/.-: School kickin my ass. Short and silly chapter. Next one should be more interesting. Edit: Did complete grammatical editing on all previous chapters. Tenses/redundancy should be fixed. *thumbs up*
Nitori is still asleep as I leave the house, sword in tow. I look at the Niyonwa, still damaged from Nitori's duel with Rumia, and wonder how I'm going to get there with a sword in my hands. I was never any good at riding bikes, and now I'm going to have ride one with only one hand on the bars. Thankfully Nitori designed this with four wheels, which will make me less likely to fall over. I sigh, climbing on the beat up contraption, and getting on my way.
I slow to a stop outside of Alice's house, and get off the bike. I walk up to the front door to knock, and stop as I hear a commotion inside. The voices of two women come clearly through the door. I lean a little closer and push my ear against the door.
"Marisa! What do you think you're doing! Stop! Stop! NO!" Alice's voice can be heard shrieking in terror. "I don't like this!" She cries out. Kirisame-san's laughter cackles evilly in response.
"But Alice," Kirisame-san calls to her victim melodically. "You look so cute like that, ze." I see in my mind a spider trapping a fly. I raise an eyebrow. Clearing my throat, I rap my knuckles on the wooden barrier. "Coming!" Kirisame-san calls out. I hear Alice shrieking in refusal, telling Marisa not to open the door. The latch opens and the door swings inward, revealing a wide-grinned Kirisame-san and a rather traumatized Alice. I nod to the witch in the doorway and turn to address Alice, before stopping. My jaw drops.
Sitting on the floor with a panic-stricken face is doll maker, dressed in a school uniform. The sailor styled suit is entirely navy blue with a bright purple ribbon tied in a bow in front of the chest. The top has elbow length sleeves and the skirt is just past her knees. I swallow to clear my throat.
"Wow." I say. Freudian slip. She turns bright red, and before I know it, both Kirisame-san and myself are surrounded by Shanghai dolls armed with sharp weapons. "It looks good on you!" I tell her, earnestly. She glares at the two of us.
"Die."
Marisa and I are running for our lives through the forest, dodging lasers and danmaku as best we can. The sound of the bullets hitting the ground and the trees around us only encourages us to run faster.
"SO!" I shout at her over the sound of the firepower flying past our heads. "A school uniform, huh? I must say, you have good taste!" I grin at her. She returns the expression, laughing. "Though, next time you should get her some cat ears and a maid outfit!" I suggest as I dive and roll to avoid a beam tearing through the air right where I was a moment before.
"Cat ears?" She asks. "Hmmm. You mean like Orin, the Hell cat?" I nod in response. "And a maid outfit, like Sakuya, the Scarlet Mansion maid?" I shake my head.
"Same outfit almost, but black, with a white apron like yours." I try my best to describe to her the kind of outfits typically worn at maid cafes. When it clicks in her head, she starts laughing and almost trips while running.
"You're a genius, da ze! I'll have to see if I can find some clothes like that. Too bad we can't get Alice to make them herself, she'd be the best one to go to!" Kirisame-san jokes as we flee. "Well, it's been fun! I'll see you next time, ze!" She calls to me as she slides her broom under her. Flying off, she leaves me to be cornered by the dolls. Alice stares me down.
"Please don't kill me. I came here to ask your services." Alice crosses her arms and glares at me flatly, waiting. I hold the sword out to her. "Are you able to make a sheath?" She considers it for a minute.
"Swear on your life that you'll tell nobody about what happened here." She grumbles. I nod vigorously. "Alright. I have some stuff that'll work for this." She sighs as she turns and starts back toward her house. I follow quietly.
She sits down at the table and motions for me to put the sword down. I lay it on the table. She looks over the blade then looks up at me, taking my measure. Shrugging, she goes to her closet and opens it, revealing piles of different cloths and fabrics. She goes through them trying to find something thick and cut-resistant. I'm half expecting her to choose the same material she made my clothes from. Even though I swear I had some grazes from the danmaku she was firing at me, my wardrobe is perfectly intact.
She finally selects a material and heads over to the sewing machine Nitori fixed the last time we visited. I wait patiently at the table, and a Shanghai doll brings me a cup of tea. I thank Alice for the hospitality and sip the tea quietly. I look at Kain as he rests on the table and wonder what I'm going to do with him. A moment later Alice walks over to me.
"Did you want a hip sheath, or a shoulder sheath?" She asks. I scratch my head and shrug. She sighs. "You are the most indecisive person I've ever met. Fine, I'll make it adjustable so you can wear it either way." I grin and nod. She returns a minute later with the finished product, and I accept it gratefully, before sliding Kain into it. A perfect fit.
"As to be expected from the Doll Maker of Bucuresti." I say. "As promised, not a soul will hear of today's events. But I really must admit, it does look pretty good on you." I smile as I head towards the door, ignoring her scowl. "Where I used to live, it was a pretty common outfit." I wave at her as I leave, heading for my vehicle. She stands in the doorway with a slightly confused look as I consider how to carry Kain while on the bike. I decide it would be better to not have it swinging from my hip and hitting the Niyonwa, so I slide the strap over my shoulder and across my back before mounting up. I pull out of Alice's place, waving, as she seems to come to a realization. She shouts something at me, but it gets lost amongst the trees.