/jp/ - Otaku Culture

"Patchouli!" Anon called, sounding somewhat nervous. "It's vibrating!" Meiling looked over, noticing that the 'wire' of magic that he was pulling on was beginning to shake clearly in his hand. "Should I let go?"

"No." Patchouli, like always, seemed entirely calm. "It's just coping with the stronger energy." She floated forward. "Look at the fireball." Meiling turned back in surprise. Where there was a large fireball before, there were now distinct layers of magic being held in mid-air. "A layer of oxygen, a layer of magical energy that constituted fuel for the fireball, and a layer of simple flame." Patchouli said, her eyes taking on a different shine that Meiling had learnt to mean that she was using spells on her eyes. "That is the barrier's energy source." She turned back to Anon. "The time distortion is interfering with several spells of mine that require precise calculations of the celestial bodies. That, I cannot disable presently."

"Oh, well..." Anon looked down, then gingerly released the vibrating wire. In the air above the torii gate, the fireball condensed, then faded from existence. "I got used to it after a while." Meiling looked over at Patchouli and wondered if she was seeing something that Meiling wasn't. "So, what was your name, again? You look familiar."

"Ah, er, Hong Meiling." Meiling said, breaking her gaze from Patchouli. "Um, I think I saw you entering the mansion with the Hakurei Shrine Maiden and a little girl several years ago." She'd completely forgotten about that. Funny.

But at the mention of the little girl, Anon's mood became sour. "Ah, that's Hana..." He murmured, looking down. "My little Hana." He shook his head and looked back, any traces of sadness gone as if they're never been there at all. "She's all grown up now. So...Would you like some tea, dear?" He asked, and Meiling's mind went completely blank. "I like to think that I've got a handle on this tea-making business by now."

"You can drink it." Patchouli muttered, ignoring them both. "Whatever you're doing is protecting you from the toxins in the air and in the clothes. Keep doing it." And she hopped off of the veranda and began to examine the mass of magical wires.

"Um, O-Okay." Meiling stammered, turning back to Anon. Dear? She probably should have told him not to call her that, but she couldn't quite resist. "Thank you!"

He led her inside and got to work, while Meiling stared at the Shrine interior surrounding them. It looked perfect, but she had no real idea what the original Shrine looked like these days, so it could have been entirely wrong and she wouldn't have noticed. In a matter of minutes, there was a steaming cup in front of her, and Anon was sat next to her. She took it, and while it was delicious, it just wasn't quite like the tea she prepared herself. "You look quite stiff, dear." Anon told her, and she jumped, sitting upright stiffly. "Would you like a bath? A massage?" He looked like he was about to say something else, but had chosen to restrain himself. Meiling thought for a moment, then took in a deep breath.

"A-A massage would be nice." She mumbled, and then jumped again when she heard Patchouli's voice from outside.

"Restrain yourself to nothing but a massage, Meiling. I have no desire to listen to...that." For a second, Meiling didn't know what she was talking about, and then it dawned on her and her face turned bright red. There was a bang from outside, followed by the sound of Patchouli coughing. "Ignore that." She called.

Anon stood, leading Meiling to the Shrine's bedroom. Suddenly feeling very nervous, Meiling forced herself to calm down, then sat on the edge of the bed, with Anon sitting behind her.

The massage then proceeded to wipe any knowledge of herself, Lady Patchouli, Anon himself, and any inkling of anything except the wonderful feeling of all the tension in her body disappearing. She may have cried. She probably fell asleep. She almost certainly let out some very embarrassing noises that she dearly hoped Lady Patchouli hadn't heard. But at the end of it, she felt rested in a way that nothing in her entire life had accomplished before.