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

[X] Head back to the mansion.
- [X] Find someplace comfortable and answer any questions about Gensokyo they have.


You shake your head and, after a glance at Ilya, push the fairy after her friend. "Go on," you growl, and she bobs her head before bowing to you and to Ilya.

"Th-thank you!" She turns and rushes away, displaying the same surprising speed as when she picked up the newspaper when you were here before. You sigh and shake your head again.

"Shall we head back to the mansion, then?" Ilya looks around for a moment before starting to nod, but then she tilts her head and looks at you.

"Do you think you could carry us back? I know we aren't in a rush, really, but …." You smile and bow your head, ignoring Satsuki's quiet whimpering. Your clones slip away from you, one going for Sella and another for Leysritt as you pick up Ilya and make sure she's comfortable. Satsuki gives a relieved sigh as your third clone looks back at her and then at the wheelchair, but before she can say anything, it puts her in the wheelchair and carries the two of them together. Ilya giggles at your servant's muted wail of despair, but you almost have your clone set her down anyway; only the fact that flying will be a lot faster than anything except a dead run from Satsuki stays your hand. Still, you are merciful - once you're over the ridge, the clone lets her down and stays with her as she recovers. Sella and Leysritt are set down at the gate itself, but you keep carrying Ilya despite Sella's mild frown. You consider the mansion as you wait for them to catch up, trying to pick out the most comfortable location to have a talk, eventually settling on a corner room overlooking the gardens; it's not much different from the study you would have chats with Ilya in at her castle, at least in general terms. The specifics, of course, are a bit different. You gently bop her nose and twitches back before giving you a confused look.

"You're not sleepy, right?" You grin and she shakes her head slowly.

"No … I've been getting a lot of rest lately, actually, thanks to a certain layabout." You giggle at the friendly rebuke and stick your tongue out before squeezing Ilya tightly. She squeaks cutely and Satsuki finally gets close enough that you can open the gate and hold it open for her without getting annoyed. She quickly scurries through and hunches her shoulders sheepishly. Your free clones dance around her and pat her head, trying to cheer her up, then scoot her along so she follows your lead back to the mansion.

Once inside, however, you stop and stare at the scene. There is an oddly-familiar hat on the floor just a few meters in, and - much stranger - a yellow-and-green gazebo stands in the middle of the entry hall. Ilya slowly turns her head and leans back so she can look at you and still keep an eye on the intruding structure. "I don't know, either, Ilya. But I think we're going to have to pass on having a midnight pudding snack." A clone picks up the hat - a simple, broad-brimmed black hat with a yellow ribbon - and hangs it on a hook on the gazebo. After a moment the hat slithers up the gazebo until it sits perched on top. You nod and make a thoughtful sound before turning and heading toward your chosen destination - whatever it's doing here, Remilia either knows about it or had a hand in its appearance. Satsuki moans and covers her eyes; she doesn't even complain when a clone picks her up! The last clone heads for the kitchen, seeking supplies.

"Um, Flan? Where are we going?" You giggle at Ilya's confusion and nuzzle her cheek.

"Somewhere comfortable, of course," you reply cryptically; she gives you look before shaking her head and leaning into you. Only a few minutes later you're at your destination, and you curl up next to Ilya on a thick-cushioned couch with a good view of the gardens as your clones vanish back into the mansion to gather supplies. You motion for Satsuki, Sella, and Leysritt to sit down, and after a pointed stare and a few meaningfully-cleared throats, they take their seats as well. "Now, does anyone have any questions about Gensokyo? I figure that now's a good time to ask, considering what just happened." After a few seconds, Satsuki starts raising a hand and you look at her.

"Um, does … that … happen a lot?" You frown and look up at the ceiling for a moment.

"It depends on what you mean by 'a lot,' I suppose. I don't think Reimu usually goes out hunting youkai that are just doing youkai things, but dealing with youkai that disrupt the Human Village is one of her duties. But since nearly all youkai need humans, and disrupting the humans too much upsets the balance and probably means bad things for youkai, the village itself is normally off-limits. So unless someone's starting an Incident - which doesn't happen often, maybe once or twice a year, I think, and they've only started in the last six or seven years - then Reimu is only supposed to go after problem youkai that haven't been caught by other youkai. And Incidents aren't like that at all - danmaku and Spell Cards are quite different from extermination." Satsuki, after seeming to brighten, frowns at your last statement.

"But … you said fairies can't die? So …." You nod and smile as one of your clones brings back the first provender - a small basket with some good red wine - and begins pouring servings for everyone.

"Fairies can die, it's just very difficult. Unless you're a magician, probably. So 'exterminating' a fairy means something quite different from exterminating other youkai." Satsuki still looks unhappy, but she stares at the floor instead of continuing her questions.

"Does Reimu ever lose?" You frown again at Sella's question.

"I don't know about danmaku and Incidents - she's definitely really good at them - but she won't lose when she goes exterminating. Gensokyo needs a shrine maiden, and she is Genskoyo's shrine maiden, so she won't lose. She could lose, but she won't."

"… Hypothetically, if she did lose, what would happen?" Your frown darkens a little, but Sella simply waits for your answer.

"It would depend on how badly she lost, I suppose. It's very likely that even if she was just beaten, no one would know about or remember it happening, and the perpetrator would disappear. And no one would know, but everyone would know, that it happened because of what happened to Reimu. If something actually happened to her … it would probably happen a lot more openly and then they'd have to find a new shrine maiden." Ilya frowns fiercely, wrapping her head around the subject, and you twist around so you're leaning against the arm of the couch, then pull her against you. "Youkai need conflict, but even setting aside Reimu's strength and skill as a shrine maiden, they aren't allowed to beat her. So youkai get upset because they can't be youkai, and Reimu gets bored because no one fights her except for weaklings she can beat anyway. And that's where the Spell Cards and danmaku come in. Youkai can cause problems - even potentially lethal ones like my sister's mist or the long winter - and they get cleared up by humans in an actual contest." You shrug and take a drink. Your other clones slip in carrying light snacks: cheese, fruits, vegetables, and the like.

"Umm … Flandre-sama? How many people - I mean, how many humans are there in Gensokyo?" You tilt your head, thinking, then shrug again and smile.

"Not many. Most humans are in the Human Village, and it's not that big. Some, mainly magicians and other people with power, live alone in other places - there are a few in the Forest of Magic, I think. I know Marisa lives there … anyway, maybe two thousand humans? Maybe a bit lower." Satsuki shifts uncomfortably.

"So … so that's where we get our food from? Blood, I mean." You chuckle and shake your head.

"Nope! We don't take blood from people living in Gensokyo - in fact, we don't take blood at all. We have a contract and everything; the youkai of Gensokyo are responsible for providing us with humans to feed on, and since the Human Village is off-limits, they mostly get them from the outside world, either people who have wandered in by accident or snatching them away." Of course, that makes Yukari one of your major suppliers, but anything she tries will certainly be detected by someone before it becomes a problem. And Remilia never seemed to think it would be a problem, anyway.

---

You spend a few hours chatting about the workings of Gensokyo - Incidents and their resolutions, inter-youkai relations, what people do, and other subjects - before everyone starts winding down. Then Ilya stretches and cranes her head back to look at you. "Um, Flan? We're going back to the library, right? We can … um, we don't have to go through the entry hall, right?" Hmm … well, you can, of course … but how upset will Ilya get if you don't?


What do you do?

[ ] Offer to take her on a tour of the mansion.

[ ] See if Remilia knows about the gazebo and can do something about it.

[ ] Not today!
- [ ] See if you can get Ilya to go under the gazebo.

[ ] Go around the entry hall.

[ ] Other?

[X] Go around the entry hall.


You giggle and give Ilya a squeeze. "Of course we can go around, Ilya. Are you ready to go back now?" She nods, relieved, and Sella brings the wheelchair over.

"Um, Flandre-sama? Do you need help packing for Mid-Childa?" You give Satsuki a curious glance and she starts panicking. "Um, not that I'm trying to take time away from you, or anything like that! I just … well, if you do plan on bringing a lot of things, I could get started now, or at least when we get to the basement, and you could spend more time with Illyasviel-san." She fidgets as you stare at her for another moment, then you giggle and shake your head.

"Sorry, Satsuki, but I travel really light. I will be bringing my coffin this time, of course, but not really any packing is necessary, I don't think. Thank you for the offer, though." She blushes and bows, and you finish getting ready and lead everyone on a slightly-less-than-direct path back to the library.

"… Hey, Flan?" You turn around and walk backward so you can look at Ilya. She looks as worried as she sounds, and you tilt your head, wondering what's bothering her. "So … Satsuki is your servant, Deis is working in the library, and that new girl is going to be Patchouli's assistant, right? Is … is there anything I can do?" You catch Sella's worried look before she covers it up and frown thoughtfully.

"You mean besides being my friend? Being the Chief Court Mistress is quite prestigious, you know." Ilya blushes and looks down and you smile softly. "Deis is working mainly because Patchouli wants there to be a hierarchy - she and Deis are similar enough that she feels uncomfortable, I think, so having a strict superior/inferior professional relationship helps keep things from getting too tense. Apart from that … hm. We used to have a bigger staff - what kind of household doesn't have a sizable staff, after all? But it's not really necessary, and Sakuya can take care of almost everything …. Maybe you could be a diplomat! Sakuya's the only other human here, but she doesn't really get along with humans all that well. Meiling does, but she's already got jobs that keep her here. But you're cute and don't have the reputation that my sister and I have, so maybe you could talk to people?" Ilya gives you a look and you shrug, your smile widening. "I'll think about it if you really want to do something, and we can ask Remilia, too. But for now you should concentrate on getting better, okay? We'll have plenty of time to work things out, after all." Or … maybe she could help plan an Incident? She's probably a lot more creative than you are, after all …. She returns your smile and nods.

"Alright, Flan - I won't let it worry me, then. And learning about all the people and groups here and how to deal with them will be sort of like the Holy Grail War, just with less having Berserker smash them to a bloody smear." That reminds you … you haven't seen the hulking warrior around very often, and the last time was his aborted fight against Saber.

"Is Berserker alright?" Ilya perks up, smiling and nodding.

"Oh, he's fine. I barely even need to give him mana here - it's more like I'm providing food instead of completely maintaining his existence the way I have to in my world. Materializing him does take more mana, though, so I'm not supposed to do it - or any magic, really." Her expression fades a little, but when you tilt your head curiously she just shakes her head mutely. Then she takes a better look at your surroundings and sighs, relieved - you were so busy talking that you didn't get the chance to tell her when you passed the entry hall! You stick your tongue out at her and she giggles.

You take to the air and dance around sedately as you make your way to the stairs. That'll be something else for Ilya to do, at least for a time. If Patchouli thinks that Illya's … alter ego, or whatever she is, would make a decent apprentice, then Ilya shouldn't have any trouble learning magic, and from there it's only a short while until she can fly. Maybe she'll have learned how by the time you get back! Your elation is a cut a bit short when you enter the library itself, however - Koakuma and that girl are working at the shelves right at the entrance. Deis and Ershin are there, too, but whatever Koakuma is teaching them wouldn't need them to be here … unless they had some other business. And when the familiar looks at you and says something that makes the girl take a breath and set her shoulders, you're pretty sure you know what it's about. Ilya looks at you and then at her Doppelgänger's Doppelgänger.


What do you do?

[ ] Wait for the girl to approach you.
- [ ] Accept an apology, provided it's sufficiently sincere and polite.

[ ] Might as well go see Patchouli ….
- [ ] See if Ilya wants to come with you.

[ ] Go back to your suite.
- [ ] Read something with Ilya.
- [ ] See what games you have. After all, you were supposed to play some games with her ….

[ ] Other?


DM Note: *snuggles with cat*

[X] Wait for the girl to approach you.
- [X] Accept an apology, provided it's sufficiently sincere and polite.


You land and stretch, then take a seat on the bottom steps, waiting for the girl to decide to come talk. Ilya frowns and looks back at Koakuma for a moment before turning her chair and gingerly making her way toward you. Fortunately, either Koakuma did something or the teleportation field isn't based only on distance, because she's able to approach you without bouncing back up to the hallway. You hear Satsuki leaping down the stairs to catch up to you, and she finally lands in front of you, shoulders set tensely. You clear your throat - and then a second time, louder, when she doesn't react to the first one. You motion for her to step out of the way when she looks back guiltily.

"Flan?" You put a finger to your lips and keep watching Koakuma and her subordinate.

"I want to hear what she has to say. Maybe I'll even accept her apology." It takes an irritatingly long time for the girl to make up her mind, but finally she shoves one last book onto a shelf, takes a deep breath, shakes her head, and turns to walk toward you. Her eyes sweep over your party, lingering on Ilya for a while before settling on you. Her hands clench reflexively a few times before she speaks.

"I … I want to apologize for earlier," she says, and you nod. She seems to be waiting for something, so after a moment you wave your hand.

"Go on." She almost grinds her teeth before she takes a shuddering breath.

"Right. That was … whatever." She turns to Satsuki. "I apologize for antagonizing you and for actually fighting you. That was stupid of me and I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry." She bows, properly, and you glance at your servant. She seems more surprised than anything else, and you have to prod her into action.

"Um! It … it's okay. If Flandre-sama agrees." The girl nods before standing upright and faces you directly.

"I … I apologize for saying you were weak, for trying to steal away your servant, for … saying that … and for fighting you. It was all really stupid of me. I … humbly ask for your forgiveness." She bows again, tenser than before, and you watch her for a moment.

"Stand up. Did Koakuma tell you what to say?" She stiffens and her mouth twitches as she fights down irritation.

"She … gave me pointers, yes. Explained why you started fighting so quickly, and uh, just how strong that mage you fought was. And that you weren't at full power and didn't have some of the abilities you're used to having." You nod and your eyes flick over to the familiar as she keeps working at the shelf. Deis, of course, watches you instead of working. Your focus returns to the girl in front of you.

"Hm. Tell me, what is your name?" Her shoulders tighten and she looks … sad, for an instant, before donning a mask of irritation.

"It's … complicated." You surge to your feet and take a step forward; she flinches back, eyes widening, but in surprise, not fear.

"It's not complicated - either you have a name, in which case you will tell me, or you don't have a name." She stares at you for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Then she glances at Ilya before looking back at you.

"My name - the name I was born with - is Illyasviel von Einzbern. Then I stopped existing for a decade, and someone else took my name. And now … she - that Patchouli Knowledge," she clarifies when you glare at her, "said that my name is 'on hold' until she and I got our relationship properly sorted. Except then she got all weird and distant, and then … well, that." She looks down and away, dejected. "And then the familiar asked me what kind of name I'd like, so I'm kind of getting the feeling that it's going to change. So … complicated." She shrugs lightly.

"I don't see why you should have to change your name - it's not like we're children who can't distinguish between the two of us." The girl - Illyasviel - looks up at the vehemence in Ilya's voice, and you shrug.

"It probably has something to do with Patchouli's magic, depending on whether she takes you as an apprentice or makes you a familiar. Or just name-magic in general. But I think that's between you and her." Ilya huffs in annoyance as Illyasviel turns back to you. "Now then … why are you apologizing?" Illyasviel gives you a confused look before shaking her head.

"Because not apologizing would be a problem … and because it would be my fault. And … well, you deserve it. Both of you. I was wrong about what I said." You nod and tilt your head slightly, staring at her. She's wrong about the first part - the only 'problem' would be for her, because it's not like you are going to get a scolding for something she starts. But the second … that's definitely a sense of responsibility, and it doesn't seem like something Koakuma told her to say. Considering that she's only as old as she looks at best - and if she's right about 'not existing,' then she might be even younger than Giltless - and that she seems to be sincere, if confused and conflicted about having to apologize …. Mercy and forgiveness aren't typical qualities of yours, but if you managed to not disembowel Tohsaka despite her repeated rudeness, you can absolutely do the same for a first-time offender who's going to be living in the mansion.

"Very well," you say, and Illyasviel frowns. "I accept your apology. It's not okay, but I won't hold your actions against you unless you repeat them." She stares at you for a moment, uncertain, then bows again, and - after a moment's hesitation in case you want to continue - turns to head back to Koakuma. Once she's out of earshot you sigh and shake your head.


What do you do?

[ ] Go see Patchouli.
- [ ] See if Ilya wants to come with you.

[ ] Go back to your suite.
- [ ] Read something with Ilya.
- [ ] See what games you have.
- [ ] Play some music.

[ ] Other?