Jaydor

[Corv fucking DIES]

[No YOU'RE ded]

[Okay, so..

I did ask everyone except Huff (who hasn't seemed to be online at times for me to ask), so hopefully this won't seem too abrupt, but the game's been/being moved to Mythweavers. Everyone's either been sent invitations or has already accepted them. And really, sorry about the overall clusterfuck and infrequent updating. I'm hoping things will be less troublesome in the future.]

[yuri]

[gaaaaaaaaaah]

[Oh wait what the fuck when did that conversation get there]

[Too late ded]

[no

Joan fucking DIES]

Joan, Yukari

Neither of you notice anyone approaching and continue eavesdropping. You both pick up on the sound of a long sigh.

"..I know. This city doesn't have the history for that kind of teenage violence, and everyone in the department knows it. But if it isn't kids being idiots, what do you actually think about this?"

"Well, stabbings are a pretty sensitive thing in this country, but we might have to consider that these weren't murders at all."

"Then what, Sonouji? Coordinated suicides?"

"There'd have to be an accomplice for that. Anyways, whatever happened, it was probably out of the box. We might make more progress if we look at the why, instead of the who or how."

There's the sudden sound of footsteps from around the corner.

Tami, Hisako

Regeneration. Reckless movement to position two.

(Eiko) Rolled 4, 1 = 12 <2d6+7>

Failure.

Reckless movement to position two.

(Eiko) Rolled 6, 4, 4 = 21 <2d6+7>

Success. Eiko gains +1 magic overcharge. Pass to Hermit.

"Jeez, don't just.."

Eiko dashes across the snow. She appears to have trouble at first, but after a few moments, she swiftly and deftly traverses the terrain without injury.

"..leave me behind like that!" she shouts, with a bitter grin on her face.

Hermit

Burst Attack on position two.

(Hermit) Rolled 1, 6, 1 = 15 <2d6+7>

(Hisako) Rolled 5, 5 = 16 <2d6+6>

Failure.

(Tami) Rolled 4, 4 = 15 <2d6+7>

Tie. Hermit rolled 6, Tami rolled 6. Tie. Hermit rolled 4, Tami rolled 1.

Success. Eiko uses shield and gains +1 magic overcharge. Tami loses -2 resolve <1d6+2>. 16/18 resolve.

(Eiko) Rolled 4, 2 = 13 <2d6+7>

Success. Eiko loses -7 resolve. 11/18 resolve.

Hermit loses -2 overcharge. 7/9 overcharge.

Mines.

Hermit loses -1 overcharge. 6/9 overcharge. Pass to Tami.

Eiko's display is immediately cut short, however, when the youma in the distance launches another fragment, ripping up the landscape on impact. Only Hisako is just barely able to get to safety in time.

Perhaps because Tami was still dealing with the forest, she too is also caught up in the blast, but at the last second, part of the attack is warded off by a sudden barrier.

Hisako dashes through the forest to get to the youma.

Hisako

Reckless movement to position two.

(Hisako) Rolled 6, 4, 2 = 15 <2d6+3>

Success. Hisako loses -2 resolve and gains +1 heart overcharge.

16/18 resolve.

Hex on Hermit. Pass to Eiko.

You get a few cuts from the various tree fragments, but you otherwise manage to clear the edge of the forest. Quickly weaving magic, you hex the youma from afar.

Tami

Reckless movement to position two.

(Tami) Rolled 1, 3 = 9 <2d6+5>

Failure.

Once again, you find difficulty maneuvering through the obstacles and cover little ground.

Joan

Your nose catches the scent of smoke, and you cling to the wall just before the turn around the corner. There are voices coming from the other side.

"Sonouji, was there a reason that you dragged me all the way back here when we picked this place apart ages ago?"

"I'm better at putting my thoughts together when I'm at the actual site of the crime."

"And so?"

"Four boys, roughly around the age of second year high schoolers. Putting aside the unusual cause of deaths for now, a background check reveals they were certainly all model delinquents, but only to the extent of loitering around convenience stores or disturbing the general peace. No signs of any culprits. Mazuka-san, to be honest, I doubt this is the work of amateurs."

[whoops sorry work has been killing me

I'll uhh, I'll update now]

Joan, Yukari

The two of you walk downstream for a time. No signs of a youma or mysterious occult happenings, but when you walk by one of the various bridges across, you catch the sight of an empty police car parked by the side of the road.

The area around the bridge's underside has been cordoned off with tape.

Aika

You receive a reply along the lines of "Huh? Uhh, fine, try out these two albums for now."

Listed are two albums by artists you've never heard of.

Tami, Hisako

"Hang on, Fujiwaka-san! Jeez, Alphard, take care of the girl!"

Alphard appears nearby, startling the girl apparently named Sango. She looks as unfazed as ever.

"Yes, yes. Are you coming along, three-tailed fool?"

"R-right!" squeaks Aleister, who is clutching a tree branch above for dear life. Once Aleister drops down, the two of them seem to lead Sango away.

Tami

Meanwhile, you charge forward.

Reckless movement to position two.

(Tami) Rolled 2, 4 = 11 <2d6+5>

Failure.

Or at least, try to, but the white tree fragments littering the area make it hard to navigate without getting hurt in the process.

Joan

It's a long walk to the riverbank, but thankfully, you don't run across any complications along the way.

Yukari

"Huh? Oh, take care."

Takeshi gives you those parting words as you make your leave. It's a bit far from here to the river by walking, so it takes a fair amount of time. It's still in the afternoon by the time you arrive, though.

Joan, Yukari

The two of you rendezvous near the riverbank. It's not a huge gap from one side to the other, but it's wide enough that people on the other side would look small.

Now that you're here, neither of you are quite sure where to actually begin investigating. The news was oddly vague when it came to location, after all.

Sen

"I'll think about it, but work keeps me pretty busy."

Ayako seats herself at the kitchen table while you dig around for something to eat. There's a probably a bunch of things, but if you wanted something quickly, cup ramen would be fastest to make.

Aika

You end up watching a show about girls living in zeppelins. The usually peaceful drifting of the main cast seems to have been interrupted when their airship runs into a bad storm.

"The Zvezda will start to break apart if this keeps up!!"

"Tch, I'm venting our helium stores. Everyone, prepare for landing!"

Mai doesn't seem to really get the more complex terms and concepts, but she seems to be having fun nonetheless.

[Oh, and when the time comes, Tami has the first move.]

Joan

"I see. Then, I'll be off. Your mother and I will probably be back later this evening."

Your father disappears around the corner, and you catch the sound of the front door shutting afterwards.

Tami, Hisako

Eiko opens her mouth to say something, but is interrupted as everyone is suddenly assaulted by a powerful burst of wind.

Announced by a large boom, a giant pillar of snow is launched into the air in the distance. The image almost resembles cannon fire impacting the ocean surface, but on a far greater scale.

At the same time, the storm clears somewhat, and a huge tree-like thing becomes visible at the other end of the nightmare. A thick branch quickly grows out from the main body and then explodes, throwing up another pillar of snow a moment later.

Needless to say, it's the youma.

[Youma sheet here.

Battle has begun. The youma is in position four, while everyone else is in position one. Talking's a free action right now though, so if you want to wrap up this conversation or anything like rather than jump immediately into combat actions, feel free.]

[This feels weird no matter how many times I relay posts.]

Hisako looks back to Eiko while still holding her stance. "Do you think we can trust this one? She says she's not dangerous."

Hisako

The girl practically jumps at the sound of your voice. Evidently having just noticed your presence, she looks at you, followed by your sword, and promptly covers her mouth to muffle a screech.

"..Eh? W-wait, my name is Asanuma Sango! I'm not dangerous so.. please don't hurt me!!"

[New character sheet get.]

"Wait up, Kazuaki-sa-..?"

Eiko jogs up to the two of you and briefly glances back and forth between you and the girl before putting on a baffled expression at the current scene.

Tami

Even though there's still the storm, you can see and hear basically everything that just happened from this distance.

Hisako readies her sword at the girl.

"Who are you? Announce your name!"

[Also it's about.. 3 PM or so? Maybe a little later?]

Joan

Your father comes down from the stairs, seemingly having packed the suitcase now grasped in his hand. He looks to you.

"Well, I'll be taking my leave now. Will you be fine by yourself?"

Hisako

Your weapon, a large cleaver-like blade practically long enough to be called a sword rather than a knife, once again manifests in your grip. You barely make it a few steps before being stopped, however.

The thick blanket of snow gathered on the ground as well as the dense storm makes them harder to see, but the area is actually strewn with what almost look like wooden caltrops sticking out of the earth, both large and small.

As you stop yourself from stepping on one at the last second, a young girl about your age enters your field of vision.

Tami

You enter the nightmare and find yourself in a forest during a snowstorm. Eiko is already moving forward, and just up ahead is Hisako and an unfamiliar girl trembling behind a tree.

Straining your eyes, you belatedly realize that the surrounding terrain is a bit perilous, white fragments of varying size from some sort of tree having been scattered about.

You don't see the youma, but it probably won't stay that way for long.

Aika

Mai smiles, seemingly satisfied with that answer, and returns to her plate.

You sink your spoon into the food yourself, sampling the rice steeped in curry sauce and interspersed with beef and various vegetables. It's probably a little milder than you'd prefer, but still perfectly palatable. Simple yet nourishing meals like this are probably one of life's greatest joys.

Hisako readies her weapon for an attack and runs into the forest in search of the youma

Hisako

"Gbuhhh-!?" coughs Aleister as he's suddenly thrown to the ground while you rush into the nightmare. You instantly change into the elegant-looking gothic lolita dress as if flipping a switch.

The inside of the pocket space looks roughly the same as the distorted park, except there's a full-on snowstorm and the surrounding trees are even more densely packed. It really is a forest.

Eiko comes running inside moments after you, also transformed.

Tami

"Ah, crap. It's probably bad if we just leave her on her own," Eiko nervously mutters.

With a flash of light, she transforms and steps forward before turning back to you, who is checking on Aleister.

"Um, I'm going on ahead. Try to catch up soon, alright?"

And with that, Eiko heads into the singularity and disappears. Meanwhile, Aleister gets back up. His coat looks a little ruffled, but otherwise, he doesn't seem to be hurt. Well, besides his pride, anyways.

"I-I think I could cry right now.. I guess we should probably follow them though."

Aika

"Okay. You promise, right?"

Mai looks up expectantly at you. With the expression on her face, you almost swear that she'll be demanding a pinky promise in a minute or so.

Hisako throws Aleister to the ground, transforms, and runs into battle.

Tami

You grab Eiko's wrist and chase after Hisako.

Tami, Hisako

The three of you follow Aleister's nose to a deserted park. Or rather, what should be a deserted park, but the scenery quickly distorts as you walk further in.

The image of the park turns into a white forest blanketed in snow, just as Tami witnessed in the morning earlier. Normal people probably wouldn't actually see this, but all of you can since you're magical girls.

"Right here," Aleister says while still hanging in Hisako's grip. "If we want to go in, the core should be right.. here?"

He suddenly sniffs a bit more.

"U-umm, this might be really good timing? Or would it actually be bad timing? Ah, well, the gist of it is that I think someone's actually trapped in there right now!"

Aika

You make enough for two plates of curry. For Mai's sake, you kept it mild, but you get the feeling that she'll pout about you're treating her like a child.

Sitting at the couch, you both dig in.

Between spoonfuls of curry, Mai looks at you wistfully.

"Onee-chan, you won't ever leave Mai, right?"

[Haha, w-whoops! The update should have been a lot earlier than this.. but there was a schedule slip? You guys are okay with a half-assed excuse like that, r-right?

..Please bear with this useless GM for just a little longer.]

Tami, Hisako

Aleister gets a bit flustered at Tami's suggestion.

"A-ah, no, it's fine. I can totally do this. The great Aleister is being asked to search out a youma? No problem!"

He seems to mutter something along the lines of "Kh! I say that, but what's with this ridiculous tyranny?" with tears in his eyes afterwards though. At any rate, after a few moments of looking about while hanging in Hisako's grip, Aleister points his paw in a certain direction.

"Um, I think I smell something over that way?"

Sen

"I did, but it looks like there were some last minute problems with production. The actual shooting is being pushed back, it seems. Well, I was in the area, so it was simpler to stop here for lunch than to head home or eat out."

As Ayako says that, you see that she's prepared a simple bowl of tea on rice.

Joan

Your father heads upstairs and leaves you to it.

Ah.. there's not really anything to do.

Aika

Mai enthusiastically nods.

"Mm! Food made by onee-chan is the best!"

As she climbs back onto the couch to watch TV while you prepare in the kitchen, the dream you had of the fire this morning comes to mind for some reason. You probably could have made it out on your own back then, but Mai definitely would have been helpless by herself.