Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

Hyakka Onjouji
Neo Aoyama, Aoyama Gakuen
Monday ~ Morning

http://i.imgur.com/skCYoXi.jpg

The stream of fire sunk deeply into wide, crimson eyes. The gemstones that the small girl witnessed the world through glossed over, turning a solid, lifeless color. The fire reflected in her view began to spiral into her pupils, giving way to visions of black and red.

White, blue, purple, green and orange lights littered the abyss. Stars. Light flittering, reaching across space to shine upon life on a distant planet.

Once blue and green, it swam now in a sea of fire. Black as the void of space, brimming with brutality, malice, sin.

An eye opened in the black vacuum of space. As though the universe itself was a face, the darkness peeled back to reveal a pupil that stared upon the swallowed planet.

Soon there would be no life to receive that light.

Ah Sun-flower! weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the Sun:
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the travellers journey is done.

"...Ah. Here it comes."

“Hm?”

A one second eternity elapsed, and the small girl looked up to her guide. Peeling her eyes away from the skirmish, she found her vision blocked by the back placed before.

"One moment please Hyakka-chan, it seems I'm not exempt from today's lesson."

http://i66.tinypic.com/2ep69tx.jpg

Having spaced out, Hyakka’s response was more than slow. Rather than slow, from both the girl and her COMP, there was no response at all. She just stared ahead as the figure in front of her was nearly engulfed in fire, not moving even as a blade cleaved the attack in twain. Two equal ‘chunks’ of fire split apart as they passed both girls, ice cracking along the fire’s edge as it faded into ash.

In the sparse seconds that the last of the fire flickered away, the drill came to a conclusion.

“Ah!”

A gasp was cut short as Hyakka placed a hand over her mouth.

She hadn’t followed it at all. Yet she saw every movement. It was fast and precise. A sequence that had no doubt played out time and time again. Each decision was the result of layers of practice and spars. Drills pounded into the bodies of both participants.

But as for who could be considered the victor…

“Hmph.”

A cold stare warmed slightly.

Hyakka’s gaze turned toward the oldest of the three.

… She had her guess.

"So you're Hyakka-chan right? I've heard a bit about you from Sho.” She leans forward just a bit, head tilting slightly to the side. “He didn't come with you today?"

Sho…

“You mean Onii-chan? If you know Onii-chan, then…” The girl furrowed her brows, thinking desperately. A small fist fell into an open palm, announcing that an answer had been reached. “Ah! Then you must be the Demon Queen Slavedriver From Hell!”

That’s right, she had heard that name. Ryuumonbuchi. That was the name of Sho’s evil boss. Or at least, that was what she had heard about the woman from a certain rabbit Demon.

Lowering her head in a bow, then raising it back up, she flashed a smile at the teacher.

“It’s exciting to finally meet you, Sensei! I have heard so much. Now I have seen so much too! Will I also be participating in combat practice like everyone else soon?”

Mokujima Chris
Aoyama, Outside Brewed Awakenings
Monday - Morning

"Certainly."

A smile that certainly wouldn't be out of place on an actual prince.

Of course if one really thought about it, Namasaki Shuichi is certainly someone akin to a prince of the Magic Age, seeing as his father was not only the leader of the SDCD, but one of the "Big Three" COMP Smiths, as well as the spiritual smith responsible for the ultimate creation of the four Harmonizer Towers that helped regulate the use of magic throughout the planet. Add in the fact that his mother and extended family were almost all well known heroes who had been involved in stopping the first and second Kyuubi Incidents and his lineage is certainly the sort that a prince would be more than proud to have-!

"Breakfast is the perfect time to eat something sweet, so I'm definitely a fan of donuts, crepes too."

The fact that he speaks with a certain sense of nobility and warmth only helps to build that image up further-!

Of course, while he speaks gently, a certain part of this particular senpai is worried about the sudden change in the color of your face. He had seen blushes before, but she sheer speed and intensity of the crimson flush make him hesitate in putting you down for fear that you might just fall over on him, but at the same time, seeing you voluntarily exit your room was something rare that he feels he should encourage more, thus-

"Are you asking if I'd like to accompany you inside for breakfast? If so I'd be happy to accept, it seems like a fun way to spend some time."

-he seems to catch on, and agrees with it with a smile.

"Of course if you are ill don't push yourself, I could also accompany you to the medical ward if you are feeling unwell; there is no shame for taking a bit to recover from a teleport gone wrong."

---It's only near the end of all this...

That you notice that the other two have disappeared, or rather...

They are already going in without you, Lexie flashing you a thumbs up as she disappears inside the doors of the apparent cafe-!

---

Daisuke
Brewed Awakenings ~ Original Site - Grand Reopening
Monday ~ Morning

---There is certainly a fair bit you could say about that plummet from the heavens.

While it was a fall that wouldn't really hurt per say due to everyone's status as either a Tamer or a COMP, there is still a certain primal sense of fear -or perhaps excitement- that comes with suddenly plummeting down through the skies after being separated from the planet that normally cradles her children with things like 'solid ground' and a 'sense of safety.'

Yes...

There are all sorts of things you could say, even though Lexie herself goes out of her way to catch your body even as a certain senpai catches your user in her place... And it is this action in particular...

That divers you from the scene, yes...

When Lexie sees it happen, she-

"Oh! Oh! This is her chance! We can't ruin this-!"

-sprints for the building with you in tow, in what seems to be an attempt to leave your user alone with Namasaki-Senpai; while some motivations can be gleaned from her words she doesn't explain herself much more clearly than that, instead stopping inside of the shop to turn and look at them through the glass, so focused that one could be forgiven for thinking she was staring directly into a television set playing her favorite show-!

"C'mon Chris-! Don't clam up now, go! Go! Go!"

She even cheers a bit as she watches them, but-

"Oh, customers! I was starting to get worried business was gonna be slow all day!"

A voice calls out from deeper within the cafe, past shining tables and chairs, behind a polished wooden counter that would have seemed fitting for both a coffee shop and a bar.

---It's a voice that's somewhat familiar, and as you turn to face it-!

https://i.imgur.com/2JwafOS.jpg

"Oh, it's you kids. I was wondering what all the noise outside was about, but I'm guessing someone just fell from the sky? No one's hurt, right?"

Liane Cross -the Vice Director- reveals herself in a remarkably casual way.

Glossary

ESPer
Someone who has transcended human limitations after merging with a fragment of the Kyuubi's Spiritual Power, and as a consequence, are also known as "Children of the Kyuubi" by certain organizations. Due to the defeat of the Kyuubi over a decade ago -as well as the rarity of it's appearance even when it hadn't been sealed- the only new ESPers that are born nowadays are those descended from ESPers themselves, or who have been artificially created through experimentation, although these new ESPers all seem to be somewhat weaker than the Kyuubi-created ones were in their prime.

ESPers stop aging in their early twenties, and are thought to be immortal; they will not die of old age, and can seemingly regenerate from any sort of attack so long as their body is not completely destroyed by it, although they are not capable of doing so immediately. They were called ESPers due to possessing an innate magical power that seemed to operate on the same principals as extra-sensory perception, but have also been likened to the "Immune System" of Humanity's Collective Unconscious, and seem to draw their powers directly from the collective spirits of "humanity" as a whole.

ESPers do not require a Harmonizer to resist supernatural attacks, and are capable of employing both demonic magic and conceptual magic once they have completely mastered their powers, which requires them to come to a certain "understanding" with those that dwell in the "Soul Sea." When an ESPer dies, they dissolve into spirit particles, leaving no body behind for others.

Liane Cross

Golden Witch
Kyuubi-born ESPer, Vice Director of the SDCD, and the heroine of the first Kyuubi Incident, who -with the help of a friend- ultimately dealt the final blow to the manifestation of humanity's malice in it's first appearance in the Modern Era at the cost of critical damage to her own soul. After having her spiritual wounds fixed by Mikagura Mika during the course of the Second Kyuubi Incident, she became a notable hero in that case as well, supporting the younger ESPers all the way through to the end of their fateful journey.

Being the highest ranking surviving member of the crippled SDCD, she took over the position of Director for a time at the end of the Exodus Nine case, but stepped down to Vice Director once Kenji showed an interest in the top position himself, seemingly so that she could get back to doing fieldwork. Her ESP "Chain of Memories" allows her to look into the past of things she touches, and in some cases, copy the abilities displayed inside of those memories.

A cheerful big sister, she is also the adoptive mother of Sora and Eliza Cross.

Blaise Pendragon
Aoyama Gakuen, Infirmary Building
Monday - Morning

Leaving the strangely friendly youth behind, the journey back to the side of your older sister is one that is made with relative peace. No one emerges from the classrooms to badger you, the students outside don't finish their exercises early and come rushing in like a mob, no teachers see you to lecture you, and the Student Council President doesn't appear to drag you into your home-room by force, yes...

It's easy.

Remarkably easy, so easy in fact that...

It's hard to trust it.

It's a feeling in the pit of your stomach, that something bizarre was gonna side-swipe you any minute now, and yet when you return to the waiting room where the other two had once sat you find...

"..."

That they're not there, indeed...

There's nothing here, no one here, just an open door leading into the nurse's room, and...

Silence.

Complete silence.

No drills, no cackling empress-like laughter, just silence...

That is, until...

"You're Blaise Pendragon, correct?"

A silver-haired woman emerges from the now silent nurse's office, her eyes alit with a strange determination even as her voice betrays little more than a dull monotone... She's surprisingly tall, about as tall as you are, and the white-lab coat certainly serves to reinforce the image of a 'medical professional' in your mind, as does the nametag that reads "Dr. Bern" but...

"I've been waiting for you. My name is Irmina. I was informed by my previous patients that you were hit in the back with a baseball bat, but hadn't submitted yourself to medical care. I need to ensure your bones and organs haven't been damaged, so please come with me."

...For some reason, this doesn't feel like she's making a request-!

https://i.imgur.com/mKP8EYI.png

"Your repeated absences have made you overdue for your annual checkups anyway."

...It's just the school nurse.

Yes.

It's just a nurse.

---But there's a certain invisible pressure flowing out from her here that even you can't deny.

Eva Ellet
Rose Cross ~ Library
Monday – Morning

"..."

For a moment it is hard to tell how the older girl would respond to your honesty.

While you certainly might have taken the path of an excuse if a -somewhat believable- one had been available to you, the value you place on honesty is high, to the point where you continue marching towards verbal doom, realizing the conclusion long before you state it aloud, and-

"I see."

-one hand resting beneath her chin as she stares at you with concerned eyes, the twitch of a smile appears even as she closes them, as if she had found some aspect of your reaction to be either 'amusing' or 'cute.'

"That's somewhat unfortunate, but at least you were honest about it."

People running away from her -whether physically or mentally- was one of Catherine's pet peeves, an annoyance she had acquired over time due to the way others responded to her lecturing tendencies, but it seems that because you're friends and had immediately apologized without making excuses, or perhaps simply because you're normally such a good listener...

"Today's topic was somewhat less exciting than usual I suppose, it's only inevitable that I make a sleeper on occasion. I'll work to make the next lecture more exciting... Perhaps something about the Exodus Nine Case?"

...She chooses to let you get away with it.

"But if you're not sick, be sure to hold yourself together better for the next couple of hours. Commander Kingsleigh is requesting our presence in the Command Room, and falling asleep in front of one of Mary's Hand wouldn't look very good in front of the others."

Of course she doesn't actually think you'll do such a thing, but all the same, she is the type that would warn you nevertheless...

Like a gentle poke that won't let you get away completely without teasing you about it a little bit...

Glossary

Hand of Mary
A title that belongs to Alisa Kingsleigh, who fulfills the position of "Combat Leader" of the Rose Cross due to Mary's unwillingness to personally hurt others if she can help it, weak physical body, and her personal belief that she is better used as a healer and administrator than as a soldier. A special title that would ordinarily be equivalent to Vice Director in the other organizations, the authority Alisa has is considered to be the same as Mary herself when she's on the battlefield.

In many ways she exists to serve as a "strong figure" that demons -who value strength- must respect even by the values of their own culture, which revolves around the belief that those with power have the right to exercise their authority over others, in other words, she's the Commander that can beat them handily in combat, and thus holds more respect from them than even Mary herself does...

Even so she is loyal to Mary, and her gentle and insightful personality remains fitting for a "holy woman."

Blaise Pendragon
Aoyama Gakuen, Infirmary Building
Monday - Morning

... Something's not right.

That was the first thought that entered Blaise's mind when he saw the silver-haired nurse.

It was not just the fact that the school nurse that the boy had never seen before turned out to be such an absolutely, disgustingly suspicious individual who couldn't have smelled more like a "Mad Scientist" if she had carried a sign saying just that. It was just not the fact that Blaise could hear Kaguya hiss quietly, those bunny ears of hers probably flat against her head and prepared for fight-or-flight. It was not even the fact that the words of this Doctor Bern were suspicious as all hell and made every hair of Blaise's stand up.

... It was the fact that this whole place was empty all of a sudden.

He hadn't been gone for that long. Maybe five to ten minutes, at most. But during that time the corridors had gone silent and the people that should have been here were nowhere to be found. He could have understood the students going missing, they probably had somewhere to be if they woke up. The delinquents would have no doubt escaped the moment they regained consciousness. Even the guy with the bat, as alright of a guy he turned out, probably wanted nothing to do with what was actually going on (Even if he could have waited for his soda, dammit. Blaise even paid for it!).

But Noriko would not have left without saying anything to Blaise. No chance. Especially after the talk the two of them had. His sister wasn't such an airheaded person.

"......... You heard wrong," Blaise said, his voice calm and controlled. "They missed. I wouldn't be walking around if someone hit me with a bat, after all."

The blonde youth's eyes narrowed as he switched the drinks to his left hand, freeing his dominant arm from needless weight. He didn't take a step back, but he prepared his legs for movement... forwards or backwards.

"In any case, I don't have time for a check-up now," he continued. "After all, the classes are in session right now. I don't wanna be late any more than I have to."

It was a blatant lie, but a lie he felt like he needed to say. An instinct in Blaise's head told him that if he went into that room for a check-up, he wouldn't be walking out unscathed. Whoever or whatever this strange doctor was... the youth didn't trust her one bit. He had met his fair share of oddities and strange individuals, and she had to be part of that list. His instincts practically screamed that.

"Any case, I have just one question," Blaise spoke, locking his narrowed eyes with those of the doctor.

Meanwhile, his right hand slowly formed a fist.

"... Where's my sister?"

Hyakka Onjouji
Neo Aoyama, Aoyama Gakuen
Monday ~ Morning

"Yes, it is I! She who sits on Belial's throne! It is actually quite nice there, despite popular perception."

Much as you call her the "Demon Queen Slave-driver From Hell" without really granting it a negative affectation, so too does the older woman simply accept the title with gusto, as if she was proud to be known as someone with that sort of personality-!

"Of course, if he has time to come up with such creative names for me, he alsp has time for more tasks around the house, but I suppose that is neither here nor there," yes, still smiling to herself even as her words imply a somewhat more painful future for onii-chan, the woman nevertheless responds to your smile with one of her own, "I'm happy you found the match exciting of course, but soon? There's no need to wait for soon, if you truly wish to practice with the others, then I would allow you to do so right now if you wish, the class was about to split apart to practice with each other. Two on two. Standard class procedure."

"Ah... Isn't the first day a bit too soon for that sort of thing Sensei?"

Of course, your guardian intercedes on your behalf automatically, and it's true, to most new students the idea of just getting tossed out into the jaws of a combat class might be overwhelming, but...

"I don't see the problem. I was going through much, much worse at that age."

The teacher responds to the interception automatically, even though her gaze goes off into the distance for a moment as certain memories dredge their way up to the surface of her thoughts...

Yes...

...That distant gaze says all that needs to be said about the truth of her words. Like a memory you can see even though it doesn't belong to you, what it brings to mind is something spartan...

"Besides, she has you as her partner today. That'll balance things out, right?"

Raz Stone
Avalon Skies, Above the Forest
Monday - Morning

Of course, it is not just humans that hear the brazen approach of the flying stage.

While Avalon itself had a notable human population that resided on the isles, the majority of the humans that had managed to make their way to this place since the start of the new Age of Magic were all gathered in the KoTR Base itself, which was named "Camelot" after the Myth of King Arthur, although whether or not it was the legendary city itself, or simply a copy of it, was something that only Merlin herself seemed to know when it came down to it. While the KoTR Tamers seat of power was the castle at the heart of the island, the surrounding castle-town was lavish and lively, as modern as any other city, but operating under the golden light of an eternal sunset...

Yes.

The humans had made their home the island's heart, but it's not like they were the only ones present on the isle.

The forest surrounded the island, and was home to demons of all sorts. Typically speaking they didn't do much to their human counterparts, as those demons that resided within the Human World did so out of some bizarre -often twisted- desire to live alongside them, there were still some aspects of demonic culture that clashed with that of the humans and led to small conflicts, thus, the Tamer Organizations had been formed to help bridge the gap between the two 'races,' while also making it clear that humanity has no intentions of being lower than their supernatural counterparts in any way.

Most demons respect that... If you beat them up first.

It's one of those ironic tendencies that exist in a world of peace, the idea that keeping said peace requires one to enforce it through careful application of force... But Demons do not respect weak humans, so it is an ironic tendency that will have to continue until the day everyone is able to live in a perfect harmony.

---Of course with both demon-kind and humanity being as flawed as they were, as well as the reality that humans get stagnant and weak if things become too easy on them... That day of perfect peace is certainly far off into the future.

But that is neither here nor there...

Most of the demons present on the isles were of the "Fairy" designation, which made sense considering the legends associated with Avalon as a land mass.

And the fairies from Avalon were the mischievous sort... Stealing clothes or food, luring humans into the enchanted forest and then to parties that last weeks before relinquishing them, putting squires to sleep so they'll be late to their classes...

Yes.

Avalon's people have their fair share of interactions with Demon-kind, and in this moment you're getting a hell of a reaction yourself-!

Blaring the music seems to have angered some of them a bit, as a chorus of errant spells come flying out from beneath the forest to fly harmlessly by the stage; more a sign of their annoyance at your sudden presence more than any confirmation that they intended to do anything about it, and indeed-!

This is not the first time you have gone flying by!

They never go much further than half-hearted shots at you, and you pass by without taking so much as a single hit!

Still...

Matador is not a fairy.

Of course it's behavior is also not exactly evil, it simply wants to fight strong opponents... And the fact that it keeps getting out even after the other Knights have arrested it on previous incidents declares that the higher-ups might see it as a good learning tool for the squires too, but...

"Oh hey, it's Raz."

Well...

Even as you spy the three missing squires from above, at the heart of a grass clearing near the outskirts of the forest... Their current condition...

Seems a little too comfortable even from the stories you had heard about how this particular demon operates... While you can't recognize any of them by name or voice -at least not from up here- they do look a bit roughed up, like they had taken a few punches, or been thrown clear through a few sets of boulders, but at the same time...

They're all just sitting together around what seems to be a water cooler. It's not the sort of thing a Tamer would just carry around -unless they had intended to go on a picnic- but the idea that it would just let them keep it -or hell, it might have even given it to them- also has it come across as amazingly charitable, yes...

The reason the squires don't mind obeying the code when it comes to this demon...

Is it really isn't interested in killing anyone-! A true cooperate demon of the modern age, even if it maintained it's apparently natural urge to want to battle strong opponents-!

"Sorry you had to come get us out of here, I lost pretty much immediately."

"Because you just gave up, moron! Who does that?!"

"Fighting felt like a hassle. Besides, if I get captured, I don't gotta go to practices today."

"I can't believe you!"

Ah.

The sound of that sibling argument is familiar...

The Winters Siblings huh?

While Ryan was known for being lazy to the point of occasionally coming across as lazy -at least according to what Erica said about him- you knew Erica a bit yourself, and she was ready, willing, and more than capable in a fight, so...

Hmmm...

This might be a problem...

Losing won't result in a fatality, but a Knight getting captured well...

That would be a blow to the reputation-!

Still, the opponent doesn't seem to be around in spite of your brazen, forward approach, but the DTG's data indicated it had a bit of a thing for theatrics, so when confronted with a massive flying stage, it might feel the need to be a bit more dramatic itself, and indeed-!

https://i.imgur.com/O1Ym1sh.jpg

"So you come, a Knight of the Golden City..."

It appears on the very top of a tree, posed with a perfect balance, crimson cape fluttering in the wind as it seemingly does it's best to get on a similar vertical "plane" as you...

It's skeletal alright...

"Three I have captured so far, for they were too weak to challenge my blade... Are you here to free them? Is that stage a prepared spot for our duel? Tell me your name, man with the hidden eyes. Are you here to challenge my sword?"

But you can feel zero hostile intent from it -at least in this moment- And rather than rush you immediately...

It waxes poetic about everything, as some demons are known to do at times...

Yes.

While they can be quite scary too when they wish to be, if there was one thing being a Tamer had taught you...

It was that they could also be super weird as well...

This one apparently wants you to play along with it for a bit...

Mokujima Chris
Aoyama, Outside Brewed Awakenings
Monday - Morning

After expending all of her effort to form a single coherent sentence, it becomes clear to Chris that she has reached her limit. It was a good run. She got a few seconds of sunlight and fresh air, and managed to exchange words with someone so dazzling she would normally never approach him. If one considers it in the context of her usual day-to-day, hasn't she already accomplished a momentous feat?

Yes. She has tried very hard. So, while it was a nice minute, perhaps it's time to cut breakfast short before it has begun and just eat heat up some noodles back home...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Namasaki Shuichi

"Are you asking if I'd like to accompany you inside for breakfast? If so I'd be happy to accept, it seems like a fun way to spend some time."

---

"Eh?"

Something like an involuntary squeak comes out, and the thought process of Mokujima Chris nearly comes to a halt.

She had planned out her words, but whatever came after wasn't considered for a single moment. She had assumed that everything would sort of... sort itself out. Clearly that is not the case. She is required to continue the conversation, but has already used up the day's supply of courage. The only option left now is the default: retreat into herself, stop talking, make any excuse to leave, and spend the rest of the day feeling awful about having wasted Namasaki Shuichi's important time.

At that moment, just as her willpower is about to break...


Daisuke
Brewed Awakenings ~ Original Site - Grand Reopening
Monday ~ Morning

"Uwaaaaaa...!"

Daisuke has been in cafes and bakeries before (each time Chris brings him home), but never as a customer. Indeed, the concept of taste was something he'd always regarded from a distance, with only a slight longing that he'd never dared voice... until now.

"It's really cozy!"

So, for that reason, he is almost unreasonably impressed by a decidedly unimpressive interior, before the food has even been brought out. Indeed, he is already salivating (or rather, leaking lubricant) at the thought of what they might buy. Said anticipation is so great that it takes a moment to snap back to the present.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lexie Davis

"C'mon Chris-! Don't clam up now, go! Go! Go!"

---

"Huh?" He leans over, standing on the tips of his toes, face almost glued to the window next to Lexie. Immediately the smile disappears from the young boy's face. "Oh no..."

Indeed, Daisuke knows his owner's (he still can't bring himself to call her 'big sister') limitations better than anyone else. So the conclusion he draws is definitive:

"Lexie, it's impossible-!"

Yes. There is no hope. This is a fight that Mokujima Chris has no chance of winning on her own.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ???

"Oh, customers! I was starting to get worried business was gonna be slow all day!"

---

A new voice appears. Is it an ally, or an enemy?

...oh, it's just the Vice Director of the SDCD. And the... cafe owner?

Daisuke blinks.

"Um, Miss Cross?"

It can't be... but, seemingly, it is!?

Even Daisuke, usually fearless, is for a moment taken aback at encountering someone so high-ranking and mature and self-confident here of all places. He shuffles his feet, torn between the situation in front of him and the crisis unfolding outside the window.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Liane Cross

"Oh, it's you kids. I was wondering what all the noise outside was about, but I'm guessing someone just fell from the sky? No one's hurt, right?"

---

"No one's hurt, Ma'am, but... it could go south at any moment... oh, what do I do..."

The people outside haven't moved in almost a minute. She must have clammed up. Daisuke has seconds, he knows, until it's too late to salvage things and he has to step in. But he can't allow that. He can't allow it, but...

"Oh."

An idea is born.

The tiny child gives the Vice Director of the SDCD a serious look, one that says "someone's life is on the line".

"Miss Cross, does this place have one of those 'menu' things!?"


Mokujima Chris
Aoyama, Outside Brewed Awakenings
Monday - Morning

One of Chris' phones rings.

"Oh."

Specifically, it is the "you have received a file" notification, which usually represents pictures sent by online friends. In this case, however...

"'Scuse me."

Trained reflexes take over. Chris reaches for her pocket, finds it unreachable due to her being carried like a princess, frowns, and frees herself from Shuuichi's grip, feet finding purchase on friendly ground once more. She flips open her phone (that model is fashionable among retro enthusiasts), fingers poised to belt out a reply in under a second.

Instead she blinks and looks up. Then down. Somehow, perhaps because they'd never interacted, Chris hadn't realized that she was taller than Namasaki Shuichi.

She holds out her phone so Shuuichi can see, and zooms in on what was just sent to her: a list of items and prices. Then she frowns, retrieves the phone, swipes a few times, and displays it again.

Once more the menu is visible, except this time, in a punky pink font along the bottom, accompanied by a sparkly filter, is written:

https://i.imgur.com/UxHLS6f.png

Perhaps Chris' shyness is only limited to the 3d realm. Whatever the case, she holds out her phone expectantly, as if waiting for Shuuichi to make his decision.

Raz Stone
Avalon Skies, Above the Forest
Monday - Morning

"...Heh."

Raz couldn't help himself, there was always a thrill with flying over the treetops. The dark haired boy wondered if the spirits firing potshots as he past were essentially filling the air with pyrotechnics. it made his passing even more of an event. One shot, probably through more luck then skill, burst from the trees on an actual collision course. Raz sent the Hermes stage into a cork-screw barrel roll and sent the stage lower in response, letting the blast fly by, and responding by flipping the sound even higher. The physical response to such was that the air vortex created by the passage of the Hermes stage was somewhat counterbalanced by the pressure of the sound waves. Watching a few faerie-kin trying to hold on to the wildly spinning treetops never got old.

He did have to dial down the concert as he approached the target area. It was quite frustrating to found out he had skipped out on free coffee for at least one scrub who hadn't even actually tried to fight. From a tactical perspective it was somewhat reassuring as that suggested his prior threat assessment might have overrated the ability of the Matador. From a knightly perspective, the idea that taking a loss in honorable combat was better then a day's practice that would make you stronger?

...Yeah, Raz was legitimately annoyed by that. someone was going to get a talking to about that.

The annoyance was quickly replaced by some very honest surprise. "Is that Erika? Verify that's Erika!"

"Erika Winters confirmed. Looks like she has gone from femme fatale to dame in distress."

"...Huh. One of her plans must have gone awry. Re-calibrate threat assessment."

"Parameters?"

"increase likelihood of ability to both make and defend against strategic combat."

"Confirmed. Also, confirmed presence of Matador. I think he is jealous."

A mental prod caused Raz to reorient. Matador looked rather unstable on his tree limb, but this feat of agility would be simple for a Tamer. That Matador was doing so as well suggested an ability level comparable to a Tamer. Taking down Erika, if not her brother indicated the same. Raz had not interacted much with Ryan. Ryan's laziness and lack of drive was annoying to someone who who took pleasure in pushing himself. Working essentially two full time jobs alongside overtime and incidental missions like the one he was engaged in at this moment was mentally draining, but also very satisfying.

Raz had told Sara that to sing was to bare your soul without filter. To work in a very real sense did the same. Pushing yourself to complete a task meant you could fail, let yourself down, but it was the only way you could get stronger. Speaking of getting stronger...

"..."

Raz didn't say anything for a moment after being baited by Matador. One could have been forgiven for thinking that Raz had somehow missed the challenge, or even perhaps frozen with fear. after all, his only response...

...Was to begin slowly tapping his foot, a certain melody beginning to emanate from the Hermes stage. Raz's hands, at that point only lightly wrapped around the HEAT microphone, began to blur. Utilization of his extremely complex magecraft took not just skill as a Tamer but musical knowledge. Raz was the Bard of the kingdom. That was a name that referred to more then just putting on a good show.

For a split second, using the projection system of Hermes, The DTG stood alight on the microphone, facing the Matador. After a moment, the diminutive but tough looking private eye tipped his fedora at his opponent.

Well, for a COMP, the master's fight was the COMP's fight, and the detective himself had an eye for the dramatic. Perhaps he as well wanted to make his message known even as sound coursed through his programs and into the stage.

Raz's hand's continue to warp and blur around the microphone even as he began to sing. Even though know switches or buttons could be seen on the rather plain red and black surface, from the suddenly blaring music it was clear that the HEAT system must have the ability to perform as numerous instruments simultaneously. Which made for an arguably unnecessarily complex system of casting, as one would be required to be capable of playing an instrument in the middle of a fight.

For Raz who himself played as an an entire band even including back up vocals, well even for a Tamer, some things strained credulity. But play and sing he did. As a point of honor, he used to pre-recorded melody, not once. Every song then was at heart practicing his magecraft. Every show he performed was an attempt to get stronger. And the flip side was every fight was a chance to make ever more pure sound, to convey his feelings without fear. Human's ache to show their hidden parts. And curious eyes always wished to see. This dichotomy was at the heart of Raz's popularity.

"Baby," Raz said during a segment wherein he allowed the instrumental to run long. "This show is just getting started!" At that, Raz raised one hand, all five fingers pointed spread at the sky. In response, from the HEAT microphone, 5 green and red beams spread out, flowing snakelike through the area. 3 hit the squires. Ryan, Erica, and the last whom Raz hadn't gotten a good look at. The 4th set of beams doubled back on themselves, creating a figure 8 motion as they slammed back in to the dark haired singer. The combined aura of Sukukaja and Tarukaja enveloped all targets.

...but there was one further set of spells, which also, just as the others, found and gave their blessing. The target of which became known...

...When the matador, as the others in the area, gained the power of speed and the power of strength. For a brief moment, there was a shocked peace, if not silence.

Into that moment, Raz stepped, one hand holding the HEAT microphone braced behind his back, still manipulating it one handed, continuing the song, his other offered in an almost formal fashion held out to Matador. For a split second, he looked exactly like a gentleman inviting a lady to waltz. This effect was spoiled somewhat when, showing far to much teeth, Raz raised his inviting hand up further, beckoning with his fingers in a gesture that could only mean "come and get it."

"The name is Raz Stone baby...lets dance!"


Heat Utilized: 6/10
Current Willpower: 30

Wise up!

Information on the HEAT system has been gained! A strange COMP that is capable of confirming thatamurgy into various forms, most apparently music. By combining sound with magecraft, it is possible to channel spellwork in various ways.


Active Harmonix:
Rock-Omplice
Catchy Beat

...Information on Catchy Beat has been gained! If an allied character ends his/her turn on the stage, both that allied character and Raz will gain without penalty +5 Will, and +5 REN as a temporary buff for a single turn.
If player happens to possess skill: Dancing all night! All effects of this auto-skill are doubled and they will increase their PSY resist stat by one while on the stage. This skill may have other effects!



Spell craft:

Song of Battle, C

A spell utilized almost constantly by Raz in a fight. It possesses the ability to transform a single target ability into a multi-target one without penalty to cost or effectiveness. Further, while singing, Raz and allied players gain +10 will as a temporary buff.

Sukukaja
Tarukaja

...Information on the Hermes stage has been gained!

Harmonizer activated: Shine in the moment!
Reduces in cost any unique spell cast by an allied character on the stage by 50%, rounded up. An effect which epitomizes the idea of blazing a new trail, it has no effect on generic spells or spells that are similar to such, for example the offshoots of bullseye and flash step which have developed. However this effect DOES extend to fusion spells, as they exemplify two or more allies truly creating something unique to build towards their shared goals. The song of battle's heat cost was reduced by one during this turn.

Active effects:
Sukukaja
Tarukaja
Resistance Up
Enduring Soul
+1 Psy resist (Catchy Beat)

Logan Starbright
SLEIPNIR ~ Flight Deck (South)
Monday ~ Morning

Artificial clairvoyance.

To create an image of the future through analyzation and compilation of enemy purpose, trajectory, and speed amongst other factors is not something impossible for modern Day COMPs; indeed, the use of even artificial premonition is quite a boon against those that would have otherwise overwhelming speed or skill when compared to your own, but in this case, it's not closing the gap between you and an overwhelming opponent that you desire, rather-

"Oh, going all out from the start, huh?"

-You desire to defeat all of your opponents in a single strike. There are a number of reasons for doing so of course, reasons that extend beyond wishing to gain an early lead; analyzation of the enemy movements and circumstances made it seem like there was some sort of bizarre trick to their assault, something that lay hidden behind the guise of a full-frontal attack, so choosing to get rid of these small fry now before something else happens is a wise choice, even if it might come across as overkill to others.

---And indeed, when faced with your premonition, those that would have ordinarily managed to evade their doom -purely through flaws in your base calculation ability- find themselves completely in the line of the fire for the sweeping, whip-like arcs of the black flames.

When faced with such a thing, their existence as weaker entities becomes clear. They don't seem to possess any defensive abilities to protect themselves from any sort of strike -be it physical or magical- and indeed, while tracking a higher number of opponents through Eye of the Fates would naturally increase the mental burden that comes along with it, the weakness of the many enemies is enough that you are able to tear through sixteen of them in the same series of motions, the only reason you failed to get the group as a whole being that Astra had destroyed a few of them in the opening moments as they rushed her, reinforced fists dealing four decisive strikes that serve to cement how 'hopeless' the case of the mass-produced enemy was...

"That puts me a bit behind, but-!"

...Of course, the sheer quantity of enemies makes it clear this isn't actually over; while a segment of the robotic storm had certainly stopped to accost you, the group as a whole seems to realize you're momentarily clear, and others begin to fly over to take the place of the fallen... With such simplistic abilities this is about the best amount of resistance you could expect from them, if they have been 'alive' in a manner similar to a COMP A.I their approach would have definitely been more intimidating, but they seem to be following a simple script, and so the 'first method' of destruction would likely work just as well a second time, although you would have to rest your COMP for a moment to avoid over-heating, of course...

While this is all true...

---In this moment, it's actually not what you're thinking about. The mass of information that had come flooding through both you and Amelia at the activation of your spell was such that even a Tamer would have difficulty compiling it all in the span of a second, so it's only after a heartbeat or two that something more concerning reveals itself in the predicted "next five seconds," namely...

http://oi42.tinypic.com/2qkmoo2.jpg

-right at the end of the fifth second, a green light fills the projected mental landscape of your future vision.

Having only devoted enough power to the spell for this first five seconds, it is difficult for you to make out the shape of what attacked you -although you are certain it is not one of the drones- but the sheer speed with which the light appears right at the end of the premonition, as well due to the additional 'second' it takes you to really comprehend what it is you're seeing amongst the many determined futures, gives you but a second of warning to step out of range and-!

"An invisibility formula?!"

---Heat.

The 'light' that swings down before your eyes is radiating an intense heat, something that Amelia can conclude is a form of plasma even as you nudge your body out of it's path.

---It was a good thing that you had taken this seriously enough to activate Eye of the Fates.

Much faster than the drones, another opponent had apparently been lurking atop the surface of the ship, cloaked in what must be a sort of -high ranking- stealth formula, the warrior that reveals itself only upon the absolute destruction of it's nearby allies is likely the 'trick' that both you and Astra had considered upon first sight of the swarm, namely...

The purpose of the swarm was seemingly a distraction, a way to force everyone to look one way, while a much more powerful opponent approaches cloaked from below...! It's ruthless, and an undeniable escalation from the much weaker drones, but it seems one of this stealth formulas drawbacks was that one had to reveal themselves shortly before attacking, and so your own spell had managed to 'catch' a flash of it in it's projection but-!

"Logan-!"

It was still close-!

The light had not been purely from the glow of the opponent's sword, but rather a tangible spell formula of it's own, one designed to replicate the light and sounds commonly associated with a flash grenade- likely to capitalize on what it had believed would be the ambush factor- but a combination of reflexes and future sight turns the step back into a leap back, head tilting for a moment to avoid the worst of the flash of light as you reorient yourself, scrambling to put up a more stable defense against a much more powerful opponent, but-!

"Hah-!"

Figure blurring into view as she uses phantasm step to come to your defense, Astra's leg slams into your opponent's chest and it goes flying back, body flipping in midair to recover, and-

https://i.imgur.com/sHtg4AG.png

"..."

-for a moment, you can see his face.

---Just a glance is enough to tell this is an Anti-Spirit Suppression Weapon, especially because you're used to working alongside them, or rather, working alongside Genesis, who was a slightly more unique case, yes...

If there's one person that jumps to your mind at the sight of this figure, it would be Genesis, but-

Pinpricks of light appear around it's figure, hovering motionlessly in the air without signs of any further movement.

---Ordinarily, COMPs are able to more or less identify most spells on sight, but Amelia's attempt to do so in this moment reveals another distressing factor, namely...

---It's either using encrypted data, or a different 'source code' entirely-!

Regardless of the matter, it's body rocketing towards you with blade in hand, reveals that it doesn't intend to really give anyone time to think about it's existence.

...From the start, it had seemingly planned to finish you before you had even known it was there after all-!

Mysterious Suppression Weapon

VIT: D
AGI: S (70)

Astra

STR: D
AGI: C

Spells

-Phantasm Step

Ayra Lilygrove
Akarana Estate ~ Underground Hallway
Monday - Afternoon/Evening

Deciding to utilize the girl's chosen terrain against her in your own way, a snap of the fingers sends a storm of flame funneling down the narrowed enclosure to where she stands resolute.

While your initial rush had failed, it is easy enough for you to recover from such things as a human being. While you are proud of your speed, and the idea that you had lost to what had amounted to a lucky guess was certainly something that stung your pride, you knew that when it comes to battles of magic, overwhelming speed and strength are things that can be easily overturned with the right spell, ability, or tactic...

While they are certainly powerful tools to possess in combat, it is not the one who is physically superior who will always triumph-!

---That is why your opponent is fighting carefully, because she is following similar rules of engagement.

Because she believes there is no future for her if she fails here, she is taking care to do everything she can to ensure her victory in the long run, refusing to gamble on unknowns with an opponent such as Joker; while she seems slightly more confident now, and the crimson swaying miasma strikes you as something you don't want to touch... Her wall-like positioning in front of the door refuses to bend even for the storm of flame careening her way, and her eyes say that she would let such a thing strike her dead-on hundreds of times before she ever moved from where she stood-!

---That is why you are not surprised when she does nothing to stop the flames from hitting her.

Of course, with most of her evasive options shut down, the only response you think she could feasibly make would be a barrier of some sort... But the fact that she chooses not to do so keeps your mind on alert, because...

---Accepting that sort of spell head on could mean quite a few things...

None of which put you at ease.

Especially because her figure disappears into those flames, just as yours must disappear from yours.

---While there is little here to actually burn, the initial conflagration still serves to impede the visibility of both parties to an extent. It's only a moment, a single moment that's destined to fade as fast as it had appeared but-

"...!"

---Amidst the crackle of flames, the sound of something striking metal puts your mind in high-gear. It's not the sound of metal hitting metal, rather... The dullness of the sound makes you think she's kicked off the ground to dash at you, but putting that thought in line with her previous actions, there's no way that's the case, but she must have a plan for you if you decide to stay at range... And listening closer-!

The sound changes.

A thud leading to a metallic screech, and-

"...!"

You start to feel spiritual power gather in the floor beneath your feet, as metal twists rapidly into a shape you can't define with a glance, but one that sends you moving forward -towards her- as six metal spikes erupt from where you had been standing a mere instant previously, before the screeching sound begins again and it starts anew, this time aimed at you from the walls and ceiling, and as the flames roll away from their target and begin to sizzle out from a lack of fuel you can see your opponent clearly, her left palm pressed tight against the metallic walls of the corridor-!

Light burns cover her body, but her eyes are focused only on your movements... So much so that it's possible tunnel vision has settled in and she's thinking about little else, but-

Whether or not she notices the fact that it's gotten harder to breathe, she seems to have a determined interest in forcing you to come to her now-!

...The real question is why?

Had she noticed your plot and upped her aggression to compensate for it due to refusing to retreat, or...?

---

Aster
Akarana Estate ~ Second Floor
Monday - Afternoon

"I'll have to pass I'm afraid, just this once our goals happened to align... But I have no interest in getting close with JOKER. If I did, they'd come knocking on my door before long, so it's best to keep this relationship casual... Cute as I'm sure you are~"

---Yes.

These words can be interpreted a number of ways, but the obvious way was probably the truth of the matter, namely...

This person is admitting to being someone Joker would consider a "villain."

Even so...

"Still, I see through all my tasks to the end... You were delightfully curious, so I will tell you one more thing about the one down below," retrieving a COMP-device from it's pocket, the cloaked figure's face can't be seen, but you're certain there's a smile on her face, "Leviathan's kin, specializes in "stealing," so be careful about getting too close to her, my little phantom~"

And just like that, with her finger slipping to what must be the device's main switch...

The woman disappears.

...Must've been a teleporter.

Spoiler:

-Earth Mold-
Rank: C
Type: Earth

Spell that allows the manipulation of existing earth elements to be applied through direct touch. Incapable of creating earth itself, as the majority of the spell's power goes towards precise control of the environment. Has it's basis in Alchemy. Normally used to impale enemies through earthen spears, or dropping their footing out from underneath to disrupt their stance. Effect cannot be maintained if the User loses direct physical contact with the area they are manipulating (in this case, the corridor itself.)

Cosmos Fairchild
Rose Cross Headquarters - Hospital Wing, Cafeteria
Monday - Noon

"Alright~! Good timing too, my special lunch should be done around now-!"

While you might be bad at socializing, Saria was someone that almost seemed to specialize in it.

Rather than putting on a front of complete and total serenity, she was a girl that got openly excited, wasn't afraid to be affectionate, and managed to somehow come across as everyone's friend, a social butterfly that could inject life into even the dullest of rooms-! It was an infectious honest energy, so much so that even your normally abrasive sister can't really deny her affections for long, and-

"Tada~ A whole Roast Chicken! I order one every Monday to help me get through that 'start of the week' work regret-! The fries are just for fun though!"

-marks her as someone who can freely interact with the both of you without the other one getting slightly annoyed about it-!

Of course, her friendliness also masks a somewhat more eccentric mind; going out of her way to order an entire -massive- roast chicken for lunch comes across as slightly strange, but at the same time, since she had been assigned to a building with a 24 hour cafeteria, perhaps she was simply taking advantage of the various perks of her somewhat more boring than usual station? It's not far from the hospital rooms, in fact, from where the two of you sit down, you can clearly see into the room Miyu was in, with a light wind of an open window making obvious ripples in the white curtains.

Yeah... Being this close to food all the time probably tempted her.

---Her metabolism must be super good too, considering the fry mountain that emerges alongside the roast chicken. What had she been intended to do if you hadn't come along? Eat it by herself?! Tamers get a lot of exercise in their line of work, but the idea that someone could just binge on this sort of thing every Monday and still maintain that almost-perfect figure somehow strikes you as inherently unfair-!

Splitting it half and half...

You might have to go for an extra run or two to work this off yourself-!

"So, escorting an NWAB member huh? And Namasaki Kenji no less! I'm sure there's a story there! Come on, anything you wanna tell me~?"

And true to form, even as she uses a knife to remove one of the chicken's legs, the energetic girl is already grilling you about exactly what had been going on with your abnormal assignment today-!

Ayra Lilygrove
Akarana Estate ~ Underground Hallway
Monday - Afternoon/Evening

Dodging is not the difficult part of this scenario. What is more worrying is the fact I’m being forced closer and closer with every second, and I don’t have a good way to deal with this. Stalling, maintaining distance… Perhaps it’s time to scrap that idea.

Aster comes to me of her own volition, ever loyal like the flower she is named after. Though having an AI is often a feeling that new Tamers describe as cluttered or full, for me, after all these years… Aster’s presence is something that fits like the last piece of a puzzle, despite our current circumstances.

Steal.

Her voice almost makes me misstep, and a metal spike barely sails past my back, but it’s a necessary evil. There have been immense difficulties in maintaining text-based communications in combat because of the visual clutter. Experience has proven to us that sometimes words are better, and she’s not one to speak without reason. And although it’s only one word… I can understand everything she wanted to tell me.

It’s why I’m being forced to approach.

The nature of jealousy is to covet. What I have, she will take. She needs a catalyst to do so, however, and it’s no doubt that aura of hers is the key. If I won’t come to her, she’ll force me to do so.

Either I need to find a way to escape… or I need to make her stop, even if just for a moment.

—!

A spike narrowly sails past my shoulder. Though I’ve been mixing up my footwork, in a hallway like this, that can only do so much. With how keenly she’s observing me, sooner or later she’ll make an accurate prediction.

Ah. That’s it. If she wants to watch my every move, fine.

I’ll be as radiant as I need to be.

A blinding blade of light forms in my off-hand, its most important attribute that it’s not easy on the eyes. And for the woman who has been eyeing me so closely… It’s enough to make an opening.

The sword of light sails from my hand towards her in an attempt to keep the bright object in her vision for just a few seconds more.

In the end, while there may be no path backwards… There’s always the option to double down on pushing forward.

If I can just get past her—!

-------

Wise up!

Name: Ayra Lilygrove / JOKER
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Affiliation: Knights of the Round / Phantom Thieves

Auto-Skill: Joker
Spells Selected: Mirror Image, Light Brand, Phantasm Step, ???, Agi line, ???, ???, Aura Wall

Heat: 9/10
Spells Cast: Light Brand
COMP Action: Support Magus (Aura Wall, Rank E, in response to if Ayra would make contact with the opponent/the aura)

Stats

AGI: S (60)
SEN: A (50)

Spells

-Mirror Image-
Rank: C
Creates an inferior double of the caster that can be controlled by the COMP's AI if necessary. Further details unknown.

-Light Brand-
Rank C
Element: Bless
Cost: 3
A variant of Aura Blade that creates a blinding blade of light for the user to wield. Though Ayra generally prefers a one-handed style, she has been known to opt for the dual-wielding style of her former teacher if it will give her an advantage. The blade’s brightness makes it difficult to see and keep track of with the eye, improving Ayra’s offense.

-Agi/Agilao/Agidyne-
Rank E~C
Element: Fire
Cost: 1~3
Assaults the opponent with bursts of intense flame.

-Phantasm Step-
Rank: D
Gather Spiritual Power beneath the feet, allowing temporary movement that is close to instant. When combined with high natural speed, it becomes possible to dodge even supersonic strikes. A common spell amongst Spirit Tamers and Demons alike, it is the main reason why higher ranking phenomena are so hard to connect with, as an unhindered opponent will use this spell to ‘easily disrespect’ spells of a much higher ranking...

Although homing spells also arose as a ‘sort of’ counter to it.

On an unrelated note, Ayra is fairly certain Phantasm Step is better, despite knowing both this and Flash Truth, so this is the one she uses.

Eva Ellet
Rose Cross ~ Library
Monday – Morning

Relieved, I release a breath I hadn’t even realized I had been holding.

“I-I wouldn’t do that.” The image of falling asleep in the command room in front of others is a striking enough image that it leads me to respond almost instantly, but after again considering recent events… “Hopefully…”

I’m pretty sure that she was just teasing me, but that in itself is reassuring. It’s a sign that she isn’t too mad about it, which is good, but surprising. This type of behavior, to my knowledge, usually annoys her- I am a little curious what circumstances make it different in this case.

But it seems like a poor time to bring up the topic. If everything is okay now, then I shouldn’t do anything to disrupt it.

That said…

This scenario of impending misfortune does bring something to mind, of hopefully questionable relevance to reality, but by no means ignorable.

“Actually… while the Exodus Nine case would be interesting too, there’s something else I’d be a little curious about. Not really a lecture topic, but...”

While I’d rather not bring up the topic of my nap once more- I’m glad that the topic seems to have passed, it’s not possible for me to have forgotten the foreboding statements Agatha had to say about my future. Of course, I don’t believe in fortune telling, and that hasn’t changed regardless of the weird nature of the encounter just now, but…

It’s something that wouldn’t hurt to be cautious of.

And now seems like a good time as any to ask. Catherine is, after all, a person who I listen to quite frequently, and I trust her advice.

Thinking a little on how to word this question, I speak.

“Catherine. Just as a hypothetical, let’s say you were told…” Perhaps that’s too weak. “No, let’s say that you knew that you would encounter misfortune soon in the future.”

“What would you do?”

Cosmos Fairchild
Rose Cross Headquarters - Hospital Wing, Cafeteria
Monday - Noon

Cosmos could felt her eyes twitching as she looked at the massive roast chicken in front of her.

She is very much a petite girl - only 142cm tall - and aside from making others often mistaking her for being much younger than she actually is, this fact means that her ideal food consumption is equally small. Of course in practice she had the same portion size as everyone else, so Cosmos had devised a few ways to ensure it won't ruin her figure, such as making sure she is chewing her food properly and only swallowing after her food is properly chewed; the side effect is her rather slow eating speed compared to most people, but she really doesn't mind when it works.

But one look at the whole chicken roast told her that eating half of it will definitely impact her figure, no matter how proper and long she chewed it-! Alyx will have a field day if she were to gain weight from this!

Cosmos took a deep breath to calm herself down; she shouldn't worry too much. After all, Saria is a big eater, and if the girl would have eaten the whole thing by herself if Cosmos had refused her invitation, then it's only natural to assume she could finish it by herself; she should just eat slowly like she usually does, and Saria would naturally take more chicken, ensuring she'd eat less than half of the whole thing! The perfect plan!

'I'll count how much you need to run afterwards, so have fun~' Illia said with a sing-song voice in her head, which she promptly ignored by taking a leg of the chicken - her favorite part of said poultry.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Saria

"So, escorting an NWAB member huh? And Namasaki Kenji no less! I'm sure there's a story there! Come on, anything you wanna tell me~?"

---

--And so, the inevitable question was asked.

"Hmm..." she intoned as she put a slice of chicken into her mouth to stall for time as she thought about the question; what should she tell her? Just what she 'officially' heard, the whole thing including the mysterious city at the North Pole, or half-half? Swallowing the food down after around thirty chews, Cosmos had came to a decision.

"I stumbled upon mother having a meeting with Mister Kenji for our usual family time in the gardens. Mister Kenji doesn't want to bother our family time, so he asked for a guide, and knowing my mother she would have called for Alyx..." She paused by taking a fry, though she just plays it in her hand. "Well, I want to be more reliable. One-up Alyx for once, you know? So I volunteered, and here we are." She finished by biting the fry in half.

Ten chews before she put the other half into her mouth. Ample enough time for additional thinking.

"... I heard something interesting, though." She decided to say more after finishing that one fry. "It seems there's going to be something big for all tamer organizations around the world soon - most likely a collaborative mission - and from what Mister Kenji said, I... might have been chosen, though I cannot be sure." She confessed; hopefully a vague enough truth, though the reason she revealed this to Saria was not because she just wanted to gossip.

"... Do you think I can do it? Something like a cross-tamer mission, I mean." Cosmos asked as she cut another piece of chicken and put it in her mouth.

She wanted an honest opinion on her capability from someone else.

Blaise Pendragon
Aoyama Gakuen, Infirmary Building
Monday - Morning

"Kresnik-san?"

While her eyes clearly take note of the hand that has slowly begun to form a fist, the absolute sense of ease that the apparent nurse maintains is one that further identifies her as a "strange person," or rather, a "weirdo." While it was the cause of quite a few of your life's problems, those that you directed even the slightest hostility towards tended to be at least a little unnerved by your gang-leader esque demeanor, but...

She doesn't seem to care, or rather, the idea that she just might wind up in a struggle with a student is a thought that doesn't bother her particularly much... Of course, she is the apparent school nurse at what was effectively a supernatural academy, so she must have seen her fair share of bizarre people and attitudes, but...

---Something about her is different from the students, an ever serene mentality that seemed to be shielded more by an innate sense of 'curiosity' than a sense of 'bravery,' as if the idea that you might try to attack her was kind of...

Exciting?

As if it would satisfy some sort of innate curiosity of hers?

---Whatever it was, it's an aura that's certainly 'Mad-Scientist' like, you had hit that comparison right on the head...

"She was complaining of some mild back pains, so I loaned her my skills as a massage therapist. I might not look like it, but I am quite talented with my hands. Her medical records state that she has a history of developing bouts of insomnia while on the job, so it's only natural for her to fall asleep once someone forces her to relax... Yes, as a Doctor, I was quite flattered when she did~ It proved that, once more, I have truly mastered yet another field of medicine."

She says that as if it's normal, but it's also hard to tell how innocent of an action that sort of thing really was, even if she was telling the truth here-!

Nevertheless she's calling her 'Kresnik-san,' hinting at a knowledge of her persona at least, but-

"But enough about her for now... Yes, I can see adrenaline flowing through you child... Do you distrust me? I am Aoyama's Great Doctor, a reliable guardian maiden for the students of this school-!"

She tilts her head to the side, as if completely unaware of how completely bizarre she came across to others-!

"Ara ara~ You even dislike me enough to lie~ No respect for one's teachers," raising a hand, she wiggles a single finger back and forth in front of your face, "The others told me everything about the incident, there is plenty of ways for someone to just walk off a baseball bat to the back in the modern day~ I could probably do it, you know? Humans aren't as fragile as they used to be... And some are special in other ways~ Is that you perhaps? Mr. Pen~dra~gon~"

A smile appears as she straightens out her pose, and her voice gets slightly more serious along with it:

"Besides, you have no intention of going to class. Your history of absence was in an email sent to all staff. We were supposed to come visit you to find out what the problem was, but you came to me instead, so-!"

---Yep.

It's hard to tell if she's actually dangerous or not, but...

---If there was one thing this school was, it was well-protected; if she was really the school nurse, then the worst she would actually be was very eccentric, but...

A memory of the sound of a drill makes you shiver...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Airen

Encountered: Mysterious Drone x20

"Keep your eyes open."

---

Ludwig Karlfeldt
SLEIPNIR ~ Flight Deck (North)
Monday ~ Morning

"Understood."

The enemies are swarming around, easily outnumbering us, of unknown origin, and yet she seems more concerned with me than the swarm in front of us.

Granted, the enemies here aren't really worth the time, taking them apart, capturing them, it'd be far too easy.

Surely she knows that, and still she mentions keeping my guard up and my eyes open.

It's touching, really, but it's a wasted effort.

We casually side step an electric blast from the foes ahead, readying ourselves.

Get ready Lydia, these drones don't seem like much trouble, but it's possible they're just a tool for observing us, or a distraction of sorts. I need you to read the flow of battle and be ready for anything.

Alrighty Lud, leave it to me, I won't let you down. Deploying defenses.

Red cloth envelops over me, a suit of armor disguised as something reminiscent of a chinese tangzhuang suit, but the length of a longcoat. This is her true form, armor strong enough to withhold feats of power of even the mythical and supernatural.

Deploying field, don't fly off the flight deck~.

Along with her silly remark, the winds started flowing more fiercely and wildly around me, proof of the successful deployment of my Harmonizer Field.
The winds make it harder for any enemy to get closer, but with the strength, or rather weakness of these enemies, it seems even their movements are hampered by the new wind influx.

Watching the drones stammer around, erratically flying around struggling as they follow their programming, it becomes clear that they're not adapting to the new situation at all. Their lenses still focused on me and the Commander, firing off pulses that are easily avoided.

Now that their routine is easy to spot, and even easier to target, its time for some action.

So far so good, but if their lenses are transmitting what the drones are seeing, perhaps its best not to show too much.

My mind made up, this time I go on the offense. The winds of the Harmonizer field have clustered up a good number of the drones together, they can no longer evade the coming strikes.

Magical power wells up inside of me as the spell is prepared, flowing towards the tips of my fingers, and is unleashed as I say the spell words.

"Magarula"

With a few flat palm slashes through the air, the magical winds fly out to meet the swarm of robots, homing in and intend on severing through the unfortunate machinery.

While the slashes themselves are in straight lines, the kinetic air-blades curve and arc in order to slash as many drones apart as possible.

With that, I glance briefly to my partner, the Commander herself, making sure to keep my guard up for any retaliation. She's far more experienced, so she should be fine no matter what, but it doesn't hurt to check up on her.

You seeing anything out of the ordinary Lydia?

So far, it really was too easy. There must be something missing.

The first strike was dealt, but the battle was not over-!

Wise Up!

COMP Spells: Magaru line
Conjures up razor winds to attack an opponent. General shape and size of the air-blades can be decided by the caster, but the strength of the blades themselves are determined by how much spiritual power was put into them.

COMP Heat: 2/10

Harmonizer Field: Personal Gale
A strong wind current flows through the area centered around the User. The winds on their own aren’t strong enough to blow anyone away, however they do slow down and harass would-be enemies trying to close in on the User, or airborne around the User. Can also be used to enhance the speed of allies, if they have some affinity for wind.

Blaise Pendragon
Aoyama Gakuen, Infirmary Building
Monday - Morning

So his sister had already fallen, huh...?

Well, there went that afternoon on patrolling the streets. Judging from how the strange nurse acted, it was unlikely that Noriko was in any serious, life-threatening danger... which meant Blaise could relax his hand somewhat. Had something actually happened to the older woman, there would have been hell to pay unlike any other. But for now, this didn't seem to be the case. Instead, it simply meant that whatever allies Blaise had had in the school were now out of commission, and he would have to get out of this trap himself.

"........."

Slowly, Blaise scanned the hallway with his eyes. He was still some ways away from the nurse's office, and the corridor continued in both directions with no place to use as a cover. Not to mention that she was (supposedly) the school nurse - she would know the layout of the place well enough to guess any sort of escape route the boy could take. That meant that fleeing down the corridor was not an option. He would have to come up with something else.


[Kaguya.]

[Whazzup, Banchou?]

[We're getting out of here.]

[... Finally! This bitch was starting to grate on me nerves somethin' fierce! Ya got a plan?]

[Yeah. I'll need a moment's distraction.]

[Consider it done, Banchou!]

Suddenly, Blaise chuckled quietly, a rumbling sound echoing from his throat. Turning his eyes back towards the nurse, he raised an eyebrow at her, refusing to be intimated by the weirdness, by her odd behavior or even the memory of the sound of the drill that was stuck in his head. Instead, he faced her... and his hand once again clenched into a fist, this time with force.

"Aoyama's Great Doctor? What's that supposed to be? Something that you came up yourself?" Blaise's cocky smile disappeared, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes. "Aoyama's my turf, lady, and I ain't ever heard of you. You don't got the smell of this city on you... so that title don't fit you one bit."

He took one step back and dug his heels into the ground, causing the floor of the corridor crack with a loud sound thanks to the force.

"But whatever. You wanna know what my problem is?"

Blaise's expression hardened and his eyes narrowed. His back straighened and for a moment, an imaginary wind howled from somewhere within the school, buffeting past them both and causing his jacket to billow - thus revealing the intricate, ancient pattern of dancing dragons and moon that covered it one the inside.

"... It's people like you who think they can tell me what to do."

And it was then that it happened. Blaise's body burst into action, but the view of that was blocked almost immediately as something appeared mere inches away from Dr. Bern's face. Scowling like the Queen of Thugs from here to Hokkaido, Kaguya stood there in all her glory. Hands on her hips, leaning down, eyebrow raised and face twisted, showing her beast-like teeth and glaring down at the doctor in a manner that only a delinquent like her could. It truly was a masterful showcase from her, something that the COMP AI had taken years to perfect.

"Ya lookin' to start something, huuuuuh!? Who the hell d'ya think yer talkin' to lady, don'cha know how to show respect, huuuuh!?" Kaguya bellowed out, like she was about to shake protection money out of the doctor. "Banchou ain't gotta take no shit from ya or any of yer friends at the faculty office, so zip it ya two-rate, pale-ass, milk-drinkin', patient-drillin', quack-made, dry-red-eyed, pasty-skinned, knobheaded, huge forehead'd, underpaid, handsanitizer sniffin', non-vacationin', student-abductin', mixer-goin'-yet-still-a-single, pushin'-forties, bandage-chokin'---"

--- And from there it developed into absolute gibberish that was a horrible mixture of Kansai dialect and Satsuma dialect, becoming something utterly incomprehensible.

A verbal onslaught that nobody, not even Blaise, could make heads or tails of.

But he didn't need to. After all, on the very second that Kaguya had appeared, the boy had charged into a singular direction, determined to make his retreat and to get himself more room to spare - especially if the woman was about to catch him. The last thing he wanted was to get caught in the corridors, because that would just sport all sorts of disadvantages to him. Thus, in order to either escape or turn the situation into an advantage to himself, the boy did the next most logical thing.

He went straight through the wall, rushing outside that way.

Blaise Pendragon
Aoyama Gakuen, Infirmary Building
Monday - Morning

"I see."

The smile never leaves her face. While it wasn't uncommon for teachers to have a certain level of resistance against the more threatening demeanor of delinquents, the nurse approaches the situation with the same calm serenity as before, rather than going towards the "cool and collected" default many of the teachers at this school would have responded to those sorts of insults with, indeed...

Rather than start to lecture, or even to make a startled movement due to the sudden jump scare...

"Yes, perhaps, is that how you see it, I suppose I am rather pale, my medical license is perfectly valid, the red eyes are a charm point, I suppose, I'm sensitive about that, I'm actually only twenty-three you know, proper bandage use was one of my first lessons, and-"

Another verbal onslaught emerges to run parallel with Kaguya's own, as if the nurse fully intended to respond to each and everyone of the accusations that appeared and insults that appeared against her, to the point of continuing to debate with the A.I even as her language and words fall away, an unintelligible stream of nonsense being ultimately responded to with little more than the machine-gun like nod of her head, each and everyone one of them representing what must be an "Oh?" now that the only thing that's actually being thrown at her is an unintelligible screech, but at the end-

"How delightful-! You're very lively, although you're also quite rude. A teenager through and through, I'm sure you think everyone's out to get you~?"

The nurse pokes the hologram right in her forehead, a bizarre 'feeling' like 'electricity' shooting through the A.I as her figure is -forcibly- dispersed from the nurse's presence, returned to where she belongs without getting what should have been a guaranteed last word-!

"It's a shame. If you had stayed we could have had a delightful argument, but the two of you ran away... Hmmm... To chase or to let them get away..."

-----

Blaise Pendragon
(Fleeing from) Aoyama Gakuen
Monday - Morning

It wasn't the first time a wall had been completely destroyed, and it probably wouldn't be the last time either. The school itself was supposedly bound in a special Harmonizer Field, so the damage dealt to it was relatively easy to fix... Although even without such a bounded field, the existence of modern magic was something that trivialized many of the tasks that had taken considerable time in the past, hell...

You had grown up in a world where a destroyed building could be completely rebuilt over the course of a few hours...

Aoyama being Aoyama, it was probably for the best that that sort of thing was possible nowadays. A strong status quo was needed in a town full of weird phenomena, and as you sprint away from the bizarro nurse with rubble crumbling along behind you, you are aware that turning back at this point would be an action that would only get you captured-!

---While she doesn't seem to be chasing you straight away, you treat that hesitation as simply a chance to get more distance from both her and the school, and while you can spy some students come drifting towards the noise from outside to see what was going on you pay them no mind, getting out of there before any of the other teachers -or some teachers pets- tried to get in your way-!

Of course, a desperate sprint is a desperate sprint.

While you manage to escape from the school grounds easily enough, your momentary glance behind you -to ensure a certain silver-haired weirdo hasn't burst her way out of the wreckage like a rocket- ultimately leads to you running into another person on your first few steps into the entertainment district-!

https://i.imgur.com/IJHNU1n.jpg

"..."

It's a tall, dark-haired girl.

Another person to add to the long list of new people you had encountered today due to your numerous attempts to escape various -mostly social- situations, but unlike the others, who had mostly seemed like students of Aoyama Gakuen...

This girl was wearing an entirely different uniform, one that you can't recognize, but that seems to mark her as someone who isn't from Aoyama... And rather than fall over when bumped into with -somewhat considerable- force, she just turns her head slightly to regard you with calm eyes, and after a moment...

"...Running from something?"

Raises an eyebrow.

Blaise Pendragon
(Fleeing from) Aoyama Gakuen
Monday - Morning

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ???

"...Running from something?"

---

Another one...?
Blaise just didn't seem to be able to catch a break. Not even ten minutes after he had made his escape from the school, though the possibility of the weirdo nurse giving chase was still plausible, and already he had bumped into someone else. This time... it was a slightly more suspicious person. Well, not that Dr. Bern hadn't been suspicious as all hell, but this person was so in a different way. After all, it was still school day and yet here she was, walking around Aoyama, near Aoyama Gakuen no less, wearing the uniform of another school.

... There were only few plausible explanations for that.

And at the top of the list was the most common, and cliched, reason of them all: A delinquent from another school, come to pick a fight some thug or another from Aoyama, almost like a dojo challenger the days of old. Only these tended to be louder, more abrasive and all-around more annoying. As much as Blaise couldn't give two shits about his fellow students at Aoyama, they still didn't need some delinquent from another school to ruin their day and turn the school yard into a battleground of supernatural type.

As the bespectacled girl waited for his answer, Blaise weighed his options. He was still possibly being chased, but if he let this possible delinquent get to Aoyama, it'd turn into mess even worse, and thus---

--- The decision was taken out of his hands by the appearance of a certain COMP AI.

"The hell yer starin' at four-eyes, huuuuuhh!?" Kaguya belligerently bellowed out, appearing out of thin air and directing her glare at the girl. Apparently she was quite miffed how she had been dispersed, and was now taking it out on this new girl. "Ya wanna start somethin' ya nerd-faced, emo-haired, office-lady lookin'---"

Blaise clicked his tongue in irritation and swatted the head of his COMP AI. Though it didn't actually hit, the bunny-eared thug yelped a bit and jumped backwards in surprise.

"Kaguya. Shut up," Blaise grunted, annoyed.

His partner-in-crime did as told, though only under protest. She rolled her eyes and give the bespectacled girl a stink-eye before retreating behind her owner.

"Sorzzz, Banchou~" Kaguya answered, sounding not the least bit sorry.

Well, this was a fine mess he had gotten himself into. Not only was the drill-happy nurse of the school who had already taken down his older sister possibly after him, now his COMP AI had gone and antagonized a possible delinquent that had (again, possibly) come to Aoyama Gakuen to look for a fight with someone. Thus, left with little a choice if he wanted to solve this situation fast and perhaps escape without being dragged back to that nurse's office, Blaise hardened his stare into a sort of a glare and folded his arms.

The girl had not have budged even when bumped into with a considerable force - therefore, it was clear she was at least tough.

And there was only one language tough people tended to listen, at least when it came to delinquents of this town.

"Don't know how it's any of your business what I'm doing," Blaise finally answered, staring down at the girl. "Especially considering you're someone wearing the uniform of another school, skulking about Aoyama Gakuen like a thug looking to spraypaint the sports field."

His eyes narrowed. Now this was closer to his natural element than the school itself.

"So the real question is... the hell are you doing here?"