[CS] Dreaming of a Scarlet Christmas (Touhou)

[Prime32]

I'll kick this off by posting an introduction. Follow-up posts don't need to be as long. (Wait, I can write? :smallconfused:)

OOC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178956)

[Prime32]

"Sakuya. Come here for a moment."

At her mistress's voice, the head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion narrowed her eyes for a moment and concentrated. Letting go of the plate she was holding, she began to straighten her apron. When she returned, it hung motionless in mid-air.

After finishing her work, she walked to the study, arriving less than a second after she was called. Remilia sat by the fire, reading, her face frozen into a wide yawn. Most unladylike, Sakuya chuckled to herself. Patchouli lay in another chair, apparently asleep. Sakuya raised an eyebrow at her choice of reading material. An Encyclopedia of Fungi?

"What is it, m'lady?" she asked as time began to flow once more.

The Scarlet Devil turned, startled. "Sakuya, while I do appreciate your punctuality, please refrain from appearing behind me."
"My apologies, mistress."
"Now then. To the matter at hand." She set aside her book. "I notice that the maids have been setting decorations." She gestured at a stocking hanging by the fireplace.
Sakuya bowed. "Again, my apologies. I will speak to the fairies who did this and-"
Remilia raised her hand. "No, it's quite alright. It is that time of year after all, and I doubt a little tinsel ever harmed anyone. But dear me, I am starting to become sidetracked." She leaned forward, setting her chin between steepled fingers. "Sakuya, are you familiar with 'Santa Claus'?"

Sakuya paused. This was certainly not the sort of question one would expect Lady Scarlet to ask. "I suppose, mistress, though I can't really call myself an expert."
"That doesn't matter. You can at least summarise the basics, I trust?"
She nodded. "He is said to be an elderly man dressed in red and white, who travels the world every Christmas Eve delivering presents to children."
"Yes. And after a certain age, the children... You are of course familiar with the popular theory on the workings of Gensokyo. That things arrive here because inhabitants of the outside world disbelieve them? And do wake Patchouli, would you?"

"Of course."
"-kyuu~~" As Sakuya gently shook the librarian, she suddenly jerked awake. One of her hands immediately clamped down on Sakuya's arm with vice-like force, the other grabbed at the book in her lap.
"Ah, Miss Knowledge..."
Patchouli glanced at Sakuya for a moment, then released her.
"Sorry... Last one in the library."
"I would imagine."
"Remilia. I didn't know you'd come in."
"Never mind that. I was discussing with Sakuya the possibility of this 'Santa Claus' figure existing in Gensokyo."
Patchouli's brow furrowed.
"Given the popular theory, that is."
She took a deep breath. "Inconclusive. Santa Claus, also known as Kris Kringle, Father Christmas and Old Saint Nick, has potential origins in sources ranging from Norse deities to soft drink commercials. If I performed more extensive research I might be able to provide a more enlightened perspective, but right now I lack sufficient data."
Remilia smiled. "Please do. And one more thing. Sakuya, I believe you omitted something when you related your description of this fellow to me."
"And what would that be, m'lady?"
She plucked a biscuit from the nearby plate and held it up against the light.

"Time. Santa Claus visits the houses of every child in the world in one night, and he does so by stopping time."

Sakuya blinked. "M'lady, do you intend..."
She grinned. "Yes, Sakuya. If this Santa Claus exists... I would like to meet him."

"...I understand, m'lady, but even so. I might be able to cancel the effects of his time stop, but only for myself. I can't bring you with me."
"That is where our librarian comes in. Patchouli?"
She nods. "I believe that Sakuya's time-manipulation ability falls within the bounds of a Type IV Wells-Myrrdin incantationless quasimagical effect. Thus I should be able to construct a magic circle to effect an amplification."
Remilia rose to her feet. "Excellent. Now if you will excuse me, it is almost dusk. I believe I will go out for a stroll."


* * *

"Koakuma? Koakuma! Where is that devil when you need her?"
"Heeeeeeeeeeere!" Patchouli's assistant came sliding into view, before promptly crashing into a bookcase. She sighed and waited for the imp to extricate herself from the pile of books that now covered her.
"If you're done playing around, I need some grimoires related to Type IV Wells-Myrrdin quasimagical amplification arrays with regards to temporal effects, at least five I'd say, as well as an extensive chronology of the Santa Claus myth. This has to be done by tomorrow."
Koakuma's puzzled expression quickly turned to excitement. "You're going to use Sakuya's power to catch Santa?!"
The magician raised an eyebrow. "Perceptive, aren't we? Or were you eavesdropping?"
The demon's smile did not fade.
"No matter. 'This is just another of the mistress's whims', is what Sakuya said, 'Frankly I worry about what she intends to do with him.' And then she asked if I'd be willing to sabotage the array."
"..."
Patchouli frowned. "Don't look at me like that. I wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this. Just have the material ready for tomorrow, I'm going to rest."
"You got it Miss Patchouli! That red-white guy won't know what hit him!"


* * *

The Hakurei shrine maiden suddenly sneezed loudly.
"You comin' down with something ze?"

[Rolaran]

Reimu turned from her work. "No, it's just the cold- at least I hope. What are you doing here?"
Marisa grinned. "What, you thought I'd miss out on the party preparations?"
"What party? Oh, you mean all this..." Reimu gestured toward the table. The table was covered in bags of sugar, flour, spices, fruit and nuts- enough cooking ingredients to feed an army, provided said army had a sweet tooth. Reimu had apparently decided to convert the shrine into a kitchen for the day. "Yeah, it's some kind of Moriya shrine scheme. Sanae came over here the other day with Byakuren in tow, and said we should all do something to 'keep spirits high' around Gensokyo. They're planning to go around leaving gifts for people and youkai. So I said, fine by me, I can bake some food and take it around the human village."
Marisa looked puzzled. "So no party?"
Reimu shrugged. "Well, I guess you could call it that. See, after they left, I decided that rather than going through the hassle of lugging all this food to the village, I should just invite people to come to the shrine. There's not nearly enough visitors these days, and it'd do a lot for the shrine's image if I gave them a reason to come out here. So I'll spend the next couple of days baking cookies and cakes and that kind of stuff, and then people come out here for some free food."
Marisa smiled."Yeah, good thinking. Maybe you'd get more in donations if you threw more parties like this!"
Reimu had gone back to rolling dough, and seemed to be trying very hard not to acknowledge that last statement.

Finally, though, curiosity got the better of her. She turned to Marisa and asked, "What do you mean, a party? Ever since you got here, you've been talking about nothing else."
Marisa looked a little surprised. "What, you don't even know about it? Everyone in town's so excited!"
"How do they know? I haven't even been into town since then. And it's not that big a deal, I'm just doing some baking. Is it really that odd to think of me doing something altruistic?"
There was an awkward pause.
"Anyway, who else knows? Someone told everyone you were throwing a wild party."
"That's impossible. The only other person I've even seen since then was Suika." Reimu suddenly looked thoughtful. "Actually, I guess she does know. I needed to keep her busy for a few hours, so I told her I was cooking for the human village and sent her out to buy groceries."
Marisa held out a piece of paper. "You might want to see this."
Reimu looked at the paper, and went white. "Did she... are these..."
Marisa nodded. "All over town."
Reimu dropped the paper, and went storming off, looking for Suika. Scrawled across the paper, in Suika's erratic handwriting, was the following:

Reimu's Extravagant Gensokyo Christmas Banquet!
A fantastic dinner event at the Hakurei Shrine!
Free food, live entertainment and gifts for everybody!

Marisa looked down at the paper, then back up at Reimu stalking outside, still looking for the oni. Marisa shrugged. "I'll just be on my way then. Seems like you have enough on your plate..." and besides, Marisa thought to herself as she hopped onto her broom and sped back toward the village, I can tell when it's a good time to make myself scarce...

[Ahew27]

Cirno was,as always,fluttering aimlessly over the lake and bothering random fairies.
"Heeeeeeeeey,what's that all over the devil's mansion?"

The decorations over the mansion had caught her perpetually roaming eye.

"They're probably throwing some kind of party. And I bet I'm invited."

Immediately,she changed course and hurtled towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion.