How was the Fortune, Dreamers?
I hope it was pleasurable as we all wallowed through that bout of extreme existential ennui. While a constant in all our lives, I believe we can all agree that was a bit more… literal than usual, wouldn’t you say?
Part and parcel of living in Gensokyo, I’m afraid. With wonders abound comes horrors unbound sadly. Tis the price we pay for being loony enough to live here.
If you’ll recall, the Scarlet Devil Mansion has five residents; The Colorful Rainbow Gatekeeper: Hong Meiling, The Perfect and Elegant Maid: Sakuya Izayoi, The Unmoving Great Librarian: Patchouli Knowledge and her Little Devil Assistant: Koakuma, and the Scarlet Devil: Remillia Scarlet.
Or so we thought! Apparently, the Mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion has a little sister! An adorable vampire with wings of wrought iron and hanging jewels named Flandre Scarlet! How scandalous of them to hide away such an adorable creature.
She appears to have been blessed and cursed with the ability of destruction, capable of moving “eyes” to her hand and simply squeezing. Absolutely terrifying, wouldn’t you say? Ah well, perhaps this is my own strange view of the world, but what is one more way to die?
We live in a realm where one can have tea with the embodiment of darkness, visit the Sanzu River if one follows the proper protocols, and have the good fortune to have faith rewarded with miracles and horrors known only to we who live here.
For all the nightmares we live amongst, we are given the opportunity to make miracles. What is one more way to die when we are given yet another opportunity to make something more of ourselves?
Flandre Scarlet is a young youkai, yes. Should we fear her? Absolutely. But fear is but one facet of our aspects, we can let it guide us, but we cannot let it control us. I am sure that the residents of the Scarlet Mansion are already taking steps to help train her in her amazing ability.
...I will admit, I am stepping out of my comfort zone with this and I know that I have not been broadcasting long. None of you trust me and I understand that with how new I am around these parts, but… if I may offer my thoughts on the nature of youth and coexistence
Gensokyo is young, a scant century of history and tradition being recorded here. We are an isolated realm, but one where fantasy still lives and thrives. We are a haven for youkai and before all the humans groan and grow angry, I need all of you to understand what it would mean for youkai to die, truly die.
It would mean that miracles will have ceased. That there is nothing left to explore. That we would go about our lives, following patterns over and over. Youkai need us, but we need youkai just as much. They are the manifestation of our imagination and they challenge us to be better.
It is not a zero sum game where only one side can survive. With a bit of trickery, a bit of bravery, and just a bit of luck, we can build up a rapport with them. We can have a truce with them. We can become friends with them.
...
Ah, I grow maudlin with my hopes and dreams. Embrace them, spit on them, they are but idle musings of a Fool with a Voice.
Gensokyo welcomes the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Keep disturbances beneath Incident levels please and enjoy your stay. Do try and be friendly.
Coming up next, the loud silence of your own thoughts screaming inside your head. Do not listen for longer than three hours and seek companionship should you begin to cry.
Come now, dreamer.
It is time to go.
Till next we dream.
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As the party continued, so did the Fortune. However, the Fool did not speak again, instead, offering an odd, but playful ambience to the party. The original song had long ended, the singer fading out, but the exciting and invigorating underlying theme had played on a bit longer, turning into a calmer, yet no less exciting version of itself.
When that song ended, other songs had begun shifting in, each one seeming to embody a particular resident of the mansion: A calming, sunny one for the gatekeeper; a sweeping, determined theme for the maid; a theme that invoked the idea intense curiosity and an endless journey for knowledge for the librarian; a dark, whimsical gothic theme for the Mistress of the Mansion; even a playful ditty for the Little Devil Assistant.
Oddly generous of the Fool to provide such strange yet fitting ambient music. In a way, it almost seemed as if the music was helping introduce each member of the Scarlet Devil Mansion to Gensokyo.
Now the theme had shifted into something different as the party winded down and guests began to leave. Reimu Hakurei, Miko of Hakurei Shrine, could almost swear that it seemed to be a theme fit for Marisa; triumphant, determined, and filled with that abundant joy and whimsy for living that the Ordinary Witch embodied.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Eating a bit of food, Reimu Hakurei, Miko of Hakurei Shrine, idly wondered what her theme was. Something dull no doubt, befitting her ‘stuffy’ personality as Marisa called it. She scowled at the memory of that conversation. It was easy for Marisa to say that when she got to choose to be a Yokai Exterminator.
“Oi Reimu!”
Sipping her cup, Reimu growled with just a bit of sardonic fondness. Speak of the Witch and she shall appear.
Floating in from above, Marisa Kirisame, Ordinary Witch, swung her legs as she balanced a plate of food on her lap, “Having fun, Reimu?”
“As much fun as I can,” Reimu sighed, complaining, “knowing that that girl has far too much power and too little sense.”
“Says the girl with the unbeatable Spell Card,” Marisa returned, floating down with a slight pout, “And her name’s Flandre. Met her in the basement when we first came here and I was sneaking around the place.”
Reimu sighed, rolling her eyes at her friend’s audacity. Only Marisa Kirisame would admit to burglary so blatantly.
“I invited her to sneak out, but she said she couldn’t because she was still grounded from the last time, so she was keeping her promise,” Marisa giggled, “Guess it didn’t matter since she broke out anyways.”
“If by broke out, you mean almost breaking us,” Reimu huffed, “Then yeah, she broke out.”
Marisa rubbed her head, “She’s a good kid, just… gets carried away.”
Putting her plate of food down at her side on the bench, Reimu proceeded to use her entire body to sarcastically sate, “Pretty sure she was about to ‘splode’ the entirety of Gensokyo.”
“Like I said, gets carried away,” Marisa waved her off as if the entirety of their known existence hadn’t been about to be destroyed, “She’s fine now, ze~”
Both of them looked at the center of the party. While most of the guests had done polite greetings in the beginning and had long split off into their own little groups, the main center of attention was the residents of the Mansion. Koakuma was helping make sure her master, Patchouli, was fed and watered as she read a book while Remilia and Flandre were deep in planning over a bunch of paperslips. The Maid and Gatekeeper were standing by, ready for anything, though the gatekeeper was enjoying a large platter of food amidst the maid’s judging gaze.
“...I blame you if we all die,” Reimu sighed. She sighed a lot, but that was only because theree was a lot of stupid shit to sigh at.
“You always say that and we never do,” Marisa grumbled, betraying her confidence by knocking on the wood of her broomstick twice.
Reimu couldn’t help but giggle at that, before slipping into a scowl. This was a serious incident and everything had almost ended permanently. Marisa really shouldn’t be this flippant.
...Despite Marisa’s flamboyance and flippancy though, she had resolved the incident in a way Reimu never would have even thought of. Sighing, Reimu acknowledged, “That was a good job though. How’d you do it?”
“Idunno,” Marisa shrugged, “Most of it was her. She stopped and… Idunno. I figured she was lonely and well, that’s what we did when we were lonely. Play Danmaku.”
“Hm,” Reimu hummed, enjoying the pleasant buzz of sake. Swishing her cup, she idly asked, “Did you really mean that about Danmaku?”
When Marisa didn’t immediately answer, Reimu grew worried and turned to face her friend. Looking down at the cup, Marisa was… unusually subdued as she murmured, “...Rinnosuke used to tell me stories about the old Hakurei mikos. How it was always hard for them, just… hunting yokai as they hunted humans and…” she looked up and sighed, “Idunno. Just seemed sad how it went back then. Lots of killing and death, ze~?”
Cocking her head, Reimu frowned, “What don’t you know?”
Blushing, Marisa scowled, “I just said I don’t know, idiot.”
Reimu rolled her eyes, “Sheesh okay.”
“...I just think if we didn’t have Danmaku,” Marisa said slowly as she waved an arm at the party, swinging her legs and swaying on her broomstick just a bit, “We wouldn’t be here, eating with vampires and maids and asthmatic magicians. There wouldn’t be this party with humans and yokai.”
Looking at the party, Reimu thought she saw what Marisa meant. She also remembered the old lessons of the past. Reimu huffed, “It won’t last, you know. Humans and yokai are… just different.” She whispered that last part, not quite stating it as the truth she should know for sure.
“...That seems sad,” Marisa muttered.
“That’s just how it is,” Reimu said with unwanted certainty.
They sipped a bit of sake and enjoyed the noisy ambience of the party. The humans had split into one side and the yokai on another, but the fairies were being their usual selves and ignoring the boundaries, flitting between one group and the other with gleeful abandon. What was strange though was the lack of mischief. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say malicious mischief. Pranks were played but beyond a few noises of complaint, people actually seemed to enjoy having the fairies around.
What was odder was that there seemed to be… leaders. Five of them; a green haired one, a blue haired one, a redhead, a blond, and a brunette; all of whom seemed to be leading groups of fairies around. While they didn’t stop any mayhem, they certainly seemed to guide it, allowing it to start and end without disturbing any bystanders, at times even causing them to laugh.
Though, the latter three seemed to have started a small brawl to the amusement of the onlookers. Straining her ears, Reimu thought it seemed to be an argument over… who got to tell Boss-man about the party?
...Eh, it was Fairies. It wasn’t that important.
Danmaku sure got weird though,” Reimu mused after the brawl of the three fairies died down. The blonde one seemed to have won, based on the grumblings of the other two, “Used to just be a game you and I played.”
Sliding off her broom and onto the bench to sit next to Reimu, Marisa shrugged, “What are you talking about? It still is.”
“...You’re not wrong,” Reimu giggled. Scooting just a bit for their shoulders to touch, she did not lean her head on her companion. “...You really think you can win against me?
“Won’t know until we do it again, ze?”
Reimu chuckled a bit. She would never say it aloud, but that was what she liked about Marisa. She never gave up and… she was always going to chase after her. Reimu liked knowing that someone was still chasing her, trying to catch her. It felt like… something. Something important. She didn’t want to put it in words. Maybe it was enough to know that Marisa wouldn’t let her feel lonely.
They lulled into another idle quiet, simply enjoying one another’s company amidst the company of the party.
“You’re going to hate this,” Marisa said suddenly, “but technically, the Fool with a Voice saved our asses with that Fortune.”
Taking a bracing sip of sake, Reimu sighed, “Thank you, Marisa. I was trying really hard not to think about that.”
“You’re welcome,” the witch cackled unapologetically.
As they slipped into another silence, Flandre suddenly scurried over, waving a handful of glowing paper-slips, “I made my Spell-cards! Want to play!?”
Looking at one another, Marisa and Reimu had a silent conversation. Eventually, sighing in defeat, Reimu nodded, causing Marisa to grin broadly and fly up into the sky with a shout, “Let’s do this!
As Flandre flew up, her sister following close behind, Reimu rolled her neck to back Marisa up in the coming 2 V 2. Danmaku were always better with more company anyhow.
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Today’s Proverb:
Familiarity breeds contempt. But it also breeds comfort. Trim it carefully and grow it well. Familiarity can be a delicious mushroom dinner with friends or a poisonous herbal tea. Breed familiarity carefully.