!lggAzV5pXw 2009/11/27 (Fri) 07:40 No. 3675 ▼ File 125930764772.jpg - (146.39KB, 600x800 , 9cdc8af0e110ab92e99dbf623d86c565.jpg)
[x] Ask Shinki about herself.
[x] Ask about Shinki's relationship with Yukari.
[x] Ask about the past and what happened to Makai.
[x] Ask about the portrait above the fireplace.
[x] Ask Shinki if you can cook her dinner.
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You nod your head in response and speak to Shinki in a comforting tone, “I do have questions, Shinki,” you say, gripping her a bit tighter with your arm, “But I want to hear about the past. You seem like you need somebody to talk to about it.”
Shinki nods her head slowly and wraps her arms around your waist, “I, I do,” she says while stuttering slightly, “It's just hard to talk about.”
“Take it slowly, then,” you reply, offering her a warm smile, “Start from the beginning.”
She releases herself from your waist and sits up in your embrace, speaking hesitantly, “Makai is the home of demons, as you know.” You nod again as she continues, “What I haven't said is that I, more or less, run the show down here.”
As you stroke the silvery hair of Shinki you say to her, “I had a feeling that was the case, but continue.”
Shinki gives you a slight smile, “Makai was full of life, demons filled the streets and homes outside the city,” she says, with a bit more confidence. “Really, demons aren't that bad. You've got your nice ones and the evil ones, just like humans,” she adds.
“Well, you are definitely the nicest demon I've ever met, Shinki,” you say to her, earning yourself a happy grin from her.
She replies to you, “Thank you, but continuing on, I wanted to introduce the demons to the surface so I allowed a group of them to organize travel out there.”
You shrug, “That doesn't sound so bad.”
Shinki makes an indecisive 'mmn' in response, “It wasn't meant to be malicious, but some of the individuals that were sent up started causing trouble.” She sighs audibly, “It would've been fine were it not for them, possibly. Then again, that shrine maiden is rather zealous.”
“Shrine maiden?,” you ask Shinki curiously, having heard mention of this individual.
The teary-eyed woman in your arms nods, “I think her name was something like Reimu, I don't know exactly any more. She wears red and white, and she came with a witch.” Shinki chokes back a sob, “The witch caused most of the damage to the area, the shrine maiden was focused on me.” Another sigh preludes her next statement, “Between the two of them, they cleaned out most of Makai except for myself and a few others.”
You give her an incredulous look, “How can two people cause so much destruction?,” you ask, “Especially in a city full of demons?”
Shinki sniffles before answering, “You'd be surprised how strong some humans can be,” she says sadly, taking in a breath. “My daughter was lost after the battle and I haven't seen her since. I lost close friends to that pair as well.”
“I'm sorry,” you say to Shinki, hugging her tightly to you.
She rubs her head against your chest as she nods, “It has gotten a bit easier to cope with, but it's still so lonely now,” she says in a forlorn tone.
You gently take her hand in to yours, “Hey, I'm here, aren't I?”
Shinki looks up at you and smiles, a tear rolling down her cheek, “I suppose you are right,” she says quietly, “Thank you, I feel a bit better now.”
Stroking her cheek, you wipe the tear away, “That's good,” you say in response. Shinki clings lightly to your chest and watches the fire pop and crackle before the two of you. “So, tell me a bit more about yourself, Shinki,” you say to her happily in an attempt to change the subject.
She looks up at you curiously, “About me?” she asks, a slight blush crossing her face, “Well, what do you want to know?”
You shrug indifferently, “Anything, really, I'm just curious and want to hear more about you.”
“O-oh,” she says nervously, “I'm just not used to people asking that.” Shinki starts again, “Well, I've already told you I run Makai. Maybe I should give you a better comparison of my position,” she says, pausing for a moment to think, “Ah, I've read some of your stories from the outside thanks to Yukari.” Shinki smiles proudly and states, “I think that the closest comparison would be that Lucifer fellow from your books.”
Raising an eyebrow, you respond, “You're a bit too nice for that, but I guess it's a reasonable relation.”
Shinki cocks her head and offers you a confused look, “Anyway, let's see, what else.”
“You mentioned a daughter, didn't you?,” you ask her.
She nods, “Yes, I,” she pauses to collect herself, “I raised her as my own, although I never found out where she came from.” Shinki's resolve seems to waver for a moment as she attempts to continue, “Like I said, I lost her after the battle. She was very skilled with magic and made some of the dolls you see here,” she says, gesturing to the shelves.
Hugging Shinki tightly, you say to her, “I'm sure she's all right.”
Shinki smiles at you, “Thanks, I hope you're right,” she says weakly, “Aside from that, I think I'm not very interesting.” She shrugs, “I enjoy cooking and company, and I like tending my garden. I'm pretty typical.”
You chuckle, “I wouldn't say you're typical,” you say playfully, eliciting a gentle punch from Shinki.
“Hey,” she says in a mock-whiny tone, “That's not fair.”
Laughing at her, you respond, “Alright, you're typical for what passes as typical down here.” Shinki smiles and giggles in return as you speak again, “Continuing on, tell me about how you got mixed up with Yukari.”
Her eyes light up, “Ah, that's an easy one,” she says happily, “Yukari is Yukari and she's the type of person to know everybody.” You nod in understanding, Shinki continues, “We're good friends, and she does visit, but,” she says, stopping.
“But what?,” you ask in an attempt to make her finish that thought.
Shinki sighs, “I enjoy her visits, it's just not the same as having you around though.” She stops, blushes and raises a hand to her mouth, realizing what she just said, “I mean, it's just not the same as having a guest stay over,” she says, adding a nervous laugh to the end.
You smile at Shinki, “You're adorable, you know that?”
She looks at you in shock, “W-what?,” she asks in a surprised tone, “I, I, uh,” she stutters, blushing profusely.
“Don't be so nervous, Shinki,” you say to her, “Just say what feels natural.”
Shinki averts her gaze for a moment, “It's just that,” she says, pausing and taking a breath to gather her courage, “It's just that I like you and you make me feel good, and, and,” she continues, firing off a rapid flurry of distressed remarks in a similar vein. She sounds almost like some sort of love-starved and hopeless romantic.
You chuckle and offer her a kind smile, “Calm down, you act as if you're going to scare me away,” you say to her in a warm tone. Waving your hand dismissively, “Don't worry about that,” you say, and then attempt to change the subject, “So, tell me about the portrait above the fireplace.”
“Alright,” she says, unsure of herself, and looks towards it, “Anyway, that's a painting of my daughter Alice.” Shinki smiles slightly, as if taking pride in it, “I painted it myself, actually.”
As you hug Shinki, you turn your head and kiss the top of hers, “It's very beautiful,” you say.
Shinki blushes and looks up at you, “I appreciate that, thank you.” Both of you fall silent as she sits quietly in your embrace. A few minutes pass before she speaks again, “Do you think you could do me a favor?,” she asks you.
“Name it,” you say to her, “Anything you want.”
She looks up and stares intensely in to your eyes, “When you go back to the surface, look for my daughter,” she says in a serious tone, “Please, it's the only place I haven't been able to check.”
You nod and meet her gaze straight on, “I will, Shinki. I promise, I will look for you.” As you finish the sentence, Shinki crawls up your chest and kisses you directly on the lips.
The lips leave your own as she settles back down, speaking quietly, “Thank you. You've been wonderful to me and I don't know how I could repay such kindness.”
You shake your head, “There's no need to repay me, I'm satisfied with making you happy.” Shinki puts her arms around your waist again and buries her head into your chest, offering up a barely audible 'thank you'. The sound of your stomach rumbling loudly shakes her from you and she looks up in surprise.
“You must be starving,” she says, looking out the window towards the darkness of night. “Why don't you let me...” she starts to say.
Cutting her off, you interject, “Hey, Shinki, how about I cook you dinner?”
Her blue eyes go wide at the suggestion, “Oh, no, no, no, that's simply not right since you are the guest here.”
You grin and reply, “No, I insist, you let me cook.”
Shinki shakes her head in vehement disagreement, “No, no, I won't let you.”
Taking her hand, you try to quiet her down, “Well, I don't want to upset you,” you say calmly, “How about we cook together?”
As the thought sinks in to her, she smiles widely, “Alright, I can accept that!,” she says excitedly, hopping off the couch and pulling you up with her, “I've got a wonderful kitchen full of food.” Shinki drags you with her as she continues talking, “I grow my own vegetables out in the garden,” she says proudly, “and the woods are full of delicious animals.” You enter in to a large kitchen with a large, elegant table in the center. Numerous shelves and cabinets stocked full of various jars line the walls, and a large wood-burning stove can be seen against the far wall. To your left there seems to be some sort of icebox. “Isn't it lovely?,” she asks, “If it weren't for such a lovely kitchen I wouldn't enjoy cooking and eating as much as I do.” The thought of Shinki gorging herself enters your mind, and perhaps her waist seems a bit thicker than it did before. She stops in front of the stove and turns to you, “So, it was your idea. What are we going to cook?,” she asks, looking at you with an expectant smile.
[ ] Use the beef-like meat you ate earlier.
[ ] Perhaps there is something similar to chicken in the icebox.
[ ] Eggs.
[ ] Write-in. (Not eggs.)
If you were curious: I had plans on writing cooking together from the very beginning for that option.
