In the Abyss of Reverie [IC]

[Mono Vertigo]

OOC thread here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223556)

Most people enjoyed the Shiba Park for its view on the Tokyo Tower nowadays, favouring the immense symbol of modernity over the modest temple.
Yet, on this Spring afternoon, the most interesting sight was right behind Zojoji Temple, not because of the small group schoolgirls, but the translucent turtle with some kind of face on his shell (http://i.imgur.com/Cd6gf.png) who'd set the rendezvous with these girls. They remembered having been approached by the tsukaima during the previous week, and, after a short talk on wishes and the importance of fighting evil, being given a pendant unlocking their magical potential. What they did in the meanwhile

Once he was sure no other witness was around, he spoke up.
“Greetings. My name is Octar. As you may have already guessed, you all are what I call Magical Girls: your magical potential was unlocked to ensure your survival against youma. I know our first meeting was probably a little... shocking and the details may be fuzzy. I hope you found the time to practice your new powers on your own since then.”
He paused his speech just long enough to check if nobody was surprised to hear him out loud again – not that they had any reason to, or that he really cared about it – and resumed it.
“My apologies once again for our first meeting, but time was not on my side. There are very dangerous youma roaming in Tokyo, and I needed to recruit a team fast. Now the whole team is present, however, I can answer your questions if you have any.” he asked, with a hint of languor in his voice.

[Zazori]

"Uhhhhhh, why are you so cute!?" Mai says with huge eyes and a big smile, she then begins to speak again as if she had forgotten to say something, "And, uhm.. Why is these youma so bad, what are they doing?".

[Mono Vertigo]

Octar blinks, unflinching. "I suppose I am cute because I am made of positive energy", he replies deadpan.
"Youma, unlike me, are made of unstable negative energies, like fears, memories, and such. They feed on these negative energies and target people, whatever the means, often killing them in the process. Normal humans can't see or fight them, unlike you. Once active, their presence tends to visibly warp reality as well. If you know someone who went missing, or acts strangely, or died suddenly, chances are a youma did it. Next question?"

[AmberVael]

Akiko clenches her teeth at Mai's question and settles her shoulders back against the temple; the magical girl is caught between impatience and anger, and it shows pretty plainly on her face. She appearance strikes an odd cross between elegant and rebellious, but her attitude probably leans her first impression far more towards the latter.

"I just need to know where they are." Akiko states, crossing her arms. "Can you tell us how to find them?"

[Mono Vertigo]

The Turtle didn't find it very hard perceiving the difference in temperament between the one girl and the other.
"When hunting or feeding on their prey, youma produce a Nightmare around them. That's the zone where they distort reality in order to stabilize their form. The stronger the youma, the larger the Nightmare. It is generally hard to miss." A pause.
"When they are inactive and in hiding however, proper investigation is necessary. Look for strange events and signs. Find the location of their last attack. Study their modus operandi and predict where or who they will strike next. Track back new rumors to their origin. Some hide in plain sight, others in abandoned places, but always remember that youma are never far enough from humanity. They inevitably go back to it."
He tilted his head. "Another one?"

[Lykan]

"Yeah, I've got a couple..." Amaya shuffles out from her hiding spot behind a temple pillar, clearly looking uncomfortable about being shunted into a social situation like this. "About the wishes, specifically. We need to get thirteen of those oblivion seed things to get a wish, right? How do we get our hands on those?"

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami feels a whip of irritation from one of the girls and sends it towards the one who spoke first, bostering it with her own message. Quiet. Silence. Stop. She didn't want the time wasted on things like that, and the more she stood here silent the more she could feel her uneasiness and embarassment rising. She didn't like a chatterbox who acted like everything was fine. It made her feel stupid and mousey by comparision.

Quickly, trying to do it so no-one would notice, she brings up her hands and signs to the turtle, her hands moving quickly. How do most Youma hide? she asks, improvising the sign 'moster' for the Youma. Is there any kind of form they take?

[Mono Vertigo]

His reply to Amaya was quick. "Youma leave Oblivion Seeds behind once defeated. By the way, Nightmares collapse and disappear quickly once the youma is dead, it's not difficult getting out in time, but don't leave anything important behind. Like Oblivion Seeds."
More surprisingly, Octar didn't need to turn his head and look at Ami to hear her own question. Were the scales on his shell real eyes, or could he read minds? "Mostly, they act like animals and stay where they feel safe, and are visible to you once found. Smarter ones mimic their surroundings or occupy a living host. As for their form, they are incredibly diverse. You will know when you see one." His voice suddenly becoming stern, he adds: "I have seen in my life a few try and take a human shape. Don't be fooled. Their disguises are grotesquely flawed."
Once again, after his explanations, he waited a little bit.

[Lykan]

The scruffy girl mulls over this information. "So does each youma drop multiple oblivion seeds? And once we get the seeds, do we just hold onto them until we get all thirteen needed for a wish? And concerning the wish itself, is there any limit for what we can wish for? Do you grant the spirit of the wish, or how we word it literally? What happens after we make the wish? Can we work toward another one or... Uh..." Amaya trails off, forcing herself to shut up so the others can ask their own questions.

[AmberVael]

"I think I've heard as much as I need to." Akiko declares, pushing off the wall. She tugs her right glove onto hand a little tighter, then stretches herself out as she speaks again. "Those things aren't waiting on us, after all. So I'm going to get started. You guys can come along if you want." Her shoes grind against the ground as she abruptly turns away, her black coat and bleached hair flaring outward with the movement. She seems quite ready to go away with or without the assistance of the others, let alone with a proper goodbye or any kind of acknowledgment to Octar.

[Gaius]

Mitsuki's been fairly quiet. It's odd for her: she's usually more on the side of 'unrelentingly chipper.' Part is a matter of simple adjustment to the weirdness. But the main reason's been worrying her for the past few days. Her eyes drift around the other girls. There are a variety of emotions on display, but no one else looks as nervous as she feels. Hell, one of them clearly can't wait to start kicking in youma faces. Mitsuki hopes that doesn't mean she's just a wimp. Well, one way to find out...

"Is-Is it..." She trails off, takes a breath, and tries again. "You've said a lot about Youma, and a little about yourself, but... Well, what about us? Putting aside 'why us,' you gave us magic, but... Did you do anything else? I mean, are we supposed to have such... vivid, horrible visions?" Mitsu paused as an alternative struck her. "Or... Could it have been a Youma?"

[Zazori]

Mai keeps quiet and listens, while staring at Octar with a little smile on her face.

[Mono Vertigo]

Had he been able to shrug, Octar would have done so, hearing Akiko. He isn't the overbearing kind.
He doesn't react right away after listening to Mitsuki and Amaya, considering all the implications, as well as the proper reaction to have; empathy is a little tricky for creatures like him.
"First, I do not deal in pathetic tricks. So you should, in all trust, give me the seeds as you get them, and I will remember which seed belongs to whom, and you should expect me to grant what is it that you want, no matter how big. Of course, you could as well hoard the seeds somewhere, hoping none will get stolen or lost, and spend a lot of time formulating every detail of your wish if you really don't trust me. But that would be a shame, and a complete loss of time for all parties involved", he calmly replied.
"Another thing I don't deal with are visions. If I have something to tell you, I will tell you myself. It was most certainly a youma", he claimed, uninterested by the contents of circumstances of said vision.

With an austere and hurried tone that contrasted with his adorable face, he added: "Speaking of which, I have been made aware a dangerous youma is on the loose. It has last attacked people at one of your "schools", and has shown minor signs of activity today, having finished digesting its last meal. Maybe it is tracking a prey right now!" He meticulously started turning around, as if to go somewhere else. "If you have one last question, ask it quickly. Both our time and yours is precious."

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami pushes a big burst of Silence towards everybody else, hoping that that would give her the time she would need to ask her question first. What was the Youma's 'last meal'? She signs quickly, complete with finger-quotes.

[Lykan]

Amaya jumps a little at the empathetic burst, looking around for where it came from while that one girl does her crazy hand-waggling.

[Mono Vertigo]

The critter seems to hesitate a little, but in the end, he decides to explain the severity of the case. "A woman and 19 kids your age. It struck and escaped unnoticed by anyone else, somehow. They all died. There's one survivor."
Octar took a deep breath. "Remember you are a team. A group of five Magical Girls like you can take it down as long as you stick together. These people died because they had no chance to fight back. You do, as long as you keep your pendants. It is time for me to go..."
A last look at the girls, and a cryptic warning. "... one last thing: be careful when you use magic. If you feel something wrong is going to happen, think of your loved ones to find inner strength."
Immediately after, from translucent, he became invisible, then vanished entirely.
The meeting was shorter than expected, but it is hard to blame a supernatural creature for disappearing to avoid being seen in a public place.

[Zazori]

"Sooooooo, where do we go?" Mai says looking at the others, she moves her weight from the left to the right foot.

[Lykan]

Amaya makes a face and looks at the direction Akiko headed off to. "First we should probably collect that girl who just ran off. Then we can head to the school where this happened."

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami looks at Amaya and nods, apparently expressing her agreement. In reality, her hands are saying I bet none of you understand me at all, right? but that's a little harder to pick up on. She tries not to glare at her apparent teamates, especially the noisy talky one who seems to think everything is cute. Didn't somebody just die? She considers sending a burst of something nasty into that girl's head, but quells the idea. That'd be wrong, wouldn't it?

So instead, she lets the more sensible girl take the lead, while trying to work out how to ask her her name...

[Zazori]

Mai looks at Amaya and says "I guess you're right" and then follows her.
Soo.. Are they going to be this moody all the time?..

[Lykan]

Amaya gives Ami a bewildered look as she tries to convey her message before something clicks. "Oh. Signing. Uh..." Amaya looks to the other two girls. "Do either of you understand sign language? We might have a bit of a communications problem here."

Amaya begins to head in the direction of Akiko, waving for the others to follow.

[Zazori]

"I'm sorry, I don't" Mai says while following.

[Gaius]

Mitsuki nods, but frowns at Ortra's departure, still unsettled. Still, heading after the other girls, she tries to put it from her mind. She shakes her head at the question. "I'm afraid I don't, either. That's unfortunate... Still, I definitely... felt some of those things you were sending out. That's pretty helpful magi-- Ah!"

She suddenly starts digging around in her bag. "I might have something for you to write on in here, uhh..." Mitsuki recalls they kind of skipped the introductions portion of the meeting. She smiles. "Eheh... I don't think this 'that girl' stuff is going to work, if we're all part of a team. My name's Mitsuki. How about you all?" She hands Ami a notebook/whatever and writing utensil, should she find them.

[DeafnotDumb]

The magical girl takes the notepaper and one rather messy stub of a pencil from Mitsuki and quickly writes 'Ami' on it and turns it around to show everyone. She's done this before. After a moment's hesitation she flips the paper around and scribbles on it, and then shows a 'Thank you' back to Mitsuki, coupled with the sign and a little smile.

[Lykan]

"My name is Takenaka Amaya." She pauses for a moment, a little lost in how to properly conduct herself in conversation with people she barely knew. Well, at least in a fashion that wouldn't make her come off as a jerk. "I hope we all work well together."

[AmberVael]

Akiko hasn't gotten far from the temple by this point, but this is largely because her goal is not far away at all- Tokyo Tower. It seems like an obvious place to start, at least to her. Go up high, look down on the city, see if you can spot anything out of place. And if you didn't see anything, go back down and start looking at everything in closer detail. While she walks, she turns over strange events in her mind.

She knew they killed people, so that seem liked the obvious place to start. Had anyone died or gone missing recently, without any explanation? Besides... the obvious, that is.

Her teeth grind together as she heads up to the Special Observatory. Start high- get the widest view. Try the lower one if there's nothing to be seen from the highest.

[Zazori]

Mai reads what Ami wrote and begins to smile "Your name is really Ami?" She says, quickly adding, "My name is Huzhima Mai, pretty close huh?"

[Lykan]

Amaya scans about for their fifth member, a perturbed look etching across her face. "Where the hell did she- oh. There she is. Hey!" As Akiko heads for the entrance to the tower Amaya waves her hands about, trying to get her attention. "Where are you going? We have to go get that thing!"

[AmberVael]

Akiko moves pretty quickly, and unfortunately for Amaya, in the opposite direction- she's not looking back, so a wave won't catch her attention. She does, however, vaguely hear a shout, and glances behind her.

What, did they want her to come back?

Akiko just replies with an impatient gesture towards the tower, then will head into it. She thinks that either they'll catch up, or meet up with her at the bottom of the tower... or decide it wasn't important enough and head off without pursuing her. It's not going to change her course.

[Zazori]

Mai runs up to Akiko and quietly following her.

I wonder what she want to do in here?

[Lykan]

Amaya does her best to catch up, cursing various creative obscenities under her breath and pushing over a few people before stopping short of Akiko. "What the hell are you doing? We have to go beat the tar out of that thing!"

[AmberVael]

Akiko jabs a button to call the elevator, and sits there waiting while the others catch up. She just nods to Mai, and glances back at Amaya as she's rudely question.

"You can't fight if you don't know where your enemy is." Akiko replies shortly. "If they make big nightmares while they're active, you'd probably be able to notice if it is active from the observation room. If you can't see anything, well, the tower is right here, and you haven't really wasted your time taking a look." She explains. "If nothing else, it gives a better feel for where something might hide and attack from, and an idea of where to look next."

Ding! The door opens, and Akiko steps inside. "You coming up?"

[Lykan]

Amaya grimaces but steps in alongside her, sticking out a hand to keep the door open for the rest of the group. "It wouldn't hurt too much double check something..."

[Zazori]

Mai steps in next to the others.

So, we are going to look for the bad thingies from up here, Right, I'll do my best!
"But where should we go if we can't see anything?" Mai asks

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami joins the others, squeezing into the gaps left in the elevators. She was feeling uncomfortably close to the other girls. Noticing someone that she hadn't introduced herself to yet, she pulled out the piece of paper with her name on it and showed it to Akiko and pointed to herself, and then asked You?

[Gaius]

Mitsuki beams at Ami, exchanges general 'Pleased to meet you's to all the girls for whom she now has names, and joins them in following the tower-approaching girl. She frowns. Checking the tower isn't a bad idea -- if they can now see things nobody else can, they may well spot something amiss. Still, if a youma killed twenty people near a school... There had to be some news report, which might prove necessary to check; for all they knew, a youma's Nightmare might be less obvious from a great distance.

Mitsuki shakes her head to clear it. Much as the discussion-free decision rubs her the wrong way, they'd be wise to try both methods, anyway. The order didn't matter, and the Tower was closer. "It's a good place to start," she says to Akiko, trying for diplomacy. "I don't know how much you heard before you took off, but Octar said the attack was near a school. Everyone, try to check near those, first. Later, we can look up any news stories, and maybe find that... 'survivor' Octar mentioned." If that person saw anything like Mitsuki had... The survivor has her sympathies.

[AmberVael]

"Somewhere else." Akiko replies to Mai, in a determined tone. "Just don't stop looking, and you'll find something eventually."

"I'm Nagisa Akiko." She says, in a short introduction, mostly because Ami prompted her, but it's directed to the group in general. Perhaps those more in tune with recent events will recognize her family name- a Nagisa Yui was declared a missing person a few days ago.

As soon as the other girls get in, Akiko presses the button to send the elevator up to the special observation deck, and puts her hands in her jacket pockets as she quietly waits for it to reach the top- at least, quietly until Mitsuki addresses her. "I was already gone." She replies quietly. Her expression and tone change only a little, darkening slightly.

[Lykan]

Amaya leans against the wall of the elevator, staring at the ground while mulling over the things that had happened since she'd become a magical girl. "Looking for the survivor won't be necessary. Unless the thing hit more than one school in the past week I'm pretty sure our little turtle friend was talking about me."

[DeafnotDumb]

What? Ami asks, and then quickly clams up and takes back her fingers as she realizes that the other girl cannot understand what she is saying. Instead, she nervously waits for an answer, frowning in concern.

[Mono Vertigo]

[OOC to all:
Amaya has one lead: the place of the youma's last attack.
Once the party reaches the top, everyone looking outside makes a Sharp challenge.]

[AmberVael]

When the elevator doors open, Akiko steps into the special observatory and slowly walks around it, peering out the glass windows and looking in all directions the vantage point offers.

Looking Sharp! [roll0]

[Lykan]

Amaya follows suit, heading off to one of the windows and scanning about for signs of a nightmare, or some other youma activity. "Huh. I can see my house from here."

Sharp: [roll0]

[Zazori]

Mai looks out the windows and trying her best to see something.

Sharp:
[roll0]

[Gaius]

Mitsuki tilts her head slightly at Akiko, before Amaya sends it jerking in her direction. "What?" she asks in time with Ami. "Oh... I'm sorry to hear that..." She wonders if this means she is a wimp, after all. She's still unnerved by the vision she saw, while one of the girls comes out fine after a near-death experience with one.

Mitsuki fidgets with a bit of her hair and stays quiet the rest of the way up. Once at the top, she looks out over Tokyo for anything amiss, focusing on any schools she knows about.
Sharp lookout: [roll0]

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami peers out of the window with the rest of the girls, looking for something that stands out from the paranorma of the city in it's concrete and steel glory.

2d6+7

[Mono Vertigo]

[OOC:

For Vael:
Akiko notices a block including a few houses, one large library and a school. She is fast to notice the buildings are discolored, and more importantly, some Japanese characters on the front were subtly replaced with runes.
Lykan:
Instinctively looking in direction of her school, Amaya notices there's something off about a few building in the block, among which the school, the library, and houses. The buildings are discolored, and more importantly, some Japanese characters on the front were subtly replaced with runes.
Zazori:
Mai's gaze turns to the edge of the park they're in, and notices some purple animal running away and vanishing.
Gaius:
Mitsuki's attention is caught by something flying quite fast in the air and disappearing behind the mall.
DeafnotDumb:
Ami's gaze turns to the edge of the park they're in, and sees an unnatural shadow play among the trees. Somehow, she finds it quite creepy.]

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami blinks, then frowns, then quickly turns to the others, fingers moving at the speed of panic. There's something over there! She signs, pointing repeatedly at the edge of the park. After a moment of incomprehension she sighs and suddenly dumps a burst of Unknown. Danger. into everybody's head, glaring as she does so.

[Lykan]

"I think I might see the thing's ni-aargle!" Amaya jumps a bit at the empathic burst and looks around frantically, before her eyes fall on the resident hand-flailing mute girl. "Oh, wait, that's you? What'd you see?"

[DeafnotDumb]

A shadow at the edge of the park this is useless why do none of you idiots bother to learn sign language? The deterioration of Ami's sentance is obvious from the way she changes word mid-sign and how her speech gets rather... louder, with the hand movements getting much more descriptive. There's an insult in there, you're pretty sure, or you all have something on your head. One or the other.

Realizing the futility of this, the girl stops signing and focuses. An image of an unnatural Shadow plays into their minds, and Ami points towards the trees at the edge of the park.

[Zazori]

"I saw something out at the edge of the park too, it was purple, but it dissappeared" Mai says.

[AmberVael]

The empathic burst shocks Akiko and distracts her from what she saw, if only for the current moment. She looks around quickly, then notices Ami flailing and signing. Unfortunately, Akiko isn't at all knowledgeable about sign language. She is, however, pretty fluent in the language of frustration, which Ami seems to be speaking in quite eloquently.

For a second, Akiko's forgets about their current situation as she picks up on just how tiresome it has to be, attempting to communicate with other people without sound, or a commonly known language. Even empathy could only go so far.

Then she refocuses on the now, and her drive. She couldn't stop, not yet. But the aftermath of her realization lingers in the back of her mind.

"I saw something that could be a youma's nightmare near a school, but if there is something moving here, maybe we should check it out. What do you think- forest first, then the school?" Either way, they need to get back down the tower... so Akiko heads towards the elevators, assuming no one has cause to stop her.

[Gaius]

Mitsuki holds a breath as she spots the flying creature, just before Ami's signal makes her gasp, startled alongside the other girls. She stares blankly at the clearly frustrated girl, offering only an apologetic frown. Much as she could do with fewer emotional shocks like that, Mitsu can't imagine the situation is exactly Ami's cup of tea, either.

Hearing the other girls' reports, she takes a look in the indicated locations, getting some idea of the distances involved; the closer they are, the more likely there's only one youma to worry about. Much as she hopes the alternative isn't true, it's best for all to be informed and prepared. "Near the mall, too," Mitsuki adds, following Akiko when she's had a thorough bird's eye look at the locations. "Something fast just flew behind it."

[Lykan]

Amaya weighs their options while looking out at the park. There was a distinct lack of weirdness coming from the area compared to the school, but she definitely wasn't keen on returning to the latter until it was absolutely necessary. Besides, if it was something noteworthy enough to call the attention of the spaceygirl and flailygirl (mental note: look into signing books at the library later), it was probably worth checking out.

"My vote goes for the park. Maybe we can check out the mall afterwards if we don't find anything there."

Amaya steps into the elevator after Akiko, jamming her hands in her pockets and looking out to the others, waiting for them to follow.

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami shrugs as she follows, eloquently expressing that she does not much care where the group goes and that she doubts anyone would be able to understand what her vote would be anyway. The recent frustrations of communication made it a bit too difficult for her to empathetically communicate any emotion or subject not linked to irritation or frustration to the others rght now.

[Mono Vertigo]

Mai follows, still wondering what she had seen exactly.

[End of the first scene, start of the next one.]

Everyone reached the closest location in a few minutes. It's an area dense with young trees, most of which are flowering.
At first glance, everything is as it should be. The slowly dancing shadows made by the leaves are normal, and there is no purple thing either.
There is, however, a woman, all dressed in black, who stares at several specific spots. Her camera is ready to take pictures. She is too focused to notice the group of schoolgirls who just arrived.

[AmberVael]

Akiko pauses for a moment, thinking about the situation... then steps boldly forward, making her presence so obvious that the woman would have to be blind not to notice her. "Excuse me, but did you see something here?"

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami blinks as she notices the woman, and then proceeds to try and hide behind one of the other girls - namely, Amaya. It doesn't really work.

[Lykan]

Amaya looks between Ami and the photographer, cracking a wry grin. "What's up? Camera shy?"

[Mono Vertigo]

The woman jumps once she sees Akiko's shape appear near her, and almost lets go of her camera. "Ah!"
Fortunately, she calms down quickly. "S-sorry! I was so deep in my thoughts... err, yes, as a matter of fact, there was something here just a minute ago! It was gone before I could film it." She looks at the rest of the group with a growing smile. "My, my! Don't be afraid! I'm just a photographer. I wouldn't hurt a fly. Show yourself."

[AmberVael]

"You did? We were on the tower-" Akiko points at the special observation deck- "And thought we saw something shadowy, so we came to investigate. Did you get a better look at it?"

Her mind swiftly ticks through the implications, however. If this woman saw it, there was one of two obvious conclusions to be drawn- either it was not a youma, or she was magical in some way. Akiko bets on the former, and so her interest is swiftly waning. Still, it could be some kind of clue, maybe?

Hmm... can't tell anyone else out loud though. Akiko attempts to focus on her disappointment, in the hopes that that empathic girl (whatever her name was, Akiko never got it) would pick up on it and figure out the cause.

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami starts to shake her head at Amaya, but then frowns as an alien emotion comes from somwhere. The magical girl gazed about, ignoring Amaya as she searched for the cause. Everybody's emotions, when telegraphed clearly enough, had a certain taste to them, but this one she hadn't met yet. She'd have to remember it for later.

Working it out, the mute girl shrugs and steps out from behind her human cover, looking at the photographer with resigned eyes. Hello Yuri, it's me. She signs, making sure to keep her signs simple enough to understand, or at least enough to get a gist. Listen to girl. She talky She confirms the point by holding up a hand to her ear and then pointing at Akiko, just in case the sign language wasn't understood. That should be enough, she hoped.

[Mono Vertigo]

"Have I seen you before?..." asks Yuri as Ami stepped forward.
"... Oh! Right. Huh, no, my apologies, please forget it!" she adds in a hurry, then whispers a "Oh my!" before paying actual attention to her gestures. She caught the gist of it and turned to the current face of the group, Akiko.
"I thought it was a sort of hallucination. There was a big shadow twirling in the air without any plausible source or support." The woman shuddered a little. "It's silly, but it made me nervous watching it, so I didn't approach it right away." She shook her head, frustrated. "And it vanished! Just like that! Poof! And even worse, now you're telling me it really was there! I missed such a good shot!"

[Lykan]

Amaya looks between the photographer and Ami, silently questioning how the two new each other before deciding it wasn't entirely important. Still, small talk is fun. Or a waste of time. One of those. "You would think the average person might act more... Alarmed when faced with such an oddity. Have you seen stuff like this before?"

[Mono Vertigo]

The woman chuckles softly. "Of course! Don't you read Today's World? Out of the dozen photographs I took since last month, they published three of them already. Including the one with ducks flying through -literally through - a wall!"
What Yuri fails to mention is that Today's World is a tabloid and her pictures fail to even remotely get near the front page, but she was too glad they were being published to care.
"It is pretty much my job to look for these things. Fortunately, there isn't much competition. It's hardly scary. Beside that shadowplay right now."

[AmberVael]

Hm. None of this seemed particularly detailed, or even necessarily relevant. If their 'animal guide' (for so Akiko is inclined to think of him) was here, she might ask him about it, but he seems about as inclined to hang around as she is. Which is mostly fine by her.

The fact returns that if it was a youma... she shouldn't be able to see it. Unless she's a magical girl, in which case, she should be able to protect herself as needed. As such, Akiko's interest in the situation dwindles away- there were better and more relevant clues to chase after.

"Oh. Today's World. Okay then." As somewhat of a delinquent student, Akiko is somewhat familiar with the less... studious literature available to her. So she's got an inkling of just how much respect the tabloid should command, and therefore, she's wondering if there was anything at all. "Well, we don't want to keep you from your job, and we have somewhere to go ourselves, so maybe we'd better keep going."

Akiko glances at the other girls to make sure she has their agreement.

[Gaius]

Mitsuki mostly follows Akiko's example. She's familiar with Today's World, having in moments of boredom thumbed through some of her little brother's installments. "Of course most of it's not true!" he'd explained defensively, the one time she'd asked, "But, y'know... Sometimes..." When she saw him blushing, she'd let the matter drop. No reason he should know she didn't hold an especially high view of the tabloid.

Still, Mitsuki had last thought of it in her pre-Magical Girl days. Maybe there was something to that 'sometimes.' Still, she felt they had more solid leads to investigate. "Aye, I'm afraid we must be going. But best of luck getting a good shot, Miss!"

[Mono Vertigo]

"Thank you very much!"
Yuri waves at the girls with a soft smile, oblivious of the majority's opinion on her only publisher so far. "Hope you won't run into strange stuff!" she adds, with a not-so-subtle wink. Beyond the discreet signs though, she did not publicly embarrass Ami any further.

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami manages a small wave back behind the embarassed shrug that she uses to cover up her discomfort, and just feels glad that her apperance there didn't reveal the other girls night-time occupations or how they were connected to the shadow Yuri was trying to catch. The photographer was excited enough at the existence of one, silent and mute magical girl - imagine what she would get like at the chance to meet several more, especially if she knew the true nature of the situation.

Yuri interfering in everything - no, that did not bear thinking about. It was as Aunt and Uncle said. The press was good, but when they didn't know what they were doing or what they were getting into they were far more trouble than they were worth. Ami would have to keep an eye on her, for the others.

Still thinking, she writes 'where next' on her piece of paper and shows it to the rest of the group, with a 'mall' underlined next to it. It's clear where Ami's vote lies.

[Lykan]

Amaya gives a small wave to the photographer, probably one of the few in the group not really familiar with her line of work. Turning to the rest of the group, she sighs. "As much as I dislike the prospect of stepping into another place of learning ever again, it might be better to head to the school at this point. I think trying to find that shadow might just be a wild goose chase."

She pauses, cracking a nervous smile. "We'd be carrying out the idea of 'chasing shadows' literally, as it were."

[AmberVael]

Akiko nods to Yuri and then heads off with the others. Ami makes her suggestion, and Amaya hers- at which point Akiko nods again.

"If the youma was supposed to have attacked a school, and I thought I saw something strange around there, then that seems like our most likely option to me. The entire area looked sort of... discolored. And the sign wasn't right either, like it had symbols instead of letters." Akiko says in agreement with Amaya.

[Gaius]

Mitsuki considers the three girls' words, crossing her arms. "Hm... I'm sure I saw something by the mall. I agree, the school is the most promising place to look, but time's a factor, too. That thing by the mall was fast: it might be gone if we check later. I agree with Ami, we should look near the mall, first."

She waits a moment to see if she's changed any minds. Failing that, she turns to the last member of the group. "Mai, would you please break the tie? Or give any other ideas?"

[Mono Vertigo]

Mai looks shyly at the rest of the group, surprised. "M-me? Huh... I... well, if the school looked weird, there must be a youma around there... and if it's active, it may attack very soon..."
She scratched the back of her neck. "So, huh, if we can make sure it doesn't make any more victims..."
That sounded like a vote for Amaya and Akiko's suggestion.

[AmberVael]

"Exactly. Thanks Mai. We shouldn't be chasing after something that could just be a remote controlled airplane when it really looks like a youma is around." Akiko says forcefully.

"Lets go." With that, Akiko turns towards the school and begins jogging in that direction.

[Lykan]

Amaya follows, cracking her knuckles in anticipation.

[Mono Vertigo]

[New scene]
Fortunately, the trip to school was fairly uneventful. Nobody questions a group of teenagers rushing through the busy streets.

Having reached their destination, the girls can clearly see the block is different from what it should be like. Entire walls appear to have been uniformly bleached, and the few characters on the facades are replaced by mysterious letters from another time or another place. And yet, the reality shift isn't that drastic. The buildings affected are the library, the school and two houses, all neighbouring each other, which makes the center hard to pinpoint.
Supposing there's a single youma inhabiting the place, its Nightmare is quite large... however, because of the lack of experience, it is hard to tell how powerful its creator should be.

As expected, no pedestrian seems to notice anything, and everyone just walks past without a second thought. If you didn't already, you start understanding how easy it is for a smart youma to trap an unsuspecting passerby walking right through its Nightmare.

[AmberVael]

"Yeah... this is it." Akiko says, slowing down as she enters the zone. Her voice is a little tight, and she looks around with dark eyes. Where would a youma be attacking? Well, they knew it had attacked the school. And schools have a lot of people in them. But there was a lot of territory.

"Maybe we should split up." She suggests in a cold, blunt tone. "We'll probably find it faster that way."

[Lykan]

Amaya smirks. "Every horror movie I've ever seen suggests that's a really bad idea... Although if you think that's best, we need to have a way to contact each other quickly so that the youma doesn't eat the first person it runs into before the rest of us can get there."

The scruffy girl pauses a moment, before adding "On a slightly related subject, I'd like to know what everyone's combative and magical capabilities are. It'll be important to know if we are going to kill these things with minimum difficulty."

[DeafnotDumb]

At Amaya's question of how to keep in contact, Ami frowns and lets everyone have a soft burst of Static in their heads, and then waves. That, or mobile phones, she signs, and then writes it down on her increasingly crowded piece of paper when it becomes apparent that most of them don't understand what she's saying, coupled with an extremely exagerated sign for phone.

[Mono Vertigo]

Mai watches Ami's gestures, confused, trying to make sense of Ami's gestures before even reading the paper. "Sorry, you want us to... hear? Listen? Mh... phone? Oh! Of course! I'm so sorry!"
Apologetically, she took her phone. "Now we are a team, we need each other's number! Here's mine", she says before giving her number. As she browsed her contact list to add her new friends, she sheepishly added "I'm not entirely sure of what I can do... I can make shields... and, err... I can heal people...'s cuts. But I'm pretty sure I could heal more than that! Maybe I could heal Nyuh if I get stronger..."

[AmberVael]

Akiko retrieves her phone, displays its number, and hands it to Mai for the moment, to let her copy it down. "My magic is based on the sun. I can make fire and light, and fly." She says, a bite of impatience in her voice.

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami writes her number on the increasingly crowded piece of paper and flips it around for everybody else to see. In answer to the question on her capabilities, she brings up her fingers several times and then stutters to a stop as she fails to think of any way to communicate the information to the other girls. She ends it with a resigned shrug. Not much point, is there?

[Lykan]

Amaya watches the exchanging of numbers and shrugs. "Alright, if we're going through with this, I'm sticking with one of you. I don't have a phone." She looks over to Ami. "Unless you can text faster than most people can speak, it's probably best if I go with you, right?"

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami nods and, after a moment's consideration, hands Amaya her phone, glaring a reminder to the other girl to not lose, damage or misuse it before letting go of it.

[AmberVael]

"Lets get looking. I'll check out the school." Akiko says decisively, retrieving her phone. "See you later." And then she takes off again, jogging towards the closest part of the school. She keeps her eye out for anything strange, mostly looking for places that seem more affected by the nightmare. They were closing in on it. Wouldn't be much longer.

Her gloved hand clenches, and her jog turns into a run. She wanted this, and was ready for it.

[Lykan]

Amaya holds up her hands defensively in response to the girl's glare before taking and pocketing the phone. "Nothing's gonna happen to it, I swear. Now, I guess if we're all taking different buildings, a prime location for us to check would be... the..." She trails off when Akiko dashes off to the school, her shoulders slumping in a sign of clear aggravation.

"Well, if little miss zealous wants the school, the library is probably the second best choice, since it's the second largest building. Therefor it'd be a good place for a group to investigate. Let's go." She heads off toward the building, motioning for Ami to follow.

[Mono Vertigo]

Mai and Mitsuki follow, trying to catch up with Akiko. "Hey! Don't leave us behind!"


[New scene]


At almost 5pm, most students, like the girls, had left school a while ago.
Shirogami High's main hall is peaceful, only disturbed by echoing giggles. A few girls are chatting, showing each other pictures near their lockers.
In contrast, the west wing is closed by a locked door. Some yellow tape emerges from under it, reminding that the strange accident in Amaya's classroom happened last week, and police was still investigating, though with not much success; everyone expects the wing to reopen within the next days. Little information had leaked to the press, beside rumors of freak accidents that grossly contradict what the gruesome pictures would reveal had they been published.
Anyway, while the atmosphere is heavy, the inside of the school isn't any different from what it should be like: cold and quiet, but normal.

[AmberVael]

Akiko isn't particularly thrilled to have the other two girls with her, especially since it meant taking more time to find their target, but she was too impatient to get moving to complain. Whatever, she'd deal with it.

A glance at the main hall really told her all she needed to know- it wasn't here, at least not right now. It might come for those girls, but it needed to have a lair somewhere. She heads towards the door to the west wing, her eyes cold and steeled. Where else would a beast wait, after all? It was an emptied, wide area where it had found people, to prey on, and more still lingered near.

And there was something awful and fitting, if that was in fact the location it was at currently.

Akiko wasn't much one for subtlety, and though outwardly she was cold, within, a fire was raging. The door was locked, and she didn't have time to pick it or look for a key. Her right hand clenches, and then she raises it before her and tugs off the black glove that covers it.

There is a flash of gold, and then a flare of heat and light as Akiko summons her magical power. Spreading up from her right hand, golden armor streams across her, a red sun's gleam shining from her gauntlet and from a symbol in the center of her breastplate. Reassuring warmth and holy light gleams out from her revealed power, strangely at odds with the emotions and personality she has displayed thus far.

Her gauntlet clad hand (for she only possessed one gauntlet, her left hand covered only by a glove of yellow cloth) fastens about the lock and crushes it with not only strength, but an intense heat, turning the lock into a useless lump. Assuming this is accomplished, Akiko will then simply shove the door out of her way and continue into the west wing, not even glancing behind to check whether the other two were following her.

Akiko goes ahead and transforms, then uses Fury to conjure up enough heat and strength to crunch a poor lock into oblivion.

[roll0]

[Mono Vertigo]

[Akiko, Mai and Mitsuki]

Melting the lock was the easy part.
As for the rest? She didn't stay unnoticed. If the transformation in itself didn't distract the chatty schoolgirls, the huge, sudden bursts of warm light did. "Whoa! What's going on?! I'm gonna check!", says one of them, looking toward the now-useless door.
Expecting everything but that, Mai and Mitsuki watch, her mouths agape. They rush toward the witnesses, trying to keep them occupied. Mitsuki channels her own powers, more efficiently than her new friend did a second ago. Invisibly, the joy and pleasure of the gossip surpasses the curiosity of the incident, and they back off obliviously. "Hey, that picture! Who is it who's wearing a bucket over their head?" she asks innocently, her hands shaking a little, focusing on not letting the magic take over and transform her. "He... oh gosh, you won't believe me! He's gonna kill me if he finds out, but it was so worth it! It's..."

It is best nobody follows Akiko, because in addition to the showy lights, due to her lack of experience and untamed raw power, the doorway itself reaches a few hundred degrees Celsius. The metal doors are guaranteed to leave severe burns on contact for a few hours. The yellow tape behind it slowly distorts and burns away. And the floor is merely hot, but slowly cracks.

The west wing houses the janitor's room, the nurse's office, bathrooms, and three classrooms. Beside crime scene investigators and cleaners, nobody has visited it in days. The classroom the Magical Girl is looking for can easily be distinguished both by an abundance of additional yellow tape, and a strong smell of detergent that overwhelms the leftover coppery smell of blood. The professionals seem to have done a good job with the cleaning. Looking through the windows, at first glance, it also seems to be the case inside, but maybe there are hints left inside.

[OOC:
If entering the classroom, make a Sharp roll.]

[Ami and Amaya]

After moving in front of the library, the girls find that behind the windows, there is nothing but a pale light.
And the dreadful feeling of being watched.
The front door stands, taunting the two Magical Girls, inviting them in. There is no guarantee all laws of physics will still apply once it is opened.
Should it be opened right there? Or should the rest of the party be warned?

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami follows the other girl quietly as they walk to the libary. I know you can't understand me. Her hands move at a slippery pace, blending from one word into the next. Nobody really bothers. It was all fine with nobody bothering until a few weeks ago, because somebody did bother and now he's not here anymore and it's all my fault. She stumbles over herself and then picks up the fingers again. Little empathetic bursts flow from her to the other girl, but she squashes them. And now that's just fine because I can tell you this and you don't have a clue as to what I'm saying anyway, so it's like talking to a wall only more clueless. It's like therapy, only cheaper! She half-smirks, amused, to herself, and then her hands suddenly stop as she looks at the door.

I have enough horror movies to know going in there is a bad idea. She signs, breifly forgetting that the other girl cannot understand.

[AmberVael]

[School - West Wing]

Someone more empathetic and cautious than Akiko might be more hesitant to go on alone, leaving her companions to clean up her mess, but Akiko is too focused to think about that. She had to find the creature, and she had to kill it. That was all that mattered.

The only flicker of thought she thinks about the others is that maybe it was better this way. They wouldn't have to see what was inside.

In the crypt-like silence of the west wing, the sound of Akiko's metal boots on the floor echoes hollowly, and though her fire burns bright, it is not quite enough to banish the clinging darkness of the unvisited halls. The emptiness is strange and cold, and all the more palpable due to what she finds at the end. The smell of chemicals overwhelms her, so she knows she has found the right place, particularly because nothing can fully mask the knowledge and thin smell of blood just underneath it, because she knew it was there.

Someone more sensible, more in their right mind, might turn back. But Akiko does not. She enters, her hand clenched into a fist, though that faint smell of blood overwhelms her, bringing back the memories that drove her forward.
It was on her hands, and seeping onto her clothes, no matter how she tried to stop it. The body in her arms swiftly grew colder- any motion had ceased almost instantly.

She stalkss through the room, searching for clues, for magical traces that normal eyes would miss. She looks for something she might do or accomplish, something that would even be the tiniest step towards undoing what had happened, pushing herself to find something.

Sharp: [roll0]

[Mono Vertigo]

[Akiko]

Perhaps surprisingly, the inside matched the outside. Tables, windows, chairs, everything had been scrubbed thoroughly. More than what is expected from a normal classroom - but this was no longer a normal classroom.
Here and there, some posters have obviously been taken off, leaving behind them faint rectangular patches and tiny holes on the walls.
The blackboard bears faded writing and a half-assed alphabet from Ancient Egypt, the last thing the teacher ever wrote. It reads "Thoth was the god of writing and knowledge. Scribes wrote hieroglyphs-", and stops abruptly.
On a second glance, thin, faint crimson lines were absorbed by the furniture' wood. More observant students will be crept out by that sight until the school gets to replace everything... which couldn't be done before the investigators left.
People violently died there. But few souls outside Shirogami High still panicked because of that today. Most students and staff didn't really grasp the fact they will never see their schoolmates and colleague again. And even worse, everyone had been so eager to move on that no new clue will likely emerge from these walls again.
Dead end?


[Mai and Mitsuki]

Meanwhile, two teenagers are learning way more about half the school's secret life than what's possibly healthy. The amount of blackmail material is truly staggering. And the enchanted schoolgirls won't stop laughing and gossiping and laughing...

[Lykan]

[Library]

On the way to the library, Amaya steals the occasional glance back at Ami whenever she lets off an empathetic burst, giving her an slightly awkward and apologetic look before turning back to make sure she didn't accidentally crash into anything.

When they arrive at the library, Amaya stops short of the doors and turns to face her comrade, catching the last bit of her signing. Despite not understanding its exact meaning, it's hard to have any other sentiment with the atmosphere being as ominous as it is. "I'll give them a call. If this isn't it I'll eat my hat."

She proceeds to phone the others, telling them to meet near the front of the library.

[AmberVael]

[School - West Wing]

Thoth, and hieroglyphs. Akiko frowns at the lesson remnants, thinking it odd that something so archaic and strange was there. Maybe it was just a coincidence... maybe she was just desperate to find something of value.

Her phone rings.

She doesn't even have to answer to know what it means. Turning away from the still room and its red stained desks, she pulls out her phone and starts back out of the west wing. There isn't really a conversation, just a short word of acknowledgment before Akiko hangs up, and the sound of running.

Akiko has the sense to let her armor fade away before she exits, and covers her gauntlet with her glove once more as she storms over to the giggling schoolgirls. "Mai. Mitsuki. We have to go." She says bluntly, her voice cold and hard as steel. Her eyes glare over their company. "Get out of here." She says to the rest, her tone and gaze brooking no argument.

Her pace picks up to a run once she's left of the school, and doesn't slow until she's reached the library with the others.

[Mono Vertigo]

[Akiko, Mitsuki, Mai]

Translucent fumes twirl behind Akiko as she passes through the doorway.
Mai notices her first, and is quick to guess their next destination. Gently but firmly, she pulls a tired Mitsuki away from the schoolgirls. "Huh, we've got to go, see ya!"

Running now next to the determined girl, she opens her mouth to comment on her less-than-sneaky performance... but decides against it. She wouldn't have done much better anyway. Instead, she asks: "Did you find anything interesting in there?"

[AmberVael]

[To the Library]

"No. The others called. They think it's in the library." Akiko explains shortly. "So we're going there."

[Mono Vertigo]

[Akiko, Mai and Mitsuki]

Mitsuki eventually catches up with the other two, being less used to physical exercise. "Sorry, but I wondered... you think we can get in trouble for transforming in front of people, and all?" A wheeze. "After all, there's more of us, but we never hear of them, and maybe it's for a reason..."
Another break, this time accompanying an uncomfortable doubt.
"... there's more of us, right?"
"Gosh, I hope we're not alone."


[Ami and Amaya]

The girls are coming right from the corner. In a second, you will be able to decide a strategy...
... or whether you need one.
Suddenly, coming from the opposite corner, Aino arrives, holding two books. She's in a rush, and doesn't even bother stopping to discuss. "Oh, hi! My apologies, I'm very very busy, I need to... give my books back..."
The brunette brutally stops in front of the door and her free hand advances toward the handle.

[AmberVael]

[To the Library]

"There are." Akiko says shortly, certain on that point. Or at least, that there were others, if there aren't others anymore. "And I don't think it matters if people know, but it's hard to explain. If they see you once or twice, fine. More than that gets complicated."

"But we're not alone. I know we're not." She says with absolute conviction. "I wouldn't be here if we were." Akiko admits after a moment. "So don't stop. Don't doubt. Just keep going, do what you need to do; what everyone needs you to do."

[Mono Vertigo]

[Akiko, Mai and Mitsuki]

Mitsu's dark eyes drift away in the distance, meditating on that piece of wisdom. "That sounds right." In a whisper, she added: "If only I knew what I had to do..."
The other pumped up teen doesn't hear the whisper. "Yeah! No doubt, keep going! You know, I'm lucky to be working with girls like you. So determined, and bra..." Mai's steps slow down to jogging pace. "Who's that over there?"

[Lykan]

[Library]

Amaya snatches at Aino's hand and yanks it away before it reaches the handle. "Library's closed. Something weird is going on and Mrs. Kurayama said that no one's supposed to go inside." She bites her lip, before adding "You should probably go home."

[Mono Vertigo]

[Library]

Aino gave a small yelp of surprise. "B-but! I must get in! A-and Mrs. Kurayama told ME to come in and help her."
She fumes and taps her foot, but doesn't move near the door again, instead, she asks: "What about you? Why aren't you going home either?"

[AmberVael]

[Library]

Akiko frowns and squints. "I think that's Aino. Come on, we'd better hurry." She puts on a burst of speed to make it to the others before much else happens.

"Hey, what's going on?" She asks once she's arrived, her eyes narrowing.

[Lykan]

Amaya offers a small wave to the rest of the group before turning back to Aino. "She wants me to stay here until the proper authorities arrive and make sure no one goes inside."

She sighs and shakes her head, positioning herself more directly between Aino and the door. "Look, she looked really freaked out... It's probably not something she wants any of the students to see. Give her some peace of mind, okay?"

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami briefly stops hiding behind Amaya to give Aino a nod and a short glare, as to confirm what the other girl just said. Sorry. She signs. But inside - private. With a small frown, she quietly asks Aino to leave quietly, hoping that the girl won't notice anything unusal about the sudden feeling.

[Mono Vertigo]

For an instant, Aino turns to Ami with a stare like a deer in the headlights, hoping for a response that didn't match the others. But the response she gets wasn't the expected one. In her anger, she tucks the books under her arm and answers with incoherent gestures (one of those could be the correct sign for "please", which isn't an usual thing for her to say, ever), accompanied by a "Ami, you - you don't know - oh, what the heck! Hope you have a great time in there! Bye!"
The lone schoolgirl lets the books fall down, and walks away, enraged.


A soft voice speaks up. "... I-I should stay here to keep other people away, maybe."

[Lykan]

Amaya leans down and collects the books off the floor. "You might as well. Trying to kill one of these things is hard enough without it turning into a rescue mission." She hops to her feet and hands Mai the books before turning to the rest of the group. "Are you all ready?"

[AmberVael]

Akiko nods in agreement with Mai and Amaya. "Lets go." Resolutely and decisively, she will open the library door and walk inside.

[Mono Vertigo]

Mai takes the books, wipes off the dirt off the covers, and leans against the wall, surveying the calm street.
"If you need backup, just call me", she says with a smile, "So... good luck. I'll cheer on you from here!"
And then, the door opens.

[New scene - Nightmare of the Library]

If some girls may have heard of spaceships in science-fiction that were bigger on the inside, this is their first real experience with that non-euclidean phenomenon.
This Nightmare is a stark place devoid of colors or features, a flat plane stretching to the horizon. A grey sky, barely darker than the ground. Several deteriorated walls are erected here and there, one of which supported the door the four girls are coming from. Huge, neat, black runes covers them, attracting the eye due to sheer contrast.
And then, there were unintended remains from the real world. Some old furniture from the real library, many books whose content has somehow vanished from the pages.
Only one noise disturbs the eerie silence of the ex-library: a quiet sobbing echoing behind a nearby wall.

Mitsuki doesn't waste time transforming as soon as she steps inside the Nightmare. Within an instant, thousands of threads appear and wrap around her body, each one ending with an omega symbol. Once done, she was clad with a classy dark gown. Several threads were still visible on her dress, shifting slightly on the fabric. A raven that was in equal parts animal and clockwork was perched on her shoulder.
Quoting her new friend seemed appropriate, as much for motivating the others as herself. "Let's keep going and do what we need to do."

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami watches Aino stride away, a confused frown at the gibberish attempts at sign, and looks at the books, wondering what about them made Aino so concerned. If the school hasn't burnt down or they're still alive or there's something that still could be called a libary, she'll take them inside for her friend. But now, instead, she turns away with a breathless sigh and concentrates.

There's the sound of soft music, notes carried away on the wind, and a reel of white silk wraps itself around her and shrinks until it becomes a scarf on her neck. As it does so, it reveals her clothes have changed, from a rather scruffy schoolgirl's outfit to an elegant black dress, with wide hem and trimmed with silver, and a violin case in her left hand.

Ami looks down at her new apparel with an expression of resignation and disgust, and lets out another one of those soundless sighs. The look in her eyes dares anyone else to mention what she is wearing. With a flinch, she draws her violin and bow and steps out into the strangeness of the libary and it's echoing sounds.

[AmberVael]

Akiko removes her glove again, revealing that the golden gauntlet of her armor is already there in full, its red gem bright. Her transformation is swift, occurring in barely a blink of an eye- a flash of light and warmth flowing into her to form her golden armor, her school skirt dyed a brilliant crimson to match the breastplate's designs. When finished, her gauntlet flickers with faint, ephemeral fire. The yellow glove on her left hand is thin and mundane in comparison, lending a strange asymmetry to her appearance.

Saying nothing, Akiko strides forward, leading the way as she heads towards the sound of sobbing.

[Lykan]

Amaya's mood darkens upon entry to the alien landscape. If this were any other nightmare, she'd likely be much more excited, but... Well, it's hard to be energetic about hunting down and slaying a monster when it's already managed to sneak in under your nose and mince your classmates. With a sigh, she shakes her head clear of the morbid memory and summons her power.

Fragments of blackness rise from nearby shadows (most likely from ones outside nightmare, given that this place seems to lack them), swarming towards and engulfing the scruffy girl in a jagged void for a moment before being blown away by a nonexistent wind. In the time that she was completely engulfed, Amaya’s ragged, ill-fitting clothes have been replaced with a matte school uniform comprised of purple and gray, layered beneath a half-formed suit of wicked, black armor.

Amaya heads after Akiko, quietly hoping that things in her pockets would return with the rest of her outfit. She’d hate to have to tell the Ami that she managed to somehow lose her phone outside the boundaries of the universe or something.

[Mono Vertigo]

Curled up behind the immaculate wall, on a chair that resisted the reality shift, was crying a terrified little old woman: Mrs Kurayama.
"M-my glasses... huuuuh..."
Though lacking her thick lenses and being virtually blind, she perceives four presences coming near her. She sniffles and asks between two undignified sobs: "Who-who-who's theeere? I c-c-can't see a thing... p-please don't hurt... don't hurt me!"

[Lykan]

Amaya cautiously approaches the old woman, hoping this whole situation wasn't just a trap. Even if it was, it would be nice if they didn't have to add the librarian to the death count when it was sprung.

At any rate, calming her down was probably important at this point. In addition to cries for help being akin to monster dinner bell, it's much harder to escort an old panicky lady to safety than a normal old lady. Maybe a familiar voice would help her regain her composure...

"Stand up, you old bat. We're here to rescue you."

[Mono Vertigo]

"R-rescue?"
Her tear-filled eyes blinked in confusion and relief. "Is that you, A... Aya... Amaya? Oh lord, b-be careful, I think there's... there's a thug in here somewhere, he vandalized everything when I wasn't l-looking!" she says, slowly standing up and wiping her eyes, "A-and then I l-lost my glasses and I c-can't find anything anymore! Please don't tell me he d-damaged the Taisho-era encyclopedias... if only I could f-find my g-glasses..."
On the opposite side, stood another tall white wall. A very large symbol was written on it, and lying right in front of it were Mrs. Kurayama's glasses.

[AmberVael]

Akiko glances over at the glasses, then up at the symbol. She had no idea whether picking up the glasses would trigger something- or worse yet, were somehow touched by the magic of this place and the creature that formed it. That... and she wasn't interested in giving anyone not in the know a clearer view of her appearance right now.

"There are people coming that can handle the situation." Akiko states. "But we need to get you out." She looks at Mitsuki, silently asking her to take care of it.

Assuming the other girl does so, Akiko will then head forward and pick up the glasses with her left hand, watching the symbol carefully.

[Lykan]

Amaya heads beside the librarian and tries to escort her away from the wall to the rest of the group, warily glaring up at the wall of white. "Getting you out of here is more important than the books. I'll keep an eye out for them, though."

She proceeds to hand of the woman to Mitsuki, picking up on Akiko's implied course of action.

[Mono Vertigo]

"Everything will be okay soon, but first, let's get you out", Mitsuki tells the old woman, holding her moist hand. A quick glance in direction of the door to make sure it didn't move anywhere else, and she leads the still upset Mrs. Kurayama out. While walking through the door, her fancy costume and bird fade out and reform into her normal uniform.

The eight-shaped symbol (http://i.imgur.com/jZSvI.png) is, at last, being read by someone. The poor rune had been taunted for hours by the presence of a human who couldn't even see it! How could she dare ignore it! It enjoys the attention it had been made to attract all along, and gives off a slight, numbing hypnotic aura before detaching from the wall.

[OOC:

Amaya, Ami and Akiko : roll initiative please put your magical attributes in Attack, Defense and Support.
You do not get to act yet, however. The youma has Ambush Tactics.]

[AmberVael]

At last. Akiko's fist clenches, and she stands tall, readying herself for combat. She knew she should be afraid, knew she should feel caution... but all she could feel was the anger burning inside of her. The red gem on her gauntlet glows brightly as she raises it defensively.

Attack (Fury): 9
Defense (Heart): 6
Support (Magic): 3

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami whips around on her feet and takes one step back to behind the two other magical girls, her eyes clenched on the symbol and her breathing heavy to keep it under control. With slow precision, she raises her bow to her violin.


Attack (Heart): 5
Defense (Fury): 4
Support (Magic): 9

[Lykan]

Amaya flexes her taloned fingers in anticipation and takes on a low stance, her eyes narrowing on the little nazca bird-looking-thing with disappointment. This was the thing that had slaughtered her classmates? Jeeze, what an undignified way to go...

Attack (Magic): 9
Defense (Heart): 3
Support (Fury): 6

[Mono Vertigo]

The symbol crosses in an instant the distance between the wall and the reader to try and cling to what little exposed skin Akiko has.



[OOC:

Attack (Ambush Tactics) roll: [roll0]+7
Waiting for Defense/Clash/Cover to roll damage.


---
Initiative order after the youma's first attack(from first to last):
Akiko
Amaya
Ami
Youma]

[AmberVael]

Akiko lashes out with her golden gauntlet as the thing comes at her, striking with as much rage as strength. Fire and light erupt around her hand as she strikes, flashing brilliantly. There is no fear or caution in her actions- she is not trying to defend herself, but drive the thing back and destroy it.

Akiko will use the Clash action.

[roll0]+9 Total: (16)

In case of Overcharge:
[roll1] (take from left to right as needed)

[Mono Vertigo]

The youma's speed was no match for Golden Princess Nagisa's raw solar power! The punch sends it flying back into the wall, not making any sound, but leaving behind twirling smoke and the smell of burning paper. Its only "eye" blinks in pain and confusion.


[OOC:
The youma loses [roll0]+4 Resolve.
In case the edit screws with the roll, please note the result was 5+4.]

The will to fight just wasn't there after the first and only attack. The youma stops moving and melts down the wall, like black ink.
A lump of black goo detaches from the pupil, and frees a shimmering cold crystal with ethereal lights, just large enough to fit into one's hand (http://i.imgur.com/SzSHF.png).
The youma is dead, the Oblivion Seed obtained, and the Nightmare...
... the Nightmare doesn't seem to change at all even after several seconds. It is anything but crumbling. You were all pretty sure the Nightmare was supposed to crumble after its creator's death.

[AmberVael]

"That's it?"

Akiko's voice is a mixture of emotions, but running through them all is her anger. This couldn't be a youma, not something like this, this weak. It was a taunt to her, and an insult. There was no satisfaction in a fight like that. And then nightmare was still here- it couldn't be over yet, could it?

But an oblivion seed was sitting in front of her.

"That's it?!"

Akiko's gauntlet slams into the wall from which the symbol came, the fire and light around it only burning brighter. She had expected to have to fight with all of her strength, to maybe even die- anything less...

Hand shaking, Akiko picks up the crystal, her gauntlet convulsively clenching around it. She stares down at it for a moment, fighting the urge to try and break it, to throw it away.

"This isn't over."

Akiko manages to say, her voice strangled. She stalks off, away from the wall and further into the library, looking for the real youma, the thing that had to be there for her to be satisfied.

[Lykan]

Amaya watches Akiko storm off further into the nightmare, crossing her arms and looking at the stain on the wall where the nazca-bird-rune was splattered in its final moments of life. "Uh... Well. At least that thing wasn't the main youma, I guess..."

She looks back at Ami and motions for her to follow. "We should hurry. That main bastard has a prime opportunity to take us all out when we're split up like this." With that, she pursues after the golden-armored magical girl.

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami pauses in mid-move, looking in stunned silence at the space where the Youma used to be. She blushes, incogruently feeling stupid for dressing up when it was so unneeded, and puts away her weapons as sheepishly as possible. Her hands shake a little with relief as she dematerializes them. Are they all going to be that easy? She asks, more as a general awed reaction than any impression she will be understood.

[Mono Vertigo]

Destroyed in a single attack. The scout had been no threat.
But it still fulfilled its objectives: Check the enemies' numbers, and Distract them.

Silently, a wall emerges in front of the door to the outside, blocking all access.

There was one gothic girl who it didn't like at all for a reason it still ignored, in spite of her silence. There also was a very strong but reckless warrior who, it was sure, would let her guard down very quickly and taste good. And then, most importantly, there was that one familiar human. Her nature had fundamentally changed since that day, but the rest, from the shape to the smell of her mind, was identical.

All at once, the other runes shake and leave their surface, converging to a point behind the group in the blink of an eye. More walls sprout, closing halfway the place, turning it into an arena.

It expected her coming with glee. It did not forget that one girl who did not pay it proper respect and attention! Oh no, it didn't. It knew all along she was looking for it. That was obvious. And very soon, it is going to feel Amaya's very thoughts and memories inside its body.
And blood, too, but that part was an unfortunate side effect of the feeding process.

When the party turns to see the destination of the runes, they can see the pale copy of an adult man, standing confidently. The glyphs that haven't merged with its skin are orbiting quietly around it. (http://i.imgur.com/qiFb8.png)

There exist ties between unseen killers and lucky survivors, even when one isn't aware of the exact trick of fate that caused them to live. Nightmare Hunter Amaya is feeling that damaging bond right now, burrowing into her bones and heart for a brief instant.

Before anyone can fully realize what's going on, two runes are already flying toward the party at high speed.



[OOC:

Amaya needs to make a Stay Calm check. On a 11 or less, you do something humiliating and take 1 Overcharge to Fury. On a 12-14, I let you choose which effect you get among these two.
-----
This is the real battle.
Please allocate your magical attributes in attack/defense/support.
Again, this youma has Ambush Tactics; it acts first. I promise you all youma DON'T have Ambush Tactics in this game.]

[Lykan]

Amaya stops dead when she lays her eyes on the rune-man. There was an eerily familiar aura to the creature that made her blood run cold, for reasons she could probably guess...

She flexes her claws in anticipation, trying to keep focus on the task at hand. Losing her head now would only serve to make them all easier morsels, and the only thing that monster deserved to eat now was her fist.


Stay Calm and Carry On... Check: [roll0]

Attributes will be the same as last time.

Attack (Magic): 9
Defense (Heart): 3
Support (Fury): 6

[AmberVael]

Akiko feels a tug as she turns away from the group, a jolt in her heart that makes her stop and look behind-
And so she sees the real youma as it forms.

Rather than waste time running back towards it, she lifts her hand, summoning her magic with anger and desperation. She had to defeat it, here, now, and swiftly. A red glow surrounds her hand, tendrils of light and heat flaring out from it as if it were the heart of a new sun. Akiko thrusts her hand forward, and a wave of her fury sweeps across the battlefield, given expression by her magic and the power of her gauntlet.

When attacked by the main youma (assuming she is, else just use this as her attack), Akiko will use Clash, and spend her free overcharge die on it.
[roll0]

In case of overcharge, as usual... [roll1] One overcharge gained on the last die, so we'll take the first of these rolls...

New Attack total is: 26

Edit: Forgot to roll damage. Musashi, you can go ahead and roll if she succeeds- it'd be 1d6+6 (half fury, +2 for 1 point of overcharge incurred).

Attack (Fury): 9
Defense (Heart): 6
Support (Magic): 3

(Overcharge
Fury: 1
Magic: 0
Heart: 0

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami stumbles back, mouthing a yelp of surprise, and just manages to summon her weapons back to her before the Youma fully forms. She stops herself from tripping in her overdone dress, and straightens up, placing her bow to the violin as she tries not to panic.


Attack (Heart): 5
Defense (Fury): 4
Support (Magic): 9

[Mono Vertigo]

Amaya's dread doesn't last more than a fleeting second.

The rune attacking Akiko is the first one hit, by a rushing solar heatwave.
Scorching sunlight disintegrates it right in front of the Golden Princess, spraying smoking black dust on her. The humanoid monster twitches at the same instant its fragment vanishes, in a way that suggests a burning pain.
[OOC:
Youma's attack roll: [roll0]+8
If Amaya wins the clash: [roll1]+6 damage
If the youma wins the clash: [roll2]+4 damage
Again, if the dice don't like the edit, please note the youma scored 17 vs Amaya's 26 and took 8 damage.
No, with such a roll, Thoth couldn't win the clash against Amaya anyway.
-----

Initiative order:
Akiko (turn used in the clash)
Amaya
Youma
Ami

-----

There's another attack simultaneously going on against Amaya. Please clash/defend. Ami may also Cover you if so she wishes.]

[Lykan]

With new-found resolution, Amaya braces herself for the approaching rune, readying her claws to strike with predatory glee. When the youma comes within striking range she pounces, gauntlets bursting alight with bluish energy.

Clash time!

Attack: [roll0]

Possible Overcharge: [roll1]

[Mono Vertigo]

The second symbol, shaped like a sword, attempts to parry the claws...

... and succeeds. It barely manages to deflect Amaya's gauntlet, and merges with the exposed skin on her arm. The girl has too much magic to be as affected as an average human, but she still starts bleeding once the rune detaches again to fly to its master. The wound is not deep enough to impair movement, but it looks nasty.
[OOC:

I had forgotten to apply the proper attack bonuses in the previous post, but that doesn't change anything, they wouldn't have beaten Akiko's roll anyway. I'm however applying them correctly right now:
Youma attack roll: [roll0] +7 = 15
If Amaya wins the clash, she inflicts [roll1] +4
If the youma wins the clash, it inflicts [roll2]+ 1 = 8

Amaya loses her turn 8 Resolve (ouch).
]

[Mono Vertigo]

That won't do! The youma remembers there's a reason it neutralizes victims before attacking them. It is so annoying and even a little risky when food fights back. It decides to use its usual strategy this time.
Hypnosis.
Two more runes float gently in Akiko and Ami's line of sight. Their shape is interesting. The atmosphere seems to get silent. Maybe they want to decipher that writing... and surrender just a small part of what anchors them to reality... or notice the trap and stay focused instead.
[OOC:

Akiko and Ami are targeted by a Mind Leech. Their Support roll need to beat [roll0] +10, or they take 5 points of Strain to be freely placed among their relationships.
This is NOT a normal attack. No clash/defense/cover.

Ami is the last to act in this round. She can freely act as soon as her check is made.]

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami snaps her eyes away from the runes, suddenly furious about the underhand tactics used by her foe. Taking advantage of the space left between the attacks, the magical girl spins on her foot to face the Youma and sets her bow to her violin. With a squeal, she plays a long, extended note, the strings on the instrument shivering as if they were being tortured. The burst of noise turns into a burst of air and sound, compressed together as it travels towards the Youma, humming with a strange frequency.


Attacking the Youma using Heart - 5. 2d6+5
[roll0]
Damage if it hits: [roll1]

[Mono Vertigo]

Along with the strings, the youma likewise trembles. Music! How does it hate music! It won't tolerate anything but silence inside this Nightmare! The place was silent before it stepped in, and should stay this way! There's been way too much sound already!

[OOC:
Defense roll: [roll0]+5

-----

A new turn starts.
Akiko goes next, then Amaya, the youma, and Ami.]

The tall pale man barely blocks out the sound, pressing its dark hands against the side of its head. Although it is painful, it manages to resist the attack.
It couldn't decide at this instant which one of the three girls it hated most.

[AmberVael]

Akiko grits her teeth as she feels the youma exert its mind over hers, but it will find that the fire of her anger and passion only rises higher the more it attacks her, even as it tears apart her defenses. The flames ignite around her, feeding off of the damage the youma inflicts on her, her dying emotions and the strain on her mind chaff to kindle its great hunger.

Taking it in her hands, Akiko both lets go of what it drains from her, and takes control of it. With jealousy and spite she burns it as the youma destroys it, turning it to power. The glow intensifies beyond anything she has done so far, until it is like a star come to earth to rest in her hand.

With a scream of determination and rage, she pours more magic into it than she could possibly control, and the unstable mass of light and flame explodes outward, Akiko's power just sufficing to direct the outburst into countless searing rays that flare outward towards the youma's glyphs.

Attack (Fury): 9
Defense (Magic): 3
Support (Heart): 6

Akiko will take 2 strain to both her fury relationships, and 1 strain to her heart relationship, to account for the five strain done to her by the youma.

Then, she's going to use her Finishing Attack, Solar Radiance, to attack all enemies in the area. I'm assuming that as the youma is only one creature, I use the 'attack one target twice' mechanics rather than attacking all the glyphs at once.

Attack 1: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Attack 2: [roll2] (Take the first overcharge roll, then the second due to the first extra roll being a six, attack total is (23)
Damage: [roll3] (Add 4 for two overcharge, for a total of (12) damage).

In case of overcharge: [roll4]

Also, Akiko now has 2 Fury overcharge... and a decent chance of gaining more with this attack.
Two more overcharge for rolls. 4 fury overcharge total.

[Mono Vertigo]

Look at me, the monster seems to say.
Look at me. The rest isn't important. Nothing else matters.
Anger toward it or apathy toward the rest of the world, both were equally appreciated, really. Draining her link to reality wouldn't heal its wounds, but it was quite a satisfaction after having to endure such horrible sounds.

[OOC:
1st defense roll (must beat 14): [roll0]+5
2nd defense roll (must beat 23): [roll1]+5

=> Thoth takes a total of 21 damage]

The sadistic satisfaction is short-lived. As it gloats noiselessly, it suddenly feels searing burns everywhere on its body. Myriads of rays singe the runes with the intensity of the midday's sun. The same burn marks appear on its body, tainting the white skin.
IT HURTS
The monster doesn't have a mouth for screaming (and even if it did, it would not open it for nothing is more vile than noise), but it still throws its head back while the rest of its body twitches uncontrollably. Several runes break down in smoking pieces around it.
It is visibly suffering intensely, and its death is near.

[Lykan]

While she's being bowled over by the sword rune, Amaya can't help but feel that she was a little too confident in the wake of whatever little psychological episode she had before. After righting herself and making a sideways glance toward her wound, she grits her teeth and dashes toward the crispy, writhing body, pouncing to deliver a killing blow. Or any blow, really.

"Just die!"


Attack!: [roll0]

Overcharge!: [roll1]

[Mono Vertigo]

Among the sharp pain and growing smell of burnt paper, it finds the strength to slide on the left, like a matador dodging a raging bull. But is it fast enough?

[OOC:

Defense roll: [roll0]+5
Amaya's attack bonus is enough by itself to kill the youma.]


The black claws ripping its arm say a resounding "no".
The severed forearm flops on the ground pathetically.
Shaking, shocked, the youma falls on its knees. It curls up in agony. Each and every rune starts floating, and becomes again subject to gravity. As the last one hits the floor, every part of the monster, from the glyphs to the injured body, turn liquid and dissolve into a shrinking pile of black goo.
In the middle, a large crystal is revealed among the goo. As it stops being surrounded by it, it vibrates slightly, and splits neatly into two perfect Oblivion Seeds. Nearby, still lies untouched Mrs. Kurayama's thick glasses.

And then, other things start breaking apart. The ground is shaken by an earthquake increasing in power. Cracks appear in the sky. Sounds of chatter and screams previously absorbed by the Nightmare are released in sudden and loud bursts. Walls are crumbling, starting with the one created right in front of the door.
Which is immediately opened by a panicked Mitsuki on the verge of tears. How long had she been trying to get in?
"Oh my god! Ami? Aki? Amaya? Are you okay?"
Time to get out.

[Lykan]

Oh, what sweet satisfaction revenge brings!

... Well not really. Every story Amaya ever read about the subject told her that vengeance was generally not as fulfilling as the avenger would hope. They were right, of course, but it was hard to say she didn't get some closure from seeing the beast die a painful death.

Although it's probably a little soon to be thinking about all of this... First escape the nightmare with their spoils, and then ruminate the nature of revenge. It's probably safer that way.

When they become visible within the gooey remains Amaya scoops up the oblivion seeds, grabbing the glasses as an afterthought, and sprints for the exit. "I got the seeds! Let's go!"

[AmberVael]

Akiko is apparently unharmed due to the sheer power of her rage and offensive skill. Her golden armor is unscratched, and fire rages around her still, a testament to the magic with which she scorched the youma.

A magic that is a little beyond her control at the moment.

She can feel it writhing and pulsing, a beast trying to break its chains. After all she had used it in the fight it had only grown stronger and more restless, while the youma's attack on her mind had made her far less capable of controlling it. Yet, she knew she couldn't let it go, not with the others so close to her. Shuddering with the effort, she wrenches her magic back, absorbing it back within her along with her armor, turning its energies on herself.

It felt awful, an aching pain that coursed through her veins and pounded in her already weakened head. Akiko places her gauntlet on her head, trying to steady herself and focus as the world blurred, twisting wildly before her eyes. Grit your teeth and deal with it. Get up. You've got to leave. Taking in a deep breath, she forces herself to stand straight, and then heads after Amaya on shaking legs.

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami starts to reach for the crystals just as Amaya manages to snatch them up, and glares at the other girl in response. What did she want them for that was so important that she had to grab them so quickly? Then she remembers that the precious gems are in a pile of dead Youma and steps back with a look of disgust on her face. As much as she doesn't consider herself squeamish, digging through an monster's corpse is something she'd happily leave to others.

She dismisses her clothes and weapons with relief and picks up Mrs. Kurayama's glasses instead. The woman would probably be blind without them. Then she turns back to Mitsuki and runs towards her, projecting Ami's feeling of We're Okay into her head. It'd help to calm the girl down and it didn't count as emotional manipulation if she made it clear where it was coming from, right?

At least the whole thing was over. For now.

[Mono Vertigo]

The earthquake is intensifying, and more echoes erupt with each crack.
Mitsuki steps on the side to let the girls out. She calmed down a little, apparently not too surprised or upset by the telepathy, but still understandably concerned about the place crumbling down. "Hurry! I'm holding the door!"
As soon as the third Magical Girl got out, Mitsuki closed the door shut. The chaos inside could be seen through the windows. The strange rune flickered and turned back into normal Japanese characters. The building's colors returned slowly and peacefully.
After a last flash, the inside of the library was back to normal, with wooden furniture, shelves full of books, and maybe, maybe a few books missing.
There's a bit of traffic, but no car driver pays any attention to the library. It's the end of another exhausting workday, and there is no time to be lost on the way back home.
The sun is setting, and the sky turning vibrant shades of orange and indigo.

[New scene]

Mai had been waiting for the rest of the party with Mrs. Kurayama, and welcomes their return with a hopeful smile, while Mitsuki is still holding the handle firmly, unaware the danger was now gone.
"She tried to go back in with you, but the door wouldn't move, and she was very worried about you", explains Mai, using terms as neutral as possible in front of the old lady. "It's... it's so awesome you did it! You must tell us the whole... oh boy, Amaya, is that blood?"
Mrs. Kurayama is awkwardly sitting on the pavement, her back against the wall. She obviously would like to check Amaya's wound, but she's too afraid to move on her own as long as she can't see.

[AmberVael]

Well, she had done it, Akiko realizes dimly as she leans against the library wall. She'd killed her first youma, and had proved her power by destroying it nearly single-handedly. It wasn't over though, not nearly over. Just one was going to be enough, it wouldn't satisfy her at all. And it wouldn't be enough to protect everyone else.

She tries to focus, to get back up and moving forward- on to whatever needed doing next, but she couldn't find it within herself. Instead, she slowly slips down the wall, and finally sits down, frustrated by her weakness. Looking down at the ground, her vision swimming and crawling, she looks at the oblivion seed still in her hand with dull eyes.

[Lykan]

Once outside, Amaya hunches over a little to catch her breath before checking around to see if everyone made it out of the nightmare okay. Fears of stragglers assuaged, she lets out a bit of a small chuckle, looking down at where the youma gashed her. "Oh, uh... Yeah. I went to hit the guy but I swung a bit too early. He cut me while I was off balance."

Amaya peers down at the oblivion seeds that she had plundered from the youma's corpse, biting her lip as she silently mulls something over. After a few seconds, she hands one of the seeds off to Ami before turning to the magical girls that hadn't participated in the fight. "Considering there's only one seed left, you two might wanna do roshambo for it or something."

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami leans over and gives Mrs. Kurayama her glasses, akwardly signing yours as she does so. She has trouble enough talking to people without the whole thing of just having helped save them from a dark monster and not being able to explain what on earth just happened, so feeding her a bit of sign language would hopefully establish that Ami is mute and not worth questioning on this subject. Nothing was as invisible as a mute girl when people didn't want the inconvience of dealing with her.

She feels something given into her hands and her eyes widen in shock as Amaya turns away to give away - give away - one of the seeds to the girls who hadn't even put themselves in danger in the fight! Ami calms herself down, and reminds herself that that kind of behaviour is the generous and helpful thing her aunt and uncle would commend, and gives the girl a truly grateful thank you for the seed she is clutching in her hand. If the sign doesn't convey it, the expression on her face probably does.

[Mono Vertigo]

Without asking permission, Mai touches Amaya's wound with the hand that is not still holding Aino's books. "You're lucky, I can heal that!"
There's a flash of light coming from her fingertips, a couple heart-shaped butterflies flying out of it, and one second later, the cut is closed and the drying blood gone. Looks like the scar will only take a few more days to heal fully.

Mitsuki slowly lets go of the handle. "There was more than one Seed?"
One quick look: Akiko also had one. Three Oblivion Seeds.
She finds herself torn between her own selfish desire to get one step closer to her wish, and the guilt of essentially getting it for free. "... what about your wish? Won't you keep it? You did all the work."

Once put on, the lenses enlarge its wearer's eyes comically. Along with Ami, her wrinkled face brightens. "You found them!"
She stands up with a new-found energy. "How can I thank you? Let me check inside if I have something for you... and while I'm at it, close the library... what time is it? I'm gonna be late on my schedule..."
She blundered back into the library, her body still processing the events of the day. Mai took her hand to accompany and help her inside. "Coming back in a minute! I have some books for you, Mrs. Kurayama..."


As soon as the door closes behind the librarian, a voice whispers from behind a trashcan. "Hey. You Magical Girls, yes, you. Mind if we take a minute to talk before Octar arrives?"

[Lykan]

Amaya jumps and winces a little at the sudden pressure to the cut, and looks about to tell Mai off for prodding and open wound. Noticing that injury is gone a moment later, however, she instead smiles and gives her her thanks. When addressed by Mitsuki, she just shrugs. "Keeping this for myself would be a waste. Besides, you two were vital in keeping sure that no one else would get hurt by that... Thing."

With the sound of the voice emitting from behind the trash cans, Amaya's eyes narrow as she looks for the source of the sound. It was quiet and rather hard to make out, making her question if her mind was just playing tricks on her as she was coming off of adrenaline... "Did any of you hear that?"

[AmberVael]

Something is there. Lurking and unseen, mysterious... and it wanted to remain out of sight of their benefactor. Akiko looks towards the voice with narrowed eyes- she already didn't like this. Trying to hide her weakness and shaking legs, she musters her resolve and pushes herself up with her golden gauntlet, ignoring the wave of nausea and dizziness that sweeps over her. She keeps her hand on the library wall, leaning on it as subtly as she can as she moves a short distance towards the voice, just enough to be the closest to it.

She didn't have time for hints or trickery as every ounce of her concentration is being poured into staying upright, so when she speaks in reply, her voice is short and blunt. "Who are you and what do you want?" The magical girl asks harshly, her eyes seeking out the hiding entity despite her blurred vision.

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami, still buzzed from the adrenaline from the fight, jumps as the voice sounds out from behind her. She turns, dropping into a fight/flight stance, and then softly relaxes as Akiko's more forceful reaction makes her realize how much her adrenaline is doing the thinking for her. Calm down! She signs at Akiko, with big movements designed to attract the girl's attention. Would it hurt to listen? I don't think Youmas can even speak!. There's a blank pause as Ami remembers once again that there is too big a language barrier, and gritting her teeth in annoyance resorts to a great push of Calm down and Listen! towards the angrier girl. There's a whining noise in Akiko's head, something like the sharp sound of feedback, as Ami's frustration interferes with the signal.

When the empathetic burst has subsided, Ami is staring at Akiko with her arms crossed and tapping her foot in an exaggeratted display of patience, her glare obviously asking the girl to drop the fight for one moment.

[Mono Vertigo]

Tranquil, a purple canine of sort (http://i.imgur.com/MoS9n.png) walks out from behind the trash can. There isn't any odd phenomenon going on around him, which means no Nightmare. He doesn't move its mouth; actually, he doesn't even seem to have one, but he still speaks just fine, with a voice oscillating between sophistication, sarcasm and playfulness.
"Geeze. Ladies, calm down, she's right, you should know already that youma don't speak, and when they do, they don't form sentences as remotely complicated as mine. But I bet Octar didn't tell you that."
He sits in front of the group like a dog in front of his owner. Mitsuki stares at the wolf, skeptical, but comforted by his colourful and fuzzy appearance.
"The name's Tindalos, I'm a tsukaima. And all I wanted was checking on the new Magical Girls in town. Say hello, chat a little, trade information. Isn't that the neighbourly thing to do?" He tilted his head, his eyes inexpressive, unlike his speech. "Octar is rather on the unhelpful side of things, but I assume you already knew that! Just like him to recruit a bunch of Magical Girls and leave them figure out everything. Quite the opposite of me. One lady, she gets everything she needs from me, when she needs it."

[Lykan]

"You're right about Octar being rather unhelpful. I still have about twenty questions to ask him... Maybe thirty, now that you're here." Amaya takes a few steps over towered Akiko, hoping to provide some support in the case that whatever random thing that appears to be afflicting her since they left the nightmare would lead to her collapse.

"I think the ones that are of most importance to me right now are concerning your name and your possible desire to eat our body fluids, to be honest."

[Mono Vertigo]

The tone of his voice hints that he would be grinning if he had the capacity. "Well, well! You could ask me a few things already, and I'll try to answer as truthfully as possible! Let us not drag this on though. The turtle and I are not in very good terms. Philosophical divergences, and all that. He may not be very fast, but once he's here, which should be very soon, he's not going to let me speak any more."

He winked.
"My mother gave me her interest for the English literature, but none for anyone's fleshy bits. I'm not even equipped for that."

Mitsuki tried to think of something to ask Tindalos, but hesitated as to which question she had was most important. "Err..."

[AmberVael]

Calm down!

The empathic shout slams into Akiko's weakened mind, tearing away what strength she had been able to gather from her flagging, tattered mental state. Her arm gives out first, and she slumps against the wall she was leaning on, and then she crumples to the ground, a hand on her head as she tries to block out the pain lingering from Ami's telepathic touch, which had been like pressure on exposed nerves.

She asks no question of Tindalos, for fairly obvious reasons, though she continues to hear his words and those of her friends. The conversation sounds through her mind strangely, giving her the peculiar feeling that she wasn't quite there anymore.

Stubbornly, she continues to clutch at consciousness, fighting off the exhaustion and weakness that seeks to claim her.

[Lykan]

Amaya winces a little as Akiko slumps to the ground, turning back to the tsukaima with a slightly concerned look. "Well, if time is short I guess the questions concerning wishes can wait... For now, it's probably important to know what's happening to her." She motions back to their collapsed companion. “Did something about fighting the youma do this to her? She seemed fine until we left the nightmare…”

[Mono Vertigo]

Mitsuki approaches Akiko, but her mind debates with her heart on the benefits of touching the girl and risk surprising her, or worse, getting whatever she has. "Aki? Should we get you to a hospital? Can you hear us?", she asked in a whisper.

Tindalos glanced at the schoolgirl. "Probably. She could have one of those human disease I'm unfamiliar with... or the youma could have eaten parts of her mind, which doesn't sound too likely if she managed to walk on her own... or she has a surcharge of magic."
He smelled the air around. "Certainly the last part. Sometimes, when you use too much magic, the magic does things back to you, or things or people close to you. I don't smell much magic, so hopefully it won't last."
He let out a dark chuckle, reserved for instances of black humor. "I've heard of ladies who tried to control the excess magic for far longer, and... let's say I was told of different versions of those stories, and there's surely a reason we don't hear about them any more. I could tell you more when - if - I witness such a thing."
Must mean that no, there's no use getting Akiko to the hospital. Maybe.

[Lykan]

"Okay, well... Assuming that it'll fade..." Amaya crosses her arms, sighing. If Akiko's ailment wasn't serious, there wasn't much of a reason to stop with the questions just yet. Afterwards they could just drop her off at her house so she could sleep it off, or, well... The hospital might be better considering that none of them knew where Akiko lived. Either that or one of the other girl's homes.

Anyways, questions. "You mentioned another girl. Is she a magical girl too? If so, why isn't she working with us?"

[DeafnotDumb]

Meeting a talking dog just after a fight with some incomprehensible nightmare was enough to throw anybody off, Ami thought, and from Akiko's slump against the wall that girl apparently agreed. Only Amaya was taking it disturbingly well, all chatty while Ami herself was still shivering, even when she'd just faced the monster that, well, tried to kill her not long before. Ami tried not to think about that and instead distracted herself with a question. Are there any other- The girl's hands skip a beat as she tries to think of a sign for tsukaima and fails -of your kind in the city, apart from the turtle? Is there an organization of girls or anything like that? She adds hopefully. Maybe, if there is, there can be much less work all around.

Ami looks at Akiko, worn out, and bites her lip as she considers the problem. Finally, she signs again to Tindalos. Can you tell the others here that if nobody of them wants to, I can take Akiko back to my house? She should be fine there, and we can think of something to tell my aunt and uncle.

[Mono Vertigo]

"Of course there are more of my kind in the city", replies the canine creature, "I don't know how many of us there are since we don't exactly keep counts, but there are a few more in Tokyo alone."
He sounds like he has to explain something extremely self-evident, but is very patient and nice about it. "And we all recruit young ladies like you. We are not organized in the same way that your human organizations are, I suppose. We do have the same goal, but slightly different means. A tsukaima's recruit rarely knows another one's own girls because they operate in different areas. Or because there are... differences in strategy... or opinion."
He walked near Akiko to take a closer look at her, without changing subjects. "In my case? I'm focusing all my energy on my Angel girl. This way, there is no one getting on the way of her huge potential, she works a lot better alone. Again, Octar... let me put it this way: while he mass-produces cheap art, I'm crafting my very own and unique masterpiece."

His eyes drift toward Ami's hands again. "She's asking me to tell you that she can take Akiko - I assume it's the exhausted lady over there - back to her house if nobody else wants to." With a little condescension, he adds: "See what I was saying? He didn't even check if you could all communicate with each other!"
Which was easy criticism coming from a creature who might very well be able to understand all languages.

Mitsuki frowns. "It's... going to be very complicated, there's no room where I live and... I'm sorry."

[AmberVael]

Akiko could hear them, she thinks as Mai speaks to her. She could hear... but responding wasn't exactly going well. Her teeth grind as she fights against the pain, while her right hand convulses, out of her control. With crushed rage and humiliation, Akiko finds that she doesn't even have the strength to pick herself off the ground now.

After a moment, the pain and her spasming muscles subside enough for Akiko to reply, which she does in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. "Could you help me sit up?" She asks Mitsuki, not looking towards the other girl.

Assuming she's aided, Akiko turns her attention to Tindalos- though she can barely see him now. She probably doesn't have much time until she blacks out. "The seeds." She manages to say, forcing out the words. "How do they work? And wishes?"

[Mono Vertigo]

Mitsuki finally reaches for Akiko's arms, allowing her to support herself on her. She's nervous, but doing her best to help in the short term.

With that last question, Tindalos' attitude radically changes. He suddenly seems reluctant to give a straight answer. "The Seeds", he parrots back. "Well."
He steps back to give the girls more space, while carefully thinking about his next reply. "Oblivion Seeds... are an essential component in granting wishes. Tsukaima are the only ones able to do that. We cannot just go and grant wishes to everyone... unlike youma, we require consent to have a direct influence on anyone's life. Hence the contracts. You provide a little extra magic when you make a wish, in order to make the best compromise between your desire and the laws of the world. And Seeds..."
For a few seconds, he seems to ponder whether a specific fact can be revealed, and decides that it can. "... us tsukaima are born from Oblivion Seeds. That's why they're important. The day Magical Girls stop bringing us Seeds will eventually lead to the death of our race, and wishes. That's how things work."

His right ear perked up. "Huh-oh. I'm hearing Octar's very characteristic ranting approaching."
Indeed, a translucent blue turtle has just gone past the corner of the street, and is hurrying up, which means it has reached walking speed. "Hey! What do you think you are doing?! Don't think I can't see you! I know you can hear me! You little-"
"Quick, I can answer one last question! After that, I can't guarantee he'll be doing his job!"

[Lykan]

Amaya looks like she is about to comment on being compared to factory-quality goods before she hears the approaching floaty turtle thing. She grimaces a little in frustration, not exactly content with how little information they were able to get out of the tsukaima. These things should really hand out pamphlets if they aren’t going to stick around and explain the whole youma-hunting business to them. It would at least help alleviate the impression that they were all hiding important details...

Anyways! Only one more question? This one is probably good for now: "I don't suppose you can tell us what youma are in such a short time, can you?"

[Mono Vertigo]

Tindalos shakes his head. "Youma are literally made of humans' memories and negative traits. Our polar opposites: mindless, dangerous, made of bad stuff, make nightmares come true whether you want or not. Damned things are so bad, they can only possibly improve. Well, now everything's said and done-"

"Wait!" shouts Mitsuki, still holding Akiko, "I've had a terrible nightmare, I think it's about something that may happen in the future-"

"My apologies", interrupts the dog, "but I don't know a thing about dreams. You'll have more luck asking someone else."

"You quack! Don't you dare say anything more! You insufferable-"

"We'll meet again when the stars are right. Ladies..."
He searches something in a hurry, and finds it, apparently, in the shape of a specific angle formed by the pavement, the wall of the library, and the door frame. Fast as a rabbit, he jumps through that architectural angle and vanishes.
When Octar finally arrives, it's too late.
"... before I berate you, let me congratulate you first on the success of your first mission."
He's visibly grumpy, but also tired after that physical exertion, and somewhat grateful.

[Lykan]

Amaya watches the dog-thing leave in a fashion which she entirely expected, much to her amusement. A little bit of concern, too. Lovecraftian literature should probably be added to the things she should get at the library later alongside the signing manuals.

When the turtle finally arrives, Amaya smirks a little at his exhausted state. Less for actually liking to see the guy in a state of discomfort, and more because he seemed to fall into the 'turtles are slow' trope despite his main form of locomotion. "Well, if you are eventually going to move on to berating us, would you mind doing it while we transport Akiko to a decent resting spot?" Amaya takes a few steps over to Akiko and tries to help her off the ground.

[AmberVael]

Akiko clings hard to consciousness, but with any sense of urgency fading away, and the realization that the others were looking out for her, Akiko feels her grasp on reality sliding swiftly away. Her last thought is darkly amused and a bit smug.
At least I don't have to listen to that damn turtle.

And then she's out, her mind submerging into dream. Her body goes limp and still, though it's easy to feel the racing of her heart and her breathing.

[Mono Vertigo]

"Y-you..."
The turtle shakes his head, momentarily and begrudgingly giving up on his authority. Surprisingly, he has a sense of priorities.
"Alright, whatever, you're right. We can't let meddling humans to see us and make things more difficult for everyone. She needs to recover first. Speaking of humans... where is Mai?"

It requires more efforts to do so, but Mitsuki puts the unconscious teen's arm around her neck and starts lifting her up along with Amaya, holding her by the arm and waist. The two of them manage to get the third one off the ground.
There is too much to worry about at the moment; it seems better to just put aside any unnecessary source of worry. Forget the Seeds, and the nightmares, and dog-wolves-things.
"She's inside, with the librarian. I don't know what she's busy doing in there exactly.", she sighs. "What's the best solution? Bringing Akiko in so that the librarian's the only person involved? Or going somewhere else... and..."
No need to finish her sentence. There's a car slowing down a bit, enough for the driver to watch the group. The bad news is that he gives a judgmental stare. The good news is that he speeds up again and doesn't do more.
More witnesses are going to pop up, and they might do more than silently assume things.

[DeafnotDumb]

We could get a taxi? It's not like we have much choice. Ami says, and then looks to Octar. Could you translate, please? She pauses for a moment, and then adds And who was that dog-guy? he doesn't like you at all.

[Mono Vertigo]

The turtle translates this way: "She says, we could also get a taxi. You're thinking about the car-thing with a small sign on the roof, right? One of them almost ran over me!"

"Yes, that's what a taxi is. How much money do I have..."

Octar considers the second question as the perfect occasion to rant. "Oooooh trust me, he doesn't dislike me as much as I dislike him! He's so young! He's so inexperienced, and he still dares telling everyone else how to do things right!" He sneers. "He's just had one single Magical Girl before the current one and he believes now he's an expert! Also, he's vastly out of touch with reality! If everyone did like him and contracted a single human at a time, the youma would REALLY outnumber us and eat everyone for breakfast! Ugh. I'm sure he actually only does it to have all the time of the world to read his silly books. So no, I don't like Tindalos."
The tsukaima coughs politely, calming down. "It's best if you didn't talk to him anymore. Let's stop talking about him, too. So, I can't follow you in the taxi, or people will get suspicious because of the talking turtle. Give me your Seeds so I can stock them in my shell. I will find you at the usual place tomorrow, same time, same place. Akiko's condition should be gone by then. She hasn't used enough magic for it to become a concern."

[Lykan]

Amaya hoists Akiko's arm around her shoulder for better leverage while fumbling about in her pockets. "Akiko has one but I don't think she's in the position to hand it over right now." After confirming if Ami's phone had been sucked away into the void or not, she pulls out her own oblivion seed. "I got one too, but I'm waiting for one of the others to claim it."

[Mono Vertigo]

Mitsu decides she's had enough temptation with that Seed. "Let Mai have it. I'll work toward my own wish when I'm ready." Her eyes drift in the distance. That was not a set of problems she wanted to deal with.
Akiko's hand is barely holding the Seed. It slips and falls on the pavement with a tingling sound but no damage.

Octar reaches for the fallen Oblivion Seed and touches it. It turns into an iridescent light that is absorbed by his shell. One of his scale changes color and shows Akiko's name on it, followed with the number 1. The storage process is a lot more convenient than what was probably expected.
"So, the next two are Amaya's and Mai's, is that it? There's no reason you would ever want to do that, but I can also transfer Oblivion Seeds or turn them back into crystals. Hope this is enough information for you", he adds, aware of the sort of criticism he attracts.

A mother and her daughter are walking on the other side of the street. The little girl points at Octar and begs her parent for a "shiny turtle toy", but she doesn't even look and simply replies her birthday was last week.

[Lykan]

Amaya looks a bit surprised at the unsolicited information. "Er... Yeah, actually. I appreciate you telling us, that's pretty useful to know." She proceeds to hand the turtle the crystal she fished out of her pocket. "And that would be Mai and Ami who would have the seeds. This one being Mai's."

[Mono Vertigo]

Octar smirks, which indicates that he has, in his opinion, made up for all the questions and wild guesses of the day. "Great. So, Mai's and Ami's."
Like the first Seed, when touched, the other two lose substance and lend their light to two other scales. Three of them are now illuminating the translucent shell.
"So... she'll be as good as new with some rest. Wish you good luck. Going now, she'll attract enough attention without my help. I'll tell Mai the news tonight. See you tomorrow."
He starts walking away peacefully, then turns back for a last comment, with a voice that is monotone, but hopefully, grateful. "You've been working hard. Thank you for that."

Mitsuki's eyes widen suddenly in relaization. "Ooh, that's right, my phone... want me to call the taxi?"

[Lykan]

"It would be appreciated. I think you might be the only one with the capacity to do so anyway." On that train of thought, Amaya reaches into her pocket and pulls out Ami's phone, handing it back to her. "Here you go, safe and sound... I think. I'm unsure if there's any adverse affects to exposing electronics to the netherworld or wherever clothes go while we all do the magical girl thing."

[Mono Vertigo]

With these last words, the turtle disappears in the distance.

"It should be okay! He would have warned us about our electronics if... oh, right, nevermind." Remembering that Octar may not be entirely reliable, Mitsuki takes out her own phone and starts typing the relevant phone number with her free hand.
"Do I ask for a cab just for Akiko and you, or the four of us?" she asks Ami, carefully watching her hands in the vain hope she would understand a sign, "Do you want us to come with you?"

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami signs thank you to Amaya, and checks her phone for any messages or voicemails. Her Aunt and Uncle were pretty sensible and calm about this kind of thing, but she doesn't really know how long she's been out and she wants to check that they haven't been sending her panicked messages. She's interrupted by Mitsuki's question, and sighs as the girl looks at her hands far too intently.

Instead, she presses the buttons on her phone a couple of times, and then turns it around to show that she's written One person more comes, to speak. on it, and waits for a response.

[Lykan]

Amaya weighs her options. She wasn't exactly great at dealing with other people, so it might be best to defer to someone else to take care of social situations like this. Of course, the other option was returning to a dilapidated office building filled with angry rats. Or to her mother. Feeling a little awkward was definitely better than having to deal with vermin or crazy drunk women. "If neither of you mind, I can do it. I don't really have any qualms about lying my pants off about how she got like this if the situation calls for it."

[Mono Vertigo]

Faced with the text on the cell phone, Mitsu feels a little stupid. "Oh, huh, right. Of course. Sorry, I'm not thinking straight."
She makes the call while still holding the unconscious Akiko, who was getting heavy, and painstakingly turns to check the precise address. "Hello... yes, we need a car for 3 passengers... 54, Fumihiko Street... yes, it is somewhat urgent, would you... thank you very much! Goodbye."
She hangs up.
"They're sending us a car right now, should be a 5-minutes wait at most.
Thanks about that, Amaya! I'll repay you someday for that. Do you need money for the ride? I've got a few hundreds yens in my wallet."

[Lykan]

Amaya re-adjusts her hold on Akiko, biting her lip. "I think so. I'm kinda broke, so anything you'd be willing to give up would be helpful." The idea of having cash for personal expenses was something of an unfamiliar concept for Amaya. Part-time jobs were difficult to get when your reputation with local shopkeepers was so terrible, and given her relationship with her mother the thought of an allowance was almost laughable.

[Mono Vertigo]

Swiftly, Mitsu exchanges her cell phone inside her pocket with a few coins. One of 500 yen, four 100 yen... and a couple nigh-useless 5 yen.
Her family wasn't rich either, and she'd started saving that money in case of an emergency. This was one.
"900 yen... there you are."

After 5 minutes, as expected, the cab arrives in front of the library.
The driver eyes the schoolgirls with a little suspicion as the enter his car.
The fourth girl wishes good luck to the other three, waves them goodbye, and enters the library to explain the situation to Mai.
Within ten minutes, the man drives the trio to Ami's address without incident, beside a couple disparaging comments on Akiko's supposed drunken torpor, though he otherwise feels unnecessary to push the issue too far.

[New scene]

The taxi driver's fee seems a little cheaper than expected. Did he have pity on the girls?
At any rate, they've now reached their destination.

[Lykan]

Amaya does her best to not to give taxi driver any comments in kind, instead gritting her teeth and resting her head against the window while watching the various buildings and people zip by outside.

When they finally arrive, Amaya does her best not to manhandle Akiko's body while trying to get her out of the cab before hoisting her arm around her shoulder again, looking up warily at Ami's residence. "Err... They aren't going to flip out at you bringing home a random unconscious person, right?"

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami looks at Amaya, stops, thinks, and winces before turning to her phone to communicate. It takes quite a bit of time for the girl to write down her whole message. They're police officers. She writes. I'll tell them a bit of the truth - I found a girl in trouble from school- and make up something innocent enough. They're not used to seeing lies in sign language. That's all very fine and well, but Amaya can feel little empathetic strands of nervousness coming from the mute girl. Ami seems to realize this, since they shut off with a snap a moment later.

You want to come in and help? she adds. This time the nervousness is more mundanely evident, and less serious. Amaya might be the first person that's been invited into her house for some time.

[Lykan]

Police officers. Why'd it have to be police officers?

Amaya sighs and nods, adjusting her grip on Akiko again. Despite her notoriety, the chance of her running into someone on the force who could recognize her on sight was basically slim to none. There really shouldn't be much to worry about as long as Ami's story held up to scrutiny. Despite that, a mixture of Ami's empathetic ability and her own anxiety had the scruffy girl a bit more on edge than she'd like. "So, I was just walking by and you asked me to help... I hadn't seen what happened since it occurred before I arrived. Or something like that."

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami nods in agreement. I'll say she got in a school fight. She writes. They won't get involved in that because it's not their jurisdiction. The promised aid from the other girl had bolstered Ami's confidience, and she showed it by reverting to sign language for the last bit. Let's go inside and explain, then! She says, indicating the direction with a toss of her head, and moves to help Amaya lift the load of the other magical girl.

[Lykan]

Amaya nods, understanding the general intent of the whacky hand flailing before hoisting up Akiko alongside her and dragging her to the door. When they arrive there, Amaya takes a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before knocking.

[Mono Vertigo]

Akane Hamaguchi opened the door. Quickly, her stare falls upon Amaya, then Ami, then the unconscious girl, then Amaya again. Her brows furrows as her eyes meet Ami's again.
"Something happened, isn't it?" she asked, her voice oscillating between exasperation and maternal worry. "Don't stay here like that. Come in, and put that girl on the sofa." Her palm met her forehead as she sensed a headache incoming. "Then, the both of you will explain everything, and I do say EVERYTHING, to us. If that girl needs medical attention, we will know it, and you will suffer the consequences accordingly."

Her husband abandoned his newspaper and came at the door to check by himself what caused such irritation. His expression, upon seeing the trio, immediately matched Mrs. Hamaguchi's. "If it is what I think it is, you are both disappointing me very much."

[Lykan]

There are something like forty thousand cops in the Tokyo Metropolitain Police Department. The chances of running into either of these two as a result of becoming acquainted with a random girl in a park were mathematically insignificant, and yet... Here they were.

She can't help but think of how one-in-a-million shots are nearly always a sure thing in the stories she reads. Maybe there's a kernel of truth to that idea, although it's much more likely that Amaya is just terribly unlucky at this particular moment. She considers buying a lottery ticket later in hopes that the universe somehow decides to balance itself out later, before shaking her head free of all the useless mental tangents. Stupid things had a tendency to be conjured up as some sort of defense mechanism to deal with moments of great anxiety. Like this one.

Complying with Akane's demand, Amaya plods through the door and moves to place Akiko on the couch.

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami helps Amaya put down the injured girl, too confused to do anything but blindly follow the instructions of her foster parents. When she finishes, she looks from them to Amaya and back again in a comically surprised manner, and then asks You know her? How?

Realizing that she's been asked a question, she blinks and uses her confusion to cover up the time it takes for a response to come. I saw this girl- She indicates Akiko Hurt near a school. I think she got in a fight, and I came to help, but she didn't want to go to the hospital. I think she didn't want those who attacked her to get into trouble. Ami improvises. So I convinced her to come here with me, but she fell asleep like this, which is when this girl saw me and came to help.

Ami looks from Amaya to her Aunt again, and frowns. Seriously, how do you know her?

[AmberVael]

Akiko has, by now, passed deep into dream. She is not aware of being placed on the couch, or of the lies being woven to explain her presence, having drifted far away from the confines of reality.

In her dream, warmth surrounds her, a soft white and yellow light that enfolds her protectively. Yet, Akiko could sense something was wrong, somehow, somewhere. The sense of unease grew, and the more uncomfortable she became, the more the warmth grew, until the light was fire, its hungry flames turning on her flesh. She could feel it burning across her, across her flesh and through her veins, but it wouldn't come off. There was too much of it, all spilling out.

Crimson flames leaked across her arms, flowing with a pain so great it felt like it was tearing out her very soul. It wouldn't stop pouring onto her, and she wouldn't let it go, clinging to it all desperately. The world around her was shattering, shattering into so many meaningless glyphs...

A drop falls off her arm. The flames are gone, and the world is steady once more. All was black, except just a few things that Akiko could see. Herself, in her school uniform, kneeling on the ground. Her sister, clad in armor, limp in her arms. Blood, pooling over her arms and onto the unseen floor. A shape bulged behind the blackness, moving around like a bug beneath a thin cloth, but Akiko wasn't paying attention to it, couldn't even see it.

Then, she wakes up, though enough of her fatigue remains that it isn't obvious. Eyes still shut, Akiko slowly starts taking in the world around her again, trying to figure out where she is- someone is talking, but then there was silence, and a long one- why? Her eyes open just a hair, and she catches a glimpse of Ami signing out something.

[Mono Vertigo]

The man directs the interrogation in his wife's place, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Due to his experience, he manages to stay remarkably calm but firm, even as he translates the signs to his wife who stopped looking. "Ami says that girl got hurt near the school. She doesn't know for sure what happened. She was conscious but refused to go to the hospital, and fell asleep some time after. Amaya only joined afterward, she's probably not involved."

His wife directs immediately all her attention toward Akiko. Putting her hand on her forehead to feel her temperature, checking her pulse, the rhythm of her breathing, traces of wounds or bruises, even her breath to ensure she didn't drink alcohol. "So, she only lost consciousness on the way, Hachiro? It may be a sign of head trauma." She grimaced, her face darkening as she fears the worst. "The injuries may not be obvious. Did she hit her head, or did someone hit her head?"
When her eye opens, Akane's expression changes, hopeful, and she starts waving her hand right in front of her face. "Hi", she says softly, articulating every word clearly. "Can you hear me?"

Hachiro rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "Accompanying that girl to the hospital would have been a much better idea, but I understand you would have apprehensions. Hospital staff is ridiculously undertrained when it comes to interacting with mute people. Still..."
He sighs, and decides to explain the situation simply. "Her name's Amaya. We've had the occasion to run into her a few times during our working hours."
He completes this last sentence with imperfect but recognizable gestures.
"She's not a bad girl. But I am surprised to see you with her. She's okay. But please don't hang out with her crowd. They're a bad influence", he signs.

[AmberVael]

Akiko blinks once, vaguely trying to figure out who this was, then realizes that she had better respond before she gives the wrong impression. "Yeah." Her voice is rather subdued, but, most of the magic built up within her has leaked away, and she feels strong enough to stand and move on her own now, at least. She sits up, feeling the aches in her veins and limbs, but it didn't feel as bad anymore- more the pain and weakness that comes from exertion and exercise.

The vivid memory of her dream remains, however.

Amaya and Ami were both here, it seemed. No sign of the tortoise though, which brings a little bit of satisfaction to her. Good. No lectures today. Still, she didn't know where she was, or who these adults were, but isn't quite sure how she should bring it up.

[Lykan]

Amaya situates herself against the nearest wall, twiddling her thumbs and letting her eyes wander about the room while generally not trying to draw attention to herself. She jumps a little at the mention of her name, eyes drawn to Hachiro right as he begins signing something to Ami. Despite lacking any means of understanding what he might be saying, the sudden switch in method of communication was curious.

Although paranoia dictates that they were talking about her behind her back, it seemed just as likely that Ami might just might prefer mutual communication in sign language. That one girl back at school was communicating with Ami in it as well, after all. This was probably worth asking about...

When Akiko sits up, Amaya's attention is drawn to her instead. "Hey, uh... Feeling any better?"

[DeafnotDumb]

Amaya, Amaya, Amaya - where had she heard that name before? Ami drops her arms in surprise as her mind makes the connection, and brings them up to speak furiously. She's that girl? But she's nothing like I- She stops mid-flow, ashamed of herself for jumping to conclusions, and knowing her Uncle would be too. Luckily, there's a distraction to be had.

She points at the wakened Akiko. Can you ask her where she lives? It may be good to take her there, or call. She pauses. And, tell the girl- She was going to have to think of a sign name for Amaya, at this rate -thank you from me.

Turning to answer her Aunt's questions, Ami taps her on the shoulder first to grab her attention. I don't know what hurt her. That was true, at least. Ami hated lying like this, but there was no real way to say 'some monster made out of shadows used magic on her', especially with the limitations of sign. I found her injured, but she wouldn't tell me what happened. Protecting someone? She asks, frowning to show that it was a question.

[Mono Vertigo]

Hachiro gives a small, sarcastic chuckle, hiding his slight disappointment. "Heh! What did you picture her as? Something other than a normal teenager?" He gives a friendly smile to Amaya. "Don't mind her. We didn't raise her to be judgmental. She'd like to thank you for the help."

Akane steps back to give more space to the awakening teen. She notes out loud, turning to her niece who asked for her attention: "Probably not head trauma after all. I'm no doctor, but if she wakes up now, it must be a lot less serious than expected."
The man approaches Akiko as well, trying not too look too menacing for the young stranger. "Hi there. You're safe now. Don't worry, we're off-duty police. You are in our house. What's your name? Where do you live?"

[AmberVael]

"I'm fine." She replies quietly to Amaya, looking around the room with some uncertainty. "Ah- Nagisa Akiko." Akiko says to Akane, somewhat hesitantly. Police? What exactly was going on here? Had someone noticed something odd? But they said they were off duty... and not everyone was here.

Get a grip! She says to herself, pulling through her mental fog, pushing the nightmare out of her head. Keep moving forward. Don't stop.

She doesn't answer the question about where she lives just yet, focusing her thoughts. They had been saying something about a head injury, and none of the other girls knew where she lived- so maybe they had been passing by and seen her, and tried to help?

"Thank you for your help." Akiko manages, getting to her feet. "But you don't need to worry about me. I can make it home on my own. That is- if that is why you were asking." She adds.

[Lykan]

Oh, huh. They were talking about her. Paranoia wins out again!

In response to this information, she just shrugs. "It's not really a big deal. A lot of what people think about me is well deserved anyway." She bites her lip, looking at Ami for a moment before returning her gaze to the floor. "And, uh... Don't mention it." Well, she didn't, technically. But it's the thought that counts.

[DeafnotDumb]

Hachiro's attempt to hide his dissapointment does little more than make Ami feel guiltier - which is effective, although probably not what her Uncle had intended. She turns to Amaya, and sticks to the simplest sign language she knows, mouthing along to try and make sure the girl understands. Thanks for the help. And goodbye, until later.

Carefully, she prods a small sorry into Amaya's head as an attempt at apology. Hopefully the other emotions wouldn't get mixed up with it this time.

[Mono Vertigo]

"Nagisa Akiko", repeats the couple. "We would rather drive you home, given you fainted once already, but we can't force you either."
The woman decides to approach Akiko one last time. "We heard you were in a fight, or something along these lines. If you ever feel like you're in trouble again, call us." She hands a small card with their phone number to the teen. "Go see a doctor if you don't feel better. We've seen many fights that didn't affect anyone in the long term, and almost as many with... unforeseen consequences." In her career, she had seen tiny wounds that got overlooked and became horribly infected, concussions that crippled one's mental abilities, organ failure caused by blunt trauma, cracked bones that never healed well. But she did not see the point in scaring a girl with grisly details just as she wakes up in a stranger's living room. "Make sure it's not the later. And be careful."

[Lykan]

Amaya nods and tries her best to give Ami a reassuring smile, although it probably looks more forced and awkward than she intended. Seeing that Hachiro and Akane's attention seems to be focused on Akiko, Amaya tries her best to scoot toward the door unnoticed so that she might escape into the night. Or late afternoon. Can you escape into the late afternoon? Maybe riding off into the sunset would be a better term here... But she'd need a horse first, otherwise that'd make no sense. Maybe a motorcycle would work better. Anyways, scooting!

Assuming she gets to the door, she gives her mute friend a small wave and slips out the door.

[AmberVael]

Well, this was an awkward situation. Akiko stands silently for a moment as she thinks on how to respond, swiftly discarding a number of brash answers. What should she say?

"I'll be fine." She finally says, after the silence has gone on a little too long. "I can take care of it." It's not elegant, or reassuring, but it's the best she's got. Feeling the lack heavily, and wishing she was better at this, Akiko tries to make up for it, taking the offered card with a stiff smile. "Thank you."

She notes Amaya slip out the door, and then gives a very short bow. "I should try and get home before it's too late."

With this, Akiko will follow Amaya out, almost as swiftly.

[Mono Vertigo]

The house of the Hamaguchi becomes calm once again, after the two teenagers left. Akane and Hachiro spend the rest of the evening discussing of the state of criminality nowadays, their past, their conflicting conceptions on finer medical details, and other anecdotes proving once again that they have a hard time thinking of things completely unrelated to work. Fortunately, after a few half-hearted attempts to have Ami participate to the dialogue, they leave her alone. They are too passionate about the subject to really listen to the television.

Tonight, the news are talking about Shirogami High, and more exactly about the recent accident that happened there. Journalists obtained leaked information, as the police investigated on a strange incident that occurred today, right before the west wing should have re-opened. Something to do with big damages to the lock and door. According to the news anchor, the leaked reports of the scene clearly contradict the theory commonly given then. The “freak electric accident” scenario can't be taken seriously anymore. Hypotheses are running wild: was the classroom slaughtered by a serial killer? Did he come back on the crime scene? Is he a criminal genius, or is the police truly too incompetent to gather meaningful clues? There's also the possibility someone may have survived the event, what of him/her? Maybe they were even responsible! And the authorities still try to hush up the case! Certainly the biggest proof they're too embarrassed to admit their mistakes during the investigation! The only thing certain is that the wing will stay closed quite a bit longer.

Right before going to sleep, Ami receives a text message from Aino. That's a little surprising; while she managed to get your cell phone number during one of your encounters, she never messaged you about other things than school matters.
It reads: “There's a reason you wanted me out of there, right? We can trade secrets tomorrow evening, at the mall's parking.”
She's obviously talking about the Silver Palace Shopping Center; it is the only place she mentions when talking about what she does in her free time. Besides, the new parking has been under construction for longer than you can remember, and the mall doesn't even bother putting cameras or security agents there anymore, making it a perfect location for... secret meetings. It is a few blocks away from the school.

What a day. You defeated your foes with the help of colleagues, or maybe even friends. You learnt more about the creatures that lurk beyond the veil of normality, and got away without major physical scars. Never before did you call forth so much magic at once; it is a strange feeling, exhilarating power over reality, mixed with the still weak sanity-numbing backlash of magic. It is much like a rubber band, but perhaps you can learn to decide when and in which direction magic snaps back. In fact, tomorrow morning, when you wake up from a deep sleep, you are going to feel stronger, more confident than the day before.
You are tired. You deserve the rest.

[End of Episode 1]

[Mono Vertigo]

[Episode 2]



[Tsukaka, Sadako:
In the early morning, before your alarm clock had a chance to beep furiously, you were awoken by some kind of speaking turtle (http://i.imgur.com/Cd6gf.png) knocking at your window. He talked about... potential? Making your life better? Fighting for justice? Preventing monsters from hurting your beloved? Magic? Wishes?
You're not entirely sure. You remember clearly the words “wish”, “justice” and “monsters” being spoken, though. It all sounds a bit too surreal to happen for real, but if it had been a dream, you don't remember waking up afterwards.
Oh, and he also told you to find it at the Zojoji Temple, in Shiba Park, at 4PM, after school. It is a quiet place, but doesn't have a bad reputation, so why not check it out, just to make sure it was real?]


Same place, same time as the day before. A lot of things happened since the first meeting with the rest of the group.
A familiar tsukaima is waiting near the entrance, tapping his foot. He looks a little... impatient? Disgruntled? Disappointed? It's hard to tell, the faces of turtles, even supernatural, are rarely that expressive.
Today, the weather is nice and warmer. Fortunately, the end of the week is near... but will one be able to enjoy it?

[AmberVael]

Akiko is at the temple early, though she hasn't addressed the turtle yet. Instead she waits just outside the gate with her hands in her jacket pockets, silent and brooding. The events of the past day still linger in her mind, and she can't shake the feeling that she should have said or done something more than she did, even if she is hard pressed to figure out what.

[Ecksdee]

As Sadako walked along the semi-crowded sidewalk that lead to the Zojoji Temple within the park, she came to the very frank conclusion that there was no way a talking, blue turtle had appeared to her this morning. Her cheeks burned at the small part of her that actually believed something so ridiculous could have actually taken place. It had to have been a dream. But why hadn't it felt like one? She believed she was familiar with the difference between being awake and asleep, and she definitely recalled feeling very much awake during the whole encounter.

'Maybe those idiots have finally driven me crazy.' "Those idiots" of course being her family. It was a distinct possibility given the antics they were famous for. Ugh, just thinking about them made her head hurt! That turtle-thing though... hadn't it mentioned wishes? Sadako snorted. If Mr. Magical Wishing Turtle existed she already knew what she'd ask him for.

Her brisk pace brought her to the temple in no time. Holding her satchel in front of her with both hands the black-haired young girl peered up at the structure. She admittedly hadn't visited it much in the past. Once you've seen one temple you've seen them all if you asked her. Sighing she let her gaze return to eye-level, and let out a gasp at what she saw.

"Turtle." She said simply, eyes blinking in complete disbelief. He was real! And next to him was a girl who seemed to be waiting for... something. Could she see him too? Only one way to find out.

"Umm... excuse me... are you with that turtle?" She pointed to the impatient-looking tsukaima, edging toward him cautiously. What in the world...?

[Mono Vertigo]

The glass-like turtle responded first. "You responded to my call!" he says with relief. "My name is Octar, and she is with me. I will explain the details once everyone else has arrived. We're waiting for three more people."
Immediately after saying this, he sighs heavily.
Like the day before, when he last saw his group, three scales on his shell are shining in bright colors, with names and the number 1 written on them.

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami heads towards the meeting place, but stops when she sees a new person there. Who was it? had Yuri got someone to look into the girls for her? Had her Aunt and Uncle got suspicious? She was about to turn back when she saw Akiko waiting there, apparently fine or at least not too worried about the new girl. Ami approaches carefully.

When she gets within sight range, she speaks only to Octar, trying to ignore the new person who obviously won't understand sign language and will just have to be another person she has to find a way to communicate with. Or communicate past, if experience was any indicator. Who's the new girl? Is what she asks the turtle. Is she here to help us?

[smuchmuch]

"Hi"
Tsukaka turns around the corner of the temple to see three other other girls here.
She waves rather with a slight uncertiainity at the present company. She doesnt know those girls, then again, she doesn't know that many people around here..

She's in a slightly better mood than she has been those last weeks, but that's still ar rom her usual, The walk here was pleasant., it's a nice garden. And of course she's curious to se what that weird dream was all about. She's been thinking it all day, it was a welcome distraction from the darker things that have been her mind lately, but no matter what the symbolism of talking turtle sems to escape her.


"My name is Octar, and she is with me. I will explain the details once everyone else has arrived. We're waiting for three more people."

...And the turtle just talked again. Yep..
She pinche herself for goo mesure but If it's a daydream it's a persistent one, she's pretty sure she should be freaking out a bit more but it just feel too weird. Tsuakaka walks to the turtle, without hesitation and just grabs him (or at least attempt to), turning it a bit in her hands.

"Heh, cute" her eyes take sets on the grimacing face on the shell. "okay.. not so much." Pretty foreboding in fact for an animal which is supposed to be a symbol o long life and prosperity. Well looking a it again, the turtle seems real enough. She's pretty sure she saw one of the other girls present, hanging with the twins before and she heard they are in the habit of pulling pranks, so yeah, that's probably that.

"Hello Octar."* she smiles at the other girls an the ioe in general in case thre's someone hiden with a little appreciative chuckle "How do you do it ? ventriloquy ?; because it's good one." Cheered her right up.

*insert proper honrific said with proper respect but just a hint of amusement.

[Ecksdee]

"Uh... Yes. I suppose I did." Sadako responded to Octar, looking down at him with a perplexed expression across her face. She... guessed he was cute? In a weird mascot sort of way. Then two more girls arrived, and she threw them a polite nod of acknowledgement. One of them even decided to pick the turtle up, prompting Sadako to huddle next to her to inspect him closer.

"What's with those names on your shell?" She asked, reaching out to run her fingers across the brightly-colored scales.

[Mono Vertigo]

"I asked that girl and another one to join us because Mai took the brilliant initiative to visit her friend at the hospital yesterday evening and fall sick. And Mitsuki told me she didn't feel ready to be a Magical Girl just yet and... she wanted to train alone or think about her situation. Something like that. "I don't have the strength to deal with youma yet" my glassy, turtle a-"
His ranting was cut short by a girl picking him up, and another one touching him. What an outrage! His short legs pedal helplessly in the air.
"Why are you doing this? I am not a toy! I-hah-stop! It tickles!"
Octar looked like being tickled was the worst thing he's had to endure in his entire life. Or rather, being forced to laugh was.
"It-th-that's where I store Oblivion Seeds! I'll exp-explain once you p-p-put-oh-god--put me down!"

It was all at once a surprisingly cruel but amusing sight.

[AmberVael]

"No I'm not." Akiko speaks up, contradicting Octar. "We don't work together. You gave me my power, but nothing else. If I'm 'with' anyone, it's Ami, and Amaya."

She turns towards Tsukaka with a frown. "This isn't a prank, or a trick. I don't know what he told you, but you have to take this seriously; if you think of it like a joke, you'll get killed."

Akiko felt like she should perform a bit of magic, just to push home that this was real... but after what happened to her yesterday- how it turned on her, how she couldn't control it in the school- she decides it is safer not to. She shrugs, then speaks in a less harsh tone. "I'll understand if you can't believe it. But if you can't, you should go home while you still can. No one will blame you if you do."

This all said, she makes her way over to Ami and quietly stands at her side, hands still in her pockets.

[Ecksdee]

Sadako hadn't meant to tickle him. Honest. She yanked her hand back and blushed. "Sorry Octar..." But watching his little legs flail as he demanded to be put down made her smile. OH MY GOD SO CUTE. Ahem. She looked to Akiko as she reaffirmed that this was real and not some kind of fever dream. Sadako swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat.

"So... You two are magical girls?" She'd been paying attention to Octar during his little rant, after all. Her eyes wide and darting between Ami and Akiko, she could hardly believe such a thing.

[DeafnotDumb]

In one nod, Ami managed to say 'yes, of course, why else would we be standing here next to a shiny talking turtle?' far more efficiently than words or a voice could have. She stands close to Akiko, waiting for that moment when the two new people would pick up on the fact the quiet girl was actually mute and react to it.

She hated that moment. Just how much you changed in their eyes at that one simple fact. It gnawed in her to no end.

Akiko hadn't seemed to react, but Ami suspected that was more the girl's problems and agression than anything else. Amaya had changed, a bit, even though she could handle it better than most. Maybe she'd heard of the idea of a mute girl from Aunt and Uncle, and could remember they existed? Didn't change much.

So Ami stood there, and patiently waited.

[DeafnotDumb]

In one nod, Ami managed to say 'yes, of course, why else would we be standing here next to a shiny talking turtle?' far more efficiently than words or a voice could have. She stands close to Akiko, waiting for that moment when the two new people would pick up on the fact the quiet girl was actually mute and react to it. The other girl's hadn't picked up on her sign language yet, or quite processed it, but they would in a moment.

She hated that moment. Just how much you changed in their eyes at that one simple fact. It gnawed in her to no end.

Akiko hadn't seemed to react, but Ami suspected that was more the girl's problems and agression than anything else. Amaya had changed, a bit, even though she could handle it better than most. Maybe she'd heard of the idea of a mute girl from Aunt and Uncle, and could remember they existed? Didn't change much.

So Ami stood there, and patiently waited.

[Mono Vertigo]

Octar calmed down, in spite of the fact he was still suspended in the air, and it was getting a little uncomfortable, although not as much as the atmosphere.
"Nothing else? I am also storing your Seeds with more honesty and transparency than the average tsukaima would. And I did promise you a wish. What more do you want from me?"
He doesn't give Akiko the time to reply however. "What I'm about to ask you to take part of isn't just a funny game, and Akiko's right on that account. There are monsters called youma that prey on humans. They will stay invisible to you until you become a Magical Girl. But you probably know people who have lost part of their mind or vanished mysteriously; youma are the ones behind that phenomenon. They're dangerous, obviously, but I can give you the power to resist and fight them", he explains in a monotone, "and in exchange, after you kill enough of them, I'll grant your wish. That's in addition to the magical powers you'll get as soon as you accept my contract, and to the reassurance you'll be protecting humankind."

[Ecksdee]

Seeds? Octar obviously had some further explaining to do. Which he did. Sadako listened carefully, tensing up when he mentioned youma being behind the sudden disappearances of people. That truly stuck a cord within her. 'Did they take mom, then?' Her hands clenched into fists involuntarily as she ran the scenario through her head. 'Oh god... Is she truly dead then?' She never wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole as much as she did at that very moment.

She perked up some when the glimmering blue turtle went on to reveal that he could help them fight back against the abyssal horrors -- granting them power. Sadako felt herself get lightheaded by the time he finished off his speech with mention of granting them one wish for their efforts. Her heart raced as her palms grew sweaty and her mouth went dry. 'I... I could wish mom back then?!'

"So... what do we have to do to join?" She looked to the others. "Oh. I'm Sadako." She bowed in greeting, suddenly remembering she hadn't formally introduced herself.

[smuchmuch]

"Of course, sorry then." Tsukaka smiles while actualy making no gesture to lower him, she's enjoying this, whoever is doing the voice is good. She wonders what would hppen if she gave him a little spin. would he squeal ? That'd be hilarious. "So are you a Kami or a just a mundane talking turtle ?"

And then Akiko speaks. Of course, for a good prank ot work you'd have to sound serious but Tsukaka can read epople a little bit and she's sure of one thing here, Akiko doesn't joke. Probably not ever. There's is something about the way she speak and look at you, a barely contained almost frihtening instensity. For some reason, the term that comes to mind is 'glowering'.

It occurs to her that these people are utterly serious.
There is many things Tsukaka could have said but she was too busy gapping like a goldfish at the realisation that yes these people are serious, yes this is a real kami or god or whatever tthe turtle may be and yes magic is real, while exposition was going on. She alsmot dropped the octar in surprise.
But don't think she didn't listen, oh no. And her conclusion and though are very likely thoose you'd think. (What kind of powers ? what kind of moster, are they... could a wish make the earthquake never to have happened ? more maybe ?)

Slowly,in a slight haze from the slight unrealness of the situation and the sheer possibilities, she lowers the animal to the ground... To be honnest , the way te toehrs are talking to him, she's not sure just how far she trust him, it look lie some of them would pareciate to shake him a bit in her place. It's probbaly better to stop annoying the magical creature that promess you power.
But just before putting him back, she spin him around slowly and look a tthim in the eyes with a pretty uncommon focuss for her
"Any wish ? Really ?"

[Lykan]

Amaya arrives at the temple after the rest of the group, looking thoroughly winded and slightly more disheveled than she had yesterday. "Sorry I got caught up in a book and then my bed broke and I fell through the floor and a whole bunch of other things hap-..." She stops mid-sentence upon spotting the two new girls, catching her breath before speaking again. "Who are they? Where's Mai and Mitsuki?"

[Mono Vertigo]

Someone appreciated the start of the move toward the ground. "Thank you very mu-"
Then, he was spun.
Octar wished he could say it had never happened to him before; alas, the very same lack of respect had happened to him before.
Twice.
He figured that was probably what the rest of his life was going to be like, and somehow, the frown on his shell made a lot more sense.
"Why-y-you-you-oooooh-don't-m-make-me-make-you-re-regret-th-this--"
Only then did he touch the ground. Was it steady? He wasn't sure it was steady.
It took a few seconds for him to go back to reality again.
"Wishes... yes, yes, you can make a wish. Whatever you want. And no, I don't do funny tricks, like turning you into a statue because you wished for everlasting beauty, that would be stupid. But before I can do that, you will need to bring me 13 Oblivion Seeds. Dead Youma leave Seeds behind them." He started staring at the ground, as if to make sure it was not going to disintegrate under his feet. "Hello, Amaya. Mai went to see her friend in the hospital and fell ill, and Mitsuki told me she didn't feel ready to fight youma yet, so she's taking time to think... or something like that, I don't really care. So I looked for two other potential candidates, they haven't contracted yet... here's Sadako, and... what's the name of the young girl who clearly has something against turtles again...?"

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami looks goggle-eyed at the unsteady turtle finding his feet on the ground after just being spun, and then bursts into a gasp of thankfully silent laughter. Little choking sounds come from her as she struggles to draw breath, and everybody, including Octar, feels a large ball of amusment briefly bounce of their psyches. Once she's finished, she straightens up, blushing a little, and is thankfully saved from any further embarassment by spotting Amaya. Hey, Amaya. She says, looking genuinely a little pleased. Or at least less despairing as she does when trying to communicate with practically anyone else. The sign for Amaya's name is two clawed hands, a reference to the magical girl's weapons. Hi.

[Ecksdee]

The girl who spun Octar around got an look of annoyance from Sadako. Really? It was time to be a bit more serious. She was relieved when the turtle was finally set down, allowing him to launch into another infodump. 13 Oblivion Seeds equaled a wish. Seemed simple enough. Though she couldn't help but feel as though there was still a catch somewhere. You know, other than having to battle horrible monsters you could potentially get killed by. Making a deal with a magical talking turtle was straight out of one of those anime her stepsiblings loved to watch.

Amaya's arrival got a polite nod. Just how many girls had Octar roped into this crazy job? And did he even have their well-being in mind to begin with? She didn't like the thought of being a simple tool for the creature to achieve some kind of selfish desire. She was too smart to fall into such a trap.

"I know youma are bad, but why exactly do you care about stopping them so much? Are you even from this world?" She questioned, leaning down to scrutinize him with a frown. "What do you stand to gain from this... 'partnership' with us?"

Unfamiliar with Ami's mental projections, the wave of emotion caused her to yelp. "W-what was that?!" She wasn't entirely sure she liked whatever that was...

Leaving for work, so I'll be MIA for a couple of hours!

[smuchmuch]

Actualy by spin, I meant horizontaly, as in, the way she was carrying him she was lookign a this tail and sudenly turning him quicly so his head would face her and she could stare at him in the eyes. You know to disorient him a bit.
(Turning him upside down I meant to keep for a moment when she would be really pissed and/or distrustfull of him.)
although that still in character so that works just as well. better in fact.

Ps: deafnotdumb, you double posted by accident on your previous post.

"I've got nothing about turtles." Tsukaka gives a little disarming smile "I'm just ...not used to meet speaking ones. Or maybe I did and they had nothing to say to me ?" she wonder for a short moment and shrugs. "Sorry about the poking." (Not that she feel the slightly less guilty about the inconvenience, that's what he gets for making his first contact at 5 AM, but it occurs to her she may not have made the best first impression here; maybe she should make up for it later, somehow. What could you bribe a turtle with ? A bowl of fruit salad maybe ? Certainly worth a try.

She takes a good look around at the other girls.
The angry one is still starring, she doesn't look very patient, probably not much a great conversasionalist too. Nor is the other one who hasn't piped a world yet ? Maybe she's very shy ? (Tsukaka has ben a bit too engrosed with Octar to notice the sign language yet. She doesn't look like she's being withdrawn, though, more like she's waiting and judging.
The third girl who just arrives look a bit more lively. she seems pretty forward though. And quick tot the point.
And finaly the other 'new girl' she just seem as lost as she is. She seems otherwise uterly normal. mundane. Plain jane; Unremarquable... Given the present compagny, that make her pretty much the most suspicious of the lot, really.

Whattateam. You can just feel the hilarity in the air....
No, really. Actualy you can. Somehting like a wave in your head, a suden gripping emotion ? That was weird. Tsukaka wonder if it is a signs of thigs to come. She was alway a grat beleiver in opprtunites, chances that you ahve to grab away lest they pass past you but sometime you hesistate,because it's too big. But if this is not a sign she should take that one, then what is ?

"Hello My name Is Tsukaka" she bows tot he other girls "and I am honnored to meet you all"

[Mono Vertigo]

[OOC:Oh, okay! That however doesn't change Octar's reaction, beside making him marginally less annoyed.
He's a little melodramatic once his dignity is concerned.]

The turtle's eyes left the comforting solidity of the ground to stare at Sadako. "What do you mean, why do I care? Why wouldn't you care? Why would you suppose I'm not from here? I have always lived in Tokyo since I came into existence! Why would it change a thing? They feed out of your memories and emotions, don't care about killing you in the process, and eat tsukaima for dessert if they stand in their way!"
The short burst of indignant emotion gave place to his usual monotone.
"The Oblivion Seeds you give me are fundamental to our life cycle. Oh, I know what you're going to ask, "why don't you go get them yourselves"? We can't, because our own powers only work on beings who consented to it, whereas youma don't have such a limitation. So, to us, 13 Oblivion Seeds per wish is a generous compensation."

The empathic flash of amusement, incidentally, didn't amuse him at all. "That was Ami. She's mute, but I gave her the ability to use telepathy when she contracted. I hope you girls will learn sign language fast, because while I understand most if not all human languages, I'm not always going to be there to translate.

... let us start with Tsukaka, shall we? I haven't got all day, I still have a debriefing and a briefing to do.
Tsukaka, I propose you to grant your wish in exchange of 13 Oblivion Seeds. In order to achieve that, I, Octar, will give you the ability to go seek them and protect yourself, therefore making you a Magical Girl. You will awaken your own and unique magical potential, with everything it entails. There is no time limit to your task, although you should remember for what purpose you struck your deal, and that your new powers should be used responsibly.
Do you accept this contract, Tsukaka?"
Solemnly, he waits for an answer.

[Lykan]

Amaya gives Akiko and Ami a small wave and a bit of a bemused smile before deciding to give one of the things she had tried to learn last night via library books a go. Hello... What is "Amaya?" She blinks, looking at her hands, before realization dawns on her face in the form of a smirk. "Oh, wait. Is it me? That's pretty awesome." She takes a moment to look back at the other two girls, shaking some splinters out of the hood of her jacket. "Wait, they aren't even magical girls yet? Are you sure tossing them into a hunt right off the bat is a good idea?"

[smuchmuch]

Well that seemed to be everything she wanted to ask at thsi point covered. (Nice of Sadako to take the flak). Does she trust the answers. well... maybe, maybe not, but it's not like she'd got any way to know bette if he was, right ? So it doesn't matter. It's a gamble. She's fine with it. No matter the risks.
She alrealy lost so much recently for nothing, for no reason, if she's going to loose the rest, it might be as well because she choose too.

There's just one point of curiosity "If you need humans to do the job for you, and if youma are such a danger for everyone anyway, why all the secrecy ? Wouldn't it all be a lot easier if people knew they were in danger ?" I mean sure there'd be a turmoil at first, but in the long run, she can't help but think it would be lot more efficient for everybody if magical girls could just opperate in the open, like cops or firemen or stuff like that.

Oh well. probaby better for them though, it means there' s no real rules. T
sukaka is quite glad the contact gives absolutly no definition of 'responsably' as for the use of magical powers. so there might be 'sides befits' as well.In fact this thing is a model of vagueness. there's probably something he isn't mention somewhere. Doesn't matter, she'll ge tover it, no doubt.
It's the oportunity of a lifetime. Two lifetime cut shorts maybe. And possisbly so much more.


Do you accept this contract, Tsukaka?

"I do"

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami's face opens into a friendly, honest smirk as the other girl signs to her, and replies. Not bad. You're clumsy, but you will be better. She says, making sure to keep the langauge simple. Amaya almost certainly would only know the simple words right now, and probably only enough to get a gist, but any start was better than none. I'll think of more names later!

Noticing that Octar's finished she turns to sign to him. What's the Youma we're hunting today? She asks, and after a moment's thought adds Will it be like the one we faced yesterday? Is there a way to predict what they will be like?

[Mono Vertigo]

Quietly, he replies to Amaya: "They're not getting in a hunt right now; in fact, I was hoping you could teach or train them a little before tackling real threats."
It is Tsukaka's turn to see an answer to her question: "Our ancestor tried something like that a long time ago. Many, many people wanted to join his ranks, but they only did so for the magic or the wishes. Most of those who obtained the former abused it and suffered great consequences. Many others died due to the lack of caution and incompetence, or abandoned their duty altogether. Those that didn't join the fight harassed him for free wishes he couldn't give them. One lady managed to finish her task and make her wish. And it turned out it wasn't a very good one." A short but heavy silence. "So, we since figured out it was best for everybody if we hid from the general population and looked for good potential candidates. When people learn about youma, they inevitably learn about tsukaima as well. Beside, it's hard protecting yourself from youma. When they're active, they distort reality around them to make it more hospitable to them. They can walk through walls this way, or do many more things. We call that zone of distortion a Nightmare. Normal people may walk right into one without realizing something is going on, but you will be able to see them."
That was a surprising bout of backstory. Knowing the critter, it surely meant he was not going to give much more relevant information before the next day.
Wait, he hasn't filled his quota yet. Ami can still hope for a handful relevant hints...
"No. The one you fought yesterday was strong, but fortunately, not very smart. Smart youma don't kill humans outright, they make them last. Today, I've sensed the presence of one, possibly two youma nearby who are not as strong, but they make up for it by being smarter and only awakening at night, until the sunrise. I can't really predict much about youma, beside that weak youma, when left alive, tend to grow strong and intelligent, and once they get intelligent enough... look, I don't like what happens when they become intelligent enough."

The instant Tsukaka speaks her agreement, there is a perturbation around her. It's not big or spectacular, and in fact, may go unnoticed if one didn't watch her directly, but it is there. When it disappears, a small pendant appears around her neck.
"Congratulations. Do not lose this pendant, it's important. Now, Sadako...
Sadako, I propose you to grant your wish in exchange of 13 Oblivion Seeds. In order to achieve that, I, Octar, will give you the ability to go seek them and protect yourself, therefore making you a Magical Girl. You will awaken your own and unique magical potential, with everything it entails. There is no time limit to your task, although you should remember for what purpose you struck your deal, and that your new powers should be used responsibly.
Do you accept this contract, Sadako?"

[AmberVael]

As Octar begins making contracts, Akiko turns away, walks a short distance from the temple, then glances back at the others. "Hey, Ami- Amaya, c'mere for a moment."

Assuming they follow her, Akiko will face them. "I just wanted to say... thanks. For what you did yesterday. And I don't just mean helping me after I passed out." She looks down, giving a sigh. "We fought against that thing, and you came back to do it again. I don't think many people would do that."

Apparently Akiko doesn't feel she's quite saying it right, because she half throws up her hands, and turns to look at the park, scuffing the ground with a foot. "Augh, I dunno. I just wanted to say that it means something to me. I didn't want you to think I was taking it for granted. And that I've got your back, while we're out there."

[Lykan]

"I guess that sounds reasonable. Certainly less dangerous than testing powers alone, anyway..." Amaya follows when Akiko beckons her and Ami away from the temple and listens to what she has to say. After she's done, Amaya grins and gives her a thumbs up. "Eheh... It's no problem. The reason I started with all of this was to fight these things anyway. It'd be rather silly to chicken out because an alphabet came to life and tried to eat us.

She pauses, looking between Ami and Akiko. "It's just now there's the added benefit of not doing it alone. So you can trust me when I say I've got your backs too. "

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami looks uncomfortably away at Akiko's thanks. She doesn't feel like it's worth for what she's done, when she feels afraid and worried and partly like she's only here because it'd just be too embarassing to back out now, after all she'd done yesterday. Still, a response was asked for. Thank you. She signs. And thanks for you both too. Although of course neither of you can understand-

Ami blinks, and remembered Amaya's recent signing. Well, damn. She'd better stop automatically saying what was on her mind all the time. This was going to take some getting used to.

[Ecksdee]

Oops. Sadako irritated Octar even more. How could such a tiny little turtle put out so much anger and indignation? "Alright, alright..." She waved her hands in front of her, backing off some. Note to self: Never use the aggressive approach with magical talking turtles. She looked away sheepishly, catching the bit of sign language that Ami used. Oh. So that's why she hadn't said a peep since they'd assembled here. Sadako gave her a relaxed smile as an apology for not being able to sign back. Octar giving her some telepathic ability was a pretty genius move although. Still, she was sure learning how to sign minimally at least would go a long way.

The answer to Tsukaka's following query made sense Sadako supposed. Magical girls didn't really belong out in the open -- even she knew that much. Secret identities were a big part of the whole shebang. Let the masses remain ignorant to the danger they walked by every single day, however foolish that may sound. It was just better that way.

The next few moments saw Octar going through some kind of official spiel for Tsukaka's contracting. Sadako watched as she agreed, and a moment later after some weirdness out popped a pendent out of thin air. Octar congratulated her, and Sadako simultaneously released a breath she hadn't been totally aware she'd been holding. That looked relatively painless...

...And now it was her turn. Octar repeated the same words he'd spoken to Tsukaka, and she hung on every one. Could she do this? Should she do this? It would be easy to decline and walk away, never to be contacted by Octar or his "charges" ever again. But she knew she could do no such thing. Not with what was at stake. Mom.

"I accept." She said clearly, jaw clenching afterward as if she'd bitten down on her tongue in an attempt to recall those words. But it was far too late to clutch onto the mundane life she'd been living. Far, far too late...

[Mono Vertigo]

The same aura appears around Sadako. No, not quite the same. Whereas Tsukaka's was blurry and warped the light, Sadako's instead made her environment look sharper and cleaner during its brief existence. The whole process is as painless as it had looked the first time.
Another pendant appears around her neck, slightly different, but equally small and easy to conceal.

Octar too releases a breath after the ceremony, out of relief or fatigue.
"The most important thing is done. Now, I've got a debriefing for... errm..."
His "veteran" Magical Girls had stopped paying to him. He coughs, and resumes his speech with a voice that reaches summits of monotone.
"... Amaya, Ami and Akiko.
You did a great job. You neutralized the youma quickly and efficiently, and prevented more humans from running into it. However! You must keep in mind that while this youma was strong, it did not use its strength efficiently at all, and was doomed to be killed soon because of its own overconfidence. Don't become brash just because you beat it. The most dangerous youma are not the strong ones, but the clever ones. Also, unless you are sure there's more than one single youma hunting you, avoid splitting up. You're a team, and your strengths overcome each other's weakness. If you go alone, something will eventually find your weakness, and unless you're good at running away, you'll be toast."
Nothing really interesting or unexpected there. Yet, his expression is rather smug. Did anyone even listen to his debriefing? He didn't seem to care about it. He thinks he made quite a good speech.

After a silence, he continues, this time with more important information, and more expressiveness.
"So, after spending the night to track youma, here is what I can tell you about them! I felt the presence of one with absolute certainty in the area. It doesn't move, and I did not see a Nightmare, so it must be hiding safely somewhere inside a building. It also becomes inactive at sunrise. That leads me to think it is making its food come to it, and not the other way round. Probably uses Minions to do that." As an aside, Octar comments: "Minions are fragments of a youma. They're tiny, follow simple orders and routines, and are extremely fragile. They also produce no Nightmare." He finishes his digression: "So, as I was saying, it probably uses Minions! It's not going anywhere, so take your time for training or working out a strategy.
There might be another one. I can't say it with certainty, it could also be magical fallout, there's a lot of it this month. Try asking people and investigate. I would have done more investigation myself if I could travel faster. Not everybody can teleport like a certain purple-furred bastard, grumble...
... any question?"

[AmberVael]

Akiko nods to Amaya, then puts a hand on Ami's shoulder for just a moment, giving her a brief smile before returning to the others. She stands and listens quietly as Octar makes a contract with Sadako, then narrows her eyes at his words to them.

"You can't tell the difference between a youma and magical fallout?" She asks, frowning. "You mean, the kind of thing that Tindalos explained? The thing that happened to me yesterday?"

[Mono Vertigo]

The tsukaima frowns in return. "When I'm front of it, yes, I can tell the difference. A human baby could tell the difference. But when the faster you can go is 3 km/h and you can't attract attention, the best you can do is use your 6th sense to detect ambient magic further away, and extrapolate whether the intermittent blips you feel are repeated fallout or a youma that goes active and inactive." His tone gets aggressive. "My apologies if other tsukaima like Tindalos are able to, I don't know, run, or teleport! They can just see themselves what's going on before it fades or hides again! Oh, sure, I could give you the power to sense youma and magic too! We know you would do a much better job!"
Mentioning Tindalos seems to be a sure way to anger him today. It might not get better over time.

[Ecksdee]

What had she done? Sadako felt goosebumps run along her arms and legs as the contract was made. Truly there was no turning back. She just hoped she hadn't made a huge mistake. The weird aura faded and left behind the prettiest pendent she'd ever seen. Not owning much jewelry herself, she grasped it within her palm and studied it carefully. "Wow... So this is what we use to, er, transform?" Saying that sounded so silly! But she was curious as to what she'd look like as a magical girl. Hopefully nothing too cliche or embarrassing.

[Mono Vertigo]

It takes an instant for the turtle to calm down and stop fuming. His anger hasn't entirely dissipated, but at least, he can reply in a civil way.
"Technically speaking, no. But it is a conduit for magic. And you shouldn't lose it. Does anyone else have a question?"

[Ecksdee]

Sadako nodded at Octar's explanation, still cradling the pendent carefully. She wasn't going to lose it. There was no way she could. Lowering the pendent back down to rest on her chest she looked down at the irate little turtle. Seriously, some legit lessons in anger management would go a long way for him. "Where should we train, exactly?" Not here, of course. Too public. She was eager to see what sort of magic was at her disposal now, wanting to test drive it like one would a brand new car. "And I'm guessing we each have individual powers or something?" That's how it was in those shows, anyway. Sadako personally hoped she had control over something cool like fire or lightning. No youma would stand a chance against her if that were the case.

[Lykan]

Amaya remains away from the group for a moment, mulling over the events of the past few days. For the past two years she had barely interacted with anyone... At least, not on any sort of positive level. Yet as soon as she became a magical girl, she had made almost half a dozen friends in under a week. Who'd have thought that being out in the world and interacting with people would make you appear more sociable than keeping your nose buried in a book all the time?

Eventually she breaks out of her reverie and rejoins with the rest of the group, trying to get Octar's attention with a wave. "I actually had a couple more, if you would indulge me once again. Mainly, I just wanted to know how you are able to understand Ami. Do you understand signing or do you have some sort of magical comprehension of human languages or something? And concerning the tsukaima-who-shall-not-be-mentioned-by-name-because-it-clearly-pisses-you-off: Is your relationship with all tsukaima like that? Should we just avoid any others we might come across?"

[Mono Vertigo]

"Your call. There are far fewer Buddhists visiting this temple nowadays, but there still are tourists, so it's risky for you. The rest of the park is no good either unless it's raining. Maybe there's a place... you know, that huge location full of shops... the one with the picture of a silver palace or castle above the front doors?"
Sounds like the Silver Palace Shopping Center, placed strategically between two schools.
"Well, it has that big place thing, all dark and grey with white lines, I heard it was designed to put cars in it, but they stopped building it a while ago. It's almost always empty. Well, last time I went there, at least, it was."
He looks directly at Sadako for her second question, to study her appearance. "Of course. I don't know what, though. I don't decide what you get, I only unlock your potential. You could, I don't know, obey your instincts, try doing what feels natural. It's enough for most girls to figure it out. Just remember to actually transform when you're going to face a youma, your current form is otherwise too fragile."

There were a few more questions he accepted to answer. "That's a tsukaima thing. We understand and speak all human languages." An awkward pause. "I could spea-err, use sign language if I had hands. Goes without saying."
Hesitation appeared on his face for an instant: should he let his emotions get the best of him, or should he appreciate the fact efforts are being made? He finally opts for the latter. "You're not likely to come across more tsukaima, at least not by accident. But if you need to know... I don't dislike everyone. We are in good terms, but we simply don't meddle with each other's business. They aren't all arrogant, immature... well, you know."

[Ecksdee]

Yes yes of course it'd be that way. If anyone other than Octar had told her she had magical potential Sadako would've laughed and called them nuts. Hearing it from him though made her heart do somersaults. She'd been so normal for the majority of her life that having this power bestowed upon her left her absolutely gobsmacked. She yearned to tell Tadashi, and it was killing her that she simply couldn't. She never kept secrets from him, and vice versa. How would this affect things between them from now on?

Well, she was going to worry about that later. No use spoiling the moment with that sort of thinking right now. Everything would be alright now. "I know the place you're talking about." It was perfect for getting up to super secret magical girl business. "Could we go there now?"

[Lykan]

Amaya nods a bit. "Alright... Well would that particular tsukaima have any reason to interfere or spy on what you're doing? Aside to annoy you?" She looks between the turtle and Sadako, biting her lip. "After that I think I'll be ready to head out. Things to learn and youma to kill and what not..."

[AmberVael]

Akiko glares a little as Octar rages at her, entirely missing the point of her question. Or maybe he avoided addressing the real intent on purpose. Either way, his answer did not put her in a better mood.

"Yeah, lets get out of here." She says, agreeing with Sadako. "Might as well get to business." As soon as Amaya has gotten her answer- or a lack of one- she'll head off, leading the way as she is also familiar with the location in question.

[smuchmuch]

Tsukaka looks at ther pendant, turning it into the ligto make the details of it before tucking it back under her shirt. It looks like a simple small flat finely crafted loop of meta,l but if you try to follow the shape with your eyes, you get the impression you are looping at a different point than were you should be and the shape seems to change with the angle while the object stay the same.*
"Magic is going to be pretty weird isn't it ?" she asks, in a slightly amused voice to no one in particular.
How strange. And yet, go figure, it feels rather apropriate at the same time. what decide what you get, she wonders ? And what does the others look like.
There are some more question she'd like to ask about magic, but it looks like the critter is starting to get angry so she figures she can ask the other more senior magical girls. Even if they look like they have even less patience and tact than the turtle.

The answer to her question make sense, she suppose. hell if she had known about the existence of Tsaikuma before she would have pestered the hell out of one of them for a wish herself, true. Still it does feel a shame to ahve to hide this.
The many comments she keep hearing about the danger of abusing magic are somewhat worrying, particulary as she can't help but notice Octar never seems to enter into the details. That makes her think that those 'magical fallouts' Akiko, as it's apparently her name, mentioned are probably the other shoe to the magical contract.
Ah well, apparently akiko suffered one and seems fine right now so it's probably not so bad. She put that with everyhting else in the 'I'll worry about it when it'll happen' category. With all that is at stakes, and the sheer beliwerderement of 'magic it's real', it's going to take more than a few vagie allusion to what could go wrong to dampen her entusiasm.


"Could we go there now?"

"yeah, let's.hey Octar" she nodds in assentement. As she knows nothing about the citty, she'll let the other guide the way and ask a few questionon the way.

"So..." she waits for Octar to be out of hearing range before asking that one. as funny as his reactiont he name is (or his anger in genral, he's such a perfect straight ma.. wel turtle), it's probably better not to provoke him too much. "I understand Tindalos is another Tsaikuma. Does that means there's another magical girl around ? How is she ?"


*The way I see it her pendant looks like what you'd get if you shashed a klein bottle in 2d while seeminly the non orientable proprieties.
It feels improbable enough without being too silly and it fits with her costule as I imagines it.

[Mono Vertigo]

Indeed, after contracting Tsukaka and Sadako and explaining his discoveries, he'd been growing impatient. The last two questions are answered at once, in a way that is probably less than satisfactory: "He meddles with everybody's business for his own amusement, and he brags about his Magical Girl whenever he has the chance but I never met her. Pretty sure she's being taught to be as irresponsible and arrogant as he is." He mumbles something imperceptible but angry before speaking up one last time.
"Oh, before I forget... Mai said she would like to see you someday. I told her about what happened yesterday, and she wants to know if you're all okay. Her full name is Mai Huzhima, if you want to visit her at the hospital. Good luck. I'm off to scout the area again. If you need me, same place, same time. If you really, really need me, I will find you, as long as you're patient."
That said, he turns back in direction of the temple, and walks under the gate. He becomes more transparent with each step, until he disappears.

[Ecksdee]

Well, it could be said without a doubt that Tindalos was certainly not on Octar's Christmas list. Yeesh. Sadako waved halfheartedly to the departing turtle, watching as he gradually vanished from site. Would he really be that easy to find if they needed him? The newly indoctrinated magical girl sighed, turning to her comrades-in-arms. "So... The parking garage at the mall, then?" She didn't wait for any nods of agreement before walking off, following behind Akiko.

[AmberVael]

Given that Akiko started walking as soon as Octar turned away, Sadako will probably be following her, rather than the other way around. She really doesn't waste any time.

While she walks, she speaks to the two new girls. "So, you probably picked it up from Octar, but I'm Akiko. This is Amaya, and Ami." She looks back over her shoulder to gesture at the two she names in turn, then faces towards their destination again, putting her hands in her pockets.

"You're getting into something really dangerous. You probably heard about the deaths at the school near here- twenty people killed- well, that was a youma. We dealt with it yesterday, but it's only one of many, and like Octar said, it wasn't one of the worst."
A flicker of her recent nightmare passes through her mind, the image of the monster straining out of its cover of darkness, leaving a hideous impression on the world while remaining unseen.

"You going to be up for this?"

[Ecksdee]

Sadako's mouth fell open. "A youma did that?" It'd been all over the news and had been all her classmates talked about for good awhile. For a single youma to slaughter that many people... Terrifying. She looked down at her feet as she walked, taking Akiko's warning to heart.

"I'm still in this. I can handle it." She hoped that sounded convincing enough. What kind of coward would she be if she turned tail and ran before even trying to fight a youma? She could never forgive herself if that happened.

"So exactly how long have you been doing this?" She looked from Akiko, to Amaya, to Ami, a curious look on her face.

[smuchmuch]

"Oh. So, it's really all true ?"
Someone had mentioned the whole class murdered to her during her first day, but while it was obvious something had happened to get rumour all worked up, she assumed what she heard of it were terribly exagerated, the kind of urban legend in the making you tell the new student to scare them or just plain make the place sound more interesting. (It might also occurs to her she might owe some excuses to uncle mamoru but that would be admiting even ot herslf she was too harsh and quick to judge him and so her ego quickly discards the though.)

But if anything it prooves she made the right choice. If youma go about killing people, much better to be the one coming to them with the power to hurt them rather than being defensless when they come to hurt you.
Tsukaka nodds vigourousl at Akiko's question. Come what may, she has magic now, she know it's coming, she will be up tot he task.
Probably, it's not like she ever 'tried fightign mosnter with magic before, how the hell would she know ?' but as much a much more honnest answer that'd be the hell if she's goign to admit it even to herself Sure thing. no doubts about it.

Tsukaka look at Akiko, the way she speak she sounds like she's been a magical girl for a while "What were the Youmas you fought before like ?"

[Lykan]

Amaya grimaces at the mention of the attack at the school, trying not to linger to long on the mental image of her slaughtered classmates. "Yeah. That was a youma. They're pretty twisted." She closes her eyes and rubs her temples, hoping to somehow massage the memory out of her brain. "And, uh... I think I've been doing this for a little over a week now? I can't speak for the others, though." She pauses, making a face. "Well, I might need to for Ami."

[DeafnotDumb]

Ami smirks at Amaya's comment, and decides to create some fun. Apple pear car key house road. She signs at the two new girls, nodding importantly, and then turns to Amaya. Will they think I've said something important? She asks.

[AmberVael]

"It's..." Akiko hesitates in the middle of answering Sadako's question. It really feels like she's been doing this longer than a couple of weeks. The way the magic flows through her hands, how quickly she sensed the youma as it appeared before them. But it's more than that. Like she should be remembering something else.

"It's been a while." The logical part of her mind tells her that she's lying. But the rest of her feels that she isn't. "Or maybe it just feels that way." She adds, making a bit of a compromise. "The one we fought yesterday was a bunch of strange symbols and a vaguely humanoid shape. It could split the runes apart and attack with them piece by piece, or inflict torment on your mind." Thoth, and the hieroglyphs... was it really just coincidence? The thought drifts to her as she describes the youma, but she pushes it aside for now. She had no answer.

"...I've been trying to track another, too. I've never seen it properly. Maybe I never will. It seems to hide in darkness like a bug beneath a table cloth, letting you only see an impression. But when it comes out, it's deadly." She keeps quiet the doubt in her mind that it was too powerful and fierce for her to face, perhaps even with the others backing her up.

Akiko glances at Ami as she signs, wondering what she was saying. She hadn't brought it up like Amaya had, but she'd taken a look at sign language as well... but unlike Amaya, had trouble really getting anywhere with it, if only because there were so many words to cover and so little time to learn them. Was that a sign for house? Maybe? She didn't recognize any of the others.

[Ecksdee]

Only a week? Sadako eyed Amaya suspiciously, wondering if she was being totally truthful. Though she had to be because what other reason would she have not to? Still, a week still made the girl a veteran when compared to Tsukaka and herself.

Akiko, on the other hand, answered in a way that perplexed her. "Do you mean... In some sort of odd past-life sense?" She blinked, wondering where that came from. "I mean er... Just a thought." Sadako laughed nervously and waved her hands around, feeling her cheeks redden.

Ami then took the time to sign something in her and Tsukaka's direction. Oh. She looked cluelessly at the mute girl, reaching up to scratch the back of her head. Yeah, she was stumped.