Magical Lotus, Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 2

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"It would seem that your ring has something after all. Not what mine had, but still something."
>"Fight it, Lily. You know it's not you. Defy it. Don't let it take you."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Ignore it's lies, but do not ignore it. Fight the shadows, but do not deny that they are there. They are a part of you, and as such, ultimately under your control. Remember this always, and you'll be fine."

[Oldmansour]

>"It would seem that your ring has something after all. Not what mine had, but still something."
>"Fight it, Lily. You know it's not you. Defy it. Don't let it take you."

>"Ignore it's lies, but do not ignore it. Fight the shadows, but do not deny that they are there. They are a part of you, and as such, ultimately under your control. Remember this always, and you'll be fine."

>As you offer resassurances and support to Lily in her conflict, prolonged contact with her though the rings you wear provokes a thought within you: This doesn't seem quite like your experience with the ring at all. The sensation from that grey area is nothing like the blackness you encountered within yourself. That blackness was cold, lonely, oppressive and evil, a source of temptation and vileness abhorent to you. What is within Lily is almost... a veil of sorts, concealing a specific truth. You can't be sure, but you believe this truth pertains to someone else, not Lily herself.
>Furthurmore, whereas you were seperated from you 'outer' self, Lily remains fully aware of herself, her surroundings, and you. The grey power within her does not seem to be a force of temptation, of corruption, but an interdiction of sorts. It is obviously a foreign influence, but you cannot be absolutely certain it came from the ring. Not the least reason for which was that this ring came from you, not any sinister doll. You'd think you would have detected any lingering darkness that might be within the ring, although you're nearly positive that you've purified it completely, made it your own.

>For her part, Lily shakes her head again, then visibly calms. "I'm okay." She straightens up and gives you a simple smile. "I'm okay, really, Byakuren. I know there's... Uh... Not sure... how to put this..." Her face scrunches up as she searches for the right word. Then she sighs and simple says the first thing that comes to her mind. "A lie, inside me. It doesn't belong there, and I don't know where it came from. There's something I can't talk about, that's all. Not until we can figure out a way to get this thing out of me." Her smile brightens. "Thank you. I was... a little overwhelmed by that. I don't think I would have liked to experienced that on my own."
>She looks at her ring again, and at yours. Both of them still have a light in the center of their jewels. "The rings are connected, definately. I can't see what this lie is, and I don't think you can either. Maybe if we... Maybe if we bring our rings closer together, the connection will get stronger, and we can find the truth."

[Amraphenson]

>Hesitate for a second and give her a worried look.
>"Are you sure, Lily? I doubt this will be very pleasant at all."
>If she agrees, do it.

[Oldmansour]

>Hesitate for a second and give her a worried look.
>"Are you sure, Lily? I doubt this will be very pleasant at all."

>Lily nods once. "It can't be any less pleasant than knowing something, or someone, has.... sabotaged me." She laughs softly at her own choice of words. "I want to get to the bottom of this, and I want to get rid of it." Brave woman.

>If she agrees, do it.

>Having attented to your own misgivings (mostly, anyway. This is a new one, you're not quite sure what's about to happen) you extend your ring outwards towards Lily, and she does likewise. A thin beam of light emerges from both jewels, but what, if any, effect this has, you cannot detect. So the two of you step closer. Nothing. A little closer. Still nothing. So the two of you look at each other, down at your rings, then back to each other, and smile. Boldly stepping forward, you bring your jewels together.
>This has a rather more profound effect. The connection between you two is indeed much stronger now, but contrary to your fears, it isn't unpleasant at all. Rather, it's warm. It's bright and intimate. You can so much more within Lily now. You can put a name to every color you see, the pink is joy she takes in living every day, the purples are love she bears for the things and people around her, and there are many pinks and purples. There is also green; courage.
>It takes you a moment to realize that the connection is working both ways. Lily can see within you just as much as you can see within her. The two of you are connected in a way that perhaps no two people have ever quite experienced, and even though you can hear her heart beating in her chest, feel the warmth of her spirit, that connection is not even as deep as it could be yet. With your jewels touching, you could see even more of Lily, and she of you.

>The grey veil, however, is not a part of that intimacy. It is an ugly, thick curtain within your friend, and the connection, as it is now, allows you both to see more details of it. You know it was placed there by someone, a person who wanted something concealed. You know it is knowledge of one specific thing, and that it is a recent thing, having been in Lily for no more than a week. However, you cannot determine who put it there, nor can you determine the nature of what it is concealing.
>You can determine that the veil is reacting badly to the scrutiny it finds itself under. It ripples as though in a breeze as the connected hearts of two strong women try to pull it back.

[Hello Purvis]

>Continue to scrutinize it. If it is rippling, try to peek underneath the ripples as one wound around a curtain caught in the breeze.

[Oldmansour]

>Continue to scrutinize it. If it is rippling, try to peek underneath the ripples as one wound around a curtain caught in the breeze.

>You focus even more of your attention upon the grey veil standing between you two and the truth. It's difficult to see a shape through it, though you do catch edges of something at the ends of the veil, like the end of the tail of an animal, but not enough to figure what animal it is. You can see enough to know that, whatever this truth is, it happened no more than 4 days ago.
>As you focus, however, you find that the connection between you and Lily is growing as well. You can see more than simply the colors of her emotions now, you can feel them yourself. You can sense her wonderment at everything that's happened to her today, her discomfort at knowing someone has tampered with her, her happiness at being able to share this adventure, and this experience, with you, and her resolution and courage to face not only this truth, whatever it may be, but anything else that is to come afterwards. And you know that she, in turn, can feel your concern for her well being, your reluctance to get her involved at all, and the spiritual strength and solidarity you carry within yourself. The experience is fascinating, but intimate in a way you've never imagined before.
>The veil continues to ruffle against your focus, as though the stare of your eyes and the desire of Lily to be rid of it are a wind, tryin to blow it away. It is possible, you suspect, that even more focus from you both will blow it away altogether. But if you do so, the connection between you and Lily will deepen even more than it already is. You can sense Lily's knowledge of this as well; words are not necessary to you both now. This thought has occured to her as well, but, although she is willing, she does not wish to proceed unless you are certain you desire even more intimate contact with her spirit.

[Amraphenson]

>Hell, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Go for it. The power of love friendship shall stop for no tacky grey veil!

[Oldmansour]

>Hell, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Go for it. The power of love friendship shall stop for no tacky grey veil!

>That's the spirit, sister! Nothing can stop the power of love! ... Friendship! ... Both! ... Lily's enthusiasm really IS infectious...
>With Lily's concern addressed, she closes her eyes as your spirits draw even closer together. For a moment, you are nearly mesmerized by what you see as your bond with Lily deepens. Her memories float before your eyes; the first sunrise of her 8th year, she stayed up all night to watch it, and it was an absolutely wonderous sight. The cat she found when she was ten that followed her home, and stayed with her, ate with her, slept with her, for a week, and then one day was simply gone, and how she smiled and was happy for the time they had. That's how she is; Lily is able to smile and find the good in every situation. She's a simple person, but in all the right ways. Every day is a chance to have a new adventure, even when it's nothing more than a daily routine, and it's better to share those adventures, that happiness, with someone else.
>You can see Kyouko on her mind, as well, Lily's concern for her after the youma attack, her relief and joy at knowing she'd recovered nicely, and the love they made to celebrate that. And that Kyouko isn't the only one... You do your best to avert your eyes from those memories and feelings, feeling they're too private to invade. But then again, we knew that could happen. That thought returns you to the task at hand, and you return your focus to the veil of lies within Lily, but can't help but wonder, idly, what she can see within you.

>Which, of course, you can sense, given the nature of your bond. She knows of your relationship with Rin, how you endure the title of 'owner' for her benefit, but would never consider turning her out, not only for her sake, but because you would genuinely miss the catgirls' companionship. She senses your connection to the girls of Moonside, how in the span of a handful of months, they've become almost as close to you as your blood kin. And despite these things she can see, and more, you know she's doing her level best not to gaze too long or too deeply. She knows you're doing this for her benefit, and she believes that, even though you've accepted the consequences of the intimacy you now share, that there are some things she doesn't want to know, unless you wish to tell her yourself. But this hasn't prevented you from learning of her affection for Kyouko, and Marissa, and her growing affection for you...

>The intimacy between the Hero of the Heart and the Hero of Spring, and the focus put forth by your combined hearts and minds, prove too much for the interdictory veil between Lily's awareness and the truth, and the offending veil dissipates into specks of grey dust, that shrink and vanish altogether.

[Hello Purvis]

>Don't blush don't blush don't blush.
>"Do you feel better?"

[Oldmansour]

>Don't blush don't blush don't blush.
>"Do you feel better?"

>Come on, face! Stay red-free! ... *slight blush* Dangit. Although the fact that Lily's blushing slightly as well makes you feel a little less embarassed. Among other things... At least you pretty sure that's your feelings. The connection as strong as it is, it's getting a little tricky to seperate your feelings from hers.
>Lily's own feelings tell you that she does indeed feel better. The freedom of being able to speak completely freely again, her surprising happiness at this event in and of itself, and her gratitude towards you. Physically, however, she simply smiles at you and gazes at you with her big blue eyes.
>"I am now. Thanks to you."

[Hello Purvis]

>Keep our voice steady and respectable. Respectable, consarnit!
>"Do you have any idea what that was?"

[Oldmansour]

>Keep our voice steady and respectable. Respectable, consarnit!
>"Do you have any idea what that was?"

>With a concerted effort, you hold your voice steady as you pose a question to Lily. Between the strength of the connection between you, and those beautiful blue eyes gazing into yours, this is an inordinately difficult thing. Lily admires your strength. She doesn't speak, as in her mouth doesn't move. But you can hear her voice in your ears and mind as clearly as though she was whispering into your ear.
>"The lie itself? No. I couldn't see anything about it that would tell us what it was, or who put it there for sure." You can tell this vexes her a little, but not too much. She's simply pleased to be rid of it. It actually vexes you more than her, and although she's grateful for that sentiment, she doesn't like seeing people vexed. There's much better emotions to experience. "But at least now we can see the truth behind it."

[Amraphenson]

>Try not to think of specifically what emotions, or how said emotions are to be experienced.
>Fail horribly and do so anyway.
>"Well then, now that that's been taken care of, how was Satori acting again?"

[Oldmansour]

>Try not to think of specifically what emotions, or how said emotions are to be experienced.
>Fail horribly and do so anyway.
>"Well then, now that that's been taken care of, how was Satori acting again?"

>You avert your mind from THOSE thoughts and feelings and try to get back to the whole reason your rings are still touching each other for. Or at least you do your level best. Most of what Lily thinks is better at the moment is simply being happy that you've 'fixed' her, rather than dwelling on not being able to discern who 'sabotaged' her. And while this is certainly an admirable attitude, it is only most of what Lily's feeling at the moment. The rest... Well, someone who wasn't as strong minded as you would be very, very, very distracted right about now. As it is, you manage to get back to a reasonable level of distraction. How long you'll stay that way....
>The next three hours are a blur of feathers and pink.
>Congraulations! Lily White has joined your Harem! Now set your sights on your next target! Spread the LOVE and save the world!
>The words flow from Lily's heart, heard in your mind through the still-connected jewels. "Satori's been acting kinda funny since last Friday. At least I THINK that's when it started, I spent most of thursday in bed recovering from that gas- Well, at the time I thought it was a gas leak, anyway. But since friday, or maybe thursday or wednesday, the main room of the temple's been locked, by order of Satori, the room with the sacred flame. Only she's allowed in. And she's made it very clear she doesn't want to talk about it, that it's her business. And I know she's spent more time than usual talking to the other head mikos. Myon-senpai came here yesterday, and Satori's spoken to Hinanai-sama at least three times over the phone, and that one doesn't like Satori much, as I understand. But I don't know what they've talked about."

[Hello Purvis]

>We'll show them bitches you don't need to be a dark queen to have a proper harem
>"That's...amazingly suspicious, given the circumstances. Has she done anything else unusual?"

[Oldmansour]

>We'll show them bitches you don't need to be a dark queen to have a proper harem
>"That's...amazingly suspicious, given the circumstances. Has she done anything else unusual?"

>You make a mental note that, when next you seen either the Dark Lady or a servent of darkness, to show off your harem and bask in the afterglow of triumph!
>Your determination to stay on the mission, despite the intimacy between you two, impresses Lily. You sense her sifting through her memories, some of which go flitting by you, but you do your damdest to keep your mind on the task at hand. But the memories of Lily's employ are relevant to the task, and you both run through them simultaneously. This odd behavoir of hers only stretches back to Friday. Lily never thought Satori's ability to talk to animals was weird, just unique. Satori also has a slightly adverse reaction to someone mentioning Koishi, but she's never really elaborated on that, at least not to Lily. She was in a really bad mood a couple months back after Koakuma came to visit, and she never explained why beyond "She won." Tenshi doesn't really like her and, as near as you can figure, the feeling is mutual.
>Wait, did you just say "as near as I can figure?" Or was that Lily's thoughts? You hear Lily laugh inside your heart. "We could get lost in each other, with our rings still touching like this." Strangely, the initial reaction to this sentiment from both of you is that neither one is immediately opposed to the idea. Lily is as beautiful inside as she is outside, and in her mind, so are you.

[Hello Purvis]

>It'll be a selling point.
>Chuckle.
>"This is going to get a little confusing, I think. But...one wonders, if you had such a veil over you, what of her?"
>What do we; in this case the both of us; know about Koakuma?

[Oldmansour]

>It'll be a selling point.
>Chuckle.
>"This is going to get a little confusing, I think. But...one wonders, if you had such a veil over you, what of her?"
>What do we; in this case the both of us; know about Koakuma?

>Though you find yourself wondering if Marissa will bring her own to the competition...
>Lily's laugh echoes your own. "But in kind of a good way!" She feels a sense of honor at seeing a side of the Morning Star- ALL the sides of the Mornign Star at once, in a way that no one else ever has, not even her own brother has seen her this way. You both still have a sense of wonderment that this kind of connection is possible, and you both wonder just what the prolonged effects will be, if any, if your rings continue to touch each other. Lily finds the prospect exciting, you find the prospect intriguing.
>She is momentarily confused by your question about Satori, then takes your meaning. "You think that, whatever this was that affected me, affected her, too? Well, if that's true, it may have affected everyone else that works here as well."

>Koakuma (who has no last name you're aware of) is the owner of the Blue Lantern cafe, a prosperous little place that employs Rin, Reisen and many others. You yourself have worked a couple shifts there, and Koakuma has tried on multiple occasions to lure you back there full time. She's very persistant, but in a charming way. She's an extremely beautiful woman, and also very intelligent, with a canny sense of business. She's very competitive, driven to be successful, but never at the outright expense of those around her. She treats her employees very well, and is generous with those who perform well. Unlike some employers who punish failure, she rewards success. You suspect she's also fond of poety, from some of the books you've seen in her office, but have yet to ask her directly. You do know her to be philanthropic, as well, as she's donated both her personal time as well as a fair amount of money to local theater groups, including Mayoiga High's own drama club.
>You and Lily have both heard rumors about town that she's a succubus, or a demon, or something unearthly. Physically, with her luscious, sensual body, she may well fit the bill. And she does enjoy sex a great deal, as many of her employees and customers can and will attest to. She's reputed to be one of, if not the, best lovers this side of the Jade Mountain range. Lily suspects that might be what Satori meant by "She won", but she can't be certain, as Satori has never elaborated upon that. So far as Lily knows, Koakuma only visited this temple the one time, the better part of three months ago, and every miko outside of Satori in the place was visibly swooning over her in short order. Including Lily herself, she admits, which draws a blush from the both of you. There's something.... deeply seductive about her, you see through the bond between you and Lily, you both have sensed this about her. Your 'soul-mate' wouldn't be at all surprised if Koakuma could arouse a stone just by walking past it, and you can't disagree with the thought.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Have there been any unusual visitors within the last few days? Or maybe any strange dolls someone's found?"
>Do we think we need to maintain the connection now that the veil's been lifted?

[Oldmansour]

>"Have there been any unusual visitors within the last few days? Or maybe any strange dolls someone's found?"

>Lily's memories of the past few days drift through your minds' eye as she tries to find people that would have been 'unusual'. The fat woman in green clothes stands out, but that's because Lily was worried the woman was going to pass out, she was breathing so hard and sweating so much. Since Lily's been back to work, there's been Youmu visiting, which she's mentioned perviously, as well as an officious looking young man wearing the Saigyoji crest on his breast pocket, and walking with his nose in the air. He was very haughty when he arrived, but whatever Satori said to him during their consult, he obviously didn't like, because he left red-faced and outraged. Commonly, that indicates someone that came for advice on love/relationships, and didn't hear what they wanted to hear at all. Lily doesn't like seeing people dissapointed or upset, but she knows there's not much she can say to people in that kind of mood.
>The other woman you passed on the way up the stairs, the tall woman with the long silver hair, also stands out in Lily's mind. "I think I know her from somewhere, but I can't figure where." You find yourself having a similar sensation, though whether this is your own memory or the influence of Lily's mind intertwining with yours, you're not certain.

>Do we think we need to maintain the connection now that the veil's been lifted?

>The purpose of bringing your jewels together and deepening the bond to the point it is now was to remove the Lie that someone had placed in Lily. That has been acheived, and neither one of you can detect any furthur tampering within Lily. Or you, for that matter. And you both have looked. For lies and other things. In that sense, you are free to seperate your jewels whenever you wish.
>On the other hand, this is a truly unique experience, and a surprisingly pleasant one as well. If you had to pick an individual to share a soul with, Lily's proven to be a very, very good choice. Her spirit is so bright, her outlook on life so positive, her desire so pure... You really could get lost in each other like this.

[Hello Purvis]

>Does Lily seem to remember what the silver-haired woman was doing here?
>Ponder if this sort of thing is possible with others. If one could connect like this to a youma, or one of those demons...

[Oldmansour]

>Does Lily seem to remember what the silver-haired woman was doing here?
>Ponder if this sort of thing is possible with others. If one could connect like this to a youma, or one of those demons...

>She went into the shrine, so Lily assumes she simply had a consult with Satori. From the look on her face, both when Lily saw her after and when you yourself saw her, she didn't seem to be in a very good mood, so Lily assumes she simply had a dose of bad news. She never asked the woman.
>You take a moment to ruminate on the possibilities of melding this way with one of your enemies. Lily may be a beautiful spirit, but from what you've been told, half your enemies HAVE no spirit, and the other half are evil incarnate. The prospect of seeing their souls makes even you swallow uncomfortably. Lily's reaction is a bit stronger, the thought of that makes her physically shudder. That said, however, it would certainly allow you great insight into the motivations and history of the demons. Chances are, though, the demon would have to be willing, as Lily was. Assuming it's even possible, as Lily points out it was you and Lily's rings that manifest the connection between you, which could be an impasse in soul-sharing with them.
>Despite the connection between you, Lily feels the need to ask you out loud, "Why would you want to?"

EDIT: The parser realized he forgot something a couple posts ago.
>About the dolls, Lily thinks about the doll fad that hit school on wednesday, and is still in full swing. Little cuties are everywhere. Even been a couple left behind at the shrine by visitors. But to Lily's knowledge, no one's ever said anything like your experiences with the dolls. To others, including Lily herself, they seem normal, cute little dolls. Lily has one herself, even.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Because, I need them to see that what I have to say to them will be true. And because I need to see what drives them."

[Oldmansour]

>"Because, I need them to see that what I have to say to them will be true. And because I need to see what drives them."

>The memory of your encounter with the bat-demon is replayed for the both of you. Lily seems a bit dubious about your chances of getting through to her and her kind, especially if the 'siblings' she mentioned are as overtly malicious as this one was. She thinks it'd be nice if you could truly understand them, maybe work things out without all the violence, but she doesn't seem entirely enthusiastic about the odds of this. But more than this, she worries that the bat, or whatever demon you meet next, will only try to hurt you if you try. She's also a little curious about why the bat didn't try, but that's a minor thing. The thought of seeing you hurt is a distinctly unpleasant thought for Lily- Well, seeing ANY person hurt is unpleasant for Lily, but at the moment, you keenly see her concern for you.

[Hello Purvis]

>Reach over and pat her on the head.
>"Thanks for the concern. But, given that being hurt is going to be inevitable, I'd rather make it count for truly solving this problem for everyone, not just beating them back for another X number of years."

[Oldmansour]

>Reach over and pat her on the head.
>"Thanks for the concern. But, given that being hurt is going to be inevitable, I'd rather make it count for truly solving this problem for everyone, not just beating them back for another X number of years."

>With your free hand you reach out and give Lily a reassuring pat. This act draws a small giggle from the winged woman. She likes it when people pat her head, always has. Then she smiles gently, and reaches out her own free hand, lightly touching your cheek with her small hand. "Well, now you've got me to watch your back."

[Hello Purvis]

>"That I do, Lily. Thank you."
>"I suppose the question becomes, what do we do next?"

[Oldmansour]

>"That I do, Lily. Thank you."
>"I suppose the question becomes, what do we do next?"

>A myriad of possibilities flit through the mind of your companion as she ponders the answer to that question.
>"If the demons are the root of the problem, then finding the one here'd be a good start. 'course I dunno where to start THERE... Wonder if it had a shape other than a bat?"
>"The Tiger warned us about Satori, so maybe I'd better see if one of the other temples will have me. Maybe Myon-senpai, Miho-chan loves it there. Wonder if the Morning Star'd be interested, it'd be GREAT to work with her!"
>"Hey, that's a thought. Tiger didn't warn us about the other three mikos, maybe whatever the issue with Satori isn't an issue with them
>A slight feeling of hunger runs through Lily's mind, which somehow makes your own tummy rumble a little. Maybe it's closer to lunch than you'd realized?
>"Wonder what Kyouko'd think if I told her about any of this? Or Marissa? Naw, they'd think I had a crazy dream, or something... On the other hand, maybe one of them's one of us, too. Or both! That'd be cool! But do I want them fighting creatures made of pure evil? Unless they're already involved just because the demons are here..."
>"Maybe we oughta patrol around town, seek out signs of evil."
>She also seems intrigued by the job offer Aya made you on you way to the shrine. The image of herself in a pretty white gown and a tiara of flowers on her head, carrying a bouquet of cherry blossoms, smiling brilliantly under a warm spring sun appears in her mind, bringing a smile to her own face. As well as your own. It's a very endearing image. And it's followed by another image, this one of you in a similar vein. Your gown is longer than hers, a purer white, and you have a veil instead of a flower circlet. Your image is more reserved than Lily's, your eyes closed and a quiet smile on your face. In the world of the flesh, you see a small blush appear under Lily's eyes. "Sorry. Couldn't help it."

[Hello Purvis]

>"It's alright. I won't hold your thoughts against you."
>Or so we intend, anyways.
>On the subject of patrolling, reconsider that one guy. Lily may have thoughts there.
>And how to disentangle Lily from Satori without causing issues...perhaps a letter of resignation? Or claiming need for a vacation?