| ~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library |
| Renko the Science Gal |
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| Sana:
A friend of mine wanted a fic about science in Gensokyo, so I read Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality for a bit and this is what came out. I'm pretty bad at science-y things though, but maybe some people out there might like it anyway? My name is Maribel Hearn. My friend Renko and I are members of what we call the Sealing Club(a club of two!), and together we investigate the occult. I?ve always had the ability to see the ?boundaries? that separate our world from the world beyond, but it was only recently that I?ve been able to pass through it willingly. Lately, I?ve also started being able to manipulate boundaries in general, but that?s a story for another time... Anyway, it was a day unlike any other; my friend Renko was wearing her usual(a white dress shirt and red tie, long black skirt, and her trademark black hat with a white bow), and ready to explore the mysterious world beyond. We were in the middle of exploring when a strange being we had never seen before flew at us. We retreated into a nearby forest, but when we turned around, we saw the being fly into some sort of portal, then vanish into thin air. What replaced it was what appeared to be a human, floating on a mass of?.something, suspended in midair. The figure approached us and slowly came into view. Though there were some differences, her resemblance to me was uncanny. From her blonde hair to her thin frame; even her outfit, a purple dress and a white poofy hat(though her hat also included a red ribbon)! Unlike me, however, she had the intimidating air of an otherworldly power. Curiously, she was also wearing what appeared to be a surprisingly modern looking silver watch. We were so similar in appearance that Renko simply had to comment on it. ?....Mary? There aren?t two of you, are there?? Renko asked me, her eyes transfixed on the new threat(?). ?Not...that I know of.? I replied, equally shocked. The girl looked quite surprised as well, her face a pale white. ?You...aren't supposed to be here...? she muttered, flabbergasted. Renko and I simply looked at each other, at a loss as to what to do next. Eventually the girl regained her composure. ?Explain yourselves. Now.? she said sternly. ?You come from the outside world, do you not? Now tell me. Where, and when do you hail from?? Renko whispered to me. ?Mary...isn?t it about time we went back?? ?Good idea.? I focused my mind on returning, and before I knew it, we were back in our apartment living room. It wasn?t a particularly exciting place. The walls were painted in a pale beige, furnished by only a small table covered in textbooks and papers, and a worn out old couch. The television was probably the most expensive thing in it; just a pitch black screen embedded into the wall. ?That was close!? Renko flopped onto the nearby couch. ?I almost thought that was it for us.? I sighed. ?Renko, we should be more careful. We still have no idea what?s beyond the boundary, really. ? ?Yeah...I know.? Renko sat up, a grin on her face. ?But that?s the exciting part, isn?t it?? ?Oh Renko, honestly, I-? I froze. Right behind Renko, the girl from the other world had appeared as if from nowhere. ?Mary? What?s wrong?? Renko looked behind her and jumped out of her seat. ?What th-?!? The girl paid us little attention, only briefly looking at us. She looked around the room in silence. For a moment her expression seemed pained, like she was remembering a bad memory. Eventually, she turned to us and spoke. ?So this is where you two came from.? ?W-what do you want with us?? Renko said, trying to hide her surprise and failing. ?How did you even get here?!? ?You aren?t the only ones with power over boundaries.? the girl said flatly. ?You two. What are your names?? The two of were both surprised at being asked such an ordinary question. We glanced at each other, and Renko shrugged as if to say, ?why not??. ?I?m Renko Usami. I?m majoring in physics at Kyoto U!? Renko declared, her pride in her choice of study clearly evident in her voice. ?My name is Maribel. Maribel Hearn.? I said. ?I go to Kyoto University too, for relative psychology...? ?Renko and Maribel. I see.? The girl, with a slight smile on her face, got up off her floating object. The object disappeared the moment she removed herself from it. ?I am Yukari Yakumo. I suppose you could call me a...protector of Gensokyo. Now, mind telling me what you were doing there?? ?Gensokyo? Is that what that place is called?? Renko asked. ?That?s right. Now what were you doing there?? ?We didn?t mean any harm! We were just...exploring.? I said. ?Exploring?? Renko and I explained our club and its purpose to the being named Yukari Yakumo. She seemed quite taken by our club and activities, and by the end of it, we were getting along surprisingly well. Contrary to our first impression, Yukari turned out to be friendlier than we had expected. It had been quite a long time since she had been in a club according to her, and our club seemed to invoke nostalgic feelings in her. ?Say, how would you two like a more...hands-on experience in Gensokyo?? Yukari asked, a twinkle in her eyes. ?What do you mean?? I asked. ?Exactly what it sounds like. You can stay in Gensokyo for a while, experience all it has to offer. Interested?? ?Maybe. What?s the catch?? Renko frowned. ?In exchange, all I ask for is your time. I have some errands that need doing, and very little time to do them in. I?m a very busy person, you know. So you two do these errands for me, and I let you stay at my home in Gensokyo. A win-win scenario, wouldn?t you say?? ?It sounds a little too good to be true. Who?s to say you won?t just trap us there forever?? Renko brought up a frightening point. ?Well, there are no guarantees. But I can give you my word that I won?t do anything of the sort.? ?Hm.? Renko thought to herself, weighing the risks. ?I think we need time to decide. Is that okay?? I asked. ?Why, certainly.? Yukari smiled, and with a wave of her hand, a small portal appeared in the corner of the room. ?I?ll leave that here for a while. It leads to my home. If you decide to accept my offer, just walk through it. If not, well?.I?m sure I?ll get rid of it eventually. Anyway, give it some thought. Ciao!? She stepped through another portal, and disappeared. ?Mary.? Renko turned to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. ?I need you give me three reasons why we shouldn?t do this, because nothing?s coming to me.? I stared at her. ?Renko...you can?t possibly be thinking of accepting her offer?? ?Yep.? Renko answered me, her expression unwavering. ?Renko! It?s dangerous!? Renko shrugged. ?That hasn?t stopped us before.? ?What about our parents?! They?ll be suspicious if they don?t hear from us for a while!? ?You can just bring us back every once in awhile so we can call. Right?? ?And she?s obviously suspicious!? ?I?ll give you that one.? ?And?.? I sighed. ?I don?t know, Renko. It all sounds nice, but...it?s too easy, isn?t it? It?s too convenient. Why would this person want to help us?? ?I?m not too sure about that either. She didn?t seem like a bad person when we were talking with her, but she?s definitely keeping some secrets. I mean, who walks into someone else?s apartment then just looks around like that?? ?...But?? ?...But I don?t think she ever intended any harm. I mean considering how she just waltzed in here, if she wanted us dead we would be.? ?Hm...well that much, we can agree on. But I just don?t get it.? ?I don?t get it either. But you know, opportunities like this don?t show up every day. Just think! An entire world that defies everything we thought we knew! Just think of the discoveries to be made! People always tell you, ?Seize the day! Seize the day!? Well you know what? I?m going to seize it for all it?s worth! Are you with me, Mary?? Renko looked at me expectantly. ?Um...well?? Once Renko gets like this, it?s hard to stop her. I think I lasted about five minutes before we ended up going through that portal? In any case, we ended up appearing at a traditional Japanese style house, in a small clearing surrounded by trees. Off in the distance, there was a shrine atop a small mountain clearly visible. In front of the house, there was a blonde haired woman dressed in a light purple dress with blue print on the front, and wearing what looked like a jester?s hat covered in bits of paper. More importantly, there were what appeared to be several large tails sashaying about behind her as she swept. The woman was sweeping absent-mindedly until she noticed our presence and approached us. ?Oh! Master Yukari! Weren?t you asleep?!? The woman walked up to me, then hesitated. ?Wait...you?re not my Master. Just who are you?!? ?Um...no...I?m not Yukari.? I wasn?t quite sure what to say, and hoped this wouldn?t become a recurring incident. ?We just wanted to talk to her. Is she here right now?? The fox(?) woman eyed us with suspicion. ?And what did you mean to speak to her about?? ?We?re here to discuss a deal she wanted to make with us regarding her errands.? Renko said. The woman furrowed her brow. ?Wait here.? She ordered, motioning to leave. ?I?ll see if she?s in.? She disappeared into the house, and moments later Yukari materialized out of nowhere in front of us. ?Hello! That was quicker than I expected. So I assume you?ve accepted my offer?? Yukari said cheerfully. ?Not quite.? Renko replied. ?We have a few demands we?d like to make as well.? ?Oh?? ?First, we need permission to go back to our world whenever the need arises. If we don?t keep our affairs in order, people will get suspicious. Second, we need protection. We?re only human, and who knows what kind of crazy monsters you guys have here. Third?.? Renko paused. ?Mary, can you think of a third? Those two should be enough, right?? ?I suppose.? I stopped to think for a moment. ?Oh, it would be nice if we had some sort of assurance that you won?t suddenly pop up in our apartment again like earlier. Especially if it?s late at night, or maybe years from now?? Yukari smiled. ?Alright. You can go back to your world, but as long as you?re not in the middle of an errand. For protection?? Yukari summoned two figures from nowhere. One of them was the fox lady from earlier, and the second was a small brown haired girl in a red dress with two cat tails. The two of them looked quite disoriented. ?Ran, Chen. These two will be helping us with the errands. Protect them both to the best of your abilities, you hear? Consider them your junior masters, if you like.? ?Roger, Master Yukari!? the cat girl named Chen chirped. ?Master Yukari?! What do you mean, ?junior masters??! The fox girl named Ran protested. ?Just what are you thinking, Master?!? Yukari laughed. ?Oh, come now Ran. Don?t be such a spoilsport.? ?But Master, why would you entrust these people with something like that?? ?Why, you ask? Well...isn?t it just so much more interesting this way?? Yukari giggled to herself. ?Besides, Maribel looks awfully like me, don?t you think? I?m sure you?ll get used to it. And remember, I said ?junior?. I don?t plan on giving you two up anytime soon!? The fox woman looked dissatisfied, but didn?t say any more. ?Who are they?? Renko asked. ?They are my shikigami. Aren?t they cute?? Yukari said, doting on them both. ?They?re my faithful servants, so you won?t have to worry about them disobeying my orders. Oh, and for your last demand...I promise to use the door next time.? ?We?ll be holding you to that.? Renko said. ?Now then, before you start, I have some rules I?d like you to follow. First of all, do not tell ANYONE where you?re from. Second, don?t bring any technology from your world to ours. Trust me when I say that following these rules will make our lives easier while you?re here. Finally, do NOT touch my diary.? Yukari?s voice grew ice cold, her face twisting into a grimace. ?Because if you do, I can assure you that your death will not be quick one. Do you understand me?? I shivered involuntarily at the mention of death, and told myself to never go near that diary, wherever it was. Renko seemed equally intimidated, though she tried not to show it. We both nodded. ?Great! Well then, I?ll leave the rest to you, Ran. Good luck!? Yukari instantly changed her tone, and stepped into one of her portals. ?Have a nice rest, Master Yukari!? Chen said happily, as Yukari cheerfully waved goodbye and disappeared. The two of us looked to Ran, as she pulled out a large scroll from within her large mass of tails. She unfurled it to reveal a huge list, written messily on the parchment in dark black ink. ?Now then, shall we begin?? The two of us stared at the list in disbelief. Just what have we gotten ourselves into this time? |
| Sana:
Sheltered in the shade of a nearby tree, Renko and I scrolled through the massive list Yukari Yakumo had just left us at her estate. Next to us was Ran, the young fox woman who Yukari had appointed to help us. Ran seemed quite miffed at the volume of the list. ?Master Yukari, are you simply incapable of any restraint?? Ran shook her head, parsing through the list. ??Deliver me cookies from the Earth Palace, bring me something from Reimu?s place(it doesn?t matter what it is), bring me hot tea from Yuyuko?s place?...? ?Hey Mary, check out all these weird names!? Renko said excitedly. ?There sure are a lot of temples here too. Oh, and apparently Hell exists! Who knew? ...Wait, doesn?t this confirm that there?s an afterlife?! That...would mean souls are real, wouldn?t it? We aren?t just a brain that walks around and does brain-things? And if Hell is real, does that mean God is real???? Renko?s eyes widened more and more as she thought things through. ?...I think I need to lie down...? I felt a tug on my dress. I looked down to see Chen looking up at me. ?Excuse me! Are you the master?s sister? You look just like her!? ?Oh, um?? This was the second time I?d been mistaken for a Yukari look-alike, but it was proving hard to get used to. ?No, I?m not. Sorry.? ?Oh.? Chen seemed very disappointed. ?It would?ve been nice if you were. Master Yukari sometimes seems so lonely. It would be nice if she had family to talk to.? ?But aren?t you and Ran like her family?? I asked, then immediately regretted asking the question. Why did I ask a question like that?! What if she?s sensitive about the subject? This could be a disaster! I should?ve just stayed silent! You dummy, Maribel! ?Hmmm....You?re right!? Chen smiled brightly. I silently thanked my lucky stars. ?How could I forget?? ?Master Maribel.? Ran turned to me. It took me a moment to register that Ran was talking to me. ?Hm? Oh. Sorry, I was just talking with Chen?? ?No apology is necessary.? Ran said matter-of-factly. ?I merely wanted to ask your opinion on which errand to tackle first.? ?I see?.? Compared to Chen, Ran seemed much harder to talk to. Maybe it was how stiff and old-fashioned she seemed. It reminded me of one of my professors, though for him it?s kind of endearing, especially when he tries to work the projectors! Anyway, I began looking through the scroll?s contents once again. ?By the way, you don?t have to call me ?Master?...At least, I would prefer if you didn?t. It just feels wrong, somehow. Just ?Maribel? is okay. ?Master? makes me feel like royalty or something...? ?Understood, Lady Maribel.? Ran nodded. ?No no, just Maribel! ?Lady? sounds even more prim and proper?? When I turned to Ran, I noticed somebody was missing. ?...Where did Renko go?? ?I directed her to the garden. She said she needed to splash some water on her face.? ?Oh, thanks for that. I?m sure she?s got a lot to think about, what with finding out that God might exist.? ?But you seem awfully calm in contrast, Lady Maribel.? Ran put particular emphasis on the ?lady? part, and the flicker of a smile crossed her face. I wasn?t sure if she just felt compelled to refer to me by a title, or if she was just trying to be funny. In any case, I tried to ignore it. ?I?ve been able to see strange things for a lot of my life. So I guess I?ve just been desensitized to things like that? Anything seems possible in this place. I mean I?ve already met my all-powerful body double, who knows what could happen next?? ?You do seem awfully similar to Master Yukari in appearance. But unless you happen to be hiding the power she holds over boundaries, I?m sorry to say that it?s very unlikely you are her equal.? ?Hahah, maybe you?re right about that one.? I laughed. ?After all, I only became able to manipulate boundaries less than a year ago!? Ran froze. ?...I?m sorry, did I hear you right? You too have the ability to manipulate boundaries?? ?Oh, yes. That was how Renko and I got here originally, before Yukari found us. Why?? Ran simply stared at me like she couldn?t believe what she was hearing. You could almost hear the gears in her brain jam. Luckily, Renko came in at the perfect time. ?Master Renko!? Chen called out, as Renko returned from the garden, her hair still somewhat wet. ?Not just Master Renko. Call me?? Renko paused to think. ?Lord Renko! ...No, that doesn?t sound quite right...how about Supreme Overlord Renko!? ?Okay, Supreme Overlord Renko!? Chen repeated. Renko?s face rapidly turned red, and she covered her face with her hands. ?Oh gods, it?s more embarrassing than I thought it would be. You know what, just call me Renko.? ?Okay, Renko!? ?Yeah, that?s good.? Renko smiled at Chen, and approached us. ?Sorry about that, I had to go think about some things.? ?And?? I asked. ?And?.well, I figured if God was real, then maybe they lived here. And if they live here, then maybe I can work out a deal with them eventually. So we?ll have to add that to the list.? ?You?re going to...work out a deal? With God?? ?Yeah. What?s wrong with that? I just found out about them today! If God is real, they?ll understand!? Renko huffed. ?I?m sure. Anyway, I think we should do this errand first.? ?Which one?s that?? Renko craned her neck to look at the list from her position in front of me. ?This one. It sounds pretty easy, and the least dangerous. ?Bring me back something interesting from Kourindou?.? ?Ah, Kourindou. That?s the local curiosities shop.? Ran explained, her brain apparently working again. ?It?s about an hour?s walk, though flying would most certainly be faster.? ?...flying?? Renko asked. ?Yes. Flying.? Ran said, as she began to hover off the ground. Renko looked up at Ran, then down at the ground, a most incredulous look on her face. She looked down and stared at the gap between the ground and Ran?s feet. She slowly crouched down at Ran?s floating feet, picked up some dirt, and threw it at the gap. The dirt passed through, revealing no hidden secrets or tricks. Unconvinced, she stuck her hand into the gap and moved it around, but couldn?t find anything. ?...What are you doing?? Ran asked, with a hint of amusement. Chen also seemed quite interested in what Renko was doing, and began imitating her by tossing things under Ran. ?That isn?t supposed to be possible!? Renko shouted, pointing at Ran?s floating feet. ?For every action, there?s SUPPOSED to be an equivalent REaction! So unless you?ve got shoes made of magnets and the ground is magnetized too, you shouldn?t be able to do that unless there?s some sort of MAGIC invo-? ?Um. Renko. Remember where we are?? I asked, holding back my laughter. Renko looked like she wanted to hit herself. ?Of course. People have magic here. Duh.? She frowned. ?But I refuse to believe that magic is just some mystical force that does whatever it wants. There?s got to be rules or laws that govern it, and I?m going to find out what they are if it kills me!? ?Lady Renko, that is a noble goal and I support you fully. However, if we don?t make our way to Kourindou soon, the store will close.? Ran said. ?Oh. Right.? Renko said sheepishly. ?Well, maybe after then.? ?Perhaps.? Ran replied. ?Chen, would you carry Lady Renko? I?ll be carrying Lady Maribel. We?re going to fly to Kourindou.? ?Roger!? Chen leapt into the air, grabbed Renko, and took off. ?Wait wait wait I?m not ready yet-Slow downnnnnn!? Renko shouted, as the two of them rapidly disappeared over the trees. ?Now then, shall we go?? Ran said. ?Alright, but can you maybe fly at a normal speed? And not too high?? I asked, as I took my hat off and crammed it into my pocket. ?Of course.? Ran smiled as she picked me up, and we took off. It was a strange feeling. Normally I didn?t like flying, in planes that is. But this magical flying didn?t seem so bad. Before long, I was getting used to it, and even beginning to enjoy the feeling. ?Say, Ran. Can I learn to fly too? It seems fun.? I asked. ?I don?t see why not. A number of the other humans here can fly, and you do seem to have an aptitude for supernatural powers.? Ran said. ?I?m afraid I am unable to say the same about your friend, however. She seems to be a very ordinary human as far as I can see, so it may take her much time before she?s able to fly.? ?Oh. That?s a shame. I think Renko would really enjoy flying, even if it apparently goes against the laws of physics. And I would?ve liked it if we could fly together.? ?You and Lady Renko seem to be very good friends, if you don?t mind me saying so. Though the two of you seem quite different.? ?Oh, yes, well...You know. They say birds of a feather flock together, but a lot of psychological research is awfully conflicting when it comes to the subject. Personally, I don?t think too much about why I?m friends with her. I?m just glad that I am.? ?I see. A good friendship is an invaluable asset. You should treasure it.? Up ahead, a gap in the trees began to come into view. ?Ah, there?s Kourindou. We?ll be arriving shortly.? The two of us landed in a small clearing in the trees, next to a small Japanese style home. Renko was on the ground catching her breath, while Chen was eagerly waiting for us. ?Mary.? Renko looked up at me, panting. ?Next time...we?re?.swapping.? ?I suppose it?s only fair?? I sighed. ?Okay, next time I?ll fly with Chen.? ?Thanks.? Renko slowly got up. ?So?.this is Kourindou? Doesn?t look like much.? ?Kourindou?s a neat place!? Chen spoke up. ?And the man there gave me treats once!? ?Is that so? Maybe it?s not such a bad place.? ?I certainly wouldn?t call it a ?bad? place.? Ran said. ?However, a word of warning. The owner is a bit of an eccentric?? |
| Hello Purvis:
Yukari never specified what door is "The door." So closets are fair game. |
| Mеа:
There aren't a lot of fics that are easy for me to read through, but this one here you wrote is really casual fun, no blocks for me - it's written very naturally, I'll be following it. How often do you plan on updating? |
| Sana:
--- Quote from: Purji Costavis on August 21, 2016, 11:38:16 PM ---Yukari never specified what door is "The door." So closets are fair game. --- End quote --- I was tired of it. I was so very tired of Yukari's insistence on appearing from anything that even resembled a door; closet doors, refrigerator doors, even doors from inside the television screen somehow??(It was incredibly distracting to see Yukari waving at us during some ancient history drama) Eventually, I decided to give Yukari a taste of her own medicine. I opened a boundary to Gensokyo in what I felt would be a surprising place(between Ran's tails) and poked my head out when Ran had her back turned, shouting "BOO!" and flailing my arms. As it turned out, I had disrupted their family dinner. Yukari simply gave me a pitying look, like she was thinking 'nice try, but...'. Unfortunately, Chen had been so spooked by my sudden appearance that she had spilled juice all over herself, and inexplicably started to cry. What came after was possibly the most embarrassing double-lecture I had ever endured, courtesy of Ran and Yukari. I gave up trying to get back at Yukari. It was a lost cause. --- Quote from: Mеа on August 22, 2016, 05:43:51 AM ---There aren't a lot of fics that are easy for me to read through, but this one here you wrote is really casual fun, no blocks for me - it's written very naturally, I'll be following it. How often do you plan on updating? --- End quote --- At least once a week would be nice. If I'm late, please nag me :< |
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