Flandre's Quest (Touhou) World - (Madness Quest)

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Move everyone to your bed. It's comfier and Satsuki will be able to find you more easily.


Lulu hugs Ilya's arm to her chest as she leans against you, and you pat her head playfully. She groans cutely and wriggles, and you stifle a laugh. "Let's get a bit more comfortable, then," you say.

"'M fine. Comfy 'n' snuggly." You blink as you try to understand Lulu's mumbles, and Ilya sighs. Your clones carefully lift the three of you out of the water, and Lulu stirs grumpily at the temperature change until the third clone wraps her in a thick towel. She sighs and sags, and another clone helps her as the first one dries Ilya and dresses her in a sleeping gown - one of yours, but it fits her well anyway.

"Ooh. Are we going to be ravished?" You swallow a laugh and try to glower at Ilya, but she sticks her tongue out at you and you fight to keep from giggling again. She turns to the warmly-attired and half-asleep Lulu and strokes her hair, a sad smile on her face. "It has been quite fun, hasn't it, Flan?" You hug her from behind, then sweep her up into your arms as a clone opens the door and leads you to your room. Lulu is placed in the middle of the bed, and before she has a chance to wake up or complain, Ilya slides in next to her and grasps her hands, and you set yourself on her other side, reaching over her shoulder to hold onto Ilya. Then your clones pull up the thick blanket, encasing you all in warmth, and Lulu goes completely limp. Ilya smiles and tilts her head forward, resting forehead to forehead with Lulu, and you brush her silvery hair back. She smiles happily, then relaxes and closes her eyes. You wait a few minutes, then close your own eyes and let yourself drift away as the lights fade ….

---

"Flandre-sama. Flandre-sama, it's time to wake up." You blink rapidly and look to your right, and Satsuki straightens up in the dim red light. You recognize the twin maids behind her, too, and nod at all of them before carefully withdrawing your arms from around your friends. Sella moves around to the other side of the bed, while Leysritt waits for Satsuki to help move you out of the way, and you smile happily at the outfit that your servant already has picked out for you. Ilya and Lulu have clothing waiting for them as well, and you and Ilya both laugh quietly as Lulu tries - unsuccessfully, of course - to make Leysritt leave her alone. You and Lulu soothe the embarrassed girl as the maids brush your hair, and by the time you're all ready to head upstairs she's merely a little pouty about being fussed over instead of red-faced.

"No, I mean why hasn't the sun risen?" You stop in mid-entrance as Vita slams her fists on the table. Most of the other Mid-Childans are simply smiling uncomfortably, but Madoka and her friends - apart from Homura - look somewhat worried. Remilia, of course, just smiles.

"Because we froze the morning, of course. Temporarily, obviously, and to prevent an Incident it is only within the mansion grounds - which is actually somewhat more challenging than affecting all of Gensokyo. You do not need to worry." She smiles and nods at you in greeting, and her eyes hold yours meaningfully before darting toward Satsuki. Now you have to worry about whether she knows about the presents, or if she just did that so you could have Satsuki with you before everyone left. Nanoha reaches over and pats Vita's shoulder.

"Vita-chan, it's alright. We'll just put something in the report, okay?" Fate and Megane both nod, and Vita slumps into her chair. Madoka fidgets nervously.

"Um, it … it's really not a problem? I mean, it's just … we …." Your sister nods again and smiles charmingly.

"In Gensokyo, there are … well, several individuals capable of manipulating time and the events of time's passage. It is not unexceptional, but I do promise you this: there is nothing to worry about." Madoka stares at Remilia for a moment, then smiles shyly and nods back. You frown at the empty seats as Sakuya pours your drinks - neither Patchouli nor Deis are here, although Koakuma and Illyasviel are. If Patchouli's working some magic, she would probably have her familiar with her, so they must be doing something else together ….

"It still feels strange," Megane says wistfully. "We'll be going back home today." You and Ilya hold Lulu's hands under the table and ignore Vita's quiet grumbling. Agito, however, grins.

"I can't wait until you guys come visit us. I already beat Flan at cooking, and I'm definitely not gonna lose to you again, Sakuya!" You gape at the fiery Unison Device, but Sakuya simply curtsies politely.

"I shall grant you all the time in the world in which to try," she says, and Remilia applauds. You don't think there's the remotest chance that Agito can actually beat Sakuya … but it's probably good to have a goal in life. More interestingly - when did they find the time to strike up a competition? You try to figure it out as Sakuya brings out the first dishes - breads, rolls, and associated condiments - despite the magicians' continued absence. After the light sampling, the meats and cheeses arrive, and Remilia looks at you.

"Flandre, is there anything you wish to do today?" You frown at her - again, it could be something innocent, but she could already know what you did, and if she does then that will spoil the surprise …. You're spared answering as the door opens, and Patchouli and Deis walk in, escorted Meiling. Both magicians walk tenderly, Patchouli has a split lip, and Deis has several bruises on the side of her face, as well as a magnificent purpling eye. Illyasviel stares with her mouth hanging open, and even Remilia gives them an odd look.

"What happened to you?" Deis grins at you, and then they point at each other. You scowl and Deis laughs.

"I didn't know she knows how to fight," the sorceress says, and Patchouli scoffs.

"And she - thank you, Sakuya - doesn't know how to fight or wrestle. Brute." Deis grins at the insult, then nods thankfully at Sakuya as a cup of tea is placed before her.

"I'm a sorceress, not a brawler. I use magic to make sure no one gets close enough to me." You shake your head as Remilia smiles oh so innocently.

"Well, you shall have to learn. Or did you manage to beat Patchouli?" Meiling laughs quietly and looks away, and Deis sighs and shakes her head. "Considering your greater reach and strength, you ought not to have lost, Deis. You need not be a master, but you shall reach a minimum standard, as shall Illyasviel." Ilya coughs and looks past Lulu at you, and you smile and nod.

"It'll be fun! We'll make sure you can at least toss Sella over your shoulder." You maintain your grin despite the look Ilya gives you.

"... So why were you two fighting?" Deis grins at Illyasviel and pats her head.

"It's a secret, youngest person in the mansion. If I told you, I'd have to glue your nostrils shut and bury you in turpentine." Illyasviel flushes irritatedly and looks away, and Deis's grin softens. You look at your sister, watching her stare at Patchouli - but after a moment she turns back to you, smiling gently and head cocked as if waiting for an answer. Right. Was there anything you wanted to do with everyone today?


What do you do?

[ ] Maid Day Get tarred and feathered.

[ ] Nothing you wanted to do, but you did have some things to give everyone ….
- [ ] Give Satsuki hers privately, in case the spell fails and she has to go to sleep.
- [ ] Give Satsuki's hers tonight, so she doesn't have to rush anything.

[ ] One more concert.

[ ] Other?

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Nothing you wanted to do, but you did have some things to give everyone ….
- [X] Give Satsuki hers privately, in case the spell fails and she has to go to sleep.


You tap your lips thoughtfully, then grin and return to your food for a moment. "I don't think there's anything specific I wanted to do - everyone should be free to relax with each other or take a bath or things like that - but I do have some things to give everyone. After breakfast, of course." Ilya and Lulu stare at you suspiciously before looking at each other, and Remilia nods sagely.

"Indeed, after breakfast would be better. Unless you plan to gift them with food, although even then it might be better to wait until lunch, so Sakuya can coordinate the menu." The chief maid catches your eye and cocks her head, but you shake your head.

"Nope, no food." Deis peers at you over her cup of tea, eyes narrow and head tilted slightly, and you see her try to keep a smile from breaking out. You don't quite scowl at her, and she actually giggles, which draws the attention of the rest of the table and forces her to try and regain her composure. She even mostly succeeds.

Your wingtips twitch almost imperceptibly as breakfast proceeds; it almost seems that now that people know you're giving them things, they want to delay that as much as possible! But eventually Remilia smiles and waves her hand lightly. "Very well, Flandre; go retrieve your gifts. We shall await you on the front balcony." You nod and bounce to your feet.

"Satsuki, can you come with me?" Your servant freezes for a moment as you single her out, but she smiles and nods quickly, following you without even glancing at Sakuya for permission. You scurry down the hall, although not so quickly that she needs to run to keep up, and a peek back reveals Ilya and Lulu watching you as everyone files out of the dining room. You wave cheerfully, and they wave back.

"... You must have worked hard on everything," Satsuki says as you descend the stairs, and you swing her into your arms to fly through the library - you won't be able to do it on the way back, so you should save time now.

"I enjoyed it, and I do appreciate your help, but I also have an ulterior motive for asking you to come down with me," you say, and then you smile reassuringly as Satsuki looks at you apprehensively. She relaxes a bit, taking a breath, and you nuzzle her gently. She giggle, making you grin - and then it's time to land. You wave for Satsuki to follow you into your studio and your clones scamper toward the paintings. "I have something for you, after all, and even if I don't think it will happen, I'd rather give it to you now so you'll have it if the time-stopping fails and you have to hurry and go to sleep." She blushes lightly.

"Oh, Flandre-sa- …." She trails off, eyes wide, as a clone approaches with her painting, showing her and Sakuya waking up you and Remilia. "F-Flandre-sama … is … is this for …?" You nod, wondering if you should hug her - and she darts forward to hug you tightly. You stroke her arms, too constricted to reach much else, and she stammers unintelligibly for a few seconds.

"I hope that's a good memory for you," you say quietly, and she sniffles and squeezes you even more tightly before releasing you and wiping her eyes.

"I - it's … I mean … can - can I touch it?" You giggle and nod.

"Of course you can, Satsuki. It's yours." She takes the painting from the clone, holding it a bit awkwardly before she gets the right balance for it, then studies the piece carefully. "The frame can be changed, if you want, and we can put glass over the painting if it will make you feel more comfortable, I just couldn't get that done quickly by myself." She nods, and a clone slips in to wipe her eyes for her.

"Th-thank you. Can … can I put this in my room?" You smile and nod, and carefully withdraws. You spend the next few minutes getting the paintings moved into the hallway, and your clones fetch a pair of racked carts. Satsuki comes back, eyes sparkling joyfully, and wipes her eyes before helping you arrange the paintings and easels on the carts. The paintings for Remilia and Patchouli you entrust to two of your clones. "You did all these … and one for me …." She whispers it softly to herself, and you glance at her interestedly, but she doesn't seem to be paying attention to you. Then she shakes herself and, seeing you watch her, blushes. "U-um, is there anything else you want to bring?" You look over the paintings once again before shaking your head.

"I think I have everything," you say, and she nods firmly before taking one of the carts. Your final clone takes the other, and you all walk through the library together; you keep pace next to Satsuki, chatting about the library and where to find things she wants. When you reach the stairs, you take Satsuki's cart from her, and the other two clones use their feet to support the front of the cart while you and the first clone lift them from the back, and Satsuki leaps up the handrail to follow you, and you peer at her. "Were you showing off?" She blushes and nods, smiling, and you giggle before nuzzling her arm. "That's good. I like it when you're confident in yourself." She starts to take the cart back, but you refuse her since you're going to be going up another level anyway - she can take it back from you then. You finally reach the balcony and get a look at the view of Gensokyo: dark within the mansion's grounds, but bright beyond them, like looking out from a cave. Satsuki shivers and you look at her worriedly. "Do you need to go rest?" She hesitates, then shakes her head.

"I - I'll be fine, Flandre-sama," she says, smiling bravely, and you nod and smile back.

"If you start not feeling well, don't wait for permission; just head inside and get somewhere safe." She nods back and you focus on your guests, who are now turned away from the presumably-unsettling view and eyeing your gifts. Deis, Ilya, and Lulu all give you looks of one kind or another, so they probably guessed what they were … but hopefully they haven't guessed what, particularly, they're getting. It would be most frustrating if they have. You clap your hands twice. "Well, everyone, I hope you've enjoyed your stay here, and I hope you've made some good memories, too. Obviously, I haven't been present for all the memories you've made, but I do hope that the memories I've chosen to capture for you are ones you don't mind remembering." Your free clone begins taking the paintings from the first cart and displaying for the recipients as they sit in the wooden chairs. Patchouli doesn't pay much attention to the proceedings, instead focusing on her injuries, and Meiling is back at the gate, but Remilia looks at the last painting carried by one of your clones and eyes you curiously; that one is actually Patchouli's, and the one carrying hers is still waiting in the hall, to hopefully surprise her. You pretend to not see her as Madoka and her friends see their gifts: amusement at Sayaka and Kyouko's images of work and play, sorrowful delight at Mami's depiction of love, fondness at Madoka's painting of the puzzle night, and reverence toward Homura's picture of peace. Madoka wipes her eyes and smiles at you.

"It - they're all wonderful, Flandre-san! Thank you!" The others nod, although Sayaka looks embarrassed, and Kyouko keeps stealing glances at Mami's painting; maybe you should make a copy for her? … You'll wait until she asks; Homura said something about them maybe being allowed to visit, so she'll have something to look forward to! Mami smiles bravely - then pulls Kyouko against her and hugs her tightly. For a moment, everyone stares at them, but then you decide to give them what privacy you can, and you move on to the Mid-Childans as Homura reaches over to hold Madoka's hand. The reactions are just what you wished - Vita's face turns as red as her hair, with Fate's nearly the same color; Agito and Megane both smile fondly at the snowball fight, while Zest nods with a slight smile at the duel; Nanoha looks at Remilia for a moment, while Lulu lunges sideways to squeeze Ilya until you walk up and give her a hug of your own. She wipes her eyes, and you and Ilya kiss her cheeks, holding her until she nods. Vita looks at you uncomfortably.

"This is … um," she glowers and looks to her side, but Nanoha just studies the paintings and she sighs. "It's … really well-done, and it's - it's nice. Thank you, Flandre - and thank you, Remilia." You smile and curtsy, ignoring her blush as she looks down and Nanoha pats her head.

"You're very welcome, Vita. I am glad to have been able to select a good memory for you." She hesitates, then nods, and Nanoha winks at you.

"You are very kind, aren't you, Flan?" You cock your head at Megane and she smiles. "You've selected scenes that have meaning for the recipients, you've taken the time and care to portray things as correctly as possible. You really do care about everyone." You force a blush and look away as if embarrassed; it's true that you care very much for some of your guests, but it's also true that you care a bit less about others, and as a host you can't really deliberately offer sub-par, mean-spirited, or otherwise poor gift choices. Not that you have any intention of explaining that - even if Megane or anyone else already knows that it's really true, you can't just slap a compliment away like that without being horrifically rude. You murmur something that sounds like a thank-you, and she smiles as you move onto the next set. Deis grins at her gift, and Ilya and Lulu both giggle at the robed Berserker with the ludicrously tiny knife in his hand. Illyasviel stares at you, perhaps shocked that she's getting a gift, then squirms uncomfortably and fusses with her maid uniform as Kyouko applauds. And Ilya giggles at her gift, clapping with wild joy.

"I - I didn't look like that! Mama! I didn't!" But Megane just smiles and pats Lulu's head, and Ilya hugs her from behind before skipping toward you and giving you a hug. Even Vita's scowl looks more like a pout.

And then your clone approaches Patchouli and Remilia and waits for the magician to look up. She blinks in the silence, then looks at you. "For … me?" You nod and your clone flourishes the painting for them. It's hidden from the others, but they can see the stunned surprise on her face, and her smile, and her wiping at her eyes. "Th- thank -" She looks down and takes several breaths as Remilia sets a hand on her shoulder. "... Thank you, Flandre." You curtsy.

"You're very welcome, Patchouli. I'm glad you like it." And she does seem to like it, but you can tell that happiness and surprise aren't the only emotions at work; you should probably leave her alone as much as you can for a while. Deis, too, is giving both of you odd looks, although she covers it very well when she sees you looking at her. Now you just have to figure out how to get Remilia's painting to her ….


What do you do?

[ ] Just bring it out and give it to her.

[ ] Set it up inside and make sure Remilia is the first one to go inside.

[ ] Set it up in her room.

[ ] Other?


DM Note: Not really sure what to do right now; Flan will probably spend time with Ilya and Lulu (or Remilia, maybe) until Rin and Archer show up, unless someone wants to do something specific.

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Set it up inside and make sure Remilia is the first one to go inside.


… But how do you make sure Remilia is the first one to see it? Sure, you could just tell her to go inside because there's something waiting for her, but that would spoil the surprise. And you can't ask her to go get something - even if she couldn't just call it to her immediately, Sakuya is right there, along with Satsuki, Sella, Leysritt, and Koakuma and Illyasviel. And if you ask her to go inside in preparation for ending her spell, then you'll have to make sure Satsuki gets inside first, since she's the one who would most quickly be hurt by sunlight. "Well, shall we go back inside now, to safeguard these wonderful gifts for the journeys home?" You flail your arms in a panic as the others nod at Remilia's suggestion and start to stand.

"W-Wait!" You wince at the perplexed looks everyone gives you and your mind races. "Um, there's something I want to say to everyone - ah, but you can't hear it, Remilia! You have to go inside first." Her expression turns from confusion to amusement, and she nods. You sigh quietly, relieved.

"Very well, Flandre," she says, voice carrying amusement, and for a moment you worry that she'll teleport or turn into a swarm and fly up to her room, but she just stands up and briefly curtsies. "I shall be waiting in the hall." Patchouli rises as well.

"I, too, will head inside," she begins, but you shake your head and leap forward, grabbing her shoulders, and her eyes narrow furiously.

"No, no, you have to wait, too," you say, and in the brief moment where your sister can't see your face, you give the magician a pleading look and mouth the word, "Please?" Her lips quiver for a moment before she relaxes, and you know everyone else is wondering what's going on, but she nods and drops back into her chair. Unthinkingly, you hop forward and hug her tightly; she stays tense for the whole of it, until you let her go, and she doesn't bother to mask her glare as you step away. You give Remilia an awkward smile as she frowns unhappily at the two of you, and her expression clears as you wave for her to go ahead … and, fortunately, Sakuya stays put, as well. You return to your previous spot in front of everyone and smile happily at them as Remilia walks toward the closed door. "Um, I want to thank everyone for coming here and having fun," you begin, keeping an eye on your sister's progress through your clones. "I'm really glad that you had a good time, and I hope you'll be able to come back when we invite you again." She's opening the door, now, and you turn as though conspiratorially waiting for her to leave; you just so happen to be making sure that everyone can see her, too. She walks in, turns to close the door, and freezes. Her wings, normally held back or upright, fall slack down her back, and your invisible clone watches her expression change: unhappiness before she sees the painting, then absolute shock, then wonder, and then tears fill her eyes as she takes the single step she needs to reach out and touch the painting, and she looks down. You raise your voice slightly, so she can hear that you're speaking for her benefit as well. "I think this is the most fun my sister has had in a long time, especially since everyone is so different. The mansion has been so lively with everyone here, and I'm grateful to you all." You curtsy deeply, eyes closed, and after a moment several people start clapping. You open your eyes and stand up - your friends are clapping, Vita looks embarrassed, Madoka is smiling and hugging Homura … Patchouli alone isn't looking at you, but off to the side, away from everyone.​

"Flan, go to Remilia! We'll be fine!" Lulu waves, and Ilya nods in agreement, and you curtsy again before darting back to gently tackle your sister. Your clone picks up the painting and carries it for you and Remilia as you float - not toward her room, but deeper into the mansion. As your other clones start helping the others with the paintings, Satsuki flinches, face pale - and she and Sakuya flicker into existence inside the mansion before Satsuki bolts toward the basement. The chief maid looks after you and Remilia, a smile dancing on her lips, then turns back to assist your guests.

Remilia's directions eventually take you to a small but very comfortable room: the carpeting is thick velvet, there are no windows, the only light sources are ordinary candles, and the chairs and couches are soft enough to sink into without squishing. You settle into a large chair with Remilia on your lap, and she half-turns so she's laying against you as your clone sets the paining in an easily-viewable spot before retreating. You stroke your sister's hair as her arms snake around you. "... Do you want to talk about it?" She shudders and shakes her head before burying her face against your shoulder and squeezing you tightly. Is it something new that's bothering her, or is it the same thing she mentioned before, that she wanted to wait until everyone was gone to discuss with you? You rest your head on your sister's and keep holding her.

---

"... I'm sorry, Flandre," Remilia finally says, and you lift your head to peer down at her. She pushes herself upright and rubs her eyes, but her expression is happy, and she cuddles against you so she can see the painting again. "It really is beautiful. I … I didn't expect to get anything, much less something so wonderful. Thank you, Flandre." You smile and hug her.

"Of course, you're welcome, Remilia," you reply. "And I meant what I told everyone - you've been livelier with everyone here than you have been for a long time, and I like seeing you like this." She doesn't respond immediately, and you start to worry, but then she nods. She doesn't say anything, so your worry doesn't fade much - was she not as happy as you thought she was, or is she unhappy that you told everyone, or something else? She reaches up to pat your head.

"You don't need to worry, Flandre; Patchouli just had something to say. Marisa is bringing her guests back, and a load of books, too, so she wants to know if either of us want to see her off." You scowl; you'd rather not, to be honest - apart from the issues between you and her directly, her actions here led to something happening to your sister, so she doesn't exactly rate very highly. Especially since if you do go see her off, you should probably see everyone else … not that you'd mind seeing Ilya and Lulu, but you are comfy and cozy right now …. And, if Tohsaka leaves with your approval, some of the others will probably want to go, too, whereas if Patchouli handles things, you can probably stay with Remilia for a bit longer before everyone else starts to leave ….


What do you do?

[ ] See Tohsaka off.

[ ] Stay with Remilia for now.

[ ] Other?

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Stay with Remilia for now.


You cling to her and burrow into the chair. "I don't wanna go," you whine, and Remilia chuckles.

"I'll tell her we're busy, then," she says, and you grumble good-naturedly. After a few seconds your sister snuggles into you, and the two of you just lay together. "... You made a picture for Patchouli, too," she says suddenly. You wait for a second before nodding.

"I think she liked it, but she also seemed upset about something when she got it. I know you want us to get along better, but I think I'll try to stay out of her way for a bit." You shift and look Remilia in the eyes. "And no poking around to ask her, either! If she wants to talk to you, fine, but don't go to her asking about why she didn't like it." She gives you such an innocent expression.

"Why, Flandre! I would never breach anyone's confidentiality like -hehe!" She giggles and twists under you as you try to poke her, then hops to a couch. "Lava floor!" She grabs a square pillow and grins at you. You pout, then leap to the other couch and pick up the two rectangular pillows. Today, for sure …!

---

"Boop!" Remilia pokes your nose, wiggling the tip from side to side with her finger, and you sigh up at her from your spot on the floor. You didn't win … as usual … and you did have fun. But it seems like something is off with her, like something isn't right with her. You hope she isn't sick, and she tilts her head to the side at something you do. "Is something wrong?" You blink and don't reply immediately.

"Is something wrong?" Her expression fades, and after a moment she drops to the floor and curls next to you - no longer the Scarlet Devil. Only your sister. She curls up against you and rests her head on your shoulder.

"... No. Not wrong. Just …." She trails off and you nod before stretching a wing up to snag a blanket, then roll the two of you up in it, and Remilia uses her magic to keep it wrapped around you as you float back to the chair to look at the painting again. If nothing's wrong - if really nothing's wrong - you'll drop it, but you do want to know what it is that's bothering her. She should be able to tell you soon, at least …. Her thin arms cling tightly to you, even with the blanket keeping you together, and you worm an arm around her as well. The minutes pass, and you look down to see that she is, indeed, asleep against you. You smile and kiss the side of her head, then make sure you're both comfortable before falling asleep as well.

---

A gentle poke in the side wakes you up and you look at Remilia. She pouts back before nodding. "Time to get up, my dear sister. We can't leave the rest of the guests to Pache, after all." You nod back and the blanket falls away, freeing the two of you to stretch and get to your feet. Then Remilia grabs your arm and gives you a hopeful look; you grin and nod excitedly, and you wrap your arms around each other - and then you're two intermingled swarms of bats, flying through the now-open door and into the hallways of the mansion. Your path is indirect, meandering, and you laugh to yourself as the fairies you fly through squeal and flinch. But your wild flight doesn't last too long - as Remilia said, you do have obligations to your guests, and of course you don't want to miss Lulu. Down into the basement you fly, vast clouds of bats spreading out and chittering over the shelves, making their way toward the portals, and then you're down with everyone, swirling around and brushing against them. All too soon, it ends, and the magnificent kaleidoscope of images coalesces into your own two eyes as Remilia returns you to your normal form. On one side of the area stand the Mid-Childans, and on the other, Homura and Kyouko are saying their farewells to their friends. And then, Homura and Kyouko back away from Madoka, Sayaka, and Mami and walk to stand by Sakuya. Madoka wipes her eyes, but Mami looks at Ilya.

"Um, Flan? Before everyone has to go, we all made a present for you." She holds out a small red cube for you to take. It fits in your palm, and you look at Lulu - it must be a Device of some kind.

"None of us are as good as you are, I think," Mami begins, and you turn back to her, "but there isn't anything else we could give you." After a moment Madoka nods and steps forward.

"Um, the - Librarian-san suggested the songs - I mean, they're songs, and videos of us singing. Um, I … I hope you like them …." She trails off nervously, probably waiting for you to say something - or maybe just not sure how to continue. Maybe she forgot her lines? You smile and walk up to her. Giving her a friendly hug, you whisper in her ear.

"Do you want me to play them right now?" You let her go and, red-faced, she shakes her head. You grin. "Thank you, Madoka - and Mami, Sayaka, and everyone! I'll listen to them, but everyone wants to go home, right?"

"Yeah, kind of -ulp!" Sayaka turns bright red as Madoka spins around, but you just giggle - she obviously didn't mean to say that out loud, or at least not loud enough to actually be heard.

"Hehe! Don't worry. Home is home, after all, familiar and known. Should we see each other again?" She looks at you, definitely worried, but then she smiles and nods. Madoka smiles, too, and looks at Homura as Mami wipes her eyes. "A last round for good-byes, I think -" Madoka runs past you and wraps her arms around both Homura and Kyouko - and the red-head looks past you at Mami and nods. A portal flares into life, showing Mami's room - and two more, next to it, showing different rooms. The three girls push the easel-mounted paintings to the portals - wheels have been cleverly mounted to them, making them easier to move - and turn to wave and bow. As you and the others wave, they turn back and return to their own world. You look back, at Homura and Kyouko, but they're already gone, and Sakuya, too. That's good. They'll need to rest. You look at Lulu. "Do you think I should listen to a song?" She taps her lips and looks at Ilya, and you grin at the adorable mischief on their faces as they nod at each other.

"You should listen to Fate's second song," she says, and the Enforcer shakes her head desperately. Nanoha smiles, though.

"Come on, Fate-chan! It was a good song." Fate looks horrified and continues shaking her head as you tap the top of the Device. A screen appears in the air and you tap it to get into the menu showing only Fate's songs. You stare at the second title for a moment as she shakes her head pleadingly - and then you tap it and listen to her sing. She buries her head in her hands as the video plays, and you shake your head when it finally ends. You should only use this power for selfish ends, and you probably will. Lulu rushes forward to hug you, and Ilya walks over to join the hug.

"I have my mirrors. I'll contact you tomorrow to make sure everything's synchronized properly." Ilya nods.

"Don't forget the piano," you remind her.

"Yeah. It's going in Mama's place … thank you, Flan. Thank you, Ilya." She pulls back a little and starts wiping her eyes. "Do … do you guys want to come to Mid-Childa, just for a little bit?" Ilya hesitates, then looks at you. From the corner of your eye, you see Remilia shrug carefully, leaving it up to you. You wouldn't mind, but maybe you should make sure she has to associate with humans ….


What do you do?

[ ] Go to Mid-Childa for a little bit.

[ ] Stay at the mansion.


DM Note:

Spoiler: Partial List of Songs

Ilya and Lulu: Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)
Nanoha: Be Prepared
Megane and Zest: A Whole New World
Vita: I Won't Say (I'm In Love)
Agito: Go the Distance
Madoka Girls: Super Affection

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Go to Mid-Childa for a little bit.


You smile and nuzzle Lulu. "Ilya, do you want to go?" She bobs her head happily and Lulu wraps her arms around the two of you again. Fate sighs and droops, and Nanoha pats Vita's head reassuringly, but Megane and Agito look pleased. A portal flares into life, larger than normal, and you see Nove and Wendi sit up excitedly in the entry hall. Cinque is, again, nowhere to be seen, and Lulu's shoulders sag - maybe whatever she had got bad enough for her to be transferred to a proper medical facility?

"Do not stay too long, Flandre," Remilia reminds you, and you nod quickly, noting that Sakuya, at least, is back by your sister's side. "We will keep the portal dormant; all you or Illyasviel will need to do is walk near it to wake it up so you can return."

"We'll be back soon," you say, smiling, and your sister nods calmly. You squeeze Ilya and Lulu gently, then the three of you disentangle yourselves and get ready to follow the others through the portal. Ilya holds tightly to your arm as you advance toward it - and then you're on the other side, and Nove and Wendi swivel their heads in confusion. Lulu, too, stiffens fearfully.
"Mam-!" Your head twitches to the side at Lulu's aborted cry, and her expression collapses into relief for a few seconds before she draws herself up and marches toward Nove and Wendi, who both hold their hands up pleadingly. You look back at the portal and scowl briefly; whether it was Remilia or Patchouli who did this, they could have at least warned Lulu about it. Agito flits forward as well, and like Lulu leans forward intimidatingly with her fists clenched on her hips. Ilya leans against you, resting slightly, and you look at her worriedly, but she smiles weakly and raises a finger to her lips. Lulu doesn't actually lecture the two combat cyborgs, merely staring at them sternly for a few seconds until the far door bursts open and Alph hurtles through the room to tackle Fate to the floor. You sweep Ilya into your arms and float up, just in case they go rolling or something else decides to come flying into the room, but that worry seems misplaced as Lindy and Chrono walk calmly in and Alph helps Fate back to her feet. "Ah, Flan, Ilya!" You drift to the floor as Lulu remembers you exist and pulls the two girls with her, and while Lindy looks at the two of you curiously, Chrono seems more concerned about your presence. "Ilya, these are Nove and Wendi." Nove looks at the two of you suspiciously, but Wendi is more friendly, waving and smiling. "Nove, Wendi, this is Illyasviel von Einzbern, a friend of mine and Flan's."

"A friend of yours? That's great, Miss Lu!" Lulu blushes as Wendi claps happily. "Ah, I- Illyasviel? I'm glad you managed to make friends with Miss Lu. And don't mind Nove, she's just embarrassed." Wendi winks conspiratorially as Nove's face turns as red as her hair.

"I am not embarrassed!" Wendi hops back as Nove stamps her foot angrily, giggling at her sister's aggressive behavior. Ilya looks at you, and you look up the stairs to where Cinque and Megane presumably are. Now, does Cinque remember you wanting her for a model …?

"You two are being noisy," Lindy calls out, and Nove and Wendi both jerk upright and spin to face her. Fate's mother walks towards you, looking over Ilya carefully, and the little mage returns the favor, first examining Lindy and then giving Chrono a quick look-over before returning her attention to the older admiral. "… Would you care for something to drink?" Lindy smiles cheerily at Ilya, who smiles politely back.

"Thank you, but I'm alright for now. Lulu, did you want to show us somewhere first?" Ilya turns to look at Lulu, whose face shows a quite amusing combination of dawning horror, numbed confusion, and a pinch of absolute terror. Lindy's initial expression is one of shock and confusion, mirrored by Fate and Chrono, but then she chuckles quietly and shakes her head. You silently float up and pat her head - in full view of Lulu - then drop down and reach around to bop Ilya's nose.

"Ilya, don't tease Lulu so much, okay?" She looks at you and her expression collapses into one of conciliation before she reaches out to hug Lulu. You glance at Lindy. "Honey?" The admiral nods.

"Of course!" And Lulu perks right back up before frowning at everyone suspiciously. "And Megane is …?"

"With Cinque, Admiral Harlaown," Zest replies smoothly, and Ilya's head twitches around to stare at Lindy, who winks back.

"That's good. Alright, everyone, let's find a place to sit down, shall we?" Ilya elbows you in the side as you walk toward the cafeteria.

"You could have said something," she whispers, and you stick your tongue out at her.

"Well, Flan didn't know she would be here," Lulu says in response. "Ah, but this is the Riot Force 6 building. Flan knows the layout better than I do, but there are some things we can do here, if you're feeling up to them." She looks at Ilya in concern, and Ilya scowls and shakes her head.

"It was just the shock of reestablishing Berserker. It must have something to do with the portals, specifically, since normal teleportation doesn't cause it. I'll ask Patchouli about it, but it really isn't anything to worry about - certainly nothing like trying to support him without the Grail! I just wasn't expecting anything like it to happen." Lulu sighs, relieved, and hugs Ilya, and you join in, lifting them both and floating along when you threaten to overbalance them. You hear Nanoha laugh happily, and both Fate and Chrono are quite red-faced about something, while Lindy just looks amused.

"Nanoha is telling them about Fate's painting," Agito says, flying over and positioning herself over Lulu's shoulder. "Um, Lu, is your mother …?" Lulu nods.

"She said she's talking with Cinque, and that she'll tell me if anything happens." You look over and see Nove making big cross-marks with her arms and holding a finger to her lips. Ilya nods and looks at you.

"Cinque is like Nove and Wendi, only she looks a bit like you. Not as cute, though." Agito snorts as she tries to stop from giggling. She's spared from having her cheeks pinched by your arrival at the cafeteria, which is set up similarly to Fate's party, but with additional signs welcoming everyone back. In addition to the normal residents of the building, though, you see Hayate and the rest of her family - and Vita tackles Hayate hard enough to knock her into Signum and almost over Zafira - as well as Fate's kids, the Nakajimas, and that other girl who worked with Nanoha and Fate. Did you ever even learn her name? You must have heard it in passing at some point …. You wave at everyone who sees you, and most wave back, but you have possibly complicated things.

As if you've never done that before!


What do you do?

[ ] Get something to drink, then show Ilya around with Lulu.
- [ ] Sneak a clone to Cinque's room to see what the fuss is with her.

[ ] Stay in the cafeteria and point out people to Ilya.

[ ] Other?


DM Note: Some awful combination of misanthropy, too much heat, tiredness, and Shinki being over half a billion points in debt to mobster/loan shark Akyuu is doing strange things.

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Get something to drink, then show Ilya around with Lulu.


Instead of sitting at a table, you simply walk to the table with the drinks and look over what's available - juices, mainly, with some teas, and alcoholic drinks in the back. You pick out the best tea they have and pour a cup for yourself, and one for Ilya when she nods at your questioning look. Lulu pours a cup of something milder, but of course she adds a liberal amount of honey to it, and Agito scowls at you. Ilya looks around, more idly curious than anything more serious. "Should we find a place to sit or go for a walk?" You tilt your head for a moment, considering the question, then shake your head. Sure, some of the people here are important for Mid-Childa, but right now they aren't relevant to you or Ilya.

"Let's go for a walk, and we can show you around." Lulu nods and refills her cup, adding a bit less honey this time, and the three of you slowly shuffle toward the door. As you suspected, Fate frowns at your departure, but you just wave and make a shooing gesture, and Lindy pulls her back to the humans in the room. Nove and Wendi sit together against a wall, with a modest box sitting at a third spot. Agito looks like she wants to follow you, but turns and joins up with Zest and Signum instead. Lulu looks around, seeming more to be keeping track of everyone than loneliness or wanting to stay, but quickly moves into the hallway, holding the door for you and Ilya. "Thank you, Lulu. Now, let's see what's still the same." It shouldn't have changed much, if at all, of course - you haven't been gone that long!

You walk with them through the building, pointing out the medical area and the game room, the offices, and then you take them upstairs to see your old room. Ilya looks at it, unimpressed, and then pokes her head back out into the hallway for a moment. "… Your room is this whole floor, right?" Lulu makes a face, and you giggle and poke Ilya's nose.

"No, this was it. It's not like I needed anything bigger, anyway." She starts to respond and you press your finger against her lips. "Ilya." She blushes and looks away, and you glance at Lulu, who just sighs in relief and smiles.

"Well, what did you do for fun, then? Or did they just make you wait around unless they needed you?" You take a drink of your tea - the last of it, for now - and shake your head.

"There were a couple things I could do, apart from the games. Let's go see one of them right now." Ilya just nods and starts heading toward the door, but Lulu gives you a hopeful look, and you grin and wink. She claps her fingertips together, so very quietly, and you hold back a laugh as you catch up to Ilya. "So, what do you think of Mid-Childa so far?" She finishes her own drink and looks up at the ceiling as she thinks.

"… Magic is known and widespread, right?" You and Lulu nod, and Ilya shakes her head. "It's … weird. I keep thinking that things shouldn't be able to work like that, and that's affecting the way I think. I keep … looking for the ways things are wrong and improper, for something that will make everything fall apart." You share a look with Lulu, then call out your clones, who proceed to catch up your two friends - and the third catches the falling cups and takes them, with your own, back to the cafeteria.

"Well, let's get rid of bad thoughts for the moment, shall we?" You fly just above the floor and hurry down to the best room in the building - and, fortunately, your piano is still there. It would have been quite embarrassing if they'd moved it already. Lulu sniffles and wipes her eyes as your clone sets her down, and Ilya guides her to a bench to sit down. You press a few keys, listening for any changes in the sound, then sit down and begin to play softly, telling the story of the piano's purchase and restoration around the music. "… And now it's yours, Lulu. I do encourage you to learn how to take care of it yourself, but until then I, of course, will do what I can, and the company that works with the Four Sisters' Music Hall should be able to help, too." Lulu nods, blushing.

"I've been reading about piano maintenance, and I think with Mama's help I'll be able to at least figure out what is wrong if something happens." You smile fondly at her, and Ilya hugs her as you play another piece. You leave your hands on the keys for a moment after that, wondering if you should play a third, then shake your head and turn away from the piano.

"But I said there were a couple, didn't I? We played some of the games, once Satsuki got here, but there's something else that was pretty fun when I got to use it." Your clones sweep up Ilya and Lulu again, and you take them outside through the front entrance, carefully skirting the portal's location. Once outside in the cool evening, you and your clones fly up to the top of Long Arch. You point out the training field just outside, and the courses next to it, and the ocean, and then you point them toward the city, just to draw out the suspense. "And, you see that little island down there? That's the Simulator." Lulu leans forward in your clone's arms, and you follow her straining eyes - it looks like the four members of Fate and Nanoha's team are heading down there, accompanied by Shari. Hmm … that could be fun ….

"Simulator … what does it simulate?" You grin at Ilya and shrug.

"Anything they can program, apparently. Enemies, locations, anything they have the knowledge and desire to program - that also fits into their magic system or can be emulated with it or technology - they can reproduce for mages to practice against. It's almost like real combat, although it's most effective with a Device, since then they can program things to interact more safely." Ilya nods in understanding, and you sit down between them at the top of the building. Your clones tilt slightly so they lean against you - not that they needed the help, of course - and you look up at the night sky. Just one moon is visible right now, but the harsh lights from the city ensure only the brightest of the twinkling stars are visible, compared to the lavish tapestries of shining points you could see in Gensokyo. Perhaps in a few hours, when it gets truly dark …?

But you'll be far gone, by then.


What do you do?

[ ] Go to the Simulator and see what's going on.

[ ] Go back into the cafeteria. After all, Megane hasn't come out yet.

[ ] Best to say goodbye now instead of drawing things out. Head back home with Ilya.

[ ] Other?

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Go to the Simulator and see what's going on.


Eventually, you look back down. "Shall we go see them practice? Shari can explain anything Lulu or I can't." Lulu looks interested, but Ilya looks a bit skeptical - at least until the small island sprouts into a dilapidated town, and she leans forward, eyes wide. "Is that a yes?" She twitches, looking back at your smug grin, and starts to pretend that she isn't interested, then smiles and shakes her head.

"Yes, I'm curious. Let's see how it works." Your grin widens, and your clones adjust their grips on Ilya and Lulu before falling forward into a gliding flight toward Shari. You soar down just a little faster, land a little harder, and bounce forward, hovering just behind the engineer.

"Shari~! What's happening?" She jumps a little at the thump of your landing, but recovers well, turning with a smile on her face.

"Ah, Flandre, good evening. Lutecia-san. And …?" You nod to yourself.

"Shari, this is Illyasviel von Einzbern, Lulu and my friend. Ilya, this is Shario Finieno, a Device Meister." Ilya curtsies, and Shari bows politely before stepping back and to the side, to make sure she can keep track of what's going on while maintaining a polite conversation.

"Illyasviel-san," she says, nodding to herself. "Well, as you can see, the Forwards are going to be doing some training." You watch the screen as the group advances cautiously, the miniature silver dragon flying overhead while the Nakajima girl and Erio prowl forward and Caro walks alongside the other girl. All five of them seem to be quite alert, but you don't see any Gadget Drones in the broken-down town.

"Where are the Gadget Drones? And why are you using all these old wood and brick buildings instead of the big concrete-and-glass like you usually do?" Shari gives you a mischievous grin.

"Oh? You don't recognize it?" You frown at her, then study the environment a little more closely as Lulu starts explaining Gadget Drones and their AMF to Ilya - and, more importantly, how the Simulator can use their Devices to simulate it by adjusting the outputs of the Devices. You narrow your eyes and look back at Shari, but she smiles and shakes her head. "They don't know what they're getting into, but Teana wanted something tougher - and the only way the Drones are a threat now is if we either absolutely bury them or make enormous changes to their output. So -" The dragon's squawk cuts her off, and it launches a small fireball toward the shadows of an alley, startling a dozen brown night-demons into activity. Erio falls back, interposing himself between the night-demons and the rear line, while - according to the statistics screen - Subaru launches herself at the group. They're just weaklings, though, unarmored, scrawny, and carrying items that only barely qualify as weapons, and even unsupported she deals with them easily. Ilya tilts her head and studies the screen, then looks at the Simulator itself.

"How much control do you have over the interior environment?" Shari looks back at her and smiles.

"A lot. Gravity, pressure, temperature - almost everything can be manipulated, with the primary limitations being the safety of the individuals using the Simulator and the amount of power available to make those changes." Ilya narrows her eyes and stares at the Simulator; you focus your attention back on the 'Forwards' as the night-demons start moving in force - Teana seems to be the leader, directing the others, and Caro focuses on supporting her allies while the dragon launches warning blasts whenever it sees a new group. You shake your head; the brown night-demons are getting tougher, larger and actually carrying equipment, but they aren't even the real threat. And without the dragon in its full size, they don't have a good area-attacker. "What do you think, Flandre? Should I give them some help?" You snort and shake your head.

"No, not unless they ask for it. I want to see what they do." Shari bows her head as you stare at the screen, arms crossed, and Ilya and Lulu watch, too. More and more brown night-demons begin flooding in, and as Subaru and Erio start to withdraw, forced back by sheer numbers, sheets of fire begin spiraling down on the group, indiscriminately blanketing the area. Teana calls for Subaru to deal with them, and a gleaming blue path hurtles through the sky. As the brawler zooms along the path, Erio conducts a fighting retreat, his spear a blur backed by lightning as Caro creates great chains to bind and confine the night-demons - at least until a green night-demon attacks her from behind, instantly downing her. The dragon snarls in fury and dives as a second night-demon charges past the falling support mage, but Teana manages to get one arm up. The night-demon collides with her as it slashes her arm, but a point-blank shot defeats it, and the first night-demon capers in pain as the dragon blasts it with its tiny flames. Then it snarls at the dragon and spits, and the spray of vapor turns the poor creature's anger to pain. The night-demon is defeated by Teana, but now she can see the other night-demons cutting off their retreat. Letting her useless arm fall, she stands back up and orders the others to make their escape - back to the Simulator entrance, probably.

Erio either doesn't hear or ignores her command, and as Teana falls to a combination of reds and browns, he fights on until a green slips past his guard and cripples him, letting a surge of browns fall over him. Subaru fares better, and actually moves to escape, but an enterprising green manages to slash her leg, slowing her. Even so, she makes it almost halfway to their starting point before her glowing path flickers and she's forced to the ground. She smashes through the browns and reds that bar her path, using fists and feet and magic, and with but a hundred meters to go a dozen blue night-demons bind her with their watery magic and a pack of greens descends to finish her off. Shari sighs and shakes her head before tapping something on a screen in front of her, and the night-demons vanish and the fallen stand up, rubbing their false injuries. The first thing Teana does is call everyone to her location, and Subaru and Erio move toward her. "Would you like to explain things to them? Or do you want to show them just how far those things scale?" Your mouth twists at the question; it's not that you'd mind slaughtering the night-demons again, but working your way up would take a long time, and you're not the Bureau's mercenary anymore. They should have data from all the Devices, anyway, so Shari ought to be able to show them the most dangerous versions.

"I bet Berserker could win," Ilya says cheerfully, drawing a confused frown from Shari, and you and Lulu stick your tongues out at her almost simultaneously. She giggles in response. Besides, you should probably head back soon, and fighting the night-demons would take a while ….


What do you do?

[ ] Debrief the Forwards and explain about the night-demons.
- [ ] Then head back to the mansion.

[ ] Decline to debrief the Forwards and see if Megane is done with Cinque.
- [ ] Then head back to the mansion.

[ ] Other?

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Decline to debrief the Forwards and see if Megane is done with Cinque.
- [X] Then head back to the mansion.


You lean against Lulu as you consider Shari's question, then poke Lulu with your wing. She jumps and squeaks, then makes a face at you, and you shake your head. "Sorry, Shari, but you'll have to do it without me. Ilya and I can't stay too long, and we still have to see someone." Ilya curtsies gracefully as Shari nods, sighing.

"It was quite interesting, Meister Finieno. Maybe I'll be able to play with it sometime." Shari grins, but once you're all turned away - except one of your clones - she shakes her head. Then she notices your clone looking at her and smiles nervously while waving her hands in that 'please don't slaughter my village' way some people do. She's cute, so you decide to leave her village alone, and your clone catches up to the rest of you. When you get back to the cafeteria, though, Megane still hasn't joined the party, and Lulu's happiness fades to sadness. Agito, sitting just with Zest now, waves you over.

"Aw, Lulu! What's wrong?" You pat Lulu's head as the three of you take the free seats.

"Flan and Ilya have to go back soon, but Mama's still with Cinque and I don't want to bother them …." You nod.

"We can stay a bit longer, but Remilia did say to not be too long, and if Megane's helping Cinque, I don't think it's a - what?" Zest, Agito, and Lulu are all giving you odd looks. "Everyone said Cinque wasn't feeling well, right?" Zest looks away embarrassedly, Agito turns a furious look on Nove and Wendi - who both look surprised and then more than a little worried - and Lulu looks like she can't decide whether to laugh or to cry and starts shaking her head. You and Ilya look at each other, and she shrugs. Okay, so you were lied to … why? Zest finally clears his throat.

"Eight years ago, Cinque was one of the Combat Cyborgs that attacked A- Megane's unit and almost killed her. Cinque hasn't been able to make herself meet Megane due to her guilt." His voice is quiet, and a certain image comes to mind: a certain photograph Marino showed you, a picture that included Zest and Megane. You tilt your head slightly and narrow your eyes at the knight, but he simply stares back at you, unperturbed. Before you decide whether or not to say anything, however, the cafeteria door crashes open, and Megane leads a crimson-blushing Cinque into the room.

"Mama!" Lulu dashes through the room, knocking her own chair over, and tackles her mother. Megane smiles and steadies Lulu as almost everyone smiles and returns to their food, drinks, and conversation. You, of course, watch Cinque, whose face only seems to be getting redder, especially once she looks over and sees you watching her.

"See, Ilya? She looks a bit like you, but you're cuter." Ilya giggles and lunges forward to lean over your shoulder - a technique that works quite well when used on Berserker, but not so well on someone the same size as her. You're pretty sure you look kind of silly. You wag a finger for Cinque to approach your table, and she sighs before heading toward you, followed momentarily by Lulu and Megane. "... You still look a little red, Cinque. Are you sure you're well enough to be out of bed?" Which has the desired effect on Cinque, and Megane reaches over to whap you on the head.

"Flandre, be nice." You nod and smile naturally at Cinque, who finally starts to calm down, and a wing reaches down to right Lulu's chair as she and Megane slide into the wall seat with Zest. Cinque sits hesitantly, her eyes flicking between you and Ilya. "Cinque, this is Illyasviel von Einzbern, and she's a friend of Lulu's as well as Flan's. Ilya, this is Cinque." Cinque nods briefly and murmurs a polite hello, while Ilya somehow manages to curtsy while half-draped over your shoulder. You'll have to practice that ….

"Ah, Mama, Ilya's having a birthday in a few weeks! Do you think we'll be able to take them somewhere?" Megane eyes Ilya thoughtfully as you smile at Lulu.

"Yes, you'll have to show us your new friends, too!" She blushes at your gentle teasing, of course.

"How - no, you'll still be under twenty, right?" You blink at Megane, confused at the odd question, and Ilya nods uncertainly.

"Yes, I'll be … either eighteen or nineteen. We haven't worked out the calendar differences yet." Her voice holds the unasked question of why as Megane stares into space thoughtfully - but before you can ask explicitly she nods and leans back and tousles Lulu's hair.

"There's … something that you and Lu might be able to participate in together. If it's still being held, and they don't change the requirements too much. If you're interested …?" Ilya looks at her blankly for a moment, then shakes herself and nods excitedly. Lulu claps her hands energetically and grins, and Megane sighs happily. "Good, I'll start looking into it. I should have more information when you come by for your birthday." You play with Ilya's hair, and she stretches your cheeks. Unable to lick her fingers without involving your clones, you pursue the next most reasonable option: reaching over to stretch Cinque's cheeks. Megane laughs, although it takes Cinque a little too long to realize that she's suppose to pass it on to Lulu. Once that happens, however, Lulu catches her mother, and Megane gets Zest … although he tries to simply endure it stoically, at least until Agito simply moves out of the way and lets everyone in to take pictures. That is too much for him, and he shakes his head desperately before covering his face. The chain broken, the rest of you release each other, and Megane pats Zest's shoulder contritely. You nod back toward Nove and Wendi, and Cinque nods, gently pulling Lulu with her to leave the two in a semblance of privacy. Nove and Wendi are even quite polite, if a bit nervous, for the short time you spend with them.

But, soon enough, it's time to leave, and you make your farewells before heading back to the entry to go back home. You and Ilya turn and wave one last time to Lulu and Megane, and then you pass through the portal. You return to the library, but something is quite different - the world is tinted red, and there's a strange liquid over the entire floor that you can see. Patchouli and Remilia stand in front of you, within a complicated series of magic circles, and Ilya clutches your wrist. "Please don't fight her, Illyasviel," Patchouli says quietly, and Ilya nods … and something happens over the course of several long minutes. Finally, the colors return to normal, the liquid on the floor is burned away, Ilya collapses against you, and Remilia slumps but doesn't fall. "Remi?" Your sister waves her hand dismissively before looking at Ilya.

"Can you feel anything different?" You glower at Remilia - she could have warned you and Ilya! - but Ilya just shakes her head, and Remilia frowns.

"Nothing feels … different. Just - sleepy … better." She yawns and stretches against you, and she smiles gently. Remilia nods, and you notice that her wings are drooping, but not hanging like you'd expect them to be if she just did something truly grand ….

"Flandre, take her to your room and get some rest for now. I need to see if I can detect any changes yet, or if we will have to try something else. I will see you tomorrow." You nod, still unhappy with her arbitrary timing, and she dissolves into a swarm of bats as you gently pick up Ilya. Patchouli doesn't say anything, or move at all, and you fly to your room. Remilia may have been very high-handed, but of course you aren't going to just make Ilya sleep alone somewhere after something like that! You will have to remember to get some of her clothes to keep in here, though, since your clothes aren't a very good fit. Ilya is asleep before you finish getting her changed, and once you get into bed you, too, fall asleep quickly - but only lightly ….​

---

"Flan?" Your eyes open instantly and you look into Ilya's eyes. "Don't be too angry with her, okay?" You pout … but if she's asking you that, then she probably at least had an idea of what was going on. Still -

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ilya smiles and leans forward to hug you.

"Remilia said it would work better if you didn't know. That you would want to protect me, so if something did go wrong, your power would serve as a buffer against hers - but that if you knew what was supposed to happen, that you would think she was doing everything right and nothing would go wrong." Your mouth twists wryly; that's certainly a very accurate assessment of you, and it is hard to imagine Remilia getting something important wrong ….

"So that was to help you live longer, right?" Ilya nods.

"I … I don't know how long I want. She said she can't make me immortal - I'd have to talk to Patchouli about becoming a magician for that - but that centuries should be easy if she can see me every forty or fifty years, and that's mainly because of how my nature interacts with the world. I just …." You squeeze her and pat her head.

"It's fine, Ilya. If you have time to think about it, to decide what you want, that's good enough for now." She nods into your shoulder, and you stay that way for several minutes before she pulls away, smiling brightly.

"So, what should we do today?"​

---

DM Note: No, that's not a typo, and the quest isn't over yet. Since there isn't a vote, however, is there anything else that people want to see in-quest, as opposed to just being answered?

 

[Entropy Judge]

You sway from side to side with Ilya on your lap as you look down from the shelf. Illyasviel and Leysritt are dueling, with Illyasviel using that huge axe Remilia had when you all came back here and Leysritt using her own weapon. Illyasviel seems to demonstrate greater skill, despite never having used the weapon before, but Leysritt has the stature and mass to use it more effectively, and is currently winning. "Alright, Ilya, time for your practice!" Ilya sighs and tries to pick at your fingers, laced across her stomach.

"Flan … I've never tried it with two people, and this is a completely different spell, and we're a bit high up …." You giggle and nuzzle her cheek.

"Well, I can catch you if you start losing concentration because you have a slight susceptibility to tickling." She squirms around to pout at you and you kiss her cheek. "Come on, we told Patchouli you'd work on it, right?" She sighs and faces forward again, and you scoot her back so you can hug her more securely. Finally, she sighs again and focuses on the far bookshelf. Red patterns appear on her skin and glow faintly, but you can't hear anything. Almost a minute after the patterns emerge, she finally starts rising into the air - clumsily, and without you, although your grip means she pulls you up as well. She halts, not even a meter over the top of the shelf, and grips your elbows with trembling hands, and the magic supports you as well. You float up, almost a meter more, and then Ilya starts flying you to the bookshelf on the other side. You understand Koakuma's description as 'dog paddling' - it's slow and jerky, clumsy, and Ilya hunches her shoulders ever so slightly. Too bad you can't snuggle her right now …. Halfway across, however, she shudders and dips, and you do catch her and fly under your own power.

"… I'm sorry, Flan." You pat her head.

"It's fine, Ilya. This is why you're practicing, right? So you can work on magic and learn how it feels. And it's better to have someone who can make sure nothing bad happens if something goes wrong, right?" She nods slowly and you rest your chin on her shoulder. "Do you want to fly again, or should I take us to the other side and you can try some simple flight by yourself?"

"… That's not a choice, Flan," she says, whining, and you titter.

"No, it isn't. Patchouli let you get away from your lessons with her, but she did say you had to practice. So, we've had some fun and games, and now we're going to make sure you do some practicing. If we don't, Patchouli will either stop teaching you - and she is probably a better teacher than my sister - or work you harder and not let us skip lessons." Ilya sighs and nods.

"Fine, fine. Mm … carry me, then." You giggle and dance through the air, Ilya in your arms, as Illyasviel and Leysritt continue dueling below.

***​

"Okay, this isn't fair," Illyasviel says, and you give her a look.

"I think it's perfectly fair," Ilya says, earning a scowl from the other girl. "What do you think, Leys? Fair or unfair?" The maid finishes fixing Illyasviel's hair and bows.

"Fair." Ilya grins. Kyouko gives a thumb's-up sign, her mouth currently busy with a chocolate fish of some kind. Satsuki sits next to her, somewhat nervous about sitting while you're working, but at least you didn't have to follow through on your promise to tie her up.

"Three to one, it's fair."

"Like -! Arrgh, you don't think it's fair, do you?" You shrug.

"I mean, whether or not it's fair isn't really relevant. I like feeding Ilya, and I'm rather good at cooking." You reach for a ladle and rap Kyouko's fingers as they creep across the table. "No, bad girl. You get to eat when everyone else does." The opportunistic redhead pouts for a moment, then sits up straight as you point the ladle at her. You turn back to the food - good, yummy food, bread and dumplings and everything else Ilya wanted. Everything looks alright, so your clones move the rest of the platters to the table as you sit next to Ilya. Illyasviel looks over everything in almost the same order Ilya does, and you hold back a grin as you see her restrain herself to keep from taking things before Ilya can. She is a good girl … if you teach her to cook, as well, maybe you can get a personalized apron for her: 'My arms can bend a bow of bronze; my fingers were trained to fillet.' Or would that make Kyouko upset?

"My, my - a midnight snack? And I was not invited? Flan, how could you?" You lean back over your chair at your sister's voice, and she is, for some reason, standing upside down with her feet on the top of the doorframe. You wave your hands at her, and one of your clones presents her with a fresh dumpling. She smiles and takes it gratefully, then bites into it, and you giggle at the sight of Remilia with a dumpling held in her mouth. Ilya giggles, too, and you flop upright and turn around, resting your head on Ilya's shoulder.

"Do you want to join us? There's plenty to eat, and lots of space." Of course, you know what the answer is going to be even before Remilia slowly devours half of the dumpling.

"Haa~. Unfortunately, I cannot," she says, and you nod. "I do, however, have something to ask you. Our theater is opening tomorrow, and I cannot decide on what to show. The premier viewing will be a small group - you and me, Patchouli and her familiar, Deis, Illyasviel and her servants, and possibly Sakuya - so I am presenting them with cards on which to mark their preferences." She waves her free hand, and a card flies toward you, floating in front of you until you take it. You frown at it - it doesn't name whatever she wants to show, and describes them only by definition. One with the best characters, one that's basically smut, and one that can't decide if it's depressing or uplifting. You frown at her.

"So … what are they?" But she just titters at you.

"Now, now, Flan - you know better than that!" And you do, but that doesn't stop you from sticking your tongue out at her, and she chuckles. "Anyway, as I said, the first viewing is tomorrow, so make sure to vote for the best one." She winks, curtsies, and spins, vanishing before she makes a full revolution. Illyasviel, Kyouko, and Satsuki all look at Leysritt's card, and Illyasviel starts to make a suggestion, then covers her mouth and shakes her head. Ilya taps her card against her chin, then tucks it into her sleeve so she doesn't lose it.


What do you do?

[ ] Combat practice!
[ ] Teach Satsuki maiding.
[ ] Skip to the theater
[ ] Other?

[ ] [Vote] Best characters.
[ ] [Vote] Smut.
[ ] [Vote] Indecisive.
[ ] [Vote] Vote later.


DM Note: … Slightly complicated vote structure, but I think you guys can handle it. If Skipping to the Theater and Vote Later both win, then I guess the theater will show Drive Angry. I do intend for this to be the only vote on what to watch, so … I guess if people make votes for what to watch without voting for doing something, I'll keep a manual tally of those as 'Skip to Theater' or something. :shrug:

... And copying is being weird :/ Also, turning dashes into bullet points :/

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Teach Satsuki maiding.
[X] [Vote] Smut.


You look at your card for a few more seconds, then draw your finger across the 'Smut' box. You know Remilia is probably going to want the one with the best characters to win - she set it up that way, and she wasn't exactly subtle with that suggestion at the end - but if something like this is even an option, you really want to know what it is. You can always watch the best characters later, after all. The card flashes and the text changes: 'Thank you for using Voters Anonymous. In order to maintain anonymity of the votes, your selection will be added to the poll at some point in the next sixteen hours or the previous six hours.' Huh. Then the card withers and disintegrates, and you shrug. Now, what to do …?

"You voted already, Flan?" You nod as Ilya watches you thoughtfully.

"If she'd wanted us to discuss and compare options, she probably would've given them to us all together. Waiting until we're separated means she wants us to make our own decisions, and for that, I can just vote now." She nods slowly and takes out her own card for a moment before returning it to her sleeve. You turn your attention to your maid. "Satsuki, what is Sakuya teaching you so far?" She sits upright and takes a breath.

"Cooking and cleaning, laundry and taking care of clothing - and keeping track of different materials when there aren't labels …." She sighs and slumps a little, then straightens back up. "Um, meals and grocery planning, too." You nod, and your still-present clones grab Kyouko as she carefully tries to slip away from the table. That means she isn't - yet, at least - teaching her duties for serving you, specifically.

"Domestic chores. Good, good, make sure you teach Kyouko about them. I'll give you some time after we finish." Satsuki nods smartly, and Kyouko slumps resignedly. Illyasviel chuckles and pats her head, then looks at you.

"Can I watch?" You look at her for a moment, then at Ilya.

"Ooh, are you going to teach Satsuki? I want to see, too! We can compare how we do things!" You nod, making sure to include Illyasviel, then stand up.

"Alright, then, let's go to my room." Satsuki leads the way, and after a few steps you release Kyouko. Illyasviel latches onto her, instead, and you and Ilya share a grin at the sight. Kyouko even pats the younger girl's head once or twice, although her expression quickly tightens and becomes unreadable. You focus on Kyouko's hair - it's probably closest to Satsuki's own hair, rather than yours, and certainly not Ilya's - but having a side-by-side isn't too bad ….

***​

"First you - ugh! - mess with my - ow! - hair, then you put makeup - guh! - now you're choking -!" You sigh and Ilya giggles as Satsuki tightens the corset on Kyouko.

"You can still talk and breathe, so she isn't killing you. I bet there's still centimeters of space she could tighten it!" Satsuki actually hunches her shoulders, so you know she's not tightening it as much as she could be, but it's fine. "Really, though, this is just for Satsuki to practice dressing someone, so it's not like I'm going to make her tightlace you, or make you wear a corset for a week." Illyasviel frowns at you, then checks her hair in the mirror one more time, but the ponytail still hasn't magically disappeared. It's hard to tell if she likes it, though. Kyouko keeps making noises until Satsuki finally steps back and lets you inspect her work. You nod approvingly and Kyouko pushes herself to her feet.

"I mean, you're just a little kid, what do you need - huh. This … isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's … it's a little tight, but I could probably run in this if I had to …." You roll your eyes; maybe she confused corsets with foot-binding? You motion for Satsuki to continue, and she pulls Kyouko to the dressing table. Kyouko grumbles as Satsuki forces her to stand just right, but she keeps herself composed as the outfit is assembled around her. You keep an eye on Satsuki's actions, and while she's mostly correct - at least, she's generally not wrong enough to need correction - you do point out a few problems when it looks like she's going to miss them. And she has to touch up the makeup and Kyouko's hair, and then comes the difficult - for Satsuki, right now - choice of jewelry, particularly since Kyouko won't remove her ring. She finally does it, however, and after a final prowl around the scowling maid, you applaud quietly. Satsuki blushes and you hug her, and Kyouko sighs. "Fine, fine, it's good, now can I get out of this? I feel like I'm wrapped in a blanket." Two flashes in quick succession leave the poor girl dazed, and Ilya and Illyasviel give similarly cheeky grins as Kyouko slowly turns red, even through the makeup. You hold her arm as she looms threateningly at them.

"One more picture, and smile nicely. Here, use the fan." She hunches her shoulders angrily. "Then we can decide which one to send to Mami, or I can paint a portrait based off one. Or we can dress you up another time and I can paint you then." From the first mention of her friend's name, however, Kyouko freezes, defeated, and she blinks rapidly to clear her eyes. You hold out a handkerchief that she takes quickly.

"That … that's not fair," she manages to choke out, and you nod.

"To you or to her?" She freezes again, then shakes her head slowly and deliberately.

"No … I'm - I'm not doing that. Some other time." You meet her teary eyes for a moment, then nod.

"Okay. Satsuki, help her get changed and the makeup off, then teach her normal duties." You watch as your maid takes off everything she just put so much effort into putting on, then leads Kyouko to the bath room. Ilya and Illyasviel look a little down as they look at the cameras. Hmm … the food trick probably won't work again ….


What do you do?

[ ] Skip to the theater.

[ ] Practice with Berserker.

[ ] Other?