[Action for Castlevania] A Welcoming

[im_gonna_heal_u]

While Konoka had tried her best to contact Pidonus after (unfairly) ditching Porrim, she stood alone before the gate to the land only known as 'Castlevania'. She had seen some impressive buildings, including the old base of Cosmo Entelecheia, but this was definitely not anything to sneeze at. The hanging darkness felt no different than real night, and the fact that she caught Dracula's video broadcast did not ease her in the slightest. It was a bit scary, and yet awe inspiring. Opting not to show her worry, Konoka steeled herself, perhaps like a fabled Belmont staring down the castle itself.

...well more accurately, she was staring at the castle like the corrupted Belmont had, disappearing from the world after his victory. Pidonus had charmed her, and it was the thoughts of that succubus that led her here.

The charm was so deep seated that she didn't even realize how she wouldn't have come here had she not been notified before hand. She had her fair share of dealing with magical creatures and villains after her fateful field trip to the magical world, but the apprehension was different than those times, and far different from her previous adventures. For the next... well, for a good while, this might be the place she calls home.

So dialing one last time, she rang up Pidonus. "I'm here!" She said. "Place looks kinda scary!"

Comments

[have_hat_will_travel]

On the phone, Pidonus blinked. "You're.... Here. As in the gates of the..."

...

Fortunately, Konoka's probably used to seeing teleportation magic, so Pidonus suddenly appearing in a puff of smoke in front of her shouldn't be too surprising.

"Didn't I say... Did I forget to say that?", Pidonus asked of her minion.

[im_gonna_heal_u]

Konoka blinked owlishly, her confusion apparent. "You said not to appear in front of the castle," she said. "We're in front of the gateway. It's a safe distance! I made sure no monsters were hanging around before I showed up here." Konoka may be an airhead sometimes, but she was far from stupid.

[have_hat_will_travel]

"... Next time, I mean the gate of Everglade, not the castle, all right?", Pidonus specified for future reference.

"We have much to work on, I believe. It won't do to have my minion in street clothes, for one. A couple more minions will be a long-term goal."

[im_gonna_heal_u]

"I understand," Konoka nodded. Maybe with the new change it might be better to be safe than sorry.

"Street clothes?" Konoka looked down at her ensemble. "What's wrong with my clothes?" But she dutifully followed her anyway.

[have_hat_will_travel]

"They are acceptable, yes, but they do not appropriate highlight your role as my minion. I think you can guess that this is not an ideal situation, you know?"

... Konoka got a certain sense that Pidonus really hadn't thought all this through...

[im_gonna_heal_u]

And for being something of an airhead who no longer realized that Pidonus charmed her, she had caught onto that facet very quickly. "Ummm... I thought you got rid of my hazy state so people wouldn't figure out that I was your minion. Or was it just not supposed to be obvious. I forget..."

But she wouldn't be too helpful in sorting all that out to be honest, however.

[have_hat_will_travel]

"Well, I'm not kidnapping you, so you can head out normally sometimes. But when you're on the job, that's another matter. Especially within the castle."

Pidonus sort of nodded along. Yes, this was a clear sign of someone who was NOT good at making a plan. Did she even have ulterior motives for minions?

[im_gonna_heal_u]

"Ah, okay!" Essentially, even if Konoka wasn't under Pidonus's charm, she might have gone along with this minus the whole monsters thing. "...well in that case don't you mean I need a uniform for work?"

It made the most sense, right? Pidonus might be new at this boss thing. Fortunately Konoka is here to help!

[have_hat_will_travel]

"Something like that, yes." Pidonus chuckled. "But I am getting ahead of myself, for first, we should head inside."

And with that, Pidonus started across the gate and towards the castle, her steps almost sauntering with her showy walk...

[sakuya_izayoi]

The great doors opened seemingly on their own as they approached, a rather stoic looking woman in a maid outfit standing on the other side. She bowed once and gestured inside.

"I don't believe we've met. I am Sakuya Izayoi, head maid of the vampire Remilia Scarlet. Welcome to Castlevania. Please, come inside."

[im_gonna_heal_u]

Though Konoka hadn't been seduced into finding Pidonus sexually appealing, the showy walk had drawn her eyes despite its silliness. Pidonus had been justified in her mind as her boss, and no amount of showyness would really dissuade her. 

The massive castle was even more impressive up close, as was the impressive maid standing there. Konoka matched her respective bow, adding to her greeting with her own. "I'm Konoka Konoe. I work for Pidonus now, pleased to meet you."

[have_hat_will_travel]

Pidonus nodded towards Sakuya, politely bowing. "I've decided it's high time I acquire a few minions of my own... She's just the start."

She chuckled, able to tell that Konoka wasn't attracted to her. She'd consider doing something about that later, but as long as she was loyal, it likely didn't matter.

[sakuya_izayoi]

"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Another bow, this one smaller. "I believe you will learn the ins and outs of this place quickly. And if you need any assistance you need only call me from within these walls. I will hear you and I will come."

And then to Pidonus. "I see. If I may be so bold as to suggest: please ensure that she is completely safe and situated before taking on any more. The beasts in these walls do not bother you but even now they still try and attack me on occasion. I will assist in the protection of any 'minions' you recruit but splitting your focus too much may put some of them at risk."

[im_gonna_heal_u]

"Uh huh," Konoka nodded. Sakuya definitely seemed nice enough, but this place was still feeling very strange. And the thought of beasts attacking? She hoped Pidonus knew how to keep them off. Granted, once that knowledge became hers Konoka could at least try to learn how to fend for herself. She's managed to befriend even dragons before, after all.

[have_hat_will_travel]

"It shall be no problem, soon enough. Though, for now, Konoka, when here, I must ask you remain with me except when we are among a few areas I trust to not be hazardous to you. The creatures within will recognize you as mine over time... Mostly."

Pidonus chuckled. "Of course, it does limit how many minions I can afford to keep. Three seems a safe limit, does it not, Sakuya?"

forgive the delay

[sakuya_izayoi]

"The creatures recognize me as the bound servant of My Lady and they still give me trouble." She sounded vaguely annoyed, though it wasn't really directed at Kokona or Piodonus.

"And I think three is quite reasonable. Once thy learn to take care of themselves they can shelter any others you take. Then the only issue becomes splitting your attention between them." The maid was smiling as if at some private joke...

"Regardless. I will still ensure her safety should you wish to leave her here. So long as she stays by my side nothing will happen to her. You have my word."

[im_gonna_heal_u]

"Thank you," Konoka took that about as gracefully as she could, which would pale in comparison to the grace this woman had, and that was without a single clumsy bone in her body.

"I take it you're hoping to expand then," Konoka said, still thinking in terms of business... or at least that's how the hypnosis parsed their relationship without it interfering with Konoka's regular personality. "But umm... what do I do here as your servant?"

[have_hat_will_travel]

Pidonus blinked. "... I'm still working that part out," Pidonus answered honestly. "Something just kind of told me I needed to collect a couple of minions, so I did."

Sakuya, if you've seen much of Pidonus, this kind of lack of planning is relatively normal for her. A big part of it seems to be that, for all her powers, she's got some pretty immense self-doubts.

Konoka, on the other hand, can just tell that her 'boss' didn't plan this very well. All the cool magical power, no idea where to go with it.

[sakuya_izayoi]

Sakuya, if she noticed the short sightedness, didn't say anything. Instead she simply opened the door wider, gesturing inside once more.

"I'm sure everything will work out once things start to unfold more. Besides, it's difficult to think in such cold. Please come inside and I will make you a pot of tea and you can further discuss your plans in warmth and private.

(ooc: Feel free to take your time getting to the table. Sakuya will show up again when you reach it)

[im_gonna_heal_u]

"I see!" As the doors opened, Konoka looked at the castle, its interior proving just as fascinating as the exterior. "Well thank you! We'll see you in a little bit, then?"

Stepping inside, Konoka wondered. "So, umm... what were you looking for in a minion anyway? Prestige? Help with tasks? Someone pretty to look at?"

[have_hat_will_travel]

"... We shall discuss the full details once we have more privacy," Pidonus responded. "Though pretty's nice. Helpfulness is nice. Prestige... I can take or leave that?"

[im_gonna_heal_u]

"Mmn," Konoka nodded. She figured it would come to that, so she made note of it and continued onward. Dracula's massive castle seemed almost tough to navigate; its wicked halls twisted like a living being's blood vessels even though the halls looked no different than the average castle's.

Either that, or Pidonus was lost.

"Where are we supposed to be going again?" Konoka asked.

[have_hat_will_travel]

"About... Here," Pidonus said, opening a door to a large, gothic bedroom. Fancy dressers and the door looked to have a magicked lock upon it.

"Sorry, I usually just use a teleportation spell to get here quickly. We shall have to work on ideal quartering for you, of course. Possibly closer to the entrance, for easy ingress and egress." The succubus chuckled, leaning towards Konoka a bit.

"What do you think, so far?"

[im_gonna_heal_u]

Konoka could recognize magic a bit better now, so she blinked as the settings changed, realizing Pidonus had warped them despite the lack of flourish. The room was impressively large, with a gothic looking canopy bed, tall windows, and equally impressive dressers.

"Wow, this does look neat!" Konoka said. "Just a little creepy too, but what isn't around here?" 

[have_hat_will_travel]

Pidonus chuckled a bit. "Well, yeah, gothic theme. That's Lord Dracula's design, and I'm kinda loathe to poke it too hard. Mind, we will have to prepare appropriate chambering for you and the others, once I have them."

... Maybe now would be a good time to ask that question about Pidonus' larger plan?