[X] Let it into the water.
-[X] Haul it back out.
--[X] Explain that you could kill it, very easily, but you're going to let it go. This time.
[X] Declare yourself the Queen of the Lake. Declare the Fairies your new minions, obliged to serve you whenever you call on them.
[X] Let it into the water.
- [X] Haul it back out.
- - [X] Praise it for its valiant efforts; it is still next to nothing compared to you, but it's above the fairies at least.
- - [X] Crown the fish the "King of the Lake", subject to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, of course.
[X] Let it into the water.
- [X] Catch and release is good manners.
4
[X] Let it into the water.
-[X] Haul it back out.
--[X] Explain that you could kill it, very easily, but you're going to let it go. This time.
3
[X] Let it into the water.
- [X] Catch and release is good manners.
- - [X] Declare yourself the Queen of the Lake. Declare the Fairies your new minions, obliged to serve you whenever you call on them.
1
[X] Let it into the water.
-[X] Haul it back out.
--[X] Explain that you could kill it, very easily, but you're going to let it go. This time.
[X] Declare yourself the Queen of the Lake. Declare the Fairies your new minions, obliged to serve you whenever you call on them.
1
[X] Let it into the water.
- [X] Haul it back out.
- - [X] Praise it for its valiant efforts; it is still next to nothing compared to you, but it's above the fairies at least.
- - [X] Crown the fish the "King of the Lake", subject to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, of course.
1
... Just when near the lake, or as a general thing?
As in we're walking through the Mansion and suddenly this huge fish bursts out of a room to eat some of the fairy maids, or we're floating through a forest, meet a random fairy then fishy erupts out from behind a tree that was clearly too small for it to be concealed. Or when we meet Agito next, SUDDENLY FISH YOKAI.
Both allied and at the same time. It was a nat 97, afterall.
Anyways, Changing vote.
[X] Let it into the water.
-[X] Haul it back out.
--[X] Explain that you could kill it, very easily, but you're going to let it go. This time.
[X] Declare yourself the Queen of the Lake. Declare the Fairies your new minions, obliged to serve you whenever you call on them
[X] Let it into the water.
-[X] Haul it back out.
--[X] Explain that you could kill it, very easily, but you're going to let it go. This time.
[X] Declare yourself the Queen of the Lake. Declare the Fairies your new minions, obliged to serve you whenever you call on them
[X] Let it into the water.
- [X] Catch and release is good manners.
6
[X] Let it into the water.
-[X] Haul it back out.
--[X] Explain that you could kill it, very easily, but you're going to let it go. This time.
2
[X] Let it into the water.
- [X] Catch and release is good manners.
- - [X] Declare yourself the Queen of the Lake. Declare the Fairies your new minions, obliged to serve you whenever you call on them.
1
[X] Let it into the water.
-[X] Haul it back out.
--[X] Explain that you could kill it, very easily, but you're going to let it go. This time.
[X] Declare yourself the Queen of the Lake. Declare the Fairies your new minions, obliged to serve you whenever you call on them.
3
[X] Let it into the water.
- [X] Catch and release is good manners.
You keep shooting bullets at it as you advance, scoring glancing hits along its body but avoiding any truly dangerous locations, and when it finally throws itself into the lake you stop shooting and take out your parasol again. That's enough for now - you've had a bit of fun, and if you're lucky the fish has friends who won't mind trying to fight you. You stop at the rocks the fairies had hid behind and look around. The remaining fairies are all deathly afraid of you now, and even the ice fairy is practically cowering.
"My, that was refreshing. Catch and release is such fun, isn't it? And so very polite." You giggle and look expectantly at the ice fairy.
"Wh-what do you want?" You sigh and shake your head.
"Aren't you going to catch a proper-sized fish? That one didn't count - not only was it too big, but as I said, you didn't catch it so much as it caught you. And you still have … hm, forty minutes? Is that right?" You look around for the clever fairies, noticing them - where they weren't just a moment ago. Fairies aren't that fast and they don't look like they were moving at all anyway …. In any case, the quiet fairy, the one that looked up at the sun, stands up and nods.
"U-uh, yeah. A bit less, but that's close." You smile and nod politely at her, and the ice fairy turns to stare apprehensively at the lake. None of the other fairies move to join her, either.
"Getting cold feet?" She brings her arms in close and bunches her shoulders, but the biggest reaction actually comes from the polite fairy. She walks up to the ice fairy and touches her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Cirno. I'll come down with you this time, and we'll find a fish and bring it back up." The ice fairy stares at her, then takes a deep breath and looks … a little more composed. The other two clever fairies both make startled gasps, and the polite one turns to them and waves. "We won't be long, I'm sure. Don't get into trouble now!" The two fairies stare at their friend and leader as they advance to, and disappear beneath, the lake's surface, then turn and look nervously at you. As if on cue, they simultaneously swallow and scoot back. Curious ….
Well, no one really understands fairies. You look down at the rocks and find one that's wet with the fish's blood. You run your finger through the blood, then lick it. It tastes … kind of bland, really. But there is some worthwhile power in it. Maybe you shouldn't have let it go. Shrugging to yourself, you sit down to wait for the fairies' return. At least the rotting smell is mostly blanketed by the smell of blood and fear. After a few minutes you frown and turn to look at the remaining clever fairies. The lean back nervously and you shake your head in disgust. Fairies need to breathe, and they can drown, so how are these fairies staying under for so long without dying? Is it a property of the lake, or are they special fairies? It's not important, and given that these are fairies, you'll probably get a better answer from Patchouli anyway. Although she might ask how you know, so ….
Finally, after ten minutes of waiting, something bobs to the surface - a sphere of ice. Seconds later, two fairies pop up and start herding the ice to the shore. The other clever fairies get up as well, but only the quiet one zips forward to help; the other still has trouble standing. How strange - don't fairies get their power from nature? So she shouldn't be so tired, especially since all she did was fly away really quickly. Once the ice-ball reaches the shore the three fairies roll it toward you, and inside you can see a fish, most certainly caught. The ice fairy shakes as she touches the ball, and it melts away, leaving a live, flopping fish in the sand in front of you. You give the fish a swift kick to the head, stunning it so you can measure it - and then your head is full of the sounds of Headless's mirth.
"That's it, right? Five meters from the mouth to the fork of the tail?" She clasps her hands in front of her, doing her best to not look like she's terrified. It's amazing enough that they managed to find a fish of the right size, much less in the short amount of time they were underwater. Perhaps she has some sort of talent for finding things? Still, she is right, and you incline your head graciously.
"Indeed it is. So you have gained my recognition of your kingdom." The ice fairy promptly falls over and the polite fairy sags in relief before remembering herself and trying to stand politely. "Might I know just how large this kingdom of yours is?" She blinks for a moment before looking at her friends.
"Um, from here to Cirno's house …." She points down the lake to several moderately-sized boulders - although as she identifies it as the home of the ice fairy, they're likely frozen. You look down at the rocks you're standing on. A border marker, perhaps?
"From here to the bend in the river in the forest," the third clever fairy says, pointing away from the lake before turning and pointing more toward the Human Village. "And to the tall fir tree." You look in the directions indicated for a moment before looking back at the fairy. You can't see either of the landmarks she's referring to, although the forest river is probably several hundred meters back from the treeline. If the tall fir is a similar distance from the ice fairy's home … it's hardly a kingdom, but certainly a reasonably spacious area for fairies.
"Ahh … your sister is going to need some more pillows when she hears about this!" You push her back down and she starts giggling quietly. It's not like you're putting any words or intent in her mouth, so the most you'll get is a lecture on thinking things through. And probably on picking something less possible.
"Thank you. This … it really means a lot to us." The polite fairy bows deeply, and her companions follow suit. Even the ice fairy gets to her feet and nods profusely. You snort.
"Just because I recognize it doesn't mean anyone else will - and I don't want to hear about you using my name to try and bully or threaten people into accepting your claim. You're going to have to convince people on your own strengths." Despite your warning, they look … almost proud and defiant. Like this is what they want … well, these four do; the other fairies gathered around look worried, confused, or excited. Still, they are just fairies, and as was demonstrated less than twenty minutes ago, even a moderately powerful youkai can go through the lot of them without much trouble. And they'll probably forget about this whole 'kingdom' thing in a week, anyway.
What do you do?
[ ] Keep walking around the lake.
- [ ] Bring the fish with you.
- [ ] Leave it for the fairies.
[ ] Head back to the mansion.
- [ ] Bring the fish with you.
- [ ] Leave the fish for the fairies.
- [ ] Go see Sakuya about tomorrow's party.
- [ ] Go see Remilia.
- - [ ] And tell her about the fairies' 'kingdom.'
- - [ ] And ask her about the tengu article.
[ ] Other?
DM Note: Farewell, you crazy Australian dolphin! Get some sleep where there are no lighthouses. Also:
0-15 - Cirno refuses to go and drops the Kingdom idea
16-30 - Cirno goes but doesn't look very hard
31-60 - Cirno goes but doesn't find anything
61-89 - Cirno and others go but bring up smaller fish (~4-4.5 meters)
90+ - Star goes with Cirno and they bring up a 5-meter fish
[X] Head back to the mansion
-[X] Bring the fish with you.
-[X] Go see Sakuya about tomorrow's party.
- [X] Go see Remilia.
--[X] tell her about the fairies 'kingdom'
[X] Let it into the water.
- [X] Catch and release is good manners.
You keep shooting bullets at it as you advance, scoring glancing hits along its body but avoiding any truly dangerous locations, and when it finally throws itself into the lake you stop shooting and take out your parasol again. That's enough for now - you've had a bit of fun, and if you're lucky the fish has friends who won't mind trying to fight you. You stop at the rocks the fairies had hid behind and look around. The remaining fairies are all deathly afraid of you now, and even the ice fairy is practically cowering.
"My, that was refreshing. Catch and release is such fun, isn't it? And so very polite." You giggle and look expectantly at the ice fairy.
"Wh-what do you want?" You sigh and shake your head.
"Aren't you going to catch a proper-sized fish? That one didn't count - not only was it too big, but as I said, you didn't catch it so much as it caught you. And you still have … hm, forty minutes? Is that right?" You look around for the clever fairies, noticing them - where they weren't just a moment ago. Fairies aren't that fast and they don't look like they were moving at all anyway …. In any case, the quiet fairy, the one that looked up at the sun, stands up and nods.
"U-uh, yeah. A bit less, but that's close." You smile and nod politely at her, and the ice fairy turns to stare apprehensively at the lake. None of the other fairies move to join her, either.
"Getting cold feet?" She brings her arms in close and bunches her shoulders, but the biggest reaction actually comes from the polite fairy. She walks up to the ice fairy and touches her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Cirno. I'll come down with you this time, and we'll find a fish and bring it back up." The ice fairy stares at her, then takes a deep breath and looks … a little more composed. The other two clever fairies both make startled gasps, and the polite one turns to them and waves. "We won't be long, I'm sure. Don't get into trouble now!" The two fairies stare at their friend and leader as they advance to, and disappear beneath, the lake's surface, then turn and look nervously at you. As if on cue, they simultaneously swallow and scoot back. Curious ….
Well, no one really understands fairies. You look down at the rocks and find one that's wet with the fish's blood. You run your finger through the blood, then lick it. It tastes … kind of bland, really. But there is some worthwhile power in it. Maybe you shouldn't have let it go. Shrugging to yourself, you sit down to wait for the fairies' return. At least the rotting smell is mostly blanketed by the smell of blood and fear. After a few minutes you frown and turn to look at the remaining clever fairies. The lean back nervously and you shake your head in disgust. Fairies need to breathe, and they can drown, so how are these fairies staying under for so long without dying? Is it a property of the lake, or are they special fairies? It's not important, and given that these are fairies, you'll probably get a better answer from Patchouli anyway. Although she might ask how you know, so ….
Finally, after ten minutes of waiting, something bobs to the surface - a sphere of ice. Seconds later, two fairies pop up and start herding the ice to the shore. The other clever fairies get up as well, but only the quiet one zips forward to help; the other still has trouble standing. How strange - don't fairies get their power from nature? So she shouldn't be so tired, especially since all she did was fly away really quickly. Once the ice-ball reaches the shore the three fairies roll it toward you, and inside you can see a fish, most certainly caught. The ice fairy shakes as she touches the ball, and it melts away, leaving a live, flopping fish in the sand in front of you. You give the fish a swift kick to the head, stunning it so you can measure it - and then your head is full of the sounds of Headless's mirth.
"That's it, right? Five meters from the mouth to the fork of the tail?" She clasps her hands in front of her, doing her best to not look like she's terrified. It's amazing enough that they managed to find a fish of the right size, much less in the short amount of time they were underwater. Perhaps she has some sort of talent for finding things? Still, she is right, and you incline your head graciously.
"Indeed it is. So you have gained my recognition of your kingdom." The ice fairy promptly falls over and the polite fairy sags in relief before remembering herself and trying to stand politely. "Might I know just how large this kingdom of yours is?" She blinks for a moment before looking at her friends.
"Um, from here to Cirno's house …." She points down the lake to several moderately-sized boulders - although as she identifies it as the home of the ice fairy, they're likely frozen. You look down at the rocks you're standing on. A border marker, perhaps?
"From here to the bend in the river in the forest," the third clever fairy says, pointing away from the lake before turning and pointing more toward the Human Village. "And to the tall fir tree." You look in the directions indicated for a moment before looking back at the fairy. You can't see either of the landmarks she's referring to, although the forest river is probably several hundred meters back from the treeline. If the tall fir is a similar distance from the ice fairy's home … it's hardly a kingdom, but certainly a reasonably spacious area for fairies.
"Ahh … your sister is going to need some more pillows when she hears about this!" You push her back down and she starts giggling quietly. It's not like you're putting any words or intent in her mouth, so the most you'll get is a lecture on thinking things through. And probably on picking something less possible.
"Thank you. This … it really means a lot to us." The polite fairy bows deeply, and her companions follow suit. Even the ice fairy gets to her feet and nods profusely. You snort.
"Just because I recognize it doesn't mean anyone else will - and I don't want to hear about you using my name to try and bully or threaten people into accepting your claim. You're going to have to convince people on your own strengths." Despite your warning, they look … almost proud and defiant. Like this is what they want … well, these four do; the other fairies gathered around look worried, confused, or excited. Still, they are just fairies, and as was demonstrated less than twenty minutes ago, even a moderately powerful youkai can go through the lot of them without much trouble. And they'll probably forget about this whole 'kingdom' thing in a week, anyway.
What do you do?
[ ] Keep walking around the lake.
- [ ] Bring the fish with you.
- [ ] Leave it for the fairies.
[ ] Head back to the mansion.
- [ ] Bring the fish with you.
- [ ] Leave the fish for the fairies.
- [ ] Go see Sakuya about tomorrow's party.
- [ ] Go see Remilia.
- - [ ] And tell her about the fairies' 'kingdom.'
- - [ ] And ask her about the tengu article.
[ ] Other?
DM Note: Farewell, you crazy Australian dolphin! Get some sleep where there are no lighthouses. Also:
0-15 - Cirno refuses to go and drops the Kingdom idea
16-30 - Cirno goes but doesn't look very hard
31-60 - Cirno goes but doesn't find anything
61-89 - Cirno and others go but bring up smaller fish (~4-4.5 meters)
90+ - Star goes with Cirno and they bring up a 5-meter fish
[X] Head back to the mansion.
-[X] Bring the fish with you.
-[X] Go see Remilia.
--[X] And tell her about the fairies' 'kingdom.'
I want to read about Remilia's reaction to this. I am also curious if she would feel fit to test the Fairies herself worthy of Flandre's recognition. Say, Entropy Judge, are the Fairies of Light and Cirno the surviving four Fairies Remilia has Contract with?
[X] Head back to the mansion.
-[X] Bring the fish with you.
-[X] Go see Remilia.
--[X] And tell her about the fairies' 'kingdom.'
3
[X] Head back to the mansion
-[X] Leave the fish for the fairies
-[X] Go see Sakuya about tomorrow's party.
- [X] Go see Remilia.
--[X] tell her about the fairies 'kingdom'
1
[X] Head back to the mansion.
-[X] Bring the fish with you.
-[X] Go see Remilia.
--[X] And tell her about the fairies' 'kingdom.'
3
[X] Head back to the mansion
-[X] Leave the fish for the fairies
-[X] Go see Sakuya about tomorrow's party.
- [X] Go see Remilia.
--[X] tell her about the fairies 'kingdom'
1
[X] Head back to the mansion.
-[X] Bring the fish with you.
-[X] Go see Remilia.
--[X] And tell her about the fairies' 'kingdom.'
3
[X] Head back to the mansion
-[X] Leave the fish for the fairies
-[X] Go see Sakuya about tomorrow's party.
- [X] Go see Remilia.
--[X] tell her about the fairies 'kingdom'
1
[X] Head back to the mansion.
- [X] Bring the fish with you.
- [X] Go see Remilia.
- - [X] And tell her about the fairies' 'kingdom.'
You stretch your wings out and roll your shoulders. "You don't mind if I keep the fish, right?" It's hardly a question, really, and the fairies' enthusiasm falls. The polite one still steps forward and curtsies.
"Of course we don't mind." You nod back and put your parasol away before grabbing the fish. It's big enough that you can use it as an impromptu sun-shield, and you're not going to be out for much longer anyway. It flops weakly and you wave off-handedly as you rise into the air. Some of the fairies look unhappy - well, you did just take several hundred kilograms of fish away from them, and that could feed a lot of fairies - but the polite one seems pretty excited. You could keep going, maybe get into another fight if something stupid is wandering around, but it's probably not worth it anymore, so you head back to the mansion. It looks like the polite fairy is trying to get the ice fairy to go back into the lake. Another fish hunt? You shake your head at their antics and pick up the pace, covering in just a couple minutes what it took you twenty minutes to walk. Meiling stares at the massive fish slung over your shoulder.
"Um, it looks like your expedition was successful." You giggle.
"It was, but this is just a bonus, really. I was thinking of hollowing it out and then poking holes in it for my arms and legs - you know, like a little fish-suit! Do you think that would let me go out in the rain and underwater without any problems?" Meiling does a very good job of keeping her thoughts hidden, and after a moment she shakes her head sadly.
"Somehow I don't think it works that way, Lady Flandre." You giggle again - to a degree, it kind of does. Does she know that? Is she humoring you and letting you feel like you know something she doesn't, or does she really not know? You float closer and peer into her eyes, clear and honest … then lean forward and give her a one-armed hug.
"I guess not." You inhale deeply. She smells … like nothing much, really. Like the garden, as much as anything. You let her go and drift back. "Well, I'll be heading inside now. Thank you for your work." She bows and you fly up over the gate. What to do with the fish … well, you'll probably give it to Sakuya at some point. Maybe she can use it in the party tomorrow? But for now you fly up and around the mansion, looking at the balconies. Remilia is probably inside, but she comes out to the balconies pretty often too. And in fact that's where you find her, although you hadn't really expected her to be asleep. Grinning, you turn invisible and hold the fish so that it's mere centimeters from her face, then pitch your voice lower. "Remilia. Remilia~!" Her eyes flutter open and she stares blankly at the fishy face in front of her.
"Oh, dear. I'm about to be assaulted by a flying fish in the middle of the day. If only my dear sweet sister were here to help me!" She delivers the line so perfectly, without changing her expression at all, that you can't help but giggle. She tilts her head to the side and looks at you. You drop your invisibility and hold the fish behind you.
"Good morning, Remilia!" She finally smiles and you beam back.
"Good morning, Flandre. Where did you get that?" She doesn't sound critical … but she doesn't sound curious, either. You look around and set the fish on the floor before settling into the chair across from her.
"It's from the lake, of course." Remilia hesitates for a moment before nodding. "I just took a walk, saw some youkai who were pretty polite, and then met some fairies. Did you know they're trying to start a kingdom?" That draws a frown. You nod and lean forward, eager to be the first to tell her the news. "The ice fairy and three more fairies that seemed pretty intelligent seem to be the leaders of the project, and maybe a score altogether. It's a pretty small area, but they are just fairies -" Your sister holds up a hand, wanting you to be quiet, then makes a few gestures. Three images appear on the table - the three intelligent fairies.
"These are the three intelligent fairies you spoke of?" You nod and she leans forward, frowning unhappily as the three images dance about. "Star Sapphire, Sunny Milk, and Luna Child; fairies of the Stars, Sun, and Moon, respectively." You nod - that explains why the one fairy seemed unable to recover. As a fairy of the moon, the day is her worst time. "This wouldn't be the first time they tried something like this. They once tried to coerce Cirno and some other fairies into working together as a unified group in order to start an incident. Laughable, of course, and it never went anywhere, but …." Her eyes narrow sharply and she looks at you. "What, exactly, happened?" You swallow and shrug.
"Well, I didn't know they were there until they hit my parasol with some trash and garbage, and they wanted respect of all things. They said that the area we were in was part of a 'Fairy Kingdom.' I challenged them on that, told them to bring up a five-meter fish to prove themselves. Their first attempt brought up some kind of youkai fish, and when it tried to attack me I beat it up and let it run away. The fairies tried again and brought this one, so … um." You shrug again and Remilia closes her eyes and sighs. "I told them not to try and use the fact that I'd recognized it as some kind of bargaining tool and that they'd have to make others care with their own strength!" She nods dully.
"Yes, but by lending them some kind of recognition at all you've invigorated them. They're going to work at this, at least for a little while. And Yukari, at least, is going to learn about it pretty quickly, if she doesn't know already. She keeps a close eye on those three." You tilt your head questioningly.
"Are they special fairies or something?" Remilia shrugs and dismisses the twirling figures.
"Of a sort. The ice fairy may not be for much longer - she hardly resonates with her element and she's active year-round, not only when it's cold and ice is common. Moreover, she's as powerful as some weak youkai; truly the strongest of fairies, but … she's hardly fairy-like. The Fairies of Light are … similar, but different. Not strength, but rather their intelligence and drive marks them as above other fairies. Ambition and a desire for recognition isn't uncommon among fairies, but those three work to improve their lot, try to plan for all fairies …." She sighs and rubs the sides of her head. "But this is new. A new wrinkle, a new headache, something to take into consideration. Yukari … Yukari will try to foster this 'kingdom' so long as her pets maintain their interest, which could be some time. Behind the scenes, of course, but her influence doesn't need to be direct. Haa~ She'll probably show up tomorrow, then. Damn her anyway." She stares at the table before shaking her head. "At least you didn't do something foolish like claiming suzerainty - or worse." You snort and she glances up at you.
"I'm not that politically inept, Remilia. … What would have happened?" She gives you a look and shakes her head. You pout unhappily.
"Nothing good, I'm sure. As it stands, nothing should happen. Whatever the pecking order underwater is, it's a different matter above the surface. Send a youkai home with a good spanking and they won't mind unless you went down specifically to give that youkai a beating. And if other groups' spies saw you without you doing anything then there's really no case to be made against you." She stretches before leaning forward, tapping her fingertips together. You wonder at her insinuation; were the youkai you met spies for other groups, or did you not see the actual spies? "Still, this kingdom is a new thing. Why a kingdom? You'd think they'd want their own Village. Where did they get the idea of political independence? And it's too early, anyway … what should be next, the tower?" She rubs her head and you sigh quietly. It doesn't really matter where they got the idea from, and it seems like she's not going to do anything about the fairies - at least, not as long as Yukari might be interested in them. It would be so much easier if you could just kill her, but she has too many allies and too many strings, and Gensokyo would probably fall apart pretty soon after her death. But right now Remilia is fussing too much, and there's a party tomorrow so she really shouldn't be working herself up. Then again, maybe she just needs a bit more until she hits a limit and needs to unwind … not that you're sure of that, either.
What do you do?
[ ] Sit and wait for Remilia to calm down.
- Do anything when she calms down?
[ ] Send a clone to get Sakuya to bring some tea.
- [ ] Have her take the fish.
- [ ] Spike Remilia's tea.
[ ] Direct intervention!
- [ ] Take her down to Patchouli.
- [ ] Danmaku shooting match!
[ ] Leave her alone for now. She probably won't appreciate an interruption.
- [ ] Go see Sakuya about the party.
