Kaykay
Mhm.
A side-story set just after Civil War, specifically between the first two parts of Shiki Tohno's Epilogue, and follows him, Len, and Sakuya Izayoi.
Shiki Tohno felt particularly parched today.
Maybe it was the physical exertion in the wake of the Coalition Civil War that he had to go through. Maybe it was the mere thought of being served tea by Sakuya that had been on his mind for a small while now. But whatever the case was, he was in the mood for a good cup right now, and indeed, he expected it to come soon enough. He figured he certainly deserved one after everything that had happened at the very least, right? Civil wars took a lot out of oneself after all, especially if they were, to be quite frank, filled with some rather holier than thou people. Maybe that's why he was never a big crowd people, always preferring the more intimate things in life.
Arising from the portal in the air to his destination, the world that Sakuya Izayoi originated from, Shiki took a breath, giving a small smile as he pocketed his hands. It wasn't often that he traversed through different universes like this, and much less that he was able to simply relax and enjoy the place, rather than hustle through it like he needed to get something done, like back when he and Sakuya both went on to fight the Arch Demon, incidentally their first meeting, though... For better or for worse (more likely the latter), her first impression of him seemed to be his other personality, but... The less said about Shiki Nanaya, the better, in Shiki Tohno's opinion.
As Remilia and Sakuya also arrived into their home world, the portal closing behind them with that (not that Shiki was worried, he had his own portable device to get back home, courtesy of VECTOR's corpse from way back), Len, in her cat form, sat comfortably atop the maid's head, having taking a liking for her during the Coalition Civil War. Maybe it was simply a maid thing, considering how well Len got along with Kohaku, Shiki mused to himself.
Letting out a soft breath, Shiki finally spoke. "Alright, we're finally here! Your... ah, mansion shouldn't be too far off, right? I'd love to take a look around your place before supper and tea," he said, moreso to Sakuya than Remilia.
"Indeed, it's simply a short walk around the lake. It is a little hard to see through the mist, but I'm sure you'll be able to recognize it on sight. There's only one mansion around here, after all. I can't help but wonder just how the fairy maids have been doing without me though..."
Other than her concern for the fairy maids, Sakuya spoke in a fairly relaxed manner. The events of the Civil War had left her a little tired, leaving the maid ready to go back to her usual activities rather than all of that dramatic grandstanding she was certain almost everyone involved had done at least once, including herself.
While her first impression had definitively said otherwise, the Shiki she currently knew didn't seem like much of a troublemaker, unlike certain other humans who tended to frequent the mansion. Thus, having him over, despite not being a normal resident of the mansion or even this world, almost seemed like it'd be more relaxing than just heading back solely with the mansion's owner.
"I do plan to escort you around the place, but do beware that my power makes the mansion larger on the inside than it seems." Sakuya reached up to pet Len as she spoke. "But speaking of which, what sort of food and tea would you prefer, Shiki? And maybe some cake for the little one up here?"
Remilia meanwhile mostly just flew around overhead in the mist, trying to keep away from sunlight. She was a vampire, after all.
"He knows the mansion is mine doesn't he..."
Still, she muttered to herself as she hovered above them.
"Hmm? What would I prefer to eat? Well..." Shiki responded, looking up for a small while, as though taking a while to think over it, before shrugging his shoulders with a smile and pocketing his hands, after briefly scratching his cheek with a finger, "Why don't you surprise me? I'm sure that as long as you're the one making it, I'll love it," he spoke pleasantly, continuing to walk with her and the others.
While Len purred contently when Sakuya pet her, when Shiki did the same shortly after, the familiar "playfully" pawed his hand away, prompting the boy to purse his lips. Was she really still irritated about having to leave just because of that damned dog she fell for? It really was a mad world in which he lived, and beyond. Clearing his throat after putting his hands back in his pockets again, Shiki nodded. "As for Len though... Yeah, she's a tad more picky than I am; she'll be content with any sort of sweets, most preferably shortcake if you can manage that."
Len gave Shiki a sidelong glance, but did little more to react to his words. It wasn't as though he was necessarily wrong anyway, after all.
"So then, how much further away is this mansion of yours?" He then proceeded to ask Sakuya and Remilia.
"Hm, I see. Anything works...I wonder if I'll have to grab some supplies from the human village," Sakuya held a hand to her chin, thinking for a brief moment about what to make. Something for humans to eat, any kind of tea, and some cake for desert. The maid nodded with a satisfied look as everything seemed to come together quite well. Though she couldn't help but laugh softly when Len got "playful."
"Come now Len, it's alright. We'll get you some cake when we get back, okay?"
Pondering Shiki's question, she glanced around the Misty Lake to get a sense of exactly where they were on it. She knew they were heading towards the ridge the mansion was located on, but the lake's namesake tended to prevent exact knowledge on where one was.
"Well, it would take us about an hour to go around the whole lake. Based on where we started, it should only be a few minutes now."
True to her word, the mansion would soon appear through the mist.
"Too bright...Sakuya..."
Upon hearing the vampire's complaint, a parasol would suddenly appear in Sakuya's hand. Remilia took to the ground as Sakuya opened it up, protecting the small vampire from the sunlight. A tall woman dressed in green Chinese-looking clothing stood off to the side with her arms crossed.
...
But on closer inspection, she appeared to be asleep. Sakuya appeared to pretend she couldn't see the woman while Remilia merely tried to keep herself inside the shade of the parasol.
"Whew. So that's where you guys live, huh?" Shiki inquired, making an impressed whistle. And to think that it was supposedly even bigger on the inside! He couldn't help but let out a lightly amused chuckle at Remilia's reaction to the sun. The young man had forgotten her status as a vampire, and how they oft were under the sun's rays, considering he had so gotten used to Arcueid back home practically being hyperactive as she was from day to night, with only a mild discomfort not worth even mentioning "plaguing" the White Princess as a result.
As the woman in Chinese looking clothing appeared before them, evidently asleep where she stood, Shiki lightly raised an eyebrow. While the maid next to him might have preferred to not even acknowledge her, the boy's curiosity got the better of him as he tapped Sakuya on the shoulder and briefly gestured in the direction of the dozing woman as they continued making their way toward the mansion.
"Who's that over there? She also take care of the place or something?"
"Take care of...I suppose. She is the gatekeeper for our mansion. But she does so enjoy her 'siestas.'"
Sakuya sighed as she was forced to acknowledge the other woman, turning to look at the sleeping gatekeeper.
"Ouch!" The other woman suddenly cried out, as though hit in the back of the head. One had to assume that by Sakuya's suddenly raised hand, someone had perhaps been a little too liberal in the use of their powers. Nevertheless, the woman still appeared to be in a good mood as she looked over at the group.
"Sakuya! Milady! ...Guest person! Welcome back, and welcome! I'm Hong Meiling, nice to meetcha! I was patrolling the area just now, and of course nobody has come into the mansion in your absences."
"Of course they haven't." Though Sakuya's tone dripped with sarcasm, she smiled as she spoke. "This is Shiki...Tohno. We have invited him over for supper and tea, so there's no need to dispose of him."
Sakuya introduced him.
"You mean we're not feeding him to Flan?"
"That would make us rather poor hosts."
"Oh, sounds delicious. I'll see if I have time to join you guys after I patrol the area some more. Shiki, right? If you've got anything you wanna ask, fire away!"
"Patrol...of course."
"... Lively, isn't she?" Shiki let out a small chuckle as he mumbled to Sakuya, before clearing his throat, "Yes, nice to meet you then too, Meiling-san," he said politely enough, giving a small wave, before gesturing toward Len, still resting comfortably atop Sakuya's head, "And that there's Len. She may not look like it right now, but she's a shape-shifting familiar, just to let you know."
So this was what it was like to meet another person from Sakuya's home world, beside Remilia. It was perhaps the first time Shiki found himself genuinely interested in learning more about the world, akin to an earnest curiosity found mostly in children. He remembered how Mikasa had described her world back in his first Murder Game, and what a grim world she presented it to be, as well as how Plutia had described her own world during the Arch Demon's Fall, and how... strange it seemed to be. Perhaps a bit too much so for Shiki's taste at the moment.
As mentioned before, something like Sakuya's world was perhaps more to his liking, what with the vampires and other supernatural oddities, in comparison to the fantastical sciences of what have one in Plutia's, for example.
"Oh, dear. I assume this Flan doesn't bear much resemblance to the pastry of the same name then?" He inquired with mild concern in his tone, though his expression reverted back to a pleasant smile quickly enough. "In any case, thank you for the offer, Meiling-san. You're too kind," Shiki said with a slight bow.
"She doesn't do her work well, but if that was how we hired people I would be the only one working here anyway..."
Sakuya's words seemed almost arrogant, but in the end in the Scarlet Devil Mansion it was just something that was commonly accepted. The fairy maids did almost nothing and came and went as they pleased, and Meiling followed the same "schedule" despite her different job.
"Ohh, the cat wasn't just a stray? Hi Len-chan~!"
Having not realized the cat wasn't just, well, a cat, Meiling reached up in an attempt to pet Len. The familiar was getting a lot of people trying to pet her recently.
"Ah, no, Flandre would be the other mistress of the mansion. Miss Remilia's younger sister," Sakuya answered. "She's a little bit uncontrollable when she 'plays' around and until recently was mostly used to eating humans rather than actually seeing them."
The maid suddenly put her hand to her chin thoughtfully.
"Actually, she's a little bit like you, Shiki, after I give it some thought."
Hopefully she didn't mean that in the eating humans way.
However Len reacted to Meiling, afterwards she'd give Shiki a wide smile and nod enthusiastically. "See you at supper then, Shiki!" One had to wonder if she'd actually make it instead of ending up taking a nap somewhere.
"..."
Len simply looked away from Meiling in something of a standoffish manner, but otherwise didn't resist as the green clothed female petted her.
Meanwhile, Shiki couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle as Sakuya described who "Flan" really was, and her comparison to him. "I'm not exactly sure whether to take that as an insult or a compliment, but ah... Noted," he spoke in amusement. Indeed, the "eating humans" part was just a tad alarming to hear, but hey... Shiki figured he was just gonna pretend the only humans who got eaten were bad people who had it coming to them.
Quickly enough, he followed himself up with a nod and a friendly wave toward Meiling. "See you then! It was good to meet you, Meiling-san!" He said, and with that, continued on forward with the others, turning to Sakuya again.
"She seems nice. Are all the people in the mansion as eccentric as her though?"
"...Ah, I suppose I should have made that more clear," Sakuya responded, seeming to have not even considered that at first. "It's not really a good or bad thing, I was just sort of thinking to myself. I don't believe you've described it in detail, but your knife seems to cut just about anything, right? Miss Flandre's ability is a little bit like that, is all."
As they began to walk past the gates and into the mansion, the maid simply nodded. "In one way or another. There's our resident bookworm, her assistant, and the fairy maids. None are quite as energetic, but I believe they'd certainly qualify as eccentric."
There weren't all too many people who lived in the mansion despite its size. Some people might have considered this somewhat boring, including the mansion's owner, but the majority of the inhabitants were just fine with that and the occasional visitor. Strange things happened often enough for entertainment to not be much of a concern for almost all of the residents.
Once they'd finally entered the mansion, the group was greeted by a ridiculously large but empty European foyer. If one didn't know better, they'd probably be inclined to believe it was uninhabited. It would probably make one wonder why Sakuya even bothered making the interior bigger.
'...Well, this is why I would be the greeter."
"We don't need a greeter Sakuya, just prepare us some tea, if you would."
"Of course, milady. Just allow me to bring our guests to their seats."
After that brief exchange, Sakuya would take them towards the dining room. "Unless anyone would like to put in any particular requests, I'll go ahead and make that tea then."
"Goodness. Guess it'd be in everyone's best interest if I stay in her good graces then," Shiki spoke, his hands still pocketed as he spoke. It was quite astonishing, how powerful the people in this world must be.
For just a brief moment, he wondered just how well he'd be able to stack against the inhabitants of this world, but just as quickly erased the thought. His power was more ideal for "killing" rather than "fighting," lest he'd want to seek out a brain hemorrhage actively. After all, despite all his power, it was more practical to have powers like Arcueid's and Ciel's, but alas, all he could do was continue playing with the hand he'd been dealt at life, and leave it at that.
The young man silently nodded as Sakuya talked about the others who resided within the mansion. Indeed, if he lived in a place like this, it would have been more than eventful enough for him, even if others would have found the place boring. After all, things were lively enough back in his own home, and sometimes he wondered if he could handle a consistent life crazier than that, overbearing little sisters be damned.
After being led from there to the foyer and then the dining room, Len eventually hopped off Sakuya gently, landing on the floor and nonchalantly morphing back into her normal form. Without so much as a gesture, Shiki walked over and pulled up a chair at the table, allowing Len to plop herself on top, before the boy looked over at the maid.
"Other than the shortcake for Len, I don't have anything in mind. Surprise me!" He said with a smile.
"Good choice," Remilia suddenly spoke up in response to Shiki's musing on Flandre. "I wouldn't want our guest being rude to my sister, you know?"
With nobody seeming to have any particular requests, Sakuya smiled and bowed before taking her leave for the kitchen. "Understood. I'll be right back, then."
There were a number of surprised sounding girls' voices giving greetings and excuses from the kitchen, presumably the fairy maids Sakuya had mentioned earlier. They began to scatter out of the kitchen, a few of them happening to walk through the dining room and stopping to briefly greet Remilia before continuing their trek away from any sort of work.
Naturally the cooking and tea preparation would take some time, but eventually Sakuya would reemerge from the kitchen.
"Thank you for waiting. I do hope the wait wasn't too long."
While she'd brought a tea pot and enough tea cups for everyone, the maid appeared to have not brought anything else for her mistress strangely enough. Though neither commented on it.
On the tray she'd brought a strawberry shortcake for Len and a stack of pancakes with cottage cheese and grated lemon zest. Sakuya placed their meals in front of them before beginning to pour the tea.
"I prepared something simple Shiki, but for some reason I found it fitting. I was a little careless with my words earlier, so I do hope the food does not come across the same way."
Remilia seemed content just sipping away at her tea, apparently not feeling the need to eat.
"O-Of course not, Miss Remilia..." Shiki simply said, admittedly lightly intimidated by the smaller girl's casual remark, for some reason finding himself attempting to resist something to the degree of chills running down his back.
As Sakuya made her temporary leave, the young man tried his best to simply mind his business and wait patiently, though to a small degree his curiosity did get the better of him as he ended up attempting to listen in on the voices and noises coming from the kitchen, but alas, supernatural hearing was something he did not possess. Unlike Len and practically everyone else he knew back home with their special powers, Shiki didn't have anything of the sort, so he didn't get much out of his attempt, and Len seemed too concerned with her treat more than whatever might have been going on elsewhere.
The wait was surprisingly not as bad as one would have expected had they been in Shiki's situation, though perhaps that was partially to do with the boy's unique personality. Though admittedly his slight discomfort with Remilia, contributing to his unwillingness to strike up a conversation with her, made the relative silence a bit awkward, Shiki didn't have an inherent problem with silence. He had spent much of his recent life in silence, in solitude, and when he did have a companion, it was the ever reticent Len, who hardly ever made a sound, let alone uttering a word. To an extent, he was comfortable with it; he had come to terms that silence was a better friend than many gave it credit, but now, he had people back home, he had Plutia, he had Ilona... he had Sakuya to call a friend.
Perhaps company wasn't so bad after all.
When the maid eventually returned, Shiki gave a pleasant smile, not commenting on Remilia not being given any food (he knew enough about vampire workings, even if someone like Arcueid didn't follow those rules he was familiar with, to have a rough idea), before having a sip of the tea poured for him. Meanwhile, Len's eyes practically shined like diamonds when the sweet foods became visible to her, her expression had shifted more significantly in that moment than it ever did during the Civil War possibly, before quickly helping herself in no time.
With a nod, Shiki also helped himself to a bite of the meal, before responding to the maid. "It's delicious. Thank you, Sakuya," he said, maintaining his smile as ever, before raising his teacup toward her, "Here's to you, then. You really are quite a remarkable person, and... I'm truly glad to have met you," the boy spoke, before having another sip and then clearing his throat, "Now then... In any case, how about after this, we can proceed with the tour? Just you and me perhaps? I'm sure Remilia and Len would rather... relax than to have to tag along?"
Len just kept eating silently.
"I'm glad it's to your liking," Sakuya said with a slight bow. She couldn't help but smile as Len and Shiki appeared to be enjoying themselves. She'd gotten rather used to Len's unchanging face, but it was still a pleasant surprise. Preparing food and the like was part of working as a maid, but it was always encouraging when others enjoyed her work.
When Shiki spoke again, she nodded towards him. "It is a pleasure knowing you as well, Shiki. I must admit I hadn't left Gensokyo intentionally originally, but it hasn't been an experience I'd say I regret." Surprisingly enough, the majority of people she'd met were a lot more welcoming than she'd expected. Generally her ability to manipulate time rendered her somewhat outcast by normal humans, and though her first meeting with Shiki in particular was a little less than welcoming, eventually he'd blown that image away from her mind. There weren't really any humans that weren't magicians or shrine maidens around, and having one around wasn't bad at all.
"I believe that should be fine," she replied to his inquiry about touring the mansion, glancing in Remilia's direction.
"Ah, I'm tired. I don't care. Do whatever you like." The small vampire sounded dismissive, waving her maid off while closing her eyes. There were hardly any windows in the mansion so it was hard to tell the time, but it was still daytime. Their little excursion outside of Gensokyo hadn't meshed together well with a vampire's sleep schedule.
"Well there you have it. There would be little point to milady touring her own mansion after all."
"Sounds like a date," Shiki said with a coy smile, eventually getting around to finishing his meal after a few moments, standing up as soon as he'd done so, rubbing his hands together.
Like the maid, Shiki was also far from a stranger to the concept of being outcast by other humans, even if it might have not been anywhere near whatever Sakuya had been through. At best, he might have come off to others like any other unimpressive, unimposing young man with a poor constitution (thank heavens his anemia had subsided ever since he'd tapped into his powers), but Shiki had always felt more isolated than that. He'd felt like the living embodiment of misanthrope, someone who was always meant to be different from others, and the few friends he had in life were similar to him in that regard. Touched by death, dead to the world, and the only connection to this world being the desire to figure out what it truly meant to live.
But he had long since figured out the secret to that, and now, he was living the life that he wanted to, spending time with the people who mattered to him, beyond any big conspiracy of massive organizations and villains out to hunt him.
"Take me away wherever you please then, Sakuya," he spoke, standing behind the silver-haired maiden, before briefly turning to Len, raising a stern finger toward her, "You behave now, alright? Don't cause any trouble to Miss Scarlet over there, alright?"
"..."
Len just sighed in mild exasperation, more out of not exactly appreciating the boy's patronizing tone than anything, but it seemed that he was just used to talking to other people like that, though to be fair, considering the girls he knew back in his home world (with the exception of possibly Ciel), they did all seem to be... impressionable people.
The familiar sometimes thought to herself that Shiki was something of a fish out of water when he was around people who weren't so impressionable, especially Arcueid, but she'd never say that aloud, even if she wasn't a reticent individual by default.
Shiki Tohno felt particularly parched today.
Maybe it was the physical exertion in the wake of the Coalition Civil War that he had to go through. Maybe it was the mere thought of being served tea by Sakuya that had been on his mind for a small while now. But whatever the case was, he was in the mood for a good cup right now, and indeed, he expected it to come soon enough. He figured he certainly deserved one after everything that had happened at the very least, right? Civil wars took a lot out of oneself after all, especially if they were, to be quite frank, filled with some rather holier than thou people. Maybe that's why he was never a big crowd people, always preferring the more intimate things in life.
Arising from the portal in the air to his destination, the world that Sakuya Izayoi originated from, Shiki took a breath, giving a small smile as he pocketed his hands. It wasn't often that he traversed through different universes like this, and much less that he was able to simply relax and enjoy the place, rather than hustle through it like he needed to get something done, like back when he and Sakuya both went on to fight the Arch Demon, incidentally their first meeting, though... For better or for worse (more likely the latter), her first impression of him seemed to be his other personality, but... The less said about Shiki Nanaya, the better, in Shiki Tohno's opinion.
As Remilia and Sakuya also arrived into their home world, the portal closing behind them with that (not that Shiki was worried, he had his own portable device to get back home, courtesy of VECTOR's corpse from way back), Len, in her cat form, sat comfortably atop the maid's head, having taking a liking for her during the Coalition Civil War. Maybe it was simply a maid thing, considering how well Len got along with Kohaku, Shiki mused to himself.
Letting out a soft breath, Shiki finally spoke. "Alright, we're finally here! Your... ah, mansion shouldn't be too far off, right? I'd love to take a look around your place before supper and tea," he said, moreso to Sakuya than Remilia.
"Indeed, it's simply a short walk around the lake. It is a little hard to see through the mist, but I'm sure you'll be able to recognize it on sight. There's only one mansion around here, after all. I can't help but wonder just how the fairy maids have been doing without me though..."
Other than her concern for the fairy maids, Sakuya spoke in a fairly relaxed manner. The events of the Civil War had left her a little tired, leaving the maid ready to go back to her usual activities rather than all of that dramatic grandstanding she was certain almost everyone involved had done at least once, including herself.
While her first impression had definitively said otherwise, the Shiki she currently knew didn't seem like much of a troublemaker, unlike certain other humans who tended to frequent the mansion. Thus, having him over, despite not being a normal resident of the mansion or even this world, almost seemed like it'd be more relaxing than just heading back solely with the mansion's owner.
"I do plan to escort you around the place, but do beware that my power makes the mansion larger on the inside than it seems." Sakuya reached up to pet Len as she spoke. "But speaking of which, what sort of food and tea would you prefer, Shiki? And maybe some cake for the little one up here?"
Remilia meanwhile mostly just flew around overhead in the mist, trying to keep away from sunlight. She was a vampire, after all.
"He knows the mansion is mine doesn't he..."
Still, she muttered to herself as she hovered above them.
"Hmm? What would I prefer to eat? Well..." Shiki responded, looking up for a small while, as though taking a while to think over it, before shrugging his shoulders with a smile and pocketing his hands, after briefly scratching his cheek with a finger, "Why don't you surprise me? I'm sure that as long as you're the one making it, I'll love it," he spoke pleasantly, continuing to walk with her and the others.
While Len purred contently when Sakuya pet her, when Shiki did the same shortly after, the familiar "playfully" pawed his hand away, prompting the boy to purse his lips. Was she really still irritated about having to leave just because of that damned dog she fell for? It really was a mad world in which he lived, and beyond. Clearing his throat after putting his hands back in his pockets again, Shiki nodded. "As for Len though... Yeah, she's a tad more picky than I am; she'll be content with any sort of sweets, most preferably shortcake if you can manage that."
Len gave Shiki a sidelong glance, but did little more to react to his words. It wasn't as though he was necessarily wrong anyway, after all.
"So then, how much further away is this mansion of yours?" He then proceeded to ask Sakuya and Remilia.
"Hm, I see. Anything works...I wonder if I'll have to grab some supplies from the human village," Sakuya held a hand to her chin, thinking for a brief moment about what to make. Something for humans to eat, any kind of tea, and some cake for desert. The maid nodded with a satisfied look as everything seemed to come together quite well. Though she couldn't help but laugh softly when Len got "playful."
"Come now Len, it's alright. We'll get you some cake when we get back, okay?"
Pondering Shiki's question, she glanced around the Misty Lake to get a sense of exactly where they were on it. She knew they were heading towards the ridge the mansion was located on, but the lake's namesake tended to prevent exact knowledge on where one was.
"Well, it would take us about an hour to go around the whole lake. Based on where we started, it should only be a few minutes now."
True to her word, the mansion would soon appear through the mist.
"Too bright...Sakuya..."
Upon hearing the vampire's complaint, a parasol would suddenly appear in Sakuya's hand. Remilia took to the ground as Sakuya opened it up, protecting the small vampire from the sunlight. A tall woman dressed in green Chinese-looking clothing stood off to the side with her arms crossed.
...
But on closer inspection, she appeared to be asleep. Sakuya appeared to pretend she couldn't see the woman while Remilia merely tried to keep herself inside the shade of the parasol.
"Whew. So that's where you guys live, huh?" Shiki inquired, making an impressed whistle. And to think that it was supposedly even bigger on the inside! He couldn't help but let out a lightly amused chuckle at Remilia's reaction to the sun. The young man had forgotten her status as a vampire, and how they oft were under the sun's rays, considering he had so gotten used to Arcueid back home practically being hyperactive as she was from day to night, with only a mild discomfort not worth even mentioning "plaguing" the White Princess as a result.
As the woman in Chinese looking clothing appeared before them, evidently asleep where she stood, Shiki lightly raised an eyebrow. While the maid next to him might have preferred to not even acknowledge her, the boy's curiosity got the better of him as he tapped Sakuya on the shoulder and briefly gestured in the direction of the dozing woman as they continued making their way toward the mansion.
"Who's that over there? She also take care of the place or something?"
"Take care of...I suppose. She is the gatekeeper for our mansion. But she does so enjoy her 'siestas.'"
Sakuya sighed as she was forced to acknowledge the other woman, turning to look at the sleeping gatekeeper.
"Ouch!" The other woman suddenly cried out, as though hit in the back of the head. One had to assume that by Sakuya's suddenly raised hand, someone had perhaps been a little too liberal in the use of their powers. Nevertheless, the woman still appeared to be in a good mood as she looked over at the group.
"Sakuya! Milady! ...Guest person! Welcome back, and welcome! I'm Hong Meiling, nice to meetcha! I was patrolling the area just now, and of course nobody has come into the mansion in your absences."
"Of course they haven't." Though Sakuya's tone dripped with sarcasm, she smiled as she spoke. "This is Shiki...Tohno. We have invited him over for supper and tea, so there's no need to dispose of him."
Sakuya introduced him.
"You mean we're not feeding him to Flan?"
"That would make us rather poor hosts."
"Oh, sounds delicious. I'll see if I have time to join you guys after I patrol the area some more. Shiki, right? If you've got anything you wanna ask, fire away!"
"Patrol...of course."
"... Lively, isn't she?" Shiki let out a small chuckle as he mumbled to Sakuya, before clearing his throat, "Yes, nice to meet you then too, Meiling-san," he said politely enough, giving a small wave, before gesturing toward Len, still resting comfortably atop Sakuya's head, "And that there's Len. She may not look like it right now, but she's a shape-shifting familiar, just to let you know."
So this was what it was like to meet another person from Sakuya's home world, beside Remilia. It was perhaps the first time Shiki found himself genuinely interested in learning more about the world, akin to an earnest curiosity found mostly in children. He remembered how Mikasa had described her world back in his first Murder Game, and what a grim world she presented it to be, as well as how Plutia had described her own world during the Arch Demon's Fall, and how... strange it seemed to be. Perhaps a bit too much so for Shiki's taste at the moment.
As mentioned before, something like Sakuya's world was perhaps more to his liking, what with the vampires and other supernatural oddities, in comparison to the fantastical sciences of what have one in Plutia's, for example.
"Oh, dear. I assume this Flan doesn't bear much resemblance to the pastry of the same name then?" He inquired with mild concern in his tone, though his expression reverted back to a pleasant smile quickly enough. "In any case, thank you for the offer, Meiling-san. You're too kind," Shiki said with a slight bow.
"She doesn't do her work well, but if that was how we hired people I would be the only one working here anyway..."
Sakuya's words seemed almost arrogant, but in the end in the Scarlet Devil Mansion it was just something that was commonly accepted. The fairy maids did almost nothing and came and went as they pleased, and Meiling followed the same "schedule" despite her different job.
"Ohh, the cat wasn't just a stray? Hi Len-chan~!"
Having not realized the cat wasn't just, well, a cat, Meiling reached up in an attempt to pet Len. The familiar was getting a lot of people trying to pet her recently.
"Ah, no, Flandre would be the other mistress of the mansion. Miss Remilia's younger sister," Sakuya answered. "She's a little bit uncontrollable when she 'plays' around and until recently was mostly used to eating humans rather than actually seeing them."
The maid suddenly put her hand to her chin thoughtfully.
"Actually, she's a little bit like you, Shiki, after I give it some thought."
Hopefully she didn't mean that in the eating humans way.
However Len reacted to Meiling, afterwards she'd give Shiki a wide smile and nod enthusiastically. "See you at supper then, Shiki!" One had to wonder if she'd actually make it instead of ending up taking a nap somewhere.
"..."
Len simply looked away from Meiling in something of a standoffish manner, but otherwise didn't resist as the green clothed female petted her.
Meanwhile, Shiki couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle as Sakuya described who "Flan" really was, and her comparison to him. "I'm not exactly sure whether to take that as an insult or a compliment, but ah... Noted," he spoke in amusement. Indeed, the "eating humans" part was just a tad alarming to hear, but hey... Shiki figured he was just gonna pretend the only humans who got eaten were bad people who had it coming to them.
Quickly enough, he followed himself up with a nod and a friendly wave toward Meiling. "See you then! It was good to meet you, Meiling-san!" He said, and with that, continued on forward with the others, turning to Sakuya again.
"She seems nice. Are all the people in the mansion as eccentric as her though?"
"...Ah, I suppose I should have made that more clear," Sakuya responded, seeming to have not even considered that at first. "It's not really a good or bad thing, I was just sort of thinking to myself. I don't believe you've described it in detail, but your knife seems to cut just about anything, right? Miss Flandre's ability is a little bit like that, is all."
As they began to walk past the gates and into the mansion, the maid simply nodded. "In one way or another. There's our resident bookworm, her assistant, and the fairy maids. None are quite as energetic, but I believe they'd certainly qualify as eccentric."
There weren't all too many people who lived in the mansion despite its size. Some people might have considered this somewhat boring, including the mansion's owner, but the majority of the inhabitants were just fine with that and the occasional visitor. Strange things happened often enough for entertainment to not be much of a concern for almost all of the residents.
Once they'd finally entered the mansion, the group was greeted by a ridiculously large but empty European foyer. If one didn't know better, they'd probably be inclined to believe it was uninhabited. It would probably make one wonder why Sakuya even bothered making the interior bigger.
'...Well, this is why I would be the greeter."
"We don't need a greeter Sakuya, just prepare us some tea, if you would."
"Of course, milady. Just allow me to bring our guests to their seats."
After that brief exchange, Sakuya would take them towards the dining room. "Unless anyone would like to put in any particular requests, I'll go ahead and make that tea then."
"Goodness. Guess it'd be in everyone's best interest if I stay in her good graces then," Shiki spoke, his hands still pocketed as he spoke. It was quite astonishing, how powerful the people in this world must be.
For just a brief moment, he wondered just how well he'd be able to stack against the inhabitants of this world, but just as quickly erased the thought. His power was more ideal for "killing" rather than "fighting," lest he'd want to seek out a brain hemorrhage actively. After all, despite all his power, it was more practical to have powers like Arcueid's and Ciel's, but alas, all he could do was continue playing with the hand he'd been dealt at life, and leave it at that.
The young man silently nodded as Sakuya talked about the others who resided within the mansion. Indeed, if he lived in a place like this, it would have been more than eventful enough for him, even if others would have found the place boring. After all, things were lively enough back in his own home, and sometimes he wondered if he could handle a consistent life crazier than that, overbearing little sisters be damned.
After being led from there to the foyer and then the dining room, Len eventually hopped off Sakuya gently, landing on the floor and nonchalantly morphing back into her normal form. Without so much as a gesture, Shiki walked over and pulled up a chair at the table, allowing Len to plop herself on top, before the boy looked over at the maid.
"Other than the shortcake for Len, I don't have anything in mind. Surprise me!" He said with a smile.
"Good choice," Remilia suddenly spoke up in response to Shiki's musing on Flandre. "I wouldn't want our guest being rude to my sister, you know?"
With nobody seeming to have any particular requests, Sakuya smiled and bowed before taking her leave for the kitchen. "Understood. I'll be right back, then."
There were a number of surprised sounding girls' voices giving greetings and excuses from the kitchen, presumably the fairy maids Sakuya had mentioned earlier. They began to scatter out of the kitchen, a few of them happening to walk through the dining room and stopping to briefly greet Remilia before continuing their trek away from any sort of work.
Naturally the cooking and tea preparation would take some time, but eventually Sakuya would reemerge from the kitchen.
"Thank you for waiting. I do hope the wait wasn't too long."
While she'd brought a tea pot and enough tea cups for everyone, the maid appeared to have not brought anything else for her mistress strangely enough. Though neither commented on it.
On the tray she'd brought a strawberry shortcake for Len and a stack of pancakes with cottage cheese and grated lemon zest. Sakuya placed their meals in front of them before beginning to pour the tea.
"I prepared something simple Shiki, but for some reason I found it fitting. I was a little careless with my words earlier, so I do hope the food does not come across the same way."
Remilia seemed content just sipping away at her tea, apparently not feeling the need to eat.
"O-Of course not, Miss Remilia..." Shiki simply said, admittedly lightly intimidated by the smaller girl's casual remark, for some reason finding himself attempting to resist something to the degree of chills running down his back.
As Sakuya made her temporary leave, the young man tried his best to simply mind his business and wait patiently, though to a small degree his curiosity did get the better of him as he ended up attempting to listen in on the voices and noises coming from the kitchen, but alas, supernatural hearing was something he did not possess. Unlike Len and practically everyone else he knew back home with their special powers, Shiki didn't have anything of the sort, so he didn't get much out of his attempt, and Len seemed too concerned with her treat more than whatever might have been going on elsewhere.
The wait was surprisingly not as bad as one would have expected had they been in Shiki's situation, though perhaps that was partially to do with the boy's unique personality. Though admittedly his slight discomfort with Remilia, contributing to his unwillingness to strike up a conversation with her, made the relative silence a bit awkward, Shiki didn't have an inherent problem with silence. He had spent much of his recent life in silence, in solitude, and when he did have a companion, it was the ever reticent Len, who hardly ever made a sound, let alone uttering a word. To an extent, he was comfortable with it; he had come to terms that silence was a better friend than many gave it credit, but now, he had people back home, he had Plutia, he had Ilona... he had Sakuya to call a friend.
Perhaps company wasn't so bad after all.
When the maid eventually returned, Shiki gave a pleasant smile, not commenting on Remilia not being given any food (he knew enough about vampire workings, even if someone like Arcueid didn't follow those rules he was familiar with, to have a rough idea), before having a sip of the tea poured for him. Meanwhile, Len's eyes practically shined like diamonds when the sweet foods became visible to her, her expression had shifted more significantly in that moment than it ever did during the Civil War possibly, before quickly helping herself in no time.
With a nod, Shiki also helped himself to a bite of the meal, before responding to the maid. "It's delicious. Thank you, Sakuya," he said, maintaining his smile as ever, before raising his teacup toward her, "Here's to you, then. You really are quite a remarkable person, and... I'm truly glad to have met you," the boy spoke, before having another sip and then clearing his throat, "Now then... In any case, how about after this, we can proceed with the tour? Just you and me perhaps? I'm sure Remilia and Len would rather... relax than to have to tag along?"
Len just kept eating silently.
"I'm glad it's to your liking," Sakuya said with a slight bow. She couldn't help but smile as Len and Shiki appeared to be enjoying themselves. She'd gotten rather used to Len's unchanging face, but it was still a pleasant surprise. Preparing food and the like was part of working as a maid, but it was always encouraging when others enjoyed her work.
When Shiki spoke again, she nodded towards him. "It is a pleasure knowing you as well, Shiki. I must admit I hadn't left Gensokyo intentionally originally, but it hasn't been an experience I'd say I regret." Surprisingly enough, the majority of people she'd met were a lot more welcoming than she'd expected. Generally her ability to manipulate time rendered her somewhat outcast by normal humans, and though her first meeting with Shiki in particular was a little less than welcoming, eventually he'd blown that image away from her mind. There weren't really any humans that weren't magicians or shrine maidens around, and having one around wasn't bad at all.
"I believe that should be fine," she replied to his inquiry about touring the mansion, glancing in Remilia's direction.
"Ah, I'm tired. I don't care. Do whatever you like." The small vampire sounded dismissive, waving her maid off while closing her eyes. There were hardly any windows in the mansion so it was hard to tell the time, but it was still daytime. Their little excursion outside of Gensokyo hadn't meshed together well with a vampire's sleep schedule.
"Well there you have it. There would be little point to milady touring her own mansion after all."
"Sounds like a date," Shiki said with a coy smile, eventually getting around to finishing his meal after a few moments, standing up as soon as he'd done so, rubbing his hands together.
Like the maid, Shiki was also far from a stranger to the concept of being outcast by other humans, even if it might have not been anywhere near whatever Sakuya had been through. At best, he might have come off to others like any other unimpressive, unimposing young man with a poor constitution (thank heavens his anemia had subsided ever since he'd tapped into his powers), but Shiki had always felt more isolated than that. He'd felt like the living embodiment of misanthrope, someone who was always meant to be different from others, and the few friends he had in life were similar to him in that regard. Touched by death, dead to the world, and the only connection to this world being the desire to figure out what it truly meant to live.
But he had long since figured out the secret to that, and now, he was living the life that he wanted to, spending time with the people who mattered to him, beyond any big conspiracy of massive organizations and villains out to hunt him.
"Take me away wherever you please then, Sakuya," he spoke, standing behind the silver-haired maiden, before briefly turning to Len, raising a stern finger toward her, "You behave now, alright? Don't cause any trouble to Miss Scarlet over there, alright?"
"..."
Len just sighed in mild exasperation, more out of not exactly appreciating the boy's patronizing tone than anything, but it seemed that he was just used to talking to other people like that, though to be fair, considering the girls he knew back in his home world (with the exception of possibly Ciel), they did all seem to be... impressionable people.
The familiar sometimes thought to herself that Shiki was something of a fish out of water when he was around people who weren't so impressionable, especially Arcueid, but she'd never say that aloud, even if she wasn't a reticent individual by default.
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