[X] Request that Ran releases you. It will be difficult to explain the situation while she is choking you.
[X] State that you are not directly responsible for the first six punctures. You were approached by someone from the Outside about employment, and both of you were unaware that his phoenix familiar's teleportation method was damaging the Boundary.
[X] Apologize for the last three. Those were your doing, and taking the legitimate method of crossing the Boundary via the Hakurei Shrine is too time consuming.
[X] Note that because of your pending employment, you will likely have to cross over several more times in the next two weeks. It would be a good idea to work out an arrangement to avoid another meeting like this one.

I'm trying very hard not to point out the hypocrisy of Yukari able to come and go as see pleases. We need to be diplomatic about this.

[x] Apologize profusely.
[x] Explain the situation.
[x] Find a less violent method of exchanging correspondence. You don't want to be completely cut off from Gensokyo for a year.

>>46775
Yukari's method is a bit less brute force than Patchouli's is ripping holes in it to make portals.

[X] Request that Ran releases you. It will be difficult to explain the situation while she is choking you.
[X] State that you are not directly responsible for the first six punctures. You were approached by someone from the Outside about employment, and both of you were unaware that his phoenix familiar's teleportation method was damaging the Boundary.
[X] Apologize for the last three. Those were your doing, and taking the legitimate method of crossing the Boundary via the Hakurei Shrine is too time consuming.
[X] Note that because of your pending employment, you will likely have to cross over several more times in the next two weeks. It would be a good idea to work out an arrangement to avoid another meeting like this one.
[X] Pray Remilia doesn't decide to step in with a more direct way of getting Ran to let you go.


Gonna be interesting to see how our "Guest" responds to seeing three Obviously NOT HUMAN guests around and acting like this.

[X] Request that Ran releases you. It will be difficult to explain the situation while she is choking you.
[X] State that you are not directly responsible for the first six punctures. You were approached by someone from the Outside about employment, and both of you were unaware that his phoenix familiar's teleportation method was damaging the Boundary.
[X] Apologize for the last three. Those were your doing, and taking the legitimate method of crossing the Boundary via the Hakurei Shrine is too time consuming.
[X] Note that because of your pending employment, you will likely have to cross over several more times in the next two weeks. It would be a good idea to work out an arrangement to avoid another meeting like this one.
[X] Apologize in advance for the tenth rupture you'll need to make to send Alistair back to where he came from.

>>46779
Whoa now. Why rip a hole in reality without asking Alistair if he wants to go back? He might be happier in the human village.

[X] Request that Ran releases you. It will be difficult to explain the situation while she is choking you.
[X] State that you are not directly responsible for the first six punctures. You were approached by someone from the Outside about employment, and both of you were unaware that his phoenix familiar's teleportation method was damaging the Boundary.
[X] Apologize for the last three. Those were your doing, and taking the legitimate method of crossing the Boundary via the Hakurei Shrine is too time consuming.
[X] Note that because of your pending employment, you will likely have to cross over several more times in the next two weeks. It would be a good idea to work out an arrangement to avoid another meeting like this one.
[X] Apologize in advance for the tenth rupture you'll need to make to send Alistair back to where he came from.
[x] Have Koakuma toss Alister back home.

Man, I thought we were getting a short comedy scene of Koakuma trying to jump the guy's bones.
Too bad.

Why Rip a hole? Have Yukari dump him back home since she can make rifts that damage the barrier less

[X] Ask Ran to send the Outsider back to where he came from

Good point, and it also doesn't tax our magic. And whether Yukari has some fun with him won't be our problem anymore.

>>46781

Changing
[X] Apologize in advance for the tenth rupture you'll need to make to send Alistair back to where he came from.

to
[X] Ask Ran to send the Outsider back to where he came from

[X] Request that Ran releases you. It will be difficult to explain the situation while she is choking you.
[X] State that you are not directly responsible for the first six punctures. You were approached by someone from the Outside about employment, and both of you were unaware that his phoenix familiar's teleportation method was damaging the Boundary.
[X] Apologize for the last three. Those were your doing, and taking the legitimate method of crossing the Boundary via the Hakurei Shrine is too time consuming.
[X] Note that because of your pending employment, you will likely have to cross over several more times in the next two weeks. It would be a good idea to work out an arrangement to avoid another meeting like this one.

[X] Request that Ran releases you. It will be difficult to explain the situation while she is choking you.
[X] State that you are not directly responsible for the first six punctures. You were approached by someone from the Outside about employment, and both of you were unaware that his phoenix familiar's teleportation method was damaging the Boundary.
[X] Apologize for the last three. Those were your doing, and taking the legitimate method of crossing the Boundary via the Hakurei Shrine is too time consuming.
[X] Note that because of your pending employment, you will likely have to cross over several more times in the next two weeks. It would be a good idea to work out an arrangement to avoid another meeting like this one.

[X] Request that Ran releases you. It will be difficult to explain the situation while she is choking you.
[X] State that you are not directly responsible for the first six punctures. You were approached by someone from the Outside about employment, and both of you were unaware that his phoenix familiar's teleportation method was damaging the Boundary.
[X] Apologize for the last three. Those were your doing, and taking the legitimate method of crossing the Boundary via the Hakurei Shrine is too time consuming.
[X] Note that because of your pending employment, you will likely have to cross over several more times in the next two weeks. It would be a good idea to work out an arrangement to avoid another meeting like this one.
[X] Apologize in advance for the tenth rupture you'll need to make to send Alistair back to where he came from.

>>46782
Who knows, Koa may ask to keep him. It's not like there are too many werewolves (or named male characters period) for her to perv on in Gensokyo.

[X] Request that Ran releases you. It will be difficult to explain the situation while she is choking you.
[X] State that you are not directly responsible for the first six punctures. You were approached by someone from the Outside about employment, and both of you were unaware that his phoenix familiar's teleportation method was damaging the Boundary.
[X] Apologize for the last three. Those were your doing, and taking the legitimate method of crossing the Boundary via the Hakurei Shrine is too time consuming.
[X] Note that because of your pending employment, you will likely have to cross over several more times in the next two weeks. It would be a good idea to work out an arrangement to avoid another meeting like this one.

too time-consuming? she can teleport to the shrine, for fuck's sake. it's not even laziness, it's pure negligence.

>>46789
Canon's not clear on how someone moves between the shrine and the Outside. If it involves Reimu, good luck getting her to do it for a youkai. If it involves walking past the shrine, you're going to be walking until you have proof that you're out. Could be five minutes, could be an hour.

Jeez can't you people see that the author brought Alistair to Gensokyo to engage in hilarious shenanigans with the SDM cast for comic relief? Stop trying to send him back.

Learn to read the mood.

(I had a feeling that Yukari would notice all that boundary-jumping...)

[X] Request that Ran releases you. It will be difficult to explain the situation while she is choking you.
[X] State that you are not directly responsible for the first six punctures. You were approached by someone from the Outside about employment, and both of you were unaware that his phoenix familiar's teleportation method was damaging the Boundary.
[X] Apologize for the last three. Those were your doing, and taking the legitimate method of crossing the Boundary via the Hakurei Shrine is too time consuming.
[X] Note that because of your pending employment, you will likely have to cross over several more times in the next two weeks. It would be a good idea to work out an arrangement to avoid another meeting like this one.
[X] Ask Ran to send the Outsider back to where he came from, if she doesn't want a tenth rupture today. And if you see her do it "properly" maybe you can adjust your method to avoid drawing the unwanted attention of annoyances such as a curious boundary youkai.
[X] Actually, also see if Ran can confirm that all of the first six ruptures were caused by the same creature -- if Dumbledore himself teleported in and out, as opposed to being carried by his very rare familiar, then what is to keep Gensokyo from being overrun by all those other bigoted wizards?

Now, on one hand, Ran if very probably more powerful than you, and possibly also Remila (EX-boss and all, not that Remi would ever admit to that possibility), but on the other, she's physically accosting you, in your own home, and in front of your servants and also your oldest friend. So...

[X] Preserve as much of your decorum as possible through all this. Even if you are partly at fault here, Ran is not behaving in a seemly manner. She has already lost her cool, so even if you are unlikely to be able to chastise her properly physically, you can at least gain some moral superiority points for being the reasonable one. And if you can shame her into apologizing for her needlessly unruly behavior, all the better.

[X] Request that Ran releases you. It will be difficult to explain the situation while she is choking you.
[X] State that you are not directly responsible for the first six punctures. You were approached by someone from the Outside about employment, and both of you were unaware that his phoenix familiar's teleportation method was damaging the Boundary.
[X] Apologize for the last three. Those were your doing, and taking the legitimate method of crossing the Boundary via the Hakurei Shrine is too time consuming.
[X] Note that because of your pending employment, you will likely have to cross over several more times in the next two weeks. It would be a good idea to work out an arrangement to avoid another meeting like this one.

I would challenge Ran to a spell card duel if she wasn't ex-class...

>>I would challenge Ran to a spell card duel if she wasn't ex-class...

I would challenge Ran to a Demolition Derby.

>>46795
Drinking Contest followed by Strip Poker would be my challenges of choice.

[X] Request that Ran releases you. It will be difficult to explain the situation while she is choking you.
[X] State that you are not directly responsible for the first six punctures. You were approached by someone from the Outside about employment, and both of you were unaware that his phoenix familiar's teleportation method was damaging the Boundary.
[X] Apologize for the last three. Those were your doing, and taking the legitimate method of crossing the Boundary via the Hakurei Shrine is too time consuming.
[X] Note that because of your pending employment, you will likely have to cross over several more times in the next two weeks. It would be a good idea to work out an arrangement to avoid another meeting like this one.
[X] Ask Ran to send the Outsider back to where he came from, if she doesn't want a tenth rupture today. And if you see her do it "properly" maybe you can adjust your method to avoid drawing the unwanted attention of annoyances such as a curious boundary youkai.
[X] Actually, also see if Ran can confirm that all of the first six ruptures were caused by the same creature -- if Dumbledore himself teleported in and out, as opposed to being carried by his very rare familiar, then what is to keep Gensokyo from being overrun by all those other bigoted wizards?
[X] Preserve as much of your decorum as possible through all this. Even if you are partly at fault here, Ran is not behaving in a seemly manner. She has already lost her cool, so even if you are unlikely to be able to chastise her properly physically, you can at least gain some moral superiority points for being the reasonable one. And if you can shame her into apologizing for her needlessly unruly behavior, all the better.

"Please release me." You request sternly.

Ran almost snarls a bit, but then there's a sharp noise, like the cocking of a gun. No, not like. You realize with a start that it is the cocking of a gun.

"Hey, I was wondering where this got to!" You hear Koakuma say from somewhere behind you, and you can see that Ran's attention is diverted. "I've been looking for it for a long time. Never did find out if I just set it down somewhere, or if one of the maids decided to move it. Guess it's the second, can't imagine why I'd decide to stick it behind some shelved books, here in the library entry."

"Why do you have a firearm?" Ran asked seriously, eyes narrowed and nose crinkled with distaste. "You know full well that it's outside the rules, and there's not much here you can harm permanently with it anyway."

"I stole it from a wizard." Was Koakuma's cheery reply. "... Not you, miss Patchouli. This guy was before... well, before your time for me, on a scale of linear one-day-after-the-next, I think it's another ten years or so before the kid grows up and summons me. Possibly in an alternate reality off to the side of this one, it gets pretty hard to tell them apart."

"I am well aware of the temporal and planar mechanics of diabolic summoning, thank you." You reply dryly.

Ran snorts in distaste and drops you, and you float gently down to the ground and back a bit.

"Look, I don't care." She says bluntly. "And I get that you might feel like coming and going sometimes, that's fine, it's not like this place is a prison. But nine times, in one day? That's just ridiculous! The Barrier can take it, but those holes aren't going to just patch themselves! Do you think Yukari is going to go out and stick it back together every time some youkai or wandering hermit, or mage with no sense goes through? No, that ends up being my job. And every so often is fine, patching a hole together is no big hardship on its own, just a bit of time down the drain. Even once or twice a week wouldn't be an issue. But nine times a day, and you are cutting into my Chen time."

"Be that as it may, I bear only minor culpability at best in the first six breaches. I was approached today by an individual from Outside, on a business related matter. I do not believe he was aware there was a Barrier to breach, though I must admit that I had not stopped to consider that his familiar's unique method of transport might leave damage in its wake."

"That's why those looked burnt, instead of just punctured, then..." Ran muses. "... Ugh. If it shows up again, I'm killing it. He can find a new familiar."

That would seem to confirm, then, that the travel was all performed by the phoenix, and Albus himself hadn't been involved. Which didn't rule out his having other means to travel here, but was something to consider.

"... The last three were entirely my fault." You admit. "I didn't feel like attempting to talk or bribe your mistress or that shrine maiden into lending their assistance, when I could simply deal with travel on my own."

"That only needs two." Ran grumbled. "One out, one back."

"I also didn't care to have to drag about heavy purchases for longer than necessary." You point out, ignoring Alistair's muttered complaint that he'd been the one doing the heavy lifting. It managed to turn Ran's attention to him, however, as her ears twitched and she frowned again.

".... And what's this, you're kidnapping outsiders now? That's outside our arrangement: we provide you with-"

"Technically." You interrupt. "Those arrangements only specify Remilia, her sister, and the head maid. Nothing is binding against actions I may, or may not, choose to take. Aside from that, his arrival here was an accident."

"A fortunate one." Remi says, eying Alistair as she might a platter of veal. "Not exactly to my preferences, but nice enough. By any chance, is his blood-type B? Those make for all manner of delicious games~"

"I have no intention of giving him to you." You rebuff without hesitation.

"Oh? And here I thought I would never see someone that could spark your libido~"

"I have no such interest in him." You deny frostily. "He has, however, been of use to me, and may continue to so serve."

"Ah, so cold of you, Patchy."

"I intend to return him to his point of origin immediately." You continue.

"Not today you aren't." Ran says with a glower. "If I have to duel you to exhaustion, and leave you so magically tired you can't light a candle for a week in order to keep you from poking holes in the barrier for a little while, I'll do it."

You pause for a moment, then wave it off.

"Then by all means, perhaps you should return him instead?"

Ran gave you a flat look.

"... I'm not sure whether or not you like this person much." She said seriously. "You won't give him to your friend, there, but you'll happily send him off to Yukari? Do you really expect her to just put him back without fuss, still in possession of all his limbs, organs, and mental health?"

"... I'm going to say right here, that there are a number of things with this conversation that are making me very uncomfortable." Alistair said.

"Quiet, you." You reply. "If you feel that way, you shouldn't have gone against my direct instructions and touched the portal. You've nobody but yourself to blame."

He sighs, almost in tandem with Ran.

"Well, if you insist, I can take him. Knowing full well that you're removing him from your position of relative power and handing over an outsider with no connections to any people or places she cares about or can retaliate against her, and who doesn't seem to be interesting enough to warrant any long-term interest from her that would require her to keep him of reasonably sound mind and body for the purpose of fulfilling whatever whimsical plot pops into her head."

"Keeping in mind that if he should never arrive at his destination, or not in a timely manner, we both know exactly where my attention will be directed in response, as well." You note.

"That will be all manner of comfort to him, I'm sure." Ran notes dryly.

"My discomfort is climbing rapidly, and I would like to say I am quite unsettled." Alistair says carefully, eyes drifting around in the effort of finding an exit that he might be able to make it to without having to go through the crowd between him and the doors.

"Yes, we can tell from the sweat." Ran replied shortly. "It makes you smell like wet dog, incidentally."

"Well, that's nice to hear." He grumbled.

"In any case." You interject. "It is likely that I will have to make at least a few more trips Outside in the coming fortnight, in preparation for impending employment."

"Fine, whatever." Ran says, turning back to you." Just not any more today or tomorrow, and try to keep it at a bare minimum.

You nod, and ponder which of the two might be the lesser evil, between sending Alistair off to Yukari and hoping she was in a mood to not simply toy with him, or keeping him here for a few days. In any case, it's drawing late, but there's still time enough for you to do a little more before you sleep, once things have settled here.

[ ] What do you do?

[x] You may as well use Alistair as help in making the schedule. It will take some time reading those books, but he should know if we ask for too much or too little for each year.
[x] Check the lunar calendar. Ask Sakuya for arrangements should the full moon be tonight or tomorrow. And for everyone's sake, not a cell in the basement.
[x] Explain to Alistair his situation. He'll be useless if he can't sleep because of worry.

[x] You may as well use Alistair as help in making the schedule. It will take some time reading those books, but he should know if we ask for too much or too little for each year.
[x] Check the lunar calendar. Ask Sakuya for arrangements should the full moon be tonight or tomorrow. And for everyone's sake, not a cell in the basement.
[x] Explain to Alistair his situation. He'll be useless if he can't sleep because of worry.

This

Why do I get the feeling that this is going to ultimately result in Flandre riding around on Werewolf-Alistair (who by this time has taken up a Bowler Cap as his headgear), laughing maniacally as both she and her werewolf mount cause an incident?

[x] You may as well use Alistair as help in making the schedule. It will take some time reading those books, but he should know if we ask for too much or too little for each year.
[x] Check the lunar calendar. Ask Sakuya for arrangements should the full moon be tonight or tomorrow. And for everyone's sake, not a cell in the basement.
[x] Explain to Alistair his situation. He'll be useless if he can't sleep because of worry.
[x] Officially introduce Alistair to the mansion's residents.

[x] You may as well use Alistair as help in making the schedule. It will take some time reading those books, but he should know if we ask for too much or too little for each year.
[x] Check the lunar calendar. Ask Sakuya for arrangements should the full moon be tonight or tomorrow. And for everyone's sake, not a cell in the basement.
[x] Explain to Alistair his situation. He'll be useless if he can't sleep because of worry.
[X] And even if the lunar cycle is... unfortunate, Moon is one of your elements. Perhaps you can do something to keep him human, or at least docile. The last thing you want is to make that wet dog smell even worse.

(heheh -- Chan time)

[x] You may as well use Alistair as help in making the schedule. It will take some time reading those books, but he should know if we ask for too much or too little for each year.
[x] Check the lunar calendar. Ask Sakuya for arrangements should the full moon be tonight or tomorrow. And for everyone's sake, not a cell in the basement.
[x] Explain to Alistair his situation. He'll be useless if he can't sleep because of worry.
[X] And even if the lunar cycle is... unfortunate, Moon is one of your elements. Perhaps you can do something to keep him human, or at least docile. The last thing you want is to make that wet dog smell even worse.
[x] Officially introduce Alistair to the mansion's residents.

Combining votes and and I see that Ran is kind of pedo-looking in this story. (I don't care how old Chen is, her apparent age is ~10-15 which will make it look bad to outsiders.) Also, Yukari is on the low end of her niceness scale.

Also, I hope the kid summoner is in a different timeline, as I would normally assume you can't summon Koakuma if someone else already has her. >.>

>>46807

You, sir, are quite obviously not aware of the temporal and planar mechanics of diabolic summoning.

[x] You may as well use Alistair as help in making the schedule. It will take some time reading those books, but he should know if we ask for too much or too little for each year.
[x] Check the lunar calendar. Ask Sakuya for arrangements should the full moon be tonight or tomorrow. And for everyone's sake, not a cell in the basement.
[x] Explain to Alistair his situation. He'll be useless if he can't sleep because of worry.
[x] Officially introduce Alistair to the mansion's residents.

>>46808
No, because Kahi here is using some set of mechanics I don't recognize. As such, I will generally work with the basic "only one Koakuma at a time" assumption. Otherwise I have to worry about what happens when you get two of them in a room.

[X] Alister was dumb enough to touch the portal, even though she told him not to. Let him reap the rewards. Send the werewolf to Yukari.

[x] You may as well use Alistair as help in making the schedule. It will take some time reading those books, but he should know if we ask for too much or too little for each year.
[x] Check the lunar calendar. Ask Sakuya for arrangements should the full moon be tonight or tomorrow. And for everyone's sake, not a cell in the basement.
[x] Explain to Alistair his situation. He'll be useless if he can't sleep because of worry.
[X] And even if the lunar cycle is... unfortunate, Moon is one of your elements. Perhaps you can do something to keep him human, or at least docile. The last thing you want is to make that wet dog smell even worse.
[x] Officially introduce Alistair to the mansion's residents.

>>46810
I think that what happens depends more on their respective moods at the time than anything else.

[x] Give Alistair to Remilia.

I like this Remilia~

[x] You may as well use Alistair as help in making the schedule. It will take some time reading those books, but he should know if we ask for too much or too little for each year.
[x] Check the lunar calendar. Ask Sakuya for arrangements should the full moon be tonight or tomorrow. And for everyone's sake, not a cell in the basement.
[x] Explain to Alistair his situation. He'll be useless if he can't sleep because of worry.
[X] And even if the lunar cycle is... unfortunate, Moon is one of your elements. Perhaps you can do something to keep him human, or at least docile. The last thing you want is to make that wet dog smell even worse.
[x] Officially introduce Alistair to the mansion's residents.
I thought Patchy would be more interested in the opportunity of studying a werewolf face to face, considering her relation to vampires and all.

[X] If it is unfavorable Moon. TELL THE OTHER RESIDENTS WHAT TO EXPECT

Best to avoid Remilia deciding Gungir him to death or Sakuya making him a pincushion with SILVER KNIVES. And if He tries to sneak out something for Meiling to formulate a possible takedown plan.

For some reason Meiling piledriving a WereWolf seems VERY amusing to me

By the sound of it, Yukari has entered a less-benevolent phase than normal, and there's no real way of telling how long it will last. Vexed though you might be, you aren't quite willing to subject Alistair to that just yet.

"I suppose, then, if Remilia is willing, the outsider can be housed here for a day or two." you decide.

"That's fine~" Remi says, as Ran seems to run through the last bit of her frustration rage and mutters something about 'seeing herself out'. Remi takes a moment to saunter up to Alistair, wings flapping ominously, as she reaches up to prod him in the chest.

"Tremble with Terrified Delight, mortal, for I, Remilia the Scarlet Devil, welcome you and offer the full.... though temporary, hospitality of the Scarlet Devil Mansion~"

Alistair stared blankly for several long moments as she waited in front of him, unmoving, for a response.

".... What?" He eventually managed.

Remi's smile cracked.

"What do you mean 'What'?"

"I'm just... not sure what you're talking about. It's an ominous name, but I've never actually heard of-"

"Of course you've heard of me! I was a Big Deal! Patchy! I terrorized and ground entire villages under my heel, they lived in constant fear for their lives from my fickle whims! Not backwater two or three family townships either, but real villages of hundreds of people, living by my sufferance alone! There were hunters from at least seven different countries after my head, back in those days. They aren't allowed to just forget that all that happened!"

"If I recall, I believe much of the hardship of those downtrodden peasants was later attributed to plague and famine." You think aloud.

"What rot is that? Plague? Feh. And if I felt like butchering filthy swineherds I did it with my own hands, not by starving them to death. My holdings always had enough food that I could afford taking other things without loss of productivity."

"Yes, even if you had to go out and slaughter the next town over to the last man and take their harvests in order to arrange it." You note dryly.

"Yes! And?" Remi barks, mood clearly soured. "Bah! Impudent mongrels, why I should remind them why they cower in fear of the night..."

Alistair looked worried as Remilia turned and stalked out, muttering direly to herself.

"That girl... ah, she's not going to actually go out and do anything... regrettable, is she?" He asked hesitantly, brow creased.

"That 'girl' is the owner and head of this house, and older you by far." You say. "I trust you will keep that in mind. In any case, I have no doubt she wants to head out and re-live the old times, just now, but she also has to consider that there will be drastic retaliations if she makes any actions against the Village. She might build up enough of a head of steam to decide on rampaging outside the Barrier for a while, but I've no intent of crossing that Shikigami just now, and if she tries to leave through normal channels, she'll likely either get distracted with her little infatuation, or the Shrine Maiden may intuit her plans and shut them down by force. It is unlikely, as such, that much will come of it, though she may deliberately torment the maids for a few days, to vent her frustrations. Sakuya, Lunar calendar."

"The moon is currently waxing strongly, miss." Sakuya said, causing Alistair to start and nearly stumble at her abrupt appearance. "The Grain moon rises on the night of the Nineteenth, and will wane after."

"Good..." You say, and Sakuya disappears after bowing slightly. "... a bit closer than I would have preferred, but nothing to prevent me from shipping you back that morning. I'm sure you have arrangements to deal with your issues at your home?"

"Ah, yes." Alistair manages to say, awkwardly. "One of the reasons I can't sell the house, I don't have anywhere else to set them up."

"Yes, I'm sure." You say. "In any case, the situation is thus: you are currently in the private home of a pair of powerful vampires: Remilia and her sister. The sister habitually remains in the basement and seldom leaves, further, she has little concept of her own strength or the relative fragility and mortality of others, and is capable of destroying anything not outright indestructible and everything tested thus far which had claimed to be such. I advise you not enter the basement, unless you have decided you have nothing remaining in your life worth extending it, in which case I do not doubt that venturing into its depths is the simplest available means to your end, and it will likely come swiftly enough that you will not register any pain. The head maid might be cross at the mess you leave behind, but as she can freely manipulate time and space at her whim, the remains will be neatly disposed of without significant delay. Moving along, this is my assistant, Koakuma."

"Hello, there~" She says slyly. "Aren't you an interesting sight."

"I will warn you in advance, if you wish to sleep with her, it will likely not be difficult for you to arrange, however doing so leaves you open and unguarded to a point where, if she so chooses, she can instantly and irreversibly devour your soul."

"Heeey, that's ancient and primitive superstition, nobody really believes that any more." Koakuma said, pouting. You stare witheringly at her for a long minute, and she clicks her tongue in disgust. ".... I'm a light eater?" She tried, this time going for a more subtle, more believable lie.

"In any case, I have no doubt she is capable of bringing you any amount of purely physical bliss." You continue dismissively. "And so I will leave you to make whatever decisions you feel necessary in that regard. I will admit that I can think of any number of experiments that I might run on the empty husk you would leave behind, but you are still of use to me alive, and now that I consider, I am sure that I might find some interest in the study of a live werewolf as well.

"... I'm starting to feel like I've accidentally signed up to be in someone's Dark Army." Alistair said, uncertainly.

"Do not trouble yourself. It is unlikely that I will require anything of you that would go against your... ah..."

There is a word. It is right on the tip of your tongue, but you can't for the life of you recall it enough to give it voice. You hate it when that happens. After a moment, you turn questioningly to Koakuma.

"You might be thinking of the word 'Ethics'." The little devil pipes up. "Or 'Morals', maybe."

Yes. Those. You nod.

"Anything your morals would oppose." You finish. Alistair is giving you a flat look by this time.

"... Well, the pay's good, and I haven't had to do anything clearly on the wrong side of the law for you, yet." He grudgingly admits. "... Which is a bit more than can be said for some other employers."

"In any case, given that you're here, I suppose I can use you to assist in outlining schedules." You decide.

"Hm, that? Well, two main options to go for there." Alistair says. "You can scatter all the classes through the bulk of the week, have two or three classes a day, and whatnot, like most instructors do. Or you can follow in the lead of old man Brunswick, who was more of a hands-on teacher... he would just pick one day a week, march the entire student body out onto the grounds, and then divide them into groups and have them sling spells at each other all day. 'Practical group duelling lessons' he called it. I think he was just taking advantage of the house rivalries to get the students to study on their own time, since they would have a chance to use it against the others every week, and then he could just play referee and eat lunch one day a week, and do almost nothing for the rest. Sadist of a man, he started bringing in dangerous creatures as practical experience... ended up getting torn into pieces by a chimaera he'd had shipped in to pit against the seventh years. Recieved some small award post-mortem, though, his students did unusually well on their defense exams."

"That seems to imply a remarkable lack of care for the health and well being of the students." You note.

"Oh, the woman in charge of the hospital wing is one of the best medical witches in the country, she can fix most anything if you get to her in time." Alistair replies, not actually answering your implied question.

[ ] What do you do?

[x] Ask Alistair about basic history. You don't know anything about the country.
[x] Go over some of the books.
[x] Sleep.

I like all your characters. ALL OF THEM. Except Sakuya.

Somehow I doubt this alternative class method would work very well for Patchouli. First off, if she happens to get really sick on the exact day of the classes, that's an entire week's worth of teaching gone. Secondly, spending a whole day out and about probably would do a number on her health, and finally I get the impression she would be more of a theoretical teacher than a practical one.

>>46819
We should do a mixture. Theoretical classes when Patchy feels terrible; practical classes when she feels great. If we ever know for certain that we'll be feeling great, we can schedule a large practical class. Make it an Event, something unusual, not something routine like this guy did.

15 days is going to take forever at this rate. It'd be funny if the story ended there.

>>46820
[X] Adapt a hybrid system. While we can easily teach them Theory, encouraging at times more active lessons may prove beneficial for both our health and the student's growth

And hell if worse come to worse on the "Show by example" days we could have Koakuma give a lesson on Focus while spell dueling. (Because she likely is quite distracting at times)

And if a student gets badly injured consider it a Risk of the Class and be thankful that there is a trained Medic on the grounds to patch them up. In the real world they'd not be so lucky.

[x] Ask Alistair about basic history. You don't know anything about the country.
[x] Go over some of the books.
[x] Sleep.

It looks like Patchy will finally learn of Harry Potter in the next update or two. She might try to get him as a test subject if Avada Kedavra performs as advertised on youkai. Immunity to instant death is always nice.

[x] Ask Alistair about basic history. You don't know anything about the country.
[x] Go over some of the books.
[x] Sleep.

>>46818
It's not like she got much spotlight so far. Give her a chance.

>>46820
I'm sure we'll skip forward a bit once everythign is done.

What we have left... Deciding coursebooks. Deciding what we'll teach for each year. Deciding schedule. Getting all this to Albus (sending list not doable until day after tomorrow unless we want Ran on our ass). Deciding what to do with library and doing it. Stocking up on medecine. We should also visit the actual school too and see if the classroom we get needs anything done to it. Maybe we can give list and schedule in person and do this in the same occasion?

>>46822
>>46818
Guys, I think we're supposed to pick class schedules right now. Or something.
[X] Adapt a hybrid system. While we can easily teach them Theory, encouraging at times more active lessons may prove beneficial for both our health and the student's growth
[x] Ask Alistair about basic history. You don't know anything about the country.
[x] Go over some of the books.
[x] Sleep.


We ARE bringing Koa along, right?

>>46825
We can think about schedule tomorrow. May as well see what they actually learn first.

And I'm sure we're bringing Koa. Going to need a substitute teacher for sickier days.

The rumor mill will go nuts over Koa. Completely nuts. Patchy will probably get parents demanding her head within the first week.

... Of course we're bringing her.

I agree we need to know at least a little more about the students' backgrounds before we can make any decisions as to class content or structure. I have the suspicion Patchy will be at least mildly horrified by their ignorance.

[x] Ask Alistair about basic history. You don't know anything about the country.
[x] Go over some of the books.
-- [x] Skim all of them first, ordering them by interest. You can start reading at the "most interesting" end and have Koakuma start preparing summaries from the other end.
There is a lot on your plate right now and that's what assistants are for. You can always read them fully later if you run out of time.
[x] Ask Sakuya to prepare sleeping arrangements for Alistair.
[x] Sleep.

[x] Ask Alistair about basic history. You don't know anything about the country.
[x] Go over some of the books, planning a hybrid training schedule in advance.
[x] Sleep.

>>46827
On the other hand, some of the, shall we say, shadier folk might appreciate a teacher who successfully commands a little devil.

>>46829
Or a not so little devil, as it may be.

[X]Acquire basic information about your position from Allistor.
[X]Set Koa to sorting the purchased books with Alistor's help
[X]Assume Sakuya has already taken care of Alistor's quarters because she's the *Perfect and Elegant Maid*
[X]Rest

[x] Is this job going to involve any... politics?

You consider for a moment, realizing you can see the benefits of either course of action. The more practical, unified, day-long meetings would clearly be better for the students grades, but if planned out in advance, your health could interfere drastically with things, prompting regular rescheduling of class meetings. The other would be easier on your bad days, though it would be more heavily focused on theory. Not a bad thing, in and of itself, you suppose, as you somehow suspect with the more-than-implied reduced standards their theory grounding will prove to be abysmal.

For the moment, you tentatively decide that you will settle for a hybridization, taking both options. The classes will, in this case, meet when you call them, and remain for as long as you feel like, with however much warning you care to give in advance. You suspect that the other instructors will be less than pleased with this outlined schedule. Then, you don't care what their opinions might be anyway.

"Tell me a little about Britain's history. I haven't bothered to look that way in some time." You say aloud, as you begin picking up and leafing through books. Your attention cannot be much divided if you are fully engrossed in a text, but you are fully capable of listening to someone speak and idly glancing through to see if anything looks interesting, and thence to order them by amount of interest.

"Hoo boy." Alistair says quietly, as you finish flipping through a book and set it aside. "Well, you should know in advance that history classes are kind of a joke at Hogwarts. I can go into great detail about the minutiae of roughly a half dozen goblin rebellions throughout history, and a couple more I don't recall quite as well, but those all essentially boil down to 'we won, and things returned to business as normal inside a week, once the goblins' tempers cooled'. Aside from that, well... you only really learn that if you have a personal interest in history, and study outside of requirements. I didn't, really, so I'm rather limited to more recent events. I'm... afraid that may be a significant part of why I irritated the young... er, the vampire that... your friend, earlier. It's possible that if she was speaking to a historian instead, they would have recognized her from the name. Or, if she was causing such a ruckus, it's almost certain the ministry of the time sent some of their people in to try to deal with the situation... and given that she's still here, they undoubtedly failed... and so it's not impossible that the ministry of the time censored knowledge of her, or fudged documents to indicate that she had been put down, once she stopped constantly being in the public eye and making noise."

You frown at the suggestion, but have to admit it is not outside the realm of possibility.

"Limit yourself to more recent events, then, as well as things that everyone is expected to know."

"Alright... well, the biggest thing is Merlin. The most powerful wizard anyone can recall, he lived well over a thousand years ago, though we can't pin down exactly when. Possibly two or three thousand. People still swear by his name today. Um. I'm afraid that's all anyone really knows about him anymore, but common perception of him is as a bearded old man similar to Dumbledore, though... rather more sedately dressed. About a thousand years ago are the Founders. We don't know much about them either, except that they built Hogwarts in a night to themselves, a magical feat that even a hundred of the best of our architects working in perfect unison could not possibly replicate today."

Depending on the size of the castle, and your state of health, and the day of the week, you don't doubt you could mimic the feat alone. Still, you nod absently as you continue moving books around, considering the story. It fits with what you know of Magic in the Outside having begun to drain away at some point, which is why the Barrier of Gensokyo went up in the first place, when everything is boiled down. Magic draws and breeds magic, however, so even without walls to contain, reinforce, and reflect it back inward, you doubt magic will ever completely die out in the Outside, so long as herds of magical creatures exist, and magic-users, though diminished in number and by far in potency, continue to congregate.

"In any case, we also know that Godric Griffindor had a fine sword, Helga Hufflepuff had a chalice with some manner of enchantment, Rowena Ravenclaw had a tiara or diadem said to increase the wearer's wisdom, and that Salazar Slytherin supposedly built a secret chamber into the castle, inside of which a horrible monster lairs, which nobody can ever confirm to have seen. Aside from that, we know that they made the Sorting Hat, which defies study even to this day, supposedly that Slytherin objected to having magical students of non-magical parentage, and at some point he left the school, possibly after coming to blows with someone or leaving behind heated words, after which Griffindor hunted him down and hacked him into six pieces before returning, still dripping with gore. We usually leave that bit off when telling the tale to children."

You set a book in between the others, having begun to subtly arrange them by which seems to be more creature oriented, spell oriented, or curse avoidance and survival oriented, as well as by interest.

"Aside from that there's not much until... the recent rise and fall of Grindelwald, though that was over on the continent and didn't affect Britain too much until Dumbledore went and dealt with everything somehow, so I'm afraid I don't know much about that. Then the Dark Lord of Britain rose... you'll forgive me, but he placed a Taboo on his name, such that he and his followers know when it is spoken, and so we do not speak it aloud... though if you insist, I shall write it for you, later. He rose, and while Dumbledore kept the worst of him at bay, the havoc he set loose was still mightily terrible to live through, and powerful though he may be, the old man never seemed to prove able to finish matters for good. Then, a miracle occurred. He murdered a family one night, and yet, when he turned wand against their infant son... his killing curse failed."

The sense of mildly awestruck wonder Alistair says this with, as though he is speaking of some vast accomplishment, nearly makes you choke, until you realize that he does, indeed, believe it honestly to be an incredible accomplishment. A miracle, as he himself said. Which is, of course, ridiculous: spells and curses attempting to inflict instant death on their victim are, by their very nature, shoddy and unreliable when turned against beings with any sort of grasp and aptitude for magic, and sufficiently sturdy connection to the mystical energy. It would nearly always simply fail outright to traumatize such a person's being sufficiently, or to shake loose enough anything to actually cause the death it intended. The least useful of spells, reliable only to slaughter livestock cleanly for butchery, or drive away less advanced, but threatening animals...

...

For the magical society of the outside to have become so degraded... You had known, intellectually, but it had not really clicked to you before, just how far they had fallen, how very near they were to no longer having any magic at all, to call their own. You clearly have your work cut out for you.

"-and anyway, the lad seems to gather public interest every now and again, and he and Dumbledore are currently insisting that the Dark Lord has resurrected himself somehow, but aside that the only noteworthy thing I know of is when Lockheart was admitted a couple years back to St. Mungo's for accidentally self-inflicted memory erasure, and I'm sure that means absolutely nothing to you, except that he's not writing books any more."

You suddenly realize that you are flipping through a book written by the man in question. Though the information inside all certainly seems valid enough, it reads more like an escapist fantasy novel, and the man takes frequent pauses to wax eloquently about himself. Even so, it is tragic when misfortune befalls an author, even one of clearly only minor talent at very best.

"Unfortunate." You say aloud, setting the book right at the lower end of the interest spectrum. "I have grown tired, though... fortunately, I was able to finish this preparation." You continue, waving at the arrangement of texts, tomes, and novels.

You yawn softly behind one hand, as Alistair glances over it, seeming to be attempting, and failing, to figure out how it all fits together.

"Koakuma." You instruct. "I want you to begin summarizing and taking notes of important information from these, beginning at that end." You wave abstractly towards the Lockheart novels. The devil frowns.

"You know, I do need some sleep to function..." She says carefully.

"Then sleep, wake early, and begin then." You specify. "In the meantime, I'm sure Sakuya has prepared quarters for you, and possibly an evening repast."

"Indeed, miss." Sakuya says, deliberately from just behind and to the right of Alistair. "If you would follow me, sir?"

"Don't think I'll ever get used to that." Alistair mumbles to himself as he is lead out.

With your day complete, you retire to your private quarters and sleep.

---

The day is Aug 18, 14 days to term, early morning.
It is Thursday: Day of Jupiter and Wood. Wood-related magics come easier and to greater effect for you, today.
Your health level is 20/100: You feel terrible today. More terrible than normal, even. Pale, feverish, nauseated, and with a wracking cough. These are the sort of days where you might consider taking medication, if you absolutely must get out of bed.

You have two vials of medication. One dose is one full vial. Taking more than one dose results in an Overdose, which lowers your health.

One dose of medicine will increase today's health by 5d4 points, however, half that amount will be removed from your health level tomorrow.

[ ] What do you do?

Are you rolling these health levels?
In any case,

[x]Stay in bed.
It's not as if we're in any big hurry to do anything, right now.

Not much for it. (Eirin can only manage +5d4? Yeesh. Pomfrey's going to be completely useless, then.)

[X] Stay in bed. Trust Sakuya to take care of the guest if he starts getting antsy. And maybe having to play host will calm Remilia down a bit.
[X] Have Koakuma read some of the more interesting books to you, at least during your more lucid moments. Who knows? It might help take your mind off how miserable you feel.

Other than that, the day's probably pretty much a wash.

[X] Stay in bed.
[X] Have Koa bring her summaries to you when she's finished, and to get Alistor to help with them if need be.
[X] Rest.

[X] Stay in bed. Trust Sakuya to take care of the guest if he starts getting antsy. And maybe having to play host will calm Remilia down a bit.
[X] After she has finished the summaries, have Koakuma read some of the more interesting books to you, at least during your more lucid moments. Who knows? It might help take your mind off how miserable you feel.
[X] Rest.

[X] Stay in bed.
[X] Have Koa bring her summaries to you when she's finished, and to get Alistor to help with them if need be.
[X] Rest.

I hope you're willing to fudge health rolls enough we can avoid getting fired. This is going to be a short CYOA if Patchy has a bunch of these days in a row at the beginning of the year, especially if they coincide with the days we'd be able to hold the classes.

It'll probably take a bit before the other teachers are willing to believe Koakuma won't eat the students on days she has to be the teacher for us.

[X] Stay in bed.
[X] Have Koa bring her summaries to you when she's finished, and to get Alistor to help with them if need be.
[X] Rest.

[x] Stay in bed.
[x] Start reading from the interesting pile.
[x] Would Sakuya mind picking up more medication for you?

Clearly we should have a bed in the classroom. Or a classroom in the bedroom.

Ooh ooh, walking bed! We need a walking bed! A handsome bed, trotting down the hallways~ glorious~

[x] Stay in bed.
[x] Have Koakuma bring her summaries to you when she's finished, and to get Alistair to help with them if need be.
[x] Read from the pile of reports.
[x] Call Alistair to ask about devices which might govern time ( Time Turners)
[x] Ask if Sakuya may be able to procure one for you. (Or if she already has one? eg. her pocket watch)
[x] Rest

Well, can't Patchy just redo the days she would miss because she was sick in bed if she had procured a time turner, that she might see mentioned in Lockhart's books. Clearly a possible choice.

[X] Stay in bed.
[X] Have Koa bring her summaries to you when she's finished, and to get Alistor to help with them if need be.
[X] Rest.
Research about the time Turners can wait. They will all be destroyed around the fifth book anyway.

>>46844
Dude, it's just one day. No need to break out into time shenanigans now. So long as we can have schedule and coursebooks decided about one week and a half before term, Albus should be happy.

>>46846
If we make our own material, we don't necessarily need it finished before the term starts. We can always keep writing it while teaching. That'd take a lot of the time crunch off.

>>46846
And we can have Alistor and Koa be prepared to hand out lessons in theory should we be bedridden for a couple days. Surely they can be trusted to read out notes?

>>46848
Taking Alistair is a terrible idea. However, he has a nice, big house...

[x] Ask Alistair if his house has room for the library.

>>46849
I very, very much doubt Patchouli has anywhere near enough trust in Alistair to ask him this. We are staying at the castle after all and I doubt Patchouli would move her books to an unknown place.

She hasn't even informed him of her chronic case of Oh Dear I Think I Just Vomited My Lungs Out yet. Which she'll probably have to do, seeing as he's going to be stuck here for a while, and she might as well get some use out of him in the interim.

>>46850
You'd rather trust Dumbledore? There's enough knowledge in there to win several wars. Even if he does resist temptation and find a way to keep it secret, that castle has a terrible, terrible track record for secrets. I guarantee someone will stumble into it.

Sounds fun.

>>46852
You think we won't put any protection on the books if we take them with us?

Also, considering the number of said books, they'll most probably have to be stored in something with expanded space inside. If we take them of course.

You reflect that now would be a good time to medicate yourself, but you have no intention of keeping Alistair here longer than absolutely necessary, especially with a full moon rising tomorrow night, and don't intend to run the risk of backlash making tomorrow worse.

You tug at your connection to Koa. Lightly, not enough to tear her through time and space to your side, but enough to let her know that her presence is required immediately. She enters the room with an armful of papers, Alistair trailing confusedly behind her. He seemed somewhat sullen over something, but is startled when he sees your current condition. You imagine you look a haggard mess.

"Bad day, huh?" She says, with no actual empathy or compassion for your plight, a simple statement of fact. "Well, I've got some of those summaries you wanted: it'll pretty much take me the whole rest of the day to finish the rest of them. I guess this guy might be able to help, but he picked up one of those Lockheart books once I finished with it, and he's still not a quarter done, yet."

"I never claimed to be a... a researcher, or a speed-reader. I'm re-reading it for nostalgia." Alistair grumbles. "In any case, I think I'd like to complain about that maid. She put me in a doghouse, on the grounds!"

"Was it uncomfortable?" You rasp slowly.

"... Well, no." He admits after a moment. "It was actually quite roomy and spacious, and had a four-poster bed with silk sheets, and had a fully-stocked mini-bar and icebox, as well as a stove-top and oven... It's just the principle of it."

You wave off his complaints, disinterested.

"Take no insult against your condition... she'd have put you there even were you not a werewolf." You say slowly.

"That isn't exactly comforting." he notes with a sigh, as Koakuma sets her papers down next to your bed.

"Koakuma, have the maids bring... tea and light food." You instruct, then break down into a short coughing fit. "... Then continue your task, and bring your summaries as you complete them. Alistair... do as you please."

"If it's all the same to you, I think I should prefer to stay in the library for the day." Alistair says, just a hint of anxiety coloring his tone. "This mansion... well, it doesn't strike me as being the wisest of plans to wander around it unguarded, and nobody's ever accused me of being a Griffindor."

"As you wish." You say. "Do not venture into the depths of the shelves.... restrict yourself to reading yesterday's purchases... once Koa is finished with them. Meddle with nothing else, no matter what she says, or implies."

"Oh, believe me, I should think I'd need a little longer than this to forget that lesson." Alistair remarks wryly. "I'll be keeping my hands to myself."

"Good." You rasp. "Many of the books... cannot be read by those below... certain levels of ability. Some will... assault those who make such attempts.... among other things."

"Well, that's good to hear." Alistair remarks idly. "Suppose you've got some other manners of horrific defenses set up against intruders and thieves?"

"Do not venture into the depths of the shelves." You restate firmly.

"Capital." Alistair mumbles under his breath, shaking his head. "Well, I'll just have a sit down and spend the day re-reading Lockheart, shall I?"

You wave him off as fairies float in, carrying between them a tea set, a small platter of sliced fruits, and a stoppered bottle of some strong drink. You will only partake lightly of that last, else you know full well that you won't retain anything you read.

As the day progresses, you find that Lockheart's novels were particularly useless, each containing at most two or three spells highly specific to the exact sort of situation that the man wrote of, and entirely useless under any other conditions. The man would almost have to be some kind of remarkably skilled genius, when put under pressure, and incredibly lucky to boot, that everything had lined up just-so. It would make up for his not being at all capable at writing, if you actually believed the man was both that skilled and fortunate and could wax poetic about the shine of his teeth and wave of his own hair for three pages. It's almost a shame that, if you understand right, the man no longer has any memories of any of this, nor of writing anything, so attempting to interrogate him later would be pointless.

Once past that, things begin to look up, becoming more focused and interesting to you, as you mentally categorize the books. Which advises what in which situation, which covers this, but omits that, which focuses more heavily on one area and only lightly touches on the others, if at all... You take frequent breaks, as your capacity to intake the summaries outstrips Koakuma's ability to produce them, just a bit. It's late into the evening by the time you have a reasonably solid grasp of all the books contents: the two that Alistair advised you buy are, indeed, the most thorough and comprehensive, though each have their own failings as well. You suspect, however, that either would be a suitable text for all seven years worth of students, and they would not have to purchase another through their entire scholastic career.

Naturally, you muse, you can make a better one, but that will take an investment of time and effort, and you haven't decided if you want to bother, or how to go about it if you do. You decide to sleep on it, as you set the final summary to the side.

---

The day is Aug 19, 13 days to term, early morning. The full moon rises tonight.
It is Friday: Day of Venus and Metal. Metal-related magics come easier and to greater effect for you today.
Your health level is 90/100: your various maladies are hardly giving you any trouble at all today. You feel fantastic, to tell the truth. An excellent time to force the laws of nature to bend to your whim.

[ ] What do you do?

[x] Decide on a book, one of the better ones. Even if they have their failings, we can use our own knowledge for that. Students can take notes after all.
[x] Explore your options for a schedule, narrow them as much as possible.
[x] Plans for the afternoon: send Alistair back to his home. Then use that portal too and then go to Hogwarts from there. Ran will be less annoyed by one breach rather than two.
[x] See if you can find Albus to give the coursebook we selected and discuss the schedules options. Then see if you can visit the school a bit, the classroom you'll use and teh room you'll get.

Great luck! This is a bit long term for one choice point but if we can pull this off today, only thing left will be getting more medecine and deciding what to do with the books. Of course, we need to read the selected book more thoroughly, but we'll have time.

Also, first point is a mix of selecting one of the book recommended by Alistair and our own materials. Won't use up as much time and will keep quality of taught content high.

And since we're unsure on schedules, may as well go and discuss it with Albus.

[x] Prepare to write a textbook on Elementalism.
[x] Start summoning demons.
[x] Teleport to Hogwarts. Take Alistair.
[x] Discuss schedule and plans with Dumbledore or other teachers. See the grounds.

I don't like the look of these books. And Koakuma is awesome, so more devils must be even more awesome, right?

>>46860
Summoning demons without a task in mind?

No, not awesome. Just a waste of power that may affect Patchouli's health.

>>46862
To work on the book. Duh.

>>46863
Ah, my bad.

But frankly, I see no point in educating all years on elementalism for one year. And you do realize we would then need to find and contact a printing group to mass-produce said book for the students and more?

>>46864
Elementalism is Patchy's specialty; she can probably write a truly worthwhile book about it. Introducing students to a new school of magic seems pretty damn useful (and fun) to me. That we're teaching them this instead of how to block the Killing Curse is the icing on the cake.

As for the printing, eh... we'll cross that bridge if we come to it. We probably won't.

Probably better off taking the time to brush up on Homunculus construction, it may add some time at the front-end, but it'll save you from having to carefully review the finished work to make sure the demons didn't sneak in any Hidden Fun Stuff(tm).

>>46864
>they built Hogwarts in a night to themselves, a magical feat that even a hundred of the best of our architects working in perfect unison could not possibly replicate today."
>Depending on the size of the castle, and your state of health, and the day of the week, you don't doubt you could mimic the feat alone.

I'm sure she can handle a couple hundred books.

[x] Decide on a book, one of the better ones. Even if they have their failings, we can use our own knowledge for that. Students can take notes after all.
[x] Explore your options for a schedule, narrow them as much as possible.
[x] Plans for the afternoon: send Alistair back to his home. Then use that portal too and then go to Hogwarts from there. Ran will be less annoyed by one breach rather than two.
[x] See if you can find Albus to give the coursebook we selected and discuss the schedules options. Then see if you can visit the school a bit, the classroom you'll use and teh room you'll get.

[x] Decide on a book, one of the better ones. Even if they have their failings, we can use our own knowledge for that. Students can take notes after all.
[x] Explore your options for a schedule, narrow them as much as possible.
[x] Plans for the afternoon: send Alistair back to his home. Then use that portal too and then go to Hogwarts from there. Ran will be less annoyed by one breach rather than two.
[x] See if you can find Albus to give the coursebook we selected and discuss the schedules options. Then see if you can visit the school a bit, the classroom you'll use and the room you'll get.

[x] Decide on a book, one of the better ones. Even if they have their failings, we can use our own knowledge for that. Students can take notes, after all.
[x] Explore your options for a schedule, narrow them as much as possible.
[x] Plans for the afternoon: send Alistair back to his home. Then use that portal too and then go to Hogwarts from there. Ran will be less annoyed by one breach rather than two.
[x] See if you can find Albus to give the coursebook we selected and discuss the schedules options. Then see if you can visit the school a bit, the classroom you'll use and the room you'll get.
[X] Also while at Hogworts, ask the library staff for a complete inventory of their own holdings, with the intention of (1) acquiring or coping any other interesting texts you may still be missing, and (2) preparing an "optional" supplementary reading list for your students, to help differentiate the exceptional from the rest. Naturally, there's no particular reason to mention (1) to anyone else. Be sure to double-check what is actually available once you are stationed here and have more time.
[X] If we have time while there, also quiz the resident medical personnel on the limits of their abilities. Alistair seemed to indicate a rather casual disregard for student health, and exploiting this would be extremely useful for "practical demonstrations" purposes. But it would not do to accidentally kill or irrecoverably maim your students. At least not if they didn't deserve it.

(It may be best not to bother Dumbledore personally with the last two.)

Can we get an explanation of how the health is rolled, and what numbers mean what levels of health?

I also don't hold much hope for the Hogwart's library. If the Headmaster offered his personal collection, and that was mostly lacking, why would a school library be much better? Especially if the books you are interested in (i.e. Diabolism) are frowned upon/considered dangerous by said headmaster.

[x] Decide on a book, one of the better ones. Even if they have their failings, we can use our own knowledge for that. Students can take notes, after all.
[x] Explore your options for a schedule, narrow them as much as possible.
[x] Plans for the afternoon: send Alistair back to his home. Then use that portal too and then go to Hogwarts from there. Ran will be less annoyed by one breach rather than two.
[x] Additional plans for the afternoon: contact Eirin to get extra medicine created. It may take some time, and you will likely need more than two bottles for an entire year abroad. It would be a hassle to be forced to run back to Gensoukyou every time you get sick.
[x] See if you can find Albus to give the coursebook we selected and discuss the schedules options. Then see if you can visit the school a bit, the classroom you'll use and the room you'll get.
[x] If we have time while there, also quiz the resident medical personnel on the limits of their abilities. Alistair seemed to indicate a rather casual disregard for student health, and exploiting this would be extremely useful for "practical demonstrations" purposes. But it would not do to accidentally kill or irrecoverably maim your students. At least not if they didn't deserve it.

[x] Decide on a book, one of the better ones. Even if they have their failings, we can use our own knowledge for that. Students can take notes, after all.
[x] Explore your options for a schedule, narrow them as much as possible.
[x] Plans for the afternoon: send Alistair back to his home. Then use that portal too and then go to Hogwarts from there. Ran will be less annoyed by one breach rather than two.
[x] See if you can find Albus to give the coursebook we selected and discuss the schedules options. Then see if you can visit the school a bit, the classroom you'll use and the room you'll get.
[X] Also while at Hogworts, ask the library staff for a complete inventory of their own holdings, with the intention of (1) acquiring or coping any other interesting texts you may still be missing, and (2) preparing an "optional" supplementary reading list for your students, to help differentiate the exceptional from the rest. Naturally, there's no particular reason to mention (1) to anyone else. Be sure to double-check what is actually available once you are stationed here and have more time.
[X] If we have time while there, also quiz the resident medical personnel on the limits of their abilities. Alistair seemed to indicate a rather casual disregard for student health, and exploiting this would be extremely useful for "practical demonstrations" purposes. But it would not do to accidentally kill or irrecoverably maim your students. At least not if they didn't deserve it.

>>46872 Bumblebee doesn't necessarily know we'd want a given book, nor can we assume Patchy hasn't lost any other books mid-read. Also, if we want the students to demonstrate their ability to gain knowledge outside the classroom, it's best to give them a list of relevant texts.

Well, one book I know she does not yet have and might be at least mildly interested in is not very rare at all: the omni-present Hogwarts: A History.

[X] Check with Ran/Yukari about how much they'll let you go through the Barrier over the next couple weeks and over the school year. Don't want angry Shinigami(sp) after us just because we've hooked our Library to some secure door in this Hogwarts place.
[x] Decide on a book, one of the better ones. Even if they have their failings, we can use our own knowledge for that. Students can take notes after all.
[X]If we do visit Hogwarts today, request the marks and records of the current 6 years of returning students (first years will have no such record) for this class. Analyze them at a later date.

You spend a few minutes, as you rise, considering the matter at hand. Eventually, you decide that you don't really want to go to the effort to draft a text of your own, when you already have a pair that can do the job reasonably well, and you have less than two weeks before the start of term. Had Alistair not suggested them, of course, and had you been forced to select from the still more inferior options available, that might not have remained the case.

A primer for elementalism is a thought you've had before, but you quickly dismiss it. You are not, at this time, interested in assembling such a work. Besides, it's almost certain that the black-white would set out to purloin a copy if she heard you were making such an effort towards a goal like that.

"Jolly good." He says, when you pass the decision along. "They were the competing class texts of my parent's school days, you know, either one will more than get the job done. You would have expected them to go out of date by now, but remarkably enough, most spells and the habits of hungry beasts don't actually change all that much as the decades pass. And certainly, new spells are invented, but they seldom fall into common use, while old standbies like stunners, severing charms, and explosive hexes never really go away. Lots of room for advancement, in some respects, but it very seldom works better than the old ways."

You nod, considering the books in question as Koakuma orders the rest, setting them aside to be enchanted, and from there properly sorted and filed into the Archive as a whole.

"Aside from advanced details, which I suspect the majority of students will never need to know or care about beyond abstract theoretical knowledge to answer test questions with..." You muse. "... This text is significantly light on creatures, only bringing up a few as examples here and there, and not going into particular detail. This other one, however, is lighter on incantations and defensive wardings than I would prefer."

"Well, to be perfectly frank, miss, there is a class specifically to study the Care of Magical Creatures, and there's really quite a lot of overlap for defense purposes." Alistair muses. "... Another of the sort of class the quidditch teams prefer, I must admit. Very seldom see them in runic studies or arithmancy, but less mentally taxing courses, like that, and the fluffier sort where you can just fudge the answers and nobody will ever be able to tell the difference, if you're clever about it, like Divination? Oh yes, you'll see them in those most definitely. But, ah, I suppose that's rather entirely beside the point."

"In that case... this text would be the superior option, from what is available." You confirm, setting the other aside to where Koakuma rapidly snatched it up.

From there, your mind turned to schedules. However, there was little more you could determine, in that regard, aside from your previous idea of simply holding the classes whenever and wherever you felt like, for as long as you pleased, and forcing the other instructors to simply work around that. If you adhered to the more standard schedule, however, then separating twenty eight blocks of students into five days, leaving the weekends off... hm. Presuming you did not bunch any of the different dormitories together, that would be between five and six class meetings a day, to meet with one group once a week. If you made all of your meetings involve two of the different Houses, however, then that was only half as many separate groups, and only two or three meetings a day, to the same result. Keeping all the years apart, but grouping the Houses together does not seem to be an option that has been brought up, but you consider it, and it would only require one or two class meetings a day. This is presuming you allow weekends off, of course, as if you add them onto the class meeting schedule the students will no doubt be incensed with you, but it would reduce the number of meetings per day to four, two, and one meeting per day, respectively, for every given arrangement of houses.

You hesitate to make a solid decision on any definite schedule, yet, deciding to wait for more information.

You would be willing to head of to Diagon Alley, and after dropping Alistair off, to Hogwarts, immediately, save that the place still seems significantly behind you, in respect to time zones. At the moment, it's probably somewhere shortly after midnight there. You should probably give it a few more hours at least, if you intend to make one trip of it, rather than potentially upsetting the shikigami by pitching Alistair off to make his way home, then making your own trip later.

On that note, a thought occurs to you.

"Yakumo." You say, rising to your feet. "... Yukari." You continue.

After a long moment, in which you begin to feel slightly foolish under Alistair's staring, but do not break position, a line opens in the air and Yukari's head lowers through, fan held casually in front of her face.

".... My my. I might expect such intuition from the shrine maiden. But how on earth did you realize I was watching, I wonder?"

You didnt, as it happens. You just considered the fact that Yukari might take some interest in anything that had upset her Shikigami to deal with, and so she could be looking this way, although likely not with any specific intensity or focus. With the fact that you wanted a word with her or her shikigami anyway, the only risk was that if she wasn't, you would look odd in front of people who weren't likely to pass tale of it along.

It's not like you're going to admit that, though.

"That's not important." You say, dismissing the matter even as Alistair's confused gaze flicks rapidly between you and the apparently disembodied, upside-down head and bit of arm. "I wanted to discuss something with you, anyway."

Yukari's head retracts into the gap. Then she bulges back out of it, upward, floating fully out and above it only to settle down onto it as an impromptu seat.

"Speak your mind." She directs bemusedly, folding her fan and waving it at you like an imperious queen.

"Your shikigami mentioned preferring I keep travel through the barrier to a 'minimum'. She was rather vague on that, however."

"Oh, go to and from as much as you please, I certainly do." Yukari responds flippantly.

"I would rather avoid embittering your servant towards me, if at all possible." You say reprovingly. "I was hoping, however, that you could offer me firmer numbers: how many breaches would be acceptable per day, or week, or month, before Ran's temper sets to a boil over the repair."

"Hmm... that's a triiicky question." Yukari muses almost seriously. "I'd have to say I can't really answer that for you, with any definite numbers, because there are so many variables to consider. Why, Ran's mood, whether she's woken up with a hangover, if other things are bearing on her mind, or if she's procured zoo-tickets for herself and Chen... why any of these could have drastic effects on exactly how much she is willing to tolerate."

You just know she's grinning in amusement behind that fan.

"... In that case, another matter I wished to consider with someone more involved with and aware of the intricacies of the Barrier than I am. I had considered linking one end of a portal here, and another to a place outside, and thence making the connection semi-permanent-"

"That's a no." Yukari interrupts without hesitation, suddenly serious as she points the tip of her fan directly at you. "Little, quick breaches that are sealed up and repaired shortly after they are made, that's one thing. A breach maintaining an extended duration, however? Why, that's quite another story entirely. I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that. Not the way you do it, at least."

Yukari smirked, and flipped the fan open again, eyes gleaming with interest in the situation.

"Naturally, I could arrange such a thing, in a way that does not cause harm to the Barrier. But my, that would be quite a lot of work indeed. I simply couldn't put myself to that sort of effort without repayment, you understand."

[ ] What do you do?

[x]From what Ran told you, Yukari did enter a less-benevolent phase. Hear what repayment she would want, but expect the worst.
[x]Consider if said price is worth it.
[x]With time to burn, you may as well go and stock up on medecine. Or maybe have Koakuma do it. After that's done, you should start looking up on enhancing the defences if there's still more time left before going out.

[x]From what Ran told you, Yukari did enter a less-benevolent phase. Hear what repayment she would want, but expect the worst.
[x]Consider if said price is worth it.
[x]With time to burn, you may as well go and stock up on medecine. Or maybe have Koakuma do it. After that's done, you should start looking up on enhancing the defences if there's still more time left before going out.

I suddenly have the thought that the whole "Moon Invasion" thing occured while Yukari was in a not-so-benevolent mood...
Whelp, it's not like we haven't messed up before!

[x]From what Ran told you, Yukari did enter a less-benevolent phase. Hear what repayment she would want, but expect the worst.
[X]raise the idea of moving the Library, temporarily, to a Border-inside-the-Border, where you would be able to control access on your end while Outside, and Yukari/Ran would control access to Gensoukyo on their end. You would get access to the Library, but they would still limit access to Gensoukyo proper.
[X]Introduce Alistor and Yukari. It's only polite as he is a guest in the realm she helped create. Warn him about her too.
[X]Once done with Yukari, inquire of Alistor the possibility of temporary lodgings Outside, given that you may have to make your trips go longer than a single day to avoid the wrath of Ran. Besides, you will also need to see to your quarters at this Hogwarts. It'll be a long trip!

[x]From what Ran told you, Yukari did enter a less-benevolent phase. Hear what repayment she would want, but expect the worst.
[x]Consider if said price is worth it.
[x]With time to burn, you may as well go and stock up on medecine. Or maybe have Koakuma do it. After that's done, you should start looking up on enhancing the defences if there's still more time left before going out.

By the way, Chibi, I know that's you. Any chance of you NOT abandoning this?

[x] From what Ran told you, Yukari has entered a less-benevolent phase. Hear what repayment she would want, but expect the worst.
[x] Consider if said price is worth it.
[X] Introduce Alistair and Yukari. It's only polite as he is a guest in the realm she helped create. Warn him about her too.
[X] Once done with Yukari, inquire of Alistair the possibility of temporary lodgings Outside, given that you may have to make your trips go longer than a single day to avoid the wrath of Ran. Besides, you will also need to see to your quarters at this Hogwarts. It'll be a long trip!
[x] With time to burn, you may as well go and stock up on medicine. Or maybe have Koakuma do it. After that's done, you should start looking up on enhancing the defenses if there's still more time left before going out.
-- [x] As part of the last, inquire with Sakuya about the feasibility of isolating the archives from the rest of Gensokyo when you are not around, possibly with some form of limited access the black-white would not be able to overcome.

(While tucking the library into a pocket dimension or otherwise isolating it has a lot of promise, relying on the single most unpredictable being in Gensokyo to be one of the gatekeepers seems like a spectacularly bad idea.)

[x] From what Ran told you, Yukari has entered a less-benevolent phase. Hear what repayment she would want, but expect the worst.
[x] Consider if said price is worth it.
[X] Introduce Alistair and Yukari. It's only polite as he is a guest in the realm she helped create. Warn him about her too.
[X] Once done with Yukari, inquire of Alistair the possibility of temporary lodgings Outside, given that you may have to make your trips go longer than a single day to avoid the wrath of Ran. Besides, you will also need to see to your quarters at this Hogwarts. It'll be a long trip!
[x] With time to burn, you may as well go and stock up on medicine. Or maybe have Koakuma do it. After that's done, you should start looking up on enhancing the defenses if there's still more time left before going out.
-- [x] As part of the last, inquire with Sakuya about the feasibility of isolating the archives from the rest of Gensokyo when you are not around, possibly with some form of limited access the black-white would not be able to overcome.

So yeah, let's see how much of a jerk Yukari is right now.

[x] From what Ran told you, Yukari has entered a less-benevolent phase. Hear what repayment she would want, but expect the worst.
[x] Consider if said price is worth it.
[X] Introduce Alistair and Yukari. It's only polite as he is a guest in the realm she helped create. Warn him about her too.
[X] Once done with Yukari, inquire of Alistair the possibility of temporary lodgings Outside, given that you may have to make your trips go longer than a single day to avoid the wrath of Ran. Besides, you will also need to see to your quarters at this Hogwarts. It'll be a long trip!
[x] With time to burn, you may as well go and stock up on medicine. Or maybe have Koakuma do it. After that's done, you should start looking up on enhancing the defenses if there's still more time left before going out.
-- [x] As part of the last, inquire with Sakuya about the feasibility of isolating the archives from the rest of Gensokyo when you are not around, possibly with some form of limited access the black-white would not be able to overcome.

[x] From what Ran told you, Yukari has entered a less-benevolent phase. Hear what repayment she would want, but expect the worst.
[x] Consider if said price is worth it.
[X] Introduce Alistair and Yukari. It's only polite as he is a guest in the realm she helped create. Warn him about her too.
[X] Once done with Yukari, inquire of Alistair the possibility of temporary lodgings Outside, given that you may have to make your trips go longer than a single day to avoid the wrath of Ran. Besides, you will also need to see to your quarters at this Hogwarts. It'll be a long trip!
[x] With time to burn, you may as well go and stock up on medicine. Or maybe have Koakuma do it. After that's done, you should start looking up on enhancing the defenses if there's still more time left before going out.
-- [x] As part of the last, inquire with Sakuya about the feasibility of isolating the archives from the rest of Gensokyo when you are not around, possibly with some form of limited access the black-white would not be able to overcome.

Bandwagon, HO!

[x] From what Ran told you, Yukari has entered a less-benevolent phase. Hear what repayment she would want, but expect the worst.
[x] Consider if said price is worth it.
[X] Introduce Alistair and Yukari. It's only polite as he is a guest in the realm she helped create. Warn him about her too.
[X] Once done with Yukari, inquire of Alistair the possibility of temporary lodgings Outside, given that you may have to make your trips go longer than a single day to avoid the wrath of Ran. Besides, you will also need to see to your quarters at this Hogwarts. It'll be a long trip!
[x] With time to burn, you may as well go and stock up on medicine. Or maybe have Koakuma do it. After that's done, you should start looking up on enhancing the defenses if there's still more time left before going out.
-- [x] As part of the last, inquire with Sakuya about the feasibility of isolating the archives from the rest of Gensokyo when you are not around, possibly with some form of limited access the black-white would not be able to overcome.

[x] From what Ran told you, Yukari has entered a less-benevolent phase. Hear what repayment she would want, but expect the worst.
[x] Consider if said price is worth it.
[X] Introduce Alistair and Yukari. It's only polite as he is a guest in the realm she helped create. Warn him about her too.
[X] Once done with Yukari, inquire of Alistair the possibility of temporary lodgings Outside, given that you may have to make your trips go longer than a single day to avoid the wrath of Ran. Besides, you will also need to see to your quarters at this Hogwarts. It'll be a long trip!
[x] With time to burn, you may as well go and stock up on medicine. Or maybe have Koakuma do it. After that's done, you should start looking up on enhancing the defenses if there's still more time left before going out.
-- [x] As part of the last, inquire with Sakuya about the feasibility of isolating the archives from the rest of Gensokyo when you are not around, possibly with some form of limited access the black-white would not be able to overcome.

I like the sound of this.

[x]From what Ran told you, Yukari did enter a less-benevolent phase. Hear what repayment she would want, but expect the worst.
[x]Consider if said price is worth it.
->[x]Since you will be out of town for the resulting chaos, it will probably be okay.
[x]With time to burn, you may as well go and stock up on medecine. Or maybe have Koakuma do it. After that's done, you should start looking up on enhancing the defences if there's still more time left before going out.

"Repayment... I suppose it would depend on exactly what you would require of me in turn. Ah. Alistair, Yukari. Yukari, Alistair. I'm sure you've noted he exists. Alistair is a werewolf, and has an unfortunate backstory that I'm sure you aren't interested in. Alistair, Yukari is the Lady of Boundaries, one of the key facets maintaining the Barrier which separates and conceals us from the outside. Do not agree to any bargains she seems willing to strike with you unless you have thoroughly considered how the aftereffects of your actions might affect you: her mind twists and coils like a serpent under water, and always bites from the direction you least expect. A moment's foolishness, and she will toy with and devour you without pity or remorse, nor backward glance."

"You flatterer, you~" Yukari teases, but Alistair seems to mostly understand and a slight wariness sets in. "Hmhm... in any case, it's nothing big. I simply want a few golems, and am given to understand you can construct them. Of specific materials, of course."

She waves her hand, and a few items drop out of a gap and onto your table. After a moment, Alistair picks up a bag in mild confusion.

"... Marshmallows? And that... chocolate pudding?" He says aloud, brow creased.

"I will consider your terms." You say ambivalently, not coming down firmly on acceptance or denial.

"Of course~" She answers, smiling. "And if you decide to agree, you need only craft the golems, and I'll collect them and do my part. I'll be watch~ing~"

She winks as she settles back into the gap, and for a moment you can see an infinite field of eyes gazing at you, unblinking. You almost shudder, knowing full well she provided the unsettling imagery on purpose.

The question at hand, now, was 'what could she want constructs of this nature for?'. You cannot imagine an option that is not worrying, to one degree or another. Of course, given the way her mind usually seems to work, she may not want them for anything at all, and so would simply be demanding them as a price in order to watch you try to wrap your mind around a logical 'why' of it. Unless, of course, she intends for you to suspect that, in which case...

You draw your mind back deliberately from this pondering. No good could come from fourth and fifth guessing yourself in an attempt to work out what Yukari might or might not be planning. Whatever it was, you were going to be mostly out of Gensokyo for a while, so you would likely miss the brunt of it.

Unless she deliberately delayed doing anything until you were back, or further delayed it, until a point where you might have decided she simply wanted them to confuse and aggravate you...

You shake your head slightly, and move on from it. You can always decide whether or not to craft the golems later. For now, you still have time to burn. The most immediate matter remaining would be...

"I'll need to discuss potential lodgings Outside with you later, Alistair. For now, I must have a word with the clinic. I don't doubt they expected me weeks ago, but my medicine stretched further than normal." You say aloud, rising to your feet and tucking the textbook you had decided on into an interior pocket of your outfit. It is a heavy, but comforting weight. "Alistair, refreshments will be available, you need only summon a maid-"

"Ah, well, if it's all the same to you, miss, I think I should rather come along with you." Alistair says, seeming mildly embarrassed. "It's just... everyone I've met here seems to be dangerous or bloodthirsty, to one degree or another, and... well, you yourself aren't excluded from that. At the least, though, you've shown inclination to act in my defense, if I end up needing it, so I'd be rather more comfortable-"

"Can you fly?" You ask simply.

"Ah... afraid I pawned the old broomstick just the other month." He admits, seeming abashed about it. That would be a no, then.

If you bring him along, then you'll either have to walk or make a portal, then. And you'll likely have to walk at least part of the way in either case, as if you just step out into the halls of Eientei, you'll likely be under attack before your feet touch the ground, and there would be quite a bit of confusion before you have the opportunity to explain yourself.

[ ] Let him come along.
- [ ] Walk the whole way. It's been a long time since you've walked anywhere, but you're in good enough health for it today.
- [ ] Make a portal to just outside the Bamboo Forest, walk the rest of the way.
- [ ] Just make a portal to Eientei proper, never mind the tumult that might cause with the rabbits. It might even be amusing.

[ ] His mental comfort is none of your concern, you can probably trust Remilia not to feed on him, even if she does she's a light eater so he won't die of it, and you doubt he's foolish enough to succumb to Koakuma's wiles. He'll be taken care of well enough, leave him here.

[ ] You have a better idea, which is...

[X] Let him come along.
- [X] Just make a portal to Eientei proper, never mind the tumult that might cause with the rabbits. It might even be amusing.
- - [X] Maybe Koakuma will grab a bunny eared snack. They have plenty of spares.

[x] Let him come along.
- [x] Make a portal to just outside the Bamboo Forest, walk the rest of the way.

Mokokokokou~
>golems
There is no possible way making pudding and marshmallow golems could turn out badly for us. None.

Lol, yes
We should probably stay out of Gensokyo for a bit after we make the Smore Golemns anyways. At least until Halloween.

[X] Let him come along.
- [X] Make a portal to just outside the Bamboo Forest, walk the rest of the way.

>marshmallow golems
"What did you do Ray?"

[X] Let him come along.
- [X] Make a portal to just outside the Bamboo Forest, walk the rest of the way.

So, bringing a werewolf to moonguys's place, with a rabbit with the power of the full moon in her eyes. This can't possibly go wrong.

[x] Let him come along.
- [x] Make a portal to just outside the Bamboo Forest, walk the rest of the way.

[X] Let him come along.
- [X] Make a detour first. Make a portal to Marisa's house and borrow her broom for Alistair's use, then fly the rest of the way to Eientei. Turnabout is fair play, after all.

But pudding isn't used in traditional s'mores... And in any event, these will be awfully small golems if she only gave us one or two bags of marshmallows...

>>So, bringing a werewolf to moonguys's place, with a rabbit with the power of the full moon in her eyes. This can't possibly go wrong.

They have plenty of spares.

[x] Let him come along.
- [x] Make a portal to just outside the Bamboo Forest, walk the rest of the way.

Sounds like Yukari's making either a porno or a snack that can react the way she wants.

[X] Let him come along. If he is to work for us, then he needs to come to a more immediate understanding of the world you travel in. Besides, he can always act as a distraction.
- [x] Ask Sukaya if there's a spare broom he can utilize for flight, and to get one of the fairy maids to deliver. If not, then:
- [X] Make a detour first. Make a portal to Marisa's house and borrow her broom for Alistair's use, then fly the rest of the way to Eientei. Turnabout is fair play, after all.

[X] In a couple of days, Build Marshmellow Golems with gooey chocolate puuding insides. It will be an excellent test of your skills in this regard, to work with such unusual materials. Make a note to stay out of Gensoukyo on Halloween.

Or we could always ask to borrow Genji to fly him around -- just 'port over to the shrine and... startle... Reimu... Uh, never mind. Bad idea.

"As you please, then, though it will add on some travel time. Koakuma walking stick. I know it's about here somewhere." You say aloud.

Koa bustles about behind and around things and through shelves, until floating down from the top of a bookcase with a gnarled length of wood in hand. It's effectively just a completely magically inert stick, but it comes in handy if you need to stop and catch your breath while leaning on something. Nodding, you prod at the air with your new focus, and the portal obligingly opens for you. You wouldn't bother for little things, but my, this is turning out to have been a practical purchase related to things that would normally take much more effort.

You step through, Alistair only a moment behind you, and peer into the shade of the bamboo ahead.

"... This-"

"Formalities." You say, before Alistair can fully verbalize his question. "Simply appearing directly in the heart of someone else's domain is more than enough grounds for them to attempt to expel you from it. And it's somewhat rude besides."

Alistair doesn't seem to quite get it, but makes a noise of assent anyway.

It's only minutes after you make your way into the shade of the forest that you remember its full name. Bamboo Forest 'of the Lost'. Apt, as you've already gotten turned around a little. It's excusable, though, as you usually just fly over it all, directly to Eientei, and don't bother with the twisting, turning paths at all. You're sure you can figure it out, though.

The occasional simple rabbit peers out at you from the undergrowth, and at one point a group of fairies makes an ill-advised attempt to ambush you. A small windstorm created in their midst rapidly advises them of the foolhardiness of that notion, and they beat a hasty retreat.

"... Are we lost?" Alistair asks, after several more minutes pass, and you realize you're walking through a too-familiar clearing.

"Not at all." You deny, ignoring the fact that you don't know exactly quite where you are at the moment, and aren't entirely sure how to reach your destination from here. "We're simply keeping ourselves amused while we wait for a guide, like polite guests..."

The ground beneath you creaks, and you blink as it falls away into a pit. You stare blandly down, at the array of pointed bamboo poles set to impale anything which might fall in. Wordlessly, you float a bit to the side, and touch down on more solid footing.

"It seems she's arrived. Do mind your step, Alistair." You caution.

He peers into the pit, wide-eyed, and swallows dryly.

"Heey... you didn't play along." A pouting voice comes, and Tewi shows herself. "So, it's the wheezing wizard? Guess you're coming in for more meds. Got a tagalong too, so you aren't flying it? Neat. Guess I can lead the way. Depends on if you have something nice for me~"

"Or I can simply force you into compliance. My health today is very good." You note.

"Oho, intimidation?" The rabbit muses, before leaning in and giving an interested sniff. "Hmm... that guy smells like predator~ Some kind of dog?"

"You seem remarkably carefree despite that."

"Well, and why not?" Tewi asks. "Fact of life: predators eat prey. Nothing to be done about that. But then, sometimes a rabbit kicks back, and breaks the hunters neck~"

"Indeed, though there are some hunters that are too much for a mere rabbit to overcome." You warn.

"Maybe, maybe~" Tewi hums. "But if you get caught by a beast like that, then you would almost deserve to be eaten, right?"

"Perhaps so." You say.

Alistair looks completely lost, not really managing to put the banter together in a manner he can fully comprehend.

[ ] What do you do?

[X]As much fun as Danmaku'ing the rabbit into next week could be, we do have a schedule to keep to, and unnecessary violence can deteriorate our health. Skip the battle.

[X]As much fun as Danmaku'ing the rabbit into next week could be, we do have a schedule to keep to, and unnecessary violence can deteriorate our health. Skip the battle (bribe).

Thankfully, today is day of metal. We should be able to make something to her liking.

[X]As much fun as Danmaku'ing the rabbit into next week could be, we do have a schedule to keep to, and unnecessary violence can deteriorate our health. Skip the battle (bribe).

[X]As much fun as Danmaku'ing the rabbit into next week could be, we do have a schedule to keep to, and unnecessary violence can deteriorate our health. Skip the battle (bribe).

Poor Alistair. He really got thrown into the deep end.

Tewi's pretty mercenary here, so what would she like? Just plain old gold (possibly common in Gensoukyou) or something more magical? In that case, it might take more magic to create a bribe than to just flat out fight her.

Then again, fighting one of the oldest youkai in Gensoukyou (even if it is a stage four midboss vs. your stage three bosshood) is no easy task.

[X]As much fun as Danmaku'ing the rabbit into next week could be, we do have a schedule to keep to, and unnecessary violence can deteriorate our health. Skip the battle.
[X] If necessary, produce a simple bauble for Tewi for services rendered.

[X]As much fun as Danmaku'ing the rabbit into next week could be, we do have a schedule to keep to, and unnecessary violence can deteriorate our health. Skip the battle (bribe).

It should be fairly easy for us to make the White Hare of Inaba something. And it'd be a lot easier on us than making her mad.

>>46914
Patchouli is EX in a good day (such as right now). Not that powerlevels matter much anyway.

Plus, if we give her something nice we might get some luck (in the form of roll modifiers? Who knows.)

[X]As much fun as Danmaku'ing the rabbit into next week could be, we do have a schedule to keep to, and unnecessary violence can deteriorate our health. Skip the battle (bribe).

>>46918

Tewi can canonically give humans good luck, which we are not. Alistair, maybe.

[x] Make her some metal spears or a beartrap or something. Highest quality metal possible.

This Tewi feels like Tewi~ Very nice.

You wave a hand dismissively, after less than a moment's thought.

"Much as I enjoy rabbit stew, I don't have all day to waste. I've something of a schedule to keep."

"Aww. Getting me excited, and then backing out? That's just mean of you~" Tewi teases. "Hm. Alright, then. Make me a hammer, and I'll show you the way."

You shrug and gather mystical energy, giving shape and form to the requested item, and it's only a matter of moments before the heavy weight settles into your hand. And from there, is snatched away before you can close your fingers.

You overdid it. You had been planning on just leaving it a trinket: making it of a somewhat valuable metal, but useless for practical purposes. Still within the bounds of Tewi's terms, but flawed enough by its nature to be less than of use to her. As she swings it around slightly, testingly, you realize the margin of your error. You had been aiming for simple silver. You put too much magic into it, however, and the metal you created warped into a more advanced form, usually requiring significant effort from a smith and mage working in tandem, to infuse energy into the ore as it's refined. You can't recall the name of the composite material right now, but the enchanted silver is quite rare, and far more than you had intended to give.

Tewi whistles in appreciation as she slams the business end of it into a nearby boulder, which obligingly shatters at the impact.

"Hey, this is a lot nicer than I was expecting." Tewi says cheerily, concealing the blunt instrument somewhere about her person. "Hey, just a second~"

She's suddenly in front of you, and pulling you down. You would struggle, but at this point it would be futile, she simply moved too fast and already has ahold of you, and prey-beast though she might be, her physical strength outstrips yours by a good margin. Only an eyeblink more, and she's brushing her lips gently against your forehead.

Then she steps away, smirking, weariness present in her eyes for only a moment.

"Liiittle bit harder to give luck to someone like you than your average human, so don't expect it too often. Feel free to give me nice things whenever you feel like, though, ehehe~" She chuckles. "Come on then, don't walk where I don't though."

Tewi makes her way through the winding paths, occasionally taking detours around normal-looking patches of ground, or occasionally to move off the path entirely and make a big circle around slightly discolored earth.

It seems like hours before you reach Eientei, but judging by the sun's position it still isn't even noon yet. The front doors are open, displaying the cool and inviting interior.

"Come on in, I guess I'll find the doc. Good thing for you, there's nobody in from the village sick or tripped and got their whittling knives stuck in a thigh, huh?"

Tewi wanders off with a wave, and you wait patiently in the hall, Alistair nearby.

"So... she's a... rabbit?" He asked, in confusion.

"'A' rabbit, yes. In some respects, 'the' rabbit." You reply. "All others consider her their leader, and look to her for direction... Well. All other rabbits of the Earth, in any case. The ones which live on the moon bear rather less respect for her, even considering her age."

"Rabbits on the moon?" Alistair says, in plain disbelief. "And... her age? She couldn't have been more than-"

"The eye deceives." You warn. "I assure you, even as Remilia has existed for centuries, that rabbit was old before her father first turned lustful eye towards her mother. There are myths, which supposedly involve her directly, though there is no actual proof one way or the other."

Alistair hums contemplatively to himself, as he looks down the hallway, where Tewi disappeared.

"... I don't see it." He admits. "Even with you telling me that... all I can see is a young, odd girl."

"That is entirely the point." You say, with a note of finality.

"They, um... they'll see you now." A small rabbit says quietly, having slipped in unnoticed. "Please, follow me."

You nod and move, even as Alistair trails behind you, taking in everything as he passes, clearly not convinced that the being leading their way is anything but a human with odd ears. It's fortunate, you decide, that you'll be putting him back where he belongs today. Were he to remain here too long, you've no doubt that he would pay too much attention to the surface appearance of things, and swiftly be preyed upon.

The rabbit leads you to a small sitting room, where the main inhabitants of Eientei are already arranged around a small table, eating some manner of vegetable curry. It seems to be around time for lunch. Kaguya and Reisen ignore you, focused on the food, but Tewi waves you over, and Eirin nods.

"Please, sit. Join us." Eirin says calmly, setting out extra portions. "I suppose you've come for medicine?"

"Yes, that's correct-"

"You're four weeks after schedule, you know." She continues blandly. "The whole point of having medicine is that you use it on the bad days, and it makes you feel better. If you just leave it, and sleep through the day, there's almost no point in picking it up at all."

"... Am I that late?" You wonder aloud.

"Not that keeping medicine in reserve is a bad idea, mind you, but not using it when you might need it is simply foolish."

"I have issues with the aftereffects: there are times when taking the medicine one day results in my condition resurging the next day to where it's worse than before."

"Then take more medicine that day." Eirin answers simply. "It can't keep that sort of thing up forever."

Kaguya grumbles something wordlessly as she yawns, and you realize that Alistair's gaze is locked, mouth agape, on her. You idly rap him on the head, and the sharp sting drags him out of his stupor. He flushes heavily and focuses down on the bowl of stew set before him.

"Ohoho~" Kaguya says, perking up a little. "Enraptured by my beauty, were we?"

"Be you ever so humble regarding it." You reply blandly. "Alistair, keep your wits. It's rude to stare, but it's not polite to look away the whole time either."

"Yes, just a moment." He insists. "I've spoken with Veela before, I just need... a moment, is all, to put my mind in order..."

"Ohoho, what? Comparing me to those petty bird-people, and their shoddy mental ensnarements? Why, I should be insulted~" Kaguya says, nonetheless preening smugly. "I'll have you know that my beauty is entirely natural."

"Though unearthly, yes." You point out.

Eirin coughs.

"Children, please." She says dryly. "In any case, it will take me a day or two to prepare your standard prescription. Twenty vials?"

"Given recent events, I think I will likely need significantly more than that to keep in stock." You say, shaking your head. "I have business outside, which will occupy me for a time, and am uncertain how often I will be able to travel to and from Gensokyo."

"Well, we can discuss exact numbers after lunch. In any case, payment in goods and services generally suffices... although your prescription is quite tricky to make. Too much precious metal in a closed environment like this will devalue the lot of it, so it would probably be better for you to collect materials I need, if you'll be needing a larger batch. Oh, or there's a small matter. I've heard interesting rumors about a spider, and I'd like at least a few words with her in person. I was going to have Udonge deal with that for me, but if you were to collect her for me, that would also suffice, and I could set her instead to collecting the herbs and chemicals I need."

Something tickles at your mind about the spider, but not particularly strongly, as you taste a spoonful of the curry. It's nice, but nothing spectacular. They likely keep the meal simpler on purpose.

[ ] What do you do?

[x] Agree to fetch that spider.

Yamamememememe
>Tewi
I got a warm, fluttery feeling~

[x] Agree to fetch that spider.
-[x] Not today however. You still need to send Alistair back today and take care of matters at Hogwarts too for a minimum number of holes in the Barrier.
-[x] Ask where that spider usually dwells or who could tell us if she doesn't know.

Come to think of it, what are the chances of the backlash sending a ugly health roll directly into 0 hp? I do hope it only means immediate use of medecine and confined to bed for the day...

>>46932
The doctor's orders are very simple: if we need medicine, take medicine. Don't overthink it. This isn't a finite resource; we don't need to hoard it.

[x] Agree to fetch that spider.
-[x] Not today however. You still need to send Alistair back today and take care of matters at Hogwarts too for a minimum number of holes in the Barrier.
-[x] Ask where that spider usually dwells or who could tell us if she doesn't know.

I wonder what Eirin has to say about werewolves. HP-verse does have potions to help control it. As already mentioned earlier, Eirin can pretty much stomps when it comes medicines and stuff so... (Not to mention that she actually lived on the Moon itself for some time.)

Along similar lines, I'm wondering how Alistair would react if he met Keine.

[x]Fetch the spider, with a summoning spell. Since you only have her name it might even take a focus, but today is a good day.

>>46936
I'm pretty sure Eirin would rather prefer she comes peacefully. Summoning will just piss her off.

"The spider seems more interesting, I must admit." You say aloud, and Eirin nods. "Do you know where it dwells?"

"I am given to understand that while she wanders between caverns and abandoned cellars on whims, she is most often found in the upper area of the passage leading to the ancient city of the Underworld."

It suddenly clicks for you.

"Ah... I believe the black-white encountered her, during that one upheaval." You note. "She is known for... being able to spread infectious diseases, as I recall?"

"That is supposedly one aspect of her ability. Even if that is the limit, cultures of infectious diseases have their uses, medically speaking. I am surprised you had heard of her and took no further interest."

"I have no desire to test the limits of how ill I might become." You say with a frown.

"Hm... well, that's so, I suppose." Eirin mused aloud, a slight half-smile on her face.

"In any case, I won't be able to seek her out today. I have a number of matters to handle, delivering this one back to his proper place only being the least part of it." You say aloud, and Eirin nods.

"Of course. I won't be able to begin production on your medicine until Udonge has collected materials, either... it may take a day or two before I can begin. How many doses did you say you would need, again?"

You think for a moment, but without any reasonable basis for estimation of how often you'll be sick over the term, you simply have to default to assuming the worst case scenario: that you will be of at best, less than average health every single day.

"For now... let us say five times the normal batch, one hundred doses." You decide, and Eirin arches a brow, even as Reisen groans softly over all the heavy lifting and hauling she'll soon be set to do. "Assuming even a worse outcome, that should last me until winter, when I should have some time to spare to restock, if it is needed."

"Let's assume that it will be needed, because you will actually be taking your medicine when you feel poorly." Eirin corrects, gently but firmly.

"Yes, yes." You say, finishing the last bite of offered curry. "That arrangement made, I believe it is time to move along."

Alistair starts as you nudge him, food nearly untouched, where he had become once more entranced by Kaguya's deliberate posturing, much to her amusement. He shuffles awkwardly as he rises to his feet, hunched over slightly in order to quickly finish his own serving, flush slowly fading from his cheeks. He very deliberately did not look her way once he had finished, standing up straight once more, doing his best to ignore her amusement with the situation.

You prod at the air, and the portal opens to your destination.

"I'll return in the near future, spider in tow." You assure Eirin, as Alistair steps through.

"Hey, bring me a souvenir back, okay~" Tewi calls, waving. It's the last thing you hear from Eientei before you step through the portal and into Diagon Alley.

Morning light has just begun to shine through the street, pedestrians shuffling a little in the distance as they shake the sleep off to begin their day. Alistair is shaking his head wryly.

"Confusing place, that." He says wryly. "Realm of wonder and madness. Were those girls... really rabbits? I'm not sure I could stomach another spiced rabbit stew again, if..."

"Oh, Tewi would forgive you, I'm sure." You respond blandly. "On the other hand, Reisen seems to be more thin-skinned about such things, and may begin looking into silver bullets. Or not."

"Not sure if I like the thought of taking my chances, there." He says dryly. "Is that... common, there? For animals to get up one day, and walk and think and speak like men, and change their forms to fit?"

"Not 'common', by any means, but neither at all unknown. Normal rabbits will outnumber one like unto Tewi, for example, by dozens to one. Other animals bear similar ratios, I understand."

"Wonderful. I'm not sure I can ever eat meat again, then, if it had a chance to be more. I suppose vegetables and fruit sometimes get up and have walks about too?" He says snarkily.

"Only very rarely." You assure him.

"You are having me on. I guess I'll just stop eating entirely then."

"That does always remain an option. Usually a rather final one, of course." You admit. "Even so, you are thinking too heavily on this. A chance is only ever a chance. Sometimes, a simple rabbit might become more. And others, it becomes a stew. Or simply dies of old age or disease, before it reaches such a point. There is no way of telling, and no reason to feel more guilt over eating that stew than you would have last Tuesday."

Alistair Hm's uncertainly to himself, then shakes his head.

"Well, I suppose this is where we part ways, unless you think you'll be needing more of me today. Your pay should keep me fed... oh, possibly two or three months, if I stretch it properly, so I suppose there's little need for me to adorn the alley entry for a while yet. If you need me... Well, I suspect you'll be able to get hold of me whether or not I tell you where I live." Alistair says blandly.

[ ] What do you do?

[x]"I may contact you again depending on circumstances. But I have no need for your help today."
[x]"I suppose you already know this, but do keep quiet on the last two days. Even if most will think of you as crazy should you poorly decide otherwise, this also may attract troublesome people."
[x]Go to Hogwarts.

You're saying 'blandly' too often. and it's not a very descriptive word to begin with, hearing it repeated is grating

[x] While you could find him without his location, it's easier to ask now.
[x] If Patchy doesn't know where Hogwarts is, ask him where it is.
[x] Go there.

I can't remember if she knows or not.

>>46940
Hmmm... How do you want him to -answer- the second one? Unless they have a map of the country on them? Besides, Patchouli went to the Alley without indication of where it was exactly.

Also forgot to add for >>46939 : Should we accept Yukari's deal, there'll be no need to stay at Alistair's house since we 'll have that portal, hence that part on circumstances. And today should be the last day Outside we need before start of term.

It also occurs to me that the portal could be used by others if they want to see Patchouli (Alice, Marisa if defenses fall), curiosity (I expect fairy maids out of that one) or simply out of sheer boredom (probably Remilia most of all, unless we have a method for her to watch what's going on from her home).

>>46944
Oh, right. That slipped my mind.
>portal consequences
I hope you consider those reasons to make the portal? We should have Remilia do a guest lecture on vampires, she'd love that.

>>46940
I'm pretty sure Patchy doesn't need to know.
[x]"I may contact you again depending on circumstances. But I have no need for your help today."
[x]"I suppose you already know this, but do keep quiet on the last two days. Even if most will think of you as crazy should you poorly decide otherwise, this also may attract troublesome people."
[x]Go to Hogwarts.

>>46945
Of course! More unpredictable fun that way!

[x] Ask if he's willing to go to Hogwarts with you. As an alumni, he may know the teachers and site, so guiding you around rather than disturbing any of the current staff needlessly.

>>46948
That IS a great idea. Changing my vote (>>46939) to
[x] Ask if he's willing to go to Hogwarts with you. As an alumni, he may know the teachers and site, so guiding you around would be more preferable than disturbing any of the current staff needlessly.

Added some words since you seems to have forgotten a few of them in it.

[x] Ask if he's willing to go to Hogwarts with you. As an alumni, he may know the teachers and site, so guiding you around rather than disturbing any of the current staff needlessly.
[x]Go to Hogwarts.
[x] Once there, plan on finishing things listed in the responses to >>46854, unless something else decides to interrupt us.

Come to think of it, we'd need to either take the train (too long) or teleport there, and we don't have the coordinates to do that. Another reason to hang onto Alistair.

And as to teaching schedules, any thoughts on a few larger lectures (headed by us, when we can manage it, maybe 1/year/week) along with a set of smaller discussion/recitation classes, headed by either Koakuma or possibly the 7th years (because grad students are your slaves "teaching others is the only true way to learn something").

Agreed. You're saying 'blandly' too often. and it's not a very descriptive word to begin with; hearing it repeated is grating.

[x] Ask if he's willing to go to Hogwarts with you. As an alumni, he may know the teachers and site, so guiding you around rather than disturbing any of the current staff needlessly.
[x][x]"I suppose you already know this, but do keep quiet on the last two days. Even if most will think of you as crazy should you poorly decide otherwise, this also may attract troublesome people."
[x]Go to Hogwarts.
[x] Once there, plan on finishing things listed in the responses to >>46854, unless something else decides to interrupt us.

>>46953
Read >>46940 and >>46944 for teleport. And we don't really have a reason to go out of our way with your idea.. at least, not yet. We should see if the students are worth the effort first.

[x] Ask if he's willing to go to Hogwarts with you. As an alumni, he may know the teachers and site, so guiding you around rather than disturbing any of the current staff needlessly.
[x][x]"I suppose you already know this, but do keep quiet on the last two days. Even if most will think of you as crazy should you poorly decide otherwise, this also may attract troublesome people."
[x]Go to Hogwarts.
[x] Once there, plan on finishing things listed in the responses to >>46854, unless something else decides to interrupt us.

I wonder if Remilia is using her Fate powers to try to get Patchy to date someone. We can't seem to find an excuse get rid of this guy.

[x] Ask if he's willing to go to Hogwarts with you. As an alumni, he may know the teachers and site, so guiding you around rather than disturbing any of the current staff needlessly.
[x][x]"I suppose you already know this, but do keep quiet on the last two days. Even if most will think of you as crazy should you poorly decide otherwise, this also may attract troublesome people."
[x]Go to Hogwarts.
[x] Once there, plan on finishing things listed in the responses to >>46854, unless something else decides to interrupt us.

You begin to dismiss Alistair, but then pause and reconsider. As alumni, he may be of some use to you, in visiting Hogwarts, if only to provide an informed opinion of the teachers and location which you yourself currently lack.

"If you wish, the majority of my business is at Hogwarts proper from here, and your opinion may be of worth, to keep at hand."

"Well, so long as I get back home in time to lock myself up properly, it's all the same to me." Alistair says agreeably. You nod, and prepare to open a new portal to... no, not the inside of the headmaster's office. The school is not private, personal property, it seems, but simply bypassing the man's door seems like it would be a bit too much.

"I trust you already understand the folly of speaking about where you have been?" You say aloud.

"Hah. And here I never thought I'd understand old Lovegood's side of things. But yes, I'm in no hurry to be thought of as the latest madman about town. Not like the tales of werewolves are held in high regard anyway." He says dryly.

You nod, and within moments you both are standing before a large statue of a gargoyle, Alistair looking around in mild curiosity.

"Always understood you couldn't apparate onto Hogwarts grounds. Suppose that whatever this is, it's not apparation, though. Guess it doesn't count."

You frown at the statue, attempting to work out its secrets. Alistair hums to himself.

"... can't quite recall, but there was a password to get in, back when I was a student. Don't doubt they've changed it in the meantime, of course, but can't hurt... Caribou? .... Hm, seems not."

"I can simply shape the statue out of the way, if it comes to it." You note.

"Ah, let's give it a few minutes more before we move on to destructive solutions." Alistair responds warily, ignoring that the statue would not be harmed in any way, simply end up guarding a patch of wall five or six feet off. "Hm, maybe along the same theme... Reindeer? Stag? Buck?"

"In point of fact, the current password is 'chocolate truffle'." An amused voice comes from behind you, and the gargoyle obligingly moves aside.

"Ah... Dumbledore, sir." Alistair says, nervous counterpoint to your own calm "Albus."

"Pleasure to see you so soon, miss Knowledge." He says, bustling past you. "Perhaps we should speak in my office, if there are matters to discuss?"

The office sits at the top of the stairs, and is notably untidy. Papers are scattered all over Albus's desk, awaiting his attention, and one wall is set with shelves of whirring, buzzing, and flashing oddities. They clearly have some purpose, but it would take you some time to determine exactly what, and it likely isn't important to begin with. Another wall is set with paintings, it seems of previous Headmasters. They are moving within their frames as though they were alive, holding quiet conversations with one another. One is napping in a chair, and another has just wandered out of frame and disappeared. Curious. Off to the side, Albus' phoenix, Fawkes, is hunkered down on his new stand, seeming to be suspicious of your presence, worried you'll attempt to reclaim it. Nearby, a ratty looking hat is sitting on a shelf of its own. It appears to be mumbling quietly to itself, something about rhymes.

"You've caught me at a slightly bad time, I'm afraid." Albus admits, then holds out a bowl. "Lemon drop, either of you?"

You turn the offer down, but Alistair accepts one, and Albus takes one of his own before continuing.

"Yes, I'm afraid I'm still right in the middle of dealing with the aftereffects of yesterday's unfortunate discovery." He continues, around the candy. "I suppose you've heard? No? Hm... well, I'm sorry to be the one to pass on the information that Ollivander has recently left us. It was discovered late yesterday morning, after curious bystanders noted that he never had opened his store for business that day... well. They say that he was found smiling, in bed. One supposes there are worse ways to go."

"What, Ollivander's dead?" Alistair says, startled. "... I can remember back when the man sold me my own wand, decades ago. This is... a bit of a shock."

"Yes, indeed." Albus agreed. "Quite the unpleasant surprise, just before the start of the school year, but then these things are very rarely scheduled out in advance, and seldom happen at opportune times regardless. In any case, I have.. recently lost some of my clout with the ICW, but have nevertheless been in earnest correspondence with several individuals, and am pleased to say that Gregorovich will be stepping in to fill the gap, beginning tomorrow."

"Good." You say, uninterested in the chatter, though you consider the news of the craftsman's passing mildly unfortunate. "In any case, to business. To start, I have selected the course-book for Defense."

You set the book on Albus' desk, and he lifts it for a cursory inspection.

"Ah... it has been some time since one of these were set as official course material. I'm surprised you were able to locate... hm." His eyes flick quickly from a page near the front to Alistair, whose face is blank, and then drift back. He closes the book without ceremony. "Well, perhaps it is not such a surprise you were able to locate a copy. In any case, I suppose someone will have to alert the bookstores that they will need to have a number of new printings of these available for purchase."

"Quite." You say, accepting the tome as he hands it back. "In any case, I would also like a copy of the marks and records for the recurring students, and I will need to take inventory of your library, in order to set... supplementary reading lists, to determine which of the students take to extra study on their own without having it mandated."

"Badgers and ravens." Alistair says, before Albus even has a chance to respond.

".... Hm, yes, that does seem to be the trend." he agrees, shuffling about the drawers of his desk. "Hufflepuff is not a house that is afraid to raise their course marks through application of personal effort, and Ravenclaw will likely look into any book you mention out of simple intellectual curiosity. The other houses tend to be less academic, generally speaking, with some remarkable exceptions. Ah, here we are."

He withdraws a slightly rumpled envelope of papers, and with a quick mumbled word and motion of his wand, creates a duplicate of it before returning the original to its place. He hands the second to you.

"This should remain for, oh, a month perhaps. Likely far longer than you will require it for, but it will do. As for an inventory of the Library, I'm afraid you shall have to see madame Pince directly for that, and she is away dealing with family-related matters at the moment. I expect she will not return until Monday at the very earliest."

You have to bite back your urge to sneer at the shoddiness of creating something that will just disappear after a certain number of days. It is, however, the truth... in a month, the information within will be less than relevant to you, and in addition you don't doubt that it's somewhat sensitive. The sort of thing that simply lending out without thought could leave one in a great deal of trouble. Having the problem set to go away in advance would almost be considered something of a safety measure, and from that perspective you are surprised he gave you such a long period of time, rather than leave you with a day or three at most.

"I am told you have an apt healer present. If I could inquire as to the limits of her ability?" You ask.

"... Miss Knowledge, I should hope you don't intend to deliberately bring harm to your students." Albus says warningly.

"Not deliberately." You counter. "However, I am considering some classes which will likely, through various sources, involve a rather high risk of actual danger. I do not intend to allow any of my students to be permanently harmed, however if I simply step in and handle everything the moment things begin to take unfortunate turns, they will learn nothing aside from 'someone stronger will arrive to rescue you if you should err'."

"Such a gloomy philosophy. I don't doubt that madame Pomfrey will have many words to say to you through the term, few of them pleasant." Albus says, consideringly. "Even so, I must admit you raise a good point... and I have always noted Gryffindors, for example, to perform markedly better in actual heated situations than in theoretical lessons."

"Not necessarily well, but better, yes." Alistair says, almost to himself. "... Ah, no offense, headmaster."

"Oh, none taken, my dear boy." Albus said jovially. "We are something of a headstrong lot. In any case, so long as your students only endure a normal sort of damage, dear Pomfrey can reliably cure almost anything short of actual death. Severed limbs may take a day or two to fully reattach, of course, but it can be done so long as the limb in question is not destroyed beyond repair, or eaten, and regrowing bones is always a tricky matter, but there you have it. Most poisons, however, require more extensive therapy to entirely remove, and so toxic creatures would likely be better avoided, and there are a number of spells which are quite deliberately crafted to be difficult to cure properly, and so I should hope you would forbid their use as well, in case of duels or other more active lessons."

Albus calmly takes another lemon drop.

"... That aside, I had some questions regarding scheduling."

"Ah, yes. Normally, classes are held in one-and-one-half hour blocks, three of which are between breakfast and lunch, and two between lunch and dinner meals. This is by no means a hard and fast rule, however, as classes can be held more or less at the discretion of the instructors, though it helps to have things organized. Astronomy, for example, occurs well after the dinner meal. Of course, students will likely not be at their best if they have not yet eaten, or if it has drawn late and they are ready to sleep."

"Something I'll consider." You say, as you run through what else you had intended to do. Ah, yes.

"I will also inspect quarters and the classroom you intend me to use." You say.

Albus nods and rises, leading you out through the castle.

The classroom is in reasonable condition, though smaller than you would like. At a quick glance through the class rosters and scores, you very much doubt that you will be able to fit all four houses of a year inside at once. Two would just barely fit. If you decide to make unusual class meetings, it will likely not suffice. The quarters are slightly less pleasant to inspect. Albus waves a cobweb out of the way as he enters.

"It's a rather cozy room." He says, brightly.

"That... is, in theory, a word that could be used to describe it, I suppose." You respond.

The word you are thinking of, however, is 'small'. Also dingy, and poorly ventilated. The bed itself looks comfortable enough, but it's quite clear that the room has only been considered a temporary resting place at most. A great pile of the effects of previous defense instructors is visible in an attached room, and opening the closet reveals moth-eaten old clothes suitable for both genders. You close the door quickly, as the scent of moldering threads begins to tickle at your nose. The room itself is surprisingly clean, as though someone took care to dust and wipe it down every day, yet took deliberate pains not to touch any of the clothes or personal effects in any fashion, leaving them sit,

"... People have survived in this room?" You ask flatly, and Dumbledore shrugs.

"It is the allotted quarters for the Defense instructor." He says, without excuse or regret. "I believe that young Gilderoy insisted on differing accommodations, as it happens, but there have been no other complaints in the past decade or so. Some remodeling would be only to be expected, I suppose."

Your nose crinkles.

[ ] What do you do?

[X]This looks bad. There is only one possible response to the conditions of the room. Sakuya Izayoi.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Enquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarassing to set down a cirriculum only to find that some beuracracy(sp) means all your efforts were for nought.

[x] It is fortunate, then, that you don't intend to sleep there. Ask if Dumbledore would mind you placing Yukari's proposed portal in the room.
[x] Ask Dumbledore about teaching standards.

I wonder what house Alistair was in? I'm guessing Slytherin.

[X]This looks bad. There is only one possible response to the conditions of the room. Sakuya Izayoi.
[x]Make sakuya enlarge it, say. five times.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Enquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarassing to set down a cirriculum only to find that some beuracracy(sp) means all your efforts were for nought.

[X]This looks bad. There is only one possible response to the conditions of the room. Sakuya Izayoi.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Enquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarassing to set down a cirriculum only to find that some beuracracy(sp) means all your efforts were for nought.

[x]Inform Dumbledore of your affliction.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Enquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarrassing to set down a curriculum only to find that some bureaucracy means all your efforts were for naught.
[x]Deal with the room matter later.


It would be pretty irresponsible to not let Dumbledore know of Patchouli's illness, right? You've got to inform your employer of serious things like that, magic or not.
Also, Patchouli can likely do room remodeling herself, no need to bother Sakuya.

[X] Inform Dumbledore of your affliction.
[X] Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X] Enquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarrassing to set down a curriculum only to find that some bureaucracy means all your efforts were for naught.
[X] Deal with the room matter later.

>>46967
Pfft, it's not like he informed us of the curse either.

[X]This looks bad. There is only one possible response to the conditions of the room. Sakuya Izayoi.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Enquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarassing to set down a cirriculum only to find that some bureaucracy means all your efforts were for nought.

So, classes with one full year won't really be possible unless we go out of our way for it. That means the most pratical solution would be to have two groups per class. But for pratical courses, should we hold them separate of should we ask Dumbledore for a time where all groups can be called?

Also, shouldn't we get some information on the schedules of other courses? I mean, even if we plan for classes here and there, there's no point if all groups are in another class at the time. Unless all we do is say how many groups we intend to call.

Finally, I suppose here that Sakuya is the intended solution, only later? it will be far easier for her once we have the portal in place so she doesn't need to carry all the furniture in one trip.

[X]This looks bad. There is only one possible response to the conditions of the room. Sakuya Izayoi.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Enquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarassing to set down a cirriculum only to find that some beuracracy(sp) means all your efforts were for nought.

Albus is going to be amazed by our perfect and elegant maid.

[x] Mention to Dumbledore that your health is somewhat variable, and that you may need to occasionally adjust any schedule to work around this. And before he makes any eyebrow wiggles in Alistair's direction, no, it is not lycanthropy or anything else so convenient.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Inquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarrassing to set down a curriculum only to find that some bureaucracy means all your efforts were for naught.
[x]Also inquire if there is a larger space available than the usual classroom, for things such as practical demonstrations, for example. Preferably indoors, as the weather here has already been less than encouraging.*
[x]Deal with the room matter later.

* Though I really would not mind seeing her regularly demolish the quiddich field in danmaku exercises.

[X]This looks bad. There is only one possible response to the conditions of the room. Sakuya Izayoi.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Enquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarrassing to set down a curriculum only to find that some bureaucracy means all your efforts were for naught.

[X]This looks bad. There is only one possible response to the conditions of the room. Sakuya Izayoi.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Enquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarassing to set down a cirriculum only to find that some bureaucracy means all your efforts were for nought.

Seconding the 'tell Dumbles about the sickness' thought. Even if he neglected to mention important details like a curse, Patchy is more competent than that.

Hah, house elves will have an aneurysm trying to figure out how Sakuya gets everything done so fast.

Still we don't Really need to use this room.

[x]Just request a cleaner residence like Lockheart did.
[X] Inform Dumbledore of your affliction.
[X]Enquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarassing to set down a cirriculum only to find that some bureaucracy means all your efforts were for nought.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities

[X]This looks bad. There is only one possible response to the conditions of the room. Sakuya Izayoi.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Enquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarrassing to set down a curriculum only to find that some bureaucracy means all your efforts were for naught.

Bandwagons. Also, time to mess with people's heads.

[x]This looks bad. There is only one possible response to the conditions of the room. Sakuya Izayoi.
[x]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[x]Inquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarrassing to set down a curriculum only to find that some bureaucracy means all your efforts were for naught.

"I will be back momentarily." You say, jabbing almost angrily at the air.

You refuse to deal with this. It is just shy of a catastrophe, and on your worse days you have no doubt that it will make you want to simply kill yourself and get it over with. You won't have it.

And, as is automatic for you by now when household duties are involved, your mind turns to one person in particular.

"Sakuya!" you nearly bark before calming yourself.

"Yes, miss?" The maid says from behind you. You take a deep breath.

"There is... a matter I require your urgent assistance with." You say, waving back at the portal.

"Hm. Outside? Nope." Sakuya says just a touch too cheerily.

".... What." You say, after several long moments of dumbfounded silence pass.

"To be perfectly frank, miss, I don't work for you." She says, still smiling. "And while I'll happily tend to your needs as a houseguest, I see no reason to head off on your whim without milady's orders, when there's still cooking and cleaning and laundry and maintenance here that needs doing. I do wish you luck with your problem, though, whatever it may be."

"... But." You manage blankly. Before you manage to finish the word, Sakuya is gone and a card emblazoned with a smirking Joker drifts to the ground in her wake.

Still mildly disbelieving, you call her name. Then again, before it's clear that she's ignoring you for the moment.

Your mind whirls as you think rapidly, suddenly very much aware of the portal behind you and the hole you had to have punched through the Barrier to get here. You should probably return quickly, though the matter of the room still weighs on your mind. You suppose you could drag Koa back as an inferior substitute for the head maid, but you don't know that Albus will respond particularly well to that, and it would leave the Archive almost completely unguarded until you have an opportunity to send her back. You don't doubt there will have been thefts by your return, in such a scenario. You could arrange for other means of cleaning, of course, or attempt to track Sakuya down and force her to do as you want, though you imagine that would take some time, given her ability, even in the very best case. You could also simply look into other living arrangements, whether renting a room, or simply making something to fit your purposes.

[ ] What do you do?

Wow. Trololol by Sakuya.

[X]Koakuma!
--[X]If that fails, get the other domestic servants like Youmu or Yumeko.

Lol'd
That should take Patchy down a few notes.

[x] Ask if you're allowed to perform the remodeling yourself
[x] Wait until a proper day to do so however.

[X] Bring Koakuma to help, propriety be damned.
-[X] If all else fails, elbow grease.

Ooops. Kinda screwed up there. And suddenly, asking Alistair for help on this matter seems like the best solution.

>>46957 was right. We're never getting rid of him.

[x] Tell Albus that you'll arrange something to live away from the school, but that you have no trouble arriving here on time to teach.
[x] Ask Alistair if he would be interested in renting a room or two (for Koakuma). You get a clean room, he doesn't need to worry about money for at least a year.

>>46992
That's a crock of crap. Here's a way to get rid of him, at least temporarily:
Remilia expressed interest in snacking on him, right? So hand him over in exchange for this little job from Sakuya. Done.

>>46992
Thanks, I was worried this would happen when Remilia thought Patchy would date Bumblebee, and circumstances have proven my fear correct. I guess Patchy has never gone on a date while living at the SDM or something and has decided to fix it.

[x] Tell Albus that you'll arrange something to live away from the school, but that you have no trouble arriving here on time to teach.
[x] Ask Alistair if he would be interested in renting a room or two (for Koakuma). You get a clean room, he doesn't need to worry about money for at least a year.
[x] Get the Golem cookbook. We're probably going to need to get Yukari to make the gate if things keep proceeding like the train wreck they are.

I wonder if we could have Cirno and/or the Three Fairies of Light to attend class as a practical exercise.

The books must be protected! Don't drag Koakuma off now.

[X] Take a moment to collect yourself. And hope Sakuya will be more agreeable later if you need to request her help with the library. An apology may be in order. Then return through the portal and ask if there might be another room available, preferably one not so... prone to mildew. Either way, you can fully sort out proper accommodations later. You need to return dog-boy to his kennel soon, and have other errands to run here.
[X] If no better options present themselves make a note to prioritize Yukari's Gooey Golem project. Worst comes to worst, you can then hide in the SDM during most of your down time.
[X] Talk to the medical staff, then drop off Alistair.

You seriously think Alistair will have better accommodations available, given his financial situation? Not to mention ripping holes in reality may be much more taxing on bad days.

[x] Take a moment to collect yourself. And hope Sakuya will be more agreeable later if you need to request her help with the library. An apology may be in order. Then return through the portal and ask if there might be another room available, preferably one not so... prone to mildew. Either way, you can fully sort out proper accommodations later. You need to return dog-boy to his kennel soon, and have other errands to run here.
[x] If no better options present themselves make a note to prioritize Yukari's Gooey Golem project. Worst comes to worst, you can then hide in the SDM during most of your down time.
[x] Talk to the medical staff, then drop off Alistair.

Iiiiizaaaaayooooiiii!!

[x] Take a moment to collect yourself. And hope Sakuya will be more agreeable later if you need to request her help with the library. An apology may be in order. Then return through the portal and ask if there might be another room available, preferably one not so... prone to mildew. Either way, you can fully sort out proper accommodations later. You need to return dog-boy to his kennel soon, and have other errands to run here.
[x] If no better options present themselves make a note to prioritize Yukari's Gooey Golem project. Worst comes to worst, you can then hide in the SDM during most of your down time.
[x] Mention to Dumbledore that your health is somewhat variable, and that you may need to occasionally adjust any schedule to work around this. And before he makes any eyebrow wiggles in Alistair's direction, no, it is not lycanthropy or anything else so convenient.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Inquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarrassing to set down a curriculum only to find that some bureaucracy means all your efforts were for naught.
[x]Also inquire if there is a larger space available than the usual classroom, for things such as practical demonstrations, for example. Preferably indoors, as the weather here has already been less than encouraging.
[x]Drop off Alistair.

[x] Take a moment to collect yourself. And hope Sakuya will be more agreeable later if you need to request her help with the library. An apology may be in order. Then return through the portal and ask if there might be another room available, preferably one not so... prone to mildew. Either way, you can fully sort out proper accommodations later. You need to return dog-boy to his kennel soon, and have other errands to run here.
[x] If no better options present themselves make a note to prioritize Yukari's Gooey Golem project. Worst comes to worst, you can then hide in the SDM during most of your down time.
[x] Mention to Dumbledore that your health is somewhat variable, and that you may need to occasionally adjust any schedule to work around this. And before he makes any eyebrow wiggles in Alistair's direction, no, it is not lycanthropy or anything else so convenient.
[X]Talk to this Madame Pomfrey to determine the limits of her abilities
[X]Inquire of Albus Dumbledore the standards to which you are expected to teach your students. If would be quite embarrassing to set down a curriculum only to find that some bureaucracy means all your efforts were for naught.
[x]Also inquire if there is a larger space available than the usual classroom, for things such as practical demonstrations, for example. Preferably indoors, as the weather here has already been less than encouraging.
[x]Drop off Alistair.

...damn this is getting long.

[x] Return and ask Dumbledore if he would mind a more permanent portal.

Futile votes, best votes.

[X] Put some (temporary) waterproof charms on the bed and other important enough furniture (e.g. desk).
[X] Tell Dumbledore if he needs anything of the rest to not be trashed.
[X] Flood the room on the next wednesday for rough cleaning, Koa/whoever can take care of the rest when we completely move here for the next year.

Surprised no one thought of that. Also already expected Sakuya to react like this.
As for other options who we can use as our own maid for the year: newly summoned demons (maybe lower than Koa as to not agitate Dumbledore too much), freshly created homunculi, maybe some fairy maids from the mansion (if Remi/Sakuya permit, also need to be careful to keep them in line).

Not going to vote at this point, other anons seem to have it well in hand, but I've got to say that this story is quite enjoyable. Good work.

[X]Koakuma!
- [x] This abomination cannot be tolerated, burn it away with hellfire, cleanse it until only the pleasant smell of sulfur* is left.
- [x] magic up some new furniture, the old stuff is probably infested anyways.

*a side effect of Diabolism is that the caster comes to enjoy the smell of brimstone as mush as those she summons.

Come to think of it... What is a portal going to solve, apart from being able to come and go the the Library? Even if we place alarms for when Marisa breaks in, leaving in the middle of class will create problems.

Apart from that... Kahi, how does Patchouli view Alice here? Foe, friend, fellow magician, ect." If we have to trust the library to someone else, Alice would be a far better choice than Marisa depending on circumstances (unless she refuse to leave her workshop).

>>47008
It solves Patchy's sleeping quarters problem by letting her visit Gensokyo to sleep. In addition, it lets her go to and from Gensokyo as often as she wants without risking Ran's wrath.

You take a long, deep breath. Then another. Then a third, before turning around and stepping back into the portal. You aren't sure exactly how stunned you still look, but it's clearly at least a little, by the men's responses to your return.

"The assistance I sought was... less than forthcoming." You explain vaguely, as the portal winks shut. "Never mind. I don't suppose there's another room available?"

"I'm afraid young Gilderoy was rather independently wealthy and took the post as something of a publicity stunt. He rented a room in Hogsmeade, I believe, and simply traveled between them as needed. Is something amiss?"

"I bear a manner of chronic illness, and can't imagine this... room doing anything else than aggravating and worsening it." You explain. "If necessary, I suppose I can purify it. Possibly with fire. If there is any other option, however...?"

"Hm... well, I'm afraid this is the only... ah. I do believe that our Groundskeeper similarly had complaints, and in the end built a small house on the grounds proper, to remain in. Though his concerns were less over matters of health, and more over ones of scale, when it comes to it. Still, there is some precedent there. Although, to be perfectly frank, I am not certain what sort of accommodations could be arranged to be manufactured before term begins, and it will be an expensive venture. As well, you must understand that anything you have built will return to being a part of Hogwarts once you have passed on, and whoever the Headmaster of that time is may do with it as he pleases. As to your illness..."

Albus is looking speculatively at Alistair. Well, that will never do.

"Nothing like your thinking. My own assortment of maladies is nowhere near so convenient as Alistair's."

"... First time I've heard Lycanthropy called 'conveninent'." Alistair says, eyebrows high.

"It is convenient. The symptoms are predictable and regular: you suffer for a single night, with perhaps some time for recovery after, and thereafter are untroubled by it for the better part of a month, until the full moon rises again." You counter. "The majority of diseases are nowhere near so polite, nor exact in their timing."

"... Suppose you've a point there." Alistair admits.

In any case, this leaves two options at the forefront, if you discount actually living in... this. Renting, or creating someplace to stay. Of the first option, you cannot imagine that renting living quarters from Alistair would be any particular luxury, given his own undisguised poverty, but it would likely be quieter and more private than trying to stay in just any tavern or inn. If it comes to the second, though, today is the day of Metal. Not the best for construction of anything on significant scales, but close. Earth would be better, of course, but if you choose to remain modest in building things you could likely construct a small, but adequate, house any day of the week. Provided, of course, your health is cooperative. Or, naturally, you could simply set up a long-term portal, with Yukari's assistance, and hold your breath whenever you must pass through here.

You shake your head. It does not have to be an immediate decision, as it is not as though you have to move all of your things over tomorrow.

"In any case... with that to consider, it is highly likely that my schedule will need to be somewhat flexible in order to make up the difference, occasionally."

"This is really the sort of thing you should mention to your employer before agreements are made-" Albus begins.

"If you're going that route." You interrupt. "Then I might bring up the apparent curse on the position, which you never saw fit to mention, in our negotiations."

"Rumor and coincidence." Albus says, though he now has the good grace to look slightly awkward. "I have never had sufficient cause to believe an actual curse had been placed."

"Then you simply neglected to mention the string of very bad luck previous defense instructors have encountered towards the end of the year." You say. "In any case, there's no point in jabbing at little details left out, on either side of things. I don't suppose your madame Pomfrey is in?"

"Oh, I am afraid she spends the holidays working at St. Mungo's." Albus responds, startled. "I do not reasonably expect her to be back until perhaps the day before term begins. It would be terribly immature of me to require her to remain here, after all, when there are no students to attend to and she herself would much prefer to be putting her talents to use where they are needed."

"I see. I had wished to discuss her abilities first-hand..."

"Oh? I had thought that I gave an accurate summation of her talents already." Albus said curiously. "Unless the matter is that you simply do not trust... ah. Or that I did not, in fact, mention illnesses, as I recall. You need not fear on that account, you'll be well taken care of if you should suddenly become particularly sickly."

"I simply wished to see if I could determine any matters which you might have missed in your recollection and relations." You say. "Rest assured that I am making arrangements to have more than sufficient amounts of the best medication I have found for my conditions on hand. But moving on... to what standard am I required to teach the students?"

"Hm, on that note, you don't have any particularly high standards to meet. I must admit, in private of course, that so long as a student manages the feat of lasting through Owl and Newt examinations without dropping their wand or stumbling and falling to the ground, they will almost definitely achieve at least a passing grade. If they impress the examiner in some way, of course, then they will score better."

"Then it is unlikely for a student to actually fail?" You say, with some surprise.

"To my own regret, yes, near impossible." Dumbledore admits sadly. "And even if one fails, somehow, the defense exams then one still graduates from Hogwarts, simply with very poor marks in defense. I have done as much as I can manage to raise those flagging standards, but it seems that the ministry as a whole rather prefers the current situation, and I have been unable to garner sufficient support to change that. As such, the students, knowing they need not apply themselves particularly hard in order to pass the exams... do not, in general, push themselves, and leave the school dreadfully unprepared to defend themselves. But, of course, they are similarly near-incapable of becoming a threat to others, which it seems the ministry believes is an acceptable trade-off, as they collect most of the students which score higher than merely 'acceptable' into their Auror programs."

"Then why hire an instructor at all, rather than setting an... animated scarecrow, or statue, at the head of the class, and having done with it?" You ask, brow furrowing.

"Ah... in part, because I hope that the right instructor might be found, eventually, that can become a critical part of fixing this weak point in the students education. In part, and confidentially, because it is mandated by the ministry that certain courses must be taught, with instructors, and Cornelius has been making noise about appointing one of his hangers-on to the position if I cannot find someone to fill it. And I will not have the ministry meddling with how I run my school, if there is any way that I can avoid it."

Albus' eyes had grown a little stormy by this time, but after a moment they seemed to clear, and you shake your head idly.

"Is there a larger space, then, where I could have classes meet? In cases that the area contained by the classroom proves insufficient."

"Yes, of course." Albus replies. "The entire castle and grounds are at your disposal, although I strongly advise that you not take students particularly deep into the Forest, if you must bring them there at all."

You nod, considering everything that has been said, and think deeply.

[ ] What do you do?

[x] Ask when would be a good date to hand the schedule you will have decided on. By that time, you'll probably have decided what to do about lodgings too.
[x] Also mention that... someone was more than a little annoyed by the holes with burnt marks left by the familiar in its passage. No doubt going to get your correspondence yourself would be preferrable to her, if more need to be sent.
[x] Go drop Alistair to his place, then return home. Start with an apology to Sakuya for losing your head on the earlier matter, if only to get back on agreeable terms with her.
[x] Should Ran be here, apologize. Then mention you may accept a deal with Yukari on this matter. Maybe she would prefer having to repair the Barrier multiple times after hearing of this.

>>47009
If we decide on the portal, Patchouli should soon start getting used to another timezone. Getting sleepy in the middle of a lesson would be quite unprofessional.

[x]There is a reason you have a minion. Have Koakuma cleanse the room, while you secure the library with magic.

[x] Ask when would be a good date to hand the schedule you will have decided on. By that time, you'll probably have decided what to do about lodgings too.
[x] Also mention that... someone was more than a little annoyed by the holes with burnt marks left by the familiar in its passage. No doubt going to get your correspondence yourself would be preferrable to her, if more need to be sent.
[x] Mention the portal possibility and ask that he make any objections known now.
[x] Go drop Alistair to his place, then return home. Start with an apology to Sakuya for losing your head on the earlier matter, if only to get back on agreeable terms with her.
[x] Should Ran be here, apologize. Then mention you may accept a deal with Yukari on this matter. Maybe she would prefer having to repair the Barrier multiple times after hearing of this.

>>47013
She'd be living on England time. She might end up sleeping during the day by Gensokyo's standards, but Remilia does that anyway~

>47013

Keep in mind, Dumbledore at the moment may have zero knowledge of the barrier at this moment and you really have no idea how in the world he even found Patchouli's existence to offer her a position in the first place. Alistar is a ridiculous source but you never know if Dumbledore will try something since he actually has a means of transportation through the barrier via the phoenix. Don't play your cards to him if you can help it. Something doesn't add up about this still.

Why don't we ask him how he found us? It'll look weird if we wait much longer, and I'm honestly curious. It was a bulk mail operation with his phoenix, but did Dumbledore decide the recipients, or did Fawkes?

[x] Ask how he found you.

>>47016
Can't we pass it off as a ward around the mansion?

[x] Ask when would be a good date to hand the schedule you will have decided on. By that time, you'll probably have decided what to do about lodgings too.
[x] Ask how did he find you
[x] Mention the portal possibility and ask that he make any objections known now.
[x] Should Ran be here, apologize. Then mention you may accept a deal with Yukari on this matter. Maybe she would prefer having to repair the Barrier multiple times after hearing of this.

"Exactly when should I have a loose schedule prepared for submittance, if I may ask?" You decide upon, wording your thoughts aloud.

"Hm... well, we do not prepare the student's schedules until the day before term begins, as a matter of course." Albus says, thoughtfully. "In general, teachers have them in well before that, but that is because their schedules rarely vary, from year to year. There are significant shifts, however, with so many new instructors for your position. As long as you have an idea of the days and times prepared by... hm, the day before that, then things should work out nicely."

That works out nicely for you, giving you ample time to make any decisions.

"Three blocks of time between breakfast and lunch, two between lunch and dinner, was it?" You ask.

"Yes, that was the general guideline." Albus agrees, nodding. "Of course, arrangements can and will be made if you require it, as class matters are something for the instructors to decide upon, and not for me to mandate. Hm... I believe that Professor Brunswick had rather a novel arrangement for his class schedules. A remarkably hands-on instructor, you could tell at a glance that he enjoyed his work." Albus said cheerily.

"So I have heard." You respond, even as Alistair shakes his head wryly.

"Sir, the man was ripped apart and eaten by a chimaera he intended to set the students against." Alistair protested hesitantly.

"Yes, an unfortunate tragedy." Albus says. "But close-quarters, and alone, is an entirely different matter than facing a beast from a distance, in groups prepared for the task. I have the utmost faith in the level of Professor Brunswick's instruction, that his students would have had little difficulty in the exercise."

"And that if anyone was accidentally injured in the course of the lesson, that Pomfrey could repair them with little or no lasting harm." You chime in dryly.

"Well, yes, of course. Brunswick was a fine man, to be sure, and I'm certain things would not have come to that, but it did not hurt to know that she was on hand." Albus agreed.

"Well..." You pause a moment before continuing. ".. As it happens, there is a question I would like to ask, and there is no particularly subtle way I can bring the matter up. So I shall have to be blunt. How, exactly, did you locate me?"

"I imagine it must have come as something of a surprise to you, being as you live in a place rather divorced from the rest of the world." Albus says shrewdly, in lieu of an immediate answer. You blink, and he chuckles. "Then I was correct? I had suspected, I admit. It's not uncommon, though not either unknown, for entire families or tribes to separate themselves from the world at large, crafting Hidden Places for themselves. Unplottable locations, anti-divinatory wards, a number of fascinating spells and practices which allow them to live out their lives in perfect seclusion."

He pauses, and squints a little, brow furrowing in thought, before speaking again.

"France?"

"... Pardon?" You respond blankly.

"I suppose that would not be correct, then. Hm, I suppose that the sun was in rather the wrong position for that, though I had marked it down to a slight distortion in time-flow, once I had concluded that your manor was Hidden. Simply a guess, miss Knowledge, as to the location. The young lady... cousin, perhaps? Struck me as being rather french."

"... I'm afraid I don't know where to even begin in correcting your assumptions." You say, eyebrows having risen in an apparent attempt to conceal themselves beneath your hat.

"Ah." Albus says, looking mildly crestfallen. "Well, I shall reason it out sooner or later, I suppose."

"Erroneous conclusions aside, that does not answer my question."

"Hm, I suppose not. Well, to speak very generally indeed, the answer is Magic. I suppose, however, that this will not suffice as an explanation and so shall continue." Albus says, stroking his beard slightly. "I suppose that the most reasonable approximation for the spell I cast was to magically summon specific files from a large room filled with near-identical files, limiting that which is summoned through specific, strict criteria, excluding all others. Only, rather than 'files', it divined the slightly less useful result of 'names', and rather than 'a large file room', the search included 'everyone in the world, excluding those which have never once stepped foot outside of a Hidden place'. Less by exact specifications, you understand, and more by the fact that by their very nature, such places do not allow such spells to rifle through their occupants, but the world outside of them remembers."

"That... is rather a desperate move." You muse aloud, mentally calculating the logistics of such a spell, and from there mentally bumping your estimation of the old man before you up a notch. A stellar example of what could be achieved, even Outside, and simply a shame that he was unfortunate enough to have been born here, when he could have been so very much more.

"Yes, I received... rather a long list of names to sort through. It was only to be expected that the vast majority of them were unfamiliar to me, though the majority recognized me nonetheless." He says, with just a faint hint of pride in his own renown. "Being at some measure of desperation, as you said, upon my recovery from the effort I immediately began contacting every name on that list. Most were able to be reached by owl, even with only a name to go by, although some, yourself include, were not. Thankfully, for those, I have Fawkes. I believe he had returned with a refusal and explanation from a rather polite shaman from a rather more tropical climate, noting that he could not leave his tribe unattended for so long, before I sent him off to you."

"... On that note, I would point out that your familiar... leaves rather unique traces in his passing." You say, edging as delicately around information of the Barrier and Gensokyo's actual location and majority of occupants as you can manage. "They are quite vexing to.. a certain individual, tasked with certain things that those traces interfere strongly with." You pause, and frown. "... As do my own methods of travel." You continue. "... I suspect that if she realizes that I effectively opened that previous portal for no particular end result, I am in for something of a scolding. In any case, if I will be receiving much correspondence from you in the next week or two, it would likely be better for me to set up... hm, a drop box of some nature, I suppose, and have mail delivered there, from which I can collect it all at once, rather than having to repeatedly patch the holes with every letter sent and returned."

"Truly? How unfortunate." Albus muses. "I suppose I can refrain from contacting or traveling to you via Fawkes unless it is absolutely necessary, however. Fortunate you mentioned this, I had intended to send you notice of Ollivander's unfortunate passing later today, if you had not arrived and given me opportunity to tell you in person. Do you have some manner of work-around planned?"

"I am currently... speaking with that person's superior, regarding the feasibility of modifying a portal, or... other things, to allow one to be crafted and maintained indefinitely without causing harm. It is likely that I would be able to keep it functioning without any personal effort, until manually shutting it down once our contract comes to an end."

"Excellent, I think that should work out splendidly, once things have been settled properly." Albus decides.

You nod, and think carefully, deciding whether or not there is anything remaining for you to do out here today.

[ ] What do you do?

[x] Thank Dumbledore for his time.
[x] Go drop Alistair to his place, then return home. Start with an apology to Sakuya for losing your head on the earlier matter, if only to get back on agreeable terms with her.
[x] Should Ran be here, apologize. Then mention you may accept a deal with Yukari on this matter. Maybe she would prefer having to repair the Barrier multiple times after hearing of this.

Repostan'

[x] Get started on those golems if there's time.
There probably isn't a day suited to this task.

[x] Thank Dumbledore for his time.
[x] Go drop Alistair to his place, then return home. Start with an apology to Sakuya for losing your head on the earlier matter, if only to get back on agreeable terms with her.
[x] Should Ran be here, apologize. Then mention you may accept a deal with Yukari on this matter. Maybe she would prefer having to repair the Barrier multiple times after hearing of this.

If we have trouble making the golems, we could always ask Alice, though wouldn't waiting for an Earth day be better for creating them though? Also, we still have a spider to catch.

[x] Thank Dumbledore for his time.
[x] Go drop Alistair to his place, then return home. Start with an apology to Sakuya for losing your head on the earlier matter, if only to get back on agreeable terms with her.
[x] Should Ran be here, apologize. Then mention you may accept a deal with Yukari on this matter. Maybe she would prefer having to repair the Barrier multiple times after hearing of this.
[x] Start refreshing your memory on golems.

Remember that before making them, we need to remember how to do it first.

[x] Thank Dumbledore for his time.
[x] Go drop Alistair to his place, then return home. Start with an apology to Sakuya for losing your head on the earlier matter, if only to get back on agreeable terms with her.
[x] Should Ran be here, apologize. Then mention you may accept a deal with Yukari on this matter. Maybe she would prefer having to repair the Barrier multiple times after hearing of this.
[x] Start refreshing your memory on golems. Resist temptation to munch on marshmellows.

[x] Thank Dumbledore for his time.
[x] Go drop Alistair to his place, then return home. Start with an apology to Sakuya for losing your head on the earlier matter, if only to get back on agreeable terms with her.
[x] Should Ran be there, apologize. Then mention you may accept a deal with Yukari on this matter. Maybe she would prefer having to repair the Barrier multiple times after hearing of this.
[x] Start refreshing your memory on golems.
- [x] Once we have read up on it, as practice craft something or several somethings based on the Element of the Day to start searching for the spider and then report her location back to you. It's not like you want to spend an extended amount of time wandering around dank caves yourself.

(While sending Alistair on a hunting mission is tempting, he's already demonstrated that leaving him alone in Gensokyo for any amount of time will probably render him significantly less useful in the future. Except, maybe, as a cape.)

[x]Make a cape out of Alistar if he dies in the foreseeable future.

[x] Thank Dumbledore for his time.
[x] Go drop Alistair to his place, then return home. Start with an apology to Sakuya for losing your head on the earlier matter, if only to get back on agreeable terms with her.
[x] Should Ran be here, apologize. Then mention you may accept a deal with Yukari on this matter. Maybe she would prefer having to repair the Barrier multiple times after hearing of this.
- [x]also have some aburage on hand, bribery always helps.
[x] Start refreshing your memory on golems.

No. No, for now, you think you're done here. Though the thought of an Alistair-cape does drift briefly across your mind, which is odd, because that's normally the sort of thing you imagine Remi would idly think about. And entirely aside from that, you can't think of any particularly interesting qualities such a garment would have, off the top of your head. Without knowing that, there would be no more point to it than making a cape from normal wolf fur. Or normal human skin, for that matter.

You file the thought away for future research, before actually coming to any snap judgements. You likely won't go out of your way to hasten his end, but if he, or another werewolf, should you encounter one, happen to die in your general vicinity, it would be interesting information to know.

"I think that should be all for today." You say aloud. "Thank you for your time, Albus."

"Oh, quite all right, miss Knowledge. I was pleased to assist." He says, nodding as you poke a hole once more through space.

"It's about time I dropped you off at your home, Alistair." You say, waving at the portal.

"You don't know... right, you don't need to. Never mind." He says, shaking his head as he steps through. You are only shortly after him.

The portal deposits you in the large vegetable garden of an old-looking mansion. Alistair sighs as he glances across the thin, bedraggled looking plants. All that is flourishing is a large crop of weeds.

"Been trying for years to keep edible plants alive." He says, reaching down for a moment to pull up a handful of something that is strangling what looks like a half-dead tomato plant. "No matter what I do, though, they just keep withering away, and it only takes hours unwatched for a new crop of weeds to grow in. I'd try to magic them away, but I'm afraid I received the worst Herbology grade Hogwarts had seen in centuries, since the mid-1700's. Didn't think much of it at the time, of course... I don't suppose there's anything you could do?" He finishes, turning almost hopeful eyes towards you.

You wouldn't do so on your own, as you aren't exactly charitable by nature, but the direct and earnest request catches you off guard. It's only a moment's work to weave a glimpse of Sun and a hint of Wood together into a simple crop enhancement spell, the sort relatively common among farmers, and finished before you realize you have begun. After a moment's hesitation and thought, you braid in an additional glimmer of Moon, to hinder the growth of unwanted plant life, and the enchantment is complete. Nothing has visibly changed, of course, and it's taken you only a few moments of silence to enact.

"I believe you may see some improvement from your previous attempts." You say, after a moment passes and it's clear that Alistair is expecting something flashy from this effort. Nonetheless, he seems pleased, placing blind faith in your having done what you have claimed, rather than believe you would simply lie about it to his face.

"I hope so." He says. "Money will stretch a lot farther if I can supplement my food with fresh vegetables I don't have to pay for. I would have had a house elf deal with it... but old Daisy. Well, she wasn't legally considered a part of the house, but still as belonging to my father when he died, as it turns out. When mother went, she wasn't legally allowed to work for me at all, and at the same time I couldn't sell her services to another family either. So she couldn't really work for anyone that might find out about it and report it. She got by by slipping into muggle houses and mending old clothes for a while, dusting when nobody was looking, and that sort of thing, but after a couple years she just couldn't take it any longer and went mad. I think she buried herself somewhere. I haven't been able to figure out quite where, though, although fortunately i've dug around in the garden enough that she's probably not there. Ah, I'm sure you don't care much about the details of my family history, though." He finished, apologetically, then glanced at the sun.

"There's still hours left of day, here." He judged. "I suppose I could manage to clear some of this up, before I have to lock myself up."

"Good luck to you with that." You say, trying not to relay too much of your disinterest in his personal life as you open a second portal.

"Well, here's hoping anyway. I suppose you'll step by if you have any need of me, miss?"

"Of course." You reply, and step through the portal without further word.

Back in the Archive... Ran is not present, thankfully, but it seems about time for dinner to be served. You do not normally attend the fancy meal, but after a moment you stop in shortly for a plate, more to tender apologies to Sakuya than anything else. She pretends not to know what you're apologizing for, but a glint in her eye leaves you knowing that she is satisfied you once more recall enough boundaries to remember what you can and cannot demand. You don't think you'll make an attempt to call her out to deal with matters outside the mansion again without first discussing things with Remi.

As you return to the more familiar halls of books, you glance over towards where Yukari's items were left. A fairy maid has been impaled to the ground with swords, still struggling feebly to free herself, as a warning to others against tampering with them. You ignore it as you consider the matter, then turn to hunt through your shelves.

It is only a short time before you locate the tome you seek, fortunately not yet having fallen prey to any of Marisa's heist's, and from there it is only a single re-reading before you are satisfied that your memory is reliably refreshed regarding the intricacies of golemcraft. A quick test of your re-gained skill involves the crafting of a tall, gleaming steel construct in the form of armor, which you quickly animate, having created its material with the required runes already pre-inscribed. You nod as it activates, and then for good measure create another dozen, as you recall there is a matter demanding your attention which you can use these for. It's only the matter of a moment to link a mental relay between the golems, through which they can respond to each other as if they were a single entity, and upon which you can check at any time.

"You are to locate a target for me." You order verbally, then describe the spider to the best of your recollection. "Do not engage any opposition: locate only, then keep note of her current location."

You yawn as you wave them out, and the golems clank loudly away as Koa approaches you. Oh, a letter from Ran. How nice. It's a politely worded request that you try to keep the trips through the barrier down to a bare minimum, though she seems understanding that situations arise, from the tone. On the other hand, her signature is a quick doodle of herself, smiling, and holding your severed head in her hands, blood dripping from the neck and onto her feet.

Isn't that nice. Well, in any case, it's something to keep in thought. It's getting rather late, though, as some time has passed from your reading and creation of golems, and you have to wonder if there's really anything else keeping you from going to bed right now.

[ ] Is there anything preventing you from sleep?

[x] Since it seems particularly easy today, craft another squad of steel armor golems to keep in reserve. For the time being, allow Sakuya to place them around the mansion as she sees fit as decorations/guardians/Fairy Intimidation Devices/whatever (or place them in the library as Marisa speed bumps if Sakuya is not interested). You can always put them to more directed use later.
[x] Sleep... sleep... sleep!

[x] Since it seems particularly easy today, craft another squad of steel armor golems to keep in reserve. For the time being, allow Sakuya to place them around the mansion as she sees fit as decorations/guardians/Fairy Intimidation Devices/whatever (or place them in the library as Marisa speed bumps if Sakuya is not interested). You can always put them to more directed use later.
[x] Sleep... sleep... sleep!

Sounds like a plan. Tomorrow we can whip up some dessert golems to get our portal.

[x]No, nothing comes to mind. Best to get some rest lest you overexert yourself.

I don't think Yamame will appreciate golems following her around, even if it's a good course of action from Patchouli's POV. Pretty sure we'll be forced into a duel now (if we go tomorrow. Past that, I think she'll have enough of it and smash the golems).

[x] Since it seems particularly easy today, craft another squad of steel armor golems to keep in reserve. For the time being, allow Sakuya to place them around the mansion as she sees fit as decorations/guardians/Fairy Intimidation Devices/whatever (or place them in the library as Marisa speed bumps if Sakuya is not interested). You can always put them to more directed use later.
[x] Sleep... sleep... sleep!

You decide, more or less on a whim, to craft another dozen golems out of nothing. Actually building Yukari's specified golems won't be so simple, you know, since you will have to either manually shape all of the material or pour it into a mold until you can force some into a hard enough lump to take the runes. Given that you expect what she gave you to be simple samples and examples, you'll also have to collect the required material from somewhere, likely Outside. You don't know how long that will take, but for the quantity required, you estimate roughly a full day, just as a 'best guess'. It will probably take anywhere from one to two days focused effort in order to complete them all, leaving aside the shopping day.

You alert Koakuma to inform Remilia and Sakuya that they can use these golems as they please. You've done this before, if you recall correctly, but somehow they always get destroyed in someone's attack, whoever it ends up being. The last few leftovers that had survived got blasted apart in a raid by the black-white, if you remember right.

That matter finished, you wander to bed.

---

The day is Aug 20, 12 days to term.
It is Saturday: Day of Saturn and Earth. Earth related magics come easier and to greater effect than normal today.
Your health level is 77particular fairy, who seems to have taken its wandering about past the lake as a personal challenge, and with your instructions not to engage, she destroyed it relatively easily. The others are stationed in a circle, looming around a farmstead's unattached storage cellar, ignoring the angry farmer that can't make them move by hitting them with a rake.

You are now remembering that golems are not particularly smart.

You open your eyes reluctantly, and receive another surprise. Tewi is floating above you, having apparently been watching you sleep with some degree of interest, and eating a sandwich composed entirely of vegetables held between bread. She does not seem to have damaged or stolen anything.

[ ] What do you do?

[X]Sleep! We can do more fancy golems next week when the elements agree.

Earth day and 97 health means it could be house-making day in Hogwarts, the only problem is that going out two days in a row will probably piss Ran off. Maybe making only one travel and staying a couple days in the outside would assuage her. Could also take care of the golems while we're out.
In any case, first things first.

[x] Greet Tewi and ask why she's here.

[x] Greet Tewi
[x] There's only one way to say 'hello' in Gensokyo! Danmaku.
[x] Regardless of result, ask why she's here.

She seemed disappointed we backed off last time, and we're feeling great today, so might as well. Even Patchouli engages in spellcard battles at the drop of a hat.

[x] Greet Tewi and ask why she's here.

Probably our best chance to go capture a spider today. And soon, before the farmer calls in someone to smash the golems. With our current health, a duel shouldn't be too taxing.

>>47039
Ran's letter was probably strike one. Not doubt her next letter will have much more venom in it if we get to strike two.

Also, we should decide soon if we're really making the portal. Yukari appears to be watching, but she'll probably abandon the deal and find someone else to make the golem if we wait too long to start.

[x] Greet Tewi and ask why she's here.
- [x] If she is looking for some excitement, she can help with the spider retrieval.
- [x] Or if she wants to fight you, oblige her.
[x] See about introducing a spider to our dealer doctor. Be reasonable about it, at least to start. Deliver her wrapped in her own webs if she's uncooperative.
[x] If there is time, see about going to Hogwarts to construct a home away from home*, or at least a suitably defensible portal locus.
- [x] But first see about warning Ran ahead of time (and apologizing for yesterday -- aburage, perhaps). If it would be more convenient for her and it is not unreasonable, you can adjust your schedule for creating portals today to minimize lost Chen Time.
- [x] Also mention, due to a pending deal with Yukari, this will probably be the last set of Border punctures for the foreseeable future. Let her stew on that.
[x] Put the errant golems to better use.
[x] If you have time to kill (or Ran is too obstinate)... You feel great! Energy to burn! Take the remaining golems, add a few huge stone ones, and assault Marisa's house to retrieve your stolen books!

* While it might be tempting to put their vaunted founders' work to shame, it would probably be a bit gauche to create something more grandiose then their precious castle. I personally believe a twisty tower would be appropriate, given her design for the moon rocket. Furnishing can be done later.

>>47043
You don't have to schedule the whole day on the first choice, geez. This is why these write-ins get so long-winded.

[x] You haven't felt this good in decades and you know who is to blame
-[x]Give Tewi a tiny wooden statue of herself
[x] Try and finish Yukari's Golems today.

Building a permanent house for the school year would take her an hour today and for that Yukari's portal is needed. Unless you want Ran to come and kick Patchy's ass.

[x] Greet Tewi and ask why she's here.
[x] Try and finish Yukari's Golems today.

>>47047
I think Tewi deserves something better than a Wooden Statue. How about a statue of Tewi, Reisen, Kaguya, or Eirin dressed as (a) Pirate(s) instead?

[X] Greet Tewi and ask why she's here.

We don't need to do the entire day's planning in the instant we wake up.

>>47047
>>47049
I like Tewi too but going out of our way like that, even if it's a simple thing, seems a bit out of character.
Agree that we should try to get the golems done today though.

[X] Greet Tewi and ask why she's here.

I hope Remilia doesn't come in and make assumptions about why Tewi is all up in our face. Oh, wait, that'd be hilarious.

>>47050
Go read again. We'll need two days to make it. Three when you count that you need to go Outside and buy materials.

However, we could actually use the Shrine exit to go do that.

>>47050
Thanking someone for a service rendered isn't out of character at all. She might get even more luck~

[x] Greet Tewi and ask why she's here.
-[x]Give Tewi a tiny clay statue of herself.

That werewolf cape tangent cracked me up, by the way.

>>47056
Maybe we should hear why she's here before giving stuff?

>>47057
I put giving her stuff under hearing why she's here for a reason.

Anyway, it's Earth day. Making a little clay statue is so easy for her today that thinking about it is almost surely slower than Just Doing It.

>>47058
You do realize that by giving so freely, she may start expecting something every day?

I meant to say hear what she says first then decide if there's a reason to give her something.

[x] Greet Tewi and ask why she's here.
- [x] If she is looking for some excitement, she can help with the spider retrieval.
[x] See about introducing a spider to our dealer doctor. Be reasonable about it, at least to start. Deliver her wrapped in her own webs if she's uncooperative.

The upshot about it being earth day is that the spider is usually in the subterranean caverns (or the descending path) so Patchy has ample.... material to work with.

Also, there's nothing wrong with making the house/tower/whatever she is living in on this side of the barrier and worry about transporting it after. Patchy either can request the aid of Sakuya via Remilia (warping space around the building such that it is small enough to transport or to move through a portal of Patchy's making) or to fulfill Yukari's request (perhaps with our own little panache, one of the golems can be mint, another have caramel or something -- there's no reason we can't have some fun with this and Yukari may even run with it) and ask that the house be gapped into position accordingly.

>>47049
Because, like >>47050 said, even one thing is pushing it.
>>47059
If she asks for one thing everytime Patchouli's health is above 92, I think it's a fair deal.

>>47062
She's probably here to deliver a message or something, not beg for handouts.

I don't see why Tewi expecting gifts would be a bad thing, though. We expect luck every so often in return. It's a fair and equitable trade of services~

[x] Greet Tewi and ask why she's here.
- [x] Give Tewi a tiny wooden statue of herself.
- [x] If she is looking for some excitement, she can help with the spider retrieval.
[x] See about introducing a spider to our dealer doctor. Be reasonable about it, at least to start. Deliver her wrapped in her own webs if she's uncooperative.
[x] If there is time, see about going to Hogwarts to construct a home away from home*, or at least a suitably defensible portal locus.
- [x] But first see about warning Ran ahead of time (and apologizing for yesterday -- aburage, perhaps). If it would be more convenient for her and it is not unreasonable, you can adjust your schedule for creating portals today to minimize lost Chen Time.
- [x] Also mention, due to a pending deal with Yukari, this will probably be the last set of Border punctures for the foreseeable future. Let her stew on that.
[x] Put the errant golems to better use.

Sure is pretty indecisive in here.

"... Tewi." You say. "Why are you here?"

"Felt like taking a look at my work." The rabbit responds, in between leafy crunches of her sandwich. "I only usually do humans, not really familiar with working with people like you. Looks like you managed to keep it for something important, though, rather than blowing it the first chance you got. Looking good~"

"Yes, thank you." You respond as you rise. "A more pertinent question then, I suppose, would be 'how' you made it here."

"Ehe~ I miiight have implied to that gate keeper that we were..." Tewi pauses here and makes a rather obscene gesture with her free hand. "You know. Just a little~"

"Really." You say flatly.

"I don't think she believed me, come to think of it." She continued on, seeming thoughtful. "Or at least, she wasn't going to just sit aside and let me through without a fight, but then she got a message from the boss. Apparently Remilia thought it could be funny to let me in."

"I see." You say dryly. "That accounts for those two, and possibly Sakuya as well. How did you bypass Koakuma, the fairy maids on patrol, and my other defenses?"

"Dunno." the rabbit answers slyly. "I guess I must have been pretty lucky~"

You almost snort, but not from amusement.

"Then your business here is concluded?"

"Nah, I'll probably stick around at least the rest of the day." She answers, taking another bite of her salad and bread.

"Oh?" You say, arching an eyebrow.

"Figure if I stick around without getting in the way, you might do something interesting to watch, or make something neat." The rabbit admits without shame.

This time, you do snort. There is, however, a touch of amusement involved.

"I recall that last time you wandered out on a whim, during that flower matter, someone came looking for you, of course." you note.

"Yeah, Reisen has serious issues grasping the hierarchy." Tewi says, polishing off the last of her meal. "I usually cut the kid some slack, though, but this time I made sure to have someone let her know not to bug me. She'll probably still get her panties in a twist anyway, but she won't chase me down like a lost pet unless she wants a good smacking."

You shrug, and after a moment of thought a tiny figurine forms in your hand. For trinkets like this, you would generally use wood, but on the day of Earth, crafting something of clay or stone is as effortless as breathing. You do, however, overshoot your mark a bit once more, and while the finger-height figurine is still an intricately detailed fascimile of Tewi in a piratical greatcoat and tricorn hat, brandishing a saber, you seem to have accidentally made it of fine porcelain instead of cheaper worked river-clay. A minor error.

Tewi looks at it with interest, and plucks it carefully out of the air as you flip it carelessly in her direction. She seems a little startled as she inspects it, but then conceals it carefully somewhere about her person.

"Nyehehe~ Keep giving me such nice things, and you'll find it hard to get rid of me~" She teases, and you frown in response.

"Gratitude only, as I take it you are a significant reason behind my current state of health." You insist. "It means no more than that."

"Sure, sure." Tewi replies, waving it off. "You already covered that much from the hammer the other day, though. But if this is your way of flirting, I like it a lot~"

"It isn't." You deny.

She shows no indication of leaving, however. A quick check reveals that the farmer has given up on assaulting the golems, and has led a pair of plow-beasts over, in harness, as he loops an old and slightly frayed looking rope around one of the golems. You don't believe he will have much success with this tactic, but he seems hopeful.

[ ] What do you do?

[X] Head to the farm to see if the golems managed to find the right spider. Wasn't she originally underground?

Hopefully we can stop the farmer before he does something rash.

[x] Go explain the situation to that farmer.
[x] See if your golems have, in fact, located Yamame.
[x] Tewi can tag along, naturally.

I'd flirt with Tewi all day~
I wonder if she'll follow us Outside? It'd make shopping for Yukari's materials more interesting.

[X] Head to the farm to see if the golems managed to find the right spider. Wasn't she originally underground?
[X] No doubt the farmer will have complaints. Better think of something that will please him so he doesn't bother you.
[X] Then again, you can always inform him that you set the golems to track a youkai spider. Either he know her and you'll apologize, or he doesn't and she may have reacted poorly when he would have entered.

Oh, also

[x] Cast a crop-enhancing spell on that man's field as an apology.

Earth day should help with that, right? Crops grow in the Earth.

[X]"If I actually had interest in girl that look as young as you do, I would have given in to Remillia's advances a long time ago."
[X] Head to the farm to see if the golems managed to find the right spider. Wasn't she originally underground?
- [X]Do try the diplomatic approach before resorting to Danmaku.

As a side note, isn't Reisen actually outside of Tewi's sphere of influence - Tewi has dominion over the rabbits of Earth, but Reisen's a Moon Rabbit isn't she ?

[X] Head to the farm to see if the golems managed to find the right spider. Wasn't she originally underground?
[x] Go explain the situation to that farmer.
[x] Tewi can tag along, naturally.
-[x] Commence smalltalk.

I can't recall having seen any instance of Tewi and Patchouli being freinds. As their attitudes contrast so well, it seems so fitting. We can't have Patchy actively persuing or avoiding this, though; it wouldn't seem very in-character.

"In any case, I have business to attend to." You say, as you prod open a portal to the location of your golems. "You may come along, if you wish."

"Heh, it's why I'm here~" Tewi responds, stepping through just a short pace behind yourself.

You are almost immediately accosted by the farmer when you arrive, who's beasts are straining at the yoke and failing to make the stubborn golem move in any fashion.

"Wh'sall this, barg'n bout on my fields, wh' I outta-"

"Sir, I have some-" You begin, but your words are brushed aside in his irateness.

"-tan y'r hide, whippersnapper, alla these fancy statues trompin' through my fields outta nowhere-"

"I understand that there may have been slight errors in calculation, but-"

"-don' unnerstand why ye wimmen can't just stay in th' kitchen 'stead a foolin' about wi' hoity toity books 'n magic 'n flyin' games, wastin' time while th' men do men's work-"

You haven't been in this man's presence for a full minute, and already you are sick of him. Your eyes narrow as you stamp at the ground which, in response to your will, ripples, knocking the farmer to his feet and momentarily interrupting his stream of complaints.

"If I may have a moment to speak?" You ask dryly. "Very good. Now, I understand that my actions may have caused you some concern, and am willing to offer you some degree of repayment in turn for allowing me to go about my work: you see, I am in search of a spider which it seems my golems have located and trailed to your cellar, there. I intend to collect her, but to thank you for your understanding, I will place an enchantment upon your fields."

The man narrows his eyes in suspicion. "Keep talkin'." is all he says, however.

"I shall allow you to choose the nature of the spell." You continue. "I can enchant your fields such that they bring you an abundant good harvest, in exchange for the sweat of your brow... or I can weave a magic that will ease the burden of your labors."

"Bah!" He yells, suddenly. "I heard me o' this little trick before! Y'gonna play up how tired I am at th' end of the day, and all th' work I put into these fields, and then when I agree t' the second, ye'll make them barren, witch. I'll have me none of that. I'll take the first, and ye can be about your business quick-like."

You nod, not becoming incensed at his assumptions because, in truth, that had been what you were considering. Instead, you work the other magic you had in mind, muttering an incantation under your breath as it settles into the earth.

"It is done." You say, grandly. "May your fields prosper, as all that grows within them increases tenfold."

The man nods curtly, and separates his beasts from your golem, before stalking away, looking to put some distance between himself and you. After he's out of earshot, Tewi snickers to herself.

"Nyehehehe~ 'All that grows'. That shmuck's going to have weeds coming in as fast as he can rip them out~" She says, eyes glinting with amusement.

"Perhaps he shall learn to be tactful when dealing with visitors. He'll still receive an excellent harvest, so long as he is willing to break his back and beg for other's aid in tending to the crops." You reply coolly, but with a smirk of your own. It rapidly fades, however, as your golems step aside, leaving room for you to access the cellar doors.

[ ] What do you do?

[x] Cast a light spell and enter quietly. Be extremely careful not to disturb any webs.
[x] If you find her, you're here to talk. See if you can make her want to come with you.

Bwahaha. Poor asshole farmer.

[x] Cast Magic Missile at the darkness

>>47075
Anything but THAT !

[X]Use the diplomatic approach. Talk first, shoot only if needed. Don't shoot at all if possible. It would be far too easy for the building to catch fire or topple on to of us if we start slinging bullets.

At your direction, a golem takes hold of the wooden door and heaves, opening it to reveal the shade within. You don't bother to look for a torch or switch, but simple ignite the merest fragment of the splendor of the Sun, which hovers and shines ahead of you as you step down the creaky stairs.

"... turn that dooooown." A voice calls plaintively from the shadows. You do so, dimming the light drastically, and after a moment the spider steps forward, rubbing sleepily at her eyes.

"So whatcha want?" She yawns.

"An associate of mine is interested in a word with you. I have agreed to facilitate this meeting." You say directly.

"... what, now? No way. It's too bright out in the sun, I'm not used to it. And I'm tired. I came up to enjoy the moon, and I got chased around all night by these stompy statues. I just want to sleep, right now." She says, eyes half closed.

"My apologies." You say, dryly. "I would prefer you come quietly."

"Hah, you sound like you're going to arrest me or something. But really, I'd rather not. I'm too tired to get really into a fight over it, either."

"Good. I won't have to waste my time with a duel with an outcome obvious from the beginning." You say.

"... what was that?" Yamame asks. "You that interested in picking a fight?"

"Not really." You respond, as the dirt floor moves according to your whim, snatching the spider up in a giant hand surging from the floor beneath her. "Simply expressing pleasure that you won't struggle too much."

Yamame wriggles slightly, experimentally.

"... I could bust out of this in a second, if I wanted. You should have used stone, or better, some kind of metal." She advises. "Pretty nice, though. Soft earth. Not bad."

"... Thank you?" you reply, now mildly uncertain.

"Tell you what, you wrap me up nice in a full cocoon of this, nice and dark and soft, you can drag me around wherever you want, and I'll chat with whoever in a few hours, once I've taken a nap." Yamame says enthusiastically. "It's a lot nicer than trying to find a good patch of ground or wall."

"Hey, now. Eirin's gonna get all kinds of cranky if you just drag a big sack of dirt into her place. Especially if you end up in one of the sterile areas. She'll peel your skin off for you." Tewi advises.

"Breathing may become an issue." You note calmly, considering the rabbit's warning.

"Meh." the spider responds. "Dirt's pretty porous, it should be fine. If I start to strangle, I can always just go ahead and smash out. Well, unless you wrap the outside in extra strong rock or metal. That would be bad. You'd have to be kind of a bitch to do that, though, and if you want me to talk to someone and I haven't yet, then I don't think you'd do that. Oh, unless they can talk with my lifeless corpse, anyway." Yamame rambles, then yawns again.

[ ] What do you do?

[x] Ask Tewi if there's a spot under the shade near Eientei that could do, even for just a while.
[x] Leave Yamame otuside and go inside to see Eirin. Surely she would know where we could leave that spider for her nap.

[x]It's a earth day isn't it? Are you telling me you have no way of keeping the dirt from going everywhere?

[x] She wants to see the moon? You'll show her Moon! Cast a darkess spell, take her to Eientei, and tuck her into a nice, soft bed.

[x] Secure the spider, as requested.
[x] Tewi is probably right, and you wouldn't want Eirin to have reason to become creative while mixing your medicine. Open a portal to Eientei, and go through -- then ask Eirin where she wants her package delivered.
[x] Return and then deliver the spider.
- [x] If we can make a portal big enough, we do it the easy way, using a golem or two as porters.
- [x] If the portal doesn't work out, we could either make the golems carry her the whole way or do something like make some giant stone dung beetles and start rollin'*.

* This may well result in fighting a spider with motion sickness, though, which sounds unpleasantly messy.**
** And hilarious.

[x] Ask Tewi if there's a spot under the shade near Eientei that could do, even for just a while.
[x] Leave Yamame ouside and go inside to see Eirin. Surely she would know where we could leave that spider for her nap.

[x] Ask Tewi if there's a spot under the shade near Eientei that could do, even for just a while.
[x] Leave Yamame otuside and go inside to see Eirin. Surely she would know where we could leave that spider for her nap.

FATAL ERRORRSSSSSS

[x] Ask Tewi if there's a spot under the shade near Eientei that could do, even for just a while.
[x] Leave Yamame ouside and go inside to see Eirin. Surely she would know where we could leave that spider for her nap.

This requires relying on Tewi, but intentional or not Patchy has been successfully flirting with her, so we might have a chance here. And the evidence keeps piling up behind the "Remilia is matchmaking" theory.

"Is there an out-of-the-way spot I can leave her outside Eientei?" You ask aloud.

"Hm.. yeah, I can think of a couple of places. You'll have to keep in mind that she'll still be covered in dirt after, though. More than she already is, I mean." Tewi muses.

"That can be dealt with." You say blandly, as a bubble of water flickers into existence, before popping away. "If necessary, I can return to personally ensure the standard of cleanliness."

"Sure, cold water, buckets, whatever. Can I sleep now?" Yamame asks.

You entomb her in loose earth in response, and hear a muffled noise of thanks from somewhere inside the dirt-cocoon. Wordlessly, you float the lump into the air and prod open a portal. After a moment's thought, you decide it's not quite large enough, and flick your wand to stretch the opening further. You're grateful you have this thing, if you didn't you would have had to all but set your foot on one side and shove at the other in order to open it further, even in your excellent condition. You send the lump through and follow it, hesitating only a moment to have your golems tromp into the cellar behind you and through the portal themselves. No sense just leaving them sit there, after all.

A pair of startled rabbits on the other side look uncertain about whether to fight or flee in the face of the sudden apparent invasion force, until they catch sight of Tewi, who waves at them. All of their nervousness doesn't leave at once, but they seem more accepting of your presence, and though they vacate the area hastily, it's also in a polite, quiet manner.

"Round the back." Tewi mumbles, near inaudible. "... No, actually, here is fine too, we're a bit off the path to the entry. Let's just leave."

"TEWI." Reisen's call comes from inside Eientei. "You stay right there! I don't know what mischief you're planning today, but I won't have any of it-"

"Damn. She noticed." Tewi said, irritated. "Yeah, let's go. Now would be good. I don't really feel like dealing with a lecture about 'responsibility' and 'duties' and 'how little rabbits look up to me as a role model' or whatever right now."

"These ears aren't for show, I can hear you!" the responding yell came from inside Eientei, along with the faint sound of footsteps, rapidly becoming louder.

Well, you could leave, certainly. Or, the thought occurs to you, you could discuss the matter with Reisen. Calmly. Politely. And with the usage of golems and magic bullets. You don't have very long to decide, though, if you judge speed correctly she'll be here in less than a minute, and if you portal away you will have to leave these golems behind until you return to collect them, or she can just follow you through before the aperture is sealed.

[ ] What do you do?

[x] Discuss the matter with Reisen. Calmly. Politely. And with the usage of golems and magic bullets

Because even though it's been four days, Patchy hasn't fought anyone yet.

[x] Discuss the matter with Reisen. Calmly. Politely. And with the usage of golems and magic bullets

As far as we can tell, Tewi has been an admirable rabbit lately so let's defend her. She's been helping us get stuff Eirin wants, unlike a rabbit only useful for insanity and sex appeal.

The fact that this will make Tewi's claim that we're going out look more reasonable is of no importance. Yet.

[X] Discuss the matter with Reisen. Calmly. Politely. And with the usage of golems and magic bullets.

If this wasn't Touhou I'd suggest explaining that we're making a delivery for Eirin but that can wait until after we've beaten her.
A day like this it shouldn't be too much of a problem even if Reisen is pretty good at danmaku.

>As far as we can tell, Tewi has been an admirable rabbit lately so let's defend her

Actually, from yesterday we know that Tewi had planted bunches of pit traps, including the one we almost fell in (for a given value of almost). They probably would have been fatal to Alistair.

Still, in regards to ourselves, no harm's been done, so Tewi's good in our books.

[X] Discuss the matter with Reisen. Calmly. Politely. And with the usage of golems and magic bullets.

Yeah sure, why not? Reisen's unique abilities might be a bit of a problem, but, well, we can conjure SUNS. So yeah. Besides, I'm feeling lucky.

[X] Leave.
-[x] Ask Reisen to take care of Eirin's new guest

Too much work. Besides the spider-girl is here, so our business is concluded.

".... I thought you said it yourself." You say aloud, rather than move to open an escape route.

"Hm?" Tewi replies, with a quizzical frown.

".. That she won't bother you today." You explain, as Reisen appears at the far end of the entry hall. "Unless she wanted to get smacked."

Tewi is suddenly smirking widely and staring down the hallway with some eagerness.

"... Yeah, we can do it like that too~" She agrees.

Reisen slams out through the open doors, somehow, coming to a sudden halt.

"Pardon me, miss." She says frostily. "But this matter really doesn't concern you. I just need to... talk with that one. I'd prefer not to make a scene of this, if possible."

"Shame." You reply calmly. "Golems, you are hereby authorized to initiate hostilities. Target: Reisen Udongein Inaba."

Something seems to flash inside of their helmets, and the golems shift their positions to a more battle ready posture, limbs creaking heavily. They don't have weapons, but that's fine. They can't make Danmaku either. But modified rules can cover for that.

"That's how it is, huh." Reisen says flatly. Then blurs.

Before you have registered the motion, the moon rabbit has kicked through one of your golems, solid steel through out no less, and cleft in half like a blade swinging through rice paper. Then she's in front of you.

And so is Tewi, kicking straight up, foot connecting square with her chin, and the impact launches the taller rabbit backwards and up.

"Denied~" Tewi says cheerily, even as a golem punches out at her.

The problem of being in the air is a lack of directional mobility, usually, making it very easy for opponents to strike you, and very difficult for you to get out of the way. When both sides of the matter can float at will in any direction on a three dimensional axis, however, it's rather a different story. Reisen drifts around the punch, using the golem as a springboard to gain height, seeming able to propel herself with powerful legs much faster than she can actually fly. It's only a moment further before a hailstorm of bullet-shaped bullets crashes down in your direction.

"Cover me, 'k?" Tewi says as you quickly raise floating boulders to take the shots in your stead, and blurs .

You respond to the request without thought, moving into a familiar spell pattern to keep the moon rabbit's attention Emerald Megalopolis. Slightly modified, of course, as you aren't at near close enough range to use the normal variation properly, the crystalline green pillars float up around you as you drift slightly upwards, some circling to catch and deflect attacks similar to the boulders, while you launch the rest as a ballistic attack. For the briefest moment, you can see Tewi as she lands against one of them, before she pushes off again and you lose track of her.

You both make a few more passes at each other, bullet against stone and gem, before Reisen finds a weak chink in your defenses and shatters it open with a full barrage. You can tell she's about to fire another salvo, and you might barely have time to shift some of the other shields into place to cover the gap before it cuts loose. Instead, you point behind her and smirk.

Tewi is there, spinning in the air before her heel drops straight down,missing Reisen's head but catching her in the shoulder, slamming her downwards with a crash. She impacts the ground almost immediately, and balls her fist before levering herself up.

You accidentally meet her red glare as she does so, and the world is suddenly a uniform foggy grey, all sounds distorted bizarrely, though you can hear crashing noises in spite of that. You fight against the illusion, and manage to break free to the sound of a solid thump of flesh against flesh, Tewi having kicked Reisen into the ground again in the time you were diverted. You prepare another boulder, as your opponent is down, and begin to launch.

You realize the error almost immediately, as your golems continue their own assault, and rapidly shift its flight course. It slams directly into Tewi.

Then the second stage of the illusion falls, and Tewi has picked herself up off the ground, as your boulder bowls Reisen off her feet. She starts to push up against the ground, but Tewi braces a calm foot against the back of her neck.

"Nope. You lose~"

"... Tch. Two against one isn't fair odds." Reisen complains, not seeming to count the golems as enough to even round up to 'one', even as she goes limp and passive, accepting the defeat.

"You did nearly have me at the end there. I was almost completely fooled." You admit.

"Yeah, but I forgot to take the mobile armor into account." She complains.

There is a soft cough distracting you all from post battle banter, and everyone goes quiet as they turn. Eirin is standing in the doorway to Eientei.

"If I may ask, what exactly is going on? You were being quite loud." She says, smiling almost dangerously.

---

And looks like we've almost hit autosage again. I'll make a Koa Korner later, unless there's strong outcry against it or something, and a new thread after that.

>>47095
Chibi Koa is best Koa.

>>47095
Chibi Koa is Best Koa.

I do believe that Eirin is annoyed.

Start running.

[x] I came to deliver your spider and decided to play with Reisen. Would you like to play too? Reisen was just complaining about being outnumbered.

Awesome. Fast updating story is faaaaast~

>>47101
This is just pushing your luck here. The beatdown Eirin will deliver will most definitely take a good chunk of our health.

[x]Better explain things fast. You came to deliver the spider. You wanted to tell her the news but then Reisen arrived for Tewi. And since your health was fantastic, you didn't felt like running away.

Pretty sure it could be worded better, but that should sum it up.

>>47102
Patchy's at 97 health right now. 97! There is never going to be a better time to fight Eirin.

>>47103
What about a day where we've got 100 health? And more experience using a wand with our spellcards.

Also, I'm not sure if there's a point voting before the next thread, but:

[x]Better explain things fast. You came to deliver the spider. You wanted to tell her the news but then Reisen arrived for Tewi. And since your health was fantastic, you didn't felt like running away.

[X]I've come to deliver the spider.

(A fight? Whatever do you mean? We just swept an obstacle aside rather than step around it!)
>>47103
While I don't think we could actually beat Eirin, at least without some significant preparation and study of her powers and weaknesses, a day like this we should be able to give her a run for her money.

And like I've said before, why the hell would we want to fight Eirin in the first place? Especially since she's making our medecine?

And I'm not saying we have no chance to win. Just that we're not getting away without damage.

>>47107
It's a danmaku fight. We're not risking much.

And I want to fight Eirin because it'll be awesome whether we win or lose.

>>47108
Pissing off the one making your medecine. Indeed, I'm struck by how awesome an idea it sounds...

>>47110
It's a bit late to worry about that, don't you think? We already assaulted Reisen.

>>47110
I don't know about pissing her off. Danmaku isn't really like a fight per se, it's more like a game used to settle differences and work out tempers.
I'm not suggesting forcing a confrontation even so but struggling to avoid it doesn't really seem like something Patchy would do.

It's that time again! Not as good a crop as last time, I'm afraid, but here goes~

{b}Gun[/b]- Ooh, I like this one. Ahem. It is a shotgun, sawn short, with a number of enchantments placed upon it by the wizard Koakuma stole it from. Most primarily: it is always loaded, no matter what, and packs a bit more of a punch, especially against supernatural beings which normally aren't bothered much by mundane bullets. It didn't help him much, in the end.

Planar/Diabolistic summoning mechanics- different planes of reality work different. The sort where Koakuma comes from most particularly: time is a very loose concept there. While time moves more or less linearly in both planes, it's not impossible for her to be summoned at any time, from almost any time, as once a summons is complete and she is dismissed, she returns to nearly the same instant she left. On a timeline, say, she could be summoned at year '5', simply for the sake of argument, and remain bound until the year '12'. Then, upon being dismissed, she could be summoned to year '3' and remain until year '9', and after that from year '7' to '15'. Between the years of '7' and '9', therefore, there are three separate instances of Koakuma existing in this plane. Patchouli could, in theory, summon a second Koakuma to work alongside the first, but that way lies nothing but headaches. Simpler to keep it down to one. As well, it's near impossible for her to die outside her native plane, her body simply burns and dissolves to a foul smelling ash, after which she can be almost immediately summoned again.

Library defenses- Sorry! Can't give out details of those. Too bad!

Golem materials- They include marshmallow and pudding, as well as multiple flavors of gelatin, and whipped cream.

Brimstone- Sulfur? Pleasant? It smells like rotten eggs, I don't know where that idea got started. It can be processed into a potion that works similarly to a powerful aphrodisiac, though, so if you summon someone who smells of it, that's probably what they were doing.

Properties of Werewolf Parts Who knows? There's probably a book somewhere in the archive that deals with that sort of thing.

Alistair's garden- There was already magic on it before you started. Not a curse, but a Seasonal Rotation enchantment, dividing the garden into four blocks, so that as the year goes by there's always one quarter in harvest season. A matter of convenience, and impatience.

Now, until next time, all.

I don't care about the twisted logic that make you believe it would be a good idea to annoy the ONLY person who can make our very much NEEDED medicine, this is a dumb idea and we're NOT doing it.

Moreover, attacking Eirin would be completely out of character for Patch. Reisen was being annoying and we were humoring Tewi, that's it. There is no reason for us to attack Eirin.

Seriously, who do you think we are - Marisa ?

>>47112
Intentionally seeking one for no good reason isn't like her either.

>>47115
>>47116
Reisen. Unprovoked assault. Angry Eirin.

Did you read the last update?

New thread: >>47117

>>47115
Attacking? Who the fuck suggested that?
And while I'm addressing you; Drop the fucking name. You have no need of it and if you'd bothered to lurk for a little while you'd notice noone else is using one except writers in their own threads.
Read the fucking rules and lurk moar.