/jp/ - Otaku Culture

There was something happening in the Human Village and it was beginning to wear on Patchouli's nerves. Every day, she heard a whisper of it. From Marisa, who she was certain was with child and had been significantly slower on her last attempt at stealing from the library.. From Koakuma, who's previously minor habit of slipping away when she thought that Patchouli was not watching had begun to balloon into something more...addictive. The occasions on which Patchouli Knowledge left the vast libraries of the Scarlet Devil Mansion were so low that they could be counted on one hand. To leave was to expose herself to elements of the world that she sought to ignore. Dirt, grime, sunlight and air so fresh that it made her lungs burn. And people. Especially people. Loud-mouthed, obnoxious, unhygienic and altogether unpleasant people.

This is what made it such an astonishing sight for Hong Meiling to see Patchouli Knowledge standing at the gates of the Mansion on a foggy, dismal morning, clad in as many robes as she possessed, likely surrounded by some sort of weak fire magic for warmth, just barely floating above the ground, and yet she was still panting with exertion as if she'd just performed Meiling's regular morning workout. Perhaps the single large tome she carried under her arm was far heavier than it looked. "Lady Patchouli?" Meiling asked uncertainly. "Are you...?"

"Open the gates, Meiling." Patchouli's voice was just the same as always, despite the heavy breathing coming between sentences. "I have business." She fixed the gatekeeper with one of her harshest stares, though it rarely had any effect on Meiling. Patchouli couldn't say if this was because Meiling simply didn't get it, or if she was secretly hiding enough power to make any threat from her negligible. She paused for a moment, then looked at Meiling again, closer this time. "Temperament..." She muttered under her breath. No, Meiling exhibited no signs of being afflicted by whatever was drawing her silly familiar's attention, or that black-and-white rat. Perhaps Tai Chi's uses in keeping the mind clear warranted further study.

Looking confused, Meiling opened the gate and allowed Patchouli to float past. "Uhm, do you need help...? Should I call Miss Sakuya?"

"No, Meiling. She will only get in the way in regards to my purposes today. Continue guarding the gate as normal." After a though came to her, she turned. "Actually, tell Remi to stay away from the Human Village for the time being."


There was an energy abuzz in the Human Village. It pulsed and writhed, like something screaming out for no one to hear. It was setting Patchouli's teeth on edge, and she was certain that it was responsible for the failure of her spells in recent weeks. She couldn't locate it precisely, but there was something about it...the way it felt like some form of great power concentrated into one spot. Either it needed to be removed, or it needed to be made her own.

There was one curious addition to the Human Village.. A building that looked new, and out of place to the surroundings. Already, Patchouli was measuring up the sizes in her mind, and she came to the conclusion that nothing like this could have been constructed by the humans alone. A youkai, then. One with plenty of influence, if the building could be constructed by them without any notice. Already, a small number of names were coming to Patchouli's mind, and her eyes narrows as she caught a tell-tale scent of Old Magic. Faint, so fleeting that only a magician of equal skill to her could have caught it, but there nonetheless. That dropped the number of choices considerably, and the mere fact that it was built out in the open narrowed it down to one.

Yukari Yakumo was involved.

The name above the building designated the place as The Hakurei Shrine Experience, a title which sounded foreboding at best to Patchouli, who had experienced the downfall of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden through Marisa's break-ins to the library, as Sakuya was well trained in shooting down any annoying birds who dared approach uninvited. The whole place had an air over it that made Patchouli feel slightly uneasy, like debauched things were happening inside. She was no stranger to unpleasant things, though, so she floated closer to the door with an impassive look on her face. Experiencing your very own Shrine Maiden fantasy? Spend time with your very own Shrine Husband? It sounded like the sort of interaction that would make Patchouli sick, either from revulsion or from over-exertion.

The door opened, and someone sped away from the building. Patchouli was able to catch the dark hair and red tokin of that annoying bird she had just been thinking about. Concentrating, Patchouli could make out the signs of a large number of youkai who had been to this building in recent times. Far too many for the human village to sustain.

This wasn't just an attraction. Something else was going on. It needed investigation.