Lysithea had woken early, gotten a quick breakfast of bread and sweet jams, and made her way toward the library ready to start another day of lessons with her Sensei. What she didn't expect was to find an older blonde-haired girl with a comically oversized pointed black hat peeking over the nearest corner. She also wore a black and white dress… with a maid's apron attached to it? Didn't look like any maid she had seen in the mansion before.
"Excuse me."
The older girl jumped in the air, spun around, and pointed a strange octagonal piece of wood and metal straight at Lysithea. The Witch's apprentice was more curious by the object than scared, and calmly watched as the girl lowered it and looked at her in interest. "Phew. Thought you were the Head Maid or the Little Sister for a second there," the older girl replied as she looked at Lysithea closely. "Didn't think I'd see another human here apart from Sakuya. What's your name kid?"
"Lysithea von Ordelia," the Witch's apprentice replied. The older girl seemed to be speaking in another language judging by how her mouth movements didn't quite match her words. Thankfully Sensei's translation spell was working, and it would even cause the other girl's mouth to sync up with what Lysithea was hearing to avoid dissonance. "You can ignore the von." She didn't really like the formality and people in Gensokyo wouldn't care about it either.
"Weird name, but I guess it matches someone living here. How old are ya?"
"Eight." She had just celebrated her birthday a week ago.
"Well, I just turned twelve. That makes me your Senpai by four years."
That's weird. The girl didn't look that much bigger than her.
"Who are you?" Lysithea finally asked.
"Me?" The older took off her comically oversized hat, put it against her chest, and bowed like a showman. "The fearsome Black-White. Gensokyo's number two Incident Resolver and Ordinary Magician, Marisa Kirasame!"
"You're a Magician?" Lysithea asked. Compared to her Sensei she just seemed so… different.
"A Human Magician, like you."
Lysithea pointed to herself. "Like me?"
"Yea, like you. You know how to cast magic right? I can sense it on you."
"But… Sensei says I'm a long way from being a Magician or a Witch." She hadn't even learned the steps to forsake food or sleep just yet.
"Sensei?... Patchy?"
Lysithea nodded. "The great Patchouli Knowledge is my Sensei."
"Is that why you're-" Marisa looked completely befuddled. "Since when did Patchy take up students? She doesn't even let me borrow her books without a fight." She'd gripped her chin and begun muttering to herself. "You'd think she'd let me or Alice know about this."
"Sensei… found me a few months ago. She's been teaching me Magic ever since," Lysithea informed her.
Marisa looked back at Lysithea in curiosity. "Are you really from the Outside World?"
The Witch's apprentice shook her head. "Another world, Fodlan."
The human magician's eyes practically sparkled in interest. "Fodlan. Never heard of that place before. What's it like? What can ya tell me?"
"I don't think I should tell you."
"Ah c'mon Lys."
"Lys?"
"Yea, Lys. We're both fellow humans here," Marisa put an arm around Lysithea's shoulder. "And since we're Senpai and Kouhai. You could tell me a few things and I could give you a couple of pointers on magic."
Lysithea pushed herself away from the older girl and looked at her suspiciously. "I don't think that's a good idea."
Marisa raised her hands. "Fine. Fine. Tough audience. Just let me know if you ever change your mind."
"Okay," Lysithea said before walking away. She had better things to do with the little time that she had. It didn't take her long though to realize that Marisa was following her. "What are you doing?"
"Just seeing what a human, that isn't the Head Maid, does in a mansion full of Devils," Marisa replied.
"You're not going to stop following me, are you?"
"Maybe if you beat me in Danmaku."
Lysithea pulled a Spell Card out of her sleeve. Honestly, she was a bit more excited than annoyed. A girl who knew magic that wasn't much bigger would be the perfect test of her skills. And it would be a chance to make her Sensei proud. "One Card."
Marisa smirked before drawing a card from her hat. "One Card too."
Remilia yawned as Sakuya helped her change into her pajamas. It was pretty late in the morning and a vampire needed to get her beauty sleep. She had just been tucked into her coffin when she felt the Mansion rumble. It lasted for a brief moment and then finally it went still.
"It seems that Marisa has visited again," Sakuya commented.
"I'm sure Patchy and her new apprentice can handle it," Remilia replied before pulling the blankets to her neck. "Now please read me a bedtime story."
"Of course milady."
Domination. Complete and utter defeat. That was what Lysithea experienced as she was left to lay in the smoldering remains of their battle. If it could be even called a battle. What occurred might as well have been a slaughter.
"Bit new to this aren't you?" Marisa asked casually. "Got promise though. Nice firepower and those symbols that appear in front of your hand are interesting."
Her Crests. They appeared any time she used a big spell or a Spell Card, much to Lysithea's dismay. "They're nothing," she replied as she slowly sat up and rubbed the tears that gathered at the corner of her eyes. Even if Spell Cards couldn't kill in Gensokyo, they still really hurt.
"Dang it," Marisa sighed before putting a hand on Lysithea's shoulder. This time Lysithea didn't push her away. "Look, I was serious kid. You really do have promise, you just picked a fight with someone with a lot more experience. Don't let this stop you from getting stronger."
Lysithea simply stewed in place as she continued to wipe her eyes dry.
"I'm sorry. Why don't I get you some sweets or something?"
That perked the younger girl up. "Candy?"
"Well, yea sorta. Dango. From the human village," Marisa replied.
"Dango?" Lysithea asked.
"You never had any? Well I guess you wouldn't. In this mansion they're absolutely obsessed with Western food," Marisa replied as she took out a paper bag from her dress. She then reached inside and pulled out two sticks with white balls covered in some sort of syrup skewered through them. "Here."
Lysithea took a stick and bit into a ball. Her eyes immediately widened. It wasn't the greatest thing in the world, compared to Sakuya's perfect cooking, but it was different, unexpected, and new. Something that she never had before in the Mansion or in Fodlan. She immediately took another bite and enjoyed the firm and chewy texture of the balls and the sweetness of the simple syrup.
"Yea Dango might as well be a Gensokyan specialty," Marisa said with a full mouth taking another bite of her own stick. "Village makes good stuff for cheap. But the best Dango and Mochi comes from those rabbits in the Bamboo Forest. Hard to get if you aren't willing to pay a ton, but dang is it worth it if you can grab them."
"Does the Human Village make other things like these?" Lysithea asked. She had heard about the Human Village from the others in the Mansion, but never really had a desire to go there. Until now.
"Lotsa stuff. Japanese paradise compared to this Mansion," Marisa replied before a smile formed on her face. "I could take you there if you want. Show ya around."
"Really? I um… maybe I should ask my Sensei first."
"Good idea," Marisa replied as she helped her up. "Been wanting to stop by the library anyway. Haven't gone there in a few months, I'm sure Patchy will be happy to see me again."
Sensei was in fact not happy to see Marisa again. In fact she looked incredibly annoyed at the older girl, to the point that Lysithea had quickly realized that bringing had been a terrible mistake.
That seemed to be the norm when dealing with Marisa Kirisame.
"Why did you bring this thieving rat into my library?" Patchouli eventually asked
Lysithea turned to Marisa who was sitting on the corner of the desk that her Sensei was using, like it was no issue whatsoever. "Thieving?"
"Cmon Patchy I'm just borrowing those books," Marisa replied casually. "Until I die."
"Did you take them without permission?" Lysithea asked.
"Yep."
"That's not borrowing! That's stealing!"
"If only my student had the common sense not to bring an intruder into the library," Patchouli grumbled, which only Lysithea feel even worse.
"Patchy. It's Gensokyo. Common Sense is kind of a rare resource here."
"Not inaccurate unfortunately," Patchouli admitted before turning to Lysithea. "So explain to me, why did you bring her here again?"
Lysithea looked down at the floor in guilt. She really had disappointed her Sensei this time. "Marisa offered to take me to the Human Village and I wanted to ask you for permission. I didn't mean to bring a criminal here."
"Hey, I take offense to that term," Marisa replied before looking at Patchy. "But yea, I figured since Lys hasn't been in Gensokyo for very long I could show her around the human village. Maybe even take her to the Forest of Magic for some training if you'd let me."
Not for the first time, Lysithea turned to Marisa with wide eyes.
Training? This was the first time she ever heard mention of that. Not that she minded… Marisa was really strong.
Patchouli put a hand to her chin in thought. Apparently, Sensei and Marisa both shared that habit. "I had been planning to send Lysithea out to acquire some more practical experience and in terms of combat potential among magicians you are second to none," the Witch admitted.
"Exactly. And since Lys and I are both humans, the villagers aren't going to give us any trouble even if she is new," Marisa replied confidently.
"Don't you have your own issues with the villagers?" Patchouli asked.
"Yea, they'll keep their kids away from us maybe, but they're not going to try to kick us out. And I'd like to see the person dumb enough to try."
"The Human Villagers don't like you?" Lysithea asked.
"They just don't like me cause I live in the Forest of Magic by myself and hang out with Youkai a bunch," Marisa replied dismissively. "Paranoid bunch, but they know they need me around to help out whenever an Incident happens."
"I believe that responsibility was left to the Hakurei," Patchouli commented.
"Eh, she's too lazy to give a damn most of the time. You know how many jobs I grabbed from right under her nose?"
"Which does require a certain connection with the Village, no matter how tenuous it might be," Patchouli admitted before nodding. "You have my permission to take my apprentice to the human village for the day, under a few conditions."
"Contract with a Witch then. Nothing I haven't dealt with before," Marisa replied.
"My first condition is that Lysithea will not participate in or be responsible for your less savory actions."
"No looting or borrowing with her around. Fair enough. Wasn't planning to anyway with another kid around, I'm mostly a solo act."
"Second, you must return here with her by midnight."
"Curfew. Got it."
"Finally." Patchouli looked Marisa in the eyes. The Witch's own eyes had become incredibly stern. "Keep her safe. Though Gensokyo has been relatively safe in recent years, there are people I fear that might take advantage of her."
For once Marisa paused, a considerate look on her face. "You really care about Lys, don't you?"
"Do you agree?"
"No problem, but I'm not going to do all that for nothing."
"I will allow you to retain any books that you have already "borrowed" in exchange for supervising my apprentice for the day," Patchouli replied as she suddenly revealed a quickly written and comprehensive Magical Contract and a pen knife on top of it. "Any future attempts though will still be met with sufficient force. I also will not interfere if you choose to visit without such a purpose in mind. Of course, Remy can always just kick you out of the Mansion once she gets bored of you."
"Just means I gotta keep you all on your toes then," Marisa replied as she picked up the Contract and read it herself. "Is this really necessary though? You know I'm good on a promise."
"You are. But it's not you I'm worried about."
"You know Patchy, you can be really sweet when you put your mind to it," Marisa replied as she continued reading through the Contract. "A compulsion curse for breach of contract?"
"If you fail to do as required that curse will automatically be cast on you. You would've inevitably been forced to return all of my books, one by one if necessary, or risk insanity otherwise," Patchouli replied casually.
"Sheesh," Marisa replied, shocked. "With a spell like that you could take back your books at any time."
"I could. If I went through the trouble of constructing and casting a curse on a certain rat."
"Message received. Going to have to start learning counter-curses when I have the chance." Marisa pricked her thumb with the pen knife and then stamped it down on the Contract until a bloody thumbprint was left of the page.
Patchouli did the same once the Contract was handed to her. "Lysithea, give me your hand."
Lysithea walked up to her Sensei and did as she was told. She flinched slightly as her thumb was pricked and then pressed onto the page. Once it was done Sensei healed her finger with a quick chant.
"Didn't think you knew healing magic," Marisa commented as she wrapped a bandage around her finger.
"You should consider learning some yourself for personal use," Patchouli replied as she rolled the Contract up and handed it over to Kaokuma. "Especially as a human. Even a minor wound can quickly lead to complications such as infection."
"Yea, yea," Marisa waved her hand dismissively, reached into her hat, and pulled out a broom that was even longer than the comically oversized hat was. "Cmon Lys. Should be a quick flight to the village."
Uh… Lysithea shifted her feet, embarrassed. "I'm not that good with flying yet." She could float and hover for a bit, but getting any speed…
"… You can ride on the back of my broom," Marisa said as she sat on her broom and gestured to the spot behind her. "Just make sure to hold onto your Senpai tight."
Lysithea bowed her head to Patchouli. "I'll see you tonight Sensei." She then went to the broom and tried to sit on it. It took a bit of shifting to get into a comfortable position but once she did she wrapped her arms around Marisa tightly. "I'm ready."
"Alright then. Here we go!" Marisa shouted.
Nothing quite prepared Lysithea to have the ground suddenly shrink in front of her and for the wind to suddenly bat against her eyes. She used the older girl's back as cover as they flew out the window and into the skies themselves.
It was breathtaking, the view. Blue skies. The entirety of Gensokyo laid out before her. Even the wind was enjoyable after the initial shock wore off.
"Great view isn't it?" Marisa asked. "This is what you'll get to experience once you learn to fly yourself."
"You're really fast," Lysithea commented.
"I know."
"… Flying is hard."
"Well unlike Reimu most of us humans have to put in some serious effort to fly… I must've thrown myself off like ten different roofs to get this right."
"Sensei just had me learn a levitation spell to try and get off the ground."
"Yea that sounds like Patchy. Boring and takes up a ton of time that we don't have, but she does get there eventually."
"You don't have a lot of time either?" Lysithea asked.
"Well yea. Neither of us do. We're humans after all. We get maybe a little less than a century if we're really lucky. Compared to Youkai that live for hundreds if not thousands of years."
"Oh…" Lysithea replied disappointed. It wasn't like she wanted someone to be like her… but it would be nice to have someone in either world that could understand her. Sensei did her best but… she was a Witch after all.
"Gonna take a few more minutes than usual. Normally I'd go straight over the lake but there's this fairy there that might pick a fight with me even though I have a passenger. You'll probably meet at some point since you're neighbors. Kinda an idiot even by fairy standards but also a good test subject for new Spell Cards and Experiments."
Lysithea took note of that. Fairies were, well fairies, and you didn't have to feel that bad about beating them up. And if they were mad, you could just give them a bit of candy to make them happy again.
"Anyway the area around the SDM-"
"SDM?"
"Scarlet Devil Mansion is pretty safe outside the real deep areas of the Misty Lake since most Youkai don't want to live anywhere near a Vampire. It's actually more dangerous right outside the borders of the village since the Youkai are always around to give them a scare. Most will run off or give you a light beating if you stick to Spell Card rules but there's a couple of those people that think they're above the rules."
"What do I do with them?" Lysithea asked.
"Run, kill, or be killed," Marisa replied plainly. "The killing part is probably the hardest, but most effective if you want to live."
"Have you killed before?"
Marisa's good nature suddenly went away and she became more somber. "Yea."
"What is it like?"
"You get used to it. Just… don't let yourself enjoy it."
"Okay."
They flew in silence for some time, until the village came into view. Or at least what was supposed to be the village. There were giant fields of farmland, wooden shacks and houses all around, and large canals. It wasn't a village, it looked like a large thriving town.
Granted it was nothing compared to the cities of Fodlan and its neighbors, at least from her memories, but this was still pretty impressive for a place like Gensokyo.
"You don't seem very impressed," Marisa commented as she glanced back at Lysithea.
"I've seen bigger places in Fodlan. And we have a few villages and towns in our territory."
"Your family. The Ordelia's. They big-shots or something?"
"My family are nobles that manage the territory," Lysithea admitted.
"Yep. You really do fit in that mansion."
They landed at a gate where a group of men were taking watch. Some glared, others flinched, and a few simply nodded as Marisa walked in casually. Lysithea on the other hand received multiple looks of concern and pity.
The younger girl simply ignored it for the time being and chased Marisa who wasn't slowing down a bit. As she followed the human magician, she began to observe her surroundings.
The Village was different from anything she had seen before. The design of the buildings, the strange materials they used for some of the walls and roofs, even the people. Most of their hair was black or brown, they wore these long robes with belts tied around the middle, and they were short. Shorter than the people around Ordelian territory, though Marisa was probably even shorter than that.
Also the hats. She had noticed it in the Scarlet Devil Mansion, but apparently the same applied to the rest of Gensokyo. Hats, ribbons, hair bands, hair clips, the vast majority of people, even the men, wore something on their heads.
"Gensokyo used to be part of a country called Japan back when it was in the Outside World," Marisa explained as they continued walking down the large dirt road. "This is what it was like there a couple hundred years back and it's still like this today."
"That's such a long time," Lysithea commented. As they walked a few would stare at them but the majority ignored them or seemed to actively go out of their way to avoid them.
"Yep. Things move slow here, even in a village full of humans. I mean there were a couple of changes and the Spell Cards Rule made the people happier, but it can really mess with your head when you want to start doing things faster."
Eventually they arrived at a thriving square where a large number of people gathered. All around the center of the place and the sides of the roads were stalls, stores, and restaurants, filled with people trying to sell their wares.
"Here," Marisa suddenly dropped a bag into Lysithea's hands. The younger girl immediately recognized the sounds and the feeling of Coin. "I'll treat you since it's your first time here and you're Patchy's student." Marisa then began to instruct on the different values of each of the coins in the satchel. "You can use that for whatever you want."
"Okay." Lysithea nodded excitedly before waiting in place. It took a bit before she realized that Marisa wasn't going to move. "Aren't you going to take me somewhere?"
"Nah I think it's best if you do this by yourself. Learn some independence and all that," Marisa waved her off. "Just try not to get ripped and if they're not budging just mention my name."
With Marisa's encouragement, Lysithea stepped into the market by herself. What she quickly noticed was that people did stare at her a lot, likely due to her white hair, but it was mostly out of her curiosity rather than fear and annoyance now that she split away from Marisa. Eventually Lysithea came upon a stall that sold the very same Dango that she had eaten earlier that day. Only these were covered with different toppings and some even had different colors.
"New arrival here?" The Shopkeeper asked Lysithea as she stopped and stared.
"Yes."
"Just you or family?"
"Just me."
"Ah, sorry about that. We get people like you from time to time."
"Does this happen a lot?" Lysithea asked.
"More than we'd like. Most Youkai won't hurt us too bad because of Spell Card rules, but outsiders are free game. Now that you're here though we'll do our best to make you feel welcome. I know it probably isn't much compared to your old world, but hopefully this place will be home for you too one day."
"Um… thank you," Lysithea replied before looking back at the Dango. "What are these colors?"
"Got some spicy ones. Sweet potato flavor. Fruity ones."
"Do you have something sweet?"
"Sweet tooth, eh." The man took out a brown stick of Dango encrusted in some sort of nut. "Brown sugar and candied walnuts. Favorite among the kids."
"I'll grow quick," Lysithea replied before reaching into the satchel that Marisa had given her. "How much?"
"Normally a regular stick goes for a hundred yen at most. Specialty sticks will go for two or three hundred. This one though will be my treat."
"R-really?" Lysithea replied as the stick was handed to her. She smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
"No problem. Just a welcome to our new villager," the shopkeeper replied.
Lysithea thanked him one more time before heading on her way. She blew on the still steaming Dango and took a bite.
It was absolutely heavenly. Compared to the stick she had been given before, this was a gift from the Goddess herself. She quickly stuffed the rest of it in her mouth and wiped her mouth clean before continuing on her way. It wasn't long before another voice called out to her.
"Hey there! New girl!" A woman shouted from a nearby store. On the display were several wooden models wearing the same clothes that Lysithea saw the villagers wear. "Why don't we get you some proper clothes now that we're here."
"What's wrong with my clothes?" Lysithea asked, annoyed as she walked up to the woman. Yes her robes could be quite bright and flashy, but she wouldn't let anyone insult anything her Sensei had given her.
"Nothing I'm sure back in your world," the woman replied. "But you might get less looks if you started wearing the village fashion now that you're living here. I even got something your size that will match that hair and eyes of yours."
Lysithea let her curiosity get the better of her and stepped inside. By the end of it she had a new outfit and a significantly lighter satchel.
That store owner was very persuasive. The new kimono she wore was nice though. Light pink with streaks of white and scarlet red ribbon. It really did match her hair and eyes.
"Looking good," the storeowner commented as she finalized the purchase. "You should stop by the Kirisame store when you have the chance. Everyone goes there and they'll probably have a bunch of the things you'll need to build a life there."
"Kirisame?" Lysithea asked herself before she left the store with directions to the store. It was a bit far on foot and there was a lot more of the nearby village to explore, so she'd probably have to ask Marisa to take her later.
The effects of her new clothes were also quite apparent. More and more people were looking at her now in approval. One of the boys that seemed a bit younger had even walked up to her and offered her a flower. It made Lysithea blush, and she promptly thanked the boy before going on her way.
Several purchases and a much lighter satchel later, Lysithea found herself sitting on a bench with a large bag of assorted sweets in her hands. The sun had begun to set and Lysithea let herself revel in its fading light and popping candy in her mouth as the people still continued to walk around the marketplace.
"Looks like you had a productive day." Marisa appeared and sat down next to her. Just like that the smiles in Lysithea's direction had turned to frowns and a good number of people looked away.
"I did," Lysithea replied before asking the question that had been building up in her head all day. "The people here don't really like you."
Marisa still smiled, though it shrank considerably. "Most people in Gensokyo aren't crazy about magic. You got a few old-time monks, priests, and youkai hunters from before Spell Card rules were put in place. Even a couple of magic-users that dabble in it. But real magic involving potions, curses, witches and stuff, they get really scared about. I won't tell you how to live your life, but if you're worried about how they feel about you then I wouldn't use too much magic around them."
"Why do they let you in if they're so afraid of you?" Lysithea asked.
"Cause I beat up a bunch of Youkai and did a ton of jobs for them. Not everyone is scared, I can hang out with a few kids if their parents don't show up, but it's enough that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to ever move back. Not like I'd ever do that."
"You used to live here?"
"I did when I was around your age. Ran off so I could properly learn magic."
"You ran away from your home?" Lysithea asked as she looked at the older girl in shock. "What about your family?"
The smile immediately disappeared, and Marisa's eyes took on an annoyed look. "I don't worry about them; they don't worry about me. That's it. What I chose when I wanted to go and learn magic."
"But your parents won't they-"
"Did you hear what I just said?"
Lysithea quickly closed her mouth. Talking about Marisa's family seemed to make the older girl annoyed and angry very quickly. She decided to change the subject and not ask the girl about the Kirisame store like she had planned.
Lysithea reached into her bag and pulled out something called a Mochi. "Do you want one? These are pretty good."
Marisa smiled again before snatching the Mochi out of her hands and snacking on it. Once she finished she quickly stood up, her mood now recovered. "You got any money left?"
"A bit," Lysithea replied.
"Great. Now follow me."
Lysithea stood up. "Where are you taking me?"
Marisa turned around and tilted the brim of her hat. "Why completing your transformation into a Gensokyan of course. We're getting you a hat!"
"What about a big, pointed hat like mine?" Marisa suggested. "A Witch has gotta wear a big pointy hat."
"No," Lysithea quickly replied.
Marisa pouted in disappointment. "Fine, let's just find something else for you then. Yo!" She called out to a shopkeeper. "You got anything cool that Lys here can wear?"
Several attempts later, Lysithea stomped away from the giggling Marisa and shopkeeper after they lost sight of their original purpose and just started putting whatever on her head just for the fun of it. The giant white top hat had been the last straw. It was amazing she hadn't set it and the store on fire.
Lysithea simmered in annoyance as she continued to look through shelf after shelf.
Seriously though, this store was huge and its selection was overwhelming. It only seemed to point to the sheer importance of the hat in Gensokyo. Leaving without one now would just make her a big weirdo.
A hat probably wouldn't work though. She was sick of them after Marisa and that shopkeeper had made her try too many.
She didn't really like headbands either and hairclips were too small. Maybe a shawl? But that was something that they didn't really have here surprisingly enough.
Something similar, a ribbon then. And there was one that had immediately caught her attention.
She grabbed the purple ribbon and held it in her hands.
It was soft and light. Made of a material called silk. And it was big. Wider than her neck even.
Lysithea put it against the back of hair and swung it around. It looked just right. Like it belonged there.
"Cute ribbon there." Marisa walked up with the shopkeeper behind her and looked closely at the ribbon. "Yeah. That'll work. Purple suits you."
Marisa had the shopkeeper help to tie the ribbon to Lysithea's hair.
Soon Lysithea was staring into a mirror, satisfied with her appearance.
The ribbon was tied to the back of her head, the rest of her hair set loose around it. It was the perfect size, and it could be adjusted to be even bigger as she grew older.
"A friend of mine sometimes wears her ribbons like that," Marisa commented. "Figured it'd look good on you like that."
Lysithea smiled. Just like that, her transformation had been complete.
"I'll take it."
Author's Note
As a citizen of Gensokyo I wanted Lysithea to wear something on her head that was both cute and distinctive, without being too weird or out of place, sort of like Dorothea's hat. In this case the ribbon was a good choice and largely influenced by the shawl she wears in her timeskip design.
