In spite of everything, Airi has to stifle a giggle at Alex's reaction to the mirror. 「I DID tell you it was a trinket. I know that they'd probably be nice to have, but two of them belong to someone in there, and the net belongs to someone who's probably a bad idea to mess with. If you know the name Kazue, it's THAT Kazue, it's hers, and its one of six she made. It's your call there, but they're going to come looking for it, and whoever has it will need to handle it. Besides...someone in there's worried about you. She knew your name. White hair ring a bell?」
With Alex's speech, Airi's looking a bit better. She seems every bit the innocent young girl right now, if a bit teary. 「I still think we should have some tea first. Tea is good. Especially right now. Just for a little.」
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Chrysanth and Airi:
The air around Naiad takes on a scent of palm oil and aloe, and for a moment things do feel like they are going to get better. It's a world you don't understand, and maybe you don't understand this either. You can be pleasantly surprised. Magic can sometimes be a miracle. You have his cane, and somewhere out in the world there is a piece of him that he's left behind. There is Hope. The experience fills you both with Determination.
"I'm... not certain I have any Balefire. But I'm fairly certain you have plenty. Speaking of feathers - is there any way that I can make the trade with birdbrain more... balanced? So that it's not like I'm just taking from him? A more symbiotic pact? Are there any downsides to doing so?" she asks, though her attention seems to have mostly moved to May as well, speaking almost to simply fill the void left in the massive library whenever their guide ceases to speak.
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Tiresias enters the limo and places Kaguya down on a seat just as Juno takes her own. She seats next to a window turned towards the alley and watches Airi and Chrysanth from the relative safety of her current location. She can’t stop herself from feeling guilty about the turn of events. Paresh was her responsibility and now he is no more. They didn’t even have a body to bury. Is that the fate of all magical girls? To be forgotten after their deaths? Not even leaving a shell behind to honor?
He sighed and Kaguya returned to her regular form before him, she spoke and Tiresias lowered her eyes to her hands neatly resting in her lap.
「So it was me. I suspected it but I wasn’t sure. I’m sorry, it was not my intention to cut through your magic like that. My magic…」
She stared at her hands as she closed them to fists and back into a more relaxed state repeatedly.
「My magic is unpredictable to me. Maybe I just haven’t been able to understand it properly but it seems that most of the times it just does what it wants to do. Very rarely have I been able to make it work for me like I intended. 」
Or maybe I just need to get stronger. More trinkets mean more power, right? Right.
She then sees Naiad round the corner, she smiles and one of her hands now rests over her chest.
Alex is alright. I’m so glad. For a moment I doubted Junpei. Why would he keep Alex hidden like that? For his safety apparently, that girl, Kazue, could have tried to kill him like she did to the other Naiad. I’m glad he is safe. Maybe I’ll send him a message later, just to ask how he is of course.
Tiresias then looks around, her head cleared of most of the darkness that plagued it before. Juno however, she looked dreadfully. Tiresias stood from her seat and tried to kneel in front of her.
「Hey. Big mess that was, right? 」 She smiled at her. 「Look, don’t worry too much about it. The situation got really out of hand. We are all responsible for that. 」
Tiresias took a big breath before continuing.
「What you did out there. No one in my family would ever have done something like that. None of them has the level of devotion and commitment you have, none of them have the love you showed to your family name. Frankly none of them would even give me the time of day if I asked. I admire that in you. I don’t know if I told you but I’ve come to admire you so much in the short time we have been together. Even though you seem to always get the short end of the stick and have to battle your own instincts and hunger you soldier on, you try your damn best not to give in. All of this while showing such purity of purpose and never forgetting your roots. I wish someone cared for me so deeply as you care for your mother. I wish that one day I’ll be considered worthy of having a friend as dedicated as you. 」
Tiresias smiled again, a wide smile and extended her hand towards Juno in a friendly handshake, a small tear on the corner of her eye from talking about her family.
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Chrysanth's sobbing slows to a stop as Naiad's magic helps soothe her aching heart, leaving her staring down at the pile of ash and the cane held in her arms. She slowly gets back on her feet, grabbing the can of mace laying before her as she does. She couldn't just leave his remains laying in the alley, but scooping them up into a random container felt almost as bad. She glanced at the two trinkets in her hands, then to the items Kazue had left.
Paresh had a scroll in his tanuki form, one that had transformed into something more modern and less obvious when he turned back. She considered that bit of information for a moment before holding her trinkets out towards the pile of ash deliberately. Chrysanth takes a deep breath before casting her silent spell, trying to will the ash up off the concrete to fuse with her items. If he was gone, she was going to keep what was left of him as close as possible.
As the full effect finally hits her...things don't seem so bad. For all the bad experiences she'd had today, Airi had new friends here. There was White in the limo too. Juno and Aratani would probably take some effort, but she was GOING to work things out with them. Sure there was lingering resentment, but it would be terrible to have things stay that way.
Miyako seemed to be better now. She was doing her own thing with the ashes, and without any knowledge of what it was, it was probably a good idea not to mess with that. Buuut, the engine was starting, and there were at least two trinkets that somebody really needed. Very carefully, Airi picks up the hairpin and mirror, walks to the limo and knocks on the door, and holds the trinkets up in front of the window with a look that hopefully says "Hey, no hard feelings."
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If I can I move off to the side of the path and move towards the light trying to see it without being seen.
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Juno looks up at Tiresias and sniffs, wiping away her tears. "Thank you. I... really needed to hear that." Juno shifts her stance to something more proper, sitting up and smoothing out her dress.
For Kiyomi, mistakes were never an option; to be less than perfect was to be worthless, to reduce yourself to a member of the rabble, unsuited to the Shirakawa name. And yet twice now she has displayed the absolute worst of herself and twice Tiresias has made her feel like she might still be okay. Like she might still be worth something even after making such a grievous error.
"Those chains were meant only to bind... but that is no excuse. If they had snared Miyako as intended her death would have soon followed; I would have only been a murderer of a different person."
Juno sighs and bows her head, returning Tiresias's offered hand. "I cannot face her. Not now, not so soon. But I want you, at least, to know that I know I was wrong, and as little as it means I am deeply sorry."
May is interested in trying her 'magic' out but, despite the reassurances nothing too horrid would happen, flashes of other stories she'd read of people trying to teleport and only moving half of themselves or whom every they were traveling with and decides that the door should stay closed for now. "I guess it would be better to learn before I try something I don't understand." May moves over to the books and runs her hands alongs the spines, she wasn't really sure what she was doing or what she should do. If she doesn't get a 'feel' for anything she'll glance at Sora for help.
By suppressing her domain through force of will and personality, Chrysanth forges the ashes into the handle of the cane, which is more receptive to the spell. A blue daruma doll forms in the handle. Both eyes are empty with settings for gemstones.
The window opens and an older woman with a clouded eye accepts the trinkets. 「Thank you sincerely, darling. This life you’ve entered is short enough without us fighting each other. I’ve spent a lot of time and stress keeping my girls together with biting words and power plays, and I think you’ve seen the results. I just hope I have the time to make that right. Let that other girl with the mask know that her talents are a blessing. It’s easy to wield a blade against the physical manifestations of evil in this world, but to fight and defeat the phantoms that haunt us internally is a noble calling.」
「Driver, the chateau, please.」 The window closes promptly- no amount of humility stifling the senior Shirakawa’s penchant for the melodramatic.
Above, Ayatori takes flight and bursts in a shower of fading black feathers.
There is still one trinket on the floor. It was a giant sword at first, but now it looks like a pool skimmer.
「At a guess, darling, you’re expecting to work the front and back line in equal measure.」Aratani shifts in her seat to a more refined posture, folding her hands on her knee as she speaks to Tiresias. 「I understand completely. It took time for me to really understand what it meant that my Domain was reactive. I can’t draw weapons and armor like Okuda-san, I don’t command plants or water like Kyou-chan or Toro-san, and I can’t move like Zhou-sama. The moon is a mirror, and on its own, it does nothing.」 This last is spoken as a haiku.
At the sight of Airi, Aratani has the driver roll down the window and she takes the proffered trinkets. 「Thank you sincerely, darling. This life you’ve entered is short enough without us fighting each other. I’ve spent a lot of time and stress keeping my girls together with biting words and power plays, and I think you’ve seen the results. I just hope I have the time to make that right. Let that other girl with the mask know that her talents are a blessing. It’s easy to wield a blade against the physical manifestations of evil in this world, but to fight and defeat the phantoms that haunt us internally is a noble calling.」
「Driver, the chateau, please.」The window closes and the car starts rolling forward. Then, Juno’s notification tone sounds twice in rapid succession.
You press through the grass slowly, keeping low, and approach the light. It looks like some older kids have broken up a few wooden crates and lit a fire. There are cases of drinks everywhere. The kids stand around the fire, flailing around and pressing against each other like they’re tired. Most of them are dressed up in cheap costumes to look like various magical girls and boys from anime and manga.
Suddenly, you hear one kid nearby, stumbling through the brush, clutching her stomach. She crumples to her knees a few meters away and starts to dry heave.
「It’s not something I’ve heard of, Hashimoto-san. If it were possible it would take some radical surge of magic.」
May walks along the walls of books, touching the spines and pulling out a book or two to skim. Suzu looks really uncomfortable while she does this, probably because there’s a pair of silk gloves laid out on a small table which are meant to preserve the books from grubby fingers. That’s definitely why she stifles a gasp when May opens one of the books and starts leafing through it. Her face takes on a shade of read. She’s probably getting mad.
As you walk through the walls of books, you feel like you’re in the middle of an international airport. These books have come a long way to rest here, and many of them have a long way to go before they submit to entropy entirely.
You tug one book from the shelf on a whim. He stood out from the books around him somehow. He’s a little older, and didn’t look comfortable next to those other books. The book is on the smaller side, like an old bible, and the hand-stitched leather binding is trimmed in some kind of metal. It looks like there used to be a lock on the end, but it’s been busted off for a long time.
You open the book to a random page, and find what at first looks like some intense softcore yaoi, but at closer inspection appears to be an illustration of a horned male bound in a contorted position, lounging in a garden, playing something like chess with another man and smoking a hookah. The bound creature’s only concern seems to be making the next move. The illustration is very skillful, and not at all shy about sexualizing the male form. The title on the opposite page is in some other language, but an ancient annotation suggest this is The Story of the Tenth Jinn: Solomon’s Temptation. Leafing through, this appears to be an extant print of Arabian Nights.
When a passage catches your eye, you pull out your traveler’s guide to see if you can make sense of it. Somehow, you find a section on Caliphate-era Persian.
“The ring was removed, cast out, as was Shanhaz, and Solomon was left with but seven fingers, seven rings, and seven ifrit.”
The little waerloga is headed toward a bonfire on the other side of the neighboring house. It doesn't look like too hard a jump to the other roof, or to the ground for that matter. It's only a two-story building.
「Ano... May-chan. Perhaps the gloves would be helpful..?」 Sora says, as May seems to randomly meander through the stacks.
「I will. And if you don't have time...make it.」 Airi waves off the woman and her companions. She had no idea which girl that was, but she hoped things would go well for her.
Turning back, the ashes were gone - which meant Miyako was done with whatever she was doing - and the pool skimmer was still there. Which one was that...ohhh, it was that big sword, wasn't it? She'd really wanted one, but those weren't the sorts of things you could really have. Props were nice and all, but didn't really look or feel the same as the proper thing. And now...
Airi whistles and paces nonchalantly toward the pool skimmer, before picking it up and giving it a whirl - away from anyone else, just in case. 「Hey, Aleeex? Is there any chance that could hold onto this or...? You're a Navyman, you don't need this, right? It'd be nice to have a proper weapon, and I'd prefer to be the one talking to Kazue of all of us...oh. Oh crap. I really should.」 There's a brief look of realisation, and her angling for the trinket transitions to mild panic.
「Um, Alex, I don't know how much you know, but there used to be another Naiad before you. Kazue killed them, presumably after making her trinkets. I think she's the one who you said was arriving. She apparently wanted to apologise to Naiad...the other one. She knew you were here, but forgot she killed the last one. And she seemed very...death-knight-y before I suggested she was here to kill someone. She practically became a different person afterward.」 Air pauses suddenly, and takes a few breaths. 「I'm trying to say we should stick together until she comes for this. She's not the most stable. A dark knight in full armour holding two swords, one of which is HUGE, standing by a flaming spear stuck in the ground is a HELL of a first impression, and it probably says something about her greetings.」
Tiresias smiles back at Juno and slowly stands up and returns to her seat all while maintaining eye contact with her the entire time.
「My dear…」 She whispers, with truly heartfelt care in her voice, however as the words barely escape her lips she regrets them. Would it come off as too condescending? Maybe even fake? Were they close enough that she could say that or would it be considered creepy? She feels her cheeks redden as she sits down and tries to deflect attention by continuing her train of thought. 「We are all children playing with handguns. Someone was bound to get hurt or killed and they did. The fact that you regret what happened and feel truly sorry means a lot more than you think it does. After all, the line between us and common murderers is when we stop feeling sorry.」
Tiresias smiles and looks towards the ceiling of the limo, the face of Airi and her words flash through her mind's eye. She relaxed slightly and said in a somewhat aloof tone.
「About the other girls, I don't believe you should worry. I'll take care of it and I think they may even surprise us both.」 She then looks back at Juno and glances at Aratani. What happened was regrettable but they all needed to stick together! Kazue was still out there and she was inches away from murdering someone else, each of them alone would die while facing her, together they might just stand a chance.
It was in that moment that Aratani spoke, breaking Tiresias' train of thought back into reality. She listened but the way the woman expressed herself only contributed to thickening the matter. My powers are reactive? What does that mean? I can't create my own effects, I can only modify or cancel the effects of others? No, I can force magic to flow. I did that in several occasions. It usually works best when I try to learn something rather than trying to impose my will to the world. Whenever I ask, something or someone answers, but only when I ask not when I order. Maybe that is what reactive means. I need to cooperate with my magic instead of forcing it.
「I'm not sure I completely understand what that means but I feel like I know what to do from now on. Thank you. 」 She winks at Juno and smiles at Aratani, and then sits back intent on enjoying the rest of the drive to the mansion, trying her best to push away any and all thought to some hidden dusty drawer in the dark recesses of her mind. So intent she was to do this that she didn't even notice as Airi returned Aratani's trinkets when she came knocking on the limo's window.
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Chrysanth feels her hands shake as the magic forges the ashen remains into the cane. She swallows her panic bravely and sees the spell through, clutching the cane in both hands with a tiny sigh. She stashes the can of mace away for the moment as she turns to the others, noting the darkening sky before stammering, 「Th-The mall... S-Some students were g-going to the mall f-for some kind of party... S-Some of them plan on... w-worshiping the m-magical girls... W-We need to be there... k-keep something t-terrible from happening...」
「I don't recognize the name, but that's good information to know. And given that you just dropped the possibly malfunctioning trinket into the back of that limo, we should probably get moving ourselves before they have a chance to think about their good fortune. As far as folks with white hair? I've seen several the past couple of days.」
Naiad pauses and watches Chrysanth thoughtfully, while keeping a proper watch of the area.
「While the idea of going for tea is a good one, um... I'm not so sure about going back in there -- when I down-shifted the form wasn't... mine? And your manager in there thinks that I'm here on official super-secret magical business? And, ah, go ahead and take the thing.」
There's another pause.
「We should really get over to the Mall and check that out, at least. And if you want to carry the item, go ahead. I'm not greedy for power.」
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Airi snaps back to focus as Miyako speaks. 「Hold on...worshipping? It's just a cosplay rave. I had a costume myself, but this is SO much better.」 The quality of the fabric was much better than she could afford to get on even a semi-regular basis, to say nothing of construction. Not even a loose thread. Have to love magic. 「I don't exactly see how something terrible is going to happen, apart from the normal, but then again...one of Kazue's old bandmates is hosting. Perhaps they're magical too? I wonder if Sora is as well.」 It was possible.
Several white-haired people? Well, these are magical girls. It's not unreasonable. Wait, what did he say? 「Manager thinks...Chou? You're telling me Chou knows about all this stuff? Seriously?」 That was news to her. Were Emi and Zhou aware too? Is that why he was out sick? 「I'll have to check in later. Without my name, I can't unchange without being stuck...damn, where's my phone? I'll have to text in to say I'm going with you. Did you give her a different name?」 She tries to find her phone, but it's not like there are a lot of places it could be.
「Thanks for that. I don't even know if I can use this thing's magic anyway. If tea's not an option, then I suppose we should head for the rave.」 She squeezes the pool skimmer, and grins a little. She's holding it one-handed like a staff, currently.
Airi: When you reach for your phone, your hand passes through the air into some other place, and comes away with the phone in tow.
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「So, that's how that works. Convenient. Saves worrying about pockets, if it works both ways. One moment!」 She texts Chou saying that the person she brought in needed her assistance in her work, and she'd likely be unavailable till things were done. After making an attempt to return the phone to wherever it was and acting accordingly to the results, she looks over everyone present. 「So, shall we go? If there's something, we're ready, and if not, we can just enjoy ourselves. We're all dressed for it anyway!」
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「Chou, Zhou, I have a hard time keeping them apart, but that did come up in a conversation inside after the mouse-girl tried to cut me up and I had to change back to shut them up and then when I changed back it wasn't me-me but someone-else-me but that was really weird and creepy and I really don't want to do that again because I'm, y'know, a guy and all and not someone rocking an outfit like an older Wonderland explorer?」
Naiad is DISTINCTLY uncomfortable with that whole description, and the words sort of bubble out in a stream rather than any sort of organized or coherent thought.
「If... if you want to take charge of this, then... okay. We'll follow your lead, ma'am. Or sir. Whatever you prefer, okay? Historically there was mention of a weapons depot in the sub-levels left over from the war, rumors, legends and the like. One of your co-workers -- not psycho mouse girl that wanted to murder me because she thought you and I were some sort of 'item' -- EWW? I mean, no offense but you're not my type and um urg. GAHHHHHH!!!!! Let's just go, ma'am, before I shove my foot in my mouth any further?」
Sakura moves toward her, nervous but wanting to make sure the girl is alright.
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「...come again? Emi did WHAT? EMI?! She...」 Airi is at a loss. It's not something that really ever happens. 「I...is she like that with all of the girls I've interacted with...? I know a lot of the girls don't like her, some of them said she's mean, but...no. No way. This is...ugh. Guess the yandere performance on trial day isn't just an act.」 She's quite visibly shaken by what's she's heard. Intent to...why did nobody SAY anything if she's like this? WHY?
「I...let's get moving, ok? Use whatever pronoun you like, it doesn't really matter. Gender isn't really a thing to get hung up over. I just want to get moving before I do something crazy again. This could be very, very bad if I don't handle this right. And I have the wrong face on for that. Weapons! You said there was a weapons depot below? The rave's in the basement, so that's a thing to check out. Let's go shall we? RIGHT NOW.」 Airi hurriedly makes her way off toward the mall, flustered, confused, aggravated, and with a tighter grip on the pool skimmer. This was ridiculous. But ridiculous seemed to be the order of the day.
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「I have absolutely no reason to lie to you about Emi. She's not my type, either, especially after that whole knife-thing. And we won't even go into what she called me, not that it is important, ma'am.」
「On your six, ma'am. And put your trust in your team, ma'am. That's where our strengths are at, working together. I know that being in charge is hard and you want to do everything yourself but sometimes you need to let folks do what they're best at, right, ma'am?」
Naiad will likewise head towards the mall at a swift clip.
「C'mon, Zeek! We're going on an adventure!」
Really? 'an adventure'? Should I dial ahead to have the straitjacket ready for you, dear?
「Alex. Stop assuming what my thoughts and intentions are, because I've had enough of that today. Stop talking about Emi, because I have heard. Enough. And STOP BEING SO DENSE!」
In order to preserve her sanity for the time being, instead of continuing with what she intended to do before, she begins running at full tilt towards her destination, screaming 「ADVENTUUUUUUUUUURE!」 at the top of her lungs. Who cares if she got funny looks? She was a green-haired costumed magical girl carrying a pool skimmer down the street. She was going to get funny looks anyway, so she may as well enjoy herself!
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「Aye-Aye, ma'am!」
Naiad snaps off a sharp salute to Airi.
Why are you kissing the noob's butt? Seriously. Just take charge of the situation and make them all listen to you. You don't need to take a back seat anymore, dear, you've got POWER!
I don't like that kind of power. It means you have to decide who lives and dies and I just want everyone to live, okay? Or at least not die painfully and alone?
How did we end up with you again? I swear, you're such a stick in the mud. Learn to RELAX, for the love of the waves!
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Juno jumps in surprise when her phone rings. She composes herself enough to retrieve it from honestly-who-knows-where, but not quite enough to keep a handle on it and it drops to the floor. She mutters some embarrassed "sorry, sorry"'s as she picks it up and answers.
"H-hello, Shirakawa Kiyomi speaking."
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"Oh, hello Yuki." Kiyomi visibly brightens when she hears the name. "I have not had time to check any messages, no. I'll check her out when I can; I assume you are dragging me along to this event?" The words speak of reluctance, but her tone carries a happy eagerness that transfers easily through the phone.
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Kiyomi distracts herself with some impure thoughts of Yuki in various "costumes" before continuing. "Well, if we're doing costumes then I simply have no choice but to attend. I can hardly just let you be the loveliest lady there. Just be sure not to fall in love with me when you are worshiping at my feet!"
Later, Kiyomi would flush bright red as she realizes the implications of what she had said to Yuki. Kiyomi is not thinking about that right now, though; right now she's just having a good time speaking with her dearest friend.
Chrysanth listens to the others talk, remaining silent as she follows behind. She had gathered that Naiad was military, but the constant 'ma'ams' and the talk of strength in unity seemed somewhat forced to her. All the same, she had more important things to worry about, namely Tsuchi. One of the two remaining people she could probably call friends, and she was going to be at the weapons depot cosplay rave magical worship cluster at that condemned old mall. Her grip tightens on the cane, realizing she was going to have to be the one to break the news about Paresh.
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May was taken slightly off guard by the book and didn't notice or at least react to Sora for a few seconds. "Gloves? I guess?" She clearly didn't see how they would effect anything but she didn't have any better ideas so if allowed she'd slide them on and look through the books again.
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"Hmph!" Brigid gives Muirgel a slightly irritated look. She really has to goof off at a time like this, doesn't she?
"As much as I'd like to take on the waerloga, I think you're right. North Node it is." I wonder what lies ahead of me up there?
Brigid moves onward, towards her target.
You run full-tilt for the mall. Zeek is surprisingly good at keeping pace. Despite starting last, Chrysanth pulls ahead quickly and takes a commanding lead, deep in thought. Naiad’s pace is respectable, but Airi flags and flails, causing the others to have to slow to stick together.
As you all approach the mall, a small group of cosplayers turns the corner. These girls appear to be dressed as the Glitter Force, but ironically. Cure Peace has a full beard, and Cure Beauty got the costume in the wrong size off the rack, and is slumped over Cure March’s shoulder. They look like they’re already having a blast, though. All of them have their props in one hand, and a can of soda in the other. They haven’t spotted your group yet. What do you do?
The young maid looks more flustered than usual, and her eyes flash to Juno first, then over to the aged Shirakawa. 「Something you need, mistress?」
Aratani folds her hands, adjusting her rings. 「We will need to double the ward. Have the cook replicate the rituals. Tell him to use the salt from the Dead Sea, if he hasn't wasted it on food.」
The household is making plans to fortify the chateau. The rave is not for another hour. What do you do?
A hundred tiny threads from different directions braid together into one controlling force, like a plait of hair, but mostly this girl seems to be in control of herself. You can see the faint ropes that parents have on kids, but they’re separate and frayed. Then, as the girl doubles over and rolls on her side, you see a velvet leash draw out, weaving itself from the many threads around it. This girl is producing another leather snake... from her mouth.
As you work through the few hours left of wane sunlight, you find you’re using the translation book less and less. The foreign figures slide off the pages and float around your head as you pass from source to source, searching out the knowledge you need.
Suddenly, you look up from the book you’re reading to find piles of books strewn across the tables. The domed window above is pitch black, and the clock indicates it’s almost eight o’clock. It’s a surprise, but not as big a one as what you’ve just read.
The story you were reading, on the surface, seemed to be an allegory about the conflicts between the Great Khan and Kaidu in the 13th century. Almost like the standoff between Morgan and Merlin in the west, These two leaders had trusted generals with mystical powers in the form of Keen Falconer Khutulun and the Chief Cartographer Tenshi, misnamed Tengri in many of these translations.
This particular story played out like the tortoise and the hair, with Khutulun running from battle to battle to attempt to push the lines of conflict, but Tenshi secluding himself in his tent to sleep. Finally, when Khutulun falls to her knees with exhaustion, Tenshi locks her in a deadly catacomb of sleep which he had been constructing in the dream realm. Without her pushing back the front line, Chinggis Khan was able to conquer and unite Asia into one of its first and greatest empires. The description of the dream-catacomb is what catches your eye, as it reminds you of the place you and Sora went to last night.
Suzu bows, her face suddenly flush. 「I should go. My Mistress has returned. I won’t let her know you’re here if I can avoid it.」 Without waiting for a response, she ducks out of the room.
You have Sora's name and title now. Cloud Watcher Tenshi. What do you do?
Then you pause. You can feel another hearth intersect with yours. Although, since it’s merely on top of a ley line, and not a node, its barriers are weak. It even seems as though some kind of duel or turf war happened just outside. The alley beside the hearth is filled with the radical arcana of multiple castings, just beginning to seep back into the surrounding lode. There’s even a small physical crater in the center of the area.
As you are investigating, another waerloga descends. Relatively young in life, you shudder at how tattered and frail the remains of her soul feel. She touches down in the alley and scans the floor, clutching her elbows. Between the hearthstone in your blood and the one you’re standing on, as long as you don’t provoke her, she won’t even know you’re here. Looking at the four scabbards at her hip, this one’s probably out of your league anyway. When she catches up, Murigel keeps blessedly quiet.
From your position on the roof, you can see the abandoned node to the north east. There are a few groups of mundane folk flocking in that direction along the streets. What do you do?
Naiad will slow down to keep pace (and not a blistering one, mind) with Airi. They aren't going to be mean about this, there's been a lot going on lately and sticking together is important.
Seeing the group of cosplayers throws Naiad into a bit of confusion. They aren't very 'keen' on magical girl trivia, so it just looks like some folks playing at being some sort of 'knockoff' of what they've seen so far.
But they're having fun, and that's what going to a party is all about, right?
We're 'on the clock'. That means we're on watch. No drinking, no fooling around, no silly stuff.
Okay, but if you're so smart and focused, how are we going to get into this thing without tipping our hand?
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「ADVENTUUUuuuuuuuuuure...nope, can't keep this up. That's...that's one way to get out of breath.」 It was impressive how fast Miyako was going, while she was having to slow down and catch her breath. "Indefatigable strength", huh? Sure could use some of that right now. Dear lord she was out of breath. No regrets, though.
As she's being glad that the others were slowing down so she can keep up, she spots the Glitter Force coming their way. Beard, of course there's a beard. On Peace, no less. Suppose she's the one that it would be most amusing to put it on. And...oh, come on. That doesn't even fit. Isn't that uncomfortable or something? As much as she's picking out discrepancies, there's nothing behind it. It's just supposed to be a good time, and they're having one. Hopefully, they would too.
Though, seeing them, something occurs to her. 「We're probably going to stand out a bit, aren't we? We don't seem particularly identifiable as any character, and actual magical girls tend to stand out a bit. I don't know why, but they do. What do we...」 An idea pops into her head. No way she was going to have an opportunity as good as this again. 「We need a team name. Something to tell people! It's mandatory. For the unity of the group! Ideas? Come on, anyone?」 She seems almost too excited about this.
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As Chrysanth returns her thoughts to the present, she's as surprised as the others to see herself in the lead. She stops long enough for the pair to reach her and keeps pace with them, helping Airi keep her feet if needed. The group of cosplayers easily catches her attention, but other than the coincidence of their costumes being magical girls as well, she pays it no real mind.
She glances at their own attire, the blue, the green, and the ominous purple and has to agree that their 'costumes' are too elaborate and uniquely theirs to be passed off as anything less than perfectly theirs. She gives Airi a confused look at the insistence of a group name and mumbles, 「W-We're the W-Watch... aren't w-we?」
「Are we?」 Airi looks at Miyako, seeming somewhat curious. 「No, seriously, are we? You two have been magical girls longer than I have. I don't know by how much, but you still came before me, so I assume you have a little more knowledge than I do. It does make sense though.」 She takes a moment to think on the name...yeah, it definitely sounds right. Feels like something's missing, though.
「Is it just the Watch, or the something Watch? I'll not ask further if you don't know, I'd just like to make sure we're making the proper introductions. If we seem like a close group and put on a decent performance, we might be able to pass ourselves off as some professional cosplay group or something, rather than being suspected as magical girls. The place is going to be full of people in costume like this, so we'll blend right in.」
Naiad's been sort of overwhelmed by all of this.
Teams, names, ideas, gah, so complicated. This really isn't my thing.
Well, if you want,dear, I *could* take charge and dominate them all through force of arms Is that what you really want?
No, don't do that, I'll... think of something.
「We're the Mid-Watch, ma'am. We hold the middle of the night against the dangers unknown. We're subtle, we try to let other people do their thing, that's why we haven't gotten a lot of 'press'. Performance? We'll have to PERFORM for this, ma'am?」
What started out as reasonably confident sort of crumbles a little. 「I'm no good at this acting thing, but... let's give it a shot, then? Remember our goal is to try and see what's 'in the basement' or the 'sub-basement' without getting caught, ma'am.」
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「Umm...not what I meant. I don't mean an actual performance. I mean, I would LOVE that, but I doubt you'd be comfortable with it. At least not yet...」 With how withdrawn Miyako can be, and how military Alex was, there really wasn't any chance - currently. 「But it would be good to have a little something we can present people with if we get asked. Just enough to pass minor scrutiny - I doubt people are really going to ask TOO much. If you really need to, just exaggerate what you're normally like. Whatever you do, don't stretch yourself and you'll be alright. Stick together, trust each other.」
「So, here we are. We are the Mid-Watch - standing against the horrors of the night to preserve the peace of the day. No less cheesy than any other magical girl group. Watchers Naiad, Chrysanth, and...I really wish I had my name right now. Just go with Iris for now.」 Perhaps magic could - no, don't finish that. Yes, it probably could, but no she shouldn't. Not now. And besides, the others seem to be a bit...uncomfortable. 「That should do for now. If we got something wrong, just stick to what we have for now. Hope I haven't stressed you out too much.」
Airi gives the pool skimmer another twirl. She had to say, it was kind of fun. 「Anyway, that's all for if people ask questions. You want to blend in? Grab something to drink, and more importantly, start having a good time!」 She indicates toward the Glitter Force with a flourish. It was what she was originally coming to do, anyway.
「Thank you. I think I'll take you on that offer and ask for a ride back home. I have a few things I need to test and do before going to sleep. Today has been a very long day. 」
Tiresias turns to Kiyomi and winks at her.
「Good luck at the event you're going. Don't worry too much, I'm sure everything will be fine by morning. 」
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Sora does her best to follow along with the story, but ultimately, once it became clear that all of the books were in languages she couldn't reliably read, she decides to sit to the side and allow May to share what she would, taking her on a journey of the mind.
At the end of the story, she nods to Suzu. "The Chief Cartographer was kind of a D***..." she says, before shaking her head. "That's probably our queue to make ourselves scarce... or to clean up our mess." she says, looking over the small fort of books May had created. "Maybe if we find a bedroom, we could step from there to home?" she keeps eyeing the books, though. She really didn't feel right leaving that sort of mess to clean up. How would she like walking into such a thing..? She already knew the answer, of course, having shared space with the rest of the group often... leaving her with ruffled metaphorical feathers.
As she started to move the books about, trying to return them to the general area they'd come from - using the sleeves of her hoodie to guard them from her hands... not that that likely had any real benefit... she couldn't help but think of the implications. "I wonder if taking longer with the spells is also beneficial... and what sort of things I could or should do. Maybe I should use my pastels to draw things..? And what is the actual benefit of my magical girl form, if I'm apparently able to use magic outside of it?" she seems to mostly just be chattering to fill the silence of the gigantic library, that had previously had Suzu in it, leaving a palpable void.
Sakura screams briefly in disgust and backs away, after a few moments she hesitantly moves towards the girl and grasps the red ribbon and wills it to separate itself back into it's component parts.
May was quite surprised she'd spent so long reading in a strangers house even if the story seemed to help her to understand more about the very strange situation that was being forced upon them.
When Suzu speaks and walks out May barely takes notice but Sora would 'snap her out of it' May helped Sora return the books in the proper order. "From what she said the map should be enough right? Once we pack up I'll try it if you're willing to risk it."
May takes a deep breath as she closes her eyes focuses her attention on herself and Sora while picturing their home.
The one in blue being held up by the one in green uses a fleeting moment of cognizance to gush over your costumes. 「Dang... Sho sugoi. Are you guys, like, croshover senshi? I- I like the game disk. Very shoujo/shonen... uh... yeah.」
The pink one, who at least looks substantially younger than the rest of the group steps up beside Cure Peace, careful to keep a hairy leg between her and you strangers, and nods a bow. 「I like the little scary one. Like the Wicked Lady! Edo... Why does that one have a net?」 She points at Iris with the pool skimmer.
Suzu manages to appear at Juno’s side while no one is looking, and drags her into a big hug. 「At the end of the day, Ue-chan, you’re lucky to have such a loving family. They have saved your life more times than you can count.」 When Suzu pulls away, her hands rest on Juno’s shoulders and her eye contact is intense. 「Not everyone could forgive you for what you’ve done.」 She speaks through her smile, her face flush, her thumbs tracing small circles on Juno’s collar.
「SUZU!」 Aratani’s face is stern, her voice like a thunderclap.
Suzu gives a deep, formally apologetic bow. Then she is gone from the room.
The second leather snake rolls free of the girl’s mouth, and the girl slumps to the ground, unconscious. From here you can tell that the leash is leading the snake toward the mall, which looms in the distance at the top of the hill. This snake looks a bit longer, but a little misshapen and confused. It tries to slither toward the mall, but ends up going in circles.
The bonfire is still going on, and the teens participating run from quiet and awkward, to grinding and senseless. You spot at least two other teens unconscious on the ground with trails leading toward the mall.
The two of you spend some time shelving books, talking about your recent discovery concerning the past lives of Tenshi, and past experiences with Nightmares and dreamscapes.
When you are done, May takes Sora’s hand, closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and walks through a side door. There’s a slight difference in air pressure, and a sudden change in the scents in the air. You never really appreciate the smell of home until you’ve spent too long away. The two of you stand outside of May’s apartment in the the hall. The apartment door closes behind you.
For just a moment the two of you can pretend that past 24 hours were just a very strange dream, or a particularly eventful day trip. Then Sora spots a pile of her own clothes in the middle of the hallway, and her apartment door standing open. Oddly, burglars are not the first, nor the worst of the possibilities that occur to you.