QM note: This is part 1 of the update. No voting options here; they will be in part 2.
Winning vote:
[X] Plan Souls and Promises
-[X] (Class 1) Investigate…
--[X] …Kanoko's and Arachne's soul
-[X] (Lunch) Help Kanoko with fashion
-[X] (Class 2) Investigate…
--[X] …your own soul
You start by investigating the conjoined soul of Kanoko and Arachne. Kanoko resides in the black positive end, and Arachne resides in the white positive end, as you recall.
You examine it closer. It appears to be made out of interwoven threads. Some of those same threads run into your soul as well, from both ends. Within their soul, the threads sharply transition into one another at a boundary zone.
Right now, the shape of their soul is spherical. You
pull a bit, but the threads connecting the two do not allow them to be separated. It would take more force than you are capable of right now to do that.
You explore Kanoko's portion of the soul. She appears to have zoned out of her lessons (which are currently on 'Pre-Columbian History of the Americas'), and is fantasizing about being a successful fashion designer and finally having the warm approval of her parents regarding her life choices.
This reminds you that you should help her with her fashion designs. You suppose you could force her to eat during lunch instead of doing that, but it's what she wants so you'll go along with that. Besides, she can eat once the school day ends.
With that decided, you transition into Arachne's portion of the soul…
(Roll result: 17 on a d20)
…and easily avoid falling into a spider's web as you descend into… well, you're not sure where you are to be perfectly honest.
You're inside what appears to be a single cavernous room. It's made out of a mix of rusted and grey metal, and metal bars, columns, and platforms are littered all across the area, but these metals are not ones that you are familiar with. Spider webs are everywhere, along with strange humming objects in motion that are taking the threads and turning them into sheets or threading them into spools. What little light there is comes in from broken windows or is generated by glowing balls dangling from the ceiling.
And in the center, you find a being that is half-spider, half-human, all-working.
Arachne does not pause in its tasks as you approach, its four arms humanoid arms manipulating threads into a form that resembles Kanoko's while standing on its four spider-like legs. Currently, it is working on the head, specifically the fine facial details. "
Oh, it's you. Have you come to witness the great me work? It's bad luck to witness art in progress, but I guess you wouldn't know that, heheheheheh."
You ask what the Witch is doing.
"Oh this? It's a little project. I want to have it ready for when I inevitably seize full control of this failure of a girl's soul. After all, it'd be a nuisance if those other magical girls figured out what happened, so I'll need a human disguise. …This requires my full attention. You will need to leave me be. Besides, that foolish girl is calling for you now. Try not to let her die before I'm ready, okay?"
Confused, you depart Arachne's portion of the soul and tune back into your surroundings. It looks like class is over now and she's wandering in the halls. She breathes a sigh of relief when she can sense you again.
Unbeknownst to you, the two of you have caught the eye of a purple-haired girl, stalking Kanoko from a distance.
"Glad you're back… you're going to help me now, right?"
You agree, and ask what you'll be doing. You are still just a soul without a body, after all.
"Just tell me what you think about some of the designs I came up with in that inspired state. I can just sneak into the Art Club and re-draw them… ah, here it is."
Sure enough, the door is unlocked. Art supplies are littered everywhere in the big room. Half the space is fully open; the other half is dominated by two long tables. Kanoko grabs an easel and several colored pencils and gets to drawing. She's totally focused, only stopping to ask you questions about what you think.
…You now nothing about art though.
(Roll result: 2 on a d20)
Despite your best efforts, you're essentially useless to her.
You apologize, but it doesn't help. The balance of power in their soul has shifted in favor of Arachne instead of being split evenly. You can hear the Witch laughing in ecstatic glee and muttering something about how 'soon her soul will be mine!' before it goes back to its work.
Luckily for you, another girl walks in and saves you.
"Kanoko? So, this is where you are! …Kanoko? …Hey, don't just ignore me, the beautiful Ria Ami!"
Kanoko finishes her drawing, rips it off the easel, and only then notices that Ria has entered the room. Ria is blonde like Emiri, but her eyes are blue instead of red. Instinctively, you search for her soul, and sure enough, it's not in her body. It's localized on her person in what looks like a ring.
Yet another magical girl.
"Eh, Ria? What are you doing here?" Kanoko asks.
Ria pouts, and wags her finger at Kanoko. "Looking for you! Honestly! You need to pay more attention to your surroundings! Rumors are spreading that you're hiding something hideous beneath that white mask. It would not do for you to become one of those dreadful Uwasa before you complete the beautiful Metal Clothing you were designing for the beautiful me. So, what's going on with you?"
"Well, the designs are almost done, and-"
Ria interjects. "No! Wrong! I'm asking about you, not your fashion!"
Kanoko stares at Ria in confusion for a moment. "I'm… fine?"
"Well, you don't look fine! Your entire face is pale and… eh? Did I say something wrong?"
You can feel Kanoko's panic. She runs to the nearest mirror and not only her face, but also her entire body is one or two shades closer to chitinous white than it was before. She manages to resist the urge to scream again, and takes a deep breath instead. She mutters to herself. "I won't give up on my dream… I won't give up on my dream… I won't give up on my dream…"
There's suddenly a hand on Kanoko's back. It's Ria's. "Ummm… I don't know what's going on, but I agree! You shouldn't give up! If the beautiful me will not surrender to anyone, not even my rival Yachiyo who I hope to find and defeat soon, then you shouldn't surrender to whatever curse has befallen you either!"
Between her own chants, Ria's encouragement, and some secret support from you, Kanoko recovers a bit. She doesn't give Ria the full details, but explains that it was caused by a Witch, not an Uwasa.
…which reminds you that you don't actually know what an Uwasa is, exactly. You'll have to ask later.
"I see!" Ria exclaims. "So it has disfigured your face and now your body. How unfortunate! You aren't as beautiful as me, of course, but you have your own charms. If I can assist you in any way, don't hesitate to reach out. You have my number, right?"
Kanoko does. She changes the subject by asking about this missing 'Yachiyo' person. According to Ria, the so-called 'Wings of Magius' are responsible for her vanishing, but do not admit guilt or divulge information. So her team of herself and a few other magical girls has been at an impasse for a while.
Kanoko offers to help, but Ria insists that Kanoko take care of herself first.
…Speaking of which, Kanoko's stomach choses that moment to growl.
A grumpy Ria forces Kanoko to spend the rest of lunch eating with her
and three of her other friends. They bid Kanoko a supportive farewell as she returns to class alone.
You then return to your soul investigations, but this time you turn inwards and look into yourself.
…You find yourself in a place you don't recognize. You're in a foggy swamp. Mushrooms are plentiful and grow out of the ground and the trees. You can hear only your own breathing and heartbeat.
You look down at your hands.
They're not the same as Kanoko's. The skin tone is much darker and browner.
Excitement surges through you. You immediately rush to the nearest body of water and look into it. Is this your body? Is this your face? You peer into the swampy depths and see…
…deep black eyes and long unkempt black hair framing the face of the human sacrifice you saw in your visions. It's not your face and body; it's a copy of hers… whoever she was. Still, it's something.
You get up and wander around for some time. The swamp is dead yet peaceful in its stillness.
Eventually, you come across a large clearing and find yourself at the shore of a large lake. The fog is not so dense here. You can see an island in the center of the lake, and upon that island is a stone step pyramid. At the top-most platform is the chained and barricaded door. It leads nowhere yet something is behind it. Or rather, inside it. Emanating from it, you can feel connections to Kanoko… to Arachne…
…and one more!?
(Roll result: 15 on a d20)
You can't precisely tell where the person is, but you can pin them down to somewhere in Kamihama. By your estimate they're either close by in Mizuna ward or by its borders in a nearby ward. You also get a name:
Xochitl. You wonder if this the same person as Rosa. Maybe one of the names is fake?
You immediately alert Kanoko of your finding. Arachne also pauses in her work, suddenly interested in this development. But the human girl in class and can't leave yet, even though she's not paying any attention to the English lesson.
The Witch chuckles menacingly. "
Don't worry, I can fix that."
Before you can ask it to clarify what it meant by that, it sends a sudden jolt through Kanoko's soul, and she falls out of her seat, clutching her head in pain.
The purple-haired girl frowns as you all depart.
She's excused from the rest of her classes, but you can't help but think there was a better method that could have been used. She shows the truant officer her note as she leaves the school grounds.
"Now what?" she asks, still holding one hand to her head. "Emiri is still in school."
"
Now… sit back and watch!" exclaims the Witch.
You can feel magic churning in their conjoined soul. Kanoko ducks into a nearby alley so she can't be seen. She pulls out the Soul Gem and Grief Seed hybrid. Black and white threads spew forth from it, coalescing into the form of another Kanoko. You feel a tug, and you're pulled into that other body.
You blink in surprise.
"
Not bad, right? It's not done yet, but it'll work for now…" speaks Arachne from the new body. Kanoko is staring at you in shock. She pulls her mask off, but her face hasn't changed from its altered state. She notes that you're wearing her magical girl outfit, but all the blacks are greys. Similarly, the eyes and hair are greyed out on the right side of the body. On the left side, the eye is red and the hair is white.
You speak. It sounds like Kanoko's voice, but flattened and in a monotone. "We will search for this girl who is entangled with my soul. Perhaps she is Rosa or perhaps not. Either way, I must make sure that she ends up under my protection. Kanoko, will you please go on to meet with Emiri as we planned?"
Still a bit stunned, she agrees and walks back into public view, mask back on.
In the hidden alleyways, you and Arachne move in search of the unknown girl.
