XBLAZE - Concurrent:Butterfly [IC]

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)
Crystal: Phase 1 (Clear)

"What's Tomobiki like?"

Pausing, as if trying to figure out the best way to describe it, the young woman ultimately lets out a small chuckle before answering:

"Well, it's a pretty small, out of the way country town, so it's pretty quiet and uneventful. Most of the stores we have are those small, family operated kind of places, but they started work on a mall earlier this year, so that could be something to look forward to I suppose, other than the Hospital, it'll be the only building that isn't at least thirty years old."

Another pause, then:

"There are some urban legends about town hauntings now that I think about it, and the Inn is a Five Star Inn, but other than that... Nothing particularly notable about the place."

A very honest answer.

While she didn't outright call it boring, you got the feeling that she perhaps thought of it as such deep down, at least a little bit, but when you lean in closer to ask the second of your questions, that girl-!

"That woman is... Kind of a weirdo. She might not look like it right now, she's putting on her adult face for you guys, but once she figures out what someone is good at, she'll latch onto that thing and force you to get way better at it than you'd ever willingly do on your own, because she's a weirdo that finds it fun to train someone only to defeat them again, then repeat the process to infinity, like she wants to be everyone's personal rival! And there's even some sort of reward for actually managing to beat her in something, so everyone kind of falls for it-!"

Fast...

The words that flow out, almost seem rantish in nature...

"And when she's not doing that, she's making up bizarre school rules or new festivals, is overly curious about anything people try to hide even if it's rude, can turn hyper-protective of her students in a heartbeat if she thinks they're in trouble, and just generally seems to do things purely to see what sort of reaction she can get out of people... Having said that... We're not blood related, but she's kind of like my eccentric aunt?"

A sigh, but one made with a smile.

"So I gotta admit she makes life interesting."

[Airen]

Kotetsu Shima
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

Director Nagatani

Do you know chess?

Once again, the reply that pops up beneath the messages tab is one that you don't actually manage to see the woman type into her phone. It hints at either an impossible speed, or an alternative method of reply, but either way, while it takes you more than a few moments to bash your way through the modern battlefield called technology, the woman doesn't appear to share that particular flaw.

Not that many would, if you really thought about it.

Of course, as horrifying as that apparent speed is, there certainly does seem to be a limit to it. As now that a student has actually come up directly in front of her (a young woman with fox ears) it seems that she's more or less focusing completely on her for the moment, with both of her hands clearly visible, rather than one of them lingering in the pockets of her black jacket.

In a way you're thankful, because it gives you time to answer, but...

Before you can...

Your phone starts to bring things up, or rather, swaps to a completely different screen, all of it's own volition. You're not used to this sort of thing so it's slightly concerning, but you knew little things, like the fact that the 'box' that was now taking up a good half of the screen was what an 'application' looked like on these high-tech modern phones, and while it shrinks down to a more normal size after a moment, placing itself beside the 'Messaging' application, you do recognize that such a thing hadn't been there mere moments before on the 'home screen.'

Inside the box, the picture for the application was a simple question mark, and beneath it, what seemed to be the title of the app was...

Just one word.

'Arbitrator.'

Moments later, the message boxes with the Director return as the other app reopens of it's own accord, as if nothing strange had just happened with the device at all.

...Was that how updates worked with these things?

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

"Fufufu, my name?"

Crossing the fingers of her hands together, and resting her head on the bridge formed between them, the young woman continues to act in that slightly chuunibyou way as she regards you with mischievous eyes.

"It is not particularly meaningful to one such as you, Yuuki-kun, but very well, pay close attention, for I will only explain it to you a single time."

Casually using your first name, as if she didn't quite believe in the old mannerisms, the light chuckling comes to a stop as she straightens her posture somewhat, hands on her hips as hints of pride start to show in her body language.

"Within this world, I am called Moto Chiasa. Moto as in "Origin" and Chiasa as in "One Thousand Mornings," while she had said she was only going to explain it a single time, the smile on her face as she closes her eyes and talks with abandon is one that doesn't hint at any real discomfort with the topic at hand, "As a name it certainly captures the strength of my essence well, but if you'd like, there are some other titles by which I am called that you can refer to me as, such as the exalted one, the foreseer, or the Azure Eye... Even She-Who-Can-See-Beyond-The-Veil is a fitting title for one such as myself."

Laughing again, she returns to resting her head on her propped up hands, although her eyes never really leave your form.

"Of course, the mundane society has little use for such titles, so I will allow a simple "Moto-Senpai," from those like you."

Having offered you a wide variety of names, it seems that, ultimately...

The girl has actually already decided in what manner she wishes to be referred to...

Is she serious...?

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

Even her name sounds like something she picked for herself.

Yuuki really wonders how this girl - Moto Chiasa - could act "cool" like that with so much confidence. He knew he certainly doesn't have the courage to do so, yet here she is, explaining her name and associated titles with pride.

He made sure to remember at least one of the titles she mentioned before finally...

'... Senpai? She's my senpai?'

Looking at the fortune-telling girl once again, she certainly doesn't look the part; she's quite short, and her face gave the impression of a cute first-year rather than a seventeen-year old girl. Then again, 'never judge a book by its cover' came to mind, and he certainly have heard of girls who looked much younger than they actually are, but...

Could she actually be one of them?

"... Moto-senpai it is, then." Yuuki finally said after a few moment of silence, deciding to trust what the girl had said before offering his hand with a small smile. "Please put up with me as your kouhai, and I hope we can get along."

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)
Crystal: Phase 1 (Clear)

"Well, it's a pretty small, out of the way country town, so it's pretty quiet and uneventful. Most of the stores we have are those small, family operated kind of places, but they started work on a mall earlier this year, so that could be something to look forward to I suppose, other than the Hospital, it'll be the only building that isn't at least thirty years old."

"There are some urban legends about town hauntings now that I think about it, and the Inn is a Five Star Inn, but other than that... Nothing particularly notable about the place."

Tsugumi did his best to pay attention, you could never tell what would be important with information. However from what he could tell in his current state was that it was a rural city with a couple of superstitious civilians. Now normally he'd write off such rumours as utter nonsense but considering his current situation of being one of many super powered teens being secretly relocated by a covert organisation that he himself would have considered to he nonsense perpetuated by conspiracy theory idiots bu only a few months ago... the fact there was an actual vampire just down the hallway wasn't exactly helping.

He'd have to take it at face value and hope there wasn't another vampire sneaking in the shadows. He was however optimistic about what else she said though, boring was the ideal goal after all. He couldn't help but smile a little

"That woman is... Kind of a weirdo. She might not look like it right now, she's putting on her adult face for you guys, but once she figures out what someone is good at, she'll latch onto that thing and force you to get way better at it than you'd ever willingly do on your own, because she's a weirdo that finds it fun to train someone only to defeat them again, then repeat the process to infinity, like she wants to be everyone's personal rival! And there's even some sort of reward for actually managing to beat her in something, so everyone kind of falls for it-!"

And when she's not doing that, she's making up bizarre school rules or new festivals, is overly curious about anything people try to hide even if it's rude, can turn hyper-protective of her students in a heartbeat if she thinks they're in trouble, and just generally seems to do things purely to see what sort of reaction she can get out of people... Having said that... We're not blood related, but she's kind of like my eccentric aunt?"

Did that woman take a single breath during that rant?

The principal seemed to be the worst match up for him; overbearing, unpredictable, erratic, hyper-competitive, insisting on forming rivalries with everybody... Seemed as if she was a fountain of disorder.
With that, his hopes of a quiet life were utterly dashed; like a bird that had been flying without a care in the world before being shot out of the sky before ricocheting off a building and its corpse left to decay over a week. His unprotected smile had been lost.

He'd just have to just bottle up his disappointment and wait out the first week to get a better scope of things.

Having said that... We're not blood related, but she's kind of like my eccentric aunt?"

He let out his own sigh, albeit a more exasperated one.

"Eccentric Aunts? Preaching to the choir here."

[Airen]

Lucas Guerrin
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Crystal: Phase 1
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

"Obligation?"

Raising only a single eyebrow at the accusatory response, the young woman just lets out a single chuckle in response, as if the idea itself was amusing on some distant level.

"I was never trained for that kind of subtle persuasion," trying hard not to grin even as she sees you give in, the young woman goes back to leaning back a bit against the closed door, eyes closed, hand resting on the back of a nearby chair, "Never been high enough in the ranks to become a spy for the Intelligence Department; I'm just a low-rank soldier through and through, if I wanted to do something like that, I'd have my partner do the talking, she has actual skill at that sort of mental terrorism."

Manipulation simply wasn't her style.

Eyes open again.

Her mouth twitches as another smile is suppressed through sheer power of will.

"But feel free to keep resisting those earthly desires," having left the bag out in the open, placed now on a nearby tray, the young woman crosses her arms once more, "They'll start to deform in my pockets if I hold onto them for too much longer, eating them now is the only way to keep from wasting em; you're not the type to waste free resources, right? And I've got to get rid of em somehow."

So saying, the cheer slips naturally back to stoicism as she draws out her phone, other hand snaking out to eat a single one of the donuts herself.

"...Besides, I have a feeling we'll be having a meeting with the Colonel after we arrive, so I'd eat now while you have the chance."

The phone goes back to her pocket, as casually as it had been withdrawn from it.

"Colonel Isako has a tendency to drag briefings on a bit."

[Airen]

Yoko Aoyama
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

"..."

Her stare is actually quite intense.

Looking up at the (older?) woman with innocent eyes of your own, the principal's response to your permission is something that takes a few moments to really get going, as if there were still a few mental hurdles of her own that she still had to overcome in spite of the apparent permission from a student that she had never actually expected would talk to her this easily.

Yes.

For a moment, she just looks at you, as if reevaluating whatever preconceptions she had held about you from information she had already possessed, and, sensing no real hostility from it, you look back without fe-

"Oh my god you're adorable..."

-ar?

In a flash, stoicism gives way to a blatant superhuman speed as the older woman suddenly seems to be in multiple places at once as something inside of her seems to 'snap' and you suddenly find yourself being observed from multiple angles as the woman 'circles' you once in the span of a single heartbeat, leaving behind afterimages the whole way, to the collective shock of the observing students.

"You've got the looks to pull it off, too... Flawless like a doll... You even have a tail-! Is this what Ishana is doing now? It's honestly a better use of their time than searching for the blue I must say-!"

Moving around quickly, her voice comes out just as quickly as she bombards you, or rather herself, with all sorts of observations about your appearance, however...

She only touches you once.

Right after the hyper-fast 'once over,' a simple, gentle pat on the head that seemed perfectly designed to not cross any particular boundaries between principal and protege.

"So soft too... Do you think those kinds of ears would look alright on me if I tried to give myself a pair? I've been doing a bit of planning for Halloween, and-"

In that instant, she seems to realize exactly how much she was damaging her 'stoic badass' persona, and...

"...Ah... Ahem. My apologies, it is an interesting sorcery."

The cough into her hand, followed by said hands going back in their pockets, becomes a poor attempt to repair her formerly intimidating aura.

An awkward silence threatens to follow.

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)
Crystal: Phase 1 (Clear)

"Oh? You got experience with that sort of thing as well?"

More clearly invested in the conversation now, Mizuki looks back up at you with an unfading sympathetic smile, as if the talk about the principal had put her in some bizarre mood that was just as happy as it was exasperated.

"What's the deal with yours? She the type that tells embarrassing childhood stories in front of new friends? I ranted a bit at you, so it's only fair that I take a bit of ranting from you in return."

But now that she was getting into the conversation, it seemed that your attempts to keep the majority of the talk coming from her side of the dialogue were slowly losing their effectiveness...

Yes.

Quickly and easily, perhaps without meaning too, your own choice of words had directed the flow of the conversation right back into your corner.

[Daiki]

Lucas Guerrin
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Crystal: Phase 1
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)


Rhea's assessment about their new superior seemed accurate.

"Sure looks like she enjoys her own voice," he allowed.

And grandstanding apparently.

Lucas wasn't biased in that regard. So long as the woman would deliver on her work and maintain things in order, she could be as eccentric as she wanted. Plus, having his boss spreading her attention would allow him to slip away when it would feel convenient.

But right now, he was concerned with a more pressing matter; to satiate his hunger for fried dough. Lucas thus placed the bottle on the tray next to the bag, his face purposely turning away from Rhea.

He took another.

It was true that he had yet to eat anything. His initial idea had been to get something to munch on while he would explore the town later that day. He could go for days without a proper meal but there was hardly any reason for refusing food when it was offered. Especially in a situation like this. He had wished to interact with someone earlier and here he was trading words with another teenager he was likely to meet again.

Hardly anything to complain about. Except for one thing. While Rhea had twisted his lack of restraint into a logical point, as a courtesy he suspected, the fact that she was suppressing her emotions made him feel uneasy.

"No need to hold back."

He glared in her direction to give emphasis.

"I wouldn't take offense even if you were to burst into laughter. In fact, I would rather have you be straight with me. I'm not the kind to mince words nor am I any good at holding back."

As you probably noted, added his frown.

He didn't think he would have much to worry much about Rhea since she hadn't given alarming signs, but he made a mental note to be on guard when interacting with her partner.

It was already difficult to deal with people on a regular basis, but the calculating types, those who had subtle agendas were the worst of the bunch to someone like Lucas. It was mostly out of dread from people with hidden goals that he usually kept his distance. If he couldn't understand the way they thought, there was always a possibility for them to become a liability, at best, or a menace, at worst. Being left in the dark meant feeling helpless. Again.

As such, being truly honest with one another would be required for any kind of trust to form, no matter the person he would interact with.

If Rhea's friend was indeed inclined towards psychological warfare, he would have reasons to fear even a single meeting with her. Fortunately, he was not out of options either. The good ol' stay-under-the-radar tactic should be effective. In case the "confrontation" would become inevitable, he should be fine so long as he didn't appear threatening nor overly close to Rhea. All he had to do, was to remain careful.

And if everything else failed, he still had a trump.

Worst case scenario, I unleash Hailey on her.

"..."

Yes, it was cruel, but survival sometimes meant tainting your soul.

[Kuroyuki]

Yoko Aoyama
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

"..."

After I gave her my consent, she just stared intensely at me instead of petting me. Did I do something wrong? Maybe I just assumed that she wanted to based off of what Kasumi said. But she didn't say anything... So I just kind of stared back at her until she did something... Whatever it was...

Oh my god you're adorable...

Eh? I only managed to think that before I was surrounded... But not surrounded on all sides. Instinctively, I thought she was using some kind of sorcery. Yet despite that... I didn't feel a hint of seithr usage. I was surrounded by sheer inhumanely speed to the point that she left behind "physical" afterimages.

The only people I knew capable of doing that was Himari and Kasumi's older sister. After that instant, she was in front of me looking as if she never moved a muscle.

"You've got the looks to pull it off, too... Flawless like a doll... You even have a tail-! Is this what Ishana is doing now? It's honestly a better use of their time than searching for the blue I must say-!"

Isn't it normal for a kitsune to have a tail as well? I don't remember any of the foxes missing tails so isn't this normal? Ishana... Isn't that where Kasumi and Himari's friends are from?

"Not Ishana. Miyazu."

After I mentioned that, I was patted once. I was expecting more than a single pat. I looked at her with vague disappointment. I wasn't expecting a full petting but a little would've been fine...

"So soft too... Do you think those kinds of ears would look alright on me if I tried to give myself a pair? I've been doing a bit of planning for Halloween, and-"

I thought briefly on that. She would look good with it but I feel something else would fit her better. So I shook my head and pulled up my phone to see if I could find something better looking for Halloween.

"...Ah... Ahem. My apologies, it is an interesting sorcery."

Maybe this would be better for her? I didn't notice the awkward silence due to me singlemindedly focusing on finding a better image for her. I showed my phone to her with what I thought would work better for her theme and Halloween.

"Halloween?"

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

"Hahaha, yes, yes of course, you catch on very quickly, so I'm sure we will get along just fine."

...She seemed very pleased by the fact that you had given into her light demand; smiling and chuckling, as if she had just emerged victorious in some sort of battle she had been fighting for ages...

One that had started long before she had ever met you, but one that is often fought by those of a less imposing stature.

"Yes, to hear those words, 'Moto-senpai,' is a delightful sensation," laughing aloud, talking just as much to herself as you, the girl's mood definitely seems to have shot towards the heavens for some reason, "If you were a bit shorter this would be perfect... But alas, fate has cursed you with height, lament your destiny Yuuki-kun."

Yes...

There was definitely some sort of ingrained issue here...

"Now as a senpai, I suppose it is my duty to aid my more mundane underclassmen," gracefully stepping away from the little hints of height jealousy she had been dropping left and right, the young woman immediately regains that (try-hard) mysterious voice of hers, "You do not seem to know much of the hidden world, and we have some time to kill, so let me ask you this..."

A pause, then:

"...Have you ever heard of a guy named Ripper?"

A question that probably already knows you lack the answer too, but one...

Designed to make you ask her to elaborate.

This one really... Liked to boost her own ego it seemed...

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

"Yes, to hear those words, 'Moto-senpai,' is a delightful sensation. If you were a bit shorter this would be perfect... But alas, fate has cursed you with height, lament your destiny Yuuki-kun."

Ah. He understands now.

This girl, Moto Chiasa... seems to have a problem or an issue with her height, if her wishing for him to be shorter is of any indication. And because she seems so happy and delighted that he called her 'senpai' just like she wanted...

Could it be that she's used to be looked down by others, both figuratively and literally?

If so, then it certainly explains her rather eccentric behavior and personality. Yuuki himself doesn't really know the feeling of being short, but she seems happy when he played along... Maybe there is an immense satisfaction in seeing someone taller like him give her the respect she wanted?

In any case, there is no harm in following her wish at the moment.

"Now as a senpai, I suppose it is my duty to aid my more mundane underclassmen. You do not seem to know much of the hidden world, and we have some time to kill, so let me ask you this...Have you ever heard of a guy named Ripper?"

Like so. Giving a question that he certainly doesn't know the answer of, and thus designed to make him ask her to elaborate; The girl certainly likes to boost her own ego.

But there is no problem with that; Watanabe Yuuki doesn't dislike people like Moto Chiasa, and he doesn't mind playing along if it makes her, the first friend that he made in Tomobiki, happy. Being confident is a good trait too, as long as it is within reason.

Besides, she does offer information, and the name 'Ripper' sounds important and ominous... certainly something that he wanted to know. After all, Knowledge is, as they say, power.

"I haven't." Yuuki admitted before he looked at the purple-haired girl curiously. "Could senpai please elaborate about this 'Ripper?' He seems like someone that I need to know... and maybe avoid, if his name is of any clue."

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)
Crystal: Phase 1 (Clear)

Well this was the worst, he was going to have to open up. Now Tsugumi didn't want to make a scene so he took the best option and would describe everything you'd come to know if you had met Ms Naoko Arakawa about 5 minutes ago.

"Now she isn't the type to show off pictures or tell tales, she's not really that kind of aunt. She's honestly the sweetest person I know but she tends to have some... quirks."

Tsugumi gulped, his eyes darted about the cartridge to make sure nobody else was listening but fortunatly for him, that keen-eyed Principal had recently seemed to become distracted by the Fox-eared Shrine Maiden. With intense head patting apparently following, he turned back his apparent confident.

"She's absolutely obsessed with Edwardian England. She speaks pompously as if she's the star in one of those period dramas she keeps watching, the only thing she seems to wear are those really old fashioned suits and dresses from almost two centuries ago, and they're nearly always in red too! I don't even know where she get them from but she always seems to have a few spare. She says she likes to quote the queen too but I know for a fact she isn't talking about Alexandra of Denmark so it's probably one of the Victoria's or the Tudors who were like 500 years before that era of the county.

Even though she's my aunt, she practically raised me by herself so she's more like a mother... maybe even a step mother? I don't even know how to describe it but she feels more familiar than 'Just an Aunt'."

Now there was quite a lot more that he could get into but those matters were personal to his aunt and it was by no means his place to say anything but for the sake of the conversation flowing and to keep his acquaintance sated for now, he stopped on the things that were close to him for now and sought to divert the flow away from him once more.

Naturally he gestured towards the excited principal once more.

"Mizuki-chan, my aunt likes dressing up and seeing people do it too but she's never shown quite that particular kind of fascination as yours. Maybe they would get along?"

[Airen]

Yoko Aoyama
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

"Ah, I see, little bat wings, huh..."

One hand coming to rest beneath her chin in thought, the crimson-eyed woman eyes the phone's screen with a rapt attention that does little to dilute the affects of her earlier antics.

"Yes, I suppose that would be more fitting," nodding at you with a smile, the woman doesn't seem to mind the fact that you (and everyone else on the train) had caught onto her (not very well hidden) vampirism, or at least, the apparent vampirism, "The charming royal vampress, I suppose someone of my nature can't really go wrong with that as a costume, I'll take that advice to heart, little one."

There's a pause after this, before the woman snaps her fingers a single time-

"In return for that advice, I'll give you this, one good turn deserves another after all, that's always been my motto."

-And presents you with a small box.

One that lacks any extravagant markings of any sort, and is the plainest looking box you've ever seen...

Until you find the giant question mark on the bottom of it.

A sort of gift that Nagatani Isako is known to handing out to students as a 'reward' for accomplishing certain tasks or getting exceptionally high grades, although she has also been known to hand them out for reasons of "pure amusement" on her part. True to the name, the contents of the Mystery Box are never obvious, and indeed, even those who possess the ability to scan objects for this exact purpose often fail to pinpoint their true nature; a trait that Isako claims exists because the box's contents actually aren't decided until you open it, making it a sort of Schrodinger's Box.

Although this is probably a lie.

Sometimes super useful, and other times completely useless, it has also been said however, that the principal never does things 'thoughtlessly.'

[Airen]

Lucas Guerrin
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Crystal: Phase 1
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

"Ah, I see."

Rhea for some reason, seemed genuinely surprised at your words.

"My partner, Iris is her name, always told me it wasn't polite to laugh at people I didn't know, so I should try not to, but if you'd prefer that I do, I can oblige."

It was a point of view that possessed a hint of childishness, or at the very least, a sort of dependence on this partner of hers if she went so far as to actually base parts of her social behavior on what this other woman had apparently told her was and was not appropriate. Of course, this wasn't entirely surprising, Rhea seemed relatively young, a fellow teenager, and those of your age more often than not wound up partnered with older agents (initially) for training purposes, so a 'partner' relationship could quite easily go in a 'parental' direction in those cases if the two stayed together beyond the training stages, but...

From just her expressions alone, it was difficult to tell what kind of person she thought her partner was, although the light smile seemed to hint at a positive connotation existing in her mind...

But still... Since you knew partners had a tendency to be 'protective,' your immediate decision to avoid this person if at all possible can't be thought of as truly paranoid...

After all...

Hailey was your trump... Even though the cruel thought sent shivers down your spine every time it appeared...

No one deserved that...

"So, now that we've come to that understanding I'll say this, I was stationed in Tomobiki before... This... Happened to me. If you want to ask anything about the town, I was put on this train with the rest of the transfers to answer those early questions. If you've got any, fire away."

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

"Of course."

Leaning forward slightly, the girl winks at you once, although her expression takes on a more serious air soon after, as if she was gathering all of her dramatic tension for the sole purpose of telling a story.

"Ripper is, or rather was, the first Strange Red that the Agency ever encountered, in fact, a couple of years back, the term was so synonymous with him that he himself was often called "The Strange Red."

Sitting up straighter now, the girl raises a single finger towards you, as if to further draw your attention to her.

"As his name suggests, Ripper was... How to say, a Serial Killer of sorts; nineteen deaths before he became a Union, then six more deaths, all of them police officers, then over twenty more, all of whom were Unions, before he was killed himself... Needless to say, he made quite the negative impression on the Agency. This alone probably wouldn't be too bad, after all, he died in the end so he's not a problem anymore right? But then another one showed up four years ago, a guy calling himself Amon... Who is also a Strange Red, and also a Serial Killer who targets Unions, apparently inspired by his predecessor... Although he was caught at the start of last year by the Agency's third branch in America, so that problem kind of took care of itself too..."

What was she getting at with this...?

"It doesn't have much to do with you at first glance, I know, but... Before you, as far as I know, those two were the only Strange Reds on record, you're following along after them, and they didn't leave the best impression with their actions, to the point where insanity was once considered a requirement to be a Strange Red, so..."

A pause, then...

"Well, it's probably in your best interest not to do anything too suspicious; the higher-ups are gonna wanna watch you the most. And what the Mitsurugi Agency wants, the Mitsurugi Agency gets..."

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)
Crystal: Phase 1 (Clear)

"Hmm, maybe... Isako seems to get along with most people in the end, and playing dress up... Yeah, she'd definitely find that sort of thing pretty fun, she used to mess around with my hair and clothes all the time, said I looked cooler with bangs and a scarf."

Only glancing at the raven-haired principal, whose attention seemed completely devoted to the fox-eared student, the younger girl's eyes narrow in thought, as if she was putting together a mental image from the description you had given her...

"But red old fashioned dresses and suits...? I saw her with someone like that yesterday, before she herded me onto the train to come with her... I think they were talking about whether or not one of the abandoned buildings was owned by anyone, and something about using it for a cafe... I only really remember her because of the clothes, very vivid red, so it drew my attention more than once."

A pause, then...

"That sound like her? I think she got the use of the building in the end, Isako has enough money I could see her just giving away a building in town on a whim... Thinking about it, I'm not entirely sure she understands the value of money..."

A sigh emerges from her lips, as one hand goes up to rub her head, looking for all the world as if the sudden realization had her fighting off a newfound headache.

Almost as if in sympathy...

Your own head starts to hurt, for less obvious reasons that you can't quite place...

Maybe just travel pains...

[Daiki]

Lucas Guerrin
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Crystal: Phase 1
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

Lucas recorded the name Iris as he observed Rhea's rather warm expression spreading on her face. He could tell from such a reaction that their relationship had at least a positive outcome on his interlocutor. Yes, it was not so unusual for people who worked together to come to appreciate each other's company.

Lucas himself had experienced this proximity with Hailey. Though he could argue that it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows. They were both atypical and their respective quirks made for odd interactions at times. However, he could not deny that he valued this bond.

"Don't know about others but, yeah, no need to be stiff with me. Just be yourself," he spoke with a serious face.

Still, not involving himself with Rhea too much would be the right call. Who could tell what a suspicious or jealous tag along would do to him if he was registered as a threat. He had seen how Hailey would get when...

He felt himself shuddering as a certain image flashed before his eyes for a brief moment. After a shake of the head to repel something that was better left unsaid, the boy focused once more on the other Sleipnir.

Yes, sticking to professionalism should do the trick, at least until he could get a sufficient profile on Iris. Besides, even if Rhea wasn't someone who gave him an antagonistic vibe, he could not consider her worth more than a colleague, or fellow student for that matter, right now. He had just met her after all.

But an opportunity to test her had eventually been brought up. By the concerned person no less. It would be a good way to see how reliable she could be. Lucas ignored the attempt at empathy and went straight to the part that interested him, making a point to tell her that such worry was wasted on him.

"Fine then, rather than questions though, I would prefer hearing you list anything notable about Tomobiki. Important people, shady rumors, gathering places, forbidden areas... The good, the bad, the suspicious. The not-worth-a-mention kind too."

Lucas crossed his arms. Had it been someone else, he would not entertain the thought of questioning someone he barely knew. But she was a Sleipnir who had not only previously visited the place but, also served there. And she had been the one to offer intel, so it was not like he was forcing her to talk.

"Also, tell me of your personal experience there. Anything that felt amiss, in particular."

It didn't matter how much of it she would be willing to reveal nor even know about. He simply needed something to work with. Once arrived, it would be easy enough to double-check facts and separate hearsay from reality. In fact, he could actually do that now.

Lucas caught his phone and sent a text to Hailey.

Lucas

Currently stuck with another Sleipnir.
Fetching truth. Confirm what you can.
I'll treat you to something later.

Hailey had already been to Tomobiki earlier. So it would not be hard to cross testimony about the place. Lucas couldn't imagine Hailey wasting a chance to nose about in town while she was there by herself. She would know at least enough for him to verify some of Rhea's shared knowledge.

On the field, the slightest amount of inaccurate data could get you killed. It was something he had experienced in the past and he was not willing to repeat that. If Rhea managed to provide him with solid info, it would prove that she was not only honest, but she would transition from a mere student to a potential asset.

Let's see how sincere you are, Rhea Dirlam.

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

"..."

The story was far crazier than anything he had expected.

To think that he first Strange Red was such a notorious serial killer was unexpected and shocking; not only that, but the second one was apparently inspired by the Ripper and went on a similar rampage before being caught...

It... doesn't feel real. Even after knowing that the supernatural is real, those numbers are so crazy and detached from reality that Yuuki couldn't truly comprehend how someone could be so monstrous. Even just thinking about it made him shudder; what kind of monster kill people, police officers and unions alike and stopped only when he was killed?

But more than that, Mitsurugi Agency hasn't told him any of this before.

He suppose it makes sense, seeing the previous two cases of Strange Red. Until it could otherwise be proven wrong, all previous Strange Reds are insane and killers, so assuming he's the same might be the safe assumption to make. And if Amon became a serial killer because he was inspired by Ripper, then preventing him from learning this information would hopefully prevent him from following his predecessors...

But he doesn't even know that he is the third Strange Red to be recorded in history.

It was unbelievable. He thought that when they told him that Strange Red was rare, it was the normal kind of rare, not "You're literally the third person to have this symptom in history" kind of rare. If words get out, then he doesn't even want to imagine what kind of attention he'll get, though thankfully it seems that that is not the case.

As they say, ignorance is bliss.

"It seems I have something to prove to the agency then. I'll keep that in mind." He replied after listening intently to the fortune-telling girl. Not like he could actually think much of what could actually be considered "suspicious," and he's not the type who break rules just for the sake of it, so he's pretty sure he's safe in that regard, but...

"Moto-senpai," He began, "I really thank you for sharing this with me... I have no idea about them at all before you told me. But..." He questioningly tilt his head. "This doesn't seem like information that many people know. So how do you know about it?"

A pause, before he remembered what the girl said as a reply to his first question and a metaphorical light bulb went on in his head with a small 'ah.'

"Was it because of your divine providence as well?"

An educated guess, accompanied by a small smile.

[Kuroyuki]

Yoko Aoyama
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train), Tomobiki Outskirts
Phase: Early Morning, Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly
Seithr Rating: 40, (Safe)

”Ah, I see little bat wings, huh…”

The principal stared at my choice with rapt attention like a critic evaluating someone else’s work for an art competition of the highest caliber. Granted I don’t think anyone is falling for her attempt to look cool. I was more concerned about my choice for her than her cool attempt.

”Yes, I suppose that would be more fitting.”

“The charming royal vampress, I suppose someone of my nature can’t really go wrong with that as a costume, I’ll take that advice to heart, little one.”

Upon hearing approval at my choice, I was a little happy. To be honest, I was a little anxious giving my opinion to someone who I just met. Especially since she seemed to be a “vampire” and I assumed she would be fine with dressing as one. It was a cute one but still a vampire. Granted, that didn’t show as I merely nodded my head slightly while my tail waggled a little bit more than usual.
I expected to be thanked and head back to my seat for the rest of the ride. Of course what I was expecting was different than what others wanted to do as usual. So I saw her snap her fingers and suddenly a box appeared?!?

”In return for that advice, I’ll give you this, one good turn deserves another after all, that’s always been my motto.”

She handed me a very nondescriptive box. A box that lacked anything that denoted where it was from or who made it. I started moving it around to see if there was anything to distinguish it from being a very plain box. The only difference was the giant question mark that was underneath it. I looked at the principal in what passes for me as confusion before realizing that I haven’t thanked her yet. I gave a respectful bow towards her.

“Thanks.”

Before turning around and heading back to my seat as if nothing occurred. Once I got back to my seat, I started observing it before ultimately deciding that I should update Kasumi.

Texting

Kasumi! New phone!

Yeah, they really spoil the students here! Everyone was given one...I'm a little jealous of how much money the Agency seems to have...

Anyways, are you close?I'm waiting at the station to pick you up.

You got one too? Yay!

10 minutes.

Kasumi. I somehow got this from the principal.

I took a picture of the box with the question mark up top before sending it as an attachment.

Texting~

Kasumi! New phone!

Yeah, they really spoil the students here! Everyone was given one...I'm a little jealous of how much money the Agency seems to have...

Anyways, are you close?I'm waiting at the station to pick you up.

You got one too? Yay!

10 minutes.

Kasumi. I somehow got this from the principal.

Want to open it with me?

​