Flandre's Quest (Touhou) World - (Madness Quest)
- Thread starter Entropy Judge
- Start date
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are locked.
[X] Wait for them to come to you.
- [X] You'll meet them in the lobby.
2
[X] Wait for them to come to you.
- [X] Sella will meet them in the lobby.
3
[X] Wait for them to come to you.
- [X] Koakuma will meet them in the lobby.
2
[X] Suggest that you go to meet them immediately.
- [X] In the Edelfelt mansion.
1
- [X] You'll meet them in the lobby.
2
[X] Wait for them to come to you.
- [X] Sella will meet them in the lobby.
3
[X] Wait for them to come to you.
- [X] Koakuma will meet them in the lobby.
2
[X] Suggest that you go to meet them immediately.
- [X] In the Edelfelt mansion.
1
Preparations Begin
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[X] Wait for them to come to you.
- [X] Sella will meet them in the lobby.
"… Illya?" After several long seconds of silence, Kiritsugu speaks up. His daughter's head jerks up and she stares at him for a moment.
"P-Papa?" He smiles softly and dips his head.
"You were going to tell us about what happened a few days ago." Illya nods and frowns uncomfortably.
"It's just … my memory is fuzzy on some things. Um, Ruby? You remember what happened, right?" She seems to miss the looks of concern on her parents' faces as she tilts her head to look at the Device, which tilts forward as if bowing.
"I remember, Illya-san. Unless you want the others to help explain?" Illya ducks her head.
"No, no … um, at least not right now." She sits up properly, no longer learning against her mother, who stands up and joins hands with Kiritsugu as he walks into the room, still carrying the case he took from the car. "Well … I told you we were looking for dangerous cards, right? Rin-san and Luvia-san had each started with one, and then we fought and defeated one of them. The fourth card …." She laughs self-deprecatingly. "Our first try didn't go so well. We got it on the second try, but … there was another card waiting for us." She looks down and squeezes her fingers. "It attacked Rin-san and Luvia-san, and when we tried to get them away from it, it ignored our attacks and was able to hit us back. We … we …. Something else came and attacked the card, though. Luvia-san said something about it being a Class Card, too, but … it wasn't. It was different …." You squeeze Ilya as Illya trails off - even her younger, under-educated Doppelgänger can tell that Berserker is special! Kiritsugu looks at the dresser and tilts his head.
"Saber and …?" Illya looks up, startled, apparently unaware of her parents' mounting distress.
"Oh! Um, yeah. I guess 'Saber' is the last one we fought. 'Archer' is the one that Rin-san started with." The Device dips again.
"And Luvia-san started with Lancer and acquired Rider. The entity that interfered in the fight with Saber appears to have been of the Berserker Class, although, as Illya said, there are dissimilarities between it and the manifested Class Cards." Illya nods slowly.
"After the - Beserker? After it attacked Saber and got it away from us, two girls showed up. One about my age, and one who seemed around Rin-san's age … I think. They …." She shivers and trails off.
"They requested that we follow them to a safer location. When Luvia-san attempted to learn more about them, they clarified that Illya-san was the only one they really needed to keep alive. It seemed safer to accept their offer, however, so we all went with them. They had a most interesting Bounded Field that made the space within apparently empty of inhabitants; it was also undetectable by magecraft until a very short distance away, and it could not have been set up at a previous time - the mage who created it either brought it with them or was able to create it in an extremely short time." Kiritsugu and Irisviel share concerned looks as Illya scratches her head and smiles.
"I don't really get it, either. But …." Her smile fades. "We could see them when we got close enough. There were … there were four more people. O-one of them was … was me. Only older, and she had lost her - her right arm and leg somehow. And Sella and Leys, too! Only Leys was carrying a big axe, and … and …." Kiritsugu and Irisviel go white at the revelation. Kiritsugu seems to recover first, his posture stiffening as he looks around the room once more. He looks at the Device.
"Did she look exactly like Illya?" Illya looks up at him as the Device swivels as if shaking its head.
"Apart from the missing limbs, the other Ilya seems to be older and generally slightly more frail physically. Viewing her in person, it would not be possible to miss the differences." It turns to 'look' at Illya. "Do you want to show them that?" Illya ducks her head again, thinking, then slips out of the bed and walks to the desk. She opens a book and takes out the strip of pictures from yesterday with her and Ilya, looking at it for a moment before turning and handing it to her parents. "The other Ilya seems to have been powering Berserker herself, and therefore appears to be a mage of some power." Illya's parents stare at the picture, and you pout. Now they won't be surprised to see Ilya! Illya stands uncomfortably, hands crossed nervously in front of her chest.
"Anyway, the fourth girl defeated the enemy we'd been trying to fight, just … blew her away with a blast of magic. And then she said she wanted to … to look at something inside me, and that she'd let everyone go if I agreed to it. But … but I can't really remember anything past that." Irisviel lets go of her husband's hand and hugs her daughter tightly; Ilya hunches her shoulders unhappily and you squeeze her gently. You're not her family, but Remilia said friends were family you chose, right? And it seems to help. Kiritsugu looks at the Device and waits for it to take up the story.
"The mage used a Mystic Code of some kind, bearing the appearance of a small key, to trigger a surge of magical energy within Illya-san and to release a captive entity. The entity was offered the chance to 'go back' with the mage, provided it did not act rashly. It is probably aware of the situation as it is now. … At least part of the purpose of the mage's actions appear to have been to make certain individuals aware of a change in the situation." Irisviel slumps to the floor, still hugging her daughter, and her shoulders start heaving.
"M-Mama? What …?" After a moment, Kiritsugu simply turns and starts walking out of the room. He pauses at the door.
"Iri. I'm going out." Without waiting for a response he keeps walking, leaving his confused daughter and weeping wife alone in the room. Patchouli sighs and shakes her head, and the image fades. Ilya looks over at her.
"He'll take the car and drive through the city, looking for evidence that might point to our location. So unless you want to meet them separately, I propose we wait for them to come to us." Ilya looks down at her hand.
"I have to agree with Patchouli," you say, drawing a surprised look from the magician. "If we were going to go out to meet them, it probably would have been better to do it before they learned about you. Since they've already heard about you, though, we might as well take advantage of Patchouli's setup and preparations and let them come to us." You squeeze your friend lightly. "It might take a while for them to come up with a plan, but I'll keep you company." Ilya nods and relaxes against you. Patchouli eyes you for a moment before shrugging and turning stiffly to a book that floats toward her from one of the shelves.
"Then we should decide how we're going to meet with them once they do arrive. I would suggest some kind of meeting in the lobby before allowing them up here, just to make it clear that we aren't hostile."
"Oh! I'll go! Please, let me!" Your head twitches to the side at Koakuma's outburst. Sella frowns and shakes her head.
"As Lady Illyasviel's servant, I should be the one to greet them and explain the purpose of their visit." The two scowl at each other. If they didn't know that Sella existed - and apparently she has a double here, too - you might be worried more about having her meet them first. After all, Ilya had a whole castle and servants and everything, and Illya doesn't even have a decent mansion, so it's possible that her family doesn't get along well with the main Einzbern family. But since they'll be expecting her, it shouldn't be too bad … and if there are any particularly Einzbern courtesies then she'll definitely get them right. You nod as Patchouli sighs quietly.
"I think Sella is a better choice, too. What about you, Ilya?" Koakuma gives you a betrayed look that you ignore as you focus on Ilya. She tenses nervously before looking up at her servant.
"You … you'll take care of yourself, right, Sella?" Sella bows deeply.
"Of course I will, Lady Illyasviel." After a moment of studying the maid, Ilya nods - and Koakuma stomps around the room in a huff.
"Argh! No! That's not fair! How else am I going to see Kiritsugu Square Accel Matrix Dodge a danmaku storm while bridal carrying Irisviel with Rules of Nature playing the background?!" You slowly look up at the lesser devil and stare at her, wondering if what she just said is sufficient grounds to walk over and give her a smack. Sella stares as well, but Patchouli simply sighs again and begins flipping through the book.
"And what makes you think you would get to see that if you did greet them? Combat is not our goal, after all, and attacking them - even appearing to - is very nearly an automatic fail on our part." The familiar stares at the magician.
"But … but … you said I could -"
"I said you could bring it. Not once did I grant you permission to use it." Patchouli finally looks up at her pouting familiar. "You know how the portals work. You won't be my familiar forever. When you're free to do as you wish, you can see then." Koakuma slumps, dejected.
"But by then I'll be -" You tilt your head as she suffers a coughing fit as bad as one of Patchouli's. Such a shame, because you can practically see the bad decision working its way through her head, and when she looks up one of the first things she sees is you, just waiting for the mistake to be made. "Er, wiser and more mature, and I probably won't care about things like that anymore." Patchouli chuckles quietly.
"Hmph. And won't that be a shame." She looks back at you and Ilya. "They probably won't come before this evening, and it's much more likely that they won't make a move before most humans are getting ready to sleep. I would suggest resting and thinking about what, exactly, you want to say to them." Ilya nods slowly.
What do you do?
[ ] Last-minute plans/preparations. (Write-in)
[ ] Offer to stay with Ilya while she talks with Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
[ ] Don't offer to stay with Ilya while she talks with Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
- [X] Sella will meet them in the lobby.
"… Illya?" After several long seconds of silence, Kiritsugu speaks up. His daughter's head jerks up and she stares at him for a moment.
"P-Papa?" He smiles softly and dips his head.
"You were going to tell us about what happened a few days ago." Illya nods and frowns uncomfortably.
"It's just … my memory is fuzzy on some things. Um, Ruby? You remember what happened, right?" She seems to miss the looks of concern on her parents' faces as she tilts her head to look at the Device, which tilts forward as if bowing.
"I remember, Illya-san. Unless you want the others to help explain?" Illya ducks her head.
"No, no … um, at least not right now." She sits up properly, no longer learning against her mother, who stands up and joins hands with Kiritsugu as he walks into the room, still carrying the case he took from the car. "Well … I told you we were looking for dangerous cards, right? Rin-san and Luvia-san had each started with one, and then we fought and defeated one of them. The fourth card …." She laughs self-deprecatingly. "Our first try didn't go so well. We got it on the second try, but … there was another card waiting for us." She looks down and squeezes her fingers. "It attacked Rin-san and Luvia-san, and when we tried to get them away from it, it ignored our attacks and was able to hit us back. We … we …. Something else came and attacked the card, though. Luvia-san said something about it being a Class Card, too, but … it wasn't. It was different …." You squeeze Ilya as Illya trails off - even her younger, under-educated Doppelgänger can tell that Berserker is special! Kiritsugu looks at the dresser and tilts his head.
"Saber and …?" Illya looks up, startled, apparently unaware of her parents' mounting distress.
"Oh! Um, yeah. I guess 'Saber' is the last one we fought. 'Archer' is the one that Rin-san started with." The Device dips again.
"And Luvia-san started with Lancer and acquired Rider. The entity that interfered in the fight with Saber appears to have been of the Berserker Class, although, as Illya said, there are dissimilarities between it and the manifested Class Cards." Illya nods slowly.
"After the - Beserker? After it attacked Saber and got it away from us, two girls showed up. One about my age, and one who seemed around Rin-san's age … I think. They …." She shivers and trails off.
"They requested that we follow them to a safer location. When Luvia-san attempted to learn more about them, they clarified that Illya-san was the only one they really needed to keep alive. It seemed safer to accept their offer, however, so we all went with them. They had a most interesting Bounded Field that made the space within apparently empty of inhabitants; it was also undetectable by magecraft until a very short distance away, and it could not have been set up at a previous time - the mage who created it either brought it with them or was able to create it in an extremely short time." Kiritsugu and Irisviel share concerned looks as Illya scratches her head and smiles.
"I don't really get it, either. But …." Her smile fades. "We could see them when we got close enough. There were … there were four more people. O-one of them was … was me. Only older, and she had lost her - her right arm and leg somehow. And Sella and Leys, too! Only Leys was carrying a big axe, and … and …." Kiritsugu and Irisviel go white at the revelation. Kiritsugu seems to recover first, his posture stiffening as he looks around the room once more. He looks at the Device.
"Did she look exactly like Illya?" Illya looks up at him as the Device swivels as if shaking its head.
"Apart from the missing limbs, the other Ilya seems to be older and generally slightly more frail physically. Viewing her in person, it would not be possible to miss the differences." It turns to 'look' at Illya. "Do you want to show them that?" Illya ducks her head again, thinking, then slips out of the bed and walks to the desk. She opens a book and takes out the strip of pictures from yesterday with her and Ilya, looking at it for a moment before turning and handing it to her parents. "The other Ilya seems to have been powering Berserker herself, and therefore appears to be a mage of some power." Illya's parents stare at the picture, and you pout. Now they won't be surprised to see Ilya! Illya stands uncomfortably, hands crossed nervously in front of her chest.
"Anyway, the fourth girl defeated the enemy we'd been trying to fight, just … blew her away with a blast of magic. And then she said she wanted to … to look at something inside me, and that she'd let everyone go if I agreed to it. But … but I can't really remember anything past that." Irisviel lets go of her husband's hand and hugs her daughter tightly; Ilya hunches her shoulders unhappily and you squeeze her gently. You're not her family, but Remilia said friends were family you chose, right? And it seems to help. Kiritsugu looks at the Device and waits for it to take up the story.
"The mage used a Mystic Code of some kind, bearing the appearance of a small key, to trigger a surge of magical energy within Illya-san and to release a captive entity. The entity was offered the chance to 'go back' with the mage, provided it did not act rashly. It is probably aware of the situation as it is now. … At least part of the purpose of the mage's actions appear to have been to make certain individuals aware of a change in the situation." Irisviel slumps to the floor, still hugging her daughter, and her shoulders start heaving.
"M-Mama? What …?" After a moment, Kiritsugu simply turns and starts walking out of the room. He pauses at the door.
"Iri. I'm going out." Without waiting for a response he keeps walking, leaving his confused daughter and weeping wife alone in the room. Patchouli sighs and shakes her head, and the image fades. Ilya looks over at her.
"He'll take the car and drive through the city, looking for evidence that might point to our location. So unless you want to meet them separately, I propose we wait for them to come to us." Ilya looks down at her hand.
"I have to agree with Patchouli," you say, drawing a surprised look from the magician. "If we were going to go out to meet them, it probably would have been better to do it before they learned about you. Since they've already heard about you, though, we might as well take advantage of Patchouli's setup and preparations and let them come to us." You squeeze your friend lightly. "It might take a while for them to come up with a plan, but I'll keep you company." Ilya nods and relaxes against you. Patchouli eyes you for a moment before shrugging and turning stiffly to a book that floats toward her from one of the shelves.
"Then we should decide how we're going to meet with them once they do arrive. I would suggest some kind of meeting in the lobby before allowing them up here, just to make it clear that we aren't hostile."
"Oh! I'll go! Please, let me!" Your head twitches to the side at Koakuma's outburst. Sella frowns and shakes her head.
"As Lady Illyasviel's servant, I should be the one to greet them and explain the purpose of their visit." The two scowl at each other. If they didn't know that Sella existed - and apparently she has a double here, too - you might be worried more about having her meet them first. After all, Ilya had a whole castle and servants and everything, and Illya doesn't even have a decent mansion, so it's possible that her family doesn't get along well with the main Einzbern family. But since they'll be expecting her, it shouldn't be too bad … and if there are any particularly Einzbern courtesies then she'll definitely get them right. You nod as Patchouli sighs quietly.
"I think Sella is a better choice, too. What about you, Ilya?" Koakuma gives you a betrayed look that you ignore as you focus on Ilya. She tenses nervously before looking up at her servant.
"You … you'll take care of yourself, right, Sella?" Sella bows deeply.
"Of course I will, Lady Illyasviel." After a moment of studying the maid, Ilya nods - and Koakuma stomps around the room in a huff.
"Argh! No! That's not fair! How else am I going to see Kiritsugu Square Accel Matrix Dodge a danmaku storm while bridal carrying Irisviel with Rules of Nature playing the background?!" You slowly look up at the lesser devil and stare at her, wondering if what she just said is sufficient grounds to walk over and give her a smack. Sella stares as well, but Patchouli simply sighs again and begins flipping through the book.
"And what makes you think you would get to see that if you did greet them? Combat is not our goal, after all, and attacking them - even appearing to - is very nearly an automatic fail on our part." The familiar stares at the magician.
"But … but … you said I could -"
"I said you could bring it. Not once did I grant you permission to use it." Patchouli finally looks up at her pouting familiar. "You know how the portals work. You won't be my familiar forever. When you're free to do as you wish, you can see then." Koakuma slumps, dejected.
"But by then I'll be -" You tilt your head as she suffers a coughing fit as bad as one of Patchouli's. Such a shame, because you can practically see the bad decision working its way through her head, and when she looks up one of the first things she sees is you, just waiting for the mistake to be made. "Er, wiser and more mature, and I probably won't care about things like that anymore." Patchouli chuckles quietly.
"Hmph. And won't that be a shame." She looks back at you and Ilya. "They probably won't come before this evening, and it's much more likely that they won't make a move before most humans are getting ready to sleep. I would suggest resting and thinking about what, exactly, you want to say to them." Ilya nods slowly.
What do you do?
[ ] Last-minute plans/preparations. (Write-in)
[ ] Offer to stay with Ilya while she talks with Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
[ ] Don't offer to stay with Ilya while she talks with Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
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A Wise Hermit
Well, Sometimes.
[X] Offer to stay with Ilya while she talks with Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
Security Detail. Don't want anything going wrong.
Security Detail. Don't want anything going wrong.
- Location
- Europe
[X] Offer to stay with Ilya while she talks with Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are not locked.
[X] Offer to stay with Ilya while she talks with Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
7
EDIT: Votes are locked.
[X] Offer to stay with Ilya while she talks with Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
7
EDIT: Votes are locked.
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Ilya, Iri, and Kiritsugu
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[X] Offer to stay with Ilya while she talks with Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
After a few seconds Ilya shakes her head at Sella. "I don't think I'll be getting dressed just yet, Sella." The maid seems about to complain but Ilya glares at her. "Not now, Sella!" You look worriedly at your friend, but after a moment her expression clouds over unhappily and she looks down.
"… Of course, Lady Illyasviel." Sella doesn't look hurt or insulted, at least - only worried.
"I'm sorry, Sella. I just … is it alright if I go back to bed for a little?" You pat her head a few times as Sella bows, smiling sadly.
"Of course, Lady Illyasviel. Would you like me to get you at a certain time or should I wait for you call?" Her voice is gentle, lacking the sting those words could easily have held, but Ilya curls in on herself anyway.
"Um … if - if I'm not up by noon, could you please come get me?".
"Of course, Lady Illyasviel." Ilya relaxes as Sella bows to her, and you gently carry her back to the bedroom. She squirms around once you settle down and wraps her arm around you, hugging you tightly. You stroke her hair and sway gently, a rocking motion that your sister used to calm you down.
"There, there. You don't need to worry, Ilya." She shakes her head and sniffles as she tries to keep from breaking into a full-fledged meltdown, despite the good that would do.
"No, i-it's … I - this is wrong! I don't - they're not … they're not my parents. They're happy - were happy, a family that … that …." Oh. You hold her for a moment as you think about what to say, then fall back, pulling her with you.
"There, now we're comfortable, right? So, the first thing is this - if you don't want to do this, if you really feel bad meeting Kiritsugu and Irisviel, then we can leave. Just walk up to Patchouli and tell her we want to go back to the mansion and meet with your parents when she gets her portals fixed, and she'll let us go back. So don't think that you have to meet with them, okay?" She nods briefly, still hugging you as best as she can. "As far as them being a happy family - what of it? This isn't about them, it's about you. You want to meet them so you can get an adult's feel for Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel von Einzbern to supplement your childhood memories before you meet your real parents. You want to talk to them so that when you meet your real parents, you won't have to bury your emotions because you'll have seen their faces. If you must consider their feelings, think about how they're happy - and remember that you were denied that happiness for reasons that couldn't be helped." You pause, trying to order your thoughts again. Are you going off-track, or maybe just not explaining things well? But Ilya squeezes you a little and lifts her head from your chest, no longer crying.
"Th-thank you, Flan. You're … you're r-" She shudders before she can finish speaking and presses herself against you again. "C-can I … just …." Her words are muffled, but you nod and turn over so she doesn't have her arm trapped under you.
"Of course, Ilya. Sleep, rest, whatever you want. I'll be right here." She nods jerkily, helplessly, and you hold her gently until she finally drifts off to sleep.
She wakes up before Sella comes in, and she seems better, but she keeps to herself. She would smile for a moment before looking away and letting it fade. She wouldn't talk much, except to ask to go somewhere - on the balcony, for example, to look over the city, or to go watch people in the common areas of the hotel - or to apologize for her behavior no matter how often you and Sella tell her it's not a problem. She doesn't say anything about what she plans to talk with Kiritsugu and Irisviel about, and she thanks you when you tell her that you can stay with her through the meeting if she wants you to … but she doesn't accept immediately.
As day turns to evening you have another meal, and Sella takes pride in Ilya's praise of her cooking over that of the hotel's lunch. Patchouli deigns to remove some of the shelves so you can sit against a window as you read some books with Ilya - silly little stories of humanity's insignificance in the greater universe. Then, of course, Patchouli clears her throat.
"They're coming," she says when you pause and look up at her. An image appears in the air beside her - Irisviel's car, driving sedately down a street. Ilya takes a deep breath, then another, and you give her a hug. She relaxes and nods.
"S-Sella, please go down and be ready to greet them." The maid bows and walks toward the elevators. You set Ilya in her wheelchair and take her into the sitting room where she'll meet with Kiritsugu and Irisviel - a simple room with a few pieces of furniture to sit on and no distractions. "Thank you, Flan," she whispers, and you smile. The image of Irisviel's car appears on a wall, and now you recognize where it is.
"Patchouli has pretty good timing, doesn't she?" Ilya giggles and nods. The car makes a final turn and drives into the hotel's parking lot, and the two mages get out. Irisviel doesn't appear to carry anything, and looks almost like she's going to a formal event with her fine clothing. Kiritsugu, however, opens the trunk and rummages around for a few moments, putting some things inside his worn coat and otherwise arranging himself - small blocky objects a little larger than a fist, and at least one knife, and when he finally closes the trunk you can see that he's also carrying a gun of some kind. Irisviel touches his shoulder and they lean into each other before stepping apart and walking together toward the hotel lobby.
"Welcome, Lady Irisviel, Sir Kiritsugu." Sella, the only other person in the lobby, bows when they enter. Kiritsugu snaps his gun out, aiming at the maid, but doesn't fire. Irisviel takes a step forward.
"You are an Einzbern homunculus." Sella nods. "Who do you work for?"
"Lady Illyasviel, of course." They don't seem happy at the response, but it can hardly be one they weren't expecting to hear.
"What do you want with our daughter?" Sella shakes her head.
"To my knowledge, we have no interest in your Lady Illyasviel. You may ask Miss Knowledge if she has any interest in her." Irisviel walks forward, closing the distance between her and Sella.
"Iri." She waves a hand at her husband, attempting to calm him, and he reluctantly lowers the gun as she walks into his line of fire. After a few moments of studying Sella she nods and beckons for her husband. Some kind of magic? Or just trust?
"Why don't you have any protection?"
"We are not here to fight; to engage in combat with you would be a failure on our part. Also, Miss Knowledge warned me that it would not be wise to use any constantly-active magecraft if Sir Kiritsugu was here and potentially hostile." They seem shaken by that and share a glance, but Sella ignores that to bow again. "If you would follow me, I will take you to Lady Illyasviel." After a moment's hesitation they follow her into the elevator. You glance at Ilya; she looks unhappy, and her hand is clenched tightly. You pat her shoulder and smile reassuringly. She relaxes and leans back in her wheelchair, nodding slightly. The elevator opens and you frown at the strange sign. Irisviel seems confused by it, Kiritsugu annoyed, but neither of them do anything as Sella leads them to Patchouli's little library. The magician doesn't even look up from her book when they enter, but Kiritsugu snarls and steps forward, raising his gun to aim at her. Her only reaction is to turn the page of her book; Koakuma looks up from her workbook to watch him, but Leysritt doesn't move either.
"What are you planning to do with Illya?!"
"Later, Emiya Kiritsugu. Speak with Illyasviel first." He throws the gun to the floor and pulls out a different one, a long-barreled pistol. Irisviel stiffens but Patchouli only sighs. Kiritsugu's aim trembles - then he lowers the pistol, but keeps it in his hand. Patchouli waves off-handedly at the door leading to where you and Ilya wait. Irisviel walks up and takes her husband's free hand, and after one last look at Patchouli they move to meet Ilya. You stand a little behind and to the left of Ilya's chair as they walk in, head tilted curiously and wings canted out. Kiritsugu's gaze locks on you for a long moment as they enter, but Irisviel doesn't even seem to notice your presence, and after he finishes trying to size you up, Kiritsugu looks at Ilya as well.
"Irisviel, Kiritsugu. I'm sorry for the circumstances of our meeting." Irisviel looks unhappy, almost like she personally failed Ilya somehow, and Kiritsugu looks somewhat uncomfortable as well. "Flan, could you leave us alone?" You look over at Ilya, but your hesitation before nodding is minimal. You want to stay with her, make sure she's okay … but this is her moment, with the people so much like her parents. Even if you Patchouli for some reason hadn't put any protections on this room, even if Ilya didn't have Berserker watching over her, she should be perfectly safe. It's not like Irisviel or Kiritsugu would ever try to kill their daughter, after all.
"Of course, Ilya," you say as you give her a quick hug. You walk past Kiritsugu and Irisviel, head nodding politely, but you pause and turn at the door. A warning comes to your lips, the desire to just make sure they know that if anything happens to Ilya that you'll make sure their daughter suffers horribly before she eventually dies … but you force the desire down. It wouldn't help - would probably hurt - and Ilya wouldn't want you to say something like that, especially not right now. You wave at Ilya and walk into the common area, closing the door behind you.
Sella's mask of calm is gone as she stares worriedly at the door behind you, and Leysritt has moved from beside the front door to guarding the sitting room, white hands clutching the halberd tightly. You hop into a chair and curl up in the soft cushions, forcing yourself to at least appear to be not nervous. "I'm a little surprised, to be honest." Your head twitches at Patchouli's comment. "You've done surprisingly well. Except for that little sprint at the school, which wasn't even all that bad, you've kept yourself under control." Your shoulders tighten and you start to snarl back at her, but you force it down; Patchouli doesn't usually say anything to you unless it has a purpose, and she's not the sort of person to just insult you like that. So you swallow your initial retort and simply nod. "So … I think, especially considering what's happened here, that you deserve a little reward. If you want to have a fight, go up to the roof sometime - alone, of course." Your irritation fades, replaced by intrigue and curiosity, and you raise your eyebrows. "And if you do go up there, you won't be leaving again until one of you has won - and you will be able to lose that fight. Keep that in mind." Then her head finally jerks up from her book and she turns as an image appears to her left. "What is -! I told her not to do anything rash!"
The image shows an overhead view of Illya and Luvia's homes, and the figures dashing around them. Miyu, with her Device activated and her Barrier Jacket up, Tohsaka and Luvia … and someone else. It looks like Illya, except she's wearing a much-too-skimpy red and black outfit. You can't help but be reminded of Tohsaka's Archer as she dashes away from the buildings, Miyu pursuing as quickly as she can. Patchouli looks genuinely angry about it happening, though.
What do you do?
[ ] Go to the roof and see what kind of challenge Patchouli has cooked up for you.
[ ] Offer to help with Illya(?).
- [ ] Knock her out and let her friends take care of her.
- [ ] Knock her out and bring her back to the hotel.
- [ ] Bring her back to the hotel and let Patchouli deal with her.
[ ] Do nothing and just wait for Ilya to finish.
[ ] Other?
After a few seconds Ilya shakes her head at Sella. "I don't think I'll be getting dressed just yet, Sella." The maid seems about to complain but Ilya glares at her. "Not now, Sella!" You look worriedly at your friend, but after a moment her expression clouds over unhappily and she looks down.
"… Of course, Lady Illyasviel." Sella doesn't look hurt or insulted, at least - only worried.
"I'm sorry, Sella. I just … is it alright if I go back to bed for a little?" You pat her head a few times as Sella bows, smiling sadly.
"Of course, Lady Illyasviel. Would you like me to get you at a certain time or should I wait for you call?" Her voice is gentle, lacking the sting those words could easily have held, but Ilya curls in on herself anyway.
"Um … if - if I'm not up by noon, could you please come get me?".
"Of course, Lady Illyasviel." Ilya relaxes as Sella bows to her, and you gently carry her back to the bedroom. She squirms around once you settle down and wraps her arm around you, hugging you tightly. You stroke her hair and sway gently, a rocking motion that your sister used to calm you down.
"There, there. You don't need to worry, Ilya." She shakes her head and sniffles as she tries to keep from breaking into a full-fledged meltdown, despite the good that would do.
"No, i-it's … I - this is wrong! I don't - they're not … they're not my parents. They're happy - were happy, a family that … that …." Oh. You hold her for a moment as you think about what to say, then fall back, pulling her with you.
"There, now we're comfortable, right? So, the first thing is this - if you don't want to do this, if you really feel bad meeting Kiritsugu and Irisviel, then we can leave. Just walk up to Patchouli and tell her we want to go back to the mansion and meet with your parents when she gets her portals fixed, and she'll let us go back. So don't think that you have to meet with them, okay?" She nods briefly, still hugging you as best as she can. "As far as them being a happy family - what of it? This isn't about them, it's about you. You want to meet them so you can get an adult's feel for Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel von Einzbern to supplement your childhood memories before you meet your real parents. You want to talk to them so that when you meet your real parents, you won't have to bury your emotions because you'll have seen their faces. If you must consider their feelings, think about how they're happy - and remember that you were denied that happiness for reasons that couldn't be helped." You pause, trying to order your thoughts again. Are you going off-track, or maybe just not explaining things well? But Ilya squeezes you a little and lifts her head from your chest, no longer crying.
"Th-thank you, Flan. You're … you're r-" She shudders before she can finish speaking and presses herself against you again. "C-can I … just …." Her words are muffled, but you nod and turn over so she doesn't have her arm trapped under you.
"Of course, Ilya. Sleep, rest, whatever you want. I'll be right here." She nods jerkily, helplessly, and you hold her gently until she finally drifts off to sleep.
She wakes up before Sella comes in, and she seems better, but she keeps to herself. She would smile for a moment before looking away and letting it fade. She wouldn't talk much, except to ask to go somewhere - on the balcony, for example, to look over the city, or to go watch people in the common areas of the hotel - or to apologize for her behavior no matter how often you and Sella tell her it's not a problem. She doesn't say anything about what she plans to talk with Kiritsugu and Irisviel about, and she thanks you when you tell her that you can stay with her through the meeting if she wants you to … but she doesn't accept immediately.
As day turns to evening you have another meal, and Sella takes pride in Ilya's praise of her cooking over that of the hotel's lunch. Patchouli deigns to remove some of the shelves so you can sit against a window as you read some books with Ilya - silly little stories of humanity's insignificance in the greater universe. Then, of course, Patchouli clears her throat.
"They're coming," she says when you pause and look up at her. An image appears in the air beside her - Irisviel's car, driving sedately down a street. Ilya takes a deep breath, then another, and you give her a hug. She relaxes and nods.
"S-Sella, please go down and be ready to greet them." The maid bows and walks toward the elevators. You set Ilya in her wheelchair and take her into the sitting room where she'll meet with Kiritsugu and Irisviel - a simple room with a few pieces of furniture to sit on and no distractions. "Thank you, Flan," she whispers, and you smile. The image of Irisviel's car appears on a wall, and now you recognize where it is.
"Patchouli has pretty good timing, doesn't she?" Ilya giggles and nods. The car makes a final turn and drives into the hotel's parking lot, and the two mages get out. Irisviel doesn't appear to carry anything, and looks almost like she's going to a formal event with her fine clothing. Kiritsugu, however, opens the trunk and rummages around for a few moments, putting some things inside his worn coat and otherwise arranging himself - small blocky objects a little larger than a fist, and at least one knife, and when he finally closes the trunk you can see that he's also carrying a gun of some kind. Irisviel touches his shoulder and they lean into each other before stepping apart and walking together toward the hotel lobby.
"Welcome, Lady Irisviel, Sir Kiritsugu." Sella, the only other person in the lobby, bows when they enter. Kiritsugu snaps his gun out, aiming at the maid, but doesn't fire. Irisviel takes a step forward.
"You are an Einzbern homunculus." Sella nods. "Who do you work for?"
"Lady Illyasviel, of course." They don't seem happy at the response, but it can hardly be one they weren't expecting to hear.
"What do you want with our daughter?" Sella shakes her head.
"To my knowledge, we have no interest in your Lady Illyasviel. You may ask Miss Knowledge if she has any interest in her." Irisviel walks forward, closing the distance between her and Sella.
"Iri." She waves a hand at her husband, attempting to calm him, and he reluctantly lowers the gun as she walks into his line of fire. After a few moments of studying Sella she nods and beckons for her husband. Some kind of magic? Or just trust?
"Why don't you have any protection?"
"We are not here to fight; to engage in combat with you would be a failure on our part. Also, Miss Knowledge warned me that it would not be wise to use any constantly-active magecraft if Sir Kiritsugu was here and potentially hostile." They seem shaken by that and share a glance, but Sella ignores that to bow again. "If you would follow me, I will take you to Lady Illyasviel." After a moment's hesitation they follow her into the elevator. You glance at Ilya; she looks unhappy, and her hand is clenched tightly. You pat her shoulder and smile reassuringly. She relaxes and leans back in her wheelchair, nodding slightly. The elevator opens and you frown at the strange sign. Irisviel seems confused by it, Kiritsugu annoyed, but neither of them do anything as Sella leads them to Patchouli's little library. The magician doesn't even look up from her book when they enter, but Kiritsugu snarls and steps forward, raising his gun to aim at her. Her only reaction is to turn the page of her book; Koakuma looks up from her workbook to watch him, but Leysritt doesn't move either.
"What are you planning to do with Illya?!"
"Later, Emiya Kiritsugu. Speak with Illyasviel first." He throws the gun to the floor and pulls out a different one, a long-barreled pistol. Irisviel stiffens but Patchouli only sighs. Kiritsugu's aim trembles - then he lowers the pistol, but keeps it in his hand. Patchouli waves off-handedly at the door leading to where you and Ilya wait. Irisviel walks up and takes her husband's free hand, and after one last look at Patchouli they move to meet Ilya. You stand a little behind and to the left of Ilya's chair as they walk in, head tilted curiously and wings canted out. Kiritsugu's gaze locks on you for a long moment as they enter, but Irisviel doesn't even seem to notice your presence, and after he finishes trying to size you up, Kiritsugu looks at Ilya as well.
"Irisviel, Kiritsugu. I'm sorry for the circumstances of our meeting." Irisviel looks unhappy, almost like she personally failed Ilya somehow, and Kiritsugu looks somewhat uncomfortable as well. "Flan, could you leave us alone?" You look over at Ilya, but your hesitation before nodding is minimal. You want to stay with her, make sure she's okay … but this is her moment, with the people so much like her parents. Even if you Patchouli for some reason hadn't put any protections on this room, even if Ilya didn't have Berserker watching over her, she should be perfectly safe. It's not like Irisviel or Kiritsugu would ever try to kill their daughter, after all.
"Of course, Ilya," you say as you give her a quick hug. You walk past Kiritsugu and Irisviel, head nodding politely, but you pause and turn at the door. A warning comes to your lips, the desire to just make sure they know that if anything happens to Ilya that you'll make sure their daughter suffers horribly before she eventually dies … but you force the desire down. It wouldn't help - would probably hurt - and Ilya wouldn't want you to say something like that, especially not right now. You wave at Ilya and walk into the common area, closing the door behind you.
Sella's mask of calm is gone as she stares worriedly at the door behind you, and Leysritt has moved from beside the front door to guarding the sitting room, white hands clutching the halberd tightly. You hop into a chair and curl up in the soft cushions, forcing yourself to at least appear to be not nervous. "I'm a little surprised, to be honest." Your head twitches at Patchouli's comment. "You've done surprisingly well. Except for that little sprint at the school, which wasn't even all that bad, you've kept yourself under control." Your shoulders tighten and you start to snarl back at her, but you force it down; Patchouli doesn't usually say anything to you unless it has a purpose, and she's not the sort of person to just insult you like that. So you swallow your initial retort and simply nod. "So … I think, especially considering what's happened here, that you deserve a little reward. If you want to have a fight, go up to the roof sometime - alone, of course." Your irritation fades, replaced by intrigue and curiosity, and you raise your eyebrows. "And if you do go up there, you won't be leaving again until one of you has won - and you will be able to lose that fight. Keep that in mind." Then her head finally jerks up from her book and she turns as an image appears to her left. "What is -! I told her not to do anything rash!"
The image shows an overhead view of Illya and Luvia's homes, and the figures dashing around them. Miyu, with her Device activated and her Barrier Jacket up, Tohsaka and Luvia … and someone else. It looks like Illya, except she's wearing a much-too-skimpy red and black outfit. You can't help but be reminded of Tohsaka's Archer as she dashes away from the buildings, Miyu pursuing as quickly as she can. Patchouli looks genuinely angry about it happening, though.
What do you do?
[ ] Go to the roof and see what kind of challenge Patchouli has cooked up for you.
[ ] Offer to help with Illya(?).
- [ ] Knock her out and let her friends take care of her.
- [ ] Knock her out and bring her back to the hotel.
- [ ] Bring her back to the hotel and let Patchouli deal with her.
[ ] Do nothing and just wait for Ilya to finish.
[ ] Other?
A Wise Hermit
Well, Sometimes.
[X] Wait for Ilya to finish. After that, let Patchouli and iriasviel handle "Archer" Illlya
Actually, I agree with this. While voting for the other one would provide Flandre with the fight she most wonderfully wants, I think it's time to give Patchouli a turn.
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Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are not locked.
[X] Wait for Ilya to finish. After that, let Patchouli and iriasviel handle "Archer" Illlya.
4
[X] Offer to help with Illya(?).
- [X] Bring her back to the hotel and let Patchouli deal with her.
1
4
[X] Offer to help with Illya(?).
- [X] Bring her back to the hotel and let Patchouli deal with her.
1
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
I will clarify that, as written, the Write-In is asking Patchouli to wait to deal with the wayward one until after Ilya finishes the meeting. She is, however, going to choose if, when, and how she actually does, which ranges from 'immediate and decisive action' to 'drop her altogether.'
I want Patchouli to get Iri involved - Chloe is partially her own fault and she should participate. If Patchouli got Iri NOW, that's fine too.
- Location
- A Place Miserably Bereft of Cats
[x] Ask Patchouli if she wants Flan to go deal with that mess over there.
-[x] If not, head up and see what's going on up on the rooftop.
- [x] If so, knock her out and either let her friends deal with her, or bring her back to the hotel, whichever way Patchy needs it to happen.
Flan doesn't particularly care either way, I think. I do think that she enjoys continuously flaunting Patchouli's expectations of her though.
-[x] If not, head up and see what's going on up on the rooftop.
- [x] If so, knock her out and either let her friends deal with her, or bring her back to the hotel, whichever way Patchy needs it to happen.
Flan doesn't particularly care either way, I think. I do think that she enjoys continuously flaunting Patchouli's expectations of her though.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Right, but you guys can only control Flan. If you want Patchouli to do something specific, you have to give a reasonable argument for Flan to make.
I mean, think of it this way - what does Patchouli have to gain from involving Irisviel? At best, it's an opportunity to flaunt her superiority in magic, which she can do in other ways quite easily (and has). And can Flan actually argue for involving Irisviel effectively enough to convince Patchouli, which requires Flan to have a reason to try pressing the issue.
Perhaps I forgot but the argument would be something like young Illya is Irisviels daughter so what is going on is family affair and Irisviel should got involved - she is Illya's mother and if something like this happened to you, your sister will definitely want to know. So it is logical to let Iri try to let Chloe see reasons - we will need to involve her later anyway.