A Hare's breadth away from Madness

[Independent Multimuse blog run by Sturm. Revived and Revamped.] [I'm lousy at remembering to tag things properly. If you need to to tag something, let me know, eh?]

[madharemuses]

Siiiiiip.

[soulstagger]

Though Yuzuki speaks her mind, Nise's words are missed. Though she doesn't jump on them like curious belittling school girls might, instead she merely makes note of what she says.

Brain damage, yet unless Nise tells her to treat her any differently, the next part is simply going to be a finger pushed against her colorless cheek. Using it as a slight distraction, or at least attempting to once she was caught peeking in places she shouldn't. It's a little poke, as if saying 'it's okay to be mistaken, don't pout.'

"Yeah yeah sure sure. And somehow Nyise just let them wrangle her out of her usual clothes, and into that whole outfit. I wonder how much they had to swear to get you to wear such thin lace..."

"Haa~ You know for a second I thought you were just a squishable little cat maid that needs someone to pinch her cheek and snap her out of a funk but.."

Yuzuki reaches up to grab her hand, though Nise is stronger than she is, and heavier. Yuzuki is taller, by a few inches easily, so she moves right up and stands with her height properly displayed.

Like she's looking down at a prize with a smug grin. "What will you do if I say sure, why not. Willing to flip the coin my little Nyise? Am I into girls, who knows. But I REALLY like maids, so maybe I just need to take one home."

It is a bad habit, one she's going to bully her a little for. A finger brought to the underside of Nise's chin to make her look up at Yuzuki in all her popular girl charisma.

"Or I could just hold onto your change of clothes and tell you to meet me tomorrow at the school entrance. People are going to wonder why the popular girl has your school uniform..."

Yet despite saying all that, moments later... she moves her finger to push on Nise's forward, to push her back and away. Yuzuki looking to the side, hand covering her own face with some red across her cheeks.

Like looking down at this cute maid, and saying all that. Got to her, or maybe it got her thinking... did I really say that to a girl?

[madharemuses]

In truth, stealing Nise's clothes is a lot less effective than Yuzuki would realize. She could still show up wearing her uniform, because anything she's worn before she can manifest at will, such is the kind of creature she is. Even this maid dress, all its elaborate laces and buckles, was now something she'd never actually have to go through the complicated process of donning again if she didn't want to. The only reason she even wore a real uniform was so that she'd have something to put in her locker to avoid suspicion.

"Well, I mean, after paying that much, it would have been more embarrassing if I tried to fight it. I had to let them think I knew what I was ordering." Oh, they could tell she had no clue anyway.

"H-hey, you're saying some pretty extreme stuff there. Are you still messing with me, or are you..." What does Nise actually want to ask here? Is Yuzuki trying to bully her? Is she trying to seduce her? "Anyway, I don't mind dropping b your place. I've never... actually gone to another girl's place, actually. So I'm kinda curious to see how it's different from mine." Nise's room is a bit boring and basic. A guitar, some old magazines, the radio... she's not one for decorating, usually.

Yuzuki's got her on the back foot again, Nise's trying to think of ways to cover up her embarrassment, even as she's gently shoved away. What would other's tell her to do at this point?

Well, everyone she knows would tell her to double down, right? So if she's already feeling embarrassed, why not do something super embarrassing that'll overwhelm the girl?

Mimicking Yuzuki's own body language, perhaps a little too well, she reaches up and gently lowers her hand from her reddening face. Using some of her youma-like qualities and a little magical girl sorcery to make Yuzuki see sparkles. Nise says the most flustering thing that comes to mind.

"So when the time comes, are you going to change me into my uniform, like how the maids changed me out of it?"

She says it confidently, but she is SCREAMING inside.

[nyalternatehellkitten]

"Hello~~!" Kogasa! "I know it's a bit late, but I've finally finished one of your requests. You know, it's really great that Shiru has found a way to get Kouseki out of the forge. If the two of them are together, I can relax a little and focus on my work!"

"Now, unfortunately, your first commission is still in progress, the materials are really hard to work with, so the smelting process is going to require a little more research on my part. I know it's a gift for someone and you might want it sooner, but that's exactly why I want to make sure I get it right."

"Now, with that said, here you go!"

Kogasa presents Nyalter with a sword. A Katana with a slightly elongated handle to accommodate her more clumsy bone hand if needed, a slightly exaggerated guard to protect her good hand, and pink cords on the handle. The scabbard is decorated with images of cattail plants and muffins. When drawn, the blade itself has a slight pink hue to it. In Nyalter's hands, it would feel natural and well-balanced, almost impossibly so, such is Kogasa's skill.

"I'll show you how to maintain the blade. A well-cared for tool takes care of its user, after all. But if something should happen, don't worry, I can repair any damage it might take."

"What exactly Shiru and Kouseki are getting up to is a problem in its own right..."

She's heard things. Things that concern her just a little bit.

"Well, this is a bit more pressing than my gifts for my wayward daughter..."

Nyalter takes the sword from Kogasa, holding it up for a moment. She watches as the light catches on the curvature of the lacquered wood of the scabbard, both amused and impressed at the whimsy of Kogasa's choice of decoration.

In a surprisingly smooth motion that Gin would have found pleasing to the eye, Nyalter draws the katana with the clear, clarion ring of unsheathing steel. She twirls the sword with surprising dexterity, far more than anyone would normally credit her with given her bone hand. All that training has paid off in its own way.

What surprises Nyalter the most is the quality of the weapon. Despite the fact that Kogasa is a really good smith, Nyalter was just expecting something basic. The pink sheen lurking beneath the surface of the blade, like the phantom echo of a soul.

"But... this is a really nice sword, isn't it? I would have been happy with anything that could cut, but it's so nice having something so personalised~ Thank you~"

Nyalter sheathes the blade carefully (raising Gin has definitely taught her to play it safe when there are swords around...) and plants a big kiss right on Kogasa's lips.

"I know a little bit about maintenance, I used to buy kits for my daughter. But before we get onto that, is there anything else in particular I need to know about this sword?"

Nyalter has a few suspicions, given Kogasa's intrinsic fondness of surprises...

[madharemuses]

"They'll be fiiiine. I don't really get why, but Kouseki's pretty tough, and can easily account for any mischief Shiru can get up to. The girl's still a kid, after all, the worst she can do is take Kouseki into the forest."

Kogasa might be underestimating her adopted daughter, just a tad.

"Now... while it could be interesting to have made the sword super powerful in some regard, you are still just learning to use one. Rather than making something complicated that you might come to rely too much on, I made it as simple as possible. Perhaps I went a little overboard on the artistic touches, but functionally it's just a sword, albeit a well-made one. As long as you maintain it and don't use it for anything ridiculous, it should serve very normally."

"That said, I'm not against forging a sword with some sort of special ability or property, it certainly sounds like an interesting challenge. But for now, lets figure out what you might need through practical experience, and address those as they come up?"

When it comes to one's tools, few can be more pragmatic than a tsukomogami.

[nyalternatehellkitten]

"Yeah... like a cat... haha..."

Nyalter absently sticks forth one of her fingers, letting her daughter grab onto it. It always surprises her just how strong a baby's grip can actually be... Every time, she's shocked it's even noticeable.

"It might all be too complicated for me, but I want to give it a shot at least- and I think the skills I'll learn are going to be useful practically speaking, so..."

Whenever Uruhashi perks up too much, Nyalter always gets a bit worried, but she was expecting it to be a little bit difficult... After all, from what she gathers, Uruhashi actually knows a decent amount about this...

[madharemuses]

"Well, even if you weren't up to some super secret adventures, I would still be more than happy to teach you. Emergency medicine is a skill I think everyone should have, even just the very basics." Uruhashi leads Nyalter to her bookshelf in the back of the store. The bottom shelf has some think binders on it, and Uruhashi starts dusting some of them off.

Luckily for cat brain, they have lots of pictures and are designed to be learned easily.

"Now, let's start with the basics, and go from there. We don't have to go into full battlefield triage and can stick to more common cases... unless that's what you want?"

[muse-matrix]

"A bit of dirt matters little to me- It's not as though it presents any kind of hazard for me. As for my books..." She took a glance over to the pile of tomes stacked up in the corner- All discarded drafts and dysfunctional grimoires... She felt a bit of shame that she simply hadn't cleaned those up yet. Perhaps she'd just not mention that particular detail. "...I've taken steps to ensure they won't be damaged. They'll be fine." She gave a vague non-answer, before taking a bite out of her own piece of fish.

"Yeah, um, sorry about that." Romia, in the meantime, had recovered her composure. She once again wore her usual carefree smile, munching on some of the fruits. "It's, uh, nice to meet another friend of Nia's. You're Passage's... father? Right?" She glanced over to the child, who was still happily nibbling at her cookie.

"You seem like a nice guy... You're some kind of doctor, right? Passage has talked about you a lot. You're kind of an idol to her, y'know-"

"Aunt Romia, don't say that, that's embarrassing!" Passage interjected, briefly forgoing the sweet taste of her cookie. "Dad doesn't need to know everything..."

"Hey, he's your dad, he's gonna find out anyway. Trust me, I would know." Romia lifted the large plushie she always carried, as if to demonstrate some point only she really understood. Passage just tilted her head at it with a little confusion.

Though, for a moment... It did seem like its eye might have shifted just slightly, looking Flandre's direction-

"Romi, not at the dinner table, please." Library said with a small sigh, prompting the green-haired girl to set the plushie down, a slightly embarrassed look on her face. Passage looked between her two parents, before bringing the half-eaten cookie back to her lips.

"Still, though... It sure would be nice to visit where you come from sometime, y'know, Flandre..."

"Romi we've been over this... Estoria could not handle you."

"Aunt Romia's getting grounded..."

[madharemuses]

Flandre can't help but feel there's something Library isn't telling him. Something that would explain her reasoning for saying in a hole in the ground. Was it simply comfort? Was there something special about this hole? Or was it truly just a desire to not abandon her dear friend to live with Flandre?

"..."

The stuffed animal does give him pause, not because he thought he saw something, but because he can tell for sure that Romia isn't being silly. There's something there, something more, something substantial, something... familiar. A soul within that doll, similar to the one he kept, but far less... problematic?

He will have to pick her brain about that at some point.

"Couldn't handle you? Well, aren't you quite the troublemaker? But... there is, perhaps, an arrangement that could be made? That is, assuming you're willing to be a good girl?"

"You see, I was considering creating a link, between your home and mine. A stable gate that would allow you and Passage to travel between our homes instantaneously, with little to no magic required to use. In a way, making it so we share a home, without having to abandon this one. And it could be arranged that Miss Romia could visit, provided that she is required to not leave the House of Lights, save for an emergency. Would you permit such a thing?"

[letsspringintoaction]

"Um..." Yeah, Mary was still processing this outcome. She had nothing prepared for this, no rebuttal, no plan, nothing. While she could not tell what Agatha's feelings were about this, pretty much every sense in her being was going off and telling her to just run. It may be from the shock to the system, but she wasn't really able to hear them clearly. So, she just let her mind guide her words

"Sure we can do it now, or in a bit when you're ready. I uh... I'll meet you at the front door in that case." Let it be known that Mary's mind isn't as clear when frazzled.

[madharemuses]

"By the front door, then, very well." Agatha curtsies, and takes her leave.

About fifteen minutes later, she meets up with Mary. She's shed her usual uniform, and is wearing some more casual clothes. This might be the first time Mary has seen her with her hair down.

"I am ready. Thhall we go for that date, now?" It's when they actually get to the lake's shore that she asks the obvious question. "Tho, Mary, tell me... why ith it that you have tho thuddenly invited me out oh a date?"

[onikumasama]

The detail was pretty noticeable, although he didn't know exactly when she started on this. Maybe she's been at it for a while? Regardless, it did seem to shift a smile on to his face from the usually neutral expression he'd had.

He couldn't say he had much of a knack for drawing art.. but, perhaps this gave Roan a fun idea for something? Seeing all of the drawings scattered, it looked like there was still at least one blank page.

Thinking quickly, he pulled a seat that was on the other side of the room and sat by her.

"It's some nice work you have here. I can't say I've ever drawn much before, but... would you like to?" Eyes shifted towards the blank page sitting off to the side. Of course, he'd let her finish what she was doing first if she'd prefer, or even just continue watching.

...But, maybe it'd be fun to try something different?

[madharemuses]

Reimu isn't incredible at art, but she gives everything an earnest, if laid back, effort. She started drawing as an alternative form of communication, but decided that she enjoys it enough to just draw stuff she sees or knows for entertainment.

It's not like she has any particular goal in mind with the drawing, drawing for drawing's sake. There wasn't really a finished or unfinished state to it, she'd just go until it was time to do something else. So at his offering, she passes some paper towards him, and gestures to the drawing supplies, so he may pick.

[madharemuses]

Luckily for everyone, Shards isn't a maid, and doesn't count as one.

[madharemuses]

Name: Masato AKA 'Misato' Iwami Age: 20 Height: 5'1 Weight: on the light side Species: Human Studying: Fashion Design

History:

Masato was born a fraternal twin to a family that had, for as long as records go back, had every pair of children in the main line be identical twins. His mother considered this unacceptable, ashamed of being the one to break this tradition, and sought to make him a girl to match his sister. This led to years of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse in an attempt to make him a 'perfect little daughter' to match his sister. This lasted until his mother's murder when he was fourteen, releasing him from the cycle of abuse and trauma. However, such damage is not so easily undone, and fearing that his mother may somehow find a way to return from the grave to punish him, or her extended family might find him, he lives as a girl. In truth, he may be incapable of every thinking of himself as a boy ever again...

Personality:

Despite all the years of pain, Masato has actually grown to be very compassionate and kind. While still plagued by anxiety and paranoia, any conflict he finds himself in he usually blames on himself, unless otherwise proven. Beyond those self-destructive episodes, however, he's always willing to listen to other's problems, to lend a helping hand if able, and is always eager to cheer others up.

Masato's body:

Masato is biologically male, and should in theory be quite different from his sister. However, his mother did everything in her power to stunt his growth to be more in line with his sister. This started simple, with altering his diet to change how his body grew. Then a stream of medications of all kinds, that altered his testosterone production and the introduction of other chemicals in its place. Then, out of desperation, she took to deliberate and precise skeletal damage, breaking some of his bones to reshape his very skeleton.

All of this made his appearance very feminine, but it also made him more fragile than most girls would be. His bones are weak, he has trouble forming muscles, and he can't lift his arms over his head for very long due to the damage to his shoulders. He also has below average stamina, and is prone to dizzy spells and anemia.

[madharemuses]

Name: Misato AKA 'Masato' Iwami Age: 20 Height: 5'3 Weight: Above Average Species: Human Studying: Mixology and Bartending

History:

Misato was born a fraternal twin to a family that had, for as long as records go back, had every pair of children in the main line be identical twins. As the twins had all been girls in the past, Misato was viewed as the perfect half on an imperfect duo. She quietly tried her best to help her brother cope with their abusive mother, even taking some punishments in his place if she could get away with it. But in time she started to grow cold, and resentful. Her little brother's cries haunted her dreams, and her desire to protect quickly outgrew her desire to be her own person. The final straw was hearing her mother planned to have her brother undergo an operation that would destroy any hope of her getting her brother back. So one day, making them look like accidents, she murdered her mother and her mother's maid. Misato then became Masato's 'brother', to try and prove to him that their mother could never punish them for being different ever again. To the point that she's lost her own identity as a girl...

Personality:

Misato is charming and polite, but with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. She plays the part of a prettyboy charmer to allow herself to move easily in social circles. But when it comes to her sibling, she shows a very different side. Cold and sharp-tongued, violent when needed, willing to do anything to protect Masato from predators or those who cannot be trusted with his secret. When separated, she does struggle to navigate her own life, and doesn't really know how to be genuine.

Misato's Crimes:

Misato has done many unsavoury things to protect herself, and more importantly her brother. Over the last six years, she has lied, stolen, vandalized property, gotten into fights, and framed people for all kinds of things. Either to throw them off, give them more pressing concerns, or to make them unable to act on any information they might have. However... some people can't simply be chased away or misdirected, sometimes people get too close, learn too much, or are just a danger overall.

Misato has killed five people, her own mother included, to protect her brother. Every time either making it seem like a tragic accident, or by leaving the body in such a shameful position that the family shuts down the investigation early. Additionally, she has destroyed the careers of three teachers and a social worker, to the point where they can never be accepted into their previous lines of work ever again. She feels no remorse for her actions, and perhaps, somewhere in the back of her mind, she has a darker perspective on her actions...

[soulstagger]

Though Nise moves a little down, off her stomach and all, the fact this silly maid is basically sitting in her lap in public is already embarrassing enough. And now the cute posture she takes as she offers her legs forward for Yuzuki to work with, fishing out her proper outdoor wear.

It's a lot to keep even the popular and often distant Yuzuki rather frazzled for a second, clearing her throat as she lifts one leg up onto her shoulder and the other into her hands, one by one she removes those shoes. It keeps the dress from getting in the way for now, though it does leave Nise with one of her feet in view on Yuzuki's shoulder.

Buckles undone as she listens in, "Get too much attention though, and it won't leave you alone. Stand out somehow, and even teachers start to pry like you're their prized accomplishment even though they suck at teaching."

Perhaps she's speaking from experience, Yuzuki is up there each time test results are posted. She's popular but more often than one might like, she's called before one of the teachers and berated for lacking direction.

"Besides talking about youth, chasing popularity? Shouldn't you be chasing someone? Like a crush or something. Yeah something you want is more important, you should take it with all your might if you think you don't have any time." One shoe on, switching to move one leg up, the other down into her hands. She wants to add one last part, 'don't be like me' but refrains.

"Hoo I'm the mistress now? I don't know what I'd do with a Nyise maid wearing her school outfit under this, it's probably hot huh?" Yuzuki knows her blazer is inside the bag but, as she peeks for a moment under...

"W-white...lace?"

All she sees is pure lace, the garter and stretched fabric that hints at pink skin under the pure white.

Her hands fumble the shoe for a moment before sliding it properly on, "Hahh I mean, n-no we're not going back to school they're not e-expecting us."

Her shoe is back on, and Yuzuki scrambles to stuff everything back into the bag, though she's not freed herself from the heavy maid on her lap. "You keep it up and I'm taking you to the mall, so when classes get out everyone's going to see you..."

A pause...

"Just up, off. Sending you home like this is asking for trouble, we'll go to my place it's.. shut up it's just nearby."

Nise didn't even say anything yet, and already this girl is out of sorts. How would she even explain it to herself, she's taking a maid home?

[madharemuses]

"Oh, the teachers won't get involved with me, they wrote me off the moment they saw brain damage on the papers." They also received orders not to stress her out if possible, from a mysterious but somehow very authoritative source. But Nise doesn't know that part.

When Yuzuki starts talking about a crush, Nise's face does not take on a cute pink hue, but rather, the colour seems to drain from it. The light in her eyes fades a little. Her body becomes slack, putting more of the weight on Yuzuki for a moment. Her next words are cold, mechanical, despite the smile.

"What's the point in chasing love?"

"No, that was too harsh of me. I... thought I liked someone, but I think... I was mistaken."

The truth is more that she fell out of love with him, watching him make the same mistakes over and over, no matter how often things turned out bad, no matter how many times they begged him to stop...

"I just want to experience life for myself now, with-- are you looking up my skirt?"

In a flash, the life seems to return to Nise, she stiffens up a little, the colour returning to her face and the strength returning to her legs.

"T-the maids were very insistent that I wear the full uniform, and they swore that was part of it..." Either the maids all have a secret under their skirts, or they're messing with Nise. "A-and I mean, I've never worn something like this, so I thought 'why not' you know?"

Nise starts pulling herself up, finally freeing Yuzuki's legs. The running shoes look a little out of place, but on Nise the look somehow works.

"O-oh, your place is nearby? Well that works, better than--" She was about to say going home, but again, she doesn't want the girl to worry. Making her strained relationship with her guardian known could do just that.

But then, a rare moment of clarity, as she reaches down to help the girl to her feet. A rare chance to strike back, in an attempt to lessen her own embarrassment.

"Wait a moment... you changed your tune real fast. First the mall, now your place? Could it be that you're trying to monopolize this maid, Mistress?"

[madharemuses]

Is your refrigerator running?

"Nope! It's chasing! Better run~!"

[madharemuses]

"Yup, that about covers everything. A clean bill of health, you're like, totes good to go. Ah, but before you do..."

"Remember to breathe."

[madharemuses]

"I call it, the potion of visibility! It makes the drinker bigger and noisier, but it comes in a teeny tiny bottle that's easy to lose. Because you can bottle irony!"

[madharemuses]

"Hey, Uruhashi..."

Nyalter has come by to visit the baby, but she's also got a question or two.

"Say... you've got a bit of medical experience right? Would you have the time to teach me basic first aid and like- just- emergency stuff? I can stay by your place for a few days and help you with Lily and the shop if you need..."

"Well, this is a surprising request from you, but I'd be more than happy to teach you." The baby in her arms is already making grabby hands at Nyalter. "I should even be able to borrow a training dummy for a few days, I have some connections that can even get you some textbooks, some worksheets."

"And someone to help reign this little rascal in is always appreciated. She's like a cat in how she crawls about, getting into things."

[madharemuses]

"They're using what as an expletive? Nyo, that's nyot okay."

[madharemuses]

"Kogasa's-tits you surprised me there, Kogasa!"

"On one hand, I'm excited that you're surprised."

"On the other hand, I'm concerned that you're using my chest as an expletive."

"No one else is doing that, are they?!"