|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 4:46 pm
Miki Nanao "I don't know, I just want to be able to go home. No, not even that, I just want my parents back, and to live in peace. I don't want to be hunted anymore, I don't want to be afraid of every shadow on the street, fearing that soldiers will appear any minute to take me wherever they take people like me."Miki sighed and held back tears, she didn't want to cry again, and softly took Char's hand for comfort. "I'll do whatever I can, I don't want to be like this, a monster."Shifting uncomfortably on the sofa, Miki looked at the floor, not wanting to look at either Korina or Char, to see pity in their eyes, or worse, hate.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 5:07 pm
 Korina Yamaka
"Hm." Korina mused as Charlotte gently squeezed Miki's hand. "Well, at least you know some of what you want. That's much better than people who have no idea at all and just want others to do everything for them." She sounded rather approving. "Well, as long as you're willing to work hard and keep moving forward, I think it'll be all right in the end." she mused. "Rednal knows a lot of people, and I'm pretty sure we can find a way to handle your monstrous side. I mean, we've already got Flan." she pointed to the door heading down to the basement, which had the name 'Flandre' on a bat-winged nametag.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 5:26 pm
Miki NanaoMiki's eyes followed where Korina was pointing, noting the name tag on the door, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Is she really a vampire? How did she come to live in Rednal's house?"The more she learned about the household and it's members, the more questions seemed to come to her. She hadn't even met every member of the household yet, there was still Flan, and one more, Keira, who was out at the moment. "Is she safe to meet?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 5:54 pm
Korina Yamaka
"Oh, yes, she's a vampire. A real one - not some sparkly fairy with fangs. ...Although she does kind of sparkle, if you count those wings." Korina answered thoughtfully. "The Yatagarasu just kind of assigned her here, since she needed a place to stay and Rednal was willing to look after her. She's perfectly safe around friends - she promised not to suck blood from anyone except Rednal without permission, and she's pretty good at telling if someone's a friend or a foe. I wouldn't want to be an enemy going down there, though..." she reached over and put a hand on Miki's knee. "We're all a little monstrous here, all in our own ways... but you know, honestly, I'm happier here than I'd be anywhere else. Among other things, I'd trust anyone else here with my life. So... go on down and say hi." she tilted her head towards Flan's door. "She likes meeting new friends anyway, and our little terror in the basement isn't quite so scary once you get to know her."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 4:55 pm
Miki Nanao"I- I think I will! Thank you for the encouragement, Korina, it means a lot. With Rednal, and yours, and anyone else willing's, help, I will control my problem until such time as it can be removed. I'm worried it'll be too hard for me, so please, make sure I don't hurt anyone."Miki stood and bowed to Korina, smiling at Charlotte, before walking over to the door to the basement. Taking a deep breath, she placed a hand on the door's handle and twisted it, stepping through the now open portal, closing the door behind her. The amount of light in here surprised her, she had thought a vampire would live in the dark. "Hello? Hello, Flan? I'm Miki, I'm new here. Rednal has been kind enough to allow me to stay with him for a while, so I'm introducing myself to everyone I'll be sharing a house with. Is it ok if I come down?"Miki wasn't sure what the protocol was, so she took a few steps down the stairs as she called out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 5:10 pm
 Flandre Scarlet
A few moments after Miki spoke, there was a rustling sound, and the lights in the room slowly brightened. A girl dropped down from the rafters a moment later, landing lightly on her feet before straightening. Her hair was vividly blonde, but more unusual were the almost crystalline formations that made up her 'wings'. ...In fairness, as supernatural creatures went, her form was actually pretty mild. Miki's own transformation was arguably worse - but that didn't stop the girl from looking up with glowing red eyes.
"A new resident?" she asked, looking at Miki. "Well, the house belongs to Rednal's family - and any friend of theirs is a friend of mine." Her movements were slow and careful - like she was trying to think about every movement for fear of breaking things if she bumped into them. She sniffed the air a moment later. "You smell like Aselia. Don't worry. You can come down, if you want. I'm not going to hurt you. You don't smell like an enemy, after all. And Rednal makes sure I'm fed, so I don't get too hungry." there was a faintly nervous tone in her voice - like she was afraid Miki would expect to be hurt.
The room itself had a surprising amount of cushions, up to and including what looked like a futon draped over a wooden bar hung from the ceiling. A number of the cushions had frills, and most things in the room were a deep, rich red - aside from the colorful girl herself, of course. Looking carefully, though, visitors could also see countless tiny runes carved into the walls. This was less of a bedroom and more of a sealed chamber - chances were Flandre couldn't easily leave even if she wanted to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 5:23 pm
Miki NanaoA panicked look crossed Miki's face. Not due to the surprising entrance of Flan, or the blonde's appearance, but due to her own apparent smell. Aselia? Who's that?? Is that bad?Smiling awkwardly, Miki looked around the room, taking in the piles of cushions and the futon hanging from the ceiling. She tried to pay no mind to the runes carved into the walls, but she did take a mental note to not mention them while she was down here. "Well, I'm glad I don't smell like an enemy... But uh... Do I really smell? I know I've spent a long time without properly bathing but I thought I'd done a good enough job tonight... I'm sorry..."Her face fell a little as she apologised, she had tried to clean herself up properly, but apparently it wasn't enough. Miki failed to realise it herself, but focusing on whether she smelled unpleasant or not was actually keeping her calmer than she otherwise would be, preventing her from feeling any fear at the blonde girl's appearance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 5:40 pm
Flandre Scarlet
"Not that kind of smell." the vampire in Rednal's basement said, keeping her eyes on Miki. "Although I can smell your shampoos, too, and she uses a grape one 'cuz of her hair. You just smell like the Atma Virus, too. I guess that makes sense - nobody normal would live here. That's a good thing, though. It would be hard to keep things secret from a normal person." ...It was also possible that Flandre was a little on the socially awkward side of things. Limited contact with other people could do that to a person. "Besides, I could hear you talking upstairs." Supernatural senses, too? Check.
"If you ever think you're about to go out of control, you can run down here. I can make sure you won't hurt anybody, and I'll hold you down for as long as it takes." The promise was delivered nervously... but sincerely. She clearly meant (and believed) every word of it. "U-um, you don't need to be afraid of me, though. Really. I-I can keep myself under control all the time now."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 5:51 pm
Miki Nanao"Ah, you heard that... Well, I guess that does save some time. Um, as I said, I'm Miki, it's wonderful to meet you, Flan. I don't know if I should be, no one's told me anything aside from you're a vampire, but I'm not scared"She was still a little taken aback by the fact that Flan could apparently smell even what kind of shampoo she used, but Miki spoke with a big smile on her face, hoping to alleviate any of Flan's worries. "I appreciate the offer too, of keeping me from hurting anyone, but I'm not sure I want to take you up on that, I... get pretty violent, and I would hate to hurt you. If you'll accept me though, I would love to be your friend?"At this, the blue-haired girl held out her hand, tilting her head slightly to the side, with a soft smile on her face. "I don't have any friends anymore-... Well, before today, I think Charlotte and Korina count? I hope... Anyway!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:12 pm
Flandre Scarlet
"You wouldn't hurt me." Flandre answered in the same nervous, yet oddly confident tone. Those were two emotions that didn't usually get mixed into words... but then, very little about Flandre was normal. Her eyes briefly brightened, then settled back to where they'd been as she blinked. "What would be worse was if someone else got hurt because you didn't want to hurt me. I'm tougher than anyone else in the house, so it only makes sense for me to be the one to help if you need it. Trust me, I can take anything you can dish out." Her wings folded back as she smiled and relaxed a bit.
"I'm happy to have new friends, though!" she grabbed Miki's hand - again, moving carefully and consciously avoiding putting too much force into it. "And anyone in this house is happy to be your friend. It's good to rely on others for the things you can't do all by yourself. That's one of the things Rednal taught us." she tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hmm... well, I'm happy to chat, but if you're saying hello to everyone... you should probably go introduce yourself to Kyori and Siona. I've got a little shrine down here myself-" she pointed to a household shrine set up in one corner of her room. "-but the main one is up in Rednal's room. They're our house's guardian goddesses, and you can talk to them about anything. Don't worry, they're nice - Kyori's the one who saved Rednal when he was crazy, and she's kind of watched over all of us ever since."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:22 pm
Miki Nanao"I..." Miki paused for a second, before smiling again "Alright, I will rely on you if something happens, please keep me from hurting someone, but that includes you too, don't let me hurt you."Softly squeezing Flan's hand, she followed the girl's pointing with her eyes, and saw a small shrine in the corner. "How many people live here?... Wait, guardian goddess?? This house is just full of surprises isn't it? Alright, I'll be back Flan, but I should go finish introductions, thank you again for meeting me!"Miki gave Flandre's hand one more squeeze, before letting the vampire girl's hand go. Stepping back up the stairs, she turned and waved, opening the door with her other hand and stepping through. Spotting Charlotte and Korina, the newest member of the household waved to them both, walking over. "Well, that was fun, she's a wonderful girl, I'd love to spend more time with her. However, as she pointed out, I still have introductions to make, someone named Kyori? And Siona? Flan said they're... Goddesses... and they live in Rednal's bedroom?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:44 pm
Korina Yamaka
"Um... 'live' might not be the right way to put it." Korina answered, rubbing her chin. "What Rednal did was enshrine the two of them - and the god I follow - in a little household shrine he set up for them." Such things were quite normal in Japan, although few of them probably had the deity providing instructions for making it the way this one had. "So they're sort of there, but they've also got their own homes up in Takamagahara, and that's where they really live. The shrine's more like a door, really. They'll hear you if you pray there, though, and they manifest whenever they feel like it - which is usually for dinner. You should take up a bit of food as an offering - it'll help make a good impression. Fried tofu is good, since they're fox deities."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 8:22 pm
Miki Nanao"Ah, ok. That makes sense I guess."Miki's own family had had a small shrine, and while she herself wasn't an avid worshipper, her mother had been. Whenever something in parliament had required effort from her father, Miki's mother would spend much of her time praying at the small shrine, and she often educated Miki on her beliefs. "I don't suppose there's any fried tofu lying around, ready, is there? I'm not exactly a good cook, I don't want to make a bad impression..."She was subtly hinting, and begging, for Charlotte's help, she really wanted the people of the household to like her, and messing up in front of a goddess would be really bad.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 8:45 pm
 Charlotte, the Demon Maid
"Of course! I keep a little fresh tofu ready at all times now, just in case anyone wants to make an offering." Charlotte answered with a bit smile. "Would you like me to go ahead and fry it up for you, or would you rather make it yourself? They'll treat it the same either way, so it's really just a matter of preference. The offering itself is what matters, not how you get it." Some people liked to be more involved with the offerings, though, and Charlotte wasn't going to force one of the options on Miki when she could offer a choice instead.
That, and she was happy to see that Miki seemed to be cheering up - she was definitely looking more relaxed after what had happened earlier, and that was a good first step towards overcoming her problems. Now they just had to keep supporting her... and she was quite ready to do that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 6:56 pm
Miki Nanao"Ah, well, sadly I would burn a salad, as my mother used to say. I never was very good at cooking, but I would like to learn, if you're willing to teach me, Char?"Miki folded her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly, she may have been playing for a slightly cute look to win Char over, not that she thought she needed it. "I want to be able to help out with the household chores, since I can't pay to stay here, it's only fair I do something to make up for taking bed-space, and food, so I happily volunteer for cooking and cleaning! Though again, I'm not so good at housework, so I'll need some instructions..."Straightening up, Miki tilted her head to the side, holding a hand out to Charlotte, helping the girl up. "For now though, if you could make it for me, Char, while I watch, I'd very much appreciate it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
