The adventure continues! And I decided to include the scenes at the end of last chapter...minus Reimu. I felt that more of the Marisa/Shinmyoumaru dynamic would be interesting. This chapter's Alice. We'll get to Patchy. (And then back to Alice.)

And thanks for all of the positive feedback so far! It's nice to know that you guys appreciate my work. (And it reminds me that my update speed is way too slow.)

Also, I listened to Rooftop Run Modern while writing 90% of this chapter, so expect it to be...whimsical in some places.

Gotta love Sanic music.

(Seriously though. Sonic soundtracks are almost (Sonic Boom T_T) always good.)

Shinmyoumaru awoke to loud disharmony in the Hakurei Shrine. Not that such a disturbance was uncommon.

"...C'mon! I just want to take her to visit 'em!"

"Marisa, you can't expect me to believe—"

"No, seriously, who's gonna hurt her? You know Alice and Patchy, and Cirno stands no chance against her, let alone me with her."

"What about Remilia?"

"You're, like, the only person who has a problem with Remilia."

"You would too if she tried to seduce you despite looking young enough to be my daughter!" Reimu snapped.

"Yours and hers?" Marisa asked teasingly.

"...I am going to hurt you, Marisa."

Marisa shrugged. "I was just kidding, anyway. But still. Why won't you let me show her around?"

"I'm just worried something will happen to her."

"You're always worried. Relax! Nothing's gonna happen."

"Are you suggesting I'm paranoid? With friends like you, how can I not be worried?" Reimu eyed Marisa suspiciously. "Come to think of it, what have you even been up to lately? Just because I haven't been on your case doesn't mean—"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Marisa interrupted. "See, this is exactly what I'm talking about! You're way too—er, protective. Unless she makes Flandre angry or something I'm fairly certain she'll be fine."

"...I guess." Reimu sighed. "Look, just try not to get in any trouble. She's already awake, by the way, just around the corner. You want to call her over?"

"Eep!" the eavesdropper squeaked. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't be," Reimu said. "You want to eat something before you go?"

"I'm taking her to Alice's place and the Scarlet Devil Mansion. We can get food at one or the other, if not both."

Reimu scowled. "She's not shameless like you, Marisa."

"Hey, free food is free food! Everyone loves free stuff. And food."

As a high school student, I can confirm that this statement is truth itself.

"Even you, Reimu."

As a Touhou fan, I can confirm that this statement is also true.

Shinmyoumaru raised her hand. "Miss Reimu, who's Miss Alice and Miss Patchy? And how are they related to Marisa?"

"Hey, no 'Miss' for me?" Marisa pouted. "That's unfair."

"That's because you're a big meanie," Shinmyoumaru explained matter-of-factly.

Reimu nodded. "Agreed." Marisa promptly flipped her off.

"Alice is Marisa's neighbor and good friend. They're both magicians, but Alice acts like a proper lady. Imagine a kind and serious Marisa."

Shinmyoumaru looked up at her hopelessly. "I can't."

"Are you serious?" Marisa exploded, and Reimu burst into laughter. And flames. Wait, no. Never mind that last bit.

"And Patchouli—that's her real name—is also a magician. She's pretty old and even more serious—"

"You mean boring?" Marisa interrupted.

"—yes, at times, than Alice. She's a bookworm and hardly ever even leaves her library, let alone the Scarlet Devil Mansion."

Shinmyoumaru shuddered. "That scary mansion near the lake? I've always stayed away."

"Sakuya works there, you know," Marisa informed her. "You remember her, right?"

"She was scary too," the inchling whimpered, undoubtedly traumatized by her previous encounter with the maid. Which undoubtedly featured knives. Lots and lots of knives. Not to mention Sakuya's cold demeanor probably intimidated Shinmyoumaru more than a little.

Reimu shrugged. "That's just how she is. She's pretty fair, though. She won't hurt you for no reason." Before Marisa could interject, she added, "That's because you steal Patchouli's books."

"I just borrow them!"

"But Miss Reimu said you never return them!" Shinmyoumaru countered. "How is that any different from stealing?"

"I'll return them when I die! Humans don't live nearly as long as youkai, anyway."

"Shouldn't you be leaving soon? I do want Shinmyoumaru back within a reasonable amount of time."

"Like...how long?"

"I trust your judgment," Reimu said. "Though I'll probably end up regretting it. Now go."

When Shinmyoumaru reached the Forest of Magic and nearly collapsed from the noxious air, she knew today would not be a good day.

Then again, what did she expect? The forboding treeline wasn't exactly the most welcoming sight in the world, after all, and probably should have tipped her off. The monstrous size of the mushrooms would also have been a pretty good indicator.

She found it hard to believe that Marisa could survive in such a place and almost felt pity for her were it not for two facts: one, Marisa was clearly healthy and happy, and two, she was despicable.

"Here." Marisa took her hat off. "You can ride on my head if you want. I'm pretty sure this thing blocks the spores, or at least most of them."

Eyeing the accessory suspiciously, Shinmyoumaru ultimately determined that Marisa's intentions, just this once, were good. Hopping up and nestling herself in the witch's hair, she muttered a grudging "thank you" before Marisa donned her signature hat once again.

"You okay in there?"

All Marisa heard in reply was a muffled "I guess."

Within a few minutes, Shinmyoumaru felt Marisa stop and heard her knock on a wooden surface, most likely a door. "Yo! Alice!"

A few seconds later, the door opened and a voice answered, "I heard your footsteps—there's no need to be so loud. Come on in."

It was easy to tell by the relative flatness of the terrain that Marisa had just entered Alice's house. A quick drop indicated that she'd just sat down. "I assume you're here for food, since otherwise you would simply break in and steal my property." Alice's voice, contrary to her teasing words, betrayed no emotion.

"I come to your house for other reasons, too! Like research!"

"Yes, but our research sessions usually involve a meal or two and always end with your newest attempt to sneak off with my personal belongings."

Marisa sighed. "Damn. You got me. But today's special! I brought someone with me today!"

"It seems so. I can detect an invisible presence in the air." Alice snorted. "You would never bring someone with you."

"Sure I would! Uh...have you visited Reimu recently?"

"No."

"Damn. Well..." Marisa removed her hat, and Shinmyoumaru blinked in surprise at the sudden exposure to sunlight. "Meet Shinmyoumaru! She's Reimu's new...uh, guest? Staying indefinitely."

The girl/giant that stood before her had attire somewhat similar to Marisa's. Sort of. Not really. Well, similarly nontraditional at least. The frilly pink ribbons around her neck and waist complemented her elegant blue and white dress quite nicely. I suppose you could say that her red headband was the cherry on top.

Sorry.

What really caught Shinmyoumaru's eye, though, was the doll floating by Alice's side. Its beady blue eyes stared at Shinmyoumaru, unblinking, as if judging her. Like Marisa, it/she (the doll looked extremely lifelike) wore a black dress and white apron, and her (Shinmyoumaru determined that the doll, though artificial, seemed animate enough) blonde hair added to the resemblance. The red bows on its head and dress completed the ensemble nicely.

Wow. This Alice lady really was talented!

"Hi, Miss Alice!" A pause. "...Miss Alice?"

"Alice?" Marisa asked.

There was no response.

"...Alice?"

"Mhm?"

"You've been staring at her for a long time."

"Oh. I hadn't noticed." Her dazed expression suggested that she still hadn't.

Shinmyoumaru looked worried. "Miss Alice, are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine." Alice wiped her nose with her hand, which now had a red smear on it. After a few seconds, she reaffirmed, "Yes. I'm fine." Whether to her guests or to herself, no one could say.

"...Right," Marisa said, clearly skeptical. "Of course you are. But whatever. Isn't she the cutest thing ever?"

"Yes, indeed she is." By now Alice had recovered from her initial...reaction. "But that doesn't explain why you brought her here, does it?"

"Oh, right. I'm taking Shinmyoumaru on a tour today, see? Letting her get to know people."

"And by 'tour', you mean this house and Patchouli's library, correct?"

Marisa sputtered. "Wha—bu—how did you know!?"

"I know you all too well, Marisa." Alice looked to Shinmyoumaru. "Marisa is a creature of habit. Every day, she comes here and then goes to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. And generally, she returns home with more than a few stolen belongings..."

"Yeah, yeah, you said that already," Marisa grumbled. "Got anything to eat?"

Breakfast with Alice was quite quaint. Specifically, the lady of the house stayed at the table for the whole time, as it seemed her dolls were even capable of tasks such as thinly dicing vegetables. If she didn't know Alice was controlling them, Shinmyoumaru would have sworn they were actual youkai.

That one doll never left Alice's side, though. Huh. Odd. What was its importance, exactly?

"Miss Alice?"

"Yes?"

Shinmyoumaru pointed at the doll, who seemed surprised, looking to Alice and pointing at herself. "Who's that?"

"Oh!" Alice smiled. "She's Shanghai. I'm quite proud of her. She's actually both rational and sentient to an extent...as long as I'm feeding her energy. She isn't self-sufficient just yet."

As Alice spoke, Shanghai, pen in hand, wrote "Hello" on a napkin in possibly the neatest handwriting Shinmyoumaru had ever seen. Her elegant penmanship was a work of art in itself.

Noticing the inchling's interest, Alice mentioned, "According to Yukari, this style originated from the outside world. Its name is Times New Roman."

"It's really pretty!" Shinmyoumaru gushed. "She's really cool!"

"See, Marisa? Dolls are truly wonderful. I can only wonder why you don't share our fascination."

Marisa stuck her tongue out in defiance. "I'm not a little girl like you two."

"Says the overzealous baby in her Halloween costume."

Damn. Apply Eirin to burned area.

"Oh! The food's done." A few dolls carried in a large tray loaded with delicious-looking food. "Enjoy."

Though no less palatable than traditional Japanese cuisine, Alice's European fare was unsurprisingly foreign (bad joke #13275676) to Shinmyoumaru's taste buds. Omelettes? Waffles? What were those?

Speaking of the latter, Shinmyoumaru watched in awe as Marisa wolfed down her third one and served herself another. Alice, whose plate was fruit-laden, laughed at the voracious devourer of all things. "At least you don't eat much. I don't think I could have made enough food for two Marisas."

"Miss Reimu says that a lot too. Hey, Miss Alice?"

"What is it?"

"How do you know Marisa?"

"How do I know Marisa?" Alice looked at the person in question, thoughtful. Marisa, mouth stuffed with food, had nothing to offer. "We're...childhood friends, so to speak. And later we ended up as neighbors. Curious how fate works."

"She was cooler as a kid," Marisa commented offhandedly, her food (thankfully) no longer hindering her ability to enunciate each word clearly. Though let's be honest, Marisa was always somewhat lacking in that department.

"You're still a kid."

"Am not."

"Yes you are."

"Am not!"

"Point taken." Alice chuckled at Marisa's momentary confusion. "But in all honesty, our relationship is quite...complicated."

All of this banter seemed familiar. Wait...

"You mean like Miss Reimu and Miss Yukari?" Shinmyoumaru inquired. "They like to argue a lot too."

Alice and Marisa looked at each other. "...You can be Yukari," both said simultaneously.

"You're the annoying one. You're more similar to her," Alice contended.

"But you're always plotting something secretly! I swear, you'll become just like her in a century or two. Minus the gaps."

Suddenly, a (guess what word goes here) appeared right above them and a head stuck out. "What's so bad about little old me~?" Yukari sniffled. "So mean..."

Alice could only sigh, and Shinmyoumaru wasn't part of the conversation. Lacking replies, they turned to Marisa for a witty response.

"You got the 'old' part right," she retorted.

"My, so rude!" The gap youkai grinned. "And not even giving your true motive for bringing Shinmyoumaru here? Quite deceptive, my dear Marisa."

Shinmyoumaru gaped at Marisa, surprised. "Wait, what? I thought this was just a tour!"

"It—" Marisa shifted uncomfortably. "It was! Honest! She's lying!"

Yukari giggled, retreating back to who knows where.

"Now that I think about it..." Alice reflected. "You would never bring someone with you just to show them around. Especially not here. You clearly have an ulterior motive, and I'd like to know what it is."

"W-well...it's not really an ulterior motive. I woulda told you eventually."

Marisa then explained the circumstances of Shinmyoumaru's upcoming duel with Youmu, clearly none too pleased with the arrangement.

"I think Yukari kinda overestimates Shinmyoumaru, y'know? Youmu's really strong, and I don't think she's ready to face her. So I brought her here for, well, help."

Understandably, the proud little warrior was affronted. "Well, I think I'm ready, so—"

"Calm down for a minute." Alice looked askance at the increasingly distressed witch. "What do you mean, 'help'?"

"Help to win!" Marisa exclaimed, as though what she meant was completely obvious. "Like, practice, spells, techniques, anything to make sure she doesn't get her ass kicked!"

Alice's expression did not change. "You think Shinmyoumaru can use spells to defeat Youmu."

"...Well, no. It kinda just slipped out. When you're a magician, you use that word a lot."

"I never said your point wasn't valid. Some spells could come in handy, though most of them will have to come from Patchouli. I could probably do some minor enchantments to ensure she doesn't get injured too badly, though." Hearing a knock on the door, she dismissed Shanghai from the room. "She'll go see who it is. But back to Shinmyoumaru. Practice, you say? Now that is something I can offer that Patchouli can't."

"She needs it, too. She hasn't really been challenged yet. So she has to, um, prove herself."

Shinmyoumaru looked confused. "But didn't I—"

"Just a moment, you two." Alice beckoned Shanghai to her side once again. In the doll's arms was—

"Oh." Marisa paled. "Is that—"

"The Bunbunmaru?" Alice quirked her eyebrow. "Yes, it is. Is there a problem?"

"Actually, y—"

"Not at all!" Shinmyoumaru interjected, a sweet smile on her face.

"Excellent."

And Alice began to read...

"So—" Alice shook uncontrollably with laughter. "What was that about proving herself?"

"That wasn't a fair duel," Marisa grumbled. "If she was my size I'd beat her no problem."

"But I'm not, so ha!"

"No, you aren't." Alice ruffled Marisa's hair teasingly. "She really is a wonderful horse, though."

Shinmyoumaru nodded. "Yep. Everyone had fun watching her, too. Except her, I guess."

Even Shanghai's head was buried in her hands. Though she couldn't voice her opinion, one could infer what it was.

"Aya even took pictures." Alice's expression was one of pure delight. "These are definitely going on my wall."

"I hate both of you."

"Oh, shush. I'm not even teasing you. Well, too much. Imagine what Patchouli'll do to you."

Marisa froze.

"Oh, f—"

"Mhm."

"Patchy doesn't need more dirt on me!" a disconsolate Marisa cried.

"We can never have enough dirt on you, Marisa."

"Not helping!"

"But this episode of yours is quite beneficial," Alice assured her dejected companion. "It tells us that Shinmyoumaru here is already quite agile, and probably also quite strong. She can't take a hit, which wasn't a problem during her bout with you—"

"It's gonna be a huge problem against Youmu, though."

"Precisely. Hm..." Alice's brow furrowed. "You two should head to the Scarlet Devil Mansion and then come back. I think I'll have something by then. And, of course, I would be more than happy to help you train."

"Mind if we come back after lunch?"

"Implying that they willingly serve you lunch."

"Well, I mean, I don't force them to make me food. So, kinda."

Alice sighed. "I will never understand why you freeload so alarmingly often."

Shinmyoumaru nodded. "Yep. Miss Reimu says that too."

"Both of you can shut up now."

Can you say "hella late"? Sorry guys.

I had no clue what I was doing this entire chapter. Alice isn't a character I know how to, well, characterize. In the end I settled for lots of scathing wit. Reminds me of me.

And I didn't know how I should portray Marisa and Alice. (MariAli isn't my thing.) So I went for the standard "frenemies" stuff.

Please, give me constructive feedback! If you liked the chapter, wonderful? Why? What was good? If you didn't, what could I improve? I need this information.