>>41201
(Nope! Nothing to clarify, thus, we're good to go. Uh, feel free to respond as little as you want; I forgot this was supposed to be a starter, not a personal story for myself!)
Gensokyo… A land enriched by magic and wonderment. Sealed, almost, entirely off from the Outside World. Its realm inhabited by many strange and fantastical creatures known as Youkai. Among their ranks exist Fairies, Demons, Vampires, Magicians, Phantoms, and many others; whose desires and random natures oftentimes lead to conflict with the land’s human protectors, mainly the Shrine Maiden of the Hakurei Shrine and her friend, an “Ordinary” Magician. And most often, the Youkai aggressors are beaten back and forced to give up on whatever goal they originally had in mind. However, these losses frequently result, strangely, in a social gathering where both loser and winner make merry, inviting numerous other Youkai for drinks, food, and an all around good time…
“Unyuu~” Okuu marveled at the structure laid before her as she and Rin approached its entrance. Scarlet in color, rather unique in design, and quite sizable in scale, the Scarlet Devil Mansion, or S.D.M. for short, was something she’d never really got to appreciate up close before. At best, she’d flown over the building a few times on her way to other parties; those mainly hosted by Reimu at her Shrine. But now here she was, alongside her beloved Rin, to drink and have plenty of fun! “I wonder who messed up this time…~?” The Raven-haired beauty cooed out. Though she wasn’t sure on the details, considering the circumstances and the location of this festivity, she guessed that one of the Mansion’s residents tried something big and got beaten into submission. Not that it concerned her, honestly, but it was fun to speculate sometimes. Frankly, it could just as likely be that nobody messed up, but that was the more unlikely scenario.
In front of the pair, the gates of the SDM were wide open, and Youkai of all kinds were entering and exiting. A few she knew, such as Parsee and Yuugi, who she spotted through the window of one of the rooms, seemingly busying themselves with drinking and talking, but most of the others she’d only met or talked to briefly in some of the other parties prior. “Woah… I knew it’d be busy… but I guess it’s a bit rarer for a party to get held here! Come on~! Let’s get in so we can join the fun!” Grabbing her Redheaded companion’s hand, Utsuho rushed forward, joining the crowd of Youkai waiting to get let in.
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“Waah… so many people…” Meiling sighed as she let a few more individuals pass her by, nodding and smiling at them as they entered the Mansion’s grounds. “I know I’m the gate guard and all.. but isn’t this too much? It’s a party… and these guys know better than to make trouble here… Or am I being too optimistic? I wish I could just drink and socialize, too… Everyone’s having so much fun…” She’d cock her head, wondering about her mindset before shaking her head and continuing to mutter to herself. “Well, then again, the Mistress DOES like keeping up appearances… That and Sakuya’s threatened to have me do something even more tedious and troublesome if I fail in this… Haa…”
“Uhm… hello~?” A voice soon snapped Meiling out of her mutterings as she stood up straight and snapped her head towards the newcomers.
“Whuh-Huh? Er- Hello?” Meiling stumbled over her words a moment before eyeing the two Youkai up and down. “Oh! I think I remember you two! It’s… You’re both that Satori’s pets, right? The Hell Raven and Kasha…? Erm… Sorry, give me a moment…” Meiling then appeared to be in deep thought as she tried to crank up her memory bank.
“Ah! It’s Utsuho! Utsuho Reiuji! But you can call me Okuu!” She’d cheerfully announce, nodding vigorously, “And yeah, we’re both Lady Satori’s pets! Is she here, by any chance~?” Okuu would ask curiously after Orin introduced herself.
“Satori Komeiji? Mmm, no, not to my knowledge. Though a few of the other Underground Youkai came along, if that’s any good to you.” The Redheaded gate guard would shrug and shake her head, “Anyway, feel free to head on in! There’s lots to do, and plenty of drinks to be had!”
“I see~! Thank you! …Oh, wait, I didn’t get your name!” Okuu started heading in, only to whip back around and address Meiling yet again, seemingly saddened for being so rude.
“Hm? Oh, it’s Meiling! Hong Meiling! And it’s a pleasure to meet you both!” After letting in a few more guests, Meiling would quickly introduce herself to the pair, smiling and bowing politely before straightening up.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Meiling, I hope we can talk again~!” Okuu bounced up and down a few times, excited to make a new friend, as she’d then grab onto Rin and lead the two towards the decorated front doors of the Mansion, ready to get started.
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“Haha… what an interesting pair…” Meiling would comment, watching the two enter… before a chill come up her spine as she looked to her side.
“Spying on guests and not doing our job, are we?” Sakuya appeared next to her, smiling coldly and staring intensely.
“Ahh…” Was all Meiling could get out before getting harshly lectured by her co-worker, much to the amusement of everyone around them. ‘Of all the times she could’ve shown up…’
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“I wonder what’s going on out there…?” Okuu hummed out curiously, hearing some kind of commotion outside, but eventually brushing it off as she refocused more on the drink in front of her. Currently, the Hell Raven found herself in one of the SDM’s many guest halls, saying hello to some friendly faces while continuing to enjoy herself. Relatively crowded as it was, its insides weren’t that hard to navigate, given she and Rin were raised in a large palace as well. But…
“Huh…? Rin?” She turned around, expecting to see the Kasha’s adorable face sipping on a glass of alcohol… only to be met with nobody. In fact, it was then she realized something rather crucial… she hadn’t heard or felt Rin in for quite a little while now. “Eh…?” And so Okuu began to race around, frantically, trying to figure out where her lover went.