Sakuya, and Koakuma. And you and Ilya turn red, anyway, unable to control your laughter at everyone's expressions.

Eventually you manage to climb back onto your chair and look at people without giggling hysterically.


What do you do?

[ ] Be absconded with by Ilya and Lulu.

[ ] Maid Day! Be tarred and feathered by Deis, Megane, and Vita.

[ ] Costume time for everyone!

[ ] Other?

[X] Costume time for everyone!


"Fine, fine, we won't do Maid Day," you grumble, and you try to ignore the several much too obvious sighs of relief. After a moment, though, your lips quirk upward. "So, as I am a polite and well-bred young lady, I say we should all play dress-up." Remilia applauds politely, Vita groans and knocks her head against the table, and Illyasviel raises her hand.

"Does that mean I get to lose the maid uniform for a bit?" You look at Patchouli; she looks at Remilia, who simply shrugs.

"Oh, fine. I'm sure we can find some outfits for you to try on, too." Illyasviel breathes a sigh of relief. You look over at Sakuya, and the Chief Maid regretfully bows. Good, everyone is going to change! You smile at Remilia, and she returns a mischievous grin.

---

Naturally, you and Remilia are the first to change, Remilia into the outfit with a blue coat that you had tried on before, although also comes out with a katana and a black pistol. Your complementary red outfit comes with a white pistol and a massive two-handed sword, and Remilia sits you on her lap as you wait for Lulu, Megane, and Zest to finish changing. Patchouli shakes her head and sighs.

"What is the matter, Pache? You think we ought to have switched colors?" The magician gives your sister a suffering look before shaking her head again. You look at your sister questioningly, but she just smiles and nods forward as Zest and the Alpines walk into the room. You, Agito, and Ilya gasp delightedly and clap, and Megane blushes. Zest is wearing white and red - a red cape and surcoat, with porcelain-white armor and a white tabard, all trimmed with gold, and his white spear is set with a red gem. Megane wears similar porcelain armor, although hers is much less protective, only covering her forearms and elbows, her lower legs and knees, and her torso. Instead of red, her uneven skirt is purple, and her choker is black, leaving her shoulders and upper chest bare but for a white cape, and a sword hangs from her waist. Lulu, contrary to her guardians' outfits, wears a simple white and blue dress, and the angelic wings at her back twitch and try to cover her as she blushes. Remilia grins delightedly and rubs her fingers together as you hurry over to Lulu, and Sakuya, Koakuma, and Patchouli withdraw to change.

"Ooh, is this what they call a knight in shining armor?" Deis shakes her head and looks enviously at Megane. "Is it the clean living? Good men like a nice girl and all that?" Megane blushes more deeply and looks sidelong at Zest, but Lulu hops forward and hugs Deis.

"It's okay, Deis. You just need to meet the right man and sweep him off his feet!" Deis stares down at her for a long moment before sighing and shaking her head.

"Well, with such encouragement from a little angel like you, how could I choose any other path?" She leans down to hug Lulu, who giggles and responds in kind before slipping back to sit next to Megane. Then Remilia bursts into applause.

"Ooh, Pache! Very nice!" The magician stalks into the room wearing tall black boots, a short red dress, and a multi-tailed black coat. Her hair mostly hangs loose, except for two braids thrust up through her black hat that look quite reminiscent of horns. She walks over to Remilia and swats at her with a large book. You shake your head, then stare as Sakuya walks into the room. The Chief Maid wears a bell-shaped midnight purple evening gown with red trim, and a small hat with a large bow. Her hair is done up in a long ponytail, much like Meiling's, and apart from her unusually pale face, not a bit of her skin is visible. "And Sakuya! Pads, really?" The maid curtsies deeply.

"Indeed, Milady - they came with the costume." Remilia clears her throat expectantly and crosses her arms, and Sakuya sighs. "Haa~. De arinsu." And at that, you sister smiles and leaps forward to hug Sakuya tightly, and the maid pats her head. You frown and look around, then narrow your eyes and glare at Koakuma. She's hiding behind Illyasviel and Ershin, wearing a black low-cut leotard and pink stockings. When she sees you watching her, she ducks her head and presses her pointer fingers together nervously. Someone coughs behind you, and you turn around to see - a panda. Rather, a costume of one, although quite well-made; the fur certainly looks real. It pats your head, then lifts you up so you can ride on its shoulders as Ilya, Illyasviel, Deis, Ershin, and Sept file out.

"Ah, Flandre-chan!" The panda carries you over to Nanoha, and you ignore Vita's simmering glare. "Do you do this often?" You tap your lips as you consider how to respond to the mage, then simply shake your head. Kyouko and Homura both sigh in relief.

"No, this is new. I mean, sure, we've had some costume parties, and Remilia and I have tried on dresses, but we haven't ever just put on outfits for the spectacle of it before. I think I like it, though, as long as it doesn't go on too long."

"Where do you get the costumes?" Fate asks, and you shrug.

"No idea! You'd have to ask my sister or - ah, Patchouli! Where'd you get all the costumes?" The magician works her mouth helplessly for a moment, then glares at your sister, still playing around with Sakuya's costume. After a moment, though, Patchouli shakes her head and smiles softly.

"Oh, here and there," she says, frustration vanished. "It's really not worth worrying about."

"At this point I can only assume that someone is trying to teach me something, perhaps a life lesson on appearances that I don't need. Or else it's taking joy from others' misery," Deis's says loudly as she walks into the room. Her outfit, like Sakuya's covers her entire body apart from her face and hands, but it's a single-piece green dress wrapped with chains, and a black visor covers her eyes. Despite her words, however, her tone and expression show that she doesn't disapprove of her outfit. You clap loudly as she smirks at Remilia, but then she steps aside as a large object floats into the room. It's obviously Ershin, but more round and flat, and it floats on fire-jetting legs rather than stands. And on its back, in place of a cape, is a strange yellow musical horn.

"There, we came in, can we go back now?" Deis covers her face at the loud, whining voice that echoes throughout the room, and you shake your head. It's Sept, still speaking her archaic French, but the tone makes it obvious what she wants

"Let everyone take a look at you, and then you can leave," Remilia responds in the same language, and Ershin turns from side to side in confusion. Then the top of Ershin opens up, and you see the little blonde girl for just a moment, dressed in a dark, form-fitting outfit. She leans out of Ershin's comfortable-looking interior, sticks her tongue out at Remilia in irritation, almost falls out, and scrambles back inside as Ershin closes back up. Then the armor zooms out of the room, smashing through the door and ricocheting off at least two different walls as it flees toward the library. "Haa~. Children." You giggle at your sister's complaint, then clap as Ilya and Illyasviel come into view.

Illyasviel is wearing a very strange outfit: high-heeled shoes, a short white dress, and a bulky rabbit-like helmet, along with an oversized hammer and massive blacksmith's tongs with red-hot tips. Ilya, on the other hand, is wearing an elaborate blue-and-white coat, trimmed with gold, and a short white-and-blue dress, and carries a pink-and-white teddy bear. You hop off the panda and collide with Ilya, and you would have swung her around happily … but the bear is a lot harder than it looks, and when you bounce off it, Ilya blushes and looks away. "Um, sorry, Flan," she begins, but you grin and hug her anyway.

"Hehe! Your hands are full carrying Berserker, so that means -!" You slip your hands under Ilya's coat as her eyes widen in understanding, and ruthlessly tickle her. At least, until the teddy bear springs from her hands and grows to nearly Berserker's height, with commensurately sharp claws. You fall back, look up at it, and sigh. Really, when was the last time a bear was helpful?

---

You, Lulu, and Ilya sit together as the costume show continues. Agito wears a leafy green dress with dragonfly wings, and trails golden dust everywhere she flies. Sella wears a military uniform, with a high peaked cap, a metal breastplate, a positively enormous handgun, and all of it decorated with golden skulls. Leysritt, meanwhile, wears a suit of black plate armor with similar decorations, an even larger firearm. Vita storms into the room in a maid's uniform, shaking a feather duster furiously at your sister - and you, and Nanoha, and Megane, and anyone whose lips so much as twitch when looking at her. Fate creeps into the room, face red, wearing a too-short black dress with detached sleeves and a four-pointed star cut out of the chest. And Nanoha's outfit consists of a too-small black vest, a short red skirt, tall boots, and a positively enormous multi-barreled firearm.

Homura's piratical outfit is black and blue, with half a dozen flintlock pistols thrust into the belts crossing her hips, while Kyouko wears a short black dress trimmed with red and carries a large mechanical scythe. Mami walks in wearing a shimmering blue evening gown, with her hair in a single braid. Sayaka, looking rather embarrassed, is dressed in a blue tunic with a long cap, and carries a sword and a blue shield with a stylized red winged figure. And Madoka wears a fairly plain blue and white outfit, notable only for the large bell at her neck and the heart-shaped staff she carries.

And then Remilia, Sakuya, and Patchouli get involved. Each of you is taken aside and measured, had your color palettes assessed and explained, and then given perfectly tailored dresses (suits, in Zest's case). Even Vita is unable to come up with an objection stronger than her not needing an enhanced wardrobe - which, of course, is no objection at all.

And then it's time for lunch.


What do you do?

[ ] Be absconded with by Ilya and Lulu.

[ ] Take the younger generation out to the lake.

[ ] Other?



DM Note: I had been planning on doing at least two outfits per person. Then I got halfway through the update and realized that wasn't going to work very well.