TheWendil

Grimoiric Heart

If I’m reading this correctly, Chinami not only has multiple humans who know she’s a Magical Girl but also has a branching network of homeless to act as her eyes and ears too. Hmm.

Grimoiric Heart

It’s the very next day.

Grimoiric Heart

The Grimoire line in the first paragraph I agree should be either tweaked or removed. As for the rest of it, I think it’s reasonable to say Tesni is just assuming. IC wise, it seems neither of them like each other and Tesni getting aggressive, making assumptions, and being wrong about Chinami seems in-character; which translates over to the second paragraph. Overall, if the Grimoire line was removed, I think everything else fits Tesni’s character but that needs to be made more clearly in Tesni’s post.

Ultimately, we should probably wait for @McFazzer but those are my observations so far.

Grimoiric Heart

In that case, it’s things Tesni shouldn’t immediately know. If it’s her just saying her beliefs that should be clarified. However, Tesni does say in paragraph 4 it’s the vibe she gets from Chinami and being around her. The following paragraph seems to run off this assumption on Tesni’s part. Can you point me to the exact lines that don’t make sense.

Grimoiric Heart

I think the issue lies in it’s not clear how long Tesni has actually known/interacted with Chinami to be saying these things, regarding paragraphs 4 and 5. As for paragraph 5, I do agree Chinami’s not said anything dialog wise to suggest that and most of those thoughts were kept to herself in internal monologue. That said, if Tesni has known Chinami for a while it’s mediated. If it’s Tesni expressing her beliefs that should be made more clearly. You two should probably hash out their exact relation to each other then go from there in correction/editing if need be.

Grimoiric Heart

There we go, plot moved on.

Grimoiric Heart

For a brief moment, Charlotte looked at Chinami, as if considering asking the other senior if she wanted to help out with the tour or even stick around. But Arthur's embodiment had other things to attend to and before the redhead could ask she was already walking away. Ah...still, Charlotte kept her smile. "I'll see you around then Chinami," she said before returning to Wilhelmina grin for grin. "Ah, don't say that Mina. Really, anyone could take my place for these kinds of things. And it's not like the school pays me to do it anyway. Just have to have the right flair and the biggest smile," Charlotte said, still leaning back with hands behind her head casually. "Say, if you're not doing anything, would you like to help me out? You seem to know everyone here better than me anyway so I'd really appreciate the helping hand."

Olivia's introduction caught her ear and the wily redhead gave the dimutive girl a big thumbs up. "Nice to meet ya Olivia! And not too shabby of a Magical Girl name too. I do approve," she said with big nods of her head. "Allow me to join in with the others in saying welcome to Marrywell Academy, all you." Charlotte passed her gaze over to all the new girls, boots moving as the group was already on their way through the courtyard. "Nothing too fancy for today, just gonna show you around. If there's any questions, please feel free to ask me loves!"

“Thanks, Charlotte!” Olivia replied with a smile when the redhead complimented her on her Magical Girl name. “My darling Xolys was actually the one who suggested it,” she explained. “He’s very creative and has a real flare for the dramatic.”

Charlotte went on to say that she would be more than happy to answer any questions anyone might have, and no sooner had the redhead finished speaking, then Olivia’s hand shot up. “Oh, I have a question!” the bespectacled girl announced. “What kinds of insects and arachnids are commonly found around the campus? Do you have any unique magical species?! What about paranormal activity?!” she continued, barely taking a moment to catch her breath. “Do you have any spirits in residence here? Well, besides the summoned ones, of course,” she added with a nasally giggle. “Oh, and is there a library on campus, by chance? I always used to love going to the local library back home when I wanted to relax,” she explained. “In fact, that’s where I met my dear, sweet Xolys!”

It was always nice to see the new generation so eager, though Olivia's questions briefly caught Charlotte off guard. Maybe she should have asked what their Grimoires actually were; it would have explained alot to her, as a Magical Girl's tome was usually reminiscent of their personality. Usually. Still, the more Charlotte looked at the bespectacled girl, the more she felt the slighted and off energy about her. So that was it then. This girl was an Alter; all the same, Charlotte's cool smile didn't falter. "Well, as far as I know, we have about the same insects and spiders you'd find anywhere else. Maybe a few in the lower castle parts from all the cobwebs," Charlotte said with a pause, as if actually thinking of any places she could relay to the younger girl.

"Hmm, species...maybe in some of the chemistry classes? We do have a big library so you might be able to find some information in there. Oh! But sometimes we do get some weird going one in the classrooms dead of night. That's probably the best place to get a look for them." By the time she finished, she'd led the group over to an elaborate water fountain, one that sparkled with either magic or the pristine dedication it took to keep such a thing clean, especially in London. "Xolys? Don't think I've met them yet. But from how you talk about them, it sounds like you too have a special bond."

Olivia listened intently as Charlotte answered her questions as best she could. The bespectacled girl was particularly intrigued by the mention of “weird going ons” in the classrooms at night. She and Xolys would definitely have to check that out, and perhaps she could even invite some of her new friends to join them. It could be like a slumber party! Smiling broadly at the thought of how much fun that would be, Olivia almost didn’t hear Charlotte when she asked about Xolys.

“Oh, yes, Xolys and I are very close!” the bespectacled girl agreed with a nod. “He’s linked to my Grimoire and has been a really big help in teaching me how to be a Magical Girl,” she added. “Plus he’s so handsome and kind… Oh, I just love him so much!” she gushed as she clasped her hands over her heart, her face taking on a dreamy expression.

So it was part of her Grimoire then; that made sense to Charlotte. Still, it was good to see the other girl excited even if what Charlotte had to offer was only what she'd heard herself. But with magic running around, let alone those wielders of it, it wasn't out of possibility to think there were some things left unsaid in Marrywell. "I'm happy to hear you're so acquainted with your Grimoire. For alot of Magical Girls it takes some time to feel fully adjusted to their story." Charlotte patted Olivia on the head to bolster that dreamy disposition.

Wilhelmina smiled at Charlotte, eager to be a part of the conversation along with the tour, as she felt a little ashamed of her behaviour earlier, but... Olivia's summon creeped her out like nothing else! Even when Olivia mentioned its... his... hers... its? Its name, she felt a small shiver travel down her spine. And then she started asking about insects in a high-pitched voice that seemed to be made for grating on people's nerves. And as such, Wilhelmina had to summon every ounce of politeness along with white lies that she was capable of if she wanted to guide Olivia around as well as to help her with being a magical girl. She... it was not Olivia's fault for having a creepy grimoire. Nor was it her fault that her voice was unusually high-pitched. As such, Wilhelmina spent a few moments to collect herself before she joined in the conversation herself.

"If you're looking for rumors, there's a particularly strange one about the music room. People say that at night, the piano starts playing by itself and if someone listens to it for too long, they'll end up in another world. Umm... and there's the one about the art room." Why was she doing this to herself? She was creeping herself out, but she pushed on nevertheless. "There's a few variations on that one and... umm... No, I think it's too much for me to explain..." Having lost her strength, she trailed off. Normally, she had little problem engaging in other people's interests, so this was something new for Wilhelmina.

“Oh wow! That sounds really interesting!” Olivia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I’d love to explore another world with Xolys! He’s something of an expert on parallel dimensions, you know,” she added, her admiration for the eldritch monstrosity clear in her nasally voice. “And it would be so much fun if you and Chinami could come along, too! We could have our very own, unofficial field trip! Oh gosh!” she gasped as a new thought occurred to her. “Does the school go on official field trips?! Like, maybe to Stonehenge, or Loch Ness?! Or, or, what about the Tower of London?! I think read once that it was possibly haunted by ghosts… Do you know anything about that, Helmi?” she asked, completely oblivious to the poor girl’s apprehension. “I mean, you have all those cool ghost sailors, so I was just thinking that maybe you might be something of an expert on that sort of stuff.”

Charlotte passed Wilhelmina a sympathetic gaze, understanding by her tell-tale reactions alone why just what sort of person Oliva was, nevermind the aforementioned girl's excitement. She patted Wilhelmina on the head as well and chuckled under the turn in the conversation. "Not officially, no. Some classes do but really depends on your teacher. As a Magical Girl, and a new one around here at that, you'll be visiting all sorts of parts of London anyway. The Pageless can turn up in spots you never imagined they could."

The older redhead stepped away from the two girls suddenly, walking closer to the water fountain she drew them towards. The actual fountain itself was massive with ornate shapes curved into swans and gorgeous ducks but the actual water itself came out in small, weak bursts. "Now that's odd," Charlotte said aloud, turning to the others with an obvious grin. "I appreciate your enthusiasm Olivia, but we have to keep in mind what our purpose is as Magical Girls. We're here to help people remember? Take the fountain for example. Maintaining it is a real pain and there's not many with a knowledge of how to go about fixing that kind of thing, ya know?" she said with an exasperated sigh.

"If you have the power to help someone, you should don't you think?" she continued, stepping over to the fountain and actually starting to scour and climb it from the side-

"Wooops, almost fell~"

“Oh, yes! Of course!” Olivia agreed, while nodding enthusiastically. “I just love knowing that whenever Xolys and I fight the Pageless, we’re helping to keep people safe! In fact, I was just talking with Chinami earlier, and she said we were kinda like superheroes, which I think is really cool, don’t you?!” Finally taking a moment to notice what Charlotte was up to, Olivia gasped as she watched the redhead begin to scale the nearby fountain and almost lose her grip. “Oh gosh! A-Are you okay?! W-What are you even doing up there?!”

Wilhelmina tried her best to disguise a sigh of relief as Charlotte took over the conversation, steering it to safer waters. Seriously, she should not have tried that venue! Lesson learned: she could not handle talking about this sort of stuff in greater detail and would have to watch out for it in the future! She also made sure to lean into Charlotte's pets, much like an affectionate cat would, before she followed her with her eyes and let out a pleasant laugh when Olivia spoke up.

"She's going to be fine! Most of us can easily do tricks like that and even more. And even if she hurts herself, I'll patch her up! I have enough magic left for that," she spoke with a more lively voice than when she mentioned the rumours. "And yes, we are a little bit like superheroes, but I like us more! I mean, we not only fight Pageless, but Camelot uses her powers for good and even I healed a couple of people when I could afford it. Or sometimes I help out students who are looking for something, because my sailors are perfect for that! Of course, the only thing I don't do is bless students - that would be cheating! And we're here to use our powers responsibly, helping each other, helping people and defending our beloved stories from Pageless, so cheating is unacceptable!"

Wilhelmina's words were correct, to a certain extent. Charlotte inevitably still lost her footing, slipping from her spot clamped to the water fountain and tumbling down into the dried up wells below. What should have been a hard thud or maybe even the crack of something fragile turned into a large and thunderous splash instead, and not in the splatting sort of sense. Neither girl could see the exact impact but just as Charlotte fell, so too did a wave of water splash upwards from the fountain. It pooled a rich amber orange, fiery and reflective of the morning sun as the fountain burst forward with renewed fixing. What were once dribbles were now splurges of the orangish water, clear and warm.

"See? What I tell you. If you have the desire to help someone you can do anything," came Charlotte's voice. She rose out from the fountains depths, a geyser of water pushing her upwards under her boots until she was standing high on the pillar of water. She winked right at Olivia, as if spurned by her desire to save her in her moment of need. "So long as you remember that, you'll never stray from being a Magical Girl. It's nice to think of ourselves as superheroes, but remember, we help people before we defeat the baddies." Charlotte did a small twirl in place, arms outstretched without a care in the world as she beamed down on the two. More spurts of amber water rose up from the fountain on each side, accompanying her in a grand display.

At first, Olivia was startled when Charlotte fell into the fountain. An instant later, however, and her concern turned to awe as the redhead not only seemingly repaired the defective fountain, but also rose into the air upon a pillar of amber liquid, completely unharmed. “Oh wow!” Olivia marveled, while clapping her hands in gleeful wonderment. “That was amazing, Charlotte! And Chinami said the same thing earlier,” she added. “About helping people, I mean. Although, I don’t really know how much help I could provide with my powerset, besides protecting them from the Pageless, of course…” Her voice trailed off as the corners of her mouth drooped into a slight frown. She was silent for a moment, before speaking up again. “Um, Charlotte? What is that liquid, anyway? I-It doesn’t really look like water…”

When Charlotte fell off the fountain, Wilhelmina flinched and prepared herself to heal the broken bones. After all, even if she did know what the other girl could do, it did not make it easier for her to watch as she endangered herself, then summoned a tide of fiery-orange water. Letting out a relieved sigh at the sight, along with the thought she did not have to use healing, Wilhelmina's smile resumed. "I'm sure you'll find some way to help people, Olivia! I mean, my powers are really easy to figure out. I just have to visit sick people occasionally to cure them or lend my sailors to help, like I said but with Thergys being terrify- ah..." She paused as she realized what she just said. She did not quite pale, but the abrupt nature of her shutting her mouth along with her averting her eyes were clues enough to the thoughts which ran through her head.

"Mina's right you know. It's not about the how, just about the fact you can and the will. After all, you were ready to leap if I fell right? Both of you." Charlotte paused in her spinning lest she really did fall, casting an amused look down at the two girls. Then she burst out laughing at Olivia's concern. "Of course it's water love! Just with a bit of magic I suppose, nothing dangerous or anything like that. Better to be honest with each other and ourselves. Doubt can cause all sorts of problems down the way...." Her words seemed more directed at Wilhelmina now, not losing fact of that pause in words and change in demeanor. She could only guess it had to do with Olivia's Altered nature but before she could pass on more thoughts to that....

"Miss Clementine, there you are!"

"Aww geez...."

One of the students from before was beelining right for the fountain, no doubt to flag Charlotte down again. It didn't help she had caused quite a commotion but that was neither here nor there. "Welp, sorry about the shortened tour but I hope you take what I said to heart. Catch you later loves~" The redhead gave an encouraging wink to Wilhelmina before propping two hands over her head up high and leaping off her water spout. Like an athlete she dove headfirst into the fountain's water with a mighty splash, disappeared by the time the hapless student skidded to a half to the fountain's front with naught but Charlotte's words lingering for the other Magical Girls.

“Oh, I see,” Olivia said with some relief after Charlotte explained that the liquid in the fountain was just magically-colored water. “And thanks for the encouragement!” she added with a smile. “I’m sure with some practice, Xolys and I can find ways to be useful outside of combat, too, just like you, Helmi, and Chinami!” A moment later, the redhead’s trio of admirers reappeared, and she was forced to swiftly depart, leaving Olivia alone with Wilhelmina. “So, um, would it be possible to see some of those places you mentioned earlier?” she asked with an eager gleam in her eyes. “Or, um, if you’d prefer, we could go to the library. I really enjoy going to the one by my house, and I’ve been wanting to see how Marrywell’s compares!”

Before Wilhelmina knew it, a crowd of admirers started to corner Clementine again and so the red-haired wizard(?) winked at Wilhelmina before jumping into the pool with a great splash. Like before, the blonde girl flinched a bit as the guide completely disappeared into the aether, but by now, she was starting to get used to it. More importantly though, it seemed as though Olivia had not noticed Wilhelmina's slip of the tongue. Thank goodness! Shoulders loosening up at the realization, as well as the encouragement of a senior magical girl, she returned to her usual cheer and latched onto her opportunity. "Definitely the library! There are all sorts of stories there!" Wilhelmina spoke from the bottom of her heart. She could go on and on about how grand the library here proved itself to be, but... well, she could save that talk when they actually arrived! And this also meant she had something in common with Olivia. Which meant she did not have to talk about bugs, haunted things or Xolys.

Really, she felt as though she should be thankful to the universe for that favor.

“Admirers” was certainly one way of looking at the gaggle of girls now leaving the scene as quick as Charlotte’s disappearance. Some of them muttered things about wanting the redheaded Magical Girl to be their teacher but it was doubtful that’d ever manifest in fruition. Far away from the fountain and perched along the highest spiring tower of Marrywell Academy was Charlotte once again. She sat at the tower’s edge, legs swinging out into open air and over the grand scape that was the school.

“They’ll be fine,” she chuckled to herself, watching Wilhelmina lead Olivia away. She slowly brought one leg up and rested her chin against her knee, eyes traced up to peer into the sky. “They have each other. I don’t doubt they’ll all be fine,” she repeated with a low smile to none but herself.

The day came and went with the initial introductions out the way. The new girls were shown their dorms and class schedules, spending a night with their roommates and getting adjusted to the way things were in Marrywell. Whatever antics they got into were their own stories to tell as all was driven by the will of the Grand Minister. By the next day, all the Magical Girls involved in the last night’s incident were gathered for their first assignment and not of the scholarly kind.

It was to be decided that the eight Magical Girls be placed into one singular team to better assist the newcomers through the strength of the senior girls. One team of eight, two sections of four both manned by Chinami and Lucy with the former charged responsibility over Bonnie, Suzuya, and Tesni, and the latter guiding Nessie, Olivia, and Wilhelmina; all of this was dictated personally by the Grand Minister. Once the girls all finished their breakfasts and prepared for the day, they were expected to move out and patrol the streets of Queen’s blessed London.

The assignment served as a dual purpose of course, acting as lessons to teach the rookie Magical Girls all that they could learn from their teachers in hunting Pageless as well as ensuring the newer girls were more familiar with London’s landscape. Whatever patrols and routes to take was left up to the group leaders as it could be assured Chinami and Lucy didn’t much see eye to eye in how they went about their Magical Girl duties. With the day long before them and all of London to explore for any roaming Pageless, what could possibly go wrong?

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Grimoiric Heart

I’ll be using my collab post to also advance the plot so my next post will move us along.

Grimoiric Heart

The school tour collab shouldn't be a long one so it won't quite measure to the essay posts.

Grimoiric Heart

@Sonnambula's decided to have Nessie rest so we can do the collab whenever you two want, @Ponn, @Villamvihar.