How massage places treat you on your first run.


Subaru had come to be a hard worker at the mansion. After his semi-successful battle with the bowel hunter, mostly thanks to Reinhardt, Subaru had been taken to the Mathers domain to heal his wounds.

He had noticed Rem's attention was on him quite often, and when he confronted her about it, Ram had simply stated that she just wanted to treat him to a massage as a form of thanks for helping Emilia.

If that was truly all there was to it, then how could he refuse?

[Subaru]: "Heya, I'm here, Rem."

Entering one of the many, many rooms of the mansion, Subaru called for his would-be masseuse.

[Rem]: "Yes, Subaru-kun. This is the right place. You're just getting a regular back massage, so you can just lay on the table."

[Subaru]: "Yes, ma'am."

He had to admit, the set up was nice. There was a fresh pine smell inside the room, likely due to the candles spread within. A few lagmite crystals gave the room a gentle, dim atmosphere. Not too dark to be a hindrance, but just dark enough to relax, or even take a nap.

Rem walked over to her client, barely keeping animosity from tainting her words.

[Rem]: "Alright, since this is your first time, I'll go a little easy on you. Just be sure to let me know, if it's a little too much pressure. Okay?"

[Subaru]: "For sure." He was starting to get sleepy.

And with that, Rem began her 'work.' She started to knead the tense areas of the boy's back, but with every breath she could smell nothing but miasma. The candles were really more for her than they were for him, but unfortunately, they were inadequate.

How could anyone bear to be around someone who smelled this… evil? It was disgusting. She could still remember the smell of burning flesh, when those filthy cultists ransacked her village. People like him didn't deserve to be happy.

She added more pressure to her treatment and Subaru squirmed under her hands.

[Rem]: "Relax your muscles, Subaru-kun. You just need to relax."

Cultists didn't deserve to relax, but that wasn't something she could say aloud at the moment.

[Subaru]: "Um.. Rem? This does kind of hurt. You could just go a little bit lighter."

[Rem]: "Alright. Understood."

Relenting in her assault, Rem eased her treatment.

[Subaru]: "Yeah, that's much better."

The only thing that needed to be "lighter" was her Sister's burdens. Getting rid of him would accomplish that easily.

Was he there? Was he one of the ones that came to her village, killing whoever he saw? Had he escaped, and followed her and her sister for a decade just to finish the job? Would they stop at nothing to make her life miserable?!

Rem kneaded the boy's back with a bit more force. She had to get the tension out; that was all. She struck his back with her palm, her form more reminiscent of a martial artist than a masseuse.

Subaru, snapped from his pleasant day-dream, had to bring this up to her attention. Had she not heard of customer service? It was starting to sting!

[Subaru]: "Hey, w-what are you doing?"

[Rem]: "I have to get this knot out, Subaru-kun."

Rem was agitated beyond belief. How dare he?

She started punching his back. Using her oni strength, she silently vowed to avenge her clan. One hit, then another. It was cathartic. Maybe massages were relaxing after all!

[Subaru]: "Ayy, chill Rem. Ackk!"

[Rem]: "I am merely getting this knot out, Subaru-kun."

[Subaru]: "That's not a knot, that's my bone. Aghk!"

She doesn't stop striking him. His back is on fire. He'd heard of discomfort, but massages were definitely not supposed to hurt this much.

[Rem]: "Hold on, hold on."

The oni sibling briefly walks away, letting the foreign boy gain a moment of rest.

[Subaru]: "Whew. I don't think I can do this anymore."

Just as he decides to get up, however, Rem comes back–

With a chair.

[Rem]: "Alright, now just relax a little."

Rem proceeds to beat him with a chair.

[Subaru]: "No! Awuahh! Chill!"

[Rem]: "I need to get this knot out."

"What knot? I do calisthenics every day! Where is the knot?!," he thinks but the words never manage to leave his mouth.

[Subaru]: "I'm finished! This is it– ahh! She's trying to kill me! AGHUH! My leg!"

He was absolutely right. She was indeed trying to kill him.