(in which we have a tragic marching band accident)
Alright…
Here I am, standin' in the Kirisame Magic Shop! It's magic-y, but also shop-y, and I dunno how to feel about that, dude.
But anyway… I'm buyin' pots, dude. Five thousand yen's goin' into ten regular potions! I don't necessarily need any of that other garbage...
Except for this garbage. Two thousand yen's goin' into four basic mana potions! Now I can spam spells, like an asshole! But the question is will I...
Sixty-eight thousand yen remains! Actually, not even. S'more like sixty-five grand…
Also, no elixirs. I'm not nearly high enough level to benefit from that shit! They'd be more useful if I was like, Yuuka. Mega potions'd also be a waste, 'cause usually my friends never need heals. It's always me…!
I bring the stuff to the counter, and Ha-chan brings a little pink wand thing she found to the counter. Aw…
...I look up at her, and she smiles. My heart…!
Good 'ol Kirisame looks over the goods. "That'll be~... eight thousand yen." Wait. Seven grand, fer the potions, and...
Ooo. "...That wand's one thousand yen?" That's like, ten bucks. It must be a good wand, dude.
Smirkin', Kirisame nods. "It's a toy, if ya couldn't tell. S'made of plastic..."
"Oh, shit…" It's not biodegradable, son. Regardless, toy for Ha-chan is good!
I use my bag fulla loads'a money to cough up the dough. Smiling widely, Kirisame nods. "The stuff's all yours. Don't poke yer eye out with it now!"
"I am going to poke my eye out with it." I assure 'em!
Alright! To confirm, now I've got: sixty-five thousand, two hundred yen. Exactly, even! Also, ten lesser health potions and four mana potions. Time to give them all to Ha-chan, so she can use them all simultaneously the next time she scrapes her knee on a rock.
"Thanks for the hard drugs, yo." Givin' 'em a last resolve, I place all the stuff into my bag of nuggets, and begin heading fer the door...
"As long as you bring money!" Kirisame makes his priorities known!
"I'll try!" With that, I leave the store, Ha-chan following behind me. She's really confident-looking, dude!
Di- di~ng. The cute shop bell says goodbye on our way out…
"Aww…!" Ha-chan likes it!
...And uh, ah shit, it's dark out. Really pretty- with the stars and whatnot, but really dark!
As we step into the street, Ha-chan waves her wand! It sparkles in the night, dude...
Fwoosh. Aw, yo! A soft, pink light floated outward, and rested on the front of a house ahead, like a little flare. Aw...
...That has more mileage than most toys!
"Ooo!" Ha-chan gushed at it. "Pretty!"
Ho ho. If Ha-chan drops that on death, I might be hangin' onto it myself. Portable flare stick is actually incredibly freakin' useful, even if I've already got a flashlight hanger...
...Now I gotta think of something to do with my many potions, and newfound small fortune!
Suddenly, lights flash outward from the center of the human village! Ooh…! My prayers dude, they were answered.
It's not danmaku, either; it's like those hollywood searchlights that go into the sky just because fuck the sky.
Now aggressive, Ha-chan flings her flare stick!
Another soft pink light is flung. This time it soared into the sky above, before fizzling out...
"...Awh." She tilted her head. "I wanted to fight with the big light..."
"It's tubby." I advise her. An' then I begin moving in the direction of whatever's goin' down over there…!
As I near, there's some kinda thing in the middle of the village square…
Four pillars of scaffolding sit evenly spaced in the midst of the village square. As in, two at the very left, and two at the very right.
Being moved between each were wood platforms, lined up parallel to one another. Aw, it's a Mortal Kombat tournament!
Materials sat at the edges of the square, and the stalls seemed to be pushed as far out of the way as they were able. The stalls that weren't like, fixed in place, that is.
A large banner-like sign with musical instruments is here! It uh, is actually currently being floated onto the two leftmost scaffold towers. Each scaffold tower was like, the height of three houses.
Speakin' of that banner, the people helping it telekinetically float were these two girls, one with short lilac hair and one with short brown hair. Who the frik...
Meanwhile, the bottom wooden platform was being secured by the Prismrivers!
"Focus, Lyrica." Lunasa spoke fluffily, holding her hands out as she focused on the entire back of the platform. Orbs of visible magic were flowing from said hands...
Lyrica was focusing on the forward-left. "I am focusing! It's just that Merlin won't stop-"
Doo~t! Ho ho! A trumpet that was slowly creeping up on Lyrica blared in her ear!
"That's it!" Lyrica held her keyboard like a sword! "I'm gonna shove that horn into your ear and see how you like it!"
"Wahaha~!" Merlin took off from her position at the forward-right of the platform, drifting away quickly...
"Sisters!" Lunasa called after them, sighing once they got far enough away. "Darn it…"
Looking tired, she drifted after the two sisters who had took off into the village's streets. Rest in fluff...
…Oh, hey! The job board guard is still here! He looks creeped out as fuck, but he's still here!
Before I could go ask him twenty questions, that floating lilac-haired girl spoke up. "...They're so immature."
"I suppose." The brown-haired girl agreed. "That reminds me… have you seen Raiko yet?"
"Only when you last saw her." ...Glaring into the musical note adorned banner, the lilac-haired girl spoke out again. "She knew setup was tonight! What could she possibly be doing!?"
...Slowly, an oversized drum crept up from the dark of the alleys beside the square, bobbing in the air lightly. Iit made it's way up to the girl's side, as she stared at her friend...
The brown-haired girl took notice, and tried to inform her friend. "Hey- uhm, sis…"
"No, no, I'm not calming down!" The lilac-haired sister folded her arms, and frowned! "This is stupid! What did we sell all those tickets for if she was just- just-"
Boom! The drum blared next to her.
"Waa~h!?" She flinched so hard she flew across the entire banner, next to her brown-haired sister!
Raiko drifted out from behind the drum. "Surpri~se! I'm on time!"
...Summoning a guitar thing, the lilac-haired girl grit her teeth. "You- no! You aren't!"
"I'm on time to boogie!" Playfully, Raiko drifts side to side… aw man- we gotta snuggle dude-
"More like time to be quiet!" Having had enough, the lilac-haired girl rocketed towards the drummer, only for the latter to lean back onto her drum.
It tilted back so she could flop onto it! And- ooh, then it just up an' flies away, as drums are well-known to do…!
"Benben!" The brown-haired girl called out. Thank fuck, I was getting tired of calling at least one'a them 'color-haired individual'. "Sisters!"
Benben and Raiko sailed into the sky.
...The remaining girl sighed, moving to follow them. The banner seemed to be secure, at least, so they didn't fuck absolutely everything up…!
"...Creeps." Ohp- who that...
The nearby guard shook his head, leaning against the job board.
But, who was you. "...Yer a creep…!"
With a snort, he scoffed. "...Coming from a yuki-onna?"
"Yes." I nod at him, dude. "Dude- that's how I know. It takes a creep to know one…!"
...He looks pissed!
"I'm gonna bite your dick off." I- alright, I don't have words- holy shit what'd I just say…!?
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
"Alright- back!" I yell! We all start movin' backwards at the same time!
Swinging Deep Blue around like a fuckin' flail, I back away from the pissed guard as the water splashes everywhere! "Now attack!"
"Lea~ve him alone!" Ha-chan flails flares at him to defend me!
"Agh- blast- damn it!" Swingin' his sword at the flares, he advances towards me for the eighth time…!
"Back!" We've literally spent the last ten minutes just going forward and backward, while this fucking brainiac throws sharp objects at us, and tries to cut us…!
"Raagh!" Letting out a freakin' primal roar- oh shit he's running straight at me-
Fwash! A flare hits him in the eye! "Agh- nn~gh…!" He flails around his big dumb sword, and it's scary…!
But it's also predictable! "Attack- attack!" Go, go, go! And- as he closes in-
Whunk! I hit him in his stupid head with Deep Blue!
He doesn't even groan as he staggers back, rattled…
As Ha-chan fires another flare, I kneel down, and thrust Deep Blue into the earth-
Fwuu~sh! A geyser of white water roars from the floor, only as tall as a person. Even so, the sheer force and power of the eruption sends the man off his legs, and into the air. "Au- uh…!"
He spirals around in the night sky, the water like stars when met by the glow of village job board torches. Then, he comes back down…
WHAM! He lands on his side, hard. "Nn- nhn…"
…
Y'know- I kinda feel like an asshole…! But I'll grin anyway, 'cause get owned noob, get owned...
Wow. Us humans are weak! Would I have gone down that fast, if he clunked me in the head…!? Jesus!
"Stupid." Ha-chan rubs salt in the wound! "Enh." She swung her pink wand thing, and the pink light flare landed on the guard's side, illuminating him in the grim darkness. What a terrible night to have your ass kicked by a crossdresser and a fairy…!
Well, there's one thing I can do that he can't, dude. I can double jump.
"Hup!" Like so! Ah- woah- "Whoh…!" Almost ate shit landing…!
...If I jumped off of Heaven, would I be able to double jump at the last second and totally give gravity the middle finger? I think the better question, is if I should be thinking about that right now!
Doo~t!
Holy shit!
Flinching wildly, I turn to see a trumpet hovering before me! Freakin'…
"Hehehe~!" As I turn more, I see a Merlin, who giggles with glee! "Hello, hello! You made it!"
Yeah, and apparently your sense 'a humor did too… "I did! I did, I did!" Ho ho ho!
...She looks at the guy I fucking annihilated! "And, you're beating up people!"
"Yes." I nod confidently! "I said I was gonna bite his dick off, and then he attacked me…"
...Merlin actually pauses for a moment! After looking away then back, she continues! "Ah-... huh. Y'know- when people call me crazy, are they comparing me to you?"
"Almost definitely." I assure her...!
...Stepping up snuggly-like, Ha-chan swung the wand at her. The soft pink light just goes through Merlin, landing on the scaffold tower behind her. I can now see it as more than a dark apparition!
"Awh." She gingerly stared at Merlin after her projectile missed.
"I even brought a fluffy friend." I gingerly introduce Ha-chan, letting my cheeks raise just a little dude… "Say hi, friend."
...Ha-chan stalks up to me, and-
Ow. She gently butted her head against mine…!
"Oww~..." She held her own head, 'cause that was a bad idea…!
...Oh, man. I think we've even overwhelmed Merlin…!
Aw. An' then Lyrica floated out from around the nearest scaffold pillar, dryly looking over at us. "...Merlin, who did you piss off now?"
"It's that guy!" Merlin pointed at me! "He's we~ird…!"
Floatin' up to us like it's a big hassle, Lyrica furrowed her brows at her sister. "That's not funny." Looking over at me, she had a sympathetic expression. "I'm sorry about my sister insulting you like that- you're actually pretty. She just doesn't know when to stop sometimes…"
I'm what now. Did she say anything about my appearance, at all…!?
Aw, son. I lift my wig and talk stupid deep! "Thanks, sis. I owe ya one."
…Lyrica holds her keyboard up like a sword, in jest! "Come here, you. I'm gonna give ya plastic surgery." Ho ho ho!
Lunasa drifts over to us, through the scaffold pillar. "...Finally, I've caught up with you two."
Oh- woa~h…!
Woo~sh. I'm forced to step back as Lyrica casually swings her keyboard at me, purposefully giving me ample time to get away from it. The thing's momentum leaves her spinning…!
"Lyrica!" Lunasa objects! "What are you doing to her!?"
Flinching from her sister's wrath, she awkwardly comes to a stop! "He- hey! Wait- she's not a she!"
Aw, Lunasa just gets even more upset... "Lyrica! That's-...!"
I lift my wig, again. "Hi." This joke… has run its course! For now, dude… I'm pro'lly just gonna let the other instrument ladies think I'm some ugly chick.
...Forced to accept this, Lunasa sighs! "So, you're wearing... yuki-onna robes now, for some strange reason. Might I ask why?"
"It's toasty." I rub my elbows against myself 'cause I'm toasty...
"...Ah." She idly nods 'er head, turning back to the scaffold and stage stuff behind herself... "Well… do you know about the festival we're having soon?"
I sha~ke my head. "It has probably been foreshadowed, but I~ sometimes do not pick up on that sort of thing…"
Smiling, she floats past 'er sisters, and gestures up to the stage-
Fwash! Ha-chan tosses a flare through her, and she wigs out! "Wo- woah…!?"
"Hehehe~!" Ha-chan was victarious, dudes!
...She gives the fairy a look fer a moment, before focusing on me again! "We're having a band battle- battle of the bands thing. If you want to watch, it'll be beginning tomorrow afternoon…"
Ooo! "She with the best headbands wins!" Wahaha!
Lyrica's expression was just, deadpan, dismal... "That-... was probably the only way to interpret that the wrong way."
"Waistbands." I prove her wrong, 'cause she's friendly…
Ooh! Lyrica playfully swings the keyboard wide at me, forcing me to duck. "Ho hoh…!"
"Tonight, we're just setting up." Turnin' away from me, Lunasa floats into the square's center…
Stoppin' in the midst, she looks at me. "If you want to watch, you'll have to come back tomorrow night. Unless, you wanna watch us move materials around. Or, help us, even..."
Aw, dude…! "Can I watch the paint dry?"
Shakin' her head, Lyrica begins drifting towards the stage platform they were supposed to position…
"If we used paint, you could!" Merlin begins coasting to aid her sister... but stops on a dime, before she gets too far! "He~y, actually…!"
Beaming dangerously, she comes closer to me…! "You should join the contest!"
"What? No…" Lyrica looks over, bothered…! "That's stupid. No~."
...Merlin gives her the driest expression. "Buh- you let those dusty boys join…" Aw. Dusty boy…
"Because they wouldn't stop asking." Lyrica gave 'er a huff. "Better they're congealed into one pile of cancer, rather than be left to infest the whole event."
Merlin raises her brows at that! "...Y'know sis- that actually makes sense! But no~. We need more new people… so we can stomp-"
"It'd be fine if he joined." Woo, Lunasa! She has vouched for me, in this darkest of nights! "Provided, he finds a band." Oh. "Preferably, by tomorrow." Oh. "He needs instruments, too."Aa~h, aaa~h…!
Lyrica snorted. "...That's true. Good luck." She gave me a passin' wave…
Givin' me a casual smile, Merlin cutely brings her hands together. "You don't actually hafta try, if you don't want. You probably should've found out about this sooner."
...I look over at Ha-chan, who just looks like she's been out-played, for some reason…!
Lunasa gives me a good grin, before turning away for the final time, actually focusing on the things ahead 'a her. "Yeah. Well, sorry, you two. I hope you have fun watching it. I don't think you're cut-out to be performers, anyway…" Dude.
...I mean- she's right, I haven't held an instrument in my life, but frik, frack and fuck, dude.
"You just gone incurred my wrath, son." I casually point at her…
...Only Merlin's still paying attention to me! "We're really scared." An' she's still freakin' trying to mentally demolish me, dude!
An' then even she's gone. The three sisters quickly moved to their former places, securing the wood platform again…
...Suddenly, Ha-chan yelled out! "A band!? I wanna be in a band!" She don't take 'no' for an answer either!
"Yo ho ho!" Let's get rowdy, son! "We're startin' a band, yo!"
"Yea~h!" She cheers back, like a perpetual hype machine…! I got nothing else to do with my freakin' throwaway money, anyway!
...As I meander off into the village to get the shit done, I look back and see the ghostly girls givin' us wayward stares as we dangerously saunter off!
Wait. Before I do anything…
Moving over to the guard I shat on, as he was sitting up on the floor, I lean next to him. "Yo, son! Wanna be in a band?"
...Oh, wow, he does not look happy. Ah- oh shit son- he reached out and grabbed me!
Thu- thud! We roll over onto the ground and- huwoa~h!
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
I mean, the good news is, I survived that encounter! Merlin just like, let out a universe-ending brown note, and we all fucked off as fast as we could.
"Why're all the villagers so mean…" Ha-chan rubbed her ankle where the guy bit her. Yeah- don't ask… "He tried to eat me…!"
"Yehah, I saw…!" Man- that's weird. Fairies don't blee~d…! Her ankle flesh is just like- you know what, let's not look at it…!
They said the deadline was like tomorrow. Jesus. I gotta get like-... I don't actually know how many assholes we need, but I assume three to five, and uh, instruments...
Oof. Well, I'm still in the village! Just, down one of the main roads. The one that leads ta Eientei, that is! I dunno where to check for friends, first…
O- oh, woah. Oh shit! There's a big thing falling from the sky, coming for me…!
I urgently speed walk out of the way, and-
Thoo~m! Thump- thudthudthud… A big drum bounces against the dirt of the village road, kicking up a freakin' dust cloud in the black of the night…
...And- that's it, it's just a big drum! The other noises were it tipping over and just rolling on its rim for a few moments!
"I'm scared…" Ha-chan is probably justified in being wary of the sky, for now!
I guess the instrument girls are having a good time. What the fuck were their names again- Benben, and… ladyface? Yeah, freakin', I dunno. The stylin' one is Raiko, though.
A voice! "In blazes…" Aw. I see a friend!
Mononobe no Fluffy Hair eyes the fallen drum like it's a sign of things to come, dude. "Hmh." Then, she turns towards the door she was arranging' herself before.
Knock knock. Aw. She softly knocks on it, dude. "Ah- ahem…" An' she clears her throat. She's got a like, brown cloak on, but u~h… that tower hat of hers makes her stick out like a sore thumb.
The door swings open. "...Wha~t?" It's some tired-looking dude...
"...Pardon my… most late intrusion…" Mononobe no Fluffy Hair talks quietly, "but mayhaps I sate thy fascination with Taoism?" What. Dude, she's the fluffiest thing alive.
...Bam! Aww~! The door shut on 'er, dude!
Bitter, she sighs. "...Eighth ungrateful whelp. Soon, however..."
Aw. Soon, dude. Soon Susanoo soothes monsoons. Beaujolais, son…! Alright, enough talkin' Chinese...
I close in on Fluffy Hair no Fluffy Hair… slowly, and softly.
When she turns and sees me, she jerks her head back, before glaring at me! "Ba- back! Back, youkai! I am a missionary, on a mission!"
Holdin' a hand out, I make a motion for her to quiet down…! "Shh~! Look- look!" I raise my wig! "I'm not a youkai, yo. I'm a- I'm a double agent."
"O- oh?" Jerking her head back, she looks… neutral? "Is that… so."
"Yeah, yo." It is indeed so, friend. I turn to Ha-chan, who looks nice and comfy... "She's my... asskicker extraordinaire."
...After my blunt introduction, Ha-chan flings her toy wand!
The soft pink flare whirls into Futo's face and rests there…
"A- ah…!" She flinches back, swinging her double sleeve-covered arms at the light. "Wh- what? What trickery is this...?"
"...Light magic." I deadpan, 'cause she's squeaky and soft. "It's holy."
"Oh- oh…" She calms down a little. "How so?"
"It gives you the ability to nuzzle fluffles." Now I feel warm inside, yo… like the light.
...Futo frowns. She hates it, dude... "I'd have an able mind to strike thee down now weren't thou human. Be grateful I restrain myself in good faith." Good faith, huh…
"My faith is good." I advise her…
...She just tilts her head. Aw, dude… honh.
Whelp, nothin' better than being blunt about it! "Hey, Futo, can I ask you a question?"
She tilts her head. "Speak. If it is to fornicate, I must politely decline, for I am to save myself for a lover worthy."
What. No. "...I was, uh, just gonna ask if ya wanted to be in a band, fluffy. Wh- where the hell'd that idea come from…?"
"Considering this village, thou may'st be surprised." That reprehension in her voice…!
But, then she comes around fer my actual point in talking to her… "Anywho. Thou meanst for the band festival soon?"
"Yeah, dude." You will be… the star performer, dude. "How about it? We'll have me, and fluffy here," I gesture to Ha-chan, who smiles wider! "And, we'll get our hands on some other hobos, if we need 'em."
"...Apparently." She finds my language apparent… "This sounds all well and good. However…" But then she looks unsure. "What, by chance, may await me in this endeavor?"
"There's probably a cash prize if we win." I tell her straight. I dunno myself, but there's probably some kind of prize for winning. Who the hell starts a contest without a prize? We'll find out later, maybe…!
...She accepts these terms, albeit with a fair expression! "If thee and thy fae art the only means of accessing this endeavor, so it shall be. Do not hold me down, youths. Our faith could always use more fortune… and, I myself mayhap be in dire need... of surplus funding…"
Aw, yeah. "You need money to throw at food stands and freakin' knicknack stores." I clarify!
Smiling, she flicks her gaze up! "Well- yes, precisely. Wise of thee, abominable youkai-idolizing youth." Woohoo~! I'm an abdominal snow man, dude!
...Aw. I have no idea where to go from here.
"Before we are done here…" Ooh? Futo decides to lead, for some reason. "I must see my missionary tasks completed, for the village's sake. Do not obstruct me."
Honh. "Sure, friend."
"Fr- friend…?" Before movin', she gives me a strange look! "If thou believe it so. We're hardly acquainted." A friend in shady religious garb is a friend indeed...
"I'm acquainted…" Ha-chan looks warm. "Let's acquaint."
...Once she gets closer to her, Futo turns and looks uncomfortable! "N- no…"
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
Knock knock.
We're gathered around this plain wood door, ready to unleash barbaric hell on the unlucky son of a bitch who dares to open it…!
…The door swings open, and a brown-haired girl leans out. "Hey? What's up?"
Futo starts to speak-
"Wanna join a band?" I grin at the girl, and wiggle my eyebrows! "Winner gets cash prizes! We-"
Bam! Did- did she just shut it in my face. Wha~t!? Who the fuck would just, decline a band with a fairy, a shemale yuki-onna, and a freakin'... holy person!? I mean-... it might be the middle one, actually! I sort of forgot I've got a wig and a kimono on!
While Futo gives me the tired look of doom, I play with my long black locks…
"Seem'st thou has not been observant." Futo very vainly runs her gaze along the hair I'm playin' with! "Well, worry not. My luck has been akin..."
Wait… ah, whatever. She probably noticed I forgot about the wig the moment I started playing with it again! I was gonna say 'why'd she reply to my thoughts' but, oof.
Knock knock. Out of curiosity, I try the same house again! Maybe she'll be more receptive this time…!
Crea~k! The door squeals open super fast!
The girl has a bow aimed at me!? "I'm not interested!" Wait- that's not a bow, that's a crossbow!
"Woa~h!" I put my arms up an' just back off...! "Okay, okay!"
"Ea- easy! Mercy!" Futo holds up her own arms once the girl aims it at her!
"No!" Ha-chan, what're you-
Fwa~sh! She tosses a flare in the girl's face!
KASHUNK! Woaa~h! A bolt went fucking wide dude- let's get the fuck out of here!
"Flee!" Futo has the right idea, and we run together!
"Help! He~lp!" The petite girl who aimed the crossbow at us is now yellin' bloody murder, as we and Ha-chan freakin' bolt it like vandals!
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
We stop in a nearby alleyway, some distance down the road...
"Nn~h…" Catching her breath, Futo freakin' wants to kill me, dude! "Do not harass!" Aaa~h, aaa~h! "...It only hurts our cause."
"Jesus- how's I supposed ta know she'd have a freakin' bow…!?" Dude, she wanted to fucking poke my brain out…!
"All sensible villagers arm thyselves." She answers! And- y'know, she's probably super right about that... "Thy speech implicates your unfamiliarity here…" Oh shit. She knows, son…
Freakin'... "I'm an outsidey man! Whaddaya want from me!?" I hold out my a~rms! Wau…
...So now we're just quiet.
"The village is scary…" Ha-chan decides to crouch, and put her arms over her head. Maybe that's… what I should do, too…
While I crouch next to her and put my arms over my head, Futo freakin' pop-quizzes me. "Those robes?"
"...Wat." Complete sentences, fluffy. Oh wait- was that an answer to my question? Uh oh…
"If thou art human, why dost thou don the apparel of a youkai!?" Moving back to take a seat on a crate, her gaze towards me is cynical… "Out of curiosity."
"Well- I had 'em made…" I give her an innocent reply… "They're toasty, too. Like- here, feel 'em." I hold out my arm for Futo to feel…
...She looks skeptically distrusting for a moment, before choosing to reach out…
"...Not wrong." She works to free her hand from the oversized sleeve of her outfit and her inconspicuous cloak. Once she does, she feels the warm cloth of the kimono… "It is nice." Yeah, yo~.
Anyway!
Futo gets up, having composed herself! "I suppose I wouldn't mind procuring one myself. However- we must continue, before the night stales." Uh oh. The night's gonna become expired milk…!
We begin anew, dude. The teen girl is no longer out to brain us with a fucking crossbow. Damn, projectile weapons are scary… I don't even know what the bolt- oh. Oh- holy shit, I can see it. It hit the house across the street, and got stuck in the wood. Holy shit.
"I like your hat…" Ha-chan gets close to Futo, slowly invading her personal space and attempting to become her.
...Futo frowns back. "Pitiful fae."
Here is… the next house. The good house, I'm sure. If someone aims a crossbow at us again, I'm calling it there. Dude- do broken skulls count as an instrument…!?
"Your tower hat is fluffy." I examine the tower hat of Futo's.
"...Tower hat?" She gives me a foreign look, stopping at the door of the new house! "It's an eboshi, non-sentient crawler…!"
"The fuck's an eboshi…!?" Yoshi!? Dude- Super Mario World in Touhou confirmed!
"My hat is an eboshi!" She gets in my face, and points both hands up at it! "See? See!? E-bo-shi! Art thou daft!?"
"Where I come from, we wear tractor trailers as hats!" Freakin'...! "Don't go yellin' at me about eboshis…!"
"What is- nevermind…" She was about to ask me what a tractor trailer was…! "Be natural."
fwif. Ha-chan takes off Futo's hat, and snuggles it. Some of her hair fluffs out as a result...
...Futo just gives her a vacant look, but ignores it! "I reiterate… be natural." This is natural!
Knock knock! She knocks… on the good door.
An' we wait a bit. Guy's probably freakin' asleep. What time even is it…?
Knock, knock! I hit the door next! Wake up, noo~b! We're gonna raid your house, until you pull out your crossbow- and then, we'll pussy the fuck out…
…Night time is fun time. I really like lights. I feel like sharing that information with the world.
Futo's voice is small. "Ma- may I have my hat back...?"
"Nnn~ no." Ha-chan's evil today, dude. "Nn- nn!" She shakes her entire torso, still nuzzling the hat!
Freakin'... is nobody home-
"Is there no escape!?" Uuh. A guy is home... "Gangster assassins! Sent out for hire to undetectably exterminate, me!"
...I steal a look at Futo, and she's just kinda staring up at the door! Those freakin' yells!
Shunk. The door creaks, and a block off the top folds inward, a pair of eyes peering out at us. "How and who am I to know, who you, in this deadly gangster police state, are, and in this communist youkai world!?" His voice is loud and freakin' bewildered!
"...We art, um, humble-... missionaries?" Futo treads carefully…!
No reply, dude. Wait… gangster magic…
"Da~h… uh... Mike! Mike sent me!" I assert! I'm guessing he knows Mike…? I heard him talk about gangster magic before! I think this is Mike's friend!
…The door swings open. "Oh, thank the stars! I had thought he him removed by the master race Frankenstein radio controls! Visible Frankenstein controls!"
...Oh. What in the nine fucks...
The man had a messy, short haircut atop his head, and a curiously even shaven beard. Reaching inside, he seems to pull out some kinda fuckin'... peach crate, before pulling it up near the door.
"I said- in nineteen sixty-five, human village gangster police beat me bloody, dragged me in chains from magic forest! Since then, I hide, in forced, jobless poverty! Isolated alone! In this low, deadly youkaitown old house!" His eyes are wide… and his mind, even wider…!
Oh, man. Futo is looking increasingly concerned as this goes on…!
"...Hi?" Ha-chan is concerned, too!
He leans out towards Futo, speakin' to her directly…! "The brazen, deadly gangster police and youkai puppet underlings, spray me with poison nerve gas from magic perfume exhausts, and even wheeled wagons!"
"I- see…!?" She sort of squeaks out her reply…!
And he stands away from the crate, all of a sudden! "Deadly assaults! Even in my yard! With knives, even bricks and stones! Even deadly touch cloth, or electric shock 'flash light'! Even remote electronically controlled around corners trajection, of deadly touch tarantula spiders!"
Around corners trajection, of deadly touch tarantula spiders. Dude- what the fuck is this guy on…!?
"Si- sir, um…" Futo very pointlessly attempts to piss against the tide…! "Please-"
Stepping right in the door frame, he takes a stand. "Even with trained parroting puppet assassins in maximum security insanity prison- for saying these unforgivable truthful speeches- until my undetectable extermination, I, Francis E. Dec, Esquire, thirty-nine South Village Road, I stand alo~ne, against your mad, deadly, world-wide conspiratorial gangster youkai computer god communism-"
Bam.
I, uh. I slammed the door on 'em.
...I turn to Futo. She just looks spent.
"Come-... come." She beckons me lethargically... "Wait- no. First… he may require exorcism. I will just…"
Reaching into her cloak, she took out an ofuda, and slapped it onto the wall. "There. I will return with assistance at a later date." Aw. Friends...
Y'know- I don't think an exorcism'll help this dude!
"Manmade, inside-out planets!" I hear him yell inside the house…!
"Flee- again!" Pivoting around, Futo runs away!
"Oh shit!" Let's go, dude! Aaa~h, aaa~h!
…
"I thought he was funny." Ha-chan took a little longer to decide, however…
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
Setting out into the evening, we leave the human village in pursuit of the bamboo forest. I wanna get Kaguya and maybe Mokou in on this band situation, 'cause they're cool cats. I bet they've played instruments more than a few times in their freakin' thousand year long lives.
Normally I wouldn't be insane enough to walk this dark trail, but I got fluffy hair here with me.
"Be on thy greatest look out." Futo declares, marchin' ahead all regal-like with her cloak cast over everything neck-down.
Gazing ahead nobly, she gives me the rundown… "After recent events by our short-lived prodigy, youkai have taken to the dark of the village walls akin to moths on flame."
Who? I think she means-... Big Nuts Ned? Probably…!? Man, he got himself killed like twenty thousand chapters ago. This used to be a fic about Danny Phantom, and now he's all gone, dude! So are the Rugrats, and uh...
Oh no. "We're gonna die, yo. We lived a good life." I've also been telling fibs…!
"It- it is not that gruesome!" She backtracked, getting frazzled…! "Simply beware, is all!"
"The deadly touch tarantula spiders, they're gonna get us…!" I stress!
"There is no such thing…" She shakes 'er head… "Deadly touch tarantula spiders…"
Hoh hoh! "Around corners trajection, of deadly touch tarantula spiders…" I let myself trail off as I take in the sights and sounds of nuggetvania. By which I mean, the Gensokyo mid-plains at night!
"Mid-plains are cool." I must communicate this.
"Hmm?" I lost Futo… and now she's lookin' at me confused-like. "Prepare thyself. Vibrant lights such as mine are quick to draw the lust of the dark." What, no. This is the second time you told me to be afraid…!
"Hehehe~!"
"Lookit! Lookit!"
"Huma~ns!"
...Futo idly turned in the direction of some oncoming night fairies! Hoh, shit-
Woo- woo- woosh! She cast an arm out, her cloak billowing in the night. Three big freakin' plates, of maroon, beige and faded blue tints whirled out, arcing up towards the fairies instantly.
Upon sighting the whipping winds of the dishes, they looked extraordinarily surprised for a moment-
Pi- pi- pi~chun! Futo cut their fucking heads off with each one!
"Hmh." Looking smug about it, she continues forward…! "Stay behind me."
...I already got Youkai Inconveniencer out preemptively, but apparently that's not gonna be necessary fer now. Those were some big damn dishes!
The plates just sail up into the sky. Are they gonna-... come back down? No? Well, okay...
The tall grass around us is freakin'... dark. A black horizon rests past every visible tuft of trees, the foliage anywhere around is an unmistakable shroud of lightless opportunities to get hopelessly lost...
Fwa~sh! Ha-chan shoots a flare into the air! "There… light!"
Futo looks back at 'er like she shot a baby! "Fae- are you- rrh…!" She stomps the ground in frustration! "Come on- we must hurry! Real trouble comes!" Uh oh! Real trouble…!
Fwi- fwi- fwish. Some magi-lights permeate around her now. Oo~h- she was intentionally leaving us in the dark, so we wouldn't get jumped. Well, so much for that plan…!
Click. Youkai Inconveniencer flicks on. It's the good flashlight…
We're like… a third of the way to the bamboo, now? We should be meeting the fluffle stand sooner or later.
"You know…" Futo looks back at me! "Dost thou truly believe the immortals will choose to partake? I, personally, sincerely doubt it…"
"I dunno, yo." Sakuya sure as hell wouldn't. Nor would Reimu or-... well, if she and Marisa did, it'd be together, and without me. Oof…
"...Right." Exhaling, she looked ahead again. "Hmm. Perhaps missionary work will go better there. I've yet to try such before..."
Aw. There's the fluffle stand!
We come up to it, and… s'weird, but there's no fluffle right now.
"...How quaint." Scoffing and rounding the currently dead stand, Futo seems to almost want to loot it, but thinks better of it.
The chirping of crickets an' other late night insects could be heard pretty well…
"We should move before we catch a cold…" Futo shows how much she hates the cold. "Move along-... now." Huh? Why'd she-
KROO- KROO- KROO~M! The ground shakes!? What the fuck!?
We turn around-...!?
"Rraa~rgh!" From the bowels of the pathway's soil, a large, skeletal beast's skull rises. The roar is fucking deafening to my own ears and what the fuck why is this here-
Cla- clack, clack…
From the darkness all around us, dark suits of armor rise, the light around us exposing that they have no wearers.
"Um…!" Futo looks sufficiently freaked out, for me to be freaking out…!
"Aaa~h!" Ha-chan screams at them!
VHI~R! Lasers fire from the giant animal skull's eyes, at the ground- so we scramble back to the armor horde…!?
CRA- CRACK, CRACK! Futo immediately begins spamming spreads of plates behind us, and they just explode against the armor, into whirling spheres of wind and shrapnel. "Knave, aid me, here!"
While the fucking death lasers burn into the soil behind us, curving back and forth slowly, I um…!
Fwi- fwish. Well, the first thing I do is get into the grass so I'm not in Futo's ground zero…
THUNK- BAM! I mean, she's destroying freakin' walking armor, so I don't wanna be clipped by that shit! It's fucking exploding, plate shrapnel is flying-
Oh, fuck, one amor thing's coming this way-
"Shine!" Thrusting the freakin' flail into the air, I channel magic through it…
fwoo~sh! Suddenly, the path is alight with holy white shading, a perfect sphere enveloping the armor, and- wow that's… oof. I- I wanna slee~p…
BO~NG. The armor reacts like it got hit by a freakin' rock, doubling back for a moment, before like-
CLACK! Once it gets into range, I whip the helmet with the hanger, since it works like a flail! And- it's still coming holy shit-
"Hehehe!" Oh, hey, dark fairies…
VRRR- VRR~! Lasers are sailing into the air from the giant skull- I'm running directly away from armor, and-
BWO- BWO- BWOMP! Holy fucking shit! Bulle- aa~h!
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
"Ahah-... ahah-..."
I-... lean on the fluffle stand…
Fwa~sh. Ha-chan's still firing flares into the now-still skull's… skullness. Fucking…
Futo's chugging from a potion of her own, since she actually tanked in that last fight, and I mostly just sat in the grass until it was all-
Shu- shunk! Oh fuck- this armor torso is still alive!
A single chestplate floats up and at me-
KLACK! I hit it back with my holy flail! "Fuckin'...!"
Bo~ng… It- it hits the floor. Okay…
KRA~CK! Awh- wah!? O- oh. Futo shot it with a fucking light arrow. Yeah- she has arrows. She has a lot of shit. That was the sound of it becoming four different pieces...
"Fwa~h…" Wait- she was drinking a potion. That means she shot it into the air before she even started drinking! "How on Earth did thee endure…?" She looks over the two of us in vague wonder! "Well. I suppose one of you is youkai, and the other-... is close enough." Oof…!
"so whats it gonna be" Wh- what... "huh huh"
The fluffle is here. Where the fuck was it hiding. The stand was empty!
"How'd you- like…!?" Ha-chan romps up to Futo! "How'd you survive getting your arm twisted like a twistie tie!?" Oh fuck, yeah. Futo was getting fucked up for awhile there. Freakin'- circles in the sky shooting at us, that skull shooting at us- everything was shooting!
...I am also… so tired now, because I spent a lot of mana just spamming Shine. Jesus… I'm like, too baked to process what the fuck just happened.
"...'Tis not necessarily foreign." Futo confesses to having her arm twisted like a tie before…! "Wi- with mine body, restructuring is… feasible. Better I than thee."
Whah. "The hell's that supposed ta mean…" I mean, I don't actually know if potions repair broken bones, but I was like half-ready to just run the fuck away.
"...I needn't this body to survive." Futo tells me outright! "It can be tailored to my liking. As such, even the most grievous wounds are… regrettable, yet do not cripple for long."
That kinda raises a question… "Do potions normally, uh, heal bones?"
She huffs. "The reason this took millenia, was born from both the bone-melding magic, as well as thy own ineptitude."
...Well, oof. She's not wrong! But- she coulda just floated up, and not gotten twisted into a pretzel. Speaking of, her cloak is gone for life, and her current outfit is a little torn up and bloody, but uh… she's fine otherwise it seems!
...Then, she faces the fluff stuff. "Unholy fluff…" Aw.
"What the hell was half 'a that shit…" I ask the fluffle, in an attempt to ask her…
"im a market" Aw.
"...Fae are fae." Futo explains the most obvious one. "The haunted armor is… self-evident." Oh. Haunted by pissed off ghosts. "I neither know of the giant skeletal beast skull, yet it is now deceased again." Shit, dude!
"buy sell buy sell" The fluffle is getting impatient…! "info help"
Futo stares down at it dryly.
I'm curious…! "Yo, what do ya got for Futo here?"
The fluffle smiles widely. "here friend"
It spreads a fin across the counter, and despite it not reaching across like, ninety percent of it, various plates are revealed. I dunno whether or not plates are an even more impromptu weapon than mine…
Arching a brow, Futo picks up somethin'... "How cheap these wares are. What is this?" What she picks up is a dark purple plate, which has a bunch of lilac arrows on it pointing towards the center. "It is most gaudy."
Pleasantly, the snug fluffle elaborates. "gravity plates! when mana is put into them, the gravity around you changes and pulls enemies towards you! it also allows you to cast gravity"
...Futo seems apprehensive, but willing. "Hmm. What do you ask in trade?"
"twenty thousand yen" And now, the fluffle stares into Futo's soul...
...This makes her pout. "I- I… I can afford that. But I will not purchase it."
She sets the plate back down, shutting her eyes and affirming herself! "Be- because I have better uses for my funds." Oh!
...By surplus funds she means any funds, doesn't she. Oof.
At this, the fluffle becomes snug, and gentle. "i must go friends"
Wat. "What about me?"
"im sorry but friends are here" It doesn't move to speak. Oh no.
Cli- click… The stand is engaging for takeoff! And then-
kroo~m. It begins to leave, a tiny engine under it propelling it into the night sky. "goodbye world" Aw.
Boom! The engine exploded!? Oh shit- woah-
Kra- krack- clatter- clatter…! The stand falls to the ground and breaks. The plates the fluff laid out are now mysteriously gone, and the fluffle's lying motionless on the floor before us. It's still blinking, but it's just pretending to be dead now. It's like a loaf...
Friends, huh.
Fwi- fwi, fwish… Oh?
We are surrounded by fluffles. They look kind and neutral, but also confrontational…
snap snap. One of them gets on all four fins and approaches! It snaps its shell nose at us…
"...I observe when we are unwanted." Futo did not take kindly… to the snapping fluff stuff. "Therefore, leave shall be made. Come, fellow." Aw. She doesn't know my name. Now I'm a fellow.
...Turning to Ha-chan, I proceed to be friendly. "I'm a fellow."
Slowly, she gets really close to me. Aww…!
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
So now we're at the bamboo forest. We did not get ambushed by a roving band of haunted armors or giant dino skulls or anything else fucking off the wall.
Standing outside it, Futo apprehensively sizes up the whole bamboo perimeter… "Mayhaps… we shall traverse over the forest, this time. Let it be known, the 'lost' moniker of this land is truly no fable. To so simply wander in begets misfortune…"
"We should find Mokou, dude." Time to shoehorn in my band agenda, dude. "We can both recruit her and get help through the woods!"
...For some reason, Futo is actually against this immediate idea! "Hmm… no. I know it is what we agreed upon, however… I see no potential in Fujiwara." Oh god. "As a musician, that is. Particularly for this event."
I gesture down to myself! "Yeah- an' whaddabout me…!?"
Stepping closer to the Bamboo Forest of Assfuckery, she speaks… "If thou art setting this up, I figure instrumentalism is one of your few passions."
...I have never used an instrument in my life, friend. But, we'll make it work, I think. I hope…!
Breakin' her quiet, Ha-chan speaks! "I- I used to play… at the mansion." Hoh, shit?
...Becoming irritated, Futo turns to her! "Was it the tree bark or the acorn? The labia?" Wh- what was that last one-
Ha-chan smiles! "No~, silly. I played the triangle!" Oh!
"...Well- that's actually appropriate." Futo thinks that seems legit! "How much practice?"
"I have no idea!" I doubt Ha-chan has that sense of things!
...Lookin' vain again, Futo takes some steps back… and seems to size up the woods again.
"Hmm. Over here…" What the heck's she doin'...
I step over in the star-soaked darkness, near where she's starin' into the brush. "Yo…"
Fwi~sh! Oh, woah! Yo!
She's summoned a raft! It's like a little wooden nugget boat, dude!
Doing a little, fluffy short leap, she gets onto the front of the boat. "Climb aboard, thee who've abandoned hope. We shall audience with the princess tonight; or… if not that, tomorrow."
"Aw…" Oh- oh man, my legs are heavier than I thought. I might wanna just sleep on Futo's magic boat thing on the way there. We can always pick up Mokou on the way back, or some shit… "Wo- wow, I'm tired…"
She snorts at me! "Well, you're more worldly bound than I. It only makes sense." Oh- woah, holy shit…!
As I sit down in the boat, it rises…!
Ha-chan's already inside, sitting near me at an awkward angle. "...Ooo." She bumps her ankle into mine…
Man, tonight's been a fucking ride. Now it literally is one…!
We ascend up, past the tall ass, dark bamboo. In a few moments, we're out of the brush and bamboo entirely, floating just above it. Futo's got her magi lights off again- so I quickly turn my flashlight hanger off.
The stars make the horizon surprisingly bright, for this time of night! I can kinda see the village from here…
Below us is a sea of foresty doom! Hoh, shit!
"We'll land at the front door." Futo declares! "There, we should be able to schedule that audience, and perchance, rest. The likelihood of them denying one such as I refuge should be slim…"
I can't imagine being in them woods below, now that I'm looking down at them. Almost makes me wanna be in them, except also not…!
"I can't see…" Ha-chan is getting antsy again! "But, the stars are so pretty…" Hoh.
Fwa~sh! Freakin'... she shot a flare up at the sky! "Hello, stars!"
Futo looks back at her mourningly… "Sir- I do believe thy fae is genuinely developmentally challenged." Wahaha!
"What's that thing…?" Oh, shit. That was not any of us…!
"It's a boat!"
"Boat's don't fly, idio~t…"
...I look back and see shimmering night fairies, now bickering amongst themselves below.
Fwi- fwish! Fwish! From the brush to our right, more fairies erupt from the bamboo! They take off into the sky, after the flare itself…
...Hoh. The danger has passed!
"Hehehe!" Ha-chan you freakin'-
"No~pe!" I hold out my arm, and try ta stop her! "You ain't tossin' that flare again, friend…!"
...I succeed without having to snuggle her! She looks wayward and fluffy, now… "Aw."
"We should be nearing the clinic." Futo's starin' over her tubby boat, at the mess below. "Hmm."
"Yeah- it's actually just to your right."
...Futo whips around, an' I turn, and we see a grey-haired rabbit girl onboard! The short kind…
She's short-haired, too! An' she faces me! "Hi, guy."
"Hi." Where'd she come from.
"Abandon." Futo looms over her…! "I will cast thee to the sticks."
...The rabbit girl looks concerned! "Aw? Would you really do-"
Futo reaches out to grab her in an instant-
Fwish. The rabbit girl's now leaning on her! "Oo~h! Jeez! Freaking-"
Fwa~sh! Ha-chan nails her in the eyes with a flare! "Woah-"
Whap! "Ouh- aauu~!" Um… Futo whipped around, and whacked her into the aether below. That… was not very nice! The rabbit girl even yelled as she plunged!
"Fu- hehe…" Futo giggled at the yell of terror…! "Silly youkai game. The clinic must be back and to the left, then. Opposite her tell." Facin' ahead, she seems ta cast her arm-
Oo~h. The whole boat lurches, makin' a drifty sorta turn…
Ha-chan looked into the treetops below with a whimsical expression! "I want that to happen again…!"
I'm surrounded by lunatics, dude...
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
Thunk.
The little rafty boat plops down in Eientei's grassy front lawn. We found the place and things!
Oh- yeah. Futo said she wanted to rest tonight at some point… which is a problem if I wanna assemble a party for the band!
"Ah…" Futo pauses in realization, once she gets off the boat. "We may ask them for instruments, as well! Perhaps play by their name in part, too, yet still!" Now she's cheery! "Let us not be too late! Follow me, fae peon and… man." I am the good man!
We quickly hop off her boat with her, and meander ahead-
KRAPOW! Woah what the fuck-...oh. Her boat just… detonated once we left it. She didn't even look back- she's already inside…!
So now we too… are inside, after we run to reach her.
Ha-chan's eyes squint a little. "Li~ght…" Now it's too bright for her…!
...The Eientei lobby is nice and bright! Oof. Aw- but there's a new vending machine, in here!
Reisen's even here, tonight! She looks like she took a dump, though. By- by that, I mean she's tired… like us!
Futo, despite her earlier comment, is ironically worn looking. Something something health versus stamina pools… I'd say, anyway.
"Hi…" Reisen composes herself, once Futo darts up to the counter. "Oh, it's you."
"...I'll pardon thy language." Futo didn't care for that comment! "We have, um… arrived to request an audience from the princess. Be it tonight or tomorrow morning."
"I'll send her an invoice for tomorrow morning." Reisen leaned onto the desk, ready to explode… into slumber. "I… really doubt she wants to see you tonight."
"Thou art not the princess, hmm?" Futo doubts her judgment…! "However! I understand this is a most late hour… and she is mostly likely asleep. That could have been said instead. There is no mandation for snidery."
...Ignorin' her ire, Reisen continues. "I can get you guys a room. Audience treatment, and all that."
"...Thank you." Futo is fluffy, dude…
Bo~ng. Ha-chan kicked the vending machine. This attracted glances from all of us…!
"Here." Reisen hands her a weird looking key. "For dorm roo~m… eighty-six-F. Don't mind the girls, if you see any. Just show them the key, and they'll buzz off. Or, mention me."
Cli- click! Ooh! An arrow comes from the key, and hovers alongside Futo. "Follow that little thing." Reisen gave it a little wave in gesture… "It'll take you there. Have a good evening…"
Bo~ng. Ha-chan's getting aggressive with the vending machine!
"Cease." Futo glared back at her! Then, she faced Reisen again. "My appreciations, Inaba. Give my cares to the princess, as well."
"...I sure will." Reisen already began turning away ta somethin' else. Oof…
...So, I idly move along with fluffy hair! And- "Ha-chan, c'mere…" Lemme snuggle ya you freakin' lump…
"Oo~h!" She perks up as I goad 'er off, and then- she pushed me back too hard oh shit-
Oof! Ooh...
"...Wha- what art thou doing…" Futo looks bothered by the pile we've become…! "Now renders itself quite far from the time for such…"
...Man, falling over is one of those things that never stops being fucking jarring. Futo's so big now, dude!
I get back up after a moment of fighting the ground…! "Hey, hey yo… fairies are a full-time job!"
She snorts! "We- well, I suppose that is accurate…"
"C'mo~n. I wanna snuggle…" Ha-chan's trying to tug on me…!? Also- she's already up while I'm standing up for the first time. That feels like cheating!
"Wait until we find a bed…!" Let us not… cuddle on the hospital floor. That might be the worst place for cuddling.
So we start followin' Futo again! And- that arrow really makes 'er take a lot of freakin' turns…
In one turn, we leave the sterile halls, and enter something that looks like an actual… Japanese-y house or manor. And-
In one more turn, we're now in some kind of brick hallway, surrounded by stiff, reinforced metal doors! What the hell kinda hall's this…!?
We take a third left, and end up going through a blue, metallic hallway devoid of furnishings or doors. This is wei~rd, dude…!
Upon taking a fourth left and doing a full freakin' circle, we end up somewhere different than where we started. Some of the paper walls have night sky past them up here, and there are little benches and like-... this hallway's actually well-lived!
A used, uh… game table sits laid out, with some Japanese-carved wood pieces on it. Checkers is on a different board near it, and so's Chess. Further along the hallway, on some awkward square bench, guns are outright stacked on it. Cans of beer and other assorted things- including freakin' juice bottles- are lying around. Is- is this 'not-Gatorade'...? Eienteiaid…!?
"Where in blazes…" Futo stops before a door up on this floor! "Hmh. We may've been given the peon treatment. Oh well. Simple talking point for tomorrow..."
"It feels nice, up here…" Ha-chan looks soft, all of a sudden.
Cli- click. Futo opens the room with the weird key…
Shishishishi~. As the door swings open, the key disintegrates. Hoh, shit…
"...Good." Futo looks put off, but ignores it! "Let us see…"
"It's the big boogey room." I say something for the literal sake of saying something, and uh…
It's pretty~... messy! There's like six beds in this room, three of which are vacant.
"Who- who the hell…" One of the girls sits up! She has long, beige hair, and big bunny ears. "Uuh…" Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she gets up, in her pajamas…
"We were sent in accordance to audience with the princess." Futo announces us! "This room has been granted to us for our overnight stay."
...The rabbit stares us over for a moment, before nodding. "Aah, oka~y. Find a bed and use it. Or do~n't…"
Creak. She just flops back over! "Nnh…"
...Looking back at me, Futo seems mad! "Can you believe this? Stowing us with some contemptible youkai hare? ...Doth professionality require a moon's curse?"
"Yes." Only by bloodpact! "We can snuggle with the rabbits, dude."
...Futo's eyebrows raise! "Thou art worse!" An' then she storms off! Hoh, shit…!
Woosh- creak! Leaping ahead, she takes one of the top bunks of a vacant bed!
This leaves me and Ha-chan to do whatever we want, dude. There's actually a balcony outside this room we could look out on, if we wanted. But- we were on the ground floor…!? Good hallways…
Ha-chan nears the bed of the big beige bunny girl. I'll make it distinct again- I think- that these lunar bunny girls are about Reisen-sized! Or rather, normal people sized…
Although, this one's also kinda big in general!
...After Ha-chan leans into her close enough- "Wah- uah!" She gets pulled in, by the waist!
"C'mere…" The bunny girl brings her face closer to hers…! "Aaw- you're real sexy, actually…!"
Ti- ti- ti- tick! Ha-chan tries to use her wings to fly, and it makes us all jump 'cause it's like bug wings except ten times as loud!
"Hehehe~!" The bunny hugs her, dude. "Mmm…"
...The panic runs out, and Ha-chan awkwardly relaxes into the hug. Aw.
Well, yo. Let's see where I should sleep…
"He- hey, you…" Freakin'... she called out to me, next! "You c'mere too…"
"Wat." Getting molestigated by a half-asleep bunny was not on the menu for tonight! "Why's that…?"
"It's fucking cold out, that's why~..." She drawls lazily, before reachin' an arm out… "Let's all be wa~rm."
...There is that balcony right there, but I have the good kimono on. All snuggies, all the time!
I've got an idea. Let us… rain on her parade.
Crouching down, I start to crawl under her bed…
"Wh-..." She is surprised! "Whe-... Wheheh- where the fuck'd you go…!? Wha~h…!?"
I've absconded, dude. I filed my immigration papers!
"honh honh hoh" Aw, dude, look. Here are my fellow immigrants…
While I'm under the sorta low bed, I scoop up some of the fluffles with an arm, super jankily trying to scoop them out and crawl back out at the same time…
fwii~f. I slide a clump out from under the bed!
thump thump- thump- thump. Dude- no! They're scurrying about now, and getting dusty!
Launchin' myself into standing- once I get the hell out from under there- I run a few down, and raise 'em in my arms…!
"What…" The beige-haired girl watches me as I near her bed.
I drop about four fluffles on her. "Friends." Happy Kwanzaa…
Her eyes light up and- oh shit-
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
Nnh…
…
O- oh, it's… day. I'm awake, I think. Yeah.
On the upside, this bed really is soft. Like… this is the softest damn bed I've ever slept in.
"Nhn." Ha-chan is ontop of me, on my back. I tried to shift, but I just made her go nhn.
...Having someone just on me feels fucking weird. But… it's also alright.
What the hell's this pillow I'm half-sunk into, though? Aside from 'a soft pillow'. Uuh-
The pillow shifts. What…!?
"Too- too warm…" Oh. That's not a pillow, that's her! "Oh- yeah…"
My wig fell off in my sleep. My face has been lying on a pajama-clad breast. With my cheek, I can feel my drool that's stained her pajamas.
We all shift, the bunny's waking moving us. O- oh, she's got an arm under us. I'm on my side, my face sunken into her warm, nice-smelling bust.
"Maauu~..." Good morning, Ha-chan. Uh...
"You up…?" The fortunately still-clothed bunny girl spoke somewhere beyond my head… "Ooh. You're up alright…" Oh, crap.
"...Maybe." Freaking… this bed. I feel like I'm sinking, and I've been in it all night.
One of her legs is over mine, and Ha-chan's just wrapped around the other half of my body. So- so much girl...
Also, my wig came off at some point, and it's under Ha-chan's ass. This is thankfully less disastrous than it could be, because we're all in clothes.
Ah- woah what-...
The bunny girl slides out from my side, and starts to try and climb over us… "A human boy, getting an audience from the princess? You're not one of her proposed suitors, are you…?"
"...I plan to put her in a suit." I can remain a virgin if I play all the wrong cards! Ooh- I got a bad joke idea. "A monkey suit."
...She exhales. "You're… well, you're not a comedian." Aw. Ah- bad fucking touch holy shit. "I don't think I'd mind a human…" Uhm. Her hand… is on, that...
She- lies down on me, just kind of ignoring Ha-chan's presence. Speaking of Ha-chan, she's looking awkward about getting smooshed to our side.
Holy shit, she's warm. So- so much...
"Mmm…" I turn my cheek, so as to not get orally raped… 'cause, she's trying to makeout with me, just about... "Mwah. Hey- c'mon-"
Ha-chan gets into her face, and nuzzles her! "What- oh, he~y fairy…" She nuzzles back, and-
CRA~CK! Holy shit!
Futo smashes a plate over the bunny's head! "Ungh!" Ooh- I flinch to shield myself from falling shards…!
"Cease thy fornication and rise!" Futo booms at us! "We hath not traveled so far so you may literally breed as rabbits!"
"What the hell…!?" Getting off of me, the beige rabbit girl scowls at her! "The hell is your problem!?"
"Thou'st!" Futo yells! "...Uugh. Fine-"
Whack! Sitting up, off of me and on the bed, the rabbit girl kicked her in the face, using her foot! "Hahah!"
"Nnh…" Staggering back, Futo starts to wind up…! "Desolate hare!"
"Yo!"
I crawl out of the bed next- ohp! Onto my arms… "Don't- fight…!" I exclaim, my yuki-ass pointed in the air, as I awkwardly meander off the bed…
Aw. They're both adequately offset by this. And-
Slap! O- oh!
Thud. I fall forward on the floor, after someone slaps my ass. "Brad butt!" Ha-chan, why…
Futo giggles. "Pft- uh, uhm… o- oh."
...The beige bunny wipes her face off. "Damn it. I was so horny…"
"Stop raping and fighting the guests." Oh?
A petite bunny girl with short, crimson hair steps up. "We have the mating sticks for a reason, Gemmei." Gemmei, huh…
Gemmei sighed. "But, humans are just-... so slender."
"...So am I." The bunny girl looks away! "You don't fuck me all the time."
...Gemmei tilted her head, letting her big chestnut locks sway. "Would you like me to?"
Not replying, the small bunny beckons us! "Come on."
Futo gave this Gemmei a last stink-eye, before moving after the petite crimson bunny.
…
Gemmei stood up, and began to move away from us. "Sorry~. If you come back later tonight, I might have some time to spare… but- I'm just not in it, now."
"That's… good." I'm a lump on the floor, dude...
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
We step into Kaguya's room, escorted by the crimson bunny of justice!
Wait- wow. This is… not Kaguya's room. This is actually like… a real audience chamber. There are some plushies in one corner, a big bed with drapery in the other, and a kotatsu… the war kotatsu.
"Come-... in." Kaguya instantly becomes jaded upon seeing us, rather than regal!
"Hello friend." I greet her!
"Shh- don't speak out of line!" Futo immediately protests! "Thy presence already trials…!"
"I'm tubby." I start speaking just to speak!
"Welcome to my… hall." Looking skeptical, Kaguya continues towards the kotatsu! "What do you three… desire, of this audience today?"
Futo steps for the kotatsu, before making sure to stop and bow, movin' again straight after. "Good morrow, princess."
...At Kaguya's expectant expression, she continues! "Um… we request, a few things of you. Instruments with which to perform… an- and… your aid…" Man, Kaguya actually does have a pretty convincing regal asshole act when she's up to it!
"Basically, we want you in our band!" I declare! "And also- we have no instruments. Help."
...Futo looks like she's about to wither! "Sir- thou art neandertha~l…" Wahaha!
...After starin' me down for a moment, Kaguya replies! "For... what exact purpose do you request such?"
"Fun." It's the good reason dude!
"...Ah." Making the good neutral face, she faces Futo… "What say you?"
"Me?" I've placed Futo in a tight spot, son! "Ua~h… I- there will be prizes!"
"Yes, shipped prizes, I know." Kaguya looks dry about it… "I was one of the incentive sponsors. In plain terms for your barbarian, here, I backed the concert in part."
...Lookin' wasted, Futo faces me in vain! "...Tho- thou'st… wasted an entire evening. Idio~t…"
"...Life comes at you fast, son!" I fucked it all up! Aaa~h! "Do we at least get crazy lunartech instruments…!?"
Kaguya makes a pensive face, giving me hope! But, also despair… and then she replies! "Well, yes and no. In fact… I believe we have someone here, with a problem like yours…" Ooo?
"It's me!" Ha-chan bounds forward!
"Fuck no." Kaguya shakes her head…!
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
Kaguya leads the way, slowly, down a nice big hallway. We're on the way to the-... the place. Actually- I don't know…
This is one of them Japanese-y hallways, and not the outlyin' ones either. Deep manor!
"Awfully nice for the princess to invite us over for a picnic, ge~y Futo?" I walk rigidly as I speak with my fluffy friend!
"Thou art a cu~rse…!" Futo's almost incredulous at this point! "How depleted is the outside!?"
"Pretty depleted." I give her a thumbs up! "Can confirm, all the oil's gone!"
...She looks bewildered! "All the oil!? Oh, no!" Oh no, son. It's a fluffle army, in suspended animation!
"I'm depleted." Ha-chan is depleted. "Hug…"
Ha-chan slows me to a crawl, by grabbing onto me and harassing me, dude…
Slowly but steadily, I trod along with her arms wrapped around me! Aw…
"What the-... what, by chance, are you doing?" Kaguya for some reason feels the need to stay in-character!
"I'm being harassed." I express… "Hara~ssed."
"Hrrm." Futo just does not want to have fun, dude. She is currently attempting to not have fun. It's an active effort, I tell ya!
...They slow down to wait for us, because Ha-chan is cuddly. Being touched by a person still feels weird- and I will always reiterate that, except when I don't. Maybe it's self-explanatory…!
Although in this case, it's weird in a good way!
Before anymore of that, we somehow reach the room. "Here we are." Kaguya gestures to a plain door! "Inside, you… shall meet some individuals, yes." Oh, good. Not just sendin' us into a snake pit, huh…!?
"I hate when I don't meet individuals." I express a real-world concern. "...I always meet plurals!"
Futo gives Kaguya a final pleading stare…!
Shakin' her head wit' a grin, Kaguya casts the door open and just begins to shuffle off…! Freakin'- where' she, ah, whatever. She must be off to write porn, dude.
...Well, so much for recruiting the immortals! Oof, dude...
Inside the room is- oo~h! She left us stereos, though! This might not be so bad afterall. I did not get… snuggled by a busty bunny for nothing, dude.
And, there are a lot of stereos in here. I'm not sure why there are so many stereos…
"...Great." Futo is ready to explode, dude. "Sh- she sent us into the cold store…" What. Oh, yeah, this room is oddly air-conditioned. Probably to keep the stereos pristine!
"Don't worry, friend." I slowly face her… "It's to keep the stereos nice."
"...The pardon?" Does Futo not know what a stereo is. I guess she'd never need to! Does she look like she knows what a JPEG is, son…?
I step into the room! Aside from the rack of stereos in the front, there's some at the sides, and… that's- that's about it!
Going around the stereos, I look into the rest of the big plain room.
Brr~ br! Woah- loud guitar strum…! "Hmm, no~..."
...Lookin' ahead, I see Kyouko! And those ain't Buddhist robes she's in, either…!
She's in a like… black and bronze kimono or yukata of some sort, which looks kinda leather! Also, she has tinted sunglasses on. Hoh, shit…!
Once we enter, she lowers her red and white guitar. "U- uhm…! Who- who're you…!?"
The bandit clan, here to raid. "Dust nuggets." I flash her a peace sign with my hand. Like- spread both non-thumb fingers! Does that too mean peace in Gensokyo…!?
"Uhm…" At first, Futo seems receptive of the snuggle rocker. Then, she gets aggressive! "O- oh? Is that-... Kasodani!?"
"Whah!?" Kyouko's eyes widen back at her! "Why're you here!?"
"What's going on…?" Coming from the back of the room is-... is that Mystia in a rocker outfit!? Dude- it's the band of the background characters! Wait…
This room's long, dude. But- that wasn't the revelation I was looking for! I mean, if they're background characters, and…
I look over at Ha-chan and Futo. "I should have foreseen so much!" The latter of which is upset! "Sir- she is a buddhist, a youkai buddhist!"
"I'm Buddha." I confirm.
"N- no, you're not." Kyouko denies me, however! Then, she looks around fluffily, her sunglasses drooping a little. "...Seriously- why are you three… here…?"
...Once I let the ginger silence permeate until it was cute enough, I speak! "We were looking for a band." I begin my explananation! "But, we got lost… and hurt. And confused…!"
"Do not speak to her." Futo orders me! Aw…
"No." I shake my head at her outright… "I'm speakin' to her, son…!"
...Eyebrows raised, Futo watches me begin conversing with the fluffy dog girl…
"Hi." I greet her.
"...Hi." She greets me!
So I greet her back. "Hi."
"...Hi." She's furrowing her brows…
"Do you like mice?" I wanna know.
"...Well, yeah." It took her a moment, but she agrees. Actually- since she has Nazrin as a friend, that answer better be 'yes'...!
I turn to Futo. "See, she's alright, dude…"
"Wha- what, no…" She shakes her head vigorously… "Ugh! Fine!" Oh- shit!
Turning around, Futo huffs off. Aw, shit. Well… oof.
"...Whelp." I'm nervous, now… 'cause if it's just me and Ha-chan, we're gonna suck the hard ass.
So I beg the actual rocker people… "We wish to do the band things, with you!"
Trotting out from the probably unsafe towers of stereos, Mystia sizes me up! "Who the hell are you supposed to be? You wanna just- hog our spotlight? Is it the money?"
"Everything wrong with the world- I am it!" I declare to them! "Our people came from the rubble, and will leave rubble in their wake!"
...At that, Mystia leans back a bit, steppin' around me. "Really, now? You smell like a human to me. What's with the outfit?"
"...I'm a yuki-girl at heart." I argue!
She snorts! "Oh, really…"
"Ye." Freakin' bird girls… "Ye, ye!"
After rounding around to my front again, she folds her arms. "What're you useful for? The fairy, too."
Aw. She's easy, dude. I gesture to her… "She knows the triangle, and controls electricity!"
Fwa~sh! Ha-chan tosses a flare at a stereo, and we all jump! "She's also got that thing!" I imply the flare!
"...Well, that makes her more useful than you right now." Immediately, Mystia puts me on the chopping block! "What good are you?"
...What good am I!? Wait. Wait…
I snap my fingers. "I can get you guys songs, from the outside world!"
...This gets her curiosity! "...Huh."
"I also owned a keyboard at one point… and am capable of using it…!" Keyword being 'using', not 'playing'!
"No shit?" At that, Mystia raises her brows! "Sounds good to me, then. Do you currently have a keyboard, or do we gotta dig you one up?"
"You will hafta dig one up." I assuredly nod at her. "Also, an electric triangle."
"Okay, okay…" Wavin' back at me, she wanders off… "I'm gonna toss you some spare costumes, too. 'Cause, you really gotta look the part."
That does remind me… by keyboard, I mean actual piano keyboard! Not what I'm using to type right now…!
So Mystia goes to dig in the stuff. Ooh, there's apparently a separate room from everything, too…
"Huh." Blinking at me, Kyouko sets the guitar down onto the stereo she plugged it into. "I didn't know, that you actually knew anything about instruments."
...I tilt back a little! "Ya dunno me ta begin with…!"
"That's true." She let 'erself tilt her head in a cute, slight direction. "Well, that's cool! I tried to invite that 'Stormy' guy too, but he thought I meant a temple band. That, and Mystia didn't like him." So far, Mystia doesn't seem to like many people!
"...Hmm." I should think about how I'm gonna get those songs! Freakin', we gotta raid Kaguya's room and download 'em onto my 3DS dude. We gotta sing Dark Souls-related tunes, and Sabaton! Oh, man, I wonder how well Kyouko can do a swedish metal vocalist impression…!
"Here…" Oh, shit!
Thu- clack. Mystia sets down big keyboard on a nearby mini-stereo! "He~re's a keyboard. Four hundred sounds, or something…" Wat. All four hundred, of the sounds… in the wo~rld!
...Walking up to Ha-chan, she shoves the triangle in her boobs! "Here's your triangle, fairy girl."
"Ooo~!" Ha-chan does not even care, as she takes it out… "Owo~..." Wha- hey, did she-
Za- zap! She's electrified the triangle!
Tick! Ducking around, weavin' about, Mystia plugs the triangle into a tubby speaker. "Alright. Now-"
zap. Ha-chan smiles really widely, after the thing visibly fizzles…!
Mystia's eyes widen! "Wait- oh, fuck no-"
KABOOM
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
I now have… a punk yukata of my own, dude. We're also all vaguely fucked up after the speaker room exploded, but we managed to salvage some things…!
Ha-chan looks somewhere between ecstatic and traumatized…!
"Just- yeah…" Mystia is finished yelling at her, for her sins. "Never fucking do that again."
"O- oh, no." Ha-chan can't help but giggle back…!
"I- I don't think anyone'll notice…" Dusting off her microphone, Kyouko compacted a little! "Let's just, um, move… quickly."
So we do. We skedaddle down the hall…!
Further down the deep clinic mansion hall, we slow a bit, and I say the things that must be said: "Y'know- I still have to raid a computer for those outsider songs!"
"Yeah- as if we have time to practice any of them." Mystia shakes her head at me! "We won't break formula unless it works, human."
"It's gonna work- a bit! S'an option!" I counterargue! "We gotta move if we want that option…!"
Man, this morning is nice, too! Nice and airy, even in this contained ass hallway. Maybe it's vents or something…
"Well, hurry." Mystia demands of me! "We're not gonna wait around forever."
Hoh, shit. Man- this leather yukata with metal studs is actually pretty comfy! I also still got my wig on. I'm Twisted Sister, dude!
...Oh, man. The question is, where do I go…!? Do I just- separate from them right now?
...Turnin' to Mystia, I grin. "Wait in the front lobby fer me! And, uuh…" I hold up this big lug of a keyboard… "Someone, help…!"
Moving up to me, Mystia actually moves to take it…? "Be quick!" Be quick or be dead!
So- after handing it off, I start to sprint! Hoh, hoh, hoh…! S'time for running laps in gym class to pay off… in letting me maybe get there a few seconds faster!
...Where the hell do I go~!?
Actually, Kaguya's room is in these kinds 'a halls if I remember correctly. So, if I hit a new backdrop, I should just turn the fuck around.
I take a right! An' then a left! An' then-
"Hey…" Oh, shit. A bunny girl begins walking after me…!
There's no time, son. I just go. She can eat my yuki-dust! Ohp- metal hallway, gotta take a different- he~y, now…
Upon trying to backtrack, this bunny with green hair gets in my way! "Sir, please." Jeez- why are all of them so big…!? Well- soldiers, I guess, but oof! "I just want to ask what you're doing here."
Wait. This could be an advantamatage... "Oh- actually, I gotta get to Kaguya's room right quick." I supply! "We were the audience dudes- daa~h, we came with… Futo?"
"Oh, Futo of Mononobe…" The mature bunny gave me a nod. "That checks out. She went past here some time ago herself, if you're looking for her too."
I don't think that helps in these hallways, but okay! "Ye. Help…"
She snorts. "Follow me." Then, she turns an' begins struttin' ahead! Aw, yeah dude…
She's got an earth green suit on, and her hair is also more earthy than vibrant. Well, it's vibrantly earthy! I mean- it's not technicolor, son.
Well, that's enough admiring her bunnyness. Pleasantly, she walks fast, so-
Crea~k. She swings a door open for me! "The princess should be in here. Be- before you go, I must warn you… she doesn't take kindly to interruptions, like this. I- I shouldn't have even…" Looking less confident, she shies back a bit, despite being as tall as, if not taller, than me. And I'm six foot… "Can we go somewhere else?"
Where else would we go, no. "Too bad, friend. Thank you again!" I wave 'er off and head inside!
"Aah- um, ah…" She withers at my exit…!
Alright. Now that I'm here, dude…
The room is, as usual, sort of spacious, but homey at the same time-
Kaguya looks up from her computer chair! "What…!?"
"Yo!" I call out to her!
"Wh- no, no! Get the fuck out!" Aaa~h! She wants me annihilated!
"Princess!" The earthy bunny girl runs in! "If- if you want, I could-"
"I just!" I yell! "...I just wanna download music! From the outside! S'that too much ta ask!?"
"Yes." Getting up, Kaguya marches up to me…!? "I'm almost pissed enough to fucking send you to the mating pit, so she can have her way with you." Um…!? "Don't grin, either. You don't wanna try outfucking a bunny." Oh shit- that's a good point.
Also, I look back at the tall bunny, and she's holding one of her own cheeks, an' blushing…!
...Then, she sighs. "Whatever. Get the shit and get out. And- no, Shizue. He's not a suitor, so don't stuff him in your boobs the moment you two leave the room."
"Ok- okay…" The tall Shizue bows to her… "Understood, princess."
...Well. I now have… a moment to look up songs and stuff.
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
"Here." 'Shizue' presents me to the front lobby! "Oh. There's your friends…"
"Yeah yo!" I run out to them, charged and loaded 3DS in hand!
Sighting me, Mystia runs over for a group hug! "You were gone for almost an hour!" Oh shit, she's mad…!
I hold my arms out! "Hey- yo! Even the simplest songs are a few minutes long at best! An' I took everything that wasn't nailed down- so I could get 'em used…" Oo~f.
...Rolling her eyes, she pivots around. "Alright- fine. We at least had a moment to relax, even if we shouldn't have. Stay with us." Wow, she is unhappy…!
She marches ahead of us to the front door.
...I look back, and see Reisen snoozing on the main counter. Aw. Sleepy bunny…
Ti~ng! Ha-chan stands behind for me in the lobby, whacking her triangle with her flare wand! "I got a triangle!"
"Yeah- I saw…!" Sometimes, I dunno how brainblasted she is or not…!
"I saw you saw." Oh shit, she knows. "But, I got a triangle!" Good!
Kyouko stands behind fer us in the sliding doors of goodness. I move to follow our snug doggy friend…
Daylight, at last! I saw it out the room's balcony where we woke up, but this is the first like… good view!
Mystia is just outside the door, when we all get out here… "Alright- turns out… we should have plenty of time if we just fly out of here. We can't walk through the woods, or we'll get hopelessly lost and probably hurt or something." Probably hurt…!
Kyouko was similarly amused by this dismalness! "I- I don't think it'd be that bad, Mysty, but we should probably hurry…"
Shu- shunk! Ooh…
In the ground before us, two big plates embedded themselves. Uh…?
Thu- thud! "Unh…" Oh, shit! Futo went past us, doing a barrel roll! On the dirt.
"My, my…"
Descending from above, a reaper of some sort holds a big scythe. He's got freakin' weird pink hair- wait, is he a he…?
Also- a male that exists…! Ah, shit, I forgot to ask the bunnies if any male rabbits existed. They said somethin' about mating sticks, but I don't know if that's another term for portable dildos…! Y'know- as opposed to non-portable dildos…
"Mononobe no Futo." Definitely a guy, actually. The pink-haired reaper guy calls down to her. "Your life is mine."
"He- heheh…" Shakily, Futo floats back up. "Yet, thou hath failed to deny me at every turn. Where gone thy training? Thy discipline?"
...Woo- woo- woosh! He throws his arm, and his scythe bigger than him does like five twirls around it in one second! "Your arrogance is annoying. Still… you must realize, you prove a good training challenge. Once I truly find what houses you, I will know how to defeat those like you."
"Let us see you attempt…" Floating out more plates, Futo ascends… "Thou cannot best me, for I have not begun!"
"Ho~ld it!" Woah!
...Mystia marches out between them! "Look- I'm not normally the type of girl to-"
"Be quiet!" Pink guy bellows from above! "This does not concern-"
"BE QUIET!" Woah- ow, ow! Oww~... fuck! Shit!
...I turn to Kyouko! Ha-chan's shaking…! Dude- Kyouko is fucking lou~d!
Pink reaper man seems pained, too…!
"Mi- mine ears…" Futo's plates are all wobbly now!
Mystia's just smug. "As I was saying… I'm not normally the type of girl to like, you know… step in on this whole afterlife gas station business you've got going on, but we really need to be going…"
She turns to Futo, next. "And you are coming with us."
...Futo blinks, before furrowin' her brows. "Wh- what…?"
...Landing before us, on one side of the clearing, the pink-haired guy tilts his head forward, just a bit. "Now, now. There's no need to trouble yourselves."
"Um, yes, there is." Mystia's a real go-getter! "We need her for a concert, so just… postpone your fight thing, kay? I mean- you're dead. You're a reaper. Why can't you just- do what the other what's-her-face does, and-"
"I will not… stoop so low." He ain't havin' any of that shit! "Hmm. I suppose… this is training, too. Perhaps a subsidiary, of separating loved ones. Let's get this over with." Holy shit.
WOOSH! Casting his scythe to his left- our right- it extends to like twice his length, a long, decorative-looking maroon sickle now where the grey one was.
"Really…" Mystia looks pissed- which, I guess is not a new thing…! "Kyouko!"
"On it!" Raising her microphone, Kyouko twirls it around! "Hold on…"
"Okay?" Mystia holds her guitar ready…
Ahead, the pink guy is starting to strafe, his huge fucking super scythe of doom now held in a regular grip. And- that's so impossible looking…! That's not how weapon gravity works…!
"Begone, youkai." Futo- we're saving you, I guess- so shut up. "This is a matter of pride."
"Shut u~p." Mystia tells it like it is…!
...Futo just folds her arms! "Hmh."
"Yo!" I call out to distract the boy!
...His gaze locks on mine, and that does not feel good. Wow…!
I swallow before I speak! "What's yer na~me…!?"
...He tilts his head back a little! "Marusha." Aw. Martha Stewart.
He closes his eyes-
fwiosh. Then, he's just gone, an array of cherry blossoms fluttering in his wake.
Kyouko pivots around! "Mysty- behind us!"
"Gotcha!" Mystia whirls around too, ready to play her instrument, for some reason…!
I've got Youkai Inconveniencer out just for the sake of it- even if I can't do shit, standin' between the two rocker girls here…
I turn around with them-
SWI- CRA~CK! SWI- CRA~CK! With each swipe of his fuckoff scythe, a plate of Futo's shatters, while she tries to float back! "A- ah…" He musta teleported behind us!
Fwoosh! She lobs a fireball to where he was, but Marusha was again gone.
Now on the side of the clearing totally behind where we first started, he cast his arms out. "Scatter!"
From the ground, translucent, black and pink flowers blossom, before their pods separate from the soil beneath, floating into the air malevolently…!
Once Futo's behind us, Kyouko yells! "One, two…!"
Thu- thu~nk! On either side of us, big stereos drop down from fucking nowhere…!
Pap- pap- pap! Mystia slaps the side of her guitar, for a lack of a drummer to tap their sticks…
Fwa- fwa- fwam! The flowers start to shoot some pink bursty bullets-
BRAA~R! Mystia slides a hand down her red guitar, unleashing a single chord that booms from the speakers…
Instantly, the bullets shatter, and the petal turret things bounce back.
...Marusha's furrowing his brows! Ooh- before he gets any wise ideas-
"Shine!" I thrust my hanger thing into the air-
BRAR- BR- BRAR… Mystia strums a few more experimental chords, sending out a gush of air…
fwoosh! My holy sphere first envelops Marusha, and then the air meets him.
"Eg- ah…!" This combination of shit actually threw him into the air…!? The petals just disintegrated from the wind, too, along with some of the bamboo behind him…
Mystia begins really playing!
"Fee~l… our power!" Kyouko starts singing!
And- my ears- from being too close to these kickass speakers- begin ringing…!
"The power of the fallen!" With Kyouko's projecting voice, the speakers practically vibrate on the goddamn soil, the bamboo ahead shuddering and shimmering. "The power of those who will not be forgotten!"
"Uguh- auh- ngh…!" With each pulse from the stereo, Marusha gets staggered higher and higher!
Mystia gets a moment to just drill into the guitar…
Futo's plugging her ears, looking shaken…! Ha-chan's crouching and shaking, too!
BRIAA~R…! Mystia lets out a like, definitely final chord…
"Egaa~gh!" He does an entire flip backwards, the booming stereo launching him into the fallen bamboo off the edge of the clearing…
Fwoa- fwoa- fwoa- fwoa~sh, fwoa~sh! After the chord echoes out, light, healing magic runs across all of our forms…!? And- my ears even stop ringing! Holy shit!
Bru~m… That chord's still echoing, too…!
...Kyouko rubs the back of her head. "I- I actually didn't finish that one yet…"
Mystia beams back at her. "That's why it kicks ass for power metal!" ...Wha- what's that mean…!?
"...It-... at least, had the courtesy to repair mine ears…" Futo shivered, brushing her eardrums! "For that, I offer a formal thanks…"
Cla- clack, clack! Marusha stands from the bamboo debris, looking fucking depleted! Aw- his reaper robes are all ripped! "Hrrgh…"
Futo whirls forward! "...Thou does not appear-"
"Hrra~gh!" He springs from his standing position, gliding across the clearing on his legs towards her-
Woo- woo- woosh! ...She floats up to avoid a like, twelve hundred degree rotating slash. He spun around for like a good fucking second!
"Ha~h… ha~h…" Panting, he stops, his scythe's head rested in the grassy dirt in front of Eientei.
Cla- clack! Landing atop it, Futo runs up along the shaft!
CLACK! She smacks him away from his own weapon with a swing of one of her giant plates! "Eta~h!?"
While he sails back, she floats off of it, and hoists the entire goddamn twelve foot scythe up, with both arms…
Bam! He rebounded against Eientei's front walls. "Egh…"
WOOSH! Futo spun around, lobbing his own scythe at him.
...Stopping in the air, he looked up to see it coming from him, and brought up his arms on terrified reflex. "Eh- aa-"
Fwish. The scythe went through his form. Where his midsection was, a black void parted, his torso and midsection separated from one another.
"Eeeuaa~rgh!" Wo- holy shi~t!
FWOA~SH! Light floods the clearing…!?
…I'm blind, dude!
Once it fades, both the scythe and the reaper are gone. Nothing but a black, smokey figment remains of Marusha.
Ti- tink. But, a really pretty, five-pointed star crystal falls from where he used to be!
"Hehehe~..." Futo accepts this crystal with a greedy smile…! "Another lost illusion for the treasure vault, mine prince…"
...Wha- what the fuck did I just like- volunteer in, dude!? Trying to make a band in Gensokyo is fucking metal!
"Well, that was good…" Mystia seems satisfied, for once! She turns to me, too! "Thanks for the um, help. I guess." Oof!
"Ye- yeah…!" Wow!
...I've got a question! "Uh… yo Futo!"
"It is mine." She hugs the crystal to herself! "No and no."
"Not that- I mean, what happens to a reaper when they explode?" Do they have… perma-death, dude? Do they become ghost-ghosts…!? Can you die in afterlife!? You die in the game, you die in real life!
She shakes her head. "I will see the pest again. He will, however, fall under a stern reprisal, perhaps. I suppose I must thank thee… four, for thy aid in the quick dispatching. Shinigami are troublesome, at best…"
Aah. So they're freakin' reused bosses, dude. Aw…
"So…" Mystia slings her guitar behind her back again. Wait- where'd those speakers from before go…!? They snuck off on me, dude! "Let's get going. What I said about not falling behind still stands…"
"Hold on, hold on…" Futo fluffily beckons, dude. "I have a solution yet, for any traversal woes from here to the village…"
Woo~sh. With a flourish of her arms, she summons a- woah! This ship's a lot fuckin' bigger than the one we rode in on…!? Well. Actually, it's not by much, it just looks way more pretty and has a sail.
As I climb aboard with the friends- freakin' holy shit this keyboard is hard to heft up there- I note the dragon decoration on the front u~h… pointy bit! I do not know ship terminology son. Well- the center support's the mast, and something's called a shitdeck, but that's about it…!
"Nice boat." Kyouko thinks it's a nice boat…
"Nice boat..." Ha-chan, too, thinks it's a nice boat-
"Good boat." I call it the good boat, dude!
Oo~f. Oh, man. I get to finally stop and just… permeate. Take a crui~se…
"Enh." Ha-chan-... sits in my lap. And, y'know what? That's fine by me…
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
END OF CHAPTER 51
PROTAGONIST: Brad, the Fluffle Slayer, Fairy Slayer, Accidental Human Slayer, Ph. D in Plant Hangers, Scarlet Liberator, Village Liberator, Eientei Crucible, Sinker of the Flufftanic, Assembler of the Legendary Air Ride Machine, Sky Climber, Amateur Espionage Practitioner, Illegal Fairy Harborer, Conscientious Party Member, Holder of Too Many Titles.
PRIMARY WEAPON: Tundra Bloomer - A earth-elemental plant hanger made from sturdy rock, with a flower curved around the hilt. With the addition of an enchanted shaft, it is also able to be used as a warhammer!
SKILLS:
Jackhammer - I can mine shit with it! I think…
Buff - Spend mana to boost physical attack power and physical defense for some time. Wears off quickly…
Tundra - Basic ice attack which erects beneath a target, making a chair-sized spike of ice.
Gaia Seed - Basic earth magic, which weighs down on a target and makes them tired.
INVENTORY:
Youkai Inconveniencer - A holy plant hanger, which works as a flail 'cause of the cross necklaces attached to it! Boosts the power of holy skills.
SKILLS:
Flash - Blinding magic. Works best on dark-elementals, but also works on youkai. Humans don't resist it, so it still works on them, with reduced efficiency.
Flashlight - It's a flashlight! Might blind dark youkai, I dunno…
Shine - Basic holy magic. Generates a holy orb in the target's body, randomly battering them with a raw holy gush.
=o=
Fairy Harp - Ol' reliable, fixed up with freakin' attachable strings and shit! Also a grate, an iron block and other shit. It's a freakin' disaster...
SKILLS:
Gust - Basic wind magic. Pushes the feeble. Fee~ble…!
Fairy Dust - Weapon status effect replaced with fairy dust. Wind attacks with this weapon get fairy dust all over the enemy, reducing accuracy and senses.
Sick Ill Harp Cords - Get ready for my next great mixtape…!
=o=
Flame Salvo - A red and crimson plant hanger comprised of purplish-red gems and crimson metals. Boosts the power of fire skills.
STATS:
Ignites things with physical impacts.
SKILLS:
Flamethrower Plus - A jet of fire. That's- that's it! It's a fucking flamethrower, 'cept fueled by magic! Does that make it more or less easy to put out…?
Fume - Makes hot air fume from the earth below. Might sear the feeble.
Berserk - Non-damaging fire spell which berserks a target for awhile. Can be removed with water or ice stuff!
Danmaku Adaptability - Now that there's a NERF gun on it I can shoot the good danmaku dude.
=o=
Vortex Hanger - Wind elemental plant hanger currently attached to the Yin-Yang flail as a crafting material. Granted a limited hover per swing when wielded, but that ability is what allows the flail-o-copter to fly now.
=o=
Deep Blue - A blue and silver plant hanger comprised of mysterious fantastical metals. Boosts the power of water skills.
SKILLS:
Freakin' Leaks! - Can produce limitless fresh hanger water…!
Geyser - Basic water attack. Gush of water erupts from the earth and might fling the feeble…!
Valve - I can control the water flow with this!
=o=
Yin-yang flail-o-copter - A flail with a standard, maximized Hakurei Yin-yang orb in the sling of it. Unable to have its powers fully activated, as only Reimu can truly harness the power of Yin-yang orbs. Minor affinities from the base orb transfer over, though! Crafted from a Hakurei Yin-Yang orb, a rope of panties, and two bra cups. Ropes were used to attach the Vortex Hanger to the yin-yang orb, allowing the flail to be used as a flying device, although it's a bit straining on the arms.
Sharper Than Darkness - A dark, runed plant hanger constructed from the shards of a dead man's sword. Deals dark damage!
STATS:
Attacks are darkness elemental.
Sickle end may make opponents bleed.
SKILLS:
Revenge - Skill that increases in strength when health is lower. Power doubles for each deceased party member. Power is increased by fifty percent for each defeated party member. Fairies count as defeated rather than deceased no matter what. Power and effects depend on current weapon. High accuracy.
Bloody Mess - User bleeds faster and longer. Oof!
=o=
Bee-Sheventeen-Bawmber - A mechanical plant hanger enchanted to make big booms on contact. Explosions are mostly knockback based, but I think it could gib particularly weak-willed people… magic is weird.
SKILLS:
Boom - Hitting stuff makes booms!
Pellet - Shoots a lemon-shaped danmaku pellet from the added barrel. Uuh...
=o=
Million Bucks - A basic green cast-iron plant hanger, from the aged cellar of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. It's a gift from Flandre Scarlet! Has an obsolete map of the cellar's maze, etched by Flandre herself, along with some shoddy enchantments!
STATS:
Lowers user's defense slightly.
Attacks are electric and holy elemental.
Attacks travel through matter
Attacks become magical rather than physical.
SKILLS:
Panic Attack! - Run faster when health is lower!
Magic Attack - Physical attacks are converted to magic attacks, and fluidly pass through objects.
Combo Jump - Allows the user to transition to jumping while mid-attack.
Aerial Plus - Forced aerial support! It's vaguely easier to hit aerial foes with it!
Air Slide Plus - Lets the user awkwardly air slide.
Glide - Replaces my double jump skill with gliding.
High Jump - Increased jump height while running.
=o=
Market Gardener - Critical hits during blast jumps! Otherwise, it's just a normal, old plant hanger. Named after a very similar shovel…!
NERF dart blaster - Nerf guns are cool and all, but don't try defending yourself with one. Please. Unless you're surrounded by fairies who don't know the difference- but y'know- that opportunity's a freakin' million to one.
NERF longsword - 'CAUTION: Do not jab at people or animals'… you know what that means! Maybe one day this will actually come in handy…
=o=
Kaguya Houraisan Disguise - Wear to become a NEET! Tons of pockets! Voice, face, and height specifications not included!
STATS:
75% Time resistance
=o=
Monk Robes - Wear to become a Buddhist! Actually pretty comfy…!
Butterfly Dream Pills - Makes you dream of being a beautiful butterfly!... now, if only there was a pill for lucid or wet dreams, and then I'd consider Yagokoro the doctor to end all doctors!
Remilia Scarlet Disguise - Wearing this as a tall manchild's probably not doing anyone with eyes any favors. Has resistances of sorts, but I'm not in a big fat hurry to find out what they are…
=o=
Toasty Yuki-onna Kimono - Best winter clothing twenty fifteen. Looks identical to a yuki-onna's kimono, and heats itself too! Yo ho ho!
STATS:
50% Ice resistance
50% Freezing resistance
-50% Fire resistance
-50% Burning resistance
=o=
Choujuu Gigaku Yukata - A metal leather Yukata which has copper-tinted accents. The band just- has more of these…?
STATS:
50% Wind resistance
100% Silencing resistance
100% Tired resistance.
Immunity to hearing damage and debuffs.
Wearer heals 25% more from friendly casts of Power Metal.
=o=
65,200 Yen - ...Yeah, just in a bag. It's about time I documented how much freakin' money I have! I should do this for potions, too...
Nine Health Potions - They give you youkai-like regen for like, thirty seconds! No chuggin' these babies to indefinitely survive the cold reaches of outer space. Unless the regen outdoes the asphyxiation, but I think I'd rather die by that point…
Five Mana Potions - Restores a bunch of mana! Fer humans… since it restores more mana than most will have in their lifetime.
PARTY:
London, the Multipurpose Combat Doll - What it lacks in brains it makes up for with a suit of armor and some OP utilitarian spells! Can cast basic fire, lightning, and ice attacks, both the magical and physical variety. Has lance, can shoot danmaku. Variety of attack commands now, including intelligent tracking, trailing, patrolling, and defending. Has mana pool for the stronk commands, though, so those should be used sparingly. I really have to remember to use her, at some point!
PRIMARY WEAPON: Shanghai Lance - Burly lance with jabbing ability. Mostly useful as a blunt object, it seems, and intimidation factor. London really likes it, apparently. London shouldn't have sentience, but I can't help but notice the awkward way which it just pauses before it swings this lance.
Hana, the Electric Elemental Stalker Maid - She's friendly, dude. She's getting better at using thunder magic, too! Cyan hair and eyes, likes to be fluffy, so on and so forth. I don't got a whole lot ta add about her… Oh, yeah, she's weak to earth magic, I think.
PRIMARY WEAPON: Sometimes can cast a slightly stronger lightning bolt… but it still can't fry people!
INVENTORY:
Probably some rocks - Yeah.
Kyouko Kasodani, the - A really snuggly dog girl friend! Man, is she snuggly! Can attack using her voice, as well as project in a number of really different ways!
SKILLS:
Project Voice - Voice… may be projected! Volume and specifics vary greatly. May be cast out separate from Kyouko's location.
Power Metal - Combo magic with Mystia! Drops two speakers from the heavens, and projects a short burst of metal from them. Does wind elemental, magical damage to all enemies before them, and heals all party members.
Death Metal - Combo magic with Mystia! Drops a wall of speakers from the heavens! Once ready, they blare music too, dealing incredible wind magic damage to all enemies, and applying great healing to all party members. Sometimes the speakers explode after!
Spell Cards - Danmaku skills not always relevant for all situations!
Flying - I dunno why.
INVENTORY:
X.L.R. 8 Microphone - Premium, high quality microphone, with a high voice ceiling for noisy, shrill users. Despite this, it's still of pretty good quality!
STATS:
Boosts the power of wind skills.
SKILLS:
Microphone - The microphone… works as a microphone. Some real shit, ah!?
Good Quality - It's also a pretty good one!
Deluxe Voice Module - Deals with Kyouko's insane voice! Also, hard use and feedback will not lower this item's durability.
Magic Finale - Last cast of mana before running out is thrice as powerful, and has special effects.
=o=
Choujuu Gigaku Outfit - Kyouko's band outfit! Fit with copper decorations, made of good leather, and looks like a kimono or yukata.
STATS:
50% Wind resistance.
50% Fire resistance.
Immunity to silencing.
Immunity to wind-tossing.
Immunity to blinding.
Immunity to paralysis.
Boosts the power of Power Metal.
Boosts the power of Death Metal.
Boosts the power of Project Voice.
Mystia Lorelei, the - Night sparrow youkai! She excels in blinding people and darkness magic. But, she also cooks food. Pretty normal as far as youkai are concerned. Eats people…!
SKILLS:
Night Vision - Can see better in the dark naturally. 50% blinding resistance.
Night Blindness - Her singing can blind humans, and some types of youkai. Can be resisted with blindness resistance, and somewhat darkness resistance.
Power Metal - Combo magic with Kyouko! Drops two speakers from the heavens, and projects a short burst of metal from them. Does wind elemental, magical damage to all enemies before them, and heals all party members.
Death Metal - Combo magic with Kyouko! Drops a wall of speakers from the heavens! Once ready, they blare music too, dealing incredible wind magic damage to all enemies, and applying great healing to all party members. Sometimes the speakers explode after!
INVENTORY:
The Red Axe - It's a guitar! Red guitar of power, rock, an' metal.
STATS:
Boost the power of wind skills.
SKILLS:
Shred Hour - Boosts the power of guitar solos!
Essence of Guitar - Resists durability loss!
=o=
Choujuu Gigaku Outfit - Mystia's band outfit! Fit with copper decorations, made of good leather, and looks like a kimono or yukata.
STATS:
50% Wind resistance.
50% Ice resistance.
50% Dark resistance.
Immunity to silencing.
Immunity to wind-tossing.
Immunity to blinding.
Immunity to paralysis.
Immunity to weaken.
Immunity to curses.
Boosts the power of Power Metal.
Boosts the power of Death Metal.
Mononobe no Futo, the Fengshui-Adept and Plate-Breaking Shikaisen - Mononobe no Fluffy-hair. She's fluffy, and a taoist. Kind of an asshole, but a fluffy one at that…
SKILLS:
Plate Control - She apparently has control… over… plates?
Telekinesis - Lift and control things with her mi~nd!
Royal Dragon's Arrow - A good arrow that she fires predictively from her bow. Always fired like a great bow, comin' way down on targets.
Spell Cards - I haven't even seen like, any of them…!
Other Skills - I really do not know what she's capable of!
INVENTORY:
Mononobe no Good Outfit - Futo's clothes! Really, really fluffy for an outfit, dude. Old-timey and stuff, too!
STATS:
50% Wind resistance.
100% Air-toss resistance.
25% Water resistance.
25% Fire resistance.
25% Thunder resistance.
ACTUAL AUTHOR'S NOTE:
hello world
yeah took my sweet ass time writing this one; getting colds in college sucks friends
although ultimately the output probably doesn't seem all that different 'cause of the time i'd normally spend friking around with gensokyobound
once i get back into my groove this stuff'll move faster; that and politics slowed me a bit because it's been a huge talking point and things have been kinda crazy
...i THINK this is an alright chapter overall; i lagged on finishing it so i have no idea about the quality of the ending scene for the most part but overall things should be alright
pretty sure my cold made me a miserable bastard so me and gauging my comedy was freakin' hard, be it in present or post
someone told me to never write while sick… and i half disagree with that advice; you can do it but it'll show a bit and you're gonna feel like shit
sick's good for autopilot mode though; lets you chug through boring content like a freakin' tractor trailer
...oh, yeah, college has class styles and attendance policies that'll make you not wanna take sick days ever unless you're dead or dying
and now…!
regarding when this fanfic likely closes at 1 M words: daz mostly 'cause i think by then the meandering's gone on long enough, unless i feel like doing seasons or some shit (despite this probably being well into what one might consider a second season) mostly 'cause i do wanna focus on ideas that aren't this from time to time, even though i do have a lotta fun writing it
i SAY i wanna close it at a million, but daz largely for productivity purposes; at the same time i don't feel like i'm really gonna cover some areas i really wanna cover in just 250 k words; i mean i was already figuring another 250 k word extention but we'll see
after the 1 M mark things will likely be up in the air for awhile but that's not gonna be for like three-four more months or some'n at this rate
the question is will i be an insane person and start another fanfic before then… and i dunno yo we'll see once things balance out and stuff, right now just gonna focus on one again
as always, see you all next time!
==== TEN THOUSAND YEARS LATER ====
"regarding when this fanfic likely closes at 1 M words"
HAH- you're JOKIN'
YOU'RE JOKIN'
i can't believe my EARS
you're JOKIN' ME- you GOTTA BE- this CAN'T be the RIGHT GUY
dude he's ANCIENT, he's -u g l y-
i don't know which is worse dude- i don't FREAKIN' KNOW
i might just split a WORD COUNT NOW if i DON'T DIE LAUGHIN FIRST HEHAHAHA
"the question is will i be an insane person and start another fanfic before then" yes x2
anyway enough laughing at that stupid asshole let's start talking about the changes
deepest inhale
o intro bit before even meeting futo changed to flow better
o fight with guard is cooler just period and more true to human strengths while at the same time taking the piss of brad just a bit (at the end of the scene anyway)
o prismrivers are pretty good as is; i don't work with them much! got some prose touchups and minor help though
o futo meeting slightly changed; a little less padding, some more ha-chan, different way of doing the conversation for the sake of it being more natural
o redid francis e dec bit a BIT; making him work seems hard to me for some reason!
o redid fighting outside bamboo forest a bit so it flowed better and didn't just like drown the reader in fight prose (and considering the 15 k word mark here, that was needed!)
o we reach the bamboo peacefully this time
the BIG DEVIATION: no more reaper mook, so we get there in peace and go to bed in a audience vassal room
o so now we get rapist bunnies there mistaking me for a suitor
o should probably do more with futo there now that i think about it since she's an asshole to the bunnies
o entire whacky hijinks scene with kaguya and mokou and futo was alright in places but didn't entirely flow well, a~nd since we put the ex-nay on the kaguya and mokou team-up for this whole revision, the scene no longer works at all! aa~h!
o so instead we get some more reality-grounded brad running around pirating via youtube-to-MP3 sites and porting the music onto his 3DS
o he also gets to hang with the BEST BAND
o WHO KNOWS POWER METAL AND IT HEALS THEM
o komachi bit replaced with fighting one of her boobs… we- well actually we fight one of her MINION REAPER FRIENDS who sucks at his job
o oh yeah, we meet kaguya and she now sponsors the event, so no more kaguya party member; instead, we get actual musicians to hold this fucking shoestring team together
o futo gets to stay because she's old enough to have been forced to play in ceremonial religious organization bands and ensembles and shit so she should know some of the old instruments
like the oboe dude
o futo's powers now utilized more effectively, now that i know them dude
o ironically this gives some depth to eientei's setting! maybe we'll see gemmei and whatever the fuck i called the other one some day dude…
so yeah after the big deviation i pretty much rewrote the chapter and just judged doneness by the eye
i still don't know about that writing while sick point past-me made though! i haven't gotten sick for awhile…!
oh yeah brad gets an outfit and a keyboard for this segment dude
what happens to them will pend depending on all of the whacky shit going on later
actually now that i think about it we may need to touch the intersecting matt chapter that goes with this arc later, hmhm
as always, see you all next time!
