"Well... since the topic was raised, what's the furthest way to expand your reach, anyway?" you say, after a moment's thought. You
are sort of curious about her powers, you have to admit, and rocky start aside, she's been nothing but upright and forthcoming. "Can we just... I dunno, wholesale airlift a building you've already claimed? Or if I just grab a few floors of, say,
this building and move it?"
Yuki purses her lips, resting her hands on the back of the chair she's standing behind. "I doubt that will work," she says. "A building is... the location of a building is as much an essential part of its
identity as anything else. If moved, that nature changes. In the end, I still need to travel to claim a building."
"Huh. I can see that, I suppose," you say. You could probably argue that a building is a building no matter where it was moved, but you can't really argue the metaphysics of Yuki's powers with her. She'd know them best. "How about prefabricated buildings? Like if I bought a prefab shed kit and knocked it together somewhere else?"
"That
does work, yes - I've a few such holdings here and there," Yuki says. "It
does require careful thought and positioning, though, to prevent interlopers from investigating or removing mysterious, suddenly appearing buildings."
"Ooh. Yeah," you say, and snicker. "Started any good urban legends?"
"Not that I
know of," Yuki says, smirk rising to her face.
"... on a somewhat related note, if I ever head up to the moon or something for some reason, if I lug a prefab shed up with me, would that actually... work?" you ask, grin widening a little.
"I... have
no idea," Yuki says. Her smirk matches yours. "But I would be interested in
trying at a later time."
"Pencil
that in for later, then," you say. "But thanks for the segue, because yeah, I should go. So - one last thing. Two, actually - first, do you know if anyone in Sendai or Ishinomaki might know about the whole... thing with Witches and magical girls? And second, pass my regards to the rest of your team, and help me apologise that I couldn't say goodbye in person?"
"I shall. Safe travels, Miss Vee," Yuki says, and pauses thoughtfully. "And to answer your question, let me first emphasize that this is
speculation - Koizumi Aki
might be, but only by dint of the fact that she has been a magical girl for years. Other than that, I can't say."
"Koizumi Aki?" you echo, looking around the meeting room. "Uh... The girl who's all yellow and frilly and makes teleporting clones?"
"That's her. Again, it's speculative, but her old team fell apart rather spectacularly," Yuki agrees, and shakes her head. "More than that, I don't know. Let me see you out."
"Appreciated," you say, flashing her a grin as you feel the spatial
discontinuity surrounding the room fade. You collect Mugin and let Yuki take the lead up the stairs, slowing your climb to match her pace until you reach the roof.
She waves you off as you take off into the skies on a freshly reformed Mobile Oppression Platform, which really does need a rename. You don't do very much oppression at all, though admittedly you
do do plenty of
mopping up. It's definitely better than moping, in any case, which goes neither up nor down even if it does go around.
"What do you think, Mugin?" you ask. "Rename this ship? Maybe... Mobile Operations Platform?"
"Braaawk," Mugin opines, fluffing up its feathers and burying its beak under its wing.
"Yeah, I'm not that sure about it, either. It doesn't really have the same...
pizzaz to it," you say. "It's a perfectly good name, but-"
You pause midway through the sentence, tilting your head slightly to the side.
"I mean, if I want to have an actual
name, I could call this the
Katana," you muse. "Mop, katana. And Homura would be the only one who got the joke.
Anyway, I need to stop talking to a bird who probably doesn't understand me."
You rummage through your pocket, locating Aurora's Grief Seed as you leave Fukushima behind with the wind howling past the hull of your flight platform. Sunlight glints through the clear crystal, only serving to highlight that minuscule, all-important speck of darkness at its core.
"How
are you today, Aurora?" you murmur, probing gently with your senses. It -she?- doesn't seem much different, but you never expected the process to be
fast. Airi might have a better time of it, and that's
exactly why you asked her to try with Yuuri's Grief Seed.
But that's no reason to slack off yourself. You turn your thoughts to hope, and to joy, and to the satisfaction of a job well done with what you've done so far today, and you start channeling magic through your fingers.
And speaking of not slacking, you might as well double up on the time spent during the flight back, too.
"
Nadia?" You reach out by telepathy, vaguely hoping that Nadia hasn't left Japan -or more importantly, your timezone- yet. And since it's just the two of you, you switch to darija. "
Are you free to talk?"
"
I am on a train, and I am very bored. Almost there, but I am very
bored," is Nadia's response. Her voice brightens as she speaks, words coming faster in her native language. "
Good morning, Sabrina. How are you? Good?"
"
I'm doing well," you say. "
Where are you headed?"
"
Hokkaido!" Nadia says. "
It's going to be beautiful at this time of the year."
"
Oh, cool!" you say. "
So, first thing - you won't be in Japan for too much longer, right?"
"
Right, funds permitting for the flight," Nadia says. "
I'll be heading for China next."
"
Right! So I was wondering, do you have an email or Skype or something I could use to contact you when you travel further away?" you ask. "
I mean, we're not going to be in the same timezone in the future, right?"
"
I do have an email address I try to check every day, at least," Nadia says. "
I do
have Skype, but it's not something I can regularly access, understand?"
"
Yeah, gotcha," you say. "
Email will do - oh, mine is sabrina dot vee dot mitakihara at gmail dot com."
"
Let me write that down," Nadia responds. "
Mine is bennouna seven at hotmail dot com. Uh, three 'n's, then one, and that's the number
seven."
"
Gotcha," you say. "
Oh, uh- Vee as in Victor Echo Echo, not just the letter V."
"
Oh," Nadia says, and there's a pause that seems to be just about right for someone scribbling out something to re-write. "
Noted, thank you."
"
No, thank you!" you say. "
Also, uh, this goes without saying, but if it's an emergency, you can just brainmail me at any time."
"
Thank you," Nadia says. "
I try not to take risks, but it's good to have backup, understand?"
"
Anytime," you say. "
Uh... so, on an unrelated note, what can you tell me about the Murasaki Shrine Maidens? You mentioned them before?"
"
There are four of them. Koyanagi Saki is their leader. She's a power amplifier, and I think I told you about her before, too," Nadia responds. "
Amano Megumi, Suga Kazue, both healers, and Miss Suga is a recent recruit. Their last member is Daigo Nana, who's an item conjurer."
"
Right, you did mention her before," you agree. "
I think I was asking about, well, power amplifiers."
"
Mmmh," Nadia agrees. "
Now... what you actually
want to know. They are not quite pacifistic, but they always try to avoid having to fight. They are protective of their territory, but they treat passers by kindly. They'll let you stay if they can, but that's not always, understand?"
"
Yeah, I see," you say thoughtfully. "
They do sound like people I'd want to meet - I might set up a meeting today."
"
I think you would get along well," Nadia agrees.
"
Well... one thing," you say. "
Er. What's their attitude towards Witches? 'cuz, you know. My powers. And they're shrine maidens? Are they going to try and purge me or something?"
"
Only Koyanagi and Amano are shrine maidens," Nadia corrects. "
Or... I think Suga is, too. I don't... think
they'll try to purge you, but they do
consider it a duty to fight Witches to save mundane people?"
"
I guess I'll have to see, then," you say, wincing. You don't really fancy getting smacked with those wand things with the streamers.
Gohei, they're called. Though you
are rather liking the group as you hear about them. "
... maybe I'll bring Mami with me."
Nadia's belly-laugh carries clearly over telepathy. "
It could help."
"
Yyyyeah," you say. "
Oh! So, I don't think I've updated you on this - we've formed a defence pact with the Fukushima group, at Miss Tsuruya's suggestion."
"
Aha! Thank you for the update," Nadia says, and chuckles. "
I should have seen it coming, really. Miss Tsuruya is a bit of an opportunist like that. But deal with her fairly, and she will return the courtesy, understand?"
"
Yeah, that's what I figured," you say. "
She seems like the type."
"
Good!" Nadia says. "
I hope to report good things in the future, then."
"
I hope you do too," you say, grinning.
"
Ah, the train approaching the station," Nadia says. "
Was there anything else?"
"
Nah, that's it," you say. "
Have a good trip!"
"
I always do," Nadia says. "
Until next time."
And with goodbyes said, Nadia signs off on the conversation. Which leaves you just over halfway back to Mitakihara, and still a bit more time to burn, so...
"
Miss Tsubaki?" You visualize the butterfly-winged girl from the Tohoku University group in your mind as you reach out to her. "
This is Sabrina, do you have a moment to talk?"
"
Good morning, Miss Sabrina!" Chouko's response is nearly instant. "
How are you doing?"
"
I'm good! How's everything going over there? Is the Clear Seed holding up alright?" you say, smiling. She's a lot more
cheerful now, out from under the thumb of Akiko.
And because that reminds me of something else, you open up a telepathic channel to Inoue Yuuki, too, since you're due in Ishinomaki for a cleansing trip. Might as well get that confirmed too.
"
It works perfectly," Chouko replies. "
And again, thank you - we can't possibly thank you enough for everything you've done, Miss Sabrina."
"
I'm glad to help," you say, forming a seat back out of Grief so you can lean back properly to watch the clouds scud past. Your attention is mostly focused on the conversation with Chouko, since all you need is a quick check-in with Ishinomaki, and feeding Aurora with magic doesn't take up
that much attention. "
Nobody should ever have to scrabble for basic sustenance."
"
And we're grateful for your help," Chouko says firmly. "
Speaking of - how can we help you today?"
"
Well, I was wondering - do you think you could get me in touch with the Tome group?" you ask. You know that one Kazue Fukui left Chouko's group and joined the Tome group, at some point in the past. It wasn't a happy event by any means, precipitated out of the loss of one of theirs to a Witch.
You get the distinct impression of Chouko sucking in a breath.
"
I could," she says. "
We... haven't talked recently. I hope she's well."
"
If you're uncomfortable with it, I'll figure out something else?" you hasten to add.
"
No, no, I... I should
talk to her, anyway," Chouko says, voice gaining conviction as she speaks. "
It's been too long."
"
... if you're sure?" you say.
"
I'm sure," Chouko says. "
I'll get in touch with her, and then let you know. Perhaps by the end of today?"
"
That would be fantastic, if it's not too much bother," you say.
"
It's not," Chouko says firmly. "
Especially not for you. And I really, really
should, anyway."
"
Alright. Then... let me know?" you say.
"
I will!" she says. "
Until then."
"
All the best!" you say, and end the call, smiling. You seem to have lit a bit of a fire in her, and that's good - but then, you just gave her a bit of a push. Sorely needed, perhaps, if she was that eager about it.
You smile, relaxing a little. That's that, then - update from and for Nadia, trip confirmed with Ishinomaki, and Tome meeting in the works, and best of all? You're almost home. Aurora doesn't seem to have done anything usual, quietly sucking up the magic that you feed in, but... Mitakihara looms on the horizon.
Home is where the heart is, as the saying goes, and you know where yours is.
[] Write-in anything special to hit over lunch?
[] After lunch...
- [] Time for science!
- [] Catch up with the IRCs?
-- [] Which?
- [] Go see someone...
-- [] Who?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
And there we go! Unrelated, does anyone remember what this link used to link to?
Hmm. First things first; musical accompaniment. You spin your instruments out of Grief marbles, hesitating a moment and trying to figure out a wind section. Tunable pipes are easy enough, but airflow is tricky... Eventually, you settle on bellows of a sort, and begin playing
something dredged from your memory.
The video it, well,
used to link to is gone, and despite it being dredged from Sabrina's memory,
I don't remember it.