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 Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 8:57 pm
"Now, begin in the middle, and later learn the beginning; the end will take care of itself."
Deep in the Forest of Magic, hidden by the tall trees and thick foliage, there lay a house. The house was humble, yet somewhat large when compared to what one might find in the Human Village; it was something comparable to what might exist among the proud Tengu, or in the lost village past Youkai Mountain and far to the east.
Further, the once-home possessed architecture much unlike anything else commonly seen in Gensokyo, featuring materials and techniques in its construction that denoted a similar style to that which made up the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Carefully laid brick, wood paneling, wrought iron and the like - it was all very much different than the mostly wooden homes the average human or even Tengu might live in these days. Different. Out of place, out of time, and for the most part, out of notoriety. Indeed, this house had existed far outside the attention of the land's people for quite some time, save for an errant straggler here or there whose sudden disappearance would go unnoticed by anyone of importance and thus, become hardly worthy of anything more than a footnote in this story.
But the house is not important, at least not to you, nor is the wood paneling, the bricks, the footnotes or the location. No, what's important, and what should be focused on, lays within...
A girl, or what could best be defined as a "girl', sat quietly on the wooden floor of the foyer. Her green dress and bright blonde locks stood out against the dull, dusty and cob web-laden interior that had fallen into decay over the years. What stood out more was a bright red, plush-like glove that she wore over her right hand, and the single, matching horn-like protuberance on the left side of her head. Beyond that she seemed like a perfectly normal little girl. "Girl".
At the moment, she was currently carving a niche into the floor with a small silver knife, repeatedly stabbing the instrument into the wood. She was silent, lost to her own thoughts - what few there were - and waiting. Always waiting.
Waiting for a savior... a victim... a way out.
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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 12:17 pm
A small purple rabbit has stumbled upon this building. A parasite to one who lives in the forest and of fear. It casually finds a way by pushing the cracked door open and hopped over to the girl. At first, it was cautious to approach and kept it's distance. The parasite was expendable as well, so it seemed to mostly observe the woman. It's big eyes staring at her backside and wondering what she was doing. From it's angle, it could not make out the horn and just assumed it was a lost human. So it hopped closer with much care and caution.
Then a faint voice could be heard in the distance. A pair of young humans? No. No human would casually stroll through this area without encountering visions.
"Master said the parasite was last spotted over here..."
"Sogno, let's just head back. The parasites are fine."
"Are you kidding Incubo?! They are like our brothers and sisters too! Just help me look!"
It sounds like they lost something or someone?
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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 2:56 pm
The girl was too busy with her current task to notice the strangely-colored rabbit creep up, up, up behind her. The steely knife plunged into the wood before her, again and again, sending small flecks of wood this-a-way and that-a-way.
It was only the sudden intrusion of sound from the voices that caused the girl to raise her head, an ungloved fist halting above her head with the knife clutched inside slender fingers. Wide, golden eyes scanned the room as she slowly turned her head, from one side to the other, then spun around to look behind her.
She saw the rabbit. Curiously, she tilted her head, staring down the ball of purple fluff, slowly lowering the knife to her side.
"...Hello?" Her voice was somewhat raspy, unused, yet carried the sweetness and charm of a young child. "Mister bunny, did you say something?" On her knees, she leaned her head down to the creature, leveling her eyes with it. She grinned and waved with the red paw, golden locks of hair threatening to fall over her eyes. "Hiiii~"
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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 3:34 pm
Upon seeing the woman in full and the actions it has shown, the rabbit retracted the need to send fear into her on account of the paw he noticed. After fixing it's whiskers a bit, the rabbit looked back and forth before aiming his eyes on the girl. Once more the voices from outside spoke.
"Incubo. Are you telling me you can't sense the Parasite at all?"
"No Sogno. Should we just go back to master and tell him we lost a Parasite?"
"I guess. It's not like they are slow enough to be caught by humans. Plus Master can see through their eyes if he wanted." And the sound of leaves and twigs rustling signaled the two voices departure.
The rabbit continued to act like a rabbit, cute and innocent, for the time being. When out from the corner of it's eye the rabbit noticed a second one. Identical in color and size. The new rabbit paired up with the already existing one and the two seem to not mind someone watching. Was it because they knew she was not a threat or was it because she was not human? Either way, the rabbits continued to play around for a time.
Though little did she knew that more rabbits would come. Not as a welcome wagon but more of understanding what has been brought to their attention. Faintly, a voice lightly echoed once a handful more came in.
"It appears that they are curious about you. Do not be shy. Pick one up." the voice said. though spooky and eerie like, it had a weird warm sensation to it.
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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 5:29 pm
The girl watched the rabbit, taking note of when its attention had been drawn by something else. To her surprise, it was a second rabbit! The girl sat up and let out a giggle, releasing her grip on the knife and letting it fall a few inches to the floor in a soft clatter.
"Oh! Another!" She exclaimed with excitement, clasping both hands together. "What are you doing here? I've never seen a purple bunny before! ...Then again, I've never seen any bunny before!" She followed their movements closely as they played together. "I wonder what you taste like? Do you taste like grape? What does grape taste like?"
Somehow, yet more of the strange rabbits appeared! The girl was beside herself with joy and amusement. Finally, something that moved and played and did things on their own!
However, her merriment was cut somewhat short, replaced with curiosity as a whisper of a voice filled her head.
"Pick one up?" she parroted, looking at the small mass of bunnies before her. "Can I pet it? Can I eat it? I want to pet it!" Happily obliging, the girl reached out to one of the rabbits (one which she had made a mental note to name "Thimble") and gently put her hands around the small animal, lifting it up before her.
"Hiiii!" She said again, "What's your name? My name is Mary! Can you say that, Mister Bunny? Ma-ry!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 5:46 pm
The rabbit simply looked onward without the ability to speak. The voice then became more public and unlike before, was far less threatening.
"These creatures are not edible, I assure you but they do like to have a pet every now and again." The person speaking suddenly opened the door slowly to approach her with caution. To his deduction, she was indeed not from around here and possibly a new being all in one with the way she acts.
"This place smells faintly like that of the outside world. Was she abandoned and forgotten? In any case, I am glad I found this one before the Gap Youkai did and tried to scare her." He stood fairly tall, his skin pigment only human like from his head and to his neck while the rest was pitch black. Most of his body was covered by a long white trench coat as smoke lightly built below him. His short black hair on his head was to compliment the rest of his body.
"Judging from the way you act and the house's smell, you are not from this land. So your name is Mary? Do you have any idea how you ended up here or where you came from?" he asked. A few of the rabbits dispersed while a total of five stayed, including the one Mary held in her hand. Even if it was a parasite, it was so soft and fluffy to hold.
"Even after I talk to her a bit, I have to report this to that Gap Youkai so she is aware of the new arrival. Like she said, those who cross the boundary any way can and will disrupt the balance of Gensokyo if left unchecked." He thought to himself once again. Knowing the rules fairly well the hard way when he encountered the Hakurei Priestess.
One of the rabbits hopped over to Nahumar and tugged on his coat with it's teeth. When he looked down at the rabbit creature, it gave a very low and quiet squeak.
"I see. Well if Sogno tries to make you fly again, just meld into the shadows. Who knows what she is learning from that village school lately."
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Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 11:06 am
"Not edible...?" Mary sounded disappointed as she inspected the rabbit, holding it to eye level. "But it looks so yummy... oh well~"
It finally dawned on Mary there was another presence in the room, something much unlike the few bunnies that had decided to invade. She looked onward as the doors to her home opened, and in stepped a somewhat imposing-looking man. He was tall, much taller than her, yet seemed to act somewhat wary. Even then, Mary felt no threat from the man, and answered his questions as he asked.
"Where I came from?" Mary parroted again, looking perplexed at the strange man that entered her home. Wait... there was someone here now. A small grin lit up Mary's features.
"I came from my papa!" Mary happily answered as she stood, clutching the purple bunny to her chest. She began to dance around the room with the rodent, then suddenly stopped, and turned to Nahumar, her head hung low and staring at the ground. "But... he's gone now. He's been gone for a long, long time..."
She squeezed the rabbit tighter, and if one were to notice, she was staring at the knife she left on the floor. "Hey, mister... do you taste good? I'm really hungry..."
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Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 12:04 pm
"Odd...She doesn't know about her true origin other than a father..." Nahumar wanted to think about it but the next words out of her mouth about being hungry made him worried. The parasite felt it's life being squeezed out by how tight she was holding it.
"I already feel like this is going to be troublesome." But his saving grace came as a cat trotted in with the familiar male voice from outside.
"Master? What is this place?" He asked. Nahumar instantly had an idea.
"Incubo, perfect timing. I need you to go scurry into the northern part of the forest. There should be a couple apples there. Bring me as much as you can carry." and the cat, not knowing about Mary yet, just dashed out of the house. His attention was back on Mary.
"I hope you like apples, little one. It should hold you over until I figure out what I can feed you." But remembering how she asked about how he tasted, it made him worry about the outcome of the "Papa" she talked about. He looked down at the knife on the floor and wondered what else was in this house. Though the real question he should ask was what is she? Mary looked very off for any being he heard or seen. Was she just a Construct of the so called Papa?
"Oh I should also tell you my name. I can be so rude at times. I am Nahumar." He smiled as he knelt down to offer a hand to shake.
"Do you know anything else about who you are besides your name? Possibly any special or unique traits?" he asked, hoping to understand the situation before 'She' came and decided to take matters in her own hands.
"Mary is very different. I could swear i smell the hint of paint and sorrow in this area now that I have taken the time. Perhaps Sorina would understand the situation more. However, the real problem I may face is she could have a true hunger for human flesh and nothing will substitute it. If that is the case...then I may have to try and warn the Priestess about it." In his mind, Nahumar prayed she was not psychotic enough to warrant a permanent destruction. There could be a chance to make her stable.
The rabbit in her grip suddenly had enough as it managed to wiggle it's way out. Due to it's weak state, the rabbit image changed it back to it's real scarab like beetle form. The Parasite stumbled out of the shack as the others, in their rabbit like forms were now cautious about the girl. Nahumar simply chuckled.
"Now that is a first. One of my parasites actually being defeated from the grip of a child's affection."
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Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 8:37 am
"I had an apple once! But it tasted bad..." Mary made a face of exaggerated disgust. She held the rabbit like a toddler might hold a teddy bear, continuing to clutch at it tight. She didn't notice its distress, if it had displayed any, at all. And oddly enough, the fact Nahumar seemed to be talking ot a cat didn't seem to appear as strange to her.
"Na...hu...mar?" Mary didn't return the handshake, but didn't shy away either. Judging by her expression, she seemed confused at the gesture, and unsure of how to respond. "I don't know. What do you mean by special? Um.... I can draw real good! Well, kinda good--ah, Thimble!" Mary exclaimed, reaching after the purple rabbit as it escaped her grasp. However, she quickly paused as the creature returned to it's original state. Mary did not look pleased.
"You..!!" Mary reached out her normal hand towards the knife on the floor. The object seemed to spin onto its blade tip, bouncing off the floor after bending its blade to act like a spring. The knife landed in Mary's grasp, where she lunged at the now insectile creature, stabbing the blade into the floor, just missing it as the parasite scurried away.
"It lied!" Mary's face was twisted up into some expression of hurt and anger. "I don't like liars!" Her gaze fell upon the other "rabbits", as she pried at the knife, trying to free it from the wooden planks. "Are they liars, too?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 5:04 pm
Just the action of the knife being thrown caused all the parasites to flee and or melt into the dark parts of the floor. Nahumar was not pleased by this, but she does not know fully.
"They are not exactly liars as they are protectors of the forest. As you just saw, they are able to disguise themselves as rabbits. That in itself is a special trait. Just like mine is the ability to manipulate the fear inside of creatures." To Nahumar, the knife meant nothing. So hurting him would do nothing but damage his shell.
"Now Mary. Be a good girl and leave the knife on the ground and show me how well you can draw." but inside his mind and gut, he knew things were spiraling downward into a territory she may not escape alive from. So in order to prove his words were meant to help her but also show some force, he showed his four black tendons from his back.
"I do not want anyone being harmed right now, I do not like being lied to either, but you must understand that if the parasites approached you as that bug like type, your first instinct would be to kill it, right? You only see the outside and not what's inside like I do. Do whatever you wish now. You can stab me and make things worse or you can stand down and draw a picture."
"I have NO Idea how 'She' would handle this but I can't be using force just yet. I just hope she will listen." Nahumar's eyes had a hint of pain to them as well, not wanting to harm her but if he must he would.
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:51 am
Mary seemed to pout first at the bugs disappearing, then in response to Nahumar's words. It appeared though that she gave up on pulling the knife from the floor boards, and instead chose to fold her arms to her chest in a tight knot, further illustrating her disgruntled mood.
"Why should I listen to you?" she asked, not meeting Nahumar's gaze and choosing instead to stare quite contently at the wall. "You aren't papa! You're a stranger!" Mary continued to pout on the floor.
Meanwhile, a noise could be heard nearby, a gentle "clack clack clack" of wood upon wood. From the next room over, a chair apparently had decided to walk itself into the foyer on four wooden legs, each one bending and moving without any sign of joints or motorization. Mary stood, her arms still crossed and face still twisted into a pout, and bent forward a little; the chair walked up behind her and bumped into the back of her legs, and Mary's rear met the seat.
"...Fine, I'll draw, but only 'cause I wanna!" She stuck her tongue out at Nahumar, making a very childish face while a row of six crayons marched in file and stopped beside her. Down the foyer, a cabinet opened, and a thin stack of white paper drifted mostly soundlessly from a shelf inside, as if held aloft by some sort of breeze. This way and that way the pages flew, before all came to a rest in Mary's lap in a somewhat neat pile.
"What should I draw? Wait, never mind, I know!" She reached for one of the crayons at her foot, a purple one, and began to sketch on the paper's surface. Her doodles were very childish, but soon the vague image of a purple rabbit began to take shape, and Mary's mood seemed to lighten considerably.
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:39 pm
Nahumar watched the various objects move around at will. It was nothing new to him but it was very intriguing to see. He waited for Mary to draw. Her child like persona and mind seem to be proven even more by the crude image.
"A rabbit? I guess you really did like them like that." he faintly smiled as one Parasite melded halfway through the floor to peak on what they were doing. Obviously still on alert from her recent outburst.
"You do draw well for one who just suddenly came." Then, the male cat from before returned with what seemed like two tendons prutruding from his back and carrying an arms worth of apples.
"Master. I got what you asked. There were some green ones too that I never seen." the male cat spoke as he shifted into a human form with his little outfit. The tendons still holding onto the apples.
"Those I believe are called Granny Smith apples. Odd considering the book i saw it in stated they do not grow naturally at all around here. Then again, anything is possible in Gensokyo." Nahumar grabbed both the green one and a red one to offer to Mary.
"Why not try one of these?" Nahumar offered to her but was interrupted when a second cat came in.
Nearly similar to the male but with minor differences.
"Yo Incubo! What are you do-" but her eyes caught wind of Mary and she shifted into her human shape, a twin to Incubo but female in attire and body.
"Oh wow! Who is this master?" she asked, so curious after sniffing the air around them of the outside. Nahumar quickly explained.
"This is Mary. She just arrived in Gensokyo and I am trying to ease her down a bit. Mary, these are two of my greater Parasites. Incubo is the boy and Sogno is the girl." with that Sogno started to walk up to inspect and ask her.
"Wow...so you're from the outside? Tell me what it's like? Master says that the outside has a lot of tall constructions that mortals build in no time at all." Asking questions that she clearly did not know of. Inucbo on the other hand was a bit more careful.
"Easy Sogno. We shouldn't suffocate her with questions." They clearly were opposites of one another. With the presence of the two greater ones, the parasites slowly came back. One managed to hop it's way onto Mary's lap to see the picture she made of their image. After sniffing, it backed off as if the picture sniffed back at it.
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 10:08 am
"What a weird cat!" Mary said bluntly, barely looking up at her drawing. In fact, she didn't seem to pay anyone attention until the apple was offered to her, to which she stopped drawing and looked at it with a small amount of child wonder. "An apple..? It looks tasty! But... the last apple I ate looked really tasty too, but it was fake!"
Before she could reach to take the apple, when another odd cat came into her home. She blinked, staring at the trio as they talked and the two cats transformed, not really bothering to say anything until she was addressed after the fact. What a strange group of people they were all turning out to be, though Mary couldn't help but wonder which one might be the weakest...
Mary leaned away from Songo as she approached her, though careful not to drop her precious armful of art supplies! "Outside? I've never been outside! I... I can't leave here..." She looked up at the ceiling in thought. The smaller parasite joining her lap startled her, causing her to drop the crayon and nearly leap out of her own skin! "Ah--! ...Heeey, you're not Thimble!" How she could tell a difference was anybody's guess. "This is!" Mary held up the crudely drawn picture; indeed, the purple bunny depicted within seemed to move as if alive. It put its paws up against the "fourth wall" and wrinkled its little nose, causing the paper to bend and crease as if something was pushing against it from behind.
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:17 pm
The parasite simply ran from the picture while Incubo and Sogno backed off. Nahumar chuckled again.
"You are all afraid of that? And to think you are like children to me." Incubo on the other hand took Sogno and a majority of the Parasites out of the house while Nahumar stayed behind to talk.
"So you have no ability to leave said house, huh...I have heard of beings bound to certain objects or locations and stepping out would either cause them to cease to exist or just make them hit a wall." as Nahumar thought more and more about her, his eye caught what seemed like the art supply that rolled near him. As he picked it up, it instantly hopped out of his hand and rolled back to Mary.
"A Manipulation of the Inanimate? Then how does that explain the picture moving?" Nahumar spoke in a low tone as he looked at Mary.
"Anyways Mary, I welcome you to Gensokyo...at least I would if I could show you the forest that lies beyond the door." Nahumar said as he looked out that way. His tendons continued to hang behind him as if they were a pair of relaxed wings.
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Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 8:13 am
Mary watched as the majority of the group left. Didn't they like her picture? This upset Mary, and she looked very sad.
"Yeah... I've never seen outside..." She said, her lips caught up in a frown. "Oh... this?" Mary looked down to the picture she held; the rabbit bounced a little, then traveled to the bottom of the page, where the wax from the crayon started to peel and fall off the paper, holding its rabbit-like shape for a moment before crumbling into waxy dust. "I just moved the color, and made the paper look like it was moving... I thought they'd like the trick, but..."
She sniffled a little, and let the paper fall from her hands. It floated to the ground limply, obviously carried by no other force besides gravity. "I don't care about a Gensokyo." She curled up in the chair, hugging her knees. The once animated objects surrounding her fell limp as well, once more returning to the useless knickknacks they were. "Why are you here anyway, mister? The last visitor didn't look so weird."
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