Tsukumogami, I guess?

[x]“The Hermit. You'll fail if you pick this one.”

>>134090
[] “Judgement. I wonder why I keep this one. It's obviously a messiah card. I should throw it away quickly. Even a horrible world like this one doesn't deserve to end.”

[X] “Judgement. I wonder why I keep this one. It's obviously a messiah card. I should throw it away quickly. Even a horrible world like this one doesn't deserve to end.”

> “The Emperor. A horrible commander. Always uses the same tactic, and any perturbation leave him unable to think. Kinda like Lady Toyohime, in fact.”

Moonbitch? Nigga please.

[X] “The Hanged Man. Don't suit you at all. I mean, that wasn't you at all.”

[x] “The Fool. Honestly, this card is an insult. I should offer it to Shou if I can see her one day.”

The inverted Fool fits this beginning choice perfectly.

[x] “The Hermit. You'll fail if you pick this one.

[] “Wheel of Fortune. If you're good enough, you can make the weak strong and the strong weak. But you won't be able to do it alone.”

Luck-based? Sounds like how anon works, with crazy chances and lots of risks.

Not to mention, gives us all the more reason for the typical 'assemble a group of Touhous as quickly as possible' route that anon seems to take. After all, what's more not alone than a harem?

[x] “The Star. You never give up, you keep on hoping. Even if you're betrayed at the end. That's something I'm really not wishing you. Being betrayed is something terrible.”

Never gonna give you up.

[X] “Judgement. I wonder why I keep this one. It's obviously a messiah card. I should throw it away quickly. Even a horrible world like this one doesn't deserve to end.”

[x] “The Hanged Man. Don't suit you at all. I mean, that wasn't you at all.”
I love this card. Magician or this one.

[x] “Judgement. I wonder why I keep this one. It's obviously a messiah... no, wait. This isn't a normal Judgement card! Now where did you come from, I wonder?”

(XX. Aeon replaces XX. Judgement in Aleister Crowley's "Thoth" tarot deck; so this may be a vote for Judgement, and then again, it may not.)

[x] “The Tower. It was me before. I wasn't trusting anyone, so I was doing everything by myself. I was betrayed, mutilated, and I learned humility. Even if you're great, you'll fall one day.”

When your very existence is hubris.

[x] “The Sun. In a way, it suits you. Healing, reviving, helping. And also giving birth. Yeah, it's almost perfect for you.”

[x] “Judgement. I wonder why I keep this one. It's obviously a messiah... no, wait. This isn't a normal Judgement card! Now where did you come from, I wonder?”

[x] “Judgement. I wonder why I keep this one. It's obviously a messiah... no, wait. This isn't a normal Judgement card! Now where did you come from, I wonder?”

Or, if that's not allowed,

[X] “Wheel of Fortune. If you're good enough, you can make the weak strong and the strong weak. But you won't be able to do it alone.”

Judgement might herald the end, but the definition of 'Aeon' is life. That also ties into The Sun, which has 'giving birth/life' as one of its interpretations. It's a natural progression, if we're being revived or reincarnated.

Judgement: 3
Write-in Judgement "Aeon": 3
Hanged Man: 2
Hermit: 2
Sun: 1
Tower: 1
Star: 1
Fool: 1

I'm afraid I may have trouble using the write-in "Judgement", so I ask you to change your votes. Leave them like this, and I'll consider them as "nirmal" Judgement, except >>134196 's vote.
Thanks for your comprehension.

Very belatedly:

>>134196
Really? I'd always understood Judgement and Aeon to be very similar: both denote the end of an era of the world, and in turn, the beginning of a new one. (The difference being that Judgement's implied new era was also the last of finitely many, whereas Crowley's Aeon implied -- well, a turn of the wheel, so to speak.)

I could definitely see an argument that, where Judgement connotes resurrection, Aeon connotes reincarnation. I'm not really that familiar with Crowley, so I won't make that argument; but if someone else did I think I'd accept it.

(Especially if I could then imply that the turning of the Aeon in question involves the digitization of humanity and the [re]incarnation of souls into android bodies, thereby tying this back into the actual suggestion...)

-----

I pull my hand back, and rest it on my cold torso. "My card ... isn't there," I say stiffly, not quite knowing why.

"Oh?" the voice says teasingly. "You think of yourself as a force for Justice, then?" (Some part of me undergoes a minute adjustment...) "Or do you see yourself holding the World in your hands?" (... and a universe of memories opens up to me.)

Motionless, I reach out to the familiar presence within me: my self, yet not myself. "Chariot," I say. "Athena. My persona, the face I show to the world. But..."

"Oh-ho..." he says. "But deep down you're ... naughty, aren't you? Lustful." His voice increases in strength, becoming more strident. "Envious of the pleasures of the flesh that you lack. You're," and there is a familiar, untrustworthy joy in his voice as he says the phrase, "the Devil in disguise. Oh, yes; you are."

I do not immediately respond. Solenoids connect, and my primary drive train actuates. Servomotors whir as I enter a sitting position, a process taking an uncomfortably long 1.3 seconds. "I am ... Aigis," I say, forcing air through still-dusty vocal cords of silicone and polyurethane, "an anti-shadow humanoid weapon, of the Aeon Arcana." I blink, attempting to clear particulate matter from my eyes, with little effect: any cleansing fluid in my lachrymal reservoirs has long since evaporated. "Who are you? Why have I been reactivated?"

-----

But even though I can just about shoehorn that in... well, that's not where >>134345 you're coming from, and it's not where you're going. And I think, rereading your opening, that I can see where it would be hard to do anything directly with Crowley's Aeon. I guess that's why you left the World out of your deck, too? (Well, that and the inevitable JoJo/Sakuya references.)

Therefore, changing my vote to:
> [x] “The Fool. Honestly, this card is an insult. I should offer it to Shou if I can see her one day.”

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." --As You Like It, Act V, Scene I.

(Sage for ridiculously long and self-indulgent digression.)

>>134168
[] “The Magician? I though I got rid of this card. Not a bad one, by the way. Perhaps the weaker, but the best if you're afraid to not understand things.”
Changed my mind. This one might involve a less f-ed up character. One with a somewhat comprehensible line of thought and understandable view of the world.

Vote called.
Judgement win.

[x] “Judgement. I wonder why I keep this one. It's obviously a messiah card. I should throw it away quickly. Even a horrible world like this one doesn't deserve to end.”

I grab one of them. I can feel it under my fingers. It's a rough card, maybe metallic or something.
“Judgement.”
He's just stating a fact. I know he wants to add something, and he's clearly annoyed, yet he's not saying anything. I bet he must be biting his tongue or something like that.
“I'll be back in one hour, with something to eat. I think you'll feel good enough to eat by then.”
He's moving away now, taking the other cards with him. And I can hear him speaking again. Probably giving instructions to someone I can't see.

I can finally open my eyes. I'm in a nice-looking bed, in a big room. There's only one light, and I can't see very well, but I'm still sure that I'm in a mansion. Walls are painted in red, with golden decorations. It's arranged in some kind of pattern. I'll check it out later. The bed I'm in is placed against the wall, and, at the opposite side, there's a wooden door, with a little girl standing near it. Next to my head, there's a desk, with a candle slowly burning. All in all a plain room.
The girl is more interesting. She's obviously not human. Standing motionless, dressed as a maid, eyes closed, joining her hands on her apron, she's displaying unnatural calmness. She's also pale. Very pale. Now that I think about it, there's not a single window in this room. That's kinda scary. I don't know if it's the evening, or the morning. Perhaps I should ask.
“Wha...?”
I'm trying to say “what time is it”, but my throat is dry. I can't even speak in that state. Luckily, the girl heard me, and now she's coming with a nice looking cup of water.
“Drink this, please.”
She speaks with a synthetic tone. I wonder if it's her native language or not. She also has wings. Yeah, dark wings, two of them, with some purple decorations on them. It almost looks like something is written on it.
She brings the cup to my lips, and the water slowly reaches my throat, giving me goosebumps.
“Do you feel better now, Guest?”
Is Guest my name?
“Y... Yes, I'm feeling better.”
It's hard and painful, but I can speak now.
“What time is it?”
Without answering me, the winged girl brings back the cup to my mouth, before looking at her watch.
“Approximately 4.34 AM.”
“Where am I?”
“I can not answer your question, mainly because I received orders, and also because I do not know the answer.”
“What kind of orders did you receive?”
“Statement number 1: Guest is tired. Order number 1: Take care of Guest. Statement number 2: Overthinking simple matters may have annoying consequences. Order number 2: Do not answer any difficult questions.”
“And asking about where I am is a difficult question?”
“It is for a lesser Makai fairies like me.”
Oh, so she's from Makai. It explains a lot. Gensokyo fairies are playful. Makai fairies are... different. Apart from the obvious physical differences, Makai fairies are really different on a psychological level.

Wait, how can I know that? Who am I? Closing my eyes and pinching my nose, I try to remember. What's my last memory?
You were just a blink after all. All talk and nothing inside.
You can't die like that! That's just unfair!
That's... strange. Who am I? Perhaps I should just relax and take it easy. The man will be back, as he said, and I'm sure he'll explain everything.
“Do you have any need for something else?”
Ask the fairy. Just seeing her is painful. Her whole face is screaming “déjà-vu” to my face. I want to ask, who I am, and what is Makai, and what is Gensokyo, and...
“No, thanks.”
“...”


Some time passes, yet I'm still unable to to decide if I should ask the fairy, or wait for the man. Perhaps I should just give up and sleep again-
“GOOD MORNING TO YOU, GUEST!”
Suddenly something pushes the door. “Something” meaning “a hyperactive talkative young man, dressed like a butler. His hairs are silver, and he's carrying a sword on his back”.
“So, you're better now, right? Better to eat something before our Lady suddenly decides to meet you. Trust me, that's something to avoid if you're weak. Not that she's mean or crazy, nothing like that, let's say that she's just eager to meet a new face, and I'm kinda the only one here. I mean, you can't really talk to those fairies, they're almost the same, and they're so happy to talk that I have the feeling that a broken glass could be more talkative than them, but anyway, nice to meet you again, and nice to see that you're way better than the last time we meet, but your memory must be dizzy or foggy or something like that, right?”
That's definitely the same man, I recognize the voice. Except that this time, the tone is different. Last time, it was almost dead, half-whispering, half-speaking. And now, it's a lively tone, optimistic.
“Yeah, I'm better. But can I ask who you are?”
“Do as everyone else and call me Butler. That's more or less my name in here, but you should eat before asking anything else. I made you some good-looking vegetables, too bad that there aren't any good farms here, it's kinda hard to find something good to eat, and I tried to avoid putting meat in your food, but since you need something energetic, I cooked some eggs for you, I'm sure that after that, you'll be like a child, running everywhere and jumping like a rabbit.”
Without really listening to him, I eat what he prepared. Fried eggs, beans, and lot of bread.
“Hey, already finished? That's good, very good. Now, then, let's dress you, and then I'll bring you to our Lady. Trust me, it's better to find her before she finds you, she's not mean, but sometimes she's unpredictable, kinda like 'I'm gonna make you shit your pants', and after that 'that was a joke, are you scared', and stuff, so it's kinda hard to believe that she's over 500 years or stuff.”

[] Let him help with the changing.
-[] “Can you explain the situation?”
[] I can change alone, thanks.
-[] Ask him to stay, ask the same questions.


=============

Only one vote, but you're free to add your own subvote if there's something you want to know.

[x] I can change alone, thanks.
-[x] Ask him to stay, ask the same questions.

Help getting changed by the creepy and threatening guy who just had a mood swing to being energetic and happy when I'm not even positive as to what my own gender is yet? No thank you.

On second thought...
>>134473
A wise choice indeed, sir.

[x] Let him help with the changing.
-[x] “Can you explain the situation?”
I'll pick hilarity instead since I can afford to risk it. If you even call that risk.

Sorry for suddenly leaving yesterday. I do believe I told you my internet might get cut soon though, so at least you know the reason.

[x] I can change alone, thanks.
-[x] Ask him to stay, ask the same questions.

[x] I can change alone, thanks.
-[x] Ask him to stay, ask the same questions.

[x] I can change alone, thanks.
-[x] Ask him to stay, ask the same questions.

Aww how boring. And I think this update is all the time we get too...

Vote called.
Update on the way (slowly).

On the way you say?

>>134811
Slowly.

>>134811
Sorry about that, there are several reasons why I'm so late:
-I'm sick. Got a cold. Coughing and sneezing.
-I managed to play Okami on my computer! Sure, it's laggy as hell, probably because I can't optimize it, but I still have fun.
-I had to help building a greenhouse, despite the fact that I'm sick.
-I have been busy watching old animes.

I would say that the update is half-done, but I will probably rewrite a large part of it.

Update's ready. Now if I can find my usual proofreader...

[x] I can change alone, thanks.
-[x] Ask him to stay, and ask same questions.

Something isn't right with this man. I mean, five minutes ago he was more or less threatening me, and now he's all friendly. Whatever his reason may be, I don't want him too close.
"I think I will be able to change myself, thanks".
"As you wish."
This simple sentence gives me goosebumps. Especially his voice while saying it. Lower tone, almost whispering again.
"But I would like to ask you some things, so can you stay?"
"Oh? But of course!"
Happy tone again. This man seems to be unstable.

Rising from the bed, I walk to the closet that Butler is pointing at. It's almost empty, except for some black-white clothes. Removing my nightgown, I quickly change. While changing, I ask him to explain the situation.
"Situation? Whaddya mean by that?"
"Well, first my location might be interesting. How am I supposed to put that?"
"Like that, see. You're currently in the Mistress' mansion."
"That's not helpful. Who's the Mistress? And this? Where does it..."
"Put your arm here, and let it slide softly. The Mistress gave me order to not tell you her name. I think it's mostly for dramatic impact, since she's gonna present herself to you with bats, dramatic music, an evil laugh, and of course some thunder. I bet she's gonna use Night on the Bald Mountain, she's fond of that one."
In the end, Butler helped me. The clothes I'm wearing are quite sophisticated. It can be described as a black and white dress, with white fabric going across the arms, and black fabric going across my chest. For some reason, I also expected a cape to come with it, but I guess I was wrong.
"Heeey, you're looking good right now you know! I could almost fall in love with you if I wasn't gay. Oh wait. I'm not gay! Too bad I'm too busy to have a wife, because you're really looking good! Perhaps a little too good! Maybe the Mistress will be jealous or something like that? Oh, and we'll have to lock you in the mansion, otherwise every man in the area will try to get you. It'll be one hell of a hunt, and I wonder if you'll be able to bear that? Will you snap? Whatever, it doesn't matter. I wanted to take you to the Mistress right now, but you know" she's more or less 7 centuries old, it won't kill her to wait one or two hours. So what are we going to do, you'll ask? I dunno, maybe a tour of the mansion."
Turning his face to the fairy (who was here the whole time, completely silent), Butler resumed his quick speech.
"So you, fairy The Unmoving One, will be in charge of this room. Keep it clean, and don't hesitate to provide food, water, or any entertainment to our guest. Any objection? Perfect. Oh, while I'm talking to you, you'll need new clothes, so go my private room and take what you want, but don't rummage too much, otherwise you may kill yourself if you're not careful. And if you kill yourself alone I will never hear the end of this so don't screw up, got it?"
The little fairy nods. I can't read her face, but I have to guess, I would say that she's happy. Perhaps entering the Butler's room is a really important privilege? That really seems too strange to me, but I can't really judge.

“Is there any special place you would like to see?”
[] “The cooking place. Where the magic happens. I'm not spending lots of time here, and it's mostly used by fairies.”
[] “The bookies place. Where the real magic happens. Spending most of my time here. Most of those books are coming from the Voile library. Except me and the Mistress, there's nobody else in this room, so if you decide to visit it often, I'll be glad to spend some time with you.”
[] “The outside place. There are some gardens around the mansion. They aren't really pretty, in fact they are quite dangerous. Great place to train or prepare some poison. Awful place to daze off.”
[] “The water place. There's only one bathroom on the whole mansion, but it's the biggest room you could find in your whole life. Unfortunately, it's underground, and there's not a single light, so it's a pretty dark place.”
[] “The Mistress is waiting you, do you want to meet her now?”

[x] “The Mistress is waiting you, do you want to meet her now?”

Let's not keep the lady waiting. We'll probably be able to take a tour afterward.

[x] “The water place. There's only one bathroom on the whole mansion, but it's the biggest room you could find in your whole life. Unfortunately, it's underground, and there's not a single light, so it's a pretty dark place.”
I think I want to see this

>>134936
Not meeting the Mistress immediatly won't have any effect on the story.
Choosing this option (meeting the Mistress) means that you'll have just a basic knowledge of the mansion, and, depending of the route you want to follow, it might be useful to know the mansion.

[] “The outside place. There are some gardens around the mansion. They aren't really pretty, in fact they are quite dangerous. Great place to train or prepare some poison. Awful place to daze off.”

Sounds the most interesting to me.

[] “The water place. There's only one bathroom on the whole mansion, but it's the biggest room you could find in your whole life. Unfortunately, it's underground, and there's not a single light, so it's a pretty dark place.”

Called, update might be in a few days. Or maybe weeks.

>>135216

Hurray!

Started writing, but update will be delayed, mainly because I will have a hard time finding a proofreader.

No proofread this time, expect typos and nonsenses. And if nothing is done, don't expect any other proofread from now on.

=============================

[x] “The water place. There's only one bathroom on the whole mansion, but it's the biggest room you could find in your whole life. Unfortunately, it's underground, and there's not a single light, so
it's a pretty dark place.”

“I think I would like to see the bathroom.”
“Oh my, I should have expected that! I mean, you want to be clean and stuff before presenting to the Lady, right? Well then, let's go. See ya later, fairy!”
Butler opens the door, allowing me to go first. I'm not used to such respect, but he told me I was a guest here, so I should get used to it. Even if...
Wait a minute, we just left this room.
“I forgot to warn you? This mansion is quite strange. We're in the West Wing. 100 rooms. All the same. Each time you leave a room, you're entering in a similar room. It can be quite confusing at first, and … well, it's still confusing even now.”
Without any hesitation, he walk to the closet, opens it, and tell me to follow him. I follow him, leaving the room, coming in another room, looking exactly the same.
“The closet is a disguised door?”
“Not in the room I assigned you.”
So, then we left the room, we went straight, and then we turned right, and now we're...
“Don't try to draw a mental map. It's useless to use logic with this place. And it's not the worse place. The Lady's Wing is worse.”
I wonder what I should expect.
“Where are we going again?”
“The water place. It's underground. We have to leave the West Wing, where we are actually, to go through the Central Wing, and reach the basement.”
“It'll be interesting.”
“Of course it'll be.”

Two hours later, after losing our way 2 times, we finally managed to reach the Central Wing. And all I can say is... it's impressive. I mean... the West Wing was like a corridor, stacking 100 times the same room.
Meanwhile, the Central Wing... can hardly be called a wing, since there's only one room. A big room, entirely white, with columns spread randomly around. Strangely enough, the ceiling seems to be magical, since instead of being just a ceiling, it's showing a clear sky, with almost every star being present. But something's bothering me with the ceiling. I can't put my finger on it, but...
“What's wrong with the ceiling?”
One more time, Butler answers with a cold, slow tone.
“There's no moon.”
I can't see his face, only his back. He's walking fast, avoiding the columns, trying to reach a quiet and almost unnoticeable door.
“...”
I open my mouth to ask something, but nothing comes out. The room, disregarding its whiteness, is quite dark, and is quiet. It may be a great place to relax, if only I could find a chair or something. But I can't relax. I have to follow him.
“Are you still here?”
He's asking, without even looking at me.
“Yes, I'm right behind you.”
“Good. Forgot to tell you about this room, but stay focused on me. If you let your thoughts fly, you may lose your reason.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don't you feel relaxed since you entered this room?”
“Yes.”
“There's a spell placed on this room. It was supposed to be a relaxation spell, but since the Mistress has a higher resistance than any of us, the spell is too strong, even for you. It happened to some fairies, like the one you saw before. First, you feel relaxed, then, you try to sit somewhere, and finally you're sleeping. Except that you can't wake up by yourself. I remember, it happened two weeks, we found a fairy who was missing for 4 days.”
Butler's tone is getting lighter again. I can't predict how he'll react, but I can read his mood, and it'll be enough for now.
“Perhaps you should warn me before we reach the bathroom.”
“I don't see why I should. There's nothing wrong with this place.”
Passing the door, Butler close it after me, and presses a wall section.
“What is that?”
“That's an elevator. It'll lead us to the underground section.”
I try to understand how this “elevator” is working, but all I can see is that we're in a small moving room. Walls seems to be made of a wooden material, but I can't say anything else about that.
“Really interested in this place, isn't it?”
I look again at Butler. He's glaring at me, smiling openly, crossing his arms. I smile in return.
“I can't remember anything, and this place is definitely not familiar. So I'm trying to understand it.”
“That's a good way. Figure how things are working, and try to move with the steam.”
Butler's smile becomes painful when he's saying that. It's almost like... he was talking about himself. I try to change the topic.
“You told me that the water place was the biggest room in the whole mansion, but the Central Wing was quite something, so what should I expect?”
The painful smile is replaced by a warm smile when Butler answers.
“I can't really tell you, I tried to avoid this place at all cost. But my best warning is to stay close of the light.”

There's light sound, and the door opens again, leading us to a grey corridor. Following Butler's walk, we reach a red wooden door. And behind the door is... darkness. Not that kind of darkness you can see if you're walking around at night, but rather the kind of darkness you'll see if you're exploring caverns at night.
Muttering something, Butler manages to create a flame from his hand, but it's quickly blown off.
“That's why I hate this room. There are no working spell. Any flame is destroyed. The only thing able to do something against those darkness is electrical light. Wait a minute, please.”
Obeying his request, I stand still in the darkness. Closing my eyes, I try to sharpen my other senses. I can hear Butler moving quietly, I can also hear a light buzz -probably this -electrical light he was talking about-, but there's something else. Like a song. Or a melody. It's something quiet, but in those darkness, it's creepier than anything else.
“Yet!”
A light is tearing darkness apart. Protecting my eyes from the violent light, I try to understand what happened. Butler said that no spell could work here, yet this light is obviously a magical work. A flame wouldn't be this violent.
“What's this?”
I'm asking, while being half-blinded.
“Oh, right, you don't know this. You can say it's artificial magic. Open your eyes.”
The last sentence was pronounced on a lower tone than the others.

I open my eyes, and I SEE.
It's really the biggest room I ever saw. Near the door, the floor is made of wood, but 15-50 meters away, the floor is suddenly leaving place to a big metallic pool. Which means that if I walked without taking care, I would have fallen into this pool, and I probably would have broke my leg. Leaning over the hole, I can't estimate how deep it's. Darkness are probably guilty for this.
The whole room is giving me chills. Butler and I are staying near the light, not wandering away.
Then, after a while, Butler speaks again.
“Yeah. Soooo, this is the bathroom. Or the water place, anyway. For some reason, this is the biggest room. If you wish to take a bath, you should know that this is one of the safest place in the mansion. Once the pool is full, there's no danger-”
He suddenly stops talking, but I know what he wants to say. The only danger is being mentally scarred by this feeling of loneliness.
I gather my courage, and I speak.
“I wish to take a bath. I mean, I can't present myself as I am, right?”
I'm not convincing, and he knows it. I'm asking him, with hidden words, to not leave me alone in this place.
“I understand. I'll leave you alone for now, but I'll stay near.”
Left alone in the room, I undress, keeping only a towel with me. Then, I try to figure how the room is working, and I manage to find several metallic objects, near the light. Turning them randomly, I fill the pool with warm water.

After a vigorous cleaning, I'm finally done, and, with Butler's help, I'm dressed up again. This time, I managed to put the clothes myself, only the shoes caused troubles.
“Are you ready? It's time to meet the Mistress.”
“Where are we going?”
“East Wing.”
Low tone again. Something must be working him.
“What should I know about the East Wing?”
“Mmm... There's no physical danger. But mentally, watch out when the Mistress is near. She's... she has a strange aura. Being near her is like drinking alcohol, at first you feels funny, but then... you do things you'll regret later.”
“...”
I don't answer. I don't know what I'm supposed to say. I don't even know if I'm supposed to say something. Did he..."

Going through the “elevator” again, and passing by the Central Wing one more time, we use a door I haven't noticed before.
Behind the door, there's another corridor. But instead of the basement grey corridor, this one is scarlet. Totally scarlet, and still without any windows. I can't see any source of light here, but I detect some kind of magic. I guess there is no other explanation.
After a while walking in silence, Butler let me in front of a door, telling me:
“My apologies for asking this, but could you wait some time before entering? The Mistress gave me orders about her entrée, and you'll need her good mood.”
And so I did. I waited. Several minutes.
Enough to wonder how I was supposed to act in front of this so-called Mistress.

[] I should act like usual. Being polite, without overdoing it.
[] In front of this strange mansion mistress, there's no such thing as “excessively polite”.
[] If I can understand her, I'll be able to get the informations I want.

[x] If I can understand her, I'll be able to get the informations I want.
It's bold so it has to be right
err...changed my mind

[x] I should act like usual. Being polite, without overdoing it.
. Why did you leave after telling me to proofread? I can't if you're not there to fix it.

>>135384
Connection trouble. mIRC told me a software cut the connection, yet it was the only thing working, and when I managed to get my connection back, I couldn't find you anymore.

[X] If I can understand her, I'll be able to get the informations I want.

[x] If I can understand her, I'll be able to get the informations I want.
There are several mistakes. You should stick with the proofreader.

[x] If I can understand her, I'll be able to get the informations I want.

Be bold.

Update on the way.
After that, a little LoL.

>>135636

Hooray!

[] If I can understand her, I'll be able to get the informations I want.

>>135722
Update delayed.
Blame:
[] Mass Effect 2.
[] The difficulty to access the IRC chan to find a proofreader.
[] Lazyness.

>>135742
[X] The Jews

Update ready. Still delayed until I find a proper and easy way to contact my usual proofreader.

Have this almost-related picture and wait warmly until it's ready.

[ ] Mass Effect 2.
No replay value, only a matter of time.
[ ] The difficulty to access the IRC chan to find a proofreader.
I don't believe you.

[X] Lazyness.
This.

[x] “Tell me”.

Changed a few things.

=================================

[] If I can understand her, I'll be able to get the informations I want.

Usually I'm polite, but I can't afford to play around today. I'm in a unknown place, I don't know who I am, so to be short I don't know anything. It's not time to play around. I'll keep smiling, I won't be rude, but I will ask the same questions again and again, until I have a proper answer.

After taking that decision, I try to smile. That's harder than I though. Maybe it's because I was … lying down for a long time, or because I'm not used to smile in the first place.
S...smile... It hurts my cheeks.

When Butler returns, I'm able to smile, without looking like a skull.
“Excuse me for the wait. And now, please follow me to the Lady's room.”
And then, with just a little move, Butler opened the two doors, letting me having a good view of the so-called room. And allow me to say that room is an understatement. This place isn't as big as the subterranean bathroom, but it's still pretty decent. It's rectangular, stretching like a corridor, but it 's ridiculously large, and it's awfully red. The floor is red, the walls are red, and even the ceiling is red!
A single carpet leads to the other side of the room, where a good-looking throne is placed, in front of a huge window. I'm sure there's someone sitting on this throne, but it's too far away to see who's here.

I move forward, followed quietly by Butler. He's not saying anything, yet I know what I'm supposed to do. Reach for the throne, and talk to the person sitting here.
Can't be that hard, right? But even so, while walking, I notice something strange. I though at first that the corridor/room was empty, but it's in fact pretty full. There are several furnitures here and here, some of them totally unknown to me, like a little music box playing some loud music.
I decide to not pay any attention to that, and I keep walking.

Well, at least I try, until the sitting person suddenly jumps from the dark throne, and throw something near me. I hear a pained moan, and the woman began screaming in a angry tone:
“You failed again, you stupid useless mag! I told you to play Night on the bald mountain, not Trollkamp!”
Holding his nose with his right hand, and a shoe with his left hand, Butler shouts back:
“Hey, not my fault! I took the CD who was in the Borodin box, YOU screwed up by putting it in the wrong box, so don't blame me for your mistake, you unfair woman!”
Turning my gaze to the lady one more time, I stare at her with attention.

She's fairly tall, as much as Butler, but still smaller than me. She has some pretty blond hairs, and they're emphasized by her red eyes. Glowing red eyes. She's really not a human. But the most remarkable feature about her are her... wings? I don't know if they can be called wings. It look like some kind of metallic construction, stabbing her back, with strange crystals attached to them. I couldn't notice it earlier, due to the ambient darkness. The last thing I notice is her dress. She's wearing a long black dress, hiding almost completely her body. She look like an occidental widow.

“E...Even if I did it, it's YOUR job to fix my mistakes! You should have noticed it was the wrong disk!”
“And how on moon am I supposed to know that?!? I don't know any music, and yet I'm supposed to be able to recognize Trollkamp from Night on the Baldy thingy?”
“You should! That's a disgrace for me that my butler is unable to tell the difference between classical and other genre!”
“Oooh, big deal! But perhaps you can think something like 'I don't care about stuff like that'? What's the point anyway?!?”
“Shut up now, I'm going to greet our guest.”
Stunning Butler by punching him in the face, the red woman turns her face to me.
“Oh, my, how embarrassing. I was supposed to greet you and leave a good impression, but I failed, didn't I?”
She's laughing like a little girl, half-blushing. That's pretty cute.
“I think it's better to be frank. Don't you think the same?”
Immediately, the smile disappears.
“Perhaps. But that's not how I'm supposed to act. I'm not supposed to act 'better', I must act 'perfect'. That's something awful. But it doesn't matters any more.”
Turning her back to me, she walks back to her seat, before turning her face to me one more time.
“Welcome to the Black Maze Mansion. I'm your host, Lady Flandre, and I hope you'll enjoy the stay.”
“I'm honoured to meet you, Lady F...Ful...”
“You can't say it right, isn't it? Please, give up and don't call me.”
“Fine, Milady.”
I answer, while bowing down.
“So, would you like to eat something before talking? You must be hungry?”
I answer with a nod, noticing that Butler is still laying down. What a peculiar couple.

Following Flandre to a table, I quickly think about my current situation. Butler warned me about this woman's aura, so I must be careful. She seems pretty stable, but asking about her behaviour is out of question. She might take it badly, since it's apparently a delicate subject for her.

“So, where am I? You mentioned a Black Maze Mansion before, right? Where is it, exactly?”
“Oh? Well, it's located in the Swamp of Magic.”
“Forgive me, but can you be more accurate?”
Hitting her face with her hand, Flandre laugh, and answer:
“Yes. Yes! My bad. I forgot I was talking to you. Well, if you can remember how Gensokyo looked back then, you can remember the Forest of Magic, right?”
“I'm not sure, but I think I remember something like that.”
“Well, the forest turned into a swamp. That's all. And this mansion is located deeply in the swamp.”
“I understand.”
While nibbling on some little cakes disposed over the table, Flandre looks at Butler's body, still unconscious.
“Another question?”
“Yes. If I may, can I ask who I am?”
Swallowing the cake whole, Flandre turns her face to me, inspecting me with attention. After a while, her mouth finally opens.
“I know a lot about identity disorders. And I know how you feel. Right now, you're scared, and curious. You're like a little cat discovering the world outside its room. You want to know about you. Let's suppose I do that. Let's suppose I tell you who you are. What are you going to do? You will try to act like your old self. And then, after some time, you will be afraid. Afraid that you may not be your own self. You'll find yourself thinking differently. And, in the end, you'll end up playing a role. Totally unable to think by yourself. That's something awful.”
I don't know what to say. I though I could get the informations I wanted from this woman, and yet she's smarter than me. I realize that I made a mistake. She's not just Flandre. She's the Lady Flandre. She's not ruling this crazy place just by punching her butler, but also by being clever and understanding.
This woman is really dangerous.
“You don't know what to say, right? I'm not expecting any thanks, because what I'm doing is horrible in its own way. I won't tell you who you are, but I can tell you how you died.”

[] “I don't care about that.”
[] “Tell me”.
[] “Why? Is that important?”
[] “Sorry, but I'm not interested.”

[] “Sorry, but I'm not interested.”
nothing matters to anon

[x] “Tell me”.

No sense living in ignorance.

“Sorry, but I'm not interested.”

...is there some sort of significance with bold and italicized text?

>>136591
For any question/discussion about the story, thank to use the /words/ thread.
http://www.touhou-project.com/words/#0

Writing will start soon. Stay tuned, update might be coming next week.

Also, I read in /gensokyo/ something about availables choices being vague. I would like to know if there's any trouble with them. Do you understand what you're voting for? Stuff like that.

Don't mind that banter. No problems with votes I think. Heinz?

[] “Sorry, but I'm not interested.”

I don't get it. She doesn't want to tell me about who I was, yet she's okay with telling how I died? It sounds too fishy. I don't want to know. Besides, I have no way to make sure she won't be lying.

“Apologize me, but I'm afraid it may be uncalled for.”
“Uncalled for? What do you mean by that?”
Her surprised face isn't for show. She really wasn't expecting that.
'I'm afraid you may lie to me'. Is what I want to say, but luckily I manage to keep my mouth shut before saying it. Butler was right. This woman has a strange aura. I must watch out, or I may say something unforgivable.
“What I mean is that knowing about my death without knowing how I lived may be more troublesome.”
I answer, while smiling. Lady stares the wall for a while, and answer after a while:
“You got a point, I guess. Well anyway! I bet you don't have any plan right now, right?”
“You're right, Milady.”
“Let me tell you what I planned for you. First, my Butler should teach you how to fight.”
“Do I really have to? I don't mean to be disrespectful, but fighting isn't my...”
My voice die. I don't know how to say it, but I hate fighting. Still, I can't really say it straight like that.
“Oh, so you're quite the worry wart one, isn't it? Fighting here is not about killing nor hurting, you should remember this. It's just about defeating your opponent. Most of the time, they'll admit defeat.”
“Most?”
“Of course -but it's very rare-, some of them will fight until the end. ANYWAY! First, learn to fight, and then, we'll help you to recover your lost memories, step by step, slowly. I'll help myself if I need to.”
“Why are you doing this?”
I didn't planned to say it. But I noticed too late that I was talking aloud instead of thinking.
“For several reasons, my dear worry wart. First, because I find you very pleasant. Second and third are my business.”
And without any other explanations, she lets me here, walks to Butler, and kicks him.
“Hey, you lazy dumb head imbécile. Wake up and do your job!”

“What, what should we do?”
That's me talking now. We're in the central wing, under the artificial sky. When I asked him, Butler answered something about “avoiding any combat-related rage”. Considering that I'm not exactly a warrior, I think he was talking about him.
“First, let's start from the beginning. Do you remember how you used magic?”
Sitting on the floor like a kid, I answer:
“I'm afraid I may have lost my memories. Including magic.”
“I see. So let me get this from the beginning, maybe you'll remember something then.”
Clearing his throat, he starts explaining how magic works.

To put it simply, according to his theory, magic is something very personal. Each wizard, witch or sorcerers has his own definition. Power varies depending of the definition's efficiently. For example, a old and experienced wizard with an flawed theory will be weaker than a new wizard with a perfect theory.
But, according to Butler, creating a theory is like trying to reach the sun. It's impossible to do it alone, and even if a wizard can manage this impossible fact, he'll be burned by the raw power.
From this point, I stopped listening, trying to figure if this theory could be applied to every magic power. I remembered those Buddhist priest I saw long time ago. They were using magic. Not directly, but using charms. Were they magic user, according to Butler's theory? I decide to ask him.

“What about priest? They are indirectly using magic, so are they really magic users?”
“You're talking about Buddhist priest, right? They were using amulets, isn't it?”
They 'were'?
“Y-yes...”
“In this case, it's about sealing magic in an object. It's an interesting way to stay unnoticed. Usually, magic users can feels other magic users. But those guys were not using direct magic, so you couldn't identify them as magic users until it was too late. In their case, they weren't sealing magic in any object, but in sacred object. Legendary stuff, like Minamoto no Yorimasa's bow, are of course more suited to this purpose, since...”

Funny enough, I don't think I ever was a magic user. Butler's speech doesn't tilt anything. I mean, if I was really a magic user, like a witch or something like that, speaking about that would have effect, right? And instead of that, I have the feeling I'm back to school, listening to something I'm not really understanding.
Besides, something's bothering me. Lady Flandre doesn't want me to get back to my old self, for some strange reason, and yet Butler is doing quite the opposite, trying to reminding how I used to fight.
“Hmmm...”
“Yeah?”
So I ask him. Simpler is better.
“So, she said that? Well, to say it simply, while I'm working for Lady Flandre, I happen to have a disagreement with her right now. I think that even if you remember your self, your current self won't change. But still, I can't act against the Lady, so I'm trying to reach my point without breaking her orders. But this isn't working, right?”
“Whoever I was, I wasn't the fighter type.”
“Yeah, more like a diplomat for what I saw. Well, there's still a shock therapy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let us fight. Man versus newborn youkai.”
“Are you sure it's a good idea?”
“We won't fight to death.”
“But still...”
“Apologies for interrupting you, but this Mansion is located in quite the dangerous place. Not to mention that the Mansion itself is dangerous. I think you should know how to fight before trying to visit the outside. And since the soft way doesn't work, by putting in a fighting situation, you'll have to remember some old conditioned reflex.”


Well...
[] Times up, let's do this
-[]... Ask to fight against Butler.
-[]... Ask to fight against the Lady.
[] I really don't need this. There's still an other way to avoid a fight.

==========================================

Well, I tried to avoid useless and long descriptions of how magic works. But even like that, I hope it's understandable.

[x] I really don't need this. There's still an other way to avoid a fight.

This sounds more like how he would used to act...from what I got...maybe.

[x] Times up, let's do this
-[x]... Ask to fight against the Lady
This never happens.

Ban still not lifted? You seriously need a proofreader.

[x] I really don't need this. There's still an other way to avoid a fight.

Apparently we didn't use magic.

>>138265
I could probably fix that by changing my IP, but it would be like cheating.

>>138267
Please, don't forget that Butler is a magician. Using magic doesn't mean being a magician. He's just explaining things from his point of view, but as he said, each person as his own vision of what is magic.


Also, not expecting more votes, so I'm gonna start writing soon. If the ban thingy isn't fixed, I'll start looking for proofreader on maidens. Since I can't really continue without.

[x] I really don't need this. There's still an other way to avoid a fight.

I'm not feeling comfortable with this. Fighting is something serious. I don't want to fight, even if it's not a real fight. Besides, there's always another way. Fighting isn't the only solution.
“No, really, thank you for your consideration, but I'm still sure there's other ways.”
“Oh.”
It was not a disappointed “oh”. It was rather a interested “oh”. I quickly glance Butler's face. A wicked smile is tearing his face apart. He speaks again, one more time with the low and threatening tone.
“Fighting isn't the only way? Even when you're surrounded? Now that's funny, isn't it? ISN'T IT? All right. Let me guess. Let say I want to kill you right now. Let's say that. How do you react? Hu? Tell me. How do you react?”
Taken aback by the sudden change, I try to maintain my composure, while trying to speak.
“W-well... Why would you want to kill me?”
The answer is immediate.
“Let's play a little 'If' game, shall we? If you had friends, and if your friends tortured me, breaking my back, wouldn't it be normal for me to avenge myself on you? Torturing you and killing you?”
I answer without even thinking.
“If I really had some friends, killing me would only make them grieve, giving them more reasons to hurt you. And then, your friends will go after them, and the violence will never stop.”
His smile disappears. He's still using this low tone, but something obviously changed for good.
“Okay then. Let's continue this. If I really had some good reasons to get my revenge on your friends, wouldn't it be natural for me to try and hurt them through you?”
“And if you really get your revenge? What do you plan to do after this? Is a revenge the only thing keeping you alive? I don't think so. If it was the case, I wouldn't blame you for trying to revenge through me. If it was the case, I'll rather cry for your sake rather than blaming you.”
“...”
His face doesn't show any emotion, but I already know what's going on in his head. It wasn't an If. He was serious. Whoever I was, I indirectly hurt him for real.
“Every man and woman needs an ideal to live. For a peasant, it can be a marriage, a family. For a warrior, it can be honour, or respect. For merchant, it can be wealth. Whatever the goal is, it's what's keeping all of us alive. An ideal, a goal, or whatever you call it. Those goal are often like the Moon. You run after it, yet you never catch it. Because it's this goal that's making you go forward. Without it, all you're doing is sitting, never moving, never eating. Having an ideal is one of the most wonderful thing in this world. Achieving your ideal is the most wonderful thing in this world. But noticing that your life was empty and sad is horrible.”
“...”
After this speech, I fall in silence. I don't know how I managed to say all that, but I learned something about myself. I know how it feels. How it feels to know that your life was meaningless.

Neither of us say anything for a while. I said what I wanted to say, and Butler is confused, even if he's trying to hide it.
“I... have things I need to do.”
And then, with a gesture, he disappears in a purple cloud. So he was really a magician.


So, I'm alone in this hostile room. Considering the rooms I've been so far, I'd rather visit the outside for a while, instead of staying in this mansion.
Finding a way out was easier than expected. I just had to walk around, looking for the most expensive-looking door in the room. The only difficult part was the cute little fairy standing near the door. I guess I startled her when I opened it, because she suddenly started to ground me, saying stuff like:“Wounded or newborn guest should avoid the Outside.” I assured her that I was fine, and she let me alone.

And now, I'm standing in the Mansion's Garden. Well, I can hardly call that a garden. I don't have any words to describe this. There are strange-looking plants everywhere, some giants mushrooms here and here, and some kind of thing looking like a black ball with sharp teeth, barking like a dog. I'm really wondering if there's an illusion spell or something like that. Perhaps it'll be better. Because besides the strange plants, there's also the sky who's bothering me. Large parts of my memories are missing, but for some reason, I'm pretty sure that a red sky isn't normal.

I quickly went back into the mansion. The outside was interesting, but Butler was right, it's really a dangerous area. Besides, the mansion seems to be located in a remote place, inside a damp forest. And I'm not really fond of damp place. I prefer when it's dry.

Back under the fake sky. I spend several minutes looking at every star. It's really a wonderful art. Sleeping in this room must be quite relaxing, if... Mmm. Don't think about that. I should visit another place.

[] Let's explore the mansion! There's mysteries to clear out!
-[] Write-in (where to go, what to look for: strange stuff, chilly stuff, magic stuff, vampire stuff)
[] I should get back to my room. I should relax and try to figure things, like who I was.
-[] Meditate.
-[] Write-in.
[] I can still go talk with the Lady F... Ful... the Lady.
-[] Speak about usual stuff.
-[] Write-in.
[] Let's go bother Butler! Since he's a magician, he can shows me several tricks!
-[] Let's speak more about magic!
-[] Write-in.

===============================

Here we go! Routes are opened. Messieurs, faites vos jeux!

[x] Meditate.
I wonder...if we were some sort of monk or something.

[x] Let's go bother Butler! Since he's a magician, he can shows me several tricks!
-[x] Let's speak more about magic!
after that
[x] I should get back to my room. I should relax and try to figure things out, like who I am.
-[x] Meditate.
>>138579
You're on the right track

Forgot to say, but Butler is the only male in this story so far.

[x] I should get back to my room. I should relax and try to figure things, like who I was.
-[x] Meditate.

I don't know what the deal is there but I think we should give Butler some time.

[X] Keep training.

[x] I should get back to my room. I should relax and try to figure things, like who I was.
-[x] Meditate.

Several things happened today. I should... take each thing after another, and... think about each of them carefully. I want to meditate. Quietly. In my room.

After one hour walking randomly, I managed to get one fairy's attention. She leaded me to my room, and let me alone without saying any word. Those fairies are really cold.

Well. I'm quite rusty, but fortunately, I still remember how I did this. I sit on the bed, seiza style, sitting on my knees, and I close my eyes. I'm suddenly noticing the lack of any noise. I mean, in every house, there are still some noises, like some servant working, or even the wood cracking. But in this mansion, there's no noise. Nothing. It's quiet as a graveyard.
Well, it does make the meditation simpler. First, I calm down. Second, I focus on the song of my own heart. Third, I think calmly, without any emotion.
Fairies called me “newborn”. Butler said something about “reanimation”. Lady Flandre told me that I died. The first answer is quite simple. I died for real, and I was brought back to life. This mansion's crew is obviously involved in this. Even if I doubt they directly acted, they know who did this. I shall ask them later. Bringing peoples from the Netherworld is quite an accomplishment. Only a powerful being could have done that. Let's stop here. It's useless to suppose.

Second problem. Who was I? I have some memories of my death, but they're foggy and complicated. Either I died twice, either I had a long agony. It's pretty obvious that Butler's If game wasn't a game at all. I really had friends. And they did something horrible to him. The hate I could feel in his voice wasn't acted. If my friends were able to do such things, either Butler was a bad person, either they were bad people. But I know Butler now. He's a transparent boy, doing his best. I honestly don't think he's evil. Unless he changed a lot back then. But from my experience, tortured people tend to become evil themselves. Evil, or broken. There's a possible answer for this. I was an evil person, and I had evil friends. This is a good answer, since it's almost totally answering the question. The side effect is that I don't really want to know more about my past self.

Now, let's think about the third problem. Butler seems to think that I was a magic user. Yet, his speech didn't triggered anything in me. Yet, he said something interesting. He said that every magician had his own definition of magic. And THIS... is bugging me. I have no reason to doubt Butler. If he thinks I was a magician, when I was one. But the magic I was using... must have been totally different from him. No, that's not helping me. I can find an answer about my former self, and yet this magical problem... I'm manipulating the problem in every way, and I still can't find a crack. I must be missing something. I was really a magician, or magic user, or whatever. But if I was really a magician, what kind of magic did I used?

That's not leading me anywhere. I open my eyes, and I walk in the room, trying to awakening my sleeping legs. More by curiosity than anything else, I open the closet. Yeah, there are clothes and some books. They weren't here before, someone must have put them here. I take a book, called “Buddhism and Taoism, why is it so popular?” and I start reading. Kinda hard for me. This book seems to be written in some kind of slang.

And then, realization strikes me. If I understood it right, according to Taoism, any action is caused by a desire. Selfish desires are yin, and altruistic desires are yang. That's just how it works! Pure desires are “good”, and impure desires are “evil”. Well, perhaps not really evil, but... Let's say “ungood”. I close the book, and throw it on the bed. Excitation is running in my blood. I know! I know that I was a magician, and I know how I was a magician. According to Butler, having a theory is the first step to become a magician, and I have a theory! I close my eyes one more time, trying to erase the smile from my face. Think quietly. I raise my right hand. This is “white magic”. Altruistic magic. Like healing, or reinforcing. I raise my left hand. This is “black magic”. Selfish magic. Like killing, or manipulating. I think... I think I can remember how to summon a spell.

I open my eyes, both hands still raised. I turn my face to the book I threw before, and I make a quick gesture with my right hand. The book is throw away from the bed, and hit the wall with a huge sound. This time, I can't hide that smile. Before coming to this place, I had 3 problems. Simply thinking carefully and quietly about each of them, I managed to find 2 answers.

I know that I was some kind of evil magician, but I don't know why/how I was brought back to life. Fortunately, there are 2 people in this mansion able to tell me.

[] Let's ask Butler. I'm sure he knows. Also, he'll help me with the magic business.
[] Let's ask the Lady. If it's not about my past self, she may answer to me.

================================

Congratulations! You unlocked basics spells. You're still easy modo, but you're no longer free loot.
Apologies about typos, but I rewrote the monologue part several times, and I can't help but find it silly.
My bad, I also edited something.

[x] Let's ask Butler. I'm sure he knows. Also, he'll help me with the magic business.

I wonder what his reaction will be.

[x] Let's ask Butler. I'm sure he knows. Also, he'll help me with the magic business.

Update ready. But hélas, my proofreader managed to escape from me.

Unrelated, am I wrong or is LoL becoming more and more retarded?

[x] Let's ask Butler. I'm sure he knows. Also, he'll help me with the magic business.

I should ask Butler. He's worrying me, mainly because of his unstable behaviour, but I have to admit that he's frank. He won't hide anything from me, unless it goes against The Lady's orders. Besides, I should tell him that I regained part of my former powers.
I leave the wing, happily wondering how he'll react. But when I reach the Main Hall, I notice something. He used magic to leave the room, and I have no idea where he went.

After spending times looking around on the ground floor, I finally gave up, and I asked a fairy maid. With cold words, she told me that Butler's room was on the second floor. After telling her that I wouldn't be able to find the way to, she gently, but coldly, lead me to the good place.
Which means that right now, I'm probably in front of Butler's room. And ,yet, I can't enter. There are several things keeping me from entering. The main thing being probably the fact that I'm hearing voices coming from this room.
Eavesdropping isn't really something I'm used to do, but I can't go back, and I can't enter either, so all I can do is staying here, motionless, in this small dark corridor, listening.

One of those voices is Butler's, but I don't know the other voice. It must be a young woman's voice, sounding cheerful and happy. Totally in contrast with Butler's low and annoyed tone.
“Don't you have something interesting to do? Like, I don't know, maybe getting the makai out of here?” Ask Butler.
“Oh, come on, it's more interesting to sneak around in this place, leading an investigation.”
“Suits you to sneak around.”
“Don't be so formal, kid. I just want to know what you and Flandre are up to? Have something in mind? Come on, don't be afraid! Gimme just an answer!”
“I'm in no position to tell you anything. And even if I was allowed to, I wouldn't.”
“Come ooooon! After all-”
“Can't you notice I'm busy?”
“-I'm really interested in what you're preparing, you two.”
“What do you mean, tengu?”
“Don't take me for a fool, bastard. I don't know what you're up to, but I know what you did. You and that vampire.”
“...”
“Well, well, you're not saying anything now?”
The female voice changed. Cheerful at first, it's now more and more insisting. Butler, in another hand, sounds less bored and more careful.
“For the last time, what do you want?”
“Oh, please, don't use THAT tone with me. I'm just reporting, that's all.”
“Back then, you would vanish for that kind of thing.”
“Too bad. Time changes. Hey? Since you're powerless here, what about telling everything about that resurrected cutie?”
“... I don't know what you're talking about.”
There is a silence. They're still in the same room, but they are not talking. I imagine them in the room. Butler must be sitting quietly on a chair, trying to give the impression he's not impressed by the visitor. The woman must be standing up, with a dirty smile on her face.
“Taking me for a fool isn't a good idea. I'll come back later, and this time, it'll be for you only, little mongrel” She says.
I hear someone walking, the noise of a windows being opened. And after that, it's a complete silence. I guess I can finally enter now, so I open the door without knocking.
Butler's room is quite unusual. Well, in this mansion, nothing is usual, so it's making sense. The room is painted in blue and white, giving an impression of coldness, there are piles of papers, written on with some old language I don't know. Butler is sitting in a chair, staring absent-mindedly at the window. I try to gain his attention.
“Hello.”
“Mmm... Hello.” He answers, still in a distracted tone.
He's worrying me. That doesn't look like him to be distracted, not like that.
“Are you okay?”
“I'm fine, thanks for aski-”
Suddenly jumping from his chair, he looks at me.
“Hey, wait a minute! How d'you came here?”
“I.. just asked the fairies.”
He calms down. No, more than that, it looks like he's relieved.
“Oh. Fairies, uh? Makes sense. What do you want?”
“Well, in fact, I wanted you to help me.”
“Sure thing. Help you with?”
“Well, I mastered some basic magic, and I wanted to know if you could help me again.”
One more time, he begin to stare absent-mindedly through the window, and start speaking in a monotone voice.
“Mastered... Sure thing, sure. Mmm. I'm not good enough as a magician. I'm going to need some help on that. Who's still alive? The one in the Swamp, and Patchy. Not going to see Patchy. Probably gonna rips my arms off. Maybe Flandre kept some books...”
He continue like that for several minutes, and then ask me:
“Well. I wondered if I could test that power of you?”
“Excuse me?”
“You said you remembered how you used magic, right?”
“Yes.”
“Are you confident enough to try and fight me?”
I shake my head.
“I'm sorry, but I really don't like that idea.”
Sitting back on the chair, he scratches his nose, and talk again:
“Well, we have a trouble here. I'm supposed to give you basic training, but given that you couldn't really understand my explanations earlier, I think that our … interpretation are too different. Which means that I can't really train you.”
“Training? Why for?”
“You were brought back to life. It's obviously not to let you wander around randomly. There was a purpose. There is an objective behind all this.”
Stretching his legs, he continues to speak in a monotone tone.
“You see, there is 3 possibles reasons. First, you were a symbol. Second, you were a magician. Third, you were a pacifist.”
“A pacifist?”
“Yeah. Let me be even simpler: there is something to do, and you have to do it. That's what I think. I may be wrong, of course -wouldn't be the first time it happens to me- but it would be logical.”
“Do you base everything on logic?”
“Yes. Everything is about logic. Everything is logic. You just have to understand it.”
“And about the rest?”
“Well... There are others magicians loitering around. Perhaps I could catch one of them. Or perhaps I could bring you to them.”
“Others magicians?”
“Yes. There's Patchy. Lady Flandre's old teacher. And I think there's also this swamp girl.”
“Talking about me?”
“Not really, I was just- duh?”
I'm surprised too. I try to look around, searching for a third person.
“I'm here, near the window.”
Butler jumps, grab something, and shows it to me. It's a doll. A very cute little doll, with blonde hairs, a red ribbon, and an apron over a blue dress.
“That's cute.”
Butler snickers, and tries shaking the doll.
“Have you heard everything?”
“Only since you began speaking about logic.”
The doll isn't moving on her own, but there's still this voice coming from her mouth.
“Never heard anything about privacy? You and that crow are similar, eavesdropping without any shame!”
There's a laugh coming from the doll. It's almost creepy to hear it- I mean her, laughing like that, without moving. I though at first that this doll was a youkai, but it seems that she's just a … well, a doll. She doesn't have any emotions on her own, and I can feel someone else's controlling it.
“Always speaking about logic! You should be named Holmes, frankly. Too bad you don't have any londonian accent. Also, don't forget that I listen because you spoke about me!”
“Are you really that interested in my opinion?”
“Not really. I just wanted to do sure that you'll show me in a fair way.”
“Fair is fair. Let's do that.”
Still with the doll in his hand, Butler speaks to me.
“Paris, here's our guest. We call her Guest or 763. Guest, this is Paris. It's a doll controlled by a wicked magician, living in a remote part of the swamp.”
“I'm not wicked!”
“Nevermind her, she's quite obsessed with peoples' opinions. Very strange for someone who never leave her house.”
“Hey!”
“But she's also a very powerful magician, and she's quite cute.”
“...”
They look like they're good friends. I wonder how they met. Looking at the doll, I speak.
“You said you could help me?”
Startled, the doll looks at me -well, at least, it looks like she's looking at me-, and answer on a shaky tone.
“Ha, uh, well yes! I mean, I happened to overhear your conversation. This guy is quite incompetent as a magician-”
“Umpf.”
“-and I'm way better than him. Besides, it's been a while since someone visited me-”
“Well, I can't say I'm disapproving this. The only trouble is that this witch lives in a dangerous place, which means that you'll be in danger. If you prefer, Lady Flandre has some magic books who could help you, or else I can ask some other magician to help -even if she'll probably refuse-, she's quite competent too.”


[] Time is precious. And that forest witch will probably be the faster way to learn magic.
[] Better to avoid unnecessary risks. It's better to ask this other magician to help me.
[] Go by the book. Ask Lady Flandre where she keeps her magic books. She's probably not using them.

==============================

Really, really late update.
Bad stuff happened, keep missing my usual proofreader, discovered Doom 2, had to rewrite it several times, and I'm still not really happy with the result. Sorry about that!

[X] Time is precious. And that forest witch will probably be the faster way to learn magic.

[x] Go by the book. Ask Lady Flandre where she keeps her magic books. She's probably not using them.
Let's learn how to blow stuff up

[x] Time is precious. And that forest witch will probably be the faster way to learn magic.

Update currently being done. But don't expect it too soon, I'll probably rewrite it several times to be sure it's "typo-less".
Also, it's one hell of a curse to be unable to write stories properly ("properly" meaning in this case "being able to write what's in my head"), but I'll keep on trying. Because I can only improve.

TL;DR: Update coming, don't throw a party because I'm still here.

>>140064
>TL;DR: Update coming

Hooray!

Sorry for the delay. I rewrote this several times, and I'm still not satisfied with the result. Predictable, I guess.

==================================

[x] Time is precious. And that forest witch will probably be the faster way to learn magic.

“Well, thank you. But you said earlier that I have something to do, right? I should be ready for this, as quickly as possible.”
Butler's face doesn't show any emotion. But his body is speaking for him. The fact that he's quietly crushing the doll is clear enough. He's upset, yet he doesn't want to speak against me.
Trying my best to not noticing Butler's nasty grasp, I ask:
“Well then, what am supposed to do?”
The doll stays blank, but the voice coming from it seems surprised.
“Oh, yeah! Well, first thing to do is to come to my house! I mean, I could probably teach you one or two things here, but it's better to do it in a place I know, because, you see, I must cast protection spells in case, and it's better for me to be here myself, and-”
“In short, we go tomorrow.”
With that, Butler throws the doll outside, and quickly close the window. Then, he stares at me for a little while, and speak again:
“Some things you should know about this witch. First, she's handicapped. I mean, really handicapped. Second, as you noticed, she can talk, see, and hear through her dolls. Be careful.”
Oh, she wasn't using that doll as a shikigami then. If it was 'just' a doll, does that means she can talk through several dolls at the same time?
“THIRD.” Butler's voice snaps me out of my monologue. “She's a good teacher. But you'll probably have to fight her, since she's quite fond of those theatrical things. Remember that she's using her body as a bait. Her true power resides in her dolls.”
“Her dolls? She have other dolls?”
“Of course yeah. She can controls maybe... fifty-sixty dolls at the same time.”
“Why do you think I'll have to fight her?”
“Because that was the rules.”
“I don't like this reason.”
“Sorry to say that, but deal with it. Most of Gensokyo's inhuman citizens are used to it, so you'll better to get used to it yourself. Unless you plan to leave this land.”
“Hold on please. What's Gensokyo?”
Judging from the look on his face, this question completely surprises him. He takes a deep breath, and, on a lighter tone, start speaking.
“Gensokyo was a sealed land, created for many purposes. Officially, it was created to seal dangerous youkais, but in fact, it was rather created as an haven. When the world became dangerous for them, youkais started disappearing, and so Gensokyo became the only way to survive, and-”
“I don't understand anything.”
Butler doesn't answer to my rude interruption. Instead of that, he brings his hand to his head, and proceed to cover his eyes while sighing. I can't help but thinking he's making fun of me.
“Whatever. I'll bring you to that witch's house tomorrow.”
And then, clapping his hands together, Butler ask with a big smile:
“We'll have the whole evening to kill! What about meeting with Lady Flandre? She must be so lonely in this big mansion.”

Following Butler, I left the room, and go to Flandre's room. Well, I should rather say Flandre's wing. Seriously, this is a ludicrous room. When I see it, I can't help but think that a whole village could live in this room.
“Nice to see you again... So, how was it?” Asks the Lady.
“She got the basic stuff.”
“Will you keep training her?”
“I think not. No compatibility.”
“What a shame.”
For some reason, hearing them talking about me like if I wasn't here annoys me. But butting in their conversation would be worse.
“The Puppeteer proposed to train her for a while.”
“The... She did that?”
“Yeah, I find it strange too.”
“Don't worry too much, Flandre, I'll keep an eye on that.”
“Thank you. Okay, then, now let's play!”
I'm totally speechless. This woman totally changed in only one second. She was serious when she started talking, and she brutally changed in only one second. I can't help but feel uneasy now.
“What a wonderful idea. Let's play like kids. Should I count 100?”
Butler doesn't sound surprised, but his sarcastic tone leaves no place for doubt. And the Lady notices it too, and react very bad to this provocation.
“I had something else in mind! What about 'kick the butler'? Are you okay with that?”
“Well, obviously-”
“En garde!”

The rest is quite confusing. The Lady tried to pounce Butler, while slashing him with her fingernails, but he managed to charge her before that, greeting her with a headbutt in her stomach, threw her on the floor.
Meanwhile, I decide boldly to not interfere, so I just sit on a chair, watching the show. It's almost heart-warming to see them playing around like that.
The Lady jumps on her feet, and try to slash Butler with some kind of red sword, while screaming a foreign name. Butler answers this by crouching, and punch the floor while muttering something, creating a black fog flying toward her. The said fog is quickly annihilated by another red slash.
I can understand that Butler is using magic, but I don't understand if the Lady is using magic or not. She's mostly using a sword to attack, but does the red attack comes from her or from the weapon?
Oh, while I was daydreaming, the Lady ran to Butler, and threw him against the wall. Well, she tried to be accurate. The fact that Butler is punching her in the knee is a proof that her strategy isn't working so well.
Starting from now, I can see the Lady's tactic. Her idea is to use magic to restrain Butler's movement, and then finish him in an hand-to-hand combat. Butler, on another hand, is trying his best to stay as far as possible, relying on strange spells to keeps his distance. The outcome is predictable. The Lady Flandre -hey, I managed to say it right!- is stronger, and far more experienced than Butler. If she grabs him, he's done for.
*crash*
One more time, a loud noise cut my daydreaming. Flandre managed to get close, and tried to punch Butler, destroying a wall during the process. But then, she turns on herself, and uses her sword again, finally... cutting off Butler's hand? I though they were playing around, but apparently they're more serious than I though!
“You're going to kill me if you keep it up!”
Says a panicked Butler. I look at him, and then I look Flandre. While Butler was calm and composed -until he loses his hand-, Flandre is going totally crazy. With a mad smile, her eyes shining like fox's eyes when seeing a prey, she crouches, preparing another attack. Meanwhile, I can feel Butler preparing a magic shield. While I can't say how, I can feel that's a powerful one. His plan is probably to summon the shield when Flandre will attack, hoping that it won't break, and throwing Flandre back.

Without really thinking, more by reflex than anything else, I walk next to him, and I try to prepare something. I don't want to attack Flandre, I just want to avoid anyone being hurt. I want to protect someone. I can feel it on my body. There's something else. It's powerful. But I can't use. I can't master it. It's like trying to burn oil in a well. That's just not how you do it.
I hear a light noise. Flandre moved. She's flying really fast. Not more time to think. I have to do something. Another noise. Glass shattering. Butler's shield broke. He falls on the ground, stunned. Do something. Do something.
I press a finger on my forehead, and I point Flandre with my other hand. Something comes out from my body, and hits Flandre, throwing her back. Not hard enough to hurt her, and enough to stop her.
“Stop now, Flandre, or things will turn nasty.”
Butler is trying to reason Flandre, but it would probably be more efficient if he could speak loudly instead of whispering weakly. But I can't really blame him, having his hand cut off must be quite a shock. I will try to reason her myself.
“Milady, please calm down! We don't want any death, right?”
Flandre descend to the ground, blinking several times.
“What... was I doing? Sorry, I guess I lost myself somewhere.”
“That's a understatement, don't you think?” Wait a minute, did I said that aloud?
“Yeah. But hopefully it can be fixed.”
“Are you talking about Butler's hand or about the wall?”
“Both. I have some duct tape somewhere in this room. It'll fix anything.”
Her voice is serious, but her face is inexpressive.
“Duct... tape?”
“Sticking paper.”
“Kinda like an ofuda?”
“Eerrrr, maybe like that.”
“You want to heal a amputation with an ofuda?”
“Yeah!”
I don't know what to answer. I'm pretty sure that you can't heal anything with an ofuda, given that they're spiritual weapons. It would be like healing a depression by stabbing the person with a knife.
“Don't mind that, I'll probably be able to fix that myself...”
Coming from a little pile of flesh drowning in a pool of blood, that's not very convincing.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Hell, I'm a wizard, I can do shit, like blowing peoples. I can probably fix that.”
The 'probably' is bothering me, but if he says so...
“All right. Good night then.”
Of course, that's totally rude from me to let them alone, but I can't really think straight. First, Flandre seems to be wary of the Witch I'm going to see tomorrow, second, they fight each other, and third, Flandre wants to heal Butler's wound with an ofuda.
That's just too much for me. I'll just go to sleep. After, of course, spending half an hour to go through the whole wing.



[] Butterfly Dream.
[] Ghastly Dream.
[] Just sleep.

[x] Ghastly Dream.

Memories, hopefully.

Story put in undefined hiatus.
Reasons:
-not enough readers (shitty reason, I know).
-Real Life trouble (got fired from my job, which probably means no Internet for a while).

>>140534

Welp. See you later then.

>>140534
Good luck. Hope you can find a new job pronto

Good luck! Can't find anything else to say so, yeah. That.

Hey, have this Hartmann's Girl to help you wait (assuming you were waiting, of course).

[x] Ghastly Dream

I quickly forget everything about Butler's hand, about Flandre's sudden burst of anger. Lying on the bed, I try to relax as much as I can.
There's a light humming coming from the next room, as if someone was trying to sing a lullaby for himself. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't ignore it, so I decided to listen to it.

Before I could even notice it, I'm sleeping quietly, unaware of any screams in the mansion. After several hours, dream comes to me.
I'm standing in a familiar room. In front of me, there is a statue of Bishamonten, God of War. Holding a spear in his right hand and a pagoda in his left hand. Next to it, there is a little desk, with some papers scattered. Moving near it, I attempt to read them. But before I know, I understand it's useless to read them. I know what they're saying. Because I am the one who wrote them.
“Just.. leave me alone for a while, okay?”
“As you wish.”
There's a door facing the Bishamonten statue. Peoples entering in this room are supposed to face the god before having any business with the person working here. That's a very cunning way to intimidate someone. However, the girl entering in the room doesn't even look at it. Instead of that, she walks straight to the desk, and start reading, without paying any attention to me.
After a while reading them, she slowly start sobbing. She's trying to control herself, but the fact that she's shaking proves that she can't really do that now. And then, from sobbing, she goes into crying, dropping on the floor, hiding her face with her sleeves. She can't let anyone see her like that, in this poor state. That's why she pretend to come here, to work.
I can't help but feeling frustrated. I want to help that crying girl, I want to hug, to whisper “everything will be all right”, to calm her down. But moving hurts my body.
For reaching her, I have to pay an awful price. By the time I can touch her, the pain is just horrible. It's like having melted iron running in my body, every bone being broken, my hands being stabbed, my legs caught between nailed planks... It's just awful. That's pain I wish for nobody else to feel.

My hand finally reaches her shoulder, and... goes through it. That's right, I can't touch that girl. I try to pet her head, but my hand one more time goes through. And before I can even understand what's going on, the girl already moved to Bishamonten, and started speaking to him:
“You did nothing. NOTHING! Why am I still serving you?”
And then, with a deep unnatural voice, comes the answer:
“Because many more will die if you stop worshipping me.”
“Who? When? Where? How?”
Without any surprise, the girl bombarded the god with questions, trying uselessly to figure is there was a reason for the recent event. The god doesn't answer, letting the girl calm down before speaking again:
“You have a battlefield to command now.”
“War never protected peoples.”
“War protects the innocent.”
And then, the girl looked up to Bishamonten, and asked, with tears rolling on her beautiful face:
“Where should I command?”
“You already have the pagoda. Take my spear, and become my avatar.”
The last thing I saw was the girl taking the weapon from the statue. After that, everything went dark.

======================

That's all I can manage for now. Even if I'm really interested by >>140152's logic (ghastly dream = flashback), I can't really do more now.
Sorry about that. Second part may be coming. Or not. I'll see during the next week end.

Hey, you guys! I think Hartmann's a big faggot! Do you?

Vote now to decide his lame-ass fate:

[ ] Ban [ ] Don't Ban

Bans aren't done unless they're faggots like random anon.

Chase him out if you want him out.

[x] Ban

Hart's a fag and refuses to stop being one. When people told him to cut the shit or get the fuck out, he posted anonymously and further ingrained the insufferable French douche bag stereotype into my head. The site would be better without his shit, anyway.

[x] Don't Ban
I'm a pretty tolerant person

>>141001
>>140947
Hi, you, single Anon.
I'm happy to learn that I made such an impression to your mind. Don't mind (if I dareth say so), I just love screwing with it. Mind is indeed a very interesting thing, since it can be obsessed over the most simple thing.
I would love to open your mind, and take a look inside.

Now then, since this thread is slowly going off-topic, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. But at least, you're giving me a good excuse to drop this story, and I can't thank you enough for this.

Except maybe by breaking every of your bones, tearing you apart, and giving your remains to my pigs for their dinner. I'm a very nice person.
And I know you're one, too. Why else would you so kindly gives up your own body to me?

Now seriously then (if I can be serious right now, but nevermind, that's impossible), I like seeing stuff like that. It reminds me that there are still one guy who doesn't like me.

And now, I'm going to keep on writing.
Because I like writing, because I have reader(s), because I have a story to tell, characters to keep alive.
And also because you're butthurt about it.

I like you, Anon. Never change.

>>141004

Yeah, that's right! You'll never give us up! Or let us down! Or ever run around and desert us!

>>141004
>PEOPLE DON'T LIKE ME ARE POSTING ANONYMOUSLY
>IT'S OBVIOUSLY ONLY ONE PERSON HOW COULD MORE THAN ONE PERSON NOT LIKE ME

go climb a wall of dicks, you insufferable douche

>>141006
Oooh, apologies.
I though it was -more or less- forbidden to use a nickname when posting here. Unless you're a writefag.

>>141004

Oh, don't worry about me samefagging. That'd be too easy.

[x] Ban ban ban ban jesus christ please ban.

>>141002
You can get right the fuck out, too.

I request an anonymous mod post revealing how many unique users think Hartmann is a faggot.

>>141008
>Unless you're a writefag.

I AM NINE ! WRITEFAG, AND HARTMANN IS A FAGGOT.

>Except maybe by breaking every of your bones, tearing you apart, and giving your remains to my pigs for their dinner. I'm a very nice person.

...And 13, apparently.

>>141008
Ahoy, insufferable French douchebag. This is a message from the Cabal:

ur a faget

>Except maybe by breaking every of your bones, tearing you apart, and giving your remains to my pigs for their dinner. I'm a very nice person.
Boy, are you mad.

>>141004

And people say I have an irrational hate for the French! Ha!

Behold, mortal! I managed to summon the Cabal here!

>>141010
Hey fuck you I can vote however I want! Why is there even a don't ban option if this is your reaction to people voting for it?

>>141028
It was trap. You have been fooled!

Jesus Christ, will you people just shut the fuck up? This is a story board, read, write, vote, or get to /blue/.

>>141075

>/blue/

Where do you think we came from? Plus, Hart sucks balls.

Time to report!
This story is on hiatus for a while, and for several reasons:
-first is quite obvious. Read the thread.
-second is that I have trouble finding a good "mindset" for MC, considering who she is. Accurate description of even and landscape may gives the impression that she's a calculating bitch.
-third is that Anon triggered by mistake in Friction About Ground several events that I wanted to place in this story, forcing me to change my whole plan.