Chapter 2: The Vampire's Allure
Soaring high through the skies of Gensokyo, Alex and Shina left the dainty Hakurei Shrine behind and found themselves engrossed by what the rest of the land had to offer. At the bottom of the stairs leading to the shrine was a small village littered with buildings built out of nothing but wood and a little bit of stone, and surrounding its borders was a forest whose canopies secreted a fine mist of pure magic.
But the trees coverage was ended a couple hundred yards north of the village by a thick maze of bamboo stalks. East of the village was a lone monk's temple, and just farther beyond that were a series of tall mountains with a shrine just visible atop the tallest one. And on the northern edge of the mountain range was a garden of beautiful golden sunflowers.
"Wooooow..." Shina gasped so happily her voice cracked, "So this is Gensokyo..."
"Yeah...wow..." Even Alex couldn't fight the smile that was spreading across his face, "This place looks pretty well-kept considering its a playground for monsters."
"The gorgeous green scenery, the crisp morning air..." Shina pulled her head back and took a whiff, letting her draping, golden locks flutter in the breeze as she mellowed out with a delighted sigh, "I could live here forever..."
"I'll say. This is like the first planet we've been to that actually feels..." Alex peeked up just a bit more and saw an upside-down castle positioned in the sky above the northern rim of Gensokyo. As his eyelids drooped down his enthusiasm deflated into disappointment, "...down-to-earth."
Now that Alex had received a firm slap to the face from reality, he faced Shina and overheard her humming a soft melody as she let the wind guide her along. With her arms stretched out and eyes shut, she reminded Alex of a canary.
"Shina. Hey!" Alex floated in closer and prodded her exposed armpit. With a giggle her arms snapped together in an embrace against her chest and so creaked her eyes open partway.
"What's up?" She asked, still in a giggling mood.
"Is the artifact glowing or not?" He responded with a wave of the hand and a furrowed nudge of the brows.
"Oh right!" Shina whipped the stone right out and only had to prop it up for a second to see that the stone was as dull as a dead lightbulb.
"See? Told ya my instincts were on the tongue!" Shina puffed up her chest with a prideful smirk as she put the stone back behind her.
"On the...tongue? You mean on the nose," Alex paused and tried to put some faith that Shina's just screwing around, "...Right?"
"Nuh-uh!" Shina bobbed her head around with a lot of energy and then locked it dead center with a determined look in her eyes.
"Cause the Cosmos Drive is so close..." Shina stuck out her tongue and lathered her lips with a slow spread of saliva, "I can taste it!"
Alex blinked a couple times and then smirked before cheering for their immediate triumph, "Then what are we waiting for?! Lets charge headfirst into the devil's abode!"
Leading the charge with his fist thrust out, Alex kicked up his speed and rocketed ahead of Shina towards the frosty lake to the northwest of the village. Shina widened her eyes and murmured, "Wow, Alex's really getting into it! It's got me all fired up to do my best too!"
Shina hustled after him without losing the feel of the spring winds around her. Once she caught up they descended over the lake's surface, leaving ripples atop it. The temperature dropped a few degrees and the air grew foggy. Thankfully, their destination cast a visible enough shadow that they couldn't possibly get lost.
"Just up ahead. Say Alex, I just thought of something..." Shina tilted his way but he held his hand out and interrupted, "Hold on, we've got company."
A small fleet of tiny shadows was flying right at them, their appearances illuminated by the wide waves of Danmaku they launched out.
"FAIRIES!" Shina screamed out like she just had a stroke.
"Gah! My ears...!" Alex groaned, then ended up being pelted by some of the Danmaku while he rubbed the side of his head. The bullets were like pin needles on the skin, annoying but nothing worth getting mad about.
By the time he faced forward the head-sized fairies, all of whom wore simple different colored dresses, were now visible. They were all smiling in bliss as they threw their Danmaku out without a care.
"Awww, they want to play." Shina said, her eyes sparkling in reaction to their cuteness.
"There's other fish in the sea...Errr, lake." Alex scratched the back of his head and grumbled.
Shina's giggle at his attempted metaphor left his cheeks a light shade of red. He tried to shake it off and stay focused, then shot forth alongside Shina past the fairies, leaving them in the dust. But before they could reach the mansion itself, there was one more horror to overcome. Yes, a fairy very well-known for loitering around this lake still stood in their way, their catchphrase announced so terrifyingly sudden that it could leave a chill down your spine.
"SPRING IS HERE!"
A fairy that was more Marisa's size came gallavanting along, spreading sparkling pink Danmaku out in a bloom pattern around her pleasantly white-dressed body. Flying blindly through the air with her eyes shut and an endless smile on her face, the little fairy had no idea that Alex and Shina were there and continued to spread Danmaku in their way.
"Oh for crying out loud..." Alex slammed his feet against the air to stop and swung his arms up to block Danmaku, "Are we just going to keep getting ambushed by fairies wherever we go?"
"This' just her way of announcing spring, she's not lookin' for a fight..." Shina said while weaving her body back and forth past the Danmaku.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Then she won't mind if I do...THIS!" Alex swung his arms out and then rocketed forward. Shina gasped with her mouth open wide, but there was no need for alarm. Alex just flew right past Lily White and caused her to spin around and around like a tilting top, which halted her Danmaku.
"Oh!" She blurted, "I thought he was gonna..."
Proud of Alex's restraint, Shina smiled and caught right up to him, leaving a dizzy Lily White to mumble "Spring is here" like she was drunk off her mind.
After a couple more seconds they finally arrive at the opposite edge of the lake, where a classy European style manor awaited them beyond a small thicket of trees. The manor was predominately red, and had very few windows to its name. There was a clock tower on the left side of the roof, and some chimneys a little to the right of it. On its second story was a foyer with a curved fence that offered plenty of room for surveyance, though it was difficult to imagine there being much to see thanks to the fog.
Otherwise, the only other thing of note was the front door area. There was a gate and a fence to ward intruders off, but the fence wasn't that tall and the spikes looked dull so even a child could wander in if they tried hard enough.
"Alex, we're NOT barging in." Shina put a firm foot down as they landed at the edge of the tiny forest before the mansion.
"What? I wasn't planning on-"
"Don't gimme that, I've seen that look in yer eye plenty of times," Shina patiently reprimanded the boy with a smile on her face, "That's your 'attack first, ask questions later' glare."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Alex said, his eyebrows locked in a downward slant while his pupils just beamed with aggression.
"There are rules we must follow. We'll go through the front door like any other guest." Shina pretended to be fancy by lifting just her pinky up by her face.
As she took a step forward, Alex crossed his arms and said, "NOW we're following the rules? Need I remind you of that time you illegally broke into a government facility?"
Shina froze up and her eyes shrank as she swung back and proclaimed embarrassed, "Y-You did too!"
"So? Not like I've ever pretended to be a law-abiding citizen." Alex said with a close-eyed shrug.
Shina waltzed up and took his hands into her own, putting them up near her chest. With a pleasant smile she looked into his eyes and asked, "Could ya do it just this one time? Pleeeaaaaseee?"
All the gods in the universe couldn't compete against her disarming smile. With a sigh, Alex nodded once and said, "Ok fine. We'll knock on the door."
"Oh thank you Alex!" Shina bounced up and clapped her hands next to her chest, then spun around and brandished a finger towards the mansion. Alex left his arms in a slump and smiled half-heartedly, his eyes glazed over in embarrassment.
"You didn't have to go and aim your smile at me like that..." He whispered to himself.
The two edge a little closer to the gate, where they find a person resting up against the stone pillar on the left side. Its another girl, but this one is a little taller and leaner than Reimu and Marisa were. She had long scarlet hair that stretched down her back, topped off by a green beret with a gold star on the front. Her dress had the same color as a beret, and looked like what you'd expect on an ancient Chinese martial artist, with a slight military vibe in the mix. Though she was leaning back with her arms crossed and eyes shut, there was little to suggest she was sleeping beyond a slowed rate of breathing.
Alex paused and raised his right brow to observe the lazy gatekeeper in "action" for a few seconds before delivering his judgment, "I guess she really DOES slack off all the time."
"So looks so tranquil. I feel tired just looking at her..." Shina's eyelids began to droop, so Alex brushed her with a cold breeze from the wave of his hand and said, "You already dozed off once."
Fluttering her eyelashes dozens of times to wake up, she then remarked, "Well we can't get in if she's asleep."
"Of course we can. We just have to wake her up." Alex took one step forward and Shina started to move her fingernails up to her mouth.
"Oooh I don't like the sound of that..."
"What?" Alex turned back and gestured his arms out with a nonchalant look in his eyes, "I'm just going to give her a couple knocks on the forehead. That should be enough."
With a gentle hiss, Shina stepped back a couple feet and let Alex go through with his plan. He didn't even wait to turn around, and raised a fist up with all knuckles bearing down on the gatekeeper's forehead.
An arrow made of dragon's fire burned right through Alex's spine as he heard the growl of the divine's beasts fury as though he was standing in its jaw. A second later, his feet left the ground as visions of greenery were replaced with a blurry look at the sky. Then, he was spun around and pounded face first into the ground like a wooden peg, his chin eating dirt as a sharp pain snapped down through his left wrist to his shoulder and pressure applied to his back.
The gatekeeper had sprung to action faster than the human eye could catch, and with just two hands on the boy's wrist and elbow and one foot on his back she had incapicitated him completely.
"Ha! Should've thought twice before you tried to get the drop on me Yo-" Her fired-up, boastful pride was interrupted by her staring straight down at the back of Alex's head and noticing something peculiar.
"Wait...You're a human!" The gatekeeper dropped his arm in a second and hopped off, her face wild with bewilderment.
With his arm now saggier than a wet ramen noodle, Alex punched the ground and got right onto his feet, twisting his aching limb around the shoulder a few times while grumbling, "Of course I'm a human! What did you think I was?!"
"You were radiating a lot of aggression. I thought you were a Youkai. Sorry about that." The gatekeeper replied with an earnest apology.
As the pain caused him to grit his teeth and close his eyes, Alex grumbled under his breath, "First I was kidnapped, then mugged, then assaulted...They need some damn police officers in Gensokyo, god..."
"You ARE kinda responsible for that last one," Shina stepped on thin ice to point that out, "Ya shoulda not gone through with that."
"Huh?" The gatekeeper swung her head to the right and looked Shina in the eyes with surprise, "Your presence! I almost didn't catch it! Are you one of those monks who has trained on the mountains for dozens of years to free your mind?!"
"Nope!" Shina said in delight, "My name is Shina! Shina Aurora! A pleasure to meet you Ms. Gatekeeper!"
She swung her hand up and the gatekeeper didn't hesitate to firmly grasp it and give it a quick shake, "Pleasure's mine! The name's Hong Meiling, but you can call me whatever you want. The people around here have a lot of names for me, like 'China', 'that gatekeeper' or 'slacking off person'."
Hong Meiling ~ Crouching Gatekeeper, Hidden Dragon
Pulling her hand back with a slight awkard chuckle, Meiling tucked her hands behind and spread her legs a foot apart while Shina took a moment to wave the momentary throbbing sensation in her hand.
"Well Meiling, we're sorry for interrupting your nap." She started off with while rubbing the bottom of her palm.
"I didn't even see what happened. I just felt a flood of aggression coming my way and reacted accordingly." Meiling turned to look at Alex with a curious, wide-eyed tilt of the head.
"Oh, Alex thought it'd be a good idea to use your forehead like a door knocker." Shina spoke so casually she couldn't possibly have realized how much she was throwing Alex under the bus.
"You don't have to sound so cavalier about it..." He groaned.
"Who knocks on someone's head to wake them up?" Meiling crossed her arms and looked further baffled.
"Oh I'm sorry I left my alarm clock at home!" Alex blurted out, tired of the fact that he's been completely caught with his pants down at his knees.
"You...could've just said 'Hello'." The only thing she could do now is scratch the side of her head and glare at the boy, wondering just when he had lost his marbles. Alex caught on pretty quick to that and glared at her with the intensity of a furnace, complete with smoke coming out of his head.
"Soooo..." Meiling steadily turned back to Shina and struck-up a conversation in a more pleasant tone of voice, "Its not very often we find humans daring enough to come to the mansion on their own. Were you invited by the Mistress?"
"We came here on our own actually." Shina replied.
"On your own?"
"Yeah, there's something we need to ask of your librarian."
"Hmmm..." Meiling leaned back on the pillar and tapped a foot down, the squirming muscles in her forehead suggesting she was having trouble gathering her thoughts. She then pulled away and shrugged her shoulders without any malicious intent.
"I don't mean anything bad towards the Mistress when I say this, but I really don't want to be considered responsible for you being her next supper."
"Well maybe this'll change your tune." Alex snapped his fingers out over his crossed left elbow and ignited a spark of fire at his pointer fingertip. He then tilted his head to the left and flashed a brief, smug smirk.
"Whoa!" Meiling hopped three feet back and skid along the ground, throwing her arms up in a defensive stance for a brief moment before the flame's glow basked in the glaze of her eyes.
"Fire magic?" Meiling's eyes raised in sync with her gasp, "I get it now! You must be magicians in training seeking Lady Patchouli's guidance!"
"Wrong on both counts," Alex pulled his finger back in and waved his hands around, "Lets just say we're not from around here and leave it at that."
Meiling stood straight up and cracked a smile as she walked back to the gate, "Well, the good news is that you probably won't be on the menu anytime soon."
He threw a casual punch at the center of the gate to get them swung open, then leaned back up against her post and remarked with some concern, "The bad news? Well..."
She tried her best to keep her smile going as she said, "Just go with the flow and you should be fine. Just let it flow...like a steady river."
As Meiling brushed her right palm out against the empty air and went into a meditative trance, Alex motioned towards the door for Shina. The two quietly walked over and pressed on the side of the giant doors to make their way inside. If the mansion's denizens hadn't been alerted to their presence yet, the loud creak of the doors rubbing against the floor will likely do a good enough job.
But as Alex waltzed right in without a care to his name, he was surprised by how empty the entrance was. There was a staircase that split left and right halfway up and plenty of hallways to explore in all corners of the room, but not a single soul treaded them. Natural light evaded this place like the plague, leaving the atmosphere of the mansion draped in a dreary crimson, and only the freshness of the nearby potted flowers would suggest that someone had been here recently.
Shina lingered behind Alex and gazed across the room, the hairs on her arms sticking up on end.
"Ooooh, this is kinda spooky. Much spookier than Rachel's manor..." She put her hands on Alex's shoulders, and her shivering became a part of his body. His will to resist melting, Alex just let out a sigh.
"Never thought you'd see one vampire's mansion let alone two, did you?" He teased.
"No. But its quite exciting!" Her optimism remained unscathed as she pulled away from Alex.
"Now, how are we going to find-"
"HELLOOOOO?!" Shina cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed. The sudden jolt of her voice caused Alex to bite down on the tip of his tongue before he spun around and blurted through his grit teeth, "You trying to get us killed?!"
"Huh? Its fine Alex! We already got the invitation to come in!" She retreated with her hands swung up next to her face.
"From the gatekeeper sure, doesn't mean everyone else knows or is ok with it."
"Yes, that gatekeeper has definitely gotten lax in her line of duty these days." An eloquent, easy-going woman took the two by complete surprise by showing up right behind them. As they leapt back, they let out a hollow screech and their skin ended up as pale as a ghost for a brief second.
The woman wasn't frightening as far as appearance goes. She was quite eloquently dressed in a dark blue French maid's outfit complete with a white apron and a green ribbon tied just below the neck. Her skin was fair and her eyes an average shade of grey. Her silver hair was worn in long braids on the sides of her face, and topped off by a white maid's headband. Stuck to a band wrapped around her right thigh were three sharp, simple knives, and her choice of footwear was a pair of high heel slippers with blue straps over her socks.
The woman remained as serene as a statue, making it difficult to tell who she was looking at, if she was doing that at all. One arm was subtly inching towards the knives, the other crawling out of her dress' pocket with a silver chain slipping off the fingers. Alex composed himself the fastest with a single gulp but was still bothered by one thing.
"I didn't even sense her..."
The maid's eyes crept a little to the left, and then down to the boy's left pocket. She then looked him in the face for a second and began to close her eyes, "I received no word of an invitation being sent out, but regardless...You shall be welcomed as the Mistress' guest. Now, come this way please."
Brushing her right arm out, the maid turned with a couple gentle steps and began a casual stroll towards the southeastern hall. After sharing a bewildered look between each other, the two trailed a safe distance behind the maid.
Every step she took didn't make a sound, and there was no sense of energy to her movements. She was a ghost in all but appearance. Though she made no attempt at an introduction, she did have a name.
Sakuya Izayoi ~ Maid Bound by Time
In spite of Sakuya's distant attitude as she carried out her duties, Shina, bless her heart, tried to strike up a conversation.
"Sooooo...you're the maid here ya? Does your Mistress keep you busy?"
Sakuya's feet kept moving at the same brisk pace. Shina blinked a couple times then looked away, taking a break to whistle as she comes up with another topic.
"Oh!" She blurted in a moment of inspiration, "I like your dress! It looks pretty on you!"
The compliment didn't take, and Shina slumped her head in disappointment. Alex looked at her and whispered, "There's no point. She's probably been ordered not to respond."
For a moment, Alex could've sworn Sakuya nodded her head. Only three seconds later did they emerge from the hall and wind up in a more wide-open space. The room was basked in a blood red luminscence thanks to the medieval style stained glass windows at the north end. The tile floor had a long, silk red carpet stretching from the southern end of the room aaaall the way to the throne, which stood atop a rectangular incline of four steps. The throne itself was lined with a golden rim and suited for comfort thanks to its fluffy seating, and was sat upon by a lone figure.
"Ah, Sakuya, wonderful! You brought our guests right to me!" The voice of a child, refined by regality and maturity, spoke up with splendid delight.
Draped in twilight, the figure stood atop the seat of their throne and spread a pair of large black bat-like wings, imprinting her vampiric presence upon her company. With a couple flaps, she floated off her perch and landed atop the carpet without a word. Having left her preferred shade of light to bow in her wake, the vampire stepped into the darkness and allowed her guests a glimpse at her magnificence.
She was a young girl even shorter than Marisa, but her presence was as overpowering as a queen's. She enjoyed wearing a light-pink dress with a red ribbon on both sleeves, with a large red ribbon tied behind her waist. Her short light-blue hair was a little messy but like everything else about her, it had to have been on purpose, and her mob cap compensated for such a minor "flaw". Even from so far away, her crimson, slitted gaze caught her guests in a trance, making them ignorant to her curious, fanged smirk.
The vampire stopped on the middle of the carpet and bridged her fingers tip-to-tip before the chest, levitating with a gentle flap of the wings to appear taller than she really was. She then looked towards her maid and inquired, "I presume they didn't put up a fight?"
"They followed your instructions to the letter, milady." Sakuya bowed with her hands crossed before the waist.
"Fufufu...but of course they did. You did well as always, Sakuya." A brief nod from her master meant the world to Sakuya, who broke her demeanor of stoicism for an appreciative chuckle.
The vampire turned her attention to her guests, who stood still and silent in wait. With her expression remaining pleasant, she drew her right hand out one finger at a time and greeted them, "You should be honored, humans. Its not every day your kind gets to see the interior of my mansion...In one piece, fufufu."
She withdrew her hand and laid the fingertips against her chest, swerving her head around while her blood bathed eyes glistened like rubies, "I am the Mistress of this mansion...The famed and feared Scarlet Devil herself. But you humans may refer to me by real name. I...am Remilia Scarlet."
Remilia Scarlet ~ The Prideful Midnight Mistress
After her grandiose introduction, Remilia found her guests still were speechless. She guffawed like a child for a couple seconds and then flicked her hand into the air just to say, "Don't be shy. I won't bite...Not yet."
Alex stared at Remilia for a few seconds, and couldn't come up with a way to express how weird it was that this imposing vampire couldn't even reach his waist. Thus, he leaned his head towards Shina and whispered, "Her fangs couldn't even breech a mosquito's skin."
"Alex...!" Shina responded with a rough 'Shush!' sound through her lips and a firm glare. She then looked towards Remilia and made her offering of respect with a full-on bow.
"Its an honor to meet someone of your prestige, Lady Remilia," She then stood right back up and smiled, "My name is Shina, Shina Aurora. And the boy beside me is Alex Whiter. He's a bit shy around others."
"D-Don't start me off like that!" Alex blurted in a flustered gasp, then composed himself with a couple coughs while Remilia giggled in amusement.
"Shina Aurora and Alex Whiter..." The vampire began a miscreant's hum, "Yes...Yes...I will definitely make sure to remember these names."
Her eyes glistened for a moment and seemed to lock onto Shina's face, causing the girl to be paralyzed and her knees to shake. Remilia then inquired, "Now, surely there must be something that you require of me to have braved the journey here. Speak up as much as you want...A vampire is always listening."
"Well if you could hurry up and drag your librarian out here for a chat, that'd be lovely." Alex spoke up with incredible gumption, and both Shina AND Sakuya widened their eyes and faced him. Shina's mouth then drops as she looks back and forth between Remilia and Alex for a bit.
But before Shina could voice an objection, Remilia reeled her head back and let out a loud, single "Ha!"
She crossed her arms and beared her fangs, then declared to Alex, "You have the zeal of an oni! I like that!"
A breeze kicked up that brushed back Alex's hair as Remilia now floated in front of him with her face mere inches away from his. Their gazes locked but his remained firm against her ferocity, which was threatening to drill through and expose even the singlest hint of fear. This confrontation lasted ten seconds to Remilia's satisfaction, and she dropped right back to the ground a few feet away with her hands returned to their natural state before her chest.
Closing her eyes as the chuckles proved too contagious to remove, Remilia pivoted her head towards Sakuya and remarked, "Let Pache know that she has visitors Sakuya, and make it snappy!"
The veil of charisma parted to reveal the vampire's inner childness, but the respect she had garnered from the maid was far too great to be offset by her immaturity. With a humble bow, Sakuya vanished in the blink of an eye. After only ten seconds, the maid returned with a meekly person in tow.
This newcomer had sickly skin and looked like she could collapse at any moment, and that strange thing Sakuya did probably didn't help matters. The girl wore pink pajama-like clothing that covered her body down to the ankles and a night-cap with a gold crescent moon on it, which sat atop her knee length violet hair that was tied up by many ribbons. Under her right arm was a tome bigger than her head that was sealed by a golden lock and belt.
The girl's eyes sagged as she stood up and looked straight at Remilia, asking her straight up in a weak but friendly manner, "So where are the visitors, Remi?"
"...Hrrmm..." Alex found something suspect about the situation so far, especially with how adjusted the librarian was, "This is going way too smoothly."
While Remilia was distracted whispering into the librarian's ear, Alex looked at Shina and gave her a subtle nod, hoping she'd pick up on the cue. She raised her brows and puckered her lips, then gave a nod back and made a quiet sound. The librarian then turned away from Remilia and looked at Shina with her finger raised.
"You there," She said without enthusiasm, "What did you say you needed?"
"Me?" Shina pointed at her chest.
"Fingers are usually for pointing in one direction, yes." She replied with a drab sense of humor.
"O-oh, sorry about that. R...right!" Shina clapped her hands and gave a firm nod to pump herself up.
"Focus Shina, you just gotta handle this like ya did with Reimu and Marisa!"
Remilia's continued focus on her left her uneasy, but she spoke up with all her usual energy, "We came to Gensokyo in search of a powerful magical object called the Cosmos Drive. Marisa said that you might have an idea where it'd be?"
"...Oh, did she?" The librarian closed her eyes and ruffled her nose, not even bothering with a sigh, "I'll make sure to have Koakuma take stock when I return."
"But for now...I, Patchouli Knowledge, shall deal with Remi's company." The librarian placed a hand on her chest and started to cough raggedly.
Patchouli Knowledge ~ The Archive as Slow as a Sloth
"So you know about the Cosmos Drive?!" Shina was overflowing with ecstasy, which manifested as a sparkle in her eyes.
Patchouli struggled to contain a groan as she replied, "...There may be something in my archives. I'll allow one of you to follow me back to the library."
"Huh, just one?" Shina's voice deflated in confusion.
"And personally, seeing how one blonde person's annoyed me enough already, I choose to bring the boy with me. Come along, it'll be a long walk back." Patchouli began a slow march towards the southwestern hallway, with Alex staring past her to look at Remilia, whose mischievous mind shone through on the grin she bore.
"Hmmm..." He lowered his arms and waved his shoulders around a couple times as he passed in front of Shina.
"Watch yourself..." He whispered with a head lean before tucking his hands into the pockets and following Patchouli down the hall.
"Well then..." Remilia spoke up, carrying herself with the poise of an aristocrat as she grounded herself and approached Shina. With the smile of a cat, the vampire looked up into Shina's eyes and remarked, "The weather's fine and dandy for a cup of tea, wouldn't you say?"
"...Tea?" Shina murmured.
"Yes, tea. After all, it'd be very uncouth for the host not to treat her guests properly." Remilia stretched her right arm up, just barely able to wrap her lithe, nimble fingers around Shina's chin.
Shina felt like she was being pulled in closer to the vampire's eyes, her slitted pupils acting as a portal to many sinful temptations that the girl had rarely thought of before. As Remilia's smile widened, cold claws wrapped themselves around Shina's neck and down her chest like a collar.
"I..." Shina's skin became riddled with goosebumps, but as Remilia pulled her hand away they left in an instant. The impression of such vanity and lust in her eyes, however, would never leave her mind.
The vampire then turned to Sakuya and clapped her hands twice, "Sakuya. Prepare a table for two on the back porch. We shall arrive there shortly."
"And what brew would you prefer today, milady?"
"My usual will suffice." Remilia murmured.
"As you wish." Sakuya bowed with a smile and then was gone in an instant.
Remilia turned back to her guest, who suddenly raised her right hand to rub under her chin. A pair of the vampire's fangs protruded out as she giggled, transforming her from artistocrat to an eager child in a second, "Come! Let us race to the porch before the tea gets cold!"
She wrapped her wings around her body as she spun around and ascended, taking off towards the hall in the back in a burst of speed. The gale brushed against a flustered Shina and spread her hair back like a set of wings. She lowered her hand and was slowly removed from whatever devilish hold the vampire had on her, followed by letting out a raspy gasp.
"W-Was that...hypnotism? Did...did she try and hypnotize me?" Her mind was still reeling from what she felt. It was as though for a brief moment, her desires had melded with Remilia's.
"Goodness...I really oughta be more careful, or I'll be waking up wearing a maid's costume!" With a shiver down her spine, she doubled-down on strengthening her mental fortitude and chased after the wiley vampire. Though the mansion was almost a labryinth in design, making it to the porch required little more than a couple turns through the halls to reach the backdoor.
As she laid a hand on the handle, she took a deep breath and remembered Alex's advice to be careful. Then she swung the door open with perhaps a little too much vigor, causing it to almost get broken off from the hinges. The recoil from the door forced her to let go and stumble out onto the dry wood porch, which had been shaded off from the sunlight by a roof made of glossy lilac metal.
A few feet away from the door lied a fancy porcelain table and a couple of ruby seated stools, one of which is already being 'warmed' by Remilia. With the handle for a tea cup nestled around her fingers, Remilia paused midway towards drinking it to look at her bewildered guest.
"Ah, right on time! I was worried you'd get lost," She put her cup down on its plate and patted the side of her stool as though calling a puppy, "Come! Sit and enjoy this fine tea."
Shina walked over to the stool and took a seat, surprised at how firm yet soft the cushion was for being made out of a gemstone. She looked down at her cup, which was filled with a steaming hot brew specifically crafted for her by Sakuya. The maid in question appeared out of the blue with a parasol to offer her mistress further shade, and a dish containing some biscuits with an odd smell and a slight red pus oozing from the sides.
Not wanting to be rude, Shina kept any disgust in her head and reached for the handle of her cup. Once Sakuya departed, Remilia turned her full attention towards Shina as she sipped from her tea. The tingly sensation returned yet again, but now it was calmer and more manageable.
The vampire was eager to see the girl partake in tea time with her, and her tiny legs started to kick around underneath the table as the anticipation grew too much to bear. Caution signs were going up all around Shina's mind, but none of them were strong enough to dillute her politeness. With Remilia's eyes on her, she picked the cup up and took the tiniest sip she could to enjoy the flavor the brew had to offer.
Her eyes perked up and her body began to tremble as the liquid glided down her tongue and to the back of her throat.
"Its..." Only when she swallowed and lets it warmth cascade towards her stomach could she truly describe the flavor, "Really, really bitter...! Eaugh..."
She put the cup down right away, and with her hands propping her head Remilia tilted it aside and asked, "What's the matter? Can't handle the taste? Or...perhaps you're worried that I've bewitched your brew?"
She giggled to herself for that one.
Shina shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, but this taste isn't really my cup of tea. This sorta thing happened the last time I had tea time with a vampire, so its not your fault, honest!"
"Another vampire? So am I not your first encounter with the nocturnal..." Remilia's grin widened.
"Y-Yeah, but you're definitely nowhere near as mean as she could be at times." Shina admitted.
"All guests are to be treated properly and equally inside my mansion. All I require of them in return is to bask in all my glory!" The vampire swung her arms and wings out in an instant, but then tucked them back in when the sudden display almost knocked Shina off her perch.
"But, I think we've spoken enough about myself. Tell me a little more about yourself, Shina Aurora."
"Gosh, I dunno where to start..." Shina murmured with cold feet.
"Where you're from is never a bad starting point," As Shina started to move her lips Remilia placed one hand on the edge of the table and used it as leverage to lean in closer and whisper, "And I don't mean that as in 'I am from another part of Gensokyo' or 'I am from the Outside World'...I want to know all about the world your from that lies BEYOND even that."
"H-How do you know about that?!" Shina gasped.
"A vampire's eyes are the key to unlocking many secrets laid hidden in young maiden's hearts, Ms. Aurora. And what better allure is there than a maiden with a heart as fascinating as yours?" Remilia's eyes narrowed as she peered into the deepest recesses of Shina's soul, causing her to freeze up and take in every word of dissection the vampire spoke.
"Yes...you're beholden to wield a power the likes of which no one in Gensokyo has seen before. But not just that...Your heart is so pure it is almost like staring directly into the sun, and yet it burns, burns with a fiery passion as intense as a supernova. Its like a tantalizing that lies just out of reach. I covet it, I want it, I NEED it...But I cannot have it." Remilia's lips grew moist the further she spoke, and she began to levitate off her stool and hover closer to Shina.
Once more embracing her chin with her hand, the vampire held Shina in an unbreakable trance as she whispered like a needy child, "And that just makes me want you more."
Slowly lowering Shina's head, Remilia's eyes glistened as her smile bridged the gap between her cheeks and stayed relaxed, "So...what do you say? How would you like to become one of my servants?"
"Serve...you?" Shina's eyes hollowed out as her responses became robotic.
"Tell me Shina. Do you believe in...fate?" Remilia twisted her lips into a cheshire's grin as she laid atop the empty air and crossed her arms under her chin.
"Yes, that wonderful, invisible force that guides us to predestined locations at its whims. And out of all the people in this small, feeble world, I was the one blessed with the power to manipulate it."
The vampire paddled her feet against the air as Shina began to drift into an unconscious state of mind, forced to listen as her host droned on, "And thus, there can be not even be a shadow of a doubt. You were called here by my own hand, to serve at my side..."
"So...I shall ask again. How would you like to become one of my...servants?" Remilia tilted her head gently to the right and went silent to give Shina room to breath.
Shina could feel her consciousness slipping into a dark, silent void. But it wasn't a hopeless void. There was one glimmer of light that could pull her out of it, one easily accessible at all times. With memories of her family as the tether, Shina climbed her way out and widened her eyes with a gasp. Then she shook her head and quickly stammered, "I-I can't be your servant Remilia!"
"...Oh?" Remilia turned her head to the opposite side as Shina caught her breath and laid a hand on her heaving chest.
Once composed, she laid her hands together and gave the vampire an expression of genuine apologeticness, "I'm sure it'd be a lotta fun workin' for a vampire, but its impossible for me."
"...Because of that 'Cosmos Drive'? Why is a little thing like that so important to you?"
"I need it to save my people from a tyrant. My mom, my friends, my little sister...They're all counting on me to make it back alive."
Remilia's brows nudge up a little bit, and her charismatic self seemed to weaken. She turned her body around and laid upside-down with arms and legs sprawled out. Her jaw slacked like a child pretending to be annoyed, and she murmured her grievances with just a couple words, "How bothersome..."
"I've appreciated the hospitality Remilia, but I think I oughta go help Alex search for the Cosmos Drive now." Shina started to stand up when the vampire's hand wrapped tightly around her wrist and tugged her back down.
"Now who said I was done with you?" Her tone became a little bratty with excitement as she spun back around and stood up, glaring into Shina's face with blood red glistening eyes.
Remilia stood atop the table and bore her fangs in a wide smirk, with Shina offering little in the way of resistance beyond some pained mumbling.
"Now that I've seen that hardened spirit of yours in action I can't possibly let you slide away!"
"Well...you can't just force me to be your servant ya know!" Shina tugged on her arm and broke free with little effort. Remilia flapped her wings and levitated off the table to further lord her majesty over her company.
"Fufufu, I'm well-aware of that. But since you've acquainted yourself with that ordinary magician, I can presume you've met with the shrine maiden, and thus know all there is to know about Spell Card Duels," The vampire grinned from cheek to cheek and remarked, "So if words alone won't convince you, then I shall simply dazzle you with a baneful dance of twilight until you have no choice but to accept my magnificence!"
"A-A Spell Card Duel?" Shina was taken aback by the vampire's straightforwardness, and found her response glued to the back of her tongue.
"But I shall not be cruel. Though my victory shall serve as a binding contract, I will at least allow you to finish your business with this so-called Cosmos Drive before you return to my side as my eternal servant," Remilia's eyelids closed until they were narrow slits, their glistening crimson still peeking through with all their dominating power, "And on the very, very slim possibility you manage to defeat me...I shall divulge upon you a secret that no one else in this world knows. One that you may find intriguing."
Shina crossed her eyes and yelled out with a fiery passion, "I'm not afraid of you Remilia! If you want a Spell Card Duel then bring it on!"
"Wonderful! Splendid!" Remilia swung her head back and kicked up a gale with the spread of her wings. She then twisted her gaze towards the skies, which had become covered in clouds. With a gentle chuckle she lowered her head and closed her eyes.
"Pache, the weather's perfect. You always go above and beyond for us..."
Creeping onto the scene like a newly awakened zombie, Patchouli nodded her head towards her friend and reciprocated her praise, "You may go wild to your heart's content, Remi."
"Huh?!" Shina gasped while staring blankly towards the librarian, who was all by herself, "Hey! Where'd Alex-"
"Come Shina! Let us shower Gensokyo with a wonderful display of Danmaku!" Remilia's eagerness got the better of her and she launched right towards the sky, tipping the table over. Sakuya appeared in the nick of time and caught the tea before even a drop stained the ground, using her foot to support the rim of the table. She then glanced over at Shina and had a mischievous look in her eye.
"I'll be sure to find you a fitting maid's outfit, newcomer." Her overwhelming certainty in her master's victory ignited the fire in Shina's heart. Clenching her fist against the chest, she turned to face the vampire looming overhead and flew off after her.
Hundreds of feet away from the mansion, Remilia spread her wings and embraced the nippy winds without flinching. Grinning across her entire face, the vampire stared at the girl as she floated twenty feet with her arms crossed and her cold heart racing in delight.
"I look forward to seeing what kind of Danmaku an outsider like you has to offer!" Remilia swung her right hand out and flashed her slender bloody fingernails as an invitation to combat, "Now come! Let us dance the day away!"
Next Time: Resonance of Fate