(in which we trek the fluffside)
I need some red paint, dude. Turn the Red Scare into the Red Scare. This mansion's gotta have some- freakin', three-fourths of the place is some shade of red.
"Nn~h…" Newly awakened from her slumber, Maria stretched… "You guys were gone for awhile…"
"Yeah, yo…!" I give her the good nod. "I found a buncha' stupid shit…!"
"You're givin' me a tour!" Clownpiece remarks! And then she holds her torch in her face. "Also if ya could-"
Fwa~sh. Genkan froze the torch, again. "That didn't work the first twenty times you've done that."
"...I'm bankin' on you forgettin'!" Clownpiece declares…! "And when ya do, it's gonna be cool."
...Ha-chan gets close to Maria, crouching down to be at her height for some reason, waddling along next ta her.
...Maria faces her 'cause that's just too weird! "Hey…"
"I'm really snug…!" Ha-chan declares! She's not wrong, dude!
We've currently just left the library, and are back in the big halls of doom and secret fountains. It might be night, but we've all fucked our sleep schedules up kinda! So we're gonna have a night adventure, dude. Not like the cold will be a problem with freakin', pyromaniac fairy and my new fire stuffs.
"I have no idea how you've lived here for any amount of time." Facin' me, Genkan regards the mansion! "...Do things like that happen often? With the vampires, and…"
"Infrequently…!" I give 'er a wobbly head response! "It can get a little surreal though!" Like the twenty million times this place's blown up.
"When does it not…" Looking ahead, Genkan takes in a breath… "At least the lighting's consistent." Pft. S'the one consistent thing!
"S'also really red." Time to draw attention to the scarlet stuff dude.
"It does wear on the eyes, after awhile." Genkan admitted… "I can understand consistency in that sense… but it is a little too monotone. It doesn't help that I don't like red." Probably for obvious reasons…!
Also, Genkan, you live in a cave…! I dunno what you know about house design! Provided, s'a pretty cave.
"Beats pitch grey and black." Clownpiece interjects on our talk…! "Or purple everywhere. I like red the most!" Euh.
I like the royal reds! An' the beiges. The garrish regular reds are a bit… well, I kinda prefer them to the bland shit on the outside honestly! But even so-
There are fairies in our way…! Guess that's what we get for spacin' out and talkin' about the mansion's color scheme.
Not just any fairy maids, though. "Hey, bitches." It's Komi, dude.
...These're the regular noobs, 'cause Namori's hiding behind Komi and not sayin' anything.
Koi darts up to Clownpiece preliminarily…! "Wow! That costume's fuckin' hot!"
"Right?" Clownpiece beams, and splays an arm down across her own form. "America~! Fuck yeah!"
"...S'that what the outfit's called?" Koi tilts her head fluffily, before shaking it. "Whatever! Ooh, that ha~ir…" Reaching forward, Koi just up an' grabs the fairy's golden locks…
Clownpiece just looks somewhere between pleased and befuddled that she doesn't know what America is.
...Ooh, Brittany's wit' 'em too! She's just reading a book, and trailing near the furniture way to our left, before stopping and looking up…
...Moving up to us, Komi furrows her brows analytically...
Koi floats up, and shoves her chest in Clownpiece's face. "Hehe~y. How's these, huh?"
...Clownpiece actually just looks unimpressed. "They're 'kay."
...Koi looks around in incredulity! "Wha- just? You tellin' me ya seen bigger? In yer face? I'll even take my top off!"
"Yeah- seen bigger." Clownpiece just rolls her eyes… "I'm from Hell. We've got sluts with tits bigger than their entire body, and they have teeth."
...Koi doesn't have anything to add to that, dude.
Komi points at me.
I point back, dude.
...She curses. "Fuck." Narrowing her eyes, she turns to Brittany. "Hey- how the fuck'd you fall?"
...Brittany looks up from her book. "Ah. Well- I've only gotten a year to get used to heels, so-"
"How'd we get to fuck you." Komi rephrased her question…! "Like, the whole slave deal? It never happened here so I wouldn't know."
Placing a bookmark in her unlabeled book, Brittany closed it. "Oh. You threw me down and raped me. It was pretty hot."
...Komi looks back at me, puzzled. She starts to advance forward!
Crack, crack. "I haven't tried to make you mine in awhile." She begins to crack her knuckles…! "If you'd like to… give up…"
Genkan slides in my way…! Also, Ha-chan kinda meanders into the way too, but that seemed to be more on accident.
...Komi looks apprehensive about engaging a yuki-onna! "Um…"
"Probably a little late now." Brittany shook her head… "Also, what'm I, not good enough?" Wahaha!
"Shut the fuck up, you're sexy." Komi pivots to her…! "But you know what's even better than one of you? Two of you."
...Brittany propped her arms on her hips. "Well, I've got a few ideas-"
"Mmh…!" Clownpiece stumbles back, 'cause Koi just up and kissed her…!
"Mwah!" Koi pulls herself back! "Hehe~! An' how was tha~t?"
...Rubbing her lips off, the hell fairy looked indifferent. "Damn, yer thirsty. If I wasn't on tour, maybe I'd take ya up. But I'm busy." Freakin'... horny fairies dude.
...Pouting, Koi looked up at Genkan…
Komi points over at Genkan too! "So who the hell's she?"
Just shruggin', Brittany shakes her head. "How'm I supposed to know? He's not-me. He actually leaves here, like, a lot. I don't know how he does it."
"I'm fluffy…" I drop the bombshell confession.
"Um…" Maria starts to commentate on the situation! Oh- actually, she turns to me. "Who's she?" She gestures over ta Brittany wit' 'er staff…
Oh, yeah. "...S'gonna sound weird yo, but she's actually a he."
Turnin' to me, Genkan pays attention too, dude. So I continue! "An' she's also me… from a different we-… -rld. World! Or, reality. Something. It's freakin' weird, dude…!"
...Genkan gets a small smile! "I see your crossdressing tick surpasses time and space." Freakin'...!
"Ho- how's… how?" Maria is less acclimated to weird than we are right now, 'cause she didn't watch Flandre cause a sonic boom which ruptured space and then exploded the sun.
I explain! "Magic evil mirror which is also a portal between worlds. Looking in makes bad things happen. Happens all the time; don't worry 'bout it…!" Previously it was wired to the eldritch abomination alternate universe where everyone's a fucking broken creepypasta monster. I don't wanna see Dark Brad ever again…!
"...If you say so." She looks over at Brittany! "...Oh- oh, wow. I can… see it. How'd she change so much? I mean he- darn..."
Steppin' over to us, Brittany answers! "...Well, a few days in, the girls took me down to Patchy, and uh-"
Koi wraps her arms around Genkan's back, and-
Her hands grope the yuki-onna's breasts! "A- ah…" Genkan's hands just extend at her sides, and-
Fwa~sh! ...Koi is frozen instantly!
Slipping the frozen fairy off 'a herself telekinetically, Genkan just sighs. "I hate fairies."
Smirking, Komi snorts! "Good, 'cause we hate you too."
...Frowning, Genkan doesn't seem pleased with this response!
Movin' between the two, Clownpiece interjects with the rescue, dude! "You~ are not all fairies!"
"You're foot stool height." Komi beams down at her. "I bet that hair's real comfy. It is a pretty gold..."
"I'm not bein' a foot stool again- or to you!" ...The way you phrase that kinda implies you've been one before! "I bet your feet stink!" Clownpiece wit' the kill dude!
Fwa~sh. Before Komi can even continue more, Genkan just freezes her.
...I look at her, and she faces me with satisfaction, dude.
...Maria nods at this! "Are they your um, friends…?"
"Yeah." Brittany steps up to me… "They're a little dumb, but I love 'em. And- hey you, Brad guy."
"I'm not gonna suck your dick son." It's time to insinuate the weird shit dude!
"Gay." She shakes her head at me. "You use that key I gave you yet? I swear if you forgot about it, you may as well be sucking dick."
I hold my arms out! "I vaguely remember it! Fly to some fuckspace outside Youkai Mountain, right…? In the air?" I remember there's supposed to be a lot of shit up there. It makes sense, being like, the Gensokyo mountain.
"Yeah- do that. Mhm." With that, she starts troddin' off… "Well, have fun. Hey, Namori!" She calls out to Namori, who's actually still here!
Ha-chan's stretching her cheeks, while she stares up at the taller fairy helplessly…
...Brittany shakes her head. "You know what, nah. I'm gonna go look for an orgy." You're what. Turnin' back to me, she- he I don't freakin' care- gives us a peace sign. "Bye~!"
...I'm a little taken, here! "I don't actually know if this place has communal orgies..."
"As you shouldn't." Shaking her head too, Genkan starts drifting ahead slowly… "Let's get out of here before the sun rises again." Y'know, that's a~... that's a good idea.
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
We stop in the front lobby… s'nice and big like always. Big stairway in the midst to a catwalk along the upper floor, red everywhere… pots stacked atop little marble things. Hoh!
"Should we wait fer Hecahecaheca?" I question the hell fairy of fun… "Or freaki~n'..."
Clownpiece shakes her head. "Pfft. Na~h. I mean…" Furrowing her brows, she focuses for a moment. "She-"
Fwiosh! Wat.
...Hecatia stood before us. "I really don't think she'll… huh." ...Looking over at us, her eyebrows rise. "Ooh. Hmm."
"Hi." I greet her, dude. "You're over here, now." It's a fluff 'ol time over here, dude.
"So it seems." Her form's cast in pink energy, for some reason. Must be the teleporter trail dude. "Hey hey, everyone."
...No one replies, dude-
"Hi…" Ha-chan gingerly lets out a really late reply!
Fwiosh! Clownpiece's back, and Hecahecaheca's not! "Woa~h!" She's floating and flailing her arms! "I went somewhere ne~w!"
And then- "U~gh…" -there's a new voice, yo.
...Turning, I see a- s'that just a freakin' janitor? Oh, wait. She's a janitor fairy maid. She's got this real economic and practical maid outfit on! And this little hard hat, dude…!
"Dude!" It's time to harass the staff! "It's the good maid!"
...She looks over at us, and kinda ignores us as she drags her bucket 'n' mop past us-
"What'cha cleanin' up, yo?" I ask the innocent question.
...Lookin' over at me, she pauses and sighs. "...Some idiots got themselves frozen, a little down the hall. I gotta go stop the um, water, from getting into the carpets."
Genkan's makin' herself innocent…! Not in the ironic way either; she's just not caring!
"Yeah, they had frosty vaginas." It's a well-known terminal illness. "And-..."
Have I seen this fairy before?
"Do I know you…?" I question the fairy janitor!
"No." Shaking her head, she turns away. "Bye-"
"Janitor-chan!" Brittany's existence earlier roused my memory of that really early time! "It's you, dude…!"
"Nn~h." Lookin' annoyed, she turns ta me! "What do you want…? The um- the carpets are gonna stain if I don't get there…!"
"Let 'em stain, dude…" I turn to Maria as she steps up to us, and gesture to her. "Dude. Cuddle friends."
"So this place does have normal people, I think…" Maria gives the fairy a focused look! "When you left me here, um… Patchouli had me fight some fairies." Oo~h!
That reminds me, yo! "What kinda spells didja learn, yo?"
...She fidgets a little, yo. "Well, I… learned some better versions of my regular spells. And, a support spell." Ooh. "This one…"
Bringing her staff to her chest, she lays her other hand over the one holding it, and closes her eyes-
Di~ng, di~ng…! A star-shape forms kinda in my torso, and revolves for a moment…! She testin' it on me…!?
...Oh, woah! This feels pretty freakin' weird, but not bad! Once the non-material star vanishes- like one second later- my form's left with a like… luminescent yellow aura. Wavin' my hands, little star shapes flake off 'a me! "Yo~...!" Holy shit son I'm magic.
"It helps us do magic." Maria supplies! "...It doesn't last very long, and I have to spend time casting it, but… it helps you guys cast stronger." Holy shit, buffs!
"You're glowy!" Ha-chan romps up to me! "I wanna be glowy!"
...Speakin' 'a fairies, where's Clownpiece…
Lookin' up, I see her trying to light the chandelier on fire!
"Yo!" I point up at 'er! "Genkan- the fairy, up there…!"
...She looks up, and quickly realizes what must be done! "Ah…"
Fwa~sh! She just freakin' freezes Clownpiece solid.
...The fairy hurtles towards the floor-
Cra- crack. Near the floor, the ice cracks open quietly, and she blooms out from it again. "He~y…"
"So it's you!" Janitor-chan confronts the yuki-onna! "...Sto~p!"
"We're leaving soon as it is." Genkan regarded the fairy dryly… "Sorry for the mess. I hadn't considered who'd be cleaning it up, if anyone."
...At that, Janitor-chan seems placated. "Well… think about it, I guess…"
Hoh. I forgot how cuddly Janitor-chan was, despite hating my guts for being a weirdo. I don't remember doing a lot wit 'er…!
...Genkan's holding onto Clownpiece's feetsies, as she tries to fly up again! "We should leave soon…"
Yeah- don't got a lotta time to just chase plot bunnies! "See ya, Janitor-chan!" I see Janitor-chan off 'cause she's cuddly.
...Slowly and fluffily, she moves up to the new ice chunks that were created, and begins picking them up while we get goin'. "Mrmm…"
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
Di- di~ng…!
Now outside in the airy night, our way keeps lit 'cause Clownpiece has the liberty torch, dude. Also, Maria casted that little rotating star on Genkan's body this time...
Man, I forgot how bright the stars are. There's a freakin' galaxy in the night sky, dude…!
"How does this work…?" Genkan actually questions the glowy sensation that's visibly runnin' up her body… "This is… really effective." She says that, but my glowy aura's already become dim after like, walking out a door.
"That to~rch... is really pretty…" Ha-cha~n, freakin'... maybe our main light source being a berserk torch has a chance to be a bad idea.
Fwiosh! Clownpiece is traded out for Hecatia again for some reason! "Uu~gh. Something went wro~ng." The casually-dressed goddess looks tired, yo… "The dream world- and this thing- it's, hnn~gh…"
We're also left in the darkness because Hecatia's not very bright, son.
"What's going on?" While we meander towards the mansion gate, Genkan faces the goddess! "...What could tire a goddess?"
...Facing us, she exhales. "Nothing that concerns you, I'm sure. It's just-"
Fwiosh! Clownpiece replaces her! "This is cool!" She looks really pumped about it, too!
...Then, she tilts her head to the side all fluffy, her jester bells janglin'. "Wha~t? It's fi~ne, Heca-sama! I think it's cool!" Are they freakin' talkin' wit one another…?
Fwiosh! Hello again, Hecahecaheca. ...She gives us a dry stare! "The dream world's apparently been in a weird place." Uuh. Wasn't me, dude! Maybe Flandre broke it. I dunno…!
"I broke it." I come out, dude. Lessen my sentence, man. "I picked it up, and then I broke it."
...She grins at me! "Wha- no, it was before ya went there. That's not where I was takin' this."
Fwiosh! Clownpiece replaces her again, lighting up the mansion's courtyard once more. "I dunno how this works!"
...While she's like, examining her own hands for no reason, I remember the fact that Genkan asked Maria how her buff spell thing specifically worked!
...Maria seems to be watching the stars idly now, so I prod her for it again! "How's your buff spell work, yo?" 'Cause I wanna know…!
...Once she turns to me, she answers! "Well… it's kind of like… giving some of your mana to make someone else's stronger, and they get to use some of it. Because, I've got more mana than the normal human, so…"
Hoh. That sounds like fun...
Crea~k. Genkan pushes the manor gates open herself. "...They're open?" Apparently she did not expect this, dude.
"Anyway!" Darting ahead, Clownpiece twirls around… "This place is like… it's really bright! An' it's kinda pretty!"
"The wonderful stars walk is wonderful…" Ha-chan waddles ahead into the evening with her… "Bye, Meiling!" She turns and waves!
Oh, yeah, Meiling, dude. I-
She's asleep…! Alright, dude.
"Not as bright as outer space..." Clownpiece shook her head at the sky. "But this is pretty cool, too."
Fwiosh! ...Hecatia teleports into Clownpiece's place again. "I'm not sure what happened, but this permanently pulled me from the mansion tour. I'm sensing what my fairy here senses, whenever I… swap out."
Okay, noob. "Switch back ta Clowny…!" The only light shining off of us right now is the light of Maria's buffs, and the dim gold glow's not that great for seeing a wide range!
...She gives me a curious expression, before-
Fwiosh! Clownpiece is back, and so's the light! "Quit yankin' me outta space and time!" She yells at her god friend!
...Genkan looks like she dunno what ta think about our current party composition!
Oh, shit, I forgot the red paint. Aah, I'm sure the village has some. We wanted to get on the road anyway!
"I wanna create space and time." Ha-chan has dangerous ambitions, all of a sudden…!
"No." Genkan denies her… "Don't."
...The fairy just looks displaced as a result!
So now we're on the road outta the mansion, and headin' to the~... village, yo. In fact, we're almost to the lake already after all 'a this talking!
...Casually reaching the lakeside, I blink at the water, then at the stars. "It's a fluffy evening, dude…" It's pretty cold, too. I assume 'cause it feels really good, the air is dry-
Fwoom. Clownpiece's torch flares up before herself, and Ha-chan practically leaps to it! "It's really cold up here!"
"Hehehe…!" Ha-chan's thrilled someone else experiences this! "...Lemme get out my coat and gloves." Holding her limbs out-
Ti~ng! ...She like, summoned her coat and gloves onto herself. She can just do that…!? Or maybe she's just transfigurating her clothes. I dunno.
...Clownpiece looks betrayed!
While we advance around the lakeside as a unit of like five people- six if you include freakin' Hecatia- I examine the lake water, dude. It's dark and it's wet.
Spli- splish…
We all slow to a stop, as a fluffle slowly drags itself out of the lake…
"It's dead, dude." It's all covered in mud and weird shit…!
"i cant see" It needs help, dude. "help no"
...Everyone ignores it! Except for Clownpiece, who whirls up to it… "He~y! You got these weird termite plushies up here too!" What. Fluffles are burning in hell too…!?
"Fluffles have invaded hell…" I shake my head, son. "We're fucked."
"I still don't understand what they are." Maria's as perplexed as we all are…
...Crouching down-
Fwoom! Clownpiece lit it on fire. "Wahaha!"
"Waa~l!" It wails, and tries to run at her, except it's wet and muddy still too-
Splap. So it just falls over and smoulders…
...Well son, now that we're done torchin' and torturing small people-
Fwi- fwi- fwish. The bushes, they shimmer, dude-
"Hello~!" Aw, dude! "I found yo~u!"
Ichigo-yuki's here, dude! "There you are!" She's also got a short friend with her, that I don't recognize…
"Where were you?" Genkan asks her where she was on nine-eleven. "...We neglected to search for you."
"It's okay. That maid lady told me to wait for you guys, so I decided to go chat up some local yokels…" She turns to her friend. "Say hi, Celica!"
She's this short girl with lilac hair and red eyes, and a blue long dress- wait a moment…
"Hello, and how do you do." She's fluffy, at least. That's the most important part…
"...Good." Genkan greets her plainly. "As long as you don't make trouble. Vampire." ...I remember now! This is the vampire who wanted us to head outside the village with her! Freakin'...
"I won't." She replies with a small smile. I dunno about-
Fwiosh! Ichigo-yuki vanishes and Shimokoa takes her place son what help no…!
"Not the most opportune moment…" Scowling at herself, she drifts back a little!
"A- Shimokoa…!?" Genkan instantly fluffs up!
Slapping her arms together-
Di~ng, di~ng! Maria casts magic up on herself. Is that a thing that happens…?
"Cocoa!" Ha-chan throws her arms up!
Fumblin' through my sack, I start ta pull out the Red Scare son-
Fwiosh! ...Instantly, it's Ichigo-yuki again, taking the murder-onna's place. "Hey- he~y, he~y…! No hurting anyone! You told me lies!"
Fwiosh! Shimokoa's back! "I told no lie! Thick-skulled-"
Fwiosh! Man oh man, it's hot chair potato son! "No~. I dunno how this happened, but you're stayin'... under control." Aw. Determined expression, dude.
"I can do it too!" Clownpiece exclaims! And then she-
Fwiosh! -becomes Hecatia, dude! "This might be a problem…" Hecatia was sittin' in the air with her legs folded together, an arm to her chin…
Fwiosh! Switching back in, Shimokoa's mint green kimono billows…! "A problem indeed. What do you know about this!? I'd like it undone."
"Pa~tience, gi~rl!" Hecatia beamed at her volume! "My~. Didn't know yuki-onna were so riled up!"
...Cringing back, Shimokoa looks half-wounded by that statement. "...We- well, it's important. I cannot operate on my goals like this."
"Maybe it's not a bad thing." Hecatia leans back and refuses ta explain anything to her… "What goals would a yuki-onna have, that needed immediate attention?"
Shimokoa points over at us! "The humans. They've corrupted my sister."
...Hecatia raises a brow plainly. "Who?"
"Her." Shimokoa points to Genkan. "Do you not see it?"
...From there, Hecatia just ignores her and talks about something entirely different. "Yeah, I'm gonna hafta~... actually, pretty sure everyone who needs ta know already knows. This'll pro'lly be solved in a day or two."
"...What's going on?" Questioning her again, Genkan seeks answers!
Rotating in the air, the goddess regards her. "An incident, probably. By this land's terminology, anyway. I'd call it stuff breaking."
Oh shit- Shimokoa's drifting towards us…! "Now that-"
Fwiosh! Not anymore, yo. Ichigo-yuki is fluffy. "No~! Don't do the sta~bs!" She flails her arms, and advances away…!
Fwiosh. Ohp, Clownpiece eats Hecatia alive again, dude. "Why's everyone ice elemental!? You guys're more edgy than hellions!"
Di~ng, di~ng…! Maria buffs my magics again…! We're freakin' glowing like superheros, dude!
Celica, the ice vampire of potential homicide, steps up to us. "I love you." Freaki~n'...!
"We gotta go…!" Holdin' onto the Red Scare like a complex weapon, a hand on the gun handle and a hand on the actual 'hilt'-y bit, I start ta move! "Let's get goin'...!"
"Hey, wait for me!" Ichigo-yuki- you're literally two-faced right now…! One side 'a you's fluffy and strawberry-scented, and the other one's a minty disaster!
Ohp- oh shit. Celica grabs onto my arm…! "Stop." Freaki~n'...
Oh yeah- don't stare into the eyes. "Clownpiece! I give ya license to light this vampire on fire!"
...Celica's head instantly meets the nearing fairy-
Bonk! Clownpiece shoves the torch into her face! "Haha~! Didn' see that!?"
"Nrgh…" With a frustrated grunt, the fluffy vampire whips her arm to the side. "Die."
FWISH! A big, boulder-sized rock of ice forms above the fairy-
Fwiosh! Hecatia takes her place…!
CRA~CK! It explodes into a black and blue miniature explosion upon hitting the goddess…!
But then Hecatia's right there, and in her face, too…! "I really underestimated how many ice youkai would be out and about at this time of year…"
Fwish! Celica's eyes flash at her-
Hecatia grips on the arm holding onto me and onto the vampire's other arm-
"Nh- nnn!?" I'm able to step freely away, once the vampire starts freakin' the fuck out! She's moving so fast I can't even get a good grasp on how she's moving-
Kroom. Simply placing a palm atop the vampire's head, Hecatia pushes her into the dirt. "There. Time out."
...Celica frowns up at her, only her head now exposed from the soil. "You... disturb me."
"Yes, yes, stalk me or whatever it is you vampires do now." Turning away from her, Hecatia starts hovering across the lakeside again…
Fwiosh! Clownpiece takes her place! "Darn i~t. I wanted ta torch 'er!"
I just watched a god curbstomp a vampire. Freakin' surreal exchange…!
Fwiosh! Freakin'...! What is this switcharoo shit son!? Shimokoa-... is just floating along with us idly.
I aim my weapon at her! "What do ya want from us, son…!?"
...She's just staring at me. Freakin', what the fuck yo… this night's been weird in every conceivable way! Get out of a meeting with dream me after being taken to the outer universe by a vampire, come back, build plant hanger science, meet the goddess of hell and re-encounter my transgender other-self from the rape universe…
An' then there was what just happened! All we need now is for Skoolatroon Prime to spawn and we'll be all good!
So now we're on the other side 'a the lake. Yeah, that took awhile!
"...Hello~." Woah shit, someone just flew up over the bushes in the brush!
I turn and see who. It's Letty, dude!
She lands before us, looking fluffy and flankable. Didn't she threaten to kill me at one point? Not that it matters now; I heal from ice damage, son! Come 'ere and give me a hug!
"Ah. Whiterock…" Genkan turns to her!
"Whiterock…!" Shimokoa rushes over to her!
...Maria tilts her head. "Whiterock?"
"Can I burn her!?" Clownpiece, no yo.
I turn to the clown fairy. "No, dude. Yuki-onna are cuddly. Mostly…!" Seems to be a fifty percent ratio so far!
"Hn~gh." She doesn't like that, yo…
"If you burn her, I'll extinguish your flame." Genkan threatens the hell fairy!
"Talk not, hypocrite." Shimokoa decides to belittle her 'sister' while she's here… "I am the only true sister to Whiterock here-"
Fwiosh! Ichigo-yuki bodysnatched her, dude… by replacing her body with hers! "An' what'm I, shaved ice…!?"
Fwiosh! Switching back, Shimokoa begs the big yuki for assistance… "Do you know what this condition of mine is…? It's detrimental."
...Letty just looks over the two of them patiently. "Now, now. You're both awfully worked up…"
I step up to her too, dude. "Hi, I'm a yuki-man, dude."
"...You." She recognizes me! "...You're different. Colder."
I give 'er a grin! "Yeah, yo! One hundred fifty percent ice resistance!"
"Be careful." Genkan cuts into my bragging…! "Don't be so callously candid with her."
...Letty just kinda blinks at 'er, lookin' a little curious. Then, she returns to the good 'ol Byakuren-tier smile. "I see. He's only borrowed the gift of the cold."
Borrowing, dude. Give it back when I'm dead! Nah, I'm not Marisa. This resistance gets buried with me! "Ye."
"Spare him no par." Shimokoa's demented, son. This is not news. "This clown has corrupted Genkan's mind and philosophy."
"Wha- I didn'do nothin'!" Clownpiece flails into activity!
"It's my fault!" Ha-chan runs forward between all of us, and begins spinning around! "I did the thing!"
"Don't blame it on me!" Clownpiece flies into our way too…! "I didn't do i~t…!"
The two fairies whirl about in our faces-
Fwa~sh. Yeah, they just up an' got frozen…
...While they're frozen, Letty continues patiently, yo. "What do you mean, corrupted?"
"She's been seeking company from this human." Shimokoa glares over at me. "She's forgotten everything."
"I've forgotten nothing." Gettin' irritated, Genkan argues back at 'er… "All you've done is ignore my logic and opinions, and… overreacted. I'll never forget what you did."
"What I did?" Shimokoa holds her arms out and floats towards her. "How about what you've done? Your ignorance is palpable!"
"We have done nothing!" She yells back at 'er…! "Nor has he! You've gutted an innocent man, who's done nothing wrong!"
"Innocent human!?" Oh, shit. Shimokoa's got ice building up around her form…! "Rrgh-"
Then, she stumbled forward, the ice instantly dispelling itself with enough force to make a brief flash of wind and frost. "Euh…?"
Letty had her hands pressed together… "My. You're both really excited. It's seldom I ever see such enthusiasm and activity from my sisters…"
"Don't stop me, Whiterock…" Composing herself, Shimokoa frowns at the floor. "...I will wait for your command." Daa~h…
...Once we were all settled and stuff, she spoke again. "While it's not unwarranted to hold resent towards humanity- and, socially encouraged today… it's up to the youkai who wish to make a manhunt of it. We pray on those lost in blizzards, for their heat. I don't condone wasting such a resource, unless they're a common threat. Is this a dispute over prey, or principle?"
"Principle, probably." Genkan does not plan on eating me, yo.
"...Principle." Shimokoa's lookin' sketchy about all this…
"Mmm?" Leaning forward, Letty ran her gaze across all of us. "Well, elaborate."
...Since the burden's on her- and she's pretty eager- Shimokoa goes first, drifting closer to the fun yuki. "Humans are not to be trusted. They kill us, show themselves incapable of trust… their existence is an unforgivable crime against what we could be without them. This man is one of many who stands in our way. He promotes ignorance- ignorance which… when spread, will erase our history."
...Letty seems to be considerin' this. "That's quite abstract, compared to what I was expecting you to say. Well, let's talk about it. How does he 'promote' this ignorance? Is it ignorance, or a message?"
While this goes on, I just take a glance over at Maria. She looks standoffish…!
"It's a common reality… that when humans act, it is in ignorance." Shimokoa starts to explain her rationale… "Take the village, for example. They hunt and kill- be it us, or anyone whom they find disagreeable. We do the same of necessity, and because their lives are, quantitatively and qualitatively, worth less than ours."
She gestures over to us. "When this man acts, he doesn't matter. What he does to our sisters does. That's what matters."
...Her seven years war is over dude. So Letty speaks about it! "So, what does he do?"
Shimokoa starts to speak. "He's been-"
But Genkan talks over her and keeps at it! "He has done nothing. The only crime he could be found guilty of, is showing me how different every human can be. The value of a life… even a human life, depends. It depends on who they are."
...Oh, man. Shimokoa doesn't look happy with that answer…!
Letty's expression looks pretty plain, yo… and then she shrugs! "Well. I certainly won't help you, with that kind of reasoning." She regards Shimokoa… "I'm not stopping you from doing what you think is right, however. Just be sure to keep your mind open." Daa~h…
...Oof, Shimokoa's very mad…! "Whi-... Whiterock. You're… being ingenuine." I like how she's angry that Whitero- Letty won't one hundred percent side with her. She's given you the greenlight to basically be as retarded as you want, too…!
...Givin' her a stare, Letty just awaits her anger expectantly.
Whirling around, Shimokoa begins to pace away. "...It- it's no matter. I cannot act here."
"Stop and think." Genkan advises her, as she moves past us… "Shimokoa."
"I'll find you." She snapped her gaze to Genkan's. "Then… I'll set this right." She's freakin' crying.
"...Think more abstractly." Genkan recommended, after a thoughtful moment. "Then-"
Woosh! Accelerating off into the evening, Shimokoa totally abandons us…!
"You're not fixing anything like this…!" Genkan vainly called out to her after she was already gone within a moment…
…
Floating up to us, Letty gives us a little nod. "I don't exactly disapprove of human relations. Especially where outsiders are- or aren't- concerned."
Slowly turnin' back around, Genkan looks a little solemn. "I figured you'd be perceptive, Whiterock."
...Then, Letty stares me down while I just idly stand here, yo! "You like your yuki-onna, don't you? Between befriending one of us, donning apparel similar to ours..."
It's time to give a speech, dude. "Ye."
Ho ho! She even regards Maria, movin' over to her! "You're also a cute little thing. Are you her friend, too?"
"...Ye- yeah." Maria's half-hiding behind her staff!
...With that, Letty turns away. "This was nice. I was wondering why so many of my sisters had convened on a rather temperate evening…"
Wait.
While Letty slowly drifts off, I call out to her! "Yo- Letty!"
Genkan cringes at my casual addressal, and the applicable yuki-onna turns back to me curiously! "...When did you learn my name?"
Happens all the time; don't worry 'bout it…! "Da~h, last time. Anyway-... yo. Viking monoliths." If there's one thing I remember from the past twenty thousand hundred chapters, it's that Genkan was able to summon two viking monoliths for some unholy reason and then never again. Said it was somethin' somethin' 'Whiterock', so...
"...What about them?" She blinks at me plainly!
"How do get do?" I need a Wikihow on how to make viking monoliths.
"I did… use up mine." Genkan reveals to her, drifting up to us casually to capitalize on this point I raised. "It was in a rather trivial manner, too."
...After a moment, Letty slipped a hand into her suit thing. "Ah, here…"
She held out a diamond-shaped rune, with weird circles and swords etched into it. "This should summon one when you may need it. Unlike the others, it reuses the same one. The only cost will be your mana… a lot of your mana. It doesn't persist for very long either, depending on how much you can supply it."
"...I see." Genkan accepts the monolith stone. "Thank you so much. How did you derive this?"
"This stone I had crafted specially." Nodding her head, Letty took this moment to space out and get lost in the night sky. "...Among others. I've been considering who among us to trust with some. Winter is still very young."
"...Thank you." Returning her nod, Genkan holds the tubby stone close. "...Does it run out, or…?"
"It itself you may consider reliable." Letty slowly begins to distance herself from us, drifting back loosely and lazily… "Your mana's a different story."
Hoh. Goodbye, tubby yuki-onna! Kinda wish she tried to attack me so she could snuggle me. She looks like she's got a pattable flank, dude.
...Now that it's just me and the friends, we can convene, dude.
"...I guess I'll just store this." Sliding the stone into her kimono, Genkan lets it rest there awkwardly. She stored it.
"It's nice and quiet, now…" Maria's got her sights set on the frozen fairies.
...I nod! "Yeah. Not fer long, yo…!"
Actually, yo. "You should test out the monolith, dude…!" Freakin'... I wanna see what Letty meant. It sounded like a quick summon sorta thing…!
...Genkan slips the stone back out! "Okay. Hrrm." Turning away from us, she aims it down the Hakurei path, which's just been in the background all this while. Then, she closes her eyes…
…
"Ha- aah…" After a moment, she exhales. "This is… difficult."
Wat. Me and Maria move up ta her. If it's difficult for her, yo…!
The stone's surface is glowing, only vaguely.
Maria moves to touch and feel the tubby rock. "Lemme…"
I decide to put a hand on it, too! "...It feels like a rock!"
"You're a master of observation." Genkan beats me up, dude!
"Let's all try feeding mana into it." Maria suggests…
So we all do, and- oof. Woa~h… okay. This is… pretty weird feeling. A lot of things've felt weird! I definitely feel like I'm getting drained 'a somethin'...
Vuu~m. The thing begins to hum as we channel energy into it. Freakin', what the hell is this thing yo…
Once the lines carved on the front glow bright and blue enough-
Kro- kroom. Before us, the triangular stone rises from the earth on its own. Uh…
Voo- voom. Two circular patterns of blade-shaped symbols revolve out from the front face of the monolith, which is facing away from us-
Holy shit. The blue aura that was on the symbols- the coloration runs across our limbs and bodies, flaring for a brief moment before calming to a dimmer tint.
Then-
FWOA~SH! Ohp, yeah. Monolith fired a big damn ice laser down the path. The beam was bigger than it was, and the stone itself stood at like six feet tall! Sapphire and white light filled the clearing, and illuminated the path way down to the village...
Kroo- kroom. Then, it sank back into the earth…
...Oo~f. "I feel like I've been up all day, all 'a sudden…"
"Maybe that wasn't a... gr- great idea…" Taking her hand off the stone, Maria agrees with this notion...!
Genkan slowly slides the stone away. "That was… something."
Makes me realize how little of being awake can also be attributed to willpower! Wait- yeah, doesn't magic kinda use that? Ahaha~nh…
At the same time, the blue coloration from that buff spell the monolith cast...
Drifting over to the ice the fairies are frozen in, Genkan moves to knock on it. "Yo, hold up!" I move over to it somewhat lethargically, and Maria automatically trails behind me…
"Hmm?" She faces me.
"Let's try picking it up together!" I've got a feeling that'll be super easy, dude! "Maria, you too!"
"Whah…" The little mage friend furrows her brows… "I guess I'll try…"
...Surrounding the chunk of ice, we wrap our arms around the broad sides of it clunkily. And then we lift-
Holy shit. Not sure if Genkan's doing all the work or what, but… with like one tug we managed to get this- ohp, yep, Genkan's doing all the work. Me and Maria can't even reach it now!
"My strength…" Eyes widening, Genkan stares at the blue aura running along her limbs… "What power."
Turning around- "Hup!" -she tossed the big fairy chunk!
Cra- crack! Oh god, she freed the hellions!
"Aaa~h!" Ha-chan screams! "It's co~ld!"
FWAM! Clownpiece's torch becomes a miniature flamethrower! "Why~!? I'm gonna freeze you back!"
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
We were tired enough to stop by the Hakurei Shrine instead 'a… going to the village and having to think.
Reimu's sitting at her kotatsu, looking doomed in the dim light of the evening shrine…
The lighting's actually really pretty, with just the dim gold given' off from her ofudas and stuff.
"Cold!" Ha-chan's being irritating, son…! "It's co~ld!"
"Cold cold cold!" Pro'lly 'cause Clownpiece here's eggin' her on. "Cold! S'cold!"
Clank! She starts bonking her torch against a sheet of metal she got from somewhere. "Cold!"
Clank! "It's cold!"
Cla- clank! "Getting colder!"
Clank-
Fwap- fwa- fwap- fwap- fwap! Reimu holds up her arms and ofuda rocket out of her sleeves, zipping around at a million different angles yet only landing exactly on their forms.
...Thu- thud. They land on the shrine floor like insecticided dune beetles. Aww…
Fwoom. Oh, shit, the torch…! It's ignited the floor! Reimu bolts up from her kotatsu, nearly flipping it-
Fwa~sh. Genkan freezes the fire…
"You again…" All grumbly-like, Reimu moves to reposition her kotatsu… "If it's about the village, it can wait. Only one revolution a month, thanks. I'm still going there every day just to try and get things situated, and it's… it's chaos is what it is."
"We'll help ya tomorrow mornin'..." I wave off her grumbliness, 'cause I think we all are. "Can we use ya-"
"No." She shakes her head. "...Unless you wanna sleep in here. You can use the kotatsu." Aw, yeah dude. Here's where my impromptu sleepin' skills get put to work, dude!
"Kotatsus are cuddly…" Hoh, hoh hoh…
"Do you not have any guest beds…?" Genkan seems skeptical… "If memory serves, you have friends…"
...Getting up and lookin' groggy, Reimu faced us and logic'd back. "Most of them have infinite bags, with portable futons, or don't come to stay the night... period. It's a shrine, not an apartment. I'm not just gonna turn you away… but no funny stuff-"
Fwiosh! Hecatia switches back into reality, and finds herself on the floor like an insecticided dune beetle. "Oh, man this is broken. Ayaya~y…"
...Depleted, Reimu just blinks at her. "I thought I'd recognized that fairy. ...I'm too tired to deal with you right now…" Getting up, Reimu just waves us off. "Stay here or leave. I don't really care…"
Thump. After she left, she shut the kitchen door behind herself...
...Once the fluffable shrine maiden was gone, Hecatia floated up, all the ofuda having been abandoned by the switch from Clownpiece ta her. "...I shoulda asked her to make some tea. Warm tea would go great with how cold it is."
Moving over to the kotatsu, I gesture across it. "Well, yo… here's our bed!"
...Genkan gazed it down unfavorably, yo. "I've never quite been a fan of these."
Indifferent and eager to get some extra warmth, Maria gingerly slipped under it, though. "Mmm…"
"...Can't ya make snow?" Givin' Genkan a grin, I move up to her… 'cause I'm displaced by the lack 'a sleeping accommodations…!
...Tilting her head back and forth, she made for the shrine door. "Between my fatigue, and this shrine's grounds…"
Turning back ta me, she beckons me. "Come. Let's go outside." Oh. I didn't mean weather snow, but uh…
...Maria looks nice and comfy under the kotatsu, and just gives us a stare in return as we meander on out. She'll be fine with Hecatia, yo.
Out here, the stars are nice and bright as they've always been… "Snow." Genkan tilts her head back-
fwoo~f. -and lets out a little waft of snowflakes into the air, with her breath.
…
Slowly, in the darkness outside the shrine, I can see a tiny flurry flake down between the stars…
"Good enough…" Satisfied with this, she begins looking around the shrine grounds restlessly…
...After a moment of enjoying the little flurry, I follow her little examining movements. "It's the world's tiniest snowfall. What're ya lookin' for, yo…?"
"Somewhere that looks fit for sleep." Genkan remarks…! "I wouldn't normally nap outside… unless it was a blizzard. These shrine grounds also deter most visitors, be they youkai or otherwise… so it should be fit for something less orthodox. I don't know." Hoh. 'Specially at night…!
...After a moment of her looking around with half-commitment, she becomes idle. Help, no.
"Aw, dude…" I know somewhere we could go, since we're freakin' lost somehow…! "There's a fun cold place we could go near here."
...Genkan slowly turns to me expectantly!
"Follow me, friend." I gesture for her to follow, and then begin to move. The dry air and these flurries are really nice. Things just being starlit's pretty neat too; with how everything's nice and dark blue, and you can just barely make out the snow that's falling. I'd probably be freezing my ass off out here normally, but yo ho ho…
Taking us to the hillside, I start to slide down it. "Yo- ho ho~...!" Goodbye, world…!
...After landing on my butt and sliding down the dew-crested and fun grass, I get to the bottom…
"I'd say something about grass stains, but your clothes are already that color." Smiling, Genkan jeers at my existence…!
"Yeah dude." Alright…! Now that we're down at the bottom of the hill, I move for the crawlspace…! "Let's crawl down into the ass crack of the world!"
Here it is! Nice and tiny, and rectangular.
...She eyes it in vague apprehension! "What even is this?"
"It's a secret underground lair!" Givin' her the good grin, I get ready to crouch down…! "For evil communist gangster computer humans! And their anti-youkai tyranny!"
...Oof. I'm met with skepticism…! "I'd like to sleep somewhere I don't feel like would crush me."
Freakin'... "It's cold in here, yo. And it's been here awhile, so it ain't goin' nowhere…!"
...She's still offput. "I'd like to refrain from getting this kimono any dirtier than I already have…"
Son. "Sometimes ya gotta get a little dirty for the good stuff, dude." Provided, I'm leading us into the desolate asscrack of the shrine, but even so…!
...Yo ho ho! She begins to crouch down…! "Fine. If you're so sure about it, you go first…"
Ye. Gettin' onto my elbows, I do the wibble-wobble on into the deep dark crack…
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
We're both inside, yo. It's also really freakin' dark! We can't see shit…!
"Nnh…" Getting back onto her legs, Genkan hastily brushes herself off. "You have a thing for these… unintended detours. I highly doubt we're supposed to be down here…"
Hoh. "Well, unlike last time, we're not gonna nearly drown or get burned to a crisp! As long as we stay in this like… good room. Kinda." ...Now that I think about it though, we could probably run around too. "Reimu an' me ran around down here and molested a bunch 'a things, so it should be mostly clear."
"Should be." Genkan noted my wording…! "If we get maimed, I'll blame you."
...Then, I hear her step forward in the pitch darkness. Darkness which makes me feel like this may or may not've been a mistake…! "You weren't wrong about it being nice and cold down here. It's even colder than outside…"
Hoh. Freakin'... what ways are there for me to make light that aren't holy? I mean, there's that dumb muzzleflash thing I could do with the bawmber, and then there's the Red Scare…
Wait. After searching the deep recesses of my mind…!
Clu- clunk, thunk. I start to make some wood blocks, dude…
"What's that noise?" Turning to me- presumably- Genkan wants to know about this noise…
What other ass-useless skills do I got-
Aw, dude!
fwoom. Throwing my arm down, I make the world's wimpiest fireball!
...Silently, it flares to life as I drop it on the blocks.
Then it dies, casting us into darkness again and totally botching igniting wood. That's awesome.
"Ah." Genkan witnessed the birth and death of man's gift of fire. "...Was it supposed to only last half a second?"
Freakin'...! Actually, what kinda floor's this room got? I think it's wood all through.
fwoom. I toss another noob fireball across the room. Yeah, the floors are hardwood. This place's got stone walls at least.
...I might be tired, but for convenience's sake, I just take out Red Scare anyway! And then I just…
Fwoo~m! Channeling mana into it, I fire a stream of deep red flames into the center of the empty room! "Ho ho~! Now we're cookin'…!"
"Just take out your flashlight… hanger." Genkan seems displaced from having to say this combination of words. "It's better than raising the temperature…"
Aww. Alright, yo…
...Some moments later-
Hehe~y. Lights're on! My one light. Got the good holy spells, dude.
"Let's find an actual cave bit!" I propose! "Oh- yeah, don't we got them pillows? We can like, make a seat outta them…" The best sleeping position.
"That's what I was planning on outside, before this happened…" Becoming heavy looking, she moves closer… "Ha~u…" She yawned, dude. "Well. This should keep us nice and remote…"
Hoh, hoh. S'basically just a different degree of outlandish and weird than sleeping outside directly.
It's really quiet down here, though. The darkness is spooky, son.
...Leading us forward, I look for one of tho~se… cave ends I remember seeing. Eventually this Hakurei Shrine-esque pathing just stops and leads into cave systems, and maybe there's somewhere cheeky we can sit…
"What's this place, anyway…?" Genkan questions it after we move through the Sendai stick room and down a different hall… "The darkness down here is… more than it should be, for a cave."
Pro'lly just the spooky ghosties. I'm shining a holy flashlight around so I'm not that petrified. "...Is it, yo?" She'd know, too!
"I would know." She even says as much, dude!
...Eventually, we come to a part of the cave where the wood floor ends, and breaks down into a dingy ass cave segment. Not very clean or sterotypical-lookin' either, it's got like… smashed hall bits visible along the jagged walls, weirdly proportioned offshoots… and for some reason the flashlight works even worse in this direction. Stalactites and -mites everywhere!
"...Not what I was expecting." Genkan's not thrilled by it either. Her cave's like… smooth path on in with those neat icy walls that're conveniently out of the way of walking. This place is ankle-sprain city…
"Maybe we should just crawl behind a counter…" I dunno yo. I step down onto the uneven ground…
...Uncharted territory, son. Oh, there's actually some big wide opening to the like, left of the hall's paper walls and framing. "Yo, look there. There's an openin'." Pretty accessible enough!
"Be careful." Genkan drifts down with me… "I really feel like we shouldn't be here."
I remember the kinda ghosties we saw last time, and I feel like a Shine spell 'er two would like… get 'em.
Shining the flashlight around- which is like a really bad fog light at this point- I explore the more evenly grounded… cave clearing? Big room, dude-
There's someone sitting along the wall, hunched with their elbows on their knees. They're all black, but their head's a little grey-looking-
Oh. Tha~t's… not a human person? They've got like frizzy grey hair that barely exists, and a very… weathered face, wrinkly and worn face. I'm not sure if he- or it- is lookin' at me or if they're freakin' dead or what. S'like someone took sandpaper to his features and they dried...
…
"Um…" Genkan steps forward a little. "Hello?"
The thing looks up! "Rakht?" Oh…!
Only one of its eyes works, and it's really… it could be a human eye, but it reminds me more of spoiled milk than of like, actual eye consistency. "Rka- kar- khakhakuh…" It speaks in clicks and gutteral noises, its lips partially melted shut.
…
"Hello?" Softer, Genkan offers it a greeting again, vaguely more offset this time…!
...It goes back to staring into nothing. Its one eye… I don't think is luminescent, but it's kinda like a cat's eye in that it reflects light.
…
"Hooh?" What the frik…
I sorta jerk my light over to this newcomer-
Oh. It'sa dark fairy, with white hair and green eyes. She's clad in blacks and greys, and drifts past me, pretty much ignoring me.
She drifts up to the like half-mummified guy and speaks. "Ser- jera- perasu- eng." Freakin'...
They seem friendly enough. "Does anyone speak Eng- Japanese?" Any of you guys speak in non-schizophrenic…!? I don't speak Arabic, son!
...The fairy turns to me, and frowns. "Stu~pid." Oh. Well she does!
"Hey, yo…" Let's speak like people, dude. "I just wanted ta know! It's my uhm… first time down here."
...Turnin' to me again, her frown doesn't budge much. "Don't go deeper. Stay here, or in shrine. Don't hurt friend." She gestures to mummy man. "Friend."
"Rka- aa." This guy sounds like he's got the world's worst case of strep throat…!
"Is it safe down here?" Genkan asks the good question. "...My friend and I would like to sleep here."
...The fairy looks particularly more neutral to Genkan. "Youkai friend." Drifting forward, the fairy draws a- is that a freakin' knife…!?
Genkan fluffs up as she nears, and once she accelerates up to her- "Here."
...Oh. She was-... giving us a knife. By the handle end.
...Genkan takes the plain knife, awkwardly maneuvering to claim the handle from her. "Why…?"
"Shrine maiden." The fairy points up. "Come down, exterminate." Oh. She's giving us a knife to defend ourselves against Reimu…
"Is he dangerous…?" Genkan gestures to the mummy man.
Fairy girl shakes her head. "No more. Harmless, hurt too much."
I've got a question! "Are there any evil body-snatcher ghosties down here…!?" Inquiring minds wanna know!
"Spirit light left." The fairy met my gaze, before looking down at the floor. "No more power. Blue light went, and so did…" For a moment, her eyes become sharper! "Wh-..."
...Focusing on me, she drifts closer! "Who- who are you? Do you know Sunny…?"
Daa~h. "Sunny who-who?"
"Sunny." Yeah- gee, thanks. I think I know which Sunny she means… "I- I need to find her. I-..."
...Her movements slow down again. Looking lost, she looks around, before centering her gaze on the mummy guy. "...Spera- jepta… Shrine House."
"Kh- rakaka~..." Letting out a little noise, the mummy man-
fwoof. He gets up, dude! And he slowly… very slowly begins to hobble down the way we came, into the hard as shit to navigate joining path.
"Yo!" I call out to the fairy! "Fairy girl!"
...Pivoting back to me a third time- "Stu~pid." -she calls me stoopid. What'd I do, yo…!?
"What happened when uh… the blue light went?" Does she mean Mima? She was blue.
"...The end." With that, she considers this discussion closed, and goes to follow the zombie down further into the caves.
…
Once they're gone-
Kri~ng! Genkan erects an ice blade in the door's way. "A fire- for light's sake- might not be a terrible idea. I don't trust this place enough to care for the dark."
Clu- clunk, clunk. I start shitting blocks! "Alright, yo…!" This place is fuckin' weird, dude…!
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
The like three ways into and outta the cave are partially blocked by ice blades. In the middle of the room, there's a big pile of wood blocks!
"Fume!" In an effort ta not use any of my hellfire-inducing spells, I stab Red Scare into the ground-
kroom- Fwoo~m…
The ground beneath the block pile shifted a little again, the ground cracking just a little to let some heat flare out from the ground. This is like the uhmpteenth time I've casted this, since it's actually very hard to ignite anything with just warm air and like zero to five embers depending. It's a really shitty fire spell…!
Fwhip…
Wait holy shit, I did it! I beat the blocks! They've ignited, dude…!
Genkan gives me a golf clap. "I've only had to wallow about in darkness for about thirty minutes. I've finished our, um… bed, by the way. If it may be called that."
...Aw, yeah dude! It's… a pillow placed on a sheet of ice. With another pillow against the wall behind it, so that we don't smash our skulls in the night. Wait- those pillows aren't quite body size. Oh man, we're gonna have to sleep seated…!
"It's the good bed." I nod at it…!
She smiles! Which is an expression she can use holy shit dude- "We've only got two cushions. I don't horde furniture."
...I might have some blankets, but that's totally void now that I just never freeze. "Good, dude…"
…
Tired I may be, but I'm not drop dead tired. Freakin'...
Genkan very much looks the same… then again, she always looks kinda drained. "Mmn…" She stretches and yeah okay why not…
Glancin' away from her boobs, I decide to distract both me and her, but mostly… me and her! "Dude…" Making more blocks, I mix and match them, dude! "We should play tic tac toe, dude."
Dropping her stretch, she snorts and grins. "I never understood how you could just keep... thinking up things."
Is that so, dude. "...Thinking's a difficult skill!" Do you know how to think, dude?
"I- I mean, coming up with solutions to problems in such… outlandish ways." Shaking off my counter-joke, she states things. "I've never seen someone do that. I didn't think humans were capable of being this different."
Well. That, uuh…
...I just grin stupidly 'cause I dunno how to receive a compliment! "...Ye!" Hnngh.
Ooh. That fire's startin' to really exist! We've achieved cavepeople status!
...Although that does kinda remind me… "Y'know…" I've been just kinda goin' wit' the flow, but considering how much time we've spent together and her both saving my life and snuggling the shit out of me… "How much do you actually like-... like hangin' around?" Just realized that almost coulda been misconstrued!
For a moment, she just kinda stares at me. "...You actually… care about that sort of thing?" Yeah, shockin', I know…! "Where'd this come from?"
Freakin'... "Well- I dunno! We've spent like… nearly a week constantly with one anotha' collectively, an' like…" Oh, shit. Lost my train of thought, for real! "Yeah!" Please hold while Brad-dot-exe reboots…!
"Yeah." She considered that too. "Normally,I don't keep in communication with my sisters for a week at a time, really. You've, in some ways… forced me out of my element. But I've not been opposed to it."
Aah. Y'know- why is that…? "What's with the whole 'we never talk ta anyone' shtick, anyway?"
"...I don't know." How...!? "We simply don't. I can't speak for my sisters. But, personally… I really enjoy reading, and sometimes sightseeing. Normally, like all of my sisters, I lock away for summer; in case you didn't know that. Those of us who don't hibernate do not have pleasant stories." I'd imagine…!
"Yeah- summers get freakin' hot." Ho ho ho… "Dude- what if you had sun and heat resistance, though."
"If that exists." Genkan does not know of the element rondo! "I'm a yuki-onna. I'm already the antithesis of fire, and summer is the season of it. If I cannot overcome it- nor my sisters- nature is simply greater than us." Hoh...
"Until ya freakin' give it ten across the head wit' a two-by-four!" I highly abridge what we humans tend to do to nature when it doesn't agree with us…! "...And, like, decades of engineerin' and scientific research and weird shit. Nature's kinda badass…!"
"We're not kappa." Genkan almost grins back at me…!
...I've gotta put more blocks on the fire, before it kills itself and I gotta spend another line break reviving it.
Clu- clu- clunk. Some embers splash up as it rekindles, dude. The smoke's kinda bad but the ice blades don't blockade the exits, so it wafts outside anyway. Not dyin' of smoke inhalation today, dude.
"Yo- what if you made like…" I point at the fire. "An ice stove, and made the smoke channel out?"
"Ice melts when heated." She- ah. Aah shit. "...Did you forget?"
I slouch. "Yeah, I forgot…!"
"To answer your question…" I asked Genkan a question? Wait- I did! Holy shit! "I can find your company charming. It's... admirable how unrestrained you can be. It used to make me recoil more, when I thought you were just some idiot." Oof…! "Now, it's… difficult to describe. You're very different."
Hoh. I dunno what to make of that, still!
"...Y'say that like it's not always charming!" She was awfully reluctant to compliment me! I mean- not that I deserve anything, but why's that…!?
"Sometimes I just think you've lost it and are going to doom us." Genkan starts to grin…! Hoh, shit! "Like that… bomb-propelled ice box vehicle. Or, that time you dug through the mansion's walls and somehow failed to enrage the mistress. You got us abandoned in the middle of nowhere with zombie robot fairies, and only recently made my adrenaline race, after the other vampire grappled us and took us into… outer space, I think."
...Yeah, we kinda got into some hijinks!
"Also, we nearly both died to a treasure chest." Genkan looks to the side… "That would've been a pathetic way to disappear… and, can you imagine how Maria would feel? She's lost enough in her life as it is. She doesn't need us to off ourselves in strange places." Looking around the cave, she spreads her arms out. "Like I felt we were about to repeat, coming into this dingy cave."
...Shieut, that's actually pretty depressing. Like if we died in some fuckin' ventilation shaft and she just never heard from us again. Oh shit…!
"Even so, the things I brought up have… not necessarily gone well, but haven't gone unfavorably always. It's risky, but it's new, and enriching. It's a whole lot of fun, even with the dumb risks." Standing up, Genkan looks like she's caught a breath of energy…! "I'm not one for outright hiking or the stereotypical sort of… 'daring adventure', but this sort of exploration is great. Even when we find something terrible."
Ho~h. Yeah, it is pretty great. That's why I've been at it for a hundred freakin' chapters…!
…
"So what'cher sayin'..." I grin at 'er! "Is that I'm a good tour guide! Dude, Clownpiece'll be proud."
"That joke was terrible." Genkan shakes her head disapprovingly…! "I'm not fond of that fairy. She's fun, but she's also stupid." Wahaha! "Like Hana." Oo~f!
...
...Wait, no wonder the room's getting darker. My fire's going out! Oh, shit!
"Fire, no~...!" Don't you die on me~...!
"At some point, we should discuss all of the nonsense we've seen…" She actually looks pretty happy with that statement. "Everything said…" Then, she moves back towards the pillow thing we constructed along the wall. "What draws you towards me? Besides my body."
Oh, woah. That's a hell of a question…! "Hoho~..." Let's see…
"...For awhile, like…" Oh, man, being in the talking position's weird. How'd she put up with this? "S'not uncommon for me to just tack random people along with me for my… escapades. I found ya fun to like, drag around outta yer element, and then Maria just joined us randomly, and that was cool. Uuh… you're also pretty smart! I dunno- I feel like…" This is getting complicated, dude! "Yer pretty comfortable ta be around- besides physically. I always sorta… play well off people who foil my insanity."
"Foil…?" Her brows raise! "You mean-... hmm. Your momentary self-awareness is… always surprising. It makes me feel like I'm actually talking to someone." Ooh…! "You get lonely, don't you?" Huwoa~h…!
...I grin at 'er! "Well yeah. Not really all about just goin' all cold commando on things. I like bein' prolific, yo!"
She snorts. "That much was obvious…" Taking a seat on the pillow seat we set up earlier, Genkan relaxes. "Also... you'd call someone who hates your kind smart?"
"I'd call someone who hates people smart…!" I hate the common moron, dude! Everyone does…! "Kinda. It depends…!" You walk around Gensokyo and tell me a little cynicism ain't healthy! Or the outside, or anywhere with people. Might be a pattern! "Some people're just freakin' noobs. An' some people are fluffy…"
…Yeah, the fire's dead. Way dead…! Hahaha~nh…!
Resting her arms on her knees, Genkan leans forward towards me. "...What's this 'noob' word you keep using?" Oh, god…!
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
That took too long to bring back…!
Genkan's still sitting atop the pillow I contributed, her back to her own pillow. She made ice to lay those on- you know, we probably could've just made a cradle or cage of ice on the surface or something. The irony that we innovate to save the pillows from being crapped out but not to give us somewhere to sleep!
"...We probably coulda made a like…" I communicate these worries to Genkan! "Ice bed frame, and put the two pillows in a sorta wedge-shaped enclave and then slept in it."
"That would've been a great idea before we decided to strand ourselves in a cave beneath the shrine." Genkan returns her retort quietly…!
It's sorta curious, but we're just staring at the fire while sharing the same seat. As in, I'm on her lap…! It was the other way around for a moment, but I'm less receptive to being smooshed. S'pro'lly obvious, but sitting on someone's lap is like… super weird, but likable.
We've got a fun fire, too. I slip away my fire hanger while I get situated again. S'a bit curious, yo! Curiously curious…!
...Oah. Once I'm still enough, she moves her arms to more properly adjust me. Our legs are a little awkward since we're just freakin' proppin' ourselves up against a wall, but…
Oo- ooh. There we go… this'll make do just fine.
The pillows slipped down the ice a little 'cause she'd planned for it to, her back pillow folding to let us slip down. And-
Wo- woah. We easily end up in a lying position like this… and I'm abruptly pressed into her. It's a little clunky at first, but once I let my breath go, I feel my form pressing down into hers...
"Hnm…" She makes adjustment noises, dude… and uh...
Awkwardly, I speak a little… "Wasn't a bad idea either…" I'm just kinda pressed into her like this, which is uh… good but unexplored! We're a little awkwardly positioned, but-
"I should've made guards for rolling…" Genkan takes a look at the bare sides of the 'bed' we'd made… "Too tired."
Uh- ooh. She pulls me up further, and I end up just… in her chest, like that other time I was lying atop her. For some reason I didn't anticipate this conclusion, but this is… good. My torso to hers is, like… really comfy…
With one eye winced shut, I stare to the left, and into pale skin. She seems to have loosened her kimono a little again…
"Nn- ah…" Letting go of all the stress in my muscles… it's just, woah. I never got why, whenever I just lie down or begin resting, it's like I just turned myself off and everything's on cooldown. I can't help but twitch my limbs a little, because they're so… relaxed now.
Instantly, I take a moment to listen to my own heart pound from the exertion that is lying down- and I hear hers. Holy fuck...
...This reminds me of something. S'gonna take me a moment to wanna bring it up, though. "...What'd you, an'... dream you talk about…?"
"Hmm…?" She takes a moment ta process the question herself…! "Oh. Quite a place to bring that up…"
Well, yeah. S'not like there's any better moment at this rate...! Once the skoolatoons pop out, dude…
"She… basically spent the conversation baiting me into entrapping questions." Genkan's voice through her chest feels… good. "She was sort of annoying." Pfft… well. Dream me wasn't much better either…
Maybe we shouldn't be bad-mouthing our dream-selves right before we go to sleep and become them. Aah, they can probably take it. S'their job...
...Being right here, I can feel her heartbeat. I dunno what it is about it, but that's just… great.
"I'm not sure... how much of her questioning you heard." She continues ta kinda-sorta answer my question… "She lectured me about my sisters. About… Shimokoa."
Ah, yeah, her. I don't wanna think about her…
I'mma be more specific. "Didn't she say somethin' 'bout me at the start there…?"
...For a moment, we just listen to the crackling of flames. Her heartbeat is so… I guess soothing. That's what it's doing, after all...
"Yes." Genkan's grip on me shifts a little, and it feels nice. It feels nice to be held. "...Her desire was… loose. Unchained. It… wasn't wrong, but I don't feel like her way of going about things was exactly… the best."
My… eyes're beginning to drift shut, lying atop her. She's so soft, and she smells nice, and…
"...I don't think it's a secret, by now." She slides a hand up to my hair… "I'm fond of-... I sort of have a 'crush' on you."
Oh my god…
While she brushes a hand through my hair which is wow- "We haven't known each other… for a long time. But… you're unique."
"...I- I like you too." I feel so weird, saying something like that… to someone, for like, real.
Her body tenses up for a moment, and I feel it.
This is…
…
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO: GENKAN'S PERSPECTIVE ====
…
I'm warm…
Why am I warm? It's not warmth, either. Just heat.
Last night's fire wasn't big enough to make this. Maybe what I heard about temperature shifting in caves really was true after all…
Why is there body heat on top of me?
Opening my eyes… I see Hana's hair, nuzzled into my face. She's tightly clung herself to me, and our… chests are pressed against one another. This is a first.
The cave is… different. Completely different. Where am I.
I sit up and slide the fairy partially off, freeing my upper chest and allowing me to sit up.
Most of the cave's grey stone has been replaced with red, crimson and pink mixed stone, with almost the consistency of gravel. The fire lit last night is now a pit of magma. Some columns of weak flakes dart the uneven walls.
"What…?" This is horrible. The moment I escape from Hana, I realize she was inadvertently shielding me from even greater warmth. Ugh… "Brad?" It's not like him to leave me alone.
...That clown fairy's poking a stick into the magma pool. "You're up!" Pivoting around to me, she holds up the burning stick-
Fzz~t…! It lights up with dancing red and white colors. Sparkler. "Welcome to hell!" ...Great.
"...That's at least accurate." Nevermind her. I need to get my bearings…
Looking around, I notice the glacier barricades I'd constructed are now melted, likely because of this thing in a clown suit. The pillows are sitting in water…
"Whah…" Hana's displaced, because I'd tossed her off of me. "...Ma~u…"
"Did you see where Brad went?" Perhaps I do need something from the clown fairy.
...She looks over at me and tilts her infinitely annoying hat back. "You mean the guy from last night? Haven't seen 'em!" ...Admittedly, the way her hat sags back is sort of cute, but that's not really the point.
Where could he have gone? Let's think about this-
Fwiosh!
==== BRAD'S PERSPECTIVE ====
Fwiosh! Wha-
Thud. What the fuck just happened- freakin'...! Ow! What a hell of a way to wake up…!
Where am I!? Gettin' off this shitty red gravel- I…
Clownpiece is standin' before a pool of lava with blown away wood blocks scattered around it, waving a red 'n' white sparkler around. "Welcome to Hell!" What the fuck yo…!
'What is this…!?' Hoh, shit! I thought I just heard Genkan…! Wait- yeah, weren't we sleeping…? When'd it go wrong!? '...Brad? Can you hear me?'
Daa~h. "...Um. Yeah?" What the fuck's goin' on, du~de…!? We fucked up sleeping pretty hard, du~de!
'...There's that, at least.' I hear her speak words… but I don't see her! 'I think I'm in the dream world.' Oh…? Wait… holy shit. We really fucked up sleeping! Ho~ly shit. I didn't even know that was possible.
How. Well- disregarding that… "The... dream world, huh. Is dream you there, yo?"
'No.' Mind-Genkan informs me that she's alone…! 'I'm just here by that castle thing, alone. I'm stopped whenever I wander too far… but I can sort of see what you see.'
Sounds trippy!
"I don't think I used the crazy fire…" Clownpiece is staring at me as I talk to myself!
"You used the crazy fire." I point at 'er, 'cause this is a good situation for that. "...So-"
Yo, the pillows! I gotta save the pillows, dude! Movin' up next to Ha-chan, I crouch down and start stuffin' them into my bag…! Ma~n. They're gonna need a wash. How's dry cleanin' work in Gensokyo…!? Actually- what's the preferred method of washing-
"Hello!" Ha-chan yells at me!
"Hi~!" I yell back! "You're snuggly~!"
"Yea~h!"She's all pumped up now, dude!
'I'd forgotten about those, yes.' Genkan admits that I have rescued the pillows! 'We're in the cave from last night. That fairy seems to have redecorated.'
Y'don't say. Oh- yeah, now I see the melted ice blades. No wonder my blocks were here; Clownpiece just turned our cave into hell. Guess she can do that…!
Romping up to Clownpiece, Ha-chan looks eager to speak out, dude!
...Clownpiece just looks up at the dam ready to burst. "Where'd all your energy come from…!?"
"I'm snuggly!" Ha-chan screams it at her…!
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
So uh, now we're in the pitch black gloom of the shrine, with me wavin' my holy torch about. Findin' our way out, yo.
'...It's pretty here, but also pretty boring.' Genkan's getting bored of being in the minus world, and s'only been like five minutes. I don't blame her!
I've got that pink aura stuff running up my form, which is annoyingly not luminescent enough to work as a real light. Freakin'...
Fortunately, the crawlspace out's right in this room!
"I feel weird down here…" Ha-chan's vigor from earlier freakin' vaporized once we left the warm hell room. Clownpiece'll be just fine down here with the freakin'... mummies.
"It is weird down here, dude." I move for the freakin' crawlway out…! Alright…
Getting down onto my limbs wit' the light, I begin to wiggle into the tight space. I mean, it's plenty wide for what it is but freakin'... still makes me feel like the ceiling's just gonna drop down and squish me.
"It's da~rk!" Ha-chan's instantly terrified 'cause I took the light with me! "Help!" Son…! Ah-
Oof! She's attacking my shoes or somethin', dude!
'Keep going before she gives herself a concussion.' Wahaha!
...Yeah, I dunno what's going on with this whole body switcharoo thing. Hecatia didn't seem to be hanging with Clownpiece back there- ta my knowledge- so… I really dunno what's up with that. Hecatia said something broke! Aaa~h!
We're outside, dude. Let there be light! Ooh, there's a lotta light…!
Sun's freakin bright today…! Oof!
...Ha-chan shoots out of the crawlspace once I'm out of it! "I'm free~...!" Springing into the air, she spreads her wings…!
"Yeah, dude!" Before the thunderstorm, and etcetera! "Let's go be rabble rousers, yo!"
'Before you get any smart ideas, go to the shrine.' Genkan demands a course of action…!
"Yeah, that's- that's where I was plannin'...!" Time to crawl up the hill, dude. "We gotta get Maria, yo."
"Mmm…!" Floating down near me, Ha-chan stops flying and begins crawling up the hill herself. Son…!
...This is quite the hill to crawl up, too! S'doable though, yo. That's the fun part!
After roughin' it on up, I look around- god, the sky's freakin'... too bright. Oh, hey, Reimu's floatin' in the air over the shrine grounds, wit' Kasen.
While they do their fluffy things, I'm just gonna go an' see if Maria's still inside.
Moving up to the porch, I walk wit' less obnoxious than usual steps as I scale it and march up ta tha' door…
Sliding it open, I step into the marginally dimmer shrine interior! Maria's here, dude… and so is a passed out Suika. "Mmrm…" She's lyin' on her back…
Sightin' me, Maria begins ta get up from the kotatsu. "Aah. I, um…"
"Hello, yo." I greet the cuddle friend. "We didn't forget about you!"
"...Yeah." She scratched her cheek! "...Where'd Genkan go?"
Aw. Now'd be a good time to do that switching thing! If only I knew how…
'This would be an opportune time to-'
Fwiosh!
==== GENKAN'S PERSPECTIVE ====
Fwiosh! "-switch our… arrange… ment." Ah. It's… that simple?
I'm now standing before Maria. "It happened to you, too…?" Her brows are raised at this anomaly…
"Apparently." This must really be some kind of incident, if this has become widespread to any capacity...
...Also, Hana's finally come inside. "It's too bright out…" That I think we can all agree upon.
'Dude!' ...Like in the dream world, I can hear Brad in my thoughts here. 'Aw. I'm dead, dude! This is my ghost talking!' ...This is going to be distracting.
"...We should get moving for the village." Since Brad's not here right now, I might as well begin mobilizing us. "Maybe there's something we could look for there."
...Adjusting her clothes and brandishing her staff, Maria adds to this thought of mine after some moments. "We should, um… talk with Reimu first. I remember her saying some things about it last night…"
Honestly, I don't recall. Everything between getting to the shrine and exploring that horrible under-shrine cave system is sort of a blur. And… that time I spent with Brad. That was kind of more on my mind than everything else…
I can't believe I actually said what I said. I'm not sure if Brad's even the type of person to receive compliments like that. It seems like he does. There's a lot of things you can't be sure about with him. Maybe it's the comfort we've provided each other that he's been reading, and not my sentiments. That 'dream version' of me was so foolish-
'Dude…' Ah. Brad snaps me from my thoughts. 'What if we found Shimokoa and tell her you killed me like this, yo?' ...As mischievous as that idea is, it wouldn't last long. No.
"Bad idea." I shoot him down.
...Crestfallen, Maria looks down. "Um. Oh… ok- okay. What, um..."
...Oh. Shoot. She thinks I dislike her idea. This is going to take getting used to.
"I was talking to Brad." No harm in explaining things. Communication is key, after all… and that was a pretty grievous misunderstanding.
...Maria looks skeptical. "...Brad's, um… not here. Are you okay?"
Now hold on… "You saw the fairy and her goddess talk to one another last night, did you not? Or, at least the fairy." ...I believe I did, anyway. "This is similar. The one of us who's not here finds their body in the dream world, but communication between one another is possible, for some reason."
...Gaining a little smile, Maria raises a brow. "So… Brad's voice is in your head? ...That must be rough."
"Very." The whispers of the undead tell me to do awful things.
'Wahaha!' Horrible, awful things.
...Tomfoolery aside-
Hana's standing close to me. "...You can already sense him in me, can't you?" Let's test her brain power, and see if it's just above nothing after all.
"...Kinda!" She admits. "Like… he's waa~y up there." Hana points up. That's… huh. "But he's also right here, and is you! Which doesn't make a lotta sense…" I've never been sure what to make of her sixth sense for finding him. I guess that means, if I know where she is, I'll always be able to find him.
'We've been compromised, dude.' Not that that's a problem, at this moment…
"I'm… not sure if I'd want something like that to happen to me." Maria's rightfully terrified of the prospect.
"Probably not." To put it simply. "...Let's get going. We'll have ample time to talk on the road, I'm sure."
"...Yeah." Her staff held up, Maria moves alongside Hana, as we progress back out the front door-
"Love Sign…!" Nevermind. We're taking the back door. "Master Spaa~rk!"
VRRRRRRRRR
There's more than a little commotion in the shrine yard…
'Hohoho~h shit!'
While the big 'love laser' persists, I can see that pink-haired woman that was with Reimu tracing along the side of it, moving to engage that witch. Meanwhile, there's too many whirling stars and danmaku patterns for me to personally care for…
RRRRrrrr…
As the spell card that fuels the laser dies down-
Wham! The pink-haired lady swooped in, arms held by a large winged bird- an eagle, I believe- and kicked the mage off her broom-
Fwiosh! ...Then, the mage switched out to someone completely new, using a familiar technique. This incident's quickly becoming high profile...
Also, Maria's understandably taken aback by this spectacle of power. "O- oh…!"
'...Ooh, yo! Koishi!' Brad recognizes someone, apparently. I know the mage-... she's related to Maria, isn't she? Marisa, that's her name. She's known everywhere. I've never seen this shorter girl in my life, though. Koishi?
...While they duke it out, I begin to move. "Let's… take a different route."
"...Yeah." Maria sees no fault with this decision.
'Oof- I just…' Hmm? 'Marisa's got a incident thing partner, right?' What?
Looking back at the light show, I-... huh. It literally just slipped my mind, but there's a yellow and green-clad girl fighting against Reimu in the sky.
'Yo! Koishi's here!' Brad… hmm. I feel like he said something similar to this. Koishi?
Well, that's nice. We really must be going, so… my gaze shifts away from the battle, and we start to move-
'Freakin'- hahaha~nh…!' For some reason, Brad sounds stricken. 'Ho~w do I keep forgetting, yo!? Genkan- look back at that light show! I keep forgettin' what's-her-face!'
This is getting ridiculous. Forgetting who?
Looking back-
Shink! This yellow-green-clad girl slices Reimu with a knife. "Augh…!" Wait, what…?
Fwiosh! Reimu's instantly changed out for that pink-haired girl, who casts an arm into the air, bearing a similar wound herself. "Cure!"
'Koishi's got a freakin' knife!' So that girl who stabbed them is Koishi? That… hmm. That's a rather unique name. I-
"Let's get going…" Maria tugs on my sleeve. Yeah- I'm not sure what's happening here, but I think I don't want to stay here very long. It worries me.
'O~h my god, dude…!' I do remember him reacting like this over and over each time, so… I think we keep staring at Marisa's 'partner', and then immediately forget who she is. 'What the fuck, yo!' If we've forgotten three times in a row… it might be more than just our horrible memories at work.
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
For reference, we're now some ways closer to the human village. I'm… not sure why I felt the need to point that out.
I'd just noticed it now, but it seems that… bottomless bag that Brad carries around is now on my waist. It's actually pretty unassuming at first glance, and no matter what I do, it's really resistant to being unequipped like this. I'm not sure what it's even held on to.
'I've still got my bag myself too, so I'm not sure how that works!' Brad seems to see what I see. '...What if we put our hands in at the same time, yo!?'
Ooh. ...I might as well.
"What do you think's in it…?" Having taken notice of the bag earlier, Maria takes this moment to be nosy…
Insanity. Specifically, it's a good question. I insert my hand, and start feeling around…
'Let's see~...' Brad's probably searching it, too. I'm also really not sure how this thing works-
Oh. I felt something-
That's… oh. That's his hand. We begin holding hands, after defying time and space. ...Very cute.
...This works for now.
Looking ahead again, I-
"Genkan?" Oh. I didn't answer Maria's question at all, did I?
"...Cheesy romance tropes." That should be a sufficient answer. "Also, plant hangers."
...She's puzzled. That's understandable.
I want to have another actual conversation with Brad at some point, but I guess that can wait until we get somewhere to sleep. I'm not even sure of where I'm going to sleep tonight, which is somewhat worrying
I'm curious towards what other oddities this… body alternation? Body switching? We seem to share some things like this, that's what I'm getting at.
We're closing in on the guard-manned village gate. This place sort of draws my apprehension, at this point. This many humans- or people- in one place is simply… bad news. That's the only deduction I can really make of it. The youkai in the woods… well, they're not the brightest collective bulbs always, either.
I'm not sure what to make of it. Are people in numbers just… always stupid? Or is it people in general? ...And, who am I to look at so many other people like they're stupid? Aside from the… terrible housing, common sudden deaths and that one rape victim.
These past few days have left me with questions. Some answers, but mostly questions. What really are humans? Should I really be content with my thoughts so often? Should my sisters be content with doing so little, so often? Should I… be treating Brad differently, or-
"Guys…!" Hana stomps towards us like a maniac. "I found a big lady bug!" Despite all of that, this is somehow worse.
...Turning to her- oh. She wasn't wrong. That's a legitimately bowl-sized lady bug. It's… not so cute at that size.
'...'
Still, if this holding hands thing keeps Brad quiet, I might consider doing it more often...
After glancing away for just a moment-
Hana has the ladybug before my face, nuzzling it herself while she forces it upon me. "It's so bi~g!" What-
Tick- tick- tick- tick- tick- tick! Ee- ah-
It makes me and the fairy jump back, as it spreads its wings and takes off, letting out a loud, ominus buzz. Or, maybe an ominous hum. It's really loud for a ladybug.
'Wahaha!' Don't give me that. You probably would've killed it. Maybe I should have…
"It turned on me…" Hana looks a little lost. It's not a new thing for her- both being turned on by cute things, and being lost.
...Wait. I just realized… I made an euphemism by accident. That would've been clever if it was intentional. It's not the kind of thing I'd say aloud, though…
My self-contained amusement fades once we're finally at the village gate. There's three men stationed there, who've been staring out at us since we began our approach.
Should we have a plan for approaching the wall? ...We shouldn't have need to plan to access the village, but these humans aren't worthy of my trust.
Not that it will matter unless we're engaged. Two of the men are armed with pikes, as well as cheap armor pieces. Unlike usual, some of them are missing some of their arm plates, leg plates, and one is even missing most of their chest platings.
'Aw, yo…' Maybe Brad will relate some of his experiences to us, seeing as it's just us for now. 'Tell them they're in for a penny, in for a pound…!' Or he'll just say that.
Once we reach the gate, Hana and Maria keep behind me. I don't really blame them.
...The armed men stand alert, while the one unarmed man- his clothing slightly more… robe-esque? Regardless, he comes up to me with a clipboard and a piece of charcoal.
Except, he's not saying anything. He's simply writing something…
Ti~ng- Chacha~nk! A flash comes from my right, accompanied by mechanical whirring. In his hands, he held a remote device, with an aura-accented metal rod sticking out of it.
"What is that?" I don't trust it.
'It looks like a person poker…!' Such is why I don't trust it.
"Youkai detector, youkai." The flat, brown-haired human holding it gives me a nod filled with obnoxious confidence.
"Identification…?" My attention is drawn by the clipboard-toting man again.
"...What… do you mean?" It's not a question I recognize.
Looking up at me, he shifts his posture to something more lazy. "ID. You live here, or plannin' on it?"
'What the frik's this…? They like… settin' up a VISA system or some shit?' Brad's not sure either, apparently...
"...We're just passing through." This should suffice. After all… we don't technically own property. Maria… her jurisdiction probably doesn't matter.
...With that, he nods and writes something. "Like, to buy, sell…? Specific reason?"
It'd probably be bad to say I support Reimu's ambitions, or anything justice-oriented, being viewed as an outlaw and everything. But… sell ice? That should be a good excuse, actually.
"Selling ice, and snow cones." That's innocent enough.
...Writing that down, the dismissive man meet my gaze again. "Do understand tha~t… unlicensed youkai imports are taxed, in favor of… the buyer. You foot the tax."
...I guess that's fine. I don't care. "I understand."
'You shoulda said you were a chiropractor dude.' If I knew what a chiropractor was.
"Who're they?" The most focused guardsman waved his arms at us. "Sanji- use the detector thing…"
Once again, the guardsman to our left marches around us-
Ti~ng- Chachank! He scans Hana, before bringing it before Maria-
Ti~ng… Only the first noise is made. The man seems to take pause for a moment, before-
Ti~ng… -trying again.
Returning to his position, he reported plainly. "One fairy an' one human."
The robed- I suppose- guardsman lifted his brows. "Human…?"
...Stepping around me, he looks down at Maria. She shies back at first, but then stands more resolute. "What's your name?"
...
After a pregnant pause, she replies. "Ma-... Merry… Coda."
He nods. "Coda. Coda, yeah… I can see that. Sorry 'bout the trouble. Have you applied for human ID yet?"
...Maria blinks at him owlishly. "Human ID…?"
Nodding with more effort than before, he gestures inside. "Yeah. Down by the new headquarters, we set up a permanent booth for establishing human identification. It doesn't cost anything, and it's pretty handy. You should check it out."
"...Okay." Dismissing his words, she looked ahead at the gate…
While we wait for the guards to fumble with the gate controls, Brad actually commentates on this genuinely. 'This is ironically more accessible. Didn't even hafta yell at a boy, even though they used that freakin' genie detector ta notice you're youkai...'
It feels sort of… unfeeling and ingenuine, but it's at least civil. It's a step up from their typical barbarism, at least.
Cla- cla- cla- cla- clank…
The gate to the village slowly lumbers open as one of the men lethargically reels it open.
"Don't make any trouble now." The robed man stands aside for us. "Say hi to the Codas for me, Merry. I'm Yoshiie."
She doesn't look like she cares about you. We begin to move inside-
"Remember to visit the ID stand later, youkai." Condescendingly, the human barks at me. "There's no telling what guards'd do to an unlicensed youkai."
There's no telling what I'd do to them if they tried. "...Understood."
...Once we're inside-
Clank! The gate shuts.
'Ooh, yeah, they're real scary!' Once we're inside, Brad makes fun of them. 'Y'know what? Ya shoulda told them you were a cheesemaker. You're just a cheese maker in a fucked up war, man…!' I can make ice out of thin air. Cheese, I cannot.
"If you knew anything uncommon about the village, that would be nice…" I request more useful suggestions.
'...I know a few weird houses!' Hmhm. He is an outsider, after all. You'd think a human would flock to the human village like a moth to flame, but he's demonstrated the opposite. Probably for good reason, but it's still interesting…
"We- well…" Aah. Maria thought I was singling her out again, for some reason… "Not- not… really. I'm sorry."
"I was talking to Brad again." Maybe I should announce it or something. That might look… off, though. This is an unprecedented situation…
'Maria thinks you're imagining Brads, dude. He was a good man.' Really~...
…So now here we are. Before the entire village, where ninety percent if not more of the land's human populace resides, the sun in our eyes and a cool breeze guiding our steps. We never got a good word from Reimu about what we should be doing today… so I guess it's up to us. The prospect's kind of staggering, now that we're here.
"Maybe… we should check out that ID stand." Maria considered aloud.
'Maybe we should check out a mental ward, dude!' ...I don't feel like this village is sophisticated enough for one, even. Otherwise, everyone here would be in it.
...I take in a deep breath. We probably have a long day before us, yet again.
==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====
END OF CHAPTER 84
PERSPECTIVE HOLDER: Genkan, the Yuki-onna.
SKILLS:
Ice Control - Freely use ice to make stuff. Inherent one hundred percent ice resistance. Negative one hundred fire and burning resistance.
Freeze - Instantly freezes one to two enemies. Low chance of working on stronger foes.
Creaking Freeze - Generates a spinning, magic snowflake in an enemy's body, which instantly freezes them after a moment. High accuracy.
Tundra - Precursor to Glacier. Weak spike of ice that serves more as a warning. Physical ice attack.
Glacier - Erects a massive blade of ice from the ground, dealing incredible physical ice damage.
Triple Glacier - Same as above, except with more sudden scope across more targets. Less accurate. More costly.
Ice Spin - Not the skill Brad thinks it is. Creates a ring of initializing frost around a wide area, with a high chance to freeze.
Ice Shard - Advanced ice magic. May freeze enemies. Creates ice magic in their body, and freezes the air around them.
Snow - Make it snow locally. Very minor ambient ice damage to everyone on the battlefield, including allies. Has a low chance to instantly freeze someone for no reason.
Yuki-onna's Embrace - Hug. Binds target close to her. Makes the target tired, severely lowers accuracy and magical defense, and makes them comfortable. Skill may only be performed by my kind. Negative facets reduced by ice and freezing resist. Someone with over a hundred resistance will be buffed and healed by it.
Yuki-onna's Entombment - Final, optional stage of the hug. Guaranteed instant death inflicted by the draining of vitality. Heals the user for the heat taken from the target. Does not work well on bosses or the instant death resistant. Instant death proc is nullified if the target's ice or freezing resistance is over fifty percent. Skill may only be performed by my kind.
INVENTORY:
Absolute Zero Kimono - A better version of the stock yuki-onna kimono. Outfited with new royal blue and cyan trims. A little cheesy, but also really different.
STATS:
One hundred percent ice resistance.
Effects vary when not worn by me.
=o=
Two thousand yen - Pocket money.
Bagged Money - Pity money from Reimu, for what we've witnessed in work.
Peppermint - Candy from home.
Fans - Regular fans. Helps me spread out frigid air, but I mostly hold onto them for personal fashion.
Ninjas of Love - Novel.
Viking Rune - Reusable rune that summons a viking monolith. Whiterock was very brief, but apparently vikings were ancient warriors who hailed from frozen lands to the north. Once summoned, it greatly increases everyone's physical attack prowess, before firing a frost spark with massive freezing capabilities. Very costly to all party members. Uses two inventory slots.
[three spaces remaining]
{Brad's Inventory} - I'm not going to list it twice. While 'linked', I have access to his things. How… bizarre.
==o==
Maria, the Actually Ordinary Magician - A villager from the human village. Sort of down on herself, and not very confident… but when she gains steam, she can be very determined. Resistances and weaknesses depend on equipment. Can cast basic elemental spells.
SKILLS:
Fire - Small, homing fireball of doom. May ignite foes! Doesn't do much damage.
Fira - Slightly larger homing fireball of doom. May ignite foes. Bursts broader than the preceding spell.
Blizzard - Spread shot of big snowflakes. May chill foes.
Blizzara - Big spread shot of myriad ice chunks, with magical snowflakes whirling around inside them. May freeze foes.
Thunder - Random spread of bolts in an area. Basic electric spell.
Thundara - Random spread of bolts in an area which explode on impact with the ground. May stun foes.
Charm - Boosts magical attack of self or an ally moderately.
INVENTORY:
Pine Frost Staff - Made with pine wood and an icy reagent.
STATS:
Twenty five percent ice resistance.
One hundred percent freezing resistance.
Negative fifty percent burning resistance.
SKILLS:
Ice Shard - Advanced ice magic. May freeze enemies. Creates ice magic in their body, and freezes the air around them.
=o=
Casual Freeze Clothes - Casual, neon villager garb. Bright yellow shirt with a blue snowflake stitched onto the front, a bright blue skirt, and a tan vest.
STATS:
Fifty percent ice resistant.
One hundred percent freezing resistant.
=o=
Wood Staff - Training foci for magic. Not very good for much else.
Magical Lens - When coupled with magic, this lens shoots non-elemental lasers. Gift from Marcus Kirisame.
[Travel Bag] - Item that grants inventory by holding more items. I feel stupid mentioning this. Eight slots.
Two Mana Potions - Alchemical blends which restore magic energy.
[four spaces remaining]
==o==
Hana, the Electric Fairy Maid - Brad's cute- albeit sometimes annoying- fairy maid companion. Healed by electric magic. Immune to electric stunning, obviously. Weak to earth, poison and darkness. Quick to become ill from poison.
SKILLS:
Little Zap - Basic electric magic. Zaps a target twice with static from above.
Random Electric - When pressured, uses random electric spells.
Electric Control - With true power, she's able to stun opponents into submission by touching them.
Electric Elemental - Three hundred percent electric resistant. One hundred percent resistance to electrical stunning.
INVENTORY:
Hana's Fairy Maid Uniform - Stock standard uniform from the mansion! Cyan-tinted in places to match her hair color. Cute.
==o==
Brad, the Fluffle Slayer, Fairy Slayer, Accidental Human Slayer, Robot Demolisher, Ph. D in Plant Hangers, Scarlet Liberator, Village Liberator, Eientei Crucible, Sinker of the Flufftanic, Factory Disassembler, Assembler of the Legendary Air Ride Machine, Sky Climber, Amateur Espionage Practitioner, Illegal Fairy Harborer, Conscientious Party Member, Winter Warrior, Village Revolutionary, Has Forgotten What Half of These Titles Stood For, Holder of Too Many Titles - Outsider with way too many titles. Comes off strange at first, but he's actually kind and creative. Changes elements, equipment and skills depending on the situation. Carries many healing items, and hordes things. Weaknesses and resistances vary.
PRIMARY WEAPON: Fallen Comrade - Big ugly club with a sickle on the end of it, made of many clashing metal welds. Boosts the power of dark skills.
STATS:
Slightly debuffs target's physical attack on impact.
Fifty percent darkness resistance.
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.
Jack Hammer - I don't think this should work.
Generic Buff - Channeling mana into the hanger gives the user a marginal increase in physical stats. Moderate increase to physical defense and offense.
Pulse - Basic dark magic, which creates an influx of dark magic in an enemy's form and stresses their whole body. Reduces magic attack.
Gaia Seed - Basic earth magic which intensifies Earth's pull a little. May make targets slightly tired.
Gaia Bloom - Advanced earth magic, which intensifies Earth's pull, with multiple instances of hazy earth magic. Makes the target tired.
Tundra - Crate-sized spike of ice that erupts under people and throws them off balance. I suppose it'd hurt if you fell on it. Basic ice attack.
Ice Shard - Advanced ice magic. May freeze enemies. Creates ice magic in their body, before initializing fully by flash-freezing the air all around them.
Combo Plus - User artificially gets an extra hit. Can be canceled out of.
Combo Jump - User cancels out of combos easily.
Frost Trail - User leaves frost in their trail while jumping.
NON-EQUIP SKILLS:
Lucky Star - Non-elemental magic that does very random damage to one target. The star is summoned from above, and simply coasts into people.
Scent Pillow - A spell taught by Koakuma. A horrible, awful technique.
World's Wimpiest Fireball - A spell learned from a book given to Brad by Patchouli. Not very good for anything. May dry out targets.
Lumen - Low-grade holy spell that eats mana. Requires a source of holy to actually be cast. Homes in on an enemy and deals a burst of mediocre holy damage.
Double Jump - Another peculiar skill. Allows the user to completely cancel their falling momentum and jump again.
Perfectly Possessed - Perspective has been transferred temporarily. I'm… not sure what any of that means.
{IceBerg} - While possessed by me, Brad gains access to this spell. Crude ice blade that shatters up from the ground and deals great physical ice damage to one opponent. Very costly.
{Ice Element} - Shared ability. Brad gains fifty percent ice resistance.
INVENTORY:
[Bag of Holding] - Allows Brad to have infinite inventory. Seemingly indestructible. Seems bound to fate to never get lost.
==o==
WEAPONS:
=o=
Youkai Inconveniencer - Holy plant hanger etched with Hakurei runes. Is also a flail, because of the… chain of cross necklaces. Hrrm. 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 - Holy flashlight that makes me uncomfortable when it's on me too long.
Shine - Basic holy magic. Generates a holy orb in the target's body, randomly battering them with a raw holy gush.
=o=
Fairy Harp - A sand-red, cast iron plant hanger. Some kind of non-elemental monstrocity with grates, blocks and strings slapped onto it for no good reason.
SKILLS:
Gust - Basic wind magic. Pushes the feeble.
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.
Ironically Works as A Harp - It's not great, but you can pretend.
=o=
Red Scare - A red and crimson plant hanger comprised of purplish-red gems and crimson metals. Boosts the power of fire skills. Has a plastic gun attached to it. Absolutely terrifying abomination. Probably crafted with Shimokoa in mind.
STATS:
Danmaku confuses the target.
Danmaku degrades the target's luck.
Danmaku may berserk the target.
Ignites things with physical impacts.
May berserk targets on physical impact.
SKILLS:
Hellfire Plume - A jet of hellfire. Berserks the targets, resists extinguishment. Very unfitting skill for Brad, but serves a purpose.
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.
Danmaku Adaptability - Able to shoot danmaku, solely for the purpose of debuffing enemies.
=o=
Vortex Hanger - I've never seen him use this.
=o=
Deep Blue - A blue and silver plant hanger comprised of mysterious fantastical metals. Boosts the power of water skills.
SKILLS:
It Leaks - Can produce limitless fresh hanger water.
Geyser - Basic water attack. Gush of water erupts from the earth and might fling the feeble.
Valve - Allows water control.
=o=
Bee-Fitty-Fore-Bawmber - A mechanical plant hanger enchanted to make explosions on impact. Yet another link-and-metal abomination. Has a toy gun slapped onto it, too.
STATS:
Danmaku explodes, dealing knockback and splash damage.
Accuracy falls moderately when used to fire danmaku.
SKILLS:
Boom - All impacts create a weak blast. High chance of staggering the target.
Danmaku Adaptability - Can shoot danmaku, which has the same on-impact properties as the weapon. I sort of want to see this get used now...
=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. Looks suspiciously similar to Fairy Harp in its base model, but it's got different random trinkets slapped on...
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! - User runs 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. Makes it easier for Brad to perform against flying targets.
Air Slide Plus - Lets the user awkwardly air slide.
Glide - Replaces Brad's double jump skill with gliding.
High Jump - Increased jump height while running.
=o=
Fragile Flower - A cute hanger with floral designs and light colors. Looks like yard sale garbage.
SKILLS:
Enfeebled - Wielder has halved physical defense and offense. This is completely detrimental.
Cleanse - Basic healing skill which cleanses one target of all debuffs or status problems. Not worth the price.
=o=
Dream Hanger - Non-elemental hanger. Black and unassuming metal. Currently balanced, and easy for Brad to use. Has innate magical properties to it.
STATS:
Increases accuracy slightly.
Ten percent instant death resistance.
=o=
Yin-yang flail-o-copter - I really can't wrap my head around what this is.
Market Gardener - The weapon he used to drive Shimokoa off with. I've only seen it once.
NERF longsword - 'CAUTION: Do not jab at people or animals'. Why not?
NERF longsword - There's two of them. I'm not sure how or why.
==o==
ARMOR:
Camouflage Kimono - This kimono means business. Doesn't actually help him hide in the brush.
STATS:
One hundred fifty percent ice resistance.
Fifty percent freeze resistance.
Fifty percent dark resistance.
Negative fifty percent fire resistance.
Negative fifty percent freeze resistance.
=o=
Kaguya Houraisan Disguise - Pink dress with lots of white ribbons. I'm not sure what to say about this...
STATS:
Seventy-five percent time resistance.
=o=
Yellow Racecar Helmet - It looks really stupid, and that's probably the point.
STATS:
Fifty percent sun resistance.
One hundred percent freezing resistance.
One hundred percent blinding resistance.
One hundred percent electrical stunning resistance.
=o=
Lunarian Prototype Space Suit - A suit meant for combat in deep space. It's kind of unfinished, and it's also a detriment to everyone around the wearer. Has an oxygen tank, but that's only useful if you wear the helmet to go along with it.
STATS:
One hundred percent electricity resistant.
One hundred percent freezing resistant.
Randomly casts Zero Gravity when it feels like it.
Zero Gravity - Area of effect spell which removes gravity from debris and the feeble.
=o=
Lunarian Prototype Deep Space Helmet - It's a freakin' space helmet.
STATS: (alone)
Fifty percent blinding resistant.
STATS: (paired with Lunarian Prototype Space Suit)
One hundred percent electricity resistant. That… can stack up quickly, can't it?
One hundred percent resistance to burning and poison.
=o=
Testing Oxygen Tank - The oxygen tank used by the Lunarian Prototype Space Suit. Lasts for two and a half minutes. Not meant to actually be used outside of testing, but it's possible. Refills automatically in breathable air.
=o=
MP Prize Pin - A badge that allows the user to drain some of the enemy's mana, forcing it to become mana prizes on the field. For awhile only the user(s) of this badge may pick them up, but after a grace period anyone can.
STATS:
Extends prize grabbing range. Yay…?
=o=
Sun Badge - A badge that looks like the sun. Alright...
STATS:
Fifteen percent sun resistant. Useful.
Fifty percent resistance to blinding and electrical stunning.
Replaces the on-impact effect of all weapons with Sunfire Flare.
SKILLS:
Sunfire Flare - Flash of light that blinds everyone. Doesn't work on the sun-resistant.
=o=
Stock Outfit - Blue, long-sleeved shirt with a huge V-neck button-up collar. Blue sweatpants. Most balanced outfit.
STATS:
Negative five wind resistance.
May make the wearer tired.
=o=
Retro Patchy Hat - What appears to be a hat that Patchouli Knowledge used to wear. She didn't seem proud of it, and I don't blame her.
STATS:
Moderate increase to magical defense and offense.
=o=
Moon Crescent - Patchy's favorite accessory.
STATS:
Immunity to silencing.
Twenty five percent moon resistance.
Moderate increase to magical offense.
=o=
Anti-Magic Amulet - Deep blue, crystalline necklace given by Patchy in exchange for a blue dragon's bone.
STATS:
Sharply increases magical defense.
=o=
Reimu's Outfit - Shrine maiden clothes. Holy resistant. Another item that goes without explanation...
Reimu's Ribbon - It's really fluffy and cute...
Hakurei Arm Sleeves - Sleeves that tie to the bicep. Not very hard to put on.
Remilia Scarlet's Mob Cap - Twenty five percent dark resistance. Wait- isn't this the vampire's…?
Monk Robes - So much stuff...
Gravity Boots - Boots that reduce the user's gravity, by propelling them off the floor a little. Reduces the effectiveness of space statuses on the user. Looks like a fun time to control.
==o==
CONSUMABLES/OTHER:
Twenty six thousand, nine hundred Yen - Not sure what he did to make money.
Four Health Potions - Magical brews which increase life regeneration to youkai levels. Not good to take a lot of.
Mega Potion - Youkai-like regen for thirty seconds, which applies to the whole party. Can't think of many situations I'd want to be in where that'd be useful.
Four Mana Potions - More alchemical brews which restore magical energy.
Three Panaceas - Cures all status effects. Surprisingly common in the village...
Akihito's Broadsword - Some dumb human's sword. I'm perplexed as to how Brad got it...
Butterfly Dream Pills - Does Brad have nightmares of some description? Why are these here?
Rope of Red Bikinis - Despite all of the above, this is somehow the most confusing.
Some Fancy Key - A key lent to him by Brittany. Vaguely magical.
Youkai Exterminator Badge - Worthless piece of metal.
Yellow Star Gem - A star-shaped yellow gem. It's wild with directionless magical energy.
Sweet Sleep Pillow - Doremy's nice cuddly pillow. Really soft. Random chance to survey you on pillow quality while you're sleeping.
My Sweet Sleep Pillow - The one she sold to me in particular. I like it.
3DS - A what?
Another 3DS - I have no idea.
Picture of Sendai Hakurei no Miko Sleeping on her Side and Facing the Viewer while Drowsy - Who is this? It's a highly stylized illustration. I can't think of anyone who could make something like this…
Masturbation Pillow - Wha- what…? ...The way it's folded seems to most closely replicate breast pleasure. Um.
Dark Knife - Knife given to me by some fairy beneath Reimu's shrine. I've stashed it in with Brad's stuff, because really. I don't need it.
==o==
RANDOM CRAP:
Tables and Furniture - Hmm. Tables, chairs and other assorted artifacts of kleptomania.
==o==
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
gave the like whole inventory a once-over in genkan's voice . w '
since i fixed a bunch of inconsistencies while i was at it i'm probably gonna have to do this again once translating it back into brad's voice but that'll come when it comes- not that i can't steal some workin' descriptions from the last chapter - w -
this chapter went by really quick but that's what happens when ya mingle wit' a buncha characters at once and the writing pace flows well
still ultimately took some times since i've been elongating some of these chapters to compensate for things i wanted to get done and also like time per each for the characters present
so far feel like this's goin' well - w -
oh yeah the big incident shebang is here- but it won't last too long yo!
how long will it last? vote now on your phones…!
actually no i have no idea but probably just some days considering TH15.5 wasn't that long
but now we're back in the village, and we're ready to get traumatized or cause traumatization
hoh
as always, see you all next time!
