008 ~*~ At least she can't drink and fly...

[not_so_great_wall]

[ Action : Olney's Tavern : Open ]
[ If you're a regular at the bar, you might notice a new sigth in one of the stools. A tall red-haired Chinese woman in a plain green dress is making herself right at home, even if the drone workers don't particularly care about serving her anything other than weak, fruity, feminine drinks.

That doesn't mean she hasn't been trying to sweet-talk them into it for the better part of an hour. And by sweet-talk, I mean whining pitifully because she really doesn't want to get thrown out for taking matters into her own hands. ] --c'mo~on. Can't you just pour me something a little stronger? I'm going to need a whole lot more than this. [ She remarks, fingernail grazing the edge of the colorful cocktail glass. ]

---

[ Action : Around Town : Open ]
[ Later, no matter how much she had to work at it, she managed to get herself sufficiently smashed (for a short while, at least)! You can encounter her:

1) Wandering the neighborhood, humming some old tune to herself as she sways.
2) Attempting to enter your home and not realizing why her stupid key isn't working...
3) Napping on your front lawn. ]

Comments

[perfectandelegant]

Did you not hear a word I said? Meiling. You are at my doorstep at 2 AM, and you are clearly inebriated. What are you doing here?

[At least she doesn't take her knives to bed with her. That should be some consolation.]

[not_so_great_wall]

[ Meiling straightens up with a start. ] Ah! I am--! I mean--! I won't--! [ She looks back and forth from the key to the plate on the door and just sighs. ] I did it again...

[perfectandelegant]

[It's the word 'again' that catches Sakuya's attention.] How much did you drink, to go trying to let yourself into the wrong house more than once? [She smacks Meiling in the back of the head, but it's not as hard as she could do it.]

[not_so_great_wall]

[ Sakuya might notice the bits of grass in her hair, and that her dress was dirty. She ducks her head at the blow, bringing a hand up to the spot reflexively. ] Um... a lot?

[perfectandelegant]

[Sakuya does notice, and she sighs. Well, only one thing to do about it now. She sighs and shakes her head.]

What am I going to do with you? At least come inside, I'll get changed and walk you home.

[Because that's easier than telling her to sleep on the couch till morning, and because she's not so cruel as to demand that Meiling just go home alone in her current state. Who knows what's out at night in this town?]

[not_so_great_wall]

[ Putting up her hands. ] N-no, it's okay! I'm not... [ Going home? ] I'm not in a hurry.

[perfectandelegant]

...

[The only way she can think to react is a facepalm.]

You need to go home at some point, you know. But I suppose I'll make tea and you can sober up a bit first. Just don't get loud.

[not_so_great_wall]

[ A hand comes up to grab Sakuya's. ] Don't do that! It can hurt. [ And she's awfully concerned about that right now. About everyone. ]

I'll come in if you don't hit yourself again. [ This was a totally logical arrangement for her. ]

[perfectandelegant]

[...oh, Meiling. That actually causes Sakuya's cheeks to flush a little, but she shakes her head a little.

...that didn't really hurt, but. All right. Just stay quiet, okay? Everyone else is sleeping.

[And she's just going to go in and put the kettle on.]

[not_so_great_wall]

[ Meiling nods sluggishly and follows the maid into her home like a sad, lost puppy. The analogy isn't far from the mark, and it takes her just a minute to properly find and sit in a chair.

--did she remember to close the door behind her? Probably not. ]

[perfectandelegant]

[But Sakuya remembered to go back and check it, so it's now closed, tea is on, and she's sitting across from Meiling, frowning a bit.]

Should I ask what brought this on?

[not_so_great_wall]

[ She sits in the chair, hands on her knees, eyes glued to the floor. ] They droned the man who lived with us. He... was a nice man, and seemed to want to change things, and I woke up today and he was... different.

[perfectandelegant]

[Sakuya goes quiet, then, getting up when the kettle whistles and pouring tea for the both of them.]

I'm so sorry.

[There's no lie in the words, even a note of sadness.]

Do you think it's permanent, or is there a chance he'll snap out of it?

[not_so_great_wall]

I don't know a way to tell. [ Frowning. ] This place makes it hard to make friends, but...

[perfectandelegant]

[She nods, humming sadly.] It's not like you to mope or drown your sorrows like that, though. Were you that close?

[not_so_great_wall]

[ Shaking her head, a self-deprecating smile on her face. ] No, actually! It's a stupid thing to be bothered by.

[perfectandelegant]

It's not a stupid thing to be bothered by. When someone gets droned, it's a reminder that it could happen to you. But it's still not a good idea to dwell on it. Don't hide your feelings, but don't drown them in alcohol, either.

[not_so_great_wall]

[ She clutches her knees. ] A reminder that it did happen to me... I watched it happen. I remember everything. [ Meiling's jaw is tense, and she has to force the words out through clenched teeth. ] And I couldn't stop it...

[perfectandelegant]

I think I see what's going on. [It's really rare for her to be so empathetic, but something's struck a nerve with Sakuya. She puts her hand on top of one of Meiling's.]

You're scared that because it happened once, it could again. I...I remember fighting it not too long ago, being unsure of what was real and what was them. It's frightening. The important thing, though, is that we're both okay now. That time's gone now.

[not_so_great_wall]

[ She nods. ] But what about next time? Or the time after that? [ The uncertainty is what gets her. Back home, she had a job to do, and it was straightforward. "Protect the mansion from all intruders!"

Easy, even if she wasn't always successful. The important fact is that Meiling was dedicated and fearless. Sure, she might have slacked off on occasion, and she was trampled over a number of times, but she never backed down and never moved from her post when it mattered.

Here, she was coming to learn the hard way just how powerless she really was, and that brought just one thing to mind: ] I really am afraid, aren't I?

[perfectandelegant]

Listen well, because I won't repeat this: you are a stronger person and a braver one than you're giving yourself credit for. You'll get back up and keep going, just like you always do.

[Because she always does; sure, Sakuya had caught Meiling slacking more times than she could count, and sure, occasionally people got in that shouldn't be in the mansion. But when it really mattered, and when it came straight down to it? The mansion was a family, every person important, everyone doing what they needed to.

And Sakuya is nothing if not fiercely loyal to her family, even here - no. Especially here. She may have other connections that she values, but her family mattered most.]

It's fine to be a bit afraid of the future, but the important thing is not to let it control you.

[not_so_great_wall]

[ She knows that tone, and so Meiling straightens up so she doesn't even give the impression that she's not listening. ]

I'm not just afraid for myself. I'm afraid for Flandre. And for Patchouli, too, especially.

She is...

She shouldn't...

[ The youkai doesn't even know where to start with this explanation. She pulls her hands away, determined to try and drink some tea to give her a moment to think. ]

[perfectandelegant]

We'll do as we always do: protect Flandre as best we can.

[She tilts her head, noting the tone when Patchouli's name comes up.]

She's what? What's going on with Patchouli-sama?

[Worried meido is worried.]

[not_so_great_wall]

Do you remember that one black-white witch who keeps sneaking into the library, back home?

[perfectandelegant]

Of course. Marisa's here, too, and of late has been acting foolish, even for her.

...don't tell me she's giving Patchouli-sama trouble. I've warned her.