"Wait, no." Sora says, snapping her head up from her phone. "I'm going to need your help for this, Emi, please?"
@Airi: He says the light is your work, and that Chūsuke is fine.
Pedaling around the bay, the sun and moon hang oppressively over your head. Across the water, you can see something jetting across the water. This street doesn’t get the use it used to, since the mall closed. A bus passes you as you approach the mall, not bothering to stop at the cut-down bus stop.
@Sagara: Our kind operator and I are headed to the cafe. We have it covered. If you are far from the enemy, make him know you are near...
@Meddlesome Git: Failure to attend my meeting will mark you as an enemy of the city. That is all I have to say to you at this time.
simple4sight: I took the gun he made from your desk. It’s only going to get you killed.
silverROSE: didnt u ever pay attention to Hughes de PowerPoint
simple4sight: That was me as well... Had to sit in front of you so you wouldn’t quit.
silverROSE: hold on gotta c a witch bout a baby...
simple4sight: Ignore him. You shouldn’t head for the gardens yet. Come to the mall. He’ll be okay, Lysander and Shuji are incoming and I’ve got that gun if you really want it.
The car pulls around and starts back down the street. The street forks north, toward the mall and the beacon of orange light, south, around the mess and back to the garden to do your job, and east, across the bridge, and back to your sister.
「Girl? You know I’ve got you. Some hottie with a sense of style dropped in and told me where to find you. I’m not gonna waste a hot tip like that on some lame reunion tour... He’s probably gay though- gave me this weird face when I tried to hit on him...」
The man in chef whites lights a cigarette. 「Given the time, I’m either following you or skipping town. I’ve got business where we’re headed.」
Your quick search bears fruit. The clearest match with both words suggests the man’s name is Grigori Rasputin, a religious tutor to Russian royalty. The deeper you read, the more vivid your flashbacks to Firday night get. Accusations of salacious activities, captive royalties, firing squads, a missing princess. The other word is a reference to slavic mythology. A domovoi is a house-spirit that appears in the form of a bearded man. Your research also finds references to a dog named Svibzik, and the dvorovoi, a guardian spirit of the yard in the shape of a dog. On a whim, you find a few other slavic mythological creatures: vodyanoi, a water spirit, leshi, a spirit of the forest, and Koschei the deathless, a man whose soul was said to be held in an egg.
Emi stands from the deck chair and turns a pirouette. She sings a few clear notes, and the thin gown shifts like melting wax, becoming a sack-cloth kigurumi with bold, black yarn stitching. A rod like a giant push-pin forms in her hand. She stops looks at it, and then at the empty air where Sakura presumably is. 「Really? Eh, at least I’ll die comfy.」
May smiles and walks toward the roof access door. 「I think I can get you through. Just don’t let anything back through-」
She’s interrupted by a small girl bursting through the door just as she’s reaching for the knob. The two of them collide, spin on their heels, and May barely catches her balance as the new girl spins onto the roof. You don’t recognize this girl at all. She’s wearing a knit green poncho and a pair of precarious heeled boots that lace up past the knees. She stops at the top of the stairs and bends over, as if to stop and catch her breath, then blinks and straightens, a picture of serenity. 「I’m sorry! I really wanted to remember that poem. I thought I had to bleed on it.」
Ki-chan: I will deal with the thief and her ilk. Stop the doll at all costs.
The ballerina keeps pace with the slowed carriage. 「Hey Chibi Moon! Good to see you, honey. Have you seen your mother? Sora can heal broken trinkets! All we have to do is get everyone to chill the f+*$ out, and she can fix everything.」
You see a carriage speeding down the road, rolling right over cars. Khutulun laughs out loud.「Hey Chibi Moon! Good to see you, honey. Have you seen your mother? Sora can heal broken trinkets! All we have to do is get everyone to chill the f+$& out, and she can fix everything.」
Sora nods to the Emi, "Thanks, you both being there will help a lot." she doesn't address the pyro just yet, but instead nods and smiles to May. "We'll try to keep it safe, but close it behind us. I don't know what's on the other side, but... it's probably less scary for a magical girl than you." she offers.
"Two rules, if you're coming with us, Sparky. Don't hurt bystanders is the first one-" she trails off as the new girl stumbles across the roof. "Second rule is don't hurt the doll. If she's hurt... I don't know how this is going to work. I honestly don't know how it's going to work at all until I meet her."
She pauses for a moment, "If you want to go back to your original form, it's easy. You just say 'My Watch is Done'. But to change back you have to know your name and title. You can still use magic in your normal form, though. I... don't know what sort of magic you'll have, but we'll find out." Sora nods. "What did you make a bond with?" she asks as she transforms, her Dreamcatcher appearing in hand as she opts for the 'defensive' option. The fact it made her also look like a toy also vaguely appealed to her. "Cloud Watcher Tenshi." she announces as silver thread flows out from the dreamcatcher, into ribbon, that then becomes the metallic near-gundam magical girl form.
"I think blood protects you in battle. Bubbles was stabbed... and was okay. But... don't get stabbed on purpose to find out." she says as she smiles to May. "We've got this, ready when you are."
...at this moment, he wasn't sure whether Aratani's sudden ultimatum had more to do with him letting things slip or Okami-sama setting something up.
In any case...this was bad. Especially with Aratani's disregard for collateral.
He didn't want to see the destruction that would come with being an 'enemy of the city'. He didn't want to fight Lys, he didn't want everyone to be at each other's throats...
But we've got to deal with this. Nothing'll ever get better if we don't.
Yeah.
Squashing down all the terror and conflicting things as best he can, Junpei mentally switches destinations to the gardens. Missing that meeting would be bad.
@Paresh: He knows my name? And about Chūsuke? Also, what light? I don't exactly know what you're-
Junpei only just notices the beacon of orange. It's a pretty obvious thing, but he's been preoccupied.
@Paresh: Scratch that. I see it. And I'm pretty sure I didn't do it.
Next question, of course, is who the hell is at the mall right now. He'd check, but he had no time to stop. So who - wait, Sora mentioned...
@Paresh: Nevermind that. Could you ask him if 'Dream Prophet' means anything to him? I think he's been mentioned to me before. Also...
@Paresh, Sora: Aratani's message. Am I the only one being treated like this, here? I don't think I have time to visit the mall anymore, in any case. If you've got any advice or something, I could do with it right now.
@Paresh: Advice from Prophet on things would be good too, if you can get it. Also - approaching the mall. Don't think I can stop too long without risking 'enemy' status for lateness, but if you want to see me in person for any reason there should be a little time if you're quick enough.
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Kiyomi looks on in horror as her mother aims a kill shot at Tomoyo; Kazue's remark does not even register as she frantically sends a message.
@Mother: No, please don't kill her! I can handle this, I can stop her!
Kiyomi does an impressive leap out of her carriage as she joins the fray. She slides to a stop between Tomoyo and the battered dog. Getting up, she walks slowly towards the girl, weapons put away.
「Tomoyo dear, please do not do this. Naiad is an ally, we gain nothing from harming him. Just come over here and give onee-san a hug; I can help you.」
I figured the bird ate them or something. Damn, he smokes joss like it’s a drug. I don’t know what else he’s capable of.
Drop the conspiracy theories, darling. The Tsukaima are here to serve us.
You mean the conspiracy theory we were investigating when Perdita f!*!ing died?
Khutulun, he will win who knows when to fight and when to stand down.
Yare yare...uh, Pele, no offense, but standing down is kinda what got us here.
She’s the one who- No. Not here.
Pele, are you involved in this treason?
Aritani, you are not and never have been royalty.
You’re dodging the question, Pele...
You tear down the street, passing the mall. You see two figures step out of the lobby, and then, in a cloud of purple smoke, arcing static, and black feathers, Paresh/Miyako is beside you, casually keeping pace, and carrying a sharply dressed guy.
「What did you do?」 The stranger speaks over a casual hello from Paresh, which is echoed by Miyako with a bit less confidence.
「This is the guy.」 Paresh clarifies. 「H-he’s haunted by our d-deaths, so I think h-he can be trusted.」 It’s odd to hear the same voice bounce back and forth between Paresh’s rough-but-casual tone, and Miyako’s soft timidity.
「I’ve never heard of Aratani singling you out. The two of you usually have a really positive relationship when you’re the one sent to take out trash. I don’t know, something that happened since last night really threw this run off. -in a good way. I just hope I’m not missing something important. As long as Hugues doesn’t go to the garden, and Kyou doesn’t get involved, everything should be well within your power levels. There aren’t usually so many of you at this point. There are two pretty good lines I could pick right now, but if you’re headed for the gardens, I think you need...」 The man’s voice shifts to something deeper, smoother, and generally more appropriate for his face. >Through Pythia quoth Apollo, breath the smoke that fills Delphi. Beware the auger cast by moonlight, when sister he doth flee.<
「I blame drugs.」 Takenaka shifts gears as she takes the turn, headed around to the north end of the garden. 「Last night I watched four identical girls and a fifth girl who was a starlet, but also a tengu, summon a horde of babies and fight a man-eating plant. -then again, about halfway through I blacked out and woke up with a college student in my apartment, so I blame drugs... and poor choices.」
She delivers this speech while staring out at the rode intently. 「You gotta recognize the things you can’t change, and decide they’re going to be someone else’s problem.」 Reaching the relatively straight Coral Coast street. She peels her eyes off the road to look back at you. 「Whatever this post-it is that you put on my car, at least you’ve got a thing that works. Not everyone has an advantage like that.」 She adjusts her glasses. 「I’ve got another fare, do you mind if I pick them up?」
The girl that was Kyou opens her hand slowly. In it, there is a small paper charm, carefully crafted. 「My brother made it for me. All I know is, I was running up the stairs, whispering that poem with this in my hand, and poof! Gomen- did I mess something up?」
Aratani flinches, but holds her bow at full draw. The discussion over telepathic network is distracting her. 「Stand aside, dear. That thing is dangerous.」
The stone dog grinds upright, paws cracking the asphalt. My fault. He grumbles. Bad timing. The chain Tomoyo has on him lays slack on the floor beside you.
Ayatori makes a wide circle overhead, eyes glinting red to match the light of the moon. Pisces and Cancer incoming, Mistress.
Tomoyo listens to you intently, gasping for breath. When you call yourself her big sister, she breaks down. The knives drop out of her hands, and she runs forward to bury her face in your golden dress. Through her sobs and hiccups you can make out, 「she said- I’d have to- die- to save- Sakura!」
Khutulun is busy arguing over the telepathic network.
You and Kazue are finally coming around the bend. You see Zeek getting up from a shallow crater in the street. You see Kaguya aiming her bow at Juno and Tomoyo, who are hugging. You also see Aratani circling overhead.
There is a bus that’s been hurled into a lamp post, and several cars on either side of the scene that have been abandoned.
Then, you feel as though you’re on an elevator that’s started on its way up. Vertigo staggers you, and your gaze is pulled toward the coast. Over the tops of the houses, you see a bulge in the horizon where the sky meets the sea...
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Alex made best speed towards where he thought Zeek was at and then suddenly graceful dancer Kazue ends up in front of him. He gulped a bit and tries to think of something appropriate to say.
Just ask her out already, geez. She's probably older than she looks! Live a little!
As things begin to spin even more wildly out of control the speechless sailor sort of fumbles with a few mutterings and polite nods and and feels his stomach go all topsy-turvy.
At first, he thinks it's the incongruous nature of such an incredibly attractive young woman.causing exceptionally unprofessional thoughts.
Then the stand-off at Tomoyo and Zeek plays out, with his possible half-sister intervening. But rather than mitigating his unease and almost nigh-unto-seasickness -- which he had never gotten before -- the sensation seemed to be escalating.
Turning his attention away from the grand melee and towards the ocean his stomach begins to really wobble back and forth.
"Kazue? It is um, good to ah,see you. I'll... be right there. Try to gently stop this from becoming worse! Be safe and careful, okay?"
Alex ducks down an alleyway, hopefully out of the sight of many prying eyes.
"Cresting Tide Naiad!"
@ALL: Something Wet on course for fracas. Attempting Re-direct. Get Clear.
Reaching deep into the sensation that they feel growing up and through them they throw themselves into the very fluid nature of the waves, attempting to spread the power contained within them across a much wider area, in the hope of mitigating some of the force without stopping it... because simply stopping it won't help, but make it wash back and then come back twice as strong.
Almost as an incidental side-effect, they attempt to 'spray' a watery brackish circle in the general direction of Sakura's 'twin', based on some snippet they got in the general chaos of the back-and-forth.
This wasn't good. Aratani was starting to turn on everyone, and the risk of smoking craters was just getting higher and higher. Maybe it would be better if...
Why am I even considering this?! Even if Juno DIDN'T hate me for eternity after something like that, this isn't necessary! If we can just get someone the right trinket from Aratani and give it some time...
「Paresh, Miyako...Prophet? Name would be good - I think I have an idea, but even if we can pull it off this isn't going to be fun.」 Junpei focuses on the prophet. 「Do you know which trinket links up to Aratani's fire control? I mean, I know there was a mirror and a hairpin I could have kept back in the alleyway, but I don't know what they link up to or what they are transformed, or what her other things are. If we're able to get the right one and keep it from her long enough, she should mellow out a bit, right?」
@Windy: She's usually over the top. Didn't usually pull a lot of ultimatum stuff... she usually didn't have to. I think she's just used to getting what she wants and stressed. That last part comes through somewhere between worry and guilty pleasure. I kind of turned me into a bird creature on accident the first time I made a trinket. I used a token our familiar gave us. So I'm not sure how it works overall.
「What's a shadow? Also, do you guys have a watery spirit person that isn't heavily armored? Because I need to find where that person went.」 The second question could easily be towards Emi as well, with everyone there.
「No, no. A trinket made between you and a loved one will probably have a great deal of power all on its own. It's just that what you use seems to have meaning. I draw things with my pastels, I see more simplified pictures with my dreamcatcher, and I...」 she trails off before continuing looking to May, and giving a small nod and a smile.
Junpei nods. And then does a double-take. 「Wait, sloth? What's that-」 He shakes his head. 「Forget it! Detail later! She made a pact with sloth. Going to assume that's not something she took, so it was hers. Right.」
「No idea what saliva costs you, and bile doesn't sound right. We want her to ease off the trigger, then sloth sounds like the best shot without figuring out that last trinket.」 Realisation hits, and Junpei winces. 「Buuuut now we have to get that mirror off of her and away from her without becoming public enemy number one, and also stop more badness happening...and I'm on thin ice as it is, so I can't do much that might look bad. Crap.」
「We've got Lys to deal with, too...」 Wait, Miyako and Paresh probably didn't know him. 「Best friend. Let slip when the meeting was to him in a traumatised haze, didn't know he was part of a group trying to capture Aratani for her nuking tendencies. At least he didn't call Hughes when I met him.」 He sighs. 「Maybe we might at least be able to use whatever he's doing to get an opening without causing more problems. There's Tomoyo...too...」
「TOMOYO! You alright?! It's going to be alright!」
Benji nods, speaking behind your outburst. 「Oh, right, I mean sweat. Hugues uses the seven deadly sins. According to him, bile is wrath, and saliva is gluttony. Did I tell you the thing about the star children, or was that Tenshi... I'll check my notes... So little time in these scenes...」
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「Mother thinks she's a "thing" too...」 It seems the popular opinion among those more knowledgeable in magic. But with Tomoyo in her arms, softly embracing the weeping child, how could Kiyomi possibly deny her personhood? Without hesitation, Kiyomi makes the first act of defiance in her sixteen years of life.
@Mother: We are all dangerous. She is my little sister, and will be treated as such.
Perhaps the message could have been less biting, but that is not too important to Kiyomi at the moment. What is important is the crying girl in her arms.
「There, there... Nobody has to die today, okay? Onee-san will protect you. Tell me, who said such an awful thing to you?」
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The chef picks up a pair of tanks off the ground and proceeds to strap them to his back like a backpack, then checks his phone.「Shadow is just a general term for violent supernatural creatures. Witches, Kitsune, Phantoms, Doppelgangers, anything stirring up trouble. You know, shadowhunters, like in the mangas.」 He’s clearly not someone who reads 'the mangas'.
Emi’s smile widens as you describe the morgen. 「I’ve got her, Sora. The water spirit from last night? I figured the EMT wouldn’t know what to do with her. She’s in a bad way, but a quick soak in some clean water should clear out all the impurities. Fresh water, though, she’s a river spirit.」
「Alright, I’ll try not to get in the way, but let’s get going. It’s about to get dark.」 The girl that was Kyou points up at the sky, where the sun and moon are now touching. A pitch-black point is forming where the two bodies overlap.
May opens the door and peeks out. 「Nothing’s blowing up here. It’s the old waterworks building.」 The view through the door shows white gravel and a tall fence.
Emergency evacuation sirens spin up across the city.
「Even if you’re wrong, separating a witch from her trinkets makes them less wackadoo anyway. -The dancer should be catching up with us soon.」
As you near the glowing beacon of the wonderland cafe, the light suddenly wasn’t there. Was never there. What light, again? You’re rounding the familiar back end of the Wonderland Cafe, someone your instinct says is Pele waltzes out into the street with another little magical girl dressed in blue sage robes riddled with faint, opalescent circuitry. They’re dancing an inch above the ground, and keeping pace with your bike.
「Airi, Chrysanth, Solomon, simple4sight, good to see and/or meet you, such as the case may be. This is Pele, and I am Tiresias. We are all headed for the gardens, yes? All according to plan.」
Miyako, Benji, and Pele each say yes, almost in unison. Your earbud echoes confusion from each of them.
Pele winks at you.
Ahead of you, you can see Lysander on his bike, having jetted across the bay, hit the bank and jump through the air, coat flapping in the wind, just as the evacuation sirens blare to life.
The driver stops, and a woman in a maid’s outfit gets in, careful to stow a large luggage case in the floorboard before stepping into the vehicle. Takenaka introduces herself, and the maid nods.
「Hello, I am Suzu, an absolute pleasure to meet you.」 The ground shudders, and you can hear rain patter against the window. Emergency evacuation sirens start to spin up. 「Ah, rain on a clear day. They say this only happens on the birthday of the devil’s daughter. Glad I was able to get inside in time.」
Trussed_in_me: On my way now, buddy. Cut corners if you have to,
they don't own you.
As you change, the feeling of the tide becomes more of a simple tactile sensation than the disturbing cochlear vertigo. You can feel the waters gathering, pulling away from shore, as well as the navy’s scramble to react. The emergency systems aren’t reacting, probably because they’re understaffed after hordes of energy drink addicts have been taken to the hospital. Without a second though, you deploy countermeasures to hold back the impending wave.
Both hands palm out, and the ground shudders as choral rises up from the coastal shelf. Arms sweeping in, and waves push the deployed naval assets into position. A simple snap, and the under-staffed emergency systems crack to life on their own, and the evacuation siren sounds. Pulling back, like a mime reeling in a rope, and you pull with all your strength against the moon. Water sheets off the wave, killing its crest, and causing it to rain saltwater across the coast.
Your mother tisks, hopping onto the next car forward, but lowing her bow.「We can’t always have what we want, dear. That th-… your sister… has broken a great many rules in a very short time. I mean, casting magic in public? You should all know bet-」
Something very large slams into Kaguya, crashing into the ground and skidding across the street. A large man in a wide-brimmed hat and black duster brings his sleek motorcycle to a stop. 「I am the Delphic Knight, champion of justice, and in the name of the Brotherhood, I will punish you.」 The sides of the bike open, and the man falls forward. The bike continues to shift, plates splitting and rotating until the bike has formed a giant set of black armor, kneeling. The wheels rotate up to the suit’s back, and spin up. Red fire shoots out in fan-like wings. The armor’s gauntlets begin to spin, generating white-hot light that pours out of the seams between the plates.
Kaguya pushes herself back to her feet. Her bow is next to the car she left from, but she’s now holding Tomoyo’s red dagger. 「You whimpering cur! I told you what would happen if you ever came to collect on your laughable little threats!」 She slides into an aggressive stance, turning to pull the mirror from her belt, but stops, discovering the black dagger jutting out of her side.
The ground shudders, and everyone on foot staggers to keep their footing.
There’s another flash of light, this time periwinkle blue, as Kazue dives into the scene, ephemeral blades spinning around her. 「Stop! This is pointless!」
Then, evacuation sirens begin to blare as it begins to rain. Your attention is pulled from the scene, as you feel an icy dagger of panic pierce your spine, and draw your attention to the north.
Yuki's in danger.
「Erm... just one problem. The plants filled her full of memory erasing black sand of doom. Or... brain eating fungus, or something like that. He called her dryad. But it doesn't just take any memories, it eats what she wants it to eat.」
「How does not worrying about bystanders make you any different from the people killing bystanders? Luck?」 she asks the pyro, before pausing and huffing, 「Enough stalling on my part I guess, now or-」 Jingle. At... least it wasn't one of the ones that had played so often on the radio that just what little time she'd spent in stores had eroded her brain cells.
「I really do hope so, 804-Chan.」 she says as she steps through the doorway into the next area. 「Stay safe!」 she calls through the door, uncertain of whether it would carry through, before getting out of the way of the others. She took a moment to orient herself and started to head out. She briefly pondered testing her 'wings' in the real world, but the fact that it felt more like wearing a cloud than she'd expect armor to feel, she didn't feel it was wise to test the theory.
Once Emi was through, she nodded to her, 「There are a few ways we can handle this. Can your Evoker thingy be taught to another magical girl? Not me...」 she pauses for a moment, before nodding to the park, 「But Doll. Cause, maybe I'm not the best answer for this. I can probably save the little girl, but... I'm not sure what that'd do to her sister. They could both be together if Doll could be like you.」
Emi walks to the gate on the north side of the fence. 「Anyone have cheap flight or a magic lock pick? This thing is padlocked.」 The waterworks is a small building on the north side of the residential gardens. There is a ten-foot fence with razor wire. A branch of the tree planted on the outside hangs over the fence on the south side. Further into the gardens, there is a tall pagoda.
"If you can show her, I think that's all we'll really need. Just let her talk to her directly, and make her own decisions based on that. I know what I'd gi-" she trails off for a moment, following Emi to the door, catching herself midspeech. "I might be able to fly. Flying's easy in the dreams. I'm a little low on happy thoughts at the moment, though. We could probably break it?"
She pauses for a moment, "Or I could imagine a hole in the fence with my pastels, maybe..." but the latter seemed a lot more likely to work in a cartoon than the present situation.
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The phone rings while she bounces her baby on her hip.
“Hey, honey-” The line goes dead, and Aratani curses. 「Dogs. Every one. Why do I only fall for pigs and dogs?」 Pulling a pen out of her open purse, she leans forward and scratches a number out of a small notebook. She then scans through the pages. She curses again.
Sighing, a seventeen-year-old Aratani drops pen and notebook back into her purse and trudges to the temple steps to sit.
「Ara-chan?」 A young temple maid with large, round glasses sets down her broom to approach the girl.
Aratani shuffles in place to turn away from Ms. Oshiro.
「Aratani, what’s wrong? Is the baby alright?」 The maid carefully adjusts her robes as she sits a careful distance from the girl on the temple steps.
A raven caws from his perch on a light post.
「I don’t know what to do anymore, sempai. I can’t keep this up on my own.」
「You’re never alone at the temple, my child. We have room enough for the both of you.」
Aratani huffs and busies herself with rocking her mild-tempered baby back to sleep.
Ms. Oshiro turns onto her knees and cups Aratani’s chin affectionately. 「Would you do anything to get away? -to make a better life for dear Kiyomi?」
A tear slides down the girl’s cheek. 「I’d do anything if we could just stop being so hungry...」
The raven swoops down to land in front of the pair. Do I ever have an offer for you.
Bunt spores occlude the scene as Ayatori begins to pitch his pact.
Tenshi stands for a moment, then shakes her head. The mediums wouldn't mix well, at all, it would be a really poor choice to try to draw a hole on the chain link - and time consuming. Plus, her trinket was one of creation, and creating a hole seemed... counter-intuitive, somehow. So, instead, she kneels down with her pastels and draws a heavily stylized key. Tiny... but it should get the job done. She then tries to peel it off the ground and fluff it into reality with a shake.
If all of that works out... she unlocks the padlock!
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Things just kept on getting more complicated. Junpei just hoped there wouldn't be any more people dying. Again.
Soooo-
White - or rather, Tiresias - had showed up. Only...Benji wasn't expecting them. Whatever his deal was, this was new to him. Not only that, but Tiresias had a plan that needed us at the gardens. Not to mention, they knew his name. They even had a name for Benji. How?
Even Pele was confused by them asking where we were going too. And he'd been with Tiresias before.
Something was off there. Hopefully, Okami-sama hadn't messed with them.
Lys had arrived. He was probably going to be fighting Aratani any moment now.
Tomoyo was still in danger, and with the mental reminder Junpei only pedalled harder. But there was what she said too. Who was who, though...Onee-chan had a link to a boy with long pink hai- that was the girl he'd first seen yesterday, wasn't it? The one he'd seen on the bus earlier, and who'd been with Juno before that. So...that would mean Juno was probably Onee-chan, and was covering for Tomoyo. That helps. But it also meant that girl was in danger, which definitely didn't. If she was Onee-chan now and not Momma, that probably meant he wasn't Daddy anymore. It'd also mean that the Momma and Daddy she was talking about were probably her actual parents. And there was a 'Mother' in the mix too, laying claim to her Momma.
This just kept -
Gotta keep on track.
He needed to ask Benji about the Tiresias situation, but he wouldn't be on the network. Probably. Same time, he had to keep in contact with Tomoyo. Should find out who 'Mother' was too. He was prepared for anything to be relevant after finding out about Okami-sama. He also needed to get that mirror.
Perhaps he should upgrade his transportation too, if everyone could run as fast as he could pedal.
「Nearly there, Tomoyo. I'll do my best to keep you safe. Though - who do you mean when you say Mother?」
They were close. He could probably switch. He waits a little for Tomoyo to reply, and latches onto Benji.
「So, already guessed you weren't expecting Tiresias. But...so, I have a spell. Gives me subtext on things. Anyway - when Tiresias asked where we were going, it told me 'All according to plan.' Tiresias wants all of us at the gardens for some reason. As it is, they know my name, and I'm pretty sure they shouldn't know that. Do you have any info that might be relevant here?」
...he might as well ask Tiresias how they knew too. Paranoia aside, no reason not to.
@Tiresias: Been a while - or well, feels like it. Just - how did you know my name? The one I used to transform. I only found it out earlier today.
The driver pulls up at the north end of the gardens. The maid gets out and offers to help you out of the car. It’s raining lightly, and the evacuation sirens are sounding. The sky casts the landscape in sanguine tones. Your mouth waters like you’re about to eat something sour. The rain smells like salt.
The memorial plaque is just outside the door, and you can see one of the target trees and the outbuilding over the round mounds of flower beds. Your muscles tense. That’s three targets you could tag pretty easily. You feel your body relax in stages. In the south, you can see the light post and tree you will need to tag. A black bird circles where the sounds of cracking asphalt can be heard, like a vulture waiting to pick bones clean. Your eyes track to the other four points obscured by the garden’s other features: another light post, another plaque, a waste bin, and the fountain.
As your watch, something dark drops out of a tree near the outbuilding. You catch the scent of cigarettes as the rain dampens the overwhelming blanket of the flowers' aroma.
「A pleasure riding with you on such a portentous day...」 The maid gives a shallow bow and turns to walk into the gardens.
With a running jump, the chef scales the fence on the south side, climbing up to the overhanging branches of the tree.
Emi watches, unimpressed. 「There’s someone who could shimmy the lock, but I’m not sure if I can trust them slipping back quietly… especially with this eclipse-」
You sketch out the key and fluff it into reality as the chef drops to the ground outside the fence. The big cartoon key slides into the padlock as if it were made of marshmallow, and the lock and chain fall away.
Emi hugs the girl from 804, who is holding her ears against the sirens. 「Sorry. Guess I’m still not caught up on the sense of urgency here. I know there’s like sirens and blood moons and stuff, but I hang with a pretty chill crowd...」
Tomoyo’s response comes immediately. She sounds like she is short of breath. 「The flower fairie, dummy. disgust; terror; courage; consternation;」 You can count that weird feedback from your iPad as another thing you don’t have time to figure out.
@Airi: I have been busy, as I can see you have been. If you are asking how I know something, I should tell you my magic is based in knowledge. Knowing things is the depth and breadth of my abilities.
「Oh, butts. The seer survived?」 Benji tugs on his collar and gives Tiresias a weary look. 「If the dryad has her claws in him-」 Suddenly panicked, the sharply-dressed man scans his surroundings. 「Just, j-just keep an eye out for his sister, Bianca. She’ll be the one dressed for a siberian blizzard.」
Your band of suddenly silent saviors rounds the corner into view of a massacre. A bus has been turned over, and craters have been smashed into the asphalt. Aratani, in bubblegum bunny princess form, is facing off against black power armor with flaming jets spinning out of back-mounted wheels. You can see Juno and Tomoyo huddled in the middle of the street, the tourist’s stone dog trying to keep his distance despite Tomoyo’s silver chain keeping him on a short leash.
When you look back to speak to your crew, the fused duo is gone. They’ve left Benjin standing in a cloud of feathers.
Tiresias chuckles.
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Alex has an idea. They know it's Alex's idea, because it's so rooted in the mundane, but the principle is definitely ambitious.
Archimedes said 'Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.' Aratani looks like she's got a lever long enough shoved up her ***...
The disdainful background voice groused. But where are you going to find the fulcrum? Let Aratani and this putz duke it out!
Oh, that works even better, good idea. Whiplash Protocol! Thanks for the idea, other me? Naiad tries NOT to think about the mental damage they may be causing themselves right now.
@All:Paddy, lay back (Paddy, lay back)!
Take in yer slack (take in yer slack)!
Take a turn around the capstan - heave a pawl - heave a pawl!
'Bout ship, stations, boys, be handy (be handy)!
Raise tacks, sheets, an' mains'l haul!
With all the energy needing an outlet still, even with safeguards in place, Naiad attempts to extend a limb of water towards Tomoyo, who has their puppy leashed. The attempt is to wrap around the twin-less twin, send them hurtling towards Aratani, and then angle the force *up* towards the moon.
"Pounce the Moon, Zeek! GET IT!"
If Operation Moon Pounce is successful, Naiad will attempt to leverage the moon back to a more proper position away from the Earth, even if folks whine about it.
「Yeah... I've been out of it too, I think. Or maybe into it? I've only been a magical girl for a little over a day and already everything 'normal' no longer seems 'real'. Nothing really does... except the stuff in my head. Crazy, right? Who knows. I might just be sitting in a room jabbering about this to a doctor, getting them excited about me having a break-through, but it's really just extremely lucent and poignant jabbering. Because I don't believe this stuff isn't real, it's just more that I believe other things are more real, now. Like the moon.」 she says, looking up with a huff.
「You could have waited, you know!」 she calls after the pyro, before continuing to the others, 「Honestly... I haven't confronted anything directly really. Everything has been really nuanced up to this point. Well, the brain drain plants probably count as a direct confrontation... but... I don't really want to go out there.」 she finishes, before moving into a jog towards the center of the park.
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The woman behind the counter hands Lysander a crumpled manilla envelope containing his personal effects. With one hand, Lys dumps the contents out on the counter, picking through condoms and bar tokens to retrieve his keys. “Halten Sie mein Bett warm, würden Sie?” He smiles through a blackened eye and soot that has his hair and singed beard matted.
Grunting with disapproval, the woman uses a clipboard to shovel the debris into a waste bin.
Outside, the grecian paragon rolls a sore shoulder and clicks his fob, looking around for a bike that wasn’t there.
>It pains me to see such a proud lion caged.<
Lys turns to see a tall man with narrow glasses in a scarf and duster. The man opens a hand and a rosary falls from his palm to hang from fingers crooked in benediction. >Sorry, I don’t play for money or favors.<
The gentleman looks perplexed.
>You’re also not my type.<
The man’s mouth quirks and his eye twitches. >That is not why I paid your exorbitant bail, Lysander Apollites. I’ve come to save you from this cycle of self-destruction.<
>No, I got that.< Lysander stuffs his good hand into the pocket of his jacket. >You’re not the first holy man to take pity on me and mine. I’m not something you’re going to cure to get bonus points. -do you have my bike?<
The mysterious benefactor adjusts his glasses. >The bike that you set on fire in the foyer of your lover’s home? -after you ran it through the front door? -drunk and pissing yourself with grief? Lysander, I am not that sort of holy man. -your arm, does it still hurt?<
>Who put you up to this? Gunter? Otto?<
>Gunter is dead, Lysander. He died in the fire.<
Lysander staggers as if struck. He doesn’t return the stranger’s steady gaze. >You lie.<
>I’m not someone who has to.< Stepping forward, the scarfed stranger touches Lysander’s arm with two fingers of his left hand.
Lysander pulls away… and flexes his fingers.
Tomoyo catches her balance in mid air, bubbles escaping her mouth as she pushes down her skirt. With ease and grace, she lands beside princess bubblebunny, encircling her with chain as well.
「You children have a lot to learn before you could hope to face me!」 There is a flash of hot pink, and fire spills out from the princess’ hand. Her skin turning from bubblegum to cinimon heart as she begins to grow in size and muscle definition.
The Delphic Knight vents exhaust and jets forward to slam the monologuing princess in the chest.「Sorry, but I’m pressed for time.」
Chains go taut, and Zeek springs into the sky, now with a full mane of coral branches. Tomoyo staggers as she hauls back on the chain until the links break. Zeek and the princes soar into the air.
A few kilometers into the blood-red sky, a circle of fire bursts out from The tiny dot of Kiyomi’s mother, followed by the unfurling of giant, fruit-leather wings. She’s hanging some distance away now, and behind her, Zeek impacts the moon with a cloud of dust and a web of shifting fault lines. The moon grinds to a halt in the sky
The fire curls and loops around Kaguya as her djinn ring and the flame dagger harmonize to form a burning whip of hot-pink fire. A half-moon arc of fire descends, cutting a car in half and causing the black Knight to roll to the side. Tomoyo bounces against the pavement before landing in the Knight’s outstretched arm, but she comes up victorious holding Aratani’s bow.
The light streaming out of the Delphic Knight’s gauntlet intensifies and shifts in color from yellow to blue. The Knight and Doll take aim at the Demon Princess Kaguya.
Periwinkle bars of light slam into the ground along the sidewalk, creating barriers between the magical girls. 「We shouldn’t be fighting!」 the freshly tutu’d Khutulun shouts.
「I could not agree more.」 A second row of amber blades rise up around the battlefield to the trill of castanets. Small cuts appear white against the dancer's bronze flesh as she steps away from the bus. She turns and capers, jerking slightly each time a fresh, bloodless cut forms. White steam rises where the rain meets with the cuts.
A normal-looking, if well dressed man stands at the dancer's side as she spins. 「A word, in peace, to those so inclined: it’s best to hold position, I think you’ll find.」
In the distance, something huge, dragging something small by a barely-visible chain, launches straight for the moon. There’s a bolt of light that flashes in the foliage nearby, and the little something in the sky bursts into a pair of bat-like wings and a swirling ribbon of flame.
A jet of fire strikes in the distance, followed by a shower of blue and orange beams of light. The warm rain is making your clothes stick to your shoulders, but the third and forth marks, a lamp-post and tree, are in sight.
Your sister still hasn’t seen your message.
The center of the park is filled with a three-story pagoda. The signage over the doors advertises a bathhouse. Inside the doors stands a tall figure with peroxide blond pigtails and a square robe ending in green, root-like tendrils. At her side is a shorter girl dressed for the Siberian tundra. Each of them wears an amulet with a curved jade ornament called a magatama.
「Hail, and well met, children.」 The tall magical girl gives a shallow bow of the eyes. She scans you, Emi, and the new girl, and her eyes harden. 「You-」 Her lips press to a fine line. 「are each welcome to stay and wait Ara-chan’s little meeting.」 Her gaze remains glued on the girl from 804.
Emi and the girl look to you to take the lead; although Emi is humming.
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Kiyomi stands dumbstruck as all this happens before her; pulled in three separate directions she knew not what to do, and before she could decide she ran out of time. Kiyomi's heart stops for a moment when she sees her mother about to die, and she falls to the ground with a heavy breath when the fight is thankfully cut short.
「Yuki... What's wrong with Yuki?」 The feeling she had was certainly not mundane concern; the power that linked the two of them had informed Kiyomi of danger. Kiyomi hoped that this link would be sufficient to speak to her girlfriend.
@Yuki: Are you well? I had a feeling that you were in danger.
Kiyomi gets up and addresses the unfamiliar man who speaks in rhymes. "Who are you? What do you want to discuss?"
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Houston, Tranquility Base here... the Eagle has landed Naiad thought for no particular reason though with a tinge of concern at the apparent fragility of the moon and worry for Zeek. I hope you're okay, buddy!
Admit it, that was FREAKIN' AWESOME! DO MORE! DO MORE!
*sigh*
"Who is Silver? And this isn't one of those stupid Groundhog Day things, is it? Because I'm not sticking through hundreds of versions of this garbage to make a perfect happy ending. I don't think anyone has the patience for that."
While this is going on, Naiad will attempt to remain in position without moving overmuch -- the recent arrivals seem pretty confident in their potential restraining moves -- and instead focuses on trying to mitigate the continuing damage from the water and waves.
"We all need to pull together and work as a team, even if we can't trust each other. Things almost broke the city just now, and possibly worse."
The man's back straightens as Naiad speaks. "The heiress' S.O. The one with silver bullets? Why isn't she here to back up PT?" He pulls out his phone to check something.
@Ki-chan: I'm fine. It's fine. She won't take a whole clip of silver. She's just got the lil' buster, and things are just a little complicated. That's all. No big deal. I've got it- under control.
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「Oh, um... hey. I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm not actually here for the meeting. I'm here to help the Twins. I don't reallyk care about the meeting.」 she looks from the unpleasant woman up to the sky. 「Really, who could care about a meeting when the moon just... broke.」 she asks, though the question is obviously intended to be rhetorical.
「Do you... know each other? Sorry. Silly question. How could you possibly?」 she asks, looking from the tall magical girl to the poncho-wearing one. 「Seriously, though. Hold that thought. Did someone just shoot the moon?」 she asks, squinting past the pair, gundam eyes comically squinting in time, then finally gives them the time-of-day to look at them with more than a cursory glance.
One was dressed for the ice age, which was a little... odd. Either she needed to stay hot for her powers to work, or more likely, her powers would make it quite cold. More likely she was armored against her own powers, but that left the other wom-.
Tenshi's breath caught as she noted the roots trailing at her feet. "Kuso.." she says, as she summons her wind-and-fire wheel into hand and takes a step back, and probably stepping on one of the other magical girls, causing her to stumble slightly. 「The f$!& did you do to Perdita? To Kazue?」 she asks, tone accusing, frightened, her normal nonchalant facade completely gone. She points the dreamcatcher at the woman, halfway out of a desire to keep the guarding weapon between them, and half out of a desire to understand who this woman is that could do all those things...
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A raven swoops down to land on the sidewalk and eyes the beaten and bloody man. His head turns on a pivot, considering Wei first with the left eye, then with the right.
Wei’s leg was broken. That much was clear. He couldn’t possibly consider putting his weight on it with his ankle twisted at that angle. The man’s breaths were increasingly shallow, and the depths of sleep pressed in at all sides. Rounding the side of the payphone, Wei’s eyes fall to the severed end of the cable, and the receiver laying on the sidewalk at the raven’s feet. That wasn’t there a second ago.
The blood causes the man’s hand to slip and he falls in a heap, bat clattering against the pavement. His breath rattles out of his chest in one last huff.
The raven hops forward and pecks at the aluminum bat.
「There’s another one here!」 A young girl in bright pink taps out from behind the building on stiletto heels, holding a bow. Another girl in an identical baby blue dress follows suit, taking the first girl’s free hand. In her own hand, she holds a small mace in the shape of a rattle. The two of them are like twin angels. They are followed by a willowy figure in green robes wearing a jade amulet. The three of them appear to be of an age.
「He is in critical condition. The EMTs won’t be able to resuscitate him.」 The tall girl observes. 「He is adept… He may make a suitable Autumn.」
「He’s a boy. -and old.」 The girl in blue crosses her arms plaintively.
「Hush, Nieth, there lies a mother goddess in all adept spirits.」 The willowy figure picks up the aluminum bat as sense narrows to a single point of light. 「Forgive us this trespass against your will, daughter...」
The combination of Tiresias's reply and Benji's fear set off Junpei's growing paranoia.
They've been casting on me. About me. They wont say it outright, but they have. They have to have been. And if they were looking for things that would help me, they'd have told me. Okami-sama got White, didn't she? She's already messing with Tomoyo, and trying to claim her own mother for herself...WHY is she doing this?
Can't get distracted. How much does Tiresias know? Need to check for magic.
Junpei's about to call up his duel disk when Tomoyo and Rocky happen. As much as the fact that Rocky HIT the MOON registers, Junpei's eyes focus more on Tomoyo sent flying about. It's a relief to see Lys - Damn, that's one cool set of armour - catch her, and positively glee-inducing to see that she managed to get her bow...but it's not the mirror. And she's still in danger - from Aratani, yes, but there's still Bianca and Okami-sama to arrive.
At least...Kazue? Kazue and Pele were trying to halt the fighting. And Kazue really did seem to be doing a lot better than she was yesterday.
Dammit, what was he doing? He kept letting himself get distracted. He needed to-
Silver? Heiress's S.O? Who was he -
「Is that Onee-chan's huzmand?」
...that was the girl from the bus again, wasn't it? Probably. He should tell Benji.
「If that's who I think it is, Tomoyo says she's in danger right now. Don't know more than that.」
...there. Got to focus. First, Junpei gets off of his bike and shifts away from Juno's field of view. Then, he feels out for his repair kit, looks over to where Lys is fighting, and softly says the words: 「Sonic Sorceress Airi.」
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As he transforms, Junpei's form begins to shed, flesh and fabric coming away as if merely a cloth placed over him to form a plain white shell around him. As soon as it is formed, the shell shatters and bursts, leaving behind a featureless female form in the same pale white.
As she stretches out her limbs, the white begins to flake away into the air, leaving behind colour and definition in their wake. A pair of purple gloves reveal themselves, followed by loose sleeves in a magenta hue. Thin purple lines divide the sleeves, giving them the appearance of being made up of large segments. The segmentation halts at the shoulders, where a final five segments appear on each - a dark green diamond of colour, bordered by the four other segments.
From there, the dress continues to form, plain magenta covering her torso before running down to her waist. A purple band forms around the waist, and from there flowing fabric seems to burst out as the white flakes away, forming a skirt in the same colour and segmented fashion as the sleeves, running down to the ankles and ending in a dark green trim. As the white on her feet flakes away, a pair of purple boots accented with green reveals itself.
Finally, the white around the neck begins to flake off as well, bringing her face fully into feature as a cascade of white runs off from her head until her long, flowing mint green hair is back in all its glory.
She holds out her right arm, and a small, pointed shape begins to run along the outside of it. The shape grows into the head of a serpent, and behind it, thick, serpentine coils grow out and wrap around her arm, continuing to coil around it until the serpent's head rests by her hand. She holds out her other arm, and the familiar holographic duel disk forms upon it, the band that projects it forming seamlessly around her wrist.
Iris takes a moment to look over herself, partaking in a minor indulgence as she takes in the details of her new outfit.
I could do without all the plotting, murder, and blatant disregard for others' lives, but at the very least, this is something I'll never get tired of.
With the knowledge the little smile on her face probably wouldn't stay long, Iris returns to the situation at hand, looking at her duel disk for anything from Tiresias or Okami-sama that she couldn't afford to ignore.
Field Effects:
Song of Storms - Moon - Fusion
--Wires Crossed - Dolls - Enchantment
----Don't Care How, I Want it NOW - Wealth - Sorcery
----Stranger Tides - Aquatic - Instant
In play:
Somebody Else's Problem Field - Moon - Enchantment
Swords of Revealing Light - Equipment - Sorcery
Mime's Mirror - Dance - Interrupt
Solar Soldier - Sun - Artifact
Cruel Angel's Thesis - Wealth - Summon Legendary Creature
Jace, Memory Adept - Persistence - Planeswalker
--V-card Revoked - Persistence - Enchantment
--Gift of Gab - Persistence - Enchantment
--A Rose by Another Name - Persistence - Enchantment
--Rosebud - Persistence - Enchantment
--Here's Johnny! - Persistence - Enchantment
--Up in Flames - Persistence - Enchantment
--Black Velvet - Persistence - Enchantment
--Bandersnatch - Persistence - Enchantment
--Dorian Gray - Persistence - Enchantment
--Little Black Book - Persistence - Enchantment
--All Business - Persistence - Enchantment
--Me, Myself, and I - Persistence - Enchantment
--Dragonslayer - Persistence - Enchantment
[...]
In the graveyard:
Licorice Whip - Moon - Sorcery
The Cat and the Fiddle - Aquatic - Sorcery
There are three bars of light along the side of your disc that you didn't notice before:
Magenta: 1 bar
Green: 2 bars
Periwinkle: 3 bars
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「M-m-m-my what?」 I mean sure, it was true, but he certainly had no right to just say it bluntly like that.
「I hardly see why I should inform you of her whereabouts,」 Juno finally replies, realizing too late that she just told him she knows where Yuki is.
Meanwhile, Yuki is talking like someone who has zero control of a situation but desperately wants the people around her to believe she does. It is a state of being Juno is intimately familiar with.
「I have to go help her.」 The thought pierces through Juno's mind, but the question is, how? Yuki is hardly the only one in danger here; Tomoyo's safety is still not wholly secured, and Mother seems to have made an enemy of every supernatural being in the city.
Stupidly, out of desperation, Juno places her bets on someone she tried to kill yesterday.
@Khutulun: I have someplace I need to be. If I withdraw... can you guarantee my mother's safety?
@Chibi-Shira: She's unstable, and kinda a b*!&+, but she's not actually the devil. (All evidence to the contrary) These blades go two ways, though. Nobody's merc'ing nobody while I'm here. Be quick. I'm not sure what will happen if your mom overloads her magic out here.
"Significant Other." The man in the vest clarifies. "It's the most polite way I could phrase it, why? Would you prefer husband? Wife? Baby-daddy? Girlfriend? I mean, here I was, trying to be discrete..."
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Juno barely hears Khutulun over the man's nonsense. Lacking any real response to him, she turns around, face flushed, and responds to to her temporary ally.
@Khutulun: I will be back as soon as possible. Thank you. And, ahem. My apologies about trying to kill you yesterday, it seems we may have misjudged.
With that, Juno musters up a portal, though this one leads not to her vault but instead to her girlfriend.
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