Chapter 3: The Wrong Magician

Gough did expect to see the witch again at some point. He just didn't expect to see her again so soon.

"Yoo Alice!" the witch from the other day greeted Alice as they stepped into her property. "How's it going?"

"I'm doing okay, I guess," Alice responded mildly. "As for you?"

"Meh." A pause, then the witch suddenly shouted, "Whoa! You're the giant from before!"

Gough grunted and gave a nod.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You did ask for directions to Alice's place," the witch grumbled.

Alice gave a cough and introduced, "Hawkeye Gough, this is Marisa Kirisame, a friend of mine. Marisa, this is Hawkeye Gough, one of the Four Knights of Gwyn."

"'The Four Knights of Gwyn?'" Marisa repeated.

"Yes," Gough confirmed.

"Never heard of 'em."

The giant didn't respond. Things were better that way. He personally preferred a lack of recognition over idolization.

Or better yet, hatred.

"Sounds kinda cool, though," Marisa remarked.

Gough grunted in response, not sure what else to say.

"Okay, we've been standing out here for a while," Marisa said with a sigh. "Come on, let's go in."

Hearing Alice and Marisa enter the house, Gough held his hands out so he could feel his way in. His fingers came in contact with the doorframe, and he got a good idea about how wide and tall it was before ducking inside the house. He kicked something on accident and walked around it. His foot immediately almost squashed something else, and he brought his foot back and gently moved everything out of the way with his feet as he scooted his way in.

He could appreciate owning a great number of things, but this was ridiculous.

"Hawkeye Gough, you could take that seat right there. It might fit for you..." Alice's voice came from his right, sounding slightly amused.

One of the dolls (it seemed Alice took them everywhere with her) led Gough by the hand a bit closer to Alice's voice. It had him reach down and he felt soft leather. A couch. He groped it to understand its size and, once he understood how large it was, sat down. Of course, he had to lean forward a bit due to the roof, but he didn't complain.

"Oy, you could lose a few pounds," Marisa commented.

Gough grunted noncommittally. He was bulky, technically, but it didn't matter.

"Geez, Marisa, stop," Alice grumbled, but a chuckle came out of her voice.

Marisa let out a small laugh. "So, Alice, is he your boyfriend or something?"

"Ha ha, no. Hawkeye Gough is just supposed to watch me for now. We're just roommates."

"Hah! Yeah, right!"

The two girls laughed, and Gough frowned under his helmet. Ornstein had described Alice as a lonely magician, but she seemed to be lively and happy with her friend, Marisa. There was something not right about that.

Since Alice was going to stop by the same residence that Ornstein lived in, Gough decided to ask him if she was the wrong magician. Ornstein hadn't specified a name, and it was possible that Marisa had pointed him to the wrong magician.

The two girls were still talking. Marisa was talking about a theft she had done, and Alice was chastising her for certain things she did, but she was nonetheless amused and laughed at certain points. She sounded so happy. What could be wrong with her?

The giant felt the doll pat his shoulder. Well, at least someone understood how lonely he felt right now.

Would you hold my hand?

"Sorry we didn't include you much, Hawkeye Gough," Alice apologized on their way to the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

"It is no problem, Lady Alice," Gough told her. "I am quite used to such events."

"That doesn't make it okay..."

Gough didn't respond to that. She was right, but...

Alice and Marisa ended up talking for almost two hours. New items they had collected, battles they fought, something about sneaking up on two people named 'Reimu' and 'Nasupil' at one point in Marisa's case. That whole time, Gough merely sat in silence, listening to their conversation as Alice's doll patted his shoulder.

Now, Gough recognized the doll was floating next to Alice. He patted its head, and it pushed his hand off almost bashfully.

"Is that a doll?" Gough asked, in case it was accidentally Alice he headpatted.

"Yeah, it is," Alice told him. "She's a special one. Her name is Shanghai."

Gough grunted in understanding before saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Shanghai."

The doll didn't respond.

"She doesn't talk," Alice told him, a giggle escaping her mouth.

Giving a little nod, Gough didn't press the question. Why would a doll talk?

The grass beneath their feet turned to dirt, and Gough heard the crunch of the grains scraping against each other as he put one foot in front of the other.

"We're here," Alice told him. "Let's go talk to the gatekeeper."

Following the sound of Alice's smaller footsteps, Gough followed her until she stopped in her tracks. He did the same, and he immediately heard snoring.

With a sigh, Alice remarked, "Meiling. Taking a nap as usual?"

There was no response from the snoring Meiling, and Gough wondered what was happening until he heard a loud crack of flesh on flesh.

"Wha-I'm up!" a new voice shouted. Apparently, Meiling woke up, and soon the sleepiness went out of her voice as she said, "Oh, Alice Margatroid. Gonna bargain with Patchouli again?"

Gough didn't hear Alice's response, but he could assume she nodded because Meiling said, "Well, okay, you can come in. But as for the giant..."

Meiling made an exaggerated sound like she was shivering. Gough wasn't too offended. He'd heard it before.

"Come on, Meiling, let him in." Alice argued.

"Sorry, no can do. Unless someone else can attest, then..."

"Let him in," a recognizable voice commanded.

Ornstein was here.

With a muffled sound of surprise, Meiling then shouted, "Ornstein! Do you know this-"

"Yes," Ornstein replied calmly. "He is one of my greatest friends."

In his thanks, Gough gave Ornstein a small bow. He heard the sound of Ornstein's armor clank, so he assumed Ornstein returned the gesture.

Giving a small groan, Meiling said, "Okay, fine."

The gates screeched open, and Alice's footsteps led towards them. Gough followed her, determined to speak to Ornstein.

Once the clean smell of Ornstein's armor was strong in his nostrils, he called: "Lady Alice."

"Hawkeye Gough?" she said.

"I would like to speak to Sir Ornstein while we're here, if that would be alright."

Alice said nothing for a moment. Then she replied: "That's okay. It's only fair."

He heard Ornstein turn to him, but Gough chose to nod at Alice instead. She walked away, and Gough heard the door shut behind her.

"Come this way," Ornstein told him, and walked to Gough's right.

Following him, Gough heard Ornstein sit down a bit away from the main path to the mansion. Going to Ornstein's vicinity and feeling the ground, Gough felt a picnic blanket on the grass. He sat down, and heard Ornstein take his helmet off.

"I wish those fools hadn't ruined your sight," Ornstein said conversationally. "You would've loved all of these flowers."

Now that he mentioned it, Gough could smell all kinds of flowers. From something as normal as roses to flowers as poisonous as larkspur, he could tell they were all around him.

"I do wish to see them," Gough admitted.

"I miss those days," Ornstein murmured. "When we were in our prime. Us. Artorias. Ciaran. Serving under Lord Gwyn with our maximum power. Slaying dragons. Bringing peace."

Gough didn't remember things being so simple. He did remember the people he was protecting mutilating him.

As if Ornstein read his thoughts, he continued, "Of course, there were problems. But, let's be frank, if a kingdom didn't have problems, it wouldn't be a kingdom at all."

To that, Gough had no argument.

In that moment of silence, Gough heard a tick tick tick like a clock, and he turned to its source. Of course, he couldn't see anybody, but he heard two pairs of footsteps approaching them.

"Good afternoon, Lord Gough," a gentle, elegant voice said to him. "Would you like a sandwich and lemonade?"

He heard the second pair of footsteps, one that was lighter on their feet, step close to him and give a small giggle.

"Oh!" Ornstein said. "I should've introduced you, Sir Gough."

Ornstein stood up and walked to the newcomers. His hand went on the first one's shoulder, and he said, "This is my wife, Sakuya Izayoi. And that little one right there is our daughter, Puella."

Gough considered the small girl right next to him. He placed a gentle hand on her head, and she laughed.

"It is my pleasure to meet the family of Sir Ornstein," Gough told them.

"And my honor to meet you," Sakuya replied.

Retracting his hand from Puella's head, Gough responded to Sakuya's question: "I would like a sandwich, if you would."

Puella tapped his hand and opened his fingers. She then put something into his open palm. A small sandwich.

"Thank you," the giant rumbled.

The young girl giggled again before running back to her parents.

"Now, Sakuya, dear, can you leave us for a moment?" Ornstein requested. "Sir Gough and I have something to discuss."

Would you hold my hand?

"Did I come across the right magician?" Gough asked.

"Yes, you have," Ornstein told him. "Is there an issue?"

"I have talked to Alice, and heard her talk to another girl. She seems happy."

"...I see."

Ornstein paused, and Gough didn't know what he meant.

"I apologize, I should've known because you cannot see," Ornstein said, his apology sincere. "Though you cannot tell on the surface, or hear it in her voice, you can see it in her eyes."

Feeling uneasy, Gough asked: "What is it that you can see in her eyes?"

"The crushing despair."

Ornstein let that sit, and both knights sat in silence.

What could have been minutes or hours later, Alice's footsteps approached them and said, "Hawkeye Gough, let's go!"

Gough stood up and turned to Ornstein. "I will see you soon, Sir Ornstein."

"As to you, Sir Gough," Ornstein responded.

Alice and Gough left the mansion grounds and began walking to her house. Thinking of what was going on inside her head, Gough said nothing, lost in thought.

"Sir Gough?"

Gough realized Alice was talking to him. He responded: "Yes, Lady Alice?"

"I'm sorry we didn't get to spend much time together today. How about we do something on our own tomorrow?"

The giant wondered if this is what was considered 'courting.'

"Of course, Lady Alice," he said.

He didn't know Alice well. But he knew that this was his chance to learn more about her. And if he understood her better, he might just find out what it would take to make her happy.