Seeing Red [PMMM x LoR]

Investigate the city you landed in. Look for a library, it would be best to be familiar with the local laws so you may carry out your duties properly.

Yuki's eyes narrow beneath her blindfold.

Head turning left to right, she warily scans her surroundings for a moment. Only concrete, steel, and glass surround her. The grassy riverside is nearby as well, as innocuous as before. There is no one else in sight.

But despite her wariness, it still makes sense to her to take a look around. There is much to learn and much to see.

So Yuki starts walking, hands in her pockets. Her head begins swivelling in moments, trying to read all the countless signs she comes by. The street signs mean nothing to her, being symbols rather than writing; everything else comes easily because of her spell. Lots of advertisements for places and things she never heard of, though the types are familiar; tourist spots, events, products, food, even people.

For now she leaves it at a surface glance, though. An overview of this brave new world. Not that she has a chance to investigate further anyway.

"Hello there, little lady," a female voice says just as its owner bars her path. The other woman is a head taller than Yuki, decked out in a blue sort of uniform that reads 'Police' on it. Perhaps a Fixer, or the local equivalent. She seems fairly official, so a peacekeeper makes sense to assume.

"Hello," Yuki answers politely. "Do you need something, miss?"

"Hm, I was about to ask you that, little lady," the other woman answers, somewhere between concern and confusion. "Should you be out and about on your own? And with your eyes bound? Where are your parents?"

Yuki's head tilts at that. She has no parents, being an Abnormality. Perhaps Binah counts, the enigmatic head of Lobotomy Corporation's Extraction Department. But even she would be no closer than an aunt, and she certainly never cared for Yuki in particular.

None of this upsets Yuki, but she does have to answer the question. On a guess, she figures her small stature is the problem. As well as the blindfold, of course.

"My eyes are fine, miss. And while I am short, I am not any younger than you."

"I see," she says diplomatically, perhaps not quite convinced but willing to entertain the notion. "May I see your eyes then, just for my peace of mind?"

Yuki nods, seeing no reason to refuse. She takes off the cloth and looks the taller woman in the eyes; it is impossible to miss how hers widen at the sight. She is immediately caught by Yuki's piercing, crimson gaze, so unlike what her mild demeanour would indicate. Splotches of red almost gleam outside of her pupils, now dormant but almost tellingly inhuman. The human before her is captivated and scared in equal measure.

"T-That doesn't look healthy," she finally ends up saying. Yuki ignores the faint stutter she starts with.

"It's fine," she assures softly, binding her blindfold back in place. "My eyes were always like that."

A wordless, understanding noise escapes the woman's throat. She nods dumbly, but the broken eye contact helps her find her bearings in short order. "Alright," she allows, "I guess that makes sense. Do be careful walking around like that, though. It's only natural that people worry."

"Of course. Thank you for the warning."

"It's no problem. And my apologies for taking up your time, miss."

"You were just doing your duty."

Their pleasantries exchanged, the human woman bows at Courage, who mimics the gesture belatedly. Then she is on her own again, mulling over this new encounter. She is fairly certain this was a peacekeeper of some sort, if a benign one.

At the same time, she slowly becomes aware of the gazes straying her way. Be it her blindfold or the emeralds gleaming on her clothes, or perhaps even just the make of her clothes in general, she gathers looks wherever she goes.

Hence why, a number of streets after meeting the policewoman, Yuki weaves a second spell around herself. A momentary, viridian glow catches the attention of passersby, but the notice-me-not enchantment is already in effect by the time they actually look. Their eyes slide right over Yuki in search of the light source, then they simply move on.

This spell is useless against people who already focus on her, but for now it is perfect; Yuki is alone in the crowd, just like she wants to be.

And so her journey continues across the downtown area. Yuki even finds not one but two different libraries, but refrains from entering. It makes sense to go, but she has no duties that need doing right now; a guardian is not just one who declares themselves such, but one whom their people choose. Forcing herself upon them would be no different from tyranny.

Before learning the local laws, she needs to see what she is working with. And so those places of knowledge are remembered, but left behind for the time being.

Children and teenagers join the crowds some three hours into her exploration. From the shreds of conversation Yuki picks up, the local schools let out. Students in normative uniforms are suddenly everywhere, which notably make the streets harder to maneuver under her notice-me-not charm.

To avoid that sudden conundrum, Yuki slips into the backstreets. She could fly, but she does not want to risk her enchantment breaking; there was no magic anywhere so far, nor the ability to fly of one's own power. Something this outlandish would garner attention, charm or no.

But that aside, she wanted to go there anyway. A society's true face is seen by the rot it tries to hide. That thought is only half Yuki's own, belonging more to the memory of Roland in the back of her mind, but she agrees with it regardless. And so her odyssey continues.

Where downtown was sprawling with people, everyone going everywhere yet nobody interacting with each other, the backstreets are quiet. Calm in a way the rest of town was not. Less people, less energy, but perhaps more interaction. Seedy deals happen on one corner or another, shifty looks go every which way. Yuki is actually noticed on occasion, but warrants no more than a double-take. In fact, once an individual even up and advises her to get back to more well-treaded streets.

"I appreciate the warning, but I am fine," Yuki assures the well-meaning man. Curious though, how even the less reputable elements seem to look out for others.

The other thing she finds, and in no small amounts, is graffity. Especially in the industrial area, people have spray-painted countless walls; some with mere slogans, others with entire murals of one form or other.

Yuki stays for a full five minutes to appreciate one in particular, which is a well-crafted portrait of a dinosaur prowling an antediluvian forest. Whoever created it has clear talent and passion.

After some thought, she allows it to persist. The slogans, especially the ideological paroles and frankly insulting comments, are wiped away by viridian waves of magic. Everything that is not at least somewhat artful follows, but the rest she leaves.

A wave of cleaned facades would mark the path she takes through the area, were anyone to look for her. As is, a number of people will simply wonder what happened the next time they come by. Then they will figure it was some government activity and put the matter aside.

It is late afternoon by the time Yuki leaves the industrial district; the area she enters next is more sophisticated, meticulously cleaned, and sees overall less traffic. Buildings are primarily singular houses with sizable yards.

Apparently, she found where the upper class lives.

While Yuki's feet carry her along the roads, she studies the architecture; it is a little less homogenized than it was downtown, where each skyscraper looks like the others. The people pay no attention to her as before, busy with their own affairs. The cars look fancier, bigger at times too. They are polished to a shine, just like the gardens are tended with attention to the most minute details.

Yuki appreciates all the effort that goes into cultivating and maintaining these images of perfection, but the sights themselves grow stale before long. They are artificial, a product of civilisation and regulation, rather than free growth.

Which is why the one house that is different easily catches Yuki's attention. Flowers dot the haphazardly mowed lawn, the hedges are growing as they wish, and ivy crawls up the walls. It is not a total decline just yet, but certainly notable.

And so is the graffiti on the outer wall.

Yuki stops in front of the property, head tilting as she reads the denouncing messages. The claims of 'traitor' and 'go die' do not tell her what actually happened here, nor why someone saw fit to vandalise the place. Beyond the obvious, that is.

Her curiousity roused by the vague information, Yuki tries to push open the front gate. Locked.

Next she simply floats over it, softly setting down on the other side. There are still signs of life, of someone trying to maintain a semblance of order here and there. But there are no sounds beyond the tap-tap of Yuki's shoes on the cobblestone path, precise like clockwork. An absent flicker of magic clears the graffiti away, just like before.

She studies the place curiously, both the property itself and the house. Yuki begins circling around to get a better idea of the place, during which she soon finds the owner in the backyard.

She is a young woman, perhaps high-school aged. Blonde hair runs down her back in waves and sharp, green eyes are on Yuki before she even rounds the corner. The owner of those eyes wears comfortable but still elegant clothes, a silk blouse and ankle-length skirt. A teacup hangs limply on her pointer finger while she sizes Yuki up.

The two stare at each other across the yard for a long moment. Then Yuki overcomes her momentary surprise and speaks up, voice carrying in the silence.

"Greetings, and my apologies for entering uninvited."

The other figure stirs at her garden table. The cup is lowered onto its saucer with only the faintest click, then she curiously taps a gleaming, egg-like gem next to it. Her gaze wanders back to Yuki and, after another moment's consideration, she offers a polite if empty smile.

"That is quite alright. Would you care to join me for a cup of tea?"

A polite offer for a polite face. Yuki nods, more out of curiousity than any desire for tea. Although she does feel peckish after walking around for hours; Abnormalities may not need to eat for the most part, but she and her three seniors all enjoyed the practice on occasion.

"Thank you kindly," she says on the approach, then climbs into the seat opposite to the young woman. A cup of green tea is poured, not quite piping hot but still pleasantly warm.

Neither speaks for the moment as both take a sip, sizing each other up from up close. That gem is still shining for some reason, too. Its owner seems well put-together despite the partially wild garden; her back remains straight, posture immaculate and eyes alight with life. There is a certain wariness to her, though.

"May I have your name?" she finally opens, as is the host's right.

"Yuki," the other woman obliges with a faint nod. "May I have yours as well?"

"Oh?"

A delicate brow is raised in faux surprise. "I thought it were self-evident, but perhaps not. I am Oriko Mikuni. If you have not come to harass me, then why did you enter my home without permission or announcement?"

Her assessment is calm and, perhaps, a little blunt for what one would expect from her. But Yuki acknowledges the questions as valid nonetheless. "Curiousity," she admits with a motion toward the front. "The property's state stands out enough to warrant interest. You said you're being harassed?"

Her question prompts a faint nod, but no more. Reading Oriko's feelings on the matter from her face is impossible. "I believe the messages written all over the walls are clear enough," she quips sardonically, then takes another sip.

"Clear in intention, but fairly vague in the actual accusation," Yuki comments. After taking a sip of her own, she adds onto that: "I took the liberty to remove them all."

That gets a reaction out of the girl: surprise. Her mask only breaks for a moment, but Yuki notices. Oriko quickly schools her features and nods, then wordlessly pushes a platter with scones over for her guest's perusal.

"That is quite thoughtful of you, miss Yuki. Thank you. Although I am afraid it hardly matters."

"How so?"

Oriko offers a faint smile at that.

"Even if the hooligans will not simply return in a few days," she begins, then pauses to offer a dainty shrug. "Well, the world will end soon. So you may as well not have bothered."

"...pardon?"

Yuki can not help but arch a brow in turn, even if her host can not tell beneath the blindfold. That is a rather sudden revelation.

Exhaling audibly, Oriko taps the gem next to her cup again. "I can see the future," she explains gently. "And in six weeks time, everything just ends. There is nothing beyond that point. I know the reason and I know there is nothing I can do. Any attempt I could make would end in failure, regardless my intentions."

"You seem oddly composed for such a circumstance," Yuki notes. Oriko is fairly well put-together for such a fatalistic stance, almost suspiciously so.

Curiously, the girl shrugs again.

"I was devastated for a time, in truth. But before long I realised that there is no need to fret. My actions do not matter, and neither do anyone else's. Which means I might as well do as I wish with what little time I have left."

Her controlled mask slips to reveal a fragile smile. She is not as unaffected by her own insignificance as she pretends, but she did make her peace. And Yuki can respect that, even though she does not believe the world will end. No future is set in stone until it becomes the present.

"I see. Unfortunately, I can not agree with your worldview. There has to be meaning in my existence, and I will do what I can to assert it."

Yuki pauses to munch on a scone, considering her next words. Oriko seems amenable thus far, so she may as well try to get more information.

"Will you tell me why the world faces its end?"

"Hm."

A soft hum follows. Oriko idly pours herself another cup, then does the same for Yuki. The empty pot is put aside as she steeples her fingers in thought. "I doubt you will change anything, but then again... I have never foreseen you before this moment, miss Yuki. A moment, please."

She closes her eyes, brow scrunching up. The only change is that the gem by her side grows notably darker, its gleam suddenly muted. Five minutes pass in silence, then Oriko shakes her head with a sigh.

"Like I thought, no change whatsoever. But you may feel free to try anyway, it is your time to waste."

Yuki is about to answer when a shrieking blur dashes around the corner. An unintelligible babble follows, only to cut off at the sight of the two women. Oriko makes a surprisingly swift, almost blurry motion, and the blur stops dead in its tracks. Then it stumbles forward from its own momentum; it slows down to reveal itself as a black-haired girl in a crisp black suit, bearing an eyepatch and wicked-looking steel claws on either hand. She catches herself in a roll and comes up right in front of them, utterly confused.

"Wha?" the new arrival makes, awkwardly pointing at Yuki with her left claw. She looks to Oriko, who huffs in fond exasperation.

"Peace, Kirika. This is Yuki, our guest for the time being," she introduces, then motions for the other girl. "And this, Yuki, is Kirika Kure. My dear girlfriend."

"Uh, hi?"

"Greetings."

The two stare at each other, one eye to no eyes. Only Kirika finds it awkward, Yuki studies her with academic interest.

After a few seconds, the black-haired girl holds up her palm in a bid for time. Then she slides next to Oriko and whispers at her, loud enough to be heard easily: "Oriko, why do you have tea with a Witch? And better, why's there a Witch outside?"

"Why, I am just as stumped as you," Oriko admits almost cheerfully. "I thought it would be rude to ask, so I simply accepted the matter as fact. That miss Yuki is not hostile is more than enough for me."

She knows just as well that Yuki can hear every word. But because this is not her conversation and she has no idea what a Witch is supposed to be, she does not respond. Another term for her to look up later.

"You were saying?" she prompts instead.

"Ah, of course."

All business again, Oriko draws her cellphone and swipes to a picture of a girl. Pink hair done in pigtails, a cream-coloured sweater and checkered skirt. Yuki saw the same school uniform earlier. The girl seems the gentle sort at first glance, attentively writing something in her notebook.

"This is Madoka Kaname, and she will end the world," Oriko announces. Her attempt for gravitas is sabotaged by scraping sounds as Kirika drags another chair over the porch to sit. She winces when her girlfriend throws her a look, then mutters an apology.

"I still don't get how she can be the one," the other girl admits while scratching her cheek. A faint gleam of light follows, after which her outfit fades and leaves the same school uniform behind. "She's in the same year as me and, like, the most average girl in the entire school. Sweet like sugar, though."

"You talked to her?" Oriko queries, curious. "I thought I asked you to leave her be?"

"Kinda. Just got curious, you know? So I went to school and talked to her and her friends the one time, like last week or so."

That sounds like a discussion for another time, at least in Yuki's opinion. She memorises the girl's features as best as possible in the meantime, though she finds them vaguely familiar.

"I will do my own investigation," she tells Oriko. "Especially important matters are best verified more than once. Thank you for telling me this."

The young woman shakes her head. "Not for that, please. Like I said, it will be futile... actually, a moment please."

She falls quiet and in trance again, leaving Yuki and Kirika in silence. The black-haired girl quickly presses something palm-sized against the darkening gem, which expells a black cloud in response. The gadget absorbs it wholesale.

After that, they are back to staring at each other.

"So, uh," Kirika finally starts, still a little awkard. "You're a Witch, right?"

"Can you define the term for me?"

"Sure. Like, big ugly monster that eats people? Usually hides in those barrier thingies, and drops a Grief Seed like this when killed." She waves the black steel thing she used on Oriko's gem earlier for emphasis. "Makes our Soul Gems glow like that if one's nearby?"

She points to said gem as well. Yuki barely acknowledges the gesture, already sorting through her knowledge. She is fairly sure she is not a Witch by that definition, but if these 'Soul Gems' only react to them and also to her, they might be similar existences? Curious.

"I am neither big nor ugly," she starts reasonably, and just as reasonably ignores Kirika's snort. "Nor do I eat people. Nor do I hide in a barrier of any sort, or turn into a Grief Seed. I am, however, not human. If these gems react to me like they would to a Witch, even if the other characteristics you named do not apply, that is worth considering."

"I mean... fair?" Kirika leans back, hands clasped behind her head. Then she tilts her head at Yuki and leans in again. "Okay, I gotta know: why do you wear a blindfold?"

"Why do you wear an eyepatch?" Yuki asks back, finding the answer self-evident. Going by her understanding hum, Kirika gets the message as well. Some things, people just like.

"I got a bunch more questions, any chance you'll answer them?"

"Later," Oriko interrupts primly. Her eyes are open once more, that polite smile back in place. "Miss Yuki, like I said, neither of us can change anything about the end of the world. But if you want to do something regardless, you should head to Kazamino, Mitakihara's sister city. There is someone you can save there if you go before nightfall."

Glancing up at the sky, it is beginning to tint orange. That is a rather tight schedule. But then again, is Oriko telling the truth?

"Who exactly would I be looking for?" she asks, but receives an enigmatic smile.

"Now would that not be telling?"

Her half-teasing response annoys Yuki, but she drops the matter. It certainly raises the point whether Oriko's words should be taken at face value anyhow. Even if she thinks she is truthful, which Yuki would have to confirm first, she may very well not have correct information. 'A vision' is hardly concrete evidence. Checking on this girl, Madoka, would be the most prudent choice. But if she does speak the truth and has correct information, then investigating her lead into Kazamino is just as worthwhile.

At the same time, Yuki is curious about the pair before her. Oriko and Kirika stand out to an extent, particularly for being the first to notice her inhuman nature in some form. And for overcoming her notice-me-not charm without any trouble, come to think of it. Doing research on these Soul Gems sounds worthwhile as well, even if it requires interacting with people.

And then, of course, there is her own research as well. She has found libraries across town and is very interested in perusing them, but is uncertain whether to prioritise that over what she just learned.

While Yuki mulls it over, Kirika annihilates the remaining scones. Oriko seems content to finish her tea in the silence.

---

What should Yuki do?

[] Stay with Oriko and Kirika for a while
weight: x0.75

[] Go to Kazamino, like Oriko indicated
weight: x1

[] Check out Madoka Kaname
weight: x1

[] Do research at the local libraries
weight: x1.5

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-Unlocked Character Sheets: Mikuni Oriko, Kure Kirika