Fool Bloom (A Magical Woman Quest)

[X] "We used to be a couple. I never got to pick any of our dates."


Those words made Miyako step back and her mouth widen. "R-Really? I ah, never would've guessed," she said, despite her hardly being immune to shipping goggles. Especially since, y'know, she tried to drown Arisu-sensei in sand, allegedly. Unless that was some kinda Romeo & Juliet thing? her thoughts trailed off.

"Indeed, it's why I'm again conducting this inspection in person, even though it is well within my authority to send a subordinate," Yumemi said. She then smiled while cocking her head, "Also Koyomi, can you blame me knowing how bad your own ideas for dates were?" Koyomi didn't dignify that with a response.
"Not to mention Koyomi always had to be one to keep secrets," Yumemi added, "For instance, all those years and I never knew she was of Jewish descent. Only found out when I was handed her family records."

Knowing why Koyomi had been so reluctant to come out as Jewish in high school, Miyako thought to ask something else... though she didn't pick the most tactful choice. "Wait, Arisugawa-sama said she fought at Shin Sekigahara. Were you there too?" Miyako asked, but quickly added, "Um, if it's nothing personal or classified, I mean."

"By definition it is personal, but yes, I too am a veteran of Shin Sekigahara. And can confirm that Koyomi was too," Yumemi said, despite the fact that Miyako had never doubted Koyomi being there.

"Yeah, she was too," Koyomi verified.

Then of course the biggest Hanazakari question made its way back into Miyako's mind. She'd avoided asking Koyomi this when they first met, being just too sensitive, and had always hesitated to ask it since. But maybe she could get away with asking Yumemi, she seemed much more agreeable. Well, on the surface at least.

"Hoshizora-san, if it's okay to ask, what do you think about the Resurrection?" Miyako went ahead. Koyomi raised an eyebrow hearing her ask that.

"...There are naturally many conflicting opinions, be it that the promised Resurrection of all dead Hanazakari is still to come, that it would have come had the Dandelionhearts survived, or apparently that it was never going to happen anyway," Yumemi said as calmly as she could, though shot a quick glare at Koyomi when she brought up that third opinion. "RUNE as a whole does not take an official stance on the matter, however..." she took a deep breath, "I would personally like to believe it will happen, or at least would've happened had the Dandelionhearts survived. For Namie's sake."

"Don't you bring her into this," Koyomi then snapped.

Yumemi then stared Koyomi right in the face and said, "She was as much my friend as she was yours, I have every right to bring her up. Besides, I know deep down you don't want to believe Namie won't be brought back either, or if that's really what you think... is that not just sour grapes?"

"Sour grapes? What does she mean, Arisugawa-sama?" Miyako asked.

Koyomi gritted her teeth and snorted. "First off, Nozawa, if you're going to ask anyone about the Resurrection, you could've at least asked me first. And by 'sour grapes' she means..." she then sighed, "Listen, the Dandelionheart who accompanied me back then,

Article:

[ ] Rosalie."
[ ] Petal."
[ ] Emet."
[ ] Write-in

Miyako knew all Dandelionhearts were named by their respective Hanazakari, their previous masters not having given them names. "I failed to protect them at Shin Sekigahara. With their death, the Dandelionhearts were classified extinct," Koyomi managed to say.

"So it's easier for her to think no Resurrection is coming, reduces the weight of her failure," Yumemi said to Miyako. "However, there are still ways the Resurrection could happen without the Dandelionhearts. We still have our powers without them, who's to say the Resurrection too isn't in-built into Hanazakari? And they said they were but one species from their homeworld of Pathragada sent to but deliver our powers, who's to say the other Pathragadans cannot Resurrect?"

"Oh, that over twenty years is a long time for anything 'in-built' to activate? Or that we haven't heard a word from these other Pathragadans since?" Koyomi brought up.

"You do realise we are talking about the vacuum of space? Earth was far from the first planet touched by either Dandelionhearts or Frost Fair, yet you assume the Pathragadans can come over anytime they feel like?" Yumemi said back at Koyomi, the table even shaking. "And how long can we judge something like resurrection will take place?"

Yep, this is pretty much why I didn't bring Resurrection up before. Really should've stuck to that... Miyako thought. Hearing both Koyomi and Yumemi going off at each other, she was now even less sure what her own position was on the topic, down from at least hoping it was true.
"But Arisugawa-sama, isn't the fact that you kept your Dandelionheart alive the longest something to be proud of?" she then asked.

"Miyako, I know you mean well-" Koyomi began, then groaned, "but did you have to phrase it like keeping your Dandelionheart alive was ever a competition? And maybe that was just because the Frost Fair never saw me as enough of a threat, or I just got lucky?"

Wincing on realising her choice of words, Miyako replied, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Er hey, maybe we should start eating now, food could be getting cold- oh wait," she then looked down at the table, "We haven't been served yet. Well, I know from experience this place takes a while... or um, did we actually even order?"

"See what I meant about taking her out to dates?" Yumemi mentioned to Miyako.

---

Miyako met with little resistance when she phoned Kazuya to say she'd invited him to visit a RUNE base. Per Yumemi's words, it sounded like his family was glad to have him off their hands a little while, all except one anyway.
"I have no problems visiting this base, sudden as your invite is," he said, with Miyako not knowing if he was just being matter of fact when he said that what with his emotional recovery. "Though I doubt Ryoichi will be pleased that I was picked over him."

"Er, and is that a good or bad thing?" Miyako asked.

"Depends on what you think of Ryoichi," Kazuya simply said.

They drove around to pick up Kazuya the following morning, at which Koyomi had to ask, "Okay, but do we have to use your car?"

"The base isn't reachable by public transport, as you'd think the term 'secret base' would make obvious," Yumemi said back. Her car was the same spotless white of her Hanazakari regalia, as featureless as the ideal company car regardless of whether it was one.
On picking up Kazuya, Yumemi then remarked, "Ah, so this is the boy you said you saved the other night."

"Wait, you mean you didn't see Kazuya-kun before?" Miyako asked.

"Alas no, I only met with his parents yesterday," Yumemi said.
Kazuya didn't say anything to her, just nodded and got in the care next to Miyako.

Once they were off, it wasn't long Koyomi before started pulling out cigarettes, at which Yumemi immediately glared at her. "What? Neither Miyako or Kazuya have ever minded," Koyomi said and shrugged. "That and I'm an author, comes with the trade."

"Well, I kinda mind a little," Miyako tried to say.

"Even if they don't mind, it's yet another sign of how little self-care you take," Yumemi told her.
Koyomi then reached for the radio, only for Yumemi to say, "I know what you're planning. We're about to head out of range, so unless you enjoy the sounds of static, don't think you can get back at me by blasting music again."

"...I probably wouldn't have liked anything playing anyway," Koyomi muttered.

In the backseat, Miyako was filling Kazuya in on everything about Yumemi's visit. Once she was done, he just said, "I have heard a relationship is quite a prized thing to be in... but after hearing about everything between Arisugawa and Hoshizora, I am starting to think otherwise."

Miyako gulped at the impression she may've just given, so was quick to say, "Ah, well Arisugawa-sama and Hoshizora-san are really only one example, there's tons of relationships out there that go all sorts of ways," pun not consciously intended.

"I suppose that's good," was all Kazuya said.

Having snaked their way through the dirt-paved, puddle-strewn mountain roads, a lone grey building at last came into sight. "That would be our Taito Base. Now, my plan was to show you all the fruits of RUNE's Project Lazarus, but as that still leaves us with some extra time, I thought Miyako-chan might like to squeeze in a meeting with another Hanazakari in our employ," Yumemi said.

"And how come you're only mentioning the name 'Project Lazarus' to us now?" Koyomi asked.

"We are talking top-secret information, after all," Yumemi told her.

Article:

Yumemi having given her a list of other Hanazakari at the base, Miyako had some choice paralysis, but ultimately went with:
[ ] Cornus in Full Bloom. He was a Wand who could communicate with dogs, and was also a trans man who'd married a cis man.
[ ] Fleur-de-Lys in Full Bloom. An overseas visitor who was a Sword with the power of branding.
[ ] Rosemary in Full Bloom. She was an archivist with memory powers, which somehow tied in with her being a defensive Pentacle.
[ ] Nepeta in Full Bloom. She was a scientist with power over cats, yet unusually was a combinatory Cup rather than a Wand.
[ ] Letting the others choose for her.
[ ] Write-in

So I said I was gonna cobble together a Hanazakari template, and here it is. It's possible I might revise this in the future, but at the same time I don't want to alter it too much else it gets too lengthy. Though this profile template is intended to be out-of-universe, I suppose you could have it be an in-universe RUNE assessment. Let me know if you have questions or if anything's missing:

Civillian

• Name:
• Anointed Age: (when they became a Hanazakari)
• Current Age:
• Gender:
• Appearance:
• Nationality:
• History: (divided into Pre- and Post-Hanazakari)
• Personality:
• Motivation: (what and why)

Hanazakari

• Transformation Phrase:
• Flower:
• Cultivar: (their specific power)
• Genera: (loose category of power. Swords being offensive, Wands communicatory, Cups combinatory, and Pentacles defensive)
• Starshoot: (object or weapon that manifests on transformation, e.g., Koyomi's quill-sword, usually resembling their Genera)
• Regalia: (Their Hanazakari outfit, often patterned on their respective flower)
• Affiliation: (Senshi with government, Idol with corporation, Witch as independent, Seijin with religion, Dark with criminals)
• Attributes: (each ranked from Squire up to Empress)
  • Technique:
  • Physique:
  • Heart:
  • Mind:

Edit: A common thing I know people do with series-specific sheets is adapt characters from other works to them. I imagine that's gonna be weird for Fool Bloom given you'd have to age characters up to their thirties or forties, or place them in the Frost Decade 90s