This time, the laughter isn't quite so restrained, the idea of what he's suggesting darkly humorous given who he's talking about. The offended tone she'd provoked from him only made it worse. "I'm, sorry, I'm terribly sorry...but you and I both know it's not quite that simple. Bargaining with them always took gunpowder, and you seem to be on short supply."

Her expression returns to a more neutral one, the vestiges of humour gone. "If you really hope to influence them, then you need to find a little more leverage than you currently have, don't you? And I have to wonder if you can even reach for such a thing at this point."
"It's in neither our interests for the extremities they're inclined to to be put in enforcement. The question is if you can reach the position you need alone, isn't it? I still have more than enough openings for my needs, but can the same be said for you?"

Airi laughs a little at what she hears. "Really now? Crush his spirit? And here I thought I was supposed to be the one with foolish hopes. I think you know it's not quite that simple."

"We both know you're the one who allowed his situation to become as it is now, even if you're barely willing to speak about it most times. And now, you're not even making efforts to clean up your mess, as you had any other time. Unless..." She raises an eyebrow. "There's something you're keeping quiet?"

Oh, how she loathed him. He looked down on her, she knew. And he never missed the opportunity to show that.
She'd make him eat every disparaging word he'd ever said.
Oh, yes. He'd see.
Still, just because she loathed him did not mean she didn't have work to do. She sets herself back down and returns to the life support systems. "Just because you don't personally believe this is a worthwhile endeavour does not make this a wild goose chase. These things take time, as you never forget to ignore. So I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't let your disdain make you so petty."

The harmony starts to become something discordant. Growling and gritting her teeth, she takes a more aggressive approach to stabilising the systems. Damn if it didn't take a lot of concentration, though. She needed him out so she could deal with this properly. "To give you the short version, because hell if you ever listen to the long one...he's managing. He's not fine, not after what he has dealt with, but he is managing...even if he is now wary of my perceived persona. How that particular incident played out was unexpected for me."

A problem that would have taken down a pod cluster is quickly stamped out, at the same time that three more start to take effect. She knew she'd have heard the subtle signs of each in advance if he wasn't here right now. "Regardless, this 'wild goose chase' has been more productive than anything before it, and now-" She hammers one last key, and the systems are brought into temporary equilibrium, to hopefully stay that way until she could give them her full attention again. "-I am, indeed, quite close to my breakthrough. Though I'm sure you'd disagree, as per usual."

She rises once more, and look him in the eye as best she can. He always stood in the same spot anyways. "Why you are interrupting my work, if you would deign to answer? And for that matter, just what are you doing with my charge, and what are your intentions with them? Even if your behaviour always tasteless, it is rarely pointless."

Lag time? What does that mean, here...? Agh, not important. I hope.
...hopefully, whois will tell me enough. Maybe it'll give me more. Have to check what /su would mean in respect to reality if I used it as well - well, if I even can...
I wonder how whoever set up the network is seeing this, if they even are. It's definitely going to seem strange to them.
Nothing for it. Spam /whois. Even for me, I might learn something. There's the symbol next to Libra too...maybe the admin? The one who made the network? It certainly marks them out.

/help su
From there, they enter /whois for every handle provided by /who.
...yeah, admin was probably going to be having some interesting reactions to this if they could see this.
...I wonder if it would have any interesting results if I...well, it's safer than trying an unknown handle.
/ping Capricorn

Load...? I...I'm not sure I want to push that...what would happen?
...dammit. Benji. We need to talk to Benji. This...this has something to do with him. Hell, I wish we could see what the latest save is...
If we even want to have a chance at that, we have to focus on figuring out chat. Dream Prophet...Sora? That's probably Sora. But...Capricorn? Pisces? Taurus? The Mod line means that I'm Capricorn, but who's everybody else? Dammit. There isn't even an identifier on that command to tell me who Sora is. Agh...one thing to do, I guess.

They think hard about it, and...
/who
/help

It's funny the questions this change of perspective raises. Figuring out my self-perception, how much leeway I have with dialogue options and self-portrayal...or throwing about magic, given what you've just said. Maybe I should look for a spell interface too.
I'll at least have to hope I don't have any surprises from my dialogue options.

Sakura...that's the girl that- The iPod text comes on screen, and while Iris has no idea what Emi is seeing, the way the words cut deep, she wouldn't be surprised if she'd visually shown some sign that she knew what Emi had been told.
I...why say that? What does she even-
Emi...Emi already told us. We can't worry about Sakura, alright? Or the things she comes out with. We've done our best, and we always will.
Come on. We've got dialogue options now. The first...explains a few things, actually. Fourth is out, and the third is...it's just stupid. Really stupid.
...two it is...
---> Option 2
Iris(subdued): We can work on first impressions later...

================
It's weird, seeing things like this...I guess Emi's in the limo? Trying to get in? And we're outside of it?
Yeah. And it's not working out well for Emi. We need to try and de-escalate this before we do anything else...not that we get much choice in what we're doing anyway.
So...try to talk first, then, and hope we don't get any blatantly stupid dialogue options...or a bad end. There's no saves in real life...
...considering the situation, we might want to check that. But yeah. Talk before messing with the limo.
---> Option 3
Iris: She's here to help. She can talk to Sakura.

Dammit...know I need to check if there's a save menu, but is there a menu for the whisper spell? My phone? What about the magical girl network? Need to figure out the interface if we're going to deal with this.
Just don't access the phone display if there is one. We might actually pull it out. Not exactly appropriate right now.

The scene voice-acted? Fully, or partially if so?

The moment she sees that Achievement, Airi knows something's wrong. The fact she's seeing through a UI solidifies that there's something up.
Oh, and Benji screaming. That...she probably did that.
Wait...did that mean all this magic came from Benji?
...he did say some odd stuff earlier. He was on about scenes, runs...Sora called him the Dream Prophet, but it sounds more like he's seen all this stuff before several times. Hell, when he said I usually get on well with Aratani when I take out the trash. Usually, like not always. Prophetic stuff tends to sound more...certain. I'd think so, anyway.
We should stop thinking about this. Stop thinking about it NOW. Better to talk to Benji later, before we freak out again and get an achievement for getting everyone killed too! Just forget about it. NOW.
Alright! Geez.
...when did I start arguing with myself?
Not important. Love to check on Benji, but with everyone here, he should hopefully be fine. Bad idea to talk about this in front of Tiresias anyway. Just have to hope the whisper spell works like this. And since it's probably a bad time to talk...Tomoyo. Gotta help Tomoyo. Don't know where she is now, but hopefully I'll be guided to her.

                                                                 <Help Emi find Tomoyo>

Iris(determined): I'll help you find her. I told her I'd keep her safe, and I'm not going back on that.

That's what Iris is trying to do. One of them has to help, right?

Stay Calm: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 2) = 5
Hoo boy.

Rational thought flees Iris's mind as the...the moon thing emerges, sending cracks running along the celestial body.
「What-what the-what the hell is-」
Her body shakes. She contemplates another mask, before discarding that idea, terrified of how much it would take from her if she tried to suppress something on this scale.
WHAT THE HELL DO WE DO?! WE DON'T HAVE THE MAGIC FOR THIS! WE'D JUST HATCH THE THING OR BLOW UP THE MOON OR SOMETHING!
Dammit, dammit...TRINKETS! Aratani's trinkets! Wasn't her whole thing moon stuff?
...yes, yes! We were going to grab that mirror anyway to de-crazy Aratani! And didn't Tomoyo have her bow?
Yeah, yeah she- WHERE'S TOMOYO. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO LOOK AFTER TOMOYO.
Oh god, we were. How are we supposed to find her?!
They look down at the duel disk on their wrist, eyes drawn to the massive pileup of spells under the planeswalker.
...one of these has to help. It has to. Get the spell's benefits, those so, SO many benefits, find Tomoyo, fix the moon, stop Aratani being crazy and FIX. EVERYTHING. IT NEEDS FIXING.

Pulling on the claymore to enhance her facilities, Iris surrounds herself with more holographic layers, filled with details and shiny buttons and sliders and all sorts of displays. Card after card builds up a framework, creating isolated instances of each of the multitude of components that make up the spell, every copied component picked apart and analysed to see how they fit together with the rest. Rapidly manipulating the added components of her new displays, she filters out and separates off all the stray elements she accidentally mixed in when she hastily duplicated the pieces of the spell, determined to make sure what she was building was the same as the blueprint on the duel disk.

For every bit of the puzzle her mind figures out, one final display reveals a new portion of a holographic blueprint, the deciphered fragments of the spell translated into visual form that served as a record of her progress. Further magic recreates each part of the blueprint she'd reverse-engineered, each bit represented as a more solid, shimmering addition to the blueprint display. As it's all put together, silver coils run between each little part on the display, threading together the parts so that they come together as the blueprint demands, the seams between parts seeming to shed and vanish as they meet.

Pushing herself, she copies the grand spell of unknown origins. Whatever it did, she would have its abilities as her own...and it seemed to do so, so much. It was a struggle to work with something so complex...but a little strain was nothing compared to being able to help everyone else.
Analyse, Duplicate, Blend and Assimilate: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7
You said before to say what you're willing to stake on making these things work? Well I'm happy to mark up Magic and Trauma, and/or spend the last of my Fate on this too. I'm seriously interested to see what would happen if this worked.
Oh, and I'm baaa-aaaack!

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.

I'll have to think about forms and outfits at some point, but I get the feeling the glove isn't the most fitting form for the mending kit now.

It...it would have to do. At least, nothing would seem immediately off...she just had to hope those tarot cards didn't bite her too hard later.

Iris bails from the greenhouse, and starts thinking. So, her evil landlady was a magical girl. She did something to Kazue, and that led to Kazue making two new trinkets. And...crap, she probably knew she was a magical girl after all the network flooding she'd done the other day. No more sending to everyone anymore, it seemed.
So, where to...not Aratani. From what she could gather, she was basically the boss, and the fact that Okami-sama hadn't been blasted into oblivion or trapped in a death wall meant she was trusted. That puts her in a strong position. If she tried anything now, she'd probably just get hit-listed. She needed more evidence first, and backup.

Zhou was a problem for similar reasons as Aratani. He might be easier to convince, but he still needed evidence first.
She really needed to talk to Kazue, but in her current state, that might lead to issues that she lacked the ability to prevent. But she needed info! AGH!
Paresh might know something helpful, and he did try and protect Kazue the other day...she could probably trust him. He just couldn't do much, with sharing an injured body with Miyako.
Alex...ran away, the other night. She didn't get the feeling he was in a good place to help. Juno could be a help with Aratani, but he dared not try her without more info and more people. White...was a complete unknown to her right now, and she dared not risk that. Sora...that's right, Sora was a magical girl, wasn't she? And she knew Kazue. She didn't know how they got on, but she might be able to talk to Kazue for her...! Did she know Kazue was a magical girl? Well, she would soon.
What about Lys? Lys could help her find another place. He knew about magic, too, so she could at least tell him outright what was going on. Maybe he could help watch over Chūsuke...but then again, she didn't know where he fit into this world. She wasn't risking putting him danger till she did.

Was there anyone else?...not in memory. So, the current list of people to talk to was Sora, and Paresh/Miyako. Better to see if she could learn anything more first, so that meant...Sora.

@Sora: Hey. It's Iris. Or the invisible person. Take your pick. Just in case you don't know, Kazue's one of us, and I'm pretty sure my landlady did something to her that left her a mess. Kazue in the alleyway the day before, acting strange and loaded with trinkets, then Okami-sama, then visual references for the broom and pool skimmer, then Okami-sama's greenhouse with and without the same broom and pool skimmer. I'm pretty sure I'm not safe, and I doubt anyone else is either. If you find Kazue, can you try and find out anything that could help from her? I don't know how well you get on now, but you're probably the best shot I have.
I...did something to her greenhouse, when I had a magical blackout trying to find my name. I've fixed the damage, but I think she might know that I've been there, and I'm certain she knows what I am. I don't want anything to happen to my brother because of this, so...please? Help?

Iris finds a private spot, and looks around to be sure there's nobody about. She can't stay like this right now. 「My watch is done.」

There's a process as Junpei comes to.
Is that my name?
That's my name. I'm a girl now.
Wait, WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?! WHAT DID I DO?!
Oh god, Oba-chan is going to...
Oh god, WHAT HAS SHE ALREADY DONE?!
It was only one day on from that fateful day, the world just decides to fall apart a little more.

So, Junpei was starting to suspect she couldn't trust her landlady.
Wait, it's Iris right now, isn't it...well, Airi. But looking at what 'Airi' did, I'd rather not be her.
So, Iris was starting to suspect she couldn't trust her landlady. Maybe it's a bit rash to assume something like that based on remembering that there used to be a pool-skimmer here...
Waaaaait. When...when Kazue changed back. There...there was a broom, too! Paresh was holding it when he...
No, she couldn't let that thought process go further, she just couldn't.
Still, that didn't change the fact, that...
Alright. It wasn't fact. Not for sure. But with the way things are going, then...
She...she probably made it happen. She's one of...one of us. In...the...worst possible way.
I-I need a new place to live. I'm not safe with her. CHŪSUKE isn't safe with her.

At this point, Iris is pretty sure she's paranoid, but when paranoia might just keep her brother safe she was not taking any chances.
Rather than think any more of just what the hell her landlady might have done, to her or anyone else, she turns her mind to a more immediate task - destroying all the evidence that she was ever here.

Iris clenches her hands into fists, looks about the scene, calls on the magic she knew ruined this place, and focuses all her mind on destroying the information provided by this place so it could never speak to another of what she had done. If what she feared was true, she was not risking any chance of retribution from Okami-sama, be that direct or not...
F#*# MY LIFE.

Evidence Destruction: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 4) = 7

Juno's presence is barely noted when Iris enters. It seems she had someone she was worried about too. But her focus is on Lys. Concern enters her mind. How did he end up pointing a gun at someone? How did that singer from earlier end up with their arm like that? Did he...

Iris's eyes go wide when the blunderbuss is pointed at her next. 「Lys?」 It hurts. Especially after that seeming moment of recognition. 「Lys, it's-」 She stops short as the thought finally occurs. He doesn't recognise her like this, does he? But...she can't change just yet. At least, not till...not till she's sure he's safe.

She runs up to hug him, blunderbuss be damned. She can take it. He's held tightly in her arms, and she notices just how little she is compared to normal right now. She looks up, smiling happily with a face that had obviously been crying moments ago. >It's...you're alive, aren't you? I thought you were going to...it doesn't matter though. You didn't.< She giggles, threatening to break into full-blown laughter. >It's me! It's Junpei! I look different, but...it's me! And I...I'm just glad you're alright.<
>I guess it sounds ridiculous. I mean...I'm supposed to be a guy, aren't I? Just let me show I mean it, alright?< She didn't care who saw. If he needed proof, she'd give it to him. Reluctantly, she lets go. She didn't know how transforming while she held him would work out. >My watch is done.<

And then, she became he.

As Iris continues to cry, eventually the fact that she hasn't heard the mall being utterly destroyed yet registers. She looks up with a tear-stained face, and sees the building still standing.
And when she does, she dares to hope.
She gets up, and sluggishly walks to the mall, looking to head down into the building to find Lys, the blood pact having done its work. As she passes by Alex, she taps him on the shoulder and points back to the girl she jumped off a roof for, harpoon still poking out of them quite obviously. 「Don't ask me how, but I think that's Miyako and Paresh. Can you look after them for me? I need to find someone.」 The musical tones of her voice sound weary, but optimistic.

Once that is said, she heads into the mall to reunite with an old friend.

The landing was as painful as it looked, and more besides. Even if they would heal soon enough, right now Iris's legs wouldn't respond to her, and the pain had her wailing with a weary voice.
Looking back, he spots the others. Juno, that friend of hers, Alex and Rocky, many, many normal people...
Wait...where's...where's Sora and that friend of hers? They were here too. And...the twins. The Sakuras. Brigit?
Did...did they all...were THEY the ones who...
...
...I can't focus on that...not now...I mean, everyone else is safe, aren't they...?
At that moment, a cruel memory surfaces. Backstage. The singer. The guy Iskandar was possessing. And...
Lys...LYS!

Iris looks up to see the destructive pink light of Aratani's magic descending from it's prior spot behind the moon. She wanted to stop it, but her body wouldn't move even as she tried to make it pull herself along the ground toward the mall. Even if she could move, she'd pulled on so much magic already...she didn't think she had enough to stop this.
Iris sobs on the ground. She'd been lucky with Paresh. But if the mother did as the daughter had here, there would be no lucky breaks this time. And he'd lose a dear, dear friend for it.
She didn't want to hate them. But right now, she did. So much. Like mother, like daughter...she'd had enough of crazy mothers.

As Iris continues to cry, several memories surface in her mind, beyond all hope of containment.
@All: A man with dark, curly hair and a mad grin, making a speech about some topic that seems to be filling everyone with cheer and determination despite the fact he just finished a metaphor about three hamsters and a gorilla.
The same person just last week, drinking tea and winding Junpei Iris Junpei up to no end.
A much younger version of the man, smiling at the most awkwardly pronounced attempt at asking his name made using the Greek-Japanese dictionary that was borrowed from him.
All tinged with the feeling of closeness to a dear friend, and the sadness and pain of imminent loss.

The tears refuse to stop coming as Iris lies in a heap on the ground.
"Lys...Lys..."

...Aratani. It's Aratani.
Somehow, her behaviour earlier makes a lot more sense. Iris still doesn't agree with it, but after the mask, she understands how it might have started.
But that doesn't matter. The real thing here is that everyone's probably about to die if they stay here.
And she's in no state to stop the assault this time.

@All magical girls known to be at the mall: GET EVERYONE OUT OF THE BUILDING! IT WON'T BE HERE MUCH LONGER!

Despite protests and sluggishness from her body Iris scoops up the bodysharers, their cane, and any other trinkets that need attending to. If the claymore's in the area, I'm reverting it and taking it with me. She takes a few steps back, and takes a running jump off the roof. She's saving everyone she can, and this is where she starts.

Please, stick the landing.

Iris gets tense again as she spots the pink moon-shot. She can focus on getting answers from Paresh(?) later, once they're definitely safe.

@C.O and the Bodysharers: There's a pink streak in the sky that's starting to come down. Any ideas who did that and if we need to move?

As the first response comes in, Iris feels a little relief. He's quoting again, but it's him.
One day, I'll get a normal answer from him...well, I think I understand it. Fighting for too long is bad, be happy with what you've done, you don't need to do anything else, he'll help out. Right.

@C.O: Thanks. Appreciated.

And then, the second comes, and if her body wasn't so unresponsive she'd have stiffed up there. Two voices? But she only messaged one person.
...switched to the cane...and that cane was...

@The Cane Duo: ...wait...Paresh, is that you? You're...alive? Well, not 'back as you were before' alive, it sounds like you're body-sharing with Miyako, but...please tell me that's you, because if it's not and I'm stupidly getting my hopes up, I think that might be the last I can handle.
Agh...just going to assume you are. It's Junpei. You remember me? Been too busy? I don't know how this works...dammit, getting distracted - pacts, pacts! I don't know what pacts she has. Sweat, I'm guessing? She outpaced all of us on the way here, and with what I've learned that sounds about right for sweat.
Not going to focus on that right now. You're going to be alright for now, that's what matters. Anything I can do for you? Anything at all?
Iris lays a hand on the cane. If she was in contact, would that put her in the loop?

Marking off Fate for the 12+, and keeping the Serpent domain as my own to command if I couldn't already.

They...they were alive. They were ALIVE. She'd done it. They were out. Miyako...well, she thought it was Miyako...could be helped. She wasn't sure why she was uncertain of her identity - who else could it be? But it didn't matter. She was safe.

Back in the basement, though...there was that mask, for one. With her mind now on it, Iris seeks the corresponding card, and feeds it to the graveyard. She wasn't doing something like that again. She'd lost some capability to fear that which the mask protected her from the terrors of. She could only hope that loss wasn't for nothing, and it would at least let her go in as herself next time.

And then...Iskandar and the painted girl. At least...Iskandar's host body. Easier to think of them as the mighty conqueror then, but it was only someone borrowing their magic, wasn't it? The conqueror himself had no presence there, if she was guessing. She wondered where he went.

Not important. Someone needed to handle the basement. Right now, she couldn't. The others were probably busy, if their day was anything like hers. She'd bothered Aratani enough today...guess that left one more.

@Cowardly One: I'm not a victorious warrior yet - I got overwhelmed, one of the others got shot for me, and now I'm on the roof with them. I'm pretty certain at least one of the others died earlier. Iskandar's host - pretty sure Isky himself isn't at the helm right now - that paint covered girl and the warped demon-ghosts are still all in the basement of the mall, backstage. I don't know who's available, and I'm not sure what I can do myself. If you have any ideas - what to do, who to talk to - I'd love to hear them now, because you know way more than I do if I had to guess.

It's hard, out here. Her body won't cooperate, and the cold seems so much worse now. She's emotionally drained beyond anything she knew before, even with the numbing. But as best she can, Iris moves to Miyako, and tries to stir her. "You...well, I can't say you're alright, but...you still going?"
Was that enough? Just in case she couldn't speak.
@Miyako: How badly are you hurt? That was a nasty shot.

As the sound fills the area, Airi knows things have gone wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.
They were magical girls. They were badasses. And they weren't supposed to be f@@*ing dying. AGAIN.

She knew the mask was the only thing keeping her calm right now instead of freaking the hell out, but it seemed as if the cool, collected approach wasn't going to help now. She needed that sense of dread and urgency.
Airi tears off the mask, and after the initial mental shock of removing the mask, everything sets in. And Iris starts to panic about everything that had gone wrong.

She had monster ghosts with terrible guns and Iskandars and microphone girls to deal with. At least one of the other magical girls was dead, she was sure. She didn't know how that sound meant anything BUT dead people! THERE WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE ANY MORE DEAD PEOPLE! She was blind and battered, and if that cane meant anything then that was Miyako that had taken one of those massive bolts for her-
Miyako. F!&&, MIYAKO. First Paresh, then her?! NO! NO WAY! I'm NOT letting this happen! She's not going to die, and I'm not going to have to be the next one to carry that cane and agonise over who had it before me! She's going to LIVE, dammit!
It was pretty much utter denial of the reality, but it didn't have to be reality. She had magic. Magic could fix things. Magic wasn't just terrible. It could be amazing. It could be wonderful! And it would save her, save Miyako, it would take down Iskandar and whoever that girl was so that EVERYONE WAS SAFE.
Miyako got shot for her.
Miyako got shot because she put on a stupid mask to make her feel good and strong and she get cocky and stopped thinking about things and let herself get caught off guard and let the damn ghosts nearly kill her!
And she was not about to waste what she'd done for her! No more dying!

Tears streamed down Iris's face as she piled on amp after amp after amp. Some part of her knew what she was about to do was a bad idea. It was stupid, it was reckless, it was indiscriminate, it was all the things she was that she hated and feared. She was probably about to ruin everything with this.
But despite this screaming in the back of her mind she pushed on, because if this worked then Miyako could be safe, she could get her out, she could save the both of them and everyone else here and it would be alright!
It had to be alright. It had to be.
She knew she'd crumple in on herself if it wasn't. And then she couldn't help anyone.

Five fists with more amplification than any thing should have rocket downward into the ground, to create a sonic blast that would take out everything nearby. It would blast away the phantoms and their chains, it would take out all the Iskandars and the girl that was with them...it would save the both of them. And then she could get Miyako the help she needed.
Iris hoped it would work. She hoped and hoped and hoped. She just wanted this to work out. Magical gir- no, people should look out for each other. Miyako had done that. Miyako gave everything to help her just now, and she would do the same. Even if none of the other girls would.
After all...she just wanted Miyako to be safe. She just wanted Miyako to live.

Save her.: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 5) = 8
Willing to pump Fate into this. It's time for something stupid.

That mask is really damn useful. She'd dread to think of what might have happened without it, but the mask is on - dread is beyond her right now.

@All: A bunch of ghostly gunmen showed up and turned into monsters, and they're definitely not friendly. Keep an eye out where you are, I'm pretty sure being shot isn't fun.

Three afterimages continue to engage the remaining Iskandars. It's not worth leaving them be. The other two work with the supporter in the area to cut down incoming fire...at least until one has the chance to check the cards for whatever's affecting the gunmen. Hellish as they are, more friends are good. Sure, these guys want her dead, but that's nothing some magic can't fix, right?

Drain the Claymore.

As Airi's form goes from one to four, the masked quartet grin. With no small amount of pleasure do they fend off the conqueror, and as each wave is subverted by their blades it only gets easier. When they the time is right, another afterimage becomes two from one, and their twinned assault pushes off their attacker for long enough for the fifth to do her own work.

As the first four do their work, the fifth does hers - occasionally running interference and preventing them from being overwhelmed, but the priority is trinkets. Whenever there's a distracted member of the fray, be it an Iskandar or the painted girl, the fifth afterimage is quick to appear and try and separate them from their source of magic, and claim it for their own cause. Not easy, surely - but if they claimed one, then the scales would tip more in their favour. They could use it after all, if the claymore was any indication.

The fifth afterimage uses what freedom it can get, dancing through the field and looking for a golden opportunity as it covers itself and the others.

Airi watches the situation unfold. Four Iskandars. A bald girl covered in paint. And a dark, space-y environment. Well. This was fun.

@All: If anyone knows for sure who the girl with the shaved head, paint covered body, and the microphone that summons the darkness of space is, I'd appreciate knowing because she's with me and Iskandar's host in the basement. Anyway, Doppleganger band on the offensive, later!

Airi couldn't help but smirk a little at what they were doing, her mask leaving her more amused than afraid. A musical assault? She'd only become a magical girl today, but she knew by now that her domain was sound-based, if not sound itself. Her flashing trinkets only supported that. She had an opportunity to use here. And with this...well, she still had no intention of killing them, but it wasn't so bad if she could beat them unconscious, right? It would give some more time for people to show up, and besiiides...they'd live.

As Iskandar's effects pile up, she applies her own to them, intent to take the tempo they'd focused on and claim it for herself. The claymore is further put to use harrying her attackers, to fend off their advances and force them to fight at her pace. All punctuated by fists coming at sonic speeds to take out anyone who got in sufficient range.

A more experienced magical girl probably could have done better, but that didn't matter right now. If they were going to fight, she sure as hell weren't letting them dictate the pace of it if she had any say in it.
Time to face the music: 2d6 ⇒ (2, 5) = 7

One roll? I'm sure I'm missing something obvious here, but can I get some more details on how that works out and what I need to do?

Any info that I might want to know here that I'd have access to? Because these lot seem like they'll be fun to deal with. Just so I have it clear for when I'm trying to get people over here, I'm in the basement, right?

What's my drain looking like right now, actually? With the scenario described, my domain to work with, and memories of a certain rhythm game in mind, I am so tempted to hijack the beat and turn this into to something akin to one of the minigames.

@Admin: Shoot. Worth a try. I'd call out myself to his spirit, wherever it's gone right now, but I'm a little short on magic right now. I've been doing a lot of casting.
@Admin: They're probably the real thing. I don't know why that guy invited him in, though I might find out soon. What I do know is whatever his mother's doing with him, it isn't magic. She just has that much of an influence over him. She's probably the one to put the broken messenger spell in the drinks though, so magic is on the table generally.

She's surprised when the visage of Dedric's sister floods her mind. She could feel the affection. Like with her and Chūsuke...wait, he was going to be expecting him, not her. And she didn't know her name to be able to switch back. Could she get away with coming in like this? A thought starts to form about what would happen. Initially she tries to keep it separate, but then again, they'd already sent off something private. Why not? It'll be a bonding experience.
@Admin: Junpei's younger/Iris's youngerTheir slightly hefty younger brother, formulating some story to fit their excuse that made them look bad as they hastily attempt to correct him.
Yeah, knowing him, she could. She might not want to, but it's on the table. Back to her correspondent.
@Admin: Fair's fair. Don't worry about it. Just means we know we have something in common, other than our job description. If you wanna talk about this later, I'm more than up for it. Just don't pass that on, k? I'll be waiting for the plan.

That would be one cool subwoofer if it wasn't full of doom-y magic. As much as magic can be great, it can really suck when you get your hopes up about recreating something it made without it.

Airi's musings halt as she notices the Isky get up...and then act utterly unlike Iskandar. She hadn't expected him to be affected too. She'd meant to tell him they were both right. He might have taken a bit of convincing, but after that he'd have probably been far less willing to go through with this.
Now though...this was a problem, and she could feel she'd strained her magic. There wasn't much she could do...
Surely one of the others could though. One of them had to have set this up. It wouldn't be THAT hard to communicate with Iskandar then, would it? She didn't know what their domain was or who it was, but they seemed better suited than her right now.

@NetworkCreator: So, I set the speaker and the rest of the mall to send spirits home. That should be less people in comas due to soul loss. Problem is, it also seems to have ejected Iskandar from the body he was in. He's not in control, at least.
The things sensed when she casted the binding spell that trapped everyone in Brigit's hearth. The malevolent controlling influence and the anchoring to his seemingly de-possessed host are stressed.
@NetworkCreator: That influence is his mother, by the way. Back on track - he was expecting the speaker to be filled with the messengers of said mother. You should have received the info on what's happening with that thing, before I started shouting back at Juno.
@NetworkCreator: You set this up, so can I ask you to relay this info back to him? And anything else needed. I'll feed you it as you request it...unless you can just take it yourself. Your magic, you're the one who knows how this works.
@NetworkCreator: He can be reasoned with, I know he can. You're the one I think is best equipped for it from what I know, so could you give it a try? If you can talk him down, then he won't go through with anything himself. Whatever he may be, less people to fight is a plus.
@NetworkCreator: Gotta deal with his angry host now. Catch up with you if I'm needed!

Overly long message sent, Airi turns her attentions to the swearing man, as she catches Lys leaning over and makes a mental note to check in with him later. She grins at the man. "I don't know, what the f*#& was what? Lotta stuff happening, so you're going to need to be more specific. Don't worry if you can't hear me properly after that speaker freakout, I'll tell you again." She leans a bit on the claymore. No point switching it - they obviously both knew about magic, and even if he didn't switching it now would be noticeable.

I'll get used to writing for the mask eventually. I still feel like things don't quite match up yet.

@Sender: Why helloooo there! Is this who I think it might be? With your reputation, I wouldn't have thought you were any kind of warrior, but here we are! We've gotta talk later. There was a situation with Emi that probably wants talking about, and there's all of this too. In the meantime, you alright? Any tips on dealing with potentially dangerous magic that it's a bad idea to leave alone?

As everything starts happening, the magic of the mask settles back in. It isn't long before Airi is feeling more assured again...given the vision she just received, the timing couldn't be better. Naiad's sending is ignored as best as possible. She didn't need to see that, and she certainly didn't care right now.

Isky'll be fine. He looks ok, and what kinda conqueror lets STAIRS defeat him? Not that one, that's for sure. Is that Lys over there? It's tempting to call out, but neither of them would hear a thing right now, and she had stuff to do right now.

Then...oh man, her? She's got a bad habit of lashing out, doesn't she? Good an excuse as any to try this out.

@All The speaker, speaking its piece up to its statement about the tesla coil.
@All Trying to make friends with the possessed guy - voluntarily possessed, for some reason - got me to this thing. You know, the real problem, and the one our conquering friend here doesn't really know the real function of. He's practically as blind to this as the rest of us. You wanna kill Iskandar, his mother's going to make that vision come true. And I like living, so let's save the shouting match for after this is done, k? There's a philosopher's stone maker here, and those never end well.
She had no idea how irked Juno was going to be, but presumably very. Good thing she had the mask on, because it meant she didn't care right now.

She wasn't waiting for responses right now. There was a big bad speaker, and she had to deal with it fast from the sounds of it. The simplest solution was just to remove Lapis from the field, but she didn't feel like she could just do that. Reversing it so it dispersed energy would just scatter people's souls everywhere, and trying to turn it off just meant it'd go back on later.

One thing to try that didn't involve messing with a potentially volatile spell that might kill her anyway. She plucks a card from her deck, a song about home. She touches the card making the speakers go crazy, and places the card she picked out against the speaker. It's time for a new song. A song that'll make all those loose soul-snakes go right back to the person they belong to. Everyone's going to get their soul back. Well, in theory. Time to change the tune.

Souls go home: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2
What? No. 1 Fate, Reroll!
Souls go home, v2: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 3) = 9

The mask? You didn't answer about that.
...is it possible to graveyard Lapis? Or quickly switch it with something else? And what about that BB-Pop song?

So, few questions. First - is the mask back to working? Second - can I actually tell who's behind the DJ booth? I mean, I can guess, but is it actually possible to tell right now? And third - does Iskandar look, well...alive?

I'm going to have to double-check my cards. I have an idea, but I need to know what matches to what for it. Or at least, be able to guess.

>...I think I know who you mean. Which means resolving this is a lot more important than I thought. I can't let anything happen...< The circumstances were different then, but...might it happen again?
No. She didn't care who didn't like it - nobody would die again today. Whatever it took.

Carefully, she removed the amp and graveyarded it. That should help de-limit the magic. Isky should be understandable to everyone again too. Then, she placed her hands on the speaker. It made sound, right? Not too much of a stretch.

「I hope this works.」 Iris concentrates, trying to form the spell. Tell us what you're for. What you do. What magic you have on you. What we might object to about you. If you're even important at all. Just tell us. Honestly, and in full. What's so important about you that Iskandar had to guard you?

Remove Amp: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 5) = 11
Tell me what I need to know: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 4) = 8

When Brigit finishes speaking, Iris breathes a rather exaggerated sigh of relief, still blushing furiously behind the mask. "Had to be sure. Wish people wouldn't speculate so much about this stuff." Her mind runs through some of the things she'd been asked before...and Lysander teasing her about this stuff. He always tended to do it whenever he'd found she was getting on well with someone or something. Didn't hurt that she made it so easy for him.

Gah, she was letting this get to her. Ummm...Brigit sounded hungry. Not really the time to give her anything though...didn't have something to give her. What else...a team of sorceresses? Hoplite queen? Who could...wait, queen? She could only think of one person who'd earn that moniker from him. >Hoplite queen? Could I get a description? Maybe I've seen them.<

Iris stands ready to act if Iskandar or Brigit do anything. Admittedly, even with her newfound strength there was no way she could reasonably get in their way, but she would try. As the speaker is opened, she looks it over carefully. >Is it...supposed to be empty? Was it maybe enchanted?< She thinks it over. Why would it be...oh please, don't be right about this. Let it be something else. She relays her idea to the two of them, translating between them as needed.

Is this supposed to be filled with people's severed souls? A 'soul jar' of some kind? From what I know, it sounds possible to me.

Iris couldn't help but be a bit relieved by the fact that Brigit had relaxed a bit...even if she didn't like the way she was holding her knives. She could swear she sounded different just a moment ago though...nah, must be her imagination. "Guess we can figure that out later then. Monsters is new to me though. Pretty sure I know what you're referring to, but so far anything I've met that someone might call that haven't really been so bad. No worse than some people I've met, anyway. What you've told me did answer the question on my mind, though. Thanks, Brigit."

Iris slides the mask back in place and looks to Iskandar. Seems he'd picked up on it. >Honestly, no...not that I know of, anyway. Might have seen her about, but with the way all this seems to work, there's no way I'd know. Probably the same to her. I don't think she's from around here anyway. Not that it matters too...< Wait a minute. 'Yer man'? She didn't...>Hold on a moment!<

Iris's gaze quickly fixes on Brigit. She was glad she'd put the mask back in place, since it helped to hide the way her face was starting to flush. "You didn't mean anything by it when you referred to him as 'yer man' to me, right? Right?" She'd never been good when it came to this stuff. It was probably the easiest way to get a response from her.

When she gets her response, she slowly looks back to Iskandar. She really hoped the mask was on right. That sudden thought had been enough to distract her from her worries...though it had put different ones on her mind. Come on! Why do people do this? Whyy? It's at this point she notices she's starting wringing her hands. She stops a moment, but starts again shortly after returning her attention to Iskandar. >So, ah...why'd you wanna know?<

Wonder why I never asked before - is it possible to just place my own cards into the 'graveyard' and end the effect? Like the amp, for example?
Come to think of it, anything new on the disk?

>Gotcha. One moment.< Iris looks back to...Brigit, she said. Must be her Magical Girl name. "Brigit, you said? Call me Iris. Don't know my name yet so I can't say much there." Iris has been fidgeting on the way down. This was uncomfortable as it was, and the looks she was getting weren't helping. "Apparently he's been told to guard some speaker. His mom's messengers are gathering down there. He figures he can figure out what they're for with a good look at everything...I hope we can deal with this."

...this isn't any good. They're cooperating for now, but...this has to go right. It HAS to. Need to think of something else..."Say, Brigit. Care to explain to me in more detail about what the stuff you said meant? A lot of stuff has happened today. A lot to get used to from out of the blue. I'd like to be able to understand it a bit better. Maybe it'll help prevent messes like these." She shifts the mask to one side. She didn't dare remove it yet. As her face is uncovered, her nerves show a lot more. Maybe it would help convince her that she was being honest. "I know what making those trinkets meant. And I didn't do it for fun. We're in this together now, right? You seem to know a lot more than I do. Will you teach me about all this? At least a little?"

Ah. Right. I was just trying to shake his faith in his mother, though that seems unnecessary. Now it's just Brigid to watch, mainly.

In another situation, the way Iris's gaze flits between them might be comic. Depending on your inclination, it might be now. >You're guarding something?< "He's been told to guard something. Not meeting Mom yet." >Will you tell me what it is?< "You might recognise what it is when we go down." >Can we check it out too?< "Seriously, it's worth investigating." >I like you. I hope we can be friends once this is sorted.< "Would you do it if I could get him to hand your knife back?" >Would you give her knife back if it meant getting her into the elevator so we can do this?< "Give it a chance, alright?"

If it looks like there's time, definitely texting Alex the details of what's happened/happening.

...well that explains the snakes.

>Your mother? Well...I suppose if anyone would have sway over someone like you without needing any magic, it'd be her. It...explains a few details, actually. Just be careful. This isn't the sort of thing you can just ask someone. And in any case, even if she is solely looking out for you and doesn't have her own interests to further...that doesn't mean she's not nasty. I know what I felt. And I also know from experience...< Iris shudders visibly. A bad memory. At least the mask hid the upset too. >Just because your mother loves you, it doesn't mean you shouldn't stay far away from them. Loving or not, your parents can be terrible, terrible people...<

>It's awful to think, but it's not untrue.<: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 5) = 8

With the things coming to mind, Iris has to steady herself. It's been a while since she's thought about that. And this has been a very stressful day. A few breaths, to hold composure...easy does it. She gives Iskandar a look. >Think about it. Also, uh...some makeshift bandages might be an idea. Gotta look after your body.<

She then turns to Scarlet. Warrioress was a little too on the nose...you don't need to stab everything. "We're kinda both stuck with you for now. Whatever this field of yours is, we're bound by it. If you don't want us going anywhere, you're in a position to ensure that."

"Running him through's no good though. He's not the only one, Scarlet. There are two of...whatever he is here today. And the other is his mother. If we kill him, there's no telling what she'll do. And besides - I don't want to kill him anyway. He's not a bad guy in and out of himself, even if he has a crazy mom, and there's also the matter of the guy he's in the body of. Things are complicated here. At least if I can convince him, we may be able to undo some of the damage here. And that'll be two less killed here on top."

"He's starting to have his doubts. Currently, he wants to check in with his mom, see if she's as bad as I could feel she was, if she was that entity. I want to try and persuade him, and I'm guessing you want to prevent bad things happening. He's not going to attack us if we don't attack him, and if we get in that elevator with him, he'll take us to his mom...if anyone should be your target, it's her."

"I bet he's not gonna like the idea of fighting his mom or anything like that, but if he can be convinced to stop what he's doing, and stay out of the fight, he shouldn't be a problem right? We might have the chance to send everyone's souls back too. Nobody should have their soul snake-ified and removed from them. The real enemy awaits. We just have to go with him. Can you agree to that?"

When in doubt.

One Fate for understanding. Two to understand and speak. And an explanation if I decide to spend the Fate on it. Is this applicable to more languages outside Greek? And what about after I've encountered a language I don't recognise?

Whatever the result is, I'd be happy to spend the Fate for it. Even if it doesn't go anywhere...it just seems like the Junpei thing to do.

Now that you've said that though, you've tempted me to further interactions with May, at least where this matter is concerned. Perhaps we know each other (though not personally) through the internet? Or maybe not. Who knows at this point?

I'll draw up the explanation later, but right now I'm more than happy to pay the cost.

Right. Of course being able to understand him was a magical effect. It only makes sense.

Does he seem any different? Does he appear to want to continue fighting? Or is this more than just temporarily being distracted?

I don't have a clue how much influence the sanctuary has on him too. In any case, I'd like to know more of the info I can gather.

You're joking. This idiot wants to be possessed? You know what, this guy is just going to find someone else to host. Me and Scarlet should have a word with him once this is sorted. As for Iskandar...man, this guy doesn't know what he got himself into. I kinda wanna see what happens if I start remarking on this other a$#~&$! with the reins. Ah well. Hopefully she won't try and kill me too. That'd suck.

Airi switches the skimmer to claymore mode, and sends one last quick message. 「Fighting's really about to start. Don't rely on magic if you're coming!」

Carefully trying to hold onto the spell and reshape it, she wipes a few lines of sweat from her face, and pulls out the costume repair kit she keeps on her person from within the outfit. For all the size needed to be cut down to make it portable, it's served her well, and it's about to serve even better. The sweat is applied to the kit, and as the spell is approaching full formation, she very quietly says the golden words that would have saved her a lot of pain last time.
「A part apart; a fate undone;
By sweat and rote, I seal this heart;
Bind this spirit; turn the lock,
and rise again to keep the watch.」

With the words, the pact is formed, and greater understanding of how this works. The repair kit needs a new form, and she knows what she's doing with it. The kit forms into a fingerless pair of sap gloves, fitting and protective. There's a musical note on the back of each, and the colour scheme matches her dress. Just what she needed.

After that, the spell is finalised, and the sorcery takes hold, containing herself and Iskandar in Brigid's Hearth. In a flash, the amp's flipped back up, and the oppressive Sanctuary conditions are back in full effect. Magic in place, she emerges from the cabinet and comes swinging at one of the Iskan-brutes with the broadside of the claymore. 「Sorry Isky, but it's hard to give credit to a Big Bad who doesn't even realise all the ways they've been strung up! When there's some other will that has you in its claws, intent on terrible, terrible things, and you don't even know about it? It really doesn't speak highly of your awareness!」

Airi takes in the scene. Helloooo, Gorgon and Scarlet. Nice to meet you both, wish we could meet in better circumstances. So, this girl must be Scarlet. Gorgon's this Iskandar guy. And...possessed? Hmmm. Well, best tell Sora what's going on, but I have an idea.

「Hey, Sora! Big news. First - One of the Yokai showed up. Have to assume so anyway.」 The voice is the same as earlier, but more...stable. Confident. Cheery. It's almost got a sing-song tone to it. 「It's some spirit possessing a guy. "King Al-Iskandar, the third of Macedon" he said. Seems like he wouldn't be too bad if he wasn't f@*$ing with people's souls.」

「Second - Mystery Mage is here too. It's another magical girl in red. Ram horns, too. Asked him if he led the Waerloga, whatever the hell THAT means. Seems intent on killing the guy. Third - about seven blocks of muscle have bust in too, and they're throwing spells about like crazy. It's mad in here. It's going down in the employee room at the arcade. I'd appreciate a hand here. If you know where any of the other magical girls are, that would help too. Work fast, k?」

Alright. Sora was informed, though she wished she had someone else she knew. Time to try it. Drawing on the skimmer again, she focuses on Iskandar. Specifically, pulling the spirit of Iskandar out of the body, and into some created vessel. A sort of spirit cage? Just Iskandar though. Something she could carry too. And something that would KEEP him trapped. If she separated Iskandar from the poor guy, he wouldn't have to die. As if killing a possessed guy would work ANYWAY.

Spirit Trap: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 5) = 11
I am going to be SO unhappy if you manage to tank this somehow.

Perhaps I should, but that would sacrifice the potential to learn something useful. Plus, not exactly strong enough to make running people through an effective option, even if Airi here was inclined to it. If it'll let me keep the thing to hand, I'll dismiss the holo-disk temporarily to just leave the band and hide in (behind? By?) the cabinet.

Fit me, maybe. What about the pool skimmer?

Riiiight, what have we here? Ooooh, Scarlet's still at the party? I Hope we'll meet up. Also, that's she's not a b!~%@. That's kinda important. And this new card...ahhhh, sod, that's this thing isn't it? Probably. I can figure something out later. Now let's see - further in, or staff room? I have to get to the basement, but...couldn't hurt to take a peek, could it? I mean, nobody's really paying attention to me judging from that guy. Ahhh, why not?

Airi exaggeratedly tiptoes toward the staff door and pokes her head into the room. Might be something interesting in there!

She reaches to the magic...and it takes hold. The mask spreads across her face, her fears fade away. So this is what magic can do. With the mask's magic taking effect, Iris feels...

「Sooo much better.」 She gives the pool skimmer another look over. This thing was gonna be handy, since she can use its magic. Kazue probably wouldn't mind too much as long as she got it back sometime. Her gaze falls on the mall. 「Soul snakes, huh? So that's what Gorgon was doing with those damn drinks. Can't be having with that!」 She takes the private moment to figure out how the claymore is oriented relative to its skimmer form. Can't accidentally kill someone because she didn't know which was the slashy bit and which was the not-slashy bit - that defeats the point of keeping people alive. Really, a giant hunk of metal speeding into someone was gonna hurt, probably break something even with the flat, but if they were on the receiving end of this thing they proooooobably deserved it.

Satisfied, Airi strolls toward the west entrance, skimmer over the shoulder, smirk on her face. It'd look better transformed, but people tend to freak out when someone walks in with a massive sword over their shoulder. Spoilsports. Suppose I wouldn't be able to carry it like that anyway, but it's the principle of thing!

Watching for the appearance of any new cards on the disk. I mean, I'm expecting one, I just don't know if there's going to be more.

Iris continues to shake. She was practically vibrating. She was so, so scared right now of all the terrible things that could happen. There was so much she didn't know. So much that had already happened. She knew she had to do something, but she couldn't! She would collapse if she dared try, her legs were shaking that much. And for all the smiles she may wear, she couldn't even speak straight.

One person had died already. So many more could too. And would, if she didn't act. Rushing in and making a mistake was nothing new, but causing something to break down by doing nothing...? It was a new kind of thoughtless action. Choosing to do nothing because you're too scared and just don't know what to do, and watching it all fall apart because you were too afraid to try. Somehow, it seemed like the scariest thing of them all.

She grips the pool skimmer harder. She couldn't. She couldn't...huh? Wait. Her mind goes back to earlier in the day. Kazue. The moment when that fearsome visage of death shifted into a temptress. The general way she seemed to become a whole new person from that point onward, a few times. And this was one of her trinkets.

Could...could she do that too? She looks around. Everyone seemed to be distracted with the drinks. Using the pool skimmer to stumble along, she moves to a point where line of sight was broken between everyone else and her. Somewhere she was sure she wouldn't be seen. Right. She reaches out to the magic of the pool skimmer, and calls for it to manifest. She needed a mask. A mask to hide her fear. A mask for a magical girl, confident and unfettered. A mask that everyone else would see...and a mask that she would be.

Becoming the Mask: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7

「Update: the new drinks should be safe - Juno called them in. Emi just got on the tour bus, and as I recall her and Aratani had a bit of a fallout recently. I can see why too. Back on topic, this is supposedly Emi running the show with resources from somewhere else, and I don't feel like Aratani would run with this independent image. This isn't Shirakawa. I'm pretty sure of it. Also, unknown anti-magic wielder? Their field's gone. No idea where they are, but they're about. Stay alert.」 Can't believe she didn't think of that before. Not important now.

The real problem was the rising fear, and her unsteadiness in general. She had to get a hold of herself. She had to. She was going to have to move eventually, and currently she felt like she'd keel over if she tried. Can't be afraid. Can't let anyone worry. Got to save everyone.