Touhou - Revolution in Retrospect (IC)

[Merilan]

Team Mokoling

Keine nods to the two to say, "I've also heard people report different things about the roads they take. There was a couple who was actually escorted by a youkai they thought was a man-eating one back to the village..."

She shakes her head, and heads to the village gate when they arrive there. The human village seems the same as ever, though the hustle and bustle seems a little bit different. Then again, neither of them spend too much time here to be intimately familiar to it.

Nearby, the same flier advertising the Hakurei shrine maiden's disappearance has been tacked onto a nearby fencepost, as if a notice for people to read. Keine squints faintly and stares at the flier, surprised. "Hmm... that just makes me more concerned."

[Mokou-tan]

Mokou looks very uncomfortable once they reach the village. She edges a bit closer to Keine to try and ease the discomfort. When Keine speaks up about the flier, Mokou takes a look herself and hands Keine back her bag.

"Alright, I guess I'd better hurry along, right? The shrine maiden isn't going to find herself, after all!" Mokou takes a few steps forward and leaps into the air. Instead of coming down, wings of flame erupt from her back and she picks up speed, blazing through the air towards the shrine.

[Merilan]

Team Mokoling

Keine looks just a little bit surprised, and reaches her hand out. "Ah, wait! Mokou!" Before sighing and taking her bag in turn. She looks apologetically to Meiling. "Sorry. She's always been nervous around the village, no matter what I try to do. Would you mind accompanying her to the Hakurei shrine? I'll keep an eye out for Sakuya in the village, don't worry."

[CecilHoshino]

"Ah--Ah, Miss Mokou, wait...!" Meiling calls out. That's not fair, she can't fly like that! Meiling sighs in acceptance, and looks to Keine, nodding sympathetically; she can understand discomfort around crowds, she was there to watch her young mistress Flandre grow up in isolation (albeit not...entirely by choice). "Uh-of course! Thank you so much for your help, Miss. You know this village better than I do." Not that Sakuya would be exactly hard to spot in a crowd, but not having to map out all the shops and the routes between each one was a load off her shoulders.

Letting out a deep exhale, her hands folded and almost pushing that air past her gut, Meiling opened her eyes, and rushed forward. "C'mon, Mokou, slow down a bit!" She leapt into the air after the girl with the flaming wings, her ki pushing her higher into the air in a leisurely flight after her. "Although, I suppose, when you're flying, the Hakurei Shrine isn't that far from here...It's so weird to consider the shrine maiden missing..." she said to herself, thinking out loud.

[Luceid]

"... I suppose that's true..." the dollmistress sighs, offering the newspaper back with an uncertain shake of her head. Even if the shrine maiden had gone off to visit someone or look into an incident, it was usually possible to tell just from a cursory inspection; gossip of where she was and what she was doing - or who she was currently in a Spell Card battle with - was never exactly far behind. Of course, if Marisa wasn't throwing herself into a chair the moment she saw one, that could only mean one thing. Clues or not, the black-white magician obviously intended to race back out and search for anything she could find regardless, presumably dragging her along for the ride.

"--but it's not like we have much in the way of leads to go on, if we want to look into it. Were you intending on just checking the shrine over?" Alice continues after a moment's thought, her tone a put-upon sort of sigh. On balance, she knew was probably easier to let herself be talked into going along; a check of the Hakurei shrine wouldn't exactly hurt anyone, and getting out of the house sounded... somewhat appealing after however her earlier train of thought.

Unfortunately for the newspaper, its primary purpose is served and Marisa elects to take it back... and toss it onto Alice's table, still folded. Ugh, messy! She gives it not a second thought as she looks back and puts both hands on her hips, a foot tapping impatiently. The number of clues the paltry human magician has to go off of are few, but then, has she ever been known for her thorough investigating of affairs? Most of her successes come from diving in haphazardly, after all.

"Yep. That's exactly what I'm gonna do! There's gotta be some kinda wisdom lyin' around there, unless Reimu really took all her scrolls and zipped away. I mean--nobody's seen her since! This isn't just some kinda holiday."

There's an expectant look on Marisa's face. The kind that suggests she's ready to be followed. She's not known for her incredible ability to fall in and politely follow orders, after all.

[Stelas]

There's an expectant look on Marisa's face. The kind that suggests she's ready to be followed. She's not known for her incredible ability to fall in and politely follow orders, after all.

The sigh the Capital-M-Magician makes is rather harried and irritated, but despite that it isn't exactly hard to pick out how quickly Alice rises to her feet. The fold of her arms is perhaps a little unnecessary - significantly edging her way into Kasen and Remilia's territory as the grumpy and insincere faction of Gensokyo - but then it's been kind of a long and irritating day by any of her usual standards. ... never mind that it's barely the afternoon, and never mind that all she's been doing is sitting around working on her dolls.

"In that case, I'll come along. One pair of eyes is going to be better than two, after all, and you're right that it's the obvious place to start," she adds, a wave of her hand and the glint of strings in the air. As she steps into her boots, Shanghai has winged to her shoulder with a cry of her own name - c'mon, Alice, you've gotta get that speech module sorted out at least - and two other dolls have come bobbling forward carrying her shawl between them, draping it over her shoulders. A moment's adjustment and she nods lightly in satisfaction, stepping towards her front door and out.

In their wake, a doll wielding a tiny and very cute doll-sized broom slowly shuffles the newspaper off the table and into the receptacle another is holding below it.

[Merilan]

Team Malicamokoling

The trip to the Hakurei Shrine was a somewhat uneventful one... perhaps, too uneventful. Usually, you'd see more faeries going to and fro -- if not by sight, then just by the sheer sense of their natural presence that infused the woods around Gensokyo. Especially around the Hakurei Shrine, always a natural haunting ground for youkai due to its unusually rich sense of the supernatural. But not today.

Speaking of which... the Hakurei Shrine. It was still reeling a little bit from the last party that happened -- but it's almost become the usual for that kind of thing to happen. A youkai would get rather drunk and start a spellcard duel with someone else, and then a tree would get exploded and maybe bits of the shrine start to fall apart. Everyone laughs and has a jolly good time, and no one remembers who actually got to clean up the day after.

By any measure it's a relatively small Shinto shrine -- just a singular main building, with several storehouses. Yet it's always usually got a peaceable feeling to it... a feeling which feels slightly warped today. It just feels... lonely. Abandoned. Its spirit isn't there.

By the time Alice and Marisa touch down at the shrine, they can see two more presences in the sky -- a phoenix clad in flame, and someone flying with the power of their own qi. Could it be?

[Mokou-tan]

Mokou touches down rather gracefully, despite her high-speed approach. The edges of her shirt burn a little even after her flames go out, though she doesn't seem to care all that much. She gives a small wave to Marisa and Alice as she passes, more focused on her goal than pleasantries at the moment. Once the immortal maiden reaches the door to Reimu's dwelling, she finally stops.

"Hey, Reimu! You better not be lazing about in there, Keine's worried something happened!"

[Stelas]

The puppeteer is already staring at the Shrine when she gently touches down in its courtyard, a frown etched solidly on her face. Only one sweep of her head is needed to take in the familiar sight and the unfamiliar ambience, and then she's huffed out a breath as she folds her arms all over again. "Honestly... I've gone from one thing without a soul to another," the Magician grouses softly to herself, as Shanghai picks her way towards the shrine to look around.

The immediate sensation of two other youkai automatically draws her ever so slightly towards her companion's side - it's the scene of an incident, after all, and two sets of danmaku are theoretically better than one - though she stops the next moment as she actually looks in their direction and registers her familiarity. Her comment is less a greeting and more an aside to Marisa, but "That's... Mokou, isn't it? That immortal that helps the village. And Meiling?" probably counts. Hey, recognition! But then, unlike Marisa, she uses the front door. "What are they doing out-- geh--"

"Hey, Reimu! You better not be lazing about in there, Keine's worried something happened!"

It takes her a moment to recover from her surprise, but when she can Alice lets out an almost theatrical sigh. "Really, you can't tell just by looking? She ought to be cleaning, or at least complaining loudly. Instead, there's just... nothing," she adds, not realizing she's dropped from a grump all the way to a worried mutter.

[Mokou-tan]

Mokou looks towards Alice with a bit of an amused grin.

"You haven't been exterminated, so it's safe to assume she may shirk other duties as well. Oh well, it's not my job to criticize the current Hakurei shrine maiden, just clean up the youkai in the bamboo forest." Her left hand twitches a bit as she speaks, as if in anticipation.

[Luceid]

As if predestined for just a little while to leave the matters serious in Alice's hands, Marisa fans herself with her hat casually while she glances to her left, her right, and even peeks behind her as the two exchange bare-bones pleasantries. Of a sort. It's as if she's expecting to see the resident miko poking her head out of the corner at any moment now.

"I figured the ol' vampire would come running, but... uh." there's a pause and a grin that speaks nothing of the worried pit in Marisa's stomach, the ephemeral feeling of emptiness the shrine gives off is totally resonating with her in this moment. But she's not giving it away, so she instead just pretends to be fearless and eyes the ashen-haired phoenix askance. "The snoozin' guard and the charcoal vendor are looking for Reimu, too? Hell, the more the merrier. Seen any big scrolls aroud the place? Anything... uh, well, full of dire warnings?"

[Merilan]

Sadly, there's no response from within the shrine. No presence of its usual owner, as she goes to and fro her usual daily duties: washing, cleaning, sweeping the lawn, or even sipping tea on the balcony. The sliding doors have been left shut, though they don't necessarily possess locks, being a particularly ancient building that's built for communal purpose. In hindsight, there's probably a risk there that was never addressed, but... the shrine maiden never really had much in earthly possessions anyway.

Meiling can smell a trace in the air -- as the most seasoned of fighters and with her youkai senses, she can smell a bit of... blood? From inside the shrine.

[Stelas]

[Color=crimson]"You haven't been exterminated, so it's safe to assume she may shirk other duties as well. Oh well, it's not my job to criticize the current Hakurei shrine maiden, just clean up the youkai in the bamboo forest."

"Aren't you one to talk...?" the puppeteer sighs, a hand back at her forehead. "Hasn't she had to calm you down a few times? Besides, it's not as if she goes around taking on every youkai she sees. I haven't given her any reason to need to exterminate me." Ha ha, selective memory. Either way, the Magician pauses again, looking back at the shrine. "Besides, this isn't... shirking duties. Look at the place. It's like she's just--"

She cuts herself off with another huff of air, briefly worrying at her lip and somehow not wanting to finish the sentence, regardless of whether the last word was going to be 'gone' or 'dead'; a glance at Marisa, and then she's shaken the thought away and taken a step forwards towards the shrine's porch. "Either way, we're here to see if this is an incident or not. As Marisa said, there should be something around to give us a clue."

[Mokou-tan]

Mokou lets out a bit of a laugh as she opens the door to the shrine.

"I'm no Youkai, though. Her duties don't extend to a human like I." She steps in and starts to look around for any indication of Reimu's whereabouts. "Pardon the intrusion..." Come on Reimu, I know you wouldn't just vanish without a word. That's not like you...

[Luceid]

Marisa is grinning lopsidedly, and falters for a few moments as Alice gives her a look in the midst of her statement. The magician likely hasn't given much thought to the ultimately grim notion that Reimu has been hurt or taken, after all, can anyone imagine such a thing after all this time, after all these incidents? The dreamy, floating girl coming to actual harm?

The blonde girl dusts her shoes off casually, no longer meeting Alice's gaze. Better not to think about it, she muses, and shakes her head quietly before stepping into one of the shrine's rooms after Mokou. "Doesn't seem right, y'know, coming here and not a whiff of tea or rice or anything... feels empty, not really my kinda thing."

And to Mokou, she offers a similarly sunny grin. Trying to keep the tone jovial and lighthearted. "And--uh, hey, c'mon. The whole 'youkai extermination' biz is a bit thin lately, don't you and the mikos just kinda wind up harassin' them until they place nice lately, anyway?"

Kind of a stretch at lightening the mood, but then, Marisa can't quite tell what Meiling can tell. She can't sense the blood...!

And hasn't properly said howdy to her yet, either!

[CecilHoshino]

When Meiling touched down, shortly after Moku, she dusted herself off and caught her breath. She looked up to Alice and Marisa with a welcoming grin; no surprise that they'd be here, given their relation to the shrine maiden. She and Moku must really stand out, in that regard. Before she could whine at Moku for almost leaving her behind, she was compelled to greet the two before her, especially since Alice was always a good guest to the manor. But before she could do THAT, she had to pout and huff at Marisa's nickname for her. "Well, it's only because you keep coming at awkward times that I can't get a good, consistent rest."

The Chinese youkai folded her arms, and stepped forward, looking up at the shrine. Indeed, like Marisa said, the whole place felt empty...and not just from the lack of smell or sound, Meiling couldn't...feel anything. Reimu visited the manor enough times that Meiling could recognize that familiar "aura" she had, but now, in her own home...nothing. Meiling suddenly went pale. No, not nothing... Her nose crinkled. "Oh no..." Rushing past everyone else, and ignoring etiquite for barging in, uninvited, Meiling rushed into the shrine. "Miss Reimu!" she called out, although she already had a feeling there'd be no answer. Obviously, Reimu wasn't in...or, worse, in context, she was. Where was that smell coming from...?

[Merilan]

The living room, thankfully, wasn't in a state of disarray. There's no damage to the walls or the tatami or the doors -- No fight took place here, at the very least. A cup of tea was still sitting, mostly drunk with a pot of tea next to it. It'd looked like it'd been sitting there and forgotten about for days, along with several senbei crackers on a serving plate. But that scent of blood that Meiling traced out...

...a trace of it was coming from the half-eaten cracker, it seems -- checking it a little closer, it's stained the edge where it was bitten into. Then, it's been mostly wiped off, but there's more trace of splatters from the low sitting table and the tatami. The way it all added up, she could conclude it was probably Blood from the mouth.

Mokou noticed that a couple of the inner doors were left open, suggesting rapid movement between places. Past the living room, Marisa can also see where Reimu's left those stacks of scrolls from her last visit -- they're scattered all over the place, one left rolled open on her desk, several more strewn about haphazardly. Just what were these really Old scrolls strewn about that she suddenly took an interest in...?

[CecilHoshino]

Meiling felt a little better, seeing that things were...calmer than she feared. She took a knee next to the snacks, and took a feel to the tea pot. Cold...yep, she would have been missing for several days. Her attention turned to the senbei crackers, and the plate they were served on. Humming in discontent, she made the connection that the person eating this, likely Reimu, was either coughing up blood, or something inside their mouth was cut. Neither was a good alternative, the first one less so. The obvious course of action would be to try and find a doctor...so it's strange for Reimu to just drop off the face of Gensokyo.

Meiling rose to her feet, and moaned in distress, still holding the bloodied cracker. So now there were three people missing: Reimu, Sakuya, and Flandre, and one of them looked to be very sick. At the very least, she knew that Flandre had run away, and it was entirely possible that she just had really bad luck about constantly missing Sakuya, but now she was starting to get a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach about all this...

[Luceid]

"Geh?! What's the big panic, is she in there or somethin'?!"

Right as she was coming up with a light-hearted jab to send back Meiling's way, Marisa's train of thought is swiped from its rails as the pugilistic napper gives a surprisingly distraught cry and runs into the shrine at one helluva clip. It's all the black-white can do to ditch her companions on the spot and sprint after her in a whorl of skirts and the clip-clop of shoes not even slightly intended for running. It's a short-lived effort, that soon sees her stumbling to a stop and dusting her knees off with a puff of breath along the way. No, not a sign of Reimu at all. Just... a cracker.

The magician scrunches her nose up. "Jeez, don't scare me like that. I thought you could feel her slippin' away in here at death's door or something, you goof!" but her heart isn't hard enough for it to sound upset. If anything, Marisa's visibly relieved that nothing grisly awaits her.

And that's when she looks down at where her foot is nudging an old scroll. One of the many she'd found Reimu carting to and fro on her last visit here. That it's even still around surprises the lone, normal, mortal in the group.

[Stelas]

The Magician casually accepts her doll back at her shoulder as she steps inside the shrine, and while her pace is more sedate than Marisa's she can't keep a certain urgency out of her step. Once inside and peering over the black-white magician's shoulder, her gaze slowly and attentively scans the main room as several scene aspects immediately file their way into the Eiki Record, and only then does she let out an uncertain breath as she traces the shrine maiden's likely path from one end of the shrine to another, from discarded cracker to scattered scroll. For a long moment, she pauses in suspicious thought.

"... it's not like her to leave shrine materials lying around the place so haphazardly," she finally agrees with her partner's dumbfounded look, apparently an expert in Reimu habits or perhaps simply looking for something innocuous to say that isn't whatever's immediately on her mind. With a gesture from Alice, Shanghai tries to lift one end of the scroll-- and immediately breaks into the tiniest flopsweat imaginable as she only succeeds in nearly rolling it over herself instead. With the faintest of chuckles, the puppeteer reaches down to pluck it from the doll's attempt, unraveling the fabric in her hands with the care of someone who knows exactly how fragile such things can be. "Well... to be quite honest, I don't think I've ever seen her with anything like this in the first place."

She pauses again, as if uncertain if she should be looking at something that's probably private... and then that thought is shaken away, and she's quietly poring through the contents.

[Mokou-tan]

Mokou raises an eyebrow at what seemed to be Meiling's reaction to the cracker. Without comment she made her way to the scrolls and picked one up, carefully unrolling it and skimming its contents. With over 1300 years of life and her noble birth, the immortal had read countless scrolls and books. With so much reading, she had mastered the art of skimming for important information, reading deeper as needed to try and understand what Reimu had wanted these scrolls for and possibly why she had disappeared. It wasn't like the miko would want these aged text for fun, nor would she ignore maintenance for so long just to read, despite what Mokou had previously said.

"I hope it isn't like that time..." The ashen-haired maiden whispered under her breath.

[Merilan]

The texts were rather dusty and, indeed, had the appearance like they'd been stored for... decades away out of sight. They pertain to ancient history, to the beginnings of Gensokyo, and particularly to the beginnings of the lineage of Hakurei. It's a series, it seems, with a scroll for each volume. The dried ink seemed as if it heralded the words of someone who lived in an utterly different Gensokyo.

To that which may be reading this,
You have been chosen as the most recent of the barrier guardians.
Feel honoured, but do not fill your belly with pride, for your duty is both solemn and lonesome...

It must have been the text of Hakurei shrine maidens from long ago. Perhaps before they were even called the Hakurei. Back when the Great Barrier was first erected, and the brave protectors of the land and the youkai were both sealed within.

But the one ontop of Reimu's desk seemed most telling. It doesn't look to belong to the set, actually, but it is similarly old.

The eldest youkai sages of Gensokyo, long ago, chose a human to bear the all-important prowess of the 'Hakurei'.
That which separates the boundary of illusion from reality.
That which separates conscious, rational thought from fleeting fantasy.
That which roots imagination in place, allowing us to be.
But this is no power for an ordinary human to bear.
Even in your youth, think of how you will pass the torch onward.
The sages will find you a replacement, for when

The scroll looked as if it proceeded to another roll, but it's curiously absent, leaving the text unfinished.

---

(At this point, you may establish a Bond with Hakurei Reimu to add to your list of bonds. Describe what your current relation to the shrine maiden is, and create an Aspect related to that. As the Bond that represents your investigation's efforts into this incident, you gain a +2 to Investigate rolls related to this incident.)

[Stelas]

"... for when what?" Alice huffs automatically as she lowers the scroll, the narrator helpfully taking care of any need to actually read the thing out loud, but it's the sound of someone who is simply upset that a book doesn't end Properly. At the very least, her ensuing glance towards the table and the discarded items upon it suggests the answer is fairly obvious, at least in the abstract: for when whatever happened happens. Not that the scroll's wording leaves any doubt on that front either, the implication fairly clear - but Alice stops that thought cold, not particularly wanting to dwell on it just yet as she frowns.

"In any case," she mutters, folding her arms as her tone shifts towards that of a patient teacher as she indicates Reimu's path. Helpfully, Shanghai bobs down to the table to pick up the cracker and simulate an adorable chewing motion - then stop, and explode into surprise. "Whatever happened to Reimu, she must have-- gotten worried about it," another moment's hesitation, because even that is a kind of weird thing to think about, and then Shanghai wings towards the pile of scrolls. "And then consulted these scrolls for an answer. In some hurry, I suppose. At the very least, we know who to ask next," the puppeteer adds with a heaving sigh as her doll pulls out a paper fan from nowhere and giggles from behind it in a passable imitation of a gap youkai. "I suppose it's just a matter of actually finding her."

Alice's bond with Reimu is "Long time no see." - Years ago, a certain shrine maiden's incursion into Makai led a young and precocious Alice to wonder what exactly lay outside the crystalline walls of Pandaemonium. That seed of curiosity grew over time, became a seed of doubt - and then brought the Magician to see the place with her own eyes. Reimu might not remember, but she is the reason Alice came to Gensokyo.

N-not that she likes Reimu or anything! Harrumph!

[Mokou-tan]

Mokou looks over the scroll Alice read after putting her own down. The immortal teared up a little, but quickly hid it by wiping her eyes with her sleeve while avoiding facing the others. When she returned to facing them, she caught on to what the dollmistress was alluding to.

"If you're looking for Yukari, you should probably check with Yuyuko. I've seen them hang out at the shrine's parties and heard Reimu complain a little about the pair. I'll... I'll have to ask you to go in my stead. As I cannot die, I cannot go myself..." Though she tried her hardest not to, Mokou looked a little irate.

Mokou's bond with Reimu is Fellow Guardian. Both Mokou and Reimu have been protecting the human village in their own way, even if their preferred methods differ. This has turned into a mutual understanding of one another and an agreement: Mokou won't slay a youkai before letting Reimu have a chance at changing their ways unless circumstance dictates that she cannot wait.

[CecilHoshino]

Meiling shakes her head, looking to Marisa with a worried look. She presents the cracker, and traces her finger around the bite mark. "No, no, look here... And now look here." Meiling taps her hand on the table, fingers just touching the blood stains. "She was bleeding." Meiling straightens her stance, looking towards Alice and Moku as they investigate the scrolls. Her face falters in sorrow. "Poor Miss Reimu..." This has certainly NOT been Meiling's best day.

And it didn't sound like it was going to get better. She blinks, staring at Moku with a stammer. "D...did you say Yukari? As in... Miss Yukari Yakumo?" Meiling moaned, and removed her hat to scratch her scalp. "Maybe I should turn back and inform Lady Remilia...oh, that Miss Sakuya were here. She's dealt with her in the past, hasn't she?" she asks, turning to Marisa for confirmation on that particular adventure.

Meiling's bond with Reimu is You're Always Welcome Here. While their first meeting was rather tense and awkward, ever since then, every time Reimu's come to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, it has been as an honoured guest, one who Meiling is always glad to greet. It helps that Reimu tends to appreciate Meiling's work, moreso as a gardener than as a guardian, and that she's not as...invasive, as a certain black and white witch.

[Luceid]

While Mokou and Alice discuss exactly what the cryptic writings mean, and who they should possibly consult next, Marisa picks up one of the weighty rolls of paper and firmly grips it with one hand before speaking up. Sure, she sounds determined, but that shouldn't be mistaken for sounding heroic. She doesn't have a destined gleam in her eye, per se, or a stony face. "Nah, you don't have to stay outside." she address Mokou, of course, "We'll just scale the walls or knock the door down or somethin', these things always work out."

"But," the magician adds, waggling the scroll like a wooden bat, "I'm takin' this one with me. Never know when troublemakers like those two are gonna want some proof or need it for some spooky ritual."

Marisa tucks the scroll back under her arm, where it sits comfortably between vest and sleeve. She's going to need a magic bookbag, before they embark on this adventure. "Anything serious enough to send Reimu runnin' out of teatime is no joke, y'got that right... she's a tough cookie, though. Don't worry, she probably just read somethin' scary and bit her tongue." and she isn't fooling anyone, even after giving Meiling a reassuring pat on the back. The gesture doesn't work as well when you're that much shorter than the person you're offering it to.

Still--it seems like Marisa has an unspoken appreciation for Meiling's soft side, here. You know. If you can read the subtext, which you can, as the words are evident for anyone to read.

Marisa's bond with Reimu is The Other Main Character, not that it actually insinuates anyone is less important than she. It symbolizes the constant weight of both the miko and the magician in each other's lives as buddies, allies, troubleshooters for Gensokyo. Having come to depend on one another through thick and thin, time and time again, the bond between them is as sound a friendship as you could ask for, even if they didn't always see eye-to-eye on everything.

[Stelas]

The puppeteer nods her head, even as she puts her hand to it and lets out another laboured sigh. "It'll be fine," she assures the Phoenix. "After all, the living aren't exactly supposed to go to that place either, and yet we've managed before. If there's a barrier, we'll just break it down," she adds with almost casual disdain. Is this the power of a playable character? Maybe it's just the power of pressganging, given her next statement, delivered with a completely straight face: "More importantly, the more of us there are, the more chance we have of getting an answer out of her."

"Still," she adds, as she automatically paces over to set the rest of the scrolls back into a neat pile - worried enough about the shrine to straighten it up, it seems. "I can't say I particularly relish the thought of going there. ... there's-- Yuuka, perhaps..."

Her face just about entirely says what she thinks of that idea, though.

[Merilan]

It was a rather odd curiousity; if something were to happen to the Hakurei shrine maiden, the capricious youkai of gaps was usually not far behind. It was autumn, however, and late at autumn at that; the red leaves have fallen, and herald the coming of winter. It was time for her to take her usual seasonal slumber, but... it might still be early yet, for an emergency such as this one. Regardless, it seemed a sure bet that the sage of Gensokyo would at least know something, given her usual nigh-prescient state.

A quiet flap of wings, as well as childlike laughter, could be heard from the outside a short while after...

[Mokou-tan]

Mokou chuckled a bit as she shook her head. She'd mentioned this in her meeting with Yuyuko back on that fated night and Yuyuko herself had possibly mentioned it to others before. Going to that place was the same as dying, and as such, Mokou wouldn't be able to enter. Such was one of the downsides of consuming the Hourai Elixir.

"As much as I admire your guts, that's a bad idea. If I were to actually make it to Hakugyokurou, that would mean that I've lost the effects of the Hourai Elixir. If that were true, I'd die rather quickly. Maybe even instantly if my age caught up to me all at once. It might take until Kaguya and I get into another fight or maybe just until I use some magic and I end up with holes in my body that don't heal anymore." Mokou sat on the table next to the tea pot, leaning back as she calmly explained all the problems she could see with her going. It wasn't that she didn't want to go, but more that the consequence of actually managing such a thing would be a very quick end to her life.

"Do those two spend time together? Though I've been here for three centuries, I must admit that I haven't spent much time around Yuuka. I guess I can let you guys deal with that, though. I need to go talk with Keine and let her know. If a youkai gets uppity now, she's got to be prepared to deal with it since Reimu isn't here." As the immortal maiden got up to leave she heard the flapping wings. This sound only hastened her exit, but now to see what was causing the sounds.

[CecilHoshino]

Marisa's reassurance brought a relieved and touched smile to Meiling's face; the witch could be bothersome in the whole "there was a door!" department, but, otherwise, her heart was in the right place...usually... Patchouli seemed to like her... At least she didn't raise (as much of) a fit over those overdue books. Letting out a nervous chuckle from the height difference making for an awkward reassurance pat, Meiling replaced her hat, and stepped forward. "I should inform the mistress of the disappearance of our friends. The news of Miss Reimu's disappearance, and the idea that it might be related to why we can't find Miss Sakuya..." Meiling trailed off. The right thing to do WOULD be to return and report...but to return empty handed with more bad news? Maybe Remilia would be more appreciative if Meiling took this initiative, and joined Marisa and Alice in investigating Hakugyokurou.

That thought is interrupted, not by the fluttering of wings, but by the childish laughter. Meiling looks towards the outside, blinking in surprise. "...Young mistress...?" That could be anyone, really; flapping wings and youthful giggling could mean anyone from the prodigal Lady Flandre, to Lady Remilia taking the investigation to her own hands, to that ice fairy looking for trouble. She gave a quick, farewell bow to the two magicians, before striding out to join Mokou outside.