"So, we meet once again..."

You stop dead in your tracks for a moment, and look around. That voice...you recognize it to be Yumeko's, but she looked so focused on cleaning that you're pretty sure that she didn't even see you come past her, that and she had her back turned to you. So how was it that she could know that you were walking behind her? "Seems like we've been meeting alot today, wouldn't you say so, Ghost?" The blonde maid adds still not turning to face you, but fully acknowledging your prescence behind her none the less.

"3 times in one day? I'd say that's alot." You chuckle a bit as a wave of silence drowns out all sound once again. Yumeko however takes said silence in stride and uses it to further concentrate on her task, you on the other hand feel rather awkward in it and decide to try another ice breaker. "So, cleaning the lawn ornaments huh?"

"Indeed," Yumeko nods slightly still not taking her eyes off the task at hand. "Although it was the duty of several other maids, I decided to take up their duties for myself."

"Oh? That's mighty generous of you."

"My duty requires me to keep the entire castle clean and safe for my mistress, so I don't mind doing extra work even if there is no need to." Yumeko answers in blunt, almost robotic, monotone.

"Extra huh?" You take another quick gaze at the castle towering far above you, just thinking of how much work there was to be made Extra is something you just can not fathom. Truly, Yumeko has either the stamina to keep going well beyond that of any maid...or she just natrually enjoys doing housework. Either way this castle is too friggin' huge for someone to even think about doing extra work. If anything they would quit before even starting. "Geez with a castle this size I wouldn't be sure if the word 'Extra Work' would cross my mind without me cringing..."

"Shinki's Castle is quite formidable, so it's expected for an outsider to think like that." Yumeko chuckles slightly as she begins to bend over forwards to clean the lower areas of the statue. It comes as no surprise that you find yourself eyeing up Yumeko's shapely rear end as she leans further down in this position. You can earnestly say that elegant red uniform does wonders for hugging the curves this blonde maiden harbours. Your lecherous male gaze is soon averted, however, as you realize that Yumeko may very well notice, what with her having eyes in the back of he head and what not (or so it seemed). It's tough, but you manage to take your eyes away from that lushious peach for the time being. Yumeko didn't seem to notice you were staring though, so it's a plus. "But, since I have served as Shinki's Head Maid for milleneas on end, I suppose you could say that I've grown accustomed to the workload."

"I would too if I served someone for that long..." You reply finding a seat on a stone pillar, seeing as you may be in this particular spot for a while. "Can't really say the same for me though."

Yumeko glances back a bit puzzled by your words. "Why is that?"

"Jobs for me tend to shift depending on the client so I'm not impartial to keeping a single boss, once I complete the task they want me to do I usually collect my earnings and leave. On some occasions I'll stay a bit longer but it's usually due to something else that came up during my employment." You explain. "The longest I can remember serving was under Lord Zetta's rule and once I finished with him I pretty much packed up what earnings I got and went back to taking up odd jobs again."

"Hm, I see..." Yumeko remains still as she says this apparently thinking on something before she goes back to cleaning the statue, now moving on to the back area and perhaps finishing up as well. As she cleans you tae the time to look around once again, letting out a deep and relaxed exhale letting the calm stillness of the garden take over and lull your senses for the time being. Yumeko doesn't seem like she'll be talking about anything else for awhile being she's back in her cleaning mode again. But as you look at her for just a moment longer you can see a small hint of boredom on her features, her golden eyes look tired and half open, and her mouth is slightly pulled down in a small frown. Well you are the only one in the area you could strike up another conversation with her or you could just leave her be and wait for Luize to come get you...it's up to you.

[ ] "So, I heard you made those snacks back there~"
[ ] "Hey, I'm probaby gonna be here for a little awhile so...ya wanna do somethin' together...that is, after you finish cleaning of course?"
[ ] Talk to Yumeko about something else. (Write-in)
[ ] Keep quiet and wait for Luize.
[ ] Move on elsewhere into the Garden.

>>14763

[x] "What about you? How did you come to work for Miss Shinki?"

[ze] "What about you? How did you come to work for Miss Shinki?"

[x] "What about you? How did you come to work for Miss Shinki?"

[X] "What about you? How did you come to work for Miss Shinki?"

[X] "What about you? How did you come to work for Miss Shinki?"

I have about half of this next update completed, but not the energy to actually finish it and call it a decent update. So I'll have it up by tomorrow instead, or at least until I can get some sleep and get my mind straight.

[X] "What about you? How did you come to work for Miss Shinki?"

The silence, as peacefual as it is, can easily grow stagnant with unease if something isn't said quickly enough. You take a few minutes to think on something to ask Yumeko as away to put an end to the silence between you, and it dawns on you that maybe it would be okay if you asked a little into her own occupation, preferably how she became servant to Shinki. One can only imagine how much work it has to take in order to become the servant of a ruler no less a God as well. "What about you? How did you come to work for Miss Shinki?"

Yumeko stops cleaning for a moment and glances toward you, a little surprised you spoke first it would appear that she wasn't expecting you to speak up when you did. "That is an interesting question," The blonde maid began as she places the rag she used in the bucket before fully addressing the question you posed to her. "But with an interesting question comes an interesting answer, I suppose; you see, I was born into Shinki's world as her most powerful of Makai's residents, my aptitude far exceeding that of any other demon in Makai, and because I was so strong at a young age I quickly became absorbed in my power so much so that when I met Miss Shinki...I actually challenged her."

"You challenged her? Why's that"

"I was young and arrogant back then, both of which can often blind you of the rational decisions you must make, even when they are laid out in front of you...to think, I actually believed that because I could best all the other demons in a fight, I could stand against my very creator...my own mother." So, was Yumeko implying that she was reckless in your youth? Well, it was pretty obvious that she was, and at that same time you could catch a slight hint of embarassment in her tone.

"Natrually, during the initial fight, Shinki held back a great deal and even then I was swiftly defeated. However, instead of punishing me for my rash actions against her, Shinki applauded my efforts and told me that while I surely had the potential to become the Head Maid of her castle, I was still rough around the edges, and thus had to earn such a title amoung her other servants," Yumeko explained "I had to work countless hours and complete hundreds upon hundreds of chores around the castle and Pandemonium alike, without the occasional encouragement from Miss Shinki I probably wouldn't have had the drive to press on. Eventually, after many years of training and work I was able to attain the title that rightfully belonged to me by defeating the, now former, Head Maid in a duel."

You had no idea that Yumeko was the strongest amoung all the demons in Makai, since Makai is a macrocosm outside of Gensokyo's borders could this mean that Yumeko is the strongest 'normal' in this known universe. It's an interesting question posed but you have another that focuses more on what Yumeko's other occupations included prior to her becoming a maid to Shinki. "Do you ever think that maybe you could do more than just be a maid?"

Yumeko pauses as she stares at you, causing you to wonder if you said anything wrong. Yumeko's next words, while hard to hear, will be a surprise none the less. "Often times, I do..." She answered in a hushed tone as if embarrased or frightened to say it. "But, I am happy to know that my place is to be by the side of Miss Shinki and help her however I can." Her eyes then lock onto yours as she now reverses the question onto you, perhaps to see what your answer would be. "Tell me...do you wonder the same thing, Mr. Ghost?"

"Alot of times, I do..." You spoke, not really having much trouble saying such a thing. After all, a hired gunmen does nothing but oddjobs anyway right, it's only natrual for one such as yourself to wonder of the other things you could have done with your life. "But I usually try not to focus on it too much, I knew that wanted to do this job when I chose this line of work, and I'm sure you did too."

"I suppose you have a point, although Shinki offered me the choice, it was I who accepted it." Yumeko nods softly now taking the bucket in hand and preparing to leave, that is until a familiar voice chimes out from the distance...

"Ah there you are, Mr.Ghost~"

Ah, you knew that cheerful voice, it's none other than Luize. You glance over your shoulder and she that it was indeed her, seeing that she managed to locate you and was now coming into the garden her ever present smile on her face. Shinki also seems to have accompanied her to this area as she soon appears walking closely behind her.

"Finished?"

"Yes, that we are," Luize answered before noticing that Yumeko was in the area, needless to say it does take her long (you count 1.5 seconds) to compliment the maid on the snacks she prepared for them. "Ah, Yumeko the snacks you prepared were great!"

"I am glad you enjoyed them Luize, but they were only minor snacks..." Yumeko says in a modest tone.

Shinki, like any mother would, doesn't take this response in stride and promptly tells Yumeko otherwise and does so with a smile. "There's no need to be so modest Yumeko-chan, you know you always make great snacks for us~"

Yumeko, however, still blushes slightly with modesty upon hearing her misstress compliment her so. "Thank you Miss Shinki..."

"Hmm, Miss Shinki, where's young Alice these days," Luize asks sounding as though she had now just remembered it. "I haven't seen her all day today, normally she would be with you reading her books, or somewhere else within the castle, but toda,y I saw very little of her."

"Hmm, Last she retired into her room shortly before you and Ghost arrived here. She hasn't come out since." Shinki answered before her tone took a turn for unceartainty "Although I know her reclusive nature is apart of her personality, I can't help but feel that Alice is growing more and more distant from me now, I don't know if it's because of the attack or something else. Alice and I used to be so close when she was younger..."

[ ] "Alice?"
[ ] "You think we should pay her little visit before we head off? If she's distant why not reel her back in, so to speak?"
[ ] "I'm sure she'll turn around, it's just a phase right?" Shrug slightly. "'Kids will be kids' as they say"
[ ] Something else on your mind (Write-in)

[ ] "You think we should pay her little visit before we head off? If she's distant why not reel her back in, so to speak?"

[x] "You think we should pay her little visit before we head off? If she's distant why not reel her back in, so to speak?"

[x] "You think we should pay her little visit before we head off? If she's distant why not reel her back in, so to speak?"

Damn rebellious kids. I bet she's going to think of something stupid like running away from home and living in the woods.

[x] "You think we should pay her little visit before we head off? If she's distant why not reel her back in, so to speak?"

To those who still read this, Updates are coming tommorrow.

Where are the updates?

>>15435
It got with held due to internet problems...
But it's here now. I hope you enjoy it, sorry for the wait.

--------

[x] "You think we should pay her little visit before we head off? If she's distant why not reel her back in, so to speak?"

Distance can be closed by closing the gap, and the only way you know on how to close the gap between two different people is for them to spend more time with each other. Yeah, it sounds pretty sappy but from what you hear from Shinki she really seems distraught about her current relationship with Alice. Besides all that, you're fairly curious on meeting this Alice person Shinki seems so worried about.

"You think we should pay her little visit before we head off?" You ask to Shinki "If she's distant why not reel her back in, so to speak?"

"Ah, that's an interesting way to put it Mr.Ghost" Luize chimes in, apparently agreeing with your suggestion. "What say you, Miss Shinki?"

"Well, I have no qualms against it," Shinki says with a faint smile. Such an expression is one you weren't really expecting from her, in fact you were hoping for an even better reaction to your suggestion. Your suspiciouns are soon confirmed with the rest of Shinki's response. "But, I'm not sure it will be as simple as that..." Well, that was kind of disheartening, but still the way she worded it, made it sound like there was still a bit of a chance in changing Alice's distant relationship with Shinki.

"Oh come now, one must have faith." Luize chided her hands akimbo to her hips.

"Pardon me for speaking out of line Miss Shinki, but I believe Luize and Ghost make a valid point" Yumeko, also, added in as she stepped from her original position to face Shinki. "As of late you have been rather busy with the reconstruction of Makai, so I can guess that in this time you may have neglected to spend time with Alice."

"Yes you're right, I was little more absorbed in that project back then..." The tone of Shinki's voice drops a bit, possibly showing her guilt on the matter. Well, trying to rebuild your own world IS a large feat so it's really only natrual you get caught up in it. "Very well, I'll take you to see Alice, Yumeko-chan will you be accompanying us?"

The blonde maid politely shook her head as she declined Shinki's offer. "I'm sorry but there is still much work to be done before nightfall, I will have to pass for now."

"Ah, try not to overwork yourself Yumeko-chan, I don't want to see my most valued maid coming down with exhaustion" Shinki chuckles giving the maid a warming smile to which Yumeko seems a little embarrased to recieve, her face tinging a shade of pink. You had to admit seeing someone like Yumeko try to hide her weaknesses was actually pretty cute, you can't reall explain why that is though.

"Y-yes...thank you Miss Shinki..."

"Now then let us go, Alice should be in her room and we have plenty of time before she heads off to bed"

(Cont.)

The initial trip to Alice's room is a fairly long one, having to venture from the ground floor of Shinki's Castle all the way to the 3rd floor where most of the bedrooms were located. Along the way Luize tried to take Shinki's mind off the negative by constantly chatting with her. You would think that Shinki would eventually grow annoyed with how much Luize talked along the way to Alice's room but strangely she didn't seem to mind it at the least. Perhaps because she knew what Luize was really up to, you can't really say for certain. You do notice that while you walked with Shinki and Luize that there were fewer maids around that you first thought, does this mean that they work in shifts with some going home for the night and others coming in? Again, you can't be certain, although such a thing doesn't sound right to begin with most servants lived in the same household as their masters so you can only guess that most are probably in the servants quarters somewhere on the castle grounds.

It would take about 20 or so minutes to get to where you all wanted to be, granted Shinki took several shortcuts to get there, had it not been for that alone the trip would have taken far longer.

"Alice, are you awake?" Shinki asked as she knocked onto the door several times before adding on to her statement. "It's your mother."

You pause for a moment and glance over to Luize, the expression you held was more than enough to tell anyone you were both surprised and confused on what Shinki just said. "Wait...'Mother'?"

"Why yes, Shinki is Alice's mother." Luize says as if it were common knowledge...which it probably was, at least to anyone who was native to Makai. "Matter of fact it's pretty well known in Makai, seeing as to how she too was born from Shinki like the rest of us demons...however some believe that Alice's relationship with Shinki is alot closer than others because Shinki herself actually gave birth to Alice biologically."

"So...is that why she referred to herself as Alice's 'mother' while calling the rest of you by name?"

"Perhaps, of course this is mere speculation amoungst us demons, none of us really know if Shinki gave birth to Alice through biological means." Luize commented with a slight shrug proving she knew less then you did on the matter. "If you wish to know more about, it would be best to ask Shinki on the matter, for it looks like I know as much as you do on the subject Mr. Ghost."

Not long after Luize concludes the conversation, the door to Alice's room finally begins to creak open revealing a young girl bearing the exact resemblence to the one you spied in the painting back in the parlor. So, it would seem that the girl you saw in the painting was that of Alice herself. Although there is one detail that doesn't compare to the painting, and that is the fact that Alice looks better than she does in the picture, perhaps it is because the brilliance of her golden eyes are alot more appealing then they are in the painting, or maybe it's because that her complexion is alot fairer than what it is in the painting. Which ever the case, you're not sure on the matter, but she's still rather cute no less.

"Yes, what is it mother?" Alice asks to Shinki as her eyes shift from her mother to you and Luize for a breif moment, but not openly greeting you right away.

"I just came by to talk is all." Shinki replied with a smile before she motioned toward you and Luize. "Luize and a new friend of hers came by as well, you don't mind if we come in for awhile do you?"

Alice hesitates for a moment as she eyes you for a moment longer, then nods slowly. "No...it's okay...come in." With that, the blonde steps aside and allows the lot of you to pass into her room; It's fairly roomy and decorated just as any girls room would be (although there's alot less pink around), there are several bookcases stuffed to the brim with books on things you would think would be anything from Magic to other various topics to be learned which may mean that Alice is a rather bookish girl. The one other thing you take note of is the sheer amount of dolls that are located inside the room, there is even a seperate shelf dedicated to holding the many varietys of dolls that sat here in the room, and finally to your left sat a desk that housed doll making material and a curious black book. The book itself is rather big and looks to be pretty thick in page length, you're not really sure as to what type of book it is, you can think it's some type of tome or something.

You take awhile to look around the room for awhile and get a feel for it when Shinki's voice attracts your attention to the small table that sat in the middle of the room. There was a small fairly like being sitting on the table, although it's not really moving that much. "Oh, I see you've completed yet another doll." Shinki remarked to Alice as she picks up the pint sized, fairy esque toy. "Hm, but this one seems a bit different than the others though, for one she's a bit larger."

"She is different, for once I plan on creating a doll that can move on her own without the use of my magic, she'll still need it but not as much of it" Alice explained to her mother now walking to her side and taking the doll in her hands, her eyes staring into those of her creation. "I've come to name her...Shanghai, so is not to mix her up with the others."

"And you've even given the little doll a name, isn't that just precious~" Shinki mused as she placed her hand on Alice's head for a moment and began to pet her to show her that she was proud of her daughter's work. "You're really talented in this sort of thing, Alice, one day you may just become famous as Makai's own Doll Magician."

"S-stop it..." Alice spoke quietly her head turned away as her cheeks taking on a shade of pink as she did so. "You're embarassing me, mother..."

"Oop, sorry." Shinki apologized taking her hand from Alice's head and chuckling a little as she saw the blushing face of her daughter. "I didn't mean to embarass you in front of our guests."

[ ] Try to 'pet' Alice.
[ ] Ask Alice about that book on the desk
[ ] Compliment Alice on her craftsmenship of the dolls...and then pet her
[ ] Talk about something else? (Write-in)

---------

Yeah choices kinda suck, but you have a write-in avaliable incase you want to do something else. Again, sorry for the wait, and in this case the poor selection of choices.

[x] "These are really well-made. You must have put a lot of heart and effort into your creations.
[x] "Besides these dolls of yours do you have any other hobbies or activities that you enjoy?"

[x] "These are really well-made. You must have put a lot of heart and effort into your creations.
[x] "Besides these dolls of yours do you have any other hobbies or activities that you enjoy?"

[B] "These are really well-made. You must have put a lot of heart and effort into your creations.
[B] "Besides these dolls of yours do you have any other hobbies or activities that you enjoy?"

Updates??

>>15708
Will come on Tuesday. The same for Metal Touhou (I was meaning to update that, but you know lack of votes and all that).

Also no trip because I'm posting from college and my Flash Drive's busted.

>>15827
See >>>/others/19566 .

Even if I don't read this, that goes for you, too.

[x] "These are really well-made. You must have put a lot of heart and effort into your creations.
[x] "Besides these dolls of yours do you have any other hobbies or activities that you enjoy?"

Despite the rather obvious sense of modesty that was coming from Alice, you do find the dolls she made to be well crafted. Matter of fact, if it weren't for those doll joints, you'd think they were real fairies at first glance. You look around the room and see that the craftsmenship on the other, possibly earlier, dolls don't stray too far from the quality of this 'Shanghai' variant that Alice had finished putting together. You must admit, it has to take alot time and dedication to pull off this kind of quality, you can't even imagine how long it took to make all of these dolls, let alone find the frilly clothes all of them seemed to be sporting. "These are really well-made." You speak up catching the attention of not only Alice, but Shinki and Luize as well. "You must put a lot of heart and effort into your creations."

Alice doesn't respond right away to your compliment, she just looks down for a moment hesitating to speak. Eventually she speaks up "Thanks..." She seems to appreciate your comment, but something seems wrong, she didn't smile or blush like others do once they recieve praise, was it because you were someone she didn't know? That could probably play a role in it.

Still, that aside, you wonder if she does anything else besides put dolls together. Surely, she has other things she enjoys doing. "Besides these dolls of yours do you have any other hobbies or activities that you enjoy?" You ask to the doll-maker actually rather curious on what else she willingly devotes her time to. Although, you don't expect it to be as major as the construction of dolls.

"Ah yes, I always did wonder as to what other things you like to partake in, Miss Alice." It would seem you're not the only one who wishes to know what other hobbies Alice has. Shouldn't Luize know this already though, she has known Alice longer then you have after all, unless...

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but..." Alice pauses for a few moments before continuing on with her sentance. "I don't usually enjoy any other activites...Doll making is my forte so, it's all I would rather work on."

Oh, well that was a bit of a let down, you were fairly certain that someone as talented as Alice had some other kind of activity she likes doing. Guess you were wrong-

"Don't tell fibs, Alice." Came the voice of Shinki, who didn't seem detered by Alice's words. "You know there's one other thing you like to do."

Alice quickly turns to Shinki, visiably surprised by her mother's choice of words, her face clear evidence that she was not expecting Shinki to speak those words just now. "H-huh, what do you mean, I-I'm telling the truth." She says in a tone of slight nervousness.

Shinki keeps her resolve and simply shakes her head in response. There was something Alice was hiding from both you and Luize and she was determined to let it be known. "There is one thing you always liked to do." The demon goddess spoke, her words being rather cryptic and vauge. "You know what I'm talking about."

As the both of them continued on, you glance over to Luize, who you think may know more on what exactly they mean by all this. To your surprise, however, you come to see the demon tourist to shrug in response obviously knowing as much as you did on this recent development. Perhaps if you ask one of the directly on the matter you might gain some insight as to what the heck their going on about. "Uhm...is there-"

"No. There isn't." Alice replied in a sharp tone. "My mother is just being silly, is all. Don't mind her"

"Why do have to be so embarrased about it?" Shinki questioned her hands on her hips as she spoke to the young doll maker. "I for one enjoy it when you put on those little shows~"

Shows? What did she mean by that, did Alice work as an actor on the side? She didn't seem like it, at least not at first glance. However, you soon find out that it's not exactly what you had in mind.

Alice sighed in exasperation, as she applied palm to face for several seconds before looking back up to both you and Luize with a bit of a confession to make. "Since, mother already gave some of it away..." Alice began shooting a bit of a glare at Shinki who only smiled in response, having gotten her to finally speak the truth before you. "I do in fact have another activity I like to partake in, although, it's tied into my dolls." Alice stops not wanting to continue, she glances back at Shinki who gives her the 'Go on.' gesture. "...You see, I tend to...have my dolls act out certain plays I find; I am usually the one to narrate the play, while the dolls handle all of the physical actions of my words. It's...something of an advanced puppet show, if you will."

"Oh, that sounds like quite the interesting thing to do," Luize commented. "From what Shinki has said before, you occasionally hold these 'advanced puppet shows', in front of live audiences, yes?"

"I...usually pefer to do it when I'm alone, because I feel more at ease performing the play that way..." Alice remarked looking away for just a second before quickly adding on to her initial statement. "But it's not like I can't perform in front of others, I...just perfer to do it on my own is all." For some reason or another you don't really buy that last part of Alice's sentance. Something about it seemed as though it was a cover to hide how she really felt on the matter. But you didn't press it.

"Hmm whether you enjoy performing them alone or not, I came to really like the one you showed me before." Shinki says as she pauses for a moment as if thinking on something. Later on the goddess perks up as she appears to have an idea of some sort. "Oh I have a splendid idea, Alice; why don't you put one together a puppet show for Luize and Ghost to see?"

Upon hearing this you see Alice does not like Shinki's idea all that much. "I-I'm not really sure that's a good idea..." She objects as she picks up Shanghai and walks over to place her on the shelf closest to her bedside. "It grows late and I have to get ready for bed..."

"Hmm, yes, Miss Alice does prove a bit of a point..." Luize said. "As interesting as all this sounds, it's getting really late case in point..." Luize puts her hand to her mouth to cover a sluggish yawn. "I'm feeling rather sleepy myself, perhaps we could come back tomorrow and watch." Luize then turns to you as if seeing what you were going to suggest.

[ ] Agree with Shinki. Ask if she can put together one of those puppet shows, it's only going to be quick one.
[ ] Agree with Luize. It's getting late, perhaps you can back tomorrow and watch it?
[ ] Alice looks as though she's uncomfortable about this, change the subject to something else for now.
[ ] Something else? (Write-in)

[x] Agree with Luize. It's getting late, perhaps you can back tomorrow and watch it?
[x] "Well, it was nice meeting you Alice. You as well Miss Shinki."

[x] Agree with Luize. It's getting late, perhaps you can back tomorrow and watch it?
[x] "Well, it was nice meeting you Alice. You as well Miss Shinki."

[!/] Agree with Luize. It's getting late, perhaps you can back tomorrow and watch it?
[!/] "Well, it was nice meeting you Alice. You as well Miss Shinki."

[x] Agree with Luize. It's getting late, perhaps you can back tomorrow and watch it?
[x] "Well, it was nice meeting you Alice. You as well Miss Shinki."

[z] Agree with Luize. It's getting late, perhaps you can back tomorrow and watch it?
[e] "Well, it was nice meeting you Alice. You as well Miss Shinki."

[B] Agree with Luize. It's getting late, perhaps you can back tomorrow and watch it?
[B] "Well, it was nice meeting you Alice. You as well Miss Shinki."

Update?

Madam Shinki demands updates.

On my way, just need to take care of some loose ends first and updates shall resume as planned.

In the meantime, Alice and Shinki yukkuri are abound (for whatever reason).

>>16122
I find myself D'awwing

>>16122

Dawwwwwwwwwwwwww

Wait
What
NO
ALICE HAS A YUKKURI PONOS

>>16139

I think you're delusional. That poster obviously doctored that photo. Here's the real one.

There is a lack of Shinki and that needs to be rectified.

>>16267
Indeed it does.

I guess I'll post some images while I wait for updates.

Oh right, it was mother's day this month. Perhaps I should write something on that, although it is considerably late to do so. Also half of those pictures I haven't even seen before.

As for that Yukkuri Alice penis thing it was there when I found, I was going to edit it out like the other Anon did but didn't think about it until after I posted.

In anycase, sorry for the wait, Updates abound.
----------

[x] Agree with Luize. It's getting late, perhaps you can come back tomorrow and watch it?
[x] "Well, it was nice meeting you Alice. You as well Miss Shinki."

As enthusiastic as Shinki sounds on having Alice perform the puppet show for you and Luize to see, you have to agree that it is getting rather late for such a thing. Luize herself wouldn't point out something like this unless she were tired, which was confirm when you see that she yawned as she said it. Oh well, you too are feeling a bit sluggish so maybe it is a good time to turn in for the night, you can always come back tomorrow and watch this 'advanced puppet show' that Alice seems to show to people.

"I think I'll head in too." You add to Luize's comment earlier, stretchin a bit as you did so. "Like Luize said, we can always come back tomorrow and watch it, so we should get some sleep first."

"Hm, I suppose your right, Ghost." Shinki agrees, although a bit reluctant to do so, it would appear as though she really wanted you to see this 'puppet show' with your own eyes. Well, no matter you'll be able to see it tomorrow. "What time do you want to start the show, Alice?"

"12 o' clock." Alice answered simply "Although I'll still wait for you if you look to be running late." Hm, so the show starts at Noon tomorrow, huh? Well, you don't see yourself doing anything else so it should be easy to remember.

"Wonderful~" Luize mused cheerfully. "We'll be sure to arrive at 12 o' clock sharp."

"My, as punctual as always, I see." Shinki chuckled, putting a sleeve up to her mouth as she did so.

"Of course, it's only polite to be on time for an event." Again with the polite lectures, well, they aren't as annoying when you realize that your actually learning stuff from them. Being a different kind of demon than those of Makai, manners aren't usually present in your homeworld, if not they're pretty much non-existant or twisted to be backwards in some way. "Shall we be off, Mr.Ghost?" Luize says as she turns to exit the room and begin the (long) walk home.

"Yeah, right behind ya, Luize" You nod and turn to Shinki and Alice, saying your goodbyes before you follow Luize out the door. "Well, it was nice meeting you Alice. You as well Miss Shinki."

"Likewise, Mr.Ghost." Shinki replies in a cheerful tone, Alice also seems to acknowledge you but only nods in response. She must be a relatively quiet girl, well it's something you would expect from someone who spends most of their time putting together hand crafted dolls. Not that it's a bad thing, it's good she has a hobby to keep herself occupied. Any ways Luize is waiting outside so it's best not to keep her waiting, with that in mind you wave and head on out, leaving Shinki and Alice to whatever they might do next in your abscense.

When you're outside, you see Luize up ahead a little ways and soon join her side just as she's heading off down the hallways.

"Hey, you know how to get back to the foyer?" You inquired as you join Luize's side, taking a quick look around and recalling that you didn't pay much attention to how you got here, aside from taking a shortcut somewhere from the garden. "I'd bet it takes some top notch navigation to find it." Which you would have to rely on in order to find your way out. How the hell does Shinki navigate this place? God help her if she somehow forgets...wait a second...

"Of course, I have been through this castle many times, I can easily find my way around and back." Luize pauses as she comes to an intersected hallway, the paths going 3 ways; Up, Left and Right. You glance down one each one and note that the paths themselves are hardly distinguishable from the other, save for the furniture, which is slightly different in contrast than the other. You then look to Luize for directions and come to see she has put on a rather puzzled expression. "Huh, that's strange I seem to have forgotten which path leads where..."

"What?" You exclaim and for good reason, Luize did claim she could find her way through here, was she just making up junk? Case in point, why would she even do that? "You mean to tell me that we're lost!?" What the hell happened to 'I have been through this castle many times, I can easily find my way around and back'? Was all that just a bunch of hot air on Luize's part? Well it's unlikely, but she is a demon by nature so perhaps she was feeling arrogant for once. Or maybe...

"I was just teasing you, Mr.Ghost~" The tourist giggled at your paniced expression and tone. "You certainly are an excitable demon given the circumstances."

[ ] "Is that Elis rubbing off on you?"
[ ] "Hey, that's not funny. You really had me scared when you said that, Luize."
[ ] "Ah, maybe so. Probably need to get out of that sorta thing, huh?"
"You shouldn't tell fibs, Luize. It's not polite~"
[ ] Don't say anything. Let's just move on.

----------
This is really one of those areas where you can score extra 'affection' (for a lack of a better term) points with Luize. Although Route locks are a far off, being there are still 4 routes left to unlock in this CYOA

That and I wanted to get this update out as soon as I could as opposed to having you wait any longer than you should. Now that I think of it, how do readers feel about walls? Are they enjoyed more as opposed to reading shorter updates?

[x]Laugh, she had you going for a moment there.

[X] "Is that Elis rubbing off on you?"

[x]Laugh, she had you going for a moment there.

[x]Laugh, she had you going for a moment there.
[X] "Is that Elis rubbing off on you?"

[B]Laugh, she had you going for a moment there.
[B] "Is that Elis rubbing off on you?"

[x]Laugh, she had you going for a moment there.
[X] "Is that Elis rubbing off on you?"

[z] Laugh, she had you going for a moment there.
[e] "Is that Elis rubbing off on you?"

Updates are on the way, sorry for the trouble.

[x]Laugh, she had you going for a moment there.
[x] "Is that Elis rubbing off on you?"

Despite the fact that she did startle you for a second, you have to admit it was fairly funny for her to feign such a thing. You chuckle for a moment before finally letting loose with a healthy laugh, Luize soon following suit in your actions as the both of you laugh at the situation that had just happened. This lasts for about a good 7 seconds before you quiet down. "Is that Elis rubbing off on you?" You ask a few small chuckles still escaping you as you spoke to the, also still giggling, traveler.

"Hm, Maybe~" Luize responds with a teasing grin. "Sometimes even the most polite of demons want to have a little fun from time to time~"

"Anyway shall we go?" You say in a bit of a playful tone.

"But of course~" Luize answers, mirroring your own expression of playfulness

Although, despite the good laugh the both of you shared the walk back is long and rather uneventful, and at first you do feel like Luize doesn't really know where she's actually going being she takes a number of turns that you weren't familiar with. However, you do recall that you came in through a different way, from the foyer through the garden, so perhaps there's more than one way back to the foyer from here. Matter of fact, you decided to ask Luize about that seeing as to how the both of you said nothing else ever since you started walking.

"So there's more than one way back to the front door?"

"Of course, Shinki's castle houses multiple hallways that lead to where one wants to go, so there's more than several ways to reach certain rooms like; the foyer, the garden and even Miss Shinki's throne." Luize responds. "Although this works in both ways, as those who don't know their way around the castle can easily get lost, so intruders who enter have a greater chance of being caught if they don't know where they're going." Which makes sense, being there are so many turns and intersections one could easily lose their bearings in a place like this. In away, Shinki's castle has it's own defense mechanisim against those who wish to attempt a pre-emptive strike against Shinki herself, or try to attack anyone else who lives in the castle like Alice, Yumeko or those other two demons you were told of (provided they lived here).

It takes a while but you and Luize eventually reach the vast foyer of the castle, the area is eeriely quiet with virtually no one around except the two of you. You glance over at the doorway that led to the kitchen and see that it's complete black on the inside, with no lights or anything on back there. You do often wonder how Shinki and the others get midnight snacks in case they crave for them being it's an extremely long walk down to the kitchen. Perhaps...there's an easier way to get there than just walking?

Leaving the castle, you're finally able to see just how late it really is, the sky above you is cast in an orange hue as the sun begins to set to bring about the dark blanket of night time. This area of Pandemonium is actually rather picturesque, with the orange light of the sunset bathing the vast city below in it's final lights of dusk. You can only imagine how beautiful that ice forest looks during this time of day. Fortunately you won't have long to wait to find out for you and Luize are headed right down that path, although...

"Hey, you there." You turn around for a moment and see a demon standing by the gate, he seems to have your gun and other equipment. "You wouldn't be that demon by the name of Ghost would ya?"

"Yeah, I'm him." You answer walking over to the demon who called you out. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing, the other last gatekeeper told me to give this stuff to you...whatever it is," Ah, yes you do remember that you dropped that stuff off with them earlier today. Good to see no one hurt their self with your things. "Her shift was up and she didn't really know what to do with it so she told me to hand it over to you once you got outside."

"Ah, alright thanks." You nod and accept the equipment he handed over, you decided not to strap them on just yet, seeing as your heading back as it is. Speaking of which you'll have to find a spot to put them for the night. Eh, if Luize has a room you can stay in, you'll just stick them somewhere in there.

"No problem," The demon says before noticing Luize by your side. "Evenin' Miss Luize."

"Good Evening, gatekeeper." Luize replied with a light wave of her hand and that ever present smile. "Starting off night shift early I assume?"

"Yeah, the last one had to leave early for something, it was about time for my shift anyway so I decided, what the heck, might as well knock out a few more hours, while I'm at it." He says leaning back against the wall. For a gatekeeper he doesn't seem all that tense, which is rather odd for someone who needs to be focused and alert. Perhaps he operates differently than all the rest? "Although, I dunno where my partner is, it's not like her to just be late like this..." The demon glances to the vacant area on the other side of him, apparently where said partner would be standing.

"Hm, yes I did notice that you were all alone this evening, but I'm sure she'll show up eventually." Luize comments in a reassuring tone.

"Let's hope so..." The demon sighs a bit before standing up straight again, taking his weapon, a standard sword, in hand. "But, if she doesn't I can gaurd the gate solo just fine. She'll just be the one with docked pay this week."

Both him and Luize laugh for a bit, although you yourself don't really say much as you don't really find his joke that funny. "In anycase, me and Mr.Ghost should be off for now. Have a nice night~"

"You too."

(cont.)

With that, the both of you continue you on, heading closer to the forest ahead, the permanent icicles on the trees shining with in the orange light emitted by the setting sun. You look toward Luize and she seemed to be enjoying the sight that soon surrounded the two of you. "You, see this often?" You ask, catching the tourist's attention.

"Yes...but I'll never get tired of gazing upon it..." Luize answered in a dreamy tone, sighing as she stares at the sea of crystalized trees that made up this mystical forest of wonder. "You know, Mr.Ghost...this is the first time I've ever been through here with someone else." Luize adds in the same tone as before. You look over to see that she's staring at you with her still closed eyes before her cheeks flush a shade of light pink and she looks away for a moment, visibly flustered by her choice of words. "Erm...I mean, someone else from another land."

"Don't worry I got what you meant." You remark with a light chuckle.

"Oh, okay" Luize nods before silence reclaims the area for a moment. That is until Luize breaks it again with a question. "Do forests like this exist on the Netherworld you're from?"

"Ehh, Well, there were places with alot of snow, but they were more on the lines of wastelands than they were forests." You answer attempting to remember your most recent travels in the Netherworld. The Netherworld had a strange shortage of forests and woodland areas, mostly one would see barren wastelands as opposed to plains or fields. "Now that I think of it, forests might be something of a rarity in the Netherworld."

"Really? I don't think I could imagine a world without very many trees" Luize comments.

"Yeah, I suppose it's somethin' ya gotta grow used to." You say, taking another look around the forest you were in. "To be honest, I'm still getting used to navigating through these sorta places."

"Hm, I wouldn't worry too much, Mr.Ghost." Luize remarked with a soft smile. "As long as I'm with you, I can guide you through a forest no problem." That is true, Luize has an excellent sense of direction, you begin to wonder as to if she's able to know where she's going even when on foreign terrain, although part of you says that it's possible (if not probable).

--------------

By the time you and Luize reach her home, the sun is already gone, although the sky is still a bright pink color, the lanterns that were on the side of the street were now light and upon looking back, the sky is already transitioning into night time, with some stars being visible. Most of the homes here are pretty dark, however there are few others nearby that seem to still have their lights on, which means that it's not that late in the evening just yet. Maybe at least 7 or 8 o'clock at the most. Luize opens the door to her house and let's out a satisfied sigh as she steps inside her house, and puts her hat on the rack near the front door, you follow in close behind but keep your stuff with you.

However as you attempt to go further into the house, Luize's paniced voice manages to rouse your attention. "Oh Fiddlesticks!" She says rather loudly, and in a somewhat agitated manner as well.

"What's the matter?"

"I forgot about dinner." Luize answered "No need to worry I'll go fix us something to eat in a moment." And with that she pads off into the kitchen to begin fixing dinner, it was a bit late for it, but you do remember you didn't have anything to eat since lunchtime when you shared those sandwhiches with Shinki and Luize earlier this afternoon. Although, part of you doesn't think Luize has to cook anything, the both of you could just have a light snack to tide you over until breakfast tomorrow. In anycase it doesn't sound like Luize has started yet, so you have a chance to stop her if you want.

[ ] Let Luize fix dinner
[ ] Fix dinner for Luize
[ ] You can fix dinner on your own (seperate from Luize)
[ ] Convince Luize that she doesn't have to fix dinner tonight
[ ] Something else? (Write-in)

>"Oh Fiddlesticks!"
This is going to haunt me forever, I swear.

[x] Fix dinner for Luize

[x] Fix dinner for Luize

[!] Fix dinner for Luize

So moe

[x] Fix dinner for Luize

All I saw was

>[ ] Fix Luize for dinner

and now I can't vote.

[x] Fix dinner with Luize

>>16425
I don't see where you're getting such crazy ideas from. He just wants to to serve her.

[x] Fix dinner for Luize

You place your things on the loveseat near the front door, making sure to shut it behind you, and follow Luize into the kitchen. You catch her just as she's putting on a purple colored apron that she seems to have fetched from the pantry. "Luize, hold on for a second," You say to her, evoking her attention from tieing her apron to you. It's rather strange for you to want to suddenly fix dinner for her, but it's something you felt you needed to do for her. "I'll fix dinner for you."

Luize pauses for a moment as she takes in your words, although she doesn't immedieatly back down from her choice to cook dinner right away, as your probably should have expected. "Mr.Ghost..." She begins in a hesitant tone. "You don't have to trouble yourself with my mistake, if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay, we all make mistakes, Luize." You speak up with a smile. "Besides, I actually want to fix dinner for you, think of it as my way of saying 'Thanks' for that free breakfast you gave me a while ago." Now that you thought of it, that was probably one of the reasons why you wanted to fix dinner for Luize, proof enough that her mannerisms of polite ettiquete are slowly rubbing off on you. Not that it's anything bad...

"Well...I won't stop you if you're set on doing it, although it will be rather interesting to see what you cook up for dinner." Luize smiled as she hands you her apron. Do you really have to put this on? Well, probably not. "I'll be waiting in my room, come and get me if you need my help with anything, Mr.Ghost." Luize adds before she takes her leave of the kitchen leaving you to whatever resources she may have. Speaking of which, you begin to check the fridge and cabinets as a means to see what exactly you have to work with.

The fridge is well stocked with various fruits and vegatables, there are several selections of meat present (Luize seems to have labled them accordingly, there's more beef than there is pork for some reason), A carten of Eggs are avaliable, you check inside and count that there are 6 left to use. There also appears to be some leftovers from this morning. Checking the cabinets, you come to see that they are a bit more vacant than the refridgerator, however there's a wide variety of spices avaliable for you to use, some look to be exotic, something to be expected seeing as Luize travels alot. There doesn't seem to be many canned goods avaliable though...strange.

Now, that you know what to work with...what should you fix for dinner?

[ ] Something simple, easy and fast to prepare. (What do you have in mind?)
[ ] Something complex. It's difficult to make yet fancy when finished. (What dish will you fix?)
[ ] Try something new? (What is it you want to try?)

[x]Try something new? (What is it you want to try?) Start of with some tea and scones followed by the main course. A nice pork tenderloin with some baked sweet potato, a side of zucchini roasted with pearl onions and a touch of salt and pepper, and a Salad of baby spinich, walnuts, oranges, topped with rasberrys and black berrys.

[x]Try something new? (What is it you want to try?) Start of with some tea and scones followed by the main course. A nice pork tenderloin with some baked sweet potato, a side of zucchini roasted with pearl onions and a touch of salt and pepper, and a Salad of baby spinich, walnuts, oranges, topped with rasberrys and black berrys.

[~] Try something new?
-(z) Start off with a salad of baby spinach, walnuts, and orange wedges, topped with rasberries and blackberries.
-(e) Follow that with the main course: Pork tenderloin with a baked sweet potato, and zucchini on the side, roasted with pearl onions and a dash of seasoning.

Edited for ...everything.

[x] Try something new?
-(x) Start off with a salad of baby spinach, walnuts, and orange wedges, topped with rasberries and blackberries.
-(x) Follow that with the main course: Pork tenderloin with a baked sweet potato, and zucchini on the side, roasted with pearl onions and a dash of seasoning.

Updates?

[B] Try something new?
-(b) Start off with a salad of baby spinach, walnuts, and orange wedges, topped with raspberries and blackberries.
-(b) Follow that with the main course: Pork tenderloin with a baked sweet potato, and zucchini on the side, roasted with pearl onions and a dash of seasoning.

Looks like it's time for me to brush up on my cooking~

Writing now. Should be able to post an update by tonight (or earlier) if nothing comes up.

also name change because I got kinda bored with my old one. (Vangogh's still awesome though).

>>17896

Something came up, huh?

Yeah, that it did. I can see why no one really reads this, it's because I always go against the promises I make to update this properly.

In any case, I broke the update into smaller portions so is not to bore readers with a large wall. These next few updates are also to test Anon's skills in the kitchen as well.

[x] Try something new?
- Start off with a salad of baby spinach, walnuts, and orange wedges, topped with rasberries and blackberries.
- Follow that with the main course: Pork tenderloin with a baked sweet potato, and zucchini on the side, roasted with pearl onions and a dash of seasoning.

Hm, you think it would be nice if you tried something a little original for Luize, you're sure she would like and you can't remember the least time you flexed your cooking muscles, so why not give it a go? First you think you should start off with the side dish then move on to the main course soon after. Some, salad makes good for such a thing and perhaps some pork tenderloid wouldn't be too bad either as the main course now that you think of it. Before we start are those things in the fridge?

Hmm, seems like you have everything you need for this dish, so let's get cooking~

The salad should come first, so you reach into the fridge and grab as many of the ingredients as you can. The baby spinach, is in a plastic bag, and seems to have been washed off already. Which is good, for it saves you the time of rinsing them off. The rasberries and blackberries are in plastic containers, and also seems to have been washed off. Again, saves you the time. The oranges are in a basket on the counter and you remember you saw a bag of walnuts in the cabinent. You place the foodstuffs from the fridge on the counter and swiftly pull together the oranges and walnuts. Now what else do you need...

Oh right, the Salad bowl. Now, where does she keep those things...

You look through whatever cabinents you haven't already and find a fairly new one in the second to last one. Placing the large bowl in between all the things needed to create your salad you get right down to business. Opening the bag of baby spinach and pouring it into the relatively large bowl, while keeping the other ingredieants seperated from the spinach for now. At the moment, you decide to start on the Oranges first since peeling them will take a bit of time. You pull a knife from the holder by the sink and get to work on the sweet smelling citrus orb, peeling it's rubbery exterior away to reveal it's juicy inside.

While your busy peeling the orange you have, you take a quick moment to glance at the other things you'll add on to the salad later. You're not really that much of a 5-star chef (there are demons with that job class anyway), you think that perhaps you could add something to this salad. Maybe some Olive oil or Sugar to give it a little more flavor. Well, you don't really have to anyway, you rare trying something new so what you do to this dish is solely up to you...

[ ] Vegetable Oil
[ ] Olive Oil
[ ] White Vinegar
[ ] Melted Butter
[ ] Sugar
[ ] Nothing. It's fine how it is.
[ ] Something else (Write-in)

>>17925
This update makes me hungry. Regardless...

[x] Vegetable Oil.
[x] Melted Butter.

[x] Olive Oil

>[x] Vegetable Oil.
>[x] Melted Butter.

On a salad? The hell?

[x] Olive Oil

[ze] Nothing. It's fine how it is.

[x] Vegetable Oil
[x] Olive Oil
[x] White Vinegar
[x] Melted Butter
[x] Sugar

[x] Olive Oil

Writing. Going to update when I have the time. Sorry for the trouble and thank you for your patience.

[x] Olive Oil

Yes, Olive Oil seems like a good component to use. You remember seeing some of it before in the cabinent that held most of the spices, so once you get done with peeling and slicing this orange (which you must add, has a very sweet fragrance to them), you'll grab that Olive Oil and add it to the salad. Of course, completeing such a task doesn't take long, as you peel off the last remaining shreds of skin from the citrus fruit and place it to the side to discard of later, you start to divide the juicy orange into 6 evenly sliced wedges for use in the dish you plan to create.

"Mr.Ghost, are you doing okay?" Huh, that was Luize's voice just now. You crane your head and glance to the entrance of the kitchen to check and see if she's standing nearby, and all you come to see is the darkness that was drenching the living room area and not one sign of the blonde haired tourist. How curious...

"Uhm, yeah I'm straight." You reply to her initial question but not without voicing your own afterwards. "Where are you, by the way?"

"Right here~" Luize chimed in, as she brings out her arm and waves to you from the living from area. It appears that she was standing behind the wall near the entrance of the kitchen. "I didn't want to spoil the surprise of what your cooking for dinner, so I just decided to stand here when I came ask on how you were doing." That's an interesting way to put things, but now that you think on it a bit more, it did seem like you were fixing Luize a surprise dinner.

"You know, Mr.Ghost..." Luize spoke up just as the silence was beginning to recompose itself. "I never really thought you would be the cooking type...N-no offense."

"Eh, it's okay, I don't really cook much, so I kinda forget it myself." You reply truthfully with a bit of a chuckle chasing after your response. You place the last of the orange wedges on a napkin beside the other berries and nuts before beginning your search for the Olive Oil. To be honest, you find it alot better to have someone talking to you while you do this, it was getting sort of dull doing all this in silence anyway.

"I see." Luize added in trailing off for a moment before she spoke once more. "Well I don't see it as a bad thing anyway, I think it's rather nice that you can cook."

"Oh?"

"Mm-hm." Luize hummed in agreement. "In my case, I'm always travelling so I usually eat out alot rather than cook meals. Still, I think I'm fairly good in the kitchen none the less." Eh, you can believe that. Luize, despite her nomadic tendencies, seems like she can be pretty good on the stove, although you do wonder; If she's a good cook how can she see with her eyes always closed. Still, closed eyes aside, it must be rather neat to taste alot of different foods from different countries.

"Well, if you're okay, I'll be going then." Luize says, as you hear her shifting about and preparing to head back to her room to wait. "Let me know when it's ready~" Still despite leaving you to your devices, or rather cooking utensils, Luize sounded pretty excited about what you were fixing for dinner. Maybe...you could let her come on in and help out...it wouldn't hurt anything, and besides you were curious to see if she really can cook.

[ ] Screw the surprise, let's invite Luize in to help cook. This is shall be a group activity.
[ ] Keep it a secret. Let's surprise her with it when we're finished.

Also, what should you do with the Olive Oil?
-[ ] Add the Oil to the walnuts.
-[ ] Add the Oil to the blackberries and rasberries.
-[ ] Add the Oil to the walnuts, blackberries and rasberries.

[x] Keep it a secret. Let's surprise her with it when we're finished.
-[x] Add the Oil to the walnuts.

[x] Keep it a secret. Let's surprise her with it when we're finished.
-[x] Add the Oil to the walnuts.

[z] Keep it a secret. Let's surprise her with it when we're finished.
-[e] Add the Oil to the walnuts.

[B] Keep it a secret. Let's surprise her with it when we're finished.
-[b] Add the Oil to the walnuts, blackberries and rasberries.

>>18801
Yeah, I just deleted the last update and I'm going to be re-writing it. I know hardly anyone reads this (and I can see why), but to those who do, you'll be treated with a less rushed update.

Terribly sorry for the trouble.

>>18805
(Sort of) Hooray!

Updates?

I need my PC-98 fix, you nigger.

Updates?

Don't worry, I'll be updating in a bit, this time has been pretty bad for me to write what with going to a new college/getting settled kinda deal. So hang tight, I'll be making a comeback~

In the meantime, have a Luize. There really isn't alot of art of her is there...?

[x] Keep it a secret. Let's surprise her with it when we're finished.
-[x] Add the Oil to the walnuts.

You decide it's best to just keep this little dish a secret until you're done fixing it, it makes for a better surprise when all is cooked and ready to be eaten. On that note, you begin to wonder on how Luize would react once she sees all the food you cooked and how tasty it looks, well provided you can fix everything right and not completey screw it up anyway. Eh, you don't plan on letting that happen, after all you were doing pretty good so far, but now came the hard part, actually cooking the ingredients you pulled out and the Tenderloin would prove to be a bit more tedious as well...

"Alright, it'll be done in a bit, so I hope you're hungry." You report to the traveler who giggles in response/

"Oh that I am, Mr.Ghost~" Luize remarked on a cheerful note. "I'm truly looking forward to whatever you plan to cook." And, after the sound of Luize's bedroom door shutting, all goes quiet once again. Now that you're alone again You can now focus on getting this done and serving it up to Luize, a glance outside through the kicthen window tells you it's pretty late in the night, but you can see the lights glowing inside the windows of the other houses in the area so it must not be that late.

First, you focus on the Olive Oil you obtained earlier, out of all the other things you pulled out, you believe that it would go best with the walnuts instead. With that in mind, you look around in the cabinents and pull free a small bowl to place the walnuts within. The bowl itself isn't very large and is nearly the size of a teacup, only slightly larger in wibth. you take the bag of nuts and pour a handful inside, then take a spoon and pour a tablespoon (at least you think it's a tablespoon) of the Olive Oil and drench the nuts with it. A tablespoon should be enough for a set of walnuts, if it were more you might have had to add a bit more than just a simple tablespoon.

For starters, let's add those walnuts to the salad first, you take the small bow that contained the oil soakeed nuts and pour them onto the baby spinach. Next you pull out a large wooden spoon from the utensils drawer and start to stir it about so is to evenly spread them out.

Now, let's add the rest of the ingredients to the baby spinach and after that we'll finally move on to the main course; Pork Tenderloin. You take the plastic container that holds the blackberries and pour a few into the salad, and do the same for the rasberries, although you try to use less of those, being they're a bit bigger than the black berries themsevles and in your honest opinon that just didn't look right to have them out number the smaller berries. Next up, those sweet smelling, orange wedges. Hm, now where should these go, perhaps we should stick them on the side of the bowl, yeah that seems about right.

You take each of the orange wedges and place them in the edges of the bowl so that it looks to outline the spinach, you really have no idea as to why your doing this, but it seems like a pretty good idea anyway, gives the salad a bit more...style. If a salad can have such a thing anyway.

When all is said and done, you look over what you've created and to your surprise it actually looks fairly good, despite you not being much of a salad type of guy (you're more of a meat eater), you do think that Luize will share your sentiments once she has a taste of it. Well, the salad is done and out of the way, now comes the dificult part of all this; actually cooking the tenderloin right. You take the finished salad and place it on the table behind you, granting you enough room on the counter and then some to work your culinary magic on the Pork Tenderloin.

You peer inside the fridge for a moment and, next to it another assortment of red meats, you find a package that contained 2 slabs of pork tenderloin at the bottom of the refridgerator. Upon taking it out and looking it over, the meat doesn't seem too old to cook, if anything, you assume that Luize may have just bought these recently from the market. You stare at the tenderloin for another second or two and think that, perhaps you should fix you some as well. After all, you don't recall having anything to eat in awhile and if you're to keep your strength up, it's a good idea to eat well. Especially since you're in a strange world such as Makai.

After tossing the tenderloin on the counter you stick your head back in the fridge to look for the next few ingredients that you needed; zuccuni, pearl onions, and a sweet potatoe (or in this case, you'll need two if you plan to eat one). The only problem is you don't really see them in plain sight like the other foods, which is more than enough to make you pause for a moment and think. That is before you realize that there are other places to store food in refridgerators, namely those drawers. You pull outt the first and come to find the Zuccini you were looking for, the cold green vegatable wrapped neatly in a plastic wrap which is most likely used to conserve it's freshness. Something you're sure this Zuccini has plenty of.

With Zuccini in hand, you use your leg as a makeshift door stop for the the fridges door and search the other drawers at the very bottom of the refriderator for the onions you needed. Although your search comes up empty with the first drawer, you later come to find an entire bag of them in the second drawer. Although, you're surprised at how small the pearl onions really were, each one looking to be no bigger than a few inches in length at the least. Well, small onions or no, it's what you needed so you pull out the netted bag of onions and place them on the counter alongside the Zuccini. However, as you leave the refridgerator to begin cooking, you notice that the sweet potatoes are missing from your repitore of raw ingredients. Come to think of it, you don't recall seeing anything that remotely resembled a potatoe the entire time you were 'spelunking' in Luize's fridge...

[ ] Check the refriderator again. Maybe you overlooked them somewhere...
[ ] Maybe they're in the cabinets...
[ ] Is there a Pantry? If so, let's check there.
[ ] Let's focus on cooking the Tenderloin first. We'll find the sweet potaotes while the meat's in the oven.

----------------

Yeah, I feel really shitty for keeping you guys waiting like this, and you all have every right to be pissed at me too. The fact that this was rather painful to write didn't help, but I suppose that's what I get for forcing in an event that I thought would be a good idea to have...If the quality still isn't any good, bear with me and I'll beat myself into shape with the next update.

Speaking of which, said update will end this little cooking session in one swoop and bring on the stuff that I've been planning to do for a long while now. Also should this really stay here in /border/, or should I move it to /underground/, since I've heard that Makai-centric stories should be placed there (correct me if I'm wrong). If so, then the next update will be posted in the aforementioned board, as necessary.

In anycase, I'm back, and I hope you we can enjoy ourselves again.

Keep it here; it's a /border/ classic I'd say.

[x] Let's focus on cooking the Tenderloin first. We'll find the sweet potaotes while the meat's in the oven.
[x] Is there a Pantry? If so, let's check there.

[z] Let's focus on cooking the tenderloin first. We'll find the sweet potatoes while the meat's in the oven.
[e] Is there a pantry? If so, let's check there.

[x] Let's focus on cooking the Tenderloin first. We'll find the sweet potaotes while the meat's in the oven.
[x] Is there a Pantry? If so, let's check there.

I read both boards, so either is fine with me. Probably better to ask a Mod though.

[X] Let's focus on cooking the Tenderloin first. We'll find the sweet potaotes while the meat's in the oven.
[X] Is there a Pantry? If so, let's check there.

Regarding the quality I noticed a good deal more misspellings than usual, perhaps you should run a spellcheck in word or whatever program you use after writing.

UPDATE

Right, I'll get to updating in just a bit. Same goes for Metal Touhou.

I need to speed things up...things'll never get done at the pace I'm going.

Not quite dead, Jim.

Didn't want this to be *too* lengthy so I cut some parts short. Now with this out of the way, things should get back on track~

I hope...
-----

[x] Let's focus on cooking the Tenderloin first. We'll find the sweet potaotes while the meat's in the oven.
[x] Is there a Pantry? If so, let's check there.

While you know you'll need the sweet potatoes to complete the meal, the tenderloin should be tended to first for right now, as it was the main course, after all.

You seach the cabinents for something to put the tenderloin in, since you're going to be putting this in the oven, you'll need a pan of some sort, something that is well suited for cooking meats like this, and something wide enough for 2 cuts of tenderloin, after all you want a piece of this too. With a little time, you pull out a rather large, rectangular pan that looks to be just big enough for both slabs of pork to be placed within. It looks rather new, almost as if Luize may have bought recently...ah, but there's no time to worry about that, we should focus on cooking these versatile cuts of meat.

To start you would have washed the tenderloin off, but it looks like that has already been done for you. The water locked inside the plastic bag the meat was sealed in, clear evidence of this. Oh well, that was one less thing you had to do, so you don't waste any time and go about placing the two cuts of Tenderloin in the pan you pulled out earlier on. Even though the meat looks to have been washed off already, you still go about putting the pan under the faucet of the sink you add a small amount of water to the meats, not so much as to fill the pan, but enough so that the meat won't stick to it while it cooks.

With that done you rummage rummage through the cabinets and pull out a container of black pepper and another of salt. You then add just a dash of each over the tenderloin, just enough to give it that extra flavor so is to make it all the more enjoyable to eat. As you put away the salt and pepper, you glance over to the fresh zucchini and then back to the tenderloin. Adding zucchini to the tenderloin sounds strange at first, but hey, you were trying something new here and you're sure that Luize would like it (given her odd taste in foods anyhow). So, with that in mind, you pull out a kitchen knife from one the drawers and go about cutting the green vegetable up into smaller slices, before placing them on the meat itself.

Next you'll need to focus on the pearl onions you took out earlier and add them to the mix of things. Which meant you had to pull them of their skin before you go around adding any of them to the Tenderloin. Only, how do you go about peeling onions that are no bigger than a button? A regular knife would pretty much destroy them, rather than peel them. In a situation like this, any demon of your type wouldn't have the slightest clue on how to begin, but you do manage to recall a easy method for peeling these small onions from a Chef back in the Netherworld (which one you're not sure of).

To begin, we'll need to place the onions in pot of boiling water for about 2-3 minutes tops. So with that in mind, you reach back into the cabinent that held the pots and pans and pulled loose small pot that was about the size of your head. You didn't want the pot to be too big, for these onions are pretty small and a large pot would be rather excessive for something that would only take 2 or 3 minutes (tops) to complete. You're also going to need a strainer for when the onions are done boiling, but you'll get to that when the onions actually finish later...

You place the pot in the sink and fill it with water, taking care not to put in too much. Once you have enough water, you then stick the pot onto the stove and crank it up, the blue flame igniting beneath the pot and slowly coating it in it's heat. The water is going to take a few moments to boil, so you look around for a few moments and take the time to throw the orange peels in the trash can and placing the Olive Oil back where it belonged.

As you close the cabinent door, you pause for a moment as your ears pick up a faint bubbling sound emanating from atop the stove. Turning around, you came to see that the water you put on has now come to a boil, which meant it was time to add those onions. You walk to over to the boiling pot of water, grabbing the bag of pearl onions along the way, and go about dumping the lot of the miniscule vegetables into the boiling hot water the moment you pulled the bag open. As you watch the onions settle in the water, you recall that the onions will only need about 2 or 3 minutes in the pot, so you use this idle time to search for that elusive strainer.

Trouble is, you don't know where exactly Luize keeps it, but a little cabinent rummaging will easily fix this. Sure enough, you manage to locate a steel strainer in a cabinent that was adjacent to the drawer that held the cooking utensils. With the holey bowl-like object in hand, you place it in the sink and gaze out of the kitchen window, the light from the inside making it difficult to see out into Luize's darkened back yard. The pitch blackness, as well as the lack of lights from the neighboring houses, makes you wonder as to what time it is. You look around for a clock, and come to find one in the shape of hen located over the entrance to the kitchen.

Hm, it looks to be about 10:09, if not a little bit passed that...well, you did have something planned for tomorrow, but that's at Noon and you doubt you can sleep in that late. You hardly every do, come to think of it, being a demon who's spent his entire life in a hellish land where killing is almost an everyday thing, you had no other choice but to make yourself a light sleeper. Otherwise...well, let's just say you wouldn't be in Makai right now...or alive for that matter. Even so, you do wonder as to what you're going to do tomorrow until the time came to head back to Shinki' castle, maybe you could go back to Pandemonium-1 and continue looking around there for a bit. You didn't really see too much of it last time, now that you thought about it.

Those onions should be about done boiling for now, so you bring your wandering mind back into the kitchen and focus on cooking this meal up, you're just about done matter of fact, all you needed to do is prepare the sweet potatos and you would be finished. You turn off the stove, grabbing the pot by it's handle, ignoring the heat that enveloped your hand and picked up over the sink before dumping the waterlogged onions into the strainer. Thick steam comes rising up from the sink as the water gurgles down the drain and ultimately leaves the onions to dry out. You stand by a wait for the onions to drip dry for a few moments before grabbing the cutting board and placing it along side the pan that held the awaiting tenderloin.

Since the onions have been boiled, peeling them should be alot easier now, although you had to get rid of the stem first if you are to peel them. You take one of the small onions out from the strainer, the heat from it's exterior warming your fingers to the touch, and grab the knife that was used on the zucchini. It shouldn't do too much harm in using the same knife over again, since it wasn't all that dirty after you used it, besides all you really needed it for was to cut off the onion's stem. You pin the tiny onion down on the cutting board with your finger and carefully chop the stem off, before you began squeezing the onion from the bottom, the slightest amount of pressure applied to the tiny wet onion causes it to slip from out of it's 'skin' and roll on the cutting board, exposed and ready to add to the tenderloin. Normally, you would cut the onion once more, this time in slices, but since this type of onions was just too small to cut again, you grab another paper towel and place the peeled onion there. Since you're now certain this method works (and quite well at that), 'peeling' the rest of the pearl onions doesn't take long, despite there being more than you first thought. In a matter of mere minutes, the lot of the tiny onions are peeled and added to the tenderloin.

Now that the onions were dealt with, that pretty much wraps things up for the tenderloin for now, so you chuck the pan in the oven and close the door and let the sweltering heat do it's job in cooking the cuts of tender meat.

Now that the meat is in the oven this gives you ample time to look for those sweet potatoes that you needed to complete the meal. Although, you still didn't have any real idea as to where they could be, perhaps you should check the pantry first...provided there is one. You turn away from the oven for a moment and began looking around the kitchen, coming to find a lone door on the other side of the room. Well, if there was ever a pantry, then you're positive that this door would lead to it.

You make your way over to the door and open it to find that you were indeed correct, this was the pantry and it was filled with all sorts of snacks and various other foodstuffs, many of which you're sure aren't sold here in Makai. You look around on the floor of the small closet space and come to see a small box that was labled 'Potatoes' and another that was labled 'Sweet Potatoes'. Opening the box that (supposedly) held the sweet potatoes, you pull out two; one for you and one for Luize, and head on out of the pantry to prepare these alongside the tenderloin.

------------

A good 75 minutes have passed since you had put the sweet potates in the oven to bake alongside the Tenderloin, although you had already pulled out the meat when you smelled that it was ready, so you had to wait a little long for the spuds to bake all the way through. Even so, it doesn't take them all that long to finish, and when they do, you pull them out from the oven and cut both down the middle allowing the hot steam to billow from the golden interior of the throughly baked vegatable. You've only had baked potatoes once in your lifetime

With everything cooked and ready to be eaten, you take down a set of two plates (one for you and one for Luize) and go about fixing each of your meals before setting them down on the table for a, rather late, dinner. While you were going to indulge yourself in both the tenderloin and the sweet potatoes...you weren't going to touch the salad. You just...can't find it in you to eat any of it, so you decide to set the salad down in the center of the table being you weren't sure where Luize would sit at, but if she liked salad (most girls do actually) then it wouldn't be a problem to have it sitting in the table's center where it was easy for her to get to.

And that's it, we're officially done cooking with tonight's dinner! It took a while, but you're sure this will be worth the wait. The decadent and mouth watering scent of the throughly cooked tenderloin fills the kitchen as you pull it from the oven and place it on the table along side the salad. Wiping a bead of sweat from your brow, you step back and take in the full glory of your masterpiece that sat atop the table. You didn't think you could do it, but here you were staring down at a meal only fit for a resturant. Hmm, perhaps you could pursue a career in the culinary arts, rather than be a demonic soldier of hell? Well...let's not get ahead of ourselves. In anycase, it's best not to keep Luize waiting, so you set off to inform Luize that dinner is (finally) served.

----------

As you make your way down the hallway to Luize's room, you remember that this will be your first time ever going into Luize's room, since you've arrived in Makai about half a day ago. Needless to say, you wonder just what it's like inside her bedroom...given her love for tourism and travel, perhaps it's a room filled with exotic souveiners and trinkets from her many travels across different lands, or maybe it was something far more different than that? Who knows, but you were about to find out either way....

"Hey Luize, dinner's ready." You call to the tourist as you open the, half closed, door to her bedroom and take in the full visage of her room in the process. Luize's room looks...relatively normal, in all honesty, it was decently sized, but not large or spacious by any margin. There was a shelf next to the door which housed a cornicopia of reading material, most appeared to be novels like the one she was reading before at Shinki's castle. The wall above her cozy, western-styled bed was adorned with various posters that appeared to be from different places she's been too. On the right side of her bed, there stood a nightstand that held some various other trinkets and figurines plus that of a photo picturing her and some other woman that had short pink hair and a red dress. The two of them seemed happy together...you wonder who that woman is and if she was a friend to Luize.

Luize herself was laying down on her bed, a large fluffy pillow held securely to her body as she gazed up at a television set that appeared to be showing a game show of somekind that involved bidding. Luize laying on her back, so you could only guess that her view of the television was upside down, given her position...

Wait...how can Luize watch TV when her eyes are always closed...?

"Ah, dinner's ready, you say?" Luize perked up, as she rolled over onto her belly, her pillow still in arms, and glanced up to you with a grateful smile. That is, until she noticed something off about your appearance. "Aww, you didn't wear the apron I gave you..." The tourist pouted, as she poked her bottom lip out.

You give her a blank look and scratch behind your ear for a moment. After all, you didn't know she actually wanted you to wear that. "Well...I didn't think it was all that...'nessacary' for cooking. No offense." Wearing that apron wasn't really all that useful to be honest. But, the real reason you didn't wear it, was because it made you look (and feel) a little...feminine. Luize didn't have to know that though~

Luize simply giggles to your stammering and hoists herself up into a sitting position at the foot of the bed, that amused smile she wore not disappearing in the slightest. "It's okay, I'm sure a gruff demon like yourself doesn't like wearing frilly aprons~" Ah, it would appear that she was already aware on the matter...well, at least she didn't poke too much fun at you. Then again, let's not forget that Luize is a polite demon to begin with.

"Right," You mutter before gesturing outside her bedroom door. "C'mon, we should go get some chow before it gets cold on us."

--------

The walk back is short and quiet at best, but you can tell that Luize will enjoy what she'll see given how she comments on the delightful aroma that wafts down from the kitchen and to her nose. Sure enough, once you guide her to the kitchen, Luize is surprised by what she sees; her hand meeting her mouth as a slight gasp escapes her lips. Even more surprising for you is that her eyes...actually open this time, revealing to you her deep golden orbs that shined just as brightly as the lights above.

"Oh my..." Luize says, fixating those golden eyes upon you, a shade of pink puffing on her cheeks as she tries to form her next question to you. "You...you fixed all of this?"

"That's right." You nod in confirmation to her words. "I guess, I really do have a talent for cooking." There's really no trouble in showing a little ego here, yes you did wing it several times, but hell look what came out of it. If anything you deserve to be a little cocky at this point.

"Yes, you most certainly do~!" Luize agreed as she stepped inside and headed toward the table to start on this lushcious spread you prepared tonight, all the while taking in the delicious smell of what she was about to dig into before coming to take her seat at the front end of the table. "Come sit down, you deserve to enjoy this as much as I do, Mr.Ghost~" Luize called over to you, gesturing towards the seat in front of her, while her free hand picked up a fork.

You shrug a bit and take your seat on the opposite side of the table, where you see, a now closed eyed, Luize has paused for a moment her hand on her chin as if she were thinking on something. You don't say anything in response to this and simply wait for her to start moving again. To which, the tourist eventually resumes normal motion after about a few more seconds of silence before giving you a friendly smile and beginning on her meal. That was...sorta weird, wasn't it? Well she could have just been thinking on something...or maybe it was something else?

Thinking nothing more of it, you simply shrug and begin eating just as Luize did, the tourist giving you compliments on how well the tenderloin tasted and how good the baked sweet potatoes smelled. However, other than these find words of ego stroking, little else is said between the two of you as you both seem to carry on with dinner in silence. Maybe now would be a good time to ask Luize something and, you know, strike up some healthy conversation while the two of you had such a nice dinner to share.

[ ] Remain quiet, let Luize start talking.
[ ] Ask Luize if she could tell you more about Makai.
[ ] Ask Luize about that pink haired girl in the photo.
[ ] Ask Luize about Shinki and perhaps Alice as well.
[ ] Ask Luize if she could tell you more about her travels.
[ ] Ask Luize if she could tell you about herself.
[ ] Start a conversation about something else. (What should you say?)

[x] Ask Luize if she could tell you more about her travels.

Always good for dinner discussion.

[x] Ask Luize if she could tell you more about her travels.

Sweet, you updated.

[x] Ask Luize if she could tell you more about her travels.

[0] Ask Luize if she could tell you more about her travels.

[x] Ask Luize if she could tell you more about her travels.

[ℤℯ] Ask Luize if she could tell you more about her travels.

SHARE WITH ME YOUR STORIES, WOMAN

[x] ask Luize if she could tell you more about her travels.

Good to see this up and running. Picture unrelated.

[B] Ask Luize if she could tell you more about Makai.

[x] Ask Luize if she could tell you more about her travels.

Ah, perhaps you could ask Luize to cover more on her travels, you're sure she's been to far more places than you would expect, if that pantry was any indication. "Hey, Luize," You spoke up after swallowing a chunk of tenderloin which, to your expectations, is mighty damn good. You should probably try to cook more often if you had the chance to.

"Yes?" The blonde tourist responds as she glances up from her eating her tenderloin, the fork just a few inches from her open mouth.

"You don't mind telling me more about where you've been, do you?"

"Oh, of course not, Mr. Ghost~!" Luize chimed as she swallowed up the piece of meat on her fork and paused for a moment to think. "Hmm, where should I begin...there's so many places I've been to it is hard to remember them all..."

"Anywhere's fine," You comment with a shrug. "Even the places you already mentioned to me before couldn't hurt to know more about them."

You're not exactly sure if Luize heard your suggestion earlier, as she continues to remain silent her index finger tapping on her chin in a thoughtful gesture as she blankly gazes up at the ceiling above. You were tempted to say something to her to snap her out of it, but the thinking tourist, eventually, comes out if it herself and speaks once again. "Ghost, have you ever heard of a place called 'Manhattan?" Luize inquired to you, as she pauses from eating her dinner to hear your response.

"...Can't say that I have..." You answer in a tone of uncertainty, while you haven't really heard of it...you’re willing to make a guess that it's where a lot of humans hang out or live. "That a place where humans like live?"

"Yes, it's an enormous metropolis that houses a great number of them, matter of fact." The tourist nods, "Although it was astonishingly large, it was also quite loud...a lot noisier than the streets of Pandemonium that's for certain. I found it rather difficult to talk to the many residents that lived there..."

"Ah, Cities tend to get like that; I've been to a few to know." You say as you chuckle a bit to your own words, with Luize laughing a bit in return as well. "So, what's it like up there...well, besides the noise problem anyway."

"Oh, there was plenty to do there, I can tell you that~" Luize answered cheerfully, now going back to eating her tenderloin for a moment. "While it didn't have as many sights to see as other places, it was still a good amount to see; that enormous statue for one is simply amazing, and the view you get from standing on top of it is simply breathe-taking. Matter of fact, once night fell, I would often go outside and fly atop that very statue just so I could gaze at the beautiful lights below...it's truly a gorgeous sight, I only wish you were there to see it, Mr. Ghost…"

"Well, it does sound like a pretty nice place to visit, but I think I'd hafta learn how to fly for that last part. Haven't quite earned my wings just yet, you know." You laugh a bit and rise up gesturing toward the fridge. "By the way, what kinda drinks do you want?"

"Water's fine, I believe there's a jug of it in the refrigerator." Luize replied. "I have a few sodas in there if you want some."

"Nah, I'll stick with water." You say making your way to the fridge and rummaging through it to find a large jug of, what was labeled as, ‘Cocytus Spring Water’. Despite its name, this seems to be the only jug of water in here so…this must be what Luize wanted. With a casual shrug, you pull out the, rather heavy, jug of water and go about fixing you and Luize some drinks to wash down this rather splendid meal. “Are there any other places you been to, ‘sides Manhattan?” You query to the traveler, pouring your drinks in glass cups that you had found in one of the cupboards.

“Indeed I have,” Luize nodded, pausing for a brief moment to think before she eventually continued with the conversation. “I’ve recently been to one area that was extremely cold…so cold that I couldn’t stay but for a mere 5 minutes before I had to leave, lest I freeze…”

“That cold, huh?” You say walking back to the table and placing the drink down, to which Luize gives her thanks for. “I know a lot of ‘cold places’, mind telling me the name of this one, you might’ve been to a place I know of.”

“Hmm…I’m not sure, there didn’t seem to be any humans living there…at all.” Luize mumbled in response. “Although I did see a large number of these rather adorable little birds that looked as though they were wearing little tuxedoes~” You pause for a moment as you took this in. Luize was obviously, referring to penguins, but given the current mystery surrounding the area she visited, she could be talking about Prinnies. No harm in asking…

“Did those penguins happen to have little bags with them?” You ask taking your seat across from Luize who was giving you a rather puzzled look; one that spoke volumes on how confused she was on the randomness of your question just now.

“Uhm…no I don’t think they did…” She replied. “Why do you ask?

“Oh, nothing…just that those ‘birds’ you were talking about sounded a lot like Prinnies.”

“Oh, I see,” Luize nodded. “Well, who knows, they could be these ‘Prinnies’ you speak of, after all, my memory of that place is somewhat fuzzy.”

---------

Time passes on as it naturally does and dinner goes on without a hitch, both you and Luize continuing to converse with for a good while longer. The conversation itself stretching on even after dinner was eaten up and thoroughly finished off. You found yourself wondering just how someone like Luize can travel to so many places. You don’t doubt her words; she has the souvenirs to prove it. You’re just not sure on how she does all the traveling, does she go somewhere to teleport or does she have some form of ability that allows her to travel across dimensions?

However, before you can ask, the tourist decides to end the conversation after she realizes that it’s gotten awfully late (about 11:02 to be exact).

Luize later takes up the duty of washing all the dishes for the night, in return for you cooking such a wondrous meal. Something you don’t mind her doing, but you still find yourself wanting to pitch in and help, if only a little. Unfortunately, Luize acts against it and suggests you to do otherwise. “Don’t worry, it’s the least I could do in return for your cooking, Mr. Ghost.” Luize says placing both her dishes and yours into the sink and filling it with water. “You should go rest for now, there’s a spare room across from the washroom that you’re welcome to sleep in.”

Well, she was giving you a place to stay, and it looked as though she had things under control in the kitchen. Perhaps it would be a good idea to get some shut eye for the night…you haven’t really had a good night’s sleep ever since you arrived in Makai now that you thought about it...

[ ] Go on ahead and turn in for the night.
[ ] Let’s stay up with Luize for a little while.
[ ] Have something else you want to do? (Write-in)

------

With this posted, I'd like to say that future updates may be a bit iffy. yeah, I know I'm just getting back, but you know life...

Currently, my connection to what little internet access I have is acting like a bitch and is being (even more) unreliable than usual. I doubt I can count on it to get me to the internet until I fix it so...yeah.

But these things sometimes work out on their own so...we'll see...

[x] Go on ahead and turn in for the night.

Some nice sleep will do us some good.

[x] Go on ahead and turn in for the night.

[x] Go on ahead and turn in for the night.

On a side note I love how this story is going so far. Its good to see the Makai cast being put to use.

[x] Go on ahead and turn in for the night.

[\\!/] Go on ahead and turn in for the night.

Closed eye moe~

Okay, I'll get to writing the update soon. Connection seems to have stablized again, so I can stick around just a bit longer now.

(Although, I'm still going to remain vigilant..this connection isn't exactly one to play nice).

[x] Go on ahead and turn in for the night.

Yeah, it would be a good idea to go on ahead and get some sleep tonight. To be honest, you didn't feel like you were 100% today, which probably could have been brought on by the fact that you only slept for a good 3 hours (or perhaps less) when you and Luize had that run in with the Baciel. In shorter terms, now is the perfect time to relax and 'recharge', so to speak.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." You spoke as you get up and push your chair in, taking another glance to Luize.

"Sleep well, Mr. Ghost~" Luize replied smiling to you before turning her attention back to the, now submerged, dishes. "Remember, we were invited back to Miss Shinki's palace tomorrow, so please keep that in mind if you have plans for the morning." Ah, good fo you to say that Luize, although you don't think you had much else planned for tomorrow BUT that event really. Unless you wanted to go explore the woods and find that shrine Luize said something about.

"Ah right, thanks for reminding me." You say as you head out of the kitchen giving Luize a casual wave good night. The hallway is relatively dark, had it not been for the light from Luize's room granting some illumination you might have had to feel your way across the halls to find the guest bedroom. Luckily, that didn't seem to be the case, and you find the bedroom no problem, you remember you've been into this room before earlier today...albeit for about a few seconds. Pushing the door open, it's henges giving off a faint creek as you did so, and turning on the light, you see that the room is just about the same as Luize's only sans the all of the things she has. There are a set of empty book selves to the far right of the room and a closet to the left. The bed is of average size, and sports a white comforter with pillows to match in color.

"Hmm, not bad...not bad at all..." You whisper to yourself as you walk inside and close the door behind you. You open the closet to find that it's rather bare, only having several cardboard boxes on the floor, a pair of striped pajamas hanging up...and nothing else. Hm, this reminds you that you don't exactly have any spare clothes to wear, having fallen into an alternate universe with only the clothes on your back...you find that you may need to invest in buying some new duds for later wearing. Perhaps you can ask Luize about such a thing tomorrow?

Oh well, no use worrying of it now right? So let's just get some sleep and we'll work something out in the morning.

You pull the pajamas from the closet and look them over, seeing that it consists of a striped blue shirt with matching pants although this doesn't really matter unless these things can actually fit you, to which, you go about finding out right now. Undressing from your old attire and slipping on this new one, you're happy to find that the pajamas indeed fit, although they're a bit snug which suggests that they were just big enough to fit you. It is rather curious to see that Luize had pajamas here though...but this is a guest bedroom so perhaps she bought them here for cases when she had company over?

Either way, you're getting tired, the good meal you've eaten before doing wonders for sapping you energy away to help in the digestion of it all. With a long, drawn out yawn, you peel the white covers of the bed back and slink inside your body being met with the comfortable, if not slightly cold, touch of the snow white sheets that were below the rather thick covers of the bed. The feeling of an actual bed is something new to you as compared to what you remember from the Netherworld (which didn't exactly have the best accomidations for a mook such as yourself) but, in all honesty, it feels great to snuggle underneathe the covers of a real bed rather than having to deal with the old, and crusty matresses you slept on many times before.

Strangely enough, despite this new sensation you find that it's relatively easy to get used to and you soon find yourself falling asleep after a moment of lying your head down on the equally comfortable pillow...

[ ] (Let's see what's inside Ghost's mind~)

------------

Eh, I dunno, felt like giving the choice for a dream sequence...

>>20152

[x] Luize? What are you doing on the bed in that skimpy negligee?

[\\!/] Luize? What are you doing on the bed in that skimpyrather unmodest negligee?

[Q] Luize? What are you doing on the bed in that skimpy negligee?

Simply because it could be hilarious.

[x] Luize? What are you doing on the bed in that skimpy negligee?

[x] Luize? What are you doing on the bed in that skimpy negligee?

This has potential for many things.

[x] Luize? What are you doing on the bed in that skimpy negligee?

[0] Luize? What are you doing on the bed in that skimpy negligee?

Alright, update's about halfway done~

Things are going to dip into NSFW territory, if that's alright with you guys.

>>20203

I see no problems with that.

No pic because, sadly there's none of Luize in negligee.

What a shame...

-------

[x] Luize? What are you doing on the bed in that skimpy negligee?

Not long after you drop off to sleep, your mind begins to sink into the sea of your subconcious, the reality around you melting into oblivion as your fantasies begin to manifest around you in the form of a dream. Oddly enough, when you start 'dreaming' you're still laying down, but soon find that you're 'awake' none the less.

However, when you try to pull yourself up to get a look around, you feel something on top of you, as if something...or someone...is sitting atop the covers to which you lay under. "Wha...?" You drone lazily, turning your head around to get a look at what was keeping you down. Even though you can't turn your head all the way around to see Luize, you're able to see that her blonde hair now let down to reach her shoulders (it seemed) and her body draped in a nightgown of sorts through the corner of your eyes. Oddly enough, she doesn't say anything, and just continues to sit behind you...as if waiting for you to make full eye contact with her...

More than a little curious of to what Luize would want at this hour, and why she was so silent, you turn your self onto your back and then come to lock eyes with the full visage of the attire Luize was dressed in. The nightgown she wore was lavender in color and was trimmed with a deep purple lace at the chest area of the loose fitting sleepwear. The color and make up of this gown however, wasn't what had you staring at Luize...it was the fact that the article of clothing was rather...revealing at best; the entire nightgown barely running past Luize's upper thigh area, giving you a perfect chance to feast your eyes upon the tourists toned legs and bare feet for the very first time. Besides the negligee, Luize...didn't seem to be wearing anything else underneath it, well her arms were in front of her so you couldn't see if she was wearing underwear or not. You could only hope that she was...

"Hmm, did I wake you, Mr. Ghost?" Luize says to you with a friendly smile, her voice ringing out to you with an eerie playfulness that you're sure could mean something else given how she's dressed right now. This was all so odd of Luize...first the skimpy gown and now her voice, none of this seemed like her at all...

"Ah, erm, not really, I sorta...woke up on my own." You reply with a slight cough to rerail your thoughts. Your eyes, on the other hand, are all BUT rerailed and continue to study the modest curves of the demon that sat at the foot of your bed, a smile still plastered on her face. "Anyways, what's up?"

Luize sighs and comes to lay herself down before you, her chin resting in her palms as her legs rose to the air and began to slowly kick back and forth in a rhythmatic manner. "I just wanted see if you were okay, that's all..." You're not sure as to if that was a joke or not, given the fact that not only were her eyes still closed, but you also felt that her reason for being her was something far more complex than just 'checking up on you'. After a brief moment in silence, your suspicions are given a little credit as Luize speaks once more. "Unless...you want to do something else~" She says as her left eye slowly opens and a playful smirk snakes across her features.

You knew exactly what Luize was implying when she said "something else", and to be honest...you haven't had any of that "something else" in a long while either; when one is within in the presence of Succubi, it pays to play a little Cold Turkey to sexual activites so is to avoid losing one's immortal soul. Even so, Luize wasn't a succubus (at least you thought she wasn't, most female demons tend to fall in this category, give or take) and thus the danger of her taking your soul was (slightly) reduced. Still, you can't seem find any words to respond to Luize, or rather It's hard to determine on what you really wanted to say to her. On one hand this felt right on so many levels and you would give nothing more than to embrace what openings Luize gave to you, on the other, however, you wanted to hold off on this and maybe deter Luize from what immoral thoughts she may have in mind. You weren't sure, but it would appear that you see her as more of a friend than a...erm, sexual partner at the moment.

But...damnit if that skimpy little nightgown wasn't helping in your situation. There's way too much of Luize showing for you to concentrate on how to deal with this situation properly...

"Oh, are you...hung up on what to say?" Luize asked with a slight tilt to her head before her puzzled expression gives way to another one of those playful smiles as she pushes herself up on all fours and starts slinking toward you. "Then allow me to help you~" Needless to say, this sort of action from Luize is completely out of bounds for you and you can think of anything to say in detterance to the demon but to scoot up further on the bed so tha

"Ah, Luize I don't think this isn't very polite." You manage to choke out knowing that she would most likely stop what she's doing and consider her actions. For the moment, your words appears to have gotten through to her as Luize pauses midway and glances off to the side. However, her own reasoning soon tosses those very words to the wind and she simply continues toward you with an even more pedatory look in her, now open, golden eyes.

"Oh no, it's very polite~" Luize chimed in response as she now came to straddle atop your hips, her face so close to yours that you can practically smell the heated lust that wafted from her body. As a tense silence washes over the the room, you take a moment to look Luize over, taking in the full visage of her cleavage (which to your surprise means Luize isn't as flat as you thought she was) and the lower region of her body. It appears that Luize isn't wearing anything underneath her nightgown which meant that...Oh god.

"Ara...You shouldn't be so tense, Mr. Ghost..." Luize whispered to you, as her hand snakes underneath the covers and wraps around your crotch. Luize wastes no time in getting down to business and begins to slowly massage your length that simply begged for you to thrust it forward into her waiting vagina that was only mere inches away.

Luize slowly brings her face closer to you, her lips almost ready to lock onto your own as she whispers, "I'm your hostess...it's my duty to make sure my guests are as comfortable as possible." You only let out a groan in response, as you feel Luize's hand quicken it's pace around your hardened cock. The pleasure that was at first kept at buy by your reason, now beginning to flood your mind as it drowns out any and all responses you may have against the tourists actions.

Even so...you know you can't fully enjoy yourself until you make a choice on if you wanted to actually go through with Luize's efforts to help you 'relax'...after all, there was still this odd vibe you were getting from Luize. A vibe that didn't quite suit her one bit...

[ ] "Yes...help me relax, Luize..."
[ ] "No, I'm fine...really!"

---------------

Note, I didn't put a choice here for nothing, Anon.
I'd also like to say that this is a No Write-in zone (a rare one), so take a moment to consider what you really want, and choose wisely~

The consequences for choosing wrong won't be *too* severe, but it's still something to consider if you're aiming for a Luize route

[Q] "Yes...help me relax, Luize..."

Ah, screw it.

[X] "Yes... help me relax, Luize..."

I'm powerless to resist when she's right there, practically mounting us. If only we could use write-ins, we could be a little sweeter about it, but for now simply relinquishing control to her will have to do.

You should think about this since I have a feeling that's not really Luize and still in the dream, which is being kinda interfered with.

Or it could be our lead's hormones acting up and causing the dream Luize to act unusual.

Hard to say.

[ ] "No, I'm fine...really!"

[ ] "No, I'm fine...really!"

[x] "No, I'm fine...really!"

I hope the writer doesn't troll us.

[x] "No, I'm fine...really!"

Doesn't feel good, man.
The vibes that is.

Gonna get to writing now.

Thanks for waiting.

>>20296
Still waiting patiently.

[x] "No, I'm fine...really!"

No, you're not about to let her do this. Granted, it's nice of Luize to offer you more...carnal options to help put you at ease, but you just can't shake the fact that something about Luize didn't seem right. Simply put, the actions aren't quite fitting the actor.

"No I'm fine...really!" You say to the tourist putting your hand onto hers as a way put a stop to her pleasuring you. Yes, while it did feel great, you had throw your desires aside for now and get through this. Luize pauses for a moment glancing down at where your hand was, she looked to be visibly confused about what you were doing. Then again, most folks would be, considering what she was about to do to you not too long ago.

"You...don't want me to help you?" Luize says with a pout, before another lustful smile snakes across her face. "Are you sure about that, Ghost~" Luize brings herself right on top of your crotch and begins to rub herself against your body, mostly grinding her nether regions up against yours in a slow and steady manner. You twitch in response only uttering a noise of surprise at the demon's actions towards you. It would appear that Luize wasn't going to give in so easily to your words, which really doesn't seem like her. Granted you've only known her for a while, Luize doesn't seem like the demon to force herself on others. Still you had to get her off you, and you wanted to do this before she could even have the chance to play the 'Silence gives consent' card.

"I-It's not that I don't want you to help me, it's just..." You gasp out, trying to calm yourself and your hormones down. "It's just that, I'm not exactly ready for it yet."

Upon hearing this, Luize halts what she's doing and gives you a weird look, a look that most people give when they've been told something that makes their brain do a double take. However, just as you're about to continue, Luize's expression suddenly changes for the worst as her closed eyes open up completely to give you an angry glare. "What do you mean 'not ready yet'!?" Luize snarled, causing you to jump back slightly from the sound of her angry voice, which to say the least was somehing you clearly was not expecting from someone as jovial and polite as Luize. "I thought all men wanted to be pleasured like this, you shouldn't be any different!"

"Whoa, whoa, easy there..." You say throwing your hands up in defense in an attempt to scath off the peeved tourist. "No need to get your panties in a...oh wait..." Yeah, she wasn't exactly wearing any of those...but she should at least get what you were trying to say. You open your mouth to continue on only to have Luize forcifully push you onto your back, the blonde demon sucking her teeth in irritation before dismounting you and coming to sit on your chest.

"Hmph, whatever..." Luize sighs in exasperation turning her back to you while she remained on your chest. While you don't really mind the view of Luize's rear end, which wasn't really far from grabbing distance now that you thought of it. What really seems to nag you is the fact that Luize...is alot heavier than you thought. Which is strange being Luize was a rather petite demon as fair as body shapes go. Matter of fact, if you didn't know any better, you'd say that Luize is getting heavier.

"L-Luize..." You breath in a raspy tone, the air in your chest seeming to become even more restricted the longer Luize remained on top of you. "Ya mind...gettin up for a bit?" You didn't want to add 'you're kinda heavy', because last you checked, girls don't like it when you imply anything about them being the slightest bit heavy. Unfortunately, Luize doesn't seem to move upon hearing your request and just remains where she is, apparently ignoring you.

"Huh, what's that, you want me to stay?" Hey now, that's putting words in your mouth! "That's fine with me, since I came all this way to see you and you just turn me down like it was nothing."

"H-hey...don't be like that..." You cough. "I didn't mean any harm in sayin that."

"Whatever, just go to sleep already..." Luize says as she stretches to let out a long drawn out yawn, letting you know that she was not going to budge even though she was practically squeezing the air out of you. By this point, you want to just throw manners to the wind, and pull yourself up on your own, after all you can bet you were much stronger than Luize was (you were a foot taller than her after all). However the moment you try to throw your body up from the bed, you notice that, like Luize had implied earlier, you were growing tired again...

You're not sure if this is due to the lack of oxygen lulling you ever so closer to a state of unconciousness or if you were just getting tired, but you found it harder to protest against Luize sitting atop your chest, your energy to resist leaving you by the very second...

As, you lay under Luize your vision slowly going black once again and your body's functions slowing down, you can only hope you made the right choice in blue balling yourself...but, deep down, you're sure this was indeed the right decision...

========

.... .... ....

You awake with a start, your eyes shot open and your body drenched in a cold sweat, at least you hoped it was...especially at your crotch which, upon looking down, had popped wood. No doubt thanks to that dream you had just managed to wake up from last night. You take in a deep breathe and look around the room to notice that it's morning now, the sunshine outside now bathing your room in it's warm light and putting your mind at ease as it became clear that everything you saw last night was simply a dream. Yeah...it was all just a dream, including the Luize you saw that was trying to have sex with you...but, why would you dream about her in such a way? Well...it has been a while since you've been around women...such fantasies arise in all men now and then, it's only natrual.

"Mr. Ghost~" A familiar voice chimes from behind the closed door to the room you slept in. "Breakfast is almost ready~"

Ah yes, some breakfast would be nice right about now. All that dreaming has left you with a void stomach that needed to be filled for the day ahead. With you mind now set on getting toward the smell of breakfast that wafted from behind the door, you get ready to pull yourself up and come to notice something odd...

You can't move.

This isn't just your average legs or arms having fallen 'asleep' sort of thing, this was full-on paralysis from the neck down. Meaning, you literally could not move a single inch out of bed, not even the slightest twitch. No matter how much your wiggle or try to move...nothing wants to respond. Stranger still, you can feel some sort of weight pressing down on your chest, although the source of this weight isn't actually visable at all...

"Wh-what the..." You mutter to yourself as you try to pull your arm up only to see that it wasn't budging at all, the ssame can be said for your legs which don't make things any easier in terms of moving. Why...why was this even happening? You could move just fine last night, so why the sudden paralysis? You don't give in and try your luck once again only to find that your body is still as stiff as board and the pressure on your chest seems to grow stronger.

Strangely enough as soon as you were about to panic and call for Luize to come help you up, the paralysis slowly begins to disappear from your body, your fingers beginning to regain the ability to move before it moves to your arms, legs and so forth, even the weight on your chest seems to lift off of you into thin air. Before long, you finally manage to pull yourself up from the bed your body, while still somewhat numb, having fully regained it's ability to move.

"Mr. Ghost?" Luize calls once again. "Come on and eat, your food is starting to get cold."

"I-In a minute!" Indeed, your morning wood still hasn't subsided yet...

========

After you manage to get out of bed, and wait for your erection to go down, you join Luize in the kitchen to see that she's already fully dressed and ready to start the day. Luize has cooked another good breakfast this morning consisting of omlettes, eggs, bacon, and buttered toast. Luize has gotten herself some Orange Juice for the morning, but your glass was left empty. Luize probably didn't know what you wanted and simply left it up to you to decide on what you wanted to drink, even though you would have settled for anything she had. "Good Morning, Mr. Ghost." The tourist greets to you with a smile as she sets herself down at the table. "I was wondering when you would get those lazy bones out of bed~" Well you could have been here sooner had it not been for that sudden bout with paralysis earlier, which still had you confused, come to think of it...

"Come sit down before the eggs get cold." Luize says motioning to your seat in front of her that held the plate of freshly cooked eggs and bacon, with a side of buttered toast. Luize seems to have fixed herself an omelette for the morning, along with the same buttered toast and bacon to go along with it.

"Ah, yes...right." You say as you walk over to the table and take your seat. Luize certainly seemed cheerful this morning, then again, she usually was rather 'cheery' in and of itself, not that it's a bad thing.

[ ] Ask Luize what she's going to do today
[ ] Tell Luize about your dream last night
[ ] Tell Luize about what you were going to do today
[ ] Tell Luize about something else? (Write-in)

---------

Basically, you guys made the right choice in turning 'Luize' down in your dream. However, this doesn't mean things are going to settle...

[c] Ask Luize what she's going to do today.
[c] Tell Luize about your dream last night, but keep it cool. You don't want to startle her, do you?
[c] Tell Luize about what you were going to do today.

[x] Ask Luize what she's going to do today.
[x] Tell Luize about your dream last night, but keep it cool. You don't want to startle her, do you?
[x] Tell Luize about what you were going to do today.

[x] Ask Luize what she's going to do today.
[x] Tell Luize about your dream last night, but keep it cool. You don't want to startle her, do you?
[x] Tell Luize about what you were going to do today.

[0] Ask Luize what she's going to do today.
[1] Tell Luize about your dream last night, but keep it cool. You don't want to startle her, do you?
[2] Tell Luize about what you were going to do today.

[B] Ask Luize what she's going to do today.

[x] Ask Luize what she's going to do today.
[x] Tell Luize about your dream last night, but keep it cool. You don't want to startle her, do you?
[x] Tell Luize about what you were going to do today.

Hey, when are you going to update Metal Touhou?

Alright, I'll get to writing tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

You can thank Mind the Gap, in /at/, for rekindling my spirit of writing

>>20574
Shinki~

[x] Ask Luize what she's going to do today.
[x] Tell Luize about your dream last night, but keep it cool. You don't want to startle her, do you?
[x] Tell Luize about what you were going to do today.

It's a brand new day today, and with it came alot of things to do, at least until you and Luize were to head back to Shinki's palace later on today. After all, you promised little Alice that you would return to watch one of her puppet shows, and it's not exactly nice to break a promise now is it? However, such an event wasn't until noon so you had some time to yourself until then. You gaze up at the clock to see that it's a little past 9 o'clock (9:05 to be exact), so it was still pretty early, either way, you were still rather curious as to what Luize was going to do to pass the time until noon. Why not ask her?

"So, Luize, you have any plans for today?" You ask to the tourist who pauses midway of taking a bite of her toast.

"Hmm, plans you say...?" Luize says with a slight tilt of her head as she brings her finger to her bottom lip. "Well besides that of Miss Alice's puppet show, I do plan to visit Pandemonium today. It's been a while since I've seen the city so it will be nice to see what's changed about it during the time I've been off traveling."

"Ah, I see, plan on doin' a little shopping while you're there?" That was a fair guess. Something you only spoke of because...well, Luize looks to be a woman who would be found shopping. Actually, aren't most women like this by default...?

"Oh, why yes, how did you know?" Luize inquired with a smile before she continued on, "In anycase, I do plan to do a bit of shopping when I arrive in the city. Also, I believe you're in need of some clothing aren't you, Mr. Ghost." Luize pointed out while biting into her piece of toast. What the tourist said was in fact the obvious truth, since you had no spare clothing here save for the stuff you had with you when you 'fell' into Makai. That being said, it was awfully nice of Luize to go out buy you some extra clothes for your stay in Makai. You'll have to find a way to repay her for it later...?

"Yeah, I guess I could use some spare clothes, huh?"

"But of course, one can't always wear the same clothes everyday...well, actually you can, provided you wash them, but it's good to have variety in what you wear." The traveler commented before she paused for a moment. "Hmm, speaking of washing clothes, I decided to wash yours when I awoke to get breakfast ready...I'm not sure if they're dry yet, but you're welcome to check if you're going out for the day." Huh, Luize must have gotten up rather early to have done that sort of chore in the morning. She also must have been fairly quiet to have come into the room where you slept and pick up your clothing...or rather you were in too deep a sleep to be awakened by her footsteps...

Ah, speaking of sleep, you recall that dream you had that was pretaining to Luize...or rather what you thought was Luize. You still have no clue as to why you would have a dream about Luize flipping out on you like that. The other reason, however, is completely understandable, wherein you can't really remember the last time you've actually had sex. In anycase, you do plan on telling Luize about the dream, however you have to be cool and calm about it. You've only known Luize for about 2 days now that you think about it. "Hey Luize," You begin after having eaten most of your own breakfast during the silence that hovered over the room earlier on. "Do you want to hear about this dream I had last night?"

"Ah, dreams make for interesting conversation, so I'm all ears, Mr.Ghost." Luize remarked with a nod as she leaned forward a bit to hear the tale you were about to lay on her...unknowing of what said tale actually consisted of. "Tell me, what was it about?"

"Well, it's a fairly simple dream really, but it all starts with me waking up in bed and I turn around to see you sitting at the foot of it." You explain, Luize nodding for you to go on. This next part is going to be a little awkward to say, but if you're going through with this, then there's no reason to stop now. "Only you're wearing this purple nightgown of some sort, I'm not exactly sure what you call it, but it looks like it was made of fancy silk and the like."

"Nightgown? "Hmm...I don't think I own any night gowns...well, nightgowns that are made of silk that is." Luize questioned putting on a puzzle expression, or rather what you believe is her puzzled expression given how her eyes are closed. "Please continue, I'm interested to see how this all ends..."

"Well I ask what was going on and you sorta climb over on top of me and tried to help me 'relax', because you thought I was far too tense." This is getting kinda weird, but let's not let it seem like we're nervous about this sorta thing. "As good as it sounded, I decline your offer and--here's the strange part--you get a bit miffed by me turning you down and promptly sit on my chest until I fall asleep again." You conclude with a scratch behind your head, stifiling a bit of a cough as you make eyecontact with the tourist to see how she's taking this.

Luize...doesn't seem too offended, but isn't laughing either. She simply remains silent as she 'looks' to you her mouth slightly open as if trying to find words to respond to what just passed her ears. "Oh my, that does sound like a rather...interesting dream, even if it is fairly short." Luize finally spoke up with a chuckle, you also spy a faint puff of pink on her cheeks "But I don't think I would...'get miffed' like I did in your dream. Respecting someone's choice is part of being a polite individual." Well, at least she wasn't offended by the dream, at least it looked like she wasn't. You can still see that she's unsure on how to react properly to what she's just been told.

"In anycase, I don't think I've heard too much of what you'll be doing today Mr.Ghost," Luize says, now flipping the subject to something that could easily be discussed. "Perhaps you could tell me on what you plan to do, or where you plan to go?"

"Hm, well I suppose I was planning on exploring some more of Pandemonium, New or Old, or just the area around the city in general." You reply as you scratch your chin, taking a moment to consider the amount of free time you had and how far you could go before noon arrived. "I need to know my surroundings if I'm going to live here, right?"

"Ah, that's a wise decision, Mr.Ghost, being knowledgeable of your new home should always be the first thing on your list when you begin life in a new neighborhood." commented Luize in a matter of factly tone, before focusing on her plate of food. "Anyways, let's finish breakfast before it gets cold. The sooner we finish the sooner we can begin our day."

=======

Breakfast is quickly finished up after your conversation with Luize, although this is not saying the two of you don't talk afterward. These smaller conversations are mostly of Luize informing you of all her favorite stores and outlets that she happens to visit while in the city, or at least the ones she used to visit before Pandemonium was attacked by those outsiders sometime ago. As you would have expected most of the stores Luize mentions seem to be those that house clothing, but there are some that you're not exactly sure what they sell. The only way you can be sure about those is if you go with her when she heads into town and see for yourself, but that's only if you wanted to abandon your own plans for the day...

When all is said and eaten, you thank Luize for the nice breakfast she provided for you this morning, to which the humble tourist claims 'It's no trouble' and rises from her seat to collect the dirty dishes to be washed. Luize doesn't appear to mind doing the dishes, and happily hums a tune to herself as she began to add dish detergant to the soiled plates and silverware that lay in the sink. Well, if Luize was fine with doing the dishes then that leaves you open to take care of other things...provided, of course, you wanted to help do the dishes for Luize.

[ ] Volunteer to help with the dishes.
[ ] Let Luize handle the dishes while you go shower for the day.
[ ] Let Luize handle the dishes while you go check what's on the morning news...if Makai actually has such a thing.
[ ] Let Luize handle the dishes while you go watch some TV (Specify what you want to watch, and maybe you'll find it in the channels.)
[ ] Let Luize handle the dishes while you go back and lay down...that was such a hardy meal, why not sleep to help digest it~?
[ ] Let Luize handle the dishes while you do something else. (Write-in what you wish to do)

[ ] Let Luize handle the dishes while you go shower for the day.

[x] Let Luize handle the dishes while you go shower for the day.

[ø] Volunteer to help with the dishes.

[x] Let Luize handle the dishes while you go shower for the day.

Clean~

Writing now, expect an update later tonight or tomorrow at the latest. I'll see if I can do the same with Metal Touhou as well.

Hooray!

Okay...

I have some bad news, my computer is currently infested with malware, which explains why the promised updates were pushed back...

I'm terribly sorry for this, but once I manage to get back on my feet (technologically) I'll update this (and Metal Touhou). Promise.

>>20625
FFFFFFFFFF

Hope things get better soon.

>>20625
Damn. Sorry to hear that, mate.

Still having computer troubles?

>>20843
Well, so far everything seems okay, I've gotten rid of the viruses that were causing the most of my problems. But the Adware still remains. Although, I'm posting this from an acquantince's computer at the moment, so...yeah.

-----

[x] Let Luize handle the dishes while you go shower for the day.

Luize seemed okay with handling the dishes and while apart of you did want to pitch in and help Luize out with them, you felt you had some personal matters to take care of first, namely in the form of taking a shower for the day. It was usually never a good idea to go on through the day without looking up on your personal hygine first, especially since you also had a bit of an engagement with Alice back at the palace when noon rolled around. Gotta be presentable for stuff like that...

"Well, if you're okay with doin the dishes I'm off to take a shower for the day." You told the demon tourist who nodded as she continued to hum her tune. Your not sure if the song she's humming is something she's making up, or if it's from an actual song, but it does sound pretty good to listen to. Maybe you can ask her about it later, but for now we had a body to get clean. You rise from the table, pushing in your chair as you go, and head out for the washroom, slipping off the pajama shirt you wore along the way.

You remember where everything is last time you took a shower here so it isn't hard to recall where the spare towels were and what have you. This time however, you wouldn't have to wash your clothes by hand, as Luize seems to have already taken care of that little chore for you. As you enter the bathroom, tossing the pajama shirt into the hamper at the door, you realize that the room itself was alot warmer and steamier than you would believe, the sweet scent of lavender is also lingering in the sauna like atmosphere a clue that maybe Luize had used some form of body wash earlier...or perhaps some shampoo of the same fragrance. Hm, now that you remeber it...she did smell rather nice when you walked past her earlier this morning...

You shrug a bit and decide to focus on the task at hand for now, after all, you could ask Luize about it some other time...maybe.

You turn on the water and let it run for a moment so is to let it warm up, in the mean time you pull out a towel for after you finish and shut the door. Keeping the heat inside would be a good idea, considering that usually once you get out of the shower to get dressed...it gets fairly cold.

Once you slip off your pajama pants and toss them into the hamper to join your shirt, you hop into the shower, pulling the curtain forward the moment you get inside and allow your body to grow accustomed to the warming water that quickly drenches your frame. The water itself hasn't completely heated up yet, but you can tell it's slowly getting there, being borderline lukewarm instead of just plain hot. You look beside you and spy the bottle of lavender body wash Luize might have used when she was in the shower earlier on. For some reason, you feel as though you wanted to try it on yourself...just this once. A demon who smells good, attracts good company right? Then again...aren't most body washes mostly meant for...well, women? Yes, there were some for men avaliable, but given how this is the only bottle in the entire shower and the obvious fact that Luize was a woman you're pretty sure this was meant for feminine use...

Yeah...maybe we should just focus on cleaning ourselves for now...

You're still unsure of that dream you had with Luize. Pleasure be damned, something about it still irked your senses. You know the Luize you dreamed of was far more aggressive than the one you're, supposedly, living with now. Said aggression even going so far as to overwritting her usual polite demeanor. Well...it could be your hormones acting up, thus manifesting a dream of a more...carnal version of the demonic tourist. Can you (honestly) recall last time you had sex...?

... ... ...

...Yeah, let's move on...

However, you have this feeling that such a dream shouldn't be so easily passed off as some form of wet dream gone wrong...and not because of it's provacative nature. Something certainly didn't feel right about it. It was as if the dream itself was...how do you say, 'forced', like if someone was telling you to dream of Luize in negligee or something...

Ah...that sounds kinda crazy...but it's the most you can describe out of it...

Still, that being said, dream tampering is a fairly uncommon skill among demons, the only creatures that has this skill come natrually to them are succubi like demons. There were some mages who could do the same but their aptitude in the ability was far outclassed by that of an average Succubus class demon. When that comes to mind, you can only wonder if Luize truly is a succubus or not...she is a demon after all...


However, there were several problems with that theory; for one, you feel perfectly fine...normally when a man is visited by such a creature he is drained of his life energy, and left feeling either weak or as a lifeless husk, depending on how much is initially drained from the victim. You, on the other hand, still had alot of your energy left, enough to take on this day and thensome. Besides, Luize just didn't seem like the 'Succubus' type to begin with...in fact she even showed herself to get nervous the first time she saw you in a simple bath robe...a normal succubus would be all over you if she saw a healthy young man in such an attire...or at least flirt with you in a subtle manner...which ever came first.

This would mean that, the Luize you saw was in fact a Succubi in disguise, taking on the face and body of someone you most trust hoping to make an easy meal of your demonic soul. You're not entirely sure if there are any Succubi in Makai, but it's something to consider given this is a realm of demons...much like the netherworld. In fact there was one other you knew that fitted some of the succubus qualities, and her name was Elis.

Her lineage of being a devil and her playful and some what mischevious demeanor makes her identical to some succubi. But let's not jump to conclusions just yet...we have no reason to believe why Elis would even do such a thing to you to begin with, perhaps to tease you, but that's probably not the case...

Oh well, if you plan on finding out the truth on this, then it's best you go find Elis and confront her about the situation, but for now you should focus on cleaning yourself up for the day.

=======

The shower doesn't take much longer afterward, and before you realize it, you're already out and drying your self off. Your body know enveloped in a refreshed and clean feeling. You even took the time to brush your teeth while you were in here, figuring that since you had plans for the afternoon then it was best to go there with a clean mouth, as opposed to the usual demon way of things by not brushing your teeth regularly (Yes, there were many demons who lived like this, far more than you know actually). You were fortunate that Luize had at least one spare toothbrush under the sink, the brush itself being a mix of pink and white...not the most masculine of colors, but it's the only one here so there's really no reason for you to complain...

After brushing your teeth for the morning and heading back to your room to get dressed, you find that Luize was indeed telling the truth about having washed your clothing, the lot of them being being draped across a small collaspable rack located at the far right end of the room. You give them a quick feel to find that they were a in fact dry, save for a few areas that were slightly damp.

Getting dressed doesn't take long, a few minutes or two is all you need for you to get full dressed as your current attire wasn't anywhere near complicated to begin with, save for the sleeveless vest which required some buttoning, but yeah nothing over the top really. You only wonder, what type of clothing Luize would come to purchase for you...

Either way, after several minutes, you're all dressed up and ready to go. You weren't exactly sure if Luize had already left or not, but given how you could hear the faint clamour of the television in her room going, then it's unlikely that she's gone just yet.

[ ] You know what...maybe you should wait and go with Luize into the city.
[ ] Let's head back to the ruins of Pandemonium - 1.
[ ] Maybe stop by Shinki's Palace a little earlier?
[ ] Ask Luize if there are other places to visit around here...

Going Armed?
[ ] Yes, you never know if something wants to kill you.
[ ] No, not really...Makai is a peaceful realm after all.

------------------

Yes, Ghost looks like the Gunner from Disgaea 2 and 3 (with only an added vest as a touch of originality), since, y'know, this was originally planned to be a Disgaea/Touhou crossover anyway...

However, this CAN be changed if you manage to get ahold of the equipment that matches the MC's name sake from Starcraft. If you can do this then, the Ghost exclusive PSI abilities will manifest and his class will change along with his appearance and abilities. So far you already have the [Lockdown] technique. Of course, all that requires extra effort from you readers to unlock.

[x] Ask Luize if there are other places to visit around here...
-[x] But wait around until she goes into the city, more exploration would have to wait until a free-er day

Armed
[x] Yes, you never know if something wants to kill you. (but try to keep said weapons concealed.)

Better safe than sorry.

[x] Ask Luize if there are other places to visit around here...
-[x] But wait around until she goes into the city, more exploration would have to wait until a free-er day

Armed
[x] Yes, you never know if something wants to kill you. (but try to keep said weapons concealed.)

"Free-er"?

>>20852

I must have been kinda conked out when I did typed that, and you copy pasted without thinking.

Awesome! It's back.

[c] Ask Luize if there are other places to visit around here...
-[c] But wait around until she goes into the city, more exploration would have to wait until you have a free day.

Armed
[c] Yes, you never know if something wants to kill you. (but try to keep said weapons concealed.)

Alright, after brain-storming a few new ideas, I think I'll get to writing soon.

Although, I should update Metal Touhou first though...

>>20892
Hooray!

You too.

Yeah, been caught in a rut and haven't really been in the best of moods to be writing (as in burned out from other projects and work in general).

Although, now I'm back in the swing of things again, so if all goes well I can make up for my failure to update with...an actual update. Terribly sorry for the inconvience, especially to my readers...

Back on track. My stories never really die, I just get caught up in other shit and fall behind.

But anyway, I hope you enjoy this update, I had a bit of fun mapping Makai out in my head...perhaps, I could draw this out in the near future?

----

[x] Ask Luize if there are other places to visit around here...
-[x] But wait around until she goes into the city, more exploration would have to wait until a free-er day

Armed
[x] Yes, you never know if something wants to kill you. (but try to keep said weapons concealed.)

Well, you don't honestly know where to go besides the ruins of the 1st Pandæmonium, the woodlands around the city and maybe that shrine Luize mentioned yesterday morning. This being said, maybe it isn't such a bad idea to ask Luize of other places to visit around here. After all, it would give you alot more choices of different areas to check out once you have more free time and you may actually learn something about Makai as well. Either way you put it, it's worth a shot...

Before you make any other movements you glance back to your weapon, and decide to just carry it along, albeit in a discreet and concealed manner. You never knew if something wants you dead, but you also didn't want any of the Makai residents to think you were out to do something violent either.

After placing your holster on your waist and pulling the vest over it so is to hide it's existence from outside view, you exit your room and head off toward Luize's, the sounds of the television echoing out from behind the cracked door of her bedroom, only to hear the chatter from the television suddenly die and the sound of movement taking its place. You pause a little ways from the door and sure enough, Luize walks from out of her bed room purse in hand and generally ready to leave out the door. "Oh, Mr. Ghost, you decide what you're going to do until noon?" The tourist asks with a smile as she walks past you and heads for the rack where the hat was hanging.

"Ah, I'll tag along with you, if that's alright." You reply to Luize.

"Oh I'm perfectly fine with it, Mr.Ghost." Luize replied cheerfully, as she opens the front door and prepares to head out. "Having another accompany me while I'm going out is always nice." The both of you head outside on that note, the air outside being something of a chill, but generally looks like nice weather to be doing some shopping. You suddenly begin to wonder if Shinki is able to manipulate the weather of Makai...what with it being her world and all. Seeing as to how she was a goddess in and of itself, it's not exactly far fetched to believe this to be true.

"We're having such nice weather these days," Luize remarked as she walked out onto the path that lead to Pandæmonium. "Although, I hear we're due for some rain tomorrow..."

"Right, so it's a good thing we have to meet Alice today, huh?"

"Well, I suppose, rain is gloomy yes, but it's not all that bad really." Luize shrugs. "After all, the rains are what help my wonderful garden grow~"

The other demons living around in this area seem to be up and about as well, most of them working in their yards or conversing with one another. A few of them say their greetings to both you and Luize as you pass them by, some of them poking a bit of fun of how the both of you were walking to town together. It's strange, the way Makai functions is the complete antithesis to how demons in the Netherworld work. In fact, Makai is alot more similar to the Human World if anything else. Not that it's a bad thing...it's nice to know that despite being demonic in nature, the residents of Makai can actually prove the common stereotype of demons wrong by building a peaceful society for themselves. Such a rarity these days...

However, you still haven't forgotten what you wanted to ask of Luize, and decide now was the best of times to prod her for answers on what you wished to ask her. "Yo Luize," The tourist glances to you with her closed eyes, her head slightly titled to the left. "You know of any other places to visit around here?"

"You mean around New Pandæmonium or just Makai in general?"

"Uhm...let's go for around New Pandæmonium," You answer. "Like...what are some places that'd be of real interest to go look into later."

"Ah, that's a good question." Luize nods, turning her head to face the city up ahead. "Despite being a world all on it's own and having a lot of different places to visit; New Pandæmonium, the Old Pandæmonium and Shinki's Palace are probably the most known here for obvious reasons, although, I myself have visited just about every corner of Makai."

"Wait...you mean you've been to just about every known location in Makai?" It's should be obvious to hear something like this from a tourist, but the fact of Luize having travelled to just about every corner of her home world still manages to surprise you to some extent.

"Mm-hm, it's part of the reason why I venture out of Makai when I do my travelling." Luize continued on. "Because, I've already seen my home in it's entirety and now seek to travel elsewhere...but I think we're straying off topic now..." Indeed you were, luckily the blond tourist steers things back on course and proceeds to answer your question...

"Anyway, besides the palace and the two cities, there is the Fallen Shrine located off to the far east of the first Pandæmonium." Luize explained pointing off to a woodland area that was bordering the old Pandæmonium. Indeed you knew there was shrine back there but never actually been back there yourself. "The shrine itself is home to Sariel and Elis, the latter being in charge of keeping tabs on the demons who live in the old Pandæmonium."

"I remember, you and Elis said somethin' about 'Sariel' before..." You recall for a moment, your mind having heard the name before yesterday. "Who exactly is she anyway, an acquantince of Shinki?"

"Yes, she and Shinki are somewhat acquainted with one another, although Sariel is a bit less outspoken and doesn't always come to visit. As you probably heard, Sariel only truly shows her face when things are doing so well in Makai..." "Sariel herself doesn't usually go out of her way to interact with us demons but she seems to be on good terms with Shinki."

So by that logic, Sariel would have shown herself during the event involving the outsiders invading Makai. Whether she actually did or not, is unknown to you...

"Anywho, There are plenty of other places to visit in this circle of Makai, like..." Luize trails off her attention floating around for several seconds before she stops walking and looks back toward where the palace was located, her arm outstretched and pointed toward the mountains behind the large imposing abode of the demon goddess. "The Judecca Highlands, beyond the palace make for a wonderful hiking trip, then there's the region of Caina located several miles from Judecca." Hmm,

"Next is the Hall of Ptolemea located off into the deep woodlands past the Fallen Shrine." Luize continued her arm directed back toward the area where the shrine was supposedly located.

"So all of this makes up the area around Pandæmonium?" You ask, as way to make certain that all of these locations were apart of this '9th Circle' Luize was speaking of. You still don't really know what a 'Circle' is...well the kind Luize was refering to, but you can be certain that it has something to do with Makai's geography as a whole.

"Yes, everything I mentioned is what makes up the 9th Circle of Makai." Luize nodded in confirmation. "Anything else beyond it are within different Circles."

"So that forest we were in two nights ago was in a different Circle?"

"Not quite, Mr. Ghost." Luize says. "The grove we were in that night was in fact apart of the 9th Circle. However, beyond the forest and, the fields surrounding it, is the 8th Circle of Asphodel."

"Asphodel?" You quirk an eyebrow at the odd name, this being the first you've heard it. "So is that another city or something?"

"Well...I'd say it's more of a dense woodland area than just a city, although there are some towns and villages located within the 8th Circle despite this." Luize replied, placing her hand on top of her hat to prevent it from being blown off by a sudden gust of cooling wind. "Perhaps when we're done with Alice I can take you to one of the other Circles of Makai, I wouldn't mind showing you what my homeworld has to offer even though I myself have seen it many times."

That'd be nice of her, and would also be an interesting experience given you know little about Makai and what it truly had to offer. Sure, you could simply ask Shinki and be done with it, but there's a distinct feeling of going to a place and seeing it's splendor with your own eyes. Perhaps, you'll take Luize up on this offer when ever the time is right...?

-------

Getting to New Pandæmonium doesn't seem to take that long. Having Luize explain the different locations and geography of Makai helped the time pass by in a fairly painless manner, and before you even realize it, the both of you are walking along the sidewalks of New Pandæmonium. As expected there were numerous demons out here today, most of which weren't really located on the ground, but were flying far above you and Luize. Having seen this twice already, you begin to wonder what it would be like if you could fly like them...

Flying amongst demon isn't uncommon, in fact, you've seen some flying demons before. However, most of said demons either had wings to aid them or were born with some other ability that allowed them to sustain flight, you yourself had none of these qualities and therefore, was grounded...

"Say, Luize..." You ask to the tourist, your head still craned up and gazing at the airborne demons flying above you. "Do you think I could fly too?"

"Well...that's hard to say..." Luize answers after a bit of hesitation. "Flying is one of the more mysterious abilities no one really knows how to fully tap into on their own...it's really something that...just happens."

Something that just happens? Well, that's a little vauge. "Huh...something that just happens?"

"Sorry, it's a little hard to put into words..." Luize uttered, casting her gaze elsewhere. "Let me put it this way; Flying can't really be taught, it depends on the demon who wants to fly." There's a pause between the both of you, the sound of the city being the only sound you could hear...

"Okay...maybe that wasn't the best explanation either..."

"No no, I think I get it." You reassure the blond demon. "If I want to fly, then it depends on if I really want to or not, right?"

"Hm, yes, that's right." Luize nodded. "Flying for me was a spontaneous experience, but Sara helped me perfect it a bit more when we were younger." With those words having been said, the both of you fall into silence and continue you're walk toward the area Luize was headed to. The silence didn't have to remain of course, if Luize wasn't going to do away with it, why not you?

[ ] Ask more about Sara.
[ ] Ask more about the locations of Makai.
[ ] Maybe ask her on what other stores are nearby here?
[ ] Ask where it is the two of you are going exactly.
[ ] Ask if you can head elsewhere...perhaps back to Old Pandæmonium?
[ ] Eh, let's just make small talk with Luize.
[ ] Remain silent...

----

All of these places are completely original, albeit save for the names. I guess that's what ya get for going with a story that's set in a world where there is little data on it's local geography!

Also I really need to end these better...but hey, I updated so it's all good, right?

[x] Ask where it is the two of you are going exactly.

Tour guide Luize~

[x] Ask where it is the two of you are going exactly.

Tell me tell me tell meeeeee

[x] Ask where it is the two of you are going exactly.

[x] Ask where it is the two of you are going exactly.

Cannot resist Luize~

>>21162
>Tour guide Luize

Now that you mention it, Luize would make a pretty good Virgil. If only for the guiding aspect.

Either way, I'll get to writing.

>>21168
Hooray!

Updates?

Today. I've already started, matter of fact.

I've been going through some things lately...

Also, I'm sorry to be in and out like this, life really likes kicking me in the nuts when I want to write.

[x] Ask where it is the two of you are going exactly.

Now that you think of it...you don't really know where Luize was going, did you? Well, you were aware that she was heading toward some kind of shopping outlet or something being she wanted to buy a few things (you're clothes included), but you really didn't know what kind of store she was searching for exactly. True, you could easily keep quiet and let time be the one to reveal the answer to this mystery, but you figured it'd be best to ask seeing as to how it makes for a good excuse to start some extra conversation with Luize. After all, it's always nice to talk about things while travelling, it helps to make the trip more eventful and prevents the walk from growing stale or boring.

"Hey, Luize," You spoke up, the tourist turning her head a little ways toward you. "You know where we're goin exactly?"

"Good question, Mr.Ghost..." Luize answered as her finger rose to her cheek. Did she...not know either? That sounds rather strange given how she's the one who wanted to go out today. Then again, maybe you should give her a minute or two. "I was planning to go to the Makai Department Store...but, I decided to head to the Pandæmonium Mall instead. The department store is a little far being clear across town and I didn't want to bore you with the long walk there."

How thoughtful. Then again, would you expect anything less from the polite tourist? Still though...

"Oh, I wouldn't be all that bored, I mean we'd still talk on the way and stuff." Given if you had something to say. Words can be spoken but, not all of them can be ideal conversation fuel, mind you...

"Hmm, yes that much is true. Honestly though, you're proving to be alot more talkative than I thought, Mr.Ghost." Luize remarked with a friendly smile. "At first I thought you would be one of those mysterious stoic types that always have a gloomy look on their face and never smile...but I guess this goes to show that not all demons can be judged by their names."

Huh, well it's nice that she was at least willing to share her feelings about that sort of thing. You can't say you're all that offended by it though, your name alone can spawn a misconception or two (appearance not withstanding). "Ah well, glad you're honest about it." You say, your hand meeting the back of your head.

"Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you..." Luize retracted, in an almost immedieate manner.

"No, I ain't mad or anything," You reassure the demon with a shake of your head. To be fair, you probably could have worded it in a different tone... "It's just that, not alot folks are upfront about this sorta stuff, y'know. People don't always say how they feel about you and stuff like that."

"Hm, yes, I suppose that's true..." Luize said as she paused for a moment and took a turn down another street, her change in direction evoking you to follow behind her. As you catch up, you notice Luize looks as though she wants to speak up about something, her closed eyes cast to the street below as she continues toward an immense building off in the distance.

[ ] "Uh...you got something you want to say?"
[ ] Hmm, let's keep quiet. If Luize wants to say it, she'll say it on her. own.

-----

Next one will be longer. Promise.

[ ] "Uh...you got something you want to say?"

[x] "Uh...you got something you want to say?"

[c] "Uh...you got something you want to say?"

Luize~

[x] "Uh...you got something you want to say?"

SPIT IT OUT ALREADY

[ ] "Uh...you got something you want to say?"

You don't want to seem like you're prying, but Luize has already done a fine job of rousing your curiosity with the many things she could have said just now. It always did come off as somewhat annoying to you when someone never really spoke out on what they really wanted to say...made it seem like they were trying to hide something from you for some reason.

"Uh...you got something you want to say, Luize?" You query to the tourist who looks up, hesitant to say anything in return.

"Oh...it's nothing in particular." Luize responds, "Just what you said earlier had me thinking is all."

Something you said before? What did Luize mean by--Oh...did she mean, on what you said about people not being "honest" on what they say about a person? "You the "not alot of folks are honest about you" bit?"

"Yes, that." Luize says. "It's nothing to really be concerned about, I was just curious on what you really thought about me when we first met."

Ah, so that's what this is about. You couldn't say you didn't see it coming, in all honesty you opinion on Luize didn't really change much. She was still that nice and polite demon you can to live with. Albeit, you find it less strange now that you've grown used to living in Makai as opposed to the chaotic Netherworld.

Still...did Luize want you to tell her on what you thought about her? It seems like she does, but just to be sure, "Do you want me to answer that, Luize?"

"Well...it's really only me thinking to myself. So you can forget it if you want to." Luize remarked a bit quickly as she turns to gaze at the city around her for another moment, giving the demons who noticed her a friendly wave of her hand as she passed them by. Luize made it seem rather trivial so...maybe it's nothing to look into all that much. Maybe...

It doesn't take long after for the both of you arrive at an immense building, the size of it and the sheer number of demons entering, as well as leaving, it makes you believe that it was some form of mall or department store. According to a nearby sign you passed by, it was indeed a mall; "Pandæmonium Mall" to be exact, the destination you and Luize were headed to. "Ah, here were are. That didn't take very long now did it, Mr. Ghost?" Luize chimed in, before she directs her attention to the mall ahead of her. It doesn't take much for you to expect her to go into 'tour-guide' mode and tell you all about it. "This mall is one of the largest shopping outlets in Makai, having been established sometime after Miss Shinki began the reformation project. The mall itself was, at first, a department store but it eventually grew into what you see today. I think it goes without saying that you can find just about anything here~"

Anything huh?

"Even parts to my gadgets and stuff?" You had to know. If you wanted to keep using the special bits of your gun that is. Of course...a small area in your mind tells you that there's no way they'll have tech from-

"Hmm, I can't be certain ,but they might, Mr. Ghost. I haven't honestly checked the in to those kinds of things." Wait...what?

"Are you serious?" You need to make sure that this place has what you needed. If it did, then you may have found your potential stop for all your tech needs...

Luize shrugs her shoulders in response. "I can only guess, you can check for yourself if you want, but Shinki's placed a law on citizens who have ownership to weaponrary and other such items; so you may not be able to buy them right away even if you manage to find what you're looking for."

"What sorta law?"

"After the incident, Shinki passed a law that prevented citizens from owning "exotic" weapons lest they had certification from either Yumeko or herself to own said weapon." Luize explained, "I think this really only applies to powerful and dangerous weapons, mundane things such as knives and the like seem to be excluded."

"So average folk can't have 'exotic' weapons, huh?" So...does your gun count as an exotic weapon? Well, this depended on if guns were well known here or not. You recall the run in with the demons at the gate to Shinki's palace...

"I honestly can't say. I know I've never seen one before." Luize commented, with a bit of a shrug. "We're heading to the palace at noon anyway, so if you're curious you can ask, Miss Shinki herself." Ah, that's right. You were heading there today, perhaps after Alice's puppet show you could pay Shinki a visit and ask her about this sort of thing yourself.

After crossing the vast lot in front of the mall, both you and the tourist venture inside. The moment you pass the doors, you're greeted with the cacophony of chattering demons, and the bustle of activity from all sides of your person; demons conversing about casual things, various stalls that held demonstrations of various products and of course demons looking around in the many stores this prodigious shopping mall had to offer to them, are but a few things you see going on around you. There were malls back where you lived, but not that many...at least none you've seen that were this big, the amount of demons in it is enough to make your head spin...

"Oh, is this your first time in a mall, Mr. Ghost?" You can barely hear Luize's voice over the loudness of the demons who conversed around you.

"Well, yeah you could say that." You answer, finding yourself having to shout in order for the demon tourist to hear you. Thankfully, Luize seems to have good enough ears to pick up on your answer. "Is it always this loud in here?"

"Well not always, it depends on the day and time." Luize explained as she walks closer to you, so the both of you can hear each other a bit better. "Trust me. 'Rush Hour' is much, much worse, Mr. Ghost. The mall gets dreadfully packed and chaotic during that time." Even more packed than this? Eesh...that's a pretty nasty thought, this place looked pretty lively as it was, you can't imagine how "Rush Hour" would look...or sound...

Luize soon comes to stop in front of a panel located in front of a large fountain that a group of small children are throwing coins within. The panel ahead of you is more than likely the directory of the mall itself, and a map for the loads of stores located within it. Judging from what you see in front of you the mall itself has at least 2 stories to it and on each one a cornicopia of different shops and stores to look into and visit.

Luize casts her closed eyes at the clock above the directory and then back to the illuminated map below. "Hmm, it's going on 10:30, so we have a good hour and thirty minutes to shop and head to the Shinki's palace in time for Alice's show."

"Huh, why cut it short?" You comment, "Alice said she would wait if we were running late."

"True, but it's always nice to be on time for your appointments, Mr. Ghost." Luize replied, putting on a smile. "It's never a good idea to take advantage of someone's patience. After all, the more you make them wait, the less they will see you as a dependable and punctual person." Which made some sense...

You look at the directory ahead of you, and scan through the immense listing of stores that are open for you to look into. Luize seems to be interested in an area that sold foodstuffs, and you recall her wanting to get you some new clothing. You on the other hand, don't really have much standing on where you would go; you could easily use this time as a way to explore this place and get a good feel for it in case you return, however, there remains the factor of getting lost, which you didn't really have too much time for.

[ ] Stay with Luize and shop with her.
[ ] Head off on your own?

If you wanna head somewhere on your own then...
- [ ] Look for a weapons shop.
- [ ] Look for a toy store.
- [ ] Look for a hat shop.
- [ ] Look for a pet store.
- [ ] Look for a magic shop.
- [ ] Ask Luize for a penny, so you can make a wish in the fountain.

[Q] Stay with Luize and shop with her.

[c] Stay with Luize and shop with her.

Cannot ignore Luize~

[x] Stay with Luize and shop with her.

[X] Stay with Luize and shop with her.

Spending time with Luize, the only important thing here.

Are you still here?

>>22486

She's dead, Jim....Raynor.

>>22486
>>22507

I never really give up on stories. I'm just really slow and usually have other things to take care of that do a really nice job of sucking away time and motivation. I have an update planned out for today and I'm going to try and shell one out to get things back on track. I really don't like leaving my readers hanging but sometimes...you just get caught up in other shit.

Also, ShinkiPersona. Not entirely related to the subject matter but, hey, you can never go wrong with Shinki...or Persona.

>>22521
I never lost faith in you.

[x] Stay with Luize and shop with her.

There are plenty of places to go to in this mall, however, it's also pretty big and easy for an outsider like yourself to get lost. Sure, Luize might be able to find you, but it would nigh impossible for you to find her on your own had you wanted to locate her. Besides, Luize isn't exactly bad company. Sure, you're not really keen on shopping in clothing stores and the like, but you're certain that hanging with Luize will make the incoming boredom of shopping for clothes a bit more lively. The demons chattering all around are still quite loud but, you still manage to hear Luize speak to you...albeit barely. "So, are you going elsewhere in the mall, Mr.Ghost?" The tourist asks wanting to see where you were going. "I was going to shop for more food but, I figured we could do that some other day. Instead, I'm going to start shopping for clothes right from the get go." Ah, that's good, if Luize comes back some other day then you can always tag along with her again.

"I think I'll stick around and hang with you, Luize." You speak up just loud enough for the tourist demon to hear you. "I mean, I can come back anytime right?"

"Ah, yes that is true. You're still new here, so we don't want you getting lost when we have a schedule to adhere to~" Luize say as she walks past you and gestures for you to follow on behind her. You don't waste any time and pull yourself from the crowd of demons that only seemed to have increased in density for the short time you were at the Directory. Looking back, you can see that even more of them are coming in, which only seems to add to the legion itself. You're not entirely sure but, for some reason you feel that this "Rush Hour" Luize spoke of maybe coming a bit sooner than you had hoped. "Mr.Ghost, you might want to keep your eyes on where you're going~"

"What-?"

Before you can even get a word out edgewise, you walk right into what seems to be a small neon pillar. It doesn't really hurt all that much on impact, but it still stings quite a bit...mostly because the sign itself is still rather hot. You recoil a bit and walk away from what you just hit, opening one eye the sign itself seems to be advertising a resturant of sorts. Now that you think of it...why was a sign hanging so low down anyways. "Geeze, what a low birdge..." You mutter as you side step the sign and re join Luize's side, the blonde tourist trying to surpess a bit of a giggle while other demons who saw the mishap don't hold back on such laughter.

"Hmhm, Told you so~" Luize chuckles before her directs a sudden curiosity toward your actions earlier on. "Anywhom, what were you looking at that needed so much of your attention?"

"Oh, uhm, I was just looking at the crowd behind us." You answer, thumbing back to the area in which you just came from. Luize glances back with her closed eyes. One of these days...you're going to ask her how she's able to see with her eyes always closed like that. You can easily say that how Luize can see is one of those questions that really needed an answer...oh well, you're going to be here for a long time so you had plenty of time for that later. "I remembered you saying something about Rush Hour and...well, just lookit that crowd comin in." Luize does seem intriguied by the large group of demons, but overall, doesn't seem to show too much surprise over it.

"Hmm, well, it is a bit curious on how many are coming in now...it's still rather early in the day. A few stores aren't even open yet..." Luize remarked as she trails off and brings her attention back to heading to the store the both of you were headed towards. Although, you weren't really sure you can agree with her on the "not all stores are open" bit, most of them you see around you look...pretty active now. Well...if you consider only a few customers roaming around inside 'active'. "Well, anyway, this isn't really the "Rush Hour" I was telling you about. If you think things are crowded now...just wait until the Rush Hour actually happens~"

"This maybe a dumb question but...you've been in it before?" You ask,

"Oh, but of course." Luize nodded wearing a smile...although given how she describes it, being in the "Rush Hour" doesn't sound all too pleasent. At least if your claustrophobic, which by the looks of things, Luize certainly is not. "Rush Hour can be tedious to navigate through but, it becomes routine once your used to it. Still, I'd advise against just diving into it just to see what it's like...some as new here as you wouldn't really fare well against it."

"Really?" Your latent nature of a demon wants to call this a challenge, but your sure it's nothing of the sort. Luize doesn't seem to be the type for that. "Well, from what you're saying all I have to do is get used to crowds and I'll be straight..." Which is true, in a sense, but there's more to it than that...

"True, getting used to the rush can help manuver through it, but that doesn't make it any less tedious." Luize stated matter of factly. It makes sense though, you still have a difficult time with the things you're already used to at some points, granted you manage to set things straight rather quickly. You take another look back toward the area you and Luize came from, now coming to see that it was quite a ways away now, on top of that most of the demons that came in were headed to the otherside of the mall, which left the side you and Luize were on pretty quiet. There are quite a number of demons here still, most appeared to be going toward the area that appeared to be the most popular spot in the mall at this moment. Well, at least you wouldn't have to worry about dealing with the dense crowd, although it is curious as to what's on the other end of the mall that's gotten everyone so excited...

"Excuse me, sir?" You turn around and see a female demon standing across from you, waving you down. She's dressed in an attire you can most likely describe as a uniform for a resturant of some sort. Before her are a plate of an odd looking food, they appear to be a small packet of red french fries, with bits of pepper sprinkled across it's seemingly crisp surface. "Would you like to try our Satana Fries? They're free samples~" Oh, free samples huh? Well, there's nothing wrong with those. You look back up to Luize and see that she hasn't really noticed you weren't following yet. Still eating one is completely up to you...these fries of hers look rather spicy...

[ ] "Nah, I'm good."
[ ] Get some for yourself, it's a free sample after all.
[ ] Get some for yourself and Luize.

>>22530
I probably should have put this in the update but still; it's things like this that really rekindles my drive to write.

Thank you, I needed that.

[x] Get some for yourself and Luize.
-[x] Make it clear that you're getting a sample for your friend.

Why not try new things (not sure if Luize's tried them before)

[x] Get some for yourself and Luize.
-[x] Make it clear that you're getting a sample for your friend.

[x] Get some for yourself and Luize.
-[x] Make it clear that you're getting a sample for your friend.

Almost at auto-sage limit. I can probably cram two more updates in this thread before making a new one. Although, that depends solely on how many votes come in.

Either way, thanks for reading.

-----

[x] Get some for yourself and Luize.
-[x] Make it clear that you're getting a sample for your friend.

Ah, what the heck, you may not have had much of these "Satana Fries" (this is the first you've seen them really), but it's always nice to sample new things. Spicy things weren't always too your liking either, but you can recall that there were a few snacks you ate back in the netherworld that were a bit on the hot side so maybe you'll end up liking these. "You said these are free samples, right?" You ask the smiling demon who nods in comfirmation to your words. Well, if they're free then why pass up a deal on free food? You're sure you could have lunch at Shinki's palace once lunch arrived, but a little snack til then can help keep the roars of hunger at bay until then. "Hmm, alright I'll have some," You tell the demon as you reach for two, "You don't mind if I get my friend some do ya?"

"Oh not at all~" The demon replied, "You're friend should experience the wonderful zestiness of our Satana Fries too." This girl sounds like she's about to go into "Advertisment mode" again, complete the overuse of fancy adjectives and the like. You give the demon a silent nod and take up the two packs of "Satana Fries", taking care to give her your thanks before you had off to catch up to Luize. As you're making your way back to the tourist's side, you hear the demon call out to come and visit their resturant and there was apparently a discount on their equally famous "Hot Roc Wings". You tune out everything else...

As you weave through the steadily increasing crowd of demons you finally manage to rejoin Luize's company, the tourist turning her head, and apparently, just noticing you were gone. "Oh, Mr.Ghost, I didn't even realize you were gone." Luize says before her head tilts down and she (appears) to see the packs of Satana Fries you're carrying with you. "Oooh, are those the new Satana Fries of that ?"

"Yeah, some girl was giving out free samples and I thought I'd get us some." Ah, so it seems she's heard of them, however, this means that she hasn't really tried them either. "I'm guessing you've never had these before?"

"Oh no, I've only heard of them in passing and from what I can tell, they're quite good." Luize says as you hand her, the packet of fries. As the both of you call silent, you use the time to give the fries a try, taking one of the red fries and taking a small bit off the top half. The fries are quite crunchy, and aside from the slowly increasing heat on your tounge you can tell that they're also freshly cooked. It takes about a second or two for the spiceto really kick in and...it's not all that bad, granted it is a bit hotter than anything you've eaten back home, but their still do able. You'll have to make a note to grab some of these next time you come here. You'll have to ask Luize where they sell these things so you can grab a bigger pack of them sometime. Huh, speaking of Luize, wonder how she's liking her share of them? Devouring the other half of the first one you bit into, you cast a curious glance over to the tourist to see her fanning herself and her face flushed in a tinge of red.

"You alright?" You ask, already aware that Luize wasn't exactly taking to the fries like you thought she was.

"Hah...they're...a tad bit...hotter than I though, Hah..." Luize gasped, her closed eyes now beginning to take on a bit of water. "But...they're still pretty good...I just...have to get used to the spice of them."

"You don't eat spicy stuff?" Which seems odd seeing as to how you thought Luize's odd taste in food gave her immunity to the side effects of spicy foods. Guess not, huh?

"Hmm, not really, at least not alot of it anyway." Luize answers as she looks to have cooled down a bit to where she can actually speak to you with out gasping. Huh...you wonder if you should have gotten her something to drink behind this, maybe then it would have been a little more bearable for her. "It's odd really, I'll eat anything else, but it seems my tongue isn't quite used to the zest of some foods just yet."

"Yeah, that is sorta weird seeing as to how you can eat Vegemite straight..." You still have no idea how she can eat that stuff...it tastes absolutely awful to you...even the God of Makai can't eat that junk straight...

------

The rest of the way is fairly uneventful at best, you finish up your pack of Satana Fries sooner than Luize does. The tourist did manage to finish her share as well, although not with her face looking as though it would spontaneously combust if she ate another pack of them. You asked if she needed something to drink to cool her off, but Luize insisted she would be fine...despite her expression saying other wise. Even so, despite her distress, Luize does give you thanks for giving her a chance to try the Satana Fries...although, when asked if she would eat some more, she politely made it clear she would hold off on it. At least until her tolerance to spicy foods was a little better. Speaking of which, Luize did seem interested in how you could eat those fries with little to no recoil, you tell her that you're just as big a stranger to spicy foods as she was so you honestly had no clue how you were able to handle them.

With your mid-morning snack gone and eaten, it doesn't take too long before you reach the destination Luize was headed to, a rather large clothing store that, from where you were standing was occupied by nothing but female demons. You hesitate to enter at first but, with Luize's encouragement, you step inside . Luize tells you that it's not strange that the men don't shop here, there are some who work here though but judging by her words...they're kinda odd. Even so, no one seems to really notice (or care) that you're practically the only guy in here and go about shopping for themselves. Well, women do seem to go into a zone all their own when it comes to shopping...especially for clothes and such.

Luize doesn't seem to be any different form the rest of them, and seems to go right into admiring a pair of shoes that were on sale for about twenty percent off. Even so, it doesn't take her long to realize one of the reasons why she came here, "Ah right, hmm...the Men's section is right over there if you would rather find something yourself, if not I'd be more than happy to help you myself." Luize said as she points in the direction of the Men's section a little ways towards the back. Judging by what you see, there's just as much selection here as there is in other parts of the store as well. Shortly after though, the tourist pads over to another rack which held an assortment of sundresses. You can be sure that, if you leave it up to Luize it'll take a little longer than you would want it to, but still Luize seems like she'd know a good deal about this sort of thing so maybe it is a good idea to wait out for her.

[ ] Shop for yourself. When it comes to clothes, it's best to decide what you wear for yourself.
[ ] Let Luize pick something out for you. She seems like she could find something real nice to wear.

[x] Let Luize pick something out for you. She seems like she could find something real nice to wear.

Let's see how her sense of style is... though I wish there was a scene where she modeled various clothing...

[x] Let Luize pick something out for you. She seems like she could find something real nice to wear.

[Q] Let Luize pick something out for you. She seems like she could find something real nice to wear.

Yo, s'been awhile.

I'll just cut to the chase; I haven't abandoned this or anything of the sort and I do plan to update soon enough. At the moment, I'm dealing with viruses again and this one looks to be increasingly persistant (seriously, several scans and one scan in safe mode without being detected).

For the most part, I've used System Restore which has stopped the viruses activity but, it'll most likely return later on (unless it someone doesn't which will be a miracle in and of itself). This was mostly to buy me sometime and allow me to write the update (for both tihs and Metal Touhou) and get this rolling again. I apologize for the extremely long dry spell of updates and hopefully I can get things fixed and write a proper story for you all to read...

pic related to current computer related frustration.

>>25394
what anti-virus do you have?

>>25395
Malwarebytes and Spybots S>D on the side.

Malwarebytes didn't detect the threat I wanted it to remove, but it did get rid of a few others.

>>25396
Malwarebytes isn't that good (if not exactly a virus itself!) and Spybot S>D is better against spyware than viruses.

AVG's a pretty good anti-virus.

>>25397
AVG blows. Get Avast instead.