The Kabuki play was in a small theater. There couldn’t have been more than two-hundred seats, but they were all full. The wall speakers rumbled with antiquated music from a biwa, which was talked over by a narrator. The actors did not speak at all. It would have been easy to hide a lapel mic in their robes or behind the masks they wore, but this was an authentic Kabuki experience. Effects such as explosions and sprays of blood were simulated with confetti and ribbons, deployed at just the right time by hidden stagehands.
As the comedy drew to a close, the audience roared with applause, save for two girls seated at the front. One was Tsubomi, who was unable to feel the emotional conclusion herself, and the other was Suki, who sat with her legs and arms crossed. Suki took Tsubomi’s hand and guided her down the aisle towards the front of the theater. The roar of the crowd quieted down as she made it back to the concession stand. She let go of Tsubomi and held her chin.
"Hmmm…”While the other girl couldn’t experience the play the way others would, she was more than satisfied with the chance to refill and refuel her reserves. She made sure to not touch the actors themselves, it wouldn’t do to mess up the show and end things early. It was rather like farming, she thought. You have to put in time, water, and sunlight, or else you won’t get nearly as much food. The time was the hard part, it was tempting to just turn the audience into a lethargic mess like herself, but the water that was the actors’ own emotions and the sunlight of the play was much more effective in the long term. And nowadays, Tsubomi was much more interested in the long term, or at least longer than the instant gratification she had been seeking for so long.
Her head tilted to the side as she looked at her partner.
”Hmm? Thinking about what the actors look like?” Even if it was in her normal, not quite despondent but certainly sounding like it tone of voice, it was probably obvious the past while that Tsubomi was talking more. Though that might be more annoying than anything, since she wasn’t speaking any
faster to match it. Her head tilted back to the middle and then past it, settling in at a perfect mirror of the previous tilt.
”Or do you think it would be cooler with actual effects?” Tsubomi, despite being a literal empath, wasn’t able to read minds. She knew that she was shooting in the dark, and that Suki knew she was too, but lack of actual interest never stopped people who actually had emotions running through them, why should it stop her?
"It wasn’t what I expected.” Suki’s tone made it evident she was still deciding if she liked it or not.
"I mean, it’s just the local theater group. I would be surprised if they had access to pyrotechnics. But a resource they had access to and absolutely didn’t use was woman!” She crossed her brow.
"Women weren't allowed to perform back then, but let’s get with the times! If you’re going to do a play based around a bunch of seductive vixens, why not have some super cuties play the part?” She sighed.
"I mean sure, their clothes and makeup were so thick it could be anyone under there. A-and I guess they still looked kinda cute. But you wouldn’t have to do that if you just used real women! The hot spring scene could have been really special…” Sometimes, Ember liked to wander around Hibusa Town without a goal in mind. She let her legs carry her forward, her eyes barely watching ahead as she moved from alley to alley, leaving behind streets both desecrated and consecrated. She refused to look people in the eyes or to even acknowledge their existence, as this was her precious alone time. Or at least as alone she could get with two teenage girls in her head, but that had been the case for as long as she could remember. Besides, they would not interrupt her privacy without good reason.
As she walked, she thought about the Detention Club, whose leader elected to mysteriously appear only when convenient for her. It did little for their cohesion - but that was not really her playing field, was it? Instead, she should be concerned for Sylvia and Hotaru, along with the friends they were making. Was this truly the best option for them? Could they do something better? Their acquaintances shared the secret of Takae Shuuko, not to mention they came from troubled pasts as well and yet… Broken people did not mean healing for Hotaru or Sylvia.
They needed someone stable for that. Ember could not be it, however; she was too close to them.
“Is that a theatre?” Sylvia asked in her head as she spotted the building. Ember stopped for a second to take a look at it. Indeed, it was a theatre, of the old-fashioned kind.
”How did you know, Sylvi?” asked Ember with a teasing lilt in her question. Sylvia averted her eyes in response, as though being curious about the outside world was a crime she should be ashamed of. Unfortunately, before the conversation could continue between them, Ember spotted two very unlikely friends coming her way.
”Aisatsu.” Tsubomi lazily greeted the girl, giving a half-hearted bow with her right hand parallel to her body over her heart. Not knowing or caring if this counted as mocking, she could only remember this bastardized version of a buddhist greeting. After a moment she straightened to her normal, slouched stance.
Suki had been mid-explaining when Tsubomi had turned to greet the newly arrived. A quiet followed her greeting that was only filled by the delinquent side eyeing the newly arrived.
"Oh hey!” Suki turned to face the many named girl and didn’t bother showing the level of reverence that Tsubomi had.
"It’s been a little bit since we’ve met! I mean, prior to the beach thing. That wasn’t too long ago.” She shifted her eyes.
"Anyway, you kinda missed the play. If I knew you were interested I’d have gotten more tickets. Probably.””Hello to you two! Thank you for the sweet consideration, Oyama-san. I might take a look next time.” Ember smiled a genuine smile at the two other dark magical girls, waving. She did not seem like she cared about their rudeness, perceived or otherwise.
”Did you enjoy yourselves?” ”Mm.” Turning back to Suki, Tsubomi finally responded about her misgivings towards the play.
”Maybe there were women acting and we just don’t know? A real hot spring scene would have ruined their makeup either way, wouldn’t it?”"I know what a woman looks like, nothing can fool these eyes.” She reassured her friend.
"And you wouldn’t use a real hot spring of course.” Suki raised a finger as she said this.
"It would be a little weird to move a hot tub on stage. But you know, you could just set up a few stones, some bushes, and put the actresses in towels and your imagination could do the rest.” She rested her hands on her hips.
"That is to say I enjoyed myself, but I think the experience could have been better. Maybe not a lot better, just a small improvement.””There’s always something to improve. No matter how much you yearn for your piece of perfection, Oyama-san,” Ember reached out to the girl and deliberately messed up her hair. This caused the delinquent’s head to sink between her shoulders.
”It’s never going to happen. Usually, it isn’t because of someone who decided to try and make a point though.” The smile remained on Ember’s lips as she teased Suki, knowing that she would have very little effect on Tsubomi. That girl seemed to be the very definition of stoic.
”Maybe you should try approaching the director with your criticism. They might take it well~”"Somehow, I don’t think they will.” Suki said while straightening out her hair. She froze half way through, as if coming to a sudden realization. But she said nothing and continued to fix her appearance.
"Speaking of taking it well, I should head back to my place. You should probably head back too, Tsubomi. I think um…” She hesitated while looking at the other girl.
"I’ll catch up with you guys during the next club meeting. Heh!”Tsubomi gave her usual lazy wave as Suki went on her way. She’d have quite a walk to get back, but that was never a bother even when she could
be bothered. Still, she began to turn and head home as well. Shatterscape and she had never really… spent time together, and so Tsubomi didn’t feel a strong need to protect an investment. Still, the girl was always feeling
something, or sometimes
somethings, but Tsubomi was well enough off on her stockpile that hanging around her for more didn’t even cross her mind.
”See you later!” Waving off Suki with a smile, Ember would have continued on her way amongst the alleys if it was not for Tsubomi’s… hesitation? She walked at a much slower pace than Suki, who might as well have been a rocket headed for the moon. Especially in comparison. Then again, the schemer never saw Tsubomi as a particularly energetic person, so it fit. Either way, it would not hurt to make an offer.
[color=red]”Say, Kana-san, would you like it if I escorted you home?”[color] The smile remained on Ember’s face as she acted on Sylvia’s silent suggestion along with her own interests. Perhaps she could dive deeper into this well and discover what lay deep inside.
Yet another unusual thing was added to Tsubomi’s list, ever since Rei’s mostly-disappearance. Though the list had stopped growing after her concussion, so she thought it might need to be retired. Someone other than Suki walking home with her? Before, she would have waved it off entirely, but with her newfound approach to at least try not to instantly burn bridges she figured it might be worth accepting. If nothing else, it might prevent another fall.
Tsubomi stopped her snail’s pace walking and tilted her head over her shoulder back at the Mirror Priestess.
”Mm. Okay.” ”Great!” With that, Ember moved beside Tsubomi, letting the other girl set the pace. They ended up walking through the streets at a leisurely, some might even outright say lazy, stroll, but the schemer did not mind. It only gave her more time to spend, to think, to analyse and draw conclusions.
”Do you go to the theatre often, Kana-san?”An empty head shook side to side, at the same pace as their walking.
”No. Only when I need to recharge, or if invited. Which has only happened once.” Tsubomi didn’t have the money to get in normally, spending her very little allowance on food more than anything else.
”There’s a lot of people feeling stuff strongly, though. It’s… convenient to sit outside sometimes.”Now, just how was one to interpret that comment? It did not seem like Tsubomi meant ‘recharging’ in the traditional sense, but Ember did not know much about the other girl’s power or how it worked. Only that it had to do something with emotions.
”Convenient?” she asked, hoping that her companion would take the cue to elaborate.
”Very.””Would you mind telling me why? It’s okay if you don’t want to.”Tsubomi’s head tilted once again.
”People feel lots of things during a play.” She shrugged and straightened her neck.
”It’s good food.”Did she need emotions to fuel her powers then? Putting it like ‘food’ was strange, but probably. It was likely as close as Ember could get without asking about it directly, but such questions were left better for later.
”I see. Well, I’m glad you’re full, then! So what did you think about the play, really? And what was it about? I only caught the tail end of your conversation so…” She shrugged, making a gesture that implied it could not be helped, her expression turning curious.
”Mm.” It was strange in Tsubomi’s mind to talk to someone who actually asked questions like this. Aside from Suki, sometimes, there weren’t a lot of people who showed interest in Tsubomi’s opinions when they realized how little she talked. Or tried to talk to her this much afterwards, either.
”Hero’s journey. The usual story, nothing really new.” The girl’s eyes drifted upwards so she could see the sky.
”It would be nice if new ideas existed…””That’s not a wrong way to summarise, but I don’t think it’s quite right, Kana-san.” Ember tilted her head slightly as they walked along, latching onto what she perceived as a clue. Her eyes seemed to spark just a little bit as she found something to pursue, to see if she could dive a little deeper.
”Because I think you’re only talking about the frame, not the picture.””Same paints. Same lines. Same frame.” Tsubomi’s gaze drifted down as she spoke, finally landing on Shuuko.
”Same painting. Counterfeits. Nothing new but the flaws. But people like it, so more get copied.” At this point Tsubomi decided to stop counting the strange things that happened. Ever since Snapdragon showed up, there seemed to be an acceleration of their timeline of occurrences. Having a talk about art was certainly a rarity to add to it, though.
”There’s nothing but Rome under the sun.””Why do you think so, Kana-san? In my eyes, only the frame’s the same. It is true that there are many copies, but there are also originals if one develops a keen eye for them. Sometimes, what is revolutionary lies in the smallest of details and I do not realise it until it is too late.” Indeed. But this detail, Ember had difficulty figuring out. Where was the body language? Where were the emotions? Where lay the substance? Not even asking about one of Tsubomi’s passions - if put strangely - seemed to stir anything.
”Mm… Another way. Baking a cake with the same ingredients makes the same cake.” Once again Tsubomi’s mind seemed to be running just a little faster. She was lucky not to need a concussion this time to trigger it.
”Even if you use different frosting. Even if you draw something else on it. If it’s made well it’s the same taste to the cake. And if you use the same paper, and the same camera, on the same subject. Even if one is black and white, and one is in color. Even if the angle is different. If it’s the same direction, the same target, it’s the same.””Ah, but to use your analogy, I don’t think anyone is using the same ingredients, Kana-san.” Ember smiled as they spoke, enjoying the exchange not just on the level of trying to figure out what made Tsubomi tick, but also as a way to sharpen her debate skills.
”Everything changes. The only constant thing in theatre, and in life - it’s that there’s always a script, isn’t there?”Tsubomi took a moment, as if considering Shuuko’s words. Finally she spoke, as emotionless as ever but somehow… smug, or as close as she could be to it.
”That’s the exact kind of cliche, rewritten over and over thing I mean.””I’m not a playwright, Kana-san.” A good-natured giggle left Ember’s lips.
”Of course I talk in clichés!””An’ speakin oh clee-chays…” Morganite hopped out of a nearby bush. She landed in the center of the side walk, but still had a vine and some grass stuck to her outfit. She shook the vine free before her shields descended from the sky and hovered beside her.
”Dis is da part where da good guys give da bad guys da come-uppin’s dey deserve!”Pearl stumbled out of the same bush, or perhaps out from behind it. She was a lot cleaner when she came out, but her knees were bent inward, and she kept herself behind Morganite.
”I don’t like ambushes, but if it means stopping another situation like what happened on the beach, I’ll gladly stupe to your lows if it means everyone gets to enjoy their vacation!” She twirled her wand before pointing it ahead.
And that wasn’t all. A
third girl
with a baseball bat and outfit walked out of a shadow further down the street. Her shirt was open, revealing a tank and jean shorts that most certainly weren’t league standard. She took her time strolling up behind the other girls and positioned herself beside Morganite.
”Right.” She tapped her baseball bat on the ground and hoisted it over her shoulder.
”You can tell us the location of your mascot, or we can fight. Up to you, I’m fine with either.” She tucked a piece of bubblegum into her mouth and started chewing.
”Aisatsu.” Tsubomi bowed at the three with her not-quite-buddhist greeting, though this time with her left hand where her right was before.
”Usually ganging up on fewer people and trying to beat them with baseball bats is a ‘bad person’ thing.” As if gravity was acting up today, her head once more tilted toward her right shoulder.
”Dunno where the kitvee is.” As the last of her words exited her mouth, so too did the boost of her mental abilities for the moment.
Ember narrowed her eyes as three light girls appeared in front of them out of seemingly nowhere, in what was supposed to be a relatively safe location near Hibusa Town. Had they moved closer to the City of Light or perhaps neutral territory, it would have made sense… but here? She called upon her other selves so they could stand as one should the threat become actualised.
”Do you truly wish to do this here?” She gestured to the streets, which still had some people around. It was not a daytime crowd, granted, but the potential for collateral damage existed.
”Some ‘light’ girls you are… You do realise that you’re only endangering those who you are sworn to protect, aren’t you?”Morganite grit her teeth, Pearl looked like she was having second thoughts, but the batter just blew a bubble until it popped. Then she used her tongue to wipe off her lips.
”Right, play the ‘you aren’t really the good guys’ card now that there’s a few students around. But when you’re pushing the beach into the sea or tormenting hundreds of vacation goers, that’s just the price of doing business huh?” This magical girl must have seen the aftermath of the attack, or been told about it. Yet her tone was steady and as-a-matter-of-fact.
”I know how you guys operate. You're like ticks. You’ve borrowed yourself deep in this town’s flesh and the only time we can attack is when you’re surrounded by civilians or outnumber your enemies. Because you’re cowards.” Her eyes shifted to Tsubomi.
”Regardless if I wield a righteous sword or a bat as hard as the hand of justice, it says little about why I fight.” She tapped her bat in her palm.
Pearl wiped her brow before pointing her wand ahead, a brilliant smile crossed her face.
”That’s right! Regardless of what you’re thinking about doing to those bystanders, I’ll make sure you don’t lay a single hand on them!”Even Morganite looked pumped up.
”Ya dun gotta fight us. Juz point uz to da base of operations!”Hearing the words of the bringer of justice, Tsubomi’s head once more tilted to the other side.
”Do we?” The revelation that she was burrowing deep into the town was news to her.
”But… you’re the ones outnumbering us, aren’t you? Mm…” Her eyes drifted from each Light Girl to the next.
”Mmmmm… Besides. It sounds like you’re fighting to get the mascot, not to be justice for people who were unlucky.”The batter sighed.
”Removing your mascot will further weaken you, making it harder for you to commit further atrocities.” The exact role a mascot played was unknown to most magical girls, but there did seem to be a correlation between the TV headed cats and the magical girl teams that formed around them. Come to think of it, Morganite had attempted to capture their mascot the other day. Maybe they knew something Tsubomi did not, or maybe this scheme was based on a hunch.
”And it’s not really luck. If the beach had been empty you’d have found some other peaceful group to terrorize.”Something about the girl’s explanation jumped out at Tsubomi. Even if they explained what had actually happened at the beach, they probably wouldn’t believe it anyway. Besides…
”Mm. Further?” ”You’re not exactly strong for dark magical girls, from what I’ve been told at least. ” The batter raised an eyebrow.
”Why? Are your powers not inhibited?” But that line of thought was derailed as soon as Ember returned the discussion to an earlier point.
”I never said that I’m playing by those rules. Only that you should be careful about who’s getting hurt. I wouldn’t mind a few injured bystanders, but would you?” Ember deliberately pointed at the light girls, her grin wide and predatory.
”Because like it or not, it’ll happen. Even if I’m inclined to be careful, if we fight you girls, it’ll only result in tears in the end. So I’d advise you to think about it before you act.” A breath. A pause to let them take it in.
Pearl looked at the pedestrians. They hadn’t been here long, but it was clear everyone was headed home. The longer they waited, the more vacant the area became.
”We can talk a bit longer if you’d like.””Or we could say that we know where our mascot is and lead you completely astray. I heard that demons lurk in Hibusa, so the outcome’s going to be unpleasant either way. Neither of us is going to get what we’re looking for so… why not just save the effort?” Of course, in the meantime, Ember reached out towards her bodies, bringing them closer and closer. She did not necessarily want to fight and her argument rung genuine, but she knew better than to trust the heartless hags in front of her.
”You’re rather noble for dark girls. I would have thought you’d try to trick us anyway, but I appreciate that you’re aware of your nature and willing to inform us about it.” The batter yanked the gum out of her mouth and stuck it on her bat.
”I guess we don’t have all night. Let me know when you’re ready to renegotiate.” The batter stepped forward, and her allies prepared to attack. Light and sparks danced through the air as they prepared to attack.
And these three were rather underhanded for Light Girls. Tsubomi threw a downcast look toward the ground.
”Nothing but Rome under the sun, after all…” She shrugged and took a step back and towards the sidewalk. She seemed to be standing aside, but in relation to what was unclear. After a moment, she slowly lowered herself into a crouch.
So this was it. Again. History repeated itself as though no one had learned from it and as such, Ember’s eyes became distant as she looked beyond… no,
through the violent light girls.
”Too much to hope for reason, huh?” Her voice lacked her usual confidence. It felt hollow, shattered. As though she had just lost a war for something more important then her own life. Her stare turned cold even as deep down, Hotaru burned with fury, all but demanding to surface. Sylvia could barely hold her back, pleading with her with soft whispers that this was Ember’s time.
”No, it’s not anymore. They aren’t worth my words.”On the outside, she closed her eyes as she made a last adjustment to the position of her bodies.
Then she let out a blood-curling scream.
Everyone on the street stopped. Some pulled their heads between their shoulders, some looked around panic, but a select few saw Ember collapse in the middle of the street and rushed to help. Five people to be exact, just enough to make the light girls’ job more difficult if they wanted to avoid harming the civilians in the initial fight, and also served as makeshift camouflage for the figurative magical explosion just a couple dozen meters behind Pearl.
Morganite was quick to redirect her shield, and flung them up in front of the approaching pedestrians.
”keep ya selves back! We got dis!” Who knew what the pedestrians saw when they looked upon this spectacle. Perhaps they were witnessing an exorcism, or maybe Morganite’s shields looked like passing cars. Either way, they weren’t going to get closer.
Now with one of her bodies transformed, Shatterscape drove her gauntlets into whom she judged the most vulnerable foe, Which happened to be Pearl. Her gauntlets closed around her victim as though they were a steel vice or perhaps an iron maiden; relentless and swift. Out of reflex, the light girl swaddled herself in a barrier of light, which shot blinding rays of light out from between Shatterscape’s talons. Her steel fingers were heating up, as Pearl had transformed herself into a miniature star. The dark girl was effectively trying to suppress a star, or a series of chain explosions. Most would have given up already, but her hatred kept her on the task.
Until a baseball cracked into her chin.
It was impossible to see through the veil of light, but as the vertigo left Shatterscape, she could see the Batter tossing a baseball up and down. Pearl was shivering. Even with the shield up, Shatterscape had managed to cut into her dress and even draw some blood. The Batter moved her body between the dark magical girls and the rest of her friends.
”Not bad, for a coward anyway.”Tsubomi could feel the area was being saturated in dark emotions. The confusion of the pedestrians, the annoyance of Morganite, the terror on Pearl, but she couldn’t get a read on the batter. There was nothing there to feel, like she was just a doll or a robot.
”Do you-” Pearl managed between breaths.
”Stay by Morganite, this won’t be much longer.” She began to chew again before flinging herself past Tsubomi. Shatterscape only had a moment to bring up her claws and defend from a barrage of bat swings.
Still sitting on her haunches, balanced on the front of her feet, Tsubomi’s head followed the action of the fight at a delay, moving towards the Light Girls after Shatterscape already grabbed one. As she was knocked back, the empath’s head followed once more, still much slower than her fellow club member.
”Mmmmmm…” A slight vibration from the back of Tsubomi’s throat was audible to anyone who got close enough to her. It would be one thing if certain members of the club were there, but Shuuko was strong, she’d be fine. And it wasn’t like Tsubomi had reason to fight, anyway. Still… It made sense to take in a bit of the panic from the normal people around, both to top off her mostly full reserves and to prevent anyone from running into the fight. Not to mention the possibility of someone getting trampled if they were too panicked.
”You can do it.” Tsubomi managed to flatly say to her ally as Shatterscape recovered from the blow.
”A heart without hatred can’t hurt you. A good cliche.” Her gaze went with her head to face toward and stare at the ground in front of her.
Pearl’s eyes shifted between Tsubomi and Shatterscape. Then she looked at the batter.
”You’ve got this, Diamond!” Her vitality seemed to return when she shouted.
”Show her that we don’t need dirty tricks to win!” The plan did not work out as intended, a painful blow across Shatterscape’s jaw making her reel for a split second before Sylvia swallowed the sensation whole. As always, the girl shielded everyone without considering the cost to herself, leaving the rest of their minds capable of intercepting the series of swings aimed at Shatterscape. The baseball bat slammed into her gauntlets with an ugly, vicious thump that reverberated in the bones, forcing the dark girl to retreat for the time being.
Another swing. Another thump. The blows came in a flurry, from different directions and - why was Tsubomi standing by as though she had nothing to do with this?!
”Distant drifter!” She shouted as she parried and counterattacked, attempting to sweep her opponent’s feet from beneath her with a snappy kick. But Diamond’s nimble movements allowed her to hop over the sweep and continue her assault.
”Is this humble priestess not worthy of your aide?” Displeasure coloured her voice as she spoke, her gaze catching Tsubomi’s for a moment. The emotionless girl felt a sting of betrayal from Shatterscape, mixed with pain from Sylvia and rage, burning like a bonfire from Hotaru.
Tsubomi took a second away from calming the civilians when she noticed Shatterscape doing what she sometimes did, namely feeling a bunch of stuff all at once. When their eyes met, Tsubomi dropped what concentration she had on stopping any panic.
”Mm. I thought you could handle it alone. And…” As she stood up from her seat of her own heels, Tsubomi pointedly looked towards Morganite and Pearl, and stared at them for a moment. Finally she blinked, and looked back to the fight proper.
”Three against two is harder than one on one, right?” She looked around and, some thought later, decided that transforming would be a good idea. And so she did, and suddenly Acid Drop was standing in her place, her Devil Arm flipping through the air before landing again in her grip.
”It does not escape my notice,” shouted Shatterscape as she fended off her assailant,
”that three on one is far more difficult than three on two!”The rainbow girl glanced sideways at the two other Lights.
”So… I take it if I join in, you’ll probably gang up on me, right?”Pearl fret her brow and took a step back.
”We will be forced to intervene if you attack Diamond.” Her grip on her wand tightened.
”If you want to help your friend, you’ll tell us what we want to know.” Morganite was too distracted to respond, and continued to keep the fleeing pedestrians at bay.
During the duel, Diamond smashed her bat into the ground, and the bubblegum on her bat inflated. The bouncy exterior pushed both of the combatants back, but the batter was quick to follow up by reaching her arm out. A popcorn machine rose up out of the ground and started popping away. Diamond’s hand rested on a crank, and as she turned it, it fired red hot kernels straight out of the collection troth. The popcorn machine was behaving like a gatling gun. A flurry of kernels tore through the bubble and peppered the other side. Each hit on anything caused the kernels to pop and fall to the ground.
Shatterscape dove to the side, into one of the alleyways, her magic flaring as she swapped back to the body that had collapsed. She immediately jumped up, the concrete shattering beneath her feet, pieces flying towards their audience. Or at least it would have been an audience, had not everyone chosen to start scrambling away from the fight. Either way, she blitzed forward, a streak of gold and steel slamming briefly into Morganite to sweep her out of the way.
”Oi!” Morganite tumbled away. She hadn’t expected to be dragged into the conflict again. But shatterscape didn’t concern herself with that, she needed to get to Diamond.
This time, her gauntlet closed into a fist as she drew it back, then let loose a hammer blow at the same time she stopped her momentum. The air exploded with her punch, Shatterscape pushing her body just beyond what it could handle both in the physical and magical sense, hoping to leave behind a tapestry of broken bones.
It was a destructive attack. The concrete cracked, the asphalt sunk, and a decorative tree was delimbed by the force of the gale. Its leaves, minced and scattered, rained down like confetti. The destruction of the last giga miseria had made Shatterscape stronger. But when she moved her claw out of the way, it was evident she wasn’t strong enough.
Some distance away, Morganite had sat up with her arm extended towards the combatants. Her shields hovered between the two, and moved aside once the attack had expired. Diamond looked no worse for wear. She had sustained some light cuts from the attack, as well as a few abrasions from dust in the wind, but she was still standing.
”Oh, I thought we were going to fight a little bit before we resorted to the bigger stuff. I wasn’t serious about ending this fast, but it seems you are, so…” She tapped her bat against the ground.
”I won’t keep you waiting.” Tsubomi could feel an aura settle around the batter. It filled her with determination. Diamond drove her heel into the ground, arced her knees, and raised her bat behind her head. The skin on her face seemed to pull back as her eyes went wide and her clenched teeth were exposed.
”Bostooooooooooooooooon….” Crackerjacks, pretzels, peanuts, soft serve, and many more ballpark concession staples fell out of the sky like a rainbow and was absorbed into Diamond’s bat.
”Braaaaaaaaaave!”Tsubomi had been under the impression that she was the only one who named their magic. Speaking of, now would probably be a good time to use it. Her own muscles tensed, though it would be hard to notice with how still she stood, as magic flowed through them. She’d have to time it right, but she was sure she was faster than Diamond. Shatterscape was likely to attack and make things harder, so… Tsubomi grabbed a lot of Shuuko’s emotions and pulled them out, shoving in a bit of apathy as she did just to make sure. The moment Diamond started to swing, she’d get her club mate out of the path of her bat.
And then she did, and the next thing she knew, Shatterscape found herself in a princess carry a few yards behind Diamond. Acid Drop turned to Pearl and Morganite, and in the voice of a peer who had way too much sugar at one time spoke to them.
”Hold your horses there, girls. I didn’t attack her, just like you said.” But the other light girls didn’t respond. They just exchanged glances before looking back at what might have been the quickest magical girl in the area.
When Sylvia felt the strange pull on her metaphorical being, she interpreted it as some sort of attack and immediately threw herself into it as she usually did. Unfortunately for her along with the rest of Shatterscape, Tsubomi had not been exactly gentle or precise with her movements so the other dark girl ended up ripping out a large chunk, chief amongst them Sylvia’s motivation to hold Hotaru back. The warrior, in turn, did not even think before she leapt to the forefront, brushing aside everyone with a violent mental shove.
”Die, you fucking bitches!” Hotaru backhanded Tsubomi, then leapt right at Diamond once again. Unrestrained by considerations such as tactics or bodily integrity, the warrior smashed her feet into the ground, bones along with muscles almost coming undone, then leapt forward with a devastating shockwave. Magic filled the air to the point of bursting, burning like a bonfire or a pyre, starting to eat away at the body from the inside-out.
And then the body slammed into the ground, the attack seemingly whiffing out halfway as Ember stepped in and forcibly shunted their collective to their furthest possible body.
”Hotaru! Calm down it’s all-””Fuck you, Ember! Those whores hurt Chiaki!” Hotaru’s voice dripped with venomous fury as she all but shouted in their mind.
”Why did you even talk with them?! They’ve refused to as much as to spit at us we were on their side supposedly, so how the hell did it cross your smoothbrain that they have a mote of fucking empathy?!”Huh, I missed.” While the dark girls had missed the initial attack, they didn’t miss its effects. Diamond’s attack had come out like a comet made out of concession food, and had a tail made out of coca cola. It tumbled through the air before colliding into a wall, at which point it exploded. The effect was totally nondestructive, and the mess of food it had made evaporated into the air.
”Guess there’s not much point sticking around. One can swap bodies and the other is on some kind of sugar rush. This was the absolute worst group to jump.””Agreed.” Pearl sighed.
”I guess we’re returning empty handed.”Morganite had folded her arms and was tapping her foot impatiently. After some thought, she walked up to Acid Drop and pointed at her.
”You win dis round, ya sneak!” She started poking her.
”But we’s be back strongah than evah!” Diamond stepped past Shatterscape’s fallen body without looking at it. Once she was standing beside her friends, she turned on her heel to look at Acid Drop.
”I’m sure this is going to fall on deaf ears, but I’ll say it anyway. Next time you do something like you did at the beach, I won’t be content to leave empty handed. Keep to your dark corner of the world and you don’t have anything to worry about.” She tipped her cap before departing with the other light girls.
Acid Drop gave a wave to the girls as they left. She couldn’t help but think that there were many potential worse groups the Light Girls could have come across, but she kept it to herself. Plus, “don’t do things to get stronger” and “we’ll be back, stronger than ever to beat you” seemed a bit at odds as “helpful advice.” After the trio had left, the rainbow haired girl walked over to Shatterscapes body, kneeled down, and poked it on the cheek.
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