Hibusa's newest light girl dipped into an alleyway not far from where she'd been staying. She glanced around to ensure she had no observers, magical or otherwise, before releasing her transformation. It still felt almost. . . disappointing, to have to give up that freedom to take to the skies, but such was life as a magical girl. The box felt a bit heavier in her arms, too, as it wasn't Hizuki that walked out onto the sidewalk. [hr][img]https://i.imgur.com/8mKDpEy.png[/img] [hr] Haruna crossed the street to the apartment building she now called home. It wasn't the nicest place, but neither was it falling apart. The three-story building had faded white paint and a few plants in simple beds that the elderly landlady tended to. Said landlady was currently struggling with an armful of groceries, presumably for the grandchildren Haruna had heard her mention once or twice. [color=fff79a]"Oh, here, I'll take some."[/color] She waved off Mrs. Tanaka's insistence that she didn't need the help, taking one bag, balancing it atop her package from Ms. Gate, and heading to her door in the middle of the second story. She exchanged her usual course of thank-yous and no-problems, then headed back to the stairwell before she could be invited over for dinner. Nothing against Mrs. Tanaka's cooking, but she was still busy. The door to her apartment opened to an austere single room. The garish desk she'd had in her parents' home had been too bulky to move, so the current one was a bland particle-board work surface with a relatively nice, if weathered, office chair pushed up to it, alongside a stack of disorganized paperwork relating to various administrative topics like her transfer and the registration of this dwelling to her uncle. In reality, he was a busy man and lived across town, but she'd managed to get his signature on things so she could funnel a small bit of her parents' life insurance money to rent. [color=fff79a][i]I still need to figure out how I'm going to manage a job at this rate.[/i][/color] Haruna set the box down at the foot of her bed, then folded it open to retrieve a particular stuffed monkey from where he'd been stowed. [color=fff79a]"Nothing weird, okay?"[/color] She knew the stuffed animal (probably?) couldn't hear her, but Black Gate had given her enough of an indication of what Mr. Banana's personality would be that she felt the need to say it anyway. He was placed precariously upon her backpack, bulging with the books needed for tomorrow, before Haruna promptly flopped facefirst onto her mattress. The breath slowly leaked from her lips as the inviting embrace of fabric-covered springs beckoned her to take a nap. She couldn't sleep yet, though; the Daybreak still needed to make her nightly patrol, and if she passed out now, it'd probably be well past midnight by the time she awoke. She settled for reaching out for the tiny stuffed cat she'd had since she was a small child, taking a moment to stroke it as if it were a real animal. It'd be nice to have an actual cat around here; the mascots were nice enough, but they weren't exactly pets. Sadly, she just didn't have enough space to keep one inside, and she wouldn't want one running around outside in a town like Hibusa. Haruna inhaled deeply, then dragged herself back into a sitting position. She carefully set Bluestar next to her pillow, then stood once more. She began to move toward the balcony, stopped, then quickly skittered back to lock her apartment door. [color=fff79a][i]Need to remember that.[/i][/color] She also remembered to grab a quick snack before heading back out, devouring a granola bar before heading to the balcony again. Haruna pulled the door open, then took a few steps backward. With a small smile, she sprinted forward, transforming just before her feet crossed the threshold and leaping off the edge. [hr][img]https://i.imgur.com/mJqWtBQ.png[/img][hr] She took to the skies once more, rocketing into the air before turning to survey the town's layout as it was bathed in the light of the setting sun. Before long, night cloaked the buildings, leaving Hizuki as a stark contrast against the darkened streets with her glowing wings and golden visor. Tonight, it gave her a distinct feeling of being watched. . . well, that and the ominous floating eyeball that flitted past her vision as she moved lower. Her naginata whipped out and began to charge an attack before she remembered what Black Gate had mentioned earlier. Hizuki swung around, releasing her charge and dismissing her sweet arm before landing on a nearby building. Unsure of what else to do, she moved closer to inspect it, hopping across the few gaps between herself and the odd creature until they were face to face. Face to eye. Whatever. The eye blinked. Hizuki blinked back. It stared. [color=yellow]"You don't really. . . do much, do you?"[/color] She peered around it, honestly finding it a bit unsettling to look at. [color=yellow]"Uh, I don't know if your magical girl can hear through you, but if she can, uh, I guess I'll just say I'm not here to fight. Not unless you give me a good reason."[/color] The eye blinked again. [color=yellow]"Well, she knows I'm here regardless, and I didn't blow you up, so I guess that's probably proof enough."[/color] She turned, happy to get the eyeball thing out of her sight, and headed off again, moving to another vantage point to stretch her sixth sense out. It didn't take her long to pick up another set of hazy desires. She stood up from where she'd crouched atop a building, looking over in the general direction she was getting. [color=yellow][i]Another dark girl.[/i][/color] And one that was wanting. . . a hero? Well, that was why Daybreak had come to Hibusa, after all. It was difficult to see against the night sky, but she was pretty sure she could see more of the eye things in the air, especially in that direction. A few more jumps between rooftops, and Hizuki managed to spot one of the eyes slipping through a doorway. She flew a circle around to see what it was. The signage and lighting made it clear that this was a nightclub. She felt a bit of trepidation about going into one of those, even knowing she couldn't be seen, but the set of desires she was feeling wasn't moving, which meant she could potentially sit here all night if she didn't go in and answer. She descended to street level with a short glide, then slipped through the door as someone else exited, being careful not to bump them as she set about searching for the owner of the eye creatures.