Yea, I was suspicious about the mind reading too. But it seemed redundant to copy the "exclusions" from the interrogation part to the mind reading part.
Hey, @Entropy Judge, will the "exclusions" for the interrogation part also apply to the mind reading part, despite the "Show him everything" part of the mind reading, or will I need to rephrase that part of the vote to make it clear that we don't want to offer actually everything?
I have a strong belief/assumtion that "showing everything" will expose the viewer to literally everything in Flan's mind/consciousness/subconsciousness. And, considering Flan's condition and a simple fact that she isn't really in control there it seems like a terribad idea.
The safer option as i see it would be showing them a chosen few things to support our cause and reasoning for our actions, while straight and honestly saying to them that we may show more, but
reading our mind is extremely likely to have far-fetched consequences for those who would try to do it, so we cannot guarantee their sanity or general wellbeing both after the process or during it
If they will chose to ignore it - we may show them more, with assumption that they at the very least would do some preparation or get some idea about possible danger. Otherwise we may be even blamed for some BS like psychic attack or something like that and it may be worse than trying to break free right now =/
Hey, @Entropy Judge, will the "exclusions" for the interrogation part also apply to the mind reading part, despite the "Show him everything" part of the mind reading, or will I need to rephrase that part of the vote to make it clear that we don't want to offer actually everything?
I have a strong belief/assumtion that "showing everything" will expose the viewer to literally everything in Flan's mind/consciousness/subconsciousness. And, considering Flan's condition and a simple fact that she isn't really in control there it seems like a terribad idea.
No, it wouldn't be that (not unless people wanted to make it the first step in a rampage, anyway) - Flan's not stupid, remember. It's more of a guided tour of Flan's life, trying to show who she is and where she came from, what she likes and what she's capable of. It's also a far more detailed (for the mind-reader) depiction of things than "Just seeing Relevant information."
No, it wouldn't be that (not unless people wanted to make it the first step in a rampage, anyway) - Flan's not stupid, remember. It's more of a guided tour of Flan's life, trying to show who she is and where she came from, what she likes and what she's capable of. It's also a far more detailed (for the mind-reader) depiction of things than "Just seeing Relevant information."
I do not thing that we should take this route if we can find some kind of a compromise here though. As for example some details may be like nothing special for Flan, but rather shocking for those viewing. But a warning may still be a good idea - it's not like it can hurt us any more at this point and we may have some thoughts about this IC.
BTW, do we have any IC idea about our "independent personalities" possible interference with a process of a mind-reading? Or about lack of thereof? Especially without our consent for it?
Nanoha mind reading is more like browsing through a photo album than a mind meld IIRC, information is conveyed through an interface, so not dangerous in itself.
More to the point we won't be getting any trust with an individual point thing. Showing them a big chunk of our life could, and when dealing with a powerful, compassionate setting, its less likely to backfire here than anywhere else.
BTW, do we have any IC idea about our "independent personalities" possible interference with a process of a mind-reading? Or about lack of thereof? Especially without our consent for it?
Whether Headless could interfere with mind-reading depends on how it's being done, as far as Flan knows. Whether or not she could 'jump ship' into the mind-reader's body was something she thought of at the end of "The Church," but she doesn't actually know whether it's possible.
Votes are not closed yet.
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
2
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [x] Make sure to include:
--- [x] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [x] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when you were upfront about it
[x] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [x] Yes
-- [x] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portal too
-- [x] Mitakihara and the events that transpired there
- [x] However, if they seem to tell you are still hiding something and get suspicious of it or ask directly to say what you are hiding, go ahead tell. Just don't bring it up on your own.
2
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [x] Make sure to include:
--- [x] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [x] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when you were upfront about it
2
[X] Let someone read your mind.
- [X] Only to see if you're being truthful.
[X] Answer questions.
- [X] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [X] Make sure to include:
--- [X] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [X] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when you were upfront about it.
[X] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [X] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portals to. Refuse to answer questions about Gensokyo on the grounds of protecting family.
-[X] Do not mention Mitakihara or the events that transpired there.
-[X] The nature of the Soul Gems and Grief Seeds we possess.
[X]-Make a Statement
-[X]- Turn on the cuteness factor and vampiric presence for extra oomph."As a vampire, I know I don't understand humans too well. Humans are such fragile things, but there's noone else to play with. I've been this way as long as I can remember, and I can't help I don't understand how you feel. I don't particularly like humanity, but I don't go out of my way to hurt people if I don't need to. Whenever I tell humans what I am and how I feel, they try to hurt me without asking me why, even after we were getting along. I don't wanna hurt people, I'm just looking to make friends! Please... don't lock me away again."
2
[X] Attempt to break out.
- [X] Sneakily.
[X] Where do you try to go?
- [X] First, away. Then try to figure out how to access the portals, it seems this world won't accept you either but you're sure there's one out there that will! And people who will be your friends and servants!
[X] If caught trying to escape, defend yourself but explain that last time you told people what you were they immediately tried to kill you! And you weren't trying to kill, you just wanted to play! *Cry*
1
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [x] Make sure to include:
--- [x] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [x] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when you were upfront about it
[x] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [x] Yes
-- [x] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portals to
-- [x] Mitakihara and the events that transpired there
-- [x] The true nature of the Soul Gems and Grief Seeds we possess
- [x] However, if they seem to tell you are still hiding something and get suspicious of it or ask directly to say what you are hiding, go ahead tell. Just don't bring it up on your own.
1
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [x] Make sure to include:
--- [x] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [x] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when you were upfront about it
[X] FelSpite
-[X] Blame Shift, It wasn't our fault! Possibly cry and have a tantrum, the classic tools of sad little girls.
-[X] we actually asked for blood twice (their fault that it was ignored)
-[X] the trigger of our latest outburst is likely to be tied to someone of theirs, and there was no intent to kill anyway (we would actually kill people otherwise) explaining the moral differences in a simple way may be a good addition here.
-[X] reading our mind is extremely likely to have far-fetched consequences for those who would try to do it, so we cannot guarantee their sanity or general wellbeing both after the process or during it.
FelSpite's points seem to be pretty good, so I'm convinced.
- we actually asked for blood twice (their fault that it was ignored)
- the trigger of our latest outburst is likely to be tied to someone of theirs, and there was no intent to kill anyway (we would actually kill people otherwise) explaining the moral differences in a simple way may be a good addition here.
- reading our mind is extremely likely to have far-fetched consequences for those who would try to do it, so we cannot guarantee their sanity or general wellbeing both after the process or during it.
Have to admit though I've lost a little bit of interest in the quest since I was mostly expecting the quest to be Flandre murderhobos around the multiverse rather than Flandre has new personalities popping up every week and needs serious mental help.
Admittedly Madness quest was in the title so I can't really blame anyone but myself for misinterpreting things. That being said I generally dislike it when the players don't having control over the protagonist's actions in a quest, after all we did seem to be acting very Flandre-like even without the addition of multiple personalities taking control of Flandre's actions.
Edit: Well I've made FelSpites plan into a vote (I added X's) it could probably be done better but it's probably close enough.
... I don't get it, why the hell did Flandre's character suddenly take a massive turn pretty much the minute we moved to MGLN?
And why do people think that letting someone inside our mind to see that we're a mass murderer of literally thousand of people at the least is a good idea?
And why would Flan give a damn about these humans who keep trying to judge her, stop her from having fun and make her do things? Now they're even threatening to hurt her or lock her away...
Can someone explain the MASSIVE dissonance between the first arc/ chapters and then the sudden jump to THIS once we moved Worlds? Because honestly the more this goes on the more I feel disinclined to continue reading, the stoey was fun and enjoyable at the start, now it doesn't even look like the same Quest anymore. And I honestly can't see why the sudden massive change in Character...
For me, it seemed like because Flandre realized that how she was acting in the previous world (especially near the end) cost her a lot of fun opportunities, so now she is trying to be on better behavior here (keyword: trying).
EDIT: Upon further reflection, it does sort of feel like that, going by the story posts alone, the above reason, or any reason really, is not clear, so yea, I can see where this dissonance comes from.
That said, yea, I am having serious second thoughts about freely showing our past via telepathy. I may revise my vote.
Well, generally i stopped bothering with writing plans simply because i'm not that good with it and it takes substancial time AND like 95+ % of the time i'm in a clear minority so it's pointless in the end. Pointing stuff out, at least works more often. I can write something, but it won't happen in the 9-10 hours or so (cause work/wow raiding) and may be pointless if we will already get an update at that point.
Well, generally i stopped bothering with writing plans simply because i'm not that good with it and it takes substancial time AND like 95+ % of the time i'm in a clear minority so it's pointless in the end. Pointing stuff out, at least works more often. I can write something, but it won't happen in the 9-10 hours or so (cause work/wow raiding) and may be pointless if we will already get an update at that point.
To be fair it was basically a vote already the only thing it lacked was X's to make it official, which is now done.
I agree with your points though, let's shift the blame to them. After all Flandre's just a kid acting out, she can't really help herself also it doesn't help that they weren't feeding her and she was having headaches and such. She's got medical needs it's not her fault people aren't properly providing them and are being mean to her.
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [x] Make sure to include:
--- [x] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [x] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when you were upfront about it
[x] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [x] Yes
-- [x] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portal too
-- [x] Mitakihara and the events that transpired there
- [x] However, if they seem to tell you are still hiding something and get suspicious of it or ask directly to say what you are hiding, go ahead tell. Just don't bring it up on your own.
[X] Blame Shift, It wasn't our fault! Possibly cry and have a tantrum, the classic tools of sad little girls.
-[X] we actually asked for blood twice (their fault that it was ignored)
-[X] the trigger of our latest outburst is likely to be tied to someone of theirs, and there was no intent to kill anyway (we would actually kill people otherwise) explaining the moral differences in a simple way may be a good addition here.
-[X] reading our mind is extremely likely to have far-fetched consequences for those who would try to do it, so we cannot guarantee their sanity or general wellbeing both after the process or during it.
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [x] Make sure to include:
--- [x] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [x] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when you were upfront about it
[x] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [x] Yes
-- [x] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portal too
-- [x] Mitakihara and the events that transpired there
- [x] However, if they seem to tell you are still hiding something and get suspicious of it or ask directly to say what you are hiding, go ahead tell. Just don't bring it up on your own.
that blame shift vote is pretty dumb: we went berserk when they gave us blood. from their perspective, Flandre asking for it means she was trying to go berserk earlier
... I don't get it, why the hell did Flandre's character suddenly take a massive turn pretty much the minute we moved to MGLN?
And why would Flan give a damn about these humans who keep trying to judge her, stop her from having fun and make her do things? Now they're even threatening to hurt her or lock her away...
In addition to what techsy730 said (about wanting more fun and trying to ), there are two constraints Flan is operating under:
* Trying to get Vita as a servant is limiting her options.
* A prominent and organized force of mages is something that is a potential threat to a vampire, so she's trying to keep from aggravating them.
In PMMM, she was dealing with scattered mages who weren't working together (for the most part), and the one mage she approached to become her maid was at least as much to be like Remilia as because she actually wanted Homura as a servant. In MGLN, she's dealing with organized, publically-recognized mages, and she has set her sights on obtaining one in particular has her servant. Trying to get Vita friendly toward her in particular has become something that she considers a major priority.
Votes will close sometime tomorrow, not sure when.
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
2
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [x] Make sure to include:
--- [x] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [x] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when
you were upfront about it
[x] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [x] Yes
-- [x] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portal too
-- [x] Mitakihara and the events that transpired there
- [x] However, if they seem to tell you are still hiding something and get suspicious of it or ask directly to say what you are
hiding, go ahead tell. Just don't bring it up on your own.
4
[X] Let someone read your mind.
- [X] Only to see if you're being truthful.
[X] Answer questions.
- [X] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [X] Make sure to include:
--- [X] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [X] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when
you were upfront about it.
[X] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [X] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portals to. Refuse to answer questions about Gensokyo on the grounds of
protecting family.
-[X] Do not mention Mitakihara or the events that transpired there.
-[X] The nature of the Soul Gems and Grief Seeds we possess.
[X]-Make a Statement
-[X]- Turn on the cuteness factor and vampiric presence for extra oomph."As a vampire, I know I don't understand humans too
well. Humans are such fragile things, but there's noone else to play with. I've been this way as long as I can remember, and I can't
help I don't understand how you feel. I don't particularly like humanity, but I don't go out of my way to hurt people if I don't need
to. Whenever I tell humans what I am and how I feel, they try to hurt me without asking me why, even after we were getting
along. I don't wanna hurt people, I'm just looking to make friends! Please... don't lock me away again."
2
[X] Attempt to break out.
- [X] Sneakily.
[X] Where do you try to go?
- [X] First, away. Then try to figure out how to access the portals, it seems this world won't accept you either but you're sure
there's one out there that will! And people who will be your friends and servants!
[X] If caught trying to escape, defend yourself but explain that last time you told people what you were they immediately tried to
kill you! And you weren't trying to kill, you just wanted to play! *Cry*
1
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [x] Make sure to include:
--- [x] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [x] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when
you were upfront about it
[x] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [x] Yes
-- [x] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portals to
-- [x] Mitakihara and the events that transpired there
-- [x] The true nature of the Soul Gems and Grief Seeds we possess
- [x] However, if they seem to tell you are still hiding something and get suspicious of it or ask directly to say what you are
hiding, go ahead tell. Just don't bring it up on your own.
1
[X] Blame Shift, It wasn't our fault! Possibly cry and have a tantrum, the classic tools of sad little girls.
-[X] we actually asked for blood twice (their fault that it was ignored)
-[X] the trigger of our latest outburst is likely to be tied to someone of theirs, and there was no intent to kill anyway (we would
actually kill people otherwise) explaining the moral differences in a simple way may be a good addition here.
-[X] reading our mind is extremely likely to have far-fetched consequences for those who would try to do it, so we cannot
guarantee their sanity or general wellbeing both after the process or during it.
2
I love this quest some much, but how about a spin off quest where we play as Yuuka or Yukari visiting other anime/video game universes/worlds. As much I love Flandre she not exactly the best at the social business...
I love this quest some much, but how about a spin off quest where we play as Yuuka or Yukari visiting other anime/video game universes/worlds. As much I love Flandre she not exactly the best at the social business...
Koishi is a Satori who can influence the subconscious mind due to closing her third eye....which happened to seal off the conscious part of her mind so all her actions are taken subconsciously.
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
2
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [x] Make sure to include:
--- [x] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [x] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when
you were upfront about it
[x] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [x] Yes
-- [x] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portal too
-- [x] Mitakihara and the events that transpired there
- [x] However, if they seem to tell you are still hiding something and get suspicious of it or ask directly to say what you are
hiding, go ahead tell. Just don't bring it up on your own.
4
[X] Let someone read your mind.
- [X] Only to see if you're being truthful.
[X] Answer questions.
- [X] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [X] Make sure to include:
--- [X] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [X] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when
you were upfront about it.
[X] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [X] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portals to. Refuse to answer questions about Gensokyo on the grounds of
protecting family.
-[X] Do not mention Mitakihara or the events that transpired there.
-[X] The nature of the Soul Gems and Grief Seeds we possess.
[X]-Make a Statement
-[X]- Turn on the cuteness factor and vampiric presence for extra oomph."As a vampire, I know I don't understand humans too
well. Humans are such fragile things, but there's noone else to play with. I've been this way as long as I can remember, and I can't
help I don't understand how you feel. I don't particularly like humanity, but I don't go out of my way to hurt people if I don't need
to. Whenever I tell humans what I am and how I feel, they try to hurt me without asking me why, even after we were getting
along. I don't wanna hurt people, I'm just looking to make friends! Please... don't lock me away again."
2
[X] Attempt to break out.
- [X] Sneakily.
[X] Where do you try to go?
- [X] First, away. Then try to figure out how to access the portals, it seems this world won't accept you either but you're sure
there's one out there that will! And people who will be your friends and servants!
[X] If caught trying to escape, defend yourself but explain that last time you told people what you were they immediately tried to
kill you! And you weren't trying to kill, you just wanted to play! *Cry*
1
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [x] Make sure to include:
--- [x] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [x] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when
you were upfront about it
[x] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [x] Yes
-- [x] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portals to
-- [x] Mitakihara and the events that transpired there
-- [x] The true nature of the Soul Gems and Grief Seeds we possess
- [x] However, if they seem to tell you are still hiding something and get suspicious of it or ask directly to say what you are
hiding, go ahead tell. Just don't bring it up on your own.
1
[X] Blame Shift, It wasn't our fault! Possibly cry and have a tantrum, the classic tools of sad little girls.
-[X] we actually asked for blood twice (their fault that it was ignored)
-[X] the trigger of our latest outburst is likely to be tied to someone of theirs, and there was no intent to kill anyway (we would
actually kill people otherwise) explaining the moral differences in a simple way may be a good addition here.
-[X] reading our mind is extremely likely to have far-fetched consequences for those who would try to do it, so we cannot
guarantee their sanity or general wellbeing both after the process or during it.
2
[x] Let someone read your mind.
- [x] Show him everything.
[x] Answer questions.
- [x] Truthfully, and go in-depth and into detail on what you think is important.
-- [x] Make sure to include:
--- [x] You did not have killing intent; you were honestly just trying to play and have fun
--- [x] You were secretive about your nature before as you have had bad (often hostile) reactions from people in the past when
you were upfront about it
[x] Is there Anything you specifically do not want to talk about?
- [x] Yes
-- [x] The portals to other "worlds" that Patchouli has portal too
-- [x] Mitakihara and the events that transpired there
- [x] However, if they seem to tell you are still hiding something and get suspicious of it or ask directly to say what you are
hiding, go ahead tell. Just don't bring it up on your own.
You sigh again and stretch your arms, then look at the outfit you're wearing. You strongly consider changing into one of your remaining dresses, but decide not to - no point in antagonizing them even more. You're going to tell the truth, and not the truth like Remilia likes to say it ... well, except for that thing on Earth .... But if they know where Earth is and are looking for how to get you home, they'll find out about it pretty quickly. Junko did say you were famous, and at least someone got your picture, so they'd know it was you. You really wish they'd given you a dress, though. You look more closely at the strange bands, but you still can't figure out what they're supposed to do. Maybe some kind of shortcut for their magic? Eventually you get bored, and keep looking at the squares you drew on the wall, but you just know that by the time you get yourself really into it, someone will interrupt you, and then you'll be upset and things will go poorly, so you let it stay. Eventually, the door opens again.
In walks Investigator Verossa Acous, Sister Schach, and some more guards, and you stand up and bow politely at Verossa. He nods in return, though Schach glares at you. She's still wearing her habit, and he's still wearing that white suit, but something seems ... different about him. You can't really place it, but he seems to have changed a little since the last time you saw him. You set it aside and sit back down on the bed; the guards hold their positions at the door, Schach moves to your right, and Verossa sits in a chair to your left.
"... Well, Miss Scarlet, are you willing to cooperate fully with us? Answer the questions I ask you truthfully, and submit to mind-reading so that we may ensure that you are telling us the truth?" You don't notice any changes in his voice, though - either you're imagining things, or he has excellent control.
"I am," you say calmly. "I do have one question, however - how do you do your mind-reading?" Verossa frowns, and Schach starts to put herself in a fighting stance when you shake your head. "If it's one of the lesser methods - seeing only words or pictures, or relying on something that is 'sent' - I may be able to ... to pull you into my head, so to speak, and show you what happened directly. I ... I do not know that I would be able to completely guarantee your safety, but I would try to insure that no actual harm comes to you." He stares at you thoughtfully, and Schach's expression turns worried as she looks over at him.
"Let me consider it," he says, and you nod. "Then for the questions: What is your name, your age, your place of birth, your current residence, and the names of your relatives?"
"My name is Flandre Scarlet, I am ... around five hundred years old, probably a bit older, I was born near Schneeberg, I am currently living in the Scarlet Devil Mansion in Gensokyo, and my only relative is my older sister, Remilia Scarlet." Everyone looks at you then, either surprised or fearful, and you shrug. "I am a vampire - blood-sucking monster, demon, devil, nosferatu, probably some other names that aren't as important. ... People tend to get upset and violent when they find out, though, so I tried to keep it quiet." After a sideways glance at Schach, Verossa shrugs and nods.
"What is your interest in Lieutenant Vita, and why did you try to kill Sister Schach?" You sit for a moment, thinking to yourself.
"... I want to make Vita my servant. She's interesting. Besides, I don't have any servants of my own - they all work for my sister. As for Schach -" you glance at her, "I didn't try to kill her. If I wanted her dead, she'd be dead. I was just playing tag ... I think, anyway." You sigh. "I truly do not know what happened; I had a weird pain in my head that made it hard to think, and I couldn't do anything. Blood ... it's the only thing that's like a medication for a vampire, apart from magic, so I thought it would help. It even did, kind of - the pain went away - but then I felt funny and wanted to play a game. Hmm ... did the other girl survive?" They look at you curiously. "After I threw Schach out the window, I dove into the forest? That's because I thought I saw her in there, but it was some other girl ... red hair, red eyes, wearing blue. She went through a few trees when I hit her, but she seemed to still be alive, and I told her to wait because I was playing with Schach." Schach and Verossa exchange a glance, and Verossa sighs.
"We cleaned up the area, but we didn't find anyone, so whoever it was must have left on her own. ... May I see how truthful you have been so far?" You nod and he walks over to you, his hand surrounded by a green light. He puts his hand on your head, and you wait for a moment. You notice his hand is trembling, just slightly. "Entirely truthful ... the method you spoke of, have you done it before?" You nod as you hear Schach draw her breath.
"Several times, with Patchouli. She did intend for it to be a defense against mind-readers, but it's not supposed to be inherently dangerous. I haven't done it with anyone else, though. Do you want to try it?" You glance up and see him nod, so you take a deep breath and clear your mind, then look up at him again. "When you're ready, look at me." After a moment, his eyes flicker open, and the world seems to shift as blue eyes turn red.
You smile when you realize that, yes, you're inside the mental construct that you share with Headless, that Patchouli used as her own base when she explored your mind. Glancing down, you see that you're even back in your proper clothes! You spin around and see Verossa, still in his white, breathing deeply and flanked by three green spectral hounds. You wait for him to calm down.
"Did you try to read my mind while I was unconscious? What did you see?" He shivers.
"Blood. Blood and ... something else," he says. You shrug and set off for the stairs.
"Come, it's this way. Sorry for the mess, by the way - she likes it this way." Ruined pictures, furniture sets with only two pieces usable, shredded drapes ... you really wish Headless would keep a neater house, but as long as she leaves your areas alone, you don't mind too much - it's not like you live here, after all.
"Headless?" You spin and lower yourself, wings raised threateningly, eyes blazing. "You've been under surveillance pretty much the whole time. Initially for your own protection, but ...." You relax and slowly nod, then turn back to head down the stairs. "You know that we can't allow you to run loose among civilians like that."
"Doesn't have to be civilians, really, just so long as it's got a lot of stuff and people to kill. Surely even you people have enemies? I'm no attack dog, but if our interests coincide ...." You glance at his face in a mirror - he looks upset. You pass the rest of the way to the theatre in silence. You run up the stairs to the private boxes, and when he follows you pat the seat next to you. He seems calmer now, but you know that will pass ... after all, he's about to see your life.
You show him your earliest memory, waking up in the graveyard with Remilia. You didn't know who put you there, or where you came from, but you didn't need to know; you were, and that was enough for the two of you. You show him that time, when you and Remilia would ambush or trick travelers, and drive minor supernatural creatures away from your hunting grounds. Those were the hard times - living outdoors, in caves or burrows during the day, occasionally going hungry when a lone traveler turned out to be a magician the two of you couldn't fight - but they were fun, just the two of you. You make sure to show him a game of tag.
As you grew in power, you would occasionally raid villages, no longer content with attacking travelers and caravans. Then Remilia got the idea to style the two of you as landowners. "Yes, it won't be as much fun, but we'll be safe, Flandre! No more hiding in caves during the day, and we can have guards and servants, a steady supply of blood ... and I'll be able to keep your hair nice and long." So you did. You found a nice little crossroads town with a single hedge-magician and took it over. Remilia wasn't even thirty.
You skip a period then, whole decades. Your first encounter with other vampires, a fight that you remember as a fight. Your territory had grown, and so had your reputations, and Remilia had gone to them to discuss the situation. They had taken her, tried to break her, ignored you because you were someone who 'couldn't do things without her sister telling her.' You'd gone to their castle, killed them all, killed their servants, and carried back your sister. It took you four trips, because you couldn't find all the pieces, and then you had to go back a fifth time because you forgot your legs. When you woke up, over a week later, you and Remilia tore the castle down and added their territory to your own.
You show him what happened to a vampire left in the sun, forced into running water ... deprived of blood. He was green when you showed him the rescue. He goes white as death when you show him a blood-starved vampire, how long it takes for them to die, and the agony they go through. You wonder how he's staying conscious through all this.
Then you show him your shame. You were bored, and Remilia had spent several months dealing with the humans under your control, stamping out revolutions and always promising, "later." So you listened to Headless, and one night when Remilia was passing through, you told her to Break. You hadn't thought it would work, had thought she would stop it and the two of you could have some fun together for a bit. She died. And then she came back, changed but the same, two days later, and she wouldn't talk about it. She pretended it had never happened ... but she really began to drift away from you after that.
You show him Patchouli, show him what you consider a real magician, and how she was entrusted with teaching you. A stern and unforgiving taskmaster, she was. But she was Remilia's friend, so you put up with her, and you tried to learn. You always thought your failures made Remilia more disappointed in you.
You show him what little you saw of the move to Gensokyo, and the establishment fights there ... and you show him Remilia's Incident, the Scarlet Mist. You even show him the time you tried to break out of the basement to follow her when she went to Reimu's Shrine, and how Reimu came and you teased her to make up for not being able to come visit. You show him snowball fights with Remilia during the Long Winter, and watching the moon change before the Unending Night.
Then you show him the portal to this world - without the others - and show the strange colorless grey void you fell through. Then the curtains fall, and you look over at your guest. He seems distressed, and you scratch one of his hounds' ears absently.
"Was there anything else you wanted to know about?" He shudders and takes a long, deep breath.
"Just one. You told Vita that you ruined several sets of clothing within a week before you arrived here. Why don't you show me what happened?" You freeze. You did tell her that, didn't you - you even showed her your shirt. Verossa considers your hesitation. "If it's something troublesome, you probably would be better off showing me now, rather than have us find out later." You sigh and the curtains rise again.
You show him your arrival in the city, the first youkai and Kyouko ... your meeting with Mami, where she shot you for being a vampire. You show him your second meeting, where she went crazy and attacked you, and you killed her a second time, keeping her head. You show him the three girls in the tunnel, and you show him your meeting with Junko. You show him that last terrible fight, and that girl casting you into the void.
When he looks like he's recovered, you softly say, "I haven't been anywhere else. I went from the Library to there to here." He nods shakily.
"... Then let's get out of here," he says. You take a deep breath and release it .... Verossa stumbles back to his chair, and Schach has one of her strange blades at your throat before you finish blinking. You don't react, don't even look at her, and when Verossa recovers he waves her off.
"It's ... it's okay, Sister Schach. I'm fine." She doesn't move, though, and he sighs. "Miss Scarlet, did you have any statements you wished to make?" That makes her look over at him; he was probably supposed to ask you more questions.
"I do not," you say, and he nods.
"Then, if you would, please wait here for a while. I don't know how long a decision will take ... there is quite a lot of information to discuss." He rises shakily, and Schach moves back to support him as they leave.
You sigh once they're gone. They didn't exactly leave you with much to do ....
What do you do?
[ ] Keep trying to play games on the walls.
[ ] Try to talk to Headless.
- [ ] Physically.
- [ ] Mentally.
[ ] About ...
- [ ] Your deal.
- [ ] If she knows about what happened at the Simulator.
- [ ] If she knows about what happened at the Church.
- [ ] Where she was when you brought Verossa in.
- [ ] Something else?
[ ] Break out?
- Violent or Sneaky?
[ ] Other?
... No, I wasn't sure how I wanted to end this one. I'm still considering how the higher-ups will respond. If you have thoughts on what restrictions Flan might be willing to accept in exchange for freedom, feel free to post them, but since I'm not sure if they'll even be applicable ....