[IC] The Truth Behind the Project

[Flamelord]

"Welcome back," Miyako said with a smile as Emiri awoke at last, leaving any worry aside that she might have been in some actual danger any longer from her overuse of magic. Personally, she thought it had been an unnecessary risk, but she would leave it to one of the girl's older friends to tell her off for how stupid she was being. They had more authority and legitimacy to do so at the moment than she did.

That said, she settled back to listen as Emiri at last explained her powers, though it took a long winded explanation to reach that point. Which was a bit annoying, but she could live with it as long as she got the information that she wanted out of it sooner or later.

"I see," she replied tentatively, finding the powers....interesting, to say the least. So, anything associated with Alice in Wonderland then? She supposed she might have to go read the book or something, but it didn't seem all that useful for her style of fight. Not to say it was, considering that potion that Emiri had whipped up for her, but it just wasn't all that suited for frontline combat as the recent showing had displayed. And she could live with that.

She shook her head then, wearing a smile at the same time. "Thanks for the offer, but I do actually have a home to get back to. Don't want to worry my folks." That was part of the reason she did this, and she could hardly afford to get grounded in the process of doing it.

She shifted then as someone new entered, another kid that earned a wave. "Hey," she replied, before watching the exchange between her and Elise. Well, this was going off swimmingly wasn't it? Though she was quick to get that she was actually older than she looked. It seemed reasonable that magical girl powers could do that, so she had no complaint. Certainly she took it better than Elise did, which she could pride herself for.

She folded her arms then as things seemed to be coming to a close. "And I still don't need training," she answered. Once she had someone show her where to find all the good spots and get around this city, she would be home free, of that much she was certain.

[TheWendil]

“N-No, stop! You can’t do thi-mmpmf!”

“Shh, shh. You know, all your pretty little words get really annoying after a while.”

The girl with the eye-patch sighed in semi-annoyance as she held the so called knight of justice down. One hand was slapped onto the other girl’s mouth to shut her up while the other methodically began stabbing her victim’s chest over and over again. The blue-haired sword wielder tensed up as blood splattered, screaming muffled pleads into her attacker’s palm.

Only when the girl was reduced to a couple of strained tears and twitching movements did the girl with the eye-patch move off of her. Yes, it was great to be back in Mitakihara Town. Pawing her revolver in hand, she waited for her victim’s natural healing magic to act up before firing into the blue-haired girl’s body. To this, the knight gave a garbled scream, no longer loud enough to cause the attraction of any Primordials.

“Your healing magic is nothing special,” she told the dying girl. “We can do this all night you know. I’ll keep shooting every time I so much as sense you using your magic. All of this could have been avoided dear if you just listened to me. And now look where you are. You should have known that you can't save anyone in this business.”

Another spark of blue magic before the girl fired off another round. The eye-patched girl sighed with a grin.

“Geez, you’re as persistent as that red-headed glutton back home. Though I gotta say, you're way weaker than her. She didn’t listen either. And now she's lying in some ditch with a bullet to the head and an apple shoved in her throat. I really liked her too.”

And so this little game of theirs continued, the girl with the eye-patch knowing full what she was doing. For every time the knight healed herself, the more her Soul Gem became darkened until it was practically black. Humming to herself, the attacker gave one final glance at her now comatose victim before twirling her pistol.

“But hey, you gave it your best dear. Not a lot can say that to someone like me. Don’t worry though because your death really was necessary, I promise. You were never fit to be a Magical Girl anyway.”

Smiling, the dark haired girl left the broken body behind and prepared to make her exit. Then she paused, as if suddenly remembering something. With a twirl of her heels, she aimed her gun at the other girl’s once blue Soul Gem and fired. The precious seal shattered into a spread of color tinted glass and metal, the last light of life soon fading in the girl’s eyes. The Soul however, remained dormant and floating.

The dark haired girl merrily skipped over to the pure essence and gently held it between her hands.

“Silly me. I almost forgot my dinner.”

Back in Miso City, it was now the dark of night. The Contractor currently with Akame raised its head as if sensing something before curling around the flaming Magical Girl’s shoulder again.

Back at the high school, the Contractor currently with Nanako and the others did the same thing for a brief moment. Then it fell back into Nanako’s petting touch, rubbing itself against her hand like the cute creature it was.

Things were going smoothly.

[MarsAdept]

" Hmm ? I never said anything about my age being concealed, but if you really need to know, I'm cursed to look this way, not by any magic, but by my genes, I have something that doctors have no name for, something the internet calls Highlander syndrome. It effected me when I was nine and my body as you can see it hasn't changed since my ninth birthday, it was hard to see my younger siblings grow taller and bigger than me and always ask why I'm not growing. Do you wish to know any more about my unfortunate syndrome ?" Izumi asked. When the girl asked if she wanted to train Izumi wanted to train her separately and Izumi just nodded.

@Spriggs27

Rose took a sip of her tea and finished her tea, "Sorry, I see I jumped the ship. They way you declared your age. It was unladylike. It was more angry like you were defending what you have earned. I know the feeling to well. And no, I do not care to learn about your syndrome. I don't pity you and do not expect me to. You are a magical girl. You can hold your own."

Rose set her tea cup down and stood up, "I am Rea Hargrove, Izumi. I will be your teacher only so we can guarantee success for the upcoming Primordial elimination operation. Now, Elise and Izumi. The tea here is getting old. If neither of you have a place to stay. You can join me in my lair. Yes, lair. Big secret lair. My design. I am off y'all. See you another night." Rose walked casually out of the room. If they followed they followed. If not, She would find them. Sooner or later, they had to be near water.

@Ariamis@Spriggs27

[Spriggs27]

" Hello to you to" Izumi told the little girl that met her eye level, seeing the little girl at her eye level reminded her of how short she was again, the feeling of embarrassment washed over her, but she just kept calm and tried not to reveal how she truly felt about being on the same height level of the youngest person here, the small child then went off on the magical girl that called her and the other girl crybabies but Izumi didn't try to interfere with the girl's lashing out and just watched it unfold.

When Izumi heard Elise's comments on her height she lost it, she stormed over to the hotheaded magical girl with height insults." Hey it's not my fault I'm fun sized so cut the crap you knuckle dragging lout, I didn't arrive her to stand here and be berated by someone of your intelligence. Now I'd respect it if you'd shut your mouth and be friendly like your cohorts, or do I need to repeat everything slowly to you so you can understand right and proper ?" Izumi asked. Suddenly the tea drinking magical spoke and drew Izumi's attention from Elise.

Izumi listened the tea drinking magical girl talk to her and she didn't get angry with the other magical girl for what she was saying to her." I don't try to get angry, and I don't usually, but when I do it's usually because of certain subjects, I am sorry I came off as livid towards you and Elise. I don't expect you to take pity on me, I expect you to train me instead." Izumi told her calmly. When the tea addict magical girl stood up and told Izumi her name Rea Hargrove, Izumi memorized the name and watched as Rea mentioned the tea getting cold and having a lair if she and the hot headed Elise didn't have a place to stay.

The youthful looking girl followed behind of Rea, she knew she could just call home and ask for someone to get her, but the ride back and forth would be too long for her to deal with and she could miss something important." I'll stay with you, but I don't want to sleep in a drawer or box." Izumi made clear to the tea addict." I'm willing to share a bed, but I don't want to sleep in something demeaning." she continued

[Ariamis]

The crying one, Nanako, she remembered, spoke up. Despite Elise's expectations, she actually admitted to her crying. To Elise, this was a good sign; the first step to solving any problem was to acknowledge it. It was all the better when she said she would make up for it by training, and as a nice bonus, promised not to meddle with her. There was yet hope for the li'l one to grow up strong, and Elise actually enjoyed her new-found courage. Elise approved with a confident smile and a thumbs up. She decided to give a little pep talk: "That's right, Nanako! Become stronger than anyone else and destroy every soul that crosses you! Give them nothing, and take from them everything!" She emphasized the end of her speech by slamming her fist on her open palm.

Contrary to what she did before when Izumi badmouthed her, this time she couldn't hep but smirk deviously. She didn't think that her height-based insults would get that kind of rise out of her, and would have stopped had she ignored her. But with that outburst, she figured out that Izumi hated being called short. Now she knew what to do if she ever felt like bullying her, and with luck, she could goad her into fighting her. She humored her.
"Hey, dragging knuckles is a good way to make them tough," she said, and cracked them.

Izumi continued with her apologizing, which started to annoy Elise at this point. Fortunately she didn't have to endure it for long since Rose offered them to stay at her place. Izumi then whined when she was given a generous offer like that. Typical, she thought. She was used to sleeping wherever she could find shelter during her travels, and so wasn't as picky.

Elise casually followed after Rose. "Sure, I can crash at your pad, Razor. I'm fine with anything, unlike the spoiled brat here," she added while making a quick thumb-pointing at Izumi' general direction. "I gotta warn you though, I'm a loud sleeper."

[MarsAdept]

Rose walked outside the high school. She flinched at the assumption that she would be so rude to a guest as to make them sleep in a drawer or box. It was a insult. Rose was able to ignore the comments back and forth between Elise and Izumi. It was mildly entertaining, however Rose silently refused to take part. She was better than that and her discipline was to speak for herself. "You do still consider your human right?" Rose asked Izumi, "I do not have very many beds so one of you will have to take a couch. Elise will have to take a bed if she is in fact as bad of a snorer as she says she is. Now, Come. My dwelling is across town. Leaping is faster than running." Rose leapt off the ground leading the way.

Once across town, Rose lead the girls to a highway overpass. There was a small abandoned lot under the freeway. It was fenced in with chain wire. It was a dirty lot with barely any grass growing. The only thing in the fenced in area were four shipping containers stacked up. Rose walked up to one of the crates and inserted a key into a lock, "Akame and Emiri do not know of this place. I like them but do not tell them please. Do not make me destroy this entrance. They think I have a studio apartment in the city's center but I only sleep there about once a week." Rose opened the place. She led the girls through the cramped quarters of a makeshift house inside the shipping containers. There were glasses full of water everywhere. This was a false front though. Getting through that maze Rose unlocked another door to a series of elegantly carved stone stairs. It looked like the stairs lead into the ground underneath the highway. "Fun fact: Water under high pressures focused at a small point will cut even steel," Rose said with some enthusiasm.

Eventually the group came to the base of the stairs and another locked door. It just went to show how paranoid Rose was. This was the door to Rose's beloved lair. The Door opened into a well lit circular room. A pendulum swung from the ceiling. The Floor, except for the outer two feet, was solid glass. A vast pool of water was below it. An ideal base for a water elemental. Two semi-circle couches formed a ring around a central circular tea table. A large tv was mounted on the wall for entertainment. Every recent gaming console was laid out on a stand before TV. "Welcome, To my Lair!!!" Rose said with unusual pride, "Please do not break the glass floor. That is the underwater aqueduct that feeds most of the city. And the glass is expensive. I will go start a pot of tea. Questions?"

@Spriggs27@Ariamis

[Spriggs27]

" Then I'll simply just fall asleep before you fall asleep or plug my ears, and we'll share the bed." Izumi rolled her eyes as she responded to Elise saying she was a loud speaker and mumbled something about Elise obviously being a loud person, Izumi sighed while listening to Rea." Yes, I know I am a human being, but it doesn't stop other people who are bigger than me from bulling me by putting me inside of drawers, lockers, and trying to mail me away to other places." Izumi informed Rea, and deep down she felt Rea didn't care about her past troubles as she spoke more of her past, Izumi kept following the tea addict magical girl.

After Rea took them both to her secrete lair, which was just a bunch of containers, inside Rea took them back down under ground, she then asked them to not tell the others of her secret lair entrance, Izumi just nodded as Rea mentioned how powerful water under high pressures can cut, Izumi didn't even bother saying that she knew that water was powerful. After seeing the room that Rea had and hearing Rea tell them not to break the glass, Izumi hopped twice on top of the glass floor and looked to Rea," How'd you get the glass down here and install it without no one knowing about this place ? Are you making tea for two ?" Izumi asked.

[Ariamis]

"Nice," Elise reacted when she heard she'd get the bed. Keeping up with the surprising moves, Izumi wanted to join her in the bed.
"I'm down with that. I'll get a snuggle buddy out of the deal," Elise joked, waiting to see what Izumi would say about that. While she first made the joke just to fluster Izumi, her own face turned a bit red herself once she actually thought about what she said, and grinned at the prospect. She then thought about Izumi stuffed into a crate and shipped overseas, and it made her laugh; it's been a long time since she hung out with people like a normal person, and it made her relieve some of her stress.

"Nifty." Elise thought Rose's lair was pretty cool, with the water and all, but she was now noticing all these secrets she was keeping from her peers; her name was a coincidence to her, but this changed it. What more could she be hiding, Elise thought to herself. But she let it go for the moment being. She wasn't the type to overthink stuff.
"Yeah, I got one," Elise answered Rose's question. "You got any liquor here? My throat's parched."

@MarsAdept @Spriggs27

[MarsAdept]

The perfectly circular room with the three magical girls were in had three doors. If the room was a clock and the tv was at 12, then there was a door at 2 o'clock and 10 o'clock with the door at 6 o'clock being the one they entered the room from. Rose lead the way to the door at two o'clock motioning them to continue following. "What kind of person do you think I am, Izumi?" Rose asked answering both the question of how the glass was installed and if she would make enough tea for everyone.

Through the door, the space oppened up into what one might expect of a small appartment. To the immediate left, was a full kitchen with stove, fridge, mircowave, and everything else. There was also space for a small dining room. Down a main hallway, was a laundry room. Two door were on the right side. Rose explained as she put on a pot of water to make tea, "First room on the right is my meditation room, please do not disturb it. Second room is a small guest room. I could have made it bigger but yeah... The bed is a queen so should be big enough. Bathroom is first door on the left. As for you Lady Elise, You are a little too underaged to be drinking liquor. But," Rose hesitates weighing morality in her head, "There is whiskey and vodka in the fridge. Do not touch my wine. Feel free to use whatever if you make a mixed drink."

After the teapot boiled the water and Rose was able to make hot tea, She returned to the main circular room. She set the teapot on the table and set up cups. She poured herself a glass and sat back to relax.

@Spriggs27@Ariamis

[Spriggs27]

Izumi stared at Elise hesitating to say anything and noticed that the hotheaded magical girl began to get flustered and turned beet red." Just don't crush me with those massive things." Izumi put her hands around her chest as if she was cupping something then put her hands at her sides when Elise laughed at what Izumi said before, Izumi looked upset and looked away from the two magical girls sighing. When Rea showed them more of her secret lair and told them where they would sleep, Izumi memorized the rooms to know which go where so she wouldn't go into Rea's meditation room by mistake.

During the entire time Rea was explaining where everything was, she had tea made and she mentioned alcohol." She can't drink alcohol, I have to sleep next to her and deal with bad alcohol breath, I also don't think that it's right for girls under the age to drink." Izumi went on to talk about underage drinking, when she noticed Rea set down the tea, she took a tea cup and poured herself some tea and tried to relax, even though in the next couple hours or so she would be sharing a bed with a hot headed possibly drunk magical girl pawing at her.

@Ariamis@MarsAdept

[Ariamis]

Izumi's reaction was pretty cute, and Elise smiled. Her attempt at intimidating the girl in an unexpected fashion may have failed, but at this point the red-headed girl was having way too much fun to care. Her mouth opened wide open and her eyes gleamed like rubies when Rose mentioned the drinks. She took Rose's hand and shook it. "Oh, thank you Razor, I swear I'll pay you back. You're the best!" She didn't react much to Izumi's objection while she was walking to the kitchen: "Oh lighten up. Don't be such a stick in the mud."

She then went to the kitchen, mixed herself some grape rockets and nectarine delights, and brought them over to the circular room. It turned out Elise was terrible at holding her liquor: it only took a few glasses for her to become tipsy. She was soon slurring her speech, and her movement turned more sluggish and uncoordinated as she kept downing the drinks. She seated herself next to Izumi, and wrapped her arm around the blonde girl's shoulder.

"You know, you remind me of myshhelf when I washh your age," Elise spoke in a drunken stupor, having completely forgotten that they were supposedly of the same age, "I washh alshho a pain in the asshh like you. But I shhure ashh hell washhn't ashh pretty, and cute, and...prechioushhh...." She came closer, pressed herself against Izumi, and sniffed her long, blond hair.
"...You shhmell shho good too...you can touchh them, you know...maybe you could ushhe shhome mahgic to absshorb their power shho you'll get bigger yourshhelf..." Her hand started 'exploring' Izumi's body now, but it didn't last long: she soon passed out over Izumi with her arms wrapped around her.

@MarsAdept@Spriggs27

[Spriggs27]

Izumi sipped some tea as Elise rushed into the kitchen to quickly get drunk on the various liquors that Rea had within her little hide out, when Elise flopped down next to Izumi, the small girl smelt the whisky and vodlka on the hot headed magical girl's breath she could even feel the heat from her breath as she spoke to Izumi in a drunken stupor. Elise began saying things like how she was reminded her of herself when she was her age." We're the same age !" The small girl yelled, Elise then said that she was a pain," Your a pain in the neck then !" Izumi yelled, then Elise began complimenting Izumi saying she was pretty and cute, then she sniffed Izumi's hair.

Izumi attempted to push the larger girl off her as she continued to smell her hair," Hey back off ! Your getting all weird !" Izumi continued yelling at Elise, then that's when the hot headed girl began to make things become even weirder, she told Izumi that she smelled good and said she could touch her back, Izumi's face went a little red." N-no, It's n-not like I w-want to or anything, and I rather have height than just weight." She said to the other magical girl who began groping her and touching her inappropriately, but then the magical girl just passed out on top of Izumi with her arms wrapped around her." Help, Ms.Hargrove, help me, the intoxicated giant passed out and I can't get out of her grip." Izumi called for Rea's help.

[KoL]

Emiri couldn't avoid noticing the displeased s expresion on both Miyako and Elise's face after she finished explaining how her powers worked. Was it really this bad in those girls' eyes? Well, not that Emiri didn't knew that she was a disppointgly weak when it came to fending for herself, but the fact that she was really good at helping other people so bad?

She set those thoughts aside after Miyako answered that she wouldn't be able to expend the night at her apartment. It was a disappointing thing to hear, specially when Emiri believed that a magical shouldn't be putting their own family in risk by continue to live with them, after all the Primordial hunt magical girls first and foremost and one of them would eventually find their house one day. After that a magical girl has two choices, reveal herself to her family, which is bad -to say the least-, or watch them get slaughtered in front of her own eyes -if she was there at the time-, however most probably both things would happen as usually in a magical girl's life the worst case scenario is the one that happens the most. These thoughts were the reason that led Emiri to run away from home and embrace the magical girl life 100% of the time and the one who thaught her that was Akane, her beloved sempai.

"I... Know I'm a cry baby! I just need training. That's all! I can't be perfect on my first go.." Nanako was a bit mad about that remark, but, that girl seemed to like getting in fights.
"I'll just stay out of your way Elise-san... If that's what you want.. Besides! I want Emiri-san to train me!" Nanako cheerfully skipped towards her and the contractor. Giving it a nice scratch behind its ear.

@Pudding

Hearing that made Emiri's heart swoon, she couldn't get Miyako to accept her help, but it looked like Nanako was willing to let Emiri show her that the life of a magical girl doesn't need to ba a sour one. Certainly they would suffer, probably even see one of their comrades die in front of their eyes, like Emiri did, but a magical girl is a banner of hope in the despair soaked world so they musn't let themselves be corrupted by it.

"Nanako-chan, I'm so happy to hear this! Your onee-san will train you to become powerful and kind magical girl like no one other." Emiri said before getting up from her chair, straightening her skirt and saying, "I'm sorry, it guess that I jumped to conclusion regarding you two. I'm sorry but I guess that I'll have to take back my offer for you spending the night at my apartment, after all, different from us, you both have families to return to, don't you? I need a little to put my thoughts in order anyway."

The contrator present at the room turned his cute little face to look at Emiri, but try as she might Emiri wouldn't find out what it was hiding behind those beady red eyes, perhaps it had noticed what Emiri was trying to hide from the other girls?

Then, as she opened the room's door Emiri turned back towards the room and said, "Miyako-chan, could you please see Nanako-chan to her home? It's getting late and we don't know if more Primordials might spawn, so be careful on your way back, please."

On the city streets...

Emiri was sitting at a lonely bench under a street lamp, looking like an student waiting for a late bus back home to any onlookers, in her hand she had her soulgem and was talking to Akame and Rose through it, "I'm sorry *bloody cough*, Akame, *bloody cough*, Rose, it seems that I have used much more power than I thought *bloody cough* I guess I'll be out of comission for quite a time now."

She got into the next passing bus as it would lead her to her destination, a ramen shop that she used to frequent with Akane back in the days when they still lived together. Whe she arrived there the shop's master greeted her, "Oh, Emiri-chan? What a surprise seeing you here these days! How is Akane going? I bet that studying abroad is must be pretty hard."

Emiri fought back the welling tears and answered the old man, "Thank you, master, Akane is very well, I got a letter from her the other day and she said I can join her begining next spring. Also, please give me one of my usual."

"Hahaha! Kids these days... anyway, a super spicy chicken bowl comming right away!" The man said before placing a bowl with an extra large portion of meat on it in front of Emiri and then, turning back to his previous chores.

As Emiri was quietly eating her ramen, which made her feel better than any magical potion could ever hope to, a contractor came walking on the shop's roof and then on its wall before stopping right besides her. It always creeped Emiri the way the creature defied gravity so casually, but not more than the unchanging expression on its face, anyway, she said mentally, "You want to see it, don't you?"

Emiri then placed her soulgem in front of the contractor, it was almost completely black, not just stained like it appeared to be back in the tea party, the reason for it was obvious, from the contractor point of view, "We knew it, you were using magic to disguise its appearance, weren't you Asuka Emiri? Why you did that? For the new girls' sake? Sincerely we can't understand why you humans struggle so hard. Yet..." The contractor walked around the soulgem as if it was evaluating it, before saying again, " we are intrigued, how can you still be functional when your soulgem is this much polluted?"

"It's my duty as a sempai, I can't let my underclassmen worry about me. It's the only thing driving me forward now."

"Duty, eh... we don't understand the concept behind that word, but you're saying that there's something driving you forward other than the power of your wish? That's the first time we've heard of it, so we're curious. The little creature then jumped from the shop's counter and went past the door when another customer was coming in, on the way it said, "You might be a unique individual, Asuka Emiri, we'd be very disappointed if we lost the opportunity to observe you."

After that Emiri finished her ramen and picked another bus, this time her destination was her apartment...

---

@Flamelord@Pudding@MarsAdept@TheWindel

[MarsAdept]

Rose laughed as Elise acted out the role of a drunk. Because of her regenerative ability, Rose would have to drink a 'lot' in order to even get tipsy. She did not interfere until Izumi verbally asked for help. She set down her tea cup and smiled, "Hold still, Izumi. I am not strong enough to pull her off you, so prepare to take a bath. Hold your breath." Rose waved her hands. From out of the kitchen, a large ball of water came into the room. Rose levitated it over Izumi and Elise then drops it. Capturing the two girls in the ball of water, Rose uses the water to break Elise's from Izumi. Rose releases the freed Izumi by dropping her onto the couch dry. Rose allows Elise a way to breath before sending the ball of water away to the guest bedroom. Rose deposited Elise onto the soft queen sized bed then put the water back into the sink it came from. "I apologize for the rude handling, Izumi. I think now is a good time for you to go to sleep to. There is another bed in my meditation room you can sleep on. It is round so don't roll off the edges. And don't disturb the many glasses of water on the floor."

On the city streets...

Emiri was sitting at a lonely bench under a street lamp, looking like an student waiting for a late bus back home to any onlookers, in her hand she had her soulgem and was talking to Akame and Rose through it, "I'm sorry *bloody cough*, Akame, *bloody cough*, Rose, it seems that I have used much more power than I thought *bloody cough* I guess I'll be out of comission for quite a time now."

@KoL

Rose heard Emiri's call through her soulgem. It alarmed Rose. Rose immediately called back, "Emiri, Where are you? Do you need help? I can be there as fast as I can."

@KoL@Spriggs27@Ariamis

[Spriggs27]

Izumi could only just experience being brought into the the giant waterball, while inside she did as Rea told her and held her breath as Elise let go of her and she dropped onto the ground out of the water ball and onto the couch, she then watched as Rea took Elise away to the guest room inside of the water ball, Rea told Izumi that the small girl could use her meditation room to sleep and to be careful of the bed since it was round, Izumi was about to walk to the room, but she overheard Rea's call from another Magical girl, Izumi stood in front of Rea as she called out the name of her friend and asked if she needed help." Is there something I can help with ? " Izumi asked.

[Flamelord]

Miyako rolled her eyes at the emphatic response that Elise gave to what Nanako said, disagreeing with those sentiments in the extreme. They were supposed to be heroes, protecting people and fighting the bad guys, not simply taking whatever they wanted and abusing their abilities. But she had a feeling that trying to convince the girl would get nowhere at the moment, so she didn't comment on it.

That said, she nodded in agreement as Emiri finished as well, dismissing the both of them, as if she needed to be dismissed in the first place. The request was slightly annoying, but it was hardly out of line and as a hero she couldn't exactly refuse to accept it. It was just too bad that she didn't actually know where Nanako lived, which would make this longer.

"Sure thing," she replied before moving towards the door, though she stopped to glance back at the young girl. "Come on," she added with a grin before departing the room, ready to escort their younger comrade to her house, wherever it was. And that she would be relying on directions from her for, but it wouldn't be too hard. That was a part of being a magical girl, after all.

[Pudding]

"Come on" Said Miyako as she stood by the open door way. Nanako nodded, she waved goodbye to everyone still there and left with Miyako. The walk with her fellow magical comrade was a little awkward... Nanako herself was shy and still a bit shaken by what had happened. Walking in the night against the ever pouring rain wasn't really helping.

There were a few instances where Miyako attempted to make conversation but it ended rather awkwardly... Majority of the walk was Nanako directing her on where they were going, while simultaneously attempting to think of a small gift for her once they got to her house. Shortly, they arrived back at her house...

Nanako looked down at her feet... "Uhm, uh... T-thankyou! Hold on a second... I'll get you something... F-for taking me home... Nanako quickly ran inside, after unlocking the door with a spare key she pulled out of her bag. Running into the kitchen she opened up the fridge and grabbed a small treat. She ran back outside and gave Miyako some chocolate cookies wrapped up in some napkins.
"I have to go now, my mama and papa have been wondering where I went... I-I'll see you... See you again... B-bye..."

[Flamelord]

With Nanako joining her, Miyako began to walk, leading them first out of the school before turning over guiding them to the person she was supposed to escort, as was only reasonable in this situation. She did try to strike up conversation, but it seemed that her current companion was too shy to really get anything going for long. A pity, but she would let things lapse into comfortable silence as she walked along.

Soon enough they arrived at their destination though, Miyako left to wait outside as she ran in to get something. She had been about to say that she didn't need a gift or a reward, but it was a bit late to refuse now, and she didn't want to hurt her feelings by refusing either. That kind of person she was not.

Sooon enough Nanako returned though, carrying a bag of something, which seemed to be cookies. And that was a treat worthy of getting Miyako licking her lips in anticipation. She was something of a sucker for sweets, she would admit. "Alright. See you later," she replied with a wave before heading off, her job here done.

At that point she headed back to her own house, managing to avoid getting lost in the process. She shifted back when she was outside,returning to normal clothes, before she scaled up to her bedroom window, sliding it open and slipping in hopefully unnoticed. She didn't like having to sneak around, but she accepted that it was necessary, and faced the consequences when it arose. It was the price of her current job, in the end.

The cookies went onto her desk before she slipped into bed, humming to herself in the process. Yep, another good days work.

[KoL]

"Damn it!" A crimson eyed, white haired girl shouted as she punched a trash container so hard that she was sure she had broken a finger or two, not that it cared, anyway, as she simply shut down the sensation of pain in that hand. What mattered to her was what was right before her eyes.

There on the container, laid the bloodied remains of a girl with long fiery red hair and equally red eyes, jammed in the redhead's mouth was an apple that looked like it was put there just to mock her after her brutal death. The body was long cold, and it wouldn't be long before it would start to rot, but nevertheless the white haired girl removed it from the trash container letting the dead girl rest on the ground.

Then, she fell to her knees, "Why is that we have to suffer so much? Has she, no has any of us sinned so badly to deserve such a punishment?" The white haired girl said as she closed the dead body's eyes and cleaned it of as much trash as such could, all that was left now was finding a place to bury her friend's remains.

A time later at a nearby cemetery...

"How many times have I told you that being alone would deal to this, huh? If only you had heard me before..." The white haired girl said between her crying, while she buried her friend in an illegal grave.

Now that she had finished giving a proper treatment to the body, the white haired girl had time to think and try to piece the little that she knew about the the situation that was happening.

This mysterious occurrence was happening all around Japan, as no matter where the white girl travelled she would find mangled and partially devoured bodies of magical girls and the trail that the white haired girl has been seeking for the past few months and it finally led the white haired girl back to Kasamino city and its vicinities.

It was almost like something, or someone was hunting them and eating them like cattle. Certainly, it wasn't the Primordials, their MO wasn't like this it was far more systematic and coldly executed than they ever would be able to do. The white haired girl wasn't sure of the meaning of this all, but there was something that she was certain of.

"If this thing is hunting us there's only two places that it can go from here, either Mitakihara, or Miso City." She said to herself before picking up her soulgem and sending a message to a certain group of Miso magical girls that she knew all too well, "I don't know if you three are still ok, but I'm coming back to Miso, there's something wrong happening here. I'm at Kasamino now so it shouldn't take much time for to arrive there. Also, I'd like to tell you that the magical girl of this city is dead, something killed her and it wasn't a Primordial attack. I fear that in the worst case scenario we might be dealing with a magical girl hunter..."

---

.@MarsAdept@TheWindel

[MarsAdept]

Rose thought for a moment before answering Izumi's polite offering of assistance. Rose then smiled nicely, "Sorry, Izumi, I will be able to handle anything that happens. Emiri's voice has just made me nervous. I didn't see that last battle, and I know she did not come out of it like normal. Now you can go to bed if you like. Try not to pollute my meditation room with nightmares. It would upset the magical balance of the entire room."

Rose turned her attention back to her soul gem. Instead of hearing Emiri like she hoped, she received a disturbing report form an old acquaintance. A magical girl hunter? That idea was not laughable but it seemed to come way out of left field. Why jump all the way to a hunter of magical girls rather a new form of Primordial? The call came from way too far off. Rose did not feel like she could or even should respond to it. She would meet up with her when she came to Miko.

The moment that Izumi left the room to go to bed. Rose felt a presence. It did not matter how many locks she hid herself behind. She knew he could get in. The contractor leapt like a cat onto the back of Rose's couch. It looked at her with the unblinking eyes, "This is usual for you, Rose. You have never let people into your lair before. What are you planning? Does this mean you have stopped being an mere observer?"

Rose took a seat on her couch and leaned back. "That is for me to know. If you want to know, then you will just have to keep watching, my beloved contractor. I could never be as objective of an observer like you, because unlike you I am actually involved." Rose grabbed the remote and turned on her tv set. She did not have cable and she was too deep underground to get the local channels. She flipped through her large selection of anime, movies and shows. She eventually put on an anime that was filled with giant fighting robots with a romantic subplot. She then listened to her soulgem. The Contractor circled up like a cat in Rose's lap. Rose gently petted it.

@Spriggs27