[IC] Ignite Heart! A Magical Girl RP

[Crimmy]

葛 馮虚 (コペンハーゲン・スター)

全
力
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Copenhagen Star breathed in. The monstrosity had been successfully neutralised with little amount of collateral damage, and the civilians had been freed from its gelatinous mass. She could not ascertain the health of those previously trapped within the amorphous blob, but hopefully they were mostly unharmed by their imprisonment. It would provide fascinating and useful information if she were to study them further and isolate the effects that being contained within the monster had wrought. That, unfortunately, could be left to later. She could feel her knees, roughly pressed against the cold tarmac, buckling.

Only the faintest wisps of power sustained her current form.

The Stellar Degeneration Blast had drained her body entirely of its energies. Copenhagen Star lurched forward, her hands scrabbling weakly for the ground to keep herself from collapsing entirely. Another deep breath. She ... needed a better way of experimenting with the foes she would face. Had it not been for the presence of other magical girls during the battle, her effectiveness would have diminished greatly, especially without her sword.

The other magical girls. She had gleaned significant information about them from their cooperation during the battle. At some point she would have to collate everything she had learnt, particularly on the new and powerful draconic one. That would, however, have to wait until she-

"Oi boss," her fairy companion interrupted, tinny voice resonating in her ears, "we gotta getcha home quick, you're fuckin' beat to shit."

Even in her exhaustion, Copenhagen Star could not prevent a minute smile from emerging on her face. For once, she had a similar goal to her partner.

She closed her eyes, trying to push down the fatigue. "It is fortunate then," she breathed out, her voice clearly tired, "that the Negari is too."

With the last ounces of her strength, she pushed against the ground, struggling and wobbling into a standing position. It hurt. Her calves burned. There was little nearby that could act as support. However, it was necessary for her to leave the battlefield as soon as possible. She had energy for nothing more.

"I will, however, endeavour to follow your suggestion."

Another breath.

She forced herself to stand up straight, the image of a magical warrior.

"There is much we need to discuss later."

And she began to slowly walk away.

[ACHTUNG]

~RISA~

"Whew!~ I bet ya can't do that..."

Marza teased as she joined Risa and her troops as they observe the end of the gelatinous blob...

"I ain't gonna bet against that because I know I can't... Though I could probably do the freezy thing with say twenty of me pouring liquid nitrogen at it..."

Risa replied and mused as she observed the aftermath of the battle she just caught the tail end of... She looked over to her troop, generally being generally lackadaisical about the proceedings and sigh... Many military commanders would just love to be able to command exact clones of themselves... Risa's not a military commander and she's not one to take commands very well...

"Right ye slackers..."

Getting the secondary split's attention while at the same time her left arm blurring slightly as the defensive equipment of everyone involved disappeared in motes of light and replaced with duffel bags...

"Time to get over there and administer first aid to anyone who needs it... Also give them a wipe down..."

She ordered, while generally unhappy at having to work, nobody made a fuss about it... Though Risa had a pretty good idea of what every one of the splits were thinking...

"You don't like getting the slime on you don'tcha?"

At that Marza interrupted the Major's thoughts with a comment delivered in an ever so discreet mocking tone...

"Shut up... Not only were we fighting something that was unsightly and completely un-aesthetic. We were also fighting in a battlefield which I'm not very good at... So stop with the muckin and mocking about..."

She responded, greatly annoyed at the fairy... While she relished the fight, her feminine aspect is still there, irking away from things she deem "disgusting" such as what they just engaged... Deciding to not delve on it further Risa turned her attention elsewhere...

She walked forth, gingerly stepping over any remains of the beast as she approaches The Ripper, hoping to strike up a conversation... Though her eyes were at the moment glued on the departing form of The Copenhagen Star...

Looking at the Ripper...

"Yo! Ripper"

And as per her usual greeting, it also involved a wave from her left arm...

"Don't suppose you're gonna be staying till the emergency crews arrive..."

At that her eyes dart back to the citizens who were once trapped inside the negari as her splits, including Lisa were tending to... From what she can see through the eyes of the backup primary in the group, everyone seems to be doing fine, but still suffering from the unsanitary problem of having bits of negari still on em...

---

Deployed: 12

Primaries: 3

• One as default commander on the field.
• Two to stay at home and generally keep it occupied.
• Three to be a backup commander on the field...

Secondaries: 8

• To form the preliminary engagement team... Now on first aid duty

Special: 1

• Lisa... a slightly different version of Risa basically

[HereComesTheSnow]

Hoshi (Shooting Star)

The battle, mercifully, had finished as quickly and decisively as it had begun. By the time Hoshi had managed to both avoid or deflect incoming attacks from behind and tear the girl they'd held captive free, all she managed to do was turn back towards the scene of the fight and attempt to cover the civilian's escape route before...

...

"Tendou-san?"

Yes?

"Did Copenhagen Star-san just shoot a black hole?"

No. Though it was dark and certainly powerful, a black hole would have wiped out the city. That must have been something different. As expected of the Copenhagen Star, she managed to avoid irreversibly warping the surroundings whilst still delivering a highly destructive attack.

The fairy's low chuckle echoed through the magical girl's head as she was reminded of another quote, this time from her own grandmother.

"Men must be cool. Boiling water is but vapor."

It was good of her to keep her head on straight when dealing with so much force. Many get too caught up in their own might and forget to consider collateral damage, and end up being as dangerous as Negari themselves.

"Oh..."

Well, that was certainly a relief! And it nearly took out the Negari in one fell swoop! Between that and the attacks of everyone else, the thing didn't stand a chance!

And to speak of relief, Hoshi.

"Yeah, I know!"

She knew well enough. A magical girl's duty, no, a heroine's duty, didn't truly stop at simply defeating the monsters that attacked humanity.

You can't just remove the problem and leave.

In a flash, the Shooting Star was back at the site of the battle proper, taking only a moment to confirm that, yes, that nearly bisected sack that could only manage to dissipate into smoke and keep a few embers alight was indeed the corpse of the Negari that had derailed a trip to the store.

"Is everyone alright?"

You have to make sure the aftermath is taken care of too.

She knew that better than most, and right away joined the effort to ensure all of the people literally caught up in the middle of the Negari's attack were safe and accounted for.

Helping a young girl to her feet, Hoshi brushed bits of Negari dust off from her shoulders and put on that friendly smile that she wore so often.

"It's gonna be alright, okay?"

Looking up at the Shooting Star, she managed a nod. How brave...

"Do you know where your parents are?"

Through tears, the girl managed to look around and find them, pointing in their direction. They were currently being similarly helped up in a similar manner, and were slightly more scuffed up and dirty...

But they were fine.

She hadn't lost them.

...Thank god.

"Well, in that case..." she said brightly, giving the girl an encouraging pat on the back. "You'd better get over there! Your Mama and Papa must be worried sick!"

The little girl nodded.

...

The little girl ran off as fast as she could.

Hoshi.

The little girl practically leapt into her father's arms, and the whole family began to cry in relief. They had miraculously survived the attack, thanks to the timely intervention of these Magical Girls.

Hoshi?

Mission Accomplished, Tendou-san.

Mission Accomplished.

With a deep breath, the Shooting Star moved on to the next person in need.

[Raineh Daze]

There was one thing and one thing only that Noriko didn't like about other magical girls in general.

Could they possibly make their attacks more troublesome for the people they were fighting with? It wasn't universal but there was certainly a large amount of... wild abandon with flinging ranged attacks into close quarters with Negari. Even had there been an opportunity for knives to make a difference in the rest of the fight, simply avoiding being dragged into the mess of ice or the black hole was too much of a distraction.

What was done was done and the white-haired magical girl planted her hands proudly on her hips, wondering where she might be able to get something else to eat. There was probably another convenience store nearby but someone would have to give directions... and that someone happened to be coming along right now. Two someones, even: a frowning fairy in a blue dress and the Major, who fortunately had one of the least troublesome abilities for her to work around.

Though the things you could do with it...

"Oh, no, not at all! I have no first aid training and normal strength, I would simply get in the way," the ninja-like girl said, smiling at the other, "I should get back to buying something to eat... though I cannot remember where the nearest store is..."

"I keep telling you to get a chef."

[VitaVitaAR]

Those who ran about to investigate the people who had been trapped inside the Negari would be very happy to know that, aside from some being disoriented and a little scraped up, they were otherwise completely fine. Though... just what had the bizarre creature been doing with all these people, holding them inside of itself like that? It was rather worrying to think about... Akane checked those closest to her, placing her sword at her side and using her off hand to shake a few awake and check them for injuries. But inside she could barely contain herself. The new magical girl had just helped destroy a Negari, and save all these people! Akane's heart was hammering in her chest. And all these people were safe, too, she'd help make sure they were safe.

So enamored with this fact, and so focused on helping the nearby civilians to their feet, was Akane that she didn't realize what was happening behind her. The black smoke had stopped rising from the Negari... and it was hissing, sprouting stubby legs to rise up and crawl away, tentacles sprouting from its ruined body and twisting into drills...

Akane turned just in time to see one of the whirring drill tendrils launching directly towards her!

And in that same instant, a figure dropped from above. The brunette girl was clad in a strange green and gold outfit, with white rabbit ears protruding from her hat. A magical girl fan like Akane recognized her quite quickly, as Teacup Saori. Why she was called teacup was anyone's guess, but the strange loop-like tool she carried quickly enlarged!

"Up you go!" Saori declared, grinning as the loop passed over the Negari. It vanished entirely, only to reappear hundreds of feet into the air... and be struck with a blinding shower of brilliant white bolts of magical energy, hundreds of blasts converging on it in seconds.

Akane couldn't help but stare in shock.

"Whew, good thing we showed up when we did!" commented Saori, turning to face the other magical girls. "You girls screwed up big time, not making sure it was dead! Haah, but what can we expect from low-rankers, huh?"

She grinned and folded her arms, cocking her head to one side. Far from what feeling she had expected upon seeing yet another famed magical girl, Akane felt indignation. They'd cut it open, and let everyone out! There was no way to tell it was still alive!

"But... but we freed all these people! And we stopped it, it-"

Saori was quick to interrupt her.

"And? You didn't kill it, it would've probably taken at least one of you out and started sucking people up again. Face it, you low-rankers screwed up. Right, Shiroyuri-chan?"

Wait, Shiroyuri...?

The small figure that drifted from above was unmistakable.. Pale blue hair, her eyes the same color. Near paper white, delicate skin, and a white outfit to go with it. Golden lights and a halo...

"Analysis indicates our intervention was a necessity," the magical girl with the highest recorded Negari killcount in the city said in a flat, monotone voice.

"See? You should have just let us handle it, instead of embarrassing yourselves," Saori continued with a shrug, one eyebrow raised. "Jeez, handle the small fry first... especially a new girl like you."

She jerked a thumb towards Akane.

"B-but... we... had to help those people!" the redheaded dragongirl protested.

"Pffft, yeah, sure, like they wouldn't have gotten sucked back in or worse," Saori interjected, brushing off Akane's attempt at a counterpoint. "As for the rest of you, that sure was a sorry performance. Could none of you finish that thing off?"

She glanced up at Shiroyuri. The smaller girl simply remained silent.

[HereComesTheSnow]

Hoshi (Shooting Star)

Ah, so this was Teacup Saori-san...

Quite the showboat. Not one to mince words, either.

Tendou's observations were definitely on point in that regard. Shooting Star herself didn't pay too much attention to rankings and all that, but Saori certainly seemed to...

She wasn't wrong, though. They had collectively made an oversight. Call it a rookie mistake or not, they couldn't be afforded when lives were on the line.

She would have to get better next time. She would have to learn from this grievous mistake.

She would have to make sure she never got it wrong again.

[Crimmy]

葛 馮虚 (コペンハーゲン・スター)

Quiet, haggard gasps escaped the exhausted Copenhagen Star as she stumbled weakly around a corner and into the secluded alleyway, the dusty concrete path shadowed by the branches of an aging oak looming over the fence nearby. She pressed a pale hand against the red brick of a building to steady herself, taking into a deep, full breath that seemed to last an eternity. It was quite fortunate that the convenience store where the battle against the monster had occurred was so close to her residence, but it would be more optimal if she were to discard her current form somewhere away from both the other local girls and where she lived; she could not risk making her identity public so easily. The upkeep of her magical powers, particularly after the use of all her reserves for that final attack, was also something that was proving to be of great difficulty; she needed to power down before the faint whispers of her energies finally gave up the ghost on her.

"Gotta say boss, need a way better super move. That was way too much."

The coat-clad magical warrior ignored the tinny voice of her companion as she closed her eyes to focus. While she would have chosen to utilise the attack even without the prompting of Kanaria, it was a fact that it had been the fairy who had initially judged the course of the battle to require the intervention of the so-called 'super ove'. Thus for Kanaria to emphasise the difficult nature of the Stellar Degeneration Blast was an observation that seemed quite ... hypocritical.

"And we didn't even get those sausage things. Ooh, can I get that more cash next time?"

I don't believe that it is my technique that is 'way too much'.

Her thoughts did not show on her face. Instead, she opened her eyes and raised her left hand, quietly snapping her fingers.

"If you would, Kanaria."

"Come on boss, sausages! But fiiine, if you gonna ignore that, Ignite Heart, standing down!"

Darkness enveloped Copenhagen Star's struggling frame, creeping upwards as everything that was a part of the magical girl dissipated into the ether, swallowed up by the shadows that wrapped around her. Katsura Hyoukyo, third-year at East Umitori High School and class representative of Class 3-G, sagged back in exhaustion as her costume disappeared, leaning back against the wall in her casual wear (in this case, jeans and a t-shirt). It was easier now that the drain was not as prominent; she could properly stand and feel her energies ... replenish.

It was not a sign that she was entirely recovering, but it was a step forward.

"So howdya think the others are hanging?" asked her companion after a minute or two. "That was a pretty shitty thing back there. And maybe you shouldn'tve left."

Hyoukyo peeked out of the alleyway, looking for witnesses. Her eyes drifted across the area. There were none. Any nearby people would likely be seeking to discover what exactly had entailed at the aftermath of that Negari battle.

"Damage control will be perfectly adequate," she replied casually (though her breath was still somewhat ragged), stepping out of the alley and into the fading sunlight. "I have faith in their capabilities. My exhausted presence would only have served as a detriment to their efforts."

"You mean you're slackin' off again."

The high schooler ignored that barb. The important thing was to return home and eat. Her energy loss had left her ... famished.

"It is a more pragmatic course of action to replenish our drained energy supplies," said the girl, beginning her slow walk back home. "Obtaining a quick snack from a vending machine or eating a meal would be a logical decision ... unless you have any objections?"

The sudden pushing of her back in a futile attempt to speed up her movement was a sign that no, there were no objections.

[BrokenPromise]

Hana came out of hiding after the creature was dead for... the second time? Would there be a third time? She didn't really know. The appearance of the newly arrived didn't impress her very much. She seemed to enjoy overeating, so Hana knew they wouldn't get along very well. Better off just ignoring her. When she turned she saw a magical girl walking away from the battle. "As expected of Copenhagen Star." Hana uttered, though she didn't know why.

The school girl found her shoes, but was unimpressed with their condition. The monster goop would be easy enough to wash away, but the singed leather from the mouthy magical girl's attack was something she was less willing to forgive. Oh well, at least she could wear them. Hana slid her feet inside of her shoes. It was a lot moister than she would have liked, but it was better than being barefoot or eaten. The shoes would be a much easier story to tell her mother. But Hana wasn't quite ready to walk away from this yet. She had something else to do.

“Shooting star?” Was that her name? Hana was so bad with the names of magical girls. Hana walked closer to the magical girl. Man this was awkward, but it was something she wanted to do. “Thank you.”

[ACHTUNG]

~RISA~

"Hmm... Alright... let's see..."

Risa hummed as she pulled out her personal digital device... Which is a smartphone... And looked up some maps...

"Right... We've got a KFC bout a five minute walk away... A mini stop that's seven minutes walk and the one I personally prefer, a local yakitori that's a bit of a walk at twelve minutes..."

Risa finished... At this even Marza has stopped even thinking about annoying her partner at the mention of the possibility of doing something more enjoyable... Eating...

"Of course that's time to arrive if we walk there normally... I'd lend you a bike if you want..."

At this Lisa came up from the group checking the people who were unfortunate enough to experience being inside the jelly blob...

"Yo! Ris... People looks good'n fine..."

"Yes I know... Remember the primary over there?"

Risa replied as she points at her primary split, which she had wear a very unimpressed look...

"I wouldn't be surprised she forgot... She's you after all..."

Marza cut in...

"... You know what... nevermind, good job to all of ye... Now all secondaries except Lisa, go get... Re-absorbed!? into the Primary"

"Ya know, you really should think of something else to call that... I'd vote demobilizing... since we've got the military vibe anyways with us being collectively known as 'The Major' anyways..."

Lisa suggested...

"Good... We'll use that... If I can remember it..."

At this Marza had a snort as Risa just confirmed her own forgetfulness...

"Anyways..."

Risa turned back to the Ripper...

"Sorry about that, self organization and coherency is not exactly my strong point... So how's about it... I'd come with, whichever you choose..."

"Are you asking her out to dinner?"

Marza asked slightly surprised...

"Well it beat's the alternative... It's either talking to myself and what used to be a mythical being you'd find in fairy tales or her... I'd rather take the option that does not result in me going clinically insane..."

---

Deployed: 12 down to 4

Primaries: 3

• One as default commander on the field.
• Two to stay at home and generally keep it occupied.
• Three to be a backup commander on the field...

Secondaries: 8 to 0

• Currently being "de-mobilized" after checking up on a number of the negari's victims...

Special: 1

• Lisa... a slightly more thoughtful version of Risa apparently

[Raineh Daze]

Magical Girl "The Ripper"

Of course, her dinner plans had to be interrupted for a few minutes by the arrival of two other well-known magical girl--though for Shiroyuri to have started working with Teacup Saori was quite the unusual discovery. Mostly, people seemed to work well enough on their own, even if there was a lot of overlapping coverage right about now...

"I do not have the abilities to finish off such a large negari on my own, Shiori-senpai, and as I can ascertain weak points on any item I cannot determine its state of life or death. That was how we met the first time," the white-haired girl said brightly, apparently not too bothered about being belittled like that, "But with more than four of us here, we would have been successful despite any setback."

Then it was back to the Major, to ask the most important question:

"Ah, the yakitori sounds nice," and would make a change from the mass-produced fare, "Though... I hope there is only one of you coming?"

[VitaVitaAR]

"Haah, excuses," Saori said, dismissively. The small blue-haired girl floating in the air did not make a comment of her own. "It doesn't matter how many of you are, just fighting with all these people laying about could've caused some trouble. Leave the big ones to us and handle the small fry, they're more your speed."

Saori flashed a rather smug grin, and Akane found her heart burning with indignation. Why? Why did she think... Magical girls were supposed to be about protecting people and justice, right? Of course they were! So why did the rabbit-eared magical girl think that making all these comments was okay? They were all on the same side, weren't they?! So... so... Of course, Akane couldn't have been a magical girl fan without knowing that magical girls sometimes fought one another. So... there weren't always all on the same side, but this had been a Negari, wasn't it enough that they freed everyone in there?!

"We... we still freed everyone inside it!" Akane attempted a retort. Saori rolled her eyes.

"Like we wouldn't have? You low-rankers are real losers," the girl commented, with a wave of her hand. "And you, dragon girl, Off to a pretty shameful start with all that, huh? Taking on one of the big ones and not even being able to finish it off..."

"I... wh-what?"

Saori cocked her head to one side with a grin.

"Bye-bye."

Shiroyuri formed a platform of light beneath Saori's feet, and both of them floated into the air. Before Akane could say much else, they'd already vanished from view.

"... I... I did my best..." Akane said, hands fiddling with the hilt of her sword, her tail twitching. Her fairy fluttered out, glaring in the direction that the two girls had gone.

[ACHTUNG]

~RISA~

"Well I ain't gonna bring Lisa along that's for sure..."

Risa answered the Ripper's question before turning bout and regarding the leaving pair of girls...

"Normally you'd pick a fight immediately... What gives?"

Marza pointed out while also observing the pair...

"I may have a great many undesirable traits, my aggressiveness included. I may also be slowly going clinically insane because of the nature of my ability and the near hypergolic chemistry between me, myself and you... BUT I am still sane enough and have enough of my memory working to remember that this place is the anathema to my prefered battlespace and that I have just finished de-mobilizing what little forces I have put to field... In short, I've won the battle without conflict..."

Risa answered her fairy companion in detail...

"How exactly have you won a battle that didn't even start?"

"By not starting it... Did you not hear what she said and how she said it... I know that speech pattern, It's the speech pattern I'd use to incite someone else to reply in violence so I can use the excuse of fighting back in 'self defence'..."

Marza was about to say something but then she stopped short of saying it... At that Risa smirked

"Something tells me you also use that speech pattern from time to time..."

"Yes I do..."

At that Risa turned around to face The Ripper... again

"Right, So Ripper...I'm about as ready as... uhh..."

Risa trailed off, words lost to her... before continuing...

"Ya see that was s'possed to be a simile but I got nothin..."

She said in an apologetic tone...

---

---

Deployed: 4

Primaries: 3

• No. One as her...
• No. Two to stay at home and generally keep it occupied.
• No. Three to look over the site of battle and help explain what in the hell happened to the emergency crew's OTW...

Special: 1

• Lisa... Keepin No. Three primary company...

[TheFake]

— Convenience Store —

Kuroe wasn't quite sure what to think of the two newcomers. of course she knew who they were, but given that they were supposedly 'seniors' they were quite bad at giving advice. Shizuri might have taken the criticism badly but her magical girl identity took it in stride. Being an author was all about taking those kinds of comments and sorting out the important parts.

But maybe not everyone had that kind of mental resilience.

Kuroe looked over at that new girl, the one that seemed to have received the brunt of the treatment and felt something stir in her chest. She knew that kind of feeling intimately. Hadn't her own first novel been rejected several times before finding an agent that would give her chance?

She put a smile on her face and walked over, almost bouncing with each step. Wasn't Kuroe just a character anyway? Let's add a happy ending to this chapter. She threw her arm around the dragon girl.

"Hey! That went well. We should pick up a pizza or something and head back to my apartment, it's right around the corner."

And she could have her own way after all, and no fairy could do anything about it.

@VitaVitaAR

[HereComesTheSnow]

Hoshi (Shooting Star)

However, there was an important factor in her "performance" that she would have been foolish to leave out.

Shooting Star turned to the somewhat-awkwardly approaching girl from before, quickly appraising her condition--

Safe. Unharmed. A little shaken up, a little dirty, maybe even a little scuffed, but she was alright.

Priority Number One, no?

The broad smile the high-speed fistic magical girl broke into was response enough. Snapping off a sharp faux-salute, any outward trace of her melancholy erased itself in a flash. Part of being a magical girl was being a strong pillar of the community in trying times, right?

"Just doing my job as a heroine! I'm glad you made it out alright!"

Another, and the biggest part, was to always prioritize the lives of those in danger. Having done so didn't erase her mistake regarding the Negari by any means, but it certainly wasn't for nothing.

She could hold her head high about that.

[Crimmy]

葛 馮虚 (コペンハーゲン・スター)

"Why are these things so fuckin' hard to open?!"

Indigo eyes cracked open, blinking once, twice, before focusing upon the scene of a miniscule being, winged in a manner not dissimilar to a bird, seeking - and failing - to open a bag of potato chips. The fairy was pulling at the top of the plastic packet with all her might, tiny face scrunched up with exertion as her slender arms tried and tried to obtain the treasure hidden within. It was an epic struggle, miniaturised for the context that was a little, little girl. Of course, that was an observation left to the beholder, and to Katsura Hyoukyo of East Umitori's Class 3-G, the scene before her was admittedly more adorable and entertaining than a grand epic.

"It poses little difficulty to someone of average competency," she spoke up, voice tinged with a dry exasperation. It was obviously not an interruption that her fairy companion expected, if the sudden 'eep' that had emerged from Kanaria's mouth was any indication. Hyoukyo did not let anything show on her face as she pushed herself up into a sitting position on the couch. She was not as unseemly as the pigtailed fairy, after all.

"Oi, warn me when you wake up okay!" was the disgruntled reply from Kanaria, who had fortunately managed to keep hold of the bag in her surprise. The greedy little thing likely was unwilling to waste the food that she had bought ... with money lent by Hyoukyo.

The aforementioned class representative rested her head back against the soft surface of the sofa.

"That would be impossible if I were to be asleep."

"Well do it anyway!"

It was uncharitably demanding of Kanaria, but it was quite clear that little would change in regards to her behaviour. The manner in which she was obsessively hugging to the unopened bag of chips was a perfect representation of her nature. Of course, she had obliged to the fairy's demands for food in the end, even changing her plans in response to the attack by purchasing from a vending machine rather than a convenience store. There was little room for her to give protest.

Her mind drifted back towards the fight. It had been necessary for her to return home early, lest her body fail entirely from the power drain of her magical techniques. Even now, her very self was exhausted, barely capable of any intense action. It was an unfortunate fact that she needed to deal with, even if it were to take her away from the battle's aftermath. Her hope was, however, that the other nearby magical warriors were competent enough to handle cleanup and proper processing of the civilians. Even if she were not present, the work of their kind could still be done.

"So uh, can ya open it for me?"

All Hyoukyo could do now was perform a menial task.

Such as assisting her fairy companion with what was a childishly simple affair.

[VitaVitaAR]

"Don't worry!" insisted a voice in her ear. Akane swiftly realized it was her fairy. "You did great! Even if it got back up again, you still helped free all those people that were stuck inside it!"

"I..." Akane looked down towards her feet. She wanted to believe that, and wanted to continue to be excited about her new abilities... but a veteran magical girl had already told her she'd screwed up. It was hard to keep up your enthusiasm when you hear something like that. She didn't even realize that someone had come up behind her until they put an arm around her and spoke.

"A-ah? K-Kuroe-san?" she let out a small exclamation, not exactly used to people throwing their arms around her in normal circumstances, let alone much more extraordinary ones. Pizza? She fidgeted nervously. She probably had to get home, but it was an offer from a magical girl... a fellow magical girl... "... U-um... um... I h-have to go but maybe tomorrow?!"

It was a barely stammered reply, brought out by nerves and self-doubt.

As was the fact that, shortly after making that reply, Akane found herself sprinting away and blushing.

---

There had been a moment when Akane woke up the next morning that she felt like she might have been dreaming. But it didn't take too long for her fairy to reveal that was absolutely not the case. In fact, it was clear that everything that had occurred the other day had quite abundantly been real. On one hand, this was something that was truly amazing... To finally be a magical girl, a real magical girl! ... On the other hand, after what she'd heard... all that from Saori, it had hurt, to put it simply. And she wasn't sure what to do... So, inviting her fairy to take up residence in her bag, Akane decided to head out the door after showering, dressing, and talking with her parents.

She wasn't precisely sure what she was doing, but... maybe she'd meet the other magical girls again or... or something... she'd been offered pizza, but totally forgot to actually give Kuroe anything to actually contact her with.

So Akane, really, was kind of lost, and her fairy was messing about in her bag. But she was a magical girl now, so that counted for something!

In any case, she'd headed for the shopping district. It was Sunday and that seemed like the best place to hopefully meet some of the girls from yesterday. She completely forgot to get any contact information at all...

[Raineh Daze]

Yukimura Noriko

It was embarrassing that she had so nearly forgotten the fundamental issue of trying to make friends with other magical girls... the sheer difficulty of doing anything in public without being forced to reveal one's real identity. Taking someone home was obviously entirely out of the question and yet to pay for anything would require ceasing your transformation: one way or another, it was hard to find many ways to bond when it exposed something like that.

So she had begged off of accompanying the Major at the last second, using her speed to get away... and staying at home for the rest of the evening just in case. Missing out on delicious yakitori in favour of nothing at all... she would have to be more careful before transforming the next time.

But it lead her to today's enterprise: feed her hungry stomach by finding the yakitori stand (or some yakitori) that had been mentioned. Step one: head to the nearby busy shopping district. Step two: try not to get distracted by the old shop that seemed to stack back-issues of every magical girl magazine to have ever been printed.

Step two had been a failure and, after considerable internal wrangling over how much to get today, the white-haired girl left with only one bag.

She was going to find the yakitori, though!

[TheFake]

— Shopping —

It was the next day and Shizuri had yet to find herself any sort of food. She also didn't have any reliable way to contact this new girl but at the moment food seemed to be more important. Regardless, Kuroe had enough of an online presence that she should be easy to find.

So she went to actually buy some groceries. It would be busy for sure but Fid was being unusually stubborn today and it wasn't worth the effort to argue. Even had she gotten pizza it would have only delayed the inevitable. So Shizuri went to the shopping district and did her best to avoid any kind of eye contact.

It was a while before a thought struck her. Maybe the best way to get into contact would be for Kuroe to reach out publicly. It had worked well enough in the past. She took out her phone and made a post on one of her social media accounts.

High five to the dragon girl from last night. Keep at it <3

News of a new magical girl should spread quickly enough. hopefully she wasn't the kind of person who didn't use the internet.

[Crimmy]

葛 馮虚 (コペンハーゲン・スター)

"Oi boss, why don'tcha get a part-time job?"

The voice of her fairy companion rang through Hyoukyo's mind, the tinny telepathic tones causing the girl's hand to pause over an apple.

"And for what reason would you need me to seek out work?" she asked in response, moving once more to pick up the apple and place it in a plastic bag. Despite her question, it was remarkably obvious to her that Kanaria had likely been motivated by greed, viewing her obtaining a job as a means to gather more wealth without doing any extra work. Such was the type of avaricious behaviour that she had grown to expect from her partner.

"You could totally buy me more food!"

Her assumption then, had been proved entirely correct.

"There's no need for you to further bulk up," said Hyoukyo casually, hefting the now-complete bag of apples up as she left the fruits for the cashier. Her home was growing lacking in apples as of late, and unlike other forms of snacks, excessive consumption of them would not harm Kanaria too greatly. "And you do forget that I have much to do that will get in the way of a part-time job."

"Just cut back on studyin'!!"

How selfish of her partner.

And how unfortunate it was that she did not expect anything less than it.

"I shall attempt to not keep that advice in mind."

The cashier rang up her purchase.

[BrokenPromise]

Hana dreams of magical girls...

“Let hell seize my heart if I give you quarter, or take any from you!”

Hana watched Blackbeard jump off the adventure and onto her boat. Shortly afterward, Queen Ann's Revenge started to come out of the water. Then Blackbeard demonstrated his power on some hapless pirate hunters. This all felt very familiar. Where had she seen it before?

“This looks like that dream I had yesterday.”

Not long after her realization, a wind carrying hundreds of black feathers blew past Hana. Left in their wake was a tall woman, covered shoulder to toe with a cloak of raven feathers. The strange woman wore a mask, which was focused on the battle. Her silver hair swayed like a curtain in the breeze. “You are correct, and that is no small coincidence.” The voice belonged to an older woman.

Hana turned to look at the newly arrived. Despite her fearsome appearance, Hana felt like this person was one of her allies. “Who are you?”

The mask looked away from the battle and into Hana's eyes. It was a plague doctor's mask, complete with a tiny top hat. “My name is Isk, though that hardly matters.” She turned back towards the battle. “You said this all reminded you of a dream. Are you sure it wasn't a nightmare?”

That's right. Hana had completely forgotten how this particular dream ended. It was a reenactment of Blackbeard's last day alive. He fought valiantly against impossible odds and died. But it was worse than that. He didn't just die, he did so at Hana's hands. This was her ship, and these were her men. “This can't be right! I-I don't want to hurt Blackbeard!”

“No, I suppose you don't.” Isk rolled her shoulders. “But you aren't really doing anything to assist him either.”

Hana turned her entire body to face Isk. “What do you expect me to do?” Her voice was cracking. “I know they won't obey my commands. I'm totally useless here!”

“Interesting how the most worthy candidates often feel the most powerless.” Isk clicked her tongue. “I did not come here just to watch you suffer, Hana. I am here to offer you unimaginable power. But this power has a very specific use, and you must never confuse it as your own.” Isk turned towards Hana, completely casting her in shadow. “The power I offer you is that of a magical girl. The power to save lives, to end wars, and erode darkness. Does that sound like something you want?”

Hana was on the verge of tears. Unlike yesterday, she wouldn’t be powerless anymore. “Yea.” She said while drying her eyes on her sleeve. “I'll do it! I'll take up that responsibility!”

“Then stoke the embers of your soul.” Isk circled around Hana. “Ignite your heart with a flame that can burn under the ocean waves.”

The heart of a pirate.

“Ignite heart...” Hana's body was enclosed in a giant water droplet. A school of glowing fish swam into her chest, covering her torso with a glistening scale mail. A sting ray glided behind Hana and wrapped around her. It exploded like a firework and turned into her coat. Eels wrapped around her coat, transforming into belts and buckles. Angler fish swam through her hair and turned into candles. Clams bit onto her hands and feet before becoming leather gloves and boots. The water bubble finally exploded, allowing seagulls to nest on Hana's head and become a captain's hat. Once her outfit was all in place, she punched the air so hard it took her feet off the ground. “...With the spirit of adventure!”

Isk shrugged her shoulders “I don't know what I expected.” Isk turned to look at Hana and noticed she was sniffing the candles in her hair. “What are you doing?”

“I thought these were like the ones Blackbeard uses.” She said between sniffs. “But these are regular scented candles!”

Isk groaned. “Have you forgotten your goal already? You don't have time to worry about such things.”

“...Right.”

Isk reached into her cloak and pulled out a broad saber in its sheath. She held out the scabbard with one hand. “I doubt a woman of your caliber will need this, but you're not quite a magical girl without a weapon.”

Hana picked up the sheath and slammed it against her back. The impact seemed to make it fuse to her belt. “Thanks for everything.”

“We'll see.”

Hana did not need to get accustomed to her new abilities. She drew a flintlock from her coat and fired at a pirate hunter's back. The shot did little more than knock the man uncontentious.

“Rubber bullets?”

“That is no ordinary coat.” Isk remained behind Hana. “You can draw anything that uses black powder out of that coat. You did not want to kill the man, so the projectile was non-lethal. The results would have been much different had you wanted to kill him instead.”

Hana didn't fully understand it, but she was getting the results she wanted. The pirate hunters ignored her as she picked them off one at a time with flintlocks. After each shot, Hana tossed the pistols aside. The empty weapons faded into light before completely disappearing.

“You're not moving fast enough.” Isk shouted from behind Hana. “You need to knock them down a lot faster if you want to save him.”

Hana started firing with blunderbusses. These large, funnel-barrel guns were known for firing anything you could fit down the barrel. But in this case it was more rubber balls. The pirate hunters still ignored her, as if they knew she wasn't striking them down fast enough still. Clearly Hana needed to think... Bigger.

“Wait, any black powder weapon?”

“Why don't you just try?”

Hana took of her coat and draped it in front of herself. She then waled backwards, and the coat seemed to follow the contour of an invisible object. But on the other side of the coat a massive cannon was starting to take shape. With a final tug, the cannon was fully assembled, and the fuse was lit.

“Now that's what I call firepower!” Hana laughed at her success.

Isk turned to the giggling teenager. “Aren't you afraid this might hurt the pirate hunters?”

“Nah, It's got a rubber cannon ball inside it.”

Isk only responded with a shake of her head.

Boom! An entire row of pirate hunters were thrown into the air. They screamed in terror before landing back on the ship, completely knocked out. Hana didn't stop setting up cannons in this fashion. Every time one went off, another one came into existence. Boom! More pirate hunters scattered to the winds. Blackbeard had stopped fighting. The remaining pirate hunters were retreating, but they couldn't escape the cannons. Boom! Boom! The legendary pirate bounced his anchor on his shoulder. “Interesting power you have there. What is your name?”

Hana was reluctant to give Blackbeard her real name. It just didn't feel appropriate for the situation. After all, this was Hana the magical girl, not Hana the school girl. “Magical Girl Shining Scales.”

The pirate laughed, his eerie smoke beard swayed in the wind. “So you are the captain of this ship! You attack the adventure, and then you knock down your own men to get to me? My, what fighting spirit you must possess!” He stomped on the deck, and the boards cracked under his feet. “We should fight then. This is how I wanted it to end. A duel to the death between two ship captains!”

“I-I don't want to fight you!” Hana turned to look at Isk. “I saved him, what's going on?”

Isk seemed to hover when she walked into a corner, far away from the conflict. “I'm sorry Hana.” She said before kneeling. “But I lied. The only reason I gave you anything was to watch you sink into despair. Draw your blade and forge your greatest nightmare.”

Hana placed her hand on the hilt of her blade, but was hesitant to draw it. She looked back at Blackbeard. “I don't want to fight you! You represent the spirit of adventure, rising up against impossible odds, excitement! I-I.” She leaned forward and screamed. “I love you!”

The legendary pirate lowered his head. “I know.” Blackbeard let his anchor roll off of his shoulder. “But this is still something that must be done!” Blackbeard charged forward. His anchor was ripping the deck to splinters behind him. When he came into range, he swung at her from overhead. Hana was panicking, but she managed to side step the pirate's first swing. It was close though, she could feel the shock wave through her legs. Despite only using one hand, he swung the anchor like it was just a toy. Hana continued to jump backwards as Blackbeard pursued her, narrowly missing swing after swing. When he finally stopped, his coat was pushed open by two tentacles wielding blunderbusses. Hana didn't have time to tense up before every bullet struck her in the chest. The impact sent Hana tumbling away until she landed flat on her back.

“Well?” Isk called over to her. “You're not going to kill him just dancing around like that. Get in there!”

Hana's chest felt sore, but not a single bullet breached her armor. Hana didn't have much time to rest before Blackbeard came falling out of the sky. The pirate girl was able to roll off to the side just as Blackbeard came down, shrouding the vicinity in smoke and splinters.

“It's all or nothing.” Hana thought.

The newly minted magical girl dove onto Blackbeard's chest and swiftly climbed up to his shoulders. She held onto his neck and stared intently into his eyes.

“What are you doing girl?” He shouted at her. “Get off of me!”

“No! You stop this right now!”

Blackbeard's anchor was too big to swing at himself, and Hana's foot was holding his sword inside his scabbard. The pirate girl could feel his tentacles searching for weapons inside his coat, but she trapped them under her knees.

“You can't keep this up forever, girl!”

“Watch me!”

Blackbeared seized Hana by the shoulders, but froze in place. Even Hana had difficulty moving her body. It was like the two of them had lost the strength to move. They promptly sunk to the floor and fell onto their sides. They were still holding on, locked into each other's intense stares.

“So you can perform the 'Captain's Dare' after all.” Isk let out a heartfelt chuckle. “I knew there was a wealth of potential dwelling inside you.”

Hana and Blackbeard both groaned. It was about all they were capable of.

“I think you're trying to ask what that is, am I right?” Isk paced around the two pirates. “It allows you to effectively paralyze someone with your stare if you will it. Unfortunately you have to be relatively close to use it, and it only works while you're looking into their eyes. Every legendary pirate knows this skill, which is why the two of you can't move.” Isk paused when she heard the two pirates groan again. She shrugged. “It would appear that the two of you are in a stalemate. Even though you didn't technically win the fight, I do have to say you passed my little test. It's always refreshing to see a girl with some backbone that knows how to stick to her guns.” Isk peered down at Hana. “Even if they can be a little reckless about it.” Isk walked away from them. “We're done here. You may wake up if you so desire.”

Hana slowly rised from her dream. Was it a dream? It had pirates and magical girls in it, that was about all she remembered. When hana turned her head to look out her window, she could see that parot from yesterday.

“Again?”

The parrot squawked and flew off. No matter. The school girl didn't have anything she needed to do today, but wanted to spend as much time out of the house as possible. The rest of her family liked to sleep late, but Hana was an early riser. If she grabbed breakfast on the go today, she wouldn't have to encounter her brother. That, and she needed to do some more research on these magical girls.