Magical Fracas, Episode 5: New friends and enemies?

[Arhra]

School ended for the day, Mitsuko trudged home wearily, Akari at her side.

They still had so much to do.

The outbreak of Iriumi's overprotective friend chasing Kaemon and Rei around the cafeteria had been where everything had gone wrong. Getting Tayuumi calmed down had taken away any chances of getting to Iriumi and confronting her about her suspicious Verda activities. Although she'd actually shown up along with that strange little girl to help fight the Bellringer, so perhaps she wasn't the mage they should be worried about. In hindsight, trying to get the most popular girl in the school alone during lunch time had not been the best idea.

Especially seeing she'd been in the nurse's office for half of it.

Mitsuko resolved to keep her distance and just try to keep an eye on the known Verda mage.

Finding out if the handsome kendo captain, Keitaro Akihito, was really the mysterious Masked Man who had assisted them in their battles had been just as much of a failure. The cautiously probing conversation had been interrupted by the need to stop a chair wielding lunatic. Mitsuko was still amazed the fragile looking girl had been able to lift it, let alone how it had taken far too many people to put a stop to her rampage.

Although that conversation had been derailed by Ito Nori showing up to talk up his friend Kazunori, who was not present. Mitsuko decisively placed the boy into the category of 'strange'.

Mitsuko idly wondered if Kazunori was going to have some grand duel with the transfer student Keitaro to settle to whom the honoured position of the amalgamated school's kendo team captain would pass to. It would probably be worth seeing.

She still had to get Sakiko's present for her birthday this Saturday. Her friend had been quite insistent that her birthday party would be costume only, and that she would dispense punishment on anyone who did not make an effort with their outfit. Mitsuko did not doubt this truth. So she'd need to track down a costume as well. She wondered if she could actually get away with just wearing her Barrier Jacket to it.

There would be other magical business to attend to as well. The Autekka mages had to meet up, practice their powers, perhaps try to patrol to find trouble before it became a real danger, and be ready to leap into action if any more strangeness popped up. Secretly she admitted she'd had a lot of fine in her spar against Akari, but she could not escape Bright Day's strict training regime, even in her dreams.

And three magical battles in the space of five days was not a figure to inspire hope.

Thankfully, the rest of the school week passed without anything that could be called a disaster...

[PyrosNine]

Ashley didn't want to get out of bed.

Ashley...

It was so comfortable once in a while, to just lie motionless. Not to give into the desires to move, to act, to speak. All of life is just a rush to chance and advantage, and as much as we like to be in the thrill of the moment, how many would admit in the light of day how joyous it can be to lie still for just a few seconds.

Ashley, please!

Of course, with flash and disjunct moments, frames of mind of the day she'd forget all this: you only knew how good it was to rest your head like so, and lay your back down like that, when you had nothing else to do. Even now it felt like time to get up and move, to prepare a face for people she'd meet...

Mistress Ashley! Wake up! We're at your school!

Ashley went vertical as if mighty mouse had lifted her from her pillow.

She looked at the driver, looked out of the one way window mirrors, and saw her new school staring back at her, students leaving for the day.

Had she overslept that much?? She did remember falling asleep in the car (it had been a busy night) but fuzzy memories took shape to show she'd done other things in the day prior.

What was she here for again?

More importantly, was that drool running down her chin?

She took a moist towelette from the dispenser and quickly dried off her face, and with some brush and powder fixed where her sloth had messed. She looked for her brush to fix her hair, turned and almost jumped.

There was a passenger by her side. A woman. She wore businesswear and looked very serious, but also looked fairly short, especially in the space of the car.

"Miss Ethington, sorry to wake you, but we're here. You slept a bit longer than you or I'd have liked, but it's okay. You're not 100 percent enrolled here anyway yet, so it's good that regular class has just ended. In order for your transfer to be golden, we'll have to speak with a few authoritative members of the school, from the counselor, the principal, and of course a representative from the student body."

"Is that so?" Ashley didn't understand half of what the lady had said, sleep still clogged the flow of her thoughts, and a simple neutral question never hurts a conversation you don't understand.

"Yes, you'll find that there are a lot of differences between schools where you're from and the ones over here. I don't think I need to tell you, but you must be on your best behavior. Your GPA and scholastic merit aside, this school favors students of a certain level of quality and discipline, and of special disposition."

"Special, huh?" Well, she sure was special. And in the land of the wee men, she was at least tall.

"I'm sure they'll find you charming. And I'm sure they'll be even more happy to have the daughter of such an affluent dispenser of school funds, so don't worry too much.....just don't...laugh."

"What?"

"Err, never mind. Let's go and get inside, shall we? Let you see how great your new school is!"

Ashley stepped out of the car, and put one foot on terra firma. Her hairband twinkled a bit in the sun, and twinkled some more in the shadow of the flag, for reasons everyone should be aware of. Ashley herself could feel it, but just assumed at the time that it was some added effect of embarrassment and stomachache, and ignored it.

She'd been in town for a few months now, just enjoying the scenery (clubs, shops, an amusement park, and a trendy ice cream parlor that did something wonderful with sweets and liquid nitrogen). The school here used a different time schedule anyway, so she was technically still on break. But after papers were signed, agreements were made, she'd gotten accepted to the school.

Now she just needed to make sure they didn't regret letting her in.

She closed the door, and heard the sound of the door on the far side closing as well, and the lady walked around the back of the car to be at her side. Ashley nodded to her driver, and the two entered the building.

[Inbred Chocobo]

"Its a very different feeling from hold a sword." Kazu stated. He stood in a strange place, hidden from others. A suit of armor sat on his shoulders, a visor on his face. On his arm stood a massive shield, energy flaring from it in anticipation of defense. In his other, a lance extended from his grasp, its point sharp, its trunk sturdy, and its energy laid dormant, waiting for an opponent to strike.

"Its suppose to. Fighting with a lance is very different than fight with a sword. When you have it out, won't be in any shape to fence with anyone. Here you are more about charging your opponent, closing gaps and distances. Use the advantage of your shield to charge through small attacks, and sidestep larger ones." Shiro said, the blue fox floating through the space, dictating commands as it has all weekend.

"Are you ready?" Shiro asked Kazu. Kazu nodded, setting his lance in the brace that Shiro taught him. Shadows of enemies appeared ahead of him, sending dark blasts of energy. Kazu's wings shot out, the power in them burning bright, and Kazu sailed forward, smashing through of the the dark blasts and into the shadow.

"Keep that charge up, don't relent!" Shiro shouted at him as he watched Kazu turn towards another shadow, tearing through it as he sidestepped the blast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the week of school went by rather easily. Kazu finally meet Keitaro, and a friendly rivalry was formed. It was clear a showdown to see who was best would happen soon, but it was clear it was for the sport as the two talked about past competitions and the art and forms of Kendo.

Kazu kind of liked all the new people. It drew some of the attention away from him for once. Sure he still had to dodge the random girl tackle, and a lot of the new students found him interesting, but quite a few of the people that tailed him were now checking out new students. Ito Nori joked on about how the mighty Kazu could easily whomp the competition, but it was nice for a little bit to have some breather room.

Rina however was commenting on how some of the students had started acting strange. And there was a strange phenomenon Monday, in which she thought things went a little quirky for a second, and everyone else had experienced the thing. She started coming up with ideas that it was a gas effect in attempts to mind control everyone, and had shared this with Kazu. Kazu just laughed it off for a bit, but like he and Rina always do they started to come up with crazier ways that they were doing.

Shiro later confronted him after school about his suspicions that there were other mages in the school. He told Kazu he would have to be careful, as he was in the field now. Shiro was willing to bet something went down Monday as well, but he told Kazu not to look into it any. The last thing that needed to happen was suspicion fall on Kazu about him being a mage as well. It would be hard enough with his popularity.

[Astral Harmony]

Shimizu and Kiyuri met Yayoi outside the school's main gate. Yayoi had downcast eyes and was looking pretty nervous, like she was just about to go on a date. Shimizu drew herself up with a great breath. "'Kay, let's go."
The first stop was Yayoi's house. Shimizu knew that Yayoi was an only child and felt that the mansion Yayoi lived in was uselessly big. "We're looking at your clothes, first." Shimizu said. "I've always said that all clothes have spirits in them, and that these spirits can actually effect your general mood for so long as you wear 'em."
Yayoi looked at Kiyuri. Kiyuri shook her head with a defeated shrug.

"Hold on. I'll get us inside." Yayoi said, entering the combination for the automatic gate. The gate slowly swung open and Yayoi motioned the girls to follows. The great door opened and a young woman in a maid outfit rapidly exited the mansion, possibly to greet Yayoi. Despite having rich blonde hair and deep blue eyes, the maid spoke flawless japanese. After introductions were complete, the three students went up to Yayoi's room, during which a large white dog met up and obediently followed them. "That's Itsuki," Yayoi introduced him. "He's been with this family for seven years and he's finally starting to lose all that energy he used to have in the past."
Kiyuri busied herself with Itsuki while Shimizu looked through more than just clothes. "Ugh," Shimizu groaned when she was finished. "Yayoi, how can you just do this to yourself?"
"I don't quite follow, Miyasaki."
"Your clothes are too restrictive. Seriously, your breasts must be suffocating. I can hear them screaming 'we can't get any air' from over here."
"Ah-" Yayoi faltered, blushing.
"And these cosmetics are so subdued. It's like you're trying to live under the radar or something."
"Hey, now wait just a-" Yayoi started, but Shimizu wasn't done.
"Ha ha ha, check out this bikini, Kiyuri. Did your daddy buy this for you? Can he not see that you're not a little girl anymore?"
"Aw, c'mon, you're going way too far!" Yayoi nearly screamed.

The door opened and the maid from before entered. "My lady, is there something the problem?"
"I'll say there is," Shimizu answered for Yayoi. "How can even you, a servant, let Yayoi be abused with crappy clothes, uninteresting makeup and a bikini like this? It's a freakin' indignity!"
Both Yayoi and her maid opened their mouths to speak, but Shimizu was already on the ball and rolling it for all she had. "You'll see what I mean. Miss Maid, Yayoi needs to see what you wear. Now."
"But that's-" the maid said, blushing suddenly.
Yayoi looked thoughtful, then spoke up. "Actually, Jennifer, maybe Miyasaki may not be retarded for once. Could you maybe-" Yayoi left it hanging weakly.
"But my lady-" the maid Jennifer said, then shrugged lightly. "As my lady wishes."
"I'll stay here with Itsuki," Kiyuri said, continuing to stroke the dog's stomach.

"Now that's what a girl with Yayoi's figure should be wearing," Shimizu said, pulling a sexy tube top and some hot pants and sandles from Jennifer's large closet.
Yayoi looked startled, then craned her head to see Jennifer's red face. "You actually wear stuff like that?"
Jennifer's head was bowed so they couldn't see her eyes. "Yes, my lady...on my days off when I go out for karaoke."
"Oh, and look at this underwear. Damn, Miss Jennifer, you're a bad girl!" Shimizu said excitedly as she looked through Jennifer's lingerie. Then Shimizu put away what she dragged out before and looked at the cosmetics. "And look at this bold color of lipstick. Yayoi, if you just wore this, you'd turn quite a few heads at school tomorrow."
Yayoi couldn't even open her mouth to speak, and then Shimizu revealed the highlight of the search, Jennifer's bikini. "Good lord, look at this skimpy thing here! I bet Jennifer has to beat guys back with a club everytime she goes to the beach."
"B-but, you can't possibly expect my lady to wear something like that," Jennifer protested weakly.

"I'm not saying exactly like this," Shimizu conceded, putting Jennifer's bikini back in the drawer. "But kinda close, right? The attention she'd get from that alone should get her some naughty stares, no problem."
"N-naughty stares?" Yayoi stammered. "But I don't want-"
"Oh, yes you do!" Shimizu interrupted, taking Yayoi by the shoulders. "You know why Kazuki even started going after me in the first place? Check this out."
Shimizu produced a photograph. It was a picture of Shimizu and Kazuki at the beach, and Shimizu was flaunting her curves in a sexy, fiery red two-piece. While Yayoi gazed at that picture, probably wishing it was her with Kazuki instead of Shimizu, the redhead continued. "I have a good body, and I'm proud of my body, and because I'm proud of my body, I wear things like that to show it off. A sexy body is wasted if you just hide it behind stuffy blouses and long skirts, Yayoi. Miss Jennifer, don't you agree?"
Jennifer managed a nod, then came straight up. "I feel the same way. To be honest, I kind of like all the staring, even if it does make me feel a little dirty inside. It kind of makes me confident in myself."
"Exactly. A girl with a beautiful body should never be ashamed to show it off a little, y'know. I mean, what'll you do in the future when all that beauty goes away and you never used it in the first place?"
Yayoi's eyes fell downwards from the photograph. "I...I think I'd end up hating myself."
Shimizu nodded and released Yayoi. Yayoi's head slowly came back up. "Miyasaki...no, Shimizu. Please, help me to become more open with myself. I don't want to be a boring person anymore. I don't want to be wishing that the girl in the photograph with Kazuki was me."

Shimizu nodded with her arms folded. "Then tell what you're going to do about it."
Yayoi's eyes were determined. With fists clenched tightly and her jaw set, Yayoi's eyes were not unlike infernos. "I'm...I'm going to let it all out! I'm going to be so sexy that Kazuki will dropkick you into the nearest gutter!"
"Well, that's not exactly what I wanted to hear, but it definitely shows that you're ready to take the next steps. Then get into some more comfortable clothes and let's hit the stores."
Yayoi was already gone. "Jennifer, you're with us. I need a second opinion."
"What about that other girl?"
Shimizu shook her head. "Kiyuri doesn't care about clothes. She's more about comfort instead of style. I mean, what she wears look okay, but I don't think it's wise to rely on her opinion when it comes to style."
"I hope this doesn't lead to trouble in the future," Jennifer says.
"Don't worry, we won't go from straight stuffy to straight sexy in a single jump," Shimizu assured the maid. "Yayoi's determined now, but she's going to need to open her heart to the idea of being sexy before we start really dolling her out."

[Naqel]

After the whole magical timefreez incident, there was nothing interesting happening in the week.

Daichi's time was split between school, sleep, magical practice, and keeping the last one a secret from everything remotely alive...


"You're acting strange, Daichi..."
"Really strange."
"Don't interrupt me!"
"Sorry..." Hidesuke made a sad puppy face and changed position so that Daichi was now in the middle of the three.
"I don't get what you mean Kyokei. I'm acting perfectly normal..."
"'Perfectly normal' is not forgetting appointments, avoiding friends and turning your head around every second step like you're sightseeing!" Kyokei was making quite a scene in the middle of a shopping center.
"What's wrong with you..." She calmed down a bit. "Ever since school started you behave like you're being spied on or something."
"I didn't leave home to be interrogated..." Daichi sounded as bored as he used to before all the magic stuff entered his life. "I promise I'll tell you if I'll have any trouble I can't handle, but can you please stop acting like aunt Satomi..."
"I'll give you a chance, but if you keep acting like you did for the last week, I'll have Hidesuke follow you day and night, until I know what's going on."
"That'd be a violation of our agreement."
"I'd also be what friends should do though..."
"Exactly." Her face had a serious expression, but after a while she smiled flirtatiously.
"And a perfect chance to remind myself how you look shirtless." She ran a few steps laughing, and the group continued with the regular window shopping routine.

[ooc: not too much, and not all I'd want to write, but it's a night too long for me to add a word. will post a "Daichi at home" episode if time allows.]

[PhoenixFlame]

Things went uneventfully for Akari, whom held many of the same opinions as her sister. The two discussed these events to come to their conclusions, and invariably the pair noticed many of the same vibes. Life continued uneventfully.

Until nightfall.

Ceres Aphelion was taken by suprise at the speed of the sudden crisis at the school, and had resolved to put further stresses on Akari's training. Though she was not aware of this, Akari secretly suspected that Bright Day had a hand in it. So far, they'd won nearly every battle, and confidence began to build. This could not continue.

"That concludes TSMs for tonight." Ceres spoke at the end of the night's typical series of training simultations that described and introduced new spells and techniques, but then her voice and demenour markedly changed. "We will conclude the session with a mock battle agaisnt yourself."

"Ah, Ceres...?" Akari protested weakly, tired of the mental strain of the long dream as the aerial background faded away into a sepia-toned urban block. Many building pierced the formless blackness like a forest of metal, toned in the same manner as they would be if within a phantom zone.

"You remember basic dodging, yes? Combat with another aerial bombardment mage requires FOCUS and VIGILANCE. This is the only way you can learn that."

Akari silently scanned the cold, unforgiving space. There was a simulated howl of night wind, and silence. Only her simulated device remained, as Ceres the omnipresent instructor-voice had stopped speaking. Breaking the silence and darkness, a blue point of light shot from overhead, cresting the top of a low building. It was instantly joined by many of the same lights, as Akari's AESA proximity warnings lit up to track each incoming threat.

Firing her wings to her left, she slid out of the attacks' arc moments before they struck, nine crystal arrows tinging like stone agaisnt the simulated concrete beneath her. Instinctively she returned fire, but the opponent flared brightly and darted behind a taller building, causing her arrows to strike it before emerging from the other side with a second volley of it's own. Igniting her wings and rising with great speed, Akari brought the plane of the battle higher, over the tops of the buildings as the second volley of arrows streaked beneath her, unable to turn quickly enough to track her accelleration.

The second form closed their distance to within thirty yards, flaring it's left, and then right wings, so rapidly changing directions that while Akari was in a perfect position to fire, she nor her weapon were able to adequately gain a firing solution. Incoming arrows filled the sky at a moment's hesitation, and Akari was able to shoot three, the remaining impacting and glancing off of her personal barrier. It was a glancing hit, and she didn't feel much effect beyond a minor dazzle, but she'd completely lost sight of the simulated Akari.

[Cycling Filters.] Her weapon reported as she glid to a halt, whipping her head right and left for any hint of the phantasmal enemy.

["Moonlight."] No sight, only sound... from ben-

*VSHRGH!* *Crack... shatter!*

Pain, if simulated. It was stifling, but only mildly uncomfortable.

The source was evident as the simulated Akari rocketted past, bearing in her right hand a rapidly disappating energy blade, Mercurial Wings in full burn but flaring down as she twisted through the air to rapidly face what she had passed. She'd come from beneath, sliced right through her refocusing barrier... Akari raised her weapon as rapidly as she could, drawing a bead on the-

*Klach!* The simulated enemy's drones released, sliding out agaisnt the darkened sky without their thrusters, being very difficult to locate with the naked eye, only glimmering by the ones showing their blue-white painted ends towards her. Akari'd momentarially forgotten about her own, but the situation hadn't given her any opening to deploy them. Ignoring them for now, she snapped a shooting star at the figure above her, cracking it's personal barrier but not penetrating deeply enough to score a hit. Feelings of disbelief were palpable.

"Thundaa!" The simulated playback sounded out an attack as its drones pivoted to fire, Akari frantically jinking in whatever directions she could, painfully trying to compensate for the rapidly shifting skybox to aim a response. "Exorcist!"

There was an explosion, and a sense of weightlessness that was uncharacteristic with powered flight. Despite her best efforts to evade, the attack was not particularly aimed at any specific point, rather than designed to rapidly repel her downwards. Thoughts and options ran through Akari's mind as she tried to salvage the situation, attempting to re-engage her flight spell to stall her descent. She got very, very close.

*Crack!* But not close enough.

The simulation's opponent and buildings melted away, and Ceres physical avatar stood over a supine Akari, laid in a shallow crater of simulated concrete.

"My apologies, Master." She looked sympathetic, "I think I may have overdone the simulation."

"What... Was that for?" Akari cried weakly.

"I have, for many nights now, attempted to put across to you the idea that maneuvering was important in combat. Try as I might, I felt you simply didn't... 'get it'. The only other option was to demonstrate." Ceres sighed apologetically, "And Bright Day pointed out you rely too heavily on my prompts in battle, rather than thinking on your feet."

"Yeeah..." She replied, picking herself up as the simulated stunning effect of her impacted had dissapated. "I get it, but there's no way... No way I could move that fast."

"Please forgive me, but the opponent was not an adequate measure of your current capabilities."

"I'll say." *Groan* "Ceres, let me sleep."

Without a further word, the simulated dream ended, and Akari tossed angrily in her sleep.

[Menarker]

Despite Menarker's inquisitive demands for clarification on Sora, Mero had promptly sealed her lips and reverted back to kitten form and since then has grouchly stayed at the apartment home. After school every few days, Menarker proceeded to work back at the local marketplaces where he had been employed to pay for his rent. Each time afterward, Mern typically would try to pry a little into Mero's past with a different approach, but they all tended to be a failure. Mero only let slip her gender, forgetting to not use pro-nouns, causing the familiar to be even more sour-pussed.

----The day before present----

Menarker was working as normal, his clothes was professionally casual with dark clean shoes, unripped jeans and a shirt with a simple pattern and no slogan or pictures. The lad dashed repeatably back and forth from rows of food, clothing and various sorts of medicine and accessories, helping to lift and pull down items which his senior co-workers could not handle either to their stature or their aged stamina. However Mern did appreciate that doing the job had gotten so much easier with the sort of physical training he had received, although he did had to restrain himself from exerting the amount of effort which would make him look superhuman.

"Excuse me? Where could I find sugar?
"Down over that row with spice, rice and cooking oil on this side."
"Thanks."

"Where can I find the bulk set of Kitty Litter?"
Mern pointed to the other side. "Over in the pet section near tire shop on the opposite corner of the store. If you need help loading it, let me know. They are 50 pounds each after all."
"Thank you kindly sir."

"Where can I find birthday items?"
"Cakes can be found near the bakery just over in the back, while balloons, cards and wrapping paper can all be found together in the arts section, just over there near books. I hope your celebration goes successfully." He pointed to both sections as he mentioned them, with an "all-knowing expression", the experience of being in a family of 6 children resulting in a surplus of parties, with his own being the least special and prominent more than half the time.
"Indeed. Thank you."

"Mern, we got a heavy order over near the cashiers."
"Coming madam!"
Mern sworn he could have saw the supervisor chuckled, which he shrugged off as not being used to being addressed so formally. He arrived shortly after the cashier, a newer employee, started swiping the items through, chatting and laughing all the while with the customer... mom.


"... Ah, there he is. You know this lad is my son, right?"
"No, really, errr, Lucia?" Menarker managed to slightly nod as the cashier glanced at Lucia's credit card to guess her name, as he focused his attention on doing the packing as swiftly and effectively as possible to speed up the time and yet not to give her anything to complain about.
"Yes. Goes to Touhou school, just like his siblings did." Mern twitched slightly as he already antipicated how the rest of the conversation would go.
"Oh really? How many children you have?"
"Six."
"Oh wow, you have SO much experience."
"Yes, indeed. So is he working hard?"
"Menarker definately works hard and he's stronger than he looks."
"Glad to hear that. He's skinny for his age though. He used to be a lot of trouble at school, struggling just about every subject, and fooling around, but just need to apply a gentle amount of force now and then and the children smartens up. Bullied as a child and never really brought any friends home...
"Alright. I'm done... Is there anything else I can help you with?" Menarker interrupted abruptly, a tint of defiance and show of authority flashed within his eyes. His mother's eyes jolted back to him with disapproval as if trying to shame him, then she glanced with a friendly facade to the cashier.
"...Could I perhaps have him assist with loading these items in my car? It's a big order." Mern interjected instantly with sort of boldness which anyone outside of the family would mistake for eagerness. "There is no rule against that. I can help."


As the two of them walked out with the groceries, Lucia turned to her son with an expression that could chip flint. "I never raised you to be that kind of man. You don't need to behave like your father."
"I'm NOT like my father. You speak poorly and shamefully to people you have never met, people that I have to work with semi-daily. I wouldn't care less about your socializing if you didn't bring me and my private life into it."
"Don't speak to me that way! I AM YOUR MOTHER! You would probably never talk to anyone unless I prodded the matter. You have no friends, girls or otherwise."
"There was no need! It's a strictly work based setting and I don't small talk while I'm on the job. Such behaviour at the wrong time could get me fired."
"You'll never be happy or get far in life without interactions with other people. Look at your older siblings. They had multiple jobs and still had times for fun times in life."
"They had to get multiple jobs cause they drank and smoked and wasted their money on useless thing."
"Don't speak to me as if you're the older child looking after the younger ones. You don't even care about the family at all. Choosing to live away from the rest of the family at a high school age."
"My living out of home actually builds responsibility...
"You're just using that reason to justify your..."
"It was you yourself who lamented that you believed the family did not have enough life skills, although I repeatably tried to show you that I behave otherwise."
"Life skills you say? Well... Let's see how much your alleged life skills of living alone copes with learning how to interact with people. You should call more often. Haven't received a call since before school started."

Life skills... And for my own peace of mind... AARRGGHH!!" He struggled to not make a fist in front of her as he finished packing, and while he waved good-bye with a closed lip smile, within his jaw his teeth gnashed and grind together with impatience and indignation.

After Mern finished and came back from loading, he noticed that much to his anger, any attempt to steer a friendly conversation with that particular cashier during their breaks was voided as if he was socially branded with the "Momma's Boy Curse".
"Damn it. Not again. Happens every time..."


---Later that evening
Mern slammed the door and seated himself on his computer chair, instantly resigning himself to an evening of music and games.

"Bad day? Mero gloomily laid on her belly, glaring at one part of the wall as if willing it to blow up or do something interesting.

"Yes. Family stuff. I hate the concept of "family bond". I don't even choose my family, so why should I feel obligated to a bond like that when their personal values or behaviours don't support each other?"

"Sora hated that sort of bond too..."

"Eh?" Menarker perked up in interest, but for the rest of the evening, neither of them spoke anymore.


------------------------
OOC: We could use a new discussion thread for this thread too, if we intend to follow the trend. Perhaps a link to all the previous Magical Fracas threads in the opening post, for those joining in that wants to get a grasp of the previous happenings by far? Links to the other discussion threads might also come in handy given the various bits of info regarding the two factions of the nature of magic within the setting.

[Rhiya Ravenwing]

You are troubled, Ivy announced after basic training. Iriumi paused to wipe off the healthy sweat she'd worked up. They were in the modified phantom zone again, but this time everything felt natural as opposed to the first time she'd trained with it. They were in a green field. Birds could be heard singing in the distance and now and then a butterfly wandered over to have a peek at the mage. Above them, blue sky and the sun beat down on her, but strangely didn't overheat her body.
"Hmm? What makes you say that?"
The fact that you kept faltering each step of the way in training. We've done this three times already and you still haven't got the Ancient's Wrath swing correctly. You did it before.
"I guess I'm just tired. It's kind of hard training and doing homework at the same time, you know."
It hasn't deterred you before. Not to mention you still apparently have a very active social life. Most mages dedicate most of their free time to training, and instead you go out and catch up with friends, or chase up new people and chat to them.
"Is this about the sisters? Because I swear I didn't mean to-"
You don't mean a lot of things, but a mage should practice caution at all times. They wanted to get you by yourself. You should consider yourself lucky that you're so popular that you're dragged away each time an opportunity arises.

Iriumi didn't say anything. She agreed that too many times she'd almost been confronted by the two Autekkan sisters when she didn't want to be. It was luck that there were always friends nearby. She would apologize, make an alternate appointment as vague as possible ("some other time, maybe?") before flitting off with her other friends. But that wasn't what she was bothered with.

The Monday incident sat too heavily on her conscience. Never had she been so relieved that school was over. Trying to calm Tayuumi down drained Iriumi mentally. Then she had to further gather the rest of her wretched energy in order to apologize to Kaemon and his friend for having such a horrible day. The student didn't make it easy for her, though Takuso and a few other boy students helped by hanging around. Still, she felt guilty for subjecting the two new students to such a terrible first day at their school. She'd gone home and realized that she hadn't tried to gain the acquaintance with other new students.

And now instead of being able to take what's left of her spare time aside from schoolwork and friends, she's been forced to dedicate it to mage training. So far, it has been quite refreshing - like daily exercise (which it has been so far, for Iriumi to keep up with the physical exertion of being a Mage) - and Iriumi has been able to let herself relax in a different manner.

Dream training, however, wasn't as welcome. The invasion of Mage-sparring and more intensive combat training into her sleeping hours threw Iriumi off the first few days. Ivy's passive energy absorption ability helped rejuvenate Iriumi's tired spirit during the day and allowed her to pull through, but it was still annoying having to do stuff even when asleep.

Sakura was a godsend. She was always there acting as a convenient distraction when Iriumi needed the time. Now and then, Iriumi would allow her to see the barrier jacket and even the different forms of Ivy's basic unevolved weapon forms. Her sister was completely mindblown about the beauty and the coolness of her bigger sister. Even Ivy grew fond of the younger sibling.

I think you're ready for some more advanced combat.
"Huh?"
Evolve the Ember Vine Suit, Hana Iriumi. I'm going to get you through the more powerful weapon features of the suit in a very fast tutorial. You'd better be able to keep up.
"O-okay!"

Iriumi couldn't help but feel a small spark of excitement. For the past few days of the week, she'd done nothing but basic training with the weapons she'd known so far. Fighting phantom vines can get tedious, and Iriumi had started to feel the repetetiveness drag down her interest. Setting her hands and fingers into the correct magical gesture, Iriumi began the proper chant to actively evolve her Ivy Suit.

"Oh Ancient Heart, listen to the breath of life and be fanned into life. Stir from your slumber, that you may ignite my body and obliterate my enemies!"

Good. Call forth the Eternal Flame, Ivy approved after a flashy transformation sequence. The whip blossomed easily from Iriumi's hands. She'd been practicing, and now she could get it out without much thought at all.

Do you remember how the Ancient's Wrath could become a ranged weapon? Well, each of my evolutions play off these two basics. Remember how you felt when you summoned the Primordial Bow. Try to form the weapon in this suit. Feel the heat and the fire from the suit. Know what you want. Bring it forth. Christen it with your final breath.

Iriumi's mind flashed an image, vivid and strong. Suddenly, she remembered what Ivy had said a little earlier - the Eternal Flame is like a Dragon's Tail, flexible and deadly. It doesn't strike like a wooden thing. It does not slice like a sharp blade. It flicks the enemy off the dragon's perch with ease and grace, like a horse flicking the flies off its backside. If a whip can become a dragon's tail, then the bow is the...

"Dragon's Breath.

The vine writhed like a living thing, sections of it shrivelling while other parts began to become bloated, hardening and changing. Leaves unfurled across its cylindrical form, taking the appearance of leafy scales.There was a small puff of flame as one end of the bloating vine indented and shifted. Remaining connected to the barrier jacket, the thing looked like a gold and red, meaner, larger version of the Primordial Bow, though far more sleek and defined in comparison to its original design.

"..."
Hmm? Did you say something? Ivy sounded mildly smug.
"Wow," was all Iriumi could manage.

[PyrosNine]

The interviews were boring, and she hadn't actually gotten to meet the student body president but instead met a glasses wearing go-between who breathed too heavily and didn't know where to put her eyes.

She'd been told that joining clubs quickly would make her arrival look even better on paper, and invited to make a tour of the empty school, which she did so idly as her 'companion' argued with a cell phone about "changing international standards."

The desks seen through open doors were normal sized, just like the ones back home. Ashley had to stifle a chuckle to herself, as she'd imagined something almost lilliputian. The chalkboards did look a bit lower, though. It was a pretty school, and seemed to be a school. Back home, the nice schools didn't look anything like a school, some sort of mix of college and a Californian tanning spa. Didn't make you feel like you were there to learn, or whatnot. She'd have tried to sit in a desk, if nobody could have seen her.

The auditorium gave her this vague, foreboding feeling. Nothing particularly ominous or nefarious in it's design, but it's foreign nature, with the lights turned off, and the open space? "We don't need no education..."

The school board room was locked, and there were people inside, somewhere. Certainly far enough away not to hear the door handle move. She wondered if it was true, what that video game said. That japanese student governments and school boards controlled who became president. Or was it in American schools? She couldn't remember. She bet they had an elevator to an upper level in there, though, and a TV with TIVO, and an ice cream parlor. Or at least a well stocked fridge. Sadly, she wasn't one for any form of greater academics: A's and the knowledge she'd crushed eight to ten other girl's dreams in track and field were always enough. And punching out some toothless skinhead who thought she was the contender's girlfriend. Oo--rah.

Something about the rest of the school grounds made her itch, somehow. Like, there were fields of itchyness, but then up against a wall or in a place noticeably barren of grass, there was this intense feeling of itchyness. There was probably a better name for it, for she wasn't gonna scratch or anything, but she'd only had her head ribbon for so long, and it dared not speak for a while lest Ashley come forward with her threat to staple it to a wall and play with matches.

The sports field! Yes, this was a nice spot. They had a track, she could see a raised pool like area in the distance (she was never good at swimming, but she was sure it was no fault of her own) and even the other sports. The chalk on the baseball field was fresh. There was a gymnasium somewhere around here, but hanging around an empty school wasn't her cup of tea.

She wished there was a swingset. It was silly, this being a high school, but she did. Something both picturesque and pleasant to place herself upon. There was nothing so comforting for the longest time in her life, and the person to her left was hardly 'comforting'. Actually, person to her right. She didn't know who was to her left, only out of the corner of her eye....

The groundskeeper was ogling her from some bleachers. A ! may as well appeared above Ashley's head.

He looked rather ashamed of himself, having been found out. "Oh, So sorry miss, I'm...I've got some weeds to pull." an wandered off.

"Well, as my mother always said, if you don't want people to look at you, don't look like you just stepped out of an Otaku magazine."

"What?"

"Oh, sorry. American schoolgirls are popular nowadays. I do some mag advertising work on the side, and let me tell you, there are fights between photo groups on the value of a fuku versus a catholic skirt."

Ashley was silent for a few seconds. Just a few seconds, long enough to make the woman regret opening her mouth. However, the woman knew how to deal with people, and made a save.

"Ready to leave? We've still got to pick up your books, since you've not bothered to do so for the last month."

"Sure."

The two trudged towards the parking lot, where the driver pulled up, let them in, and they were gone.

There had been a feeling of dread in Ashley's mind as her car pulled away...that someone was watching. But looking back at the school, there was nothing but a building, a few parked cars, and the reflection of her hair band twinkling in the window.

Her hair band, ribbon, and not as spineless as most ribbons, felt confident. She'd managed to avoid her duty, destiny for so long somehow. But at this school, there were others. He could feel it, and surely once she crossed paths with one, they would realize it too, and surely, surely they could make her understand?

[Overcast]

Nicia put down the paint brush. After all her work was done she usually found herself back at the canvas again. At least when Carcinos wasn't on her to continue training, but even he understood the importance of her creativity. Without her creativity her ability as a summoner would have been useless, so he embraced it and let her do the same. Today she was sitting in the middle of a painting that she was entering her second week on, a single road stretched down the middle of the painting alone in a deserted looking landscape, a single car far away in the distance a soft green speck that would barely be noticed. On each side there were telephone poles and streetlights, all about normal until two, where the lines of the pole had been ripped away and the ground had tracked it's movement as it ripped across the asphalt. A streetlight ripped through the road from the other side and it seemed that they were waltzing in the middle. The telephone pole had a pink cloth nailed to it's side, the telephone pole was softly marred with rust. The scene was held by a strange creature, a human creature with the head of an octopus with a notable sadness in his eye and soft splotches of bronze on his skin. On the other side of the room you saw another canvas, a girl of similar species, female by appearance, holding a pink cloth with a look of a heart pierced.

It wasn't bad.

Carcinos certainly seemed pleased with the outcome sitting on a little stool, looking about as unusual on it as any crab of his tiny stature would,

"Quite a beautiful setup you've built dear. I can say honestly that in my soul the power of this scene is killing me. Do you plan to let them out?"

Nicia was wearing a black-t that had a man named George Clinton on the front of it and read Funkidelic on the bottom. Her hands were adorned with black fingerless gloves that now tapped upon her chin. Her head held a hat that had a variety of little buttons on them, half of them in Greek, another quarter in Japanese, and the rest in English. She was keen on wearing jeans today as a matter of comfort, but even they were a bit torn. Not of her own design but mostly due to practice with Carcinos. Her shoes were simple converse with a black and green plaid design. She looked over at the crab and shrugged,

"I'm not sure if I should. You know how people wish some moments would last forever? This is one of those times. Because you never know what led up to these defining seconds."

Carcinos lept off the stool with a thud and scuttled to her side. He was such a cute thing, even if he was a genius of sorts. He seemed to be looking up at her, but then again you couldn't really tell with him...his eyes were barely noticeable most of the time,

"I believe it is time for us to be heading off to your place of education dear. Is that what you are wearing?"

She looked and down and decided to sit cross legged across from him to aid their conversation, she didn't much like having a conversation with people she couldn't look eye to eye with and for the crab looking at his front was about as good as she was gonna get,

"Why do you think there is anything wrong with it?"

He seemed to scan her, to be honest he still had very little understanding of any sort of uniform code, rather he was checking if it was all very easy to move around in. He had always been a proponent of comfort no matter what he was seen as,

"As long as you keep me in your bag rather than your outfit. I don't believe being in a pocket is good for me in pants like that."

She laughed a bit and gave him a soft rap on the head,

"Silly crab, I need my uniform. I can't believe you would poor old me get called for a violation of dress code. Very irresponsible Carcinos. After all you are supposed to be a sensei."

He struggled with his legs under her knuckle and spoke up,
'
"Arn't you supposed to respect sensei?! This is terrible! I should pinch you."

This time they both laughed and she took off to get her bag, a simple over the shoulder bag with a replica of her own design of one of Banksy's little rats on each side. Next to the bag was the uniform, an honestly drab sort of thing, but nothing a little creativity might fix. She tossed on the typical items to start undershirt, then blue shirt, the dress, the bow. Blah blah blah. Her hair did all the job it needed to do on her head, but she decided it might be fun to add a pair of glasses. She only needed them to read, but she tended to use them to accessorize with that as an excuse. Today a pair of big nerdy guys with the big square frames to hold the lenses. With her hair the effect was wondrous and she did love it so. Before she chose her shoes she decided on a pair of blue and white tights for her legs. They worked well with the uniform itself but let her show a bit of herself in it at the same time. Thinking about this she ran into the restroom and picked up a spray dye. Simple sort to just get the color, but keep her from most of the nasty chemicals, she touched up the fringes of her hair with a good shade of navy which made it so even her hair was adding to the style. And over her feet, aside from the tights, she tugged on a pair of platformy boots. Black standard for the school, but she did love the look of platform, and it went with the dorky funkidelic look of her glasses. She stopped to stare at herself in the mirror and nodded firmly. This would work. She ran back with the bag and picked up the little crab, putting him inside to scuttle on top of the well packed books and folders to his tiny heart's content and left out the door.

She didn't drive, she didn't much like cars and would much rather get the exercise and soft appreciation of nature she got from a good walk than the slight stink and usually cruddy music of the radio she might get in a car.

She found herself getting lost in thought, thinking of the strange insanity that had begun to take over her life. It had started at the beach...a place that she enjoyed spending time at during the day, a place not too far away.

She had taken a walk there at night, a tiny moonlit walk by the crashing waves to keep her mind in order. Her life was always a matter of effort, but being so driven so often always took it's toll. It was moments like that that helped her stay sane.

Then along the path there scuttled a crab.

It stopped and did seemed to look at her a moment. She stared back with a fairly awkward look on her face. He would soon scuttle over and prod her with his claw, a thing that scared her at first but soon made her curious. She had dealt with crab before, and they usually were not so friendly. She picked it up and stared at it long and hard before asking,

"Would you come home with me."

It never said a word but she kept it with her anyway. Eventually a little aquarium was brought in for the crab. She named it Carcinos since she wasn't sure what regular crab names were. So crab in Greek would do fine enough. She fed him and took care of him, and he seemed to prosper and be happy.

Then a few days ago he started to talk.

"Do you know what you are?"

Those were not very good words to start with. His explanations of magic and magery and the return of magic and the Autekka and Verda all sounded like a dog telling you that you were the sword of God. In other words she put all her effort into ignoring him, but eventually her curiosity got to her and she listened. When she found a smiling loving symbol of happiness burning a hole into her wall she decided this might just be real.

The training would begin. He would speak on ends about the importance of one's connection with magic and the power that gave to the Verda. The power of his choice was that of making and changing life. He taught her that all things were made of the same things, but not in the way she learned in science but in magic. That most things can be changed into other things with the right concentration of magic, and that anything can be created with a similar concentration. He taught her how to make people into pigs and frogs and chickens. How to summon her emotional avatars and mythical creatures. It was all up to her he said. If you can think it, it can be done. So think.

Think.

It was all too insane to believe, but she had to. Even if it wasn't real she may as well go it all the way. There was no use after all, if she was mad she was mad. Better to live the fantasy then to be tormented by it.

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OOC: I would enjoy a slight clarification on the time. Since I am absolutely confused with if her trip to the school is actually justified. I don't need to change much to fit her into a completely different trip that is more logical, I just need to figure out the time.