Puella Magi Altera Factio

Waking was, as always, a strange experience. The exact moment when the shift from the unconscious to a conscious awareness occurred was impossible to know in advance, just as the exact moment when one fell asleep was impossible to be aware of. In truth, the simple act of falling asleep was in-and-of-itself a great annoyance, and yet once one was claimed by it, leaving its embrace proved all the more difficult.

You are, on some level, aware that you should react to the opportunity to waking up with something approaching glee, as it meant an end to what was effectively a waste of time, but the mental haze brought about by sleep impacts even yourself. Sometimes it did so to the point where your thoughts drift much too close towards the vessel's for your own comfort. This would be one of those times, you were likely to later determine.

---

"Rachel, come on, it's morning already!" An annoyed Emma all but yells.

"Dunwanna, umcomfy." Her half-asleep friend mumbles, before rolling back over. Emma stares at the sleeping girl for a moment, and decides to resort to the nuclear option sooner rather than later. It was both sure to work, and would definitely be funnier.

"Alright, I'm getting some water."

"Emma, what the hell?!" Jess hisses out.

"When she gets like this, it's the easiest way to get her up." Emma explains."Trust me, when we were little kids this happened way more than she'd ever admit." The oddest part was that it was actually true.

"And you're sure that is the best solution?" Jess stares at her, annoyed.

"Even if it wasn't, don't lie and tell me you aren't tempted." Emma replies, smiling.

"I... hate the fact that you're right." Jess says after a moment's hesitation, "I guess I'll defer to the expert on this."

"As you should."

"Okay, you're enjoying yourself a little too much right now."

---

And then the noises fall silent once again. Blissful quiet returns, and the mind that you inhabit begins to drift off once again away from conscious reality. And then everything is cold.

The vessel lets out a surprised yelp as it, and by extension you, are thrown forcefully back into the world by a splash of ice water on its face, only to be greeted by a smug looking blonde girl when its eyes open

"Morning princess." Emma says with a smirk as she puts the mug she'd filled down on the bedside table and offers you a towel she'd grabbed. The vessel glances over at Jessica, who is trying very hard not to laugh.

"What time is it?" The vessel growls out in annoyance as it dries off its face, a sentiment you find to be understandable.

"10:17. You overslept again." Emma jokingly chides.

You groan mentally, and the vessel matches you physically. This is why you had set up such a strict routine for it. A specific time for going to sleep, and a specific time to wake up. The moment the habit was broken, and it reverted to this sloppy state.

"I mean, it's not that late." Jess whispers to Emma.

"You know how much of a stickler for routine she is. Just let her have this." Emma replies, before turning back to the vessel. "You've managed to avoid doing this for, what, three years?"

"Four." The vessel corrects her. "And I can't say I'm happy to have it happen again."

"I'll never understand how you hate sleeping in of all things." Emma says.

"I just hate having to correct my schedule after the fact." The vessel clarifies. Despite the grumpiness from the rude awakening, the body you inhabit oddly enough feels rather good. Normally you'd be concerned about possible fatigue from oversleeping, but there's not even the slightest bit.

"See, my solution to that issue is to just not bother having one of those."

"And that's why you're always miserable on Mondays." Jess reminds her.

"I would be miserable on Mondays even if I wasn't exhausted." Emma shrugs. "At least today isn't one."

"No, but tomorrow will be."

"And that makes it tomorrow's problem." Emma explains, before pivoting the topic. "Hey, I think your Dad was making breakfast, if you're hungry."

"I can't say that I'm starving by any means, but I could use something to eat." The vessel explains. Eating a consistent three meals a day was beneficial for a growing body, and while you allowed indulgences such as the previous day on occasion, you did still attempt to focus on what was most beneficial in the long run.

"Well, I can say that I am, in fact, starving." Emma says, quite literally not actively starving.

"How somebody as short as you can eat so much without putting on weight is what I'll never understand." Jess says with a shake of her head.

"It's one of the few good things I got out of the genetic lottery, Ms. Tall-and-Proud."

As the two have yet another pointless argument, you take the opportunity to have the vessel grab your actual new... vessel.

Wait.

Your mind freezes as you begin to process this fact. Technically you weren't trapped in this body anymore, yet you still were in practice. So would this body still qualify for the term of "vessel", or would it not, seeing as it technically no longer served as a container for your being? You quickly put a pause on such thoughts and decide to worry about such semantic concerns at a later time, lest they cause... something to happen. What it might be, you have no idea, but you imagine it'd likely end with a headache. You quickly change the soul gem over into its ring form and slip it on before the other two notice.

"...and for that matter, your diet is pretty awful, isn't it?"

"Hey, I'll admit that I could definitely eat better, but you seem to really overestimate how much I actually eat. I mean, you are aware that I usually skip lunch, right? I mean, us three usually spend our lunch period together." Emma says, amused, to which Jess actually seems somewhat embarrassed.

"I guess that's fair. I... wasn't really taking that into account, I suppose."

You have the vessel clear its throat, interrupting the two, who turn to look at the noise.

"Shall we?" You have it ask.

"You think your Dad's making bacon and eggs? Or, I guess it'd be turkey bacon, right?"

"Mr. Abrams does take that stuff seriously..." Jess begins, before pausing. "Hey, what's that you're wearing Rachel?"

"Hm?" The vessel turns to look, confused, before you realize that she's already noticed. It's difficult to prevent the vessel from growing nervous in response, although Jess seems to fail to notice this.

"I didn't think you liked jewelry, since it didn't seem like it'd be your kind of thing. Where'd you get i-" Jess starts asking, before a panicking Emma drags her away, much to your own surprise. You see her whisper something into the other girls ear, who immediately looks distraught upon hearing whatever it is that was said.

"I'm so sorry Rachel, I didn't mean to bring up... er, even indirectly..." Jess begins to try and apologize for some slight she seems to think she'd committed, before an elbow from Emma shuts her up.

"So food. It's a thing. Let's go get some, yeah?" Emma says, Well, you aren't sure what exactly that was about, but you just give a nod and the three of you head off to the kitchen.

"And you're positive you aren't just politely sacking me?" You hear the vessel's father's voice say as you get near. "What do you mean, why do I think that? I've known you for years Matvei, and you've never once offered me something like th-" He pauses, seeming to have been interrupted. "Yes, I did miss most of her birthday, but since when do yo-" He once again stops speaking. "I didn't think you even knew what guilt was, to be frank. So this is real, and not some out of season April Fool's joke? Yeah. Yeah, I'll let her know. I... thank you for this."

As you enter, you see the vessel's father end the call on his cellphone, and slump into his seat, the food he'd only recently finished sitting untouched on his plate. The vessel shares a look with its acquaintances, who just shrug in response. Finally, however, he seems to notice the three of you, and is shocked out of his stupor... somewhat.

"Oh, good morning you three." He says, seeming a bit embarrassed. "I was going to let you know that breakfast was ready, but then something odd happened. Please, help yourselves." He gestures over to the stove, where a fair amount of food has been left out, including some toast, eggs, turkey bacon, and even some blintzes. A few days early, but you can't say that you're too upset. As the vessel and co head over to begin grabbing food, the vessel's father continues.

"I... just got a week of paid vacation. No questions asked. Either by me or him." He says, although his voice is full of confusion more than something like excitement or relief. "In fact, he was rather insistent that I take it; says he was starting to get worried about me."

"That's great, Mr. Abrams!' Jess says. "My parents both say they're always worried that you're overworking yourself, so I'd say it's about time that you had a break."

"Yeah, you really should be a bit happier about this, don't you think?" Emma says in between bites, already having begun to chow down on her own meal.

"I know, I know, believe me. It's just... it's weird. Matvei isn't a bad guy, but he's always been rather... strict, I suppose. This is just really out of character for him, so I really can't tell what his game here is."

You have a guess as to what is going on yourself, but you refrain from saying it. Trying to explain would doubtlessly go poorly.

"Maybe he's just changed his mind?" Jess suggests.

"He's one of the most stubborn people I've ever met... but maybe." He sighs, still looking somewhat torn, before he turns to the vessel. "Oh, and before I forget, Mr. Petrov wishes you a belated happy birthday Rachel."

Ah, that was who he was speaking with. You were vaguely aware of the vessel's father's boss, but you did not know his first name.

"Tell him I said thank you, if that is alright." You have the vessel say, before taking a bite of a blintz, and enjoying the taste of the ricotta and cream cheese. You suppose another exception towards a focus on healthy eating would be acceptable.

Breakfast continues on, with everyone simply chatting about this and that, and before you know it, everyone's finished eating.

"Well, I wanted to take Rachel out to make up for yesterday, but for one thing, it's way early for that, not to mention everyone just ate. So if the three of you have plans, don't let me stop you, especially since I now have the whole week off." He says, although he pauses after he finishes saying it, as if just saying the statement left him unsure in some way.

"My Mom said she wanted us to study together, but honestly that sounds like it'd be an awful idea this early, so we should totally do something else." Emma says, to which Jess shoots her a glare.

"Or we could actually get work done before we goof off, like sensible people."

"If that's what you're looking for, you've come to the wrong place." Emma says with a grin.

Decisions, decisions...

---

[ ] Go and study together as a group. Getting some more work done in advance would be a smart idea, and Emma's mother seemed to imply that doing so was a requirement.
[ ] Go and do something else.
- [ ] Write in
[ ] Morning ice cream is an awful idea, why would you ever want to do this?

---

I'm late, apologies. Hopefully there aren't too many errors, because I'm going to probably be busy tomorrow and likely Monday as well, so if you spot any, please say something and I'll have it fixed by Tuesday.

Part of the inspiration for the opening bit comes from Friday this week, where there was an earthquake in New York City. It woke me up, and my sleep addled mind's response was to just try and go back to bed despite everything shaking, which I managed to eventually accomplish once said shaking stopped, which in hindsight is actually pretty worrying behavior. Speaking of which, if you excuse me, I'm going to go and fall over because it's 4 AM.

"Sorry Emma, but we should get our work done before anything else." The vessel says. Emma glances between it and Jess, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"I swear, the two of you just hate fun." Emma accuses, ironically being somewhat correct, albeit unintentionally.

"And if we don't study, I'm sure you'll hate what your Mom's response will be when she sees your grades." Jess replies.

"She'll be mad at me regardless of what I get. Even if I got perfect scores across the board, she'd find some other way that I could have done better." Emma says with a sigh.

"Well, if that's what you girls plan on doing, I'd assume you'd prefer if I get out of the way?"

"Sorry Mr. Abrams, we'll let you know if we need anything." Jess says with a smile, which he returns.

"Ah, don't worry so much about it. I know how it is." He says with a chuckle as he stands to leave. "But if you do need anything, just remember that I'm around." With that, he leaves you all to get to work.

Of course, before work begins, what the work in question is must be decided. Fortunately, it was made rather clear the previous night what the best option would be while everyone was present: Algebra. The mere mention of it makes Emma groan, and not even Jess is thrilled with the topic in question, despite her own capability with the subject. However, it's the only subject that the vessel has proven to have much (or rather any) difficulty with, much to your own chagrin.

With the decision made, Jess reaches into her bag and pulls out her math textbook, much to Emma's confusion. "Please don't tell me you just lug that thing around with you everywhere you go?" She asks, horrified.

"Not usually, but I had a feeling that having it on hand might come in handy." Jess explains, putting the book down on the table in front of her.

"Last night we were celebrating Rachel's birthday. Why would you need your math textbook?"

"It wouldn't be the first time that she's wanted to study on her birthday, so I figured I'd bring it in case she wants to do it with friends around."

"You should try thinking ahead once in a while, Emma." The vessel says, taking out the calculation tool that you've been forced to put up with to provide assistance.

"Alright, alright. I get enough nagging from my mom, I don't need it from both of you too." Emma glowers.

"Luckily I made sure to account for you beforehand." Jess says, before tossing Emma a spare calculator. "So, is everyone ready for some fun?"

"Not like I'm gonna be getting much of a choice." Emma grumbles, but she nonetheless complies.




What follows is a rather decent attempt at studying, with an equally decent result. Unfortunately, decent is by no means flawless. Jess may be herself skilled at the subject in question, but Emma is stuck asking questions almost constantly, which greatly slows down progress. The vessel, in contrast, is slowed down largely by frustration, although part of that, in truth, originates from yourself. The fact that your mind has been so reduced that you are forced to input functions into as primitive a tool as one of these calculators is a humiliation that you could never have envisioned before this experience, and it is difficult to fully prevent that from bleeding over and affecting the vessel as well. The fact that it originates from yourself fills you with shame, which only fuels said frustration further.

Despite the immense frustration, however, progress is definitely made. The hours go by slowly, painfully, but they nevertheless go by, and by the end of it, you feel that much more confident on the subject matter. Checking the time, you notice that it's around 3:00 PM already, which explains why Emma seemingly claims to desire "the sweet release of death" as she puts it, rather than continue any further. Still, that the vessel is capable of comprehending the steps necessary to perform necessary calculations fills you with a rather deep sense of satisfaction. It feels like you have managed to reclaim some small part of what you once were. A tiny, insignificant part, perhaps, but still.

"I think we've gone above and beyond on this." Emma groans. "Can we please do something that isn't torture?"

---

[ ] No. The learning must continue.
-[ ] You feel like you are almost ready for the test. You just need to focus on algebra for a little bit longer.
-[ ] Study for your science final. You are currently on an Earth Science unit, so it may at least prove interesting. Emma seems to hate science the least out of all of the subjects, almost enjoying it at times, at least until equations come into play, so maybe she will be less upset with such a decision?
-[ ] Get to work on your creative writing paper. It is the easiest of your assignments, at least in your eyes, so you feel that you might be able to get it out of the way in one sitting if you try hard enough.
[ ] Doing anything more is likely to make Emma miserable, especially when you still have a fair amount of time before the due dates and exam dates. While her reactions can be somewhat amusing, it is likely wise to not provoke her any further. Find something else to do instead.
-[ ] Head out with the vessel's acquaintances and attempt to locate potential recruits. And maybe grab lunch while you're at it. It would serve an adequate enough excuse. (And you are a bit hungry.)
-[ ] Just relax for some time with the others.
-[ ] Write in
[ ] Write in

---

---

Sorry for the delay. I meant to get this out on Thursday, because in what should have the obvious result, the other thing I had been working on had continued to stretch on. Unfortunately, I got distracted, and kind of wasted that day, and then Friday was a mess in its own right. Still, managed to catch myself and not slip up entirely.