[X] Do some more shopping.
- [X] Souvenirs and gifts. Surely you can browse a bit and see if anything would be nice to bring back home or gift.
[X] Time to return to Gensokyo.
"Oh, stop that!" You blink at Headless's scolding. "She's not bowing and scraping, or calling you Exalted Grand Vampire, or anything like that! She's just grateful and surprised that you noticed so much!" You take a moment to consider your friend's point of view, and it does fit with what you know … and you've been trying to be careful about doing anything that could affect them. On the other hand, you didn't notice that Ilya was being affected - but the situations were greatly different, too. Headless is … probably right, and you calm yourself, caressing her tenderly until she growls unsociably and withdraws.
Cinque comes out of the dressing room blushing, but still wearing the clothes she came in, and you give her a look. "They … they fit," she says meekly, holding them tightly, and you shake your head. You would have liked to make sure, but if she's that embarrassed about it, there's nothing you can do. Well, nothing that won't get you into trouble, anyway; you're pretty sure you could force her back into the changing room and dress her yourself, but that would not be a productive effort.
"Alright, then. So, for Wendi and Nove?" Now she starts to look a little worried, but you simply follow behind her as she looks through the clothes. More importantly, your clones invisibly slip out and go hunting through the rest of the shopping center for gifts for everyone else. Meiling's gift is the simplest, but it still features a choice - she enjoys martial arts and cultivating plants, so things related to either of those subjects would be good. But any martial arts instructions you get her would have to be in book form, and those will be written in the Mid-Childan script, and so you'll have to translate them for her, or else teach her the language before she can use them properly. Teaching her the language shouldn't be too difficult, but it would just be one more thing …. On the other hand, based on what your clone sees in the modest gardening center, most of the plants they have wouldn't grow well in Gensokyo's climate and soil conditions, so getting them for her would make more work for her because she would have to put more effort into those plants, in particular - and she still has that crimson nirnroot, as far as you know. In the interests of simplicity, you decide to get her some texts on Mid-Childan 'Strike Arts' and a couple other combat styles. It'll be easy enough to get them translated, even without Patchouli or Remilia's help.
You smile as Cinque fidgets and flits between different clothing racks. She's normally so calm and composed, seeing her unsure and indecisive is a bit of a treat - almost like seeing Sakuya flustered. Considering the chief maid, you have no idea what to get her, however. She rarely seems to want anything, and all she does is her job. Erring on the side of caution, your clone in the bookstore searches through the cookbooks; the one thing you're sure of is that she sometimes makes something new to eat, surprising your sister, so if you can help expand her knowledge on that front, it should be good. A slight problem with ingredients may exist, of course, but looking over the shoulder of another customer, your clone sees that several options are given for most of the ingredients in that particular book, so you make a note of it and send it on its way.
Considering the size of the bookstore, it seems odd that you don't think you'll find anything of particular interest to Patchouli. True, she would accept just about anything she doesn't already have, but the interesting books - higher-level magic theories and teaching books - aren't present, only the basics. And given the amount of information she and Remilia seem to have on this world, she probably already knows everything in those books. Of all the remaining residents of the Mansion, she's the one you would also consider most for a Device - she doesn't consider her appearance very often, so being able to freshen up so easily might be something she would appreciate, even if she can do it herself with her own magic. Still, your clone shakes its head and passes by the Device shop; given your own experiences with Loki, you doubt that getting something for someone else is as simple a matter as picking out color and design. In the end, you settle for a rather encyclopedic set of books on Mid-Childan and Bureau history.
Koakuma, on the other hand, is downright simple, and as Cinque finishes picking out the clothes for her sisters you head back to the costumes section. Cinque frowns quizzically as you head past the outer areas and into the deeper sections. Koakuma likes a few things, but among them are clothes and skirting the lines of rules. You don't really approve, of course, but it makes it easy to get her something. One is a red suit with a flowing overcoat, big floppy hat, and orange glasses, and that is perfectly fine, but the other looks suspiciously like what you usually see Carim wearing, only with a little … emphasis on certain areas. It's the sort of thing that doesn't quite cross the line but is obviously intended to - the sort of thing that Koakuma enjoys, that makes you slightly irritated, and that would drive Patchouli up the wall of the library. Given that she has so many outfits of that type, you can't help but wonder if your sister is helping her, too. Cinque stares incredulously and you grin before patting her head. Still not as adorable as Ilya …. Much as it goes against your principles, you find an even slinkier dress that should fit Deis well. Such a shame that you know her tastes so well, but they don't lend themselves to gifts - handsome, well-muscled men and good food aren't the sort of thing you can just buy and give as a gift, after all.
Hmm … what about Illyasviel, Sella, and Leysritt? You don't know any of them well enough to get them something appropriate, and you're not sure how Sella and Leysritt would take being offered a gift, either. After browsing the costumes for a few minutes, ignoring Cinque's increasingly curious looks, you simply shrug and wander out to collect the rest of the items. Illyasviel in particular might be irritated, but if you can't think of something you can't think of something.
Of course, there is one more person. Your sister is … difficult … to get things for, because you're never sure if you're getting her something she wants, or if she's just good enough at fooling you that you can't tell. Everything you've gotten for her has either been used with relative frequency, or been placed in a position where it can be seen, according to its status, but how much is because she actually wants to use or look at those things, and how much is because it's something you got for her? What should you get for her …? After wandering aimlessly through the store for half an hour, somehow managing to miss Lutecia and Megane, you eventually give up. Hopefully you can find something for her ….
The next few weeks pass well. You start teaching Satsuki about make-up, as well as continuing her basic education. Your long-running games with the Numbers - who are embarrassed but grateful for the gifts - begin coming to an end. You even go on two brief missions - an intervention during a civil war in which the losing side attacked a refugee and hospital camp, which was irritating because despite the circumstances, you still weren't allowed to kill them … and an attack on the space base that had hired the pirates who attacked the hospital oh so long ago. That was only interesting until two of your clones found and shut down the primary power supply, at which point it became fun, hunting down and slaughtering pirates and slavers in darkened and red-lit passageways. You even got a present for Remilia out of it, thanks to Admiral Crowbel's permission to use lethal force: the skulls of the three most powerful mages on the station, suitably polished and adorned with ruby eyelights.
Finally, however, your time on Mid-Childa comes to an end, and after a pre-dawn exit interview with Admiral Crowbel and her partners, you head back to Long Arch one last time. Nanoha and Vita are already there, talking with Fate, and Satsuki chats amicably with Nove, Wendi, and Ginga. Cinque, apparently, is sick and won't be able to see you off. Strange, when she seemed so fine last night …. When a car comes down the road to Long Arch, you smile and hop down from the roof to meet them. Lutecia barrels out of the car, followed moments later by Agito, and you squeeze her and spin her around.
"Good morning, Flandre." You set Lulu down and bow to Megane.
"Good morning, Megane. Zest." You pat Agito on the head. "I think everyone else is inside already." Zest and Megane are wearing their uniforms, as are Fate, Nanoha, and Vita, but Agito and Lulu are wearing more normal clothes. "Do you want to change? Or are you comfortable like that?" Zest shakes his head as Megane laughs behind her hand.
"I am fine," he says, and Megane nods. Your clones spill out to take their luggage, and you head inside. Fate and the others are already waiting, although Fate has her business face on. She starts to say something - and Koakuma appears in the middle of your group, interrupting her. She looks around, grinning.
"Everyone ready? Goodbyes said? Long-winded speech about relations and business and finding things out about Gensokyo avoided?" Fate blushes and Nanoha turns away, trying not to laugh, and Koakuma giggles. "Then let's go." She snaps her fingers, and you all appear in the library, although you're ordered differently - instead of a circle, you're in an arrowhead formation, with yourself at the front. Of course, this places you closest to Remilia, who's sitting on top of a trilithon that you're pretty sure wasn't here when you left. More interestingly, she's lazily swinging a massive axe - if anything, it's larger than Leysritt's halberd, and you can't help but wonder where she got it.
"Hello, everyone! Nice to meet you - I think I've met all of you before, actually, except Megane. I'm Remilia Scarlet, and I would like to thank you for taking care of my sister while she was in your care. The party is tonight, nothing will start happening until after the sun goes down - as I believe you all know, dress code is formal, uniforms allowed. Members of the service industry are required to wear their uniforms - sorry, Satsuki." She grins at your servant, then cocks her head at you.
"Hello, Remilia. Thank you for meeting us." You curtsy, taking the opportunity to look around - Ilya, Sella, Leysritt, Koakuma, Patchouli, Illyasviel, Sakuya … only Ilya isn't looking at you, but to your right … at Lutecia. Oh, dear. "Changing weapons?" Remilia looks surprised, then looks confusedly at the axe in her hand before grinning.
"Oh, this! No, I'd gotten it to maybe offer Leysritt, so she could dual-wield, but young Illyasviel decline the offer. She's got the wrong figure for cosplaying, too. Satsuki might be able to wear it - how does she look in red and black? But that's for you and her to decide, I suppose -" She breaks off as Ilya and Lulu walk towards each other. She motions for you to keep calm as they stop a step apart and stare at each other intensely. Sella and Leysritt look calm, but a look back at Megane shows that she's torn between worry and irritation. "Crikey! Stay back, everyone. You don't want to startle 'em. I 'aven't seen a magical girl dominance battle this intense since the great Dokuro-chan/Djibril staredown of '93!" The mounting tension freezes at your sister's monologue, and you see blushes spreading across your friends' faces. Still, they don't look away from each other, so you carefully creep up to them and sloooowly edge your face into their peripheral vision. Their blushes intensify, and both look away at the same time.
Good. Crisis averted … although you will have to introduce everyone, now.
What do you do?
[ ] After introducing everyone, show them around and let them relax until the party. See which of your invited guests show up right before the party starts.
[ ] After introducing everyone, see which of your invited guests show up, then show people around and let them relax until the party starts.
