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

[X] Teach Satsuki.
- [X] Youkai.


"But for now, I think it's time to teach you something else," you say, and Satsuki looks at you excitedly. You smile and start walking, waving for her to follow. "So, what do you know about youkai?"

"Hmm … well, Shisho has been telling me about the beast youkai around here, and about magicians and vampires, and Sakuya-san told me a bit about fairies …." You don't respond, and she goes into a bit more detail, including the distinction between greater and lesser beast youkai and how the fairy maids tend to be above-average for fairies due to increased selection. By the time you find a good meeting area, however, she's quiet again, probably wondering if she made a mistake. You sit in one chair and gesture for her to sit in the one next to you.

"It is good that you're learning more about the youkai around here, but that isn't quite what I was asking about. Which isn't your fault, as the question I asked wasn't very clear. What do you know about youkai as a whole? About everything non-human, the things you've had to try and catch up to learn because they weren't an issue where you lived?" Satsuki nods and stares at a spot on the floor. After a few seconds she looks up hesitantly.

"W-well, youkai are hostile to humans and want to make humans fear them again. Um …." She looks so adorable, you can't help but giggle, and she blushes embarrassedly. You shake your head and pat her shoulder.

"You're fine, Satsuki. I was just thinking how cute you are." Her blush spreads and you lean back in your chair, curling your legs beneath you and resting one elbow on the thickly-padded arm. "Hm, let me see … there are two big rules you have to keep in mind whenever you talk about youkai as a whole. The first is the rule of absoluteness. Nothing is ever absolutely so with youkai and magical things. Sometimes the 'exceptions' actually make up the majority, in fact - for example, most youkai are not actually actively hostile to humans, and they don't need to be personally feared. But youkai represent the unknown, the dark areas of the world and human knowledge. It's that fear that youkai need. As humans learn and understand more of the world and how it works, youkai become weaker and weaker. As people understand and trust science and its way of looking deeper into the physical properties of the world, the mystery of the fantastic is eroded and youkai, without that fear and wonder, fade away. People know there aren't monsters under the bed - there isn't enough space, and they just looked, so of course there can't be. And on a wide enough scale, with enough people just knowing that youkai can't exist - that it's safe to walk around at night because there's no way monsters can exist, that disease and illnesses are caused by tiny-tiny organisms and bacteria and not by plague-demons - youkai can't exist." Satsuki nods slowly, absorbing what you say, and you change positions, leaning over the other chair arm so you're facing her. "But - absolutes. Some youkai can exist in those conditions. Either they have a stable hold on reality, or they represent something that science cannot yet explain, that humans have to leave in the dark can't, on a large scale, pretend to know the truth about. Some youkai want to help humans; some humans want to help youkai. If anyone tells you that something is - or isn't - absolutely so, that person is probably wrong, intentionally or not." Satsuki holds up a hand and you wave for her to go ahead.

"If … if nothing is 'absolutely so', then … isn't that an absolute statement?" Before you can respond, she waves her hands excitedly and shakes her head. "No, no, I'm wrong, um, I'm just -"

"Correct." Her teeth click shut at your interruption, and after a moment she lowers her hands and stares at you, and you can almost see the question marks floating above her head. "It is an absolute statement, and therefore is probably wrong. Nothing is absolutely so, and there are exceptions to everything. For example, you're a vampire, destined to live a long time, see a lot of change. Don't become too invested in any mortal person, place, or set of ideas, because you're going to live through it. You can make an exception, of course - use magic to extend the life of someone you love, or maintain an area designed to remind you of a certain time or area, or conquer an area and force its people to stagnate. But that's not absolute, either; exceptions will occur. For all that youkai are the ultimate conservatives, wanting nothing more than to freeze existence the way it was a thousand years ago - things change. There are exceptions to that, too, but it's still a big rule." Satsuki looks away, and after thinking it through, slowly nods.

"I … I'll need to think about it. I don't think I get it, but …." You grin and reach up to pat her shoulder again.

"Don't worry, the next one is just as confusing!" She gives you a weak grin and you flop back into a seated position. "The rule of definitions. Be careful how you define things, and be careful of what you're saying and how other people define things. For example, you started to define youkai when I asked you about what you know about youkai as a whole, but youkai doesn't refer to everything. For example, a lot of people don't count fairies as youkai, and Remilia doesn't refer to vampires as youkai. Or - if a human and a youkai have a child, what species is that child?" Satsuki makes several false starts before frowning suspiciously.

"… I would call that person a half-youkai." You giggle and shrug.

"That is one option. Another option is to call it a human, or a youkai, or even both human and youkai - which is separate and distinct from half-human/half-youkai. Vampires are another one: most vampires don't recognize the concept of half-vampires - either you're a vampire or you aren't." Satsuki nods readily. "But definitions are important to keep in mind, especially with the rule about absolutes. Most of the time, definitions aren't terribly important as long as you agree to the broad outline. But if you're working on something important, like long-term alliances, then you need to make sure that all parties are working from a common definition. It's no good making an agreement with someone for a labor exchange if you both think you're getting and giving different things, right?" She nods more slowly, lost in thought.

"Flandre-sama? Do you really think I'll do a good job teaching Sakura-san?" You blink at the sudden return to the prior subject, then nod abruptly.

"I do. You're smart, you're wise enough to know when you don't know something, you're a nice person, and you have a lot of people you can ask for advice if something is bothering you. Koakuma, Sakuya, Meiling, and I are all able to help if you need something." You lean over as she stares wide-eyed, and you poke her nose gently before flopping forward to give her a perpendicular hug. She may be comfortable here, but it seems you still have work to do on her confidence. After a moment she awkwardly returns it, and you hold her for a while, until she ever so slightly loosens her grip. She looks happier … but you're pretty sure you can make her feel happier, too.


What do you do?

[ ] A confident exterior is armor for the self-conscious. Teach her about dressing up.
- [ ] For a few hours, so you can get back to Ilya and Lulu before they wake up.
- [ ] Until dawn and Satsuki has to go to sleep.

[ ] Education and entertainment! Tell Satsuki stories and fairy tales.
- [ ] For a few hours, so you can get back to Ilya and Lulu before they wake up.
- [ ] Until dawn and Satsuki has to go to sleep.

[ ] She needs more fun with her best superior! Games, snuggling, and other such distractions.
- [ ] For a few hours, so you can get back to Ilya and Lulu before they wake up.
- [ ] Until dawn and Satsuki has to go to sleep.
Stealth timeskips are go!
[ ] Other?

[X] Education and entertainment! Tell Satsuki stories and fairy tales.
- [X] For a few hours, so you can get back to Ilya and Lulu before they wake up.


Hmm … she's too big to fit in your lap even remotely comfortably, and you don't really want to put her to bed …. After a few more moments of thought, you shake your head and draw back out of the hug. "Flandre-sama?" You smile and pat her head before hopping up and looking around. This area is as good as any you'd be likely to find.

"Would you like to hear some stories, Satsuki?" She looks hesitantly at you for a moment, then smiles and nods. You take a few steps back, curtsy, and start to speak. You tell her stories and tales from home, emphasizing the forests, whether dark and foreboding or bright and green, and the lives of the peasants and poor-folk who work the land for sustenance. Stories of castles of mighty stone and humbler dwellings of hewn wood, of towns with cobbled-stone roads and of dirt tracks through the wilderness. The stories are populated by creatures and plants both natural and fantastic, but it is, of course, the people you are most interested in presenting to her. For the stories you tell, some like those she is familiar with, and others most strange to her, are always about humans and their interactions with the magical world. How animals that speak and transform are simply accepted without thought, because it is normal. How a deathless creature can exist. How a soul can be linked to a candle inside an egg inside a bird inside a stone inside a chest deep in the sea, and not only is it simply accepted as true, it is not treated as anything more than an obstacle to be overcome.

You tell her stories of youkai, and the stories that made them strong. Stories that people accepted as true, because they had no course but to accept them, because they were believed to be true and so were true, and because what science they had was unable to prove them wrong. Some stories are happy, with threats defeated by the hero or princess, and devils confounded by the cleverness and goodness of humans. Others are bittersweet, with lessons learned despite the loss of life or fortune caused by human failure to appreciate the rules that were laid upon them, where the utterance of a single word brings loss. Yet others are unequivocal losses for humanity, with would-be heroes swept aside by supernatural forces too mighty to be opposed, too clever to be tricked and too wise to be fooled, operating on rules only passing by those of humans. Stories where a name holds great power, and stories where knowledge itself is cursed, and stories in which only titles and descriptions are important.

The soldier called 'Bearskin', and Count Otto and the fairy Ernestine, and the messengers of Death, and Hans who served a princess disguised as a cat, and poor Koschei who never managed to become a true magician. You weave the tales as skillfully as ever, and Satsuki's eyes sparkle and gleam as she listens. "But … these are all stories, right?" You pause and turn a baleful glare on your servant, but instead of flinching and apologizing, she shakes her head. "No, I mean … something like those stories must have happened, but those are what humans recorded. What about - what about what really happened?" You think for a moment and shrug.

"I don't know about the 'historical facts', though. Patchouli might know something, if you really want to know." But Satsuki just smiles, her expression fitting so perfectly a master who has led her student into a trap.

"Flandre-sama and Remilia-sama were really important people, right? So there must be stories about you! And since those stories are about you, you would know the real events that transpired, right?" You stare at her for a moment, then sigh and shake your head. Of course your sister would have seen through it immediately, and maybe Patchouli could have figured it out in time, but it seems that your cute little servant has managed to trap you.

"Alright, alright," you say, and she claps her hands and leans forward excitedly. You take a little bit to go over the stories that do involve you - most revolve far more around your sister, and run the gamut from devious malevolent devil to wonderful princess - and then to focus on the ones that do have a historical basis. Because, humans being humans, of course some stories that are even older than you got retold with you, Remilia, or both of you as involved entities. First you tell her to the story of the interdicted priest who thought he could get back into the grace of the Church by expelling the 'red devils of Hesse' and then returning the Hessian lands to Catholicism. The story is much more dramatic, with the fallen priest being a wicked sinner, and his followers suffering ironic deaths before he himself was cast down into Hell by your sister, and the lone survivor offering her soul to you and Remilia in exchange for her life. In reality, while Remilia did tell the priest, "You have no power here," that was merely referring to his lack of magical might; the poor man was no sinner, only a fanatic who pressed too strongly, and Remilia simply broke his neck. His followers, too, you merely hunted down and killed in the dark, with no special manner of killing, and Bridget survived not by pledging her soul, but because she was a minor hedge-witch and was careful - and lucky. She did offer her loyalty to you and Remilia, and settled down in Darmstadt, hanging up her rifle and marrying, but she maintained her faith and her soul.

Then you tell her the stories of the 'haunted' musical instruments of the landgraviate courts in Hesse - harpsichords, violins, and eventually pianos - which supposedly drove composers and artists to suicide after hearing their beauty and skill. Of course, those stories are highly fantastic; it's true that you and Remilia did maintain instruments in the capitals, but you never heard of anyone killing themselves after hearing you play. You did receive quite a few marriage offers, and had portraits of the two of you playing - masked by Remilia's illusions, of course - and some artists did quit their craft and take up another after being unable to match either of you. Frequently, that craft was instrument-making, and some of the instruments that were kept in the courts were offerings from those failed musicians.

"But now, it's time for me to go back to Lulu and Ilya." Satsuki nods and smiles, hopping out of her chair and curtsying properly. You smile and tousle her hair, then stick your tongue out at her when she pouts. Of course, then you give her a hug before flying back into Ilya's room the way you left. Everything seems to be the way you left it, and you carefully creep back into the bed, and as you burrow into the mattress, Ilya and Lulu roll toward you and clutch your arms. And yet they both seem to be asleep. You shake your head and close your eyes, listening to the whispers of your friends' breaths and the gentle beating of their hearts.

---

When you wake up again their grips have only tightened and their heads rest on your shoulders. You wait for a few minutes, just relaxing, watching daylight creep into view and listening to them sleep, until the door opens and Sella enters. She bows to you, then walks to Ilya's side. "Lady Illyasviel. Lady Illyasviel. It's time to wake up." Ilya clutches your arm to her chest and grumbles, but her eyes slowly flutter open as her servant repeats herself. Once she's awake, however, Sella moves to the other side of the bed to waken Lulu with the same procedure. Ilya pouts at the other girl, but slides out of the bed.

"We're going to Hakugyokurou today," she says, sounding a little resigned, and you nod. Yes, where Yuyuko lives, even if they did say that they weren't interested in Berserker anymore.

"Hyan!" Lulu jerks and squeaks quietly, and you reach out to keep her from rolling off the bed and into Sella - although it appears that the maid was expecting that reaction. Lulu blushes and you giggle before releasing her, then hop onto the floor at the foot of the bed. Ilya shakes her head, although you're pretty sure it's mostly to conceal her smile.

"Come, let's go get ready." You and Lulu follow her to the bath room. Somewhat amusingly, Sella and Leysritt don't know how to properly put on a kimono, so after dressing yourself, you help them get Ilya and Lulu attired as well. It is, perhaps, a little annoying to have to dress up like this just to go somewhere, but if you have to do it, you have to … and after breakfast you also have to admit that seeing everyone dressed fancily is quite nice. Especially Mami, Kyouko, Vita, Deis, and Illyasviel, all of whom are blushing most adorably. Madoka is blushing, too, but she looks more embarrassed than adorable. Meiling and Patchouli get everyone into an aesthetically-pleasing group in front of the carriage, and Aya takes several pictures, vanishing as quickly as she appeared. Vita glowers uselessly at your sister.

"Alright, everyone into the carriage. Come, come, we must not be late." Unfortunately, you can't really flop across your friends dressed like this - well, you could, but you'd probably have to redo the knots and fix everyone's hair and make sure nothing was out of place and so on, so you'll just have to settle for them leaning against your once more. Madoka giggles when she looks at you, then leans against Homura. Kyouko leans against Mami, drawing a surprised squeak, but the older girl smiles and leans back. Megane, Nanoha, and Fate all smile at the proceedings.

"Huh. So, where are we going now?" Vita, despite her tribble, is still the lone grump of the group, but Remilia just nods in acceptance.

"The Netherworld, while a part of Gensokyo, is partially separated by a particular barrier. The easiest passage is through a gate high in the sky," she ignores the concerned looks she gets, "but we are actually going via an even easier route." The carriage slows to a halt, and the humans all look confused. The carriage moves forward slowly, and you see the air and scenery outside change before the carriage returns to a halt. Remilia stands up as Sakuya opens the door. "Come, come. Let us meet our hostess."

You follow your sister out into the Netherworld and look around. It's fairly bright, but it isn't sunlight - or at least, not sunlight direct enough to cause you or Remilia trouble. The trees are all healthy, if beginning to lose their leaves to autumn, and the temperature is only beginning to cool. Behind the carriage is a great, seemingly-never-ending staircase, and you finally turn your attention to Yuyuko, Yukari, and Youmu. The ghost princess bows, as do Youmu and her deceased retinue behind her. "Welcome, everyone, to Hakugyokurou. Please be at ease - there is no danger here. In a few minutes, Youmu and I will begin a short tour of the grounds and the manor, but if you would prefer to explore by yourselves, most of the manor has been opened, and any servants you see will be happy to help in any way they can. Later, of course, will be lunch, and while it is not quite the season for it, with Yukari and Lady Remilia's assistance, we can have a small cherry blossom viewing."


What do you do?

[ ] Go along with the main group.

[ ] Slip away with Ilya and Lulu and explore Hakugyokurou by yourselves.

[ ] Find someplace comfortable and wait for someone to come get you.

[ ] Other?

[X] Go along with the main group.


You very briefly consider doing something else, but you really don't have any reason to not go with everyone else. You don't know Hakugyokurou or its layout, so you can't exactly give Ilya and Lulu a tour, although you could just make up stuff with them. And you really can't just wait for the tour to finish, since it's really bad manners - it would be one thing if you were at the mansion and Remilia were hosting, but since you're a guest, it would be harder to justify. Vita moves to the front of the group, looking around suspiciously and shifting her shoulders as though her kimono didn't fit properly - which, since it came from the mansion, is impossible, so her discomfort must be entirely because she isn't used to wearing it. Madoka moves closer to Yuyuko as well, followed most closely by Homura and Sayaka, but while the magical girls seem at least a little concerned about her, Madoka herself looks around with undisguised interest. You slot yourself behind them, but on the left side near Remilia. Ilya follows you and slips between you and Remilia, and when you squeeze her hand she relaxes a bit; nestled as she is between you and your sister, she and Berserker are perfectly safe. Lulu scrambles to your other side, and Megane, Zest, and the other Mid-Childans fill in to the right. Yuyuko smiles into her sleeve before standing straight and bowing.

"Welcome, honored guests, to Hakugyokurou. I am Saigyouji Yuyuko, and this is my servant Youmu. Now, if you will come this way, I will show you Hakugyokurou's Stair." She swishes elegantly away and you look around as you follow her. The manor is surrounded by a large stone wall - nothing terribly defensive, even if people couldn't fly, just big and pretty - but you aren't entering it just yet. Instead, Yuyuko leads you around the hill and gestures down a long, long staircase. "Under normal circumstances, this stairway is how people get into the Netherworld. After being judged, they enter the gateway - you might just be able to see it down there - and then walk up these stairs to Hakugyokurou. I greet them, and -"

"Wait, judged? For what?" You aren't the only one to wince at Kyouko's outburst, and Mami holds the red-head's shoulder, but Yuyuko just smiles back and bows, ignoring the girl's glare.

"Ah, yes. Despite the name, the Netherworld is not the first place people go when they die. First, they cross over the Sanzu River, to be judged by the Yama. From there, the truly sinful go to New Hell, and the totally sinless are supposed go to the Celestial Realms," Yukari turns slightly, and Remilia smiles widely, "and almost everyone else comes here until they are either reincarnated or achieve nirvana and so pass on to the Celestial Realms. So everyone you meet here is already dead, if you hadn't realized it already. Anyway, after meeting with me, they're free to make their way to the rest of the Netherworld and do as they will. Most, I understand, simply relax; after a life in Gensokyo, working hard at a trade and praying for survival against the youkai, not having to worry about that anymore and just being able to enjoy nature and have more parties and learn things they never had a chance to in life. Hmm ... Youmu, how long does it take to go up those stairs?" The half-phantom gardener sighs heavily. Kyouko still looks unhappy, but she no longer seems hostile, and Homura looks thoughtful, her rigid mask slipping.

"If you simply want to walk up, it takes around four or five hours for a normal human." Yuyuko smiles cheerily and pats her servant happily.

"Thank you, Youmu! You're so knowledgeable." She spins abruptly and walks toward the manor, striding through its open gates. After looking down the stairs, which remind you of Caster's temple - and Ilya seems to think the same thing, based on her expression - you look up at the birds flying in formation above the manor. Perhaps they're in season, but something about their flight seems wrong, somehow. After a moment, you shrug and follow the others into the manor. The courtyard gardens and some of the smaller buildings don't seem very Japanese - certainly nothing like the Hakurei Shrine or anything in the Human Village. It's Lulu, however, who actually brings it up.

"Um, is the building style here different than elsewhere in Gensokyo?" Yuyuko smiles warmly and nods.

"Indeed it is! I understand that it's much more like that of the continent than anywhere in Japan - although I haven't been there, so I can't say for certain. But Yukari says so, and some of the books in the library do, too. Ah, are you an architect?" Lulu blushes at being the center of attention.

"Um, kind of. It's something I'm really interested in - but I think my job is going to come first," she says. Megane pats her daughter's shoulder gently, and Lulu smiles up at her. You smile at Megane, too, and silently clap your hands, dropping them to your side when Lulu looks back at you. She scowls suspiciously for a moment before Yuyuko's quiet laughter draws everyone's attention back to her, and she continues the tour. Much of the interior building is generally closed, which prompts the Mid-Childans to begin protesting that they don't want to invade her privacy, but Yuyuko deftly shuts them down - much as the Scarlet Devil Mansion is typically closed except for particular guests, she is making an exception for such well-regarded and polite visitors.

The interior of the building, in contrast to its exterior, is quite Japanese in style, and you all take off your shoes in deference to the change in flooring; while some wooden floors exist, most of the rooms themselves possess tatami floors. It quickly becomes apparent that the manor is greatly underutilized, not only in terms of space to occupancy, but in that it appears to have been designed as a true administrative center, with a number of offices and workrooms that are simply completely unused at the moment. The library, which is quite well-used, is rather small, occupying only two floors of space, but Yuyuko and Yukari together are able to place the contents quite accurately. Most are scrolls of history, personal records, or poetry, although Yukari seems to be bringing in more modern books for her friend. Picture books like the kinds Meiling reads. "Would you like me to get you some, Remilia?" Yukari smiles at your sister as she puts a book back on the shelf.

"No, thank you - I have already read that series." Yuyuko's eyes widen and she presses her hands together delightedly.

"Oh, you'll have to sit next to me during lunch! Youmu keeps crying whenever she tries to read it, but I so want someone to discuss them with - ah, but that will have to wait. Ooh, lunch can't come quickly enough!" Vita snickers at Remilia's apparent misfortune, but your sister sneaks a look at you and winks. Hmm ... what is she planning now? The ghost princess manages to restrain her enthusiasm for off-topic conversation, however, and continues the tour through her home, ending in the back reception hall. As you sit down for lunch, Youmu slides open the back doors, leading to a rear courtyard with beautiful pine trees. The gardener retreats into another room, and after a few moments phantoms begin a procession into the reception hall, carrying platters of food or drinks and setting them carefully on the tables.

Yuyuko, true to her desire, has your sister next to her, and they start chatting about the books and comparing them to other series as Yukari listens interestedly. You start talking with Ilya and Lulu about the manor, comparing it with the mansion and whether it is in any way on the same level as your home. "Flandre?" It takes you a moment to recognize Homura's telepathic voice, and you turn your head to find the raven-haired magical girl, still looking like she's praying over her food. "After lunch, could I speak with you privately?" You return your outer attention to Lulu's defense of Hakugyokurou and it not being completely inferior to the mansion. What could Homura want? Second thoughts about her agreement should be directed toward Remilia, and you can't really think of anything that would be important enough to need to be discussed right now ….


What do you do?

[ ] Agree to her request.

[ ] Carry on the discussion telepathically during lunch; you don't want to miss the cherry blossoms, after all!

[ ] Other?