[center][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5494758][img]https://i.imgur.com/9BCGgou.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][h3]--Aventon - Forest Outskirts--[/h3][/center] [color=d9457c][i]"Mmm... that's unfortunate."[/i][/color] was what immediately came to the Scarlet Devil's mind when the Gardener of the White Jade Tower revealed that she had "dealt" with the aggressive boar, it wouldn't take a Patchouli to deduce that the tools Youmu used to handle the problem erred on the lethal side of things. For a very brief moment, Remilia glanced at Lewa, spurred by an instinctive curiosity to see if he'd be affected, and somehow, even through that full-face mask of his, she felt... regret. [color=d9457c][i]Or maybe I'm just projecting what I thought he'd feel, still, I'd be surprised instead if he felt nothing, considering everything.[/i][/color] But what's done is done, the threat was dealt with either way. However, before Remilia could continue the expedition along with the others, [i]another[/i] Gensokyoan made herself known; tall stature, silver hair, could it be-... [color=d9457c][b]"Oh."[/b][/color] Remilia was so disappointed by the revelation that a heavy groan managed to escape her throat instead of remaining purely in her head. [color=d9457c][b]"..."[/b][/color] Her slitted eyes were half-closed even as the Immortal Vagabond of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost pointed directly at her, [color=d9457c][b]"Uuurgh... Three of you so far but [b]none[/b] are Sakuya."[/b][/color] By Dracula, she'd even take Meiling at this point, yes, [i]Meiling[/i], better her than... this callously suicidal walking fire hazard. [color=d9457c][i]And why did she recognize [b]me[/b] first? Why not Sanae or Youmu? Her culture shares a lot more in common with theirs than mine. Don’t tell me, is it because of that one time Sakuya and I stumbled upon her?[/i][/color] Was she being unjustifiably harsh to Mokou, who was likely just as lost and confused as them? Perhaps, but she couldn't help herself, especially not when the phoenix mentioned [i]that[/i] maid, [i]her[/i] maid. Oh the things she'd sacrifice just to have Sakuya by her side right now... [color=d9457c][b]"Honestly, if that's what it takes to bring Sakuya here, yes, yes I would tell her to do just that..."[/b][/color] Remilia murmured, half-serious, half-hopeful. The vampiress closed her eyes as she rubbed her forehead, trying to massage a headache away while Sanae introduced herself to Mokou, also mentioning some kind of rescue force, [color=d9457c][b]"If such a thing is possible, Patchouli would've already either teleported me back or sent Sakuya after me, and neither of these has happened so..."[/b][/color] Speaking of headaches, that reminded Remilia of something, she hadn't fed ever since she arrived here, huh? Even though her affliction would've made it even more necessary than ever before. [color=d9457c][i]...[/i][/color] Her thoughts subconsciously led her crimson eyes to stare ominously at the the Moriya Miko's supple, delicate neck, how the sweet red "wine" flowed freely just underneath her fair skin. Out of everyone here, she likely would taste most delectable; Youmu was half-dead, Mokou might be too spicy with all those flames, and Lewa... well, he didn't even have blood in the first place. Even with her debilitated body, Remilia was confident she could still pin the human down, then... then she'd just need to sink her fangs into-... [color=d9457c][i]Haaaaarrgh!![/i][/color] The combination of her hunger coming to the forefront of her mind and frustration at allowing herself to [i]almost[/i] succumb to her thirst vehemently vexed her, [color=d9457c][i]I'm better than this... I'm [b]better[/b] than this...[/i][/color] Shaking her head, Remilia focused on the matter at hand even if simply to distract herself from the urge to prey upon Sanae. She noticed that Lewa had been quite silent ever since their rendezvous, right, him feeling out of place among these Gensokyoans wouldn't do, they'd be comrades for the foreseeable future after all. [color=d9457c][b]"Ahem..."[/b][/color] The vampiress cleared her throat to garner everyone's attention, [color=d9457c][b]"Sir Lewa, please meet Mokou of Clan Fujiwara, she hailed from Gensokyo, as the rest of us."[/b][/color] She quipped while gesturing elegantly toward the Hourai Immortal, then vice versa, [color=d9457c][b]"Lady Mokou, I present you Lewa the Toa of Air, Guardian and Protector of Le-wahi, the land which he hailed from."[/b][/color] There, that should be good enough, right? [color=d9457c][b]"Regardless of our circumstances, we were all called here by a deity only known as 'Lavielle', it was through her meddlesome powers that we found ourselves here to protect her people... very much against our will."[/b][/color] Would it hurt to at least ask for their consent first? With that out of the way, Remilia figured it was time to continue idling about, Mokou had caused enough delays as it was. Venturing further forth, the lilac-haired youkai would eventually catch the scent of... death, a corpse was nearby, a sizable one too considering the odor's intensity, [color=d9457c][b]"Tread lightly, something’s up ahead."[/b][/color] And a moment later, the answer presented itself in the form of a desiccated corpse of an earthmane boar; consumed down to nothing but skin and bones, likely belly first, the beast was well beyond saving. [color=d9457c][b]"Hmm..."[/b][/color] Remilia rubbed her chin in thought, [color=d9457c][b]"How likely is it that the one responsible for the other boar's poisoned blood to also be the cause of this?"[/b][/color] [hr] [hider=Side Story] Meanwhile, back in... [center][h3]--Gensokyo - Scarlet Devil Mansion--[/h3][/center] [b]"Ueeegh..."[/b] A heavy groan slithered out of the Ordinary Magician's lips, her expression that of unwilling frustration, [b]"Why me? I told you it was an accident!"[/b] Marisa pouted as she hunched over in front of an elaborate magic circle, drawn within the mansion's library, the very same grimoire suspected to be behind Remilia's disappearance set at the center. Surrounding her were no less than a dozen people; Patchouli, Sakuya, Flandre, Meiling, Koakuma, and multiple fairy maids, all staring at her with various expressions. [b]"Be that as it may, this... "accident" wouldn't have even occurred in the first place if it wasn't for [i]your[/i] latest unwelcomed incursion into my domain, Marisa."[/b] The purple-clad librarian of the Scarlet Devil Mansion spoke matter-of-factly, her tone stoic as usual, though there was a rather notable tinge of righteous enmity just bubbling underneath. [b]"Return Mistress to us at once, Marisa..."[/b] The manor's chronomancer head maid "smiled" through shaded eyes, glints of razor-sharp silver knives flashing from all around the black-white witch for a moment, [b]"For [i]your[/i] sake."[/b] [b]"Neee, Marisa, did you destroy elder sis?"[/b] Quipped a blonde girl about Remilia's size with branch-like wings hosting prismatic crystals, her head tilted in curious innocence, but also indignance, her right hand positioned in a clawing pose as if she was grasping an invisible orb, [b]"Should I destroy you too?"[/b] [b]"A-aaaah! I get it, I get it already! G-geeeez..."[/b] To say that Marisa was sweating buckets would be an understatement. Unfortunately, no one in their right mind would think she's the innocent party in this, [i]If I call Reimu, she'd probably say something along the lines of "You brought this upon yourself, deal with it" with that detached flat face of hers... but what about Alice? ...ergh, she'd probably say something similar, just with a more scolding tone, haaaa... why did I have to cock up at the last second? It's this goddamned grimoire's fault, if only it wasn't there![/i] [b]"I... I'll keep trying, okay? But I didn't even know how I managed to do that in the first place, let alone reversing it-"[/b] [b]"Less talk, more work."[/b] Patchouli interrupted. [b]"...uuuurgh, y-yes, ma'am..."[/b] [/hider] [hr] [@Lugubrious] [@PKMNB0Y] [@Raineh Daze] [@VitaVitaAR] [@EchoWolff]