Blah blah blah, yack yack yack... This is getting to be far too much. Mokou spitting more and more creative curses by the minute, at one point swearing in a manner that would make a drunken sailor blush, Kaguya just cackling like an excited lunatic and stinging right back with further derogatory comments, and Flandre's normally gentle voice starting to grate on your ears as she vainly attempts to scream over the two; rubbing your templed in pain, you glance over at Eirin calmly sipping her tea, not paying any mind to the whole thing whatsoever. She must be used to this. Well, you're not.
"Ladies, ladies, please... Settle down." You pinch the bridge of your nose in frustration; these girls are giving you a migraine with their incessant bickering. As long as they're this fired up, you'd rather get the hell out of here and not spend any more time near either of them than is absolutely necessary.
"While I appreciate the offers," you say to Eirin and Mokou, ignoring the moonbitch completely, "Flandre and I did say we'd be back by the end of the day; and we need to deliver those medicines to miss Knowledge. Maybe some other time." It looks like Mokou and Kaguya didn't really hear you, whereas Eirin nods in response.

"Alright. Don't strain yourself too badly with anything else today, just in case." With that, she stands up and heads over to the others, pinching Kaguya and Mokou on the shoulders just painfully enough to get their attention.

"Ow! What do you think you're doing? I was just about to pull out a brilliant comeback!"

"Pfft. Yeah, right. Brilliant. You. Uh-huh."

"That's enough of that for the day, wouldn't you agree? Princess, it's gotten rather late, and yo-..."

"Yes yes, whatever. I bore of these games anyway." Not even saying goodbye, the dark-haired girl with the beautiful exterior masking her ugly insides heads out of the room, slamming the door for no particular reason other than 'because I can'. Mokou keeps grinding her teeth with a ferocity that makes you worry for her dental health for a short while, before finally relaxing.

"Yeah. Whatever. I suppose I'd better guide you two back out of the forest then... You got whatever it was you came here for?" A rather triumphant looking Flandre holds up a rather large pouch of what you'd assume are a variety of medicines in various forms - you can hear both the muffled clicking of bottles wrapped in cloth, as well as the light rattling of pillboxes - and rushes to your side, the pouch over one shoulder, gripping your hand as if Mokou wanted to steal you away from her.
"Right... I guess I'll see you whenever I see you, then." Mokou bids farewell to Eirin, as do you and Flandre, remembering to politely express your gratitude for the medicines and apologies for any trouble you've caused, receiving the obligatory 'not at all' in response. You put your shoes back on, glancing at the trail of dirt Mokou's boots have left inside the halls and shedding a tear of sympathy for the servants. As you exit the oriental mansion strangely located in the middle of the bamboo forest, you swear never to speak of the shark incident ever again for as long as you live - that never happened. No sir. No such thing as landsharks. In fact, you're not even thinking about that anymore! Instead, you distract yourself by speaking to Mokou, earning her a dirty look or two from Flandre.

"Really though, thanks for the offer. I might just take you up on it next time, or just pay you a visit."

"A visit? You're getting awfully friendly all of a sudden, pal." Her voice is more mildly amused than suspicious, really.

"Well, I still need to persuade you to come to school."

"That crap again? Geez..." Another cigarette is fished out of her pocket, as if your presence was causing the poor girl undue stress.
"I already gave you my terms though."

"You really expect me to get that bi-... that girl to come to school?"

"Hah, sounds like your opinion of her is about as high as my own. But hey - it's either both of us or none of us. Deal with it." Hmph. A difficult task, indeed... Looks like this won't be your last visit to the bamboo forest after all. All of a sudden, you feel a light tug on your arm.

"What is it, Flan?"

She motions for you to lean down to her level, and promptly whispers into your ear.
"Why do you care if she goes to school or not..?"

"Tsk. He's a guy. He probably just wants more girls in short skirts to gawk at." Mokou snickers to herself quietly from in front of you two, her hands slipping back into her pockets.

"Aah! You heard that!?" A startled Flandre recoils away from your ear, staring at Mokou with her mouth agape.

"Girl, you live around here as long as I have, and you learn to make out the noise of a rabbit stepping on a blade of grass half a mile away." An obivous exaggeration there, especially as Flandre's 'whispering' was a little too excited for her to properly keep her voice down. You don't call her on it, though. You keep walking for a short distance in silence, Flandre staring at the ground pensively, before she suddenly looks up at you again with a disturbingly determined expression, uttering a handful of questions that hit you like a sledgehammer in the face.

"What about me? Don't you like to gawk at me? Or is my skirt too long?" As if to demonstrate, she lets go of your hand, twirling around in place a few times, making the skirt of her school uniform rise upwards and spread out from centrifugal force. Oh gosh, they're light pink with a little red ribbon on the front..! A loudly laughing Mokou knocks you out of your stupor with a hearthy slap on the back, nearly swallowing her cigarette in her hysterics, before wiping the corners of her eyes and going over to Flandre, kneeling down before her so she's looking up at her face from below.

"Naahh, girl, you see, guys like girls that have something up here, too!" You're momentarily paralyzed as Mokou reaches out and playfully gropes at Flandre's almost-flat-as-a-board chest, wondering whether you should enjoy the show or get her to stop before something awful happens. To your surprise, Flandre's face turns to an expression of curiosity, rather than outrage.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Boobs, girl! It's all about breasts. Tits, jugs, knockers..!"

"T-that's enough already! Damn it!" You interrupt her before she enhances Flandre's vocabulary any further, lest you face bloody retribution from Remilia the next time her younger sister gets upset at her and suddenly calls her a cunt or something. Unfortunately, you end up feeling like the bad guy when Mokou looks back at you with a bored expression, and Flandre with a somewhat sad one.

"Enough? But... I want to know these things, too. I don't want to be a clueless little kid forever, you know..."

"That's the spirit! Though, who knows... Maybe your boyfriend is a lolicon. That'd give you a major advantage; you're in the same class as him, right? You barely look the part - small and slender like a fairy or something. Hey, man! Do you like little girls?" You're tempted to punch this girl upside the head about now, though you can't help but admit it's more out of embarrassment than anger.

"No!" Flandre promptly looks like she's about to cry.
"I mean, yes!" Mokou promptly sports an incredibly wide grin.
"I mean, ugh, mind your own business!" These two are going to drive you into an early grave if they keep this up; you feel tempted to just run screaming into the forest and get the nearest hungry youkai to put you out of your misery. You're treated to the sound of Mokou clicking her tongue in disappointment, and the sight of her shaking her head, her white hair swishing to and fro as she does so, before resuming the journey.

"Get flustered easily, don't you. I'm just yanking your chain, man, don't get so worked up about it; you'll live longer." Coming from someone who claims to be immortal, you can't take such a comment all too seriously. You keep walking on for about ten minutes, the only sounds interrupting the silence being the various insects that come out in the evenings, and Flandre occasionally humming to herself, glancing about the forest with wide eyes. Bringing her along was probably a good idea, after all; it's about time the girl gets some outdoor exposure, gets to see more of the world than the path between her home and school, and-...

"What else do guys like?"

If this were a Japanese cartoon, you'd probably facefault about now. Instead, you utter a silent prayer to whatever deity that you'll be back home and asleep not long from now.

"Asses, thighs... I hear some even like armpits, which must be the cause behind what few donations the Hakurei shrine ever gets... Honestly though," her tone gets a tiny bit less teasing, "I suppose any guy who's good enough for you should like every part of you... Or something like that. Eh, why are you asking me for advice on these things anyway? I was just trying to get our glum chum here to lighten up a bit." You really wish she hadn't used the word 'chum' there.

"Hum... Don't you have a boyfriend, Mokou?" Oof, that was way below the belt just now; Mokou stumbles for the first time today, although she regains her balance in an instant.

"...Maybe we should just keep walking quietly, so we don't attract any more wildlife..."

"Haa... I wonder if sis has a boyfriend..." Although she has her moments when she shows considerable insight, or manages to be surprisingly attractive without even realizing it, there are times such as this when Flandre reverts back into an oblivious child, providing ample amounts of awkward moments. You suppose it's a good sign that you still haven't experienced any of her 'moments', though; if being around you like this is keeping her belfry nice and free of bats, well... That still cheers you up in the end of the day. You give her hand an affectionate squeeze with a smile, prompting a bit of a confused glance from her, before she returns the smile.

...

You reach the outer edge of the bamboo forest, and the sun's almost completely set. Mokou disappears back into the dark depths of the thicket with an idle wave, which you and Flandre return before you head off towards the mansion. It's only a few steps before Flandre suddenly giggles to herself in a surprisingly happy tone.

"Hmm? What's so amusing?"

"Hehee... Nothing. But, that Mokou isn't such a bad person after all. I think it'd be nice if she came to school with us, after all... Don't you?"

"Well, of course... And it'd put a smile on miss Ka-..." You're too tired to pronounce that name in casual speech right now. "...miss Keine's face too, don't you think so?"

"Oh?"

"Yeah; they seem to be friends, from what I can tell, yet miss Keine is unable to persuade her to come to school. I suppose some people have too much pride, or something..."

"Too much pride, huh..." She sends a glance lost deep in thought, in the general direction of the mansion for a moment, before returning to normal in an instant. Huh, sometimes you wonder what she could possibly be thinking about...
Now, what YOU'RE suddenly thinking about is how the hell you're meant to get over the lake. Tell Flandre it's okay to fly? Surely, she can't assume you're still clueless to the workings of Gensokyo after she freaking bit you, could she? Or maybe it'd be best to play it safe - give her the medicines and just go home by yourself? Granted, you had been hoping you could deliver them in person - partially out of guilt, partially to see if you can get Patchouli to smile again. Every time you manage to do so feels like a small victory, in some sense; granted, she's more likely to scowl at you for 'doing unnecessary things', or something silly like that.

Suddenly, you're brought out of your thoughts by the sound of snoring. Snoring? Who could be-... Ah. A crossed pair of legs in white pants hang out from over the side of a familiar-looking small boat, on the shore of the lake. Honestly, that Remilia, treating poor Meiling like this... You stealthily sneak over to the boat, and are greeted with the sight of the chinese girl lying on her back, long red hair sprawled all across the surface of the boat and arms crossed over her ample chest. You give her a light and gentle nudge to try and wake her.

"Mmm... Hehehe... little Sakuya... You're so cute when you get angry~..."

O-kay. Let's try this again, a little less gentle this time.

"Ahn~... N-no, Sakuya, we can't... We're... both girls... Ah..."

You pull back a little, wondering what she could possibly be dreaming about; or trying -not- to wonder about such things. Before you can disentangle your thoughts, Flandre skips over to the boat and peers inside, before lightly pinching the gate guard's cheek.

"Meiling? You sleeping?"

All of a sudden, her legs pop open, and she rockets into a sitting position, groggily saluting and bowing in random directions, eyes still hazy.
"Ah, no, miss Sakuya! Mistress Remilia! Lady Patchouli! I was just meditating to focus my-... Oh, young mistress Flandre?" She blinks a little, the synapses in her brain slowly putting two and two together and reminding her where exactly she is, and why.
"Oh! I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long, young mistress. And young master." She offers you a kind smile as well, although the formality strikes you as somehow inappropriate.

"No need for that..." You try your best not to sound patronizing or condescending towards her.
"Just call me Ji-..." Oh god DAMN it.

"Ah... Jin, was it?" She chuckles lightly, oblivious to the cause for your silent self-cursing for accepting that name.
"Well then, Jin it is. Shall we be off to the mansion, then?"

"Thank you, Meiling." Her smile widens; she seems awfully pleased over you remembering her name. You step into the boat, careful not to send it off-balance, and help Flandre hop inside as well. Not that she'd need your help for such things, but it simply feels like the appropriate thing to do; and she can't hide the fact that she enjoys the attention she gets from you, in any case. Finally, after a frustratingly long day, you get a chance to relax and enjoy a nice evening boat ride. Come to think of it, you haven't exactly been on many boat rides in your life, have you? It's strangely refreshing, especially in the evening air; plus, you're glad to find out you don't get seasick. Can you get seasick on a lake? It seems that question will be left for another day, since you've already reached the island; Meiling can certainly row. She could put an entire galley's worth of slaves out of work. Not that you'd desire such a position for her - she seems to be treated like a slave at times in her current position as it is - but it was the first analogy that came to mind.

"Hey, Meiling, don't you normally watch the gate all day?" Flandre asks in a tone completely void of malice, out of sheer curiosity. Meiling responds with a nervous smile.

"I try to do three jobs at the same time these days, I guess..." Three? Ah, that's right, she was also the one in charge of the garden. At least Sakuya seems to have the time to help her out with that part every now and then. Just how useless must the rest of the maids be, if those two seem to be the only ones doing any noticeable work around the mansion? They really deserve a vacation every now and then... You find yourself thinking back on those underused-looking casual clothes you saw in Sakuya's closet, and wonder if she ever wears anything other than the maid uniform these days. It's not like you don't find said uniform attractive, but you feel somewhat sorry for her - such a young woman, and seemingly so overworked. You try to picture her in something more casual, yet your illusion is ruined when the familiar maid uniform superimposes itself over it; wait, no, that's actually Sakuya herself, opening the door for you and greeting you both with a welcoming smile.

"Ah, you're finally back. I take it your little journey went well?" She lets the two of you inside and closes the door behind you.

"Mhm! I had lots of fun! And we met some new and interesting people, too." Flandre certainly seems happy about today; well, that's good enough to make you pretty happy, too.

"Is that so? You'll have to tell me all about it, then. Ah, but first, I've got to attend to the mistress..." You notice she's holding a tray with what appears to be a cup of tea and a tiny dark bottle.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's that you're taking to her?"

"Oh, this? Sedatives. The mistress has been concerned about Flandre, you know." With a mild smirk, she holds the tray in one hand, mimicing an extremely shaky hand with her other. You wonder, was Remilia worried about Flandre's safety? Or the safety of those around her? ...Nope, you still find it difficult to imagine Flandre as a threat.
"Come on, let's go say hello to your sister; then you can tell both of us how your day went, alright?" She grabs Flandre's hand and smiles.

"Mmm... Alright."

"I'll just, uh, get these to miss Knowledge, then..." You lift the not-as-light-as-it-looked bag of medicines that Flandre had placed on a stool when the two of you arrived. Yeesh, how much stuff -is- there inside this thing? Sakuya nods at you in a slightly amused manner, watching you struggle with the weight; not the manliest you've ever looked, for sure.

"Thank you for taking the time to do such a thing for us. I'll have to give you a treat as a reward sometime, won't I?" Just to make that last sentence even more deliciously ambiguous than it already was, she winks at you before heading off into the hallways with Flandre; you wave to them absent-mindedly, before you remember what you actually came here for. Right, Patchouli's health! Library, library, library... Ah, there it is. As usual, it's a little disorienting to wander past the forest of bookcases, in search of-... Forest? Wait, what the hell is that. A bookcase - or, what was once a bookcase - that more closely resembles a tree, as if someone had magically reversed the process that turns trees into bookcases. That doesn't make any sense, but not much else does these days, either; you've long since given up on trying to rationalize all the bullshit you see around you. Passing by, you catch sight of a somewhat amused-looking Koakuma rushing off somewhere, carrying what looks like an unconcious fairy maid. Don't ask, for gods' sake, don't ask...

But Patchouli isn't here. Her desk is empty, save for a few books with bookmarks jutting out from between pages; she must've been in the middle of those back when you, er, mind crushed her. Yeah, way to go back then, asshole. You start formulating an apology in your mind, before giving up and realizing that she'd just dismiss it as nonsense anyway. Best focus on just finding her, for now. Should you go back and ask Koakuma? No, you can't even remember what direction she went in; and you're sure she's quite busy, whatever is is she's doing with that maid.

It takes some exploring, yet your gut feeling eventually leads you to what at first seems like a very poorly disguised secret door, but upon closer inspection it seems to be just a normal door with a bookcase built onto it; no space left unused, eh? As expected of your mentor, for sure; you open the door cautiously, and are immediately treated to a field of vision full of lavender. What appears to be Patchouli's private room is no less full of books and presumably-magical trinkets than her office back at the school, what little of the walls is visible from behind shelves and other items is covered in a light purple wallpaper. It's, well... It's pretty much exactly what you expected her room to look like, save for being built into the wall like this; not even a window. And there, shrunken into her seat, in front of another desk, is Patchouli, putting the finishing touches on what looks like a letter with a mild look of frustration on her face, before casting a spell that makes the piece of paper vanish into thin air. To be honest, moving the pen seems more taxing to her than casting that spell, at the moment; she's still not recovered from that incident? You can't help but swallow from guilt, which attracts her attention. A familiar pair of cold, deep purple eyes fixates itself upon you, before she speaks out in that monotonous voice of hers.

"Jin. May I ask why you are here, today?" Noticing the pouch you've been lugging around all this time, she narrows her eyes suspiciously.
"And that is... what?"

"Medicines. From Eientei. Eirin had them prepared just for you, and I-..."

"...went and did something unnecessary. Again." Called it. She sighs rather openly, frustration plain in her voice.

"First one of the new maids decides she wants to change my library into an interior garden, and now this. Ah well... You may set that down anywhere, for now." She coughs lightly between sentences, but it sounds a little less nasty than before; she must be at least a -little- bit better. Hopefully whatever Eirin prepared will get her up and about in no time, once again.

"I just wanted to, you know... Help. To have you come teach at school, again, and... I, uh..."

She extends her hand towards you to shut you up; a feat of strength in her current state, judging by how shaky her motions are.
"Do not say unnecessary things, either. Fine, if it will make you feel more at ease with yourself... Thank you. I appreciate it." You can't help but smile at those words, regardless of how sincere they are. She then eyes the clock on her wall, frowning slightly.
"It is rather late. We should retire... However, I suppose it would be unwise for you to head back home after dark. Perhaps Sakuya has a guest room ready that she could let you use..."

"I'll go find out. I, uh, hope you feel better soon." She simply nods passively in response, before moving her hands up to her head; with curiosity, you stop at the door before exiting, wondering what she could possibly be doing. You can't help but frown once you realize that all she's doing is removing her hat, despite her motions being more appropriate for lifting heavy weights, her limbs seeming stiff and weak. Frustration finding its way onto her face yet again, she eyes the rest of her clothing for a while, before glancing in your direction.

"...Did you see a maid on your way here, in the library?"

"Y-yes... I think she had a dove-shaped hairpin."

"Could you... Would you kindly go and ask her to come help me? I..." She doesn't finish the sentence she was about to start, instead turning her gaze away from you, all emotion fading away from her face as the blankly stares into the surface of her desk, letting her arms fall limp to her sides. You can't bare to look at her like this, any longer.
"I believe she is presently up to shenanigans with my familiar, somewhere in the library..."

"When I saw her, she was unconcious. Look. Let me help you; I'm right here, right now. It's the least I could do."

She responds with a harsh scowl, yet you don't let it affect you, taking a few steps closer.
"That would be inappropriate."

"I won't stare. It's not like that. You need help. Come on, don't be like this..." She stares into her desk again for a while, as if she were trying to burn holes into it with her eyes. Suddenly, she sighs in resignation, glancing back at you from the corner of one eye.

"...Do as you wish." And you do. Gently lifting her off the seat for a moment, you get that long-coat type thing off her, leaving her in that striped pajama-robe thing and her shoes. Those come off next, as well; after all, it's so damn hot these days. While you try your best not to look at her in an indecent manner, you can't help but catch a glimpse or two, and your hands are forced to feel the shape of her body here and there; despite all this, she does not protest, choosing to merely glare in front of herself emotionlessly as she normally does. Beneath those layers of clothing, she turned out to hiding a rather feminine body - despite being very thin, she still has curves in all the right places, even an impressive pair of breasts that were previously concealed in those baggy robes of hers. Despite her otherwise mature proportions, she's still as thin as a schoolgirl, though. Rather than making her look unattractive, it makes her look... frail. Fragile.
Somehow, you feel sorry for her, for having had to suffer like this; you'd like to see a healthy, smiling Patchouli some day in the future, if at all possible. Wait, you promised not to stare, right? Turning your eyes away from her body and trying to erase the images of her underwear - a simple bra and panties, lavender in color, with little ribbons in the middle that match those in her hair; wait, no, you weren't looking at those. What is wrong with you. Focusing on the task at hand, you carry your underweight mentor to her bed, laying her down gently and taking care to cover her up properly. If only there were something you could do... Hell, you've been feeling strangely energetic ever since you got to the library - more incense in the air? Or do you just feel comfortable, after spending most of the weekend here? You wonder if there's any way you could transfer some of your mana-... er, energy into her, somehow... Magic or something. Is that sort of thing possible?

"Hm... Thank you, I suppose." She supposes. Well, good enough for you; you feel happy to have helped her, regardless of gratitude. Since you saved her the energy of crawling into bed of her own effort, she somehow seems more relaxed already; the look in her eyes seems somehow less cold, as she glances at you yet again.
"Before you go... Do you have any new questions for me? As always, I will do my best to answer..."

"Questions?"

"Yes. About anything else you have encountered in Gensokyo, any other mysteries or curiosities. I appreciate..." She coughs, but it's very mild.
"...a mind that is eager to learn, to understand."



[] Ask about the relationships between the residents of the SDM.
[] Ask about Mokou.
[] Ask about Kaguya.
[] Ask about the Bamboo Forest of the Lost and Eientei.
[] Ask about further training.
[] Ask about mana transfer.
[] Ask about something else? (...)
[] "Nothing tonight. Get some rest; good night."



*(Just to clarify, because I seem to be scaring some of you with my Despair Thread and some trolling here and there; just because an option looks like a joke, or an obvious bad end, doesn't necessarily mean it is. I will not punish you for trying things unless they're -extremely- stupid beyond comprehension. Nor do I promote abstinence, by any means, regardless of two averted 'bad ends' being sex-related.)