The one nice thing about Youkai aging, Marisa mused, was that you could always recognize someone you had met before. That was how she was certain it was Yumeko there waiting for the two magicians at the door. The demon maid bowed to Alice and said, ?I'm glad to see you came home Alice. Lady Shinki will be very pleased as well. Should I take your gift to the kitchen to be prepared while you meet with her?? She looked pointedly at Marisa with that statement, while summoning one of her magical swords.
Marisa was about to step forward and accept the challenge when Alice put a hand on her shoulder. ?Actually she's my ride back. And I'd prefer not to cause massive property damage during my visit. If you could just lead us to where mother is....?
?Alice! It's been so long!?
The head of Makai herself stepped out of one of the many corridors leading to the entry hall and hugged Alice. Alice for her part was giving an expression that looked like it was cut straight out of one of the tengu's manga, specifically one of the 'embarrassed teenager' scenes. Yumeko was just looking stunned by her lady's lack of decorum. Marisa did her best not to laugh. She was interested in fighting the demon maid again, but laughing now would probably bring Alice into the fight as well, and 2 against 1 was totally lame if you were the one.
Alice loosely put her own arms around Shinki. ?You don't need to be so emotional mother. I've only been away for a couple of years.?
?But you've grown so much in that time.? Shinki reluctantly relaxed her hug. ?Anyway come in, come in. Both of you. You'll have to tell me everything that's happened while you were away. Especially since you never write.? Alice looked guilty and embarrassed at the scolding
Yumeko had managed to recover her equilibrium by this point. ?Lady Shinki, I would not dare to question your decisions on parenting,? she stated, trying to look calm. ?But this human here is responsible for a great number of crimes against Makai in the past. She should be punished! Drawn and quartered! Or at least served as soup.?
?I am delicious,? Marisa helpfully added.
Yumeko pointed at Marisa with one of her blades. ?See. She agrees with me my lady. I promise I'll just kill her a little bit.?
Shinki seemed unfazed by the declarations. ?Now now. It's not like she's that shrine maiden. And she helped bring Alice back to visit us. I think we can forgive and forget this time.?
Yumeko sighed at her mistresses utter lack of concern then dispelled the blade with a final glare at Marisa. Marisa simply tipped her hat to the maid, then traipsed along behind Alice and Shinki as the ruler of Makai led her ?daughter? to a rather nice, if somewhat dark, sitting room, asking questions all the while. Alice's return answers were usually short and noncommittal. Marisa of course was keeping mental notes. This would provide years of entertainment.
The three sat around a table, Shinki on one side, Alice and Marisa on a couch to the other side, while Yumeko grudgingly went to collect non Marisa based snacks.
?So Alice, why didn't you just tell me that you needed a better place for your doll making? I could have created something for you. You worried me when you just ran off into the city without a word.? Marisa had the feeling that the only reason Shinki was only pouting slightly was a failed attempt to keep from embarrassing Alice in front of Marisa. ?And I wouldn't have even learned that if Yumeko hadn't found you.?
Alice grimaced. ?That wouldn't have helped mother. Everything in Makai is partly yours. If I created them here in Makai, they'd never be fully mine.?
Shinki kept her smile but Marisa noted she looked sort of pained. ?I see. I suppose Gensoukyo would be a better place then.? She paused for a moment. ?I know I can't keep you from your experiments, you are a magician after all, but always remember you have a place here, Alice.? She then frowned at the puppeteer. ?And you should write more. I understand it's hard to travel between the realms now, but sending messages aren't that hard.?
Alice looked away at the scolding. ?Sorry mother. I'll try to write more.?
Yumeko entered the room at this moment, lightly phasing into view. She set down a cup of tea in front of her mistress, then one in front of Marisa, which Alice proceeded to swipe immediately. ?Hey!? Marisa feebly protested. ?Couldn't you wait??
Alice simply took a sip of the tea before setting it down. ?I wanted to make sure Yumeko hadn't forgotten and added something poisonous to humans.?
Marisa's eyes widened as she realized she hadn't even considered that possibility. For some reason that annoyed her. A lot. ?I would have noticed something like that.?
Alice smirked. ?Of course.?
Marisa grumbled to herself. Alice had gotten one up on her. That wasn't supposed to happen. The air must be getting to her.
?It's nice to see you've made such good friends Alice,? Shinki said, with something of a wistful smile.
Alice gave Marisa a sidelong glance. ?She's just a neighbor, currently.?
Marisa gave Alice a worried look. ?You moving or something??
?No. My new doll will crush you, making me the sole ruler of the forest,? Alice stated smugly.
Yumeko bowed her head to the puppeteer. ?An excellent goal Miss Alice. I wish for your success in this endeavor.?
Marisa smiled. Alice's spells were always fun, and usually quite pretty if weak.. ?Sounds great! I'm always interested in new danmaku. I'll be sure to give it a thorough test run. Just don't cry when I break it 'kay.?
Shinki laughed lightly at the banter, then asked, ?And who was the third girl who accompanied you? The one who has one of my devils contracted.?
Marisa and Alice looked at each other, silently deciding who would reply. As usual it was Marisa who spoke first. ?Patchy? She's the librarian at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Bad cough, has a whole lotta neat books. Low power but she packs lots of different danmaku.?
Alice continued, ?She's a magician's magician. Possibly the most skilled one I've met.?
Shinki appeared to consider the matter. ?Hm... She sounds different then what I expected. Still I suppose even a very studious magician would have needs.?
Marisa and Alice once again gave each other a look, this time asking if Shinki meant what they thought she meant. Marisa thought she saw Shinki covering up a smile at their wordless communication but it was gone when Alice turned to reply.
?Uh, I don't think they have that kind of relationship,? Alice stated mildly.
?Yeah, I think Patchy grabbed her by mistake. I think Koa considers at a challenge though.?
Shinki blinked. ?I see. I wonder how a girl like that could be summoned by accident.? She then gave a sad smile. ?Still it's good to see one of my creations find someone they can connect with.?
Marisa wasn't the most observant of people, but she could still see Yumeko's pained expression at those words, and see Alice's angry frown in response.
?Of course mother. Ah sorry, if you could excuse me for a moment, I need to freshen up a bit.? Alice stood and briskly walked further into the fortress. Marisa noted she didn't need to ask where the restrooms were.
Shinki managed to keep her mask up until Alice made it out of the room. Then her expression melted into hurt and worry. Only Marisa's mild annoyance at being completely ignored during this little drama prevented her from laughing at how stereotypical it was. She decided to try to confirm her suspicions. ?So did you learn normal parenting from books??
Yumeko was halfway though summoning a blade when Shinki nodded. ?I suppose it was foolish of me to think I could raise a human child just off of that information.?
?Nah. It's not you. It's her. She's kinda stubborn about things.? Marisa kicked back on the sofa. ?You shouldn't be upset about it. You're doing better then some parents I know.?
Shinki's spirits seemed to raise a bit. ?Really? I guess you must know from your own family.?
Marisa winced. ?Yeah. Sure... Anyway I'll go grab the little princess down from wherever she's sulking and you can go back to embarrassing her like a proper mother.?
Shinki giggled at that. ?Thank you, Marisa. See Yumeko. This is why we don't stab guests.?
?I stand corrected Lady Shinki,? Yumeko graciously stated.
On that uplifting note Marisa followed after Alice into the fortress.
--
Alice sat on one of the balconies of Pandemonium, looking out onto the ice fields that surrounded the fortress. A human balcony would have guard rails to prevent someone from accidentally going over the edge. In a realm where everyone of import could fly such things were unnecessary. Alice however had been human long enough to develop a healthy respect for heights, so sitting on the edge with her legs dangling over the side still had an air of danger to her. It was something she found useful for focusing her mind.
?Huh, that view's pretty dull without stars. The ice is okay, but I've seen better.?
The black white witch casually took a seat on the ledge. Alice didn't bother to reply.
?You know, I'm not as intuitive as Reimu, but Shinki seems pretty hurt. You wanna talk about it, or should I just tell her you're in a troubled phase??
Alice turned a sarcastic smile on the witch. ?Sure. Why don't we talk about your father while we're at it??
Marisa frowned. ?You know, Shinki should put mirrors or something on the ceiling. That'd spruce the place up.?
?I'll be sure to pass that on.?
The two sat in silence a bit more. A lesser dragon left it's hidden nest in the 'ceiling' and rode the thermals for a bit before swooping down towards town, likely to grab an abandoned body or food cart before the locals shooed it off.
Alice sighed. ?The long and short of it is I can't stand living in Makai, and it's better for everyone if I don't live here anyway.?
Marisa adjusted her hat. ?Is this your dislike of strong youkai thing again??
Alice shrugged. ?That's part of it.? She looked down at her grimoire. ?I still remember bits and pieces of my old life. I wasn't an infant or anything. But all of that was sacrificed to make me 'Alice.' It's painful seeing people who are more powerful just from birth. It makes me question what the point of my transformation was.?
Marisa frowned. ?But Gensoukyo isn't much better. We've got all sorts of powerful youkai wandering around. And I can tell you don't have that issue with Shinki.?
Alice put her book down and looked straight at Marisa. ?The other problem is that Shinki can't believe any of the residents of Makai actually love her.?
Marisa blinked. ?Wait! So she knows Yumeko is head over heals in love with her...?
?And she pretends not to notice to avoid taking advantage of Yumeko,? Alice finished. ?She believes that any of her creations that love or respect her do so because she unconsciously made them do so. So she can't believe in their feelings.
Alice sighed deeply again. ?That's why she dotes on me too much. I'm from the outside, so she can believe in my emotions, even if she can't understand them as well. If I stay here she'll never move forward. Never come to terms with her creations free will.?
The two stared out onto the ice flow for a little longer.
?I'm not sure if just waiting will solve anything,? Marisa stated slowly. She then rolled backwards and stood up. ?But either way while you're here you should do your best to keep her from worrying too much right??
Alice took a deep breath and smiled. ?I suppose I should try.? She briefly took flight in order to properly stand up from the ledge. ?Though it seems to be a mothers job to worry about you, even if they don't need to.?
As the two began walking back towards the guest rooms, Alice asked, ?By the way, how did you find me??
Marisa smiled. ?Pure luck. When I got mad as a kid I went to look up at the stars. I didn't realize Makai had such a boring skyscape so I just went up.? Marisa's mood turned thoughtful. ?Hey Alice, would Yumeko really have poisoned my tea??
Alice smirked. ?Not with anything fatal. She doesn't dislike you that much. Besides, you shouldn't use deadly poisons with the good china.?
?Patchouli was right. You residents of Makai do have a warped sense of humor.?
?I don't want to hear that from you, Marisa!?
---
Koakuma ran forward as her master slumped, catching the magician just before she hit the rough cobblestones. In the back of her mind she heard Mai saying something about not disturbing the circles, and her fellows talking excitedly, but right now she had to focus on Patchouli.
Patchouli's pulse was normal (well weak, but normal for her) and her breathing seemed right for someone out cold. Her heartbeat was a little more erratic then normal but it wasn't at dangerous levels Koakuma guessed. She waved over at one of the elder devils, the one wearing a nurse outfit. ?Marie, please! I need your help here!?
The nurse devil reluctantly moved away from where the rest of the group was chattering excitedly and knelt down next to her younger ?sibling.? She began going through the same steps that Koakuma had, though with far greater deliberation at each step.
As she worked the older devil asked, ?What did your master do there? It gave every unnamed demon in the plaza a headache, and now OL seems to think she has a name!?
?That's because she does,? Mai stated.
Everyone in the plaza turned to look at the white witch, but she simply returned to studying the magic circles that were still intact. Yuki stepped forward to question her friend when a winged shadow passed over the plaza.
Everyone froze under the watch of one of Makai's great predators. Not as bad as some of the things around, western dragons were still powerful enough to kill most mid ranked devils. Of course such incidents happening in town were generally frowned upon, so the higher ups in the city usually blasted the creatures out of the sky. But reaction times to the slums weren't quite as fast as they were elsewhere.
It was entirely possible Patchouli might become lunch before help arrived.
Marie swore. ?Koa grab her and help me get her inside.?
Koakuma grabbed Patchouli's arms and OL ran forward to grab the magician's legs. ?I sorta feel like I should help,? the youngest devil said looking embarrassed. Koakuma felt a moment of jealousy. Why did Patchouli bind another demon to her, much less give her a name? But that thought was quickly replaced by worry as the three little devils began carrying Patchouli towards an open doorway.
?Oh, hey. That's a green. Persistent little guys. I bet it'll try to dig her out.,? Yuki commented in an offhand manner as the dragon did another pass.
Marie blanched. ?Sorry!? the nurse called out before fleeing towards another doorway. Koa couldn't quite blame her sister. After all Marie wasn't bound to Patchouli. She didn't even know the magician. And most magicians weren't as nice to their familiars. OL was looking worried too, but the girl hadn't run. Maybe she was still too confused to.
Koakuma leaned down and rifled through her master's spellcards. Sylph Horn. That was a good spell for her. Wood to match the books she kept constant watch over. It would be weaker in her hands, but still usable. She turned to OL. ?Take Patchouli-sama and keep going. I... I'll hold it here until the other devils chase it off.?
Koakuma just barely managed to keep her legs from trembling as she strode to the center of the plaza. The dragon was likely readying it's final pass. Koakuma steeled herself for the fight. She probably couldn't stop that dragon, even with all the training she'd done, but she could definitely slow it down. She took a deep breath, then jumped when a hand came down on her shoulder.
?You've got guts little girl, but you should leave this to professionals,? Yuki said cheerfully. ?I'm going to blast it right out of the sky.?
Mai raised an eyebrow. ?Trying to get a boon??
Yuki smiled ?Yup. One good abuse of the rules deserves another.?
Mai smiled sweetly and moved up next to her friend, her wings shifting from Angelic to Demonic as she did so. Yuki laughed. ?A race Mai? Sure, lets see who gets the killing shot in.?
Koakuma stepped back as the two magicians turned to face the dragon, who had decided it was going to finally get it's snack. The dragon swooped down quietly, opened it's mouth to unleash it's breath, and was very surprised to find that not only was it's breath attack not working, but it was under a hail of ice and fire.
The two magicians were actually fairly powerful, even compared to Gensoukyo standards. And it didn't help for the dragon that the two friends attacks didn't match at all. Yuki's shots were wild and random, while Mai's ice followed strict patterns. Trying to avoid one pattern led the dragon right into the others attacks.
The dragon swerved in circles, unsure of what direction to go before an icicle caught it in the eye and sent it crashing to the ground.
Yuki swore. ?My luck is terrible today. No intelligent creature should have dodged into that!?
Mai simply smirked and let her wings return to their angelic appearance.
The two magicians landed and Koakuma bowed to both of them. ?Uh, thank you for helping.?
Yuki waved away the thanks. ?Oh don't thank us, we did it because it's a bad idea to let dragons run around the city.? She glanced at Mai, ?Also now your boss owes us something.?
Koakuma winced. Patchouli would not like that one bit. Still, that would have to wait until Patchouli awoke. ?I'm sure she'll listen to your request when she gets better.?
Allouette appeared from the doorway where the other devils had retreated, ?And will she give us some explanation for what happened??
Koa shrugged in response. Patchouli would say something, but it might not be useful or understandable.
OL spoke up from her place beside Patchouli, ?Uh, and I guess she has to give me a public name too.?
Koakuma shuddered, then walked up to her little sister and patted her on the head. ?I'm so very, very sorry.?
--
Marisa and Alice traipsed back into the sitting room where Yumeko and Shinki were waiting for them. Alice bowed her head and said, ?I'm sorry it took so long. I got lost.?
Shinki still looked a little upset, but she accepted the lie. ?Oh. No worry. I should have offered to send Yumeko with you.?
The two magicians sat down again, Marisa giving the cake that had appeared in their absence a cautious look before eating it. Yumeko seemed to have approved of her willingness to help with Alice, so it shouldn't be poisoned. But with youkai it could be hard to tell.
Shinki waited for the two to get comfortable before stating, ?It seems your friend ran into a little trouble in the city. Nothing dangerous, but she may be a little late in meeting at your ship.?
Marisa and Alice looked at each other. It was odd for Patchy to get herself in a bind. Alice looked at her mother, ?What happened??
Shiki looked apologetic. ?I only looked in at the tail end when the dragon showed up. From the ripples across my realm however it seems she used a bit too much magic. She's fine though.?
Marisa stared at Shiki's statement. Dragons weren't something to take so lightly. No one in Gensoukyo had seen a Dragon since before her birth.
Alice chuckled at Marisa's expression. ?Western dragons aren't as impressive as the one's you're used to Marisa. We treat them like wild dogs around here.?
Marisa snorted then took a sip of her own tea. ?Not much of a dragon then is it??
Shinki and Alice laughed. Yumeko smiled. ?I imagine the western vampires think similarly of their eastern kin,? Shinki stated.
Marisa thought on it a moment then shrugged. She'd never really met an eastern vampire.
Shinki turned back to Alice. ?So, I don't suppose there's any change in your romantic prospects Alice??
Alice shrugged. ?There's someone I'm sort of interested in, but they're too immature to notice their own feelings yet. I figure I can wait a little longer though.?
Marisa choked a little on her tea. ?Wha? You're interested in someone? Why haven't you told me about this??
Alice gave her a smile. ?Because I didn't feel like it.?
The words stung. She drained her cup and set it down harshly on the table. ?Tch. Whatever.?
Shinki looked at the two back and forth. ?I see. Well if something changes tell me. I won't forgive you if you don't write more. If you don't I'll have to soothe my feelings of abandonment by writing to someone about your childhood. In great detail.? Shinki smiled at Marisa. ?I'm sure you'd be interested, wouldn't you Ms Kirisame??
Marisa's frown changed to a smile. Revenge would be sweet indeed. ?Oh I'd be happy to get another correspondent.?
Alice shuddered in horror. ?I'll write mother! I swear! Every week!?
Shinki smiled. ?Oh thank you. You'll make me so happy Alice dear.?
----
The first thing Patchouli saw when she woke up was two Koakuma's peering down at her with worried expressions. She sighed and closed her eyes again. ?Koakuma I seem to have suffered more damage then I thought. I'm still seeing double.?
Her familiar gave a nervous laugh. ?Ah Patchouli-sama, OL is here with me.?
Patchouli took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Sure enough on closer examination the two devils were distinct. ?Ah yes. I had to name her in order to break my spell. I guess that would bind her to me. My apologies to you both.?
Koakuma put on her best smile, ?I'm just glad your safe Patchouli-sama.?
The other devil managed to smile nervously, ?It's not bad for me either master. It's not like there are many job opportunities for me down here.?
?Oh hey! She's awake.?
Patchouli slowly sat up and turned towards the voice. Unsurprisingly it was Yuki. Mai was slightly behind her sitting on what appeared to be a dead dragon. Both of them were smiling too much, which raised alarms in Patchouli's mind.
?I am conscious,? Patchouli responded. ?I am surprised you are still here though. You've completed my request.?
Yuki's smile grew wider. ?Yep. But you haven't completed mine.? Mai idly whistled and Yuki frowned. ?Okay you haven't completed Mai's. Since she saved your life from this dragon and all.?
Patchouli looked at Koakuma who winced in apology. ?It was the only way I could be sure you wouldn't get hurt.?
Patchouli sighed and once again vowed to look into strength enhancing magics. ?So what do you want??
Mai pointed at the devil sitting by Koakuma's side. ?Her.?
?EH!?? Yuki turned to stare at her friend, as did a good portion of the other devils. Patchouli on the other hand just considered why the magician should make such a request. She felt mild amusement when she got the answer.
Patchouli nodded her acceptance. ?Very well. A year and a day I believe is the standard for such things. We'll use the human worlds time for this matter if you please, just in case someone decides to alter time in our respective realms.?
?Hold on one second!? Yuki pointed at her friend. ?What are you doing? We've got a boon off of someone who's got at least 2 unique spells and you're spending it to grab a secretary devil??
Mai sighed. ?A devil with a direct connection to her and whose powers will include message transferal. Come on Yuki. If it was easy enough to learn the spell in a day, then the notes I made would be enough. Just like you'd be able to get most transmutation spells off the notes.?
Patchouli couldn't help smirking. ?Quite astute. I admit this is also good for me as well.? She nodded towards the young devil whose fate was being decided. ?I'll need at least a year and a day to convince Remi to let another devil in the house anyway. However, you forgot one thing.? Mai blinked at her. ?If you ask for this young devils services for a year you'll have used your boon without getting the spell off of me.?
Mai smacked herself in the forehead. Yuki buried her face in her hands. ?You blew it, Mai.?
Patchouli coughed to get the other magicians attention. ?However, I'm a reasonable person. I'll trade you the spell, in exchange for two things. Firstly, an explanation of how you'll use it. As you can see it's far to dangerous to use at random. ?
Mai considered the matter for a bit. ?I believe actually binding the rest of these devils would be the best course of action.?
Yuki put her face back in her hands. ?You can't be serious. Why would we need a whole passel of lesser devils? Even this spell does name them??
?Because they're all skilled at some job without possessing a flaw that makes their presence not worth their skill. With them working full time we could have a whole mansion to ourselves while still being able to conduct research whenever we wish.?
Yuki blinked, thought about it a little while, then turned to where the other devils were huddled. She called on one of her more subtle spells to listen in on their whispered conversation.
?We'd all have names. That's a big plus.?
?And we'd get out of the slums.?
?It's better then that. They're magicians. We can get some magical training done in between work and wind up as mid tier demons. You saw how much Librarian, er Koa, learned.?
?And they are kinda cute. That's a bonus.?
Yuki dismissed the spell and turned to Mai. ?You know people are going to think we're perverts.?
Mai shook her head. ?We'll be rich, and soon after that powerful. That makes us eccentric. Besides think of the research.?
Yuki gave a good natured sigh and shrug. ?Well, I wasn't expecting to become the head of a coven of succubi but I can't argue with the potential results.? The black witch turned towards the impromptu meeting. ?So what do you lot think.?
Allouette took her place at the head of the group and curtsied. ?Please look after us Master.?
Patchouli held up a hand. ?Forgive me but there are two things that need doing before that.? When she had gained everyone's attention she continued. ?First I need to give this one a public name.? She pointed at OL. ?Elle should suffice.? The newly christened Elle blushed and murmured her thanks. Koa looked mildly annoyed, while the other devils nodded in acceptance.
?Secondly I need an item from you two witches to seal the bargain. An item you should be able to acquire easily, and that I want you to give to Koakuma here....?
--
Alice looked for words to properly express her thoughts on the scene in front of her, and couldn't find anything.
Marisa of course had no such issues.
"What the heck, Patchouli? Did you suddenly decide to try and kill yourself cloning Koakuma?" Marisa stated, pointing at the mass of devils who were busy trying to decide if they were terrified or honored to be in Shiki's presence.
Patchouli simply gave the black white witch a glare. Alice figured that Patchy didn't realize Marisa was just acting stupid to get an easy answer. One which her mother was happy to provide.
"Oh my. I hope you aren't planning on taking all those youngsters with you miss... Patchouli was it?" Shinki pouted. "I would hope some of them would stay here at home."
Yuki and Mai looked at each other, then Yuki stepped forward and cleared her throat. "Well, actually we're the ones actually offering them a job Shinki... sama." Yuki added hastily as Yumeko glared at her. She waved at Patchouli and Koakuma. "We just wanted to see these two off."
Marisa whistled. "A quick way to name and bind devils? Impressive. Not as useful back in Gensoukyo of course. Most of the ones there aren't exactly bindable."
Patchouli nodded. "Yes. And there's no way Remi would allow that many other devils in the mansion." She sighed. "Vampires can be so needlessly territorial."
Shinki smiled. "I see, so you're taking all those little ones in then. I'm so happy for you all. I'll be sure to check up on you girls later on." Yuki and Mai managed weak grins, while the crowd of small devils were all too starstruck to keep gossiping. Once again Alice remembered that Skinki was a ruler, even if she was normally terribly remote. Shinki's off hand offer was carefully constructed to keep Mai and Yuki from going too power mad with that spell.
Fortunately soon Alice would be back in Gensoukyo, where no one cared about any of that.
Marisa shrugged. "Huh, well I'll have to steal that spell from you later. Anyway, I think the angry ghost on the deck is signaling us to get a move on so I guess we gotta go." She waved to the residents of Makai. "Bye Yuki. Bye Mai. Bye crazy maid chick, and you devils. Nice meeting you again Miss Shinki. Feel free to write me any embarrassing stories about Alice."
Alice turned to Shinki and Yumeko as Koa began her long goodbye process. "I..." Alice searched for the right words. She was never really good with this.
Shinki just stepped forward to hug her. "I know you need your space. But I still love you, and I miss you. Please keep in touch, okay."
Alice flushed from embarrassment. She only hoped nobody was paying attention. "I love you too mom. I'll try to write more."
"Please do Alice dear." Shinki said. Alice took a few moments to regain her composure and turned her attention to Yumeko, who was attmepting to look cool, as usual.
"A pleasure seeing you Yumeko. I hope you can find some more time to relax in the future," Alice stated to the maid.
Yumeko managed a smirk. "A maid worthy of Lady Shinki can't afford to waste time on relaxation."
Alice returned the smirk. "Even the 'perfect maid,' finds time to relax. Besides, I don't think mother wants a perfect maid." She began to head back towards the ship. "Goodbye Mother," she said, waving.
"Bye bye!" Shinki called after her while waving.
The goddess of Makai didn't stop waving until the ship had passed out of sight.
---
Alice stretched as they cleared the barrier back to Gensoukyo. So much for a quiet shopping trip... Apparently dimensional travel wasn't meant to be simple. She began checking her dolls for wear and tear from the magic they'd been exposed to when Patchouli approached her.
"Here," the older magician said, holding a wooden box towards her.
"Huh?" Curious, Alice looked in the box. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the object within. "What is that?"
"The heart of a dragon, gifted three times," Patchouli said as if that explained something.
Alice was about to make a comment when Marisa interrupted. "Wait, what? 'Hearts gifted three times' is for love potions. And even if western dragons are lame for dragons it's still gotta be pretty powerful magic. Are you proposing or trying to play matchmaker?"
Patchouli turned away and began reading again. "It's a gift. Use it as you wish."
Alice wasn't sure if she should be flattered, annoyed, or exasperated. She settled for sighing. "I appreciate the gift, but there's a reason it's the 'language of flowers' and not the 'language of useful body parts you just harvested.'"
Patchouli just muttered and turned away. Meanwhile, Marisa did her best to look totally uninterested in this while nervously watching as much as she could. Koakuma, of course, was smiling like a cat who had found a creamery.
Alice sighed again and smiled weakly. It seemed she'd have something to write to her mother about....
-----
Extra:
Yuki was sure she was going to snap soon.
She had no idea how she had let Mai talk her into this. Sure the little devils were skilled at their jobs, but they were still devils! And every single one of them had a different job. They'd all agreed to set up the mansion first, but now each one wanted their own personal workspace. And while they were making serious amounts of money, there was no way they could buy everything each devil needed all at once, much less actually get poor Ferra to construct it all in a day.
Currently she was sitting in the makeshift main office pouring over the accounts one more time, trying to maximize profits so they could keep expanding faster. Elle was running back and forth scribbling out copies (and complaining about not having a machine to do it for her) while the accountant devil, Cassia, sketched out profit loss plans. "We'll have time for more research," Yuki muttered in a sing song voice as she compared the two latest charts. "Dammit Mai! I can't believe you suckered me into this. Numbers, numbers, numbers. Three months of nothing but numbers!"
The door slammed open revealing Marie. "Yuki-sama! You can't cut funding! You'll regret this! Without the full hospital room functioning I can't treat anything past basic first aid and simple diseases!"
Yuki slammed the pen into the table. "Your full hospital would take more money then we have and then some! And it produces almost no income. We need the brewery set up next so we can finance the rest of the expansions!"
"Yuki-sama," Ferra stormed past the annoyed nurse waving some documents. "I need more money then this to get the proper tools to continue work! Without the smithy running there's no way I can get the quality metals for these projects!"
Yuki burried her face in her hands. "IT'S JUST A BAR! It doesn't need fancy metalwork, and if it does we can buy it! I need a good reason before I just hand out funds!"
Mai sighed as she heard Yuki continue shouting through the door, "And unbuttoning your blouse is not a good reason!" The magicians wings lightly twitched, then relaxed again.
"Yuki really needs to calm down," she said lazily to the devil girl who was kneading her shoulders. "Maybe you should visit her after she's done. This really helps get the tension out."
The devil smiled. "I'm glad I could help Mai-sama. I'll offer my services to Yuki-sama later if you desire it."
"Yeah, good idea." Mai yawned. "I'll have to make sure to name you first though. I'm not going to let Yuki steal away someone as skilled as you."
"Thanks."
Mai's mind wandered a bit. "Hey, how did masseuse become a separate bit from doctor anyway?"
"I heard it had something to do with medical practices in the outside world. Something about Chiropractic work not being covered...."
Mai yawned as she heard a blast of fire go off in the room next door. "Oh, you probably shouldn't offer Yuki any special service. I don't think she'd take it well."
The devil laughed nervously. "Yeah..."
