Tenshi dodges backwards slightly, her chair skittering the floor, as the man yells back in response to her terse words in tandem. That had gotten her attention in a way nothing else he had done had. And then everything he'd said made a lot more sense. A lot more. Should she apologize? How many times has she apologized to this man that she can't remember? How many times had they had this exact conversation? How many times had she been dead before he had the opportunity to.
"Kuso..." she says after a moment of looking at the things he was sharing.
Tenshi didn't really have the *ahem* background that the man had in gaming (or perhaps his life), to grasp the 'gallery', beyond what they said. "So... the endings. Pursuit of those things, will they always have a 'bad' end?"
@Bubbles, Sparkles, Windy, DumbTanukiThief: >Dream prophet says park is bad. I'm inclined to listen. Stay out and get trusted friends out.
Tell no one else, could trigger bad things. Plant lady is bad news.
Erases dreams, memories. Trading all essentia leaves you a phantom. Not inherently bad, just inherently inhuman. Can recover essentia by giving away trinket. Proper resolution of MallPhantom is probably for everyone to take a puppy egg.<
Suddenly, six eggs appear on the table in front of her... or rather large spherical objects, each getting pushed onto the table by another appearing in her open hand. "Should I try to get these to them now? They're trinkets I took from Anastasia... or rather, I gave her back trinkets and came out with these. I think maybe she gave them to me, now. Sorry."
@DelphicKnight: Arrived at Temple. Is there a package prepared for delivery? Otherwise, beginning to craft package now. Anomalous message included.
{{Included screenshot of "Wrong Park" exchange}}
There’s an awkward silence which Ms. Tsuchi interrupts with her appearance at the end of your booth. Yuki nods. 「Gyokuro and dango for two- or whatever you call it here. Make sure the cups are warm this time.」
Riding the false composure she presented the interloper, Yuki sighs, relaxing for the first time in the booth. 「Banri’s going to be pissed. He’s been trying to get me to introduce you. It’s so… weird. I had always hoped, but never once suspected we were… dating. I kind of felt like you were with me to get away from your mother’s shadow. Most popular girl in school, the head of all those clubs, you seemed to need to get away from that sometimes, and here I was holding my breath for fear-」 She reaches out and topples the house of tarts.
Yuki shakes her head. 「So, what’s your plan? How do we end up on top here?」
>You aren’t missing much. It’s been no end of trouble. Most of my mistakes have been in the pursuit of sex. It’s like smelling food cooking. It happens, and suddenly it’s something you have to consciously act on. Even if that thought is that you’re not hungry. Building relationships and social groups from that point outward, and basing my identity on a preference for men was not healthy for me.<
When the eggs materialize, the man is shocked. “How do you even have those? The seaman almost always takes them from your apartment. That’s going to upset Svibzik- Anastasia’s dog.” The man checks his wristwatch. “Uh, The seeds of chaos are sewn in Apollo’s light. I’m not sure if that’s the answer you need here, but I think it’s true. The eggs hatch on their own at noon. I haven’t seen an end where she comes back unless you count the ritual.”
@Miami Vice: This thing’s got so many sides it’s gone pear-shaped. Getting to where a guy can’t pee without insulting someone.
@Shuishou: I do not favor your chances alone, but your efforts are much appreciated. There is no greater art of war than espionage. Ara-chan has left herself open to me. I will let you know when she moves to your location.
The memories are rough. It was maybe ten years ago? A glance at the plaque tells you it was 2001. Not a great time for America either. You remember an argument. You were on vacation in pensacola at the time and your father had to leave. It may be the foibles of memory, but you remember thinking his excuse was thin. Maybe you just wanted him to stay. Maybe he was thinking about a daughter he’d left behind. The math checks out.
@Dawn Watch: I am making the arrangements now, darling. Tell me, do any of you children have exotic dietary needs?
"Ano... then Sakura needs to be found, or needs to not be found?" Tenshi asks, sipping her cocoa again. "Do they hatch into something... good, or something bad? Guessing you aren't sure on that either? Does you being BB-pop's minder end alright for you?"
"The times I've seen the next one hatch, it was the domovoi Grigori, but there have been times that the first one wasn't Shvibzik, so I don't know for certain. Getting BB-pop back together was fun until you turned the town into vegetables and became Goddesses of chaos. I didn't wait to run it again with all the other two romance lines, if that's what you're asking. Some of the bad endings turned out well for me, and some were entertaining, but right now I'm shooting for a good ending."
He finds what he's looking for and stops. "You guys left her with the daggers this time, but you haven't made more than the first few bound trinkets, and that time it was an accident. Unless there's another way this can go, she's probably put him on a leash now."
"There is."
@Bubbles: <Doll in danger from imp. Dog in danger from doll. Doll uses people like toys. Will try to leash dog. Very dangerous situation at hand.>
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「...Is that a yes? It sounds like a yes!」 Kiyomi was fully prepared for Yuki to deny her, to shut her down upfront by simply not being into girls; that was where things seemed to be headed the night before, after all. Kiyomi whispers softly to herself, 「Yuki-chan is my girlfriend...」 and for a brief moment she is in bliss.
Yuki's last question drags Kiyomi out of her euphoria, and she remembers the biggest issue of the day; an issue that may have been easier to solve if Yuki had rejected her. 「I am afraid we have something else to worry about before we can consider 'ending up on top'.」 Kiyomi explains in painful detail what Shanhaz had told her that morning: about the identity of Juno, the supernaturally imposed engagement, and the threat of giving birth to a monster.
「We have less than a day to resolve this before it is set in stone. I haven't the slightest idea what Juno believes I gave you as a dowry, but we need to find out to stop this.」
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...Lys...
He was hearing so much he hadn't expected to. Honestly, he was starting to wonder if this spell was telling him things Lys himself wasn't even aware of. It seemed increasingly likely at this point.
What would it tell him about other people? What would he hear if he managed to get it to drill into what he himself was saying?
Does it matter? Even if we learn something awful, it teaches us about ourself. From there, we can improve ourselves, or learn to accept it. Knowing who you are isn't so bad a thing in itself.
And knowing other people's problems mean you can try to help them. Which we should be doing right now! What are we waiting for?
Junpei takes his hands away from his face, shakes his head, and sits up. >I wouldn't know. I mean, I do kind of want to know what having those feelings is like. Most things are worth experiencing, even if only once. But no matter what I want to experience, I suppose that's just out of the cards for me.< He sighs, and there's a slight tone of longing to it.
>Still...are you sure it's as bad as you think? I mean, sure, it sounds like it can be problematic. But...maybe it's just that I don't know what it's like, but it don't think it's so bad to want that sort of connection with someone, or, umm...connection.< He laughs nervously and looks away, blushing slightly just at the concept of it. >Even if nothing like that happens, it encourages you to get to know people. You might come out it with a friend. Maybe something that means more to you, from what I hear.< Junpei smiles softly. >And that doesn't sound so bad to me.<
>The way we both think about this, I have to wonder which one of us is missing something.< Junpei has a little laugh to himself, and shrugs. >Maybe it's both of us. That's usually how it goes in situations like these. Both people have an understanding the other lacks.< He looks back to Lys. >I guess the difference here is that I think it's something with the potential to create bonds that wouldn't have existed otherwise, and enrich people's lives. I don't think it's something that has to rule you the way you say it does.<
"How will I reach you if I need you?" Tenshi asks the man as he realizes he needs to go.
Tenshi sits for a moment, knees tucked up in her comfortable chair, which is made less comfortable by her wings, which are happy to wrap around her, save for the cocoa. As she's stuck inside of her own thoughts, she doesn't think of the nuanced questions of 'how does he know I love cocoa, what does it mean that he sees himself as the protagonist in his dating sim, and he's had a 'bad romance' with her,' but instead focuses on other questions that are no closer to 'fate of the world' level thoughts.
She mechanically pushes herself up from the table, and goes to check for mail, before she plans to head up to the roof. She's halfway out the door before she realizes she's a bird monster, and transforms back to her normal form. She's halfway down to the mailboxes before she realizes she's not at all properly dressed to be wandering around. She's at her mailbox before she's fully determined not to care about something like that right now.
There's something about today. You're on fire. Your focus intensifies, the world around you falls away, and you can see the lines form on the paper before you've even drawn them. Before you know what you're doing, you have eight fresh ofuda drying on the desk. You only realize after the fact that you have no idea what six additional scripts you made. It would take time you don't have to find them in your codex, if they're even in there. You think you might have gotten carried away thinking about the symbols on Sora's door.
Most chilling, these are your best work yet. Even the six scavenged ofuda, some selected by the keen eye of your boss, are no comparison to the tangible gravity of these eight talismans.
When you reach the mail-slash-laundry room, a girl there spots you and just about faceplants sliding off a dryer. 「Ha- Ha- Hashimoto-sama! How did Nii-chan not know- This is Hashimoto Sora’s laundry room? Ew, I didn’t just say that like some creeper. I’m sorry,」 The girl bows a little too deeply. 「Nakahara Kyou. I recently moved into 804 with my brother.」
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「Excuse me?!?」 Kiyomi's face goes pale, and she does her best not to raise her voice. 「This is not 'our child', Yuki. It's a trick set up by a mother goddess unimpressed by my... proclivities.」 It's not that Kiyomi did not want children of course; on the contrary, she took great pride in the knowledge that she would one day continue the vaunted Shirakawa line and give her children the future granted to her by her mother. However, she certainly did not want to have a child now, and the concern that this child might be a... thing rather than a person only solidified matters.
「I do not believe I am being unreasonable when I say that procreation is something to be left for the distant future. For me to be pregnant now, at such a young age, would be scandal enough. It is not something I can abide as a Shirakawa. So I ask again, please help me fix this.?」
Sora's sharpie appeared in hand as if by magic; though it really was just sitting in her hoodie, almost of its own volition. She has to stop herself as she realizes where she is and the situation at hand, actually coming to a sudden stop as her mental gears come to a screeching halt.
By something as mundane as a fan.
A fan catching her being a normal human being.
In her skivvies. Kuso.
She takes a moment to herself, still paused, 「Hold that thought.」 she says, as she dips past the young woman and into the drier nearby, to dig out the set of jeans they'd set to dry after some mangy mutt dumped their things literally everywhere.
「Animal messed up my room last night, so... my stuff is everywhere.」 she says, deflecting - or more likely, drawing attention to - the unasked question as she pulled the clothing on with the speed reserved for a child star. 「It's a pleasure to meet you, Nakahara-chan from 804. Are you enjoying your apartment? Where are you from?」
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>That's not what I...< Junpei falls silent. He rests his head in his hand, and starts to breath more deeply.
Dammit.
>...when did I do that? When did I say that?< He begins to feel weak, and shaky. His support falters. He's about to just fall onto the table when she catches himself and relaxes his body. She sits back up, with a determined look in his eyes. >I understand that, Lys. Can I ask you something, though? Did I say anything about relationships? Did I say anything about sex, as a part of them? I'm pretty sure I was simply talking about having attractions. Attractions of any kind, not just sexual...though thinking about it, with what I said last, it probably sounded like I was only focused on sexual attraction, didn't it? Which is my bad. I probably got sidetracked without noticing. So let me clear that up now.<
>Be it romantic, sexual, or anything in that sort of area, feelings of attraction are pretty alien to me. The most I can really knowingly attest to is a purely visual, or otherwise sensory appeal. I hope you understand why that might bother me.<
>At this point, I have to wonder what's happened with you, though. Thinking on it now, once I got onto attraction, you fixated on the idea of sexual attraction...which is easy enough to do. But...you got REALLY worked up over it, from how you reacted. Sex itself in particular - or I guess, wanting it.<
>I'm not asking what happened, but I'm guessing the desire for sex bit you hard. You sound like came out of what happened with some newfound understanding on everything, but also like getting that understanding shook you to your core, and that you've not recovered from that. I can't imagine this not being really personal for you with the way you're acting. But...it doesn't need to be like that.<
>We all make mistakes, Lys...and yes, I really what a cliche it is for me to say that now.< He chuckles. >I made a lot of them just yesterday, and more today, and none of them are about to go away any time soon. But I learned important things from them. Things that'll let me do better, and be better.<
>Whatever happened in the past, it's gone by. Whoever you were in the past, you aren't them anymore. You aren't just the person who made that mistake, you're better. You've learned, you've improved, so it's time to let go and stop letting the things that happened before drag you back.<
They grin. >Trust me when I say that was then, and this is now. You've got this, Lys. I really believe that. But I'm not the one who really needs to believe it, am I?< Junpei leans forward. >So, what do you say? Ready to take on the world, or do I need to drill into you how great you are?<
Lysander nods quietly as he finishes his next plate, adding it to the stack. He runs his fingers down the plates, taking a count, then drops a large bill on the table. >You're right. I shouldn’t let a few mistakes cut me off from a part of who I am.< He flashes a smile. >Temperance in all things, yeah? Look, Junpei, I-<
Lys’ phone goes off a third time, and he picks it up. >Sorry.< Swiping through a few texts, he opens his laptop, glances at it, then closes it again. He taps out a few messages, then sets the phone down again with a heavy sigh.
>On the topic of taking on the world. Our team is moving in to capture Aratani Shirakawa. She has to be held accountable for breaking our agreement and firing that devastating attack. I would not go to the meeting you have in the residential gardens at noon. One last check to confirm this new information. I don’t know if the dryad will be there, but it is a garden, so it will be dangerous. If you’re going anyway, I wish you luck. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there… Otherwise, it’s getting late, and I’ll have to go soon. I thought the meeting would be across the street, but now I have to drive across the bridge mid-day, and I can’t afford to get stuck in traffic.<
You’re both given a moment to digest the topic as Ms. Tsuchi drops off your tea and rice cakes. Yuki pays upfront, tipping generously to keep the nosy woman out of your business. 「Whatever I think, it’s your body, so I can hardly make you change your mind. It sounds like my promotion is what triggered things. You said a title counts for dowry. If your mother were… persuaded to step down, would you take her place?」 She’s not happy, and obviously not convinced, but she’s cooperating.
Yuki’s phone, despite being submerged, buzzes against the bottom of the glass. 「Persistent little-」 Yuki fishes out the phone, shakes off the water and checks her message. 「Gives me a little more time…」
「DK thinks he’s got your mom cornered. One of your minions leaked the location of your meeting. If you could find a way to keep the plant lady occupied somewhere else, we could have this whole thing wrapped up before two.」 Yuki pauses with a sigh. 「Look, Ki-chan… I have feelings for you, but all this other stuff is hard for me to swallow. I'm all for putting things back to normal for now so we can figure things out, but... Well, I'm nobody's sidekick. There's some stuff I might do sometimes that you won't agree with, and you need to be cool with that.」 She bites her lip anticipating your reaction.
{geo-tag for residential gardens across town}
Trussed_In_Me: Cover for me for a minute? I’m with my niece.
As someone who lives through your phone, you can tell your boss has cooled off a bit. You’re not sure if it’s a good sign. The change in location means you have less time. You can get the job done, but there’s no way you’ll be off the premises before noon.
How are you getting across town?
Your phone makes its notification tone a few times in rapid succession.
May: we’re finishing up bfast on the roof
May: told her I’m not up 4 saving the world
May: she needs to talk 2 u
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Junpei carefully controls his expression. >I never told you where I was going...I'm not going to get any answers right now, am I?< Their eyes glance away, before looking back to Lys. >I guess if you're part of any group that would go after Aratani like that, then that tells me something about how you're involved with all this.<
Should they warn...? They could do it right now, without even doing anything obvious.
But then what would happen?
They...didn't know enough. About Aratani, about what the fallout would be from the conflict, about Lys's group...
To say nothing about how it would affect their relations with everyone if they did or didn't.
Their mind turns to Kazue, and the nuke...
And then to Sora, telling him over the network about essentia recovery. Would Aratani have been better if they'd kept those trinkets? Would she have done things differently?
...
That's too much to think about for now.
But there's something else that weighs clearly in their mind.
Junpei comes out of his reflections. >...Lys, I'm telling you this because I'm trusting you to be able to handle this and to help me here. I think I know who you mean by the dryad. I found out today after accidentally wrecking her greenhouse and having to try and cover it up. And from what I know she's done...well, I know you're right to warn me about her.<
>I don't know if you already know, but...she's my landlady. I have enough to worry about myself, but I'm concerned for Chūsuke. He doesn't have that sort of defence, and I can't always watch for stuff. She was giving out flowers in the hospital, apparently. Looks innocent, but could easily turn so awful. And what hurts more is knowing she could easily do something like that with him.<
>I need to look after him. Probably need to find a new place, too. So...I'm trusting you to help cover Chūsuke, Lys. To help me and him get out of this alright.<
>There are other people I can ask for help for, sure. But I can't think of anyone else I'd trust with my brother.<
Lysander's eyes go wide, and his hand slams down on his phone, but he stops.
>June, I don't know what to do. My team's stretched thin as it is trying to corner Aratani, but if what you're saying is true, the dryad is going to be at your house at noon. -are you sure it's actually her? Is there an altar somewhere on your property? A secret place where she could cast powerful magic? Bringing in the moon princess is one thing, but Hugues has been hunting the dryad since before he came to Japan. She's always working through layers and layers of minions, and just when we think we've cornered her, it turns out to be some kind of wooden puppet. I'll bet she'll be using one to attend the meeting.< He takes in a shaky breath.
>I could call Hugues...<
He thinks for a second. >-or... I have someone by your house now. She's actually watching the heiress. Should we send them to check on your brother first?<
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「Things I won't agree with... huh.」 Kiyomi had never considered Yuki her sidekick but something about her phrasing there put her on edge. 「Things related to my mother, perhaps.」 Yuki obviously hates Mother, and Yuki's organization plans on doing... something to her.
「Of course, Yuki. That independence is why I fell for you in the first place.」
@Mother: We have been betrayed. A man named DK knows about our meeting and plans to trap you there.
「It sounds like we have a plan; I do expect I would succeed my mother if she were to step down. It is what she has been preparing me for, long before I knew it.」
@Mother: I suspect the culprit is that wretched Junpei. We will have to concoct a sufficient punishment later.
「Thank you for this, Yuki... I love you.」
@Mother: For now, tell me what you wish me to do. I love you, mother.
Junpei takes a deep breath. >Best place I can think of is her I greenhouse. She...definitely already did some stuff there. She might be a little wary after my earlier accident and patch-up, though. There were some tarot cards I probably messed up in my blackout...Airi, whoever that corresponds to, pinned an ace of wands to her work desk before I came to and fixed things. I don't know if that's at all significant.<
>If she's known for such proxy efforts, it's entirely possible it might not be her-her. Still, it's worth investigating before anything else happens. I think we both agree this is a bit of a delicate matter here.<
>Go ahead and have them check in. It'll be good to have someone to ensure he's safe in any case. Even better if we catch something.<
>Just make sure they know to keep an ordinary profile...I mean, I probably don't need to ask you that, but still - I don't think we can afford Okami-sama's attention.<
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Sora very rudely pulls her cell phone out of her pocket to check it, nodding along. 「Yeah, my parents are the same. They'd have taken me with them but didn't want to mess up my career.」 she says with a small shrug, looking up from her phone.
「The apartments are... different. I don't mind the extra cleaning, most of the time. I was really excited to get in when I did; one of Aratani's projects, I got a really good deal on the rent.」 Probably another time she'd used Sora to upsell one of her pet ideas, really. She tak-a-taks at her phone, glancing down to verify what she'd typed, before sending.
'Will be up in a moment. May bring 804 with me.'
「So... what was it that you were up to?」 Sora asks as she crosses the room to get to the mail boxes; she didn't expect to have anything, but she had ordered that package from Corvus Curios. She half-hoped it wasn't there. But she felt like she needed for it to be there. But really didn't want it to be... Her heart skipped a few beats as she opened the box to check. She looked away for a moment, back to the girl. Nice-Shirt had suggested she take the girl; with May unwilling to go... had he meant this one..?
「Ano... do you believe in magic, Nakahara-chan?」 she asks, quietly as she looks at her, mailbox open and hand reached halfway in.
The tension eases back out of Lys’ knit brow, and he visibly reconsiders calling his boss. He does start tapping out another message. “I will ensure she is armed. None of us has more than this. I can’t type and speak in two different languages.”
Lysander puts his phone back down and starts putting his laptop into his messenger bag. >I’m leaving to help my team with Aratani. You can come with me if that’s where you’re headed next. I’m trying really hard not to ask what you’re going to do instead.<
@Ki-chan:Probably Payens. That old goat couldn’t win pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey with his eyes open.
Yuki nods, swallowing. 「Yeah, no problem.」 She takes a heavy gulp of tea, and doesn’t look particularly interested in the sweet dumplings.
@Ki-chan: I will deal with our wayward daughter. Make sure you are at the gardens at the appointed time.
“OFF WITH HER HEAD!” The little girl in the center of the cafe nearly topples to the floor with the effort of the odd exclamation. Yuki laughs, seemingly caught off-guard by the slapstick. It does much to ease the tension that was rising between her shoulders.
@Ki-chan: Do be sure you have hidden a backup trinket, these hunters can be a nuisance.
Yuki spends a few more minutes flicking through her phone, waiting on a response. When one comes, she gives it an incredulous look. 「No. F!~%ing. Way. DK just sent me a location where he thinks the dryad might be right now. He wants me to go there and… find a little boy? -make sure he’s safe or whatever.」 She responds to the text with a few quick swipes. 「If she’s there, I can keep her occupied. The name Kyou Oshiro mean anything to you? She’s listed as the landowner.」
Miss Oshiro was your gradeschool teacher. She was an older lady with big round glasses and a neat bun of silver hair. You remember seeing her with your mother a few times. She always had lots of flowers in her room, but she always smelled like mildew. The memory of that metallic scent makes your mouth water defensively, and reminds you of the black haze last night. There’s something else… something that’s just at the edges of your memory.
Looking at the final design raises the fine hairs on the back of your neck. Although there is no obvious pattern, the municipal records show objects situated at each of the nine choice locations. Anywhere else it might have taken time to adjust, check, and re-adjust, but the circumscribed pentagram and square sit perfectly along a series of light posts, trees, and memorial placards. The only position which may pose some trouble is a fenced-in utility shack on the north side. Your maps also show that the shack is connected to the central structure by a service tunnel. It must be the maintenance shack for the watering system.
Simple4sight: of its location, I can tell you little else, but a man-o-war’s sting can wither the most malevolent of gazes.[2 of 2]
simple4sight: While the work was beautifully done, and I appreciate your thoughtful craftsmanship, that cruel sigil was not hung with my approval[1 of 2]
Trussed_in_me: Yeah, some teen idol group. 1 of the princess’ little pet projects. I could p get something signed if you want.
There’s no further reply from your boss as you head out. The car that’s waiting is a little electric number. The woman behind the wheel is touching up her eyeliner when you duck in. 「Nakahara to the Memorial Gardens? Takenaka Takara, at your service.」
It’s not long before you’ve crossed Kirakira Bridge, but there’s something down the road that’s holding up traffic. A limousine pulls up next to your driver’s car, and she whistles. 「Can’t say that’s a welcome sight...」
The girl looks around, eyes falling on the empty hamper on the floor. She picks it up and pushes it onto the running dryer. 「Just waiting on clothes. Normal stuff normal people do...」
Inside the mailbox is a small parcel with a distinctly jewelry-box-shaped lump in the middle. From the postage, and the numerous customs stamps, this package has come a long way. Much further than you would expect something to be able to be shipped in such a short time. One stamp in particular catches your eye: a silver train.
「Majikku? Mahō?」 The girl giggles nervously. 「I believe in miracles- spirits, even, but magic? That’s just in kids’ shows.」 She says kids’ shows with a hyperbolic distaste that suggests she watches the heck out of kids’ shows, but doesn’t want to be seen as someone who does. She’s got the conviction of someone who is waiting to be proven wrong.
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Kiyomi chuckles softly at the child's antics before taking a small sip of her tea. She hides her change in expression at her mother's notification in the cup.
「A backup trinket?」 Kiyomi had not considered making more trinkets before; her power up to this point was unquestionable, there was simply no reason to beg another trinket. One of the others - Tenshi, was it? - seemed to believe that doing so was dangerous, and not worth the extra risk outside of extreme circumstances. Surely, Khutulun's broken state was partially caused by her obscene number of trinkets.
Still, given what these hunters can do... Perhaps it is best to be certain. She will have to mull this over some more before the fated time.
「Kyou Oshiro... She was my grade school teacher. I remember she always was surrounded with flowers but never smelled nice. I suppose she is our dryad, then.」 Kiyomi decides to leave out the memories of Oshiro-sensei and her mother speaking; it is not unusual for the parent of a student and that student's teacher to speak to one another and with Mother's apparent unpopularity there was little incentive to give Yuki more chances to jump to conclusions.
There's something behind Yuki's eyes as she traces some unseen thread. She swipes furiously at her phone as she speaks.「Really, Kiyomi, your grade school teacher? Which grade? Who else did you go to school with? No, that's right, you went to a private school. That's what everyone said when I transferred, but that's not all they say, Ki-chan. It's all a friggin illusion! See? Rigtht here: Selective Memory Suppression.」 She turns her phone to display the Brotherhood's dossier on "The Dryad". The term Yuki quoted was under the heading "known hazards". A panel on the right side shows two pictures: one of Oshiro-sensei, but younger, with black hair. She's standing with your mother, much the same as you have known her, and a young Chinese man. The other picture is much more recent, and shows a pale, cherub-like figure with white hair in a dress like the petals of a lilly. 「Think about it, though. How could she have kept it from you for so long? -and...」 Yuki stops, turns the phone and zooms in to your mother's image. 「Kiyomi. Do you have an older sister? Because this is from 1997. That baby would be at least twenty today.」 Sure enough, at your mother's hip sits a little bundled-up baby.「You wanna know what the worst thing a witch can be tried for? They call it 'the ritual'. An aging witch finds their next incarnation and saccrifices her to the darkness. That's how she stayed so young while the others got old. I thought that was what she would do to you until I found out you were a different witch.」
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Kiyomi can no longer hide her irritation. 「Do you seriously believe I have an older sibling that I never knew because my mother killed her?」 Kiyomi chooses to focus in on this accusation, as the other is far more difficult to deny. 「That could be anyone's baby; my mother is a rather well-connected woman, I am sure I could find a dozen pictures of her holding someone else's child if I tried. You have made it very clear you dislike my mother, Yuki, but this accusation is crossing the line.」
Kiyomi crosses her arms. 「Besides, I already know how my mother always looks so young. It is illu...sion... magic.」 The young lady falters as she realizes what she just said. A carefully maintained illusion... where one accusation seemed ridiculous, the other seemed more plausible every moment she thought about it. 「I am sure Mother has an explanation for this...」
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Tenshi looks to the package, and briefly contemplates just... ignoring it. Pretending it wasn't there. What she had planned for it now seemed like... a terrible idea. She'd seen what losing Essentia had done to Kazue and didn't really know what the lack thereof would do to her. Goodness forbid she needed it later. But... maybe she was covered. She'd planned to give back what she'd been given, along with a promise.
Ugh. But...
She stood in front of the mailbox for perhaps too long, hand half-reaching, before finally snatching the package and tearing it open. She shouldn't have a hummingbird heart right now, she was just... her normal self. What was wrong with her?
She held the ornate box for just a moment, feeling the wood grain in her hand, before turning to the other young woman and depositing the rest of the parcel into the bin. 「Well, that's unfortunate, because I love cartoons. The medium itself can be far more expressive than most contemporary media like live action dramas. It can tell far-fetched stories that make our real world problems seem horribly mundane. And it can make us feel in ways we couldn't possibly feel under any other circumstance, helping us to look over dispositions we couldn't normally see past, because it frames it differently.」 she says, giving the other woman a friendly, knowing smile, but just for a moment.
Her hand traces along the grain again, and she frowns, visibly, as her mind bounces back to the imagery now associated with what she planned to do flickers through her head. Was it right to involve this girl in that? Nice-Shirt seemed to think so. And... she could probably help to save someone if she had the opportunity.
「Ano... I'm going to show you something, but you'll have to keep it a secret to everyone. It'll complicate your life a bit, probably... but it can also help to make your dreams come true - if you're careful. And... not everyone can do it, apparently.」" she finishes.
She moves over to one of the driers, before sliding the little box open to reveal the bracelet within.
She slowly pulls the bracelet out to hold it in one hand, quickly looking over her shoulder towards the door to make sure no one else was there to see. She then pulls off the bandage and squeezes a drop of blood from her stabbed finger onto the bracelet.
She hoped she'd chosen the right essence. Blood was life. Her returning to life with the ankh should be... symbolically fitting. The other portions of the charm bracelet would likely take on a new meaning of their own as well. She really wasn't completely sure of all of the symbolism.
A part apart; a fate undone;
By blood and rote, I seal this heart;
Bind this spirit; turn the lock,
and rise again to keep the watch.
And that just left the hard part... giving it to May. She squeezed her hand tightly once more.
Junpei shakes his head. >I get the feeling this is already going to look pretty bad for me. Even if it doesn't right now, showing up with you will probably change that.< He looks away.
Well, if there were ever a time to give warning, it was now. It was just...
This sucked either way. He says nothing, does nothing, he's leaving Aratani to be captured. What that would mean later on, he didn't know...but right now, that means Juno's mother would be taken away, and things with the Watch would only get messier, and that was discounting what would happen Shirakawa-wise overall.
On the other hand, actually do something, and then he's pitted against his best friend, directly or not. It only gets more painful to consider with the thought that he was looking out from him even as part of an opposing side...helping keep his brother safe, no less. As it is, this was dangerous enough for him.
...this was only going to get worse.
Junpei looks back to Lysander. >Look after yourself, Lys. And...thanks.<
Inside, as he debates what to do, she decides to start asking questions herself.
@Sora: You said the park was bad. Just why? I mean, I just learned my best friend is now trying to capture Aratani there and I don't have a clue what to do about that, but I'd appreciate if there's anything else to add to this hell I should know about.
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You still have your (significantly less motorized) bike. You’ll make it on time, but there’s no telling who will arrive when, and you doubt seriously that Lys is going to wait for you before he puts himself in danger.
A few more messages get sent, then Yuki stands up, adjusting her overshirt. She looks out the window, sighs, and looks back to you, biting her lip. 「We’re getting into some dangerous stuff. It’s tearing me up trying to say this- I don’t… I don’t really believe in this kind of thing, but I know I’d hate myself even more if something happened and I didn’t tell you I love you too. So… there.」 She sets off for the door.
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As you watch, the black limo shifts to bright pink. The roof opens, and the inside slides up into a stage. On this platform stands a small girl with bunny ears holding a bow. She’s wearing a gaudy pink dress and a tiny gold crown, and her skin- her skin looks shiny like pink plastic.
Trussed_in_me: I should be able to wrap this up soon. Let me know if anything serious happens.
42-42-564: Tell her I’m fine.
silverROSE: You get the gun I sent you? You might need it.
Simple4sight: Sorry about that, you’re better off without it.
Then a giant statue smashes into the side of the bus, buckling it on impact, and flipping it onto its side. As you watch, the statue, an inu, grinds to its feet, tugging against a heavy silver chain.
Astronomers are baffled by the sudden change in the moon’s trajectory. Reports from outside the Kanto region suggest a meteorological event involving the refraction of light through the atmosphere, as external sources are reporting no change in celestial activity.
In a contradictory report, meteorologists and oseanographers are reporting record-breaking changes in tide, suggesting we may be in for a rank eleven tsunami. The Obusa counsel is calling for an emergency meeting to call for an evacuation and other emergency preparations.
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Looks like 13th-14th century mongol iconography. Something vaguely religious, but I don’t know the purpose. Can you take a picture of the case?
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{picture of an ivory scrollcase}
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The seal on the case looks like it’s for the recipient, not the sender. It’s addressed to Khutulun, almost like the asian equivalent of Cleopatra. She had a lot of suitors, but this doesn’t strike me as a love letter. She was also a star in the military, so this might even be a coded command, or map.
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Your thoughts wander to May upstairs, and Emi, who you haven’t really spoken to in so long… and Kazue, who you left in the dream world. What did you even do to her? A tight knot of doubt sits over your stomach, and as the bracelet accepts your blood, you can see static gather around your hand.
You take a deep breath, and give yourself permission to admit your own limitations. As your heart stills, the static forming around your trinket settles. Knowing now what this ritual involves, you feel that capacity to judge your own scope in this world bleed out into the trinket, leaving a dull oblivion in its place.
While you’re drowning in circumspection, your body glows with an unnatural un-light. It’s become commonplace in this new world you live in, but you can see the shock and awe in Kyou’s eyes. This new form is not your spastic corvid form, and it’s not your detached armor form.
Kyou falls backward, pulling the hamper down on top of her head in an adorably clumsy accident. 「S-sugoi!」 She looks like there is more for her to say, but it’s all coming so quickly, she’s not sure where to start. 「Take me with you!」 That was... easier than you expected.
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@Windy: Mostly that park means trees and plants and flowers, and Dryad has already tried to kill us. Can selectively take memories, too, so... anyone there could be brainwashed, even people who helped us before. Doll is also there, and dog. Either someone needs to stop doll from turning dog into a trinket, or make dog into their own trinket to prevent it. Turning magic creatures into trinkets is different somehow, I think. Pretty sure Aratani and Shiny are in danger cause neither have responded... not that I've really tried to reach them. If you're near the park, help Bubbles help dog, I think. Should we expect you at the mall?
* * *
If Tenshi's former transformations had been inspired by The Crow and the Nezha Warframe, the current was a much more classic piece. Tenshi's hair was tressed into three parts, one dangling to either side of her face, bound in jewelry, and the third - the vast majority of her hair - ran from a ruby hairband straight back. All of her hair was perfectly straight and midnight black, parts bearing wooden beads the same color and grain as the jewelry box. Her face was made up gaudily with large amounts of eyeshadow and winged mascara, left eye even bearing some sort of egyptian symbology. Her lips were coated in gold that may have been glitter were it not for its tenacity in staying in place.
Her skin had taken on a much more native asian coloring, not quite reaching the coloring of the egyptians, but certainly more tan than her typical form, offset by a sizable golden necklace that resembled nothing so much as a web, several animals seemingly trapped within. From the necklace hung white linen that completely offset her skin tone, wrapping around her form in sheathes that covered her chest, before circling around to the back to leave her midriff exposed, crossing once more at the small of her back and left to flow behind her.
Each arm was etched in either tattoos or artwork, difficult to tell, though like her lip makeup, they didn't run or smear. Each hand bore a gold bracelet with no visible catch that was too small to fit over her hands. Each had still more linen attached to it that connected her waist, hands, and necklace (in the back) with sheer white fabric ran through with ruby in a slight mockery of the seemingly-ever-present wings that tied in to her moniker.
A belt braided from gold hung from her hips, with a priestess's ceremonial skirt dangling and covering all of her legs save for the very outer edges, the fabric held together at the seems by intersecting leather string that didn't so much stop the fabric from flowing as completely coming apart. Her feet were adorned in simple slippers that left her nearly barefoot.
She still looked like walking teenage perfection, but she dripped serenity well beyond her years. Tenshi provides the teenage fangirl with a knowing smirk, and nods. 「Just remember that what I just did is dangerous. Like Harry Potter's horcruxes, except less evil - maybe. I think there can be a lot of evil. And making too many is also bad. But... there's been a lot of dangerous things going on lately. I'm planning to go to the mall to try to fix the dream world there a bit with the help of my friends, but... we may need to swing by the park to help make something terrible not happen.」 She nearly frowns, but only manages a look of slight disappointment.
「There's a lot to know. There are a lot of essences, but each is a part of your soul. I think you can also bind spirit creatures.
And there are likely other things that no one knows or has ever tried. Apparently, not everyone can do it, either. Making a trinket from yourself makes you less human... I think. If you're going to try to make a trinket, go to your room and get something important to you. I'm going to head to my room first, then head up to the roof. Meet me there?」
* * *
Once she'd sent the young woman off to gather her own belongings, Tenshi gathers the jewelrycase off of the drier, and places the young woman's things back into her basket for her, folding them quickly, before heading upstairs. She steps into the room, somewhat darker now than it had been earlier, the sun having risen in the sky to cast its light more towards the floor. The jewelrycase appears in her hand as she places it on the table, straightening it to be in line with the window, then pausing, and turning it ninety degrees to make it more clearly visible upon entering the room. Touching it up just barely as a way of relieving nervous energy.
"My Watch is Done." she announces to the empty room, before swallowing, tugging her pastels out of her imaginary pocket, and setting one shade on the table. Black, like all the others, but its true color Carmine. She sets it next to the box, before slowly, almost reluctantly removing the bracelet that had moved to her wrist as part of the shift back, the little animal faces looking at her as she carefully packs them into the box. Then she writes a note on the expensive wooden case. She hesitates, only getting one chance to write this properly before committing.
「Please wear this wherever you go. It is one of my trinkets. No matter what happens to me, I promise I will return to you. I will keep you safe - body and soul. - Sora」
She rises slowly from the note, rereading it twice before she reaches her full height. Slightly taller. Heavier. Imperfect Sora, not perfect Tenshi. Slightly too old, and completely lacking the serenity she'd had moments before. She runs her thumb across the cut that would never bleed again on her finger, before packing the carmine pastel away, and taking the fire escape up.
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Kiyomi smiles warmly as she says farewell to Yuki. The smile rapidly fades when Yuki leaves the cafe, Kiyomi looking drained and exhausted.
「This isn't going to work, is it...」 she whispers to herself. She thought what she felt for Yuki was real, but her heart was faltering now. What teenage infatuation could possibly overtake her loyalty to her mother?
Though, that is probably already decided. Yuki will not be happy when she discovers Mother is aware of her organization's little trap. The thought causes... something to well up inside of Kiyomi. She pulls a bundle of 1000 yen notes out of her bag and without thinking leaves an extravagant tip for Azumamaro.
She retreats back to her car, and requests the driver to bring her home. 「Just one more task, before the garden meeting...」 Whatever happens, she will come to blows with someone there. She needs to be prepared.
When Kiyomi exits the cafe, the car and driver are nowhere to be found. Of course, mother would need a ride to the garden herself... what will you do? What do you usually do when Jack is busy and you need a ride?
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「Right, that makes sense.」 Kiyomi sighs; this is normally not a problem she would have to think about, with her schedule usually fairly regimented and her mother usually away on business.
Still, the situation gives her an idea. 「Diamond Sovereign Juno.」 Maybe she should not be doing this in front of the door to an open cafe, but she does not terribly care.
Kiyomi snaps her fingers, and a large portal appears where the car had been before. From this, a new mode of transportation appears, complete with driver to bring her back to the mansion.
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The air around your portal cracks, the world around the cracks distorting like a broken mirror. Small chunks fall free as a gold trimmed ebony carriage rolls out onto the street. The cracks spiderweb, the ground shakes, then the wards on the Wonderland Cafe cave. As the pieces fall away, the building behind you shifts to a chorus of shrieks. The quiet little cafe gains a floor at odd angles to the rest of the shop like a crumpled top hat. Small furred creatures roll out of broken windows and cracks in the plastered walls, scurrying away into the surrounding shrubbery. Tiny white gnomes appear on the roof and gutters, chattering and watching, but otherwise unaffected. Most worrisome, the entire area reeks of magic, you can practically see the orange arcane plasma rising from the sidewalk at your feet.
Your chauffeur steps down from his toeboard and opens the door of the carriage, revealing plush leather seats with emerald studs. He ignores the people and creatures fleeing from the building--or more accurately each other--to bow till his hooked nose touches the floor.
Another little girl made of bubble gum and carrying a bow, turns at the last second, and her arrow goes wide. In the distance, in the direction of your sister’s school, there is an explosion, and a beam of orange light that blinks into the sky like a neon sign coming to life. Your eyes are back on the fight, as the arrow takes out a chunk of street between the chained girl and dog.
The arrow having missed, the girl strikes the dog, who tumbles across the ground and into the next car in front of you. The driver of that car already fled, leaving his door open. The collision flattens the front end of the car. The girl spins, gathering up the chain, readying for another attack.
Your crops in are doing great! You just unlocked the next tier of watering can, and now you can tend twice as many fields with any given devotion of time.
Your armies have also come back. Time to sort through the spoils and send out a new raiding party. Your guild is doing really well this week.
One of your dragon eggs hatched, but it’s a dragon you’ve gotten like five times already. You dutifully fuse it with your main.
Your forum RPs aren’t updating, which is extra lame, because there’s this new one that just got players together, and it’s just about to start. You re-read your profile to make sure everything looks just right.
You hear explosions, and a dying car horn. 「Are you listening to me? We need to get out of here. Are you sure you’re not a Magical Girl too? I could use a hero about now.」 She reaches back and tugs your ear buds down. (You don’t even remember putting them on.) 「I’m going to try to get turned around. Is your seatbelt buckled?」
As she speaks, she starts turning the car around. You swear it feels like she’s backing up over another car, and you can feel the trim grinding.
You catch a notification on your phone in time to see:
42-42-564: Stop. She’s just alone and scared.
When you reach the roof, your stomach ties itself in knots. Emi, in a hospital gown a size too small, and her arm in a sling, is chatting with May, who looks a little awkward, but much happier than you’ve seen her in a few days. There’s another man whose face you’re having trouble placing. He’s leaned back in his chair with his sandaled feet on the table, fiddling with his phone.
A quick, instinctive glance at the sky somehow tells you Ayatori isn’t around- and gives you a clear view of the sun and moon, suspended maybe a hand-span apart in a blood-red sky.
Before any of you can say anything, a surging beacon of orange light draws your attentions across the bay. A few seconds later, accounting for light vs sound speeds, there is a distorted thump. Something in the color reminds you of the dancer.
@All: Tā māde niǎo!
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Juno throws her hands in the air in exasperation. 「Is EVERYTHING in this city secretly magic?」 She shakes her head and steps into the carriage, figuring that whatever nonsense was transpiring in the cafe was the problem of whoever was responsible for the building in the first place.
「To the mansion, please.」
Sora frowns almost imperceptibly. Of course Emi would be dressed in a child-sized hospital gown. What was she even doing outside of the hospital in the thing? Then she remembers herself moments before and shrugs it off. She gives a small wave to everyone present, with the genuine nervousness of meeting up with an old friend (even if she does want to injure her a little more, at this very moment - while reconnecting), a current friend, and possibly a new friend.
She almost doesn't register the celestial phenomena. It's not that they aren't noticable. It's more that they simply seem more real than the norm, now. After walking through the umbral dreamscapes so often, strange was the new normal.
She'd taken things significantly better than May. And that may well have been because of their domains. May's path would require a journey. Sora's was all about dreams. So... what was Emi's, and how did the witch hunters work exactly? The bass line plays through her head once more and she smiles to herself.
And then there's the orange burst. "Nani?" she asks as she turns towards the burst. 「Oh no...」 she manages as all of the previous night comes flooding back. She'd left the dancer with dozens of snake babies. And Kazue, too. She checks her phone, would Kazue be getting up just about now? Had whatever she'd done set all of this into motion?
Her eyes dance across the horizon. 「Too far north to be the park.」 she pings the voice that called out loudly in what sounded... like panicked asian - but not Japanese. May's book appeared in her hand without a second thought, before asking the question in the Chinese, over the network:
What's going on over there?
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Past-Dad"You're still too young to understand. You do good in school, work hard, make me proud, you hear? Don't do anything crazy like run off to join a hippie commune, and put those manga away when you're in class. Teacher catches you with 'em, it won't be pretty."
Past-Alex"I... I... Fair winds and following seas, Dad. We'll keep a sharp watch for you."[/i]
For some reason,there was a sorrowful bitterness that Alex didn't remember the first time he had that conversation, and it left him all twisted around inside.
Alex stirs from his reverie as he attempts to figure out what exactly is going on.
The water is there, but it's almost calling out to me even as I am right now. That can't be right. Isn't this the 'normal' form? Why the bleed-over?
Things start getting strange, though, when he gets the message about Zeek and the warning about the doll... and the sky goes orange.
It feels like everything is trying to FORCE me to stay HERE. This can't be right. I need to *move*, to get out of this.
@All:Request Status Update.
The 'tourist' starts jogging towards where Zeek was sent to, and Alex keeps a careful watch out for, well, pretty much anything, hoping for the best, dreading the worst.
"I was try to go to store, but I think party start without us."
As the two of you crest the hill, you can see the commotion with your own eyes. Aratani is standing on her limo/stage, drawing an arrow and glaring daggers at the orange beam to the north. Saku- Tomoyo is in heated melee with Zeek, who does not look like he's got the upper hand. He's still holding his own, but from his stance and demeanor, you can tell he's just taking hits. The two of them are locked together by one of Tomoyo's chains, but it doesn't look like it's controlling the stone dog.
Tomoyo has the dual daggers out, the black shadow blade in one hand and the red flame blade in a reversed grip. As such, her costume is more of a black valuer cocktail dress with a pair of sock-puppet dog heads over her shoulders. 「」
There are cars stopped on both sides of the road, and an upturned bus. Zeek landed on a car, but the driver's long gone. The civilians are all trying to get away by whatever means available.
The carriage makes a K turn like a delicate sculpture in royal icing. Nothing is pulling the ornate vehicle, and it certainly isn’t making any noises as if it had an engine. From your seat inside, you only feel a gentle rocking. 「There is a minor disturbance at the community gardens, ma’am, we’ll have to take Terrace Street. Won’t me more than a minute’s lost time, ma’am.」
As you’re about to leave, you see Miss Tsuchi step out of the cafe, wringing her hands in a towel. Her expression is one of annoyance mixed with thinly-veiled envy. She takes out her cell phone and snaps a picture of the carriage.
Miss Takehara throws open her center console and shuffles around one-handed as she continues to maneuver the car. 「Perfect. This better not be for a grocery list, kid.」
Reinforcement was a common enough tag. It was one of the few that were hung in the office- temple... whatever. The pen is, shockingly, a fountain pen with “Shirakawa Tower” printed in gold on the side. The paper is a receipt for takeout.
Once she has it back, the driver licks the back and slams the paper on the dashboard. The effects are immediate. The engine revs and shakes, hacking out the baked-in phlegm of a poorly-maintained car. The sagging suspension flexes, and the chassis lifts about half a meter off the ground. The inside panels soften to padded leather as a roll cage snakes out around the inside frame. Needless to say, none of your tags has done something so obvious before. 「That’s what I’m talking about!」
Turned around, Miss Takehara has two directions to go: back across the bridge, and south, to Coral Coast Street. 「Coral Coast doubles back on Terrace Street, and should get you to the other side of the garden, if that’s where you’re still headed.」 What do you do?
May’s smile is tight. At a moment’s notice, she could step through a doorway into… anywhere that’s safer than here. 「We were just catching up.」
Emi leans precariously over the back of her chair to watch the lightshow. Her red lace panies peek out of the back of her gown, and everyone tries not to notice. 「That’s where she’s locked them up... No wonder this place is so empty all the time. -Hey Sora! I heard you’re a witchin’ woman too. I think we might have seen each other last night- I was a little out of it at the time」 She raises her sling. 「I’ve got my uncle here, a pyromancer working for the fuzz, and he says you saved my hot, luscious bacon, so I figure I owe you a little slack for how we parted ways.」 Any enmity between you when the band broke up was clearly not your fault if it existed at all.
The man in chef whites tips an invisible hat. You’re sure you’ve seen him before. 「I’m actually on my way to the gardens, but I needed to deliver a message from DK-」
「Well that can wait, because this little phantom girl is getting on my nerves. She says Tomoyo needs help? She’s a real whiner, and pretty new to the whole ghost thing.」 She pauses and gives the air a stern look. 「Now, slow down. You’re just making a mess. -no. Of course... I think so. Is that it? You’re sure. Well we don’t exactly have all day.」 She turns back to you. 「She says there’s a door May could use. Looks just like the roof access door, but it’s on the utility building on the north side of the gardens. Tomoyo’s trying to fight everyone off because a flower told her how you guys come back to life. No disassemble Johnny Five, etc. etc. She just needs someone to tell her Sakura’s okay where she is.」
All: The wards on the Cafe have all been broken. All the orphaned Yokai are scattering, and the magic we’re keeping there is visible for miles. It’s going to attract any active Phantoms.
All: Pele, darling, are the you-know-whats still under lock and key?
All: {frustration, indignation} The star children are being contained by their own magic. Nothing short of an act of God would break them out.
All: Pele, no need to frighten the children.
All: Yeah, you can f~%& right off with that s*@! Princess Bubblegum.
All: Language, Kutulun!
All: What’s this about Star Children? Plural?
Junpei goes for his own bike, readying to head for the mall. They had to trust Lys would be alright. The alternative wasn't something they could consider right now.
@Sora: Shiny? Doll? Who are those two, exactly? And you can make magical creatures into trinkets? I know you could take magic from them to make a trinket, but-
And then, as he mounts his bike, the messages flood in. For a moment, Junpei's in shock. The next moment, he's pedalling to his workplace, and considering where along the way he could stop and transform without any eyes on him. With what he suspected of his employer, he was pretty sure which cafe they were on about.
@Sora: Actually, that's not that important right now. I'm heading to the cafe. If there's anything I should know or something, then contact me as soon as possible. The less I'm blindsided by, the better.
@Paresh: How are you doing? Please tell me nothing's going catastrophically wrong where you are...however far you've gotten right now.
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@Windy: Shiny is Empress Herself. I don't like using real names even if I did know them... seems rude. The one that dragged the monster into... you weren't there for that. I... she took the Doll home with her. Why did she.. Oh. F$+@. Doll was twins.
The flesh on her arms turns to goosebumps as she stands there for a moment. "Doll. You're... you're talking about one of the twins, aren't you? It's... no, you're talking to one of the twins." she says as things start to catch up. She knew several of the girls had been... put out of commission. But... this was different.
She paused for a moment, looking to May, then shook her head. She couldn't risk her dying, too. "Don't worry, I've got this." she says, trying to put on a brave face. "Do you need to come with me, Emi? You... might be able to help talk her down. But... I think I can do that all on my own, if you need to stay safe... which... with your broken arm." she offers a small shrug. "Under better circumstances, the medium thing would be... cool." she offers.
@Windy: Dryad told Tomoyo - doll - that her dead sister comes back in some way, and that's why she's fighting everyone... I'm not sure how it works exactly, but... we need to go let her know that everything's going to be alright. Old coworker is a medium, apparently. What does she gain from the chaos she's causing right now... she trails off.
@All: Hurt the doll and I'll make it my business. Try to stop her tantrum. Salt might bind her powers, if you're near, Bubbles. Tell her her sister's okay and safe. I'll be there as soon as I can... I can make this okay, too."
Sora stopped only briefly to ponder, while she waited for 804 and Emi to make their decisions - or perhaps May to step in, before she was going to take flight. She dug out her phone - in dire need of a charge, and looked up something the watcher had told her: Domovoi Grigori.
She also briefly contemplated just what exactly Tomoyo was if she was really a doll like her head kept telling her. How different was she from being nearly a starchild? She had one aspect of a soul. Just one. So which had the girl made a pact with? What would happen if someone bound themselves to that fragment? An overabundance, like with the crow feather? Could they be bound? What separated the starchildren from the trinket, from the magical girls? Were they all the same coins..?