Chrysanth stops long enough to check her phone as it gives off a muffled BB-Pop tune and thinks a moment. Bubbles? She turns to look at Naiad before moving over to help with the infirmed Summer. She mutters to the transformed Navy man softly, 「D-Did you have the seven eggs f-from last n-night? One of th-the others thinks it w-would be a bad idea to b-bring them here...」
She notices the limo pull up all too easily and watches it, glaring daggers at the ethereally dressed young woman that climbs out. Her ire was palpable, but she remains still, assisting with the sick girl diligently with Naiad. She had much better things to think about than rage and hate.
As the spectres fade from sight, Chrysanth panics slightly. Did something happen to everyone? It takes her a moment to realize it the effect of Iris' magic and not a sudden erasure of the fears themselves. While that was a somewhat comforting thought, she was still on edge. Far more than she thought she should be. Without the phantoms, she couldn't divine the hidden worries and thoughts of those around her. Suddenly she felt blind, left in the dark, without her special sight.
She tightens her grip on her trinkets and takes a few steps towards the abandoned mall. 「Then, W-We should g-get going... Yeah...?」 She turns to glance at the assembled party of cosplayers and magical girls to see if they were following behind.
Chrysanth lets her eyes wander from speaker to speaker, glad to have a more extroverted companion to deal with the talking. She tries her best to fade from the limelight and let Iris handle the cosplayers, but that quickly proves impossible as the youngest of the group points her out. She glances at the girl through the curtain of inky black bangs, the skull mask beneath still stained in ash and black tears of ichor, before shifting her head slightly, obscuring it with yet more hair.
As Chrysanth returns her thoughts to the present, she's as surprised as the others to see herself in the lead. She stops long enough for the pair to reach her and keeps pace with them, helping Airi keep her feet if needed. The group of cosplayers easily catches her attention, but other than the coincidence of their costumes being magical girls as well, she pays it no real mind.
She glances at their own attire, the blue, the green, and the ominous purple and has to agree that their 'costumes' are too elaborate and uniquely theirs to be passed off as anything less than perfectly theirs. She gives Airi a confused look at the insistence of a group name and mumbles, 「W-We're the W-Watch... aren't w-we?」
Chrysanth listens to the others talk, remaining silent as she follows behind. She had gathered that Naiad was military, but the constant 'ma'ams' and the talk of strength in unity seemed somewhat forced to her. All the same, she had more important things to worry about, namely Tsuchi. One of the two remaining people she could probably call friends, and she was going to be at the weapons depot cosplay rave magical worship cluster at that condemned old mall. Her grip tightens on the cane, realizing she was going to have to be the one to break the news about Paresh.
Chrysanth feels her hands shake as the magic forges the ashen remains into the cane. She swallows her panic bravely and sees the spell through, clutching the cane in both hands with a tiny sigh. She stashes the can of mace away for the moment as she turns to the others, noting the darkening sky before stammering, 「Th-The mall... S-Some students were g-going to the mall f-for some kind of party... S-Some of them plan on... w-worshiping the m-magical girls... W-We need to be there... k-keep something t-terrible from happening...」
So how do we get rid of drain? It's starting to stack out of control!
I'll take the small heal wipe a point of trauma and Airi can take the full heal. I sort of want to keep my Magic and see what my shift will do when I get one. <.< Of course, Naiad is free to have the Hope either way.
Chrysanth's sobbing slows to a stop as Naiad's magic helps soothe her aching heart, leaving her staring down at the pile of ash and the cane held in her arms. She slowly gets back on her feet, grabbing the can of mace laying before her as she does. She couldn't just leave his remains laying in the alley, but scooping them up into a random container felt almost as bad. She glanced at the two trinkets in her hands, then to the items Kazue had left.
Paresh had a scroll in his tanuki form, one that had transformed into something more modern and less obvious when he turned back. She considered that bit of information for a moment before holding her trinkets out towards the pile of ash deliberately. Chrysanth takes a deep breath before casting her silent spell, trying to will the ash up off the concrete to fuse with her items. If he was gone, she was going to keep what was left of him as close as possible.
2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7
let's see if this will do anything? Depending on penalties, I'm willing to throw two Fate at this to get a positive result.
Chrysanth seethed, shaking as the burning plasma flared and roared around her sporadically. She had experienced loss so many years before, but nothing hurt so much as the death of her friend, death of what felt like her second chance of living her life free of her crippling fears. The ominous gaze of her skull mask, now stained in black tears and ash, bore down on Juno, giving the horrific impression of being marked by Death itself.
The blinding rage she felts slowly warped back into debilitating anguish as Airi and Tiresias talked her down. She again fell to her knees and dropped the can of mace, hugging the cane to her chest in both hands as the dark ichor continued to flow down the bone mask, sobbing over the pile of ash. She leans against Airi as the newly christened magical girl did her best to ease her sorrow, taking what comfort she can until she regains enough sense to collect what remained of the late Dhital Paresh.
"PARESH!" Comes the screech of sheer panic and anguish as Chrysanth tries to push herself up, watching in horror as what had might as well been her only friend was torn asunder. She scrambles over to the severed remains, looming over the lifeless pieces as the white skull mask began weeping black tears. Everything else in the alley, all the noise, the commotion, the movement, the scattered magical girls were all forgotten as she stared down at the still face, her hands clenched around the dual trinkets.
She murmurs in disbelief as the golden fire slowly burns away what was left of the poor young man. She fruitlessly tries to pull Paresh away from the fractured broom and bat away the flames on his chest, weeping as she what evidence remained was reduced to ash in her hands. She holds her masked face, absently grinding the cinders against the bone, letting them mingle with the ichor trailing down the cheeks.
Chrysanth quickly retakes her feet, brandishing her mace and cane as she turns to confront Juno once more, crackling with black lightning and ablaze with what could only be described as purple flames, unconsciously loosing the new burning plasma at the girl and finding herself unconcerned with the convenient magical mishap. "MURDERER! SOCIOPATH! IGNORANT HARPY!" She shouts through her sobs. "INSECURE WHELP! USELESS CHILD! GAUDY FAKE! GLUTTONOUS PIT!" The only thing keeping her from pouring every once of her magic into her burning insults and fueling the spectres surrounding Juno was the tight grip on the cane, and Airi's solemn words.
Miyako turns to face Juno as she hears the girl snap at her. She's not able to do much more than yelp as the girl's golden chains capture her, struggling against the magically conjured binds uselessly. In a panic, she quickly shouts her transformation phrase, "D-Dread Witch Chrysanth!" And takes her alter ego once again, in a cloud of ominous darkness. As it dissipates, the spiders tasked with weaving the intricate black lace of her dress remain, seemingly gnawing at the restraints defiantly.
She tries to angle her can of mace towards Juno, releasing another gout of fear warping smoke towards the elegantly clothed magical girl. Quickly analyzing the demons plaguing her assailant, Chrysanth murmurs a single haunting sentence, 「Sh-She would never love a m-murderer...」 and lets her magic do the rest to instill and perverse Juno's CRIPPLING DOUBT.
As the various spectres and goblins retreat and fade away, Miyako can't help but give a tiny, somewhat surprised smile. It worked. The smile quickly fades as the same teal embers burning away the horde of fears spread over the tiny frame of the magical girl she was trying to help. She wasn't sure at first if it was her fault, but a quick glance to Tiresias assuaged that fear slightly, she wasn't the only person calling on magic, and turning people into... cats? Wasn't her presumed specialty.
She quickly moves to cover her ears as two agonizing screams fill the air, glancing in horror at the flaying form of Junpei as his first transformation takes a terribly painful turn. She's too glad to look away towards Kazue writhing in the moonbeam prison, as much as that was a disturbing sight as well.
As the transformation ended, she glanced back at the long, green haired woman that had taken Junpei's place and was that a duel disk? She watched in confusion as the new woman shuffled and drew and played from her deck.
Miyako stumbles a few steps as Paresh yanks her back, eyes darting from the frenzied woman in the magic cage and the young girl plagued by fears of loss. Kazue needed to be contained, she was not only volatile but devoid of any real genuine emotions, an empty shell as she'd deduced earlier, one step away from the monster they'd fought the night before. Yet seeing the rather outwardly composed princess giving into the horde of spectres looming over her gave the polyphobe a sobering flash of empathy.
She gripped her can of mace tight and ran over to the Moon Girl, brandishing her own trinket and spraying it at the dark figures only she could see, shouting, 「L-Leave her alone! L-Let her think!」
Chrysanth feels a little less sure of her accusation as the genuine emotions simply flow across the knight's face with seemingly no filter between thought and word. The distinct lack of fear, and the staggering amount of trinkets still keeps her on edge, however. As the petite princess girl distracted Khutulun, and the woman's demeanor quickly shifts back to one of unsettling lust, Crysanth grimaces behind her mask.
Feeling the sandstone soften to flesh again, She turns her attention to Paresh, making sure the tanuki girl is alright after her moment of petrification. The suggestion to transform back seems reasonable, but she waits a while longer, giving the knight and the princess another glance. She turns her attention back to her friend just in time to see him return to his natural form, resting a hand on his shoulder and trying to give a reassuring smile in her ominous state.
As Khutulun is again distracted, this time by Paresh, Chrysanth grows defensive. She takes an unconscious step forward, positioning herself between the woman and the man she'd been calling friend for a week since midnight. She shot the knight a glare through the skull faced mask and watched her transform with a bit of prompting. The distracted and weak looking girl that replaces the lewdly dressed woman was far easier to empathize with, but the lack of shades orbiting the girl was still somehow unsettling.
「M-My Watch is Done.」 Chrysanth mururs as well, letting the haunted alter ego slough off of her in an ominous cloud of darkness that quickly abates, leaving her in her rather baggy clothes. With no reason to try and hide her hoodie anymore, she pulls it from her waist and slips it back on, covering even more of her figure and resting her hands, and trinket in its pocket, glancing to Paresh.
Chrysanth watches the mob of fears surrounding the seemingly young princess. The various spectres, while intimidating, washed away most of her distrust for the girl. She was quite human, and able to be reasoned with. On the contrary, the sheer lack of dark figures surrounding the knight left her unsettled. She had been a magical girl for less than twenty four hours and she'd already learned that no one was that serene.
The lascivious armor and the woman's sultry tone made Chrysanth's stomach turn. If she were normal, the facade might have seemed more inviting, but there was no fear of rejection, no hidden shame or worry. She was using her sexuality as a lure and nothing more. She was cold, she was merciless, and worst of all, she still seemed to be calculating.
As the girl with the wand and mirror snapped, and the fears shifted in power, Chrysanth finally understood just what was wrong with the knight. She had six trinkets already. Her soul was severed and warped into the countless weapons surrounding her. She was one more item away from being nothing more than the murderous spirit they had faced the night before. She glanced at Paresh' statue worriedly and gripped her mace tight, stammering, 「Y-You're nothing m-more than an empty sh-shell,」 As she returned her attention to the knight in the scandalous armor.
Chrysanth again scrambles to her feet, dashing around the burning spear skewering the earth to stand next to her now statuesque friend once again. 「P-Paresh, are y-you okay? C-Can you ch-change back?」 She murmurs worriedly, glancing to the warrior woman that had violently interjected herself into the alley. The sound of a motor draws a quick glance to the street proper.
It would be hard to say the bright pink limo didn't surprise her, if only for the bold choice of color. The benefits of being a rich young girl, she assumed as the youngest of the three magical girls, the one she didn't recognize dismounted and moved ahead as if she were in charge. Chrysanth did her best to keep both the knight and the wand wielding tween accounted for as she stood next to Paresh's pink sandstone body, holding her trinket tight and preparing to use it if necessary.
Her grim determination faltered slightly as Junpei can strolling back into the alley from the street, staring at the man as he did what he apparently did best, interrupt dangerous meetings with flawless acting. She took the distraction as a chance to examine any shades that might be looming over the two new magical girls imposing around her.
Chrysanth starts in surprise and concern as Naiad collapses. She doesn't stay on her feet for very long either as the sudden shade of Death looms over the sailor. She lets out a sharp shriek and stumbles back away from the ominous spectre, succeeding in falling on her backside with all the grace of a newborn. It takes her a moment to realize the image was little more than her dreadsight rather than another monstrous danger.
She quickly notes the various fears lurking around her companions flaring anew. Her own initial fright warps into concern, not only for Naiad, but for Paresh as the Tanuki's skin seems to crumble within her visions. She quickly retakes her feet and rests a hopefully comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, asking Paresh quietly, 「Are y-you alright...?」
Chrysanth glances down to the can of mace as the raven explains the various essences and their benefits. She gives the trinket a gentle squeeze before glancing up at Paresh, connecting the dots from her new memories and his short explanation. She's snapped out of her musings by Junpei's question and quickly stammers a reply. 「T-Tired? Not... not really...? I wasn't all that t-tired last n-night after the um... event? B-But I did sleep easily en-nough...」
She glances again at the trinket in her hand, 「Considering the c-circumstances, a-at least...」
Chrysanth's anger slowly subsides as the two opposing parties calm down and explain exactly what the pacts do to an individuals soul. She glances down to the can of mace in her hand, giving it a squeeze as its soothing influence reassures her. Before long, she was back to a more calm, if characteristically jumpy state. 「Is th-there anyway of kn-knowing what p-part of the soul is h-held in the trinket?」 She asks Paresh, giving the raven a glance as well, in hopes the two of them could piece together a good answer. 「You c-can't get angry... What c-can't I do?」
「You d-died?」 She suddenly blurts, turning to look at Naiad.
「T-Trading souls for w-wishes?」 Chrysanth repeats before turning to the raven. 「W-What wishes? Y-You said we h-had to ch-change or that th-thing would h-hurt everyone. What do these p-pacts do to our s-souls?」 Her fear grows anew as the worst case scenarios race through her head, reminded of one or two shows she'd read about on the internet. Along with the fear came something new. Anger. She'd never really been angry at anything before, never felt like there was anything to blame beyond the cruelty of nature and her own psychoses.
Chrysanth is quickly lost between Alex's commanding tone, Paresh's attempt to order her retreat, and Junpei's stab at diplomacy. She wasn't quite sure what to do in the Mexican stand off, and simply responds to the Hatter, 「H-Hurt? N-No! I d-don't want a-anyone b-being hurt! And I d-don't want to h-hurt anyone myself either!」 She takes a moment to assess the situation herself as she speaks, glancing to the crutch holding raven, the tanuki girl that had once been her dear classmate, and the stone dog mounted American.
「W-What would giving the c-crutch back d-do? Wh-What happens when you m-make a t-trinket?」 She asks frantically, wanting to know more before she made a decision she would ultimately regret. If the situation breaks out into hostility again, however, she would protect Paresh and Junpei the best she can, her mounting panic and concern slowly building and manifesting as thin wisps of darkness orbiting her person.
Chrysanth gives a startled shriek as the bricks scatter and the runic dog skids into position to block for the raven creature. She blinks at the sight of the tropical clad man on its back, unfamiliar with his connection to the events of the night before. 「Pisces?」 Chrysanth asks in confusion. 「I d-don't remember a Pisces. Th-There was a N-Naiad, though...」
She shakes her head, getting back to more pressing topics as the hatter steps aside and explains the situation. 「R-Right! P-Paresh and I were finishing l-lunch at school when th-that bird creature t-tore through s-space and tackled him- er, her out here. I f-followed through the p-portal. I d-don't know w-what it wants. It m-mentioned trinkets and s-said something about P-Paresh stealing it?」 She gives the tanuki girl a quizzical look for confirmation.
Any semblance of determined decisiveness evaporates with the monster as Chrysanth realizes her Creeping Dread had struck the brave and/or foolish hatter as well. She runs forward to begin pulling at the silver silk as the spectral arachnid dissipates. Once she notices the martial themed girl, she pauses in awe, standing to stare and listen as the young woman declared herself as Paresh.
「P-Paresh?」 She stammers in momentary disbelief before shaking herself back to her senses. 「Y-Yes, I'm m-me. M-Miyako, that is. And he's...」 She glances back down to Junpei and frantically goes back to trying to peel the ominous threads from the young man. 「He's a b-bystander, as f-far as I'm aw-ware... And w-we need to g-get this off him!」
「Paresh!」 Miyako shouts in a panic as she charges through the portal. She skids to a stop as the Mad Hatter fellow tries to tackle the avian monster, realizing she'd be just as foolish if she approached any closer as she was. Pulling the can of mace from her pocket, she steels herself for the coming traumas and recites, 「Dread Witch Chrysanth!」
Obscuring darkness shrouds her and she gives a shriek of terror as black lightning and skittering spiders transform her into the skull masked magical girl. The dark clouds dissipate and she swings her hand out towards the vengeful spirit, throwing the swarm of arachnids out to coalesce into a hulking black widow intent of capturing the monster in its web.
Miyako lets out a shriek of terror as the blur appears from nowhere and drags Paresh through the portal. She turns to stare at the ominous figure, frozen in fear as the supernatural threat gives her an ultimatum. 「R-Return what? I d-don't understand!」 She reaches into her pocket to clutch the can of mace, needing its reassurance. As her eyes dash from the monster to her friend laying against the dumpster, she remembers the message she had just received and takes a deep breath, hoping she can recite the title quickly if things go south.
"Oh, r-right," She mumbles as Kusaka declines attending the party with them. She quickly imbibes the rest of the broth to finish her own lunch as she considers Dhital's suggestion. The only people she could really get into contact for such a thing was Tiresias. With the party happening at the mall, however, it was probably a good idea to inform as many of the other train spotters and have at least a few of them monitor the event with her.
As Dhital stands up and asks for her help, she quickly moves to do the same, almost tripping over her seat, but managing to catch herself before falling. 「R-Right, okay, s-sure.」 She responds as she stabilizes and stacks his lunch tray on her own, silently offering to carry them to the drop off point. As soon as she drops them off, she jumps as her phone lets out another alarm of a cheerful pop idol song as she receives a text from Tiresias.
Twenty four hours earlier, Miyako was curled up in the corner of her bed trying to convince herself the walls of her room weren't closing in on her. For all intents and purposes, she was destined to be alone with her fears and anxieties up to and after her father would be forced to commit her to a psyche ward and a nice white room. Now she was sitting , eating lunch and practicing English with three other people while being hit on by two of them.
To say she wasn't prepared for the situation would be an understatement. Any nagging worries about her retro-conned friends simply humoring a fragile ego went out the window. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to either of them and simply watched, flushed red in the face as they stumbled over words or made bold offers. The sudden crunch of aluminum shocked her out of the stunned stupor and she quickly glanced between Tsuchi and Paresh frantically.
She hesitated as the other girl stood up and made for the exit, her anxieties rushing back into place, but now pushing in the opposite direction. She stood up suddenly, jostling the half empty bowl of noodles and broth as she blurts, "W-We'll come!" At which point her worry about missing that chance flew away to be replaced by the many stares of the cafeteria. She freezes for a longer moment than she would have liked before falling back into her seat and glancing at the other two. "T-To the p-party... T-Together... the th-three of us...?" She glances at Kusaka. "F-Four...? I d-don't..."
Miyako listens to the others trade words as she cautiously tries to consume more of her noodles and broth without killing herself. As much as she tries to keep her attention on the conversation, training her ears with the English and considering the troubles surrounding the mall party, her eyes keeps flitting back to the fear looming over Dhital's shoulder. It had been a disgusting thing when she had barged into the classroom in her other form, but its current shape, the lightning, surprises her. Something about it made her feel it wasn't symbolizing Astraphobia, and she didn't think Paresh had any issue with thunderstorms like she had.
Her thoughts wander back into the conversation just in time to give him a smile of approval at his use of the new term before being stunned and confused by Tsuchi's tone as she brought Miyako into the subject of the party once again. At the mention of 'Miss Froggy' and 'Kero-Sama', her memories filled in the gaps on the previously nonexistent stretch of time she'd known the three. She remembered an idle fear that the term might have been malicious before realizing it was meant to be friendly. She didn't remember thinking of any more pleasant subtext from it, but Tsuchi's teasing triggers the thought.
Miyako caught the subtle flush from Paresh and her mind ran with it, frantic thoughts, bubbling anxieties, crippling doubt and all manner of worries assailed her. The use of the word 'cute' didn't help matters any. As Tsuchi turns to her, she shuts down for a moment. Again, the other girl's tone and mannerisms jar her thoughts. Was she being hit on? Was this some massive joke? Was it all a trick? She moves to respond before again choking on her lunch, forcing the blockage down to stammer, "Wh-What?"
Miyako stares at Tsuchi for a long moment as she tries to decipher the massive string of slang and convert it into proper English before she can even begin to translate it into Japanese. She understands Dhital just fine and quickly translates, "Condemned," before again being stunned into silence by the other girl's mastery of colloquialisms. She notices Dhital's subtle plea for help and quickly finishes a mouthful of noodles as she tries to think up something to say, and starts choking slightly in her rush. So much for the safer meal.
"Wh-What makes y-you think they g-grant wishes...?" She tries to ask between coughs. "Wh-Why would th-they... sh-show up... a-at all?"
Miyako follows Dhital in silent frustration, at herself for being so spastic and suspicious, and at Sora for being so seemingly dense. While they walked, she rushed a hurried text to Tiresias, "Met one, couldn't talk freely, don't think they got my hints. She's heading to Shirakawa Residence." With that, she tried to let the negative emotions fade, resting a hand over the pocket with her mace in it.
She chose the noodles for her meal, figuring it'd be harder to choke on that than the alternative, and gave Kusaka a tiny smile before moving to sit with the others. "S-Sorry for late ar-rival..." She says in English to her classmate in an attempt to get some practice in and make up for lost time.
Miyako freezes as Dhital adds his own cryptic words, her head spinning as she frets over having possibly outed both herself and Sora despite her efforts not to. She glances between her fellow magical girl and her friend several times in rapid succession before closing her eyes and clutching her head. Shirakawa was the name of the arrogant girl who almost did something terrible the night before. Of course everyone else was probably trying to get together and figure things out.
But she couldn't just leave, she'd made the study plans days in advance, even if they were retroactive. 「C-Cafeteria!」 She says suddenly, 「L-Lunch, a-and then we r-really need to s-start studying. Her watch, f-first. And um...」 She struggles to find a way to pass Sora the transformation phrase without seeming more suspicious before pulling out her phone, pulling up the text from Tiresias, and holding it out to Sora, 「C-Could I, um... G-Get your e-mail... m-maybe?」
Miyako jumps at the sudden sound of a BB-Pop! song blaring from her pocket. She quickly pulls her phone out and shuts it off, flushing slightly at the serendipitous choice of alarm. 「S-Sorry! Sorry... It's um... l-lunch time...」 She mutters before speaking up, hoping to help ease some of the tension. 「M-Maybe we should grab s-something to e-eat and t-talk in the cafeteria?」
「We're Psychology m-majors. I'm h-hoping it will help me c-cope with my... ph-phobias... Like s-silver t-trains...」 Miyako answered, adding yet another hint. She was sure Dhital would wave it off as her poly-phobic nature, so she wasn't too worried about him deducing much from it. 「W-We're actually h-here to study English t-today, though.」
Miyako gives a solemn nod at Dhital's explanation and follows him around the corner, keeping even with him. She begins to lag a bit as they grow closer, distracted by the visage of fear accompanying the girl. She heavily considered intercepting her friend to keep him from the volatile ire bubbling forth. It was about then she realized exactly who they were meeting, as she examined the individual haunted by the strange seething emotion.
Miyako jumped slightly in surprise at the formal bow and returned the gesture, though leaving off the curtsy as she replied, 「We're s-sorry to, um, intrude...」 She picked the phrasing carefully, hoping the seemingly out of place phrasing would help appease the territorial jealousy. 「D-Dhital thought you l-looked upset, and w-we were wondering if s-something was r-ruffling your f-feathers... s-so to s-speak... Maybe a l-lack of s-sleep?」 She again chose her words carefully, hoping the allusion to Sora's transformation and the previous night might be enough of a clue that she was in the know.
Miyako gave Dhital a friendly wave as she saw him approach and glanced at the crutch in concern, trying to remember if the limp and injury were a new thing or something that had transpired during her week of new memories. 「M-Maybe.」 She replies quickly at his obvious description of her other form. 「H-How's the leg?」
She blinks at the sudden curse and turned to look down the hall as well 「Whatwhoreally?」 She turns back to Dhital. 「M-Maybe we should go s-see what's wrong?」 The can of mace in her pocket kept most of her usual fears of social interaction at bay, but as always, she had a nagging doubt at the back of her mind.
Chrysanth blinks at the picture of Tiresias, furrowing her brow curiously. Sure the alabaster young woman was impressive, even if dressed in oversized men's wear, but she was by no means flaunting her new powers. As Dhital moves to stand, she notices her long inky hair laying across the table and books and quickly takes a step back, "Gomen... S-Sorry..."
She freezes again as Dhital politely offers to walk her, realizing she'd reached a moment of truth. Did she clear up the confusion, or bolt to find a place to change back? Could she tell them the truth? They probably wouldn't believe her. What if they did? She couldn't make that decision all on her own. There were others to think about. 「Wrong study group.」 She blurts quickly and dashes for the door.
She tries to remember where the nearest restroom is and heads for it, hastily claiming a stall before pulling out her phone to confirm the phrase Tiresias had given her. "My Watch is Done," She says as evenly as possible, returning to her normal mousy self and again tying her hair up. She pauses in the stall a moment longer to pull her hoody off and tie it about her waist, hiding the front and hopefully stopping the others from recognizing her attire was the same as the mysterious, ghastly beauty that had just left when she returned.
Chrysanth eyes the other two before locking on Dhital. The obvious confusion as he greets her as a stranger sinks in quickly. They apparently don't recognize her as she is now. Somehow she felt slightly disappointed. She wasn't sure if she should announce who she was or run to change, but the thoughts vanished with a flash of panic as the gruesome fear crawled into view. He was afraid of her.
Of course he was afraid of her, she was a literal embodiment of fear in her current state, baggy jeans and Studio Ghibli hoodie aside. The tie decides then to slough free of her hair, letting the long inky locks fall over her face ominously as Tsuchi shows off the picture. She tries to get a look as well, wondering if it was any of her fellow transformed train spotters from the night before.
Chrysanth peeked through the door anxiously to see the others were already there and studying. She catches her reflection again and pulls out her hair tie, taking a deep breath before tying up her long dark hair and steps into the room, "Koni- Er... I-I mean... Hello... everyone..." She watched their reactions carefully, especially Dhital's, and clutched her bag tight, full of English and Psychology material. As she waited for them to respond, she quickly had second thoughts about arriving in her current state, struggling to remember exactly what the phrase Tiresias had sent her earlier.
All she had to do was check her phone to be sure, but she might miss any subtle clues the others would give upon first seeing her. If the reaction was bad, how would she play it off? She couldn't just change on the spot, she'd have to run to the restroom, probably. But what would she say when they asked how she changed back so quickly?
Chrysanth blinks in stunned silence as she realizes she doesn't even know what language the couple is speaking. The sudden lift surprises her, flailing slightly before staring at the flashing camera lens. As concealing as the curtain of inky black hair was in real life, the picture seemed even worse, casting an impenetrable shadow over her features that left her unsettling and ominous. She gives an awkward smile and murmurs an agreement before watching the two walk off.
She hefts her bag and hurries the rest of the way to the school, keeping her head down to try and avoid any more unwanted attention and forgetting the transformation phrase saved on her phone.
Chrysanth tries not to stare as the elderly pedestrians eagerly move to the other side of the road when given the chance. She didn't want to upset them more by showing them attention. She sighs to herself as the pattern continues and nearly bumps into the curious couple. She gives a polite bow of apology, starting to say, "Sumimasen," until she raised her head to notice the some what clueless expression.
"Er, Sorry...?" She asks, a bit unsure as she tries English instead. She notes the gestures to the phones and adds, "You want... my picture? Or your picture...?"
Half way to the school, Chrysanth jumps as her phone gives off an unfamiliar jingle, almost not realizing where it came from before suddenly remembering it was the one she had set for Dedric in the now altered timeline. She stops long enough to pull her phone out, quickly continuing on her way as she brings the text up to read it.
Her pace slowed slightly as she went over the words multiple times, relieved that Tiresias had managed to find the phrase to return to normal. She stopped again as she debated whether she wanted to. She glanced at herself in the reflection of a nearby window. She was ominous, imposing almost compared to the other patrons walking the streets. She hadn't realized just how much without the contrast of a normal person.
She was impressive as Chrysanth, beautiful even, otherworldly so. She subtly watched the others on the side walk as she started walking again, curious of their reactions, conscious or otherwise of her presence. Was she scaring them, gathering interest in some way, or were they ignoring her, unknowingly avoiding her?
Normally when Miyako discovered something new to worry about, it haunted her for a week. The thought of developing dementia, however, only seemed to plague her for a few hours as she lay in bed. Rather than an alarm startling her out of a frantic web search for answers, it woke her up with a start. Dread never seemed that easy to overcome before. She chalked the difference up to the magic and the can of mace clutched in her hands.
As she moves to get ready for the exam prep, she pauses to glance at the mirror again. Bedhead did little to lessen the creepiness her new look seemed to give off. She ignored it for the time being until the last thing she had to do was tie up her hair. She pulled the face concealing hair back and aside into her side and waited. Just as she thought it was going to stay and moves for the door, it slips free and shrouds her face again. With a heavy sigh, she picks the hair tie off the floor and makes her way down the stairs and out to school.
I've been mulling over the idea that Miyako would at some point notice someone struggling to take a risk, ask someone out or maybe an artist/writer showing a portfolio, and would try to use her magic to shift their fears so that the fear of the missed opportunity overwhelmed the fear of rejection or failure. This is under the assumption that she can simply see a person's fears lurking about them as shadows as a passive, always on sort of thing. I don't think it'd be the first scene of the day, but maybe the afternoon scene?
Chrysanth looked herself over in the mirror. Even without the mask, now held in her hand, her appearance seemed ominous. With the hair falling over her face, it almost acted as a second mask. She quickly grabbed a hairband, leaving her mask on the dresser to pull her hair up into her iconic sidetail.
Her eyes were surrounded by what look like dark make up, and her lips were painted near black, the purple was shaded so deep. Other than striking purple eyes, the rest of the features seemed to be her. She stared for a moment before the hair band seemed to simply slough off, making her hair fall mystically around her like a darkened shroud once more.
She picked it back up, grumbling slightly as she tied the hair up again, glaring at the band in the mirror as she waited for it to fail again. It did, causing a frustrated sigh as she turned to the matter of clothes, changing out of her spider spun lace and umbral purple dress to throw on some pajamas.
Her clothes were tighter around the chest and hips, but they were always loose before, so she was far from bursting seams or anything of the like. She took another look in the mirror, holding her hair up in place rather than trying to tie it. If it weren't for the sudden and noticeable growth spurt, she could pass herself off as simply going through a goth phase. She usually slouched anyway, maybe the extra height could be explained away as standing tall?
She gave a sigh at the ridiculous thought and checked her phone and alarm clock, making sure she had other alarms set up to wake her up for the plans she'd suddenly had for the next day before rolling into bed.
Chrysanth stares at the tiny screen as the name Dhital Paresh appears under the alarm, along with the frantic notes. She quickly scans her contact list, noting his and Dedric's numbers, and looks for any more entries she doesn't remember adding. Her earlier calm over her seemingly stuck appearance breaks in an instant, the comfort of her bonded trinket doing little to quell her anxiety as she takes in her horrific, yet beautiful appearance. There was absolutely no way she could explain this away. She'd have to skip the exam prep.
But what if it was a huge chunk of her grade? What if she was the only person who bombed the exam? Would everyone start bullying her for it? What if there was more to her friendship with Dhital-Sempai... She struggled with the honorific that came so easily, even as it seemed so out of place. What if they're interactions were more social in person than just the somewhat formal tones in their texts? Would she hurt his feelings with a sudden cancellation?
Her whole trip home was filled with her typical paranoia. She forgot to even try unlocking the door and whacked her face against it as it refused to budge, knocking some sense back into her. She had far more pressing matters to attend to. She retrieved her key and opened the door, glancing around cautiously to make sure the coast was clear before stealthing her way to the stairs. The mace seemed to have caught up with her state of dread, soothing the twinge of fear of the dark before it escalated.
She wasn't even sure if it was dark. She hadn't turned the lights on, but she saw just fine. Everything looked dark, sort of, but she navigates as if it were brightly lit. As she moved up to her room, everything was deathly quiet save an ominous creak, as if the house was settling eerily, despite its solid construction. As soon as she was safely behind her door, she reached up and gave a tentative tug on the skull bone mask adorning her face, trying to remove it.
As the commotion picked up, Chrysanth did what she did best and faded into the background. While she had trouble imagining how her father would react if he saw her transformed, she wasn't in as much of a panicked rush to turn back as some of the others. She spent most of her days holed up in her room on her computer. She had no obligation and could feint a panic attack of some sort to keep her father from intruding, leaving her free to hide her new striking appearance until Tiresias figured out a way to turn back.
She jumped in surprise as the Silver Train's doors slid open to reveal the crowd of spirits waiting for their ride. After a moment, and seeing the other girls filing out, she quickly moved to follow, bowing in apology to the line of fantastical beings as she passed. She continued her wallflower-esque tendencies until a sudden jingle from her own phone caused her to yelp, reminding everyone that, yes, she was still there, and still easily spooked.
While she had no obligations before, the events in the flashbacks have the potential to have altered things. If Tiresias and herself succeeded in changing actual events, she'd still be enrolled in classes, and the jingle could be her alarm to tell her it's time to get some sleep for the next morning. If not, it could be a call from her father wondering where she is and if she's alright.
Chrysanth glanced about the train car as Juno's muttered retort earned a response. She was somewhat curious of how to turn back as well and returned her attention to the ill-tempered heiress, awaiting a demonstration.
Chrysanth watched the silver train slowly roll to a stop before them, unmanned as the rumors entailed. Hesitantly she followed the others inside, stopping in the door way as the man called out to them. She gave a polite bow and stammered in English, "S-Sorry for the intrusion. W-We're j-just about to... leave... I think..." She surprised herself with how easy the foreign language flowed.
She moves further into the train, pausing in the aisle as she watches the others take their seats. Glancing to Juno, she noticed a looming shadow of social anxiety and moved to stand near by, not wanting to force her company by sitting besides the girl. 「I-It's not your f-fault... you know...」 She tries awkwardly. 「F-For a second... I th-thought the p-portal thing... was a g-good idea, t-too. B-But then Tiresias s-started p-panicking...」
What does being a girl mean to you?
A vague ideal of Beauty, Deference, Grace, and most importantly, a Nurturing, Caring personality, with no role model for guidance
As she is currently, Miyako has almost given up on the idea of living up to the Yamato Nadeshiko ideal of femininity. Physically, she is nothing like the image of a traditional Japanese beauty, and lacks the grace. I originally set the ideal as social pressures, particularly from her father. It wasn't something she really chose for herself, but felt forced into, and realized was hopeless for herself. None of her decisions were based on it up to this point mostly because her fears always won out for motivation.
She constantly panicked away from any social grace outside of her interactions with Paresh in the dream bubble, where she was awkwardly polite. Running up to help Naiad to her feet after they were thrown into the carousel could count as a Nurturing or Caring action, as could her attempt to catch the Nightmare, who she thought might have been in danger from the fall before Dedric stopped her. Outside of all of that, her transformed self does now have long, straight raven hair, though not quite the right style of a Yamato Nadeshiko "Hime Cut."
Depending on how transformations works, keeping the hair might give her some incentive to try living up to the ideal. As she gets closer to her Wish, however, her ideal might change, feeling less pressure to be like her mother and more driven to shape herself towards a more unique image.
What are you most afraid of?
Spiders, Darkness, Lightning, First Impressions, Failure, but the biggest fear is Pain, both physically and emotionally.
Fears all over the place, she was terrified of everyone else, most of her magic was cast in unconscious panic, she choked for a few posts right before the transport to the beach because she was convinced anything she tried would fail and make everything worse, and even dreaded watching her humiliating moment in the dream bubble, pushing her to unconsciously use magic to alter it.
What is your dearest wish?
To finally feel in control, and not a victim of the mind and the pressures of society
The feeling of calm she received from the can of mace as the magical ball got rolling gave her a taste of what it felt like to overcome fear and the barriers it presented. She was still terrified, but the fact that she could act was tremendous. Seeing the representations of others' struggles with their fears reassured her that she wasn't pathetic for feeling afraid, and her final act of desperation thwarting the temptations of corrupted power help her realize that fear can be a strong catalyst to get that extra push needed to do what needs to be done.
She knows she doesn't have to be a victim any more, at least to her own paralyzing fears. With that, the social pressures become that much easier to overcome as well. From this point on, the hard part is willing herself to take steps down the path she's found, maybe with the help of a little magic and her new found security blanket in the mace.
Chrysanth watched in horror as the monster slowly sank into the portal, clutching her head as the others conversed. Something terrible was happening, she could feel it, but she wasn't sure what she could do. As Tiresias began rambling and pleading with Juno to stop, she realized finally that there was something she COULD do. The sludge covered chains easily bound her, earning a shrill shriek of intense panic, giving into the paralyzing terror and using her magic to thrust it onto Juno, force her to realize what was happening wasn't something to embrace, but something to fear.
Chrysanth jumps as the beast's form ruptures to reveal another girl, glancing about the assemblage in confusion at the mention of salt. She gives yet another start as the scenery changes to that of a tropical beach under a starry night's sky. 「I-I'm alive, b-but what happened?」
Chrysanth was just about to run back into the bathroom at Tiresias' warning, until the monster fell and whatever spell it was trying to cast paused. She doubted the magic would stay contained forever. 「W-We have to find a way to d-dispel that thing completely.」 She stammers, 「I'm n-not sure if anything I can do w-would help.」
