[Magical Burst] The Rune Revolution [IC]

[Mono Vertigo]

Mudohama, while nowhere as huge as Tokyo, is nonetheless a modern and rather big city, doubling as an unofficial international hub.
A crossroad for many strangers. Who don't remain strangers very long.
Mega World is Mudohama's biggest mall. A place of choice for the young, the lost and the idle.
On this Saturday afternoon, 5 girls are going to meet.

You are on the 3rd floor, wandering, or perhaps looking for a specific store. Suddenly, a small, slim, colourful critter runs dashing from behind a corner, and comes to a stop right at your feet, looking up at you insistently. It has a gem on its forehead. "Hello, Yuko!"
You are on the 3rd floor with Kenta, leaving the newest arcade after trying out pretty much every game; it's been a while since you've been able to spend the afternoon with your friend. In the corner of your eye, you notice a small, slim, colourful critter running away on tiny feet. You've never seen that kind of animal before/
You are on the 2nd floor. As you walk, you're starting to feel the atmosphere thickening, warm and chilly at the same time. Nazgul, having the most experience of the two, can tell it's a sign a youma is near, perhaps in this very building.
It's your first time walking in front of the candy store since your encounter with the Rune Revolution website, and you realize that you can't see clearly at all what's going on inside, despite the windows being perfectly transparent as far as you can remember; it's just a vague, shifting mass of colours and lights.

[jamieth]

Yuko wanders through the mall, guided by the saliva-inducing smell; by now, at was over a day since she ate properly since, though her magic (Magic. Yuko still can't believe she can think about it seriously.) allowed her to blend in the crowd, it did nothing to provide her any money (don't ask where she spent the last night... seriously, don't. (OK, it was in the school's nursery, but still)).

So, tired and hungry, she's completely taken by surprise by the... creature's appearance; turning at the voice, she slips and falls, "Eh? Someone called me?" she blinks, rubbing the... lower portion of her back.

[Merilan]

This sensation... they're here... where is it?

It hasn't been long since Nazgul first encountered Aoyama Yui and was able to help her with a problem of hers - and establish a bond with her as fellow Magical Girls. It's a good start; but Nazgul knows that they're going to need to find more, if they're going to push back against this oncoming problem.

The 16-year old steps through and puts her hand on one of the mall's railings, looking down towards the first. She has a demeanor and stature that often makes her seem -- older; she's rationed and reserved, rarely one for quick and sudden movements. She's relatively tall, at 5'8", and has particularly long and curled dark hair that matches well with her coffee-coloured skin. She's dressed in a long blue and white robe of Middle Eastern origin.

"Yui, a youma is here," she expresses gently to her friend. Being empathic goes a great way to adopting new languages, especially when you've been in Japan for a couple of months, but... it'll take longer before her accent can truly blend in. "Please be watchful."

She closes her eyes, and tries to focus outward and see if she can pinpoint where the youma is...

[Mono Vertigo]

Passerbys keep walking by, a couple snickering about the girl's fall, but not commenting at all the creature's presence. "Welcome to the Rune Revolution! I do not have much time to explain right now, because a youma - a monster - is here, but we are going to need your help fighting it." It wriggles its behind, ready to go. "There are more Magical Girls like you here. Follow me!"

You're trying to Locate Something, go ahead and roll.

[Merilan]

[roll0] Nazgul is opening her empathic sense to try to pick out the youma from the crowd.

[DoctorFaust]

You are on the 3rd floor with Kenta, leaving the newest arcade after trying out pretty much every game; it's been a while since you've been able to spend the afternoon with your friend. In the corner of your eye, you notice a small, slim, colourful critter running away on tiny feet. You've never seen that kind of animal before/

Haruko pushes a hank of hair out of her face, and turns to Kenta. "Hey, you know what the hell that thing is?" She grins wolfishly, and points at it. "Wanna see if we can catch it?"

[Estralita]

Yui's heartbreat began racing in excitement. Fighting a real battle, protecting people from dangers beyond their understanding wand working as a real Magical Girl duo-so cool! She graspted her transformation pendant, a thick, sparkling teardrop stone about twice as big as a marble, and felt the magic humming in it. May I help track it, Nazgul-senpai?

[Segrain]

The young, the lost and the idle. At the moment, it described the girl known as Takeda Kaori pretty well.

The "young" part was obvious. For her age of sixteen years, she looked almost frail. Thin figure, clad in simple white dress and with white ribbon in her long black hair, could easily be lost in a vivid and colourful crowd of the mall's visitors. The "idle" part was not much different. Having already bought what she really needed, the girl just kept aimlessly wandering, herself not knowing why or wherefore. Perhaps she just got lost on her way through the huge halls of the Mega World.

But the only place where Takeda Kaori was truly lost was in her own mind. She had much to think for the last week, yet she still did not know what to do with those thoughts. From the quietness of visiting the graveyard to the busy and loud shops in the mall, nothing could give Kaori any relief, and so she just kept going forward, not paying much attention to her surroundings. She almost walked past a certain candy store...

Almost. Staring through windows on something that she was not going to buy was not in her plans for the day. But what caught Kaori's eye was not just some merchandise. Something was wrong, with the shop, with her eyes or with her head - and at the moment she was not going to discard the last thought as unbelievable. And still, Kaori stopped staring and walked further on her way.

Of course, she did not go far. It would be unbecoming, not to mention just silly, to walk in the store and ask what is wrong with them. But as soon as a glance at the next shop's window confirmed that Kaori's eyesight was as sharp as ever and neither she nor entire world had gone mad, the girl turned back.

And, once again checking that the store did not look the way it always did and was always supposed to look, - was everyone else in the mall just ignoring it? - Kaori entered the door. Maybe it was just an imagination of too tired mind... but if it was not, she needed to know what it was.

[Merilan]

I can't locate it... there's a lot of voices-- emotions around here... Nazgul opens her eyes, and looks to Yui with a warm smile. "Yes, please. I'm not having much luck on my end. Too much noise."

[Mono Vertigo]

Nazgul can't sense anything meaningful indeed. However, a security guard starts approaching with a suspicious frown. He's not saying anything nor coming too close to the duo, but he's visibly following and observing them.
The door resists for a mere half second, long enough for a rune to flash on it. Then, it gives way.
The interior of the store is no longer a store at all, but a whole other world, coloured pink and bright hues. It smells distinctly of caramel and fruits. But most of all, gigantic threads of sugar extend everywhere. Cotton candy, some threads visibly fuzzy and sticky and some thick and dry, converging toward one point in the distance like a great spiderweb.
At this instant, Kaori is still standing on the last bit of paved ground before the unreal world takes over. There's enough room for turning back, or a few other people to stand on it.
Speaking of which, somebody else pushes the door and walks in slowly. A young boy with expressionless eyes, absentmindedly munching on candies, his torso ensnared by threads of cotton candy.

[You are in a Nightmare but not quite on the Battlefield yet. FYI, Flower Garden is obviously Rough Terrain, being full of sticky candy and all. You'll distinctly notice which other parts are Rough Terrain should you walk further.]
Kenta turns to Haruko, somewhat confused: "... what thing? Did I miss something?"

[Merilan]

Nazgul spares a glance towards the security guard, a personal kind of worry flush over her for a moment. Are my thoughts-- leaking again? She glances to Yui, and thinks, No-- keep your thoughts together, Nazgul. Help Yui.

She closes her eyes, and focuses her energy to help her friend tune her senses to the youma's.

I'm using the Help action to boost Yui's Locate roll.

[jamieth]

More Magical Girls? Youma?! Fight?! One of the first things Yuko tried upon learning about her ability was to replicate Reiko's armor - only to learn that, in reality, it's kinda hard to move in, not to mention embarrassing in public... And even wearing it, she totally couldn't punch through a wall. So...
Despite retelling the creature all that, Yuko still followed the creature. Because, well, she did accept the offer, and the creature mentioned a Rune Revolution, and it's not like Yuko had anything better to do in this time...

[DoctorFaust]

Kenta turns to Haruko, somewhat confused: "... what thing? Did I miss something?"

"What, you're telling me you don't see it?" Haruko points over to where she saw it, and then grabs Kenta by the hand and starts dragging him after her. "C'mon, let's go! It'll be an adventure!"

[Mono Vertigo]

Kenta follows, still oblivious, but amused. "Alright, what was that? Is it the Goblin Rabbit from that what's-its-name hack'n'slash? It was pretty clingy, wouldn't surprise me it kept stalking you even after game's over!"
The ferret-like creature, after disappearing behind a corner, runs back, followed by another girl. "Haruko! You signed up for the Rune Revolution, remember? There is a monster here, a youma. Now you're a Magical Girl, you're able to fight it before it attacks more innocents. Here is Yuko, she's like you. Follow me, we have to find the other Magical Girls to help you." It turns back before running off. "Anybody who's not a Magical Girl can't see or hear me, if your friend comes with us, he might face great dangers!"

The ferret-like creature runs back; it stops in front of another teen girl, dragging along a boy. "Haruko! You signed up for the Rune Revolution, remember? There is a monster here, a youma. Now you're a Magical Girl, you're able to fight it before it attacks more innocents. Here is Yuko, she's like you. Follow me, we have to find the other Magical Girls to help you." It turns back before running off. "Anybody who's not a Magical Girl can't see or hear me, if your friend comes with us, he might face great dangers!"

[Estralita]

Okay! Yui said cheerfully, oblivious to anyone taking an interest in them.

[roll0]

[Mono Vertigo]

[You rolled 2d6 but forgot to add your Insight (4) and the Help bonus (3 due to having a rank 3 relationship), so that's a 14 total.]

You feel a intruder somewhere down but not all the way, on the 1st floor.
At the same moment, the security guard picks up his walkie-talkie and briefly listens to it, nodding slowly to himself and going "hmm-hmm". He steps closer to the two girls and speaks sternly: "Young ladies, you have to show me the content of your bags, please."

[Merilan]

Nazgul tries her best to keep her thoughts quiet, though she -- doesn't actually carry a bag. She owns so little in person, and today is no different. "I do not have a bag with me, mister..." she speaks softly, and looks to Yui with a polite smile.

[DoctorFaust]

"Wha-" Haruko says, her mouth agape. "Hey! No, come back, you goddamn weasel! Argh!" Haruko drops Kenta's hand, and starts off after the critter. "I'm sorry, Kenta! Meet me at the entrance in an hour, and I'll buy you a crepe. And then whoop your ass at DDR again!"

[Estralita]

Yui does not immediately notice the guard talking to them, focusing on her spell, but Nazgul-sempai's response brought her back. "Okay, then!" she replied, willing but slightly confused. What exactly did he expect to find? Still, she opened up her purse.

[Segrain]

As far as Kaori could remember, suddenly appearing symbols were not particularly common among store's decorations. But neither were windows that show something incomprehensible, so if her memory was somehow wrong, it was at least consistently so. Therefore, it was only a matter of walking inside to see what else she could misremember about otherwise entirely normal shop...

At least, it probably was normal, since nobody else seemed to pay it any attention. Entering the door, Kaori expected to see something that made sense. It took her several seconds of staring at what she was seeing - if she was not imagining it - to understand that it is certainly not the case. No amount of decorations could make the world look like that. No amount of blinking and rubbing her eyes could make the strange sight disappear. Either her mind finally broke, or reality was not what she believed it to be.

Suspecting herself of being crazy was probably not the most normal reaction. But Kaori already doubted her memory after what happened a week ago, and it was easier to believe than any other possible explanation - not that she had any of those. She was going to turn away, leave and find somebody normal. Of course, it was then that somebody else walked in. And at the sight of the boy, Kaori started doubting her thoughts again.

No. Whatever was going on inside this weird store, it actually existed. Everybody else seemed to either ignore it or walk into it like a moth towards the flame. If she somehow could see it and yet not get caught in it, she had to see how deep the rabbit's hole - or spider's web, as it was - went.

Carefully, trying to avoid everything sticky, Kaori made first step into the weirdness. She considered for a moment trying to talk with the boy, but he probably understood what was going on even less than she did - and so the girl just went forward.

[Mono Vertigo]

The guard pulls open Yui's bag to take a better look. He looks up, distrustful, to stare at the two girls' faces. He grabs his walkie-talkie again. "Yeah, the two girls match the description. No, only one has a bag. It's not in it. Yeah. Yeah."
He puts it back on the side of his belt. "Let's do it the easy way. You wouldn't have... happened to have... forgotten a bag anywhere or thrown anything in a trash can by mistake?"

The boy keeps walking forward, ignoring Kaori's presence completely.
As both him and you step into the fantastic world, your feet land on a patch of extremely sticky cotton candy. Your shoes are quickly covered in them.
The boy makes a half-hearted effort to get his legs out the sugary trap, but gives up quickly. His movements produce faint vibrations along the non-sticky threads.
A big shape stars moving at the center of the web. There is a huge, round shape, from which the long threads of cotton candy are produced. Four, no, eight white and red sharpened candy canes animate very slowly, very elaborately moving one by one to raise the rest of the body.
Some colourful chunks of sweets emerge from the angles of the cotton candy web. One of them looks like corn candy carved into a human skull.
The boy gazes silently at the awakening monster. He eats more sweets.
While you feel like you have time to react, you are also becoming aware that you're likely not going to be strong enough on your own to beat the giant creature, even with powers. You'd need help.

[You notice that Flower Garden (where you are now standing), Purgatory, and Abyss are all Rough Terrains. The youma is at Abyss. Until everybody else gets here, the fight will only officially start if you decide to attack the youma.]

[Merilan]

Nazgul steps back by instinct, more than anything - the man's demeanor is aggressive, and she can rather plainly feel it. It pulsates around him, stinging at the back of Nazgul's mind in a numb and unsettling manner. This pressure... what is this...?

The dark-haired girl clears her throat, keeping her stature and posture as relaxed as is possible. She then says, "I did not bring a bag to this mall, mister." She follows up and asks, gently, "Is something the matter? Are you looking for something?"

Her mind's eye is narrowing, as she attempts to get a sense of why the mall security's acting terribly hostile...

2d6+9 - Result 14 (rolled in OOC)

[Mono Vertigo]

There's nothing unnatural about his intentions: he's looking for shoplifters and is trying to work with an indirect description. He's trying to find something valuable, like make-up or jewelry. He's particularly annoyed because his son, who was supposed to accompany him at work, walked away, and he's too busy to look for him.
Of course, he says none of this, and just glares sternly, almost expecting the stolen item to appear out of thin air.

[jamieth]

"But I can't fight!" Yuko exclaims, "I tried, I even summoned Rune Soldier Reiko's armor, and it doesn't give me super strength our anything..."

[Merilan]

Nazgul's eyes blink twice, and then she makes a face as if she's just realised something. "Oh! We saw two girls hurry off with a handful of compact cases a moment ago -- headed that way. Are they who you are looking for?" She points to the direction of a likely exit.

[Mono Vertigo]

The guard blinks, but quickly seizes the opportunity. "Sorry, ladies", he quips, before switching to his walkie-talkie and walking away quickly: "It's not these ones, I just need to catch up with..."
As he leaves, a small, colourful critter arrives quickly, trotting on tiny feet, closely followed by two other girls. "... might have come across the youma already. Nazgul! Yui! Please follow me!", it exclaims.


Kenta raises an eyebrow in disbelief, but nonetheless waves at his friend with a grin.
The ferret rushes down the 2nd floor, using the stairs. "I will explain how to fight, don't worry about that! You got the power to protect yourself and others, it'll come more naturally than you think if you're in danger!" Its triangular gem gives a soft glow. "There are two other girls on this floor. There was a fifth one, but her presence has become faint. I'm afraid she might have come across the youma already." It arrives near two girls, one of which is tanned and a bit older. "Nazgul! Yui! Please follow me!"

[Segrain]

Takeda Kaori had very strict upbringing.

Just like any other proper girl of her age would be in her place, she was paralysed with terror at the sight. For a brief moment, all other concerns disappeared, and there was only one thought left in her mind: "Mother is going to kill me". Things like monsters and dragons, scary as they could be, belonged in fairytales and on gameboards. Ruined shoes were undeniably mundane and implied predictable consequences. They were real... but if they were, so was whatever caused their condition.

And that thought was actually less scary. Like any other proper child of her family, Kaori was raised to understand a simple tenet: those who are older should care for those who are younger and protect them. Second of two siblings, and a girl besides that, she rarely had a cause to obey it. But at the moment, the other child was the youngest, he could not do anything, and therefore being a girl did not even... oh no, it did matter. Perhaps women were not supposed to fight like men were. But sometimes they had to protect their homes and children - and woe betide any attacker who underestimated it.

Tug. Tug, again and once again. Her shoes were stuck in the sticky candy (and even if Kaori could clean them, her mother was not going to be amused). It did not matter. She was not trying to free herself - but as the threads of sweet web were set in motion, the monster on the other end should had learned that his first prey is accompanied by somebody bigger and stronger.

And she was not going to wait for it like trapped fly. Carefully slipping out of her stuck shoes, now barefoot girl looked around and jumped. She was far from being the best in the class at physical education, but she was not even trying to reach the safe and clean spot. All that Takeda Kaori was trying to achieve was placing herself between a child and a monster.

She did not know what she was going to do afterwards. But that was a thought for another moment.

[Estralita]

Yui blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of the two girls and the creature. Gripping her pendant to be safe, she approached the group. Is this about the youma on the first floor? Are we supposed to fight it? She glanced towards Nazgul-senpai for guidance.

[Merilan]

Nazgul takes a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, putting her hand to the railing again when the guard leaves. She comes to grips with the fact that her worst fear was unrealised. Calm down, Nazgul... stay in control. Your thoughts are still your own, they aren't going everywhere...

Which is on cue, when the ferret comes across the both of them. She blinks once, unaware of who the creature may be -- but several girls accompany him, and he speaks the keyword -- 'youma' --

Her eyes glaze over towards Yuko and Haruko first and foremost. This sensation... are they also-- Magical Girls?

No time to hesitate. She nods to Yui and says, "If there are nearby victims already, then we need to act now. Good work on locating the youma -- let's go, Yui." She turns towards the other two and says, in what is hopefully a reassuring manner, "My name is Nazgul - I will explain as necessary. Please don't worry."

She goes, to follow the creature and Yui's sense of where the creature is -- the first floor.

[Mono Vertigo]

The rest of the creature's body rises.
It's a huge spider, with candy canes for legs, and a hard, glistening, bright exoskeleton, and soft gummy fangs and a half-transparent abdomen like a cotton candy machine. It's about 5 meters high.
The pocket dimension is little more than its own web; the rest of the landscape only exists to provide supports for the web to hang from.
And it is now approaching its first target: the entranced boy. He's not reacting; he keeps eating, and his torso is still tied in cotton candy, as if he'd been fished out from the real world into the sweet spider's. It's walking forward with very deliberate steps that somehow don't make the threads vibrate the way people's do. Only it knows which threads are safe to touch.
It's not entirely clear which one of you it's intending to do... what? Eat? Wrap in a nauseously sweet cocoon? Worse?
At any rate it's a gigantic spider and it's moving toward you, not an event you expected when you were warned about monsters, and even your ankles are stuck.
Shielding the kid is definitely a brave action, but one can't be brave without also being scared.

[And now you roll to Stay Calm. On a 12-14 you take an Overcharge - I let you decide which Attribute gets it. On a 11 or less, you also try to get away from the threat (and roll to Escape).
By the way, the youma has now moved from Abyss into Hades.]

[DoctorFaust]

"Hey, don't take me for some other city chump, I've fought before!" Haruko calls as she skids around the corner after the ferret. "Ah, whoops."

Out of control, she bumps into the girl that just introduced her self as Yui, and grabs a hold of her to keep her balance. "Heh, sorry about that," she says, pulling herself completely to her feet. "I'm Haruko. Now c'mon! Let's go kick its bits in." With that, she starts after Nazgul at a run.

[Segrain]

There was only so much fear that one girl's heart could endure, no matter how noble were her intentions. And after already assured threat of parental wrath, there just was not enough place left for something like huge monstrous candy spider. Not that there was enough place for it at all. Not that there was a place for it anywhere in the world. It just did not belong. It was impossible. And yet, somehow, it actually was.

Kaori was certain that she was stuck once again. Not for the lack of trying; she struggled against the sweet grip since the second when it touched her skin. But, apparently, she was stronger than she thought - and when her heart started racing in her chest, her legs followed. She was free once again - if somebody controlled by an outburst of emotions could be considered free in any manner. She just was moving, as if it somehow was preferential to standing still.

The boy did not seem to share that opinion. He just stood as calmly as before, completely ignoring both her intervention and her cowardice; and looking at him, Kaori was ready to start cursing herself. "I will find help..." - whispered her trembling voice, trying to reassure more herself than somebody oblivious to her existence. "I pro..." - she glanced at the approaching spider and corrected her word choice. - "I swear".

She did not quite remember how she stumbled towards more stable ground. Walking barefoot through a mass of candy was difficult, but she did not care. Maybe if she got stuck and useless once again, she could then at least stop hating herself. Running away from danger and leaving others in it was not what the girl by name of Takeda Kaori was supposed to ever do. And she knew that she was stronger than she thought before. Something was just within her reach, waiting to be used. And she made an oath to find help, no matter how or where.

The girl turned around and clenched her fists. Her fear took control of her just once. But she was not going to let any emotion ever do it again.

[jamieth]

Yuko looked around. "S-so... does anyone know what's happening here?" At least thwere's four of them... five? the creaqture said one girl likely already stumbled across the Youma... well, in that case... she probably had to follow the one with experience, right? Yuko turned to the foreign-looking girl, "So... what do we have to do now? It's... on the first floor, right?"

[Merilan]

Nazgul keeps her sprint up, looking back towards Yuko. "There's a youma here, as he said, a very dangerous creature. If you are willing to fight, then please, come with us, and lend us your strength. If not, please stay back -- we'll protect you." She brushes through the crowd, abandoning subtlety as her heart begins to sink a little in concern. Has it already caught its victim? She can only hope they're not too late. "I'll explain more when we get there."

[Mono Vertigo]

The ferret leads the four girls in front of a candy store on the first floor. Well, only the sign on the facade indicates clearly it's supposed to be one; the only thing seen beyond the window are shifting lights, something passerbys are paying no attention to, just like the ferret that looks like it got paint spilt all over its fur and with a triangular gem on its forehead.
And that can talk.
"There it is. The monster awakened only minutes ago. Hopefully-"
At this moment, Kaori opens the door, with fear in her eyes. A rune briefly flashes on the door as she does so. Though one can only glimpse at the interior of the store for a split second, it doesn't look like a human-built place at all.
"There you are! Kaori!", it exclaims, clapping its front legs happily. "You're okay now! There's enough of us to fight the youma before it can make victims."
It turns towards the other girls. "Actually, you will fight. I do not have the capacity to fight alongside you, but I can guide you. The youma has turned this place into its own pocket dimension. We call that a Nightmare. Normal people can't see it, so they won't see you fighting inside it either. The five of you have powers, now, and you can transform to use them. Just don't transform where people can see you, or they'll recognize you. There's enough of you to beat the monster without trouble."
Finally, it leans against the door to open it. The rune appears again.
"My name is Prismy, and I shall help you to the best of my abilities for this battle. Let's go!"



[Everybody is united at last.
Once you enter the Nightmare, you'll reach the battlefield after only a couple steps of normal ground. It is a gigantic cotton candy web in a candy land. A kid is stuck at Flower Garden (which is Rough Terrain, as well as Purgatory and Abyss); he's not aware of his surroundings and munching candies. The Rough Terrain is the parts of the spider web that are thick, sticky cotton candy.
The youma is a 5-meter high spider with candy cane legs. It started approaching the kid before the party arrived; it's standing at Purgatory right now.

First player who posts gets initiative; as per the rule, they shall then pass the initiative to whoever they want who didn't already get it this round, Magical Girl or youma. Prismy doesn't get its own turns and can only talk and move around.
Please strike out the name of whoever already acted during this round at the end of each of your post. Once everybody got struck out, another round begins, started with whoever was tagged.

Yui
Kaori
Nazgul
Yuko
Haruko
Youma]

[DoctorFaust]

"Alright then Prismy. IKUZO!" Haruko leap forwards towards the door, clapping her hands together. When she passes through it, a top hat drops out of the air and onto her head, and she grabs a spear that appeared out of the air in her right hand. After another step, a red dress blooms around her, and her normal clothes are covered in a tight black leotard. As her transformation completes, two large ribbons appear on the tips of her dress, and she starts running forwards, hopping from strand to strand of cotton candy as best she can with the stickiness.

Two movements to get to Elysium, passing initiative to Nazgul

Yui
Kaori
Nazgul
Yuko
Haruko
Youma

[Merilan]

Nazgul bursts in through the candy store front, entering the Nightmare proper. It's a scene she's seen before -- not a scene she's been capable of major success in. But perhaps, tonight will be different. Tonight has been a night of many differences already -- four... no, five Magical Girls. A strange ferret that knows more about this situation than most anyone she's encountered in the last four years. Tonight, she'll have answers. Advance forward. Make some sense of this entire ordeal. Enable her to let other Magical Girls cope better.

"Tonight, it all changes. Nazgul bint al-Rashid, Quantum Heart: Access!"

The Kurdish girl's body erupts into a bounded field of photons -- she has become a superposition of cohered quantum particles, each brimming with unobserved potential, possessing the duality of both wave and particle. A surge of magic in the form of elementary particles rushes from the bottom of her form -- her hair flutters out in a wide expanse, long locks flowing outward into double helices at their ends.


-= QUANTUM HEART SYSTEM =-
Density Matrix: Established.
Eliminating Uncertainty in Probability Distribution: Completed.
Pure State Ensemble: Completed.
Collapse Postulate, Formalised: Renormalising.
Wave-function Ψ... Collapse.
-= QUANTUM HEART SYSTEM =-

The fluttering shape of her long robe expands outwards to the blue-white armoured gown of Quantum Heart, layered upon a form-fitting suit underneath that ends with light gauntlets and greaves. A crested tiara with a square gem and fins snaps into place atop her crown. Small wing-like extensions, finally, burst outward, revealing a thin cascade of photons where the small heat vents open from her magical body. Green leylines coalesce into crystalline blades, hissing into a snap-fit upon her hands; their hilts are dynamic and white, folding seamlessly into each of her hands, as if they were nothing more than extensions of her arms. Her eyes open, and they are the eyes of one who would dare to try to see beyond the veil. The shimmering green field starts to expand out of her body as she works her Sorcery -- this is a risk, but it's a risk she needs to take, to be able to reach that dream of understanding she would bleed for...

"Transformation complete. Quantum Heart, joining the battle."

Major & Minor action to use Sorcery to create an Empathy Field that will enable the Magical Girls to feel the Youma's emotions and be able to speak with it. (Moderate 16) [roll0]
Yui has the next turn.

Yui
Kaori
Nazgul
Yuko
Haruko
Youma

[Mono Vertigo]

"That's how you do it!" shouts Prismy. "Just focus on transforming, and it'll happen! The fighting moves will come to you naturally as soon as you try using your weapons!"
As for Quantum Heart, her field fizzles out once it reaches the giant spider, and gets pulled back inside her, making her and the youma flash green simultaneously for a second.

[Descriptive post only, Yui's turn comes next as desired.]

[Estralita]

Yui smiled. This awas the first real time she had to work alongside Nazgul-sempai in a battle with a Youma. And not just her, as part of a whole magical girl team, protecting the innocent! Stars, watch over me! Shine bright!

In Yui's mind's eye, she stood in space, with stars all around her. At her words, shooting stars started flashing by , covering her hair and clothes in the shimmering powder. Finally, one shooting star struck her directly and her entire outfit exploded outwards, leaving her in a poofy black dress that shimmered like the stars, and silvery, flowing hair. Looking up, she saw one constellation just happened to look like a sword. Reaching towards it, Yui felt the Starlit Sabre become real in her hand, and pulled it free.Brandishing it triumphantly, Yui yelled out: Radiant Stardust Savior Yui, here to watch over the lost and scared!

Fortunately, the actual transformation didn't take that long to do, so Yui could enter the battle without delay. A little boy was in trouble, and it was up to her to try and get that candy spider away! And in some cases, the best defense was a good offense (although she had learned in her last fight with a Youma, defense was also important for defense)
In her hand, the Starlit Sabre grew, and grew, until it could reach across huge portions onto the battlefield. She swung at the Candy-Spider forcefully.

I think the way this works, I roll the 2d6, and add my attack stat, which is Heart. So Here goes:
[roll0]+6

I'm supposed to pick who goes next? I guess Yuko, then
Yui
Kaori
Nazgul
Yuko
Haruko
Youma

How do I put in strikethroughs?

[Mono Vertigo]

The sword chips at one of the spider's legs, leaving a dent. Gotta start somewhere.

[1 damage. Also, to strike out text, use the button with ABC struck struck out, or use those tags without the asterisks: [*/s].


[S]Yui
Kaori
Nazgul
Yuko
Haruko
Youma]

[jamieth]

Seeing as the other girls fearlessly - or, at least, without showing fear - dive into the battle, Yuko really had no choice. She wasn't that strong, or that smart... but she did wish to be a hero, and, even if she had no idea how to do it... she needed a weapon, first thing first! But... magical weapons didn't exactly grew on trees... and there was no a tree in sight anyway. Yuko desperately pondered what magical items she could have... her clothes? No, she tested it already; they were just that - clothes... what else? Well... maybe... that thing that started everything?

Yuko reached into her skirt pocket and procured a Gameboy. She hit the power button, and... a rainbow filled the screen? But wait... her was a first generation... it didn't have a color screen in the first place! Except now it wasn't just a screen. Rainbow was everywhere... even Yuko herself turned into a silhouette of swirling colors. And then... Yuko almost sweared - though she was a good girl, and wouldn't actually swear, of course. This is how she's supposed to fight monsters? No, telling the truth, it wasn't all that bad; in fact, she had to admit, a frilly dress with white stockings and ballet shoes was kinda cute, but... that wasn't an armor. Not really. And the thing in her hand... it was a wand, no matter how you look at it. Again, a pretty one, with a large seven-pointed star on its tip - every point of a different color of the rainbow, of course - but it certainly didn't look like something she could hit the spider with.

"Rainbow..." Heh? what am I saying? Why is my arm moving on it's own? "Spiral!" without any conscious input, Yuko's hand swung the wand towards the spider and a multicolored ray shot towards it.

Ranged Attack is [roll0]+3; possible overcharge dice: [roll1]
Damage is [roll2]

Passing to Youma

[Mono Vertigo]

This time, the youma ducks with surprising swiftness considering its speed earlier.
Then, it counter-attacks.
First, it aims at Quantum Heart with its abdomen and shoots a stream of pink cotton candy, thick and lashing like a whip. It might stick and partially wrap her in a cocoon.
But it's not over; it aims roughly at other Magical Girls to shoot blue streams this time, more sticky but less hindering overall, allowing .
Once it's all done, it steps back cautiously without turning to see where it is going; it knows its web like the back of its (non-existent) hand.
You can hear the youma's "thoughts".
I AM VERSION: AREOP-ENAP

JOIN THIS WORLD
EMBRACE SWEET UNTIL IT TAKES OVER

YOU WANTED TO FIND ME, DIDN'T YOU?
JOIN ME FIRST



[Ranged Attack against Nazgul: [roll0]+4 EDIT: with the Overcharge, that's +8 on top of that.
Damage: [roll1]+1 EDIT: with the Overcharge in the attack roll, that's +4 on top of that.
If it hits, it also Binds Nazgul.

Everybody in Flower Garden also needs to beat this Support challenge (including Nazgul): [roll2]+3
Whoever can't gets Stunned.

Finally, after doing both, the youma moves back into Hades.

In case of exploding dice/Overcharge: [roll3]

Kaori goes next.

Yui
Nazgul
Haruko
Yuko
Kaori
Youma

By the way, consider transformation as a free action.]

[Merilan]

This pressure... again...! Quantum Heart is distracted at her failed attempt to reach out; for a moment, she doubts if she has the strength to bridge the connection the way she wants... she distractedly slashes at the first of the candy streams, and it splits in two. However, a second stream comes in - recovering from her parry, Quantum Heart is webbed tight, her torso bound from her forearm up.

"A version...? Areop-Enap...?" Quantum Heart mumbles to herself, grimacing as her movements become restricted. She needs to initate contact. She can't falter here. She needs to know.

She turns to Kaori, the other girl who'd been in here before the four of them entered, and addresses her. Is she the fifth that the ferret mentioned? But she looks stricken... "It's dangerous here - you'll be caught in our fighting! If you do not wish to fight, please turn back to safety!"

Defense roll: (2d6)[1][1](2) + 8 - the Youma hits, Nazgul takes 2 damage and is bound.
Support challenge: (2d6)[3][3](6) + 5 - Nazgul isn't stunned (ties, and Nazgul's base stat is higher)
Overcharge dice: (2d6)[6][2](8)

I'm also using Power Dampener as a Free to remove 1 Support Overcharge from myself due to the 1 I rolled.

Resolve: 16 / 18 (Status: Bound)

[Segrain]

How many times can one mind doubt the reality in just five minutes? Kaori had already lost the count, but as far as she was concerned, the correct answer was "too much". Talking encrusted ferret did not even surprise her anymore. At least it was not five metres tall or trying to eat anybody... unlike a certain thing... that was still there behind her... advancing... approaching...

The girl shook her head. Just like the boy who was trapped in the candy world, those weird girls pretty much ignored her existence. But at least they looked like they knew what they were doing - not a small achievement, considering that whatever they were actually doing did not look like anything that human beings were ever meant to know. Was it an explosion? A star? A rainbow? How could anything of it possibly be happening indoors, not that it would be more believable elsewhere?

Kaori blinked. Just like her mind, her eyes could only take so much assault before surrendering and declaring entire world crazy. By contrast, she seemed completely out of place in all the magic. Still pale like a westerner from her recent scare, she tried to follow the girls inside, but what could she do? One of them - the weirdest of them all - even deigned to finally notice Kaori's presence and dared to suggest that she should retreat to safety...

Perhaps she actually did look stricken before. But that remark slapped Takeda Kaori harder than any strike that she had ever received. At any day before, she would repay it in kind - but she just gave herself a promise to keep her emotions in control, and she was going to stay true to her words. Silently, insulted girl only shook her head. And what was pretending to be a ribbon in her hair flew freely in the air.

No blinding flashes or colourful lights. No deafening battle cries. The world just was cut in two. Before and after. Black and white. Everything else, that stood still, and unfurling sheet of paper, that covered her head to toe and folded into something else. And then the time continued.

Takeda Kaori looked at herself with a puzzled expression. Dress that was on her a second ago was not anymore - but she could not tell what exactly she was wearing instead, because her new clothes were covered by a layer of armour. An actual armour, just like something that one of her far ancestors could be wearing in combat, except that nobody ever had an armour made of pristine white paper. She looked more like a complicated origami figurine. She even could see folds, with details impossible without original sheet being thin to the point of being two-dimensional.

And if anyone still had any doubts about the armour's material, on her chest plate was written a single hieroglyph. Even though it was flawlessly calligraphic, reading from the angle of her eyes was difficult - but this particular symbol Kaori had seen upside down a lot. "銀". "Silver". Presumably, something similar was written on her back too, but girl's black hair, now freely falling from under paper helmet, covered it from sight.

Of course, Takeda Kaori could admire her new shining armour only so long. Something blue was trying to stain the perfectly black and white shape, and it could not be allowed. Girl shielded herself with left hand - and paper armour proved to be actually protecting, allowing her to grab the threads with no harm. She clenched the right one in a fist - and new sheet unfurled from it, black on one side and white on another, folding into a weapon with long dark shaft and slightly curved light blade.

With a short swing, Kaori cut the threads off her hand. With a side glance, she finally answered to Nazgul. "Stay in safety if you wish. I turn my back to it to join the fight", - said she without any trace of bygone fear. And without any doubt, made a first step forward.


Empower: Calm.
Two movements to Elysium.

Turn order
Moved in round 2: none.
Next to move: Yui.
Yet to move: Haruko, Kaori, Nazgul, Yuko, youma.

[Estralita]

Seeing Nazgul-senpai hit like that jolted Yui. Of course, it was to be expected. The youma wasn't going to just let them kill it. But for a moment...

But it wasn't like that. Nazg-Quantum Heart in battle-was fine. And as the Candy Spider scurried away, she knew Stardust Savior was needed. Even her giant sword wasn't going to be enough to hit it this time. After a thought, Yui shrunk the sabre to normal size. The second it was done, Yui threw the sabre at the Spider. And while the Starlit Sabre may have flown across the field like a shooting star, leaving stardust in it's trail, Yui focused on making it do something that a shooting star wouldn't: come back. And bring the Youma with it.

So yeah, assuming this hits, Yui uses Get Over Here! to drag the Candy Spider closer. Quick question: if the attack misses, does Yui still get the Overcharge?

[roll0]+6 (Heart)
[roll1]

Next turn is... Haruko!

Yui
Kaori
Nazgul
Yuko
Haruko
Youma

[DoctorFaust]

Haruko lets out a whoop as she sees the various weapons flying at the Youma, and likewise launches her spear at it. It leaves her hand with a flash of light, and she yells, "Diamond cutter!". While it's still in flight, she extends her arms towards the creature, overlapping her thumbs and pointer fingers to form a triangular shape, and begins chanting gibberish that reshapes the air around her, creating a could of pitch-black quills that launch out at the Youma.

Ranged attack for my major actino, since I'm pretty sure its within range whether or not Get Over Here lands.
[roll0]+9=19
[roll1]

Minor action to use Hex.

Kaori is up next.
Yui
Kaori
Nazgul
Yuko
Haruko
Youma

[Mono Vertigo]

The spider youma - called Areop-Enap, according to Nazgul - dodges another hit, shifting its whole mass to the side in time to avoid the shooting star; the sabre flies back into its owner's hand.
However, in doing so, it places itself right in the way of the quills, which plant themselves all over its exoskeleton. It opens a small mouth, from which emerge two large gummy fangs, and hisses angrily.
One can notice on the battefield that there are some large candy corns stuck in the web. Some look skull-shaped.
As for the boy, fortunately, he's unharmed, merely half-cocooned. The spider won't get to hurt him as long as it hasn't taken care of the Magical Girls fighting it first.

Prismy jumps around, having barely escaped the strands as well. "That's right! Don't allow it to retreat! It's relying a lot on the features of its Nightmare for Defense!"



[Youma takes 6 damage total. It's got 1 Hex and will start taking damage from it next round. It's still in Hades.
Yui does take 1 Overcharge even if the attack attempt failed.
It's still Kaori's turn next.]

[Segrain]

In a certain sense, Takeda Kaori got lucky. She still did not quite understand what was happening, even if she was ready to believe in magic together with monsters. She got involved in it, and she was going to do the best that she could - but just what was she even supposed to do? The question would remain unanswered, had she found herself in, for example, attire of the rainbow girl. But magic granted her the armour, magic gave her a real weapon - and that she could understand. Her duty was clear.

She just had to come close enough to actually use it. For all the experience that other girls probably had with doing this, they were not too eager to chase the giant spider. Perhaps she should had considered that there could be a reason for that. But as Kaori kept going forward, all others were left behind her armoured back, and that formation was good enough for her. Besides, naginatas were never meant to be thrown (and neither were swords, but it was not the time to criticise the way others fought).

Still, she was not yet close enough. Her boots (thankfully, whatever clothes magic saw fit to provide together with her armour included something to cover her feet) did not stick to the web too easy, but she still had to tread carefully. If she was going to use her weapon in appropriate manner, there were still few more steps to make, and spider probably was not going to wait for her...

...however, proper usage of weapons was not that much common on their battlefield. And if sheet of magical paper that made up her armour could take blows from a giant monster, the fold of a similar sheet that formed her blade probably could harm it too. And so, stopping on a web thread that was not sticky enough to hold her in place against her will, the girl moved her grip to the very end of the shaft, rocked back and forth - and thrust, almost dropping into horizontal position to reach the monster with her stab.

And, trying not to give it time to react, straightened again, just in case stepping of the web of candy and once again holding her naginata in defensive position.


Movement to Purgatory.
Ranged attack: [roll0] (Overcharge: [roll1]) + 5 = 10. If hits, [roll2] damage and Reflector on herself.

Turn order
Acted in round 2: Yui, Haruko, Kaori
Next to act: Nazgul
Yet to act: Yuko, Areop-Enap

[Merilan]

What was that sudden change in emotion...? No -- there was none...? Quantum Heart's face barely changes, but inside, Nazgul is a little surprised at how quickly Kaori turned and armoured herself to join the battle. It jars her, as an empath -- how quickly the girl's emotions turned, and for a moment it was as if she could sense hurt as well. Did she say the wrong thing? But -- it was a good change, at least for this situation; she turns to observe the battle, for a few seconds. Both Yui's shooting star and Haruko's diamond attack gave the youma pause, and with it, the confidence that they can truly do this.

"Quanta, entering mixed state," announces Quantum Heart. In this form, her voice is deeper, adult; it's calm, but a little aloof at the same time. Suddenly, her body's recombobulated into unobservable particles once more -- for a moment, it's as if several states of Quantum Heart exist at the same time, one bound and stuck by the candy-like threads, the other free. And once observed, only the freed one remains, cascading off excess photons that shimmer off her body in a gossamer wave-particle pattern.

I need to get closer. It's the only way I'll be able to extract the truth from this creature and understand it.

"Quanta, entanglement phase..." Quantum Heart extends her palm, and her off-hand blade splits into five - it fragments into a two-dimensional bounded portal. Moments later, she's burst through to emerge at the forefront of the battle, mere spaces away from the candied spider youma, Areop-Enap. "Complete."

Minor Action: Remedy on self (remove Bound status)
Major Action: Teleport to Hades.

Resolve: 16 / 18 (1 Heart OC)

Turn order
Acted in round 2: Yui, Haruko, Kaori, Nazgul
Next to act: Yuko
Yet to act: Areop-Enap

[jamieth]

Just as expected, the rainbow wand proved to be not much of a weapon so far; Yuko couldn't really help others much with the spider... there was something she could do, however - or, at least, something made her hope - believe - she could. Kneeling besides the kid, she stroke him on the head gently and said, "Too much candy will make your teeth hurt... you don't want your teeth to hurt, do you? You want to get out, right? Don't worry, onee-san would get you out... just... a moment..."
As she said it, she pushed the starry tip of her wand against the cocoon, trying to cut it; the stupid thing must be good for something after all, "one... moment... Whoah!" the wand burst with multicolored energy again, striking the cocoon with sucvh a force that Yuko was pushed back by the force and ended up on her butt again. Hopefully, it wasn't in vain at least...

Sorcery to free the kid, spending both actions, using Boost: [roll0]+8, with possible overcharge: [roll1]

Yui
Yuko
Kaori
Nazgul
Haruko
Areop-Enap

[Mono Vertigo]

All the supernatural sugar wrapping the kid bursts into translucent particles, including the cotton candy rope around his torso.
He finally blinks, and regains a sparkle of life in his eyes, though his mental absence turns to complete confusion. "Huuuuuh... huh... what's going on... where... where am I?"
His eyes trail the landscape but don't focus on any element besides Yuko, as if blind.
Prismy scuttles behind Yuko. "You broke his trance! But without the gift of magic, he can't sense Nightmare or youma. Or me, for that matter. However, since you're human even when transformed, he can still interact with you."

Again, the spider dodges deftly, even though its legs don't leave the web.
It opens its mandible. The fangs, soft-looking and almost transparent, don't look menacing at first, but it nonetheless attempts to bite Nazgul with them. Then, it shoots another burst of cotton candy toward Haruko.
Cracks start forming in the exoskeleton, caused by the diamond shards stuck there. It's not dexterous enough to take them out, and besides, they're in deep.
It thinks again.

YOU WERE LOOKING FOR ME

THERE I AM

ANGRY
WHY ARE YOU NOT JOINING ME


Melee attack against Nazgul: [roll0]+5
Damage: [roll1]+3
Overcharge: [roll2]

Ranged attack against Haruko: [roll3]+5
Damage: [roll4]+3
If it hits, Haruko is Bound.
Overcharge: [roll5]

Youma takes 1 damage from the Hex as the new round starts.
Kaori goes next.

Youma/Areop-Enap
Kaori
Yuko
Nazgul
Yui
Haruko

[Segrain]

Of course, it was not the most effective maneuver to use against five metres tall spider in its natu... well, obviously unnatural, but still native environment. But who can be blamed for not knowing the right way to fight such a monster? School biology classes were completely silent on the subject of fighting with melee weapons against gigantic arachnids, even though topic like this could probably keep attention of the schoolboys much better - and, as Kaori was not at all glad to learn, be surprisingly helpful to certain schoolgirls. Still, she at least believed that she could figure the right answer by trial and error faster than her armour would fail her.

However, she was not alone in that, and not everyone enjoyed the benefits of wearing something so protective. Nazgul's sudden appearance only gave Kaori a moment to wonder just how did she do that, and then monster noticed her too. Interesting thing about towering over your enemies: it is not only intimidating in itself, but when you descend to strike a blow, they actually have some time to be frightened. Or, if they have no fear, to do something really, really stupid. Interesting thing about being only five metres tall: you do not give them much time to think.

Kaori could not run fast enough to keep up with the teleporting girl. Not when the ground was covered in something so sticky. But she still had to get between her and monster in time, and there was only one way to do it. Already on a running start, Takeda Kaori pushed her weapon against what passed for a floor in this world and jumped straight into the fangs' path. If the monster was going to start biting, they could as well figure out how much it is able to chew.

That actually turned out better than it had any right to be. Fangs probably were not the most vulnerable organ in spider's body, but midair naginata's swing made them retreat nonetheless - and as the only consequence of jumping into monster's attack, Kaori was thrown down its path and right into Nazgul, shoving already injured girl out of the way just in case. But spider already switched its attention to another target.

This time, she could not be fast enough by any reasonable means. She could not jump high enough even with her newfound magical agility. But the beast was going to hurt somebody whom she was trying to protect before she abandoned her position, and therefore, it was her fault and her responsibility. Even if she could not be in two places at once.

Or could she? The foreign looking girl did something just like that. Was magic capable to move her that fast, and if so, how could it be done? Takeda Kaori did not know, but she was going to try nonetheless. Just imagining... her armour, covering the girl with a spear.... her own naginata, taking the place of another polearm... herself, facing the strike meant for somebody else... something shoved her out of her thoughts, and Kaori did not even realise that it was spider's candy once again failing to harm her pristine armour.

Two girls just changed their places. At least one of them was completely confused by that, but she was not the one thrown into the biting range of a monstrous spider without any warning. And so Kaori once again charged forward through the same web, this time to help a fellow polearm user whom she just somehow thrown out of one danger and into another. She did, however, stop on her way next to the teleporting foreigner with whom she also was not the most polite few seconds ago.

"My apologies for the inconvenience", - armoured girl made another thrust at the closest monster's leg, trying to keep it away. - "But it was intending to harm you".


Defensive Switch with Nazgul. Passive Defence 4+8+1=13, wins tie by higher base attribute.
Aura of Strength. Areop-Enap takes 2 damage.
Defensive Switch with Haruko. Passive Defence 4+8+1=13, wins.
Minor Action: Movement into Purgatory.
Major Action: Ranged Attack: [roll0] (Overcharge: [roll1]) + 5 = 10. If hits, [roll2] damage and Reflector on Haruko.

Resolve: 18/18
Status Effects: Calm
Overcharge: Magic 1, Heart 1
Depleted Talents: Empower 0/1, Defensive Switch 0/2




Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
Yui, Yuko, boy


Elysium




Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Kaori


Hades

Haruko, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain




Turn order
Acted in round 3: Kaori
Next to act: Haruko
Yet to act: Nazgul, Yui, Yuko, Areop-Enap

[DoctorFaust]

Haruko lets out a whoop as she is suddenly transported close to the spider-thing, and pulls another spear out of the air. "Hell yeah!" she shouts. "Thanks, girl!" She leaps up into the air and plants a boot on the side of the Youma's face, and then shoves off towards its front leg with her spear outstretched. Whether or not she hits, when she lands on the ground again, she repeats her actions from before, forming the triangle in the air and sending crow feathers darting at the Youma.

Using Hamstring for my major actoin

Attack:[roll0]+10=20
Damage:[roll1]+2=5
In case of overcharge:[roll2]

Using Hex for my minor.

Overcharge: 2 Fury




Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
Yui, Yuko, boy


Elysium




Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Kaori


Hades

Haruko, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain




Turn order
Acted in round 3: Kaori, Haruko
Next to act: Yuko
Yet to act: Nazgul, Yui, Areop-Enap

[jamieth]

"It's dangerous here, but don't worry, onee-san would protect you!" Yuko replies to the boy, "But you still have to run away, OK? And now..." Yuko tries to dash forward, only to discover that she got herself properly stuck in the candy while trying to save the boy. "W-why! I want to help too!" As if responding to her desperate plea, a pair of glowing angelic wings sprout from the back of her dress and throw the girl to the air, "More like it! And again... Rainbow... Spiral!" she exclaims before landing next to Nazgul and Kaori.

Minor action: Bypass into Purgatory
Major Action: Ranged Attack vs Areop-Enap: [roll0]+3; Overcharge [roll1]; Damage [roll2]

Overcharge: 2 Heart
Expendables: Bypass 1/2, Boost 2/3, Healing Magic 2/2




Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
Yui, boy


Elysium




Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Kaori, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain




Turn order
Acted in round 3: Kaori, Haruko, Yuko
Next to act: Areop-Enap
Yet to act: Nazgul, Yui

[Mono Vertigo]

The boy stumbles, losing his balance, and lands on his behind. He watches the fight from a safe distance, his eyes widening slowly as he's regaining his spirits. "... who... who are you girls?"

Its bite parried by the origami warrior, sending one of its fang flying away, the youma nonetheless manages to parry back her thrust.
It doesn't get any rest, though; crack, goes the sugar covering of its head under Haruko's boot, scrunk, goes its front leg as it breaks off. 7 more to go. It's a wonder it avoids being hit by the Rainbow Spiral; perhaps Yuko didn't aim well enough.
"It's weakening! You can always attack from a distance, whatever your weapon or element is, but you need to aim well! Keep going! You're doing great!", cheers Prismy.
The spider hisses louder before attempting to stab Haruko with one sharp striped leg. Its reflexes are clearly slower, though.

Its wrath is now mixed with faint pain.


YOU WON'T JOIN

STUPID

YOU DON'T LIKE SWEET?
STOP ATTACKING

GIVE LEG BACK
NOT DONE YET

With Kaori's Aura of Strength and Haruko's attack, the youma has taken 7 damage.
It also has 2 Hexes in total.

Attack on Haruko: [roll0]+2
Overcharge: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]+3

Yui goes next.

Yui
Nazgul
Haruko
Yuko
Kaori
Areop-Enap

Thanks a lot for the battlefield table!


Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
Yui, boy


Elysium




Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Kaori, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain

[Estralita]

Yui was beginning to feel a little foolish, being the only one left on this side of the field. Even the monster was too far away for her to hit. It was just... the field was so sticky under her feet. Yui didn't have any wings or teleporting abilities ( she thought) and she didn't want to fall flat on her face in front of Nazgul-senpai, and all the other magical girls. But the boy's question put her in mind of what what really important. She gave him a quick smile. "We're magical girls, here to help. Right now we need you to stay right here, okay? wIth that said, Yui sprung into action, literally.

The important part of magic (Yui's magic at least) was visualizing what you wanted done. She imagined herself surrounded by tiny white stars spiralling around her, faster and faster, until they had enough force to send her flying through the air, just like a shooting star. And once she was in the air, she'd throw the Starlit Sabre right at the Youma's head, crashing down like a meteor faling to Earth.

Screw the Flower Gardens! I'm using Reckless Terrain to get out of there and back in the action. I'll even throw in a Boost to make sure it happens.

[roll0] +6 (Magic)

And another Boost when making an attack

[roll1]+6 (Heart)

Hoping this actually works...

[Merilan]

In the end, it is probably best that Kaori leapt in the way to intercept for Quantum Heart. The magical girl's wing binders lock upwards in a defensive fashion, a small whirl of photons starting to create a spiraling barrier originating at her shoulders. She's spotted Areop-Enap's attack, and is ready to defend-- "Quantum Field, ac--"

But then the youma's voice distracts her, sending a jolt through her mind. She falters, as its presence dominates her for a moment. YOU WERE LOOKING FOR ME. THERE I AM... ANGRY.

"Why--" she realises that her barrier is starting to dissipate, and she's too late to parry the fang--

--but then she's pushed out of the way, and tumbles onto the pile of candy corns rising up high on the web. With a stunned grunt, Quantum Heart pushes herself up on one arm, watching her dutiful comrades join in the battle; they're all impressive, she would have no complaint about it either way. She feels bad, for a moment, that she hasn't yet joined in the attack, but she has something very important she still needs to do.

Kaori stops by her position, nearby, and Quantum Heart lifts her head and replies, "No... thank you. That was a wise move. I appreciate it." The snaps her attention back towards the candied spider youma. This time, she won't lose! The magical girl rises several feet above the air, legs straight and arms to either side of her; the green hue of photons begins to ebb in powerful waves across the battlefield once more as she reaches out with her empathic connection once more.

"What angers you? What made you this way? What hurt you... what... or who are you?"

Quantum Heart's irises flash, speaking to an unknowable number of spin-states that coalesce in her soul for a moment. She projects her power forward, attempting to override the half-done connection with one of true empathy.

"Please answer me! I wish to understand! Areop-Enap!"

Resolve 16 / 18 (4 Heart OC)
Major & Minor Action: Sorcery Roll to create Empathy Field as before, Moderate (16), using Boost, incurring 1 Support OC. [roll0] +8 ... total of 30, 2 extra overcharge dice.
Overcharge Dice: [roll1]



Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
Boy


Elysium

Yui


Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Kaori, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain




Turn order
Acted in round 4: None
Next to act: Yuko
Yet to act: Kaori, Haruko, Yuko, Nazgul, Yui, Areop-Enap

[jamieth]

Yuko wanted to hit her head in frustration. Everyone was doing their job fighting a monster, and her Rainbow Spiral proved to be useless again and again... she could just as well try to hit the spider with the wand itself - and probably would, were it not for the sticky ground. So far, though, the only thing she could do... "Rainbow... Spiral... Max!"


Ranged attack on Areop-Enap; Boost! [roll0]+3; OC chance [roll1]; Damage [roll2]

Expendables: Boost 1/3; Bypass 1/2; Haling Magic 2/2

OC Fury 1, Heart 2



Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
Boy


Elysium

Yui


Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Kaori, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain




Turn order
Acted in round 4: Yuko
Next to act: Haruko
Yet to act: Kaori, Nazgul, Yui, Areop-Enap

[DoctorFaust]

Haruko throws up a hand, and releases a pulse of energy to create a barrier around her. As one of the spider's seven remaining legs comes towards her, a wall of diamonds appears out of the air in the path of the attack, stopping the attack dead. Without pause, she leaps up onto the top of it and starts running along the spider's leg, leaping the last few feet to jab into its body, and then pushes off into the air. As she sails back to the ground, she lets the spear fall, and spreads her fingers into the diamond shape once again, shooting off another flight of crow feathers. "Cmon then, ya creepy-crawly! Can't you do any better than that?" she jeers, landing hard, but keeping her feet and scooping her spear back up.

Basic Attack:[roll0]+9=19
Damage:[roll1]+2(OC)=10
Overcharge:[roll2]

And using Hex as my minor action, once again.

E-rank luck, please don't activate again...
EDIT: Woo! I only got one overcharge this time.



Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
Boy


Elysium

Yui


Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Kaori, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain




Turn order
Acted in round 4: Yuko, Haruko
Next to act: Yui
Yet to act: Kaori, Nazgul, Areop-Enap

[Estralita]

Yui felt a little embarrassed as her big attack missed again, and the Starlit Sabre flew back to her hands. But at least she didn't hit any of the other magical girls. In fact, now that she thougth about it, how did magical girls normally make sure their attacks only hit the evil creatures anyway? Yui didn't want to find out what would happen either, so for a moment, Yui considered her options.What should she do? What was she doing wrong.

Then, it hit her. In all the excitement, she forgot! Yui hopped up, and gave a quick twirl.

"STARLIT SABRE STRIKE!

What was a magical girl attack without a name?

Looks like Yuko's not the only one having trouble hitting. I think I've don'e one point of damage total here.

To hit: [roll0] +6
Damage [roll1]
Overcharge[roll2]

[Segrain]

Of all the things that Takeda Kaori did in her life, jumping into the bite of a giant spider was probably the least worthy of being called "wise". At least, so it was from the point of view of relatively normal human being. But for those who held magic, rules probably were different. How else could it be explained that she just got thanked for causing somebody to appear right next to monster, in the very position whence she tried to rescue someone else? Was it a wrong thing to do, perhaps?

On the other hand, she got thanked for that too. But before very confused Kaori could ask anything from the foreign girl or at least offer her some help with getting up, she just flied far beyond Kaori's idea of just how much "up" she was going to help. And before she could answer flying girl's questions, it became clear, however unbelievable it was, that the one addressed was actually the monster . Were they supposed to talk to it, rather than fight against it?..

There was no time to think about it. And yet, there was nothing that she could do to help if she could not understand just what kind of help is expected from her. Sighing quietly, Kaori swung her naginata in the air and moved forward towards the girl with the spear. If talking was not going to work, at least hitting monster with weapons seemed straightforward enough.


Major&Minor Actions: Movement into Hades.

Resolve: 18/18
Status: Calm
Overcharge: Magic 1, Heart 1
Expendables: Boost 3/3, Empower 0/1, Defensive Switch 0/2




Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
boy


Elysium

Yui


Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Kaori, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain




Round 4
Acted: Yuko, Haruko, Yui, Kaori
Next to act: Areop-Enap
Yet to act: Nazgul

[Mono Vertigo]

Whack, slash, crack, the candied spider endures its punishment in the form of blades and colourful lights. Two more legs break off, endangering its balance, and the exoskeleton crumbles, leaving behind a soft gummy body and Haruko's shards.
Yet, the youma does not hiss angrily this time. It opens a mostly defanged mouth to speak loud and clear:

YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND
And it emits a wave of energy that engulfs the whole Nightmare instantly. It's harmless magic, though; it only fills the Magical Girls' minds with visions.

A box of delicate sweets imported from Europe. There used to be disappointment, and sadness, and some pain in the corner of your heart, but the simple comfort of cute, bite-sized delights makes you forget even the cause.
Two people are caught in a web of cotton candy. They've let food comfort them, and ultimately settled on sweets. They ate so many they might very well be all glucose on the inside. Somebody sold them most of them - but they don't remember paying, and in hindsight, they're not so sure it was a person, either. But they feel in peace, even as they notice skull-shaped corn candy in the very web they're stuck in, and a looming spider approaching.
A boy - the boy inside this very Nightmare - bought himself cheap candy with what little money he had. He has a hard time following his father or catching his attention; he's working hard. Security guards always do, he told him. The candy is not very good, though, and he doesn't feel better, even though that's what sweets are supposed to be for. He looks up to a formless presence that silently asks him what he wishes for. The kid replies: "I want candy that'll make me forget I'm feeling bad."

Sadly, once the visions are over, the spider snaps out and counter-attacks in what might be its last desperate move. Maintaining a fragile balance on three legs, it attempts to stab simultaneously the two girls near it with its other two sharp limbs.

The kid's eyes have a hard time focusing, but brings himself to raise his fist in encouragement. "... whatever's happening, go!" Yui's and Yuko's bright attacks might have pumped his spirits especially.
The tsukaima hides behind him. "Is the youma... leaking memories?", asks Prismy, for once confused and a little scared.

Areop-Enap takes 21 damage from attacks +2 from the Hexes. It's almost dead.

Attack against Kaori: [roll0]+2
Overcharge: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]+3

Attack against Haruko: [roll3]+2
Overcharge: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]+3


Nazgul goes next.

Nazgul
Areop-Enap
Yui
Haruko
Kaori
Yuko



Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
boy


Elysium

Yui


Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Kaori, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain

[Merilan]

From within the deepest sorrow, for those that are lost to despair...
I can feel it. Their listlessness, how disenfranchised they must have felt...
And in that bleakness, like a fine nectar, the indulgence of sweets...
It provided comfort, a flickering candle in the darkness...

"You just wanted to..." Quantum Heart-- Nazgul's voice is shaky, as the two interlace with one another. "I understand your desire to make people happy, through sweets -- through food. It is a basic necessity, and one that we all take pleasure in, for comfort, for warmth, for survival. However..."

The Magical Girl's eyes snap to attention as she sustains the weave of empathic quanta shimmering through the Nightmare. They are full of conviction.

"You've become entrapped in your obsession with food! Indulgence is indulgence, because it is ephemeral! An indulgence that lasts an eternity is merely punishment! Areop-Enap...!"

Is there no way I can save this youma? I...

Quantum Heart's arm rises, despite Nazgul's hesitation, and the crystalline sword snaps back at its guard to reveal a gun mechanism. She coheres into an afterimage of photons, and reappears a faint distance as she begins a salvo of pink energy shots with each phase hop. She tilts upside down in the midst of her final shot, between the skull-capped candycanes, and declares, "May the distortion that has festered in your heart be stripped away! By our power!"

Resolve: 16 / 18 (4 Heart OC)

Major Action: [roll0] +5 (Ranged Attack on Areop-Enap)
Damage: [roll1]
Overcharge: [roll2]

Haruko goes next.



Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
boy


Elysium

Yui


Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Kaori, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain

[DoctorFaust]

As the spider desperately attacks, Haruko lets herself drop from the web she's been standing on, catches it on the haft of her spear on her way down, and then uses her momentum to bounce herself back into the air above the spider. As she flies up, she calls, "Hey, Creepy, ya had a bad life, but you didn't have to try and friggin' eat people because of it!"

At the top of her arc, Haruko creates a small platform of jewels in the air and, after tipping her hat and winking at the spider, shoves off it hard towards the Youma. "Lancia Rubino!" she cries, speeding through the air. "Shatter the illusion!"

Taking 4 on Defense, for a 10. Which I would win this because I have a higher base stat, right?

Major Action: Attack [roll0]+9=19
Damage [roll1]
Overchage [roll2]

Gone this turn: Haruko
Next up: Yui
Need to go: Nazgul, Areop-Enap, Kaori, Yuko



Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
boy


Elysium

Yui


Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Kaori, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain

[Estralita]

Yui still didn't understand why Nazgul-Senpai was so focused on understanding the youma. They weren't going to convince the youma not to eat the boy through talking, so it amounted to the same thing. Attacking. And it was time for another Starlit Sabre Strike...

Ranged attack that may or may not be necessary (considering how close the Youma is to death.

[roll0]+6
Damage [roll1]
Possible Overcharge [roll2]

[jamieth]

As her frustration from being unable to hit anything cleared, Yuko noticed a thing that really should have been obvious earlier; the battle wasn't completely one sided... two of her companions were hurt - either by the mostrous spider, or this strange realm itself... it didn't really matter which. What did matter... something clicked within Yuko's head. Yes, that was something she could do something about... pointing her wand at the foreign girl, she exclaimed, "Rainbow Bridge!" - and, indeed, for a momenta solid-looking arc followeed her wand as she traced it towards Yui, and then... "Rainbow... Healing... Charge!"

Minor action: create Link between Nazgul and Yui
2nd Minor action: Heaqling Magic targeting Nazgul, transferring healing through Link: both Nazgul and Yui restore [roll0]resolve

Gone this turn: Haruko, Yui, Yuko
Next up: Nazgul
Need to go: , Areop-Enap, Kaori



Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
boy


Elysium

Yui


Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Kaori, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain

[Merilan]

"You committed to there being every chance that they were irredeemable." Quantum Heart's voice is above a whisper, in the gap between her shot attacks. She takes a moment to appreciate Yuko's healing energy, looking to herself for a moment. "Thank you, Yuko. Nazgul, there is no more time for you to hesitate."

Even still... I...

Quantum Heart's arm is raised and straight, the rifle mechanism linked onto her arm whirring as a single streak of light cuts through the candycanes in aim of the youma's weakened, cracked armour plating.

Resolve: 17 / 18 (4 Heart OC)

Major Action: [roll0] +5 (Ranged Attack on Areop-Enap)
Damage: [roll1]
Overcharge: [roll2]

Kaori goes next.



Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
boy


Elysium

Yui


Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Kaori, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain

[Segrain]

After meeting a talking ferret, a talking spider was not all that surprising. For five metres of weird monster that is trying to eat you, "it can talk" is not the most unexpected part. In a world that barely resembles reality, seeing something unusual is just another moment of life. Still, giant candy spider that can send visions by talking... nothing in that sentence made any sense, and neither did the vision itself.

The very word "vision" implied something perceived through the eyes. It was as wrong as everything else in the world of Nightmare; what she felt was more like memories that she could not remember memorising. They did not belong to her. Forgetting a part of her own life was bad enough, but seeing somebody else's... was that what the monsters did? If so, it could not be allowed. Stolen memory that had no place in her mind could not move her heart. That being still was a monster, and she still had a weapon that existed to slay monsters.

Her thoughts were interrupted by approaching stab, and Takeda Kaori noted without any great surprise that she was starting to get used to being returned to what passed for reality by attacks. Her ability to feel any surprise at all at that moment was already depleted and as nonexistent as the chance of actually being hit by so clumsy movement of injured enemy. She just made a diagonal step back, lowered her naginata on the spider's leg striking the empty space where she just stood, and raised her head to look at the other girls.

If there were still any doubts in her mind, they quickly disappeared. Whatever the strange foreigner was trying to achieve by talking to the giant spider, it did not seem to change anyone's plans; if anything, barrage of shining lights and weapon strikes only grew greater. And Kaori was not going to stand aside. At last, she was at befitting range to use her weapon properly, and it did not require any shouting or displays of magic.

Just a few more steps forward, avoiding spider's legs, and one short swing at its body.


Passive Defence: 4+8+1=13, wins.
Aura of Strength: Areop-Enap takes 2 damage.
If it is still alive:
Major Action: Melee Attack: [roll0] + {3} + 5 = 15. If hits, [roll1] + {2} = 6 damage and Reflector on Haruko.
{Overcharge: [roll2]}

Resolve: 18/18
Status: Calm
Overcharge: Fury 1, Magic 1, Heart 1
Expendables: Boost 3/3, Empower 0/1, Defensive Switch 0/2




Position
Terrain
Occupants


Flower Garden
Rough Terrain
boy


Elysium

Yui


Purgatory
Rough Terrain
Nazgul, Yuko


Hades

Haruko, Kaori, Areop-Enap


Abyss
Rough Terrain




Round 5
Acted: Haruko, Yui, Yuko, Nazgul, Kaori
Next to act: Areop-Enap
Yet to act: none

[Merilan]

'There's no more time for you to hesitate.'

Nazgul falters for a moment, inside; should she have-- pressed further? Asked what was possible for them to do? This was her first opportunity to even engage a youma, she did not know what all its capabilities were. Up until now, youma were too dangerous to engage alone, and she didn't want to have to risk or prolong a battle even with others around... she was just being measured-- no, that also sounded like a flimsy excuse.

Quantum Heart pulls up, lowering the sword-rifle and letting it snap back into place. She engages the empathic stream again. This time, her voice is a bit softer, less demanding.

"What made you this way? Who were you? What could we... what could anyone have done, to help you?"

[Mono Vertigo]

The monster's whole body starts crumbling down with sticky "cracks". It advances, slowly, very clumsily. It responds out loud with a hissing voice getting weaker.
BUT I WAS MADE tO SsssSSssERve.
And then it trips and finishes cracking apart. In the middle of the candy carcass, which is already starting to dissolve, there is a single diamond-shaped gem lying. A beautiful, glistening jewel, adorned with runes.
The fight is over.

Prismy hops near the gem; the web has lost all its annoying properties the instant the youma was vanquished, and one can now move freely. The critter speaks solemnly. "This is an Oblivion Seed. You made a wish in order to become the Magical Girls you are today. I trust you haven't forgotten that? They were good Wishes. Well, Oblivion Seeds are used to let them come true. You deserve to see your Wish come true. Once you pick it up, the rest of the Nightmare will disappear, too, and the real world will come back." The ferret's forehead gem glows in warm colours. "You fought really well all together. I knew we could trust you."

The boy turns around, noticing the sudden stop in activity. The adrenaline rush is over, and he's remembering he's stuck in a place he can't properly perceive. "... are we still at the mall? I'd really like to go back to the mall now."

[DoctorFaust]

Haruko hops over to where the Oblivion Seed lays, and scoops it up. "Alright then. Let's get you back to the mall," she says, dispelling her costume and spear, looking longingly after the hat as it floats away. "I've got things to do, too."

[Merilan]

Made to... serve...? But...
"Nazgul. Do not overthink it. Okay?" She pauses, and then extends her hand. "Quantum Heart. Mission complete." Her form, once more, turns into a shimmering field of photons, possessing no definition past the light in which she is bathed. Only when her silhouette becomes slightly shorter does the light dissipate, and Quantum Heart's form is once more replaced with Nazgul's.

She quietly steps forward to where the youma is, briefly, closing her eyes. Up until the end, the empathic field was active, and she could feel its last moments. She could feel it -- the confusion, the anxiety, the questioning of small and large things that could not be...

Then, Prismy starts speaking, and she casts her eyes on the Oblivion Seed and Haruko. "Prismy. Thank you for your assistance. But why do you know so much about the youma, and us? Who is... 'we', when you say 'we can trust you'?"

She steps to the boy, to pat him on the head for a moment. "It will be okay. I know where your father is. We'll take you to him... okay?"

[Segrain]

Both the talkative ferret and the girl with a spear got a grim frown from Kaori. She did not appreciate the swiftness with which the girl grabbed the jewel-like remains of the monstrous spider, she had plenty of questions that those two probably could answer, she could not ignore the suspicious similarity between the allegedly so-called Seed, the gem in the animal's head and already vanishing spearhead... but all of it could wait. They were probably not going to disappear, but if the world itself was about to collapse into nothing, then there were things to be done quickly.

Turning away from the place where monster no longer existed, Kaori headed towards the boy. The naginata was peacefully resting on her shoulder, and the strange spider apparently did not bleed; still, there was no need to scare the child any more than he was already frightened, no matter how shining her armour was. Smiling gently, she raised a free hand and tried to remove her helmet. And, running ahead of her wishes, her weapon and armour unfolded and disappeared in an instant as swiftly as they came into existence before.

Catching the sheet of paper that once again adopted the guise of a narrow ribbon, Kaori tried to pretend that it was exactly the intended outcome. Even if she was standing amidst the candy web wearing a dress, at least the weird world was not as sticky anymore, and it was supposed to disappear anyway. "Do not worry", - she tried to reassure the boy, taking a moment to tie her hair again and look around at supposedly ending Nightmare. - "Everything will be back to normal now. You are not harmed, are you?"

But once one of other girls joined them, saying that she knew the boy's father, Kaori's attention switched again. To this one she probably had the most questions, but in the child's presence was probably not the best time to ask them... and so she waited, silently watching the continuing weirdness.

[Estralita]

Upon seeing the youma's collapse Yui gave a little jump in excitement! We did it!"
Quickly, she tossed the Starlit Sabre into the air; both it and Yui's costume dissolved into stardust, leaving Yui looking the same as she did upon entering the nightmare. Since she was the farthest away, Yui had to hustle a little to reach the group, only hearing the part about the little boy. See, nothing to worry about!. And you were very good too!"

[Mono Vertigo]

As soon as the Oblivion Seed is picked up, the diabete-inducing Nightmare melts down and fades. The candy store takes its place; there are only a few boxes lying around and a whole lot of dust. One can see the rest of the mall through the windows again; on the door, a sign: "closed for renovation".

The boy watches the girls de-transform with awe. "Whoaaaa! You're, like, superheroines? My friends are never going to believe me... they're not going to believe me, are they?"

Prismy follows Haruko. "Wait! There are more things you need to know! I'm a tsukaima. I'm here to guide Magical Girls. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I couldn't reach the five of you before. There are more tsukaima like me caring for girls like you. We should have a chat all together before you split up again and other duties call me! Also, it's not a good idea revealing yourself to other people. Is the boy trustworthy?"

[Merilan]

A ... 'tsukaima'... there are more than one?

Nazgul wearily steps out, more mentally and emotionally exhausted from the empathic trip than she is physically. She puts a hand to the side of the closed candy store for a moment, exerting mental control over herself, then glances back towards the rest of the group. She gestures for the boy, intent on finding the child's father who she... sent running off in search of imaginary cosmetics shoplifters. He couldn't have gone far. "I do agree. If you all do not mind, it would be best if we had a talk. I can also help explain some things, if you have questions still in mind... and I do have more questions for you, Prismy."

[Segrain]

Takeda Kaori did not exactly know what "superheroines" were supposed to be and in what manner were they expected to be superior to the regular heroines. She could, however, understand at least second half of the boy's question; she herself would not believe a tale like that, had she not witnessed it happen in person. Still, starting rumours was certainly not desirable in any manner. "Of course not", - the girl smiled, kneeling next to the child so that their eyes were on the same level. - "But what truly matters is, do you believe yourself? Then keep it a secret, just for us. And everything will be well..."

Kaori paused, glancing at Nazgul. Indeed, they needed to talk, but was it not obvious that some things should be set right beforehand? Closed candy shop was not an appropriate place for young boy... or for teenage girls, to be honest. And if she knew him and his family, she could care a bit more. "...but now that it is finished, you should go. Your..." - another glance aside, - "...father? Your father is probably worrying about you. It would be improper to keep him waiting. And that nice girl had offered to show you the way; you will not keep her waiting too, will you?"

Standing up again, Kaori stepped aside, leaving the boy and foreign girl to each other's company. The sooner those two find the child's family, the sooner they all can try to get some explanations. Which, hopefully, were going to happen in some more suitable place... sighing, she brushed the dust of her dress. That made her bow down slightly, and that, in turn, reminded about something else.

Once she was no longer clad in magical garments, her normal attire returned to being as it was before. But in that weird world, she was not wearing her armour from the very beginning, and, to her embarrassment, magic remembered what she did. Still barefoot, Kaori took yet another step away from centre of attention and lowered her head, trying to spot her shoes amidst all the dust. Not meeting anyone's gaze was just a happy side effect, and certainly not the primary intention.

And if, thanks to spear-wielding girl's quickness, they disappeared into nothingness together with entire web in which they were stuck, somebody was going to regret it.

[Estralita]

Yui smiled and nodded eagerly. "It's just like a story! You can hardly believe...it's...real."

Yui felt her smile tighten as she trailed off. Why did fighting impossible monsters, and using magic feal so much more real than her life at home, with her parents. Although...

"Does it matter where we meet? I think my house would be nice for some privacy."

[jamieth]

"We really did it, didn't we?" Yuko exclaimed with a mix of relief and excitement, as she, too, let go of her weapon and the magic dissipated into... Oh, blimey! Not the sailor fuku she was just wearing, but, instead, pink and fluffy pajamas from the last night she spent in her time! "Oh no, Oh no I can't go out like this..." She mumbled, "Why is magic... Right, magic!" Clicking her fingers, Yuko reformed her outfit, "ok, I'm ready!"

Yui's house or not, it's not like she had anywhere else to go...

[DoctorFaust]

"Well, I've got a few things to do, but I can meet you all wherever in about... I dunno, maybe an hour later?" Haruko says. Without hesitating, she stuffs the Oblivion Seed into the pocket of her jacket, and pulls out her phone. "And since Prismy is makin' it sound like this is going to be a regular thing, could I get your cell numbers? That way it'll be easier for us to contact the others, so we don't have to fight alone."

[jamieth]

A what? Yuko nearly asks, but, seeing the device Haruko pulled out of her pocket, puts the things together. Which, of course, doesn't solve the problem, "Oh... I don't have one..."

[Mono Vertigo]

The tsukaima nods. "Going somewhere else would be a good idea indeed! Let's go."

The boy is ready to follow Nazgul. "Alright. It's gonna be our secret story. Thank you for interrupting that bad dream. By the way, I'm Kenji!" He bows gratefully, then leaves.
It's easy to spot the security guard from earlier; he's aimlessly marching right and left, still looking for shoplifters that must have left long ago.

[This was a pretty significant and positive event for him, so if you wish, any of you may try and Bond. It won't count toward your total of starting social links.]

[Merilan]

"My name is Nazgul. Be well, Kenji. Don't worry your father like that... okay?" the Kurdish girl has a gentle smile as she pats the boy on the head, and points towards the mall cop in the distance.

She turns to look towards the group, pausing for a moment. That Oblivion Seed... what does it contain? Prismy will have more answers... but...

Nazgul shakes her head, not letting the doubt claw deep into her mind quite yet. She steps to Yuko and says, "I am certain we can work something out. Do you want to come with Yui and I to her house for the time being, assuming no one has any objection with that?" She looks to Kaori for confirmation.

[jamieth]

"Really?!" Yuko exclaims, "Can I? Thanks, sempai! Eh, as long as you don't mind, Yui-sempai?"

[DoctorFaust]

"You don't have a cell phone?" Haruko asks, tilting her head. "Are you, like, poor, or somethin'?"

[Estralita]

Of course I don't mind! I wouldn't have offered if I minded!

[jamieth]

"Not exactly poor, no", Yuko shakes her head, "Just... out of money right now, and... cellphones aren't really popular... where I'm from..." when I'm from, but she doesn't say that; why exactly she decided to keep her origin secret from the fellow Magical Girls, Yuko couldn't really explain, it just didn't cross her mind.

[Merilan]

Nazgul can't help but empathise; when she first arrived here in Japan, she also did not exactly know what a cellphone was -- or many other modern perks of life, in fact. It was only because of Ami that she has one, as a hand-me-down. "We will work a solution out, do not worry," she reassures. She holds the small, outdated cellphone she has to Haruko to list her number off.

[DoctorFaust]

"Oh, okay. Guess I can sympathize with that." Haruko takes the phone Nazgul offers and punches in her own phone number, and then hands it back. "So, just text me when you guys figure out where you're going. I gotta go meet a friend." She turns and run away, waving to them as she goes. "See ya later!"

[Segrain]

While other girls were engaging in some idle chatter, Kaori was busy doing something actually important.

Of course, importance is a matter of perspective. When doing several things at once is impossible, it is nature of human mind to weigh them against each other and determine the priority. But after everything that happened in last few minutes, her mind was too busy trying to stay in one piece and make at least some sense of the reality. Thus, the only reasonable way to choose how to act was to fall back upon default solutions and rely on general principles.

Maintaining proper appearance? That certainly was important. It would have been entirely unbecoming to try to make any new acquaintances while being less than presentable. And so, while others were watching Kenji leave and arranging the meeting, Kaori quietly wandered through the shop. Luckily, she had not had to go too far; after all, she only managed to make few steps in before being hopelessly stuck in the unnatural web of... no, she was not thinking about it. Not anymore. Finally noticing her shoes hiding behind some box, Kaori quietly put them on and returned to the girls at the exit.

Politeness, naturally, was important too. Of course, she overheard their conversation. She was not far enough to miss it. But it would have been completely improper to just join in it uninvited, especially when they all were so friendly with each other. They appeared together, it made sense that they all were on first name basis already; but she was not, and she could only know their names from overhearing anyway.

Proper procedures were important. In a group of a foreigner and younger girls, she had to be a good example of correct behaviour. Once again making sure that, from retied hair to returned shoes, everything was as it should have been, Kaori finally spoke. "My apologies for the delay", - of course, she was not going to admit what exactly delayed her, - "but while I have no objections, we are not yet properly acquainted. My name is Takeda Kaori", - she bowed to the group, exactly as low as etiquette required, - "it is my pleasure to meet you..."

Kaori paused, waiting for introductions. It was still a long way to make sense of the world, but first step was made.

[Estralita]

"I am Aoyama Yui," Yui said with a smile. It was od how much magic turned your life upside-down ,where introductions came so late. It is a pleasure to meet all of you!

[jamieth]

"Nonohara Yuko..." Yuko said, turning towards Kaori and giving a slight, but courteous bow - to act polite as much as to hide her embarrassment, "Nice to meet you, sempai..."

She felt somewhat bad about having a senior girl introduce herself first. Well, Takeda-sempai did look like she didn't want to talk just a moment earlier, but still... besides, right now, she looked so elegant, even after a fight,,, Yuko couldn't help but blush a little

[Mono Vertigo]

Haruko:
Kenta, as promised, is waiting at the entrance. He's fiddling on his phone, but notices his friend. "Oh, hey. Sorry", he warns, "I'll have to take off soon. Family emergency, well 'emergency', you know. Mind explaining what was up with your thing, anyway? Also, I remember about the promised crepe, I hope it wasn't a lie."



Everybody else:
"No cellphone?", asks Prismy. "We should get you one; it wouldn't do to leave you behind. In a pinch, we could probably work out something with magic instead. Not that you should use too much of it - wait, that's one of the things I had to talk about, but let's wait until we're all together again before breaching the big subjects."

[DoctorFaust]

"It was... weird, even by our standards. I thought I saw some ferret thing, and ended up helping this kid find his parents with, like, four or five other girls. And yeah, I'll get you a crepe. Heck, I'll even get you two or three," Haruko replies, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Under one condition. Help me find a couple of buckets and an unlocked grease trap."

Yes, this is building up to the prank I have to pull. Hope that no one's wearing very expensive clothing. :smallamused:

[Merilan]

Nazgul looks lightly relieved when Kaori joins them - she bows her head and speaks gently, "My name is Nazgul bint al-Rashid. It's a pleasure to meet you all, as well."

Nazgul's accent is distinctly foreign; she couldn't have had the chance to learn Japanese for a few years, yet she seems at ease with it. But the way she speaks, like a polite adult, demarcates her as a non-native speaker, unused to the level of slang native teenagers would use. She glances towards the crowd for a moment, thinking -- hopefully -- to herself. Outwardsly, she seems a very sedate and reserved person, not terribly prone to hasty movements. I suppose it cannot be helped that other girl had plans... but does she know of the nature of the Seeds...? The pressure that I received from that... I did not receive a solid answer from the youma...

"Shall we head along now?" she offers.

[Mono Vertigo]

Haruko:
Kenta smirks, and quickly sends a text. "Okay, I can buy myself... 20 minutes or so if I pretend I've missed the bus. So, buckets are easy, there's a couple at the parking...", he ponders out loud, not questioning the plan or the motive for a second.

[Estralita]

At Prismy's mention of using magic to replace cellphones, Yui clapped in delight. "Yes! Cellphone's are boring ways for us to communicate! And not exactly perfect! I mean, what if we lose them, or they break, or we don't have service? I'm sure together Nazgul-senpai and I can make something much better!" In her mind, Yui saw strands of magic sparkling, guided by Nazgul-senpai's empathy, and her own stardust. Amazing to picture, but to actually make it would be incredible!

[Segrain]

Kaori arched an eyebrow at Nazgul's introduction, but said nothing. Growing up in a city like Mudohama meant occasionally meeting people from all around the world; Chinese names were simple, English ones went backwards, but still in understandable manner, even those in Russian had some inner logic. Arabic was usually not much harder, even if she did not speak it either; still, she could not quite figure out which part to use to address Nazgul. But there could be a better time to ask.

Yui's remark about phones, however, got a response. "Even though cellphones are not flawless", - Kaori smiled softly at the idea of obtainable perfection, - "they are quite useful within their capabilities. If I understand correctly, we will have the need for such means of communication. In which case..." - she reached in a pocket of her school backpack and retrieved a phone. - "May I have your numbers?"

Kaori opened the contact list and hesitated for a bit, switching through keyboard's settings. Japanese language had many ways to write words of various origins, but she could not guess the proper spelling in this case. So, with humble nod, she just offered her phone to Nazgul first - that felt like the least rude way out of her little linguistical problem.

[Merilan]

As much as Nazgul might want to advise against it, Yui had a point of her own. What could they achieve with their powers? There was no sense mincing it. They had powers on a class that could be described as "super". Miraculous, even. Nazgul knows she has ambitions, whenever this conflict with the youma could be sorted. But would that be the right thing to do?

"It may be boring," she decides in the end, "But we also need to make sure to conserve our power, Yui. But Prismy is right that in a pinch, we should consider it."

She glances to Kaori and accepts the phone, her smile still genteel as ever. "Yes, of course." She answers her question simply - her first name entered in katakana - ナズグル - and inputted with her number upon it. "Please feel free to call me Nazgul."

[Estralita]

Yui was brought back out of her imagining by Nazgul's soft words. "Yes, we don't have magic communication just yet, after all." Yui took the phone once Nazgul was done, and entered her own name and number. Glancing around at the rest of the Magical Girls, she asked, "Is there anything else anyone needs to do now?" Yes, all of this was very important in day-to-day life, but they were about to hear all about magic, and how the Magical Girl business worked, and she didn't want to wait too long.

[DoctorFaust]

"Alright, cool." Haruko says, nodding. "Tell ya what, if you go grab the buckets, I'll go and check around the back to see if the McRonalds has its trap unlocked."

[Mono Vertigo]

Haruko:
Kenta fetches the buckets quickly. "So, who's going to have it coming today?"

Everyone else:
"Y-yes, let's stick to cellphones for now. I don't have one, of course, but you won't need one to keep in touch with me. When you have a tsukaima watching over you, you can just call their name and they'll appear if they're not busy somewhere else. Sheesh, I should stop explaining things when not everybody's here, I always do that! Then there are misunderstandings and I have to explain everything all over."

[Merilan]

'A' tsukaima. 'Their' name. There is more than one... are they organised? Like a manager to a group of peers, perhaps... is recruitment all controlled through that web site?

Nazgul blinks a little, perhaps realising she's lost herself in her thoughts again. She has so many questions plaguing her already -- Quantum Heart's advice didn't quite reach her, it seems. "Prismy... please answer just one question first." It was the question that was first and foremost on her conscience, ever since the battle ended.

"Could we have saved that youma?"

[Mono Vertigo]

Everybody but Haruko:

"Youma are not really things that should be conceived as being able to be saved or redeemed."
Prismy sounds firm, but not angry or disparaging; maybe the critter recognizes Nazgul's honest concern.
Maybe not?
Hard to tell with tsukaima, as it turns out.

[Segrain]

Taking back her phone, Kaori looked over new entries and nodded, putting it away. Nazgul's spelling and so quickly given permission got her a short glance from Kaori, but nothing more; whatever thoughts the girl could have about foreign names and customs, her expression remained unchanging. Whether the answer that she got was satisfying or insufficient, there were much more important questions, and even though she had enough patience to wait until appropriate time to ask them, there was no reason to delay it just for nothing.

After a polite pause, taken in case either of the girls with cellphones would ask from her the same courtesy, Kaori shook her head. "Thank you, nothing else. We should probably be going, then?" She turned to Yuko, as if checking that the quiet girl was still with them, but before she could say anything else, Nazgul's question made her turn back.

As much as she was trying to make sense of reality, it resisted every attempt. Saving that monster? The creature that clearly intended to... do something not quite clear, but certainly nothing good, and would had gladly bitten any and all of them in half, had only they let it? It was incomprehensible. Kaori took a step closer, both to show her readiness to go and to listen to tsukaima's answer, but the latter was not very helpful either.

And so she stayed silent, waiting until something would finally explain at least anything at all.

[Merilan]

Nazgul expected that answer, in truth. She'd seen enough of the... system in place that she was not expecting to hear a full story from just Prismy, the tsukaima. But there is a greater, interconnected web of actors hinged upon this system. And she couldn't see the larger picture. Yet. I must hear from more youma, more Magical Girls, and more tsukaima. It is the only way.

"I see..." she nods, quietly. Equally, her expression doesn't exactly convey whether she accepts the idea, or rejects it, sedate as the Kurdish girl can be sometimes. She looks to Kaori. "Yes, let's go."

[Estralita]

After looking around the group to see if there were any objections, Yui began to lead the group to her house, which wasn't far away. Inside, she considered what Prismy had said.

This wasn't good news for Nazgul-Senpai. She never truly wanted to hurt the youma (moreso when she wasn't Quantum Heart). Yui hadn't gottent the impression that the creatures were anything other than monsters glued together from random human thoughts, but she didn't have Nazgul-senpai's powers. Part of her was hoping that Prismy could have said that there was something they could do. Plenty of Magical Girl shows had the girls purifying the monsters after beating them. She could have figured out something...

But Prismy probably knew even better about what the youma were, and Yui didn't feel like she knew much of anything nowadays. Although, that was something she could learn.

"Prismy-san, what exactly is a youma? Where do they come from?"

[jamieth]

Yuko, indeed, was still with them, still not very eages to speak; she had to learn nore about this time's traditions before being able to appear native... though, again, she wasn't really sure why she had to appear native.

Something Yui said, though, triggered a reaction from her;

"What do you mean, Yui-sempai?" she blinked, "Youma are youma, right? I mean, Dark generals are always sending them to defeat us, until finally appearing themselves... and it's the Generals that can sometimes be redeemed, right? The Youma are mindless anyway, right? Like robots, or something..."

[Segrain]

Takeda Kaori did not know a lot about monsters. She saw them as something belonging in the mythology; even after meeting one face to face, she still was struggling to understand how it could be real. About so-called "magical girls" she knew even less. It was probably impossible to live in Japan and not overhear at least some conversations on the subject, but she did not quite understand the nuances of terminology - especially when they were from something that was popular ten years before her birth.

However, somewhere between ancient lore and modern entertainment there was a certain area of expertise that she knew well enough. And it had its own vocabulary, not always exactly in line with the usual definitions. Thus, Yuko's question got her not quite the response that she was probably expecting. "Generals... redeemed?" - repeated Kaori, only a slight hint of confusion in her voice. - "That would probably vary... what kind of a general is it, an actual one or some promoted pawn?.."

She paused, trying to comprehend what exactly she was just told about youmas' nature - as far as she understood, even the younger girls in the group knew more about all of it than she did, especially since they were speaking with such certainty in their words - and, still puzzled, continued: "That thing... the spider. It was... talking? Answering to us? Are you sure that it was entirely mindless, Nonohara-san?"

[Merilan]

Nazgul was sort of quiet - unless talked to - on the journey back to Yui's place; her expression is difficult to read, but it seems a safe bet that she has much on her mind, especially as the errant thoughts of the city bounce off her mind. It's difficult to walk a crowded street, but she manages. She makes sure to text Haruko along the way - asking Yui first if she's fine with sending her address to the fifth Magical Girl that currently isn't here.

The Kurdish girl does exhibit a measure of relief when they arrive at Yui's house. She disappears into the kitchen to make some tea for the group, returning with a little tray and five mugs. She seems to have overheard the conversation, however.

"That is..." Nazgul speaks gently after Kaori, "That is what I have been attempting to understand for the last few years. It was difficult to determine from the battle we had alone, but that youma said it was 'made to serve'. Areop-Enap had a strong connection to confectionery, to the service industry; it had a joy and a love to the pleasures of food. It was that desire of hospitality that eventually became twisted. And Prismy said it was 'leaking' memories."

She pauses for a moment, and then quietly reclines on her chair as she sips from her own mug of tea. Then opens her eyes.

"Candy and chocolate are human-manufactured foods. Those images are undoubtedly human memories. I... would not have expected such, if youma were truly alien or unknowable monsters." Her voice is full of implication of what that might mean to her. Do the youma have a source that comes closer than they think? These questions, and more...

[Mono Vertigo]

Once everybody, Haruko inclued, is at Yui's house...
Prismy sits nicely in the middle of the room, as gloriously and seriously as a cute, multicoloured ferret can be (whose colours are switching softly to relaxing hues of blue and purple, by the way).
"First things first. Not very long ago, all of you were prompted to make a wish by a program. Which is more of a spell than an actual computer app, as you might have understood; no mundane coding was behind it. Because you replied earnestly, you received unique powers; this is one of the requirements of the magic. There's more Magical Girls like you around the Earth, but not many. Us tsukaima can detect them and guide them, and they can call us in times of need.
Thing is, the wish you made hasn't come true, not yet, even if it deserves to. Basically, that's where Oblivion Seeds come from. You can think of them as the core of youma. They're full of raw magic. When we have enough of them, about 13 for a single Wish, we can make them come true. Since youma are dangerous and only Magical Girls can fight them, we think it would be a good reward for your efforts. You already had to think up your Wish, so it's only fair we work to make it a reality."
The critter smiles, and asks with a high-pitched voice: "There's more, but those are among the most important things you should know. Go ahead and ask! I might be called somewhere else any moment though, so think well about what you really want to learn."

[DoctorFaust]

Before Yui's house
"Some people I met a while back, that seemed like sticks in the mud," Haruko replies, taking the buckets and opening the door she's standing by. "And if ya need to go so your parents don't get mad, go. I can always whip you in DDR some other day." She flashes him a smile, and the ducks in, holding the bucket in one hand and her nose with another, emerging after a few seconds with a bucket full of rancid grease.

"Ugh, god that smells," she moans, holding her head far away from the bucket. "I'm going to try and not breathe at all 'till I can hide this there. Don't forget to text me, so we can meet up sometime soon. I still owe you those crepes."


At Yui's house, after setting up the bucket to fall
"So, you're telling me that that gem thing the freaky spider dropped will be able to grant our wishes?" Haruko asks, her skepticism obvious in her voice. "So we just have to kill enough of those things, and poof, we get whatever we want? And I mean, what makes them so dangerous that an unlimited wish granting thingy is our reward for fight them? I took out one of those things on my own before, and it was almost as easy as when all of us fought it together. I mean, don't get me wrong, I would be over the moon if this were true, but it almost seems like too good a deal."

[Mono Vertigo]

"That's a good question."
Tone doesn't betray anything. The explanation however resumes:
"Well, there are a lot of factors. Many youma are more dangerous than the one you just fought. Also, they're dangerous, and some of the girls who suddenly get powers can use some incentive to help the people they prey on instead of abusing their powers. Besides, magic itself has drawbacks. When you use too much of it, or wield potent magic, there is a backlash. Of course, you have to use magic to fight against youma, therefore there are additional risks.
Because of all this, we tsukaima have decided granting wishes would be a fair reward for the Magical Girls who decide to fight for good, as we intended. But it only works with the Wish you gave, for it was genuine, and you desired to see it come true, and truly believe you deserved it. That's how the runes work. That's the rules of magic."

[Merilan]

Nazgul had honestly put the wish-granting aspect of the whole deal on the backburner. But the mention of 'runes', the website -- how it was a spell, rather than a mere piece of human-created application -- came to the fore once more, and she quietly thinks in reservation.

'We tsukaima'... they decided... as a committee? Nazgul's eyes quietly narrow. Her fingers are shaking a little. 'To fight for good'... 'as intended'... I... I... She tries to keep the memories that're starting to surface down, hiding her face behind another deliberately slow sip of tea. She can still see that black flag that flies in the distance, haphazardly stuck ontop of the jeep. The way they shouted about -- their mission, their righteous mission, how they were directed by Allah, how they wanted to drive the impure away...

"Prismy..." she speaks up, to first gap into the conversation. "My question is as Yui's, then. What created the youma? What are they? What led to the situation where Magical Girls, and that website, are necessary? It is fine to speak of our reward, but I would like to understand the context of our situation."

[Mono Vertigo]

"Whoa, that's a lot! I'll try breaking this down..."
Prismy takes a moment to think (and fidgets while doing so). "You've noticed how youma have their own, strange world which has nonetheless a kind of logic to it? Well, they try to grant wishes, too, but they're terribly twisted, so these wishes take the form of Nightmares, which don't affect the real world. When they hurt humans, it's either because their nature drives them to try and grant their desires the wrong way, or because they're running low on energy and feed on people's minds and emotions. Or people, period. They're more or less the magical viruses of reality. Aberrant, dangerous series of runes.
For centuries, maybe millenniums, some humans have been regularly endowed with powers, which allows them to fight them and achieve great deeds. It's a secret, but normal part of the world. Youma have been multiplying in the last few years, so in response, more Magical Girls are sought."

[Segrain]

Takeda Kaori was trying to tie the unfolding events into at least a resemblance of something appropriate, but her efforts were... less than entirely successful.

Spending time with other girls of her age was not wrong in itself. As any proper girl would have done in her place, Kaori even remembered to use a pause in the discussion as they were on their way and call her parents to warn that she is going to return home later than was expected. But the excuse of "met some friends at the mall"... it was far too early to use such a strong word, and she tried to avoid meeting eyes with anyone while saying it. But she could not just honestly say "I will be with some people whom I just met while fighting together against a giant candy spider".

Neither was anything wrong in visiting a friend's - well, not quite friend's yet, of course - house. But the continued discussion about nature of monsters once again threw Kaori away from proper line of behaviour. She did not even notice when Nazgul managed to arrange the tea - something like that could be expected from the host, not from a foreigner who was a guest not only in the house, but in entire country. Yet, some muttered "I should had helped...", appropriate compliments to hospitality - and, once Haruko joined them, belated introductions - later, that was not the most wrong thing to happen either.

But then, the conversation went back to actual reason for their meeting. Listening to others explaining what they know was certainly not unusual for a schoolgirl; Kaori even took a notepad and a pen from her backpack to write down notes. Listening to talking ferret, however, was weird in itself; but what Prismy was saying was beyond mere weirdness. Even if it explained some things that happened so far, her perception of the world could no longer stay the same. The only thing that still made sense was familiar idea of recording new ideas and rising questions on paper - and so she kept writing, as automatically as breathing.

Pause in the discussion meant that she had to say something and fill it. It would be proper and make sense. But she had too many questions to ask at once. If only there was one answer that could explain all problems... like the promised wish, make everything better... some omnipotent miracle, granted by those beings who could fulfill any sincere desire... no. The thought was not merely wrong - it was outright blasphemous. And yet, it was there, in her head and in her handwriting. And she could not stay silent.

"You say that you would grant us any wish..." - Kaori started, barely managing to keep her voice calm and collected. - "But human wishes are infinite. If you are making them come true for centuries and millenniums, no power in the world can satisfy them all. Even magic, if it truly exists, must come somewhence. If you need thirteen of those things, and twelve are not enough, then there must be an extent beyond which amount of... raw magic... that thirteen can hold will not go either. Who are you, if you have power to make any wish come true? Are you..." - even Kaori's control over her voice could not stop it from quivering, and she had to take a deep breath before finally asking her question.

"Are you... gods?"

[Mono Vertigo]

"Gods? Ahah, no", Prismy replies with a soft noise resembling a nervous laughter, "that's not the intention, we're just very knowledgeable.
We know we need 13 Oblivion Seeds to make a Wish come true because, when assembled, their power increase exponentially. 13 is the key number where not only a Wish would be safely granted the way its maker intended, but also where the changes made would cover the whole world directly and not be constrained to a pocket dimension, like youma do. Wishes are not things we can grant ourselves, else we would do it. We only know how to assemble Seeds in order to do it. Anybody with the capacity to witness magic could figure it out after studying it long enough, really.
To answer your question, we do not know what would happen if more Oblivion Seeds were assembled, but that's a moot point according to our calculations. Beside, no one yet has gathered enough Seeds. We've only discovered relatively recently how to grant Wishes, and... well... alone, that's a very hard task, and... even if you defeat youma strong enough to possess Oblivion Seeds with the help of other Magical Girls, it's hard gathering... enough of them for... just yourself."
Vaguely implied: if you fight alone, you might never defeat enough monsters. Those who fight as a group have to share the loot or face generosity issues.
Prismy fidgets even more after answering.

[Merilan]

Nazgul is not a suspicious person, on the overall. Inquisitive and with attention to detail, yes; however, there was something about the way Prismy's answer became a non-answer that bothers her slightly. He didn't answer the question... why is that...?

Then, the next explanation, discussing the nature of Wishes, and how recent they are. There was a very fascinating correlation with the use of the Rune Revolution as a website - the 21st century's portal to widespread communication - speaking of, there was another...

"Prismy. You have mentioned runes several times now. Youma are aberrant runes; the website spell you tsukaima created -- use runes as well, do they not?" Nazgul queries. Her body expression isn't relaxed, but neither is it incredibly tense. "From what I can understand thus far, runes exemplify the rules of magic. When these rules are twisted, youma occur. The same is true of Wishes, just as you said - the youma's Nightmare is a twisted version of... our Wish. Futhermore, you have said as much that there is risk to us using magic. I have felt it myself. I feel it right now. And that there is a backlash. And that backlash... is it..."

She's incredibly nervous for a moment, halting her words, but she can't back down from the critical question that is plaguing her from the bits and pieces of unthreaded information. She steels herself, and then queries: "Are youma created from Magical Girls?"

[Segrain]

"That... does not answer my question", - Kaori frowned. - "If youmas are aberrations, and we are supposed to fight against them... with magic, what is your place in that? You call yourselves "tsukaimas", but it does not explain who and what are you... or make it easier to trust you."

And the answer that she was given did not explain a lot either. For something to grow exponentially - she even drew a tiny graph on the margin to help herself think - it should be a quantifiable measurement. A labeled axis. A finite value, no matter how great. It cannot be able to grant literally any wish in perfect way, just like that creature, no matter how knowledgeable, cannot answer all questions at once. She had to ask them one by one, trying to assemble some puzzle where most pieces were missing... starting at the beginning before going deeper seemed the best choice.

"Magic", - Kaori spoke again, the word still feeling too weird on her tongue. - "What is it and whence does its power come? How are we using it without even knowing how to do it? What does it have to do with runes? What does the name of that website even mean?" - she paused, flipping through so quickly filled pages. - "And speaking of that website... you say that it is a spell. You... did not even trick us into this by some false promises. You just... bewitched whomever you wanted to be doing this. Why and wherefore? If only you explained everything - as you are doing now - beforehand, would we refuse being able to protect others and have our wishes granted? Or are you hiding some truth that we would not had accepted if we knew what all of that means?"

And that raised several more questions. It was too much to ask before even hearing first answers, but one point led to another, and she just could not stop halfway: "And when you had your choice of anyone on Earth, you picked us. How do you decide whom to make into... what we are? You keep calling us "magical girls"; why girls? Would not adults make better fighters? Cannot boys do this as well as we so? You mentioned "one of the requirements of the magic"; is this another? Are there more?"

Not used to talking for long, Kaori stopped. That already was too much to comprehend at once... was she the only one struggling with it? Did others, being more experienced, knew most of it already, and this explanation was mostly for her benefit? But even the oldest of them asked some important, but seemingly basic questions. Confused, Kaori glanced over other girls before once again turning her attention to Prismy.

[Mono Vertigo]

"... 'are youma created from Magical Girls'? Ooooh oh my, no! No!"
This time, the tsukaima seems horrified by the implications. "That's-- no, goodness, that's not where they come from, no -- you're raising a lot of good questions, please allow me to-"
At this moment, the gem on the ferret's forehead flashes brightly; the splotches of colour turn from blue to orange and red.
"Oooh, the Hungarian team is calling me, gotta go, take the time to know each other in the meanwhile, see you later--"
A big blotch of multicoloured ink appears from under the critter's feet, into which it sinks quickly without a trace, before the stain does the same.
Prismy's left.

[Estralita]

Yui felt disappointment well up as Prismy disappeared. "Darn. I had more questions about the wishes."

[DoctorFaust]

"Argh!" Haruko jumps up from her chair, and starts stomping around the room. "Damnit, I had more questions for that little fuzzball. But y'know what, that's fine. Sure, our mystic mentor has decided to go away, leaving us alone, with lots of unanswered questions. Whatever."

With another growl, she throws herself back into her seat, and says, "So, we all know each others names, but not much else. Who are all you people, thatcha had a wish important enough for those furry gits to give you powers?"

[Estralita]

"Oh I'm sure he'll come back. If he's got lots of Magical Girls to mentor, it must take a lot of work. And at least he didn't leave during the battle." Yui said, seemingly examining the floor. As for me, I live here. My parents aren't home that often, so we can have plenty of privacy here. They...trust me not to need much looking after."

[Merilan]

I-- did that touch a nerve? He lost his composure at the end there...

Nazgul was not certain what to make of that reaction. It was a question that Prismy had to dodge. Or... was it her mistake for trying to read Prismy like a human? The ferret had a tic that seemed almost rote, in a way. Was there truly another team in Hungary that needed its assistance? How many more teams are there in total?

Do the youma come from their predecessor? It is simply too early to deduce anything. The only thing she knows is that there is an unmistakable connection between runes, the youma, and magical girls... but what?

I need to contact more youma. More magical girls. Just as before. It's the only way.

"... I cannot be certain," Nazgul finally speaks up, first addressing Kaori since the chief source of their explanations has vanished, "What the rules of their spell are. Why it has to be adolescent girls. But I think I can believe it when they say it has to be genuine - an earnest desire made at the right time, at the right place. At least for me -- for Quantum Heart, a clarity of emotion is needed. The weapons that appear feel like extensions of will and intuition, rather than weapons with engineered specifications. How was it for you? I am sorry if I am rude asking this, but was that your -- first time transforming?"

[Segrain]

With a sigh, Kaori closed her notebook and returned it into the backpack. Some part of her mind wondered whether she should keep it at hand until next time when they will meet Prismy or cut away and burn last few pages before anyone accidentally reads them and calls her mad, but there were more important things to consider. If that creature was just one of some large collective, and yet had to personally disappear somewhither across half the continent at a moment's notice... just how urgent - and how troubling - must had it been for his European callers? She did not know whether to be annoyed by their untimely distraction or feel sorry for them. Or dread the day when the five of them will find themselves in a similarly grave need.

At least Prismy's parting advice made sense - probably because it did not involve any magic or other cryptic affairs of dubious nature. If they all are involved in it together, actually staying together was a good idea - Kaori quite doubted that she would be able to fight against a monster like that spider on her own. Not that idea of fighting monsters in even the most favourable conditions was much easier to accept... she was still new to it all. And, of course, it did not escape attention of others. Having no reason to hide the truth from new... comrades-in-arms, she turned to Nazgul.

"Yes", - Kaori nodded, her voice once again calmed down to the same soft and polite tone. - "Never before this day had I knew anything about this... magic, let alone witnessed or used it. I asked many questions, and would be grateful to have answers to any of them; but for your own I know no answer. You called it "transforming"... I had no will or desire for that. But when I was nonetheless given the armour and the weapon, when I had seen you hit by that monster... I knew what I had to do. Call it "intuition" if you will. I call it "duty"."

[jamieth]

"It was the first for me as well", Yuko nods earnestly, "I was playing a game, and there was a messaga about a contract, and... I thought I found a secret or something, and... next thing I know, I'm here... and... the Wish I entered... it was to become a hero, so... it kinda happened already, even without the Seeds..." she blushes, sitting next to Kaori to whom she was slowly getting closer throughout her short speech.

[DoctorFaust]

"Nope. I did it once before," Haruko replies with a shake of her head. "The... youma, I guess, that I fought then was kinda weak, but all the stuff worked mostly the same. The spear appeared on its own at first, but for all the other stuff, I just imagine it, and it happens. And, hey, that's a lot better wish than mine, Yuko. I just put down that I wanted a whole houseful of cash."

[Merilan]

"I have very few answers about the nature of our being, as you saw," Nazgul responds in an apologetic tone, taking out a weathered diary of her own. It seems to have plenty of notes on youma, magical girls, tsukaima - a sparse section that she's starting to fill in herself, now. "But I have experience in dealing with the day-to-day, and with coming to terms with this life -- the life of a Magical Girl."

She quietly narrows her eyes and says, "My focus is to make sense of the entire situation. Understanding what everything is -- understanding the consequences, attempting to learn of the bigger picture at work here. I feel I have made a lot of progress tonight, and... I thank you all for your help."

[Segrain]

"It is a goal worthy of pursuing", - Kaori respectfully bowed her head to Nazgul, watching her write. Not knowing the language - and probably not even the alphabet - that somebody with a name so foreign was likely to use in private records, she still stayed away from giving the slightest impression of prying. Instead, her thoughts went back to her own notes and questions. If even the oldest and probably the most learned of other girls could not answer them, then there was not much that could be done. They all were equally blind to the future, and that meant that she had to endure her own worries and stay strong for the sake of her younger comrades. Life could have changed, but rules of conduct still remained.

Life could have changed, but it was still the same life. The entire fight took maybe several minutes; not a lot to give for something seemingly so important. She still had to think about the school and all other duties of a girl of her age; now that the magic was at least partially explained, she could worry about something other than her world being shattered by those revelations. But even if she could think about both her usual life and the new knowledge, they still seemed too separate to be put together in one mind.

"If I may ask..." - Kaori started slowly, once again raising her eyes on Nazgul. - "You speak about life of a magical girl... what does it mean for our day-to-day lives? That was only one monster; how often do we have to fight them? And Prismy said that our fights against them - our nature and their very existence - are secret... I understand that even you may yet not know why is it so. But how can we keep a secret so big, if even a child could learn it just by seeing us? How..." - she paused, herself doubting that such a question could be answered, - "...how should we live with this?"

[Merilan]

"Youma do not follow a regular schedule," Nazgul advises, looking to Kaori. She pauses, trying to put it in a more positive light for them. "Much like how emergency services such as first responders and the fire department can be needed at irregular times... people can be in need of rescue from youma at erratic hours. Ordinary humans are incapable of fighting them - as Prismy said, they cannot even see the 'Nightmare'. That leaves us in a position to make a positive difference." She tilts her head. "As you said earlier -- it is a matter of Duty."

She laces her fingers together, hearing Haruko and Yuko's discussion about their Wishes. She does not make motion to talk about her own. My own Wish... what do I-- what do I even think about it now? Do I need to stoke that flame, to remain a Magical Girl? ... or is that why Quantum Heart's own will differs so much from mine?

"I will not lie and say it is easy, but I do not want to discourage anyone," she continues. "I think the best course is to stay together and share the burden. One person working alone will accrue too much fatigue -- you will burn out. Because we do not know what our ultimate goal is, we need to plan for the long haul. Making sure that we each can have time to ourselves, and with friends and family -- the things that allow us to unwind and regain energy. And, with each battle we face, we make sure we learn a bit more about our enemies, about our nature, and about the forces clashing around us, so that we are not stuck in an endless pattern."

[jamieth]

"And it's not like we don't get anything out of it ourselves", Yuko says, heading to the center of the room, "Look..."

And, with a spin and a snap of her fingers, her school uniform shifts into a a casual set of shirt and skirt, then, with a second snap, an old-fashioned business suit... and, finally, an exquiisite wedding dress. "Looks nice, right?" she smiles, "and even if it's hard and dangerous, we get to help people, and as for friends and fa..." her voice breaks, "fa... mi... ly..." Yuko stops for a moment, a first tear suddenly appearing on her face, and the next moment she already kneel next to Kaori, tears flowing down from her eyes as she tries to use the older girl's laps as a crying pillow... should Kaori let her already, "my family... I... won't see them again... right?.."

[Segrain]

"You are right, of course", - Kaori was listening to Nazgul with great attention, nodding in agreement. - "I only have one more question. You compare us to firefighters, but when there is a fire, they are called to it. Those monsters whom we fight are invisible to most. When we met... I only was there thanks to a coincidence. I had to see that Nightmare with my own eyes, or I would had walked past it. How did you all knew where to find it?"

Having mentioned the four other girls as a group, Kaori looked at the younger three. Was the conversation about monsters and their duties too boring for them? Having a wish come true was important, of course, but their situation was too serious to be taken so lightly. Even though she could understand Yuko's wish - her own was of a similar nature, even if more realistic in wording. Not that she was going to speak about it...

Although Yuko's unexpected performance got a soft smile from her. Even if she now had some magic, she did not know what to do with it; but that girl clearly mastered it already. "Yes, it is nice..." - Kaori started, but could not finish, and her smile disappeared with no trace left. Speechless, she let the girl cry as much as she wanted, moving only to procure her handkerchief and start wiping tears from Yuko's face. "Did... something happen?" - she asked finally, not knowing any better answer to girl's question.

[jamieth]

Yuko, still sobbing, nevertheless eventually got to the point where she could talk semi-coherently, "I... I din't want to talk... no... I didn't want to think about it... but... that time when I made a Wish... it was... it was twenty five years ago... my little brother's almost thirty-five now... he likely has his own family... and Mom and Dad are... and I went to see my old home first thing, but... it was demolished, and... I told myself it's just an adventure, right? And after we win, I'll egt home... like it always happens in the stories... but... even if I collect enough Seeds... I can't make a wish to go back, right? Because my Wish was already chosen when I saw that invitation..."

[Estralita]

Yui sat there in shock for a second. Why-Why would this happen? Was it because Yuko was needed here and now, specifically? But if that was the case, she should be able to go back when it was done. The second Prismy came back, Yui had a lot of questions for him. There had to be a way. Yui would make a way.

But right now, she was only guessing. And that wouldn't help Yuko right now. "Yuko-san, do you have a place to stay?"

[Segrain]

"Twenty five years?.." - stunned, Kaori could only keep trying to soothe obviously distraught girl, while piecing together what she could understand of her story. It made some horrifying sense - almost too scary to be believable, but Yuko's condition was clearly not a joke. How could magic, that was allegedly given to them to fight monsters, do something so cruel? What kind of twisted reason could there be to do that to anyone, let alone a girl too young to be left on her own with nobody in entire world?

It did not matter. What already happened could not be undone, at least not without a promised wish. But in the time when they lived they still could do something that would matter - and Kaori would never had forgiven herself if she as much as thought about abandoning the girl to a fate like that. Giving Yuko time to finish her story and cry her tears, she just sat quietly, gently holding the girl on her lap in almost a hug and wiping her tears without any attention to anything else.

Yui's voice returned her to reality. Kaori could not dare to ask anything like that first, but it was a good question. And before Yuko could answer it, she spoke too. "I do not know whether what happened to you can be undone", - she tried to give the girl a reassuring smile, but it was quite sad one, - "but do not despair. Your family must still be somewhere. They are probably still looking for you, and one day you will find each other. Until then... you have us. If you will need any help, you only have to say so. If it is not too much to ask... how do you even live here.... in now? How long was it for you?"

[jamieth]

"Oh... for me, it was... I chose 'YES', and the game just died... or so I thought, so I just went to sleep... and then I woke up in this time, on the riverbank... yesterday. Last night I slept at the school nursery... I could easily get in with my magic, you see", obviously cheered a bit by the words of support, Yuko calms herself enough to repeat her 'quick-change' trick to switch to the school uniform again, "honestly, it wasn't so bad... and maybe I can get myself a bit of money - manager in the gaming store told me my GameBoy is a rare series, and in pristine condition... well, of course, Mom only bought it a week ago..." she forces a weak smile, "So I'll manage somehow..."

Though, admittedly, all that speech sounds as if she's trying to convince herself as much, if not more, than anyone else.

[Merilan]

Twenty-five years ago...? Even if she was from around here, that is a harsh culture shock... not having a home -- not having family around... Nazgul shakes her head for a moment, for a moment reeling with the earnestness of Yuko's pent-up fright now suddenly released. She's happy that the others are also supporting her, and then chimes in with, "I... too, have faced similar difficulties in moving here. As Kaori says, we will help and support you. You are not alone, Yuko..."

She looks to Yui with a nod, trusting that the girl has similar sentiments. Yuko's power was amazing, being able to generate clothes on the fly as she needed... that would help her in this time of need as well.

Nazgul rises up quietly, silently putting a hand to her head. She does not want to admit it to the others, but the strength and earnesttness of Yuko's feelings are starting to influence her own emotions. She can feel her hand becoming a little stiff, with the grief of -- of not potentially seeing her family again, of having been left behind as they moved on...

"I'm going to get some more tea for us -- or would you like something else, everyone?" She quietly steps out to the doorway, sliding open the door as she turns around to pose the question... ...

[jamieth]

Hearing all the promises of support, Yuko starts crying again - but this time, it's a tears of gratitude, not of despair; "Everyone's so nice... Thank you..."

[Mono Vertigo]

You might not be actively looking for a solution to your problem right now, but now the feeling of utter loneliness has only become a relative one, inspiration and insight might strike.
Try to Locate Something.

Everybody:
You may Bond now if you wish with as many PCs as you want right now. Friendship is magic! Or magic is friendship. Something like that.

[Estralita]

Yui's thoughts were still whirling, trying to make sense of her wild ideas that likely wouldn't work. But right now, there was something more important. "If-if you want, Yuko-san, you can stay here. We have plenty of space."

With Yuko, if its okay with her.
[roll0]

[jamieth]

"B-but, I can't intrude like that..." Yuko tried to argue, but she couldn't even decieve herself on that one, "b-but... if that's really all right with you, Yui-sempai, Nazgul-sempai..." Nazgul did mention she was staying at Yiu's, right?

"If you really don't mind... Thanks for having me over!" swintching back to 'happy' just as quickly as she did to 'crying', Yuko gave a bright smile to everyone around, any thoughts that might have started to form in her head immediately washed away by that wave of gratitude.

I'll happily take that Relationship; do I need to roll in return?

[Estralita]

Yui smiled in relief. It wasn't a way home for Yuko-san, but Yui was glad to do something.

"Of course I don't mind! That's why I offered, " Yui hesitated for a second, but continued the thought. "Yuko-chan"

[Merilan]

Nazgul wasn't staying at Yui's - assumedly she was either staying with Ami, or finding some kind of accomodation for herself... the question of living space and everything attached to it - finding food, understanding what her options are if she needed services such as medicine given her utter lack of grounding in this country was still up in the air. She didn't even have a passport, after all. But she'd have to tackle that problem when she came to it.

Bond with... Kaori and Yuko, I think. I may use the starting relationship points if it fails.

Kaori - [roll0]
Yuko - [roll1]

Of course, it didn't take long for the bucket full of thoroughly used vegetable oil to tip over and fall directly on her head. With a resounding splash, the awful stench of day-old grease trapped in increasingly putrid frozen-and-served remnants of batter and chunks of what was once potato now shrivelled into thrice-cooked crisps layers over her and likely the one set of clothes she really owns. And then she slips on the now-slippery floor.

In a daze, she exclaims, "W--what the goodness!"

[Estralita]

Yui jumped up at the sound of the bucket falling, and Nazgul-senpai's cry.What- how did that happen? Are you okay, Nazgul-senpai?"

[Segrain]

Kaori watched Yuko's progress through sharing her story and listening to promises of support with the same reassuring smile, but it was far from being a happy one. If the girl still thought about her mother being with her last week, if her idea of having money was selling some rare trinket from her time that probably was a memento of said mother... it was not going to end well. Even if Yui was willing to offer her a shelter, who could knew how her parents would take it? And if the girl just woke up yesterday, and probably without any money... clothes magic or no magic, did she even ate for entire day? So, when Nazgul offered to bring them more tea, Kaori turned to her, trying to figure out the way to subtly explain her concern with gestures or just stand up and join other girl with some pretence and say it outside of Yuko's earshot...

Perhaps it was for the best that they did not walk out of the door together. But even if Kaori had to leave the - no longer crying - girl before standing up, she still blamed herself for being too slow and yet still being - and looking - right there as something had fell on Nazgul and send her slipping. What good was magic if it could not even always reliably put her in harm's way for others? Yet, entirely nonmagical reflexes and tenets of upbringing still worked just fine, and in few moments Kaori already was carefully kneeling next to slippery floor and offering her hand to the girl.

"Bint al-Rashid-san?" - stumbling her way through attaching Japanese honorific to Arabic surname (or was it actually patronymic?..), Kaori still managed to ignore the awful smell and act as if incident itself was not even worthy of being mentioned, unwilling to add any embarrassment to what probably was humiliating more than enough already. - "Are you alright?.."

[DoctorFaust]

"Hah!" Haruko rolls in her seat, laughing uproariously. After a few moments, she gets herself under control and hauls herself upright, and points at Nazgul. "Seriously, I didn't think you would be the one to..." Suddenly, she dissolves back into laughter, and half slides out of her chair.

[Merilan]

Nazgul chokes out a weak little cough, not quite able to respond straight away. She takes Kaori's hand, but doesn't trust herself enough to stand straight away. But then she hears the -- laughter, staring blurrily through the sopping drips of oil that've caked over her fringes. What-- what is this... why...?

She doesn't yell, or make bold motions, a little stunned at the sudden burst of vigorous laughter coming from Haruko. She feels the earnestness of her -- laughter, but doesn't quite understand where it comes from, what sense comes of it...

[jamieth]

"Eh?... Eh?!" Yuko gets up, going to help Nazgul, but is, as often, just a tad too late, leaving Kaori to take care of things for now. "That's not funny, Haruko! What if... oh, wait! Are you fine, Nazgul-sempai? One moment, I can heal... let me transform and... oh, you're not hurt? Still... at the very least, you need to take a shower..."

[Segrain]

Now that initial panic reaction was over and it was clear that most of damage had befallen the dignity rather than actual health, Kaori could calm down enough to start looking for the source of that misfortune. The bucket was hard to miss, but how could that even happen? Wasn't Nazgul herself using that door last time when she was bringing tea... and then, when the last girl joined them, she walked through it too with no harm... they all were inside, surely nothing could happen that they would not had noticed?

And then she heard the laughter. Somebody else could call the mystery obvious at this point, but Takeda Kaori was not particularly familiar with the idea of setting something like that just for fun. And so she turned her head to the sound very slowly, still processing what she just heard. "Katayama-san?.." - Kaori's voice still was as calm as always, but her grip on Nazgul's hand strengthened almost to the point of being uncomfortable. - "Are you saying that you knew that this was going to happen?.."

[DoctorFaust]

Haruko wipes at her eyes as she nods at Kaori. "Woo... Yeah, I knew it was going to happen. I didn't think that anyone would be slow enough to catch the whole thing, especially not Nazgul, but hey, even better that someone did." She looks around at the other girls, and she straightens up in her chair, but the smile doesn't leave her face. "What, come on, did none of you find that funny? Not a single one of you?"

[Segrain]

"Katayama..." - the pause instead of honorific was almost long enough to be considered an insult. - "...-san. If I remember it right, you were the last one to join us here. You... made this happen, did you not?"

Normally, Takeda Kaori was as calm and reserved as proper girl of her age was supposed to be. Even fighting against the monster, - what, truth be told, was not normal by any measure, - she still kept her emotions under control. Even if every swing she had to make was drawn forward by hatred for something so abominable. Even if she had some quite rude words to say to a certain careless spearman together with whom she fought. Even if some things were making her angry, they should had been gone and forgotten. And yet, when she was certain that they are no more, something slipped past her lowered guard.

"Bint al-Rashid-san", - Kaori stood up slowly enough to give Nazgul time to choose between following her or releasing her hand; but one way or another, that hand now was free, and it was clenching in a fist, - "if I may be of any assistance, please let me know. Alas, I have to take care of something first", - she then turned to Yui and gave her a symbolic bow. - "Aoyama-san, I apologise for doing this in your house, but there is a lesson to be taught."

And, unable to hold her wrath any longer, Kaori crossed the room and stopped in front of Haruko's seat, looking down at her. "Look in my eyes", - demanded the older girl, her voice dropping to angry whisper, yet still audible to everyone. - "I am not asking how can you find this funny in any manner. I am not expecting you to have an excuse with which you can apologise. I am not going to waste any time explaining how great a disgrace you did to yourself, our host and whole our nation by doing something like that to your comrade in arms, your fellow guest in this house and a foreigner in our land", - without any warning, Kaori's hand struck, aiming to slap Haruko across her face. - "Just tell me this: do you have at least half of a brain to figure it on your own, or I have to teach you manners like to some insolent child?"

[DoctorFaust]

Without blinking, Haruko throws a hand up and catches Kaori's in mid strike. "Why should I care," she says with gritted teeth. "About disgracing this country."

"Why," she says, standing up while keeping the same hold on Kaori's arm. "Should I care about disgracing myself. Or my host, who ain't got nothing to do with what I did."

She pivots on her heels, and pulls her arm in and down, hard. "Oh, sure, maybe it was mean," she hisses at Kaori. "Maybe I shouldn'ta done it in someone else's house. But if you want to try and teach me manners, you're more than welcome to. I've been scrapping with people tougher than you for a long time now. So I would love to see you try."

Figure her backstory is a good justification for being able to block the slap.

[Segrain]

"As you wish."

Takeda Kaori did not move. She did not move when her strike was intercepted, still standing with her hand stopped in the air. She did not move when the other girl stood up, still looking down at her from the height of her age. She did not move even when Haruko pulled her arm, not allowing even a slightest sign of pain to manifest.

"Then I shall make use of my welcome. "Scrapping", you say? How rude. It does not matter how tough I am. I said that I will teach you manners; I did not express any intention to compete against you in any manner of pugilism... or in the art of wielding polearms, as it might be. In fact, when we will see another monster, - surely you had not yet forgotten how we met and wherefore are we here? - I fully expect us to stand against it side by side. Unless, of course, you will once again need me to bring you into a proper combat", - Kaori paused, taking a breath and conveniently not mentioning that she still was uncertain about how exactly she managed to do it even the first time.

"Actually, before we move onto the matter of manners, allow me to instruct you on the subject of the proper combat. There is a certain thing that every spearman must understand even earlier than learning which end of his weapon is to be pointed towards the enemy. You see, spears were made to be used in formation. When a group of footmen is assembled, they meet their opponent with a wall of spearheads. But walk into the battle alone, raise your weapon when there is no one to stand beside you... and all that you have is a stick", - Kaori snapped the fingers of her free hand with quite indicative sound.

"So, why should you care about your honour? Why should you care about the insults that you do to somebody who never wronged you - and to everyone who welcomed you, expecting you to behave yourself? Think for a moment, Katayama-san. Not everything in your life is going to be able to be solved just by being tougher than everyone around is. You approved of Nonohara-san's wish; so tell me, do you not hold the same in your heart? Look at your deeds and tell me", - Kaori gestured to Nazgul with her free hand, still struggling to hold another arm unmoving, - "do you see this as some kind of heroics?"

Her speech was taking some time, and she was not standing in the most comfortable pose. But, perhaps, the other girl by now was not expecting it to change soon; and Kaori gave her a smile. "If you are as tough as you say, tell me: is this the battle that you like to fight?" - she made yet another gesture towards Nazgul and spilled bucket. And suddenly stopped resisting her arm being dragged down, instead allowing Haruko to go with the motion - and shoving her even further, hoping to get younger and shorter girl back to her seat.

[Merilan]

The surge of hostile emotions is starting to wrap around Nazgul's mind, gripping it for a moment. She can't quite pierce Haruko's cavalier attitude, and perhaps, she'd like to feel bothered, but... she finds herself without the energy, especially after the battle with the youma they've just had, to do so. She wants to retreat into a shell of self-loathing -- was it because she was foreign? Was it because she talked too much, looked funny? But she understands, more than ever, that she can't just run away into herself. Her mind is ever more connected than it has ever been, and it is important that she stands up to the pressure building up around her. She pulls up on Kaori's hand to stand up, but lets go, afterwards.

She looks quietly towards Yuko and Yui. "I am okay, thank you," before turning her attention towards the two. Admittedly, she's likely not going to be amazing at defusing arguments, the way her voice never raises or becomes more frantic. But calmness has a strength of its own.

"Do you feel better after pulling that prank, Haruko? I don't know why you did it, but I would appreciate it if you did not fight in Yui's house and cause her more trouble."

[DoctorFaust]

Haruko simply turns into the shove, rotating to put her front towards the chair again, and gives Kaori a yank of her own. "I got no problem fighting any fight that comes my way," she declares. "And being tougher than whatever SOB comes after you is exactly how you win a fight, whether you're trying to stick someone with a spear, a sword, or a punch. And I ain't no hero. I told you all my wish. A boatload of cash was what I wrote down, and a boatload of cash is what I want."

She drops her grip on Kaori, and turns to face Nazgul. "Nah, I don't really feel much better. Don't feel any worse, to be honest, even if that was a bit meaner than the stuff I usually pull. I wasn't aiming it at you, or really anyone in particular, and given the fight I thought that everyone here had good enough reactions to dodge a falling bucket. If you want us to stop fighting, I'll sit down right now. Heck, I still have a few thousand yen left on me, and you can have 'em if you need to go out and buy some new duds."

[Segrain]

"Fight?" - Kaori turned her head towards Nazgul. - "Nobody is going to fight..."

That, of course, made her miss Haruko's move entirely. Regaining her footing and taking a step back away from any vulnerable furniture once she was unhanded, she tried to respond at least to the verbal part of the argument: "And if you will keep thinking in this manner, it will be a mistake that will lead to your failure. As soon as you will meet an... opponent...", - just for one word, Kaori allowed her tone to express what she thought about other girl's choice of vocabulary, - "...tougher than you are, you will be useless. And your wish will not come true. All because you do not care for everything that decides a battle. Finesse. Skill. Planning. Knowledge. But first of all? Having somebody on your side when something goes wrong. And you are not going to earn it by insulting those who fought with you for some brief amusement or buy it with some token gesture of guilt. I do not ask for your reasons for making your wish. But things of real value are not sold for money."

Brushing some imaginary dust off her dress, Kaori returned to her backpack and checked the time on the phone. "Perhaps I should be leaving already..." - she muttered to herself, glancing around the room that no longer felt like a pleasant conversation over tea, and then, remembering something, switched back to the normal tone of voice. - "Oh, bint al-Rashid-san? If you are unharmed, do you still want another cup of tea? Or, if everyone finished..." - one way or another, Kaori started gathering empty cups on the tray. Helping the host to clean after so disastrous visitors felt as a right thing to do, and any excuse to have her hands occupied and then leave the room with Haruko in it was a welcome one.

She herself was not quite certain what made her do what she did. And nothing guaranteed that it was not going to repeat itself.

[jamieth]

Yuko shifted hwer sight from Haruko to Kaori and back, almost ready to plunge herself between them should things turn messy...er - but, as was often the cazse, she didn't get to it in time... but the way it ended, it wasn't right. She just knew it wasn't... so, before, Kaori left, Yuko grabbed her hand, "Wait, Kaori-sempai! You need to reconcile, or... or it'll end up biting us at the worst possible moment, I just know it will! And you", she turned to Haruko, "you need to apologize! THat wasn't fun at all, and... and..." she just shook her head, almostr ready to cry again.

[Estralita]

Yui had gone out to get towels for Nazgul-senpai once she knew that she was okay. Because of this, Yui didn't hear all of the confrontation. But walking in on the tense atmosphere, and Yuko-chan looking like she was about to cry told her enough. This was Yui's house. She needed to say something.

"Yuko-chan is right. This is dangerous work.From what Prismy said, too dangerous for one person to handle alone, even with magic. And we need to be able to trust each other." Yui felt her cheeks reddening . She was no good with speeches. Embarrassed she turned to Nazgul-senpai, and wordlessly offered the towels.

[Merilan]

Gratefully, Nazgul accepts the towels from Yui, bowing her head. Then she wicks away as much of the grease from her hair, her skin and her clothes as she can; some of it was going to stick, that wasn't going to change. "Thank you for offering. I would also prefer it if you pulled your pranks elsewhere, Haruko. And thank you again for helping me, Kaori; I am fine for tea at the moment."

Nazgul didn't think confronting Haruko was going to be productive - she didn't know her, or how she behaved both around friends and around people she'd just barely met a couple of hours ago. She could just be as exhausted -- mentally, emotionally -- from dealing with the youma. So she kept her preconceptions down, regardless of her first impressions. She already spoke enough, and she felt she at least put her point about their situation enough.

"I'd like to use your bathroom to clean up, Yui; may I borrow some of your clothes for the night?" She's already started to the bathroom itself, given that she's likely to have spent some time here herself.

[DoctorFaust]

Haruko throws up her hands in defeat. "Sheesh, fine." She turns to Nazgul and bows low. "I am very, very sorry," she says, her voice biting but with an edge of genuine contriteness to it. "I should have at least gotten to know you guys a little better before I started pulling pranks." She fishes a few bills out of the pocket of her jacket and shoves them towards the older girl. "And you can have these if you need to get new clothes."

[Segrain]

"Nonohara-san?" - Kaori stopped, carefully avoiding spilled grease at the doorframe. After earlier misadventure with the web of candy, she was quite wary of walking barefoot on dangerous substances, and it took some self-control to balance a full tray of empty cups when Yuko grabbed her arm. But, at least, she actually was fully in control of herself again and managed to avoid causing another accident. - "Please, do not concern yourself. There is nothing for me to reconcile; I merely took care of something that somebody had to do", - she nodded to the teaware in her hands. - "The worst that could come of that mishap is already bygone, unless you will allow it to trouble yourself further. If you would be so kind to let go?"

Kaori only smiled gently, watching the situation calm down. Whether she was of any help in that was quite questionable, so she only bowed her head to Nazgul again and turned back to Yuko, hoping that the younger girl will not actually cry over the accident.

[Estralita]

Yui inwardly gave a sigh of relief. They were working things out. You couldn't expect everyone to get along immediately. But if they were willing to try, that was a good sign for them being able to work together in battle.

And Yui was also glad she didn't have to magically kick anyone out of her house. She wasn't sure how she'd explain that to the neighbors.

"So, are we settled? Anything anyone else wants to add?"

[Merilan]

Nazgul bows her head quietly, looking towards the bills Haruko's provided for her. "Thank you,' she decides to not raise a fuss about rejecting it. It was true she had very little to her name here in Japan, after all. "I appreciate it."

She slips out to take that shower, and hopefully wash some of the grease off her clothing while she was at it.

[Merilan]

After cleaning up and taking some spare clothes for the night, Nazgul bids everyone farewell to head out towards the city again. What they'd discussed in Yui's house was nothing short of remarkable - mishap aside. She'd come from a team of two with Yui to a team of five, and managed to bring a youma down and bear witness to an Oblivion Seed. She'd managed to question the tsukaima and procure precious details about their situation. The nature of the Rune Revolution website had been unveiled, as did the scope of the conflict they'd been brought into. So many answers... that lead to so many more questions.

The Kurdish girl quietly proceeds through the city, silently thankful that there's less people at this time of night where she is. She pauses, and clutches at her head for a moment. She didn't want to admit it in front of the others, but she feels the build-up of the magic she'd used to expand her mind outward. It is becoming more and more difficult to control... there was increasing unease that preyed away at the corners of her mind, as Nazgul finds it more and more difficult to discern whether a thought or an emotion was hers -- or someone else's.

She takes a centering breath, and looks up. She had a text from Weiss before - the European girl wanted to meet her, and Nazgul was a bit late to that appointment now... so she proceeded towards her house.

[Mono Vertigo]

[Nazgul]

Weiss' mother opens the door. "Oh, you are Weiss' friend, right? Come in, she's in the backyard."
And there she is, among delicate flowers. Most of them are tulips, imported straight from the Netherlands. She's enjoying the sun in a chair. "Hey, Nazgul! You're late, I didn't expect you anymore... but that's alright. Tell me, you look a bit tired... did something happen?"

[Merilan]

Nazgul does truly enjoy the Blumenthal manor. It is a symbol of opulence, yes, its architecture stubbornly embracing mannerisms somewhere to the 40s or 50s, but there's also a kind of simple and down-to-earth charm within the gardens. She bows quietly with a smile to Weiss' mother, and steps on through to the courtyard where she knows the current heiress to the estate would be.

"Do I look tired? I am sorry, Weiss. I was tangled up in some business..." Nazgul speaks quietly, trying to keep her mind down and her thoughts low. She didn't really want to cause a scene here, even if it is with a friend. "I should have phoned you earlier." She's still wearing the blue outer robes of her Kurdish outfit, having washed it stubbornly at Yui's - she feels it's a part of her identity in some way, perhaps.

[Mono Vertigo]

[Nazgul]

"Is that why you're late? Hah, it doesn't matter, anyway. Want some lemonade?"
Handmade and so very fresh.
"So, I wanted to see you because I see my uncle behaving strangely, but I can't talk to him directly about it. He just brushes me off. I think something's up, but I don't know what, and I thought that since you're an external party, you might be able to read him better than I do. He's having dinner with us tonight, and you're invited, too. The lunch is halal, if that's any concern."
The implications seem pretty clear though she doesn't voice them out loud, probably fearing eavesdropping.
Also, and it doesn't hurt, the meals are pretty lavish and generous in quantity.

[Merilan]

Nazgul bows politely and takes a glass of the lemonade with a sip, looking out towards the flower garden while she thinks that over. Tulips... imported from Europe. I envy them, in a way. If the sunlight and weather allow for it, flowers will bloom in any plot of soil, regardless of nationality, identity, culture... they have no such barriers...

She pauses, just a little alarmed as she by habit lets her thoughts wander again. She quietly takes a seat by Weiss' side and says, "Do you suspect something bad...? I can try, if you would like." Ever the pushover, when it comes to helping someone, Nazgul.

[Mono Vertigo]

[Nazgul]

"It might be nothing", replies the European girl, attempting to temper her friend's concerns, "but I'd rather make sure, you see."
The teen girls are called for dinner shortly after that. Around the table, Weiss' family: her parents, her big brother (a young adult who's rarely seen due to his job), and of course, her uncle, a large and plump man.
Entree's a salad. "We're having risotto next. We have a weak spot for Italia gastronomy!", explains the mother. "I don't believe you've met Nazgul yet, Frank? She's one of Weiss' good friends. She's a very nice girl."
"Yes, uncle Frank", adds Weiss, "She's come to Japan all the way from Iraq."
"How interesting! Japan is so far from the Middle East, though. What brought you here?", he asks between two bites of tomato.

[Merilan]

Even if she were lacking in other areas, Nazgul never wanted for mannerisms and etiquette, at least; she bows her head and makes a quiet curtsey with her robes, seating down with a gentle smile with the rest of the family. To be fair, it was likely not going to be anything... but Nazgul did keep her eye on Weiss' uncle as they spoke.

"I am travelling to broaden my horizons," Nazgul gives out her practiced answer, in between polite bites of her food. "This world has so much to offer, and I do not wish to be yet rooted. Similarly, you all have come a very long way from Europe, have you not?"

[Mono Vertigo]

[Nazgul]

"Same reasons, really", replies the patriarch, "but Frank is the only one who stayed at Düsseldorf. He's joined us last week."
"I was looking forward to seeing my sister, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew", adds Frank, "I was supposed to go back home today, in fact, but my flight was cancelled. I won't be able to leave before Monday at least."
He fiddles with the content of his plate and forces a grin; the rest of the family only seem to notice the outward smile.
"Not that we mind, it's good to see you after over two years!"
It might be difficult however to understand Frank without magic. Is it worth trying?


[If you try magic, that's a very simple difficulty 12.]

[Mono Vertigo]

[Nazgul]

The magic she channels is unnoticeable to the normal eyes... but halfway to Frank, it flows back, and engulfs its caster.
She wanted him to reveal his surface thoughts and intentions; she can feel that the opposite has happened, that the magic will instead broadcast hers to him.
"Tell us more about yourself, you must have seen interesting things during your travels", he asks in a friendly way. "Oh, thank you for the risotto, Hannah..."
Unfortunately, the girl also feels compelled to answer this question out loud - with an interesting fact about herself...


[As explained, he'll be able to "hear" your surface thoughts starting from your next post until you leave his vicinity.
Also, you suffer the Minor Heart Distortion compelling you to blurt out a personal secret; choose which one.]

[Segrain]

Kaori left Yui's house together with Nazgul, and she only stayed that long because she had to at least include the foreign girl when she was saying her goodbyes. Was she too harsh with younger girls? Did she say something wrong? Not used to making many friends, she could not guess, and asking was only going to make it worse. Even her earlier unanswered question to Nazgul remained unrepeated; partially to not remind of what happened after it, partially to not annoy her any further. So Kaori only silently bowed when their roads split and went her own way.

It was not as easy as it sounded. A week ago, she knew her way for years to come. A day ago, she had her concerns, but the life still continued. Now, it was unlike anything that she was ever taught to expect, and her way could only bring the girl back home and end in her room, in thoughts and doubts. She was not the same anymore, yet she had to somehow live the same life - and, every day and every moment, be prepared that her new nature will call her to fulfill the new obligations. Not that she knew how to do it. Not that she knew how to recognise its call. Not that her ignorance was her fault... Kaori even considered trying to call Prismy and ask him again, but it was unlikely to result in anything good. No, if the one who could answer her doubts did not want to do it, she had to ask somebody who would want to help - even if he could not possibly know the truth.

But it was too late to pay a visit, and such matters were certainly not for a phone call. No, if Takeda Kaori was going to ask for help, she was going to do so properly, and that meant obeying formalities and rituals, - luckily, she had no other duties for coming Sunday. Gone to sleep early and early awake in the morning, the girl started preparing herself. For the place that she was going to visit, purity was of the utmost importance; and so her day started with a long bath. Kaori was a firm follower of traditions, and the man whose advice she was going to seek was her teacher in that; and so she donned an oldfashioned kimono in pristine white. But those mundane affairs were not her main concern.

More important - and much harder to achieve - was purity of the mind. It was only a week since her grandfather's death, and that alone was making her too impure to visit Shinto shrine too soon. But even if Kaori could forget her mourning thoughts and hope that the passed time was long enough to keep sensei Sato from sending her away, that was not the only death staining her spirit. Less than a day ago, she had to kill - and even if nobody was going to lament the monster's demise, she knew no rules that were saying how impure is it to slay giant candy spiders. Yet, even if she could not ask such a question, she had too many doubts to wait any longer, and the only way to get rid of them was to speak to her mentor - and to the gods, if he would allow her.

The road to the shrine took Kaori just long enough to ponder her doubts and discard them. She was visiting the home of the gods, and nothing else mattered. Bow at the entrance, wash her hands and mouth, pray and bow again - familiar ritual was soothing and completing her peace of mind. The morning was still early; walking further into the shrine grounds, Kaori hoped to meet the priest before his own duties would make him too busy to talk to old friend's granddaughter.

[Merilan]

Nazgul pauses to a dead stop for a moment. Something was terribly wrong, and she could feel it. She couldn't trust herself anymore at this point. She knows that the defective parts of her mind that once leaked are... leaking again. No. Yes. That's it, that is it, isn't it... Her thoughts come out in garbled chunks for a moment, errant and unfinished snippets of words that desperately want to be sentences.

"I have seen many interesting things, it's true. I've seen families who live out of food trucks hawking fried goods to labourers in the morning, people who hike up to the peaks of a mountain in the steppes to find pure deposits of salt..." She quietly pauses. There is a welling emotional surge coming from somewhere, and her guard is down - she can't prevent her mind from being infected by it. It compels her, brings her to speak earnestly, if lower and in a more sedate pace: "I have seen a lot of violence as well, unfortunately. I've been witness to a lot of violent struggles... and oftentimes, in very senseless ways too. When I think about how easy it is for someone to pick up a rifle and kill because of a black piece of fabric flying on a flagpost..."

She jolts out of her thoughts. Enough! What are you doing, Nazgul? You are here to make Weiss feel better, not worse... in what manner was that proper dinner conversation? She is worried about her uncle, her face is stricken... do not add to her burdens any longer.

"My... my apologies," Nazgul tucks her head down apologetically, ashamed. "I did not mean to sour the mood of this family meal..."

[Estralita]

Once everybody else had left, Yui led Yuko to the guest bedroom. "Sorry it's a bit dusty. We haven't had visitors in a while, so I haven't had any reason to clean." Yui stopped on the threshold, as a sudden familiar wave of loneliness washed over her. But now wasn't the time. She turned back to Yuko, smiling. Is there anything you need? I'd offer some of my nightclothes, but you at least have that part covered."

[jamieth]

"Sure have", Yuko giggles, shifing into pink pajamas, "but it's the other, way around, Yui-sempai - I'm intruding on you in the first place, so if there's something I can help you with - not that I'm that good with chores..."

[Mono Vertigo]

[Kaori]

Fortunately, the elderly priest is there, with his impressively wrinkled forehead.
"Greetings, Kaori-san", he saluted. His politeness always brought him to call even little children -san unless asked otherwise. "It is nice seeing you. What brings you here today?"


[Nazgul]

Predictably, her words bring an awkward silence, and very concerned looks.
Weiss' face is equally sullen, though also angry.
"Oh my, I didn't know...", replies weakly her father.
"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, of course there's trouble in the region, I-I, err, I hope you, err, your life is better here, err, ja", blubbers uncle Frank, his Japanese slipping.
Everyone decides it's the best moment to devour the main course with as little conversation as possible. (To Mrs. Blumenthal's credit, it's good enough as not to beg for comments or more salt.)
After a moment, Frank speaks again. "... didn't you just hear a voice?"
Probably a stray thought.

[Merilan]

Nazgul shakes the feeling off, and puts a quick plan into action. She bows her head, and quietly eats at her risotto. She shapes her words such that it sounds a little like Weiss': Why is Uncle Frank so eager to leave? Does he not like staying with us? It's only because of his flight that he's even here tonight...

[Segrain]

"Greetings, sensei", - Kaori bowed deeply, repaying politeness in kind. - "I am here to say my prayers, of course... but if I may, I seek your advice on more worldly matters first".

She paused, choosing next words very carefully. As far as she could understand, the very existence of magic, not to mention ability to wield it and fighting with it against monsters, was supposed to be kept in secrecy. Trying to explain her situation to anyone who knew her well enough to help could only lead to too many questions that she could not answer without giving away the truth; but it would be gravely unbecoming to deceive the priest and old mentor. Yet, of all people whom she knew, he was the only one who could give a wise advice without prying into the details. She just had to somehow explain her concerns without actually saying what exactly was troubling her so much.

"It is about my friends", - for a second time in as many days, Kaori had to use that word, herself quite doubting her right to say it. Yes, one of the other girls was literally crying on her lap, but after that her disagreement with another one almost grew into a fight. Ever since her magic came into reality in that Nightmare, Kaori was being torn apart by too many emotions. If she could not even control herself, how could she be of any help to her younger comrades? - "I probably should not bother you with details of what little girls do...", - Kaori smiled softly to the old man. She was not even lying; whatever weird reason could tsukaimas have to make only "magical girls" and not boys or adults, it meant that she could refer to magic as some girly thing and make no further explanations. - "...but I cannot ask anybody else".

It probably sounded quite confusing, but the girl herself was confused too. Was she really of any help to Yuko, or were it only useless words? Was it even her place to try to set things right, if Haruko met her efforts like that? Who could advise her, if not the man who taught her and countless others about what is right and what is wrong? "I am trying to be a good girl. I know that I am not perfect", - Kaori sighed, - "but when I am at fault, I accept the consequences. But now... others look up at me. Just because I was born earlier, I have to be a proper example. If I fail them, it is not me who will... suffer for that", - and suffering in question could also mean taking a blow that she and her armour did not intercept, but Kaori kept that part to herself. - "Sato-sensei, I do not know what to do. How can I bear responsibility for somebody else's life?"

Again, the somebody's life in question easily could actually mean that somebody's death. But, for more than one reason, Kaori was trying to not even think that word.

[Estralita]

"Oh, no, you are my guest, which means I look out for you."

[jamieth]

"Thanks, Yui-sempai... it... it must be really hard to look after the house all by yourself, right? How do you manage it... still, tell me if there's anything I can help with , OK? Not only the chores, if there's anything else..."

[Mono Vertigo]

[Nazgul]

Frank, increasingly confused, asks: ".. huh, did you say something, Weiss...?"
Her sister looks at him askance and asks, not quite low enough not to be heard: "Frank, are you drunk? Is something wrong?"
"Haaaah, n-no, of course not, everything's alright, ahahah..."
His denial visibly does not convince anybody, but no one replies.
The dessert finally reaches the table; an assortment of small cakes. The uncle rushes on his share, eager to leave the table early.
Weiss gestures discretely to catch Nazgul's attention, then tells her parents: "Sorry, we won't stay for the coffee, I'll have to ask Nazgul to help me and take a look at my homework. My geography homework. Yes. She's very good at geography."


[Kaori]

The priest listens attentively with a half-smile, barely moving.
Even as Kaori finishes, Sato-sensei takes several seconds before opening his mouth.
"You are good indeed for worrying about this. Such a great responsibility at such a young age. What I can tell you about the responsibility of the oldest ones is this: what fundamentally separates you is your experience. However more life experience you have, years, months, days or hours, they are nonetheless additional experience. One can find infinite lessons within a single moment of life. Contemplate those moments you've lived that your younger friends have yet to live, find the lessons and warnings they impart, and share them with your friends. The role of the elder is to test the different paths of life first, so that they can tell the next ones which paths will bring happiness, which ones will be painful but bring wisdom, and which ones offer nothing but misery. Do your earnest to tell them, but at the same time, remember that at the end of the day, they're the ones who choose whether to listen to you. Accept they might defy you at the start. After being burnt, as long as you have been completely honest, they will see the importance of listening to you. The real weight good elders have to carry is the inevitable but temporary hurt of those they're responsible for. Only the bad elders care not for the suffering of the younger, however brief and necessary it might be."
After this long speech, he tilts his head. "Pray tell, Kaori-san. Few young ones such as you bear the terrible responsibility for others' lives. How have you come to carry such a burden? You are too wise a girl to find yourself willingly in the company of those gambling with lives, theirs or the others', like one plays with dice."

[Estralita]

There it was again, that stab of worry. ""To tell the truth, I mostly keep to my room, and the kitchen. So there's a lot less to clean. I only really need to worry when...my parents. Yui's eye's began to sting, and she turned away. "I-I'm sorry, Yuko-chan. Can I talk to you about something else? Something secret? I don't want to burden you, but..."At this last line, tears began leaking out.

[jamieth]

Oh, no. What have I done... Yuko felt her heart sinking and immediately rushed to the resque, "Of course, Yui-sempai... I... I can't promise to be able to help you, but I'll listen at least... whatever it is that bothers you... just... please don't cry... I'm a crybaby, I know, but you're strong, right, Yui-sempai? But even strong ones need a shoulder to cry on sometimes... let's go, Yiu-sempai, sit down and tell me everything you want..."

[Estralita]

Something about Yuko-chan calling her strong just made Yui cry harder. She wasn't strong, like Akane-chan, or Nazgul-Senpai. That was the whole reason for her wish... to be better and special. But Yuko-chan at least sounded like she was willing to listen. Yui took her back to the living room, and picked up a photo album. "When I was younger, and by myself, I liked to look at my baby album, which my parents made together. Made me feel closer to them, you know. But the first time I went to look at it after becomeing a magical girl..." Yui opened the album.

I want to leave it up to Mono Vertigo what's in the album, since I asked her to surprise me with what actually is happening, but if necessary, I can edit in a description of what is exactly in the album

[Merilan]

Nazgul tucks her head down as the meal finishes, and dessert is served. Her mood's been thrown into a downward spiral, not helped by Weiss' uncle becoming more and more confused due to her actions. At Weiss' suggestion, she nods quietly, her smile and voice weak as she says: "Yes, of course..."

Eventually, they are excused from the table. On the way back to Weiss' room, Nazgul stops and quietly says, "... I am sorry..."

[Segrain]

Kaori nodded at first, listening with great attention. The nod quickly turned into just standing with her head bowed down, and then she became very, very interested in the ground under her sandals.

Of course, she received exactly what she sought: a wise advice. It was no one's fault that the correct answer for a question that she asked was so useless for the one that actually bothered her. For all good or bad that Kaori's age did for her, "experience" was not the most applicable way to describe it. Being older did not matter when she only learned about the magic a day ago. The loss that she suffered was nothing compared to the same happening tenfold to a girl who now was stranded in an alien time. And even if anyone was going to ask for her help, there was somebody else who actually had the real experience. Was she even of any use, other than as a walking suit of armour to endure the suffering for others?

"Suffering"... what a word choice. Existence itself was a suffering; of course, Kaori was not rude enough to interrupt the priest with a remark so banal, not to mention the inappropriateness of spouting a Truth of Buddhism in such a place. Still, it was correct; lives of others were their own to experience, and no amount of wise counsel could change that. And if there were more monsters like that spider, then such lives were certainly necessary; all that she could do with that was to ensure that they were as not brief as possible. Whether there was some way to make them hurt less was another question.

And it was not a question that Kaori could ask. At least because it was her turn to answer. "I was thinking a lot since our last meeting..." - which, of course, was at the funeral, and not reminding about it was good enough reason to keep her eyes down. - "Life is too short to discard any of it. No matter how little my involvement might be, any wrong that I do will matter. I have to take the responsibility, even if it is something as minor as... teaching someone proper manners. I do not mean anything life changing, of course", - even if magic actually was changing their lives, Kaori certainly had not meant to mention it. Still, she finally raised her gaze, - "but is everything big and small that we do not, by definition, the life?"

The girl once again wondered whether she actually was as wise as others thought. Although this time it at least did not involve letting any giant spiders bite her, so... perhaps it even was somewhat believable.

[Mono Vertigo]

[Yui]

There are, as advertised, photographs of a much younger Yui. But the glue holding them in place is half-gone, revealing behind other sets of pictures, featuring her, but with different parents (who nonetheless share a physical similarity like those she has currently, making it difficult to determine which ones are impostors, if any). Hard to tell if they were there all along (and if so, why would they be kept if they weren't supposed to ever be seen again?) or if they appeared out of thin air.


[Nazgul]

Weiss cringes. "What happened? Why did you go and say all that? It made everything so awkward, it..."
She closes her eyes tightly and facepalms angrily, but calms down quickly and sighs. "We'll talk about that later. Did you catch something about my uncle?"


[Kaori]

"The subject of suffering is one that concerns you particularly, doesn't it", he states, having caught the part that struck her.
"What you say is exact. The decisions you take and those you don't all matter over the long term. Surely you have something other than the teaching of good manners in mind, however." The corners of his lips rise into a circumspect smile. "Can you tell me more about those you feel are responsible of, and what is it that makes you worry about them? Or perhaps is this not the right time for this question?"

[Merilan]

"No... not particularly," Nazgul admits, her head tucked down in shame. She tries her hardest to not let her disappointment control her. "I'm very sorry, Weiss. I didn't mean to..."

Didn't mean to? You know you particularly meant to. You felt strongly of something, and you spoke out at it.

She could feel Quantum Heart prickling away at the back of her mind, in this moment.

"I--I will excuse myself, if that would be better for you." She sounds... down, by the time they've crossed the threshold of the hallway.

[jamieth]

Yuko looked at the album, blinking, "What... what does that mean, Yui-sempai? Which are your... real parents? Does... that mean... wait, no... what does your memory tell you?"

[Estralita]

Yui gulped and closed her eyes, steadying herself. "My memory says my parents are my parents, the album was never like this, and they are just never around because they travel for work." She couldn't quite hold back the tears. "It's convenient, isn't it, that they are never around. No one to hide magic from or ask awkward questions about what I'm doing so late. Its just so...I don't even know if any of this is connected, or if it matters. Just that these pictures exist. And it's not just the pictures."

"I have a friend. Her name is Akane. She's really sporty and cool, and I remember being friends with her for years, always looking up to her and following her around. But once I became a magical girl, she started acting weird. All shifty and sometimes overly eager to talk, which isn't how I remember her being. And she occasionally drops notes. Saying things like 'You need to be more careful around her; she's getting suspicious.' Or, 'You need to get her to talk more' Things like that." Yui grabbed a tissue on the coffee table and blew her nose loudly.

I hope those are appropriate happenings for what you're planning, Mono. If not, I can change it.

[Segrain]

"Of course, it concerns me...", - Kaori sighed. - "I am just a human, after all..."

And it was only humane to feel compassion. And it was entirely within human nature to question the fundamental principles of the world. But what really troubled her was not so common. It could not be so easily expressed in a single word, and explaining it in details seemed only even more impossible. Kaori herself could not fully comprehend how affairs of the magic worked; what hope could there be to make somebody else understand it? Manners certainly were not the only thing on her mind, but she was not going to abandon them and tell the story that sounded like some nonsense - even if it was as true as she could know.

"There is nothing that I can tell", - the girl shook her head. Even would she want to answer, she barely knew anything at all about her new comrades - and what little she knew did not make a good story to share. - "I probably should not had bothered you with this, sensei. Thank you for listening to my problems... I will keep your advice in mind".

[jamieth]

"Ohh..." Yuko sighs, "That must be really tough, Yui-chan..." she says, failing to notice that she switched to -chan from -sempai absent-mindedly, "I'm sorry, Yui-chan... I can't help you to find the truth... but if you ever need to talk to someone... or to cry..." she shifts a bit closer to Yui and hugs her around the shoulders somewhat awkwardly, "I'll be there for you..."

[Estralita]

"Thank you." Yui said, wiping her eyes. "IT weird, when the stuff about magic feels more real than my family life. When I'm out with Nazgul-senpai, I feel so much better, and alive." Yui then turned to Yuko and managed a smile. "Maybe we could talk about that instead for a bit. How did you like your first battle as a magical girl?"

[Mono Vertigo]

[Nazgul]

"Wait--"
But Nazgul's already gone.
There's going to be a follow-up to this event, but right now, everybody needs cooling down.


[Kaori]

The priest nods, unfazed by the lack of answers.
He, however, starts narrating something: "Once upon a time, I was young, like you. It was an eternity ago, well before I even thought of turning to priesthood. I used to have a good friend, whom I swore to take care of and protect. One day, I told my friend something I long wished afterward I could take back, for it changed our lives in unforeseen ways."
He turns to Kaori. "It seems fair that if I want to hear a story from you, I should provide you one. Here is my proposition. Come back for the rest later, and you shall decide whether my story is worth yours. This doesn't have to be a secret, though I would appreciate if you showed discretion and didn't repeat the specifics of this tale elsewhere."

[jamieth]

"Thank you." Yui said, wiping her eyes. "IT weird, when the stuff about magic feels more real than my family life. When I'm out with Nazgul-senpai, I feel so much better, and alive." Yui then turned to Yuko and managed a smile. "Maybe we could talk about that instead for a bit. How did you like your first battle as a magical girl?"

"Our battle? Oh", Yuko's face alights, "it was really frustrating at first, it was like I can't hit anything at all... but once I figured how to use thewant, it was actually kindas fun! But, of course, if I ever meet a youma on my own... well, I just shopuld try not to meet any youma o my own, right?" she grips Yui's hands.

[Segrain]

"You misunderstand me, sensei", - Kaori shook her head again, avoiding meeting priest's eyes. - "If I have nothing to say, it is because it is not my place to speak of affairs of others. No matter how insignificant they might be, I do not reveal secrets that were entrusted to me", - if she was insulted by the priest finding it necessary to remind her about something so basic, she did not say so, and her voice did not bewray any such thoughts either.

Of course, there were many things that were not said out loud, and some of them could only be guessed. Even if the girl found no insult in her mentor's words, was the reverse also true? She was supposed to be honest with him, or at least not annoy the respected and busy elder by starting saying something that she could not finish. Was he disappointed with how her asking for advice turned into a show of distrust? Kaori never could tell what Sato-sensei thought. After all, politeness was one of many things in which he was a teacher to her, and keeping true feelings unsaid was one of its most important lessons to master.

Silence of all unspoken things was almost too heavy. But what Kaori was told was to come back later, and it was easy to make a guess at the implication. Could he see the troubles clouding her mind? Did she manage to say something wrong to him, too? Was her entire visit unwelcome from the very beginning? "Should I be leaving, sensei?" - she finally voiced a question, her tone not turning it into a plea. But her prayers were still unspoken too, and they, unlike the rest, were not something meant to stay in that state.

[Merilan]

Nazgul pauses at the threshold to Weiss' manor gates, chewing on her lip. She was just going to depart, but consciously feels like she can't just end it on that note, make everything worse.

She turns around to say, "Weiss--"

And that's when it hit. It feels like a rupturing heartbeat for a moment that shakes her to the core, and she winds up clutching at her chest -- and then her head. It's happening again... not now... not now!

I'd like to evoke my Heart Fallout - it's at 4 right now.

[DoctorFaust]

A few hours after everyone had left Yui's house, Haruko climbs into her room through the second story window, and collapses into her bed with a moan. "Should've dumped the bucket sooner," she grumbles. "Then the dog wouldn't have chased me so damn far."

With one foot, she drags a backpack out from underneath the bedframe, and then kicks it up onto her bed. From it, she pulls out a notebook, and begins scrawling answers on a piece of homework that had been stuck between the pages.

[Estralita]

"Our battle? Oh", Yuko's face alights, "it was really frustrating at first, it was like I can't hit anything at all... but once I figured how to use thewant, it was actually kindas fun! But, of course, if I ever meet a youma on my own... well, I just shopuld try not to meet any youma o my own, right?" she grips Yui's hands.

"Yes. There was no way I could have beaten that Youma by myself. Haruko-san and Kaori-san did were also a big help. There's a reason magical girl teams are so popular. Different people have different skills." Yui stopped suddenly as a Yuko's words reminded her of something.

It is worrying, thinking Nazgul-senpai could be fighting a youma to the death right now, and I'd never know. That's why I wanted to build a magical way of communication. Who knows if cell phones work inside Nightmares."

[Mono Vertigo]

[Nazgul]

The magic in Nazgul's heart twists and unleashes its influence on her.
It'll compel her to suddenly kiss someone.


[Kaori]

The priest nods, silently agreeing to her question, sadly but predictably betraying none of his feelings.


[Haruko]

The front door opens. It's Haruko's father, coming back later than usual, judging by the voices. She catches a few words from the discussion between her parents in their bedroom:
"... extra hours..." "... debts..." "... we'll manage..." "... usurer..." "... don't tell anybody..."

[Segrain]

"My ap..." - Kaori silenced herself. She could not even understand what exactly did she do or say wrong, but the only apology that could justify her actions was the explanation of the very secret that she was trying to keep unmentioned. - "I am sorry. I will cease bothering you until more appropriate time. Goodbye, Sato-sensei".

Bow deeply once again. Listen to the reply. Turn around. Proper etiquette prescribed every single action that she was supposed to take, and not even the slightest deviation was allowed. Calmly, as if nothing happened at all, walk to the exit. It would had been entirely unbecoming for her and gravely disrespecting towards the sacred place to allow any of less than pure thoughts and emotions to manifest. No matter how many of them she could have and how strong they could be. The priest was probably right to send her away. After their talk she was not anymore in the proper state of mind to pray.

Yet, even if on the outside she was still as prim as she was supposed to be, in her our mind Kaori only felt worse. Even if she was wrong without knowing or intending it, who, if not the old mentor, could point out her errors? She came only seeking answers to her doubts, how could it be that she was leaving with only more thoughts to doubt? If not in the most blessed place that she knew, where else could she find the relief from her burden? It was not even the unfamiliar sensation of some wrongness that was itself troubling her. The problem lay in not knowing what exactly it was.

The girl stopped at the middle of the stairs, no longer at the shrine's grounds proper, but not yet outside the entrance gate either. Glancing around to check that neither the priest himself nor some other early visitor is seeing her in such an inappropriate state, she raised both hands to her head. Kaori never experienced it herself, but her grandfather often mentioned how people of his age can by some pain predict a coming storm. Of course, she was too young to feel anything like that, and yet the only possible source of the headache that her fingers could find was the same paper ribbon. Kaori had almost forgotten that she was wearing it - yet she never forgot to put it on.

Surely, it could not do any harm.

[Mono Vertigo]

[Kaori]

The wind rises. A small slip of paper flies in front of Kaori. Litter?
The quantity of identical paper that follows tends to disprove it. Dozens, if not hundreds swirl in the air, borne by the wind, with the increasing sound of pages flying.
Quick to react, the priest is already trying to rid the entrance of his shrine off the paper with his loyal broom, but there's no hiding the bizarre magnitude of the event. Dumbfounded, he watches the mess outside, as more piles accumulate inside.

[Nazgul]

Weiss, slightly panicked, finds herself a few steps behind Nazgul. "Wait! Look, let's forget it, okay? Let's not speak of it again! Don't leave like that--"

[Segrain]

For a moment, the strange sensation seemed to grow stronger; but the sudden gust of wind at least made it bearable. The girl even made a first step further down the stairs, as something brushed past her cheek. At first she attributed it to a movement of her own long hair - before remembering that for such an important visit it was tied in a proper style that was not going to be undone by some little wind. Confused, Kaori turned around to face the next gust, and something hit her face, entwining fingers of still raised hand. They grasped it, the movement made even more instinctive by a sense of familiar texture, and her eyes confirmed what she already guessed. No matter how she looked at it, it was a slip of paper - ordinary, three-dimensional paper that could, at most, scratch a skin, not cut off monster's leg or unfold into a suit of armour. Even having a distinction like that in her mind felt ridiculous for a moment - until she noticed just how many of those seemingly mundane slips were in the air.

Of course, it had an explanation, like everything should had had. She was still descending the stairs from the shrine, and wind seemed to follow in the same direction. To carry something, it had to pick it up somewhere, and paper was not the most rare thing in the vicinity. Folded into a specific shape, or covered in appropriate writing, it was a common material for talismans and other important things. Even if those slips were not yet used for anything - even if a page that just flew past her was too big - surely, they must had been made and cut of blank sheets first? Were they stored next to an open window, or dropped at unlucky moment, or something like that? It would had been easy to believe.

Whatever was the cause of that misfortune, Kaori hoped that it was not somehow related to her. She already annoyed Sato-sensei enough without thoughts about her behaviour making him accidentally drop something so important in the wind. And even if the priest was as surprised as she was, he certainly was not going to leave the litter unattended. Of course, the girl's first instinct was to drop on her knees and start helping to clean the mess; and yet, of course, she had to stand still. Even if her guess was wrong and the papers were not of any importance, it was still a shrine, and tending to it was the keeper's sacred duty. Trespassing on it uninvited would probably had been blasphemous - and Kaori was not certain that her question was not, but she had to ask it: "Sensei... may I be allowed to help?"

Somehow, she felt better. The strange sensation that burdened her mind was not anymore. Perhaps the gentle wind carried it away as easily as it could pick up a paper slip. Perhaps a sight of flying paper, even if not made into something sacred, but not being used to fight monsters either, was relaxing. Perhaps, even if she had not said any prayers to the occupants of the shrine... no, of course, she was not so pretentious as to assume that they would pay any attention and send her a sign so big. But, somewhence, from the time when she was not wearing a magical sheet of paper in her hair, a memory arose.

It was a surprisingly common practice for books on origami - especially those written by foreign authors - to make some weird kind of a joke about how, despite having nothing in common, Japanese hieroglyphs for "god" and "paper" had the same reading.
She did not laugh.

[Merilan]

Nazgul stumbles, finding her knees terribly bereft of strength at the moment. The sensation that had been prickling away from the corners of her mind were suddenly -- overwhelming, but she can't find where the sensation is invading from. Was she feeling someone else's feelings, at the moment? Was it her own? It's all terribly unclear, and the boundaries of self have become blurred once more.

But she can feel it. A strong desire of -- is it love? She can't tell. She doesn't know, genuinely, what it feels like. It feels -- anxious, bothersome; it infects her thoughts, makes the very act of seeing a person's name uncomfortable. It makes her clingy, as if she can't bear to be away from them for a moment longer.

She barely hears Weiss' words as she kips over, on her knees; she stammers towards her European friend, clutching at the hems of her skirt. "Weiss... I-- I only serve to make things worse... do I not?" Her voice is stricken and filled with shame.

[jamieth]

"Yes. There was no way I could have beaten that Youma by myself. Haruko-san and Kaori-san did were also a big help. There's a reason magical girl teams are so popular. Different people have different skills." Yui stopped suddenly as a Yuko's words reminded her of something.

It is worrying, thinking Nazgul-senpai could be fighting a youma to the death right now, and I'd never know. That's why I wanted to build a magical way of communication. Who knows if cell phones work inside Nightmares."

"A... magical communication? That would be wonderful, but... do you have any ideas on how to do that? I mean... my magic, I don't think it can be used for anything like that - but if you think I caould help you with that..."

[Estralita]

"Well, it wouldn't be easy. But my power is all about studying magic. So, with time, and with Nazgul-senpai's help, I think I could pull it off.

[DoctorFaust]

[Haruko]

The front door opens. It's Haruko's father, coming back later than usual, judging by the voices. She catches a few words from the discussion between her parents in their bedroom:
"... extra hours..." "... debts..." "... we'll manage..." "... usurer..." "... don't tell anybody..."

Haruko perks up when she hears her father return, but falls back to the bed with a frown on her face when she realizes what her parents are talking about. "****," she growls. "Of all the powers for me to get..."

She starts tracing shapes in the air and chanting softly, and after a few moments of the ritual, small sparkles begin appearing in the air behind her fingers, eventually coalescing into small gemstones that disappear almost as soon as they come into existence.

This would be an acceptable use for magic, yeah? And here's a roll for it, just to be on the safe side.

[roll0]+6=13

[Mono Vertigo]

[Kaori]

"... yes, thank you very much", replies the old man gratefully, bowing slightly (and his back cracking from the old age). The event, though not impossible, left him at a loss. "This is the first time in decades I have to clean up such a mess", he finally explains.
He knows about the peculiarity about the words for "god" and "paper", too, seeming how he looks at the paper with some nervousness, as if he'd just gotten an omen he's forced to admit he can't decipher. "... it must mean something."
At the very least, he really appreciates Kaori's help.

[You may Bond with him if you wish; no matter how you think the first part of your meeting went, the simplicity of helping and and hearing him admit vulnerability.]


[Nazgul]

Weiss' face is a sight to behold, red and blubbering and almost cartoonesque.
"I-I-I wh-what d-did you..."
She shakes her head and blushes furiously; looking back at her house helps her make a decision.
"I-I'll help my mother with the dishes... yeah... s-sorry, I'm not into you like that, let's not speak of that either! Oh my oh my..."
She runs back to her house, trying vainly to get rid of her blushing.
That might have gone worse than expected. Or better.


[Haruko]

Gems appear easily, as beautiful as the real things, even though they fade as quickly as they appeared.
The voices again, closer. "... we wake up Haruko?" "... don't think she's sleeping yet..." "... stop talking about..." "... might hear, get worried..."
And they step back into their bedroom to get a proper night's sleep.
Fortunately, the spell had no side effect, unlike what Prismy warned earlier; no strange phenomenon, no unusual feeling, nothing. Would it be worth trying to learn how to make lasting gemstones? With more Magical Girls - some of which having some experience already - it may be easier.
Or maybe it's not a good solution?

[Segrain]

Kaori left the nature of the accident without comments. Existence of the kamis (in the theological sense, that is; not many people ever doubted existence of paper or of any of other several concepts sharing the same pronunciation) was a matter of faith that never required any proof; no matter what she could have asked from Prismy, even learning about magic did not change it. It was much easier to believe that some coincidence happened in an oddly specific way than to treat it as a meaningful omen or to seek some magical explanation. Just doing the right thing and helping to clean the mess was good enough, and nothing else was necessary.

After everything was over and the goodbyes were said once again, Kaori left the shrine in a much better mood. Whether it was a religious experience, a magical accident or just some honest cleaning work, her troubled mind was finally relieved, and proper purity was restored. Perhaps she could live with her newly gained duties, after all.

Bond: [roll0].

[Merilan]

"Weiss-- no, wait..." Nazgul's voice falters and doesn't reach the European girl as she dashes away, however. Her hand drops, and she stares towards the bright-lit moon for a moment, surrounded by nothing but the tulips that Weiss boasted about earlier.

I am unlike these flowers... am I? I cannot just simply adapt to my new circumstance...
You cling to the folly of being Human. You are no longer Human, Nazgul. You are a Magical Girl. You know that they can hardly coexist.
I don't want to believe that. I want to believe I can still empathise with other people, be around them...
Emotions are an obstacle in the line of your work. Cast them aside. There is more work to do.

A moment passes, wind rustling silently through the garden. Then, Nazgul quietly picks herself up, walking out of the Blumenthal mansion's gates. Her cheeks are wet, now, and her heart is aching moreso than it ever has. Speaking to no one in particular, she chokes out, "Weiss... farewell."

She turns to the streets, wiping at her eyes, and looks for the nearest vantage point. There are more youma to locate.

[Mono Vertigo]

Somewhere in Hungary...
"And... makes it ten. We're getting there. Thank you for your help, Prismy!"
"It is my pleasure!", replies the critter.
The three girls look around. The sun will soon rise and flood the little town with light.
"We'll be able to get the wish soon", comments the girl in red.
" 'The' wish, as if that's the only one to choose from. Why always your wish? Why not mine?", protests the long-haired girl.
"It's not my fault the wish you made was stupid", replies the girl in red. Both glare at each other, that close from jumping and tearing the other's throat.
The girl with flowers walks to the tsukaima and changes the subject. "We can never be too grateful to you for allowing us to join the Rune Revolution. Without that, without our powers, we would never have been able to ward this place against... against them, and against the other guys too. There's finally a safe place, where the bad guys can't reach, and that's worth a wish of its own."
"Yeah", replies the girl in red, "That's not something adults could have done."
"Stupid adults", adds the long-haired girl, "Stupid men, ruining everything, ruining everybody's lives. But at least, we're making a difference, we're focusing on the important issues."
"You said it", replies Prismy.
The long-haired girl smiles. The flesh on the right side of her head shifts and twists, forming a vague face that screams silently underneath the skin. Self-consciously, she pushes her hair to that side to cover it, but otherwise does not pay attention to it.
A faint light suddenly lights up the place. It's the girl in red's skin that glows. "Aaaah, dammit, not again. I'll hide in my room until it fades, okay? See you later."
They nod. The magical ferret teleports away in a splotch of colours.
In the distance, all communications come to an end; phones, computers and televisions become utterly useless, ominously emitting instead broadcasts and messages from another crisis dating from the previous century.




------

[New Episode]
Sunday, the day after everybody met.


[Nazgul]

You receive a text from Weiss.
"I apologize for going mad at you yesterday. We should put all that behind us, okay? It's not worth ruining a friendship over it.
P.S. : my mother wants to invite you for dinner Monday, and no, uncle Frank's not going to be there, it'll just be the three of us."


[Yuko]

Souichiro is holding a special sale today, all day long.


[Kaori]

Hideki is home today! He's brought a truckload of work to do, but if he hadn't expected to squeeze some time with his family, he wouldn't have come at all.


[Yui]

When did your father arrive home? At any rate, he's scrambling in the kitchen, preparing his breakfast and a lunch for later. He might leave as fast as he arrived.


[Haruko]

It's pretty calm today. You parents aren't there (working another job, or doing whatever else it is you'd expect them to do). Weirdly, there's a letter in the mailbox.
It reads (printed, not handwritten): "respectable people always pay their debts". Of course, there's no hint about the identity of the sender, at first glance.



[Everybody]

Have you planned to meet today? Where?
So far, you've not sensed anything supernatural today, but there's no doubt it will change. Watch out for strange events.

[Merilan]

A new day meant a new change of clothes, and today's pick of Kurdish robes leads her into a purple outer vestment with white sleeves and a darker violet sash. Nazgul's barely up by the time she gets the beep for the text, and quietly stares at it with a complicated, conflicted expression.

That surge of emotion last night... that was... that was...

She tucks her head down as she steps through the park and seats herself at a bench under the shade of the trees. It would be easier for her to simply say 'it was magic'. It wasn't truly her own. She was infected by someone else's feelings. Just a passing fancy. An emotional upsurge during a stressful period of reminiscence.

A somewhat painful pang rings back through her head as she keeps replaying the memory over and over, against her wishes. The way Weiss' concern looked so genuine, lightly cascaded in the moonlight behind her. How breathtaking the gardens were, illuminated in the soft midnight blues that surrounded them. How... much of a chance she took. Influence or not. Magic or not. It was real enough, and it definitely was real enough to bear consequence. And now she wants to 'put it aside'.

Almost rote-like, she replies to Weiss, 'I'll be there. Sorry.'

She also updates the rest of the team, texting Kaori, Yui, Yuko and Haruko on her findings: 'Scouted last night, however I was unable to detect any presences. Please update if you sense anything'.

[Segrain]

Even though Kaori's morning started early that day, visiting the shrine and then helping the priest to deal with - hopefully unrelated - accident took long enough that she was only starting her way back when Nazgul's message reached her phone. Perhaps it was for the better: this way, her family did not have to see her looking around with quite weird expression. Not that it was her fault, of course; the world of magic just once again reminded that it still was quite confusing and unexplained. It was good to know that nothing bad happened yet, but the rest of the text was not particularly easy to understand.

Was she supposed to also be somehow... "scouting"? Was there something that she could sense? The only weird feeling in her head was the one of which she just gladly managed to finally rid, and as for ways to look for other monsters, it was exactly the question that she herself asked Nazgul a day ago - but then Yuko was crying, and there was that accident, and after all that happened it never was answered. Kaori had not felt anything indicating youma's presence, but it was not saying much when she did not know how it was supposed to feel - and so she decided to try asking again.

"Good morning. While I had some unusual sensation since our encounter", - even in text message it was too weird to refer to it as "combat", - "it eventually faded after the night of rest and unrelated affairs of new day. I can only assume that I was tired or unaccustomed to our activity, and it is not the feeling to which you refer. However, I have to reiterate my earlier question: how did you know where to find our meeting place yesterday? I doubt that I will be lucky enough to come across it by accident again".

Already quite verbose phrasing only seemed longer since she opted to use a syllabic alphabet rather than trouble the foreign girl with hieroglyphs. But Kaori still could not use any less than formal language, no matter what weirdness they shared and what camaraderie began to develop from it.

[DoctorFaust]

I haven't felt anything strange Haruko texts in reply. You're the researcher, right? Can Youma do stuff in the real world?

[Estralita]

Yui didn't know how to feel about her father coming home so suddenly. Why now? Was it because of Yuko? He hadn't shown any obvious interest when she mentioned having invited a friend over, but he might have been waiting to actually meet Yuko.. Or maybe he knew she had been looking at the album again. Or maybe she was just being paranoid and she should just enjoy the time she had with her father while he was around. So she sat around the kitchen, trying to think of the right thing to say to him, and checking her texts to make sure no one was in danger at the moment.

[jamieth]

Yuko

What, you might ask, would someone in dire need of money in the first place would do buying things that weren't vital, even at a discount? Well, nothing, of course. So, what did bring Yuko to Mega World today? Why, the sale, of course. Or, rather, the fact that, with the amount of customers today, Souichiro could certainly use a helping hand...

Uniform wasn't an issue, obviously, and now Yuko was explaining to a high-school-looking boy that, yes, even back then Final Fantasy did have save function, but he should take care about the battery in the cartridge...

[Merilan]

Nazgul's text in response is as follows:


I didn't know, so much as I have been combing for presences. I managed to narrow Areop-Enap down with Yui's help after a few days of searching.

Kaori, the specifics may differ based on your power, but I believe that our magic can resonate with the youma's own magical field, if you shape it to locate them. For instance, I use my empathic field to raise or lower myself to their emotional wavelengths, for instance. Once you identify it, you can try to track it down by its strength, like a sonar.

As for your question, Haruko: we know enough that they can lure people into their field, but I don't believe I've seen one in a state of active aggression in the city before. It does not mean it cannot happen, however. There is much I still don't know about the youma.

Nazgul pauses, and then quietly reclines with a sigh, staring up towards the blue skies. She turns her head to nearby children playing at the swings, climbing through the jungle gym and see-sawing with one another.

Human happiness is no longer your concern. It is as you wished, years ago. You wish... to see God. Do you believe, arrogantly, that humans can perceive God, Nazgul?
I... if I abandon that wish... do I lose this power as well? Am I trapped between abiding by it or letting more people suffer, Quantum Heart?
You know I do not possess that answer, save that Magic requires a genuine wish. So... Nazgul. What is your wish?
The God I wanted to see... The God that I wanted to save us... I...

Nazgul takes another moment, and shakes her head. "... you crazy person, Nazgul," she mumbles to herself. She pauses, and then calls out, "Prismy. Are you there?"

[Mono Vertigo]

[Yui]

He juggles between his phone, his bento box, and the contents of the fridge. "Oh, hey, Yui-chan! Didn't see you there!", he says just before replying to his caller with obscure technical jargon. "Sorry, can't stay, very busy, gotta go soon. Just dropping off something for my sister. She'll come sometime today, or tomorrow, I can't remember. I told you she'd come, didn't I?"
Likely not. He puts an end to the call, freeing his shoulder. "So... how are you today?"


[Yuko]

Souichiro leaves the store five minutes to check in the back, and triumphantly come back, holding a big box as if it were a less wieldy, more blocky Excalibur or Masamune.
"Okay, Yuko-chan, I didn't warn you beforehand because I wasn't sure I'd get the prizes delivered on time, but we're having a contest today! Turn on the Time Crisis arcade, hang those posters and tell the customers the contest is starting at 11:30 and they've got to sign up for it! Muhahahaha, an authentic limited edition Wii U with Pikmin and The Wonderful 101! I wish I could keep it to myself!", cackles dramatically Souichiro, before taking notice of Yuko.
"... you know, since you're technically doing a student job and not a full-time job here, and you weren't even aware of the contest in the first place, there's nothing forbidding you from participating, if you want. I should know, I triple-checked the official rules to make sure there wasn't a loophole allowing me to."


[Nazgul]

A puddle of swirling ink appears on the ground, and the tsukaima jumps out of it.
"At your service! Have you been doing okay? Were you looking for youma?"
The critter perks up, and concentrates.
"... I'm not sensing much right now. There has to be a couple around, but they're inactive. By the way, I don't believe I've told you how to look for them on your own. There are several ways, you probably already know one or two, having some experience.
First way is casting your magic and waiting for feedback or clues. It's not something one can do over great distances, though, only a few blocks at most, and it might be harder depending of your magical affinities.
Something else you can do is look for survivors or damage caused by youma, and use magic to reveal the tracks of the culprit. But you have to find them in the first place, and sometimes it's Magical Girls and not monsters accidentally causing the damage, so it's not perfect.
And then, when you don't know where to start, the best thing to do is good old investigation. Look in magazines and newspapers, read websites and blogs, interrogate people, keep an eye out. Sometimes, they'll report unexplained events, or you'll be able to see things in photographs and videos that normal people can't. There are many unsolved crimes that were actually caused by youma. It's a good way to catch youma before they seriously harm people, too."

[Merilan]

Nazgul looks a little bit surprised as Prismy jumps on the explanation without her prompting, but quietly nods. "... I have been using the first method. Empathy is... suited, to the task. I dislike waiting for the damage to occur, however. I wish to be proactive, not reactive, to the threat on hand."

She glances aside, towards the skies for a moment. "Prismy. I'd like to continue our conversation before you left last night. Namely..." A pause. "The nature of runes. Runes exemplify the rules of magic. And when these rules become twisted, youma are created. You said that a youma's Nightmare is a twisted version of our Wish. And that our Wishes have to be genuine. Perhaps the question is..."

She looks back to the tsukaima. "What is the relation between Magical Girls and Youma, if Youma do not come from Magical Girls? It is no coincidence, I feel, that you need to have Magical Girls to fight the Youma. They have a symbiotic relationship."

[Segrain]

"Resonate with magical field"? "Emotional wavelengths"? Kaori never had a lot of problems with school course of physics, but Nazgul's words were even more incomprehensible than her brother's textbooks. The only thing that she could understand was the idea that, apparently, she was supposed to have some specific kind of a magic at her disposal and devise a way to somehow apply it to the task at hand. It made sense, considering all the flashy approaches that other girls demonstrated, but Kaori herself had not done anything beyond simple fencing. Could she do more if she knew what she was supposed to be able to do? Perhaps, but she had no idea how to learn it.

Now that she was thinking about it, she was not particularly sure about abilities of other girls either. Even though Nazgul just tried to explain her own method, it made even less sense than the rest of her message. It felt too rude to ask again, and so Kaori was thinking about her answer all the way back to the home - where the problem quickly left her mind. If she already happened to be out when Hideki came to visit, she certainly was not going to keep missing a rare chance to see him. Any fields, waves and resonances could wait, even if he probably could make more sense out of them - magic was something that she had to keep in secret even from him.

"Greetings, brother!" - Kaori happily waved from the front door as soon as she entered, trying to get Hideki's attention away from his books for a moment. - "How are your studies going?"

[DoctorFaust]

Alright, thank you. Haruko slides her cell phone shut, and then crumples the piece of paper into a ball. "Probably just some garden variety *******, then."

She walks inside, and begins rooting around in the tool drawer for a blowtorch, which she is able to find without too much trouble. With it and the paper in hand, she heads into her family's back yard, drops the paper into the pile of ash from their barbecue grill, and sets it alight.

[Mono Vertigo]

[Nazgul]

"Runes are not just the rules of magic", explains Prismy, "they're also its constituents, its alphabet, its language. If you broke down magic to its smallest unit, you wouldn't find atoms, but runes. When you cast spells, you're using runes, even if you're not consciously writing anything. A youma is also made out of runes. And regular matter can't be relied on to fight it, because magic obeys different rules, that's why normal humans can't just shoot youma dead."
A pause. "If we could make our own entirely magical weapons to fight youma instead of asking girls like you to do it, we would. Truth is, we can't.
When you make a normal tool out of molecules, it behaves predictably, but you can't do so with magic, because it has a mind of its own. It can twist its purpose and go on its own way. It looks for errors and loopholes among the runes to take advantage of. Such things would become youma themselves.
Youma can come from all sorts of aberrant spells like that as long as the mass of magic is big enough, but most of the youma you'll come across are a corruption of the great spell that allowed you to formulate a wish and become a Magical Girl in the first place. And you Magical Girls, unlike theoretical magical weapons, can impose your will on the magic you're doing, and remember that eating or hurting people is bad."


[Kaori]

Hideki instantly closes his book, having looked for an excuse to do so for a while. "Kaori-chan!"
He doesn't ask how she's going. He can guess. But he's in a good mood nonetheless.
"Did I miss anything while I was attending the most boring law classes ever?"

[Segrain]

"Nothing noteworthy", - Kaori smiled warmly, taking a seat next to her brother. - "My apologies for not being here to greet you, but I was paying a visit to Sato-sensei. He is still the same as always, you probably talked to our parents already, and your sister's school life is so boring that you do not even bother to enquire, but at least it does not include any... law classes", - she glanced at his quite unexpected choice of reading. - "Any news of your own that you are willing to share, or perhaps I should leave you to your books?"

Of course, there was a lot that she could - and almost wanted - to tell. But the elder brother, who was with the girl for her entire life, knew her better than anyone else. Even would she again had tried, like with the priest before him, to talk about her new secret in vague hints and almost unrelated allegories, Hideki would not let her get away with telling him to not bother with her problems. She had to keep it to herself - but so far it was not unbearable, and so Kaori could for this time let him do most of the talking. Whether to be a relief from his own problems, a listener for his news and stories, or just a distraction from his boring books, being a good sister rather than some "magical girl" was something that she at least could properly do without needing a hint.

[Merilan]

Nazgul has to pause to reflect on that, staring back to those children.

They are carbon-based lifeforms, Nazgul. Their structural composition, the way their bodies accumulate and decompose and shed biological matter and renew their cells over time... even the cultural and societal expectations in which they segregate, connect, and separate.
...What are you trying to say? I am... still myself... regardless of what I am now. I still have a mind of my own. Regardless of my matter.
Do you? Even having seen the strange juxtaposition of magical truths before you, do you sincerely believe that the epistemic system of human knowledge, and the structure of human logic and reasoning still apply to what is before you?

"Who created these spells?" Nazgul finds herself murmuring, half-distracted from her inner argument. Was Quantum Heart, then, the quanta of runes herself? Smaller than an atom, an elementary and indivisible particle... or is such thinking rooted on human assumption and therefore invalid?

"The Rune Revolution website -- that's one of these 'great spells', is it not? Did you establish the spell that powers it? Or was it someone else?"

[jamieth]

Souichiro leaves the store five minutes to check in the back, and triumphantly come back, holding a big box as if it were a less wieldy, more blocky Excalibur or Masamune.
"Okay, Yuko-chan, I didn't warn you beforehand because I wasn't sure I'd get the prizes delivered on time, but we're having a contest today! Turn on the Time Crisis arcade, hang those posters and tell the customers the contest is starting at 11:30 and they've got to sign up for it! Muhahahaha, an authentic limited edition Wii U with Pikmin and The Wonderful 101! I wish I could keep it to myself!", cackles dramatically Souichiro, before taking notice of Yuko.
"... you know, since you're technically doing a student job and not a full-time job here, and you weren't even aware of the contest in the first place, there's nothing forbidding you from participating, if you want. I should know, I triple-checked the official rules to make sure there wasn't a loophole allowing me to."

"Oh! Sure!"Yuko's eyes alight as she starts unrolling the posters, "You... you sure? Well... I guess it won't do anything bad, it's not like I;m that good, so... but at least it should be fun, right?!"

[Mono Vertigo]

[Nazgul]

Prismy fidgets. "The Rune Revolution is one such spell, yes, the only that can give powers as I speak. I don't know much of the specifics, as I didn't make it, but I know about the Wishes and the purpose of the Rune Revolution.
The Wish that was asked from you was a quirk of the spell, a requirement for it to give you powers. The Wish itself is not judged, so there's no good or bad Wish, the spell checks instead if you truly desire it at the time you're asking. It's a sort of binding agreement, if you will.
As for the purpose... throughout history, many people were empowered with similar powers. They've rarely made it to history books, so they're not the individuals you might be thinking about, but they all received powers in order to enact great changes around them. The Rune Revolution operates on the same principle, but on a much larger scale. It finds people who matter, like you, and give them the tools to do it. You were chosen to cause positive changes to the world, and fighting youma is only part of it."


[Yuko]

"Sure! Go and have fun, it's the most important part. But... one thing." He takes Yuko aside. "There's a guy who I know will participate. He calls himself 'Demon Machine-sama'. Yeah, no, that's pompous coming from a huge nerd like him, but whatever, that's not the point, and it's not like I'm not a nerd either, oh and by the way don't laugh when he introduces himself. He's a good gamer, but most of all, he's one of my best customers, and he's kinda famous in his own way. If you find yourself playing against him, even if you do better than him... let him win, okay? I'm not saying this to ruin your fun, but.. you know. Losing is not his thing."
Among the increasing crowd of customers, there's indeed a guy in his late 30's, early 40's, whose face is the only one made bland by sheer boredom, wearing a T-shirt with a demonic-looking robot.


[Kaori]

"Actually, law classes tend to pop up regularly, even when you wouldn't expect them from your studies. Always tangentially related to your studies, though. Social sciences get law classes about ethics and use of one's image, medicine about patients' rights, art about free speech and copyright, etc. It's not my big thing, but I'm nonetheless stuck trying to catch up. You'd be surprised by the amounts of exceptions and loopholes in law. I wish everything was simpler and more straightforward."
He leans back on his chair to relax. "Anyway, I met the funniest guy... Canadian or American, can't remember, anyway, he takes pictures of everything, and he makes the greatest jokes when he films himself, he asks us to play out the most ridiculous soap-opera-like scenes in the background... it's a sort of 'you should have been there' moment, I guess, I can't explain it very well. I can show you videos, however, if you want."
He gets himself a drink. "You know, talking about my studies, I realise I don't think I know what is it you want to study later."

[Estralita]

Yui glanced away. Things have been fine. Might meet with my friends later." She started to text. Does anybody want to meet today?

[DoctorFaust]

Yeah, okay. Haruko texts back. I was planning on hitting up the arcade again if I could scrap together the money, but I guess evil doesn't wait on light gunners. Where d'you wanna meet up?

[Merilan]

Nazgul bobs her hands tighter for a moment, looking towards Prismy. "From what you are telling me, it seems that the constructs that have set this plan in motion may have come even before you -- and the other tsukaima, as I recall you saying. Do you not have anyone you answer to, then...? How do you feel about the Rune Revolution spell?"

[Mono Vertigo]

[Nazgul]

This time, Prismy is surprised. "... me? You're asking me how I feel about it? Huuuuh..."
It fidgets some more, thoughtful. "... I think it's a good and important event. That it's the most important event I'll be taking part in. That the intentions behind them are good, even if we're not seeing much change yet. It's going to take more time. That the Magical Girls learn to work together and agree on their ends and the means. I-I should know, of all people, that even if we all agree on the ends..."
The ferret looks down. "I mean, nevermind, I'm not used to being asked questions like that. Nevermind that, too."
It finally strikes Nazgul that despite the neutral presentation and pronouns, Prismy sounds female.


[Haruko]

The letters burns normally. Nothing otherworldly about it.


[Yui]

Yui's father nods. "Oh, alright! If you see your aunt, tell her I put her package under the coffee table, and tell her I said hello, too. Oh damn, time flies, gotta go. I'll buy the rest of my lunch somewhere on the way."
He finds a second, as he walks away, to pat her shoulder. "You have a good day, stay safe, and don't play with matches. Well, at your age, you know about matches, don't you? I should probably warn you about boys instead, but it's hard sometimes remembering your little girl is growing up!"

[Estralita]

Yui's heat wrenched at her father referring to her as his little girl. Maybe she should just ask him or mother. Maybe there would be an explaination. He was her father. She knew that.

But it wasn't the time. It was never the right time.

"Yes, father." And she would be seeing her aunt soon. Maybe she could do something there. Not directly, of course. Maybe she should introduce her family to Nazgul-sempai...

[Merilan]

Nazgul tilts her head at the ferret, for a moment. "I think that's a good sentiment, Prismy. I, too, want Magical Girls to be able to work together. The transition to becoming one can be harrowing. Where possible, if we can become more organised, and have sight of a bigger picture... that would be good to have."

She looks to her phone, and then quietly texts Yui in turn:


I'm available today. How does noon at the garden plaza sound?

"Prismy. Do you have a wish of your own? Something you want to make happen...?"

[Mono Vertigo]

[Yui]

He waves goodbye and leaves. According to him, and knowing his sister, she won't arrive before the evening or so.


[Nazgul]

"I do have one, as a matter of fact, but it's a very big one. However, it's also a very good one, I believe..."
"There you are."
Another voice. It's coming from another abnormal-looking critter; some kind of cub with three brown eyes and an array of antennae around the neck, reminiscing of a lion. It also has a gem on its body, but it's on its back.
Prismy is taken aback.
"I've been looking for you, n-"
"Leo-Leo-chan!... well, here I am!"
Leo-Leo looks like a cute, but irritated little animal. "Right, Prismy-chan. That's not what I want to know. Where are..."
Prismy jumps closer to Nazgul, pointing at her with tiny paws in a panicked way. Leo-Leo hardly pays the teenage girl any attention.
"... where were you, and where can I find you?"
"I-I... I had to go back to see the Hungarian team, they called me, and then I went to sleep... right, I didn't come back to the rest of you, well, don't worry, I'll do that, you can find me there."
"Come on, Prismy, you've not shown up since Friday. Have a little empathy, we can't track you down however we want. We can't all teleport, here."
"Right, sorry about that."
The exchange between the two tsukaima stops there.

[Merilan]

Nazgul looks a little perplexed as the cub tsukaima suddenly emerges and asks his questions. So the ability to move great distances is not uniform to all of them...?

"Hello," Nazgul expresses in a curt manner, leaning down gently to the antennaed cub tsukaima. "My name is Nazgul. Is something the matter, here...? Did something happen to another team of Magical Girls?"

[Segrain]

"...what is it that I want to study later, so you will keep asking me every single time", - Kaori rolled her eyes, finishing her brother's sentence for him. She knew him well enough, and those were the same words that he was repeating at least since the last school year. Of course, Hideki knew her even better, and she was not even trying to pretend that any exasperation in her voice was not fake. They both understood that he is right to be concerned with his sister's future. - "Maybe I should just choose the purest mathematics. At least there are no loopholes in the most fundamental laws in existence".

The answer was not entirely a joke. She certainly shared his wish for simplicity and straightforwardness, even though the very word "wish" now evoked some unusual associations in her mind. Understanding the world of magic and her place in it would had been so much easier if it was explained in unambiguous rules and formulas; but instead every piece of actual information was buried in layers of vagueness, if not outright deceit. Worst of all, she had to conform to it too and pretend that nothing happened, and that she had no greater concerns than choosing her further education, and that until then she could just kill time on... what was it that he just said? Videos?

"Fine", - Kaori sighed, dismissing more serious thoughts. - "If you so like, brother, I would watch what you want to show. At least to understand what is it that makes you lose the ability to explain with words. I hope that it is at least decent".

[Estralita]

Yui sighed. At least she wasn't alone in some ways. Seeing Nazgul-Sempai's text, she quickly replied. Yes, Of course.

Which meant she still had some time. And she still had her magic and an empty house. Something small wouldn't be too bad...

[jamieth]

[Yuko]

"Sure! Go and have fun, it's the most important part. But... one thing." He takes Yuko aside. "There's a guy who I know will participate. He calls himself 'Demon Machine-sama'. Yeah, no, that's pompous coming from a huge nerd like him, but whatever, that's not the point, and it's not like I'm not a nerd either, oh and by the way don't laugh when he introduces himself. He's a good gamer, but most of all, he's one of my best customers, and he's kinda famous in his own way. If you find yourself playing against him, even if you do better than him... let him win, okay? I'm not saying this to ruin your fun, but.. you know. Losing is not his thing."
Among the increasing crowd of customers, there's indeed a guy in his late 30's, early 40's, whose face is the only one made bland by sheer boredom, wearing a T-shirt with a demonic-looking robot.

"Eh? O... OK..." Yuko blinks before nodding, "if you say so..."
Granted, she doesn't really expect to win. Time Crisis, while a classic, was still several years after her time, though... the concept is easy enough, right? "OK, I believe that should be all with the posters... I'll go change real quickly, OK? Student or not, it would look bad if I play wearing your uniform..."

[Mono Vertigo]

[Yuko]

"I like it when my employees think quickly on their feet", Souichiro says, giving a thumb's up.

It's finally time for the contest to start. Souichiro explains the rules:
"Two players will face each other in Traitor Deathmatch mode. First part is coop. If anybody loses all their lives during the level, they're out, and the survivor wins! If they both reach the end of the level, second part begins, and they'll face each other in a deadly duel, and whoever kills the other wins. That doesn't make any sense considering the plot... oh right, 'Traitor' Deathmatch, that's why. The winners of each round will face each other in the next one, and so on. Alright, everybody got it? First duel..."
Yuko faces several opponents, among which a housewife curious about the game, a hyperactive little boy, and a couple teens, all happy to be playing.
She finally finds herself facing Demon Machine-sama. His expression hasn't moved an inch since he entered the store, barely speaking a word except to criticize his opponents' strategy.


[Kaori]

"It does have that elegance to it", he replies. "Pretty hard, but I'm sure it won't stop you. And I don't think mathematics bothers with law classes there either."
He pulls out his computer to show the video. The guy appears, explaining in English and Japanese that it's dedicated to his family and that it's meant to teach them some Japanese. He starts with a couple sentence in English, then switches to Japanese, except that it sounds like a very nonsensical translation; he's basically teaching to say "Could you walk my pet shark please?" instead of "how are you?" and so on.
Meanwhile, in the background...

[You've got the chance to Locate Something there.]


[Nazgul]

"Hello, Nazgul", replies the cub, lighting up a bit. "We only needed Prismy-chan for discussion, actually, no great emergency like that. I need to wait for the night to fall in order to see the Magical Girls I help, so I can only meet my peers during the day, to make the most use of my time."
"We are busy and not very many. I'll stay with you when you all meet today, but I can't guarantee I'l be able to accompany you afterwards."

[Segrain]

"My point exactly", - Kaori nodded, enjoying a moment of mutual understanding.

It did not last for long. Sure, she could not exactly explain with words what was it that she was watching, but certainly not due to any inexplicable appeal. Even if there was supposed to be something ridiculous in background, it was outshined by the alleged translations. She just could not care about anything else in the video after such an insult to the language. "I do not understand, I'm afraid", - the girl frowned, turning to her brother. - "Do you really find this to be somehow... funny? And expect me to do the same?"

[Estralita]

Once she was certain her father had left, Yui pulled out all the altered albums and placed them in the center of the floor, none of them touching each other. Once they were all arranged properly, Yui pulled off her pendent, and began carefull shaking stardust onto the objects. Right now, she just wanted to see if there was anything magical about the albums. Once she had done that, she would decide what to do next.

If they aren't magic, I can confront my parents. If they are, I at least have something to go on and study.

Using a ritual to detect and examine any magic that might exist in the albums.
[roll0]+6

[Mono Vertigo]

[Kaori]

"Wait for it", he replies, trying to get Kaori to watch some more.
In the background, a voiceless scene involving 3 students, acting out some kind of love triangle getting more dramatic and over-the-top, culminating in one of the participants walking away angrily with a leashed shark (drawn on a paper sheet).
"I cracked up when he showed me the final video, it was just so random, and... and..."
His smile fades as he watches his sister's face more carefully.
"... sorry. I didn't expect it to be your kind of humor. Just, it made me laugh even if it's not particularly clever. It's kind of stupid, actually, now I rewatch it." He puts away his computer. "Maybe I'm studying too much so I find myself laughing at the most inane things? I didn't use to find that kind of stuff funny before leaving home, did I?"


[Yui]

No magic can be detected.

[Segrain]

"You did not", - the girl closed her eyes, not willing to let him meet her saddened gaze. - "Everything was so much simpler back then..."

She stayed silent for some time, lost in her thoughts. Back in her childhood - not that she was an adult yet, of course - it was so easy. Even though her brother always was more busy, he still had time for her, and she could look up at him, knowing that she just has to be as good and follow the set example. Now they met so rarely, and he had concerns that she just could not understand, and her own newfound problems were not for his ears, and Kaori just wanted for things to be as they used to be - and he probably sought the very same from her company too. Could it be given, or she was doing something wrong yet again and again? She started doubting herself so much ever since she lost her grandfather and got that magical paper...

"You know the answer", - she finally looked at Hideki again. - "There is no such thing as studying too much, there is only doing our best. He ensured that we both understand it, and I know that you are not going to disappoint our family. But if you still want me to distract you from your books..." - Kaori stood up and went into her room, returning soon with a gameboard in her hands. - "Surely you had not yet forgot other things that he taught us, brother?"

When life was simpler and they both were happier, they used to play such games from time to time. Perhaps some of that happiness could still be relived.

[Estralita]

Yui sighed at the results, and began gathering up the albums to put away. She wasn't certain what she expected.

Once everything was put away, Yui went to check the time.

[Merilan]

"Do you operate around this area, then, Leo-Leo...?" Nazgul asks with some faint surprise in her voice. "Are there other Magical Girls under your watch?"

[DoctorFaust]

Noon, huh? I guess that gives me some time...

Haruko returns to her room briefly to root around for money, and then heads out of the house and down to a nearby arcade, which she had heard was hosting a tournament of some kind over the weekend.

[Mono Vertigo]

[Yui]

It's almost noon.


[Kaori]

"I wouldn't dare forget, little sister. I'm not that big a fool!"
They play together, much like they used to. Time flies; he has to go back to his planned work schedule. Although he lost some time, he gets back to it with greater enthusiasm. He'll try to find some time to come back home next weekend too.
Hideki's changed since he left home, but at the same time, he's still Kaori's same big brother.

[You may roll to Bond.]


[Haruko]

When she arrives, the Time Crisis tournament has already started, but she can witness a couple impressive duels.
Yuko is one of the players, and she reaches the final. She's up against a very serious guy in his early 40's who wears a T-shirt with a demonic robot...


[Nazgul]

"There are Magical Girls at Kyoto, Moscow, Johannesburg, Accra and Santiago that I help mainly."
"Leo-Leo can use people's dreams as a medium for traveling, which makes it easy for reaching great distances quickly, but as it turns out, few people sleep during the day, so waiting for nightfall is key."
"Yes. Anyway, I'll be going, I'll tell the others what's up with you. Don't forget to show up, we've got a lot to discuss."
Leo-Leo leaves, completely unnoticed by the children, like the rest of the conversation.

[jamieth]

Was it ever mentioned that Yuko was, well, a bit... oblivious? Even if it wasn't, well, she was. And the first matches got her really excited - and, apparently, trying to hit a Youma with a rainbow did good things to her aim, too...

Due to the combination of all that, when she finally reached the match agaist DM-sama... and, to no surprise, cleared the regular level... and then was pushed to the brink of defeat in the Traitor Deathmatch... it completely slipped out of her head that she was supposed to lose here.

A couple minutes later... with the last life remaining... Yuko was totally dead there. DM-sama even made a spectacle out of it, aiming deliberately slowly... after all, no way she could take all three of his remaining lives... he pulled the trigger... but the colorful "You Win!" sign didn't appear - instead, half a second later, it was a significantly less colorful "You Lose!"

The store fell silent. The only sounds were the whispering of the onlookers, "Did you see that?" "That was a fluke, right?" "...has to be a fluke." "Never knew it's even possible to shoot the opponent bullets..."

And, honestly speaking, it was a fluke. Yuko was just as shocked as everyone else... and at that moment, she remembered that Souichiro asked her. "Uh... I'm sorry..." she mumbled, blushing furiously, failing to understand that she was just adding insult to injury by doing so.

[Merilan]

Nazgul can't help but pay intense attention, committing those names to heart. It's vital information to her. "... be well, Leo-Leo." There's a quiet pause, and then she looks to Prismy. "I have another question. These children do not notice us, at the moment. If I were to transform into a Magical Girl... would I, too, cease to be present in front of them? Youma were by and large invisible to people until they became their prey..."

[Segrain]

"Do not let me distract you any further, then", - Kaori smiled, closing the gameboard and leaving her brother to his books. As she was gathering the pieces, the hieroglyph on one of them reminded her about something important. - "Actually, I would go for a walk. I should be back before it is too late".

She still had her questions about the nature of magic - whether her own, those of others or as a general idea - and she no longer had an excuse to postpone learning the answers. Perhaps she could perform some kind of experiment and figure out something by trial and error, but with Hideki at home such errors could easily mean something catastrophic. Calling Prismy was safer as a mean, but at the end, his answers did not seem particularly trustworthy last time. It was probably the best solution to just ask the more experienced girls how they dealt with the same problem in their time, but they were not as easy to meet. That, however, was easy enough to rectify.

On her phone, Kaori found still unanswered message from Nazgul. Just how long ago was it... apparently, she was not quite paying attention to time or thinking about a reply while talking with her brother. Not that it made much difference in the end; of course, she was not the only one to think about meeting. She even had some time yet, but not much of it. Waving a quick goodbye to Hideki, she hurried on the alleged walk - hopefully, this time it was not going to end in the monster's lair.