Flandre and the world outside

[Sriggle]

The basement isn't that unpleasant, really.

In fact, it's rather nice. There are several large rugs covering the floor, each with oriental patterns that she's memorized. It's not all that dark, there's a nice spot by the cellar window where the moonlight shines in and books can be read. There's a semi-large bookshelf there, too-There aren't many books that a little girl might enjoy in the library, but Remilia still tries to make sure there are books available to read, sometimes going as far as to the human village to find something.

There are four toys strewn across the bookshelf. Those are the only toys that aren't broken, Sakuya's stopped buying new toys since they just get torn apart anyway. The still-remaining toys are a teddy bear, a small mirror with a little drawer under it, a tin toy truck, and a music box that plays ?Somewhere over the rainbow? when wound up.

Flandre used to look at herself in the mirror and think about what kind of perfume she'd wear and how her hair would look when she grew up. She still does look at herself in the mirror occasionally, though she's grown rather tired of that game by now. After all, she's never going to grow up. Neither is her sister, so that might be fair, although she wishes she could one day be a lady and waltz around a ballroom with a suitor.

She can still dream, at least.

It's a completely normal afternoon when Flandre is waiting for her snack. She's lying beside the bookcase, under the moon(Where the sun should have been if she could grow up), re-reading her favourite book, Peter Pan. She thinks she might have found an ally, a boy who won't grow up just like her, only he's got a whole world to himself, Neverland. Flandre hopes he'll appear to take her to Neverland too, one day.

There is a knock on the door. The young prisoner sharpens her ears, this is new. Most of the time, Sakuya or Remilia just open the door, since noone answers anyway.

There is another knock.

?Helloooo? Is there anybody there...?
Somebody yells in a rather high pitched tone-The accent sounds funny. Flandre can't remember the last time someone talked to her with a voice like this, even while she was still a growing girl and allowed to go out.

She walks up to the door and opens it. If she's quick, maybe she can sneak through-
?Good evenin', missy!?

It's not the maid, or her sister.

It's another person. A real, existent person.
?'M sorry if I disturbed you, but it's snack time..?
The woman has red hair, and an oriental looking outfit that seems to come from out of a storybook. She's smiling, too- Not in the obligatory polite way, like Sakuya or Remilia whenever she comes down to play, just, well..

She's smiling like Remilia used to smile while she was still growing.
?The maid's got a day off, so I've been sent to to give you yar lunch.?

Is it really so?
Remilia is usually the one who brings her food, if Sakuya's got a day off. Her mind goes astray, what if someone has invaded the mansion? What if they've captured Remilia and Sakuya, and-
?Uh, I'll just put th' food down, an' I'll need th' old dishes. You've not broken them, I hope??

OK. She'll just go along with it for now, she guesses. If Remilia never comes down again, she can take that as proof and try to escape. For now, she'll just treat the lady here like the stranger she is.
She walks over to the little table where she eats, and brings the old dishes to the girl.

?Thank yers, kiddo.?
The girl reaches down and pats her on the head. It's been a very long time since someone did that, she realizes-She 's so surprised that she doesn't even get angry like she used to when somebody did that to her.

And the door closes, and she's left alone again.

She eats the cake in silence as she thinks about the lady, and again wonders when she'll be able to eat something besides cake again. Sometimes, she breaks the dishes by power of ?Kyu? but tonight she doesn't feel like it.

The moon isn't out yet. She sighs as she watches the little patch of sunlight pouring in through the basement window, she wants to read something right now. She's already started on ?Little Princess Sarah?..
-------------------
Yeah, I'm trying to give Meiling a hint of a funny accent. And no, I don't think there will be any pairings unless one-sided crushes count.

[IBakaChan]

Waah~
Awesome so far, and how you explain the basement so well... It's like you've been there.

I'm eagerly waiting for the next part! :3

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

Interesting! I'll have to add this to my list of fics to keep track of. (Which is pretty much all of them, except the ones I add to my list of fics to not read.)

[Esifex]

Interesting! I'll have to add this to my list of fics to keep track of. (Which is pretty much all of them, except the ones I add to my list of fics to not read.)

Here we see Muffin giving an excellent demonstration of Shaped Like Itself. Or perhaps it is more along the lines of Stating the Obvious, but everyone knows what that is and thusly wouldn't warrant a link to TVTropes in the hopes of destroying someones' afternoons.


On topic, though, please do continue. It's a nice twist on the order of arrivals to the SDM (in that I was pretty sure Meiling came before Sakuya)

[Sriggle]

Remilia never came that evening. Nor did she come the next evening, or the next. Flandre's used to being left alone for long periods of time, but at least Sakuya still comes down with cake.

Although today, she's forgotten to lock the door. Flandre could just kyu the door if she wanted, but Remilia would be very angry with her then. But, what if the maid just forgot to lock the door..? It can't be any fault if she wants to sneak out, since the door wasn't locked.

She opens the door, slightly at first. Through the crack she can see the elaborate corridor she usually sees when Sakuya or Remilia stands at the door, she's not used to seeing it without anyone standing in the way. She listens for a bit, to make sure noone is coming her way, and the walks out.

She sneaks along the corridors, much like she's pictured D'artagan and the two other musk-eaters doing. This time, for sure, she's going exploring.

The corridors have changed a little from when she saw them last, she realizes. She takes care not to make her presence known, all while butterflies keep appearing and dancing in her stomach. Is this really OK? Will she meet her doom out here, perhaps? Either way, she's happy to be out of the basement for once.

She reaches the front door, and her heart swells with pride. She's never reached the front door before, probably because she didn't sneak enough during has past attempts at escape. Or, well, one can't really call it ?escape?, when all she did was go out and explore for a bit. She'd return to the basement silently, led by Sakuya's hand. If she kicked and screamed, Remilia would be there to fight her. One single ?kyu?, and there would be no food for a week, and she'd writhe with the pain of hunger.

And if she ever tried to use violence in any form, Remilia would stand in front of her with her head lowered, eyes turned away.

?Flandre, I'm honestly disappointed in you.?
And then she wouldn't come down to play in a long, long, long while afterwards. Worse than that, she'd have let her older sister, whom she dearly admired, down, but she really can't stand staying inside for so long.

She should be OK now, she hopes. She hasn't used any violence, and she'll be back in a little while. Right? Noone will ever notice that she was gone.

It's a cloudy day today, she notices. Maybe, she can go out for a tiny while-Just a little bit, mind you-Then she hears someone walking down the stairs, and she realizes that she might be too late. She hide behind a wall, and hopes, no, prays that no fairy maids are presently using the corridor.

?Ja-oo! Is there anybody there??
She recognizes that voice, it's the voice of the lady who wasn't Sakuya.

?I heard ya', C'mon out, ya, wherevah yaz are!?
She stays still, closes her eyes, and curls up into a ball, just to hear footsteps coming towards her. Damn, damn, damn, damn, she got caught-

?Hey, kiddo.?
She opens her eyes and finds herself face-to-face with Not-Sakuya-or-Remilia.

?Watcha doin'?? Her smile is wide and warm. Is she planning to trick Flandre somehow? If she does, she is most certainly getting Kyu'd.

?...Nothing.?
She looks down, avoiding the redhead's gaze.

?Y'need anythin'?? The other girl looks at her worridly. Maybe, if she's lucky, she doesn't even know the younger Scarlet sister isn't allowed out of the cellar. It's worth a try, at least.

?I'd like to go out, but...? She nods towards a window where some ignorant fairy has forgotten to close the curtains.

?Oh, I see.? The older girl-Doesn't she have a name of some sorts? She looks like she's chinese, so maybe, Ming? Lee? Ah, to heck with it, let's just say call her China for now.

?Here, stand under this.? She walks toward an odd-looking basket by the door and pulls out an umbrella. Flandre lights up. Of course! If she uses that. Then maybe-

They both hear the sound of heavier-than-fairy footsteps coming down the stairs, and nearly sense the glistening of the knives around someone's belt. Without a word between them, they both communicate the feeling 'RUN FOR IT', and dash out the door, Flandre getting the umbrella open just in time.
---------------------
Thanks for the feedback, ^^ It helps! ^0^ And I've already got TVtropes up, so.. ^^;;

[Esifex]

Meiling and Flandre, partners in crime?

THIS IS VERY YES.

[MysTeariousYukari]

Meiling and Flandre, partners in crime?

THIS IS VERY YES.

And then and then STUFF HAPPENED!

^

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

"The three musk-eaters" made me giggle.

[Mushyrulez]

She's Hong Ming Lee, who else?

[Sriggle]

The outdoors is big and green, and is vaster than anything she'd seen in a very long time. She whizzes past the flowerbeds quickly; Lest anybody sees her-She rushes towards the gate, hands tightly clenched around the umbrella handle. China seemed to be in trouble too, as she's running towards the gate herself.

At last, they reache the gatehouse. China takes a deep breath, while Flandre is doubled-over, panting heavily. She really has a terrible condition, thanks to limited exercise and being shut up in the basement for such a long time. The only way she gets exercise nowadays is during escape attempts.

?Close call!? China sighed. Flandre nodded in response. ?I was worried, Sakuya might kill me...? she continues, prompting a confused stare from Flandre, who's starting to rethink her previous theories about China being a thief with her eyes set on the mansion. ?Are you a burglar, ma'm?? She asks almost without thinking.

?Me? No, 'M th' new gategaurd.? She looks confused for a moment. ?Well, I geuss it figures that you dunno who I am, seeing as you don' get out much..?

?It's not like  I have any friends or anything, out here.?
It's true. She's had to see all of her friends grow up in a couple of years, and no matter how she tried her best to keep up, the fact still remained that playing with toys and reading books was still more fun than pretending to be a teenager sipping drinks and discussing politics.

 ?Don't worry, miss. Y' can stay with me fer a while, if ya wants to.? China smiles at her again, nodding towards the small, recently-cleared-out gatehouse. Flandre lights up and nearly dashes to a sitting spot within the gatehouse, before realizing she'd almost sat upon a steaming hot bowl covered with a cloth.

?Oh, that's manjuu. Want one? I mean, if you can eat-? China begins. Flandre nods near-exstaticly. Food! Food! A different kind of food than that overused abomination of a pastry! True, she can't extract nutrition or energy from it, like with that damn cake, but she's already had her damn cake today, and she really really really wants to eat something else than that for once.

China sits down beside her, and they both eat while laughing and talking about the world and how it's changed and what books they've both read. Flandre's eyes go wide when China mentions the fact that they've got moving pictures out in the real world right now, and China's more than happy to hear about her earlier adventures before she stopped growing. It's like talking to one of her old childhood friends who was nice enough to stick around for a longer time than the others in her small circle of aqquaintences.

?Y'read comics, miss?? China asks while re-adjusting one of her braids.

?Comics? I don't under-Oh, you mean the funnies?? She used to love reading Little Nemo back in the day, before she got locked up here.

?Yes, I mean- WOAH!?
They both jump at Sakuya, who just appeared in front of China out of nowwhere, with a very dangerously calm smile on her face.

Boy, is she going to get it now...
---
?Flandre.?

She's sitting on a chair in the middle of the basement, her sister standing right in front of her with a furious expression on her face.
?Frankly, I'm disappointed.? She frowns. Her younger sister braces herself mentally.

?No, not disappointed. I am enraged at your sudden decision to put our safety at stake like that.?

And it begins.

?Don't you remember the Tunguska incident!??
Yes, yes, yes. She remembers, she remembers. Now please stop reminding her. Please stop reminding her of how sorry she was and why she got locked up in the first place.

?If we get discovered, here...?
Hasn't happened. Flandre fails to see what importance this might hold, but she won't try and mouth off to her own sister because she knows her sister always disagrees no matter what.

?You could kill people! You could seriously put life as we know it at stake, here, Flan!?
Yes, yes, yes. She knows she's a killing machine created by the devil. Now, please stop so she can dry her tears. She never even asked for these powers in the first place. Stop blaming her for that, please. Please stop. Please please stop.

?You're still a child, Flandre. I doubt you've learnt anything from this.?

And Remilia exits the room, leaving her little sister alone on a stool in the middle of the room with large tears rolling down her eyes and only Teddy to comfort her.

She drags herself to the bed, clutching her Teddy firmly, and tries in vain to stop crying.

It's not fair.

Flandre will never grow up.

[MysTeariousYukari]

Awww, poor Flan-chan, not even given a chance at freedom :ohdear:

Fantastic writing though, thats for sure.

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

I was mildly amused by the "Tunguska" reference.

Wonder what'll happen next.

[Sriggle]

@Mysterica
Thank you! ^0^

@Kimiko
Well, it's one of the more fun theories I've come up with so far, ^^
The head of the house walks down the corridor in a gloomy fashion, her maid following her silently like always.

She's not crying. She's not crying, she's not crying. Not even when she thinks of poor little sister, crying down in the basement-Think of something else, think of something else, damn.

A tear rolls down her cheek anyway as she thinks of her little sister. It's quickly wiped away by a lacy handkerchief. Truth be told, she'd rather be down in the basement right now, comforting her sister. But she has to look out for their safety, she's been so happy ever since they came to Gensokyo-

?Milady?? Her maid asks calmly upon noticing the handkerchief in her hand. ?May I have permission to speak??

?What?? She spins around and gazes sternly at the servant with an annoyed look on her face.

?My apologies. It's nothing,?
The maid lowers her gaze.

If this kind of discipline hurts you this much, wouldn't it be wiser for milady to find another way..?

Remilia's stuck deep in thought.
--
It's evening, and Peter Pan has finally come to take Wendy and John and Micheal away from the Darling household, far, far away to Neverland. She sighs as she looks up from the book.

She doesn't belong here, in this world, she thinks. Why, she should be in Neverland already, where she can bath and play with the lost boys and never ever have to eat that damned cake ever again!

Her stomach rumbles. She's gone hungry for the last two days, and the withdrawal symptoms are showing. It takes quite a bit of her energy to read the book, and the last two days of punishment-week will be spent in pure agony, she's certain.

It's not fair. She didn't even ?kyu? anything this time.

The door knocks.
?C'mon in...? She yells weakly, surprised at the sudden visitor.
?Hiya, kiddo!?
The door opens wide, and so does Flandre's jaw.

It's China from the gatehouse.

?Hiyas there, kiddo!?
 She's carrying a basket with what smells like food. The little vampire can hardly believe her eyes as  the other girl smiles and asks her ?'Sit alrights 'f I c'mon in?? And Flandre nods happily.

They sit down to eat at the table. It's tea and some weird kind of stir-fry with unknown ingredients, and Flandre's all too happy to indulge. The tea gives her some energy back, and the food is delicious.

?Why are you here?? She asks while chewing her food. Not ladylike, but Remilia's given up on reminding her of her manners.

?I'm on m' break. Not much to do here in this mansion..? China's sitting across the table, sipping some tea. ?Thought I'd try'n see how m' cooking skill was farin'.? Oh, so she made this herself.

It tastes much better than Remilia's overcooked porridge, that's for sure(Really, how did they manage without a maid for that long?). Enthusiastically, she blurts out: ?It's good! Really really good!? China smiles upon hearing the fact stated. ?Really? 'M glad!?

After the meal, China has to leave. Her break is over, she says sadly, but pats Flandre on the head and tells her goodbye.
?I'll come'n down to visit y', so y' won't be lonely.?

Flandre returns to her bed and Peter Pan, and strangely enough, Sakuya comes down to announce the arrival of her sister.
-------------------------
The first part might sound kinda clich?, but it will hopefully improve. I want to stuff it with character development.

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

Awww. :3

[Esifex]

Awww. :3

[MysTeariousYukari]

Awww. :3

Meiling really is nice, despite having an accent that is just weird.

Better hope Flan-chan never meets Akyu :V She'll be without food for a week :ohdear:

[Blackraptor]

This fic should have a warning about the risk of getting diabetes from reading it.

[atoms2ashes]

My insides are squirming with delight~

[Hero999]

hm...this mostly fits the flandre+china laugh maker pv doesn't?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3TViF-tqjA
this one i believe...

[Sriggle]

@Kimiko
Hey, you have a kitty-Alice avatar! Why didn't I notice before? It's adorable!

@Tactian
Glad to hear you like it, 

@Mystearica
I know what you mean about the accent. I've decided to settle for a "valley-girl" accent from her next appearence on, since she seems like such an easygoing type.. And she's chinese. She must have somekind of cute/cool accent.

@Atoms2ashes
Are, are! I hope you enjoy this next chapter too, ^0^ It's one of my first tries at longer fanfiction, so yeah.

@Hero999
Hey, I love that video! Actually, that's Remilia. But I know what you mean.. I thought it was Flandre at first, too. And it makes more sense with Flandre, since she and China have been confirmed to be freinds.

Flandre returns to her bed and Peter Pan, and strangely enough, Sakuya comes down to announce the arrival of her sister.

And then the meaning of China's words finally hit her, just as Remilia enters the room.
?Flandre, what- I'm sorry, I.. Don't cry!?

She sits down on the bed, next to her sister. Flandre smiles and wipes her tears away with her arm. Normally, she'd be mad at her sister for a few days for not letting her go outside, but right now she feels like she could hug the world.
?Sister!?

Remilia has her hands folded in her lap and a polite expression on her face. Just like a lady, Flandre thinks.

?We-well. I see Chin-? She stops to correct herself ?Meiling came back up in one complete piece.?
?Yeah.?
Flandre nods. Is this about the last escape attempt? She hopes she didn't get China fired. Her sister is silent for a long while before asking in a very catious voice:
?Why didn't you 'kyu' her??

Flandre looks at her sister again.
?Why should I? She's nice. I don't kyu nice people, sister. I thought you knew that.?

?You kyu the maids.? Far too often. They've personally requested not to have to enter the basement, and Remilia has had no choice but to comply.

?The maids kept teasing me, 'cause I'm hidden down in the basement so nobody will see me. Besides, they respawn. So I think kyuing them is OK.?

?...They tease you?? Remilia asks in a confused tone. Sure, fairy's weren't exactly the best nor brightest of company, and frankly, they were notorious for being childish, but teasing the mistresses little sister? That fell beyond the barrier of 'stupid' right into 'Death Wish'. Still, she can't put it past them.

?Yeah. China's nice, though. Can I- I mean, she'll see me again, right?? She knows better than to ask about leaving the basement, lest her sister starts reminding her about why she's there in the first place, and sets off on a rant about how she can't ever leave and ruining any chance of company.

Her sister, however, doesn't respond. She's somehow sunken deep into thought.
Up until now, every one to enter the basement except Sakuya and Remilia has met with a gruesome end.

One of Remilia's suitors was sent down to try and win Flandre's favour, and though she had asked him to be careful, he'd still somehow done something to upset Flandre- She still thought her little sister was like any other little kid back then, albeit one that had to be grounded. She didn't speak with Flandre for a long time after that-Then there was the fairy maids, who were sent down time and time again to take play Sakuya's role for a little while, all getting ?Kyu'd? time and time again. Fairy's did respawn, though, so while it wasn't much of a loss, word had soon travelled around the mansion that the basement was a terrible, terrible place.

What had convinced Remilia that her little sister really was crazy, was when she tried to hire a kind  tutor, and that had worked out very well. For about three hours before Sakuya had come down to find a mess of blood, limbs, and intestine all over the floor, Flandre sitting in the middle half-heartedly pounding the floor with one of the detached legs-After that, Remilia simply gave up.

?Sister, sister?? Flandre waves a hand in front of her face, hoping to catch her attention. She never gets much company, so can her sister please respond while she's here? She'd never kyu her own sister, so please don't be afraid of making her upset..

Nobody asked Flandre about the ?Kyu!? incidents. In the basement. She was simply left alone for a while, and then no-one ever spoke of the incident again. There was nobody she could tell about how Remilia's sweetheart kept talking about sending her away to ?One of those nice english boarding schools? so she'd never see Remilia again, or how the fairy maids kept teasing and occasionally playing mean pranks on her. When one's caused a major incident leading to one being shut up in the basement, pride is all one has, after all. And fairys respawn almost no matter what.

The tutor was nice and kind, as long as Remilia and Sakuya were there.
After Remilia and Sakuya left, she was a two-faced devil who tried to touch Flandre in strictly forbidden areas. So naturally, Flandre defended herself the only way she knew how.

Remilia lowers her gaze as she recalls how difficult it was for herself to make the fairys take her seriously, and how hard it was not to kill one of them to try and set an example. It took her four days to go through the negotiations with the fairy leader, Cirno, and the reason for the delay was simply the fact that she needed time to cool her nerves down. She still did her best to go through with it, seeing as she was an adult and all, well, in charge of her younge sister at least, and had to keep a cool, mature temperament. For a child like Flandre, however..

?Remilia?? Flandre pokes her sisters cheek, and gets pulled in for a hug. She's surprised, but still hugs her sister tightly.

She hasn't been hugged in a very long time.

And neither has Remilia.

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

Awww ...

Definitely a slightly different take on things.

[MysTeariousYukari]

I had been wanting to eat something sweet for the past few hours, then I read the update, their goes my desire to eat sweets This story is very sweet, extremly sweet. It shows another side to things, why Flandre is considered insane, and why Remilia locked her in the basement. Flandre's comment on how she doesn't kyu nice people made me giggle, if she only does it to mean people, then Flandre is a lot saner then some fans would believe. This story's details are practicly canon for me

[Kinzo the Astro Curious]

I love this perception of Flandre. Keep going!

[Dasher-Crash]

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

This is way good.

[Razwerkz]

This is interesting.  I look forward to more!

See?  Flandre only destroys people she doesn't like!

[Sriggle]

Awww ...

Definitely a slightly different take on things.

Yeah.. I really can't see why people call Flandre insane.. She's a little kid who's obviously had her maturity stunted by being shut up so long, thus leading her to act younger. And with those powers.. I've seen people taking immaturity as a form of mental illness alot, though.

I had been wanting to eat something sweet for the past few hours, then I read the update, their goes my desire to eat sweets This story is very sweet, extremly sweet. It shows another side to things, why Flandre is considered insane, and why Remilia locked her in the basement. Flandre's comment on how she doesn't kyu nice people made me giggle, if she only does it to mean people, then Flandre is a lot saner then some fans would believe. This story's details are practicly canon for me

Are, are. I'm glad that you think it's cute, ^^ I'm also flattered that you would thinki it canon.. It seems there aren't very many people beliving in "sane" Flandre. She's a child, so I'm trying my best to write her belivably.

I love this perception of Flandre. Keep going!

I'm glad to hear that!

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

This is way good.

^0^ Thank you!

This is interesting.  I look forward to more!

See?  Flandre only destroys people she doesn't like!

Are, I hope you'll like this next update, then. ^^ Yeah, she's a kid, so..
-----------------
They had fun that evening, playing board games and talking about the outside world. Flandre doesn't often talk about the outside with her sister, because most of the time she likes to pretend that they're far away from the basement, that they're home again, or perhaps they're pirates on a ship bound for treasure island, or Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo working together to make a painting.

Remilia wasn't good at playing at first, when she started coming down to visit her sister. It was like she had forgotten. Then again, she's an adult, so Flandre just had to be patient until she could remember. Most of the time they play board games, nowadays, often inviting Sakuya if the game called for it.

Today Remilia's brought a deck of cards. They aren't normal playing cards, though- They're ?pocket-monster? cards. The rules are easy, and Flandre's sorry to hear the bell toll six 'o clock for dinner, meaning Remilia must leave.

This once meant that Flandre would kick and scream and kyu about it, but she had to stop doing that since it's no use anyway. It'll only mean punishment and not seeing her sister for a long time, if she tries to prevent her sister from leaving. All she does is stand by the small stairway leading up to the normal world, waving to her sister before the door closes.

As she opens the door and stands in the doorway, ready to leave, Remilia turns around towards Flandre.
?Next time..?
She's very hesitant, but in the end manages to speak like a lady: ?Next time, if the fairy's left you alone, would you kyu them??
Flandre shakes her head fiercely. What does Remilia think she is, insane?

?..Alright. Well, until we meet next time..?
The door closes, but this time, Flandre isn't alone.
After all, she never knows when China might come to see her.
?.......
The next day she wakes up with an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. Must be lack of nutrition, she thinks as she rolls over to her side. Ah well, perhaps Sakuya might come down with cake, since Remilia came down yesterday, she hasn't Kyu'd anyone, and her punishment seems to have been forgotten. She pulls herself over to the bookshelf and finds a nice-looking book that wasn't there yesterday; Why, it's about some strange sort of duck running around in half a sailor's costume. Seems alright, she thinks as she opens the book and finds herself immersed in adventures about forgotten treasures and neighbourly-feuds.

She hardly notices Sakuya opening the door, and nearly jumps at the sound of her voice. ?Milady wishes for your company.?

Flandre looks at her, astonished.
There's no cake in her hands. There is no cake in the room, and there are no dirty dishes to dispose of. She looks at the maid again, with a what-ever-do-you-mean expression on her face.

?Milady wishes for your company.? Sakuya repeats herself more slowly. Damn, she's not in a good mood right now. Not after having to wake up at four AM to clean up the entire kitchen after Cirno went to town with "makin' cookiez!" with toadstools..

?...?? Flandre is dumbstruck. She must have imagined it, or something like that. It can't possibly be right. Remilia's always the one who comes down to see her. She has sometimes fantasized about leaving the basement with her, but it's not like that's ever going to-
?Flandre.?
Sakuya's tone grows sharp and impatient. She's not used to putting up with anyone else than her mistress, and even the fairys will answer to her every whim.
Your sister wishes you to dine with her, Flandre.? Sakuya sighs and walks towards her, catching the little girl by surprise as she grabs the tiny vampire's wrist and takes her up the stairs and out of the door.

Flandre is at first too striken to react. When she does gain her brain back, the first thing she notices is the corridors, and how pretty they look when one is walking at a semi-normal pace. The second thing she notices is that Sakuya is practically dragging her up through the mansion by her wrist. It hurts, and Flandre doesn't like being treated like a misbehaving child like this.

?Let go of me!?

?No. The mistress has asked I bring you to her.?

?If you don't let go of, I'm gonna kyu something.?

Sakuya turns around sharply.
?If you kyu me, the mistress will never let you out of the basement ever.? The words are soft but stern, and they hit Flandre like the knives on Sakuya's belt. She stops struggling and follows Sakuya silently, with a sullen expression on her face.

It suddenly hits her that Remilia wanted to see her, and she starts fearing the worst. What if the fairy's did die? What if she remembered about the punishment? Her footsteps grow heavier and heavier until Sakuya drops her off in front of a door.

The maid takes a small bow and opens the it.

[MysTeariousYukari]

o.o This is surprising... Flandre being let out of the basement! I love it! I honestly can't see any flaws in the story, but that might be cause of how much I love it :*

[Kinzo the Astro Curious]

?If you don't let go of, I'm gonna kyu something.?

Thank god real kids aint got this kind of power. My nephews are right sods when they get going, but thankfully are slightly slower and less powerful with the destructive process.

Not suprised about your opinion there MysteriousYukari.. I share it :V

[Sriggle]

Inside is a small dining room, possibly the kind used for smaller, private occasions. Just like mama had, Flandre thinks while she looks around. The decoration is as elaborate as the rest of the mansion, but what catches her eye is the table, laden with ham and eggs and jam and apple butter and all sorts of food, food, real, edible, delicious food. Flandre's missed it so over the years!


?Ahem.?
She looks forward, standing on her toes to see past the large selection of food at the table to see what looks very much like a part of her sister's hat.

?Flandre, good afternoon.?
Oh, a time-based greeting? It's been such a long time- What should she do, it's a bit of a formal occasion, the voice sounds a bit stern, is Remilia mad at her? Please don't be mad at her, please..

?G-good evening to you too, madam sister.?
Flandre remembers a similar situation in one of the books she's read and curtseys in what she hopes is a polite fashion. The hat bobs a bit, and she can hear her sister giggle slightly. Does that mean she's in a good mood? Flandre brightens up a little.

?Well, I suppose you're rather hungry. By all means, sit down.?
The hat bobs toward the side of the table, where a chair's been set up. Flandre walks toward it, getting a better view of her sister at the same time.

Remilia looks like she hasn't slept a lot. In fact, she seems to be having a hard time reading the morning paper, though she's clearly doing her best to keep her dignity as an aristocrat. Flandre sits down, almost hesitantly. Is this really all for her? Can she really?

?You may eat, if you wish.?

The little vampire's eyes glow as she starts piling a large helping of food onto the plate. She's never had a real breakfast in ages, let alone ham! And eggs! And scones! A wide grin fills her face as she eats delicacy after delicacy, while her sister watches contently. Everything is going smoothly, right?

?.
?Huff, huff..?
About half an hour later, Flandre is doubled over from eating an amount that should be impossible for a little girl to ingest. She knows she can't get any energy from it(For some reason that only works with the damn cake), but the tea is a decent cake-substitute, although she's sure black tea shouldn't have spots of red floating around in it. ?Rose petals? is what her sister calls it, though for some reason it's more like a liquid than flowe petals.

Remilia clears her throat.
?W-well, Flandre.?

Flandre raises her ears.

?I've sent the maids on a day off today. If you are a good girl, you may explore the mansion as you wish.?
Good girl means ?Don't kyu things?.
Of course she'll be a good girl!
?You may not leave the mansion. The doors are all locked, I trust you won't open them by force or otherwise.?

...What?
Her mind suddendly registers what Remilia just said, and the fact that she's actually here with sister's permission.

Really? It's OK? Really?
She pinches herself, just to make sure it's for real.

Her sister takes another sip of tea before continuing:
?I want you back here at five PM. That's when the bell rings for dinner.?
Flandre nods happily, overjoyed at the statement. It's been a long time since she could explore anything at all, let alone walk down the corridors of the house without being in a hurry. Sakuya nods sternly at her, while her sister puts her teacup down. It occurs to Flandre that her sister seems nervous, judging from the way the teacup keeps shaking. Nevertheless, her dignity is still intact, like always. Remilia's like a grown-up in that way.
?If you're good, you might go out more often.? She nods too, motioning to Sakuya to clear the table.

?Th-thank you!?
The tiny vampire blurts out, barely able to contain her excitement. It might be hard not to kyu- Scratch that, it's going to be easy, she's going to not kyu anything whatever she does. She's going to do this. She's going to go out! She's going to explore!

?G'bye sis! I'll be good!?
The door slams shut.
Remilia and Sakuya are left dumbfounded, and Remilia's mood has shifted from anxious to anything but calm.

Sakuya sighs as she clears the table. If she were a part of the family, she would probably pat the mistresse's head and tell her how brave she was, but she is just a maid.

And the last thing Remilia wants is for anybody to treat her like a child.
-----
The corridors seem brighter than she remembers. It might be because it's sunny, or maybe it's because all her escape attempts have been in the afternoon?

She's darted in and out of several rooms already. One of them must belong to China, she thinks from the oriental imagery scattered around the room. She stops to explore, leaving no stone unturned and trying to leave everything as it was. It's probably not a bedroom, she decides, after a while of searching. If it does belong to China, there's no way she'll know Flan's been there, and that's that, isn't it?

A few rooms later, she finds a large board hiding a portion of the wall. Curiously, she pulls it aside to discover a door marked ?Storage?.

Is it a food store? Maybe there'll be candy. It's been ages since she last tasted a jawbreaker, or even molasses.

The door leads to a very dark staircase, looking like it might lead toward hell or somewhere deep in the earth's core. In the distance, she can see tiny lights flickering up and down. The staircase isn't as long as expected, and soon she can make out a large, tall bookcase up ahead. Actually, the lights look kind of inviting, and-

?Intruder!?

A dull shot hits her arm.

It doesn't exactly hurt, it's just annoying.

[Esifex]

Uh...... ooooooooooooooooooh.

By the by - Flandre going candy-diving is adorable.