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Reimu sighed with contentment as she stretched her legs out on the veranda.
It was certainly not a very ladylike pose, that much is certain, but with the sun long since set behind the treetops, the possibility of someone visiting grew more and more unlikely. More importantly, she thought, after having her free time so rudely interrupted some six weeks prior, she damned well deserved some rest and relaxation. Reaching for the cup of fresh tea next to her, she sipped it, feeling it purify her thoughts, with only the song of countless crickets emanating from the surrounding forest for company. Breathing deeply of the night air, tinged slightly by the sweet smell of the incense burning nearby, Reimu closed her eyes and began.
It began as a radiant green flame, one deep within that pulsed and danced with every heartbeat. Then, as her concentration deepened, dots of green fire began appearing , some large, others infinitesimally small, until they blanketed the entire horizon in a wavering mass. Exhaling, Reimu cast out with her mind, reaching down down down until she found what she sought - a presence so incredibly ancient that even she could only touch the fringes. It filled her consciousness like a slowly flowing river, swirls and eddies of energy joining together in a sluggish current that forked this way and that and filled the earth at Reimu's feet. However, there was something-
Clink.
"Ah, the sound of a thousand insects so desperate to procreate. How quaint."
The shrine maiden sighed, gently dropped the image from her mind, and opened her eyes, turning and craning her neck slightly to see. There was little mistaking the identity of the speaker. Even if she hadn't been able to place the voice that enunciated every word with an amused lilt, there was only one person who considered such a pink bonnet and dress to be the very height of fashion, and only one being in Gensokyo who had wings like that.
"Remilia Scarlet. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Remilia's answering grin, illuminated by the moonlight, was positively vicious. "I was out on an evening stroll, and I saw a certain shrine maiden who looked like she could use some company," she replied. "I thought I would impose on you for a little while, since it seems you're not busy planning another grand feast or anything of the sort."
Reimu felt a brief flash of irritation at having her evening crashed in such an inconsiderate fashion, but she realized that the young lady was probably going to insist. She folded her legs up underneath herself, grumbling, and gestured aimlessly to the open stretch of the veranda next to her. With a faint flutter of her wings, the countess landed almost noiselessly on the polished hardwood, wrinkling her nose with distaste briefly at the smouldering coil of incense and seating herself at the edge, her legs dangling freely over the side.
"Tea?"
Remilia frowned for a moment, then shook her head.
"Well then, if you're not here for tea, then why -are- you here? I somehow doubt you are here just for the pleasure of my company, or that the great scion of house Scarlet would come all this way just to discuss the reproductive habits of local insect life."
There was total silence from Remilia. Reimu poured herself another cup of tea, looking curiously at the young vampire, who was swinging her legs back and forth rhythmically. With a certain amount of surprise, Reimu realized that the other girl was worried about something, and furthermore, that she was worried about it enough to let it show on her face. This was almost more unnerving than her sudden, unannounced appearance at the Hakurei shrine.
Remilia sighed, folded her hands in her lap, and stared down at them, completely motionless. "There were two things I wished to discuss," she replied. She opened and closed her mouth several times, then turned to face Reimu, her eyes still downcast. "The first is that... it occurred to me that I have not, strictly speaking, shown the proper gratitude befitting of my station, when taking into consideration the inconvenience I caused you and your friend in the... events that transpired last year."
Reimu's eyebrows shot up. Was she about to be offered an apology? From the Remilia Scarlet? The notion was so laughable that she couldn't prevent herself from snorting into her tea, causing her to recoil in pain as some of the tepid liquid shot up her nose, coughing and laughing all the while. Remilia furrowed her brow, her face covered with a barely discernable blush. “I work up the nerve to broach the subject, and you respond by chortling in my face?!” She harrumphed, crossed her arms and stared across the open clearing to the woods, some several hundred yards distant.
Eventually Reimu managed to get her laughter under control - and her nasal passages cleared - and she drained the rest of the cup in one gulp and set it down. Staggering to her feet, she shook one foot to clear off the lingering numbness, making her way to stand next to Remilia.
“It’s not unwelcome, not by a long shot, but it was… a bit unexpected. I wouldn’t normally expect a person to apologize for something they did over a year ago, especially not an immortal vampire like yourself. No one was seriously injured, so I wouldn’t lose too much sleep over it. Provided that the incident doesn’t repeat itself,” Reimu added, glancing meaningfully at her.
“Even I have standards to adhere to, Reimu,” Remilia replied loftily. “A certain reputation to maintain, if you will. Moreover, I’ve found myself quite busy over these past few months. Even with your and Yukari’s help, there are still certain… hiccups, as far as establishment of my domain in this place is concerned.”
Reimu scratched her head. “Problems with the border? I didn’t think-”
Remilia shook her head, waving her hands back and forth. “No, no. It’s not that. The problem is that, well, as you know, the library at the mansion houses very nearly every book that has ever been written, and, indeed, some that technically shouldn’t even exist.”
“I see,” Reimu replied, pinching the bridge of her nose in contemplation.
“And, as you know, Flandre has been behaving very well lately, so we’ve allowed her to roam the halls of the mansion,” Remilia continued.
“Uh huh.” Reimu sighed, letting her shoulders drop. “Why don’t you just go ahead and tell me, Remilia, I’m sure I’m prepared for the worst now.”
“Well… she’s been reading many books lately, and she apparently decided that emulating the mannerisms of one of the dragons she had read about would be quite fun. She tried her hand at it in the library early one morning. The damage was... quite extensive, to say the least.. As far as I know, nothing irreplaceable was lost - preservative magics, I assume - but Patchouli was absolutely livid.”
Reimu stared at Remilia incredulously, then let out a low laugh, an image filling her head of the countess’ younger sister kneeling with a sullen pout on her face as the purple-haired librarian stood over her, lecturing, hair frazzled by some unimaginable heat. Remilia seemed a bit stupefied at Reimu’s mirth at first, but then she turned slightly, covering her mouth with one hand, her eyes crinkling.
Reimu’s laughter faded after a moment, as she frowned, trying to recall some snippet of conversation. She turned to Remilia. “You mentioned there were two things you wished to talk about, right? What was the other?”
“Ah, yes, that!” The young lady kicked off the veranda, landing several feet out in the grass, her dress flaring out as she did a pirouette. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed!”
“Noticed what?”
“Ah, perhaps it is that I am much more sensitive to it than you day dwellers, being a lady of the night and such.” Remilia extended one hand languidly and pointed straight up, towards the night sky. “Look.”
Reimu followed her finger with her gaze, looking this way and that into the inky darkness as her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except…
“The moon. It should be a full moon - a harvest moon.”
Remilia nodded sagaciously, looking at Reimu expectantly. “Shall we?”
Reimu walked out into the field and closed her eyes for a moment, staccato bursts of her heartbeat calling out. She exhaled sharply as she held out her right hand, then opened her eyes as she felt the familiar weight of her gohei fall into it. Straightening out her skirt, she turned to Remilia.
“Let’s go get this over with.”