/jp/ - Otaku Culture

"S-Sorry...?"

"I am sorry, Koakuma. For my behaviour in recent weeks. For my short temper and my erratic actions. I am sorry for running that experiment while in a compromised state of being, and I am sorry for sending you into the middle of it. I am sorry for causing the destruction of the library, and I am doubly sorry for any stress I have caused you because of my actions." Patchouli let her head remain bowed as she waited for her familiar's response. "It will never happen again. I never commit the same mistake twice. This, I promise to you."

Silence reigned in the empty remains of the library. And then, Patchouli watched as Koakuma reached for her hand. "Ah, er, Lady Patchouli. I, well...Forgive you. It was scary, but I trust you as my Master. I'm just sorry that I never picked up on the signs sooner. I should have noticed." Patchouli raised her head and regarded her familiar. Truth be told, Patchouli had the same sentimentality issue that she had with Meiling toward the rest of the mansion, now. She had missed them terribly and she had buried the emotions deep in the back of her psyche. Well, now that her Remnant self had passed those feelings along, it was the real world's Patchouli who had to deal with them, and she found herself wanting a more...Gentle approach to Koakuma than she might have favoured in the past. "A-And the library...It's in ruins. Oh, Lady Patchouli, what are we to do?" Koakuma preferred an ordered environment, if only because it made causing mischief much easier. "Ah...Even the magic that flew through the floor and the walls...Lady Patchouli, I should have tried to-" The little devil's face was beginning to tremble and Patchouli could practically sense the tears about to flow. Koakuma thought that she had failed her.

"Hush, Koakuma." Patchouli murmured, raising her hand. "I'll have none of that. No tears, and no trembling." Her familiar froze, staring at her in confusion. "The construction of the library was some of my greatest work, yes. It was a marvel the likes of which the greatest magicians in the Outside World would have liked the study. Fortunately, its destruction rests solely on my shoulders, not yours. And..." A bird, sitting on a windowsill. A tree, taller than any other. And...An ordinary witch. "I've had cause to think of the benefits of starting afresh, recently. Change is not something to fear. We shall rebuild, and we shall improve on what came before. For that, I will need you by my side." Koakuma continued to stare for a moment, but a wide smile split her face a moment later.

"Understood, Lady Patchouli!" She cried, and before Patchouli could blink, she'd thrown her arms around her. At that point, sentimentality be damned, Patchouli Knowledge summoned the first heavy book she could see from a random pile and slammed it down on Koakuma's head. "Wah!" The girl cried, letting Patchouli go so she could hold her head. Patchouli raised the book and looked at the cover. One that had helped her devise a whole school of spells based on the movement of Phobos. At least it was something that wasn't of much use at the moment, then. "Ooh...I - Er, sorry." Koakuma mumbled, holding her head.

Patchouli tilted her head and wondered if the blast had done something to Koakuma's temperament. She wasn't usually so...Forthcoming. "By my side, I believe I said. Perhaps not clinging to it, thank you." Koakuma sheepishly nodded. "Now, I don't expect that we will accomplish very much within what remains of the library, but I would like it if you could begin sorting some of the books scattered around the place."

Koakuma's eye twitched. Ah, Patchouli thought to herself. There was a sign of the mischievous little devil. "Y...Yes, Lady Patchouli." She would be mislabelling books and shuffling piles for the rest of the day, but they would all be getting recategorized during the remodel regardless, so it was hardly the worst thing that she could be doing. It would also help to keep her mind off of her fears regarding the destruction of the library.

As Koakuma got to work, Patchouli turned and took her seat at the desk again. Sweeping any last debris from it, she raised her hand and activated the sigil that stored perhaps the most important book in the world. Certainly the most important book as far as the next month went. A moment later, the loud thud echoed through the library and made Koakuma jump as the book landed on Patchouli's desk. She stared at it for a few moments, wondering what other secrets it contained. She hadn't managed to look through it properly yet, as her body had forced her back into bed not long after her time spent outside during the previous day. The thing contained immense stores of power, of course. Meiling had confirmed that, though Patchouli could easily feel it herself. She was expected to use it as a battery.