(Far behind the trio, is a greenish 7'3 man)....hm, why am I following em?, why not

Partly because of the green(?) man, amd partly because she had nothing better to do, a red-haired woman follows Zane at a distance. She's wearing a coat over her normal uniform, as well as some black pants, mostly to keep out the cold. Even a pyrokinetic such as herself isn't immune to chilly weather like this. A few notes about our dear psychic here, as desired by the GM: Himeno is obviously a pyrokinetic, although can generate ice as well. Naturally resistant to explosions and whatnot, although is lacking in terms of physical strength. She'll also have a "Sanity mechanic" that I'll be keeping track of in spoiler tags. Basically, bad things happen at 100... for anyone who's close, friend or foe. Anyway, let us begin.

(He then plays his banjo and plays it softly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G2CGZIWcco this may not be a good idea...ah who cares

OOC: One final note, odds are this will take more than one session, so I plan to continue this Wednesday around the same time, possibly an hour later. The first portion will be open up to the end, while the last will be closed to those who hadn't participated in the first. Without further ado. IC: As the trio continue walking to the station, the young girl briefly looks up at the adults accompanying her. She seems to be looking for a point to interject, but finds no such time. With as far behind as Rep and Himeno are, they are unable to hear a word of the conversation. Instead they watch as the three enter the train station, and wait for the next arrival. With how late it is there are doubtless few trains still running, so they are likely looking to catch one of the last ones to continue on their business

OOC: I am woefully working soon, but I have no work Wednesday, so if possible I'd like to join then. I'd understand if it can't be done though.

(He also sits down, towering over everyone sense he's 7'3)....never been onna train...wonder how it feels

the rest of the week imma be on at 3:30 pm also pacific timezone

OOC: Originally I planned to end section one at the cutoff point for new entries. However, I can simply end this a little early to allow one or two posts for new people to come in. It simply won't be as meaningful IC. Also, Rep, what time zone? That is kinda important for knowing when you'll be on

Ah Jesus, its getting cold (he pulls out his lighter and keeps it near him)....AHHHH, better

Himeno and Rep enter the train station, finding nothing out of the usual there. The train platform is set off by a series of metal barriers, simple rods sticking out of a sleek scanner, used to ensure the people joining have a pass. While there is no one behind the worker's window, likely having gone home by now, there is a simple ticket machine. The machine reads One-Day boarding pass, 1,000 Yen each and has a slot to insert the money As for Rep, he sits down near a wall, unfortunately it seems this station doesn't have any benches. This of course eliminates his height advantage, for whatever reason that might have been relevant. By now, the pair are close enough to overhear a bit of the conversation. The child seems to have finally found a good spot to interject, her voice sounds confused, apparently lost in whatever their earlier conversation was. Meanwhile the adults' voices are rather flat and emotionless, though what little inflection there is suggests excitement or joy. Child: Why are we out when its so cold? Can't it wait for tomorrow? Man: Don't worry about it darling. It'll be warm soon enough Woman: We're going somewhere wonderful, just trust us, you'll love it. The trio stand by the train platform, and soon enough the nearest train roars into the station. As soon as its doors open, the man scans his boarding pass, opening the gate for just long enough for the three to slip through and begin walking towards the vehicle

Well, there they go

Ah screw it I'll join (he also pays and goes into the train)

OOC: For future reference, please try to wait and put all of your actions in one post to reduce the spam factor Rep. It is possible for you to respond to another player's actions of course, but posting twice in a row is a waste of my time, as I check the thread assuming someone else has posted. Not following my wishes in this regard too much will earn you a ticket out of the thread. Consider this a simple warning. Himeno purchases her temporary boarding pass, hurrying to the gate in order to follow the three inside. She scans the pass, a light on the scanner turning green as the gate opens for a moment, allowing Himeno to slip into the train behind the three. Zane soon follows Himeno inside. Inside the train is much as you might expect, the walls are lined with padded seats, and there are grips hanging down from the ceiling for those who need to stand. The train is empty, aside from the trio, Himeno, and Zane, and so the young girl and two adults sit a little ways away from the entry, presumably to avoid the draft. Now that you can see their eyes, you notice a few things. The man's eyes are hazel, shifting slightly in the light, while the woman's are a simple, unnotable brown. Meanwhile, the child's eyes seem to be blue, however, it looks as though there is a faint cloudiness over her pupils. The three sit in silence for now, having apparently finished whatever they were talking about. The child leans on the man, as though seeking reassurance, and squeezes his hand. The man smiles in response, but doesn't turn to the child. Instead, he simply rests his other hand on her shoulder

OOC: Still open or no?

OOC: It will be open all the way until a few posts in tomorrow, though this particular moment may be a little awkward, all you have to have is a random reason to board the last train of the night

(Sense of his height, he has to crouch down, to not the ceiling. He would sit, but there little to no space for him)...god it sucks being tall most of the time, and this is also why I never take the train

There's something called a "seat," you know. Barely anyone's here. Himeno finally speaks up, her tone even and almost annoyed. She cranes her head back to look at the ceiling. Is the train really that short? Or maybe you're just that tall.

Mate, try being 7'3 and being in places that are for people that are 5'somethin', also, its crowded

Are you blind or something? Himeno gestures towards the train's interior, which is empty save for the trio, herself, and Zane.

I'm not blind.... Just really fuckin' dumb (he then sits down, taking 2 seats)

OOC: Not sure I'd fit in this actually. So I think I'll stay out of this.

While Zane does have to crouch to get through the doorway, the train is easily 10 feet high, and has basically no one in it. After Himeno reminds him of his stupidity, he sits down Himeno, on the other hand, is a reasonable person and sits down in a seat. Soon, the train doors close, sparing the five gathered further suffering from the chill. Overhearing Himeno and Rep's little argument, the woman looks over at the two and smiles, yet somehow, her eyes seem empty Woman: It looks like we have company dear. The man nods, and, careful not to disturb the child on his arm, greets the other two with some semblance of joviality Man: That we do, I take it you're headed to the park meeting too? Its going to be wonderful, we'll be visiting a truly marvelous place. If one looks closely, they might notice a small, bluish mark on the adults' necks. The child has hidden her face in the man's sleeve, just a hint of a blush hinting at her nervousness. Soon, the train begins to roll OOC: Don't worry about it Gullveig. I mean, I'm allowing Rep for crying out loud. This part is more of an intro really

Um..park meeting?..um..yeah why not, haven't done anything today, so, I am (he says as he pulls out his banjo and plays it: https://youtu.be/Sd1VJy--bEo can't wait ta see ya there mates

The park meeting? Himeno hadn't heard of that. Maybe this will be interesting after all. What's the meeting going to be about? I'm not that informed about local affairs... ooc: As it turns out, I don't have to do it due to missing gloves

A girl with strange flowing white hair and a golden dress would begin walking into the train station. Her eyes while barely open could still be observed as having small red pupils. A serene smile would be fixed on her face as she looked around with a small amount of care free confusion. She had no reason to be here aside from her constant endeavour to find more happiness and curiosity at what a train station was like at night. However, she would soon realize that she didn't want to be alone and notice the train. Without much thought on the matter she would attempt to board the train as well before it took off. "A train ride late at night should be fun. I be never risen a train before." OOC: I guess I should give you a little background on the king of greed. They're an oddity of sorts, as this isn't really a complete OC I'll say what the wiki does and try to explain that. Essentially, they were apart of a group of magical girls who tried to defend the world from a great evil. Through years and years of fighting this evil though all of them became possessed by a different evil themselves. Basically this character is a Magical Girl from a canon where magical girls eventually become corrupted monsters who lose their sense of self. Similar to PMMM but without much to warrant it besides obsessive desires. In a way the King of Greed is a witch still able to maintain their humanity.

Ay, its the girl who forgets everything... How ya doin'?

OOC: While that is quite a bit of information, none of it answers the question. For example, in PMMM Magical Girls have their souls taken out and put into a Soul Gem, what this means is that it basically doesn't matter how much damage their body takes, they can recover from it, giving them a pseudo-undead state that, among other things, allows them to ignore pain, makes them basically immune to the physical effects of poison, and similar. Gullveig makes it inside just before the train doors shut, she stumbles a little as the vehicle begins moving, but otherwise is just fine as the train moves on. The child nervously glances over the man's arm, though their eyes seem.. Distant, as though they can't focus on anything. The man gives Himeno and Zane a faint smile as the train continues moving, by now its building up speed, though according to the map the park isn't too far away, its likely they'll be arriving shortly. He continues on, his voice an even, almost emotionless tone Man: Oh, so you aren't members. That's ok, the Night-Mother welcomes everyone. Tonight we're finally going on a wonderful journey to get closer to her. Woman: We're meeting our fellow believers in the park in order to all go together. I'm glad you've decided to join us. None of them seem to have noticed Gullveig's entry, it seems they're too busy talking about this "Night-Mother". The little girl doesn't move any further, aside from occasional squirming... She finally decides to speak up, her voice concerned over the adults' actions, she's clearly uncomfortable Girl: H... How are we getting there again? Man: That's what the nice man from the church is telling us, remember? Woman: Don't worry about it Risako-chan, we'll still be together, all the way. In spite of the adults' reassurances, "Risako" doesn't seem to be any less worried. Regardless, she keeps a tight hold of the man, like one afraid of letting go

[Night mother ay?, he says in his mind, don't let this be a cult] well, I'll he glad this "night mother" ya been talking bout (he says has he gives a kind of nervous laugh) heh...

Himeno raises an eyebrow, but decides not to question it further. It sounds interesting. I'll be sure to join you, then. Of course, she's not going to join some cult. Burn it, perhaps, but not join it. These people almost seemed hypnotized... well, only one way to find out about this "Night-Mother." She stares out the window as she waits for the train to reach its destination. Noticing that her breath has caused the window to frost up or mist up or whatever, she absentmindedly draws something on it with her finger.

OOC: In this form I'd say they're essentially on the level of a normal human with some enhanced endurance and strength. The other form is a completely immune to physical attacks but also remarkably slow. Other than that I'd say most poisons and status conditions would work on the base form since the other form isn't something likely to happen unless very certain circumstances are met. (The girl stands at the end of the train as if not even being aware of the other's presence. To her it's as if she's somewhere else for a moment before it would hit her that she was in fact on a train. She would smile more intently as she began staring out the window regardless of whether anything was actually there or not.) "Trains are nice. It's always nice to move forward. I'd hate to move backwards though."

(He just keeps on playing his banjo: https://youtu.be/ft8i5rDLnfo Feels like where gettin' close

OOC: my apologies, apparently I am supposed to be cooking, so there will be roughly an hour’s delay

Now that the GM is back, lets get this train rolling The adults smile at the pair, and soon enough the train screeches to a halt at the station nearest the park, both adults tighten their grips on the child's hand as the train doors open Man: How wonderful, please follow us then, the meeting isn't too far away. We can all go together Woman: Yes, go together, it'll be quite wonderful "Risako" remains silent as the two adults walk off-board, girl in tow. The train station looks identical to the one they left, and so the man scans his own boarding pass before hurriedly ushering the other two through the gate. They almost seem to be in some kind of trance

OOC: say...you wouldn't happen to have an open spot for this...would you?

(The 7'3 man also follows)...took us long enough

OOC: I'm starting to get a little tired of saying "this is going to be open all the way until 2 posts in Wednesday". But I still am. Though, if you are unlikely to be around 2 hours before now on Wednesday you may wish to reconsider

OOC:... so...is that a yes, because I can show up on Wednesday.

OOC: Its a yes, just me expressing frustration that you're like the 6th person to ask when I said you could in the sixth post

OOC: oh...sorry, I can be a little blind sometimes... heheheh...whoops... IC: *suddenly appears* ... damnit, and I was playing Odyssey...meh, so... what's going on? You know what, screw it, I'll read the script. *Suddenly has a stack of papers in her hands and starts reading them*

The girl stalls in the train for a moment as if lost in the window's reflection before realizing the train had stopped. She wanders out of the train finally wondering where she was. Seeing others walk a certain direction she follows along but stalls behind frequently as she seems to get distracted by every little thing. "This place is new. I've never been here before. Will there be something to eat here?"

Hmm...oh, so that's how this works...okay then. I'll just... *She gets out a pen and starts writing* Star is reckless, but smart enough to get away with it most times. While she may be random at times, she does have a method to her madness. She always keeps a small kit of emergency supplies on her person (things like some wire, a small knife, small first aid kit, etc) as she normally runs into trouble. Also, she's a goddess...but that means jack shit, considering she's only slightly more durable than a normal person, and dies just as easily. And... that'll do. I think. Probably. *She throws the pen away, along with the stack of paper.*

(He walks slower then the parents, not rushing ta know what this night mother is)....wow there exitited

The girl would continue following slowly as she loses sight of the others and simply wander into the park aimlessly. She would never lose her smile however and would begin heading towards the lake anyway. The water drew her in as if she felt more comfortable as she got closer to it. "Still no food. I'll find something soon though. I'm getting really hungry."

Hmm...where is everyone? *Star looks out a window to see everyone leave* Oh...well... *Star runs out to follow them from a short distance*

Kotori is already there, having followed a separate person earlier, after all, these people were acting suspicious, and that mark kinda looks like the one her friend described, that, and the trance-like state has her assuming that this is probably what she thinks it is OOC: As for Kotori, It really depends on her current enchantments. But as a rule of thumb, if it has to touch her skin to take effect, it probably won't work on her due to her "Barrier". But the barrier has its loopholes. Anything else canhopefully be found here. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WC-iH9xDVe-XVFO6GJsTIYg-HKPyhoXcK2275sbodZM/edit?usp=drivesdk

ooc: sorry, had to finally shovel ic: A bit low-budget for a cult, Himeno thinks, but stays near the outside of the circle. She keeps her eyes on the leader. If something goes wrong, it'll probably be because of him.

Sigh....well...let's see what they worship this time...probably that "night mother" thing

Kotori, having followed a separate individual earlier, was..... Overjoyed to listen to the leader's long-winded speech about how "The Night-Mother shall descend from the moon to take all of humanity into her embrace." Standard weird cult stuff. Fortunately, he finally seems to be wrapping up when Himeno, and Rep make it there, followed by Gullveig and lastly Starwaddle. The two adults who were with "Risako" look back, almost sad to see Himeno, Star, and Gullveig keeping their distance Man: Don't be shy Woman: We'll be going soon. Certainly you want to follow us, yes? Man: We'll be closer to the Night Mother than ever. "Risako" remains silent, she's clearly confused, but doesn't know what to do in the situation, so she simply holds the man tighter for reassurance, after all, they'd never lead her astray. The man on the makeshift podium continues his speech Cult Leader: Of course, there's no need to wait for her embrace to fall upon all of humanity, after tonight we'll be closer to the Night Mother than ever. Come my brethren, join us in communion. At this, all of the cult members step closer to the leader. A few people of various ranks go into the nearby treeline in order to fetch some object or another before they commune. Worth noting is that every cult member seems to have the exact same blue mark on their neck

No thanks, I'm already a goddess and have my own religion...so...oh, but I should schedule a tea time with some cults... I'm honestly conflicted with stopping this, joining it, and doing nothing...so... *Star pulls out her phone and takes a few notes, mainly the part about having tea with some of the bigger cults.*

Going where...? She mutters this to herself. Joining them is risky, but perhaps it would let her get close to- She stops herself there. It's a crazy idea, anyway. She briefly wonders if dying to that abomination in that treehouse messed with her sense of reason... But that was another story. But she takes a few steps forward while still giving herself some distance.

The girl walks up to the lake instead of paying attention to whatever the cult is doing. She stares into the lake as if seeing if any sea life rests inside. She takes great interest in it like a wild animal searching for food. Her eyes would now open a little more revealing that her corneas were quite dark and color and just how small her red pupils were. "Mmmm...Hungry..."

Kotori raises her hand and shouts AHH! Excuse me? Who exactly IS this "Night Mother" And how do you expect to "Commune" with her? I want details before I commit to anything!

Well...ya gonna summon it or what?

Gullveig begins staring into the lake. Unfortunately its frozen by now, so all of the marine life is probably well hidden under the ice, as such she finds rather little of note in the murky waters. The adults with "Risako" seem a little disappointed in Starwaddle, but don't insist upon further participation. They keep a tight hold on the little girl's hand, and look back at Himeno, voice remaining flat and emotionless as they answer her question Man: We're going somewhere wonderful. Woman: To be with the night mother of course. Or at least a little closer. Kotori gets the attention of the leader, who smiles at her and clasps his hands. He waves for her to come closer before speaking Cult Leader: The Night Mother is an ancient being who is destined to one day descend from the moon and bring us all into her embrace in a great event known as "The Fall." We, as her children, seek to commune with her before then. Let us show you. A few cultists come back from the woods carrying what looks like a bottle of wine. They're closed, so no one can smell it to be sure. The other cultists part to let the people through to the front. One of them looks over at Zane to answer his question Cultist: We would never try to bring forth our Night Mother, she knows far better than us. We're going to visit her. Do you want to come?

ooc: Food time, brb ic: Himeno would normally dismiss this as pure insanity, but this is the Nexus. Well, if the Night Mother is a being of destruction, might as well see if she can burn it. ...She's probably going to get herself killed one of these days, but screw it.

AH SCREW IT,LETS GO, MEET THIS GOD, WOOOO

Hmm... *She takes a few more notes, mostly about how it might be a good idea to make heavier weapons, and how to transport them easily and conveniently.* Where would I even get a big enough diamond to act as the lense for a laser cannon of that size? Oh wait, black market. They have everything there. But if this Night Mother is a being of destruction...then I might have some competition soon...meh, oh well. Might have to meet her in private... *She puts away her phone and keeps an eye and ear out for any information she could use*

Uhh.... Kotori raises her finger as she approaches the stage You ARE aware that The Fall already happened, right? It happened around new years? You're kinda late. Nyx is kinda out of the picture right now. As she speaks, she uses sign language to try to speak to her fellow "Outcasts" Those bottles are probably something lethal, try to get rid of them carefully

Gullveig does manage to break through the ice, with a loud *crack* sound that echoes throughout the park. "Risako" turns towards the sound, but doesn't seem to find anything. None of the cultists seem bothered by it. Through the hole Gullveig made in the ice she finds little of note, most animals having fled at the sound after all. The leader looks back at Kotori, his voice is flat and emotionless, though he seems to regard her as annoying more than anything Cult Leader: The Night Mother cannot be destroyed, it is only a matter of time. But we don't have to wait. Tonight we are all going to be closer to the Night Mother. At these words, all of the other cultists speak in unison. "Risako" seems more and more confused as this goes on, but remains silent, clinging to the man she's with Cultists: We shall all be closer to the Night Mother. With that, the members holding the bottles head up to the front, where the leader brings out a large collection of small, plastic cups. The bottles are opened, cups split among the four bottle-holders.

So...a ritual with cups?...that's new

... I'm pretty sure this is a mass suicide now...well then...if only I had psychic powers or water bending powers or...water powers...all I have in the water department is water magic, and I'm not good with it...wait, what would happen if I were to freeze it? Would... would that work? I mean, it's pretty cold, so... *Star walks away and hides behind some bushes nonchalantly as she attempts to use magic to make the weather cold enough to freeze the contents of the bottles* This... should work? Maybe. Probably not, but I shouldn't get in too much trouble if they see, because it's just ice. They could melt it pretty easily... probably...I mean, at least one person here has a lighter probably...

Ugh. Kotori lines herself up with the cultists and infuses a few knives with wind and fire before throwing as many as she needs to destroy all the bottles and melt the liquid, making sure to enchant herself with lightning in case someone tries to stop her physically

Ah screw it (he also joins the cultist) yay

The girl is upset by this result and almost seems as if she's about to get angry but her eyes would suddenly close once again before opening back to their mostly closed position. She would begin smiling again and walk away from the lake. The strange harpoon in her hand would vanish into a golden cloud that seemed to be absorbed by her dress. She walks back toward the crowd still looking for something to eat. "All the fish are gone. I'll just have to find food somewhere else."

Star succeeds in walking away, the cultists paying her little attention as she hides. Unfortunately, Alcohol has an extremely low freezing point, under a hundred degrees celsius, so she is unable to freeze the contents. Oh yes, speaking of the contents, Kotori successfully shatters two of the bottles before the holders realize what she's doing. The shards of glass from the bottles stick into the two people who were holding them, and begin bleeding. The other two holders move the bottles out of the way, hiding them behind their backs while the cultists begin shouting C1: Get out of here C2: Don't ruin it for everyone. C3: We're going somewhere wonderful C4: Hasn't anyone taught you manners? The cultists attempt to crowd around Kotori, only to find themselves unable to touch her due to the electric barrier, instead they simply encircle the girl. Now that the bottles are open, everyone can smell a strong stench of alcohol. Whatever was in the bottle is probably really strong, not something a child should probably drink. The leader raises his arms to quiet the others Cult Leader: Now now, its not all for nothing, just get her out of here. You don't have to join us, we're simply getting closer to the Night Mother Cultists: Closer to the Night Mother. At his suggestion, the cultists behind Kotori part, leaving her an easy way to exit the park. They're unable to continue due to this commotion. Meanwhile, "Risako" looks up at the two adults near her, expectantly. Her voice almost sounds scared as she asks Risako: C... Can you describe what's happening to me? I... What's going on? Man: Its nothing to worry about Risako-chan. It will be resolved in a minute, then we can all go together. Gullveig returns in time to see the chaos unfold. Kotori is definitely getting some kinda reputation among the cult alright

WOWIE MOMA, THIS IS GETTING INTENSE

(He the grabs one of the beer bottles and chugs it down) WOOOOOOOOO

The girl's eyes begin to fully widen upon the chaos before her. She can feel her hunger calling her as if the panic and disarray stirs something in her. Without even realizing the golden mist would begin spreading around her body. Not doing anything but seeming to just hang in the air around her in a shape similar to that of an egg. "This makes me tired. I wonder why these people can't just be happy? Can they not just indulge themselves in their obsession? Delusions of despair. It stirs my hunger more and more and makes me want to wrap myself in such delusion once more."

Okay, that didn't work... let's see, if I can't freeze the contents...then I'll freeze the containers. *She redoubles her efforts and starts trying to freeze the bottles, specifically the openings, so they can't pour the contents out*

And what are you going to do to stop me? Kotori adds a wind enchantment to herself and jumps over the people, rushing to the other bottle holders, giving them a non-lethal shock to hopefully loosen their grips and smash the bottles with her own hands There are kids here, this is illegal!

(Suddenly, rep is drunk as balls from drinking the beer) WOOOOOO...F...AUCK YAEG, SATN BEAST...

And so, many things happen at once. Gullveig starts her preparation.. Probably for something big, though none of the cultists notice her. Zane runs up to steal one of the bottles. The content is in fact wine, no one puts beer in a bottle, and, just before it is frozen up by Star, he manages to get a few gulps from its contents. Starwaddle does freeze the bottle openings, though she was a little slow to freeze them completely, none of the cultists would notice this yet. Nor does it end up mattering, as Kotori launches herself over the cultists, jolting the bottle holders. She successfully shatters the bottle of the nearest one, but this jolt prevented the further from resisting when Zane stole his bottle to drink. For the first few seconds, nothing happens, everything seems to have frozen. In the next few, all of Zane's nerves feel like they're on fire. A few seconds after that, Zane doesn't feel anything. Ever again. He collapses, bottle shattering as he hits the ground, never to awaken By this point all the cultists turn to Kotori at once. They seem rather lifeless as they all advance on the girl wordlessly. C1: Ruined it C2: You should just die. The cultists pick up various shards of glass from the bottles, heedless of the small cuts they receive on their hands. and wield them like knives, continuing to advance on Kotori. The adults let go of "Risako", joining the others in their advance. "Risako" panics, immediately collapsing on her knees, arms out in front of her to feel the ground Risako: M... Mother, Father... Where'd you go? Don't leave me... H... Hello? What's happening?

Tch. Had a feeling it would be like that... Good thing she didn't plan to drink it. She mentally thanked Zane for being the figurative canary and hurries out of the crowd, trying to get a better look at everything. And to make sure Kotori didn't need any help, and if the little girl was okay. A lot of chaos for one night, huh?

AHHHHH, FUCK FUCK FUICK FUCK FACK (he then grabs his 7'2 claymore, with its ,Golden hilt and the blade with weird carvings and jems on it, and he then swings it around a full 360, making air cutting slashes) OSJFUBFGHSJKSIUWBN DKSIUMDS

Kotori dispells her enchantments, replacing them with an earth one, knowing that a normal person with a broken bottle would only take about a fourth of a charge to defend Yeah, I did ruin it. You'll thank me for that later. She then shouts exasperated WOULD SOMEONE RESPONSIBLE PLEASE CALL THE POLICE?

(Suddenly, he's back up) AHHHHHHAHAHAHA, FUCK YOU I AINT DIEING

The golden mist would be still in the air as suddenly small fish like creatures would form out of it. They would begin swimming in mid air around the girl yet it would seem as if she didn't even notice them. "I need to satisfy this hunger." One of the fish would begin moving forward through the air looking for anything edible. If it couldn't find anything then it would go up to one of the cultists in the chaos and begin trying to tear of pieces of their flesh to consume.

...god fucking damnit. Well, I tried. At least we have 1-ups for when people die. I have no idea why no one actually thinks to use them. I mean, I have a pretty big garden of them behind my shrine. Wait, what was I doing? Oh right, bad things happening. May as well do some covering fire. But...that girl over there...and the mind control cultist bullshit...well, I shouldn't kill them...but, this might get a little tricky... *Star pulls out a few smoke grenades and throws them into the crowd, hoping the sleeping gas will stop things from getting worse...and hoping she didn't use the laughing grenades.* ...why the hell do I have to be so prepared for anything? Oh yeah, because sometimes people fuck things up and their emotions get in the way. This is why I don't use my emotions in these kinds of situations. Actually, why didn't I use a sleeping spell? That would be much more efficient. Then again, magic can be blocked kinda easily and why am I speaking these thoughts out loud and in this situation? Focus, you stupid goddess! Oh wait, call the police? Okay then. *Star takes out her phone and calls the police* Hello, police? This is Star, you know, that one goddess. Listen, I'm gonna need to call in another favor...no, this isn't another substance deal, this is a cover up. Here's my coordinates, it's another cult, and things might be getting out of hand...so...yeah...god, I love my connections. What? No, I was talking to myself.

Five or six of the cultists begin jabbing at Kotori, managing a total of twelve hits to be deflected by her barrier before Star manages to fill the area with sleeping gas. All of the cultists, leader included, begin to faint, one by one. Kotori herself is having a hard time staying awake in the gas. As it is winter, there is very little edible in the area, so instead the fish goes towards the nearest person... Who actually isn't a cultist, but the young, blonde girl, Risako. Risako, of course, remains entirely unaware of this, and simply calls out Risako: H... Hello? Is anyone there? What's happening? M... Mom? Star's call goes through, with a little confusion on the police's end, still, it is their job to check this kinda stuff out, so they'll probably come. But for now OOC: Its time to delay this thread to Wednesday. Enjoy your lives everyone. Oh yeah, anyone can still post if they want, I simply won't update it until Wednesday. So I would advise against any lengthy back and forths that take advantage of "talking is a free action", but you could do it if you want

Oof! Seeing the gas, Kotori begins to hold her nose, then enchants herself with wind to jump out of the effected area, but due to her drowsiness, doesn't exactly land on her feet Ugh....... Thanks for whoever had the gas...... She then notices gull and shouts SOMEONE SAVE THE BLIND KID DAMMIT!

From what Himeno heard from the strange floating fish girl, those yellow fish were probably not here to swim around lazily. With the cultists knocked out, it's time to move. Come on! She rushes over to Risako, and tries to tug her away from the fish and towards somewhere safe.

...well, that worked. Oh, there's a fish? And there's a kid...and this might end poorly...oh well, let's see what I can do...uhh...hmm...fuck it. *Star makes a wall of fire between the fish and Risako, not sure what to do* ...I think that'll work... should at least keep the fish from getting much closer...

OOC: Alright, I'll update this in around an hour and a half. For anyone who wishes to join the second session, or any members of the first who have yet to post, please do so now. There's not really going to be a better point of entry, its all kinda chaos right up until the end now.

Kotori crash lands on the edge of the frozen lake. the frozen ground is rough, but she lands relatively unharmed against the barren lakeshore. Looking around, the cultists are all unconcious by now, they'll likely remain as such until the police arrive. She thinks she sees some... Something odd, near the lakeshore, but its gone before she can make it out. Himeno grabs the young, blonde girl Risako's hand, and drags her away from the commotion. The girl is surprised by the sudden tug, but does nothing to resist it. The girl turns toward Himeno, her bluish eyes obscured by a faint, white cloud. Risako: W... Who are you? C.. Can someone please tell me what's happening? Where'd they go? The girl is obviously panicking, her breaths are shallow and rapid, she keeps a tight grip of Himeno, as though she were the only thing connecting the girl to the world around her. Himeno thinks she sees a faint light on the frozen lake, but there's nothing to show for it Starwaddle conjures a wall of fire to burn the fish. As Gull said nothing, I will infer the fish simply follows through, aiming for the nearest meal, and fries itself against the barrier. Everything seems fine for the moment, the police should arrive fairly soon to settle the issue. Then she notices a faint, misty substance over the frozen lake. It seems to vanish as soon as she catches sight of it, preventing her from making out much of its appearance

Well that was easy...but I have a feeling that there's going to be more that we'll have to deal with. Intuition and experience go a long way in the monster-killing business.

A man appears from... Seemingly nowhere really, he'd simply pop in Star's field of view and chuckle at the woman. "Well, this all looks like some fine mess doesn't it? Zacharie, wandering merchant all RPGs must have at your service! Now, I guess I'll tag along, and I'm assuming you don't wish to buy anything... Miss?" He'd shrug and walk off toward the vanished light, he's not sure what it is. But he's quite curious about it regardless.

Oof... Kotori dips her head in the freezing water for a split second to wake herself up, then she rushes to where she thought the light was Did anyone else see that?

ooc: sorry, had to get home before responding What was that light...? No matter. It's not important right now. The fire obviously isn't her own, but it at least stopped the fish. Himeno hesitates, wondering how to word this situation to the girl. I'm Himeno Akatsuki. Don't worry, whatever happened is over now. Everyone's still here, but they're just asleep. That was true for all the cultists, save for Zane. She takes another look at the lake, wondering if the light was just a reflection or not..

No thanks, I've already got a regular I go to every now and then. As for a light...nope, didn't see anything. But...yeah, that's probably what's setting off my intuition.

(The girl observes as her fish seemed to fail in it's attempts to gather any food. Dissapointef she return to the lake and try to calm down. She was hungry but she didn't want to make herself to upset otherwise far worse thing then being hungry could happen. She looks out to notice the strange most as if curious as to what it was but it would dissapear from sight quickly and thus dissapear from her mind just as fast.) "Still hungry. What should I do?"

Unfortunately for Kotori, the lake is already frozen. She ends up hitting her head rather hard against the ice, which probably hurt. After letting the pain subside, Kotori gets to her feet and runs towards the light she saw in the distance. Himeno stays with the girl, her breath slowly begins to calm. The girl "looks" around, but its clear by now that its of no use to her. Regardless, everything seems to have calmed down for the moment Risako: O.... Ok... T.. Will you stay with me then? At least until my parents wake up... They've been acting weird lately..... I... I hope they're ok. She has no reason to distrust Himeno, but she did just meet the girl. Zacharie appears, him and Star sensing something very bad is about to happen. Meanwhile Gullveig walks by the shore, looking for anything to eat. That's about when everything starts to fall apart. The faint mist from earlier appears, MUCH closer to the shoreline by now, somewhere behind Kotori. Its not as faint anymore either, in fact, it seems to be thickening and expanding, rapidly approaching the group. The mist, rather than a faint white, comes in a wide variety of colors, bright reds, oranges, greens, blues, all rapidly shifting as it moves. A faint sound, vaguely like that of laughter can be heard throughout the area. It almost seems to be making words ?:"Neebevahdlouctisadoogsaton. emittxenkculretteb. In instants, it seems to surround the group on the shore, much to Risako's continued confusion. The girl tugs Himeno's sleeve, though she may not be able to see it, that noise makes it obvious something is happening Risako: C... Can you describe it to me? I... Well... I feel a little better knowing what it should look like.

...well fuck. I have to fight some rainbow mist? Shit. I should have brought my vacuum. Actually, note to self, always bring a vacuum. *Pulls out her trusty techno sword and a small shield from seemingly nowhere and prepares for a fight*

A blade forms in the man's hands, along with a white pair of wings resting on his back as he stares at the... Mist, but regardless he'd use a bit of his power and aim to figure out what it is, assuming the skills works he'd have a basic idea of it's resists and weaknesses to various attacks. If mist even has such things. [Appraisal]

...Alright. No sense in leaving the kid alone. Judging by what Risako said, her parents had only recently started acting strange. If only she knew. Himeno stays right by Risako, tensing up when she sees the approaching mist. Not taking her eyes off it, she speaks to the girl, keeping her free hand on the hilt of a knife. There's a mist coming from the lake. It's a bunch of different colors... definitely not natural.

(The girl looks around confused for a moment before healing the laughter. She would begin laughing with the voice as it spouted out gibberish. Her expression shifts to a more serious one though as she remixes what's going on. Her eyes opening more widely as the harpoon forms in her hand once more.) "You remind me of my sister and friends. That's not a good thing."

Kotori smacking her head into the Ice certainly woke her up Ouch..... idiot.... Ugh. Seeing the mist, Kotori returns to the group as quickly as she can, cursing herself Moron. Don't run off on your own. How many times do you have to screw up before you learn?

Zacherie’s appraisal works, to some extent. Rather than any strengths or weaknesses, any information about the mist before him at all. Instead, he gets developer notes: the Carnival Witch’s Barrier is a Carnival. A fully-functioning, multicolored one complete with games and prizes. Much of the Carnival is dominated by the massive circus tent in the middle, which easily makes up half the Barrier. This tent is where most of the shows take place, from acrobatic stunts, to animal taming, to the antics of the clowns. Everything you might expect from a typical circus He doesn’t have to wait long to get some idea of what that means. By the time his analysis is complete, the mist engulfs him, Starwaddle, Himeno, Risako, And Gullveig. At first they can’t make out any more than before, just more laughing gibberish Emhtiwyalpemoc With that, the mist clears from their vision, to reveal the group to be somewhere near the middle of a massive carnival, it’s colors ever-changing. Looking around, there are various stalls, each of which has a small, multicolored creature manning it. All sorts of carnival games you might expect, Ball tossing, bobbing for apples, all contained within this odd, otherworldly mist. The middle of the carnival is dominated by a massive circus tent, it’s pole reaches impossibly high into the blank white sky, the only piece of consistency within the ever-changing whirlwind of vision. Risako tightens her grip on Himeno’s hand. She doesn’t bother asking anything more yet, it might be better not to know Kotori dashes into the mist to arrive at the other side of the carnival. Rather than the games her companions would see, Kotori ends up near a series of animal cages. Within each cage is something vaguely resembling an animal she might be familiar with, they have the outline of elephants, monkeys, even giraffes. Yet, none of the creatures move. They act as though they were little more than cardboard cutouts. Of course, she can’t miss the massive tent covering the middle of the fair, whatever is happening, it is clear that would be the main attraction

...welp, guess we have to kill the ringleader... along with the entire circus act from the looks of things. Just my luck to have to deal with this kind of stuff. So...any thoughts on what to do?

What the... A carnival was probably the last thing Himeno expected to see. What, were they in some other dimension now? That's probably likely. All these colors are making her head spin... Stay close. She probably doesn't have to say it at this point, but either way, off to that tent she goes. Maybe that would explain where they even were.

Zacharie sighed as whatever this is engulfed them, and that damned tent his power mentioned is quite nearby... Well, if he's to guess at what the notes meant, they'll likely find this "Witch" inside of it as well. Upon Star asking for thoughts, he'd look to her and smirk, the man's lips barely showing as his mask ends just short enough. "I have one actually, I'm rather good at figuring things out, and from what my appraisal told me. That large tent is the center of it all. Clowns, acrobatics, animals, all held there, smart credit says we'll find this so-called "Witch" there as well yes?" With that, he'd begin walking off toward the thing, not taking flight since sadly, he doubts these new allies can keep up with it.

Well then, I should probably transform before I fight. *Star gets covered in a puff of smoke, and when it clears she's got dragon wings sticking out of her back, along with becoming more mature-looking.* Ahh... that's more like it. Dragon form is always nice to have before a big fight. *Star flys off towards the big top*

(The girl looks around never having been to a circus before or at least not that she remembers. She was completely taken by suprised by this place and would begin becoming oddly relaxed again. Perhaps she simply was used to strange circumstances such as this. Perhaps she even was a strange circumstance herself. Noticing the almost familiar seeming masked man she would follow him for now.) "Look at all the pretty colors! Do you think there's food here?"

Shit!.... I'm alone..... Kotori begins to involuntarily shake slightly as she draws her sword I'll be ok..... Keep calm.... Find the highest point..... Find the others.... Kotori begins walking cautiously towards the giant tent

Himeno, Star, Zach, Gull, proceed towards the large tent. Young Risako keeps a tight hold of Himeno's hand. Of course, she can't help but overhear the others talking. Dragon Form? Witch? Something about a circus... Risako tugs on Himeno's sleeve Risako: Can you tell me what's happening again? Who are all these people? They carry on with no obstacles. Some of the humanoid creatures peer out at them, others are too busy enjoying the carnival games. But none of them come anywhere near obstructing the group. If anything, they seem to be ushering everyone towards the middle Kotori's journey is similar. The "animals" can occasionally be seen to shift, proving they're alive after all, they gaze out from their cages at the young girl, one elephant even leaning against the bars, but nothing appears to obstruct her path Soon enough, both groups enter the main tent from different sides, having had no trouble with their trip. Inside they find a massive, three stage tent. On the stage nearest Zacharie and the others, are six creatures. The creatures seem to come in two parts, first and larger are these, animalistic creatures, which vaguely resemble common creatures such as an elephant, a giraffe, two tigers, and two gorillas. None of the animals seem to be doing much, simply prancing around the stage. Connected to each of these animals by a long, multicolored rope are a tall humanoid figure, roughly the size of a person. They wear a... Revealing, two-piece suit that leaves little to the imagination, not that there's much to see, their skin and suit are the same swirling mass of colors as the rest of the place. In the middle ring are a group of four more, overly large humanoid figures standing near the central pole. The figures are extremely muscular, tossing around massive weights with ease. How they manage to catch them without a head no one is sure, but they easily do it nonetheless. Finally, the ring nearest Kotori is completely empty for the moment. All along the tent walls are a series of stands, with many more of the humanoid creatures they may have seen outside cheering for the show, who knows how long they may have been there

(The girl simply smiles upon seeing this. It was all so amusing to her. It was as if she didn't see the strange colors covering the figures or an oddities in this place at all. It all seemed so normal to her.) "This looks really fun! Do you think those animals taste good? I kind of want to eat them. Would anyone mind?" (She tries to get a little closer to the main area as her eyes widen. A golden mist begins surrounding her as if her own abilities are more on edge than she herself is.)

They're... allies, I suppose. I only know Kotori. And before you ask, I have no idea what the "dragon form" is about, either. Oh yeah, the fish girl's here, too. At least she doesn't seem to be set on eating them at the moment. Himeno would describe the circus in more detail, but one look at the inside of the tent leaves her at a loss for words. I... Um... Hm. I honestly have no idea how to describe this, other than a circus that looks like it was made on drugs.

...you know what? Sure. Eat to your heart's content. As for a ringleader... I'm sure if we cause enough trouble, we'll find who we're looking for. Honestly, if I wasn't sucked into this place I would think this is a normal circus. But it's not. As for my dragon form, it's a little something I picked up in my time outside the Nexus. I gain draconic strength, speed, and defense, as well as a more mature body and dragon wings. Think of it as a magical girl thing.

Ugh... do all these witches live in weird coliseum's? Oh well, at least it gives a good arena..... Kotori begins to try to climb the tent walls from the outside of the tent, heading to the very top Let's see.....

Zacharie stands back once again, he'd focus upon all the foes in front of him as his appraisal begins anew, though his focus is more so on the one holding the ropes than anything. Upon hearing Himeno, he'd shrug at her and introduce himself. "Zacharie's the name and selling's the game, though lately, I'm doing more slashing than selling it seems!"

Zacharie's appraisal gets him more developer's notes. As he focuses on the humanoids holding the ropes, he gets this result, more developer's notes The animal tamers. Their job is to put on a show. They keep the animals under control and show them off, but they're not very good at their job. They often end up getting dragged around by the creatures. Risako nods along with Himeno, listening to the others, so her companions are Zacharie, Kotori, Himeno, and... Someone who eats animals? The girl looks to Star as she briefly explains her ability. It doesn't make much sense to her, but she nods along to give the impression of understanding. Soon she looks back to HImeno, and in this madhouse of magic and dragons, asks the most obviously important question Risako: ..... What's a circus? It doesn't sound very nice. Gullveig approaches the stage, which causes all of the "animals" to immediately turn towards her. The tamers tug on their ropes, aiming to get the creatures' attention again, but its far too late for that. The elephant and Giraffe are the first to charge, draggin the helpless tamers after them in their stampede towards the group. They would try to trample over Gullveig, Star, Zacherie, Himeno, and Risako, in that order of course, but they seem focused most on Gullveig. The tigers first pounce on their tamers, knocking them unconcious before charging themselves. They begin by prowling around the group, looking for any apparant weaknesses. Their tamers are dragged along the ground behind them by their ropes. Finally, the gorillas look around for a moment, before simply smashing the stage beneath them. They pick up pieces of the platform and hold them like clubs, slowly advancing on the group in spite of their tamers' resistance. The crowd goes wild at this, far more exciting, twist to the show than expected. Risako flinches at the sound of the platform shattering, but decides not to ask. Whatever it is that probably isn't good. Instead, the girl grabs tight to Himeno's hand and readies to do whatever she asks Kotori exits the tent, leaping on the outside. She would find the tent itself to be absurdly tall, and the walls seem to offer no friction at all. Kotori begins to slip immediately after jumping OOC: Its fine, to be fair it looks like you're mostly on damage control. I can simply have Himeno protect the girl automatically when you go, if you'd like. That would be less burden on the others too

(The girl looks on in confusion as the mist around her body would begin spiraling around in front of her. A wall as hard as solid gold covered in strange scale like patterns and with many eyes surrounding it's exterior would form on front of her. She would back away casually as the harpoon still in her hand would seem to pulsate with life.) "They attacked first, so I can eat them now." (She throws the harpoon at the wall as a strange circle like symbol appears on it. The harpoon would dissapear into the circle before another would appear on the opposite side of the wall. A moment later the harpoon appears out of the second circle with just as much momentum as when it entered the first.)

*Star attempts to grab on to the elephant by it's trunk while dodging to the side* Well, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When freaky creatures give you lemons, you make freaky creature lemonade! Like this! *Star would attempt to spin the elephant around with her strength and knock it into some of the other animals by tossing it* I learned that one from Hades. I'm sure at least one person knows what I'm talking about. If this doesn't work out well, I'll probably survive...I mean, I transformed. I won't die from a single attack... hopefully...

Of course, the damned Tamers aren't a threat at least it seems... Time to bash some ectoplasmic entities. "I suggest taking these things down quickly, perhaps a bit of metal can hold them back from us hmm?" [Steel Shop Special] As those words flow through Zacharie's mind, the same power as his appraisal would surge around him. A far greater amount being used as metal rushes out of the ground, it'd first take the shape of twisting spikes that aim to impale the tigers from below. Regardless of the result, Zacharie reaches out and expands it, adding more metal and shape it into a wall, it would reach around the group save for one small choke point on the left side which Zach faces. "Funnel them into one point, then tear them to bits as they move in, of course I can open the back if we need to."

ooc: That would be best. I'll be busy for the next hour and a half anyway. Good luck, friends.

Gh! Slippery! Kotori pulls out a couple of knives and stabs them into the tent, trying to get a grip and continue climbing, having the sharp parts sideways as to not slash the tent

Ow, shit, god, pain! Eat sword! *Star jumps on top of the elephant and starts stabbing it repeatedly and shooting into it with the gun inside of it while trying to keep her balance on it* Damn, and the throw would have been badass. Oh well, guess the old fashioned way will have to do! Hit it until it dies! I'm so glad this sword is actually cannon to my character, otherwise I'd be in for some trouble! Now if only I could get a fucking pirate cannon into my pockets!

[Steel Shop Special part 2] As the the beast leap inside, Zacharie's blade would glow with an unearthly blue light. The metal walls break down an instant and take on another form, this time they'd form large hands easily big enough to cover even the elephant. From there the arms quickly extended upward in a blur, smashing their metal hands down onto the ground where their foes are at high speed... Save the elephant, which Star is riding for some unknown reason. "I, who even does something like that? I'm a madman from a video game, and even I'm stunned by you." Despite his shock, the man is still slowly walking backward and facing the tigers, blade ready to lash into them in a moment if they move... Assuming, they can still move after his attempt at crushing.

(The girl gets up unsure of what just happened. She felt like she was just hit mostly because she was but for one reason or another she wouldnt quite recall. She then remember her hunger and can feel the harpoon within. Her eyes lock in on the elephant as the harpoon within the elephant bursts back into the golden mist before reshaping into small fish like creature that begin try to devour it from within. More of the mist surround the girl herself until it spirals around her in an egg like shape.) "I must eat. I'm so hungry."

Tch! Kotori returns to the ground and heads back inside, making her way to the center pole

Kotori gives up on climbing the outside of the tent, perhaps wisely, and instead reenters. Upon entry, she sees the other group fighting with the animal tamers on the other side. Kotori begins walking towards the middle ring, with all of the strongmen, but nothign seems to have noticed her yet During one of the bounces, Star uses the momentum to swing on top of the "elephant". The creature hardly seems to feel her, her blade stabs into it easily, and bullets pass, perhaps too easily, going straight through. The rope with which the poor tamer is connected to the creature swings wildly beside her, poor creature being dragged along the whole time. A few of her bullets strike Gullveig's fish, but that's unlikely to hurt too much. Gullveig's fish finds plenty to eat from inside the elephant. No matter how much it consumes the creature just seems to keep going, and going, almost as if it forms just as soon as she eats. From this interesting perspective she may be able to guess a little about it Zacherie focuses his attention on the other three animals, walls turning into arms which attempt to smash them. The giraffe does little to move out of the way, it simply continues charging straight towards him, only to be struck by the arm. The metallic arm proves to be too difficult to move, pinning the creature and allowing its tamer to slowly stand up in a daze. As for the tigers on each side of the group, they manage to catch sight of the arms before being struck, instead of being crushes as intended, the tigers merely get a glancing blow as they toss their tamers ahead of them. The creatures don't seem bothered by the damage, nor do they pay Zacherie any further attention. Instead, they look over to the most obviously vulnerable people there. Himeno and Risako. One tiger crouches, ready to leap to wherever they might try to run to, while the other leaps. Himeno, having kept a careful eye on them both, shoots an icicle at the leaping tiger, reducing its momentum so it lands a few feet short of its target. Risako holds tightly to her arm, trying to ignore the sounds around her Risako: C.... Can I go home now? Finally, back to the elephant, the animal itself seems capable of taking an almost infinite amount of punishment, and continues charging towards Zacherie. Finally reaching him, it swings its now freed trunk in an attempt to smash him into the ground, making him easy to trample over. With the walls gone, the gorillas are able to advance closer. Gullveig would be nearest to them, so the creatures raise their arms and swing their makeshift clubs at the girl's head. As all this happens, a small, cat-like creature that would be familiar to Kotori and Star emerges from the stands. It begins to dodge its way around the combat, careful not to get struck as it tries to approach Himeno. Kyubey's voice rings out in their heads K: You guys really don't see it, do you? Well, I know someone who could help, if you get me a little time. It depends on a few things really. These things have a trick to them, as you might have guessed. Risako looks up, unsure of where the voice is coming from. I think some people know where this might be going

Okay! I'll stall for time by using the secret technique honed from years of battle...RUN AWAY! *Star jumps off and starts making lots of noise to lure the animals to her while running in a circle around the stage* Come and get me, you stupid animals! Your mothers were gerbils and your fathers smelled of elderberries!

The man's clearly annoyed, though at least the long-necked one is good and down thanks to his metal attacks. He'd simply sigh as the trunk flies toward him, there are Specters bigger and stronger than this thing, so the man simply slams his blade into its path for a moment to block, before quickly rush around to its backside and aiming to slice his blade right through the thing's skull. "Alright, time for a shift in tactics I do believe, trying to pin down one worked fairly well so let's try something like that again!" The man would then run forward, once again trying to use what passes for magic in his world. This time, however, he'd aim his left hand at the tigers as some clear liquid begins rushing from it. Waves of molten plastic flying from his hand and trying to rush into the tigers, if they hit, however, the plastic would quickly start trying to crawl up their legs and begin hardening around the beasts. The aim being to halt them in place, or better yet entirely coat them and create "statues" if possible.

Ugh..... Not if I can help it.... Kotori changes direction, heading to the party. Specifically, to Himeno and Risako Why did you bring the girl into the DANGER!? Let me take her, I'll get her somewhere at least safer than here.

(From the golden mist surrounding her more fish would spawn as a pair of slightly larger fish swim through the air to charge towards the elephant in an attempt to dig into its flesh and speed up their consumption.) "I'll just eat more until you're all eaten." OOC: Sorry, I got busy for a while.

Kotori goes around the stage, earning little attention from the crowd, focused as they are on the fighting. She finds the situation... Well, I'll describe it later in probably five or six sections, based on how this tends to go. While Zacharie would find the elephant to be stronger than he expected, his block would slow it down enough to enable him to dodge around the rampaging creature and slash its skull. This only seems to further anger the creature, stopping its charge so it can focus on Zacharie. The elephant's tamer lies on the ground by the elephant, on Zacharie's right side as the elephant turns to face him, swinging its trunk again, sideways this time so he couldn't just dodge as easily Zacherie sends a wave of plastic towards the tigers, of course, from between the tigers Himeno sees this as well, and backs away from the substance, sure to bring Risako with her out of the way. As for the tigers themselves, further one disappointed by the other's failure, begins to stalk towards them. Hearing Kotori's approach, It turns to face her, baring its fangs while the tamer futilely tries to restrain it. One tiger snarls, and leaps towards Kotori. As for the tiger closer to Himeno, it follows the pair, running after them as Zacharie's plastic chases it. when the tiger is inches away, Himeno manages to send a blast of fire into the creature's face, slowing it down enough for.... Zacherie's plastic to reach the tamer trailing behind the tiger, the tamer doesn't respond well, writhing in the plastic with a loud shriek. In moments, the creature begins to dissolve in the hot substance.... Its dissolution travels down the rope connecting the two, and begins to eat at the tiger. With Gullveig having not noticed them, the two gorillas swing their clubs in unison. Fortunately, rather than hitting her, they hit her fish, which strike against Gullveig much weaker than the gorillas themselves would have. Uncaring of this interruption, one of the the gorilla raises its arms in an attempt to strike again, while the other finds Star to be much more interesting and chases after her instead Himeno the player has returned, so I'll let them respond to Kotori. Kyubey, apparently unphase by all this, simply remarks Kyubey: Don't worry, it was either that or leave her alone in a barrier. I think it was a logical choice. Risako, still unable to find the source of the voice, grips Himeno's hand tightly and asks Risako: W... Who are you? What are you saying? Kyubey: You can call me Kyubey, I'm a messenger of magic, here to grant you a wish. I'll even give you the ability to protect yourself from all this madness. I don't know if you can hear it, but its not going so well. Himeno can hardly do anything while protecting you, and no one seems to see their weakness. But you could. Of course, the child doesn't understand what's happening, but she does keep her grip of Himeno's hand... Himeno can feel her trembling as the girl asks Risako: I.... Is that true? H.... What's happening?

Well excuse me for not knowing about the tigers! Himeno snaps at Kotori, then glares at the felines. Whoever the white cat thing was, she had to admit he was right. Her abilities were meant to be used in a wide area, not with allies near the blast zone. Here, she's restricted... She shakes her head. There's got to be a trick right in front of her... Of course! She smacks her forehead. Zacharie's plastic had hit the tamer of the tiger, and that seems to be affecting the tiger as well. Don't worry, I think I got it. We've got to hit the guys attached to them. Kotori, mind keeping an eye on the girl? She takes a step forward and takes a quick glance around for the animals, although is prepared to blast the tiger if it somehow attacks while dissolving.

...fuck this. If you won't come to me, I'll come to you. *Star starts casting fireball after fireball at the animals* Pay attention to me when I'm trying to make you run at me!

Tch. Kotori leaps high into the air, hopefully higher than the tiger can reach. While airborne, she throws two flame infused knives at QB, the second for in case he tries to dodge away, and any that hit him would light him up, then landing near the two Was planning on it. If that doesn't work, aim for the strings. I was originally gonna go for the puppet master. She'd enchant herself with earth, and a second wind enchantment before picking Risako up and leaping again, this time towards the exit Hello, my name is Kotori and I'll be your attendant for the evening. Thank you for flying Kisaragi Airlines. She tries to use a little humor to help calm the girl down

"Their weakness seems quite clear now actually, given the fact that harming the tamers hurt one of the animals, I presume it shall do the same to all." The man smirks at their foes, he'd finally take into the air with his wings. Flying low to the ground as his blade seems to gleam for a moment, his aim would be to quickly rush around the tiger with a tamer, and the apes as well. His speed picks up as the wings beat rapidly, blade trailing through the air for a wide flyby slash to each of his foes as the man grins madly. Finally, he'd set down on the ground once more and take up a more defensive stance. [Merchant Of Death]

(The girl finally notices the gorilla attacking her having not acknowledged it before. Finally a sort of fear would interrupt her happiness as she realized that an attack was incoming that she might not be able to stop. Her eyes would widen as her pupils seems to vanish slightly within the darkness within her corneas. The egg like shape of the mist would finally grow thicker and thicker before a egg shaped capsule of sorts consumed her. The egg like structure would look similar to the walls and harpoon she created earlier only in it's center would be a red gem like object with the girl seemingly asleep inside. She would not be smiling though as if she was having a nightmare of sorts. Many eyes formed on the capsule as a pincer like apandage would grow out of the side to try and slice at the gorilla's arms as they swung down.)

The tiger reaches out towards Himeno, claws out and wide, it begins its slash, before it finishes dissolving into the ground, claws a short distance away from the girl. Zacharie narrowly flies over the elephant's trunk, his foot getting clipped in the meantime, it may throw off his balance, but any serious injury would be avoided. Similarly, Kotori's leg is struck by the tip of the tiger's claw, as wind is a relatively weak barrier, it goes through her skin with relative ease, leaving her somewhat injured as she makes her way over the creature. Shortly after it lands, Zacherie pursues the creature and slashes up its tamer, cutting the animal in half as well. Soon, the tiger dissolves into nothingness. The Gorilla attacking Gullveig's arms get caught by Gull's appendages, though the arms don't seem to be hurt, no matter how you slice it, its a different story when Zacharie gets around to strike its tamer. As with the tiger, the Gorilla gets cut into pieces in an instant, and begins dissolving into the ground. As for the remaining animals, one gorilla, one giraffe. The giraffe finally manages to get itself out from under the hand, and kicks the tamer's rope to get the tamer onto its back. The giraffe looks around at Zacharie, buzzing like a fly, and prepares itself And for the gorilla that ran after star, she throws fireball after fireball into it, only for the creature to shrug each of them off. It continues chasing her, club raised high in an attempt to smash the girl into the ground. Riasko's eyes open wide, as much use as that is, when Kotori abducts her. The girl's breathing becomes much more rapidly as she begins to panic, the sudden jerking not helping in that regard. Risako:What's happening, where are you taking me? What was all that about anyways? As for Kotori's knives aimed at Kyubey, she can only cover one of Kyubey's sides, so he easily dodges to the other, and chides the girl telepathically Kyubey: That was a waste. Even if you hit me it wouldn't matter. I'm just trying to help. Kyubey briefly closes his eyes and turns to Zach, snidely remarking to all present Kyubey: Congratulations, you've killed four of the six weakest creatures in this room. The Witch is going to be much stronger than her familiars. You really think you don't need help with how poorly that went? With that remark, Kyubey would chase after Kotori and Risako, he has far greater priorities than if the other four get themselves killed after all. Instead he keeps his beady eyes open and silently follows the two

(The capsule begins to crack before breaking into pieces. The pieces fade away as the girl is left dripping with a reddish metallic smelling liquid the liquid seems to quickly dry off her as it spreads to the ground. The girl looks up almost unable to comprehend what happened. A light sense if dread would quickly pass through her until she would return to her usual demeanour. Smiling softly with her eyes mostly closed she would look up.) "Is this a circus? When did I end up in a place like this?"

...oh...uhh...huh... *Star starts throwing fireballs at the tamer, seeing what everyone else is doing while running for her life...and flying out of the gorilla's range when she realizes she's about to be hit and that she has wings*

"Considering that I'm barely trying and have plenty of healing items? No, I don't really feel like I need any help you insufferable furball." He'd shrug at the annoying beast's words. So nice to know some white fluffball just assumes they're actually trying, well, he can't speak for anyone else but Zacharie has yet to break a sweat here. He'd dismiss his blade and toss both hands into the air, palms open as... Nah, no sense wasting CP for something this small, instead he'd rush toward the giraffe's tamer and aim to cut it in half just as he did the others. To be exact, he'd quickly stab into a leg of the beast, before aiming to rush around as it's hopefully distracted and then bring his sword right through the tamer's neck with a quick slice.

Kotori lands further from the fighting and takes her to a quieter place outside of the tent, before gently letting her down on a bench My names Kotori, I'm a friend, ok? As for your questions, I'll answer them, but first, I need you to calm down. Ok? That voice is gonna try to convince you to make a contract with it, and it's gonna give you a really good sounding offer, but I can assure you, if you make it, you'll be in danger for the rest of your life. Every day will become a struggle to live. She pulls some Melodia flowers out of her pouch and puts it in Risako's hands, should she smell them, they would help calm her Here, these flowers will help.

Star narrowly avoids the swing, her new vantage point making it easy for her to burn the creature's tamer to ash. Without its tether, the gorilla rapidly dissolves into the ground of the circus. Similarly, Zacherie attempts to strike through the giraffe's tamer. His sword easily sinks into the creature itself, but when he rises up in an attempt to destroy its tamer, the giraffe swings his head to strike him in the side, close as he is its a somewhat awkward position to attempt this with, so again he'd avoid any serious damage, but it would knock him off-course enough to miss the tamer itself initially. I assume that afterwards he would simply try for a follow-up, slashing downwards to achieve much the same result. With the animal tamers' destruction, the crowd begins booing the group inside the ring for spoiling their fun. They think they might see a glint at the top of the circus tent's middle pole, but nothing seems to have come down. That just leaves the strongmen near the middle, and the seemingly empty circle on the far side Kyubey is gone by the time Zacharie replies, he really doesn't care what happens to them, as far as he cares their part in this is as good as done. Of course, I can't help but think they'd disagree Kotori exits the tent, to find the carnival much as before. Many strange, humanoid creatures watch her and Risako, but none of them approach. Instead they focus their efforts on nearby carnival games, eternally playing the exact same things. Now on the ground, Risako begins to breath a bit more slowly, she grabs a tight grip on the flowers, as though they were the only thing anchoring her to reality. Risako continues trembling, but calms noticably as she asks Risako: I... I don't understand... What could it want from me? A... Is Himeno and the others ok? It... It was really loud.

Well...that could have gone worse! So...now that that's done...we kill some more?

OOC: That's fine, looks like I'll need to wait for a part three. So we'll just get this talking over with I guess then delay it to another day..... Whenever Zacharie here can get on at a decent time I guess. to clarify, we'll put the fighting on a hold, let the scene focus on Risako for now, and schedule a good time for the third session

Yeah, they're ok. This is pretty much their jobs. She sits next to the girl, putting her hand on her shoulder Ok..... Again, I'll answer that, but first I need to explain some basic stuff. Are you aware of the existence of magic? She waits for her response before continuing Well, your parents had their minds controlled by a monster called a Witch. It tried to get them, and a lot of others to kill themselves, but we managed to save them. Afterwards, this Witch used its magic to abduct us. So as to where we are. We're in that witches lair. It's dangerous, but you're safe, cuz you're with us. That voice comes from a creature named Kyubey. He offers girls like you a wish and free magic to turn into magical girls, at the cost of a lifetime of fighting these witches. What he doesn't mention though, is that if a magical girl doesn't fight, and their magic runs out, or they get too distressed, then they turn into these monsters. He'll offer you incredible things, like your eyesight, the ability to save people, anything you could possibly desire. But no matter how much he tries to sugar coat it, it's still basically selling your soul for a lifetime of fighting for your life. I'm sorry for talking your ear off, and it sounds insane, but it's the truth. And you're safe right now. We're outside the tent where the fighting is, and they can win.

Little changes inside the tent, just the constant jeering of the familiars in the stands, strongmen standing dutifully around the middle pole. It slowly begins to calm, soon going back to ignoring the humans in their midst in order to pay more attention to those putting on a performance for them. As always, the show must go on. Risako shakes her head, magic's supposed to be a fairy tale, something she believed in when she was a kid, right? The girl keeps a tight hold of the flower, crushing it a little in her hand. None of this really makes any sense... But... Her parents were acting really weird, their new preacher saying some really worrying stuff.... There was a huge commotion earlier too, they left and.... Well... Now she's here. Zacharie sees nothing of note, after all, he came in this very same way, and from his vantage point up high easily spots the two. He swoops in near the end of Kotori's explanation, silently landing near the two just in time to see Risako raise her head, eyes tearing up a little, and ask Risako: Why me? Why is this happening to me? I... I'm just a little blind girl after all.... Magic and stuff... I... Its for princesses, or heroes, or... Whatever it is. What does everything want with me? Notably, Zacharie never caught sight of the white creature from earlier, whether its completely vanished, or simply hiding for now he can't know for sure

Oof... Well, that's where reality comes in. Magic isn't just for heroes and princesses. Anyone can learn it if they put forth the effort to study it. As for why you.... It's not you specifically. You and your family were just victims of circumstance. You happened to get caught in the crossfire. It happens all the time. And Kyubey is targeting you because you being blind, confused, and in danger makes you his perfect prey. And finally. She gives the girl a light, playful bop on the head Don't go selling yourself short by calling yourself "Just a little blind girl". People who have it worse than you will feel bad. Like me. If I didn't have magic, I'd be lying in a hospital bed, unable to even sit up. But I studied magic, and I worked hard, and now I can run around and do what I want. You're only as little and defenseless as you let yourself be after all.

The girl looks back up at Kotori, her eyes clouded by a fog. Kotori said anyone could learn magic, Kotori studied it. Whatever it is. But of course, Kotori can see. She's been able to live... Well, she's obviously moving, so, if she wanted, she could probably live a normal life without anyone's help. Risako giggles a little. come to think of it, the girl doesn't sound much older than she does. Even if she doesn't know what's happening, there's an obvious question here Risako: Can I really learn it? A... At school... They always had to guide me... There are special books they gave me, a whole different thing I can read and no one else can. So once I was in class I could usually keep up alright... It.. It was slow, but sometimes I even feel normal. Is magic like that? If I really wanted to, would I be just as familiar with the stuff as you are? Could.... Could I really just... Risako pauses for a moment. Crushing the flower in her hand. She doesn't know what her parents look like, but they feel warm, their voices are kind. In truth, she's not even sure how much she's missing out on. Risako: Could I really live a normal life, even if... I'm.. Well... Incomplete like this? After giving Kotori a chance to respond, the small, white creature chooses to emerge, darting through the crowd of familiars wandering through the fair. Kyubey calmly regards the three present. He seems to have heard everything, his tail flicking calmly through the air as his voice rings out Kyubey: Thank you for explaining the contract for me Kotori, I really don't get what all you might think is important, I leave out details sometimes, but its not like I'm trying to hurt you, any of you really.

Of course you can learn it. Heck, I can barely read either, though that's more because I'm dumb. But there are books enchanted to read themselves to you and stuff. And hey, if someone as dumb as me can learn magic, I'm sure you can too. As for normal, it depends, but there's plenty of magic out there, I'm sure there are spells that can fix your sight, and even if not, there are plenty of ways to work around it. Giving yourself different ways to observe the world without eyes is simple, there are a ton of famous mages that were blind where I come from. She'd notice the person who flew in and Kyubey Hello you two. As for you QB. I honestly don't mind you contracting people. It's when you leave out the important details whether its in an effort to increase your success rate or not that I have the problem. I'm sure that you can observe humans long enough to understand what the vast majority of your targets consider "Important Details" I personally rejected because contracting is an easy solution with overwhelming consequences, a solution that can usually be obtained through hard work.

Risako wouldn't really mind the idea of these weird, talking books. That's one of the tools she's been using anyways, no magic needed. Technology's a wonderful thing isn't it? She'd like to be normal if possible, but... Well, spending years studying magic won't do that. Fighting these monsters she's been told about all the time wouldn't either. She could pretend of course... Maybe it would be best to just pretend none of this happened. Risako looks up, Kotori gave a lot of uncertainties as it was Risako: So you don't know, do you? Even if I accept all this magic stuff, I'll still be missing out on something or another.... Kyubey of course, doesn't really care about Kotori's presence much. Its always polite to answer of course, and doing so would reduce the amount of doubt the others nearby would have Kyubey: If you bothered to pay attention, you'd know its not on purpose. I tell them everything important, you would get one wish of your choosing, and in exchange you become a Magical Girl who has to fight these Witches in order to secure grief seeds and keep fighting. Would you rather I wasted hours telling you every single irrelevant detail about how my magic works? Of course, Risako had never liked a teacher's long-winded explanations, but this sounds like it might be important. It did fall in a general line with what Kotori mentioned, but obviously left out some weird stuff.... Like the fact the monsters they fight were once humans, just like her. She never liked it when her friends fought after all, it would be a shame to have to live that constantly Risako curls up, knees to her chest on the bench Risako: I.... I really don't want to fight anything.... Whenever my parents and I go out in places, they like to tell me everything they see, let me know what it is I'm missing. And... Himeno-san was willing to do that for me too. C.. Could you tell me what's happening Kotori? Can you try to describe it... Anything will do. Just for a moment.

She seems to realize something OH! You meant, be able to live like everyone else when you said normal? Yeah, I'm sure you'd be able to do that. My uncle says, "Everything is achievable via magic, if you can't do it, then you just need to learn more!" Upon request, Kotori does her best to describe the surrounding area Well, let's see. There are a lot of human shaped things at a bunch of stalls. Some are playing games, some are buying things. The sky is..... I don't think I can describe that.... Uhh.... There's not much actually around us. We're on a bench, sorta away from everything else. There's a massive tent in the center, that's where we came from, and where the others are. Right beside us is one of the others, he's sorta been standing there, quietly...... kinda cool like. I'm next to you, and my leg is bl-.... Oof, I should fix that.... Oh, and the flower in your hands has been utterly crushed. If I had a cup, I'd make it into a nice tea for you.... Kotori reaches into her pouch and rubs some salve on her wound How was that? I'm not too good at this stuff. Kinda dumb.....

All that magic stuff is starting to sound like a lot of work, it would be kinda like going to school again, if Risako got used to it. She giggles a little when Kotori notices her leg, not sure what she meant, but it felt nice to be getting so much attention. Risako smiles for a moment, letting the crumbled flower drop from her hands Risako: S... Sorry about that. You did fine. Its the sorta thing they would have said.... I think... I... Well, I dunno. But I'm sure you didn't miss anything important. Like a lion ready to pounce, Kyubey trots over to the other side of the girl. Obviously Kotori missed a lot of small details, but none of those are very important. He decides to bide his time for now, asking a small, simple question. Kyubey: Can you describe the blood on your leg? Its not much, but just a little. Every bit of detail you can think of. Risako reaches out towards Kotori with one hand, a little worried for the girl She doesn't know much about injuries of course, but she's still gotten in a few accidents, mostly when she was younger. Risako: Why would that.... Its not bad, is it? Kyubey: Not really, no. So there shouldn't be any problem describing it to you. Even if you're a little squeamish. Besides, even though she doesn't trust me, you have to admit I'm accurate. I can mention anything important that might have been missed. It'll be just like seeing it yourself. Why the creature is so intent on pushing this is a bit of a mystery, but Risako doesn't seem to mind either way. The girl puts her hands in her lap and waits for it. She's never had much of a problem with injuries, but she also almost never noticed them. After all, Risako would have to feel them to get much of an idea, and that would almost never happen

Huh? Oh, well, it's pretty much healed now. I put some healing salve on it, so it's gone. Was just a big cut, not anything any worse than I've handled before. I've been thrown from a building by an explosion and survived.

Risako looks up at the sound of Kotori's voice, she's had some cuts before so its not such a big deal. Usually Risako would just get a bandaid, though there was one time she needed a bit more, it was probably more like the time her leg was bandaged after an accident when trying to climb a tree on the playground. That hurt of course, but it was actually kinda fun looking back at it. Risako seems satisfied, and smiles at Kotori. She opens her mouth, only for Kyubey to finally decide to speak up again Kyubey: You missed a few things, let me go over them. First, the blood was a little sticky, though the wound itself is mostly closed by now, there's a bit of a scab you might want to remove at some point. Or not, its no major hinderance. Second, the scratch was a bit uneven from where the tiger cut into your leg, its low down and not too big, so the rough edge isn't very important. oh yeah, and one, more important, detail. The blood from the wound was Red. But I guess you don't know what that is, do you? Kyubey flicks his ears and starts walking around the bench, beady eyes looking between Kotori and Risako. Risako looks up for a moment, her parents had mentioned stuff like that before, but it didn't mean much. Really none of it ever meant much, she mostly appreciated the thought. This creature talks about "red" like its something major, an integral part of whatever happened. Its even been in some of the books she's read. But it didn't seem to mean anything there either Risako "looks" up, in the direction she last heard Kyubey's voice Risako: K... Kotori said I could do pretty much anything if I put enough effort into it. At least, with this "Magic" she's talking about... I... I don't know how much is serious, but... Risako turns to where she last heard Kotori, her eyes show clear signs of concern, but Kotori's been nice, helped her adjust to this place, so surely she can be trusted Risako: I'm sure this is no different. Kyubey: Then prove it. No book, no person can tell you what the color Red is. Or blues, or yellows. Not once in history has any being managed to adequately describe it. But by all means, try. Kyubey pointedly flicks his tail and looks at Kotori, blinking twice with his wide, beady red eyes Kyubey: Describe the color red. Do that and you'll prove that anything can be overcome, that you could really learn whatever just with hard work. It should be pretty easy, after all, you'd known it all your life

Well.... Red is like.... Kotori messes with her left ear Light that has a really long wavelength... right? Or is it really short? .................. Either way, that's a ridiculous request. I never said "Anything can be achieved with just hard work" I said "Everything is achievable via magic, if you can't do it, then you just need to learn more" Quit twisting my words to achieve your goals Incubator-san. Sure, you can't use words to describe a color to someone who's never seen color, That's like trying to describe hearing the voice of the wind to someone who's never used wind magic, or using this worlds language to describe a Veltomp. But you could use a spell to imprint the knowledge of a color into their mind and give them an understanding of it. Or you could use magic to heal their eyes, or whatever is the cause of their blindness. You're asking a girl who can barely read to do advanced mental magic. Of course I can't do that on the spot.

Risako "looks" at Kotori throughout out the other girl's outburst, obviously this Kyubey creature upset her, but Risako couldn't possibly know why. After all, she doesn't even have a concept to compare any of this to. Meanwhile, if Kyubey felt emotions, he probably couldn't be happier. The creature hops back onto the bench near Risako, letting the girl speak first Risako: A... Its really not such a big deal Kotori... Are you alright? I... I'll be fine.. Really... Its easy to tell the girl is starting to worry, though if its more for herself or Kotori, its hard to tell. After letting Risako have her say, Kyubey speaks up himself, expressing the doubt he's sure is there Kyubey: You're absolutely right Kotori. No matter how much effort you put into it, you'll never be able to do something like that. Some things are simply impossible on your own. As you said, not everything can be achieved with hard work alone. That means that no matter how hard you try learning that sort of thing, even trying to learn magic, you'll never get anywhere. Satisfied, Kyubey moves to Risako's lap, allowing the girl to feel his soft fur, Risako would look up at this, before "glancing" down at the creature she's been talking to. Not that it means anything for her. Satisfied, Kyubey would turn his beady red eyes to stare into the other girl's Kyubey: That's where I come in. As Kotori said, with some forms of magic you could easily get eyesight, just like everyone else has. You might not be able to work to it alone, but you don't need to. Just form a contract with me, and you'll finally be able to see your parents smile. You'll know Red, and Yellow, and all the other colors. Or if you'd prefer, I could easily grant any other wish as well. Its all up to you Risako. Risako pauses for a moment, scratching behind Kyubey's ear, that is rather close to what Kotori said after all. She was talking to the creature, and used the word "you" an awful lot. She might have easily been referring to Kyubey specifically

"That means that no matter how hard you try learning that sort of thing, even trying to learn magic, you'll never get anywhere." Excuse me? Kotori sighs, and her voice becomes bored So, you're saying that she'll never be able to use magic without your help? That, Incubator, is a complete lie. As I said before, Magic is as simple as learning how it works. Even I can do it. She could do it too. She puts a hand on Risako's shoulder It's not that hard to learn if you have someone to teach you Risako-san, and there are plenty of people who WOULD teach you. And even if for whatever illogical reason someone couldn't learn magic. There are those out there that can heal you themselves, there's Magitek that can use magic for you. There are a thousand options out there. Selling your soul to Kyubey is the simplest, but it's also the most dangerous. Sure, you could see your family, in between juggling school, sleep, and fighting for your own survival against the creatures that you're pretty much destined to become through either using too much magic or getting too emotional. Or you could learn magic, or have someone heal you and get the same positive results without the whole life and death struggle.

Kyubey hardly seems to react, instead he curls into a little ball, apparently getting comfortable with his position. Risako doesn't seem to care either way, whatever's going on is a bit... Above her knowledge, so she simply remains quiet. Risako reaches to stroke Kyubey's fur, but decides against it, the creature's pretty weird, that much is certain, not to be pet like a cat. Kyubey simply remarks Kyubey: I didn't say that. You did. You admitted that effort wouldn't get her sight back. Your exact words were "I never said 'anything can be achieved through hard work'". Is learning magic ultimately not through your own efforts? That's really where the root of the issue lies. Did you learn through your own hard work, or not?

Funny how you won't go into detail about your contract Incubator-san, but you'll pick every last detail apart of my shoddy sentences. I'm dumb, my word choice is bad. This isn't my native language. She understands what I'm trying to say and I'm getting my point across, quit twisting my badly picked words. She takes a breath to calm herself down And you're conveniently forgetting what I said directly after that. I don't have all the answers, I'm not smart, thinking isn't my strong point and I don't put much effort to get smarter. But I know enough to know that no matter how you look at it from a human perspective. Your contract isn't anywhere near the best option. From what Risako-san's said.... She wants to be normal. Like other kids her age, Like Sayaka-san and Homura-chan and Madoka-san all want, what they can't have anymore. And as those three have drilled into my head, contracting you will throw away any chance of a normal life. You can whisper sweet promises of wishes and sight in her ears, but that doesn't change the fact that you're still trying to make more magical girls so they can turn into witches. And that there are better, safer solutions No matter how much sugar you put on it, a rotten apple is still a rotten apple.

Kyubey doesn't move, Risako considers moving him off, if nothing else it might help to be able to clear her head for a bit. She hasn't heard anyone sound so angry before. Its obvious that Kotori doesn't like the creature. As for Kyubey, he asks one simple question Kyubey: Have you ever asked a question I did not answer fully and truthfully?In fact, you can ask me one now if you want

Kotori looks at QB, her voice calm, but stern No, you don't lie, but I'll tell you what you DO do. You leave out any details that don't benefit you. You only tell people as much as will get you your contract. Only going into detail of the consequences if specifically asked. Only going into detail of the danger if specifically asked. You don't care about Risako or her safety. You only care about getting her to say yes to your contract. You only care about what she can provide you, regardless of how it ends for her. The people I've seen who's lives have been ruined by contracting with you is proof of that.

Risako watches Kotori continue, its kind of like her mother in some ways, but.... Something feels different about it. Of course, Kyubey doesn't seem to react in the slightest. He lets the girl finish her little rant, Kyubey's hardly even had to say anything to get this. It is obvious that Kotori dislikes him, there's little he can do about that. Risako pushes Kyubey off of her lap, and looks back up at Kotori, trembling Risako: I... Its ok Kotori... I don't really.... Nervous as the girl is, there's plenty of room for Kyubey to interject. Unlike Kotori, his voice is entirely calm and even, as it has been the entire time Kyubey: There's no need for boundless accusations. Try answering the question I asked this time. It should be within your expertise too. Please go into detail about how you enhance your body with earth mana to become significantly heavier and more durable. Explain it in such a way that Risako here would be able to do it, right here, without any further questions coming to mind. Just as an exercise.

Kotori breathes again, calming herself more before speaking to Risako again. Sorry Risako-san.... Its frustrating..... I'm trying to save you, and yet Incubator-san is trying to destroy you. And he's using my weakness of being dumb against me.... In the end the decision is up to you. All I can do is offer alternatives. As for a lesson in earth magic.... Kotori sits down on the ground and closes her eyes, breathing deeply as she puts a hand on the ground My specific method of magic is made of two main types of particles. Mana and Ether. Mana is what we call Charged Magic. It's what is normally used for spells. Ether is uncharged. It's rarely used. And when it is used, it's only used to negate the effects of Mana. There are multiple different subtypes of Mana, but the one we'll be focusing on is Earth type. Of course, to do that you need to know what Earth Mana feels like, but we don't have the time to train you how to feel Mana. The steps go as follows. 1. Learn to sense Mana. 2. Learn to tell the difference in different types of Mana. 3. Learn to push and pull your own Mana inside your body. 5. Learn to expel your inner Mana outside of your body 6. Learn to apply that Mana to physical objects, known as enchantment. 7. Learn to apply that enchantment to your own body. 8. Learn to enchant with non-neutral Mana. 9. Learn to apply non-neutral Mana to your body. 10. Learn to sustain that enchantment through times of High stress. Though, that last lesson is only taught to students who plan to use enchantments to go into battle. The first and the third lessons are the hardest, as you have to learn to actively sense something you've never actively sensed before, and then manipulate that feeling. It takes time and practice to do. Lesson 1. Learning to sense Mana. Alone, this lesson is the hardest. With a teacher, they usually cause movements in your internal Mana, that way you can learn what you're supposed to be sensing rather than just trying to sense the vague term of "Mana". It's rare to succeed in your first attempt. And it usually takes about a month to get the hang of. This is one of the most hands on stages of learning. Once you get the hang of sensing it inside yourself, you learn to reach out and sense the Mana in the world around you. Then, You move onto the next step. 2. Learn to tell the difference in different types of Mana. This time, instead of just sensing "Mana", you reach out to the world around you, you reach out to the Mana in the air. In the earth, in the heat, in the cold, in the humidity. You memorize the feel of the different types of Mana. 3. Learn to push and pull your Mana. This is the step where you learn the basics of Mana manipulation. There are different methods. The hands on method, where your teacher stirs the Mana inside you, and you attempt to continue the stirring by yourself, The lone method, where you work to move your own Mana, or really any method that works for you. 4.Learn to expel your inner Mana outside of your body This is as simple as moving your Mana outside the confines of your body. Once you get the hang of moving your Mana, its just a matter of pushing it out of yourself. The easiest step for most people honestly. 5. Learning to apply Mana to physical objects. This is the first lesson in the "Enchantment" path. It's kinda hard to explain. You gotta expel Mana from your body onto an object and keep it sustained while not actually changing the Mana of the object you're enchanting. It's something you have to feel rather than explain. Not a lot of people actually took this class. Lots of people just skip it and go on to make fireballs and stuff.....

6. Learn to apply that enchantment to your own body. Once you learn to enchant objects, enchanting yourself is essentially the same thing. Expel the Mana over your skin, and sustain it. This is the Barrier spell. Its neutral Mana that protects and supports your body. Without this spell, I'd be stuck in a bed until my death..... or until someone found a way to cure my Illness. It's what allows me to move around. 7. and 8. are basically the same as 5. and 6., Only dealing with non-neutral Mana rather than barrier. This is where Earth Enchantment is learned. I don't actually know the normal steps for it to be honest... Since I taught this part to myself. Most people don't have both Earth enchantments and Barrier on themselves at the same time. The steps I take is... I deploy barrier. Which I do every morning, and while barrier is active, I add earth Mana to the barrier. Mixing the non-neutral Mana and the neutral Mana makes the enchantment weaker, but it allows me to apply multiple enchantments to myself without them mixing...... She sighs And that's the best I can do right now. It's short, It's basic it's condensed to near ir.... replicatability?, and it's extremely un-detailed, but thats the best an idiot like me can do to describe a multi-year curriculum in the time we have right now. I'm not a teacher, I don't know how to manipulate other peoples Mana, So I can't help teach you how to sense Mana. The best I could do is have you hold my hand and see if you can tell the difference between my skin and someone else's skin. It's something people in my world go to school for. Asking me to teach you how to use an Earth Enchantment right now is like teaching someone who's never heard of numbers how to do middle school math. Kotori turns to QB Happy? That's the most effort I'm gonna put in that. I'm mentally exhausted from doing mental acrobatics with you, I'm feeling depressed, and my throat really hurts from all this talking. As she says, her voice is starting to become hoarse

OOC: looks like I fell asleep unfortunately. I’ll continue this with a general update on Monday around the same time, as Zach’s schedule is a little on the tight end

Last Time, on Witch Fighters Z Our heroes fought a bunch of animals, turns out their tamers are the real monsters Kotori explains magic to a blind 14-year old. How well did that go? Lets find out.... Risako curls up more and more as Kotori gives her lengthy explanation, she hardly understands a word of it, having absolutely no experience with mana or ether or magic or any of that stuff. Kyubey stands off to the side, tail flicking back and forth. The creature seems to be waiting for something or another..... Risako begins taking deep breaths, if only she knew what was happening, but... She's lost, away from home being told something she knows nothing about by some girl she's never met and some weird talking cat. By the time Kotori finishes explaining, tears can be seen in the girl's eyes before she buries her face in her knees and asks. Risako: P... Please... J... Just leave me alone, ok? I... I... I don't wanna think about any of this anymore. J... Just go away!! Kyubey seems more than satisfied to listen to the girl's wishes, taking this chance to dash off, soon losing himself in the crowd of familiars For those who remained in the tent, Gullveig, Himeno, and Zacharie, the scene is largely unchanged. There are three circles, the closest and nearest being entirely empty, with the middle circle containing a large, multicolored pole extending waaaay up to the start of the tent, and four large, muscular figures casually tossing massive weights around. How they manage to catch so consistently without their heads is a bit of a mystery

Kotori Sighs Yeah..... I don't blame you..... She sits back down on the bench and keeps silent

"Hmm, shall we begin hostile negotiations with these beings? Or perhaps getting past them is an option, I'd prefer not to waste time on such pitiful minions honestly." Zacharie looks around the room, searching for some way to proceed that doesn't involve having to deal with annoying foes in their path.

All eyes on the strongmen, huh? Maybe if she got the crowd's attention away, something would happen. Molten Decoy. As a precaution, Himeno creates a large, molten cube in front of her. Any hit would cause it to explode. She then snaps her fingers at one of the strongmen, creating a burst of fire centered around him. Searing Blast! If all went well, they'd notice her, but hit the Molten Decoy in their hurry. SAN: 24%

"Oi, Himeno yes? I believe I see something up toward the top... A bit hard to spot, but getting up there seems our best bet. I don't guess you can fl- oh okay we're fighting now." He was about to suggest simply flying toward the light, but alright then time for a firefight. Rather than draw his blade Zacharie tosses his hands up to the air, open palms pointing upward as a red liquid starts seeping out of them. The pace picks up for a while and the red substance would gather up in the air, finally meshing into 4 solid shapes as spears, each of the floating weapons would then pick a target and rush right at its chest. [Butcher Shop Special] "Taste my meaty wrath fell beasts!"

Risako tenses up as soon as Kotori touches her... For a moment it reminds her of what her mom used to do, but her parents aren't here, no one should be here. The girl mutters from within her little ball Risako: I thought I told you to leave.... Himeno creates a decoy, just before starting the fight proper, and follows it up by sending the nearest strongman up in flames. The crowd begins jeering, as the strongman begins burning rapidly. Two others are caught by the edge of the blast, but this manages mostly to catch their attention. The burning strongman immediately throws his weights, there's a label saying "10 tons" on it, but how much it actually weighs is a mystery. It is more than enough to trigger the decoy's explosion. Zacharie fiercely penetrates the blazing strongman, causing it to begin melting into the ground. One of the side strongmen tosses his weight into the air to meat the spear, causing the spear to bounce off and into the stands. The crowd seems to enjoy this, in spite of one of their number getting killed by it. The furthest strongman dashes towards Zacharie, causing the spear to scrape across where its neck should be, much less of an issue than one would think. Finally, the other side strongman simply stands there, stunned while its impaled. The creature begins to melt like the others, having had no chance to even resist. A faint sound like wingbeats can be heard, though the source cannot be located

The decoy explodes, hitting everyone nearby- including Himeno. She's fairly okay, though, all things considered. Good thing her Gift gives her blast resistance. Ow, okay, they can hit from a distance. Good to know. Himeno dashes forward. Rather than creating her usual Firestorm, she gathers ice around her into little shards and sends them flying out like an icy blizzard. There's a chance of this weakening the strongmen's physical blows. Snowstorm! SAN: 54%, miscounted earlier because it goes DOWN, not up. I blame soul gems.

"Alright these seem fairly simple to defeat, and I hear something else coming out of the woodworks so let's end this crap quickly! Focus fire on the one that's not near me please." Zacharie takes a quick step back, despite that the strongman rushing toward him would still slam into the man and send him back a bit, he'd stager for a moment as the blade and wings once more appear on him. Followed by rushing at his foe in a blur, the human eye would simply see blurry black and white as the man quickly aims to send 3 strikes through his foe, each one going for the chest in a line aimed to tear it into 3 pieces on the ground. [Merchant of Death]

And leave you all alone? In this place? I'm here to help you. And that means I'm gonna stick around. Even if it means being quiet the whole time. You're my top priority right now. Kotori continues to rub

RIsako doesn't say a word, after all, she had asked to be left alone, this whole mess was proving to be annoying. After a moment, Risako sighs. She seems to have mostly calmed down. Sitting here silently would be kinda awkward, so she tries making some kinda small talk So.... What do you usually do anyways? This sorta freaky stuff normal to you? There's really not much for Risako to talk about, she's a little scared of the answer to be honest, but anything's better than being totally cut off from everything. You're welcome for the confusion Himeno Anyways, Zacharie finds the strongman to offer rather little resistance to his blade, almost none at all in fact. His blade swings fluidly through the creature, allowing him to cut it into three pieces with ease. The pieces then fall onto each other, and begin melting into another pile, slowly returning to the barrier. Himeno's dashs towards the middle, one strongman already dealt with, her snowstorm begins to chill and slow the last one. The shards puncture its form easily, causing it to constantly recoil in an almost cartoonish manner. That's when its weight comes back down, easily caught by the creature's open hand. The creature then tosses the weight directly at Himeno, 10 tons may have been an exaggeration, but it is probably best not to find out In a flash, a two-story, lion-like creature dives out of the shadows near the top of the tent. It seems to have the body of a lion, with the feathers and head of a magpie, sort of like a Griffin, but nowhere near as majestic. Like everything else, its plumage rapidly changes colors, making it hurt a little to focus on, but also easy to see. The creature dives down in an attempt to pin Zacharie with its weight

If given the choice between being hit with a weight and burning the strongman, Himeno would definitely choose the latter. She leaps aside, stumbling a little, then backs up. Burn! There's a delay in casting it since she had to re-focus after that attack, but flames surround the strongman to burn him alive. SAN: 44%

The beast did indeed pin Zacharie, sadly for it he's already flowing into his next competence.The man's mouth quickly fills with an ungodly amount of blacked smoke, he'd lean into the thing's face and blow it out, the black fumes from his mouth quickly heating themselves up as they congeal into a cloud around the animal's face, by the time all is said and done the whole head would be covered in a thick cloud of smoke that burns hot as a flame. [Cigar Shop Special]

Meh, this kinda stuff 4happens occasionally. Though it's the first time someone uninvolved has been in the crossfire that I've seen. Most of the time I spend my hours gardening. It's relaxing, helps me calm down. And it's something I can actually do..... Despite not needing to calm her down anymore, Kotori keeps a hand on Risako, to help ground her

(The girl suddenly begins paying attention to what was going on once more. She was in a daze for a while simply focusing on what was directly in front of her which was the side of the tent and its multitude of colors. She looks towards the middle of the tent where the lion like creature fell in. She was surprised to see such a creature and a little confused to.) "Huh? Is that thing from the corporation?" (She begins to step forward to get a better look at the creature while drooling a little as if getting hungry again.)

After HImeno dodges its initial weight, the weight keeps flying, eventually crashing through the tent wall. Part of the wall shatters like stone, much to the spectators' displeasure. They begin grumbling, almost worriedly. The strongman in question puts its hand in the hole where its head should be, and pulls out another weight, just in time to...... Get lit on fire. The creature doesn't even react to it, it simply begins melting into the floor like the rest of its kind. The strange, bird-lion creature begins coughing trying to shake the smoke out of its head. Frustrated, it begins thrashing around its immediate area, desperate to get the stuff out of it. The creature kicks the central beam by accident, cracking it. Unfortunately, seeing as Zacharie is directly beneath the creature, he'd likely get struck once or twice before a good chance to get out from under it arises. All the creatures in the stands are panicking by now, unsure of what to do. One of them ends up stabbing another with its straw, another drops its popcorn. The stands are utter chaos by now. Back outside the tent, Risako eases up a little. She's never seen a garden, for obvious reasons, but it sounds pretty nice. The girl sighs, finally sitting down normally on the bench. The earlier argument little more than a distant memory Risako: Like the little thing you gave me, right? That was a kinda flower. You grew it yourself? As though finally realizing what she did, the girl blushes a little and scratches the back of her head Risako: S... Sorry about breaking it.

One down, one to go. Noting Zacharie's little predicament, she rushes closer to them, getting in range for.. Icicle Strike! A large icicle forms above the body of the beast, crashing down to pierce it. SAN: 34%

Yup! Grew it myself! She chuckles It's okay, flowers are useful when broken too. Like the one I gave you. Kotori begins to talk, trying not to sound too excited If you keep it planted it'll sing when the wind blows. If you pluck it then it's scent calms you down. If you heat up the petals, they harden and taste sweet. If you crush it and mix it in hot water, it makes this tea that when you drink it makes all your problems just sorta.... poof. Till you wake up at least.....

(The girl back away from the lion seeing as it's rampaging. She then forms a harpoon made of the same golden substance in her hand and would toss it at the lion seeing as it hasn't noticed her yet. The harpoon would be aimed for the largest spot on the creature, its torso.) "I wonder how you taste, kitty..."

A single blow would slam into his chest, hurts a good bit but nothing Zacharie can't heal, as another rushes toward him however, Himeno's attack would stun the thing long enough for the man to roll out of the way and stand back up. "I believe its time to end this one yes? Now, I hear most things in this world actually can't breath smoke for some odd reason, let's see how he does." Zachaire's smoke cloud would now start trying to enter his foe's body, aiming to seep in through the nose, mouth, and even ears. Once inside, the smoke would shift into an almost solid state, making an attempt at bursting out of the thing's chest as a large spike.

The creature continues its rampage for a few moments before Himeno's icicle impales it near its back legs as it flails around. The creature tugs and claws, eventually breaking the icicle in order to free itself. Just in time for Gull's harpoon to strike clean through its torso. As many of the creatures beforehand, its body offers little resistance. INstead its almost liek it is trying to absorb the harpoon itself. Finally, Zacharie's smoke cloud goes through its screeching mouth, confusing the creature further. Once it feels the cloud expand, it goes back to thrashing, striking the central pole a few times before finally shattering it. The creature collapses on the ground as the tent begins to fall, spectators in utter chaos, some mix of excitement and fear emanating from the stands... Outside of the tent, Risako pauses and listens to Kotori again, she never learned much about flowers either, it was always something boring, but its a bit nice to hear something she knows a little about, even if its just the feeling of one in her hand. Suddenly, the whole area begins to fade, giving both groups glimpses of the park around them. Just before the tent manages to collapse on the inside group, the whole scene finishes fading, leaving everyone standing at the edge of the park, Kotori and Risako a little ways closer than the others Inside, the park the group can see a series of flashing red and blue lights, probably from the policemen. An officer emerges from the woods, giving the group a funny look before finally noticing Risako. The officer seems a mixture of nervous and relieved as he begins tugging at his collar Officer: M.. Miss Kohiyo, there you are. Your parents are highly worried about you, you shouldn't just run off like that!! Risako blushes a little, taking the chance to step away from Kotori, she doesn't have high hopes for explaining the situation, so she says as little as possible Risako: I... Sorry, I got a little lost.. Y.. You know how it is. Are they ok? Officer: They mentioned having a weird headache, everyone did, but your parents are fine.

"That was quite the battle my newfound allies! Now then I shall take my leave, obligatory merchant Zachaire fading from the thread, mostly because my player's hungry!" The man would leap high into the air, the white wings on his back beating as he does so and enters into a dive before quickly taking off for... Someplace to be sure, but even Zachaire's not entirely sure where he'll head after this one. Regardless, the winged salesmen flies off, likely leaving the cop below with far more questions.

Kotori smiles Looks like the others finished, that was sooner than expected. She waves at the officer, hiding her suspicion, but ready to act should danger present itself Don't worry, I found Risa-chan and kept her safe. Kotori then turns to Risako, handing her small bundle of Melodia's Hey, Risa-chan. Imma look into it, see if I can find anything to help you. We'll figure it out together. Till then, keep these. Alright?

(The girl stares at the police as if frozen and worried. The sight of enforcers seemed to make her more shy than usual as she would step back away from the officers. A golden mist formed around her defensively.) "Why do they wear uniforms like that?"

Well, that was easy. Himeno, after noticing that Risako is alright, turns around and begins to head out of the park... Although she quickly answers Fish Harpoon Girl's question before leaving. They're just police. Not food.

The officer is far too distracted to notice Zacharie flying off, he eyes Kotori suspiciously, but the girl seems harmless enough, so he takes Risako's other hand and lets the girl keep the flowers Officer: Now, come along, your parents will be worried sick Risako blushes a little, waving in the direction Kotori pressed the flowers in from as she walks off with the policeman. Risako: O... Ok... T... Thanks for the flowers miss!! As the officer walks off towards the park, those remaining can hear a faint *clink*ing sound as something drops to the ground behind them. Not only do they catch sight of a small, mostly black gem, but they also see the strange, white, cat-like creature from earlier. It seems to be in a hurry, dashing towards a nearby alleyway

Kotori pockets the Grief Seed, noticing Kyubey and almost following Incubator-san...... No. I doubt you'll give up just like that.... She turns around and tails after Risako, keeping an eye on the girl but staying out of sight as much as possible Gotta keep her safe after all.....

Kotori puts her sword down by the tree before approaching Risako and her family, waving at them to get their attention Yahou! I forgot to ask somethin'!

The officers look at Kotori, surprised. The one she met earlier begins whispering to the others, Risako's parents raise on eyebrow, the mother now holding Risako's hand Mother: Excuse me, do you know this girl? Risako: S.... Sorta, she gave me these flowers while I was gone. Father: That was very nice of her, but you probably shouldn't hang around.. That crowd. Risako's father holds some tone of contempt for Kotori, as rough as the girl looks. Risako initially shrinks against her mother, but finds her voice in a moment Risako: I... Its really nothing. S.. She made sure I stayed out of trouble... A.. Anyways, did you need something Kotori?

Kotori smiles, unbothered by the parents.... Less than friendly reaction Well, after the cop took you away I realized that I can't really help unless I know the cause of your lack of eyesight. She looks at the parents out of the corner of her eye, not threateningly, but knowingly So I came to ask your parents that. She then turns to the parents, keeping a polite and calm tone of voice, mostly addressing the father My name is Kotori. Pleased to meet you. So. I know some people who may be able to help Risako see. And I was wondering if you would be willing to help me by telling me the cause of her blindness. Even if it means asking for help from the people you call "That Crowd" The whole time, Kotori keeps her composure Some of us just want to help people.

Risako shrinks against her mother, almost as if afraid of what might come next. Her mother shakes her head, seemingly resigned to what's about to happen. The father on the other hand, takes a deep breath, clearly irritated. The man adjusts his tie and loudly addresses Kotori, some rugged kid he'd hardly met. Father: Look, I don't know who you think you are Risako briefly pipes up, her voice quivering Risako: C... Could we not do this tonight? Risako's father glares at the girl, causing her to shrink protectively behind her mother, it seems this sort of thing happened fairly often, often enough that no one thought much of it, though there are a few officers nearby in case something escalates Father: Look Risako, there's nothing wrong with you, never has been. If there was, then the doctors would have taken care of it. Taking another deep breath, the father glares back at Kotori, some random punk wandering the streets at night. He owes her a little for not hurting his daughter, otherwise he'd have likely asked her to be escorted out. Father: Look kid, we have access to the finest professionals in the world. If my daughter needed anything, anything at all, we could get it. Without the help of kids like you. She'll be perfectly fine.

Kotori sighs. She's dealing with one of THOSE Well, that explains a lot. Sorry, I'm done talking with you. She turns to the mother, keeping her polite tone, but stepping between her and the father in a show of cutting him out of the conversation I think I was mistaken, you're the one I should be talking to. I don't know of he's in denial or not, but that doesn't matter. It's obvious talking with him won't help Risako. I would like to set up a meeting with you sometime. To talk about how I can help. Would that be ok? It has to do with what happened here, and what I need to do next to ensure Risako's safety. And that's all I want. As she speaks, she pulls out a rose from her pouch, holds it in a way that the mother can see it, and freezes it with magic before handing it to her. A non-threatening gesture, slow, careful movements, meant to pique interest The crowd I'm talking about aren't kids, they're capable adults. And they can help in ways that money can't.

The father stands there for a moment, in wide-eyed shock that some brat would make such a bold move. He looks over to the police officers, as a sort of "aren't you going to do something?" look. The officers just kinda awkwardly shuffle in place. Its clear they don't want a part of this either The mother looks at Kotori's rose, she doesn't really understand any of this ice stuff, but the officers already explained what happened. She was part of some cult that got called on in the park, perhaps hypnosis? It doesn't really matter much, the woman accepts the rose, and shakes her head Mother: Look, I know my husband can be a bit stubborn, but trust us, we know how to take care of our own daughter. We've been getting along just fine for fourteen years, especially with Fujiwara-san taking care of her while we're away. The woman sighs, her schedule is far too backed up to get it in any time soon, but she knows at times you have to concede a little ground to get negotiations going Mother: If you really want, I can probably fit you in in a few months, but I don't think I can really afford to meet with you anytime soon. We really shouldn't have been out here as it is

Kotori sighs in relief that this woman was reasonable The only reason I'm in a hurry is because I'm worried. There's someone out there that is offering to cure her blindness. And he is capable of doing it. But the cost is too high. He's an intelligent individual who knows how to manipulate people to get them to agree, and can contact them without anyone else knowing, no matter how secure the location. Add that to the fact that it's his fault you all almost died today, and you can understand why I'm in such a hurry. I'd happily tell you right now, but you would probably call me crazy and lump me in with these psycho cultists. If you have any free time whatsoever, find the establishment called GYM. Three letters, all capitalized. Shouldn't be hard to find with your vast resources. Just being there will explain a lot. Kotori sighs and glances at Risako with a look of empathy I know what it's like. Being in a world full of people who can do something that you can't. And I know what it does to you on the inside.... especially when rather than taking the chance to fix the problem, people try to compensate for it rather than take steps to cure it. I spent six years in a hospital bed only barely able to move. I didn't have a family that had the patience to step outside their comfort zone and make sacrifices if it meant helping me. I had to fix it myself. She looks back at the mother, a sympathetic look on her face Please don't make the mistake my father did. Kotori takes a deep breath before trying (and mostly failing) to regain her composure I'll wait. Mostly because I know what I'm asking is selfish, and because I trust Risako to be strong enough to resist making the contract. Thank you for being reasonable and listening to me despite how busy you seem to be. Kotori bows in respect to the mother If you change your mind and want to meet with me earlier, I live outside the city to the east. By the enormous crater filled with unique plants. You couldn't miss it if you tried. It's not exactly a professional location, but the garden is where I spend my time. And it would be another window into the world most people don't seem to see. She'd then bow again and turn to Risako Hey Risako? Do you mind if I give you a little gift? It would just take a single tap on the shoulder.

No one present seems entirely sure how to react, the officers step back for a moment, then look over to the broken bottles lying near the lake. They hadn't gotten to check what was in them yet, but it was obviously the most suspicious part of the scene. One of them talks into their radio, just in case further investigation into the incident was needed. For the mother, she looks behind Kotori, and shakes her head, obviously the most level-headed of the family, she blinks for a moment, and sighs. Mother: Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do and all, but I'm really far too busy for any of it.. I was supposed to be on a plane tonight, but then this mess. *sigh* Risako shrinks against her mother again, Kotori must be talking about all the magic, and the circus, and... That white thing that was talking to her. Why does it always keep going to her eyes> S.. She has always gotten along just fine without it. Its not like there's anything wrong with her..... Right? Risako: C... Can we please just drop it? I.. I'm fine, really. In spite of the mother's obvious disagreement, the father takes this chance to reassert himself, putting one hand firmly on Kotori's shoulder Father: I think we've heard just about enough. My family is no problem of yours, ok? Our little Risako is a perfectly fine young lady, we don't need some... Some.... Its obvious that he had something insulting to add there, but decided against it, instead he sighs in frustration Father: Look, we'll be fine without your little parlor tricks, alright? Now please leave before I have to call the police over.

Kotori takes another deep breath and cheers up significantly Well, if you're fine then there's no danger. I'll leave it be for now. She smiles at the mother Thanks again for taking the time to listen. If Risako's ok, then I have no need to worry. Kotori closes her eyes for a bit, concentrating hard before enchanting herself with wind and walking past Risako, giving the girl the slightest, almost unnoticeable touch as she passes before turning around to wave at them Bye then! Come visit my garden sometime! And be careful not to be hypnotized again! She'd then leap to the closest rooftop and head in the vague direction of where she saw QB going The effects of the enchantment Kotori put on Risako won't take effect till the next morning

Kotori keeps an eye on the creature before jumping down to it tripping as she hits the ground, her skin noticeably paler than usual Gah! thud Yo. So, you're obviously here for a reason. Coming or going?

Kyubey hardley seems surprised at her sudden appearance, instead it stretches for a moment, tail flicking in the breeze. Instead, it says You were just talking to Risako, weren't you? Looks like you spent a good bit of energy too. Unless you've come begging for something, I don't have much of a reason to be talking to you Of course, the creature's voice rings out without a hint of interest, after all, he's simply stating the facts After all, this was a bit out of your way. Do you have questions?

Nope. Not really. You seemed in a hurry to get out of there, so I figured I'd tag along...... And I wouldn't beg. You don't have anything I want. Except that you usually lead to fun things. Kotori speaks in a casual tone, between her heavy breaths

Kyubey flicks his ears and tail, before jumping up to a nearby trashcan Then unfortunately, this isn't one of those timelines. This is the one where I leave you confused while I proceed with the general "watching things". So with that, goodbye You might have been able to detect a bit of a grin on Kyubey's face before he leaps off the trashcan, onto a nearby fire escape, and from there to the nearest rooftop. Whatever chance there was seems to be gone now, or perhaps it was missed long ago, who really knows?

Darn. Oh well. Kotori shrugs and heads home