Mahou Shoujo: Outfit Cleansing Ritual

Way to cleanse the odd ballet outfit and obtain magical ballet outfit.
Scene to obtain the outfit: https://pastebin.com/MWzZX719
Related NPC is found here: https://pastebin.com/R0y2xebF



> First scene
//Triggered when wearing the odd magical girl outfit and approaching [Marielle] at the bog temple

You approach the busy seamstress and greet her.

"<i>Ah, [name], you came back. What can I do for...</i>" Her voice trails off as she stares at you, her many arms stopping mid-motion. You ask her what's wrong.

"<i>Your, ah... Your dress.</i>" You raise an eyebrow, but Marielle seems utterly entranced by your choice of clothing and walks up close to you. "<i>It... It bears a striking resemblance to... Where did you find that?</i>" You give her a short version of your meadow encounter, though you somewhat struggle to do so. Strange, how the memory seems so hazy now.

"<i>Hmm...</i>" She paces around you like a cat eyeing a new toy, looking at your dress from different angles, prodding the fabric. As soon as her finger touch, she flinches away, eyes wide. You try to question her, but it goes ignored as she mumbles to herself and continues her examination with a visible amount of wariness. Any attempts to talk to her remain unanswered, much like the first, so you give up and let her live out her curiosity.

It takes a while before she speaks up again. "<i>Say, have you seen the statues around here? Do come here.</i>" You have, but curious about what she is getting at, you follow her to the back of the temple, to a lone statuette in the corner. You've noticed that one before, but haven't paid it much attention. It had fallen from its socket and shattered into many pieces, but it seems Marielle had put most of them loosely back together, though she has to awkwardly hold them up with all her hands to keep the shards from falling once again. It's a young girl, like most of the other statues, heavily chipped and missing her arms. But it's not her [if corruption <50:(regrettable) else:(terrible)] state of disrepair that catches your eye. But what she is wearing:

A frilly dress, incredibly similar to your own, complete with two ribbons in her hair. Was it not for the damage, you might even say it's <i>exactly</i> the one you are wearing.

"<i>Yes. Remarkable, is it not? I believe you have found the original.</i>" You ask her what she means. Marielle takes her time gently setting the broken statuette down again, then massages her fingers and looks around the room.

"<i>These, ah... These girls. They were all real, they all lived, once. As I understand it, they were followers of the goddess who resided here.</i>" She points to the large marble statue at the back wall. "<i>And these dresses... I do not know their purpose, but they may have been ceremonial, or held magical power.  I have tried replicating some, but they never come out quite like this. But yours...</i>" Her fascination changes to uncertainty as she turns to you. "<i>Say, have you, ah... felt different? Something strange? Ever since you put on that dress, I mean.</i>" You are a bit surprised by that question, but answer in the affirmative. Her look of uncertainty hardens as you go into more detail.

"<i>I see.</i>" The girl folds her lower arms, deep in thought. "<i>It is possessed.</i>" Before you can say anything, she continues, "<i>Something is living in that dress, and it does not seem benevolent. I am, ah, frankly surprised you have not lost your mind yet, [name], it seems to hold considerable power.</i>" [if corruption <50:(Her words are rather unsettling. Having some monster possessing your clothes doesn't sound particularly pleasant.) else:(You've managed so far. But still, you don't know how you feel about some monster potentially influencing your mind.)]

[if Shouldra is present:(Thinking about it, surely Shouldra has noticed something, too? You direct your question inwards towards you ghostly companion.

"<i>Yeah, the girlie's right, Champ. Something's jacked your cute dress. Not gonna tell you how to live your life correctly—if you think you're good, that's fine, but I don't like it. Be careful.</i>" With that warning, she recedes again, content to watch.)]

"<i>I... We may be a able to, ah, cleanse it,</i>" Marielle speaks up again and interrupts your thoughts. She knows how to do that? "<i>Ah, I may know how, but I will need your help, I am no mage myself.</i>" [if pc knows no spells at all:(You tell her you're not a mage, either. "<i>Oh. Ah, that will be of no issue. You have the potential in you, that is all we will need.</i>") else:(You mull this over in your head. Would you have to learn a specific spell for that? "<i>Ah, no, we will need no spells for this method. Your magical energy is all we require.)]

How do you feel about attempting to cleanse your dress?

 [DoItNow] [MaybeLater] [Never]


> [DoItNow]

"<i>Oh, ah, no, no!</i>" Marielle waves her hands in front of her. "<i>I cannot do it now, I will need to make preparations beforehand. You should come back later, I will have it all in order.</i>" You nod and say your goodbyes. Before you turn to leave, she calls out to you again, "<i>Ah, you cannot be wearing it, of course, that might endanger you. Be sure to, ah, wear something else.</i>" [if pc femininity >59:(You could swear you see a faint blush on her cheeks. You nod again and leave Marielle to herself.) else:(You nod again and leave the temple.)]

You make your way back to camp. So you might now have a way to cleanse your dress from whatever is possessing it. Speak to Marielle again whenever you are ready.

//Back to camp
//1 hour consumed
//Adds option to Marielle's menu: [CleanseDress]


> [MaybeLater]

"<i>Hmm, yes.</i>" She nods to herself and adjusts her glasses. "<i>I will need to make some preparations, but it should not be long. Return to me whenever you are ready. Ah, and bring the dress with you, of course.</i>" You say your farewells and turn to leave the temple.

So now you might have a way to cleanse your dress from whatever is possessing it. Whether you will or not is up to you; speak to Marielle again if you decide to do it.

//Back to camp
//1 hour consumed
//Adds option to Marielle's menu: [CleanseDress]


> [Never]

The girl blinks at your through her glasses. "<i>You... do not wish to?</i>" You notice her taking a cautious step back from you. "<i>I... I cannot recommend that. Are you sure, absolutely?</i>" You are. "<i>I see. If I cannot sway your mind, then so be it. But please, do reconsider. I will be ready, should you change your mind.</i>" She looks genuinely concerned about you, but you wave her off, say your goodbyes and leave the temple.

Well, the option stands, even if you won't take it.

//Back to camp
//1 hour consumed
//Adds option to Marielle's menu: [CleanseDress]



> [CleanseDress]
//Greyed-out if odd ballet outfit is not in inventory
//tooltip if odd ballet outfit is in inventory: "Attempt to cleanse whatever is possessing your dress."
//tooltip if odd ballet outfit is not in inventory: "You will need to be carrying the strange, magical dress you found for this. And you shouldn't be wearing it."

You tell Marielle you're here to cleanse the possessed dress you found.

"<i>Oh, ah, yes, wonderful!</i>" She gets up from her seat and rummages through a box below the counter. For a while, you can only see her pale legs sticking out from under the table, until, with a cheerful exclamation, she comes up again, gripping a small satin bag. She hands it to you while attempting to fix her hair. "<i>Open it.</i>" Inside, you find it full of unassuming, black pearls. You take one out. It's perfectly smooth, a bit larger than your thumb, and surprisingly heavy. You ask the seamstress what these are.

"<i>Magic dampeners. Ah, do not worry, they are not active,</i>" she adds when she catches your look. "<i>Although doing just that will be your task.</i>"

 [Ask] [Continue]
//Neither option should flush the previous text
//[Ask] tooltip: "Ask her where she got those from."


> [Ask]

Curious, you ask Marielle where she got those from. She glances at you and turns away to walk towards the altar.

"<i>They once belonged my father. Come.</i>" You carefully put the pearl back in and follow her.

//the options converge here, see below


> [Continue]

You put the pearl back into its bag.

"<i>And that is all we will need,</i>" she says as she walks towards the altar. You follow her.

//the options converge here

The marble goddess—her face serene as always—regards you as you put the dress down onto the altar on Marielle's instructions. Then, you place the dampeners onto the dress. One on each sleeve, two at the collar and three down at the hem. You expected them to roll away, but they pin the garment down like paperweights, holding it fast in place. Finally, you move to activate them up by touching them with a just tiny bit your magic, like she tells you.

"<i>Ah, wait!</i>" You stop your hand an inch above the first pearl. "<i>Before we continue, I have to warn you. Whatever is possessing this dress will only be driven out by this, not destroyed. I do not know how... it will react to that. You might need to fight.</i>" 'You'? "<i>I am no warrior! I would... only get into the way.</i>" [if corruption <50:(You wish she would have told you that sooner.) else:(You curse under your breath. You'd have liked to know that a bit sooner.)]

Do you want to continue?

 [Yes] [No]


> [No]

"<i>I... understand. Forgive me, I should have informed you sooner.</i>"

You sigh, hand her back the dampeners and take your dress.

"<i>Uhm, we can try again another time, if you wish to.</i>" You tell her you'll think about it. Marielle nods and sits down behind her working table again, adjusting her glasses.

"<i>Well, is there anything else I can do for you?</i>"

//Brings up Marielle's menu again



> [CleanseDress], subsequent times

You tell Marielle you're here again to cleanse your dress.

"<i>Oh, yes, of course!</i>" She quickly gets up and fetches the pouch of magic dampeners, handing them to you. It doesn't take long to set up: the dress onto the altar, then pin it down with the pearls and activate them one by one.

Your hand hovers over the first pearl, and you recall Marielle's warning. You don't know what might be possessing the dress. It could be dangerous to force it out of its confines.

Do you wish to continue?

 [Yes] [No]


> [No]

You falter, and retract your hand.

Marielle looks troubled, but silently takes the magic pearls as you hand them back to her. She walks back behind her table, stows away the pouch and sits down, folding her hands.

"<i>Well, can I do anything else for you?</i>"

//Brings up Marielle's menu again


> [Yes]
//Both [Yes] options lead here

There is no going back now. Carefully, you touch the pearl's smooth, cold surface, letting only the smallest amount of magic energy flow into it. You feel a sudden pull and jerk your hand away. But nothing happens. Then, the pearl starts to shine in a faint, white glow.

"<i>Ah, good, they are still in working condition!</i>" Marielle seems pleased, and you ask her if the pull you just felt was normal. "<i>Huh? I... do not know.</i>" She frowns and cups her chin. "<i>It should be fine, but please be careful.</i>" Mindful of that, you continue. By the fourth pearl, a strong gust blows through the old temple, whirling up dead leaves and making you shiver. Was it always this cold?

You finally arrive at the seventh and last pearl. By now, there is no mistake: the temperature has dropped considerably, your breath condensing into little white puffs. Marielle, standing close besides you, seems unfazed by the sudden change, her eyes fixated on the glowing pearls. Your finger touches the last one and sets it alight.

It starts to glow. Silence.

"<i>Hmm.</i>" Marielle breaks it first. You take that as your queue to ask if something is wrong. "<i>I... honestly do not know. I apologize, I have only ever seen father use them, I never tested them myself, but...</i>" As her voice trails off, you notice just how deathly quiet it has become. Normally, the bog would be abuzz with the gurgling of water and the voices and wingbeats of animals, but that all has vanished, swallowed up by an unearthly silence. Marielle must have noticed it, too, as she takes a step back and looks worriedly about. Almost unnoticed, an unexplainable fear creeps into your unconscious.

Suddenly, the little birds sitting on the domed roof frantically take flight, chirping in panic. The breeze picks up, blowing from behind towards the altar, and a high-pitched howl pierces the air. You both double over and clasp your ears as the shriek rises higher and higher to a banshee's wail, threatening to shatter your eardrums. You wince in pain. Just as you think you can't take any more, all goes still. The next instant, a wall of near-solid air hits you, lifting you up and throwing you through the temple. You crash hard and skitter on the ground, managing to catch yourself on your hands. Marielle is less fortunate, her feather-light body slamming into a pillar with a cry of pain and an audible crack. She slides down, where she remains in an unmoving heap. But you have little time to be concerned.

It has become dark, far darker than it should be during this time of the day. Clouds roll overhead, a distant rumble reaches your ears, and a sudden downpour bombards the temple's battered roof. You can hardly move. Your body aches, your head hurts and your heart thunders in your chest, but something else is holding you back. Something has gripped your mind tight, wrestled all control from you. Something rooted deep inside you. Something primal:

Terror.

You can feel it. Feel its presence behind you. You don't want to turn your head. You don't want to look around. You want to run, leave this place behind. But none of that matters.

Slowly, you turn around.

And time comes to a standstill. Before you towers a monolithic form, dark and terrible like the cold ocean in a nightly storm. It has no apparent face, you can't make out any limbs. Just a massive, featureless mass filling up the decrepit sanctum, surrounded by tempestuous currents of thick, black fumes. The ground rumbles. The sheer pressure this close to the creature is enough to force the air out of your lungs, making it impossible to breathe. Its stranglehold on your mind tightens, pinning your hands to the ground, prone and helpless.

Something shifts inside its mass. Even without a face, you feel its oppressive gaze on you as a single massive hand forms and spreads out into large claws, more akin to an ogre's scimitars. You can't move. You can't run. You can't even think. As the monstrous blades approach you, you can only close your eyes.

Blinding light. Then sudden silence. You feel serene, unburdened, like a heavy stone was lifted from your back. Are you dead? Is this the afterlife? You open your eyes again.

A wall of pearlescent light spreads out mere inches in front of your nose. It spans the entire width of the temple, effectively shielding you and Marielle from the horror on the other side, its black claws straining against the protective barrier.

The light pulses, shining with blinding brilliance, and the monstrosity reels. It lunges, strikes again and again, rage and frustration clear in its movements. The barrier flickers, but holds fast under the relentless assault. Then, as it winds up another strike, the wall suddenly loses form and convenes into a single dense mass of light. You have to squint and turn to not be blinded, but you think you can make out the faint outline of two feathery wings sprouting from its mid.

Sound returns to your ears as the barrier vanishes and you hear the nightmare screech in fury and pain as the incandescent figure slams into its monolithic body. It tries to evade and swipe at its smaller foe, but the light deftly dodges the sluggish strike and delivers another tackle that shakes the very foundation of the old sanctuary. Miraculously, the building does not collapse as the shining figure lays into the monster for a third time, nearly toppling it. Battered and bruised, the monstrosity roars, summoning a great tempest to surround itself. The light rushes in front of you—protectively—but the monster makes no attempt to attack. Instead, it retreats backwards, then vaults out of the temple with one great leap, taking parts of the already-broken roof with it, and disappears into the clouded sky.

The figure of light remains hovering in front of you as your stalwart guardian, as if expecting the monster to suddenly burst in through the wall again, but nothing happens. Eventually, the illumination flickers, weakens, then fizzes out in a small shower of opalescent sparks.

Tranquillity returns to the overgrown sanctum again as it is bathed in a pleasant shade.

You rub your eyes and temples, then try to stand. You are wobbly and stumble, but you manage. For all it's worth, the sanctuary doesn't look much worse than before. More rubble dots the floors, and most of the sconces have been knocked over and thrown around, but it suffered no structural damage. And you are alive. You are indeed alive. [if pc race is something undead, in case one ever gets implemented:(As alive as you can be, at least.)] A groan from the side catches your attention.

"<i>Ughh...</i>" Marielle seems very much alive as well. The battered seamstress is currently trying to get to her feet again.

 [Help her] [Let her]
//[Help her] tooltip: "Help the poor girl."
//[Let her] tooltip: "She's fine, no need to help."


> [Let her]

You leave her be, she's going to be fine on her own. [if silly mode on:(Instead of being a decent person and helping an injured little girl, you) else:(You)] take another look around: all traces of the two strange creatures are gone, only a lingering feeling of dread remains deep in your chest.

What were they, why did they fight, why were they here? One obviously was the creature that possessed the dress, but the other? No explanation comes to you while surveying your surroundings. One being of pure light, and one of pure darkness, or so it seemed. Opposite beings? Or just coincidence. Mareth can be a strange place, that much you know from your adventures. And now both vanished without a trace. Why? More questions than answers swirl through your head. Maybe you should just take your dress and get back to camp for some much-needed rest. Right, the dress. You approach the altar.

//the options converge here, see below


> [Help her]

You approach the injured girl. Upon closer inspection, you notice she seems to have lost an eye again, and her right leg is nothing but a bloody stump. Currently, she is trying to pull herself up by the pillar she was slammed into.

"<i>Hngh... Ah, [name]. Oh, there is no need to worry,</i>" she says, waving a hand and trying to smile, but flinching in pain instead, "<i>I have... lived through worse.</i>" Still, you grab her under the arms and help her up onto her remaining leg. She heavily leans against the pillar and winces as she tries to straighten her back. "<i>Ngah... Thank you.</i>" She looks about as shaky as you. Which is surprising, given her missing limb and eye. "<i>Hmmngh... They should be around here somewhere.</i>"

You look around. Her leg is easy to find: a trail of blood splatters leads you to the entrance, where the pale limb rests on the lowest step. [if corruption <50:(With a bit of hesitation, you pick it up. Feels strange, holding a severed leg.) else:(You pick it up and turn it about. Seems quite fine, other than being severed.)] Marielle looks relieved when you present her the missing limb. "<i>Wonderful, now I just need to...</i>" You offer your help. "<i>With that? [if pc femininity >59:(I-I-I cannot ask that of you! I will be... I... Haah, all right. T-Thank you.</i>" She gingerly lifts her dress to expose the bloody stump, her face beet-red. This close, you are reminded that she doesn't wear any panties. That explains her embarrassment. You press the two open wounds together on the girl's stammered instructions, then hold them tight. A minute passes. "<i>A-All right, that is enough.</i>" You let go and stand up. She testingly stretches it. "<i>I... Thank you, [name].</i>" Her gaze doesn't meet yours, and you hear her sigh.) else:(Oh, I cannot ask you to do that. I will be quite... Ahh, fine. Thank you, [name].</i>" She lifts her dress until it exposes the bloody stump. On her instructions, you press the two wounds together, then wait. A minute or so passes before she speaks up, "<i>Yes, that should be fine now.</i>" You let go and she stretches her leg testingly.)] That's now resolved, but she's still missing an eye. When she looks to be steady enough on her legs again, you comb the temple together.

Crouching low to look under the bookshelf, you have time to wonder what just happened. What was that shadowy monster, and what was the light that fought it and saved you? A shudder courses through you at the memory.

"<i>I do not know,</i>" calls Marielle from where she is hunched over a pile of rubble, trying to inspect it through her remaining eye. "<i>Those creatures... looked like nothing I have ever seen before. They were not natural, that much is sure.</i>" You ask her what she means. "<i>Their...</i>" She pauses to think. "<i>They did not seem of this world, did they?</i>" You guess. But Mareth can be a strange place. "<i>I suppose that is true. But many come in from outside worlds, yes? You and I are examples of that.</i>" She motions between the two of you before moving on to look underneath a fallen brazier. "<i>Ah!</i>" She reaches below and comes up with her missing eye in hand, although stained by dust and ash.

"<i>Haah... Well, at least it isn't broken,</i>" she mumbles before cleaning in it one of the small ponds and popping it back in with a strained grunt, then blinks rapidly. "<i>Good, good. Thank you, [name], for helping me.</i>" She's quite welcome. With that out of the way, what happened to your dress? You approach the altar.

//the above options converge here

On first glance, it looks exactly the same, and you are quite surprised to see it having survived the battle completely unscathed. But as you stroke the fabric, it feels... different. Much softer. And the strange, ominous aura—what you now realize must have been the monster's influence—is gone, replaced by a gentle radiance.

"<i>Well, the possession has been successfully lifted,</i>" Marielle says as she walks up besides you, her back still bent at an odd angle. "<i>It seems father's old pearls still worked like I—</i>" Her voice goes silent as she lays eyes on the magic dampeners: they are broken, shattered into many pieces that are now strewn about the dress and altar. All but two. "<i>Oh...</i>" Her expression is a complex one. With trembling hands, she picks up the pieces and puts them back into their satin pouch, then holds the surviving two close to her chest and hangs her head, long strands of golden hair falling over her face.

"<i>I...</i>" She gulps and sniffs, then takes a deep breath. "<i>I suppose it was worth it. I... did not use them, anyway.</i>" Another deep, shaky breath. "<i>And look.</i>" She nods towards the altar. "<i>The dress. It is beautiful now, is it not?</i>" She's right. You hold it out in front of you. Not only is it incredibly soft now, but also even lighter than it used to be. The colors are more vibrant, too, and the petticoat seems puffier than before. It's like it has gained a new life. [if corruption >80:(Though now it really creeps you out. Do you really want to wear something this girly and... pure?)]

[if corruption >80:(Nonetheless, you) else:(You)] carefully fold the garment and stow it away. This all has taken quite a toll on you, you could really use some rest right now. In your own bed. You don't think you could sleep here right now, after that frightful encounter. You ask Marielle if she'll be fine here.

"<i>Hmm? Oh. Yes, yes I will be.</i>" Her head still hangs, but you take her word for it. "<i>You are leaving?</i>" You can't see her expression. "<i>All right. Be well, then.</i>" She finally looks up and forces a smile. You say your farewells and leave the crestfallen seamstress to her solitude.

As you slog through the thick mud towards home, your mind wanders back to the monstrosity. That nightmarish creature is now free. And you don't know what it will do. Was this really the right thing? This could all turn out to have been a terrible mistake. What if it comes to finish what it started, will the figure of light appear again to save you? There is no turning back time now. Shuddering, you march on.

//odd ballet outfit becomes magical ballet outfit!
//Back to camp
//2 hours consumed
//Unlocks talk option: [Gretchen]