Chapter Text
It was mid-day in the Forest of Magic, the sun was shining, fairies where playing, and Narumi Yatadera was regretting how she answered 'are you busy?'. She was also running as fast as she could to keep up with Marisa Kirisame; who had her by the wrist and was currently leading/dragging her across the forest floor.
“You still haven’t told me where we are going; This is the last time I will ask nicely.”
“That’s convenient, ‘cause this is the last time I’m going to tell you you’ll find out when we get there. C’mon, we’re almost at our first stop.”
Instead of responding, Narumi lifted the minor levitation spell that normally carried most of her weight and her solid stone feet came to rest gracefully on the ground. Followed shortly by Marisa’s face with significantly less grace after she lost her grip and her balance.
“You should know better than to take a walking statue lightly” Narumi beamed at her successful maneuver and successful pun.
Marisa picked herself off the ground with a smile and the start of a nosebleed.
“Oh, jeez” Narumi gasped, “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’m prone to ‘em” Marisa said with absolute sincerity, dabbing her nose with a handkerchief, “besides, I guess I deserved that. The truth is, once a week a couple of my more magically inclined buddies and I try and get together and talk shop, I thought you might be interested.”
“That does sound nice, but why didn’t you just tell me that from the start?”
“Well, after what happened with the banquet I was afraid that you would just shoot me down if I invited you to another shindig.”
“The banquet was different.” Narumi replied, looking square at her feet.
“Do you mind if I ask why? You seemed pretty upset at the time.”
Narumi’s glance rose to Marisa’s bloody handkerchief for a moment before returning to the ground and she took a long breath “it just … hurt.”
“I had no idea," Marisa sounded taken aback, "I mean I know we like to play rough but if you don’t want to fight-”
“It’s not that” Narumi interrupted with more of an edge then she intended, “it’s…” she took another breath, “I can feel the life in everything around us,” she gestured at the trees and plants surrounding the path they were on, “I guess it’s a part my ability.”
She read Marisa’s confused expression as a cue to keep going, “I can feel you too, but you're bright enough that I could see you with my eyes closed, metaphorically speaking. It’s the same with your friends, if I’m around just a few of you I’m fine, but once it gets to the double digits I feel like I’m going to be crushed … or ripped apart.”
“I had no idea,” Marisa repeated, it was her turn to look sullen, “and here I am dragging you to another one.”
Narumi put her hands up and tried to smile, “Please don’t talk like that, I am telling you I want to go, okay?”
“Okay, if you're sure” Marisa smiled back in kind, “It’s only two other magicians, but there is going to be a lot of magic flying around, do you think that is going to cause problems?”
Narumi paused thoughtfully for a moment, “I definitely think magic is a part of it, but I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’ve been in full bullet curtains before without too much trouble. I can feel them, but even if one hits you they always stop at the surface level.” she smiled genuinely and rapped her fingers along her stone dress, “I like to think I’m good on that front.”
They continued in amicable semi-quiet until they reached a small clearing with a quaint western-styled cottage placed in the center. Narumi recognized it as the home of Alice Margatroid, though she had never been inside. As the pair approached Marisa cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted “Yo Alice, I’m here and I brought Naruko!”
The door to the cottage swung open just before Marisa could reach the doorknob. The puppeteer stood in the door frame with an even expression, a small doll floated over her shoulder with its arms crossed in mock annoyance. The marionette posture quickly turned into one of concern as Alice got a good look at Marisa’s still bloodied face, “My word, what happened to you?”
“Ran smack into a tree” Marisa said with absolute sincerity.
“Well whatever, come on inside” a cadre of puppets was already shepherding Marisa through the doorway, “you too Narumi, make yourself at home. We’ll leave as soon as I clean up this mess.”
“I can work a sink by myself, you know!” Marisa said, putting up a token attempt to resist the dolls’ spurring.
Narumi grinned at the pair’s antics and followed them inside.
It was like walking into barbed wire. Needle thin cords of searing energy crisscrossed the main room of the cottage, pivoting around wildly and without warning. Dozens of Alice’s dolls where floating in the room, either doing chores or acting out small domestic scenes, the energy lines ran from them and twisted around a complicated series of invisible pulleys and bends before converging on a single point directly above Alice, who was currently hovering near what what was presumably the water closet. From that point, the wires spread out again ran down to Alice’s fingers. If Narumi was feeling more poetic she might have noted that the setup made the puppeteer look the puppet, but currently she was more focused on the sensation of her mind being squeezed from her body.
“Are you sure you're alright?” The question knocked Narumi out of her daze, though it wasn’t directed at her. Alice and Marisa where having a friendly conversation on their way out the door. Narumi missed Marisa’s response but caught Alice’s next question. “How many dolls do you think I should take? It seems like the fairies have been acting up lately.”
Narumi butted into the conversation with a poorly hidden stammer. “Not too many … there’s no need.”
Alice stopped in her tracks, “Is that a fact?”, there was something dangerous in her shoulder doll’s posture, “Then shall we discuss this outside?”
Narumi knew she was missing something in the exchange but wasn’t about to refuse an opportunity to leave the cottage, “Gladly”.
Almost as soon as Narumi exited the building she realized what was going on, Alice had taken what she had said as a challenge and wanted to settle it in the way things were settled in Gensokyo. She went to rub a sudden wave of exhaustion from her face and started at the feeling of stone against her cheek. Her customary illusion must have partially lapsed while she was in the cottage, leaving her hand bare stone. Narumi restored it to its proper texture with a flick of her wrist and nervously looked across the clearing to see if Alice had noticed.
She was preoccupied with arranging a small army of dolls into formation. “We’re late as it is, but I have a policy of never turning down a challenge,” her soldiers all but danced into position, “so let’s make this quick.”
“Wait!” Marisa ran in between the two girls and held her arms out like she was breaking up a fight whose combatants weren't 15 feet apart, “We’re missing a golden opportunity here!”
Alice respond first, “And what would that be?” Her dolls were fidgeting in their ranks.
“We have the two best artificers in the forest going head to head and we’re going to settle it with a spell card duel?” Marisa replied with confidence, “I say you both bring out your best creations and we see who the better craftswoman is.”
The dangerous look was back and was reflected across the entire platoon of dolls, “That is an interesting proposition.”
Narumi silently blessed Marisa with all of the dubious religious authority she had. “I’m game.”
With a wave of her hands, Alice brushed away all of her dolls aside from the one that had been shadowing her. It was armed with a round shield and a lance longer than it was tall, and was hovering a few inches off the ground and a few feet in front of Alice who had her fingers splayed over an invisible typewriter.
Across the field, Narumi summoned her ‘Bullet Golem’. Her core was a single large red ball of energy attached to four ‘limbs’ each consisting of a chain of similar, smaller orbs. The limbs slowly rotated around each other as the golem floated lazily in front of her creator. At the height of the ‘Four Seasons Incident’, when Narumi had been unknowingly empowered by the door in her back, the golem’s size would have rivaled the cottage. Currently she was about the size of a large dog, which was still more than twice the height of her opponent.
Marisa stood between the two parties with her blooded handkerchief held above her head like a racing flag. On a count of three she swiped it down with a flourish and took one long step backward, out of the way.
Alice’s doll rocketed across the field fast enough to ruffle Marisa’s hair before she finished her retreat. The golem released a volley of purple bullets but the doll weaved through them without losing any speed. It had nearly reached the core when one of the limbs suddenly lashed out to intercept. The doll rolled away from the attack and, unharmed except for a broken charge, came to a stop in the air just outside of the golem’s reach.
Alice kept her even expression but her eyes were keenly scrutinize her opponent as the doll cautiously probed its defenses in time with subtle movements of her fingers.
Narumi, meanwhile, had virtually no control over her golem beyond specifying targets so she shuffled her feet self consciously as the duel raged in front of her.
Suddenly, the golem lunged forward, swinging three limbs overhead directly at the doll. It sidestepped the pounce easily and swooped toward the core to counterattack. The lace struck at the point where one of the limbs attached to the core and the appendage dissolved in a fizzle of energy, but before the doll could retreat the fourth limb snaked around the golem’s body and landed a direct hit.
Narumi’s eyes widened. That ploy required the golem to have realized that she could afford to take more damage than her opponent. Narumi hadn’t known that her creation had that kind of self-awareness.
The blow knocked the doll to the ground and partially singed its elegant clothes. Before it could recover the golem was on top of it stomping rapidly with her three remaining limbs. The strikes where seemingly random and the doll was able to doge around them at first, but each new attack cut off another route of escape and eventually the doll was forced to block. Holding its shield over its head the doll managed to catch one of the stomping limbs for a moment before the shield arm broke off with a snap and its body was sent tumbling across the field.
As the golem hungrily pursued its prey, Alice scowled and clenched her fists. Even from across the open clearing Narumi could feel a surge of energy running down the invisible wires connecting Alice to her doll. The energy and the golem reached the doll at the same time and it exploded in flash of heat and light, atomizing the golem and knocking Narumi off her feet.
Her ears were still ringing slightly when Alice arrived, offering a hand to help her up, “Are you alright?”
Narumi took the hand and, careful not to put too much of her weight on it, got to her feet. “I’m fine, thank you” she said tiredly, trying to shake the dirt out of her dress.
“And your construct?”
“Oh”, Narumi’s expression brightened considerably, “she’s fine too!”, The golem reformed by her side, with a full set of limbs but noticeably smaller. Narumi affectionately scratched at the top of the core. Technically speaking, the golem had no pack grooming instinct, but scritches are universal and the construct nuzzled happily against Narumi leg. “What about your doll?”
“She was a Shanghai puppet, they’re designed for single combat.” She looked over her shoulder at the patch of burnt grass with what might have been regret, she was difficult to read without any puppets nearby. “Definitely replaceable”.
Before Narumi could form a response, Alice turned to her with the same unreadable expression, “Well, you made your point, I will only bring a few dolls with me to the mansion.”
A voice Narumi didn’t recognize piped in, “Going to the mansion would be a poor decision.”
Narumi and Alice both jumped at the noise and turned to find the source. A very sickly looking girl who seemed to be wearing a nightgown was standing next to Marisa by Alice’s front door.
“Patchouli!”, Alice half gasped, “you startled me, when did you get here?”
“You are late” the newcomer, Patchouli, replied flatly, ignoring the question.
“She got here in time for the tail end of the fight.” Marisa supplied happily, “I’ve been filling her in. Oh, before I forget: Naruko, meet Patchouli Knowledge; Patchouli, Naruko Yatadera.“
“It’s Narumi, actually” Narumi corrected with a small curtsy.
“You are all late” Patchouli repeated, but Narumi was happy to be included.
In the meantime, Alice had installed a new Shanghai puppet over her shoulder and she was currently bowing her tiny head in shame. “I apologize, it was my fault. I got caught up in a silly competition.” there was an implicit ‘again’ at the end of her confession. “But why shouldn’t we go to the mansion?”
“Because,” Patchouli pointed a finger almost accusatorily at Narumi, “Miss Yatadera is hypersensitive to magic.”
The doll’s head tilted to the side, “What do you mean, hypersensitive?”
Patchouli took on the air of a practiced lecturer, “It is not uncommon for born yokai magicians to be sensitive to magical forces to the point it causes physical pain in high enough concentrations. The effect is compounded if the magic in question opposes the Temperament of the magician. For example…”, she paused to have a loud coughing fit into her arm. “For example, our new friend is almost entirely made of Wood magic so we would expect her to have a particularly negative reaction to the heavy amounts of Metal running through the walls of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.”
“...and the White in my stings” Alice muttered to herself before whirling around to face Narumi, who had spent the lesson trying to hide behind her shrunken golem. She couldn’t meet the statue’s eyes and her puppet seemed to be on the verge of tears, but Alice’s voice was even when she spoke, “I knew you were distressed in the cottage, but I had assumed the fight was to let off steam. Now I realize that you were just trying to escape. The pain I have caused you is inexcusable.”
Narumi held the golem close to her, but tried to keep a brave face, “Well I excuse you, all of this is news to me. There was no way you could have known.”
“I should have-”
“Born yokai magicians, huh, “ Marisa loudly asked Patchouli, “is that why you don’t come to the banquets?”
She glared back in response, “I don’t go because I don’t like them.”
Narumi jumped on the new conversational thread, “Oh, where you never a human either, Ms. Patchouli? Did you used to be a statue too?”
“No,” Patchouli answered with her first smile of the day, “All manner of simulacra can constitute our bodies, just as numerous are the inevitable afflictions that arise from the disconnect between those bodies and our souls. But, on to more pressing matters.”
She pivoted to face all three of the other magicians in a move that would have been suave if it hadn't left her winded, “Namely, the new location of our meeting.” A huge luminous pink crystal with a flat top erupted from the ground behind the frail magician and she promptly sat down, “I suggest out here.”
Marisa laughed and plopped to the ground cross-legged, “Sounds like a plan to me!”
The new Shanghai glared at the upturned turf around Patchouli's stool, but Alice made no objections “I’ll go fetch some chairs”.
It was late in the afternoon in the Forest of Magic, Marisa and Narumi retraced their path through the trees in a happy and contemplative silence, thinking over the events of the day. The first topic of discussion for the group had been Narumi’s condition. They deduced that any sort of abating effect on a spell, like Okina’s Secrecy or the required limiters on danmaku, must significantly reduce the strain on Narumi’s senses. More accurately, Alice, Marisa, and Patchouli deduced it, Narmi had spent most of the conversation seeing how much of her face she could fit inside of her straw hat without anyone noticing.
Fortunately, after Alice announced that suppressing her strings would be trivial, the discussion quickly turned to dolls and then to golems. Narumi had been more than happy to show off her pet to everyone, though she could feel her inexperience with the terminology keeping her from truly explaining how her creation worked.
That was a problem that would hopefully be remedied by the heavy stack of old borrowed books Narumi was now carrying. She shifted their weight and smiled at the memory of Alice half-jokingly asking for payment in the form of a closer look at the golem. Shanghai had done a back-flip when Narumi agreed, they were coming over tomorrow.
The present quiet was suddenly broken when the construct in question crashed through the underbrush chasing what was either a very large butterfly or a very small fairy.
“The little thing sure is lively now that its had a chance to stretch its legs.” Marisa grinned.
Narumi nodded and smiled back, “She surprised me during the duel you know, I think she’s much more clever than I originally gave her credit for.”
“Personally, I’d be a kinda disappointed if something made out of so much life didn’t grow at least a little bit. Does she have a name?”
Narumi sighed quietly, “Not yet, I’ve honestly been thinking maybe ‘Naruko’, if only so you would have to call me by my actual name.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Maybe-Naruko stopped to eyelessly contemplate a nearby tree, which reminded Narumi of something that had been bothering her.
“I guess I was wrong about being able to feel the life around us, It was just my sensitivity to magic.”
After the second it took for Marisa to remember what her friend was referring to, she shrugged, “Maybe, they don’t call it the ‘Forest of Magic’ for nothing. On the other hand maybe ‘sensing magic’ and ‘sensing life’ are really just two ways to say the same thing. ‘User of arcane energy’ sounds impressive and all, until you remember that all living things have at least some arcaneness to them.’ she paused, “Unless you’re a lunarian, or a celestial…” she began counting on her fingers “...maybe a regular hermit too, I’d have to check…”
Narumi took this moment to steel herself to ask another question that had been hanging over her head. “You told Patchouli about my problem, didn’t you?”
Marisa started at the question and for a split second an absolutely sincere smirk flashed across her face, but she took a breath and stopped herself. “I did”, she said in a small voice, “I had an inkling of what was going on and I thought it might be dangerous for you. Patchouli's the expert at that kind of thing and I honestly didn’t think she would make such a performance out of it, but that doesn't make going behind your back okay.”
“No, you did the right thing” Narumi said, biting back a sudden and irrational feeling of betrayal, “you might have saved my life. It’s just so...so“ she ripped off her levitation spell and let her feet crash into the ground with something caught between a cry and a moan, “So frustrating! I can’t even walk into a friend’s home without falling apart! It feels like everyday there’s another wall I can’t climb and I know myself a little bit less!”
She stared intently at the straw of her hat, spending an endless moment failing to hold back tears and silently praying that Marisa would just leave her alone.
Then she felt a firm grip on her shoulder.
“I can’t honestly say I know what you're going through right now, but what I do know is that learning how to climb walls and know things is what being a magician is all about, and I know you don’t have to go it alone.”
A malformed giggle bubbled out of Narumi, “That’s one thing I know about myself,” she look at Marisa with puffy eyes and the start of a smile, “I’m a magician.”
Marisa put her free hand on her hip, “and don’t you forget it!”