Remilia Quest Dh?

[Oldmansour]

>Hmm...How would we be able to startle Sakuya into timefreezing herself again?

>That's a good question.

[Hanzo K.]

>Well, what do we know of that scares her enough to do something?
>Perhaps putting our own life at risk somehow would work. That might even get her to give up on this entirely.

[Oldmansour]

>Well, what do we know of that scares her enough to do something?
>Perhaps putting our own life at risk somehow would work. That might even get her to give up on this entirely.

>Sakuya's fears.... That's a toughie. The girl's a tough nut to crack, even tougher in her current state, you would venture to guess. There's a number of things she doesn't like, of course, or would be uncomfortable with, but in terms of fear, the only thing you can think of that might get her attention now would be your own safety. Yours or Flandre's. Although she is your servant, she considers the safety of both you and your sister her personal responsibility.

[Hanzo K.]

>What are we mortally weak to that Celes or Youmu could fetch easily enough that Sakuya would know what we mean by if we call for it?

[Oldmansour]

>What are we mortally weak to that Celes or Youmu could fetch easily enough that Sakuya would know what we mean by if we call for it?

>If Youmu's swords are as sharp as they are reputed to be, they could conceivably kill you.
>Other than that, a silver blade could conceivably destroy you.

[Hanzo K.]

>Let's step across the threshold of the door we know Sakuya won't be able to cross. "Celes, Youmu, a word?"
>Once they're out safely; "Find me a Silver Knife." Be sure to look at 'Pride-Sakuya' in a meaningful enough way that she'll realize what we're aiming at.

[Oldmansour]

>Let's step across the threshold of the door we know Sakuya won't be able to cross. "Celes, Youmu, a word?"
>Once they're out safely; "Find me a Silver Knife." Be sure to look at 'Pride-Sakuya' in a meaningful enough way that she'll realize what we're aiming at.

>Withdrawing your chains from the door, you step outside the room to speak to the two servants outside.
>Youmu blinks. "What would you want-"
>The normally polite, formal Celes interrupts her abruptly, "Scarlet Devil, tell me you are not planning to do what I believe you are."

[Hanzo K.]

>Step further away from the door, enough so that 'Pride-Sakuya' won't hear, beckoning them to follow.
>Once we've reached a safe enough distance; "It's a ploy to scare her out of this foolishness. Since she's incapable of leaving that room, I'll give her a false ultimatum. Gain that power, and lose the one who she strives to serve forever. Or give up on her folly, and remain with me. I'll need that knife to show her I mean business."

[Oldmansour]

>Step further away from the door, enough so that 'Pride-Sakuya' won't hear, beckoning them to follow.
>Once we've reached a safe enough distance; "It's a ploy to scare her out of this foolishness. Since she's incapable of leaving that room, I'll give her a false ultimatum. Gain that power, and lose the one who she strives to serve forever. Or give up on her folly, and remain with me. I'll need that knife to show her I mean business."

>Celes closes the door behind you as you walk down the corridor a bit. Now that you're away from Sakuya and can turn your senses to other things, you think you can hear danmaku coming from the opposite direction, towards the throne room.
>Youmu seems a bit taken aback by the severity of your plan, but Celes merely nods. "I expected that, actually. That is why I reacted the way I did, to lend credence to your ploy." She keeps her voice low as she explains her reaction. You find yourself impressed by the woman. "It is a very bold move, but are you certain she will believe you? It's a plan that could work, yes, but not if Sakuya doesn't believe you would ever go that far."

[Hanzo K.]

>"I'm banking on that, and her overprotective nature. Why do you think I gave her that look earlier, and made sure to request it while in earshot?"
>What sort of effect does silver have on us anyhow?

[Oldmansour]

>"I'm banking on that, and her overprotective nature. Why do you think I gave her that look earlier, and made sure to request it while in earshot?"
>What sort of effect does silver have on us anyhow?

>Silvered weapons effectively serve to impede your regenerative powers. As a vampire, your capacity for healing and recovery are truly astonishing, the stuff of legends. A wound inflicted by a silvered weapon, however, has about the same effect a normal weapon would have on a human. A cut that might normally take you seconds to recover from could take hours, if not days, to heal fully if inflicted by a silvered weapon.

>Wordlessly, Celes reaches into her coat and pulls out a sheathed hunting knife. "The blade is gilded with silver." She does not hand it over right away, however. "I feel I must point out, however, that I am uncomfortable with this idea. Not that it wouldn't work, but if things go wrong, you could end up badly hurt, or worse."

[Hanzo K.]

>"If it'll get Sakuya back to how she was, I'll bear with it."
>Pause for a moment. "Ah, before we use my little gamble, what did Tsumiko and Lust think of? It never hurts to have more than one way to skin the proverbial cat after all."

[Oldmansour]

>"If it'll get Sakuya back to how she was, I'll bear with it."
>Pause for a moment. "Ah, before we use my little gamble, what did Tsumiko and Lust think of? It never hurts to have more than one way to skin the proverbial cat after all."

>"The Keeper and the Sins arrived at the conclusion that they needed more information." Celes informs you. "If this Meiling had feelings for Sakuya, then it's possible they could work with her. They were hoping you would know."
>"And even if she did, the sort of work we mean is a bit of a sticky question to ask, considering everything that's happened."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Hmm...The old matchmaker routine, hm? I suppose it could work. Let me think a moment."
>What do we know of how Meiling feels about the mansion's residents?  Flan and ourselves included.

[Oldmansour]

>"Hmm...The old matchmaker routine, hm? I suppose it could work. Let me think a moment."
>What do we know of how Meiling feels about the mansion's residents?  Flan and ourselves included.

>Meling Hong's Relationship Status:

>Remilia Scarlet - Meiling's loyalty to you is unquestionable. She may not be the sort of person that Sakuya is, but once she gives her word, she damn well keeps it. She's a somewhat simple person, compared to the other residents, but she has a strong spirit and a bright personality, very outgoing and friendly. She's also one of the few people you know that can hang with you in physical challenges. You consider her a friend, and she considers you the same.

>Flandre Scarlet - While Meiling is somewhat scared of your sister (and who isn't?) Meiling also treats her like she's a person, not a harbinger of chaos and destruction. Meiling brings Flan's food to her from time to time, reads to her, plays with her. And while Flan has injured her at times, it's never been badly, and Meiling hasn't let that affect her affection for Flan. If Flandre was healed and whole, you wouldn't be surprised if Meiling turned out to be one of her best friends, and you know the gate guard is quite fond of her as well.

>Patchouli Knowledge - Patchy and Hong are friendly with each other, but they're not especially close. Their relationship is very good, just not great. The same goes for Koakuma as well.

>Sakuya Izayoi - Contrary to popular belief, Meiling and Sakuya do in fact get along reasonably well. You would say that Sakuya considers her a friend easily enough. Now Meiling, on the other hand, may carry a bit of a torch for Sakuya. In some of her efforts in the kitchen, and her gardening projects, Meiling has been said to have mused, "I hope Sakuya-san likes this" or words to that extent. You yourself have tried to get Sakuya to 'warm up' in terms of her relationships, but Meiling has done so as well, and rather frequently. You've never heard her openly express that sort of attraction towards your head maid, but you have heard enough to make you wonder.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Yes, I believe it might work, given how the rumors among the staff imply Meiling has a bit of a thing for Sakuya. You know, she sometimes wonders if Sakuya would like something or not. Quite amusing really, I've tried to get Sakuya to warm up to her more really. So this plan could work out without me having to resort to my gamble."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod. "Yes, I believe it might work, given how the rumors among the staff imply Meiling has a bit of a thing for Sakuya. You know, she sometimes wonders if Sakuya would like something or not. Quite amusing really, I've tried to get Sakuya to warm up to her more really. So this plan could work out without me having to resort to my gamble."

>"I think that would be the course of action. Especially since, if it works, nobody needs to get hurt at all, assuming it all works well. If Lust and Meiling can disrupt Sakuya's grip on Pride, you can use your power and control over Sakuya to split the two of them apart. And once they're separated, Tsumiko can recall Pride before he tries anything else."
>"But do you think Meiling would agree to being inhabited by Lust?" Celes asks.
>"Inhabited?" Youmu inquires of her. "You mean possessed?"
>"No, I mean inhabited. There's a difference." Celes looks between you and the samurai. "Tsumiko could explain it better than I, but Lust wouldn't be possessing Meiling. 'Possession' implies overriding control, which is what you saw with the likes of Envy and Sloth and Gluttony. And what Pride tried to do with Sakuya. However, with Meiling's consent, Lust would enter her body and use her power to amplify the bond of affection between Meiling and Sakuya. It would be cooperation, not control. Two beings sharing one body for a common goal."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, the best way to find out would be to ask her. Knowing how she is, she'll likely agree if it means getting back the Sakuya we all care about."
>Nod. "Also, I'll be sure to give Pride a good punch later on when all of this has blown over. He's the one who started this mess by trying to take Sakuya."
>And then give Celes an aside glance. "It's better than what Flan would do, I can say that for certain. He'll at least survive a hit from me."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, the best way to find out would be to ask her. Knowing how she is, she'll likely agree if it means getting back the Sakuya we all care about."
>Nod. "Also, I'll be sure to give Pride a good punch later on when all of this has blown over. He's the one who started this mess by trying to take Sakuya."
>And then give Celes an aside glance. "It's better than what Flan would do, I can say that for certain. He'll at least survive a hit from me."

>"Very well. Where would Meiling be right now?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"She was having a rather spirited-though friendly-match with your own guard when I last saw her."

[Hanzo K.]

>"I must say, that Sabine woman is a mite impressive herself. I wouldn't mind testing her out myself sometime."
>Fistpalm. "after a while, once everyone's recovered and gotten their affairs in order from all this mess, I was considering having a little tournament between the Mansion and the Keep. For fun's sake, and seeing how everyone stacks up against their counterpart from the other house."
>Smile slightly. "After all, it never hurts to know the strength of your allies. And a little exhibition tournament is the perfect way to not only do that, but integrate you of the Keep with the others of Gensokyo. I myself have little parties and open houses every so often, because what's the point of having wealth and prestige if you don't show it off every now and again, hmm? Besides, it's fun. I daresay this keep could have quite a few enjoyable times in that regard. And who knows? Maybe it will even help cleanse this place of the former owner's influence."

[Oldmansour]

>"She was having a rather spirited-though friendly-match with your own guard when I last saw her."

>"Then she'll be somewhere outside."

>"I must say, that Sabine woman is a mite impressive herself. I wouldn't mind testing her out myself sometime."
>Fistpalm. "after a while, once everyone's recovered and gotten their affairs in order from all this mess, I was considering having a little tournament between the Mansion and the Keep. For fun's sake, and seeing how everyone stacks up against their counterpart from the other house."
>Smile slightly. "After all, it never hurts to know the strength of your allies. And a little exhibition tournament is the perfect way to not only do that, but integrate you of the Keep with the others of Gensokyo. I myself have little parties and open houses every so often, because what's the point of having wealth and prestige if you don't show it off every now and again, hmm? Besides, it's fun. I daresay this keep could have quite a few enjoyable times in that regard. And who knows? Maybe it will even help cleanse this place of the former owner's influence."

>"She can be somewhat simple, at times, but her skills are unquestionable."
>"I think that would be an excellent idea. And it would help us acclamate to Gensokyo, as well. We are a bit out of date."
>"Oh, and about Meiling." Celes adds. "Is she the type to abandon a fight in the middle? In Sabine's case, it normally takes something quite drastic to get her to stop a fight she's involved in."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Not usually, most people here enjoy a good scrap when they can get one. And the fact that everyone uses danmaku most of the time means that a good fistfight is a breath of fresh air to her. Danmaku isn't her strong point you know, much better at hand-to-hand. But I'm confident enough that if she hears it's to save Sakuya, she'll drop what she's doing and come running. That protective nature of hers makes her such an excellent gatekeeper you know, even if she's a tad simple at times herself. I loan her some outside-world comics every now and again you know, mostly the action sort geared towards young men. I myself prefer the ones that get you to thinking. Like this one about a human who found this book that could kill whomever's name is written in it. Lovely read that one, quite thrilling."

(It is canon that Remi loans Hong manga at times you know.)

[Oldmansour]

>"Not usually, most people here enjoy a good scrap when they can get one. And the fact that everyone uses danmaku most of the time means that a good fistfight is a breath of fresh air to her. Danmaku isn't her strong point you know, much better at hand-to-hand. But I'm confident enough that if she hears it's to save Sakuya, she'll drop what she's doing and come running. That protective nature of hers makes her such an excellent gatekeeper you know, even if she's a tad simple at times herself. I loan her some outside-world comics every now and again you know, mostly the action sort geared towards young men. I myself prefer the ones that get you to thinking. Like this one about a human who found this book that could kill whomever's name is written in it. Lovely read that one, quite thrilling."

>Celes gestures towards the silvered knife in her hand. "Will you still be needing this, then?" she asks cautiously.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Keep it on hand as a backup in case this plan fails. If it does, we'll have to fall back on my little gamble. Shall we go fetch Hong?"
>Let's go!

[Oldmansour]

>Let's go!

>Go where?

[Hanzo K.]

>To the place we last saw Hong at, the Main Gate!

[Oldmansour]

>"Keep it on hand as a backup in case this plan fails. If it does, we'll have to fall back on my little gamble. Shall we go fetch Hong?"
>To the place we last saw Hong at, the Main Gate!

>"I always keep it on hand." Celes replies, sounding just a touch relieved.
>You inform Celes and Youmu where you last saw Meiling. Before she sets off, Celes asks you, "Would you mind if I investigate the throne room quickly before we return to the gate? I recognize the sound of Lust's danmaku from the throne room, but not who she is battling."

[Hanzo K.]

>"...Perhaps I should see as well. We can't have her out of commission before the plan's enacted after all."
>Let's go with her then!

[Oldmansour]

>"...Perhaps I should see as well. We can't have her out of commission before the plan's enacted after all."
>Let's go with her then!

>"A fair point."
>The three of you make your way back towards the throne room, at a decent pace, and you recognize the sound of the other danmaku pattern, now that you focus. It is Meiling's. That's a mixed blessing. It saves you having to look for her, and it means she probably got the better of Sabine. On the other hand, if she's dueling Lust now, that could take away energy both of them might need later.

>Just outside the door, Youmu asks, "I think I recognize that sound, is that China?"