Loading User Commands:
[X] Take a break at that red-lantern stand. They need to come up with a plan first.

---

"Here you are~" says the owner. "Two orders of grilled lamprey~"

"Thanks Mystia," replies Alice off-handedly. Shanghai gives the owner a polite bow.

"Enjoy the meal~" says Mystia before she returns to her grill. "Human shall crucify in the darkness~ Human shall crucify in the light too~"

"Don't mind her too much," whispers Alice. "She can be a little bit odd, but she is quite behaved for a forest youkai."

Grimnír nods in agreement. Mystia Lorelei, the owner of this small establishment, has been singing songs ever since they arrived. Her voice is quite enchanting, but the lyrics of her songs vary from slightly strange to outright disturbing. He doesn't mind it much though. It's like enjoying a song in a foreign language - you don't really need to understand all the words.

"Seems like we are the only customers," he comments.

"This place is more popular in the evening," says the magician. "For a variety of reasons. But at least we can talk freely right now."

Alice pauses for a moment, considering her next words.

"I-I'm sorry for earlier," she says, almost in a whisper. "I got carried away that time when I almost attacked that human. I knew he was dangerous, but when I saw the person who hurt Marisa, I just got so angry and -"

"Forget about it," interrupts Grimnír. "No one got hurt, so it's all fine."

"No," says Alice. "No it's not. Eirin was right. Someone could have gotten hurt or killed. I would never forgive myself if something happened to..."

The dollmaker falls silent, not looking him in the eye. After a moment, she takes a bite of her lamprey, though she doesn't seem to be tasting it. He, too, takes a bite. The grilled lamprey is surprisingly tasty. Perhaps this is the reason why this stand is popular with both humans and youkai alike. Odd location for it, though.

"The Scarlet Devil Mansion," says Alice. "Have you heard of it?"

"I only know that vampires live there," replies Grimnír. "Two of them, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes, there are two of them. Both are very powerful and dangerous. Even I wouldn't want to face them in the middle of the night, especially during the full moon. You and I together would still have a difficulty subduing even one of them, and I doubt if we can catch either vampire alone."

"Do others live in that mansion?" asks Grimnír.

Alice nods grimly.

"Outside, at the entrance, is their elite gateguard. It is possible to defeat that one, but the others in the mansion will surely be alerted with the battle. At the mansion library lives a powerful elemental magician and her familiar. I would rather not involve them in this mess. There is also a large fairy maid staff in the mansion, some of which are specially trained for combat. Individually, we can take them, but they have the strength of numbers. Lastly, there is the chief maid, who only reports to the Scarlet Devil herself. She is extremely loyal, and she will definitely attack us if she suspects foul play."

"That sounds like a lot of opposition," replies Grimnír.

"I'm not sure what we can do," admits Alice. "Do you have any ideas?"

What would you suggest?
[ ] Fight your way through.
[ ] Sneak your way through.
[ ] Talk your way through.
[ ] Ask Yukari for ideas. (This will reveal her presence to Alice)
[ ] A more brilliant plan? (Specify)
[ ] Custom