To make people actually remember, here's it once for posterity: Minako is nonbinary and uses they/them. This message will be pinned so you people stop getting it wrong and pissing me off. If you get it wrong in the future I'm going to be much less nice, considering you have to scroll past it just to read the quest.
[x] Find her a place to stay. (Write-in where)
-[x] Contact Tomo, Yoko or Sukuyo. Maybe they could give you hand.
"...Nah, no it ain't." You wave your hand. "Follow me." You start walking past her just under the still-dangling chain, but stop when you notice she's not moving.
"I...I only just met you. Why-"
"You ain't the first dumbass magi to fight us. We kind of have a protocol for this sorta thing." You grab the chain. "Now are you gonna follow me or what?"
She stares at you, then at the ground, then at the catwalk over her head. Finally, she rolls her eyes and gets to her feet. "O-yeah, yeah, okay."
"Good. Now do you like pizza, ramen, burgers or steak?" You pull the chain.
"W-wha-" She's cut off when the catwalk hits the ground behind her with a thunderous crash and the scream of crumpling metal.
[=]
Twenty minutes later and you're inside of a pizza parlor. You've ordered your food, and now that you're here, the girl mostly just seems confused, like she doesn't actually know what she's doing right now. She traces her hand on the table, across the surface and to where the pizza's probably going to be in a few minutes.
You watch her trace her hand. You were keeping an eye on her to make sure she wasn't going to do anything stupid, but now you're kind of just getting bored. It's not particularly busy right now; you arrived before the evening rush, but the oven was also just getting fired up when you came in.
It did give you a chance to call your visitor and her girlfriend.
"You look bored," you say.
The girl jumps in her seat. "W-what do you mean?"
"You were just trying to kill me just under half an hour ago." You lean onto your hand. "And now you're kind of awkwardly tracing your hand like a bored kid."
She stiffens. "I-I'm just...distracted and stuff."
"Sure you are." You lean back in the booth. "Don't think I asked your name before."
"Uh..." She looks to the ground nearby. "Uriko." She flexes her jaw. "It's Uriko."
"Just Uriko?"
She nods. "Yeah." She traces her hand again. "Dunno. Stuff. Yeah."
Insightful. You lean onto your hand. "Well, okay. Just, no family, no last name?"
"I don't wanna talk about it."
Ah. That kind of family. You take a breath and roll your chin over your hand. "Well, any friends?"
"Uh...hm...mm...mmm..." She is rolling her hand on the table. It looks like a nervous tic. You take that as a 'no'.
You lean over, before you turn to the side. You put your hand to your ear and make it look like you're leaning onto your hand. 'Hey for the love of god can you get here faster this is not going well.'
'The bus is almost there, hold your horses.'
Your eyes almost bulge out of your head. 'WHY ARE YOU TAKING THE BUS.'
'I'm bringing my girlfriend, lay off.'
You bring your finger to your chin. You think on the information; Tomo's last relationship was uh...five years ago? She didn't say anything about this girlfriend in the few times you've met, but those times were pretty much all magical girl business. She's not exactly your friend; you're better friends with Yoko and Sukuyo. But Tomo was the least busy of them today.
It's honestly not that surprising that she likes your wife more than you. You can get kinda abrasive. That or she's fuckin' weak. One of the two.
Finally, the bus arrives just outside the window with a squeal of wheels and a hiss of hydraulics. The thing looms over the sidewalk as a small number of people step outside the doors and onto the brick walkway. You roll your head to the side to give Tomo a good look.
Tomo's gotten an undercut in the years since you've seen her last, and her hair's incredibly short now. There are only just enough bangs to cover a little of her forehead, and her neck has a few thorn tattoos reaching from under her collar. She has a turtleneck underneath a grey blazer a pair of tight khakis over oxfords.
She's like the ultimate in hipster dyke fashions. You and your wife are well-acquainted with turbolesbian looks.
Attached to her arm is someone that you're going to guess is the girlfriend; a petite Filipina woman, almost a full head shorter than she is but with a thick core. Her hair is blacker than Tomo's, if that were even possible, and she's in an open hoodie, a t-shirt, and sweatpants.
The comparison is honestly kind of comical.
They enter the restaurant, Tomo's hand over her head, her girlfriend giving you a nod. "So you're Koko?" she chirps.
"Uh, Kyouko, actually. Koko's my pet name." You flash your teeth. "But don't worry, I top."
Uriko blinks in confusion, then consideration, then more confusion.
Well, on the plus side, at least the kid doesn't know what you're talking about. You lean over. "You'll get it when you're older."
Tomo just slides a chair over. "So, you got my order?"
"Yeah I got what you and your GF wanted. Goat cheese, fig leaf, chicken."
"Not that it matters, haha. You're gonna burn those calories fighting witches." You tap your fingers. "I actually tried that combo before. It was, like, shockingly good."
"Uh, pizza and witches?" The new girl scratches her chin.
"No, Goat cheese and chicken." You roll your hand. "But yeah, like, how much do you-"
"Everything." Tomo's girlfriend interrupts you before you can even finish the thought. "I had a magical girl friend in high school."
"Ah. Right." You kind of wonder how Kyubey managed to keep a hold on things before. You've actually had a number of civvies who already know what magical girls are. Granted, they're rare, but it's been happening more frequently over the past few years.
It's probably nothing.
You have a few minutes before the pizza gets here. Maybe it'd be a good idea to bring something up...
PICK ONE
[] Discuss Uriko. She doesn't seem to really know how or why she was fighting you, and her personality seemed to switch almost immediately after you brought her here.
[] Discuss Tomo. Where has she been? Mitakihara isn't that big a city, considering how rich it is; you'd think that she was avoiding you or something.
[] Discuss the Kasamino gang. Uriko was from there, so maybe she knows something about them that you don't.
[X] Discuss Uriko. She doesn't seem to really know how or why she was fighting you, and her personality seemed to switch almost immediately after you brought her here.
"Ah. Right." You kind of wonder how Kyubey managed to keep a hold on things before. You've actually had a number of civvies who already know what magical girls are. Granted, they're rare, but it's been happening more frequently over the past few years.
Hold up. Didn't you word of God something in SQ1 on the rat being able to cover up anything up to and including a live press conference on meguca? Does that mean the masquerade breaking down now is deliberate?
[X] Discuss Uriko. She doesn't seem to really know how or why she was fighting you, and her personality seemed to switch almost immediately after you brought her here.
That description text makes me think there's some mind magic crap going on, but that might just be my paranoia talking. Still, prioritizing her situation should help reinforce the already stellar job Kyoko's done befriending.
And hints of a cracking masquerade, or sloppiness on the part of the rat bastard. Either of which would be concerning.
[X] Discuss Uriko. She doesn't seem to really know how or why she was fighting you, and her personality seemed to switch almost immediately after you brought her here.
If we're gonna adopt the girl we should take the time to learn about her
Hold up. Didn't you word of God something in SQ1 on the rat being able to cover up anything up to and including a live press conference on meguca? Does that mean the masquerade breaking down now is deliberate?
I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Incubators have absolutely no reason to want the masquerade to break down, and this particular pattern is localized pretty much exclusively in Mitakihara.
[X] Discuss Uriko. She doesn't seem to really know how or why she was fighting you, and her personality seemed to switch almost immediately after you brought her here.
I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Incubators have absolutely no reason to want the masquerade to break down, and this particular pattern is localized pretty much exclusively in Mitakihara.
That's... concerning. I presume coobie's taking measures to make sure the pattern remains exclusive to Mitakihara, and isn't spread by population movement and such?
Oh, I need to vote, too. See no reason to go against the grain, though Kyoplomancy might fuck us over again.
[X] Discuss Uriko. She doesn't seem to really know how or why she was fighting you, and her personality seemed to switch almost immediately after you brought her here.
[X] Discuss Uriko. She doesn't seem to really know how or why she was fighting you, and her personality seemed to switch almost immediately after you brought her here.
[x] Discuss Uriko. She doesn't seem to really know how or why she was fighting you, and her personality seemed to switch almost immediately after you brought her here.
I would like to know a little more about her deal...
