"I'm honestly not sure I understand the question," you say after a moment. You turn to Yuki, gesturing at Fukushima city with an open palm, through the closed window and beyond the confines of the corridor. "They're here. I'm here. Why
wouldn't I want to meet them?"
"Time constraints?" Yuki says, raising her eyebrows.
"Like I said - I'm
here," you say, shrugging. "And I was going to be here anyway to talk to
you, so this best makes use of my time."
You weigh options briefly in your mind.
"Though, well-" you say. "OK, so... there's no real deeper plan or
motives to this meeting, if that's what you're asking. And maybe you want to call me naive -I wouldn't exactly blame you- but I like people. I like helping people."
"I wouldn't, no," Yuki says. Her tone is carefully neutral, but you get a faint sense of bafflement from her.
"Honestly, Mami and Homura haven't been involved too much in politics. As you say, Mami has been 'famously isolationist'-" You airquote that just for emphasis. "-which is, incidentally, something I don't really agree with, but that's a topic for another time."
You hold your hand out towards Yuki, just for emphasis.
"But me? I like people," you say, echoing your earlier words. "I like meeting people, I like helping people. And... we've been depending mostly on Nadia's advice and her efforts to spread the word, but as far as I can tell, she's taking it slow. I can't really blame her for that; I'm guessing she has her own constraints." You shrug. "But that leaves me to do outreach on my own, too."
"And so here you are," Yuki muses. "I see. That
does make sense."
You chuckle quietly.
"There really is no master plan or anything here," you say, tapping your temple with a finger and shrugging. "I'm an optimist. I wanted to meet new people, extend my hand in friendship. It's not entirely
impractical, mind you. I want my name to spread - the more people I meet, the wider the influence I have, and the more people I can reach out to in turn."
"Hah," Yuki says, and smiles, sunny and
sharp. "Optimism... I envy that, Miss Vee, and I suppose you have better cause for it than most. It's not a bad thing - I think we magical girls could use more in our lives."
"The word I prefer is
hope," you say, looking out the window once more. "We all need some more hope in our lives, and I like to think I'm the girl to help on that score. That's what magical girls
should be, should
do. Bring hope."
"We all need a little help punching up, I suppose," Yuki says. That smile remains, dancing on the edge of her lips. "And I admit, you more than inspire confidence, and you have equally as much cause for that confidence, too. But I didn't mean to criticize, Miss Vee. We are allies - you're not one of my girls, and I was just curious. I apologise if I gave you that impression."
"Ah," you say. "No harm, no foul?"
"If you prefer," Yuki says.
"Yeah, I think I would," you say. "Ah... shall we walk and talk? Where are we meeting the Hirano group, anyway?"
"I was just about to suggest as much," Yuki says, chuckling as she starts down the corridor again, rapping her knuckles fondly against the glass of the window as she passes it. "We'll be meeting at a nearby park between our territories - it's our usual meeting ground."
"Ahh, yeah, that makes sense," you agree. "I have this bad habit of inviting people to a cafe or some food place nearby when it comes to meetings."
"It's generally a good plan," Yuki says. "Everyone welcomes food, after all, and we don't exactly get fat now."
She blinks slowly, a thoughtful look catching in the corner of your eye before she snickers.
"Don't tell Shinobu that," she says.
"OK, so two things there-" You hold up two fingers for emphasis. "One, seriously, she looks exactly how I'd expect an anthropomorphic mountain would look. Two, speaking of welcoming people and such, is there anyone in particular you'd
recommend contacting?"
"In reverse order: yes, I might have a few recommendations. And on the subject of Shinobu..." Yuki says, pulling open the door to what looks like another meeting room, gesturing for you to go on ahead. "She hasn't always been as... comfortable with teasing about honing her body. She loves it, she enjoys it, come what may. She's weathered a lot for the sake of it."
She lifts her eyes to pin you to the wall, intent and serious.
"And I'm honestly impressed with it," you say, nodding as you step past her into the room. Message received, loud and clear - she's faced teasing, and probably bullying, over her size. Perhaps there's a smidge more acceptance, but... children can be cruel. "Like...
damn."
Yuki chuckles, expression softening as she leans on the edge of the table. "I know, right?"
You grin, imitating her and leaning against the table. The conversation lapses for a moment into a comfortable silence, until Yuki speaks again.
"As to your other question..." she muses. "The Yamase group, perhaps - Aomori City, up in the north. We did a job for them a while ago, and they were certainly friendly, and pleasant enough." Her eyes cut to you, almost glowing green in the dimmer light of the room. "They had a territory dispute that we helped resolve."
"Huh," you say. "Friendly, you said?"
"I thought so, at the time," Yuki says. "Part of it was simple gratitude, but they were rather nice. They let us stay overnight, too."
"Gotcha," you say with a smile. "Have you kept in touch? Also, er... why are we in this room?"
"I'll be transporting us to the meeting ground, and no, I haven't kept in touch, but I've heard they're doing well," Yuki says, shrugging. "We... they were friendly, but we didn't
become friends, or indeed, allies, and they haven't needed our aid since."
"Yeah, that makes sense. On both counts," you say, nodding. "I might drop in on them at some point, then. Also... huh. While we're on the subject, are there any other regional power centers like Tokyo I should know about?"
"No, there aren't. Not in Japan, anyway. I believe there are others abroad, but I know a lot less about those," Yuki says, shaking her head. She inhales sharply and flicks a hand at the window, the curtains and window flying open to admit fresh air and sunlight to the musty room. "Tokyo is an anomaly, as far as organization goes for us magical girls."
You blink in the bright sunlight, and then again as Yuki transforms.
"Yeah," you mutter after a moment. "Can't imagine
why."
Yuki chuckles again, looking out the window. You can sense the ebb and surge of her magic, coursing through the building almost like a pulse of some vast, slow creature. "Are you ready, Miss Vee? This might be a bit disconcerting."
"All hands and feet inside the vehicle," you respond cheerfully, tucking your hands into your pockets. You check that your bag is there -fashion, one of, check- and that your Grief is pulled in tight with you. And actually, on second thoughts, you remove one hand from your pocket and coax Mugin down into the crook of your arm, cradled gently against your chest. "Ready!"
"Here we go, then," Yuki says. She snaps her hand out, the edge of her hooded cloak trailing shimmering light, that flares to incandescence and then the window suddenly seems to
loom and-
You're
elsewhere. Gone is the bland off-white of the meeting room, gone are the fine wooden table and wheeled office chairs, gone is the potted plant to be replaced by four cramped metal walls and shelves, laden with what looks like canned food and tools.
You blink, swaying a little. That was-
That was
eerily like the disjunctions you get inside Witch Barriers.
Mugin caws in displeasure, fluttering out of your arm to land on the floor, where it proceeds to scratch at the wooden planks in a rather distinctly irritated manner.
"Are you alright, Miss Vee?" Yuki asks, peering at you in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine," you say, waving it off with a grin. "Just, well, a bit disconcerted."
You roll your shoulders and wiggle your toes and your Grief. Right, that's all your extremities still attached.
"Very well," Yuki says, stepping around you to reach for the door. You can still feel her magic in the walls around you, ebbing slowly from the teleportation. "We're right on the outskirts of the park from here, so- this way."
What you emerge from is a squat little shed of corrugated metal, innocuous and unassuming and set into the side of foothills. What you emerge
into is fresh, crisp air and gentle morning sunlight that glows over a gentle mountain slope, sandy paths winding their way through lovingly tended greenery. A few late cherry blossoms still clinging to the trees, chased by the brilliant hues of flowering bushes and soft fragrance that hangs in the air.
Heh. It's a shed, or in other words, a little building. You vaguely wonder if Yuki can clone buildings. Or... building mitosis.
"Welcome to Hanamiyama park," Yuki murmurs. "It's a neutral location, located in neither of our territories."
"... man, I should bring Mami here," you breathe. "It's beautiful."
"It's a pity you missed the cherry season," Yuki says, and smiles. "Come back here next year in May, it's even better then."
"Gladly- hey!" You squawk, practically an echo of Mugin, who evidently spied the clear skies and took
right off, flapping past you in a flurry of wings. "You
better come back later!"
You shake your fist at the departing black dot. You vaguely consider tagging Mugin with a bit of Grief, but you have no guarantee of keeping it within a hundred meters of you.
"I'm sure he'll come back," Yuki says, snickering. "Miss Miki did tell him to follow you, didn't she?"
"I hope so," you mutter sourly. "I'd probably get an earful if I went back alone.
Bah. Anyway, birds can find their way home just fine. Migratory birds and homing pigeons and all that."
"This way, Miss Vee," Yuki says, sounding as if she's trying to swallow laughter.
You sigh in annoyance and follow her over the gravel paths. It's no wonder that Yuki didn't roofhop over here - the nearest buildings are all rather squat, three or four levels at most, short enough to make roof hopping far too easily spotted from the ground. The average meguca is a city creature, indeed. And even so...
This place is
lovely. Gravel crunches under your shoes as you meander along lovingly tended flowerbeds, bright starbursts of colour in vivid reds and orange and yellows. The park is nearly empty at this time of the day, birdsong and insect chirps the only sounds to accompany you.
"Ah, there they are," you say, perking up as you sense two magical girls. "Two of them. Up that hill?"
"Rather," Yuki agrees. "Seems they arrived early."
You veer up the little knoll, making your way over soft grass. And as you approach, you can see just why they'd arrived early - they seem to be making a picnic out of it. You spot two girls spread out on a large blanket, a picnic basket beside them and heads bent and evidently talking quietly over something.
Something alerts them as you approach, their heads snapping up almost as one, and they scramble to their feet. Yuki nods slightly to you and steps forward, smiling.
"Miss Hatsume, Miss Graham, thank you for coming today," Yuki says, bowing. "Apologies for the odd timing."
"Miss Tsuruya, it's always a pleasure to see you," her opposite number -or at least the girl who takes a step forward to bow in response- says. She's a tall, slender girl, dressed in a rather nice pale green sundress that flatters both her figure and tanned complexion. She's older than you, you think, by perhaps a year or so. Her polite smile is framed by laugh lines, and topped with a shock of strawberry blonde hair twisted into a messy bun.
Her companion must be the Diana Graham that Yuki mentioned. She's a rather severe-looking girl, black hair pulled back into a long ponytail that somehow emphasizes the imperious tilt of her eyebrows and high cheekbones. She's tall, too - taller than Hatsume, and only slightly shorter than you, and she looks to be near the same age as Miss Hatsume.
"Likewise," Yuki says, and gestures to you. "This is Sabrina Vee, who I've mentioned. Miss Vee, these are Hatsume Hina and Diana Graham."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Vee," Hina says in passable English. She starts to bow, before hesitating and offering her hand instead.
"And I'm pleased to meet you too, Miss Hatsume, Miss Graham," you respond in the same language, shaking her hand firmly. You dart a look between Hina and Diana. "Ah... I'm comfortable with speaking in Japanese, if you prefer?"
"If you're sure, that would be easier?" Hina says.
"Japanese it is, then," you say, and offer your hand to Diana. "Miss Graham."
"Miss Vee," Diana says in lightly accented but fluent Japanese. Bright blue eyes meet yours, intent and curious. "We've heard a lot about you."
"Nothing too bad, I hope," you say with an easy smile.
"The opposite, really!" Hina says brightly, and gestures at the picnic blanket. "Shall we take a seat? And my apologies - the rest of my team are at school and couldn't make it. Ah, Hayasaka Kana and Nishizumi Aiko."
"That's nothing to apologise for," you say, making yourself comfortable on the blanket. "It's only us delinquents who get to skip school and hang out, right?" You grin.
"I happen to be a professional, not a delinquent," Yuki observes in a perfect deadpan as she takes a seat, startling a laugh out of both you and Hina.
"... Alright, that's fair," you say, smothering your giggles.
"How may we help, Miss Vee?" Hina says after everyone's seated. "Oh! Drink? I have tea."
She pulls a thermos and a few mugs from the basket, giving you a questioning look.
"Please," you say with a smile. "And as to what I'm here for... well, in truth, I think I'd turn the question back on you, because I want to help. So: how can
I help? And, well - how much have you heard about me?"
Hina exchanges a look with Diana.
"Ah... you're essentially a modern day Robin Hood?" Hina says. "You steal from the rich and give to the poor, and you protect those who need it?"
"... kind of?" you say, cocking your head to the side. "I don't really steal from the rich... no, wait, I
did steal from the yakuza." You raise a finger, and then lower it. "But that was just gold and money. Uh. Forget I said anything, let's start over again. I don't steal Grief Seeds from people, never. People need those to live, and like I said, I'm here to
help, not to hurt people."
"... you stole from the... never mind, I don't want to know," Diana says, shaking her head.
"Actually, if I may," Hina says. "How do you know each other, Miss Tsuruya, Miss Vee?"
Yuki blinks, and then looks to you as if to ask who should answer.
[] Let Yuki answer
- [] Any specific interjections?
[] Answer yourself
[X] Continue with standard spiel
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Here we go. Apologies for the late update!
