Flandre's Quest (Touhou) World - (Madness Quest)
- Thread starter Entropy Judge
- Start date
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
I just thought it was because she was isolated from everyone she cared for and struggling to cope with an alien biology and hungers.
Isolation can make people pretty vulnerable.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are locked. It will probably be at least a couple hours before I get it written and posted.
Mission - Night-Demons I
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[X] Ignore her; it's regrettable, but it's probably better for her if she doesn't know you know about her, and Satsuki is making progress but would probably still be upset if you try to help Tarbin.
- [X] Mission.
You sigh and shake your head. Tarbin was yours - still is, as far as you can tell - but … the only way you could get her for yourself would be by antagonizing the Bureau, and if she isn't civilizable …. "Fate, can you make sure she doesn't know I know about her?" Three sets of eyes focus on you.
"You aren't going to try getting her released into your service?" Fate seems surprised, and you shake your head again.
"This … this isn't what I'm good at. Remilia could walk up to whoever's in charge of her sentencing, and convince him that sending her to me would be the most just thing he could ever do in his entire life, but I'm not that persuasive. I can bully people, and I could probably get her put in my care - but you said that she'd taken someone's heart?" Fate nods. "And then she made her way to within shouting distance of here, in about half an hour. That means it was premeditated, and it also probably means she spent some time practicing. Have you ever cut someone's heart out, Fate? Depending on how you do it, it can take a while, and doing it without damaging the heart can be trickier than you'd think. And I don't think Tarbin has a surgical background." Fate pales, then alternates between green and white as she realizes what you're implying. "And given how easily she was caught, she probably has all sorts of clues to her activities wherever she lives. And if she has killed more people, your people probably won't want to, essentially, give her what she wants." After a few moments, Fate nods slowly.
"And - you want me to keep the fact that you know about her a secret?"
"Yes. If she knew that I wasn't actively helping her, it would hurt her badly, I think. I would like to get her back, if possible, but … I also have to keep Satsuki in mind. I don't think she would get along with Tarbin, and Satsuki is my responsibility right now." You stare down at the table for a long moment.
"Alright, Flandre. She won't learn about you knowing." You smile at Fate.
"Thank you."
Of course, that isn't the end of it. A rare period of introspection settles over you, as you try to work out how responsible you are for Tarbin, and for any other affected members of Marino's unit, and what you actually could do with and for them. Sergeant Astra, in particular - if Tarbin is killing people to try getting your approval, what of the man who fed you his own blood because he couldn't get approval to withdraw some for you? Satsuki notices your change in mood immediately, of course, and accepts your refusal to explain with good grace, working on her own work or what you've already taught her.
The next day, Fate approaches you to let you know that, yes, Tarbin has killed before. Bureau agents found evidence indicating that she attacked, if not killed, at least thirty people, and had taken the hearts - with varying success - of twelve. The number is both impressive and worrying, considering the short amount of time she had since her withdrawal from the Bureau.
Then Wendi tries cheering you up, by relaying a bit of information from Lutecia. Already, less than two days after the interview, your image is 'going viral' - specifically, someone used a short section of video showing you picking up Korosh by his face, and added a gruff male voice saying, "Wrong answer!" And that little bit of imagery is becoming more and more popular … which would, under normal circumstances, amuse you quite a bit, but in your current state, all that you can see is that if you try to go shopping, at least on Mid-Childa or similarly-civilized worlds, you're going to attract attention, and Patchouli's mask probably won't help.
And when you finally start dragging yourself out of your funk, Fate approaches you again - another mission.
You sit in the cafeteria of the Avesta once more - and, once more, en route to the planet called Hroth. Satsuki sits beside you, forcing herself to stay awake as she studies the gruesome images. Each of the dozen images shows a child, approximately eight to ten years old, pretty and blonde - crucified, eyes gouged out, and crude approximations of your wings forced into their backs. A horrible enough tragedy for humans, but according to the report Fate gave you, when the Church investigated the planet more thoroughly, they found far more than a mere dozen cases. The planet had been scraped clean of children that even vaguely resembled you, literally thousands of child-trees planted to … summon you? Insult you? Ward you off? You glance at your servant, wearing a special barrier jacket that runs off a stored power supply. Her rage is almost palpable, and nearly as fierce as Fate and Alph's.
Your superior and her familiar are on the bridge, however, talking with the other ships around the planet. The Bureau is a late-comer to this event, and you scowl at the smiling face of the girl responsible for that. Vivio, reincarnated Sankt-Kaiser of Belka. According to Fate, she is the one who overruled Carim's initial request for Bureau assistance, all because she hates you - a hatred not of her own mind, but from the Number, Quattro, and not yet fully cleared, it seems. And a hatred that isn't serving her very well in the war going on below. The Night-Demons, it seems, have returned - and in force, in numbers and magical strength large enough that the Church's militant orders cannot hold them back everywhere, and even the personal involvement of the Sankt-Kaiser does not lead to an easy victory. You turn away from the reports and the images and look at the map of the city, and the videos showing the important parts of the battle.
Legions of the night-demons assail the city, approaching from three primary directions. Blunting one advance is Vivio herself, aided by a brown-haired boy - but she is much too impatient and inexperienced. The boy seems to be trying to rein her in, and supports her blistering assaults with storms of green energy, but while anything Vivio actually focuses on is obliterated in short order, the girl is much too tunnel-sighted, ignoring the night-demons that aren't in her immediate path. Even as you watch, the boy is barely able to stop the night-demons from swarming over her - and then she has to retreat to his position, having found herself much too advanced for him to support her easily, much less for her to help him. Sooner or later, however, she is going to do something stupid and fall into a trap.
Another wave is breaking upon the blades of Schach and one of her subordinates, a young girl with brown hair and two blades of reddish energy. Here, it seems that the girl is holding Schach back, but the Sister knows her own limits, and the two work together quite well. Their greatest limitation is their lack of significant ranged abilities - a fact that the night-demons seem to have noticed, as they appear to have begun funneling in more of their strange magic-users.
The third primary strike path is across a river, and the defenders are Carim herself, Verossa, Sein, and several knights you haven't met - two with spears, another with a great hammer, and the fourth carries a massive two-handed blade that he manages with impressive agility. Although the most well-rounded of the primary defensive locations, the Church's leaders also face the most night-demon magic-users, particularly the defensive ones, and so the stalemate is slowly edging against them.
Of course, the night-demons aren't only attacking in those three locations, and the majority of the Church's soldiers are scattered throughout the city, fighting against smaller bands of the creatures … sometimes winning, and sometimes dying.
And all the Bureau could spare was Fate, Alph, yourself, Satsuki, and two oversized companies of their own troops. You force yourself not to smile - Satsuki would take it the wrong way.
You turn back to the reports on the distinct breeds of night-demons the Church has encountered. The sneaky green kind that you encountered seems to be the rarest, as they were encountered only once - but the force they attacked was entirely wiped out, so they seem to be quite powerful. The most common breed is colored brown, although they range from weak, frail, tawny-colored creatures smaller than you, to massive brutes the color of peat, as tall as Meiling and capable of breaking through a stout wooden door by themselves. They occasionally throw things - most frequently weaker members of their kindred - but otherwise engage in melee with claws or some stolen weapon or implement. Their 'mages' form two distinct breeds - the protective specialists, who seem to have an affinity for water, are all shades of blue, and while not incapable of fighting back with beams of energy, they are most effective when creating shields for their brown cousins. The offensive specialists are masters of fire and lightning, using magical strikes and some kind of hurled ball of flame to assail their foes from - relatively speaking - afar. Much like their brown cousins, they are more effective in groups, although two Church reports mention specific individuals who were capable of prodigious magical strikes on their own - both individuals were noted to be significantly taller and leaner than their lesser kin, and one had a broken horn.
You watch the engagements, nodding in admiration as the remains of a squad of Church knights throws itself into a brutal melee to give their charges some time, at least, to escape closer to safety. Then Fate comes in, already dressed for combat, with Bardiche out. Alph, too, stands ready and eager in her adult form. "Carim finally convinced Vivio to let us help." You nod … but, fun as it would be, maybe you shouldn't even join the fight? After all, you know where some of them should be able to be found - and they were interested in you ….
What do you do?
[ ] You'll go to the forest while the others help protect the city. Maybe they'll talk to you?
[ ] Help at the city. After all, Schach and Verossa are there!
- [ ] Help Schach.
- [ ] Help Vivio.
- [ ] Help Carim's group.
[ ] Helping the city is important, but if Vivio doesn't like you, maybe you shouldn't have your first meeting be in the middle of a battlefield. Of course, Satsuki can still go.
- [ ] Help Schach.
- [ ] Help Vivio.
- [ ] Help Carim's group.
[ ] Other?
DM Note: The Bureau troops will be helping the basic troops and shoring up defenses where they can. If Flan goes to the city, Satsuki will default to following her, but you can send her somewhere else if you want to. It is dark enough for Satsuki to be out and about. If she fights, Flan will default to actually fighting, but if you want to have her hold back and support Satsuki instead, you can.
- [X] Mission.
You sigh and shake your head. Tarbin was yours - still is, as far as you can tell - but … the only way you could get her for yourself would be by antagonizing the Bureau, and if she isn't civilizable …. "Fate, can you make sure she doesn't know I know about her?" Three sets of eyes focus on you.
"You aren't going to try getting her released into your service?" Fate seems surprised, and you shake your head again.
"This … this isn't what I'm good at. Remilia could walk up to whoever's in charge of her sentencing, and convince him that sending her to me would be the most just thing he could ever do in his entire life, but I'm not that persuasive. I can bully people, and I could probably get her put in my care - but you said that she'd taken someone's heart?" Fate nods. "And then she made her way to within shouting distance of here, in about half an hour. That means it was premeditated, and it also probably means she spent some time practicing. Have you ever cut someone's heart out, Fate? Depending on how you do it, it can take a while, and doing it without damaging the heart can be trickier than you'd think. And I don't think Tarbin has a surgical background." Fate pales, then alternates between green and white as she realizes what you're implying. "And given how easily she was caught, she probably has all sorts of clues to her activities wherever she lives. And if she has killed more people, your people probably won't want to, essentially, give her what she wants." After a few moments, Fate nods slowly.
"And - you want me to keep the fact that you know about her a secret?"
"Yes. If she knew that I wasn't actively helping her, it would hurt her badly, I think. I would like to get her back, if possible, but … I also have to keep Satsuki in mind. I don't think she would get along with Tarbin, and Satsuki is my responsibility right now." You stare down at the table for a long moment.
"Alright, Flandre. She won't learn about you knowing." You smile at Fate.
"Thank you."
Of course, that isn't the end of it. A rare period of introspection settles over you, as you try to work out how responsible you are for Tarbin, and for any other affected members of Marino's unit, and what you actually could do with and for them. Sergeant Astra, in particular - if Tarbin is killing people to try getting your approval, what of the man who fed you his own blood because he couldn't get approval to withdraw some for you? Satsuki notices your change in mood immediately, of course, and accepts your refusal to explain with good grace, working on her own work or what you've already taught her.
The next day, Fate approaches you to let you know that, yes, Tarbin has killed before. Bureau agents found evidence indicating that she attacked, if not killed, at least thirty people, and had taken the hearts - with varying success - of twelve. The number is both impressive and worrying, considering the short amount of time she had since her withdrawal from the Bureau.
Then Wendi tries cheering you up, by relaying a bit of information from Lutecia. Already, less than two days after the interview, your image is 'going viral' - specifically, someone used a short section of video showing you picking up Korosh by his face, and added a gruff male voice saying, "Wrong answer!" And that little bit of imagery is becoming more and more popular … which would, under normal circumstances, amuse you quite a bit, but in your current state, all that you can see is that if you try to go shopping, at least on Mid-Childa or similarly-civilized worlds, you're going to attract attention, and Patchouli's mask probably won't help.
And when you finally start dragging yourself out of your funk, Fate approaches you again - another mission.
You sit in the cafeteria of the Avesta once more - and, once more, en route to the planet called Hroth. Satsuki sits beside you, forcing herself to stay awake as she studies the gruesome images. Each of the dozen images shows a child, approximately eight to ten years old, pretty and blonde - crucified, eyes gouged out, and crude approximations of your wings forced into their backs. A horrible enough tragedy for humans, but according to the report Fate gave you, when the Church investigated the planet more thoroughly, they found far more than a mere dozen cases. The planet had been scraped clean of children that even vaguely resembled you, literally thousands of child-trees planted to … summon you? Insult you? Ward you off? You glance at your servant, wearing a special barrier jacket that runs off a stored power supply. Her rage is almost palpable, and nearly as fierce as Fate and Alph's.
Your superior and her familiar are on the bridge, however, talking with the other ships around the planet. The Bureau is a late-comer to this event, and you scowl at the smiling face of the girl responsible for that. Vivio, reincarnated Sankt-Kaiser of Belka. According to Fate, she is the one who overruled Carim's initial request for Bureau assistance, all because she hates you - a hatred not of her own mind, but from the Number, Quattro, and not yet fully cleared, it seems. And a hatred that isn't serving her very well in the war going on below. The Night-Demons, it seems, have returned - and in force, in numbers and magical strength large enough that the Church's militant orders cannot hold them back everywhere, and even the personal involvement of the Sankt-Kaiser does not lead to an easy victory. You turn away from the reports and the images and look at the map of the city, and the videos showing the important parts of the battle.
Legions of the night-demons assail the city, approaching from three primary directions. Blunting one advance is Vivio herself, aided by a brown-haired boy - but she is much too impatient and inexperienced. The boy seems to be trying to rein her in, and supports her blistering assaults with storms of green energy, but while anything Vivio actually focuses on is obliterated in short order, the girl is much too tunnel-sighted, ignoring the night-demons that aren't in her immediate path. Even as you watch, the boy is barely able to stop the night-demons from swarming over her - and then she has to retreat to his position, having found herself much too advanced for him to support her easily, much less for her to help him. Sooner or later, however, she is going to do something stupid and fall into a trap.
Another wave is breaking upon the blades of Schach and one of her subordinates, a young girl with brown hair and two blades of reddish energy. Here, it seems that the girl is holding Schach back, but the Sister knows her own limits, and the two work together quite well. Their greatest limitation is their lack of significant ranged abilities - a fact that the night-demons seem to have noticed, as they appear to have begun funneling in more of their strange magic-users.
The third primary strike path is across a river, and the defenders are Carim herself, Verossa, Sein, and several knights you haven't met - two with spears, another with a great hammer, and the fourth carries a massive two-handed blade that he manages with impressive agility. Although the most well-rounded of the primary defensive locations, the Church's leaders also face the most night-demon magic-users, particularly the defensive ones, and so the stalemate is slowly edging against them.
Of course, the night-demons aren't only attacking in those three locations, and the majority of the Church's soldiers are scattered throughout the city, fighting against smaller bands of the creatures … sometimes winning, and sometimes dying.
And all the Bureau could spare was Fate, Alph, yourself, Satsuki, and two oversized companies of their own troops. You force yourself not to smile - Satsuki would take it the wrong way.
You turn back to the reports on the distinct breeds of night-demons the Church has encountered. The sneaky green kind that you encountered seems to be the rarest, as they were encountered only once - but the force they attacked was entirely wiped out, so they seem to be quite powerful. The most common breed is colored brown, although they range from weak, frail, tawny-colored creatures smaller than you, to massive brutes the color of peat, as tall as Meiling and capable of breaking through a stout wooden door by themselves. They occasionally throw things - most frequently weaker members of their kindred - but otherwise engage in melee with claws or some stolen weapon or implement. Their 'mages' form two distinct breeds - the protective specialists, who seem to have an affinity for water, are all shades of blue, and while not incapable of fighting back with beams of energy, they are most effective when creating shields for their brown cousins. The offensive specialists are masters of fire and lightning, using magical strikes and some kind of hurled ball of flame to assail their foes from - relatively speaking - afar. Much like their brown cousins, they are more effective in groups, although two Church reports mention specific individuals who were capable of prodigious magical strikes on their own - both individuals were noted to be significantly taller and leaner than their lesser kin, and one had a broken horn.
You watch the engagements, nodding in admiration as the remains of a squad of Church knights throws itself into a brutal melee to give their charges some time, at least, to escape closer to safety. Then Fate comes in, already dressed for combat, with Bardiche out. Alph, too, stands ready and eager in her adult form. "Carim finally convinced Vivio to let us help." You nod … but, fun as it would be, maybe you shouldn't even join the fight? After all, you know where some of them should be able to be found - and they were interested in you ….
What do you do?
[ ] You'll go to the forest while the others help protect the city. Maybe they'll talk to you?
[ ] Help at the city. After all, Schach and Verossa are there!
- [ ] Help Schach.
- [ ] Help Vivio.
- [ ] Help Carim's group.
[ ] Helping the city is important, but if Vivio doesn't like you, maybe you shouldn't have your first meeting be in the middle of a battlefield. Of course, Satsuki can still go.
- [ ] Help Schach.
- [ ] Help Vivio.
- [ ] Help Carim's group.
[ ] Other?
DM Note: The Bureau troops will be helping the basic troops and shoring up defenses where they can. If Flan goes to the city, Satsuki will default to following her, but you can send her somewhere else if you want to. It is dark enough for Satsuki to be out and about. If she fights, Flan will default to actually fighting, but if you want to have her hold back and support Satsuki instead, you can.
- Location
- Actually pretty lost
I know nothing about Vivio and I already hate her too. What does it mean that she hates us because of Quattro - was she told to, or is there some magical effect, or what? And if she thinks she's justified in doing so, what kind of person refuses aid for a planet being slaughtered over a personal emnity with someone they've never met?
We're talking about Quattro here, a confirmed psycho. It can very much be both, wanting Vivio to focus on erasing Flandre the moment she was spotted, no matter what it took for that command to stick.
Okibruez
(Verified Mid-Boss)
- Location
- Dreams
Waaaaait a second. Wait one second now. ... are the night demons, perhaps, screaming things like "FOR THE OVERLORD!"?
I didn't pick up on it when it was just the green one, but by the time I finished the description of the brown ones, I put two and two together.
Last edited:
Well, now that you mention it, we can certainly see the inspiration at least.
ANYWAY, voting time. I suggest we help at the city. I think we all know joining with Vivio is a no. But do we help Schach or Carim's group here?
Edit:
[X] Help at the city. After all, Schach and Verossa are there!
- [X] Help Schach.
Reason: Carim's group may be slowly losing, but the key point is -slowly-. And they have numbers. Meanwhile, the others fronts have an immediate failure point: The moment someone go down, things are going to get very ugly in that area. Since going to Vivio is risking things going wrong, better help Schach. At the very least, if we have to help another front, Schach can hold if we deal with the ranged attackers.
Last edited:
Sinsystems
Patron Librarian
[X] Help at the city. After all, Schach and Verossa are there!
- [X] Help Schach.
- [X] Help Schach.
A Wise Hermit
Well, Sometimes.
[X] Help at the city. After all, Schach and Verossa are there!
- [X] Help Schach.
- [X] Attempt to avoid Vivio at all costs.
Thought that little subvote would be important.
- [X] Help Schach.
- [X] Attempt to avoid Vivio at all costs.
Thought that little subvote would be important.
- Location
- Germany
[X] Help at the city. After all, Schach and Verossa are there!
- [X] Help Schach.
- [X] Suggest Fate to assist Vivio.
If Vivio needs protection, maybe ask Fate and Arf if they could assist there? She's fast enough to protect those two from stragglers.
Also, we should use our first strike from invisibility to ravage their defensive mages with four of a kind + vampire speed. Always deal with healers and support.
- [X] Help Schach.
- [X] Suggest Fate to assist Vivio.
If Vivio needs protection, maybe ask Fate and Arf if they could assist there? She's fast enough to protect those two from stragglers.
Also, we should use our first strike from invisibility to ravage their defensive mages with four of a kind + vampire speed. Always deal with healers and support.
Last edited:
I'm not sure we NEED the surprise element to wreck them.
Nor do I think the suggestion is needed, given Fate can probably notice the same problems as us, but still.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
At least part of it's brainwashing, part of it may be some kind of outright 'control mechanism' - in canon, Quattro and Jail were able to trigger a berserk state in Lutecia with something, and (at least, IIRC, because I don't feel like watching the episodes to double-check) Vivio at first didn't recognize Nanoha, and even after accepting that she was Nanoha, wasn't able to stop fighting her.
No. No night demon has been observed speaking an intelligible language. They have also not been observed wearing adorable hats, and pumpkins are not known on Hroth.
If they had satellites, they would have seen that the night-demons are engaging in organized seal-clubbing expeditions, however.
Okibruez
(Verified Mid-Boss)
- Location
- Dreams
Welp. I can't not vote to try to Befriend the little buggers, and their bosses, any more.
[X] You'll go to the forest while the others help protect the city. Maybe they'll talk to you?
No, you're misreadingthe situation. Vivio keep making mistakes and they're getting a strategy going agaisnt Schach and her apprentice. Someone go down, that front collapse and things get ugly. Hence why they're immediate failure points, because that may happen any moment now.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Planning on writing an omake sometime today, but if anyone has questions about the city terrain and how much it'll affect Flan's tactics, I'll try to get those answered by the evening vote-count, too. I don't think it'll matter much unless there's a sudden surge of votes to back up Carim, due to her position near the river and the large amount of Blues, but I'm sure I can be surprised.
Not so much in this case. Where Schach and Vivio are fighting, the civilians have been evacuated (or already killed), so collateral damage is basically irrelevant, especially since they're both far enough from the city wall that affecting it isn't an issue. Carim is on the wall, but the area in front of the wall has already been mostly leveled by the fighting, so unless Flan goes wild with Laevateinn in flaming sword mode it wouldn't be an problem.
Remilia Scarlet said:
Okibruez
(Verified Mid-Boss)
- Location
- Dreams
An accurate summary. The only point that will continue to hold with minimal trouble is Carim's. That being said: Flandre isn't alone here. The others can back up other points, though I'm worried about Satsuki's lack of training here. Our option basically boils down to: Go with Satsuki and reinforce one of the points while Fate and her dog reinforce the other. OR Hope that Fate and Alph can each be enough to reinforce one of the failing points long enough for Flandre to go see the 'heart of the swarm' as it were.
Well, if we remove the ranged attackers, Schach should be able to hold if we have to move elsewhere.
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
Yeah, unless we take out the source of the problem near instantly, I don't think heading there right away will work. So, let's offer some support to end the immediate crisis and move on.
[X] Help at the city. After all, Schach and Verossa are there!
- [X] Help Schach.
- [X] Suggest Fate to assist Vivio.
[X] Help at the city. After all, Schach and Verossa are there!
- [X] Help Schach.
- [X] Suggest Fate to assist Vivio.
Last edited:
A Wise Hermit
Well, Sometimes.
I'm going to straight up say it right now; I have more experience with voting in regular armies of normals into a suitable plan, not a small team of super-beings. Count me out for any detailed strategic meetings.
But I'm going to try to give my opinion right now: We are facing an opposition that fights to the end, and we must bleed their numbers out the invaders slowly. Let them come to us; We have a lot of defenders and the aforementioned super individuals.
@Entropy Judge
Do we know if these Night-Devils have a set number or if they "respawn" after death/have an infinite number?
But I'm going to try to give my opinion right now: We are facing an opposition that fights to the end, and we must bleed their numbers out the invaders slowly. Let them come to us; We have a lot of defenders and the aforementioned super individuals.
@Entropy Judge
Do we know if these Night-Devils have a set number or if they "respawn" after death/have an infinite number?
Re and Re
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Reimu grumbled and looked at her table. "I just finished setting this. I just sat down. If this isn't important …." With a heavy sigh she stood up, made sure she was fit for visitors, and tried to keep her face neutral as she walked toward the door. When she opened it, however, and looked down to see that her visitor was Remilia Scarlet, the vampire, her true expression burned through - that if her visitor did not have a very good reason for interrupting her dinner, someone's head would roll. And as far as she knew, it wouldn't even matter to Remilia, so she could do it!
"Reimu, I need your help. Patchouli wants me to marry someone." Reimu's brain froze for a moment and her head tilted to the side.
"…." The silence stretched uncomfortably for half a minute, then Reimu sighed and turned around. "I'm going to eat my dinner." She left the door open, however, and Remilia took that as an invitation to enter. As she sat down, Reimu noticed that the vampire had, at least, taken off her shoes and left her parasol outside. Either she had left the mansion a long time ago, or she expected to be gone long enough for either the sun to rise or the weather to change. Grudgingly, Reimu offered her guest something to eat; graciously, the vampire declined, and the shrine maiden studied the vampire as she ate. Remilia actually looked concerned, maybe even worried, which was something Reimu had never seen before. Even after her defeat in the Scarlet Mist Incident, the vampire had remained unflappable, as if everything had been according to plan, and even when her little sister had raised that fuss she had shown only slight confusion and some interest. Reimu finished her meal in silence, and was delightfully surprised by the appearance of a strange bottle on her table. She opened it - some kind of wine, and the vampire's slight nod indicated that she was, indeed, the culprit. Reimu relaxed and poured out two cups. "So, who's the lucky guy that gets to be your own personal food source?" Remilia froze with the teacup scant centimeters from her lips and stared at Reimu with bright, wide eyes.
"Wha-? …?" Reimu swallowed her drink and shook herself, enjoying the taste, and cocked her head at Remilia.
"You said you're getting married, right?" Remilia blinked, tilted her head the other way - and after a moment, lightly smacked her own forehead, all without moving the teacup from its precariously-tilted position.
"No, no! I'm sorry, I misspoke. Patchouli knows someone who … wants to get married, and wants me to perform the marriage. It's just that her rationale for choosing me is … suspect." Reimu snorted.
"Let me guess - you need help coming up with a ceremony that people will accept?" Instead of a sheepish admission, however, Remilia simply shook her head.
"No, no, that's not it - even if it were, we have plenty of books on marriage in the library." Reimu stared at her visitor for a moment, then shrugged and took another drink. "And I am - well, this is where the problem is. I am, sort of, a bishop." Reimu stared at her as the vampire finally turned red, embarrassed.
"… Go on." Remilia sighed.
"Patchouli wants it to be an actual, real, officially correct religious marriage. So all those books we have, they don't really matter. Nor does the fact that, legally, I can perform a civil marriage. No, Patchouli wants the whole deal - and that's where the problem is. Because of the … nature of the would-be spouses, I can't actually legally marry them as a priest. So my problem is -"
"Who's getting married?" Remilia paused and turned even redder.
"A youkai … and … umgug ake." Reimu shook her head and leaned closer as Remilia mumbled unintelligibly.
"A youkai and what?" Remilia ducked her head and her wings arched protectively above her.
"… hamburger steak …." Reimu blinked and sat back down, then picked up the bottle of wine. Not nearly enough ….
"… You're joking, right? Great big youkai joke, poke fun at ol' Reimu, right?" Remilia's hands crept up in front of her face and crushed her poofy hat into her head - and then she shook her head, slowly. Reimu couldn't help it; she laughed, hysterically, long past the point where it stopped being funny. "… Okay, so your problem is that some nutty youkai out there wants to marry food, and you can't do that?" Remilia slowly lowered her arms, and her expression was so pathetic that, for just a moment, Reimu felt some pity for the vampire. But just a tiny little shred, and only for a moment.
"I mean, there are legal grounds for arguing that I'm not a legal bishop - or, rather, that the bishop that I can be isn't a legal bishop - although I think the argument I had when I joined the priesthood still stands, so that wouldn't be an issue for me. But … an actual, real wedding just isn't possible! And Patchouli wants me to alter things so that it is, and that means basically throwing away the rules that make it an official marriage!" Reimu stared at the nearly hysterical vampire for a long moment, then sighed.
"Alright. So, here's what I'm going to do." Remilia looked up, and Reimu saw hope die in the Scarlet Devil's eyes. "First, I'm going to get completely drunk. Then, I'm going to be violently sick. And then, I'm going to absolutely, positively, never think about what you just told me."
"Reimu, I need your help. Patchouli wants me to marry someone." Reimu's brain froze for a moment and her head tilted to the side.
"…." The silence stretched uncomfortably for half a minute, then Reimu sighed and turned around. "I'm going to eat my dinner." She left the door open, however, and Remilia took that as an invitation to enter. As she sat down, Reimu noticed that the vampire had, at least, taken off her shoes and left her parasol outside. Either she had left the mansion a long time ago, or she expected to be gone long enough for either the sun to rise or the weather to change. Grudgingly, Reimu offered her guest something to eat; graciously, the vampire declined, and the shrine maiden studied the vampire as she ate. Remilia actually looked concerned, maybe even worried, which was something Reimu had never seen before. Even after her defeat in the Scarlet Mist Incident, the vampire had remained unflappable, as if everything had been according to plan, and even when her little sister had raised that fuss she had shown only slight confusion and some interest. Reimu finished her meal in silence, and was delightfully surprised by the appearance of a strange bottle on her table. She opened it - some kind of wine, and the vampire's slight nod indicated that she was, indeed, the culprit. Reimu relaxed and poured out two cups. "So, who's the lucky guy that gets to be your own personal food source?" Remilia froze with the teacup scant centimeters from her lips and stared at Reimu with bright, wide eyes.
"Wha-? …?" Reimu swallowed her drink and shook herself, enjoying the taste, and cocked her head at Remilia.
"You said you're getting married, right?" Remilia blinked, tilted her head the other way - and after a moment, lightly smacked her own forehead, all without moving the teacup from its precariously-tilted position.
"No, no! I'm sorry, I misspoke. Patchouli knows someone who … wants to get married, and wants me to perform the marriage. It's just that her rationale for choosing me is … suspect." Reimu snorted.
"Let me guess - you need help coming up with a ceremony that people will accept?" Instead of a sheepish admission, however, Remilia simply shook her head.
"No, no, that's not it - even if it were, we have plenty of books on marriage in the library." Reimu stared at her visitor for a moment, then shrugged and took another drink. "And I am - well, this is where the problem is. I am, sort of, a bishop." Reimu stared at her as the vampire finally turned red, embarrassed.
"… Go on." Remilia sighed.
"Patchouli wants it to be an actual, real, officially correct religious marriage. So all those books we have, they don't really matter. Nor does the fact that, legally, I can perform a civil marriage. No, Patchouli wants the whole deal - and that's where the problem is. Because of the … nature of the would-be spouses, I can't actually legally marry them as a priest. So my problem is -"
"Who's getting married?" Remilia paused and turned even redder.
"A youkai … and … umgug ake." Reimu shook her head and leaned closer as Remilia mumbled unintelligibly.
"A youkai and what?" Remilia ducked her head and her wings arched protectively above her.
"… hamburger steak …." Reimu blinked and sat back down, then picked up the bottle of wine. Not nearly enough ….
"… You're joking, right? Great big youkai joke, poke fun at ol' Reimu, right?" Remilia's hands crept up in front of her face and crushed her poofy hat into her head - and then she shook her head, slowly. Reimu couldn't help it; she laughed, hysterically, long past the point where it stopped being funny. "… Okay, so your problem is that some nutty youkai out there wants to marry food, and you can't do that?" Remilia slowly lowered her arms, and her expression was so pathetic that, for just a moment, Reimu felt some pity for the vampire. But just a tiny little shred, and only for a moment.
"I mean, there are legal grounds for arguing that I'm not a legal bishop - or, rather, that the bishop that I can be isn't a legal bishop - although I think the argument I had when I joined the priesthood still stands, so that wouldn't be an issue for me. But … an actual, real wedding just isn't possible! And Patchouli wants me to alter things so that it is, and that means basically throwing away the rules that make it an official marriage!" Reimu stared at the nearly hysterical vampire for a long moment, then sighed.
"Alright. So, here's what I'm going to do." Remilia looked up, and Reimu saw hope die in the Scarlet Devil's eyes. "First, I'm going to get completely drunk. Then, I'm going to be violently sick. And then, I'm going to absolutely, positively, never think about what you just told me."
Flandre and the Bureau have no idea. Here's what they do know:
* The night-demons have been attacking without regard for their own casualties; conservative estimates from the Church are that, over the two days of fighting, the night-demons have lost at least ten thousand of their number.
* The night-demons appear to have some kind of teleportation network, allowing them to attack in large numbers anywhere on the planet. Either that, or there are infestations approximately everywhere, because their attacks over the past two days have literally been across the planet and with almost no warning.
*
(Which, given who the Belkans were, indicates to some of the historically-minded that the Belkans invaded with the Cradle and the Kaisers.)
* No overarching leader-type has surfaced to anyone's knowledge. Local control is spotty - mass orders are easily relayed (attack and retreat), but smaller-scale commands don't seem to exist.
Votes are not locked.
Last edited: