The City of Falling Stars (MB 4.0)

[Krecart]

Alicia winces, partly from the weird yokai vibes coming off Shouhou and Akane's weapons, and partly from Anna's reaction to her teasing. It just brings back to mind how messed up the girl's whole situation is.

@DrZiztah
"Sorry, Anna. Mouth got away from my brain there," Alicia says seriously. "It's not exactly the same, but I've known plenty of people couldn't tell me and my sisters apart. I understand what it's like when somebody's looking at you, but they aren't looking at you, ya know? Should've known better than to make light of that."

Alicia looks down and pokes at her breakfast before looking back up at Anna.

"And, while I'm apologizing for stuff, we shouldn't've brought you with us last night, bad off as you were from fallout. Don't get me wrong," she adds, holding up her hands towards Anna in a placating gesture, "you did great, considering—and you didn't throw up in my baby—but you shouldn't have been in that situation in the first place."

 

[Snekwitch]

@Duskwitch
"Sure!" Akane Takes Hoku up on her offer, and tries the tart, "Hmmm, It tastes just like the pastries from Patisserie Celeste over by the old museum. Personally I prefer the tarts from the market in the western shopping district."

Hoku gets an email message:

<Renee: Hey Hoku! Long time no see. I hear one of your squad mates is worried about you and another girl. I'll be heading over with Liu Fei and did you meet Chris yet? We'll see you in a bit. Look forward to seeing the old dorms again.>

Click to shrink...

"Huh you're right Akane. That's weird, they don't usually taste like a specific person baked them--believe me, I've tried to make 'a muffin made by so-and-so'--" Hoku gets distracted by the message. After reading it, she brightens.

"Oh, my old teammates are on the way! I can't wait for you to meet them."

<Hokulele: Hi Renee! Good to hear from you. I've let everyone know you're on the way. Thanks for taking the time to come see us. We've had quite the interesting night. O_O>

At the mention of Clone--um, Created By Fallout Anna, Hoku's head whips around, then she closes her eyes.

"I'm glad that that...worked out. That's really good to hear."

 

[Krecart]

The lamia groans under Akane's overbearing teasing. "Weren't you supposed to be the responsible one? You can be stuffy and serious about this too, you know."

Click to shrink...

Natalya makes an exaggerated show of putting down her utensils. She gives Emma an incredulous look and points at the team's senior lamia.

Akane is the responsible one?

 

[DrZiztah]

@Krecart

Anna nods quietly along at Alicia's past experiences in her conflicted and confused silence. Though the idea of having siblings is alien to her on every level, she understands that it's likely not something the other girl is particularly happy about. She's sympathic to it all the same, even if the experiences of the two don't quite match.

But in spite of that, she can't quite come to grips with all the implications of... that, not at such short time at a breakfast table in a foreign house. Really, she's almost glad to have the topic move to last night's event.

Almost.

"Don't," she says a bit more harshly than she intended, hastily taking another mouthful of precious water to drown out the recollections from the night before continuing. Her voice softens as she tries to explain. "Don't apologize... it's what I signed for."

 

[Krecart]

"Don't," she says a bit more harshly than she intended, hastily taking another mouthful of precious water to drown out the recollections from the night before continuing. Her voice softens as she tries to explain. "Don't apologize... it's what I signed for."

Click to shrink...

Alicia waggles her hand back and forth. "Kind of. You signed up to protect our City from yokai. Not to be thrown in front of an immortal sorceress at fuck off in the morning while you're half dead from magical backlash, and without anything that might even begin to look like training." Stars above, nobody signed up for that craziness. "That's on us."

<Oh, and some context re: my sisters. Since you wouldn't know and I don't feel like showing everybody.> Alicia sends a picture to Anna across the 'Net. In it, three girls with Alicia's face, dirty blonde hair, and matching festival outfits can be seen setting paper decorations afloat in the canals. Presumably just after the Night of Wishes some previous year.

 

[DrZiztah]

Alicia waggles her hand back and forth. "Kind of. You signed up to protect our City from yokai. Not to be thrown in front of an immortal sorceress at fuck off in the morning while you're half dead from magical backlash, and without anything that might even begin to look like training." Stars above, nobody signed up for that craziness. "That's on us."

<Oh, and some context re: my sisters. Since you wouldn't know and I don't feel like showing everybody.> Alicia sends a picture to Anna across the 'Net. In it, three girls with Alicia's face, dirty blonde hair, and matching festival outfits can be seen setting paper decorations afloat in the canals. Presumably just after the Night of Wishes some previous year.

Click to shrink...

"If... you insist?" Anna says unsurely, hiding her skepticism of the notion rather badly. Breakfast table is not the place for arguing about what exactly signing to become a magical girl entails. And if she's being perfectly honest, it's not like she had the time to go over every fineprint and little detail of the deal back then. "I... also apologize... for fainting in the end."

The answer through the net is a bit slow. It's not something Anna does very often, and it doesn't come as naturally as it does for the people in the city. <I doubt I am the first one to note that you look eerily similar?> she sends, perhaps attempting to be a bit wry about it. <Still, I'm sorry.>

 

[Gadjo]

Emma cringes at the additional teasing, as if she could somehow go unnoticed if she's eating her eggs close enough to the table.

Natalya makes an exaggerated show of putting down her utensils. She gives Emma an incredulous look and points at the team's senior lamia.

Akane is the responsible one?

Click to shrink...

She shrugs dramatically in response, as if to say "What? She said something responsible once, it's not my fault!"

 

[Krecart]

"If... you insist?" Anna says unsurely, hiding her skepticism of the notion rather badly. Breakfast table is not the place for arguing about what exactly signing to become a magical girl entails. And if she's being perfectly honest, it's not like she had the time to go over every fineprint and little detail of the deal back then. "I... also apologize... for fainting in the end."

The answer through the net is a bit slow. It's not something Anna does very often, and it doesn't come as naturally as it does for the people in the city. <I doubt I am the first one to note that you look eerily similar?> she sends, perhaps attempting to be a bit wry about it. <Still, I'm sorry.>

Click to shrink...

"It's all good," Alicia says in answer to both apologies. "By the way, there's going to be a medic coming by to take a look at you later. See how you're doing after... all of that."

Alicia suddenly claps her hands together and bounces in her seat as she remembers something of the gravest importance that was tragically lost in the shuffle of the previous night's events.

"Anna, you never answered me about Emma and Akane's butts!"

 

[DrZiztah]

"It's all good," Alicia says in answer to both apologies. "By the way, there's going to be a medic coming by to take a look at you later. See how you're doing after... all of that."

Alicia suddenly claps her hands together and bounces in her seat as she remembers something of the gravest importance that was tragically lost in the shuffle of the previous night's events.

"Anna, you never answered me about Emma and Akane's butts!"

Click to shrink...

Anna nods somewhat pensively. Despite not liking the idea of it, she had figured that she would have to get something like that done sooner rather than later. Though nothing cmopared to the last day or so, she couldn't honestly claim to feel particularly good nor very good at handling whatever magic it was that kept feeding her information about her surroundings.

That said.

"Um, what?" she asks flatly at the request about the butts of the two lamias in the room. A distant feeling of deja vu washes over Anna.

 

[Krecart]

"Um, what?" she asks flatly at the request about the butts of the two lamias in the room. A distant feeling of deja vu washes over Anna.

Click to shrink...

"Yeah yeah," Alicia chuckles, "that's all you managed to get out last time. But for real, after we killed that moon, I asked you whether a Lamia's tail is her butt or not and you never answered me. I need your answer, Anna. It's of the utmost importance!"

---

Akane makes a fake pouty face for a moment before sauntering over to the kitchen to get her food. Before taking her plate to the table, Akane pushes a button the taller of the two military cases. Lights on the case turn green and the lid slides off. "Do we really still need these now that we have magic?" She inspects the contents, then pulls out a large black sword similar to her magical weapon. She inspects it with an uncharacteristically complicated expression on her face, "Hey Shouhou...did these things always feel this... unsettling..."

The sword gives off the same feel as a Yokai.

Shouhou shrugs, "Can't say..."

Click to shrink...

Natalya, turns to Akane and Shouhou and holds her hands out. She points at the sword and then uses her fingers to mime big, gnashing teeth.

Are those made out of monsters? Because that would be very cool.

 

[DrZiztah]

"Yeah yeah," Alicia chuckles, "that's all you managed to get out last time. But for real, after we killed that moon, I asked you whether a Lamia's tail is her butt or not and you never answered me. I need your answer, Anna. It's of the utmost importance!"

Click to shrink...

"I... see, uh?" Anna continues unsurely. Now that she thinks about it, she seems to recall being asked that before everything went to hell. "Well... Aren't butts basically the part... where out legs joing our bodies?"

It only occurs to her now that she's seriously considering the anatomical ramifications and philospohical problems of lamia butts. This was not what she thought she would end up doing when going along with the contract. "So, for lamias... the upper art of the tail near waist? Wouldn't that be the butt-part of the tail?"

 

[Krecart]

"I... see, uh?" Anna continues unsurely. Now that she thinks about it, she seems to recall being asked that before everything went to hell. "Well... Aren't butts basically the part... where out legs joing our bodies?"

It only occurs to her now that she's seriously considering the anatomical ramifications and philospohical problems of lamia butts. This was not what she thought she would end up doing when going along with the contract. "So, for lamias... the upper art of the tail near waist? Wouldn't that be the butt-part of the tail?"

Click to shrink...

"Yeah," Alicia nods, grinning, "that makes sense. So we can agree that they do, in fact, still have butts." The question, dumb as Alicia knows it is, is great for getting a feel for her new team mate. Smart enough to give it some actual thought. Willing to humor Alicia, or maybe just not socialized enough to realized that it's dumb and she doesn't have to give much in the way of serious thought. Hard to tell there since Anna has spent what Alicia assumes to be most of her life in that light house without much in the way of company. Interesting, either way.

"The part that gets me wonderin' is the transition point between butt and tail. When's it stop bein' one and start bein' the other?"

 

[NLRose]

Natalya, turns to Akane and Shouhou and holds her hands out. She points at the sword and then uses her fingers to mime big, gnashing teeth.

Are those made out of monsters? Because that would be very cool.

Click to shrink...

Akane carefully puts the sword back into it's case after finishing her inspection. "Well... I don't really know. The creation process of In-Lamia Arcs is a top secret even among the knights' top brass." She retrieves her food and sits down at the table. "I hear only a few priestess's and knights actually even know who makes them. Do you know anything Shouhou?"

Shouhou pops her head out of the kitchen from cleaning dishes, "Not much more than you. I hear the batteries come from the priestesses."

 

[Dirtnap]

@Krecart @DrZiztah
Hikari can only stifle a giggle at her girlfriend's antics as she needles Anna, the real one, over Lamia butts. Honestly, the girl had such strange priorities. "Honestly, a tail is a tail." She rolls her eyes and bumps her shoulder into Alicia's. "You really need a better opener than that you know."

 

[DrZiztah]

"Yeah," Alicia nods, grinning, "that makes sense. So we can agree that they do, in fact, still have butts." The question, dumb as Alicia knows it is, is great for getting a feel for her new team mate. Smart enough to give it some actual thought. Willing to humor Alicia, or maybe just not socialized enough to realized that it's dumb and she doesn't have to give much in the way of serious thought. Hard to tell there since Anna has spent what Alicia assumes to be most of her life in that light house without much in the way of company. Interesting, either way.

"The part that gets me wonderin' is the transition point between butt and tail. When's it stop bein' one and start bein' the other?"

Click to shrink...

Meanwhile, Anna doesn't quite catch on to the way she's more or less being had. Her attention is now focused on the topic at hand way more seriously than it really should be. "Um, well..." she wonders out loud. "Is there... really a distinction like that?"

She takes a quick sip from her glass before continuing. It occurs to her now that she really should have brushed up on her biology at some point. "I mean... isn't it so for humans? Butts are part of our legs... as in formed with relevant muscles." Anna emphasizes her point with nonsensical and small hand movements. "So for lamias... would the similar dorsal muscles form butt-part... of their tails?"

 

[Krecart]

"Honestly, a tail is a tail." She rolls her eyes and bumps her shoulder into Alicia's. "You really need a better opener than that you know."

Click to shrink...

"Excuse me," Alicia places one hand on her chest in mock outrage, "I think think this is an excellent opener. I know way more about Anna than I did before I asked her this. And, furthermore," Alicia continues, laying it on quite thick, "I think we can all benefit from a deeper understanding of our goddess-blessed sisters."

She takes a quick sip from her glass before continuing. It occurs to her now that she really should have brushed up on her biology at some point. "I mean... isn't it so for humans? Butts are part of our legs... as in formed with relevant muscles." Anna emphasizes her point with nonsensical and small hand movements. "So for lamias... would the similar dorsal muscles form butt-part... of their tails?"

Click to shrink...

"I think that would make a lot of sense." Plus, it gives Alicia more justification to tease Emma about having a big, scaly snake butt. "Real well thought out. Thank you, Anna."

Alicia sticks her tongue out at Hikari.

 

[Dirtnap]

@Krecart
Hikari groans at Alicia's response and shakes her head. "I swear you have a bunch of cotton swabs up there." She finishes off her breakfast quickly before it gets too cold and gives Anna a look.
@DrZiztah
"Please don't encourage her too much, her tomfoolery knows no bounds. Also she likes to prank people."

With that said, Hikari sticks her tongue back out and sashays into the kitchen to put her plates in the wash.

 

[Krecart]

Akane carefully puts the sword back into it's case after finishing her inspection. "Well... I don't really know. The creation process of In-Lamia Arcs is a top secret even among the knights' top brass." She retrieves her food and sits down at the table. "I hear only a few priestess's and knights actually even know who makes them. Do you know anything Shouhou?"

Shouhou pops her head out of the kitchen from cleaning dishes, "Not much more than you. I hear the batteries come from the priestesses."

Click to shrink...

... but they're all priestesses now, right? Can't they ask, or, better yet - an eager Natalya leans forward in her chair - go and see for themselves how the cool monster swords are made?

---

@Dirtnap @DrZiztah
Alicia sighs in contentment as she watches Hikari go. Stars, if Dream hadn't recruited them both, Alicia might've dropped Hikari off at her home and never seen her again. Just another fare. She'd've missed out out on being with the cutest girl in the whole City.

"Despite my girlfriend's perfidious insinuations," Alicia shouts loud enough for Hikari to hear it clearly in the kitchen. She lowers her voice to a more conversational tone before continuing, "I am not making fun of you, Anna. Honest, I'm not. Didn't intend to, and, even if I had, it'd just be too mean after you put all that thought into it."

 

[Gadjo]

Emma looks up from her food, mouth half-full. "Hikari's right. You need to stop talking about my butt so much, your girlfriend's gonna get jealous."

 

[DrZiztah]

@Dirtnap, @Krecart

Anna stares through the blindfold at the two girls, feeling a bit put out despite everything.

So... This wasn't supposed to be a serious question?

But saying that out loud would just be plain rude. As such, Anna simply nods stiffly at Alicia. "Thank... you?" What does encouraging her even mean in the first place?

 

[Krecart]

@DrZiztah
"I'm just trying to get to know you better. So it was like, more how you answered than with what." Alicia points at Natalya. "Natalya, for example, goes with 'em bein' butts 'cause she thinks it's funny, not because she actually agrees with my reasoning or anything like that." The girl in question shrugs, acknowledging Alicia's point. "Emma was embarassed, but now she's gettin' annoyed with me, so I'll pry drop it until the next time I see her with someone wrapped up in her coils. Hikari isn't possessed of so much nonsense as I am, but it gets a smile out of her—even if it's an exasperated one—and that's good enough for me."

Alicia leans back in her chair and stretches her arms up above her head. "Now, I can't say for certain how our three veterans feel about it, but I am sure that if Akane can make a lewd joke out of it, she will, that Shouhou's pry gonna roll her eyes at me and go back to doing some responsible and necessary thing—like maintaining their spooky weapons—and that Hoku's just glad to have us all here and happy."

"As for you..." Alicia leans back in and takes a sip of juice. How should she put this? 'Clever but kinda naive' is a bit rude in Alicia's opinion. "You put serious thought into it. Down to the muscle groups involved, even. Means you're real smart, but that I should pry just play it straight with you more often than not if I don't want to cause misunderstandings. So like, there is a method my madness."

 

[NLRose]

The conversation, and breakfast is interrupted by the front door opening. Standing in the entrance are three girls.

On the left is a serious looking girl with short black hair in a bob cut and glasses.
On the right an androgynous blond with shortish hair. She has a gentle and playful smile on.
In the middle, a tall and beautiful girl with long indigo hair leads the way with a big smile and a playful solute, "Sacred Coil relief has arrived! Hey Hoku! Feeling any better?" She gives a wave to Hoku as she approaches.
The girl with violet hair gives off a magical aura which, while significantly weaker than Neina's or the mentors, seems to say, 'I am superior to you in every way.' Not as a sign of arrogance but as if a simple statement of fact, the way a continent is greater than a single ant.

 

[Snekwitch]

In the middle, a tall and beautiful girl with long indigo hair leads the way with a big smile and a playful solute, "Sacred Coil relief has arrived! Hey Hoku! Feeling any better?" She gives a wave to Hoku as she approaches.

Click to shrink...

Hoku smiles and waves back. "Yeah, more or less! Don't worry about me, haha." She turns to the rest. "New squad, this is old squad!"

 

[Krecart]

"Please do actually worry about her," Alicia says in lieu of an introduction. "We had a run in with one of the Witches last night. Hoku and Anna here," she inclines her head towards the team's newest member, "had a real bad time of it. Anything you can tell us about how they're doing would be appreciated."

 

[Dirtnap]

Hikari sits back down next to Alicia, "Yes it would be good to know if there will be any...consequences with what happened to Hoku." She casts a concerned glance at the pastrymancer before smiling, "Don't want our muffin maker to be under the weather."