Magical Lotus, Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 2

[Hello Purvis]

>"Wouldn't most people?"
>"But if you need to be reimbursed, that is fine. This is a rather unexpected situation for us all."

[Oldmansour]

>"Wouldn't most people?"
>"But if you need to be reimbursed, that is fine. This is a rather unexpected situation for us all."

>She gapes at you some more. "No, it's not...." she trails off.

[Hello Purvis]

>Give her a moment to find her words.

[Oldmansour]

>Give her a moment to find her words.

>You allot the Eagle a moment to collect herself. Chie, however, snickers quietly. "Not see Eagle lost for words before." she remarks sideways to Lily.
>Rather than flip off a quip to the catgirl, the Eagle simple keeps her eyes on you. "You'd... You'd think that I... would just HELP someone? Just like that? With no angle of my own?" She says it like she simply cannot believe it, cannot believe you'd think that of her. That anyone would think that of her, even. Or, perhaps, that anyone ever has.

[Hello Purvis]

>Shrug.
>"I don't see why not. It would be terribly inconvenient to collect a fee for every little thing, if nothing else. And, you've not quite struck me as so mercenary that you'd turn your back on someone like Marigold-"
>Gesture toward her for emphasis.
>"-to avoid a small comforting gesture. If nothing else, the cost of not doing it would probably be greater than any cost of doing it."

[Oldmansour]

>Shrug.
>"I don't see why not. It would be terribly inconvenient to collect a fee for every little thing, if nothing else. And, you've not quite struck me as so mercenary that you'd turn your back on someone like Marigold-"
>Gesture toward her for emphasis.
>"-to avoid a small comforting gesture. If nothing else, the cost of not doing it would probably be greater than any cost of doing it."

>A small sound, part breath part laugh, escapes the Eagle's lips, which seem to flicker back and forth between that stunned expression and the ghost of a smile. "Nobody's given me the benefit of the doubt in over a decade. Nearly as long as I can remember."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, I'm sure I would like this nobody person, then. Regardless, thank you."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, I'm sure I would like this nobody person, then. Regardless, thank you."

>A cautious smile comes to the Eagle, with a little effort. "You..." she breathes, then shakes her head, as if she can't quite make up her mind about something.
>"Well... In this case, reimbusement isn't necessary. She only wanted two things, and that's to see our girl here, and for me to play a song with em. Well, HER, I suppose, but I imagine the crowd'll stick around to see the show." She pauses then, her collected nature returning, albeit gradually. "Tell me, Byakuren, you know the song 'Bad timing'?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Do we?

[Oldmansour]

>Do we?

>Very well. You can play on guitar it as well as sing it. That's one of Marissa's favourite songs, in fact. For someone with so... BIG a personality, she sings that bittersweet song very beautifully herself. As a matter of fact, over the summer, you and she sang that song as a duet, for a karaoke event charity drive for one of the local Hakurei-backed food banks in town. You had the crowd in tears by the halfway point of the song, even had the fairly unflappable Reimu herself misty eyed, not that she'd admit it. Apart from Mima, of course, she was as stoic as ever. Precious little cracks her imperious hide.
>"I didn't know you knew it." Lily notes to the Eagle, who responds with a shrug. "I know a lotta tunes. Japanadian tunes ain't always my thing, but a good song's a good song."

And for this of you not familiar with the song, Here. Don't say I never gave ya nothin'.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I know it well enough. I assume you want some help?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I know it well enough. I assume you want some help?"

>That draws a chuckle from the Eagle, her smirk becoming much more certain of itself. "'Help'? Hardly. But just imagine their squeeees if the Morning Star herself graces 'em with a song."
>At Marigold's confused expression, Lily provides, "She means Mother's singing makes people happy." Marigold seems less confused. "Happy is good."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I suppose I couldn't say no for one song..."

[Oldmansour]

>"I suppose I couldn't say no for one song..."

>The Eagle seems rather pleased. "Capitol!"
>Chie sidles up next to Lily. "Lily sing too? Chie likes Lily's voice."
>Lily smiles at the compliment, but does not answer immediately. "Before we get to that, Eagle, can me and Byakuren have a few minutes with Marigold? In private?" she adds, glancing at Chie. The Eagle merely shrugs casually. "Suits me, I gotta find my guitar, anyway. C'mon, kitty, let's inform the girlies." Chie nods, then follows the Eagle out of the shed, leaving you and Lily alone with the newborn. At which point, Lily's face grows more serious. "Marigold, how much do you remember about what happened before now?"
>Marigold's face shudders for a moment, she draws a long breath and presses her hand to the side of her head. "Darkness.... Cold..." Her eyes flutter, and she lowers her hand. "Then- Light."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Need we dredge up unpleasant memories for her now, Lily? Let us give her a few days to have a few good ones before pressing her on that."

[Oldmansour]

>"Need we dredge up unpleasant memories for her now, Lily? Let us give her a few days to have a few good ones before pressing her on that."

>Marigold shakes her head slowly. "Not memories. Wasn't... alive. Wasn't myself." Her gaze holds your eyes. "It is alright. It happened. Talking or not talking about it doesn't change that it happened. Doesn't change what I am now." She pauses. "What I am now..." she seems lost in thought, as though giving words to the idea has lit her mind. "Before, I was... not aware, as I am now. No... mind. No personality. Just.... awareness. A sense of the feelings around me. A sense of being incomplete. Part of something more."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, alright. Do you remember anything that happened, if you were aware? Did you have any...doubts? Anything that made you stop for a moment?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, alright. Do you remember anything that happened, if you were aware? Did you have any...doubts? Anything that made you stop for a moment?"

>"There was no doubt." she replies, her voice oddly distant. "No awareness, at least not like this. No me. Only... rage. Cold, cold rage. Such anger... And sadness... Betrayal. Such loss..." She seems to run out of words, and stops and breathes in and out a couple times. "It wasn't the same, though. One belonged to someone, one belonged to someone else. The rage was old. The sadness new."
>Lily looks understandably confused.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I remember, when we met then, that you seemed to stop and consider for a moment. Or that my words seemed to reach you in some way. Does that sound familiar?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I remember, when we met then, that you seemed to stop and consider for a moment. Or that my words seemed to reach you in some way. Does that sound familiar?"

>She shakes her head. "I don't see how. There was no me to reach. Maybe a part, but...." She pauses, evidently thinking, then shakes her head. "I remember the feelings, the emotions, the deep deep darkness." Then she smiles that calm smile of hers. "I remember the light most of all. The light was... warm. Peace."
>Lily then asks, "Did the other 'two' feelings react to the light?" And Marigold nods. "Hatred. Desire."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Do you remember doing anything? Or seeing anything?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Do you remember doing anything? Or seeing anything?"

>Marigold shakes her head. "Only darkness. Only light."

[Hello Purvis]

>"And you could not put words or thoughts to it at the time?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Could you sense any... other presense? Like you mentioned with the sadness? Something like... well, maybe like there was another there with you?"

[Oldmansour]

>"And you could not put words or thoughts to it at the time?"

>She shakes her head again. "There was not enough of me."

>"Could you sense any... other presense? Like you mentioned with the sadness? Something like... well, maybe like there was another there with you?"

>Marigold does not answer immediately, but her eyes grow distant, like trying to see something very far away. "The rage and the cold were louder. Stronger. Crushing..." She seems somehow to shrink, her voice growing quieter and quieter. "So much pain... Pain, before I knew what pain was... Why was it so angry, couldn't see, only darkness, so much anger, so much pain..."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Do you know what caused that pain?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Do you know what caused that pain?"

>Marigold takes a few measures breaths, trying to gather her thoughts, it seems. "Couldn't... Mm.. maybe.... The cold and the rage, no. There was nothing but anger, no reason, none I can remember. But the sad pain.... That is... clearer, somehow. Someone... was sad. Lonely. He was lonely, he was... his heart was damaged, she didn't... want him. She didn't want him, so he didn't want me."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Did it feel like all of these things came from one source, or many sources?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Did it feel like all of these things came from one source, or many sources?"

>"Many is more than one?"
>Lily supplies, "Yeah. One means... well, just one. As in 'only one'.  Two is one more than one. Three is one more than two. Then it goes four, five, and keeps going."
>Marigold waits until Lily finishes outlining the basics of numerical sequention, then ponders some more. "The cold anger had one source. Sadness had one source."

[Hello Purvis]

>"And you didn't understand the anger at all?"