Remilia Quest Dh?

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh. "If Yukari was here, it would be a trivial matter for her to split the two. Because at this point, I think Sakuya's too lost in her own hubris to listen to me."

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh. "If Yukari was here, it would be a trivial matter for her to split the two. Because at this point, I think Sakuya's too lost in her own hubris to listen to me."

>"That doesn't mean we don't have any ideas." Tsumiko says quickly. "What we need is a way to get Sakuya to at loosen her grip on Pride at least a little. Then I can get Pride out of her."
>"And if she can't, I can." Reimu says confidently.
>"And we may, and I emphasize may, have a way to do that." Celes says. "But we didn't know enough about Sakuya to try it."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Hmm...What's your idea? I know her well enough that I can provide feedback on it."

[Oldmansour]

>"Hmm...What's your idea? I know her well enough that I can provide feedback on it."

>Celes gestures towards the throne room door. "Let us step inside for a moment. The Countess should hear this, and so should Lust."
>"Lust?" Reisen asks. "What does she have to do with anything?"
>"Lust might be able to reach Sakuya in a way that none of us can right now." Tsumiko answers. "Enough to let us separate Pride from her without harming either of them."

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh. "Quite frankly, Lust irritates me. She used elements of my own little sister in her little 'show' earlier. I'll have you know I don't go for that sort of thing. Even Vampires have standards after all, and that was quite a big taboo."
>Well, let's go in then.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"However, if it will get me Sakuya back, I'm willing to give it a try."

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh. "Quite frankly, Lust irritates me. She used elements of my own little sister in her little 'show' earlier. I'll have you know I don't go for that sort of thing. Even Vampires have standards after all."
>Well, let's go in then.

>"However, if it will get me Sakuya back, I'm willing to give it a try."

>Celes and Tsumiko exchange a look like they're not sure they quite know what you mean by 'standards'. But neither of them say anything about it, and they simply enter the throne room, the rest of you following behind, though Reimu does comment as she walks next to you, "These Sins're nothing but trouble."
>Lust has changed her appearance again, it seems. Instead of emulating Ranka's appearance, she now appears as a brown-haired woman with golden eyes in a shimmering rainbow-colored gown. She still sits next to Honoka, who seems much less distracted now than when you left.
>There is a new addition to the gathered individuals as well. Rei is here now, in mid-flight near the ceiling, as is Kogasa. The two seem to be gearing up for a danmaku battle, which would compliment nicely with the sounds of thunder overhead, which somehow seem to be drawing closer.

>The Countess, conversing with Shou, notes your arrival, and gives you a sympathetic look. "I wish it could have gone the easy way, but it seems we now have to explore other options."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Yes."
>"I'm told you may have a plan."

[Hanzo K.]

>"...I was hoping she would be a bit more obedient, but she's convinced that she's doing it in my best interests. Despite my telling her otherwise."

[Oldmansour]

>"...I was hoping she would be a bit more obedient, but she's convinced that she's doing it in my best interests. Despite my telling her otherwise."

>"That was my hope as well. Her loyalty to you was obvious from the moment we met her. But Pride seems to have altered her thinking too much."

>"Yes."
>"I'm told you may have a plan."

>The Countess nods. "While you were speaking with Sakuya, we were discussing ideas in the event things didn't work out as smoothly as we all would have preferred. I presume that Tsumiko informed you of the difficulty of separating the two of them by force?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Yes, she said that it would harm both of them quite a bit if it wasn't done properly."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod. "Yes, she said that it would harm both of them quite a bit if it wasn't done properly."

>"Celes also mentioned that you displayed a unique power of your own. Would you mind sharing some of the details with us? I realize that Sakuya defeated your effort, but your power may give us an option if used in combination with one of ours."

[Hanzo K.]

>Smirk a bit. "Ah yes, my 'Trump Card'. Fate Manipulation. With a bit of a person, and their permission, I can look into someone's fate, and adjust it if they so desire. If I have simply a hair, I can do so with full permission. But upon the more unwilling, I need a much more concrete catalyst, such as a finger, a bit of bone, or their blood. Which is why I tried to use Sakuya's blood earlier to force a 'Fated Split'. Thus ensuring the two would separate as decreed by fate itself."

[Oldmansour]

>Smirk a bit. "Ah yes, my 'Trump Card'. Fate Manipulation. With a bit of a person, and their permission, I can look into someone's fate, and adjust it if they so desire. If I have simply a hair, I can do so with full permission. But upon the more unwilling, I need a much more concrete catalyst, such as a finger, a bit of bone, or their blood. Which is why I tried to use Sakuya's blood earlier to force a 'Fated Split'. Thus ensuring the two would separate as decreed by fate itself."

>The Countess leans forward, templing her fingers. "Then, you have the ability to see her fate as separate from the fate of Pride? What I mean is, is we are able to loosen Sakuya's grip on Pride, you would be able to force the two of them apart?"

[Hanzo K.]

>"At the moment of my examining them, they appeared to be merging together, so I daresay that time is quite limited. I should be able to if I can get some of her blood though. The pain I felt when trying to force them apart on my own was nothing in comparison to the irritation and annoyance I have right now. So yes, I believe I can do so."

[Oldmansour]

>"At the moment of my examining them, they appeared to be merging together, so I daresay that time is quite limited. I should be able to if I can get some of her blood though. The pain I felt when trying to force them apart on my own was nothing in comparison to the irritation and annoyance I have right now. So yes, I believe I can do so."

>"Could you do it without her blood? She will undoubtedly refuse if we ask for more of her blood, and I hesitate about trying to take it by force."

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh. "Then I would need an actual part of her, and I rather like having my prized Chief Maid intact you know. There are other 'fluids' that could be used, but I rather dislike using them. The best option I can think of, would be to get her off-guard so I could drain a little from her. By containing it within myself, she'll be unable to accelerate it's aging without also harming myself. And from there, I should be able to catalyze it to force the split via fate. I think that if I had something of Pride's, I could also alter that end of their fate as well. to make it a mutual split."
>What all would we need to force someone's fate to change?
>"Although, I believe Reisen here might be able to help as well. She was able to force Gluttony out of it's host safely somehow, so she may well be capable of providing me the opening I need."

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh. "Then I would need an actual part of her, and I rather like having my prized Chief Maid intact you know. There are other 'fluids' that could be used, but I rather dislike using them. The best option I can think of, would be to get her off-guard so I could drain a little from her. By containing it within myself, she'll be unable to accelerate it's aging without also harming myself. And from there, I should be able to catalyze it to force the split via fate. I think that if I had something of Pride's, I could also alter that end of their fate as well. to make it a mutual split."
>What all would we need to force someone's fate to change?

>It should be noted that, Sakuya is a bit of an exception to that rule. She has put her fate completely in your hands, sworn herself to you as her maid. That was true long before Pride crossed her path. While your power over her is stronger when you have an external focus, and it much less draining on you, you technically do not need it. All you really need is contact to ensure the change will stick. Distance makes the process a bit dodgy, but it can still be done. That she was able to resist that change currently is an anomaly, but considering her force of will when she is convinced of something, and the interference caused by Pride, this makes some sense.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Hmm...although, if we can somehow set things in our favor, I should be able to manage it with mere contact as well, as she put her fate entirely in my hands when she swore to serve me."
>Pause for a moment, and let a dawning look of realization. "And that means that as this is not meant for her due to myself not desiring it, it will not come to be. I shall make certain of it."
>Smirk. "I have a responsibility to protect those who serve me after all."

[Oldmansour]

>"Hmm...although, if we can somehow set things in our favor, I should be able to manage it with mere contact as well, as she put her fate entirely in my hands when she swore to serve me."
>Pause for a moment, and let a dawning look of realization. "And that means that as this is not meant for her due to myself not desiring it, it will not come to be. I shall make certain of it."
>Smirk. "I have a responsibility to protect those who serve me after all."

>The Countess seems pleased at that, and she looks over at Tsumiko, who has once more removed her hood. "Do you think her power will be less harmful than yours when it comes to separating them?"
>"I really don't know, Eriza. But she might be able to reach Miss Izayoi more easily than I can reach Pride right now. That might be all we need, if we can get some separation between the two of them."
>"If you'll excuse me," Celes says, "I'll return to see if Sakuya has unfrozen yet."

[Hanzo K.]

>Fistpalm. "Ah, that reminds me about the most basic of things I forgot to do. Ask for your name."
>Nod. "I think that if Tsumiko and I work together on our respective charges though, we should be able to succeed. An inch on Sakuya's end will provide an inch on Pride's, which will summarily return another on Sakuya's, and so on. It's a foregone conclusion one might say."
>Gesture towards Lust. "I take it that's her natural form?"

[Oldmansour]

>Fistpalm. "Ah, that reminds me about the most basic of things I forgot to do. Ask for your name."

>The Countess smiles politely. "Quite all right. You've had other things on your mind." She rises from her seat and offers you a slight bow. "Erizabet Teregduri." Her smile becomes a bit self-conscious. "It's a bit of a mouthful, I know. Informally, I'm called Eriza. I prefer it, actually, I like the sound of it better than my full name."

>Nod. "I think that if Tsumiko and I work together on our respective charges though, we should be able to succeed. An inch on Sakuya's end will provide an inch on Pride's, which will summarily return another on Sakuya's, and so on. It's a foregone conclusion one might say."
>Gesture towards Lust. "I take it that's her natural form?"

>"I admire your confidence, Scarlet Devil, but in my experience, a 'foregone conclusion' is anything but." The Countess counters, sitting back down. "I prefer to hedge my bets as much as possible, especially when one of my friends is involved." She smiles a quiet, knowing smile. "We share that responsibility, it seems."
>Tsumiko shakes her head, but Lust raises her head and answers your question for herself. "Not exactly." she says, her voice as different as her new form. She comes to her feet and takes to wing. "Unlike the other Sins, I don't really have a natural form, at least not a humanoid one. I can take nearly any shape, as long as it is pleasing or desirable to someone around me, or someone desires me to look like that shape."
>The Keeper nods in confirmation of the Sin's report, the stripe on her face turning pink again. "Her shapechanging powers are a bit more complicated than that, but that's the basics of them."

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that your little stunt earlier involved elements of my younger sister. I do not approve of that at all. While I do love her, it's not that way. Keep that in mind."
>Then look back to Eriza. "Either way though, I'm confident that we can succeed in getting the two apart. I'll have to keep a much closer eye on Sakuya in the future though. I would really rather not have to deal with a situation like this again with another sort of spirit. Perhaps I'll have Reimu and Patche make her possession-immune as we are."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that your little stunt earlier involved elements of my younger sister. I do not approve of that at all. While I do love her, it's not that way. Keep that in mind."
>Then look back to Eriza. "Either way though, I'm confident that we can succeed in getting the two apart. I'll have to keep a much closer eye on Sakuya in the future though. I would really rather not have to deal with a situation like this again with another sort of spirit. Perhaps I'll have Reimu and Patche make her possession-immune as we are."

>To your surprise, Lust smiles gently and nods. "I know. I felt that. I didn't mean to offend, but I can feel your attachment to your sister. How important she is to you. I may be 'Lust', but I have a sense of more than just physical desire."
>"That's one of the things that sets Lust apart from most of the others." Tsumiko informs you. "She is more than simply her title. She's closer to a self-actualized being than nearly all the other Sins." The Sin in question lands next to her Keeper. "And that ability of hers to sense people's attachment is part of our plan to loosen Miss Izayoi's grip on Pride."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Ah. That would work I would think. she is rather attached to me in a way. Perhaps by working off that, we can sever her connection to Pride."

[Oldmansour]

>"Ah. That would work I would think. she is rather attached to me in a way. Perhaps by working off that, we can sever her connection."

>Lust shakes her head. "Tried that already. I don't have enough strength on my own to disrupt her grip. And besides..." She shrugs slightly and smiles somewhat apologetically. "No offense, Remilia, but the connection between you and her isn't the sort of bond I can use. She's devoted to you, yes, but she doesn't love you, not in a physical sense. I may be more than simply 'Lust', but the devotion she feels towards you isn't the kind of devotion I can use to shake her."
>She flutters her wings and stretches out her arms, a slightly sensual motion even in its casualness, as the thunder grows even louder. "But that doesn't mean I can't shake her at all. We just need to outsource. So what we, and by that I mean I, need to know, is.... Does Sakuya have anyone she loves? They way her emotions are tangled right now, I can't sense anything like that."
>"I apologize if this is a personal question for her or you." The Countess adds, beckoning to Rei to come down. "But it may be our best chance to get them both back unharmed."

[Hanzo K.]

>Hmm...Is there?

[Oldmansour]

>Hmm...Is there?

>You've discussed the issue with her once your twice. Sakuya is a consummate professional. She has no time in her life for that kind of affection. She says it would only distract her.
>Truth to tell, that attitude of hers concerned you a little, if you're honest with yourself. Sakuya IS the perfect maid, but she's also a rather cold hearted person. You'd prefer if she was able to form friendly relationships with people outside of the Mansion, and while you're not looking to set her up any time soon, you wouldn't object to the idea of there being someone significant in her life, one day. As long as it doesn't get in the way of her duties, of course. She's still your head maid, after all.

>That said, however.... If there's anyone that MIGHT hold something close to that place, it might be Meiling. Sakuya finds a way to spend time with the redhead at least once a day beyond the usual duties. Granted, the gatekeeper NEEDS keeping an eye on now and then, but Sakuya always takes on the duty herself, rather than send one of the lesser servants.  Sakuya is constantly pestering her about maintaining her duties, but there are times you've wondered if this is purely a professional gesture. And on at least one occasion, during a blazing hot summer day, you observed Sakuya bringing Meiling inside while she was asleep, so Meiling wouldn't get sunstroke. Sakuya is not what you would consider a 'kind-hearted' person, and you're quite sure she would not have done the same for anyone else.
>Of course, this is a long way from slinking off into closets together, and could very well just be simple gestures of friendship. But it might be worth mentioning. You're hardly an expert when it comes to lust by itself, let alone it's personification, but that might be enough for her.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Hmm...Well, she does care for Hong, the Gatekeeper. It seems to be mostly professional though. Taking her in sometimes during the summer to save her from sunstroke and the like. The girl does need someone to keep an eye on her, and Sakuya seems to prefer doing it herself. It's likely just gestures of friendship, but that should suffice yes?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"There might be something deeper there, but I am not sure."