Day After
Critic Ham
Local Pundit too Angry to Die
Lila woke up to her cat sitting on her face.
She shot up, sending her Companion yowling as it leapt off her face and onto a desk. Lila tried to cough out the furball that accumulated over the night. Strands of fur fluttered out between coughs, but were sucked right back in whenever Lila breathed.
Lila was quick to displace the panic bubbling within her chest so she could concrete on spitting the furball out.
She inhaled sharply and reached inward to grab that feeling when she first transformed. She wasn't looking for a complete transformation, but to channel enough magic into her muscles to strengthen them. Lila latched onto that feeling like one could only remember parts of a dream and focused on it. This time, though, rather than thinking of transforming, she thought about making her lungs and associated muscles stronger.
The next thing Lila knew, the furball lodged in her throat was gone and splattered on the wall clear across the room.
Lila let out a strained exhale. She frowned at her Companion to which it started licking one of its paws.
Again, out of all the Companions she had to bond with, it was a cat. Ah well, it wasn't the worst of things. If anything, dealing with the feline's quirks was better than the name calling and backbiting at school. Who knows, maybe the bullies will back off since she was a Miracle now. Oh the look on their faces when they see her cat will be wonderful! If she, uh, decided to go to school today or skip the day for practice. She still had incomplete homework, after all.
But first, breakfast!
Lila got out of bed and opened the curtains to a grey sky. Rain pattered against the window and thunder cackled in the distance. The corner of Lila's lips twitched. Joy, she had to go to school in the rain. She whipped about and walked out of her room whilst grumbling all the way.
A light thud followed by the pitter-patter of paws alerted her that her Companion was trotting behind. She didn't spare a glance for it. That darn cat decided her face was an appropriate heating pad. That alone was annoying, but the furball could have actually suffocated her!
And did her Companion feel any remorse for it? Nope! The only feeling Lila got from the it was cat-satisfaction. Like it had accomplished something it had worked on for years on end and lived to see it bore fruit. Urgh, now she had to figure out how to prevent her Companion from using her face as a heating pad or suffer more furballs.
Maybe she really should skip the day.
Lila stepped out of her room and headed to the living room. The smell of steamed rice and fish invited her to pick up the pace. The crackle of fire grew louder the closer she got. Lila entered the living room to see Yang sitting cross-legged on the sofa. She held a plate of rice and fish above her palm. A flame danced about in Yang's hand. Streams of heat distorted the air as it warmed the plate of food.
"Hey Lila-chan. You, uh, got hair all over your face." Yang smiled.
Lila rubbed her cheek and saw that her hand was covered in fur. Her right eye twitched. Anger bubbled within her, something she allowed to shimmer before wrangling back into its place so calm could take hold. Her baleful gaze slowly turned upon her Companion which stared into the hateful abyss with a smug smile.
"Can you heat up my food while I wash my face? And brush my cat."
The feline's eyes went wide. It looked at Yang with pleading eyes as if begging to save it from its horrid fate.
"Sure, sure, you lazy bum." Yang answered.
The feline let out a subdued meow as if to say, 'I have made a mistake.'
Lila snatched up her Companion into her arms before it could even think of escape. She held it close against her chest. Lila did feel something bat the inside of her head. Not like a physical sensation, but more like a phantom paw. That paw kept batting her until she glared down at her Companion.
"Stop or it's the bath for you."
The cat slumped into her arms and gave a few more subdued meows as if it resigned itself to its fate.
Lila headed into the restroom while balancing the cat in her arms. Her Companion squirmed and wiggled about not to escape, but to prolong its fate for as long as it could. And to annoy its bonded human too.
How unfortunate that Lila tightened her grip to arrest all of the feline's movement while wearing a strained, twitching grin.
The door to the restroom was ajar, enough to slip a foot or hand through and push it open. Lila kicked it open with enough force that it slammed into the wall. She ignored the shout from Yang warning her to treat the door nicely or get burdened with more debt. Well, it wasn't like she used any magic to kick the door open, just normal human rage.
Lila closed the door with her foot and deposited her Companion onto the sink counter. She looked into the mirror to see wads of fur stuck to her brown skin. A part of her questioned how so much fur stayed on her face in the first place, but the answer to that was simple. Magic. Which also brought up another question of how she was going to brush her cat so she didn't wake up covered in fur again. Even normal cats were difficult to brush as Lila learned when she was a volunteer at a local shelter. So many scratches, so many bandages.
But brushing a magical cat with the intelligence on par or beyond that of a human? Lila already felt her hands ache. Yet it must be done.
Yowls and hisses filled the air as Lila equipped a brush and did battle with an angry, eldritch cat. Blood and fur was shedded, carpeting the restroom floor. The battle raged for minutes on end with neither side backing down. Outside, Yang and Fly looked at one another, wondering if they should intervene. After a couple of seconds, Yang shrugged. Lila and her cat needed to sort out their own issues like how she resolved her issues with Fly. And so the battle went on for several more moments before the door finally creaked open.
Lila stood in the doorway, covered in more fur than before. Her strained smile was gone and was replaced by a deep, hair-ridden frown. Her Companion slinked out with a proud smile. Lila shook a handle bereft of its brush at the cat, but otherwise did not pursue further battle.
"I should get a camera and text dad to get popcorn for next time." Yang said.
"Quiet you." Lila shook the broken handle at Yang.
"Better get your food before it becomes more lukewarm. First reheat was free, subsequent ones will cost you."
Lila rolled her eyes before sitting down and used a pair of cracked chopsticks to eat the rice.
"Mom and dad went to the shop?" Lila asked.
"Yep. Though they had to leave early. Something about a meeting. Hopefully it's not another shark trying to wrangle money out of them. If there is, weeeeell." Yang cracked her knuckles and grinned, fiery sparks leaping out from her hands.
Fly flew into her ear and Lila swore she heard the angry buzzing all the way from across the table.
Yang clamped a hand down on her ear. "Okokok! I won't knee cap them immediately."
Seemingly satisfied, Fly buzzed out of Yang's ear and returned back to nestling in her hair. Lila frowned at Yang while the older sister rubbed the inside of her ear.
"You shouldn't resort to violence against another human so quickly. It's unbecoming of a Miracle. As Hope once said-"
"Yea, yea, I know. If only she strolled around our neighborhood, her 'never kill a human' tone would change right quick." Yang waved a hand dismissively.
"She never said anything about hurting another fellow human."
"That I can agree with."
"But please don't hurt anyone as a first resort. Mom and dad already have enough to deal with, they don't need the trouble the police always bring."
Yang winced at that.
"Ok, message received. Again."
A silence fell between the two sisters as they ate their breakfast. Their Companions were nearby, Fly nestling in Yang's hair and Lila's cat purring intensity as it vacuumed rice and fish that fell onto the floor. Lila would glance at the feline, eyebrows furrowed in concern at how utterly gluttonous her Companion was.
She had read and watched horror stories unfold with such gluttonous Companions. One such incident inovlved a pink and round plush Companion clearing out an entire bakery. Its bonded human watched the entire scene unfold with a blank expression, Like all hopes and dreams he ever had were drained, burnt, and ejected into outer space. The amount of money he owed was still being paid off to this day a year. Lila shuddered at the thought of racking up such a debt. Hopefully she could discipline her Companion before such a thing could happen.
But that thought would sink deeper and deeper into Lila's mind throughout breakfast. Eventually, the two sisters finished eating and walked into the kitchen to deposit their dishes. Yang began cleaning them, washing them then drying them with a small flame.
While Yang did the dishes, Lila glanced at the clock to see how much time she had left.
7:19. Aw crap, it took an hour to walk to school! And in this weather, it was going to take longer. B-but she was a Miracle now. Maybe she can abuse her status to get a free bus ride? Wait, no, that wouldn't be good. Certainly unbecoming of a new Miracle. There had to be another-
"Worrying about school?" Yang asked as she put the dishes away.
"I'm gonna be late and the teachers are going to kill me!"
"Weeeeell, I'm meeting up with a friend for a patrol in an hour or so. Yokai attacks have been on the rise in the rural areas so I'd appreciate it if I had a third partner watching our backs. Chance to gain some experience, but I understand if you decide not to go, since you're still getting used to being a Miracle and all."
Lila scratched her cheek as she debated on what to do. Her grades were good enough that missing one day wouldn't hurt them and it would give her a chance to finish her homework. But there were multiple exams today that would be a headache to reschedule and take at another time. Not to mention Magic Club was meeting today about some big thing that the club president was being secretive about. Showing her Companion off to them would be so awesome!
But patrolling with Yang and her friend would be a valuable experience, not to mention a chance at connecting with another Miracle. Lila might not get another opportunity because of some weird happenings down at the Kyushu Observation Outposts. Lila could only assume it was Yokai-related because Miracles had been called in from all across Japan. Yet a recent J-Alert warned that dangerous Yokai have been leading attacks. So if she and the others got caught up in such an attack, her inexperience might prove to be a burden… Lila didn't want to burden Yang or anyone else.
O-of course, she could just skip school altogether and join Yang on another patrol once she felt confident in her abilities. Though that meant she had to do something that would benefit Japan.
Hm, what should she do?
[ ] Go to school
[ ] Patrol with Yang and her friend
[ ] Don't join Yang and skip School
A/N: There is a 24-hour voting period.
She shot up, sending her Companion yowling as it leapt off her face and onto a desk. Lila tried to cough out the furball that accumulated over the night. Strands of fur fluttered out between coughs, but were sucked right back in whenever Lila breathed.
Lila was quick to displace the panic bubbling within her chest so she could concrete on spitting the furball out.
She inhaled sharply and reached inward to grab that feeling when she first transformed. She wasn't looking for a complete transformation, but to channel enough magic into her muscles to strengthen them. Lila latched onto that feeling like one could only remember parts of a dream and focused on it. This time, though, rather than thinking of transforming, she thought about making her lungs and associated muscles stronger.
The next thing Lila knew, the furball lodged in her throat was gone and splattered on the wall clear across the room.
Lila let out a strained exhale. She frowned at her Companion to which it started licking one of its paws.
Again, out of all the Companions she had to bond with, it was a cat. Ah well, it wasn't the worst of things. If anything, dealing with the feline's quirks was better than the name calling and backbiting at school. Who knows, maybe the bullies will back off since she was a Miracle now. Oh the look on their faces when they see her cat will be wonderful! If she, uh, decided to go to school today or skip the day for practice. She still had incomplete homework, after all.
But first, breakfast!
Lila got out of bed and opened the curtains to a grey sky. Rain pattered against the window and thunder cackled in the distance. The corner of Lila's lips twitched. Joy, she had to go to school in the rain. She whipped about and walked out of her room whilst grumbling all the way.
A light thud followed by the pitter-patter of paws alerted her that her Companion was trotting behind. She didn't spare a glance for it. That darn cat decided her face was an appropriate heating pad. That alone was annoying, but the furball could have actually suffocated her!
And did her Companion feel any remorse for it? Nope! The only feeling Lila got from the it was cat-satisfaction. Like it had accomplished something it had worked on for years on end and lived to see it bore fruit. Urgh, now she had to figure out how to prevent her Companion from using her face as a heating pad or suffer more furballs.
Maybe she really should skip the day.
Lila stepped out of her room and headed to the living room. The smell of steamed rice and fish invited her to pick up the pace. The crackle of fire grew louder the closer she got. Lila entered the living room to see Yang sitting cross-legged on the sofa. She held a plate of rice and fish above her palm. A flame danced about in Yang's hand. Streams of heat distorted the air as it warmed the plate of food.
"Hey Lila-chan. You, uh, got hair all over your face." Yang smiled.
Lila rubbed her cheek and saw that her hand was covered in fur. Her right eye twitched. Anger bubbled within her, something she allowed to shimmer before wrangling back into its place so calm could take hold. Her baleful gaze slowly turned upon her Companion which stared into the hateful abyss with a smug smile.
"Can you heat up my food while I wash my face? And brush my cat."
The feline's eyes went wide. It looked at Yang with pleading eyes as if begging to save it from its horrid fate.
"Sure, sure, you lazy bum." Yang answered.
The feline let out a subdued meow as if to say, 'I have made a mistake.'
Lila snatched up her Companion into her arms before it could even think of escape. She held it close against her chest. Lila did feel something bat the inside of her head. Not like a physical sensation, but more like a phantom paw. That paw kept batting her until she glared down at her Companion.
"Stop or it's the bath for you."
The cat slumped into her arms and gave a few more subdued meows as if it resigned itself to its fate.
Lila headed into the restroom while balancing the cat in her arms. Her Companion squirmed and wiggled about not to escape, but to prolong its fate for as long as it could. And to annoy its bonded human too.
How unfortunate that Lila tightened her grip to arrest all of the feline's movement while wearing a strained, twitching grin.
The door to the restroom was ajar, enough to slip a foot or hand through and push it open. Lila kicked it open with enough force that it slammed into the wall. She ignored the shout from Yang warning her to treat the door nicely or get burdened with more debt. Well, it wasn't like she used any magic to kick the door open, just normal human rage.
Lila closed the door with her foot and deposited her Companion onto the sink counter. She looked into the mirror to see wads of fur stuck to her brown skin. A part of her questioned how so much fur stayed on her face in the first place, but the answer to that was simple. Magic. Which also brought up another question of how she was going to brush her cat so she didn't wake up covered in fur again. Even normal cats were difficult to brush as Lila learned when she was a volunteer at a local shelter. So many scratches, so many bandages.
But brushing a magical cat with the intelligence on par or beyond that of a human? Lila already felt her hands ache. Yet it must be done.
Yowls and hisses filled the air as Lila equipped a brush and did battle with an angry, eldritch cat. Blood and fur was shedded, carpeting the restroom floor. The battle raged for minutes on end with neither side backing down. Outside, Yang and Fly looked at one another, wondering if they should intervene. After a couple of seconds, Yang shrugged. Lila and her cat needed to sort out their own issues like how she resolved her issues with Fly. And so the battle went on for several more moments before the door finally creaked open.
Lila stood in the doorway, covered in more fur than before. Her strained smile was gone and was replaced by a deep, hair-ridden frown. Her Companion slinked out with a proud smile. Lila shook a handle bereft of its brush at the cat, but otherwise did not pursue further battle.
"I should get a camera and text dad to get popcorn for next time." Yang said.
"Quiet you." Lila shook the broken handle at Yang.
"Better get your food before it becomes more lukewarm. First reheat was free, subsequent ones will cost you."
Lila rolled her eyes before sitting down and used a pair of cracked chopsticks to eat the rice.
"Mom and dad went to the shop?" Lila asked.
"Yep. Though they had to leave early. Something about a meeting. Hopefully it's not another shark trying to wrangle money out of them. If there is, weeeeell." Yang cracked her knuckles and grinned, fiery sparks leaping out from her hands.
Fly flew into her ear and Lila swore she heard the angry buzzing all the way from across the table.
Yang clamped a hand down on her ear. "Okokok! I won't knee cap them immediately."
Seemingly satisfied, Fly buzzed out of Yang's ear and returned back to nestling in her hair. Lila frowned at Yang while the older sister rubbed the inside of her ear.
"You shouldn't resort to violence against another human so quickly. It's unbecoming of a Miracle. As Hope once said-"
"Yea, yea, I know. If only she strolled around our neighborhood, her 'never kill a human' tone would change right quick." Yang waved a hand dismissively.
"She never said anything about hurting another fellow human."
"That I can agree with."
"But please don't hurt anyone as a first resort. Mom and dad already have enough to deal with, they don't need the trouble the police always bring."
Yang winced at that.
"Ok, message received. Again."
A silence fell between the two sisters as they ate their breakfast. Their Companions were nearby, Fly nestling in Yang's hair and Lila's cat purring intensity as it vacuumed rice and fish that fell onto the floor. Lila would glance at the feline, eyebrows furrowed in concern at how utterly gluttonous her Companion was.
She had read and watched horror stories unfold with such gluttonous Companions. One such incident inovlved a pink and round plush Companion clearing out an entire bakery. Its bonded human watched the entire scene unfold with a blank expression, Like all hopes and dreams he ever had were drained, burnt, and ejected into outer space. The amount of money he owed was still being paid off to this day a year. Lila shuddered at the thought of racking up such a debt. Hopefully she could discipline her Companion before such a thing could happen.
But that thought would sink deeper and deeper into Lila's mind throughout breakfast. Eventually, the two sisters finished eating and walked into the kitchen to deposit their dishes. Yang began cleaning them, washing them then drying them with a small flame.
While Yang did the dishes, Lila glanced at the clock to see how much time she had left.
7:19. Aw crap, it took an hour to walk to school! And in this weather, it was going to take longer. B-but she was a Miracle now. Maybe she can abuse her status to get a free bus ride? Wait, no, that wouldn't be good. Certainly unbecoming of a new Miracle. There had to be another-
"Worrying about school?" Yang asked as she put the dishes away.
"I'm gonna be late and the teachers are going to kill me!"
"Weeeeell, I'm meeting up with a friend for a patrol in an hour or so. Yokai attacks have been on the rise in the rural areas so I'd appreciate it if I had a third partner watching our backs. Chance to gain some experience, but I understand if you decide not to go, since you're still getting used to being a Miracle and all."
Lila scratched her cheek as she debated on what to do. Her grades were good enough that missing one day wouldn't hurt them and it would give her a chance to finish her homework. But there were multiple exams today that would be a headache to reschedule and take at another time. Not to mention Magic Club was meeting today about some big thing that the club president was being secretive about. Showing her Companion off to them would be so awesome!
But patrolling with Yang and her friend would be a valuable experience, not to mention a chance at connecting with another Miracle. Lila might not get another opportunity because of some weird happenings down at the Kyushu Observation Outposts. Lila could only assume it was Yokai-related because Miracles had been called in from all across Japan. Yet a recent J-Alert warned that dangerous Yokai have been leading attacks. So if she and the others got caught up in such an attack, her inexperience might prove to be a burden… Lila didn't want to burden Yang or anyone else.
O-of course, she could just skip school altogether and join Yang on another patrol once she felt confident in her abilities. Though that meant she had to do something that would benefit Japan.
Hm, what should she do?
[ ] Go to school
- Gain a determinant amount of experience in certain proficiencies based on roll checks(Affected by Lucky Charm and High Spirits)
- Magic Club will help you with Miracle-related matters
- Be bullied, especially by Uyemura
- There have been dog sightings near the school. Hopefully they won't cause problems
[ ] Patrol with Yang and her friend
- Yang's friend will provide advice and details about Miracle-related matters
- Chance for positive and negative events(Affected by Lucky Charm)
- Near-certainty of encountering a Yokai of low to middling danger, but moderate chance of encountering a dangerous Yokai or even a mix
[ ] Don't join Yang and skip School
- Can choose from a selection of actions for today
- Because of the rise in Yokai attacks, there is still a possibility you may encounter or be pulled into an encounter with Yokai
A/N: There is a 24-hour voting period.
