Evening - Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
You pace back and forth a bit, thinking. Thinking. Thiiiiiinking. Now that the fear aura is long gone you are free to contemplate fearlessly rash ideas befitting the magical girl protagonist you obviously are. You think back through the confrontation, such as it was, and specifically think back to the look of seemingly genuine hurt on Kyoufu's face.
Admittedly, you're pretty sure that 'not standing around marinating in fear' is what hurt her feelings, but the fact remains that your actions have hurt the feelings of a cute girl! Well, okay, an uncanny valley creepy-cute presumably-young-and-female-being but, really, isn't that close enough?
Also, you have
so many questions. Kyoufu seemed generally non-hostile so maybe she'd be willing to talk? In fact, you--
"No," Maiko says flatly.
You blink. "Um. Okay, sure, but consider this: Yes."
"That's your 'I have a terrible idea' facial expression," Maiko says. "Therefore:
No."
You cross your arms. "Look, I was just thinking, that fear thingie was pretty short-ranged, it seemed?"
"Yui..."
"Oh! Wait, wait, what about telepathy?" you say.
Maiko sighs. "The same telepathy which is not only fully capable of transmitting emotional content, but furthermore either relies on Kyubey connecting you to the mind of an entity which Kyubey seems unable to perceive as such or risks exposing Minami to the fear effect as well whilst she's introducing herself to potential new recruits?"
"Yeah, but..." You trail off and give Maiko a pleading expression.
Maiko just gives you a flat look.
You gesture expansively. "You don't understand. I made her sad, Maiko.
Sad. That's... that's just not what proper magical girls do. Are you trying to tell me that anime is a
lie?" you say, nodding sagely along with your own impeccable logic. "It's like... uh, what was it that Shinobu said? Something something don't get between a magical girl protagonist and a girl with sad eyes?"
Maiko groans and rubs the bridge of her nose. "You don't even know what that was a reference to--"
"Eh? It was a reference?"
"--and I frankly dread the day you ever find out, but..." Maiko sighs loudly. "Fine. Go ahead and try to talk to Kyoufu. I'll follow behind and pull you back if you succumb to the fear aura again. Please note I am only agreeing because there is, in fact, a reasonable chance of learning something useful in the process."
"All right! Magical Girl Yui-chan is on the case!" you announce, then leap to a nearby rooftop. "I'm gonna get a bit closer, so I don't lose track of her in case telepathy doesn't work."
You bound from rooftop to rooftop, following after Kyoufu so you can execute your flawless plan to open diplomatic relations and oh wait she just saw you coming and made a noise that would be really funny if you didn't feel bad for her.
Also, now she's running away from you. Drat.
...apparently, a being metaphysically defined by feelings of fear and anxiety panics easily when chased? Hunh, okay. In hindsight you probably should have seen that coming.
In any case, with the benefit of distance you can now faintly see the edges of the fear aura--it's extremely diffuse, translucent to your magic sense, but still there--and so you keep a safe distance as you chase Kyoufu, then attempt to reach out to her telepathically.
You try via Kyubey first, not really expecting it to work. You're only mildly surprised when you get a clear sense of
possibility, only to promptly have the mental connection slam closed before it can form.
Instead, you get a reply from Kyubey.
Yui Aikawa, you are aware that telepathy is a function we provide by serving as a relay, are you not? the alien asks.
Unfortunately, until the perceptual block has been sufficiently analyzed and a means of nullifying the emotional contamination implemented, telepathy to the being you encountered and any others like it cannot be provided.
You briefly recall the pile of extra-chunky Kyubeysauce you saw under the bush earlier.
...yeah? Yeah, okay, that's fair.
Your consideration is appreciated, Kyubey says.
I will inform you if the situation changes.
Kyoufu makes a hard left in an attempt to lose you, but it's no more effective than the last six times she tried it. Maiko has meanwhile taken up position on top of the tallest nearby building, watching you and Kyoufu with a pained expression.
So, okay, you were right about the whole calling Kyoufu on the Kyubeyphone bit, you say.
I mean, it was worth a try, but... yeah.
You two are literally running in circles, Maiko mutters telepathically.
This is so stupid.
So anyway, you reply, without acknowledging her statement,
trying Plan B now.
Maiko just sighs at you telepathically.
Disregarding the clearly inferior alien model of brain phone, you reach out to Minami via her own magic.
Hey, you talking to one of the new girls right now?
Yes, she replies.
Well, mostly Yumi is. Why do you--wait, what are you doing?
It's not what it looks like! you insist.
It looks like you're chasing that girl from earlier, Minami says,
while she runs in terror.
...okay, so it is what it looks like, you say,
but it, uh... isn't quite what it seems like? Er. After thinking about it I decided to try and talk to her because we really need information about this whole weird situation and then she got scared and ran and, uh, point is do you mind if I try and talk to her over telepathy? I got a 'your call cannot be connected' sorta thing when I tried calling her on the Kyubeyphone.
I... guess, Minami says, sounding less than thrilled.
Is it alright if I cut you off if I start getting 'terror pumped into my brain'?
That is absolutely, completely and totally fine, you say.
In fact, please cut me off if it starts looking like I'm
getting freaked out, okay?
Roger, Minami says.
Feel free to initiate contact at will, then.
Letting the mental connection to Minami fade, you reach out to Kyoufu. To your delight, not only does it go through immediately, you also don't get blasted with mind-numbing fear. Success!
Hey, Kyoufu!
Aaahhh?!
Um. Hello?
H-how are you able to d-do this?!
It's telepathy, you say, explaining exactly nothing.
Th-that explains not a thing! she replies, which is, okay, fair enough.
Who a-are you? A-and how do you know the n-name of one such as me?
It's complicated to explain! I just want to talk to you, you say.
Also I'm, uh, the girl chasing you?
Aaaaaaaaaaahh!
You sigh internally.
If you stop running, I promise I'll stop chasing.
B-but you're frightening!
I am tiny and adorable, not scary!
Then wh-why were you unafraid of my new friend?
You suddenly realize you've lost track of the recently-created unfamiliar. Whoops.
Where did he go, anyway?
Don't hurt him!
I was just asking, geez! I want to talk to you, not hurt anyone, you say.
Maybe we can even be friends!
That cannot be, Kyoufu insists.
Th-there is no such thing as friendship f-for the forsaken.
I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I disagree, you say.
I'm s-sorry!
You sigh internally. This is not going as well as you'd hoped, and you debate writing the whole idea off. Or at least not continuing to chase Kyoufu around the block.
I don't think this is working, you admit to Maiko.
I hate to give up, but I'm thinking I should, well, give up. For now.
Unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected, she says,
and possibly for the best. You do realize you're potentially drawing a lot of attention at the moment, right? Maiko asks.
Meh, you reply.
I'm transformed, Kyoufu's an unexplained magic-emotion-person-thing, Kyubey's weird 'everything makes sense' effect will totally handle it.
I'm more worried about other magical girls noticing, Maiko says.
Other magical girls hanging around this part of town this late in the day without us already being aware of them? Drawing out someone like that would clearly be a cunning side-benefit of my attempt to chat with Kyoufu and proof of my amazing planning skills, you say.
Unless there aren't any magical girls around, in which case you're just being paranoid.
Maiko sighs.
Besides, Soul Gems are pretty easy to spot with my magic sense, you say.
It's not like a magical girl could sneak up on-- Your eyes widen at the sight of a pedestrian stepping directly into Kyoufu's path. Not just that, a child from the look of it, maybe eight years old or so, and while Kyoufu's build isn't what anyone would call 'sturdy' her magical speed and durability colliding with someone smaller than her could be very bad.
Kyoufu herself reacts with alarm, stumbling and pinwheeling her arms in an attempt to stop. You're about to leap towards them in hopes of doing... something... to prevent the collision when several facts finally register consciously: First, that the kid clearly stepped into Kyoufu's path deliberately and stopped there. Second, that the kid was watching the two of you approach, apparently unaffected by Kyubey's "ignore magic" thingie. Third, that the kid is staring at Kyoufu with an expression of extreme distaste.
The child sidesteps Kyoufu's graceless flailing, raising an arm as Kyoufu passes, and barely moves as Kyoufu clotheslines herself on the outstretched limb. As Kyoufu reels backward the child grabs her by the hair, twists her around roughly, and
slams Kyoufu into the ground hard enough to crack the pavement.
...what? No really,
what? Fortunately for your diplomatic aspirations, Kyoufu seems unhurt--in fact, from the looks of it she might be almost as durable as you are.
Unfortunately for diplomatic aspirations, uh, everything else about this situation continues to be a thing.
"M-.. Mu--" Kyoufu gasps out, then chokes as the child grabs her around the throat and squeezes.
"Running again?" the child snarls, which makes your skin crawl. The voice is childlike, but the enunciation and tone are like an adult, or at least an older teen, and beyond that the kid is
furious to an unsettling degree.
Yui? Maiko asks, and you sense her moving to get a closer look.
What's going on?
You slowly come to a stop a short distance away, just outside the edge of the fear aura.
Kyoufu got attacked, you say.
I'm... kinda confused right now. This kid holding her down looks
human. I think. An awful lot of magic compared to most people, though. I... hmm.
Kyoufu just makes a choked wheezing noise and sort of draws herself inward defensively. You're... not sure if she actually needs to breathe? She's shaking and whimpering but doesn't seem to care about being choked.
"Fine. Fuck you!" the child lifts Kyoufu up and throws her against a wall.
Kyoufu cries out at the impact, falling to the ground. She pushes herself up, shakes her head in denial, then starts trying to scrabble away from her assailant. Her mouth is moving and you can vaguely her voice, but as far as you can tell she's just babbling incoherently, too terrified to even form coherent words.
One part of you really wants to jump in and intervene somehow, but another part of you is a bit intimidated by th-- wait. Wait, no. That's
Kyoufu again. The fear aura is... spiking higher to match her own terror? Or the range is increasing, at least. Ugh. You back away a little, to the edge of the fear aura again.
Maiko lands beside you a moment later, her attention focused on the confrontation whose participants seem to be completely ignoring you.
Kyoufu's assailant somehow manages to scowl even harder at the sight of her crawling away. "Fucking stand and fight!" the child screams, stalking toward her with fists clenched. "Oh, right! Anger isn't 'ladylike', huh? Fuck that, and fuck you, you useless cowardly little shit!"
...yeah, okay, at this point you're like 99% certain this kid is Kyoufu's "anger" counterpart wearing some sort of disguise. You'd sort of assumed they'd get along, but in hindsight that feels like a
slightly unreasonable expectation where a being who may or may not be
literally made of angry is concerned.
Your guess is almost immediately confirmed--along with answering the question of why the kid looks fully human and Kyoufu doesn't--when the kid gives a wordless snarl of rage and makes a slashing motion over their neck. There's a spray of what you initially think is blood, but no--it's pure magic, and a bit too pinkish besides. Torrents of magic course in from somewhere you can't quite identify, diffuse magic billowing out in a massive cloud as light of the same pinkish-red color sweeps over the child's body, leaving a simple shorts-and-shirt outfit and changing the child's features to the same unsettlingly-not-quite-right sort as Kyoufu.
While both wear seemingly-mundane clothing, where Kyoufu's is dull and dirty and ill-fitting, the child's is dark with vibrant slashes of color, with scuffs and tears of the sort that accumulate quickly when a kid spends a great deal of time running around outdoors climbing onto, and often falling off of, things not actually designed to be climbed by hyperactive best friends of poor innocent basically-anime protagonists. Not that you have anyone
specific in mind or anything.
Maiko sighs, and you glance over to see her reading her grimoire.
Muhou, the Exiled Wrath, she reads off telepathically.
Her duty is to shake the rotten foundations of corrupt society. Those she touches are foolish and unworthy, for she knows in her own heart the truth that one who buries their anger in meek acceptance will never know justice.
Oh well that's not implying all kinds of things, you say.
So, uh. What now?
I'm really not convinced this is any of our business, Maiko says, eyeing the two curiously as Muhou gets up in Kyoufu's face and continues shouting profanity and abuse at her... colleague? Sister? Whatever their connection is.
But... well, we do need to investigate somehow.
You twiddle your fingers awkwardly.
It's just, after what you said about drawing attention I kinda feel like I'm sorta responsible for provoking Muhou? Or drawing her into this confrontation, at least, I sorta get the impression Muhou comes pre-provoked at all times.
I admit, I'm even more curious now about where these two come from, and why they don't get along.
You tap your chin thoughtfully, as pieces in the back of your mind start coming together.
Eh? Isn't that obvious?
...no? Maiko says, sounding a bit offended.
It's the single-note emotional state thing, that's all they understand. And 'cuz it's all they know, they project it on other people and then react super bad when that doesn't match up with reality, you say.
Like, okay, so Kyoufu didn't like it when I bulled my way through the fear aura, right? And it made her even more afraid and anxious herself. She's comfortable around people who are scared, and scared around people who aren't. Make sense?
...so Muhou is angry at Kyoufu because Kyoufu isn't angry, Maiko says.
But, is Kyoufu even capable
of getting angry?
Quite possibly not! you say.
I wonder how Muhou feels about that?
Maiko groans.
Right, of course.
Though to be honest, I'm... not sure their emotions are quite that
limited? Like, they're not human, not really, that's clear from my magic sight, you say.
But there's a sorta depth to the, like, swirly magic patterns that I'm pretty sure have something to do with souls that I've only really seen in people. You shift awkwardly.
...or in Witches, to be honest.
Maiko nods stiffly.
I understand.
You continue to dither over whether to intervene, but a few seconds later Muhou apparently takes offense at Kyoufu's renewed attempts to crawl away and gives her a savage kick that sends Kyoufu flying in your general direction. Maiko sucks in a sharp breath as the fear aura spikes again--
--only for it to cut out abruptly as Kyoufu hits the side of a building and, with a disturbingly bloodlike spray of pinkish-red magic, reverts to a humanlike form like the one Muhou wore at first... and falls to the ground, unmoving. She appears uninjured, and your magic sense makes it clear she's still alive, but even so you feel a brief spike of entirely-natural fear at the sight of her limp form sprawled on the pavement.
Honestly, even after the fights you've been in, even knowing that you might have to fight Kyoufu yourself if things don't work out, this just feels... pointless and brutal. Seriously, what the hell? That wasn't even an actual fight! Kyoufu was terrified and trying to flee! What is
wrong with this kid? You clench your fists, spinning to glare at the approaching figure of Muhou. You're going to--
"Yui," Maiko says sharply.
--take a deep breath. You look at the
approaching figure of Muhou. Right. You are calm.
...okay, no, that's a lie. You're still angry, and you're pretty sure it's not
entirely because of the little brat's aura. What're you gonna do about it?
Warning: Any actions that attempt to de-escalate the conflict may require rolls based on willpower depending on proximity to Muhou.
How to handle the stupid emotion aura stuff?
[] Force it down. This is not your anger. You need to stay calm.
[] The anger seems less insidious than the fear, and easier to think through. Just focus on your goal; letting yourself feel the anger might make Muhou less antagonistic, as well.
[] She wants you to be angry? Fine. You can do that, with or without her. You're not usually an angry person, but it's not like you don't have stuff to be upset about. Time to channel your inner Asami, push through the aura, and get angry on your own terms. (write-in what you think Yui should get angry about)
[] (write-in?)
What to do about Kyoufu and Muhou?
[] Back off, right the hell now. You don't want this to turn into a fight, and the longer you spend here the more likely a fight becomes.
- [] Grab Kyoufu first. You're not sure if Muhou would really do anything to permanently injure Kyoufu, but you're not taking any chances.
- [] In fact, bail out entirely. You've had it up to here with strange magic messing with your head tonight.
- [] (write-in?)
[] Stand your ground. You wanted to talk, and Muhou seems a bit more lucid than Kyoufu, shouty rudeness aside.
- [] Maiko seems way better at coping with anger than fear, so she can probably help out.
-- [] Ask her to keep an eye on the unconscious Kyoufu.
-- [] Ask her to watch you and say something if you get too upset.
-- [] (write-in something else for Maiko to do?)
- [] Try to block Muhou's way while talking to her. What's she gonna do, get angry about it?
- [] Try and get Muhou to go after you instead of Kyoufu, then back off once she's trying to attack and talk to her.
- [] Just start shouting questions at her. Muhou seems more than willing to talk about things that piss her off.
- [] (write-in?)
[] Screw it. The brat wants a fight, you can give her one.
- [] You're stronger, faster, and--shockingly enough--
taller than Muhou. Time for some good old-fashioned fisticuffs. Try to restrain her for interrogation.
- [] Draw your wand and shoot to disable. Muhou is made of magic, she... probably regenerates? Or can be healed somehow?
- [] Stick to fighting defensively--you don't actually want to hurt Muhou. Mostly.
- [] (write-in?)
[] (write-in?)
If you manage to talk with Muhou--or Kyoufu if she wakes up--what do you most want to ask? Priority will be determined by the voted-on order, and how many you get answered will depend on multiple factors.
[] Where did they come from?
[] What are their goals?
[] Why do they create the unfamiliars?
[] What happens when an unfamiliar is destroyed?
[] What is their connection to each other?
[] Are there any others, or just the two of them?
[] (write-in other questions)
What to do afterwards, assuming the confrontation ends?
[] If you brought a still-unconscious Kyoufu with you when leaving, do something with her:
- [] Take her to an isolated location, like where you had your chat with Kaede, and leave a note for when she wakes up
- [] Take her to Momoko's house and assign people to keep watch over her
- [] (write-in?)
[] If it's still possible, go meet up with one or both of the newbies Minami and Yumi found, even if it means getting home later than you should
[] Just head home and get some sleep
[] (write-in?)
And we're back in action!
Regarding the vote, I will note that while Muhou's aura is in many ways easier to work through than Kyoufu's (it promotes targeted anger, rather than unthinking rage) it's proportionally more difficult to disregard entirely.
Oh, and if you want to compare the grimoire profiles of the two whatever-they-ares, here's the other one from the previous update: "Kyoufu, The Forsaken Terror. Her duty is to bring comfort to the blameless fears that wicked humans bury within their hearts. Those she touches are foolish and unworthy, for she knows in her own heart the truth that one who has hidden away their fears will never know love."
I'd say that it's clear they both have
issues, but that might be like saying that an ocean "has water".
