"So, Seaweed, what're yer thoughts on all this nonsense? Servants and all, I mean."
Walking home from school together was something which Sayaka, Hitomi, and Kyouko had grown accustomed to in the months they spent together in Chigasaki after
Walpurgisnacht's passing, and today was no exception. Yesterday had been no exception either, but the trio today was making straight for home. Sayaka marched along at the front of the pack, while Kyouko and Hitomi hung behind. "Well, being a master is... A different experience, I suppose," Hitomi said. "Like I told Akemi-san last night, there are parts I find exiting, and parts I find... Not so exciting. But there's something... Exhilarating in the danger of it all, I guess you could say."
"I get what ya mean. Feels a lot like when me and the girls go up against a witch. How's Saber treating ya?"
"We don't really have much time to interact on a personal level. When I'm home, I'm too afraid that my parents will find him to bring him out, so the only times we really get to interact is when I'm out with all of you. Perhaps that will change once we've got that base set up we were talking about. What about yourself? How do you like... Rider, was it?"
"Yeah, Killer's been great," Kyouko said. "He's pretty strong, and he gets along well with most'a the other servants too, on account'a them all being the ones who took down Whataburger back then. Says he ain't a big fan of Assassin, not that I can blame him fer not liking that bitch."
"What does he not like about her?"
"Something about the way she
feels, I guess. Reminds him'a the Assassin from back in his War."
"I see. She is an unpleasant woman, but I suppose she has her reasons for being upset." Hitomi almost bumped into Sayaka, who had stopped moving. A surprised "Eh?" escaped her throat as she collided with her friend; but the surprise was short-lived. In a flash, Kyouko had positioned herself in front of the pair, taking an aggressive stance but not changing into her battle attire as she stared down the figure in front of her.
"Well, well, well." Clad in a red tracksuit, Wakaba Mirai stood before the trio with a hand on her hips. "I go out of town for an afternoon jog, and what do I find?"
"Speaking'a unpleasant women..." Kyouko said. "Must'a been jogging pretty far outta yer way ta wind up in MItakihara. Or were ya just looking fer trouble and hoping ya'd find one of us along the way?"
"You're free to think what you like, but the fact is I didn't come here to fight. That said-" Mirai flashed Kyouko a wicked grin, and with a tap of her foot against the ground she called on a troop of stuffed bears which surrounded the three girls. "-If you're raring to go, then I'd be more than happy to wipe the floor with you
and your little friends."
"Hey Spooky, ya free ta give us a hand? That pink bitch is back, and she brought friends."
"Hey now!" Sayaka put her foot down, stepping in front of Kyouko to confront the pink-haired girl. "I've got nothing to do with this." It took all of Kyouko's willpower not to challenge Sayaka right then and there. "If you've got beef with them that's one thing, but leave me out of it."
"Where are you?"
"Is that so?"
"I'm with Blueberry and Seaweed. We just crossed the bridge and are almost at the intersection."
"You think just 'cause we go to school together that makes us best friends or something? I was just walking kind of in the same direction as them, nothing more."
"I can be there shortly. Just hold out until then."
Mirai snorted, but with the snap of her fingers she relented, and her bears parted to give Sayaka a wide berth. "You're awfully calm, but I suppose
anyone who lives in Mitakihara must be used to weird things happening. You're free to go, so get out of my sight before I change my mind."
Sayaka nodded, advancing for the opening Mirai's bears had made for her; before promptly reeling her fist back and punching the girl in the face as hard as she could. "Come on Hitomi, let's book it!" Sayaka called out, back-pedalling just enough to grab Hitomi by the wrist before
dragging her along to safety.
"You
bitch!" Mirai snarled, changing into her battle attire as soon as she had recovered from Sayaka's blow. "You'll pay for that! After the-!" Her command was interrupted by
a crimson boot striking her in the face, and Mirai was sent tumbling as Kyouko, now donned in her own battle attire, stood over her, spear at the ready.
"Don't let yer eyes wander, bitch," Kyouko spat. "I'm yer opponent, so ya better pay attention, 'cause last time was just a fluke." This time, Kyouko was coming into the fight prepared; this time, she wasted no time in conjuring a
Sowilo rune, lashing out at the bears with a torrent of fire. The bears, now ignited, pressed the attack for as long as their stitching could hold out, but one by one Kyouko cut them down. "Seems they ain't as immortal as ya made'em out ta be, are they?" she taunted, her spear cleaving through the last of her opponents.
Mirai gritted her teeth. "Then I'll just keep piling on more and more until there's too many for you to beat!" Mirai waved her hand, calling on more bears to take the place of their fallen comrades. These too, Kyouko dispatched with the same nonchalant ease, setting the bears alight with a
Sowilo rune before tearing them to shreds with the swift movements of her spear. Mirai repeated the process for a third time, tauntingly calling out "No matter how many of my bears you kill, I'll just keep throwing more and more of them at you until it's too much!"
"Yeah? Then why don't I make things easy and just go fer the source!" With a flourish, Kyouko used her spear to vault clear over the advancing bears, angling the weapon straight down at Mirai. "Take this, bitch!"
Mirai did not, in fact, take that. Drawing her sword, she intercepted Kyouko's spear strike. Then, when Kyouko's spear segmented, turning around Mirai's sword to strike her from behind, Mirai ducked underneath the striking chain-link. "You really thought I'd learned nothing from our last encounter?" she chided, lunging forward as soon as Kyouko's spear had passed over her, striking Kyouko in the face with a fierce headbutt.
Kyouko was sent flying from Mirai's blow, but she quickly recovered. "I'll take a broken nose over a sword in the chest any day," she said.
"Is that so?" Mirai leveled her sword in Kyouko's direction, grinning. "You know, you're actually kind of fun when you're able to fight back. I think I'll enjoy making you my opponent." A shadow appeared behind Mirai, quickly revealing itself to be her tanned and haughty servant. "Well Rider, shall we see if she was smart enough to bring her servant with her?" Mirai and her servant both shot forward in unison, their strikes only just blocked by Kyouko and her own Rider, respectively. The two Rider-class servants tore off in their own battle, leaving Kyouko and Mirai to clash, sword to spear. For a brief moment, Mirai appeared to have the upper hand in the fight, and she taunted Kyouko. "Is that really all you've got? I could have sworn you were hitting me harder the last time!"
"Just you wait, bitch. I'm gunna tear that smirk off yer face and shove it right up yer ass!"
"Ooh, feisty! You know, I've already got my eyes on someone, but I might just be persuaded to consider you
r corpse a decent substitute!"
You and Archer couldn't have arrived at a better time. Sayaka and Hitomi are nowhere to be seen -
"They're well out of range of the fighting," Archer told you - and collateral damage is fairly minimal. Kyouko and Wakaba Mirai are engaged in battle, while not far away Rider clashes with the enemy Rider.
Just in time to prevent things from getting out of hand. "All right girls," Archer calls out as you and he come into view. "You've had your fun, now it's time to pack it up and head home like good little girls."
Kyouko and Wakaba MIrai clash with sword and spear one final time, leaping back to avoid the other's blow before looking in Archer's direction. Kyouko looks relieved to see her backup arriving, while Wakaba Mirai grits her teeth as she stares at you and Archer, your bows drawn and your aim fixed on her. "So you've brought some new friends," she says to Kyouko. "Big deal. This guy looks weak; I'm sure Rider can take him."
"Or I could stay back a few kilometers and snipe him well beyond what he can see," Archer says, his finger just itching to loose their payload. "Care to test your luck?"
For several moments time seems to stand still, and no one moves. Wakaba Mirai clutches the handle of her sword tightly, her eyes blazing as her gaze flits from Kyouko, to Archer, to you. For one brief moment, it appears that she might provoke Archer to strike, until twin shapes of gold appear, surrounding her; it's Saber and Assassin. Saber has drawn both of his swords; and Assassin, sensing the mood, you're sure, has conjured the specters of swords from a ring of
Tiwaz runes above her head. You catch the fingers of Wakaba Mirai's hand slack in their grip, and at last she relents.
"All right, I get it," she says. "I wasn't planning on this turning into a fight to start with, so I'm fine withdrawing since I'm clearly outnumbered. Come on Rider, let's get out of here."
Do you
[ ] Let Wakaba Mirai leave
[ ] Don't let Wakaba Mirai leave
What do you do after?
[ ] Emergency team meeting (Do not pick if you plan on meeting with the others tonight)
-[ ] to discuss what?
[ ] Organise a raid into Asunaro
-[ ] Look for one of the Saints to pick off
-[ ] Make a run on their base
-[ ] Other (write-in)
[ ] Go home
-[ ] and relax
-[ ] and do schoolwork
-[ ] and practice runes/magecraft
--[ ] until it's time to meet with the others (do not pick if you opt for an emergency team meeting)
---[ ] What needs to be discussed? (write-in)
--[ ] No team meeting tonight
[ ] Go back to school and pick up Madoka
-[ ] and take her out on a date
-[ ] and take her home to relax
[ ] Other (write-in)
