XBLAZE - Concurrent:Butterfly [IC]

[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)

"No, dying would definitely be an unwanted outcome."

Putting a stop to that darker line of thought with a clear voice, Rhea's expression is nevertheless serious, as if this topic wasn't something that she was willing to joke about.

"Zero may beat her opponents up, but she doesn't kill anyone. That alone makes her an automatically more favorable opponent for my purposes," eyes closed, the girl sighs as she speaks, "I have access to advanced users of healing sorcery, so the chances of wounds being permanently crippling are close to nonexistent, so long as I can avoid being outright killed, the long-term consequences can be mitigated... However, even if that was not the case, there is someone I need to be able to beat in the future; and I need to be able to do it the next time I see them or it'll be too late."

Someone that she needed to beat...?

Clearly not intending to elaborate any more than this, the girl's gaze also moves towards a nearby window.

"Formal training can only take you so far, if I have to risk more than normal to see this through, then that's just how it is."

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: ???
Day Phase: ???
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: ???
Seithr Rating: 0
Crystal: Phase 1 (Clear)

"..."

While they do not try to stop you at first, the moment you sense one of the figures, the girl, slowly reaching out for you as if to grab and stop you, your instincts take over, and you wind up running away, far from the insanity of this fantasy. Because it is a reaction to the actions of the luminescent figures, your body's way of telling them that you were serious when you said that you were getting out of here, by the time you stop you've covered a considerable distance here in the endless world of blue and black.

Considerable enough, that none of the three figures are within the line of your sight anymore, and you are once again, or perhaps for the first time, completely alone here in this place.

Without the presence of the luminescent figures, the world has taken on a much darker tone.

Rather than the lighter clouds of the previous area, the section that you're in now is filled with something that resembles storm clouds, pockets of gas so dark that you can't see what lies on the other side of them. Combined with the sudden silence, the lack of even the wind, the atmosphere becomes eerie, and a sort of instinctual anxiety starts to build within your chest.

For a moment, you wonder if you made a mistake.

For a moment, you wonder if this was your subconscious punishing you.

For a moment, you wonder why you haven't woken up yet, and then-

"Receiving Transfer: Magical Element Levels at 40% of the Minimum. System Startup will become possible momentarily."

-You hear your voice again, echoing out from nowhere this time.

Or perhaps from the world itself?

Regardless, even if it's only your own voice, the sound of it makes you feel a bit better, like the dream wasn't going to just suddenly turn into a nightmare like you had begun to fear. Of course, the words of that other you seemed to be hinting at the fact that the 'transfer' was seemingly going on in spite of your wishes, but...

At least the silence was broken.

Alas, the moment you start to feel better, the world changes once more, this time so suddenly that you are able to recognize it as a 'sudden' change, rather than a 'subtle' one.

The blue darkens almost to the point of darkness itself.

Clouds churn, the winds going from completely silent to storm-like in their intensity.

And just like the white silhouettes from before, something humanoid appears on the edge of your vision, floating towards you in a way that denied humanity; unlike the previous figures, it's black figure is only visible because of the vivid, violet, hair-like threads that hug it's feminine form and trail along behind it.

And if the dream's cognition had been implying you should work with the other three, who while strange, had never struck you as 'hostile'...

What you feel now... The creeping panic of a nightmare...

Is implying the exact opposite.

[RacingeR]

Loraine Irwin
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train)
Phase: Early Morning, Before Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly.

Lori’s eyes lit up at Vier’s answer, momentarily ignoring the boy as she focused on her phone, as it once again became golden in color. Suddenly, red flame patterns appeared all over it, spreading through its surface as if the phone itself had caught fire.

However, Lori’s eyebrows shot up a little as if she had come up with another idea, and the colors of the phone switched once again, the surface of the phone becoming a deep red, before being covered in beautiful golden flame patterns that gleamed under the light of the rising sun. Seeing this, the witch nodded, satisfied, and turned towards Vier. “Truly wisdom worthy of the Sage title.” She nodded in all seriousness, as if Vier had just revealed her a secret pearl of Sorcery. If Nina was around, her head would’ve probably met the nearest hard surface posthaste.

Then, Lori finally turned to look at the boy. She had noticed his words and his slight irritation the moment before, but the witch completely ignored it, not caring much about his reaction.

“I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage here. You are...?” She asked in an indifferent tone, neither friendly nor hostile.

[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)

Being terrified of meeting your eldest sister's (NOT!) friend sounds silly. Those people also haven't met her. Irmina von Einzbern is overbearing... Being in the same area as her instantly meant you were likely to be force to dress up, be her assistant to anything she does, and that's just the tip of the iceberg...

You can't fight her because you can't outlast her. Running from her only meant you were delaying the inevitable because she somehow appeared wherever you were going to run. Case in point, Kasumi was already decisively defeated. She tried to avoid Irmina before she was found, and then she couldn't win against her directly. Maybe I could hide if I pulled out a hoody...

I was so busy with trying to figure out how to hide that I completely missed a ball rolling nearby me and a person coming to get it.

"Hey... You feeling alright? No one pulled your tail, did they?"

I slightly jumped in surprise, my ear and tail straightening briefly, before looking at the person who addressed me. It was a blonde guy with a sincere expression wondering if I was okay. They seemed nice, but why are they asking if someone pulled my tail? That seems like an odd thing to do.

I gave him a nod to indicate that I was alright (for now) and then a shake to indicate that no one has pulled my tail. I was only counting down on my phone till my doom arrives and considering if there was any way to avoid her, but other than that I was fine.

[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)



A silence followed, with Lucas looking at the scenery, which changed ever so slightly as the train approached its destination.

The will to go to considerable lengths in order to fulfill one's goal, regardless of self-preservation. Truthfully, it was akin to watch his reflection in a mirror.

How odd.

If Rhea had that kind of resolution, none of what he could formulate would dissuade her. Not that he intended to. And even if he had, there was no room for him to deny her that. It simply wasn't his place.

One detail that stood out was that Rhea was currently lacking the power to defeat this archenemy of hers. What she didn't realize, or probably choose to ignore, is that she could share that responsibility with others. Maybe she didn't want unrelated people to get involved or just wished to prevent others from getting hurt. It was probable that her partner was working with Rhea on that, yet he had no way to know that unless he asked. Which he wouldn't.

But none of that mattered, because Lucas followed his own selfish logic.

As things were, he was not about to leave a debt festering for too long, as it went against his few principles. She had offered him food, something for his eye and information. The least he could do was to grant her his help.

When Lucas spoke, it was in a professional tone.

"No reason to carry such a burden all alone. I won't ask the reasons, in exchange I don't want to hear you babble about how someone like me shouldn't get unnecessarily involved."

He turned to face her, his face a mask of neutrality.

"So, let's make a deal," his suggestion was left hanging in the air for a second. "You help me catch Zero, and I'll offer you support in your quest to become stronger. Maybe even assist whenever you want to settle the score with that 'adversary' of yours. I'll leave it to you to decide how much involvement you allow me in your personal vendetta. Of course, concerning Zero, I'll take much of the credit," Lucas needed the rep boost, "You can have the reward and a go with your superhero."

One could see it as cooperation between fellow Sleipnirs... with a touch of personal commitment.

The boy shrugged.

"You don't have to answer now, but let's, at least, exchange numbers," he suggested. "It will be better than having to go through a third party in order to reach each other."

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: ???
Day Phase: ???
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: ???
Seithr Rating: 0
Crystal: Phase 1 (Clear)

"W-What?"

The first thought in Tsugumi's head was confusion as he mumbled out the question. He had mistakenly believed he had escaped these illusions constructed by his consciousness. This couldn't be right. The whole worlds was changing around him, twisting, turning, falling. What was once shimmering and splendid was now quite devoid of life.

His eyebrows raised at the new sight in front of him. It was darkness, a void, completely without life. The... absence was shaped to a tall female humanoid figure in front of him but something was wrong. It held a great presence in front of him, as if the darkness loomed over him, threatening to swallow him whole. The violet, hair-like threads that moved around it were also unnatural, human hair did not move freely like that. It was almost if it was alive like thorned vines but Tsugumi doubted the concept applied to the void.

He was rooted to the spot. He wanted to speak, no - cry out, to deny the reality in front of him like before but only a thin rasp escaped his trembling dried-up lips. His body temperature dropped almost immediately, feeling a cold sweat start to trickle down his forehead and arms. The darkness, the violet, it all warped around him, creating a blurred vision. Tsugumi's heart was thumbing harder and harder, rising with each foot closer the great malevolence came to him till it felt it was beating out of his throat.

The void was deprived of the warmth of the other two: the tall man, the scarfed woman, the other him. As the female figure floated to him like some otherworldly moon presence he felt something in the darkness. Pure killing intent.

...

"Calm down"

Finally a rational thought amidst the swirling chaos.

"Breathe, just breathe."

To escape a dream or a nightmare, there was usually a system shock for lack of better words, the feeling of falling or hitting water for a popular example alerted the body and awoke one from their unconsciousness. He'd need to engage that. Tsugumi clenched his fists as hard as he could, trying to draw blood from the hands but regardless of the sickly iron smell that followed, he was still there. So he focused.

The train, the young woman he had just spoken with... Mizuki-Chan was her name. His aunt, that new Principal of his just bought her a cafe. The pain from earlier, the inhuman ache from behind his eye. Above all else, his crystal.

"Gear..."

The literal brand against his flesh was a reminder of everything he wished to avoid in this world but now a (meta)physical anchor to it - his Drive. As his legs quivered, he felt motion. He was no longer rooted to the spot. He could now engage movement, to charge forward. To dive against the oncoming storm. With that, he flung himself forward towards the Black Beast in front of him - and buckled. He moved down as if to fall through the realms of reality, engaging the pain from earlier to that which he inflicted on himself now.

Those last words he heard rang in his head 'Receiving Transfer: Magical Element Levels at 40% of the Minimum. System Startup will become possible momentarily.'

"Change!"

[Airen]

Loraine Irwin
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train)
Phase: Early Morning, Before Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly

"Shimomura Yuu."

While you had noticed a light annoyance in his eyes from your earlier actions, the voice that responds to your inquiry bears a certain tone of distant formality that makes it clear that the dark haired youth has no real intention of being blatantly rude with his words, or rather, he is the sort that has been raised to at least always sound polite.

"Sorcerer, Senior Year, Envoy of Lord Zehn of the Ten Sages."

Envoy.

In other words, someone who had been given a mission directly by one of the Ten Sages, and effectively carried out their will beyond the borders of Ishana. It was a position that held it's share of benefits and negatives, while you had to continually carry out the will of the Sage in question or risk losing their good graces, doing so in an efficient and loyal manner was one of the fastest methods of improving one's name and reputation on Ishana, and consequentially, increased their chances of being entrusted with Knowledge on Sorcery that the General Populace of Sorcery Users would never manage to get their hands on...

The sort of knowledge that doesn't get written down; and instead exists merely in the Heads of the Sages.

In essence...

Admitting that you were such a person, was also admitting to being something akin to a Teacher's Pet, the Honors Student that doesn't just get flawless grades, but acts completely within the confines of what the Sages find as acceptable. Knowing this, it wasn't particularly strange that you hadn't seen him before now, after all, as an Envoy...

He had likely been allowed to spend much of his time off of the island, which was yet another benefit of the position.

It apparently cut the amount of paperwork you had to fill out in order to leave completely in half.

So it took two weeks for clearance instead of the usual four-!

For someone like you, who had... Other... Less liked ways of finding out sorcery, that benefit alone was the only thing that could even make you consider it.

...Not that you'd be asked to be one anyway.

Caused a bit too much trouble in the past.

"My specialty lies within the realm of Electricity," polite enough to even tell you his major, the youth nevertheless doesn't blink as he gazes back, "I'm pleased to be able to meet you in person, the sages have spoken very... Passionately, about your exploits."

[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)

"Hmm, I see."

Arms still crossed, the shorter girl nods once to herself with closed eyes, as if what you had said had just confirmed something for her.

"Not entirely foolish, but still one of the silly ones when it comes down to it. Someone you know? How long do you have to know them before they cease to be a stranger...? Hahahaha, yes, I see, you're a silly person indeed-!"

Laughing, speaking in a way that's again both scolding and approving, the girl withdraws her blue phone, the new one, and flips it open with an amused smile.

"Well Mr. Fool, it seems that you're someone I'll have to keep my eye on, as a Senpai, it has become my sworn duty."

Nodding at you, emoting as she speaks, that girl:

"So let's swap numbers."

More or less demands you become friends in a more official way.

"Unless... Perhaps... This Evelyn would get upset...?"

...The teasing smile returns without any sense of shame.

[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)

"..."

Had you... Not noticed...?

Having been one of the many people present in the train car during your exchange with the principal, the blonde-youth had been well aware of everything that had gone on since you had stood up, and consequently, started to stand out from amidst the other unions. He had seen the grasps at ears and tail, foiled by the vengeful, moralistic strikes of a brown-haired young woman, and had even foiled one attempt himself, beaming another young man in the head with the soccer ball from across the hall (and consequently losing it as a result), but...

Innocent... Or just naive...?

He had thought you were just putting up a front to ignore it all but... That look...

That look said...

You simply hadn't noticed anything...

In fact, as of this moment...

He was the one who was appearing as 'strange,' even though he had been so sure...

"Uh... I see, well that's good."

Awkward.

Now it's just awkward.

Shifting weight from one leg to another, the young man, whose Japanese bore the hint of an English accent, struggles to find some sort of escape from the situation. He was sure that you had been panicking about something, he had always been good at reading people, but barring an unwanted petting session from some people who were apparently slaves to their fetishes, he couldn't really place what it was-!

He should retreat, but... As a person...

It seemed...

That he just didn't like this sort of thing going unsolved, but-!

How to approach...?

"Uh well... Is that a costume...? The principal said it was sorcery, so they're real?"

Moments after he says it in an attempt to shatter the ice, he regrets it.

Just like the others.

Subconscious enslaved by the fluffy ears and tail.

[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)

"Not entirely foolish, but still one of the silly ones when it comes down to it. Someone you know? How long do you have to know them before they cease to be a stranger...? Hahahaha, yes, I see, you're a silly person indeed-!"

Yuuki cannot denied that it is quite silly; Even he doesn't know how long he must know someone for them to be on his "not abandon" list until it happens. So he merely accepts Chiasa's scolding and approval at the same time.

"Well Mr. Fool, it seems that you're someone I'll have to keep my eye on, as a Senpai, it has become my sworn duty. So let's swap numbers."

He doesn't have any reason to refuse her request of becoming friends - indeed, Yuuki himself wanted to be friends with the girl - so he nods and took out his new blue phone without saying anything.

"Unless... Perhaps... This Evelyn would get upset...?"

Until his senpai said that.

Honestly, this girl loves teasing people too much...

"Evelyn is not that petty." Yuuki replied after a few seconds of stunned silence. "Exchanging numbers merely suggest that we've become friends, and she wouldn't object to me having a new friend."

There is a reason why he hasn't contacted the girl the moment he got his new phone unlike some other students.

It might seem a bit weird, but with the unique way Evelyn interacts with people, Yuuki had rarely interacts with her using a phone. He prefers meeting her directly rather than texting or calling her because it is much more meaningful; it is in their belief that interaction without seeing the other person's face is not quite "interaction."

Besides, thanks to this they basically only call each other if it's something urgent. So if Evelyn sees that he had a girl's number besides her own in his phone, she should have waved it off as "in case of emergency" kind of thing...

... But then again, this is the first time he had exchanged numbers with another girl besides her.

The only thing he can do is to believe in his bond with Evelyn as he agrees to swap numbers with his senpai.

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: ???
Day Phase: ???
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: ???
Seithr Rating: 0
Crystal: Phase 1 (Clear)

The world breaks out from beneath you.

Perceptions opening up, your crystal burns not just with an invisible fire, but with your intentions to use it, the small blue gem glowing with a hungry azure light as it's intentions finally overlap with your own will, and the world seems to shift in a way that only you can perceive.

The black figure, the apparent demon, begins to move at a snails pace. A momentum that had been purposefully slow already, a thing that had seemingly existed for the sole purpose of messing around with your thoughts, the thing that approaches you as you dart forward, is an entity that can be said to be barely moving at all; but that is only natural, because...

As of this moment, for just a little while...

It had been left behind by time, or rather, you were experiencing time in a different way.

While becoming a Union had already made you far, far faster than your average human, the action of throwing yourself down against the ground is one that seems to have happened 'instantly' from the point of view of your opponent. Something that happened faster than the blink of an eye, even most supernatural eyes, from your perspective it is nevertheless nothing particularly extravagant looking in nature.

From your perspective, you were moving the same as you always had; but the 'world' or rather the 'glass' that shatters beneath your feet, that sends you plummeting down into the endless sky, is 'glass' that you perceive as if in slow motion, slow enough that you can dodge them out of instinct; but while you had hoped to jar yourself awake with this initial impact...

Falling down through the sky...

You are still quite present within this dream.

(BGM On)

However, on a more positive note.

Your falling form does not appear to be being chased by the nightmare. It is a realization that you come to shortly after escaping, and this, combined with the sudden panic of hurling yourself to what in normal circumstances would be a human's doom, is enough for you to let off of your drive for a moment, you, knowing more than anyone else, that it was one of the most dangerous Drives to use for an extended period of time, as it was the sort of ability that seemed to cause the Union Disease to progress at a particularly rapid pace.

It was safest to use in bursts, accelerating your own time for split second evasions or impacts, or at least, that was what the doctor, Ariel, had told you after glancing at your chart.

It was something you could have easily figured out on your own, and indeed, you were well aware of the most efficient way to use it, but honestly...

"Receiving Transfer: Magical Element Levels at 60% of the Minimum. System Startup will become possible momentarily."

You'd rather that none of this be happening at all, dream or no dream.

Even so, plummeting to an uncertain end, your heart rate speeds up tremendously as the sound of rushing air, once dulled by your abnormal movement through time, comes back with a rushing full force. Down below the scenery seems to remain little more than clouds, although the dark blue returns as you fall, giving you the impression that you were falling 'out of darkness' and into 'something else.'

Or perhaps, the 'darkness' had simply been a very real effect of the shadow-like figure.

Regardless, it doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon; while you had broken through the glass surprisingly easily and without any real pain, you had expected to hit something more substantial eventually, but the world just seems to go on and on and on, endless is scope, not causing enough real fear for you to 'black out' and return to reality, but right as you start to think that you're just going to fall for the remainder of this dream-

"...!"

The world seems to tilt on it's axis.

And you slam into something hard as you pass through one of the pitch black clouds.

Unlike your previous impact with the floor, this one hurts. Slamming into it an angle, rolling and bouncing from the momentum, the you that is still new to this superhuman business is nevertheless surprised that you didn't wake up upon impact, after all, 'dying' in a dream was normally enough to unleash a surge of adrenaline and kick start the body, but...

For Unions, a high fall wasn't nearly as dangerous as it would be for a normal person. While you hadn't experienced such a thing yourself, and thus, believed that your subconscious would follow it's usual rules, it seems that either the 'subconscious' knowledge that you could survive such a thing had dulled the intensity of your fear, or...

This dream... Didn't really follow the normal rules of logic.

Nightmares are never that easy to escape after all...

Groaning as you finally roll to a stop and stand, your body seems to be mostly fine, things are sore, realistically sore considering the fact this was a dream, but on the flip side, everything was also unrealistically unbroken.

Using your arms to push yourself to your feet...

You jump a bit as you feel hair beneath your fingers, heart rate spiking again as you make a panicked leap back and see-

"..."

A young girl, about 13 or so, laying on her side unconscious.

She's not moving, even though you touched her on accident. Unlike the other beings you've seen so far, she has clear facial features, and definitely seems to be a person. Of course, dreams being the subconscious sorting through things, you're not entirely sure why she's here, after all, you don't really recognize her as anyone from reality, but even as your mind gets a bit distracted by this new information...

"Hello...? Where did you go...?"

A sad voice, a woman's voice, drifts down from above.

Up above, the blue is steadily turning back to black, and judging from previous evidence, that meant...

That 'thing' was coming down here.

You couldn't see it yet, but at the rate of the darkening sky...

Tch-

Looking around, two options immediately leap to mind, you were on a platform now, this one made of a more surreal floating piece of earth, half of which was covered with black clouds. If you wanted, you likely had time to hide in there, hell, even enough time to drag the unconscious girl with you if you felt like it, or...

You could leap off of the side and resume falling, either way...

"You didn't want any of this, right? I can take it away for you."

You don't trust any aspect of that voice.


"Receiving Transfer: Magical Element Levels at 70% of the Minimum. System Startup will become possible momentarily."

[RacingeR]

Loraine Irwin
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train)
Phase: Early Morning, Before Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly.

Oh my.

She had heard about envoys before, she vaguely recalled meeting one or two before? She had never paid that much attention to that position. Sure, it held its benefits, some of the knowledge that could be acquired by serving the Sages directly probably couldn’t be obtained by her own… alternative means, and the reduced clearance time and paperwork was… very tempting, but she knew it was impossible for her.

Her personality made it pretty much impossible for her to work along with people as impossibly uptight as the sages. Well, with the exception of Kuon, who was a cool girl, but Lori had caused too much trouble and wasn’t very interested in the whole thing anyway. Furthermore, the whole being a teacher’s pet rubbed her the wrong way, unless it was someone she could actually respect. Which wasn’t something that had happened so far.

Either way…

Lori directed a radiant smile towards Yuu. “Well, I might as well do my own self-introduction… name’s Loraine Irwin… specialty is… we could say it is ‘redacted’ “ It was less about the information being restricted and more like her major could only be defined as ‘wot’, but either way, some layer of mystery about it didn’t hurt. “And my title and other such stuff, you already know.”

“And yes, I’m not surprised that the sages have spoken of me with intensity, they’re quite passionate about me indeed. Why, yes, good old Zehn truly loves me, he was nearly about to bend his knee and propose marriage, but alas, the age difference… it was not to be. Plus he’d have Eins as a love rival.” Lori shook her head, making a face that plainly said ‘it is troublesome to be this attractive, you know?’. Of course, her relationship with Eins consisted in her trying to infiltrate the deepest, most forbidden vaults of the archives, and Eins teleporting her straight into the sea. Repeatedly.

“It is all so very troublesome, after all with such an age difference… and taking into account our positions, it wouldn’t be appropriate, after all.” Lori waved her hand, trying her hardest to not laugh out loud. She was sure that if the sages involved had heard her, they’d have an aneurysm on the spot.

“But do send my regards to Kuon. She’s a cool girl.” Lori winked at Yuu before looking at the cooler at Vier’s side.

“Can I?” She asked, pointing at one of the bottles of orange juice.

[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)

...

The Blonde Guy looked very... confused? About what? I answered his questions, but for some reason he was still confused. I don't think I answered those wrong then again I did do something conflicting like shake then nod my head. So maybe it's my fault? But he also had an English accent so maybe he isn't good at Japanese? Maybe I should try speaking English...

"Uh... I see, well that's good."

But he just said another sentence in Japanese. So I wonder what is confusing him. I just lightly nodded back at him to indicate I was still listening.

Uh well... Is that a costume...? The principal said it was sorcery, so they're real?

A costume? I looked at my miko hakama wondering if it was considered a costume. But it shouldn't be a costume if I'm a proper miko... I do know how to do the kaguras, taking care of the shrine, and how to exorcise. Not as good as my sisters, but I'm still considered a qualified miko. So there isn't anything weird about me wearing a miko hakama. So what could he be talking about... Wait sorcery? I felt up my ears and thought about it. As for these, I guess it depends on what you consider to be real? They aren't my ears, but at the same time they're kind of mine as long as I don't concentrate on stopping it. I guess if I activated it fully, they would be considered mine... So I guess in most cases, it is mine?

After a long deliberation, I ultimately decided to shake my head at his first question and nod at his second question. Completely unaware that I enraptured another person with my fluffy ears and tail aside from the principal due to checking (again) the time on my phone until I meet my DOOM.

[Airen]

Loraine Irwin
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train)
Phase: Early Morning, Before Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly.

The young man seemed to be trying his best to suppress the twitching of one of his eyes, but the momentary silence that comes after your response is one that is rather delightful in it's own way. The lack of "Lord" and "Lady" in your reference to the Sages was what seemed to be annoying him the most, but just staring at you as you speak, it's hard to tell if he just didn't think the ego inflation was funny, or...

He just lacked a sense of humor completely...

"...Yes, I can see why they're so passionate about you," finally coming to grips with his light disbelief, the young man closes his eyes as he continues, "I will pass your words onto Lady Kuon at my next available opportunity. However, she is a Sage, so it is only respectful to refer to her as Lady Neun, Kuon is too casual, and it is an unfortunate habit that I feel has become a bit too widespread amongst the student body. Lady Vier, as a Sage, should be referred to in a similar way. Yes, I'm sure that if you even fixed this one habit, Lord Zehn would applaud your progress and-"

...A lecture was coming.

It wasn't hard to tell, just from the way he was puffing out his chest, as well as his manner of speech, was enough for the honor student alarms to start screaming in your brain.

Of course, you mostly ignore them, and-

"No, there's no need for the whole 'Lady Vier' thing, always felt a bit too self important for my taste."

Vier, who had silently moved to browse the contents of her cooler once more at your request, shatters the lecture before it could even truly begin to take on real momentum.

"Although, you're one of those people that feels weird if you do that right? So if either of you Ishana Kids wants to call me something needlessly extravagant..."

Still leaning back in that far-too-casual-for-a-Sage way, the hazel haired woman passes you one of the orange juice bottles with a light smile, even as her eyes remain on the darker haired youth.

"Big Sister Vier is fine, or hell, just Big Sister. Onee-Sama... Anything along those lines, really."

...It's hard to tell if she's being completely serious about it.

[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)

"..."

For a moment, the raven-haired girl fails to respond to your suggested deal. Still gazing out the window, as if the passing scenery had lulled her into a sort of trance, the girl's expressions also fail to give away her thoughts, and in this, she is truly acting far more like the Sleipnir she had seemed to be, but...

After those few moments...

Her eyes flicker back to you.

"Okay."

And her phone emerges from her jacket pocket with a casual grace.

"If you mean that, I'm fine with those terms," fingers tapping on the buttons below the screen, the girl's eyes flick back and forth between you and the cell phone, "I have the training areas to myself on Thursday Nights, and a new sparring partner would certainly be refreshing, Iris and the Director normally don't have the time, and I've gotten so used to everyone else that it feels like I'm not making any real progress anymore..."

Explaining away her reasons to agreeing, but also putting forth exactly how far she was willing to let you help her, the young woman nevertheless continues with her eyes closed in thought:

"As for Zero... Actually catching her will be rather difficult, but I'll help as much as I'm able."

Thus...

A sort of deal was struck.

Reciting her own number for you to log into your new cell, and doing the same thing for her, the act of putting the girl under your 'Contacts' List...

Seems to have a bizarre effect on your cell, or rather, the fact that you're so close to Tomobiki, when combined with the action of exchanging numbers...

Had caused the 'TOi Network' app to update itself automatically, something that looked like a calendar flashing up on the corner of the screen. Tapping on it caused it to zoom in, making the text written on it's surface visible, and...

There was a lot more here than expected... Hailey seems to have already scheduled a visit to the ice cream shop on her own, there was a Sleipnir meeting sometime around noon, your deal with Rhea already seemed to be taken into account, or rather, putting her in as a contact had 'linked' your phones together in such a way that her training schedule for the week had suddenly become visible from your own, and...

Ariel...

Seemed to have set aside some extra time for you later in the week...

Might have to try to avoid that...

But even as you ponder the difficult to understand doctor...

Wow, what a cutie~

Hailey finally seems to have seen Rhea's picture, or at least, she finally took the time to respond to it.

By successfully exchanging contact information with another user of the TOi system, Friendship Events that involve them will have a chance of appearing on one's TOi schedule, as the system has been informed that they are someone important enough that you may wish to spend time with them again, and are thus alerted when such a thing will become possible.

Elaboration on event types will occur upon finally reaching Tomobiki.

[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 studied patiently Rhea's body language to try to decipher anything that could translate as agreeing to his terms. However, she was quite adept at hiding her emotions, only seeming contemplative. Whether a personal quirk or the result of thorough training, but she didn't give away anything during the blank in the conversation.

The teenager's suspicion that she would object to the offer only grew larger as Rhea allowed seconds to pass.

Maybe he didn't give her the right motivations or she is expecting something off from a guy she just met. It would be possible that he simply proposed something that had no real appeal to the girl. After all, she hardly knew him and could probably find better sparring partners.

For a single moment, Lucas became overwhelmed with his own train of thoughts. To the point that his brain barely registers when she gives her answer...

"Okay."

The boy managed an eloquent, "Oh...," as an answer.

It became evident that their contract was sealed when she grabbed her own cell. Rhea checking something on it, as she explained the free time during which they could meet. Lucas deduced that the TOi System kept tabs on the users' schedules.

As for Zero... Actually catching her will be rather difficult, but I'll help as much as I'm able.

Lucas acknowledged the final part of the agreement with a shrug.

"I'm sure others tried all that is allowed by the protocol. If she can't be captured by conventional means, maybe it's time to tweak the rules a bit."

Lucas didn't care about the person behind the mask. Nor if she had good reasons to challenge Sleipnir in such a bold and old fashioned way. Whatever generated such a drive to impersonate a false identity was most likely beyond his capacity for empathy. Even if he had more info, he assumed that there was little chance for him to become biased for or against Zero herself.

Outside of this aspect, Lucas found himself to genuinely want to get rid of the wannabe superhero.

The situation with her was hurting the Mitsurugi Agency, as the whole project could end up shut down if enough pressure were put on the higher ups. Even if the location had been chosen with damage control in mind, a bad PR could damage the entire operation as much as bunch of Unions turning crazy and slaughtering the mundane citizens. Nobody likes inner conflict, after all.

Zero, as someone who would stand against the giant's authority, simply had to go.

Either they would find a way to forcefully remove her from the picture or they would negotiate. The former implied outsmarting her, which could become quite the ordeal, as Rhea mentioned, while the latter meant attempting dialogue, which appeared much more realistic. He doubted anyone went out of their way to listen to her demands. Even if he had no intention to particularly become an instrument of her whims, dressing a psychological profile could eventually lead to her capture.

No matter the path, he would have to compare local enforcement's and Sleipnir's own data about the subject, as well as interrogate those who had an encounter with her. Maybe go through the press issues and the town's archives for past events that could be linked. A direct meeting was not out of the question either.

With a satisfied nod to himself, Lucas finished swapping numbers with Rhea and found himself starring at the cell when a notification is given. Lucas redirected his attention to his own calendar, seeing that it had updated automatically, with even his promised outing with Hailey showing up. His face twisted in a crooked smirk as a result.

Must be some really good ice cream.

His grin was short-lived, seeing the appointment on Saturday and the name attached to it. He pretty much vowed to avoid the nurse, by being as far away as possible from the scholar grounds for the entire day.

Regular check-ups were one thing but there was no reason to meet with her outside of these, unless it was under direct orders from the top. And even with a proper motive, that didn't mean he would attend until he felt like it. Basically, no need for purification meant no Ariel.

Still, she should know better by now.

It was sort of a game at this point really. Lucas would skip entire weeks worth of healthcare if it meant to postpone an encounter with the woman. He didn't count the times he had to be escorted by armed guards or threatened to have his salary cut to oblivion if he kept dodging her summonings.

Maybe she has something important to say for once?

Lucas found himself wondering, without truly believing it, that there might be some serious trigger for the sudden request. The disturbing thought was chased away by another notification in the form of a text from Hailey.

The teenager took a perverse pleasure in answering her.

Spoiler:

Gawk all you want but no touching. Need her coherent and able to walk.

With that done, he gave a single glance in Rhea's direction.

"Guess we're done for now," he told her as a way to conclude their exchange.

Indeed, there wasn't much to discuss left at this point and the train was ever getting close to its destination. Might as well part on a somewhat positive note.

An awkward moment followed during which Lucas asked himself what to do at this point. Usually it was at that point someone offered a hand to shake but that was asking too much of him.

"See you around," is all he could muster before giving Rhea a nod and moving away.

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: ???
Day Phase: ???
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: ???
Seithr Rating: 0
Crystal: Phase 1 (Clear)
The first thing Tsugumi did was to get a grasp of his surroundings. In this void he appeared to have broken his fall on some sort of platform shrouded in cloud. His first thoughts were that he could hide in them as the clouds seemed relatively thick, failing which he could always jump out as use his drive one more time to get some more distance though trying to apply logic to this very vivid dream seemed to have mixed results.

The next thing was the red hair in his hands. After almost performing a double take, this person wasn't like the coloured voids. This person was very real. Tsugumi didn't seem to recognise her, perhaps someone he saw on the train? She seemed a bit young compared to the crowd on the way to Tomobiki. If he was going to see a woman, he would have expected to see someone he had been thinking about recently or spoke to like his aunt, the principal or even Mizuki-Chan. Perhaps she was just a random amalgam of data his subconscious had constructed from different people he had seen across his life.

"Hello...? Where did you go...?"

"You didn't want any of this, right? I can take it away for you."

Then there was the ominous feminine voice. It seemed lonely almost as if it wanted company. For a split second he felt something almost akin to sympathy but then... there was the darker aspect of the voice. Whatever 'She' was up there, it was actively looking for him and judging by the tone 'She' had said the phrase take away, she was probably going to try and kill him the moment she caught up.

Tsugumi looked at this girl in front of him and considered...

No.

Basic human compassion had gotten the better of him. He carefully scooped her up with him and kicked off to the platform with the biggest cloud. He and the girl would hide till then or he could try holding onto her and leaping off into the abyss depending on how 'She' up there acted (making a mental note that he may have to start naming these hallucinations he was having for the sake of convenience. Till then he sat and waited, preparing himself for one last usage of his Drive should the need arise.

"Gear..."

"Receiving Transfer: Magical Element Levels at 70% of the Minimum. System Startup will become possible momentarily."

[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)

Hello~
Yokooooooo
It's not nice to ignore me you know! I can see the times on these texts! I know you were there one or two minutes ago!
Big sis irmi will cry if you keep it up!

The demon was continuing to send you texts through the 'borrowed' device.

Seeing them as you impulsively check the amount of time you have left in this life until your unfortunate onee-san based end, you thankfully, at least for the sake of the young man, fail to notice his expression as he continued to mentally kick himself in hopes of burying the part of his subconscious that was a bit too interested in the fact that fox girls were apparently an actual thing within the confines of the world. It is a mental struggle that lasts less than a second, but it is an intense war of attrition, one that his conscious wins through sheer force of will.

He refused to be a slave to such things-!

He just had to remember why he had come over here in the first place-!

"So they are? Well, that's pretty cool! Sorcery must be a neat thing to have."

By the time you look up at him again, the gentle smile has returned, even though down inside, he's still trying to figure out the mystery behind your silence, as well as why your body kept tensing in a weird way whenever you looked at your phone...

And...

Horrifically enough...

Starting to wonder if he had somehow worsened your mood simply by speaking with you-!

This wasn't supposed to be harassment-!

P-Perhaps...

He should retreat for now-!

"Well, anyways, as long as you're alright, I guess it's all fine well and good," grinning boyishly, the youth raises one hand in farewell, "Sorry for the bother-!"

And turns to walk back to his seat.

Strange one, that guy.

[RacingeR]

Loraine Irwin
Location: Akatsuki (Night Train)
Phase: Early Morning, Before Sunrise
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly.

Lori had to admit she fully enjoyed the annoyed reaction of the boy. It was always fun to tease the super serious kind of honor student… although she also had to admit she didn’t care about the incoming lecture. She briefly debated commenting on the fact that he had just said ‘Lady Kuon’ instead of ‘Lady Neun’, but decided that would probably extend the lecture a solid half hour more.

She sat back, preparing herself for a hour of yawns, checking her phone to see if Nina had replied anything yet. However, Vier easily interrupted the lecture, bringing the boy’s momentum to a screeching halt.

Lori accepted the bottle, opening it, and taking a sip, smiling back at Vier, hiding her own surprise as well. Too easy-going… a lot more than she imagined. If any of the Sages (except Kuon) heard her, they’d burst a vein. Her positive impression of Vier was steadily increasing.

“Hmm… Onee-sama you say? Let’s see… nee-san… Vier-nee… no, it sounds a lot like Spanish for Friday… yeah, I’ll just go with Nee-san or Sis.” Lori nodded to herself. “Yep, it is decided, I’ll go with Sis from now onwards.”

After making such a monumental decision, Lori leaned back again and continued consuming her beverage with a nonchalant attitude, paying some attention to Yuu’s reaction.

[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)

TEXTS FROM HELL

Oh? A box? Yeah, I heard that's her way of rewarding students.
But it's a bit early for gifts... What did you do...?
Well I guess it doesn't matter, sure, I'll open it with you-!
But it might have to be a bit later, you won't believe who I just saw at the station; I don't know why she's here, but she just strolled up to the station as if she's waiting for the train! Thankfully, I don't think she saw me, but I think she's looking for you, gotta bail once your train comes or

Ohoho? Showing patience?
There's no need for that, you can open it right now!

Hello~
Yokooooooo
It's not nice to ignore me you know! I can see the times on these texts! I know you were there one or two minutes ago!
Big sis irmi will cry if you keep it up!

Checking the time had one adverse effect that I didn't count for. The fact that Irmina... neesan knew that I saw her text. I knew that trying to ignore her would backfire horrendously, but I was hoping that I could blow it off as not noticing her message... However her last message just sent that plan to an early grave. She knew that I saw and seemed to be ignoring her. I already considered myself to be doomed to the devil, but now that devil will be fully paying attention to me now. The situation was so dire that I'm starting to become a quivering wreck mentally.... Physically was slowly heading that way too.

"So they are? Well, that's pretty cool! Sorcery must be a neat thing to have."

My panic dropped from near max to a more manageable level once I remembered that there was someone who was curious about me. Any distraction was preferable to thinking about that. I tilted my head on what he said. So sorcery is neat? I never really thought about it... After all, isn't it normal for mikos to learn sorcery so they could exorcise things in their areas? I mean it's useful for when you need to start a fire without a match or healing up quickly from over exercising. I nodded lightly to his statement.

Well, anyways, as long as you're alright, I guess it's all fine well and good... Sorry for the bother-!

Wait he's leaving?!? No don't leave me to think about my impending doom... My mind was full of panicked thoughts all going at the same time. "What do I do?!?" "Irmina... nee-san is going to be even worse now that I've ignored her." "Kasumi is already down." "I can't run." All on repeat in one brief eternity. The sight of him leaving me finally broke the camel's back in my terror filled mind and I did something I wouldn't normally do.

I gingerly grabbed the back of his shirt and asked for help.

"Help..."